I just reread my 2025 end of year post and boy, it was a lot.
Quick health update - after three months my doctor checked my kidneys again and all was well, so I didn't need to go back on the second blood pressure med, thank goodness. I prefer not having "altitude issues" when I sit or stand up too quickly, lol. My hair has started growing back, so I've stopped taking Nutrafol. I'm not sure how much it helped and it's pricy, so I decided taking it for 6 months was long enough. I have put a little weight back on and my A1c has risen a bit, just enough to give me a reality check. I expect to have both back to the previous numbers fairly quickly (definitely before my next appointment in September). I'm still walking between 1-2 miles a day, maybe missing 2 days every two week? With work quieting down, I try to walk a mile around the building (4 laps of the first floor = one mile) and then again in the evening around the neighborhood with mom. I am concerned that with the temperatures rising it will get hard to walk in the evenings. This winter we walked at Gateway Mall on days when it was too cold to be outside, but summer is consistently unpleasant for longer stretches than winter, and walking at the mall every day is not my idea of a good time.
My lady issues are...well, still issues. Since Ibuprophen just wasn't cutting it most of the time, my doctor prescribed Meloxicam, a stronger anti-inflammatory. It's helped more than the Ibuprophen, but not completely or consistently. I've also had to "learn" how to take it. I'm used to taking meds when I'm in pain, so "as needed." This seems to work best if you take it on the front end, sort of cutting it off instead of responding to it. Still getting used to that. But if that's what I need to do to manage, so be it. The pain levels have been escalating the last year or so to where it was affecting my ability to function. Let me put it this way - a typical period is more painful than getting a tattoo. Out of my six tattoo appointments (for 4 tattoos), I took Ibuprophen once, on the 3rd appointment for the same tattoo. There have been times where I had to take an extra large dose of Ibuprophen 3 times in a day to function like a relatively normal human being. A dose for me is 4 pills (so 800 mg), because if I only take 3 (a normal person's max dose), it's like I didn't take anything. I also use Somedays' Cramp Cream with mixed results. A heating pad or my Warmie (a life saver at work) also help. I'll admit I was expecting things to get better with the weight loss and getting my A1c under control (those things can affect your cycle/hormones), so that's been very disappointing. I did find out last year that I have a fibroid on my uterus, but one shouldn't be enough to cause this much pain? If things aren't better by next year, I plan to start considering some other, more drastic options to deal with it all.
Unbelievably, tomorrow is the five year anniversary of dad passing away. It's both gone by quickly and I can't believe it was only five years ago, all at the same time. It's also crazy he would have turned 90 on his last birthday. 😳 Pics have been popping up in Facebook memories from my posts the last couple of years, plus Father's Day. Eternal rest grant unto dad, oh Lord...
After five months and tearing their house down to the literal studs, they are just now able to start rebuilding and work toward being able to live in their home again.Below are links to the website she and her husband, Ben, set up to keep updated on the saga, purchase "Breaking the Mold" merch (I ordered a hoodie, lol) and/or donate. And if you haven't been out to Paper Moon Pastries in Cortland, I would highly recommend anything and everything. 
GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-sister-recover-from-mold-disaster?attribution_id=sl:7e002f02-cfde-4bad-abd8-3bbd4a5ce9ef&utm_campaign=unknown&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=widget
In April Mom and I visited Breckenridge and Denver, a trip planned around a concert at Red Rocks. It snowed on and off while we were in Breck, which added to the mountain ambiance (thankfully without also snowing us in). I always love spending time in the mountains, so I'm glad we were able to make it up there (last time we had to cancel last minute because they were expecting 16-20" of snow 😳🌨).
The first time I saw Lewis Capaldi perform was at the (small, intimate) Ogden Theatre in Denver in 2019. Now, seven years and increased popularity later, Lewis Capaldi performed two sold out shows at Red Rocks (I think his entire US tour sold out, which is awesome). I got tickets for the second night, since the first sold out in about 5 minutes flat. This treated us to a "once in a lifetime" show, in the weirdest way possible. 😄 It rained on and off the whole time and they experienced repeated technical difficulties, which meant Lewis couldn't play his normal set list and had to do acoustic versions of his songs (thankfully he still played most of my favorites). The man was quite the trooper. It was really cold (about 40°) and wet, and he stayed out singing the whole time, while different members of the band popped in and out depending on the song. He kept apologizing and joked about it throughout, and noted that three years ago he wouldn't have been able to handle things going so awry (which is a testament to his mental health being better today). I love him because he's so talented (singer, songwriter, musician) and is a super derpy human being. 😄 His latest music video just dropped...it's sweet and kind of heartbreaking, so there's that too.
Shortly after getting home, I attended a live streamed MET Opera (Eugene Onegin) at the Mary Riepma Ross Theater with a friend. The cast was amazing and the set design was incredible. If you ever run across it available to stream (The MET Opera has "on demand" operas and three versions of Eugene Onegin available to rent, but not the 2026 version), I would highly recommend it. Afterwards we went to a Derby Party (my first!), so naturally I had to get a fascinator. I didn't quite have the courage to go full Audrey Hepburn, but ended up being quite happy with my less-fascinating contribution. 😄
Last but not least, I just got back from NYC! This was planned around another concert, this time Josh Groban at Madison Square Garden (a bucket list concert location). We had quite a bit we'd planned to do, until we saw the forecast, which was three days in the 90s and one day in the 80s. I haven't sweat so much in years. 😳🥵
On Wednesday we were in Tribeca, the West Village and Chelsea, walking over 9 miles around Lower Manhattan. Among other things, we visited The Arte Museum in Chelsea, an immersive digital museum (with AC, lol). Each room had something cool and surprising, from the infinity waterfall to a swirling tornado. They did a great job utilizing the floor, for either projecting the images or interacting with the viewer. In the tornado room, I got a cool pic of another gal who stepped into the vortex before me and had to include it. Thanks to mom for taking the pics of me in there and the floral room. 😊 The last room included so many beautiful projections, from different artists to nature scenes, like the Northern Lights.
The first two nights we stayed in Weehawken, NJ, ferrying over to Manhattan as needed. The first day (same as we went to The Arte Museum), we ferried down to the Brookfield Place Terminal and got to check out Lily Pond (the ducklings were adorable) and the Irish Hunger Memorial (not pictured, too much construction around it), which I'd read about a couple years ago. It's a "public art installation commemorating the Great Famine (1845-1852) and raising awareness about global hunger, featuring a recreated Irish landscape with a 19th-century cottage, stones from every Irish county, and native flora, all set on a base of fossilized limestone." It's beautiful & sobering, and I recommend checking it out.
As we were walking to (from?) lunch, we happened to walk by the Ghostbusters firehouse, which was fun! Found myself humming the theme song for a bit after that. 👻
On Thursday evening we went to see "Death of a Salesman" at the Winter Garden Theatre. The story is a sad one, so it wasn't a "fun" watch, but the acting was amazing. I'm a huge Nathan Lane fan, so was excited to see him perform in person.
Jennifer Hudson opened for Josh, and boy can she sing! She had Common join her for a song, and then she sang Unchained Melody with Josh during his set. Another cute "guest appearance" was a recording of Josh's dad accompanying him on the trumpet for Moon River. 🎺
~ Katie Q. 🐧
Breaking the Mold Project
GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-sister-recover-from-mold-disaster?attribution_id=sl:7e002f02-cfde-4bad-abd8-3bbd4a5ce9ef&utm_campaign=unknown&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=widget
Ok, on to some fun things so far this year.
In February I attended the Statehood dinner with some friends. Since there were six of us, we took up most of a table. Next year we plan to go ahead and just get a whole table...not to sound anti-social (who am I kidding?), but it will be nice not sitting with strangers. It's more relaxed and fun when it's "your people."
In April Mom and I visited Breckenridge and Denver, a trip planned around a concert at Red Rocks. It snowed on and off while we were in Breck, which added to the mountain ambiance (thankfully without also snowing us in). I always love spending time in the mountains, so I'm glad we were able to make it up there (last time we had to cancel last minute because they were expecting 16-20" of snow 😳🌨).
Shortly after getting home, I attended a live streamed MET Opera (Eugene Onegin) at the Mary Riepma Ross Theater with a friend. The cast was amazing and the set design was incredible. If you ever run across it available to stream (The MET Opera has "on demand" operas and three versions of Eugene Onegin available to rent, but not the 2026 version), I would highly recommend it. Afterwards we went to a Derby Party (my first!), so naturally I had to get a fascinator. I didn't quite have the courage to go full Audrey Hepburn, but ended up being quite happy with my less-fascinating contribution. 😄
Last but not least, I just got back from NYC! This was planned around another concert, this time Josh Groban at Madison Square Garden (a bucket list concert location). We had quite a bit we'd planned to do, until we saw the forecast, which was three days in the 90s and one day in the 80s. I haven't sweat so much in years. 😳🥵
As we were walking to (from?) lunch, we happened to walk by the Ghostbusters firehouse, which was fun! Found myself humming the theme song for a bit after that. 👻
On Thursday evening we went to see "Death of a Salesman" at the Winter Garden Theatre. The story is a sad one, so it wasn't a "fun" watch, but the acting was amazing. I'm a huge Nathan Lane fan, so was excited to see him perform in person.
While we were sitting at dinner before the concert on Friday, a thunderstorm rolled through Midtown, with torrential rain, thunder and lightning. Thankfully it was only sprinkling by the time we started walking to Madison Square Garden. One of the things I really like about NYC is how walkable it is, and both MSG and the Winter Garden Theatre were easy to walk to from our hotel/dinner.
Jennifer Hudson opened for Josh, and boy can she sing! She had Common join her for a song, and then she sang Unchained Melody with Josh during his set. Another cute "guest appearance" was a recording of Josh's dad accompanying him on the trumpet for Moon River. 🎺
Thankfully we left town before the Knicks win. While it would have been exciting to see so many happy people, from the videos I've seen of Saturday night, the streets were PACKED. Too many people for me, thanks! 😆
If you're looking for some good food recommendations in NYC, here are some places we ate this last trip:
Sicily - the Ricotta al Forno appetizer was excellent
Crispy Heaven - sadly we didn't get the bread flight, but the french toast was good.
Quality Italian - eat in the first floor bistro, it's quieter.
Carnegie Diner (a little tourist-y, but fun & near Central Park)
La Pecora Bianca (across from the Winter Garden Theatre)
Rosemary's - Midtown - there are several locations, but we've been to this one twice.
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse - the splurge of the trip. They even have a dress code.
Speaking of food:
This Spring I perfected the best avocado toast recipe, which I'm quite proud of. And now you can profit from my experimentation. 😄
Two slices of freshly baked sourdough toast
Three hearty table spoons of ricotta cheese
1/2 to one Teaspoon of preserved lemon (depends on how lemony you want it)
Half an avocado (or a whole one, if it's small or you're feelin' guac-y)
Two poached eggs
A couple pads of butter
Salt and chili crisp to taste
Follow the directions on the sourdough packaging or, if you have a different bread option, ignore that step. Once the bread is baked (or exists), put two thick-ish slices back in the oven with a small amount of butter (enough to easily spread over the bread once it's melted). Only leave it in the oven long enough to melt the butter and crisp the edges of the bread. Remove from over and place on a plate.
While the bread is in the oven, put the ricotta in a bowl and add the preserved lemon. The lemon is quite salty, so you probably won't need to add additional salt. Cut the avocado in half (around the pit, of course) and put half in a bowl. Use your preferred method of storage for the other half, which may be to just add it to the bowl, if it's a small avocado. Use a fork to mash it up.
Poach two eggs. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Once everything's ready, spread the avocado onto the bread, followed by the ricotta & lemon mixture. Place the poached eggs on top and finish with as much chili crisp as your heart desires and voila!
While not the best calories-wise, it's a very nutrient dense meal. I'm not a big fan of eggs, so this is a great way to get me to eat them, not to mention avocados are good for your heart health. And if I'm not going to crush a watermelon for heart health, I'm damn well going to eat an avocado. 😂
Since I'm trying to increase fiber in my life, the aforementioned avocado toast or a Sola Blu-berry bagel with whipped cream cheese (the Everything bagel is pretty good too) are my two favorite lunch options right now. High is both fiber and protein, it does have a slightly different texture than a normal bagel, but not enough for me to find it off-putting and I actually enjoy eating it. I'm sure being comfort food is a big part of it, but fiber can be comforting*, lol.
Now, on to the books!
My friend Katie (author of Once Upon a Pyne) put together a rating system that she uses on Goodreads. I asked her permission to steal it and have implemented it below.
Here is her (and now my) criteria:
⭐: the worst piece of garbage I’ve ever read ⭐⭐: overall bleh book, but some redeeming qualities
⭐⭐⭐: liked it, but wouldn’t read again
⭐⭐⭐⭐: liked it more and would read again
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: amazing and definitely should read again
I've decided to add a + designation, which is basically a half star.
If you want to keep up with what I'm reading on a more updated basis, you can follow me on Goodreads.
- My Type of Holiness by Rose Sweet ⭐⭐⭐+
Recommended by a friend who's also interested in personality types, this book is a Catholic perspective on the temperament God gave you. While I felt it was more of an "overview" and not as specific/detailed as I was hoping, I appreciated a couple things - first, that they suggest you wait till you've finished the book to take the temperament test, so you don't just read the parts that pertain to your temperament. One of the things that I like about learning more about temperaments/different personality types is how it can help with self-improvement and understanding yourself better, and when you're reading about those who are different than you, it helps you understand them better as well. I'm not good at doing that in the moment, but am getting better at reflecting on it later. Another thing I like is the emphasis that there's no "bad temperament." Every personality type has strengths and weaknesses. The author also included examples of saints throughout with different personality types, which helps tie in the Catholic-ness of the book. - The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (Book Club, audiobook) ⭐⭐+
A surprise to no one, but I'm not a silly person. I have my moments, but I tend to find silliness more annoying than endearing. The Pickwick Papers are wildly silly and would definitely have been more enjoyable reading them as originally intended, serialized in a magazine (bite size pieces at a time). I listened to the audiobook, which helped get through it (it was over 32hrs long). If I'd had a hardcopy, I'd have given up before the end. They are also a product of their times, so the sexism definitely affect my feelings/enjoyment. My favorite part of the stories were whenever the "fat boy" shows up, because he's constantly and inconveniently falling asleep. 😄😴 - Battle Ground: Dresden Files, Book 17 by Jim Butcher (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read it for the first time in 2022. I may or may not have cried in the same spots this read-through. 😭 Since the latest installment of the Dresden Files was (finally!!) coming out, I masochistically decided to reread Battle Ground to "get back into the world of Dresden." Battle Ground is the culmination of lots of puzzle pieces finally coming together and dealing with a "final boss" situation, leaving Twelve Months to pick up the pieces. Was it the right choice? Yes. Was it still painful? Also yes. Books can wreck you, man. Since Twelve Months happens in the immediate aftermath of Battle Ground, it definitely helped to go straight from one to the other. - The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse (Book Club, audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐
Listen, P.G. Wodehouse is a great writer. His turn of phrase is witty and impressive. I'm just turning into to an old fogey and consequently spent most of the book mentally yelling at Bertie Wooster to grow the hell up. I find him and the stereotypes of various characters quite frustrating (again, sexism of its time). To cap off my compliment sandwich, I do love Bertie's nicknames and metaphors for his Aunt Agatha. Courtesy of Goodreads, here are some great quotes from the book:"The only occupant of the more posh saloon bar was a godlike man in a bowler hat with grave, finely chiselled features and a head that stuck out at the back, indicating great brain power. To cut a long story short, Jeeves.”
“A tall, drooping man, looking as if he has been stuffed in a hurry by an incompetent taxidermist.”
“But dragons are one thing and aunts are another.”
“It calls for sophisticated handling. We shall have to think this over."
"I've been thinking it over for hours."
"Yes, but you've got one of those cheap substitute brains which are never any good. It will be different when a man like me starts giving it the cream of his intellect.” - Twelve Months: Dresden Files, Book 18 by Jim Butcher ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I may have pre-ordered this. 😎 I've seen critiques that the story was too slow or spent too much time on Dresden's grief in the aftermath of Battle Ground, but I have to disagree. After 17 books, endless short stories and novellas, you care deeply about these characters and what they're going through. That happened in BG immensely affected Dresden and how he's dealing with it affects everyone around him. As the reader we're sitting with him, watching how he processes his grief and how he's going to handle things going forward. Is it as fast paced and battle-filled as some of the other books in the series? No. But it's also dealing with several quieter, slower themes. Not everything can be high octane. Also, Dresden gets a note from Dracula's dad, Drakul. That's scary enough for one book, thanks. - Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh (Book Club) ⭐⭐
I hated it. All of it. Sexist and racist moments aside, the wild immaturity and blatant miscommunication was insane. I know its satire and darkly comedic, but that doesn't help because I'm not a fan of satire. It just wasn't for me. The nicest thing I can say is that it had some witty lines. - Randomize: Forward Collection by Andy Weir (short story, audiobook) ⭐⭐+
A part of Blake Crouch's Forward Collection (short stories by authors including Amor Towles & Paul Trembley, etc), I decided to listen to this after reading Project Hail Mary by the same author. It was fine. It fell pray to my problem with most short stories...why do I care? I don't know the characters well enough to feel strongly about what happens to them, and just as the story starts gearing up, it ends out of necessity. - Crimson Peak by Nancy Holder (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐
From what I understand, this was a movie-to-book adaptation, taking Guillermo del Toro's gothic horror movie and expanding it into a novel. It hits the same beats as the movie, so if you're a fan of the former, you'll like the latter. I still found myself telling Edith to run from Tom Hiddleston, I mean Thomas Sharpe, though I appreciate his redemption in the end. - Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Book club) ⭐⭐+
I was surprised that I didn't enjoy this one more. I found Alice annoying and some of the side quests very creepy (and not in a Disney kind of way). I didn't read Into the Looking Glass, but others in book club who did mentioned it felt more familiar/Disney-like, and that the cartoon was a combo of the two stories. - Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayer (Book club, audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Officially my favorite Book Club book (so far) this year. Lord Peter Wimsey is my Bertie Wooster - just silly enough to be comedic, but smart enough to be taken seriously. It has one of my top three favorite proposal scenes, which is particularly impressive given it took place in a jail. 😄 I definitely plan to read more Lord Peter Wimsey stories in the future. - East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Book Club, audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐+
I decided to add this to my reading list when I saw Netflix is coming out with an adaptation starring Florence Pugh (perfect casting for Cathy). I didn't know much about it going in, only that it was a "classic." Given East of Eden was written in 1952, I was surprised it wasn't too scandalous for the time (there's even a 1955 movie starring James Dean and Raymond Massey! Apparently it only covers the second half of the story, though.) and didn't end up on a banned book list...and then I Googled it and found out it was, granted only regionally (apparently most recently in two Florida school districts in 2023). 😆 Unlike Maya Angelou's "I know why the caged bird sings" and "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, I could make a case for why this doesn't belong in a high school library (it always ticks me off when the former two are on the "banned list." 😡 But I digress). This is more graphic than the other two and I think holds less obvious take-away lessons, especially for a teen audience, if someone just picked it up off the shelf. The themes could make for some very interesting discussion in class, but I question if most high schoolers are mature enough to have a productive conversation about it. Overall, I think East of Eden would be better suited for a college classroom. I will say Steinbeck is masterful in painting a descriptive picture in all-the-ways, so I appreciate his talent without necessarily being a fan of the book. - The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (in progress)
I watched the Netflix show a couple of years ago while dog sitting and enjoyed it, and then my coworker bought me the trilogy for Christmas. I haven't quite finished the first installment yet, but am liking it so far. It's a little technical for my taste (a bit like Michael Crichton novels), which can affect the flow of the story. But the detail is impressive, even if sometimes overwhelming. Since it's hard to include everything in adaptations, there have been several times when I've thought "huh, I don't remember that in the show," so the book is definitely expanding the world. It does make me want to rewatch the show once I'm done.
Have you read anything this year I should add to my TBR list?
* Another TMI moment: the constipation issues from the meds have improved, but it's still a new and exciting discomfort to live with. Acting like an old person and increasing the fiber I eat seems to help. Black beans are my main go to, but the Sola bagels and the Mission Carb Balance tortillas have also been super helpful.
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