My 48th Birthday

My friend K came over with her dog on the 6th to celebrate my birthday and exchange Christmas gifts. She got me some really cool stuff, although I can’t remember which were birthday vs Christmas now.

Dog calendar
Notepads
Change purse made from recycled materials
$15 Bath & Body Works gift card
Happy Endings complete series on DVD
Plush chickadee that sings when you press the button (Wookie hates it)
Heather grey (looks more navy blue) bird t-shirt
Not pictured: a set of loofas that came inside a fabric bag with dogs on it

I like the bird related gifts the most.

Speaking of, Joe got me this awesome owl for my birthday. I had put it on my wish list and I love how it fits in with the winter decor I have currently in the house.

I hate having a winter birthday because the thing I want to do most is be in nature. This year we decided to drive around the arboretum since it had just snowed the night before. It looked really pretty and was the best option all things considered.

We also ate lots of takeout for my birthday weekend. We got fajitas Friday night, Just Kabobs with my friend on Saturday, and Thai food on Sunday. I didn’t have to cook at all and we enjoyed the leftovers for days afterward too. So overall it was a nice low-key birthday with my favorite humans and dogs. :)

Here’s a list of all the birthday deals I received this year. Some of them just appeared in my mobile app (like Dunkin, Jewel, and Starbucks), so it’s always worth checking your apps for any rewards on/around your birthday.

** = rewards I’ve already redeemed
* = rewards I might still redeem
x = rewards I’m not bothering with

* Bath & Body Works – free $10 item – expires 2/6
* Beef Shack – $5 off – expires 1/31
x Cafe Zupas – free dessert w/ $5 purchase – expires 1/14
* Chick-fil-a – free brownie – expires 1/31
x Chilis – free dessert – 1/14
* Culvers – free sundae – expires 1/21
x Dunkin Donuts – 3x points
** Jewel – $5 off $5 or more – expiration date unknown
* Jimmy Johns – free side item – expires 2/6
** McDonald’s – free item from a choice of 7 items (3 breakfast or 4 lunch ones) – expires 1/14
x Nothing Bundt Cakes – free bundtlet – expires 1/15
x Red Lobster – Chocolate Wave Reward – expires 1/30
x Red Robin – free birthday burger w/ minimum purchase of $5 (dine in only) – expires 1/31
** Starbucks – free food or drink item of your choice – only good on your actual birthday
** Target – 5% off – expires 2/6

If it wasn’t so cold/snowy this weekend, I would have gone to Nothing Bundt Cakes but it isn’t worth the drive. They closed our local Red Robin (plus we’re still not comfortable eating inside restaurants) so that’s off the table. I should probably delete my Royalty account with them as I don’t foresee eating there anymore. The quality has taken a nosedive while the prices continue to rise, so as much as I used to love them, I’m not a fan anymore.

2023 Recap

I’m not going to link to specific events this year since my blogging has been terrible, but I did want to create a separate post to document a few of my 2023 goals.

Goodreads 2023 Reading Challenge

Clearly I underestimated how much I would read this year. I was going by past goals that I never completed, so do I aim higher in 2024? I’m thinking of 52 books (one per week) since I know summer can be a bit crazy. I will have time to read on the patio during the week, but the weekends will have me out in the forest preserves much of the time.

Fitness Recap

You can thank my Apple Watch for the motivation to exercise so frequently. It has become a habit now. I literally feel better, both mentally and physically, one the days I walk for 30 minutes or more.

December Recap

12/01 (Fri) – I woke up at 12:28 am to the faint sound of hooting. Excited, I ran to the bedroom window and opened it. Sure enough, the great horned owl was back! I could see it across the courtyard at the top of the same pine tree as back in mid October.

I ran downstairs to get my camera and got a few photos from the bedroom window. There’s no detail thanks to distance and darkness (although thankfully there was some decent moonlight), but the silhouette is pretty clear.

It also made a squawking sound I’d never heard before, which I was able to capture as well. I later learned it’s likely a female trying to find a mate. I was so excited it took an hour and a half to get back to sleep. I hope it comes back again soon!

12/02 (Sat) – Saw a Cooper’s hawk trying to hunt the neighborhood birds, but unsuccessfully.

Went to K’s birthday party which was even more fun than last year because 1) her extroverted neighbor wasn’t invited (she dominated the conversation) and 2) I felt more comfortable around her family and friends having already met most of them before. I particularly enjoy talking to her brother and his wife. They have similar interests and are so nice! K set me up with her heated blanket too so I was much less cold than last time which helped me stay relaxed. There’s nothing I hate more than being cold.

12/03 (Sun) – Sometime in November I was watching a TikTok where the person was showing how stirrup leggings are back in style. My eyes zeroed in a pair of adorable black leggings with dogs on them, however, and I could tell the person was at Walmart. I immediately went to their site only to learn the leggings were sold out both online and in store. Fast forward to us needing to visit Walmart for specific grocery items. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to look for the leggings anyway, and wouldn’t you know it, there was a single pair all by it’s lonesome, that just happened to be my size! Obviously I was meant to have them. They are so stinkin cute!

They do fit a bit tighter than their other leggings, which is a bummer, but I still love them. They are ridiculously warm too, so they are best worn when lounging.

On the same Walmart trip I picked up two boxes of Christmas Tree cakes, plus two pints of the Christmas Tree Cake ice cream. Yum! Also decided to try these gingerbread ice cream sandwiches, but was not overly impressed.

The flavor was definitely gingerbread, but the size for the price ($5 for a box of four) made them not worth it (and I believe there’s still two in the freezer at the time of this post).

We also received a shipment of Monin Syrups I had ordered.

Verdict – I do not care for the French Vanilla (will be sticking to regular vanilla moving forward) and the Toasted Marshmallow has a weird aftertaste that I do not love. The Pistachio, however, is good, as is the cane sugar, although I might just try liquid sugar from the store once it runs out.

12/05 (Tue) – Had a very frustrating experience with America’s Best in an attempt to get an eye exam. Part of the review I left online is below:

When I first called to confirm whether they accepted my vision insurance, I asked whether I should make my appointment online or with them on the phone. The woman I spoke with said she could do it. I made my appointment for 5:30 pm, and the woman said everything was set up in the system, including my insurance info. Shortly thereafter I received a text confirmation as well as an email. So far, so good.

Fast forward to the day of my appointment and I received two emails – one asking me to confirm my appointment, and another asking me to fill out some paperwork online. I completed both requests in the early morning hours.

Mid morning I received a call from them asking me to confirm my appointment and for my insurance information. I explained how they should already have that because I was told they set up my account during my initial call. The woman claimed there was nothing in their system for me, so I gave them my insurance information again and told her I would be there that evening at my appointment time.

At 4 pm I received another call from them asking if I could come earlier, at 5 pm. I told them I could not and the girl replied, “ok, see you at 5:30 then”.

I arrived at 5:20 and there were three woman at the counter. One asked me if I was using vision insurance, which was quite annoying. Why did they keep asking me this but never take down my answer?!?

Then some other women asked me what kind of exam I was there for. Once again, why did I fill out the form online if they weren’t going to retain that information?

I informed her that I was there for a glasses exam and also needed to have my eyes dilated. This woman SIGHED at me and said they probably won’t have time to do that because it takes an hour.

(Note: I had noticed when I came in the hours posted on the door say they are only open until 6 pm despite the website saying 7 pm).

I got fed up, told them to cancel my appointment, and left.

Honestly, it was difficult enough with Joe’s vision insurance to even find a place who could confirm we had coverage. His medical insurance is awesome, but the vision is total crap because it’s as if none of the chains (which is mostly what it covers) has never heard of it, despite them being listed as being covered in the plan.

We also got an updated tax assessment which means higher taxes next year, ugh!

12/08 (Fri) – When Joe got home from work we went to Cosley Zoo to see their Christmas lights. They were about as meh as always, unfortunately. Then we went to the decorated park by the Wheaton library. It was cute and mostly peaceful besides one screaming kid. We also drove to a nearby house that always puts on a good light show for Christmas. We just haven’t felt like driving too far to see Christmas lights this year, so it was a relatively short outing that ended with us picking up food from the Mexican place near our local library. We recently discovered they make some really delicious chicken fajitas at a reasonable price and can’t get enough of them.

12/10 (Sun) – Decided I was fed up with T-Vision streaming device in the bedroom, so we got a Roku from Target.

We installed it in the living room and then put the older Roku in the bedroom. Unfortunately, the new Roku remote was having issues, so we ended up exchanging it for a new one a few days later. Other than that, I love it! The new Roku remote has the ability to control the TV power and volume which makes it even more convenient than the older one.

Joe put up the Christmas tree and added lights.

12/13 (Wed) – Found out Andre Braugher passed away from lung cancer at 61.

This one was a gut punch. Celebrity deaths don’t usually make me cry, but this one did. I’ve been obsessively watching Brooklyn Nine Nine recently and it’s sad to think there will never be a reunion. There probably wouldn’t have been one anyway, but now it’s certain, because it’s not B99 without Captain Holt, one of the best comedic characters EVER, and definitely my favorite character on the show (followed closely by Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta).

12/14 (Thu) – I finally got around to decorating the Christmas tree. In a stroke of good timing, I received a package from my cousin of a custom ornament featuring our late grandparents on their wedding day. Such a thoughtful gift! I immediately added it to the tree.

We also received two gift baskets from my parents which is not something they typically send. One was all Ghirardelli chocolate and the other a combination of things. My mom later asked me to review them and I was honest that I think they’re overpriced for what you get, particularly when the chocolate one is mostly milk chocolate and I prefer dark.

12/23 (Sat) – Placed a mobile order with Bibibop and ended up with entirely different ingredients than we asked for. I don’t know what was going on with that, but apparently I need to check the entire bowl moving forward, and not just glance at the part you can see through the lid since the proteins were the only things they got correct. They did end up issuing me a full refund when I complained, but that didn’t change the fact that my lunch that day, and the next day (they give you enough food for two meals) was ruined. I can’t wait until they open up a closer location so it’s not an hour round-trip.

12/24 (Sun) – We went to my parents for Christmas Eve. Brother #2 (B) didn’t come, so it was just me, Joe, my parents, and Brother #1 (J). We had a good time, even played a round of Aggravation before leaving at 8:45 pm.

12/25 (Mon) – A Cooper’s hawk visited us in the morning.

We exchanged gifts and then enjoyed leftovers from my parents (and into the following day). Joe got me a Cure t-shirt (A Forest), a monocular, some candy, and a few items from my Amazon wish list (screen cleaner, the Pink Stuff, and a protective wrap for my camera). I got him a Star Wars poster, LED gloves, and some candy. Lame, I know. He’s very hard to buy for and luckily doesn’t really want anything, so he wasn’t bothered by the gift inequality, but I still felt bad.

12/26 (Tue) – Headed to Target to see what after Christmas sales we could take advantage of. Sad to say they had nothing in terms of reasonably priced Christmas cards, which we needed, so we found ourselves at Meijer where everything was marked down 50% and the selection was great. Got three boxes of Christmas cards and some gift bags, so we’re set for years to come.

We also went to Bath & Body Works to check out the semi-annual sale where everything is 75% off. It was crazy crowded and we didn’t see anything worthwhile, so we left empty-handed. Other than the foaming hand soaps, I don’t really love BBW like I used to, and I have enough soaps to last me awhile.

12/31 (Sun) – Received an email from Nintendo about a sale on a game I haven’t thought about in years – Lumines.

I used to play it on the PS2. Since it was only $4.50, I decided to buy the digital copy of the Switch version. I immediately lost two hours playing it. Just as addictive as I remember! I love puzzle games.

New Years Eve isn’t really exciting, so we went to bed before 11 pm. Of course all the fireworks going off had us awake again at midnight. Bah!

Enjoyed the following movies and series in December:

Violent Night – This was on my watch list since last year because I heard about it after Christmas, and I just can’t watch Christmas movies once Christmas is over. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting – it was better. Fun movie!

Spirited

I forgot how good this movie is (saw it for the first time last year). It’s too bad it’s only available via Apple TV because a lot of people are missing out on the fun. Do I like musicals now? Because I love this movie and there is a lot of singing! Who can resist charismatic Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds though? I would buy this on DVD if it was available.

Obituary

Turn Dexter into a woman and take away his meticulous research and planning, and the need to dispose of the body, and you’ve got this show. It’s so good! I am sad we blew through the first season as quickly as we did but am looking forward to a second one.

Everything Increases Except Wages

Time for a little rant!

Our home assessment went up so you know what that means – higher taxes next year! Yay, can’t wait!

Joe’s most recent paycheck was less than usual because Medicare and Social Security deductions increased. Great. Will we even benefit from that by the time we’re ready to retire??? Doubtful.

Amazon Prime is currently $140 annually (kinda shocked me when I checked since last I looked it was $120) and they had the audacity to notify users they’ll be putting ads in their Prime content starting next month unless you’re willing to fork over an additional $3 monthly. Yea, I don’t think so. Not only will I not be doing that, I will be cancelling Prime altogether before it renews in late January. We will save money in the long run if it isn’t so easy to order from them anyway.

Besides, there isn’t a single show on any streaming service that is worth paying for these days. I can live without it all, and if it’s good enough it will show up at our local library eventually anyway. I’m not the type of person who has to watch a movie or series the second it gets released.

Sadly, cancelling Amazon Prime won’t even make up the loss on Joe’s paychecks so we’ll still be paying more for less. Ain’t that the American way?

Everything continues to increase in price but it doesn’t feel like there’s an increased value to justify it. You’ve got shrinkflation for groceries, increased subscription prices for less content, nickel and diming people (you’re charged extra to add ingredients to a burger, but aren’t given a discount when you remove something that comes standard). Even McDonald’s prices are getting out of hand, not that I care about their awful tasting burgers anyway! I only like the iced coffee. But you get my drift. It’s really getting out of hand.

These companies have the gall to report record profits while at the same time telling people they “have” to raise costs to cover paying people a livable wage. Give me a break. Unfortunately there are people who believe that gaslighting bullshit and direct their anger toward people just trying to make ends meet. This society is so messed up.

I’m just so tired of seeing our money get spent so incredibly quickly on basic life stuff you can’t opt out of.

Bye Bye Evernote, Hello Joplin

I logged into Evernote the other day only to find I could no longer create new notes. I got this message when I tried.

They’ve been pestering me to upgrade to a paid account for months now, but there was never prior warning that there would be restrictions put in place if I didn’t comply. Pretty shady, if you ask me.

I guess they think it’s fine to just change things and let people know abruptly via the app AFTER said changes took affect. Pretty shitty way to treat people you’re hoping to turn into paying customers. It’s not exactly extortion, since the data is still accessible, but it’s also not the best way to entice people to get on board with a paid subscription either.

And of course the price is higher now than when they first started pestering me. Maybe if back then they’d have said “hey, if you do not upgrade, we’re going to lock your account down and you won’t be able to create any new notes if you already have over 50, or move existing notes around”, people might have paid more attention. I know I would have. But if they think I’m paying them $130 annually to use their service, they have another thing coming.

I immediately tried a new service called AnyType, but I didn’t care for it. Then GoogleKeep. Ditto. I already pay for Microsoft 360 so I thought I’d give OneNote another try even though it used to corrupt my notes almost daily many years ago when I used it at work. Doesn’t matter, though, because they changed the look of it and I hate that too.

In comes Notion. Very feature rich, free without note limitations, similar layout to Evernote. Great. Even has a way to pull your Evernote data into it. Well, that’s what they claim anyway. That process failed and after some investigation apparently there are certain notes in Evernote, namely those that contain tables, that cause issues, and for some reason this has been an issue for years with Notion without any resolution. Great. And since I couldn’t move those notes from one Notebook to another, since Evernote locked me out of that option, I was kinda stuck.

After trying for hours to figure out a way to get my Evernote data into Notion, I gave up. I found an app called Joplin that didn’t have issues with the import process. Sure, I still had to export my Evernote data for each notebook individually, then import into Joplin, but at least it worked!

Joplin is free, I use Dropbox as my database server, and there’s desktop and mobile versions of the app. It’s not quite as pretty as Evernote, nor have I yet found a way to mark certain notes as shortcuts in order to access them quickly, but my data is safe and I’m able to manipulate it how I want… for free.

Don’t get me wrong – I would have paid Evernote a reasonable price, but $10.83 per month is not reasonable for a note-taking app. I pay that for Photoshop and Lightroom!

Furthermore, I do not want to give my money to an underhanded company who pulled what they did. That company, Bending Spoons, has the appropriate initials – BS. Because that’s what they are full of, and they can go to hell for treating their users this way. And the Evernote bootlickers on Reddit calling us all whiny freeloaders for complaining can all go to hell as well.

Update 12/28/23 – Joplin is already driving me crazy due to how it stores & syncs data using Dropbox. I’m constantly getting notices from Dropbox’s desktop program about files being added/deleted (these are temporary files created by Joplin). I am probably going to subscribe to UpNote. I have been using the free version for a few days and it looks more like Evernote, plus has pinned notes which I like. It’s also affordable – $1 monthly or $30 for a lifetime subscription that they claim will be honored even if they move to a different subscription type in the future. It’s been around since 2017 so I think my data will be safe (plus I create weekly backups of this blog, my bookmarks, and my notes because I’m paranoid about losing stuff).