Snapshot of My Day, Edition #14, 7/10/2025

I got the idea for this type of "snapshot" post from Stephany Writes who got it from To Love and To Learn. I'm a straight-up copycat of the format.

It's been more than a year since I did one of these! Stephany recently did one and it inspired me. 

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Edition #1 11/17/2021
Edition #2 12/22/2021
Edition #3 1/26/2022
Edition #4 3/9/2022
Edition #5 4/25/2022
Edition #6 6/23/2022
Edition #7 8/30/2022

Edition #8 2/25/2023

Edition #9 3/25/2023

Edition #10 4/25/2023

Edition #11 7/25/2023

Edition #12 10/25/2023

Edition #13 2/26/2024

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Time I woke up: 5:30am with the alarm.

First thing I did upon waking: I read some of The Chosen by Chaim Potok (look, maybe this is a  brilliant book, but it started with an interminably long scene of a youth baseball game, so it has my hackles up). I then went downstairs, brushed the cat for my usual forty-five seconds, and took the dog for a walk.

Today's weather: Perfect summer day. It was in the 60s when I walked the dog this morning and the highs got into the low 80s. I could not have asked for anything more. 

She is gorgeous, right? Even if she will never look at the camera.

An out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened today: The parking lot where I normally park at work is closed for repair work, so I had to park on the street. 

Last thing I read (not on the Internet): That book from this morning. 

Last thing I read (on the Internet): This article about a new study that shows dietary education in the United States is abysmal, but I guess we already knew that. 

Last text I received: Wednesday was the last time I received a text. LOL. It was from my doctor's office reminding me to check in before my appointment on Friday morning. 

Last text I sent: Lol. Do we need more eggs? - I sent this to Dr. BB on Wednesday when he said that he boiled five eggs for Hannah and only two of them survived the process. 

Last website I visited: Chewy. I had to adjust the date of the next autoship of Zelda's food. 

Deluxe lunch today. We had leftover soup and my delicious green bean salad. I'll be over here waxing poetic about soup and salad as an awesome lunch options, thanks.

Last show I watched: I watched series 19, episode 10 (the grand final!) of Taskmaster last night with Dr. BB. I'm sad that there won't be new TM shows for me to watch until the fall. (If you still haven't watched Taskmaster, I feel like I am not doing my job here.)

Last podcast I listened to: Look, it was the "Can't Stop" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers episode of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s: The 2000s. New fact: Flea was not born with the name Flea. His birth name is Michael Peter Balzary. I mean, can you imagine either calling Flea Michael OR choosing to go by the name Flea. (Also, I have to admit that I do not have the fondness for Nirvana or Hole that Rob has. I find the elegiac nature of the first part of this episode to be off-putting. Kurt Cobain may have been a tortured artist and his death was sad, but I was a teen in the '90s and it certainly didn't ruin my year, you know?) (Is it okay to put to parentheses together? Oh, well. Also, I do not know this RHCP song, but I enjoyed the episode anyway.)

Last thing I said: Katie's birthday is Sunday. The card won't get there on time, but we'll send one anyway. 

Last thing I ate: Some curried chickpeas and rice for dinner. 

Queen. I wish I could sleep as much as she does. 

What I was doing an hour ago: Eating dinner. 

What I will be doing an hour from now: Taking a shower, hopefully.

Current whereabouts of the other members of the household: Dr. BB is reading on the couch, Hannah's in her bed in the room with him, and Zelda is sitting on the floor next to me under a dining room chair. 

One thing I crossed off my to-do list today: I emailed back a faculty member about a question they asked earlier in the week after doing some research. (If anyone cares, my boss is willing to override the last fifteen credit residency requirement, as long as the student meets all the other residency requirements. However, the registrar's office will not allow a student to apply for graduation or release their official transcripts with a financial hold. You're welcome for this delightfully particular and niche information.)

Can you spy the kitty?

7/10/2025 at 8:10pm

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What is the last text you sent or received?

2025 Q2 Goals Update

 Health

1) Spend 1000 hours outside. ≈

April: 51 hours, 37 minutes - I am not going to even get to 500 hours at this rate. LOL. 

May: 56 hours, 53 minutes

June: 53 hours, 28 minutes

2) Do something in the yard every week. ≈

April: Yeah. I did it!

May: Yes!

June: It's sort of shameful how often "do something in the yard" was "put birdseed in the feeder," but there you have it. 

3) Do at least five yoga poses a day. ✔

April: 30/30 days!

May: 30/31 days - I'm counting this as a win. 

June: 30/30 days

4) Go to a new-to-me fitness class. 

    Accomplished in Q1.

5) Drink 20 ounces of water a day. ✔

April: 30/30 days

May: 31/31 days

June: 30/30 days

6) Exercise for 30 minutes at least 80% of days. ≈

April: 22/30 (73.3%)

May: 25/31 (80.6%)

June: 25/30 (83.3%)

7) Only eat dessert Thursday - Saturday (or special occasions like holidays and birthdays). ✖

April: Lol. I didn't even bother tracking this. Let's call it 0%.

May: Lol.

June: 5/30 (16.7%) 

Connection

1) Message my accountability buddy every day and M/T/T at least once a week. ≈

April: 100% with M/T/T, but my accountability buddy is too busy for me. Maybe I should get a new accountability buddy.

May: Same as April.

June: My accountability buddy reached out and said she did want to continue, so let's call it 10/15 (66.7%) days at the end of the month. I messaged T&T every week. Things with my mom are not ideal, so...this has been a hard goal for me. 

2) Do two Cool Blogger Book Club sessions.

    Did one session in Q1.

3) Send at least one fun piece of snail mail every month. Track snail mail. ✔

April: 24 postcards, two birthday cards

May: 7 postcards, a birthday card, a Mother's Day card, a couple of bills, a couple of condolence notes, and a graduation card for a total of 14 items (I also hand-delivered four birthday cards and a graduation card)

June: Three postcards, two birthday cards, one bill, and one hand-delivered graduation card for a total of seven items. 

Adulting

1) Figure out a will or whatever. ✖

April: You all know the answer to this is no, right?

May: As if. 

June: You know the answer. 

2) Order new checks. ✔

April: I still have a few, so I'm not too worried. I probably should order some next month, though.

May: I ordered them! I got a pack for $30. I am going to track how long a pack lasts me. 

June: I have them!

3) Limit my clothes buying to the following: two new dresses/season, new mary janes, anything that was on my Christmas wish list that I did not get, necessary bras/underwear/workout gear/replacement leggings or tights (one-to-one replacements on those).  ✔

April: I purchased two new dresses and a new pair of sandals. 

May: No clothes this month!

June: No clothes this month!

Home

1) Paint the porch and garage. ✖

April: Too cold and rainy for that. 

May: Still too rainy.

June: SO MUCH RAIN. Also, I'm not home enough for this. 

2) Hem the stupid pants. ✖

April: The pants are still MIA. 

May: I should find those pants. He probably wants to wear them in the warmer weather.

June: LOL. He has an appointment with a tailor to get them hemmed. Someone's going to hem the pants. 

3) Consult an architect/contractor for our bathroom remodel.  ✖

April: In this economy? 

May: Lolz.

June: We did talk about this. I need to consult with my friends to find a good architect. 

4) Clean and organize my closet and dresser and keep them that way.  ✖

April: Lol. No. 

May: *sigh*

June: I need to be home. I will be home at some point, right?

Fun

1) Learn three new hairstyles: French braid, an elegant low knot, and something else TBD. ≈

April: I actually watched some videos on a low knot and bought some supplies - smaller hair ties and bobby pins. This is progress. 

May: I wore a knot to work! This seems like success.

June: I'm stalled on this. 

2) Have one day a quarter where I take off work with no plans. ≈

April: Not at all. 

May: I took a day off work when I got a mammogram and did other life chores. So half-credit?

June: Absolutely not. 

3) Watch at least one makeup tutorial every quarter. ≈

April: I watched a video on putting on makeup for video conferencing. 

May: Nothing. 

June: *sigh*

4) Go on a girls trip. ≈

April: No, but Bestest Friend and I planned one for this summer!

May: I bought tickets for a long weekend away with Bestest Friend in July!

June: Next month!

5) Go to at least four new-to-me museums. ✔

April: Anne and I went to two museums on the UW-Madison campus. One of those museums is way cooler than the other. 

May: Nope. 

June: Anne and I went to Old World Wisconsin. It's a living history museum, so that counts, right? We also went to Black Point Estate. You guys! I think Anne and I did this!

Geology museum, Physics museum (zzzzz), horses at Old World Wisconsin, Black Point Estate

6) Once a month dates with my husband. ✖

April: Not at all. 

May: Went to a museum gallery opening with him!

June: I barely even saw the man. 

7) Actually train Hannah at least three times a week. ✖

April: Hannah was trained FOUR times TOTAL this month. No wonder she rarely listens to me anymore. 

May: I wrote down credit for six days. Poor neglected Hannah.

June: Nothing. Not a single day. It's a good thing she's a good girl. 

8) Read big books over 500 pages ✔

    April: I read The Women of Chateau Lafayette and On a Sunbeam.

    May: The Last Magician. 

    June: Night Film and Seraphina. 

9) Make six new-to-me cookie recipes. ≈

April: No, but I did make a plan. 

May: I made peanut butter blossom cookies! They were fine, but didn't taste as peanut buttery as I wanted them to. 

June: Nothing. 

10) Do a 30-day project each month. ≈

    April: My project was to send one postcard every day. I managed to send twenty-five in April, but then I sent the rest in early May.

    May: I did two minutes of core work. 22/31 (71%) days. Not bad. 

    June: I couldn't be bothered to even come up with a goal. I just wanted to survive. And I did. 

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When was the last time you went to a museum/historical site? If you have a partner, do you do regular date nights? 

What I Spent: June 2025

As a reminder, my husband pays the "big bills" like mortgage, phone, and electricity. I pay for groceries and the pets and that somehow evens things out.

Eating out ($20.46, .9%) - This was just coffee a couple of times and lunch once.

Entertainment ($86, 4%) - I started a Spotify subscription, so we'll see if I keep that. I also had a couple of adventures with Anne, and bought an audiobook.

Bills ($133.36, 6.2%) - Home and car insurance.

Personal care ($142.54, 6.6%) - Mostly makeup.

Savings ($200, 9.2%) - It is what it is.

Cars ($217, 10%) - New tags for one of the cars and way too much gas. 

Gifts ($251.30, 11.6%) - Grad gift, stamps (PSA - First-class stamps are going up in price from 73 cents to 78 cents on July 13, so stock up now)

Pets ($358.91, 16.6%) - Food, litter, Hannah's $$$ probiotic. It's just costs so much to have pets.

Groceries ($754.64, 34.9%) - This isn't all of it. Dr. BB did the Costco run and he ran to the store twice while I was out of town. 

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How much do you spend eating out each month? 

My Summer Wardrobe - What I Wore Last Week

Who wants a roundup of the clothes I wear?! If not, no worries. Skip this entire post.

Wednesday, June 25 - It's hot, friends. I regretted the sleeves almost immediately. Weird day. I started out with a dentist appointment and ran into the office for about an hour and a half. I spent the rest of the day working from home and dealing with a dog who wasn't feeling well, so I had to take her outside approximately eight times. 

Dress: Toad & Co. (purchased on extreme clearance in the off-season and is no longer on their site)

Shoes: Mephisto Helen

Thursday, June 27 - Still really hot. We had an orientation event at work, so I was meandering everywhere on campus. No bueno. Also, my hair stayed down for approximately two seconds. ALSO ALSO the computer lab was SO HOT that I almost melted into my students. (I did not wear the flip flops to work. I wore the sandals I wore yesterday. I wore the flip flops to walk the dog because the rain makes everything wet.)

Dress: Happy Earth Midi Dress from last year (no longer on their site)

Shoes: Vionic flip flops

Friday, June 27 - The floors in our office are being waxed, so it's a work from home day for the entire office. No makeup, no jewelry, my hair hasn't been washed in four days, and my husband is STILL IN MADISON for his conference, so I officially DGAF.

Dress: Wool& Ava Fit & Flare - Lovely dress - very cool and flattering. Unfortunately, it is too low cut for someone with my assets, so I have to wear a cami under it to wear it to work which makes it less cool and ruins the lines. Perfect for a WAH day, but not ideal if I'm going to meeting in person with anyone. 

Shoes: Mephisto Helen (in black instead of brown)

Saturday, June 29 - Adventure day with Anne! It was actually a really nice day for our adventure, which was a fun boat trip on Lake Geneva, along with a tour of a lovely old summer "cottage." I slathered myself up in in sunscreen and it was fun. 

Dress: Toad & Co. (another one I ordered on super clearance in the off-season and is no longer on their site) - This dress has an annoying slit, so while I would like to wear it to work, I do not because it frequently shows too much leg. Anne suggested I tack it down with a well-placed stitch or three. I might do that!

Shoes: Mephisto Helen 

Sunday, June 29 - This was the one and only time I left the house, which was to go to the grocery store to buy sweet potatoes, which I needed to make for the dog.  This dress is too short for work and doesn't have pockets (all the rest of the dresses shown DO have pockets), so it's reserved for days like today when I all I was doing was making sweet potatoes and granola, doing housework (mostly laundry and vacuuming), and catching up on my blog. 

Dress: Mata Traders (years ago - they do seem to have more offerings with pockets these days)

Shoes: Mephisto Helen

Monday, June 30 - The thermostat in my office says 74.5, but it feels closer to 88 in here. I forgot to take a photo before I left the house this morning. 

Dress: Happy Earth Lily Midi Dress (Paradise is the print)

Shoes: Mephisto Helen

Tuesday, July 1 - Back in my office because the morning light was harsh this morning. It's still hot, but it didn't feel punishing on my walk with Hannah this morning.

Dress: Happy Earth Isla Midi Dress (pattern is Les Fleurs) - I like this dress, but wish the V-neck wasn't quite so deep. I have to wear a cami under it and I don't love that look. Oh, well. The dress is cream/ivory and I only have white camisoles and the white makes the cream look dirty, so I have been wearing a brown one. I'd like to get a green or cream camisole, but I think you all know that I'm not going to actually take action on that. 

Shoes: Mephisto Helen

Wednesday, July 2 - Back in my office because I forgot I was doing this. I only have one more daily summer dress in my closet - it's a way too short sheath dress without pockets I've owned since high school. It's perfect and I love it, but it really is reserved for days when I stay at home. I have a couple of cocktail dresses that are summery, but you're basically looking at my whole wardrobe.

Dress: Boden - This is from several years back. I fell for Boden's greenwashing and purchased this dress thinking it was an ethical purchase. Boden is terrible to its employees, though, so I wouldn't buy it today. However, since I already have it, I am going to wear it until it falls apart.

Shoes: Mephisto Helen

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For the wedding I am going to in early August, I am considering wearing one of the Happy Earth midi dresses (Thursday or Monday) with a duster I have. You can see the outfit I wore for our wedding anniversary when I'm wearing one of the dresses with this duster.

Thoughts? Do you have a preference for which dress would be more wedding-y? Should I try to find something else? (I am not opposed to buying a new dress, but if I want to do so, I should get started looking now.)

June 2025 Accountability Buddy

Sunday, June 1
Day off

Monday, June 2
30-minute Werq (dance) class after work - I hadn't worked out since Thursday and I had done very little movement over the weekend outside of some light stretching before bed. I was *shocked Pikachu face* at how much better my bad leg felt during this workout. There are some moves that I just automatically modify because I know my leg can't handle it, but here I was doing them. I wonder if I'm actually not giving my leg enough rest. It's an interesting question. I have a doctor's appointment next week to discuss if my leg is what it is and I need to suck it up or if there's something that can be done. 

Tuesday, June 3

30-minute no repeat full body 

15-minute full body flexibility yoga 

Wednesday, June 4

45-minute yoga class at the community center after work

Thursday, June 5

30-minute yoga in the student union during lunchtime

60-minute Zumba class after work

Friday, June 6

30-minute total body dumbbell  - Super sweaty.

15-minute full body yoga stretch - This was lovely after the workout.

Saturday, June 7

Day off

Sunday, June 8

35-minute full body no repeat superset

15-minute cooldown stretch - This felt more like another workout than a relaxing cooldown!

Monday, June 9

30-minute Werq (dance) class after work

Tuesday, June 10

35-minute total body dumbbell

10-minute full body yoga stretch

Wednesday, June 11

45-minute yoga class at the community center after work

Thursday, June 12

30-minute yoga in the student union during lunchtime

Friday, June 13

30-minute total body supersets

15-minute yoga stretch

Saturday, June 14

30-minute yin yoga - The music was loud and distracting in this video, but it is a good yin practice. 

Sunday, June 15 

45-minute slow flow restorative yoga - I should have done strength training today, but I feel beat up. I treated myself to this slow flow instead. 

15-minute neck and shoulder stretches

Monday, June 16

30-minute yoga in the student union during lunchtime

30-minute walking workout (cardio)

Tuesday, June 17

35-minute tri-sets total body 

10-minute full body stretch with Yoga with Adriene

Wednesday, June 18

15-minute stretch class at lunchtime*

45-minute yoga class at the community center after work

Thursday, June 19

Day off

Friday, June 20

30-minute morning yoga

Saturday, June 21

Look, nothing formal, but I set up tables and chairs and was crawling around on the ground for hours. I'm counting this as strength training. 

Sunday, June 22

Day off

Monday, June 23

30-minute yoga in the student union during lunchtime

30-minute Werq (dance) class after work

Tuesday, June 24

Day off - This was unexpected, but Dr. BB is out of town, it's approximately hot as hell here, and I just lost all willpower to do anything except lie down on the couch and sigh heavily

Wednesday, June 25

45-minute yoga class at the community center after work

Thursday, June 26

60-minute Zumba class after work - There were SO MANY people at Zumba. It was crazy. 

Friday, June 27

15-minute stretch class at lunchtime

30-minute full body strength training no repeats - It's been too long since I did any work with weights. Whoops. 

Saturday, June 28

30-minute total body bootcamp - I do not care for supersets, but it's definitely good at building endurance

15-minute full body stretch

Sunday, June 29

60-minute restorative yoga - Very lovely practice. A lovely weekend treat. 

Monday, June 30

30-minute yoga in the student union during lunchtime

30-minute Werq (dance) class after work

Totals: 25/30 (83.3%) days 

13 days yoga

16 days strength/cardio

2 short 15-minute stretch classes at lunchtime

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*Our local healthcare organization does free stretch classes virtually three times a week. Sign up here! It's free. It's fun. We regularly talk about candy and what's for lunch. It's a delightful break in the middle of the day. You do not have to have your camera on. 

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If it has been hot by you, where are you doing your workouts to stay cool? If it's not hot by you, you should brag about that in the comments!

June 2025 Book List

What an excellent reading month for me. Woot woot! Four five-star books! 

6/4: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (library, 2024) - IRL book club choice. I loved it. 5/5 stars

6/8: How To Read a Book by Monica Wood (library, 2024) - What a sweet book. Maybe too saccharine for some readers, but I liked it. 5/5 stars

6/13: The Favorites by Layne Fargo (library, 2025) - Yes! I'm all in. A sports book that's really a soap opera. 5/5 stars

6/17: Night Film by Marisha Plessl (library, 2013) - So engrossing. 5/5 stars

6/22: What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier #2) by T. Kingfisher (library, 2024) - Kingfisher really is a gem in the modern fantasy landscape. 4/5 stars

6/22: Seraphina (Seraphina #1) by Rachel Hartman (library ebook, 2012) - Dragons and humans have had a truce for many years, but that peace is in peril now. Seraphina understands both sides since she is the daughter of a human man and dragon woman. I thought this was a fun premise, but the execution was a bit sluggish. 3/5 stars

6/22: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman (audiobook I purchased narrated by Jeff Hays, 2020) - This was our book club book. I will write more after book club meets, but that won't be until August, so I mostly liked this although it took me a bit to get into it. 4/5 stars

6/28: The Most by Jessica Anthony (library, 2024) - Disaffected housewife in the 1950s. Where else have I seen this before? 3/5 stars

Total: 8 books (I mean, two of those were novellas, but that's how it goes, right)
Average star rating: 4.25/5 stars

DNF 

Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota #1) - I'm 30% through this book and I have no idea what's going on. Sometimes you just have to give up. I'm not smart enough for this book. 

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Have you ever read four five-star books in a row? Do you think they're really great books or that I'm just an easy grader? 

The Most by Jessica Anthony

I heard about The Most by Jessica Anthony on Sarah's Bookshelves, when Susie described it as "a book about a woman who went into the pool and refused to get out." 

It's early November 1956. The Russians have sent a dog into space, Virgil Beckett goes to church in his brand new '57 Buick Bluebird with his two sons, and his wife Kathleen stays home and gets into their apartment complex pool wearing her swimsuit from her college days. When Virgil gets home with the boys, Kathleen just stays in the pool. 

I thought this was a thoughtful look at how a marriage can fall apart. The beginning was interesting, the setting was interesting, the mini character studies on the two sons was interesting, and even the evolution of the marriage in peril was interesting, despite my dislike of that as a subject. The writing is lyrical, but doesn't devolve into poetic. We switch between Virgil and Kathleen's POV and while I don't really care about Virgil all that much (I'd much rather spend time with Kathleen), there were some clever passages where we see the conversation from different viewpoints and that was fun.

But boy was I ever let down by the last third of the book. It's only 135 pages long, so I guess I don't know what I was expecting, but I sort of wanted closure. I wanted to know if these two sat down and hashed it out. I wanted to know if someone ever figured out why Nicholas was a little sociopath. I wanted to know MORE. I feel like the ending was abrupt and disappointing and it let down the rest of the book. 3/5 stars

Thing I looked up:

Thessaloniki  - The second-largest city in Greece, with slightly over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia. (Seriously, why is my knowledge of geography SO BAD?)

Hat mentions (why hats?):

He played a cowboy, he said, who sat on top of a horse and wore a ten-gallon hat. (page 28)

With the men out of the office, there was no one to complain when Virgil put on his coat and hat, hung the CLOSED sign, and left. (page 63)

The man was wearing one of those old-fashioned wool suits and a brown derby hat, as though about to embark for a day at the office in 1924. (page 67)

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Did you know where Thessaloniki was? Is your knowledge of the geography of the world as limited as mine?