the WIPs less traveled

( well over six months after I went, finally finishing off this section of the travelogue! )

It was an amazing country - an amazing tour - and I'm so glad I went. The tour was expensive, yes, but also very educational and thoughtful, with a focus on female-led businesses and organisations. I've put a deposit down on Bali for a quick trip in October later this year, and I would like to do either their Caribbean trip early next year or their Ecuador/Galapagos Islands tour in May next year, but: a) finances, b) long haul travel, c) the Caribbean trip starts and ends in Puerto Rico and the question of visas, etc., weighs heavy on my mind.

Anyone for mail?

The ABC's of me.

A. Age: nearly 50

B. Bed Size: Double

C. Chore You Really Dislike: Washing Up

D. Dogs: I like them, but I prefer to live with cats.

E. Essential Start to Your Day: A cup of coffee (small latte, one sugar) is nice

F. Favorite Color: Blue

G. Gold or Silver: Silver

H. Height: 5'4"

I. Instruments You Play: I've played piano, flute, and tuba. I'd kind of like to learn violin and oboe, but who has time?

J. Job: IT Systems Analyst

K. Kids: No. I'm not childfree - love my nieces and nephews - but I never had a partner and that was the dealbreaker for me.

L. Live: I liked their first few albums. Haven't heard of them since the 90s. (Yes, I know this is not what the question is asking, but I don't quite know how to answer.)

M. Mom’s Name: Nope.

N. Nicknames: One, two, many, lots.

O. Overnight Hospital Stays: Once for the yeeterus. I have been very healthy otherwise.

P. Pet Peeve: People who think that because they haven't done anything evil, they haven't benefited from anything evil.

Q. Quote From A Movie: I have many, but can't think of any right now. The one that's coming to mind is Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? and that leads to The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

R. Right or Left Handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Two full sisters, three stepbrothers (two on mum's side, one on dads), and a half-brother.

T. Time You Wake Up: Right now, six hours after I went to sleep. That can manifest as 3am (like last night, after falling asleep around 9pm) or at 6am if I stay up until around 11:30pm.

U. Underwear: Cotton, mostly, although I really liked the elastane 'no underwear lines' but they don't make them like they used to. The first set I bought back in 2009 have lasted 15 years, the ones that I bought back in 2022 are already losing their stretch.

W. What Makes You Run Late: Finishing a task that wasn't completely done the first time on the way out.

X. X-Rays You’ve Had: Lots of ones for the teeth and jaws. One for a broken fingertip. One for possible issues with the foot. And probably a bunch of others that I don't remember.

Y. Yummy Food You Make: Just about everything? There are somethings that are distinctly less tasty, but they're usually home experiments, and I just didn't put enough of the spice/acid in.

Z. Zoo - favorite animal: I haven't been to the zoo in ages. But probably the flamingos. The pink is just amazing.

If any of the words don't work for you, choose a different word that uses the same letter. That way the meme changes and evolves as it travels around.

Gakked from rmc28:

The Last...
Movie I watched: Project Hail Mary, in cinemas with a couple of friends. It was very enjoyable.
Series I finished: Honestly? Probably Bridgerton, back in 2024. I haven't watched any TV series since. Just can't concentrate enough to watch something through. I started Bridgerton S4 with the sistren on Monday night, we're going to work out way through the series, a couple of episodes at a time.
Book I finished: Undercover Attraction by Katee Robert. Part of the O'Malley sextet - a Boston crime family. Rather interestingly, the male MC of the second book in the series was quite clearly modelled off Charlie Hunnam in Sons of Anarchy.
Book I bought: Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh - I'm buying the Guild Hunter series in hardcopy, after receiving the first six books as a gift about a decade ago.
Book I received as a gift: ...something about work. It's to do with work and faith and the intersection of them and was given to me by a friend to whom I sold a couple of quilts.
Food I ate: Trout fillets. Bought by B1 and fried to perfection for dinner.
Meal I cooked: Hainanese chicken rice, recipe by Nagi of RecipeTinEats. Really good!
Drink I had: Fermented limeade - home-made lime soda, which I left on the dining table for a few days too long and now it's slightly alcoholic.
Song I listened to: Trustfall by P!nk.
Album I listened to: Probably 'Anjunadeep16'. I love deepbeat dance-trance music for focusing on work.
Playlist I listened to: Belt It - my 'singing in the car' playlist. Turn the volume up, and belt it!
Concert I went to: The Music Of John Williams II with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra - a couple of months ago.
Game I played: Civ II. Was just playing it now when I decided I'd check DW.
Person I talked to: B1 - sister.
Person I texted: Sue - a friend who I arranged to pick up some gardening stuff with this evening.