It's my Friday

 For once, I have a weekday day off. Tomorrow is out "mid fall break" (never mind the local public schools had Wednesday and today off too). 

I do think I'm going up to Chickasaw, though I may hike less than anticipated - I'm slightly concerned the stomach virus I had has brought on gastritis again; the symptoms are similar (though less severe) to what I had in 2016 - low appetite, pain when it's time to eat, pain is relieved after eating, pain is relieved by sitting partially reclined, antacid tablets help. I'm going to give it another week or so before considering the doctor; it has been steadily getting better. 

Then again, standing up feels better than sitting leaning forward (like at my desk). 

But still. I don't want to waste a rare day off if I'm able to go and do something fun. 

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I also want to visit the Spice and Tea Exchange, I think I might find a few stocking stuffers for my mom, and there's another small shop or two that might have Christmas gifts. (Yes, I know, it's early, but I am taking the gifts to pass off at Thanksgiving, and also, as busy as I am, it's hard to make time to get out to shop)

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I'm also going to look if there is any nice appropriate book or park-themed swag at the park shop. My niece has gotten very interested in National Parks recently, and of course I want to encourage that interest, and so if there's a souvenir from the one near me to go in with her Christmas gift that would be good.

I am going to TRY to make the time to knit a cowl for her - I have a honeycomb-themed one (she wants to do agriculture, and her family tried to keep bees but lost both colonies they tried) and if I can make the time I want to make it. I'll see how she reacts to it; if she doesn't seem to like it that'll be the last thing I knit for her. (One thing that is slightly sad; I have very few people in my life to knit for these days. But then again: I seem to have little enough time to knit - I still have not finished the hat for my mother). 

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And on the too-many-books front, there's a new graphic-novel of Watership Down coming out later this month. And yes, I pre-ordered a copy from Bookshop even as I said "I will regret this because I will cry" - I remember the book (which I probably read too young; as I remember I was about 10) being sad, and I remember crying when I saw the animated movie on tv a couple years after that. 

But the book also has a beautiful cover, and I saw a couple sample pages, and it seems nicely done. And anyway, maybe I do need to experience the story again. 

I'm still reading on Legends and Lattes. Definitely a faster read than the Mrs. Gaskell book I read previously. But it is enjoyable - at least as far as I am in it, it's *just* escapist enough to be a lot of fun. I think I'll buy the author's second novel ("Bookshops and Bonedust," I think it is) at some point and read it, too, because it is an interesting world to read about. (I also have a bunch more of the Discworld books to read - and while Baldree's world is perhaps less sprawling and philosophical and finely rendered than Pratchett's was, there's something slightly similar about them. And I AM hoping that the book continues in the vibe of "community and kindness" that it seems to be setting up.)

At some point I will probably need to get (and find a place in the house for) more bookshelves. 

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I found a show I may continue to try to search out. It's called "Son of a Critch," which I had previously ignored when I saw it in the listings because I thought the slightly-lampshaded-insult name meant it would be annoying, but it's weirdly a bit like The Wonder Years (at least the most-of-one-episode I saw), only it's set in Newfoundland in the 1980s....so it's a familiar time but an unfamiliar place to me, and that combination is always intriguing to me. Apparently it's a Canadian show and maybe a way around the various Hollywood strikes is going to be importing content from other countries? I dunno, I'd watch shows from Britain or Canada or really any other country if they were dubbed or subtitled into a language I could comprehend.  I guess it's on the CW, and it sounds like they're going to continue to show it, so maybe I plan on trying to catch it when it's on. Oh, maybe I didn't get a good enough sample of it and it will be bad, actually, but then again, when the other choices are eternal Big Brother or the 24 hour news channels, I'll give this a try.