How was Halloween for everyone? We noticed a marked difference in the amount of kids we saw but honestly, there was also a palpable need for normalcy so we handed out candy, safely, and not anywhere near as much as we normally do but 2020 is a bust and whatever we can do to make things somewhat enjoyable, without jeopardizing people’s health, we will do with the best intentions.
But guys, it’s time!! Election Day is almost here and I am ready for it. On election night, I may watch through spread hands, and chew every nail off my fingers but please God, please… let 2020 end well.
Right Now:
I would really like to go out for a good breakfast. The Girl sleeps in so probably won’t happen. Plus, the time change!
Later, a Zoom meeting with my youth group. Zoom fatigue is a thing. They spend hours on Zoom for school but we don’t have many options. The church is trying to stagger groups so that we can meet in person but meeting outside is not great as it’s chilly at night now.
This Week:
This week is all about the election because I can’t imagine us knowing anything until days later. I want to make a really good meal Tuesday night, mostly for distraction but hey, food is comforting and I know it shouldn’t be but I will take comfort where I can get it. Chinese food sounds really good at the moment but cooking it can be time consuming. Maybe takeout? Will probably be busy that night.
Reading:
I reviewed Don’t Look For Me and One By One last week. My reviews of Invisible Girl and Leave the World Behind post this week. I am finishing the last few pages of You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie and then may dive into one of my review copies, The Sprawl by Jason Diamond and I am still working on that King book, Lisey’s Story.
Watching:
The Haunting of Bly Manor has been pretty good.
Grateful for:
- The sun. Not the blazing summer sun but the sun that’s been showing its face these past few days. It feel so good on the skin.
- Succulents. I went to a new succulent nursery the other day and picked up two new plants for my garden. Some of those plants were $300 but my $15 plants are cute too.
- Days off. I took last Friday off so my weekend was extended by a little bit. I cleaned the patio furniture, planted my new plants, read TWO books. It was glorious.
Okay everyone, tell me how you are spending Election Night. Watching? Not watching? Will there be food? Drink? Give me the details. I would like to enjoy a stiff cocktail while watching.
Book Chatter 
I’m so ready for election day to be over, even though I know it will probably not be decided so quickly. The stress of the past months has been hard to handle, the constant negativity and the fear of what is to come. Because I’m in Europe I won’t know anything until the morning after, anyway, but I’m ready for it to be November 4th and hopefully a clear end to the national nightmare in sight.
One state can turn in ballots 5 days past election day so it will be at least a week and more, if it’s contested on either side. Ugh. What a mess. It’s getting so nasty.
Nope, we’re not watching. We already decided on a news blackout, which starts really tomorrow. I’m off for work for two days. Should have made it the whole week, but glad I can have tomorrow and Tuesday off. Drinking? Wine. Lots of wine. Red, red, red wine. 🙂
I’ll probably spend election night doomscrolling until I can’t take it any more and then retreat to playing Minecraft. Also, I should probably plan a trip to Total Wine & More for tomorrow…
Absolutely!! Doom scrolling. I love that. I am watching this election and will be grimacing the entire time and I did remember wine but I am not sure it’s enough. I may have to hit the market tonight to make sure my stash is sufficient.
You are doing well with your reading; me too – great distraction. My husband is obsessed with the news and this election. I can only take so much but, we will probably nap as here on the East Coast it will be a late night, even though I’m sure we might have an idea but not know anything definitive for a bit. As for food, I haven’t given it a thought yet. Fingers and toes crossed, that we will work toward normalcy in 2021.
My plan is to not watch the results on Tuesday. Like you said, we likely won’t know the presidential outcome for some time and I really don’t want to spend the evening having the sick feeling I got in 2016. I think we’ll plan to watch Netflix so we don’t even have to worry about any last rounds of commercials. I’m so over how amped up one side is getting in trying to scare people.
I have to say, I am rather disappointed that Biden’s camp is giving in to the threats. He pulled out of Georgia due to militia being present. Perhaps, it’s the safest thing to do for the people in attendance but he needs Georgia. I am planning to watch because I know I won’t be able not to. So, I plan for it and will have wine to help. I would really like to hit Trader Joe’s for a last minute snack run but I haven’t been since March and there is still a long line to get in. Ick. Will pass.
We are cooking a 2-night dinner on Monday so we aren’t cooking on election night. We’ll have my daughter and some of our friends on face time and zoom while we watch the returns. It’s going to be a long and tense week!
We’re planning on a news blackout on Tuesday but I don’t know if we’ll succeed. The suspense is going to kill us, for sure. I’m with you on praying for a better end to 2020.
I don’t think we will know for days. If it’s a landslide either way, maybe we can assume but I don’t think so.
That’s one reason we’re going to try to go dark — maybe for several days, we’ll see. I just don’t know if I would be able to stand the possible back-and-forth declarations of who is the likely winner. Better to just wait and let my phone tell me when it’s over via news notifications.
Down here in New Zealand, we will all be praying that you get a Good Election result, one that will hopefully return
America to what it was
Thank you so much for that. We will take ALL the prayers you have for our country. It’s a very frustrating and frightening time.
Ohhh election night … not sure I can watch — it’s too hard on my nerves, perhaps I’ll listen from another room and pace! Lots of alcohol and lots of pacing. It can be so disappointing … but I hope not. I hope 2020 won’t end down the tubes. Just would be too harsh to contemplate. We have too much Halloween candy left over. Argh. Also I think I’ll come back to your review of Leave the World Behind … since I just got it from the library … cheers.
If you just got Leave the World Behind from the library, you will be done with it in a day. It’s quite a read.
Oh, the election night stuff is going to be a trainwreck but I cannot look away. Our stores here are packed. You think that is because people are stocking up before any possible unrest? I might need more wine. I always cut myself short thinking a bottle will do.
I won’t be watching as usual because it’s too much anxiety and working early hours means early to bed hours. 🙂
I haven’t read much but I hope to finish Heart-Shaped Box this week
Good luck avoided that night of news. I would not be able to sleep if I didn’t watch. I’d be too concerned about what I’d see upon waking but let’s face it. It will be a long time before we know.
I saw people in the neighborhood FB groups posting their addresses (something they never do), asking for trick-or-treaters. Some people in the area said they saw a lot of kids and others hardly any. I know at least two of our neighbors had big parties. We could see and hear them most of the night.
Some of the people who passed out candy found some very creative ways to do so with social distancing in mind–down chutes from balconies, candy bars on sticks stuck in the lawn or candy bags hanging from fence posts. Among more traditional ways.
I felt a little bad about not letting Mouse go trick-or-treating, but ultimately am glad I did. Although there was no order against trick-or-treating, it was highly discouraged in our county (we’re still in purple), and so we took it seriously. She seemed to have a good day/evening. I’m sure she was disappointed, but she got to see some of her friends (masked and from a distance) she hadn’t seen in months, which was a real highlight. And we enjoyed our movie night. She loved trick or treating around the house. We’d seen a lot of the Halloween decorations on our evening walks in the weeks before and so she didn’t miss out on that. She had a movie night with a few friends last night, which I think was even more of a hit. It’s a book/movie club, and for their first book/movie they did The One and Only Ivan. So maybe us moms had more of a book discussion than the kids did, but the girls had fun watching the movie together (via Zoom) and socializing after.
I am going to do everything I can to avoid the news tomorrow, even in the evening. I imagine it won’t be too hard as long as I avoid my phone. Originally, I had considered taking tomorrow and Wednesday off work as self-care days, but my daughter has Thursday and Friday off from school for parent/teacher conferences, and so I decided to take those days off with her instead and make it a long weekend. We have no plans, but I am desperate for some time off. Maybe we’ll spend one day in our PJs and do nothing but watch movies and play games. . .
I understand about Zoom fatigue. My daughter has it too. 😦
$300 for a plant. That’s crazy. It must be some plant. I am terrible with plants and if something happened to it . . .
I hope you have a great week. Fingers crossed tomorrow and the days to come go well.
I have to tell you, of the parents taking their kids house to house, most of them were unmasked which kind of ticked me off. They made up for it by being so grateful for our efforts bur it was strange. And a new thing we saw, were decorated golf carts carrying loads of kids and only stopping at houses who had candy in the driveway. They literally pulled right up to me and didn’t even get out! It was kind of cool. It could be blocks and blocks before another one of my neighbors had candy to give.
The election stuff I see right now is making me angry. Militia intimidating voters. More “T trains” running people off the road. Here, we have had several very long caravans of T supporters and they block traffic and cause a big ruckus. Every night there was been one. My daughter the new driver got caught in one last week. They didn’t say or do anything to her although she said eggs were being thrown. Nice and classy.
Halloween seemed almost nonexistent for us this year… kind of sad. This week is all about the election. I expect to be up most of the night Tuesday, but doubt much will be resolved. Haven’t been able to focus much on books lately, but I really need to try harder…
Last week I finished two books in a matter of days. Felt good. This week so far I have picked up four and put them right down again. Two were duds but the other two are probably good. I am just not in the mood for them. It will be days before we know for sure how this election ends. And I think there will be some unrest for sure, either way. Stores were very busy yesterday. Kind of like doomsday shopping again but for wine, hard spirits and cheese.
We’ll definitely be starting the evening with the news. We’ll stick with it only if it is trending blue. I cannot take a 2016 repeat at this point so I hope today ends well. 2020 needs to have a positive memory, something to redeem itself, and if that doesn’t come tonight (or whenever final results are available), then I don’t know what other saving grace there is left for this year.
I don’t want to be naive but it HAS to end correctly or I’ve lost all faith in humanity.
I spent this evening in my Christian meditation class, and I feel marvelously hopeful about things. And even if the worst should happen, as it did four years ago, I feel ready to try to face it and deal with it.
I love hearing about your succulents. I’ve never tried them, but I’m fascinated by them and hope to try some soon.
You’ve got some great books. I hope they are providing some distraction.
Here’s to a good outcome tonight!