Yesterday during our holiday dinner a friend picked up a cookbook of "knockoff" recipes and read out one that is kind of depressing: you can make your own "decaff tea" by using any caffeinated tea in the following manner: when the water is on the boil, pour it over the tea and let it steep for 30 seconds. Pour away that water and then use more boiling water to brew a cup. What remains is the decaff part, and it is what I always feared - it is where the flavor went as well.

Lovely bright day today and is my gap between festivities; yesterday's family event means the house is tidy for the next arrival tomorrow, but I have to distribute a few extra xmas cookies so we don't eat them all ourselves. Last day of cat sitting so I'll leave a bag at her house, for starters.

This month I've been back at the gym more consistently (and my knees are happy about that!) but the library book I was listening to ran out before I could finish it and there was a hold so I couldn't renew it. I think the best thing now is to check out the digital text and simply read the last few chapters since that one is available right now. I started another one in the meantime but I can already tell it is going to be a long slog, and possibly a bit depressing. #FirstWorldProblems