I started off the new year exhausted from a family Christmas get-together. Grandmama left for Oklahoma, so I had the place to myself for a week. I was excited!

Then the dishwasher made clear to us it’s met its end. I walked into the kitchen to finally figure out something to eat since I hadn’t yet. On my way in, it smelled like mildew or wet dog, or both. Once I stepped foot in the kitchen, something felt amiss. I came into view of the dishwasher and surrounding area, and there went eating. Hot, soapish water stood and continued to pool from the dishwasher. It did this once before, but no matter how many times I pressed the cancel button this time, it refused to stop. One of my uncles had to turn off the water completely. I was also sick, having consumed too many dairy products and upsetting my allergies, and I was out of antihistamines. I’m still out of antihistamines.

The aftermath of The Great Kitchen Flood™ was a vomitrocious fragrance spreading from the living room and a question of mold. My other paternal uncle rented a carpet shampoo vac and cleaned the entire living room floor after moving all the furniture into the dining room and kitchen. So far, so good. I surmised the kitchen floor itself was clean, considering I toweled it dry with my feet and the water was soapish. (By soapish, I mean not quite soapy, but not quite watery, either.)

This month felt more blah and lame and mundane than anything else. I started feeling a little depressed and overwhelmed, but even saying “a little” doesn’t do depressive episodes justice. Any amount, I’ve learned, is too much.

Month in entertainment

• Shows: Travelers, Trollhunters, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Scandal, Lovesick, other shows I don’t remember the name of and can’t list because Netflix history is tedious to browse through
• Movies (7): The Boss Baby, Beauty and the Beast, Cars 3, Paddington, Zootopia, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Jenny’s Wedding
  
• Read (2): Many Sparrows, Coldwater

I signed up for a free trial of Netflix that was set to expire the night I intended to post this (1st February), but after much thought and consideration, I renewed it for another month so I can finish watching the stuff in my list. I did downgrade, however, to the $7.99 plan, which excludes HD, ’cause I didn’t originally want to renew. I just…didn’t want to spend the last two days binging-binging-binging Netflix, because I don’t consume television like that anymore.

Reading-wise, I could have done better, but I think I was still in the slump I was from last year. Something odd I’ve noticed, however, is that I become so engaged in the books I read that they start to feel like movies. Earlier this month, I found myself trying to figure out what movie I’d seen with a particular scene, only to find I was recalling the cautionary tale of Ruby Bachman. 😳

Something that made me happy this month:

Long Black Veil was available for me to request at Blogging for Books. It’s a book I put into my TBR last year or the year prior, but removed because I didn’t know where I’d find it or if I’d ever get around to buying it. (Obviously I requested it! #received)

I also received my order from Thrift Books, consisting of 1984 and Keeping You a Secret. I am especially excited for the latter, ’cause it’s a romance about two girls. 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

I saw Cars 3 and finally binged Legends of Tomorrow. I’d meant to before, but it felt so long…this is the only series of Arrowverse I have had to take more time getting used to. Rip Hunter and Martin Stein rather annoyed me. 🙄