Highlight Reel – January 1-4, 2025

I really expected to pick up the next Highlight Reel on January 11, figuring there probably wouldn’t be enough happening in just the first 4 days of the year, but I was sadly mistaken.

Quote of the Week

New Movie of the Week

Episode of the Week

Song of the Week

“Thubthumping,” by Chumbawamba

Other “Songs of the Day” this week:

• “Popular,” by Ariana Grande, from Wicked
• “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” by John Denver

Headlines, Highlights, and Lowlights

• The new year started with its claws out, first with an almost completely flat tire on my car (thankfully L was still home, so we had at least one functional vehicle). It seems to be a slow leak, but it is definitely a leak vs low air pressure due to the cold, so we’ll have to get it checked and possibly replaced.
• Then we learned that our movie theater would close this Sunday (tomorrow, January 5, 2025). We were just there on December 29, and I specifically asked if they had a closing date yet, and I was told no, so it seems it was a very abrupt announcement for everyone. I’ll do a more detailed “reminiscing” post later, but here are a couple of comparisons I threw together of Luke’s first ever visit to the move theater (we had been going to this one for a few years by then, but it was his first time at any move theater) and our very last visit to this theater.
• We did manage to squeeze in 3 movies before they close tomorrow: Moana 2 (it was fine; about the same as the first one, to me, though slightly less compelling music), Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim (it was fine, though quite a bit too long; didn’t particularly enjoy the visual style, and the story was just okay), and Gladiator II at Luke’s request, since he hadn’t seen it.
• The Drunk Christmas Unicorns had also vanished as of New Year’s Day, which isn’t necessarily shocking, though they do sometimes stay up a day or two into the new year. I guess Santa was just done after crashing a day or two before the end of the year! (Bottom left of the collage)
• Got caught up on the Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episodes that we missed while we were out of town. The pirate-flavored spin on Star Wars is a fun aspect, but overall, the show really isn’t very good. It’s not awful, but it’s far from great.
• We also started Season 2 of Only Murders in the Building. I’m amused every time I hear Tiny Fey say the name of her podcast “Only Murderers in the Building,” about the goings-on this season, because that’s actually what I thought the name of this show was until fairly recently.
• After losing both our Mexican restaurant and our movie theater literally in the same week, we decided to take a chance on a new Mexican restaurant that recently opened very near our house (actually closer than our former place), called Santo Cielo. The food was good, but it’s not the type/style that I’m looking for when I say “I want Mexican.” (Just like Del Taco, Willy’s, and Chipotle or Moe’s aren’t what I’m looking for, either.) Full review later.
• We’re nearly out of Christmas leftovers, which have sustained us over the past several days since getting home from my parents’ house. Guess I’ll have to start cooking next week. Which means I’ll also need a meal plan, which I haven’t fully worked out/settled since changing what/how I eat on Zepbound. Really need to get that working.
• I’m back down to my lowest weight for last year, which was 2 days before Christmas. Less than 2 weeks to lose everything I gained. Not bad.
• After having my Zepbound doses split for a few weeks into 2.5 mg then 1 mg a few days later, I’m finally taking all 3.5 mg at once as of January 1. So far so good on the tasting, though the tongue-tingling is back. And losing my sense of taste (and some of my sense of smell) took 2-3 weeks to fully materialize last time, so I’m still monitoring things.
• I’ll be back to walking with my friend Sandy starting Monday (I think; depends on how the tire check/replacement goes that morning).
• My knee has really been bothering me the last few weeks, so I’ll need to call the orthopedist on Monday to see if I can get an appointment for another cortisone injection (you know how much I *love* those, sigh). It will take several days to “get over” the injection reaction, so I want to get a head start on that. I’ll especially need that knee to be comfortable it in about 3 weeks, because….
• Sandy and I are going to Las Vegas for a long weekend at the end of January! I’ve never been, and she really wanted to help me celebrate my first big milestone of losing 50 lbs, so I picked Vegas, baby! We’ve been discussing it for a while, but plane tickets and hotel were booked on Thursday. More details on those plans later.
• Crossing my fingers that I won’t need a seat belt extender, like I did going to Alaska, but even if I do, I will still be (somewhat) more comfortable/less cramped than I was 50 lbs ago.

Coming Soon

• What am I looking forward to next week? How about a simple and inexpensive tire fix (fingers crossed) and a lot less drama/excitement. And definitely fewer places that I love closing, please!!
• Luke return to school for the start of spring semester on Sunday.
• Will Trent and The Rookie both return this coming week, which means it’s probably best if we finish Season 2 of Only Murders on Sunday.
• Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is still airing episodes, but we won’t be able to finish it until Luke gets back on MLK Jr. weekend.
• I also have my TSA Pre-Check appointment next week. I’ve been meaning to do it for a while now, and it is on my current 101 Things in 1001 Days list. It would be great if that came through before my Las Vegas trip.