1. This Tuesday Thoughts is more of a weekend wrap-up since I’m too lazy to blog on the weekend and—secret’s out!—I almost always type these on Monday so I can publish first thing Tuesday morning.

2. At least we were productive (Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday!) by doing a little TLC around the house. I won’t share what we did since we’re going to see if the in-laws notice any changes when they’re in town for Turkey Day, but I will say this: as much as I love watching HGTV, I loathe the actual work!

3. How about that Saints win over the 49ers? Admittedly I was preparing myself for a loss—telling myself how impressive it was that we were so close even though we gave the 49ers 17 points from turnovers—but then Hartley just had to surprise us! (I think he heard through the TV screen that I was going to locate and egg his house if he screwed up.)

4. Am I the only person who sometimes wishes she were more interesting ethnically? I’m as plain Jane as they come—English, Welsh, German, and Irish—and I just find people of random, mixed cultures to be fascinating. At least I can enjoy food, music, and dance of other cultures—like we did at Greek Fest Saturday night. Gyros and baklava are magical, but Greek beer (Mythos) leaves little to be desired (it tasted like a watered-down Heineken—and a full-flavored Heineken tastes like stale, spoiled beer to me). Nevertheless, Opa!

5. If you have the opportunity to see 12 Years a Slave, please do. This movie was incredible. Of course given the subject matter—and some graphic, violent scenes—it was difficult to watch, but it’s just a phenomenal film. The cinematography was stunning (I couldn’t help noticing the beautiful bayou scenery juxtaposed with the evils and brutality of humanity), the score (by Hans Zimmer) and sound-editing were chilling, and the acting was remarkable. You’ll be emotionally exhausted after watching, but it’s a film everybody should see once.

6. Sleeping late 2 mornings in a row was absolutely wonderful. (Even if it meant I skipped yoga.) Sometimes you just need sleep!

7. I guess I’m not as creative as I think because I’ve never imagined using my coffee pot for anything other than brewing coffee (or boiling water for tea, maybe oatmeal). But according to this NPR article, you can cook an entire meal for one! I’ll just stick to the stove…

8. This 33 Inspiring Reasons Why You Should Write article is from over a month ago, but I liked reading it nonetheless.

9. I really, really, really want the cold weather to come back. I’m going to cry if I’m wearing short sleeves on Thanksgiving or “Christmas Tree Friday.” 🙁

10. I can’t wait to start baking for Thanksgiving weekend. I’m thinking of making truffles (which require no baking at all), some kind of pumpkin bread, and Giada’s lemon ricotta cookies (even though they’re more of a springtime dessert than an autumn one). Hooray for baking!

Adios, amigos. Have a fabulous Tuesday and remainder of the week. 🙂