Hi there, friends! It’s Thursday—which is one day closer to Friday!—so I imagine you’re counting down the hours to the weekend like I am (unless, of course, you have a job that requires you to work on the weekends). It’s also time for Thinking Out Loud—so let’s get right down to it.

1. Normally my brain is so full of thoughts that I zone out or fail to notice that people are talking to me (and I wonder why people think I’m rude!), but every time I sit down to spill some randomness with you guys, I find myself scrounging for something mildly interesting to share. #BloggerProblems

2. So while I’m scrounging, let’s talk about how awesome my Bikram class was Tuesday night! I was quite loosened up from walking around during the workday, and the hot room was actually quite cozy and comforting (for, oh, 2 minutes until the sweat came pouring out) since our high temperature was only 35° F.

3. Now, before you throw something at me through the computer screen, let me emphasize that I live in coastal Alabama. I realize all you Midwesterners and Canadians have been dealing with negative temperatures—and I empathize—but cold is cold! We’re not built for hard freezes down here, and that frigid bay breeze will chill you to the bones.

4. This talk about the cold reminds me—I lost one of my new fuzzy socks Tuesday night! 🙁 Even though I don’t like sleeping in PJs (TMI?), I’ve been sleeping in socks to keep me warm. One fell off in the night so I purposely took the other off, but after pulling back all the covers and searching under the bed, it’s still missing. I can only conclude that Iggy ate it.

Edit: I found the sock! It was inside my pillow case; I’m still not sure how I managed that!

5. Speaking of Iggy, isn’t he adorable? The poor little guy had to spend half the day at the vet for his bi-annual checkup; he’s a trooper, though, and as healthy as a horse dachshund.

6. Even though it’s only mid-week, I’m already planning for the weekend. I definitely want to see August: Osage County at some point. It looks hilarious, and I pretty much worship Meryl Streep. Has anybody seen it already? If so, what did you think?

7. And while we’re on the subject of movies—this will be the first time that I’ve seen almost all of what will probably be Golden Globe and Oscar nominees. Usually a lot of the lower-budget, indie films don’t make it to our market, but the Crescent Theatre has been showing quite a few lately. I’m so happy for this place’s success—and that the owner recognizes us as “regulars.”

8. I’m completely changing topic here—but can I talk about beer? We still have a few seasonal beers to enjoy (such as Shiner Cheer—and maybe even a few from autumn), but I’m loving Abita’s new release, Grapefruit Harvest IPA. It’s not overly-hoppy, and it has a wonderful, refreshing citrus finish. You’d think the bitterness from both the hops and the grapefruit would be too much, but it’s actually quite delicious.

9. And just because I thought it was interesting: check out this map. It’s such a creative art project—but it’s also pretty depressing because it shows how pitiful we Americans are at world geography (since 29 of the 30 participants were American). I’ve always loved maps (I don’t know why—perhaps it’s a result of my weird, only-child methods of entertaining myself?)—but I’m pretty sure I’d fail at this.

10. And with that I’m out like a trout! I’ve been sitting too long and hear a leisurely walk calling my name. Time to get moving!

Has it been cold where you live?

What’s the best movie you’ve seen lately?