Well, okay. Good news is that I did absolutely book our tickets. I made the decision. I booked plane tickets, I booked a place to stay and a place for Sadie. Here’s hoping it’s a great trip.
Progress on the big five:
Y: No progress on these. I did buy things to decorate but just didn’t do anything yet.
G: Did the donations, yay! Will have to schedule the unit move. Will get that started. Will buy things after.
S: All set on this one!
Sa: Found Sadie a new rover family. Let’s hope it goes well!
D: No progress this week.
Three Medium goals:
Watched some videos but didn’t add more this week.
Doing a lot of practice on this one, I am proud of it.
I haven’t looked up the book, yet, will check it out this week.
Started decorating my office!!
Start: yes! Started this one!
Stop: I’ve gotten better on this, too. Work in progress.
Continue: I took so much time off last week, I am proud of myself.
Brave: the trip is scheduled, one step at a time.
Good progress this week. Here’s to another good week. Paying attention. Savoring and living in awe. And taking steps to move onward.
This story is about Susan and Eliza. They meet in 2005, and the moment is lost before it even becomes a thing. With the exception of a brief exchange from afar in the subway, they don’t reconnect again for 10 years. Finally they get the chance they never had and they dive right in. all the way. But before it’s even a thing, things implode. After another ten years, they meet again. And Susan realizes that her whole life has been about chasing the dream of Eliza. All the questions that came from the “what if” that never got answered put her life on hold and let the yearning take over everything else.
This story is about love, friendship, home, belonging, identity, music, NYC, LA and so much more. It’s about growing up in the 00s and losing parts of yourself that were taken from you without permission and giving up other parts of yourself willingly.
It’s a beautiful story that was narrated exceptionally well.
with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Excellent historical fiction novel that was partly made up, partly true. A great reminder of unlikely allies and creative thinking when the obvious paths are not accessible. All the details matter and it pays to think outside the box, especially when others don’t.
Well what a journey this was. I am not sure that I would have finished this book if it weren’t for my friend Lauren. I picked it up because of her and started, despite the length, without knowing anything about it. About an hour in, I decided I had made a mistake and there was no way I could endure this for another 44 hours. I continued for a few more hours and then decided I needed to take a break. I started and finished another book and then checked in with my friend Lauren who was still at it, so I went back and, within minutes, I remembered why I had put it down. I did a few more hours and then put it down again. I felt like it was annoying me disproportionately considering how relatable parts of the story was. After finishing another book, I decided to give it one more try. And I guess third time was the charm because after that I could not put it down.
First of all, the audiobook narrator did an extraordinary job. I cannot imagine how hard this book was to do well on audio and she absolutely excelled. This book both had no plot and way way too much plot. It was a perfect representation of the brain’s default mode network. [When your brain is awake but “at rest,” it is actually highly active and generates thoughts not triggered by the outside world. Neuroscientists call these internal cognitive processes stimulus-independent thoughts.] I kept waiting for something to happen.
And here’s the thing, when it finally did, I was very much let down. Because, to me, the rest of this book was so much more of what life really is like. A million thoughts all day long that look to be disparate but are connected through the fact that they collectively make up the way the character sees and processes the world.
And, in the end, that was so much more powerful than the one big moment. It was so much more revealing.
Even if the details of this book don’t stay with me, the reminder that each of us have these full-on tapes inside of us that go on all day long will absolutely stay with me.
Here’s to the official beginning of Summer! I really would like June and July to go very very slowly. Once we hit August, we have to actively worry about several big milestones we have this year and I don’t want to wrap my head around any of that yet. Pretty please.
Big Goal: Even though I am tempted to make a goal around food, I am tired of disappointing myself, so I am going to pick a different one. I think my big goal this month is to figure out some plans to go visit D. This involves a bunch of planning and I keep putting it off but I think it will make me sadder not to go. Either way I’d like to have made a decision and plans so I can stop thinking and start doing.
Progress on the big five:
Y: Decorate under the pergola, fix the fence lights, maybe clean the side yard & buy plants.
G: Do donations, move ikea unit, buy a few things and a rug maybe.
S: Laser appointment three. Follow up on replacement.
Sa: not sure I want to do anything on this one.
D: maybe if i am brave, go to berkeley and oakland to renew library cards.
Three Medium goals:
more workflow stuff, get the quests going.
practice visual notetaking, do the book I bought, create my own library.
restart the art mbsr book possibly, or some other deeper dive plan.
decorate my office.
Start: regular visual notetaking practice.
Stop: replying fast.
Continue: to find pockets to take time off.
Brave: trips, seeing them, and driving and my brave this month.
Here’s to another month. Paying attention. Loving my people. Savoring and living in awe. And taking steps to move onward.
What an incredible joy it was to read this novel of three generations of women, each dealing with loss in their own way, thrown together in a tiny apartment and coming to terms with each other and their own journeys. There’s so much heart in this novel that it’s not possible for you not to love it. Even though I felt like Grace (the mom) was explored the least compared to Graziella (the grandmother) and Ella (the granddaughter), I loved all three of them and I loved reading their journeys. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
with gratitude to netgalley and Atria books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was an unusual mystery unlike books I’ve read by Pekkanen before. I liked that it drew attention to history of psychological experiments at Duke and it read as a combination of historical fiction and mystery. It wasn’t full of twists and turns and unreliable narrators and all the tricks that appear to be very common. It was interesting and engaging in a different way. I enjoyed it a lot. It was excellent on audio as well!!
with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Made it to the end of May. This month went by in a blur. It’s annoying that the darker months forever and the brighter months go by fast. I would like the summer to go by very slowly so I can savor every moment. I’d say May was mostly a wash for most things. Even though it started okay, the last two weeks were so so hard that I just need to give myself grace. Alas.
Big Goal: I did eat more fruits and vegetables this month. I also ordered out more than ever before and I really don’t like to do that. I did paint and journal regularly. Did a bit more exercise than before. But it was mostly baby steps.
Progress on the big five:
Y: I bought a bunch of things and I love how my yard feels. I didn’t go through the side because it didn’t seem super needed.
G: I did the trash pickup and donating this week. I think I will buy some things this week likely.
S: Did appointment two, also emailed for replacement, onward.
Sa: I made a plan but didn’t start it. However I did find her a new sitter.
D: commuting like a champ and drove A to old school at night. we’re calling it a win.
Three Medium goals:
Did a lot of workflows and classes, I am proud of myself.
Researched a bunch of ideas for backyard and garage and my office!
I made the list of ideas/thoughts/belief to reclaim. I think this one needs more work.
Start: Supporting D still. One step at a time.
Stop: I’ve been sleeping really early. proud of myself.
Continue: I met with lots of people this month. I’d say 1-2 social engagements a week which is a lot for me.
Brave: I haven’t planned my trip yet. This will have to be in July.
Even with disappointing myself, I did a lot this month. Proud of myself. Here’s to another month. Paying attention. Loving my people. Savoring and living in awe. And taking steps to move onward.
ok this book’s cover is VERY misleading. This book was VERY VERY depressing. It was not dark humor. It was depressing. Once I got over how depressing it would be, I loved it but do NOT be fooled by the cover. It’s not cute and light, it’s heavy and depressing.
This novel delivered what it promised. It was big hearted and for fans of Kevin Wilson. A family that’s struggling through good news and bad news as the balance of power changes and fame and potential fortune wreak havoc. I loved it.
