Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Hello! Link up, link back, or just say hi!

1. I just finished Andy Weir's The Martian and loved it. I'm definitely not a sci-fi reader, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was truly emotionally invested. Weir balances the science talk with a great personality and plenty of emotion. I don't think it's exceptionally well-written, exactly, but the story and voice make up for it. I convinced my husband to read it and he started this morning, which reminds me of college when we took some of the same English classes. I love talking about books with people, so I'm pretty excited.

2. Last night on a late-night allergy pill run to Target (side note: now that I'm 100% done nursing I can take awesome things like cold medicine and Claritin again! Interestingly, within a week of being done my allergies came back with a vengeance, after laying low since getting pregnant) I head a couple having a heated debate about keeping things out on the kitchen counter. He was made about the banana hammock and she thought it was fine. I'm totally Team Clean Counter- I am for a small stack of mail, the coffee maker, and a container with some cooking utensils. It also made me happy that there are other couples that argue over really stupid shit.

[I googled "cluttered countertops" and had an anxiety attack; source]


3. Over the past few weeks I've been around two newborn babies and have felt zero inclination to have another one any time soon. I was worried that holding those sweet, sleepy, innocent little ones would make my ovaries start hurting, but not even a twinge. I can't decide if this is good, bad, or natural since it's been only fifteen months since Sawyer was born and I'm just now getting good sleep. 

4. I finally bought a map for my Reading Globally Project that has been in the works for at least a year. Now I'll have to go back and figure out the settings for the books I've read in the last seven months and pin them. I'm trying to figure out the rules, though, since many books have multiple settings. Maybe the primary two? Or over a third of the book has to be spent at a particular place?

5. I downloaded Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies on Audible and so far I'm entertained but am glad I didn't buy the book to read- it's like funny chic lit so far. 

6. My friend, who is a new mom, texted me a link to a Mindy Kaling reading/talk that's happening in LA in two months asking me if I was interested and if we could make it work with the husbands watching kids. Heck yes! I just know her from The Office, but a chance to go into the city together, without kids, is enough for me.

7. Last Friday I took Sawyer to Irvine Regional Park and we had a great time. We road the little train, went to the zoo (it's more of a place where native animals have been rescued), watched other kids go on pony rides, and had lunch. We've also baked cookies together (he's getting good at pouring things in and loves to talk about the "balls" aka eggs, and the "vroom vroom" aka mixer), gone swimming a few times, kept up our walking routine, and visited with lots of friends. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to take him to the Orange County Fair, which I have never been to.




8. I can't decide if being good at small talk is a skill I wish I had or not. I've been in instances lately where my lack of ability has been painfully obvious (at least to me). 

9. Yesterday I let someone have it on Facebook because they posted something about defunding Planned Parenthood (along with a Confederate flag, claiming PP had killed more "black babies" than "the other side"). I was so, so, so angry, as Planned Parenthood is a phenomenal organization that has helped so many women in times of need. Maybe it is with an abortion, maybe it's with STD screening, birth control, or good old-fashioned information. I'm getting angry again just thinking about the ignorance. 

10. My "bad foot" is in bad shape right now, and I just rolled it hopping off the treadmill this morning. I have flat feet, am an over-pronator, and have an extra bone in my ankle, so anytime I'm off it for more than thirty minutes it gets stiff and hurts for a bit when I get up, as is. Plus, it's always a little swollen. I've had to ice it every night before bed to keep the pain manageable, and I'm super sick of it. I've saw a podiatrist many years ago and spent a lot of money getting inserts made, at his advice. When I started using them they were very uncomfortable and did nothing for me. I guess the only other alternative is surgery, which I'm not interested in. So for now I'll just whine. And ice. 

6 comments:

  1. That picture of you baking with Sawyer is great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I could talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime. If there's an awkward silence, I'm the person who feels the need to fill it. So, my best small-talk tip? Ask people about their holidays - any coming up? Been on any lately? Sure-fire winner.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I read The Martian about a year ago and I thought it was OK. The humour was really fun and the protagonist was pretty good, but I felt that it got a bit repetitive (the main character gets into trouble, fixes it using crazy science, and then that just repeats). I also didn't feel there was really that much character development. He didn't really seem to change despite spending almost a year constantly on the verge of death/ Anyway, it was still fun and I'll be watching the movie.

    I've been thinking of doing a reading globally type thing for a while now. I want to experience authors from all over the world, not just from the main countries (UK and America) that I normally read. It'll probably be a while before I actually plan it but at the moment I have a book by a Nigerian author, two Japanese, one Irish and two German, so that's a start at least.

    I'm also really bad at starting conversations. If someone else starts a conversation I can keep it going, it's just actually starting one that's the problem.

    ReplyDelete
  4. OK - so I am TOTALLY jealous of you getting to go see Mindy Kaling...read her book first, it was LOL hilarious!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh man, can I come see Mindy, too?! I just checked out The Martian at the library the other day. I had no intention of doing so, but it was sitting on the shelf as soon as I walked in so I took it as a sign that I should read it. I'm a pretty shy person generally speaking, but ever since becoming a nurse, I really had to work on my small talk skills - especially once I started working in home care - it was more awkward to go into someone's home and not talk at all. That being said, I find older people (like geriatric old), much easier to make small talk with.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Martian was my favourite of the books I read last month. And that photo of the cluttered countertop gives me an anxiety attack too.

    ReplyDelete

BLOG DESIGN BY DESIGNER BLOGS