Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Happy Wednesday! Link up in the comments and link back in your post! 

1. This is sort of a downer, but a recent thread popped up on our Neighborhood Watch/HOA Facebook page about a deceased infant that was found not too terribly far from where we live. Clearly this is absolutely tragic and devastating. My fellow neighbors ATTACKED the parents of this infant, without knowing anything, though. My first thought was that the death may have been accidental and a parent panicked and left the body. Or, maybe post-partum depression came into to play. Of course none of this excuses a dead baby, but I just hate it when people don't slow down, find out the facts, assess the situation, and then pass judgement. There is totally more to this story than was put out in the initial press release that caused so much outrage. 

2. It's a double post kind of day! I put up my reviews for the ten books (!!!!) that I read early this month here, in case you missed it.'

3. Tomorrow a group of friends from work are coming over to my house for lunch and to discuss So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. It should be interesting.

4. My school year starts on Monday- already! I am going to miss these free days very much, but we had such am amazing summer that I can't complain. I couldn't have asked for a better eight weeks off (recap coming soon!). We have teacher meeting and work days for three days and the students start Thursday, so we definitely ease back into things. We have one more thing planned for Friday, a visit to the OC Fair in Costa Mesa, but this weekend I plan on doing a whole lot of STAYING HOME. 

5. Luckily Sawyer's field trip today to the park was canceled (I had volunteered to chaperone), because after a routine check up at the dentist this morning they found a cavity and had an opening to fill it this afternoon (as opposed to waiting once school starts). I'm so used to my teeth having problems at this point it always end up being more about the inconvenience of scheduling appointments, rather than the procedures themselves. For the record, I take incredible care of my teeth- the hygienists always compliment me on my brushing and flossing skills. Unfortunately, from what I have been told, some people, like yours truly, just naturally have weak teeth and end up with lots of fillings, root canals, and crowns. Luckily the field of dentistry has come far and my teeth are still pearly white. *BORING TEETH RANT OVER*

6. I've finally watched a few things this summer! A miracle! I might do a post soon, since it's such a rare occurrence, but I will say that I really didn't like Ready Player One. I thought the book was far quirkier and that the characters came together so much in print, as opposed to the screen. Also, they made so many changes! Too many, as far as I'm concerned. I understand that alterations are necessary when converting text to screen, but to completely alter all the tasks that led to the keys and the egg? No! 

7. I finished listening to Sick: A Memoir by Porochista Khakpour, and it was really fabulous. Khakpour suffers from late-stage Lyme Disease and she discusses her battle with diagnosis, handling medical professionals who wanted to write off her disease and purely psychological, and still trying to have a writing career. I think, as a collective society, we are not always the most empathetic when it comes to handling diseases that can't clearly be seen by the eye or with conclusive medical testing. I highly recommend reading or listening to it.

8. I'm debating about what to listen to next; I tend to mostly stick to memoirs or nonfiction/self-help. I know a few people who loved Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis, claiming that it was super motivating to make sure your life was headed where you want it to go. I know she's religious, though, so if it's heavy in that area I'm going to pass. Has anyone read it? What did you think?

9. I am still wading my way through the curing/preventing Alzheimer's book, but I am starting the highly-anticipated The Incendiaries, by R.O. Kwon, which was released this week. The literary world has been abuzz with anticipation for it all summer, so I'm eager to get started. 

10. The last week has been incredibly full (and awesome). Last Thursday Sawyer and I went to the Petersen Automotive Museum and LACMA in LA with my sister-in-law and nephew, this past weekend the three of us (plus Chomsky) went to Vegas so the kid and dog could stay with my in-laws while Scott and I enjoyed a night on the strip, Monday I caught up with a friend for lunch, and yesterday Sawyer and I went to Knott's Berry Farm for a few hours. At the same time, though, I have no papers to grade, am on top of cleaning/laundry, and still have had several hours at home every day to hang out. It's been such a strange, and lovely, combination of crazy busy and relaxation. Summer life, right?