Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

[from Lucky Sparrow's felt grocery store in DTLA]

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

1. My four-year-old has homework, now that he is in his second year of preschool. He loves it and has been totally fine sitting down to trace letters, color things red, and practice his name, but DAMN this has cemented the fact that kids younger than like ten are too young for me to teach. As annoying as it realistically is, I love to see him learning and that his school is on top of it. But still. I hate it (yup, I said, it). 

2. I am read Anthony Mara's The Tsar of Love and Techno and am in love with his writing. I need to buy A Constellation of Vital Phenomena as soon as possible, since I remember the hype over that one being pretty intense. I just saw that he's a year younger than I am- womp womp womp.

3. I bought tickets to see Gary Shteyngart promote his new book, Lake Success, next month at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles. I have been a fan of his since hist first novel came out and have read everything but his memoir (why? Must buy this too). His work for the New Yorker is always hysterical and the dry, witty political commentary he offers these days is spot on. I am pretty confident that it will be worth the drive on a Tuesday night.

4. I just said "political"- I won't go crazy, but seriously? S E R I O U S L Y? How is this disgusting shit-show of chaos actually real life? 

5. It's back to college time! We had several kids that have graduated from our IB Program come back to talk to the kids today it made me miss my UCLA undergrad days badly. There are so many things I'd go back and do differently. I should have partied harder. I should have gone abroad. I should have worried less. I should have dumped my high school boyfriend a year or two earlier (sorry, man). I should have gone to more sporting events. I should have take a few more fun classes. I should have read in the Sculpture Garden with iced coffee for hours at a time in the perfect SoCal weather. Isn't that always the way, though? Everything felt like survival (most of the time) when I was younger- how was I going to get through whatever stretch of life I was in while staying financially and emotionally and academically afloat? That's what your thirties are for, I guess, to play the should-woulda-coulda game and to right some of the wrongs.

6. Last weekend Sawyer and I went to the Sparrow Mart at The Standard Hotel in LA and it was as whimsical and wonderful as I thought it was. Lucy Sparrow's felt grocery store was impressive and just such a fun thing to experience- everything was completely handmade (she started with 31,000 purchasable pieces for the month-long exhibit). We grabbed some macaroons afterwards and enjoyed a traffic-free ride home.

7. This weekend we're keeping the party going with a visit to Brick Fest Live in Pasadena, which is a LEGO convention sort of thing. I'm not sure what to expect, but it's something our whole family can enjoy, so I'm excited about that. It was super cheap, too, and is really close to MotherMoo Creamery, so that will be an added bonus. I'm hoping to score some Harry Potter Minifigures, since everyone seems to have sold out. 

8. Last weekend we were also able to try out a new babysitter and things went well! I guess that means I might actually get to see Crazy Rich Asians in the theater! The sitter is local, a driver, responsible, and a total sweetheart, so I am hoping that we can use her once a month or so to go out, and if I ever have work conflicts in the evenings before my husband gets home. Fingers crossed.