Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

1. So, I took a bit of a break from blogging, it appears. Things have been a lot lately, as California has made some big decisions about schools reopening (there are certain data benchmarks that have to be met in order to allow students back in a classroom), and it has meant a lot of planning, adjusting, worrying, brainstorming, etc... within a lot of different areas that I'm involved with at work. To say it's been stressful would be an understatement, but I'm currently coming off of a really positive Zoom call that could potentially undo some other issues... so I'll take this as a good thing for today.

2. We got a puppy yesterday and I am reminded of why having only one child was an excellent choice. Constant supervision! Little sleep! So much new stuff in my house! And so on and so forth. She's a golden retriever named Eleanor Digby, Ellie for short and is barely seven weeks old. She's so tiny! I feel the same way about puppies as I do kids- I like them more and more the older they get. I know we could have gotten an older dogs, but my husband and I really like being able to train them from the get-go, so I have to just accept the good with the bad. Sawyer had no idea we were getting her and was insanely excited, as he's been begging for a dog lately. 

3. I finished Stephen King's Misery for a book club recently and it was pretty traumatizing. For one, I think we can all commiserate with being locked up right now, and, secondly, no one wants a crazy lady to cut their limbs off. 

4. I am now reading three books, The Beauty in Breaking, a memoir written by black ER doctor Michele Harper. I'm also still meandering my way through Bill Bryson's The Body: A Guide for Occupants, and Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (for a book club). I hope to finish at least two of them by the end of the month. 

5. I have had a group of pigeons who have been sleeping on some ledges on our second story window this summer and it's driving my insane. They're messy, they bump my window and night, and they're uninvited. I tried a water gun. I tried an ultrasonic noise maker. Nothing worked! I have read that they hate shiny things, but because of the location I haven't been able to make it work. But then I had a brilliant idea: silver Mylar helium balloons with extra long string. BOOM. I got a dozen at Party City last week and every night I go and put some out and bring them in the next morning. It's a pain in the ass, but they either leave if they're already there or don't come if I get the balloons out there first. 

6. My husband and I are slowly rewatching Wes Anderson's movies- so far we've done Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.  I love his movies so much- the colors, the wit, the characters. 

7. If you like cobbler, make this. I think it's gone down in my kitchen four times in the last two months. Frozen berries work just as fine as fresh, I have found!