Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

It's Wednesday! Time to link up, link back, and say hey.

1. Yesterday a student gave me an awesome collection of succulents to add to the ones I already had. I decided to transplant the ones I had to some legitimate pots that I actually went to Home Depot for the other day and am pretty proud of my efforts. Day two in their new homes: everyone is still alive. 




2. When I was at Home Depot I wandered around the store for a really long time looking for a lawn gnome. I didn't want to ask someone, which I normally have no problem doing. I just know lawn gnomes are a little... weird and I'd much prefer to maintain the illusion that I'm just some young(ish), average-looking, clueless homeowner who needs something very practical and normal, like light bulbs or picture hanging thingies. So, I'll just have to order one (or fifteen) on Amazon.

3. After the Home Depot I went to the expletive-expletive-expletive podiatrist for my horrible and mysterious toe pain. I guess I have some structural issues, which is a nice way of saying I have a "mallet toe" (anyone who is reading that has never before is probably pretty weirded out by the lawn gnomes and deformed feet at this point). But, the symptoms I'm experiencing are more in line with nerve damage. So, he taped up my foot and told me to leave the tape on for three days without getting it wet (I had scheduled a pedicure for after the appointment, so this was very irritating news) and, the real kicker, I am supposed to stop whatever I am doing as soon as the pain starts and mark on my toe where exactly it bothers me with a Sharpie. Sure. Completely reasonable. And then the tape fell off later that day and I could have gotten my mother-effing pedicure. 

4. Also, while we're on the topic of things pissing me off, the annoying weird water main noise that disappears for months and then comes back has resurfaced. Two of my good friends have had issues with water damage lately and I'm terrified that I'm going to come home from work and my house is going to be flooded. I don't even know how to turn off the water. Or the electricity. Or the gas. I don't know how to do anything. I am useless.

5. Onto happier things. Sawyer's Halloween costume (Max from Where the WIld Things Are) came the other day and he looks ridiculously adorable in it. Like so cute I want to dress him in it every day and just have him live in it, until he grows out of it and I order the next size up for him to continue to wear 24/7. Until kindergarten, at least. 

6. It's basically fall:



7. I've established the fact that I'm basically pretty cheap but occasionally I'll get these ridiculous ideas of things to binge spend on. This time it's matching Star Wars pajamas from Hanna Andersson for Sawyer and I (my husband declined a pair). I haven't ordered them yet, since the price is beyond absurd, but I haven't forgotten about them:



8. I'm currently finishing Mindy Kaling's Why Not Me? and while it's funny and entertaining I think I much prefer listening to her books.

9. There's a college fair tonight that all my students are going to tonight and I seriously considered going when I found out there was cake. This desperation stems from the fact that I decided when I went grocery shopping over the weekend to not buy anything sugary to snack on and now want to cry. It has curbed my snacking considerably, so I better lose five pounds by Friday.

10. I went to yoga last week and the teacher is crazier than normal (maybe it was the moon... she kept talking about that). She tried to make the front row turn around to face the back row, where I was, and mimic their dance moves. Come again? I am here for the work out. I want to do reverse the warrior and do pigeon prep. The woman across from me looked at me expectantly and I shook my head. Nope. She started doing this arm-swaying routine that reminded me of this high guy in tie-dye that I saw a concert once. I crossed my arms and glared. I was prepared to tell the instructor, who is also the owner of the studio, that I'd blast her on Yelp if she tried to make me do anything but I think she knew better. It's all in the eyes.

Have a great week!

Mindy Kaling Reading (Speaking... Event... Whatever)



Last night a good friend and I left our little ones with their dad's and drove out to Glendale to listen to Mindy Kaling promote her new book, Why Not Me? at the Alex Theater. I had just finished listening to Kaling's first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) a week or so ago, so I felt like I knew more about her and her career than I would have beforehand (I know her from The Office and have yet to watch The Mindy Project). 

Kaling was interviewed by writer Matt Warburton and was as cute, charming, and funny as one would expect. She spent a lot of time talking about her place in the industry, writing process, workaholic tendencies, and gave her take on a hilarious story involving Amy Schumer getting ahold of Katie Couric's cell phone at a Glamour dinner. She answered several pre-selected audience questions that weren't anything groundbreaking, but still interesting to hear the answers to, ranging from who inspires her to who she would invite to a dinner party (she ended up settling on serial killers). 

I was surprised by the fact that she has some serious groupies that loved to shout out things randomly like "I love you Mindy!" (which I sort of hate). Apparently people started lining up five or six hours before the event to score front row tickets. I think she's great and an awesome role model, but had no idea that she had such a following. Good for her. I guess you can't help but to like her! 

More than anything, it was just nice to get back out to an event like I used to do all the time! I'm a little sad about missing so many great authors this fall (although I've seen most of them before), so it was a treat to at least be involved in something for once. Plus, it's always nice to sub the diaper bag for my purse and not have to worry about whether or not I remembered the Cheddar Bunnies. 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Link up, link back say hi.

Disclaimer/1.: I'm feeling pretty uninteresting and underwhelming today, guys. It's been a really long week, I've pulled a muscle in my shoulder that's making breathing painful, and I'm a little distracted in general. Bear with me. I'm sorry. 

2. I'm reading Gilead by Marilyn Robinson and am loving the writing but hating the fact that I just can't quite get into it yet (I'm about thirty pages in). I think it's the type of book that's best read in larger snippets that I'm currently able to commit to right now. 

3. I know how fond I am of a senior class by when I start getting sad about them graduating. It's only September and the idea of June bums be out. Except the idea of getting to go on summer break. That part is fine.

4. The most recent song I'm over-listening to (and I think it's about drugs...? Or sex? Or both? And my son is pretty fond of it, too, so oops):


5. This weekend is shaping up to be pretty great. Saturday I'll hopefully continue my yoga class streak and then my mom will pass through town for a day or so. Sunday night I'm going to LA with a friend to see Mindy Kaling and then I'm taking Monday off because I have a podiatry appointment in the middle of the day. I might have to squeeze in a pedicure and solo-lunch date, since Sawyer will be at daycare. 

6. I had a dream last night that I was at a tattoo parlor trying to get a unicorn inked on my body somewhere and the artist very doubtfully asked, "Are you sure?" And then we took a walk by a stream. I don't understand.

7. I tried an iced Pumpkin Spiced Latte, since I'm not a fan of hot coffee, and it was disgusting.

8. I almost never play games on my phone, minus a few word or trivia ones for short periods of time over the years, but I'm slightly (and I'm sure temporarily) hooked on Two Dots. It's so stupid.

9. Obviously you're all going to go buy these:

[Modcloth]


10. California passed legislation that starting in 2017 kids have to remain rear-facing in car seats until they're two. This makes sense, since it's easier repair to legs than spines. Sawyer is still rear-facing but I've been really looking forward to turning him around, since I think it will make longer distances easier. He's starting to understand what boredom is, and staring at a car seat isn't the most exciting thing. I give him toys and books, but that only helps for so long. I guess it'll be seven more months of seeing the back of his head, I guess!

Top Ten Tuesday- Fall TBR

[you know what you can do with your Pumpkin Spiced everything?]


How I desperately wish "fall" was happening right now in Southern California. Today it is a bit cooler (like 85 instead of 100), but it's also extremely muggy and the only reason why leaves are green is because the drought. 

Anyway, The Broke and the Bookish want to know what we're going to read this season, so here's what I'm considering:

1. Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje- This is a reread, but I'm going to be teaching it very soon and will need a refresher. 

2. Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay- I've been trying to read collections of essays or short stories concurrently with novels lately, so this will be up soon.

3 & 4. Reading Lolita in Tehran and The Republic of Imagination by Azar Nafisi- I accepted the second for review without realizing that she had written Reading Lolita first. Being the completionist I am, I'll be going in order. 

5. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee- Mother effer. So we're reading this for book club and I'll need a super solid skim before sitting down to discuss. A student is also doing an Extended Essay on it as well, so I should refresh my memory, I suppose. I read it over the summer and wasn't in love, so I'm not thrilled about going backwards.

6. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett- I've never met a Patchett book I didn't like.

7. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling- I'm going to see her on Sunday night and get a copy of her book with my ticket. I just finished listening to her first book and it was great.

8. Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon- I've been jonesing for some magical realism. 

9. Maddadam by Margaret Atwood- It's time to complete the trilogy, which I've adored so far. Her new book is coming out soon, so I'll want to finish off this one first.

10. Light Boxes by Shane Jones- I've had this novella for years and have put it off since I knew the experimental fiction-ness of it would require some serious attention (I think? If I remember right?).


Loud and Proud... English Department T-Shirt Nominees

The math department at our high school has shirts. They're just some nerdy Wordle with math words, but they at least have something that unifies them and shows the world that they're number geeks together (joking, joking). We've thrown around the idea of an English department shirt before, but nothing has come to fruition. I'm pretty sure it's one part lack of someone to take on the job and other part the quiet knowledge that our differing personalities may never arrive at a consensus. Nonetheless, here are a few that I'd nominate (the top two and one about fame and money I may buy for myself anyway):

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[the pen is mightier than the sword; source]
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