Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

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1. You know what's getting old? Taking the mature, high road in various arenas of my life. That seems to be the theme of my 2016, me opting to stay quiet and semi-classy, rather than not going off on people like I may want to. I can think of at least four BIG things I've chosen to "be good" about and it's killing me. And if I have to keep doing it, I think I should get... a prize. My tongue hurts from all the biting. 

Mini-rant over. Phew. 

2. I am reading Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg right now and am really, really enjoying it. It's very depressing, of course, since the book opens with a fire that kills a couple right before their wedding, as well as two other men, but I appreciate the multiple perspectives and thread of hope that is lurking in the background. 

3. I've wanted to take an Orange Theory class for FOREVER, but haven't been able to because the studio nearest me has a really horrible schedule and is thirty minutes to get to. I just got a flyer in the mail yesterday alerting me that they're putting one in the shopping center three minutes away from my house. I yelped with glee.

4. I think I found someone to do my next tattoo, so we're one step closer to that happening. 

5. I'm not sure how much longer I can resist the urge to buy this dress. I need another dress like I need a hole in my head, but I always buy something new for parent-teacher conferences, and they are just two or so weeks away... And this one is perfect for fall tights and boots. We all have our vices. Mine? Diet Coke and dresses.

6. I made these muffins over the weekend and they are delicious, even four days later. I'm not crazy for pumpkin like some of you hard-core PSL lovers, but I do enjoy a little here and there. The crumb topping on these was perfect (see picture above).

7. This weekend should be great. My mom is coming into town from Modesto on Friday and I think we are going to stop by the homecoming game at work for a bit. Saturday we are going to a pumpkin farm that has lots of activities for Sawyer, and then on Sunday we're meeting one of my oldest and bestest friends from elementary school to walk around Back Bay in Newport and then do brunch (or who are we kidding? We might just go to Sprinkles). I am going to get basically nothing done, though, so I really need to take advantage of the next two days. 

8. I have made an important decision. I am ditching my Mizunos and going back to Asics. I ran in a pair last night that are super, super old, but it felt like walking on a cloud. I'm sure basically no one knows what this mean. It's okay.

9. Confession: my new favorite running song is The Weeknd's Starboy. 

10. I just paid way too much money for three tickets for Day Out With Thomas. Yes, that's right, Thomas the MOTHER-EFFING Tank Engine. WHAT HAS MY LIFE COME TO? I need to plan something stat to counteract this. 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Happy holidays! Link up below (if you have time to play)!

1. A teething monster has moved into my house. He only comes out at night, so I guess I'm thankful for that? I also decided that last night, since he's sleeping poorly anyway, that we'd move him from our bedroom to his crib. That was interesting...

2. I got this email from Loft and the cat's name cracked me up!

[hello, Potato]

 

3. I've been off for less than a week and have already seen so many friends and family members. We've been very busy, so it will be nice to have a few days at home. I enjoy taking the teething monster Sawyer out to visit, since I know he's approaching the stage where a lot of babies become wary of strangers. Maybe he's like a dog- meet 100 people in the first however many months and you're good to go?

4. I know that I've mentioned it before, but now that I'm done with Serial, are there any other good podcasts I should be listening to? Refresh my memory.

5. I still am listening to The Nerdist, though, and am in the process of listening to the Paul McCartney episode. He's so humble and interesting. I highly recommend a listen.

6. It seems that a few  people misconstrued/took personally my post on kids on the internet. And here I thought I went overboard on the disclaimers! It was about no one, and it was about everyone. It was an editorial, an opinion piece, a societal observation. That's what I get for linking on Facebook, I guess. On the other hand, I received a lot of thoughtful comments as well, which I appreciated. I really don't care if people disagree with me, but I do want them to understand me.

7. I'm currently reading an ARC of Nick Hornby's upcoming novel, Funny Girl. I was a little nervous going into it, since I thought his last few novels weren't as good as his previous ones. So far, though, at about half way in, I'm enjoy it. I think it's out in February.

8. The (very innapropriate) possibilities are endless:

[don't be an elitist douche waffle, okay? source]

9. I'm seriously considering another tattoo, but I can't really articulate why, which makes me wonder if I shouldn't do it. Interestingly, this is exactly how I felt about having a baby. I like the baby just fine, so I guess permanently marking my body again would work out too? 

10. Tomorrow it's just the three of us for Christmas and I wouldn't have it any other way (well, my brother may come over for dinner). My husband and I used to travel every year in order to avoid the "what side of the family do we see?" conundrum, but last year and this year a trip hasn't really been possible. Our solution? Stay in and celebrate alone. It's so nice to relax, not leave the house, not worry about cleaning for people coming over, and not feel rushed. We do see our respective families, just not on the actual day.