I’ve gotten into the habit now of writing up a monthly currently post to share all sorts of little tidbits that alone probably don’t constitute an entire post, but worth sharing nonetheless. This month it’s my Birthday Month!
“Reading”
I finished the My Korean Deli by Ben Ryder Howe e-book and it wasn’t until the author’s note at the end that I realized it is a memoir! Throughout the book he humerously compares the culture and traditions of his ancestors, puritans, with his Korean in-laws. I loved Bronson Pinchot’s reading, especially his accents of Kay, Dwayne and George. It’s written in such a funny tone that I actually got really sad when one of the characters dies. I started another e-book but the reader’s voice was terrible and then grabbed Frog Music by Emma Donoghue, who also wrote Room, which I read earlier this year. I wasn’t instantly hooked, but I didn’t have any more books-on-tape on-deck. As the plot unfolded I started getting invested in the unlikely friendship between Blanche Beunon, a French burlesque dancer, and Jenny Bonnet, a cross-dressing, frog-catching bohemian. So when Jenny is shot dead, I was instantly on Blanche’s side while she tracks down the killer. Mix in smallpox, a heat wave, a baby, jealousy, sex, and French circus songs and you’ve got yourself a wonderful read/listen.
Next up: Everyone’s Fool.
Reading
I started reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up on a crazy Friday night and finished in less than a week. When I first put this on my library list there were over 700 other requests. Her approach is different than most tidying advice, she prescribes a tidying event, not an everyday chore. When it comes to getting rid of things, she is almost ruthless. If it doesn’t “spark joy” it should be discarded. After reading it I felt motivated to hold a tidying event, but then I fell asleep.
I also finished Wreck and Havoc from my cabin book stack. It sort of lost steam in the middle of the book as El went to Sri Lanka and was treating herself well, but when she moved on it picked back up. Unlike the e-book that stunk, I’m not usually one to not finish a book, even if it’s losing my attention.
Next up: Lord Grizzly.
Enjoying
In July my mom, sister, brother and their families took a long weekend trip to Nisswa and it was SO fun. I had so much fun with my siblings and nieces and nephew that I barely took any pictures, but trust me that there was a ton of laughter and a few tears at the end of the vacation. A few of the highlights were the nice cabin at Grand View, mini-golfing at Pirate’s Cove, “real” golf at The Pines, dinner outside at Bar Harbor, a short run with my mom and Scott, an epic pictionary game, a trip to the candy store, goofing around with snapchat filters, and making Claire smile.
Laughed At
You Might Be a DIYer If… post from Old Town Home. #1, which harkens back to the reasons we still host. #4 “Handiness… is something you earn from repeatedly screwing up your initial attempts.” #12 I was a total creeper with our sprinkler guys.
Loving
Amazon Prime’s newest service.
Disliking
I love reading blogs (I recently updated my Blogs I Read list), but I really, really, really dislike the pop-ups trying to get you to sign up for the site’s mailing list. I realize the reasoning and effectiveness behind it, but every time I see one I just want to exit the site. And I DO, if I can’t find the x or close button (and if clicking anywhere else on the screen doesn’t work). What’s worst? When it pops up on EVERY page, not just the first page you visit. If that’s the case, I’m definitely leaving your site and never coming back.
Trying
Podcasts! With my recent book-on-tape success I thought I’d try a podcast. I still love my workout playlists on Spotify, but I figured the ~30-minute podcasts could be a good distracted workout. I’ve listened to a few from Young House Love (#8 when Sherry jokes about meal delivery services…) and Chris Love Julia. I’ve also tried one serious one: Serial, which was really good but way too distracting while working out. I like that they are short and free, but the jury is still out. Also considering some of these: 2 Dope Queens, Reply All, Oh Boy by Man Repeller, and Millennial.
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