Life | Book Chatter

When I started these “What Not” posts, I did so because my reading was spotty and you can’t manage a book blog effectively when you aren’t reading. I am reading like a machine now, but I’ve come to enjoy this mid-week post so I shall continue! Can’t believe I am eleven weeks into this.

Last weekend we drove to the coast. We loaded up the pup and her blanket and took off. My daughter wasn’t feeling it so she went to a coffee shop instead. We drove to Ventura so we could walk around the harbor. A lot of people skipped their masks that morning. What didn’t sit right with me is how they looked at ME wearing one. If it’s just you and your friend walking around the harbor then yeah, whatever but when you pass others or hit a crowd, you pull it up. No? I do.

As we were walking on this clear, beautiful morning, a fog rolled in. You can see it inching its way into the harbor. It’s so beautiful there. After walking around a bit we picked up pizza and ate it in the car!

Ventura Harbor

Oddly enough, we have had our own foggy mornings these past couple of days. I like it. The pup does not. She must have sun or she creeps around the house scowling. I will wait for it to burn off before we go for our walk.

I am currently reading The Distant Dead. A math teacher shows up dead. He’s murdered actually but he’s fairly new to the town and people don’t know much about him so there’s a bit of mystery surrounding his death. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it when I started it but now I am totally into it. I should finish it soon and have the review up next week.

In other random news I am back to being uninspired by meal planning and food in general. I am a good cook but I just feel like it’s too much effort these days. I am happy with PB toast with a drizzle of honey or a nice slice of avocado toast sprinkled with Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel seasoning. My family doesn’t feel the same way though.

Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend. Any plans? I think we had planned to pick up Chinese takeout but I just remembered that I think we still have youth group that night. Hmmm.

Sunday Matters

Good morning! Who is watching the Super Bowl today? I will watch for the commercials. I hope they are really funny this year. We all need a little bit of humor.

Right Now:

Coffee drinking is in progress. I am also assembling veggie enchiladas for our game watching feast. I will serve it with rice and black beans, chips and seven layered dip.

This Week:

On Thursday I have an appointment to get a different vaccine, my second shingles shot. It’s a good thing I set a reminder to book the appointment because four months went by fast. I’ll run over on my lunch break and check that off my list.

There could be more audition stuff going on this week but at the moment I am not sure. There are these things called “walk-ins” where certain schools open up a block of time to allow last minute walk-ins. It’s a good way to open up your possibilities. We are adding four schools for walk-ins.

At the end of this week my church is doing a Galentines event for youth group. It sounds fun. My availability is unknown at this moment since it will depend on what I noted above. I believe it’s outside. Have to check on that.

Have I told you that my son decided to apply to grad school? He has submitted a few applications so far. He will graduate this summer with a B.A. but wants to continue on in Arts Administration so he can pursue his dream of opening community art centers in underprivileged neighborhoods.

Reading:

My eyes are begging me to take a break. Reading, reading, reading, but besides my eyes, it feels good. This week my reviews for Are We There Yet? and Klara and the Sun will post. I finished The Night Tiger so I will get that review up soon.

Next up is Murakami’s latest, First Person Singular, and this one that one of my students lent me:

Watching:

We started to watch Schitt’s Creek, finally! We are done with Season One and it’s great. It’s funny and crazy and well-written. My husband watches it with me and we both love how quickly the episodes fly by. We say we are going to watch an episode and then before we know it we’ve watched three. We should get through these seasons quickly.

Grateful for:

Bookish friends who let me borrow books. Thank you!
Streaming services. I know they can get out of hand if you have many but the few we have are just too fun and used plenty. So many good things to watch.
Independent bookstores. It’s more than just supporting a local business for me. It’s the whole experience. The booksellers talk books and LOVE books. So different from the big box stores. Plus, bookstore cats and dogs. LOVE. One near me even has a wine bar! It was brand new when the pandemic hit so it hasn’t been tested out yet but… a wine bar!