Tag Archives: Random Thoughts

Whatnot – Week 22

Bart'sHello. How are you? Things are ramping up around here. College prep stuff going on. Also trying to prepare for my son’s move which I haven’t even shared yet. Due to the high cost of grad school and him not being offered enough in aid to make any of the schools a reality (for now), he has accepted a position in the AmeriCorps and will be building an arts program for underprivileged kids in, wait for it, Saint John, Kansas! If you had told me a year ago that both of my kids would end up in the Midwest, I never would have believed it. Kansas and Missouri. Wow. 

On another note, because of all the change coming our way, I was in need of a road trip and a distraction so last weekend we headed to one of my favorite used bookstores in Ojai, California. Bart’s Books is an interesting place. It’s housed in an old house and most of the collection is exposed to the elements as you can see in the photo above. That’s just one small corner. You can walk into the kitchen which is where you can find cookbooks, appropriately. They do have a section for new books as well. I walked in with a list but only walked out with one title, Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread. We also snagged the BEST Thai food at a new-to-us-place. It was just what I needed. 

I finished Jenny Lawson’s Broken in one sitting. That review is coming this Friday. That meant that I had to quickly select another book to read and I’ve settled on Rules of Civility

That’s pretty much it for me. I need to do domestic things like go to the market and re-organize my bathroom. It’s like an explosion of toiletries in there. I do enjoy these weird little tasks. They break up my day and give my brain something else to think about. 

I hope the rest of your week goes well for you. If you have any cool plans for the weekend let me know. I will most likely be shopping for faucets. So, so exciting. Not everyone can be me. 

Sunday Matters: The Month Go-Eth

Sunday Matters

It goes without saying that time is flying. I’m not sure where it began to speed up but the school year is nearly over. After a year on pause, here we go. Are you ready? The one thing that this pandemic has done is carve out for me what is NOT important in my life. I’ve always wanted to live simply. I tend to not need much. I like it that way. I think that mindset bothers my kids though.

Right Now:

My Sundays are pretty set. Church, youth group, a walk with the Hub and pup and then maybe some takeout later or dinner out.

This Week:

It’s time for cap and gown pick-up for my high school senior. She will drive down to get that and some other grad items on Monday.

Thursday, The Hub gets shot #2 (Moderna).

I have a couple of items for work but doable. No biggies.

I will be spending some time this week trying to find another hair stylist. After not hearing from her for ages, and my hair being totally out of control, I contacted her and she is out of business. I am kind of hurt that she didn’t tell me. I have been going to her for about 12 years now. I knew all about her kids and she knew about mine. I know her situation cannot be fully known by me but man, it made me sad.

Reading:

Because of that wave of sadness that hit me, I gave up on Good Neighbors. Those opening pages took a lot of work to get through and I was not feeling it. Maybe I will pick it up again some other time because it’s pretty well-reviewed.

Instead, I picked up Broken by Jenny Lawson. I received a review copy and although I am not a huge fan of funny books or memoir type books, I opened it up to the first story and it immediately pulled me out of my pathetic (I lost my hair dresser) funk.

Broken

Also, you have today and tomorrow to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a copy of Promises to Keep!

Watching:

I thought we had watched Marcella on Netflix but then I realized we had not so we have been watching season one and it’s very good. A serial killer returns, it’s British, it’s good.

Will you all be watching the Oscars tonight? I’ve not seen any of the movies but it is usually a fun event to watch. I’ll give it a go and if it doesn’t do it for me I will watch Fear the Walking Dead which I still hope redeems itself.

Grateful for:

  • Service opportunities. More on that later.
  • So grateful that the pup is not allergic to bees. She stepped on a bee again on one of her walks and instantly thought I did something to her which is so weird. She has since forgiven me.
  • Antibacterial anything. Something bit my hand after some yard work. It got infected. I am self-treating it but it’s turning a corner. Thankfully.

What are you doing today? What do you have going on this week?