I haven’t been on the blog since January 2024, when I posted my 2023 book list. We’re hurtling towards the end of 2024, and I’m on track to meet my reading goal (42 books), so soon I’ll be creating that post.
Aside from my reading goal, I have other things that I have been working on in 2024 with my theme word of the year: CORE. I’ve taken pilates and yoga classes, I’ve been writing daily in my “Some Lines a Day” journal, I’ve made playlists for 2024 and for othher special events, and I’ve been writing letters to August and Juni. There are things I’d still like to do, like make chicken tikka masala and to watch some good movies.
I guess I tend to mini-blog through Instagram. so maybe I’ll have to reconsider having this blog… but I don’t want to lose all these thoughts, so I’ll have to ponder…
These are the friends I have worked with during the past (almost) 12 years I’ve worked in the ED. We joke about being trauma bonded to each other and there is truth in that. We all know the challenges of our job.
I’m grateful for our history and I’m grateful there are new beginnings.
Some of the same… still my crew.
Our ED crew is changing and that is exciting and I’m grateful for the teaching and learning that is happening daily.
On 9/22/2023 there are 100 days left in 2023 and I was trying to think of something to do for 100 days and Marissa said maybe we should do a gratitude challenge… so here I go! Maybe I’ll blog every day; maybe I won’t, but maybe I will! I am not great at consistency, so this will be a challenge.
Today, this morning, I am grateful for so much but I’ll highlight this photo received last night. August’s first night of piano lessons; hopefully the first of many. He’s got a math brain, so I imagine he could eat this up. I hope so! I just love this so much.
I have the opportunity to be part of Nicole Baart’s street team to promote her new novel, which comes out mid-June! I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy for my Kindle through NetGalley and gobbled it right up!
The story is about a mom-daughter duo who become Insta-famous and is told brilliantly from many perspectives and timelines.I loved the description of the Instagram photos and thought the book was just about as dramatic as I could handle. I’m not one for books with a lot of suspense or darkness, and this one went right up to the edge for me.
Nicole did a giveaway, which sadly is already over, but she encouraged people to think about their journeys in life and how taking “the long way back” sometimes brings you the best joy. I know that at the end of travels, getting home quickly can sometimes be the goal, but it is important to remember that the Long Way Back can afford you a different view of your return and of your home and can help you to savor every moment of the journey.
I love books set in Minnesota and this one takes place “up north,” in a fictional town north of Duluth. I’m pretty sure I’ve been there and can imagine the houses and beaches on Lake Superior. The book also touches on current concerns, such as social media influence.
As I said, I gobbled this book up and hope that people look for it when it is released on June 13!
This year I set a goal of 26 books and according to Goodreads I made that goal! Below are the 37 books I read in 2021. Yay me! I feel like I got my groove back a little and I have big plans for 2022!
Every year I try to find a winter/Christmas themed book to read for fun… this is part of a series and I didn’t know the characters, so I didn’t love it.
A politics themed book which wasn’t too heavy. Part of the Jen Hatmaker’s book club.
Book 14 of a series and I jumped right in! A good read, though…
A signed copy as a gift for Christmas. A local woman and her stay in Italy, resulting in found love. Filled with recipes! (I love a book with recipes!)
The End of the Lupine Season by Laurie Otis: I like to buy books set in my vacation locations – this one is “up north” in Wisconsin – on Madeline Island in Lake Superior. A little mystery, a little local flair.
“A gem of a book!” I said after reading this. We read it for book club and it was a treat.
Another winter-themed book – Scotland this time. I gave it 5 stars!
I actually skimmed through this book and read the Kindle summary book.
I also loved this book! Delightful family. Didn’t want it to end.
For book club, a step outside my typical genre! Very engaging…
A little Irish tale by one of my favorite authors, read during March. Ah.
A character driven novel I didn’t want to end… South Korea and the beauty scene…
For book club – great discussion! I loved her and became very curious about Nigeria…
Decluttering, an endless goal!
Young love, choices… read for work book club (and never discussed!)
Brilliant story for book club. He’s amazing.
Another great book for book club – North Korea and South Korea and China… oh my. And it’s a true story / memoir!
A bit heavy for a summer read…
Book #2 from Arthur Truluv… love these people
Book #3 in this series… great characters!
Great story with twin sisters who start their lives in the south. Great book.
Another memoir about a Korean-American girl and her relationship with her mother.
For book club – so much to think about! How would I act?
And then in the French phase of the year – a YA book about Chanel, who was really quite a character!
A memoir about an American living in France. Some insight into the differences…
Not a book I loved – I didn’t know anything about the author, but felt that I was expected to.
I loved this book and bought a copy for myself. Very artistic – an illustrated story. I bought another of hers and will read it in 2022!
For book club – a great story to discuss!
My French season – a book about occupied France, specifically Paris. Sympathetic characters.
Advanced copy by “local” author (Iowa!). Good mystery and good characters.
Another library story told through the brutal Nazi occupation of St. Malo. Uff.
For book club – we chose a book set in France that wasn’t a WW2 novel. Instead we have the revolution against nobility and modern day friends. I really liked this.
A fun little romance – kind of predictable but enjoyable.
A nice little story about moving from your old life and creating a new one. This book takes place in Brittany, which is one of the locations we visited in France.
I’m late to the game, but a wonderful novel about tough stuff. Nazi occupation, losing family, and horrors of war. But easy to read in its small bites.
Read for book club – fun to read a book written by a local!
And my attempt to get a Christmas book in. Again, another in a series I haven’t read, so I felt behind the game. I’ll have to get more prepared for next Christmas!
I’ve seen some good movies this year but only two movies on the big screen.
In June I saw “In the Heights” on opening weekend in Imax. It was so fun – to see that big musical on a big screen! It was definitely a joyous experience!
On New Year’s Eve I saw “West Side Story” in an afternoon matinee with some girlfriends. It was kind of the opposite experience. It is a big beautiful musical with amazing costumes, exhilarating dancing, and beautiful voices – but it is not joyous! The story is still tragic and there is no big musical number at the end to lift you up. But I’m still glad I saw it!
One day around Thanksgiving, I asked Chris, “Do you think we will ever become people who go to movies again?” We used to go a few times per month – before Chris I went even more frequently! Now we have so many options at home, so it’s easier to stay home and stay cozy and watch what we have. Maybe there will be movies that will entice me enough again, but so far it has only been the two.
I’ve started a list of movies on my phone so I can add to it in one place and try to keep track of where to find them. One of my “things to do” in 2022. It’s probably very 2010 but here you go. I’m gonna start keeping track!
In 2021, movies and series I have enjoyed include:
Bridgerton
Bunheads – ah, Sutton
Younger – ah, Sutton
Alice in Paris – the food!
Emily in Paris – the fashion!
TED LASSO!!! – Oh, I wish that everyone could see this… so amazing.
The Morning Show
Schmigadoon
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Mad About You – a fun glimpse into their “more adult” life!
Nomadland
Barb & Star Go to Vista del Mar – fun fun fun!
Score: The Hockey Musical – available on Youtube!
Never Have I Ever
9 Perfect Strangers
Maid
Lupine
On the Verge
8-Bit Christmas – an AMAZING movie! I wish everyone could see this!
Hacks
And Just Like That…
Found – an amazing documentary on Netflix about three girls adopted from China who find that they are cousins and become lifelong friends.
What has been your best-of-2021? What are you looking forward to in 2022?
It’s established that I love a good movie. I haven’t been to the movie theatre for far more than a year, having seen only one film in the theatre in 2020 (“1917”). We’ve done a few high dollar rentals over the year but mostly have found things worth watching on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and Prime.
One item on my “21 things in 2021” list is to watch 21 movies from “best of” lists. Mostly movies I have missed but one or two that I want to see again. This April and May friend Jenny and I have started a Film Festival, which I thought we should call COVID Film Festival, but I have just named it the Couch Film Festival. We miss the Rochester International Film Festival, so we are going to look for great international films or Academy Award nominated films to watch, hopefully each week.
We started out the Film Fest with a fun romp that is neither international nor award nominated, but was just loads of goofy fun – “Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar.” It is over-the-top and surprising but there were big laughs! Those women are geniuses! I now own the digital copy so if you want to see it, come on over!
We watched “Minari,” the subtitled American film nominated for Best Picture, which is about a Korean family’s search for the American Dream in 1980s Arkansas. We rented the theatrical release on Prime and I think it was worth it. I would have wanted to see it in a “normal” year, and I’m glad it was available to us this year. Often the little great films don’t come around for long, so it is really nice to be able to find them and pop your own popcorn.
Tonight we watched a nominee for Best International Film, “Another Round” (Denmark). It is billed as a comedy, but there were moments that definitely weren’t funny. In the end I hope they all got their Joy for Life back. That’s what I’ll choose for them.
What’ll be next? Who knows… What is your favorite International Film?
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM nominees:
ANOTHER ROUND
Denmark
BETTER DAYS
Hong Kong
COLLECTIVE
Romania
THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN
Tunisia
QUO VADIS, AIDA?
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Best Picture NOMINEES
THE FATHER
David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, Producers
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, Producers
MANK
Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, Producers
MINARI
Christina Oh, Producer
NOMADLAND
Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, Producers
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, Producers
Mothers. Mothering. Being mothered. I’m so blessed with incredible women in my life: my mother who exudes unconditional love, my daughter whose joie de vivre shines in her mothering, my sister-in-law who is raising amazing, compassionate humans and my stepdaughter and aunts and cousins and friends and all who are gracefully teaching life lessons to children – their own or the children of others.
It’s hard work, mothering, but such important work. Reading the origins of Mother’s Day is humbling and reminds that mothering doesn’t start and end with flesh and blood.
In 1908, Ann Jarvis petitioned to start mother’s day in honor of the passing of her mother, a peaceful activist who cared for soldiers on both sides of the Civil War.
She was a blessing and being a blessing to everyone you meet and lifting them up so that they can also bless others is great important work, as well. Maybe the greatest.
Hope everyone had a fantastic Mother’s Day! Virtual hugs to all!
“Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.” George Eliot“She taught me that fear is not an option.” – Diane Von Furstenberg, on her mom.
“If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way your mom told you to do it from the start.”“Being a mom has made me really tired and so happy.” – Tina Fey
We have enjoyed watching Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show at Home and he and his guests have been talking about how it is day 14 of their social distancing / quarantine. I can’t imagine. My pattern of life hasn’t changed, so far, even though life surely has changed. Chris and I are still working our regular shifts, so time away from work has been spent recovering from work or preparing for work.
This weekend was a little glimpse for me – I had a 4-day weekend. Chris just had a regular 2-day weekend so Friday and Monday were on my own. Friday night I had a virtual happy hour with some friends and Saturday night Chris and I played online games with Marissa via Zoom. Who heard of Zoom before two weeks ago?
“Winning Hearts and Minds cake”
This weekend we made homemade deliciousness, we ordered in to support a local restaurant, we exercised via computer trainers and we watched Netflix (Tiger King, just like everyone!). It felt like a weekend at home, but we didn’t get to see any family or friends IRL (in real life). I’m a social being, so that’s hard for me.
Dr. Elvis on Fox iHeart Radio Stars at Home concert
We watched the concert on Fox last night. It’s been hard to keep up with all the “at home” events and special things streamed; Broadway shows, piano and art lessons, meditation courses. I’m trying to pick and choose a few things that bring joy, as well as comfort during this crazy time. I know my book reading has suffered due to social media and news watching. Hopefully I can get a better balance going forward.
I wonder what our new normal will be like? What will we keep? What will we change?
Walkie Talkie Book Club 