Hope everyone is headed into a relaxing weekend. My brain has been foggy all week. This morning, I was completely confounded about what had happened to my coffee mug and then the microwave dinged and I realized I had put it in there. Wow. So, let’s get into it…
Quote of the week:
“The daily routine of most adults is so heavy and artificial that we are closed off to much of the world. We have to do this in order to get our work done. I think one purpose of art is to get us out of those routines. When we hear music or poetry or stories, the world opens up again. We’re drawn in — or out — and the windows of our perception are cleansed, as William Blake said.” — Ursula K. Le Guin
What I’m reading:
I just finished People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. This is definitely not my typical kind of book, but I wanted something light and fun. She’s great with dialogue.
What I’m listening to:
Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses by Sarah Fay. It’s interesting so far.
What I’m watching:
I watched an actual movie this week (over the course of three nights, but still)! My friend recommended the documentary Icarus and it did not disappoint. It’s all about the Russian doping scandal, though the filmmaker definitely did not think it was going to be about that when he started. Highly recommend.
Writing news:
I’m revisiting my latest manuscript to make some edits. I’ve had several weeks of space from it so this is the right time.
What I’m talking about:
- Biden’s student loan relief plan. I’m all for this. The cost of education is absurd and people end up buried in debt for decades. The average person with student loans pays $26,000 in just interest over 20 years! Another alarming stat: After 12 years of student loan repayment, Black women owe an average of 13% MORE than they borrowed
- Quiet quitting, the going-viral concept of doing the bare minimum at work to have a healthier work-life balance. I hate hustle culture and never really partook, probably because I knew I’d go legitimately insane. A lot of people are really burnt out right now. This is evidence of that
Interesting things I learned this week:
- California’s unemployment rate in July fell to its lowest point since 1976
- Scotland is the first country to make pads and tampons free
- Dinosaur tracks from around 113 million years ago have emerged in Texas due to severe drought
- The Ancient Greeks had 6 words for love: 1) eros, sexual passion; 2) philia, deep friendship; 3) ludus, playful love; 4) agape, love for everyone; 5) pragma, longstanding love; 6) philautia, love of self
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“the floor is lava.” My daughter is obsessed with this song.
What I’m grateful for:
- Surviving my half marathon last weekend. I feel like non-survival was definitely a possibility. I considered calling an Uber at one point. It just wasn’t my day. My body might not be fully recovered from Covid, I’m guessing
- My old doggie, Vinny. The vet found a growth in his abdomen. We have him on medication to control symptoms and will get a second scan of the mass in a couple weeks. I know he doesn’t have long (he’s almost 13!) so I’m trying to enjoy the time left
A few snapshots:
