The end of September! This is my favorite time of year. My daughter’s birthday and my birthday are in October. I have always loved Halloween. I enjoy cooler mornings and evenings, and I’m one of those weird people who does not mind the earlier sunsets. Bring on Fall!
Quote of the week:
“No matter where life takes you, you’re never alone with a book, which becomes a tutor, a wit, a mind-sharpener, a soulmate, a performer, a sage, a verbal bouquet for a loved one. Books are borrowed minds, and because they capture the soul of a people, they explore and celebrate all it means to be human. Long live their indelible magic.” –Diane Ackerman
What I’m reading:
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. I’m about halfway through. It’s a great story.
What I’m listening to:
I just finished This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. It’s a sweet father-daughter story. Great narration.
What I’m watching:
I don’t think I’ve watched a single minute of a show this week. But I keep adding shows to my “to watch” list. The struggle is real.
Writing news:
Finished my latest edits on my manuscript. I have a title I like (for now). More to come soon!
What I’m talking about:
- Conservative craziness. In Arizona, a near total abortion ban from 1864 (!) has taken effect. In Idaho, colleges are banning birth control. In Michigan, a GOP congressional candidate praised an organization seeking to repeal the 19th amendment (which gives women the right to vote). In Pennsylvania, a school district has banned the “Girls Who Code” book series (which promotes girls and women in STEM careers). What in the actual f*ck is happening? I mean, I see what’s happening. But…wow. We all need to vote in the midterms!
- Hurricane Ian. So much damage, with 40+ people dead. I fear we’re in for more storms like this…
- The ongoing protests in Iran. Dozens of people have been killed. It’s truly heartbreaking. Patriarchy is a global thing. We all should care about this
Interesting things I learned this week:
- There are 31 women holding CEO positions at Fortune 500 companies, representing just 6%
- Recent studies have shown that women are 40% more likely than men to report a great deal of stress. The stats are worse for married women–54% said they had felt compelled to cry due to stress in the past month vs 33% for single women
- Dogs can smell when humans are stressed
- There’s currently a butter shortage
- Researchers have seen that babies in the womb smile at the taste of carrot and make a cry-face at the taste of kale (who can blame them?)
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“How many islands are there in the world?” In Black Cake, it’s mentioned that there are about 2000 islands in the world’s oceans so I wanted to see if that was true. IT IS!
What I’m grateful for:
- A night out to see Brian Regan–yes, that’s two weekends of live comedy in a row!
- A double-digit run this morning (10 miles). Felt good! I’m training for a half marathon in November, hoping to PR, with the outside goal of qualifying for the NYC Marathon
- Lots of fun time with my daughter lately–and we’re having her 5th birthday party tomorrow!
A few snapshots:
