We made it to March! Woohoo! I had some dumb drama last week. Went to get tested for strep after my daughter tested positive and they insisted on also testing me for Covid (though I had zero symptoms of anything). I was negative for strep and positive for Covid. So I had to cancel my weekend getaway and half marathon, which was a big bummer (when you’re a mom, these opportunities don’t come along that often). I tested negative on home tests for the next few days, so now I think it was either a false positive or the clinic caught the very end of an asymptomatic infection. Anyway, that’s over with and I’ve signed up for another race in May. Fingers crossed I make it to that one. On to the roundup!
Quote of the week:
“A writer can fit a whole world inside a book. Really. You can go there. You can learn things while you are away. You can bring them back to the world you normally live in. You can look out of another person’s eyes, think their thoughts, are about what they care about. You can fly. You can travel to the stars. You can be a monster or a wizard or a god. You can be a girl. You can be a boy. Books give you worlds of infinite possibility. All you have to do is be interested enough to read that first page… Somewhere, there is a book written just for you. It will fit your mind like a glove fits your hand. And it’s waiting. Go look for it.” –Neil Gaiman
What I’m reading:
I tore through Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Blair. Everyone should read it. Such brilliant points. I just started Amy Tector’s new one, Speak for the Dead. Amy and I had the same publisher and met that way. We are email-pals and I just love her! The book releases March 14.
What I’m listening to:
I have a few hours left of I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai. It’s like a Dateline episode with some deep character study. I like it.
What I’m watching:
I finished the first season of Ted Lasso and should probably move along to Season 2, but I started watching Shrinking and am now into that.
Writing news:
I got my shipment of Ways the World Could End paperbacks. They’re so pretty. I’ll do another giveaway soon!
Interesting things I learned this week:
- The sun won’t set before 6pm again until October 29
- Victor Hugo wrote in the nude when he was having writer’s block
- Flaneur is a French word for someone who wanders around, people-watching and soaking in their surroundings
- In December, the first all-women team performed a heart transplant
- Last week, the National Weather Service’s San Diego office issued a blizzard warning for the first time in history
- In the US, the mortality rate for pregnancy is 17.4 per 100,000 people. The on-duty murder rate for police officers is 13.5 per 100,000 people. So, a pregnant woman is more likely to die due to that pregnancy than a police officer is to be killed on the job
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Are record player needles made of diamond?” I read this in Amy Tector’s new book and had to look it up. It’s true! “Some needles are made from sapphire, and others are made of diamond. The needles also can be made of steel or a combination of sapphire and diamond. Diamond-tipped record player needles have the longest life, and steel and sapphire ones can wear out relatively quickly.” (source)
What I’m grateful for:
- Health! I’m so glad that IF I had Covid, I had no symptoms. Phew. My daughter is also back to good after her strep infection. Hopefully we have a reprieve from illness for a while
- My new/old house. I’m moving into a house I’ve had as a rental property for the past few years. The tenants are finally out and I’m starting to do some work to get it fixed up and ready for my daughter and me (and all the pets). This house is where we lived when my daughter was born, so it’s cool to move back. I’m equal parts overwhelmed and excited
- A break from the rain (according to the latest forecast). It’s been a wet and cold winter here in California. So much snow in the mountains!
Snapshots:
