It’s been a weeeeeeek. I am in the midst of a house renovation (hoping to make it speedy so I can move in the next 30 days), while working lots of hours and mom-ing the usual lots of hours. At least nobody is sick this week. Here’s hoping for a mellow weekend for all of us.
Quote of the week:
“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.”–Gloria Steinem
What I’m reading:
A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness, a short story collection by Jai Chakrabarti. Usually, with story collections, I love a handful of the stories and am so-so on the others. With this one, I’ve enjoyed every story so far.
What I’m listening to:
Maame by Jessica George. This book would have really spoken to me in my 20s. I’m liking it now, but it’s making me feel old. Ha. I do LOVE the narrator, and I can definitely relate to the main character’s grief over losing her father.
What I’m watching:
I started Daisy Jones and the Six. Enjoyed the book, so hoping the series keeps my attention. It has Almost Famous vibes.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- There are more single women in the US than at any point in the country’s history. Most women in the US (52%) are unmarried
- According to a recent study, by the year 2020, for the first time in history, women were publishing more books than men. Women’s share of published titles increased from around 20% in the 1970s to over 50% by 2020
- Soubhiyé is an Arabic word to describe that quiet time when you’re the only one awake in the house and can enjoy a cup of coffee before the day starts (all parents crave this)
- Tsundoku is a Japanese word for acquiring books and letting them pile up without reading them (guilty!)
- Cacoethes is a 17th century word for a strong desire to do something inadvisable
- Dutch researchers are working to genetically engineer glow-in-the-dark trees to replace streetlamps
- Also in Denmark: There is such a thing as a Human Library, where people can “borrow” a human instead of a book and listen to their life story for 30 minutes
- In South Korea, women have created the 4B movement as a rejection of patriarchy. 4B is shorthand for 4 Korean words that all start with bi-, or “no”: The first no, bihon, is the refusal of heterosexual marriage. Bichulsan is the refusal of childbirth, biyeonae is saying no to dating, and bisekseu is the rejection of heterosexual sexual relationships
- The top 3 most visited national parks last year were 1) Great Smoky Mountains (12.94 million), 2) Grand Canyon (4.73 million), and 3) Zion (4.69 million)
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Famous Seths.” I was watching a commercial and I could not remember the name of the actor in it. I knew it was Seth something. Rogen? MacFarland? Green? No, Meyers! So many Seths!
What I’m grateful for:
- Starting a new training cycle with my running coach! I’m working toward a half marathon in May and I’m signed up for the Chicago Marathon in October
- Moving forward with my house renovation. There is a lot of work to be done, but it’s going to be great when it’s finished
- Hints of spring. It’s raining here in southern California today, but we’ve had some beautiful days lately that remind me of what’s to come
Snapshots:
