Hellooo. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done a roundup. I was out of town on a trip with my daughter and her dad (first post-divorce family trip—yes, these things are possible and even enjoyable!). We flew into Nashville, then went to Asheville, Charlotte, and Charleston. We visited friends along the way, tried lots of new beers, visited every indie bookstore we could, and enjoyed all the greenery (so many trees!). My brain is overfilling with stuff, so this roundup will be packed.
Quote of the week:
“I have already lost touch with a couple people I used to be.” — Joan Didion
What I’m reading:
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May. I thought this was going to be more of a cultural study, but it’s really a memoir about a woman who is struggling to come back to life after the pandemic.
What I’m listening to:
Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World by Lauren Fleshman. After reading Des Linden’s memoir, I wanted another running one. This one is great.
What I’m watching:
I just watched The Longest Third Date on Netflix, about two people who end up stuck in Costa Rica during Covid after spending only two previous dates together. It’s cute! I’m also watching Season 7 of Workin’ Moms.
Writing news:
Lots of news! My first book, People Who Knew Me, was turned into a podcast drama series by BBC Sounds and the first two episodes are OUT now. The episodes are just 15 minutes long and really well done. The book turned 7 this week (it was first published May 24, 2016) and the podcast has been a great way to celebrate. There are 10 episodes total and they come out on Tuesday and Thursday.
While on my trip, I got great news that Ways the World Could End is a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards! Just in time to celebrate the first book birthday for this one!
What I’m talking about:
- The surgeon general’s warning about social media. Dr. Vivek Murthy cited a “profound risk of harm” to adolescent mental health. As a parent, I am terrified of my daughter being on social media. I look back at my own youth and I’m so glad it didn’t exist. I would have really struggled
- If therapy really works. This New York Times article on the topic was really interesting. For me personally, therapy has been incredibly helpful, but I think so much is dependent upon finding the right therapist and the right approach at the right cost (which is a whole separate issue)
- Ron DeSantis running for president. Please no. He has waged a war on the LGBTQ+ community in Florida, censored education, banned abortion access in his state, and has taken steps to criminalize protesting. Fascism much?
- The grayest May that ever was in southern California. All of us spoiled Californians are starting to get seasonal affective disorder
Interesting things I learned this week (or, rather, the past few weeks):
- Biophilia is the love of life and all living systems
- Female dragonflies are known to fake their own deaths to avoid mating with unwanted males. They will freeze mid-air, crash to the ground, and lie motionless when faced with aggressive males
- Only about 1 in 5 homes for sale in 2022 was affordable for a typical household
- Unlike other spiders, tarantulas do not spin webs to catch prey
- On May 21, a city in Texas called Kyle attempted to break the world record for the biggest-ever gathering of people with the same name — Kyle. About 1500 Kyles gathered, which did not break the record (the record is a gathering of 2300+ Ivans)
- Kittens in a single litter can have different fathers (I had no idea about this and it explains why my two womb-mate kitties look nothing alike)
- The risk of a shark attack is 1 in 11.5 million
- Alaska has 4 different time zones. Related: China has one time zone; Russia has 11
- 44.5% of US households have a dog; 29% have cats
- 10-12% of the population is left-handed
- In the early 1900s, gray wolves were in 35 states; today, they can only be found in 9
- Coyotes are in every US state except Hawaii
- Missouri is the state most forgotten when people are asked to name the 50 states
- Pickleball was created by three dads on a badminton court in 1965
- 1 day on Venus is equal to 243 Earth days
- A bee’s max speed is 15 mph
- Reuters reported in February that there are more than 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle stores listing ChatGPT as an author or co-author
- An overdue book was just returned to a northern California library almost 100 years late. The book is A History of the United States by Benson Lossing and it was first checked out in 1927. A mystery man returned it
- Atlanta’s airport is the busiest airport in the world
- A woman named Kouri Richins wrote a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death last year; she is now charged with murdering him (yikes!)
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Why do hands get prune-y in water?” This question arose from my daughter and her cousin after sitting in our hot tub for a while. The answer: The outermost layer of the skin swells when it absorbs water. It is tightly attached to the skin underneath, so it compensates for the increased area by wrinkling.
What I’m grateful for:
- A great trip and a great homecoming. I really enjoyed the time away from the grind, and it was wonderful to see friends I haven’t seen in years. Also, I’m so thankful for our house/pet sitters who made it easier to be away
- Continuing to make my new house a home. I feel like my to-do list is never-ending, but things are starting to come together
- Starting my new running training cycle. I took a little break and am happy to be back! I’m training for the Chicago Marathon in October
- Advil. I have had a two-day headache (it’s been a hectic week with lots of post-trip catch-up work) and Advil is saving me
A few snapshots from our trip:
