I am about to head to the airport to fly to Chicago! Wish me luck in Sunday’s marathon. I’m feeling good overall. Ready to go!
Quote of the week (in honor of the Chicago Marathon):
“Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life—and for me, for writing as well.” –Haruki Murakami
What I’m reading:
The New Mother by Nora Murphy. I think any new mother would be able to relate to this one. I’m about halfway through and it’s got a thriller vibe, so curious to see where it goes.
What I’m listening to:
How We Love: Notes on a Life by Clementine Ford. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of her new book at the end of the month, so enjoying listening to this one in the meantime.
What I’m watching:
The Deepest Breath on Netflix. Wow. What a film. I also watched Harley & Katya on Netflix—about the pairs figure skaters. Quite a tragic story in the end. I signed up for Peacock so I could watch the gymnastics World Championships this week so I’ve been exploring shows there. Just started Based on a True Story and it’s fun.
Writing news:
Nothing to report this week. Still playing the waiting game on some things.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- 60% of book challenges in the US are from just 11 adults. These people must have a lot of time on their hands
- Not once in the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme does it mention that he’s an egg
- More than half of us in our forties are caring for both young children and aging parents
- Taylor Swift gave $55 million in bonuses to the people she works with
- Nearly half of Americans say they have 3 or fewer friends. One in 5 has one or none. A different poll found that 22% of Millennials say they have no friends at all. Ugh, we are becoming so disconnected from each other
- There’s enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America in one foot of water. The lake also contains 10% of ALL the Earth’s fresh surface water!
- The Kaiser strike is the biggest healthcare strike in recent US history, with more than 75,000 workers on the picket line
- Laphonza Butler was sworn into the Senate Tuesday afternoon, making history as the first openly lesbian Black senator to serve in Congress, and the first openly LGBTQ senator to represent California. She will also be the third Black woman to ever serve in the Senate
- The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded 116 times to 120 Nobel Prize laureates between 1901 and 2023. Only 17 women have received the prize. This year’s winner: Jon Fosse
- Elon Musk said his company SpaceX could land a spacecraft on Mars 3 to 4 years from now
- When mammals on a South African savanna were confronted with recordings of human voices, 19 species fled instantly. They were less frightened by lion sounds
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“hardest puzzle ever made.” This search led me to this page, which features 50 notoriously difficult jigsaw puzzles. These would drive me CRAZY. I choose relatively easy puzzles because my life has enough stress as it is.
What I’m grateful for:
- Six years with my daughter! We celebrated her birthday last weekend (and throughout this week). I’m so lucky to be her mom. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us. So much love!
- Completing my Chicago Marathon training cycle. It was a great cycle for me and I’m excited for race day
- Ohana Fest with one of my best friends! We saw the Pretenders and Foo Fighters. Both so good. Chrissie Hynde is such an inspiration—72 years young with so much energy and zest (and her voice sounds exactly the same as it did decades ago)
- Halloween decorations are up!
Snapshots:
