Did this week seem extremely long or is it just me? I’m happy we made it to Friday. Here’s the roundup!
Quote of the week:
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” –Henry Miller
What I’m reading:
I read Bear by Julia Phillips this week. I LOVED her first book, Disappearing Earth, and this one was just as good. It comes out in June and I highly recommend it. Such a beautiful and unique story of family, sisterhood, grief, and love. My current book is Annie Bot by Sierra Greer. Very entertaining so far.
What I’m listening to:
I’ve been listening to Making Motherhood Work: How Women Manage Careers and Caregiving by Caitlyn Collins. I heard about this book in this Ezra Klein podcast episode. It’s very good, and explains why so many American mothers are so burnt out.
What I’m watching:
I started to watch Baby Reindeer on Netflix, but it got a little too odd for me. I watched What Jennifer Did to get my true crime fix.
For anyone who lives in southern California, you might be interested in the documentary SOS–The San Onofre Syndrome: Nuclear Power’s Legacy. In honor of Earth Day, you can watch for free through April 22. It’s quite interesting.
Writing news:
I’m at about the halfway point of the first draft of my new novel. I’ve been sticking to my usual routine of writing 1,000 words a day, 5 days a week. Somehow, this leads to a finished novel after a handful of months.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- A once-in-a-lifetime nova explosion is predicted for this year. The Corona Borealis binary system, about 3,000 light years from Earth, is home to a white dwarf star named T Coronae Borealis, which is likely to explode soon. This rare event should be visible to the naked eye. So cool!
- A wasp’s nest can contain up to 6,000 wasps
- On March 21, 58-year-old DonnaJean Wilde from Canada set the record for the longest time in an abdominal plank position for a woman—4 hours, 30 minutes, 11 seconds. She began planking 12 years ago and now does it for up to three hours a day. Wowww
- Scholars think California got its name from a 16th-century Spanish romance novel, which tells of an earthly paradise called California. The novel was published in 1510 and is believed to be the first time the word “California” appears in print (read here)
- More than 80% of today’s centenarians are female. Of the three people alive today who have verifiably managed to live to age 115, all are women
- In less than 12 hours, Taylor Swift’s new The Tortured Poets Department double album has become Spotify’s most streamed album in a single day in 2024 so far
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Australia wider than moon.” I heard this and could not believe it, so google to the rescue. From snopes.com: “If the moon’s diameter (3,476 km) is the yardstick for comparison, then Australia (about 4,000 km) is indeed wider. But the moon’s land area is far larger than the continent.”
What I’m grateful for:
It’s been a busy week. Lots of time with my daughter doing our usual things, and we also had her school Open House this week. I can’t believe the school year is almost over! I had my wonderful babysitter come on Wednesday evening so I could get out for some solo time. I enjoyed a beer and dinner and started reading Annie Bot. It’s amazing how rejuvenating a couple hours can be.
The next night, my writer-friend, Wendy, and I headed to Warwick’s bookstore (the oldest family-owned bookstore in the country!) for Michelle Gable’s launch event (check out her new book, The Beautiful People). Michelle and I were on a panel together years ago and have stayed in touch (yay Instagram) ever since.
