Happy Friday! And Happy Birthday to one of my best friends, Lauren! This week has felt verrrrry long and I am ready for the weekend. Here’s the roundup!
Quote of the week:
“The world is not real to me until it has been pushed through the mesh of language.” –John Banville
What I’m reading:
I finished Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker and really liked it. My type of book.
I’m now reading The Bright Years by Sara Damoff. I got an advance copy and it comes out in April. It’s great!
What I’m listening to:
Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women by Maggie Mertens. As a runner, I’ve found this book so fascinating. Up until relatively recently, it was assumed women could not/should not run more than a half-mile. Crazy!
What I’m watching:
Just started The Perfect Couple on Netflix, based on the book by Elin Hilderbrand. I’m liking it so far.
Writing news:
Working on my 2026 novel. It’s going well!
Interesting things I learned this week:
- Daguerreologue refers to “an imaginary conversation with an old photo of yourself, in which you might offer them a word of advice—to banish your worries, soak it all in, or shape up before it’s too late—or maybe just ask them if they thought you had done justice to the life they built for you”
- I am 6 feet tall. What? I don’t know what’s happening. I’ve always been 5’10” and then I measured 5’11” last year. Yesterday I had a “wellness check” at my company and the lady wrote down that I was 6′
- The Earth will temporarily obtain another moon on Sept. 29 when an asteroid will make a single orbit journey around Earth, ending on Nov. 25 (at which point it will return to orbiting the sun)
- Activists in the UK are attaching life-size baby dolls to male statues as a part of their campaign for better parental leave options. The photos are awesome
- The U.S. healthcare system is currently ranked dead last when compared to other high-income countries, according to a new report by independent research group The Commonwealth Fund. The U.S. was lowest ranking in access to care, health equity and health outcomes
- Inflation is at its lowest level in more than 3 years
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“baby doll with heartbeat.” Birthday shopping for my daughter……..
What I’m grateful for:
- Today is my good friend’s birthday (hi, Lauren!). I am so glad she was born. Those friends who really “get you” are godsends
- My daughter’s first lemonade stand. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong with this one
- My longest long run in months—11 miles today!
- Yoga class twice in one week. This is very rare. The second class was taught by my friend/house sitter and we got to have a picnic dinner after. So nice!
- My therapist. I talk to her every two weeks and it’s always so grounding
Snapshots:
From top to bottom: took myself to a yoga class last Friday and it was glorious; my pets offer constant cuteness overload; pausing on my 11-mile run today to take a breath and enjoy the view; another great view from my run.
Beautiful pictures