Howdy! I missed last week due to Thanksgiving festivities so this is a bi-weekly roundup. I’m still in denial that it’s December, despite all the holiday things going on around us. Can we just pause a sec? I have not even begun Christmas shopping. I seem to forget every year how stressful the holidays are—protective amnesia? Anyway, here’s the roundup!
Quote of the week:
“Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment — not discouragement — you will find the strength is there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life… Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now.” —Joseph Campbell, Reflections on the Art of Living
What I’m reading:
Dirty Diana by Jen Besser and Shana Feste. I’m intrigued that this book started as a very popular fiction podcast. So far, so good. Definitely spicy and fun.
What I’m listening to:
Rabbit Heart: A Mother’s Murder, A Daughter’s Story by Kristine S. Ervin. It’s kind of a mix of true crime and a memoir of a motherless daughter. It’ll stay with me.
What I’m watching:
Still in the midst of season 2 of Shrinking and season 2 of Bad Sisters—loving both. I took my daughter to see “Moana 2” in the theater. Cute.
Writing news:
Just about six months away from the release of Woman on the Verge. I’m almost wrapping up self-editing the first draft of my 2026 novel and will send it out to my trusted early readers soon.
Interesting things I’ve learned lately:
- Oxford named its 2024 word of the year: brain rot. According to Oxford, its earliest known appearance was in 1854, in “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau: “While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot,” Thoreau lamented, “will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”
- A nationwide survey of grocery prices found that the cost of Thanksgiving dinner was the lowest it’s been since 1984, adjusted for inflation
- About 20% of Americans (and 37% of Americans under 30) get their news from social media influencers, according to a Pew report. Note: Most influencers are men and self-identify as Republican, conservative, or pro-Trump. Also note: More than three-quarters of influencers have no news background
- Scientists are studying hummingbirds to improve the flying abilities of combat drones
- Men spend more than women: Last year, men spent 38.6% more, and a study from 2016 found that they spent 51% more! Interestingly, that’s not necessarily because men shop more — instead, it seems like men generally buy more expensive things
- US consumers will spend a little under $1 trillion across the entire holiday season
- Australia has barred everyone under 16 from social media
- Since 2003, unauthorized immigrants have made up 4.4% to 5.4% of all US workers. And, yes, they pay taxes: In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrant households paid $46.8 billion in federal taxes and $29.3 billion in state and local taxes
- December 1st was the busiest air travel day EVER, with >3 million air travelers, according to TSA
What I’m grateful for:
So many things that I’m just going to do a running list: Thanksgiving with family, a successful Turkey Trot 10K (42:52, 2nd in my age group!), best friends in town, yoga class, Social Distortion concert, neighborhood park tree lighting, Santa encounters (3 already haha), tooth losses (my daughter lost one on Thanksgiving and one at school today!), Christmas decorations (my house is so cozy right now), cookie decorating at school, a super-cool 5th grader helping my girl with homework, my daughter’s new love for karate (I might try it myself).
Snapshots:
From top to bottom: Splatter painting class with my bestie, my daughter, and my guy; pre-10K selfie; the most gorgeous time of year here (in my opinion); post-rain magic; the best snuggler; puppy’s favorite spot.
