Here we are in a brand-new year and I’m feeling the same ol’ sleepiness. School resumes on Monday and I’ll have my routine back. I am a creature of habit, an introverted one at that. Winter break has been a gauntlet of activity, which is the case every year, but I always seem to forget (#protectiveamnesia). Here’s to a peaceful year—a girl can dream.
Quote of the week:
“I am seized by two contradictory feelings: there is so much beauty in the world it is incredible that we are ever miserable for a moment; there is so much shit in the world that it is incredible we are ever happy for a moment.” –Zadie Smith
What I’m reading:
I’m just starting The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. She is one of my favorite contemporary writers and I was so excited to get an advance copy.
What I’m listening to:
Black Light, a collection of short stories by Kimberly King Parsons. I loved her book so decided to try this story collection. Good so far!
What I’m watching:
I finished Shrinking and Bad Sisters—loved both. I’m in the midst of Season 2 of Silo. I watched It Ends With Us on Netflix and it was haunting. It definitely should not be billed as some kind of romantic feel-good movie. I also watched the latest Nikki Glaser standup special and then promptly bought tickets to one of her live shows.
Writing news:
I did zero writing over winter break, which was the plan. I’ve been sending out some advance copies of Woman on the Verge and reviewing cover options. I should have the cover reveal next week! My 2026 novel (title TBD) is with my early readers and the response has been good so far—yay!
Interesting things I learned this week:
- Penguins can dive to depths of at least 1800 feet. Why did I think they were just shallow swimmers?
- The percentage of teenagers abstaining from alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, or non-heroin opioids (like OxyContin) is the highest in half a century, according to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Study. The group has been conducting this research for 49 years and say they’ve never seen a change like this
- Central Park in New York City is larger than the entire country of Monaco
- The International Space Station orbits Earth approximately every 90 minutes
- There is enough clothing on the planet for the next six generations of people, according to the Fashion Transparency Index
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“keanu reeves age.” He’s 60?! What?!
What I’m grateful for:
- Playdates! They are a necessity when you’re a single mom with an only child
- Lots of fun holiday hangouts with friends and family and friends who are like family
- Antibiotics. My daughter had strep but was back to her usual antics after 24 hours on the wonder goo
- A double-digit long run today. I’ve officially started training for the Boston Marathon in April. I’ll be doing a half marathon in February as part of my buildup. Everything is feeling good!
Snapshots:
From top to bottom: The Grinch play with my daughter; our winter break scene; the pets love me; run view; kitty disapproves of me returning to work.
