Happy Friday. There continues to be so many terrible things going on in the world, which I’m trying to hold at the same time as holding the small joys in my daily life. The struggle is real. Here’s this week’s roundup.
Quote of the week:
“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” —Angela Y. Davis
What I’m reading:
I raced through What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (SO good) and am now reading Doll Parts by Penny Zang (loving it so far).
What I’m listening to:
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams. It’s about her time at Facebook and it’s exactly what it says it is—a cautionary tale.
What I’m watching:
Just finished Season 4 of Vikings on Netflix. I’m in the middle of season 4 of The Bear on Hulu.
Writing news:
Woman on the Verge is out and about. It’s been so wonderful to hear from readers. Thank you to everyone who had read it! I’ll have news on my 2026 novel soon. The planned release is February!
Interesting things I learned this week:
- In Norway, a standard response to “How are you?” is “Up and not crying” (oppe og ikke gråter). I need to use this
- A survey reports that parents need 2.5 days to recover physically and mentally from family vacations
- According to a study from Canisius College, women tend to sleep better next to their dogs than they do next to a human partner
- This summer, the sun is generating record-breaking quantities of electricity. In a new piece about the rise of solar power, Bill McKibben reports that at one point in May, California was producing more than one and a half times the energy it needed with renewable sources alone
- The US ranks 30th in healthcare and 46th in life expectancy (out of 63 countries). It’s 59th in climate change performance. Sigh.
What I’m grateful for:
- 44 years of my sister. We celebrated her this past week and it was such a nice dinner out
- A great 4th of July last Friday—quality time with great people
- My daughter’s theater camp this week. They had their performance of “Matilda” today and it was so great. I think I have a theater kid!
- Seeing one of my very best friends tonight. She’s in town with her husband, which is rare as they’re usually based out of the country
A couple snapshots:
Top: The pup still has the cone and I think she assumes it will be with her forever. It has not affected our cuddling time. Bottom: Earrings for the special occasion of celebrating my sister’s birthday.
Reading this a day late but wanted to say – this roundup landed in just the right moment for me. That Angela Davis quote? Yeah, that one’s going to sit with me for a while. The idea of holding space for both the big, painful stuff and the small joys… I’ve been feeling that tug too. Some days it’s like: okay, coffee was good, the world is on fire, but I got some words down, so maybe we keep going.
Also: “Up and not crying” might become my go-to answer now. Never knew I needed that phrase until today.
I haven’t been writing much lately – just notes here and there, some idea fragments – but reading about Woman on the Verge out in the world gave me a little push. Maybe it’s time I take one of my drafts more seriously. Or at least look at it again without flinching.
Thanks as always for sharing your snapshots, literal and otherwise. There’s something steadying in these posts. Like tiny reminders that even with all the noise out there, we can still be human, still notice, still care.