I spent this week moving houses, meaning I have a significant life hangover right now. Moving sucks. Unpacking sucks. Building furniture sucks. I’ve done way too much research on how to use camlock screws. Needless to say, I am ready for the weekend.
Quote of the week:
“I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.” –Emily Dickinson
What I’m reading:
I finished Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Becky Kennedy. One of the best parenting books I’ve read. I’m just starting The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty. Having a hard time getting into it with all my life stuff going on.
What I’m listening to:
Poet Maggie Smith’s memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful. It is a gorgeous book, the story her divorce and so much more. There are many similarities between the dissolution of her marriage and the dissolution of my own, so this one is really striking a chord with me.
What I’m watching:
Absolutely nothing. My daughter has been sleeping in bed with me while we adjust to the new house, so my show-watching time is gone for now. I have seen too much of her shows, with Chip and Potato being the current favorite.
Writing news:
I won a poetry contest! My poem “Grief Hour” was chosen as the winner of the Gemini Magazine Poetry Open. It will be published in May and I’ll share the link then.
What I’m talking about:
I am exhausted and have become selectively mute.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- Netflix is ending its DVD mailing service after 25 years. The fact that it’s been around 25 years is making me feel old. I remember when it was new and novel
- Disney parks are banning costumes for adults
- Scientists have found that people who bite their nails may have stronger immune systems
- Senator Patty Murray is the first woman to cast 10,000 votes as a US Senator
- The average duration of a baseball game this year is 2 hours and 39 minutes, about a half-hour shorter than the average duration of a game last year
- The ALA’s top most banned and challenged books from 2010-2019 includes The Bluest Eye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, The Color Purple, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and many other classics that you probably read in high school. Also on the list: Go the Fuck to Sleep, which is a book I gift to every new parent. Hilarious that people want it banned
- Tucker Carlson was reportedly worth $600M to Fox News. Buh-bye
- The average person spends about two hours dreaming each night
- The average marathon runner is 40 years old
- The EPA is set to announce the first federal limits on carbon emissions from power plants. It’s about time
- The United States, the “land of the free,” ranks 24th in “personal freedom” (inclusive of fairness of laws, personal safety, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to pursue same-sex relationships or obtain a divorce, etc)
- The US ranks 40th out of 46 countries when it comes to equal pay between men and women (aka it’s the 7th-worst country for equal pay)
- There were several Guinness Records set at the recent London Marathon, including: Fastest marathon dressed in pajamas, fastest marathon dressed as a fairy tale character, fastest marathon dressed as a savory food, fastest marathon dressed as an insect, and fastest marathon wearing wellington boots. You can read the full, amazing list of records here
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“How long do snails live?” My daughter and nephew were collecting snails the other day and had many questions about them. Did you know snails can live 2 to 5 years in the wild? And larger species can live up to TWENTY-FIVE YEARS in captivity?!
What I’m grateful for:
- Surviving this house move without completely destroying my mental health or my lower back
- My daughter continuing to prove that children are resilient
- A new home office with a beautiful view
Snapshots:
