And then it was June. You wouldn’t know it where I live because it’s been gloomy and cool. I am a spoiled Californian and I am impatient for sunshine. In any case, I hope you’re enjoying a good start to your month. Happy PRIDE to all who celebrate!
Quote of the week:
“I now inhabit a life I don’t deserve, but we all walk this earth feeling we are frauds. The trick is to be grateful and hope the caper doesn’t end any time soon.” –David Carr
What I’m reading:
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim. I was lucky to get an advance copy of this one. It’s so good. I’m really enjoying it. Releases September 5.
What I’m listening to:
I’m continuing my running memoir streak with Kara Goucher’s The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Dosing, and Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team. It’s keeping me good company on my runs.
What I’m watching:
I just finished Season 7 of Workin’ Moms. I’ll miss it! I watched American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing too. I was riveted (I don’t think I picked up my phone once during the episodes and that’s saying something). I also saw The Little Mermaid in the theater with my daughter on Memorial Day. I thought it was really well done.
Writing news:
Have you checked out the People Who Knew Me podcast yet? You can catch up on episodes (they’re only 15 minutes) here (no subscription required). We’ve received a couple great reviews in Radio Times and The Guardian! I also just heard that we’re #1 on the Apple fiction chart in 9 countries including UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.
My poem “Grief Hour” won the Gemini Magazine poetry open and was published online this week–read it here. Thank you to everyone who has read it and left such kind comments. I am falling in love with poetry.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- A “peg-puff” is a “young woman with the manners of an old one.” OMG, I’m a peg-puff!
- Even before Covid, one study found that more than 90% of moms reported feeling lonely after having kids (related: this article about maternal mental health by Reshma Saujani is great)
- There are zero female conductors of elite orchestras
- In Gibraltar, an orca named “White Gladis” is leading a gang of whales in attacking/sinking boats. It’s believed she had a traumatizing encounter with a boat herself and is now seeking revenge
- The frontal lobe may not be fully developed until halfway through the third decade of life
- According to research, Mississippi is the state with the highest stress levels (Minnesota was deemed the least stressed-out state)
- The word amateur comes from the Latin amare, meaning “to love.” I like this idea of equating being new to something (aka not an expert) with being in love
- The record for highest attendance of a ticketed concert is held by Indio Solari, who had 500,000 people attend his concert in Argentina. Rod Stewart and John-Michel Jarre each had free concerts with attendance greater than 3.5 million!
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“What do crickets eat?” My daughter is really into bugs lately. I got her this little bug cage so she can go around the yard and capture insects. She got a cricket and is determined to keep it alive as a way to convince her dad to get her a guinea pig. We are three days in and the cricket is doing well. Of course, I also had to google, “How long do crickets live?” 90 days. Let’s hope our cricket is at the beginning of its lifespan.
What I’m grateful for:
- My daughter’s preschool. She had her graduation on Wednesday and I have to admit I got a little choked up at the end of it. We’ve been lucky to be part of a great community. She starts kindergarten in August!
- Setting up my new house, slowly but surely. It’s coming together! I’m now obsessed with plants and bird feeders. See above re: peg-puff
- Getting my head above water with work (sort of). Juggling my “fun writing” (as I call it) with my professional writing (I’m an advertising copywriter) is A LOT sometimes, but I’m feeling less frazzled lately
No snapshots to share this week. My camera roll this week is full of photos of my daughter and not much else. I’ll have some next week!