The sun is shining and we’re almost dried out from Hurricane Hilary passing through on Sunday. I’m grateful it wasn’t much worse than most of our winter storms. The apocalypse vibes were very reminiscent of Covid and I would like to have no natural disasters or other crises for a while. On to the roundup!
Quote of the week:
“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and being alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You have to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes too near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could.” — Louise Erdrich, The Painted Drum
What I’m reading:
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Such a great book, with a main character I won’t soon forget. I have less than 100 pages left. It’s heartbreaking in many ways, but so well written and beautiful.
What I’m listening to:
I just finished The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin. Great memoir–highly recommend.
What I’m watching:
I watched The Beanie Bubble last weekend and really enjoyed it—about the people (and drama) behind the Beanie Baby madness. I also started The Last of Us, despite telling myself I would not commit to watching a series. Each episode is like a movie and it’ll probably take me a year to watch the full season, but oh well.
Writing news:
Nothing to report this week! Still tinkering with some poems, awaiting news on my next manuscript.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- More U.S. office workers call out sick on August 24 than any other day. Runners up are February 13 and October 25 (which are my daughter’s dad’s birthday and my dad’s birthday, respectively. WEIRD)
- 96% of Americans age 16 and older have some COVID immunity (23% from infection alone, 26% from vaccination alone, 48% hybrid), according to a CDC report
- Cheese contains casein fragments called casomorphins, a morphine-like compound. In other words, dairy protein has opiate molecules built in. When consumed, these fragments attach to the same brain receptors that heroin and other narcotics attach to
- The majority of workers in the U.S. (59%) across all sectors of work said they support increased unionization in their own workplaces, according to a CNBC poll
- Data collected by the Captivate Network shows men are 35% more likely to take a break while on the job, ‘just to relax.’ Men are also more likely to go out to lunch, take a walk, and take personal time during working hours
- Only 3 of the 350+ shark species are associated with nearly 2/3 of shark attacks (tiger, great white, bull)
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“batten down the hatches.” I kept using this phrase in jest as Hilary was arriving and wanted to google the origin of it. From google: the phrase comes from “the practice aboard a ship of sealing hatches to prevent water getting below-decks in a storm by using covers secured by strips of material, called battens, firmly attached to the frame of the hatch opening.”
What I’m grateful for:
- Minimal damage/disruption from Hurricane Hilary. We got lucky!
- Smooth sailing in kindergarten for my daughter (and her slightly anxious mama)
- Time with family—my daughter’s aunt, uncle, and cousins last weekend, plus a midweek family pool party
- Time with one of my best friends who is in town. Good for the soul
Snapshots:
