And here we are in December! I missed last week’s post because I was consumed with some pet drama. My old dog, Vinny, seems to be in his last days. He’s still with us, but I’m not sure how long that will be the case. It’s been emotional. There have also been numerous other stressors the past couple weeks and I would like to take a week-long nap. It’s been a wild year for me and I’m ready for 2024.
Quote of the week:
“I need solitude. I need space. I need air. I need the empty fields ’round me; and my legs pounding along roads; and sleep…animal existence.” –Virginia Woolf
What I’m reading:
Real Americans by Rachel Khong. I LOVED her debut (Goodbye, Vitamin) and I have to say this book is totally different and may be even better. I have less than 50 pages left and I’m sad for it to end. I got an advance copy so mark your calendars for April 30 when it’s released.
What I’m listening to:
I was delighted by Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights earlier this week and am now listening to Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford.
What I’m watching:
Last week, I watched Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche, which was riveting. I am a sucker for a good documentary. I tried to get into All the Light We Cannot See since I just read the book, but I just wasn’t in the mood. I tore through Escaping Twin Flames and was slack-jawed for the duration of the series (if you like cult documentaries, check it out). And last night I watched American Symphony, about Jon Batiste’s rise to musical fame in the midst of his wife’s battle with cancer. His wife is Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms. When I read her memoir, I had no idea that the “Jon” in it was Jon Batiste. Blew my mind when I found out.
Interesting things I learned the past couple weeks:
- The word “latibulate” from the 17th century means “to hide in a corner in an attempt to escape reality”… Seems like we should still be using this word, no?
- Starting in 2024, California will require media literacy education for K-12 students. Delaware, Illinois, and New Jersey have similar laws on the books
- Related to above bullet: A recent Stanford study found that 82% of middle school students couldn’t distinguish between real stories and ads
- There are currently 10,000 active cults in the U.S.
- Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “authentic.” Some people think this is a subtle jab at AI
- A group of ducks is called a raft (because when they are together in the water it looks like a raft)
- Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents uses melatonin to sleep
- In a study comparing running to antidepressants, researchers found that 16 weeks of a running program can offer similar benefits to medication
- Alfredo Aliaga, age 92, is the oldest person to hike the Grand Canyon from rim to rim
- With the swearing in of Judge Mary Moreau, Canada will have a female majority Supreme Court for the first time since the court was created in 1875
- More than 40% of amphibians are at risk of extinction due to climate change
- Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimming birds and can reach speeds up to 22 mph
- The top 20% of Americans hold 71% of the nation’s wealth
- A new type of pepper has emerged as the spiciest on earth. It’s known as Pepper X and it’s 2.69 million Scoville units—500 times hotter than a jalapeno
- There are more than 1,000 varieties of bananas
- In his twenties, Stephen King worked as a janitor and lived in a trailer
- Vera Wang designed her first dress at age 40. Related: Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first major movie role until he was 40
- A 2022 analysis of government data from the nonprofit KFF estimates that nearly 1 in 10 U.S. adults owe at least $250 in medical debt. About 11 million people owe more than $2,000
- Colombia is beginning a campaign to sterilize roughly 170 “cocaine hippos.” These are the descendants of four hippopotamuses that belonged to cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar. Escobar brought the hippos to his estate in the 1980s and when he was killed in 1993, the hippos took to the wilds of Colombia and thrived. Officials in Colombia estimate that without intervention, there could be as many as 1,000 hippos in Colombia by 2050, which would have a devastating impact on the local environment
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“dimes have nickel in them.” I read this in Rachel Khong’s book and looked it up. From google: “The dimes, quarters, and half dollars in circulation today are a clad form of coin with a surface made of 25% nickel and 75% copper and a core of 100% copper. The 1-cent coin is made of a zinc core with copper plating.” Also, apparently nickels are not all nickel: “the metal alloy in a nickel is only 25 percent nickel. The rest is copper.” Weird.
What I’m grateful for:
- A nice Thanksgiving with family that required zero travel. I made an apple pie and blueberry crumble and was very proud of myself
- Seeing “Mamma Mia” at the Pantages with my daughter and my mom—one of my favorite musicals!
- My first official yoga class with my daughter. She made it until the 45-minute mark before asking me when it was over
- Book club! A couple hours chatting with a great group of women really lifted my spirits this week
- Beautiful weather, beautiful skies—truly my favorite time of year in southern California
- Christmas decorations. I’m not a huge holiday person, but I admit the lights are cheery
Snapshots:
