Happy Friday! I skipped last week because of the 4th of July holiday. Summer is kicking my introverted butt with all that’s going on. I am not surprised that my body gave up this week and succumbed to the summer cold that is going around here. Hope you’re healthy wherever you are.
Quote of the week:
“Life is short, and it is sinful to waste one’s time. They say I’m active…but being active is still wasting one’s time if in doing one loses oneself. Today is a resting time, and my heart goes off in search of itself.” –Albert Camus
What I’m reading:
All Fours by Miranda July. I have book club next week and this is the one we’ll be discussing. I’ve heard mixed opinions on this book, but I’m really enjoying it so far. Fun and outrageous.
What I’m listening to:
I just finished Grief is For People by Sloane Crosley, which was a beautiful book about her friend’s suicide. I’ll start a new book on my next run, whenever my body feels up for that.
What I’m watching:
I saw A Quiet Place: Day One in the theater and really loved it. It might be my favorite of the franchise so far. While sick yesterday, I watched the three-episode docuseries, Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini. Whoa. That’s all I have to say.
Writing news:
I’m still working on my new novel, though it’s been slow-going with all the summer stuff going on right now. I’m taking a little research trip next week and can’t wait for that.
Interesting things I’ve learned in the past couple weeks:
- Dogs get a sense of when you are supposed to be home from work based on how much of your scent is left in the house
- Women need about 20 more minutes of sleep on average because they tend to use their brains more than men during the day, according to a study from Loughborough University
- 78% of moms say they are so busy maintaining family stability by being constantly available, mentally and physically, to deal with every detail of home life that they aren’t taking care of themselves
- In some Native languages, the term for plants translates to “those who take care of us”
- The literal meaning of tiramisu in Italian is “pick me up” or “cheer me up”
- The average US marriage lasts 8 years
- 8 million people took psilocybin mushrooms in 2023, with about half of those people microdosing
- Islands are not getting smaller despite rising oceans: One study that rounded up scientists’ data on 709 islands across the Pacific and Indian Oceans showed that nearly 89% either had increased in area or hadn’t changed much in recent decades. Only 11% had contracted
- Since Roe v Wade was repealed 2 years ago, 1 in 3 women now live under abortion bans and more than 170,000 women have traveled to have an abortion
- The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will connect the Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills, and will be the biggest wildlife overpass in the world. The hope is that the crossing will reduce collisions between wildlife and vehicles and will allow animals to roam more widely in search of food, shelter and mates. Related: More than 600 mountain lions were killed by vehicles in California between 2016 and 2023
Weirdest thing I’ve googled in the past couple weeks:
“world’s longest hair.” My daughter asked, I delivered. The longest hair belongs to a woman in India whose locks measure 7 feet, 9 inches long.
What I’m grateful for:
- Feeling slightly better today after being knocked on my a$$ by this virus yesterday. Health is everything
- My sister’s birthday. We have bonded more in this phase of life than we ever did before. Always happy to celebrate her
- The beginning of the sleepovers. My daughter has had two sleepovers with friends in the past couple weeks—one at a friend’s house, one at my house. It’s starting!
- My neighbor-friend who joined us for dinner the other night. She is so sweet with my daughter and reminds me of how beautiful community can be
- A beer-and-food date with a new-ish friend of mine. She’s also my massage therapist and my house-sitter. Again, I love my community
- A special guy in my life after a very long time thinking that wouldn’t happen for me again
A few pet snapshots:
