Happy Friday! School starts here next week and I cannot believe it. It feels like June was last week. Pretty soon it’s going to be time for Christmas shopping. I don’t understand. Anyway, here’s the roundup.
Quote of the week:
“We shake with joy, we shake with grief.
What a time they have, these two
housed as they are in the same body.”
–Mary Oliver
What I’m reading:
A Good Enough Mother by Catherine Dunne. She’s an Irish author I hadn’t heard of before. I’m liking the book.
What I’m listening to:
Fi, a memoir by Alexandra Fuller. It’s about the death of her 21-year-old son and it’s so heartbreaking. I started it yesterday and am already almost done. The writing is so beautiful.
What I’m watching:
I finished Season 3 of Hacks (so good) and am now watching Season 3 of The Bear. I also watched the Simone Biles Rising documentary. Can’t wait for new episodes of that one.
Writing news:
I finished up The Big Round of Edits for my novel that comes out next year. I’ll be taking a little break before getting back to working on my new novel (which will come out in 2026). School starts next week and my brain needs some time to adjust to the new routine.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- Sturmfrei is a German word that means “storm free” and is used to refer to the freedom of being alone and the ability to do what you want
- The longest road in the world to walk is from Cape Town (South Africa) to Magadan (Russia). It’s nearly 14,000 miles long and would take someone 561 days to travel (walking 8 hours a day). Along the route, you pass through 17 countries, 6 time zones, and all seasons of the year
- The fastest anyone has run is about 27½ miles per hour, a speed reached (briefly) by sprinter Usain Bolt just after the midpoint of his world-record 100-meter dash in 2009 (source)
- A New Zealand charity accidentally gave away hundreds of chunks of meth. They had been disguised as candies
- Around 76% of high-performing women reportedly receive negative feedback from their managers compared to 2% of high-performing men, according to data collected from 23,000 employees across 250 organizations
- Americans spent 25% more on food at the start of 2024 compared to 2020. During that time, the country’s 10 largest grocery and restaurant brands took their profits and collectively spent $77 billion on stock buybacks and dividends (source)
What I’m grateful for:
- Going out with a bang this summer. Lots of sleepovers and playdates for my daughter this past week. I took her to see the “Peter Pan” play/musical, which she loved. She’s currently on a fishing trip with her dad and having a blast
- My sister is back from Thailand! She took her three boys and it felt like they were gone for a year instead of a couple weeks. It’s been nice to catch up
- Quality time with family, family friends, girlfriends, and my boyfriend. And the pets, of course! Life is very full
- A successful 10-mile run this morning! First double-digit run in a looooong time
Pet photos of the week:
