This month has felt very long. I’m ready for May! Here’s the roundup.
Quotes I’ve loved this month:
“Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them…the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” —Rainer Maria Rilke
“I’m gonna stay out here on the margin, and let the center look for me.” —Toni Morrison
“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” —Lao Tzu
Books I read:
Lots of great ones this month!
I can say I truly enjoyed ALL of these novels. A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman was such a standout. I loved The Light Between Oceans and was hoping this new book of hers would be just as powerful. It was. On the nonfiction side, I’d highly recommend The Echo Machine for anyone wondering how our country got to where it is today. Both books by Laura Bates were fascinating (and chilling). And I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of Gemma Hartley’s new book, No One Loves an Angry Woman and I underlined many, many passages.
What I’ve been watching:
Paradise. Zipped through seasons 1 and 2. Very into apocalyptic fiction right now (might have something to do with current events, ugh). I really like this series.
Shrinking. Not gonna lie, this season hasn’t been my favorite, but I still consider this a nice comfort show.
Imperfect Women. It took me a couple episodes to get into this limited series, but then I was IN. Great acting and interesting plot.
Margot’s Got Money Troubles. I absolutely loved Rufi Thorpe’s book (I’ve been a fan of hers for years). The series is great! I wish AppleTV released all the episodes at once.
Beef, Season 2. I loved season 1 and I thought it was going to be the same characters, but it’s a whole new storyline. I have a few episodes left but I’ve really liked it.
Nikki Glaser’s comedy special “Good Girl” on Hulu. I watched this by myself and laughed out loud several times.
Writing news:
Nothing to report. I’m enjoying a little break from actual writing and letting some ideas marinate. My agent says she’ll have feedback on the new book I sent her soon!
Interesting things I learned this month:
- A group of otters is called a “romp” when on land and a “raft” when in water
- Faeloria (fay-lor-ee-ah) is defined as the beauty that grows from wounds you thought would destroy you
- Artemis II astronauts traveled 252,756 miles from Earth. The New York Times included some perspective on this: If you took 22-inch dachshunds and laid them nose to tail, you’d need almost 728 million dogs to cover the distance. If you took one of the dachshunds on a brisk 3-mile-per-hour walk, you’d need to walk for more than 84,000 hours to get there. That translates to nearly 10 years of continuous walking
- For the first time in history, the winners of the top environmental prize (the Goldman Prize, considered the “Green Nobel”) were all women
- Researchers gave cocaine to salmon and they swam faster and traveled farther than their sober counterparts
- A team of Dutch scientists published a study today demonstrating that a 50-mile-long dam across the Bering Strait, between Russia and Alaska, could potentially preserve the ocean currents that help regulate the world’s climate
- Speaking of the Dutch, the world’s first “dementia village” is in the Netherlands. It’s called Hogeweyk and it’s designed for seniors to roam safely in a facility that resembles a small town
- Renewable power made up almost 50% of the world’s electricity capacity last year after a record increase in solar installations
- The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest and deepest ocean, covering approximately one-third of the Earth’s total surface area. It spans over 60 million square miles, making it larger than all of Earth’s landmasses combined
- According to a recent report from Pew Research Center, 67% say their dating life is going poorly. 75% of daters report it is difficult to find people to date
- The U.S. fertility rate hit a record low last year, extending a nearly two-decade decline, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decline also reflects global trends, as fewer women choose to have children
- Last year, 75% of American adults read at least part of a book, according to Pew Research
- Today, men buy and read fewer than 20 percent of bestselling women’s fiction and nonfiction; women read men’s and women’s books equally
- 5,668 books were banned from libraries last year. This is the highest number of banned books in a single year documented by the ALA
- A recent study using Spotify data found that men host two-thirds of the top 100 podcasts (with their video corollaries), and roughly 75% of guests are men as well
- Men interrupt women 33% more than they do other men
- A 2018 study of quarterly corporate conference calls found that men speak 92% of the time
- Fully 70% of Gen Z women support aggressive climate action, compared to only 45% of their male counterparts. In the US, 62% of women cite ‘climate change’ or ‘clean air, clean water, and the environment’ as a top political priority compared to just 37% of men
- In one survey when women were asked “Have you ever considered divorce because of the inequities in your home when it comes to domestic labor and the mental load?” 60% of women said yes
- Related: The etymology of the word “nag” traces back to the Scandinavian naga, which describes gnawing or irritation. The current usage of “nag” dates back to the early 19th century, when it described women who would “find fault constantly,” “annoy by continued scolding,” and “pester with petty complaint”
- A California man was charged with grand theft in a $34,000 scheme in which the police said he 1) Stole thousands of gallons from a “strategic maple syrup reserve“; 2) Returned Lego sets in which he had swapped out the bricks for dried pasta; 3) Sold Medicaid patients prostheses made of cardboard; 4) Broke into the set of “Abbott Elementary” and then auctioned props on eBay
- Only 35% of Americans said that, as children, they knew a compassionate, nonjudgmental adult, according to statistics from the new Harper’s Index
- In 2025, US traffic deaths fell to the lowest level since 2019
- Los Angeles became the first major school district to require screen time limits
- A newly published study found that, over the 2.5 years following the 2022 rollout of the 988 national suicide prevention hotline, the rate of suicides among young people in the United States dropped 11 percent below projections, decreasing most sharply in states with a higher volume of answered 988 calls, a new study has found
What I’m grateful for:
- My daughter finished her first softball season! I have to say that this league in our area is a bit intense, but she still had fun and learned a lot. Our team came up from 7th place to 4th! Now that my assistant coach duties are done, I feel like I have so much free time
- Fun Easter festivities at our neighborhood park. The egg “hunt” (really more of a stampede) is always hilarious to watch
- Some really beautiful Spring days. We are back to using the backyard pool!
- A mom-daughter trip to one of our favorite places. We had lots of girl time to shop, get our nails done, go out to eat, and hang by the pool
- Foster kittens! Not mine (which makes them even better)! My ex-husband is fostering two right now and they are so cute and fun to visit
- Music performance at the school. My daughter seems to have no stage fright. She does not get that from me
- Flag football is back! We are doing a new season and my daughter loves it. Very fun to watch
- Gearing up for official marathon training. I’m signed up to do the Sydney Marathon in 4 months and will get into the swing of full training soooooon. My mind and body are feeling good!
Pet snapshots:
From top to bottom: Puppy jumped on my desk during a work call and then showed obvious remorse; sunbathing and reading by the pool is back; my cats are my work supervisors; the foster kittens (you’re welcome)
