Kim Hooper's Blog, page 18

Weekly Roundup: February 18, 2022

Well, hello there. I missed my post last week because my website was down. After spending a few hours this week live chatting with my website host and learning way too much about SSL certificates and subdomains, it is working again. It’s actually appropriate that I missed last week as I’ve had a lot of big change in my life recently and I’ve been nice and cozy in my turtle shell. I’m ready to stick my head out now. Let’s get into it…

Quote of the week:
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” –Anais Nin

What I’m reading:
The Every by Dave Eggers (I finished this one last week and would like to discuss it with someone. If you’ve read it, holler)
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (loving it so far, recommended to me by my favorite indie bookstore–hi, Lisa!)
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark (Fun fact: Sylvia Plath and I share a birthday–October 27. I’ve always loved her writing and think it’s a shame she’s known mostly for her suicide. This biography of her is fascinating so far)

What I’m listening to:
Classic Krakauer: Essays on Wilderness and Risk by Jon Krakauer (If you like Krakauer, you’ll like this)
I also recently listened to this podcast episode with Elaine Aron, who has written extensively about the trait of high sensitivity. I FEEL SEEN.

What I’m watching:
The Alpinist on Netflix. Wow. Incredible documentary about what we seek in the wilderness. I was not expecting the ending and it continues to haunt me.
14 Peaks on Netflix. Started this one last night. Loving it so far.
I’m really into nature/wilderness documentaries lately. I think all the Mary Oliver poems I’ve been reading are getting to me.

Writing news:
Less than 3 months until Ways the World Could End comes out. I’m excited for this book. I am officially back on the writing train and working on a new novel, aiming to have a draft done by summer.

What I’m talking about:
-The trucker protests in Canada. Come on, Canadians, you’re better than this. I’m also holding out hope that you’ll accept me as one of your own if Trump runs again
-The recent wave of book bans, which disproportionately target books by black and LGBTQ+ authors (good article here). I am, quite obviously, very opposed to this ridiculousness
-The carbon footprint of publishing. I’d never really thought about this until I read this article. It is good to know that many big publishers are working toward carbon neutrality
-Composting. As of the new year, California is requiring residents to dump food waste in a separate bin. This made me look into the benefits of mass composting and they are huge. Organic material like food and yard waste makes up half of everything in California landfills and a fifth of the state’s methane emissions. Many environmentalists say the easiest, best thing you can do for the environment is compost your own stuff or participate in a program like California has

Interesting things I learned this week:
-The state with the highest life expectancy is Hawaii (followed by California). West Virginia came in last
-We misplace, on average, 9 objects a day and spend a total of 6 months of our lives looking for lost things (learned this while listening to this beautiful book)
-Almond milk produces 78% less carbon emissions than dairy milk
-In a recent report, the US was ranked 43 out of 81 countries surveyed about how well their health systems provide for the wellbeing of patients at the end of life
-27 times more men than women joined the labor force last month–yikes

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“llama llama single mama?” I realized that the Llama Llama books I read my daughter never include a dad character. Turns out the author, Anna Dewdney, was a divorced mom of two. Makes sense.

What I’m grateful for:
Health, new beginnings, beautiful runs, cats, my sister, and puzzles.

Snapshots from the week:

The post Weekly Roundup: February 18, 2022 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: February 4, 2022

Quote of the week:
“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.” –Joan Didion

What I’m reading:
Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson

What I’m listening to:
Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

What I’m watching:
The Tinder Swindler on Netflix

Writing news:
I got two lovely blurbs for Ways the World Could End this past week (thank you to Amy and Jennifer):

“Kim Hooper’s writing had me hooked from the first page. The father-daughter relationship between Dave, who lives with Asperger’s Syndrome and Cleo, his lonely and sarcastic teen, was funny and tender. Hooper’s warm-hearted depiction of these characters painted a touching, painful and funny portrait of loss, love and connection. The novel left me thinking about all the ways the world can end, both large and small.” 
—Amy Tector, author of The Honeybee Emeralds

“In Ways the World Could End, Kim Hooper has given us a father grieving for his wife, a daughter grieving for her mother, and in the absence of the woman they both loved and relied on to make sense of the world, a seemingly unbridgeable gap between the two of them.  With tenderness, humor, candor, and insight, Kim Hooper brings her characters from darkness to light in a story that’s ultimately about the power of love.”
 ––Jennifer Anne Moses, author of The Art of Dumpster Diving 

What I’m talking about:

The ongoing trend of mothers gathering together to scream, expressing their rage and despair over the pandemic and the way it’s made parenting so much more challenging. (For the record, I would totally participate in this if there was a group near me)Vaccines for little kids–I guess they’re coming, but there seems to be some confusion (read here)The whole Russia/Ukraine situationBiden nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court (it’s about time)

Interesting things I learned this week:

4.3 million Americans left their jobs in DecemberIn the 2000 NFL draft, Tom Brady was the 199th pick in the sixth roundFrom 2013-2021, 87% of artists nominated for a Grammy award were menThe Dollar Tree is raising its price of goods to $1.25

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Dog clown outfit.” My daughter and I were talking about this for our little dog, Frankie (below).

What I’m grateful for:
I’m so grateful I got to see my good friend this past week (she’s in town from Africa!). I’m grateful for my health–Covid tests are still negative. And I’m grateful to feel a creative spark again (I’ve returned to working on a new novel).

Have a great weekend!

The post Weekly Roundup: February 4, 2022 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: January 28, 2022

Quote of the week:
“Revelations can be disastrous, but they can also be a way of building. You rip apart what you were holding fast to and then you discover new reserves in yourself. And, to me, that is exactly what we’re going through right now with the pandemic.” –Rita Dove

What I’m reading:
The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning by Paul Bloom

What I’m listening to:
The Girl Before by JP Delaney (I wanted to check this out before the HBO series comes out next month. Liking it so far!)

What I’m watching:
The Lost Daughter on Netflix. I liked it.

Writing news:
Don’t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway for Ways the World Could End. Last day to enter is February 8.

What I’m talking about:
I’m talking a lot about pandemic fatigue. My daughter’s preschool classroom has closed multiple times this month due to Covid exposures. Thankfully we are still negative (somehow). There really seems to be so much collective despair lately. As Glennon Doyle said on her podcast this week, we are all kind of dead inside at this point. In the UK, they are easing up restrictions significantly and I wonder if we should consider that here in the US (or if that would lead to more problems). 

Interesting things I learned this week:

19-year-old Zara Rutherford became the youngest woman to fly around the world solo The color of an egg matches the earlobe of the hen that laid itThe roar of an adult male lion can be heard up to 5 miles awayFlannery O’Connor kept peacocksThe tallest sandcastle ever made was 69 feet tall, made in July 2021There is now a hair-based autism diagnostic 

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Can’t open push and turn cap.” I could not get the cap off my daughter’s container of gummy vitamins and the Internet really came through for me. It told me to jam a tack into the top and that worked!

What I’m grateful for:
I’m grateful for stress-relieving runs, anxiety-reducing puzzles (see the one I did this week below), and smile-inducing drawings created by my daughter (see below of one she did of her with her two friends).

The post Weekly Roundup: January 28, 2022 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: January 21, 2022

Quote of the week:
“Language is our portal to meaning-making, connection, healing, learning, and self-awareness. Having access to the right words can open up entire universes. When we don’t have the language to talk about what we’re experiencing, our ability to make sense of what’s happening and share it with others is severely limited. Without accurate language, we struggle to get the help we need, we don’t always regulate or manage our emotions and experiences in a way that allows us to move through them productively, and our self-awareness is diminished. Language shows us that naming an experience doesn’t give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding and meaning.” –Brené Brown

What I’m reading:
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez — I’ll finish this one today. I really enjoyed it!

What I’m listening to:
The Pessimists by Bethany Ball 

What I’m watching:
Don’t Look Up on Netflix. Took me 5 nights to finish it. Kind of silly and too long, in my opinion.

Writing news:
Nothing of note this week.

What I’m talking about:
Omicroooon. I’m glad to hear we may have “peaked” and there may be light at the end of this torturous tunnel. Everyone is so weary. 

Interesting things I learned this week:

Sales of print books were up about 9% in 2021 (good news!)A study found that face masks make people look more attractive The wealth of the world’s ten richest men doubled during the pandemicRomania introduced a National Reading Day (and it will be February 15)“Baby Shark” is the first YouTube video to pass 10 BILLION views (my daughter is responsible for at least 1 billion of those)The word “sarcasm” comes from a Greek word meaning “to tear flesh”TSA does an annual list of the top 10 confiscated items (the list for 2021 included a chainsaw and a meth burrito)

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Meth burrito” (see above).

What I’m grateful for:
I had a nice getaway with one of my very best girlfriends (and my daughter) this past weekend. It was so refreshing. We got to stay in a tiny cabin (those of you who know me know I love tiny houses… Hence, my third novel, Tiny). A change of pace seems more necessary than ever in these weird times.

I also finished this puzzle and it made me so happy. I need to hunt for more book-themed puzzles.

The post Weekly Roundup: January 21, 2022 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: January 14, 2022

Quote of the week:
“I think a lot of us are taught to get to the destination of our ‘true self.’ The problem with landing on a true self is that everything you’ve been before then isn’t ‘true.’ I don’t buy that. It sets up a dichotomy: Who you are now is somehow superior and better than who you were in the past. But how do you know who you’re going to be five years down the road? How can you say that the person in the present moment is your authentic self when you haven’t lived your whole life? I think we need to get past the language of authenticity because, for me, it’s more about the ways we’re works in progress.” –Vivek Shraya (Psychology Today Jan/Feb 2022 issue)

What I’m reading:
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

What I’m listening to:
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

What I’m watching:
Absolutely nothing this week, aside from my daily dose of Stephen Colbert.

Writing news:
There’s a Goodreads giveaway for Ways the World Could End! Sign into your account to enter for a chance to win a copy!

I am loving early reader reviews. Thank you, thank you!

What I’m talking about:
Omicron. Seriously, that’s most of what I talk about. Somehow, my household has been spared so far. The anticipatory anxiety is REAL.

Interesting things I learned this week:

The National Bureau of Economic Research reports that Americans are working, on average, 48 minutes MORE per day now than they did before the pandemicA study found that too much free time is almost as detrimental to our well-being as too little. The “Goldilocks Zone” of discretionary time that is just right was determined to be 3.5 hours per day (I cannot remember the last time I had 3.5 hours of discretionary time in a day)

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Peacock running.” My daughter didn’t believe peacocks could run, so I had to show her. I’ve also googled “Phil Mickelson dodging golf balls” about 20 times because this video makes me so happy (and is definitely how I feel about dodging Covid so far).

What I’m grateful for:
I’m very grateful for puzzles, which have been my latest way to reduce anxiety. I’m grateful to running for always giving me perspective. And I’m grateful to my daughter for the joy she brings each day (I don’t post too many photos of her for her privacy, but she is amazing).

Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend.

The post Weekly Roundup: January 14, 2022 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: January 7, 2022

Hope you are staying as healthy as possible in the midst of this Omicron craziness… It’s been another doozy of a week.

Quote of the week:
“The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.” –William Faulkner

What I’m reading:
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Commitment and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown

What I’m listening to:
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

I listened to a couple really illuminating podcast episodes recently too: “The Anatomy of Trust” on Unlocking Us with Brené Brown, and “Be Still” on We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle.

What I’m watching:
I have not been able to focus on any shows lately. I keep up with Dexter: New Blood and that’s about it.

Writing news:
I wrote an essay this week about how abortion bans affect women who want their pregnancies.  

Next week, there’s going to be a Goodreads giveaway for my new book, Ways the World Could End, which comes out May 10. It’s awesome to start seeing advance copies of the book on social media. Thank you, bookstagrammers! 

What I’m talking about:

Omicron. Somehow, my household has escaped it thus far, but I assume it will be our turn soon. My daughter’s preschool class shut down yesterday due to a positive case. Sigh. We can’t find home tests anywhere. I’m not sure how we’re nearly 2 years into this pandemic and there are still issues with testingThe ongoing Great Resignation. More than 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in November, the highest number on record. I feel like there is so much collective fatigue and it seems collective mental health is reaching its lowest level of the pandemic. I quit my full-time job recently so I guess I’m part of the Great ResignationThe deaths of Joan Didion, Betty White, and Sidney Poitier. More collective grief

Interesting things I learned this week:

To Kill a Mockingbird was named the best book of the last 125 years according to a New York Times survey of readers (there were 200,000 ballots cast!) When asked for a word to describe 2021, these were the top contenders among readers of The Lily: Relentless, disappointing, messy, clarifying, fragile, unexpected, grief, change, survival, enlightening, tumultuous, transformational, lonely, exhaustingHamsters can handle their liquorDiscarded food is the single-largest component of US landfills. The US dumps about 80 billion pounds of food per year (more than 200 pounds per person per year!)

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“MIT artificial intelligence breast cancer.” I heard about this so wanted to read for myself. Researches at MIT have built an AI that seems to predict with unprecedented accuracy if someone will get breast cancer. Fascinating!

What I’m grateful for:
I’m so grateful for a new year, even though this one has gotten off to a rocky start. While I know it’s possible to “start fresh” at any point during the year, there is something clarifying and motivating about January. I have a lot of big goals for this year. I anticipate my word of the year will be “transformational.”

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Books I read in 2021

Here we are at the last day of 2021. It’s been a doozy of a year. Wishing you and your loved ones a calm, peaceful 2022.

Now for my favorite post of the year–a look back at what I read over the past 12 months. I read a total of 104 books! The full list is below, but I’ve picked my 21 favorites (16 fiction, 5 nonfiction) here. I always love to hear from other readers about their favorites, so feel free to share in the comments! Happy reading in 2022

My top 21 of 2021:

Fiction:
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood
The Red Thread by Ann Hood
The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Vox by Christina Dalcher
This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
The Push by Audrey Audain
The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir
What Comes After by Joanne Tompkins
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Motherhood by Sheila Heti
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
Weather by Jenny Offill
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt
Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
The Husbands by Chandler Baker
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
Monogamy by Sue Miller
What You Don’t Know by JoAnn Chaney
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
Adultery by Paulo Coelho
Circe by Madeline Miller
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan
Fault Lines by Emily Itami
The Honeybee Emeralds by Amy Tector
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins
When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister
We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty 
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
Fight Night by Miriam Toews

Nonfiction:
Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes by Elizabeth Lesser
Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff
Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers by Helena Dea Bala
Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness by Jill Filipovic
Our House is On Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis by Greta Thunberg, Svante Thunberg, Malena Ernman, Beata Ernman
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing by Margaret Atwood
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David
The Loneliest Polar Bear: A True Story of Survival and Peril on the Edge of a Warming World by Kale Williams
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went From Family Man to Family Killer by Lena Derhally
Overwhelmed: How to Live, Work, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte
Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self by Nicole Lepera
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen
A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath by Jeanine Cummins 
The Long Goodbye: A Memoir by Meghan O’Rourke
The Light of the World: A Memoir by Elizabeth Alexander
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution by Adrienne Rich
by Chanel Miller
The State of Affairs by Esther Perel
Untamed by Glennon Doyle (I listened to this in 2020; read it this year)
The Blue Jay’s Dance: A Memoir of Early Motherhood by Louise Erdrich
Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro
Slow Motion: A Memoir of a Life Rescued by Tragedy by Dani Shapiro
Fear Less: How to Win at Life Without Losing Yourself by Dr. Pippa Grange
No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler
Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive by Kristin Neff
A Radical Awakening: Turn Pain Into Power, Embrace Your Truth, Live Free by Dr. Shefali Tsabary
Wired for Love: How Understanding Your Partner’s Brain and Attachment Style Can Help You Defuse Conflict and Build a Secure Relationship by Stan Tatkin
Moms Don’t Have Time to Have Kids: A Timeless Anthology by Zibby Owens
Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive by Mary Hartzell and Daniel J. Siegel
How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos by David Pogue
But You Seemed So Happy: A Marriage, in Pieces and Bits by Kimberly Harrington
Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford

Poetry:
Inward by Yung Pueblo
Clarity & Connection by Yung Pueblo

The post Books I read in 2021 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: December 24, 2021

Quote of the week:
“In every moment, there are ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows.”
I can’t remember where I heard this… it was either in a podcast or a book I was listening to. I believe the person said it’s a Chinese proverb, but google says it’s a Buddhist saying.

What I’m reading:
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (I’m about to finish this one–I really enjoyed it!)

What I’m listening to:
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult (I’m about to finish this one too; loved the twist in this one)

What I’m watching:
Dexter: New Blood

Writing news:
Nothing of interest this week. I’m looking forward to getting back to work on my new novel in the new year.

What I’m talking about:
I’m talking a lot about juxtaposition–my grief with my daughter’s holiday cheer. I’m bummed we’re having another Covid Christmas (and I’m worried about Omicron), but I’m also feeling joy. There is a lot to be sad about, and a lot to be happy about.

Interesting things I learned this week:
I feel like I retained zero information this week. It’s been a bit chaotic finishing up work and getting ready for the holiday. My brain feels like it’s on vacation.

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Is it possible to grow taller in your 40s?” I googled this yesterday upon realizing that I am now taller than my brother-in-law… which I swear was not the case before. I’ve always been just under 5’11″… Today, I measured 5’11.5″… Apparently it’s impossible to grow taller after the growth plates close, so I guess this is a consequence of yoga? With shoes on, I’m now six feet tall!

What I’m grateful for:
I’m grateful for my daughter’s nightly performance of Christmas songs in our living room (she made a stage out of my yoga blocks and it’s the cutest thing). I’m also grateful for this amazing ornament that my sister-in-law MADE for me. How cool is this?!

I’m also grateful for views like this. 

And, of course, I’m grateful to be healthy as we close out 2021. Here’s to a calmer, more peaceful 2022. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The post Weekly Roundup: December 24, 2021 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: December 17, 2021

Quote of the week:
“Wisdom is knowing I am nothing, love is knowing I am everything, and between the two my life moves.” –Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

What I’m reading:
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty 
How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos by David Pogue (this book is both depressing and extremely helpful… I read it in very small doses, which is why it is taking me weeks)

What I’m listening to:
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

What I’m watching:
Dexter: New Blood 
And Just Like That… (the Sex and the City revival)

Writing news:
Nothing to report this week. I’m taking a mini break from writing right now. I’ll resume in 2022! I’m excited that Ways the World Could End comes out in less than 5 months!

What I’m talking about:

The feline saga of Jean and Jorts (if you haven’t read about this yet, you must)The rise in Covid cases–up 40% in just a couple weeks (read here)The ongoing Great Resignation–a record high 4.4 million Americans (3% of workers) quit their job in September; 23% plan to resign in the next 12 monthsThe viral TikTok warning of nationwide school violence today (read here)–this makes me feel sick 

Interesting things I learned this week:

I really enjoy puzzles. Who knew?Alaska was the state with the highest e-book consumption in 2021 (source)People in Idaho, Wyoming, and Vermont read the most in 2021; people in New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. read the least (source)US adults’ blood pressure levels increased during the Covid pandemic (duh) (source)

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Whale dream meaning.” I had the most intense dream of standing in the bleachers overlooking the ocean, watching giant whales pass by. Google gave me this: “The appearance of a whale in a dream can signify that everything is or will be OK and is often related to spiritual matters of the mind and heart… Whales tend to appear during times of relevance when facing an issue in your life.”

I also googled “how to get super glue off skin” and the suggestions (soap and water, oil, nail polish remover) all failed. What worked was waiting for it to come off by itself.

What I’m grateful for:
It’s been a difficult time of year for me as I continue to grieve my dad. But seeing my daughter’s excitement about the holidays has brought me a lot of joy. I’m grateful for that joy. She had her holiday performance at preschool this week and, while I could not discern her emotional state due to the mask covering her face, she said she had a blast.

I’m also grateful for the little things in life–like morning views on my runs, my candle that’s been smiling at me all week, and custom Post-its with my cats’ faces on them. 

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Weekly Roundup: December 10, 2021

Quote of the week:
“Everything is broken and messed up and completely fine. That is what life is. It’s only the ratios that change. Usually on their own. As soon as you think that’s it, it’s going to be like this forever, they change again.” –Meg Mason, Sorrow and Bliss 

What I’m reading:
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (about to finish; really enjoyed this one)
How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos by David Pogue

What I’m listening to:
But You Seemed So Happy: A Marriage, in Pieces and Bits by Kimberly Harrington

What I’m watching:
I finally started Dexter: New Blood. Loving it so far.

Writing news:
Nothing exciting this week. I’ve been taking a break from working on my new novel during this crazy holiday time. Too much going on. Unfortunately, I am still waking up at 3am to scribble ideas on Post-its.

What I’m talking about:

Omicron. I don’t like hearing that this variant is so contagiousHoliday grief. Man, this time of year is hard. I miss my dad so muchWork-life balance and how it seems more elusive in this fast-paced worldThe Supreme Court’s decision to leave the Texas abortion law in place for now (though they are allowing the challenge to proceed)

Interesting things I learned this week:

Covid is spread more by men and loud talkers (read here)Electric vehicles are expected to be 28% of car sales by 2030 (and, worldwide, the Nissan Leaf is the biggest selling EV. I have a Nissan Leaf!)Bananas are the most consumed fruit in the United States; potatoes are the most consumed vegetable

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Italian man fake arm.” I heard this story on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and had to google it for myself. A guy in Italy tried to avoid getting the Covid vaccine by presenting a fake arm (apparently, he has since been vaccinated in his real arm).

What I’m grateful for:
Perspective. I have more of it since my dad died. I’m looking forward to making some changes in how I do life in 2022. In sum, less of the stuff that doesn’t matter, more of the stuff that does. I’m grateful for the people in my life who really get me. What a gift. 

On a lighter note, I am also grateful to be done with holiday shopping. My daughter is so excited for Christmas. It’s definitely brought back the magic for me.

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