Weekly Roundup: July 8, 2022

It was a short work week but it felt long. I haven’t recovered from the holiday weekend yet. Hoping to get some recovery time in this weekend. And hope you do too!

Quote of the week:
“I’ve seen enough change in my lifetime to know that despair is not only self-defeating, it is unrealistic.”
—Susan Griffin

What I’m reading:
I just finished Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit. For anyone feeling despair in the wake of recent political and social turmoil, this book is a salve. I’m also reading Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow an Intentional Community by Diana Leafe Christian. I’m really into cohousing communities…who’s with me?

What I’m listening to:
The People We Keep by Allison Larkin. It’s gotten so many great reviews. It feels too young for me. I have a few hours left so I’m holding my final opinion, but seems like it would be better for a teen reader or someone in their 20s.

What I’m watching:
Not much. Still doing the tired-mom thing of going to bed right after my daughter.

Writing news:
Nothing to report this week, though I continue to write poetry and I’m still fiddling with my children’s book.

What I’m talking about:

The first anniversary of my dad’s death on July 6. I felt strangely okay that day, but then very sad the next day. Grief continues to fascinate meThe mass shooting on the 4th of July. Only in America… Reading some of the stories of the victims in this shooting makes my heart hurt. I continue to research leaving the U.S. because the gun stuff terrifies me and there has been way too little legislative actionDerek Chauvin’s sentencing in the death of George Floyd. He should have gotten life in prison, but 21 years is something

Interesting things I learned this week:

California is in the midst of its third-largest Covid surge of the pandemic, with roughly 19,000 new cases being reported each day (and that doesn’t include home tests). I assume my household will be hit soon…The term “spinster” originated as early as the 1300s, referring to unmarried women who spun wool and earned their own living. By the 1800s, being a spinster was a secret source of pride: It was a privilege for a woman to remain unmarried in a time when the majority of women were economically bound to men There were 2.5 million people in the U.S. when the Declaration of Independence was signed (roughly the population of Chicago today)Under a new proposal, some Texas schools may call slavery “involuntary relocation.” WTFBrad Pitt says he suffers from facial blindness (aka prosopagnosia)

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Ugh Merriam Webster.” I was curious about the official definition. For those wondering, it is: “used to indicate the sound of a cough or grunt or to express disgust or horror.” For me, it is also used to indicate existential despair.

What I’m grateful for:

A one-night family camping trip. There was a whole tent just for my daughter’s dolls. She had a blastA fun 5K on 4th of July. I was going for a PR and I got it! My time was 20:39 (6:40 average pace)–8th woman overall and 2nd in my division. I really have gotten faster with age! Celebrating the 4th with friends and their kids. All the little ones made it until fireworks with minimal meltdownsMy sister’s birthday. I am so grateful for her presence in my life and it was wonderful to celebrate her this past week

A few snapshots:

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