Weekly Roundup: August 8, 2025
We have reached the point of summer when the parents start to rise up in collective mutiny and demand that school start ASAP. For all those out there doing the exhausting juggling act, we’re almost there!
Quote of the week:
“Luxury has never appealed to me, I like simple things, books, being alone, or with somebody who understands.” ― Daphne du Maurier
What I’m reading:
The Death of Us by Abigail Dean. I’m really liking it so far.
What I’m listening to:
All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman. It’s fun and light so far. My daughter saw the title come up on my car screen when we were driving and she was like, “Mom, what kind of book is this?!” I have to admit I chose it for the title.
What I’m watching:
Still making our way through the docuseries 100 Foot Wave. Last night, watched The Zone of Interest, which has been on my list for a while. It’s about an SS family in Nazi Germany who live right next door to Auschwitz and go about their daily lives as if nothing’s wrong. Chilling. It really shows you how people can come to overlook the suffering of others.
Writing news:
I turned in copyedits on my 2026 novel. Hoping to share more on that soon! Every day, I hear from readers of Woman on the Verge and it really makes me remember why I write. I did a fun little interview for About the Authors TV and I’ll post a link when it’s up!
Interesting things I learned this week:
A doginist is a person who believes dogs are better than peopleA tidsoptimist is a person who is constantly late because they think they have more time than they actually doIn South Korea, there’s a mock jail called Prison Inside Me where people stay to escape the pressures of daily lifeRelated to above: A recent study by Moodle found that job burnout has hit an all-time high with 66% of workers experiencing it80% of Americans report being extremely or very motivated to vote in next year’s election for CongressOnce extinct in the country, Denmark just recorded the highest number of white stork nestlings in decadesAfter gray wolves were reintroduced, aspen trees are flourishing in Yellowstone for the first time in 80 yearsJen Pawol will become the first woman to umpire a regular-season MLB game, marking a historic milestone for baseball. Sidenote: As a kid, I once told my dad (who was a baseball player) that I wanted to be the first female umpDutch kids have ranked #1 in well-being since 2007, according to UNICEF rankingsCoastal California has had the coolest June 1-August 1 period on record since at least 1979. Where I am, we’ve had just a few days above 80AI data centers in Texas used 463 million gallons of water in just two years, mostly to keep servers cool. Meanwhile, residents are being urged to “take shorter showers” due to drought conditionsAs of 2021, the average individual cost of a wedding in America was $28,000 (which jumps to $34,000 if you include the engagement)Only nine states in America allow a man to change his name on marriage the way a woman canThe first brewers of beer were women! From I Don’t by Clementine Ford: “The first-known records of female brewers—or ‘brewsters’, as they used to be called—can be traced back to Mesopotamia, roughly four thousand years ago. The Ancient Sumerians worshipped the goddess Ninkasi, whose name translates to ‘mistress of beer’, and celebrated her with a hymn containing what is now the world’s oldest-known beer recipe, which included the soaking of malt in a jar and the spreading of cooked mash on large reed mats”What I’m grateful for:
My daughter’s theater camp. She did 3 different shows this summer, including today’s “Beauty and the Beast” performance. It was so much fun to see!Sleepovers, playdates, outings… a summer of funSolar panels on my roof working (and saving me so much on electricity!)I leave you with this…
May we all have this kind of overwhelming love in our lives.

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