Gord’s Comments (group member since Apr 06, 2017)

Gord’s comments from the Vampires, Weres and Fae! group.

I knew I was forgetting something I had to update.

August I saved $802.17 which is, well, damn. I chock it up to manga and audiobooks. That brings my total up to $4,940.77

Maybe it's a Canadian thing. I think at most what you might have now will be a communal mailbox at a central location. People in town got mail delivered to them but out of town folks came into town for their mail.

Not a problem where we grew up. Everyone had a mailbox in town at the post office.

Growing up, any time we had to be on the highway with the tractor it was always over as far was we could get. Basically straddling the white line and driving on the shoulder if we could.

Bleh today was a not a fun day. It wasn't horrible but I had a couple dizzy spells earlier in the day. Super minor and because I was home I was able to manage them quickly but it just kind of put a damper on the day.

No, I think it was Brittany as well. Or at least I remember someone talking about it before.

Nope, full on introvert here

Got to say, feeling rather pleased with myself for keeping up with my walks this week. It's been even hotter then expected this week which is saying a lot. The temps on my morning walks this week are basically the same as my evening walks just last week. The walks this week have been a real slog to say the least but I've been pushing through them.

I might, might, just be a horrible person. The audiobook I am listening to has a serial killer called Owen Ripley and every time they say his name all I hear is Owen Wilson going "wow". For instance the book tells me "Notorious serial killer Owen Ripley brutally tortured and murdered nine women" and in the corner of my brain all I hear is "wow".

My current audiobook is not impressing me much right now. I just don't like the MC and the story is boring so far. I just want something to happen already.

That walk this evening was rough. That heat just sucks the energy out of me.

Exercise is hard and it's something I'm struggling with as well. The biggest thing I did to help me this time around is tying it into something else in my schedule. I did this so now it is time for my walk. I did that so now is time for my walk. The mornings aren't so bad for my walks as I'm just naturally a morning person. I have more energy in the morning, for this time of year things are cooler in the morning, etc. I'm struggling with my evening walks. I'm still getting them in but man I really have to prod myself to get going.

I like it warm as well but this blew past warm a while back. 20 is nice, 30 is to much

Time for my first walk in the blast furnace called outside. It's a lovely 30c/86f out there right now and I'm totally not procrastinating by typing this up. I'm taking my water bottle and taking it slow.

Why am I picturing this with a New York accent? Is it because of movies? It must be movies?

I've got a physical coming up here in a couple weeks and it will be something I'm talking to my new family doctor about. In some ways things have gotten better and in some ways it is more of the same. The one plus is that it has been a few weeks with no brain fog which is nice. I'm really suspecting that it might have been linked to stress. Once the craziness at work died down and I took a week off the fog went away. I still get bouts of lightheadedness and dizzy spells but they feel, what's the best way to put this, less severe (?). I've been hit with dizzy spells that just pass on their own in seconds. I had one the other day at work and by the time I walked back to my desk to sit down it had already passed. I also feel that the after effects are much less severe. Before if I had a bout of dizziness I'd feel nauseous for at least the rest of the day and brain fog/lightheaded for a few days after. Now, it just seems to hit and then pass. Maybe I'll be a bit lightheaded afterwards but super minor compared to how it was before. It feels like it went from this event that would mess my life up for days to an annoyance. Don't get me wrong, it's an annoyance I wish would go away but it feels much more manageable.

This could also all be linked to my stress going down, getting a sleep schedule (I'm not saying it's great but I go to bed/wake up pretty much the same time every day now), starting to exercise, and my weight lose.

Welcome to Monday

Monday. That's it, that's all. Just Monday

I am not looking forward to my evening walks this week. The temps are going to be about 30c/86f for the next week to week and a half and the warmest time of the day is right at my evening walk

Time for my weekly update and I have a few things to talk about this week. Who would have thought that walking two plus hours a day would chew through normal length audiobooks like nothing.

A Darkness Absolute ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a great read that kept me guessing for a good chunk of the book. Now that a lot of the world building and basic character set up was done this book was able to jump straight into things a whole lot quicker. That made this book a whole lot more engaging and a really quick read. It also did a great job exploring and setting up even more of the overarching mystery with the council and other locals in the area. I am looking forward to the next one for sure.

The Lake House ⭐⭐⭐
After A Darkness Absolute I was looking for a bit of a palate cleanser before diving into my next thriller. I ended up with a thriller novel so this might not have been the most well thought out plan. This was a recommendation and a book that I just jumped blindly into. Overall it was an entertaining read but there were some issues. I liked the characters and their interactions well enough. For me it was just the pacing. This book felt like it took a really long time to set up what the threat actually was. It hinted at what it might be but it was to vague to actually be credible. Then there was a twist in this book that just didn't land well for me. It wasn't a bad twist or anything, it just took the book in a direction that I wasn't a big fan of. Overall, it was a spooky summer time read that I'm sure many might like.

Lady’s Knight ⭐⭐⭐⭐
On the completely other end of the serious scale is this book here. I snagged this one from the library because it looked like a silly sapphic romance and it delivered on that. Basically there is a tournament for knights from across the land to come an participate in. The prize, the land of a lovely Lady. Then there is Gwen, the daughter of the local blacksmith, who just wants to know if she can even fight at all. She sneaks into the tournament and wins her first bout. This is where it was supposed to end until the lovely Lady got involved. From there it's a lot of familiar tropes with our two young ladies helping each other out by winning the tournament and finding some love along the way. It's some comedic, girl power, fluffy romance that I just had a blast reading. I was really surprised that there was a second book announced for this one but I will definitely be back for more.

Now for the manga side of things

Stars in Their Eyes: A Graphic Novel ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was seeing some chatter about this one and I am a sucker for wholesome romance so I decided to give it a shot. This is definitely a comic that was from the younger side of the YA genre but I don't think that should dismiss the message that this book brings to the table. It's about two young teens who meet at a con and fall in love. It's only about the one day at the con but it is really sweet in a first love kind of way. This book also deals with some heavier subjects such as disabilities, sexuality, and gender identity in a way that feels really positive. I think this would be a great book for younger readers looking to find themselves in a comic. Also, I have to say that the mother of the MC in this book is an amazing person. The relationship she has with her daughter is just amazing. Now, I have a bit of a gripe, and its kind of silly. This book takes place around a comic convention and the author references tons of real life series and fandoms but in a legally distinct way. Sci-Fi Wars instead of Star Wars for example. I understand perfectly well why this is done but for something so heavily focused on references it was a bit frustrating. Far from a deal breaker, more of a nuisance.

Dandadan, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love this series, I love these characters. Not a lot else to really say except that I am really surprised how fast I am catching up to the anime. I'm nearly caught up to the end of the first season already.

Tomb Raider King, Vol. 11 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
More of what I expected from this series and a fun popcorn read

My Kitten is a Picky Eater Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
For a wholesome feel good series about owners loving their kitties I was not expecting this one to be so emotional. Our MC finds and rescues a three week old kitten and with help from the vet takes it in and raises it. The book touched on early kitty life as well as the the whole adoption process (for Japan. I don't want to give to much away for anyone who is reading this and hasn't got to this one yet. I was just kind of surprised to find myself reading this and having a tear or two in the corner of my eye.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 13 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
More Frieren and it's still just as fun. This wrapped up the story arc from the last volume and starting setting up the next one which is looking to be rather exciting.

What is next


These are the two audiobooks I have on deck for this week. I'm starting with My Lovely Wife which I'm struggling with a bit. It's nothing about the book, it's just not what I'm in the mood for but my loan is running out and I need it for a challenge that I have to finish this week. I'm hoping that I warm up to book quickly and it brings me around.


My short list of other things I am working on this week