10.26.2025

sunday stealing

 
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Four 5's


FIVE things on my to-do list:
1. Telehealth meetings x 2 tomorrow evening
2. Curriculum Leader meeting on Tuesday
3. Celebrate my 60th birthday!!!!!!
4. Massage appointment
5. Telehealth therapy on Thursday
 
FIVE snacks I enjoy:
1. plain potato chips
2. apple with peanut butter or caramel dip
3. baby carrots 
4. a handful of nuts
5. chex mix or muddy buddies

FIVE places I have lived:
1. in the house I grew up
2. on St. Finbar's Road in Cork, Ireland
3. in South Paris, Maine
4. in an apartment across town for 29 years
5. here 🏠
 
FIVE jobs I have held:
1. nanny
2. gas station attendant/convenience store clerk
3. waitress/hostess
4. scan file coordinator and grocery clerk
5. secondary social studies teacher

finished reading

This is the first in a new-to-me series.  I'll read more.  The dual narration worked well to help build the witchy world full of unicorns, trolls, and different levels of witches.  Chapters alternated between Tilda and Gil, moving the plot along and creating tension.  I admit that I fast-forwarded through the spicy open-door scenes.  I had a difficult time figuring out how old the main characters are, and the ending felt rushed.  I wanted to know more about Gil's backstory and his family.

The audio narrators were quite good.

From the publisher:
Could it possibly get any worse than having absolutely no magical abilities when you’re a member of the most powerful family of witches ever? It used to be that I’d say no, but then I keep getting set up on dates with Gil Connolly whose hotness is only matched by his ego. Seriously. I can’t stand him. Even if I also can’t stop thinking about him (specifically kissing him) but we’re going to pretend I never told you that part.

So yeah, my life isn’t the greatest right now, but then it goes straight to the absolute worst hell when I accidentally make my sister’s spell glitch and curse my whole family. And the only person who can help non-magical me break the spell? You guessed it. Gil the super hot jerk.

Now we have to work together to save my family and outmaneuver some evil-minded nefarious forces bent on world domination. Oh yeah, and we have to do all that while fighting against the attraction building between us because I may not be magical, but what’s happening between Gil and I sure feels like it.

postsecret

 

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

10.25.2025

finished reading

The seclusion and isolation in this novel are palpable and almost claustrophobic. The story centers around Jane, raised in isolation outside of Bozeman, Montana, by her reclusive and mysterious father.  When Saul brings the outside world into their remote cabin, via the internet, Jane begins to experience life outside of the 700 square foot cabin.  

From the publisher:
A teenage girl breaks free from her father's world of isolation in this exhilarating novel of family, identity, and the power we have to shape our own destinies—from the New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Things and Watch Me Disappear

The first thing you have to understand is that my father was my entire world.

Growing up in an isolated cabin in Montana in the mid-1990s, Jane knows only the world that she and her father live the woodstove that heats their home, the vegetable garden where they try to eke out a subsistence existence, the books of nineteenth-century philosophy that her father gives her to read in lieu of going to school. Her father is elusive about their pasts, giving Jane little beyond the facts that they once lived in the Bay Area and that her mother died in a car accident, the crash propelling him to move Jane off the grid to raise her in a Thoreau-like utopia.

As Jane becomes a teenager she starts pushing against the boundaries of her restricted world. She begs to accompany her father on his occasional trips away from the cabin. But when Jane realizes that her devotion to her father has made her an accomplice to a horrific crime, she flees Montana to the only place she knows to look for answers about her mysterious past, and her mother's San Francisco. It is a city in the midst of a seismic change, where her quest to understand herself will force her to reckon with both the possibilities and the perils of the fledgling Internet, and where she will come to question everything she values.

saturday 9


Do You Know The Way To San Jose

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) In this song, someone moves to Los Angeles looking for "fame and fortune" but ends up with a job "pumping gas." Today, the majority of service stations are self serve, so very few people pump gas for a living. Can you think of another job that used to be common but doesn't exist anymore? my favorite gas station in town pumps gas for me--and switchboard operators are a thing of the past
 
2) The San Jose travel bureau advertises "300 days of sunshine" every year. How is the weather where you are today? cloudy and 50 degrees
 
3) Lyricist Hal David became fond of San Jose when he was stationed there while in the Navy. Tell us about a place you visited that you have affection for. Ireland is the home of my heart
  
4) Composer Burt Bacharach grew up and worked primarily in New York until his marriage to actress Angie Dickinson. She had to live in Los Angeles for her career, so he relocated and remained a Californian for the rest of his life. Where do you feel most at home? (It doesn't have to be a city. It could be your favorite chair.) oh, I answered it in #3--but I also feel at home in my hometown

5) Dionne Warwick thinks this week's song is "dumb." She won her first Grammy for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" and, decades later, still sings it in concert, but she has not changed her opinion of the song. What is something everyone else seems to like but you just don't get? the appeal of news presenters that have no background in journalism--they talk to talk and argue to argue
 
6) Now in her 80s, with more than 60 years in show business, Dionne still enjoys performing. She told a reporter that she loves looking out into the audience and seeing an arm go around a shoulder, or a couple begin holding hands, when they hear her sing "their song." What song reminds you of a special romance? "Tell Her This" by Del Amitri
 
7) In 1968, when this song was popular, The Doris Day Show premiered. The show was, initially, a surprise to its star. Her manager/husband died suddenly without telling her he had committed her to a weekly sitcom. She was not pleased but honored the contract. Think of the last time you were surprised. Was it a happy or sad surprise? it was neither--an alarm went off at school
 
8) According to the Social Security Administration, the most popular baby names of 1968 were Lisa and Michael. Are there any Lisas or Michaels in your life? not currently
 
9) Random question: What are you looking forward to this week? my 60th birthday!!!!!


10.23.2025

three on thursday

One:  today was Tennessee niece FaceTime book talk.  We hung out on video chat and talked about the book we'd read together (Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman).

Two:  I have a lunch date with my local niece/goddaughter on Saturday. I'm ashamed to say I don't see her often enough.

Three:  this was an enjoyable teaching day. I spent time talking with my classes about random things.  Like my excitement at finding out my automatic headlights dim themselves and put on the high beams when necessary.

10.21.2025

ten things tuesday

I'm on book 114 for the year (so far!) and thought I would recommend ten more--here are links to my recommendations from 29-50 and recommendations from the first 29:


1) On A Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass.   It's like the Real Housewives of Whatevertown on steroids! The three narrative threads are from unlikable, unreliable characters.  I was engrossed and drawn into how the storylines combine and overlap.  This book!  What a thrill ride!  There are twists, and just when I was accepting what was happening and to whom, BLAM!  Another wild twist.  There were moments I didn't dare to speculate what might happen because the twists were overlapping.  

2) I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue.  There is more to this book than I expected.  The author balances humor with heavy issues in a sensitive manner.  There are quirky characters that jump off the page.  Some of the drudgery of office life translates to life in a school, especially the petty one-upmanship.  The main character, Jolene, grapples with serious anxiety and self-medicating, which made me feel for her, especially as her overthinking spirals.  

3) The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner. This is a complex study of relationships--mothers and daughters, sisters, and lovers.  There are three narrative arcs: Cassie, Zoe, and Zoe's daughter Cherry, and multiple timelines are featured. The structure worked well, although I was more intrigued by the story of Cassie and Zoe's meteoric rock 'n 'roll rise and the ultimate unraveling of their lives.  

4) Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.  Although I figured out the final twist, there were satisfying twists that I didn't anticipate, which kept me listening into the wee hours.  The way the narrative threads weave together from different points in the characters' lives was an interesting structure.  The characters are rich and real, no stereotypes here.  There are moments of such tender love.

5) The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie. Ultimately, this is a saga of a crime family.  It's gritty. A crime family committing horrible crimes for what they consider altruistic reasons. The narration is from the point of view of the matriarch, Babs Dionne, and her daughter, military veteran Lori Dionne.  The well-developed secondary characters are mostly their relatives.  It's a well-written, well-crafted character-driven book.  Dealing with the much-maligned Franco-American population in Maine.  Not a lot of Franco-American history is taught outside of Maine.  It's a history fraught with prejudice, including Klan activity. Babs Dionne is combating cultural negativity in her own way.  She is proud of her heritage and celebrates it at every opportunity. I just don't know what to say.  This is so well-written yet so gritty.  I recommend it, but it's not for everyone.

6)  My Friends by Fredrik Backman.  This is one of my favorite books of the year.  Exploring the complexities of friendship and aging, the story follows four lifelong friends as they experience success, failure, and everything in between.  It's a look at a shared past and reflections on their unwavering support as they navigate life.  There are poignant reflections, some of which are difficult to read and harrowing.  But the bonds of friendship shaped their experiences and lives.  

7) Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  Taylor Jenkins Reid is becoming one of my favorite authors.  I'm not gonna lie: a novel about women and space made me skeptical that I would enjoy this story.  However, the space jargon aside, I was absolutely drawn in.  The character development is rich; I could feel their drive and determination to shatter the glass ceiling.  Yet each is human. This is a love story like no other I have read.  Not because it's saphic, but because of the simplicity of the love.  I felt it, I cheered for it.

I still don't want to go to space.

8) So Far Gone by Jess Walters.  This book is a definite rave! It's a darkly funny look at a family's turmoil set against the backdrop of today's social and political climate. The author takes you on an emotional journey, making you laugh, gasp, and tear up—sometimes all on the same page. It's a powerful and thought-provoking story about how our actions, or our silence, shape the world we live in. The audio is performed by one of my favorite narrators: Edoardo Ballerini.

9)  The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick.  This book is an absolute must-read for a book club, offering themes and elements ripe for discussion. At its core, the novel introduces an intriguing speculative premise: a carefully vetted process designed to offer grief relief by allowing those who have suffered tremendous loss to essentially sleep through their pain.

While the concept touches on heavy topics--including medical ethics, the complexities of grief and loss, and the role of social media in modern life--the book never feels weighed down. The novel centers on the journey of four main characters who are drawn together on their quest toward the Poppy Fields. It's in creating this found family that the book truly shines. Each character brings a poignant and unique experience of loss, estrangement, and hope, which humanizes the abstract themes. This focus on personal, character-driven storytelling is a major strength, setting it apart from other, often more clinical and distant, works of speculative fiction in the same vein (I'm thinking Never Let Me Go or The Memory Police).   

10) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans.  This charming epistolary novel begins with a curmudgeonly exchange. As we learn more about Sybil Van Antwerp, it is clear why she favors letter writing as her primary means of communication.  Sybil navigates several relationships: her brother, her lifelong bestie, her daughter, among others, and comes to realize that the letter she never sent is the most important one.

10.20.2025

currently

I am...

Reading: What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown

Listening to: Instagram videos

Thinking:  I remember why I didn't wear these jeans often last year (I dug my winter pants out yesterday), and it's because I am not built for skinny jeans.

Feeling:  tuckered out

Celebrating:  I had fun at school today--my students really went for their over-the-top skits in class.

Grateful for: a profession I still love after almost 30 years

Enjoying: funny texts with my sisters

Weather:  55° and cloudy

A quote I want to share 


finished rereading

I re-read this book as a buddy-read with my Tennessee niece.  We wanted something fun and magical.  I think I confused the book with the movie.  I love the movie.  The book is very very very different.  

From the publisher:
When the beautiful and precocious sisters Sally and Gillian Owens are orphaned at a young age, they are taken to a small Massachusetts town to be raised by their eccentric aunts, who happen to dwell in the darkest, eeriest house in town. As they become more aware of their aunts' mysterious and sometimes frightening powers -- and as their own powers begin to surface -- the sisters grow determined to escape their strange upbringing by blending into "normal" society.

But both find that they cannot elude their magic-filled past. And when trouble strikes -- in the form of a menacing backyard ghost -- the sisters must not only reunite three generations of Owens women but embrace their magic as a gift -- and their key to a future of love and passion. Funny, haunting, and shamelessly romantic, Practical Magic is bewitching entertainment -- Alice Hoffman at her spectacular best.

10.19.2025

sunday stealing

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Meme Schmeme


Complete the thought:

I AM about to begin a new decade of life, complete with new, exciting changes and challenges.  Here I come, 60!

I LIVE a quiet life filled with curiosity and wonder.  Geographically inconvenient, forcing creative solutions to problems.

I THINK, well, I overthink. 

I KNOW the Muffin Man.  His name is Bill and he is a baker.

I WANT a mild winter.  Please.  Pretty please.

I WISH the local hospital and my insurance company would settle their negotiations without causing major disruption to my healthcare.

I PRAY for peace.  Always.  For me, for my family and friends, for those suffering, for the world.

postsecret


PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

10.18.2025

saturday 9


Into the Groove

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) Madonna begins this song by telling us, "I'm waiting." What's something you're waiting for today? it's 7 o'clock Saturday evening--I'm not waiting for anything anymore
 
2) She sings that dancing gives her a feeling so good she hopes it will never end. What reliably lifts your spirits? driving
 
3) As a school girl in Michigan, Madonna was a good student but could be disruptive. Classmates recall her doing cartwheels in the halls between classes. Can you do a cartwheel? no, I never could
 
4) It's not surprising that a girl from the Detroit area would love cars. Madonna's car collection is valued at more than $2 million. The one she seems to drive most often is a 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV. Insurance industry data tells us Americans typically keep their cars for 8 years. How long have you had your current vehicle? almost six months 😃
 
5) She has referred to Nancy Sinatra as one of her idols, saying "These Boots Were Made for Walking" and its accompanying video impressed her when she was a little girl. What pop song brings back memories from your childhood? "Yellow Submarine" or "Octopus's Garden"
 
6) Madonna suffers from brontophobia, or the fear of thunder and lightening. Are you afraid of storms? no
 
7) In 1985, when this song was popular, the Titanic wreckage was discovered. There have been at least a dozen movies about that ill-fated ship. Have you seen any of them? I've seen a few, in 1985 I was a teaching assistant to a history professor who was deep into everything Titanic-related and we watched a lot of the films
 
8) Also in 1985Bruce Willis became a star with a hit show about a detective agency. Can you name it? (Extra non-existent points if you can recall the agency's name.) the show is Moonlighting and it was the Blue Moon Detective Agency
 
9) Random question: Describe your perfect ice cream sundae. well, that's a complex question because I have different answers for different ice cream consistencies:  soft-serve, hard ice cream, and homemade ice cream are handled differently.  I might be a sundae fanatic.  Generally, there is hot fudge involved.