ten things tuesday

❤️ Valentine’s Day: The "Ten Things" Survey ❤️

1. Sweet or Savory: Are you hoping for a box of chocolates or a fancy charcuterie board? hmmm...that is a tough choice!  I think I'll go for a charcuterie board

2. The Classic Debate: Do you think red roses are a timeless romantic gesture or a bit cliché? timeless romantic gesture

3. Movie Night: What is your ultimate "comfort" romantic comedy to watch? When Harry Met Sally or You've Got Mail

4. Galentine’s vs. Valentine’s: Do you prefer a night out with your best friends or a quiet evening with a partner? my besties

5. The Soundtrack: What is one song that always makes you think of "love"? the Beatles' Something

6. Handmade or Store-Bought: Does a handwritten card mean more to you than a tangible gift? I am thrilled with either

7. The Menu: If you’re staying in, what is your go-to "special occasion" meal to cook? pizza

8. Childhood Memories: Do you remember the specific style of Valentines you used to hand out in elementary school? I think, if I remember correctly, they were always Peanuts-themed

9. Flower Power: Besides roses, what is your favorite flower to receive (or buy for yourself)? I often buy myself Gerbera daisies

10. The Vibe: Describe your ideal Valentine’s Day in just three words. hugs and laughter

finished reading

Losing myself in Victorian English journals is just the quirky read I needed.  Our heroine, Emma M. Lion is recently returning to London only to find that her impending inheritance has been squandered by an ill-intentioned Cousin Archibald.  Emma's travails as she settles back into city life.  There are other eccentric relatives, flustered house staff, and odd neighbors making appearances in the journals.  And I'm excited to get my hands on more!

From the publisher:

“I’ve arrived in London without incident. There are few triumphs in my recent life, but I count this as one. My existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident.”

The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s. Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

currently

I am...

Reading: I just finished a book and have yet to select my next read

Listening to:  a voice memo I made of psychology notes for my students

Thinking:  I kinda like creating voice notes for my students, it's a different format and easy

Feeling:  tired--the full moon wreaks havoc on my sleep schedule

Celebrating: little victories

Grateful for: my health care team--I have several routine appointments in the next weeks, and I'm so thankful that my team communicates well

Enjoying: being creative

Weather:  10° and clear

A quote I want to share:

finished reading

I fell in love with this book as I binge-listened to it.  The surety of the trio of characters in their collegiate intellectual promise as they quoted obscure passages to each other drew me in.  The love story between Jordan and Yash was full of yearning and tenderness, until it wasn't.  As the characters emerge into adulthood, they have taken different paths.  It's difficult to describe the story without spoiling it, so I'll say there's a poignant reconnection and unsatisfying resolution to the relationships.  I want to learn to play Sir Hincomb Funnibuster.

I didn't realize it's a companion book to Writers & Lovers.  I haven't read that, although I picked it up and it wasn't the right book at the right time for me.  Maybe I'll try it again.

From the publisher:

You knew I’d write a book about you someday.

Our narrator understands good love stories—their secrets and subtext, their highs and their free falls. But her greatest love story, the one she lived, never followed the simple rules.

In the fall of her senior year of college, she meets two star students from her 17th-Century Lit class: Sam and Yash. Best friends living off-campus in the elegant house of a professor on sabbatical, the boys invite her into their intoxicating world of academic fervor, rapid-fire banter and raucous card games. They nickname her Jordan, and she quickly discovers the pleasures of friendship, love and her own intellectual ambition. Youthful passion is unpredictable though, and she soon finds herself at the center of a charged and intricate triangle. As graduation comes and goes, choices made will alter these three lives forever.

Decades later, Jordan is living the life she dreamed of, and the vulnerable days of her youth seem comfortably behind her. But when a surprise visit and unexpected news brings the past crashing into the present, Jordan returns to a world she left behind and is forced to confront the decisions and deceptions of her younger self.

Written with the superb wit and emotional sensitivity fans and critics of Lily King have come to adore, Heart the Lover is a deeply moving story that celebrates love, friendship, and the transformative nature of forgiveness. Wise, unforgettable, and with a delightful connective thread to Writers & Lovers, this is King at her very best, affirming her as a masterful chronicler of the human experience and one of the finest novelists at work today.

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.

sunday stealing

 

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Old School Blogging Meme

I am passionate about ...

1) learning & education

2) books and reading

3) Maine

4) family & friends

5) Granny hobbies: knitting & baking

I'd like to learn ...

1) how to stick to my budget

2) how to update the electronics in my car

3) how to say no to things I really don't want to do (at school, I am often voluntold)

4) how to play the ukulele

5) how my airmoto works

Things I say a lot ...

1) oh boy!

2) oh wow!

3) thank you (not thanks)

4) absolutely!

5) for fuck's sake (this is said internally multiple times per day)

Places I'd like to travel to ...

1) Ireland

2) The United Kingdom

3) Colonial Williamsburg

4) Dollywood & Graceland

5) Italy

finished reading

I’ll preface this with a proclamation: I love all things Ireland. To find a novel set in my beloved Cork is delightful. Narrated by Rachel in the 2020s, married to James Carey, pregnant, and a noted writer, the story is both a funny and poignant look back at the pivotal years of 2009 and 2010.   

Rachel grows from a sheltered, middle-class girl into a "bohemian-wannabe" navigating an intense college year where the job market is impossible, and the world feels bleak. However, the real engine of the story is her all-consuming friendship with James Devlin, her gay best friend and bookstore colleague. Their lives become so intertwined as they share a run-down house on Shandon Street that Rachel’s own identity often feels completely bent around his path.   

The drama truly ignites when their lives collide with Dr. Fred Byrne, Rachel’s married professor. What begins as a student’s crush on Fred spirals into a chaotic web of secrets and romantic entanglements that force Rachel to determine her future career and her sense of self.

From the publisher:

A brilliantly funny novel about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three

Rachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. Together, they run riot through the streets of Cork city, trying to maintain a bohemian existence while the threat of the financial crash looms before them.

When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected, bourgeois wife. Aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humor, The Rachel Incident is a triumph.

saturday 9

Big Star

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Shelley Fabares sings that when she hears her lover's records on the radio, they bring back memories. Do you prefer familiar songs or do you seek out new music? I'm a blend of both

2) Shelley introduced "Big Star" on an episode of The Donna Reed Show, where she played daughter Mary. She remembers the show's star and her TV mom, Donna Reed, as "an extraordinary woman." Who is your favorite TV mom?  Marion Cunningham is a contender

3) Speaking of big stars, Shelley made three movies with Elvis, who said she was his favorite leading lady. What qualities do you value in a coworker? someone with academic integrity and rigor, willing to try new methods of teaching--and a sense of humor

4) Though best known for comedy, Shelley appeared as Cathy in a made-for-TV adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Have you ever read the Emily Bronte classic? waaaaay back in my teen years
 
5) Shelley Fabares' aunt was Broadway, film and TV veteran Nanette Fabray. Do you have a favorite aunt or uncle? my godmother is my favorite aunt
 
6) In the 1990s she was twice nominated for an Emmy Award (Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy) for her work on Coach. She didn't win. Millions of viewers got to see her applaud graciously when Laurie (Roseanne) Metcalf's named was announced both times. If you were nominated for a major award and the ceremony was televised, would you get all dressed up and go? Or would you prefer to watch from home? probably would attend at least once
 
7) In 1962, when this song was first released, Jack Nicklaus launched his legendary golf career. Do you enjoy playing golf? Do you watch golf on TV? no and no
 
8) Also in 1962, Marilyn Monroe bought her first home at the age of 36. Up until then she had always been a renter. Marilyn was residing there at the time of her death that August. How long have you lived at your current address? three years
 
9) Random question – According to a survey, the average American will kiss 15 different partners over their lifetime. Do you estimate your personal total is more, less, or right on track? on track towards more

three on thursday

 

Thing one: last week I lamented that my car needed fixing.  Today, the fix is final!  My baby is back!  All systems are go!  And yehaw for warranty!

Thing two: this week has been challenging:  starting a new semester with new classes, finishing up grades, an intense therapy session that was revelatory (but a lot), and car stuff, as well as the bigger world issues.  I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday!

Thing three: it's funny that even though nit-noy things piled up, I stayed present in the moment and managed to find tiny joys.

finished reading

This character-driven family drama reverberates with the guilt, grief, and resentment stemming from beloved brother and son, Topher's, death. The narrative thread varies between the three sisters:  Cait, Alice, and Maggie--and the sister dynamics resonated with me.  The relationships among the sisters, the touch of sibling rivalry, and the deep devotion were authentic.  And the parental relationships rang true, too.  Especially how the sisters almost underestimate their aging parents' ability to relate to each modern conundrum. Knowing that an "Irish Goodbye" is slang for leaving a social gathering surreptitiously without saying farewell to anyone helped the title click.

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel.  Although there were a few slow sections, the pace held my interest.  The audio narration is very good.  

From the publisher:

Three adult sisters grapple with a shared tragedy over a Thanksgiving weekend spent in their childhood home, navigating complex relationships and old tensions.

It’s been years since the three Ryan sisters were all home together at their family’s beloved house on the eastern shore of Long Island. Two decades ago, their lives were upended by an accident on their brother Topher’s a friend’s brother was killed, the lawsuit nearly bankrupted their parents, and Topher spiraled into a depression, eventually taking his life. Now the Ryan women are back for Thanksgiving, eager to reconnect, but each carrying a heavy secret. The eldest, Cait, still holding guilt for the role no one knows she played in the boat accident, rekindles a flame with her high school crush, Topher’s best friend and the brother of the boy who died. Middle sister Alice’s been thrown a curveball threatening the career she’s restarting and faces a difficult decision that may doom her marriage. And the youngest, Maggie, is finally taking the risk to bring the woman she loves home to her devoutly Catholic mother. Infusing everything is the grief for Topher that none of the Ryans have figured out how to carry together.

When Cait invites a guest to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions boil over and new truths surface, nearly overpowering the flickering light of their family bond. Far more than a family holiday will be ruined unless the sisters can find a way to forgive themselves—and one another.

currently

I am...

Reading:  The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill

Listening to:  household sounds

Thinking:  I am glad I'm participating in the creative workshop, it is taking my mind off of the heaviness around me

Feeling:  teacher tired after this first day of a new semester

Celebrating: all the work on my car was covered by the warranty

Grateful for: the warranty

Enjoying: my new classes

Weather:  8° and snowing

A quote I want to share:

sunday stealing

 

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C'mon Get Happy

Here are 10 things that make me happy:

1.  Waking up without an alarm / sleeping in / hurkle durkle

2. Fresh laundry

3. Garlic knots

4. Dunkin' iced coffee

5. When my students get a concept I'm teaching

6. Gifts for no reason

7. Buying myself flowers / receiving flowers 

8. Comfortable shoes

9.  Leisurely drives

10.  Awesome audio narrators

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.

finished reading

I was not prepared for this book.  It is absolutely bonkers and bananas.  I am not a gamer, so I was not familiar with some of the lingo.  This is basically a dystopian role-playing game.  I got it because I have read so much praise for the audio narration — which was well-deserved, indeed. So, Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, are forced to team up to survive a deadly intergalactic reality game show after aliens destroy Earth and turn it into a multi-level dungeon.  The book is the experience of Carl and Donut as they navigate the levels, figure out who to trust, who to get advice from, and work with other contestants.  It's brutal, violent, and very funny.  I laughed out loud several times.  I have yet to decide if I'm up for more of the series (although part of me is curious as to the fate of Carl and Donut).

From the publisher:

The apocalypse will be televised!

A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.

In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth - from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds - collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground. The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe. Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over.

In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style. You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big. You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game - with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.