currently

I am...

Reading:  Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

Listening to: Dave Matthews Band station on Spotify

Thinking:  I think I'll go to bed early tonight

Feeling:  sleepy

Celebrating: today was a good day

Grateful for: I don't have to answer to anyone

Enjoying: independence

Weather:  6° and clear

A quote I want to share:

 

sunday stealing

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Survey asks...

1. Did you/will you have coffee or some other form of caffeine today? yes, a half-caf iced coffee frmo Dunkin

2. Who did you last have a text conversation with and what was it about? with my retired teacher friends (group chat) about books

3. Are there regular trains in and out of your town/city? not anymore

4. Have you ever been hospitalized due to dehydration? no

5. Someone texts/IMs you just as you’re about to go to sleep. Do you reply? no

6. Do you grind your teeth?  no, but I clench them

7. When you listen to music with headphones, do you keep the volume low enough to hear surrounding noise, or do you blast it? I don't listen with headphones anymore... I used to blast it

8. Are you wearing nail polish? yes

9. Do you have an ice maker in your refrigerator door? no

10. Do you have a friend named James? a colleague

finished reading

I was excited to get my hands on this book--Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez is one of my favorite crime-solving characters. There's something about his empathy that draws me in.  And now that he is settling with a family of his own, with his partner Chief Inspector Willow Reeve and their son and step-daughter, it's good to see him in action again.

There were a few suspects, and I did not see the final results coming.  Always the sign of a good, compelling mystery.

From the publisher:

It's been several years since Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland. He has settled into his new home in Orkney, the group of islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, with his partner Willow Reeve and their growing family. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Ever the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children.

But when he arrives he finds a shocking Archie's body, on an archaeological dig site and an ancient Westray story stone with precise spirals carved into it beside him, the clear murder weapon. The artifact, taken from a nearby museum, seems to suggest a premediated murder.

But Perez is so close to the case that he struggles to maintain an objective distance from the potential suspects. He finds it difficult to question Archie's wife, whom he's known for years. Rumors swirl about the dead man's relationship with a young woman new to the island, an artist. With each new lead, the case becomes more twisted and Perez wonders if he will ever find out what happened in his friend's final days.

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.

saturday 9

Farewell, Amanda

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

 

1) The record begins with a long instrumental interlude, and when the lyrics kick in at about the 1:00 mark, they bid Amanda "farewell, adios, addio, adieu." Of course you recognize "farewell" as English. Without looking it up, can you identify the other languages? Spanish, Italian, and French

 

2) Can you say "goodbye" in a language not represented in question #1? do widzenia (not sure of the spelling on that one), Auf Wiedersehen, and gubood-bubye

3) The lyrics reference a night full of stars. When did you last take a moment to check out the night sky? during the last full moon

 

4) This song was written for Adam's Rib, a comedy starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The movie is about husband-and-wife lawyers who square off against one another in court. Have you ever served on a jury? yes!

 

5) "Farewell, Amanda" was composed by Noel Coward. Though best known as a playwright, he also wrote more than a thousand songs and was a director and an actor. His epitaph reads, "A talent to amuse." How would you like to be remembered? a beloved teacher

 

6) There's even a book of Noel Coward paintings. It was published after his death, in part because Coward considered himself only an amateur painter. When did you last pick up a paintbrush? oh man, I can't even remember!

 

7) In 1949, when audiences first heard "Farewell, Amanda," Americans began playing Clue. What's the last board game you played? Really Loud Librarians

 

8) The best-selling novel of 1949 was Point of No Return by John P. Marquand. Tell us about the last book you finished. yesterday, I finished a novella called Foster by Claire Keegan that was absolutely magnificent

 

9) Random question: Growing up, did you share a bedroom? yes--I finally had the room to myself when my sister went to college, although we shared again when she was home on breaks

finished reading

Claire Keegan is an incredible storyteller.  This novella will stick with me for a long time.  It's poignant and spare and lovely.  The story centers on an unnamed young Irish girl whose large family is about to expand once again, so she is sent to unknown-to-her relatives in the country.  The attention and affection she receives from John and Edna Kinsella are unlike anything she's experienced.  In one tender moment, John takes the girl's hand, and she realizes her own father has never done the same.

From the publisher:

It is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again. In the Kinsellas' house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom. But there is something unspoken in this new household--where everything is so well tended to--and this summer must soon come to an end.Claire Keegan's piercing contemporary classic Foster is a heartbreaking story of childhood, loss, and love; now released as a standalone book for the first time ever in the US

It is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again. In the Kinsellas' house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom. But there is something unspoken in this new household--where everything is so well tended to--and this summer must soon come to an end.

A story of astonishing emotional depth now expanded and newly revised in a standalone edition, Foster showcases Claire Keegan's great talent and cements her reputation as one of our most important and prodigious storytellers.

finished reading

I don't think I've ever read a rom-com that tackled deep topics like this one did--both grief and an elective double mastectomy due to BRCA 1 were not stilted.  My only complaint is that Alison's fixation on hiking, even though she hates it, was overdone.  I liked the sunshine/grump trope, and Adam was a well-developed male main character.  I liked the references to trivia nights--I didn't realize that it's still popular. 

From the publisher:

A tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie . . .

When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam’s apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it’ll only take four weekends . . .

But Adam doesn’t want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship . . . if “friendship” means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she's always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?

three on thursday

Thing one:  it is very strange to have no therapy-related telehealth appointments anymore.  After a year of juggling, I don't know what to do with my time.

Thing two: I'm going to talk to the principal about shaking up my school schedule next year.  Since it's my last year, I'd like to do something a little different.

Thing three:  the Civics class is going really well, and I'm having so much fun putting lessons together.  My creative juices are flowing.

wordless wednesday

 

currently

I am...

Reading:  Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer

Listening to: a Heated Rivalry Spotify playlist

Thinking:  I need to get organized for school this week

Feeling:  sleepy

Celebrating: a very good day back from vacation

Grateful for: preparing everything for today in advance

Enjoying: Heated Rivalry on HBO

Weather:  20° and light snow

A quote I want to share: 

finished reading

This was a quick read--and quite a thrill ride.  As a fan of the Housewives franchises, I was instantly drawn into the bitchfest of this wealthy world.  Once I was familiar with the five different narrative points of view, I figured out the tangle of relationships.  The women of Buckhead are scrabbling over pecking order and prestige.  And then there are the husbands: portrayed as dim-witted and devious.  It's a fun way that the whole story weaves together, though.  Not high literature but a great romp.

From the publisher:

Opulence. Sex. Betrayal … Sometimes friendship can be deadly.

Meet the women of Buckhead—a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships.

Shannon was once the queen bee of Buckhead. But she’s been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her politician husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Shannon sets out to take revenge …

Crystal has stepped into Shannon’s old shoes. A young, innocent Texan girl, she simply has no idea what she’s up against …

Olivia has waited years to take Shannon’s crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come. But to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book …

Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients’ secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell?

Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead—and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly. 

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

 

Click the icon to play along

I say, you think...

Word Association. Share what comes to mind when you hear the word ...

1. Biscuit: the first thing I thought of was flaky layered biscuits.  Then I thought of Biscoff--a favorite!

2. Crayon: when my sisters and I were young, we thought we were quite glamorous pretending to smoke with crayons (it was the early '70s)

3. Warmth: ahh--sitting in sun puddles, especially during winter

4. Flip: I keep a prank coin in my desk at school, so when my students want options, I'll flip it and ultimately get my way (heads we work on the assignment, tails we have a free day)

5. Slush: winter in Maine

6. Wing: my first thought was Farrah Fawcett's hair and Aqua Net hairspray

7. Candle: I'm very disappointed that my lease doesn't allow candle burning--wax melts just aren't the same

8. Cinnamon:  Cinnamon & Gunpowder by Eli Brown