just finished

 I'm going to link to the original review since I wouldn't change a thing about it--other than to add that this time I listened to it and it was quite a different experience.  It amazes me how the story comes to life in my imagination as I am reading it or listening to it--so different!

My book group will be discussing this on Wednesday and I can't wait!

blog daily challenge

 

Click here for the daily prompts

Feel free to join me--no linky.

Originally seen at Up Close Creative Co's blog. 

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

Animals

1.   What is your favorite animal and why? I like dogs--they have unique personalities and are unconditionally loyal

2.   Are people animals? What separates humans from animals? yes and the cerebral cortex

3.   Which animal is the most dangerous? humans

4.   What should you do if a bear approaches you? freeze

5.   Do you like dogs? Why do people call the dog, man’s best friend? see #1

6.   Do you enjoy going to the zoo? Some people consider zoos to be cruel environments for animals. What do you think? I have only been to a couple of small zoos, nothing too exotic--but generally I am not a fan of the zoo

7.   Where is the best place to see animals in your country? In the world? Route 11

8.   Are you a vegetarian? What makes some people give up eating meat? I have been vegetarian but am not--for me it was a texture thing but now I just avoid the foods with textures I don't like

9.   Which animal is most helpful to humans? bees

10  If you could be any animal (besides human), which animal would you like to be? I would love to be a well-loved dog

11.  Who would win in a fight between a tiger and a lion? I don't know--tigers are bigger so maybe the tiger

12.  What do you think about hunting animals? Would you like to try it? I am not a hunter but I do not mind it if it is a game animal--I am NOT a "trophy hunter" fan

13.   Books like “Watership Down” and “Animal Farm” give animals human characteristics like human thoughts or language. Is this how you think animals really are? Or are those really just stories about people? those are stories about people

14.  Some animals are endangered due to illegal poaching. How do you feel about this issue? poaching is bad, very bad

15.  If we can bring an extinct animal from the past back with genetic engineering, should we do it? Which animals should we bring back? sure, if genetic engineering works then use it! I do not know which animals to bring back

saturday 9

 

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

1) Bette Midler sings that the bugle boy wakes up Company B every morning by playing reveille. What awakened you this morning (phone, alarm clock, sunrise, etc.)? Or did you wake up on your own? one of my neighbors is moving out--and that woke me up

2) This single was produced by Bette's arranger/piano player, who went on to have a successful singing career of his own. Do you have a favorite Barry Manilow song? probably Copacabana because I can't resist singing it

3) Bette was named after Bette Davis. Her sisters, Susan and Judy, were named for Susan Hayward and Judy Garland. So now we know who Mother Midler's favorite actresses were. Who are yours? Meryl Streep, Glen Close, Julianne Moore, Emma Thompson, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence

4) Bette has been married since 1984 to artist Martin von Haselberg. She was 39 years old, already a star, and had never married before. Yet within six weeks of meeting him, she was so sure Martin was "the one" that they tied the knot. Have you found that love takes time, or, like Bette, have you fallen in love quickly? I think when you know, you know

5) When their daughter Sophie was growing up, it was Martin who taught her to cook. What was the last thing you prepared in your kitchen? Did you use the microwave, stovetop, convection oven, blender, coffee maker ...? microwave to heat up beef stroganoff 

 

6) Bette says that listening and compromise have been the key to their happy marriage but adds, "Compromise is hardest of all." On what have you compromised recently? hmmm...I can't think of anything recent

7) Bette and Martin have a farmhouse in upstate New York. She enjoys feeding the chickens (whom she has jokingly named The Kardashians) and puttering in her garden. Do you have a green thumb? I'm infamous for my thumb of death

8) In 1973, the year this song was popular, actor Neil Patrick-Harris was born. He's best known as Barney on How I Met Your Mother, which ran from 2005-2014. Were you a fan? I would watch it occasionally but not regularly

9) Random question -- How often do you put crackers in your soup: Always, often, seldom or never? it depends on the type of soup!  I am a fan of crackers in soup, though.

the friday 56

   The Friday 56

Rules: 

*Grab a book, any book. 

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.) 

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) 

*Post it. 

I'm listening to Anxious People for my book group next Wednesday.

From page 56:

The bank robber often thinks about that to this day.  Not about how terrible it was, but about how odd it is that you can't hate your mom.  That it still doesn't feel like it was her fault.

___________

They were evicted from their apartment the following February, and the bank robber swore never to become a parent, and, when the bank robber ended up becoming a parent anyway, swore never to become a chaotic parent.  The sort who can't cope with being an adult, the sort who can't pay bills and has nowhere to live with their kids.

friday 5

 

Sound tracking

1. What are you listening to? my thoughts
2. What are you hearing? sounds of the post office parking lot across the street
3. What are you turning a deaf ear to? my neighbors' comings and goings
4. What have you recently overheard? not especially juicy gossip
5. To whom have you recently lent an ear? one of my colleagues

three on thursday

  

Click here to play along

Thing one:  It has taken me 23 years to finally take time off from work when I actually need time off.

Thing two:  I love the movie It's Complicated.  It's one of those movies that I always watch if I see it on cable.

Thing three:  I don't have anything planned for the weekend.  It's nice to go into it knowing I'm wide open for anything.

unraveled wednesday

 

Join Kat @ AsKatKnits for some fun!

Just barely starting Romancing Mister Bridgerton (#4 in the series) and working on the Stella shawl (Rav link)

I have to add that this is the BEST garter tab I've ever attempted!  No lumpy bumps!

ten things tuesday

 1) Today, my biggest accomplishment was not giving up on technology.  I know there's some setting that I've missed setting in my electronic grade book that's preventing grades from calculating but I'll be darned if I can figure it out.  At the end of the day, I heard through the grapevine that I'm not the only person with this conundrum.  

2) I don't know what I would do if I had to go a day without technology--I don't know how I could teach my hybrid students without being able to connect to them through technology.  And since I use an e-reader almost exclusively or listen to audiobooks, I would be at a loss.  😒

3) If I had to choose to give up one of my favorite things I would give up my Kindle (which I won last year) because I have more books on my Nook and I would still be able to listen to audiobooks on my phone or iPad.

4) I think I am a lucky person.  I have more good luck than bad.  I never really believed in luck until 2005 when I had pulmonary emboli and my doctor caught it from an offhand remark I made.  Lucky I survived!

5) My students are feeling more comfortable in class.  They are speaking up or asking questions or even correcting me when I make mistakes (which I sometimes do on purpose to show them that it's no big deal to make a mistake).  Today was a good day at school.  Aside from the technology conundrum that hovered in the background all. day. long.

6) I really feel comfortable in my outfit today.  

7)  I should have taken advantage of the "warm" weather today and gone snowshoeing after school.  Instead, I relaxed. Hey--I have a regret!

8) If I had to change careers, I would love to work at a library.  I would love to be a personal shopper.  I think I would be really good at human resources.

9) Tomorrow I have a consultation with the day surgery office for my upcoming colonoscopy.  The thing I like the best (I know, right?) is that the nurse practitioner that I'll be seeing for the consult is a friend of mine that I rarely see--we'll spend the majority of the time gabbing.

10) I'd like to get a pizza this week, it's been a while since I've had it.

finished reading

 

This installment of the Bridgerton story was lots of fun.  The heroine is relegated to the role of lady's maid by her evil stepmother--so the disparity of their social classes was fun to explore.  Can't wait for more.  There were a couple of times that I chuckled out loud.

From the publisher:

Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball—or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Who was that extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers her his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?

currently

 I am...

Reading:  An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3) 

Listening to:  *NSYNC "Bye bye bye"

Loving:  I really love teaching and connecting with students

Thinking:  maybe I'll go to bed early tonight

Feeling:  tired--the good tired

Celebrating:  the life of one of my favorite former students who died in a snowmobile accident

Grateful for:  the technology department at school--they worked some magic today!

Weather: it is 23° and windy

Enjoying:  my recliner

A quote I want to share:

self-care sunday

     

💜💓🧡💛💚

Emotional = one of my favorite former students was killed in a snowmobile accident Friday night.  I have two of his sisters in classes this semester.  My heart is broken.  I've been in contact with several others from his friend group.

Personal = watched the rest of Season 1 of Wild Bill and later I listened to my audiobook and knit

Social = chatted with my bestie

Household = scrubbed the bathroom so it sparkles

Pampering = baked a shepherd's pie so I will have meals for the week

new favorite show

 

sunday stealing

 

Click the icon to play along

Misc questions

1.Which is more romantic: an expensive, glittering bouquet OR flowers that were hand picked as they grew beside the parkway? either would be appreciated

2.Do you know yourself well enough to understand why you feel the way you do? yes

3.Which do you do more often: let movies, songs and books put your feelings into words for you or put your feelings into words by yourself? put my feelings into words by myself

4.Do you believe celebrities when they are endorsing a product? no

5.What kind of movies do you wish were made more often? rom-coms

6.Does fashion matter to you? yes

7.Should politicians be held to the same legal standards as everyone else? yes

8. If you became president, whom would you invite to sing at your inauguration? someone fantastic

9. Do you try to write/say what you are feeling in a true and simple way?  yes

10.What is your worst daily habit? I overlook places that need to be cleaned

11.If you had your choice which one TV show would you have canceled? 

12.Do you like the taste of sweet or salt? they both have their places

13.Are you very precise about what words you use to describe your feelings and thoughts? I try to be

14.What do you feel the most guilty about? oh, I don't know how to articulate it

15.Do you meditate? daily

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

 

Why Did I Choose You?

1) In this song, Barbra Streisand reassures her lover that, if she had it all to do again, she would still choose him. Tell us about a decision you've made that you never, ever regretted. Accepting the one-year teaching position that has since turned into a 23-year career

 

2) The music was composed by Michael Leonard, who studied classical music at Julliard and the Handel Conservatory of Music in Munich. Do you often listen to classical music? not often, but I have some playlists I like to listen to at school when I have to concentrate

3) The lyrics were written by Herbert Martin. He taught music in the NYC public school system and during the summer worked in summer stock. That's how he met and began collaborating with Michael Leonard. Tell us how you met someone important in your life. I met my dearest friends through the drama club in high school--we were drama jocks!  They are our favorite shared memories.

 

4) Ms. Streisand was a very good student, graduating fourth in her class at Erasmus Hall High School when she was only 16. One of Barbra's classmates was Neil Diamond. Do you have a favorite Neil Diamond song? not particularly--of course I will always sing along to Sweet Caroline, it's like the New England anthem

5) While she didn't go on to college, she continued her education by attending two different acting schools simultaneously. Did you enjoy being a student? not especially, unless it's something I'm really interested in studying

 

6) Barbra and her first husband, Elliott Gould, shared a New York apartment over a 5th Avenue restaurant called Oscar's Salt of the Sea. Elliott originated the role of Trapper John in the movie M*A*S*H. On TV, the role of Trapper was played by Wayne Rogers. Can you think of another role that's been played by more than one actor? Darren on Bewitched

7) Oscar's Salt of the Sea has ties to Sesame Street. Jim Henson loved their food and was amused by how inhospitable the owner, Oscar, could be. That's how Oscar the Grouch got his name. Which is your favorite Muppet? Kermit, although I have a very soft spot for Fozzy Bear

8) Back to Barbra ... She is a successful recording artist (nominated for 45 Grammy awards, winning 8) and an Oscar-winning actress, but she's suffered career disappointments, too. In 2010, she read the book Hidden Figures and tried to buy the rights so she could direct the film version. She lost out to fellow Brooklynite, director Theodore Melfi. In 2016, his movie of Hidden Figures was released. Did you see the movie or read the book? yes to both

9) Random question: Your best friend takes up painting and proudly presents her first framed work to you. You think it's atrocious. Would you hang it in your home anyway? yes, I would find an out of the way place to hang it

the friday 56

  The Friday 56

Rules: 

*Grab a book, any book. 

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.) 

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) 

*Post it. 

I'm slowly reading History of the Rain

From 20%:

For her part Grandmother had that no-nonsense Headmistress thing that made her think this man could be Knocked Back into shape, he could be Straightened Out, and with her fine boneage and those awesome elbows Grandmother was a born Knocker and Straightener.

friday 5

 

Every Family Has One

1. Who’s the nastiest flavor in the ice cream parlor? I never cared for rum raisin
2. Which item in the produce aisle is most likely to spoil the party? beets
3. What’s the most embarrassing song by your favorite musician or band? Boomerang II--not U2's finest
4. Which part of your body is always in trouble? my double chins
5. What’s the worst film in your favorite actor’s* filmography? Not a fan of Death Becomes Her, it's just too too.

* “actor” as a non-gender-specific term

three on thursday

 

Click here to play along

Thing one: I got the first shingles shot today.  I was thrilled my new doctor ordered it for me.  

Thing two: This morning's temperature was -16°

Thing three: 

wordless wednesday

 

history in the making

 

There were moments that were wonderful!  Amanda Gorman is one to watch! 

And I really, really love Lady Gaga.

ten things tuesday

 Ten random things:

1) I have a substitute teacher today.  It's been a big disaster.  Even though I'm not in the building and not supposed to have to be doing school work, I'm putting out fires and doing school work.  This sucks.

2) I had my annual physical today (the reason I took the day off) and met my new physician.  He's going to be a very good fit for me, I felt totally comfortable with him.  He's much younger than I expected--not that that's a thing, but I noticed it.  He didn't scold me about weight issues.  We had a very frank conversation about my overall health (which is very good) and the relationship that yo-yo dieting would have on it.  I like that he didn't condescend to me or mansplain.

3) Dr. McFadgen gave me some materials about NAFLD.  I might be in the very early stages.

4) I get to start a new knitting project today.  

5) I finally got my list of 21 for 21 done.  My list of 21 goals for the year--not necessarily resolutions, but some habits I want to work on and some goals I want to meet.

6) My first-born nephew is turning 37 today.  I don't know how that is possible.  Math is fake--the numbers do not add up correctly.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

7) I think I have talked myself into going snowshoeing this afternoon--as soon as I finish this post.  I should take advantage of the sun being out.

8) There are 27 days until staycation.

9) I have been utilizing my local library's digital collection more and more.  Plus, I bought myself a membership to the Brooklyn Public Library and have been using their digital collection.  One of my goals for the year is to spend less on books and borrow more.  The membership to BPL was $50 and I would have spent that already on what I've borrowed.

10) The flowers I bought myself on Saturday look even better now than when I got them.  They make me so happy!

finished reading

I didn't expect this book to be so timely and meaty.  I was prepared for a light chick-lit.  There are themes of mental illness, sexual abuse, infidelity, counter-balanced by friendship, family, and finding one's voice.  And it reminded me of my days on AOL's message boards.  Are message boards still a thing??

From the publisher:

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. When Eliza Hunt created The Hudson Valley Ladies’ Bulletin Board fifteen years ago she was happily entrenched in her picture-perfect suburban life with her husband and twin preschoolers. Now, with an empty nest and a crippling case of agoraphobia, the once-fun hobby has become her lifeline. So when a rival parenting forum threatens the site’s existence, she doesn’t think twice before fabricating a salacious rumor to spark things up a bit.

It doesn’t take long before that spark becomes a flame.

Across town, new mom and site devotee Olivia York is thrown into a tailspin by what she reads on the Bulletin Board. Allison Le is making cyber friends with a woman who isn’t quite who she says she is. And Amanda Cole, Eliza’s childhood friend, may just hold the key to unearthing why Eliza can’t step out of her front door.

In all this chaos, one thing is for sure…Hudson Valley will never be the same.

Funny, romantic, raw, and hopeful, this is a story about being a woman and of the healing power of sisterhood.

currently

I am...

Reading:  An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3) and Eliza Starts a Rumor

Listening to:  Eliza Starts a Rumor

Loving:  my membership to the Brooklyn Public Library, I am making good use of it

Thinking:  about my upcoming physical appointment

Feeling:  relaxed

Celebrating:  I'm reflecting on the Black Lives Matter movement and my own inherent racism

Grateful for:  an extra couple of days off--I took the whole day off tomorrow for my physical appointment

Weather: it is 26° and dreary

Enjoying:  the hat I'm knitting--it's fun

A quote I want to share: