Well hello there! I won’t even bother checking how long it’s been since I’ve written an update this newsletter… I’ll just say that I had a lovely spur-of-the moment* lunch with a friend last week, and we talked books and work and kids and life, and she said she missed the newsletter!
*Seriously, we were texting and somehow managed to both be available for lunch the very. next. day. Unheard of! Seems like mostly I have to make plans 3 weeks in advance these days.
So, what’s new with me? TLDR: I’ve been reading like a maniac, not running nearly as much as I’d like, and we got a new puppy!
Watching: Oh my goodness, it has been a Marvel movie marathon around my house for the past few months. My kids never used to like matching movies, but since the pandemic we’ve gone deep on a number of series: Avatar, Star Wars (& Mando of course), and now Marvel. We watched all the movies in chronological order, Loki, What If, and we’re currently working our way through Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Listening: You know me, always cruising around Springfield with nerdy podcasts going at 1.5 speed 😂 … I really liked the Best Books of 2021 episode from 10 Things to Tell You podcast.
Reading: Speaking of my kids getting obsessed with series… they are also currently both loving the Amulet graphic novel (manga?) series. They are insistent that I read it too! There aren’t too many books that a 2nd grader and 6th grader would fight over, so there’s a rec if you’re looking for a book for the upper-elementary/young middle-schooler in your life.
As for me, I just finished reading Blindsighted, the first in a series of thriller/mystery novels by Karin Slaughter. It was a good, really quick read but - as I told my friend that recommended it to me - “Are all the crimes as gory as they are in the first book? I think I’m more of a cozy mystery person.”
Luckily I just got the latest Louise Penny book from the library, so I’m looking forward to snuggling back into the cozy world of Three Pines very soon.
Running, etc: I ran the Bass Pro half marathon in early November and even though my time wasn’t terrible, I feel awful at the end of it. I think I was trying not to puke when I took this picture. Since then, I’ve just kind of lost my mojo when it comes to exercising, so, yes, my pants are fitting a little tighter but also I just feel crummy when I’m not moving my body on a regular basis. So I’ve been trying to figure out a gentle way to prod myself back into that routine.
Holidays: Planning how to survive travel with a puppy and keep her from chewing up everyone’s furniture. Good thing she’s cute!
How are YOU??? I would love to hear.
Yay!! This made my day!