Monday, August 12
- Book: Evening Class
- Chapters: Finishing up Kathy, then lets seeeee
- Location: Front Stoop
- Smoking: Copy Kat
What I’m listening to:
Did I cry?
Yes, but it was related to music nostalgia.
Thoughts while reading (could be about the book, could not):
First up, as you can see, I created a new playlist. It ain’t nothing special. Just an album by Fun. Smashed up with an album by Vampire Weekend. This playlist is all about the vibes, y’all.
Before, I was reading, and after I was desk working, I went outside and did some yard work. Today, I did hedge trimming and some light weeding.
I do light weeding every day if we’re being honest.
Goddammit, that reads like a joke, but I didn’t mean it that way. I meant it about actual weeds, y’all. Every day on my walkabouts, I do a little bit of weeding each time. That way, work like today isn’t too terribly overwhelming.
Except it is. There are still so many weeds.
Good thing I do some light weeding to deal with it, iykwim. (ok, that one was a joke)
I had fun hedge trimming. I think I made Victor’s bush kind of heart-shaped. I will let you be the judge.
And now I will go read.
Oh, here is something odd.
The other morning, I realized the following:
- I have been reading books set in Ireland all year
- I decided to start learning Irish in the mornings
- Now I am reading a book where the characters live in Ireland
- And are learning to speak Italian
And I know they got to take a trip at the end.
I wish that’s how my year would be ending. With a trip to Ireland to go see some of the places in these books and use the new language I’m learning. (Look, I know they don’t really speak it anymore, but the street signs and all that are Irish still!)
Now, I am done with Kathy and will move on to Lou until Mickey gets home and tells me about his day.
Living at the Professor Haus is pretty sweet.
New birds heard:
The Fun Vampires (and my singing along) are too loud for birbs, y’all.
Tuesday, August 13
- Book: Evening Class
- Chapters: Connie, then whoever is next
- Location: Actual backyard. IN the grass. If I look over my shoulder, I can see the river
- Smoking: Mishmash
What I’m listening to:
Did I cry?
No!
Thoughts while reading (could be about the book, could not):
Today, I started putting together the packages for my monthly lollipop subscription.
Since it is my birthday month, they get tiny things:
Aren’t they so cute? I made them in ceramics class. I asked Nadga what the smallest mold she had was, and it was this collection of turkeys, duckies, and swans, maybe? Or all ducks and turkeys.
All of my founding suckers get one of these in their surprise packets this month, and I’ve been so excited to share them. Like, the tiniest one is the size of my pinkie fingernail.
I am thinking about giving them all names and backstories before I send them out.
Enough babbling; now I shall read.
I forget how many characters went through similar things to me in this book. First Fran having Kathy young. Now, in Connie’s chapter, I’m reminded that she, like me, lost her dad quite suddenly when she was young.
Even though I didn’t realize it until now, these characters are probably the reason I love this book so much and have read it repeatedly.
Hell, I even relate to Aiden and Signora. All of the characters are me.
I’ve been here the whole time.
Ok, please stop here if you don’t want to hear dark thoughts. (you can skip ahead to the birb section, though. something delightful happened today).
I know it is my OCD that makes my brain do this, but how many times do you imagine yourself dying per day?
I don’t mean in, like, a suicidal way where you’re planning something out. What I mean is a bee getting near you, imagining you get stung, and having never been stung before, you find out you’re allergic and die because no one is home to hear the screams coming out of your quickly swelling throat.
But then I look around and soak in my surroundings and realize this would be an okay way/place to die.
Or in the way where you get up from the toilet in your bathroom, and every single time, you picture yourself accidentally ramming your head into the corner of the counter. It is perfectly placed to do just that, you think it every time.
Every time, I also think how bad I would feel for Mickey to have to deal with both my death and all of that blood. None of which is glitter. Thank goodness. What a mess that would be!
Or how every time you trip on the way out the front door you imagine your momentum compounding upon itself and propelling you all the way out the door, past the stoop, over the stairs, landing facefirst on the side walk, nose, brains and the rest of it splattered everywhere.
And don’t even get me started on the shower thoughts!
I know the root of this is in my OCD and knowing that makes these thoughts easy to deal with. Which is good, because when I am disregulated they come up A LOT. And I am disregulated naturally at two different times in my menstrual cycle, so it makes for a fun month.
I just wondered how ofter y’all have thoughts like that? I don’t ever really hear anyone else talk about it and I know I can’t be the only one. It’s just that they are scary thoughts to have and even scarier to talk about.
Here is a line of nice writing to buffer the dark thoughts.
New birds heard:
They are not new, but I heard the “Jack White Rainbow” of birds:
Northern Cardinal (The White Stripes Red)
American Goldfinch (Third Man Records Yellow)
Blue Jay (Jack White Solo Career Blue)
Friday, August 16
- Book: Evening Class
- Chapters: Laddy
- Location: Front stoop
- Smoking: Blueberry something or other
What I’m listening to:
Did I cry?
Yes, Laddy is so pure.
Thoughts while reading (could be about the book, could not):
First up, the new Jack White album is pretty perfect. I’ve been listening to it a lot lately. It feels the most like The White Stripes since he’s gone solo. Have you listened? What are your thoughts? I have only talked to huge Jack White fans about it, so I am interested to hear what normies think of it.
It gets me so hype.
Today, a random box of chips arrived at my house. These chips to be exact. I am not sure who is responsible, but I do have a few suspects.
Oh, so the book – it’s still A+. This book just gives me a warm happy feeling because most of the main characters are good people. I like reading about good people, but I normally prefer to watch bad people on tv and movies.
I have been thinking a lot about the way I read as someone with aphantasia lately. I think it is why I love words so much. I guess people with the ability to visualize see whole movies play out in front of their eyes while reading. Not me; I just got the words up in front of me. So, I guess I really get a chance to appreciate the art of writing in that way.
You know the way words fit together and which sentences feel musical.
Reading is one of my favorite pastimes, even though I don’t experience the same as everyone else.
New birds heard:
No birbs today, yo. But I may be making friends with a squirrel.
