November 6, 2024

On November 9, 2016, I took my one month old baby to the New Parents Group at my doula’s office. Parents and babies sat together and unpacked and grieved election results. Today, I will go to work as a school librarian and hold children in the light.

ThredUp: It’s sweater weather. Weather forecast: It’s going to be 79Β° F. Me: So like… Short-sleeved sweaters?

November 5, 2024

Finished reading: Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips πŸ“š

πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯

November 2, 2024

Finished reading: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase πŸ“š

The. Best. πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯

November 1, 2024

The Cure might not be goth, but I am, and I’m excited about their new album.

October 31, 2024

Lukewarm take: Moominpappa is a terrible parent.

October 30, 2024

🍿 I have watched more Hallmark and Hallmark-style autumnal movies:

  • October Kiss
  • Haunted Wedding
  • You Cast a Spell on Me

The most fun thing with these is recognizing people who had recurring roles on shows you love.

October 29, 2024

Finished reading: Captives of the Night by Loretta Chase πŸ“š

So good. Loretta Chase knows the job. πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯

πŸ’¬πŸ“ “The best writing is often done by persons who are snatching time from something else.” E. B. White

October 28, 2024

I have voted. I have given to two giving circles aimed at moving state legislatures in the direction I want them to go. I am finding that even micro.blog is not doing great for my peace of mind in light of the US election. So I’m going to take a break from timelines.

October 24, 2024

That feeling when you’re cited in the book you’re reading to tell you how to do your job better.

October 23, 2024

🍿 Watched Autumn at Apple Hill.

🍿 Watched Autumn at Apple Hill.

I wanted made-for-TV Christmas movie vibes without succumbing to the early Christmas fervor, because I adore autumn and Halloween. So I hunted around and found Autumn at Apple Hill, which checks so many boxes for this kind of movie:

βœ… adorable small family business
βœ… event planning
βœ… charming small hometown
βœ… workaholic Suit Man
βœ… save the place!
βœ… neighborhood holiday Halloween party
βœ… developers hotel chain
βœ… charming hotel
βœ… guy she went to high school with

via GIPHY

Is it fine art? Nope. Does it get the job done? It sure does.

October 21, 2024

October 19, 2024

Unglamorous voting selfie!

October 16, 2024

Fan Studies Network North America 2024 starts tomorrow. It’s one of my favorite conferences. Between work and parenting, I don’t know how much I’ll actually get to, but I hope I at least get to some of it!

πŸ”– Read Spinning your wheels by Annie Mueller.

This is a great read. Sometimes the only way out is through, and the only way through is patience, and that can feel really hard.

Finished reading: You Had Me at Happy Hour by Timothy Janovsky πŸ“š

Of course Timothy Janovsky can write a book that has incredible mental illness & neurodiversity rep, is adorable, and scorches, all at the same time. A very hot πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯, almost πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯.

October 14, 2024

πŸ’¬πŸ“š “His brain doesn’t work like everyone else’s, so he’s largely stopped expecting understanding from others.” Timothy Janovsky, You Had Me at Happy Hour

We love a romance between two neurosparkly kings.

October 13, 2024

🍿 Watched John Carpenter’s The Thing. I love practical effects so much.

🍿 Also watched They Live. A very different flavor of Carpenter. Two great tastes that taste great together!

I love the idea of week notes or month notes but honestly the rhythm of my life is such that neither one quite works for me. I might play with life notes, sharing stuff whenever but trying to share more.

Fortnight notes, 9/30/24 - 10/13/24

Trying fortnight notes today.

I finally got W’s fancy watch back to him, with a nice new battery and glass that isn’t cracked. A belated anniversary present but handled all the same.

I had grand dreams of embracing my Jew-ishness (the hyphen is there because while I’m ethnically β…œ Jewish, my family assimilated so thoroughly that I am completely disconnected from the plurality of my heritage) by making a Cheerwine brisket for Rosh Hashanah but was thwarted by migraines.

On October 5, W and I built our 12 foot skeleton with the help of our neighbor and in the evening, I went to see & Juliet with our friend who has gotten tickets from some friends of hers who couldn’t use them. I wasn’t sure I would like it because jukebox musicals rarely work for me, but it was a lot of fun. The second act has more ballads in a row than I would have liked but overall it was a great time.

One of M’s friends was born the exact same day as him. We went to her birthday party which was Taylor Swift-themed with karaoke. Many of the other guests were students I work with and their families. I was the first grown up to actually do karaoke. I sang β€œI Can Do It with a Broken Heart” and while I didn’t do as well as I wanted to, people said nice things. Kid reactions ranged from saying to a parent with pride, β€œI KNOW HER!” to a confused, β€œWhy is the school librarian singing?” A couple parents said I was so brave to get up there and I told them that I’m a karaoke hustler (not actually, I’m a ringer if a DJ knows me and needs somebody to jump in with an upbeat song but I’ve never participated in a contest) who’s spent lots of money on voice lessons, so that made it easier.

On the way home from the party, I took M to Fresh Market and he picked out a delicious vanilla cake from their bakery to have as we celebrated with W’s mom. When we got home, we finished building a big trampoline which was M’s main birthday present.

The next day was M’s actual birthday and we gave him quite a few books, a LEGO Friends cat playground set, and the Pokemon Battle Academy box that teaches you how to play the trading card game.

It was a mostly normal work week. Friday was a staff development day so M got to stay home with W while I went in and caught up on some work and learned about the development of our campus safety plan.

Then I ran errands! I picked up library holds and a new belt and returned a nightgown I didn’t love. This was big as I’d been sitting on these errands a little while.

Saturday we went as a family to a local farm that does a corn maze and hayrides, has a spooky nature trail, and lets you pick your own pumpkins. It was a gorgeous day and we were outside for about 4 hours.

Today, W and I went to the local theater’s horror series and saw The Thing and They Live. I ate way too much popcorn and have felt pretty gross tonight. Next time, no popcorn or a smaller order of popcorn.

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

October 12, 2024

Finished reading: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston πŸ“š

I love it. I’m a sucker for a second-chance romance. Casey McQuiston always does a great job. This book made me want to eat and travel and love with my whole heart. πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯

October 11, 2024

My website should be automatically cross-posting to Threads now. Hi Threads friends! (Hi everyone else, too.)