Kimberly Hirsh

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 79° F. Me: So like… Short-sleeved sweaters?

Finished reading: Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips 📚

🔥🔥🔥

Finished reading: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase 📚

The. Best. 🔥🔥🔥

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

Lukewarm take: Moominpappa is a terrible parent.

🍿 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.

Finished reading: Captives of the Night by Loretta Chase 📚

So good. Loretta Chase knows the job. 🔥🔥🔥

💬📝 “The best writing is often done by persons who are snatching time from something else.” E. B. White

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.

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

🍿 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:

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

via GIPHY

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

Finished reading: Everything I Left Unsaid by M. O’Keefe 📚

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Finished reading: The Truth About Him by M. O’Keefe 📚

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Unglamorous voting selfie!

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!

🔖 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 📚

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 🔥🔥🔥🔥, almost 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.

💬📚 “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.

🍿 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.

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 ⅜ 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 “I 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, “I KNOW HER!” to a confused, “Why 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?

Finished reading: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston 📚

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. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

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