Life Report
Or maybe I shoulda called this post "life support?" Because my life is being held together by duct tape and cookies?
Just back after a six day (48 hour) work week. Yes. Six full 8hr days in a row. I know in the "real" world, there's nothing exceptional about this. There are industries and such that work 60-80hr work weeks. But I am spoiled and I don't like this six day work week thing. Plus, I haven't been sleeping all that well lately for worrying about the stupid event that had me working that extra 8hrs so color me crabby right now.
We restarted our annual Genealogy Fair this weekend and it was a booger. No, it turned out great, but the prep and junk for the thing? A booger. We're all walking around like zombies today, lest you think it's just me being held together with duct tape. I'm not sure if anyone else patched up their feelings with cookies yesterday, so I can't speak for what else is holding them together. But I used cookies. Homemade chocolate chip, if you must know. ;-)
So yes, a lot of my life lately has been sucked up in planning exhibits, pulling materials, coordinating student assistants, performing CPR on my boss's shot nerves and anxiety, filling in for other people, etc. Exhaustion. We pulled together and pulled it off, though, and that's what matters.
Some good things have been happening in the midst of all the stress, too, though. Like reading. I read two or three books, one of which I highly recommend. The Invisible Girls by Sarah Therbarge is a memoire written by a cancer survivor and her experiences in beating cancer twice and befriending a Somalian family. It was inspiring, poignant and heartwarming. The book is the recommended read in the university's summer reading program and is the first of such that I've actually read. If you're into non-fiction/memoirs, go read it. :-)
I also finally pushed myself past the first few pages of a series romance that I started reading a while back and kept putting off because I was frustrated with it. Not going to say that I loved it (so I'm not gonna name it) but I managed to finish it and feel okay about it. My initial frustration was that it seems contrived and a little stereotypical romance (which annoys me, the older I get) but thankfully it did get out of that within the first chapter. The thing that kept me from loving it was...well, the characters just weren't all that interesting and both a little whiney pants. And, well, I have enough of my own whine in my head. I don't need a fictional character's whine, too. And both were so wishy washy. I'm still not a 100% sure why they fell in love with each other since most of the story was, "he/she's so hot/beautiful but I don't want this complication so it can never happen" then they'd kiss/have sex and start over from the top. This lasted right up to the last couple pages of the last chapter when they simultaneously had their moments of clarification and decided they needed to get married. It was, however, really good at helping me get back to sleep on those nights I didn't sleep well. haha The real disappointment is that this was from an author I normally love to read AND it's part of a mini-series of which I've already bought the next book.
One thing I'm struggling with in reading lately is that a lot of the characters and their stories are lacking depth. It's a lot like watching the Kardashians--mildly entertaining but completely shallow. And I could live without depth in novels if the events themselves were fun or dramatic or whatever. But the stories are straight up blah. Been there, read that, shelved the book. I need a book to entertain me. Not make me want to eat more cookies.
But oh, oh! Read Mindy Kaling's sort of-memoire, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? I call it a "sort of-memoire" because it's memoire-ish but it's also just some classic Mindy Kaling humor as she reflects on life in general. And if you don't know who Mindy Kaling is, she's a writer/actress who created/writes/stars in The Mindy Project which I LOVE. (Tuesdays on Fox) The book is fantastically funny. She even manages to make some rather deep subjects humorous in a Mindy way. I bought the paperback version during a break from the staff conference a few weeks ago and had it read in nearly an evening. Giggle worthy but also identifiable. You wouldn't think a lower middle class, white, southern, Baptist woman would have all that much in common with an upper middle class, Indian, yankee, Hindu woman but it just goes to show that we're all just women at our core and we all struggle with similar issues.
I also watched a few movies recently that were pretty fantastic. Admissions with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd was actually really great. I wasn't sure about it from the previews but it's really fun and also really relatable. And of course, I love Paul Rudd, so there's that.
Also watched Enough Said, with Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and James Gandolfini. While there were moments that I wanted to slap Julia's character, overall, it was a really good relationship film. Plus, James Gandolfini. I never watched the Sopranos, but he was a stellar actor. Loved him in this.
Wild Target is another sort of off beat movie that I wasn't sure I'd like but ended up enjoying. It was rather slow for me to get into and a lot of the humor is subtle, but if you love British comedies, you'll love this. Stars Emily Blunt who I sort of want to be when I grow up. haha
On the baking front, you may have noticed from the "Week In Pictures" post that I experimented with Jessica's recipe for pretzel dogs and ended up making just three dogs and several soft pretzels. I'd been intimidated about making pretzels though I've seen numerous recipes. It looked/sounded to haaaaaaarrrrrrddd. And the whole boiling the dough thing? Scary bidness when you're me. But the concept of a homemade pretzel dog tipped me over the edge from intimidated to "I hafta try this!" So last Sunday evening I pulled out the flour and the Johnsonville sausages I'd bought and got to it. Turns out it's not that much more difficult than making pizza dough. And the boiling thing couldn't be easier. I mean, it's boiling water with baking soda and dipping some dough in. Why did this scare me before? lol The recipe came out beautifully--they actually tasted like soft pretzels! Imagine that! haha
Other than that, though, I have not done much cooking/baking lately. For the past several weeks I've been doing Lean Cuisine's and Smart One's for supper. I just have been so tired every day when I get home that I just haven't felt like cooking. In the back of my mind I also keep thinking that if I eat stuff like that (portion controlled low calorie) that it'll help me lose weight. And I did lose a pound last week. Pretty sure it was just water, though.
I did bake those chocolate chip cookies Friday night because I needed them if I wanted to make it through Saturday. Food as a Band-Aid. Typical fat girl stuff.
ANYWAY, the rest of life lately has been Libby kisses and mind numbing television. Speaking of television, though...
LONGMIRE'S BACK. And if you don't know, Longmire is the hottie Wyoming sherrif on A&E. think Gunsmoke for the modern age. If Matt Dillon had a dark back story and smoldered, that is.
I mean, YUM. :-D
Super excited that Pretty Little Liars returns tomorrow, as well. In fact, I'm silly enough that I chose to use my comp day (from having worked Saturday) tomorrow just so I can watch the marathon leading up to the summer premier. hehehe
Oh! And Major Crimes returns to TNT tonight!! Not to mention Rizzoli and Isles returns next week.
I'm pretty stoked about some summer television, if you hadn't noticed. Remember when summer television meant repeats? Man, how bad we had it back in the day. Summer repeats are to me what barefoot in the snow and uphill both ways is to my parents/grandparents. haha
Okay, so that pretty much taps out what my life has been like lately. Nothing terribly exciting.
This week I aim to get back to my stack shifting project. As in, the project that was supposed to be completed by June 30th. Um, maybe I'll get it completed by June 30, 2015? Yeah. I'm gonna go with that. I mean, they never actually gave me a YEAR. 0:-)
Just back after a six day (48 hour) work week. Yes. Six full 8hr days in a row. I know in the "real" world, there's nothing exceptional about this. There are industries and such that work 60-80hr work weeks. But I am spoiled and I don't like this six day work week thing. Plus, I haven't been sleeping all that well lately for worrying about the stupid event that had me working that extra 8hrs so color me crabby right now.
We restarted our annual Genealogy Fair this weekend and it was a booger. No, it turned out great, but the prep and junk for the thing? A booger. We're all walking around like zombies today, lest you think it's just me being held together with duct tape. I'm not sure if anyone else patched up their feelings with cookies yesterday, so I can't speak for what else is holding them together. But I used cookies. Homemade chocolate chip, if you must know. ;-)
So yes, a lot of my life lately has been sucked up in planning exhibits, pulling materials, coordinating student assistants, performing CPR on my boss's shot nerves and anxiety, filling in for other people, etc. Exhaustion. We pulled together and pulled it off, though, and that's what matters.
Some good things have been happening in the midst of all the stress, too, though. Like reading. I read two or three books, one of which I highly recommend. The Invisible Girls by Sarah Therbarge is a memoire written by a cancer survivor and her experiences in beating cancer twice and befriending a Somalian family. It was inspiring, poignant and heartwarming. The book is the recommended read in the university's summer reading program and is the first of such that I've actually read. If you're into non-fiction/memoirs, go read it. :-)
I also finally pushed myself past the first few pages of a series romance that I started reading a while back and kept putting off because I was frustrated with it. Not going to say that I loved it (so I'm not gonna name it) but I managed to finish it and feel okay about it. My initial frustration was that it seems contrived and a little stereotypical romance (which annoys me, the older I get) but thankfully it did get out of that within the first chapter. The thing that kept me from loving it was...well, the characters just weren't all that interesting and both a little whiney pants. And, well, I have enough of my own whine in my head. I don't need a fictional character's whine, too. And both were so wishy washy. I'm still not a 100% sure why they fell in love with each other since most of the story was, "he/she's so hot/beautiful but I don't want this complication so it can never happen" then they'd kiss/have sex and start over from the top. This lasted right up to the last couple pages of the last chapter when they simultaneously had their moments of clarification and decided they needed to get married. It was, however, really good at helping me get back to sleep on those nights I didn't sleep well. haha The real disappointment is that this was from an author I normally love to read AND it's part of a mini-series of which I've already bought the next book.
One thing I'm struggling with in reading lately is that a lot of the characters and their stories are lacking depth. It's a lot like watching the Kardashians--mildly entertaining but completely shallow. And I could live without depth in novels if the events themselves were fun or dramatic or whatever. But the stories are straight up blah. Been there, read that, shelved the book. I need a book to entertain me. Not make me want to eat more cookies.
But oh, oh! Read Mindy Kaling's sort of-memoire, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? I call it a "sort of-memoire" because it's memoire-ish but it's also just some classic Mindy Kaling humor as she reflects on life in general. And if you don't know who Mindy Kaling is, she's a writer/actress who created/writes/stars in The Mindy Project which I LOVE. (Tuesdays on Fox) The book is fantastically funny. She even manages to make some rather deep subjects humorous in a Mindy way. I bought the paperback version during a break from the staff conference a few weeks ago and had it read in nearly an evening. Giggle worthy but also identifiable. You wouldn't think a lower middle class, white, southern, Baptist woman would have all that much in common with an upper middle class, Indian, yankee, Hindu woman but it just goes to show that we're all just women at our core and we all struggle with similar issues.
I also watched a few movies recently that were pretty fantastic. Admissions with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd was actually really great. I wasn't sure about it from the previews but it's really fun and also really relatable. And of course, I love Paul Rudd, so there's that.
Also watched Enough Said, with Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and James Gandolfini. While there were moments that I wanted to slap Julia's character, overall, it was a really good relationship film. Plus, James Gandolfini. I never watched the Sopranos, but he was a stellar actor. Loved him in this.
Wild Target is another sort of off beat movie that I wasn't sure I'd like but ended up enjoying. It was rather slow for me to get into and a lot of the humor is subtle, but if you love British comedies, you'll love this. Stars Emily Blunt who I sort of want to be when I grow up. haha
On the baking front, you may have noticed from the "Week In Pictures" post that I experimented with Jessica's recipe for pretzel dogs and ended up making just three dogs and several soft pretzels. I'd been intimidated about making pretzels though I've seen numerous recipes. It looked/sounded to haaaaaaarrrrrrddd. And the whole boiling the dough thing? Scary bidness when you're me. But the concept of a homemade pretzel dog tipped me over the edge from intimidated to "I hafta try this!" So last Sunday evening I pulled out the flour and the Johnsonville sausages I'd bought and got to it. Turns out it's not that much more difficult than making pizza dough. And the boiling thing couldn't be easier. I mean, it's boiling water with baking soda and dipping some dough in. Why did this scare me before? lol The recipe came out beautifully--they actually tasted like soft pretzels! Imagine that! haha
Other than that, though, I have not done much cooking/baking lately. For the past several weeks I've been doing Lean Cuisine's and Smart One's for supper. I just have been so tired every day when I get home that I just haven't felt like cooking. In the back of my mind I also keep thinking that if I eat stuff like that (portion controlled low calorie) that it'll help me lose weight. And I did lose a pound last week. Pretty sure it was just water, though.
I did bake those chocolate chip cookies Friday night because I needed them if I wanted to make it through Saturday. Food as a Band-Aid. Typical fat girl stuff.
ANYWAY, the rest of life lately has been Libby kisses and mind numbing television. Speaking of television, though...
LONGMIRE'S BACK. And if you don't know, Longmire is the hottie Wyoming sherrif on A&E. think Gunsmoke for the modern age. If Matt Dillon had a dark back story and smoldered, that is.
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Super excited that Pretty Little Liars returns tomorrow, as well. In fact, I'm silly enough that I chose to use my comp day (from having worked Saturday) tomorrow just so I can watch the marathon leading up to the summer premier. hehehe
Oh! And Major Crimes returns to TNT tonight!! Not to mention Rizzoli and Isles returns next week.
I'm pretty stoked about some summer television, if you hadn't noticed. Remember when summer television meant repeats? Man, how bad we had it back in the day. Summer repeats are to me what barefoot in the snow and uphill both ways is to my parents/grandparents. haha
Okay, so that pretty much taps out what my life has been like lately. Nothing terribly exciting.
This week I aim to get back to my stack shifting project. As in, the project that was supposed to be completed by June 30th. Um, maybe I'll get it completed by June 30, 2015? Yeah. I'm gonna go with that. I mean, they never actually gave me a YEAR. 0:-)
Comments
My biggest nit in reading these days, as you may have seen from last week's post, is the (excessive) use of "just then." A plus in Nora Robert's and John Steinbeck's favor -- neither used it in their books.
As for movies, Enough Said looked good, but I have never been a JLD fan. For more of what I've watched recently, see today's Thursday 13.
It's funny, too, that you mnetion how rough it was "back in the day" with summer repeats. Alice has a great T13 today related to that, one of the items of which is, "only four channels -- unless you had cable."
Not having cable, I usually get 14 channels. Usually, but not lately. My antenna seems to need replacing. It's only measuring 20-25% power (on a good day) and isn't picking up the FOX channels right now. Which would be fine if it weren't for reruns of TBBT. :(
We didn't get satellite until I was a junior or senior in high school so I recall the four channel pity party, as well. lol I listened to a lot more music and read a whole lot more back then. If not for a precious few shows, I could probably give up satellite. Would definitely love to live without the expense. :-/ Unfortunately, we only have eight over air stations, maybe. And three of those are weird little old black and white TV show rerun stations.