#MicroblogMondays: Odds & ends

• It seems I am in one of those blogging lulls that rears its head every now & then, where my mind is as blank as the screen in front of me and nothing (or very little) comes to mind to write about, ALI-related or otherwise. I haven't finished any books lately to review. I couldn't even muster up an 8-line #MicroblogMondays post last week. :( Thankfully, these lulls have never lasted too long in the past. (In almost 10 years of blogging, there's never been a month when I haven't posted at least once;  I think two or three posts in one month would be my lowest point.) I trust that this lull will also end, eventually. ;)   
• Hop over to Sue Fagalde Lick's Childless by Marriage blog for the most believe-it-or-not story I think I've heard yet about pronatalism run amok (with the childless woman, as usual, getting the short end of the stick...!)...! (As you might remember, I just came through a long string of dental work myself, so this had me completely cringing...!!) 
• After plowing through season one of "The Crown" on our new Netflix, my next pick was "The Keepers." I devoured all seven episodes over two nights this past week. I love a good true crime story/mystery, and this was extremely well done. As I watched, I realized that my great-aunt had lived in Baltimore during the time the events shown unfolded, and her daughter (my mother's cousin) was the same age as the women in the program -- both she & her husband graduated from (public) high school there in the early 1970s. Beyond the compelling mystery, I absolutely loved seeing all these ordinary 60-something women driving the investigation forward (and doing a better job of it than the police!). And seeing their classmates rise from the ashes of horrible abuse to heal and help others -- one even went back to school in her late 40s and became a lawyer! Girl power, indeed!! :)  Anyone else watch it? 
• I just watched episode 9 of "The Handmaid's Tale" on Bravo Canada last night (episode 10/season finale next Sunday night). There was a scene in the kitchen between Serena Joy, the Commander's wife, and Martha/Rita, the housekeeper/maid that resonated with me: Serena complains that Naomi Putnam (the wife of another commander) has been complaining that her (Handmaid Janine/Ofwarren's) baby girl has been keeping her up at night, since Janine/Ofwarren's departure. "She shouldn't complain about such a blessing," the two women agree bitterly.  (Oh boy, does this sound familiar...)   
• Of course (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!), the main, climactic event of this episode was poor Janine's leap off the bridge, despite Offred/June's best efforts to talk her down. 
• From the Harper's Bazaar recap of this episode:  "Janine was never really going to jump off that bridge with her baby [not so sure about that myself...], but by taking the baby up there with her, she ensured she’d be given the chance to say her piece. A fitting visual reminder of the fact that a woman’s life in Gilead only has value when she’s carrying a baby."  (Boldfaced emphasis theirs, not mine.)  
• From the Baltimore Sun's recap:  "...in this week’s most horrifying moment, we realize that Janine is being kept alive on a thread, if only because she is still a fertile woman who can bear Gilead future children. And if you think they would have made any effort had she been infertile, you have been watching a very different television program that I also may be interested in recapping."  
• Yet another person I know & love has been diagnosed with breast cancer. :(  Her prognosis is good, but still... It's getting scary how many women I know who have fought this battle over the past couple of years. Fuck cancer. :p 
• Over Father's Day weekend, we went to visit FIL, and I called my own dad. There were no movies dh wanted to see on Sunday (our usual choice of avoidance activity on these occasions), and he didn't have any other ideas about how he wanted to spend the day, so I suggested a little road trip to visit Katie. :)  We drove to the cemetery -- which was very busy, but not in the section where she is, thankfully. Then we went for lunch to a little cafe we used to frequent when we lived in the area (they make great chicken caesar wraps), and then to our old favourite haunt, the local mega-bookstore. :)  And then home again. 
• And there... a  post! ;)  (When in doubt, try bullet points, lol.)  So much for blogger's block...! ;)
• ETA:  And, bonus!  Apparently this is post #1,200!! Yikes!! 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.