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Monday, March 18, 2019

#MicroblogMondays: Odds & ends


  • I know I've done a lot of "odds & ends" posts lately, but I seriously could not think of one specific thing I could build a #MM post around... so you get a brain dump. Again.  :p  ;)  
  • Today was the first day in a loooonnnngggg time that felt a bit like spring. The sky was blue and the temp, while a touch chilly, was a few degrees above 0C ( = 30sF), which felt positively balmy after the cold snaps we've had lately...! 
  • As I mentioned here, I started reading "Russian Roulette" by Michael Isikoff & David Corn at the end of February, thinking the release of the Mueller report was imminent and wanting to be up to speed on the subject (Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election).  
    • That was three weeks ago -- still no Mueller report (*sob!*) -- and frankly, I just could not get into it. It was well written and researched, but I was finding it hard to motivate myself to pick it up. Maybe I've just had quite enough of that particular topic at the moment.  ;)  
  • So I set that one aside for the time being, and picked up the next book in my pile: "Where'd You Go Bernadette" by Maria Semple.  I bought it when it first came out in paperback, and moved it up when I heard the movie version (with Cate Blanchett as Bernadette!) was being released this weekend. 
    • Alas -- I Googled tonight to see if it would be playing anywhere near me -- only to discover the release date has been pushed back to August. Boo, hiss.... 
    • Nevertheless, I've started reading the book & (one not-particularly-funny joke about Canadians aside) am quite enjoying it so far. Much lighter & easier going than "Russian Roulette," lol.
  • BIL, SIL, dh & I went to see "Apollo 11" this past weekend -- a documentary about the first moon landing, featuring some amazing newly found footage. Dh & BIL were enthralled. I really enjoyed it too. (SIL fell asleep... not quite her thing, lol.)  It was produced in part by CNN, which tells me it will likely show up there sooner or later, but I'm very glad I got to see it on the big screen. (I've heard that IMAX is the ideal way to see it, if you can!) 
  • Like many of you (most? all?? -- I hope...), I was horrified by the terrorist shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, late last week, and the murder of 50 innocent people in a house of worship. And so very impressed by the way the country and its leaders are handling the situation. Of course I was thinking about Mali, as well as my penpal of 42 (!!) years, who lives in Auckland. Mali's post at her other blog, A Separate Life, is a must-read. 

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

4 comments:

  1. I love your odds and ends! And oooh! Where'd You Go, Bernadette is on my Favorite Books bookshelf. I actually bought a second copy because I'd lent my original to someone who never returned it, and was so sad I had to buy it again to have it at my disposal. I can't wait to hear what you think of it!
    And yes, spring seems to be coming...maybe. I was somewhat demoralized to wake up to a good 2 inches of snow this morning after some greening up of the marsh and a new influx of spring birds. Oh March, you trickster.

    And yes, yes, yes, Mali's post on the tragedy in New Zealand is a must read. I was so heartbroken by that news. I don't understand how you can have that much hate to obliterate people who are praying, in what is supposed to be a safe space. The world feels so unsettled, but I'm glad there's more focus on the victims and the helpers than the perpetrator, although he's doing his best to keep spewing his hate. Ugh.

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  2. I look to you for book recommendations (just finished Columbine -- so overwhelming!) so now I'm checking out Bernadette.

    Agreed on Mali's post. I couldn't even leave a comment there (though I did on NoKidding) because I could not find the words.

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  3. First, I have to thank you for your support. You were the first of my overseas friends to acknowledge it to me, and that meant a lot.

    I also love your odds and ends posts. I did have to chuckle that temperatures just above 0 feel like spring. That would be the deepest darkest winter for us! lol I'm glad you get to enjoy the warming of your part of the planet.

    Also, thanks for the Bernadette recommendation. I knew nothing about it or the film, so I'm going to hunt it down too.

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    1. I quite enjoyed it! (See review, next post after this one.) I will be interested to see how it gets translated to film, though!

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