Right now

Right now... (an occasional meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current")

Reading:  After zooming through 6 (!) books in July, I read a grand total of ONE book in August (reviewed on this blog): 

• I Love Dick by Chris Kraus (the Gateway Women book club pick for August). Group consensus was mixed, albeit a few people were more impressed with it than I was.  
• Our next group read will be Up Beaver Creek by Sue Fagalde Lick, who blogs at Childless by Marriage as well as Unleashed in Oregon. (Sue recently lost her father;  go over & give her a virtual hug!)  

My Goodreads 2019 Reading Challenge YTD total now stands at 29 books -- 5 more than my goal of 24 (121%).  :)

Current reads:  

• American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump by Tim Alberta. (It's actually pretty good, quite readable for a political book... but it's long -- almost 700 pages! -- so it's taking me a while to get through...!) 
• The Vagina Bible by Dr. Jen Gunter. (See below.)  

(Some) recent purchases/additions to the TBR pile: 

•  Dead Blondes & Bad Mothers by Sady Doyle
• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
• The Wake: The Deadly Legacy of a Newfoundland Tsunami by Linden MacIntyre (a well-known Canadian broadcast journalist & writer) 

Watching: Dh, BIL & SIL & I went to see "Blinded by the Light" a few weeks ago -- about a teenaged Pakistani boy in Margaret Thatcher's Britain of the 1980s, who improbably becomes a Bruce Springsteen superfan (based on a true story). It was corny but really cute, and of course there was all that glorious music. :)  Watching it, I was reminded of the early days of our relationship, with dh playing his Springsteen albums (on cassettes, even!) for me in his dorm room and singing along with them to me. :)  We all left with smiles on our faces. 

I also watched the last few episodes of season 3 of "The Handmaid's Tale." The finale was quite satisfying in most respects, the last 20 minutes or so had me sniffling, and I will look forward to season 4, whenever it arrives. (Although seriously, how many times can June ALMOST get out of Gilead??)  (Looking forward to: getting & reading "The Testaments," Margaret Atwood's sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, which continues the saga of Gilead, albeit not Offred's story. Expected publication date: Sept. 10th.) 

Wondering (on a related note...):  (a) Whether I have time to read Donna Tartt's "The Goldfinch" before the movie version comes out on Sept. 13th... (b) Whether I really WANT to read the book... (c) Whether I really want to see the movie either??  Have you read the book? Thoughts?  (I read "The Secret History" by the same author years ago, & was quite impressed with that one.) 

Listening:  I HAVEN'T listened to any podcasts recently, and I have a big backlog to catch up on!!  including new episodes of "The Full Stop" and "Live Childfree with Erik & Melissa."  

Following:  Dr. Jen Gunter, author of "The Vagina Bible" (see above), on social media.  She is an awesome common-sense advocate for women, their health & their reproductive rights, a loss/preemie mom -- AND she's from my home province and the med school of my alma mater. :) She's also frequently hilarious. :)  I am hoping to check out some episodes of her new online show soon.  It streams on CBC's Gem service, and it's called "Jensplaining." (Unfortunately, it may not be available to viewers outside of Canada.)(Now you know how WE feel re: all the stuff online that we can't view here!)    

Drinking/Eating:  Obviously too much, judging from the numbers on the scale lately.... :p  (Actually, I think my issue is probably lack of exercise, more than what I've been eating...)  

Buying (besides books, lol):  I bought my plane ticket back to Manitoba in October to visit my parents for (Canadian)Thanksgiving & attend an Elton John farewell tour concert with my sister. (I also get to be there for one of the Little Princesses' birthdays.) Feels funny to be planning a solo trip -- the last time I travelled by myself was five (!) years ago now, to Minneapolis to attend my uncle & aunt's 50th wedding anniversary (I met up with my parents & sister there).  But my plane ticket plus the cost of the concert ticket were pretty expensive... plus I think dh is still recovering from the 17 days we just spent there in July, lol. I did used to spend time there on my own when we were first married and getting established in our jobs, and he didn't have as much vacation time as I did. And I travelled solo to attend the funerals for both my maternal grandparents, 21 & 20 years ago, respectively (both also in October). It's just been a while...! 

Wearing:  I've had to start bringing a cardigan or jacket with me when we're out in the evening... a touch of coolness in the air that tells me summer is (almost) over... 

Planning: What to wear for Older Nephew's Wife's baby shower (next weekend).  Probably a blue floral print sundress that I bought on sale at the Gap earlier this summer and haven't yet had a chance to wear anywhere. Weather permitting, the shower will be held outside on the beautiful patio where we celebrated the couple's engagement, five years ago.  (Also thinking about what goodies I can bake to bring along for the sweet table!)  

We already bought them a rather pricey rocking chair for the nursery -- but I didn't want to go empty handed (goodies aside), so I bought them a baby/memory book... and a copy of "Go the F*ck to Sleep,"  lol.  I think it will appeal to both Older Nephew & his wife's senses of humour.  ;)  (And if you haven't heard it as read by Samuel L. Jackson on YouTube, you're in for a treat!!  lol) 

Trying:  Not to let all the back-to-school & empty nest posts on social media get to me. (MUCH more to come over the next week or so, though...! -- most schools here start on Tuesday, after the Labour Day long weekend.)  


Remembering: It was 40 (!!) years ago this weekend that I moved into my dorm & headed off to university. It was a little scary, yes, but exciting, too, and my memories of it all are still very clear. I still think of those four years as the best time of my life. :)  I am so glad that I am back in touch with my university roommate. (I'm also in touch with her ex-husband, whom I also met that week -- I introduced them! -- and two of our dorm neighbours.)  

Wanting: I know I've said this before but it's really what I'd like:  a decent night's sleep!  lol  I really can't think of much that I seriously want that I either don't have or can't easily get. I suppose that makes me pretty lucky. :)  

Feeling: A bit creaky, especially in my left knee. :p  But overall pretty happy at the moment.

Loving:  The slightly cooler temperatures and the drop in humidity. We've been able to have the balcony door open almost all day, every day lately.  My idea of summer perfection!  (But also, sadly, a signal that summer is almost over...!)