What I’m Into: August 2020

Main Events

August: my birthday month! I had some Feelings about turning 41 this year. 40 was a big, somewhat empowering milestone. 41 is like, oh, I’m just in it now. In any case, with lots of help from Taylor, I managed to have a fun birthday despite our pandemic limitations. We invited a very few friends to the backyard for a socially distant party, including a surprise Zoom with family and lots of other friends. I made a pitcher of sangria and chocolate cherry cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. (Most of which I ended up eating myself. Whoops.)

On my actual birthday, we went with my parents to Wapanocca Lake, about 30 minutes away in Arkansas. My mom and I are both birders and we’d heard it was a good place for that. However, we went in the early afternoon, which isn’t an especially great time to see birds. We did see turtles, frogs, butterflies, and one egret!

Back at home, Taylor’s parents joined us (in the backyard, again – we don’t have indoor guests) and we opened presents. Taylor gave me a dogwood tree! We have two ideas of where to plant it, and might get another tree for the second-place spot. For my birthday dinner, I requested my special-occasion meal from Slider Inn: a lobster roll and Jameson slushie. All in all, it was a much-needed happy weekend and I can’t think of much I would have changed even in normal times.

Reading

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi (5 stars) The deeper I sank into this book, the more I loved it. It’s about Penny, a troubled freshman writing student, and Sam, a troubled aspiring filmmaker who works at the coffee shop. If you liked Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, read this immediately. It’s darker and has its own flavor, but all the same ingredients are there.

Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans (4 stars) A collection of short stories that I originally started reading for one of my book clubs, but at some point we gave up on it. My favorite story was “Snakes.”

Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans (5 stars) I’m finally reading RHE’s books. This one gave me hope and light. I think it was the final step in my journey to wanting to re-engage with the Bible (I just got a brand-new one).

Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli (5 stars) Another YA/NA novel that exceeded my expectations, this one about Olympic gymnasts. I was hooked and cried at the end. It’s extremely Ripped from the Headlines – pair it with Athlete A on Netflix.

So Here’s the Thing…: Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older, and Trusting Your Gut by Alyssa Mastromonaco and Lauren Oyler (4.5 stars) I loved Alyssa Mastromonaco’s first book so much that I recently got my own copy, long after first reading it. While this one is a little more advicey, there are still plenty of funny anecdotes and stories.

American Royals by Katharine McGee (4 stars) A present-day alternate history in which George Washington was a king, not a President, and established a royal dynasty. It follows Beatrice, the future first Queen of America, under pressure from her parents to marry; Samantha, the spare, restless to do more with her life; Daphne, the climber with a secret; and Nina, friend of the royal family and secretly in love with Prince Jefferson. I enjoyed it and will definitely read the sequel coming out soon. Not to get too “you might also like” in this month’s reviews, but it sort of reminded me of the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen.

Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World by Osheta Moore (4.5 stars) This book has been on my TBR for a while, but my Year of Peace plus Osheta Moore’s anti-racism work prompted me to read it now. She explains the concept of shalom and how it’s played out in her life, from having to leave New Orleans after Katrina to coping with her son being called the n-word by a teacher. It’s personal and powerful.

Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade (4 stars) I read through this slowly and thoughtfully, kind of like a devotional. I’m glad to have it around for future reference.

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (4.5 stars) A novel about two couples navigating life, ministry, and family together after the husbands are hired to be co-ministers of a NYC church in the 60s. For some reason (maybe the high praise from several favorite authors), I was ready for this book to change my life. It is beautifully and profoundly written, and I expect to sit with it for a while, but I had to knock off a half star because Lily so infuriated me for most of the book.

Emily Eternal by M.G. Wheaton (4 stars) I can’t speak for the validity of the science in this sci-fi novel, since I didn’t understand most of it. But the story of Emily, an artificial consciousness roped into a last-ditch effort to preserve humanity, is compelling. In this case, humanity needs saving because the sun has started to become a red giant (I’ve been horrified by this concept since third grade).

My birthday present to myself was a new Kindle Paperwhite! My old Kindle was an early basic model, and while it still works fine, I had several justifications for the upgrade (mainly the light – I live with someone 24/7 now and he doesn’t always want a light on). I’m excited.

Listening

I really enjoyed Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Gee Thanks, Just Bought It episode 39. She has some great insights about social media in our current times around minute 15.

Watching

I finished The Morning Show. The finale – the last scene alone – is worth the whole show. (I just watched it again!!) Every Emmy nomination is well deserved. I also just started the new season of The Umbrella Academy.

At Home

Sometime last month, I realized I needed a break from nonstop (minor) home improvement. I needed some free space between my main activities of working, and working on our house. While these projects generally drain me, Taylor is energized by them, so this month I sat back while he got a lot done. His main accomplishment was painting our backyard gazebo white and outfitting it with a projector screen and sunshades. Now we’re ready for Tiger football, however long it lasts! (We opted out of our season tickets. Not worth the risk and trouble. Still haven’t made a call on basketball.)

We got a small breakfast table for our butler pantry. I love it! The only thing I don’t love is that floor vent blowing freezing cold air on my legs. In winter, when it’s blowing heat and this is the sunniest room in the house, you’ll probably have to drag me away from this table.

Last spring, a bunch of lily-type foliage sprang up next to our driveway and in a few other places, but no flowers ever came. We figured it was just a bad year for… whatever it was. So we were extremely surprised this month by these surprise lilies! They were short-lived, but beautiful.

My sunporch plant collection is expanding. I’ve been able to divide a few of my succulents! I know there’s a more Pinterest-worthy way of arranging these shelves, I just haven’t felt like figuring it out yet.

A lot of my supplies (craft and other) were scattered in multiple locations by the time we moved here. My original goal for this house was to have all like things together, and to know where they were. Seems simple enough. Eight months later, I’m finally getting to the smaller stuff. I still have a long way to go. The combo of moving twice in six months, merging households in multiple steps, having been married before, and living in societal unrest has done a psychological number on me in this area. Part of me is too anxious to trust that this is really my long-term home with a long-term person and that nothing outside my control is going to take it from me. Fun.

On a lighter note, turns out humidity is a big problem in old houses. We got a dehumidifier for our bedroom and have to empty it every couple of days. Our shower bathroom feels damp all the time, no matter how long we run the vent fan, and in the other full bath, humidity seeps in around the door to the attic. I’ve been feeling a little desperate. After some research, I put a container of Damp Rid in each bathroom. Two containers and a refill bag cost all of ten bucks. The dampness improved almost immediately! I welcome any tips about dehumidifying, weather sealing, etc. Really the house needs a whole energy audit, and probably new/more insulation.

Eating

I’m hopeless at cooking rice, so discovering heat-and-eat rice packets has been LIFE CHANGING, especially with whole grain options available. I like the Target (Good & Gather) kind best.

A good thing to pair with that instant rice is this crispy sesame tofu that you can cook in the air fryer! It’s fast too.

I shopped at ALDI for the first time in five or six years. Our closest one is a little bit of a drive (Sprouts and TJ’s are even farther), but I’m fed up with our neighborhood Kroger and want to give them less of my business. ALDI has grown more polished and seems to have a better variety of staples at great prices. I was excited about the $1.99 goat cheese log ($4-$5 at Kroger) and the cheap bagged salad kits! PLEASE BRING ALDI TO MIDTOWN.

Other things I cooked and liked this month: broccoli pasta salad; lemon ricotta pancakes.

Wearing

After becoming obsessed with some cropped, distressed overalls Jenna Fischer wore on her Instagram, I somehow tracked them down at Nordstrom for $150 final sale. Nope. Then I found a similar slim cut pair at Old Navy for $27! They feel great. I planned to distress them, but doing that to brand-new clothes makes me nervous, so I’m going to live in them a little first.

In my continuing effort to hit the right “hot outside, cold inside” WFH wardrobe balance, I also ordered these lightweight joggers. They’re okay, but I still prefer the French terry version.

I miss thrift shopping. I’ve bought a few things on Poshmark (most recently a floral kimono), but it’s not the same.

Beauty

On recent birthdays I’ve treated myself to some higher-end beauty products. It helps me feel more like a grown-ass woman. Last year I got the Tartelette eyeshadow palette (which has been my favorite for everyday ever since), and this year I got Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat! Note that both are primarily matte shadows – I feel more comfortable in mattes now than sparkles. (However, my all-around happy fave remains the Colourpop Wet palette, which is full of 80s-worthy glittery blues.)

I also continue to explore lightweight foundations/CC creams. Early in the pandemic, I would go days without makeup, but at this point it often makes me feel better to put on a little something. One popular recommendation in the Forever 35 Facebook group is BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream. I added it to my birthday splurge. Sadly, I think it’s a little too hydrating for my oily skin – it makes me really shiny. Might be a better match in the winter.

Right as my Drunk Elephant night cream ran out, I saw a local Twitter friend raving about CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream. I’m using it around my eyes only, and I saw a difference by the next day!

I saw banana clips on a fashion blog (I think The Stripe?) and decided to throw it back to 1991 and get one myself. I forgot how fantastic they are for curly-haired people. It looks slightly fancier and more cascade-y than a ponytail and doesn’t give me a headache!

Wellness

I’ve been on the struggle bus this month. On the plus side, I’ve stuck to my new exercise regimen and am very happy with my continued training progress (I can squat 70 pounds, deadlift 80, do a few assisted pull-ups, and have upgraded to the bar for bench presses). But it’s become clear to me during this time that I need external motivation to do my best exercise. Not in a boot-camp sense, just in the sense that I need to go to a designated place, ideally with other people (exactly what we’re not supposed to be doing right now!!). Or I need to be training toward a goal, like a race (which isn’t happening right now!!). At home by myself, it’s too easy to fudge it, skip it, or give up. I’m sure a lot of people are horrified at me for going to the gym – elliptical only, all precautions taken, not stopping or passing go, 45 minutes and out. (My trainer trains one-on-one in her garage.) I’ve been thinking a lot about whether to just buy an elliptical. I’ve also considered a Peloton, solely because everyone I know who’s lost weight in the pandemic has one. But based on my dislike of stationary bikes in general, I suspect I might hate it, and that’s a lot to spend to hate something. It all goes back to my pandemic mantra: every option we have is bad; you just have to choose the bad option that works best for you.

Anyway, I found out last week that I’m at my highest weight in 14 years, which adds urgency to this whole dilemma. Thankfully no one in my life seems to have a problem with it but me. I’m trying to accept myself, tune out diet culture guilt and everyone who’s somehow Killing It in a freaking pandemic, and keep doing the best I can day to day.

Mentally, my fear and anxiety about this coming fall and winter – not to mention the present – has kicked into a higher gear. I know a lot of people can relate. I’m doing what I can to help anti-racism causes and get out the vote, but none of it feels like enough. I’m praying more and think I might start journaling again (privately) for the first time in years just to have somewhere safe to unload my unfiltered thoughts. I feel burdened to talk to family and friends who still don’t see the danger America is in (or don’t care), but I can’t even formulate words without hearing their rebuttals in my head. The Enneagram Six “inner committee” plus an environment of constant gaslighting equals call your therapist now.

Random Happiness

While I was out east visiting Alanna for her birthday, I remembered that it was about time for the Agricenter sunflowers to bloom, so I went over to check them out! Gorgeous.

I’m getting another niece in December! I got to be part of the balloon reveal via Zoom. I also got some fun mail from the girls, who are learning about sending and addressing mail. (Debra decided to homeschool them this year, and so far it’s working great for everyone.)

My MIL scored us one of the highly coveted official Grizzlies masks! (Eyes: aforementioned Colourpop Wet palette, lightly applied)

One of the attorneys I support stopped by with cupcakes and a note to commemorate (not really celebrate) 150 days of our department working from home. I miss my team. I also now have a desk plant thanks to this perfectly-sized pot of succulents Vada gave me for my birthday!

With a slight decline in local case numbers, my church decided to attempt our first masked, socially distant parking lot service! We’re going to continue every other week unless things take a bad turn. It was so nice to have some kind of in-person church again.

I’ve seen some pretty sunrises and moon/Venus combos on gym mornings.

A friend added me to a Facebook group for owl fans. It’s a nice wholesome pick-me-up! Our owls are still living a few houses down the street, but I hear them every day.

Your Monthly Rufus

Rufus has had a bad case of the zoomies all month. When he’s not sprinting around, he’s sleeping on the front-porch settee, and hasn’t been sleeping with us at night. I know he’ll come back when the weather cools off.

I do get some cuddles if I lay on the couch a certain way. He loves to stretch all the way out. He’s also the only cat I’ve had who actually watches TV (he was very into this show about the adventures of a kangaroo rat).