not necessarily in this order

I wanted to share the rest of January’s reads!  For those keeping score, I talk about my ratings approach here . The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches   by Sangu Mandanna Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5  10-word Review : magical and cute, perhaps twee? the literal curses were oof POPSUGAR Reaching Challenge prompt #38: a cozy romance   Dead Water  by Ann Cleeves Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 10-word Review : heart-hurt Jimmy fumbling balanced by small-town political intrigue and surprises Fourth Wing  by Rebecca Yarros Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 10-word Review:  didn’t grab me at first, but then dragons and wow POPSUGAR Reaching Challenge  prompt #23: a book about dragons The Long Call   by Ann Cleeves Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 10-word Review : Matthew and the mystery, trying for control in the mess  Do you binge series or do you spread them out? I am deep into a couple of series, but with only a few left in each, so I am holding myseld to reading only 1 per mont...

5 things that bring me joy when work is stressful One  a midday Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup break Two  Lil Momma helping me pick out my work shirt + cardigan/blazer combo   Three  dance breaks before I go video on for a presentation   Four  Lil Momma coming in to my office on my work from home days for a “fit check”   Five  the cold air hitting my face as I walk into the parking garage to leave     Some finds from cleaning out my desk! Three things I’m enjoying this week   One  Lil Momma’s first school chorus concert! They were so cute! At the in school one she wore her ridiculous fanny pack/pocketbook, but she looked so grown up in her white and black concert attire for the parent concert (and we got another wear out of our desperation buys from her holiday show!)   Two  The Mr. and I have been watching  Expedition Unknown  on Discovery from the beginning and it’s been fun learning little bits of history befo...

  I am having one of   those work weeks that just beat you up . Vague asks that do n’t make sense, changing timelines and details, being behind the ball but not having any way to get ahead… Sigh, this is not when I shine. However, I had my personal pity party last night and am trying to let the stress go and do what I can do with what I have when I have it.   For this week, I wanted to ramble away about  Lil Momma’s audition for a special production class  at her musical theater school as it took up most of our energy last weekend:   Lil Momma went in strong on Saturday am and was so ready with her bit of song and good attitude. With both us knowing more than half the auditioners would NOT make it in, I tried to balance my car ride pep talk with real talk ride to the studio, for sure.    When I picked her up, she was devastated, unfortunately, because a bunch of the younger kids and some of the competition team kids had gotten a callback for that ...

How did this week “figure out” over here? Let’s take a look!   1   sick burn . Oof, Lil Momma hits hard sometimes. It’s like when she asks me what the 1900’s were like… We were talking about how to learn lines and I mentioned some ways I used in college… LM: “You did Shakespeare?!” Me: “I was a theatre major - we did all styles.” LM: “Did you do HAMILTON?!?!” Me: “That didn’t exist yet…” LM: “oh, was he still alive?” OUCH! 1  of our 8 male cardinals!    5  (which is the episode of the  new  Percy Jackson  series  on Disney+ we are on). LM has plowed through the Percy Jackson books over the last year or so and watched the movies – she loves them! She was super excited when she heard there might be a Broadway musical coming about  The Lightning Thief  – but even that fails in comparison over just how jazzed she is about this series. LM and I have read the books, but the Mr. hasn’t, and all three of us are really enjoying the perf...

    A weekly a portmanteau of TANGents and rambLES Ramble #1 : My effort to lower my screen time this month has turned into what feels like an aggressive use of my local library and   5 books done in the first 9 days   (and 2 prompts checked off for the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge!!). Here are a handful of hot takes:   Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World –  Lauren Fleshman Lindsay rating  = 3 ½ stars Ten-word reaction : thoughtful, sad, infuriating – but I wanted more of her voice PSRC Prompt : #7 – a book about women’s sports and/or by a woman athlete    The Dark Angel (Ruth Galloway #10)  – Elly Griffiths Lindsay rating  = 3 ½ stars Ten-word reaction : twisty and dense but not enough exotic; loved Ruth’s growth   The Stone Circle (Ruth Galloway #11)  – Elly Griffiths Lindsay rating  = 4 stars Ten-word reaction : Nelson being all in his head is all I need   Meet me at the Lake  – Carley Fortun...

Trying for a bit of consistency with cumulative goals and some “figures” fun… These won’t be as long in the future – we all know I love context HAHA!   After such a difficult 2023, I decided to lean into the  transitionality  of this year and identify some areas of focus I’d like to work on and a handful of habits I’d like to “add up” some consistency in:   Areas of Focus:   1.     Treat myself like a person . Something  Nicole  said in a comment a bit back about getting ready even on days she doesn’t have plans really landed with me.  Sometimes, I look in the mirror and I don’t recognize myself  ( and some of those mirrors are at work or out and about, oof! ). My clothes are desperation purchases instead of choices, my hair is wild-in-a-giving-up-way instead of wild-in-a-curly-hair-way, my former lots of skincare, minimal makeup routine has become barely skincare and desperation lip gloss at work (and don’t get me started on m...

  This is a portmanteau of TANGents and rambLES that I am trying out for 2024!   Ramble 1 I had started another post called  no goals, just vibes  to kick off this year… but, I had a tangent (look at me go!) in my thinking the other day and am trying something different. In recent years, I’ve wildly vacillated between: making these  huge lists of hopes and dreams  and watching everything crash down around me because life has been SO MUCH and the name of the game was surviving  and…   struggling with even  basic habits  that I would miss one day of (aka break the streak) and then just give up on because that was easier   This year, I’m trying something different. No big lists, no streaks – rather, a  few areas of focus  to help guide me back to myself and some  cumulative habits  I’d like to see add up (you’ll see those wrapped up on Fridays!).    I’m hoping by trying to break my perfectionist quitting a...