It should be illegal to have class before 9am

Weekly Roundup #12

We had snow in Rhode Island this week, which meant everyone freaked out, forgot how to drive, and became ornery. Otherwise known as a typical day in New England. Here’s some pretty snow, though.

The title says it all. I knew what I was getting into by agreeing to teach a class at 8am, but hoo boy, does it hit differently when you have to leave before the sun even rises. I’ve been arguing with my car all week - do you *really* have low tire pressure? Or is it because it’s sub-freezing and the sun isn’t up yet??? With that in mind, here’s what’s been getting me through the cold.

What I’m reading:

Iron Flame is the sequel to Fourth Wing. The plot is not plotting, the logic is not logicking, and the disability representation somehow got worse, but here I am. By the time you read this, I will be finishing my first week of teaching of the semester, and your gal needs a brain break. And reading about romance and dragons is doing it for me right now. Moving right along.

• Great for: sequels, dragons, fantasy romance

• Bad for: any logic whatsoever, coherent plotlines, disability representation

What I’m writing:

Instead of regaling you with how I’m writing my novel, I will instead show you the hour glass I got. It’s gray, and runs for 30 minutes. I enjoy the ritual of turning it over as I sit down to write. Could I just have set a timer on my phone? Sure. But where’s the whimsy in that?

Ready for action and in progress.

• Great for: whimsy, writing sprints

• Bad for: practicality, my cluttered desktop

What I’m listening to:

I was listening to Freya Ridings Live at the Apollo, and forgot how good this song is. So instead of finishing the Live at the Apollo album, I put the original song on repeat for the next hour straight. For me to get sick of a song means that I must have played it on repeat so many times as to disrupt the space-time continuum. Anyways, ‘Dancing in a Hurricane’ has got such a good beat, and makes me want to twirl around outside in a rainstorm.

• Great for: dancing in a hurricane

• Bad for: sitting at your desk

No New Books™️ Challenge:

Behold: all the books I panic bought before January 1st, 2024.

It’s going great, thanks. 19 days without buying any books. I have, however, received all of the books I ordered in a blind panic before the end of 2023, book box included. Only 1 of them was for my Dangerous Words course, and now I have to figure out where to put them all.

• Great for: my wallet

• Bad for: my bookcases

Mug Moment of the Week:

This week’s Mug Moment came with a sad realization. I was packing up my Christmas decorations last week (remember: they stay up until Epiphany). and as I was putting my holiday mugs away, I noticed that I HAD TWO OTHER HOLIDAY MUGS I HAD COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN TO TAKE OUT. I am not sure which is worse: that this happened to begin with, or that I’m not even surprised that it did.¹

Mug in different lighting and proof I'm not making the catnip bit up.

This week’s mug of choice is another Starbucks tumbler. It has purple and green flower and leaf designs and a few deer here and there and I got it for no other reason than it’s pretty. Tea is from Farmacy Herbs, which is local to Providence. It’s their Unwind Your Mind Tea, which heaven knows I need. It has catnip in it - which in humans acts as a relaxant. There’s also lemon balm and chamomile which is good for tummy aches, which heaven also knows I need, too.

• Great for: my poor little anxious brain

• Bad for: the cats who I’m sure want catnip

That’s it for this week’s edition of the roundup! I hope you all have lovely weekends and stay warm wherever you are.

1. Remember that over consumption problem I talked about earlier in the week? I, too, am a problem here.