New England has Hummingbirds!!!

Weekly Roundup #28

I guess I did not pay attention in biology class because I thought hummingbirds were only tropical creatures. Don’t ask me why I thought this. But the house I’m staying at while dogsitting has a hummingbird feeder and I saw one!! Live!! In the flesh!! It was very exciting and I told my friend Emily this and she laughed.¹

And if you’re wondering, yes, the dogs are still Big Whiny Babies™️ and I will not be forgiving them any time soon. As my old coworkers put it, we do not negotiate with ‘terrierists.’ Thankfully I am leaving today and will never have to see them again. Ahead, the weekly roundup.

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What I’m reading:

I am still on my quest to catch up on my reading goal, which means reading 15 books this month. Will I succeed? Probably not. But hey, a gal can try and she can try by reading all of the shorter books in her home library.

Melissa Febos is a nonfiction writer. Febos spoke at my MFA and also has a number of essay collections out. I reviewed her latest, Girlhood, for the Harvard Review Online a couple years ago.

I’ve read all of Febos’s work at this point, mainly because I enjoy her thought process. These include: her memoir about working as a dominatrix in a sex dungeon (Whipsmart), her essay-collection-as-memoir Abandon Me, and Girlhood, which was an examination of not only her own girlhood but also what that means for women at large. It was a bracing read.

Since I’m already so close to reading all of her oeuvre, it was time to read Body Work. The book is part craft book on writing about the body, including traumatic experiences, and part memoir as Febos continues her exploration of writing about intimacy. As someone who continually feels disconnected from her own body, I can only see this as an experimental read for what I might try instead.

• Great for: people who like essays, craft books

• Bad for: people who don’t like lyrical and academic prose

What I’m writing:

Still my novel. Forever my novel. Novels take a long time, did you know that?

Here’s a picture of some dogs instead.

• Great for: my never ending novel edit

• Bad for: seeing a light at the end of the tunnel

What I’m listening to:

Everything, really. Once a year, I end up listening straight through my Liked Songs playlist on Spotify, all 1,500 of them. I’m not sure why I do this. No one asks (or expects) me to. I guess I do it to prove that I do indeed still like these songs? My head is a weird place.

Anyways, I was once again reminded of this banger the other day.

I certainly can be oblivious, let me tell you. This has such a fun beat though that I don’t feel bad about it. It has been most helpful in tuning out dog whining.

• Great for: dancing around celebrating obliviousness

• Bad for: self-introspection

No New Books™️ Challenge:

I have bought no new books. Trust me when I say I have desperately wanted to. There are many a good sale right now. But I have persisted. A friend bought a book *for me,* but that doesn’t count.

• Streak to Beat: 50 days (January 1st - February 19th)

• Last streak: 25 days (May 1st - 25th)

• Current streak: 12 days (May 27th-Present)

Mug Moment of the Week:

We have yet another guest mug moment before I return to chez moi for the foreseeable future. At first glance you might say, But Marissa, this is a photo of you.

Looking appropriately tired from dealing with insane dogs.

And you’d be correct. But look a little closer.

Ignore my deteriorating nail polish and feast your eyes upon this chai latte WITH A DRIED ORANGE SLICE IN IT. While a rather simple mug, it was hearty and the chai latte was really good. So foamy. I’ve also never had a chai latte with a dried orange slice in it, so this felt extra fancy.²

At the rate we’re going, we’ll never make it through all of my mugs if I keep featuring guest mugs. Some food for thought.

1. Again, one of many beloved Emily’s in my life.

2. Taken by my lovely friend Sam at gather in Canton, MA.