You're cute, but you're a menace
Weekly Roundup #22
Well, we made it to the end of another week! And oh boy my friends, was it a week. The title of this post references the lovely little Basenji I’ve been sitting. He’s cute, but man is he a menace.
Not to get into too much TMI territory, but the little Basenji here ate some underthings of mine that he DEFINITELY SHOULDN’T HAVE and then got sick all over a duvet. No one panic, he’s fine. But now I have to clean a duvet and to triple lock all of my clothes and toiletries because I do not trust him. He’s a lunatic!!! Do not be fooled by the cute face! Please enjoy this video of me mocking the dog for his crimes.
Here’s what got me through the week as I continue to side eye this cute monster.
What I’m reading:
I have no idea what happened, but I checked my Storygraph app the other day to see I am 5 books behind on my reading goal for the year. Five. Fünf. Cinco. Cinque. Cinq. How did this happen?! I have no idea, so I decided to do something about it, and that involved: no thoughts, just book.
I spent most of Thursday afternoon reading, and managed to make it through one and a half books. I had promised myself I would finish all of these books before this gig is up sometime next week, so let’s check in shall we?
Political Rumors - done. Returned to the Salve library. Sadly too academic, despite having some very good points about how rumors develop in our (American) society and what to do to combat them.1
Nettle and Bone - done. The book I dedicated to finishing on Thursday afternoon. Another well traveled book that made the trek across the pond with me.
ACOWAR - still reading. About a third of the way through.
Le pays des autres - still reading. Still only 30 pages in.
Gideon the Ninth - still reading. Need to finish before virtual book club on the 2nd. 40 pages in and still have no idea what’s going on.
One Summer in Savannah - still reading. Also due at (another) library next week, so maybe should get on that.
Not pictured but am also still in play within this ridiculous constraint of finishing all of these books before I leave Newport:
Threads that Bind - still reading. Started this oh so long ago and have yet to finish. It’s due at the library next week so maybe I should do that. After I finished Nettle and Bone, I made significant progress on this one.
A Bad Place to Be a Hero - still listening, about a third of the way through. I haven’t been driving as much so I haven’t had as much time to listen.
So I should be able to finish all of these in the next 7 days, yes? Am I delusional? Also yes. But I’ll be caught up on my book goal! Lest you’re be concerned about my thought process here, do as I say, not as I do.
Good for: getting caught up on my reading slump
Bad for: any sort of reason, logic, or any other task I might have to complete
What I’m writing:
My novel! I had a few good scenes come to me this week, and am fleshing them out.
My novel is the first of a trilogy, and though what I wrote down doesn’t happen in the first book, knowing that they do eventually happen helps flesh out the background and choices my characters will have to make. While that sentence sounds insane, trust me that it makes sense.
Oftentimes writing, especially novel writing, is very boring and uneventful. For me specifically, even though I’m trying to focus on the first book in a trilogy, there are times when I feel like I have to flesh out all 3 books before I can complete anything. Part of the issue is that Books 2 & 3 contain flashbacks - flashbacks to things that happen pre-Book 1, so in some ways yes, I do need to know everything that’s going on so that the tracks I’m leaving for the train will line up properly. I hesitate to compare myself to Tolkien, but he famously referred to The Lord of the Rings as one story split into 3 parts, and in some ways these books remind me of something similar. Onwards.
Good for: my imagination, overall trilogy completeness
Bad for: the first book just desperately waiting to be born
What I’m listening to:
If you’re not already aware, once I find a song I like, I listen to it on repeat. Nonstop. For hours. It is my worst habit and my biggest red flag. I will listen to a song on repeat for hours and never get bored of it. That’s what’s going on with ‘Rollercoaster’ currently. It’s both moody and has a fast beat, so I can dance and feel melancholy at the same time. Brilliant.
Good for: wanting to go on a rollercoaster
Bad for: my sanity, probably
No New Books™️ Challenge:
I am still holding strong. Mildly salivating over special edition books and book boxes, but that’s what always happens, isn’t it? The grass is greener on the other side. We want what we can’t have. But I’m approaching, slowly but surely, the Streak to Beat mark! Either I’ll beat my longest streak of no book buying, or the Illumicrate pre-order will happen. Which will it be? I’ll be waiting with baited breath. Such excitement going on over here in No New Books land!
Streak to Beat: 50 days (January 1st - February 19th)
Last streak: 15 days (February 27th-March 12th)
Current streak: 35 days (March 16th-present)
Mug Moment of the Week:
The most disappointing thing about my current abode is the lack of quality mugs. Such a tragedy. Sure there are mugs, but they are teeny tiny and are mugs for ants.
So, instead, a decorative mug from my own home. It is purposefully teeny tiny, and was never meant for actual tea consumption. It was given to me for Christmas by my friend Sara (who is also a vet and also helped calm me down about the Basenji being a weirdo.) While it is not the perfect size for drinking tea, it is the perfect size to water my air plants. I fill this bad boy up with water and plop them inside for a good long drink. Watering plants was never so classy.
Good for: the aesthetics, my air plants
Bad for: use as an actual drinking vessel
Hopefully the weather will improve and I’ll have the time to take a nice long walk amongst the Newport daffodils. My students have a paper due tonight, so I’m looking forward to what unhinged and nonsensical excuses I’m about to receive for why they can’t turn in their research-papers-that-they’ve-known-about-for-six-weeks on time.
Not pictured here because I initially took a picture of it and sent it in an Instagram chat and for whatever reason Instagram won’t let you see those photos so yes I know it’s not here please pretend with me.