whatcha readin'? {2018::book 8 - goal 24)

This is the second book of John Green's that I have read.
I read Fault in Our Stars a while ago...
well...so long ago that I don't really remember
if I liked it a lot or a little.

But I really liked this one.

I am not sure if I was drawn to it
because he describes debilitating anxiety
which hits close to home
as it is something my daughter had fought with
for years. 
I think that anxiety of that proportion and intensity
must be hard for the person experiencing it to
describe in adequate detail...
I have always felt that way with my girl,
she tries to explain it
and we try to understand
but it becomes frustrating for her
because it's impossible to really
know what it's like
unless you are feeling it, I think.

And it feels like he does a good job of
describing what parts of it must be like...
and as someone that loves someone with anxiety,
it helps to be able to get maybe a little
glimpse into what it must feel like
from their side of the equation.

All in all, I liked this book. 
I enjoy his writing and the characters.
I would definitely read other things he has written.

4 out of 5 ♥'s

NEXT UP:  THE ALICE NETWORK - KATE QUINN

tuesday truths...

♥♥♥
my boy is back from the big city
and i couldn't be happier...
or prouder.

there is a lot more i could say here
but i don't want to embarrass him...
:)

♥♥♥
literally
every time
i do a "tuesday truths"
i have to stop and think
wait...today IS tuesday, right?
every
frigging
tuesday.

that never happens to me on a friday.

♥♥♥
i bought some of these tonight...
i'm excited to try it.
the other flavors didn't really appeal to me...
blood orange?
what the hell is a blood orange?
like...is that a real thing?
um...not in my fridge.
which reminds me
i really need to clean out my fridge
and get groceries...
right now, i'm pretty sure all i've got in there
is hamburger far past the expiration date
(well...who can tell...it was frozen at some point
and then i defrosted it but i can't remember when
but i suspect it should not be eaten now
even if i do have an iron stomach as some would suggest)
and a head of cabbage
(and if you follow me on facebook,
which you should because i'm pretty amusing...
or annoying...i'm not sure which adjective is normally used..
anyway, if you follow me on fb,
you would have already read about the-great-cabbage-cauliflower-confusion).

wow.
did i just spin that far off topic.
that's gotta be a record.

♥♥♥
have you watched
everything sucks
if you haven't, you really, really should.
when have i steered you wrong?
i have great taste.
plus it has an awesome soundtrack.

just make sure you watch at least where
they make the oasis video...
that. part. literally. killed. me.
(plus i have a bit of a soft spot for that song
since it was the first song that my girl
learned all the words to...when she was like 2...
sigh....did someone make that damn time machine yet)

wow.  i'm really off track tonight.
:)
it must be tuesday.
(right?  it IS tuesday...right?)

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edited to add...i realize i may not actually
know what an adjective is anymore so
if i have gotten that wrong, please forgive me...
it is tuesday, after all.

(right? it is..nevermind)

they told me this would happen...

I mean...
I knew that they would grow up.
That's kind of the point, right?

I just didn't think it would feel like it happened
so damn fast...
that she would be off in another province,
working 3 jobs, taking charge of her life...
that he would get so tall,
and so self sufficient.
That they would take planes and trains
and buses all by themselves.
That the panicky texts would not come from them,
they would directly come from me...
did you get there?
are you on the plane?
have you eaten?
did you check in?
did you get your baggage?
did you ask anyone where to go?
don't talk to strangers!
and that the
short but sweet reassurances
would come from them...
all good!
i'm here.
pretty sure this is right.
love you too

He flew away today all by himself
to Toronto
to take part in a conference that the Student's Commission
puts on...he attended last year
and this year, he is helping to facilitate
and I couldn't be prouder
but I'm not gonna lie...
I miss him already.
The house is too quiet without
the sound of a Jetta revving in the shop...
no stories of paint jobs and
rims he found online
and what plans he has for the tail lights
or who cut him off while driving today.

Tuesday feels a long way away.
♥♥♥

whatcha readin'? {2018::book 6 - goal 24}

Ok...can we all just give me a little
pat on the back here...
it's February and I'm already at 6 books read!
(actually, it's 7 but I am getting ahead of myself).

Yay me!

I just went back to compare where I was at
this time last year
and I had read 1 book.
ONE book.
By February 20th!
What on earth was I doing!
Any wonder I didn't make my goal last year!
Such a slacker.

So anyway.
I just finished The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory.
If you read this blog at all, you will know that I
always preface my "reviews" with ... (& I use the word review in the
loosest possible way...I really shouldn't even say review...
it's not a review...if anything it's a recommendation...
or maybe even the equivalent to a facebook thumbs up or down...
but I do not consider what I write here to be a review....
that requires work & thought & proper punctuation
and well...
I just wanna say hey...that book was super-awesome
or that book?  not so much and leave it at that.)

So anyway.
I got off on a tangent there and didn't even finish the sentence I started.
This is why I can't write reviews.
Anyway.  I always preface my reviews (*see above) of this author
with guilt that I am admitting I like these books. 
And I wasn't going to do that this time.
This time, I was going to be like damn it, I love these books
and I am not apologizing for that.

But then,
I didn't quite love this one.
I'm not sure why.  I really don't think it was the writing...I always love her
writing.  I think it might have just been where my own head is at and just
bad timing and I just HATED ELIZABETH SO HARD that
it kind of frustrated me throughout the whole story.

So if you like these books, please do not let this "review" (air quotes) stop you
from reading it.  If anything, go read it and then maybe we
can be united in hatred of Elizabeth. 

Again.  So not a review.  More of a book-related-ramble.  Rambles I can do.
(and Philippa Gregory, if you happen to come by and read this
please accept my sincerest apology.  I really do love your books!)

4 out of 5 ♥'s

NEXT UP:  YOU ARE A BADASS - JENN SINCERO
 

robots! weird looking pugs! distorted faces!

I have been using this sketchpad for a while and
knew I wanted to do something
with the cover
but didn't know what...
so yesterday i thought
what about ROBOTS!
you can't go wrong with
ROBOTS!

and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
:)

and also this week:

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(and...that is supposed to be a pug...I have some work to do there...)
and when I showed this to my 18 year old son
he said, "oh look!  one of your girls is actually smiling!"
which I hadn't noticed was a thing I had been doing...

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And still...faces are so hard.  I have one...
you'd think that would make it easier.

Heh.

I haven't been leaving the house much this week...
my car is being weird.
it's cold out.
i'm tired and slightly PMS-y (too much info, I know)...
but the bright side is
instead of moping on the couch
building a blanket fortress
and eating ice cream,
I did mess around with pen and paper a lot instead.

hmmmm.
Did someone say ice cream?
:)

oh...and I have also been catching up on This is Us...
♥♥♥