whatcha readin'? {book 19::goal 24}

August 6, 2018 Arlene Giddings

In all honesty, I struggled a bit with this book.
I didn't really like it at the beginning, I found she had a
funny way with words that was sort of throwing me off.

I did like it more as I got further into it but,
seriously, it was a little too gritty and gruesome for me.

If I had read this when I was younger, I may have been more
enthralled...kind of the same way I was with the story of Charles Manson
and how people...girls...blindly followed him
whereas now, I just get irritated with the whole idea.

All in all, I thought it was good and after I finished it,
I did mark it as 4 hearts so I must have liked it but
I finished it back in May so I am wondering why my notes
don't seem to match up with my rating. This is what happens
when I don't blog about it right away.
:)

4 out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s

NEXT UP: FIERCE KINGDOM - GIN PHILLIPS

lazy rainy sundaze...

August 5, 2018 Arlene Giddings

it has been a bit of a
rainy sunday...
the sun seems to be trying to
push its way out of the clouds now
but for most of the day,
i have found myself inside...
with extra time on my hands.

i haven't been doing any doodling.

at first, it was because, a while back,
i had some very strange dizzy spells...
or maybe vertigo...
kind of like hangover bed spins
but without the fun the night before.

eventually, they decreased in severity
but seemed to come back when i would
look down which meant
i couldn't write, doodle and even taking photos
with the big camera was difficult.

i did go to the doctor
but it was about 3 weeks after the worst of it...
she did some neurological tests
and everything seemed to be ok
although i was still getting dizzy quite often at the time.

but...long story short...
i seem to feel fine now!
but then
it was so sunny and warm outside
that i just couldn't seem to make myself
sit inside at the desk and play
until today...

so here's a little fairy.
:)
i feel a little rusty but also kind of excited to get back to
paper and pen and watercolors again.

also, i am playing along with an instagram challenge
that susannah conway has created
called #augustbreak
which has daily prompts...it's been a long time
since i have done one of these and so far,
i am really enjoying it!
if you are on instagram, check it out!

and...just a few photos from North Rustico...
my sister in law & her husband recently invited us to stay
at a cottage with them for a night or two...
which meant some early morning shots of flowers
(there were other photos taken but alcohol-driven-dance-offs
are not so pretty the next day...)

and...because today is today...
and this weighs heavy on my mind...
don't drink and drive.
call a cab, a friend, your mom, your friend's mom...
sleep on someone's couch, walk home, hitch a ride...
call your ex, your buddy, the next door neighbor, your mailman...
whatever...
just don't drink and drive.

(i like to remember her best on her birthday...
this day only makes me sad for what could have been...)

summer lovin'

August 2, 2018 Arlene Giddings

i have not been here
very much this summer...

it's hard to make myself come in the house
and type at the computer
when it is so hot and sunny and pretty outside.

summer goes by far too fast.

i find myself panicking as the days
turn into august,
feeling like summer
is slipping through my fingers
like sand
and i want to grab it tight
and fill my pockets
and my shoes,
i want to store it, savor it, hoard it.

i want to make it last forever.

so i haven't been here much
but i've been writing blog posts
in my head
and taking photos
with the big camera and the little one (my phone)...
i've been reading books
and eating ice cream and taking long walks,
finding new beaches
and driving down endless dirt roads.

hello august.
i am going to try really hard not to think of you
as the end...
but instead, i'm going to try to soak up as much summer
as i can and not stress about the passing of the days.

whatcha readin'? {2018::book 18 - goal 24}

July 2, 2018 Arlene Giddings

I am honestly not sure
what made me pick up this book.
The cover is not my usual "cover"...
I am very drawn to covers
and will typically pick up a book
just based on that.

But I am glad that I read it.
An interconnected web of stories
set over a period of time
that sees the Great Depression and World War II...
it makes you think about how
everyone has their own story
but sometimes, when you don't know
another person's story...
you assume you know it...
and you make it fit into your own
so that it's easier to comprehend.

It makes me wonder how much I do that in real life.

An interesting read...but it bogged me down a little...
I liked it, but didn't love it.

Maybe it's the cover.

3.5 out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s

NEXT UP: THE GIRLS - EMMA CLINE