friday i'm in love...(where i ramble...)

August 14, 2020 Arlene Giddings

(so i thought this was going to be the friday-i’m-in-love
where i gushed about my new phone
and the killer camera on it
and how much i loved it
but
i haven’t taken it out of the box yet….
not the samsung box…
the BOX IT WAS PACKAGED IN…

it came yesterday.

at lunch.

i am weird about getting new things
that i am really excited about…
i hoard them.
i just like knowing it’s there,
i could open it
but
maybe i’ll wait…
savor the anticipation a little bit longer…
books, magazines, new shampoo, a new series, new art supplies…
all the same reaction.

i like to have perfect conditions…
clean house, lots of time,
no distractions, showered,
full but not too full, not too sleepy,
etc, etc, etc.
plus my case won’t be here
TIL THURSDAY)

ok…that was a lot to say in a set of brackets.

what i really came here to tell you about
for my friday i’m in love
is have you watched the BBC show
Normal People
which is based on a book
by Sally Rooney
that is next on my list
but
ohmygawd…
that show.

(ok…small warning…
it’s a little tiny bit sort of how
i would imagine soft core porn
might be
but with a good story line
and no grossness
but still….
a LOT of sex.)

Anywayyyyyyyyy….
my mom doesn’t read this anyway.
heehee.

it’s set in ireland,
the cinematography is beautiful
and odd all at once,
i adore the characters,
the soundtrack….

oh. so good.

I had to watch it on YouTube
but you can also stream it from CBC

i know i already said it but i loved this series.
it was more than a show…
it was a mood…sometimes
when i read a book that i get lost in,
it sticks with me for days,
like i am in a bit of fog
but in a good way…

this was like that.

so…watch it…
just not with your kids
or maybe not with your parents
in the room…
and you might want to close the blinds.

Hahaha.
for the record,
I am debating deleting this whole post.

things i think i forgot i knew....

August 9, 2020 Arlene Giddings

i was on my own
pretty much all weekend…

i think
somewhere
along the way
i started thinking
that i was alone
maybe too much,
that being alone
this much
was a bad thing,
a failing,
a problem to be solved,
something
to be kind of
embarrassed about…
a void to be filled
with distraction
and conversations
and attention.

but doing that
is not making me
happy.

this weekend,
i worked on the course,
took naps,
cleaned the house,
watered the garden,
ate fresh cucumber & tomato & raspberries…
read a book,
hugged the cat,
made supper for the kids,
laid in the grass & watched the clouds,
laid on the beach and
listened to seagulls and waves,
ate tiny doughnuts
and baby cupcakes,
tried not to look at my phone very much,
listened to new music,
scribbled in a journal,
painted a tiny watercolor,
chased the sunset
down dirt roads….

and i think i forgot
that
i
make me happy.

i make myself happy.

i forgot that i kinda like
being on my own…

and…i’m good at it.

(and this is not to say
that i don’t fully enjoy
and appreciate the time
that i spend with my family
and friends…i really, really do.
just somewhere
along the way,
i lost my way…
and felt that i was missing
something…
but i realize now
that something
can’t be forced.
if it’s gonna happen, it will.
but for now…
there’s no rush.)

Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.

Henry Rollins

friday i'm in love (the movie & music edition)

July 24, 2020 Arlene Giddings

So….this is not really a love or a like…
just an observation so far
but Google Play (music)
is switching to YouTube music…
I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

I listen to music daily..
even more now that I work from home.
It plays in the background all day,
in my car, all night when I sleep.

The only time I don’t listen to music
is when I am going for a walk.
I want to hear “outside” when I am outside.
Also, I am afraid to wear headphones
in public because I am afraid
I will sing out loud
and nobody wants that.

I have different playlists for
activities, moods, holidays, people…
and my tastes range from
a to z
and almost everything in between.

I am currently loving:
♥ angus & julia stone

♥ paper kites

♥ dermot kennedy

which kind of leads to a movie
that has completely stuck in my head
but mostly
because of music….

Rudderless

I adored this movie.
Billy Crudup
Anton Yelchin (who I might have the tiniest crush on)
it was sweet and thoughtful,
funny and interesting
AND OH THE SOUNDTRACK.
they do a cover of
the wheels on the bus
that I absolutely loved….
it’s not quite the same on the OST
but sooooo great in the movie….

and the song
sing along
breaks my heart every time.

I love movies about music…
got any suggestions? :)
or whatcha listening to?

whatcha readin'? 2020 {book 14::goal 30}

July 20, 2020 Arlene Giddings

This was a great quick summer read.

It carried me along quickly
on a maze of twists and turns,
made me wonder
and try to figure what
was actually going on
and at the same time,
I was able to empathize….
I remember what being a new mom
felt like.
Always worried you were doing the wrong thing,
that you weren’t doing the same thing,
that you were being judged,
that you were screwing your kids up
FOR LIFE….

And really, that fear almost never goes away.

But anyway, I digress.

Great summer read book.
:)

This book is up for grabs if you
have a book you want to trade for it….

5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥’s
NEXT UP:: TRANSIT - RACHEL CUSK

mary mary quite contrary

July 19, 2020 Arlene Giddings

how does your garden grow…

I actually took these
photos a couple of weeks ago…
it is looking even bigger now
plus, thanks to a good friend,
I was able to add 4 more deck tomato plants.

The cucumber plants are actually
way bigger now.
Next year, I would like to try to
make something cute
that will also keep them up a bit
but now, I am just trying to “train”
them to grow around the bamboo.

Sadly, my string bean plants
were eaten in infancy
by some heartless monster…
or possibly slugs?
I don’t know.
But I am going to try replanting some…
I do have a couple that might give me
few string beans
but
I WANT A LOT!

heehee.

This is the path I take
countless times a day
to water the garden
(the hose won’t reach
AND it leaks
so I have to use a watering can)
and to check on its progress
multiple times a day…

At some point,
I would like to put a real path
in here
with some cute stones
but not sure that
is going to happen this summer.

Good intentions though.
That counts, I think.
Heehee.