whatcha readin'? 2020 {book 15::goal 30}

August 31, 2020 Arlene Giddings

We are at the halfway mark of the goal!

i think that deserves a cupcake!!
(and seriously, these are my most favorite little things…)

anyway…heehee…back to the book.

I loved this book…
and it’s funny that I did because
I don’t like short stories
and while this wasn’t a short story
it felt like an amalgamation of
short stories
shared as anecdotes
to make up an entire story.

Her writing was beautiful.
There was a lot happening in a book
where
nothing seemed to really be
happening.

There was a lot said about the
main character
in a book that didn’t seem to
describe the main character.

You should totally give this book a try.

4.5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥’s
NEXT UP:: ONE DAY - DAVID NICHOLLS

happiness is a full tank of gas...

August 30, 2020 Arlene Giddings

and a good playlist…

no destination
means sometimes
you end up in Greenwich

where the nice park guy
probably thinks you are a nut bar
because the first time you see him,
you panic because you think
maybe you were supposed to pay
to get in and you were going
to come back to a note
on your windshield again
so when he says hello
you say
was i supposed to pay?
i can go back
all panicky

(and no, there was no charge).

and then
when you meet him later
on his bike
you panic again
and say
am i on the wrong side
of the yellow line?
is this where i am supposed to be?
should i be over there??
in a panicky voice.

(it didn’t matter what side of the yellow
line you were on).

these were taken at the beginning of summer
but I am just getting around to posting them now.

blogging has taken a bit of a backseat…
along with everything else
but hoping to get back on top of things again.
:)

friday i'm in love

August 21, 2020 Arlene Giddings

so this friday
i can definitely gush
about the new phone…
now that it has a case
and screen protector
AND
i have actually taken it out of the box.

i love it.

(what i don’t love is no headphone jack…just sayin’ samsung…)

but…
the camera.

i am loving the camera…
i am not really a big fan of super zoom photos
on anything so that didn’t really matter to me
but i like the option for wide angle
and for fitting more people into a selfie.

i’m still just playing with it all
and learning but
i am not disappointed with my choice.

other things i am loving
in random order:

covered bridge sweet bbq kettle chips
naps
cucumber fresh out of the garden with salt & pepper
the charlie brown theme pack i am using on my new phone
the new dress i got from how bazaar

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