Reading and Eating on the Road
On Saturday I had a mini road trip! I drove my daughter to USF in Tampa for a flute clinic. Originally we planned to stay overnight with friends, but since I was still a little sick, we canceled those plans and drove four hours there, and then four hours back at night. For me, it was a reading-themed trip and I loved it. (Well- most of it). To start with, you know how when someone is coughing and sneezing you secretly find it really annoying, even though you know it’s not their fault that they’re sick? Well, my daughter was SUPER annoyed with me, and the only difference is she didn’t feel the need to keep it a secret. She told me “I don’t want to talk to you because your voice sounds so horrible.” She sat in the backseat and put her headphones in. Well, that was just fine with me! I happily put on this episode of the Currently Reading podcast, where Meredith and Kaytee discussed their top ten books of 2024. Even though I don’t usually like Kaytee’s selections, I still enjoy hearing her talk about them. And Meredith and I have more similar reading tastes, so I was intrigued by several of her picks. When we got to Tampa, I dropped my daughter off at the workshop and found a nearby Barnes and Noble! I was surrounded by books, reading about books. I looked up the books from the podcast episode, decided I did want two of them on my TBR, and checked to see if they’re at my library. They are! I browsed a little, but didn’t buy anything. Then I found a nearby Starbucks, got a green tea, and pulled out my book: I finished it! This book had a slow start for me, but by the end I was very glad I read it. It’s kind of like everything you find confusing about quantum physics, made even more mysterious by a fictional spin. In the afterward Cixin Liu says “It’s the seemingly unlikeliest of possibilities in science fiction stories that tend to become reality, so in the end, who knows?” AND, he makes a small tie-in to the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, which I loved. This one was not as good as the trilogy, but still worth a read. The only thing that was a little sad about this trip was the food situation. Road trips are supposed to have fun snacks and a Coke Zero… right??? Well, not this time. I packed up all my own food: Lunch, snacks, and veggies and hummus for dinner. The only thing I missed was a nice, big fountain drink. But guess what- I did purchase a cup, filled it with ice, and poured in my own green tea, so I still had a beverage! I had a moment of sadness when I was getting the ice, because I could see the Coke Zero just inches away from my cup. But, that sadness quickly went away. Once I was on the road again, sipping my iced green tea, it was fine. So that’s my “hack of the day.” Pay $2.89 for a cup of ice and add your own healthier beverage. It was fun! If you listen to the Currently Reading podcast, do you identify more with Meredith or Kaytee? What’s your favorite road trip snack- Subway sandwich (or, Publix sub), Fritos and Coke Zero. But now right now.