Reading and Eating
Okay, let’s start with the boring part. I’m still on my diet. Four weeks down, three to go- that is, three weeks until my trip. At that point I’ll be assessing the situation- it’s going to be almost impossible to stay on the diet strictly while I’m traveling. ANYWAY. I’m doing fine- there are things I miss, but mostly I’m okay with what I’m eating. I’m just a little tired of all the prep required. I’m tired of grinding and blending, and constantly cleaning the food processor, blender, and spice grinder. But…. I’m sticking to it. Let’s move on to the fun stuff. I finished this book: This is the third book in the Susan Ryeland series, and is another “whodunit” within a “whodunit.” Susan is once again editing an Atticus Pund novel, which is a classic Agatha Christie-style mystery, while a real life mystery unfolds around her as well. It sounds like it would be contrived and complicated, but Horowitz does is so well. I love this series, and enjoyed this book- although about 3/4 of the way through I kind of just wanted to get to the end. It was a temporary lull, and then the ending was really fun. I recommend this if you love mysteries BUT YOU MUST START WITH THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES, Magpie Murders. This book has spoilers for the first two. Nest I started this: So far I like it, but I don’t love it. I’m not quite 100 pages in, so I’m reserving judgement. This mystery/fantasy was hyped by Meredith on the Currently Reading podcast – it was one of her top ten books of 2024, so I had high expectations going in. We’ll see what happens! Speaking of Meredith… This was another of her top ten books of 2024. It’s a short mystery, and she recommends reading it in one sitting, if possible. Well, I’ve been saving it for “Read 25 Day.” Gretchen Rubin has declared June 25 as an official reading day (her challenge for 2025 is to read for 25 minutes a day). Bookstores around the country are actually holding reading events, but I’m putting my own spin on it and just calling it a “day of reading.” Wednesdays are my day off, so it works out perfectly. I’m not sure if I’ll read the book in one sitting, but I’ll read it all in one day, for sure. Do you do any of Gretchen Rubins challenges? Will you observe Read 25 Day? Top photo by Olga Tutunaru on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Sick and Tired
Oookay. Let me just start by saying that up until two weeks ago, I hadn’t been sick in a LONG time. Like, I went around saying reckless things like “I never get sick.” THEN, I got pink eye, accompanied by a cold (which I now think was probably Covid). I had laryngitis, a horrible headache, sore throat, nausea (probably from the post nasal drip), and some serious fatigue. These didn’t happen all at once, but rather trickled in, one after the other. There was always something or other that kept me feeling crappy for a second week. But, I wasn’t bedridden, so workouts did occur, such as they were. I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Rundown. Here we go… Monday Great news- my pink eye is gone and I can put in my contacts! PHEW! But now I have a pounding headache. I got out anyway for a 3 mile run. Tuesday I took my aching head to the gym for leg day! I did my usual focus on squats, and I also had a sad realization- the Bulgarian split squats are irritating my hamstring, so I have to avoid those for now. Wednesday It was my day off, so I opted to sleep in and run on the treadmill. The heat is making me extremely tired so I wanted to avoid it anyway. Even in the AC, this run was HARD. I ran slowly and took walking breaks, but it was 4 miles of huffing and puffing. Oof. Thursday Yesterday’s run left me so tired, I decided to get a little more sleep and take it fairly easy today. I did the Caroline Girvan dead bug workout, and my hip stability exercises. Sleeping in felt good. Friday Let’s try this again. 3 miles on the treadmill, and I felt a little better than Wednesday. I followed this with some core work, and side planks with leg lifts, which seemed harder than usual. Was it because I had just run, or am I getting weaker? Hrumph. Saturday Upper body workout at home. Shoulder press, lateral raises, rows, and my usual altercation with the pull up bar. Sunday Sore throat is gone… headache is gone… I have a little more energy. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic- so much so that I’m going to try a run outside. I think I said the same thing LAST Sunday- I’m hoping next week is a better week! How was your week? When was the last time you were sick? Is it hot where you are? Top photo by J Cruikshank on Unsplash
5 Good Things
Well. This has not been my best week. It was better than LAST week, but since last week was horrible, that’s not saying much. I can’t seem to completely kick this illness, and I hate not having energy. Everyone else seems to be having “summer fun” and I feel so blah. But, guess what- I am a Big Girl. I know people have much worse problems than me, so I’m pulling myself together and thinking about what’s good in my life. There’s always something, right? Here’s my 5 Good Things for this Friday: 1. THE LIBRARY One thing that is going well is my reading. I went to the library this week, and they had both books I was looking for: These are two of Meredith’s Best Books of 2024 from the Currently Reading podcast. Books can be so expensive, and I’m always happy when I walk out of the library with the books I want. 2. A TEXT FROM MY SON This week my son texted me: “Something weird is happening- I miss Waco!” There was so much happening when he left, and he was so excited about what was coming next, that he said it didn’t really sink in that he was leaving for good. Well- I miss Waco too! We texted back and forth for a little, and then agreed we would continue the conversation on our road trip. Speaking of which… 3. MY TRIP! This one is tricky- I don’t want to wish the time away (these days count too!) But, it is fun to have something to look forward to. My trip- where I’ll fly out to Texas to meet my son- is three weeks away! I’ll hear the last concert of his festival, and then he and I will drive up to Chicago. We’ll stay with my sister for a couple days before flying back to Florida. 4.MUFFIN She deserves a major shout out. How can you be sad with a purring cat on your lap??? 5. I MADE BROWNIES Yes! Sugar-free, grain-free brownies! You might wonder what’s in them- oh, all sorts of things, like carob and sweet potato. It’s a recipe from RIkki Heller’s Living Candida Free cookbook. They’re good! Obviously they don’t taste like “normal” brownies, but they’re a treat for me. Can you think of 5 Good Things today?- I had to push myself to come up with mine, but once I got started it was easy. Top photo by Jim Davis on Unsplash
Universe Demerits and Gold Stars
Last week when I talked about having pink eye, Liz commented “Oh no – have you got Covid?” She said she recently had conjunctivitis with Covid. I looked it up, and yes, pink eye is a complication with the new strain of Covid. At that point I could tell I was getting better, so it didn’t seem worth it to get a Covid test. But Covid always seems to me like a cold with an extra edge of nastiness, so I think that’s what I had. That brings me to my “demerits to the universe.” In addition to the pink eye, which was a nightmare, I also lost my sense of smell and taste. This is making me very sad! I’m even missing the taste of my green tea, believe it or not (now it just tastes like a cup of hot water). The second demerit, universe, is I’ve had a headache for the past three days. Obviously this is really unpleasant. Since headaches aren’t contagious, I’m back at work. Last week I felt like crap but at least I was home, napping and reading. This week I feel like crap but I’m working. HMMM. But, as Gretchen Rubin says after demerits, “Take us up with a gold star!” Yes, I do have some. The first gold star (to the universe)- my pink eye is ALL GONE and I can finally put in my contacts. Phew- I feel much more like myself, and I can wear sunglasses again! No more squinting into the sun. Second gold star- a couple people commented that when they had pink eye, they couldn’t read. AAAACK! What a tragedy that would have been! I’m grateful I could read the whole time, and I’m especially happy that I finally got to start this book: This is the third book in Horowitz’s Ellen Ryeland series, which I like even better than the Hawthorne books. I’m loving this one! I’m only about 100 pages in, but I’m in no rush to get through it. I want this reading experience to last as long as possible. The third gold star actually goes to SHU!. When she gave me the Summer Playbook, she also gave me a couple other books, including this: I had forgotten about it, but this seemed like a good time to pull it out. And, as an added bonus, Sarah had marked passages from the book! It’s super fun to go through and see what parts she liked. As a matter of fact, it was the perfect way to read this book. Everything in it is good, but a lot of it I’ve heard before. It was nice to go through and get the highlights. I liked chapter six, “Break Up With Breaking News.” Ugh, following the news is so draining. Carver says “Much of our stress comes from mentally living out of our own business.” Omg, Elon musk and Trump had a big fight… wait. This is not my own business. Ignore. I also liked “Where you are right now is where you are. You aren’t behind. You aren’t caught up. You are here. It’s really all you get.” I needed to hear that, because I’ve been starting to feel like this summer is slipping away from me. What happened to my summer of strength? What about all the speed work I was going to do??? Okay, okay. THERE WILL BE A TIME AFTER THIS. Thank you to Sarah and the universe for my gold stars! Do you have any demerits or gold stars for the universe? Top photo by Arnaud Mariat on Unsplash