2015

Watching: Steven Universe – This is one of the best shows on television right now. General plot: Steven is a part of the Crystal Gems, a magical (otherwise) female fighting team who defends Earth against nasty creatures. As he tries to figure out his own super powers, they learn about being a family, dealing with the otherwise normal people of their city, and have adventures. It’s a lot of fun, and it is surprisingly mature for how it may look coming in.

Loving: Buddhify – Buddhify is a meditation app for the iPhone and Android. You have the option of selecting a given scenario and then picking one of several audio options based on the amount of time you have. So, for example, the other day when I was feeling extremely anxious at work, I listened to a 10 minute guided meditation from the Feeling Stressed section. It helped immediately.

Reading: Burnt Tongues edited by Chuck Palahniuk, Richard Thomas and Dennis Widmyer – This is a collection of strange and bizarre short stories by a variety of authors. They can be pretty disturbing, but they are very well-written. Reminds me a lot of Haunted.

Hearing: Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman – I’m sorry, dear subscribers. I’ve cheated, and there’s no turning back now. Recently, I have been listening to more audiobooks than music, and as a result, my go-to ear snacking has been this fun, manly book by “the NBC guy with the mustache.” Pair it with his Netflix special “American Ham” and you’re in for a treat.

Doing: Slam poetry – (Author’s note here. I originally was going to look for an image that would encapsulate “Overtime” because that is actually what I’ve had to spend a lot of time doing as of late but then decided that that was really, really fucking depression. Pardon my language.) The last two Tuesdays have been spent being part of Pittsburgh’s slam poetry scene. I have now performed four pieces, and they have been pretty well-received. For those of you who have not attended a slam, it’s a competition in which poets perform a piece of writing no longer than 3 minutes and are then scored by a panel of judges. There can several rounds until a winner is found. I made it to the second round both times I attended, which I think is pretty solid for a beginner.

It’s Monday! What Am I Doing?

Watching: Forever on ABC — I really didn’t want to give this one a shot. Because come on. The premise reads like, “Let’s take Sherlock, put him in New York, make him live forever and…let’s see…oh! But he’ll be a doctor instead. Where’s my Emmy?” Now that I’m a few episodes in, I can’t really say that I’ve been proven wrong with that assessment, but the characters are engaging/likeable. And I love Judd Hirsch.

Loving: My Hippo’s misadventures — 5 years ago, I started a day job at a local insurance company. A bunch of people in a department adjacent to mine had these little hippos (for some HIPAA awareness…get it? Hipaa hippos?) all over their desks. Obviously, I wanted one and was never able to get one. Finally, the other week, I took matters into my own hands and ordered one off Amazon. Then, I started taking pictures of it at different places and I’m having a lot of fun with that. My favorite?

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Reading: An Age of License by Lucy Knisley — A travelogue graphic novel. Two of my favorite things. It is lovely and makes me want to relocate to Europe for an undisclosed period of forever.

Hearing: Everything Will Be Alright in the End by Weezer — Is it as good as the blue album? I wouldn’t go quite that far, but it is the most 90s-rocktastic album I have heard in some time. And yes, of course my favorite track is “Back to the Shack.”

Doing: Professional videography — I’m going to keep the deets under wraps for right now but rest assured that I am very, very excited and I really, really need to order new business cards.

It’s Monday. What are you doing?

It’s Monday! What Am I Doing?

Watching: Bob’s Burgers — This is one of my favorite animated shows, and the season premier aired last night. It’s refreshing because it’s funny and quirky without being mean. Like, sure, the family is odd and dysfunctional, but they are still a family that loves each other. I know that feeling!

Loving: Viniq Vodka — Delicious. And fun. Check out my video on Instagram and you’ll see what I mean. I’ve wanted to try it for a long time, lured in by it’s milky-way beauty. It’s tasty: mild, fruity, sweet.

Reading: Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham — Let me assure you, I did not break my financial fast for this, but rather got it from a small hoard of points I had accrued on prior purchases on my credit card. So far, I love it. Girls is one of my favorite cable shows, and Lena Dunham possesses an energy I can’t help being drawn to.

Hearing: All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor — No treble.

Doing: 30 — This month, on the 19th, I turn 30. And although I know it’s not a big deal and all, it’s definitely been on my mind recently. I’ve had a lot of practice being a 20-something. To suddenly be 30 and an adult…it’s odd. Are any of you all 30? Did you find yourself trying to just go “It’s not a big deal” but then dealing with your inner child going, “Uh, it’s totally a big deal”?

It’s Monday. What are you doing?

It’s Monday…I mean, Tuesday! What Am I Doing?

Watching: New Girl – I love this show. Everything about it. The weird, quirky humor. The cast. I have days when I turn it on and just watch it. And season 4 just started. So, in case you’re wondering where I am on Tuesdays, there you go.

Loving: Ricola – I have been horrendously sick since the weekend before last. I’ve been taking every medicine under the sun and the one, comforting thing that has continued to work is the soothing gel-filled Ricola lozenges. I’ve probably gone through about seven bags.

Reading: “Creative Thursday” by Marisa Anne Cummings – I have had so many creative projects recently that I’ve just felt a bit scrambled. Then, I picked up this book. It’s about committing to and managing what you are working on so you can be creative in the midst of…well, everything else.

Hearing: The Book of Mormon – My husband and I went to see this musical last week. It is right in the same vein as Avenue Q, except I got to see this one without taking two trips to New York City. I have been belting out “I believe” at random moments, thanks to this musical.

Doing: Financial Fast – Until my birthday on the 19th, I am trying to abstain from buying anything other than what I need (food, toiletries, medicine) or am buying for other people (charity, gifts). Today has been, full stop, the most difficult day of this because the new book by Lena Dunham came out and I really, really want to read it. Like whoa.

It’s ~~Monday~~ Tuesday. What are you doing?

Monday 9/15/14: What Am I Doing?

Watching: Cutthroat Kitchen — Alton Brown is a household name in our home. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a game show for as long as we’ve been watching this one. If you aren’t familiar, it’s four chefs who have to make a dish with only 60 seconds to shop for their items. However, before they get started, they enter into an auction for items to sabotage their competition. Things like a dented pan or a teeny tiny skillet as their only cooking vessel. It’s diabolical and fantastic.

Loving: Halloween! — We have officially entered into the time when I can talk unabashedly about how excited I am about this holiday. I used to not be big on Halloween, but in recent years I’ve gotten much more into it. It sucks that we live on a giant house on a hill where we have gotten exactly zero trick-or-treaters in the six years we’ve been here, but whatever. More candy for me!

Reading: Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris — This is a book I’m listening to again on my phone. I am trying to listen to at least one essay a day while walking around my office building. Does this make me look crazy? Maybe. Do I care? Absolutely not.

Hearing: “Rude” by Magic — I have had this song stuck in my head all day. And I haven’t listened to a whole lot of music lately, so…I’m counting it.

Doing: editing — My next big project is the 2nd edition of my novel, Cape and Dagger. I’d like to get this done for its two year anniversary, which would make it to be completed by next month. It’s not the most elegant of writing projects, but I feel like I would be much happier with it shined up and floating out there in the Internet literasphere.

It’s Monday. What are you doing?

Monday 9/8/14: What Am I Doing?

Watching: The Office – I got into a mood to rewatch parts of one of my favorite sitcoms. A friend of mine recently called The Office a “safe” comedy, and I think that is in some ways very true and somewhat not. Because it’s like…yes, there really isn’t much depth to the show itself, but the characters take on a complexity that makes them very different as the years progress. Anyway, I still like it. Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.

Loving: Fall/Pumpkin-flavored Stuff/All of that – I know it’s the popular thing to be loving right now but I just don’t care. I have pumpkin spice almonds in my cabinet and multiple Starbucks within a 5 mile radius of my house. I have super comfy socks and lots of sweaters. I am so ready.

Reading: Landline by Rainbow Rowell – Actually, I’m re-reading/re-listening to this. There is so much to love about this book: the backward love story, how everything you think will become a cliche doesn’t, and the fact that there is a magical phone. The heroine even makes Dr. Who jokes. Come on.

Hearing: Novö Piano by Maxence Cyrin – If you have a single Pandora music station that is even remotely associated with mellow piano music, you’ve probably at least heard Cyrin’s cover of “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies. The whole thing is like that. Melodic, soothing, chill. My other favorite is his cover of “No Cars Go” by Arcade Fire. Sometimes, at night, I’ll turn it on repeat with my headphones on and pass in and out of consciousness.

Doing: Papercrafts! – My mom turned me onto papercrafting and making cards and little things out of cardstock and design sheets. And now I’m like…I want to make all the cards! All the fancy things! Out of paper! And I realize I really need a studio/craftroom/something.

It’s Monday. What are you doing?