1. I was just getting my annual mammogram (always a great way to start the new year) and had to use a check-in kiosk. At one point I needed to scan my insurance card and of course it was in my wallet, buried deep under literally everything else in my purse. As I was digging around, an alert on the screen kept popping up, warning me that I had only a few seconds left before the machine reset itself. Just above the countdown was a little button that said I’M HAVING TROUBLE. Luckily I was eventually able to beat the clock (so to speak) but as I sat down to wait I kept thinking about those three words. Like, how nice would it be if we all had a visible button, floating somewhere above us, that we could push when things got tough? Then everyone else would know to give us a wide berth, or grace, ideally. Of course, my light might always be on, as I cannot even work the kiosk at the radiology place. SIGH.
2. It’s January, cold, and school has been canceled twice this week for snow. Is it any wonder I find myself drawn to guilty pleasures? Enter Doctor Odyssey, a show I discovered awhile back on Hulu. It’s like the Love Boat (which I was obsessed with as a kid, I wanted to be Julie McCoy, cruise director) but with a medicine angle. Also, Joshua Jackson, swimsuits and guest stars galore. It also features Phillipa Soo, who I cannot see without bursting into selections from the Hamilton soundtrack (much to my husband’s annoyance). It is shot in this warm, honey-like lighting that makes everyone seem gorgeous and sun kissed, the very opposite of how I feel this time of year. Plus Don Johnson as Captain. I mean, COME ON. It’s like cupcakes, but for your eyes. (Note: I was not a big Dawson’s Creek fan back in the day, but I get the whole Joshua Jackson thing now. Might have to go back and check it out.)
3. You know what’s also a wonderful thing? Finishing a novel and immediately adding it to your list of Best Books I Ever Read. This is how I feel about The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. It’s unique and genius, the kind of book that you finish and then hold to your chest, sighing happily. (That last part might just be a me thing.) Also the last couple of paragraphs were so perfect I took a picture of them so I could re-read them whenever I wanted. I am not usually a person who enjoys futuristic novels, or ones about multiple universes. But when a book is this good, all that goes out the window. It is in a class and genre all by itself. The last book I felt this way about was Station Eleven, which is still my go-to reading recommendation whenever I am asked for one. Now I have another. Like I said, a wonderful thing.
4. My husband is notoriously hard to buy gifts for, so when I do hit the mark, it’s cause for celebration. This year my daughter and I knocked it out of the park when we bought him a smoker. Since the day he brought it home, we have been treated to the most delicious smoked meat, vegetables (did you know you can cook green beans on a smoker?) and even cornbread. It is so great to watch him nerd out with the accompanying app that he uses to track the temperature, time, etc. (Especially handy when it is FREEZING outside.) So far my favorite are the ribs, which to me look like the ones dropped on Fred’s window tray during the opening of the Flintstones. I mean:
I feel compelled to tell you we are also eating a lot of salads. Just FYI.
5. Fun fact: I have been stuck here on this, number 5 of 5, for an inordinately long amount of time. Often I begin working on these posts on Thursday, then finish up Friday morning. Some weeks come easily. Most, actually. But for whatever reason in the last hour or so I have started and then deleted thoughts in this space on:
The fact that my daughter is so driven academically I have to order her to take breaks, while I so lazy and a hot mess at her age
How much I am enjoying watching In the Heights and asking for suggestions of other musical films
The guy I just saw brushing his teeth very enthusiastically while behind the wheel of his car in the grocery store parking lot
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Covered French Butter Cookies
So just call these placeholders. Or writing prompts. Or proof that I’M HAVING TROUBLE. Whatever you decide, just know I am doing my best. A girl’s only got so much fuel in the tank. The good news is I’m in the fast lane, top town, radio blasting as I write my new novel. But it may mean, occasionally, you’ll find me sputtering here.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
Pacey Witter will speak to you. He is the kind of excellent but complicated teenage boy you do very well. <3
This is very unrelated to your Friday five this week, I’ve been thinking about a book you read and shared several years back around 2017. But I can never remember the exact name of the title. I know it’s something along the lines of “Bunny Bunny”? The title had the word bunny it I do remember that. The story was about grief from the pov of a pre-teen character and a newly widowed dad? Does this ring any bells by chance? It’s a long shot and probably a needle in a haystack but I’d thought I’d ask.