This and That

Lately I haven't been up to much, just a bit of this and that, including making this gem amongst Halloween decorations:

Sharpie and milk jug

 

I took this picture from my balcony:

 

Full moon over Chicago

 

I took a trip to the country, which looks like that:

 

Western Illinois panorama

 

And where the cemetaries are so old they are being eaten by trees, like this:

 

Mmm, tombstone.

 

There are covered bridges in the country, like that:

That's me standing proudly in front

 

Also: horses! like this:

Baby horsey!

 

And the country is where I got my first glimpse of the mighty Mississippi, which looks like that:

Where are Huck and Jim?

 

It's also kind of pretty in the country, and looks like this:

It gets cold in the country when the sun sets

But there are men who shoot at things, like that:

Scared the shit out of me

 

Mostly, however, I've been working, shopping, hanging out with friends, and enjoying some of this:

 



Resolution Update #8

Resolution #1: Be good to my body
Result: 42%

A. Go to the gym once a week: 2/4 (50%!)
B. Stretch once a week: 3/4 (75%)
C. Drink a glass of green tea once a week: 0/4 (0%)

Resolution #2: Be more mindful
Result: 63%

A. Write in my journal once a week: 4/4 (100%)
B. Meditate once a week: 2/4 (50%)
C. Only spend one hour on the internet every weekday at home: 8/20 (40%)

Resolution #3: See one movie a month in theater
Result: Fail...again

Resolution #4: Buy one piece of clothing per month
Result: Success!

This month I bought two very pretty shirts from Anthropologie; I can wear both to work, which is a plus. I also bought a dress and a pair of wedges when I was in Portland on my work vacation (no sales tax!).

Resolution #5: Read two books per month
Result: Resounding success!

I read five books this month! Yay! I read A Conspiracy of Friends, by Alexander McCall Smith. I love his books, they feel like home: comfortable and warm, reassuring, and I always look forward to them. I very much enjoy him as a writer, and love many of his series.

Next I read The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. I read a review in a magazine, and it sounded like something I wanted to read (I very rarely take recommendations from magazines.) I finally got it from the library, and it was good, though took a weird turn along the way into the supernatural. I won't say more in case anyone else is interested, and the twist wasn't terrible, just unexpected.

 Last I read three Newbery Award winners: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, Missing May by Cynthia Rylant, and The White Stag by Kate Seredy. I had high hopes for Westing, since it was billed as a murder mystery cum fortune hunt; overall, there were things that didn't add up, and it just wasn't completely solid enough for me. It did make me cry, but still not on my top list of Newbery winners.

Missing May was the gem of this grouping: it's about a young teenager who recently lost a surrogate parent. It was sassy and quick and emotional, with good insights for a younger audience about losing a loved one. White Stag was randomly about Attila the Hun, and a fictionalized tale of his ancestry. It was well-written, but I wasn't crazy about it.

Resolution #6: Keep track of my finances via Excel spreadsheet
Result: Success!

It's there to remind me how much money I spend each month...This month my "Misc." column won for most expensive.