I appreciate nature. I do. Especially the sky. There are few things I love more than driving down a country road under a vast canopy of blue.
While nature may be my reactive response to the question, though, there are lots of other experiences that make me pause and take notice.
Today’s Friday Five brings you five things that inspire awe for me:
A really good cup of coffee. Not just a decent cuppa that gets the job done, but a truly exquisite coffee. That will stop me mid-sentence. So many factors go into producing the perfect cup of coffee – where and how it’s grown, how it’s harvested, how the beans are cared for before/during/after roasting, how it’s ground, how it’s brewed, the temperature at which it’s served – it’s a remarkable moment when they all come together to make something special.
Zoom choirs. As tired of Zoom as I got during the 2020 shutdown, some of the most beautiful things that came out of it were the choirs. I mean, I love choral singing anyway, and it’s a fast way to get to awe for me, but coupling it with the commitment to making sure people could still enjoy it despite the obstacles of social distancing was particularly touching. The amount of collaboration from all the participants and the hard work from the editors that it took to put these presentations together yielded something marvelous.
Meditation. My favorite style of meditation usually involves prayer, but even when it doesn’t, it’s still full of wonders. At its base, it is quiet and still and open. I am seldom closer to awe than when I’m meditating. There is so much noise in the world, and it’s so easy to get distracted from my own soul and my own purpose. There are many different ways to meditate, and I highly recommend finding one that works for you.
Reading poetry. I am easily uplifted by the exceptionally worded sentence. Well-crafted poetry takes it one step further.
People who excel. I love watching people who are very good at what they do – who have found their niche and revel in it – perform. Artists, musicians, writers, actors, dancers, athletes. Even if I don’t generally give a flying fig about what they’re doing (looking at you, most sports), if they are exceptional at it, I suddenly can’t get enough of it. This also extends to people I have worked with. In the grand scheme of things, very few things about any job I’ve ever had are earthshaking. But when I see someone really make a difference in a student’s day or their college experience, or enrich their life in some way, the impact of that moment makes it easier to get out of bed for a while.
When the alarm went off this morning, my first thought was “last time I have to hear that this week.” It’s the small things. I have a pretty easy weekend ahead, so I’m looking forward to that.
Here are many things from the internet (mostly from Instagram) that I loved this week.
This made me laugh and laugh. Substitute “report card” for “cleaning my room” and this is spot on. My favorite is “You know everybody’s business on the street but you can’t remember what the doctor said?” Actual words that have come out of my mouth – “DO I NEED TO COME TO YOUR APPOINTMENTS AND SIT NEXT TO YOU?” My parents don’t think it’s so humorous when their own words come back at them, but here we are.
Do you have someone in your life who is obsessed with Heated Rivalry? Yes, you do. It’s me. I recently preordered the 7th book that’s coming out in June and also all the special editions of the first six coming out in October, and I’m not even sorry, bank account. This is my joy. Thanks to HR, my Instagram algorithm no longer sends me immediately into a downward spiral (courtesy of the ongoing wtf-ness of the news cycle), and I’m so grateful. HR has gentled the spiral. My May/June TBR (or as soon as I can get my hands on all of them in some form – I’m next on the library waitlist for the first two eeeee!) will basically be this. I have watched the first three episodes with friends, but I am 96% sure I’m going to cave and subscribe to HBO Max for my birthday next week so that I can just watch them all on repeat on a daily basis. My favorite reel right now is of an episode I haven’t even watched yet that shows a whole sports bar’s reaction to a pivotal scene. Spoiler alert – episode 5 (but really, if you have any interest in HR and you are on the internet at all in any way, you have seen this scene). The sheer, unbridled, effervescent joy. Also – Representation matters.
Because the representation in HR deserves another bullet point. “It’s about a kid seeing someone loving the same thing he does, trying to stand fully in himself, realizing that the different parts of him don’t have to cancel each other out for him to belong.” The writers and cast are hearing from professional athletes in the closet who are so thankful for the show. “Queer people need to see gay people win. Gay love doesn’t have to end in tragedy. The other shoe doesn’t have to drop.” “Obviously, it’s important to have people who have the experience of autism playing roles who are autistic, but there’s also so much value in having somebody who loves someone who’s autistic playing this role” Finally, this is one of my favorite scenes so far (because there’s gonna be a Season 2 yay) – the apology, the acknowledgement, the space to just let the hurt and the apology exist in the same conversation without trying to smooth either one over. Just…*happy sigh*
Excellent breakdown of what good research actually is. Also, Ground News, y’all. Such a good resource. “Let your truths guide your politics; don’t let your politics tell you what’s true.”
And finally – I love this energy. “I’m not doing favors today.” “Your request is denied.” And my favorite – “Learn your rights – I can’t learn them for you.” That’s fed-up mom/teacher energy, and I second that emotion.
I hope both your day and your weekend are wonderful!
It is March, which is the best month. The month of my birth. I can even forgive it for being spring. It’s starter spring, when I am thinking about which plants I want to have outside this year and trying to convince myself that my allergies aren’t that bad. It’s a tricksy month. I can get on board with that.
As is my custom, I’ve started several of these already (and even finished a couple). A peek into my process – I start compiling my TBR lists at least a couple of months in advance. My book clubs generally have things already picked out (e.g., two of them have selections chosen for the whole year already), so I go ahead and list those books and plug them into the reading challenges where they fit. Then, as I start herding together the print copies for the blog post picture, I find myself picking them up. And when I pick a book up, I start thumbing through it. And then, before I know it, I’ve started/finished it.
As problems go, it’s a nice one to have.
Anyway, here are my reads for the best month of the year!
[Disclosure: Most of the links below are affiliate links; I get paid a percentage if you purchase from these links. Alternatively, you could search your favorite indie bookshop on Bookshop.org or Libro.fm, and they get an even bigger cut!]
Book Clubs
I am especially excited about my book club selections this month. Happy birth month to me!
I’m pretty sure cozy is accidentally (but also predictably) becoming my favorite reading challenge this year. I’m looping the books from the series I’m reading into this curriculum, so I’ll also list them under this heading from here on out.
I’m spending the month finishing up my reads for January and February (which will still put me ahead of schedule on this challenge). Most of what I’m focusing on this month for this challenge is the curriculum for learning to play the organ.
PopSugar
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde – A book you were hoping would fit into a prompt but doesn’t
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas – A book with a shadow daddy
52 Book Club
My Friends by Fredrik Backman – Provokes strong emotion (I have never read a Backman book without either ugly crying or laughing until I wheeze – usually both – at some point, and this one was no exception)
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas – Character with a secret identity
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny – Read an audiobook in a new setting (in my new office during my lunch break – because I can shut the door and be left in peace for an hour – such a luxury!)
Nowhere Bookshop Bingo
Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry – bookish memoir/biography
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash – Nowhere book club pick
Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry – A book by an author who went to your high school or college
Modern Mrs. Darcy Spring Preview
Three(ish?) times a year, Anne Bogel (aka Modern Mrs. Darcy) and her team tell us the new books coming out that season that they think we will particularly enjoy. I don’t ever make it through all of them, but I pick a handful out of each season, from either the actual list or the “other books you might like that we haven’t vetted yet” list, that sound amazing (and/or that I have received via one of my subscriptions).
This week, I have early voting and Lenten services and some community events on my plate. I’m particularly overbooked on Sunday, which means part of my Saturday plans may have to fall by the wayside. There seems to be an urgency afoot – not just with me but with others in general – and it’s all good, but also I need to take a breath occasionally.
Fortunately, this is my cozy year, so I have built those breaths into my plans. Note for future self – don’t stop doing this just because the year ends. This is a good thing to learn and incorporate into your life.
This is the second post in the series I have planned to explore the theme of cozy for the year. I am starting with Montana Happy’s list of hygge journal prompts, but I will probably incorporate others as the year progresses.
Prompt #2 – What elements are the most important in designing your dream house?
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. One of my favorite hobbies is sketching out floor plans to visualize what I want in a house (if ever the opportunity should arise). At this point, I could plan a whole neighborhood, which is not a bad idea. Anyone want to make our own mini-town with me?
A few disclaimers to begin:
This is not a judgment of your home. Your home is lovely.
I don’t often entertain, at least with large guest lists. I used to entertain regularly. I might decide I like to entertain again someday, but I am also cool with that part of my personality fading into the background. My home is introvert-coded, and that has turned it into a place I can really be at peace. Again, if that’s not you, that’s not a judgment. It’s just what I prefer for my own living space.
While I could make just about any house work right now just to have the luxury of my own parking space and all my walls, floors, and ceilings to myself (i.e., not shared with neighboring apartments, along with their sounds and smells), here are some preferences I’ve discovered as I dream and draw:
Garage – attached with the doors facing the side or back (i.e., not the street). Not only do I find this more aesthetically pleasing, but it also seems more secure. The fewer points of entry on the public-facing side of the home, the more effort it takes to breach. Safety measures are important in general, but especially for a woman living alone. As you enter from the garage…
Large laundry room that I don’t have to walk through the kitchen to get to from the primary bedroom. I hate tracking my clean clothes through the kitchen, which is generally the most aromatic room in the house. In my ideal home, there is a straight line from the laundry room to my bedroom. Bonus points if there is a pocket door between them that opens directly into the primary closet.
Primary bedroom – I don’t necessarily want this to be a large room. The larger it is, the more distractions I will be tempted to add to it, and the less conducive to sleep it will be. I don’t need anything that makes sleep harder for me. It just has to accommodate my bed, two side tables, a small bookshelf and chair, and a corner to put down a Pilates mat for night and morning stretches.
Primary bathroom – Large bath and shower (separate – oh, to be done with the shower/bath combo that apartment living necessitates). My arrangement of elements varies, but the overall size and structure mimic most homes on the market these days.
Private reading nook as part of the primary suite bedroom suite. One of several reading pockets tucked around the house. Generous shelving with all my self-soothing books – cozy mystery and fantasy, foodie fiction and memoir, etc. – comfy chair(s), a side bar for tea/coffee-making, and a small fridge for cheese, fruit, and other snacks.
Full library, of course. I flip between wanting separate areas for each genre and putting all fiction together and just separating nonfiction by genre (i.e., like in the public library). A mix of the two (to accommodate certain genres being in other rooms) is where I am currently sitting, but…I have thoughts that are beyond the scope of this post. Designing the library is a whole subsection of this hobby.
Private office that you can only get to via a secret bookshelf/door in the library. Walls lined with shelves that hold all my writing books, journals, and research notes, with file drawers on the bottom of each bookcase. The nook also accommodates the appropriate tea/coffee-making paraphernalia and snack storage to fuel long bouts of writing and reading.
Large kitchen – I like an island with a large worktop, a huge farmhouse sink under a window, and a whole separate upright freezer in addition to the small one that comes with the fridge. I want the pantry to be its own separate room and for the door to it to actually open into the kitchen (not in the utility area with the rest of the storage). Speaking of storage, I want plenty of it, including bookshelves where all my cookbooks live. I also want seating around the island so people can hang out while I cook without having to stand.
Dining area – A house with all this other stuff will likely have a whole dining room. I’ll probably have a table if it’s far enough away from the entry to keep it from accumulating a lot of stuff. But I’ll definitely line the walls with bookshelves and cozy the room up to use as another reading space. Maybe this is where I will host book club when it’s my turn to do so.
Living room – pretty standard. Lots of comfortable seating. Console with a TV and stereo, including a turntable, and shelves for my records.
Studio space – Room for a piano, organ, dance floor (and at least one mirrored wall with ballet bars), and craft area. I want designated spaces for all the arts I try to do. There will be lots of shelving for storing supplies and creativity/inspiration books.
At least two guest rooms (that – let’s face it – will also be filled with books, likely my most recent acquisitions) with ensuite baths.
Alright, you got me. The whole house is basically a library.
There are also plants in every room. My ideal home also includes an ideal self who keeps multiple plants alive.
Shared backyard with the whole block – indoor and outdoor pools, community garden, outdoor kitchen, brick pizza oven, firepit, community library shed, maybe a pickleball court if the neighbors like that sort of thing? Anyway, a large semi-private/semi-public outdoor area shared with the neighbors whose houses back up to mine in a large, quasi-commune situation – just with our own houses. This, of course, implies that I get to pick my neighbors. Otherwise, this is significantly less than ideal.
I know that I will probably never live in a house like this, but it’s fun to think about. And when I start looking for a house, I can keep these elements in mind.
This is what has wondered across my desk and through my brain this week:
Creativity doesn’t have to be a project – note to self (and perhaps also to you?) to explore the benefits of creative play.
Nadia Bolz-Weber’s Lenten discipline for cranky people that I can really get on board with – 40 Days of Good Shit.
Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes’s piece on the intricacies of the body. “There is freedom in seeing my body not as a mystery to be solved, but rather as a delicacy to be treasured and cared for.”
When I tell you that I loved Eileen Gu’s response to this crusty reporter’s question, I fear that that statement won’t quite express the utter glee with which I CACKLED, especially with the “I KNOW who I am…and who are you?” laugh that started it all. Good for her. Edited to add – I, along with the rest of the world, loved, loved, loved Alysa Liu’s performance that won her the gold.
These slides pretty much sum up my views on the senseless death of Dr. Linda Davis (and all who have died as the result of ICE’s lawless and reckless behavior). There are also resources listed in the caption of the post if you are wondering what you can do. In this season of lament, we cry, “How long will this injustice continue?” and call for the U.S. to repent and abolish ICE.
I have many favorite authors. My authors page on my working TBR rivals my series page as the longest. However, I don’t know that there’s even a single author about whom I can say I’ve read all their works. I mean, I wanna. I have the drive to do so. I will read something I love and immediately devour three or four other books that person has written. I will drop everything I’m doing to read the newest Fredrik Backman (or at least make sure it gets on one of my book clubs’ lists). And I am (slowly) working through Isabel Allende’s work in order of publication. But I do not yet have a completist author of my own, and I WANT ONE. I am looking forward to this series.
Ash Wednesday is NEXT WEEK. What in the world. Anyway, I have practiced Lent for many years and in several ways. I like the way this post breaks it down into four intentions to pursue.
And finally, I’m gonna make Joy the Baker’s one-pot French onion pasta tomorrow. I’ve got a fairly busy weekend, and this little dish is going to help me slow down a little and remind me that it is, in fact, my day off, regardless of what my activities may suggest.
My first full week in office in my advisor position! The first week had Monday as a holiday, and the second week was mostly working from home due to the winter storm that swept through this area. It’s been a long week, but it’s been good. I haven’t quite outfitted my office yet, so I’m going to do some more decorating next week.
I’m looking forward to going out with some friends tonight and I have a few events this weekend. Hopefully, I’ll also have some time to read, clean, and generally decompress as well.
Some links for the week:
This opinion from US District Judge Fred Biery on the release of Liam Arias and his father Adrian is a good read. “‘We the People’ are hearing echoes of that history,” is the type of statement that once inspired me to consider the law and eventually judgeship as a career path. As much as I would probably loathe being a judge most of the time, I would enjoy writing things like this.
How to make soup and also write a novel. I’m going to add this wisdom to my Fall Curriculum (spoiler – my goal will be to revamp my writing practice and finish a manuscript).
Troubles in Minneapolis persist, and friends of a friend have a good resource on the ground if you are looking for a place to donate. The Helping Hand Fund through Our Savior’s Lutheran Church supports their neighbors in need, and you can donate generally or designate your donation as “immigrant support” if you want to specify where you’d like it to go.
I hope you get time and space to decompress this weekend!
Happy February, friends! As long as January felt, I didn’t quite read as much as I’d hoped. Too much doomscrolling. So I’m going to put a healthy limit on that and carve out some specific time in February for reading. Here are some of the things I hope to dive into.
I am approaching this year’s theme a little differently than I have in the past. Inspired by the curriculum portion of the Anti Brain Rot Reading Challenge, I’ve put together a monthly curriculum for it. I haven’t decided if I’m going to post each month’s lesson plan separately, but just in case I don’t, here are my cozy nonfiction and fiction choices for February.
Little Organ Book by Flor Peeters and Pedal Mastery by Joyce Jones – Part of my organ curriculum that will span the rest of the semester (and, I imagine, further after that as I improve my organ-playing skills)
Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson – A memoir/biography
If This Is Love, I’ll Take Spaghetti by Ellen Conford – A book that has been on your shelf the longest. I thought it would be the Hank the Cowdog series, but I’m pretty sure I owned this one first. I still have the copy I bought from the Scholastic Book Fair!
Difficult Women by Roxane Gay – A book you meant to read in 2020
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones – A book from President Obama’s summer reading list (2025, but it didn’t specify a year)
In the Country of Women by Susan Straight – Book rec from a friend (and also reading with said friend!)
PopSugar
Fangs by Sarah Andersen – A book in a different format than your usual: physical, audio, eBook – I usually have one of each format going at any given time, so I took a little license with this prompt and chose a book that’s mostly illustrations
After a winter storm last weekend that expanded into icy conditions pretty much all week here, I have spent a lot of time working from home. Grateful to have a reliable setup to do so. Here are five things on my mind this Friday.
This is a succinct summary of the national shutdown/general strike happening today. It can also serve as a reminder that these actions can be effective at any time, so today is not the only good day for these actions.
Well, friends. The day has come. My last day of working for UNT Housing. From my start as a night desk clerk to the leader of our amazing tour team, it’s been a little over 20 years of meeting loads of people I love and helping students feel at home on campus. I’m excited about my new adventure as an academic advisor, though!
Here are some lovely things that have given me much-needed pauses as I plowed through the to-do list of things to make next week easier for the staff.
I love this poem by Rudy Franciso. I love the “Amen” chorus from the audience, too. “It’s hard being alive, but it looks so good on you.”
I miss Let It Be Sunday, but I love the new Joy the Baker monthly series, The Bakehouse Almanac. I think I shall subscribe to a new analog magazine (for free through my AARP, of course. Because I’m old enough to qualify for AARP, and I have a lot of participation points to burn.)!
I am grateful for this reframe of “This Will Be My Year” from Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes. Regardless of what happens to me and in the world, did I do my best? Did I take care of myself? Did I take care of my relationships (or, in the case of 2024, did they take exceptionally good care of me)? Did I experience joy? In that light, yes. 2020, 2024, 2025 – each of these has indeed been my year, and I expect that 2026 will be as well. There will be lots of opportunities to practice those four things.
There is hope for Patchouli Joe’s! They have a GoFundMe to raise money to transition to a new location. Please donate to help if you can.
I love The Residence so much. I wish it had gotten renewed. It was worth every dollar of production costs, and Netflix is a fool. I’m glad these actors are getting recognition for their great work.
M. Suzanne Terry 