I Read: Early Riser

A couple days ago I finished Early Riser by Jasper Fforde. I mentioned this particular book in this post (TL,DR: Mr Fforde sent me that book at my sister's request!) and was extremely excited to get a start on it after finally finishing Lord of the Rings. I was not disappointed.

Here's the quick and dirty synopsis (click the above link for the less-quick version): Picture Earth as it is now except the winters are so harsh the majority of the world hibernates during it. Some people have to stay awake to keep the world running such as it is, a small amount of people choose to stay awake for various reasons, and some people wake up too early and in a zombie-like state because of a drug called Morphenox that stops people from dreaming thus stopping excess weight loss during sleep, which is one of the main issues with hibernation apparently. Those zombies are occasionally trained to do simple tasks but most are... dispatched.

The story follows Charlie Worthing, a man that has recently taken a job as a "Winter Consul" who's job it is to keep the sleepers safe. While trying to stay alive during the harsh winter (not easy) he discovers those zombie-ish early risers might not be so brain dead after all and the company that makes the Morphenox might not be as invested in the good of the people as they say they are. Sleuthing and intense dreaming ensue.

This may sound like a pretty grim story and at the heart of it I guess it is, but Jasper Fforde's humorous style shines though and takes any edge off. I've read a fair amount by him and his books always have a fantastic and compelling "our current world but with a twist" plot injected with a delightful humor that makes them extremely readable. I tend to happily blow through his books and Early Riser was no different. I found the whole hibernation scenario very interesting and would think about it often outside of when I was actively reading. He makes the massive undertaking of getting most of the world to sleep half the year sound effortlessly plausible without bogging you down with tons of explanation and technical detail. The background he gives you is just enough to carry you through the book.

If pressed for criticism, I would say that it ended more abruptly than I would've like. There was a grand climax that was wrapped up a little hastily I felt. Maybe though, it could just have been my disappointment at having finished this charming book so I'd still give it 4 out of 5 stars for sure. 

Made it: Mostly Harmless

Today was an exceptionally productive day off. Maybe its because I started it finishing this bad boy:

This particular cross stitch has been quite the journey for me. I hand-drew that design myself years ago then made it, framed it, realized it wasn't right, put it away, started Mach II, forgot about it a few times, and now here we are. I did a little digging in my picture files and happily enough, I found the picture I took of the freshly completed first iteration back in 2014.

Six years and two living situations ago I finished this and almost immediately hated it. The colors aren't right and I miscounted at one point so it's off... though maybe that's one of those things only I would notice. Anyway, I kept this around for quite a while because even though it didn't turn out how I wanted it, I liked the design itself and the fact that it was an homage to my favorite book. I think in Massachusetts apartment number 2 I gave up on it and stowed it away. 

Cut to... I have no idea. But a long time ago, trust me. I decided it was time to give this pattern a second chance with a fresh color pallet and the wisdom of a few extra years. A lot of other, more pressing projects diverted my attention and this became the thing I worked on in between other things, dragging out the process. It was very nearly finished for about a year when I finally resolved to finish it a couple days ago and spent this morning drinking coffee, watching Queer Eye, and finally putting this project to rest. I'm thrilled because not only does it make me feel good to actually finish something for once, but I know this is it. I nailed it.

I'm always curious about other peoples' creative processes so here's a glimpse at the pattern I drew up for this piece:

Much loved, carted around, crinkled, scribbled on, and annotated. I started that in pencil but at one point Sharpied over it, though I should probably make a more "official" pattern to keep. I know there are computer programs out there that I could make my patterns on and I'd definitely need to use one if I were to get more complicated or larger with my designs but there's something about sitting down with a pad of 10-square-per-inch graph paper and a 0.5 mechanical pencil and just figuring it out. I'm a very tactile person, it's easier for me to figure things out that way. 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the two. What a difference, am I right? The globe is more recognizable with the much more contrasting thread colors, same goes for the words too. I like the purple brackets instead of yellow too. More colors!

Yup, much much better. As you can see, I even had the old one still framed but I had to dig it out of a box in the basement. I switched them out and luckily, I still really like the new and improved version in this frame. Now to find where a place to put it...

I listened to a ton of music today while I went about my business and out of all of it, this one (Catch the Wind by Donovan)  remains stuck in my head so I'll let it play me out. Farewell [and thanks for all the fish]!

Will Ride For Ice Cream

I know it's Thursday but I wanna talk about last weekend, ok? I definitely meant to do this earlier of course but time tends to get away from me. I just painted both my toenails (lime green) and fingernails (deep purple) though so I'm currently glued to this chair on, you guess it, my porch until further notice and typing is about the only wet-nail-polish safe activity I can engage it so here we go.

Orly "Saturated" (aka purple) and LA Colors Color Last "Energy" (aka lime green)

Last weekend was yet another in a long string of actually good weekends punctuated with moments of me anxiously thinking "I'm not wasting my precious weekend am I??" Apparently I continue to need to prove to myself that I'm doing alright so I managed to snap a couple pictures along the way and with this weekend approaching being one in which I'll be working (I work every other weekend), I might also want to revisit/live vicariously though last weekend at some point. 

Friday was grocery shopping day. That doesn't sound exciting, I know, but we decided to attempt to actually eat at a real-live restaurant while we were out. Like I mentioned last post, Massachusetts is in Phase II of opening back up and in addition to retail being open, restaurants are allowing outdoor seating (I think that's a bit silly- why not just allow limited capacity inside??- but I'll take what I can get). There's a restaurant we like that's conveniently located adjacent to our supermarket of choice so we put in our name, wavered at the wait time (1.5 hrs!), decided to go for it, then killed the time by doing our shopping and taking a stroll around the shopping center. It ended up being a 2 hour wait due to the fact that they had issues with their system and lost our name but by the time we realized that we were in too deep and went for it anyway. By the time we got our beers (large ones), we stopped caring and just enjoyed being able to eat at a restaurant again. I gotta say, it's the thing I missed most.

For my first restaurant outing in months, I think I made an excellent choice and got the classic New England summertime treat: a lobster roll. I got mine with a side of sweet potato fries- not so classic but a person favorite. Lobster, plus the fact that lobster rolls scream "summer" to me, plus this being the first thing I've had served to me in ages, PLUS the 22 oz of Founders Porter made it a delightful outing, despite the wait.

On Saturday we didn't have any solid plans but I decided to try and tackle something I've been meaning to figure out for quite some time now...

Last year, my mom gave me an extra sewing machine she had lying around (because that's definitely a normal thing to have extras of hanging around the house). I've only used a sewing machine maybe twice in my life thus far and each time my mom did all the hard bits- I just stepped on the pedal and ran the fabric through. This seems to be a fairly basic, if not super current, model (I seem to remember my mom's having more dials and things), which is good because I took me half the day just to figure out how to set it up.

My first project is hemming a curtain. Very simple and straightforward and I won't be sad if I somehow mess it up, which is highly likely. I've got the machine threaded, the curtain cut/pinned/ironed but... that's it. I briefly had a go but very quickly it turned into a jumbled mess. Ah well, I'm just happy I'm finally giving it a shot. It'll be nice to learn a new crafty skill that's actually useful. Cross stitching is all well and good but how many funny Star Trek samplers do you need (answer: a lot. It was a trick question)?

On Sunday we decided to go for a "little bike ride" and somehow ended up going a full 20 miles.

There's my sweet ride. I suppose I should've taken a better picture but I was too busying hydrating at the time. It's a Montague Crosstown and has a rear RackStand which my backpack is lashed onto. M has the Urban model, it's wheel is peaking in the bottom left. The cool thing about these bikes is that they fold up, basically in half and the front wheel gets removed and it all gets tied together. The folding process is super quick and uncomplicated (when M does it anyway) and makes it so we don't need any sort of bike rack on our cars or special vehicle to transport them. Where physical activity is concerned, I've found it's best to remove any sort of barriers to it happening because we will jump at the chance to find an excuse not to do it. Also, an interesting tidbit: these bikes were designed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the HQ is still in Cambridge. Shop local, right? 

It was a really pretty day- sunny and warm but not hot. Everything was so green and nice and while there were quite a bit of people on the trail, it didn't seem too overcrowded. We did this trek last summer with M's family and not only was it hot but I made the foolish mistake of wearing denim shorts. My poor, poor derriere. This time was so much better (but my derriere still suffered a little, that bike seat takes no prisoners).

It wasn't just the glorious day that got me to invest twice as much time and effort into this bike ride than I had originally planned. It takes more than a few rays of sunshine to get me out and pumping out the miles, I also require...

Blueberry ice cream! Yes, yes I will bike 20 miles if you promise really good ice cream. Good health is not enough of a motivator for me apparently and anyway, life is about balance. 

The rest of the day was filled with games and me trying to be crafty, like the rest of my free time this weekend. It was a good mix- I exercised/got outside, ice cream was involved, good food, fun games, projects started... yep, another good weekend in the books. I feel like the weather is really helping me lift my mood and this weekend is supposed to be in the upper 80s (about 31 C) so despite having to work, I think I'll be able to get some good out of it. I'm sure the kids will be dragging me outside at the very least.

I Bought: Thrifting revisited

As of Monday, June 8th, Massachusetts entered Phase 2 of its coronavirus reopening plan. You can click on the link I provided if you're super curious as to what that entails but I'll just cut to the chase here:

Retail is finally open. I repeat: retail is finally open.

source

Over this lockdown situation I, like many others, worked on clearing out my closets of stuff that didn't "spark joy." And it was a lot. My basement is filled with trash bags of clothes, ready to donate. I realized that I do so much mindless shopping, filling very specific "wardrobe holes" I feel I have in the moment without putting much thought into longevity, not paying enough attention to fit, buying things just because the price was good... the list goes on. I decided I wanted to be more particular and thoughtful with my buying. I also decided I wanted to go back to thrift stores.

Back in college, I used to go to one called Carolina Thrift in Greensboro, NC (now, sadly, closed) that was a literal warehouse of a thrift store with tons of treasures. I still have a few silk shirts and a bubble gum pink cashmere cardigan I got there (pink is not a color I gravitate to but I can't get rid of this thing). Once I graduated and moved I didn't hit up thrift stores as much for whatever reason and it was only recently- very soon before the pandemic hit actually- that I got back into it. 

I'm definitely a bargain shopper but I don't want to just pay little, I want to pay little for something good. That's where the real thrill is, and that is a huge draw for me and thrift shopping. More importantly, you're lessening waste and supporting a charity when you thrift shop, not to mention the fact that if I do decided the piece isn't for me,1) I didn't pay much to begin with, 2) I've still supported the charity by buying it, and 3) I can support it more by giving it back. There really is no downside so I'm back, baby, and on my Tuesday off it was time to make my grand re-entrance into thrifting once again in celebration of the lessening of restrictions. 

I went to Sister Thrift for my first jaunt. I've been there before and really like that they support the Metrowest Humane Society. Plus, the last time I went I bought three richly colored 100% fine Merino wool Brooks Brothers collared sweaters that fit like a dream and proceeded to wear them constantly in winter for $6 each and a framed Wish You Were Here (my favorite Pink Floyd album) poster that I hung up in my bedroom (see above pic) for $10 so I felt good about my chances. 

At first, I felt like I was just finding lots of well-loved mall store brand items but I came away with four things I'm excited about as well as a few left-behind things that still haunt me...

First up of my purchases is this aggressively purple 100% silk t-shirt:

Front

The back, with a button closure.

I was immediately drawn to the color of this, peaking out from the rails. As soon as I felt it, I knew it was silk and had to have it. I cut out the small shoulder pads and did a little research on the brand. It's by Anna and Frank which seems to be a brand from the 90s specializing in silk. You can still get their stuff pretty cheap on resale sites- I saw similar blouses for about $20- but I still got a deal at $5. Its thin silk and a little oversized but it drapes so nicely. Definitely something I'll want to live in in the summer.

Next up, this pink-patterned rayon short-sleeved button down.

Like I said before, pink isn't usually my go-to color but I really liked how this pattern looked kinda like some batik cloth my mom gets for quilting. It's comfortable and I really like how short sleeved button-downs add interest in a summer outfit without layering. I'm a sweaty person so layering does NOT happen in the summer. 

I might change out the buttons on this at some point to make it a little funkier, since these make the shirt look a little middle school middle-aged art teacher to me (too specific a reference?) but we'll see. I'd definitely understand if someone wouldn't want to buy thrift store items with altering in mind (that can get away from you very quickly and all of a sudden you have a million projects you don't want to do) but if you're handy and don't mind sewing, don't underestimate how much changing buttons can make a difference to something. For me personally, it's a good activity to keep my hands busy while watching TV. And hey, at $5 I have no qualms with messing with it.

Next up is a very confusing but also very well-made wrap skirt:

Full disclosure, I have no idea how to wear this. There are three small slits in the middle along the top that I assume the ties work into somehow but overall, I'm clueless (I should've taken a better picture of the whole thing, oops). I'm sure the internet will help me out at some point though so no worries. I just couldn't leave behind this clearly well made skirt. I mean, that GREEN! There were no tags in it so I know nothing about it. The fabric is slightly iridescent and the assembly screams quality. I can see it might be challenging to style but I think it's ok to buy a piece like that once in a while if you really love it. Plus, it was a mere $10.

Last but not least is this 100% linen shirt:

I could tell this was a good linen shirt and figured I couldn't go wrong with this light blue button-down, it's a pretty good staple to have. It'll be a perfect summer evening layer- I can see myself throwing this over something to grab dinner after a day on the beach, or using it to protect my skin from the sun (don't forget sunblock kids!). It fits pretty loosely but in a relatively flattering way. In the picture above, it's buttoned up as much as possible so it might be a little more scandalous on someone more boob-tacular, but on me it veers more toward subtly sexy (at least thats what I tell myself as I sit here on my porch wearing it with a pair of my lounging joggers I don't leave the house in). 

I decided to do a little research into the brand since it's so aggressively branded (there's another tag on the front bottom of the shirt too) and it turns out, this shirt that's in 100% perfect condition that I paid $6 for is originally $228, according to their website (although you can get some styles on sale now for a mere $114). Score! Would I ever pay that much for this? Absolutely not. I love a slouchy relaxed fit and linen makes me feel very old-money-on-holiday but dang. $228. That money is only reserved for bags, shoes, and jewelry in my book. 

Aaaand that's it. I also had my eye on some pieces that looked like Punjabi kurtas but although I LOVE the prints, colors, and embroidery found on them, I'm unsure if it would be viewed as offensive or respectful if I, as a non-Punjabi person, wore them, especially since it wouldn't be in a traditional manner. I decided to err on the side of caution with that one and left them behind. 

I sat on my porch writing this, as I always do now that that weather is gearing up for summer, and that's usually accompanied by a beer. Today, I have Victory Twisted Monkey, a "Belgian-inspired blonde ale with mango." Emboldened by my last foray into fruity beers, I decided to give this a try and was not disappointed whatsoever. I do love mango so I'm glad I found a beer with a good balance of fruit to traditional beer flavors. It definitely leans more aggressively into the mango but I find myself not being mad at that at all. I'm branching out quite a bit this spring/summer from my usual stouts and porters.

I'll be back soon with tales of a great weekend I'm sure. We're certainly off to a good start which is refreshing as my last weekend I mostly spent time grappling with grief and a strange sense of unease. Not that I'm "over it" by any means of course but between taking advantage of some bereavement time off of work and the kindness of my friends, family, and loved ones, I feel like my fog has been lifted. My grandmother was a very no-nonsense but still very loving person and I can just hear her telling me, with a slap on the arm and a smile, the best way out is through...

I Read: LOTR To Get Through

On Wednesday, my grandmother died.

It's strange to think that it was that long ago really. It's strange to think that two whole days went by with me barely noticing. Two days since I sat in the nursing home playing music for the woman who used to be my grandmother but was currently a shell of her formerly grand self (Sinatra was the only thing I could think of that might get through the sickness and old age and dementia). Two days since I came to the horrifying conclusion that she had stopped breathing and slipped away in front of me but sat there for another half hour trying to imagine signs of life before I could bring myself to make sure and then go get the nurse.

This is the third grandparent I've lost in my lifetime, and fourth close death, but it's the first time I've been there when it happened. In the past, I've gotten a phone call, usually from my mom, breaking the news. But this time it was me that was making the call to my dad, telling him his mother died. And this time I went to the funeral home to help make arrangements. Its the most "adult" I've ever felt. Being adult is bullshit.

The past two days have been a blur. I feel sad of course, and also... I don't know. Strange. I don't know what it is. And on top of that, I have a wonderful fiancé who is doing his best to cheer me up and move me along which makes me feel simultaneously better and guilty. I've got that post-death feeling of "wait, life goes on after this?"

One thing that helped, one thing that always helps, was reading. After months of plowing through Lord of the Rings (did I even need to link that??), I spent a lot of yesterday sitting on my porch in the bright sunshine finishing the last 200 pages of The Return of the King, the final book in the series.

I got a gift card to Barnes & Noble for Christmas so at the beginning of the year I thought I'd splurge and get a fancy set of The Hobbit and LOTR because it's something I've always meant to read but never got around to it and what better way to go about it than to get the soft leatherette versions? You can get them here. Not a terrible price for all four books. Plus, they're smaller and soft covered, perfect for carrying around with you but without getting destroyed like what usually happens to my paperbacks.

I don't read a ton of fantasy anymore but as a super shy, self-conscious kid, delving into magical worlds where good triumphs over evil always was instrumental for getting me though so it used to be my go-to (Redwall books anyone...?). When I started reading this months ago (just before the pandemic!), I didn't know how much I would need that again. It doesn't take me that long to read four books normally (series always take me a while for whatever reason), but it just so happens that I got to that grand conclusion now, when I needed an epic happy ending most. 

It's extra strange to be going though a personal tragedy when there's a whole global one going on. Protesting, riots, police brutality, a pandemic and I'm preoccupied with the death of my 94 year old grandmother? I have a right to be of course, but it adds to my weird, unidentifiable feelings of strangeness. 

But reading this and finishing The Return of the King yesterday, finding out everything was ok in the end despite all the death, sorrow, heartache, hard work, and loss... Despite it being "just a book" you can't help but feel a little more hopeful. You can't help but think to yourself "I can win too."

I'll be alright of course, I am alright, just justifiably sad. I'm ridiculously lucky to have a whole host of super supportive friends and family around to get me through and, of course, a lot more books to read.

Sorry this post was super sad but life is like that somethings, not that I need to tell you that (whoever you are), but to end it on a good note, I'll share one of my grandmother's favorite songs (inexplicably) while toasting with a cocktail she would pressure me into getting on our lunch dates called a Toasted Almond (kinda like a White Russian- see this post- but with amaretto instead of vodka).

Cheers Emma.