Feeling: A bit hermit-y lately. I haven’t been going out much and my weekends remain low-key, where even going to church seems like a hassle. It’s hard to have these really fun and exciting weekends when you’re trying to eat healthily and not spend money. So I’ve been keeping to myself lately and not getting out as much as I should be. I don’t mind my hermit-y ways, because it’s allowing me to get a lot of writing done. (I’m over 3,000 words into a new novel!) But, at the same time, I know how good socializing is for me so I need to make more of an effort when I can.
Reading: Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. I’m not too familiar with her work, but I’ve heard so many great things about this book that I had to give it a try. I’m only about 70 or so pages in, but I am really, really enjoying it. It’s witty, yet filled with so many good tips and advice for writers. I did have a bit of a giggle, though, when I read “You put a piece of paper in the typewriter…” in one of the beginning chapters. (That was when I found out the book was written in 1994! OK then.)
Listening to: The Paris Wife via audiobook on my commute to and from work, which I should be able to finish up this week. (Only 2 CDs left!) I can’t say that I am loving this novel (I’m just so annoyed by Ernest and Hadley!) but I do think the writing is lovely. The reader of the audiobook is not my favorite and can be distracting, but overall, it’s been a good read. (Err… listen?)
Watching: It’s July so Big Brother, of course! My obsession level with this show is unparalleled. I’ve yet to find a show that gets me so consumed. My favorites this season are most definitely Candice and Amanda. And I think Aaryn should have been kicked out of the house by the producers a long time ago… her behavior is so disgusting and awful. Other shows currently obsessed with: So You Think You Can Dance (Fik-Shun & Amy are the cutest couple of all time), Whodunnit (I think Cris is the killer), and MasterChef (rooting for Bri!).
Anticipating: A media fast in August. Last year, I spent a month away from all things social media and blogging after going through a particularly difficult time I wanted to keep private. It was one of the best decisions I made to help me heal and really helped me to focus and get back on the right path. And while I’m not going through any difficulties right now, I am planning on doing another month-long media fast in August. Honestly, I can’t wait!
Wishing: I could travel more. Why is traveling so expensive? Now that I’m getting super strict about my spending habits and budget and paying off debts, it’s looking less and less likely that any sort of travel will happen this year. I wanted to go away for my birthday, but I know I have to make the smart decision to stay home and keep socking away at those debts. I just keep reminding myself that this is a season. It’s not forever and it’s not the worst thing in the world. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Learning: That I don’t mind cooking as much as I previously thought. Don’t get me wrong, I will always love getting take-out over getting into the kitchen to cook a meal after a long day of work, but it’s not as bad as I say it is. I don’t find cooking relaxing, but there is a measure of pride when I can take a recipe from a website and create the meal in my kitchen. And since I only make healthy recipes (if I’m going to cook, it might as well be healthy, right?), it always feels good to sit down at the table and eat something good for me and that I spent time and effort to make.
Thinking: About getting my first tattoo. About dyeing my hair back to brown. About cutting my bangs. About how lonely living alone would be. About my career. About how dating is nothing like a romance novel. About why I seem to get 2-3 mosquito bites every time I walk Dutch.
Loving: Pool days and beach days, my coworkers, daily gchats with Nora, using the library more frequently, writing fiction again, sleeping better, watermelon, green smoothies, and Skype dates with faraway friends.
I don’t think living alone is that lonely! It really pushed me to go out more and meet people outside of my apartment/work. Also, I’m with you on wishing travel was cheaper : )
Bird By Bird! Yes. LOVE that book. That is, easily, my favourite of the “writing self-help” books. Oh, I hope you like it when you’re done. 🙂
Also? Tattoo! YES. Love. 🙂
Lastly – living alone is actually really, really amazing. It is one of the most important things I have ever done for myself. One of the biggest boons? When (WHEN) you go out to socialize, you come back to a quiet, clean living space that is all your own. If there is anything I would ever recommend to everyone in the world it is that they should live alone for a stint. (Okay so I MAY romanticize it a BIT, but I can’t remember feeling any drawbacks. I hung out with folks a lot and don’t ever remember being lonely. The cat helped in so far as I wasn’t talking to myself the whole time. Or, I could argue that I wasn’t. She didn’t really listen. Ever.)
Tattoo? What kind? Where?
So with you on the romance novel/love thing.
And yay for daily gchats 🙂 They make my heart happy!
So many books, so little time. What kind of tattoo?
I love your entire paragraph on thinking.
So much currently going on with you, even though you’ve been low key! FIRST TATTOO! That’s very exciting. Me too 🙂
I am so sad I haven’t been able to get into Big Brother this summer. I just got WAY behind and I’m having trouble catching up and the episodes I have watched I’m not super into. I did catch up on Arryn’s idiotic comments on YouTube though. WOW.
Love Anne Lamott! My aunt used to live in her neighborhood and I met her on a walk once. The media fast sounds like a fabulous idea. I could definitely stand to take a little break from some of the noise myself.
Your first tattoo!? Tell me more!
I think you might surprise yourself and be less lonely living alone than you think you might be. I thought it would be lonely but it’s actually been wonderful. It’s harder now that I live in a new city and have fewer friends, but I still would choose it over having a roommate…
What good timing for a media fast! I feel like I should do something like what we’re reading in 7, but then I keep reminding myself that having a newborn is hard enough and I just need to focus on resting, feeding the new baby, and helping my family welcome a new person into it! Happy to hear you’re enjoying cooking a bit more! And I agree, it’s very annoying that travel is so expensive.
I’m loving green smoothies, too! I started drinking them a little over a week ago and I’m hooked. I’ve been drinking them every morning for breakfast. What’s your favorite smoothie recipe?
Mosquitos are the reason why I don’t go out when it cools off in the summer. They looooove me for some reason. On my worst day I have about 25-30 bites on each leg. UGH!
I found that once you develop a knack for cooking certain things, it can be relaxing to cook. The best thing ever is the crock pot! Toss some stuff in it and a few hours later, it’s ready! Plus, you only have one dish to clean afterwards 😉
The Paris Wife started to seriously annoy me after a while. Hadley was annoying and Ernest was frustrating, matched with the craziness of Paris in the 20s. I hate to say it, but I sometimes feel like their marriage was destined for failure. You may also like The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin. Lots of drama; lots of frustration; but, overall, a pretty good read. You definitely feel better for the main character in the end than you do for Hadley.
i’ve been feeling rather hermity lately too, it’s kind of okay i’ve realized. and seriously i keep looking up plane tickets and then get sad that i can’t just buy them on a whim, bah.
I keep hearing about Big Brother! It sounds so interesting, but unfortunately I’m too forgetful to commit to any TV show these days. I believe I own Bird by Bird, but I’ve never finished it. It sounds like maybe I should?
I love this post so much I think I’m going to steal it! A media fast sounds like an awesome idea. I spend WAY too much time on FB/Instagram/Pinterest and it always bothers me – I wonder how many things I could do if I added up all that wasted time?
When I first moved into my apartment (my first time ever living completely alone) I was really nervous about feeling lonely. I was also mid-divorce and kind of estranged from friends and family (OK not really, but there was major distance between me + everyone else because I was embarrassed and ashamed of where my life ended up) and I was often home alone on weekends and it really bothered me. But now I’ve been here for a year and a half and I LOVE being on my own. My boyfriend and I are talking about moving in together in the next 4-6 months and I have serious anxiety about having to share a space with someone else again!
First tattoo????
What of?
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS TATTOO.
Also, I wish I could travel more, too. So badly. One of my good friends just booked a trip to Italy, & my jealousy is flaring. 😉
I like the Paris Wife but I am NOT a huge fan of Hemmingway! I also watched the movie Hemmingway and Gelhorn and he just annoys the crap out of me. I keep trying and trying to read his books and like them, but I really just can’t.