1) Annotating what you read
Do you annotate what you read? If I’m reading a particularly dense nonfiction book, I’ll highlight and tag important passages to go back to later, but I rarely highlight or keep track of quotes when I’m reading fiction or non-dense nonfiction. Meredith and Kaytee, hosts of the Currently Reading podcast, talked about annotating what they read in a recent episode and it really got my mind churning. Meredith has a great system where she will spend a few minutes every morning collecting the quotes she highlighted from the previous day and writing them down in a notebook. I like the idea of doing this myself (sometimes I will take pictures of quotes that speak to me if I’m reading a print book, or use the highlight feature if I’m reading an e-book), and I’d like to interact with what I’m reading and the quotes that impact me in a deeper, more meaningful way, and this seems like a really good option. But then… what do I do with all of these quotes? Do I just have them in a book to flip through every now and then? Would I ever actually do that? I don’t know! It’s something to think about.
2) A new coffee table
On Friday, I ordered my new coffee table and it arrived on Tuesday! It was super easy to put together and I love it so very much. I have all of my coloring supplies in the basket (I love my adult coloring books and color in them every night!). And I have an easy place for my one-line-a-day journal and planner so that they are within reach at all times. It also provides a much better view for my video calls, since my camera faces in its direction. Now, if only the floor lamp I’ve been eyeing wasn’t out of stock! I need that final piece to tie my entire living room together.
3) So much to do, so little time
I’ve felt very stressed lately about keeping up with blogging. My Feedly is out of control right now, and I am so behind on reading blogs. I’m trying not to put too much stress on myself to read blog posts in a timely manner—I know that I do not mind when people comment on blog posts that are a few weeks old—but it’s hard. At this point, the best I can do is write 3 posts a week, try to respond to comments within a week, and read as many blog posts a day as I can (which is usually just a few). I could try to set aside one hour a day for blog reading, but some days, it can be really hard to find an entire hour of free time that doesn’t eat into all of my other hobbies (like reading).
I think the other reason I feel like I’m falling behind with blogging is that, with my new role, work feels remarkably tiring in an entirely different way. During a meeting I had with my supervisor, she made a comment that it’s almost like I’ve started a brand-new job where the first few months are spent in an information overload. I really feel that way! While there isn’t a ton of new stuff to learn, the cadence of my days is so different. I have at least a few meetings every day, I’ve had to get real good at monitoring and responding to emails, I have to make lots and lots of decisions… I could go on. It just feels very different, and I end each day feeling completely exhausted. I’m finding it hard to take my lunch break, mostly because it seems all of my meetings fall during the lunch hour, between 11 and 2. And during the day, I’m just so busy with tasks that I barely come up for air to take a break and read some blogs. When I do take a break, I want to step away from my desk, take a walk, do a chore, take a shower. At the end of each workday, I just want to lay down on the couch, read my book, play on my phone, watch TV. Opening up my laptop does not appeal to me.
I don’t know where I’m going with this. Maybe I just wanted to have a reason for why I’m commenting on some of your blog posts two or three weeks after you published them. Maybe I just needed to get this off my chest, to say I’ve been feeling a bit stressed about how to fit in all of my hobbies into a busy life.
4) The week everything broke
Okay, well only two things broke this week but let me have my drama! On Monday, I accidentally broke off my entire kitchen faucet when I pressed down too hard on the button that switches the water stream from a steady stream to a rainfall-type stream. (Who knew I had Hulk strength?!) I was without a working kitchen faucet for a day and had to start washing some of my dishes in my bathroom sink. That was fun! Thankfully, it got fixed on Tuesday. (And before you ask, while I do have a dishwasher, I have never used it because it’s much easier for me to wash things by hand since it’s just me and I dirty so few dishes every day. As such, I do not have any dishwasher detergent on hand.)
On Tuesday morning, I filled up the girls’ cute flower water fountain and later on, noticed water all over the floor. Apparently, there’s something wrong with the water fountain and it has stopped draining properly. Ughhh. I just got this water fountain in July and it’s already stopped working? So disappointing! I’m on the hunt for a new water fountain, but I’m feeling a bit peeved at how quickly this one stopped working. If you have a favorite water fountain you use for your pets, let me know.
5) The Olympics
Are you watching the Olympics? I know some people are boycotting due to the Games taking place in China, but I’m watching them. And I’m so very tired from staying up late every night! I was up until 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday night because I wanted to watch the end of the men’s free skate and see if Nathan Chen would win the gold medal. It was so worth the wait! His free skate was amazing. There is just something so inspiring to witness these athletes, who have worked so hard for so long, seeing their dreams come true. Ahh!
On the other hand, it breaks my heart to see the athletes who don’t see their dreams come true, especially those who come into the Olympics with such high expectations. I’m thinking of Mikaela Shiffrin here who DQ-ed two of her races and how disappointing that must have felt! The mental health of Olympians is something that just isn’t talked about enough—thankfully, Simone Biles started the conversation during the Olympics last summer—and I just hope Mikaela has a great support system by her side. (I’m so very glad her mom is part of her coaching team and is at the Games with her; you need your mom during times like these!) There are such high expectations on these athletes (don’t even get me started on social media and the way people talk about athletes!) and we need to talk more about how that can affect one’s mental health.
I FEEL ya on the tired from learning new job stuff!!!! I’ve been napping after logging off every afternoon this week so far. I’m itching to get to the “know everything, know the new flow” stage of it, but unfortunately we just have to go through it!
Yes, we do! We’ll get there in time. I hope you are enjoying your new job so far!
Oh yes, I hear you on the blog thing. It can get overwhelming. When I did NaMoBloPo and published a post every day in November, I literally didn’t read a book for that entire month. Writing the posts and then reading and commenting on posts EVERY SINGLE DAY took up all my time. So…. I won’t take it personally if I don’t see comments from you all the time : )
Yes, I’ve been loving the Olympics! Poor Mikaela- but I love how honest she was in the post-race interviews. She wasn’t trying to cover up her feelings or put a positive spin on everything. She was open about her disappointment. And she had a good race yesterday although she didn’t medal!
I had the same thought as you, about collecting quotes from books. I love the idea of it, but I think eventually it would be overwhelming. You would have such a huge collection of quotes and what would you do with them. But it would be a great way to engage more deeply with the books you’re reading, so maybe I’ll try it and see. It might be fun to look back on favorite quotes if you’re stuck in your own writing and need inspiration.
Blogging really does take up a lot of time, doesn’t it? But I love it so much and I love reading everyone else’s blogs. I just need to be okay with it taking me longer to comment on posts than it is for other people.
I do think the process of keeping track of quotes from what I’m reading would get very time-consuming. I’m still not sure what I want to do, but it’s a fun thing to think about. I would like to have a way to better connect with what I’m reading!
It always seems that when something breaks, it all breaks – whether it be my fingernails – to everything in my house – to my cars.
Loving your new coffee table!!!
I catch myself watching the strangest things on the Olympics – sports I wouldnt otherwise watch – but getting invested.
I spent a good 30 minutes one evening watching a curling match and getting super invested, so I definitely understand the Olympics making you watch the strange sports! Haha.
Starting a new job can be so exhausting, even when it is within your company that you know well. It always takes time to adjust and find a new rhythm. Don’t ever feel like you HAVE to comment on my blog! If you need a break from that, I understand! I put pressure myself to comment on others posts but they probably wouldn’t notice if I didn’t, so I should cut myself some slack when I get behind! And you should, too!
I have been watching the olympics but I am SO disciplined about my bedtime that I won’t stay up late to watch things. So I have watched a lot the next day after knowing who won. I did watch the women and men halfpipe snowboard competitions which was fun! Phil and I tried to guess what their scores would be so that made it extra fun. I feel so bad for Mikaela. It’s tough to be at the top of your game and then ski out of 2 races. I haven’t checked to see how last night’s race went! I hope she had a good run.
So I never used to highlight quotes or anything, but I am using the modern mrs darcy book journal and there is a section for quotes, so I have been picking my favorite to put in the book journal. Looking for quotes I like helps me pay better attention to the text! It’s easier to do this on ebooks since highlighting on kindle is so easy and those highlights are saved on goodreads. It’s harder on physical books but I will also take pictures and am using book darts while reading Ann Patchett’s collection of essays.
Teach me your disciplined bedtime ways! I used to be so good about getting to bed by 9pm but once I started working from home and could sleep in before starting work, I got very lazy about going to bed at a decent hour. Even though starting work earlier would mean finishing up earlier! Argh.
Highlighting on Kindle is so easy! I love that feature. I’ve been trying to take pictures of the page whenever I see a good quote I like. It does force me to slow down and really engage with what I’m reading, which is a good thing!
I LOVE your coffee table! So pretty!
And I feel you with the blog commenting. It sounds like your job has really ramped up (although I hope the dislocation of your schedule having shifted is temporary!), and blogging takes a lot of time! I definitely don’t mind when you comment on an “old” post of mine, and I’m guessing others feel the same way. And unless it’s providing a significant portion of your income, blogging is supposed to be fun, and an outlet, so I would say post what you can when you can, and try to take some of that pressure off yourself.
Yessss! I try to remind myself all the time that my blog is just a hobby. It’s something that is supposed to be fun and a creative outlet. It’s not supposed to be stressful! I’m getting better at not putting that stress to read all of the blogs and leave long, engaging comments, but it’s a work in progress.
Starting a new job IS exhausting and that should be your priority!! I hope you don’t feel obligated to write a comment on my every post, although I love it when you do. It should just be what works for your life.
I keep a piece of paper in paper books that I use as a bookmark and then I write down passages of interest and things/words I need to look up. I use the highlighter with some regularity on my Kindle. When I write a review of a book, I’ll generally write those things on the post, although not always. I think it makes me a more careful reader, but maybe I’m fooling myself.
I’ve always wondered how you keep track of so many quotes and the things you looked up! I am definitely inspired by the way you annotate what you read on your blog. Using a piece of paper is a great idea! There have to be cute bookmarks that can be used similarly – to Etsy I go!
OMG, I totally relate to the “I don’t have time to fit all my hobbies into my busy life” LOL (and I realize that this is coming from me and you – without kids or any other pressing responsibilities). I often have to delay blog reading to the weekend and then batch-comment on my most favorite blogs, because I get behind on Feedly so fast! I know I need to prioritize and so needs everybody else, but especially with the people I have a two-way blog relationship, I want them to know that I am reading!
Oh, and I love your new coffee table. Totally something I would have picked out!
“especially with the people I have a two-way blog relationship, I want them to know that I am reading!” YES! That’s what I think brings me the most stress. I don’t want other peole to think I am not reading, especially those who comment regularly on my blog. It’s a two-way street and I want them to know I’m as engaged in our internet relationship as they are.
I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY.
I’ll start with #3. I know what you mean. In the last six months or so I’ve found new bloggers and I love them! They’re great! But some post A LOT which means I’ll open up my reader and think “18 new posts, how am I going to…” THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT. I LOVE READING BLOGS. But! I often feel behind the 8-ball. (behind the 8-ball? Is that the right expression?). Listen, darling Stephany, I will never ever ever mind if you take forever to read my blog or if you have to skip posts – I don’t want it ever to cause you stress in any way! Plus, chances are I’m only talking about groceries. This is not time-sensitive information! But I’m like you, if I don’t read a post I sometimes feel bad.
Your coffee table is adorable. I don’t annotate, but I do sometimes take photos of pages I want to remember, but then I just have a bunch of photos of pages, and I don’t really do anything with them. Well, sometimes I put them on the blog.
I love watching Olympic figure skating, particularly pairs. I become a weird armchair critic “he two-footed the landing.” I’m fun to be around. My neighbour WAS on the national speed skating team but he got cut in December! Imagine working your whole life to go to the Olympics and being cut two months prior.
It really is a lot to keep up with, this blogging thing. I’ve tried to separate out my favorite bloggers from those I mainly read for the fun of keeping up with them (people whose posts I rarely comment on), but my favorites list just keeps growing and growing! It’s a pickle.
I, too, become an armchair critic while watching the Olympics! It’s fun to critique figure skaters when I can barely keep myself upright when I’m ice skating, hehe.
I can’t stay on top of all the blog posts, either and I’m trying to feel less pressure to comment on every post I read.
I am definitely in the post-a lot stage, but that’s because I just started blogging and think if I’m going to get into a rhythm of writing, I have to do it regularly?!
The coffee table = love.
I had a similar week with leaking. Our entryway sprung a leak during a rainstorm. Could have been worse as this is going to be demoed in the spring, but still it was pretty demoralizing. And my winter boots. The latter is more of an issue considering we still have…MONTHS OF WINTER AHEAD. I used plastic bags inside the lining one day (classy) and have used some special “glue” to fix the crack. We’ll see.
As for annotating. I could write a whole blog post about this (maybe I will!).
1) I dog-ear pages where I have things I want to write down and then when the book is done I will go back through and type them up. I have a master document full of quotes. I’ll get back to that in a minute
2) I take pictures of all the quotes that stand out. I would then send the pictures of the quotes from my phone to my laptop so I could split the screen and type them out…but it meant I was on my phone more AND it was a hassle.
So…I mostly dog-ear. I will admit that I don’t love when I’ve had a great book and I’m so happy and elated to be done and then realize I have to go type a TON of stuff up.
As for what I do with the quotes: last year I printed off 20 years worth of quotes in a little book (just 4 copies – one for me and a few for close friends). It was a lot of fun and I’m SO glad to have this. I’ve started a new master document since October 2021 (when I printed off all my quotes) and in another decade or so, perhaps I’ll print those off again?
I think you might have pushed me onto the annotating wagon! I love the idea of having a bound book of some of my favorite bookish quotes. That would be something fun to look back on and pass along to future generations.
I am always so impressed with how much content you produce for you blog – and how good it is! It’s fun when things are fresh and new and you have so many ideas. I definitely go through spurts with blogging where sometimes I’m just bursting with ideas and other times, I have no energy for writing. It’s the ebb and flow of life. 🙂
I used to take pics of all these quotes in books that I thought I would come back to on my phone to write about, and I sometimes did, but hated all the pics cluttering up my photos… so I deleted them! I like the idea of putting them in a notebook, but to your point… IF I was going to do something with them.
The new table looks fabulous!
Don’t feel bad at all about not reading. It totally makes sense that work is like that right now so do what you need to! You will get adjusted in time but it’s gonna be tough for a while. I wish you didn’t have so many lunch meetings! Blah!
I am not watching the Olympics! I wish I was seeing some of it! I enjoy it!
I’m going to try to make an effort to at least type up the quotes I take pictures of. For me, it’s easier to just take a quick picture of a quote I like rather than pausing my reading to write down the quote or find a book dart to save my place. And then I can just compile them in a document when I’ve finished the book!
Oh, Stephany. I hear you on all of this except the Olympics. 🙂
I can completely sympathize with your out of control Feedly. If I could add a photo, I’d show you a screenshot of my current count. Ready? (This is not meant to out-Feedly you… this is more of a “trust me, I know of what you speak”.) “Favorites” (=you, most of your regular commenters, and a few legacy blogs that I’ve followed for years) = 111. “Follow Regularly” (=random blogs I follow but don’t care as much if I miss a post + new blogs I’m trying on for size [Need to move Nicole and Life of a Doctor’s Wife Suzanne off of there to Favorites]). = 685
Yeah. I need to get a bit more discerning about the “Follow regularly” and just follow those I WANT to follow. Why is it so hard for me to do this? Beats the living heck out of me…
Also, love the coffee table. Sympathize with the leaks (did I ever post about that broken bathtub handle? must check…).
And, oh, the lack of time. You are speaking my language. I read blogs during meals. Except when I’m eating during a meeting (camera off), in which case I’m actually paying attention to something else. This would be why I am chronically behind. Sigh. The past two weeks were particularly bad, not leaving much time for anything except working out, working, and sleeping. Barely. Sigh. I hope your life evens out soon, as you acclimate to the new job. <3
Hahaha – I feel much, much better about how far behind I feel with blogging now. I’m usually sitting around 50 or so posts that I need to read but, like you, I’ve separated them into categories to make sure I’m reading my favorites first before I move onto other blogs.