(Behind the scenes of this photo: Chip, my fur-brother, basically destroys anything he comes in contact with and he particularly loves destroying blankets by putting holes in them. This is the blanket in his crate and, well, you can see how he spends his time while he’s in there. Sigh. This crazy dude!)

The high of my week was surprising a friend for her birthday! Tomorrow is her birthday and my friends and I decided on a mid-week surprise so that she wouldn’t suspect a thing. She was properly shocked and we must give major kudos to her husband for helping us plan this and find the best time for the surprise. Yay! Afterward, we all hung out in her backyard (properly distanced, of course!) and chatted about life and coronavirus and all that jazz. (Although, I swear anyone walking by her house when we were all there would have thought we were the WORST people ever, since we had NINE cars shoved in her driveway, haha.)

The low of my week was work stress. It’s been a really stressful week in my work life, where I feel like I can’t take a minute to breathe from the moment I turn on my computer at the beginning of the day. The end of the month is always pretty crazy as I work on a monthly schedule and have to get everything done by the last day of the month, but it’s felt crazier than normal. I’ve also had a lot of other deadlines fall into my lap that are outside my normal monthly work, so it’s just been a lot.

An anti-racism resource I’d like to share is this white privilege questionnaire. It came as no surprise to me that I scored a 30 (the highest score). White people, even if you understand your white privilege, I still think it’s worth looking over the questions and recognizing all the different ways BIPOC are discriminated against.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Tom Hanks on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. Yes, this episode has been out for a while, but I’m wayyy behind on my podcast queue. Tom Hanks is a national treasure and this podcast just reaffirmed my obsession with him. He is hilarious, warm, kind, and just an all-around good guy. (Also, the beginning segment with just Conan and his two co-hosts had me crying with laughter so that’s worth a listen alone.)

The best money I spent was $14 on a new pack of markers. I’ve talked before about my love for adult coloring books. I always have an open coloring book on my kitchen island next to a cup full of markers and I’ll usually color while I’m watching Netflix or Hulu, or while listening to a podcast. It’s such a fun, relaxing activity for me, but I go through markers so quickly now! I think I have to buy a new set every 6 months or so because my favorite colors always start drying out. I’m sad that Amazon doesn’t seem to have my favorite markers anymore so I had to buy a different type. Fingers crossed I like them!

My plans this weekend include… not a damn thing! Which is good because it means I can catch up on work this weekend. It’s not ideal, of course, to work on the weekend but if it takes a bit of the stress off my shoulders, then it will be worth it. I may go for a swim at my mom’s and I have my weekly writing date with M. But that’s about it for me! I’m not too bummed… last weekend was so busy that I only got to take one nap (oh, the horror!) so I’m looking forward to a much more relaxed weekend.

What was the high of your week?

The high of my week was… visiting my mom and stepdad’s new home! They closed on it yesterday and my mom invited me over to see it after work. They’re planning on doing a lot of work before officially moving in (tiling the living room, having new carpet installed in the bedrooms, and painting the bedrooms) and their lease isn’t up until mid-August so they can take their time moving in, which is nice. I got to dip my toes in the pool and I am very excited to spend oodles of time there. 🙂

The low of my week was… watching Florida’s COVID-19 cases continue to rise. We’re now seeing 2,000+ cases on a daily basis and passed the horrific milestone of 3,000 deaths this week. Our governor attributes the rising case numbers to more testing, so he refuses to take any further action. Right now, I’m paying close attention to how many hospital beds we have available. (35 in my county—it was at 61 at the beginning of the week.)

An anti-racism resource I’d like to share is… Anti-Racism Daily, an e-newsletter written by Nicole Cardoza. I believe it is free to subscribe, but I’ve joined her Patreon to support her work. This newsletter gives you one anti-racism task to do every day and explains the why behind it. I have found it instrumental as I go about my own anti-racism work and I truly appreciate what Nicole is doing.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was… American Police by Throughline. (I feel like I am constantly recommending Throughline episodes, but they are just so informative!) This episode talks about the history of American police and it’s as horrific as you might imagine.

The best money I spent was… $80 for my keyboard replacement! My laptop is FIXED and I am oh-so-happy to have it back in working order. I am going to be so careful with keeping open containers on my desk now because I definitely don’t want to go through something like this again. (Especially right now, when I need my laptop to work!)

My plans this weekend include… painting at my mom and stepdad’s new place, a Zoom writing date, and family game night! I’m also planning on doing virtual tours for two apartments… and I’ll talk more about why I’m doing that next week. (Suspense!)

What was the high of your week?

The high of my week was… the return of game night! We had a long hiatus from game night, as we pause our biweekly Saturday night tradition during football season. Usually, we start it back up after the Super Bowl but my brother got the flu and was out of commission for a few weeks and then Coronavirus happened. My brother texted my mom and me on Saturday, asking if we were up for game night, and we were both totally on board! It felt so nice and normal and wonderful to hang out and play games and eat pizza. I’m trying to continue to be cautious about venturing out and being around people, but I feel safe having my mom, stepdad, brother, and nephews in my circle.

The low of my week was… the horrific murder of George Floyd. It feels so trite to call it a “low” of my week, but his murder has been on my mind constantly. It’s not that these deaths are surprising, but they do make me feel so angry. And helpless. As a white woman, I don’t know what my role here should be. I try to educate myself as best as I can on racial injustice through books, articles, and podcasts. I try to educate other white people, although I could definitely do a much better job of that because I know how fragile white people are and I kowtow to their needs more than they deserve. I could also do a better job of lifting up Black voices on social media. Sometimes I worry that I’m just adding to the noise and doing something that doesn’t require any effort on my part. But maybe the point isn’t about my role in this—maybe it’s just about exposing the white people in my circle to Black voices and views in the hopes of breaking them out of their bubble.

An article I appreciated was… 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice by Corinne Shutack. I encourage every white person to read this list and write down a few of the things you can do to either expose yourself to the Black experience or work on criminal justice initiatives in your community. I know I’ll be looking through this list this weekend and thinking about the steps I can take.

A podcast series I’m enjoying is… In the Dark: Coronavirus in the Delta. I’m way behind on my podcast queue so I’ve only listened to two of the episodes in this series so far, but it’s so very good. (I’d expect nothing less from the In the Dark team!) It’s all about how Coronavirus is affecting people living in the Mississippi Delta. Episode one focused on churches and episode two was about conditions at the prison. It’s unflinchingly honest—truly excellent reporting.

The best money I spent was… $291 on two new bar stools for my apartment! Whew, let’s take a swift left turn on this post. Since I am planning on staying in my apartment through 2021, most likely, as I save up for a down payment on a condo, I have decided to invest in a few things to make my apartment more livable for the time being. The first thing was trading in my rickety bar stool for two more comfortable ones! I found these bar stools on Wayfair available at a deep discount, so I bought two and they arrived yesterday! I have to put them together, which I’m planning on doing tonight. It’ll be so nice to have a comfortable place to sit and eat in my apartment! (And I know the cats will greatly enjoy them, too, and isn’t that the most important thing?)

My plans this weekend include… literally nothing. Ah, that’s how it is these days, right? I know I’ll be putting together my bar stools, doing my weekly grocery store run, and Zooming with a friend. Perhaps I’ll try to take a walk in a nature preserve? I’d like to spend time at the pool, but I doubt people will be properly social distancing there. Ugh.

What was the high of your week?

The high of my week was the 49ers winning their playoff game! My brother is a diehard 49ers fan—he still has his Steve Young jersey from when he was 8! It’s been a really fun season for his team and they have been looking like a strong Super Bowl contender. You never know what can happen in the playoffs (seriously, who saw the sixth-seed Titans beating the unstoppable Ravens?!), so I was definitely nervous about the game, but they pulled off a strong win! Now I have to root against the Packers on Sunday, which will be difficult for me considering how deeply I love Aaron Rodgers. 😉

The low of my week was dealing with some personal issues. It’s hard when the low of my week is something I can’t talk about since it’s not my story to tell. But I’ve been trying to help someone through a really difficult time and it’s hard to feel so helpless. All I can do is give as much of my love and support as possible, while also protecting my own mental health. It’s a struggle.

A blog post I loved was My Evening Routine to Wind Down by Kelsey. I used to have my evening routine down pat, falling asleep between 9:00 and 9:30, but for the past few years, I find myself on the struggle bus when it comes to bedtime. A lot of nights, I find myself working on my laptop until 9 or 10 and then rushing through my evening routine to try to get to bed before 11. I’m really inspired by this post, though, and I’m going to start brainstorming how I can have more peaceful evenings like hers.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was There Will Be Bananas on Throughline. Who knew that there was such a troubled history about bananas? This episode was fascinating and definitely made me look at the banana industry a lot differently.

The best money I spent was $15 that I put into my “no-spend fund.” I heard about this idea from a blogger who has a savings account that she puts money into on the days she doesn’t spend any money. I think she puts $10 in every time. I chose $5 and I had three days this week where I didn’t spend any money, so into the savings account it goes. I’m not sure what I’m going to use this money for—maybe a Sephora or Old Navy shopping spree when the fund is over $100? Or maybe I’ll use it to save up for something I really want like a new Chromebook (mine is so old that it’s no longer updating, eeks). But, for now, I’m just going to put away tiny amounts of money and see how it adds up. It really motivates me to have spend-free days!

My plans this weekend include an eye appointment this afternoon followed by a friend date. We’re not sure what we’re doing yet, either reading by the pool, taking a trip to the beach, or doing some adventuring in a nearby city. Tomorrow, I have a hair appointment and then I’m dog-sitting for a friend. And Sunday is a writing date and watching the NFL championship games. 🙂 A busy, full, lovely weekend ahead!

Tell me the high of your week!

The high of my week was meeting up with my friends to discuss our trip to Boston next week! We don’t have a super strict itinerary because a lot of what we’ll be doing is just walking around to see the sights. We are planning a day at an apple orchard, a food tour, and potentially a trip to Salem, and I have expressed my strong desire to do the Freedom Trail. We’re going to have fun no matter what! The weather looks great (highs in the low to mid 60s so cold enough for this Florida girl) and I’m just hoping for lots of beautiful fall foliage.

The low of my week was the four-year anniversary of my grandma’s death. The date snuck up on me this year. It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since that horrific day in her hospital room, all of us saying goodbye to this woman who meant so much and lived so fully. My mom and I met for dinner because I think we both needed to be with each other. And, as it turned out, it was free pizookie day at the restaurant (pizookies are basically big cookies served in a deep-dish pizza pan, and it’s the best dessert in the world). I’d like to think that was the perfect way to celebrate my grandma who loved dessert like no other.

An article I loved was… What is Idiopathic Hypersomnia? My Life with a Rare Sleep Disorder by Greatest Escapist. My friend Kate was recently diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia after years and years of feeling perpetually tired and like she could fall asleep at any moment. In this post, the first of a series talking about this disorder, Kate talks about what IH is and how it has affected her life.

“Imagine yourself at your tiredest, right before bedtime, & now imagine that you feel like that frequently, midday, at random, & at times when you almost assuredly can not go take a nap. That’s me. And yes, it’s pretty problematic.”

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Votes for Women on Call Your Girlfriend. I’m about a week+ behind in my podcast queue so I just listened to this episode a few days ago and it was excellent. One of the hosts talked with a bunch of different people about voting rights, both for women and for marginalized people. I found the interviews with the activists (one from Mississippi Votes and one from Woke Vote) to be the most intriguing.

The best money I spent was $156 for the Airbnb we’re staying at in Boston. My friend found us a fabulous place in Southie that looks darling. We won’t be spending a ton of time there since we have a full itinerary planned for our four days but it will be a nice little space to come home to at the end of all our activities.

My plans this weekend include not much of anything! I am meeting up with a friend for a gym date this evening, want to take a trip to HomeGoods to see their fall decor, and need to put together my bookcase. And, of course, there’s football with the fam on Sunday! Should be a nice, low-key weekend. 🙂

Tell me the high of your week!