Lyin’ 2 Ya
6.18.18
Because I’m in love with you
Limbo
Use Me (snippet)
Another Stupid Song
sHE’S brOKen
Fingers crossed
The hill
True Blue
If I can’t
Bad company
How do you see me?
I don’t know, I just wish I wasn’t breathing (snippet)
A snippet from every book I read so far in 2020
I used to post a lot of first lines and final lines, but have fallen off since last year. I’m finally accepting that– for me– attempting to update on preset days (see also Poetry Ptuesday, which doesn’t even alliterate for real) won’t get me to blog consistently.
But, I do still dearly love sharing what I’m reading. So I’m going to start catching y’all up with some lines from each book I read in 2020. I’ll also revisit maybe the top ten books from last year, since that was when I stopped updating my ‘currently reading’.
We begin with The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok, a memoir of her mother’s schizophrenia and final days.
“For every memory about her there is a melody hidden inside my brain.”
“There are fleeting pictures in twisted hallways of my palace, improbable stairs, like an Escher print, leading to doors that do not open, rooms too dark to see. This is how the memory of trauma works, how we glimpse forgotten years trapped inside the amygdala, that almond-shaped center of fear in our brain.”
“At sixteen, I vow to hold on to beauty, no matter what– to sitting in a rich carpet of grass, a concert hall, a museum full of art– in a place that has nothing to do with the unbearable glare of grief.”
“Afterward, I go to the church and light a candle for my mother. Not that I believe it would do any good; it’s just to remind myself that she is still lost in the world.”
“I have always known deep down there is a great love and sweetness inside her, her true self she had at birth, but schizophrenia devours it every day.”
“I think about what people say about the dead, how they’re always with us. But what exactly do they mean? Do they mean that they turn into ghosts, that their souls become part of our body? Or do they mean the rustle of a blue jay’s blue-gray wings in winter? How the sound makes you turn so quick and hold your breath?”
And, from her mother’s writing contained within the book:
“Presently I draw only when I feel very acutely my muteness.”
Next up is Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor, which y’all might’ve remembered peeping from January 2nd. Be back soon!
An abbreviated survival guide to gloomy, rainy days
Happy Friday, kids!
Plant Stand Part 3 of 3!!!
Yesterday the saga came to a conclusion. Here is part one and part two of the snail’s pace progress I made over the last few weeks. I didn’t work on it over the weekend.
It actually says Cambodian Rock Band, but, no spoiler, rock BAN is fitting as well. It was a glorious, phenomenal show. Jane Lui, a musician who we were so honored to have perform at our wedding, actually stars in it, which is how we learned about it in the first place.
You can catch Cambodian Rock Band at the Signature Theater in midtown, and Jane’s newest album arrives in April. Her single, Barcelona, is out now.
On Sunday we had a potluck dinner party and our friend took the following pictures
Funny story, the boy was supposed to make mapo tofu but when I found out he used corn starch to thicken the sauce instead of spicy fermented bean sauce I had to ban him & take over.
In the end I think I had too much fun over the weekend so the home improvement gods punished me for my excess.
I couldn’t build my stand out the way I had drawn it. The wheels were VERY difficult to screw on, and I snapped a wheel brake into my hand, shattering all good feelings I previously held towards this project.
Last night, the boy sensed my great and mounting distress over this monstrosity and valiantly stepped in to help me complete the horrible undertaking.
I was supposed to affix fabric to the top right shelf so I can hang my (currently wall mounted) ferns in their new snug as a bug kodekama setups. But of course that hasn’t happened yet.
Oh and don’t worry about Mr. Foxtail over on the left hogging all the light from the southern exposure. He actually belongs outside. I made the mistake of re-potting him in the winter so now I have to keep him inside so he can recover from that insult in friendlier surrounds.
Moral of the story? Plant stands, don’t try it at home, kids.
My morning routine (school day)
Hello! I wanted to share my morning routine with you so you can learn a little more about me and maybe become more productive yourself!
7:05: I wake up and get out of bed
7:05: I take the dog out
7:10: I take a hot shower and change into my outfit (which I pick out the night before)
7:25: I eat a light breakfast and take my vitamins
7:40: I use the restroom and brush my teeth
7:45: I do my skincare routine (cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and spot treatment)
7:55: I put some natural makeup on and maybe do something with my hair
8:15: I fill up my Hydro Flask, unplug my computer, and make sure I paxked everything I need
8:25: I leave for school (Class starts at 8:50)
Thanks for reading! Comment below if you’d like me to share my nighttime routine!