Monday Musings

My week: Well, it was another week in the same vein as all the rest of the weeks the past couple months: it was full of puppypuppypuppy, work, a bit of reading, and desperately trying (and, of course, failing) to keep on top of the housework and errands.

Alohi has been going to puppy playtime at our local Petco the past few weeks and, since they were having a special, we decided to sign her up for some puppy training classes there. Saturday was our first hour-long session, followed by half an hour of puppy playtime. Alohi is the most exuberant, enthusiastic, sociable dog and she will go-go-go, but the second we got into the car she was out like a light, as you can see here:

Reading: I finished the first volume of "March" and started the second. It's a graphic novel trilogy written by Georgia Congressman John Lewis about his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s and the books are fantastic! (I do have to say, though, that the only other graphic novels I've read are the Saga series, and I miss having color illustrations; March is just black and white.)

Then I read "Exit West" by Mohsin Hamid (part Middle East country on the brink of civil war, part love story, part magical realism), which turned out to be a lot different than I had expected but still decent. Then I read the memoir "Bleaker House: Chasing My Novel to the End of the World," a book I'd been anticipating for months, but it was kind of a let-down. Reviews to come soon for both of those.

Now I'm just beginning "The Wanderers" by Meg Howrey, about the first manned mission to Mars.

Crafting: No time this week for knitting, or for trying out one of my new embroidery kits. :(

Watching: We watched "Fences" this weekend. I was impressed with the acting, but the story was so sad and depressing. And I didn't love seeing Denzel as an unlikable character! I also watched two more episodes of "This Is Us," including the Thanksgiving episode. It made me nostalgic for the holidays!

Eating: Every time I go into Starbucks the cheese danishes in the pastry case catch my eye, and I finally decided to whip some up myself. I used the cheater version with Pillsbury crescent roll dough and they came out ok... I'm not a huge fan of crescent rolls, so I should've known they wouldn't be quite as good.

Making: This pretty wreath for my new rotating genre display for work. The wreath was made out of paper bags, paint and hot glue, and I'm so pleased with the way it came out! The whole display turned out just about how I had envisioned it, which is such a wonderful feeling! Even my very-amateur hand-lettering looks ok. Every month we'll highlight a different genre, and the genre is written in chalk so it should be easy to change. I had SO much fun researching and brainstorming memoirs to display; I was especially interested in including some that wouldn't just be in biography section. Now I'm thinking about what to do next... it could be as broad as mysteries or as specific as WWII novels. We shall see!

Blogging:

Monday Musings
10 Things That Make Me Instantly Want To Read A Book
New Release: Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen
Book Review: Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
I Judge Books By Their Covers: The Wanderers

Looking forward to: Afternoons free! Starting today, my schedule at work is changing. Instead of working three 8-hour shifts, I'll be working four 6-hour shifts. I'll be getting off at 3 or 4 instead of 6 or 7, and it'll be so nice to have some time in the afternoons to get stuff done! Plus, Jarrod's schedule is about to change too and it would've meant a lot more time in the crate for Alohi. This way, she'll still only be by herself for a few hours a day.

*I'm linking up with Kathryn of Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?