Monday, August 28, 2017

Monday Musings

likeke falls
Likeke Falls.

My week: Jarrod had the entire week off work and I took off Monday through Wednesday, and it was an absolutely fantastic and refreshing break! We took Alohi on her first hike, we ate lunch at La Mariana Sailing Club, a famous tiki bar/restaurant that we'd been meaning to try forever, and we went snorkeling and saw a few sea turtles.

Unfortunately... we also had quite a few rough spots to the week. We continued (and eventually gave up) trying to leave Alohi out of her crate when we left the house and that resulted in a broken lamp (possibly an accident, but still), a chewed-through computer cord ($65 to replace) and a corner of our big area rug shredded. On Saturday we were playing and she just so happened to skid on the tile at the right angle to crash into and break a leg off the kitchen table. And on Sunday we had to do a (rather expensive) walk-in vet visit because of swollen and pussy sore she suddenly developed (and now we have to smear antibiotic ointment on her rear end every day for a week). On top of that, I discovered the cat had peed on the sofa in my reading room/office! These animals, I swear -- they're giving me gray hair!

IMG_0774

Reading: I guess I had to balance out my previous very productive reading week with one where I didn't read much at all. I continued to read the second Temeraire book, "Throne of Jade," which I found much slower going than the first (a book I adored!), and I finally finished it Sunday night.

Mid-week I started reading 25 pages a day of "One Summer: America, 1927" by Bill Bryson. Bryson writes interesting, accessible non-fiction and I'm really enjoying my short chunks of "One Summer." It's crazy how many fascinating events happened in just a few months (so far I've read about the Great Flood of 1927, Charles Lindbergh's flight to Paris, and a murderess and her beau who captivated the country, among other things), and I'm loving that sense of '20s atmosphere and lifestyle that permeates the book!

Today I'll be starting "The Essex Serpent." I fully admit that the cover is what attracted me to the book! The plot sounds pretty interesting, though, and I love stuff set in the 1800s. I hope it lives up to my expectations!



Watching: "Game of Thrones," "Homeland," "Elementary." Movie-wise we watched "The Zookeeper's Wife," which was overall a good film, but I feel completely misled by the cover art of Jessica Chastain snuggling an adorable lion cub -- it was pretty grim and depressing (it is a WWII story set in Warsaw, after all).

Eating: Dunkin Donuts! They recently built the first DD in Hawaii -- right near our house -- and I've been craving donuts ever since, but it has been a complete and utter madhouse the past month. We drove by a few times but it was either ridiculously packed or closed early for no apparent reason (likely they ran out of donuts). Jarrod was sweet enough to brave the drive-thru one night on his way home from surfing and came bearing glazed, maple and guava-filled donuts. Pretty tasty -- though not necessarily worth all that effort!

Something most people don't realize about Hawaii is that it doesn't have all typical chain stores and restaurants we take for granted on the Mainland -- it has some (like Target, thank god!), but there are definitely some notable places missing. Whenever one comes to the island, it's a massive event! Personally, I really miss Kohl's and craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's. Many people -- military people stationed here, I should say -- especially miss Chick-fil-A. I actually saw a couple weeks ago where a fellow military spouse brought back 200 nuggets in her airline luggage to freeze and re-heat!

Blogging:
Monday Musings
Suggested Reading for Kids and Teens (and Adults!)
Mini Reviews: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel and All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

Looking forward to: Our upcoming weekend getaway to Kauai! It's going to be a very quick little trip, but I'll take whatever type of vacation I can get.

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

22 comments:

  1. I loved One Summer and all of Bryson's books too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is my third or fourth book of his and I've enjoyed them all so far! This one is definitely the most educational and I've learned so much. I think my next Bryson book will be "In a Sunburned Country" since we'll be visiting Australia sometime in the next two years before we move from Hawaii.

      Delete
  2. I have Throne of Jade but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I hope you enjoy it!

    My It's Monday! What Are You Reading? post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was ok, definitely not as good as the first book.

      Delete
  3. Man, what a week. My boxer boys are telling Alohi to get well soon! I can feel your pain with puppyhood. I STILL don't know how I have survived it 5 times (of course Booker T didn't bother ANYTHING other than blowing the screen door off the hinges).

    I wanted to watch The Zookeeper's Wife but my husband reminded me there probably aren't a lot of animals in it so we've skipped it thus far.

    Glad you were able to enjoy some time with your husband and hope you have a better reading week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your husband is right -- pretty much all the animals go bye-bye at the hands of the Nazis at the beginning of the movie. It was definitely an inspiring story, but still -- I found it hard to watch at times. War/Holocaust movies always make me wonder about the things humans do to each other sometimes.

      I'm reassured that you went through puppyhood 5 times. As much as I love Alohi and have enjoyed watching her learn and grow, I've been thinking I might not ever want another puppy ever again. I imagine eventually all the puppy craziness will seem adorable and funny and I'll forget all about how ridiculously stressful it could be!

      Delete
  4. Oh dear! You've had a week like ours! Still raining near Houston....

    http://www.readerbuzz.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't realize you were near Houston! I hope you haven't had any flooding! This rain in Texas is just insane.

      Delete
  5. What a week! I hope you enjoy your books and have a more relaxing week this week!
    http://shoshireads.weebly.com/home/its-monday-what-are-you-reading8623083

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Shoshi! So far it's moderately better. ;)

      Delete
  6. Beautiful photos; I love being outside in nature.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh dear! Sounds like you are really experiencing the down sides of pet ownership. We have a Duncan Donuts near and I never to there. I find their donuts too greasy for me. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I though the donuts were decent, though I did hear that all their donuts come frozen -- they're not made in store. There's a local donut shop that I've been meaning to check out forever that makes all their donuts fresh -- gotta get over there!

      Delete
  8. So glad to hear you guys had a nice little break from work together! I hope your pet troubles are resolved soon :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Erica! Yes, it was just one those weeks where everything goes wrong; it's been quieter this week, happily!

      Delete
  9. No Duncan Donuts near us but we do have a good independent doughnut maker. Come see what I'm reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have one here too that I've been meaning to check out forever!

      Delete
  10. I listened to One Summer earlier this summer. I loved it, and Bill Bryson narrates the book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a perfect book to read/listen to in the summer! I'm not much for audiobooks, but I bet I would enjoy Bryson's narration. I love his books -- and this one has taught me so much already!

      Delete
  11. Quite the week with animals! Beautiful sea turtle photo though.

    I've heard good things about The Essex Serpent, so I hope you enjoy that title. Wishing you a wonderful weekend away also!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it was just one of those crazy weeks!

      I'm almost halfway through "The Essex Serpent" and I'm happy to report that so far the story is living up to it's gorgeous cover!

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by! Comments make my day, and I read and appreciate every single one!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...