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A New Way of Living | Weekly Snapshot

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I don't know about you guys but this has been one of the longest weeks ever. With schools closed and work moved to home, this has been a new way of living. When the changes and shutdowns came just before last weekend, there was no time to really process the information. Within days, life had changed. And then on Monday, I reported to work, from my home, with kids also at home. It was when Friday finally rolled along that I felt the gravity of the situation, how we'll be rarely getting out for weeks, if not for months. How schools were likely going to be closed for months. How work still had to be done remotely or worse, there was no work to do anymore due to layoffs or a shutdown. How there was not going to be any dining in restaurants for months.


That was a very sobering thought. I didn't sleep until 1.30am that night.

How are you all doing? What are some of your tips to keep your sanity on while we get through this very difficult time? Some of you are in places that are …
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What I'm reading now... (July 1, 2013)

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It's July. We are officially at the halfway mark and it's honestly shocking sometimes how fast time flies. I started the year with generous goals and I haven't managed to reach the halfway point. But that's alright. I've been reading good books, I had loads of stuff happening this year (parents visiting, brother visiting, two long vacations, couple of side interests) - so it's always good when you do something other than reading. Moreover, it took me a while to accept that what I really need to read now are fast books. So lately, I've been on the hunt for just such books.

Vampire DiariesAfter yearning for a brainless read, I got just that with the Vampire Diaries book. I talked a little about my reaction to this book here, especially in comparison to the TV show, but to sum it up, you're not missing anything by not reading this book. The TV show is certainly more intriguing and three-dimensional while the book is just shallow and vapid.

TransatlanticThis week, I started reading Transatlantic by Colum McCann. McCann's been on my radar ever since he published Let the Great World Spin. Transatlantic straddles three historic moments - a black American slave's attempts to propagate ideas of freedom in Ireland in 1845, the first transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown in 1919, and an American senator's search of lasting Irish peace in 1998. Transatlantic was a little hard to get into at first - but after giving it a few more pages' try yesterday, I'm eager to read more.

I'm also listening to Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, which is quite enlightening, to be honest, but it's hard to not feel depressed after listening to him talk about how much non-real food has encroached into the food industry. Pretty much everything we buy today is processed and after years of being ingrained in a certain way of eating, it can be hard for anyone to start over. 'Live like the cavemen lived' is no longer a workable advice.

What I'm excited about...


Next, I'm hoping to start reading The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Toro's new movie, Pacific Rim, has the husband all excited, and me eager to read his Strain trilogy. I've heard of these books for a long time but it's only now that I finally decided to give the books a chance.

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Jennifer Hartling said…
The first half of this year zipped by so fast that my head is spinning. ;) Sounds like you had a good first half of '13! Here's to the next half!
July 1, 2013 at 10:40 AM
bermudaonion(Kathy) said…
Whew, I don't think either one of those is for me. I hope you enjoy them!
July 1, 2013 at 4:00 PM
Ti Reed said…
I tried The Strain once and could not get through the first few pages. I will give it another shot some day as it might have been a timing issue on my part.
July 1, 2013 at 4:42 PM
Helen Murdoch said…
Sounds like a lot of good books hanging out at your house, I hope you end up liking them all!
July 1, 2013 at 5:48 PM
christa @ mental foodie said…
I pretty much have been reading brainless reads this year! pretty much all my brain can handle...
July 5, 2013 at 6:02 PM
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