From SundayStealing we get these questions:
When do I feel most authentically myself:
When I’m writing or taking photos.
What I’m thankful for today
Ooof. I’m not gonna lie here: Thankfulness has not had a good run of late.
A memory I hope I never forget
So many! But I’ll go with looking at the girl I was sitting next to at the local college bar, where we were celebrating a mutual’s birthday, and wondering why I hadn’t noticed how pretty she was. Later, we married.
Other ways I connect with long distant friends
Mostly social media these days.
How I reconnect with myself when I feel lost
I read and I listen to beloved music and I go to the woods or to the water.
What would be my signature drink if I owned a café
We’ll assume that by “Cafe” we mean “bar”, in which case I make some terrific Mojitos, if I do say so myself.
Something I’ve let go of, as I’ve grown older
The feeling that I need to treat American conservatives as though they have real and genuine insights about things that are based on facts about the world.
The things I’m most likely to lie about
Hmmmm. This one’s kind of interesting, innit…I find myself trending more toward blunt honesty as I get older, but what would I lie about? Probably something mainly harmless, like “Did I like the cake you made,” when in fact I wasn’t in love with it.
What’s something I wish I had more time to learn
Photography! And I think I’m doing fine. I just wish I’d decided to approach it more seriously years ago. I had no idea, folks!
Social media trends that puzzle me
Endless political content. You see this on Tiktok a lot: people who just make video after video after video responding to the latest talking points on the other side. Even I, who am firmly on the left side of things, wonder if it all feels pointless after a while.
Local phrases and terms I use often
“Go Bills!” Also, “wings” refers to Buffalo-style chicken wings, and nothing else. Zubaz is a pattern, not a specific brand of clothing. I also expect not too many other places refer to “Lake effect” this or that (mostly snow).
If I could only wear only three colors, I’d pick these…
Blue, white, and brown–thus preserving my ability to wear most of my overalls. (The black ones would, sadly, be ruled out…unless black is stipulated as being available because everybody needs something in black, right?)
Favorite books, music, tv, movies, and media this month
Well, The Great British Baking Show is winding down, so that’s a bummer. We’ve started a re-watch of Scrubs from the beginning, because after the latest instance of watching a Netflix series that only had ten episodes, The Wife expressed a bit of annoyance. (That was Nobody Wants This, in which a podcaster who focuses on stories about the dating life finds herself involved with a Rabbi. Recommended, by the way.)
Music? There’s an album out called John Williams Reimagined, in which a bunch of Williams themes are re-arranged for a piano, flute, and cello. The recasting of dramatic music as chamber music is fascinating.
Books: I’ve started Bystander, which is a history of street photography, and Ian Fleming: The Complete Man.
Movies…last night we watched Salt, a thriller from 2010 featuring Angelina Jolie is an FBI agent who might turn out to have a secret past she doesn’t know about. Very entertaining.
