Week in Review: Week 181
Trying something a little different this week – trying to remember to write a little synopsis of each day on that day, so I don’t get to the end of the week and realize I can’t remember what happened 6, 5, 4 days earlier.
Also, looking back at this post (on Sunday) I see just how truly boring it is, ha ha! I didn’t do much, there are very few pictures to share…so I’m going to include some old pictures just to help keep you awake!
Monday
First day of camp at work. Camp means all new kids, all new staff, new parents calling, etc. I’m in the office alone this week so it’s a little hectic. Had to go to the pharmacy after work to pick up a prescription, got all the way there and realized I’d left my purse and cell phone at work. Blrrgh.
Then I had to go to the Dr for the second in what I thought was a series of three shots, but today the receptionist said no, I was done. They charged me $30 for the “breathing into a tube” part of the physical two months ago. An annual physical is free, I said. Not the breathing test, they said. If they had told me that at the time I would have not breathed into the tube!
Drove home under a darkening sky and when I got out of my car in the driveway I looked down at the pond below and could see it was pouring over the pond. Then I could HEAR the hard rain…but it was literally like 10′ from me and not to me yet so I ran for the door and JUST made it before the deluge reached my door!
I’m having a gin with lemonade and agave. Yum. Am I the only one who loves the smell of gin?
tuesday
Work was a little less hectic (yay).
Met up with a friend for dinner in my old town and it was a perfect evening for eating outside on their patio, watching people on the sidewalk, looking in the shops, getting ice cream, etc. This place has a lobster and mussels special in the summer for $15.95 so we try to get there at least once every summer. It was gooood.
Then we walked down to the little park by the harbor and just caught the last bit of light in the sky. It was so nice out we didn’t want to leave!
Wednesday
EVEN quieter today at work. I’m almost done with my “things to get done during camp week” To Do list, so…I’m going to have to pace myself the next two days.
My friends went out to dinner tonight but I passed as it was supposed to start thunderstorming around 7pm and I didn’t want to get stuck driving a long way home in the rain after dark.
I had a realization today. I went to the eye doctor back in February when I had just moved in here. I was seeing white flashes out the side of one eye, and lots of floaters. He told me (unrelated to the flashes and floaters, he saw no reason for them. At least he didn’t say, “well, you know, your weight.”) I had a cataract in my right eye and the start of one in my left. He said there was surgery to correct it if it was bothering me but I didn’t think they were bothering me, and plus, I’m not too keen on having surgery on my EYES. Anyway, now I’m thinking the cataracts could be the explanation for my newish difficulty with driving in the dark, especially in the rain.
Came home and lay on the sofa reading “Seabiscuit.” I’ve seen the movie and know the story but still wanted to read it. It’s non-fiction so slower going than fiction (for me, anyway), so may be my only book for the whole week! Which would be kinda good as my To Be Read pile has dwindled down to almost nothing, which is concerning as next week is vacation and I need reading
thursday
Boring day. Worked. Came home. Lay on the sofa and read. Had chicken noodle soup for dinner. Worked on Friday’s blog post. HA, that’s a thing. I’ve been working on getting content written up ahead of time and lists of ideas for future blogs. I wrote I think three full posts today, started a couple more, and made a list of about a dozen ideas for future blogs. But I still have nothing for tomorrow! Ha. I have pictures but no words. None of the things I’ve already written go with the pictures. It’s 7pm and I’m in a quandary! So tomorrow (Friday’s) blog post will be a surprise. Even for me!
Friday
I made it! I’m officially on vacation! I celebrated by going straight home and getting on the sofa with a book.
Saturday
Day 1 of Vacation involved me laying on the sofa reading and going to the deli for an egg, BACON and CHEESE sandwich. I was grateful when I got the gruff man cuz I knew he would get my order right.
When I finished my book in the late afternoon I did some very minor straightening up around the apartment. There are….six spots that have become Places I’m Allowed to Pile Things Because There Are Already Things Piled There So What Difference Does It Make Now? After seeing those things piled up day after day after day, I stop seeing them. But once in awhile I go, “oh. this pile of boxes/folding tables/mail/books/fabric/shampoo/wrapping paper/laundry could really GO somewhere,” and I have a brief spurt of motivation and productivity. And if I can get on that task Right That Very Minute, I might actually make some progress. And today I made a little progress. Yay Me.
Sunday
Had plans to go do A Thing. Had even paid for The Thing. But in the morning I didn’t feel like going to The Thing. So I hid out at home all day.
The weather was stunning this weekend. High 70s, no humidity, a light breeze, blue skies. Janey and I enjoyed some open window time.
I know this was a super boring week. I promise (myself!) I’ll do some interesting things this weekend. I so appreciate that you guys hang in here with me even when there are boring weeks like this!
What I Read This Week
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. Mm. I was mostly disappointed. I’ve known the story of Seabiscuit since I was a horse-crazy kid. I saw the movie with Spiderman and Chris something and loved it. I read her book Unbroken, which I shouldn’t have liked, based on my general dislike of non-fiction and stories about men, but I thought it was really really good. So…I had certain expectations for this book. About an underdog racehorse who became America’s sweetheart. But. I don’t know. Maybe I was hoping for something more like Black Beauty. The story told through the horse’s voice. But of course, that was fiction. Still. There was way too much people and not enough horse. For me. BUT. Many others have loved it, so. I will say, Hillenbrand does have a good way of turning facts into a story. Without that, I probably would not have gotten through this. I also have a poor view of horse racing overall, and I’m sure that affected my judgment. I’m not sure what to rate this one. 3/5 is what I give any book I’m able to get through. I’ve started a lot of books that would get less than a 3! I think this deserves a bit more than that so I’ll give it a 3.24/5.
Happiness: A Memoir: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After by Heather Harpham, on the other hand, was a delight. A heart-wrenching, well-told story with lovely writing. I am not generally a memoir person. I probably wouldn’t have selected this book had I realized. I’m grateful I didn’t. Two thumbs up and a 4.49/5.
I know sometimes (usually?) I don’t say what the books I read are about. Over the years I have come to realize that, for me anyway, the subject is not as important as the writing style. I’m here for any story told well. The most captivating, compelling story told in a boring, choppy way…is not a good story. But a good writer can write about nothing and make it interesting.
A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard. This was a tough one. It’s a true story about an 11-year-old girl who’s abducted by a man and his wife and kept a prisoner in their backyard for 18 years. She is sexually abused, impregnated twice and raises two daughters in this horrendous situation. By the second chapter I was stopping, it was just so…horrific. But I felt like, she lived this. I can certainly read it. I can’t say I necessarily recommend it, it’s not pleasant reading. But it is a story of survival and of the good she’s doing now with her JAYC (Just Ask Yourself to Care) organization.
Thanks for reading!
jodie filogomo
I do think it’s good to have “boring” weeks. It’s called down time and our hectic lives need that!! At least I do….ha ha!!
I love seeing your old photos like this Bettye,
XOXO
Jodie
bettyewp
Oh, I’m the QUEEN of boring weeks. I’m reading this book right now called “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” and she has like my dream life. She’s able financially to not work for a year, all her bills/rent/taxes are on auto-pay, she mostly gets food and meds delivered, sends her laundry out…or just throws it out when it gets really dirty and buys new on online…ha. I’ve just started it so I’m not sure what drove her to this, but MAN DO I WANT TO DO THAT! Ha. My mother modeled a “stay at home” life the whole time I was growing up, so staying home in your nightgown for days on end is not unfamiliar to me, and frankly, is quite comfortable and pleasant. I have to fight to NOT do that too much. She was not healthy…and I want to feel better than she did. But I so LOVE just being home alone, sigh.
Iris
I love your ‘boring’ week. We all need those sometimes and I’ve had more than my share lately. I think the piles kinda grow on you. I used to be such ‘have to have everything put away person’. My mother’s endless piles drove me crazy. I’m not quite as bad as she was, but I do look around and see more ‘stuff’ collecting that it used to. Mostly I just sigh and look away.
Your pictures are always so good – and that seafood looks delicious.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
bettyewp
Yeah, I’ve lived with “piles” all my life. My mother was a borderline hoarder (there are those who would probably say there was no “borderline” about it!) so I grew up with piles. Piles of newspapers, piles of notebooks, piles of clothes, piles of silver, ha. I certainly feel I have (or had) tendencies in that direction but I sort of feel I’ve moved past that and am MUCH more in control of what I bring into the house. My piles are more a result of laziness. Mail I don’t feel like dealing with right away turns into a pile. Clothes I don’t put away right away turns into a pile. Unpacking boxes = piles. Books waiting to be mailed out for PaperbackSwap = piles. You know.
Yeah, I could go for more lobster. One year for my birthday, me and Russell and another couple went to a place, more of a seafood market with an eating area than a restaurant, but I had a FIVE POUND LOBSTER, oh my gosh. It was GINORMOUS.
julia
Whoa! Just went to the JayC website and it’s a pretty heavy topic. Not sure if I have room in my mental space for this at the moment. I love seeing your alien cats and I’m glad you got the right breakfast sandwich this weekend. That is a good start to your vacation! Plus, seeing Caleb waiting at the door was a sweet bit of love photo. Thanks for that! Enjoy your week!
bettyewp
Yes. JAYC *and* the book – very heavy, indeed. I literally kept stopping, sitting up on the sofa, and having a few minute discussion with myself. “This is too hard, I’m not going to keep reading this, why do I have to read something so ugly? But that girl. She LIVED this ugliness. She SURVIVED this ugliness. Just for HER, I should keep reading.” And I’d lay back down and continue. The beginning was the worst of it, soi it did get “easier” as it went along. But yeah. What a horrible horrible story. It’s amazing she came out of it as seemingly healthy as she did – both physically and mentally. I did read somewhere that she’s only 4’7.” And certainly some people are that short, but it’s uncommon in the US. And I wondered if her poor diet and lack of exercise stunted her growth. It’s like she never grew physically past where she was when she was abducted at age 11.
I *am* enjoying my week (awkward segue). Haven’t done a whole lot. But I will 🙂
Ashley
You know, even though in the moment when we’re having a boring week/day we’re annoyed, I think having some downtime where nothing is really happening is good. Gives us time to slow down, take it easy, rest.
I love these rundowns- you do such a good job of capturing your week! I have been thinking about getting into journaling more and more- freewriting, braindumping, etc. This makes me want to do it!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
bettyewp
Ahh, that’s the thing. I’m VERY happy with a “down” week…it’s just when it comes time to do my Week in Review post, I feel bad for you guys that I have nothing too interesting to share. The WiR originally started as a way to share the photographs I’d posted on my Bettye Rainwater Photography Instagram account. They had nothing to do with fashion, but they were fun to look at and a good representation of what I’d done in a week. Well, this summer pretty much all I’ve been doing is working and reading, so…not so visually interesting! It will get better as the temps ease up and I start going outdoors again.
I love the term brain dumping! Though when I picture that, there’s a pretty small pile of “dumped” on the table, out of THIS brain! Ha.
Daenel T.
I so enjoy your week in review posts. The pictures and the words read like a story. And I always leave thinking about something in a different way. For example, when I go into stores, I pay attention to the plus-size clothing area. Now I’m aware of what that space should look like and how it should make people feel. I’ve even found myself straightening up those areas. I think that’s what blogging/story telling is about… Making others think.
bettyewp
Thanks, Daenel. And if you’re really into straightening up, I know an Old Navy (and a Macy*s!) that could really use some help!