It was a pretty uneventful week. I didn’t go out. I was reading a lot. Work is getting busier as we ramp up for our big golf outing on September 23.

Monday

I went to Target for a couple things and did a little try-on video for Instagram stories. Do you follow me there? I only bought one thing – a floaty rayon dress that I will use next year as a bathing suit cover-up. It was $8.63 in store. How could I not? It’s way too low in the back to wear as a dress, but. I’ve seen it looking cute on other people.

Ava & Viv dress, size 3x.

Tuesday

A fallish day.

Rachel Roy Tencel dress, size 22. This one is old but she does something similar every year | Old Navy camel duster length cardigan, size 2x. Old. Comparable here. | Cognac leather espadrilles by Aldo, old. Comparable here.

Wednesday

Mmm. I know I was HERE, but I have no idea what I DID.

thursday

Same. Wow.

friday

My big Friday night out was a trip to the laundromat. So now I have all clean underwear and yet another dress needing to be ironed.

Here’s how damp it is in this apartment. I don’t put my tee shirts in the dryer at the laundro cuz I don’t want them to shrink. I bring them home wet and drape them over things to dry. Two days later (I’m writing this Sunday morning) I just put one on to go to the market. It’s still wet! Ugh.

saturday

Finally! An outing! I’ve been wanting to go to the Hester Street Fair in the city for years and years…and as this Saturday was also Vintage Day, I was determined. It was a coolish day (and I still sweated buckets. it’s my special gift.) with no traffic on the drive in (a new york miracle). And the fair was about 25′ square. Ha! That is only a slight exaggeration. It’s always gotten such good press I was sure it would take hours to get through the whole thing. Nope. Anyway. I got myself a pretty beaded bracelet and three pairs of 80s sunglasses (to the horror of my friend who went with me) you’ll see in upcoming posts.

Hee hee, love the grumpy lady.

Anyway, fortunately, the fair was just a short walk from Essex Market, which is someplace my friend and I have both wanted to go, so we walked around there and had some lunch.

sunday

The Day of Productivity! I hope! I’m off to the market in a few to get my supplies for the 2-week sugar detox that I am starting tomorrow. Then to the deli for my last bacon, egg, cheese sandwich for awhile. I have to straighten this place up – it’s a wreck. I’m trying to get out to see my niece’s new barn and I want to shoot an outfit. And get some work done on a couple blog posts for the upcoming week. I’ll be grateful to get three of those six things done!

Oh! Our friend Julia is going to have a clothing sale this coming Friday on her blog. She’s always sharing classic items that work well on apple-shaped bodies. Maybe give her a visit to see if there’s anything there you like!

What I Read

Life Drawing: A Novel by [Black, Robin]

Life Drawing by Robin Black. I almost passed on this because I kept seeing it described as “suspenseful,” and that is not generally my jam. But it was suspenseful in the way that life is. We never know what is around the next corner. It’s the story of a marriage…and the challenges, large and small, that befall all marriages. I give it two thumbs up. I’d give it three if I could. I wish I could read more by her – but her only other offerings are a book of short stories (I generally dislike collections of short stories) which I’m sure I’ll eventually give into and read…and a book about writing, which I have already ordered. I hope she writes another novel.

The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham. I realized shortly in that I had seen part of this movie (with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton) a few years back…but the story itself was vague to me because I don’t believe I saw the beginning or the very end. So it was nice having a visual as I reading. But…it’s one of the rare cases where I think I actually liked the movie better than the book. I don’t think they ended the same At All, though as I said, I don’t think I saw the ending of the movie. Either way, it is a good story. Difficult and sad (I definitely have a type!).

The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer. This was one of those I didn’t like from the beginning. I almost gave it up. But I know that sometimes I am greatly surprised by books that become wonderful after a bad beginning. And finally something clicked and I was in. It’s hard to describe how this book made me feel. It was an interesting premise, basically a Benjamin Buttons type of storyline – man is born old and becomes younger the older he gets. And it was well-written. But it was a heart-rending story. He (the main character) calls it a love story, but it’s a cruel, cruel love story. On that basis, I sort of hate recommending it. It’s like recommending to someone that they bang their head against a wall cuz it’ll feel so good when they stop. If that’s your thing, go for it. If you’ve already read this, please share how it was for you. I guess I like banging my head against the wall because I’ve already ordered another by Greer and have more on my wish list at PaperbackSwap. Turns out one of his books was a Pulitzer winner, so.

What I Watched

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: This was sweet and funny and sad. And I probably would have passed on it as looking juvenile but I saw another blogger recommend it. I actually paid $3.99 to watch it on Amazon Prime. And it was well worth it.

Photograph This was a quiet, sweet movie. You do have to be okay with subtitles (I know sometimes that’s a barrier). It’s the classic plot of Guy’s Grandmother wants him to settle down and marry; Guy meets Lovely Girl when he happens to photograph her (he is a tourist photographer at the Gateway of India); Guy asks Lovely Girl to pretend to be his girlfriend when Grandmother visits. Guess what happens next.

And here’s one I’m looking forward to: Marriage Story with Scarlett Johansen and Adam Driver. I like them both a lot – I ADORE Adam Driver. It’s due out in December.

And that is it, my friends. Hopefully the week ahead will be a little more interesting. I have an art thing Tuesday night in Brooklyn…and oh yeah, NOT EATING SUGAR. That starts tomorrow. I’m semi-prepared. Wish us luck!

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