System Status: November 2014
Job possibilities are now starting to float to the surface and we’re getting a tiny bit excited, especially as the most promising one is in Massachusetts.
NEW ENGLAND!
That’s a little crazy to me and I go back and forth between being very excited and being very scared. But there’s no offer on the table so I am, of course, getting ahead of myself as usual. Still…it’s kind of fun to think about…. 🙂
In the end of November I’m into….
Books.
I didn’t make it through The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. I don’t know if it was the narrator or just the writing style or a combination of the two, but I just.couldn’t.do.it.
Fortunately, at about the time I was kind of getting sick of that book, The Invention of Wings arrived at the library and Sue Monk Kidd delivered a fantastic story yet again. She wrote one of my very favorite books (The Secret Life of Bees), so I had high hopes for this one and she did not disappoint. The audiobook version had particularly fantastic narrators, which definitely helps the story along as well. I loved the characters. I loved the setting. I loved the story. It was sad and hopeful and heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time.
I started The Luminaries (24 discs!!!) but also had a hard time with that one as the narrator began the reading with a list of characters that I will not be able to go back and reference due to the very nature of it being an audiobook. This was followed by a half hour description of a guy walking into a smoking room in a hotel. I’d like to try this one again when I actually am able to sit down and read a book.
After I gave up on that one, I started Life After Life which I had forgotten I had reserved through Overdrive and didn’t really interest me. I’m so glad I decided to give it a try as the story is very intriguing and I love her writing style. If you like books that play with time, this is a great read.
You can also follow along with my reading addiction through my Goodreads account.
TV.
The Blacklist. Of course. E also sucked me into, of all shows, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which I thought looked very idiotic when he started watching it last year and now I find it hilarious (but still idiotic 🙂 ). I blame it on serious pregnancy brain last fall and the fact that I was completely void of a sense of humor (E can verify this). I wanted to catch the Death Comes to Pemberley series on PBS, but never got around to it, so I’ll have to wait until it’s available somewhere else. Booo.
Music.
We Are Young by fun. Ironically, this song makes me feel old, but it’s just so catchy! I did look up the band members as I’m prone to get a little stalker-y with media that I particularly like, and they’re all over the age of 30, so maybe I can hold off on checking myself into the geriatric ward just yet.
Movies.
We watched Edge of Tomorrow on our anniversary. I know….nothing says happy ten years like post-apocalyptic mind-benders. Did you know they actually changed the name of the movie to Live. Die. Repeat. when they released it on DVD because it did so poorly in the box office and they thought maybe people were confused as to what it was really about? I thought that was kind of funny. 🙂
Food.
The Italian meatloaf I made earlier this month was a great success, even for a girl who doesn’t really like meatloaf. It was easy too, which earns it an A+ in my book.
baked cod with cream and bay leaves was fantastic. And any recipe that includes fish and me using the word “fantastic” to describe it must be very special indeed as I am not a fan of fish. I’m planning on sharing my grain-free version of the recipe at some point so you can also partake in the fantastic fishiness.
E and I (B is dairy-free at the moment) loved this recipe for homemade ranch dressing using, of all things, kefir instead of sour cream. It turned out perfectly and will now be a staple in our house.
Projects.
I never got around to making the stockings this month, other than cutting out a template for them. That’s still sitting on a folded up piece of muslin, waiting for me to do something with it. I still have a month, though, right?! 🙂
I did manage to get a nice imprint of C’s foot for a wall hanging. I have one of B’s foot too when he was that age. So tiny.
And there you have the state of the Reb. 🙂
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Hello Reb, found your blog through Leigh’s linkup.
I read The Luminaries, and it is definitely worth going back to if you have time to read as a book! There’s a character reference list at the front that is very useful…
I see in your sidebar that you like making Spanish omelets – we just had one for lunch today. My husband is Spanish, so he usually makes it, but today I did it, and it turned out!
Thanks for stopping by, Jessica! I’ll definitely try The Luminaries again, then. 🙂 And Spanish omelet is my son’s favorite dish! So easy and tasty!
What a beautiful site! I look forward to exploring it more. And I happen to find that my favorite blogs are the more personal, not the ones with how-tos or tutorials, so I think this will be right up my alley. 🙂
I’m glad you like it, Emily! 🙂
LOVED Life After Life, and I also thought Edge of Tomorrow was really underrated!
It’s been a -fantastic- book so far, Brenda. The prose is beautiful! My husband agrees with you about the movie. 🙂 He liked it a lot!