This week started off ok, I delivered hats, walked and then blogged all about it on Monday. Much of my work time was spent trying to manipulate my training schedule around my "other stuff" schedule, preparing to train 2 new-to-us underwriters starting tomorrow. I was in a meeting (virtual of course) on Tuesday afternoon and had my office door closed as I typically do, to keep the noise and pets out. It seemed to be getting chillier in there, so I added a couple of shawls I have in my office, one on my legs and then one around my shoulders. After the meeting, I went to check the vent in my office (sometimes one of the cats bumps it closed). That was fine so I checked the thermostat. Strangely it said the temp was 65, though it was set to 68. I called my handyman up from the basement (he also serves as my accountant, grocery shopper and husband), we changed the filter, rebooted the system, checked the thermostat again and now it was 64 degrees. I went back to work, adding my mittens (they have finger pop-out spots so I could still type) and another blanket, plus later my scarf. It was chilly, ok? Long story somewhat short, the heat exchanger in the furnace had died and we had to replace the furnace. It was Thursday by the time it was replaced but we got by ok with space heaters (in fact my closed office became so warm that E said we should try hot yoga in there. I hate hot and yoga, so that did not happen.)
I didn't walk very much this week - Tuesday and Wednesday it was cold and the thought of getting cold and coming back to a cool house was unappealing. Instead I spent some time on the stationery bike while reading. Thursday afternoon I walked but then not on Friday and Saturday because I wasn't feeling well. So overall, I will miss 50 miles in January but plan to make it up later in the year. Ice, the coldest temps so far this winter (of course during the days the furnace decides to die), and not feeling well are my reasons/excuses. It's January after all.
Fame - where does that come in? A little back story. Over a year ago, I attended a scrap booking event hosted by Creative Memories and decided to become an advisor. I have (or rather had until recently when she decided to become an advisor herself) one other customer besides myself - the woman who sat next to me at the event and said that if I signed up, she would buy from me (which really just entails picking my name as advisor when she ordered her stuff on the CM website). I don't actively sell to anyone. Most people don't even know I am an advisor. Mainly, I make commission on things that I was probably going to buy anyway. I am on a FB page for advisors to get ideas for my personal use, not for sales. They had recently asked for feedback on what we liked about the 2021 Calendar Template so I put in my 2 cents. I was pleasantly surprised to see my name and quote in the weekly newsletter. Sharing it here, along with what my calendar currently looks like. It is a page I made last week, photos from Yellowstone. Fame - I'll try not to let it go to my head
Hindsight 2020
As noted previously, I read 30 books in 2020, despite difficulty with focus. I posted about a few of them
last fall, but here is the complete list, some with commentary. The * indicate a book club selection.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (interesting story, probably not one of the best-known by this author)
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (a re-read of one of my favorites by one of my all-time favorite authors, the story of friendship and betrayal. I very much enjoyed this reading, though differently than when I read it in the past.)
*Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Feat by Elizabeth Gilbert (a book club choice by one of my least favorite authors, though I liked this book better than Eat Pray Love which was another book club selection that made it on to my list of "books I hated". I appreciated some of what she had to say about creativity.)
The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (see 9/27/20 post)
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (The author was park ranger at Arches in Utah before it was made a national park. He has much to say about preserving natural beauty and wilderness. I liked the book though found myself not liking him as a person much.)
*Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (This was my selection for book club. I liked it but I don't think most other people did. It is a fictional account of Mamah Borthwick Cheney who has an affair in the early 1900s with Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned architect. Both were married with children at the time and the relationship ruined her reputation, but did not have the same effect on his. Interesting from a historical, architectural and also feminist perspectives.)
Falling Boy by Alison McGhee (Not the strongest novel from this author. I would suggest Rainlight or Shadowbaby instead.)
*An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (We read this one before the killing of George Floyd. I would be interested to read it again, particularly after some of the other race related books I read later in 2020 to get some different perspective. At the time, I did not care for any of the characters really, but think I could get more ouf of the story now.)
At Knit's End: Meditations for Women who Knit Too Much by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
*The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken (Re-read of an early book club choice that I had remembered loving. It was ok on re-read.)
*The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton (I liked this one - good writing, interesting story that I did not see where it was going.)
*Vacationland by Sarah Stonich (See 9/27/20 post)
The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class by David S. Kidder (This is the 2nd one we have read in the series. We learned about religions of the world, philosophy (though those often made my brain hurt), history, music, and science. Nice "bite-sized" readings on 7 main subjects and I now feel so much smarter.)
*I Thought it Was Just Me (But It Isn't): Making the Journey from "What will people think?" to "I am enough" by Brene Brown (I think her other books are more approachable, though I appreciated the ideas in this one. Also, her podcast is supposed to be good. The only one I have listened to, though, was a conversation with Ibram X. Kendi on race and his How to Be an Antiracist.)
Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris (a thirller in the vein of Gone Girl, this book freaked me the heck out. My review on Goodreads was "I don't even know what to say. Gripping and highly disturbing both at once. This one will stick with me." And it did.)
*Why Religion?: A Personal Story by Elaine Pagels
*Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Quirky and likeable, though even the reader could tell Eleanor was not completely fine.)
Laurentian Divide by Sarah Stonich (see 9/27/20 post)
Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs by Michael T. Osterholm (Only I would choose to read about deadly germs in the middle of a pandemic. I have had this book for 3 years and put it on my list to read in January 2020. I struggled with this one but it was very good. Very approachable (not too sciency) writing from Osterholm who was once our state epidemiologist and very recently helped advise President Biden on COVID-19 response. The "worst case scenario" he outlined in the book, and has presented to previous administrations was eerily how this pandemic has played out so far.)
I'll tell you about the rest next time.
Fifty for 50 Tally
Books completed – 4 (4 more in progress)
Recipes tried – 4
Blog posts published– 5
Miles walked in January –43.77
Miles walked year-to-date –43.77
Scrap book pages completed –6
Hats donated – 6
Hours volunteered – 0
Until we read and eat again,
Hallie
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