The Friday Five: Things on My Mind

February 18, 2022 | Leave a Reply

Here is what I have been reading, watching, and thinking about recently.

I read this article, and I laughed out loud.
We watched Belfast while we were in Ireland, and we loved it.
I listened to and watched this video and smiled.
I watched Inventing Anna over the course of a week or so. I liked it. I remember when the story of this fake con-artist socialite originally made the news. As far as acting goes, Julia Garner (as Anna Delvey) and Anna Chlumsky (as Vivienne Kent) were great.
I’ve also watched Pam & Tommy. Oh dear.
I watched half of the Super Bowl, including the half-time show. Like many others, I enjoyed the show. Dr. Dre was my favourite. I polled my students about who their favourite performers were, and most of them liked Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar. I knew very little about Kendrick Lamar, but my students have taught me quite a bit about him this week, which made me do additional research. Did you know Lamar won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album DAMN.? I didn’t. I have since watched many videos and read many of his lyrics. As I was brainstorming ideas about how to incorporate his writing into my course, I learned that Drs. Christopher Driscoll, Anthony Pinn, and Monica Miller edited the first academic book about him and even developed a course focused on his work at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. I’ve just accessed the book from the university library, and I’m interested in seeing what it covers. Going down the Kendrick Lamar rabbit hole of research wasn’t what I was expecting to do after watching the Super Bowl!
I bought and read Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly after spotting it on Cup of Jo. I laughed out loud reading these very short stories.
This evening clutch made me smile.

The Friday Five: Things on My Mind

December 10, 2021 | Leave a Reply

Recently watched: Look at the interesting discovery in this same sky postcards video. Watching cheesy holiday movies has begun in my house with Father Christmas is Back, Love Hard, A California Christmas, and The Holiday. All the cheesy holiday movies are made even better with a “Hallmark holiday movie watching box” that my beau gave me, which included a mug, candle, and Bingo cards so we can all have fun while we watch! So cheesy and great! We went to see House of Gucci last weekend (I didn’t love it as much as everyone else did).
Recently read: I’m still making my way through the stack of books from last month. I have been reading a lot about our home’s history via the Waterloo Public Library’s digital archives (amazing records!).
Recently listened to: Jack Johnson’s Greatest Hits (on repeat) and all the Christmas carols (on repeat)
Recently visited: Langdon Hall in Cambridge (for a special overnight celebration) and Benjamin Tree Farm in St. Jacobs to buy our Christmas tree
Recently baked: classic sugar cookies (ready to be decorated this weekend)

Personal: 6 Things on Mind

December 6, 2018 | 2 Commentaries

1. Books. I finished another Haruki Murakami novel a couple of weeks ago. It was called Dance Dance Dance, and it was great. I also finished The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham. I’m now onto another Somerset Maugham – Of Human Bondage – and I think it’s going to take me a while to get through as it’s quite long. I’m just about to start Nudge by Richard Thaler to break up the line-up of British and Japanese literature.

2. Christmas Market. It’s Christkindle Market in Kitchener this weekend. It’s a great time to be outdoors, take in the Christmas crafts, and munch on traditional German food (and mulled wine, too)!

3. Holiday dresses. I love that so many bloggers are sharing round-ups of lovely holiday dresses. But why oh why are so many of them $1000+? I’m on the look out for more affordable options. Are you interested in a posts of (affordable) holiday outfits?

4. T&T Supermarket. Oh my goodness. The T&T supermarket (focused on Asian foods and products) opened up in Waterloo yesterday. A friend and I went after work, and we couldn’t believe the chaos. The parking situation was a mess. And there was a massive line up to get in. We were surprised. Needless to say, we had no desire to wait in line for groceries, so we left. I’ll check it out in a few weeks. Has anyone been? Do you have a T&T in your city? Do you like it?

5. End of term. The term is over. My class is done. I have final papers to mark this weekend. My students worked hard, and I look forward to seeing how they translated their ideas into their final writing task.

6. Music. I recently heard Lisa LeBlanc on the radio, and I’m hooked. Lisa is a 27 year old singer songwriter from Montreal. I’ve had her new bilingual album – Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen – on repeat for weeks.