About the last couple of weeks...
2023.09.25
Song of the day:
About the last couple of weeks…
It’s been an incredibly busy few weeks, really a busy month with more to come this weekend. So, sorry I haven’t posted for a bit. I’ve been trying to catch up with myself. I’m not sure I’v accomplished that yet, but I had a few minutes so I thought I’d get something out to you.
First of all, how good is that John Mayer/Ed Sheeran collaboration above? I mean come on. Two of the most talented humans on the planet singing the song of another one who we lost way too soon. Speaking of Ed Sheeran…
Last Saturday night (a week ago Saturday) I got to see Ed live for the first time since 2017. And it was a great show - not my favorite Ed show, but still a great evening for the most part. Dealing with the crowd leaving Levis Stadium was less than interesting, but that aside, it was a fun night. I loved the stage set and it was so cool that he did the show in the round so everyone had a good view. And by everyone I mean approximately 77,000 people. Yeah. It was a LOT. He sounded amazing and had tons of energy. He played most of his big hits, including a couple from the new album, as well as a few covers of songs he’s written for other artists. Ed never disappoints, but I do prefer to see him in a smaller venue. Maybe next time…
Earlier last Saturday, I attended the Celebration of Life for a friend’s dad who passed in August. It was nice to reconnect with my friend and her family, despite the circumstances.
The night before, I attended an incredible event in San Francisco - a talk from Jane Goodall. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience, and I’m so glad I was able to go. She is amazing and funny and a little sassy. She told a lot of stories about how she got into her work, various things she’s done, and what she still wants to do. It was seriously cool.
This past weekend I volunteered for a NOH8 photo shoot, which was a good time. I enjoy being able to help such a great organization. I always look forward to the new photo I get each time so I’ll share that when it arrives in a few weeks. I usually take a selfie or two when I volunteer, but for whatever reason I didn’t do it on Friday night. But here’s one from a few years ago with Adam and Jeff, the creators of the NOH8 campaign. Adam’s the photographer (on the right), Jeff does all the other things.
Saturday I drove to Lathrop, CA, where a friend moved earlier this year. I had never been there and wanted to see her new place. So we had a good time catching up, eating lunch, and touring around her new neighborhood. It’s always nice to catch up with friends - and their cute dogs.
To round out the weekend I went to see Barbie in IMAX because why not? They had some outtakes after the credits, which were pretty funny. I truly adore this movie, in case that wasn’t obvious. And yeah, I went all out with the pink.
Later this week I’m flying to LA and joining my friend Amy for the Coldplay concert at the Rose Bowl. I’ve seen them many times, but this will be her first experience, so I’m excited to see her reactions. The day after, my mom is flying in, and we’re going to play at Disneyland for a couple of days. I’m looking forward to the mini vacation and the short work week that awaits when I return.
After that, it all turns to hockey, as the Sharks will start their season on October 12. Pre-season started this week, but I donated the tickets to those games. I’d rather watch it when it matters. I’m weirdly excited about this season for some reason, even though I know we’re not going to be good. I think it will be fun to see some of the young players and am hopeful the team will look better than last year.
I think that’s about it…what have you been up to?
What I’ve been reading…
Peril at the Exposition by Nev March - Not as good as the first in this series, but still enjoyable.
A Fire Story by Brian Fies - This is the first graphic novel I’ve ever read, and it was exceptional. It’s the true store of the author’s experience with one of the huge wildfires in Northern California a few years ago. I highly recommend it. This book was for my book club, and hearing the author talk about it as well as his whole process was fascinating. I definitely need to read more graphic novels!
The Three Mrs. Wrights by Linda Keir - This was also for my book club, and it was a wild story. I liked it, and it was well written, but I didn’t love it. Hearing the authors - yes, the author is actually two people - talk about their process was again, very interesting. I definitely want to read more of their work.
Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira - This book was just okay for me. I enjoyed it for the most part, but felt like the Quinceañera was just a small part of the book. I also felt like there was a lot of elements that didn’t really move the story forward, making the book a little too long.
Reign (American Royals 4) by Katherine McGee - LOVED this book! I’ve enjoyed the whole series, and the author wrapped up the storylines nicely, although I could definitely use at least one more book and will keep my fingers crossed that she’s not really done with these characters. I highly recommend this whole series.
See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon - This book started a little slow but got going pretty quickly, and I loved it. You’ve got college freshman, teen angst, high school drama and oh yeah, time travel and time loops. It was a great premise, and well-written. Highly recommend.
I started a new book yesterday, another one for my book club - The Quiet Part Out Loud by Deborah Crossland. I’m only about 30 pages in so don’t have much to say so far. More to come…
What are you reading?
Video of the day:
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So good to hear from you again. Peace and joy on ya.
Busy but good week it looks like