Song of the day:
I realize today’s song is a bit cheesy, but it’s the only eclipse-related song I know. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual eclipse.
There seems to be a lot of hoopla surrounding the eclipse this time around, more so than usual. Is that just me? Maybe it’s due to social media or the fact that I’m really not that into it - I’ll be working and don’t plan to stop what I’m doing to pay attention. It’s only going to be about a 35% eclipse here, so I’m not sure there’s much to get excited about. But for those of you where it’s going to be much bigger, I hope you enjoy it. Just don’t look at it without the right kind of glasses. Anyone planning on watching it? If you’re not sure when it will be happening in your area, or how much will be eclipsed, check out this USA Today page.
Now that I’ve spent the weekend resting and relaxing after being gone last week, I wanted to share a few things I’ve been watching and reading…
Books
Take Two, Birdie Maxwell by Allison Winn Scotch - I enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t my favorite of Scotch’s books. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, which is always difficult in a book. I also found the story to be a bit frantic at times, which is never my favorite feeling when I’m reading. Still, I did enjoy it overall, and recommend it for those who enjoy rom-coms.
Promchanted by Morgan Matson - I adored this book and highly recommend it for fans of young adult rom-coms/fantasies. It’s primarily set at Disneyland and in the story of Sleeping Beauty. I found the characters fun and easy to cheer for. And I enjoyed revisiting the Sleeping Beauty fairytale. It’s a quick read, but a fun one.
The Palace at Dusk by Angela Terry - This one wasn’t my favorite. The storyline was frustrating, and one I couldn’t connect with at all. It’s well-written, but didn’t ever grab me. I found that I didn’t truly care about any of the characters. I wanted to love this, but it just wasn’t for me. To be fair, the story is about a woman who has a years-long affair with a married man, and that’s definitely not something I can relate to.
Blank by Zibby Owens - I enjoyed this more than I expected to. It took some unexpected twists and turns and moved along quickly. There were characters I cheered for and others I wanted to slap. I couldn’t figure out how the pieces were going to come together until the end, and it wrapped itself up nicely. I highly recommend this one.
The Letters We Keep by Nisha Sharma - I just started this one over the weekend, so I’m only about 40 pages in, but so far it’s enjoyable. More to come…
TV
Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Apple TV+) - This was fantastic! If you’re even a casual fan of Steve Martin, you will enjoy this. Each piece is about an hour and a half, so plan accordingly. I watched it over two nights, and throughly enjoyed it. I learned a lot I didn’t know, and enjoyed revisiting his movies and comedy bits.
Palm Royale (Apple TV+) - This show is ridiculous and wickedly funny. The cast is incredible - Kristin Wiig, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, and oh yeah, Carol Burnett! - and the overall look and feel of each episode is amazing. The short premise is: “An ambitious woman schemes to secure her seat at America's most exclusive table: Palm Beach high society circa 1969.” (IMDB) It’s every bit as kitschy and cheesy as you think, and it all works. I can’t wait for the next episode!
Loot (Apple TV+) - The second season of this fun show started, and I watched the first couple of episodes yesterday. It’s so, so funny, and again, the cast is fantastic. In case you missed the first season, here’s a quick summary of the show: “After divorcing her husband of 20 years, Molly Novak must figure out what to do with her $87 billion settlement. She decides to reengage with her charitable foundation and reconnect with the real world--and finds herself along the way.” (IMDB) This is a fun one.
Movies
I haven’t been to the theatre much recently, but my mom and I saw the movie One Life while I was in Colorado, and it was wonderful. It tells the story of Sir Nicholas 'Nicky' Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued over 600 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. You have likely seen the viral video of the real-life Winton when he was in the audience with many of the children he saved years after the fact. It’s incredibly moving, and I enjoyed learning more about his life and how he and his friends rescued so many during the war. Highly recommend.
What have you been watching and reading lately?
Now that my mom and I have found a place to live, I have to start focusing on purging and packing to get ready to move this summer. It’s a daunting task to be sure, as I’ve lived in my current place for almost 16 years now. I know that once I start I will get into a rhythm, but it’s the starting that’s hard. I hope to dig into the purging next weekend. Wish me luck!
In addition to that, there are a lot of things to wrap up and transition before I retire and move, so I’ll be spending time working on all of that as well - setting up movers, making DMV appointments, etc. There are so many little things, but I did complete one of the big pieces last week - I filed my official retirement application with the State of California. So yeah, it’s very real now. I have a feeling the next few months are going to move quickly.
Anyway, that’s about all from this part of the world for now. Enjoy the day, and have a great week, too!
Video of the day:
A little more info on today’s eclipse…