Monday Night Musings

Monday!

And this has been a pretty decent Monday.

And I remember waking up this morning eager to get to work because I had some data to pull. I pulled it, but I need to re-crunch it tomorrow. And that is okay. I just like being busy and gainfully employed.

My weekend was slow enough. I bought a piece of lawn equipment that I have been meaning to buy. A nice home depot employee saw me staring at the equipment (as I have in the past), and he helped me pick out what I needed. I need to get out and try and cut my grass because I haven't seen my usually punctual lawn man. He is probably on vacation (which means he is locked up right now. Sigh).

I even bought gas for the lawnmower. My lawn man uses my lawn mower sometimes to cut my grass. He has to to "find" the gas, as I ain't supplying it! 

I will take a picture of it when I use this special piece of equipment. Cowgirl Cre and I have talked about it, and my reservations concerning it, but she hyped me up! (As only a hypeman can properly do! LOL)

Now if it would just stop raining on a haphazard basis. LAWD. 

Book of the Week.  Anyway, the highlight of my past week and a half has been listening to my first audiobook. I have never really seen a reason for audiobooks, especially for myself, but I love streaming stuff, so I decided to give it a try. So I'd been dabbling around with wanting to order Hunger by Roxane Gay.

I had a sample of it in my kindle and I remember thinking after reading that sample, "Wow, this is powerful." And my twitter sister Jixxa was all flustered because she wanted to go see Roxane Gay speak but she'd purchased the book already after listening to a podcast. She gave me the name of the podcast ("Tell Me I'm Fat", episode 589, on This American Life Podcast), and after listening to it, I ordered  the book on audible. I am so glad I did. The audio is about 8 hours long when read aloud, so I'd taken to listening to it when I was settling down for bed. And this weekend I had lots of chores to do around the house, and I finished it....

And I went back and listened to parts that made me all weepy.

It was such a powerful story. I think it meant so much to me because I am a big girl and it helped me understand my feelings toward my own body, much as she expressed there. She is such a powerful storyteller, and she tells her own story so well. So that was a powerful listen, very vunerable, and I could go back and listen to chapters over again if I wanted to. And I understand myself so much better, just from listening to her story.

I bought her short story collection. I love short stories. (Shameless plug: order Atlanta Noir for my first EVER published story.  Yes, this is a shameless plug).

Ya'll better get out and get THAT!! Good stuff.  There are some great authors in there, 3 of which are my all time favorites, and then there's ME!! You better do that!

It's been so much fun getting feedback and signing my story in the book. I will ALWAYS remember this. Always!!!

This feels better than getting my PhD in Chemistry. Or maybe since that happened 19 years ago, this feels much fresher. It is a life milestone, I tell you THAT much.

But I digress. 

Alright, back to our regularly scheduled program.


Go Roxane! I will be reading (or listening to) all of your work for now on!

Glory!!!

Song of the Weekend.  I heard "Whatever it Takes" by Anita Baker  this weekend.



How awesome is that song??  That is such a GREAT song. Why don't we have more great songs like that? Such despair and love and a hint of desperation. (Every woman has been desperate, whether outright or quietly, in her life over some guy at one time or another, even though we don't care to admit it)..

Even the instrumental is nice. That song is over 20 years old. And it is timeless.

And aren't you glad  I don't have a completely RATCHET song of the week!?

Of course you are!

LOL!!

This week will be plagued with making work travel plans. I don't really want to go anywhere, but I need it to boost my work review (I never have had to worry about this, and I get great reviews  and bonuses, but some extra padding does not hurt, man. Never.). And plus it is a chance to get away from the workplace.  I don't particularly like the scientists of this conference as it is incredibly cliquish, which means I will be wandering off somewhere by myself. And I can't really blend in, as you can count the scientists of color on one hand (and have fingers left over). To sneak off and explore the city would be great, but there is a possible snitch going, and I would hate to have to pull out my book of Cuss on a coworker for snitching. Humph.

But the scientific talks are phenomenal. Plenty to be learned.

And that's a GOOD thing.

My goal is to find and love the "good" of an experience. It is always there, and it must be given the strength and attention it deserves.

(Was that a bootleg Food-for-Thought of the week? Did I just do that?)

Have a great week!

On purpose!!