Blurt!Sben

Walked up the Interurban to Hall Lake, then over to Mountlake Terrace and down Lyon Creek: about eight miles.

Nov. 26, 2021, 5:19pm

Thanksgiving dinner with Mom yesterday at Greg and Jocelyn’s, also with Marco and Ches.

Nov. 26, 2021, 5:17pm

Finished reading The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker, the sequel to The Golem and the Jinni. I wasn’t sure it actually needed a sequel, and on the one hand, sure, it stood perfectly on its own, but on the other, it was great to spend a little more time with these characters, even if they made some bad choices. I think the rough edges of the first story were filed off, and the stakes were even more personal this time.

Nov. 24, 2021, 7:12am

Current earworm: “Feels So Good” by Chuck Mangione.

Nov. 22, 2021, 9:58am

Went to Tom’s memorial service.

Nov. 21, 2021, 3:50pm

We all went to Nathan and Miller’s new place for dinner last night, and had a wonderful time.

Nov. 20, 2021, 10:56am

Finished reading Perhaps the Stars by Ada Palmer, the fourth and final book in the series.

A fitting end, perhaps a little more neatly tied off than I’d like, but perhaps that’s appropriate for a story of this length and intensity. I do sincerely appreciate that it barely hints at an answer to one of my big questions I’ve had since the first book — I don’t think an answer would have improved the books one bit.

The series is a little too weird for me to recommend whole-heartedly to just anybody, but I loved it, and will probably reread it one of these days.

Nov. 18, 2021, 11:05pm

Mom got her booster shot today.

Nov. 16, 2021, 7:41pm (edited)

Tonight’s kitchen victory: ersatz Double-Doubles (animal style).

Nov. 12, 2021, 6:59pm

Finished reading Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don’t Rhyme by Arika Okrent. Full of charming, bite-sized little pieces about why English is the way it is. I already knew much of it, but there was plenty I didn’t know, and a couple times it ventured deeper into linguistics than my dilettante self could quite follow. You know whether or not you would enjoy the book from the title.

Nov. 11, 2021, 9:26pm

Meghan and the bambina made onigiri today. The bambina has been loving Japanese class so far.

Nov. 6, 2021, 5:55pm

Finished reading Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, a delightful story (or, really, three stories) of crime and family, set in late ’50s and early ’60s Harlem. Highly recommended.

Nov. 4, 2021, 9:16pm

Meghan’s brother died of cancer on Tuesday night. It was expected, but that doesn’t make it easier.

Nov. 4, 2021, 6:38am

Finished reading My Real Children by Jo Walton. The book started very bluntly, but became much more nuanced well before the halfway point, and was heartbreaking at the end. Not a perfect book, but I very much enjoyed it.

Oct. 28, 2021, 11:24pm

Lots of debris in the neighborhood from yesterday’s moderate windstorm.

Oct. 25, 2021, 1:25pm