Weeknote 11

by Sunita

I’m off on vacation this week and won’t have much internet access, so posting will be light unless it’s photos and such.

Work

I mostly did stuff in anticipation of being gone. Prep for a virtual committee meeting and then the meeting itself, emails to all the people I owed them to, and the last of some student and class admin for a while.

Reading/Watching/Listening

I finished my first 20 Books of Summer read, which was A Month in the Country. This is J.L. Carr’s highly praised Booker winner and one that both Barb and Liz loved. I went in expecting to be blown away, and in the first 40 pages I wasn’t. It’s very atmospheric and steeped in village England, which is usually a favorite of mine, but I resisted. I’m not sure why, but I couldn’t fall into it. But then it slowly grew on me and I came to appreciate the craft and the level of skill. Also, there is so much packed into 135 pages. By the end I was fully on board, and I’ve like it even more in retrospect.

I realized that I needed to think about my TBR Challenge book for June, in the historical category. I’m reading an old Nicola Cornick Regency trad and so far so good.

More hockey and basketball. More footie (Women’s World Cup!) and Brexit (Tory leadership race, ugh).

No TV or movies to speak of. We had guests and lots of socializing and dinners.

Productivity

If ordering major appliances, flooring, and window shades counts, I was very productive. 😁 The lists continue, including the most detailed set of packing lists I’ve made in years. It was handy, though, when it came to the actual packing. We are one-bagging it on our trip so we each have a carry-on approved backpack. Very liberating, and it’s like being in my 20s again (my back disagrees but my knees were crap even then).

This Week

Vacation!

I leave you with an amazing blooming agave plant my neighbor has nurtured to fruition.

Blooming agave with tall asparagus spear

If you haven’t seen one of these before, they’re amazing. We have a few around, probably because the wet winter and spring made plants flower like they haven’t done in years.