Top 5 (sets of three edition).

1. Three excellent breakfasts in a row. One: Wednesday oatmeal, which I have perfected according to my own tastes (one half cup oatmeal, 1 1/4 c. water, golden raisins galore cooked in the microwave for five minutes while I (a) make tea, and (b) chop ten almonds, then serve with milk. And possibly a little raw sugar.) Two: Thursday breakfast with my daughter, her three children, and her niece at Little America coffee shop. Eggs & bacon & rye toast! (c) Friday buckwheat pancakes made at home. Breakfast is super satisfying.

2. 'Live it up' as my new motto. Or summertime motto, anyway. I have been testing it out: when we went to Arizona, I said to the historian that we should live it up, and we did. It was great. This morning before I got out of bed, I texted my oldest darling friend, whom I am visiting next weekend:

And last night, I floated the idea to the historian that living it up, together, should be our big plan. I say 'live it up,' as a motto, has legs, and thus I am sticking to it.

3. One two three poem days in a row. I am doing an online writing community group accountability thingie (sounds so sexy does it not?) this month, in which I have committed to write a poem every day, and send it to my little group. Sort of like Poem a Day/National Poetry Month, but with higher expectations, i.e., small fear of shaming, fear of letting down the team, fear of being an embarrassment to the entire endeavor. Basically fear-based poetry writing, in other words. The great news is that I am doing it, and have written three poems in a row. I texted my poet friend, who was the one who invited me to do this:



Good advice! I am working on that 'don't think about it' thing, even though it is not my strong suit NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT.

4. One two three two-a-days in a row. I was chatting with my daughter today about her beautiful philosophy ('fake it till you make it'). Conversation turned to my long-time beautiful philosophy:

Sometimes the thing I have to talk myself into is getting up to work out. Summertime, most days, allows me the beautiful reward of having a leisurely period when I am still in bed, for purposes of the self-talking-to, and possibly other self-improving thoughts. But this week, after we lived it up in Arizona, I got myself out of bed, whenever that may have 'occurred,' and worked out ('Trust and Believe!'), and then at the end of the day, I got myself to the gym and worked out a second time.

As ever, working out like a fiend makes me feel like I am living my life instead of the reverse (i.e., my life is living me). It's weird how summer brings out the structural recalcitrant who lives inside my head and perhaps my soul. But for the past three days, me and my inner grouch worked out, and we feel much the better for it.

5. Sing Street for the third time. First time: with the historian. Blissful. Second time: with my friends, also blissful. Third time: with my son and his wife, in Arizona. Also blissful! The conclusion, America, is that Sing Street is basically and entirely blissful, and you should see it--if not three times, then at least once.

BONUS ITEM: I have listened to this at least three times (well, realistically, many more than three):


 

Top 5.

1. My washing machine now requires no intervention on my part to finish a cycle. For approximately years, my washing machine has decided to take a little sabbatical in the middle of each and every load, so that when I would lift the lid to move the wet clothes to the dryer, there they would be, still sitting in soapy water.

Of course I figured out various workarounds, including (a) a heavy weight on top of the lid, (b) a weight on top of the weight, and (c) hovering around the machine at the midpoint of every wash cycle so I could goose it along. As I say, approximately years of this. But on Tuesday I said ENOUGH and called a repairman.

As I led him back to the laundry room, explaining my problem, I concluded by saying, 'But you probably know what's wrong,' and he said, like a genius and a wizard, 'I do, just from your explanation.' Which: obviously I'm a champion explainer, but geez, I should have had this fixed approximately YEARS AGO.

2. Finally watched this and wow. (Also, to quote a friend on FB, I have been doing little but reading feminist critiques of Lemonade, then critiques of the critiques.) Also: finally got to talk to Scotland daughter about it, a reward in and of itself.

3. Suave open-faced sandwiches for lunch, at Finn's with Ann. Seated outside where the sun was bright and balmy. Topics of conversation: the situation in the Environmental Humanities program up at the U (verdict: those administrators sure could have handled a complicated situation better); The Good Wife finale (verdict: TERRIBLE).

4. The library's robot has informed me that the Hank Williams biography I requested is IN.

5. I found a perfect pair of shoes today that I did not buy (bad call!), but which I am going back to buy tomorrow. I plan to be there the minute the store opens. Lesson learned.