What I’m Reading: I have at least a half dozen books right now. I just started the novel A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It is a rich reflection on what it means to be human in an era of short attention spans, the dearth of meaning, and imminent environmental threat.
The time being: the present moment is what we’re stuck with now and must embrace. The time being: in the Buddhist viewpoint, each human is entrapped by time, which means that we are all in this together; this is a tale of everyone.
On present-day Vancouver Island, “Ruth,” a Japanese-American novelist who is attempting to write a memoir of her mother’s slow demise from Alzheimer’s but has a bad case of writer’s block, stumbles across a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the beach. Inside she finds a cache of old letters and a teenage girl’s diary, disguised as a copy of Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu.
The diary belonged to sixteen-year-old Nao ) Yasutani, who cheerfully and informally confides in her imagined reader about her life. The past few years in Tokyo have not been easy for her – she’s been the victim of extreme bullying at the hands of her classmates, and suicide seems to run in the family – but she has a guardian angel in the form of her great-grandmother, Buddhist nun Jiko, who is approaching death at age 104 but still represents the voice of wisdom and a timeless perspective.
What I’m Watching: I’m a bit late to the game, but I just binge-watched Grantchester this weekend.
While pasty blond blue eyed guys aren’t my thing, James Norton is a fantastic actor. He plays an excellent bad guy in Happy Valley (also a wonderful show) so I wasn’t sure how he’d be as a Vicar in the 1950s. Norton pulls it off with aplomb. I’m happy that season 2 just started on PBS here in the U.S.
What I’m Listening To: My son got me into Audible. I’m currently listening to The Great Courses Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed. I’m a history buff, but I’m learning a lot. I try to listen at work, but I’m constantly interrupted. One of my co-workers asked if I was listening to it for a class. She couldn’t believe I wanted to learn about it just because I find it interesting. Yeah, I’m a nerd. 🙂
What I’m Wearing: I thought it was supposed to be spring? Ha! I’m freezing today. Dark jeans, warm socks, a black tee, and a thick gray sweater. I’m going for warmth, not cute.
What I’m Eating: I just roasted a chicken and I polished off about half of it. What can I say, lifting makes me hungry!
What I’m Enjoying: The warm, fuzzy blanket I just pulled over me and the beautiful blooming orchid on the table next to me.
What I’m Sniffing: I’m making a big pot of chicken stock from the carcass of aforementioned chicken. Later this week I’ll make soup.
April 5, 2016
I needed a good book recommendation! I’ve gone through a few of my recent purchases and searching for something to grab myour attention. Also, will check out Grantchester because I’ve also just finished several of my fave series. Good What’s What list! Oh, and after an 80 degree Friday, it is cold again here today….