Yum & Yuk

Hi friends! So, yeah, obviously there have been some changes, and I haven't been blogging. I think the change that has made the most difference in my blogging is that I'm no longer in front of a computer or in an office all day, every day. I left my job as an attorney a few months ago, and have been teaching 2 days a week and working in a cafe 5-6 days a week. A scary but wonderful change. One of the best things about the cafe job has been that it is physically demanding, keeps me constantly on my feet, and means I go for 6-7 hours without checking my phone or internet - a huge change from my previous lifestyle and, I think, really good for me. Anyways, if you want more updates on what I'm reading, let's be friends on Goodreads. If you want more random links, follow me on Twitter. Maybe I'll be back here eventually, maybe I won't - its a time of change. xo

Movies I've seen and loved: Amy and "Grey Gardens" (finally). I also saw "Tig" on Netflix, which I think is worth watching if you're a Tig fan, but didnt blow me away. TV shows I've been enjoying: "Hannibal" and "Mr. Robot."

Wonderful poems I've read: Wislawa Szymborska "Possibilities," David Whyte "Sweet Darkness," "The Waking" by Theodore Roethke.

A beautiful place I got to spend a weekend: Shelburne Falls

Image: source.

Recently read and loved: "The Argonauts," "The Empathy Exams," and "Annihilation." All highly recommended. Recently read and liked but didn't love: "Ready Player One" and "After Birth."

Link: how poetry can remind us to ask for everything

“It’s not impermanence per se, or even knowing we’re going to die, that is the cause of our suffering, the Buddha taught. Rather, it’s our resistance to the fundamental uncertainty of our situation. Our discomfort arises from all of our efforts to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream of constant okayness. When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment, or awakening to our true nature, to our fundamental goodness. Another word for that is freedom — freedom from struggling against the fundamental ambiguity of being human." - Pema Chödron

"Your weakness, your need, your clumsiness, your disappointment, your anger: These things also make you beautiful. And your courage — you know how courageous you are. You know how lonely you've been, how fucking let down and sad you've been, all these years. But you keep throwing yourself out there, sticking your neck out, offering up whatever you happen to have at the moment, mixing up cocktails, turning up the volume, dancing like a lunatic, throwing your fucking head back to laugh that wicked laugh of yours. You want to see YOU be brave? Look in the mirror. You are already brave. You need to see yourself clearly, so the world can see you clearly, too. Recognize how beautiful you are, and the world will recognize it, too. The spirits of the dead are feeling you, they are feeling you and cheering you on. "Damn girl," they're saying, "DAMN, you are good." They feel you. Now tell the living to wake the fuck up and feel you, too." Ask Polly: Do I Have to Lose Weight to Find Love?