Week-in-Review: Van Gogh Art Experience, Snow, DH Birthday, and Happy Saint Patrick's Day...

Well, I'm pleasantly surprised at how busy we've been this month. A couple of weeks ago we visited the Van Gogh Art Experience at our local museum and it was amazing! I could sit through multiple experiences of various artists. It really transforms their art and their lives into something beautiful. I had no idea the different types of art Van Gogh produced. And having them tell us about where he was living and what life was like for him through his letters and then showing his art was, yes, definitely an experience. I highly recommend these art experiences. I think more are being produced so I'm excited to come back for other artists.

DH had his 49th birthday last weekend! Whew. Next year is the big 5-0. We kept it pretty simple. We ate out as a family and he wanted Coldstone ice cream cake. This weekend we're keeping the celebration going with friends.

We even made it up into the mountains for a quick overnighter for another friends birthday. Lots of snow up there as well.

A happy post Saint Patrick's Day. We don't do much but I do like to make bangers and mash and soda bread and to wash it all down with some stout! 

This last weekend was a goodbye to our neighbors and good friends who are moving on to Florida. I am so, oh so sad but very excited for their new adventure.

We also enjoyed a nice outing with some good friends to a new wine bar. We took the train up and enjoyed a nice relaxing evening trying new wines and enjoying gelato before heading back to our kids. These friends will also be moving in a few months out-of-state 😭

We are looking forward to Spring break in two weeks. It’ll be a stay-cation but looking forward to a few hikes and seeing some local things that we haven’t done because of the pandemic.

G helped make family-style crème brulee

And happy Spring 🌷🌺 Our crocuses and tulips are sprouting!

Currently Reading 

Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker

Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media by Jacob Mchangama

Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive by Philipp Dettmer

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sean Kean

Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse #6) by James S.A. Corey

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

Read

Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth by Rochelle Strauss / 2004 / 40 Pages / Paperback / Science

My Thoughts: This is a lovely nonfiction book for kids. Great illustrations and easy-to-understand definitions and descriptions and ways to help the earth locally.

Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith / 2020/ 60 Pages / Paperback / History

My Thoughts:

Three stories in a graphic novel format about black historical figures in Old West. Great stories and lots of extra information to put the stories into context. 

Drive (The Expanse #2.6) by James S.A. Corey / 2012/ 30 Pages / Kindle / Sci-fi

My Thoughts:

Great short story that talks about the origins of the Epstein drive and the man who invented it in The Expanse universe.

Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America by John McWhorter / 2021 /  224 Pages / Hardcover / Nonfiction

My Thoughts:

Interesting thoughts from John McWhorter. I've always enjoyed his books on language as a fellow language nerd. Not his best but still worth the read.

Nemesis Games (The Expanse #5) by James S.A. Corey / 2015 / 536 Pages / Paperback / Sci-fi

My Thoughts:

Another great book in the Expanse series. Really enjoyed diving into the Roci's crew this time around instead of adding new characters and perspectives.

Serafina and the Seven Stars by Robert Beatty / 2019 / 352 Pages / Paperback / Library / Fantasy

My Thoughts:

This is book four of the Serafina series. I read them all with G. Don't know if there will be another in the series. This one did not disappoint.

Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman / 1986 / 159 Pages / Paperback / Graphic Novel / History

My Thoughts:

I've been meaning to read this one for years. So glad I finally got to it. It's a devastating story but also brilliantly told about his father's experience of World War II and surviving the Holocaust. He also draws and writes about grief and trauma and how it continues to influence generations after. Just absolutely brilliant. Please read!

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff / 2011 / 320 Pages / Paperback / Psychology / Self-Help

My Thoughts:

This one took me about 2 1/2 months to read because of how much learning and exercises there are to do! It's a powerful book and one I'll be referencing often. Highly recommended!

Movies Watched:

Witness the bloody origin

The King's Man (2021) (HBO Max and Hulu) Directed and written by Matthew Vaughn. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Djimon Hounsou, and Gemma Arterton.

My Thoughts:

I really liked the first one except for the ending...the second was still interesting...this one was even less so. Meh.

Fresh (2022) (Hulu) Directed by Mimi Cave. Written by Lauryn Kahn. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan.

My Thoughts:

This one premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and I can see why. It's a horrific story which I thought was going to be a bit more comical than horrific. But I still really really enjoyed it even though I doubt I'll ever watch that again. Watch if you are into Indie Horror!

Growing up is a beast

Turning Red (2022) (Disney+) Directed by Domee Shi. Written by Domee Shi, Julia Cho, and Sarah Streicher. Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh

My Thoughts:

We watched this as a family! It was wonderful. We all really enjoyed it. Funny and heartfelt. This one digs into puberty and all the changes that come with it, including what that means for parental relationships and even friendships. Brilliant as always.

TV Watched:

I finished off Star Trek: Discovery. Still catching up on The Expanse. But mainly I've been watching basketball, both NCAA and NBA.

I hope to get a better handle on my updates come April!

Joining up with Deb from Readerbuzz and her Sunday Salon.