Week-in-Review: Happy March

Where did February go? It's almost a whole week into March already. I'm not going to lie...it's been a tough month. I've been fighting a terrible sinus infection for three weeks and am only starting to feel human again. My writing has been very sporadic. I haven't done much to get out of the house. 

But the weather! It was freezing cold and snowy and icy just last week and now it's 65 and all my windows are open. G and I even got outside for some Frisbee during his lunch break. We're going to get the bikes out soon and pumped up.

We've also had lots of car stuff. Someone rear-ended us in the parking lot...one more thing. But it could've been worse. So grateful we have two working cars now.

Pictures have also been in short supply...

G had to do a clay model of the planets! I thought he did a pretty good job.

Here's a sweet Shadow photo. Basking in the sun.

That's all I got this week.

Things I'm Grateful For:

1. Warmer weather. It's too warm but I'm going to take it this week. I'll be able to get my flower beds pruned and weeded this week.

2. Having a grocery store within walking distance. I ran out of sugar while baking yesterday and I just quickly walked on over and picked it up.

3. Really glad my friend's husband is doing well despite testing positive for Covid. He lost his sense of taste and smell but other than that he's doing well.

Reading:

Books finished:

• The Sacrifice of Darkness by Roxane Gay
• 
  
  Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle
• Big Mushy Lump by Sarah Anderson
• The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
• SumoKitty by David Biedrzycki
• Goldie Vance Vol. 3 by Hope Larson
• Goldie Vance Vol. 4 by Hope Larson
• Goldie Vance: Larceny in La La Land by Hope Larson
• Stay Curious!: A Brief History of Stephen Hawking by Kathleen Krull
• A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
• Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

I'm currently reading The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Tales by Oliver Sacks, Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor (with G), The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson.

Classics that I'm reading: Still working on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I'm enjoying taking my time here. It's been a long time and it's the perfect classic to read as the weather gets chilly and the holidays approach. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas for my 1000 Books Project challenge and my Back to the Classics 2021 Challenge (19th century classic). I also started Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin for my Back to the Classics Challenge.

Philosophy: We are reading The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. 

Listening to:

Wow, No Thank You: Essays by Samantha Irby. Hilarious. I love her. Also reading for my 2021 Nonfiction Reading Challenge, essay prompt.

  Watching:

Movies:

Freaky (2020) (on demand)

Director: Christopher Landon

Written by Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton

Tagline: Friday the 13th of November. A body swap that cuts deep. Basic switch, killer new look.

My Thoughts: 

Fun little comedy horror film. Just what I needed. Vince Vaughn was really funny playing a teenager!

To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021) Netflix

Director: Michael Fimognari

Writers: Jenny Han (book) and Katie Lovejoy (screenplay)

Starring: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, John Corbett

Tagline: You never know where love will lead you.

My Thoughts: 

I liked it but it was a little lack-luster after the charming first movie. But still highly enjoyable.

The Little Things (2021) (HBO Max)

Director: John Lee Hancock

Writer: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto

Tagline: Some things never let us go.

My Thoughts: 

Not a great movie. I can't get those 128 minutes back. Waste of such amazing talent.

The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song (2021) (PBS)

Director: Shayla Harris

Writers: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Starring: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Plotline: 400-year-old story of the black church in America.

My Thoughts: 

Fascinating look at the history of the black church in America. I felt like some non-church going voices were very sparse but I guess it's not their story. Overall, a great documentary!

Mulan (2020) (Disney+)

Director: Niki Caro

Writers: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver

Starring: Liu Yifei, Jet Li, Tzi Ma

Tagline: Loyal. Brave. True

My Thoughts: 

Not as good as the original Disney musical but a solid live-action remake. It's the best one so far of Disney's remakes.

Nomadland (2021) (Hulu)

Director: Chloe Zhao

Writer: Chloe Zhao, Jessica Bruder (book)

Starring: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn

Tagline: Surviving America in the twenty-first century.

My Thoughts: 

See this movie! It's absolutely heart-breaking and beautiful. One of the best I've seen. I'm going to read the book too.

Mank (2020) (Netflix)

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Jack Fincher

Starring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins

Plotline: Herman J. Mankiewicz (Mank), scathing social critic screenwriter

My Thoughts: 

I weirdly enjoyed this too-long movie on the man who wrote Citizen Kane. I didn't really know much about why Citizen Kane resembled William Randolph Hearst. Well, now I know! A very, very interesting time politically and culturally. Makes me want to read more on this history!

TV:                           

This is the fictionalized story of the actual case of the murder of Kim Wall, a journalist who was murdered back in 2017. I had never heard of it, though, before this mini-series. It's amazing. It completely focuses on the investigators and everyone on the team, and Kim Wall's parents. I can't even recall the accused...I love that they did this. It's well done. If you can see this, I highly recommend it.

I definitely don't think this TV show is for everyone. It's dark and super weird. Religious extremism/cults and magic? I have no idea where this is going but I'm fascinated. It's not the best but it's highly entertaining if this is your thing...(Apple TV+)

*all images for movies and TV were taken from IMDB

Reading Challenges:

I Read Horror Year-Round: I finished The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James in the Ghosts and Spirits prompt.

Looking forward to:

DH's birthday is coming up on Thursday! We usually head to a Mexican restaurant up in Salt Lake because they have an amazing selection of cocktails that he loves. But that's a no-go this year. So we'll be celebrating at home with some Mexican food take-out and I'll be whipping up some frozen daquiris and cupcakes!

Joining in with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon