F.I.G. Collective - Week Four

Elisabeth challenged us all to find gratitude in February, so she created the Finding Joy in Gratitude Collective. Here are my FIGs for last week.

Sunday, February 24
Book club tonight at my house! Hannah was really good. We were a bit worried about so many people in the house, but one is a neighbor she knows really well and one is her vet, so she was pretty chill. We just kept giving her sweet potatoes and then she laid down and just watched us. We've been working really hard on getting her better with people in the house and I THINK IT'S WORKING. Hopefully I didn't just jinx it. 

Monday, February 25

I had Blanche the Puppy for an hour today at work. No complaints over here.

Tuesday, February 25

Snail mail alert! Allison sent me an adorable card with a fox on it and a glamour shot of Lucy the Dog. 

Wednesday, February 26

My husband was working late tonight, so I brought all my yoga props downstairs and treated myself to a long restorative yin practice using Hannah as my bolster. Just kidding. I don't actually lean on her or anything, but she LOVES it when I do yoga downstairs because that's prime cuddle time. She was touching me during every pose. Bless her little dog heart. 

Thursday, February 27
I went to a new-to-me Zumba class with some friends. It was so much fun. At one point, I had no idea what was happening - everyone else seemed to be able to just do the footwork - and I just stood there laughing like a crazy person. Good times. 

Ignore how my makeup is literally running down my face.

Friday, February 28
I am finishing up The Blue Castle and so much is happening that I did not expect! Crazy! I am having so much fun with CBBC and I am grateful for everyone who is reading along and participating. 

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And that's a wrap on FIG February. What's your FIG of the day?

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

 

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo follows the stories of twelve characters, mostly women who are British and black. One of the characters shares the same first name as me and it's an unusual enough name that I think it might be the only book I've ever read with a character with my name! This is a structure of a book I keep trying to read (see The Great House and Women and Children First), but I guess it's time for me to admit that it doesn't work for me.

You just don't get to spend enough time with the characters. Just as you're settling into a voice and a past and really learning about someone, you move on to a new character. It also sort of feels like each vignette is an afterschool special that's meant to teach us some grand lesson. The writing was interesting and I took down lots of lines of note, but if it's going to bother you that there's not capitalization at the beginning of each paragraph, I wouldn't recommend this. All the other punctuation was as required, so it didn't bother me too much, but I also don't know exactly what the point was. 

3/5 stars

Lines of note:

when they leave uni it’s gonna be with a huge debt and crazy competition for jobs and the outrageous rental prices out there mean her generation will have to move back home forever, which will lead to even more of them despairing at the future and what with the planet about to go to shit with the United Kingdom soon to be disunited from Europe which itself is hurtling down the reactionary road and making fascism fashionable again and it’s so crazy that the disgusting perma-tanned billionaire has set a new intellectual and moral low by being president of America  (location 634)

I mean, this was published in 2019...

her favourite poetry book is called I is a Long Memoried Woman by a Guyanese lady called Grace Nichols (location 3339)

I'm keeping track of books I see in books. It's very meta. 

she and the reading group had a big argument, no, it wasn’t no argument, it was a debate, the other day, about whether a poem was good because they related to it, or whether it was good in and of itself (location 3341)

This sounds like a fun reading group!

Things I looked up:

samizdat (location 300) - the clandestine copying and distribution of literature banned by the state, especially formerly in the communist countries of eastern Europe (a samizdat newsletter)

ackee (location 516) - lychee

Drambuie (location 521) -  golden-coloured, 40% ABV liqueur made from Scotch whisky, heather honey, herbs and spices

Alexander Technique (location 680) - named after its developer Frederick Matthias Alexander, is an alternative therapy based on the idea that poor posture causes a range of health problems

pedalos (location 1007) - pedal boat

protests against Clause 28 (location 1399) - Section 28 refers to a part of the Local Government Act 1988, which stated that local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship"

egotarians (location 4278) - Relating to a dish or cuisine created only to show off the chef's culinary skills or creativity

mardy (location 4360) - angry and complaining; refusing to be pleasant to other people

Siege of Mafeking (location 4933) - a 217-day siege battle for the town of Mafeking (now called Mahikeng) in South Africa during the Second Boer War from October 1899 to May 1900; the lifting of the siege, while of little military significance, was a morale boost for the struggling British.

chiffonier (location 5084) - this is a piece of furniture; it actually has different definitions if you're looking at the British versus North American definition

Hat mentions:

...the orange nylon suit and hat she wore meant customers saw her as a uniformed servant to do their bidding..(location 306)

Yazz reckons that by the time guys her age want to settle down, her ovaries will be busted and they’ll be on to women half their age who can still drop babies at the drop of a hat (location 786)

Winsome is distracted by the men who come back into view through the kitchen window and amble up the beach in the blazing heat, neither wearing sun cream nor a sun hat, in spite of her nagging (location 3498)

most people took favourably to Slim, he was confident and talkative, spoke to strangers, even hostile ones, diffusing their animosity, especially when they heard his accent, they praised his courteousness, his yes m’ams and no sirs, they liked the way he opened doors for women, tipped his hat at men, making them feel respected (location 4718)

she found a job making artificial flowers for a hat factory...(location 4843)

brown shawl wrapped against her shoulders, hair like a bird’s nest with a hat on it (location 4872)

she was taught to knit woollen stockings, a hat and a scarf to wear in winter, to polish her black booties with buttons up the side until they shone, which she wore with pride once she got used to them because at first they gave her sores, never having worn shoes before (location 4897)

What Happens When People Stop Being Polite...

 ...and start getting real. (If you don't know this reference, we may not be compatible as friends.)

This is not a fun post, but I thought I'd give you a moment of sheer dog bliss.

A friend reached out to me when I did not post a blog post on a weekday. It's unusual for you not to post, so I was concerned, she said. I was touched and told her things were fine. I just had a lot to do and the blog just couldn't be prioritized and that was true on the surface. 

But the thing is that I'm struggling with what to write here. I feel like I'm falling into a trap of not wanting to write things out here because I don't want to alienate people with constant complaining or toxic positivity. But this is my blog and if you decide to stop reading because of something I write here, so be it, I guess. It's not my intention, but it's also time for me to stop pretending.

Things aren't great in the United States right now. Frankly, they aren't great internationally, but I have to admit that I've been absolutely unable to tear myself away from the domestic news. I don't know where to start with the list of things he has done and I'm not going to list them here, but it's HARD for me to post book reviews when Trump is instituting immigration raids in my community (a recruitment fair that we use to target first-generation Latinx students has been canceled because only three people registered for it - I'll let you figure out why no one wants to come), he's decimating research funding which will eventually lead to layoffs and college/university closures (how long until my job is seen as unnecessary to the base function of the university?), attempting to deny the franchise to many people, but seems to be targeting women, and has alienated some of our closest international allies (how DARE HE THREATEN CANADA - the US/Canadian border is the longest and one of the most peaceful borders in the world?). Don't get me started on DOGE or climate change or Medicare cuts or any of about two dozen other things.

But you know all this. (Or maybe you don't, in which case I sort of admire you.)

What's most upsetting to me is people who live in the United States and things seem to be going along like normal. There was a spree of "I don't talk about politics on my blog - it's safe from that type of nonsense" right around the election and I unfollowed quite a few blogs at that time. Right. It's safe from politics. There's a sort of privilege in being able to say that the outcome of the election doesn't matter to you. I read a reddit thread in November where federal employees basically said that it didn't matter to them who won - I wonder how they're feeling right about now? No one is safe from politics.

But, I've been thinking a lot (mostly because of a couple of posts on Jamie's blog where I may or not have been a brat in the comments) that my temper tantrum of unfollowing people is maybe not the right answer. 

(I DO think I'm right to stop spending money at businesses that have wrong politics. I have very little economic power in this world, but I will use that power in a way that makes me feel little guilt.)

What do I show people when communication comes to a halt? Two wrongs don't make a right and it means that I'm spewing hatred back in the face of hatred. But I'm TIRED, friends. I'm TIRED. I've been giving the benefit of the doubt for ten years now and it has done NOTHING. The fascist right is getting stronger and my uncle still has the gall to tell me that gay marriage is disgusting and that they deserve to die.

But I'm busy writing CBBC and FIG posts and thinking that maybe I'm just part of the problem. I feel like I veer from guardrail to guardrail - either (too much?) optimism and joy or dire warnings of the collapse of the world's longest-running democracy. 

So sometimes I'm taking a day off. Because, yes, I have a lot on my plate and I am prioritizing things other than writing here. I'm trying to figure out what tone I want to set. Maybe it will just turn into a place where I post photos of the dog and cat. 

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Comments closed. I just need to sit with this by myself I guess. 

Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher #1) by Kerry Greenwood

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood was suggested for our book club as a lighter read and boy do we all need lighter reads right now. 

Right after World War I, Phryne, a young heiress, is invited to Australia to figure out what's going on with a young woman whose parents are concerned about her. Along the way, she solves several mysteries, including who is behind the cocaine ring that is causing so much damage in Melbourne. 

Look, it was not my jam. It was stiff and yet there was a lot of promiscuous sex and rampant drug use. It was also under 200 pages, so I was able to finish it without too many issues, but I will not be delving back into this series. 

Split verdict at book club. Two of us were not enamored with it and three people were obsessed. It's not a book for everyone, but it is for some. 2.5/5 stars

Lines of note:

He was wearing a new cigarette. (page 13)

What does this even mean? The verb wearing seems wrong to me. 

She was forty-five if a day...(page 9) 

AND 

For all her age and bulk, Dr. MacMillan was as fit as a bull. (page 41)

I was so insulted on Dr. MacMillan's behalf. Forty-five! Might as well start digging her grave. 

Things I looked up:

halate (page 12) - a salt of chloric, bromic, or iodic acid

threaded a fillet through the shining strands (page 15) - a ribbon or narrow strip of material used especially as a headband

Erté (page 50) - Romain de Tirtoff, known by the pseudonym Erté, was a Russian-born French artist and designer. He worked in several fields, including fashion, jewelry, graphic arts, costume, set design for film, theatre, and opera, and interior décor.

Wilfred Owen (page 53) - an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War.

blistered door (page 139) - “Blistering” is the formation of “bubbles” in the exterior decorative paint film, resulting from localized loss of adhesion and subsequent lifting of the existing paint film from the underlying surface

viridian green (page 146) - a blue-green pigment

Gallipoli (page 147) - peninsula in Turkey, site of a WWI battle that was a defining moment in the history of both Australia and New Zealand and also lead to the formation of modern-day Turkey 

cochineal (page 155) - a scale insect from which the natural dye carmine is derived

Hat mentions (why hats?): 

She cut a distractingly fashionable figure in pale straw-coloured cotton and a straw hat...(page 13)

She ascertained that the Block Arcade was still open, it being Saturday, and returned to her room to change into trousers and a silk pullover, stout shoes, and a soft felt hat. (page 15)

She was innocent of gloves, hat or coat and had scuffed house-slippers on her feet. (page 20-21)

...perfectly dressed as to coat and shirt and hat...(page 23)

...dark hat and suit...(page 26)

"We couldn't see his hair because he had his hat on..." (page 28)

She sighted the flat cane hats of the Chinese working among the winter-cabbage and broccoli. (page 116)

Bert took off his hat, wiped his forehead, and replaced it. (page 116)

a dreadful cloche hat (page 126)

"...Bash that appalling hat in and out." (page 126)

"..I've scuffed the shoes and the hat will never be the same again," she added. (page 131)

...dressed in a respectable dark velvet gown and hat...(page 135)

Dot did as she was bid and arrayed Phryne in the damaged dress, the carefully holed stockings, the scuffed shoes and the battered hat. (page 143)

Week Four, Chapters 25-32: The Blue Castle CBBC

Past discussions:
Week One, Chapters 1-8
Week Two, Chapters: 9-15
Week Three, Chapters 16-24

Welcome to Week Four of Cool Bloggers Book Club (CBBC) for The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. This week we'll be discussing chapters 25-32. All page numbers reference this Archive version. 

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What happened in these chapters?

Valancy asks Barney to marry her.

“Yes. You know Dr. Trent’s reputation in regard to heart disease. I haven’t long to live—perhaps only a few months—a few weeks. I want to live them. I can’t go back to Deerwood—you know what my life was like there. And’’—she managed it this time—"I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That’s all.” (page 182)

They get married in a quiet ceremony and go to Barney's cabin on his island. 

Valancy is driving into town to tell her family about her marriage when she runs into Cousin Georgiana. Georgiana cries when Valancy tells her that she married Barney. The rest of the family reacts just as badly.

"God bless my soul!" he said dully. The rest seemed to turn to stone. Except Cousin Gladys, who turned faint. Aunt Mildred and Uncle Wellington had to help her out to the kitchen. (page 200-201)

Most of them decide to act as if Valancy were dead. Valancy, however, is quite happy. There are scenes of domestic harmony. Barney buys her pearls for Christmas. But how could he afford those?

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Hat mentions (why hats?):

Blue homespun shirt, nondescript hat, muddy overalls. (page 184)

She wore her green dress and her green hat because she had nothing else to wear. (page 185)

She in her odd, unbridal green hat and dress; Barney in shirt and overalls. (page 187)

And here was Doss herself, coming along the road from Roaring Abel’s in such a queer green dress and hat.  (page 192)

Her golden-brown hair curling richly under her big, white-frilled hat.  (page 198)

That outlandish dress—that queer hat—those hands full of blood-red roses. Yet there was something about both dress and hat, as Olive instantly felt, that was entirely lacking in her own attire. (page 198)

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How many times did the Blue Castle get name checked in these chapters?

Two on page 191, one on page 193, two on page 205, one on page 210, 216,  217, 221, 222, 227, 232, 236, 237, 239

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Last week's homework:

Here's the passage I chose:

They got into the canoe and paddled out to it. They left behind the realm of everyday and things known and landed on a realm of mystery and enchantment where anything might happen—anything might be true. Barney lifted Valancy out of the canoe and swung her to a lichen-covered rock under a young pine-tree. His arms were about her and suddenly his lips were on hers. Valancy found herself shivering with the rapture of her first kiss.

“Welcome home, dear,’ Barney was saying. (page 191)

1) Narrative: Look at the quote and describe its place in the narrative. 

Barney and Valancy have just gotten married and are now going to Barney's cabin on the island. They have to take the canoe to get there and Valancy loves it. 

2) Symbolism: What metaphors are hidden in the text? What symbols do you see?

I think the big thing here is that all of this represents freedom to Valancy. Mystery and enchantment and a first kiss. This is all about how Valancy is finding herself. I hate it for her that her only path to this freedom is to be in a romantic relationship with a man, but that's how it was, right? (Is? Ugh.)

3) Reflection: How does this text speak to you in your life today?

It has been quite some time since I was young and in love for the first time. It just makes me think about all the young people in this world and how hard it is to be a young human right now. 

4) Invitation: What action are you going to take?

I must have more patience with the young ones in my life - the world must seem so scary right now with dictators rising up in power, wars across the globe, and a very uncertain economy. 

Also, I should try to bring some of the spark and excitement of young love back into my own relationship. After all, you're only young once, but I get a chance to enjoy being with my husband every day!

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Homework for next week:

What's your favorite line from the reading? Why is it your favorite?

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Line of note:

Winter was beautiful “up back”—almost intolerably beautiful. Days of  clear brilliance. Evenings that were like cups of glamour—the purest vintage of winter’s wine. Nights with their fire of stars. Cold, exquisite winter sunrises. Lovely ferns of ice all over the windows of the Blue Castle. Moonlight on birches in a silver thaw. Ragged shadows on windy evenings—torn, twisted, fantastic shadows. Great silences, austere and searching. (page 227)

This reminded me of Elisabeth's Top/Bottom Five Winter Edition post. Winter can be great!

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Things I looked up:

Torquemada (page 205) - In the 1400s, a Roman Catholic Dominican friar and first Castillian Grand Inquisitor of the Tribunal of the Holy Office. Owing to the Inquisition's use of torture to extract confessions and burning at the stake of those declared guilty, and to Torquemada's own approval, even advocacy, of these practices, his name has become synonymous with cruelty, religious intolerance, and fanaticism. (This research got dark pretty quickly...)

oriel window (page 210) -  form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground

Lucullus (page 221) - Lucullus was a Roman general and he was so known for his lavish feasts that that the word Lucullan now means lavish, luxurious and gourmet. 

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Questions to ponder (as always, feel free to answer as many or few of these as you'd like - talk about what you want to talk about!):

1) Did any of you see that happening? I had no idea Valancy was going to ask Barney to marry her!! I was taken completely by surprise. Was this a brave thing to do? Or just dangerous?

2) Does everyone else think Barney is John Foster? This has come up in the comments in the last couple of weeks, but his holing up in Bluebeard's Chamber and his disparaging remarks about Foster to Valancy are making me suspicious. 

“I wonder if John Foster ever spent a winter in Mistawis,” said Valancy. 

 “Not likely,” scoffed Barney. “People who writ tosh like that generally write it in a warm house some smug city street.” (page 230)

“Good Lord, do you learn all that fellow’s books by heart?’ was Barney’s disgusted reaction as he strode off. (page 231)

3) Would you like to live in Barney's cabin on the island? (There's a semi-famous poet who lived on an island in my town and seemed to live this sort of life.)

4) The book is wrapping up next week. How do you think this is going to end? 

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Upcoming CBBC schedule:

March 3: Chapters 33-45
March 10: Wrap-up

F.I.G. Collective: Week Three

Elisabeth challenged us all to find gratitude in February, so she created the Finding Joy in Gratitude Collective. Here are my FIGs for last week.

Sunday, February 17
Today was so much fun. My husband, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nephew, and I had a day out in Milwaukee. We went to a smash room and then to a UW-Milwaukee basketball game. Along the way we had delicious food, including something called a bubble waffle cone, which was amazing and now I think I might need a bubble waffle maker in my life. Anyway, it was amazing. I am so grateful that they came to visit and I'm grateful we had all these fun opportunities.

I'd like everyone to note that yes, I am wearing a scarf. 

Monday, February 17

We went to the grocery store today after work. I'm so grateful we can afford healthy food. Also, we bought TWO DOZEN eggs, which made me feel sort of rich. 

Tuesday, February 18

I got to vote today. In this time when voting rights are in peril in this country, it was truly exciting to go into the polling place and have nothing but an absolutely, 100% drama free voting experience. (It was a primary for state school board superintendent. That was the only race on the ballot. I was voter #131 at about 10:30 in the morning.)

Wednesday, February 19

Zelda has been so cuddly in the last few days. It has been bitter cold here and I think she's just cold. But I don't mind her winding between my legs when I'm cooking and hopping on my lap every time I sit down. 

Thursday, February 20

We threw out the last of the radioactive litter! There is no store of used litter in our garage. EXCITING!

Friday, February 21

Just look at this dog! Caught mid-lick! And the sunrise! What a day to be alive. 

Saturday, February 23

Look! A postcard from J in the mail!

Bonus FIG: We're at Costco and the people in front of us our unloading their cart onto the belt. You're supposed to leave heavy items in the cart. They left some heavy stuff and a big tub of croissants. I joked "that must be some heavy bread" and Dr. BB, without a second's hesitation said "they must be filled." I laughed so hard. I don't know why that tickled me so much, but I was doubled over with laughter. 

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What's a little something that made you happy today?

Last Weekend

My brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and 15 year-old nephew came to visit us last weekend! My sister-in-law and I are PEAS IN A POD and we have so much fun when we get together. I put together an ambitious itinerary of things that would appeal to a teenage boy. Was that successful? Eh. I'm pretty sure he'd rather have been hanging out with his girlfriend. 

Friday night they drove here in crazy snowy conditions and we went to dinner at a traditional supper club. It was fine, but I really wanted a Friday night fish fry and they didn't have one. WHAT KIND OF SUPPER CLUB IS THIS?

Saturday I had two main events planned. One, bowling at the student union. There are also pool tables and ping pong and we had a blast. My final scores were 80 and 69. I'm obviously an amazing bowler.

After a meandering lunch and a break to walk the dog and make sure the cat hadn't invited all the neighborhood felines to the house for a party, we went to the local golf simulator. For what I consider an exorbitant price, we got 1.5 hours on Bay 1. I've never golfed a day in my life and I found it crazy hard to get rid of the idea that I was going to release the golf club and brain someone in the head, so I don't think this was a good first experience for me. But the 15 year-old did enjoy it, so make of that what you will.

We broke a longstanding boycott I had of a local business for dinner (they behaved so irresponsibly during peak COVID) and I have to admit that the cheese curds were some of the best I ever had. I'm not linking to them, though, because I still think their ownership sucks and I also watched two people gamble away hundreds of dollars in forty-five minutes at some of their machines, so I don't think this place has the best interests of the community in mind. 

Sunday! It was the day we went to Milwaukee!

First up! We went to a smash room where we each had an opportunity to throw and smash breakable objects. I just pretended I was swinging a bat at the heads of some of our elected leaders. Oddly enough, this was not a hit with the teen. I think he was maybe too self-conscious about the whole thing.(I bet it will not come as a surprise to anyone reading this that I was NOT self-conscious and had a blast.) 

Then we had lunch at a weed-themed restaurant called Cheba Hut. .You guys! The food was TO DIE FOR. I ate so much food. And I have no regrets. Was it appropriate to bring a teen there? Maybe not, but it was close by and the sandwich was so good I cannot describe it to you. It was huge and covered in cheese. 

On the way to our next activity, we passed by a place that sold "bubble waffle cones" and my SIL and I were instantly intrigued and started lobbying to stop. My husband was *shocked Pikachu face* because we'd just eaten our bodyweight in weed-themed sandwiches, but there's always room for ice cream, right? We didn't have time, though. We went to our next stop, which was a University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee basketball game.

And as if BY MAGIC we walked by a bubble waffle cone store RIGTH BY OUR SECTION. If you think my SIL and I didn't immediately squeal with delight, you are not reading this situation correctly. MAGICAL!!!!!

(Also, this is beside the point, but I had no skin in this game. I thought all the tall young men on the court did an awesome job. But I was horrified at how rude people were to the visiting team. I don't know. It just didn't seem like great sportsmanship. And, frankly, some of the people who were there to support the visiting team were sort of nasty in what they said about/to the home team, too. Maybe I'm just not cut out for collegiate athletics.)

And after a break to walk the dog and check to make sure the cat hadn't murdered anyone in our absences, we went to dinner at the local smokehouse (interestingly enough, you're good to order just about anything other than BBQ here) before we said our goodbyes. 

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What can I plan for the next time the teen boy comes to visit?