- This check-in is for November 30th – December 6th.
- Since my apartment flooded again and I had to deal with the cleanup from that, I haven’t done much else outside of work unless it was Holiday-related. I went to a Holiday market yesterday, bought the rest of what I needed for Christmas dinner, and watched another Christmas movie while working on a jigsaw puzzle of Christmas books.
- I also watched some videos about Yule, as I would like to celebrate the Winter Solstice as well, and I found it interesting that many of the Christmas traditions that are still done today were borrowed from Yule. I knew some of that already, but there were a couple of traditions I didn’t know about. For instance, the 12 Days of Christmas were originally the 12 Days of Yule, starting on the Winter Solstice and ending on New Year’s Day. This time of year always gets me thinking about how there are so many traditions and practices we humans have that we don’t even know why we do them, or at least we don’t know the origins of them. Many times, the reasons and the meanings have changed, but they’ve been around for hundreds of years and come from multiple different cultures.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 43,586
- Miles: 17.57/16.31
- Total Miles: 757.25/850
- Zone Minutes: 50/150
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- Waiting for Christmas by Lynn Austin
DNF:
- Enid Blyton’s Christmas Stories by Enid Blyton
Total pages read this week (and last week): 290
Total books read: 98 of 100
TBR (goal is -24): -31
#ShelfLove Challenge: 56 of 51
My apartment flooded again; this time because of a roof leak. I had a cloth basket full of books on the floor where the water came in. Luckily, only three of them got ruined, and even more importantly, none of them were the library books I had in a tote right next to the basket. The only good news concerning my apartment is that the neighbor has stopped smoking inside, at least for now. Hopefully, for good.
I went to a Holiday market near where I live today, and one of the vendors was selling Blind Dates with a Book. I’ve decided to not open the one I got until Christmas.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for November 23rd – 29th.
- In yesterday’s “Building the Book Fort,” I wrote about the continuing issues with my neighbor smoking in her apartment and how it messed up part of Thanksgiving day.
- My weekend has been restful so far. I didn’t do much yesterday, beyond some tidying of my desk and taking care of tasks that I hadn’t had the energy or time to deal with in the previous couple of weeks. I also got the majority of my Christmas shopping done and watched a couple of Christmas movies.
- Today is more rest and Christmas movie watching, but also getting ready for the upcoming week and possibly decorating for Christmas. I’m not sure if I’ll have the energy to get much decorating done, but I am switching over to my Christmas bedding since I need to wash the sheets today anyway.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 39,977
- Miles: 16.03/16.31
- Total Miles: 739.68/850
- Zone Minutes: 46/150
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- Enid Blyton’s Christmas Stories by Enid Blyton
DNF:
- Interesting Times by Matthew Storm
Total pages read this week (and last week): 28
Total books read: 97 of 100
TBR (goal is -24): -30
#ShelfLove Challenge: 55 of 51
I think this is the lowest number of pages I’ve read in a week this year. My Thanksgiving morning started out wonderfully. I made myself a good breakfast, since I knew I wouldn’t be eating again until much later in the day, and I watched “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” However, my neighbor started smoking weed very heavily and I decided, as a last ditch attempt to get the smoking indoors to stop, to go next door and beg my neighbor to please stop smoking. I really thought that would work, but I got the exact opposite reaction from what I was expecting. She started screaming at me and followed me back to my door as I tried to get away from her. Luckily, I was able to get inside and lock the deadbolt before she reached me. Just as I was starting to calm down, she came over and began banging on my door, ringing the doorbell, and screaming through the door. She eventually left, after I told her through my doorbell camera that I would call the cops, and soon after that, I left (walking the long way around to my car so I wouldn’t have to walk past her apartment) and I went to a Bob Evans near where I live to have Thanksgiving dinner.
I, of course, reported everything to the apartment management in an email, but didn’t get a response. I’m not sure if that’s because they’re not bothering to do anything about it or perhaps they didn’t open the office on Friday. Regardless, I took the next step by talking to an attorney, and we’re working on legally breaking the lease so I can move out. Knowing that this ordeal will be over with one way or the other within a couple of months gave me enough mental breathing room to shift my focus to all that I’m grateful for instead of the negative. For instance, I’m grateful I had the energy last weekend to put up my doorbell camera, and I’m grateful that Bob Evans restaurants were open on Thanksgiving, giving me a warm, safe, and comfortable place to enjoy some good food. I’m grateful that, despite all of the issues, I have a place to live, and two amazing fur babies who demand lots of snuggles now that the weather has turned icy and gloomy. And I’m grateful for my tea kettle and blankets and books, especially my Christmas books! Oh, and the very long list of Christmas movies for me to watch this year.
I know that my reading will pick up through the rest of the year, and I’m grateful for that, too.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for November 16th – 22nd.
- The issues with my neighbors smoking continue and I’ve contacted an attorney to see if they can help me get out of this place. In case I am able to break the lease, I started looking online at apartments to see what is available, since I doubt I would have more than a month to move out and don’t want to continue living here for a day more than I absolutely have to do so.
- I had to take three days off from work this week because of my back. Despite those three days of rest, my back was still bothering me mostly because of all of the coughing. Thankfully, I had my monthly massage yesterday. It was exactly what I needed to get me back into a better place physically. It also helped out my mental state a bit. I also have been meditating a lot and doing breathwork to calm my nervous system.
- Exercise Days: 2/7
- Steps: 27,065
- Miles: 10.93/16.31
- Total Miles: 723.65/850
- Zone Minutes: 91/150
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- Interesting Times by Matthew Storm
Finished:
- The Space Between by Diana Gabaldon
- Moon Magic by Diane Ahlquist
Total pages read this week (and last week): 290
Total books read: 97 of 100
TBR (goal is -24): -29
#ShelfLove Challenge: 55 of 51
I’m not doing well. I definitely overdid it by going to the zoo last weekend and ended up having to take three days off from work. On top of that, the neighbors continue to smoke in their apartment and my cough won’t go away, which is keeping my back from healing. The management’s response to my complaints was to schedule a duct cleaning for my apartment and not inform me about it until 30 minutes prior to their office closing for the weekend. They scheduled the duct cleaning for Monday, and I have no way of getting that time off from work to be there.
The one bright side of this is that I had a lot of time to read while I was stuck at home. While I’m still not listening to any audiobooks right now, I did make my #BookSpin list for December, which includes several audiobooks, in an attempt to get me excited for Christmas. I haven’t posted it to Litsy yet so here it is:
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for November 2nd – 15th.
- Illness, stress, other health issues, exhaustion, and more issues with my apartment have caused me to feel like my life is a rollercoaster ride that is more nauseating than anything else. Just when I think everything is settling back down and I can truly rest and recover, something else pops up.
- I had just gotten over my sinus issues and was no longer coughing much when the neighbors decided to start up with the smoking in their apartment again. However, I was feeling well enough yesterday to go to the zoo with a friend. Even though we were being leisurely about walking around the zoo, and I enjoyed the warmer weather and fresh air, I was completely wiped out halfway through it. We left without seeing the rest of the animals, but today my back and hips are telling me that the trip wasn’t the best idea. On top of that, the neighbors have been smoking so much that my whole apartment smells like an ashtray, my cough has returned, and I’m strongly considering taking my cats and I to a hotel while I take steps to legally break my lease.
- Exercise Days: 0 and 1/7
- Steps: 36,282 and 43,598
- Miles: 14.62 and 17.16/16.31
- Total Miles: 712.72/850
- Zone Minutes: 13 and 23/150
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- The Space Between by Diana Gabaldon
- Moon Magic by Diane Ahlquist
Finished:
- The Radleys by Matt Haig
Total pages read this week (and last week): 211
Total books read: 95 of 100
TBR (goal is -24): -29
#ShelfLove Challenge: 53 of 51
I didn’t post last week because I was out of town for the final Ironton Wizard Fest. I took my tablet with me, but when I was packing for the trip, I couldn’t find the keyboard that works with my tablet so that I could write. I left on Friday and got back late on Sunday, and while I had a great time, I’m still dealing with feeling wiped out after doing anything that isn’t just sitting around my apartment. I only attended the festival for one day, and I was only there for about three hours before I had to go back to my hotel room to rest. I told myself I would go back out for dinner, but instead, I took a shower, got into my pajamas, and went to bed. The thought of putting my shoes back on, getting into my car, driving to a restaurant, and ordering food was too much for me to handle.
On the drive to Ironton, I found a little coffee shop called The Little Black Book Beanery. All of their drinks are literary-themed, and I got the Dark Academia. I don’t remember what was in it, but it was absolutely delicious. I also got a butter pecan muffin, which was amazing. I stopped there for lunch on my drive back home and got the same drink and two muffins to go after I ate a sandwich.
Despite the book-related activities and cafe, I’ve realized that I’m in a bit of a reading slump. I’ve been listening to podcasts instead of audiobooks. I’ve also barely read any books, whether physical or digital. Concentrating on what I’m reading has been hard and I keep having to reread whole paragraphs. My mind keeps wandering off to thinking about all sorts of other things.
I didn’t understand why I have been so tired, until a couple of friends reminded me of the fact that I’ve been through a lot over the past few months, and that stress shows up in the body. My inability to focus, my exhaustion, and my not wanting to “commit” to listening to anything more than an hour in length are all signs that I’m recovering from all of that stress. Throw in the sinus infection I had that meant I wasn’t able to use my CPAP, being anemic, and a time change coupled with a major change in temperatures, and no wonder I’m exhausted! I was told to give myself some grace and patience and plenty of rest. I’m so grateful for friends who truly see me and know when I’m being too hard on myself. For whatever reason, once stressful events are done and dealt with, I have an expectation of myself to be “over it” and able to get back to doing everything again. Now that my friends have talked some sense into me, I’m taking their advice and letting myself take as much time as I need to feel better.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for October 26th – November 1st.
- This week has gone much better than the previous couple of months and I had enough energy on Saturday to go to IKEA. I’ve mostly relaxed the rest of this weekend. While I have done some organizing and putting things away, I’ve taken plenty of breaks and made myself stop any time I’ve gotten tired or just didn’t want to keep doing whatever I was up to in the moment.
- I’m going to continue to take it easy while I slowly get my life back together. It may not be Winter yet, but I need to do some wintering.
- Exercise Days: 0/7
- Steps: 36,366
- Miles: 14.64/16.31
- Total Miles: 680.94/850
- Zone Minutes: 22/150
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- The Radleys by Matt Haig
Finished:
- The Family Plot by Cherie Priest
- Dust & Grim by Chuck Wendig
Total pages read this week (and last week): 673
Total books read: 94 of 100
TBR (goal is -24): -29
#ShelfLove Challenge: 53 of 51
Last week, I wrote, “…all I can think is, “please, can I just have one day that I’m not in pain, sick, or dealing with chaos?! Just one full 24-hours that I can relax and enjoy in peace?” Well, that has been today, at least so far. There are still the evening hours to get through.
Life in my apartment has improved, but I had to threaten legal action to get it. Then, just after all of my maintenance requests had finally been completed, I discovered that I had I an ant problem. I was able to quickly get that resolved, and I’m hoping it will continue to be a non-issue.
Since I’ve been feeling much better physically and mentally, I decided to make a trip to IKEA for some idea shopping and a few items that I could safely carry and would fit in my car. I got a coat rack since I don’t have a hall closet and some wooden storage bins that I think will work for my CD collection. I’ll order the bookshelves and everything else online and have it delivered after I measure to make sure what I picked will fit.
I don’t know why, but that took a lot out of me, so I’ll be spending the rest of the weekend reading and cuddling with my cats.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!