Books I Read This Week 2017 – 08

A lot of books this week.

I knew I wanted to read All Our Wrong Todays as soon as I heard about it. Time travel. Multiple worlds. Fun and scifi are definitely my cup of tea. And it was not a disappointment. I enjoyed this story and all the convoluted plot twists along the way.

Last week, I watched all the Bravel Girl Symposium talks and I fell in love with Erin Faith Allen. I then bought and swallowed The Underneath in one night. Painful and beautiful and thought provoking all at once.

I then shifted gears into A Truck Full of Money which was about to expire so if I planned to read it, it was now or never. I knew very little about Paul English but had of course heard of kayak. My husband interned at Interleaf when he was in highschool. It’s always a small world. I loved reading this story.

I wanted to read?This Close to Happy?and I got about halfway through before I decided it was too depressing and finally made the choice to put it down. I’ve read other books on depression but this one wasn’t my cup of tea.

I then listened to A Separation in one sitting. I can’t decide if I liked this book or not. It was a tough read. It didn’t have a lot of likeable characters and I am not sure what I took away from the whole thing but I still don’t regret reading it.

I heard of The Lonely Hearts Hotel from my library. When I looked up the book, it claimed to be similar to The Night Circus. I knew I wanted to read it as soon as I saw that. As it turned out, it wasn’t similar to the Night Circus at all. At all. However, I loved it anyway. I really loved the characters even though they seemed to go from one tragedy into another. I loved the atmosphere and the language. This book doesn’t sound like a book I’d like but I somehow loved it.

I then moved to Lincoln in the Bardo. It was my first Saunders and a weird one at that. I am still thinking about this one. The style was so weird. The plot comical and tragedy all at once. Weird, weird novel.

And finally I ended my week with The Three-Body Problem. When I was in Sydney, this book was recommended by my workmates. I checked it out from the library and decided it was finally time to tackle it. It was long and complicated and I didn’t understand most of the physics in it. But I did like it. I am glad I read it. I am not reading the sequel anytime soon.

That’s it for this week. Quite a few books this week in all sorts of genres.

Books I Read this Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017?here.

February 23, 2017 | Books Read in 2017 | Leave a comment

February 2017 – Quick Sketches – All

And here we are. February was a hard month. I didn’t do 20 but 13 is still better than zero.

Here are 12 of the 13 sketches I did this month 🙂

Quick Sketches is a Monthly Project for February 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

February 23, 2017 | Quick Sketches | Leave a comment

Nourish Me – 08

Oh man. The thing about falling off the plan is that it’s so much harder to go back on 🙁 I seem to have to learn this lesson again and again.

Mind:

  • I read: a lot this weekend. I spent most of my weekend reading and relaxing and i am looking forward to a bit more reading on the way down to Los Angeles.
  • I learned: a lot about work this week and not much else.
  • I watched: here are a few lovely videos thanks to swiss miss.

Body:

  • Exercise: I exercised one day this week. I can’t even begin to tell you how much this frustrates me but alas i still haven’t done it.
  • Food: I’ve had a lot more cappuccinos. A little better this week but not much.
  • Skin: i did moisturize.
  • Floss: i didn’t floss 🙁
  • And More: nothing more. i am still doing the bare minimum.

Soul:

  • I rested: I have been sleeping weird hours. I am getting 7-8 hours a night but I am exhausted and don’t seem to have recovered from my trip somehow.
  • I connected: ?with a few friends last Friday and that was lovely.
  • I journaled: i have still not been really journaling. i am not sure what’s going on. i was doing so well that I picked this as my thing to try for OLW and maybe that just cursed it.
  • I made art: I did make some art, yey!
It’s really hard to get back on track at this moment. I feel like February has been all around tough and I expect this week will be so, too. But I am not giving up.

Nourish Me Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017?here.

February 22, 2017 | Nourish Me | Leave a comment

February 2017 – Quick Sketches – 13

You can read about the start of this project here.

karenika.com

 

Quick Sketches is a Monthly Project for February 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

February 22, 2017 | Quick Sketches | Leave a comment

2017 Stories – 08 – 100 Equations that equal 100

Two weeks ago, Nathaniel’s class celebrated 100th day of school.

In preparation for this, each student was told to bring 100 of an item and then sort/group them in a way they chose. A few days before the assignment was due, Nathaniel asked me if I could email his teacher and ask if it would be ok for him to do something different. I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he’d like to do 100 equations that equal to a 100.

Teachers said it was ok (after they talked to him about how he planned to group it.) So this little boy and I wrote down 100 formulas which he grouped and put on a lovely poster.

I love my boy so much!

Stories from 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017?here.

February 21, 2017 | Stories from Twenty Seventeen | Leave a comment

February 2017 – Quick Sketches – 12

You can read about the start of this project here.

karenika.com

 

Quick Sketches is a Monthly Project for February 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

February 21, 2017 | Quick Sketches | Leave a comment

Living Intentionally 2017 – 08

Weekly Intention:?This is an unusual week. It includes a day off, a really full day of work, two days of travel and two days of vacation. My intention this week, which i will have to reset right now on Monday night as I type this is to let everything go. To breathe and try really hard to appreciate all of what I have and all of what I will get to experience in the next week. I have been exhausted, worn out and just off this weekend. I seem to be invigorated at work and I expect I will be so on vacation, too. I will remind myself that these are the moments of my life and I get to choose what they mean. I get to make the most of this week. I get to choose.

This month?s intention is:?Shine from the Outside In: It might seem counter-intuitive but sometimes it helps to start with the outside. Take care of your body, your skin, your teeth. Dress in a way that makes you feel good. Show up and look the part. I didn’t get to buy makeup this past week. And clearly I am not doing much of this either. But it’s ok. I will get to it.

Ways to Shine this week:

  • One: Bold: It would be bold for me to relax and be in the moment this week. Can I do it?
  • Two: Open: ?I need to be open to some feedback tomorrow. I need to be open to taking this vacation one day at a time and know that it will all be ok.
  • Three: Heal/Nourish: I’d like to focus on nourishment while we’re away. Getting slowly back on track. Can I do it?

I am looking forward to: magic. with my kids. what more can i want?

This week?s challenges: a long work day. a lot of hours in the car. two long days of walking. but also…a lot of magic.

Top Goals:

  • Work: do as much as i can tomorrow. and then let it go.
  • Personal: ?honestly. i just want to be kind to myself. to experience the joy and magic and be so good. so happy.
  • Family:?be kind. be generous. let them see all the magic, too.

I will focus on my core desires (bold, mindful, nourish, love) by: shining this week. I will go to sleep tonight and let everything go. i will allow myself to experience each moment of this crazy week.

This week, I will say yes to: letting things go. whatever happens happens. we will have many more chances to get it right.

This week, I will say no to: stressing the rest of my family out. getting in the way of this being a fun experience.

I am worried that:?my kids won’t like it. we will mess something up or miss something. something will go wrong. the tickets will be missing. it won’t be a fun vacation. i will be exhausted. i will be grumpy. i will be stingy. i will mess it all up.

This week, I want to remember:? that life is about experiences. this is our chance to make new ones. let’s embrace it.

February 20, 2017 | Living Intentionally | Leave a comment

February 2017 – Quick Sketches – 11

You can read about the start of this project here.

karenika.com

 

Quick Sketches is a Monthly Project for February 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

February 20, 2017 | Quick Sketches | Leave a comment

Weekly Reflection 2017 – 07

Three ways I shone this week:

  • One: I worked a lot this week. I went to work three times and had a lot lot lot of meetings.
  • Two: I showed up at my book club even though i was wiped and I am so glad I did.
  • Three:?I supported my son by going up to his school three times this week.

I celebrate:?showing up in all the ways this week.
I am grateful for:?the response from work for a favor i’ve been asking a lot of people this week. i am so lucky.
I nourished myself by:?sleeping. resting.
Reflecting on my worries: I worried that work won?t get done, and some did and some didn’t. there’s always more work to do. i will be okay. i will continue to be exhausted and i was and i still am. that, too, will be ok. lunch was worth it. movies was stupid but worth it. i likely will indeed never catch up at work. i exercised only once and journaled twice. it’s ok. i am giving myself grace. I did book LA and we’re going to be all set. i will do my best and that’s all i get to do.

I let go of: pretty much all my email this week.

Core Desire Check-in (bold, mindful, nourish, love):?

  1. I was really bold. i continued to ask and continued to receive.
  2. I’m still mindful of the fact that i am completely off routine at this point and will have to consciously choose to go back.
  3. Nourishment isn’t going well but i am still focusing on fruit and veggies over other food.
  4. I am learning that I need unconditional love for myself, too.

What made me laugh this week: the movies. oh how silly it was.
What I tolerated this week: a lot of work.
My mood this week was:?full. i felt like my life is so full.
I forgive myself for: not getting more done. it will all get done eventually, ?i am sure of it.
What I love right now: my kind and generous husband. he is the best part of my life.

Here’s to a wonderful week eight!

February 18, 2017 | Weekly Reflection 2017 | Leave a comment

February 2017 – Quick Sketches – 10

You can read about the start of this project here.

karenika.com

 

Quick Sketches is a Monthly Project for February 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

February 17, 2017 | Quick Sketches | Leave a comment

February 2017 – Quick Sketches – 9

You can read about the start of this project here.

karenika.com

 

Quick Sketches is a Monthly Project for February 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

February 16, 2017 | Quick Sketches | Leave a comment

Books I Read This Week 2017 – 07

While in Sydney, I decided to give The Look of Love a go. I had it out from the library and I didn’t have the mental energy for anything more sophisticated. As it worked out, it was a lovely read. Very predictable but still enjoyable.

I wanted to read Carve the Mark because I loved Roth’s previous book, Divergent. This new book got a lot of controversial feedback and while I respect other people’s perspectives, I didn’t have that point of view when I read the book. I read it relatively quickly, mostly on the plane back from Sydney and found myself enjoying it. I like Veronica Roth. I like the stories she tells and I like the way she tells them. And Carve the Mark was no exception.

I only watched one movie on the 28 hours I spent on the airplane last week. It was called Denial and right after the movie was over, I read Man’s Search for Meaning which I had heard of many times over the years but hadn’t managed to read so far. The first part of the  book is as heart-wrenching as I was worried it would be, but the second part where he talks about logotherapy was fascinating and really thought-provoking and all new to me. I decided I needed to read a lot more about it. If you haven’t read this, it’s highly recommended (though a difficult read, of course.)

I then finished A Gathering of Shadows finally.

And that was it for this week. A light week.

Books I Read this Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

February 16, 2017 | Books Read in 2017 | Leave a comment

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