There is something very nice about a Sunday evening when I know I don’t have to wake up early the next morning! The girls and I have the day off tomorrow for Veteran’s Day; Mr. Losing It still has to go into work (and he’s a veteran!). Actually, I’m a veteran too. I met Mr. LI when he was my instructor for two weeks in Avionics “A” School. He taught me all about transistors, capacitors and resistors – so romantic!
This evening I am:
- Reading: Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale, a very lightweight, easy-to-read but fun mystery, and Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo. Definitely not lightweight or easy to read, but very compelling. I will just say I don’t think we in the U.S. have a clue about what real poverty is.
- Listening to: The television downstairs; WenYu and YaYu are watching something. Mr. LI is puttering around in the kitchen.
- Watching: WenYu and I are going to watch the delicious Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice tonight!
- Cooking/baking: Mr. LI made a “leftovers” pizza and used up the last of some pesto, pepperoni, grated mozzarella, an onion and some fresh mozzarella. I made a double batch of granola this morning, and chocolate chip cookies this afternoon.
- Happy I accomplished this past week: Nothing stands out; it was just a good week overall.
- Looking forward to next week: Two back-to-back potlucks, one with WenYu’s cross-country team, and the next with Meiling’s China group from this past summer. We’re taking a green salad with croutons to both.
- Thankful for: Those who serve and who have served our country, and to the families that stand and have stood behind them. The toughest job in the military is military spouse.
- Bonus question: Do you have a hobby? Not really. When I have time I make temari, but I’m not hard-core about it like I used to be because I just don’t have the time right now.
Many thanks again to Carla at My 1/2 Dozen Daily for Sunday Night Chit Chat!
You read soo much! I agree, most of us will never know TRUE poverty!
The Temari are just beautiful!! Love them! I’d love to learn how to make those as well!
Every year I say I’m going to get back to making temari again, and then I get busy with something else. When I get a chance this Christmas I’m going to ask my daughter-in-law if she will order me some more cores, and choose some more brocade fabric as well – then I won’t have an excuse!
I also read Behind the Beautiful Forevers and thought it was amazing. I felt for a while that it should be required reading in American schools, but everything fades with time unless you are in the middle of it. It is a book I will always try to remember and be grateful an accident of birth made me an American.
That’s precisely how I feel about this book, that it should be required reading, and so grateful that I was born in the United States. Even if I was truly poor here, it would be nothing like the crushing poverty faced by the people in this Mumbai slum. A lot of the arguments we have here about helping those less fortunate seem very petty after reading this.
The Beautiful Forevers has been on my reading list for a while. Think it is time to bump it to the top.
I spent last evening writing thank you notes for my birthday gifts–it was tempting to put it off since they won’t go anywhere today anyway but it feels good to have it finished.
I found it on the “Lucky Day” shelf at our library – it’s apparently still in very high demand here and I would have had a long wait for it otherwise.
You are better than me about getting thank you notes out. Belated birthday wishes to you!
I haven’t yet read Behind the Beautiful Forevers, but will add it to my list.
The best book i’ve read in a long time (and I read a LOT) is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”
I LOVED that book! I read it a couple of years ago, but me thinks it’s time for a re-read.
I loved that one, too.