more queer eye thoughts

Just watched a couple more episodes and now I understand why they dropped the "for the straight guy" from the title. That might be my favorite episode so far.

Also, I find it fascinating that there is this over-arching theme (at least so far) when it comes to men and self-care and understanding how much their outward appearance effects their feelings towards themselves. I think men in society are taught that they don't have to look good, that their clothes/hair/etc. don't really matter. But the show proves that just a simple shave and a hair cut and some good fitting pants can change EVERYTHING.

I know that this is how I felt after I discovered Torrid and the way their clothes fit. I was never good at finding things in my size that were fashionable so I just always shopped at Kohls, which was fine but I love how young and sexy the Torrid outfits make me feel. I get so many compliments and it just makes me feel good and DAMN I like looking good too!

We focus so much on gender roles and expectations for women, but there are just as many issues for men in our society, they just seem to swing the other way.

Deep thoughts for a Friday night, yeah?

stupid nor'easter with its stupid wind...

So it was freakin' windy in Maryland today and this happened:



It doesn't *appear* to have caused any structural damage to the house but we will get a real view tomorrow after we get rid of the tree. It fell from the weird "unowned" area between our house and the townhomes behind us and it fell through our neighbors lawn, destroying their fences. (Tim said they stopped by this afternoon to ask whose fence it was because it is right on the property line. We are pretty sure it is there fence because of the location of the company logo.) We are VERY lucky to have a friend with a chainsaw and a generous heart who will spend a bit of his Saturday morning with us tomorrow and chop it all up.

And then three hours later, another tree fell and narrowly missed our shed. AIEE!

Sheesh, what a day! Tim had to deal with the bulk of it because he was home so he heard it fall. Unfortunately, when he went outside to investigate, he forgot to latch our screen door which likes to sit ajar and the wind caught that and cracked the frame. **facepalm**

It is still really blowing around out there so I am hoping we don't wake up to any other surprises.

Hope everyone else who is on the east coast of the US was able to stay safe and warm today! I saw a lot of snow on my Instagram!

books read in February 2018

LOL sorry for spamming you all with posts this evening!! Just had things to say and it felt easier to spread them across multiple entries rather one long rambling post. Decent month for reading, though getting sick slowed me down a LOT.

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I want to know how much the 2016 election effected Shusterman's writing or if this is one of those strange cases of life imitating art. I don't think I have read a 500 page book this quickly in a LONG time.

While Scythe set up the world, 'Thunderhead' lets us finally live in it. More thoughts on life, death, and also how easy it is to become dependent and *trusting* of technology.

I actually liked Rowan and Citra a lot more in this book too, perhaps because I prefer them apart rather than together.

Shusterman reminds me of Michael Crichton, in the sense that he knows how to tell a great story, fast-paced and mixed with enough pseudo science to make you feel like it could happen...even if his character development isn't the best. But I'm not here for the characters so much as I am here for the thoughts on what a world without death would really mean. And how much I should worry if Alexa does gain self-awareness and decide to run my life for me.



4 Kids Walk Into A Bank by Matthew Rosenberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm not even sure how to describe this except REALLY GOOD. Moments of humor, heart, and it is easy to see yourself as these teens, straddling that line between childhood and adulthood.

Read this if you've enjoyed that whole retro/80s vibe that Stranger Things has but want more of a crime twist rather than demigorgons.



Lovely by Jess Hong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is lovely. Everyone in it is lovely. Let's all be lovely together.

It is that simple.



Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fascinating read that is still releveant over twenty years later. It was eerie to read the profiles of the different killers and then turn on the news and see that the description of recent mass shooters line up exactly. But, as Douglas says in the final few pages, the key to stopping these horrible violent crimes is stopping criminals from being made and that means taking care of each other and being a positive force in the world.

Highly recommend this to everyone.



Mis(h)adra by Iasmin Omar Ata

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


3.5 stars

I liked this book and I might have liked it more had I not just read Lighter Than My Shadow which also dealt with a mental illness and the process of learning to live with it.

Still, great true story that will raise awareness about people who suffer from things like epilepsy and the stigmas associated with it along with the struggle of an "invisible" ailment.

There was a lot here to like but I am even more excited to see what comes next from Ata because I feel like he has more stories to tell.



Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Probably 2.5 stars.

When I read this as a teen, I assumed I was too unsophisticated for the humor or, perhaps, too American to understand it all. But reading it again, I had all the same issues with the pacing and the plot-twist. Nowhere near as funny as the sequel or HHGttG series.

I'm going to read The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul next which I have very fond memories of so I'm hoping it holds up after all these years!



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