Sunday Snapshot for Fall 2020

Happy Sunday, everyone! Hope you've all been doing well since I last posted in August. It's snowing like gangbusters here but luckily we were able to get up to the mountains and see some of the aspens turning before they lost their leaves.

Anyway, let's dive right in to the Sunday Snapshot!

Currently Reading:

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory: I bought a paper copy of this book for myself for my birthday. Like all of Guillory's books it's a light, fast-paced, enjoyable read.

An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson: I've been working my way through the Walt Longmire series on audiobook. So far I'm enjoying this one: it's set during the Sturgis biker rally and features Henry's ex, Lola.

Movies:

Tenet, starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and a nearly completely unrecognizable Kenneth Branagh

I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan, so nothing was going to keep me from seeing this movie in theaters. It is very, very cool. Is it as successful as Inception or Interstellar? In my opinion, no, and I think that's because unlike those two movies this one isn't based on mythology. It feels complex but not deep, like an ouroboros. That said, it is a wild ride and I would definitely watch it again.

As a side note, is RPatt trying to pay down his mortgage all of a sudden or what? First Tenet and then Batman? I thought he'd sworn off blockbuster movies.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette, starring Cate Blanchett

A frustrating and depressing movie based on a book that I mostly remember as enjoyable. I loved (/sarcasm) how everything is twisted around so that it's Bernadette's fault, including her completely unsupportive husband sleeping with his secretary! 

Do not recommend, and I plan to avoid any other Richard Linklater movies in the future.

Sorry to Bother You, starring Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson

A super duper weird, surrealistic movie. Broke and without many prospects, Cash Green gets a job at telemarketing firm where he's paid bupkis. But all that changes when he adopts a "white voice" over the phone. Suddenly he goes from zero to hero at the firm and starts earning major bonuses. Ensue hilarious social commentary? Not quite.

I think if you like films like The Cabin and Get Out you'll want to watch this movie. I can guarantee you won't be able to predict where it's going.

Enola Holmes, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Sam Claflin, and Henry Cavill

Who could have predicted I'd want to watch this??? Basically, the beginning was slow and boring, and the ending felt like a million things thrown together at once. But the middle part was fantastic! I really hope they continue these movies as a series so I can see more of this ridiculously attractive Sam Claflin person.

Quarantine Things:

You'll all be happy to know that I've managed to keep myself from either reading or watching anything related to Twilight for the past few weeks. Well, except for that one time I rewatched the first movie again. But minor slip.

In Find Me In Paris news, I made it to season 3 and I'm super annoyed because Max left the show, and the way he left didn't even make sense! So in the final ep of season 2, Lena (the time traveling ballerina) told Max she was a time traveler and she was going back to 1905. And he BEGGED her not to go and even tried to go after her, but the portal closed. Fast forward to season 3: Lena returns to the present to find that Max has left to go to America, even though he's from London and said he was planning to go there. So he begs her to stay, tries to follow her, and then immediately leaves for another continent? What??? Also, they're not even in Paris anymore, they moved to the South of France, which. Not Paris. Just saying.

Anyway, I felt like I needed a break from the time traveling ballerina after that, so I switched to Emily in Paris, which is a fantastic show that only has ten episodes and gives me all the Paris feels. And I could definitely use some glamorous Parisian escapism right now. Recommended!

These months in heidenkindom:

Cabin fever is definitely setting in at chez heidenkind. School started at the university with 50% on-campus staffing limits. On the plus side, we didn't have to go through screenings anymore, which I was happy about because they were a pain. And it was nice to be with my team in person a couple days a week instead of communicating over email or zoom all the time.

The week before last we moved into a space where I actually had my own office instead of sharing one or using the closet. Just in time for them to tell us they're rolling back the staffing limit to 25% and we'll all be 100% remote again after Thanksgiving break. At least they gave us a few days' notice this time instead of 12 hours like they did in March. But the sum of it is, since our team is so small and only one of us really needs to be on campus to do their job, I'm going back to 100% remote. I wouldn't say I'm broken up about it, especially on days like today when it's snowing and I know the roads will be awful the next morning, but still.

Meanwhile, I've accumulated so many hours of annual leave that I HAVE to take at least 16 hours a month or I'll start losing hours. I don't know about you all, but I am going to take a looooooong vacation once this is all over.

In other news, it was my birthday this month. I turned 40 (!). Yikes. I am officially old. Olllld old old. For a birthday during quarantine it was okay. I bought some champagne for myself, some books, and I got Japanese gin and a backup camera as presents.

I've also been reading some pretty good books lately. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall has to be my favorite read of the year so far: awesome characters, super fun story, a ton of Britishisms I immediately started throwing into casual conversation, and just an overall excellent romantic comedy. A few other recent reads I highly recommend:

• 500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan: Colgan never disappoints in the escapism department. This book started off pretty depressing, but once the characters switched places it became a heartwarming tale of healing in a tiny Scottish village.
• The Order by Daniel Silva: Another author who rarely disappoints. I could see the "twist" at the end coming from a mile off, but otherwise this is another fast-paced suspense novel set right before a Vatican conclave. Father Joshua lives!
• Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino: Some serious Agatha Christie vibes with this one. As with all Higashino's novels, it's not so much a question of who did it but how. A very clever and twisty novel

That's all that's been going on in my world! Do you have any books, movies, or television to recommend as we slide into the holiday season?

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Sunday Snapshot: Quarantine Edition

Hello again friends! Long time no post, although it weirdly doesn't feel like it's been six months since I last checked in. Time has no meaning anymore! Anyway, on with the post. 

Currently reading: 

The Order by Daniel Silva - Just started this one. It's giving me major Angels and Demons vibes.

Warlock Holmes: The Finality Problem by GS Denning - Another fun volume in this highly recommendable series. 

Movies:

Most of the movies I've seen during quarantine are re-watches, but there were a couple of new (or new to me) movies that I've caught on Netflix or Hulu. Here are some of the more memorable.

A Dash of Love, starring Jen Lilley and Brendan Penny

Okay, this is a Hallmark movie, I admit it. I started watching it when I woke up on the couch at 1 AM and it totally sucked me in. It's about two chefs who struggle for recognition against an evil celebrichef who steals their ideas. Way better than your average Hallmark movie.

Hamilton, starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, et. al. 

THANK YOU DISNEY FOR THIS GIFT. Of course I knew Hamilton was going to be good, and I knew I would like it, but I didn't know just how good and how much I would love it until I actually saw it performed. 

As an aside, there is a Hamilton song for every situation in life.

Palm Springs, starring Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg 

If you enjoy the movie Groundhog Day (full disclosure: I've never actually seen it), you will LOVE Palm Springs. It's a super clever and funny twist on a very familiar plot. Nyles and Sarah are trapped in a time loop that spans the day of Sarah's sister's wedding. Luckily, they have each other to make the never-ending day different and fun. At least until Sarah decides to make a break for it. Watch it on Hulu!

A Simple Favor, starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively 

A lighter, brighter Gone Girl. Anna Kendrick is great in this movie and I loved the dynamic between her and Lively. Very much worth watching.

Booksmart, starring Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein 

TBH I was kind of disappointed in this one. I've seen movies before with literally the exact same plot (two teenagers try to find an epic party to prove they're cool/make a move on their crush and in the process find themselves and discover their true friends) that were way funnier. I did appreciate the feminism, however. 

New segment! Quarantine things 

These are things that have taken over my life during the QT. What's been your quarantine thing the past few months?

Twilight 

Okay, I'm not going to say I'm proud of this, but I've watched Twilight three times since April. A movie has to be truly remarkably bad to be endlessly entertaining in its badness. And that's just the first movie! I also re-watched the other three movies. 

Then I thought I should re-read Eclipse since I hadn't done that yet (and trust me, I never will again. The only reason to read that book is the scene in the tent). I WAS going to regroup and try to read something adultish afterwards, but then I was like, "But what will the wedding look like??" as if I didn't already know. So I reread Breaking Dawn and admittedly it was worse than I remembered. But babies chewing their way out of the womb FTW. 

AND THEN Midnight Sun was released and, well, what's person to do? It's like Stephanie Meyer is reading my mind or something. So I read that. It only took 3 weeks and by the end I was so read out I never wanted to look at another book again. Don't get me wrong, it was good, and so much of Edward's actions make more sense now. It was just sooooooooooooooo loooooooong. Like so long. When I first started it I thought it was going to cover the entire series, but no, it's just the first book. 

 Anyway. I MAY have to re-read the first Twilight now but I'm trying to control myself.

Find Me In Paris 

 TIME TRAVELING BALLERINA, Y'ALL. This is a series on Hulu. It's about teenagers. One of them is a ballerina from 1905 who's being pursued by bad guys who look like escapees from a steampunk convention. Her 1905 boyfriend is trying to stop them and get her back. Meanwhile, in 2018, there's a cute ballet dancer named Max who's obviously into her. 

 This show is completely silly and cheesy and I can't stop watching it and I won't stop. 

  These months in heidenkindom: 

 Well, where to start. Things could be worse. The university moved to 100% remote work in late February, and I've been sheltering in place with my parents since then. You'd think if anyone was born to social distance it would be myself, but I've been surprised by how stressful and upsetting true quarantine has been. Yes, I've worked from home before, but I could also do things I enjoyed outside of home, like go to movies, or eat out, or go to a museum. Now, nothing. I had a major breakdown on Easter Sunday and that's not even a big holiday in our house. 

But, on the plus side, my friends and family are healthy so far and I was able to keep my job. 

 In related job news, work was super stressful the past few months. My supervisor retired just as we started migrating to a new CRM. But that's a cakewalk compared to the new position I started in mid-June: first I was stressed out over whether or not to apply (I didn't meet all of the minimum qualifications). Then I applied and was stressed out over whether to withdraw my application or not. 

 And then came the interviews. I NEVER WANT TO DO ANOTHER JOB INTERVIEW OVER ZOOM FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE. You'd think it'd be easier, but it's not. In fact, the interview with my current supervisor was cut off and had to be rescheduled because her baby woke up. Ahh that WFH life. 

Anyway, so the hiring committee recommended me but since I didn't meet the minimum qualifications they had to fail the search. Luckily, the job description was rewritten to exclude the one qual I didn't meet, but that meant I had to reapply. Oy vey. But all's well that ends well I guess since I got the job. (just not the pay increase with it for 3 months and there's another long story). 

 As for events, I was able to meet up with Colleen from back in the #hitchfest days as she was traveling through my area! We had a lovely chat and socially distanced lunch on the grass. Definitely the highlight of the last few months! 

 Now things are starting to reopen, which in some ways is a blessing and other ways not so much. I went to see Inception, one of my favorite movies, in theaters for the first time, and it was actually better than it usually is. I like that I don't have to sit next to people in the theater and it's not as crowded. I also went to an exhibit of Venetian art glass at our local art museum. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it was nice to get out and see something beautiful. 

 I'm still nervous about eating in restaurants, though, and going onto campus with the mask and the screening is a pain. Not that I want us to go backwards back to 100% remote - hopefully we don't. But I think we all know that's a possibility and quite frankly I don't want to be the one who infects the entire admissions office with COVID-19.

 So, how have you all been? Is there anyone still out there? If so thanks for visiting and keeping up with this wildly quiet blog. Hope you're all doing well!! 

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Sunday Snapshot for February

Hello all! First of all, thank you to everyone who still stops by to see what's going on with this blog, and especially to those of you who take the time to comment. I know I've been terrible at replying lately but I really do appreciate it.

Anyway, let's get on with the Sunday Snapshot. There are a lot of snaps at the end of this post if you just want to skip to that.

Currently Reading:

Newcomer by Keigo Higashino: I actually started reading this book last year, but couldn't get into it. Then I realized it was available on Hoopla as an audiobook and thought I'd give it another go. Let's just say, the detective has spent the last four chapters obsessing over a pair of scissors that have nothing to do with the crime. Uhg.

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory: I think I would be enjoying this book a lot more if I'd made an effort to read it in a day or two. But it's a perfectly pleasant novel.

Movies Watched:

Well, there's been a lot. Here are some highlights:

Parasite (And I'll be honest, I don't really know which actor played what character so I'm just going to skip that part)

A really good movie. All the hype is well-deserved. I'm going to have to watch it at least one more time to sort out my feelings and interpretations of the subtext and social commentary, but even without that it's just a well-done thriller that's properly tense and creepy. Plus the art direction is spot-on. Definitely worth seeking out!

The Gentlemen, starring Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, and Hugh Grant

OMG you guys. Charlie Hunnam is SO HOT in this movie. I was sure he was going to set his sweater on fire at any moment. I could stare at him in a suit for hours. Or the back of him in jeans.

As for the movie itself, I guess it was entertaining? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Typical Guy Ritchie stuff.

Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Bell

This movie is so much better than Bohemian Rhapsody that it's hard to believe they're the same genre of film. Lots of super memorable scenes, the music is incorporated both seamlessly and inventively, and the ending is uplifting and hopeful. Not to get all #ownvoices on you guys, but this movie in comparison to Bohemian Rhapsody really does show how much of difference telling your own story can make.

These weeks in heidenkindom:

In my year-end wrap-up for 2019, I mentioned I was interviewing for a job in the new year. Well, I didn't get it. But I'm honestly okay with that. I didn't feel 100% ready to fill that position, and I know the person they hired for it will be awesome at it. Plus work has been a lot less boring lately since my supervisor retired, so I'm not sitting in my closet wasting away or anything.

I also mentioned in my last post that I wanted to do more of what I enjoy, like travel, photography, and reading. 2020 has definitely delivered on some of those!

The second week of January I went to Portland for job-related training. I didn't get to see a lot of Portland, but I had a ton of wonderful meals there! I also got to check out Powell's, which I didn't think I would have a chance to, so that made me happy. If you're in Portland, be sure to stop by Q Restaurant, Bamboo Sushi, and Pépé le Moko.

Then, two weeks later I decided to take a mini-vacation to Bisbee, AZ. As I mentioned in the year-end post, Bisbee '17 was my favorite documentary of 2019, and ever since I saw it I've been obsessed with going to see Bisbee for myself. Well ticket prices into Phoenix weren't bad so I just decided to go for it. I'm so happy I went! The town totally lived up to my expectations: super quaint, full of old Victorian buildings and cute little shops, good restaurants, and the people were very friendly. I took a ghost tour, visited the local museum, and realized caves and me are no longer compatible.

View of Bisbee from my hotel

Brewery gulch, once the seediest street in Arizona

A cool gate

The Lavender Pit, where copper was mined in Bisbee until the 1970s

The flies are a theme in Bisbee and refer to the early days of the city when there was no plumbing, running water, or soil to compost waste

This is actually a "suburb" of Bisbee. Now it's mainly a ghost town that a group of locals are restoring to look like it did in the 1950s, with old cars and storefronts

Street art in Bisbee

On the way to/from Bisbee, I stopped at the 17th-century mission church of San Xavier, which was awesome, and took a sunset photography hike at Saguaro National Park.

I also stopped in Tombstone. It was so lame. If you're going to visit a Old West town in Arizona, it should be Bisbee.

Finally, I crossed one more bucket list item off this weekend: I saw Josh Gates in person! Unfortunately I didn't get to meet him because they shut the line down before I found it, but it was still awesome. He's so down to earth and exactly like he is on his show.

Josh Gates at the Travel & Adventure Show

Botanical Gardens in winter

Anyway, that's been my 2020 so far. Catch me up on what you all have been doing!




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Year-End Round Up for 2019!

My top 9 of 2019 are kinda creepy.

Happy New Year's! According to the Gregorian calendar, it's that time of year wherein we take stock of the past 12 months (or ten years? Let's not go back that far) and look ahead to the next 12. Welcome to the Year-End Round Up!

To be honest, I'm approaching 2020 with mixed emotions. As you may recall, at the end of 2019 I started a new job at a university that was very boring. I'd committed to giving it a year, however, and now that I'm at the 13 month mark I have more to do, but I'm still not super engaged with it.

Don't get me wrong, it's an okay job. I don't dread going into work and I like the people I work with, but it's definitely not something I want to be doing for an extended period of time.

To that end I applied for another job within the university that feels like a huge jump up. It's a supervisory position in another department. Is that something that I'm 100% confident I will be able to pull off? I'll be honest, no. But I was 100% confident I could do my current job, and now I'm bored, so perhaps a challenge is what I really need. Also, I've suffered from imposter syndrome for a long time, not realizing until recently that that was what was going on, and honestly I'm done with it.

Either way, I'm stressing out about the interview and the prospect of getting the job and the prospect of not getting the job all simultaneously, so I've basically been like this all break:

My seasonal depression has also been really bad this year, which is probably another reason why I'm finding it difficult to put myself in the holiday frame of mind. It doesn't seem like I do a lot of what I used to enjoy anymore, like taking photographs, traveling, writing, visiting blogs, finding new cocktails to try, going through Insta, or reading.

Year in Reading

And speaking of, let's get off the personal track and move on to my year in books in 2019! This year I read just 31 books, compared to last year's number of 51. Not great! Here are some stand-outs:

Favorite Mystery: The Melting Clock by Stuart M Kaminsky

Wartime PI Toby Peters is hired by Salvador Dalí to find three missing paintings by the artist. This book is so much fun! I loved the surreal elements and Dalí was hilarious. If you're into Old Hollywood, the Toby Peters series is totally up your alley.

Favorite Romance: The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham

Technically my favorite romance of the year was a reread of The Chocolate Touch, but for new-to-me books, this was a highly enjoyable historical romp with a smart, vivacious heroine and a tortured hero. You know I loves me some tortured heroes. His Dark Secret was completely crazy pants, but for some reason that didn't bother me too much.

Favorite Non-Fiction Read: Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner

If you've ever wanted to, or tried to, learn a language, this book is for you! There is a ton of interesting information about learning and memory, and Wyner has an excellent set of tools to help people learn and remember language. I used his method this past semester for my Italian class, and I think it really helped. I started having dreams in Italian the second week! Plus I love what a word nerd Wyner is.

Year in Movies

I watched 43 movies this year (not counting Hallmark movies... haha), and I have some Definite Opinions about them.

Favorite Movie: Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood

This should come as no surprise! I was walking on air for days after seeing this movie; I loved it. I want to live in it. I've listened to the soundtrack so many times I have the commercials memorized.

Favorite Movie, Runner Up: Knives Out

This twisty mystery is so much fun and you can just tell everyone on the film is having a blast. Will definitely be rewatching this one!

Favorite Documentary: Bisbee '17

A surreal and super-relevant film about the Bisbee Deportation of 1917, this film proves that the more things change the more they still the same. I still want to go to Bisbee because of this movie.

Favorite Cameo, possibly of all time: Always Be My Maybe

This romcom was already awesome, and then Keanu Reeves showed up and made it one of greatest things I've ever laid eyes on.

2019 by the Numbers

• 31 books total
• 74% of those books were by women
• 41% were romance
• 50% were audiobooks
• Only 4 were authors of color :(

So clearly for 2020 I need to read more books, read more AOC, be more confident, and travel more so I can take more photos to share with y'all on Insta!


What were some of your favorite reads of the past year? Any New Year resolutions you want to share?


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Favorite Not-Holiday Movies 2019

Hello everyone, and welcome to the third post of the year! Wow, it has been legit radio silent around here. Luckily I'm currently on winter break, so I have time to revive a Christmas tradition here at TBFB: Favorite not-holiday movies! In case you need a reminder, favorite not-holiday movies are movies I think of as "Christmas movies," even though they have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. You can find all of the previous not-holiday movies here. And if you can actually get Disqus to work, feel free to share your favorite holiday movies in the comments!

Without further ado, here are the movies that are giving me the holiday feels this year:

She Loves Me, starring Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi

This is actually a musical rather than a movie, but the 2016 Broadway revival was recorded and aired on Great Performances. I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH. If you've ever seen You've Got Mail, it's basically the same plot (and based on the same play, Perfumerie) but set in a 1930s Budapest department store. It's so much fun and romantic, but also real with some heartbreaking moments, and the performances and spot-on. The look on Zachary Levi's face when he realizes his pen pal is his work nemesis is priceless. Plus, if I'm not mistaken it takes place during the holidays.

A Very Murray Christmas, starring Bill Murray

Okay, so sometimes a Christmas movie sneaks into my not-holiday movie list. This Christmas special goes a long way toward justifying Netflix's existence. It's delightful and heartwarming and Bill Murray is a national treasure. Also the scene with Chris Rock is HILARIOUS.

Knives Out, starring Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig

I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's just not Christmas without Daniel Craig. This movie is sure to be one of my favorites of the year. If you love Clue, you MUST see it. It's a little too long for its own good, but it's so much fun to watch and it's the type of movie that's so chock full of detail, visual puns, and in-jokes, you could watch it 20 times and still notice something new. So it's perfect for annual re-watching!

Bad Times at the El Royale, starring Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Bridges

Groovy and atmospheric, this movie turned me into a die hard Cynthia Erivo fan. Her voice is AMAZING. I love how twisty turny this movie is and how no one is what they seem. Plus, there's a nice cozy fire at the end to put you in the holiday spirit!

Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!