Thursday, September 3, 2020

Coffee Talk September

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Good morning! Let's catch up over coffee! I'm drinking Dunkin' with a scoop of GLG collagen and a splash of half and half. I know, I need to mix it up but right now comfort feels good! Don't you agree? What are you having this morning? What would you tell me over coffee?


If we were having coffee, I'd tell you about... the emailed receipt for some furniture 'I' bought at a store in Massachusetts earlier in August. It was the strangest thing! First, I left a message for the store to call me back. My bank said no charges were made to my Visa, and when I checked my credit, no credit cards were opened in my name. The store called me back to tell me that yes, Wendy Rivard bought furniture but she lives in Massachusetts. A few days later, I got a receipt from Old Navy for clothing bought in the same town. Apparently my doppleganger has an email very close to mine. Too bad for her, because I got some discount coupons for Old Navy a few days later. 


If we were having coffee, I'd tell you about... the guy who keeps emailing me with typos and errors he finds on my blog. It's odd. He never says anything else in his messages. And dude, if you're reading this, yes, I know about that code that is appearing on the upper left hand corner of my blog. Consider it an Easter egg, just for you.


If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that... I got together with my parents and 2 of my sisters this week. I hadn't seen my sisters since December! My husband, who is still nervous about COVID, didn't come with me. It was great to see them and my mom was so happy to have us all together.

My parents, my sisters, and my youngest sister's kids

If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that... in spite of all the options streamingmy husband and I have been struggling to find anything worth watching. This past weekend, we tried (Un)Well, a docuseries on Netflix which is an exposé on the wellness industry. The first episode was all about essential oils, which was very interesting. The second episode was about tantric sex. Umm, that wasn't on my radar at all. Next up, drinking breastmilk. 

Pun intended

If we were having coffee, I'd share with you... my monthly reads for August. 

  • Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin was the perfect palate cleanser after reading a couple of heavy reads. The main character is a struggling musician who takes a gig singing to a playgroup of wealthy families and ends up getting involved with the women, stumbling onto a big secret. Totally entertaining. 
  • Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far by Paul Offit, MD. Offit is a vaccine champion, fighter of false medical information, and head of infectious diseases at CHOP. This is a great collection of 'conventional' treatments we use in medicine that continue to be promoted in spite of evidence against their effectiveness. I knew about most of them, and it's amazing how many patients still believe in these treatments. Great, great read.
  • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee has been in my Kindle library for about 2 years. A National Book Finalist, my sister highly recommended this one. I'm so glad I read it. It's an epic novel about a Korean family living in Japan; the patriarch of the family owns a Pachinko parlor, which is considered unseemly. The characters are all really colorful and I didn't want this one to end.
  • The End of the Day by Bill Clegg will be released September 26, but I was lucky to get a pre-release copy from Netgalley. I read Clegg's previous book, Did You Ever Have a Family, which was really good. Clegg is a gifted writer but this one just didn't work as well for me. The gorgeous prose is still there but the book needed some editing to make it more cohesive. 
  • The Last Flight by Julie Clark is an exhilarating thriller that left my heart pounding! A high profile marriage that isn't what it seems-the husbands are almost always the perp in these books--and a young woman trying to escape from bad life choices have a chance encounter in a airport, enabling both of them a fresh start. Or does it?
  • The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir by Michele Harper. Harper is an ER doc and while she shares stories from the ER, this book is more about her journey. I found it to be a really good read, but I could relate so much to some of her feelings about caregiving. I wish laypeople understood what it is like to be a healthcare provider. 
  • Luster by Raven Lelani is the buzz book of the month. A young woman in her 20s who is struggling with bad life choices, loses her job, and moves in with the man with whom she is having an affair--and his wife and foster child. If it sounds awkward, it is, but it's a great 'coming of age' story for the main character. The writing is at times really darkly funny but it is also somewhat stilted. 
  • I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown. I picked this one up based on Cari's recommendation. It's a short, engaging read which I thought was much better than White Fragility, probably because it's the author's personal narrative. I have to admit that after reading this one, I feel even less confident about my interactions with Black people. Unlearning and changing the deeply embeded script about race is definitely a work in progress.

If we were having coffee, I'd tell you... how sad I am that summer is coming to an end. The pandemic has sure been a party pooper. In spite of it all, I got to spend a lot of time up at Lake Wisconsin, including time with my boys. The weather this summer made for lots of time out on the water; if I couldn't go to Alabama, this sure made up for it. The weather also made for some wonderful running conditions--I hit over 100 miles again this month! My trail runs and time in nature made it that much better. There have been a lot of silver linings, in spite of all the closures and cancellations. I believe that we made the best of things. Here's to a vaccine and immunity, peace and love, and a better summer in 2021. 

What woud you tell me over coffee? Any virtual editors checking your content? What have you been streaming lately? Read any good books? Have you gotten together with family? Are you ready for summer to end?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.





34 comments :

  1. We are rewatching the West Wing. I actually follow the couple that were interviewed for EOs & they have a whole post on how things were twisted & taken out of context for that series.

    Even in the worst of times there’s silver linings. Sometimes it takes years to figure that out! I may have written about it. 😊

    Haven’t seen my siblings since Feb.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How bizarre about your virtual editor! People really are at a loss on how to spend their time aren't they?!

    So nice that you got to spend some time with your family! We're all getting together for my dad's birthday this weekend and I'm really looking forward to everyone being together.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always appreciate your book reviews and recommendations. Great to see your sisters. We’re making plans to see our daughter. We’re not “ready” but want to do it while we can still plan outdoor activities.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What A Fantastic Family Photo - So Pleased You All Made This Happen As December Was So Long Ago - Happy That You Are Seeing The Silver Lining - Good On You - I Am Only Pleased About Summer Ending Because I Have Been Thinking Snow For Awhile Now - Summer Was Active For Me So No Complaints Here - Be Well, Stay Strong, And Keep Mr Hubby Alive And Happy

    Big Hugs
    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not ready for snow! But the cooler temperatures of fall are most welcome.

      Delete
  5. That is really weird about the receipt. We like New Lenox, I'm embarrassed to say we watched Selling Sunset (although I did enjoy seeing the real estate in the Hollywood Hills. Now we're watching World's Toughest Race. Great family pic! I've seen my dad a lot but I can't tell you when I last saw my mom. Ugh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I got to see all of them! Hope your dad is holding on...

      Delete
  6. That is super weird about the guy that keeps emailing you - stalker much? Too bad you can't block him.

    I have the same email issue with another Kimberly Greene that lives in Indiana. At first it was super odd but now I just delete anything I get for her. Gmail needs to figure out a better system for these types of things, lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. I used to get email receipts for another Deborah who was planning all these girls trips. Thought about just tagging along! Wow you read a lot this month. Currently reading the guest list

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel like I read that one... and yes, empty nesting makes for a lot more reading time!

      Delete
  8. Drinking Hawaiian Vanilla Creme Brulee coffee this morning. It'll be iced coffee for the rest of the day because Labor Day weekend in SoCal = extreme heat (110-113 for the highs.) We had beautiful weather in June, July and most of August, so I shouldn't complain but complaining about the weather seems to be less controversial than anything else these days.

    Glad you got to see your family. One of our nephews came to see us in July, other than that we haven't seen any of our family since last year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol! I have to laugh because yeah, we can't really talk about much these days. Weather=safe.

      Delete
  9. Congrats on reaching 100 miles! Your running is definitely going very well!

    I have never spotted any typos or errors in your posts. That guy must be a retired teacher or something. Send him over to me, I’d appreciate a free proofreader! 😂

    Have you read 10 Marathons by Doug Schneider?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't read that one, but it sounds like I need to add it to my TBR list! I need to do a 'book club' read, seriously, I still have June's book as my last one.

      Delete
  10. The photo of you with your sisters, niece, nephew, and parents is wonderful. It must have been so great to see them all again!

    Thanks for the book recommendations. You are a prolific reader. Wow! Lots of good books to check out. I love having recommendations from someone I know and trust.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love love love to read! I also appreciate recommendations from people I know.

      Delete
  11. No virtual editors on my end, but a few disgusting spammers on occasion. We've gotten hooked on How to Get Away With Murder...great show with nonstop plot twists.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Kim, the spam has been ridiculous this week. Seriously, I get more views from spammers than anyone else.

      Delete
  12. Oh I will look out for I'm Still Here, thanks for the rec. I've started Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race but am not far into it yet. I was reading more direct experience books and biographies first but my best friend had this one and so did I, so ...

    I love your family picture. Matthew has seen his parents and brother but I'm the one who won't go there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am really confident that I don't have COVID, so it was up to my family to feel the same! Although I am seeing patients, we are screening and my office is a non-COVID site. We mask and require that the patients do the same. It's pretty comfortable.

      Delete
  13. Oh man I have really struggled to find anything on Netflix, I feel like I've given just about every show a thumbs down. I recently struck gold with Dr. Foster. Season 1 was epic, though I'm not feeling season 2 so I'm back in the market again. I really want to read Last Flight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It feels like Netflix is just putting anything out there. They need to remember the golden rule: quality over quantity!

      Delete
  14. Last year I started getting E-mails from Hollister because I guess someone signed up for an account with my Email address. I don't think I've ever shopped there in my life! I get weird spam comments about my blog, but I don't think they're specific to my blog, I think they are comments left on any site.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The spam comments are definitely generic! But wow, have they been pouring in.

      Delete
  15. Maybe this summer was meant for us all to slow down a bit and "get back to nature", Ya think? I'm glad you got to spend so much time at a place you love. I was sad that I didn't get to travel much this year as we stayed close to home. If things are normal next summer, I'm living it up for sure! ...lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm really grateful that we have the lake house, especially after my parents sold their summer place. Being on the water makes me happy!

      Delete
  16. Same thing happened to me with Old Navy...hmm, if it's a scam I can't figure out what people are getting out of it since they're not using our credit cards. But that's a weird coincidence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If it weren't for that furniture receipt I received for my 'twin', I would think the same thing!

      Delete
  17. hahaha, wow. Self-appointed unpaid copy editor? I think I have a piece of code hanging out somewhere on my blog that I haven't been able to get rid of either.

    I've heard about (Un)Well and vaguely tempted to watch it but also don't want my blood pressure skyrocketing so I haven't yet, haha. That's awesome that you've managed to get so much reading done in a month! I'm adding The Beauty in Breaking to my to-readlist!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The essential oils episode was great because it confirmed what I already suspected. But tantric sex? Drinking breastmilk? Seems a little off the rails to me!

      Delete