What I’m Into: February 2014

I turned my back for 5 minutes, maybe 10. He pulled a chair into the kitchen, climbed up on the counter and helped himself to a jar. He got a bowl out of the cupboard, removed the “childproof” lid and poured 3 months of rainbow-coloured vitamins into it. He carried it carefully to the table, sat up with a spoon and was just about to chow down on a massive multivitamin feast… when I noticed the quiet.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. A sentiment which pretty much sums up January and February in our house. I’ve filled pages and pages of journals, written a record number of unfinished/unpublished posts and spilled my guts to dear friends and people I barely know alike. Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime.

In the meantime, to maintain sanity I’ve also been…

Reading

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is the most fun I’ve had reading in a long, long time. Aside from the dark and haunting subplot, this romance between two (slightly nerdy) 16 year-olds, set in the 80s, could be my own. It is funny, sweet and captures the drama and desperation of teenaged love.

In the “you had to be there” category When We Were On Fire is an uncomfortably honest memoir by Addie Zierman about the strange subculture of evangelicalism. Exposing both the beautiful and the toxic, she shares her story of leaving and ultimately returning to “the church.” It tastes awfully familiar.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott contains some of the most profound, funny, inspiring, practical, winsome advice I’ve ever read. A book about writing and life, by one of the most beautiful writers of our time. To say I like it is an absurd understatement. Brilliant!

Surfing

If you’ve ever felt the burning desire to drop out of our corrupt, soul-killing, materialistic system, build your own home in a remote forest location, and live entirely off the grid in a one room yurt with your entire family… then you should read Esther Emery‘s blog. If, like me, you really haven’t and don’t expect ever to, you should read it anyway, because she is wise, honest, challenging and amazingly likeable for someone who’s living such an extreme vocation.

In an effort to behave more like the adult I aspire to be, I’m trying to keep up with international news. BBC World News is my new favourite. I’ve found it to be up to date, with quick and easy headlines, balanced coverage, without the North American fixation most local agencies fall into.

Watching

Saving Mr. Banks is one of the first times I’ve taken my girls to a movie that I wanted to see. This is based on the story behind Mary Poppins. It doesn’t move quickly, but the acting is fantastic. Turns out 11-years-old is too young to enjoy it, but 13 is just right.

I can barely admit this, but one of the movies I enjoyed most recently is Robocop. These kind of movies are a guilty pleasure – something I do alone, since my guy prefers romantic comedies over action, sci-fi or war movies (take that Binary Gender Roles!). I was impressed with the surprisingly complex issues this movie deals with and a really weird looking Samuel L Jackson.

I was guilt tripped into watching Gravity with my husband. Only 2 actors on camera the entire film, most of which is spent drifting in space… sounds dull. But it’s gripping. I can’t believe Sandra Bullock didn’t win an Oscar for it. She carries the entire show.

I’ve also been watching The Walking Dead, Call the Midwife, and as many episodes of Veronica Mars as I can manage before the movie release on March 14th. I can’t wait – probably my favourite detective character of all time, with the notable exception of BBC’s Sherlock.

Naval Gazing

Okay, I’ll admit it. I love those stupid buzzfeed quizzes that tell you what kind of dog/country/soft drink/cancerous fungus you are. For a healthier brand of introspection I’ve spent some time perusing the Enneagram. This personality system was designed by monks in ages past and is a much more productive, and spiritual, practice than I ever expected. Thanks to Lexi who first “therapized” me into this method and Leigh Kramer, whose series on Enneagram has been eye-opening.

I’m a 1, if anyone cares.

Blogging

What writing I actually managed to post on the blog this month consists entirely of love letters: to my husband in Once Upon a Marriage, my littles In His Shoes and In Her Shoes, even to an object, the one nearest and dearest to my heart in My Favourite Thing.

So here’s me, participating in Leigh Kramer’s “What I’m Into” link up.