The weather here in California is still quite something. We discovered a leaky window that will have to be fixed, but we’re OK. A little sick of each other. Sending messages back and forth through the cat.
I’ve been hunkered down in the house riding out the storm. I finished Sea of Tranquility. I liked it, but sometimes that time travel stuff blows my mind. For the record, I also have trouble understanding how the James Webb Space Telescope sees galaxies billions of years old. You can explain it to me all day long, but my head is still going to explode.
A good legal thriller is Scott Turow’s Suspect. Pinky, the protagonist, is a funny and smart screw-up trying to make it as a private investigator working for a lawyer. She’s also bisexual, and that’s an interesting aspect of the story.
You kind of have to wonder how a guy creates a character like that, but I guess that’s what writers do. Still, how does he know it’s authentic? Or maybe in fiction, there is no authenticity. Just characters as the writer envisions them. He’s an excellent writer, and I thought the character was great, but I’m assuming someone out there will say he got it wrong.
Anyway, I’ve been on the lookout for a new crime series to read. My original plan was to follow up on the Three Pines TV show and read the Louise Penny books. But they are quite popular right now, so I started Dead Irish, the first book in the Dismas Hardy series by John Lescroart. Dismas is a Vietnam veteran, lawyer and bartender in San Francisco. I love it so far and put the next one on my library reserve list.
The good news is there are 19 of them in all!
On the medical front, I saw the doctor about my blood pressure and took my machine with me because the readings were so odd. My BP was fine on her machine and quite elevated on mine. She tried several times and finally asked me how old it was. I dunno, eight, 10 years?
As it happens, these things are not designed to last that long. Some articles I read said two to three years max. She advised me to get a new one, which I did, and my readings are all now consistent with hers. That was a big sigh of relief.
This is my public service announcement (without guitar). Please see if your blood pressure monitor needs to retire, too.
Finally, I will share that I still dream about work quite a bit, even after five years. This week’s nightly drama was about clothes and dressing appropriately for the office. I can’t remember details from the dream, but there was some level of bullshit about not wearing the right outfit.
No big surprise, really. I did struggle with the corporate “dress for success” model and squandered a lot of money trying to fit in. I didn’t land on a good look for me until later in my career, but it was enough to get me to the finish line.
I ended up keeping just a few great pieces, and I even though I told you years ago I was donating them, I couldn’t quite make myself do it. Still hanging in my closet, waiting for the miracle …which would be like me, dressing up for anything anymore.
Men probably don’t do this, but women seriously check each other out at work. What you wear is more than a corporate uniform. It’s also a peer-to-peer evaluation system, a hierarchy of sorts and one I’m glad to see in the rear view mirror.
Another retirement bonus! Nobody cares what I wear anymore, maybe not even me.
Happy New Year, Donna! Not a great start for 2023 with the havoc from Atmospheric River. We were hit hard with hurricane winds reaching 65 mph. We had a 70’ cedar fall on our roof, and there are four more fallen trees in our yard. We are lucky to not have much structural damage to the house. Birds are still happy to use the fallen tree to perch on and sing. There are some blessings and silver linings. We are very tired of sitting inside, talking about the weather and what we will cook for dinner. At least you have your Kitty to send messages to hubs.
I have a question to ask you and any others here. I am curious as to why there are so many readers enjoying crime novels? And the so called “cozy mysteries” are very popular on Brit Box. I have enjoyed a few of those because they have little blood and gore. But it’s not my favorite cup of tea.
What a great question. I’ve been reading crime fiction for a long time, but even after thinking about this, I can’t say why I’m attracted to it. I’m not into blood and gore and won’t read anything about serial killers, but there’s a lot in between. I like the British mysteries, but not the cozies so much. Police procedurals can be interesting from the intellectual perspective — you know, the investigation and how a crime gets solved. Same for legal thrillers. I like it when there’s a death at the beginning without too much about the actual murder itself, and then the rest of the book is basically a who done it. I also like private investigators, especially when their personal story is as interesting as the crime.
Geez, I forgot to comment on your tree! How horrible, but at least you’re all OK. Your positive attitude is remarkable.
A new Scott Turow is great news – I will hasten to purchase after I’m done here, thank you Donna 🙂 Hopefully he engaged the services of a sensitivity or diversity beta reader (or two) as is advised these days, so only offends those who are actively seeking to be so (if you know what I mean).
Having been in my own little bubble, I’d no idea what’s going on in California weather-wise. Glad to hear that you’re well, if bored. We had an interesting experience in the supermarket last evening when a thunderclap landed directly overhead. The rain which followed can only be described as apocalyptic. We’ll still have a drought come summer thought, I’ll warrant.
I still have those work nightmares. Mine involve frantically trying to stop the idiots doing idiot stuff, because I know the blame is going to land in my lap. Or some other out of control thing. I look forward to even my part-time job being behind me, and then I’ll only be able to blame myself when stuff goes wrong in my business!
I did not know about diversity beta readers — wow! Thanks for sharing that.
The out-of-control thing is a recurring theme in my dreams. My husband swears you can overcome it by talking to yourself before you go to sleep. For example, I have dreams where I’m packing, trying to carry stuff and dropping it all. Dale says before I go to sleep, I should tell myself that I will be able to carry whatever I need, and I won’t drop anything. Packing will be a breeze. I think it works if I remember to do it!
That sounds like a great idea. I have those nightmares rarely these days, which may be because I listen to a led meditation before going to sleep. But I do like Dale’s suggestion. But as you say, remembering to do it is the trick!
The storms you are experiencing look terrible. It even makes me appreciate our snowy, cloudy weather, which is saying a lot.
I agree that one of the benefits of retirement is not having to maintain a work wardrobe. I had to laugh when I read your comment, “that women check each other out at work” for a clothing inspection. Sad, but true. I still find myself drifting to the dress cloths when I shop and realize, with a shock, that I do not need any. It is surprising how little I dress up anymore. Gotta love sweats!
Hello and welcome! I’ve already checked out your blog and immediately subscribed.
I spend so little time and money on clothes these days. I pretty much live out of a laundry basket, but my go-to pants are Athleta’s Headlands Hybrid Cargo Tights. So comfy. Dress them up, dress them down. Just talking about them makes me want to buy another pair in case they decide to discontinue them.
I love the Dismas Hardy books. I don’t think I’ve read 19 though!!
Another Dismas fan! I’ve read two now and imagine I’ll be reading all 19 of them.