Issue #9 She is not a writer at all, really; she is merely a gifted eccentric
My dearest darlings! Hello to you and you and you. Why yes, I've had quite a few cups of coffee this morning and a protein fueled breakfast. Why do you ask?
Long time readers know I have a section here on things that I like but I need to up my game a bit and go with things I'm obsessed because what is the point of life otherwise?
Current Obsessions
I've been collecting scents from BPAL, along with other scents picked up on my travels, for years. When I moved to the East Coast, the bag I carried all of my preciouses was lost. I didn't think I would be so besat with frustration as I was with having lost those blasted scents but yet, here I was. It was upon losing those scents that I realised how much smelling a delight made a huge boost in my own psyche and mood and I've been slowing building up my collection again to keep feeling going. I ordered a few things from BPAL (Bliss and Bathsheba are two of my favorites) recently and I've been scouting out for other places and found this shop on etsy, Scent by the Sea, that does wonderful samples of various patchoulies. I just ordered their 10 sampler pack and I'm quite excited! (Yes, I do adore smelling like earthy mother goddess and hippies.)
I've been carrying around a copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own for what seems like an eternity and I finally had a chance to get to it this past week.
Oh. My God.
Woolf's 90 year old treatise on the status, supplication, and desires of women not only being allowed to write but being allowed to write and treated like their male counterparts is fantastic. Sure, Woolf meanders a bit in the beginning but when she gets going, she really gets going. Now I'm obsessed with all things Woolf and will be watching The Hours (where the gifs come from) as a reward for my work today and later, start through Woolf's cannon (I've read Mrs. Dalloway and To The Lighthouse, which gives me some headway into her work.).
[I should note Woolf was thought to be bipolar and she eventually committed suicide. Why do I love the most tortured souls? Maybe I think in some way I can save them.]
[Wholly unrelated: I had two people from two very different aspects of my world tell me I was, unironically, "interesting." I remain suspicious.]
I am making some headway into my writing projects, which is making me very happy but also frustrated as I want to write ALL THE THINGS. I've written The Move over at the Medium this week and I've submitted it for consideration at The Mighty. I'm in a bit of pickle as I seem to write very niche things and I'm having a difficult time finding these audiences. I know they exist, but finding where they are located is becoming quite the work. If anyone has any suggestions on where I should be submitting, let me know.
[We should all buy our own damn flowers.]
Books / Movies / TV
I finished A Murderous Procession, fourth and final book of the Mistress of the Art of Death series which posits a woman doctor who solves mysteries in 12th century England. I adored the series and found it, at times, highly educational. A++ recommendation if you want a kick ass woman doing unwomanly things in the middle ages.
I've just started Dollface, which I picked up as an ARC ages ago at a library conference, and I'm finally getting to it. A hundred pages in and the story is merely, "eh." The author is trying too hard to be "with the times" and it feels like she's meticulously culled Wikipedia entry, which is a shame because the '20s is one of my favorite time periods and to besmirch it leads a grumpy lip line. One of the complaints voiced by others were concerns of the cover and description seemed geared for teen readers. It is, however, considered to be an adult book. While reading teen literature doesn't put me off, I will say expecting to read teen and find it to be adult was a bit jarring. It's like being in the mood for grape jelly and getting strawberry instead. Not necessarily a bad thing as they are both comparable just not what you were expecting.
Really not much on the TV front this week. I am enjoying Roadies and I am desperate at times to want to give everything up, give the dog to TheExHusband, and run away with the band. Apparently nothing else is getting my attention as I can't think of what else I'm watching.
Curated Link Love
The story of a man, his voice, and his loving, but enclosed, world [NY Times]
A satirical look at marriage proposals [New Yorker]
The story of the last Floridian Native American tribes [Oxford American]
Another article on why book readers will live forever [Electric Literature]
What it's like having a Trans partner [Buzzfeed]
A beautiful, and all too real, tale of being mentally ill in America [American Short Fiction]
The gendering of book covers [LitHub]
The story of the Shakespeare riots (really!) at a now nearly forgotten NY subway station [Atlas Obscura]
The longevity of Catullus, a 2000 year old Roman erotica poet [LitHub]
The secret apartment at the top of the Eiffel Tower [Conde Nast Traveler]
What if you could have a spotless mind? [Aeon]
Why not? 31 life hacks to improve your life in a month [Inc.]
The world's ten oldest books and where to see them (Oldest one is 2600 years old! Crazy.) [Mental Floss]
This was written for TheExHusband: Why it pays to be grumpy and ill-tempered [BBC]
Here is what college freshman are reading [NPR]
In a world where being zen is a good thing, why being a people pleaser isn't the way to go [Greater Good]
Amazing Mason Jar Ideas For People Who Are Totally Sick of Mason Jars [The Ugly Volvo]
Like these books? Here are 60+ things you may also like [NPR]
The Story of Laffing Sal, the World's Most Uncanny (read creepy) Animatronic Doll [Atlas Obscura]
This YouTube Channel Is Devoted To People Assembling Ikea Furniture While On Drugs [Fast to Create]
[Lastly, to Leonard from his Virginia -- you have given me everything and for that you have been my always and will always have my heart.]
Until next week!
xxx You can find me across the internet as @byshieldmaiden or
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