Monday 22 April 2013

Monday... Mundries?

Oh guys. I was so not on the ball yesterday. I did consider rushing out a post at like 7pm last night, but then I thought nahhhhh, it can wait til tomorrow (this may or may not have had something to do with the FINAL TWO EPISODES of The Wire that I simply had to watch yesterday). So at least I'm doing it now!
Kurt is unimpressed by my efforts.

So! This past week! I either walked to or from work (or both!) every single day, plus I did walks on Saturday and Sunday and I feel very much like I should applaud myself for this a lot and that's why I'm telling you about it. I mean, it wasn't exactly a hardship considering that the weather was preeeetty nice and I've found a way shorter route than my old one which gets me there about 15 minutes quicker, but STILL. I'm pretty proud. 

I am less proud of the blogging I did last week since, you know, I did no blogging (apart from Harry Potter blogging, of course, but that's pretty much better than 99% of things in LIFE, so of course I did that). I feel like I might have overdone things the week before with the blogging every day and all, but MOSTLY I didn't have anything to write about that involved books, or TV, or movies. (Interestingly, I wrote in my diary a fair bit last week, so... Hmmm. Apparently I was more into real life things for once!)

In fact, if we're going to get real, I'm in a bit of a slump. It's mainly a reading slump, but ALSO I think it might be a bit of a post-birthday slump. It's like that thing where, a good portion of your attention has been focused on one thing for SO LONG, that after the thing actually happens you're a little bit disorientated and like 'oh. What should I be thinking about now, then?' And then THIS is combined with the fact that, not only am I reading about 6 books, but I have things I want to sew, and things I want to bake, and there are TOO MANY THINGS that I want to do, which means that I get kind of stalled and don't do ANY of the things. Which is just really stupid, I'll admit. 

Reading slump specifically, I'm dealing with the dual issues of 1) Having just finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle which I kind of couldn't stop reading and which really really blew me away, even by Murakami standards, and HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO READ ANOTHER BOOK AFTER THAT?, and 2) That old 'having too many books I want to read at once' issue. I mean... I'm hyper-aware now that the 'book excitement' fades after a little while and there are all those books I got for my birthday, plus I might have been charity shopping now that I allow myself to do so again, and just... THERE ARE TOO MANY. On Saturday (because I'm a wild party animal) I rearranged my books so that most of my unread ones are on my main bookshelf, so I can see them all the time and will (hopefully) be more inclined to pick one of them, but then I don't know if that's just made it worse because 'OMG I HAVEN'T READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?!'

(Yes, I am a crazy person. And yes, I could have actually been reading instead of rearranging books. Such is life.)

Anyway. I'm sure I'll get over this soon, probably just by reading Eleanor and Park and going 'I LOVE YOU BOOKS!' and then I'll have another Wind-Up Bird issue on my hands. But anyway. It'll all be ok. And even if it isn't, I'll still be doing book things this week because tomorrow is World Book Night (!!) and I'm giving away copies of Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal, and by 'giving away' I mean that I'm basically going to leave them places, probably with a note on them, for people to find. I'm considering putting my email address on there so people can email me and tell me what they thought of them, but I'm not sure about that. Thoughts? 

And then, of course, DEWEY'S 24 HOUR READALONG is on Saturday! I mean, I'm not as excited about that as that sentence makes it seem like I am, BUT I am still kind of excited because reading is still pretty awesome, even if I haven't done any substantial reading for a while. Currently I'm so unprepared for it that it's ridiculous, but I'm sure I will have pulled myself together by Saturday so that I can reeeead for 24 hours (or, let's be real, about 12, and then have a sleep, and then maybe another hour or so. But still.) So yeah. It's all going to be fine, and I'm going to ENJOY IT, dammit! 

Have awesome weeks, you lovely people.

20 comments:

  1. I kinda like Monday Mondries. Can't help that day. "cause every other day of the week is fine, yeah.

    Um, please don't mind my song ramblings. I have not yet had coffee.

    Sorry about your slump. Yay for walking to work!

    And you MUST read Eleanor and Park now. It is SO good. So much better, IMO, than her previous book.

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    1. Hahahaa, will I ever know your songs, Emily? WILL I?!

      I'm sure I will get over my slump! I actually feel cheerier now, even, than I did this morning, so I'm sure I'll be fine :). Also I did more walking! Woop woop!

      I'm so reading it. I think I miiiight just read my Harry Potter chapters for this week, and then E+P. Also, what you say is VERY EXCITING because I LOVED Attachments. So, yes. Yes yes yes.

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  2. Ahh! Part of the reason my DM to you just now was so WE HAVEN'T COMMUNICATED was that there had been no Sunday Sundries and I thought you might have died. And then I started to worry if anyone would tell me if you had died... Anyway....

    post-birthday slump is such a bummmmmer.

    x

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    1. Hahahaahaha! Hopefully you're reassured now that if I was, in fact, dead, then someone would inform you. Hopefully someone would write a blog post actually, cause otherwise NO ONE ON THE INTERNET WOULD KNOW. It's the scary side of internet friends.

      I KNOW RIGHT?! I'll be ok. Maybe I'll make a cake and eat it all and then I'll be ok.

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  3. awww sad for post birthday slump. And for reading a great book (yay) and then getting stuck cos HOW DO YOU FOLLOW THAT? (boo)

    I think you should totally leave your email address on the note with the world book night notes. Or if you're worried maybe set up a new address just for this?

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    1. Aww, thanks for your sadness for me! I'm sure I'll be fine. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT, GOOD BOOKS?! It seems a little bit cruel.

      Nah, I'm not especially worried about people, I don't know, sending mean emails (that's, like, literally the worst that could happen, right?) I'm just a bit like... 'I don't want to MAKE people email me' or something. I don't know, I think I will do it though. Cause if NO ONE emails than I haven't lost anything, and if they DO then I'll get some nice (hopefully!) feedback! Yes. Ok. You have decided this for me.

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  4. um, a few things.
    1) rearranging books is an extremely valid way to spend time and is also super fun and underrated.
    2) all the books you're reading are awesome and I completely understand the whole ALL THE THINGS overwhelmed->too many fun possibilities-> do none of the above.
    3) I really really want to do the readathon but I have my husband's cousin's baby shower on Saturday and that shouldn't even be a thing that interferes with my reading but it is.
    4) I think leaving your email address is fun & fine because at least it's not your physical address & maybe the worst thing they could do is spam you or send you an angry email for giving them a free book? which doesn't even make sense so I think you'll be okay.

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    1. Oh god, I love numbered comments. This is very exciting for me :)

      1) Oh yeah, it TOTALLY is, it's just that it was a Saturday, and I was definitely like 'I should do some reading, that'd be nice!' earlier in the day, and I just DIDN'T READ anything. So it was kind of annoying in that way.
      2) Isn't it the STUPIDEST, but also the hardest to not do? It is. And then ALSO, whatever I do, I'm probably going to be thinking 'well. I could be doing something funner.' and grrrr this is so annoying. Damn Western privilege...
      3) Awwww, no! I mean, also BABY SHOWERS seem like the funnest, but readathons are awesome. I mean... it IS a 24 hour readathon, so... you could still read for most of it? Maybe? (PEER PRESSURE)
      4) Yeah, I think I'm definitely going to, especially cause, if I'm not handing them out to actual people, I'd like to at least have the possibility of feedback, you know? And, like, I'm really not scared of angry emails, I'd just twitter shame whoever. But, like, why would anyone bother doing that?!

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  5. "And then THIS is combined with the fact that, not only am I reading about 6 books, but I have things I want to sew, and things I want to bake, and there are TOO MANY THINGS that I want to do, which means that I get kind of stalled and don't do ANY of the things. Which is just really stupid, I'll admit. "

    Happens to me ALL THE FREAKING TIME. I want to do all the things, and then I'm just too indecisive and end up taking a nap or watching tv instead.

    Yay for walks to work! And rearranging books! I've been wanting to rearrange two of my shelves, but I think we're going to be moving in August, so it's like why bother when I'll just have to pack them all up in a few months anyways.

    Yay Deweython! I HIGHLY recommend saving Eleanor and Park for that, because I pretty much read the entire thing in a day, so it's perfect readathoning material.

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    1. Ughhhhh, I know right?! Life is hard. We need to have less hobbies, Sarah. I think that's the real problem here.

      Walking to and from work is so awesome! I mean, it's the main source of my 'I have no time to do things and I waste the time I do have' problems, but STILL. Exercise is way good for me. And ooooh, moving! How exciting! I enjoy that you say that August isn't far away, because August is when I can FINALLY get an iphone (this is going to be a major event in my life, I'm not even kidding, and YES I know how sad this is!) But yes, you are smart not to bother rearranging now.

      I was thinking of saving Eleanor and Park for the readathon! The only issue I have is that sometimes with the readathon, where you just finish a book and then go straight onto the next one, some of the books get kind of lost in the shuffle, but... I don't think that's going to happen with E+P, somehow. Also I have to work extra this week now (grooooan. But, monies!) so I'm probably not going to have time before Saturday anyway. So this is all working out well!

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  6. Oh, I wish I could walk to work! Damn suburbia! Actually, I use my car during the day for work, so that wouldn't really work, but still...it would be sweet to be in a job where I could walk to work. Except we've had 8 months of cold weather and snow so I guess I'm actually glad I DON'T walk to work. But still, good on ya!

    And I agree - the more I have on my "to do" list or my "I want to do" list, the less I seem to actually do...

    I think you should totally leave your email and if you get any responses you must share them with us!

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    1. Hahahahaha, so there are about 80 million reasons you can't walk to work, huh? It is preeeetty awesome- I actually prefer walking HOME from work, for obvious reasons, but I try to do both to get my exercisings in

      WHAT IS WITH THAT?! It's like being punished for wanting to do a lot of stuff! Stupid woooorld!

      (oh man, I've been bad at replying to comments!) I have left my email address with the books! No responses yet, but I'm optimistic :)

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  7. Oh yeaaaaah, it's WBN! *zips off to scour the TV and radio guides for good stuff* Come on BBC, don't fail me... Good luck with your, um, hearty interaction with the reading public. DROP AND RUN GIRL, DROP AND RUN! :D

    Kudos on the Kurt GIF. I'm totally stealing it and I LOVE THAT WE HAVE BONDED YET AGAIN.

    Reading slump... hmmmm. Right. NUMERO ONE. Don't think of your new birthday/charity shop books as pressurising. Think of them as material for your less-book-buying-mad future. Investment, if you will. Work them into your other books and read them when the time is right, because OTHERWISE you'll feel like you're doing homework. NUMERO TWO. Reading lots of books at the same time and doing many other things is okay. It has to be because I'm doing it. I'm spending more time Clearing Shit Out Of My House, playing on Pinterest, rearranging books and generally Being Proactive than I am reading right now, and THAT IS OKAY.

    Aaaaand YAY DEWEY. This is the first year I will ever have participated, but I signed up this year anyway. This may be a seriously stupid thing to do because... yeah, I work all weekend. And Saturday is BUSY. But I figured I could read along with the Dewey posts, and get some focussed reading in around work, and MAYBE sneak in a few pages at work, and do a challenge or three. Just to feel like I'm taking part for a change instead of being jealous. So I WILL BE THERE TOO. :D

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    1. There totally weren't any WBN programmes on, right?! I didn't see any, anyway! I kind of failed with the actual NIGHT thing, but I dropped loads of books places today and scampered off straight away! It was pretty fun (I am knackered now though!)

      Boooooondage! Only... not that kind. Obviously. Not yet, anyway. Mwahahahaa!

      Ooooh. Your advice is very soothing and helpful! I'm still kiiiind of slumping, but I read a whole chapter of Wild this morning, AND a bit of Down Under (oh god, this is the dirtiest ever comment) and even a tiny bit of My Mad Fat Diary! Actually, that was quite good! Haven't read a thing since about 10am, but still!

      Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay readathon! I mean, I wouldn't recommend you staying up all night because omg alll that work you have to do, but still- you can read some, and join in and it will be the funnest!! Oooh, I'm excited :)

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  8. I'm read-a-thoning too! I hate finishing a fantastic book and being unable to pick up a new one. Why do the books you don't like seem to take forever to read, but the books you love go by far too fast!

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    1. Yaaaay! And man, I just don't know. Seems like a pretty unfair thing about life, if you ask me!

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  9. I love that you're sneak attack leaving books around! You should hide in a nearby bush to see who picks them up. Yes. Not creepy at all.

    Boo, reading slump. Do you have a book that's as different as possible from the Murakami? Maybe that's the way to get back in there.

    I'm readathonning too, and I am SO EXCITED OH MAN. And now I might have to go out and buy Eleanor and Park because it really would be perfect. Do you do many posts throughout the day, or one post that you update?

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    1. Hahahaha, dude, I totally nearly left a book in some bushes today JUST because of this comment! And then I reconsidered because creepy indeed!

      I think ALL my books are as different as possible from Murakami! My really major problem is the whole READING TOO MANY BOOKS AT ONCE thing, which I think I might actually use the readathon to rectify a bit. This seems like the best thing to do.

      What I do is have the one post that I update, but people do it the other way too, so it's up to you really! A lot of people do update one post, so I normally have loads of tabs open and then refresh them whenever I update to see what everyone's up to! Because... I'm a very regimented readathoner, apparently! I'm totally reading Eleanor and Park during it now. It has been decided!

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  10. Sooo many books. But you will find your way out of it. Happens to everyone. Well. Except those who don't read.

    I HOPE WORLD BOOK NIGHT IS SWELL. It's like 10:30 in England right now, so it might be over? Maybe? I don't know how things work.

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    1. Indeed I will. I know I'll be fine, but it's all like ARGH FRUSTRATING! But I'd rather have these kinds of problems than other kinds of problems. Obvs.

      I mean... I guess World Book Night was TECHNICALLY over at 10.30 last night, but I kind of didn't distribute my books til today cause I had to work all late last night because I'm a SUCKER. But anyway! It was fun. And it's harder than you'd think to find places to leave books!

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