And anyway, that's not even the stressful thing. Nope, because on Friday morning, my nan had a heart attack and now she's in hospital and I'm like 'well, like I didn't have enough to worry about!' And also, slightly less narcissistically, 'I hope she's ok!' But no really, it's been very worrisome and horrible, even though she has had a heart attack before, which, actually, I don't know if it makes it worse or better... Hmm. Either way, it's not very nice. And I really want to go and see her, but of course I've got tonsillitis, which doesn't really seem like a good illness to spread around people with weak hearts (well, no illness is really!) so instead I just have to sit at home and metaphorically bite my nails and stuff.
So... *tries to think of some positives from the week* Well, I made a schedule for the Grapes of Wrath Readalong, and... I know, I went to m&ms World in London because I'm a disgusting tourist, but actually because I really really like having exciting coloured m&ms because they taste better! (They do. Scientific fact.) And they've been very good for me what with being ill and needing large quantities of chocolate, so that's a positive. And also I've watched massive amounts of Daria which is never bad. But let's be brutally honest, this week kind of sucked. Obviously.
Which is why there's always a new week, and new chances for good things to happen. And this week, that good thing is going to MEET CAITLIN MORAN. Which is going to be awesome, even if at the moment I'm like 'I don't feeeel well, and my nan's in hospital, and my mum's having radiotherapyyyy' all of which is true, BUT I believe that come Thursday, I'll be able to put that aside for a few glorious hours and just be like CAITLIN I LOVE YOU, only perhaps not all in capitals because I don't want to scare the poor woman! Also in my near future, I believe, is a viewing of The Rescuers from the comfort of my bed because I was discussing it with Rainbow Rowell (!!! The excitement!) on twitter last night (or, ok, this morning) and daaaaymn, I forgot how good it is, and how much I like it! Caitlin and Disney? This coming week isn't going to be ALL bad!
Aaaaaand, it's time for my quarterly challenge update! (You knows I love doing this!) I'm actually kind of surprised at how well I'm doing, especially since I had a total challenge burnout earlier in the year- I guess that when I got rid of some books, I kind of wanted to keep doing it, or at least to have the opportunity to keep doing it by, you know, reading books I've had for a while! So, here goes the challenge update...
Quick little Stephen King update: I've read 15 of his books this year. Which I'm not deeming either good or bad, because I've got no time limits on that at all. But it's good to keep count, I think.
And also, a teeny Classics Club update: I've read 12 classics. Which is actually double what I had read in June, which surprises me because I kind of thought I'd... lost some of the mental stamina needed for classics of late. So that's a nice surprise!
And for the Back To The Classics challenge, I'm... Well, I've read 5. Which isn't great, BUT I'm part of the way through book 6, and I fully plan to read 2 more in October (The Grapes of Wrath is an absolute certainty) so if I read ALL of those in October, I'll only have one more. Look at me justifying myself to people who don't need it! How sweet.
This next one is really exciting- for the TBR Pile Challenge, I'm exactly where I should be! 9 books read, 3 to go! It kind of feels like I've been trying to catch up with that challenge all year, so this is my favourite stat-du-jour!
And then, for the Off The Shelf Challenge, I've read 22 books. Which I believe is probably about 3/4 of the way through, so yay for that!
It has to be said, I have the RIP Challenge to thank for most of this, since I've read what, 5 books for it already? And 4 is the top challenge? And I'm definitely not done yet? So much scary reading to do, just one more month to do it. But 3 more months to do all these challenges? Eaaaasy!
Sorry to hear about your Nan and hope you feel better soon. Bad things always come in groups unfortunately, hope this week is better for you!
ReplyDeleteThey do indeed come in groups, don't they. Damn bad things... Thank you for the well wishes :)
DeleteDuuuuude, you're pulling heart strings here even with all the upbeat possibly-addled-by-antibiaotics cheeriness. Okay, I spelled that wrong. Antibaotics? Antibiotics! Yeah, that'll do... So, anyways, big careful hugs for your mum and your gran, a big hug for you as well because tonsillitis totally doesn't affect hugging capabilities so suck it up, sunbeam... AND OMG CAITLIN MORAN! I think you could talk to her in capital letters, she'd probably expect nothing less to be honest, because the woman ROCKS. Also, she has hair a bit like Rogue from The X Men, which is always a good thing.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I have read exactly NONE of my TBR challenge books, because I suck at challenges. Last year I failed too, but at least read a couple at the start and a bunch at the end. I may have to just do a mad reading sprint at the end so I've at least read, y'know, ONE. EPIC FAIL. :(
I don't think the cheeriness is antibiotic related so much as a 'cheer up bucko!' message to myself. Cause apparently I'm talking to myself now... Yeah.
DeleteAnyway! We all thank you for the hugs! I can totally deal with mine :). CAITLIN! I agree with the capital letters tbh. Or at least the talking really really fast, because she does that. And it's AWESOME.
ps Whoops! No challenges for you next year! (I'm definitely not doing any. Except maybe suuuper unstructured ones, like the Off The Shelf challenge.)
Jesus girl you have had one helluva a week. I hope that this coming one not only CHILLS OUT but brings warm fuzzy news.
ReplyDeleteAlso, bright m'n'm colors are the bomb and yes they do taste so much better.
Thank you m'dear. I hope so too! I'm thinking that after the 9th (end of mum's treatment) everything will chill, but who knows?! *SIGH*
DeleteYESSSSS to bright m&ms though. People who think they all taste the same have obviously never had BROWN ones!
Oh, so sorry to hear about your nan and your tonsils :-( You're right, that is a lousy week! I hope that meeting Caitlin Moran and watching The Rescuers makes you feel a little better!
ReplyDeleteOh and you're doing awesome on your challenges! I've basically given up on almost all of mine, so kudos!
LOUSY INDEED! I'm totally relying on Caitlin to make everything ok. I'm sure she will. Or she'll at least entertain me for a few hours!
DeleteDude, I'm so like OCD that I just CAN'T give up on my challenges! I almost wish I could! (except that I'm going to feel really good when they're done with, I just know it!)
I don't think Caitlin Moran is easily scared. She doesn't seem it, so I'd talk to her in capitals if I were you and make your week extra awesome. Sorry this last week's sucked - stuff always seems to ALL HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME. It's like life is worried that if it staggered all the crap out in nicely spaced intervals it wouldn't be testing you enough... Still, the m&ms shop is pretty awesome :-) And The Rescuers!! I haven't seen that film since I was about eight and it was in Asda the other day for like £5 so I had to get it obviously, but then I haven't watched it yet so I might also watch it this week and be all like 'ARGH THE RESCUERS!'. Cos they're mice, and really what's not to like about mice? (Animated ones, clearly. Real mice are somewhat less nice. We had one in our kitchen for a while :-/ But we caught it, so that's ok)
ReplyDeleteI feel like I should go do a challenges update too but I know it'll just make me feel guilty and stuff cos I've been reading loads of entirely unrelated stuff as well as not managing to actually finish writing any reviews of stuff I have read... :-/
I feel like I'm either going to be like 'OMGILOVEYOUPLEASEBEMYFRIEND!!!' OR like 'hi... i like your books.... *incoherant whispers*' and it's probably going to be the latter cause I'm a GOON.
DeleteBad stuff does always happen at the same time, and ALSO, in my family, fairly constantly for about... 4 years? We're due some of the good stuff, seriously!
I'm glad you got The Rescuers though! Awesomeness. I think we should both watch it tonight and be like 'are you watching it? Yeah, me too.' and give each other virtual thumbs up and stuff. And OMG mice in your kitchen, because at uni, we ALSO had a mouse in our kitchen (it was teeny and kind of adorbs) and I caught it in a jar and let it go because I am a friend of the animals. I just made a story that would terrify a LOT of people sound really cute, didn't I?
Duuude, no point in stressing over challenges! You didn't know you'd be having a baby when you signed up to them now, did ya? (unless you did. Or sort of knew...)
I have literally never been to a signing exactly because I would be the person to *totally* freak out and have nothing at all to say and just blush and look at the floor until it was over...
DeleteNo I didn't know, so I'm using that as my excuse :-) And actually, if I was a normal person who'd signed up for normal amounts of challenges I wouldn't be doing badly. It's just cos I signed up for like... fifteen... that I feel bad. So.
I'm so... I just don't want to embarrass myself! I'm willing to put money on me going completely shy and ridiculous though. ARGH! (I'm still excited though!)
DeleteDid you really sign up for 15 challenges?! I still think I'm doing too many! I'm really not doing any this year. Unless there are some really really awesome ones.
Sending lots of healing thoughts to you and your nan! Gah, what a week. I really hope things start looking up.
ReplyDeleteAnd I had that exact same quote/graphic thingy hung up at my desk at my last job. Such an important reminder!
Thank you! What a week indeed... Le sigh. Just waiting for things to look up, man!
DeleteAnd it's DEFinitely an important reminder. Even if you're going through crap yourself, doesn't mean that you can't be nice to other people. I really believe that.
I'm sorry for your Nan but I hope that she gets better soon. And sorry for your illness as well but at least you have chocolate and that's good.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing really well on your reading challenges too! Yay!
Thank you! And the chocolate really has helped, I've got to say.
DeleteI am doing well! I should get a prize! *goes and orders self a book present*
I'm so sorry about your nan. And your tonsillitis. No more stress! No more illness. Just everyone, be cool.
ReplyDeleteYAY for getting to meet Caitlin Moran. Just enjoy that time you get to meet her and focus on the awesome. Also I look forward to that post so I can live vicariously through you.