This summer proved more hectic that I anticipated. I haven’t written in this space as much I intended. I hope to ease into writing again more regularly by focusing on a currently post. This is what is happening in my world, right now:
What I Am Listening To: I am still listening to piano solos on Pandora. There is a comfort in listening to music without words and occasionally I enjoy writing with classical musical in the background. The tunes on auto repeat: Glorious by Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey and No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato. Some of the podcasts that have captured my attention: The Tim Ferris Show, #CNF with Brendan O’Meara and Ear Hustle.
What I Am Watching: I’ve watched several movies over the summer. My favorite is a recent movie, Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner. We’ve also caught the recent Cincinnati Masters and look forward to watching U.S. Open tennis. I am eagerly anticipating the premieres of How to Get Away With Murder, Scandal and The Affair.
What I Am Reading: I am reading Rachel Khong’s Goodbye, Vitamin, Diksha Basu’s The Windfall, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, and Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status Obsessed World by Mitch Prinstein.
What I Am Capturing: The sky is dazzling the desert with its sunsets. I am paying attention to the universal, taking comfort with what I know to be true. In the midst of difficulty, there is so much beauty in the world, if we choose to pay attention.
What I Am Loving: My Instant Pot. Lazy Sundays. Silence. Family.
What’s currently going on in your world?
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
You just know that with all the great stuff you’ve mentioned here I am going to zero in on that one BLIP in there. The instant pot. How CAN you? My son gave my husband one for his birthday. Son is a fabulous cook and loves every kitchen gadget, so you know he really wanted one for himself SINCE DAD DOESN’T COOK ANY MORE. So who gets to use it? Me. And I don’t like gadgets. I like to stand at the stove with my wok or frying pan and glass of wine. I am afraid that thing will blow up on me. And I keep thinking, why do I need this when I have a perfectly beautiful rice cooker which is the only useful thing the instant one does.
Luanne,
I think the Instant Pot is one of the easiest gadgets for cooking. The cook time for Indian food is cut by more than half. Happy to give you a demo sometime at the house!
It all sounds perfect. I loved GOODBYE, VITAMIN. Curious what you think. And I need to get on this InstaPot bandwagon before fall arrives! 🙂
The Instapot is magical. It has literally shaved off so much prep/cooking time. In the fall, it is perfect for soups and stews.
Hello dear Rudri, you’ve been on my mind, and it’s always so nice to get these updates from you. Do you listen to the podcast, Lit Up? I recently enjoyed a great interview with the author of Goodbye Vitamin and wanted to read it. Let me know what you think!
Hey Dana,
So glad to see you in my space. I hope you’ve been well. Thank so much for the recommendation re:Lit Up. I absolutely love it. The interviews are informative about craft and a variety of subjects. It helps that the host has a soothing voice too. Perfect podcast for a morning run. xo
No Instant Pot here.. yet.. but a girl can dream.
I often also search for piano solos on Pandora, as well as string solos!
Great things 🙂 I’ve been busy juggling life….attempting to write on the run..read on the run. The best is time spent with my grandson Aiden 🙂 xoxo
Your grandson is adorable, Ayala. Enjoy every moment.