Whew, this past week has been a bear. I’ve had a headache of varying intensity for the past week. Both (last) Monday and (this past) Saturday’s headaches migraines were so bad that I basically stayed in bed all day. I had stopped tracking my headaches (I tend to get them in clusters twice a month) so I wasn’t surprised I had headaches this week. I was just put out by the intensity of them.
Anyway, Saturday was pretty bad and then it rained, and it’s supposed to keep raining so I think at least part of it was due to the pressure change. At any rate, I’ve had a mild headache on and off today, so I hope/think I’m at the end.
I was on a conference (video) call with a friend of mine yesterday and after it ended, we were chatting a bit on the phone, and I told her that I was actually in the throes of a headache, and she was shocked because she couldn’t tell. So I said, “Oh, girl, I’m chronic. This is just how it goes. I can push through.” And, in fact, if I’d had to go to work Monday, I would not have been in bed but would have just…pushed through.
You also know I was over the whole headache thing because on Saturday/Sunday, I did all of these things to try to mitigate it:
- sleep
- meds
- yoga
- meditation
- using my eye pillow
- using essential oils (!)
- drinking tea
- listened to a book about living with chronic pain
I mean, your girl was done.
So anyway, that’s hopefully the end of that.
I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year about what’s helping me cope with the social distancing we’re all doing during COVID-19.
In case you missed any and want to check them out, here are those posts:
- A is for Attitude #AtoZChallenge
- B is for Bejeweled #AtoZChallenge
- C is for Corona Princess Diaries #AtoZChallenge
- D is for Daughter #AtoZChallenge
- E is for External #AtoZChallenge
I also read some books since my last actual update, which you knew because of the hashtag in the post title.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Welp, I never thought I’d read about IBS in a kids’ book, but, of course I have, and it’s the first book that’s made me feel seen with this condition. YOU GET ME, RAINA.
I love the artwork, and I like seeing how Raina deals with her panic attacks and anxiety. Therapy is nicely normalized here, which I think is still important.
My biggest quibble with this book is how the bullying storyline is handled and ultimately resolved. It sucks when your friends are friends with someone who is mean to you, and I didn’t like the idea that somehow the bully was ~so bothered~ the moment Raina was less than nice. The bully was publicly mean to Raina, so treating the bully as some misunderstood kid who just needed someone to understand that the bully’s life isn’t easy is some b.s. I mean, sure, it’s true usually, but it also doesn’t excuse bullying behavior, which is what I thought happened here.
I’m over seeing that in books, especially for kids. Sometimes people are mean and they stay mean and their meanness has nothing to do with you. You can be kind to someone who is unkind to you but that doesn’t mean you owe them anything.
To be fair, I thought it was realistic that Raina would get in trouble for her classroom antics, but the attitude of the overall story towards the bully just rubbed me the wrong way.
2.5 stars because of that, rounding up
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Listen, I get why this book won the Newbery. It is definite award-fodder. I mean, it basically ticks all the boxes.
My biggest issue with this book is that it is WAY too interior for me. The best sections were the ones with Kaori and Gen because they were actually talking to each other and doing stuff together. I don’t like when characters just think a bunch without interacting with other characters. It makes for a really slow and plodding narrative, and I am just not interested.
So, basically, this was like reading literary adult fiction, which blah.
I loved the diversity of the characters here. I can’t remember the last time I read a book with a Filipino main character, honestly. It was also nice to get a different look at students who may be in special education classes. I also super appreciated the way the bullying storyline was handled in the end, though the parent in me (view spoiler) That last part may be the petty in me.
All in all, it was fine, just not my ultimate cuppa.
My current read is a book club pick that is about dragons and it is VERY fantasy, so we’ll see if I make it through. You know how much I love all those made up words and terms [/sarcasm]. I AM TRYING, THOUGH. I PROMISE.
I’m so sad I can’t check out graphic novels from the library (I don’t want to read them on a screen.)
I have to spend tomorrow grading, so I’ll probably get my blog post done a LOT earlier tomorrow 😅.
Stay safe out there, everybody. And keep up the physical (and social) distancing! Let’s keep that curve as flat as possible.
The Englishist 