Some Recent Luvs ...

Well, my three day weekend was rather ruined by a nasty cold which induced an extraordinarily painful ear infection (more specifically two - the middle and outer ear of my right ear are infected. The left ear has a bunch of fluid but is not really infected yet. Lovely). Anyhoo, I'm still feeling pretty rotten, so something rather mindless and cheery is just what I need to post about!  So, here are a few things I'm enjoying lately, with no particular order or meaning:

What I'm watching ....

DOWNTON ABBEY.  Okay, okay, I was late to this party, but still! We breezed through the first season (available on Netflix) in about a week and the second (available on amazon prime) a bit longer.  We just started the season premier (PBS website) last night, but it was too long to finish. I really enjoy this as a period piece, as a commentary on class and a look at the various hierarchies  within the aristocratic family and their servants as well. Fascinating.  Bonus - Mark likes it too!  I'm always interested in everyone's favorite characters. I think mine is Mr. Carson. Or maybe the Dowager Countess (I do love Maggie Smith).

 

I'm also excited about Season 3 of Game of Thrones! Storm of Swords might have been my favorite book of the series so far. Lots going on for sure. Interesting fact - Ser Jorah of Thrones was also a regular character on Downton, Season 2!

What I'm reading...

I just finished reading Quitter, by Jon Acuff. I'm hoping to do a bit of a review about this soon.  The general gist is that it is a book about following your dreams, career-wise: "closing the gap between your dream job and your day job."  But I think the book is much more than that and found more than a few gems and things that got me thinking about all areas of my life.  I would recommend it even if you aren't looking to quit your job.

I have gathered several others recommendations and gotten a few other books from the library. I've started several that are all good, but a bit depressing, which isn't what I"m looking for right now. I may have to table those for the time being.  

 

Two books I enjoyed reading last year include the Night Circus and What Alice Forgot. Just in case you needed some suggestions. :)  Both kept me entertained but not overwhelmed. What Alice Forgot isn't particularly deep on the surface (and would likely be better if a sizable chunk of the story was removed), but it gave me a lot to think about in my own life. Led to some good mind ramblings...Night Circus was a really neat story about magic, fantasy and real life coming together, which a bit of a historic element.

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 What I'm listening to...

I'm pretty terrible when it comes to keeping up on music and such. I'm a big fan of audio books and listen to them quite a bit when I run.  I also like podcasts.  I'm currently listening to Wild, but Cheryl Strayed, a story about a woman hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. I started this on my 9 miler on Sunday and, frankly, the beginning is super-depressing. I likely would have changed it, but I was so cold I didn't want to stop running. It definitely picked up for me when it got to the hiking part. I am looking forward to finishing it. I'm also enjoying the another mother runner podcasts, which I think would be pretty entertaining even if you aren't a mother. But that's hard for me to say since I am. :) 

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What I'm wearing...

Warm stuff. It's like - 15 degrees. To be honest, even aside from being sick, I would be struggling with my running in this weather. I have cold running apparel, but nothing that's really appropriate for below zero temps. I'm just hoping it warms up a tad while I'm recovering! 

Well, that's enough randomness for one day!