Another month down and it was a big one! I started my sixth legislative session, but much more importantly, my son turned one! It is BANANAS to think that it’s already been a year.
In Books…
- The Night Circus: If you’re looking for something with a lot of atmosphere and ~*vibes*~, this book about dueling magicians at a black-and-white circus only open at night is extremely for you. Plot is kind of whatever, slow-moving and never reallllly comes together. Characters are a mixed bag, with some quite memorable but the two leads are actually pretty dull. But the vibes are immaculate and I found this an enjoyable, compelling read that didn’t ask me to do a lot of intellectual labor.
- Dracula: This also has a very slow plot but was much, MUCH harder to get through. It’s ponderous, despite a relatively brief page count, and honestly just pretty boring. Besides introducing a character that has become a pop culture icon, there is literally nothing else to recommend this book.
- The Run of His Life: The very successful FX miniseries a few years back about the OJ Simpson trial was based on this book, and honestly, this is a time when the adaptation was better. It’s fine. I probably would have liked it more if I’d read it before I’d seen the show but as is, it was entertaining enough without doing anything special.
In Life…
- Session begins: As of February 6th, I belong to the legislature. I do really enjoy my work, even in the pressure cooker of session, but this one has the added challenge of being my first session as a mother and something that was already hard has become infinitely more so. I see much less of my baby than I would like. I know it will end and I will get a lot of time with him again, but it feels so far away.
- C’s birthday: This month marked one year since C arrived in our lives and I can’t really capture my feelings in words. It feels like simultaneously just yesterday that I finished watching the Super Bowl and then headed to the hospital for an induction, and also a million year ago. I look back at our first pictures of him and it’s hard to believe how big he’s gotten. It’s been so hard and incredibly rewarding and I have experienced so much anxiety and so much joy. The sound of his laughter is my favorite sound in the world and I love him so much it’s hard to even think about sometimes.
- I strained my calf: Truly the dumbest injury. I was performing a song and dance for C and a hop went very wrong. I’m already essentially recovered but the office during session is on the second floor and has steep steep stairs so it was unpleasant there for about a week.
- I got a new car: We’ve been having an extremely snowy winter. My front-wheel drive sedan had worked for five sessions with a couple dicey days here and there, but I was going to look for something bigger soon anyways and so I ended up leasing a Subaru, my first time driving a non-American car!