Summer Reading

It's been a great summer for reading. Some ramblings:

Harry Potter: After nearly twenty years, I've decided to experience the cultural juggernaut that is Harry Potter. I've gotten through the first four books and films and have decided to continue. No spoilers please! I am so thrilled by the world-building and the twists and turns, and I am eager to hear the backstories of the professors. At the moment, Harry is my least favorite character. Hagrid is my absolute favorite. I expect it will take me way into the school year to finish Order of the Phoenix.

La pluie d'ete: I wanted to explore the writing of Marguerite Duras, so I started with this short novel about the two oldest kids in an immigrant family living in Paris. I thought the dialogue was interesting, but wasn't very invested in the characters or the plot. I plan to read Hiroshima, Mon Amour next, mostly because there is much more criticism available about that work.

Holy Cow: I borrowed this book from the library on a whim after I found out that David Duchovny is a published writer!? I thought it was a creative and interesting tale. The whole time, I felt like was reading a book my dad had written. It was all the 2015 slang. Something about imagining my Mulder at his computer writing an anthropomorphic cow going on about how the other animals on her farm are cray-cray was strangely fun.

All the Light We Cannot See: My favorite so far, and I'm not even 100 pages in. I adore the poetic language that Anthony Doerr is using to bring us to WWII-era France and Germany. I am constantly getting lost in his gorgeous paragraphs, and I am relieved that the book is enormous, so I can look forward to a beautiful, long read. Best of all, I know that this book will bring me to St. Malo, a city that is dear to me and in which I have many beautiful memories.

Back on the Horse

...and by horse, I mean bike.

T and I are now bike-having people, and so far we have done three consecutive morning rides.

I'm all in for an end-of-summer reset. But before I get into that, let's get one thing straight: since my last woe-is-me health post, I've had a reality check. I may still feel down from time to time about my lack of progress on the weight front, but I am no longer allowing myself to feel guilt. I know what to do to get healthy, and I can either do that, or not. I will, of course, try to live by one of my favorite mantras: It's not that I want it and can't have it; it's that I can have it and don't want it.

I expect I will go through some phases. For example, during this summer's vacation back in Caen, I was living in a cheese and chocolate fest. And for the last (almost) two years, I have been doing very little activity. This stemmed from a leg injury with a personal trainer and I caught anxiety about working out the leg again for an exaggerated time.

T and I are both looking forward to making healthy choices going into the 16-17 school year. No chips in the cupboard, less beer, and lots more exercise. Here's what we are doing so far:

-Weekly weigh-ins and measurements to keep an eye on our progress
-Daily bike rides around town
-Morning cardio in our (wait for it) newly renovated workout room!
-Smart meal planning - low sugar, low carb, plenty of produce, predominantly vegan
-Blog updates to keep us on-track.

Wish us luck. I feel very positive about this, especially because I have the best teammate in the world.