All Fours, Ghostroots, The Bear, and Paddle Boarding
Some hits and misses in Week 11 of Watching, Reading, and Doing
This week has been hot in Oregon. I also took last week off from work and have had a great time. I love not being at work (weird, right?). We didn’t have any crazy vacation plans, I just needed to unplug and it has been great to do so. I’ve spent a lot of time getting back into my workouts: I went to my yoga studio for the first time in over six months. We’ve spent some time outside and met up with some family. My only complaint is that it really felt like it flew by and I can’t believe it’s over now. Well, all good things come to an end, and it won’t be long before I have some more time off!
Reading
Ghostroots by Pemi Aguda
I saw the cover of this and was immediately drawn to it. It seemed like it would be eerie, ghostly, and perhaps a little mythical. Like all collections of work, there are some that I enjoyed more than others in Pemi Aguda’s Ghostroots.
My favorite story was one of the last, ‘The Converging of Two Rivers.’ It follows a girl who suffers from anxiety and she has an interaction with a student who believes he is a prophet. It was melancholic in exploration of youth and anxiety. The main character wants her anxiety and mental health struggles to be taken from her, which I think many of us can relate to, but I think it was the conclusion that she will have to live and work with this that was both sad and an example of acceptance that showed maturity and development.
There are a few other interesting stories: a house that protects the women from their abusive men, a night market that mysteriously reveals itself, and one where a young woman’s mother can only see her abusive mother’s face on her child.
Overall, it was a decent read. I like short stories to be pushing limits, and I just didn’t think this one pushed hard enough. I wasn’t attached heavily to any of them, but I didn’t dislike any either.
All Fours by Miranda July
At one point, I consciously decided that I was not going to pick up Miranda July’s All Fours. I knew it was becoming popular and when I read that the main character was a 45-year-old woman, I did not think this book would be something I enjoyed, let alone interested in me. But then, honestly, I just kept seeing it come up and the way that women were talking about it with such enthusiasm. So even though I felt I wouldn’t relates (I read a book about a woman in her 40s and just didn’t enjoy it because it felt too unrelatable and uninteresting at that time in my life), I decided that the FOMO was going to be too much and then as if the starts aligned there was an immediately available copy on Libby so I went for it.
I’m really glad I did! I actually enjoyed it a lot. It was a book that I really devoured. I wouldn’t say it was an instantaneous devouring, but gradual until I really couldn’t have enough of it. This book is something else. I liked it, it was cringey and funny, freaking weird. There is a tampon scene that will have you HUH. But also it's kind of insane and spirally and I actually love how real that is. Some things will make you roll your eyes. Other times I'm like, ‘damn that is profound’ and ‘dear god I don't want to get older??’ (Or maybe I do?? It's a thing in there). Being a woman is just a whole experience.
I recommend pick it up for sure and give it a try. I don’t think it will be for everyone, but it's a good one and I just had a good, crazy time with it.
Watching
I have been looking forward to season 3 of FX’s The Bear since I finished the first two seasons about six months ago. The season 2 finale was insane, the Christmas episode was so grating and uncomfortable, the characters were lovable and also had me screaming why are you like this!! The Bear was in the media like crazy, Jeremy Allem White and Ayo Edebiri are the moment.
So, yeah I was hyped for this season. And then I watched the first episode which had what feels like one minute of dialogue. Andddd I was like hmm is this just an artistic take? Surely the whole season won’t be like this montage? Oh wait, yes it will. Enjoy your montages and bad Fak jokes, and not much else happening. Did we talk about ‘haunting’ for four episodes or did I miscount?
I’m being harsh, I know it. I just wanted more! I wanted what we had the last two seasons, chaos and cooking and backstory. I think we got a tiny bit of the first two, and a good amount of the backstory (Tina’s story was good, those scenes with Mikey were probably my favorite of the whole seasoN). The acting of all was giving all it could in the best way. I just was over the flashbacks, Carmy being too difficult, and the damn Faks not even being funny. But it wasn’t a bad season. I will definitely tune in for the next! It just wasn’t the season.
Doing
One of our summer traditions during the 4th of July is to go paddle boarding. We have gone this time of year probably the last four summers and it’s one of the things I look forward to when this time comes around. I love it! I don’t remember exactly how it started, but it might have been because we wanted to take Kiki out on the water and have another excuse for her to put on her lifejacket and be the cutest thing alive.
The weather was perfect, the water was lovely, and we had the best time. We always finish it off by going to Salt and Straw because there is nothing better than ice cream after a hot day on the river. This month is their berry-theme so I had Wild Foraged Berry Slab Pie and the Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero which was my favorite and I’m still thinking about.
Here’s to more summer adventures!
