It’s been a while since I’ve shared one of these because it feels like nothing’s happened due to COVID restrictions. Yet, life always goes on and a lot has happened (I could go on a rant but I won’t). I’ll just say wear a mask and vote Trump out of office 🙂
Laughs
Laughter truly is medicine, and these are the things making me laugh lately:
Pen15
Holy cow… this show on Hulu is hilarious–especially for people my age who went to middle school in the 2000s. The writers and main actresses are full-grown adults in their thirties, but they play characters who are starting their first year of middle school (so I think 12 or 13?). The rest of the cast is played by age-appropriate teens, so watching those interactions alone makes this show funny. Everything in each episode is so spot on if you grew up during this time from their outfits and hair accessories to the way they yell at their parents. I was laughing out loud almost every episode, and I remember episodes 4 and 9, in particular, I was screaming. I cannot recommend this enough. Right now it’s only one season, but season 2 comes out in September yay!
My Dad Wrote A Porno
My Dad Wrote a Porno is a British comedy podcast that’s a few years old so I was a bit late to the game, but it is LOL funny and totally worth getting into. The premise is the main guy’s dad writes and publishes an erotic novel which, as his son, he is obviously mortified by. So he gets his 2 best friends to come over and read it with him. He records reading each chapter out loud for the first time, and they crack jokes about all of it (British humor is the best). It’s obviously explicit so be warned, but it is HILARIOUS. The dad has gone on to write more books, and there’s a podcast series for each one.
Potterless
Potterless, as you might have guessed, is a comedy podcast about Harry Potter. The host is a guy in his twenties who has never read the books and undertakes reading them for the first time as an adult critiquing a children’s novel. I’m currently rereading the books for only my 2nd time, and pairing it with this podcast has made it so funny. He tries to guess what happens and has guests on who know tons about the series, so it’s been really enjoyable to get back into the Harry Potter world with a newbie and veterans at the same time. Highly recommend to any HP fans out there!
Last Podcast on the Left
LPOTL has been one of my fave podcasts for years now (I actually saw them live in San Diego in 2019). It’s a true-crime show hosted by 3 best friends who share a very dark sense of humor that’s nuanced enough to always point out how horrible these topics are and tread lightly around mental health issues. They discuss different serial killers (other things as well) each week and seamlessly go from narrating the facts to making obscene jokes. Some of the episodes I love the most and make me laugh the most are their Mormon religion series and the Jodi Arias series which also has Mormon themes throughout.
Reads
One benefit of quarantine living is more time for books! Can’t complain about that.
The Lost Man
Besides Harry Potter, I’m currently reading and loving a book called The Lost Man by Jane Harper. I don’t read thrillers often, so I’m not any sort of expert on them, but this is by far the best thriller I’ve ever read. I’m more than 80% done and have no solid guess about what’s actually happened to the dead guy. I also love that it takes place in the outback of Australia–such an unrelenting landscape that adds its own level of eerieness to the story. If you’re a fan of thrillers or want to get into the genre, I can’t recommend this one enough!
Wolf Hall
A book I’m excited to read (waiting for it to ship to me from Thriftbooks, an online used bookstore, yay recycling!) is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. It’s actually book #1 in a series of 3 books so far. A random fact about me is that Henry VIII is my guilty pleasure British monarch– The Other Boleyn Girl was my favorite book in high school and I even went to Hampton Court Palace and The Tower of London when I briefly lived there as a result of that obsession. I heard Liz Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love and the more recent City of Girls) speaking about this series and how amazing Hilary Mantel’s writing is. After checking it out and realizing it was about Henry VIII, I was sold. I’ve been wanting to get back into the Tudor world but never found anything I thought could rival my love of The Other Boleyn Girl; a Liz Gilbert endorsement is more than enough to convince me. I have high hopes, and I’m crossing my fingers that I love it just as much or more! You can keep track of my reading and see all my book reviews on my GoodReads account 🙂
Nature
I’ve been getting outdoors as much as safely possible and taking advantage of summer days. The hiking options in Indiana have surprised and impressed my travel-loving soul. Here are a few snaps from the 2 hikes I’ve done so far. Next on the list of nature activities is a river tubing trip that I can’t wait for!
Dune Succession Trail (Loop 1)
The Indiana Dunes recently became a national park, so getting out to explore this area was very high on my list of things to do once back in Indiana. This trail next to the visitor’s center was a great introduction to the area. The hike was only a mile long but had lots of stairs and some sandy sections that made it slightly challenging (although still a very easy hike overall). I loved taking in the views of the dunes and the lake–you can even spot a tiny Chicago across the water!
Paul H. Douglas Trail (Miller Woods)
I was blown away by this hike, which takes about 2 hours total winding through forests and swamplands before ending at a secluded beach.
Words
“She felt her face opening into expressions she’d forgotten how to make. [She] remembered herself in all the old familiar things they said. She existed in her friends; there she was. All the parts of herself she’d forgotten. She knew herself best when she was with them.”
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares