A little hope
But only a little
Roads Go Ever On 12: A little hope
💻 what I'm up to 💻
The world has been awful in recent days and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Just yesterday Boulder, Colorado was the site of a mass shooting with 10 dead. It marked seven consecutive days of mass shootings in the United States. That week started with a hate crime in Atlanta that saw 8 people die, 6 of them Asian American women. That shooting was preceded by increasing acts of violence against the AAPI community. Learn more about what’s going on and how you can help the AAPI community.
My tiny ray of hope comes from getting my first COVID-19 vaccine shot yesterday—Moderna (a.k.a. the vaccine Dolly Parton helped fund) specifically. The injection site’s a little sore but no other side effects. And it was just the thing I needed to start looking ahead. I know when I’ll be fully vaccinated. I’m daydreaming about the haircut I’ll get. I’m thinking about eating outdoors at a restaurant (I’m not ready for indoor dining yet, even vaccinated). I’ll still be double masking when I’m out in the world and not actively putting things in my face, but I’ll be moving about with less fear. The thought of hanging with vaccinated friends in small groups without any stress! I can drive to visit my family in Ohio soon.
And… I even made theme park plans for December. Putting a trip on the calendar was the most monumental thing. Picture me looking at my computer with extreme suspicion. (Everything is fully refundable though, I’m not silly).
I don’t know what my comfort level will be like after May. We’ll see. Getting back into the world in any kind regular rhythm is going to be a serious adjustment for so many of us. Will I want to go on planes? Will I be okay sipping beer outdoors at a brewery? No idea. But I do actually feel optimistic about it—excited, even—and I haven’t for a while. I only saw more of the same ahead. Please let me know if you’ve got your vaccine and if you’re thinking about the world differently these days.
In far less important news, I have my desk all set up in my new home. It’s so nice to have a dedicated workspace and to just… leave your work laptop out all the time? Plus a new thing I’ve gotten quite into is buying a $3.99 bouquet of flowers at Trader Joe’s to put by my desk. They last a couple weeks with minimal care and they make me happy. I used to be very anti-cut flowers because past me would let them sit until they smelled awful and became slimy. Wild how nice it is when you don’t do that.
📘 my book things 📘
Okay, here’s a cool thing. The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be here SOON. I’ll be sharing a look at some never-before-seen concept art from the book on Nerdist in the coming weeks and hopefully some other outlets will have teases too. I’m so stoked about this book and everything Walt Disney Imagineering shared. In my next newsletter, I’ll talk a little about the process of writing this book.
📺 what I'm watching 📺
Staged
Look, I know few of us want to watch a show using the tools of these times, like Zoom. Most of us want to watch something to escape the pandemic, not be reminded of it. That said, I highly recommend Staged. It’s a fictional tale about David Tennant and Michael Sheen rehearsing for a play during the pandemic and they’re so hilarious together that it works. Plus David Tennant wears a cute lil headband all the time. It’s on Hulu.
City of Ghosts
Hello, sweet animated series on Netflix that is not at all scary. Kids interview ghosts (the cute kind! I emphasize this because I’m a scaredy cat!) around LA and it’s a fascinating and educational look at the city’s history.
📚 what I'm reading 📚
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
The magic portal trope is one of the tropes I enjoy the most in fantasy stories. Here, Harrow does something absolutely lovely with that idea by following a young woman, January, as she embarks on a mysterious journey. It’s about finding yourself, learning about your past, pondering unseen places, and really makes you think about those dusty corners and doors you’ve seen that really could lead to other worlds and adventures. And it navigates issues with race and the status quo of powerful white men. I. Loved. It.
Next on my list: I am delaying delivery of all my library ebooks. This is a Step for me. I get so behind on other books because I always borrow ebooks from the library and then my pile of TBR (to be read) paper books never grows any smaller. In fact, it does the opposite.
Anyway, if you want to talk about books some more, follow my Bookstagram: @amyturningpages!
🐳 something whalesome 🐳
I like wholesome things and the whale emoji is cute so: whalesome!
I don’t know if whalesome is the proper adjective here. More inspirational. Anyway I’m one of the last people to follow the wise and talented Morgan Harper Nichols on Instagram.
🍃 creativity corner 🍃
Here I’ll share tips and tricks that are helping me write, imagine, and/or stay productive.
Writing fiction and keeping track of various plot lines is something I very much need help with. Luckily I saw this tweet from the awesome Preeti Chhibber about Plottr. It helps you track your various plotlines through different chapters so you don’t lose track of them and unlike Post-It notes, these won’t fall off the wall and get out of order.
📃 quote of the week 📃
“There is nothing quite like the anger of someone very powerful who has been thwarted by someone who was supposed to be weak.” Alix E. Harrow, The Ten Thousand Doors of January
I felt this quote in my bones.
This plottr information just saved my life. <3