It sure is a week

Anyone else hyperventilating?

Roads Go Ever On 02: It sure is a week

💻 what I'm up to 💻
When was the last time you closed your eyes and focused on your breath? I’ve closed my eyes and thought about fast I’m breathing. So, pause with me right now and inhale deeply through your nose and exhale with a big, loud sigh. Good, right? Repeat that two more times for maximum effect.

Now that we’re a little more centered… I’ve been indulging in my favorite pandemic hobby lately: just absolutely daydreaming about travel. You’d think that would be depressing, but instead I find it helps scratch my wanderlust itch a tiny bit and it gives me something to pour my focus into. There’s a lovely freedom to it. Since I’m kind of fantasizing, I don’t let budget stop me. I add locales to Pinterest boards with abandon. I think about flights and trains and new suitcases and travel size toiletries. Currently all this “one day maybe” dreaming is centered on Scotland. I want my boots to pick up mud from all around the Highlands. I want to go to Islay and sample all the Scotch. I can dream. And I’m going to keep doing it while also considering what it would be like to live elsewhere.

It’s a weird month, so work wise, I am taking it easy. In fact I’m taking this first week of November off my day job at Nerdist and off writing. I’ve been devouring TV series, reading, and learning how to embroider. I’ve been cross-stitching since I was little, but embroidery is a whole new beast. I’m going to go on long walks and soak in some mountain air. Then I’ll hopefully have my head in a decent enough place to sink into an exciting new project once I’m back. Well, I’ll be doing that regardless of how my head feels.

📘 my book things 📘
Star Wars: Elee & Me came out yesterday! It’s available exclusively at Target. Check for it with the other children’s books or in the Galaxy’s Edge outpost area in the toy section. Anna Daviscourt did the art and it will make you melt. If you’ve subscribed to this newsletter by November 9, you’ll be automatically entered in a giveaway to receive a copy of this book!
Side note: if you know my cats’ names, keep an eye out for an easter egg.🔍

The Jedi Mind is coming on November 10. I just received my author copies, and it’s designed beautifully and such a cute little size. Christina Chung’s art is soothing. And if you don’t know, this book combines Star Wars and mindfulness.

Finally, my fiction debut is dropping on November 10. I have a short story in the From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back anthology.

📺 what I'm watching 📺
Long Way Up
I didn't expect to fall for this show that follows Ewan McGregor and his BFF Charley Boorman as they travel long distances on motorcycles (this trip begins in South America and ends 13,000 miles later in Los Angeles). I was in a gnarly motorcycle accident in my early 20s and have had a healthy fear of them since, but I never think of it when I watch this series. Gorgeous scenery, fascinating travels, Ewan's accent, some environmentalism. It's charming.

Bridgerton
I just inhaled screeners for this series coming to Netflix in December. Think Regency era meets Gossip Girl. The series is based on books by Julia Quinn - books that I now need. I am positively smitten. You are not ready for Duke Hastings.

📚 what I'm reading 📚
Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit
Long walks always give me refuge, and I know I’m not the only one. This book focuses on the history of walking, walking as a cultural activity, and significant walkers. Settling into a chapter has been just the thing to unwind with at the end of the day.

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
My first Agatha Christie novel! I know. I’m as behind as ever. I read this Hercules Poirot mystery for a book club in October, and it was a light, enjoyable diversion. Just the kind of story I need for the rest of 2020, so it’s fortunate that Christie has written about a million books in the Poirot series. Bonus: since I’ve never seen an on-screen adaptation of Christie’s work I can picture Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in Knives Out as Poirot.

🐳 something whalesome 🐳
I like wholesome things and the whale emoji is cute so: whalesome!

One of my cats loves to get cozy under blankets and sleep like people. Sometimes she gives me looks like this when I walk into the bedroom. And wouldn’t you know, there’s a whole dang subreddit for Tucked in Kitties. You’re welcome.

🍃 creativity corner 🍃
Here I’ll share tips and tricks that are helping me write, imagine, and/or stay productive.

I wish I had magical advice on how to keep going right now. Since I don’t, let’s talk about something that helps my productivity: GoodNotes. I’ve tried a ton of different apps for organizing and to-do lists, but I’ve always gone back to pen and paper. With GoodNotes, it’s the digital version of pen and paper. I don’t have to have a bunch of different physical notebooks for various projects or work lists anymore. Which is good, because I tend to scatter notebooks all over the place. Instead my digital notebooks are tidily organized into folders - everything is easy to find. I keep PDFs of all my RPG character sheets there, I use the app’s templates for habit tracking and weekly scheduling. The notebook covers are customizable. And the app can search my  handwriting. I love it.

📃 quote of the week 📃
“The woman who cherished her suffering is dead. I am her descendant. I love the scar-tissue she handed on to me, but I want to go on…” Adrienne Rich, The Dream of a Common Language

Look, I read Wild over the summer and Cheryl Strayed mentioned The Dream of a Common Language a lot. I’ve been exploring poetry, and this collection does not disappoint. This snippet of a poem resonated with me. Sometimes I wear the hardships I’ve been through like a badge, and while they have certainly informed who I am and I’m proud of that, I’m going to try not to luxuriate in them.