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Serendipitous Reading List
I had a really good weekend, Y’All. I came sooooo close to finishing the magazine (it’ll be out this week–promise!), The Taste Tester gave me a box of new cameras (all of them much older than I), it’s no longer January, and I discovered a reading list in the library book I was reading (a book I was reading to review for the magazine at that). So, I can’t turn down serendipity (at least in this case). I’m going to read all the books on the list this year (along with all my regular reading). Here’s the list (minus the one being reviewed in the magazine so as to maintain the surprise) for posterity:
The Heart Broke In by James Meek
The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby
Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James
We Are Now Beginning Our Descent by James Meek
Of Men and Their Mothers by Mameve Medwed
Have you read any of these? What have you been reading lately?
Welcome Winter
The Winter Solstice is here. Enjoy the returning of the light after today. Stay warm and safe and happy holidays from the QSB crew.
FYI: the winter issue of the magazine will be coming your way in January early February.
12/12/12
Twelve things about the number twelve or about today’s date:
1. The date (as written above) is palindromic and also the same in the US as well as Europe for once.
2. Cookies (always good things) come in dozens.
3. In Italian, twelve = dodici.
4. A twelve-faced polyhedron is known as a dodecahedron.
5. There are twelve months in the Gregorian calendar which is the one most of the world uses.
6. This newly released book, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, looks interesting (even though it’s been named an Oprah book…ick!).
7. Of course, there are twelve days of Christmas. Please remember that these are NOT the twelve days before Christmas. Although we happen to have twelve days left until Christmas, these are not the Twelve Days of Christmas!!!!!!
8. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night or What You Will takes place on the last evening of Christmas (Twelfth Night = the evening of January 5). Lots of mistaken identity and cross-dressing in this play!
9. There are 12 signs in the Zodiac.
10. The Roman number for 12 is XII.
11. A foot is made up of 12 inches.
12. 12/12/12 is the last triple-digit date until the 2100s so go out and enjoy it!
Leonids
Peak viewing of the Leonid meteor shower is tomorrow (Nov. 17) night. Fingers crossed for clear skies.
Projects and Practices
The magazine is, of course, a passion project for me. I’m behind the times in getting that the trendy term for finding your true passions and making time for them in your life is passion project. Do you have a passion project or the dream of such a project? I’d like to know. Also, what’s stopping you?
The kind folks over at Try101 (who are following their own passion projects) opened up their blog to guest posters on “30 Things I Love Right Now” and I took them up on the generous offer. You can see the list I contributed here. I like this practice they have, this making a list of 30 things. When you’re having a crappy week (or month+), it helps keep one looking on the bright side (even though it’s hard to come up with 30 things when things aren’t going well). Try it, you might like it. They explain the philosophy here.
Corollary
In addition to Slow Down & Relax, this month I’m telling myself to Take Joy Where I Find It. And, lest we all gag on the pop-psychology of it all, I’ll stop after one example…Life is rough around here lately.
A picnic in the park on a gorgeous fall day. That helped for a little while.
So, Carpe Diem. Take Joy Where You Can Find It. Slow Down & Relax. Whatever floats your boat. Choose something. Now.
Happy Halloween & NaNoWriMo Begins tomorrow
Are you doing anything fun for Halloween? It’s low-key around here.
Let’s not forget that tomorrow (gadzooks, November already?!) is the start of National Novel Writing Month. Last year I didn’t even get to 10,000 words but I’ll be signing up again anyway. You?
Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks on Saturday
If you’re lucky enough to be where the sky is clear and there’s not too much light pollution, go outside late on Saturday night/early Sunday morning. You should be able to see the Orionid meteor shower–especially after the moon sets around midnight. Expect about 20 meteors per hour. They’ll look like they’re originating from the constellation Orion (hence the name) but you’ll see them all over the sky.
Autumn 2012 is ALIVE
Our fifth issue is here. Read it by clicking on the image below. Or, here’s the direct link. Enjoy and thanks for reading.
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