Mexican Gothic is in my TBR pile, so I put Silvia Moreno-Garcia's novella Prime Meridian into the library’s novella club queue. It's making for an excellent weekend read.

I can't sleep and I don't want to doomscroll, so I am finally reading this book that has been in my TBR since I met Padma Venkatraman at a literary conference. Her book, The Bridge Home, affected me so much. 20 pages into this one, I suspect I will be affected again.

Therapist told me to read something that has nothing to do with my life. Picked this read.

For my independent study course, I am establishing mythological creature folklore. As the patinum is made up of sea glass, I felt I should research glass a nit further than academic articles and an online search. Pulled out the old library card and checked out a book through interlibrary loan.

People who I see regularly no longer say, "Hey Liz, how are you doing?" Instead, it's, "Hey Liz, what are you reading?" Then I proceed to show them the book and tell them a quick summary if they aren't familiar w/it. They tell me if they've been reading or what they have been doing if they have not.

Another work book club book. We have been told to randomly pick artists to read about, so I picked Aretha Franklin, then Mavis Staples. Omg, those women! Loving this book.

This book was selected for one of my work book club reads. It's incredibly readable and has been giving me actionable points. First self-help book I've enjoyed in a long time.

Ruthie is the therapy dog at my therapist's office. She insists I hold her paw while I wait for my appointment.

I have no partner right now, but when I do, he'll have to be smart enough to know that if he promises to get me a book for every one of my social media post likes, he's going to have to take me to the library. It'll be the only way he can afford me.

I am grateful for the compassion, knowledge, ability to contextually read, logic, expanded world views, history, love, and so much more that being an avid reader has given me. Books make me a better person. THAT IS WHAT THEY DO.

Not a teacher, but I am a student and I am library support staff in academia, so learning how to learn names is kind of a big need.

The sage advice is for us to write history down. Store it. Protect it. But I'm thinking we need to be doing this on paper with pens and printed out pictures, protecting those important documents in fire-resistant/water-resistant boxes.

I wanted one bite of ice cream, but I wanted a fancy bite 🍨

i write poetry, because my romantic heart needs to weep upon the page. these are not love poems about a man or a partner. they are words whispered about life and moments which need my voice to shout that they exist! they existed! they existed!

Rereading Pet by Akwaeke Emezi. I selected this one my novella club's February pick. It's painful and important and a strong reason why no one outgrows reading quality children’s literature.

Waiting for a doctor’s appointment. This is 10's first time reading Calvin & Hobbes. I love this for him 🥹

My aunt is telling me how she watches online the group of 13yo girls playing volleyball, because her granddaughter is their coach. She can't make out who anyone is or even which team is her granddaughter’s, but she will watch every time she is sent a link. She is just so proud of her granddaughter.

I love this image

I manage weeded books and unwanted donations from the university library by sending some to prison and jail libraries. We had a recent request for academic paperbacks. Done. *fills a box of political science textbooks*

I started writing a story over a month ago that dealt with a death. Sunday, I lost someone I had a complicated relationship with. Today, I finally finished the story, working through some of my grief. Writing is how I maintain good mental healthcare.

Looks like there are publishers fighting back to support libraries and stop the book bans www.theguardian.com/books/2025/f...

(Checks to see if my publisher is part of this suit) FUCK YEAH MACMILLAN GET THESE MOFOS www.theguardian.com/books/2025/f...

Light reading while I wait to get my final hpv vaccine

Sometimes people say things and I am tempted to respond, "I am so sorry that you have an ongoing case of idiocy. Here's a book that might help you cure it," but that seems mean, so I don't.

I always need to buy my poetry books, because the urge to write marginalia is strong. I must write back. I love your voice. You have brought my heart to break. You made my chin rise. Your words bring my pen to the page, and I must note how you brought me to feel humanity. Thank you to the poets.

I need poetry today.

Tried and true, writing in a diary while going through sh*t really does help. Vomiting thoughts and pains onto a page that I will never read helps so damn much.

I was told by a friend yesterday that I make my life so much harder because I care too much about others. Bae, that's what life is.

My 15yo son just told me he needed to go do his homework, because he really wants to write his paper on To Kill a Mockingbird while listening to Frank Sinatra.

With the world burning down, my life burning down, I'm just going to find a little bit of sanity and peace in writing. This is how we do.

I'm finally returning to therapy. I'll have to wait until late February, because I'm going back to my old therapist who specializes in ptsd and late February is when she has her first opening. But I'm going back.

Are you blackmail proof? I legit walk around and tell people in my life all of my business, even at work. Ellen in payroll knows the shit I have done. She knows my horrifying dating background. You know what? I fucking love saying, "No one can blackmail me. Even Ellen in payroll knows my business."

I am AuDHD with bipolar ii and ptsd from SA and SV. My brain is all sorts of neurospicy. I am also a woman. I am over 40. I am a DEI hire, and I am a godsend to my workplace.

Working a university research help desk, and between patrons, I am reading The Wild Robot, because 1. You never age out of reading great children's literature, and 2. My kid loved this book and begged me to read it so he can talk about it with me.

Protect our immigrants www.teenvogue.com/story/ice-wa...

Remember: WE NEVER TAKE VIDEOS WITH THE FACE OF THE PERSON PUNCHING THE NAZI. This is important.

Today is the start of the semester. A year ago, I began my 2nd bachelor's. This one in Creative Writing. I had a panic attack that day. I shook and felt like vomiting all day. In my forties, going back into a classroom with teens & 20-somethings, ...

Do 👏 Not 👏 Deadname 👏 Anyone. 👏 No 👏 Matter 👏 Who 👏 They 👏 Are. 👏 It makes YOU the asshole.

I know teenagers who needed IEPs for their neurodivergences, but refused to get the diagnoses. They made this decision last year. When I asked why, they said, "I don't want documentation if Project 2025 happens." I hate this.

How I was raised

Last night, I got drunk and texted my Canadian ex-boyfriend, asked if he'd marry me to save me. He said yes. So, this is my backup plan...

I made a wishing well out of weeded library books. Our students love tossing an origami star into the well, then taking one for the road. Garfield, he's just hanging out until the semester starts.

An American wearing her emotional support Canadian swag today

Next sh*tstorm I am watching is the expectation of ICE to descend on Chicago Tuesday. Our immigrants need protection and safety from the violent and corrupt ICE. Undocumented or not, our immigrants deserve safety. If you are in Chicago and can offer safety, do so. Do NOT help ICE.

Talking with girlfriends about how we'd read certain works or watch certain media and get squeamish, but those things were popular, people loved them. So what did we do? We suppressed our responses, dismissing them as wrong, because we must be wrong if so many others liked it. (1/)

Just remembering the time when my son was 8yo and decided to rub garlic all over himself, because he wanted to be like pot roast.

Read a chapter, then go write a chapter. Seems like a solid plan for the morning.

Next week is going to be so hard. Not even sure how to mentally prepare.

Thanked my gyn today. Last year, I needed a mammogram w/ u/s which my insurance wouldn't cover. She told me abt a state program which covered the whole $900 bill for me, something my barely above minimum wage income wouldn't cover. Illinois won't ban my books and protests my reproductive rights. ✊️

To get a faculty member's attention while he was in a casual conversation, but I need to get his attention for a work thing, I have reverted to doing tube man noodles arms. Do I look ridiculous? Yes. Does this work? Yes. Diverge, baby. Always diverge.