We're Goin' to Jackson...Look Out Jackson Town!

 

For our 19th (!) wedding anniversary in September, we had a quick (but lovely) two-night trip to Jackson, NH. Jackson is just north of North Conway, NH, which is a very popular New England destination for tourists.

My Mom volunteered to watch Murray so we wouldn't have to put in him in a kennel (thanks Mom!), so that was comforting knowing he was at home and with someone he knew. My Mom came over on Sunday, September 11th and brought with her the Boston Globe. Interestingly enough, in the Globe Magazine, there was an article entitled, "Perfectly Picturesque New England Destinations." One of the destinations featured? Jackson, NH!

The next day, we drove to Jackson. That's one of the nice things about New England- you can drive to another state in a reasonable amount of time and "get away." It took a little over two hours to get to the area. We pulled over at a  "Scenic Outlook" on the way but honestly? It wasn't that scenic, so no photos.

Since we couldn't check into our room until later in the afternoon, we stopped for lunch at Moat Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery in North Conway, which was recommended by a friend. It was a beautiful day out so we sat outside. We knew we'd have a big dinner that night so we got two appetizers- Long Horn Nachos (smoked brisket) and Moat Mountain Potstickers. Both were delicious but the nachos? Amazing!

(That's a watermelon martini in the photo. Let's just say you didn't want to light a match near my breath after that... 😆)

Next, we drove up to the Christmas Farm Inn in Jackson, where we stayed (and incidentally was featured in the Globe article!)

They have a variety of types of lodging- rooms in the Main Inn or the Barn, standalone cottages, and suites with porches. We had a suite with a porch. While it was somewhat old-fashioned looking, the little porch was nice (and would be great during foliage season) and the electric fireplace was awesome! I sat in front of that reading and staying toasty while John napped.

And if there was any question we were in Northern New England...

(Yes, this was in our room, along with the tourist brochures...lol)

That night we ate at the restaurant at the Inn. It was our anniversary dinner (even though our anniversary wasn't until the next day) and it was great! (The restaurant in the Inn was not open on Tuesday night, so we decided to have our "fancy" dinner the night before. That's something that I noticed- many places we wanted to try to eat at were either closed the entire time we were there and only open at the end of the week or closed Tuesday, not open Monday, etc... All that to say- research these things ahead of time!)

I didn't take any pictures as I wanted to be as free from my phone as I could be, but I'll describe. John had Sangria and I had a Cosmo to drink- both good. For appetizers, we got Grilled Brie (delicious!) and Bacon-Wrapped Scallops (also delicious!). John had Veal Schnitzel (which he said was excellent) and I had the turkey dinner. OK- I know that sounds weird, but that area is known for turkey farms and can I just say that was THE freshest/most delicious turkey I've ever had? We had Tiramisu for dessert, which frankly pushed us both over the edge- we were SO FULL! (Luckily we made it up the hill back to our room!)

The next day we did some sightseeing- we went to Diana's Baths Waterfalls in North Conway and Cathedral Ledge State Park in Bartlett. Both beautiful places (again, I bet they're amazing during foliage season) at which we enjoyed nature and the surrounding vistas.

We had lunch at Horsefeathers in North Conway, which was OK. It's a local pub with sandwiches, etc... We did a little shopping while we were in downtown North Conway and picked up some goodies at one of the many old fashioned general stores.

Next we headed back to the Inn, as we were scheduled for foot soaks and foot massages at the spa. I have to say I was somewhat disappointed with this. The foot soaks were in regular pedicure tubs (vs. fancy bowls with rocks in the bottom, which I've gotten at foot spas). On top of that, one of the pedicure chairs was broken, so no massage and the jet was broken in the other pedicure tub. (I will say that they gave us a 10% discount because of that.) The masseuse was basically like- want me to throw some oil in there? (Again, I'm used to choosing a specific soak.) The foot massage was decent, but again, not what I envisioned.

That night we ate at the Red Fox Bar & Grille in Jackson. It was good (but not as good at the first night's meal).  We had frozen margaritas with raspberry puree (I loved it, but John not so much- and it was the cause of frequent brain freeze!) He started out with French Onion Soup (which he said was one of the best he's ever had) and then I had Mediterranean Haddock and he had ribs & shrimp. The entrees were just OK. We also split maple bacon Brussels sprouts, which again- just OK.

Wednesday morning we packed up and headed out, but not before a visit to White Mountain Puzzles headquarters right down the street from the Inn. There were so many to choose from, but we walked away with these two:

All in all it was a wonderful vacation to celebrate 19th years of wedded bliss!

Saturday Snippets

Those of you who know me, know I hate getting up early. PERIOD. (And I REALLY hate it on a weekend.)

But getting up early today was for a good cause- I got my first COVID vaccine! A friend of mine tipped me off to a local clinic that had several appointment openings and I was able to snag one. (Thanks Annie!)

The process was fairly seamless. I got the appointment online and registered online. Funny/weird-related story: in my haste to make sure I'd get one of the open appointments, I was somewhat typing haphazardly in the information form. There was a "Preferred Name" field and somehow (autofill?) Richard ended up there. Which is weird...because it's my Dad's name. (I had visions of getting to the clinic and them calling "Richard" and me thinking- is that me? Is that the guy next to me?) Thankfully, the preferred name never came into play.

I arrived at the clinic and got in the line which was outside, but moved fairly quickly. Once inside, I was asked if I pre-registered and sent to a check-in station. The woman checked me in and scheduled me for my second vaccine. 

Next, it was "have a seat and roll up your sleeve." I was asked a series of questions about allergies and then "take a deep breath." I'd say it was only a smidge more painful than a flu shot. It was a pediatric clinic so I had the honor of getting a My Little Pony bandaid. 😉

I was then directed to another station where my vaccine card was filled out and I was told to sit in chair #10. They set a timer for 15 minutes and when that was up, came to make sure I was feeling OK (I was), handed me my card, and I was on my way.

Since I was in an area that I don't normally go to, I decided to do some errands. While driving, I felt a few tiny stings/sharp pains in my shoulder and I felt a bit woozy, but part of me thinks there's some psychosomatics at play there.

I needed to return something at Eddie Bauer but since it wasn't open and since Whole Foods is in the same plaza and didn't look ridiculously crowded, I decided to pop in there. I haven't been in Whole Foods in maybe three-ish years? And now I remember why. I walked throughout the store with a carriage in the hopes of finding some fun foods that I can't get at my local grocery store. I did find some, but I'd forgotten how ridiculously expensive it is. Needless to say, I walked out empty handed.

I did my return at Eddie Bauer (the lone employee came out of the back without a mask on, but we'll just gloss over that) and then hit Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's is much more my speed price-wise. I got some great frozen items (swordfish!) and some treats for John. 

Came home, had lunch, and then went "regular" grocery shopping. I took Grace (my stepdaughter with me.) It was the first time in over a year that she'd been in a grocery store. Needless to say, she was thrilled. Trips to the grocery store don't do the same for me, but whatever... She did really well and kept her mask on the whole time. I asked her if it felt weird and she said yes. (She has Down syndrome, so it's tough to know what she's thinking.)

After unloading the groceries, I decided to do this:

Here I sit blogging, enjoying the view and the sun. It's an absolutely gorgeous day in New England and it feels like we are FINALLY out of winter (and yes, it is April....)

Before I go, two plugs for your viewing pleasure. 

Last night we started watching This Is a Robbery on Netflix about the 1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The Gardner is perhaps my favorite spot in Boston and I remember when the heist happened. We're only two episodes in, but so far we like it! 

We won't be watching it tonight, though, because it's the Frozen Four Championship game! I had North Dakota in my bracket to win it all, but they were booted out early on. We are rooting for UMASS for many reasons. It's a local school and they overcame adversity (COVID protocol) to win the semifinal game against Minnesota Duluth. They lost their top scorer, first string goalie, and third string goalie. (The equipment manager ended up being the emergency backup!)  They ended up winning in overtime, which was a thriller. Also, my uncle has done color commentary for UMASS hockey on the radio for over 20 years. Winning this would be a big thrill for him after all of these years. GO MINUTEMEN!

BOOK REVIEWS 2021

Book #13: The Portion Teller by Lisa R. Young

Summary: In The Portion Teller, you’ll develop portion-size awareness and learn how to lose weight without weighing food or counting calories. Using simple visuals such as a deck of cards, a yo-yo, a baseball, and even your own hand, you’ll find out what a serving size is supposed to look like and how many servings you can eat per day from each food group. The visuals are easy to use: If your piece of salmon at dinner is about the size of three decks of cards, you’ve eaten all your meat and fish servings for the day.

Rating: D. This was all repeat information for me (which I should have known going in). I've done Weight Watchers and that also teaches you portion size, so nothing new. She preaches about the visual aide of a portion size, i.e., eat something the size of a deck of cards. My mind doesn't work like that, so it wasn't overly helpful to me. There was a timeline of fast food/restaurant changes that was some semi-interesting.

Book #14: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Summary: Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

Rating: B-. I didn't like this as much as I liked Beartown and A Man Called Ove. I felt like this book specifically was similar to Amy Sherman Palladino's writing (Gilmore Girls, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), but in a slightly annoying way. Punchy. No breather. By the end of the book I was kind of over that style of dialogue (which is odd since I love both of the shows I mentioned.) 

Book #15: The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg

Summary: Does this really need a summary? Welcome to Whistle Stop in the current day (with flashbacks, of course.)

Rating: A. I loved this. I love Flagg's writing style and sense of humor. It was a light book in an often heavy world. (Don't take as long next time to write another book Fannie Flagg!)

Book #16: Becoming by Michelle Obama

Summary: Becoming is the memoir of former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, published in 2018.

Rating: A-. As a friend said to me- I felt like I should've liked this more. I was not at all interested in the pre-Barack story of her life (not sure why?), but once she met Barack, I was interested. She clearly did not want to be involved in politics, at all (and I felt like this book was her way of saying, "I did it, but I hated it.) The time when she and her family were living in the White House was of the most interest to me, as I've always been intrigued by it (and never been inside!)

Week 3 of 2021: A Picture-a-Day

Monday: It was MLK Day (no work), so John & I went for a walk in the afternoon. We walk by this each time we take a walk and each time, what do I think those grassy mops in the water look like?

Cousin Itt from the Addams Family!

Tuesday: Progress, progress, progress on the built in bookcases in our living room. I married a talented man!

Wednesday: While working on the built ins, John was watching the inauguration on his phone. There were a lot of great moments in the ceremony, but the poetry reading by Amanda Gorman, was amazing. It gave me great hope for the future.

Thursday: For the Boston Bruins home opener, the team honored a 40+ year season ticket holder who passed away from COVID-19 two weeks prior. The anthem was sung outside of his house with his family packed on his porch. A nice tribute.

Friday: Friday was a sing along kind of day. I went from Foreigner to Fleetwood Mac and then to the Pointer Sisters. Listening to this I was thrown back to junior high. We had a talent show and my friends & I did a routine to "I'm So Excited." The big controversy was that we wanted to throw glitter at the end and our principal was against it. Yeah, we went to Catholic school. Apparently glitter is sacrilegious. 😎

Saturday: Woke up to this. Even though it was only an inch or so, it was not welcome.

Sunday: The puzzle is DONE! This was one was tougher than it looks, but it was enjoyable.

BOOK REVIEWS 2021

Book #5: We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall

Summary: Set at the iconic 1939 New York World’s Fair, Susie Orman Schnall's We Came Here to Shine is historical fiction featuring two bold and ambitious women who navigate a world of possibility and find out what they're truly made of during a glorious summer of spectacle and potential.

Rating: B+. I specifically gave a short summary to entice you. This is a fast/simple read but the backdrop of the 1939 World's Fair was fascinating- slighty more fascinating to me than the actual characters. It's a fun read.

Book #6: Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

Summary: The ultimate playbook for developing brave leaders and courageous cultures. Daring leadership is a collection of four skill sets that are 100% teachable. It’s learning and practice that requires brave work, tough conversations, and showing up with our whole hearts.

Rating: B-. Admittedly this was not a "for pleasure" read. My supervisor recommended it and I decided to give it a shot. Brown is hilarious and her wit and humor helped me to get through the book. Admittedly, I did take a lot of notes (stickies galore) and want to document them here:

• (page xviii): "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better." WOW- right off the bat this book was speaking to me & my personal experiences.
• (page 8): "Rather than spending a reasonable amount of time proactively acknowledging and addressing the fears and feelings that show up during change & upheaval, we spend an unreasonable amount of time managing problematic behaviors." This is cited as one of the 10 reasons that get in our way of leading bravely. Agree!
• (page 20): In relation to the first bullet above, Brown refers to critics as "cheap-seats feedback." She constantly reminds the reader to avoid the cheap-seats feedback. (I need to work on this!)
• (page 21): "Cruelty is cheap, easy, and chickenshit." Hilarious, but oh so true..
• (page 38): "What does support from me look like?" I really like the way this is framed and will try to use this going forward.
• (page 63): "I am a traveler, not a mapmaker. I am going down this path same as and with you." This is brillliant.
• (page 214): Brown talk a lot about assuming positive intent. I have some work to do this in this area, but I am glad Brown continued to hammer this principle.
• (page 256): Box breathing/tactical breathing- strategies for reckoning with emotion.
• Inhale deeply through your nose; expanding your stomach, for a count of four.
• Hold in that breath for a count of four
• Slowly exhale all the air through your mouth, contracting your stomach, for a count of four.
• Hold the empty break for a count of four
• (page 258): I am going to write these out and put them on my computer monitors:
1. Do I have enough information to freak out about this situation?
2. If I do have enough data, will freaking out help?

Who Knew Doors Could Be So Difficult?

I can't believe it's already October! 

Here in New England, the leaves are turning and there's a chill in the air- happy fall y'all! (I'm not really Southern, I just wanted to imitate my door sign.) Isn't it cute?

And yes, that's our newly painted front door. The general consensus is that it might be too bright. We wanted a pop of color (the house is gray with black shutters), but not sure this red is working.

It's Behr's Daredevil and I happened upon it after searching Pinterest several times for "gray house black shutters what color door." A result surfaced with this picture from The Little Pink House blog. 

I thought- "GREAT! This is exactly our color scheme." (And oddly enough, the house in the blog used to be pink. If you've been following along with our story, you may remember that the previous owners of our house LOVED pink- pink shutters, pink rugs, pink walls, Pepto Bismol overload.) I thought great- another thing in common.

We got a sample of that and HGTV/Sherwin Williams Tanager Red and to be honest, they looked exactly the same side by side on the door.

Neither John nor I are 100% sold on the Daredevil.

I am now looking at other colors altogether. Currently interested in the following:

Yellow: HGTV/Sherwin Williams Dutch Tulip 

Yellow: Sherwin Williams Sunflower

Teal: Sherwin Williams Still Water (this was actually our original choice, but the more I looked at the house and saw that the gray was somewhat dark, the more I was concerned it wouldn't pop and be washed out.) This was another Pinterest find on the Kylie M. Interiors blog.

Orange: Sherwin Williams Yam (don't think I can get John onboard with that one)

Here's the front of the house freshly painted (two angles)-

(I will also say that the door doesn't look quite so bright in these pictures, as the screen door is in front of it.)

What's your vote? We are open to any & all suggestions (except maybe neons...)

 Book #43- The Polygamist's Daughter by Anna LeBaron

Summary: This is the haunting memoir of Anna LeBaron, daughter of the notorious polygamist and murderer Ervil LeBaron. Ervil’s criminal activity kept Anna and her siblings constantly on the run from the FBI. Often starving, the children lived in a perpetual state of fear―and despite their numbers, Anna always felt alone.

Rating: B-. I found The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner, another polygamist memoir, to be more interesting (maybe because it was the first one I read?) However, this is story is pretty amazing- from being shipped off to Mexico at a young age (without her mother), having only met her father a few times, to dumpster diving for food and raiding donation bins for clothes. LeBaron had an amazing life and has risen above it all.

Book #44- American Pie by Michael Lee West

Summary: The lives of the three McBroom sisters of Tallulah, Tennessee, were tangled before the eldest, Eleanor, discovered their mother hanging from the Venetian blinds—and the years have done little to comb out the knots. Now a drunken encounter with the midnight train has left brash, much-married Jo-Nell near death, compelling agoraphobic Eleanor to summon marine biologist Freddie home from California—where she fled after being expelled from med school following a daring gall bladder heist. At last the McBroom sisters are together again, to face old fears and new catastrophes as they cheerfully deflect every flaming arrow that outrageous fortune fires their way.

Rating: C-. I've read a handful of West's books and I'm pretty sure each time I review one, I mention how the book is going along just fine, making me laugh, etc..., and then WHAM! Out of nowhere this really weird randomness happens. This time, one of the McBroom sisters looks back on her tough childhood and how a family member (stepmother?) insisted on giving her enemas as a matter of course. Um, what? Yeah, I think I'm done with West's books. 

Strange Things Are Afoot at the Circle K

If only at the end of this 90 minute late 80's classic movie could we emerge from the theater and find out that the COVID-19 pandemic never happened. That is was just a figment of a movie director's imagination and not real.

I wish.

And I'm guessing 99.9% of people worldwide wish the same (I'm very literal and do need to account for that wackadoodle .1%.)

(Oh, and if you're not following along, I'm referring to the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.)

However, this is DEFINITELY not an excellent adventure and definitely not a 90 minute movie that we will emerge from.

Unfortunately.

I have a lot of things to write, but not sure I'll be able to get it all out in a coherent manner, but let's give it the old college try, as my Mom would say.

On Thursday, the company I work for gave the directive that we were to begin working from home starting Friday, March 13th. We got emails leading up to this directive that made me think in the back of my mind it was possible (bring your laptop home every night, make sure you can access the VPN, etc...), but honestly, I didn't think it could really happen. Because a directive to work from home meant things are serious...and that's tough to deal with (at least for me.)

So, on Thursday, March 12th, I packed up and said goodbye to the cubicle that I spend 40 hours a week in.

I brought my two monitors, docking station, laptop, keyboard, mouse, etc... home and my trusty in-home IT support guy set me up.

I am thankful that I have a nice space to work from and a view where I can see birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and (if I put my glasses on) deer.

But it's not the same. I can't yell over to Andrea in the next cube to ask if she's having trouble in Teams. I can't walk down to Terry's cube and ask her if she wants to go for a walk. And I can't go into Annie's office to sing whatever song is in my head at that moment (and grab chocolate.) Thus, the social isolation aspect of working from home has been tough. (But I do have that cute in-home IT support guy to chat me up when needed.)

I will say that it has helped when I and others turn on our camera during meetings. It's good to see people's faces and hear their voices. While it's not the same as in person, it's better than nothing!

I also realize that others still have to go to work during this crisis...to help others. I sincerely appreciate those who put their health at risk to help others. Doctors, nurses, other healthcare workers, grocery store and pharmacy employees. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and stay healthy.

Let's talk about something REALLY important, shall we?

Toilet paper.

This was taken the evening of Thursday the 12th at our local grocery store.

My food/paper goods panic started the night prior when I could tell sh*t was getting real. I volunteered to go to the grocery store on the way in to work on Thursday morning to at least pick up bottled water, since that's 90% of what we drink. At 8:45AM it was packed. I got four cases of water and while I wanted to get more, I knew I had to be on my way to the office.

During the day, I told John to work on a list and when I got home, I knew I would be going to the store. I needed something that I could exert control over since it felt like none of this was under my (or anyone's control.) After we ate dinner, I went to the store and piled up with basically anything I thought we might need. From meats to frozen food to bread to Pop Tarts to microwave popcorn. At that point they were out of eggs, pasta (although I got two random/off brand boxes of spaghetti), paper goods (as you can see above), and any type of cleaning supplies.

I felt like I was transported back to the Soviet Union. It was odd. Really odd. Eerie is more like it.

While I couldn't get toilet paper that night, we had enough to get us through the short term, so I laid that obsession to rest (temporarily.)

Over the next day or so, John and I discussed the fact that he's immunocompromised (due to being less than a year out from cancer treatment). I told him that I was worried about him going out into public and that I really thought it best he not do so. I was scared. I still am. Luckily, he came to the same conclusion and agreed that I would go out when we needed something.

It's hard to describe, but after having been through such a traumatic event (his cancer) and surviving it (which was exhausting and wore both of us down), my worry has been off the charts in terms of me getting sick or him getting sick again. This pretty much started right after we found out he had clean scans. I think all of the emotions I had to keep in check while he was sick so I could carry on were finally coming out. And now, with the pandemic, it's ratcheted up another notch. Thankfully, I have anti-anxiety medication that I can take when needed. And a loving husband and friends and family that talk me down when needed.

OK- back to toilet paper.

I went out on Thursday (the 19th, if like me you're getting confused) to get some more groceries and to look for toilet paper as we were getting low. None. No dice.

Ridiculous, but I was starting to panic about not having toilet paper.

I had a really bad day on Friday (the 20th) anxiety-wise and didn't sleep well and was up at 4AM on Saturday morning (the 21st). I decided since I was up and it was unlikely I'd get up this early again anytime soon, I went to the grocery store at around 6:30AM.

That picture you see above of the paper goods aisle? Same thing on Saturday morning. I bought a bit more food, brought it home, and then decided to step up my journey for the toilet paper.

The Target app (liar) told me that they had toilet paper. Nope.

I went to another grocery store. Nope.

I went to CVS. I see the single rolls of Scott toilet paper. (And hear the angels singing Hallelujah in the background). A woman was grabbing some and said, "Do you need some? I'll leave you some." THANK YOU! There were five rolls and I grabbed four, thinking someone might be desperate. She and I (6 feet apart) get up to the register and we start to notice that there are rolls of Scott toilet paper EVERYWHERE. Just piled up.

She gets up to the cashier and the cashier says limit of one roll per person. ONE? OK- now I know why people were dumping the toilet paper rolls everywhere. I think to myself that one is better than none and I'll hit Walgreens next. The cashier says to the woman, "I have some multi-packs back here- do you want one of these?" (Again with the angels singing Hallelujah in the background.)

So, let me get this straight. We can only buy one single roll of Scott toilet paper, but you'll sell me a multi-pack of 18 rolls? SOLD!

I stepped up and got the last multi-pack. Phew. I could now let that obsession go...for now.


I want to end on a positive note. I've discovered that there are certain things that are helping me get through each day.

A routine. A routine is huge.

• Get up and shower as if you are going to work. 
• Get dressed. 
• Put on makeup (if you feel like it). 
• Each lunch at the regular time. 
• Take a snack break when you'd normally walk to the vending machine.
• GET OUTSIDE. We have gone for a walk everyday so far (except one) and it's been amazing. I've never seen as many neighbors out and about as I have in the past week. And everyone's friendly (from a distance). I can honestly say that this has made me smile.
• Exercise. The outside walk will do it, but if you want to do more, do it.
• CONNECT with people. My friend Terry and I did a video chat. I did one with my parents today. Talk on the phone. Message. Send smoke signals.

Find something that will make you smile and be thankful for the day at hand, even though it may be a struggle. (And if you can't find it today, you'll find it tomorrow.)

From Walking on Sunshine to Walking In a Winter Wonderland

In my last post, I mentioned the weather was wacky here in New England. Well, that trend continued.

Last Sunday it was still balmy and in the 70's. John and I went for a walk in our neighborhood. A bunch of our neighbors were out- it was so gorgeous!

This is a little pond on the next street over. It's always peaceful looking.

Last night & today? Total 180!

(That abominable snowman you see out there is John- pushing the snowblower- and I'm inside warm & toasty!)

Welcome to New England!

This week was fairly low key.

We tried a new to us frozen pizza brand- American Flatbread

John's taste buds are still not at 100% after his treatment, so we try to lean towards white sauce vs. red sauce. This brand had a couple of options for white pizzas, so we decided to give it a shot. This one was pretty good and we're going to try another one next week. If you're looking for a legitimate frozen flatbread, I'd say this is it.

We finished ANOTHER puzzle! (And in record time!)

This is the one I referenced in last week's post- beach stickers. While this one was easy, it was fun remembering times we'd been to many of these beaches and counting how many we'd been to (and how many more we have to go to!)

We have another one lined up- I bought it at a cheapo/discount store so we'll see how the quality compares to these more expensive ones. It's of a newsstand with various magazine covers.

We finished another TV docuseries this week: Killer Inside: Mind of Aaron Hernandez

photo credit

For those who aren't familiar, Hernandez was a New Englander (from Connecticut) and played for the New England Patriots. He was charged with three homicides (convicted of one). Because of this local connection, I was familiar with the case and because he played football, John was familiar with the case.

The docuseries looks at different angles that may have caused Hernandez to murder in cold blood. Some of those angles are:

• His father dies when he's in high school and his mother quickly forms a relationship with a cousin's ex-husband, leaving Hernandez angry and seeking refuge at that cousin's house (who becomes a second mother to him.)

• He struggles with his sexuality. He's a rough and tough football player but has sexual relations with males in high school. Eventually he finds a girlfriend and they stay together, move in together, and have a child together. One possible motive for the murder he's convicted of is that the victim caught him engaging in sexual activity with a male and Hernandez needed to stifle that.

• To keep his rough and tough image intact, he eventually associates with unsavory characters who will get him guns, drugs, basically anything he wants.

• CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy)- a degenerative disease of the brain that is caused by repeated concussions, of which he received many while playing football.

I don't think any one thing is the cause in Hernandez's case, but I tend to think that living a double life; hiding his sexuality was definitely a driving factor.

One segment of the series that really had an impression on me was an interview with Ryan O'Callaghan, a former NFL player (he also played for the New England Patriots). After leaving the NFL, he came out as a gay man. He shared his "double life"- gaining weight to become as unattractive as possible so no one would question why he didn't have a girlfriend. He planned that after football was over, he would commit suicide, as he figured his life would be over. A therapist said if he was going to commit suicide, he may as well share his sexuality with his parents. He did and has been able to go on and lead what looks to be a happy life.

I was really struck by the fact that someone would go to great lengths to hide who they are. I certainly understand societal pressures to do this, but it is just so sad and leads to many suicides.

Aaron Hernandez was outed by a sports reporter and it became the topic on a Boston sports radio show.

Two days later he was found dead in prison. He committed suicide. His story is extremely sad on so many fronts.



Book #3 of 2020: Death by Dumpling by Vivian Chien

Summary: The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family’s restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that helping wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband.

Lana’s love life soon becomes yesterday’s news once the restaurant’s property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead―after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng’s severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy? Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy―to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out―it’s up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng’s killer order. . . before her own number is up.

Rating: C+. This is the first in the series, so I will give it one more shot, but it was nothing exciting and I wasn't endeared to any of the characters.


Book #4 of 2020: The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Summary: Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo—until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain.

Rating: A. I really loved this story. While it certainly had depressing/sad parts, it was a beautifully told story. Highly recommend!