The Nerdy Nook

On Coloring & Listening

I’ve been coloring while re-reading A Little Life. It keeps me going, even when the pages keep getting darker. I’ve missed coloring, it’s been something to help keep my hands busy. (I know I’ve been writing waay too much about my reading experience with A Little Life, but I seriously can’t stop obsessing over it.)

The imagery and the bright colors help me focus: bright red, light blue, a light shade of brown, a golden splotch here and there–

I’ve been able to distance myself from the pain. Coloring animals is my way of staying focused as these characters go about their lives.

With each color picked from the palate, I feel a little like a painter, naming my creatures afterwards. I.E. “Horse of the Forest.”

Coloring helps me entertain myself as I listen, throws some light on the shade of the pages. I’ve been down this road one before, but in my head, I change the story. (I actually have a happier version that I’m writing, just for myself. Working on this fan fiction, sticking to the bones of the real story, helps me heal from the tragedy of the real novel.)

For me, coloring and reading is the new knitting. Just a different task.

She’s Baaack!

Dessa’s Chime

Dessa’s is back in business! Her singing is as powerful as ever; her raps are as crisp as a freshly printed piece of paper.

She’s one of my favorite female rappers: strong, fierce, and unafraid to be honest. She’s part of the sick indie group known as Doomtree. I know those of you in the Doom Unit are probably wondering why I’m listening to Chime a year after it’s release, but I seriously just got it tonight. I’m already blown away. Dessa can do no wrong.

A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones

George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy novels begin in this amazing book. For anyone who has watched the show, I highly recommend reading the books. They are truly engrossing, fascinating in what they are accomplishing, and chock full of characters that I love from each house. (There are also characters that I hate with a burning passion. Looking at you, Theon Greyjoy.)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy novel comes to life within the pages of the trilogy’s first installment. I couldn’t help but think of the film as I read, becoming more engrossed as the novel progressed.

The narrator for these novels has a beautiful, rich singing voice, one that is necessary when reading Tolkien. Filled with poems and songs, the pages of The Fellowship of the Ring further fleshes out the world that Tolkien is building.

#weekendcoffeeshare March 29th – 31st

Hello, again!

If we were having coffee, I’d probably be sipping a Keurig concoction, one that involves cream. This weekend, I worked, relaxed at home, and finished Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison.

Let’s recap this weekend, shall we?

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison

Orange is the New Black is much more interesting as a TV show. The real memoir, written by one Piper Kerman–Piper Chapman in the show–has one of the most privileged, boring experiences in prison.

Queer Eye

I love this show.

Rejuvenating the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, the new Fab 5 are a vibrant group of guys who help turn around the lives of men and women.

This updated version of the show is heartfelt, funny, and really uplifting. (I’ve only seen a little bit of the old show, so I can’t really make a very good comparison.)

Queer Eye focuses on making someone’s life–whether they are straight, gay, male, female, or queer–better. The sheer generosity and kindness that these five guys show only makes me love them more.

I’m finally getting all caught up on season two, and am steadily working my way towards season three.

My favorites of the group include Tan, Koromo, Antoni, Bobby, and Johnathan. Every one of these guys makes the show a little better.

#weekendcoffeeshare March 22 – 24

Good morning! Welcome to my latest March #weekendcoffeeshare.

If we were having coffee, I’d choose an Apple Spice from Starbucks. (I keep botching the name, but the girls at work know what I’m talking about.) It’s like drinking apple cider in the fall. It’s delicious!

Because of my work schedule, I have untraditional weekends. I usually work–which I’m used to–but every once in a while I get days off. Let’s recap this weekend, shall we?

Continue reading “#weekendcoffeeshare March 22 – 24”

A Little Life

I’m re-reading A Little Life, because I love the characters, and Oliver Wyman brings their voices to life.

Rereading A Little Life isn’t as difficult for me as it was the first time. The first time, I was too close to the characters and their plight–especially Jude–and couldn’t take a step back and enjoy the story. I thought that Hyana Yanagihara hated Jude, but upon re-reading the novel, I see that Jude is too encapsulated in his own misery and the trauma of his abuse to see the good in his life. Continue reading “A Little Life”

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

I had been in the hospital for eighteen days, and not only wasn’t I any closer to a cure, I wasn’t but my condition seemed to be heading steadily downhill.
p. 121, Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

Susannah Cahalan’s memoir is electrifying. Written with the help of medical journals, the journals of her parents, and other such resources, she recreates her month where her brain was on fire, suffering from a rare autoimmune disease.

#weekendcoffeeshare: March Edition

March 1st – 3rd

This weekend was really fun, because I celebrated my 28th birthday. Even though I worked, I still had time to eat Chinese food, open presents, and eat ice cream cake for dessert. That Saturday was my cousin’s birthday, so I sent her a happy birthday text. Saturday I worked, and had the day off on Sunday. Usually, when have days off, I just chill around the house.

Brief Thoughts on the Massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand

Hello, everyone.

Recently, New Zealand has suffered a terrible tragedy: 49 people were murdered in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The news coverage, from the BBC, details the events of the massacre and what has transpired afterwards, including memorial services, flowers and beautiful affirmations of love from the surrounding community, including this picture:

One thing that has stuck with me, though, is how quickly the Prime Minister has moved to change the gun laws of New Zealand. This has given me hope, a powerful message of change that I want to reach Congress here in the United States.

My heart goes out to the families who have suffered during this terrible time, for those who have lost loved ones, or whose loved ones are in the hospital. I can only hope that those in the hospital heal, and know that they are loved. (I do not mean to sound clunky in my well wishes; at the same time, I do not want to sound insensitive, since the immediate “thoughts and prayers” response might sound abrasive in such serious times.) I really do feel for the people who were injured, as well as their families. I feel for the families who lost someone close to them.

I am not a journalist, so forgive my rusty way of going about writing what news has transpired. I’m sure there are bloggers out there who have covered this tragedy, and have written about it better than I have. Please continue your thoughtful outpourings.

Meghan B.

Woke Up Lonely

A cult leader. His ex-wife, and his nine-year-old daughter sit atop a radio tower, 210 feet in the air. They are having a last picnic. In fact, you’re watching the three of them on your TV screen.

Workin’ Moms

I recently just finished this comedy about women in the workplace. It takes place in Toronto. One thing I was immediately jealous of was the amount of time that these women–from all walks of life–were able to take off. One women, Kate, took off nine months.

Sharp Objects

Going home shouldn’t feel nerve-wracking.

Gillian Flynn’s psychological thriller Sharp Objects focuses on one woman’s innermost demons as she investigates the murders of two preteen girls in her small hometown. It’s in Windgap, she must confront her mother, her father, and her half-sister she hardly knows. As the clock ticks, as the evidence slowly un-spools like yarn, Camille Preaker comes to realize she identifies strongly with these murdered girls.