6 Things on a Saturday

 

* I read Courtney Summers’ Some Girls Are this week and loved it to pieces. It’s a brutal and brilliant contemporary YA about what girls will do in the name of friendship and fear. As horrified as I was by some of the things Regina’s done, she’s still incredibly sympathetic. I love how we see her hit this wall where she refuses to stay down or apologize when she doesn’t mean it or generally take shit from anyone anymore. I love how we see her change. This is Courtney’s second book after Cracked Up to Be, which I also highly recommend. Both books are heartbreaking honest yet ultimately hopeful. She’s now officially one of my favorite authors.

 

* I learned how to play an incredibly fun, incredibly intricate board game last weekend called Arkham Horror. It’s based on the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and basically, you fight off demons while trying to retain your sanity. It leads to hilarious conversations about being lost in time and space and kicking vampire ass. I am playing again tomorrow and I’m super dorkily excited.

 

* I am also doing lots of critiquing this weekend. Two grad school-related papers for friends, a YA novel, a one-act play, and a full-length of my husband’s. Sometimes I have to push past a sort of "who-am-I-to-offer-criticism?" doubt, but I like using my dramaturg brain again.
 

* It has been confirmed that Steve’s having a staged reading of his one-act play We, Tiresias at our undergrad the first weekend in February. It’s starring two of our former professors. How fun is that? I can’t wait to see it.

 

* I’ve taken four yoga classes so far this month and am loving the new studio. It’s a lot gentler than my old kickass power yoga classes. But I still love how stretched and blissed-out I feel afterwards. I’m committing to it by buying 10-class passes, with the plan of going twice a week.

 

* I have a newfound love of spinach. Does anyone have any awesome spinach recipes to share? I’ve just been sauteeing it in olive oil with garlic and onion and then adding some salsa and feta. I’m tempted to go make some now, but we have friends coming over in two hours for the Ravens playoff game and pizza. It’s amazing, though.