Welcome to November! I know it's already a few days in, but let's do a quick recap of October! In October, I had a good mix of outdoors and in, time with friends, familiar places and new. In all of them, I walked or ran, and I find this such a good way to really get the feel of a place! One thing that surprised me is that despite hiking a lot at the beginning of the month, I still felt a bit bloaty and sluggish at the end of the month. So, I did two things. First, I weighed myself for the first time in a looooong time. Not because I care too much about the number, but because I am going to try to start logging my food so that I am focusing on eating more healthily. The last six months of bike ride + road trip + hiking trip does NOT equal healthy eating habits.
Secondly, I went for a DEXA scan, one of many (this is my fourth in the last 8 years) to see how my body fat percentage and bone density compared to my last three scans. Good news: the density has gotten a little worse, but not significantly, and I am still above average (meaning better than, not worse than). Not as good of news, my body fat percentage has gone up. However, the abdominal area fat (VAT), which can be dangerous, is low, and I have excellent fat distribution, as in, I store my fat in my hips and thighs rather than my abdomen.
You all remember that I have high(ish) cholesterol though? I giggled a bit when the doctor told me I should exercise more (I had just finished riding 1,000 km / 621 miles around Taiwan) and eat less fatty foods (which I don't really do anyway). However, to be fully honest, I do have a hamburger and fries from time to time (ahem, or during TBE, on the daily). So I am not going to cut all joy out of my life, but I am going to work on being more aware. So I guess this is a long way of saying that CWBC will not just be in October for me. Also, since I am no longer riding a bike, I will not be eating cookies for lunch.
As always, I'd love to hear what you're up to! Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix!
Where was I? California, UK
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| October; brought to you by the color yellow |
What country related books or documentaries did I watch?
Read: Trespasses by Louise Kennedy (Northern Ireland during The Troubles) - I wanted to learn more about The Troubles, but mostly I found the writing moody and the character kind of unlikable, plus there is an adultery aspect. I did however enjoy the human aspect of it, where the main character takes a boy and his family under her wing, despite it being sometimes looked against.
Watched: A Tour of Accents in England and
20 British Accents in One Video. I can tell a UK accent, and most likely note if it Scottish or Irish, but I am not good at telling a Scouse (person from Liverpool) from a Mancunian (person from Manchester), despite them having very specific and well known accents. I am working on my game though.
Did I complete any other items on this year's looking forward list?
✅ New food <-- Donatello let me try a piece of his
Epic Salmon Jerky. It was pretty good.
✅ New beer <-- Mountain Rambler Helldiver IPA (Bishop, CA)
✅ New States <-- none
✅ New National Parks <-- none
✅ New thing <-- Peace Wall, Belfast
✅ Hiked/ran in: California, Belfast, Liverpool
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1. What is the name of last month's chapter?
January: Devouring the Sweet Potato
February: Back in the Groove
March: Serenity Before the Storm
April: Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
May: The Ring of Fire and Ice
June: On The Road Again
July: A River Rides Through It
August: That's What Friends Are For
September: Four Legged Friends
October: Something Old, Something New, Something Yellow...
I had a great time in my old stomping ground, but also enjoyed the new sights! No matter what though, there was a lot of yellow!
2. What did I learn last month?
I learned that parts of the 2022 version of the movie Batman were filmed in Liverpool, England. Actually, although Gotham city is supposedly inspired by New York, much of it is actually filmed in the UK. Who knew? Also, I did not even realize there was a 2022 Batman movie, or that Edward (Robert Pattinson) was in it. I clearly am not much of a movie watcher! Or perhaps it is because I am team Jacob.
3. What was the weather like?
It was great for the most part! In the Sierras it was in the 70s (weird) and I went swimming! In the rest of California it was in the 70s or even 80s some days, and I went swimming! In the UK, I arrived alongside storms Austen & Boelo, which delivered ~ 80 mph winds in some areas, lots of rain, and caused many power outages and closures. I did not go swimming, unless you count the puddles or the sea foam that covered me when I went to the coast.
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| Welcome to the UK |
4. What event last month was my favorite?
I have decided to change this question, as I kind of hate it. NEW QUESTION: What are some of the highlights of your last month? I really enjoyed my time in the Sierras. I used to go do a hike there at least once a month, sometimes more, and often in the offseason, like in May, when there was still snow, but there were basically no people. I miss that, and it was nice to do it again. There's nothing like some fresh air, exercise and open space to really clear your mind. I also really liked seeing the Bighorns, and learning more about The Troubles and The Beatles.
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| Pinchot Pass 12,090 feet |
5. What was the best thing read, listened to or watched last month?
Book: I enjoyed
Mad Mabel. It was fun and quirky and kind of reminded me of the Thursday Murder Club, in a good way!
Movie/Show: On my flight, I actually got my year's worth of movies watched! I saw Project Hail Mary, I Swear, and Pressure. All of them were good, although
I Swear made me cry a little, but is well worth a watch! It is a true story of a boy in Scotland named John Davidson who has Tourette syndrome. At this time nobody knew what it was and everyone thought he was acting out on purpose. He gets into a lot of trouble over it, but in the end, he goes on to help others with Tourette syndrome and educate teachers, police and other community members.
Podcast: I listened to the
entire season of Adrift, which I believe was suggested by Engie! It was entertaining! I also sometimes listen to the News in Easy Spanish, and
this story about the owls in New York was interesting. (I only learned the word for owl by reading Harry Potter in español in 2020! I also learned the word for "wand" and "whisper!") The episodes are only a few minutes long so you don't get burned out!
6. Tell us one funny recent story.
In my last post, I promised to tell you about the naked guy! Buckle in! Broski and I decided to take a hike, well actually he wanted to play with a camera that he borrowed and I wanted to get exercise and go for a swim. So we compromised by deciding to go to a swimming pool I had been wanting to check out for awhile, where he could take photos and I could swim. We did a really nice hike on a beautiful river with lovely rocks and views, we took lots of photos and played with aperture and f-stop and stuff, then we walked to the swimming hole.
On the way to the hole, we found a sign that basically said that public nudity was illegal, but around here, people turn the other cheek (ha! Pun not intended!) so that you may see some nudity at the river. We figured, well, it's October, on a weekday, at 10 am...the chances are pretty slim! You know where this story is going, don't you? We arrived at the swimming hole, were the only ones there, and I coerced persuaded Broski to swim with me. We were just about to jump in and Donald Duck comes walking down the path to us. I'm telling you, shirt no pants, top no bottoms, wienerschnitzel flapping; he says howdy and starts talking to us.
Funny thing, first of all, my brother and I were in our undies because my brother did not bring a swimsuit because it's OCTOBER and I never wear one. But really we were overdressed compared to Donald. He turned out to be a nice guy, an engineer, and we did our cold plunge and let him have the beach to himself. But the funny thing is... since my brother was practicing using his borrowed camera, we had set up a video to test out the timelapse as we jumped in the water, so we got Donald on camera! That one is not going to be on the blog, folks.
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| The swimming hole |
7. What am I looking forward to this month?
Spending time with my
Scotland friends and their kids (who were the ones that I first watched Traitors with!), exploring some places I have been before in more detail, and many more new things that I don't even know about yet.
Your turn! To copy/paste, highlight the text below and click CTRL-C, then put the cursor in the comment box and click CTRL-V.
OCTOBER:
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that?
2. What did you learn last month?
3. What was the weather like where you are?
4. What are some of the highlights of your last month?
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?
6. Tell us one funny recent story.
NOVEMBER:
7. What are you looking forward to this month?
Bonus question! Have you ever been to a nude beach? Have you ever swam in the nude?
YES to changing the "what was your favorite" to highlights. It's very typical for people to ask me "what is your favorite place to travel?", "what is your favorite capitol?" yadda yadda, and those are great icebreaker questions, but as you know, the point of travel is not to find the one perfect place, it's to find a globe full of perfect places.
ReplyDeleteChapter: The Great North East Capital Binge
What I learned: Vermont was not a state nor was it part of the US during the revolutionary war. It kind of bounced between what is now the US and Canada for a while before becoming an independent republic.
Weather: has been freaking gorgeous! Neither too hot nor too cold and sunshine for days. I've been spending a lot of time outdoors.
Highlights: a foggy long weekend trip to New River Gorge with Hubs and Stepson #2, the NE capital binge, Julie coming to visit me and getting to hang out with her and Nance, a hiking bender in Mohican State Park, a biking day on Kelleys Island...October was busy!
Best thing:
- Read: Convenience Store Woman for CBBC. It was unexpectedly good.
- Listened to: the swingers podcast! That would be Time Capsule: The Silver Chain for those who want to play along at home.
- Watched: more Traitors, and I saw Thelma and Louise with Julie. I think that you and I should watch it together sometime, but also I'm glad that we spent our road trip time watching Traitors instead.
Funny story: my husband and I came up with the perfect long weekend trip to New River Gorge, a place of epic views. Well, that weekend it was a place of epic fog, so my husband and stepson can say that they have been to NRG but they have't seen it yet. Was vacation ruined because we couldn't see anything? Of course not! It was a running joke for the entire weekend.
Looking forward to in November: I'm on a trip now, and then I'm going to spend the rest of the month putting down some roots at home. I've made at-home friends in the past year, and we're starting to spend more time together. I've started volunteering at an animal shelter and I'm taking a dog handling class next week, so once I've done that I'll be able to start working hands on with dogs. Basically the next challenge is to come up with a home life that's just as exciting as my traveling life.
Haha! Don't overbook yourself at home or you'll be stuck! Maybe that is not a bad thing, but it's funny how those "responsibilities" can add up! For real though, I am glad you are finding good people and things to do at home though! You have been lucky with the weather and your outdoor activities! When I was in CA we also had unusually warm weather, so I am not sure if I should be celebrating or wondering why its happening. I obviously took advantage of it, as did you, since it was there for the taking! Your weekend in NRG sounds like many of my escapades. You do all this work, whether planning or taking a grueling hike to the top of something, and then you can see nothing! It is about the journey though, and is an excuse to go back again at a different time. I can't tell you how many times I summited Mt. Tam (right across from San Francisco, on a clear day, you can see for many miles across the bay) and it was foggy at the top. In the end, I probably summited it 100+ times, and got lots of days with great views, and enjoyed them even more because of their rarity!
DeleteI mean, no way can I top a sentence that includes the words "wienerschnitzel flapping," so why even try?! The best thing I read last month was probably a novel called Penance. It was so dark (about bullying and murder among teen girls) but it was riveting. The best thing I watched was probably The Gentlemen on Netflix. I don't usually like shows where the protagonist makes bad choices, but I made an exception for this one.
ReplyDeleteI have never read that book, nor watched that show, so I will have to put them both on my list! I just read the synopsis for The Gentlemen and it seems like it could be amusing!
Delete
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? - Traipsing Round Europe
2. What did you learn last month? I learned that The Eagle's Nest was just a cafe where Hitler and friends entertained people.
3. What was the weather like where you are? The weather was mostly excellent
4. What are some of the highlights of your last month? This is hard but Oktoberfest, mountain top views and some epic lunches in Venice
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? Loved the Diplomats and my favourite read was Good People
6. Tell us one funny recent story - this one always stumps me.
NOVEMBER:
7. What are you looking forward to this month? Pop and Pour wine and food festival
I love the food in Italy! In Venice, it can be a bit touristy in the center, but when I was there, I went out to Burano and had the most excellent risotto! I JUST got Good People off hold yesterday and am looking forward to reading it! It seems like most reviews are positive! Do you mean The Diplomat the movie or the TV show with Keri Russel?
DeleteOn Northern Ireland: I recommend "Say nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe, you get a better background and it has also been made into a TV series, as was Trespasses.
ReplyDeleteAnd nude beaches, yes. In Denmark, Sweden, Germany. It's not what squeamish people think, I don't like them because the sand tend to get everywhere.
OCTOBER:
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that?
Waiting-for-rain month.
2. What did you learn last month?
That all public transport in Luxemburg is electric and free.
3. What was the weather like where you are?
Too dry, much too dry.
4. What are some of the highlights of your last month?
Some excellent cycling tours through wonderful forests and apple orchards, a train journey along the river Moselle and a visit to Luxemburg (city and country) on amazing free public transport.
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?
Read: Orbital by Samantha Harvey was impressive for its calm observations, the wonder of space and new perspective of who we really are on this small wonderous planet.
Listened: the outrageous story of the surrogacy nightmare "The Journey" (New Yorker podcast)
Watched: "All of us strangers", a moving example of profound grief, not sad, not awful, just waking up emotions.
6. Tell us one funny recent story.
Not exactly funny at first.
Earlier this year, I fractured my ancle in a very remote location, deep NZ bush, while walking on my own and by sheer luck and coincidence was found soon afterwards by a fireman/first responder on a walking holiday who did all the right things so that I was seen at the ER within an hour of the accident.
One night recently while cycling before dusk on a fairly remote path, I heard a woman's voice cry for help and it turned out she slipped and had fallen down a short slope and her foot looked like mine did months ago. It was a special treat for me to be able to call the emergency services.
NOVEMBER:
7. What are you looking forward to this month?
Rain please, and warm cycling mittens.
Thanks for the book rec (Say Nothing)! I actually tried to read it maybe fiveish years ago, and I could not get into it. However, I did listen and the narrator has an accent so maybe that was part of the problem and it would be better to actually read the physical book. I loved Empire of Pain, so I know I like the author! For Trespasses, I did not like the main character, so I probably will not watch the show, but Say Nothing could be a good one to try! There are quite a few nude friendly places in CA, despite it being illegal! I used to do a race in San Francisco called the Bay to Breakers where people even ran in the nude. It was a lot of fun!
DeleteI love that Luxemburg has free transport; is it also free in Belgrade. It is so nice to just be able to hop on the bus and not worry about how or where to pay! Interestingly, there are also several places in the US where this is the case. I used the bus in Tucson and it is also free, and there are around 40 other ones that do this. However, I think Luxemburg is the first country to do it!
Your story about finding that woman is excellent. Not that she fell but that you could be there to help! I do a lot of solo activities and I hope someone like you (or the fireman) will come by if something happens!
OCTOBER:
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." L.M. Montgomery
2. What did you learn last month? I learned how to put polls in my WordPress posts.
3. What was the weather like where you are? Mostly beautiful! There was a week of snowy, colder weather, but overall it was a spectacular October.
4. What are some of the highlights of your last month? I got a treadmill and I'm enjoying it!
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? I listened to Convenience Store Woman for the Cool Bloggers Book Club and quite enjoyed it.
6. Tell us one funny recent story. We're watching The Rainmaker TV show, and one character said, "We're in a hole so deep, I feel like a suppository."
I couldn't stop laughing.
NOVEMBER:
7. What are you looking forward to this month? I'm enjoying NaBloPoMo! One day at a time!
Bonus question! Have you ever been to a nude beach? Have you ever swam in the nude? Never and never.
Haha! The suppository comment! I love that Montgomery quote and of course Anne too! It's funny; I don't really reread a lot of books, but Anne is one of them, and maybe it's time for another reread! I am glad you are loving your treadmill and good timing too, with the snow. It is a bit rainy where I am now but luckily I have a lot of layers and I don't mind getting wet if I can come back and warm up somewhere. I adore summer and early fall, but I really don't mind fall and winter either...
DeleteTwo good books I read in October were May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry, and surprisingly, The Emily Dickinson Cookbook by Arlyn Osborne. MWFtK is one I discussed in my recent blogpost, so I won't go into it in detail here. Suffice it to say that it very much deserves to be on the short list for the 2026 Booker Prize. The author is primarily a poet, and her writing in this book is lush and gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThe Emily Dickinson Cookbook was a gift from Maya. In it are recipes from Emily Dickinson's own collection (she was a very good cook and baker) as well as some that are adapted from mentions in her letter writing. Each one has a poem that seems an inspiration for the recipe as well as some well-researched biographical information about her. It's charming and unusual, and it includes recipes that I will actually try.
I haven't read either of those but I will put them on my list! I do like historical fiction, but fantasy is a bit of a hit and miss, so it really depends. I really like the look of the EDCB! Fun story, plus a few new recipes! Sound great! I found an Oscar Wilde book in Belfast full of his letters over the years and it sure looked interesting! Some of them were from his tween and teen years.
DeleteOCTOBER:
ReplyDelete1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? Still soaking up the sun - (our weather, so nice in October)
2. What did you learn last month? I learned that I like flounder, if prepared in an amzing way
3. What was the weather like where you are? ridiculously warm and sunny and dry (loved it!)
4. What are some of the highlights of your last month? going to VA for the weekend with Coach
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? Rooster - great, funny show!
6. Tell us one funny recent story. I went to an Irish pub last night to hear Lad play Irish music. Lad took a selfie with my friend and I and sent it in the group chat. Lad has a new mustache. Coach's response to the group chat: Come over tomorrow and you can borrow my razor. ;)
NOVEMBER:
7. What are you looking forward to this month? Going to see CURLY! Coach and I fly there for the weekend Nov. 13th. She has 2 games that weekend. I've not seen her since mid August. I'm so excited.
Bonus question! Have you ever been to a nude beach? Have you ever swam in the nude? i've not ever been to a nude beach. I've never gone simming in the nude. Everyone at the nude beach is much happier that way. ;)
I am so glad that you had nice weather in October. It seems like that was pretty much across the board in the US! Its nice but I do wonder if we are going to pay for it later! I am also glad that you had a good time in VA and can't wait to hear about it! Coach's response about the mustache is funny, but...is Lad growing it for Mo-vember or just for always? All my workmates did a Mo-vember and then had a contest. It was all men, but I made a fake one so that I could join in. Have fun with Curly! I bet it will be nice to see her after your time apart!
DeleteOCTOBER:
ReplyDelete1. Road Trippin' & Leaf Peepin'
2. The Boston Tea Party Museum took us through everything that happened before, during, and after the Boston Tea Party, some of which I knew and some of which I didn't!
3. In Florida, it was still hot but in New England, it was gloriously cool!
4. My New England road trip, of course!
5. Best thing I read was probably The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul.
6. This one is always so hard from me! Well, I went to my nephew's baseball game last night, and at one point they were down 12-0 and then scored 9 runs in one winning, and one of the little 11-year-old boys was like "See? This is why we NEVER GIVE UP!" It was really cute. So motivational!
NOVEMBER:
7. MY BIRTHDAY!!! Starting the last year of my 30s, ahhh!
Yay! Happy early birthday! Enjoy this last year, because after this, it's all downhill. JUST KIDDING! Its actually not. I like being in my 40s and knowing more about what I want and who I am. Anywho, you had a great month in the NE with your leaf peeping and learning about history! I have learned about the history, and then had my grandma in that area so have visited again, but I still find things that I forgot or didn't know. I will put the RuPaul book on my list! I love the attitude of the 11 year olds! My niece L is 12 and she often just shoots from the hip, and is so positive or matter of fact about things!
DeleteWow. Full nudity and super comfortable with it. That's a "tell me you're not from the Midwest without telling me you're not from the Midwest" situation! We are not very comfortable with nudity in the part of the country. I have never swam naked in my life! It's just not at all of interest to me. There was a hot spring place close to the resort I worked at in colorado and closing was optional in the evening hours. I much preferred going during the day as I found the nudity so awkward for me since I am a total and complete prude!
ReplyDeleteOctober was really something in a not great way. I traveled too much and I was deposed. That pretty much says it all! We did have a very delightful Halloween to end the month, though!
Ug, sorry that your month was difficult!! I am really hoping that November and December are a little less chaotic for you! Regarding the nudity, I don't mind it. I am less inclined to be nude myself, but don't really care if people around me are nude. The only time it is a bit weird is when I don't expect it, but in this case it was forewarned so it wasn't really a big deal. My cousins do a nude bike ride in Portland and at some point maybe I will be brave enough to join them!
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