Literary relief

The past few weeks at work have been stressful, exciting, and sometimes overwhelming. With regular day-to-day tasks, intense project work, meetings, and a few curve balls, I've pushed myself to find balance by exercising more and reading. The work gym finally set up the ExpressoHD machines properly, so I've been really enjoying my evening bicycle rides.

I stayed home with Forrest over Labor Day weekend to catch up on TV, eat healthy food, and most importantly... sleep to my heart's content. I've also just finished Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Chelsie recommended it to me when we were on doing our regular hikes over the summer, and I'm so glad that I finally got around to reading it. I found some moments in Cheryl's story to be really bizarre and disturbing, but overall I appreciated how brutally honest she was in sharing the raw moments of her adventures. I can tell how close I felt to the author because I use her first name (as if I know her, HAHA).

The weather is cooling down, and football season has begun. My fantasy league collapsed at the last minute, so I don't have any interest in watching football this season. Maybe it was meant to be, because now I have time to watch some hockey! Although, I must admit, I am pretty disappointed that I don't have a league.

I signed up for a couple of short writing classes this semester, because I'm afraid that I won't be able to juggle the craziness at work with the stress of school/homework. Especially with our HK/Korea trip coming up in a few months! I think I can focus on school more next semester, and still be on track.

But I do have an exciting update! I finally requested a standing desk at work, and they installed a really awesome power-adjustable desk that has an LED silicone lever thing. I also upgraded to a Herman Miller chair. WHY DIDN'T I ASK SOONER!? :)

Crime mysteries for the soul

Over the past couple of weeks, now that Seattle has basically skipped over fall weather and gone straight to winter temps, I've had time to cozy up with Forrest and do some reading!!

I was looking at the highly rated kindle titles and decided that Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott looked interesting. And boy, was it! I really like her writing style and how she sneaks the perfect hints in at the right moments. I found myself accidentally pressing the next key before finishing my current page, and then having to click backward! It was a page turner for sure, and I love how it read like a tv show.

Immediately after finishing, I decided to look up more titles by Abbott. I decided to read Only the Innocent next. I noticed themes similar to the previous book, throughout the novel, but the story twisted and turned in completely different directions. And the character building was excellent. This second book seemed more intense and the details were interwoven so intricately that as soon as I finished the very last pages, I immediately re-read the first chapter again. I was drooling over every tiny morsel of info!

I must have forgotten how much I love to read (that's so sad...). I haven't read two books so quickly and with so much pleasure, since college! I'm glad that I decided to read again, and I can't wait to start the next adventure. 😁