Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Feb 6, 2023 15:55:05 GMT
My reads from the past few weeks:
All Things Bright and Strange by James Markert. This was a story of magical realism that takes place in a tiny town in South Carolina a couple of years after WW I. I'm not even sure how to describe the plot...the town is in mourning, a tiny chapel is discovered in the woods that seems to impart healing, it soon becomes apparent that what's happening to the townspeople is destructive, not healing. It's up to an embittered veteran to step up and lead the town in a battle against the evil that's been unleashed. This isn't my typical type of read but I really did enjoy it. I picked it up at the thrift store because the cover caught my eye.
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins. I don't know why I keep trying with these types of psychological thrillers but I did. It was okay. A young man is found dead on a houseboat in London and the story is revealed through several of the women who knew him: his middle-aged houseboat neighbor, his estranged aunt, the mentally ill young woman who slept with him the night he was killed. It was a perfectly okay example of its genre.
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. This 100-year-old novella popped up in my Kindle recommendations and I gave it a try. I was glad I did! The Story is told by a middle-aged woman who is getting fed up with running her brother's farm. They were supposed to be farming together, but her brother became a published writer, much to her disgust. One day, a horse-drawn traveling bookshop and its owner come to the farm and she decides to buy the bookshop and have herself an adventure. It was a really funny, sweet, quick read; I recommend it.
Let Me Be Frank: A Book About Women Who Dressed Like Men to Do Shit They Weren't Supposed To Do by Tracy Dawson. Please read this book. Please have your teenaged and young adult daughters and granddaughters read this book! The author tells brief stories of women of many races, cultures and times who dressed as men, posed as men, allowed themselves to be perceived as men, in order to write, serve in the military, compete in sports and more. The style is informal and it has great illustrations. I was both bummed out and inspired by the stories; most of the women I'd never heard of, and I'm glad their stories are being told.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 26, 2023 0:23:16 GMT
Yup. We had a fifth grader bring a “kill list” to school with the names of students and teachers and what type of gun he would use to kill each. He was suspended for a week and that’s it. Back in school. The taxpayers of that district are going to pay a hefty amount in whatever settlement the teacher is awarded. Maybe they’ll get mad enough to vote to change some gun laws. This is actually the district I live in, it happened a couple miles from my house. Our city is pretty solid blue/Democratic leaning, but we have a terrible gun violence problem, like most places. It seems like when these things happen, wherever they happen, they rattle and upset the community but then things just go right back to normal, except for the traumatized, the injured, the dead, and the people who love them. It doesn't seem like enough to care, to vote, or even to organize and work for change. The national societal will to take action was lost a long time ago. I can't understand it. I have a niece who's majoring in education and passionate about becoming a teacher and I'm deeply worried for her.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 25, 2023 5:22:56 GMT
My cat Thomas likes to drink out of the bathroom faucets exclusively, which I know some cats do, but I bet no other cats have 3D-printed faucet extenders that funnel the water further out so it's easier to lean in and lap it up. (Courtesy of my engineer husband.) Thomas likes to drink out of all the faucets so each one has its own specially-designed extender. He goes into the bathroom of choice and meows, and one of us goes in, clips on the extender, and then he jumps up and drinks. He has us well trained.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 25, 2023 5:15:55 GMT
I wonder if that was a deliberate allusion It would be an interesting choice if it is because Harry isn't a descendant of Henry VIII. Yep, I knew that, but it really struck me that there's a similarity there in the look and the pose. I'm probably way over-thinking it.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 25, 2023 5:12:05 GMT
I'm interested but I don't want to buy it and fund her husband's expensive sneaker addiction. 😄 I think it will be more bland than people expect, too. So I'll probably just read reviews on the snark subreddits. And one of my favorite podcasts, Leaving Eden, is doing an episode on the book this weekend and both hosts will have read it and will have insightful things to say. Off to check out that podcast. If you're interested in cults and extreme religion, I highly recommend the whole podcast series, they've been around for about 2 1/2 years. The female host grew up Independent Fundamental Baptist and got out in her early 20s. The male host is Jewish and is regularly horrified at Christian extremism. They are funny and bright people, very empathetic. They have several episodes on the Duggars and their belief system and their horrible oldest son.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 24, 2023 23:21:12 GMT
Does anybody else think that the cover headshot of Harry is reminiscent of some of the portraits of Henry VIII? Particularly the Holbein portrait. I guess it's the red hair, beard, and truculent look. 😄 I wonder if that was a deliberate allusion.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 24, 2023 23:06:49 GMT
I'm interested but I don't want to buy it and fund her husband's expensive sneaker addiction. 😄 I think it will be more bland than people expect, too. So I'll probably just read reviews on the snark subreddits. And one of my favorite podcasts, Leaving Eden, is doing an episode on the book this weekend and both hosts will have read it and will have insightful things to say.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 24, 2023 22:55:51 GMT
I honestly can't fully remember back through time, but I think I've had more male GYNs than female. The two that are tied for best are a female NP and a male OBGYN, both from the same practice, both beyond wonderful. I saw her till she left to teach, then I saw him till he left to teach (!), and for the past several years I've seen another male OBGYN, one of the founders of the practice. He's sort of on probation with me, a lovely nice man, but I'm not sure he took my questions about menopause seriously last year.
I see him again for my yearly next month and I figure I'll give him another shot and switch to whichever female I can get with in the practice if I still feel dismissed. He's gotta be coming up on retirement age, anyway.
I know men can be stellar OBGYNs because I've had several, but I can understand why some women might prefer to just see female OBGYNs. Heading through menopause, I m wondering if a more up-to-date woman might not be a better fit for me.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 20, 2023 3:36:56 GMT
It's sad news. Even though he is probably better known as being part of CSN&Y, I enjoy The Byrds, which I've been listening to this morning. Yes, I love the Byrds, too. Tomorrow I'll listen to both. His voice was perfect, and I always enjoyed seeing interview clips of him on documentaries about the 60s. He lived very hard but he seemed to have a joyful spirit.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 18, 2023 7:08:24 GMT
My husband and I were in Asheville in May and stayed at The Residences at Biltmore--which we had stayed at 12 years before and remembered liking so much, we stayed there again. It's right in between downtown and the Biltmore Village area, very conveniently located to all of the Asheville stuff and also to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
We spent a day in Black Mountain and absolutely loved that town. We didn't stay there, but we might very well stay there rather than Asheville next time we go back. And I imagine that area would be more likely to have the rural views you're looking for. If you do end up in Asheville, though, definitely look at The Residences.
The Biltmore might be a bit much for your mom, there's a ton of standing and walking, and I didn't feel that the house tour was handicapped-friendly. There are no restrooms in the house, for instance. I frankly felt like it was overrated apart from the gardens and conservatory. Just something to keep in mind.
The River Arts District in Asheville is fun, it's a large warehouse area that has been repurposed into arts and crafts galleries and restaurants. It's easy to take in small doses and just look at as many places as you want and have energy for.
The old train station in Asheville has been turned into a restaurant (the Village Wayside Bar and Grill) and for some reason it just really appealed to my husband and me. We actually ate there twice, which we don't usually do on vacation because we like to try lots of places. The food was good and affordable and we enjoyed the train station vibe.
In Black Mountain, we ate at the Trailhead Restaurant, which was great, and my friend who goes to yearly writer's retreats there raves about Fresh Wood Fired Pizza and Pasta.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 16, 2023 17:49:38 GMT
Oh my. I had hoped so much that she had more time. All my love to her family.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 13, 2023 3:20:21 GMT
I'm sending you all my very best love and healing thoughts. I'm sorry things are scary and I pray for better days to come for you.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 13, 2023 3:14:57 GMT
Does anybody else remember Campbell's Chicken With Stars condensed soup from the 70s-80s? It was very beloved by small children, including me, especially when I had a cold or stomach bug. That was how I encountered pastina.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 12, 2023 1:20:12 GMT
When my father was in the last days of his life, I traveled home to be there but got there after he had settled into a comatose state. So he never knew I was there. It was in December 2020, I'd just finished my cancer treatment, and I'd missed out on the whole last year of his life because of cancer and covid.
My mom had been going through my grandpa's (Dad's dad) old desk, just pulling out old odds and ends for her and my siblings and I to look through while we sat and kept watch over Dad. It was old receipts, pamphlets, postcards, an absolute mishmash.
The night before Dad died, Mom and I were at the kitchen table and I was poking through the boxes of stuff and found a letter Dad wrote to Grandpa. It was dated December 1980, almost exactly 40 years before. Dad was 32 years old then. He was writing to Grandpa to let him know he and Mom had bought a house (their first house and the house my parents were still living in in 2020), and he told him all about the house, about his job, and at the end, a few lines about each of us kids and what we were up to. I would have been ten then, my brother almost six, my sister four and a half.
Dad's voice was so vivid in this letter. He was young, his kids were little, he had a lot of life in front of him. Finding that letter at that precise moment was one of the most profound experiences of my life. I couldn't speak to Dad any more, but here was his voice, speaking from a truly random pile of junk in a shoebox that no one had probably looked at since my grandpa died in 1990.
We all read it over and over and we clipped it to the front of Mom's fridge and it's still there. Dad passed away the following night. For many reasons, that letter was an enormous comfort to me and I can't believe the timing of finding it was just a coincidence.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 9, 2023 21:49:19 GMT
I think you'll be really glad about this! I had my reduction at age 38 and it was a life-changer. I wish everyone who needed it could have it done. Hope you have an easy recovery and heal up great!
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 9, 2023 21:35:32 GMT
I haven't finished a book in weeks and weeks, but I managed to get two read this week. One was Queen Victoria by Lucy Worsley, who is a British historian TV presenter and head of something or other at Hampton Court Palace. I really love watching her shows. This bio of Queen Victoria was good and engaging, but I've read other books about Victoria and didn't feel like I learned anything new. It might be a good introductory bio. I gave it 4/5 stars on GoodReads.
And I read The Final Case by David Guterson. I picked it up at the bookstore because although it's fiction, it's based on a real-life murder case that I was aware of and interested in, where a fundamentalist Christian couple abused and caused the death of a young girl from Ethiopia whom they'd adopted. In the book, the narrator's father, an elderly lawyer, serves as the public defender for the wife, aided by his son who takes an interest in the case. The core story of the young Ethiopian girl is well-told and heartbreaking, but the book swings way off-course with random self-indulgent writing through the narrator's thoughts. I really disliked it and gave 2/5 stars, which is a rarity for me.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Jan 3, 2023 18:00:34 GMT
1. Where do you track these books?
Like many others, I use GoodReads. I keep a list for each year, and have since 2007. (Which reminds me, I haven't created my 2023 list yet!) I use the star-ratings and log the date I finished the book. I don't leave reviews because I'm lazy.
2. How do you determine your book goal?
I don't set specific goals, or usually any goals, really. However, in 2022 I wanted to read more books than in the previous five years, which I did, and for 2023 I'm going to try to work more non-fiction back into my reading. This is just a general guideline for me, though.
3. If you read a book over again, which I do often do you count that towards your total?
I do not. I used to be a huge re-reader and I felt like it skewed my totals. I set an arbitrary number of 20 years, if it's been roughly that long since I read the book, then I can count it as a new read towards my yearly total. (This is all purely my own random standard!)
4. What are you starting off the year with???
I re-read a holiday mystery and now I'm scouting around for something else. I haven't felt well yesterday or today so I'm not quite in the mood to jump into a new book, I guess.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 21, 2022 19:34:48 GMT
It's just me and my husband this weekend, we'll leave to visit his family the day after Xmas. His family often had lasagna on Xmas Eve, so I'm going to make lasagna. I use the Barefoot Contessa recipe for turkey sausage lasagna but it just occurred to me that I think I bought pork Italian sausage instead of turkey. Oh well!
And for Xmas dinner I bought a small ham and will make cheesy potato casserole and green beans. Whatever's left over from these two big dinners, I'll either freeze or tote up to my in-laws' house in a cooler.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 21, 2022 19:19:54 GMT
Oh, that's a wonderful memory to have! Thanks for sharing, it made me smile.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 21, 2022 19:18:14 GMT
But, I'm not feeling much like making it this year. I want keep everything simple. Had the stomach virus last week (first time since 1993 and yikes!). And I still don't have much energy. I picked up that stomach virus while visiting my brother for Thanksgiving (thankfully it struck after I got home so I didn't have to wreck his bathroom 🙄) and it absolutely wrung me out. I haven't experienced anything like that in a really long time. Take it easy--I can certainly agree that food doesn't sound good for quite a while afterward! Hope you feel better for Christmas.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 21, 2022 19:10:43 GMT
If we're not traveling, it's usually just me and my husband at home on Christmas morning. Sometimes I make muffins or scones. This year I found a waffle recipe that sounds easy and yummy and since I got a waffle iron during the pandemic era of buying weird domestic items, I should probably use it. 😄
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 20, 2022 4:15:25 GMT
I'm not accomplishing much reading this month. It's a tricky month--two years since my dad's final days and passing, and three years since they found cancer in a routine mammogram. I had my yearly mammogram today and it was fine, so that's a big load off my mind. I simply haven't been able to concentrate. I'm re-reading a few Dorothy L. Sayers mysteries and trying to start The Marriage Portrait because so many friends have raved about it. I'd like to finish the year with it!
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 20, 2022 4:03:04 GMT
I'm sending you prayers for healing and a speedier return home than maybe how it looks right now. Big hugs, too.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 15, 2022 2:29:07 GMT
Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Connie Willis would be a good one for this time of year.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 15, 2022 2:27:18 GMT
I follow a couple of subReddits that discuss fundamentalist Christians and this case has come up but I haven't followed it closely. But I've certainly become aware through those subs that there is an alarming trend toward dangerous home births in both super-religious and super-crunchy groups, and that U.S. midwifery is insanely under-regulated and under-educated. The regulations for midwives vary widely from state to state and it sounds like other countries have a much better handle on it.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 15, 2022 2:02:21 GMT
I read, cross stitch, look at Reddit and other social media, listen to podcasts, organize things, look at vintage cookbooks, have coffee with friends. I've fallen out of the walking habit but want to get back into it in January and maybe do a walking journal to make it more fun.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 15, 2022 1:58:18 GMT
I don't care for them, but I realize I'm in the minority. No kids, but my nieces and nephews, ages 17-25, don't seem super into them, which surprises me.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 15, 2022 1:53:38 GMT
Some of the best professional advice I ever received was, when you are invited to do something, ask yourself how you'd feel if you had to do it tomorrow. It has helped me say no to a lot of things. I'm an extrovert and a doer, but doing can be a lot of work. I think that could be really helpful to me in the future, thanks!
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 15, 2022 1:52:13 GMT
I am NOT an introvert and I wouldn’t like the set up as you described. I despise zoom meetings and evening meetings are sucktastic because it is cold and dark and I would just want to go home. That said you could reframe it by saying ‘I GET to do this’ or ‘what a privilege it is to be able to do this.’ Good luck I like that reframing a lot, thank you. And yes, even zoom meetings are the worst. I think it might be an occasion to get myself a new comfy desk chair!
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Dec 15, 2022 1:50:21 GMT
RosieKat I totally get that inability to do spur of the moment stuff! I gotta get in the right head space! One of my friends is in the small group, and I like the other people in it. So at least that's not an issue. Sometimes it helps me to think through and try to address the reasons I don't want to go. The problem is that even if I've addressed it once, my dumb anxiety brain just re-panics over and over beforehand. So I keep having to address the anxiety, which makes me just want the whole thing to go away. Also sometimes I just don't wanna go. 😄 But I do hope the project will be a learning experience and a chance to meet new people. I don't want to stagnate, and it's good to challenge myself. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.
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