Tag: books
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The Joy Lab
Inspiration from my Target sweatpants.
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The Best Books I Read in 2022
Last year I wrote a list of The Best Books I Read in 2021. I also shared my aspiration to move away from using Goodreads to track and share my reading but unfortunately the network effect made that difficult … so here’s My Goodreads Year in Books. Without further ado: Maddy’s 10 “Best Reads” of…
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“Why do I have so many thoughts, they are driving me crazy.”
The latest in my series of “Little Things.” 1. I’m going to start this list with a big little thing (both physically and metaphorically) … WHALES! The most success I’ve had seeing whales was two years ago off the coast of Mendocino, and since then I’ve tried multiple times in various places but to no…
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The Best Books I Read in 2021
It would be hyperbolic to say Goodreads has changed my life, but I do love the ability to easily keep track of the books I’ve read and the books I want to read. Before Goodreads, whenever I came across a book that looked interesting or was recommended by a friend, I would haphazardly type a…
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“Introduction To Poetry”
On Saturday afternoon I head out for a walk under the guise of needing to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy. I do, in fact, need to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy, but Thomas and I both know that when I say I’m “going to walk to the pharmacy” that’s code for…
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My “chill out maddy” Spotify playlist didn’t work as well as I’d hoped.
I spent the weekend trying to relax. I didn’t go for any long bike rides or runs; instead, I went for short walks and took naps. I read an entire book. No, wait – two books. I made a playlist called “chill out maddy” and listened to it for a few hours. I meditated. I…
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The world is a beautiful place
I first read Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poetry in AP Literature my senior year of high school. I can’t remember which of his poems we read (was it “Sometime During Eternity“? “Constantly Risking Absurdity“?); since then I’ve read his poems so many times that most of the words seem familiar. When I moved to San Francisco I…
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Pizza Ponderings
I accidentally ordered buffalo chicken on my pizza this evening instead of barbecue chicken which, when eaten, is the equivalent of biting into a chocolate that you think is filled with caramel but is actually filled with raspberry, or eating a cookie that you think is chocolate chip but turns out to be oatmeal raisin.…
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Fires, coffee, books (the usual)
I woke this morning to a red “Unhealthy” warning on my AirNow phone app. Instead of waking up, rolling over to grab my phone, and checking my work email, my mornings now consist of waking up, rolling over to grab my phone, and checking the air quality maps. What an inspiring way to start the…
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Accidental Ode to San Francisco
I love the elm trees on Folsom Street, and the way their leaves turn a fluorescent green as they capture the early morning light. The other day I hiked up Bernal Heights with a friend and, until she pointed them out, I had never thought to look at those trees from above: One of my…
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Feel-Better Friday, Part 3
I’m confused as to how this work week was only four days because it seems to have lasted ages…? In addition to being busy at work my back has been acting up, making it difficult to sleep or move around without pain. As a result (and compounded by the fact I’m on my period, wtf…
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More Thoughts on Feeling Guilty
I wrote a few weeks ago about my incessant feelings of guilt and shame. In an ideal world, I’d be updating you all with the news that I’ve found a way to rid myself of these overwhelming (and, more often than not, overwhelmingly unhelpful) feelings. But, of course, my weekly therapy sessions and iterative self-improvement…
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Feel-Better Friday, Part 2
Hello, and welcome to the second edition of “Feel-Better Friday!” Thanks for joining me on this quest to end my work week on a positive note. I would like to start by giving a quick shout-out to the receptionist at the imaging center where I got an MRI earlier this week: you are the most…
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Feel-Better Friday
I started watching Schitt’s Creek a few weeks ago at the recommendation of many friends and, first of all… I was not!!!!!!! expecting it!!!!! to get so emotional!!!! For context: I finished Season 3 last night, and the Grad Night episode took it right out of me. I’ve been watching an episode per night as comic…