What I’m Into: November

General Highlights:

November’s main event was my best friend Alanna’s wedding. This was probably my last bridesmaiding gig, and it was a great way to go out! I was so happy to spend time with our friends from out of town and get to know Alanna’s family better. As glad as I am to get back to normal, I’m already wishing for another excuse to get everyone together.

I participated in the True Blue 5K again, running the whole way and setting a new PR! In other Tiger news, football season continued and basketball season began. Kathy, Daniel, and I have moved down at the Forum from row T to row J, i.e. in front of the banners! HUGE DIFFERENCE. The way the team is playing, it looks like we picked a bad year to make the jump, but I’m still holding out some hope.

I served on a jury for the first time in November. Maybe I had an especially good experience, but I don’t understand why everyone gripes about jury duty. You get to be out and about downtown in the daytime, meet interesting people, and do something that’s really helping the community, all instead of going to work. I was finished by Wednesday afternoon. What’s not to like?

My friend Myla’s family invited me (and our friend Becky) to spend Thanksgiving with them, and I had a wonderful time! My parents live here, but my family has split up on Thanksgiving for about a decade – it’s a long, hunting-related story – and I wasn’t up to traveling for the holiday this year. So I had a fun, restorative day on her family’s farm. Myla and Richard brought their cat and introduced her to some horses!!

Just this week, I’ve realized that I have a serious case of burnout. That might sound ridiculous since I am not a parent and don’t work long hours, but trust me. I’ve been feeling down, unmotivated, and exhausted for several weeks and thought I was mildly depressed. That might still be true, but I now believe burnout is more likely. I don’t know yet what I can feasibly do about it, but I know I have to do something. More on this as it develops.

Reading:

Amy Poehler’s Yes Please was my book of the month, hands down. Also great: my last unread Rainbow Rowell, Landline, and my guru Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection (which I already need to re-read, apparently).

PS: My Kindle Touch has stopped downloading – galleys, library books, or purchased books. Everything goes into the cloud and then gets stuck on Pending. I’ve contacted customer support, tried all the basic fixes, and nothing has helped. Anyone?

Watching:

Contact (with Jodie Foster) is one of my favorite movies of all time. Interstellar is its spiritual sister. Both movies are about wormholes, unseen aliens, and fathers and daughters. And McConaughey is the common denominator. Who knew?

Mockingjay Part 1 was fantastic. In the hands of lesser actors, these movies could have been a joke, but this cast gives the story the gravity it deserves. I especially loved Elizabeth Banks’ Effie in this one. Even in unforeseen circumstances, she remains exactly who she is and keeps on doing her job.

Travel:

I didn’t travel anywhere in November. Thank the Lord.

Around Town:

I was enthralled by the New Ballet Ensemble‘s Nut ReMix at the Cannon Center. It’s an adaptation of the Nutcracker set on Beale Street, and every year it’s a little different. By the way, the NBE just won a National Arts and Humanities Youth Programs Award. Pretty awesome.

While downtown for jury duty, I finally had lunch at the Littlest Tea Shop, an institution among downtown workers. I ate an entire basket of their cornbread by myself and wasn’t even sorry.

Products:

After I confessed to propping my phone on top of my shower doors for musical purposes, my friend Stacy pointed me toward a brilliant invention called the ShowerMate. You can stream anything from your phone to this surprisingly quality Bluetooth speaker. So far I’ve brought three people (that I know of) into the church of the ShowerMate. JOIN US!!!

Beauty:

I read about the Makeup Revolution Iconic 2 eyeshadow palette on The Budget Beauty Blog and finally decided to give it a try. It’s an exact dupe of the famous Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, which retails for $52. The Revolution palette is under $20 including shipping from England. I’m having a lot of fun with it!

Random Happiness:

I kept Alanna’s two cats at my house while she was on her honeymoon, bringing the total to an unprecedented three cats. They were a lot of fun, and I didn’t have to feel like a crazy cat lady because they’re not mine. Woo! My Peach wasn’t phased by them at all, but they didn’t share her desire to be friends. She and Charlie reached an uneasy truce by the end, though.

Pinterest Quote of the Month:

Quote by Finn Butler. You know I really love this rendering because I can overlook the misspelling of “breathe.”

On The Blog:

In addition to the posts I referenced above, I shared my favorite roast beef recipe; analyzed a Taylor Swift song; looked at YOLO from a different angle; confessed that I often trust Hollywood writers more than I trust God with my story; and was thankful for my involvement in the arts.

Posts I Loved:

♥ November is a tough month for me. Several people I love were born in it, but it’s also full of personal sad memories and milestones. And being so close to the holidays and at the cusp of winter, it’s an unfortunate time for such things. So I appreciated bloggers talking about that experience this month: my friend Becca reflecting on nine years without her mom, and Amy at The Messy Middle talking about dealing with bad news at the holidays.

♥ Jamie the Very Worst Missionary: #Blessed.

♥ Heather Caliri guesting at Little Did She Know: Bible

♥ Such Small Hands: What Happens When You Go Viral: On Wanting to Give Up

♥ The Memphis Flyer did a fascinating interview with Memphian/jookin’ superstar Charles “Lil’ Buck” Riley: Most Buck

♥ Jayson D. Bradley: The Gospel’s Too Silly To Be Mocking Other Faiths

♥ Smile of the Month: Night of 10 Trillion Elsas at The Sparkly Life