Grab the Lapels

Sunday Lowdown #265

WHAT I ENJOYED THIS WEEK . . .

  • I’m on spring break, so I did a movie day on Monday, though I regret all the snacks I ate due to the ensuing tummy ache.
  • Music Bingo Date Night! We did not win.
  • I went to a conference in Indianapolis where several Deaf professionals described their work so we interpreters could learn signs appropriate for their field. It’s not something you learn in class, as that would take a lot of time from fundamentals.
    • One person, slightly different from the others, was basically a world traveler who does it all on a shoestring budget. He said that Western Australia was the best place he’s ever been. He only stood there hitchhiking for about a minute before some Aussie would pick him up. He mentioned that he jumped in with some road trains, and I immediately started looking for Bill in all his photos.
  • Alfred Hitchcock mystery puzzle finished! I will say, finishing the puzzle in no way helped us solve the mystery in the booklet.
  • Biscuit won 1st place in her age group at a race this weekend

WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK

  • I was reflecting on my time as an undergrad — well, the first time I was an undergrad — which was from 2003-2006. Thanks to a full summer schedule, I graduated a year early. However, all the places that meant a lot to me during that time are now closed:
    • The U Cup, where I saw live music, like The Burning Bushes, a two-man band (one played trombone and the other sang and played guitar).
    • The Malt Shop, where I bought so much pizza and adored their chocolate chip cookies. I went on dates there, including one with Nick, and I somehow managed to beat him at pool. I have yet to beat him at any other challenge, ever, in 18 years.
    • The Kaya, where I would did my first fiction reading open mic and enjoyed a minty beverage called Potion #9.
    • “Laz,” short for La Señorita, a Mexican place that had cheap burger Tuesdays.
    • The SBX where we went to get textbooks and school merch.
  • Thus, I was looking at what’s happening in my hometown. According to the latest census, in 2011 there were just over 26,000 people. Ten years later, there were just over 21,000. That’s 20% of the population, right? Did I do my math correctly? When Nick and I return to my hometown, I see a lot of chain businesses. What makes that town different? Yes, there is a large state university and a big casino, but summer rolls around, and it’s like a ghost town.
  • I’m watching the PBS video Through Deaf Eyes, and they’re talking about things hearing parents tried to fix their kids. One Deaf man says his dad felt that if he met Babe Ruth, it would shock him so badly that he’d get his hearing back. Lol, at least he got to meet Babe Ruth.

WHAT I WATCHED THIS WEEK

  • Smile (2022) — loved it
  • Don’t Talk to Strangers (2021) — couldn’t finish it
  • ‘Til Death Do Us Part (2023) — didn’t finish it
  • Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022) — loved it
  • Elevator Game (2023) — enjoyed it despite insufferable characters

REACTIONS TO MY REVIEW

Reactions to my review of Dialed In by Dr. Dana Sinclair: most folks realized that telling someone “you got this!” is possibly demotivational because it sounds like we don’t know what we’re talking about. The person we’re trying to encourage instead feels defensive. Also, comments focused on the difference between confidence and competence as a way of preparing to do any kind of performance (take a test, play in a tournament, deliver a lecture).

FORTHCOMING REVIEW

SHOPPING AT THE LIBRARY PHOTO

Books returned:

  • Think Again by Adam Grant (not read)
  • Fitness for Every Body by Meg Boggs (not read)
  • I Want You by Lisa Hanawalt (finished)
  • Ten Years in the Tub by Nick Hornby (skimmed)
  • If I Can Cook/You Know God Can by Ntozake Shange (skimmed)
  • Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan (DNF)
  • The Keeper by Kelcey Ervick (got halfway through, was satisfied, and stopped)

Why I grabbed these new books from the shelf:

  • We Had to Remove this Post by Hanna Bervoets (trans. by Emma Rault), fiction: it sounds like the book is spoofing on Facebook. The main character has to see all the worst of humanity on a social media platform and remove such posts. It has an ominous vibe!
  • A History of Present Illness by Anna DeForest, fiction: an unnamed doctor goes from working with cadavers to assisting births. Sounds ominous!!
  • Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley, fiction: a couple whose son dies figure they can bring him back with the help of occultists. Ominous!!!
  • Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough, fiction: I loved her book Behind Her Eyes. This one sounds . . . ominous!!!!
  • No Ivy League by Hazel Newlevant, graphic memoir: a teenage Newlevant, who is from a wealthy family and trying to be a bit of a do-gooder, ends up on a project with underprivileged teens.
  • Shook! A Black Horror Anthology by various authors and illustrators, comic books: it just came out, so I had to have it. I haven’t read any horror comic books since my last Tales from the Crypt.
  • Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns, fiction: repeatedly described as “darkly comic.”
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Published by Grab the Lapels

I'm a graduate of the MFA fiction writing program at the University of Notre Dame, which inspired me to follow along with trends in teaching, publishing, and reviewing. I also have an MA and BS from Central Michigan University. I used to teach composition, creative writing, and literature in higher education, then did a brief stint at a civic theater, followed by two years at a references desk at a public library. I'm now working toward my ASL Interpreter license.

35 comments

    • I love that it has props from three different Hitchcock movies, although, as I pointed out to Nick, the couch was from Frenzy, and it was in the office of a woman who is then raped on it. Could have done without the rape couch.

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  3. Happy Spring Break! I’ve been off this past week with my son for his, although he gets another week and I go back to work tomorrow!

    Hooray for Biscuit!

    I never beat Eric at anything either, with the exception of the occasional game of Sequence or the book categories of Jeopardy. 😁

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  4. I do beat Mr Gums at Scrabble – only occasionally. And I say that because we only play occasionally. Ha ha.

    Well done Biscuit.

    Did that traveller say Western Australia was the best place because it was beautiful or because hitchhiking was easy. Either way Western Australia is a lovely state and would visit it more often, if it weren’t so far away.

    We are watching a miniseries called Veronika from Sweden. It features a clairvoyant detective. Not the sort of thing I would normally watch, but it’s compelling. One more episode to go before my Californian friend arrives tomorrow. If I don’t get to comments so much over the next three weeks, you’ll know why! Life will be fun, but busy.

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    • The Deaf world traveler loved Western Australia because he felt the people were the best anywhere in the world, and he said WA now has a special place in his heart. One of the photos on his PowerPoint was something a man had written (people largely wrote notes to communicate with him) and said he wanted to show the traveler his dirt bike, and that it was a special bike, and he didn’t let most people see it. I can’t imagine such a dirt bike, but the Deaf man was so touched by being “let in” the club, so to speak.

      Have a great time with your Cali friend! I’ll see you around when I see you. ❤️

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  5. There’re lots of things to see in WA but they’re mostly a long way apart. I’m glad truckies gave your friend a lift – but not me, I use my passenger seat for storage.

    Clever move Nick, letting her win the first game.

    Milly and I used to be very fierce at scrabble, and probably 50:50. Now we do cryptics so the competition is hidden under a layer of cooperation.

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    • The Deaf traveler was a gentleman presenting at a conference, so I don’t know him personally. In fact, because I was a minute late, I missed his name. However, he said WA now has a special place in his heart, and I’m glad that everyone showed him such kindness.

      Do you think Nick let me win that first game?? That weasel! I saw one the news a day or two ago that Wordle celebrated its 1,000 puzzle, which made me wonder why I never got into it, especially given how everyone, during the pandemic, made such a fuss.

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  6. I love the sound of all these ominous books! Speaking of gator country, when we were in a layover in Florida last week we did one of those everglade tours in a fan boat (such a florida thing) and we saw a bunch of crocodiles, it was super fun.

    Go Biscuit!!!!

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  7. Happy spring break! Peter and the girls start theirs next week so we’re kind of coasting through this week to get there! Your mystery puzzle reminded me that I recently taught Pearl how to play Clue and it made me so happy how much she loved it!

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      • You know what, Peter is totally the same. He’s such a smart guy but really struggles with games like this. He’s also not a great multi-tasked in general but he’s great at focusing on and completing a job at hand. I’m a terrific multi-tasked but am more likely to be frustrated by a task and so half-ass it!

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  8. Happy spring break! I’ve got to hold on a few weeks more until Easter, but it’s in sight now and my mum is coming to stay for a few days, so I’m excited about that. I am looking forward to hearing about gators in your review! I’ve never seen one in the wild, but I did see caimans when I was in Peru, which was exciting.

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    • We also get the Thursday and Friday before Easter off, which is nice, because this is the time of the semester when we’re all dragging. Those breaks make a difference. I’m glad your mom will be with you during yours. I don’t know much about her.

      Yes, caiman are different but look similar. The American alligator is in Florida, but there are crocodiles, famously in Australia, that are much more aggressive.

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  9. I was undergrad in 2012-2015 (also finished early thanks to summer courses) and some of the places I loved (or at least spent a lot of time at) around my campus have also closed!! Even the dorm I lived at for most of that time has been taken down since then, which felt pretty surreal. Maybe trends with young people shift often enough to account for a lot of change around university campuses? Weird coincidence otherwise!

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    • There were definitely no smart phones when I was in college, which makes me wonder if these places of gathering feel unnecessary. I’ve also heard the reverse comment recently, that younger people are on their devices a lot now because there are no FREE public places where they can congregate without being told to move along.

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      • I’ve heard that too, I wonder if it’s some combination of both happening at the same time, the rise of smartphones and the closing of public spaces feeding into each other. Hanging out in person was still very much a thing during my college years too, although that was right at the time I got my first iphone and pretty much everyone I knew also had one in those years. Maybe the change was underway, just not an overnight difference? Hard to say!

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        • I think people need to see the value of being face to face, too. I’m guilty of this. If a book club meets in person, it’s not for me. I’ll do a Zoom book club, though. I just don’t like all the time it takes to get ready and then get there and back. I can squeeze a book club online into my schedule. On the other hand, if I have to squeeze things into my life, maybe I’m overbooked (I’m definitely overbooked).

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  10. It is interesting because in my area, I feel like there is a rise in small businesses and the chains are closing. Which, I’m honestly all for. Let’s revert. Once upon a time, everything was small business and then the mega-stores came about and closed so many small businesses. These large corporations now heavily employ the areas and treat their employees terribly. Time to take back the power. That’s my motivational thought for the day. 😛

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