What I’m Into: June 2013 Edition

It’s time again to talk about What I’m Into, modeled off of HopefulLeigh’s “What I’m Into” series. Eventually maybe I will come up with my own creative title to describe a post about things I like. But anyway, here’s June.

I love my new laptop. In January, my previously beloved laptop crashed. It soured me on Macs for the foreseeable future, plus they’re expensive. My parents were gracious enough to buy me a new laptop for me to use on this next adventure in my life. It’s a Dell, a PC, and it’s taken a lot of getting used to. After 7 years of Mac/iPad use, it’s been different. But it’s a thing I can type on, store things, and find and consume media, so it’s awesome.

TV

Apparently I need to move to Bluebell, because it is a magical southern place where all the men are very attractive.  Where is Bluebell you ask? It’s the magical Southern setting of Hart of Dixie.  I don’t know if this show is well reviewed, I don’t care that sometimes a few lines are awkwardly delivered, I don’t mind that the drama is often on par with a soap opera. But I love this show, a lot.

Somewhere towards the end of Season 3 of the West Wing, this show got less interesting. I stopped watching. And then, with extra time on my hands, I decided to at least finish Season 3. IT GOT BETTER. Some shows, you just have to stick it out through the rough patches.  I don’t know if I’ll keep on with it, seeing as I only have a few months left with my friend Netflix now that I’m moving to Mexico. Must prioritize shows!

I finished the existing seasons of Parks and Recreation. As I said in my last “What I’m Into,” I am still part  Leslie Knope. I would say that I’m excited for the next season, but I’ll be in Mexico, so it will be awhile before I get to see it.

I still love Chuck. I will rewatch it forever.

Books

As I’m re-figuring what I’m good at and what I like, I have returned to my first love: books. I’ve nearly hit my limit on items checked out at the local library–spoiler alert, the limit is 50. I have tall stacks of books beside my bed, and I’m in the midst of most of them. I am not a monogamous reader: I read many, many books at a time. So, I have not finished many this month, but I’m working on many.

The best book I’ve read this month? Hands down, Eleanor and Park. It’s the first book in months (since last edition’s favorite, Brain on Fire) that I devoured, that I picked up at any spare moment to try to finish. It’s a young adult novel set in 1986, two teenagers meeting on a bus and falling in love. That sounds lame, but it isn’t.  If you can get your hands on it, read it. It’s awesome.

Magazines

I like magazines nearly as much as I like books, but for different reasons. Yes, I read magazines, but they’re different generally from books in that I wait for them to come in the mail. I love mail. I didn’t work in my college post office for three years for no reason (ok, working with my best friends and having awesome bosses were other positive factors).  Seeing my favorite magazines in my mailbox is the best. I’m currently subscribed to: Smithsonian, Wired, Interweave Knits, Vogue, Sojourners, and Entertainment Weekly. None of these things are alike. I have a variety of tastes.

Smithsonian I like because through my subscription, I’m a member of the Smithsonian Institution. My backup plan to the current backup plan I’m now using is to live in Washington DC and spend my life at their museums. Valid plan right? Wired I was subscribed to for quite awhile, then last summer it expired without me being notified, and I was annoyed so I didn’t resubscribe and just bought copies at used bookstores. A month or two ago, I won a free subscription, so Wired is back in the mailbox.

Interweave Knits helps me pretend I’m still good at knitting. I haven’t knitted much in the last two years, but I like the inspiration of pretty knitted things. This subscription will probably not be renewed when the incessant renewal requests next come in the mail. Vogue I love because it is beautiful and shallow and deep at the same time.  Where else can I look at pretty clothes and read fluffy articles about actresses and also read insightful interviews of people like Chelsea Clinton?

Sojourners is a magazine dedicated to social justice and Christianity. It’s kind of everything I want to read about at this stage in my faith life.  I enjoy reading about current events and issues with a not-uber-conservative Christian perspective. Entertainment Weekly is a great pool or beach read.  When I’m bumming around the internet, I tend to only look at entertainment that specifically interests me, and a magazine like EW is great for introducing me to books, movies, TV shows, and more that I might not otherwise stumble across.

Music

I’ve really enjoyed Vampire Weekend’s new album, Modern Vampires of the City.  I still don’t know how to talk about music, except to say I like it. I like the way it sounds? Their singing is awesome? Let’s face it, my calling is not going to be a music critic.

Other

One of my main activities in June was learning some Spanish using Duolingo.  I’m currently on a 21 day streak, playing DuoLingo Spanish lessons at least once a day.  It’s a fun and entertaining way to refresh language skills or pick up new simple skills.  In addition to Spanish, they also offer Portuguese, German, French, Italian, and English (if you’re not a native English speaker).

PS

Let’s face it, June 2013 was not great.  And by not great, I mean perhaps one of the worst months of my adult life.  Some of these “things” I was into in June, though, vastly improved this month. Also,the month has ended on a lovely note in which I bridesmaided in my college roommate’s wedding. I’m exhausted now, but it was beautiful.

Author: lakesidegirl

I am a bilingual children’s librarian at a medium-sized library in the Midwest. in the Children's Department of a Regional Library in the Midwest. I lived in Mexico to learn Spanish in 2013/2014. I care about a lot of things. I love. I learn. I teach. I read. I write. I knit. I travel. View all posts by lakesidegirl