#11 Weekend Bites šŖ
Hay fever season is bad this year
For lots of reasons, Iām really tired. Besides work and the state of the world, hay fever has got me bad this spring. So bad that Iāve been testing for Covid because Iām feeling so stuffy. Who knew that not being able to breathe properly makes you feel like you have a head cold? I did. I knew that. Anyway, itās a beautiful Saturday and Iām currently in Wellington enjoying time with my family. Soon Iāll head off to have afternoon tea with a friend who Iām overdue for a catch up with. It can be hard to know what to do with yourself when youāre aware that others are suffering through things you can only imagine. Besides donating, learning and collective action, individually Iām trying to focus on cherishing what Iām privileged to have - the love of those around me, my hobbies, and the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful whenua. I think itās important to acknowledge and remember how the luck of our births and national history has given us one set of cards and how easily they could have been another. Iām often reminded that I have power in my privilege and, while Iām sometimes not sure what to do with it, that I have a responsibility not to ignore it. To disregard it because caring is too hard means that Iām not living according to one of my core values - kindness. If I canāt act on it when it matters, when itās tested, is it really something I value? Anyway, these are things Iām thinking about this weekend. I hope youāre getting the rest and love you need right now.
Listen to this as you read the newsletter:
I finished reading āthe year of lessā by Cait Flanders the other day. After finding herself stuck in a cycle of bad habits and impulse spending, Cait decided to start a no buy year. Equipped with three lists outlining what she could and couldnāt buy over the next twelve months (toiletries: yes; alcohol: no), she did what turned out to be a very challenging thing and lived for a year without her usual comforts (or crutches). It turned out that not buying anything for a year while decluttering 70% of her possessions resulted in more than just some saved dollars. Cait is a really good writer and this book offers a detailed insight into her no buy year that is personal, challenging and aspirational.
Full disclosure, Iām in a financial situation where I need to save way more than I spend (honestly, thatās probably all of us), so Iām always interested to see what happens when people try a life experiment like a no buy year. What do you learn about yourself? What continues to be hard and what becomes easier with time? Iām pretty inspired to start my own no buy year but Iām worried about actually sticking to it. Maybe Iāll share it here, just like Cait documented her journey through her blog.
What do you think of a no buy year? Have you done it yourself? Should I do it?? What do you think would be the hardest thing for you to give up? Not buying books for a year while working in a book store will probably be my biggest challengeā¦
Hereās a video I just started watching about someone elseās no buy year for inspiration.
If you managed to miss it on the news (because obviously yes, there are much more important things going on in the world), John Oliver has decided to weigh in on the āBird of the Centuryā vote here in Aotearoa. The host of Last Week Tonight has made himself the personal campaign manager for the PÅ«teketeke, an endangered fancy looking duck. Whenever I watch Last Week Tonight, I always think, āthis is the most bananas thing Iāve ever seen,ā and then John Oliver reveals a giant pÅ«teketeke on stage with articulating wings. It really is something to watch.
The book store I work for just joined Libro.fm! Now you can buy audio books from Libro.fm and support our book store at the same time. This is a shameless plug but I hadnāt heard of Libro.fm before they launched internationally some months back, making it possible for NZ book stores to sign up as partners. Before this, I had only heard of the platform that rhymes with āsnort-a-ballā and Iām not a big fan of their parent companyās ethics. So, if youāre into audio books, definitely give Libro.fm a try because theyāre just so much nicer, ethical and cool. I mean, the CEO himself directly replied to a support question I had for the team. Talk about service.
As a bookseller, I get to listen to advance listener copies, which is an incredibly nice perk. Right now Iām listening to āIām glad my mom diedā by Jeanette McCurdy and āHow to protect book stores and whyā by Danny Caine. If youāre not sure what to listen to, I highly recommend McCurdyās memoir (itās a bestseller) or check out our staff recommend list on our Libro.fm page.
My husband and I sat through this entire 39min quiz video trying to guess which TV or movie sound track was playing. The quiz functions in stages, starting with easier, more familiar tunes and working its way up to niche historical films. Try it out with your whanau or friends for a wholesome Saturday evening.
Iām hyped for the new Avatar: The Last Airbender film. The anime is one of my favourite shows and is great for adults and kids alike. Pretty sure you can still find it on Netflix, so give it a watch and definitely not the 2010 film, even though it stars Dev Patel.
Listen to this to start your weekend:
