Currently… (January 2020)

A monthly reflection of all the things!

For anyone new here: the point of this is to dive into things you’re currently into. It’s kind of a fun thing to do and document so you can look back (at any increment of time) and see what was going on at that time in your life. This is fun because most people can relate AND if it is interactive, we might even gain a few things to watch or listen to or read because of someone else’s recommendation! Feel free to join in and share your own “Currently” in the comments below! I’d love to see what you’re up to this month!!

Let’s do this!!

This movie is a depiction of the sexual harassment lawsuit brought against Roger Ailes, the then-president of Fox News back in 2016. This is a huge story part of the #MeToo movement, and I went and saw this in theaters some random Sunday evening I ended up having a few hours to myself. Going into the movie, I’ll be honest and say I didn’t know a whole lot about Roger Ailes (or Megyn Kelly – except that I wasn’t really a fan {yikes}- for that matter) but I knew I needed to see it because I am HERE for a story about women taking down men who abuse power to harass women. I can’t tell you how many times watching this movie I sat in my seat absolutely appalled, uttering OUT LOUD to myself “what the actual fuck” or “are you fucking kidding me?” or “oh my god, no.” The way the movie was filmed and the way the story is told is interesting and the breaking of the fourth wall was pretty cool. I do recommend the movie, but buckle up because it’s pretty triggering and depressing that this is real life. I also thought the movie did a lot to humanize Megyn Kelly and make me “hate” her a little less. While we may differ in our opinions, I can appreciate that she’s an ambitious woman and she did show a great deal of strength over the course of the film slash, you know, her life I suppose.

Well. What is there to say about this show? I’m late to the party in the binge-watching of this Netflix Original Series. It’s creeptastic. And tbh, this was my second attempt at watching this show. The first time I tried, it was a half-assed attempt and I just couldn’t get over how creepy the main character Joe is (and I also don’t love Penn Badgley because I loathed Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl, so…, 🤷🏻‍♀️ there’s that). But I started this up again because 1) I finished Glee & Jane the Virgin and needed something new, and 2) I get #FOMO really bad, and with the release of season 2 and seemingly everyone on social media talking about binging the second season, I hopped on that bandwagon.

I juuuuust finished season one. WOW, you guys, wow. I’m going to say it a third time, but the show (and the character) are just creepy. I love myself some murder (on TV) but this guy feels NEXT LEVEL and if you’re even a little bit prone to getting to a place where you can’t handle being by yourself when you watch scary/creepy things, I’d tap out of this asap because I really do feel like this show pushes those limits. It’s reminiscent of Dexter – like how you end up rooting for a serial killer and that’s why it couldn’t be on network TV? This crosses the line a little bit, even for me, because I know Joe is a bad guy. He’s not going around killing other bad people, like Dexter did, he’s just a bad guy killing people. And somehow, I find myself hoping he doesn’t get caught. That’s kinda messed up. I am now invested, so now I have to watch season two, but I’m just saying it’s not like I’m happy about it. 😂

So… we bailed on The Walking Dead. Last month I thought we would be watching this until the end of time, but we binged hard during Christmas break and ended up at season 6 and felt like it got real dark. At the very end of the season, I was getting to an emotional breaking point and after one episode of Season 7, Jeff called it. We agreed it was too dark, too violent, too gory, and it just wasn’t something we could stay on board with watching. So, that’s the end of that. #MovingOn.

If you have not seen this movie, RUN – do not walk! – and sit on your couch, pull up Amazon Prime Video, and WATCH IT! If you can get past the first 15 minutes, you are IN for it. I found the actress super obnoxious at the beginning and I couldn’t really place what it was but it sort of felt like she was trying to be the hot mess type of character that Amy Schumer tends to play and it just felt… obnoxious. But the actress (and character) finds her stride and the movie is just one that makes you feel all the feels. I’m living in a place where I am ALL ABOUT people getting their growth game strong and working on themselves, so I was HERE for this movie. The title gives away what the movie’s going to be about, but let me just tell you – if you’ve ever felt like you didn’t have your shit together or like you’ve outgrown friends, or been an asshole to someone because you weren’t necessarily in the best or healthiest place emotionally, this movie will get you. And can I confess something? I’ve been running since July. I’ve been saying I’m going to do a 5k since JULY. You know what I did when I finished this movie? I freakin’ registered for a 5k on January 25. Get 👏🏻 It 👏🏻 Done 👏🏻 ! It’s happening.

I can’t remember how I came across this book. I think I saw a review somewhere saying that it was reminiscent of Gone Girl and Gillian Flynn spoke highly of it. This was a debut novel for the author and it was a good one. I LOVE psychological thrillers, and I love when a book can lead you to believe one thing and then BOOM, it punches you in the throat with the twist. The best part of this is that I kept waiting for the twist or I kept trying to figure out where this was going to take me and I honestly didn’t figure it out until it was RIGHT THERE, happening right in front of me. The twist with this one didn’t make me angry (like the twist in Gone Girl did), but it was more of a slow-motion brain explosion. Like it had been there all along and I just didn’t see it. If you’re even a little bit into psychological thrillers and murdery books, this one is a 10/10 would recommend!

I found this one because of a lady I follow on instagram. Kristen is a fellow WW’er and a WW Ambassador. She posts a lot, and I like that. She also posts pics of books she’s reading, and she reads a lot. I’m now in the habit of stalking her reading list because it appears she and I have similar taste. This book was good. I haven’t read a book that is from the perspective of a high schooler or about high school in a while, but it didn’t feel particularly juvenile and it did keep me guessing the whole time. I kept waiting to figure out what was going to happen. I zipped through this one in a little less than a week because I just felt so curious. I listened to this one, and the performance of the narrator was great also. There’s high school dramz, murder and mystery. What else could I possibly want?

I honestly have been in book mode, so the podcasts have slipped a little bit in the last month. I did catch a couple of update episodes of In The Dark, though, and it reminded me of how great this podcast really is. When I listened to the episode that determined if Curtis Flowers would be able to go home after 20-plus years and six trials for a crime he claims he didn’t commit, after the Supreme Court ruling regarding his case(s) this summer. I’m not going to ruin the surprise either way because those of you who have not listened to this podcast – you need to, btw – and those who haven’t caught up recently. This podcast is one that is so, so well-done and the story is WILD. If you ask me, there’s enough reasonable doubt to exonerate Curtis Flowers from the crime he’s accused of committing, but it’s not my opinion that makes the final call. You just HAVE to listen to this one.

These last couple of weeks I’ve been more intentional about making time for myself. I’ve been trying really hard to get more focused on making fitness and physical activity more of a requirement in my life, not something I do if I feel like it or if I can find the time. If I think about it like that, it doesn’t happen. There’s always a mountain of laundry to fold, dishes in the sink, floors to vacuum, Instagram to scroll. So, I’ve committed to myself that I will make the time because taking care of my body is a non-negotiable. So far, I’ve done this by utilizing the Peloton app and finding ways to get in a class (cycling, yoga) during one of Sam’s naps in the daytime, that way even if I can’t necessarily get my booty to the gym, I can still get that activity in for my body. It’s also been really, really helpful that I have a husband who is 100% supportive of all of these personal growth and health goals of mine. He may not be great at carving out time for himself to do these things, but he’s 100% committed to supporting me in my need to do it. He’s been encouraging every step of the way, and I’m super, super grateful for that 🥰.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a post about setting intentional goals. I did this practice of 10-10-1 in March/April of last year, and when I looked back at my list in December, it was really affirming to see that I’d achieved some of the items I’d written down. This year, I wanted to take it a step further and not only write down my dreams and goals, but also be able to visualize them, so I’m attempting to make a Vision Board. I’m working on how I want to display this, but right now it looks kind of sad. Until I can get the vision exactly how I want it, I’m using a big poster board with sticky notes. It needs work, to say the very least 😅. Right now I’m just giving myself grace and some credit for the fact that I’m doing it, even if it’s not exactly what I wish it was.

After the marathon that the holidays turned into, I have loved these last three weeks of getting back on track with WW. I’ve sort of felt this strong re-commitment to it, and that’s been pretty great. I felt so proud of myself when I was thinking about how far I’d come in the half-year I’d done by the end of December, and I was craving getting back to basics after falling off the wagon so many times due to parties and the holidays. I can’t even express how good it feels to have the January lull come in full swing. It feels so reassuring to go into a week of meal planning and not have to write in “off the rails” in my meal planner three days a week 😂. It’s also been really awesome to see some of my friends decide to jump onto the WW train. I love seeing people excited about prioritizing themselves, and I really love the community that WW creates. For anyone wondering or even the littlest bit curious, here’s a link for a FREE MONTH of WW!! Check it out!!

Living in Michigan, it doesn’t even seem fair to complain about the weather. I know what I’m in for, you know? And as an actual adult, we technically have the ability to choose where we live and if we hate it this much, why don’t we just leave? All of that aside, I am bored to death with the cold weather. It’s been cold and almost-snowy since OCTOBER. It’s dark and gray and just gross for SUCH A LONG TIME here. And just when we think we’re gonna get dumped on by a bunch of snow, that doesn’t happen. Or just when we think it’s going to be gross and cold for the seemingly 500^th day in a row, it turns out to be 60 degrees. It’s a total mystery what’s actually going to happen. Except for the fact that I know it’s not actually going to be NICE, like Florida-in-the-winter nice or Michigan-in-the-summer nice. Y’all, I miss sunlight into the evening. I miss being able to walk outside and not have to bundle up. I miss flip flips.

Jeff and I have been talking about how to plan for trips and vacations this year. One of the goals we set both together and independently was to travel more. He travels for work, but that’s different, so we wanted to prioritize finding time to travel with friends and as a couple. So far, we’ve broken it down to three different categories: baby-free getaway, family vacation, and travel with friends. I’ve been struggling, though, trying to get to a mindset where I don’t feel guilty for wanting these things. I feel guilty about having to ask someone else to watch the baby (not so baby anymore now that I think about it) so we can go away for a weekend somewhere. I’m sure a lot of other parents feel this way, and I know his grandparents love him; it’s just tough for me to wrap my mind around it lately.

First up this year is Rise Weekend in Toronto with my bestie in March, and I can hardly stand it – I am SO excited!

Not an entirely comprehensive list and in no particular order:

My 2020 Plum Paper Planner – Horizontal Priorities
Being back on track with WW
Fiber Onedaes as dessert
The Peloton App – I have tried cycling, yoga, speedwalking and running with the app!
Baby Time at the Library started back up!
Being secure enough in myself to not care that I look like an idiot in dance fitness classes
Going to the gym with friends
Realizing I’m the one making my own dreams come true

Did you come up with your own version of this month’s Currently…?
If so, comment below or tag me @glimpseofgrace on social media!

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