Apart from almost quitting writing, this week was great.
Just kidding. I almost quit publishing (not writing). And this week was so-so. There were a few highlights, like the fact that Canada is now an associate member of the EU. Nobody knows what that means but we’re all excited (well, Canadians and Europeans are, anyway ;)) My football team won their league game this week, and I got a new jersey just in time for the next big match on Sunday, which will be the Madrid derby (Atletico de Madrid vs Real Madrid). It’s one of the two biggest rivalries in Spanish football, the other being el Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Sunday’s game is going to be a nailbiter; Atleti have had a bumpy start to their season … but RM hasn’t been dominating it either, soooooo … fingers crossed, haha!
I still haven’t been able to get my hands on one of my Holy Grail early 2000s Atleti jerseys, but I did score a nice 23/24 away jersey on Poshmark for cheap. There is less than a handful of players whose names I will wear on a jersey, and Antoine Griezmann is one of them. He’s my second fave Atleti player of all time (obvi), but I love his story arc. I’m a sucker for a comeback/redemption story, what can I say.
Speaking of football jerseys, I just read a great book about them: More Than A Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power by Joey D’Urso. It’s a series of essays/vignettes framed around specific club jerseys that talk about various aspects of modern football and the influences at play in the sport, and beyond. Super interesting (even for a casual football fan) and very entertaining to read.
I’m currently reading Jess Kidd’s second Nora Breen book, Murder at the Spirit Lounge — an Agatha Christie-esque historical mystery set in 1950s England, featuring an amateur detective who is a former nun — and loving it. The first book in the series, Murder at Gulls Nest, was one of my fave mystery reads of the last year.
For all my current crisis around my future as an indie author/self-publishing, I am currently OBSESSED with the urban fantasy series I’ve started writing. I’m working on revisions on books 1 and 2, back to back, and I’m loving the hell out of the characters and universe I’ve created. Book 2, in particular, is the best thing I’ve written so far, hands down. Interview with the Vampire meets The Name of the Rose, with a sassy FMC, a brooding fallen angel sidekick, and a convent full of scholar vampire nuns? What is there not to love?? I’m itching to send the story to my beta readers — because I NEED to talk to someone else about it, lol — but I need to pace myself, and get book 1 sorted out first. That story is pretty good too, but it’s more like my previous books in terms of vibes and setting, and doesn’t go as hard for the jugular … (no?) pun intended.
Speaking of obsessions:
I discovered this cheapie rosemary water + rice water spray for hair, and I can’t get enough. Rosemary oil is supposed to be good for hair growth, but jury’s out if these sprays actually work for that or not. However … this stuff is giving Shakira-levels of volume and body, and for someone with very fine hair, that is a literal dream come true. It’s the rice water, apparently. Anyway, the spray I’m using also leaves my hair super soft, which combined with the volume, feels like some kind of witchcraft. I’m actually scared there’s a catch, somehow, because it seems too good to be true. It’s all I’ve been using on my hair for the past couple of weeks, and I am loving how my hair looks.
I also love that necklace stack and have been wearing it non-stop. I love what each piece represents too: the bow necklace is an old gift from my husband, the zodiac pendant is a family piece that used to belong to my grandmother, and the chunky necklace is one I thrifted recently. Together, they’re perfect.
Have a great weekend!