So…what is the Monday Poll?
Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).
1. A good book you’ve read recently?
I really enjoyed “Killers of a Certain Age” by Deanna Raybourn. I’ve been needing a fast, fun read and it hit the spot! Next time you need a book for a plane ride or a vacation, grab it.
2. If you could move anywhere in the world without having to put any effort into it at all (assume someone takes care of the packing, logistics, paperwork, finances, etc.), where would you go?
I’d move us to the Manoa neighborhood on Oahu in a heartbeat.
3. What’s a weird breakfast that you like to eat?
I don’t know if it’s super weird, but I do love a toasted frozen waffle slathered with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins. I don’t know how I got the idea, but I started eating it in college, and ever since then, it’s been my go-to quickie meal for breakfast or really any time of the day. When I was pregnant with Connor, it was pretty much all I wanted to eat, so the big joke around here is that her body was built on peanut butter, Eggo waffles and raisins!
4. How do you spend your breaks at work?
I like to save my morning and afternoon breaks and tack them onto my lunch so I can take a longer break in the middle of the day. When I take that longer lunch break, I usually go home, take Marnie out for a quick walk, and then eat lunch while I read at the kitchen table. If I do decide to take a morning or afternoon break, I’ll go out for a quick walk to move my body around. Staring at a computer screen for hours does me no favors, ya know?
5. Do dreams come true?
I like to think so!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.
1. A good book you’ve read recently?
2. If you could move anywhere in the world without having to put any effort into it at all (assume someone takes care of the packing, logistics, paperwork, finances, etc.), where would you go?
3. What’s a weird breakfast that you like to eat?
4. How do you spend your breaks at work?
5. Do dreams come true?
1. A good book you’ve read recently? Don’t think I’ve finished one recently. I’m reading the Chuck Klosterman incomplete 90s history book now, and it’s decent.
2. If you could move anywhere in the world without having to put any effort into it at all (assume someone takes care of the packing, logistics, paperwork, finances, etc.), where would you go? Boston. Would love to retire there but can’t afford that.
3. What’s a weird breakfast that you like to eat? Anything I’ll eat at other times of the day, I’ll eat for breakfast. Including cold leftover pizza.
4. How do you spend your breaks at work? That assumes that I get breaks other than bathroom breaks. If a meeting ends early, I either spend that time zoning out on the internet or tackling my inbox.
5. Do dreams come true? Yes, but only if you work for them.
1. A good book you’ve read recently?
I got an advanced copy of a book that’s coming out next May, called The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans. It was fantastic. I also read Malice, by Keigo Higashino, and am now addicted to Japanese mysteries.
2. If you could move anywhere in the world without having to put any effort into it at all (assume someone takes care of the packing, logistics, paperwork, finances, etc.), where would you go?
Somewhere that has actual seasons, but near enough to drive home to visit. Maybe Tennessee or North Carolina.
3. What’s a weird breakfast that you like to eat?
I loved frozen waffles with grape jelly when I was a kid and still indulge every once in a while.
4. How do you spend your breaks at work?
I work at home, so breaks are for laundry or getting packages off the front steps. I take a proper lunch, though, and like to listen to podcasts then.
5. Do dreams come true?
All it takes is faith, trust, and a little pixie dust. (Peter Pan)
1. A good book you’ve read recently? I’ve been on a good reading roll lately. The Women by Kristin Hannah stands out. I’m reading Crazy Rich Asians now
2. If you could move anywhere in the world without having to put any effort into it at all (assume someone takes care of the packing, logistics, paperwork, finances, etc.), where would you go? I love Denmark & Norway so Oslo or Copenhagen. Reykjavik would be top choice but it will be easier to travel from mainland Europe
3. What’s a weird breakfast that you like to eat? Not me but years ago my husband would grab a slim fast & an ice cream sandwich in the morning. He called it his breakfast of champions
4. How do you spend your breaks at work? Usually just eating but some days I’ll get out & walk around
5. Do dreams come true? Yes – I have the best husband, love my home & get to travel so I’m happy
1. A good book you’ve read recently? The three latest I finished were Quit In Her Bones by Nalini Singh, Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee (like a K-drama but in print) and Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Kinda got tired of Michael Connelly after binging his books.
2. If you could move anywhere in the world without having to put any effort into it at all (assume someone takes care of the packing, logistics, paperwork, finances, etc.), where would you go? Tokyo, Paris or London. All three have good public transit so I wouldn’t have to deal with a car or screaming at shirty drivers who don’t use turn signals or are on their phones and weaving in and out of lanes or running stop signs or lights, etc.
3. What’s a weird breakfast that you like to eat? Salmon and natto. BTW, I like a toasted frozen buckwheat waffle with PB and bananas on it, so I don’t think your breakfast is all that weird.
4. How do you spend your breaks at work? If I’m home I’ll put in a load of laundry or run up and down the stairs a few times.
5. Do dreams come true? Define dreams. If you mean goals, only if you work really hard at them.
That should read Quiet In Her Bones. Can’t spell today.
1. A good book you’ve read recently? I never seem to have the time to complete a book. I’ve gotten into the bad habit of skimming around a book (nonfiction books) without usually reading every page. When I recommend a book, it’s usually “The Mysterious Stranger Manuscripts,” which is a UC Berkeley book containing all three “mysterious stranger” works that Twain never really finished writing. It includes his notes, which are fascinating in and of themselves. He really was a first-rate observer of the human race.
2. If you could move anywhere in the world without having to put any effort into it at all (assume someone takes care of the packing, logistics, paperwork, finances, etc.), where would you go? Probably San Diego, CA. It has as near-perfect a climate as you can find in the lower 48, and CA has so many sights to see and things to do, and it has actual scenery (Texas is almost 100% flat and on the ugly side when the wildflowers go out of bloom – which is by early May. The vaunted bluebonnets only bloom for about a month).
3. What’s a weird breakfast that you like to eat? Nothing in particular. I often skip breakfast. Tomorrow I’ll be eating leftover frozen pizza for early lunch.
4. How do you spend your breaks at work? Usually reading news stories on the internet.
5. Do dreams come true? If you mean lofty goals, like getting a high-paying prestige job and a really nice house, yeah, for some people they do. Not me. I spend my life just trying to minimize the amount of physical and psychological pain in my life. If you want to know how Twain felt about life as he neared his own end, read “The Five Boons of Life,” a very short piece that was published in his lifetime (and available for free on the internet because it’s so old). If anyone but Twain had written it, I doubt it would have been published.
1. A good book you’ve read recently? Daylight Saving Time by David W. Berner. David was the Writer in Residence at the Ernest Hemingway House, a professor, and a multi award winning author, In his early 50’s, fit, trim, and healthy, he had a heart attack. It changed his whole life, for the better. This is an amazing autobiography for anyone dealing with growing older, illness, life changes, and a a wakening sense of self. I loved it.
2. If you could move anywhere in the world without having to put any effort into it at all (assume someone takes care of the packing, logistics, paperwork, finances, etc.), where would you go? I would love to live on the Northern shores of one of the great lakes. I love the seasons, the weather, and the water.
3. What’s a weird breakfast that you like to eat? Japanese Miso Soup.
4. How do you spend your breaks at work? If I’m working from home, I’m wrangling a rescue dog, if in the “office” I do a brisk walk to one end of the building and back,
5. Do dreams come true? Yes. When I was 49 I married my best friend after being single -well forever. He was 24 years younger than me. Everyone said it wouldn’t last. We’ve been together 20 years. He’s still my best friend. I wrote my first novel the same year, and it was an international best seller.