Sunday Salon for 30 July 2023

Happy Sunday! Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at ReaderBuzz. Check out her post and the links to see what other bloggers have been up to in the last week.

How’s the weather?

A thunderstorm ended our three days of excessive heat warnings with a bang last night. We were without power for about an hour, but it came back on in time to fix supper and for the house to get cool again before bedtime.

What are you reading?

I started and finished Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken in the last couple of weeks — that’s much faster than I usually read nonfiction. It’s a scary book!

I’ve been aiming to eat more natural foods since I read books like Food Rules by Michael Pollan (illustrated by Maria Kalman) and The End of Overeating by David A Kessler. And, yet, when I looked through my pantry, I found boxes with Ultra-Processed Food ingredients in them.

This is hard, but worth it. I avoided several pitfalls, including movie popcorn, since I started reading this book and I dropped a few pounds!

I’ll try to get a review written soon.

What are you watching?

Barbie! I’m one of the few remaining people that haven’t had COVID (that I know of — I have allergies so a mild case could have slipped in and out without my awareness). So, I’m still avoiding crowds.

I went the theater on Monday for a 12:35 showing to enjoy the movie with about 20 other people who are also, presumably, cautious. I’m sure my experience was less fun than for people who wore pink and exchanged “Hi, Barbie!” with strangers, but I felt safe. I enjoyed the movie and appreciated that I could be part of this cultural moment.

What are you doing?

Taking an on-line class on novel-writing. That’s why I missed Sunday Salon for the last several weeks. This course has eaten my brain.

The course is expensive and time-consuming, but I’ve been working on my novel for three years without feeling like I’m getting closer to done. I hope this course will provide structure, accountability, and community to guide me across the finish line.

Jury’s still out. The first part of the course, naturally, is about how stories are told. The part of the course that is about writing the novel comes later.

What are you writing?

I still managed to write my British Isles Friday posts, so here are the ones that you might have missed while I was gone:

Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver, a book of autobiographical essays
Minnie Driver films, brief reviews of recently watched movies
Empire of Light, a film set in Margate, England
Margate, England, a fantasy trip to this seaside town

How are you on this fine Sunday?

Comments

Sunday Salon for 30 July 2023 — 8 Comments

mae on July 30, 2023 at 8:52 am said:

Maybe there’s nothing that can stop the big agriculture and food industry from filling the supermarkets with ultra-processed food throughout the entire planet. For some people it’s better than hunger. What a nightmare this has become.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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Rachel @Waves of Fiction on July 30, 2023 at 10:51 am said:

It is a constant battle to eat healthy, right? I’m happy to hear you had some good results from your efforts and it’s inspired me to cut down on processed foods too. I already don’t eat a lot, but I do love crackers and chips. I did have microwave movie popcorn while watching Happiness For Beginners the other night. Need to find my air popper. Good luck on your writing class!

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Jackie on July 30, 2023 at 11:26 am said:

I haven’t had covid, either, unless I may have had a mild case at the beginning. I do have a cough right now, but put that down to a summer cold as I feel perfectly well otherwise. I was just talking with an elderly friend who loved Barbie and has us convinced to watch it.

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Jinjer on July 30, 2023 at 4:28 pm said:

My sister and my BFF both died within 8 months of each other. The BFF and I are the same age and Sis was 3 years younger than us. My BFF and sister ate nothing but healthy, organic fruits & veggies and wouldn’t be in the same room with a preservative, artificial color, dye, or anything else processed.

I eat anything and everything. Processed food, junk food, fast food, you name it, I eat it.

Why are the two healthy, conscientious eaters dead and I’m still alive? I don’t know. I don’t get it. I don’t understand it. But I’m very grateful.

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Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys on July 30, 2023 at 5:32 pm said:

I’m also working on eating more healthy…As I’m getting older, I feel like I need to take better care of myself than I did at 40 when I thought I’d live forever. Hope the writing class gives you the help you want to finish your book!
Have a terrific week!
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/sunday-post-57

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JoAnn @ Gulfside Musing on July 30, 2023 at 8:10 pm said:

I’ve read quite a few food and food science books over the last several years, and it sounds like Ultra-Processed People fits right into that category. I’ve made a lot of progress in weeding processed foods from our diets, but we can always do better. We just got covid for the first time this month… so careful for so long, all the shots, and still got it. If I hadn’t tested, I would have thought it was an extra-bad cold. I really want to see the Barbie movie!

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Deb Nance at Readerbuzz on July 31, 2023 at 11:42 am said:

I got a lot on my novel written this summer once I let go of trying to write a good novel. But I haven’t really written anything in the last three weeks—we have been too busy traveling. Sigh. Good luck with your novel and with the course.

One day during the pandemic, I picked up my grocery order. It didn’t take more than a minute of looking at the order when I got home to realize something was wrong…chips, cookies, soda…I’m pretty sure there was nothing but processed food in the whole order. I look forward to seeing your review.

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Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life on August 1, 2023 at 6:11 am said:

I need to see Barbie! I am glad that you were able to go and feel safe. 🙂 We are still feeling our way around some with this post-pandemic but Covid still here world, and went to a restaurant for the first time last week!

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