The perfect grocery bag + ancient swords+ memories
May I recommend
This shopping bag from Flip and Tumble.
I obviously carry my own shopping bag because I am not an uncaring, earth-hating monster who would ACCEPT A PLASTIC BAG from a store. This is the one I have and I love it.
I have a small purse, so I don’t have a lot of real estate to spare. That’s why I was delighted to find this sporty little fellow because he rolls right up:
I would prefer it to roll up into a slightly smaller ball, but the absolute key to this bag’s usefulness is that it is entirely self-contained. Often, you get hoodwinked into buying a bag that requires its own little bag for storage. Those are a NIGHTMARE because 1. it’s hard to stuff the bigger bag into its little bag 2. You will instantly lose the little bag and then what are you left with? A a tote scrunched into your purse like a balled up Kleenex. What are you? A vagrant?!
I bought this bag on a family trip to Vancouver, and its purchase was frankly the trip’s highlight. It was our first vacation since Covid and we flew out on a very cramped discount airline and stayed in a tiny AirBnB in a charmless part of the city. It rained the whole time. My daughter was obsessed with Grey’s Anatomy and literally begged to stay inside all day to watch Meredith and McDreamy. We were all kind of grouchy and fed up with each other. When we got back, (after we all contracted Covid) in a misguided effort to have a reminder of the trip (why?) I uncharacteristically posted some photos on Instagram.
Because I don’t post a lot of personal stuff on Insta, I was surprised when a bunch of people commented on the photos. It was all very nice, and they mostly said that it looked like we had a really nice time. To be clear. We mostly DID NOT (except for when I bought my Flip and Tumble bag, obvs). Anyway, the whole experience was a reminder of how deceptive social media is, how I couldn’t live with Vancouver-levels of rain and how vital a good, packable grocery bag is to my mental well-being.
Super old sword raises my suspicions
Archaeologists find 3,000 year old sword
My beloved podcast, The Rex Factor told me about this discovery and my para-social friends, Graham and Ali agreed that it was so well-preserved they were dubious about its authenticity.
Given the soft nature of bronze, historians have previously wondered whether such blades served a ceremonial purpose, rather than a practical purpose on the battlefield. A few years ago, scientists even staged sword fights in order to learn more about how the Bronze Age weapons could have been used effectively in battle, despite being much easier to damage and harder to repair than their iron successors.
How to protect your memory
A neurologist’s tips to protect your memory
Our memory is a precious gift, that we need to nurture. I particularly like this tip — read more novels:
One early indicator of memory issues, according to Dr. Restak, is giving up on fiction. “People, when they begin to have memory difficulties, tend to switch to reading nonfiction,” he said.
Over his decades of treating patients, Dr. Restak has noticed that fiction requires active engagement with the text, starting at the beginning and working through to the end. “You have to remember what the character did on Page 3 by the time you get to Page 11,” he said.
50 Best Shows of the 20th Century
Hollywood Reporters Critics pick the 50 Best Shows of the 20th Century
These are always fun. I mostly agree with this though I question their number one. I was astounded that Arrested Development didn’t make the list, but was glad to see my beloved KGB psychopaths make the cut:
It will never not be strange that for much of its run, general audiences treated The Americans like a chilly, intellectual exercise created for critics, rather than the breathlessly thrilling spy caper that it always was. Maybe the challenge was that the show’s central couple — precariously married agents Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) — were Russians in the heart of the Cold War? If you’re still a holdout, forget about whether you’re willing to “sympathize” with the alleged bad guys; just know that Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields’ six-season series is sexy, stylish, features a killer ’80s soundtrack, a pair of brilliant central performances — and it’s a game of cat-and-mouse that would do John le Carré proud. Plus, wigs! This is popcorn entertainment, not homework! It’s just astoundingly great popcorn entertainment. But not for Martha. Poor Martha.
Book Stuff
I had a wonderful time at the Carleton Place Library’s book club this week. Those wonderful librarians even gave me flowers! I walked out of there like a pageant queen!
I’ll be joining fellow Crime Writers of Canada authors at some area book signings in late November, early December… Keep an eye out for us in the Ottawa area and pick up a great Christmas present for a family member: a SIGNED copy of a book!
Sunday, November 19, at Perfect Books, Elgin St.
Saturday, December 9, at Coles Bookstore, Billings Bridge
Buy my books!
TikTok
I feel this pain
This woman’s side eye is Oscar worthy
Can’t find network
Happy (Belated) Canadian Thanksgiving
Interesting architecture thing
This is not a Bob, it’s a Robert
His little shriek
I just had this conversation this weekend
The Financial Truth about publishing (it’s GRIM)
Art Heist hijinks
Call me crazy, if you want
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