Wow, it feels like I haven’t done one of these wrap-ups in a while. In fact, I’ve been neglecting my blog a little lately and haven’t been writing nearly as much as I normally do. Part of it is because I haven’t really read anything lately that has amazed me enough to make me want to shout about it from the rooftops. And part of it is because I started some new projects that have been taking up a lot of my time.
So, unfortunately, the blog has kind of fallen by the wayside. But I am committed to posting something, even if it’s a little late. Better late than never, right?
So, before September gets completely swallowed up by October, here’s what I’ve been up to.
What I’m Watching:
Practical Magic 2
Alli and I went to the movies to see Practical Magic 2, and let me just say: has this been planned since we heard there was going to be a sequel? Yes. Did we enjoy it? Also yes.
I thought the movie was good and was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. I especially loved the costumes. I would like to take everything Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman wore and put it directly into my closet, please and thank you. I also wouldn’t mind moving into their house. The kitchen, the greenhouse, the whole cozy, slightly magical house situation! I could definitely see myself living there.
I will admit that there was one point where I was extremely confused. Somehow, I had gotten it into my head that Lee Pace’s character was going to be Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s brother. So when he and Sandra Bullock started making eyes at each other, I was sitting there thinking, Wait. What is happening?! Clearly, I had misunderstood something. Still, I was entertained.
Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly on Netflix
I watched some of the 2024 Olympic Games, but I missed the women’s breaking competition, so I didn’t see Raygun’s performance in real time. I just heard all about it afterward. And what I heard was…confusing. At first, I heard that her routine was serious. Then I heard it was a joke. Then I heard it was serious again. So when I saw that Netflix had made a documentary about the whole thing, I was definitely curious to watch it.
The documentary was really interesting, especially getting to see how everything came about and how she ended up representing Australia at the Olympics. It was also interesting to see what happened behind the scenes and how quickly everything spiraled once her performance went viral. I definitely came away from it understanding the whole situation a lot better than I did before.
What I’m Loving:
My weighted blanket
The weather is cooling down, which means I put the weighted blanket back on my bed a couple of weeks ago and I could not be more excited about it. It’s like being wrapped up in a cozy little cocoon. There’s nothing better than being cozy in the fall and winter. All I need is a chilly evening, a pile of blankets, and something good to read. I was very happy to put that blanket back on my bed.
My pumpkin patch
Every year, I tell myself that I’m going to crochet pumpkins during the fall. And every year, I don’t. Until this year!
I finally got out my yarn and crochet hooks, found a few patterns, and started crocheting pumpkins. They are surprisingly easy to make, and you can make them in all different sizes, which means I have essentially created a tiny pumpkin patch in my apartment. I love seeing them scattered around, and they make everything feel just a little more autumnal. There’s something about walking past a little pile of crocheted pumpkins that makes it very clear that summer is over and pumpkin season has arrived. And, of course, I’m not finished yet. I have a couple of other yarn colors that I want to try, so my pumpkin patch is only going to get bigger.
What I’m Reading:
September was not exactly a banner month for reading. I haven’t been particularly blown away by anything I’ve read lately, which is probably part of the reason I’ve been struggling to write about books. Sometimes you just hit one of those stretches where you’re reading, but nothing is making you think, I need to tell everyone about this book. So I’m hoping October brings something a little more exciting.
My Smoke Detector Fiasco
Okay, this is not something I’m loving, exactly, but it was definitely one of the more memorable parts of September.
I had the worst experience with my smoke detector this month. The way the alarm sounds in my apartment is with a repeating three-beep alarm. I have never actually set off my smoke detector myself, but when other people in my building have set theirs off, it beeps three times and then keeps repeating until the fire department comes and resets the alarm.
So a couple of weeks ago, my smoke detector went off, but it only beeped three times and then stopped. I figured maybe someone else’s alarm had gone off, but they had managed to shut it off before the full building alarm kicked in. Except then it started doing the three beeps once every hour. Naturally, this was extremely annoying.
With the help of my apartment management and ChatGPT, I eventually figured out that my smoke detector has a Smoke Alarm Memory function. Apparently, if the detector has experienced a smoke alarm event within the previous hour, it will do the three beeps I had been hearing. Except there hadn’t been any smoke. And there hadn’t been an alarm. So clearly, something was wrong. We cleared the memory, and I thought that was the end of it. Unfortunately, it did it again that night. I cleared the memory again, and this time it stayed quiet for an entire day. Then it went off at 5:30 in the morning on Monday. At that point, I decided I was done playing detective and put in a maintenance request.
Side note: I was very annoyed to discover that the only way to submit a maintenance request is to text the apartment’s AI assistant. And look, I love ChatGPT. Obviously. But I should not have to text an AI assistant to tell my apartment complex that my smoke detector is malfunctioning. I should be able to send an email or, even better, submit a request through the renter portal.
Anyway, maintenance came up, replaced the smoke detector, and, fingers crossed, I haven’t had any problems since. So hopefully that is the end of my smoke detector saga.
And that was my September!
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