By request, it’s another “Hayadoin” post!
First, back when I lived in New Jersey, there were many novelty songs about the 1999/2000 Yankees, including “Haya Doin,” composed and performed by Joseph “Joey Balls” Summa and Carmine “Carmanooch” Famiglietti. As I’m typing this, on repeat in my silly, tired brain is, “Bitches, hayadoin? Ha-ha-ya doin?”
If this earworm is at all familiar to you, I apologize for resurrecting it.
So, anyways, hayadoin? What are you looking forward to this month?
As for me, August is the start of school for many people, and for us the end of sleepaway camp and the return of the teenagers who will moan and groan about how humid it is. Yes, it’s humid. It’s like this every year! Like a sweaty, chowder-air present for the world. School starting this year will be weird, too, after a year of at-home and hybrid learning. I’ll be honest, I’m going to miss the hybrid schedule where classes started at 9am instead of 7am! Better for everyone’s brains, especially mine.
But until the start of Fall Mayhem Oh Gosh The Alarm is Set So Early, I’m trying new recipes and sitting outside as much as possible. Some recent faves:
- Instant Pot Chicken Scarpariello
- Homemade mushroom ravioli (the recipe is for tortellini but we made ravioli)
- Summer pasta puttanesca (ATK, so may be behind paywall, so this link may work better)
- Roasted tomatoes with shrimp and feta
What about you? Anything you’re anticipating happily this month? Please tell us about it!
God. I haven’t thought about that Yankees song in years! My elementary school principal was Joe Torre’s sister, so we heard that a lot.
Speaking of Jersey, my cousin is getting married there next weekend, so that’s what I’m looking forward to this month. I’m actually flying for the first time since 2017. I am not looking forward to the Covid test I have to take in order to fly, though.
I’m also looking forward to the new Rachel Reid and Saxon James books that are coming out this month.
It’s at the end of the month, but the release of Helen Hoang’s latest book, which has Quan as the hero.
I’m in a MAJOR book and life slump; I don’t know how to explain this but I am placing an unreasonable amount of hope in Rachel Reid’s Role Model (coming out in a couple of days!) to get me out of both.
Both my kids going back to in-person school full-time for the first time in over 18 months. My husband always takes the day off and we go out for a lunch date or a matinee.
And then I get my house back during the day!
Despite physical therapy all summer, my back never got better and I’m still waddling like a penguin. School reopened last week, but it was impossible for me to return to a classroom, so for the first time in almost 20 years, I missed a first day because I’m on medical leave. I’m looking forward to an epidural for pain management, but that’s not scheduled until late August. So, right now, the things I’m anticipating the most are books, books, books; specifically, Rachel Reid’s ROLE MODEL, Molly O’Keefe’s UNTAMED, and Annika Martin’s JUST NOT THAT INTO BILLIONAIRES. All of which are dropping next Tuesday (a banner day for my tbr). Kati Wilde’s shifter romance, SHERIFF’S BAD BEAR, is scheduled for the end of the month, so after I blast through the books from August 10, I’ll have something else to look forward to that doesn’t involve needles in my spine.
August already has a lot of anxiety on deck for me. My oldest nephew starts kindergarten…in Florida…so, yeah, that’s been heavy on my mind. And at the same time my mom is having kidney surgery. I guess the main thing I’m looking forward to is the point when all this anxiety goes away!
When I get overwhelmed by anxieties like this, I tend to get lost in kpop, because it gives me something light to focus on. Luckily August is shaping up to be a stellar month. My favorite girl group, Red Velvet, is finally coming back with their first release since Wendy was injured in 2019. And TXT has an album out, too; it’s a repackage album, so only a few new songs, but hey, their May release was already one of my favorite albums of the year, so I expect only good things. I think they’re the most exciting and interesting 4th gen group, and I always look forward to what they will do next. There’s also a new Sunmi release featuring an 80s-zombie-movie MV, and I’ve been really into a new-to-me duo called Akmu and the solo album from D.O. of EXO.
We still have 10 days of vacationing left, so I’m looking forward to another spell of camping, hiking (and knitting outdoors!). At the end of the month we have tickets for an immersive visit to the International Space Station, with a virtual reality helmet. I’m very curious about it, it will be my first time in VR, and I love space movies – for special outings, I always suggest the Planetarium to the kids ^^
https://www.issnationallab.org/stem/educational-programs/space-explorers-the-iss-experience/
DiscoDollyDeb- I’m sorry your back is still so painful. I hope the treatment gives you some relief. From helping my daughter with POTS/fibromyalgia navigate the pain doctors, I know it can be a challenge to get the right relief. Luckily we have a great pain clinic at Duke here in NC, so that’s been helpful.
As for me- The rest of my family is heading to a small family reunion at my in-laws’ (everyone vaccinated and being careful because Will’s brother is on immunosuppressants due to a transplant). I’m not going because we have can’t leave our dogs in a kennel. We have an old dog that needs daily meds and care, and a 16 week puppy that needs constant supervision and training. We also have an anxiety prone dog that doesn’t handle the stress of kenneling. I know this sounds weird to some, but our dogs mean a lot to all of us. The older dog has been an emotional support for my chronically ill daughter for 11 years (not formally trained and we don’t take him places with us, but at home he’s been amazingly intuitive), and the puppy is in “training” to be his replacement. While I’m not able to go see everyone, I can definitely enjoy 5 days at home by myself! With the pandemic we’ve had three of our children living at home and alone time in our house is rare. 🙂
Well hello there, fellow humans, human fellows!
The kid is looking forward to school, currently decorating a folder with Pokémon stickers. I’m looking forward to the kid being around other kids again. Not looking forward to the early mornings… thank goodness for caffeine – see below.
Adadio teas have been bringing me and my inner kitchen witch back to life. A friend sent me a coupon, I ordered some sampler packs, they sent more surprise samples in my package… been brewing delicious potions every day for a week and still have more to discover. Their website has a comments section with tips from fellow tea drinkers. Playing around with steeping temperatures and sweeteners to bring out the best flavor makes mornings better. And for those mornings where making the cup of brew is too much effort – iced tea. Currently in my fridge is peach oolong, next up orange hibiscus.
Shout out to Katie Cook’s art because I’m obsessed. Her Webtoon series Nothing Special is full of magic and humor and cuteness overload. Lately I particularly enjoy the little drawings of the author in work-from-home comfy pants and flannel shirts. So relatable.
@Carrie Not the slightest bit weird–at least not to me! I have a 9.5 year old with digestive issues I’m the best at noticing early, & who’s utterly attached to me, and a chronically ill/disabled 4 year old who needs meds (liquid, crushed pill, injections, the works) and stability (she’s also rather attached to me.) Not only can I not imagine these bunnies would last long without me, if anyone would or could care for them (it’d be prohibitively expensive anyway) but I wouldn’t have any fun leaving them–where I go, they go.
Thus what I’m not-so looking forward to this month is trying to find a house to rent for vacation NEXT month b/c our usual place with room for double level bunny condos and pens and SO many litterboxes on the back porch is undergoing renovation during the month we normally rent. (A fact the owner of the place didn’t tell us; we found out recently from another family member who rents from her. Ugh, flakey.) And if I can’t find a good spot, it’ll be me alone with the critters, or maybe no family vacation this year. What can you do though…
I’m properly looking forward continuing the therapy I just started. What hell trying to find someone, and of course my insurance won’t help with her. But I like her so far, and I’m hopeful I can get some stuff sorted. The past month/year/three years/all the decades of my life??? have been rough.
Also into eating away at my more recent TBR additions, currently on a book about breathing that’s highly promising. I’ve always been terrible at it and keep finding it far more important than I’d previously considered… Got some fiction in line as well, and as ever dipping my toe into the older “not sure if I still wanna try to read this” pile.
I’ve also started listening to podcasts while walking, which has been something of a stress reliver and I don’t care how crazy I look if I burst out laughing seemingly randomly.
1. More art! I finally got to see the long awaited Andy Warhol exhibit yesterday & alternated between giddiness & tears. There are only so many virtual gallery tours one can take & the joy of seeing real art in real life was immense. Next up is a 200 years of photography exhibit at the end of the month. (Galleries/museums are taking extra health safety precautions.)
2. BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR on Netflix next week (Friday the 13th, to be exact.) I read & enjoyed the book when it first came out -95?96?- revenge horror in LA’s film industry. Stars Catherine Keener, who is always a pleasure to watch. She’s particularly sinister in this one.
3. A huge pile of new books, starting with ROLE MODEL on August 10, followed by new Sarah MacLean, Kit Rocha & Helen Hoang, amongst others.
My grade-school-to-now dearest friend is celebrating her 67th birthday next week in LA and I will be there for her. All of us vaccinated, masked. And I’m baking again in earnest because cookies = love + birthdays. I made a batch of caramel, too, something I haven’t done since the before times. It’s such a relief to feel like doing ANYTHING.
Also, books, all the books. Buying/borrowing more than I will ever read, but the need is real. Thanks for asking, SB Sarah.
This year has been a roller coaster so far, but while there is still much to be done in Arizona to tie up my Dad’s estate, I am looking forward to spending the entirety of August in Illinois sleeping in my own bed. I’m letting dishes and laundry pile up to the point of ridiculousness and not cooking. This afternoon I will sit on my patio with Sherry Thomas’ Murder on Cold Street, which I have checked out and returned unread three times, and a glass of wine and just enjoy the quiet. I love being with my family, but ohhhh the pleasure of not hearing anyone calling my name.
I didn’t know you were also from New Jersey!
I’m finishing up a KJ Charles and watching fellow New Jerseyan Jessica Springsteen win silver in the showjumping at the Olympics.
In more indulgent days, some Jersey pizza and Fudgy the Whale Carvel ice cream cake would be in order.
I look forward to:
– procrastinating more until school starts.
– binge watching Asian dramas for the next couple of weeks because grading thoroughly and reading subtitles simultaneously is not a skill I have mastered. Yet.
– Books! For some reason my summer reads have just flooded in through my local library. I choose to delight in the fact that so many of my neighbors have good taste. Looking forward to upcoming releases from Kit Rocha, Seanan McGuire, Sophie Barnes and Louise Penny. The mysteries that Louise Penny writes about Three Pines and Inspector Gamache are sublime.
– sharing more musical suggestions with family. I take immense delight in widening the musical scope of my nephews in their early 20’s. How have they not been into K pop? Amateurs!
– watching K pop performances on the big screen in my classroom during free periods. Here’s to headphones, the screen being adjacent to the door, and having tenure!
My work/home life won’t be changing much till after the first of next year, at the earliest – my employers are being very cautious about re-opening offices, at least in part because remote work has been so successful for the firm. My manager tells me that most of the office leases still have 2 years to run, but I wouldn’t be surprised if at the end of that time they reduce the square footage and save $$$.
Social life has been next-to-nonexistent since Feb 2020 and I don’t see that changing either. 🙁
I look forward to continuing to read an insane number of books (over 300 so far this year) and to continuing to publish something every month, whether a new novella or novel, a collection, or a relaunch as we get a few covers tweaked.
Also I’ve finally started watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and I look forward to at least two seasons of that before I move on. 🙂
Minnesota Fringe Festival (mostly virtual) started on Thursday, so until next Sunday, there will be virtual theater to watch. Some livestreaming, some recorded, some archival recordings, all good. That is, it may not be to my taste, but a theater festival is a good thing.
For reading, I just finished books from a January Bookfunnel event and now there are another couple Bookfunnel events, with more books to read. I am willing to spend money on books by authors I have previously enjoyed. Free books are a good intro to new-to-me authors.
I found myself starting to really clear out the garage yesterday (boxes left behind by both daughters and by my late husband). Where did that energy come from. Then I realized that today is five years from the day he died. It is time to clear things out and move on, especially since I had just filed for divorce when the end-stage cancer was diagnosed. It’s been a tightrope because he was moving into conspiracy and into abuse and he is still my daughters’ father and my grandson’s grandfather and they did love him.
So I guess what I am looking forward to is less stuff in the garage and learning to own my experience and emotions while allowing my family their emotions and experiences.
The MN State Fair starts Aug 26. I’ll be going, masked, if only to see the cross-stitch projects I entered for judging on display in the Creative Arts Building.
And to maybe get some Sweet Martha’s cookies. And see the Crop Art. Maybe some barrel-racing draft horses (yes, it’s a thing they do for laughs).
Had forgotten about Haya Doin. Husband is a diehard Yankees fan ad we’re living in MD.
I’m having trouble finding something to look forward to, mostly because everything feels so uncertain. MAYBE school will be in person this year, MAYBE I’ll be returning to my office full-time… right now, those are the plans, but I can’t shake the feeling that things are going to change. And honestly, if I don’t need to return to my office full-time, I’ll be happier. It’s not that I enjoy WFH so much, but rather because a few weeks before shutdown started last year, my worksite was closed and I was forced to transfer to a new site. So my commute went from 10 minutes to 45 minutes, I was separated from most of my best friends I’ve been working side by side with for almost 20 years, and shoe-horned into a new work environment with a mean girls vibe and a micro manager of a boss, all right on the heels of returning from maternity leave. I hate it there and if that hadn’t happened, I would have tolerated this pandemic a lot better. Give me a few weeks and maybe I’ll rally again, but right now I’m just not feeling it.
Came back to say I so relate to the comments of not looking forward to anything and not feeling like doing anything at all. It’s burnout and trauma response, our brains trying to shield us from the next disappointment. My first comment on this thread was maybe a little too upbeat.
You know that scene in Inside Out when Joy is trying and failing to cheer up BingBong, then Sadness just sits with him, listens and empathizes… today I’m more aligned with the blue one.
Some small things to look forward to with minimal effort investment:
Games with daily rewards like Sailor Cats or Flutter
Emails from SBTB
Emails from theLatestKate
Sending good wishes for your back, @DDD, and positive thoughts for all who are facing challenges of one sort or another.
My daughter recently mentioned that she is hoping to come for a visit in October. She lives in South Korea, and it’s been over two years since we’ve been together in person. I’m thinking good thoughts!
I grew up in NE Pennsylvania but my parents were Mets fans. So all I know is “Meet the Mets, Meet the Mets, step right up and greet the Mets”!
This August is a mixed bag. While I’m superproud of my 3 kids, for the first time I’m going to be a true empty nester. My oldest starts grad school and my twins go back to college. It will be an adjustment for me, b/c I love having them around. I was originally looking at August as the pre-Back-to-the-Office month but now my firm has pushed it back to early October.
Every August, though, two things are uppermost in my mind: getting past the summer heat and getting into fall knitting.
The only thing I’m looking forward to is August 24 when Anne Gracie’s next book drops. I think the pandemic wil lcontinue to lessen family gatherings for me due to unvaccinated relatives.
@Carrie, not weird at all. I mentioned in a previous comment thread that I’d lost our 13 year old dog Jack who had Cushings and a growth in his abdomen and I’d lost his sister Meg back in January. And frankly, since June with no dog in the house, I’ve been lost myself. Last Tuesday, I brought home Dora, a collie X rescue pup approx 11-13 weeks old and I am back on puppy duty and ALL that entails! Because my last two dogs were pups when I was also caring for my grandmother, our training was a bit hit and miss. But Miss Dora is going to get the benefit of those years as well as my experience as a Brownie leader – lots of positive reinforcement and encouragement but No means No. She’s very sweet and I look forward to teaching her so she can come along on outdoor Brownie meetings and Girl Guide hikes when we resume unit meetings in the Autumn.
Looking forward to going back to farmer’s markets and outdoor festivals and MAYBE actually going to an anime convention if it doesn’t get postponed again. Also Free Comics Day next weekend and actual movies in an actual theater.
My kids are going to visit my BIL in Arizona next month; I would have liked to go too (he’s pushing 90 and who knows how long he’s got) but I don’t feel safe traveling just now with a compromised immune system. Still I may take a couple days for myself while they’re gone; I just wanna GO SOMEWHERE…
@Arijo, here’s a head start for you: https://gizmodo.com/astronauts-give-us-a-look-at-what-the-olympics-would-be-1847444995
I have one of the things I was looking forward to crossed off my list and that is my cousin’s wedding. I left Thursday and got back today. It was a lot of fun to see my cousins, aunts, and uncles on my dad’s side, but I am completely exhausted. I think everyone was trying to release pent-up energy from not having seen each other in over eighteen months. In particular I have one cousin that I have been close to since she was a baby, and it was so nice to have a long conversation with her and her sister and let our moms talk amongst themselves. ON the 12th we have a family friend coming to visit. She her sister, and their older brother might as well be family though because I’ve known both twin girls since they were babies, and their older brother and I were born on the same day. In this case, our moms have been friends since they were teenagers. And then at the end of the month, my sister and I will have our birthdays. Hers is on the 27th and mine is on the 29th.
I’m looking forward to Lucy Parker’s Battle Royal. I’m suffering some low-level pandemic depression because I feel like the promise and plenty of vaccinations in the U.S. was wasted by political bias, ignorance, and hate (whyyyyyy), so I’m praying this book can water my crops and clear my skin. Sorry, Lucy Parker, but the fate of the world rests on you.
I’m so tired, but I’m looking forward to enjoying our updated house! This apartment is the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere, and we’re planning to stay for a while longer. The complex was going to replace our carpet with luxury vinyl tile that looks like hardware, so we took the opportunity to get the house painted. It looks like a whole new house! At the age of 38, it’s the first time I’ve really been able to put a stamp on my own place, and we love it. It was stressful getting it done, but now we’re looking forward to kicking back and enjoying our updated space.
Having a bit of a tough time looking forward right now because I feel like right when things got better and I was starting to feel hopeful for the future, boom, Delta variant, cases going up, time to question Every. Single. Decision again which is this anxiety-ridden overthinker’s worst nightmare. I’m worried about whether my kids will actually be able to return to in-person school in September, something we’ve been waiting for since March 2020 (they did NOT do well in the virtual environment). And we have some other kid stuff in flux at the moment which is causing things to feel generally unsettled. So I’m doing what my mom used to recommend in situations like this, and putting one foot in front of the other in the direction I’m hoping to go, and figuring the right steps will become clear in time. I guess I’m looking forward to clarity, eventually, and in the meantime I’m looking forward to a few other things, including: my youngest returning from camp and hearing about all her adventures, new Sarah MacLean at the end of this month, and maybe a camping trip in September.