Week 38: Sept 29-Oct 5

NUMBERS OF THE WEEK

No numbers this week. I had to go away for work and forgot my watch charger and missed my weigh-in.

Steps: DNC

Weight: DNC

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Reconnecting with Friends

Cape Breton Island is my favorite place in the world. I love every gorgeous corner of it and in my dreams that is where I’m from. This week I got to go there for work and it gave me an opportunity to see the Celtic Colors in their peak glory. Even more beautiful was reconnecting with old friends. Time and distance may keep us apart, but that melts away when our voices mingle in the animated nostalgia recounting fun times working in Emergency. We are all nurse practitioners now and our expanded scope of practice brings unique challenges that we shared candidly with each other. Friendships like this feed the soul and renew the spirit.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Stankonia by Outkast

It was the year 2000, and I was on my own little adventure . . . I moved to Georgia, living in both Savannah and Atlanta. I have always loved Hip Hop, back in High School I listened to A Tribe Called Quest and Beastie Boys. So it stood to reason that I would be drawn to Outkast, a Hip Hop duo with Big Boi from Savannah and Andre 3000 from Atlanta. They had been around for a while, but were new to me. They had a funky fresh sound with songs that carried both personal meaning and social commentary. Hits like Bombs Over Baghdad and Miss Jackson are well known, but whenever I hear the opening line “Ain’t nobody dope as me” of So Fresh, So Clean, I can’t help but smile.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Real Ones by Katharena Vermette

This was our Book Club pick for this month. We have read Katharena Vermette in the past (The Break) and she is a great writer and advocate for her indigenous community. Real Ones tells the story of two Michif sisters June and Lyn, who struggle with how to respond when their mother (a Mennonite) is exposed as a ‘pretendian’ after gathering numerous awards and critical acclaim as an indigenous artist. It is told from the alternating perspectives of the sisters which offer insight into who they are as individual women, but also highlights the unbreakable bond of sisterhood and the complexity of families.