November 2014 – Kristan Hoffman

Week in review (Nov 23, 2014)

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Quick Longmire update: Netflix picked it up for a 4th season, yay!
On Sunday, I posted over at Writer Unboxed about the two things that I’ve been doing recently in order to maintain a healthy mindset towards writing: “Rising Expectations, Daily Pages, and Having Fun.”
As part of our attempts to become more cultured, we went to see the musical Once. I loved how minimal the set and script were, allowing the music to really be the focus. I’ve loved the song “Falling Slowly” ever since I heard it on the Oscars years ago, but it was a special treat to hear it live.
Andy’s sister had her baby! Now we can all spoil this little jellybean rotten.
We also saw Interstellar, which was intricate and imaginative even beyond my expectations. There were a few developments that I predicted, but still plenty that took me by surprise. Most of all, I loved the theme of love being the one thing we humans perceive/experience that transcends time and space. (That said, I probably would have changed the ending a bit.)
And oh yeah, it was my birthday.

Been saving this link for today: “The Power of 29: An ode to being almost 30” by @annfriedman http://t.co/d2xM9a1Yq9

— Kristan Hoffman (@kristanhoffman) November 21, 2014

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I just watched last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and I liked how it dealt with the former military IT technician who (mistakenly) felt that she wasn’t deserving of veterans’ services. I’m not sure if they timed that to air right before Veterans Day on purpose or not, but it dovetails nicely.

My brother-in-law did a tour in Afghanistan for the Marines. It simultaneously feels like forever ago and just yesterday. I had never really known someone on active duty before, and I can’t tell you what a strange mix of emotions it caused. Anxiety about his whereabouts and well-being. Frustration at my own ignorance and helplessness. Hope and faith that everything would be okay. Pride in his service and sacrifice.

Needless to say, his homecoming was a sweet relief.

Now, like before, I feel mostly disconnected from that world, but it did leave an impression that will never fade away. A raised awareness. An immense sense of gratitude.

Thank you to all the men and women who are serving, have served, or plan to serve. In whatever role and capacity. The rest of us may never fully understand what you go through, but we appreciate what you contribute to your team and to your country. Take care.

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Week in review

Friday, November 7, 2014

I’m a big fan of bullet points lately, so this might become a more regular thing. (Or not. Who knows.)

Every fall, Andy and I play in a flag football league with our friends. Usually we aren’t very good and it’s just about having fun. This year we were the #1 team on Wednesday nights! (But we lost in the playoffs. Womp womp.)
Now that the dust has settled from our month-long, multi-city wedding tour, I finally had time to go through the disaster zone that was our guest room. I had stashed anything and everything in there, including presents, decorations, and weeks’ worth of mail. It kills me to have clutter — but I’m trying to learn to let that go sometimes, especially when other things should take priority (such as getting married, or writing a book). Anyway, I now have a nice neat catalog of who gave us what. Thank you notes (and hand cramps) can now commence.
After seeing dozens of people from all spheres of my life talking about it, I finally started listening to the Serial podcast. Very well-made and compelling. I keep flip-flopping on whodunit — and more importantly, I keep contemplating big human themes like how truthful memory is, how much we can know the people we love, and whether there is the capacity for darkness inside each of us.
If you follow me on Twitter, then you probably already know that I’ve been catching up on Gilmore Girls on Netflix. Back during its original run, I stopped watching sometime after Jess showed up, but before Rory went to college. True, that means I caught the good years, but still, I’m glad to finally know the whole story. The best part was, without question, the relationship between the Gilmore Girls — Lorelai and Rory, as well as Lorelai and Emily. There was so much mother-daughter goodness (and sadness) to savor. It also made me reflect upon my own mother-daughter relationship, and the one(s) I someday hope to have.