i realized at the end of last month that i was doing too much – being “extra”, as my students would say – and writing too many separate posts to round up the month. i always figured monthly recaps were something “real bloggers” did, until i remembered that as long as i continue to write and publish, i am no less real than anyone else. i also realized i was doing unnecessary work and that my life would be infinitely easier if i just got my life together and did one post at the end of each month.

i’m still figuring out what format works best for me for these posts, so bear with me these next few months as i work out the kinks. thanks, pals.

september highlights.

a labor day visit from chrystal and pat turns. college football started. colson whitehead speech. broadway season at the orpheum kicked off. cooper-young 4-miler / cooper-young festival weekend. bridge builders leadership council trip to montgomery.

september books.

i read a whopping one whole book in september. it was a hectic month that really left me exhausted, and i didn’t prioritize reading the way i would have like. but at least i finished one, which is better than none.

china rich girlfriend by kevin kwan is the follow-up to crazy rich asians, so i was very excited to read it. i enjoyed reconnecting with the characters from the first book, but i will admit this one was cattier and more gossip-y than the first. i didn’t love astrid’s storyline, but it was a fun read nonetheless, and i am already excited to read rich people problems, the final book in the trilogy.

the best things i watched this month.

one sunday christina and i watched to all the boys i’ve loved before, a netflix movie based on the novel of the same name by jenny han. it was smart and adorable at the same time, and i will definitely watch it again.

yes, yes, i finally started watching game of thrones. i figure if i start now i’ll finish in time for the final season to begin in 2019. i’m only four episodes in, but i am hooked and my brother has already begun scheduling conference calls to discuss.

favorite things from around the interwebs.

serena williams wore a tutu at the u.s. open and it was beautiful.

michael b jordan building up leaders and melting hearts everywhere.

the harry potter legacy endures. “For a children’s series with faux-Latin spells and flying broomsticks, it paints a world of surprising consequence, where the easy choice is rarely the right choice and the right choice isn’t always easy to discern”

nike’s intentionality behind the colin kaepernick ads.

india finally decriminalized homosexuality. and another piece about the homphobic legacy of british colonialism just for good measure.

simone biles and the state of women’s gymnastics today.

caroline perfectly summed up what i feel like as a runner.

what men are missing about the #metoo movement. #MeToo is meant to focus our attention on an ongoing crisis, one that is no less tragic or urgent for being so familiar. Has the movement gone too far? It will never, in our lifetimes, go far enough”

an ode to thale maamsa.

misty copeland is one of my favorites.

i don’t drink coffee, but i’m so proud of candace for her recent longreads piece on her coffee journey.

hope you all had a wonderful september and are as excited as i am for fall weather!

xx