Purifying my blog

 Hi everyone. I am not dead (is this how I start blog posts now?, probably). My blog has seen me through some of the most troubling times of 2024-2025 (examples: midterm day 2024, when I thought I was being followed by the ghost of my high school enemy, realizing I work for a mega-corporation and famously, thinking the guy I was into was my cousin). But what have I accomplished? When have I said that life is good? 

It is time to play catch up since February. First order of business – people who are so cute I would pick them up and shake them: Jenny (biophysics professor), Annie (boss), Blondshell (popstar), Clementina (neighbour).

Speaking of, I was at the Blondshell concert last week and may I say that I was blown away. I kept telling her – "Sabrina! It's me, Veronica!!! You got me through rock bottom in 2023, remember!?" Let's just say she didn't remember me – she was one playing salad away from me collapsing to the floor in the venue and letting out a guttural, primal, even, scream that would rattle the bones of everyone present. Along the way, I learned a new appreciation for some things, like Blondshell's newest album, sitting in the park and reading, and public transit.

Year of the dog – here are the names of some of my favorite furry friends: Blue (dog), Bosco (dog–childhood friend), Lucky (crazy boy), Gracie (dumpster rat), Montgomery (aka Monty) (adhd), Nera (recovering crack addict), Scout (calmest girl until Biscuit shows up at the function).

The June TBR updates ! I have learned a new appreciation for the library. It all started when Clément came to Toronto–a series of events waterfalled to me sleeping in Kate's room, where I caught my eyes on the piece of résistance – Circe.

Now that's a book I have wanted to pick up for ages. At that time, I had 50 pages left in the Better Sister – which was recently put on Amazon Prime, and someone in my family was watching it. I saw the name and was instantly like: we have this. My mom had no clue what I was talking about when I asked who was watching the show... it was her. So I started that book at the start of my six hour bus and finished it the next morning – so the next day I picked up Circe.

Two full days and 30 minutes was not enough time to hammer all 400 pages through, alas. I was on the TTC on Tuesday morning, searching the OPL database for the book – two copies at Sunnyside branch (aka the stomping ground of my enemies). I arrive there seven hours later – neither copy is present – what is nearby? The fury, another book I have longed to read – the librarian puts Circe on hold, and I take home the Fury, which I finish on Thursday at lunchtime – Circe is ready for pick-up and on today's list! 

The plot of May, in terms of reading was to finally conquer the Trials of Apollo series (aka part three of Percy Jackson – yes I am an adult who is not over my Percy Jackson phase). On a faithful day in 2018, my brother spoiled the series for me (major character death – the character was the one I had a crush on at age 12). Some psychological force inside of me had prevented me from finishing the first book over and over and over again. I read the first book after finishing the other two main series (before the spoiler had come to my attention). I read the first book again. One time, I lost the first book for so long, I had to restart the series so I knew what the world was going on. I did the first two books when I was afflicted with COVID back in 2021, didn't get pass it. I did the first two and half of the third when we went to Midland in 2022. 

So when I got to the end of the first book for the tenth time in eight years, why was I surprised about the twist? No one knows... the only thing I remembered about the second book was the high number of 'Leo cut the cheese' jokes (open to interpretation). And then, like the hero I am, I cracked out the next three books and finished the series in early June.

Other books I read in June: the Cornish Midwife (apparently is part of a series with 30 books), a German book that a lady from the Swiss embassy gave me – about a mattress over the course of 70 years (the mattress has been to more countries than I have, tbh).

The Better Sister, Circe, the Fury – three books that are about a woman and (sometimes) her son. Pro-tip: do NOT try to explain the dynamic of the family in the Better Sister – I was all 'the step-mom-sister,' 'the-ex-wife-bio-mom-sister.' And everyone was confused... 

Current reads: the New Order: part of a series that my neighbour wrote–the first two were about vampires in Peterborough (as a person who lived there once, it is everything I dreamed of). This is the third book, in which they are in Montreal? What happened to good old PTBO (then they go to Europe). ALSO reading the Brothers Hawthorne by JLB (a modern day genius – she knows how to grab my attention, when she speaks, I am sat)–Grayson is the type of guy I would have a crush on at age twelve. 

I love reading JLB's stuff – you read one series, and the girl (in a love triangle) ends up with the guy you didn't like her with (brooding blond), it should have been the goofy one, fr. And then, you see online that if you think she should have wound up with the other guy, read this series ... and then the girl is so annoying (she is so annoying, it boggles my mind), she is in a love triangle (because, duh), and then she ends up with the goofy one (instead of the brooding blond) and that wasn't a good match in my head. 

What is with me and hating canon? I can say no to JLB canon and pretend that my crush from age twelve is still kicking in the Percy Jackson universe. Anyways, back to the book – since the annoying girl is no longer the narrator, I am eating that shit up so fast – I read 80 pages in an hour of downtime at my job. 

Next up in the list, other than finishing the three books I am currently reading, is Salem's Lot because every time I see it on my shelf, I get lose yourself by Eminem stuck in my head (at least once a day). When I finish the book, I can banish it to the basement bookshelf, and then I am not subjected to torture every day.

Going back in time, the plot of April was doing 80 1000-piece puzzles instead of studying for exams (I did, however, nail most of my exams – except the animal form and function one, but I do not regret taking the class, I made a lovely friend in the labs and I got to meet and befriend Katie the prof, who knew my name by the first midterm... that was a scary experience, tbr).

When you go to the front of the lecture hall to collect your midterm exam and your professor calls you by name gives the same energy as when I walked into second cup near my house and the barista just outright asked if I want [my usual order]. Scary moment.

A rule I have made up: no one's coffee order should be more than three words. Here are some good examples: large white mocha, triple shot espresso, chai tea latte, etc. This rule was invented when my little cousin (14F) told me that her usual Starbucks order was: a large pink drink, no strawberries, less ice and no whip. I told her that is too many words. 

Is it a canon event for the eighth grade girlies to have a diabolical Starbucks order? Probably – mine was green iced tea lemonade with two pumps of raspberry [insert facepalm emoji]. Do the Starbucks girlies need to be stopped? ABSOLUTELY! One time, this girl I met at Trent University had to lie on the floor for 30 minutes in order to function after finding out that the Starbucks was closed.

This same cousin of mine (14F) also told me that she wants to go inside the vape store because they look so pretty. I told her: DO NOT GO TO THE VAPE STORE. For one thing, people under 16 should be buying their vapes from someone's Snapchat story for $75–and then it turns out the cartridge is empty (canterbury high school aesthetic). 

Speaking of losing faith in humanity, I visited with my other little cousins from California last weekend. They are lovely, we see them just the right amount that I can call them my favorite cousins because it doesn't get to the point of drama. The younger one, 13F, was quoting Minecraft movie songs and playing brain rot tik toks and I told her to go read a book. 

Homegirl just finished seventh grade – she should be writing something embarrassing in a diary that she will dig up in 8 years and her mind will become boggled. Here are some things I wrote in my elementary/ middle school grade diaries:

November 16: I hate Tasha from girl guides. [and then I list 10 things she did in a 2-hour period that bothered me]. 

December 20: today is Chloe's birthday. I did not text her.

***DISCLAIMER: I do not change people's names for privacy reasons – I don't care about the people I am name-dropping like that. see you in 12 months.