Have you heard this podcast already?

Happy Sunday!!  In case you missed it, you need to know that I love podcasts.  And I love to share my favorites with anyone who will listen or read me so check these out and subscribe! 

You may not realize there are a few companies that produce a wide variety of podcasts, there are Slate, Panopoly and Gimlet. 

Today I thought I'd share a couple from Gimlet Media since they recently sent me an email promoting their two-day podcast festival.  I would totally be there except it's in Brooklyn and alas, I am not.

My two favorite podcasts from Gimlet are Sandra and Uncivil.

Sandra is fictional and one of the voices is Kristen Wiig.  It's a comedy, revolving around an imaginary system like Alexa but called Sandra and the main character works in a call center as a Sandra, when you say Hey Sandra and ask a question about birds, then your answer comes from this call center employee.  An interesting and fun story unfolds as the voice behind Sandra tries to make a life for herself away from Ex. 

 Uncivil is entirely different than Sandra.  It is an incredibly enlightening podcast showcasing the stories from the Civil War and Reconstruction that you've never heard before-- and you should.  It's history that informs who America is today.  Does that sound dry?  Trust me this podcast is nothing like you remember of U.S. History in school.  Everyone should listen to this insightful series. You can also follow the creators on Facebook and Twitter where they share books highlighted in the series. 

Uncivil won a Peabody Award in 2017,  you *know* this is really good stuff for your ear holes.
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On the writing front: A friend is reading the first chapter of my book.  She is an English major; I hope I have not made it too chockful of grammerical and capitalization errors. Currently, I have crossed the bridge into chapter 14!! and I accidently introduced a new character and my protagonist is now going on her first date in for-eveh! I don't see them together long term, he was really just supposed to impart some information to the protagonist , but now who knows what is going to happen next.

#WednesdayWisdom Are we still talking about Life Hacks? And it's #WineWednesday

Apropos of nothing, I was wondering the other day if BuzzFeed is still doing 'life hack' lists or if we have all moved on to a post life hack life.  My own personal life hack is to put on my socks before my pants because then my pants slide on faster.  You're welcome. 😏

I could use a life hack to get through riding shotgun for Bmo's 50 hours of required drive time to get his license.  Does stress burn calories?  We only have 46 more hours to go. Lucky for me, I'm hosting a wine tasting tomorrow night so I can stock up on post driving wine. My friend is a representative for The Wine Shop at Home and we will be trying their Renegade wine sampler.

(The Wine Shop at Home doesn't mess around, look at those medals!)

Since it is summer, we will be trying more whites than red and these will be chilled for the most part.  I like a nice chilled glass of wine after a day in the backyard or with a dinner salad.  I will report back about what we try and how the tasting goes tomorrow.   I hope the Rosé is tasty!

If the weather is nice we will sip outside, and in that case, what wine pairs well with OFF?  Seriously, are there any natural mosquito deterrents that work? They eat me alive.

Wait, what if there was a wine that repelled mosquitoes?  Now that would be a life hack! If  we can put a man on the moon, we can do this people! 

Happy #WineWednesday!

xoxo

PS On the writing front, I was at the hospital with my oldest yesterday and then took middle driving.  I was completely mentally drained and ate nutritionally empty food and didn't write.  Today's goal 500 words.

How many activities can I squeeze this Summer? Chicago offers and embarrasment of riches.

Summer is here! Kids are out, the sun is high, and the humidity is rising. June is my favorite month. We get lots of sun, I'm on a summer schedule, and the days are still getting longer.  June is like the Friday of summer. Everyone, for the most part, is in a good mood knowing we still have Saturday (July) and Sunday (August) ahead of us.

I aim to enjoy this summer to the fullest; and that is easy to do with the multitude of  outdoor concerts, festivals, and community events  taking place in Chicago. To kick things off, me and the family, are going to go to the Printers Row Lit Fest and Blues Fest this weekend. I'm looking forward to picking up some new books, meeting authors, and then enjoy fabulous music against the gorgeous background of Chicago's skyline.

Writing wise, here's what I'm up to this week.  First of all, I skipped writing for a couple days but I am definitely increasing how often I am writing and it helps to keep that momentum going. I continue to struggle with when is the best time for me to write, and I am still very easily distracted.  I think that as I continue to build up my writing stamina this will get better? I hope.  My philosophy is writing is like running, don't think about it just do it. I mean, Nike said it best, right?

Have a great Monday!
xoxo