Week 21 & 22 of 2024 (Year In Review)

I sometimes feel like laughing inside that I chose this year, this “last year of my maternity leave” year to do this blogging experiment. I suppose it’s because sometimes I feel like maternity leave feels a little bit floating and aimless a lot of the time, which means it always feels weird to write about, but I know, truly know that these are days I will look back on super nostalgically.

As we get ready to celebrate our little Mouse who turns two in less than a week and I busy myself with gathering the presents (I am far too excited) and cake recipes together, I am definitely already feeling that nostalgic sort of way about June, two years ago! Ah, how strange the passing of time is, more and more as you get older. It’s true.

The last few weeks have been really quietly lovely. Rain and sunshine in equal measure, just like a proper spring. The kale in my balcony garden flourishing. A choppy shoulder-length bob. An unexpected hour plus to myself spent by the river while the little one slept in which I swore to myself I would start looking into getting myself musically equipped to song-write again. A really healing dream I had about my dad that has pretty much changed everything for me (in a good way). World Goth Day, dancing to Bauhaus and listening to this drop-dead beautiful song. Forgetting to take photos and document almost anything for reasons uncertain. Singing in a little chapel in a little South Bohemian village with my choir and enjoying it so much!

Majáles Festival (second photo), our favorite in late May which gets rained out about every other year and, welp, yeah. Times with my cutie-patootie almost two-year-old and feeling so lucky that this is my life while also feeling kinda broke (last year of maternity leave/summer-teacher vibes) but embracing the challenge. Both things can be true.

Another challenge! Actually doing something with my outfit/hair. Two years after having a child, the hair takes a hit as I notice in photo after photo taken of me over that span where I have heavily leaned into the “mom clip” (love you, indispensable hair clip) and just wearing whatever and then wondering why I look like that in all of my photos. Trying to make an effort some days… because I guess that’s what normal working people do, right? Do their hair? I think?

Alex is on summer holidays now and it’s so nice having him home with us for awhile! This June should prove to be very relaxing and hopefully filled with nature and celebrations.

Now Watching

What do you like watching these days? Everyone’s television habits are so different and mine is no exception! Now, I am a parent with a young toddler so I do not usually go out in the evening so all of this is assuming I am not out. I usually start the week with some mindless reality TV (of which Below Deck is a favorite!), transitioning to a German serial by Tuesday or Wednesday (currently watching season three of Babylon Berlin spurred on by reading this book). Thursday is always for a Czech-language serial (we’re just finishing the last season of Vyprávěj which I definitely enjoyed!) and recently this spring I’ve been watching “funnies” with Alex on Fridays or Saturdays. Right now we’re rewatching season two of Arrested Development and a first-time watch of season two of Derry Girls which is delightful. Since Oscar season ended I haven’t been watching any movies at all but I have a stack of both German and Czech language films sitting there waiting for me. I’d really like to watch Barbora (because I’m reading this book right now) and hankering to finally see Úsvit (We Were Never Modern), a buzzy Czech film from last year that I missed at KVIFF. As for English-language films, All of Us Strangers is still sitting in my “to watch” pile for the next time I give English-language film the time of day.

This, late spring, is one of my favorite times of year, though. Festival season is in full swing and there are so many interesting cultural offerings as well as choir concerts I’m performing in so TV thankfully takes a bit of a backseat some days.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying beautiful June.