(I’m sorry, I tried to give it another name, but this one is the most accurate.)
1- PERFECT PMS MUSIC. Love Mitski. Love this album. Blasted on the way to/from Pilates and to work this morning. I will force myself to listen to the news (probably through Pantsuit Poiltics) later today but I really needed this wringing out of my soul.
and I KNOW! THAT ALBUM COVER!!
2- THIS HAS BEEN A WEEK. Well, maybe it’s all the way I am processing it, but everything has just felt like a lot. Acknowledging the 1 year anniversary of my heart event was a lot. There have been some other unbloggable things that are a lot. On a much more minor note, reading the comments on Cal Newport’s youtube (some a bit brutal) was a lot (not blaming him whatsoever — to be clear, I am still super grateful to have been on! And it’s my own fault for looking. But I mean: “She speaks like a highschool girl with a Pinterest mood board” — GEE THX). ALSO I’ve had a packed patient schedule (like zero breathing room) and it definitely took me 2 full nights of sleep to recover from our late night adventures on Tuesday. (I’m still glad we went, but I will continue to limit my weekday evening activities that go late to rare and special opportunities like that one).
3- JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW, I SCROLLED ON REDDIT. Last night. And I lived to tell the tale. (I used my laptop, not my phone). Honestly, it felt okay — much more of a “I AM PURPOSEFULLY DOING THIS BECAUSE I NEED AN ABSOLUTELY MINDLESS ESCAPE RIGHT NOW AND EVEN TV IS TOO MUCH” vs randomly getting sucked in.
Do I want to do that every night? No.
Did it sort of hit the spot, at that moment? Yes.
Is part of the reason that I scrolled instead of read because I am SLOGGING through my current novel? YES.
Does not enjoying a classic (The Great Gatsby) make me feel a little bad? ADMITTEDLY YES.
(Should I abandon it? I do want to be able to discuss it at book club! Maybe I should try the audio!? I’m on page like 70 of 190 so it really shouldn’t be THAT hard to get it done . . .)
((I already abandoned another book so I AM meeting my resolution! Two in a row would be a new record!))
I’m not going to get to 5 today, I don’t think.
Let’s just hope for better things coming up! If nothing else, I know my luteal phase will come to an end eventually.
24 Comments
I would abandon the book. I would read a cliff notes summary or something like that. Life is too short to slog through a book you aren’t enjoying! I DNF’d 3 books last month, and 2 were back-to-back DNFs.
I could not handle reading comments about my appearance on a podcast or show! Yikes! People on the internet can be SO MEAN, or I should say “everybody’s cut throat in the comments” in the words of our girl, Taylor. I would stop reading the comments! There is no upside IMO. The bad stuff will likely stay with you more than the compliments.
Anniversaries are hard and reflecting on anniversaries are hard. Add in PMS and being overtired (I so could not be up past midnight on a school night!!) and that’s a lot! I hope you have a chill weekend ahead of you!
I guess “highschool girl with a Pinterest board” might equate to boring barbie . . . hahah! (disclaimer: i actually really like CharliXCX’s music!)
I loved your interview with Cal!
My suggestion would be to read Gatsby by Jane Crowther. It’s a gender flipped modern retelling where Jay Gatsby is a modern influencer. I liked it – follows all the plot points but just makes it fresh
that sounds like a fun pivot!
Or watch the movie. There are multiple good options, but the Baz Luhrmann one with Leonardo DiCaprio is eye candy and fairly faithful to the book
Do not feel bad for not liking a classic – especially, The Great Gatsby bc it is trash (imo). I had to read it for book club last year and read it solely so I could justify why it sucked. I did end up on a random deep dive on the “Nick is gay” theories which was interesting.
Also – yes to the audio!
Not a take I had considered!
Classics are so hit and miss for people. I really enjoyed Gatsby, but Jane Eyre made me want to shove a pencil in my eye and I still feel a little bad about it, so I get where you’re coming from.
I say this with a lot of love-have you thought of treating your pmdd? It really might make life better.
I know. And received with love. With careful tracking I’ve figured out it’s like ~3-4 days that are bad and for me that hasn’t been enough to justify taking something regularly. At one point in my life it actually used to be a lot worse (like, from ovulation to cycle!) and I took OCPs but then they gave me migraines. For now the increased awareness really helps because even though I have negative feeling and viewpoints I KNOW they will shift in a few days.
I did not like Gatsby at all. It’s a slog. Watch the movie or read cliff notes if you must but don’t force yourself through a classic, it’s just going to ruin classics for you.
My uncle has a teeny tiny cameo in the movie which I enjoy, especially because he passed away 12 years ago and it’s nice to know he’s kind of there in something people are still enjoying.
Biiiig week. You got through. You sounded great on Cal’s show. Hopefully you can have some calm this weekend!
I am shocked by how mean and weird people are in the comments on that video. 😲😲😲
Can’t let that pass by without putting a counter message out there— you should know I am so grateful for your podcasts and book and the positive influence you’ve had in my life. ♥️♥️
Comments from Cal’s show just seem like sour grapes over you having a nanny with the assumption that your life must be easy because of it, and thus you have nothing to offer them. However you still got a bunch of comments about how happy they were to hear from a mom and people who liked your planning methods. Feel better soon! I’d say it sounds like you were mostly very well received.
I really loved that episode with Cal. It was detailed and helpful. I liked that he pointed out your emphasis on using your time well rather than productivity. I agree!
Ignore the naysayers. I’m an empty nester and even though I homeschooled my kids and never had a nanny, I wish I had had known some of your planning tips back then because they would have helped. People seem to have a hard time understanding that good tools and techniques are helpful across many life situations.
Keep up the good work.
Sorry to hear its been that kind of week! I just had a look at the Youtube comments, and want to highlight that the top comment is one about how much they appreciated your interview, liked by about 180 people. The couple of negative ones are way lower down and had barely any likes. So I’d say by Youtube commenting standards that’s a huge success 🙂 I personally loved the interview, found it really valuable, even though I’m already familiar with all your work.
Well, there’s always going to be haters- you’re brave to put yourself out there, and it does seem like the vast majority of comments were positive (yes- I had to go look). I can see how it would be hard to read if you’re already not feeling your best though.
Yeah, I would DNF the book. It sounds like you’re just slogging through it at the expense of reading something you would really like instead. I agree it’s tricky bc it’s for book club- you could read a summary instead. And I’ll bet other people didn’t like it either.
I hope you’re feeling better and have something fun lined up for the weekend!
Haters gonna hate. Fuck them.
I thought you did great but he should have stopped interrupting.
My PMS symptoms (I’m 45 in two months) went away almost completely after I started exercising. It was quite mind boggling how helpful exercise was for me. But I already know you do that regularly.
ha! well, running did help but that ship has sailed. kinda doing all I can probably safely do from a movement perspective!
Ditch Gatsby. I hated it and found it boring when it was required reading in high school and again in college and I’d never revisit. Life is TOO SHORT. Your contribution to bookclub can be “it was so boring I couldn’t get more than 1/3 into it.” Done. Move on!
I’m sorry for the negative reviews but as you logically know, you can never have everyone like you. It’s impossible and who even cares? Of COURSE it hurts to read negative comments. So I’m glad you’re getting boosted back here. But also—if you hadn’t put yourself out there you wouldn’t have gotten them; but then you wouldn’t have had this awesome experience which has clearly been a hit for so many.
Hold your head up high! You’re Sarah Hart-Unger and that’s pretty great. I went on a retreat once where a nun told me something that’s stayed with me ever since: you’re not perfect, but you ARE terrific! It’s true of us all. Don’t you forget it!!!
Hey Sarah, I am late to this but wondering if you’ve tried magnesium for the PMS symptoms? I have PMDD and recently started taking magnesium glycinate to help with sleep, and I noticed my usual PMS stuff is a lot less pronounced this month. Could be placebo or a coincidence, but there are a few studies looking at the correlation that seem to point to a plausible mechanism, eg. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2067759/. Only sharing because I wish someone had told me this 9 years ago when I was first diagnosed! Or maybe they did and I thought it was woo lol.
I had some weird/not great stuff when I tried magnesium in the past but I could definitely try it again! TY for sending!
https://brainmd.com/products/pms-relief?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22923951547&gbraid=0AAAAADoL97pvluNpARNGLJG8dKCPDjdCP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7NvnnOuWkwMVVx6tBh1RohZ4EAQYASABEgJBRPD_BwE
I take this every day and it helps my cycle! I actually take half the dose it says because it’s expensive and it still works. I can tell a big difference when I run out.
I ordered them – feel like it’s worth a try! TY for the rec!