Monthly Wrap-Up // January ’20

Well, the first month of 2020 is officially over. I had a really hard month physically, but I’ve been trying to keep my mind busy. You’ll see a lot of new shows and books (and other types of media) I’ve consumed this month. Keep reading to see what I’ve been up to in January!

Things I watched this month:

TV Shows:

•Good Girls- ★★★★★ Great humor, but does heartwarming really well. By the end of season 2 I was unsure who was good anymore and was bad. I enjoy this grey morality.

•Anne with an E- ★★★★★ Incredibly beautiful show that warms my heart. SO sad that it was cancelled.

•Spinning out- ★★ Interesting, but had way too much drama. I’d like to hear people with bipolar disorder opinion on how the show portrays it.

•Killing Eve- ★★★★★ Amazing and fascinating. I love Eve and Villanelle so much. Probably more than I should. Really looking forward to season 3!

•High School Musical: The Musical: The Series- ★★★ Young and fun. Not super complex, but a nice background show. I enjoyed the music!

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Movies:

•Portrait of a Lady on Fire- ★★★★★ Such a beautiful wlw (women who loves women) story. One of the best wlw movies I’ve ever seen. Seriously considering getting a p. 28 tattoo.

•Troop Zero- ★★★★ Heartwarming movie about a little girl who just wants to contact aliens. Loved Viola Davis and I’m 100% sure that McKenna Grace is going to be huge one day.

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Youtube:

•DissociaDID– A person who has dissociative identity disorder and works towards debunking the negative stigma surrounding DID. I didn’t know very much about DID before I stumbled upon their channel, but I feel like I now have a lot of knowledge on it and I am glad I do. I am always striving to learn about things I don’t understand. I highly recommend checking out their channel.

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♫ New Music Discovered:

•The Optimist by Evie Irie

•Laurelli by Estes and Bailey Bigger

•it’s not u it’s me, like that, S.L.U.T. by Bea Miller

•Wondering by the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series cast

(I really need to sit down and listen to Halsey’s new album, but I want to be sure I’m in a good head space for that.)

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Favorite blog posts I read this month:

•Mental Illness as Plot Twist – Ethics in Fiction by Jenna Bookish

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Books I’ve read this month:

•Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young- ★★★★ A surprising read! About repressed women who learn to stick up for themselves. My full review can be found here. 

•Belle Rèvolte by Linsey Miller- ★★★★ Another surprising read! I don’t read a ton of fantasy, but I’m so glad I picked this one up! It was unlike any fantasy I’ve read before. SO much beautiful diversity. Full Review to come!

•Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stievfater- ★★★★ I knew going into this one that I would love it. The Raven Cycle is one of my favorite series. Full review to come!

•Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky- ★★ This was definitely the biggest disappointment of the month for me. I’m super disappointed that I didn’t like it. Full review to come!

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Personal Updates:

This month has been difficult for me. I’m still very immobile from my leg surgeries in November. I was supposed to start back to physical therapy early in this month, but I ended up developing a decubitus ulcer on the heel of my foot. This combined with my knee pain means I have to wait longer to resume PT.

This is super discouraging for me. I can’t walk more than one or two steps (even that I’m seriously struggling with) so I spend 99% of my time sitting at home in bed. Which is why I watched so much this month. I feel like I’ve watched everything, but if you have any recommendations on shows or movies, I’d love to hear them!

I also started the journey in trying to get approved through medical insurance for a power wheelchair. My doctor sent the prescription without any fuss, but now I’m waiting to hear back from insurance. Apparently this could take months and I’m not looking forward to it. I desperately need my independence back though, so I’m really hoping it gets approved.

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This is probably one of the longer posts I’ve made on this blog, if you read the whole thing, wow. Thank you! I am always extremely shocked when I find out anyone reads this little blog. I appreciate all of you!