The Sunday Currently XII

You know how a lot of bloggers post weekly lists of links they've found around the internets?  I can't do that.  I've tried, but I seem to be physically and emotionally incapable of sharing anything without also providing a lengthy commentary on it.  Thank goodness for The Sunday Currently!  So gird your loins, dear reads, and let's dive in...

the wedding DIY bug hasn't quite left me yet

listening... to the Last Night of the Proms on BBC iPlayer!  Part One is here and Part Two here, but if you can't listen to the whole thing - it's amazing, obviously, but it's also 3 hours long - then click over to Part Two and start at 1:01:00, where the patriotic finale begins.  The Proms are a summer series of classical concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London, but the last one is always slightly lighter and more popular in content; they also broadcast it from huge screens in Hyde Park after a massive live concert for an event called Proms in the Park, and I have friends who go out every year in black tie to have a picnic on the lawn to watch.  Everyone (both in the Hall and in Hyde Park) brings flags and gets completely into the spirit of things, which is why you can hear the audience singing along to Rule Britannia and Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem and the National Anthem.  I still haven't made it to the Last Night of the Proms but, as I wrote here in 2010, it makes my heart swell every time I hear the final pieces.

reading... Football Nation: Sixty Years of the Beautiful Game, by Andrew Ward and John Williams.  One major (and often true!) stereotype of English boys is that they're obsessed with soccer, but Jon isn't.  I mean, he knows a lot about it through osmosis, I guess, but that's about it.  We spent a whole meal on our honeymoon discussing the cultural and socio-political aspects of British football and its fans which, as an outsider, you can't help but wonder about.  (Or is that just me?  The whole thing is so foreign and the only way I know how to approach it is academically.)  So last week I tweeted at Greg Jenner - if you are an Anglophile and/or a history nerd and/or someone who appreciates excellent humor, you need to follow him now - and he recommended this book for a good introduction on the history of football in Britain and why its fans are... well, the way they are!

thinking... about how, as I've discovered more and more blogs written by Americans abroad over the past few months, I've been struck by how everyone understands "expat" in a completely unique and personal way; there's no one-size-fits all definition.  Living in another country can happen for so many different reasons and in so many different ways - through marriage, work, school, or asylum, just to name a few - and all those reasons and ways can complicate what you think of as your emotional home.  My friend Melanie wrote a piece for Pencil Tribe about what it means to be a Third Culture Kid and, even though it's an label I can't relate to, I'm excited to see where she takes her exploration.  As an expatriate and a repatriate, identities I truly believe I can claim concurrently, I find the concept of ownership of (or in) a culture absolutely fascinating!

hoping... that if you're an expat and you feel lonely, you read Belinda's musings from last week and take comfort in the fact that you're not alone.  With so many amazing bloggers all over the world, someone who understands what you're going through might be just on the other side of the keyboard!  That being said, it can be really hard to not have friendships with people in your area, and it's totally normal to get in a funk about it sometimes.  Don't feel bad about feeling bad - wallow in it for a while and then try these ten tips for making friends in a new place!  (The last one on that list is especially important.)

smelling... cinnamon French toast!  My parents are coming over for brunch, which makes me feel very grown up for some reason, and I'm making Smitten Kitchen's recipe with a blackberry sauce courtesy of my farmers market haul from yesterday.  My mouth is watering already!

wishing... Emily, Mike, and Cliff a very happy 10 month dogiversary!  C-dawg might be the sweetest and goofiest lab ever besides Charlie - I especially love how almost every one of Emily's recipe posts includes a photo of Cliff looking longingly at whatever she's making.  (Exhibits A, B, and C for your viewing pleasure, dear readers.)  It's classic.

wanting... to be in a healthy mindset for my half marathon next Saturday.  I loved all of your suggestions on my post last Monday, but somehow I psyched myself out afterwards and had a really uncomfortable run on Tuesday.  My runs since then have felt good - I even managed to run for the first 30 minutes of my Friday 4.5 miler with no walking, which is rare -   and I need to stay in that mental place for the next week!

loving... the conversation that KC has continued with her post on when to speak up if you read something online that you disagree with.  You know I have all of the thoughts on this, dear readers, but I don't actually have any of the answers!  KC asks, "If you are a blogger who really wants opinions, how do you get them? If you feel like you need to speak up about something, what triggers that and how do you deal with it?"  What do you think?  Head over to her blog and join the discussion!

linking up with siddathornton