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Chapter 3: “What can we take from this extraordinary detailed document? Other than that it was a very effective pitch for James the king of Scotland to achieve his lifelong ambition of unifying the country, and becoming James the first of England.”

Ever check your phone’s weather app to plan the weekend? In the 20th century science fiction, author, Arthur C. Clark wrote that, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” In many ways the only difference between us and our forbearers is that now our technology has almost caught up. Our human desire to know what is around the corner? That has not changed.

Chapter 1: in an uncertain world there was a way of making sense of unpredictable events, offering an illusion of control. Folks have been turning to magic & ritual to influence their fate since the dawn of time & they still do. Clever, modern sophisticates may scarf at these ideas.

Chapter 17: questions to discuss over 3 separate conversations with a serious relationship before marriage/serious commitment to the relationship.

Chapter 17- how to decide if you should get married

Chapter 15: accountability partner idea lol: write a check for a large amount to a presidential campaign fund of a candidate you do not like. Give it to a friend to mail, if you do not do the thing you need to do by the agreed-upon time

Chapter 14: how to know when to stay or break-up. Hitchers (sticking around in relationships when they should leave) and Ditchers (leave a relationship too soon - maximizers or romantiziers)

Chapter 13: deciding or sliding into the next phase. Consciously making the decision to go to the next stage (of a relationship) or to just…flow into it without thinking

Section 3, Chapter 13: cookie study. 3 groups of participants were given 29 cookies to eat while completing a series of tasks. 1- all cookies in one container 2- cookies separated by white paper 3- cookies separated by colored paper. The idea that “coming to an end” calls for a conscious decision to be made. Will packaging affect how many cookies will be eaten in a sitting? (Yes)

Chapter 6: Attachment styles

Chapter 19: Daniel McIntyre descended from “old Irish,” that is the immigrants who came to America long before the potato famines of the 1840s. And it is doubtful that any of his ancestors were ever poor.

Reading chapter 16 rn, and finally realizing that Petyr van Abel and Charlotte Mayfair’s thing is what has been making my face in a permanent, aching grimace. ew

Part 2: The first four parts of this file are written by Petyr van Abel in a form of Latin used by the Talamasca as code. The text is translated by Aaron Lightner. His introduction mentions how Petyr was taken in by the Talamasca after he was orphaned at eight years old. His letters are addressed to the head of the Talamasca, Stefan Franck, and begin in 1689.

Part 2: The history of the Mayfair witches

The Mayfair Witches! Mary Beth (great grandma), Stella Mayfair (grandma), Antha (mom), Deidra (daughter)…then in chapter 4 we meet Deidra’s daughter, Dr. Rowan Mayfair (born in 1959). Very cool so far, looking forward to more of their story!

Chapter two: “…Michael learned much from these relationships. His egoless openness was highly seductive to these women…”

Chapter 39: “the sadness will last forever” Vincent van Gogh’s last words to his brother, after his brother was telling him that he will survive this wound.

Oh sweetness, romance books can do this to me. Starts out cheesy and then becomes heartwarming and poignant as the characters grow and learn 💕. Since some of the characters go back and forth (7 years in the future and back to present/past) they have conversations with different versions of each other. Longterm love definitely includes loving the changes in our partners and ourselves

About halfway through, and the plot followed the rule of doing something exciting at this point in the book: without going too spoilery, the main character just realized that she could use the future-past time travel magic of the apartment to solve a problem in her present. Things got exciting!

I’m about 1/3 through and these are my thoughts so far: Ohmygosh! Two strangers are unexpectedly in the same apartment and obvs are attracted to each other, but are making the best of the situation and so, they are “being adults” about it and are sharing “the perfectly fine bed” making sure there is a pillow between them Ohmygosh. Sometimes I am such a parent when I read romance (make good choices! lol)

Calamity “Cal” reminds me of Senshi
(voiced by Hiroshi Naka) from Delicious in Dungeon

Support: coming back home, Nathaniel realized he was more than his family’s legacy. It was like Nathaniel had removed an ill-fitting shirt he worn for so long he hadn’t realized that he had grown out of it. Only letting the seams dig into his skin, and the buttons strain at their stitches. Now that it was off he could see how it kept him warm through the years, but he couldn’t fathom putting it back on.

Support: P:Did you or did you not work for The Crucible? N: I never killed anyone! P: No? You built weapons, explosives, devices meant to hurt and kill, don’t deny it. N: I don’t! P: You can parse the differences…but the truth is you did something under the orders of someone more powerful than you it doesn’t make what you did right but it also doesn’t mean that we don’t understand.

Chapter 28: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to throw a cat amongst pigeons”

I think if I had to choose a main take-away, I would say it was the story the author’s the data showed: the sheer number of “life disrupting” events that occur in the average person’s life is huge! And often! And the recovery is about 5-ish years each! To me, that essentially means all of life is a rollercoaster instead of a nap in a hammock. And that’s ok

Chapter 10: Central to the active writing there’s a process of growth. Of slowly gaining control of their narrative. On day one, participants tend to describe the event. By the last day, they give shape and purpose to it. The act of writing speeds up the act of meaning-making.

Chapter 10: Creativity thrives on isolation and disconnection. Studies of creativity for two decades Have found the consistent pattern, those facing adversity often suffer from social exclusion, a sense of being ostracized from society, and a feeling of being out of sync or out of touch with those around them. These attitudes intern give these individuals more freedom to take risks… outside the social mainstream

Chapter 9: …some people had to jettison some beliefs. Kate Hoag, after surviving the tornado, had to discard her view that God would solve every problem and begin to see God has being present, and relying on humans to be his hands.

Chapter 7: Sadness is almost the opposite of anger. While anger prepares us to fight, sadness prepares us to protect. Anger speeds the world up. Sadness slows it down. Sometimes bereaved people say that living with the sadness is like living in slow motion.

Chapter 2: on class, 36% of Americans move up the socioeconomic ladder in their lives, 41% move down.