I Feel Like Pooh Bear - Why am I So Stuck? (It's Probably Not What You Think)

Temporary template for my calendar.

I don’t often screech to a complete standstill because of perfectionism, but right now I just can’t bring myself to draw a few lousy lines.

A few months ago, I bought a Rocketbook. It’s a reusable notebook that you write in with erasable pens or markers. Then, using the corresponding phone app, you take a picture and upload it to the cloud destination of your choice, so you can erase and reuse the pages. While I enjoy using a regular paper journal, I thought this would be a good alternative to carry in my purse (it’s very light) and take on trips (it’s very light).

I got the idea to create a calendar page to keep track of my feeble efforts at regular exercise and movement. Fine. No problem. I did that for a couple months, then thought, well, this is working well. I should create a page with permanent lines so I don’t have to redraw the grid every month. Then I can just fill it in. It will be easier.

But wait — there’s more!

I got the grid roughed in with erasable pen, so I can theoretically just go over the same lines with permanent ink and have my grid. Sounds like a good plan, right?

Except today is already the 21s of the month, and I still haven’t drawn a single line with permanent ink.

Why? Because, if I make a mistake, it’s permanent. Color me frozen.

This does not happen to me when I’m writing. I suspect it’s because I have enough experience to know that I can go back and fix my words. Even if something is misprinted in a published book or magazine, it can be corrected in the next printing. But somehow I have a vision of my little 20-page Rocketbook notebook full of 20 pages of unusable monthly grids in permanent ink because I messed up.

Look, I didn’t say it was rational.

Perhaps it’s because I feel competent and in control with words, but I’ve always thought of myself as someone who can’t draw a straight line. Rationally, I know I have a ruler to help with that, but…

If I ever manage to pick up a regular pen and draw those grid lines on my Rocketbook, I’ll let you know.

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What I’m Reading

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

This was my first read from Gentill, and I was captivated. It’s a mystery that leans a bit into thriller territory, told from two separate points of view. Until, gradually, we realize that what we’re reading is a story within a story, and that the author of the “within” story may be in actual danger.

It starts when the quiet of the Boston Public Library reading room is shattered by a blood-curdling scream. Four strangers sitting near one another at one of the long reading tables strike up a conversation.

It sounds innocent, but it’s anything but.

I highly recommend this book — but maybe not at bedtime.

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

This was a fun and entertaining read. The story takes place a few years after the end of World War II, in Paris, and features Julia Child along with her husband and her sister. The narrator and most of the other characters are entirely fictional, as are the deaths that seem to be dogging the narrator’s footsteps.

The author captured Child’s love affair with French cuisine, her outspokenness and ebullience, and the mores of the day beautifully. And, of course, made us hungry for more.

Buy Me a Chai

Some of the links I include in this email may be affiliate links. What does that mean? It means you pay the same — or in some cases a little less — if you click and purchase, and I get a small commission. It’s not a lot, but it helps me buy a few chai lattes here and there. . . Or, if you like what you're reading, you can Buy Me a Chai right now. Thanks! (If you really like what you’re reading, you can upgrade to a paid subscription and buy me a chai every month!)

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Wise Words

Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to pick the best word to fill in the blank in this quote. Last week we posted the challenge, so today you get the answer.

Here’s the quote:

The warring knights were followed by a colourful display of flag swirling, a trio of jugglers, and then a _____ of traditional dancers, accompanied by a little band playing authentic-looking, medieval instruments.

- Murder on the Italian Riviera by TA Williams

The word choices were troop or troupe. There seems to be a lot of confusion about these words, but I’m pleased to say that my brilliant readers (at least those who responded) all chose wisely.

The correct word is troupe.

So what’s the difference between them?

According to Merriam-Webster, a troop is “a: a group of soldiers; b: a cavalry unit corresponding to an infantry company.” It also refers to the “basic organizational unit” of Boy/Girl Scouts, or a collection of people, things, mammals, or birds (as in “a troop of monkeys.”)

So what’s wrong with using it to describe a group of dancers? Nothing actually wrong, but troupe is a more specific, and therefore a better, choice.

A troupe is “a group of theatrical performers.” In the context of the quote above (flag swirling, juggling, and dancing), the dancers are obviously a performing group, and therefor troupe is the better choice.

That’s also why someone can be referred to as “a real trouper.” For someone in the troupe of performers, the show must go on, so if that person is in a difficult situation and carries on regardless, they show they’re a solid part of the troupe, i.e., a real trouper.

Join us next week for another round of Wise Words!