Play Book Tag discussion

Hi everyone! It's been a while. The last year and a half has been really hard, mental health wise. I ended up in the hospital because I tried to hurt myself and I kind of fell off the face of the earth for a while. I stopped reading (except for a book every now and then) and stopped doing pretty much everything else too. Then COVID hit and my anxiety went through the roof.

I've mostly been playing Animal Crossing for 10-12 hours a day since March until about three weeks ago. I just decided not to play as long anymore. I still play everyday, just for 2-3 hours now. And, miracle of all miracles, I started reading again. I finished three books in June, all in 2 weeks of each other. :)

How are y'all doing? Are you coping with COVID? I hope all is well.

Jenni!
Welcome back! This is not a tentative wave, it's an emphatic welcome. I'm so glad that you checked in with us. I'm sorry you've been having such a hard time. I hear you about the highrise anxiety levels. My reading is getting like a broken record. I just keep rereading my old favorites, comforting and safe ( and as far from the day's news as possible)

Hi! Good to see you back! I'm glad things are looking better for you and you are able to read again.

Me, I'm lucky enough to be able to work from home, and I love working from home, so this isn't bothering me at all. Going out for appointments and my volunteering is starting up again. And, of course, going out for groceries every 1-2 weeks (I get many of my groceries delivered, as well).

Jenni Elyse wrote: "Hi everyone! It's been a while. The last year and a half has been really hard, mental health wise. I ended up in the hospital because I tried to hurt myself and I kind of fell off the face of the e..."

Hi Jenni,

Welcome back :)! I am glad things are getting better for you. It's great to see you here again.

Thank you! It's good to be back! :) I look forward to participating more as I continue to get my bearings.

Welcome back. It's a tough time right now, but I'm glad you reached out. It's great that you're reading again. I used to spend too much time playing computer games, but they suddenly became less appealing. Same thing with watching TV. I feel happier reading. I know I might feel even better if I could reestablish a short workout habit, but for now, reading is a great habit.

Welcome back, Jenni! I hope you're feeling better now. One new thing we have here is that on most Sundays someone hosts a Zoom meeting and a few of us get together to just chat. You're certainly welcome to join us, just check the Footnotes section for the meeting notices.

Thanks for letting me know, Annapi. I’ll have to join one of these days.

Hi Jenni, and welcome back. I'm so glad that you are feeling better and that reading has become an important part of your life again. I certainly understand how you feel about the pandemic situation. I try not to let it get to me but sometimes it is just plain difficult. Pace yourself, but just jump right back into PBT activities; it can only help. And here's a great big virtual hug for you.

Hello Jennie ! Taking the step to reaching out here, I know, was a hard move-but your did it, and we are all here to support you and welcome you back with open arms. C-19 has turned us all on our heads, and anxiety is something we all are suffering from. Baby steps, that is how I have been functioning. I have found reading for escapism is a sound plan for me and I hope you are finding what works for you.

Welcome back!!

Glad to see you back, Jenni.

Welcome back Jenni - take it as slow or as fast as you like. Its good to start coming back to yourself. This community has always been warm and welcoming and I think you'll find that's even more true than ever. What did you read and what do you think you might read next?

Again, thank you, everyone! :)

To answer Amy's question, in June I read An Anonymous Girl and Truly Madly Guilty . I also reread The Golden Compass because the HBO miniseries lit the fire in me to experience it on the page again. I'm currently rereading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone via the illustrated edition (my first time).

I plan to reread The Subtle Knife to continue on with my reread of His Dark Materials. I'm also going to reread Twilight because Midnight Sun is coming out August 4. And, I'll continue rereading the Harry Potter series as well, the first four via the illustrated editions.

As for other books, I'm not sure yet. I'm reading books for my IRL book club and I might try to find a BLM or Southern book if I feel up to it this month.

I'm like NancyJ and Joanne, reading for escapism to help keep my anxiety and depression in check.

Good to see you, Jenni! Is your hair really purple? Or is it a filter? Whatever it is, it looks absolutely awesome in your picture. I've always wanted to do a bunch of purple in my hair.

Also, I tried to buy a Switch in March to get on the Animal Crossing boat everyone is on- they were sold out in my state, and shipping wasn't available to ship out of state. They were going on the "black market" aka facebook/Craiglist/wish app for around $550-$700 each. Insane! We got an Xbox from Costco instead, lol.

Hi Joi!

Yes, Switches are so hard to get right now! We've had one since 2018 so we didn't have to worry, but my therapist wants one and he's told me about his woes of trying to find one, lol.

Yes, my hair is really purple and a little blue in that picture. I do it once, maybe twice, a year (except 2020). It fades after 3 months. I love it.

Welcome back Jenni. I hope you stay around even if you don't read much. Anxiety has impacted my reading now too. I did do a few comfort re-reads and am trying a southern book that isn't depressing but it's still rough going.
I've been looking for a switch too. My sister tipped me off that Best Buy had them in and out of stock today and I actually managed to get one! I'm excited for it to arrive next week.

I just read an anonymous girl! I really liked it!

What is a switch and why are they so expensive and so in demand?

Amy wrote: "What is a switch and why are they so expensive and so in demand?"

It's the latest Nintendo game system. https://www.nintendo.com/switch/

Amy, Anonymous Girl was a fun read. I enjoyed it a lot. I was a little disappointed with the ending, though.

@Jenni, I love it! I got purple streaks in my hair once, but it was largely underneath my first layer of hair- so you could only see it when I put my hair partly up or in the sun. I have to bleach my hair before dying since it is so black so it's a hard process both on the hair itself and to maintain. One day...

@Amy, As Anna said- it's the newest Nintendo gaming console. They're hard to find now because everyone is using gaming systems in quarantine, and supply just falls short of the demand. So people go to third party sites and try and sell them for a profit. Just like any black market item.

I also like Anonymous Girl. Quick chapters, moving quickly, twists and turns- great for a "getting back into reading" book.

Joi, I have a friend who's hair is jet black. She's always wanted to put blue streaks in her hair, but she's terrified because of what she'd have to do to her hair, namely the amount of bleaching that would have to occur.

Even though my hair isn't black, it's still a light brown/dark blond so I have to bleach my hair as well. My hair is extremely thick so it takes a very long time and it feels so coarse and awful afterward. So, I understand where you're coming from, sort of. That's why I only do it once or twice a year and why my hair is short, lol.

I love your hair, Jenni, but I would never have the patience to first get my hair bleached and then dyed blue if need be. It's all I can do to get a single process done as I'm not fond of sitting in a salon that long even though I really enjoy my stylist (but she isn't there during all that waiting).

I would never colour my own hair, which is why I never had it coloured until 2 years ago.

I am a wash and dry hair person...no fuss, no muss, no patience. Fortunately I have good hair. I have never dyed my hair...and I
started graying as a teen, went mostly white in my late 20s. Those Irish genes strutting their stuff.

But the idea of maintaining hair color is something I can happily continue to live without.

But I do have to get it cut frequently to maintain shorter shape.

Karin, I understand. It does take a long time. I often get impatient sitting there for 4 hours while doing it. If I didn’t love it ask much ad I do, I’d never do it because of how long it takes. And, I’d never do it myself either.

Theresa, I am also and no fuss person when it comes to my hair, except when I have it colored twice a year. That’s why I keep it short. But, I totally get not wanting to deal with keeping up on dying your hair. After I’ve dyed my hair, there are times when I stop wanting to wash it in cold water to keep the color because it’s way too much work. Those years, I only dye my hair once. Some years, I don’t dye it at all. But, then I look at pictures of my colored hair and I miss it and eventually give in at some point.

It’s the only extravagance I do because I can’t wear jewelry as I’m allergic to metal and I have dermographism so most other materials irritate my skin.

Welcome back, Jenni. So nice to see you here again.

Here a link to our PBTers Zoom thread

Thank you so much, BC!

Theresa wrote: "I am a wash and dry hair person...no fuss, no muss, no patience. Fortunately I have good hair. I have never dyed my hair...and I
started graying as a teen, went mostly white in my late 20s. Those..."

Ah, but people who go white early have the most stunning hair and it tends to look absolutely lovely on them. I only started colouring my hair because my mother, who is in her early 80s, has less grey than I do and that was my vanity point. I just don't want to look greyer than her.

I had very dark hair and when it started to go gray in my 40's it just looked mousy so I started coloring it. Then I was changing jobs and working with younger people so I didn't want my age to be obvious and I kept getting it colored. When I retired, I let it go gray and I got so many compliments that I think I should have done that sooner.

Karin wrote: "I only started colouring my hair because my mother, who is in her early 80s, has less grey than I do and that was my vanity point. I just don't want to look greyer than her..."

I have had more grey hair than my Mom for quite a while now. Although, she is currently going through chemo, so it's gone.

And it has just occurred to me that her hair might be quite different when it grows back in.

Welcome Jenni. Glad you have started reading again and you are back on PBT.

Thanks, Jason!

LibraryCin wrote: "Karin wrote: "I only started colouring my hair because my mother, who is in her early 80s, has less grey than I do and that was my vanity point. I just don't want to look greyer than her..."

I hav..."

I hope your mother recovers well!!!

When my cousin recovered from his chemo back in the late 1980s, his very curly hair initially came back straight. It was long and straight at my sister's wedding in 1991. It went back to being curly when he cut it off again but not quite as tightly curled. However, he was in his 20s at the time. It has been so long he is considered cured. He is in the first wave of bone cancer survivors, so hooray for Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope even if he wasn't able to complete it! (plus many others) His run was not in vain.

Karin wrote: "I hope your mother recovers well!!!..."

Thank you, Karin! You've seen photos of me with my long very straight very fine brown hair. Mom's is the same... well, was the same.

Whatever happens with the colour, I do wonder if it will be curly! THAT will be really different if it is!

And wow, good for him! And yes, yay for Terry Fox!

LibraryCin wrote: "Karin wrote: "I hope your mother recovers well!!!..."

Thank you, Karin! You've seen photos of me with my long very straight very fine brown hair. Mom's is the same... well, was the same.

Whateve..."

I have heard of people's hair changing after being bald, but I am not sure if it was from chemo or just shaving it bald. In any event, I hope it grows back well.

Karin wrote: "I have heard of people's hair changing after being bald, but I am not sure if it was from chemo or just shaving it bald. In any event, I hope it grows back well. ..."

Thanks! And this reminds me, I forgot to mention it when I talked to her a couple of days ago.