I started this blog because I’m always learning things later in life. Not on purpose, exactly. I just stay curious.
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Lately I’ve been busy. I go to Pilates 5–6 days a week and my weight is going down, which is good because I feel better when I’m thinner. I have more energy and sound less creaky.
I’ve also been making time to study Korean and work on video editing. I’m reviving my YouTube channel (again) with the same format but much better editing so the words aren’t wonky and the video isn’t subpar. I’m also adding practice time on my Akai Mini Play keyboard.
My adorable lil keyboard.
And here’s something I’m excited about: my local library has a piano room. If I can find my music books in all those boxes in our storage unit (yes, we’re still not fully unpacked, and I’m not sure we ever will be until we retire into a permanent home), I want to practice piano again. I don’t play well. I read music a little better than I read Hangul. So beginner at both.
But that’s the point. Being a beginner, over and over.
How I Fell Into Whisky (and Whiskey)
One thing my husband and I have been learning about is whisky. Or whiskey. Turns out there’s a difference:
Whiskey (with an ‘e’) comes from the US and Ireland.
Whisky (no ‘e’) comes from everywhere else (Canada, Scotland, Japan.)
We’ve tended to like the Scotch varieties. Glenfiddich is our go-to right now.
It started as a me thing. Then my husband had a Glenfiddich 21 and now he likes a small glass before bed some evenings. I only drink on days I don’t have a morning exercise class the next day. It is a good balance.
Back when I was packing up our house to move to New England, I had a bunch of liquor. Some went down the drain. Some got given away. Some got drunk. I kept the whiskeys to drink. That’s when I discovered I liked Bulleit best out of the ones I had at the time (Woodford Reserve and Johnny Walker Black Label were there too. These were smaller bottles that were originally bought for recipes).
Since then we’ve ventured into Glenfiddich 12, 14, 15, 18, and 21. Balvenie 16. Makers Mark.
The Taste Test (I Failed Part of It)
We ran a little taste test at home to see if we could tell the difference between Glenfiddich 12, 15, and 18. I could tell the 18 apart from the others right away, it was much smoother. But the 12 and 15? I mixed them up. I enjoyed all three, though. No shame.
The taste test.
The Old Fashioned Situation
The funny thing about our whisky adventure is that I also really like Old Fashioneds.
Now one of my kids likes to say I’m a middle-aged man since I like them. But I think they’re back in vogue. Every restaurant we go to seems to have their own version.
So far my favorite would have to be the Old Fashioneds at a restaurant chain called Fish City Grill. My second favorite was from a pub in Boston on the Freedom Trail, they did this fun smoky thing to it. The worst was from a restaurant called Hemenways in Providence. Personally I think the bartender made it wrong because she shook the whiskey with something sour. It was gross. And somewhat fizzy.
The Balvenie 16 Regret (and Revenge)
When we first bought Balvenie 16, my husband talked me into it. At the time we had only had a high-end Glenfiddich at a restaurant called Marcelinos in Providence. I wanted to try a less expensive bottle to compare. My husband wanted Balvenie. I caved.
At first, he didn’t even like it. I thought it was okay. So I started using it for Old Fashioneds. (Those were some expensive Old Fashioneds.)
Then apparently my husband changed his mind and finished the bottle neat, as it should be served.
The Curious Case of Whisky Ice (Temporary Obsession)
For a little while, this new obsession with whiskeys and whiskys had me curious (as I easily am about anything) about whisky ice. You know, clear ice cubes. No cloudiness. Sometimes blocks, sometimes fancy round ones.
I tried to make my own.
It was a mess. No, they were not clear.
I think it has something to do with making them from boiled or distilled water. The silicone mold I used was messy too, so maybe I need a better mold. I have currently lost interest but will probably get curious again in the future to make the perfect whisky ice cube.
That’s how my curiosity works. I go deep, hit a wall, wander away, and circle back months later.
So Tell Me
Are you a whisky or whiskey drinker? Do you like Old Fashioneds? Ever tried making clear ice? I also enjoy a good glass of wine from time to time. Let me know in the comments.
And if you’re new here, I’m someone who does Pilates almost daily, studies Korean slowly, plays piano badly, and drinks Scotch like a stereotypical dad. Subscribe if you want to follow along. There’s always something new I’m learning later in life.
A Luxury Hotel Welcome (and the Sweetest Anniversary Touches)
Wasn’t this note and dessert so sweet.
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My husband and I went to New York for our anniversary, and it coincided with a Broadway show I was gifted tickets from our children. We splurged quite a bit but really enjoyed ourselves. We stayed at a swanky hotel and was greeted by name by anyone who had been introduced to us just once. They cleaned our room I swear anytime we left to go somewhere, I mean like 3 times in one day. We felt like we had been there a week but were only there 3 days and 2 nights. They gifted us a tasty anniversary dessert with a bottle of champagne in our suite. One night at the lobby bar the wait staff ended our evening with 2 complimentary espresso martinis and told us the three beans on top were for health, wealth, and I forgot what the third one was. (My daughter seemed to think health which makes sense.) It came with a card signed from the group who had been waiting on us in the bar that evening it was so sweet. Our main server mentioned she was a newlywed so our marriage was a bit inspiring since our marriage is nearing 3 decades.
Fine Dining, Caviar, and Seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway
Our caviar and it was tasty.
One of the two evenings we booked dinner in their fine dining room and it was very nice. We had a choice of ordering the chef’s special which was a 4 course meal with drinks or wines paired to each course. We ordered a la cart instead. My husband wanted to splurge and try caviar so we ordered some and it was tasty. I had been fortunate to take one of my kid’s to a holiday tea for their birthday and we ordered a caviar sampler and it was quite good. Not surprisingly the higher the price of the caviar the tastier it was.
Broadway Matinee Highlights: Effects, Polyjuice Potion, and Dementors
So much fun seeing our first Broadway play.
Back to our New York weekend, the play was a matinee and we enjoyed it quite a bit. It was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I had read the book years ago when it first came out and from what I recall it was pretty close. The special effects (for theater) was pretty cool. If you are a Harry Potter fan you know what Polyjuice potion is and the way the way they had the characters change bodies was very interesting. The actors did an awesome job of portraying each other. (Side note if you aren’t a Harry Potter fan. – Polyjuice potion will turn someone’s appearance into whoever they want if they have a piece of their hair. The person is still original but appearance is completely someone else.) Also the scene where Harry and Draco have a spell fight was pretty cool. I would love to see how they did it. It was done well since they were spinning and flying across the stage. I didn’t notice any ropes from the ceiling so very interesting to watch. The dementors flying around the theater was awesome too. They got very close to the audience and how they would capture a soul was good too. All around that was a very awesome play to watch considering it was our first Broadway play. I look forward to going to more. My husband isn’t a fan of musicals so we will pick and choose accordingly. He may have to give in at some point though because I like musicals.
Final Thoughts (and What We Might Do for the Big 30)
Back to New York, we had such a great time. We took the train so we didn’t have stress of traffic or dealing with people. I look forward to our next time although I am not so sure we will splurge that much. When we checked out the front desk asked us if we were going to make our trip there an annual visit but my spouse told me that perhaps next year for the big 30 we might go to Asia. He knows I am a huge Kdrama fan and would love to visit some of the places in my favorite dramas. We shall see what happens since that is next spring.
If you’ve done New York for an anniversary or you’ve seen Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I’d love to hear what you thought. What’s your go-to splurge in the city: the hotel, the food, or the show?
If you would like to read my post on who I am and what I am about click here. If you want to read any more of my posts there is a list in the side bar of recent ones.
If you’re new here, welcome. I’m a 50-something philomath, someone with many interests but expertise in nothing (except maybe 80s music trivia). I’m easily distracted, perpetually curious, and currently building a blog about learning everything with nothing off limits.
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In my first post, [Finding Myself Again Through Learning After 50], I talked about my love for history, my fascination with different perspectives, and my lifelong struggle to focus on one thing at a time. In my second post, I got honest about the [midlife job hunt] while trying to build this creative life.
Today? We’re talking about books.
What I’m Reading Right Now
I am currently reading several books. Three are fiction, which is unusual for me. I typically lean heavily into nonfiction, but something shifted recently. There is a fairly accurate list in the sidebar that I am more actively reading versus what is stated below.
Here’s what’s on my nightstand:
– Alchemized by SenLinYu – A recent purchase I haven’t started yet. It’s waiting patiently.
– How Music Works by David Byrne – I didn’t realize how long ago this book was published, but so far it’s fascinating. (More on that in a moment.)
– 1984 by George Orwell – Reading it now because it’s on the banned book list. I didn’t read it in high school.
– Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – Same reason at 1984. Same stack. Same determination.
I’m not entirely sure what books we were supposed to read in high school. I didn’t attend much, and it was a very long time ago. So I’m catching up now.
The Book-Buying Habit (Confessions of a Serial Purchaser)
I live near several independent bookstores now. Every time I walk into one, I feel an overwhelming urge to buy something. It’s become a problem, the kind I’m okay with having.
Before I knew I was moving to New England (see my previous posts about that cross-country adventure), I was watching reels and shorts like everyone else. I started noticing something: certain books were being banned. Many of them were books about real, unbiased history.
So I bought a ton of them.
Building a World History Library
I now have history books representing the history of every continent. Here’s why that matters to me:
As Americans, we tend to have main character syndrome. We don’t always realize that our reality isn’t the same as other countries’ realities. That realization first hit me when I read Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy. He’s British, and his point of view was from Europe. That perspective felt utterly unique to me as an American.
We don’t often dive into the details of other countries’ histories. We should. Some of it is quite fascinating.
I also have three books on how the Third Reich came into being, all written by Richard Evans I plan to start those in the next couple months.
A Quick Note on Politics
This blog will not get into politics. That topic is a mess, with so many polarizing views that it’s hard to have a genuine conversation.
But history? History is different. I just want to know world history. The true history, the good, the bad, and the ugly. No country is without some shameful issues from its past. Acknowledging that isn’t political. It’s just honest.
The Unread Stack (We All Have One)
As for fun books, I have boxes full of them. (If you read my post about me moving across the country, we still have soooo many boxes.)
I always have more books bought than I make time to read. That’s why, as I mentioned in my job hunt post about time-blocking, I scheduled an hour a day for reading. It’s on the calendar. It’s color-coded. It’s happening. (I took it off since I originally wrote this post, I need to add it back on.)
Today’s book is the David Byrne one. How Music Works is genuinely fascinating. I might write more about it in a future post, or maybe in something more personal. (An idea is coming to me that maybe I dedicate a short post biweekly about a book I read, this might help me finish the books in a more timely manner. (I once read the second Game of Thrones book but only when I was at the waterpark with my kids during the summer. It took me three years to finish it I remember correctly.))
What I’m Learning About Myself Through Reading
This book obsession connects back to everything I wrote in my first post. I’m still that easily distracted learner with too many interests. I’m still that person who buys art supplies just because (and actually uses some). I’m still the woman in her 50s trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together.
But here’s what I’m realizing: the books I’m drawn to, the banned books, the world histories, the ones that challenge my American perspective. They’re all teaching me something about myself. I want to understand. I want to see from angles I haven’t considered before.
That’s the whole point of this blog, really.
Now It’s Your Turn
Tell me in the comments: (The button is on this page somewhere, another thing I am learning is how to build a blog.)
– What books are you reading right now?
– What books have you bought but haven’t read yet? (No judgment, we all have that stack.)
– Any recommendations for me? I’m always looking for the next thing.
If you’re new here and wondering where to start, you can read my [first post about being a late-blooming learner] or my [second post about the reality of a midlife job hunt]. Or just hang out here with the books. However you arrived, I’m glad you’re here. See you in the comments.
Hello again. If you’re new here, welcome. The goal of this blog is to document the random things I’m learning to do and understand. I delayed starting this blog, so when I was job hunting, this is what I was going through after I moved to New England from the southern US.
Strolling through Providence one evening.
Life Update: From the South to a New England City
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First, a quick recap for those just joining: After spending most of my life in the South and Southwest, we made a massive move to New England. We landed in a temporary spot. Since then, we settled into our more permanent home, a downtown apartment. I’ve gone from quiet, car-dependent country living to navigating a city on foot and mastering the commuter rail. It’s a huge shift, but honestly? I find it fun. Taking the train is a genius system compared to the car-centric life I’m used to.
Through all the moving chaos (which nearly made me lose my mind), I’ve been building this blog, working on videos, and, most importantly, job hunting. **(Since I originally made this post, I have scaled back the job search, but I increased how many Pilates classes I am taking, so I am getting outside of my apartment regularly and mingling with society.)**
Here’s the honest truth about where I stand:
For most of my adult life, my “job” was raising kids to adulthood, which was complemented by years of community volunteering. I have two degrees, including a Master’s, but I’ve never actually worked in my field of study. My formal corporate experience? It’s from two massive, world-leading multinational corporations, but much of that experience is from a time when years started with “19,” not “20.” Trying to explain that gap and pivot that experience to today’s market is its own unique challenge.
The Rollercoaster of the Job Hunt
The hunt itself was a mixed bag, to say the least. I had several interviews, including two in one day! But the feedback I received, whether stated or implied, felt the same: I’m just not “corporate” enough.
Getting turned down for both of those jobs stung. They each seemed like they could have been fulfilling in their own way.
For a while I shifted my focus to roles working with children. It aligned perfectly with my real-world experience of raising kids and my years of community service. While I landed two interviews in this area, neither worked out. One was a definitive no, and the other I never heard back on (I’m not holding my breath).
So, I kept applying. I have since cut back since I am not entirely locking myself away from society anymore.
The Quirks, The Pressure, and The Strategy
There’s definitely a pressure, mostly from my incredibly well-meaning spouse, to find something to keep me from being a hermit. He’s pointed out, with love, that working isn’t just about a paycheck; it’s about keeping me from becoming a complete recluse! And he’s probably right.
My personality is a puzzle for the standard corporate box. I’m a private person who will happily chat with your dog or wave to your toddler, but I find small talk with adults more challenging. I’m looking for a place that sees that as a quirk, not a flaw.
Beautiful Grand Canyon and the adorable tree.
To stay sane and focused, I’ve gone back to time-blocking in my Outlook. My calendar is now a beautiful, color-coded map of my day, with dedicated time for Pilates and working on this blog since I finally made the jump and made it public. This is a conscious effort to pull myself away from the black hole of YouTube shorts and mindless games.
Progress, Not Perfection
So, what’s the verdict? I’m in my mid-50s (with 60 on the horizon), in a strange new land, trying to translate a lifetime of unconventional experience into something to keep me sane.
It’s hard, but there is progress:
1. I worked out (okay, it wasn’t 6 am, but I did it!).
2. I stuck to my time blocks today.
3. I’m writing this, my third post, which might actually be the one I publish first. (It wasn’t)
Maybe I will go back to applying for jobs, hope for interviews, and keep being my quirky self. Someone out there has to appreciate it.
Now it’s your turn. Tell me in the comments: Are you in the middle of a job hunt? What’s your experience been like?
Welcome to my corner of the internet. This is my space, my voice, and my canvas to explore what it means to reinvent yourself in midlife. If you’ve ever felt like a late bloomer, a perpetual learner with too many interests, or someone carving a new path after life took an unexpected turn, you’re not alone. I hope my journey resonates with you and helps us build a community of curious minds, language learners, and creatives who are just getting started and carving new paths.
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🎓 The Philomath: A Lifelong Dance with Learning
Here’s a contradiction that defines me: I’m a high school dropout with a GED, and I also hold a BBA and an MS in Finance. You could call me a highly educated and under-experienced 50-something. I love learning, (maybe too much), and my curiosity pulls me in so many directions it’s like a broken compass spinning wildly. I’m an intellectual omnivore, but if I’m honest, I have a serious case of Shiny Object Syndrome. I want to learn everything but tend to master nothing. Focusing on one task at a time has always been a struggle, which is why this blog exists: it’s my way of working toward correcting that.
This isn’t all my college books and yes I kept every single one.
My strengths have always been with numbers. I love finding patterns and deciphering the logic behind them. People love to say, “You’ll never use algebra in real life,” but I strongly disagree. I still remember a comic I read years ago where a brother explains algebra through a shopping problem to his sister struggling with math homework. I don’t recall the exact numbers, but it went something like this: If you have $100 to spend, how many sweaters at $20 and pants at $40 can you buy? That’s algebra in everyday life. To this day, I’ll stop scrolling to solve a random math problem that pops up in my social media feed. It’s fun to me. It’s why I relax with Sudoku and logic puzzles, they quiet all the conversations in my head and help me breathe.
💼 The Corporate Exile: Navigating a Non-Traditional Career Path After 50
My love of logic, however, hasn’t translated into a traditional corporate career. I’m currently unemployed, but not for lack of interviews. I often make it to the second or third round, but that elusive “click” hasn’t happened yet. The truth is, I’m not a traditional corporate gal anymore. I was one in my 20s and early 30s, before life-changing events rerouted my path.
Now I struggle to immerse myself in what I’ve always called “corporate-speak”, that bizarre, sanitized language designed to mask reality. All those polite, coded responses feel like the professional equivalent of “bless your heart.” You’ve probably seen the jokes: people getting irritated that a coworker didn’t read an email that probably had the answer they needed, followed by the passive-aggressive “per my last email.” At my last job, I actually giggled during a serious meeting because I was hearing corporate-speak pour out of managers’ mouths for the first time in nearly two decades. I got a few odd stares. Nobody talks like that in the real world.
The older I get, the more work feels less like a financial necessity and more like a way to stay socially connected. My spouse lovingly teases that I could easily become a hermit, since I tend to huddle in my home office for hours at a time. A space I fondly called my hobby room. He’s probably right about the hermit thing.
We recently moved across the country in search of more adventure. It’s been thrilling (though I did lose my hobby room in the process). I’m writing this blog on my new laptop, which has actually cured my habit of doom-scrolling political videos (since originally writing this it has become a lie but I think I am back on track), a small but welcome silver lining. This won’t be a political blog; I’ll save that for another outlet should I need it. But I do miss my real computer. I’ll always prefer a desktop to a paper-thin typing pad.
🌱 Roots of Curiosity: A Lifelong Learner, Rediscovered
I have more passion projects than finished ones, a testament to my easily distracted nature. This blog is, in part, an attempt to regain my focus. To understand why, I look back on my life. I won’t delve into why I dropped out of high school, but I can tell you that even then, I loved learning.
Geology fascinated me. I loved learning about rocks, their types, their stories. I can’t recall the specifics now, but I remember the satisfaction of identifying a rock by sight. My favorite places are mountains, where you can see the layered history of the world laid bare.
Chemistry called to me from the pages of the Sears Christmas Catalog. I always circled the chemistry set. I never got one, but I took several chemistry classes in college and adored them, especially the mathematical elegance of balancing equations. I found immense satisfaction in making both sides equal, satisfying the Law of Conservation of Mass.
I took this on a recent trip to New York that was amazing.
History is my most surprising passion. As a kid, I hated it. As an adult in today’s complex climate, I’m fascinated by it. I’ve built a collection of nonfiction books that strive for unbiased, straightforward narratives on US History, the beautiful and the ugly. Although most of my collection is U.S. History, I’ve branched out globally and now have at least one book on various regions of the world. Authors like Ken Follett, with his ‘Century Trilogy’, showed me history through a non-American lens, with characters brushing shoulders with major events like a European Forrest Gump. That shift in perspective was eye-opening.
🧭 A Brief Detour: How I Got My GED
I lived in Latin America during my teenage years. Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly a model student. When it was time to move back to the States at 18, I didn’t have enough credits to graduate unless I stayed in high school until my 20s, and that just wasn’t going to happen. So I earned my GED.
The day I finished testing at a community college, the woman overseeing the exam escorted me to the registration desk and told me to sign up for classes. She said there was a shortage of American mathematicians. Maybe I should have listened. But I didn’t, not then. It took me years to find my way back to higher education, but I did. Eventually.
📚 Adult Learning Topics: What Captures My Curiosity Now
These days, my interests are wide-ranging and deeply personal. I’m currently fascinated by:
Language learning (more on that below)
Digital art (both 2D and 3D)
Photography (my goal is to use only my own photos for this blog, though as I write this, I haven’t taken nearly enough)
Video editing
Drawing (I create Zen drawings and mandalas from time to time)
Crochet and hand knitting
History, which I mentioned earlier, has become a more recent passion, so perhaps it belongs here too. I’m proof that you can keep discovering new parts of yourself at any age.
A mandala I created.
🌏 Learning Korean and Japanese in Midlife: Why Languages Inspire Me
Languages captivate me. I took French in high school (I still remember un peu), and living in Latin America gave me enough Spanish to negotiate a decent price at the market, though I’m far from bilingual.
Right now, my linguistic heart belongs to Korean and Japanese, each for a distinct reason.
Korean entered my life through K-dramas. I adore the slow-burn storytelling, which is a world apart from the rapid pacing of many Western shows. I can read Hangul now, and sometimes I even understand what I’m reading. But my speaking? Let’s just say I sound like a kindergartner sounding out words. We all have to start somewhere.
Japanese fascinates me because I want to visit Japan one day. The country seems so beautifully advanced, and I’d love to reconnect with a childhood friend who lives there. Despite our language barriers, we bonded over music, laughter, and bits of Japanese exchanged during class.
Some of books, there so many more.
💻 The Digital Canvas: New Passions in a Pixelated World
The digital world has unlocked new forms of creativity for me. I genuinely enjoy video editing, despite its frustrations. I started with simple tools like Clipchamp, but I’ve since graduated to DaVinci Resolve. The learning curve is steep, but the control is utterly worth it. I once had a YouTube channel and took down my older videos. The plan is to revive and remake them with Resolve once my desktop computer and I are reunited.
Similarly, ‘3D modeling’ pulls me into its world. I’ve started the famous Blender “donut tutorial” more times than I care to admit. I haven’t finished it. Not once. It’s a perfect symbol of my distracted yet determined nature and improving that focus is exactly why this blog exists.
🎨 From Logic to Creation: Returning to My Creative Self
For all my logical inclinations, art has always been a quiet undercurrent in my life. I never considered myself particularly talented, but I’ve always loved the act of expression. I have so many things I want to practice and learn: drawing, painting, exploring new mediums. Occasionally I draw those Zen-inspired patterns and mandalas to occupy my thoughts and quiet my mind.
I also crochet and knit a little. So far, I’ve only made gifts for immediate family. Right now, I’m halfway through making chunky hand-knit blankets for my kids. They’re grown now, but they’ll always be my kiddos.
💬 Why I’m Here—and Why I Hope You Are Too
This blog is my open journal and my outstretched hand. I can be hard to get to know in person, but here, I can share my passions, my curiosities, and this deep, abiding love of learning. This post only scratches the surface.
So let me ask you: Are you a late-blooming learner too? A multi-potentialite wondering how all your pieces fit together? A creative or language learner starting after 50?
Share your journey in the comments. I’d love to connect and build this community together.
