Meandering Thoughts About Grittiness While Meandering Through A Bookstore

September 9, 2025 / Ally Bean / 226 Comments

✅ I WAS WANDERING AROUND Barnes & Nobles enjoying the positive vibe that comes from being around people who like books when I saw a copy of the latest book about Gwyneth Paltrow. I’d ~~read~~ skimmed a few reviews of Amy Odell’s Gwyneth: The Biography, so I knew it existed, but hadn’t seen it in the wild.

Yet there I was face-to-face with Gwyneth’s smiling face.

Or at least a portion of it.

• • •

✅ SEEING THIS BOOK sent my addled brain into overdrive.

My first thought was decidedly practical: I wonder what brand and shade of eyebrow pencil/powder Gwyneth has on. As my blonde hair has gotten grayer on its way to, I hope, silvery white, I’ve had a difficult time finding very pale blonde/light warm gray eyebrow colors.

My second thought was happily snarky: I wonder if she knows she looks like Janice on The Muppet Show? The resemblance is amazing to me. I bet Gwyneth can play an electric guitar as well as Janice.

My third thought was idly curious: I wonder what it’d be like to be a Hollywood nepo baby who’s lived your entire life with a financial safety net under you.

Not that Gwyneth hasn’t been successful, but is it because she knew she couldn’t fail, free to give her career her best shot unencumbered by the soul-sucking tedious financial realities most people face?

Is it because she’s so innately talented, filled with drive and grit that regardless of anything in her life she was destined to be a star?

• • •

✅ THIS LAST THOUGHT REMINDED ME that years ago I read psychologist Angela Duckworth’s book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. According to Duckworth:

Grit is passion and perseverance for longterm goals…. Talent and luck matter to success. But talent and luck are no guarantee of grit. And in the very long run, I think grit may matter as least as much, if not more.

I remember feeling empowered and comforted by her sensible assessment of what it takes to succeed— and how grit, something I possess, plays into a person’s success.

Back when I read the book I took a free online 10-question quiz that is still available for you to take. It is the GRIT SCALE QUIZ. From my results I learned that my Grit Score is 4.20 meaning that I’m grittier than 80% of Americans.

Discussion about whether this grittiness has helped me become the swell blogger I am today is something I’ll leave for another time.

• • •

✅ I DIDN’T PICK UP the book about Paltrow because, as you my little chickadees can probably guess, my interest in biographies of Hollywood stars is nonexistent.

Do. not. care.

But seeing it did remind me that I was in this store to buy a book and that if I was going to read a book about a real person I’d best mosey meself to the memoir section of the store where I could find books that are presumably truthful, blessedly idiosyncratic, and often inspiring.

That’s what interests me.

Thus I ended up buying and enjoying Peggy Orenstein’s funny thoughtful pandemic memoir, Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater.

Which, as fate would have it, also had a compelling up-close photo of a face on the front cover.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Do you enjoy shopping for books in a brick and mortar store? If so, do you meander around like I do enjoying the atmosphere before purchasing anything?

Do you ever read biographies? Or memoirs?

Thinking back to where you were 5 years ago when we first started grappling with + adapting to the new Covid 19 pandemic realities, what did you do to keep yourself sane, assuming you stayed sane?

If you took the quiz, how gritty are you?

+ • + • +

Because You Asked: This Is How I Decide What To Write About In My Personal Blog

April 22, 2025April 22, 2025 / Ally Bean / 266 Comments

EARLY THE OTHER MORNING the 6:30 a.m. temp was 71º F and sitting outside in nature with my morning mug of coffee was my plan. It was too nice outside to not take advantage of it.

I told Z-D, I’m going to go outside and look at the moon I can’t see.

I sauntered outside onto the deck and plopped down on a chair. I looked up into the sky where a few wandering clouds obscured the bright waning gibbous moon, making the scene look indistinct and otherworldly.

I liked it.

• • •

Once upon a time a light-hearted blogger named KizzyLou created a blogging club for laid-back bloggers. She made personalized membership cards for everyone. This is mine.

• • •

THUS WHILE BASKING IN the hazy moonlight I began to contemplate what I could write about next on ye olde bloggy. I was feeling woo-woo in the moment, allowing my mind to attend to whatever floated into it.

Point of fact, I usually have an idea about what I’ll be talking about before I sit down to write it. I rarely do stream of consciousness posts wherein my unedited disjointed thoughts spill out. Instead I lean into thinking beforehand about what specifically I’ll be going on about, then sit down and write – edit – rewrite – edit – edit some more – then publish.

Don’t bore us, get to the chorus!

[The subtext of how I write everything here.]

Of course as a blogger who primarily writes a character-driven blog the foregoing makes sense. I adore reading plot-driven blogs, which seem to be more the done thing now, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling y’all everything I do in a linear Dear Diary approach to personal blogging.

You would yawn.

Instead I allow what happens within me to be the catalyst for blog posts creating what has been described as an old-fashioned newspaper Lifestyle Column approach to personal blogging.

[More information on the difference between plot-driven versus character-driven HERE.]

• • •

Currently WordPress explains who writes & edits this blog as a team of one— meaning I’m chief cook and bottle washer.

• • •

HENCE I SHOW UP to my blog ready to answer the question “What up Buttercup?” not with the exact details of my daily life, but with my subjective thoughts & feelings gleaned, then noted, whilst living my midwest suburban life.

Thoughts that I hope are not stupid, tedious, or pedantic.

Because those, my little moonbeams, are my nagging fears as a personal blogger who’s been writing a blog for decades now— and who would have thought I’d have lasted this long‽

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

If you write a personal blog, do you generally favor a plot-driven or character-driven approach to your blog?

How do you decide what you’ll write about next?

What worries you about how your blog posts will be received? Do you have any small nagging fears like I do? Or maybe some large ones I haven’t thought of?

Any other questions you’d like to ask me about personal blogging?

~ ~ 🔹 ~ ~

Hello, Friends: Letting The Sunshine Shine + Shifting To A Lighter Blogging Schedule

April 8, 2025July 1, 2025 / Ally Bean / 190 Comments

ABOUT THE SUNSHINE

I haven’t done something like this old-school style blogging prompt in years*.

So when Vicki nominated me for Kimberly’s “Sunshine Blogger Award” I thought why not do this? I want to join in the fun— so I have.

Here goes.

I. The guidelines from Kimberly about the “Sunshine Blogger Award”:

• Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog. [look up]
• Thank the person who nominated you. [THANK YOU Vicki]
• Provide a link to your nominator’s blog. [Victoria Ponders]
• Answer your nominator’s questions. [look down]
• Nominate up to 11 bloggers. [everyone, anyone, no one, IT’S UP TO YOU]
• Ask your nominees 11 questions. [bottom of this section]
• Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts. [let the COMMENT LOVE flow]

II. The questions from Vicki:

What is your morning routine?

I get up 6:30 a.m., drink coffee, gaze at nature, and attempt to engage my brain. I’m like molasses slowly oozing into the day. No loud noises or bright lights please.

What is your favorite season? Why?

Autumn. It’s pretty, the leaves on the trees are glorious colors, and the summer humidity is over so I feel relaxed.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Riding my tricycle that I got for Christmas, maybe age 4? It was too big for me so my dad put wooden blocks on the pedals so I could use it. I was a speed demon.

Who or what has been your most unlikely teacher?

Phony self-absorbed people have taught me that: 1) I’m friendlier & more emotionally balanced than I ever realized; 2) it’s not always a bad thing to be ignored; and 3) their reactions to me have nothing to do with me.

Who or what are you most proud of?

Librarians. They know things. They know where to find the information. They know how to keep you up-to-date. They know the good stories. They are a valuable resource, now more so than ever.

What is something that surprises people about you?

I like wearing eyeglasses, hence the title of this blog. Don’t be talking smack about spectacles.

What motivated you to start blogging?

Curiosity to see if I could. Free time courtesy of a yearlong recuperation period from emergency surgery. Orneriness.

What forms of entertainment do you enjoy the most?

I like TV series, often mysteries or sitcoms, which I watch one episode a night. Never binge watch. I also like walking in parks or nature preserves.

If you are a book reader, do you prefer a paper copy or a digital copy?

I read paper books. I want to use a proper bookmark and have a book I can gift to a Little Free Library— of which there are many around here.

What’s your favorite music genre, and who is your favorite singer?

I like contemporary jazz, r&b, soft rock, and classical. Favorite singer? I dunno, not sure I have one.

What societal causes do you care about the most?

Health & Education: food, shelter, water, medicines/vaccinations, safety, public schools, libraries. Any and all things that help a person physically and mentally thrive.

III. My questions for you, my intrepid bloggers:

Favorite color?
Favorite animal?
Favorite mantra?
Favorite number?
Favorite curse word?
Favorite drink?
Favorite holiday?
Favorite cookie?
Favorite movie?
Favorite flower?
Favor question here?

* In 2012 I answered Polly’s questions for my “Sunshine Award” and am now using some of her questions here.

ABOUT THE BLOGGING SCHEDULE

As the old saying goes: If something works, stick with it.

To those who’ve been around The Spectacled Bean for a few years it’ll come as no surprise when I tell you that as of today I’ll be shifting to my spring/summer posting schedule.

As you may remember, or will learn right now, this simply means I’ll post my flapdoodle and twaddle once every two weeks, usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday, turning this into a fortnightly blog.

I appreciate everyone who reads and comments on this weblog. Y’all are the best, you make blogging fun. In fact without your support, my gentle readers + kind lurkers + wordy commenters, this blog would have crashed and burned a long time ago.

Thank You!

The One About Affirmations & Allergies & Assertiveness, Oh My!

April 2, 2025 / Ally Bean / 211 Comments

The Affirmation Part

As I’m sure you realize, my little cherry blossoms of joy, there’s a difference between quotes and affirmations.

Quotes are thoughts said by someone. Ideally a quote, when properly sourced, is from an authority— maybe a person like a novelist or poet or songwriter OR from a well-known book or movie or TV show. When examined in their context quotes add depth to your thinking, speaking, writing.

Affirmations on the other hand are sayings that provide generic emotional support or encouragement. They tend to be popular ideas, often reflecting the existential angst of the era in which the affirmation originates. While an affirmation may be motivating for one person, it could just as easily be dismissed as poppycock by another person.

So keeping the foregoing in mind I share an affirmation that dropped into my sneezy life as I was scrolling along the interwebs. It stopped me long enough for me to muse upon its meaning | wisdom | value.

And how it could be a reflection of the times in which we live. The need to feel some control over something is powerful in the best of times and doubly so in our socially-mediated times. Maybe more so than in the past.

N’est-ce pas?

The Allergy Part

Without a second thought I can tell you the 3 months I like the best: October [at the top] – May – January. Then there are six other months I’m indifferent to, followed by the 3 months I dislike the most: February – August – April [at the bottom].

I apologize to people with April birthdays and wedding anniversaries, but for me April is a lousy month. This is because of ALLERGIES.

You see, I suffer from what the allergy doctors refer to as Rose Fever, the springtime equivalent to late summer’s Hay Fever [which I also suffer from]. While Hay Fever makes me tired, Rose Fever makes me irritable & leaves me feeling churlish.

It aggravates me in ways that fuel my natural penchant for being snarky, which I admit may work to my benefit. People tell me it’s my sassiness that draws them to this blog.

Thus this is where I find myself today, a woman muttering about her drippy nose, eyes that won’t focus, itchy skin, a mild never-ending headache, and the ability to sneeze loudly enough to startle Z-D when I’m downstairs and he’s upstairs on the other side of the house.

True story, really happened!

The Assertiveness Part

While researching something unrelated to that which follows I stumbled over another interesting online test that I had to take. I have a thing for them and from what I can tell so do my bloggy friends.

I realize I’ve been known to say that I believe life is one big ole test with a few pop quizzes along the way. I was being figurative but maybe for me it’s a literal thing.

Anyhoo I took the simple + fast Psychology Today’s Assertiveness Test that helps you determine how confident | bold | decisive you are.

From my results I learned that on a scale of 0 to 100 I rate 73. This puts me in the Somewhat Assertive range which means I’m an “effective communicator” who respects other people.

It also confirmed that I know that my “thoughts and feelings have value.”

Since becoming an adult I doubt there has rarely been a time when I didn’t know that my thoughts and feelings had value, but it’s good to have outside confirmation.

I guess…