The Lineup: Jessie

The lineup of what the DPL staff have been up to lately.

Jessie’s Lineup

TV Show: Young Sheldon 

Last year I watched all twelve seasons of ‘The Big Bang Theory’. I normally don’t like shows or movies that pre-date the original, but I gave ‘Young Sheldon’ a chance and it became my favorite. I recently rewatched it with my husband so we could watch the final season together. My favorite character to see grow throughout the series is Missy – she constantly had me laughing. 

Availabe to check out here or it is currently streaming on Netflix.

Hobby: Fishing 

Some of my earliest and greatest childhood memories are fishing trips I took with my dad and uncle. Summer 2023 I started fishing again after a decade hiatus. I have been looking forward to filling my spring and summer with fishing trips with my husband and our friends to Kansas State Parks and maybe a few in bordering states. While I grew up primarily fishing for catfish, I have found that I enjoy bass fishing more. While it’s more about having fun and getting outdoors, my husband and I have made fishing into a small (read: maybe not small, because it’s all we’ll talk about when we’re in the height of our fishing season) competition on who will catch the most by the end of the summer. 

Books: Wilderness Ridge Series 

I found on Libby, by accident, the Wilderness Ridge series. There are six standalone books in the series written by two different authors. I first read “Pheasant Hunting Firsts” because my first hunting experiences with my uncles were during pheasant season. What I really enjoy most about these middle grade books are the representations of female outdoorsmen. Other than seeing a few women in my family fishing while growing up, I hadn’t seen other women outside of social media who hunted and fished. I think that having this representation in middle grade books is invaluable, because the outdoors is for everyone! 

You can check out Pheasant Hunting Firsts here on Libby!

Restaurant: Old Chicago 

For some reason Old Chicago has become my comfort food spot if we’re treating ourselves and going out to lunch or dinner. I love the atmosphere and the games you can watch from your table, especially if it’s a Texas A&M University game! If we’re at Old Chicago, we have to have appetizers – our go to is the Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls. Pepperoni and melty mozzarella, YUM. I’ve tried several items on the menu at Old Chicago, but my all-time favorite item is thin crust pizza called The Farmer’s Daughter. Fresh mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, pesto sauce and topped with fresh arugula & a balsamic drizzle. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! 

Music: Cody Johnson – Leather Deluxe Edition 

There’s nothing more that I love than live music. I’ve seen Cody Johnson in concert three times and each time it’s better than the last. When “Leather” was released in November 2023 it quickly became my favorite album to put on repeat. Typically, I don’t like extended or deluxe editions of music albums because there’s only a few additional songs added. The deluxe edition of “Leather” came with an additional thirteen tracks added – doubled the original track list! 

You can check out Leather here or on Hoopla!

The Lineup: Maycie

The lineup of what the DPL staff have been up to lately.

Maycie’s Lineup

TV Show: Lost

I know…. I know. We’re only about 20 years late to the party but surprisingly, even 20 years behind everyone else we don’t know much about the enigma that is Lost. And what we have learned is that the farther you get into the show the less you actually know about it.  Will we ever know where the polar bears came from or how Locke became paralyzed?  Despite the ever-growing confusion at literally every single episode ending with a cliffhanger, we’re hooked and we’ll see it through all six insane seasons just to see if we ever get any answers!

Availabe to check out here or it is currently streaming on Netflix.

Video Game: The Spirit and the Mouse

I’m big into cozy gaming and this is one that has been on my wish list for a while.  The concept is that you play as a tiny mouse who works to bring happiness and light to the people in this small French village called Sainte-et-Claire. I’ve spent many nights now working with a spirit guardian named Lumion to gather up displaced “Kibblins” and return power to the villagers. It’s very cozy and I was super sad when I finished it. 

You can learn more about The Spirit and the Mouse here for the Nintendo Switch.

Books: Percy Jackson& the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Thanks in part to the new Percy Jackson trilogy, starting with Chalice of the Gods, and in part to the new series on Disney+ I have spent most of my 2024 revisiting the demigods of Camp Half-Blood and their crazy quests.  I worried that books that I started reading when I was 12 wouldn’t hold up to a reread as an adult but thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. Percy was/is as sassy as ever, Annabeth continues to be the coolest girl to ever exist and Grover never fails to make me laugh. There is never a dull moment in Percy’s life and I really enjoy each book in these two series. 

You check out Percy Jackson books here.

Hobby: Quilting (and other assorted elderly lady activities)

I’m actually just an 80-year-old woman at heart and lately I’ve taken up quilting.  I already have a basic knowledge of sewing and crafting things like cross stitching but I have upped my game by trying to undertake the beast that is quilt making. My go-to right now is putting on back episodes of Jeopardy and then diving into measuring and cutting and then trying to rematch seams of quilt blocks.  I’m not great at it but I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it one of these days. When I’m not quilting you can find me cross stitching or knitting.

Music: Wicked: The Soundtrack

Anyone who knows me will not be shocked by this, but lately I have been dancing through life with this soundtrack on repeat. The cast of the new movie are all phenomenal singers and the new soundtrack is so wonderful! Someone somewhere at Universal has access to part two of this soundtrack (and the movie) and I need it now. 

You can check out the Wicked soundtrack here or on Hoopla.