tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43233794695765106132024-02-07T08:09:04.622-06:00An Irreverent EscapadeExtravagant follies and madcap wanderingsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-46123416523584660262018-02-05T10:19:00.002-06:002018-02-05T10:20:11.589-06:00Top Ten Tuesday--Books that Have Been on My TBR the Longest that I Still Haven't Read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uId_d3HXz9ABHaMwCxRdbQDa6c1X4Now6YdwblyzF_FK49pSopJPQEL1cFSUnV33Fkfs5RkuyyC91gSgWYon4PphAvuiK1ePx6v5HlooWxXoEwugwwrP2AjQN7PICIzs8p9wxh7276uN/s320/toptentuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uId_d3HXz9ABHaMwCxRdbQDa6c1X4Now6YdwblyzF_FK49pSopJPQEL1cFSUnV33Fkfs5RkuyyC91gSgWYon4PphAvuiK1ePx6v5HlooWxXoEwugwwrP2AjQN7PICIzs8p9wxh7276uN/s320/toptentuesday.jpg" /></a></div>
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I am so grateful to Jana for taking over Top Ten Tuesday. I know she's been at it for about a month; I just haven't posted a TTT since she's taken over. It's a fun meme and a great way to meet new friends and add to my TBR. This week's topic is books that have been on my TBR the longest that I still haven't read. And there are plenty of those!<br />
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1. <i>Moby Dick</i> by Herman Melville--I have read over half of this. I just haven't read any of it since I started law school. My goal for law school, aside from graduating, was to finish this one--my white whale. Didn't happen. But I will definitely tackle it soon. I hope. It's a cloud hanging over me.<br />
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2. <i>Mrs. Dalloway</i> by Virginia Woolf--I have a most lovely used copy! It's a great shade of yellow and there's some pretty blue and the white is a nice accent...I just haven't read it. I've read a few pages, but it just hasn't grabbed me yet.<br />
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3. <i>War and Peac</i>e by Leo Tolstoy--I want to slay this beast as well. Many times in my reading days there have been readalongs for this one. I have signed up for them in the past and summarily fallen behind and quit. What is it about this book?<br />
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4. Jane Austen other than <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>--It took me a while after reading it for the first time to appreciate P&P, then read it again and totally appreciate it. I own all of the rest of Jane Austen. I think the matter is picking the right Jane Austen to read next. I've tried <i>Emma</i>, but she makes my teeth itch with her meddling and spouting off. And everything I've read about <i>Sense and Sensibility</i> makes it seem awfully similar to P&P. I'll figure it out eventually.<br />
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5. <i>Vanity Fair</i> by William Makepeace Thackeray--Typically, I like antiheroes. Just something about Becky Sharp though knocks the wind out of me. In the past when I've tried to read this one, she's just been a bit much.<br />
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6. <i>The Good Soldier</i> by Ford Maddox Ford--I bought this one my junior year of college. Up until that point, I was pretty good about buy a book, read a book. I didn't own hundreds of books. I didn't spend hundreds of dollars on books that just sit. This was the one I bought that started the avalanche. I think that if I ever read this one, I'll be able to manage my books and money better.<br />
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7. <i>Possession</i> by A.S. Byatt--I've started this one before, but something about it just held me up from finishing. At the time I was a lit major, so maybe it was just a little too close to home? I don't know. I'll try again.<br />
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8. <i>The Complete Claudine</i> by Colette--I bought the Colette biography, per <i>Gilmore Girls</i>, when I was a junior. I asked my French professor what she would recommend. This was her pick. I bought it. I read maybe 50 pages. I've read more of the biography--the story surrounding the Claudine stories is very interesting and I think I would like them if I ever sat down and read them.<br />
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9. <i>The Golden Notebook</i> by Doris Lessing--This book has been bought and sold and re-bought and I still haven't read it. Like the previous 9 on this list, I've started it, I've given it a try. I love the synopsis of the book. I just haven't gotten there.<br />
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10. <i>The Portable Dorothy Parker</i>--You'd think I'd devour this book. I love everything that I know about Dorothy Parker. Smartassed master of bon mots, swilling martinis. I ever wrote a poem in the style of Dorothy Parker once. But I've only ever read a few pieces from this volume. What is wrong with me?<br />
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The thing I like about this list is that I've tried reading every single one of these books on more than one occasion. It gives me hope that it's not just me, that maybe timing, the book itself, outside forces, whatever, are keeping me from finishing these books--I'm not too stupid or wrong. Some day I will get through them. I hope.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-10280872804307278152018-01-18T10:26:00.003-06:002018-01-18T10:26:56.948-06:00Wellness ThursdayI meant to do a Wellness Wednesday post yesterday, but time just got away from me.<br />
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But that's exactly how things have been going lately--they keep getting away from me. From what I've heard, that's how bar prep goes. It's a seemingly never-ending cycle of lectures, practice questions, practice essays, misery, and fear. I guess that means I'm right on track?<br />
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Wellness-wise...mentally has been not so good. I have next to zero motivation to keep going with bar prep. I'm exhausted.<br />
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Physically it's gone a bit better. I've been more mindful about portions and what I'm eating. I've been looking for less processed options to add. I haven't done enough to notice a difference, but I'm still working away at it.<br />
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Yesterday I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. I tracked my calories and my water. It's a great tool! I love having the barcode scanner to add foods instead of having to search for ones other users have added, which may or may not be accurate. But I feel like the app gave a fairly good approximation of the calories I consumed yesterday.<br />
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I also did a little bit of exercise research and decided to give Jillian Michaels's Beginning Shred videos a try. I purchased the first workout for less than $3.00 on Amazon Video. I haven't done the video yet (on the schedule for later today), but I love that the whole thing is only 25 minutes. I love that it's going to be a very active 25 minutes, where I won't have time to get bored or think too much. That was a problem I was noticing with yoga--it was moving a little bit too slowly and some of the videos were quite a bit longer than I would have liked.<br />
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That said, I did a short yoga video this morning. It was a great way to wake up my body after doing a little bar prep. And a nice mental break. Now I feel refocused and ready to get back at it, after making some breakfast.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-60551035268159835422018-01-12T12:13:00.001-06:002018-01-12T12:13:19.689-06:00Five on FridayFive things that are going on right now...<div>
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1. Fireplace--It's absolutely frigid (for Oklahoma) this weekend and most of next week. Fortunately, I had the foresight to get a couple of bags of firewood at the grocery store before the cold weather set in. (We totally meant to get a rick of wood this winter, but didn't come across any advertised and now it feels a little late to purchase that much) Two bags of firewood are good for one night of fire. But we do fires right! We make a little bed on the floor by the fireplace and sleep in the living room. It's the absolute best! I stay nice and cozy all night. Plus it's fun to wake up and throw more wood on the fire, then roll over and go back to sleep. I'm sure it's not the safest, but we like to live on the edge.</div>
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2. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unprocessed-City-Dwelling-Year-Reclaiming-Real/dp/0062382462/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515780049&sr=8-2&keywords=unprocessed+book" target="_blank"><i>Unprocessed</i> by Megan Kimble</a>--I am love, love, loving! this book. I can't shake it, to be honest. I'm only three chapters in and it's really changing how I'm thinking about my food. Oklahoma is not the most forward thinking on...well, really any matter, but especially not food matters. This means that we don't have a lot of organics available or options in where we buy our food. Especially in the town I live in. It's an on-going process, but I'm trying to figure out how to integrate less processed food into my life. One of my great pleasures is cooking, so we'll see how this all plays out.</div>
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3. Bread--Speaking of <i>Unprocessed</i>, Kimble makes her own bread from scratch. She goes all in and gets her own wheat berries to grind, which I don't foresee myself doing any time soon. I love the idea of making fresh bread using good quality flour (so not the bleached nutrient-less stuff). I think I'll have the same sort of pride and satisfaction I got when I first made my own pasta. However, I am so intimidated by working with yeast. I know there's not a lot of margin for error, so I've just never cooked with it. Anyone have a dummy proof bread recipe that won't take a million years to make?</div>
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4. <a href="https://www.dagnedover.com/collections/classic-tote" target="_blank">This bag!</a>--I want this bag from Dagne Dover so badly. It's beautiful and could carry everything I need to carry and then some. Someday, I will get it and a clutch wallet. Until then, I'll just dream about it.</div>
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5. <a href="https://torchystacos.com/" target="_blank">Torchy's Tacos</a>--Next week a Torchy's is opening in Tulsa. I am so excited. It's going to be an utter madhouse for a while, I'm sure, but I cannot wait to be able to get me some Torchy's Tacos. They started in Austin and have expanded throughout Texas, now they've migrated to Oklahoma. Steve and I were fortunate enough to get Torchy's in Austin over the summer, then we found one in Dallas on our way back on New Year's Day. I was bereft because I didn't know the next time I'd be able to get some damn good tacos. Not too terribly long, thank goodness.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2v-FIL7GCqUclm3P568crqavu0mQrXG3-rHOQS5QL-UfRS2Vo3qb_qo9sJABow1rl9OpPcOjKhj1Ykhcrbr9P8lJEZVWkmlHTlc0tLUQEPm_StYfyH-9hFB-F0EbhRMbvY4mWYtvFRtqB/s1600/IMG_5740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2v-FIL7GCqUclm3P568crqavu0mQrXG3-rHOQS5QL-UfRS2Vo3qb_qo9sJABow1rl9OpPcOjKhj1Ykhcrbr9P8lJEZVWkmlHTlc0tLUQEPm_StYfyH-9hFB-F0EbhRMbvY4mWYtvFRtqB/s320/IMG_5740.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original taco truck in Austin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw7sjDzz3Tnw_CX-tQ32XPp-oFtSrzhZH6sVqo3P2-INaHQnBG4o0riGehPDgZ1wzETsUCuZy_vg7GgOfumIaQ1xqfr_i8XsPKSrmLAnOtw0uk-ggxyZLUX4HI-jltKUYAMuy7mUfJ9gU/s1600/IMG_7217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw7sjDzz3Tnw_CX-tQ32XPp-oFtSrzhZH6sVqo3P2-INaHQnBG4o0riGehPDgZ1wzETsUCuZy_vg7GgOfumIaQ1xqfr_i8XsPKSrmLAnOtw0uk-ggxyZLUX4HI-jltKUYAMuy7mUfJ9gU/s320/IMG_7217.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My meal in Dallas.</td></tr>
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Why did I torture myself by looking at those pictures again? My mouth is watering...</div>
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What do you have going on this Friday?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-27154916260517777802018-01-11T10:27:00.000-06:002018-01-11T10:27:25.766-06:00Pseudo 2018 TBR Pile Challenge List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://roofbeamreader.com/" target="_blank">Adam at Roof Beam Reader</a> is hosting his <a href="https://roofbeamreader.com/2017/11/07/announcing-the-official-2018-tbr-pile-challenge/" target="_blank">TBR Pile Challenge</a> again this year. The goal, naturally, is to read some of those titles that have been languishing on your shelves for a very long time. What reader doesn't have a ton of those? The plan is to create a list of 12 books (and 2 alternates) and read those SOBs this year.<br />
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I want to participate, but two things:<br />
1. My reading time until the bar is pretty much slim to none.<br />
2. Once I create a set list of books, I rebel.<br />
This means that I won't really be able to participate until March. And that my list is going to kind of hedge my bets a bit and be purposefully vague in a few areas.<br />
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Without further ado, here is my list:<br />
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1. <b>Charles Dickens</b><br />
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2. <b>Jane Austen</b><br />
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3. <b>William Faulkner</b><br />
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4. <b><i>The Virgin Suicides</i> by Jeffrey Eugenides</b><br />
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5. <b><i>Underground Railroad</i> by Colson Whitehead</b><br />
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6. <b><i>Lila</i> by Marilynne Robinson</b><br />
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7. <b>Ann Patchett</b><br />
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8. <b>Zadie Smith</b><br />
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9. <b>Joan Didion</b><br />
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10. <b><i>All the King's Men</i> by Robert Penn Warren</b><br />
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11. <b><i>Land of Love and Drowning</i> by Tiphanie Yanique</b><br />
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12. <b>Thomas Wolfe</b><br />
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Alternates:<br />
13. <b><i>A Gentleman in Moscow</i> by Amor Towels</b><br />
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14. <b><i>Modern Lovers</i> by Emma Straub</b><br />
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It's pretty self-explanatory. There are some specific titles (all published in 2016 or earlier, per the rules). Some entries are simply names of authors. For these, I own several book by that author and I just want to read one of them, but I don't want to get locked in on a particular title by said author. I'll pick a title when I get there. I'm excited--direction, but freedom. :)<br />
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Wish me luck.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-87093156912943659962018-01-10T11:51:00.000-06:002018-01-10T11:51:02.049-06:00Wellness WednesdayA couple of weeks ago I wrote about how I just haven't been feeling good in my own skin. My eating habits hadn't been great. I hadn't been working out. I wasn't sure if I'd make it to the new year if I didn't change something.<br />
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I've taken some baby steps.<br />
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I bought a great multi vitamin from the GNC in town--<a href="http://www.gnc.com/other-multivitamin-formulas/525803.html#q=OLLY%E2%84%A2&start=1" target="_blank">OLLY Women's Multi in Blissful Berry</a>. Personally, I prefer the gummy vitamins to the pill form. The pill form tends to give me a stomachache (yes, I tried taking it with food). I've been taking these daily for about a week and a half and I feel quite a bit better. I have more energy and endurance, which is handy because bar prep is a solid 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week.<br />
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I also bought some better food at the grocery store. Hummus and pretzels for a snack. Baby carrots and cucumber, also for snacks or sides with a meal. Yogurt and oatmeal with frozen fruit for breakfast. I'm haven't always been perfect (today, I had leftover pizza for breakfast), but I have been snacking less throughout the day and evening, which is really important for me.<br />
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My working out hasn't been great. I intended to follow Yoga with Adriene's 30 Day Yoga Journey, but it just hasn't been working for me. I had wanted to do the daily video as soon as I got up, then get started on my bar prep as close to 9:00 as possible. But I was sleeping until close to 9:00, then the videos were 35 minutes, so I wasn't getting started with bar prep until a good hour after I wanted to. I know--make it work for me or set an alarm. Two fairly easy solutions. But I'm just not quite there with wanting to yet.<br />
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So I'll focus on my eating and see where that takes me. I will add in some yoga because I know I feel better when I move; I just need to find what works for me and my schedule.<br />
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Along those lines...I started reading <b style="font-style: italic;">Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Food</b> <b>by Megan Kimble</b>. It's really good so far. Very eye-opening. I've only read the first couple of chapters, but it's getting me thinking about taking more steps with eating healthier, such as seeing whether my small town has a CSA co-op I can join that would get me more vegetables locally grown (I don't know how to cook vegetables, but this could be a great way to learn!), among other steps I can take to reduce my footprint and eat better food. I'll keep you updated on how that goes.<br />
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You'll also notice the title of this post--Wellness Wednesday. Since I'm making it a thing to get well, I thought maybe posting about it once a week--steps I've taken, successes, setbacks, thoughts, etc.--might be useful. Mostly so I can keep track of how things have changed. I'm not saying it will be every single Wednesday, but I'm shooting for most Wednesdays.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-52551746720222834732018-01-09T10:04:00.001-06:002018-01-09T10:04:21.093-06:00Ten Books I Meant to Get to in 2017 But Didn't Get to<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a well-meaning reader. I have the best of intentions about all the books I am going to read. I buy most of these books. But then life gets in the way and I just don't get it done. I blame law school. Now that that's over (and once I take the bar exam) hopefully I can get around to reading some of these books. Most of them came out in 2017, but a couple even came out in 2016 and I'm just really behind the times!<br />
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1. <b><i>Underground Railroad </i>by Colson Whitehead</b>--I'll be honest: I started this one. I love the premise and can't wait to get back into the magic of Whitehead's prose.<br />
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2. <b><i>Sweetbitter</i> by Stephanie Danler</b>--Books about NYC are kind of like crack to me. I can't get enough. What could be better than reading about someone "young and adrift" in NYC?<br />
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3. <b><i>The Idiot</i> by Elif Bautman</b>--Right now my life is feeling very much in transition and I'm trying to figure out what I want to do and the best ways to make that happen. As a result, I'm craving books about that.<br />
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4. <b><i>Lilian Boxfish Takes a Walk</i> by Kathleen Rooney</b>--This one just sounds elegant! And sharp and cozy.<br />
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5. <b><i>Goodbye Vitamin</i> by Rachel Khong</b>--The premise of this one reminds me of my life a few years ago. I got out of a bad relationship, quit my job, and moved home, where I spent the next 7 months helping my family say goodbye to my papa. Then I had to figure out a new life. I think this one will be really relatable and I am excited to dive in!<br />
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6. <b><i>A Gentleman in Moscow</i> by Amor Towels</b>--I've heard this one is totally epic and grand and I love reading books like that, but I just haven't had the time to dive into something so far-reaching in quite some time.<br />
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7. <b><i>Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine</i> by Gail Honeyman</b>--"She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking." This character sounds exactly like me.<br />
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8. <b><i>Little Fires Everywhere</i> by Celeste Ng</b>--Everyone and their dog seems to have read and loved this novel. I started it, then got distracted by other stuff and had to set it aside. I love the premise though--mysterious mother and daughter move into a new home and change people's lives.<br />
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9. <b><i>Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America</i> by Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Katie Harding (editors)</b>--I want to read this one to get some hope that there is a united movement for change and correction in this climate.<br />
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10. <b><i>White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America</i> by Nancy Isenberg</b>--I love history, for starters. And two, I just need to know why what happened in 2016 happened. It doesn't make any sense how so many people could vote against their own interests, but I've heard that this books begins to help explain that.<br />
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<b>What did you meant to pick up in 2017 and didn't?</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-61189661169131784642018-01-05T09:27:00.002-06:002018-01-05T09:27:49.428-06:00Five on Friday<div>
In revamping my blog, I thought this might be a fun post to do each week--Five on Friday. Five things that have been going on with me or that I want to talk about. It doesn't have to be super cohesive, so long as I come up with five things. Surely I can do that!</div>
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1. Keurig Mixology--I got a Keurig for Christmas. Best gift ever! I love coffee. And I love how I can make great cups of coffee in no time flat. After unboxing the Keurig, I ordered a 40 pod variety pack and a box of chai latte pods. When I tried the chai pods, I noticed that they were way sweeter than I really like. But I had 24 of them, so I didn't want them to go to waste. I've been pairing two chai pods with one coffee pod to make a dirty chai. Works like a charm. That said--anyone have any suggestions on brands of chai latte pods that aren't overly sweet?<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkqfB-mzyq474-R0v4zHfECtbwXQLGQCs_lxWOfZo-mNzUA4imKlLs5VSCz6fHvMCjI_oAqvQw0iNFAHQtSGd3n8mX8gngeMl3CZlWHOjOooCh8feN_zQgUvt1LdXUfyfAEWzbUrwsiys/s1600/IMG_7150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkqfB-mzyq474-R0v4zHfECtbwXQLGQCs_lxWOfZo-mNzUA4imKlLs5VSCz6fHvMCjI_oAqvQw0iNFAHQtSGd3n8mX8gngeMl3CZlWHOjOooCh8feN_zQgUvt1LdXUfyfAEWzbUrwsiys/s320/IMG_7150.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EAmC8yITDAjt-D3ZusDYzXS-hSbhpyekbs277pQFQFq96BPM6-3OLLmyXu2S2pbbZCgfUvFPYihgHX-ZoUX5OcnwNKs6coEjImt49F60KkPkIowTM3ODPeKuuJtmqvo2O6RXV8unP_0s/s1600/IMG_7181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EAmC8yITDAjt-D3ZusDYzXS-hSbhpyekbs277pQFQFq96BPM6-3OLLmyXu2S2pbbZCgfUvFPYihgHX-ZoUX5OcnwNKs6coEjImt49F60KkPkIowTM3ODPeKuuJtmqvo2O6RXV8unP_0s/s320/IMG_7181.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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2. Ravioli--Last night I made ravioli for the first time. This was also a Christmas gift. It was a lot of fun. Kind of messy. A lot of work, but the results will totally be worth the effort. I made lasagna for Christmas with homemade noodles and it was so satisfying to have made my own noodles. We're going to make a ground beef ravioli tonight. Can't wait!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTuOHLGW1pYc4CMeoxm1s6efXB2xPKPa0FUmvicCETOqEl970f9lyy8YhZltGUvCN3-KLc0hBAU8_BPZDzSE6VsYgz1QMo9Zv4nlsROQHS8ViXOVxv8VAypvklMZDigmMFaRxul8IbV6i/s1600/IMG_7154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTuOHLGW1pYc4CMeoxm1s6efXB2xPKPa0FUmvicCETOqEl970f9lyy8YhZltGUvCN3-KLc0hBAU8_BPZDzSE6VsYgz1QMo9Zv4nlsROQHS8ViXOVxv8VAypvklMZDigmMFaRxul8IbV6i/s320/IMG_7154.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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3. Catana Calendar--I love the Catana Comics. The vast majority of them remind me of me and my boyfriend. Here's one example of an exchange that might actually take place between Steve and me:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAqcfi6C5879eoi8SZPPwjkE6_eDGuEsmrjg07pp610f2A28gPxEnMmTKzPSdceLqYmdfYR1mm6qx-UzIK2Ep7iA5MzYI1zWwOTm9ZuOsdMtB_RyVt3rMzKrD7HjVU_F_stZUuns0CBPK/s1600/IMG_6636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAqcfi6C5879eoi8SZPPwjkE6_eDGuEsmrjg07pp610f2A28gPxEnMmTKzPSdceLqYmdfYR1mm6qx-UzIK2Ep7iA5MzYI1zWwOTm9ZuOsdMtB_RyVt3rMzKrD7HjVU_F_stZUuns0CBPK/s320/IMG_6636.JPG" width="257" /></a></div>
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For 2017, we kept a wall calendar in the kitchen for events that everyone needed to know about (choir concerts, work engagements, etc.) and one in the bedroom for my personal stuff (lunch with my parents, major deadlines for school, etc.). It worked really well. Except I didn't get any calendars for Christmas this year! So I had to pick my own. I ordered a <a href="https://catanacomics.com/shop/" target="_blank">Catana Comics calendar</a> for the kitchen for 2018 and I am so excited for it to arrive!</div>
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4. White Russians--Steve and I have been on a major White Russian kick lately. He's usually pretty steady on the Bud Light and I go through various moods--wine, bourbon, hot toddy, dirty martinis, on and on and on for a variety of drinks. But we can agree on White Russians. They're really easy to make (ice, vodka, Kahlua, and a little bit of milk or cream) and they taste great. I think it's fun to drink the same thing together. Dorky, but whatever. This is my blog.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAAV8vm8kbCZi2QuXf4UVVP6jH5nQN9nBgNH0_eXBS4t9jFSAPbEvseLpmqsc1DSD9Df6gAJWEEvJC0h2F0GhkRjco9AHLg7b_O5g750CyPgkQBg1DuJtqa2wB2dtKD4s5i7jcu1NQVRr/s1600/IMG_7134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAAV8vm8kbCZi2QuXf4UVVP6jH5nQN9nBgNH0_eXBS4t9jFSAPbEvseLpmqsc1DSD9Df6gAJWEEvJC0h2F0GhkRjco9AHLg7b_O5g750CyPgkQBg1DuJtqa2wB2dtKD4s5i7jcu1NQVRr/s320/IMG_7134.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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5. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fried-Green-Tomatoes-Whistle-Stop/dp/042528655X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515166028&sr=8-1&keywords=fried+green+tomatoes+book" target="_blank">Fried Green Tomatoes</a></i>--Not the food. The book by Fannie Flagg. I've been thinking about the book quite a bit lately. Such a great story with amazingly rendered characters. I purchased a copy and it's supposed to arrive today. Not that I much have time to read right now. But I try. :)</div>
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Well, there's my five on Friday. Can't wait to see what I come up with for next week. What's going on in your corner of the world?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-2022523719731062462017-12-28T16:55:00.000-06:002017-12-28T16:55:18.145-06:00Not All It's Cracked Up to BeI've been in law school. I just graduated December 15. Now I'm preparing for the bar, which I will take at the end of February.<br />
<br />
At first I though, "Nice! I can wear yoga pants all the time!"<br />
<br />
But it's only taken about two weeks of mostly yoga pants for me to realize that it's a black hole of a downward spiral.<br />
<br />
At least, for me it is.<br />
<br />
I've basically stopped taking care of myself. I've stopped maintaining myself. I've gained weight. I've lost energy. I've lost interest in just about everything that brings me pleasure. I'm moody. I'm tired. My skin looks dull. I feel dull. It's horrible.<br />
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I feel like I basically hit bottom this afternoon. I had done some goal setting for myself for 2018 with actionable steps for eating better, exercising some, and other personal care items. But 2018 was still a ways off.<br />
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I started picking myself up this afternoon too. Making a realistic, healthy grocery list with foods that I actually like and will eat.<br />
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Spending a lot of time working out right now just isn't possible. To be sure, I try to do a quick yoga video during breaks in my bar prep. It's enough to reset my mind, but not enough to fix me. So for now I'm going to have to focus on eating better.<br />
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I don't quite know yet what that means. But I'll get there.<br />
<br />
And I'm definitely ditching the yoga pants and t-shirts in favor of some "real" clothes. At least most of the time. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-52327348872905343932017-12-23T11:29:00.001-06:002017-12-23T11:29:09.969-06:00Under ConstructionI haven't been in this space in a year and a half. I've been missing it, but I just haven't had the ability to be here.<br />
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As of now, I've graduated law school and am starting the bar prep process. Eek! I'm doing bar prep from home, as opposed to driving to campus each day, so that opens up about 3 hours a day to do other things. Like coming back to my writing. :)<br />
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I'm not sure what the end result will be. But I'm glad to return to my space.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-30270187784359853552016-07-13T12:16:00.000-05:002016-07-13T12:16:05.090-05:00Un-SauceI love pasta. I love it so, so much. Whenever I scroll through collections of recipes, I always wind up collecting more pasta recipes than anything else. It's easy, endlessly variable, and yummy! I recently got to thinking about a new pasta mixing that I thought would be great. Fortunately, Steve (though not big on pasta himself) is always willing to try what I cook. Bless him for that. Truly. I finally got the chance to try it out and it was every bit of what I was hoping.<br />
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I call it an Un-Sauce because it reminded me of regular spaghetti sauce, but without the tomato sauce. I've even been thinking of variations for the next time.<br />
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Here's what you need:<br />
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1 lb hamburger meat<br />
1/2 white onion, diced<br />
Garlic to taste<br />
1 or 2 cans diced tomatoes (I only used one because I had some fresh grape tomatoes that I cut up too)<br />
Bay leaves<br />
Fresh basil<br />
Fresh rosemary<br />
Red pepper flakes<br />
Pepper<br />
Salt<br />
Louisiana Hot Sauce (Tobasco would also be good)<br />
Pasta<br />
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Super easy assembly.<br />
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1. Brown the meat<br />
2. When the meat is almost done add in the onion and garlic; this is about the point that I put the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water; I did not drain the fat off the meat--I think if you wanted to, you might add some olive oil so the onion would have something to cook it<br />
3. Stir in your tomatoes and bay leaves<br />
4. Stir in your basil, rosemary, red pepper, black pepper, salt, and hot sauce<br />
5. Add to cooked pasta<br />
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Typically when I make pasta, I only cook what will be eaten because I'm not a huge fan of leftover noodles, and I'm a firm believer in everyone determining their own mixing to noodle ratio. Therefore, the noodles went into the bowl, then we put our own amount of un-sauce on top. I added some extra hot sauce and fresh grated parmesan. But when I had this for leftovers, I didn't add either. It was great both ways.<br />
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I also left the bay leaves in the concoction when I put it in tupperware. Obviously, I'll pick them out when I go to eat the leftovers.<br />
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One variation that I am very excited to try some time is to use half a pound of hamburger meat and half a pound of Italian sausage. Naturally, you could make this with only Italian sausage. Chef's choice.<br />
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I meant to take a picture of this when I first cooked it, but I was so excited to try it that I forgot.<br />
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Anyway, it was really good.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-61725083211232657342016-07-11T11:23:00.000-05:002016-07-12T11:50:50.722-05:00Yoga for When You're AngryYesterday I did a yoga stretch video, just to mix it up. Then I did the Let It Go flow again this morning. I sat and drank my coffee and tried to read, but I was still feeling a bit off. I was able to (temporarily) let go of what I've been trying to let go of, but I developed a type of anger at myself and began feeling like a horrible human being. Lots of negative self talk ensued. I let myself sit and stew for a little bit, but then I decided to get back on the mat and work through Adriene's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie5yjNGLxfQ" target="_blank">Yoga for When You're Angry</a>. <br />
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I've done this video a few times in the past. Whenever I come to the mat to do that video, I am always wanting do something really physical to get out my anger and frustration. Yet, that's not what this video is about. It has you do a lot of deep breathing in order to calm down. You acknowledge your anger, your feelings, and then you really get yourself calmed down through the breathing, potentially leaving your mat with a new perspective.<br />
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I'm always grateful when I do this video that it's not a super physical sequence because I think that that would just add fuel to the fire. Slowing down and feeling acknowledged is a much more peaceful and pleasant and probably constructive way of dealing with the anger. Just like with the Let It Go flow, there typically isn't a whole lot that you can do to change a situation except changing your perspective. When I get angry, I usually primarily just want to be acknowledged because there isn't a real solution except to change myself.<br />
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I love that this video exists because it feels like a lot of the time people act as though yogis aren't supposed to get angry. I even find myself getting caught in this. Recently I spent some time with someone whose yoga classes I've attended in the past and I found myself thinking that she never seems to be in a bad mood, that she's always so upbeat and cheerful. But I'm sure she must get angry sometimes; she must feel wretched sometimes. She's human--she must. And that's OK. The problem isn't in getting angry; the problem is in how you deal with the anger. Doing something constructive versus doing something destructive.<br />
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I'm glad I chose to do something constructive, like getting on my mat for an additional 20 minutes. I breathed it out and am at the moment feeling quite a bit better. I may be wretched, but that's OK as long as I make the attempt to deal with my wretched moments in a more positive way.<br />
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In fact, I think I need to start doing the whole count to five before reacting thing, at least in certain situations. Breathe in, breathe out, see the good in others and myself, and let it go. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-89835707259554117082016-07-09T12:32:00.000-05:002016-07-09T12:32:26.319-05:00Let It Go FlowEarlier this week, I had the great, great fortune to pass through Austin on a day when the yoga instructor I have been following online was teaching a class. It was an even greater fortune because this was a class that she normally did not teach. The live class was amazing. I love going to classes and feeding off of the energy of others. Adriene had been traveling quite a lot and finally came home, so her theme for that class was "home." That really fit perfectly with me since I was on my way home.<br />
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Her theme got me thinking about all of the different manifestations of home. Some homes are physical places--the <i>home</i> of my parents that I grew up in, the <i>home</i> of my grandparents that holds so many happy memories, and the <i>home</i> that Steve and I have created. All of those are wonderful places. But "home," I think, can be manifested in a person. That absolute feeling of safety and surrender and love that you can get from be near, let alone embraced by, a person.<br />
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I left the yoga studio with a renewed sense of gratitude for my relationship with Steve and the physical home that we have made.<br />
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Since that day, I have made an effort to do a little yoga each day, something that I hope to continue. Fortunately, Adriene has a ton of videos available online or through her subscription service, so you could do a different video each day for several months without repeating any. I like to just scroll through her videos until one pops out at me.<br />
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This morning, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIHCWMplHsw" target="_blank">Let It Go Flow</a> video got my attention. It was a 20 minute video, which is really a perfect amount of time for me for an at-home practice (I really struggle to stay motivated to do a longer practice by myself). Not that I have a lot of crap going on in my life, but there are some things that I wish I could change. Or barring that, some things that I can't change, but I know could change my feelings and attitude towards--that's the thing you have to remember, you can really only change yourself most of the time. Sometimes you're lucky enough to be able to change circumstances.<br />
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Anyway, the sequence of this video was fantastic. But it was also the words that Adriene said that helped me and have inspired me.<br />
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<b>"See the truth, speak the truth, feel the truth."</b><br />
AKA--the three parts of the namaste. I always knew that you put your hands at your forehead, mouth, and heart during namaste, but I never knew the three parts, so that was good. Kind of a way of accepting and letting it go.<br />
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<b>"In namaste, we acknowledge the best version of ourselves and in others too."</b><br />
I knew this one beforehand, but it was nice to have it reiterated. Acknowledging the best in others is really a big part of letting it go. Most people have some redeeming quality and the challenge is to see that and focus on the good.<br />
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<b>"Everything is as it should be."</b><br />
I'm not the grand puppeteer in charge of the whole world or even my world. Whatever has happened, has happened for a reason and that is beyond my control. I need to let it go and accept that it is what it is.<br />
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<b>"The universe is for me and so is everything else."</b><br />
This one is a positive attitude/outlook kind of thing. When things don't go my way or aren't as I like, there isn't some big conspiracy to keep me from being happy. There is some lesson, most likely patience, that I should be learning from the situation. The better I can accept it and let it go, the more peaceful I will feel.<br />
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Like I said, there are things about my life that I wish I could change. But I just can't make some things go away. So I have to learn to let it go. I think I'll be doing this video fairly frequently until I get to that point. Today, however, was a big step.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-76373282958497119552016-06-08T15:32:00.001-05:002016-06-08T15:32:39.897-05:00ExerciseI'm finally getting a FitBit. I've been toying with the idea for a while, especially after seeing so many of my Twitter friends talking about having them.<br />
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I texted one of my friends who lives nearby with some questions about her FitBit experience. I know they cost a bit and I'm broke, so I wanted to make sure it was really going to be a good thing for me. As luck would have it, she was selling hers because she bought a new one. It's gently used and she's giving me a good price. So I'm really excited to give it a shot.<br />
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It's summer and I'm fully ready to be outside! I remember last summer how much I loved running in the mornings around my grandma's neighborhood. The humidity was high and it was hot and I loved feeling like I was getting a great workout as a result. But then I stopped. Steve and I started a little running routine over the spring, but it got sidelined by school and allergies and weather. I've decided that I am going to start running again.<br />
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Tuesday, actually. I am going to do the Couch to 5k program to gradually build up. I feel like I push myself harder at interval training when I have that voice in the phone keeping time as opposed to when I have to keep track myself. My plan is to do C25k on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. I feel like that spreads it out pretty well throughout the week. We are so fortunate that our little town has a fantastic running path system! I love taking advantage of running amidst the beautiful scenery.<br />
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I'm also wanting to do some yoga on the off days. I find that at home, I do best with a 20-30 minute video. Fortunately, Yoga with Adriene has a huge variety of video lengths and focuses to choose from! It's such a wonderful and inspirational community.<br />
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Other than that, my goal is just to move more throughout the day. Yes, I am sitting on my butt a lot of the time reading at the pool or at home, but I can walk laps around the pool and I can clean the house (which is a side benefit).<br />
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I'm excited to see the challenges of getting to 10,000 steps per day and seeing how addictive it becomes! (Have you read <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/30/stepping-out-3" target="_blank">this piece</a> by David Sedaris about his FitBit? Hilarious! Also, I hope the link works)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-16561540509529744742016-06-07T10:41:00.000-05:002016-06-07T10:41:56.474-05:00Currently...It's been over thirteen months since I last posted in this space. Rather than run through the myriad reasons of why, trying to make excuses, I'm just going to skip right back into writing about whatever I want to write about. I've missed this space more and more over the last few weeks, so I'm back at it, with the hopes of crafting something that really makes me happy and is me.<br />
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<b>Time and Place:</b> 10:06am, sitting on the love seat in the living room. The house is mostly quiet, except for the sound of the dryer going. I have the front door and the back sliding door open, listening to the sounds of the birds outside as I type.<br />
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<b>Loving:</b> Being at home. I've been out of school for about a month and I haven't done anything and it has been wonderful! I can finally breathe and relax. I can really enjoy the house we've been living in since November--and get around to those annoying organizing tasks I've been putting off. :) It's so nice to have a space and to be able to make it our own.<br />
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<b>Seeking:</b> A way to get my tomato plant back on course. I can't tell if I'm over-watering or under-watering, but it looks like hell. Any thoughts?<br />
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<b>Craving:</b> Some time to chill at the pool this afternoon. I know we're at the pool quite a lot, but it doesn't feel like we're ever there enough to really get to chill and relax and read.<br />
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<b>Destroying:</b> Nothing really. I've really just been trying to take it easy--not put too much pressure on myself to do anything. Maybe my reading list. I was on quite a streak during May. I hope to keep it up.<br />
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<b>Cherishing:</b> Hanging out on the back porch with Steve in the evenings, having a nightcap. It's starting to stay warmer in the evening, so we're able to sit outside pretty late. We'll turn on the radio, get lost in our own thoughts, and just chill. I love our porch--it was a total mess for quite a while because the previous occupants left a bunch of pallets that covered half of the porch. We bought some plants, a little fountain, and a patio set--it's Heavenly!<br />
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<b>Cooking:</b> Uh...nothing in the past several days. This was a hectic weekend, so I didn't plan on cooking at all. I haven't had the time to go to the grocery store because we keep going from one thing to another, so we really don't even have anything to cook. I should probably get on that.<br />
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<b>Playing:</b> The classic rock station. I guess this isn't entirely me playing it, because I don't know how to work the radio at the pool, but I am loving having that going in the background all day. I don't think I've heard any songs on repeat yet!<br />
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<b>Eating:</b> More pasta than I probably should. But that's one of the few things we actually do have the in the house that can be whipped up quickly. I've been toning it down though and using simple ingredients with it--like pesto and some fresh parmesan or some butter and red pepper flakes.<br />
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<b>Hating:</b> The thought of having to email the people I said I'd do an unpaid internship with this summer. Part of it is that I just don't want to--even at only 10-15 hours per week. Part of it is that I'm kind of embarrassed because school has been out for a month and I've been putting it off this whole time because I really would rather enjoy life than answer phones.<br />
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<b>Anticipating:</b> All of the books I'm going to read this summer! I've decided that I'm going to get a library card and I'm nerdily excited about it. One of the ladies that goes to the pool recently checked out a book that looked really interesting. I'm broke, so I need to not keep buying books. So--library.<br />
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<b>Collecting:</b> Recipes. Despite regularly putting off going to the grocery store, I have a ton of recipes to try. I have been putting them in a three-ring binder so I can organize them, write on them, and throw away the ones that don't work out.<br />
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<b>Celebrating:</b> Summer! I love that it's finally here. I love the freedom. I love the relaxation. I love the food. I love everything about it. It's had been feeling pretty inspired lately.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-58273141444640170152015-05-02T09:30:00.000-05:002015-05-02T09:30:00.286-05:00Review of The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395614997l/18656212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395614997l/18656212.jpg" width="128" /></a><b>Title:</b> <i>The Astronaut Wives Club</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Author:</b> Lily Koppel<br />
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<b>Publication Information:</b> January 2013<br />
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<b>How I Got This Book:</b> I bought it at work.<br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b> As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.<br />
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Annie Glenn, with her picture-perfect marriage, was the envy of the other wives; platinum-blonde Rene Carpenter was proclaimed JFK's favorite; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived on base with a secret. Together with the other wives they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, meeting regularly to provide support and friendship. Many became next-door neighbors and helped to raise each other's children by day, while going to glam parties at night as the country raced to land a man on the Moon.
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<br />
As their celebrity rose-and as divorce and tragic death began to touch their lives-they continued to rally together, and the wives have now been friends for more than fifty years. THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b> I had a great time reading this book! It read like a novel, but it was a well-researched non-fiction history on a topic that surprisingly had never been covered before. Koppel conducted interviews with the surviving Astrowives and read the usual primary source documents. Her narrative is truly compelling.<br />
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I had seen this book by chance at work one day and was interested. After a recent viewing of <i>Apollo 13</i>, I immediately purchased a copy of the book and started as soon as I could. Then I began seeing the previews for the upcoming TV show based on the book. I am so excited about the show! And I'm curious to see how closely it will follow the book and how much it will veer off into total fiction. Either way, it's going to be interesting!<br />
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I loved how Koppel set up the narrative to show that these women were supposed to be utterly and completely traditional, while also being a part of the latest and greatest in technology via their husbands' work, and contrasting them with the women's movement going on outside of their world. As pseudo-celebrities, they had to suffer in silence while their husbands slept around. By the end of the space program, most of them got divorced, which I thought was surprising, but it also made sense due to the tremendous pressure of their husbands' work.<br />
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I was very happy to see how the women grew as time passed. They started standing up for themselves to their husbands and to NASA. One eventually became a very vocal proponent of the women's movement, having her own feminist talk show. Some of them had to deal with losing their husbands in a very public manner and then try to rebuild and restart their lives. Many dealt with alcohol and drug problems as coping mechanisms. <br />
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Yet the women created a very strong and loving support network, dropping everything in the case of an emergency, staying throughout the entirety of a flight operation with food and drinks in hand. It was a very strong community, which I thought was absolutely fantastic.<br />
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My one gripe about the book is that as the narrative progressed, Koppel seemed to rush through events and spoke less about the later astronauts' wives than about the earlier ones. The whole Apollo 13 mission got about a page and a half, if that. So I would have liked to see more, more, more.<br />
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All in all, it was a very fun read that was more like a novel than a cut and dry history. I highly recommend it. I think this would make a pretty good book club read and my edition has book club materials (discussion questions, recipes, an author interview) in the back.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-32079440130911806682015-05-01T08:30:00.000-05:002015-05-01T08:30:00.631-05:00Gone with the Wind Readalong<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348940864l/545641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348940864l/545641.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a>AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I am sooooo excited to be rereading this novel again. It has been far too long. But it truly comes at a perfect time because I've been gradually returning to a version of myself that I actually liked, which oddly enough happens to most closely resemble a high school version of myself, older and wiser of course. I didn't totally dislike college me, but high school me read a whole lot more because I wasn't an English major. I feel like I am in a good place again and returning to this favorite novel of mine feels like an excellent decision.<br />
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And in high school I read <i>Gone with the Wind</i> twice a year. Seriously. I read the novel ten times between my first read the spring of 7th grade and the time I graduated. That averages to twice a year.<br />
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The person who first came up with the idea of a group read of this classic suggested using today to write a post gushing about all of the <i>GWTW</i> love that we felt. Done. <br />
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I've written about my love for this novel before on an old blog. I went on an excavation and found the post and am going to put up excerpts of it and add some new thoughts at the end...<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So I started rereading it last night in bed. I turned on the fan so that I'd have to pull up my quilt. I read the preface written by Pat Conroy. Then I savored the words of the first chapter before deciding to call it a night. As soon as I started reading the preface, I felt a compulsion that I hadn't felt before. I was happier reading than I have been in a long time. I knew I had to read this book every chance I get. I knew that my new motto would become "If I get this (homework, errands, sleep) out of the way, then I *get* to read <i>Gone With the Wind</i>!" I actually bragged to one of my friends about it. Because *I* get to read this amazing novel right now.<br />My first experience with <i>Gone With the Wind</i> was in the 7th grade. It was Christmas. I saw that <i>Gone With the Wind</i>, this movie that I had heard about from somewhere (I honestly don't know where because I hadn't gotten into old movies yet, but somehow I *knew* it was *The* movie to watch), was on TCM. We had already opened presents. My dad and I began watching the movie in the den while everyone else was in the sunroom. For whatever reason, I decided to read the screenplay as we watched the movie. And my papa was clueless about why I'd have the screenplay up while the movie was on because he was wanting to get his brand new wireless keyboard working. I couldn't really explain why I wanted to read the screenplay as I watched the movie, but it was like I knew how much this story would affect me. So that's what happened. We watched the movie, I read the screenplay, and I was hooked.<br />Maybe that same day, maybe another visit to my grandparents', I found a copy of the novel upstairs. This amazing movie was also a novel?! I took it. It wasn't my first classic--I'd already read <i>Huck Finn</i> and that abridged copy of <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> by then (and maybe, but possibly not, <i>To Kill a Mockingbird </i>and<i> The Great Gatsby</i>). I didn't know what a classic was either at that point. I didn't know how famous this book was. In my 13 year-old mind, it was a lost book that nobody paid much attention to. I felt like I was discovering something amazing that people had forgotten. I remember feeling a little bewildered when I realized how many people knew and loved my book because <i>Gone With the Wind</i> had become <i>my</i> book. It wasn't that I was selfishly trying to hold onto it. I was willing to share. But I wanted to share it with people, to turn them onto this amazing little secret that I had.<br />I read the book. I inhaled the book. I absorbed the book. I probably even displayed poor manners and outright devoured the book.<br />But I read it again and again. <br />It's one of those books that resonates more with some people than others. I believe that it resonates more with Southerners because it's telling our story. Your heart swells with pride, hope, and acceptance as you turn the pages. You nod your head in complete understanding as the plot progresses. You laugh and cry as the passages dictate. [Note--I feel like I need to step in here and say that the racial stuff is <i>not</i> included in this pride and understanding.]<br />From the time that I was 13 years-old, I adopted Scarlett as my role model. She may not have always done the most upright thing. But she did what she had to do to survive. She was strong. She was beautiful. She was pretty smart. She had the personality that I always wanted. She had Rhett Butler, that symbol of earthy manliness that my exes never really lived up to, but against whom they were always measured.<br />And for the last 11 years, she has been there. Sometimes at the back of my mind. Sometimes at the front. I've said ever since that first time that this is my favorite novel. Then why haven't I read it in six years? I really can't explain that. Maybe I took all I could take from it as a teenager and had to change enough to be able to take more from it.<br />I am ready to again devour <i>Gone With the Wind</i>. I want to will myself into reading it more slowly this time, to let it soak in again, to get lost in the beauty of Mitchell's magic and not just get lost in Scarlett (although, I know that I will do this too). Some of the lessons I still remember and follow (sometimes you have to be a little bold to get by), others I remember and quietly ignore (not leaning on my elbows because it makes them ugly), and others I've downright forgotten. But this, this is the book that I want living in me. Pat Conroy describes in his preface how his mother lived this book. I used to live it too, but I lost it somewhere along the way.<br />I'm ready to pick it back up now and carry it with me.
</blockquote>
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It's been two and a half years since I wrote that post. For one reason or another I didn't finish. But my thoughts and feelings towards the book are the same. Obviously, I didn't discuss the current political ramifications of liking the novel. I don't have a lot to say about it because a lot has already been said. I don't love this novel because of the presence of the Civil War. (I actually kind of hate reading or talking about the Civil War) What I like about the novel is that Scarlett made some really tough decisions for herself and a lot of other people who depended on her at a time when the rulebook had been thrown out the window, though women still weren't supposed to do certain things...even when they had no choice. She made unpopular decisions and stuck by them, which is at least admirable because some of her decisions weren't really good decisions and she faced the consequences. She and Rhett are complex, realistic characters and I love reading about them. Their story could have been told at several points throughout history when other cultures have been utterly overturned. The Civil War aspect is not integral to my reasons for liking the story. Therefore the political aspects of the novel were never really a sticking point for me, though, yes, much was deplorable about the South at that time.<br />
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Anyway, I've been thinking about Scarlett lately. I watched part of the movie as I fell asleep the other night when it was on TV. I recently found a Scarlett Madame Alexander doll. I organized my various copies of the novel together (except for the hardcover copy that sits on my desk along with my favorites). I am so ready to reread this novel again.<br />
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The "schedule" for the readalong has us reading ten chapters for every check-in. I almost see myself devouring the novel in a fever pitch immediately, then going back and reading the ten chapter segments. We'll see what happens.<br />
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I own five physical copies of the novel and the ebook. I don't know which edition I will read. My old mass market copy is highlighted like crazy because I had to mark all of my favorite parts, naturally. :) I may switch back and forth depending on what I'm doing and what size purse I feel like carrying that day.<br />
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If you're joining the readalong too, happy reading! I can't wait to check out your posts and thoughts as we go through this novel together.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-85740353681933542102015-04-30T09:30:00.000-05:002015-04-30T09:30:00.142-05:00Review of The World According to Garp by John Irving<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410086022l/348428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410086022l/348428.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> <i>The World According to Garp</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Author:</b> John Irving<br />
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<b>Publication Information:</b> First published in 1978<br />
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<b>How I Got This Book:</b> Honestly, I don't remember where I bought it, but I know I purchased my copy.<br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b> This is the life of T.S. Garp, the bastard son of Jenny Fields--a feminist leader ahead of her time. This is the life and death of a famous mother and her almost-famous son; theirs is a world of sexual extremes--even of sexual assassinations. It is a novel rich with "lunacy and sorrow"; yet the dark, violent events of the story do not undermine a comedy both ribald and robust. In more than forty countries--with more than ten million copies in print--this novel provides almost cheerful, even hilarious evidence of its famous last line: "In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases."<br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b> I really enjoyed this one, even though it took me a while to finally finish. It's funny because I stopped in the middle of a chapter because it started to drag for me. Several weeks later I picked it back up and within two pages it picked up and I couldn't hardly put it down.<br />
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This is my second experience with John Irving. I read and loved <i>The Cider House Rules</i> back in high school. I own two (three?) more of his novels. <i>A Prayer for Owen Meany</i> will definitely be my next Irving.<br />
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Though it didn't seem like it before reading the novel, the above synopsis (which is also on the back of my copy of the book) does a pretty good job of summing up the plot.<br />
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It leaves out the hilarious and real characters that Irving creates within this novel. They are complex. They have layers. They mean well and are serious, but at times sometimes totally undermines that and it's hilarious and that's how life is.<br />
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One of the main things I took away from this novel is that you should just be good and kind to folks because they're folks. Don't judge. Don't hold them to your own personal standards. Help them, regardless of who they are, because they need help. And also oftentimes you can help and support someone the most by just listening and being there. It doesn't always take a crazy act of solidarity to show your support.<br />
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My one gripe is the last chapter, which goes through the main characters and details what happens to them. As I read it, it felt like it dragged. But I know if this hadn't been included, I would have been frustrated and wondered what happened. Many of the characters met comical ends, which was kind of "eh" for me. <br />
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All in all this is a good book. And I think I would probably read it again some day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-41631468635585417512015-04-28T12:54:00.001-05:002015-04-28T12:54:18.362-05:00TBR Pile Challenge April UpdateI'm finally getting around to writing my update post for the TBR Pile Challenge. I'm actually not doing too badly.<br />
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1. <i>1984</i> by George Orwell <br />
2. <i>The Scarlet Letter</i> by Nathaniel Hawthorn <br />
3. <i>I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings</i> by Maya Angelou <br />
4. <a href="http://anirreverentescapade.blogspot.com/2015/03/review-of-heart-is-lonely-hunter-by.html" target="_blank"><i>The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter</i> by Carson McCullers</a> <br />
5. <i>The Bluest Eye</i> by Toni Morrison <br />
6. <i>Moby Dick</i> by Herman Melville--as always, in progress...but I am going to finish this SOB<br />
7. <i>The Three Musketeers</i> by Alexander Dumas--I'm going to read this in July<br />
8. <i>Vanity Fair</i> by William Makepeace Thackeray <br />
9. <a href="http://anirreverentescapade.blogspot.com/2015/04/review-of-light-in-august-by-william.html" target="_blank"><i>Light in August</i> by William Faulkner </a><br />
10. <a href="http://anirreverentescapade.blogspot.com/2015/04/review-of-gilead-by-marilynne-robinson.html" target="_blank"><i>Gilead</i> by Marilynne Robinson </a><br />
11. <i>John Adams</i> by David McCullough <br />
12. <i>Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman</i> by Robert K. Massie <br />
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Alternates:<br />
1. <i>Emma</i> by Jane Austen <br />
2. <i>Reading Lolita in Tehran</i> by Agar Nafisi <br />
<br />
I've <b>read 3 of my 12</b>, which isn't too bad for April. I haven't given up in despair yet, so that's good. I am currently periodically reading <i>Moby-Dick</i> and I plan on reading <i>The Three Musketeers</i> in July. Maybe Lisa will volunteer to read another one from this list with me soon so I can cross off another... Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-49399205429019081352015-04-25T15:29:00.002-05:002015-04-25T15:29:43.579-05:00KonMari Cleaning AdventureA couple of weeks ago, I posted <a href="http://anirreverentescapade.blogspot.com/2015/04/review-of-life-changing-magic-of.html" target="_blank">my review of <i>The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up</i></a> by Marie Kondo. I vowed to implement the cleaning methods she details in the book and write about it. I did the cleaning. And now I'm finally writing about my experiences. :)<br />
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I started bright and early...after I had coffee and (maybe?) did yoga and after both of my parents went off to work. I started with my clothes, per directions. <br />
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I pulled allllllll of the clothes from both closets. (I keep my off-season stuff and the stuff that doesn't fit yet in the guest room) I picked up each thing item by item and made decisions. Honestly, I didn't have a whole lot to get rid of because I regularly go through my closet and get rid of things and I had just done that a month and a half ago or so. I do have a good stack to go through and try on and really soul-search...but I figure I can probably get rid of a lot of the things in that pile.<br />
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No, this part really helped in that I reorganized the way my hanging clothes go.<br />
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Then I pulled out my purses, pajamas, jeans, tank tops, exercise clothes, and other miscellaneous stuff from the drawers.<br />
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Many huge piles.<br />
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Upon getting rid of things in these categories, I was able to store everything comfortably in the drawer it belonged in. No more cramming. Though, to be honest, I can't say that I particularly care for putting things in vertically. I prefer the neatness of horizontal stacks (and, yes, sometimes things get caught on the top), but I <u>can</u> see everything and won't overlook the things I don't wear as often. I'm still thinking about this one.<br />
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Partway through this leg of things, I got a little punchy and found myself a nice headscarf.<br />
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Back to the organizing of the drawers...<br />
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I am very happy with how my shoes are organized! I feel like the little brown shelves in the closet could be better used, but I didn't have a better spot for my boots, so I think I'll keep it for now.<br />
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Next was books. Most of my books are kept in my office. In my room, I have my nightstand, a small bookcase, and a couple of shelves on the bookcase that holds my stereo. The easiest thing to do was to drag the books into my office.<br />
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I hated transporting them this way. I know that they're inanimate objects, but it felt a little disrespectful. Anyway. It was effective.<br />
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But my office was looking like this...<br />
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So once I dragged the books in there, I pulled out everything from my office that I could, which meant my room looked like this.<br />
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I made sure I had a clear path to the door in case of fire. Safety first and whatnot. But my theory was that by moving everything out of my office, I would have to deal with it before moving it back in.<br />
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I pulled all of the books from my shelves and separated it into fiction and non-fiction. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The nearer "island" is non-fiction; the further "island" is fiction.</td></tr>
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And here's where I got stuck for a while. I just wanted it to be easy to find whatever I was looking for. So categorizing the non-fiction books became an issue. How much did I want to break it down? History separate from biographies, but what about collections of letters? What about anthologies? I finally forced myself to cull.<br />
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Again, I had done it recently, so I didn't have a ton that I was getting rid of.<br />
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By the time I almost finished with books, it was 7:00. I hadn't had any supper. I had run out of shelves (my mom kindly helped me find more space). And my room still looked like this:<br />
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I pulled the discarded books out of my office and into the hallway. The plan was to get them sold at a local used bookstore ASAP to just get the out of the damn house. To finally cease and desist with the hemming and hawing and "maybe, one day I'll read this one...perhaps." Nope. I just wanted to get them out and move on with life.<br />
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I could have left everything in my room for another day, but that would have meant finding another place to sleep. And I had an important meeting the next day. So I decided to just move everything back into my office.<br />
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<br />
So, all in all, the do it all in one day KonMari cleaning method was a failure for me. I had way too much crap to do the entire thing that quickly. I didn't feel particularly overwhelmed, but it was kind of exhausting. And certainly eye-opening.<br />
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However, the spirit of the method was a huge success for me. I sold all of my fiction books (100? 150? 200?) at the used bookstore the next day. I got a disappointing amount considering that many of the book had never been read. But they were out of the house. I felt lighter. I will do the same with the non-fiction once I hear back from a friend about taking some of them. For the clothes I'm going to contact a consignment store about buying what they'll take, then I'll donate the rest to a local charity. I plan on doing that this week. I think that pulling out everything in one category and dealing with it all before moving along was a big part of the success I did have. I touched every item. I considered it. And I made a decision.<br />
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As for everything else...I've done a little bit of work on grouping the stuff still in my office to make it easier to go through. All of the school supplies I could find are together. I put all of the papers in one huge plastic bin so I can go through them. And so on. I'll probably tackle this stuff bit by bit. Maybe a couple of categories a day on my days off.<br />
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My room is looking a lot better. I moved some of the things I was wanting out of my room, such as a plastic bin under my desk that held random items, and into the office so I can deal with it when I get to it, as opposed to leaving it in a spot that made me anxious every time I saw it.<br />
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I decided that I want my stuff to be arranged, not haphazardly stacked and cluttered the way it had been. I've also noticed myself dealing with things immediately as opposed to setting them aside for later. I just got back into town this afternoon and I immediately unpacked and put away my things, which included some new clothes, as opposed to reverting to the old habit of basically living out of my suitcase until it naturally emptied itself (and I found a place to store my suitcase in my closet as opposed to under the chest of drawers!).<br />
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Bottom line--This book engendered a change in attitude for me. I examine all of my belongings pretty regularly now and am constantly finding new things to get rid of that I hadn't previously considered getting rid of. I feel a lot calmer in my room. And I feel confident about getting my office to a manageable state in the near future. Say, by the end of May. I call it a success.<br />
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Read the book. Learn the lessons you need to learn. And adapt the method to what will work for you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-9521541907147221252015-04-21T09:37:00.004-05:002015-04-21T09:37:57.753-05:00Top Ten Favorite AuthorsYay! Another Tuesday! This week, The Broke and the Bookish is discussing our top ten favorite authors.<br />
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I actually thought about this one quite a bit. A lot of my favorite books were written by authors who wrote the one book (or wait 50 years between publishing things), so it's kind of difficult to call them a favorite author because I only know the one book OR I've only read one book by that author, which makes it difficult to say they're a favorite author. Here we go...<br />
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<b>1. John Steinbeck</b> Wowzers! Steinbeck was a fantastic storyteller. He painted great pictures within his stories, completely fleshing out the setting so that you feel like you were <i>there</i>. I absolutely adore <i>East of Eden</i> (definitely need to reread this summer! [or sooner]). I'm taking a volume of his novellas with me this week when I leave town so I can see what he does on a smaller scale.<br />
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<b>2. Ernest Hemingway</b> I love Hemingway's art of brevity. He was a master storyteller. I'm not sure he could have written a fully fleshed out female character to save his life, but I can't help loving him. He mastered the novel and the short story. Most of all, though, I love Hemingway's precision. He said exactly what he meant, was able to write a vivid account, but he said nothing more. There is very little fat and gristle to his work.<br />
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<b>3. Gabriel Garcia Marquez</b> Another master storyteller. He kind of did it all as well--novel, novella, and short story (though I'm not very familiar with the last two forms). He wrote one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever read and one of the most fantastical epics. His work is always a pleasure to read because I know it's going to be a great story.<br />
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<b>4. William Faulkner</b> Faulkner is basically the polar opposite of Hemingway. And I love Faulkner for his highly descriptive style as much as I love Hemingway for his precision. His works are epics in and of themselves. I love how the characters bleed over from one novel to the next. I had to suppress a loud "Heyyy!" when I came across a reference to Colonel Sartoris in <i>Light in August</i>. I had the pleasure of visiting Faulkner's home last spring and it was fantastic. I would love to just dive into his world.<br />
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<b>5. Hunter S. Thompson</b> This guy is a trip, but he's so much fun to read. He was an astute observer of the social and political climate of the 60s and 70s. I think he introduced a lot of people to the counterculture, which is truly interesting (at least to me). An oral history I read about him after his death illuminated an extremely interesting man who lived by his own code. And don't even get me started on <i>The Rum Diary</i>. I love that novel!<br />
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<b>6. Truman Capote</b> Without Truman, we never would have had Holly Golightly. The world--at least the world according to Lori--owes him a huge debt for this. His true crime fiction <i>In Cold Blood</i> is completely creepy, but utterly compelling. I love that he's written something for my two predominant reading moods--Southern stories and New York stories. Plus he was a character.<br />
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<b>7. Elizabeth Gilbert</b> Disclaimer--I haven't read any of her stuff before <i>Eat Pray Love</i>. But I love how open and honest and raw her writing is. I follow her on social media and I love reading the snippets she shares regularly. Her attitude really inspires me to be more introspective. Her recent novel, <i>Signature of All Things</i> was beautiful and sweeping. I can't wait to see what she continues to come out with!<br />
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<b>8. Frances Mayes</b> The first time I started <i>Under the Tuscan Sun</i>, I was bewildered because it was NOTHING like the amazing Diane Lane movie that I adored. I had to push through. But I really appreciated the writing. The whole book is about renovating this dilapidated farm house. Literally. She walks you through the selection process for new fixtures and other renovations and includes bits about the culture and the formation of their lives there and I was completely fascinated. She eventually wrote a cookbook of favorite Tuscan foods, which I love dipping into. I love her travel writing. I love what I've read of her memoir <i>Under the Magnolia</i>. Like so many others, I still haven't gotten into her poetry. :/<br />
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<b>And a bit of a throw back to my childhood...</b><br />
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<b>9. Shel Silverstein</b> My dad and I read Silverstein's poems regularly at bedtime. Very, very regularly. Silverstein had such a great way with language that made it fun to read the rhymes. Granted, I still haven't gotten into a more serious study of poetry, but I think fondly of these poems. Also, let's not forget <i>The Giving Tree</i>. That was a great story! Though I know there are debates about whether it teaches selfishness or selflessness, I don't feel like it warped me as I grew into adulthood.<br />
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<b>10. Ann M. Martin</b> Best known for <i>The Babysitters Club</i> series, yes, but I LOVED the <i>California Diaries</i> series. At least what I read of it. I have the first ten books. I have no idea if there are more. But I remember reading this starting in the 4th or 5th grade and being enthralled. The girls were a little bit older and their problems were so damn sophisticated compared to mine! Their problems were a little bit grown-up, but, for me, that really kind of played into being an only child surrounded by adults.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-2430534837710457272015-04-18T18:29:00.000-05:002015-04-18T18:29:27.094-05:00On Liking Unlikable CharactersConfession--I like unlikable characters. A lot. A lot a lot.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. I love me some Atticus Finch. But his kind of morality is something that mere mortals like me can only aspire to with the knowledge that they probably won't ever live up.<br />
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Nope. Give me someone unlikable--a Scarlett, a Rhett, a Nick and Amy, even a Humbert Humbert--and I'll be happy.<br />
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What's there to like about unlikable characters, you might ask?<br />
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A lot.<br />
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They tend to be more <b>complex</b> than other characters. They have a unique moral compass, which sometimes points towards good, sometimes towards bad, and sometimes towards self-interested. We'll go with a <b>spoiler from </b><i><b>Gone Girl</b>.</i> Why would Nick and Amy decide to stay together? Because they're unlikable characters who have their own unique reasons for doing things. Nick stays because he feels like it's responsibility, but he also can't quite help himself; Amy stays because Nick kind of returned to the asshole she fell in love with. Think about it--how often do you (or someone you know, because we're far better at judging other people's actions than our own) do something that makes absolutely no sense to anyone else, but you have you own very good reason? Quite often, I would imagine. Doesn't make you bad. It makes your decision unlikable.<br />
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They have a <b>wider range</b>. I think this makes them more interesting. You never quite know what they're going to do. They might do something good or they might do something bad or they might go with a third option. But you can't really guess what they're going to do. The good characters, the likable ones, such as Melanie, you know what they're going to do.<br />
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They tend to be more <b>fascinating</b>. Let's take Humbert Humbert. Pedophile! Yet we continue to read <i>Lolita</i>, a novel told from the perspective of the pedophile as he walks us through his lust and acting on his lust. His actions are utterly despicable, but his analysis and insights into himself truly fascinate me. I can't help but being drawn in by his storytelling. I don't know much about psychology, but I think if I did, I would love to analyze him.<br />
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Lastly, I think unlikable characters are more <b>realistic</b>. People can change, yes. But the kind of 180 transformation so often portrayed in movies and books isn't realistic. People struggle to be good all the time. And if someone does make a radical change to themselves, I can pretty much guarantee they will struggle for goodness somehow. An article I read not too long ago was talking about <i>Seinfeld</i> being a show without some sort of moral epiphany at the end. These characters weren't going to become good at the end of an episode. They were going to remain the same unlikable people they were at the end. I don't care for the show, but I do appreciate that about it. The characters keep it real. They are who they are and you can take them or leave them--just like real people. Everybody who's interesting to be around or talk to has a vice of some kind, in my opinion. <br />
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Of course, all this might really do is prove that I'm an unlikable character myself...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-16941772207162091042015-04-14T17:06:00.001-05:002015-04-14T17:06:30.176-05:00#tothegirls and ReadingToday I was positively gobsmacked by all of the #tothegirls messages on Twitter.<br />
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today is the day! send your message of positivity, encouragement, advice or thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tothegirls?src=hash">#tothegirls</a>! <a href="http://t.co/O371nPqTuA">pic.twitter.com/O371nPqTuA</a></div>
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— courtney summers (@courtney_s) <a href="https://twitter.com/courtney_s/status/587958432143167488">April 14, 2015</a></div>
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As I read through the messages this morning, I wanted to cry. I went through a long, bad phase where I was thoroughly unhappy with just about everything in my life, but I've recently started coming out of it, returning to who I was when I was my strongest and happiest (only now with the benefit of wisdom and perspective and experiences!). Oddly enough, that was during high school. I realized that many of the #tothegirls tweets were messages I had internalized long ago. I was blessed as a child to live in a world populated by adults who encouraged me in every I wanted to do. I was never discouraged from wanting or trying or doing anything just because I was a girl. This is continued today. Not everyone is so lucky.<br />
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Another aspect in which I was very lucky as a child was that my parents and grandparents and uncle all supported my desire to read by buying me books and buying me gift cards to book stores. I know I was denied toys I wanted, but I was never denied books. Even books that were quite possibly too old for me, but that's a different story.<br />
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The two came together. I started thinking about all of the female characters I met during those formative years who showed me strength and helped--along with the strong women in my life--inspire me to think I could do anything. I could probably go on and on, but I'll stop with three strong female characters that touched me during my formative years.<br />
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<b>Matilda Wormwood and Miss Honey.</b> This may be cheating a little bit because I saw the movie first when I was eight. But Matilda made me unafraid to be smart. She read books and I thought that that was pretty cool, so I wanted to read books. I began to believe in the power of books.<br />
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“So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.”
― Roald Dahl, Matilda</blockquote>
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Like Matilda, my parents didn't really monitor what I read, though mine were in no way uncaring and unsupportive like hers. I had wonderful teachers like Miss Honey who were patient and encouraging and engaging.<br />
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<b>Scarlett O'Hara</b>. I first encountered Scarlett when I was thirteen. No list of mine dealing with reading experiences during teenage years could take place without her. As a teenager, I saw only her transformation from a spoiled girl into a woman who did what she needed to do to help her family survive. She didn't grow up having chores. The book plainly says she was horrible in school. Yet she took over the planting on the plantation. She helped form the lumber business and helped the store prosper. She made business contacts. She suffered socially for doing what she wanted. But I couldn't help admiring her ability to adapt to the new circumstances in which she found herself. She also went after what she wanted. She shouldn't always have gone after what she wanted (you know, like, other gals' boyfriends) but I admired her determination.<br />
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<b>Novalee Nation.</b> I first encountered <i>Where the Heart Is</i> my freshman year of high school. I cannot recall how many times I've reread this novel. I love that it takes place in Oklahoma. And I love the resilience of Novalee. She was in a bad situation--dumped pregnant at a WalMart in a state in which she knew no one and had no one back home to call for help. She rose above a lot. She had a horrible childhood with an unreliable mother, no father, and bad foster parents. No education. And a bad string of luck with men. She didn't let those things hold her down. She had a day job, but also found and thrived at her true calling as a photographer. And the message "just because he treated you like trash, doesn't mean you are trash." Admittedly, I've done better at some times than others at drawing a line in the sand as far as my treatment from boyfriends or even just friends and acquaintances goes. But I know that deep down I've always known that their actions are more a reflection of them than they are of me.<br />
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There. Short and sweet. Three female characters who played a pivotal role during my formative years.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-91631006472973340922015-04-11T09:12:00.000-05:002015-04-11T09:12:00.791-05:00Review of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327936326l/68210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327936326l/68210.jpg" width="132" /></a><b>Title:</b> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68210.Gilead?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_b" target="_blank">Gilead</a></i><br />
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<b>Author:</b> Marilynne Robinson<br />
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<b>Publication Information:</b> 2004<br />
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<b>How I Got This Book:</b> I bought a copy at a bookstore a couple of years back<br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b> Twenty-four years after her first novel, <i>Housekeeping</i>, Marilynne Robinson returns with an intimate tale of three generations from the Civil War to the twentieth century: a story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America's heart. Writing in the tradition of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, Marilynne Robinson's beautiful, spare, and spiritual prose allows "even the faithless reader to feel the possibility of transcendent order" (<i>Slate</i>). In the luminous and unforgettable voice of Congregationalist minister John Ames, Gilead reveals the human condition and the often unbearable beauty of an ordinary life.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b> I'm thinking 2015 might be the year of the sucker-punch novel. This is the fourth (maybe fifth?) novel that I've read this year that can best be described as leaving me feeling sucker-punched...in the best possible way.<br />
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The narrative structure of this novel is a Congregationalist minister who is nearing the end of his life writes a journal for his son, who is seven, so that someday the son can discover who his father truly was. In the course of writing the journal, the father reveals things about himself that no person could ever reveal through the medium of a conversation. I think when the son eventually reads this journal, he would learn more about his father than if he had spent a lifetime with him. The father also veers off into writing about his struggle with his feelings towards his godson--the wayward son of the minister's best friend, who suddenly and mysteriously reappears after a long absence.<br />
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As I read this novel, I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't reading something by Faulkner or Thomas Wolfe. Robinson has this masterful way of telling a story through small moments. At one point, I caught myself wondering when something was going to <i>happen</i>, but I quickly realized that she was writing about life, which is comprised of many small moments that amount to a large story.<br />
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This is the third novel in a row that I've read that deals with one human's ability to connect with another. In so many ways we are all alone on this journey through life, but through patience, forgiveness, and understanding, we can form connections with others.<br />
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I've got so many passages underlined. I quickly knew that I was absolutely hooked on this story, so I made sure that I had absolutely nothing planned on Thursday so that I could read all day. I didn't expect to finish over the course of two days, but I couldn't put it down. <br />
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Robinson is a truly beautiful and poetic writer who can pack a lot of emotion and understanding in her seemingly simple prose. I cannot wait to read the next two books in this set (and the fourth one that is supposedly coming).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-69349515623471209602015-04-10T09:00:00.000-05:002015-04-10T09:00:01.058-05:00Review of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1418767178l/22318578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1418767178l/22318578.jpg" width="139" /></a><b>Title:</b> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22318578-the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing</a></i><br />
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<b>Author:</b> Marie Kondo<br />
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<b>Publication Information:</b> October 2014 by Ten Speed Press<br />
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<b>How I Got This Book:</b> I purchased a copy at Barnes and Noble<br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b> Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?<br />
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Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).<br />
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With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b> I read this in one afternoon the day I bought it. At a couple of points I was almost in tears as I confronted thoughts about my stuff and my mess, but in a good way. Parts of the book felt like a therapy session or having a bottle of wine with a good friend and having a real and serious talk. I underlined something or some things on many pages.<br />
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Kondo walks the reader through the act of decluttering and storing one's personal items--clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items, and finally mementos. You pick up each item and determine whether it gives you joy. If so, you keep it. If not, you get rid of it. She preaches that you shouldn't have shame for getting rid of something that is lightly or not at all used. Sometimes the purpose of the object was to buy it and hang on to it for a while, but it's time to let it go. For someone who has tremendous guilt over getting rid of things I haven't used, I appreciated that. Once you determine what you are going to get rid of, she walks you through some advice on how to store each category of item.<br />
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This process could also be applied to kitchen gadgets and other stuff throughout the house.<br />
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She explicitly says to never ever take the liberty of going through and getting rid of someone else's stuff.<br />
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Her students have had tremendous success after following her method. And to date none have ever backslid into clutter.<br />
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I like that she doesn't prescribe how much stuff you should keep. She allows that different people have different interests and are bound to feel joy from owning more books or shoes or clothes than some other person. She also doesn't say that you need to get rid of so many items or so much percentage of each category. It's all up to you and your gut.<br />
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I like that she doesn't have you go out and buy various organizational implements. She says that at first you just need to get rid of stuff, then you store it and that happens all in one fell swoop. Frequently, you can find all the boxes and whatnot that you need already in your home, but in the cases where you can't, take some time to find boxes or whatever that you really and truly like otherwise you'll start the cycle of clutter over again.<br />
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I love that before you even start getting rid of stuff, she counsels you to envision the kind of space you are wanting to create and why. And add a couple of more whys as follow-up questions to your answers until you finally get to the ultimate reason--because it will make you happy. Every person is different, but by getting rid of their excess, we can all get to that point of happy and relaxed in our personal spaces.<br />
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I also love that you get the whole thing done in one marathon day of decluttering and storing. The important thing would be to make sure you donate what you're going to donate, recycle what you're going to recycle, and trash what you're going to trash immediately. So that you don't talk yourself into changing your mind and so that someone else doesn't either guilt you into keeping something or decide to take it for themselves (which would add to their personal clutter).<br />
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Now. The negatives about the book. At times it gets a little woowoo, such as thanking your possessions on a daily basis for doing what they need to do (I mean, I went ahead and tried thanking my bra last night as I got ready for bed, but I felt a little silly for saying "Thanks for supporting the team.") or unpacking your purse every single night when you get home in order to give it a rest. But other of her suggestions are totally worth trying, such as her folding techniques for various articles of clothing. <br />
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I absolutely plan on trying this next week when I have a couple of days off. The decluttering and storing part will get done the first day, but anything I decide to donate will likely have to wait until the next day to actually be dropped off, though we shall see.<br />
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If it works, I'll only have to do this once. :)<br />
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I'll absolutely write a post about the process when I do it. Hopefully there will be pictures!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4323379469576510613.post-44223486251004090012015-04-08T08:00:00.000-05:002015-04-08T08:00:09.414-05:00Review of Light in August by William Faulkner<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413212639l/975600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413212639l/975600.jpg" width="128" /></a><b>Title:</b> <i>Light in August</i><br />
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<b>Author:</b> William Faulkner<br />
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<b>Publication Information:</b> 1932<br />
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<b>How I Got This Book:</b> I bought it way back in the day in the Oprah's Book Club boxed set.<br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b> <i>Light in August</i>, a novel about hopeful perseverance in the face of mortality, features some of Faulkner’s most memorable characters: guileless, dauntless Lena Grove, in search of the father of her unborn child; Reverend Gail Hightower, who is plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen; and Joe Christmas, a desperate, enigmatic drifter consumed by his mixed ancestry.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b> I cannot freaking believe that it took me so long to read this novel!<br />
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Admittedly, it starts off (like many Faulkner novels) kind of slowly and erratically. You are introduced to these characters and you learn about them bit by bit, but you don't know why you're learning about them. Then it clicks. And speeds up. Though in true Faulknerian style, there is a lot of description and using of ten words to say one. (Sidenote--Does anyone else love the classic <a href="http://www.alternativereel.com/cult_fiction/display_article.php?id=0000000014" target="_blank">Hemingway-Faulkner</a> exchange of barbs as much as I do? [see number 8 on the list]) But that's OK. It's what I love about Faulkner, just as I love Hemingway's sparseness.<br />
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There were times I felt the need to read the Sparknotes to confirm what I had just read and make sure I hadn't missed anything important. And that was fine. As the novel progressed, I did that less and less.<br />
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This was another novel about human connection and interaction and how alone we can all sometimes be, which made it an interesting read coming on the heels of <i>The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter</i>. I'm really glad that I read those two so closely, to be honest. It was interesting to see how both authors dealt with the topic.<br />
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Three of your main characters--Lena, Hightower, and Christmas--are all following, hunting something and are also being chased or haunted by something. And it's interesting to see the way they all deal with that. My favorite way, of course, is that the journey is the journey and that's part of life.<br />
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Byron Bunch is an important character in the lives of the other three characters, but he's not mentioned in the synopsis, which is a shame.<br />
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Faulkner has some lovely and powerful passages in here. I particularly loved "Memory believes before knowing remembers. Believes longer than recollects, longer than knowing even wonders." <br />
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And I love how he switches to an unknown narrator to tell the last chapter. I think that distance, that inclusion of a stranger's perception of the character this chapter deals with, makes the novel. If he had used a close narrator, I think a lot of the point and power of the novel as a whole would have been lost.<br />
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This is a fantastic novel. It covers all of the topics that are still important today--race, sexuality, religion, class, and others. We all make decisions and sometimes there are good consequences, bad consequences, and unforeseen consequences--but that is life. And that is what this novel is ultimately about.<br />
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I still think <i>As I Lay Dying</i> might be my favorite Faulkner, but this is so far a close second. Fortunately, I have tons more Faulkner to read to see how that may or may not change.<br />
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Lastly, I am very proud of myself and <a href="http://litandlife.blogspot.com/2015/04/light-in-august-by-william-faulkner.html" target="_blank">Lisa</a> for finally finishing a buddy read. Go us!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907103608219409516noreply@blogger.com3