Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays! Ir's Christmas Eve and I'm sitting on my wonderfully comfortable couch listening to my boyfriend tell me who the Packers could possibly play in the playoffs after their bye week. I still am working and actually only have a 3 day work week this next week, which comes after a 4 day weekend. Pure awesomeness.

I managed to read only 13 books this year. Horrible - especially for someone who claims to love reading as much as I do. I obviously overestimated how little time I would actually have to read once I got a job. So for 2012, I am definitely going to have to modify my reading goal. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to set that goal at yet, but I will definitely be thinking about it.

Peace and Love

There's no way....

So there is no way that I am going to be able to reach my goal (again) of reading 75 books this year. Since I started working, I feel like I barely have any time to read and since I subscribed to three more magazines, bringing the number of magazines I read a month to 5 (if you only count titles, as Time comes out with a magazine weekly), I feel like I am constantly trying to catch up. I know it probably comes down to time and I am not making excuses - just knowing that I would virtually have to read 24 hrs a day to reach my goal is something that isn't very plausible, especially since I have been working overtime for the last couple of days. The good news is that I don't have any plans this weekend, and I would love to spend most of it reading.

I've been feeling incredibly busy and almost rushed. I know that I am making some decisions that are putting me in that position, but at the same time, this sleep apnea is starting to really take hold. 7 hours used to be enough sleep - even restful sleep. But for a while now, it doesn't matter how long I sleep - I never feel rested. I've tried the CPAP machine, and now there aren't too many other options left besides major surgery that would change the way I look or trying to lose weight. I know that I have to start somewhere and that means that I have got to find some way to get motivated to exercise. If nothing else, I need to start doing some resistance training to tone my muscles so that I can speed up my metabolism. I keep saying that I'm going to start, but I never do. I make excuses and haven't started yet. So come Monday, after all of the craziness of optional overtime is done, I'm done making excuses.

Peace and Love

Curious case of...Enjoying housework?

I recently finished a book called " The Stepford Wives" by Ira Levin, a book that has spawned at least two movies and countless opinions (at least going through my mind) on how a society could possibly change a person in such a short period of time. For those of you that have not read this book or seen either of the movies, the books follows a Joanna and her family as they move to a suburb called Stepford. Joanna is a laid back, seemingly normal woman who is all of a sudden surrounded by women who seem to do nothing but housework and caring for their families, while their husbands work and enjoy evenings at the Men's Association, located in a vacant mansion high up on a hill. It seems as though something is amiss in this quaint little town, as two of Joanna's friendly, outgoing friends soon become like the rest of the wives after spending weekends alone with their husbands. It makes no sense what is going on in this town and the answer is never quite identifiable as to what is going on, thus leaving the ending a little more vague than I would like. The book itself is an incredibly good read, and while I had read it before, quite a while ago, I still found it highly enjoyable. Definitely worth checking out - maybe someone can figure out a little more about what was the cause of the mysterious ways of the woman than I could.

Peace and Love!

Book Overload

I am apparently horrible at keeping up with blog posts, especially after every time that I read a book. I recently finished three books, although I was not reading them all at the same time. I used to try and read multiple books at once, but I found that I couldn't get as engrossed in them as much as I wanted to.

So I finished "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis, which I have wanted to read since before the movie came out. I admit that I did see the movie before reading the book and while I thought the movie was incredible, reading the book had so much more depth to it. I also realize that a movie can only go so far as far as depth is concerned, plus movies can be slightly sensationalized. As far as I am concerned, this book brings so much more to the story of Michael Oher. While it describes his story, it also bring football history into the mix. The entire book isn't about Michael Oher. It bring into the forefront the history of the blind side tackle (most often the left tackle) and how the importance of that position came to be. It taught me some incredible lessons about football in general. I bet you didn't know that at one time during the early 1940's (if I remember correctly), roughing the passer was ENCOURAGED! It's pretty amazing to think not only how much the sport has evolved, but also the brutality that early players put their bodies through. Definitely a book worth reading, especially if you are a football fan.

I next read "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. I have to admit that I was hesitant to read this book, as I am skeptical of anyone who writes that they have been to Heaven in a near death experience. But this story seemed to be a little different. This story is about a boy, who at the age of 4 (he's 11 or 12 now) had to have an appendectomy after his appendix had ruptured and been filling his body with poison for 5 days, due to a misdiagnosis from a doctor stating it was the stomach flu. During the time that he was in surgery, he states that he went to Heaven and experienced a multitude of things, all happening in 3 minutes. The things that he recalls to his parents that are directly related to them are incredible because they are things that he could not have possibly know. For instance, while he was in surgery, he knew exactly where his parents were and what they were doing. His father had never told his about his great grandfather Pop, but this young boy has met him. His mother also never told him about a miscarriage that she had (how would a 4 year old be able to comprehend that), but he comes to her one day and says that he has 2 sisters. He does have 1 sister, which his mother corrects him on and he then proceeds to tell her that she lost a baby - his mother had never know it was a girl - and that he met her too. He talks about things that no 4 year old would know about in the Bible, and details upon details that can be found in the scriptures. The fact that this took place at such a young age and are about such mature subjects made me a little less cynical about this particular book. In fact, I ended up loving it because it gave me hope - a real sense of the possibilities that I have to look forward to.

Lastly, I read "A Stolen Life" by Jaycee Dugard. If you haven't heard her story, she was kidnapped in June of 1991 at the age of 11, kept in a stranger's backyard, rapped, and disengaged from the outside world. While in captivity, she gave birth to two daughters, and was forbidden from acknowledging who she really was. At the age of 29, her years stuck in run down shacks in the backyard of a convicted sex offender were over. She was reunited with her family, who welcomed her and her daughters with outstretched arms. I had heard about the story throughout the years, that people will still searching for her. Once she decided to tell her story, I watched a special interview that she did with Diane Sawyer, which opened my eyes. My friend got the book and encouraged me to read it, which included gory details that I can't even wrap my mind around. Throughout her life, she always carried one thing with her: Hope. The hope that she would get through this situation and eventually see her mother again. What may be one of the saddest parts about the story is that since Phillip Garrido (her captor) was on parole, parole officers came to check the property and make sure nothing was amiss. In fact, parole officers visited the Garrido home 60 TIMES during the time that Jaycee Dugard was held there and as noted in the book, even saw her there, and did absolutely nothing. This book will open your eyes to the struggle that this once teenager, and now 31 year old woman went through and how she kept hope alive.

Peace and Love

Compromise

It's been awhile since I have written, mostly for the reason that I started a new job at the beginning of May, but also because I have been lazy. Lazy when it comes to not only reading, but keeping up on this blog. Today, President Obama held a special news conference that seems to be about ways that we need to tackle the deficit. While I did not catch the beginning of the press conference, I did catch a little bit about President Obama speaking about compromise that needs to take place between the parties. This is a subject that needs to take place not only in our Congress and in our government at all levels, but also in professional sports, especially the NFL and NBA with their current lockouts while they work on collective bargaining agreements. It lead me to think -- is it truly possible that our Congress can put aside their differences long enough to do something that will benefit almost everyone in our country? There are always going to be those who aren't happy and there are always going to be those who disagree with the opinions and ideas of others. But is it possible that money (in the case of the NFL and NBA) can be the secondary of issues while putting fans as the number one priority? Without fans, do they really think that they are going to make money, or at least as much as they could? Is it possible that money (in the case of Congress) can be taken seriously to help our country realize that we need the mentality that we shouldn't spend more than we can afford? The questions blur together, but always come back to one thing, one of the seven deadly sins: greed.

While I wanted to get that opinion out, since this blog is supposed to be about more than just books, I did recently finish a book. "Loser Queen" by Jodi Lynn Anderson. What makes this book pretty cool is that when she was first writing this book, she took most of it to the web, creating a webpage where at the end of every couple of chapters, she would let the readers chose what direction the story went in. The majority of votes would be the direction that the book went in. She would then post the next couple of chapters within a week or two, and the process continued. But she didn't divulge the entire book (why would people buy it then), leaving most of us anxiously waiting for the release of the book. When it finally came out, months later, I bought it and read it from the beginning, even though I had already read (and helped decide) most of the plot. But finally getting the entire story made me feel like the wait had been worth it. While I am no longer a teenager, and it does take place in the teenage years, it was an enjoyable read - one that I would recommend to teenagers and adults alike. Definitely a book worth an A+.

Peace and Love

Chirp Chirp

As I sit here writing this, I can hear the song of birds outside my window. I have faintly heard their songs for the last couple of days, but didn't really pay any attention to it until this morning. For some strange reason, the sound of birds chirping away invigorated me. It hit a part of me that I didn't expect it to. I'm not really sure if it is the reminder of warmer weather, of a beautiful spring, or if it is something more - maybe the sound reminds me of a new beginning.

I've been trying to figure out a lot of things in my life for quite some time, and it only recently became crystal clear what I want to do as far as a career: psychology. I have applied to go back to college, although getting some transcripts sent over could present a slight problem, but the fact that I finally have something concrete in my mind that I want to do is something huge for me. During the last four years or so, very few things have felt concrete. My relationship with my boyfriend is one of those things and now a career path. I think that I am learning that there is more that I can control in my life than what I cannot. I can't control my migraines, but I can control what I can and cannot do while I have them. I've been learning that while this is something that I am living with, and it does take over a huge part of my life based on what I am able to do or not do until we find a successful treatment, I can control how I treat myself and others while I have them. I shouldn't be beating myself up over them (since I have no control) and I shouldn't take my frustrations out on others either.

I think the sound of chirping birds has given me a little clarity this morning. For some reason, the sound gives me hope. The songs that they sing remind me of the detail and precision with which God created them (and everything else in our world). So many stresses and complex things happen throughout our lives, but sometimes, it's the simplest of sounds that remind us that things will work out if we just have a little faith and hope.

Over a flippin month!

Alright, I have to admit that I didn't think that I would possibly go this long without writing. My head is running with thoughts as usual, wondering and contemplating things that don't really matter. As much as I think about things that I can't control, isn't it a good thing that we can sometimes (or at least I can sometimes) think about things that just don't make any sense or have nothing to do with anything going on with anything. While I have spent some time watching the wonderful series of Sex and the City, I've noticed that a lot of the dating situations that can take place in someone's life are nothing like what has happened in mine. I can't say that I have ever been in an actual "dating" situation. I'm dating of course, but it's a serious, long term, monogamous relationship where I am actually part of a couple - not a situation where I am just getting to know someone and am actually going out on dates. I feel like I could be living vicariously through the character of Carrie Bradshaw. Watching that show and thinking about how my life has been with relationships, it has made me wonder: What is the dating norm these days? Is there a certain way that we are suppose to date someone or are we all so completely different from each other in our dating rituals?