Book Chatter

Remember THIS POST in which I confessed to having a crush on a fictional teenage boy character in Kristen Simmons' Article 5? Well today I am on a mission to enter as many giveaways for a free Advanced Reader Copy of book two, Breaking Point. If, somehow, you win and I don't, you should at least pass along your copy to me after!

In other book news, I am currently reading Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Many people had recommended it and now I see why. It's a little different fare; not dystopian so much. It has a feel of Renaissance but there are also special powers involved. And of course a love interest with some expected twists-separation, caring for others, etc. The author has two other books out that, if what I have read is correct, are not so much sequels as companions. They focus on different characters but pull old friends back into the mix. So you can read each separately but would be enriched by reading them all. So I will do that.

Also, Reached by Allie Conde comes out in less than two weeks. I didn't looooove Matched and Crossed but I liked them and am certainly invested in the storyline. She did all the right things to follow the typical dystopian love triangle thing and as much as that can be listed as a downfall, let's be real, it's also what works and I like it so I have to be fair. I am excited to see how the finale of the trilogy plays out with reunited lovers and twists I can't even guess at yet. I went so far as to pre-order it through Amazon so it will show up on my door on Tuesday November 13th, just in case I don't get to the bookstore.

And while it's not YA or dystopian, I have R.L.Stine's Red Rain on hold for me at the library. How fitting that I pick it up on Halloween? I credit R.L.Stine with getting me interested in reading as a pre-teen and I am excited for his cliff hanger writing style to be translated to a more adult version of horror writing. I hear there are creepy twins. I'm in!

So what are you reading?

Happiness Is....

What do I write about most often? Things that relieve my stress, which tends to mostly be created at work. We call stress relievers "self-care" and, as cheesy as it sounds, it's actually an important thing to think about every single day, no matter what you call it. If you don't refill your proverbial tank, there is no way to be happy in the long term. And isn't that what we are all seeking, ultimately? Happiness.

So for me, a few things that relieve stress and I tend to write about a lot are reading, traveling, reality tv, and spending time with friends.For the 4th of July holiday, I took an extra couple of days off from work and was able to cover most of these bases. Here's a little recap:

Reading: I read "Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver this week. She also writes the Delirium trilogy. All are young adult books but I think that's what makes them as yummy and addictive as gummy bears. Characters in high school are so relateable because we have all been through similar ups and downs and at the heart, they are all about identity and I think identity is something we spend a lifetime honing. I have been on such a dystopian kick that I actually had this book for months before finally giving it my attention. I think I read one too many dystopians and just needed a break and I could not be more pleased with this book. If you have ever visited the site www.foreveryoungadult.com (which you should), you might be familiar with the term "TEABS" The End of an Awesome Book Syndrome. I totally had that last night as I cried at least three times while reading the last chapter and felt a little hollow when it was done so I had to keep the book near me, almost to visually trick myself that I still had more to read and wasn't totally disconnected from the characters.

Traveling: I didn't get to officially travel this weekend. However, the pictures from my trip to Atlantic City two weekends ago were finally released by the team photographer and I got to live some moments over again as I scrolled through them, which was pretty awesome. It was a girl posse trip, for a friends bachelorette party and you know I think girl posses are the best way to travel!

Reality TV: It was really beautiful outside and there were lots of fun things going on to celebrate Independence Day so I didn't do a lot of tv watching. I do think I caught up on HGTV's Design Star and decided that I just can't stay committed to Pregnant in Heels even though it's a really cute show.

Time with Friends: This is really where I excelled this week. 
On Wednesday, to celebrate the holiday, I went to a friend's house. The group is one filled with people I have known since high school and it's really cool to see people as the evolve through life. Seeing people who you used to party with parent their children is just precious. They also live on the water and when it got dark the whole neighborhood gathered, along with people on boats, to watch as a few local houses set off town display grade fireworks and people passed out glow sticks and sparklers. 
On Thursday my bestie came to my parents pool for some down home relaxing and sun worshiping. I headed out in the late afternoon to get a long awaited massage. AHHHHH.
Friday I drove to Salem, MA, home of the witches:) My life long partner in crime/maid of honor was in town from St. Louis so it was great to spend some time with her and her family. I so appreciate that I love her family just as much as I love her and it felt great to be with such warm people.
Saturday was the best as I went to my cousin's raucous cookout. It's my favorite party of the year! There are so many eclectic people and the family gets to sit down and share stories. Days like that just can't be replaced. Then I went out with another set of friends to watch the UFC Pay Per View. It was a late night but a great fight night. I'm kind of manly in my passion for MMA fighting:)
And then Sunday....a day to regroup. To reflect.

It's amazing to me how just a few days off from work can make such a huge, rejuvenating difference. And it matters less where you are than who you are surrounded by. And that it's so easy to get happy.

It's here!

Book Boyfriends

1. I hate that Facebook sends me a text message when I try to log in from a "new device". Really?? My home computer that is 2.5 years old and way too slow is new to you?

2. I am not digging the new blogger interface. Maybe if I took the time to read about it I wouldn't be so cranky about it but I'm here to write, not to read. I totally sound like one of those people complaining about a new Facebook layout and "how can I get back the old version?". I think with Blogger there's actually a way but, again, that would require work I am not yet willing to expend. Complaining is so much easier. It's always been my go-to first course of action. People love that about me.

3. I found a new book boyfriend this weekend. His name is Chase Jennings and he lives in the book Article 5. I wrote a long,enthusiastic review on Goodreads already. You can find it here. If that let's you into my personal Goodreads page, my bad. If you want to impersonate me as a reader, at least make me look smart, please. But back to the important stuff: this book was radtastic. It was one of those books that makes you sad when you are finished because you like "spending time" with the characters so much. I didn't love the lead girl, Ember, so much. Her thought process was all wrong a lot of the time but it created more tension. In my review I likened it to Rhett and Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, how you just want to shake them and make them communicate more effectively and stop hurting each other. The lead male, my favorite book boyfriend to date, Chase, was just yummy. Surly and strong yet wounded and sensitive. Standing up for his girl and caring for her more than himself. That's the way it should be done!

4. Now I'm just killing time until Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent by Veronica Roth, arrives on my doorstep on Tuesday. I like the boyfriend in that, too. Four. For how many fears he has. I hate most of the character names in young adult books. I think that trend has something to do with all the weird names kids get now, an attempt by their parents to make them unique. As someone with a non-traditional name (but in a Golden Girls, old lady way and not a state-turned-name-replacing-an-i-with-a-y kind of name way), I will tell you that it's really frustrating as a kid to go to the dollar store or the Christmas Tree Shoppe and to not be able to find a pen/mug/key chain with your name on it. I think I have gone on this rant here before so I apologize....the scars of youth surface so quickly:) Anyway, I kind of like the name Four, contrary to all logic I just stated. And I like the character Four and am looking forward to him filling the book boyfriend spot on Tuesday that Chase left vacant this afternoon.

5. Maybe I will only write numbered posts from now on. They are good for my brain.

Friday Thoughts

I'd like to start one of those "Thankful Thursday" or "Favorites Fridays" kinds of posts but I know as soon as I did, I would forget to post the following week and would feel too guilty and it would never work. Therefore, today you will get a jumble of list like items that I might have wanted to tell you about if I were able to gather all my thoughts consistently on one day of the week.

Also, I'd like to express my shame and sorrow at being the worst about posting travel pictures. When I am traveling, I am often thinking of how great it will be to blog about x,y, or z. But then I get home and life happens and it sweeps away all my good intentions. At least I have all these fun pictures, cool experiences, and totally accurate opinions to one day share with the world.

My most recent adventure was NYC last weekend. I firmly believe that it takes your next trip to make you fully appreciate your last trip and that was 100% the case for me. Being in New York made me able to complete some thoughts I had about Paris and fully form my experience of it. The two cities are similar in many ways so it was easy to draw comparisons. One area that NY wins, hands down? Pizza! I've been in search of the perfect fresh mozzarella Neapolitan in the Boston area since my return. (To be fair and give Paris an area in which it deserves a gold star, their Metro system is the most user friendly public transportation I have ever met. I kind of miss it.)

So I have been home recuperating from a little minor surgery this week and when I am not dozing from the meds, I have watched about a zillion episodes of Storage Wars, finished another YA novel, and discovered an amazing new website I need to share with you. It's called Forever Young Adult and it's for readers who are "a little more A and a little less Y". Perfect! They review all sorts of YA novels in a very cute way, rating whether the lead character is bff worthy, how swoonworthy the romance is and how intense of a relationship they want to have with this book. For example, they want to be buried with the Hunger Games while they just have summer flings with other books. Meanwhile, the book I finished was Birthmarked and I kind of wanted to leave it out in the rain when I was done. Too bad it the sky was clear.

In a final thought before I go consume a good portion of a pint of Ben and Jerry's Late Night Snack, I want to just express gratitude for my faith community. I really wish everyone had one because they are so helpful! Not only have they brought lots of great meals and daily homemade bread but daily visits and check ins have made what could have been a boring week much more pleasant. I love that an experience that most people view as negative such as surgery can turn into a great week for me!

My Hunger Games Movie Review: Part 2

After listing all the things I thought could have been done better in the Hunger Games movie, I felt a little bad. It's not a fair representation to list only the criticism. I guess I embrace the nay-saying comments more strongly because so many people really loved the movie and I don't feel it is deserving of such strong praise. But to balance out my gloomy Gus-ness of yesterday, today I will put a Pollyanna spin on the movie and list the things that were done really well.

1. Behind the scene of the Games. Hands down, this is what the movie did the best. Even better than the book, really, although maybe that's just my imagination's fault. I knew the games themselves were ripe for development on the big screen but was extra impressed with the communication of how the gamemakers manipulated the environment. The creation of the muttations was a highlight for me.
2. The Violence of the Games. A lot of people had opinions about this matter, especially curiosity before the movie was released. How do you show kids dying on screen in a tasteful way? They nailed this. The chaotic music, the screams, the blank eyes and yet only one image that sticks out in my mind as graphic. This was a tough one to balance and I think a middle ground was perfectly struck.
3. Peeta's camouflage. This detail, alone, might be enough rationale to make books into movies and balances out at least half of my negative comments from yesterday's post. The richness of the visual is what movies are all about and on screen this detail really came alive for me.
4. Katniss's dress. Another visual detail that only the big screen can really make you wrap your head around. I appreciated that it was not over the top.
5. Lenny Kravitz. He was just so good to look at. Enough said.

Photo credit to Lionsgate

6. Stanley Tucci. His look, his smile, his interviews. It just all felt right. In fact, I think he was way stronger than either of the leads when it came to the interviews. I absolutely adored when he appeared in the woods in Katniss's hallucination; it was so Willy Wonka-esque. He was over the top in the right way.

As a final note, I can't add Jennifer Lawrence to either list and I think that's noteworthy. Going into the movie theater, I had a lot of doubts about her as Katniss. Having seen her at the premiere and on magazine covers, she didn't appeal to me as an actress as the person to play such a pared down, humble character. She dresses and presents herself as more sexy than I would like a young adult female lead to model for the target demographic. Admittedly, I like the Twilight books and movies, too and feel I have been spoiled by the fact that Kristen Stewart and her character Bella seem relatively interchangeable. But when all was said and done, Lawrence did a decent job with the role and it's not part of her job to appear a certain way outside of filming.

I'd love to hear your opinions about the goods, the bads, and the Capital fashions!

My Hunger Games Movie Review: Part 1

What did Siskel and Ebert call their movie reviews? Because it feels pretty lame-o to title this blog post "Hunger Games Movie Review". So uncool that I smiled and it felt hipster cool. Funny how that works.

But let's get down to the meat of things since this review is already nearly a month after the movie's release date. To people who read the series, the movie is still relevant even if it's a few weeks old so I still feel within my limits to rant about it.

The best way I can sum up my feelings about the movie is to say that I loved it the way that you love an alcoholic parent; it's all you've got so you cling to it. The Hunger Games trilogy of books were some of my favorites ever. Classical literature? Perhaps not. But compulsively readable? Totally! I legit locked myself in a spare room with snacks so I could totally focus (and keep my energy up) for hours at a time. I remember finishing one of them at like 2 am and instead of finally going to sleep, I went downstairs to retrieve the next one and start in on that. The point is I loved those books, the storyline, the characters... and I was pumped to see it come to the big screen.

Image from IMDB

I saw the movie three times. First, I took a day off from work and went with my cousin who had also read the books. We talked about book/movie comparisons enough to get shushed by the old lady in front of us. I almost threw down but I didn't want to miss any of the movie. My first impression was mostly positive because I really wanted to like it. The second time I went with a friend who had also already seen the movie. It was playing in the 21+ theater that includes popcorn and soda and we were hungry and thirsty and seeking some escapism. It was then that I started to dislike the movie. The third time I went with my husband who did NOT read the books and I wanted to see if he understood the flow or if he would want to read the books after. There were some pretty big gaps in the relationship development and I wanted to see how he perceived it all. I also wanted to see if he jumped when the muttations came out of the woods. He was a wonderful test subject and didn't disappoint on any of the test variables.

So what's so hard to love about this movie? This requires a list.
1. Katniss and Peeta's young love. Let's just start with the biggest. The development of this relationship is pretty essential to the whole series so to mess that up feels like a big deal to me. I felt like the movie didn't make Katniss's ambivalence clear enough or explain it enough. In the book, it's much more clear that she is playing up the romance based on Haymitch's advice but that gets really glossed over in the movie.
2. Rue and Katniss's relationship. To be fair, the movie did a good job conveying the grief Katniss felt about Rue. I think this issue was more about time; the inevitable lack of time a movie has to get across so many nuances. There wasn't enough time in the movie to give a lot of air to create more depth to this relationship. However, it could have been more spelled out that Rue reminded Katniss of her sister.
3. Haymitch's air time. Woody makes a great Haymitch, don't get me wrong. While I read it, I pictured more of a Robert Downey, Jr, to be honest but I was not disappointed with the casting choice. Nor can I justifiably complain about how  he played the role or developed the character. There were just a few more details that felt important to me while reading the book that were omitted. Again, I recognize that the movie had quite an undertaking to capture the whole story and edits were needed. That being said, Haymitch falling off the stage and then when Peeta put him to bed so Katniss didn't have to felt like they would have been easy enough additions. Especially the putting to bed part because it helped develop the relationship between Peeta and Katniss.
4. The reaping. Two things about this, one of which is partially resolved. The clothing and setting seemed very antiquated. A futuristic setting was not translated. Even in a really poor community, I would think the hand-me-down clothing would be more from our current day and age than what appeared to be from the 50's. And the black and white pictures?? This is the one that is partially resolved for me, though, because my husband hypothesized that simple, handmade clothing would be cheaper as would non-colored photography so that was what I was seeing. I'll take it.
The one that is not yet resolved for me is when Katniss volunteers in the book, Effie makes a bigger statement about participation in the games being an honor and that she didn't want her sister to steal the glory. A little detail, a simple scripted line, but it really drove home the Capital's lack of understanding the population, an especially valuable point in relating the Capital to our own government and times when the collective "we" don't feel we are represented.
5. Gale and Katniss. Well, Gale at all. He was good to look at but we didn't see much of him. And for  my taste, the feeling that the two were romantically involved was more strong than I took away from the book. This relationship will also be key in subsequent movies so I am curious as to how it will be handled.
6. President Snow. He was a villian in this movie in a clearer way than I felt when reading the book. And so many of those conversations didn't actually happen. To be honest, I don't know totally why some of them were added to the movie. Some, I know, were added to move the plot along but others could have been omitted to make more room for some of the things I listed above.

Ok, so this is really long and I haven't told you the positives yet. I'm just being a Negative Nancy and that's not fair because, overall, I am still really grateful for the movie. I enjoyed the hype and will still be super excited for #2. Despite the myriad of evidence in this post to the contrary, I'm not mad at how the movie came out, overall. Which makes me think that tomorrow's post will tell you all the things I enjoyed about the movie. Because I'm a glass half full kind of gal and want to leave you on a high note:)

Book Crack

The way I usually feel about travel is the way I am currently feeling about books. My inbox is usually very full of travel deal emails that I enjoy pouring over when I need to decompress. Lately, though, my most exciting emails are my Goodreads updates, the Barnes and Noble "What we've been reading", and the Amazon price alerts for deals on books on my wishlist.

I fully confess that I am way too into young adult dystopian novels, especially trilogies, right now. Why are they all trilogies?? And because they are fast reads, I am more frequently in search of my next fix. I read other people's reviews and keep a lengthy to-read list, doing my research the way I would if I were searching out a good hotel for a trip. Ok, I admit it. Even more than I would do for a hotel.

It's actually been really enlightening to note that I go on book theme kicks the same way I do with certain foods. In college I was obsessed with red Jello-they kind you buy premade, not the looser kind you mix yourself. I loved it and ate at least one a day, often washed down with red Kool Aid, another kick at the time. It was a very distinct time and then it just ended. I very rarely have Jello or Kool Aid anymore (that line would fit perfectly in an elementary school kid's primer, huh? because I think they are the only people who should really be uttering such a statement).

Historical fiction, specifically English Tudor court history was a big kick for a while. It was my red jello. I read Philippa Gregory like she was a guru. I wrote her book release dates in my calendar and made sure to work a trip to the bookstore in on those days. Now, I just pre-ordered Insurgent, the follow up to Divergent by Veronica Roth, to get delivered to my door the day it comes out. Clearly, I am regressing and morphing into a 14 year old girl again. Which reminds me that I still want to write about my thoughts on the Hunger Games movie!....expect that tomorrow:)

Catching up...I seem to need to do this a lot

I haven't written a post in forever but it's not for lack of thinking about it!
First, I spent a week in Paris. I don't like to publicize my trips before I go just for home security and such so I couldn't share all of my excitement leading up to what I considered the trip of a lifetime. I had been dreaming about all that Paris would be since middle school. Well, it wasn't all that I dreamed it would be. It was different than I expected but once I let that settle in, Paris was certainly charming and I am looking forward to sharing pictures and writing much more about which sites I think you could bypass and which excursions are not to be missed.
When I first returned home from my trip, I was hit with some challenging news that would impact family finances. So another big trip may not be in the cards for 2012....although I won't rule anything out yet!
Then I started writing a review of the Hunger Games movies. And even though it will be stunningly outdated by the time I post it, I still plan to. It brought up a lot of feelings for me as I looooved the book series and was so curious to see how it would translate on screen.
But I am finally here now and as superficial as this post may be, it's  my entry back into blogging. Just laying the ground work to start sharing my thoughts again......
So happy day after Easter! And we will be conversing again soon!

Random Updates

1. For Valentines Day Hubby made me chocolate covered strawberries. I am kind of the devil in the morning, as I have previously noted, so I was grumpy when he woke up at 6:15 am and grumpier as he tried to find clothes. I'm almost certain I expressed said grumpiness. A couple hours later as I was beginning to stir, I yelled at him for still being home. In my world, I sleep until the absolute last moment I can, having factored in the exact time it will take to shower, make food, etc and get to work so I don't understand how he gets out of bed only to be awake at the house! Turns out on this morning he was downstairs hand dipping fruit for me to wake up to. So cute!
2. I pulled off my Valentines Day gift, too. I don't have any pictures right now and my finished product is nowhere near as picture worthy as the one on the original blog I found the idea on but I was still proud. The original idea included sanding the cards to make them look vintage, which I skipped. It also included printing the reasons you love the person (and I figured out the 52 reasons were not for the weeks of the year but for the cards in the deck) out on cardstock via an excel spreasheet or something. I also skipped that because it's not my skillset or style. So I bough name tag badges and stuck them on the cards and hand wrote my reasons. Problem is the name tags came in sets of 25 so I could only write up 50 reasons (it wasn't just that I didn't want to buy the third pack of nametags; they were out! I swear!). I ended up having to go to 2 different stores to get my single hole puncher and my book rings, both of which were like 4 times the cost at Office Max, where I ended up, than they were at Target, which was sold out. My hand really started to hurt from all that punching but I was so excited to share my 50 reasons that I busted through it.
3. I randomly found a West Elm store in my area...the place that sells the antlers. I feel really lucky to have seen them in person because it answered any lingering questions. The larger ones look really cool but the smaller ones, aka anything less than like $75, looked weak. And they felt weak. Like if I dropped them they might disintegrate.
4. Having not given a book update in a while, I can say that's because I haven't been wowed lately. I just finished Matched and Crossed. They were really hyped up and I'm just not sure why. They feel a lot more focused on the romance than the dystopian society. I liked them but they weren't the kinds of books that make you want to cancel plans to keep reading.
That's it for updates today!

Maze Runner: A Book Report

Maybe I should just start a book blog because when I start reading a book or a series that I like, I can't help but talk about it. Everywhere.
Actually, it's one of the things that has created such a passionate love/hate relationship with me and reading. I have to be absolutely engrossed in a book to keep reading it most of the time. Either that or it just painfully drags along for months. When I am so into the book, though, it kind of takes over my life. It's all I think about. All I want to do. I stay up way too late at night so I can find out what happens in the next chapter and then am tired the next day for work. Often, I actually carry the book with me in case I can steal a few minutes to read. I'm guessing this is how crack addicts feel about their drug.
My current addiction is James Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy. Ever since being totally sucked in to The Hunger Games trilogy last year, I have found that young adult series are where it's at for me. The language and storyline are cleaner (as much as I love Philippa Gregory and historical fiction, sometimes they just throw extraneous sex scenes in there for the heck of it!) AND they have that page turner quality I remember from being a kid, reading R.L. Stine horrors; every chapter ends with a cliffhanger and you just. have. to. keep. reading!




and here's an Amazon link to this book 

your final Amazon link  

I grabbed The Maze Runner last Friday to keep me company while I waited for someone in court; I really just needed a paperback instead of the hardcover I had been reading. The first 40 pages didn't wow me but once I was able to sit down and give this my full attention and a larger chunk of time, I was hooked. I spent most of Christmas Eve not wrapping like I should have been but laying in bed, devouring this book. On Christmas morning, even though my Hubby got me the book I asked for, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the next book in the series, which I hadn't known to ask for. It's similar to The Hunger Games in the dystopian society and the set up of trials the characters are exposed to but the setting and story are very different and it has lots of twists to keep it exciting.
 

The day after Christmas, I ran to the store to get the next installation. The setting for this one has changed from the first book but we get to follow a number of our favorite characters, while new ones are also introduced. I am still in the middle of this one but, like the first, it has twists and turns that keep me wanting to read. Similar to the second book in The Hunger Games, the second book has a different tone because the characters have greater insight into what is happening to them so the tone of the book is different, maybe darker. 
 

I don't even own The Death Cure yet. I don't trust myself to have it in the house while I am reading #2 because I know I would want to peak ahead. That's how much I want to know what's going to happen.

My point: Run out and buy these books. Read them quickly, as you will want to. Then let me know what you think about them. I need someone to talk with about my theories!

Oprah: The Ultimate Achievement

The Lost Girls, who write a blog about three friends traveling and a book about the same (here), posted a link to an article by Oprah today that I felt the need to pass along. It comes on the heels of me and a friend having a recent conversation about how recognition from Oprah has become a sign that you really made it for women of our generation. Whether you like her or not, there's some little part of you that wants to be unique enough, special enough, amazing enough, inspirational enough, innovative enough to be invited to be a guest on Oprah's couch. To have her proclaim to the world that you are just wonderful. Look what it did for all those authors?! And Dr.Phil. And Nate Berkus or whatever his last name is (the point is Target carries his line now and the only thing more universally great than Oprah may be Target).

Once, I actually tried to contact Oprah. This is such an embarrassing story because it's super dorky to think you have an Oprah worthy enough idea that you actually research how to contact her. Do you think all the super special people she had on contacted her or were they humbly sitting at home not even expecting her adoration? They would like you to believe the latter but we all know it takes some good PR to make yourself known to the most influential woman on television. (Let's not even delve into her leaving her show and starting her own network). So anyway, back to my budding friendship with Oprah.....I admit that I was one of the people who loved Oprah's book club. I may not have liked every book but it was a good guide and I read quite a few of them. Around the same time, shortly after college I got a job as a case manager at a homeless shelter that housed women and their children. I truly wanted to mix things up and bring some valuable groups and programming to the organization. Here is where I bring it full circle, guys: I decided to start a book group with the homeless women using Oprah's recommended books!! While a local bookseller was kind enough to donate some books and I was able to create a library, it was much harder to get a number of the same book so we could all read the same thing at the same time and then get together to talk about it. This is where Oprah comes in!! I reached out to "her people", I think via email or something which, at the time, was as good as it got. Here I am thinking, "Oprah is going to eat this up! Book club, homeless mothers!".........

I have to trail off because the reality is just too bleak. Not only did I never get invited to the couch but no one ever responded and even sent me any books for my book club. Sad, right? I know you feel a little heavier in your heart right now and I thank you for your sympathy.

My rejection aside, time has passed and I can accept that Oprah is a busy lady and "her people" probably didn't give her the memo or I would be writing a very different version of this story to be featured in this month's "O" magazine. Since I am confident in that knowledge and I still dream of Oprah starting her show again and somehow shining through in some area and being recognized with the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon someone, I can still enjoy the wisdom that Oprah emanates. And so I give to you The-Top-20-Things-Oprah-Knows-for-Sure. (#s4 and 8 are my favorites).

Today's recommendations

In line with my decision to deviate from my mold of themed blog posts, today I bring you a medley of my thoughts.

• A coworker loaned me a copy of The Immortal life of HEnrietta LAcks. Although I just finished a book I had been sluggishly wading through for months and was really excited to start the newest release from Philippa Gregory about the War of the Roses, I had this one with me while I had to wait at the hair salon the other day and it sucked me in. Pretty much every other chapter is the more science focused information and some of that can be skimmed over a bit, in my opinion. It's interesting but I don't want to get bogged down in all the names and every little detail and new invention. The part I am loving is learning about who Henrietta Lacks was and about her family. Actually, I'm probably even more drawn to the broader racial points the book notes, especially they way races were still separated and people liked it that way, even during  my lifetime! I had a similar realization with The Help as I talked with an older woman who grew up in New England and said her experience of racial conflict in that time frame was very different than it was described in the book, which, of course, took place in the South. However, this book is not fiction. It just awes me to draw the parallels in the time frames being discussed of what was happening in the lives of my mother or my siblings or, like I said, even myself as the story moves into the 90's. It's truly almost hard to imagine that life could have been so different in two different places, not so far apart, within the same country. If you are interested, here is a link to Amazon to read more about the book.
• Yesterday was one of those Dr. Suess days. A terrible, no good day. From feeling sick to finding lots of money missing from my bank account to my car needing to go into the shop and not being able to make it to work, I felt a bit doomed. However, like trials usually do, it helped me appreciate the things that worked well. I was so grateful for my community yesterday. Proud to be a townie!! To mend the money mystery, I talked to people at my local credit union who were super helpful and supportive. It was definitely one of those incidents that, had I been working with a more corporate, big name bank, I would have had a much harder time. Then in dealing with my sick car, I went to my local mechanic, who I adore. When I walk in, I feel like I'm at Cheers. Everyone knows me and I really trust them. How many people can say that about their mechanic? We worked out a deal to get the problem fixed on Monday when they would have a loaner car for me to use. As I drove away, the problem made itself known, loud and clear, that it was not interested in waiting until Monday. While they didn't have a car for me to use to get to work, the patriarch of the company got in his truck and drove me home. Talk about amazing service! And, as a side note, when I paid my bill with them this morning, I used a gift certificate I bought through my town's rotary auction. How's that for tying it all together with a shiny, locally made, red bow?
• Fianlly, just because I don't think bullet points should be allowed to be used unless there are at least three items, I will conclude with kudos for the Muppets movie. I was not a huge Muppets person growing up, I admit. Sure, I knew about Miss Piggy and Kermit's romance but I couldn't name all the other characters. At one point during the movie I asked my husband where Oscar the Grouch was and he was close to shunning me as he told me I was confusing the Muppets with Sesame Street. Oops. All that being said, even a non-follower like me loved the movie. It had a surprising amount of humor that was beyond the kid level. The songs were a little too catchy, even. Ultimately, it was the kind of movie that just makes you smile. A lot. We left the theater and I kind of felt like I should skip to the car. Hubby definitely vetoed skipping but I think the inclination sums up the good feeling vibe the movie created. I recommend it!
  

Reading Is FUNdamental

When I really enjoy a book, which is almost every book I read otherwise I don't even keep going, it becomes an impediment to my daily functioning. I will ditch out of social activities, sit in my car before going into work meetings, and carry the book with me at all times in case I get a spare moment.

Being the New Englander that I am, loyalty and history hold more than their fare share of weight in most of my decision making process. The things I love in this world, I embrace with a passionate ardor bordering on fanaticism. I have long known this trait about myself and seen it applied to favorite foods and favorite bands but I just realized I do this with authors, as well.

This is what led me to the point, yesterday, of doing some Google searches on some of the authors that have earned my devotion. The list is small, as are the lists of favorite foods and bands; just as Massachusetts is famous for it's unfriendliness and "Massholes", we don't run around giving indiscriminate accolades to just anyone who writes a book, either. I went to the publishers' websites that represent the likes of Philippa Gregory and Wally Lamb to glean when I might get my hands on a new gem from them. I pretty much read every book my favorite authors create, as any devotee should. Not infrequently, I put release dates of books into my calendar so I can make sure to schedule a trip to the bookstore into that day.

It was during this that I stumbled upon an essay written by Wally Lamb that tied together his own life experiences with some of his characters. I knew little bits of his story before reading it but this essay really tied it together, appealed to my roots, and spoke to my psychoanalytic self about how greatly we are all influenced by the family who comes before us and the community in which we are raised. I have so much hometown pride that I thought the guy in the movie, The Town, had a stellar idea when he tattooed this hometown zip code across his knuckles. I have seriously considered doing a blog post about the top townie spots of my hometown but realized it would only really appeal to me. I might still do it for fun, just because it would make me happy:)

And with that, I want to share the essay I stumbled upon, Braided Cords, for your reading pleasure.

Where I've been: USA

 Thanks to my friend Sarah at I mean really happy for posting this cool map and link to show where you have traveled. I have been to 34 states (68%). Not too shabby! A lot of these were not for long visits but were via car as I road tripped. The summer after I graduated from college, Sarah came and drove from Massachusetts to Utah with me. From Utah that summer, I took a trip with my first girl posse of travel (using the Bad Girl's Guide to the Open Road, of course, ). We went to Las Vegas, Nevada and to California. Eventually, I had to drive back home. I did that with my mom and had an eventful stop at a great zoo in Omaha, Nebraska and got to see all the flowers at Graceland marking the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death. A year later, another girl posse used the Bad Girls Guide to get from Massachusetts to Florida to hop on a very memorable and eventful cruise (my first at the time). It's amazing how much both the landscape and the culture varies across this one country and it's absolutely stunning to see it all change right before your eyes from behind the wheel!

PS. Airplane layovers don't count, folks!

The Lost Girls

I just finished reading The Lost Girls, which I now want to recommend. It's about three girls who leave their NYC jobs to do a round the world trip for a year. I was immediately drawn to this when I stumbled across its existence while indulging my current favorite time suck of reading people's travel blogs.
I have dozens of pages earmarked for future blog inspiration and am definitely passing my copy along to my "road sister" Siobhan, who I know will start creating spreadsheets about future trips to at least a handful of the countries the Lost Girls visit in the book. Thanks to their travels, Laos may have just been added to my to-see list.
Speaking of, what's on your to-see list? I think I need to commit mine to paper ala the Bucket List. (I do have a mini bucket list already jotted down, do you?)
I can't wait to discuss some travel epiphanies with someone else who reads this. Thanks to the authors for representing the nexus of the quarter life crisis with wanderlust!

Born to Run

I'm having trouble posting from my cell today so I can't share any pictures with you but here's what I have coming up: pictures from my Etsy shopping spree and pictures of Stella the model-cat with my new curtains. If that doesn't pull you back to read my next couple of posts then I don't know what will. Haha.

So have you read Born to Run? It seems like people everywhere I go are talking to me about the book and the concepts behind it. You can learn more by clicking here. In the shortest summary ever, it's about the history and rationale of the barefoot running movement. Despite the obvious goofiness of the appearance of the five finger shoes, the movement has a lure akin to a charismatic leader (and there are other versions of shoes that don't outline your toes). My chiropractor (Dr. Chris) was one of the more recent people to talk to me about the book and he offered to let me borrow the book on CD. With a couple long car rides under my belt to visit my bestie who is in town for the week, I have gotten to the second disc in as many days. Point being, I am still a novice to the concept of barefoot running but am very interested in it.

Another thing Born to Run mentions is the benefit of chia seeds. A few of the ladies I do triathlon training with have mentioned chia seeds in the past and two of them sell Mila, a form of them which you can find here if you are so inclined. I think I am going to give this a try, as well.

The point of this post is not to bore you to tears with running theory if you are not a runner (which I can barely identify with because I am horrible at it and slow but it is part of my training when I am doing that). The point is to 1. talk about what is on my mind 2. set forth a public proclamation that I am going to get back in gear in terms of fitness and want to set the stage for me to follow up on that here 3. potentially recruit some like minded friends who would like to check in with me, too, about fitness goals and how they plan to achieve them.

From May-early October, I usually do a pretty good job of staying active. Winter in New England takes a toll on me and gets me a little too comfortable staying warm on a cushioned surface than it should. So it's that time of year to get motivated again. Who is with me???

Kangaroos

This post actually has nothing to do with kangaroos. I just didn't have a clever name.
I just wanted to check in really quickly. I don't have exciting stuff to report because I haven't done much this weekend. Both days I set my alarm on my phone to wake up (one day for Bodypump and one day for church) and both days my phone died over night and failed to rouse me. As a result, I got a lot more reading done than expected. That puts me ahead of my one book a month goal so far for the year:)
Tomorrow is the Boston Marathon-yay!! I like knowing people who are running it but don't plan to ever do so myself. I do, however, revel in going and cheering on the runners. I love family traditions and this is one of them. We go to the same spot on the race route every year, bring food, cowbells, etc. and clap until our hands hurt. The best part is reading the names on people's shirts and cheering for them. Pics tomorrow...

Happy Monday!

For once, I actually feel like my weekend was long! I didn't do much that is noteworthy this weekend. What about you?
Here's what I did do:
I slept a lot. I think I have the sleep equivalent of a tapeworm. The need for sleep is really insatiable. I took naps both weekend days. In fact, I went to church yesterday and was basically excused to go home by my mom and my bishop because I was so tired I was like out of it. You would think I was doing something exciting on Saturday night! But no, I stayed in all day Saturday, with the exception of a walk to the grocery store.
Oh, and I bought frames for the products of my Etsy binge last month. I got three really cute pieces that now just need to find their home on the wall. One piece was a larger, odder size. I looked into matting and framing it but it was going to have to be a custom order. Do you have any idea what that costs?????? Coo Coo amounts. So, while it would have looked nicer matted and in a frame to size, I trimmed the edges and crammed it into a regular frame and saved $230. I'm sure it wouldn't have looked $230 worth of nicer so I feel great about my decision.
I made a yummy fruit salad to mimic one that I had at work last week. I skipped the raspberries, my favorite, because they were $4.99 for a small package. I did include pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and grapes. Yum. I also made my favorite salad and some chicken and ravioli. That should feed me for a couple days:)
I caught up on a bunch of DVRd shows. I adore my DVR and the convenience it has brought to my life. Remember when you had to run home for your favorite show? Or worse, you had to find someone to tape it for you?? I watched  hours of Secret Millionaire. So good and inspirational. I finally watched the Teen Mom 2 reunion show, a show on the Challenger from January and an episode of the Colony that has been on there for months.
To balance out the tv time, I did also read. I wish time would stand still when I read. I really want to keep seeing what happens with the story but you can't really multitask while reading so I never have enough time. Or it segues to a nap.
So, I hope your weekend was as restful as mine and perhaps more noteworthy!

RaNdOm TiDbItS 2

• It's Sunday morning and church has been cancelled due to the snow falling outside. It's nothing compared to what we have see so far this winter but it's still happening so the roads are probably not super safe. I had to make some calls to tell people, which is why I didn't automatically just roll over and go back to sleep, which is where I am headed as soon as I am done with this:)
• Last night I fulfilled a childhood dream!! I went and saw roller derby live. They didn't have the huge ring with the Nascar-like inclines and railings to push each other over but it was still pretty glorious. The girls all had super fun names and crazy get ups on. The crows was the best part, though. Super eclectic. As always, pics to come as soon as I take them off my camera! PS, there was a dance party after. How cool is that?
• I finished reading Little Bee. The writing was good but I just didn't love the story. It had some graphic violent scenes that hit a little too close to home with some hard work stuff this week so I decided my next book needs to be a bit less socially aware so I have started The Mortal Instruments series with City of Bones, recommended by someone who loved the Hunger Games with the zeal that I did.
• Did you ever realize that when things are going especially bad you can have a psychotic "break" but when things are going really well in that same realm, you can have a "break" through?
• I called the police on Friday morning on my way to work because some sketchy guy in an equally sketchy van was parked in a weird location near my house. I pretty much drove myself crazy thinking of how he was going to get into my house and steal Hubby's xbox games and let my cats out. Or worse. It was all very dramatic in my mind. I guess he didn't do any of those things, though.
• I went to see the eye dr on Friday, too. It was only my second visit and he placed some big decisions in my lap. He also had me stick contacts in my eyes for the first time ever. Since then, I have been weighing the pros and cons of glasses v contacts, especially in regard to my triathlons for the swimming and biking. I think I have settled on getting contacts but not wearing them often while simultaneously getting a new pair of glasses. I am told that my prescription changed enough that I should upgrade my current frames, too, but I think they are just dandy. I don't have a very bad prescription and only really need the vision help for distances "Oh, look at that pretty thing on our travels" or late night driving or movies. I don't think it's worth sticking my fingers in my eyes for this small fragment of time. I am open to suggestions on this, though!!
• The kitten is trying to catch the snowflakes at the window right now.