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?

Theme Thursday: My Dream Job

This week for Theme Thursday I had to think about what my dream job would be. Oddly enough, this isn't a topic I have given much thought to as I have been at my real life job for 7 years now. It's good work and though it's exhausting, I enjoy it. There's also a big part of me who wants to bounce this back to the stay at home moms (and a dad) who are blogging about this topic alongside me and tell them that their jobs are awesome because they don't have to wear bras if they don't want to and they don't have to pencil in trips to Target. Also, I assume they love their kids so that helps.

So when I started brainstorming my dream job, I really entered a land of fantasy in which prior training and experience are not at all considerations. You are judged solely on enthusiasm in the job interview, in which case I would ace my way into all of them.

First pick: Reality TV show casting director.
No humility here. I would be AMAZING at this. Having watched ever y episode of Flavor of Love, I love New York, Rock of Love, I love Money (need I go on....) and email critiqued them all afterwards with my bestie, I know who makes good tv. My psych experience will only help to inform the best combinations of people to create volatile and entertaining interactions. Not a dating competition show? No problem. I am also loyal to Survivor and catch The Amazing Race from time to time. I know how to tone it down if we are on a non-cable network, don't worry. And if the casting is already complete when I show up for my interview, I could always step in as an editor. I could help to omit just the right portion of the conversations to make the bad guy look worse and the good guy look better. And I would never miss a shot that would be totally humiliating to the average person, upping the shows odds of being featured on Tosh.O.
I would be VERY proud of this work.

Second Pick: If the world of reality tv crashes like the written word jobs of the characters in Gone Girl that lead them to their eventual demise (if you haven't read this book yet, run out and get it. You can refresh this page upon your return and keep reading), my backup plan will already be in place. Admittedly, it will have to be put on hold until my treatment for serious depression in response to said crash is completed. Assuming travel information shows don't count as reality tv, I want to replace Samantha Brown. She has the life! She gets to visit fun places, continent at a time, picking through the major cities. She sums each city up in a half hour segment including descriptions of the swank hotel she stayed at, the delicious food she ate, and the unique cultural experience she had. I can do that! In fact, I could one up Samantha. She is a little weak sauce for my taste most trips so I would throw in some scandalous interaction with a local like the time I went on a drug deal in Central America inadvertently or the time I decided it would be a good idea to have a Rastafarian pen pal or the time I crashed a prom and another time, a stag party. Does Samantha do that? Nope, that's the flavor I bring. If, somehow, travel shows are deemed part of the reality tv crash, I will be a travel blogger. I will write some brilliant post and hit it big instantly, with companies just throwing money and offers at me to promote them. The bottom line is that I am going to be traveling and making money doing it. 
(YouTube was on strike from me or I would have a nice, mundane clip of Samantha in her hotel room in Rome right here)

If all else fails: I am applying at Barnes and Noble and Bed, Bath and Beyond. On my hardest days, I have an image of myself folding towels in the corner of a linens department. And I like to read a lot and give my opinions so I could be put to use in the young adult section of the bookstore, reviewing trilogies and series with Armageddon scenarios and pictures of girls in ruffly dresses to the young minds of America.

So I guess the moral of the story is that I should never have invested in graduate school since all of my favorite things include watching tv, going where I want, reading and relaxing, and hopefully only putting on a bra or mascara when I feel like it. 

If you want to read what some other bloggers have to say about their dream jobs check out the following:
Something Clever 2.0http://www.somethingclever2point0.com/

Cloudy With a Chance of Winehttp://cloudywithachanceofwine.com/

I like beer and babies.http://www.ilikebeerandbabies.com/

Mod Mom Beyond IndieDom http://modmombeyondindiedom.blogspot.com/

Mommy Rotten  http://blog.mommyrotten.com/

The Next Step http://lorihokie.blogspot.com/

A calibama state of mind http://calibamamom.wordpress.com/

Shit I Don't Tell Most Peoplehttp://shitidonttell.blogspot.com/

Mom With Her Running Shoes On http://momwithherrunningshoeson.blogspot.com/

Who Woulda Thought? http://whowouldathought-kevin.blogspot.com

The Insomniac's Dream http://hypnoticbard.blogspot.com/

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 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:)

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!

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.