Ok people. It's time to get serious. I spent 2008 collecting books faster than I could read them. It's time for that to end. I have vowed that I will not buy any more books until i've read all of the ones I already have. So behold- the great book challenge of 2009.
Below is the list of books i will be reading, in no particular order:
Guns, Germs and Steel- Jared Diamond
The Stranger- Albert Camus
Education's End (Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life)- Anthony Kronman
The God Delusion- Richard Dawkins
The Lost Continent- Bill Bryson
The Tao of Pooh- Benjamin Hoff
On Writing- Stephen King
The Boleyn Inheritance- Philippa Gregory (lent to me by my waxer, the greatest waxer ever)
Unaccustomed Earth- Jhumpa Lahiri
The Tales of the Beedle Bard- J.K. Rowling
Outliers (The Story of Success)- Malcolm Gladwell
The Vagina Monologues- Eve Enlser
The Audacity of Hope- Barack Obama
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox- Maggie O'Farrell
How I Learned to Cook (& Other Writings on Complex Mother Daughter Relationships)- Margo Perin
Special Topics in Calamity Physics- Marisha Pessl
Rescuing Patty Hearst (Memories from a Decade Gone Mad)- Virginia Holman
Loving Frank- Nancy Horan
The Killer Angels- Michael Shaara
Altogether, there are 19 books on this list. I'm hoping to get them all read by the summer, cause frankly- I don't think i'll be able to avoid buying books much past that. I've also decided I am allowed to borrow books, if i'm desperate for one in particular.
I think the first book i'm going to start- tonight, probably- will be Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. After the Twilight drama, i think i need some non-fiction. Plus, I love his other stuff.
Wish my luck, my friends. I'll keep you posted.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Oh, Leo
When I was younger, I was in love with Leonardo DiCaprio. Full on, thirteen year old love- which probably started before I was thirteen and definitely lasted longer than that. I saw Romeo and Juliet multiple times in the theater, Titanic even more. Once or twice I even threw him a birthday party- which consisted of my dragging my friends over to my house to watch some of him movies and revel in his wonderfulness. (btw his birthday is November 11th, veteran's day).
He was not my first love, just the most influential during my formative years. I was always a fan of dramatic love, for many reasons. I'm a girl- and not to make drastic generalizations here, but i'm a romantic. I want to believe in a deeper kind of love. Which brings me to my point.
I am someone who feels things....strongly. I've had this trait described as: opinionated, argumentative, feisty, 'overdramatic'/drama queen, and bitch. I prefer the term....passionate. I feel most alive when i'm feeling things deeply, or discussing them or fighting about them, etc. I'm not always right, god knows, but then it's not really about that, is it? The point is that this is a trait I actually like about myself, maybe even one of my favorites. When I die i'd like at least one person to be able to remember me as someone who felt passionately about life (certain parts of it, at least). And I realized something recently. I was afraid I had lost my passion.
Time went on, I stopped having birthday parties for Leonardo, and now only faintly nod my hat to him on Nov. 11th. I became more aware of his hit-or-miss acting, moved onto other celebrity crushes, attempted to find my own dramatic lover- failing miserably, and life just kind of kept moving. See, i'm at a place right now that's actually pretty good. I am happy- I don't feel any inkling of the depression that crept up on me a year or two ago. I'm relaxed, I have a good job, good friends, a good life- and even some semblance of a life plan (when i'm not panicking about it). But I think I let the passion go by the wayside. I noticed, or rather failed to notice, any real sense of inspiration. No 'pep in my step', you could say. Again, not depression, just a complacency with life and where i'm at. Normal people would be ok with this. It's safe to say i'm not always normal.
After Christmas I started reading the Twilight series. I know, I have mentioned this before. I quickly became obsessed, aquired all four books and read them til all hours of the night- going on fewer hours of sleep and spending all my free time in this make-believe world. And truthfully, it scared the crap out of me. I felt like I was thirteen again, and I feared I was regressing- but why? I was afraid to finish the series because I didn't want to miss the characters, but I also didn't want to let myself keep reading, because I realize that an obsession this intense is ridiculous. But is it? I went back to my therapist to get a grip on reality, and hear a dose of "you're being whiny and ridiculous and too hard on yourself". I talked about how I realized I was afraid I had lost this passion in my life, because these books brought it back so strongly. I kind of forgot what it was like to feel like that about something. And once I realized that's what it was, just my previously unchanneled passion finally regaining some ground in my subconcious (ok, and consciousness), I felt better about the whole thing. Frankly, it was a relief to realize I never lost that ability to feel so deeply. I think that in adjusting to my new job, where I hear so many feelings during the course of a day, I've been learning to compartmentalize as a defense mechanism (no one likes to bring their work home). I just forgot which compartment I left my own stuff in, and they collected dust for a little while. It appears I've found the key and re-opened that drawer, cause i'm now feeling everything a little bit more strongly. Nothing too outrageous, just a little jolt. And it feels much better. I was able to realize that i'm kind of bored at work- and I need to find things to make my life feel more like my life. I want to take this writing class through Temple (kind of like the architecture class I took last summer), and I'd like to start going out on dates again, although with whom is still a mystery (since Bob the pharmacist is MIA).
Also, I finished the Twilight series tonight. And it was good. I don't feel sad, because the series ended well. I didn't cry, like when Harry Potter ended, cause let's face it the Twilight books are no Harry Potter. And besides, I have piles of other books to get started on, and hopefully they'll continue to keep me interested and make me feel things, both good and bad. Cause that's what books and movies-all things entertainment- are supposed to do. And until I have more of my own passionate love stories and intellectual challenges, they'll have to do.
But it all comes back to Leonardo DiCaprio. Last weekend, he was at the Golden Globes with Kate Winslet. He lost, but she won- twice. She thanked him in her second speech, and I got all choked up (as did they), because damn, he is still quite good looking- and they seem to be genuine friends. And isn't it always nice when that happens? I saw Revolutionary Road today- the movie they are currently in together. It was depressing, but well done. He overacted at parts, but he still cries the same, and he is still fairly good at emoting. Kate Winslet was amazing, as per usual, but it was him I went to see. To say hello to my old crush, and wish him a belated happy birthday. Thanks for the memories, Leo.
He was not my first love, just the most influential during my formative years. I was always a fan of dramatic love, for many reasons. I'm a girl- and not to make drastic generalizations here, but i'm a romantic. I want to believe in a deeper kind of love. Which brings me to my point.
I am someone who feels things....strongly. I've had this trait described as: opinionated, argumentative, feisty, 'overdramatic'/drama queen, and bitch. I prefer the term....passionate. I feel most alive when i'm feeling things deeply, or discussing them or fighting about them, etc. I'm not always right, god knows, but then it's not really about that, is it? The point is that this is a trait I actually like about myself, maybe even one of my favorites. When I die i'd like at least one person to be able to remember me as someone who felt passionately about life (certain parts of it, at least). And I realized something recently. I was afraid I had lost my passion.
Time went on, I stopped having birthday parties for Leonardo, and now only faintly nod my hat to him on Nov. 11th. I became more aware of his hit-or-miss acting, moved onto other celebrity crushes, attempted to find my own dramatic lover- failing miserably, and life just kind of kept moving. See, i'm at a place right now that's actually pretty good. I am happy- I don't feel any inkling of the depression that crept up on me a year or two ago. I'm relaxed, I have a good job, good friends, a good life- and even some semblance of a life plan (when i'm not panicking about it). But I think I let the passion go by the wayside. I noticed, or rather failed to notice, any real sense of inspiration. No 'pep in my step', you could say. Again, not depression, just a complacency with life and where i'm at. Normal people would be ok with this. It's safe to say i'm not always normal.
After Christmas I started reading the Twilight series. I know, I have mentioned this before. I quickly became obsessed, aquired all four books and read them til all hours of the night- going on fewer hours of sleep and spending all my free time in this make-believe world. And truthfully, it scared the crap out of me. I felt like I was thirteen again, and I feared I was regressing- but why? I was afraid to finish the series because I didn't want to miss the characters, but I also didn't want to let myself keep reading, because I realize that an obsession this intense is ridiculous. But is it? I went back to my therapist to get a grip on reality, and hear a dose of "you're being whiny and ridiculous and too hard on yourself". I talked about how I realized I was afraid I had lost this passion in my life, because these books brought it back so strongly. I kind of forgot what it was like to feel like that about something. And once I realized that's what it was, just my previously unchanneled passion finally regaining some ground in my subconcious (ok, and consciousness), I felt better about the whole thing. Frankly, it was a relief to realize I never lost that ability to feel so deeply. I think that in adjusting to my new job, where I hear so many feelings during the course of a day, I've been learning to compartmentalize as a defense mechanism (no one likes to bring their work home). I just forgot which compartment I left my own stuff in, and they collected dust for a little while. It appears I've found the key and re-opened that drawer, cause i'm now feeling everything a little bit more strongly. Nothing too outrageous, just a little jolt. And it feels much better. I was able to realize that i'm kind of bored at work- and I need to find things to make my life feel more like my life. I want to take this writing class through Temple (kind of like the architecture class I took last summer), and I'd like to start going out on dates again, although with whom is still a mystery (since Bob the pharmacist is MIA).
Also, I finished the Twilight series tonight. And it was good. I don't feel sad, because the series ended well. I didn't cry, like when Harry Potter ended, cause let's face it the Twilight books are no Harry Potter. And besides, I have piles of other books to get started on, and hopefully they'll continue to keep me interested and make me feel things, both good and bad. Cause that's what books and movies-all things entertainment- are supposed to do. And until I have more of my own passionate love stories and intellectual challenges, they'll have to do.
But it all comes back to Leonardo DiCaprio. Last weekend, he was at the Golden Globes with Kate Winslet. He lost, but she won- twice. She thanked him in her second speech, and I got all choked up (as did they), because damn, he is still quite good looking- and they seem to be genuine friends. And isn't it always nice when that happens? I saw Revolutionary Road today- the movie they are currently in together. It was depressing, but well done. He overacted at parts, but he still cries the same, and he is still fairly good at emoting. Kate Winslet was amazing, as per usual, but it was him I went to see. To say hello to my old crush, and wish him a belated happy birthday. Thanks for the memories, Leo.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Ok. We're seven days into the new year. I've already painted one wall in my apartment (its an accent wall, i'm not just being lazy), had one major freak out, talked myself out of said freak out, corrected my posture three times, and have become completely obsessed with the Twilight series (but bought no new books!). I'm kind of tired.
Here is my accent wall- i love it:
Good color, right? It's jalepeno red. Very warm and inviting.
And alright so Twilight? I don't know what happened... I saw the movie and got curious. The writing is not stellar, but I got drawn into the story, and find myself having to ration out the chapters so I don't finish the book before getting the next one (wink wink Kim- bring me the next one friday!) in any event- my obsession probably has to do with my lack of real life at the moment. but it's only seven days in- there's still time for me to salvage 2009. I think- so far, so good! or so ok at least.
Here is my accent wall- i love it:
Good color, right? It's jalepeno red. Very warm and inviting.
And alright so Twilight? I don't know what happened... I saw the movie and got curious. The writing is not stellar, but I got drawn into the story, and find myself having to ration out the chapters so I don't finish the book before getting the next one (wink wink Kim- bring me the next one friday!) in any event- my obsession probably has to do with my lack of real life at the moment. but it's only seven days in- there's still time for me to salvage 2009. I think- so far, so good! or so ok at least.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Holiday Edition
Happy New Year!
So i've been in hibernation the past few days/weeks/whatever, but i'm back now. Welcome to my life in 2009!
But first- the holidays.... I went home to Long Island for Christmas, where I spent time with family and friends and Bing (Crosby...cause it ain't christmas without Bing, in my opinion). Want to see some pictures?
Ok so this is how we do christmas- the family comes over to my mom's house for dinner, followed by presents at Auntie Mo's. This was 'recession christmas', although you can't really tell from all the presents under the tree. But we have a big family, so sadly, they're not all for me.
This is Auntie Mo and Larry- I think you get a pretty good idea of what they're like.....
And this is Arielle and Ben, wearing their cheese apparell, given as a gift by Kim- student at the University of Wisconsin. The enthusiasm arielle showed when opening this gift was unparalleled. seriously. Some of my favorite gifts were LL Bean fleece-lined slipper booties, which i basically don't take off inside the house, a really cool old camera to add to my collection of old cameras, and some books (which are always appreciated).
Now we move on to friends...Friday after christmas, I met Celine in the city for lunch, which was awesome, since we haven't seen each other in two years! Sadly I didn't take any pictures, but it was fun catching up and she gave me 3 amazing mixes for xmas.
Friday night I went out with the boys (plus victoria) from high school. We saw Gran Torino and had dinner at Chili's, just like the old days. It had definitely been too long since we all hung out. To commemorate, we took a picture- similar to the one we all have framed from three (?) years ago. Here- take a look.
So Todd's eye's are closed in the picture on the left. And he and Victoria's dog (lily) is eating his face in the one on the right. But Matt and Marc are in back, and Victoria is the girl who's not me. We're quite the gang.
So I headed back to Philly and begrudingly had to work this past week for two and a half days. But then had a glorious four and a half days off, for which I went into my mini-hibernation to ride out the New Year. I've never been one for New Year's eve- too much expectation. So i spent my night laying low, listening to music, reading, pondering my resolutions and the year to come.
Here's what I came up with:
2009 will be the year I improve my posture, hopefully try my hand at driving a stick shift, control my frivolous spending (aka acknowledge the recession), and finally- try and control my compulsive book-buying. I have 3 stacks of books marked 'to read', and its about time i stopped adding to the piles. So i'm gonna do my best to widdle down the 'to read' into the 'have read' before indulging my vice of buying any more books.
I'm staying away from the traditional 'i'm going to go to the gym and lose 20 lbs' resolutions, as that would never work. But I am going to continue trying to live more healthy, and figure out my life. It's a work in progress, obviously. Lucky for you- you get a front row seat.
So i've been in hibernation the past few days/weeks/whatever, but i'm back now. Welcome to my life in 2009!
But first- the holidays.... I went home to Long Island for Christmas, where I spent time with family and friends and Bing (Crosby...cause it ain't christmas without Bing, in my opinion). Want to see some pictures?
Ok so this is how we do christmas- the family comes over to my mom's house for dinner, followed by presents at Auntie Mo's. This was 'recession christmas', although you can't really tell from all the presents under the tree. But we have a big family, so sadly, they're not all for me.
This is Auntie Mo and Larry- I think you get a pretty good idea of what they're like.....
And this is Arielle and Ben, wearing their cheese apparell, given as a gift by Kim- student at the University of Wisconsin. The enthusiasm arielle showed when opening this gift was unparalleled. seriously. Some of my favorite gifts were LL Bean fleece-lined slipper booties, which i basically don't take off inside the house, a really cool old camera to add to my collection of old cameras, and some books (which are always appreciated).
Now we move on to friends...Friday after christmas, I met Celine in the city for lunch, which was awesome, since we haven't seen each other in two years! Sadly I didn't take any pictures, but it was fun catching up and she gave me 3 amazing mixes for xmas.
Friday night I went out with the boys (plus victoria) from high school. We saw Gran Torino and had dinner at Chili's, just like the old days. It had definitely been too long since we all hung out. To commemorate, we took a picture- similar to the one we all have framed from three (?) years ago. Here- take a look.
So Todd's eye's are closed in the picture on the left. And he and Victoria's dog (lily) is eating his face in the one on the right. But Matt and Marc are in back, and Victoria is the girl who's not me. We're quite the gang.So I headed back to Philly and begrudingly had to work this past week for two and a half days. But then had a glorious four and a half days off, for which I went into my mini-hibernation to ride out the New Year. I've never been one for New Year's eve- too much expectation. So i spent my night laying low, listening to music, reading, pondering my resolutions and the year to come.
Here's what I came up with:
2009 will be the year I improve my posture, hopefully try my hand at driving a stick shift, control my frivolous spending (aka acknowledge the recession), and finally- try and control my compulsive book-buying. I have 3 stacks of books marked 'to read', and its about time i stopped adding to the piles. So i'm gonna do my best to widdle down the 'to read' into the 'have read' before indulging my vice of buying any more books.
I'm staying away from the traditional 'i'm going to go to the gym and lose 20 lbs' resolutions, as that would never work. But I am going to continue trying to live more healthy, and figure out my life. It's a work in progress, obviously. Lucky for you- you get a front row seat.
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