listening:

to the new Owl City album:

the boyfriend says Owl City is, and i quote, "LACKING."

lacking what?

"TALENT."

but you know what? i LIKE IT.

speaking of music i like, i ordered a new Ben Folds cd today that i'm pretty stoked about.

i actually heard about said cd via television. Mr. Folds was a judge in the recent special, The Sing-Off.

the show is all about a cappella groups, and it turns out that Ben Folds just put out a cd with a cappella versions of some of his most popular songs.

check out samples of the songs on amazon. and read the story behind the album here.

weekend update.

i had plenty of time to read this week.

no school.
and although i worked more this week than i usually do, let's be honest.

i do NOTHING at my job.

i sit at a desk, watch a lot more Netflix than i should, obsessively check facebook for updates, and READ my HEART OUT.

it's awesome.

so, thanks to my lax work environment, i was able to finish up two books:

Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes

and

I am the Messenger
by Markus Zusak

i bought Flowers for Algernon a while back, when a bookstore near my university was closing, due to the rough economic state.

at the time, the book sounded really familiar. i read the summary, and knew that at some point in time, i'd come into contact with this book before. however, i was pretty sure i'd never read it.

flash forward to about a week ago. i start reading Flowers, and find that this book is eerily familiar. parts of it, anyway.

i do some internet research, and find out that's it's a film was made of the novel. it's called Charly. maybe that's how i know this story? although, when i think about it, i'm pretty sure i've never seen that movie.

i finish the book, make my ritual goodreads post, and the next thing i know, one of my friends (who i knew all through primary and secondary school) has commented on said post. she says, "i think we read a part of this book in a class. i don't remember which one."

ok, so now i'm sure i'm not crazy. but why only read a little snippet of this book? it's so lovely.

do a little more google research, this time consulting wikipedia.

ouila!

turns out that Flowers for Algernon is also...(drum roll, please)...a SHORT STORY!

now it's starting to make sense. i don't know which class, either (that's going to take a little memory digging), but i KNOW we read the short story at some point in my academic career.

one of my next goals is to read the short story. i'm very excited to see if it jogs any memories.

anyway, after Flowers, i headed on to I am the Messenger. Zusak is also the author of The Book Thief, which has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, but has yet to be cracked open.

Messenger is a little hard-hitting with its message, but it's good regardless. it's an interesting story about an average, underage cab-driver kid who starts getting cards in the mail with addresses or people's names on them. he becomes a sort of messenger/saint, going around and making these specified people aware of things they need to be made aware of.

in other news:
i've started on a christmas craft project for the boyfriend. more details on that later.

i'm also pretty excited about James Franco hosting SNL tonight...
Taylor Lautner's performance last week was entertaining, to say the least.

enjoying:

Catherine's Animals: Animal Prints by Catherine Ledner.

awesome animal pictures featuring animals of all kinds.

i'm especially enjoying this cute little owl:

and this picture of an adorable hedgehog,

who is cute, but not nearly as cute as my own hedgehog, Spike Lee Jones.

monday reading.

what i should be doing is writing this damn paper. i've only got about a page or so left, but i just can't bring myself to finish it and send it off.

as soon as this paper is over, so is this semester. and my undergraduate English courses. it's kind of a weird, big step that i thought i was ready for...but i'm beginning to think i'm not.

just finished this book:

Our Town
by Thornton Wilder

it's actually a play i had to read for this paper i'm supposed to be working on.

i was supposed to have read it about two and a half months ago, but since i've already proved myself to be a procrastinating fool, it's probably apparent that i didn't read it when i was supposed to.

but since i have a paper due over it...today, actually...i finally read it. and it turned out to be a really wonderful play. it's about a very small town called Grover's Corners, and the people in that town. it's also about not noticing everything we have in life while we're living it, and how depressing that is when we understand it.

final verdict: very good. i highly recommend it.

now i just have to finish this paper...

enjoying:

the Nicholas Sparks reference on ABC's Castle last monday.

let me reenact it for you:

a man has been brought into the precinct for questioning. however, the man has been hit on the head and cannot remember anything, including his own name.

meanwhile, the rest of the officers are looking for a fifth bullet on the crime scene of a recent murder. there are five bullet cases on the ground, but only four bullets/bullet holes that can be found.

back to the man with amnesia. one of the officers has him empty his pockets, in the hope that there may be some clue as to the man's identity.

eventually the guy pulls a copy of Crime and Punishment out of his coat's inner breast pocket.

they've found the fifth bullet, and it's a miracle this guy didn't get shot.

next scene: the officer who was working with amnesia guy strolls up.

"Good thing he was into Russian literature. If he were a Nicholas Sparks fan, he'd be dead."



so true, so true. i laughed for a very long time at that one.

listening:

the newest album by my personal hero, mr. ben folds. i was a little unsure of it at first, way back when i bought it earlier this year. i feel like he gets wackier with each cd he puts out. i love the old stuff, and i didn't want anything different. but i finally acclimated, over a three hour drive back to east texas this week, and now i can't believe there was ever a time when i wasn't sure i loved it.

weekend update.

it's been a while. currently, i'm working on wrapping up the fall 2009 semester. my last semester of actual classes. next semester comes student teaching, which i'm very excited about.

i decided to celebrate winter break a little prematurely this year. and how, you may be wondering, did i choose to celebrate?

by reading, of course!

i hadn't read a book for myself in almost four months. my goodreads account was feeling a little neglected, and so i wasted no time in reading something i wouldn't eventually be writing a paper over.

over thanksgiving break, i finished The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci.

i LOVE this book. i read it for the first time way back in junior high school. eighth grade, i think. and i remember finishing it and thinking, "wow. that was epic."

it's a teensy bit less epic now, eight years later. but it's still a wonderful read. this is the kind of book i think often gets looked over by teachers but could really be useful in a classroom. it brings up ideas about bullying, acceptance, gossip--things teenagers are usually pretty apt to converse about.

i just wish i could find it to buy. i checked it out from the library, after nearly dying from complete shock that they had it in the first place. i hadn't seen the book since i was thirteen, even though i often look for it at bookstores. i may have to resort to buying it off amazon.com.

i don't know why, but for the most part, i resist buying books on-line. there's something wonderful about the hunt that's involved in finding a great book, whether i'm searching for it from the get-go, or i stumble upon it in my wanderings. amazon kind of takes that thrill out of it.

this past week, i finally finished The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.

i bought my mom this book last christmas, and had read about three chapters of it before i finally wrapped it up and handed it over and christmas morning. i didn't think about it again after that.

but then, as a very generous end of semester treat, one of my teachers (the one we call Aunt Joan, because she's so incredibly sweet and motherly) gave each of the students in her class a copy of the book. it was a complete surprise, and the only stipulation was that she ask we take the time to read it once every 10 years.

since it's a pretty quick read, i don't think that will be any trouble at all.


this is the book i just finished.

Dear John
by Nicholas Sparks

i'd seen the preview for the film that's coming out in 2010 a couple of times, and since the film looked really appealing, i decided i'd better read the book before i was tempted to see the movie first.

the book is cheesy, but that's to be expected. it is Nicholas Sparks after all. however, all cheesiness aside, it was a pretty good read. i'm even more excited about the film now. the preview only gave me the impression that it was a long-distance love story. but there's a lot more to it than that.

check out the trailer here.

Re-purposing.

For the sake of my life, and my sanity, I am re-purposing this BLOG.

I WANT TO COOK.

I watch the FoodNetwork continually. I watched a five-hour long Cake Challenge yesterday, and considered the entire duration how simply wonderful it would be to be a CAKE DECORATOR. a BAKER. anything at all that had to do with food, really.

The truth is, I'm going to school to be something that was originally a BACKUP PLAN, but has now become THE PLAN. and I'm not sure if I'm okay with that.



I want something more.

I got this idea in my head a couple of years ago--that I wanted to eventually own a diner/bakery. And I've not been able to let that idea go, which is strange for me. I get ideas for my life several times a week. Some last an hour or two, some last a couple of days. This one has lasted almost three years. It's a keeper, and I know I need to cling to it with everything I've got.

There's only one little problem.

I CAN'T COOK.

I know that other people do things like this. There are stories of people who started out not able to boil water and now they're Iron Chefs. My mom's a fantastic cook, and she couldn't cook at all when she was my age! And I'm not really that badly off. I can boil water. Although I did once manage to ruin a package of Ramen Noodle soup. (don't ask.)

I need to do this for myself. The new semester has just started. This is my LAST year of school, and if I don't figure it out soon, maybe I won't ever. I promise myself that I'll go to culinary school after I graduate, when I have time. But lots of people have taught themselves the things they need to know. I have resources right at my fingertips. Tons of cookbooks and how-to novels at the local resale and half-price book stores, and an entire internet of dish ideas.

I haven't quite decided the rules. I'll work on that tonight, I think. But I'm embarking on my food journey, and I hope it will be magical.

new reads.

i went to Barnes & Noble yesterday, against my better judgment.

and...i ended up spending a little over 30 dollars. not bad, since i usually spend much more than that.

i purchased two books:

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, by Tucker Max
&
The Know-It-All (One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World), by A.J. Jacobs

the first i've known about for a while. i'd actually read a few of Tucker Max's infamous stories on his website. the quote on the cover of the book is a pretty accurate description of everything inside:

"Highly entertaining and thoroughly reprehensible."
-The New York Times.

all of his stories make me sad that there are people like him in the world, but they're all so incredibly outrageous that i can't stop reading them. i've already read three stories, and i'm both offended and incredulous at all of it. it's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, i guess. although i have a lot of those these days.

the other is part memoir, part encyclopedia. it's the tale of one man's attempt to read the entire set of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. i'm pretty excited about it.

i've stopped on Wicked for the time being. i think i need a little bit of a rest, even though it's been two days since i've picked it up.

also, today at work i'll be delving into the sixth Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which i've read several times before, but am reading again in honor of the movie, which i'll be seeing tonight at 12:01.

travels to Oz.

well, the fourth season of Alias is not treating me well. i've tried to figure out what it is that's missing from this particular season, and i think i've got it pinned down.

the first two seasons (which have been the best, so far) were very unified--each episode was working toward some greater story. even the third season had this aspect, up to a point. however, the episodes of the fourth season just seem very detached from one another. in a way, they remind me of the sort of spec scripts aspiring screenwriters send in to shows--they play by the rules, but you can tell it's not a part of a stronger story.


anyway, enough of that. i finally finished The Time Traveler's Wife, and cried a lot in the process.

much of my reading was done at work, so i had to keep my emotions under some kind of control. but as soon as i got home, all pretenses were gone. i cried through the last fourth of the book, and when i was finished, i set it aside, curled into the fetal position under my covers, and cried for a very long time.

the thing is, the book (although incredibly tragic and heart wrenching) is really quite uplifting. it makes me want to believe in some kind of greater love--the kind that lives through many setbacks, but still manages to keep itself together.

i recommend the book for anyone with a heart--and i'm hoping that's everyone.

now i'm patiently waiting for the movie, which comes out next month. exciting! the movie seems to focus even more on the wife's loneliness than the book did (at least, that's what i'm getting from the trailer.) in the end, i think the book ended up being less about the wife being continually left behind, and more about the strength of their love--that it was able to sustain despite everything. even to the bitter end. not exactly what i thought i was getting myself into at the beginning, but i think it exceeded my expectations.

i started on Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, soon after recovering from my emotional breakdown.

i've tried reading this book twice before and have never managed to get more than halfway through it. right now, i am ALMOST at the halfway mark, and i'm finding it difficult to find the strength to go on.

i'm a huge fan of the musical, and since i know the basic gist of the story, the book is just moving very slow for me. this was the same problem i had reading Atonement (by Ian McEwan) after having seen the film version. this is also why i almost always try to read the book first, if at all possible.

however, i have promised myself that i am going to climb this particular Everest this time. i WILL finish Wicked!

the book's actually really great, and i hate myself for not being that into it. it's full of great descriptions, and some really wonderful theological philosophy rooted in the world of Oz. Maguire really knows how to create a universe, and he's done a beautiful job here. i'm just lazy, is all.

anyway, i'll let you know how my adventures in Oz go. i'm hoping it won't take me more than a week to finish, but i've got some company coming in the next couple of days or so, so i may not get to read as much as i'd like.

time traveling.

sometimes i hate my job.

i work in a library, which is cool, because i like books. but i'm a cashier, which sucks, because people suck sometimes.

luckily for me, it's summer and it's been awfully quiet around the stacks lately. not many customers down here in the dungeon/basement where i work, either.

unfortunately, the crappy customers manage to find me no matter what.

i spent 15 minutes today trying to explain to a very hard-headed woman that 8 1/2" by 11" paper is called "8 1/2 by 11 paper" because those are the dimensions. i think some people refuse to understand simply because they like seeing me get frustrated explaining something ridiculous like paper. do other people have to put up with this kind of nonsense at their jobs?

new developments:

started reading The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.



i actually caught wind of this book when i saw the preview for the movie. so of course i immediately went to the bookstore to find and buy it. at the time, i was also looking for a copy of My Sister's Keeper.

setting off into the fiction section at Barnes and Nobles, i realized that i had no idea who'd written either book, so i circled back toward information.

as i waited for a willing customer service associate to assist me, i pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen to jot the information down on. finally, a very worn out looking man made it back to the desk.

"can i help you?"

"i hope so. i'm looking for two books, but i don't know the name of either author."

"what are the two books?"

"My Sister's Keeper and The Time Traveler's Wife." my pen was poised, ready to take notes.

"let's see. Picoult wrote My Sister's Keeper, and the other was by Niffenegger. just give me a sec."

he dodged off, leaving me alone at the information desk. i watched his head bob off into the distance, circling around some displays at the front of the store, and then diving into the fiction area. two shakes of a lamb's tail later, he was back, handing me both books and saying, "that's two for two. best i've done all day, i think." and then he was on to the next customer.

i gaped after him. it may have been that both of my requests were just very popular books at the time--or maybe this guy really knew his stuff. either way, i was impressed.

and i've been pretty impressed by the book so far. it's Niffenegger's first novel, which leaves me even more impressed by her work. the book's lovely, and it kind of hits on those familiar themes we see a lot in literature--love, and unrequited love. however, it's got a bit of a spin, because in this case, Henry and Clare have each other. but Henry's a time traveler, and he has no control over when and where he goes. so while the two of them have each other, they often don't. i think what i especially enjoy about the novel is the idea that it is less focused on Henry, even though he is the obvious star of the story, and instead focuses more on Clare, who is continually being left behind.

the story is told from both of their points of view, which gives the reader a good idea of what Henry goes through each time he time travelers, and what Clare feels each time he reappears into and disappears from her life.

it's taking me a while to get through it--mostly because i keep stopping to contemplate some of the things that take place in the story. it's a lot to take in.

i've also started the fourth season of Alias, which i have to admit is not living up to my expectations. i think the only reason i keep coming back is because i just want to see the two main protagonists get it on. is that shallow?

i also purchased the newest Emery album. they're playing in Austin on the 31st--haven't decided if i'm going yet. the new stuff is a little heavy for my taste, but it's Emery, so i love it.

i'm also now officially broke. i need to stop buying books. maybe i should dust off that old library card?

my sister's keeper.

"why are terms of endearment always foods? honey, cookie, sugar, pumpkin. it's not like caring about someone is enough to actually sustain you."

-my sister's keeper

i started this book last week, at my parents' house. it was one of the books my mom bought my sister, Allison, for her birthday. Al had already finished it and was nagging my mom to read it so that they could talk about the story. it was lying on the table, calling out to me. so i picked it up and started reading.

the book is about a family of five with exceptional circumstances. the oldest daughter is continually in and out of the hospital--she suffered through leukemia and is now facing liver failure. the youngest sister has been genetically engineered to help her older sibling. the two are a perfect match, and the youngest has given blood, platelets, and bone marrow to keep her sister alive. however, in the wake of losing one of her kidneys to her older sister, she goes to a lawyer, whom she asks to help her sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

it is a rare occasion when i am hooked on a book after only a couple of pages. but this was one of those occasions. the story is quick and touching, and is told from various points of view, so it never really gets tiring.

i like that in this novel, there is no set protagonist. we hear from everyone--except for Kate, the sister who is sick and in need of a liver transplant. i don't think this is by accident. i think that if we were given access to Kate's side of the story, the views of everyone else would matter significantly less. as it is, we know nothing of her, and must rely on everyone else to guide us through the story.

i'm on page 216 right now--almost half way through the book. i'm hoping the second half is just as good as the first.

view the trailer for the movie version here.

the beginning of something wonderful?

i bought this book a while back:

in it, Nick Hornby keeps a pretty detailed account of the books he buys and reads over 28 months.

i'd like to do the same.

the thing is, i buy a lot of books. i read a lot, too, but not nearly enough to keep up with my buying habits.

i'm one of those people who is continually telling themselves that they should be reading this, or reading that. and yet, i never do.

i've torn numerous lists out of magazines: "100 books to read before you die." "21 books you should read before 21." things like that.

so i've decided to put myself to work. i have no delusions about my reading habits, so i'm not aiming to complete a mountain full of books. besides, i usually start about 10 books at a time, rarely finishing any of the books i dive into.

i'm going to keep a record of the things i read each day. i'll let you know how i come by each novel i crack open, and i'm sure i'll find myself relating the things i read to myself. this is an experiment. i'd like to find out if i can actually read all of the books on my shelf. after that, we'll see where the literary winds take me.

the challenge starts tomorrow.

some direction.

i love to write.

sometimes i ramble, sometimes i make a lot of sense.

i've wanted to write since about the 3rd grade.

i quickly quashed that desire.

my parents had made themselves very clear from the beginning: find a job that will provide for you and a future family.

writing wasn't going to do that for me.

i'm at college, right now. trying to find that profession. you know, the one that will pay the bills, but will still be enjoyable 40 years down the road.

does such a job exist?

i'd like to think so. that's what they tell people my age these days, anyway. follow your dreams. do what you love. dance like nobody's watching. something to that effect.

i'm caught. because both paths i tried in college are leading me nowhere.

i'm a film and english major. education concentration on the english half.

but if i were going to be realistic, i never really wanted to be a film major. i had to bubble in a major when i filled out my college application, and film sounded good at the time. i like movies, why not?

and teaching's not really doing it for me either. i like kids. i like education. i like english. but i really don't like teaching.

you know what i really want to do with my life? i want a bakery. i want to own my own bakery, and serve breakfast and lunch there--diner style. i want big, colorful coffee mugs and formica tables for the dining area. i want a corner for live music and some nice comfy chairs for people who just want to hang out. i want those awesome little white boxes you put baked goods in.

that's what i want.

i told my mom about my little pastry-filled dream, and she told my dad, who in turn said, "well, what the hell did we send her to college for, then?"

oh, dad. what a sense of humor you have.

i've got one year left of college. one year until i really have to decide where it is i'm going. and right now, i've got this summer. an actual summer vacation. the first one in a while, since i've been taking summer classes since sophomore year of high school. i plan to make full use of it. hopefully, somewhere along the way, i'll figure out how to get from where i am to where i want to be.

i'll keep you posted.