New Year's Resolutions

2012...the year of dedication. I am going to be busy, but I am excited about what this year holds for me. I am going to volunteer more (I already have 1 library volunteer event on Jan. 21st), I am going to make face time for my friends, I am going to have a six pack, and I'm going to be more creative with my existing closet...all while continuing my awesomeness at work and maybe training for a half marathon. Bring it on 2012. 27 is going to be the power year.

I loved 2011, but I think 2012 can be a year for an even better me.

The six pack thing I'm totally serious about. I need to alter my eating habits. I go to the gym a lot, but I still have this weakness for pizza, bread, cheese and sweets that is hard to control. I'm certainly not giving those things up cold turkey, but I'm going to make them the exceptions, the special treats and not my go-to's.

As for my closet...I have recently gotten really into my own style. I'm trying to be cuter and I like putting together outfits. My grandmother told me a long time ago that sweatpants are for the gym and home only, so I'm making an effort to look put together when I'm out and about. Pinterest has been a good inspiration for outfitting, but recently I've been buying things too much. I see something and I have to have it, like my green jeggings and mustard skirt. But now that I have all this stuff, rather than keep filling up the closet, I'm going to work with what I have. I'm going to really make an effort to limit my clothes buying...so, we'll see how that works out.

As for my readings...I'm in the middle of There But For The by Ali Smith and The Marraige Plot by Jeffery Eugenides. I'll be giving you my thoughts on those two when I wrap them up!

Happy 2012!

New read

I just finished The Happiness Project and I so enjoyed hearing about someone's experience with improving the life they lead. Happiness can be so easy to get and yet so hard to recognize.

What I enjoyed about this book is that it wasn't about a person who was making major life changes to find happiness. Sometimes that is necessary; sometimes your life is so off kilter that nothing will make you happy except reshaping it by quitting a job, starting school, ending/beginning a relationship, moving...whatever. I understand that major shifts happen and are often necessary. But what I like is that happiness can happen with the most minor adjustments.

I consider myself to be a pretty happy person in general. I have bad days and feel sorry for yourself days just like everyone else, but this book really encouraged me to look at my life and maintain that happiness by not getting caught up in the minor things that upset me or stress me out. Focusing on the positive, not getting crabby when your significant other/coworker/family member inadvertently pisses you off, and finding little releases will keep that unhappiness at bay. I enjoyed reading the book and using it to reflect upon my own happiness...what causes it and the things that distract me from it.

On to the next!

Also, happy holidays!

It should come as no surprise that several of my gifts are of the book variety. I am pretty sure I'm the only one whose $10 gift for one family function is a book (which actually cost $12.50 but is too good not to gift...it's Freedom by Franzen). You're welcome family.

Read 'Em and Weep

Lazy blogger! It's not for lack of inspiration; my life is so complete right now, its scary. Although my family life has undergone some changes, I have wonderful family members that make my life better; I'm happy with my relationship that's developed into one of deep love and happiness. I have many friends that encourage and inspire me. I'm in good shape, my job is good, and I have found time to read so many good books. And that is the new inspiration for my posting.

Over the summer and throughout the fall, I have read a multitude of amazing novels. I am going to go through them very briefly, and in the future I'll try to keep you more up to date with my current readings and recommendations.

I have recently read several Young Adult novels. Most of them surprised me with their thoughtful reflections on complicated topics, and I see value in reading them as an adult.

If you have not read The Hunger Games trilogy, you are missing out. This series is amazingly thought provoking...love, basic human need, power, choices, family, hunger...what human hasn't dealt with issues surrounding these things? I was certain this was not my type of book, but it's everyone's type of book. I loved it, devoured it, put off doing schoolwork and lost sleep so that I could finish it...Read it. Please and thank you.

I also read two other books that shared similarities with The Hunger Games' dystopian setting. Delirium by Lauren Oliver is about the disease called love that so many fall prey to, so much so that a "cure" is invented to keep order in society. Divergent by Veronica Roth is part of another trilogy (I've only read the first one) starring a young girl realizing that she does not fit into the categories outlined by her society. Both were very good vacation reads.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd is the story of a homosexual teen who is learning the definition of love and acceptance as he gets involved with the world around him. It was troubling to read at times but a great story that felt really genuine.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork is one that I read for a Latino literature class. Marcelo has an autism-like condition that shapes his thoughts into a beautifully written, simple and truthful story. The 'real world' from Marcelo's perspective is an honest account of injustice, love, and understanding.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is a graphic novel with a fantastic cast of characters telling the story of fitting in. The drawings are great, the topic interesting, and the story very well told. Very deserving of the awards it has received.

I also read some grown-up books...

Room by Emma Donoghue is a haunting story told from the perspective of Jack, a five-year old who has spent his entire life in a room where he and his mother are held captive by a kidnapper. This was heavy reading for a beach weekend I'll admit, but I was glad to have read a story I had heard so much about.

(I should also insert here that the majority of my reading recommendations come from NPR...and they rarely disappoint.)

By far my favorite book of the summer and maybe of my life is Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. I rarely add books to my favorites on Facebook; if a book makes that list, you have to read it. I will recommend books all day long, but I only have a few that I put in the favorite list. (Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Book Thief, Freedom, Harry Potter...yes, Harry Potter)

Todd and I read Freedom together and I decided he's a keeper as we discussed Patty and Richard and Walter (not because we always agreed, but because our discussions and interpretations revealed so much about us and our opinions). I LOVE this book so much because I could see myself, my friends, my boyfriend, my parents in each of the characters at different points. Life is defined by all these characters depending on their situations and reactions and mostly their mistakes. Love is not easily defined and neither is life. I highly recommend it. Keep reading if you get bogged down; its lengthy, but necessarily so. And then please call me so we can talk about it. Also, Leslie Knope mentions it in an episode of Parks and Rec, so if you won't take my word for it, take it from Leslie (who I am dying to be).

The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano was an interesting read as well. I will recommend it in the same way I would recommend Edward Carey's Observatory Mansions (for you Christie). I don't want to call it strange, because that seems unfair, but it was a different kind of book about two misfits who find one another and discover the rarity of two souls like theirs uniting.

The Help. I fought this book for a long time and I'm not sure why. Someone recommended I read it over a year ago, and I started it, read about 2 chapters and was just not ready for it. I have this thing about popular books with mass appeal (i.e. Nicholas Sparks and Harry Potter). I don't trust the majority of the public to truly recognize great literature (Nicholas Sparks). But sometimes they do, sometimes its more about reading a great story that completely wraps you up so that you are so involved in another place in time that you don't even mean to learn something, and you do (Harry Potter). I re-started The Help and I loved every minute of it. It is an incredibly important book. I spent one rare non-busy Saturday afternoon finishing the last half of the book...for four hours, I held Kindle close, I laughed, I cried, I felt like a better person when I finished. Please read it.

I just finished A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan with the assistance of a very helpful relationship chart that visually depicted the characters' relationships to one another (thank you Courtney). Another good one. Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective and from start to finish, you meet each character briefly and then in more detail as life is chronicled through their various connections, relationships, and brief encounters. It made me think a lot about aging and how my little life is insignificant to most, but could be significant to a few.

I should mention that I did read a few books that I either couldn't get into or have not yet finished...The Last Werewolf has an interesting start as did Beatrice and Virgil: A Novel, but my kindle library loan ended on each before I finished them. I haven't gone back to them yet, which says nothing about their quality, only my lack of time.

I hope you get to check out (from your local library) one or all of these books at some point. And I'll do a better job of keeping my recommendations current so I can react as I read rather than reflect 5 books later. Happy reading!

Have a magical day!

I just wanted to point out that we are already halfway through 2011 already. And that is so crazy to me because I have no clue where the time has gone.

It did go to Disney for a week, I do know that much. And it was an amazing trip. Disney has some rocking customer service because they say to you, "Have a magical day," and you know what, the days are exactly that. It's amazing.

Being there spoiled me because now I realize my life would greatly improve if my life were brought to me by Disney. I don't know that I can return to normalcy after the magic.

1. I would like the Fast Pass feature to be available in the Publix sub making center.

2. I would like my boss to greet me each morning and tell me to have a magical day, and I would like him to mean it.

3. If I have a complaint, about anything, I need someone with a headset to pull me aside and talk to me about my problems, and then find a way to fix them.

4. I need to once a week be on a parade float being driven by a lady in a bird suit.

5. I want Mickey Mouse shaped soap and to officially change my name to Princess...which is what Sarah means anyway, so that's not really a stretch.

6. I want everyone around me to be that happy all the time. Because nobody is sad in Disney.


I think that covers it...I'm going to continue my magical life, which today includes the final Harry Potter movie...in about 2 hours. Pretty pumped about that magic. And not even a little embarrassed by my nerdiness.

It's the End of the World As We Know It

Well, with the impending end of the world (according to some), I felt it necessary to blog at least one more time. My posts have been so sporadic that I need this one, if it is the last, to leave some kind of lasting impression. I just wanted to continue on my good advice giving path, because if I am not here in about 3 hours, you who still are will need to know how to continue on with living life in the best way possible. I am no expert in this arena by any means, but there are certain things that bring my life such simple joy.

1. Please exercise. If only for 20 minutes on the elliptical or a brief power walk 3 times a week, you need a fitness routine. All of you. The reason you need to exercise is to make up for the food you have to eat to enjoy life. I love cheese. And ice cream and pizza, and yes, veggies are good too, but I love chocolate and sweets and champagne, and chicken wings, and obscene amounts of sushi. So in order to enjoy all the food life has to offer, you need to balance that with a little exercise. It will just make you feel better. You should drink a lot of water too, just in general. Stay hydrated.

2. Read a book. Any book. And then read another. Also get them from the library because they are free there and they have a huge selection. I'm a huge advocate of book buying, but if you do not have a library card you should probably get one. This is in no way biased by the fact that I'm going to change the face of libraries should the world still be here when I get out of school. But it kinda is. If you do not know where to start, I have a few suggestions: The Awakening, the Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (in the middle of it now, and kinda love it), and definitely Dandelion Wine. Read Twilight for fun.

3. I hear there may be zombies coming to get us at some point. You have to either blend in with the zombies or learn how to fight them. I found a website to assist.

4. Watch past seasons of The Office. I don't know how next season is going to turn out with Michael Scott being gone, so soak up the last few seasons and enjoy laughing.

5. Eat breakfast in the mornings because it really is the most important meal of the day.

6. Love people and try to understand. I am guilty of making snap judgements sometimes but I'm usually much happier when I don't do that. You should still people watch though, not with the intention of making fun, but there is a lot to be learned by just watching and listening.

7. And on a more serious note, be a courteous driver. Cars are dangerous so stop being so aggressive!

8. If you own a black leather pencil skirt, you need to wear it at least once. I have missed out on this opportunity and I'm pretty upset about it. But it being May, I can not justify wearing it today as it is already 90 degrees outside. But this is not an opportunity you should miss out on. I think.

I think that's all...but I have also been checking things off my last day of my life bucket list throughout the day:
I slept in.
I talked to all my family member, minus Laura, but we texted, so we're good.
I had an awesome workout.
I took the longest shower ever and wasted a lot of hot water.
I finally vacuumed out my car.
I didn't update my facebook status yet, but it's gonna be good when i do.
I watched the most recent Harry Potter release. Thank you netflix.
I read for awhile.
I made a red pepper and mozzarella omelett and a good pot of coffee.
I washed clothes and wore my Chacos around all day in preparation for Disney.
I paid my rent.

It's been a tip top day in a really chill kind of way. I'm excited about waking up tomorrow.

Children's Books for Adults

I am currently listening to 80's Pop Hits station on Pandora, and it is absolutely rocking my face off...so go there while you read this and it's almost like you feel exactly how I feel right at this moment.

Except that you might not. Because I am on the verge of a literary breakthrough, and I'm so sure to be a success that I'm afraid to blog about it in fear that someone may steal my thunder.

Adults, like myself, have to deal with some pretty major things as they enter adulthood. Some of these things are experienced and handled more maturely by people of far younger ages. Dealing with pardon me, shit, as an adult is tough because you know too much, you've seen just enough to over analyze the situation or deal with it improperly. I feel that adults need children's books to guide them through life's tough situations that they are forced to deal with later than some of their peers who experienced said events at a much younger age.

I should be more specific for this to make sense.

Half of all marriages end in divorce. Fact. A lot of children deal with divorce and they get the speeches about how Mommy and Daddy still love you very much, but they are not going to live together anymore, and yay, 2 christmases! But what about when you become an adult and your parents split up? Wouldn't this situation be eased if you had a picture book with animals to get you through it? Or what if you have never had an intimate encounter with a man until your mid 20s and felt a little awkward about the situation? What better than a talking turtle to tell you about the ins and outs? There is not a children's book to address these adult situations, so I've decided to give the people what they want/need by providing a new series on life's issues brought to you in the form of a children's book...that is not for children at all. Titles will include, Suck it Up You Big Baby...Did You Really Think It Couldn't Happen to You and Grownups Don't Just Makeout.

I think I'm sitting on a goldmine. I need some kind of comic relief and a reality check to put things into perspective, and I feel like an illustrated animal book would give me both. I've already drafted my first story, a bittersweet romance about 2 bunnies who grow apart. Going to be amazing.

i quit

I love vacation. I have decided that after this week I will not be returning to Allstate. After only 3 days of time off, I have grown accustomed to being on my own schedule, so I am going to go into an existence of mooching. My plan is to finish out school while living off the goodwill of others when my money runs out. I do this, simply because I have lost the willpower to return from vacation.

Won't you get bored? you ask...no. I will continue playing on my computer and watching Netflix, running, playing, reading until my eyes are tired. And then I will nap. Until I get hungry, and then I will eat. I will frolic the stacks of the library and galavant throughout the gym until I again get tired. This is the happy life for me. No need for any more accomplishments. No need for more goals; I will play and enjoy my freedom.

But alas, this is but a dream. I have thoroughly enjoyed this random week of vacation though. The weather has been beautiful, I have had a chance to catch up on things that working all day usually does not allow. I have read, not just for school, but for PLEASURE! I have watched television guilt free. I have made meals. Balanced meals that aren't from the freezer. I have run freely atop the moving belt of a treadmill without worrying that I only really had 45 minutes to spare. I have watched Maury and The Real Housewives of New Jersey and come to appreciate my drama free life, especially this life, the vacation life.

and I still have 4 days left until I return to normalcy.