Time

I admit it. I'm guilty of making the comments "I wish I had more time" or "I don't have time for that." Come on - you know you have too.

But a comment I saw the other night pushed me over the edge (I might have been having a stressful day - LOL). I happened to be working on something online and had one of the basketball games on in the background on my TV. Of course, it was one of those games that broke my bracket, which honestly could have been any game in the last few days!

Someone posted (paraphrasing this) that in another life maybe they'd have time to do something trivial like brackets. Now - I am not a basketball fan that watches games throughout the entire season. Though I find it fun to do a bracket and see how good my guesses are. It takes me about 10 minutes to actually put the bracket together.

This comment started to make me wonder "well, how much time do you spend on Facebook? Procrastinating? Doing whatever you do?" And it made me remember what time management is really all about - PRIORITIES.

People tell me that I'm busy all the time. And it's true. However, my schedule has been altered a bit since the beginning of the year - I'm not spending 8 hours a day (or more) at work at the moment. Things have been a bit easier to juggle, and it's been a bit easier to fit in some of the things I like to do but don't always put as a priority, like reading.

My position on the Michigan Jaycees state board of directors takes me all over the state. I'm in the car a lot. I've traveled over 2,000 miles just going to chapters across the state (that's not even counting all that I do with my home chapter). But, it's about putting a priority on things. I keep track of my deadlines and if I slack off, I know I have to bust my butt to get it done.

We all commit to something - whether it's our family, friends or extracurricular activities. We have time - we all have 168 hours in a week. But we have to choose how to use them, and balance our lives so we get the most out of them.

I'm actually looking forward to reading a book called "168 Hours: You Have More Time than You Think" by Laura Vanderkam. I still need help sometimes in prioritizing and using my time in the best way possible.

I know when I am back to work, I will have to reorganize my schedule and reorganize my priorities (goodbye reading, ). I am hoping this book helps along with knowing what I want to do with my time.

Book Goal for 2011

I posted this on Facebook recently - I added a few more to it, and I need one more to make it 15 on a list, and 15 to pick randomly throughout the year. Do you have suggestions for what #15 should be?

I decided that in 2011, I'm planning on reading 30 books. This is on par with what I've read this year (currently at 27, two in the works). I have a hard time sticking to a list - I've tried it before, but then other things come out and I want to read those. So, this year, I'm going to do a hybrid list. Some of them will be chosen books to read throughout the year, the rest can be chosen as I go along. See below for the "pre-determined" books so far...


1) The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett (re-read)

2) World Without End - Ken Follett

3) Full Frontal Feminism - Jessica Valenti

4) Speaking the Unspeakable - Margaret Abraham

5) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

6) Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

7) What is the What - Dave Eggers

8) The Passage - Justin Cronin

9) Freedom - Jonathan Franzen

10) The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin

11) Big Girls Don't Cry - Rebecca Traister

12) The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood

13) Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

14) A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

15) ?

Goal Update, Week #2

So after a good start to the week, I end not having much going on in the way of my goals. Here's a rundown:

#1 - Yeah, never got there. Thanks to 5 days of primary action, I was dead to the world on Wednesday. Try again.

#2 - I actually did this - took my notebook with me everywhere. It made me a little more conscious this week, but with everything going on, still didn't eat as well as I should have.

#3 - Completed this one too. Keep hoping that I don't finish "Catching Fire" until closer to the 24th, but I don't think that's going to happen.

#4 - After being down 1 pound in week 1, I went back up .8lbs in week to. So net loss is -.2. Still down, darn it!

#5 - Yeah, only made it 3 times this week. If you don't count all the walking done on Monday/Tuesday. But I did make it through the entire cardio kickboxing class on Monday night!

Even though I'm not being completely successful, it's nice to have something to work towards and check in with. So, onward I go.

Good news though - had a doctor's appointment on Monday, and I was down 10 lbs. since my last appointment in early April. Not too shabby.

Books to read

So, I made the mistake of reading the email I got yesterday from NPR Book Reviews. It unfortunately helped me add MORE books to my TBR list. Like I needed to add anything new...



First up - Captain Freedom: A Superhero's Quest for Truth Justice and the Celebrity He So Richly Deserves by G. Xavier Robillard. I think being fresh off seeing Watchmen is what attracted me to this book. I've also been watching Smallville quite a bit recently.

Second was Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story by Isabel Gillies. I'm not sure why this seems intriguing to me, but I think the story seems like it might be very raw.

And finally, The Believers by Zoe Heller. I enjoyed What Was She Thinking? though I haven't seen the movie, Notes on a Scandal. This sounds like an interesting story, and I just got a copy from the library today...

Which makes me giggle, because when I went to pick up my holds at the library today, I only had three of the four on the shelf. I asked at the desk, and pretty much before the person helping me asked for my card, the guy working at the next desk was handing her my book. Sigh, so much for anonymity! I guess I'm in there so much, they know me! I will miss the South Lansing library when I move to the west side of Lansing in a couple of months!

Lamb

I finished this book on Sunday night, but I'm just getting around to blogging about it.



Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

I have to say, I was quite entertained. I'm not really sure what I expected from this book, but from what my friends had told me about Christopher Moore is that he is funny.

I'm not sure if I would have found it funnier if I knew more about the Bible and the stories (I have hardly any knowledge of it...), but I found myself glad that I wasn't reading it in public most of the time, because I would start giggling.

There were many parts that got me thinking about how Joshua learned from all the world's religions (Buddhism, Confucious, etc.) and how all of these religions have the same overarching theme. I was also quite entertained at the amount of bacon references that were made throughout the book.

I would highly recommend this to everyone - I'm looking forward to reading more of Mr. Moore's work! 4/5

Reading Habits

For those of you that know me pretty well, I'm usually a fairly avid reader. I read a good amount of books last year, and was pretty confident I would read quite a bit this year.

Well, I honestly have not been doing well. I haven't even finished a book this year yet. I'm hoping that I will finish the one that I am reading today, but wow, this is just so unlike me. Somehow, I have to find the time to read more. Recently, I've only been reading right before bed, whereas I'm usually reading after work, while watching TV, etc.

I'm thinking maybe I need to set a goal of books to read like I did last year - any suggestions?

2008 Book Update...

For those of you who have been loyal readers for a long time, you'll remember that at the beginning of the year, I put together a list of 50 books to read this year. Well, this is the update, and it isn't pretty. I read a total of 12 off the list.

() The Fall (Camus)
() American Creation (Ellis)
(X) Man Gone Down (Thomas)
()World Without End (Follett)
()The Pillars of the Earth - re-read (Follett)
(X)Gentlemen of the Road (Chabon)
(X)The Yiddish Policemen's Union (Chabon)
(X)The Other Boleyn Girl (Gregory)
()Team of Rivals (Kearns)
()The Mascot (Kurzem)
(X)Then We Came to the End (Ferris)
()The Russian Concubine (Furnivall)
(X)Jane Eyre (Bronte)
()Thunderstruck (Larson)
()Schulz and Peanuts (Michaelis)
(X)A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini)
()Tree of Smoke (Johnson)
()On the Road (Kerouac)
()The Savage Detectives (Bolano)
()Midnight's Children (Rushdie)
()The Fortress of Solitude (Lethem)
()A People's History of the United States (Zinn)
()The World is Flat (Friedman)
()Kabul Beauty School (Rodriguez)
()1776 (McCullough)
()My Life (Clinton)
()The Myth of the Rational Voter (Caplan)
()A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
(X)Eat Pray Love (Gilbert)
()The End of Poverty (Sachs)
()The Plot Against America (Roth)
()Ragtime (Doctorow)
()Parting the Waters (Branch)
()From Beirut to Jerusalem (Friedman)
(X)Clapton: The Autobiography (Clapton)
()What is the What (Eggers)
()White Teeth (Smith)
()Breakfast of Champions (Vonnegut)
()The Inheritence of Loss (Desai)
()The Good Earth (Buck)
()Boom! Voices of the Sixties (Brokaw)
(X)Daughter of Fortune (Allende)
(X)The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao (Diaz)
()Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (Swanson)
()The Guns of August (Tuchman)
()Catch-22 (Heller)
()The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway)
()Marie Antoinette (Fraser)
()The Crimson Petal and the White (Faber)
()Emma (Austen)
(X)A Free Life (Jin)

The good news is, I still read 41 books this year:


Daughter of Fortune (Allende)
The Handmaid's Tale (Atwood)
Away (Bloom)
Jane Eyre (Bronte)
Debbie Harry Sings in French (Brothers)
Gentlemen of the Road (Chabon)
The Yiddish Policemen's Union (Chabon)
Clapton: The Autobiography (Clapton)
The Chocolate War (Cromier)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Diaz)
One for the Money (Evanovich)
Two for the Dough (Evanovich)
Then We Came to the End (Ferris)
Mistress of the Art of Death (Franklin)
The Serpent's Tale (Franklin)
Eat Pray Love (Gilbert)
The Constant Princess (Gregory)
The Other Boleyn Girl (Gregory)
The Nick Adams Stories (Hemingway)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini)
A Free Life (Jin)
Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Lindsay)
Memories of My Melancholy Whores (Marquez)
No Country for Old Men (McCarthy)
The Book of Lies (Meltzer)
Twilight (Meyer)
New Moon (Meyer)
American Nerd (Nugent)
Snuff (Palahniuk)
The Golden Compass (Pullman)
The Enchantress of Florence (Rushdie)
Persepolis (Satrapi)
Naked (Sedaris)
Child 44 (Smith)
The Art of Racing in the Rain (Stein)
Man Gone Down (Thomas)
Tell Me Where It Hurts (Trout)
Chasing Harry Winston (Weisberger)
This Common Secret (Wicklund)
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (Wroblewski)
The Book Thief (Zusak)

Out of the books I read, I would have to say my favorite was "The Art of Racing in the Rain". I read this book while I was on vacation for a few days in Cleveland, and it was hard for me to put down. I fell in love with the main character Enzo, who happens to be a dog. It made me laugh and cry, and I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I haven't decided yet if I am going to make a 2009 list, or just say that I'm going to try to read 50 books. I noticed during the year that my reading tastes change quite a bit, and I did expand my horizons by reading some books I wouldn't normally read. In the process, I've come across some fun reads (such as Janet Evanovich and the Twilight series).

I will keep y'all posted!

Things I haven't been doing lately...

As the holidays get closer, it's been more evident that my reading piles have gotten larger because I haven't been reading much, my apartment is a mess because I haven't been cleaning much, and I have a bunch of pictures I've already developed (this isn't even counting the ones I haven't) that still need to be scrapbooked.

So, I finally started reading a book I've been meaning to - the 2nd book in the Twilight series, New Moon. However, I also have to read The Daily Show and Philosophy for a book club, and I've also started Merle's Door about an owner and the dog he found on a trip. Of course, I haven't gotten far in any of them yet.

But of course, I've been thinking of taking up knitting or crocheting - neither of which I know how to do. But, do I really need another hobby?

Oprah's Book Club

I've been reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle for about two to three weeks. Then, last Friday, Oprah decided to announce her new Book Club selection. Can you guess what it was? The same book I've been reading.

I don't tend to read Oprah selections because she picked them - a few, like Middlesex and The Pillars of the Earth I read BEFORE they were Oprah selections. Otherwise, I haven't read much in the list.

I am really enjoying this book so far - it's a little slow going, because it's longer and more dense, but it's certainly keeping me interested.

Life hiatus or I don't think one Hot Pocket is enough for dinner

While I'm digesting my Hot Pocket, I figured I'd write a blog. I'm still determining whether I should have more food for dinner.

During the last week of June, I kept telling my co-workers that my goal was to take most of July off. I think I'm doing well with that. The first week, I worked two days. This week, I worked three days. Next week, I'll be in for four days. Prior to that, it had been quite a long time since I took more than one day off.

In the meantime, I've been really lazy about doing any scrapbooking or jewelry stuff. No more! I fixed a necklace last night, and made a pair of earrings to go with it. Tonight I hope to get around to some scrapbooking. It's also been awhile since I've been to a yoga class, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. I attempted to do a short practice the other night, but I like class.

On the other hand, I've been doing fairly well in watching movies and reading. Which means if I've been doing well at watching movies, I've usually been riding the exercise bike (yay!).

I'm almost thinking to do everything I want to do, I might have to start scheduling myself for some things. I already schedule my yoga class, but unfortunately, life got in the way that last week of June. But I hate to be stuck to doing something...sigh, what a dilemma!

In the meantime, I'm going to have another Hot Pocket, get on the bike and watch "So You Think You Can Dance!"

Life is a mystery...

As most of you probably know, I meant to do the Read-a-Thon today. However, my day has been messed up just a little. I planned on driving back to Muskegon last night, then spending all day reading today. Here's what really happened:

I was at work until after 1:30am last night. Then I dropped a co-worker off to get his car that had just gotten fixed. So, I made it home a little after 2am. I got the dog out, and stayed up with her until about 3am. Not having slept well the night before, and having been at work until 10:15pm, I was tuckered out.

I finally crawled out of bed today around 1pm. Took a shower, packed up, and drove to the library, picked up some stuff, and drove back to Muskegon. Now I'm here and ready to go back to bed, but I think I'm going to continue with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I brought tons of books with me, but I just might have to make tomorrow my full day of reading.

Did someone say "Read-a-Thon"?

Oh yes, they did! After reading Sean's blog, I decided to participate in this Read-a-Thon. I am asking everyone to donate to Reading is Fundamental (RIF), as it is the charity that is benefiting from the Read-a-Thon.

Now, I know I will probably start a little late, but look for updates throughout the day on Saturday!

A random hodgepodge of topics...

There may be no rhyme or reason to this post, except to get things off my mind that I keep thinking about...

First, another friend of mine posted this, but I thought it was just another reminder of why libraries are so important.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-andrews15-2008may15,0,3401026.story

Why shouldn't everyone have access to knowledge? Regardless of how much money any of us have, we should be allowed to have access to books, computers, movies, and all the other services our local libraries offer us. Knowledge should not only be for those who have money.

Second, I'd like to take a moment to advocate for who I think would be the best choice for Barack Obama to make for Vice-President. Please see the photo below.

I know, wouldn't I be great? Haha. Just kidding.

John Edwards would be the perfect pick, in my opinion. He's from the South, he has a blue collar background, he's a populist, and gosh darn it, people like him. I know what you're saying - it didn't work last time. Well, remember he was paired with someone who had about the charm of a wet rag. An Obama/Edwards ticket would be dynamite!!!

Third - I went into the Hot Topic store in Muskegon recently. As Eric and I were looking around, I heard this fantastic music they were playing. I asked one of the guys that worked there who it was, and it turns out it was The Dresden Dolls. Who are they, you ask? Apparently, a group that Ben Folds has produced, with two members, a female singer/piano player, and a drummer. I went out and bought their new CD last night, and I highly recommend it to you all.

I think that's all for now - GO WINGS!!!!!

I'm shocked...

Just so y'all know, I don't cook. Never have, not very good at it. My mom always cooked - she was a stay at home mom. So, I never had to.


So what the heck got into me when I got home from work? I mean, I had taken out pork tenderloin in the hopes that I would cook it - and I did. I marinated it, got frozen veggies out, cut up the meat, and voila! It was a tasty goodness kind of stir fry...it seems so simple, yet, it's certainly not my strong suit. I might be able to get used to this cooking thing...though I probably shouldn't!


In other life shattering news, I've been a hermit lately, and either watching movies or, in most cases, doing a lot of reading. I spent most of yesterday reading. I know it's not what most people would do, but it helps me relax. Though, I never feel like I have enough time in the day to do everything I'd like to.




Currently Reading: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

A little behind...

I feel like I'm not doing very well in my book list for the year. I'm halfway through two books right now, and have been reading them for awhile.

However, I was at the library today, and I felt compelled to write about this. I was in the library today, picking up some holds, and I overheard this son and his mother. The boy wanted to get MORE books, and the mom wouldn't let him. I was slightly confused. I would want my kids to want more books, but this mom was very adamant that her son only get 3 books. I mean, I know there's a limit on how many books can be checked out at a time, but it's certainly a lot more than 3 (I think it's about 30!)

If the kids want books, let them have them!!!

"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other."

As the New Year is upon us, I would like to wish everyone a happy 2008. I do hope that I won't be at work as much this year! Haha.

I have a few resolutions for this year. Nothing too difficult, I don't think, but we'll see if I can actually keep them.

1) Get myself up in the morning before work and work out for 30 minutes, 4 days a week. (Maybe this will help me not feel so sluggish.)
2) Watch at least 2 movies a week. (There are so many movies I haven't seen!)
3) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. (This should help with the next one...)
4) Read 35 books throughout the year (I will be posting my list of 50 books to read in 2008 when I complete it!)
5) Try to focus on the positive things about me. (I've had a problem with doing this recently, so, help me out y'all!)

I should be able to handle these. I just have to keep myself focused, and also organized much better than I have recently. I used to be so organized, and I'm hoping to gain some of that back!!


Currently reading: Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon

"If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's, well, broken."

Ah, the quote is from Grosse Pointe Blank. That movie always makes me laugh. Maybe a good selection for this week's viewing.

The weekend was pretty good. Got some things moved around in my apartment, and I'm still working on that, but I did get a table to do some scrapbooking and jewelry stuff on. So, that's helpful, especially since I have Dakota this week.

I'm at home for the moment, but I have to leave in a bit to go cover a meeting for my boss. Luckily, it's only a couple of blocks away, and there will be dinner, but I really just would like to be home tonight and finish my book. I'm so close - about 30 pages left! Then, I have to decide what to read next. Rearranging my apartment reminded me of exactly how many books I own that I haven't read.

I will probably bake again this week - snickerdoodles (yum!) and ginger snaps (yum!). That's my plan, anyway. Not tonight though, and not tomorrow night. Woo hoo, the work holiday party is tomorrow night. Should be fun, considering the last one I went to, I had only worked in my office for about, oh, one month. So, I didn't know anyone! Hard to have fun at that type of function...

Hopefully, this week isn't too stressful (it isn't so far!), and I can get some things done both in the office and at home. This weekend is going to be pretty busy. I'm helping out at Stuff the Bus for the Jaycees on Saturday, but not sure what time that I'll be out there (we'll be at the Wal-Mart, ugh, yeah, I know, in Eastwood Towne Center all day Saturday). Then, Sunday, our office is going to Wharton Center to see Spamalot. That makes me happy. I've heard it's funny, and how can you go wrong with Monty Python?

"I never thought it was such a bad little tree..."

"I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed." - Charlie Brown



I'm fairly certain that Chuck got it right here. I really know of no other way to describe it than the above quote.

I've actually been quite uncharacteristic this week - I've baked cookies two nights in a row this week, and brought them into work. It's not like I was going to sit down and eat them all! I just felt compelled to bake, so that's what I did. I've had several people tell me I'm nesting. Sigh.

I'm not sure if it's just a combination of things right now, but I've had some trouble concentrating at work lately. My mind wanders elsewhere, and I just can't focus. In this respect, I just haven't done a whole lot. I know this - but it turned up in what I assume was supposed to be a joke toward the end of my day today. A co-worker of mine mused "Sometimes I wonder if you do any work." Ouch. I know that person probably meant it in a joking fashion, but man that statement ended up stinging. Even though I know I haven't been motivated at work, it still hurts when someone else comments on it. So, if anyone has some ideas for how to get me motivated at work again, please let me know.

It's just me and Dakota this week. I have grand plans to rearrange my apartment this weekend, throw out all the garbage, and do some reading. We'll see how productive I actually am.