Book Nerd

As I try to figure out what the next step in my life is, I think that it is important to try and budget a little.

(My understanding is that you can't spend whatever you want if you don't have a, you know, income.)

I'm actually pretty good about not spending too much, but it's probably a good idea to evaluate what's allowed right now.

I have to have enough money for the essentials: shelter, groceries, electricity, and the medicine for the doggies (I keep telling Hannah that she's the one with the allergies, so she should really stop being lazy and get a job to pay for them).

And I have to cut out the non-essentials: eating out (at least I need to cut back), makeup, and professional eyebrow waxes (which means I might end up looking like Bert from Sesame Street, or I'll turn into one of those ladies who has to draw on her own eyebrows with a crayon... either way, please don't point and laugh).

Again, I don't waste my money, but my biggest downfall are usually accessories (sure, they're usually from Target, but they add up), but I CANNOT get any new purses (like this, or this).

(Which will make Mike very happy, as I lost the ability to house any more purses in our closet about a year ago... although I'm sure I could make space, Santa.)

Ok, the point of all of this is that I ran into some trouble when breaking purchases down into "essential" and "non-essential".

BOOKS.

I know that I should stop buying new, beautiful, exciting books. I know that I should just go to the library, or borrow books from friends and family, or, you know, read the dozens of unread books that are already on the bookshelf.

But I have this thing where I LOVE having my own books. I don't mind buying used books; as long as I can keep the book when I finish it, then I'm happy.

And everytime I finish a book, there are about three new books that I want to read.

I love being able to look at my beautiful bookshelf (designed and built by Mr. Michael) and seeing all of my little accomplishments lined up in a nice, alphabetized row.

I love being able to write the month and year that I finished a book on the first inside page (I think that libraries frown on such a thing).

I love seeing all of the series that I love lined up on the bottom shelf, with their corresponding covers looking so pretty in a group together.

I love being able to have a favorite book at my fingertips, ready for me to read again (and again... and again).

So: do I keep buying books? Do I dare to keep entering into the bookstores, knowing very well that I really won't leave without at least one purchase?

Well, yes.

I think that you have to treat yourself once in awhile. Sure, I'll limit myself, but I figure that buying books is a way better vice than purchasing designer shoes or lattes everyday.

All of this speaking about books makes me want to tell you all about a couple of AWESOME books that I read in New Zealand. I didn't get to read as much as I usually do on vacation. I guess Dad and AJ like to actually, like, do stuff rather than sit around reading. This is very different than what Mike and I do on vacation. Maybe that's because Mike and I usually can't afford to really do anything when we travel on our own... or maybe we're just nerds... lazy nerds.

I'm not complaining, though. It was nice to be able to actually get up and see the country!

Anywhozit, I had the privilege of reading some books that are now new favorites.

But first, some books that I read that were good, but did not make it to the coveted "favorite list".

I read the third and fourth books in the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris. They were good, very entertaining. I really like the series, so that's good (though none of them are as good as the first book in the series: Dead Until Dark ... and in terms of vampire series, The Twilight Saga is still the best... obviously).

I also read A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin. Truth be told, I didn't really like this book (sorry AJ, since it's one of his faves). I mean, it's just not my kinda style or story. The thing that I find fascinating about these kind of books, though, is how much creativity the author has to create a story like that. It's a fantasy, and the first book in a series, so she had to create so many names and places and creatures, and I find that incredible. So I'm glad that I read it so that I could see how an author creates a story (always learning!).

Now, I said that I read some AMAZING books that are now on my all time favorite list.


First is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I read about this book on Stephenie Meyer's website (I check it everyday because I am an obsessed loser... and kinda a stalker... not really... I think). She loved it so much that she posted her review of it on her homepage, so I went and bought it. It's been sitting on my self for awhile, and I decided to finally take it with me on this trip.

This was the BEST BOOK EVER. It was crazy good. Like I couldn't stop reading it. And I thought about it long after I finished it. It was an extremely well written story about growing up in the most horrific of circumstances.

Seriously, so good!!

Oh, and you should be warned that the book is classified as "young adult". Don't let the label discourage you - some of the BEST books ever written are in that section (enter The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter ). Plus, that means they're easy as pie, which we all need once in awhile.


The other book that is now on my favorite list is called Slam and it is by the one and only Nick Hornby. He is by far one of the best writers out there (High Fidelity, anyone?), and Slam did not disappoint. I actually found this book at the bookstore with my dad. He too is a Hornby fan, so in an effort to secure my spot as winner of the Best Daughter of All Time award, I got the book for him. Of course, this was with the understanding that I could read it after him...

The book is hilarious and touching and you feel like you really are in the mind of a 15-year-old British kid.

So, those are my reviews and suggestions for the holiday season. If you follow my advice and read The Hunger Games and Slam, I hope you enjoy them. And if you don't follow my advice... then you suck.

Not really.

Well... only kinda.

(See how I was able to write another (long) post without actually writting about my trip? Don't get me wrong, it was an awesome trip and I want to share, but, as I said yesterday, it's a bit overwhelming to write about 16 days of activity... but soon, I promise.)

Getting Back to Business...

And by business, I mean finally getting to see Twilight


Sure, I just returned from the magical land of Kiwis and sheep, but there's just so much to write about that experience, so I'm just going to talk about Twilight


(It's called an "artistic process"... also known as "procrastination".)

If you don't know what The Twilight Saga is, or you know what it is, but don't care, then don't read this.

Instead, just go buy the damn books and then go see the movie.

And then read this.

Seriously.

Go.

Actually, really, if you don't like Twilight, then this post is pretty worthless to you.

And now that I have alienated most of my readership, let us continue.

I've heard pretty dreadful things about the movie. Most of my friends emailed me in NZ to tell me that the movie was a total let down. (And by "most of my friends", I mean two... which means all of my friends emailed me about it... *tear*.)

Therefore, my expectations were pretty darn low going into the theater.

I mean, I never expected the movie to be AWESOME. It's like the Harry Potter movies. NONE of them are GREAT (though they are getting much better... and the sixth one looks extremely promising...), but I love them. They're entertaining as hell, and they're fun. I always laugh and cry and forget about all the shit going on in the world during those hours in the theater... And isn't that what movies are supposed to do... let you escape?

But, because of the crappy reviews and all, I walked in thinking it would be pretty awful... maybe even painful. I was scared that the film would be SO BAD that it would just end up ruining one of my most favoritist books of all time.

Well... in a nutshell...

It was not THAT BAD. It was even, dare I say, good. Like, I really liked it.

Maybe it's just because my expectations were SO low, but I thought that it was really fun and entertaining and way better than I thought it would be.

Sure, it's not going to win any awards.

Sure, some of it was really cheesy and all, but if you stop and think about it, it's a cheesy-ass story anyway.

Sure, it wasn't as good as the book, but that never happens (except for maybe High Fidelity... both the movie and the book are amazing). I think that they actually did a very good job putting together a nice and cohesive movie out of a 500+ page novel.

And sure, the acting was kinda iffy. But, overall, I think that the actors did very well.

Robert Pattinson was, um, gorgeous, and I think that he did a good job portraying Edward in all his smoldering-crazy-overreacting-Godlike-glory.

Kristin Stewart was actually a very good Bella. Yes, she was kinda aloof in some scenes, but overall, she was much better than I thought she would be.

And the other characters did pretty well (especially Bella's friends at school and Charlie). EXCEPT for Alice and Jasper. They were just weird and awkward and funny looking (these are supposed to be the most amazingly beautiful creatures on the planet, and they were just... not...).

So, overall, I was not disappointed.

And yes, I'll probably see it again.

And yes, I'll buy it on DVD.

So, for those of you who don't have any idea what I am talking about... you should. But if you really have no interest in this stuff, then you'll be happy to know that I actually have "real" stuff to write about later.

I do have a life.

Sure... it's schooless and jobless and, lately, has revolved around my obsession with a fictional vampire man... but I promise I'll write about other stuff.

Important stuff.

Like how super cute Bonnie and Hannah are.

And Michael's beard.

And said beard's implications and consequences in our relationship.

And how I need a job... during a recession...

And how I'm considering bangs.

See... very important stuff.

All in good time, my friends... all in good time.

Free Internets = Stupid Post from NZ

I am sitting in a snazy little hotel in Christchurch on our last night in NZ.

This is the first place that has FREE internets. So I am taking advantage and hording the computer from other guests (Mike... and maybe a German couple) to write this short little post to warn you all that I have more posts to write.

I know that seems weird, but as I am bored and have free internets I decided to tell you all that since I am now unemployed and am going to return from my epic family vacay in the Southern Hemisphere, I will most likely have a lot to write about...

But I can't write it all now because even though this internet is free, it is on a crappy computer and I am being surrounded by eager internets users (Mike... the Germans returned to their room...).

But I shall return, so you should probably just keep your computer on my blog at all times, refreshing every five and a half seconds, so that you don't miss a bit of my amazing tales.

Of course I won't be posting until the following happens:

- I cuddle with the doggies

- I see Twilight (I know that it will probably suck and can never live up to the book... but that won't stop me from seeing it, even if I'm totally jet lagged)

- I find out who America's Next Top Model is

- I figure out if Katie really has left Tom (it's all over the Kiwi Tabloids)

- I catch up on The Office and Grey's Anatomy

So, even though I have a lot of amazing posting to do... it might be a couple more days. But remember: refresh.

Oh, and I'm sick. And my travel companions have told me to stop complaining (about everything... not just about being sick)... so you can expect me to have A LOT to complain - I mean write- about on that subject...

Music and Murder = My Kinda Movie

I watched Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street tonight on HBO.

Here are the reasons why I love that movie:

• Two words: Johnny Depp

• Two more words: Johnny singing

• And two more words: Johnny's kick-ass hairdo...

Ok, that was more than two words, but I was on a role.

• It's a musical and a horror film. It's violence with a live soundtrack. I've always said that the one thing missing from Texas Chainsaw Massacre was singing... and the one thing missing from Rent was bloody murder. I mean sure, West Side Story had gang fights and murder... but it wasn't all blood and guts and stuff, so it doesn't count. The dancing really got in the way of the whole horror thing... damn pirouetting Puerto Ricans.

I wish we all sung more.

I sing a lot...

To the dogs...

Is it a bad sign that they try to attack me?

On to New Things...

I will miss the house that I grew up in.

We sell it tomorrow.

I don't want to say goodbye to it.

It's been such a busy week, and I'm entering another equally busy week, so it hasn't really hit me that "The Big House" is not going to be ours anymore.

I'm sad...

But I have to look at this as the beginning of things... new and exciting things for all of us.

And then it doesn't seem like such a sad thing...

But I will miss it.

Guster |MTV Music

I Can't Help it...

I'm officially obsessed... bear with me...

Paramore |MTV Music

I heart Edward Cullen... and chicks who can rock out.

New Beginnings

I'm supposed to be working... but the connection to my work computer is going about as fast as I run... so that's not going to happen.

So here I blog.

The past few days have brought a lot of things to my mind.

Between the election, the juice fast, and my tenure at my job coming to an end, I have been thinking a lot about the future.

So first, let me tell you all about my juice fast.

The first day was easy. I was so scared that it would be really hard, but I was able to pull it off with minimal discomfort.

The second day was harder. I had to help dad pack up the kitchen and load the truck with drywall, so my body started to feel the strain of low caloric intake.

Plus, my dad made me go to one of my favorite breakfast places with the family... and he made spaghetti. That was really hard to get through without, you know, eating.

Thankfully my dad covered the spaghetti in animal carcass so that I wouldn't want to eat it...

The third day was the hardest. I was really hungry, and I had to go into the office. The office is my downfall. I eat all day. There is food everywhere (including leftover Halloween candy).

By the end of the third day, I started to feel really slugish, no matter how much juice I drank, so I decided to start eating again. I went to Whole Foods and made a huge salad.

It was weird, salad was something that I craved the whole time I was fasting.

That and potatoes...

So, what did I learn from all of this?

My goal was to get through those situations where I usually consume more food than most professional football players.

And I did it!

It was so empowering to sit through a breakfast and not clean my plate.

And it was amazing to be at the office and not snack on chips and candy all day.

I was able to get through those situations without giving in and giving up.

It was pretty sweet.

So probably the most important lesson that I learned was that I can do anything I set my mind to.

The other important thing that I learned was that I am in control when it comes to food.

I don't have to eat. At least not as much as I usually do, and at least not as much crap as I usually do.

I've convinced myself that I am completely out of control when it comes to eating. I've convinced myself that I have to constantly eat.

But I learned that I do have control and that I don't have to eat all of the time.

If I change the way that I eat, and what I eat, and how I view food and myself, then I can become healthier.

And that's why I did this whole thing. To learn these things and to prove to myself that I could do it.

So I've been changing how I eat.

For one, I'm only eating things that will actually make me feel good.

That pack of Easy-Mac just isn't gonna cut it.

I don't need that mini-chocolate bar... at least not 5 times a day...

I will only have it if I really want it.

Like, really want it. Not like when I convince myself that I need it or my heart will explode...

I'm also trying to only eat when I'm actually hungry. I realized that I was rarely actually hungry when I was doing my juice fast. I was just craving food... craving the act of eating. And once I pushed that feeling back, I was just fine.

So, I've been eating healthier food, and only eating when I actually get hungry. And stopping when I'm full.

Yesterday I actually left french fries on my plate...

I know... unbelievable, yet it happened.

I don't know... it's really nice to know that I can accomplish anything, no matter how much I had originally doubted myself.

And now that I've learned all of that... maybe I can actually start thinking about what I want to do with my life.

Or maybe I'll just think about that later...

Sara Bareilles |MTV Music