Wow, I haven't posted in a long time. Haha. Spring break happened, and then this week was kind of busy, and... yep. Haha.
Here's an update on my life: I love working out.
I've always thought that I just wasn't athletic, and that was that. I've never been really in shape, and I've never exercised regularly. Until the Rock Solid Challenge. If anything, exercise is the habit I acquired from it. I just feel so good and productive all the time when I exercise regularly, and it's a feeling I've never had before. Not that I'm an unhappy person, it's just a different kind of happy. I know it's stupid, and very much a dilemma of every girl, but self-image is something that I struggle with sometimes. All of my sisters were like sticks growing up, and I didn't, for lack of a better term, even out, until later in junior high. It didn't help that I just ate junk ALL the time. (It's a wonder I'm not 300 pounds, I basically grew up on Wendy's.)
But then I started to work out, and I just feel healthy. My body hasn't changed THAT much (because it didn't really need to... which is still kind of hard to see sometimes), but I feel very different. It's just good. I just never gave it a good try before, so I didn't realize the effect it would actually have on me. It's not like I'm a track star or pro athlete, I definitely started slow and am still working my way up, but it's getting easier.
As if the feeling wasn't enough, I don't feel guilty reading or watching TV when I work out. Usually, if I do it at home, I feel like I should be doing something else. But if I do it when I run, it's not me avoiding homework because I am doing something productive at the same time! It's great.
I was talking to my mom about this at dinner a couple days ago (I was in Salt Lake to see Beauty and the Beast), and mentioned that in the next year or two it would be a big accomplishment to run a half-marathon. She was really excited and wants to do it with me, and train during the summer. It's something I never saw myself doing, because I didn't think that I could. I know that it'll be SO hard, but I think it's a good goal. And even kinda fun. :)
Never thought I'd consider running fun...
3.24.2012
3.11.2012
83 - kindle
I know I've mentioned it a few times, but I feel like I need to officially address something.
I love books. I love physical books. I love reading them, turning the pages, even smelling them (on occasion). There was a time in my life when I always had a book with me, and there was nothing and no one that could stop me from reading it when I wanted.
That being said, I have always been against kindles. (Like I said, I know I've mentioned this before. But I've read so much anti-kindle stuff recently, so I felt like I should explain myself.) I naturally shy away from anything that promotes the idea that paper is obsolete, especially books. My dad bought the first generation kindle when it came out several years ago, and I was mostly disinterested. Then I was mostly offended. (Don't ask, I'm not sure why. Haha.)
My parents have asked and asked if I wanted one for years, and the answer was always no. And I thought it would always be no. Then I met someone at Utah State who carried one around, and I messed around with hers for a while. Then, I decided that I had perhaps judged them too quickly...
So I now have a kindle touch.
I still buy books (in fact, I just bought three online yesterday), and I still read books. I have discovered that I can buy the super cheap cheesy romance novels on my kindle (Most of the time I don't have much of an interest in paying $10 for them in book stores because I don't know if I'd ever read them again) and then save my money for the books I really want to buy. I still browse Barnes and Noble (one of my favorite activities EVER) and buy on a whim. I still read my books over and over again. I'm still building my library. But now I don't have to spend money on a book I know is going to get ruined in Mexico. (Thanks, Mom.) Plus, many of the cheap cheesy romance novels are actually free! And all of the books published before 1900 are free. (I mostly want to own those, though, so that's not a great incentive.)
Also, I can connect it with my library account. It doesn't have nearly the selection that an actual library would have, but since I don't live in the city where my library is anymore, it's great! Come summertime, I'll go back to checking out books. But for now, getting them instantly without having to be in Salt Lake is fantastic.
I just felt like I had to defend the usefulness of the kindle. It doesn't take away from my inherent bookishness. It definitely hasn't replaced my obsession with spending all of my money on books. Print books are still much better than my kindle, but I'm not ashamed to say that I like my kindle as well. :)
I love books. I love physical books. I love reading them, turning the pages, even smelling them (on occasion). There was a time in my life when I always had a book with me, and there was nothing and no one that could stop me from reading it when I wanted.
That being said, I have always been against kindles. (Like I said, I know I've mentioned this before. But I've read so much anti-kindle stuff recently, so I felt like I should explain myself.) I naturally shy away from anything that promotes the idea that paper is obsolete, especially books. My dad bought the first generation kindle when it came out several years ago, and I was mostly disinterested. Then I was mostly offended. (Don't ask, I'm not sure why. Haha.)
My parents have asked and asked if I wanted one for years, and the answer was always no. And I thought it would always be no. Then I met someone at Utah State who carried one around, and I messed around with hers for a while. Then, I decided that I had perhaps judged them too quickly...
So I now have a kindle touch.
I still buy books (in fact, I just bought three online yesterday), and I still read books. I have discovered that I can buy the super cheap cheesy romance novels on my kindle (Most of the time I don't have much of an interest in paying $10 for them in book stores because I don't know if I'd ever read them again) and then save my money for the books I really want to buy. I still browse Barnes and Noble (one of my favorite activities EVER) and buy on a whim. I still read my books over and over again. I'm still building my library. But now I don't have to spend money on a book I know is going to get ruined in Mexico. (Thanks, Mom.) Plus, many of the cheap cheesy romance novels are actually free! And all of the books published before 1900 are free. (I mostly want to own those, though, so that's not a great incentive.)
Also, I can connect it with my library account. It doesn't have nearly the selection that an actual library would have, but since I don't live in the city where my library is anymore, it's great! Come summertime, I'll go back to checking out books. But for now, getting them instantly without having to be in Salt Lake is fantastic.
I just felt like I had to defend the usefulness of the kindle. It doesn't take away from my inherent bookishness. It definitely hasn't replaced my obsession with spending all of my money on books. Print books are still much better than my kindle, but I'm not ashamed to say that I like my kindle as well. :)
3.09.2012
3.08.2012
81 - Busy Bee (Also, Reading Riot nos. 9 & 10)
So... the last couple weeks have been extremely busy for me. In fact, I probably don't have time to write this blog post. But I'm giving myself some free time because I am in desperate need.
My books for last week and this week were the rest of the Hunger Games series. I read both of them last week, but I'm still counting it... Haha. I just haven't had much time for reading this week. I had a paper due on Monday for Literary History of the Early Americas (I wrote in on captivity narratives in the early 18th century), and I had a paper due today on Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" in Literary Analysis. Now, these essays were for Lit classes, so my typical high school write-it-in-two-hours-before-I-go-to-bed-and-get-an-A routine would not hold so well. If I was smart and organized, I would have drawn out the writing of these papers over several days. Did I do that? *shakes head, sadly* Sunday night and Monday morning were spent writing and re-writing my 800-1000 word essay on captivity narratives. And from 5 PM to 11 PM yesterday, I was living and breathing prosody for the four-page Owen paper. I also have to give a speech tomorrow, so Tuesday was spent writing that. Of course, I had reading assignments in ALL of my classes, so I had to fit those in during meals and going to the gym.
It may seem like a lot of work, but I actually really enjoyed writing about "Dulce et Decorum Est". It's a poem that I've seen every year since I was a sophomore in high school, and it was really fun to really pick it apart and find hidden meanings. I know that English majors get made fun of because it seems like they make stuff up for their own benefit. How do I really know what Owen meant why he wrote his paper? Did he really deviate from iambic pentameter on purpose? Mostly their analyses seem pretentious. And, I have to say, I don't care. I have no idea what Owen really meant. I can't just go talk to him about a poem he wrote about World War 1. Mostly because he's dead. But I do it for me. I do it because, for all I know, I'm the only person who's thought about his poem in a certain way. It may seem like I just make fancy stuff up to fit into the context, but, to me, I'm weaving a story. I'm making the poem come alive. Not for anyone else, just for me. The same goes with prose. There is a reason the English is not a science -- there are no exactly correct answers. And that's what I love about it. There are new things to say about a poem or a novel every time you read it.
Ok, my little rant is over. Haha.
They were excellent. The third one started off a little slow, mostly because it was laying the foundation for the ending, but it was still so good. I read Catching Fire in an afternoon and Mockingjay the next day. Haha. I got that sad feeling that comes after a good series. I wish that there were more books. But Suzanne Collins really wrote the ending well, and I am very happy with them. They deserve all the hype they're getting. (Not that I'm so knowledgable... haha. I talk about books like I'm the end-all critic. I'm apologize if I ever sound arrogant or snobby...)
Anyway. Happy Spring Break! Mine starts on Monday! :)
My books for last week and this week were the rest of the Hunger Games series. I read both of them last week, but I'm still counting it... Haha. I just haven't had much time for reading this week. I had a paper due on Monday for Literary History of the Early Americas (I wrote in on captivity narratives in the early 18th century), and I had a paper due today on Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" in Literary Analysis. Now, these essays were for Lit classes, so my typical high school write-it-in-two-hours-before-I-go-to-bed-and-get-an-A routine would not hold so well. If I was smart and organized, I would have drawn out the writing of these papers over several days. Did I do that? *shakes head, sadly* Sunday night and Monday morning were spent writing and re-writing my 800-1000 word essay on captivity narratives. And from 5 PM to 11 PM yesterday, I was living and breathing prosody for the four-page Owen paper. I also have to give a speech tomorrow, so Tuesday was spent writing that. Of course, I had reading assignments in ALL of my classes, so I had to fit those in during meals and going to the gym.
It may seem like a lot of work, but I actually really enjoyed writing about "Dulce et Decorum Est". It's a poem that I've seen every year since I was a sophomore in high school, and it was really fun to really pick it apart and find hidden meanings. I know that English majors get made fun of because it seems like they make stuff up for their own benefit. How do I really know what Owen meant why he wrote his paper? Did he really deviate from iambic pentameter on purpose? Mostly their analyses seem pretentious. And, I have to say, I don't care. I have no idea what Owen really meant. I can't just go talk to him about a poem he wrote about World War 1. Mostly because he's dead. But I do it for me. I do it because, for all I know, I'm the only person who's thought about his poem in a certain way. It may seem like I just make fancy stuff up to fit into the context, but, to me, I'm weaving a story. I'm making the poem come alive. Not for anyone else, just for me. The same goes with prose. There is a reason the English is not a science -- there are no exactly correct answers. And that's what I love about it. There are new things to say about a poem or a novel every time you read it.
Ok, my little rant is over. Haha.
They were excellent. The third one started off a little slow, mostly because it was laying the foundation for the ending, but it was still so good. I read Catching Fire in an afternoon and Mockingjay the next day. Haha. I got that sad feeling that comes after a good series. I wish that there were more books. But Suzanne Collins really wrote the ending well, and I am very happy with them. They deserve all the hype they're getting. (Not that I'm so knowledgable... haha. I talk about books like I'm the end-all critic. I'm apologize if I ever sound arrogant or snobby...)
Anyway. Happy Spring Break! Mine starts on Monday! :)
2.27.2012
80 - Noticing
Things I've noticed:
- You can have more than one home, because home isn't a specific place. It's an atmosphere in which you feel loved.
- It's ok to like things that you're not "supposed" to like. Don't buy into all that stereotypical crap. Like what you like, because you like it for a reason.
- School is hard sometimes, but it's worth it. College isn't the place to slack off. There are much less expensive places to be lazy.
- Kindles are really cool, and I was wrong to misjudge them. I can still love reading (and owning and buying) books and also like reading on my kindle.
- Going to the gym is empowering. I've made it part of my (mostly) daily routine, and I love it. It makes me feel productive and healthy.
- Setting goals actually works when you take them seriously.
- Earplugs are a great investment when you're living in a college dorm.
- Trusting is easier the more you do it. Pretending to trust someone is not the same thing as actually trusting them. It can be really hard, and it's not something that you can just jump into right away. Ease into it, and the bigger things will come naturally.
- You're never too young or too old to spend hour after hour laughing with people with whom you love to laugh.
- If you think you understand Utah weather just because you've lived here all of your life, you're wrong.
- A good book is still the best setting in which to get lost.
- Also, this:
 |
| Harry Potter jokes will always be funny. To me, at least. |
-ka
2.25.2012
79 - Reading Riot no. 7 & 8
So... I've been pretty busy the last couple weeks. As you can probably tell due to my lack of posts... haha. I started out last week reading a WWII memoir, Unbroken, but I've unfortunately had to put that on hold due to lack of time! But that one will be the subject of a post in the near future. So, for last week I did a reread, and for this week I did a must-read.
I know you'll probably judge me, but last week's book was...
Breaking Dawn, by Stephanie Meyer. I am like all the rest of the country in that I have read all of the Twilight Saga. However, I'm going to be hipster for a minute and say that I read Twilight when I was 13, and it wasn't because anyone suggested it to me. I just randomly picked it up at the library, and then I suggested it to everyone else, and let everyone borrow my copy. That being said, I was 13. Cut me a little slack. After reading Providence, and recognizing many similarities, I decided to reread Twilight and realized that everything I accused Providence of (lack of character and relationship development) was true of Twilight as well. I just hadn't read it in such a long time, so I remembered it with my younger mind. I tried to reread the whole series, but I couldn't get past New Moon and decided just to skip to the one I've only read twice. (I like to reread books a lot...)
Breaking Dawn was the best one, I think, but the series still doesn't have much substance... and if you look deeper into its meaning, the messages are really quite terrible. Bella is only truly happy with herself after she's changed with Edward. She claims sex is the epitome of human life. (Edward does make her wait until marriage, but still.) Her codependent relationship with Edward advocates unhealthy relationships, almost making them desirable. From an analytical point of view, you could say that Meyer is trying, in a backward way, to say those things aren't healthy in the real world by placing her characters in a fantasy world... but I'd say that's stretching it a bit. ANYWAY. If you want to read a really funny and really true critique of Breaking Dawn, click here. (Sara showed me this a few years back.)
Now onto my second read. For years, people have been telling me to read this book, and this week I finally gave in and read it.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.
Ok, this book is a bit morbid. Well, more than a bit morbid. The whole premise is about an event in a dystopian world where children are in a game of Survivor. The winner is the last one alive. It gets pretty gory for a young adult read, but I actually really liked it. I kind of read it in one night... haha. It's very fast-paced, and the characters are very likable.
I was talking to my roommate, who read it just prior to me, and she was worried initially that it would be akin to Twilight in that it received a lot of hype for not a lot of substance. However, we both agreed that this book definitely deserves attention. The movie is coming out soon (a main reason for me reading it now) and my only hope is that the movie is a good reflection of the book.
I'm a sucker for love stories, but I loved this book because the main character, Katniss, is such a strong and confident person. Honestly, as long as I'm comparing the two, Katniss is everything Bella isn't. Bella is whiny with confidence issues while Katniss is strong, brave, and sure of herself. Katniss does her best to keep her humanity and her life in this cruel game that her government is forcing her to play.
I think this is a good segue read into more provocative books, such as Fahrenheit 451 or 1984 (both are books I love...) I would definitely recommend this book, for those of you who haven't read it yet. (I seem to be the only one I know who hadn't..) However, if you're not a fan of violence, I wouldn't let kids under 13 read it. My only complaint is the it ends very suddenly... good thing all of the books are already published and my roommate owns them! That's the nice thing about being the last person in the country to pick up a best-selling series...
I know you'll probably judge me, but last week's book was...
Breaking Dawn, by Stephanie Meyer. I am like all the rest of the country in that I have read all of the Twilight Saga. However, I'm going to be hipster for a minute and say that I read Twilight when I was 13, and it wasn't because anyone suggested it to me. I just randomly picked it up at the library, and then I suggested it to everyone else, and let everyone borrow my copy. That being said, I was 13. Cut me a little slack. After reading Providence, and recognizing many similarities, I decided to reread Twilight and realized that everything I accused Providence of (lack of character and relationship development) was true of Twilight as well. I just hadn't read it in such a long time, so I remembered it with my younger mind. I tried to reread the whole series, but I couldn't get past New Moon and decided just to skip to the one I've only read twice. (I like to reread books a lot...)
Breaking Dawn was the best one, I think, but the series still doesn't have much substance... and if you look deeper into its meaning, the messages are really quite terrible. Bella is only truly happy with herself after she's changed with Edward. She claims sex is the epitome of human life. (Edward does make her wait until marriage, but still.) Her codependent relationship with Edward advocates unhealthy relationships, almost making them desirable. From an analytical point of view, you could say that Meyer is trying, in a backward way, to say those things aren't healthy in the real world by placing her characters in a fantasy world... but I'd say that's stretching it a bit. ANYWAY. If you want to read a really funny and really true critique of Breaking Dawn, click here. (Sara showed me this a few years back.)
Now onto my second read. For years, people have been telling me to read this book, and this week I finally gave in and read it.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.
Ok, this book is a bit morbid. Well, more than a bit morbid. The whole premise is about an event in a dystopian world where children are in a game of Survivor. The winner is the last one alive. It gets pretty gory for a young adult read, but I actually really liked it. I kind of read it in one night... haha. It's very fast-paced, and the characters are very likable.
I was talking to my roommate, who read it just prior to me, and she was worried initially that it would be akin to Twilight in that it received a lot of hype for not a lot of substance. However, we both agreed that this book definitely deserves attention. The movie is coming out soon (a main reason for me reading it now) and my only hope is that the movie is a good reflection of the book.
I'm a sucker for love stories, but I loved this book because the main character, Katniss, is such a strong and confident person. Honestly, as long as I'm comparing the two, Katniss is everything Bella isn't. Bella is whiny with confidence issues while Katniss is strong, brave, and sure of herself. Katniss does her best to keep her humanity and her life in this cruel game that her government is forcing her to play.
I think this is a good segue read into more provocative books, such as Fahrenheit 451 or 1984 (both are books I love...) I would definitely recommend this book, for those of you who haven't read it yet. (I seem to be the only one I know who hadn't..) However, if you're not a fan of violence, I wouldn't let kids under 13 read it. My only complaint is the it ends very suddenly... good thing all of the books are already published and my roommate owns them! That's the nice thing about being the last person in the country to pick up a best-selling series...
2.15.2012
78 - Be Mine
Valentine's Day was wonderful this year :)
It was on a Tuesday, so I got to start the day with my favorite class, Literary Analysis. We've been talking about poetry, and most of the class that day was spent discussing why most love poems are not actually love poems at all. Haha. Then, I went to the gym for a quick bike ride (mostly so I could get my hair a little bit dirty) and then I curled my hair. At around 6, I went over to Cole's apartment and we hung out for a couple hours before heading over to the Olive Garden for dinner. He'd made a reservation for 8:15 (smart), and we happily walked to our table, passing dozens of couples waiting in line for hours. Dinner was great and not only did our server give us double Andes mints, but it also started snowing when we walked out to the car! (It hasn't snowed in a very long time.) It was perfect. We ended the night cuddling on the couch, watching Crazy, Stupid, Love, and the snow was falling even more when he walked me back to my apartment.
Cole doesn't have a job and has to sell his plasma as a source of income, so money is scarce. The day before Valentine's Day, he'd asked me if I wanted flowers or to go out to dinner. I said dinner, obviously. Haha. But he surprised me with both. :) I had a fun time taking pictures of them...
He always picks out the coolest flowers. I think black-eyed daisies are so pretty and they were a fun contrast against the new snow! My roommate took a cool picture of me with one of the daisies...
I couldn't decide which one of them I liked the best... so I just put them all! Haha. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera with me on our date, so I don't have any pictures. :( But, Cole's Valentine's present just came in the mail!
It's supposed to go on a keychain. We play this game sometimes, as a way to measure love (if that's even possible...) He wrote me an entire letter once, full of things that he loved. And he always said he loved me more :) I love books, as everybody knows, so I thought this would be a thoughtful reminder of how much I love him. Simple, and surprisingly inexpensive. That's my kind of gift.
Happy V-day, everyone. I hope it was simply wonderful.
Mine was.
:)
It was on a Tuesday, so I got to start the day with my favorite class, Literary Analysis. We've been talking about poetry, and most of the class that day was spent discussing why most love poems are not actually love poems at all. Haha. Then, I went to the gym for a quick bike ride (mostly so I could get my hair a little bit dirty) and then I curled my hair. At around 6, I went over to Cole's apartment and we hung out for a couple hours before heading over to the Olive Garden for dinner. He'd made a reservation for 8:15 (smart), and we happily walked to our table, passing dozens of couples waiting in line for hours. Dinner was great and not only did our server give us double Andes mints, but it also started snowing when we walked out to the car! (It hasn't snowed in a very long time.) It was perfect. We ended the night cuddling on the couch, watching Crazy, Stupid, Love, and the snow was falling even more when he walked me back to my apartment.
Cole doesn't have a job and has to sell his plasma as a source of income, so money is scarce. The day before Valentine's Day, he'd asked me if I wanted flowers or to go out to dinner. I said dinner, obviously. Haha. But he surprised me with both. :) I had a fun time taking pictures of them...
He always picks out the coolest flowers. I think black-eyed daisies are so pretty and they were a fun contrast against the new snow! My roommate took a cool picture of me with one of the daisies...
I couldn't decide which one of them I liked the best... so I just put them all! Haha. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera with me on our date, so I don't have any pictures. :( But, Cole's Valentine's present just came in the mail!
It's supposed to go on a keychain. We play this game sometimes, as a way to measure love (if that's even possible...) He wrote me an entire letter once, full of things that he loved. And he always said he loved me more :) I love books, as everybody knows, so I thought this would be a thoughtful reminder of how much I love him. Simple, and surprisingly inexpensive. That's my kind of gift.
Happy V-day, everyone. I hope it was simply wonderful.
Mine was.
:)
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