Those roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are...There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Random Quotes

Here are some quotes that I like. Some of them are kind of dramatic, a lot are from some of my favorite songs, and I don't really know why I like most of them. They just make sense, I guess. 


I never understood the point of being sad when I could choose to be happy - from Second Helpings


The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work.


What a grand place this world would be if we forgot about our troubles as easily as we did our blessings.


Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it's better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting them back together.


If nothing else I'll think the bells inside had finally found you someone else and that's OK - Jason Mraz (You and I Both)


And there's something in the way you laugh and it makes me feel like a child - Jason Mraz (After an Afternoon)



AWESOME Books

I read two amazing books last weekend. They follow the same characters, but from different points of view. The first is If I Stay and the second is Where She Went, both by Gayle Forman.

They're young adult novels, but I still have such a soft spot for those. And these were phenomenal. I read them both in a 24 hour period, finishing both on the train. This ended up being slightly embarrassing because I cried at the end of both.

The first was from the point of view of Mia. She basically is removed from her body while she's in a coma after a car accident. I just loved her and all the characters she interacted with/thought about. It was short, and such a quick read, but it really made me think.

The second was told from Adam's point of view. Adam is Mia's boyfriend. I can't really say anything about this one without giving away the plot of the first, but also so amazing. And I was really impressed that I connected so much with a male narrator in a young adult novel. I don't know if I've ever really read something like that before. Seriously amazing, though. Best YA books I've read this year, hands down.

Looong Weekend

So this weekend I've literally had nothing to do. 3 days off from work should be awesome, but none of my friends are really around and I don't have a car. Bummer. I've basically watched a lot of TV, worked out, and slept. Super exciting, I know.

And I know I shouldn't complain. Once school starts I'll be begging for days like this, but for now, having three of them in a row is melting my brain. I've watched WAAAY too much TV (I've seen the Proposal 3 times this week. It's a great movie, but seriously), been on the computer a lot, and whined to my mom. Here are the highlights:

Yesterday, I walked into Lancaster to get an iced tea from Dunkin Donuts...only to find out it closed at 2. What Dunkin Donuts closes at 2 PM? It basically turned into a very sweaty hour long walk to no where.

I hung out with some KD girls on Friday night. And got invited to hang out with XC boys at the same time. That's probably one of my biggest pet peeves. People only want to hang out after 8, and that's pretty much when I want to go to sleep. But I sucked it up because I didn't want to have no human interaction all weekend. We had fun, and then I tried to force myself to sleep in on Saturday.

Although the only thing THAT did was prevent me from going to yoga. It's weird, because I love yoga, but it's so hard to drag my butt there. I think it's because the classes are an hour and a half. That's just such a big commitment. (I know, I'm pathetic). But I bought the pass, so I'm really gonna try to go this afternoon. I swear.

I watched the end of Marley and Me, and even though I hate dogs, I sobbed. And I only saw the last 20ish minutes. No emotional connection, and it still got me.

Talked to mom a bunch of times. Stacie pity called me but hung up after like 2 minutes because I told her she didn't HAVE to talk to me. Might be a new low.

But today is my last day of nothing! 3 more days of work and then HOME! Yayy!!!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Favorite Glee Songs

Here are my favorite Glee songs:

I Feel Pretty/Unpretty

(I've Had) The Time of My Life

Pretending

Light Up The World

Last Christmas

Total Eclipse of the Heart

What I Did For Love

Marry You

Get It Right

Landslide

Need You Now

Baby

Defying Gravity

For Good

Books I've Read This Year

Goodreads.com is one of my favorite websites. I love keeping track of all the books I've read. I wish I had it from when I was little. And I wish more of my friends used it. But it's so cool! There's even a challenge that you can set for yourself to see how many books you can read in a year. Originally, my goal was 50, but I upped it to 65 after I was home for a few weeks and pretty much read a book a day. I slow down a lot during the school year, but it's still exciting. Here are the books I've read so far with the rating I gave them at the time and a mini-review (if I remember what it was about)

Water For Elephants (4 stars) - This book was really well written, and I thought the love story was believable. My favorite books have some sort of love plot involved. The movie was really good, too, which I thought was kind of surprising. I didn't know if the language would translate to a movie, but it was definitely worth seeing.

Safe Haven (4 stars)

The World in Half (3 stars)

Sweethearts (3 stars)

Room (4 stars) - This book definitely stuck with me. The narrator was so believable, which was impressive since it was an adult female author as a 5 year old boy. It was really sad, but worth reading.

The Kitchen House (5 stars) - I'm kind of surprised I gave this 5 stars since I don't remember it too clearly, but I do remember reading it quickly. It was also beautifully written, and that can swing a book for me (oh heyy Tess of the D'Urbervilles). I should read it again at some point.

Left Neglected (5 stars) - Tante recommended this one to me. It really made me think about how quickly things can change, and how complicated the brain is. I think I maybe gave it 5 stars because she loved it so much...it might be more like a 4. But it stuck with me, so that makes a difference.

Her Mother's Hope (4 stars)

Clotel (3 stars) - AMS 100

Ain't No Makin It (4 stars) - SOC 100

Uncle Tom's Cabin (4 stars) - AMS 100. Surprisingly good.

Huck Finn (4 stars) - ENG 208. Another one that I liked more than I thought I would.

Her Daughter's Dream (3 stars) - Not as good as the first one. Too much religion for me.

Amusing the Million (3 stars) - AMS 100

Unequal Childhoods (4 stars) - SOC 100

The Weird Sisters (3 stars)

The Sky is Everywhere (4 stars)

Delirium (4 stars) - Can't wait for the sequel

Bread Givers (3 stars) - AMS 100

Bowling Alone (3 stars) - SOC 100

The American Encounter with Buddhism (3 stars) - AMS/RST 203

Promises I Can Keep (3 stars) - AMS 100

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (3 stars) - ENG 208

Howl (3 stars) - AMS 100

The Namesake (4 stars) - AMS 100

As I Lay Dying (3 stars) - ENG 208. I liked it a lot more than I did in high school.

The Source of the River (3 stars) - SOC 100

Fall for Anything (3 stars)

Something Borrowed (3 stars) - Just as disappointing as the movie.

These Things Hidden (4 stars)

Before I Fall (4 stars)- Really good teen lit.

What Happened to Goodbye (3 stars) - One of my least favorite Sarah Dessen books.

Here, Home, Hope (4 stars)

Secret Daughter (3 stars)

The Other Boleyn Girl (4 stars) - This one was really good. I kind of hope that's how it actually happened.

A Change to Make History (4 stars) - Part of my obsession with Teach For America.

Those Guys Have all the Fun (3 stars) - Eye opening look at ESPN. Doesn't seem as fun to work there as I originally thought. Too long.

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away (4 stars) - Beautiful language.

Lost at School (4 stars) - A really interesting look at why certain kids misbehave.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen (4 stars) - Another really helpful book for dealing with difficult kids.

Joy For Beginners (5 stars) - Really beautiful, and interesting to think about what my challenge would be. It's cool to think that seemingly little things can change your life.

Sisterhood Everlasting (5 stars) - I had no idea there was going to be a fifth book. SO sad, but it closed out the series really well. A really nice surprise.

Crush (4 stars) - Cute short stories.

Bossypants (4 stars) - Oh, she's funny.

The Violets of March (4 stars) - I liked it, but the love story seemed kind of forced.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair (4 stars) - A cool memoir. A little repetitive, but it did make me think.

Starting a Blog

I want to start this blog to keep track of what I'm thinking in my last couple years of college. I have a journal, but I feel like I only write in that when I'm feeling particularly melodramatic and emotional, and I want to remember the everyday stuff, too. There's a ton of stuff I want to post now, but I think I should break it up into more posts. I don't even think I want anyone to read this, but it's kind of cool that someone could.