rainy slant

If I was president I would try to declare all rainy days a holiday. Rainy days are not for running errands or being busy. Rainy days are for cocooning, which is why its not so bad when you get moments like this:



or this:

books

Ever since I loosed the bondages of studying around the clock, I’ve had more time to do more pleasure reading, and I’ve indulged accordingly. Here is some of what I’ve read and been reading these days. Getting into some of these great reads make me wish I had the daytime job of being paid to read through a mega-bookstore.

***

Lit: A Memoir – Mary Karr

I picked up this book at the airport bookstore to keep me occupied while waiting for a delayed flight, and I ate it all up in one gulp. It’s one of them books that get you engrossed enough that you don’t realize any time has passed: perfect for filling up waiting time. The author is a writer and poet, and details her journey into alcoholism and back. It’s a good book because she writes well and bares all – a great combination for a successful memoir.

The Hunger Games series: The Hunger Games; Catching Fire; Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins

My new sister-in-law got me the first two books to this series and I ran through them as fast as I could because I could hardly wait to find out what was happening on the next page. It’s a young-adult science-fiction series and it has all the elements of a compelling story. Compelling because the characters are relatable, and the story weaves itself through issues like freedom and humanity. It takes place in the future, on the continent of North America, assumedly after the country of America has self-destructed. There is a Capitol that rules over thirteen districts, each of which are responsible for producing and working a particular resource, i.e. agriculture, coal, etc. The story starts with a girl named Katniss who lives in District 12 and is trying to help her family survive through poverty that resulted from the tyrannical rule of the Capitol. From her we learn that 74 years ago, the districts had all rebelled against the Capitol and when the Capitol won, they set up an annual event called the Hunger Games, as a reminder that the Capitol was always in control. The Hunger Games require each district to send two tributes to fight in an arena to their death, with the last one standing being crowned the victor. Katniss volunteers instead of her sister to become a tribute, and the story begins from there.

Beach Trip – Cathy Holton

This is our month’s book club reading and I got excited about it because it’s about a reunion among friends that occur in Outer Banks, NC. Anything to hold on to a little bit of summer.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years – Donald Miller

I had resolved to write more, and when I saw that the sub-title to this book was, ‘What I learned while editing my life’, I was interested. Donald Miller writes in a honed-down, thoughtful and self-deprecating tone, which is wildly successful in holding your interest. It’s one of those books that I need to go through with a pen or pencil so that I can underline and write notes in the margins. More than love, I so appreciate his books (ref: Blue Like Jazz). I’ve been feeling kind of confused and discouraged at the strange transition phase I find myself in, so personally, this was a read that I needed. Reading this was like having a conversation with a friend who got me, who understood what I might be going through, and who encouraged me to keep going. I feel resolved to live (and write) a great story.

The Faith of a Writer – Joyce Carol Oates

With the resolve to write more, I found some books that will help me with the pursuit, growth, and motivation to write every day. I corralled together some great books on the subject of writing – more of which I will write about here later – and this one was a great way to start. Oates shares her experience, and offers sound and practical advice about becoming a disciplined writer. Cheese alert: with reads like this, I can whole-heartedly say that books are friends.

***

Reading great books and stories make me not only want to write more, but it makes me want to live good stories to tell about. Keep moving, keep thinking.

tea party

'cause sometimes, tea needs to be drunk while wearing pretty dresses and eating an exorbitant amount of pastries.

mission, difficult:

Thinking big, loud, and creative
while
staying rooted, centered, and peaceful.




think big, root deep.

shoutout from the iphone

I am not one to get super nerdy and excited about phones, but that was before I got the iphone last week and boy am i impressed! I won't harp, but just wanted to share some neat pictures of my day-to-day, taken with one of its apps. Other mentionables: google voice search and red scan to pick up the nearest cheapest so-and-so.

view from the downstairs bathroom

living room drama

view from my workplace

across the street from our house

the new wine bar in town - secco!

where i wait after work

how i take my lunch breaks

married life

married life ...is good. But if you'd asked me a few days ago, I would've said, 'hard'. Only because once we got married, it was back to the grind all too soon. Yes, everything that was good about us before the wedding carried over, but I had really needed some adjustment time. Adjustment time meaning a huge chunk of down time, just me and the new husband. My psyche needed convincing that I could handle the upgrade.

This past weekend was the first weekend that we were able to have some R & R to ourselves since the beginning of April. Because since that month, K. got a new job, I graduated law school, we both moved, I started studying for the bar, took the bar, planned a wedding, attended a funeral, was in a wedding, got my wisdom teeth taken out, had house guests, got married, ... to mention a few things.

When we got back from the wedding, I realized how much the four months of non-stop activity and life-altering events without some refocus time + K's new double-loaded schedule + me trying to figure out what to do post-graduating, had me worked up and wound up, all by myself. It was wholly exhausting.

So this weekend, we attempted to restore. And yes, there was some sickness that caught up with us in the latter part of the weekend, and maybe we didn't get to do all that we had planned to, but it was good, really good. My physical body and my warbling psyche feels tiny bit more rested and reassured, and I am grateful.

I can already tell that this married thing is going to mean an abundance of life lessons and inward searching sagas. Perhaps some people think the point of marriage is to be happy, but I will loudly disagree. The point of marriage seems to be to become the best version of yourself, more like the person you are meant to be and created to be. Since this process of becoming yourself is almost impossible to accomplish by yourself, its good to have someone who is going legally promise to stick by you, love you, and keep you accountable. It helps if that person is also your best friend. It also helps to have perspective, close family and girlfriends you can trust, and a lot of time on your knees.

In my very newly-wedded perspective, methinks this process of two muddy rocks being constantly being rubbed against each other to become diamonds, is almost like a 4th dimension of life - new, not easy, long-term, and wholly fascinating!!!

So again, I am grateful.

wedding + 2 weeks =