I'm reading Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions by Lysa TerKeurst in Small Group right now and we keep circling back to this idea of gratitude and praise, even when times are tough. I've decided to continue my November tradition of gratitude, without blowing up Facebook.
11/1 I am grateful for good books. Currently engrossed in both Unglued and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.
11/2 I am grateful for the women in my Small Group. The 11 of them keep me laughing and give me hope and make me smile and keep me looking forward to Mondays!
11/3 I am grateful for the man friend... and all the good food he cooks! And all the wonderful things he has introduced me to!
11/4 I am grateful for Ellie cuddles. I am grateful for sales so I can shop when I'm feeling over emotional. I am grateful that my sister didn't hurt herself when she wrecked my car.
11/5 I am grateful for my mentors who continue to be involved in my life, long after I've left the place we worked/learned together.
11/6 I'm thankful for James Bond. I love the character and had a wonderful time seeing the newest movie on opening night at the brand new Arclight Theater. I'm grateful for my bf who suggested the plan for this date night and for the delicious burger we split beforehand.
11/7 Today was really hard to be thankful for. But I'm thankful that I have a job that pays me well.
11/8 I'm thankful for quiet, easy days to recover from hard days. I'm thankful for Bank of America's Museums on Us program. I'm thankful for the good weather and the bike ride we got in.
11/9 I'm thankful that my Small Group had the opportunity to fill a ton of Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes with love.
11/10 I'm thankful that I have the money to get my nails done ever other week. It's a splurge but it makes me feel fancy and pretty and confident.
11/11 I'm grateful for the afternoon off of work to handle errands.
11/12 I'm grateful for my co worker Rachel. When we interviewed her, I didn't realize how much I would grow to love her. She's my partner in crime and always around to give me a hug when I need it!
11/13 I'm grateful that I can lose myself in a really good book. I read for 3.5 hours tonight.
11/14 I'm grateful for Friendsgiving! My tribe of ladies has grown and grown each year, and I'm thankful that Delta Zeta brought us all together.
11/15 I'm thankful for goofy silly, low key time with my students. Today was our annual Paper Plate Awards Ceremony.
11/16 I hate to be this way, but I spent all day in bed with a massive Migraine. I'm not sure I had many rational thoughts this day. :-/ whomp whomp (Imperfect progress?)
11/17 I'm grateful to have found a new doctor that is amazing! She's really a PA but she treated me like an adult and listened to what I had to say, instead of being judgmental.
11/18 I'm grateful for the 2 women who met me for dinner and book club tonight.
11/19 I'm grateful for a night off to take care of errands and laundry. And Eloise cuddles.
11/20 I'm thankful it's Friday. I have the weekend before me to relax and recharge.
11/21 I'm grateful for the Michigan State win against Ohio State! #Victory for MSU! I'm grateful for a great group of friends that I got to spend the day with. I'm grateful for my Soul Sisters that I spent all year growing with last year in small group, that continue to be a part of my life.
11/22 I'm thankful for the good cooks in my life. So much good food today!
11/23 I'm grateful for good iced tea, even when it's 25 degrees outside.
11/24
11/25
11/26
11/27
11/28
11/29
11/30
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Thursday, October 23, 2014
More Personality Typing
After much discussion with a very dear friend who is fascinated with personality typing, I took the Color Test and Enneagram Test.
My Color Code Results:
Reds are motivated by Power. They seek productivity and need to look good to others. Simply stated, reds want their own way. They like to be in the driver's seat and willingly pay the price to be in a leadership role. reds value whatever gets them ahead in life, whether it be in their careers, school endeavors, or personal life. What reds value, they get done. They are often workaholics. They will, however, resist doing anything that doesn't interest them.
Reds like to be right. They value approval from others for their intelligence and practical approach to life, and want to be respected for it. Reds are confident, proactive, and visionary; and but can also be arrogant, selfish, and insensitive. When you deal with a RED, be precise, factual, direct, AND show no fear!
My Enneagram Results:
Type 7, the Enthusiast:
Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over- extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.
Sevens are enthusiastic about almost everything that catches their attention. They approach life with curiosity, optimism, and a sense of adventure, like “kids in a candy store” who look at the world in wide-eyed, rapt anticipation of all the good things they are about to experience. They are bold and vivacious, pursuing what they want in life with a cheerful determination. They have a quality best described by the Yiddish word “chutzpah”—a kind of brash “nerviness.”
Although Sevens are in the Thinking Center, this is not immediately apparent because they tend to be extremely practical and engaged in a multitude of projects at any given time. Their thinking is anticipatory: they foresee events and generate ideas “on the fly,” favoring activities that stimulate their minds—which in turn generate more things to do and think about. Sevens are not necessarily intellectual or studious by any standard definition, although they are often intelligent and can be widely read and highly verbal. Their minds move rapidly from one idea to the next, making Sevens gifted at brainstorming and synthesizing information. Sevens are exhilarated by the rush of ideas and by the pleasure of being spontaneous, preferring broad overviews and the excitement of the initial stages of the creative process to probing a single topic in depth.
Sevens are frequently endowed with quick, agile minds, and can be exceptionally fast learners. This is true both of their ability to absorb information (language, facts, and procedures) and their ability to learn new manual skills—they tend to have excellent mind-body coordination, and manual dexterity (typewriting, piano playing, tennis). All of this can combine to make a Seven into the quintessential "Renaissance person."
Ironically, Sevens' wide-ranging curiosity and ability to learn quickly can also create problems for them. Because they are able to pick up many different skills with relative ease, it becomes more difficult for them to decide what to do with themselves. As a result, they also do not always value their abilities as they would if they had to struggle to gain them. When Sevens are more balanced however, their versatility, curiosity, and ability to learn can lead them to extraordinary achievement.
The root of their problem is common to all of the types of the Thinking Center: they are out of touch with the inner guidance and support of their Essential nature. As with Fives and Sixes, this creates a deep anxiety in Sevens. They do not feel that they know what to do or how to make choices that will be beneficial to themselves and others. Sevens cope with this anxiety in two ways. First, they try to keep their minds busy all of the time. As long as Sevens can keep their minds occupied, especially with projects and positive ideas for the future, they can, to some extent, keep anxiety and negative feelings out of conscious awareness. Likewise, since their thinking is stimulated by activity, Sevens are compelled to stay on the go, moving from one experience to the next, searching for more stimulation. This is not to say that Sevens are "spinning their wheels." They generally enjoy being practical and getting things done.
Sevens cope with the loss of Essential guidance by using the “trial and error” method: they try everything to make sure they know what is best. On a very deep level, Sevens do not feel that they can find what they really want in life. They therefore tend to try everything—and ultimately may even resort to anything as a substitute for what they are really looking for. (“If I can’t have what will really satisfy me, I’ll enjoy myself anyway. I’ll have all kinds of experiences—that way I will not feel bad about not getting what I really want.”)
We can see this in action even in the most trivial areas of their daily lives. Unable to decide whether he wants vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ice cream, a Seven will want all three flavors—just to be sure that he does not miss out on the “right” choice. Having two weeks for a vacation and a desire to visit Europe brings a similar quandary. Which countries and cities to visit? Which sites to see? The Seven’s way of dealing with this will be to cram as many different countries, cities, and attractions into his vacation as possible. While they are scrambling after exciting experiences, the real object of their heart’s desire (their personal Rosebud, as it were) may be so deeply buried in their unconscious that they are never really aware of precisely what it is.
Furthermore, as Sevens speed up their pursuit of whatever seems to offer freedom and satisfaction, they tend to make worse choices, and they are less able to be satisfied because everything is experienced indirectly, through the dense filter of their fast-paced mental activity. The result is that Sevens end up anxious, frustrated, and enraged, with fewer resources available to them physically, emotionally, or financially. They may end up ruining their health, their relationships, and their finances in their search for happiness.
On the positive side, however, Sevens are extremely optimistic people—exuberant and upbeat. They are endowed with abundant vitality and a desire to fully participate in their lives each day. They are naturally cheerful and good humored, not taking themselves too seriously, or anything else for that matter. As we have seen, the Basic Desire of Sevens is to be satisfied, happy, and fulfilled, and when they are balanced within themselves, their joy and enthusiasm for life naturally affect everyone around them. They remind us of the pure pleasure of existence—the greatest gift of all.
Basic Fear: Of being deprived and in pain
Basic Desire: To be satisfied and content—to have their needs fulfilled
Key Motivations: Want to maintain their freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences, to keep themselves excited and occupied, to avoid and discharge pain.
My Color Code Results:
Reds are motivated by Power. They seek productivity and need to look good to others. Simply stated, reds want their own way. They like to be in the driver's seat and willingly pay the price to be in a leadership role. reds value whatever gets them ahead in life, whether it be in their careers, school endeavors, or personal life. What reds value, they get done. They are often workaholics. They will, however, resist doing anything that doesn't interest them.
Reds like to be right. They value approval from others for their intelligence and practical approach to life, and want to be respected for it. Reds are confident, proactive, and visionary; and but can also be arrogant, selfish, and insensitive. When you deal with a RED, be precise, factual, direct, AND show no fear!
My Enneagram Results:
Type 7, the Enthusiast:
Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over- extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.
Sevens are enthusiastic about almost everything that catches their attention. They approach life with curiosity, optimism, and a sense of adventure, like “kids in a candy store” who look at the world in wide-eyed, rapt anticipation of all the good things they are about to experience. They are bold and vivacious, pursuing what they want in life with a cheerful determination. They have a quality best described by the Yiddish word “chutzpah”—a kind of brash “nerviness.”
Although Sevens are in the Thinking Center, this is not immediately apparent because they tend to be extremely practical and engaged in a multitude of projects at any given time. Their thinking is anticipatory: they foresee events and generate ideas “on the fly,” favoring activities that stimulate their minds—which in turn generate more things to do and think about. Sevens are not necessarily intellectual or studious by any standard definition, although they are often intelligent and can be widely read and highly verbal. Their minds move rapidly from one idea to the next, making Sevens gifted at brainstorming and synthesizing information. Sevens are exhilarated by the rush of ideas and by the pleasure of being spontaneous, preferring broad overviews and the excitement of the initial stages of the creative process to probing a single topic in depth.
Sevens are frequently endowed with quick, agile minds, and can be exceptionally fast learners. This is true both of their ability to absorb information (language, facts, and procedures) and their ability to learn new manual skills—they tend to have excellent mind-body coordination, and manual dexterity (typewriting, piano playing, tennis). All of this can combine to make a Seven into the quintessential "Renaissance person."
Ironically, Sevens' wide-ranging curiosity and ability to learn quickly can also create problems for them. Because they are able to pick up many different skills with relative ease, it becomes more difficult for them to decide what to do with themselves. As a result, they also do not always value their abilities as they would if they had to struggle to gain them. When Sevens are more balanced however, their versatility, curiosity, and ability to learn can lead them to extraordinary achievement.
The root of their problem is common to all of the types of the Thinking Center: they are out of touch with the inner guidance and support of their Essential nature. As with Fives and Sixes, this creates a deep anxiety in Sevens. They do not feel that they know what to do or how to make choices that will be beneficial to themselves and others. Sevens cope with this anxiety in two ways. First, they try to keep their minds busy all of the time. As long as Sevens can keep their minds occupied, especially with projects and positive ideas for the future, they can, to some extent, keep anxiety and negative feelings out of conscious awareness. Likewise, since their thinking is stimulated by activity, Sevens are compelled to stay on the go, moving from one experience to the next, searching for more stimulation. This is not to say that Sevens are "spinning their wheels." They generally enjoy being practical and getting things done.
Sevens cope with the loss of Essential guidance by using the “trial and error” method: they try everything to make sure they know what is best. On a very deep level, Sevens do not feel that they can find what they really want in life. They therefore tend to try everything—and ultimately may even resort to anything as a substitute for what they are really looking for. (“If I can’t have what will really satisfy me, I’ll enjoy myself anyway. I’ll have all kinds of experiences—that way I will not feel bad about not getting what I really want.”)
We can see this in action even in the most trivial areas of their daily lives. Unable to decide whether he wants vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ice cream, a Seven will want all three flavors—just to be sure that he does not miss out on the “right” choice. Having two weeks for a vacation and a desire to visit Europe brings a similar quandary. Which countries and cities to visit? Which sites to see? The Seven’s way of dealing with this will be to cram as many different countries, cities, and attractions into his vacation as possible. While they are scrambling after exciting experiences, the real object of their heart’s desire (their personal Rosebud, as it were) may be so deeply buried in their unconscious that they are never really aware of precisely what it is.
Furthermore, as Sevens speed up their pursuit of whatever seems to offer freedom and satisfaction, they tend to make worse choices, and they are less able to be satisfied because everything is experienced indirectly, through the dense filter of their fast-paced mental activity. The result is that Sevens end up anxious, frustrated, and enraged, with fewer resources available to them physically, emotionally, or financially. They may end up ruining their health, their relationships, and their finances in their search for happiness.
On the positive side, however, Sevens are extremely optimistic people—exuberant and upbeat. They are endowed with abundant vitality and a desire to fully participate in their lives each day. They are naturally cheerful and good humored, not taking themselves too seriously, or anything else for that matter. As we have seen, the Basic Desire of Sevens is to be satisfied, happy, and fulfilled, and when they are balanced within themselves, their joy and enthusiasm for life naturally affect everyone around them. They remind us of the pure pleasure of existence—the greatest gift of all.
Basic Fear: Of being deprived and in pain
Basic Desire: To be satisfied and content—to have their needs fulfilled
Key Motivations: Want to maintain their freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences, to keep themselves excited and occupied, to avoid and discharge pain.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
50 State Visits Checklist
Goal: Visit all 50 states (Not just drive through!)
Alabama - I visited Orange Beach and Fort Morgan for family vacation 2014
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California - I went to LA in 2013 for a few days, to LA for a week in 2015, and Anaheim in 2011 for a week for a conference and fun
Colorado - I went to Denver for a camp in 2000
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia - Visited with my sister June 2011
Florida - Many times (Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, Blue Angels practice)
Georgia
Hawaii - October 2006 (Spent 2 days conferencing and 6 days touristing)
Idaho
Illinois - Live in Chicago!
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas - Kansas City and Overland Park in March 2012 with my fam
Kentucky - Went to Louisville for an Alternative Break Immersion Trip May 2014
Louisiana - Many times but definitely conferencing in April 2011
Maine - Many visits while I lived in NH in 2009-2011
Maryland
Massachusetts - Many visits while I lived in NH in 2009-2011
Michigan - Several camping trips, a wedding, several Michigan State U football games, and a century ride
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri - Lived there for 9 months
Montana
Iowa
Kansas - Kansas City and Overland Park in March 2012 with my fam
Kentucky - Went to Louisville for an Alternative Break Immersion Trip May 2014
Louisiana - Many times but definitely conferencing in April 2011
Maine - Many visits while I lived in NH in 2009-2011
Maryland
Massachusetts - Many visits while I lived in NH in 2009-2011
Michigan - Several camping trips, a wedding, several Michigan State U football games, and a century ride
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri - Lived there for 9 months
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada - VEGAS! Both 2008 and 2013
New Hampshire - Loved there 2009-2011
New Jersey - Many visits with my great aunt and uncle
New Mexico - Youth Group Camp 1999
New York
North Carolina - Many visits to see my G-Ma
North Dakota
Ohio - Many visits to see my Dad's family
Oklahoma - Several weekend trips to camp
Oregon
Pennsylvania - Many visits to Philly to see family
Nevada - VEGAS! Both 2008 and 2013
New Hampshire - Loved there 2009-2011
New Jersey - Many visits with my great aunt and uncle
New Mexico - Youth Group Camp 1999
New York
North Carolina - Many visits to see my G-Ma
North Dakota
Ohio - Many visits to see my Dad's family
Oklahoma - Several weekend trips to camp
Oregon
Pennsylvania - Many visits to Philly to see family
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee - Nashville for a conference April 2014
Texas - Lived there 22 years
Utah
Vermont - Visited March 2010 with the fam
Virginia - Visited Virginia Beach and my cousin's family in June 2011 with Toons
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin - Visited Brian for the Great Taste of the Midwest and enjoyed Madison
Wyoming
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee - Nashville for a conference April 2014
Texas - Lived there 22 years
Utah
Vermont - Visited March 2010 with the fam
Virginia - Visited Virginia Beach and my cousin's family in June 2011 with Toons
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin - Visited Brian for the Great Taste of the Midwest and enjoyed Madison
Wyoming
Monday, April 7, 2014
Well Read?
According to this Buzzfeed quiz, I am not well read at all:
"You need to find a cozy nook and snuggle up with some more of this list. Or maybe this isn’t your kind of thing. Which is cool too."
I'd like to comment on the bad grammar ("cool too?" No comma?) or share my 2014 reading challenge with buzzfeed or show my goodreads account to prove otherwise, but instead, I've decided to create my own list of books that I think must be read for a person to claim they are "well Read."
I can't believe half of these books aren't on the buzzfeed list!
My children WILL read these books, even if they're not assigned in school.
"You need to find a cozy nook and snuggle up with some more of this list. Or maybe this isn’t your kind of thing. Which is cool too."
I'd like to comment on the bad grammar ("cool too?" No comma?) or share my 2014 reading challenge with buzzfeed or show my goodreads account to prove otherwise, but instead, I've decided to create my own list of books that I think must be read for a person to claim they are "well Read."
- Johnny Tremain
- The Scarlet Pimpernell
- The Great Gatsby
- 1 book by George Orwell (not both, they're the same idea)
- 1 book by George Steinbeck (See last comment)
- NOT A Brave New World. If you need a good dystopian/utopian novel, I'd suggest both Anthem and The Giver.
- Little Women
- Pride and Prejudice
- Great Expectations
- Julius Cesar, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and A Mid Summer's Night Dream
- Oedipus Rex
- Don Quiote
- The Lord of the Flies
- The Illiad and The Oddessy
- The entire Narnia Series
- Charlotte's Web
- Little House on the Prarie
- A Wrinkle in Time
- Gone with the Wind
- Frankenstein
- The Hobbit
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Something Big has Been Here
- A Shel Silverstein Book
- Night
- The Diary of Anne Frank
- The Devil's Arithmetic
- Mick Harte was Here
- Number the Stars
- The Outsiders
- The Harry Potter Series
- The Face on the Milk Carton
- The Book Thief
- The Fault In Our Stars
- The Hunger Games series
- Three Cups of Tea
- The Last Lecture (And watch the video!)
- The Help
- Les Miserables
- The Secret Garden
- The Little Princess
- Where the Red Fern Grows
- Old Yeller
- Matilda
- Cheaper by the Dozen
- Harriet the Spy
- The Indian in the Cupboard
- The Hatchet
I can't believe half of these books aren't on the buzzfeed list!
My children WILL read these books, even if they're not assigned in school.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
My Chicago Bucket List
I created a Chicago Bucket List when I first moved here, a year and a half ago. It's time for an update!
Here's what I've already accomplished:
Here's what I've already accomplished:
- The Eternal Flame on Clark St
- Chicago History Museum
- Tribune Tower (the tower's signature is the exterior collection of stones from other famous edifices, like the Parthenon, St. Peter's Basilica, Notre Dame, the White House and most recently, the Berlin Wall). I also found a stone from The Alamo!
- Shedd Aquarium (Twice!)
- Museum of Science and Industry
- Millennium Park (Crown Fountain and The Bean!)
- The Field Museum
- Magnificent Mile
- Chicago History Museum
- I've eaten Portillo's, and had Garret's Popcorn, Ann Sathers Cinnamon Rolls, Lou Malnati's and Giordano's pizzas
- Taste of Chicago (SO GOOD!)
- A Cubs game and a White Sox game
- The Lincoln Park Zoo and Zoo Lights
- The Ferris Wheel and Stained Glass Museum at Navy Pier
- Art Institute of Chicago (Happy dance!)
- Comedy Shows
- The 95th Lounge at the top of the Hancock
- The Book of Mormon on Broadway
- I've seen several Story Slams (They're a TON of fun)
- St Pat's Day is Chi/ the River dyed green
- Run the Ragnar Relay and the Color Run
- Been on Multiple Trolley Tours
- Oktoberfest
- Visited Ohio
- A Chicago Fire (Soccer) Game
- Chicago Botanical Garden
- United Center for a Bulls Game
- The Museum of Contemporary Art
- Adler Planetarium
- The Jane Addams Hull House Museum (RMP What What!)
- Tour of Wrigley Field
- The Blue Man Group show
- Legoland Discovery Center
- LUMA
- Skydeck Chicago
- Chicago Children's Museu
- Chicago Opera Theater (I would die to see The Magic Flute!)
- Joffrey Ballet of Chicago (Maybe the Nutcracker again? I'll never tire of it)
- Willie Dixon's Blue's Heaven Foundation
- The Balzekas Museum of Lithuanuan Culture (It's supposed to have a good exhibit on the Holocaust)
- Trump Towers (Maybe visit the Spa as a splurge?)
- Winter Skating either at Bicentennial Park or the McCormick Tribune Plaza
- The National Veterans Art Museum
- Museum of Holography
- Galos Caves (15 dollars for a 45 minute Zero Gravity Chair massage and sea salt smelling? Count me in!)
- The International Museum of Surgical Science
- The American Police Museum
- The God Bless America Statue
- The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (Apparently a really good way to learn about Commodities)
- Museum of Broadcast Communications
- National Hellenic Museum
- The Picasso Statue
- The All Saints Episcopal Church
- Buddy Guy's Legends (Blues House restaurant)
- Busy Beaver Button Co. Museum
- Cambodian American Heritage Museum
- Chagall's Four Seasons
- The start of Route 66
- Chicago Hot Glass (Hand Blown Glass Studio that offers lessons)
- Chicago Center for Green Technology
- Chinatown and the Chinatown Gate
- Crawford Steel Graffiti Wall
- DANK HAUS German Cultural Center
Monday, January 20, 2014
2014: The Year of Reading
Last year, I made my first "goal." I don't like resolutions... goals are more of something to aim for and easier to achieve if you make them SMART. Last year, I aimed to do one big act of kindness per week, and then post in a blog about it. And I did it! It was a blast! You can see the awesome, fun things I did here: www.KTandTheKindnessProject.wordpress.com.
Last year, one of my very dearest friends managed to read 104 books. We are voracious readers as a group but I only managed to read a third of what she read! This year, my goal is to read 52 books: one for each week of the year. I'm using this post as a way to mark my progress.
1/1 - 1/7 Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood by Julia Greggory
1/8 -1/14 Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
1/15 - 1/21 Bel Canto by Ann Patchet
1/22 - 1/28 The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney I loved this book until they killed off a main character for no reason.
1/ 29 - 2/4 The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer (I got it for like 2 bucks on sale at Barnes and Noble. Brad Meltzer is a wannabe Dan Brown. It's a good mystery but no where near on the level that Dan Brown is.)
2/5 - 2/11 The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James J. Martin, SJ (This book took me AGES to finish but it was well worth my time!)
2/12 - 2/18 S by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst
2/19 - 2/25 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Much shorter than I thought it was!)
This is the point that I officially fell behind... but in all fairness, I read 33 magazines in the first 8 weeks of this year. Catching up soon!
2/26 - 3/4 Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (Caught up here. Also, I've come to the conclusion that I don't like Alice at all. She's a complete idiot.)
3/5 - 3/11 The 9/11 Commission Report - This was SO heavy and yet so worth it. I understand so much more about terrorism, UBL, Islam, politics in the decades leading up to 9/11, etc. I definitely recommend this one! It tool me 3 weeks to read this one so I fell behind again.
3/12 - 3/18 The Husband's Secret by
3/19 - 3/25 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (This one is a non fiction but it reads like a fiction. Very interesting and worth the read).
3/26 - 4/1 Emma by Jane Austen (Typical Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is still the best.)
4/2 - 4/8 Wild at Heart By John Eldridge (I agree with the basic premise of this book, but disagreed about SO much of it. Homosexuality isn't caused by men who weren't loved enough by their fathers)
4/9 - 4/15 Wild by Cheryl Strayed (I think this is my favorite book that I've read so far this year. Well worth the read!)
4/16 - 4/22 Fifty Shades Darker by EL James (Yup, every now and again, smut is read)
4/23 - 4/29 Fifty Shades Free by EL James (No comment.)
4/30 - 5/6 The Night Circus by Erin Morgensten (I couldn't put this down. It was so wonderfully written, the characters were so lovable, the passion was muted, and it was such a slow build. 5 stars!)
5/7 - 5/13 Glitter and Glue By Kelly Corrigan (I expected this to be a fun memoir about what she learned while nannying. It was really a really long essay about how she loved her mother despite the fact that she doesn't like her mother. Whomp Whomp.)
5/14 - 5/20 Ok so I'm officially way behind. Doubting that I'll get one book a week but I will have read at least 3 magazines per week for the entire year! This week's book: Someone has to Set a Bad Example: An Anne Taintor Collection It was quite entertaining and silly and quick.
5/21 - 5/27 Hearts of Fire: Eight Women in the Underground Church and Their Stories of Costly Faith My mother recommended this one. it was a quick read and inspiring, although not life changing.
*Side note: I read another 46 magazines at this point. Stay tuned.
5/28 - 6/3 Notes from the Underwire By Quinn Cummings (This was a quick read and it made me smile, but it was not on the level of Erma Bombeck as the cover suggested it was)
6/4 - 6/10 The Trouble with Magic by Patricia Rice (more smut. But enjoyable)
6/11 - 6/17 Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle, SJ (I do love reading more about Jesuits and their work. Homeboy Industries is an awesome project that is changing the world, one gangster at a time. I'd definitely recommend this book!)
6/18 - 6/24 Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire (The sequel to Wicked. Wish I had read this immediately after reading the first. I think it would have made more sense then. Still good)
6/25 - 7/1 Dear Mrs. Kennedy: The World Shares its Grief, Letters November 1963 by Jay Mulvaney and Paul De Angelis (I really enjoyed this; it opened my eyes up to the time period better than anything else I've read. I particularly loved the letters LBJ wrote to Caroline and John Jr.).
7/2 - 7/8 Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski (Cute, chick lit, nothing super fancy)
7/9 - 7/15 An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott (I think LMA is quite possibly my favorite author ever)
7/16 - 7/22 Daring Greatly By Brene Brown (EVERYONE should read this book! It changed me so much!)
7/23 - 7/29 The Curius Incident of the Dog at Night by Mark Haddon (I liked the writing style and that it's told from the point of view of a young man with Aspergers but it ended a little too abruptly)
*I read another 21 magazines, bringing the magazine total up to 100.
7/30 - 8/5 Love, Sex, and Other Natural Disasters: Relationship Reporting from America's Finest News Source by The Onion (Hilarious!)
8/6 - 8/12 The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (It took me 4 times to pick up and read this book, despite the fact that Obama is such a great speaker and the fact that I agree with a lot of his politics. It can't be read in short little bits here and there. It needs a large amount of time to make sense. Still a good book)
8/13 - 8/19 Yes, Please by Amy Poehler (this book makes it into one of my top books for the year. She is so profound in addition to being funny!)
8/20 - 8/26 Every Day by David Levithan (I didn't expect to like this one but picked it up at a friend's insistence and ended up reading it in one sitting. Well worth it!)
*I read another 34 magazines, bringing the magazine total up to 134.
8/27 - 9/2Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (I liked this one better than The Husband's Secret)
9/3 - 9/9 The Artemis Fowl Files by Eoin Colfer (I love this series, despite it being a childrens' series)
9/10 - 9/16 A Charmed Life: Growing up in Macbeth's Castle by Liza Campbell (This memoir made me sad. She was never loved the way children should be!)
9/17 - 9/23
9/24 - 9/30
10/1 - 10/7
10/8 - 10/14
10/15 - 10/21
10/22 - 10/28
10/ 29 - 11/4
11/5 - 11/11
11/12 - 11/18
11/19 - 11/25
11/26 - 12/2
12/3 - 12/9
12/10 - 12/16
12/17 - 12/23
12/24 - 12/31
Last year, one of my very dearest friends managed to read 104 books. We are voracious readers as a group but I only managed to read a third of what she read! This year, my goal is to read 52 books: one for each week of the year. I'm using this post as a way to mark my progress.
1/1 - 1/7 Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood by Julia Greggory
1/8 -1/14 Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
1/15 - 1/21 Bel Canto by Ann Patchet
1/22 - 1/28 The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney I loved this book until they killed off a main character for no reason.
1/ 29 - 2/4 The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer (I got it for like 2 bucks on sale at Barnes and Noble. Brad Meltzer is a wannabe Dan Brown. It's a good mystery but no where near on the level that Dan Brown is.)
2/5 - 2/11 The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James J. Martin, SJ (This book took me AGES to finish but it was well worth my time!)
2/12 - 2/18 S by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst
2/19 - 2/25 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Much shorter than I thought it was!)
This is the point that I officially fell behind... but in all fairness, I read 33 magazines in the first 8 weeks of this year. Catching up soon!
2/26 - 3/4 Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (Caught up here. Also, I've come to the conclusion that I don't like Alice at all. She's a complete idiot.)
3/5 - 3/11 The 9/11 Commission Report - This was SO heavy and yet so worth it. I understand so much more about terrorism, UBL, Islam, politics in the decades leading up to 9/11, etc. I definitely recommend this one! It tool me 3 weeks to read this one so I fell behind again.
3/12 - 3/18 The Husband's Secret by
3/19 - 3/25 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (This one is a non fiction but it reads like a fiction. Very interesting and worth the read).
3/26 - 4/1 Emma by Jane Austen (Typical Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is still the best.)
4/2 - 4/8 Wild at Heart By John Eldridge (I agree with the basic premise of this book, but disagreed about SO much of it. Homosexuality isn't caused by men who weren't loved enough by their fathers)
4/9 - 4/15 Wild by Cheryl Strayed (I think this is my favorite book that I've read so far this year. Well worth the read!)
4/16 - 4/22 Fifty Shades Darker by EL James (Yup, every now and again, smut is read)
4/23 - 4/29 Fifty Shades Free by EL James (No comment.)
4/30 - 5/6 The Night Circus by Erin Morgensten (I couldn't put this down. It was so wonderfully written, the characters were so lovable, the passion was muted, and it was such a slow build. 5 stars!)
5/7 - 5/13 Glitter and Glue By Kelly Corrigan (I expected this to be a fun memoir about what she learned while nannying. It was really a really long essay about how she loved her mother despite the fact that she doesn't like her mother. Whomp Whomp.)
5/14 - 5/20 Ok so I'm officially way behind. Doubting that I'll get one book a week but I will have read at least 3 magazines per week for the entire year! This week's book: Someone has to Set a Bad Example: An Anne Taintor Collection It was quite entertaining and silly and quick.
5/21 - 5/27 Hearts of Fire: Eight Women in the Underground Church and Their Stories of Costly Faith My mother recommended this one. it was a quick read and inspiring, although not life changing.
*Side note: I read another 46 magazines at this point. Stay tuned.
5/28 - 6/3 Notes from the Underwire By Quinn Cummings (This was a quick read and it made me smile, but it was not on the level of Erma Bombeck as the cover suggested it was)
6/4 - 6/10 The Trouble with Magic by Patricia Rice (more smut. But enjoyable)
6/11 - 6/17 Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle, SJ (I do love reading more about Jesuits and their work. Homeboy Industries is an awesome project that is changing the world, one gangster at a time. I'd definitely recommend this book!)
6/18 - 6/24 Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire (The sequel to Wicked. Wish I had read this immediately after reading the first. I think it would have made more sense then. Still good)
6/25 - 7/1 Dear Mrs. Kennedy: The World Shares its Grief, Letters November 1963 by Jay Mulvaney and Paul De Angelis (I really enjoyed this; it opened my eyes up to the time period better than anything else I've read. I particularly loved the letters LBJ wrote to Caroline and John Jr.).
7/2 - 7/8 Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski (Cute, chick lit, nothing super fancy)
7/9 - 7/15 An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott (I think LMA is quite possibly my favorite author ever)
7/16 - 7/22 Daring Greatly By Brene Brown (EVERYONE should read this book! It changed me so much!)
7/23 - 7/29 The Curius Incident of the Dog at Night by Mark Haddon (I liked the writing style and that it's told from the point of view of a young man with Aspergers but it ended a little too abruptly)
*I read another 21 magazines, bringing the magazine total up to 100.
7/30 - 8/5 Love, Sex, and Other Natural Disasters: Relationship Reporting from America's Finest News Source by The Onion (Hilarious!)
8/6 - 8/12 The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (It took me 4 times to pick up and read this book, despite the fact that Obama is such a great speaker and the fact that I agree with a lot of his politics. It can't be read in short little bits here and there. It needs a large amount of time to make sense. Still a good book)
8/13 - 8/19 Yes, Please by Amy Poehler (this book makes it into one of my top books for the year. She is so profound in addition to being funny!)
8/20 - 8/26 Every Day by David Levithan (I didn't expect to like this one but picked it up at a friend's insistence and ended up reading it in one sitting. Well worth it!)
*I read another 34 magazines, bringing the magazine total up to 134.
8/27 - 9/2Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (I liked this one better than The Husband's Secret)
9/3 - 9/9 The Artemis Fowl Files by Eoin Colfer (I love this series, despite it being a childrens' series)
9/10 - 9/16 A Charmed Life: Growing up in Macbeth's Castle by Liza Campbell (This memoir made me sad. She was never loved the way children should be!)
9/17 - 9/23
9/24 - 9/30
10/1 - 10/7
10/8 - 10/14
10/15 - 10/21
10/22 - 10/28
10/ 29 - 11/4
11/5 - 11/11
11/12 - 11/18
11/19 - 11/25
11/26 - 12/2
12/3 - 12/9
12/10 - 12/16
12/17 - 12/23
12/24 - 12/31
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Welcome to the Gunshow
In the past few months, the topic of gun control has been getting people around the country fired up. There are groups of people boycotting other groups of people, all sorts of legislation being proposed and shot down, and all sorts of media on the topic.
I was born and bred in Texas, but I have Yankee parents. It was a huge shock to me when I hit high school and realized 95% of my friends were part of households that owned guns. My parents do not and never have owned firearms. Nor do they plan on owning guns in the future. I've been to ranges before and had a ton of fun shooting! I'm not anti-gun, but I'm not pro-gun either. I'm pro-discussion. America has a problem with gun violence and it's time we took a serious look at our country and stop ignoring the problem. And as always, I don't think you should participate in the discussion unless you know the facts.
Here's some things you should know before you start spouting your beliefs:
I was born and bred in Texas, but I have Yankee parents. It was a huge shock to me when I hit high school and realized 95% of my friends were part of households that owned guns. My parents do not and never have owned firearms. Nor do they plan on owning guns in the future. I've been to ranges before and had a ton of fun shooting! I'm not anti-gun, but I'm not pro-gun either. I'm pro-discussion. America has a problem with gun violence and it's time we took a serious look at our country and stop ignoring the problem. And as always, I don't think you should participate in the discussion unless you know the facts.
Here's some things you should know before you start spouting your beliefs:
- This isn't a democrats vs republicans thing. All over the country, you will find people from both ends of the political spectrum on both sides of the issue. Some high-profile examples of this are Gabby Giffords, former Republican Representative, who is calling for stricter gun laws and former Democratic Representative Joe Baca who is very supportive of the NRA.
- There are examples in other countries/cultures of gun control working and examples in other countries/cultures of gun control failing. It's not a worthy argument to bring those up in defense of your side. NONE of those cultures are the same as America's culture. And there's plenty of examples showing opposite results. We won't know if gun control works in this culture unless we decide to try it.
- The ad the NRA put out attacking Obama for having gun-carrying agents protect his daughters is completely illogical. When we don't protect the First Family, we open ourselves up to terrible things happening (Terrorism is alive and well in the world). Before he was president, those girls did not have that protection (despite living in Chicago, the city with probably the most gun violence in America right now). EVERY president (Republican and Democrat) has the same protection.
- The second amendment (the right to bear arms) was adopted in the 16th century, when technology was much different. Back then, guns weren't capable of firing as quickly as they are now. Colonists could probably fire a shot a minute. The second amendment also talks about why Americans should have the right to bear arms: to keep a well regulated militia. We have one of the best military in the world, so when people try to invoke the second amendment as a way of justifying civilian gun ownership, they're missing the point.
- If you're focusing just on mass shootings, you're also missing that gun violence occurs everyday in America. When the Sandy Hook shooting happened, it was a wake up call just by numbers alone, but you can't forget homicides, etc.
- There was an off-duty marine in the Aurora theater when that shooting happened. She did not have her gun on her but she said she wouldn't have shot anyway. She could have been mistaken as a second shooter or missed and created more victims in the chaos. Please don't say that having more citizens carry guns would eliminate mass shootings. You can find her story in the February 2013 issue of Glamor.
- There's several different pieces of federal legislation being debated right now. There is discussion on requiring a background check on all gun transactions. There's discussion on limiting magazine capacity for civilians. There's discussion on punishment for crimes involving guns.
- The United States has more guns per capita than any other country in the world (Time Magazine's January 28, 2013 issue has a lot of good information on this). Also, gun crimes have decreased in the US pretty steadily in the past 10 years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)