My last blog was about watching terrible television, so you might think I haven’t been reading much. In fact, my television watching is less bingeing and more carefully planned portions (like Bright Line Eating.) This means I am *still* watching my way through Highlander. Meanwhile, I have actually been reading several books. I currently don’t have the wherewithal to make a whole blog post about any one of these books, so this week you get a run-down post compiling several of my recent reads. Enjoy! Scary Stuff Since this post covers things I read in October, it includes some creepy Read More
Author: admin
Highlander, or Why I’m Watching Bad Television
I’ve been obsessed with watching Highlander lately. The series began its television run in 1992. I turned 16 that year. If I remember correctly, Highlander was the coolest thing on TV. Everyone knows “there can be only one” This show is amazing, right?! No. It’s terrible. How it was renewed for six seasons, I will never understand. But I’m obsessed with watching it now. Here’s why: Zero emotional attachment If you read my last post, you know I’ve been having a rough time lately. It is rough emotionally, mentally, physically, financially… you name it. Normally, I don’t watch much television, Read More
Third Quarter Review 2019
Well, y’all…. DANG. I complained that the first quarter was rough, then I said the second quarter kicked it up a notch. Now… How do I put this? The third quarter kicked my teeth in, then it poured a little gasoline over my head, lit a match, walked away until the flames died out, then came back with a wire-bristled brush and scrubbed at those burns until there was nothing left but blood and bones. How do you describe it when you have already had a rough year, your “summertime” depression refusing to pass, and one thing after another triggering Read More
My Must-Own Albums
When I recently upgraded my cell phone I lost a lot of music that I had imported from my CD collection and transferred from computer to phone for years. I also lost one of my favorite audiobooks that I listen to repeatedly. This has me pondering if I should pull out the old CDs or if I should just pay for these again in a digital format that can live in the cloud. Of course, when it comes to music, I am also a subscriber, so I find myself making more playlists and stations and not buying albums. Sometimes I Read More
Learning to Live
It’s back to school time here in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. This always seems like a good time for a fresh start. I think a new school year probably runs second only to New Year’s Day when it comes to people thinking about how they want to change their lives in the upcoming months. This is the first fall that neither of my kids are going to school. Kid #1 has graduated from college and #2 is taking a bit of a gap year. That doesn’t mean I didn’t peruse the Back to School aisles and get myself some new Staedtler Read More
Self Help Fest
In the first half of this year, I read 27 books. Twelve of those were non-fiction books that I think qualify as “self help.” Maybe a better way of describing these books is to say they are for my personal or professional development, but isn’t that just trying to put a spin on the fact that I am, in fact, trying to help my Self. I have always enjoyed this type of book ever since I read I’m Okay, You’re Okay in high school. I have seriously considered joining or starting a Self Help book club. Here are the books Read More
Epic Road Trip Adventure
When I chose the word ADVENTURE for my 2019 theme, this road trip was already in the works. Last year, I attended the Bright Line Eating Annual Family Reunion in San Diego all by myself. It was my first vacation alone, and while I loved spending time with my Bright Lifer roommate, it felt like a waste to pay for a nice room at a resort with all these amenities and not get to use them. I got the crazy idea in my head that my family could come with me and enjoy the resort. Naturally, we thought it would Read More
Second Quarter Review 2019
It’s the first of July, so we are officially at the halfway mark of 2019. This means it’s time to check in with our goals and themes for the year. My theme for the year is Adventure, and I tried to couch my goals in that theme. Let’s see how much progress I made in the second quarter. It feels like just the other day that I just wrote this post reviewing the first quarter…. Was it really three months ago? It was. So here’s my Q2 progress report. Mood I explained that the first three months were rough, so Read More
Desired Things
Many years ago, someone gave my grandparents a framed poster of the Desiderata. I don’t know who that was, and I don’t know why they decided to give this particular gift, but that person had a profound impact on me. This poster hung in my grandparents’ living room above their TV for as long as I can remember. Their TV wasn’t very big and they didn’t have many channels, so I spent a lot of time staring at the Desiderata over the years. When Gramps passed away a few years ago, I went with my dad and uncle to help Read More
A Woman’s Words
Dystopian fiction is social commentary with a side of terror. It uses hyperbole to try and help us see that we are the frogs in the water that is starting to boil. It takes situations that some people are currently giving the side-eye, projects them into the future, and magnifies them x100. According to Rare Books Digest, the first dystopian novel was written in Russian but was banned and had it’s first release in the U.S. in 1924. What better way for such a form to make its debut than as a banned book? Aldous Huxley and George Orwell quickly Read More