"Get a Spine in '09"

Here is how I am going to “Get a Spine in ‘09”.  I am going to do a few things I have never done before….things that I might have been nervous to do in the past.  But I think it is a good year to break through some of those barriers.  So, here are my planned adventures:

Learn New Skills: I’m going to take at least two Community Education classes this year.  The plan now is to take ‘Beginning Hip Hop’ and ‘Archery’.  Thanks to Jenni for agreeing to go with me…I’d hate to try to learn hip hop without someone there to laugh at me…it would just be a waste of entertainment.

Go Skydiving:  I have ALWAYS wanted to go skydiving…and I’m going to do it this year.  I might have to do this one on my own….but I’m going to do it…probably this summer….I’m very excited!

Leave the Country:  That is right…I’m going to Canada!!  Despite the fact that been very near to the borders of the U.S. of A.  I’ve never ventured across.  But, I have my passport and I’m ready to really live on the edge…Victoria…here I come!

Complete a Sprint Triathlon:  I’ve been convinced to register for the Iron Woman Sprint Triathlon in May.  It’s my first, so I’m very excited for the whole thing...well, mostly.  Anyone who wants to join in on the fun….just let me know J!

Well, those are my big ones.  I did come really close to changing the theme to Michaelynn’s suggestion “Make him mine in ‘09” but…I have no ‘him’ and the whole thing seemed a little too predatory for my personality….but maybe I should become more predatory….hmmm….Maybe I should add something to my list… 

Happy New Year!! Part 2

So….have I ever mentioned how much I hate New Years?  I really hate it.  I don’t think I can remember a New Years were I didn’t get insanely depressed.  And here are my reasons for thinking this is the worst holiday/day of the year.

First of all…New Years Eve is always a big let down…maybe it’s the missing kiss…or maybe it’s the fact that we never get drunk….the drunk people in movies always seem to be having such a great time with their hats and noisemakers bottles of champagne….or maybe it’s just the missing kiss….

And then it’s just that the whole holiday requires a certain amount of retrospection and that always leaves me feeling incredibly overwhelmed.  My life just never looks so far from what I anticipated as it does on New Years.  Not that it isn’t great….I’m just not where I thought I’d be and then I start thinking about what I could have done differently….and I just get tired trying to find a single decision I would have changed…and I can never identify one….except maybe waiting so long to grow out my bangs….and maybe some of the things I wore in the ‘80’s…and maybe the ‘90’s, too….

And finally, I also feel a need, though I fight it desperately, to make some goals and resolutions…but even as I make them….I know I will keep on doing what I have been doing….I am such a creature of habit that I seldom make some of the good changes in my life that I should….I should be a better friend and sister, co-worker and ward member…there is so much I should do that I get tired, some more, just thinking about all the goals I should make….

Anyway, now that I’ve totally depressed anyone who reads this…Happy New Year!!  Tomorrow I will go to work and the new year will have started and this annual dip in my spirits will be in the past.  It’s going to be a great year….it always is.

Happy New Year!!

It is just about midnight and I thought I’d try to sneak in one last blog before the year is out….I probably won’t quite make it….but I’ll try.  The girls just left my house and we may have pushed the clock forward 30 minutes to take a picture proving we stayed up until midnight when really we did not because we were too tired…which is also going to make this blog short…I need to go to bed!

I was going to make a list of my favorite things about 2008 but I’ve hit a creative wall….so I’ll do it tomorrow…maybe J.  It has been a wonderful year and I look forward to the coming one.  Last year’s goal was “Find a mate in ’08”…..which we altered to “Find a normal date in ‘08” which I feel pretty good about.

This coming year will be “Get a Spine in ’09. “ I haven’t really nailed down what that will mean in my life….I think it can be applied to several aspects….but mostly it just rhymes really well and I like the way it sounds.

Good night and see ya next year!!

Library Moment of the Week

So...this guy comes to the desk and says there is this author...and he can't remember her name but she has a series out...and he thinks they might be called Twilight or something.  We suggest he might mean Stephanie Myers.  He says "Oh, yes.  That is it.  Well, I understand that those Twilight books are full of nonsense and make-believe...like with vampires and werewolves.  But, she has this other book...I think it's called 'The Host' and it's about aliens...."

Because I am a professional, I didn't laugh until he left...he just so sincerely wanted to learn more about the no-nonsense aliens....it was awesome!

Movie: Quantum of Solace

Mari and I went to see the new Bond movie the other night. She might have fallen asleep…but that was only because she was REALLY tired. I stayed awake…but I’ll admit I was a little bit confused through parts of it. I highly recommend watching ‘Casino Royale’ before seeing this new film if you haven’t watched it in a while.

With that little disclaimer, this movie delivered all the classic Bond elements. Violence, chase scenes, unbelievable escapes, blatant chauvinism…you know…the usual good stuff. I really like Daniel Craig’s Bond…and I was a fan of Pierce Bronson (up until the Mama Mia! fiasco which I don’t even like to think about)….but Craig is a lot darker and right or wrong…I like it better….go ahead and judge me ☺

Book Review: The Whiskey Rebels

Ethan Saunders was a spy for General Washington’s army until incriminating documents framed him as a traitor. In the ten years that followed he sunk into drunkenness and self-loathing, losing the love of his fiancé and the respect of almost everyone he knows. Joan Maycott and her husband have lost everything several times because of the greed and manipulation of speculators and government representatives. She blames Hamilton and his unfair whiskey task for the financial ruin she faces. These two characters find themselves embroiled in schemes and deceptions centered around the newly founded Bank of the United States and the countries emerging financial market.

There are two things I love about David Liss’s novels. I always fall a little in love with his heroes and their shady backgrounds, cavalier attitudes, and their snarky comments. I also find it fascinating how he can take current financial concerns and show them in the context of earlier times…demonstrating that history does, in fact, repeat itself.

Book Review: The Hero of Ages

THE HERO OF AGES: Brandon Sanderson: Tom Doherty Associates: Fantasy: 572 pgs.

‘The Hero of Ages’ is the third and final installment of Brandon Sanderson’s ‘Mistborn’ trilogy. It seems that many trilogies start off really strong, with the second book seeming to be just a tool to get from here to there, and finally the third book can either bring it all together or leave you disappointed. I totally did not feel that with this trilogy. Each of the three portions continue the story in an interesting and gripping way.

Sanderson has created an intriguing world filled with vibrant and relatable characters. I will admit that at times I skim sections of theoretical musing, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed it and whole heartedly recommend the series to anyone who enjoys fantasy.