Reflection (on June post)

I was just rereading some of what I have written... 

In June I referenced a great 3rd floor apartment with a porch overlooking a park and said that it'd be great for a weekend morning cup of coffee.... 

That's where I'm sitting right now. Sometimes life really works out! 

Once upon a time...

... I blogged here. 

Then life seems to have happened! It's been terrific starting my new job. I have honestly adored every day that I've gone to work since August 6th. The kids started on Thursday, and they seem really terrific. The school culture is incredibly strong, and I can't wait to work at becoming a better teacher in an environment that is so supportive. 

But about books... 
So for a week or so I rode the T to work, which was okay. It's certainly less expensive, but it takes a lot longer (~1hr40 round trip instead of ~1hr). So, unless finances dictate otherwise, I'll continue to drive. 

BUT when I took the T, it was a great opportunity to read. I read Rawhide Down, a non-fiction work about the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. It was informative for two reasons: 1.) I knew nothing about said assassination attempt and 2.) I actually read a book about Republicans. In the increasingly partisan world that we're in, it's easy to avoid accessing media from "the other side"... I hope I never change my views and decide to someday run for Republican office. If I did, this post could stop that in its tracks. 

Now I'm into two books.... The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (slow and steady might have to win the race here) and Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I'm actually listening to Bel Canto on my drives home from work, so I never listen to more than 30 minutes per day (on the way TO school I listen to NPR. Much love). 

Thus, not a lot to report literature-wise. 

FITNESS
Once upon a time, when I listed "fitness" and "camping" as two activities I liked and was mocked (mercilessly?) by my roommates, I decided to change my habits. I'm happy to say that I now really rely on working out, and that the camping thing is coming along. Brendan and I did a really nice day hike at Wachusett Mountain yesterday. We had planned to go to NH and do an overnight stay, but pinkeye kept us here. Gross. I hope it goes away soon and never comes back. 

I'm now a member of the Judgment Free Zone (if I could do the copyright symbol here I would...) at Planet Fitness in Eastie. Hopefully this means that after work I go to the gym instead of coming home. I know myself well enough to know that if I make it back here and a.) Brendan is here or b.) it's supper time, then there would be no working out. 

My wedding dress came in this week. I haven't gone for a fitting... because I need to Planet Fitness to the best of my ability for another month or so before I go down that road. Summer parties, cocktails, and cookouts put me a little bit farther from "wedding ready" than I'd like to feel when trying on MY WEDDING DRESS :-) 

Enough rambling for today. Happy September. So far it's rocking.... 

A long silence... broken.

Hey there. Can you believe July is over? Neither can I.

After going dark for several weeks, I'm finally back in Boston. B & I just moved into our new place after enjoying our month in Pittsburgh, Indy, S. Bend, Duluth, Sioux Narrows, Ironwood, Sarnia, and Buffalo. Man oh man did we drive or what!

While we were in Canada, I had the chance to read... a lot. I should have brought more books with me, because I finished them early and then was stuck with the boring books on my Kindle that I really didn't want to read... which led to me spending a lot of time playing Solitaire instead.

So, in the order in which I finished the books:

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Loved it! Maybe because it was set in France, maybe because I have a fascination with WWII (fiction and non-fiction), maybe because the human interest story was terrifically fabricated. I couldn't put it down and I'm so glad that I read it!

In case I forget... the book was about Julia Jarmond, an American-born journalist residing in Paris with her husband Bertrand and her daughter Zoe. She finds out the story of Sarah, a girl who was taken during the Vel d'Hiv roundup of WWII.

I'm hopeful that the ending will bring her happiness!

The Finest Hours by Michael J. Tougias + Casey Sherman
The story of rescuing the tankers Mercer and Pendleton off the coast of Chatham during a Nor'easter in Feb. 1952.

Bernard Webber was the leader of the crew that was written about the most. I liked that it talked about the difficulties Bernard faced while living in the public eye after the daring rescue, because fame is something that not everyone is born ready for.

What I found most interesting is that the CG36500 (a 36 ft. lifeboat used in the rescue of the Pendleton) has been restored and is now kept in Rock Harbor in Orleans. That happens to be right around the corner from Steve and Ana's summer place. I'd love to go see it.

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
To be honest, it took two attempts to make it through this book. I started it before I started Sarah's Key, but wasn't connected to any of the historical figures discussed, which made it really easy to put the book down. Eventually, I picked it back up and and I'm glad I did.

I love the way that McCullough connected different aspects of our culture to show who was in Paris at the same time. I've considered the timeframes of artists, inventors, and scientists before, but it was much different to think of these three groups all on the same timeline. They weren't separate segments of society but instead a group who spent time in each other's company and/or contributed to shaping ideas for each other.

One event that I'm embarrassed not to know more about is the Franco-Prussian war (1871). Reading about these events took me back to my junior year of high school and I could almost see Ms. Fox's outlines on the whiteboard... almost. Note to self: find out when Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France.

It was difficult to get into the story about Augustus St. Gaudens because I often have a hard time appreciating sculptures the way they should be appreciated. I guess the same goes for sculptors.

For all of the civil liberties that Napoleon III may have dismantled, he made so many of the architectural changes that I associate with Paris.... and I just assumed they were part of the original plan. It's sad to think about the people whose lives were disrupted in order to accommodate his work.

A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay
I liked this book by de Rosnay as well. It was also set in France... I guess that was the theme for my summer reading! This I also read in one sitting and couldn't put down. It's been quite a long time since I read a book with a flashlight under the covers, but this one fit the bill.

Without giving the ending away, I'm glad it ended the way it did. Had every little detail and story ended perfectly, it wouldn't have done the characters justice.

I'm disappointed that Antoine gave in and slept with Astrid, but I'm glad that they both seemed to realize straight away that it was a mistake. Also, Angele kicks ass.

Also read, but not worth recapping:
Ruthless - Cheryl Douglas
The Simple Dollar - Trent A. Hamm
    Okay, I actually did enjoy this story of Hamm getting himself out of debt, but it made me crazy about pinching pennies on our drive home, which wasn't the best way to have a relaxing end to our vacation. It also was good to help me realize that our financial choices are just a reflection of our priorities: if B and I want to travel during the summers, then we will have to make choices to spend less elsewhere so we can take amazing vacations. I can hear Goodwill calling my name...
Bridesmaid Lotto - ?? (free on Kindle, can't remember the author)
A silly story about winning the chance to be a bridesmaid for someone rich and famous. It made me thankful to have such grounded women willing to stand up for me when I get married. Thank you KP, CB, AD, and KM!

Okay. That's it!

The long journey back...

So you know how this was supposed to keep me accountable? The reason I haven't added anything for the last 2.5 weeks is because I've been slacking a bit. Sure, I've read two books. Neither was what could be called "literature"... so I'm just not even going into them now. 

While my reading/working out haven't been as spot-on as I was hoping they'd be, we've certainly done a lot since leaving New Orleans on June 9th. We drove to Atlanta, spent a night, drove to Asheville, spent a night, drove to McLean, VA, spent three nights, and made it back to Norwell in one piece. 

Since coming back, I found a wedding dress ( :-) ), and I think we've found an apartment. We hear back on it today. SO while not a routine in the slightest, I've certainly been busy. 

Things I've learned so far in June:

1. I knew I like routines, but I don't know that I knew to what extent I depend on them. Man, can I be cranky in the midst of major life changes. Kudos to my wonderful fiance, Brendan, for supporting me during the last few weeks and having patience that I could only dream about. 

2. I really appreciate green space. When in McLean, Brendan and I sought out  the nature preserve to go for a walk/hike(?). Since returning to Norwell, I have loved seeing the trees everywhere. We went for a run in Norris Reservation this morning. The apartment we applied for looks out on a park. It's a 3rd floor place with a deck that would be IDEAL for a weekend morning cup of coffee looking over the green in front of us. I really hope we get it! 

3. I'm hard on myself. Okay, I didn't just learn this now, but I do need to let it go so that I'm a more pleasant person. 

Gear switch: RUNNING

We're trying a 4.5 miler tomorrow as part of our training for the Falmouth Road Race on August 12th. I think with Brendan's motivation, I'll be able to do it! Plus, I'm going to download the new "Eccentric Energy" mix from RockMyRun, which won't hurt either! 

<3

Remembering WWII

As part of our New Orleans farewell tour, Brendan and I headed to the D-Day museum downtown today. It was a delightful day! 


We talked a lot about the roles our families played in the war - we both have a grandfather who is a veteran. While our family members seem so close to us, stories of the war seem so far away that it is hard to believe they could have been involved. 


One of the best gifts I ever received was one that I requested from my grandmother - a printed story of her youth that I'd never been privy to. It was such a different world, but so many of her values are still important today. Love the people who surround you. Treat your friends with care and respect. Prioritize. Sacrifice. And back to the first.... love. Always love. 

TGI June

This week I'm thankful for: 
- friends who come to visit (yay KP!) 
- an air-conditioned home to rest my head
- family and friends who are excited to have us move back to Massachusetts
- my wonderfully generous fiance, who continues to make me smile every day
- Father Chuck at St. Joan of Arc, who this morning made my WEEK when he said he loved me 


6 days. 
They sang "Lord, I'm available to you" at SJA this morning... still never fails to bring a tear to my eye. I sang along... but at this point in my faith life, I had to ask... am I lying as a sing? 


Haven't been reading. Except for reading Fifty Shades of Grey last week. I won't be purchasing the second and third books... I'll assume they end up happily ever BDSM after. 


I'll be taking a trip to the library tomorrow to find a "beach read" for the next four days and to explore what audio books they have on CD for the drive home. Gotta love media mail. 

Good fiction is always relevant

Here in the middle of exams week, I find myself with more free time to read. This morning, I read the end of Helen Schulman’s novel This Beautiful Life, a heartbreaking story of that fragility that defines even families that appear stable. Set in 2003, telling the tale of a high school boy who makes a bad choice by forwarding an inappropriate video of a classmate, the timeliness of her story could not be truer. Just yesterday, a man named Dharun Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in jail for spying on his gay roommate with a webcam at Rutgers in 2010. I didn’t follow the story closely the whole way through, so there are certainly intricacies to the case that I don’t understand.

His jail sentence will be over in a month, but his record will stay with him forever. Even if he hadn’t been convicted, he’ll always be “that guy that used the webcam to spy on his roommate.” In the story, Jake, the afflicted adolescent, is remorseful to the point where he resorts to painkillers to get some respite. Dharun allegedly has not ever offered an apology to the court or the family of his victim. While the intent of their offenses (Jake’s fictional and Dharun’s actual) differs greatly, it makes me think hard about everything that happens on my computer. Should I even be putting these thoughts out in public?

Bringing Up Bébé // This Beautiful Life

Well! I'm not great with extended periods of free time. I love a little time to relax at the end of the day as much as the next person, but really not having any work to do messes with my brain.

Since I finished writing exams a week ago, I have had no work to do outside of my school hours. It's driving me crazy! It's made me realize that I need hobbies (outside of thinking about education).

I headed to the library and picked up two new books: Bringing Up Bébé and This Beautiful Life. While I picked up BUB first (it's the story of an American woman raising children in France), I have gotten more into This Beautiful Life. It's by Helen Schulman, author of A Day at the Beach, which I had to read for an American Lit class at Notre Dame. I remembered liking that story, so I'm giving fiction another shot.

So far, all I've realized is that I'm (thankfully) different than I was four years ago. I know hope I'll have grown in another four, because the thought of remaning stagnant and reading a story with the same set of eyes is terribly frightening. And that family is fragile. Hold on tight to the ones you love.

iPosting

May 14

Steve Jobs is done. That was a long book. I’m glad I read it.

Coincidentally, so is my job search. Today I accepted an offer to teach 6^th grade math. I am so excited to be back in a middle school, back in a math classroom, and heading back to Boston! I’m feeling incredibly blessed!

May 12, 2012

Currently on a plane: Atlanta to Boston

As such, I don’t remember when I last wrote or where I was in my reading adventure. What I do know is that the last few weeks of my life have been delightfully exhausting and busy. I am traveling north for an interview. I’m incredibly nervous, because I really want this job but am worried that my experiences and lack of ambition during the last two years will work against me.

Since I’m heading straight from the school back to the airport on Monday, I’ve tried to pack lightly. This means I didn’t bring Steve Jobs with me, since a 600 page hardcover book isn’t the most discrete. I also chose to leave my Kindle at home, since I wasn’t in the mood for a classic nor to spend money on a new title.

Instead, I borrowed a book from Brendan called Away Down South: A History of Southern Identity by James C. Cobb. While my early morning flight only allowed me to read about 30 pages, I find myself enthralled by the beginning of this history. It’s no secret that the most influential periods of my life have all taken place in different areas of the country: childhood in the Northeast, college in the Midwest, and the beginning of my adult life in the South. I never really took root in Louisiana, and I’m not sure why. I had plenty of time. It concerns me a bit since I was also eager to get out of the Northeast, since I wanted to get away from the constantly-working, no-time-to-say-hi attitude of city dwellers in that area of the country. Now we’re heading back. I’ll be a Massachusetts resident again in a mere month. I have 33 days to determine which pieces of my Southern identity I’ll retain and make part of my life once I arrive in the North. I love being able to say hello to people I come across while running or walking, and I enjoy sitting on my porch with a book and a drink at the end of the day (still Diet Coke – I never graduated to sweet tea). I like that people take time to live their lives and celebrate each day.

At the end of my Southern residency, I fear that I’m romanticizing the aspects of the life I’m about to leave and exaggerating my fears about moving back north. In any case, reading a “real” book has made me woefully aware of the limited vocabulary I’ve been using. Time to get back in academic shape, I think.

Reflections on Steve Jobs before this post becomes even longer:

I’ve been reading this book forever. It’s been slow for a few reasons: 1.) the beginning was boring. I wasn’t around in 1984 for the great new ads and first versions of the computers, so I wasn’t super interested. 2.) I’ve been applying for jobs/writing exams/hosting family and I just haven’t prioritized reading for fun.

I’ve been much more into the story since I hit the era of the iPod. I never reflected on the end-to-end user experience that Jobs so carefully crafted, but now I see how blindly I bought into all of the advertising. It really did make everything easy. I just opened up my iTunes to listen to some music. The last time I played a track on my computer was April 5^th. I’ve certainly listened since then, but I mostly just use my iPhone to play music. I can hook it up to speakers and it plays the same stuff.

Plus, it fits in my pocket. I can’t remember whether I wrote about this, so maybe I’ll delete this later…

I was reading a few weeks ago and hit the first mention of the iPod ads with silhouettes dancing on the screen. I remember seeing those and being enamored with the idea of an iPod. I had been given an mp3 player, but I wanted an iPod. They seemed so cool. I wanted to rewatch some of the ads and relive that feeling, so I grabbed Brendan’s iPad... to watch videos about an iPod. I instantly laughed out loud at the hold that these Apple products now have on my life! I didn’t turn on a computer because it would take too long. Ha! I guess I’m their ideal consumer. It’s kind of embarrassing.

I don’t know that I will buy another Mac, because I like Microsoft Office so much better on a PC, but I recently found out that they hold the same level of desirability for younger generations. While recently teaching a lesson on school supplies and colors to my 5^th grade French class, I told them “J’ai un ordinateur blanc” (I have a white computer) and about three kids instantly yelled out “YOU HAVE A MAC?” “SHE HAS A MAC” “DO YOU LOVE IT?!?”. Ignoring the statement their outbursts make about my classroom management skills, I thought it was funny that they knew what kind of computer I had just from the color, and wanted one as well.

Last two thoughts (I promise):

I opened and listened to the free Bob Dylan CD I got about three years ago for the first time last night. Steve Jobs loved Bob Dylan, and I found the CD in Brendan’s car, so we put it on. I actually kind of liked it. I always thought I hated Bob Dylan. Interesting….

B & I started bootcamp last Tuesday morning (May 1). It’s been a bit of a rough start… the week it started, Tim, Katie and Kevin were in for an awesome week of food, Jazz fest, and more food. This week, I took Wednesday off due to exhaustion, and then August (the trainer) was sick on Thursday and Friday… so I’ve only made it 4 times in the two weeks. I’m going to try to do some working out when I get home this afternoon so that I can still do pushups when I get to class on Tuesday morning.

Okay. Congratulations future self on re-reading this if you got this far.

Day 21: Not finding the right word

So here I am, end of April, and the future looms ever closer. Sometime over the course of the last week, it has really hit me that I am nearing the end of my four years in Louisiana. I feel like I've been trying to appreciate every part of every day (and every meal...) because my days here are numbered. It's bittersweet, because I'm truly trying to enjoy every conversation and moment, but I also know that this soon will be a part of my history and not my present. I'm trying to stay conscious about how great I have it right now: a beautiful city, a terrific roommate, and getting to go to work with my wonderful fiance every day.

Change is stressful for me. New city, new job, planning a wedding... I am trying to take the change bit by bit, but it's a lot! Since this is supposed to be about my reading and working out, here is the tie-in: Steve Jobs went through a lot of change in his professional life. Apple, NeXT, Apple again... all the while working with different people on different ventures. I'm having a tough time getting motivated to finish the book. I'm hovering somewhere around page 330, with really no end in sight.

I'm hoping that it becomes more entertaining now that I have memories of the products they are talking about. They just introduced the iMac, which I remember so vividly in Fitzy's family room. I was so jealous because I thought the computer looked so cool. Now that I'm reading this biography, I realize that was the point. I just finished going for a walk around the block listening to my iPhone and I'm typing this post on a MacBook, so I guess I should finish and see what this guy has in store...

Toodles.

Day 13. Rain, rain go away.

When I last left off, I was on school break. I naively thought that perhaps I really would be able to blog all the time. Instead, I went back to school, and my free time to read (and then write about it) has decreased greatly. 


Saturday, I headed to the library to take advantage of their partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank to reduce library fees. For every canned good you donated, you received a one dollar reduction on your fine. One time last year, I found a book under my bed that I swore I had returned, so I was sitting on a pretty hefty bill. Okay... $9. But it takes a long time for that to accrue on $0.05 per day. 


While I was there, I returned A Streetcar Named Desire (which I didn't read, but thought I might in my kick to experience all things New Orleans between now and June 9th) and picked up I married you for happiness by Lily Tucker. It's the story of of two people who met in France (love it), like math (love it) and get married (love it). Sooo... I put down Steve Jobs for a bit and started reading the story of Nina and Philip. 


Steve Jobs is chugging along. He's now been ousted from Apple and is working on NeXT. I had never heard of it before I picked up the book, so I'm anticipating a major collapse of the company sometime in the next twenty pages or so. 


On the life front: working out. I haven't been hitting the weights, but I've been running. Brendan and I have been more consistent in going out for runs together, which has been nice. I don't like to let him beat me, so it makes me run harder. We don't really race... but I'm trying to get fast enough where I feel like I'd have a chance to win if we DID ever want to race each other. 


We tossed around the idea of the Falmouth Road Race over the weekend. Registration for the lottery is next month. We'll probably both put our names in and hope we're chosen! 


Until next time.... 

Day 4. Happy Easter.

Happy Easter, blogging world. Went to a great Mass at St. Joan of Arc this morning. Brendan and I arrived after everyone else, so we had to stand in the back. A bit of a bummer, but a nice service nonetheless.

The most recent portion of Steve Jobs that I've been reading coincided with Easter in a strange way. Jobs was passionate but difficult to work with. I think that even though he wanted to see good things happen, he caused some hurt along the way.

It has been awhile since I've really considered God in my everyday life. Today, as I was considering the actions Jesus is said to have taken during the course of his life, I realized that it is not the absence of causing hurt, but the proactive measure of extending friendship and empathy to others that made him such an important figure.

We had a bunch of people over for dinner tonight, and each time a group gets together I'm called to examine the relationships that I've built here in New Orleans. Over the course of the past year, I've been "not doing harm" as opposed to "actively seeking good". That should probably change. Now.

This really has nothing to do with Steve Jobs, except for.... Mac (1980, where I a in the book now) = new beginning = Easter = pondering Jesus' = evaluating my relationships. Certainly a roundabout train of thought, but welcome to the world I live in....

Buona sera.

Day 2. Steve Jobs, by Isaac Watterson

I never thought that a book about an electronics mogul would make me think about religion, even if it is Good Friday. I've gotten a slow start to the book, considering the vast amounts of free time I've had for the past 48 hours (no work, no Brendan...). In the section I read this morning, however, Watterson discussed Jobs' departure from Christianity in favor of a more Buddhist Zen spirituality. Jobs is quoted (roughly) as saying that Christianity was lost for him when it was more about faith than about treating people like Jesus did. Maybe I read it wrong, or maybe that's what he meant.

It's an interesting perspective at this point in my faith life. I've gone through periods of intense clinging to the Church (vocation retreat, anyone?) and periods where I don't go to Mass unless I have to (where I find myself now). As I prepare for the sacrament of marriage with Brendan, a ceremony we want to have in a Church, it brings up the question... why?

The way Watterson is writing, Jobs also sounds like a jerk. I am fairly certain that I wouldn't have liked him if I met him, as I would have felt immediately self-conscious around him. Oh well.

Day 1. Part 2: Fitness.

If you ask my why weight training isn't part of my routine, I have three well-used excuses for you. Let's deal with them one by one.

#1: Oh... I just don't know how.

It's time to call bullshit on myself right there. I have a subscription to Runner's World, Cassie gets Self, and there are innumberable resources online. If I'm uneducated, it's my fault.

#2: Unless I'm consistent, it won't make a difference anyway.

Well... duh. Get consistent.

#3: I don't have time.

A quick look at my Netflix account would throw that one right out the window.

So, this morning I went to the gym and gave it a modest start. I need a plan... I can't remember who said it, but someone wise once used the words "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Changes I can make right away:

1. Bring a notebook/journal to the gym so I can record what I'm doing and make sure this is variety.

It may seem annoying at first, but that's kind of how I felt about tracking food when I started Weight Watchers. That worked, so maybe this will, too.

Changes that will require more effort:

Plan workouts ahead of time so that I'm working major muscle groups each week and have a goal in mind.

Since my WW weeks go from Thursday - Wednesday, I guess I'll make my workout weeks go that way as well.

Here goes nothing!

(Anddd... today was 15 min elliptical, 35 min walk on treadmill, 2 sets of 12 bicep curls, shoulder presses, the unnamed weight thing where you drop it behind your head and work your triceps, and 25 crunches).

Day 1.

The biggest bummer about this experiment is how cliche it is. Here are my goals in starting this blog:

1. Serve as a way to remember books and articles that I read many years down the road.

2. Remember how awesome life was during my engagement.

3. Hold myself accountable for working out and eating right.

4. Become more technologically savvy.

The real inspiration behind this is Mr. James Hix Miller. He remembers everything. I was just finishing "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, a book he read last year. He was able to bring up finer points of the book, including the name of the preacher who makes such a difference in Louis Zamperini's life. I always seem to forget everything about books. If I can look up on my own blog what I've read and how I felt about it, I'll be good to go.

Since Jimmy and I had that conversation, I read a book called "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua. Here's how I felt about the book:

1. My mom made my life pretty easy.

2. I don't know that I would've survived within a Chinese parenting style.

3. Maybe if I had Chinese parents, I would have achieved more than I have thus far.

4. It made me worry about how complacent I am right now... and made me realize I need to set some more long-term goals.

That's it on books for now. I picked up the Steve Jobs biography at the library yesterday, but haven't started it yet. Hopefully I'll make a dent this weekend!