Rediscovering music

Somehow music slid out of my life. It wasn't a conscious decision, but after Kyle and I got married, I didn't have long drives every weekend anymore and on my 5-minute drive to and from work it hardly seems worth the effort of inserting a CD and choosing a track. I arrive before the song finishes (which I can't stand).

After receiving my first iPod for my birthday last year, and then getting headphones that fit my ears for Christmas, I finally felt ready to get back into music. Leslie helped increase my interest, too, by involving me in a music shift from an old computer to a new one.

During my "workouts" this month (they can hardly be called that due to lack of intensity, but more on that at a later date), I've tried to remember to bring along my iPod. It's been a struggle, since this whole working-out-to-music thing is so totally out of my normal routine. On the days I have remembered the tiny thing, it's been awesome to let the shuffle play a mixture of my old favorites with some newly acquired tunes. Last week I decided to use a gift card to pick out at least 20 new songs, too. It's been brilliant to have my life full of music again. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it. Here's to hoping this is the beginning of a new habit where music is a daily part of my life again.

Benefits of My School

Sometimes, especially in the winter, I loathe the drive to and from class. Last week, I ended up with 1.5 hours more of driving on the round trip (add that to the normal 3 hours) because of horrible road conditions and accidents galore. Tonight, I also experienced an added 45 minutes on my drive home. The roads hadn't been plowed and it had been heavily snowing for at least 2 hours prior to my leaving class. It stresses me out, more so when I see at least a half dozen cars with flashers on, hanging out on embankments, in ditches, and other scary places near the roadway. I panicked tonight...not sure why, it could have been the caffeine, which I rarely afford myself, but tonight needed desperately in order to stay awake on the drive down to class.

Anyway, the point of this post is to mention one major highlight to the drive down to South Indy. The gas is cheap. I mean, I don't understand gas prices and their fluctuations anyway, but what I know is that typically, where I exit the thoroughfare, the gas is anywhere from 10 to 20 cents cheaper than it is at home, at my exit. I was delighted to see it a full 20 cents cheaper today. I loaded up my only half-empty tank, really excited to have found this deal and knowing I have much driving to do this weekend.

Then, it struck me. Is it worth 20-cent-cheaper gas when you have to drive 80 miles to get it?

I guess if you have to drive 80 miles anyway, it's nice to have a deal awaiting you at the end of it.

(As an aside, I do love my class, too. The cheap gas isn't the only incentive. But I do hate the drive in hazardous weather, which just adds to the fact that I really don't see well at night at all.)

Because she did it, I wanted to, too.

My cousin, Stephanie, created a Reading Log 2010 on her blog, and after perusing her list, I realized I might want to make one for myself. She puts me to shame, really, in terms of numbers read. but we're not in competition, you see. We just both love reading. Granted, my reading list from 2009 was much more substantial and impressive, but in 2010 a lot happened to prevent me from reading like I probably would have typically. For example, I had eye surgery in February (so I was wearing wrong-prescription glasses and therefore NOT reading for January through the beginning of March). I started school, then, in May, which made it so I read quite a bit, but it was literature determined by professors including a plethora of articles that I won't record on here (even if some of them were interesting). The first real break from school I've had since May came in the last two weeks of December, during which time I did NOT feel like reading. My poor eyes wanted a break. Yet, I have found myself reading, since the new year began, and enjoying it immensely.

Without further ado, here is my reading list from 2010.

Catcher in the Rye - Salinger

Call of the Wild - London
Cry, the Beloved Country - Paton

Their Eyes Are Watching God - Hurston

Windesburg, Ohio - Anderson

Stuff Christians Like - Acuff

Emma - Austen

Sense & Sensibility - Austen

Sense & Sensibility & Seamonsters - Winters

Warhorses - Komunyakaa (poetry)

Dien Cai Dau - Komunyakaa (poetry)

Going after Cacciato - O'Brien

If I Die in a Combat Zone - O'Brien

The Things They Carried - O'Brien

In Pharaoh's Army - Wolff

Home Before Morning - Van Devanter

The Unwanted - Kien Nguyen

Achilles in Vietnam - Shay

From Vietnam to Hell - Dicks

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Twain

Frankenstein - Shelley

Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, 6th ed. - Guerin, et al.

Obviously the last on the list is from class, but so are the previous 15. Insane, right?! And I'm not even including the 40+ articles and book chapters I had to read for each paper, of which I wrote five since May. Reading seems to be ALL I do, and yet it's not always enjoyable. I detested both Frankenstein and Huck Finn, that is, until I wrote the papers. I wrote a couple pretty good papers about those novels!

I began the year with a list of 40 must-reads, all books that are considered classics in one circle or another. I found the list on the Internet and decided I'd work my way through the ones on it that I hadn't read before. I didn't like Catcher in the Rye (sorry, Liz) or Their Eyes Are Watching God, but I really enjoyed the Call of the Wild and Cry, the Beloved Country. I don't remember Winesburg, Ohio at all.

So far this January, I've finished Mansfield Park (Austen), which I started in August (embarrassing, but true), and I've picked up Under the Banner of Heaven and Jesus Land. Not sure if I'll finish those two before reading gets too heavy for class, but I find them both fascinating in a very sad sense.

That's it for now. Maybe you'll find something interesting on the list that you might like to pick up!

Best Representing Your Profession

How often do you feel that you are representing your profession well?

Today, I feel like no one could better represent a Librarian: I am wearing my hair in a bun and I have my glasses on. The only thing that could make this ensemble better is if I had a cardigan, but I opted instead for a corduroy vest. Still, a vest is also pretty good.

Too bad I don't have a picture, I know you'd all agree.

New Year's Eve and Evan's Birthday

Every year I tell myself I won't stay up so late on New Year's Eve. I'm getting too old for this crap. But, every year, it never fails, that Evan throws a stellar party because it's his birthday. It always begins with an awesome meal, some fabulous cake and ice cream, and then friends and party food with games and laughter following.

We ended up hanging out until 3 am, and I'm telling you, I won't do it again. I was tired at 11p. I was delirious with tiredness at 1a.

Some shots of the birthday guy:

I love his face in this IU snuggie. Perfect bliss.

How cute are these two? And throwing an awesome party

just days before the arrival of baby #2. Unbelievable!

Best. Smile. Ever.

Holiday Weekends

I can't even express how relaxing the last two weeks have been. I baked and cooked to my heart's content, we spent innumerable hours with both of our families, and Quincy didn't have an attitude problem while we were gone. What could be better?! I even managed (today--my last day of break) to finish reading Mansfield Park, which I'd begun in August after my second summer course concluded. I never had time to pick it up during the semester, so it was lovely to speed through the second half of that nearly 500-pager over the last week.

Some visions of our holiday:

Our little Christmas celebration at home on Christmas Eve morning.

New skinny tie!

Christmas at the Gottschalks'.

Jane loved this puppy from Great Grandma and Grandpa G.

Obviously, I'm in love with this shirt...

and the many other things Leslie wrapped up in this box.

The Goof, herself, wearing Evan's shoes.