Giving in for good reason

So I finally caved and decided to ask for a Nook Color for Christmas.

My indecision came from the fact that, like website's effects on newspapers, I feared e-readers would kill books. And a Nook also won't do anything to help build the physical library I want in my future home.

But then I thought about it, and realized that e-readers won't kill books and most likely will help foster a stronger love of reading in the new generations that are so enamored with technology. I love reading because it allows for such imagination, freedom interpretation and strengthens writing skills and vocabulary. The e-reader won't kill any of these aspects of reading in my opinion.

And getting one also won't end my dreams of a den with shelves and shelves of books. I'll just be more selective about which ones I actually buy a physical copy of -- so instead of the shelves being full of books that will just sit there and collect dust, the shelves will hold classics and favorites that I will want to visit again and again.

This will also save me room if I ever move to a city and live in a smaller apartment. My parents will sell our house eventually and move to a smaller place where I won't have room to store even all the books I currently have. This way they'll be in one place and I can lose myself in them with just a few clicks of a button.

And who knows, maybe when I'm older the appeal of an e-reader will fade and I'll rely on my paperback friends once again.

Free suprise, books, Meg Ryan

About a month ago, my iPod stopped syncronizing with iTunes. It would upload about 200 songs and then freeze. It was a travesty. Two weeks ago I brought it to the Apple store (the most crowded and annoying place in the world) they guy cleaned it out and I thought it was fixed. No luck. So I took it back today and got a replacement... fo' free!!! I was ecstatic. I thought I'd have to pay at least $130 for the replacement, and possibly even more when I was told today it was out of warranty. But since I was told it was in warranty last time I went and since the salesperson was happy/impressed I was reading a REAL book while waiting, she traded it in for my old one at no cost. I'm a pretty lucky duck.

That also go me thinking ... she was impressed I was reading a real book while waiting? What have you done to the world technology!? Am I the only one who always throws a book in her purse in case I have a free moment or need to wait for something? Maybe I'm an anomaly. But I don't really see people out in public reading books much. Maybe it's because I'm just not seeing it, or maybe technology really is taking over so much that people don't even grab a paperback and head to the nearest bench or coffee shop to enjoy it. I think that's really sad, if it's true. I was also asked by a different employee if the book was for school, I said it was for pleasure. He seemed surprised. Is reading a dying art?

But now, I'm having a Meg Ryan night. I love her, so much. I haven't seen all the movies she has been in, but "You've Got Mail" and "When Harry Met Sally" are two of my favorites. Sure they're your cliche romantic comedies. But they're also classy, witty and not too formulaic. I've heard some rumors about her not being able to land acting gigs and getting some pretty unflattering plastic surgery, but I'll always adore her in many of the great movies she starred in between the late '80s and '90s.

Finally a little bit of fall

While today was pretty hot, right now it's starting to feel more like fall. It's cooler outside with a little bit of a nip in the air. Next week it'll still be warm, in the 70s, but then come the comfortable mid-60s. I can't wait! And that also means I think it's time to decorate for Halloween. I think I'll do that Monday, so I'll post some pics.

I was going to watch "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" after work, but it's just not capturing my attention right now, so maybe I'll try to watch it with some popcorn under a blanket tomorrow night.

Instead, to make myself sleepy, I think I'll read "Les Miserables." I'm currently on page 703 but since the book is 1,463 pages long I am nowhere near to being done. It's quite a work in process. But I allow myself to read other books because it's just going to take me so long -- which is good because I went to the Westminster library's book sale yesterday and got 7 books for $5. I was thrilled. I think I'll start with "East of the Sun" by Julia Gregson and then read "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo. My personal library is really growing, and I'll definitely have to check out library book sales more often.

As it gets cooler I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot more reading curled up under a blanket with a hot cup of tea.

Turning over a new leaf

I always like the layout/concept of this blog, so I'm bringing it back. I miss being able to involve the world in my boring, uneventful life.

But seriously, I miss blogging just for me. Sure, I'd love it if people read this but I also just like to write and a blog is just more interactive and fun than the blank pages of my journal.

I've also started to do what I was warned not to with the kind of job I have, which is get into a rut.

I wake up, eat, play with Scout, watch TV, go to work and after I eat, watch TV and sleep. Then I get up and do the same thing the next day... and the next... and the next. And on the weekends I just nix the work part.

I haven't finished "Les Miserables," like I promised myslef I would by summer's end. I also haven't been working on any of my three scrapbooks. So maybe putting out this out there and in want of things to write about I'll turn over a new leaf and start changing things up a bit.

And I'm going to start by A.) getting back into a healthy eating habit by going to the supermarket now and buying fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. (and if anyone has healthy recipes for one, please share!) and B.) I'm going to take a walk into town and check out the Fallfest that's going on this weekend. No more sitting on my bum watching TV.

I'll also post about books, my scrapbooking endeavors and whatever else I feel like.

Fall's a good time to turn over a new leaf, don't you think? ;)

About A Book (or three)

I've haven't been updating recently. Just been busy volunteering, putting things in order for fall and more work now that I've been designing Business and Commentary front almost every night.

So I'll post later about Friday's charity, but right now I'm behind on my books updates. And I passed and will surpass my reading goal of 15 books this summer. I'm on No. 16 right now.

I've read three books in the past two weeks, loved two of them but wasn't a big fan of the third.

"Rise and Shine" by Anna Quindlen (two stars)
I didn't dislike this book, but wasn't really a fan of it either. It's the story of two sisters living in New York. One is the famous host of a morning news show (A 'Today Show' type thing) and the other is a social worker. The book is basically about the relationship these two very different sisters share. The characters were OK, and I especially liked the son of the TV show host. But there wasn't anything I greatly liked about the book. Quindlen gave great insight to the social worker sister because she was the narrator, but I didn't feel like I really understood the other characters as well. The climax was also anti-climatic and I didn't like the way it happened and then was sort of swept under the rug.

"Sex, Drugs, and Cococa Puffs" by Chuck Klosterman (three and a half stars)
I thought this book was great, and just tore through it. Klosterman writes pretty much stream of conscience so the flow of the book was very quick. It's basically just his thoughts and opinions on pop culture, and everything from basketball to dating to journalism. There were a few sections, such as the basketball one, that I skimmed over because I just don't have much interest in the sport. But there were others I just found myself nodding my head along to. I also don't normally laugh out loud while reading, but this one did produce a few verbal 'he he's' from me. But his knowledge of pop culture is extraordinary and the chapter on journalism spot on. Reporters really aren't biased -- the story just depends on who calls back first, and the people who bother to call back at all.

"Love, Rosie" by Cecelia Ahren (four and a half stars)
Ahren is the Irish novelist who wrote "P.S. I Love You." So, as you could probably deduce, "Love, Rosie" is 100% chick lit. And I really enjoyed it. It's the story of a girl named Rosie and her childhood best friend, Alex. It follows them as they grow up together, grow apart from one another and find each other once more. Basically, it's a story of the power of friendship and love. The one thing that I wasn't sure I would like about the book is the way it is written. The book is told solely through correspondences between Rosie, Alex and their friends and family. It's letters, e-mails and IMs. A book for the technology age for sure. I've seen a few like this, in particular by Meg Cabbot, and have always shied away from that type of novel -- I felt a story couldn't be told only through correspondence.

But I was wrong. Ahren did a fabulous job of capturing the true essence of each character and giving all the information and background needed without any explanation except for the words written by the characters to each other. But what really made me love it is the fact that I can relate to the way it is written. The book made me think about those friends that I am no longer able to see, and thus communicate with only through the written word -- in letters, e-mails and instant messaging. And looking back at those e-mails and IMs, there really is a story to uncover. And the book, although fiction, gives me hope that those friendships will continue to grow in years to come Maybe someday those people will once again come back into my life, and as more than words on paper or a computer screen.

Now reading: "The Little Book" by Selden Edwards (really liking it so far!)

The Book is Always Better

Went to see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" at midnight, and while I won't write any plot spoilers I will say was fairly pleased with the movie. But for me, that's not saying much. Now I know the movie can never really be exactly like the book. For one, everyone's imagination is unique so everyone is always going to envision sets, characters and scenes a little differently. Secondly, directions and script writers love to have room to be creative and make their own spin on things. And lastly, it's hard make a book that is more than 400 pages into a movie without either leaving scenes out or making it ridiculously long. And "Half-Blood Prince" clocked in at about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

I think this movie was one of my favorites and I certainly liked it better than "Order of the Phoenix." There were just three things I would have changed: Ginny and Harry's relationship was dealt with kind of awkwardly, there was a whole small scene that didn't even occur in the book and did not do anything to help the plot of the movie along and they changed the ending - as usual. For some reason the director's never like the movie to end like the book. But in this movie they really changed it and left out probably the last 50 pages or so.

But it had some good scenes that were pretty much exactly what I imagined when reading it, and the movie had some good lighthearted moments, too. I also cried a little at the end, but not as much as I probably would have if they had stuck to the ending of the book.

I'll give it four stars, which for me is pretty good.

The next book to movie that I'm anxious about is "The Time Traveler's Wife." It comes out this year and my fingers are crossed that it will do the book justice. But I won't count too hard on it.

Let's try this again (and Three Cups of Tea)

Since my boot camp and coming down to Naples, Fla. I have not updated this at all. Maybe because I've been to busy wasting my days away behind the pages of books, and my nights in front of a computer screen or maybe it's because of the small amount of people who probably will ever read this. I'm not so great at PR when it comes to getting the word out about my own endeavours, and I also feel this blog doesn't offer much to the world (considering the millions of blogs already out there).

However, I like to write. And I like to share my opinions. Plus, it's something productive to do during the long days before I head to the Naples Daily News. Though this blog in now way represents the opinions of the organization -- it's all my own personal thoughts and opinions.

My first post back is about a book you should read this summer, even if you don't read anything else.

It's called Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. And it'll change your life, even if just a little.

I'm not sure exactly when I purchased this book, but it has been sitting on my shelf for almost a year I presume. (alongside more than a dozen other books I have yet to read).

But Three Cups of Tea should not have been sitting there for so long, and I only assume it was pre-destined for me to read it when I did. It's the story of Greg Mortenson, a biography if you will, about his adventures mountain climbing and how they led him to a small village in Pakistan, where he learned the kindness of the village's people and their biggest struggle: educating their youth. This small village's plight inspired a promise from Mortenson that he would build them a school. And he kept his promise, a thousand times over. What this single man accomplished at such a young age is astounding, and he still continues his amazing work building schools all across Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was THE most inspiring book I have ever read.

Mortenson created a foundation to help fund all his projects, called the Central Asia Institute (CAI). I have made a promise to myself that I will save at least $100 this summer to donate to the foundation. (https://www.ikat.org/)

Also, because I have so much time on my hands during the day (basically every day until about 3p.m.) I decided that although I can't do anything close to what Mortenson has done and is doing, I could give back to the community in some way. I decided to volunteer with the Literacy Volunteers of Collier County (LVCC). I believe that everyone in America has the right to the same opportunities as I do -- no matter where they are from, or even if they are here legally or not (personal opinion, of course). But doing so is hard if one does not know the language well. The LVCC teaches English to illiterate and non-English speaking people living in Collier County, Fla. I wanted to be a tutor, but despite my free mornings there still really wasn't enough time for me to take the training and learn the lessons. So instead I will be helping to categorize and inventory the group's small library and also help monitor its computer lab every Saturday. I also bought a few guides to Spanish, since I know very little of the language -- having only taken French and Italian.

My contribution may be small, but every time I leave the center I feel good about what I am doing, and that I've made a difference in someone's life - even if indirectly. I have also begun an application for the Peace Corps. and am going to look into volunteer ops. for teaching English in another country. I want to give back as much as I can while I am young, and with the economy the way it is, I'd rather graduate knowing I'll be giving back and not at home, jobless.

So read Three Cups of Tea, and see if it makes you look at things in a different light.

(In addition, I think this'll be my theme for Friday posts: charities.)