Reading is Fun with a Capital F!

I don't remember if I've broached the subject of Game of Thrones with you readers, but let me tell you that "A Dance With Dragons" has become the bane of my existence.  I've been trying to read it for approximately a year, and have only made it through half of the book.  It's currently acting as a prop for the fan in my room that my girlfriend and I need to use in order to avoid drowning in sweat throughout the night.  (My apartment complex charges an additional $20 a month for a second AC unit... can you believe that? GTFO of here.)  

My second "vacation" of 2014 was extremely instrumental in kick starting what I used to think of as a behavior as necessary as breathing:  reading books!

Not only have I started reading books again, but I've been reading with gusto, reading like it's an Olympic sport!  During Memorial Day Weekend, I read three books, collectively over 1000 pages with varying degrees of difficulty. 

The first book I read was "The Husband List" by Janet Evanovich.  While it was entertaining and kept my attention, it wasn't one of her better stories.  It was cute, an adorable-but-predictable love story about the girl who is destined to marry the Duke but is in love with the bad boy.  Cute, but already done a hundred times over. 

The second book that I read was a beautifully written story called "Perfect Match" by Jodi Piccoult.  Now, Let me be the first person to say that Jodi Piccoult is so much more than just a writer, she's a creator, a painter of life portraits so realistic that you can see the world clear as day on hundreds of black and white pages. Unfortunately, Piccoult has set the bar extensively high, and though "Perfect Match" was amazing, it didn't quite reach "The Pact", "House Rules", or my personal favorite, "Handle With Care".

Third book that I read this weekend was "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green.  

I'm not sure whether I was so desperate to read this because of the whispers through crowds overheard about the pain that would come with the end of the novel, or the hypnotic chemistry of the teenage characters from the movie trailer that haunts my living room, but as soon as Mosski told me that she had a copy, I jumped at the chance (literally jumped out of my seat at work) to borrow it from her. 

My thoughts about this young adult fiction is that, while it's a beautifully tragic love story that portrays an honest depiction of humanity, I was hoping for just a little bit more. 

These are three wonderfully written books by extremely amazing writers.  Why, then, am I finding myself equally let down by such a slight margin?  It's not as if these were horrific let downs, after weeks or years of waiting patiently for new releases.  These were (mostly) books I read out of sheer happenstance.  

I don't know the reason.  I really don't.  I do know, though, that I'm making a commitment to read more this year.  Maybe I'll find out the reason for my doubts, or maybe I will find that one book that is going to completely change my life.  

That Prairie Life -- Iowa

I took a trip recently -- packed my bags, paid for my plane ticket, made it through security and sat through two flights that inevitably took me to the current residence of one of the most wonderful humans that I've ever met, Megan.

I wanted to regale you all with my witty accounts of Prairie life, bringing to fruition all of the nuances of Mid-West living, but it turns out that the information that I did get would bore you to tears.  This is not to say that the great state of Iowa was boring, but the content of said blog would be just too dry to stomach in non-fiction.

That's why I've decided to take the notes I made during my trip and turn it into a fictional story that I will publish here shortly.  I know, the three of you that probably still read this are probably over the moon ecstatic about this news.  We'll see how it comes out.

In the interim, I wanted to post a few pictures that I took that are sure to make your life better (and distract from the fact that I didn't actually post anything of note in this whole post so far).

MC Hammer called and wanted his pants back. o.O

I hate to admit that this happened.  He was part of a group that I'd like to call the JPOP Invasion.  The entire back of my plane was Asians who were too cool for me (except for maybe this guy and his parachute-butt pants).

Charlotte, NC has ROCKING CHAIRS all over their airport.  I was blown away by this.  They take their southern hospitality VERY seriously.

This happened, because I really had no idea where IOWA was on a map.  Sad, right?

Made friends with the neighbors and their kids. :) 

This is the newest love of my life.  Please meet Ellie/Lady-not-Bird.  

This was the most beautiful picture I took of Iowa, and I was so pleased in how it came out.  No filter, no accentuation.  Just beautiful landscape.

Seriously, Iowa was so beautiful.  I wish I was there a few weeks later than I was because I can only imagine what it will look like when the crops grow in, the fields turn green, and the contrast between open sky and open fields shows itself on the Prairie.  

There is a Buffalo Preserve out on the Prairie.  Sadly my animal whisperer skills were not honed in to the Iowan Buffalo.  They didn't come near us, so we took a picture of the statue instead. 

Just in case you needed a little more "cute" before you left. <3

Apartment Life Deductions

Not too long ago, I wrote that I just moved into an apartment and everything was fine except for the fact that I thought people were coming up the stairs to murder me in my bed.  

I know you were all concerned.  Thankfully, I've mostly gotten over that.  (Everyday A, you were right! I'm starting to learn.)

I've also recently written about Chance, the newest love of my life.

Something that I have noticed on during my first few weeks exploring my apartment complex with Chance, my neighbors are Shady with a capital S.

I'm pretty sure there's a drug ring in one of the apartments on our walk route.  I know that's a terrible accusation to say right off the bat, but these stereotypical moments just keep occurring and repeating in my head.

Chance and I mind our own business while I try to coax him to pee before both of us catch frost bite outside.  Well, I say WE mind our business, but Chance actually doesn't; he is more than happy to stare at every single person or animal in his line of sight, without shame.  Me? I'm standing there with my head down, looking at my phone, hoping no one will jump me for it while I'm trying to be inconspicuous.

Whenever someone does catch my eye, though, I always smile and wave.  I do not want to be the one they come looking for when they get Narc'd out.  I want to be the friendly neighbor with her dog that pretends to know nothing but secretly is on to them, and writing blogs about it anonymously.

Yep, that's me.

Chance, the Rescued Beagle

Welcome to the family, Chance the Rescue Beagle. 

I just wanted to take the time to let everyone know that life as I know it is over.  My heart has been stolen by this little face.  (Don't tell my girlfriend.)

This is Chance, formerly known as Christian Bale, a "Celebrity Beagle" rescued from a research lab by the Happy Paws Rescue located in South Plainfield, NJ.  He was rescued with a bunch of other dogs and they are all looking for good homes (except for Chance b/c he's mine!!!!).  

I haven't had a dog in a while, so we'll see what kind of things are going to change after the rose-colored glasses are gone.  

So far on the list of harsh realities:

*Chance is not house trained, as I was previously led to believe.  It's fine, and something that we are working on daily, but every day is like coming home to find out whether or not Doctor Jekyll or Mister Hyde is going to come skittishly out of his crate.  If it's Doctor Jekyll, he is sure to be covered in poop.

(Silver lining? I bought this cookie dough shampoo that makes him smell DELISH. Yum.)

*Chance does not like to poop outside, ok, fine, neither do I.  However, with the fact that Mother Nature decided to dump on us this winter, it's making life very difficult. Neither of us want to be outside freezing our paws off, but only one of us knows what to do out there in order to rush back inside. 

*Helen and I are the biggest mushes in the history of life.  This dog can go nuts, but as soon as he looks at us, we're done.  Whatever he wants, the sky is the limit (until he shits in the house again).

Here goes nothing, kids!

Goodbye 2013?

It's officially winter.  Here in NJ, we south-New-Englanders are under what's being coined the "Polar Vortex".  What does that mean, you may ask?. To me, it means that the temperature is COLD, frost has started form on the inside of my car, and I have to warm up my car for ten minutes before I can go anywhere because my transmission won't shift from gear to gear while it's practically frozen.  (#manualtransmissionproblems, am I right?)

I guess it's time for me to do an obligatory "Goodbye 2013 -- Hello 2014" post. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of good to say about the beginning of 2013.  I worked at the bank where I had one or two good people to talk to and that was it.  My customers were wonderful people who I miss dearly, but otherwise it was just a job. I left there in July and started at a new company in a completely different direction in the business world.  The world of payroll is so complex, an almost living/breathing thing that evolves everyday.  It sure is not the job I thought I was signing on for when I accepted my position.  The only thing that I can think to say is "I should have asked for more money."  This job is payroll, accounting, tax law, babysitting, therapy sessions, and teaching all rolled into one small title of "Payroll Specialist".  I should have definitely asked for more money.

I miss writing.  I miss expanding my errant thoughts and following my wild imagination to the end of the thought, to the end of the story.  That is not to say that my imagination has not been working this whole year, oh no.  My brain, my beautiful, puzzled, hardworking brain is always working, and always thinking, getting me into serious trouble.

Larissa and I moved into our very own apartment in the middle of December.  We've been here every single night since the day we moved in and for the first two weeks or so, we've never had a problem.  Those things that "they" say about apartment living, the thin walls, the nasty neighbors, the lack of privacy, those things haven't really rang true for me yet.  My neighbor is a small, quiet, young Asian woman whose only vocalized worry was if we could hear her cursing out her computer (I swear to God).  The main issue I have are the doors.

Whomever came up with the blue prints for the doors should be sent back to engineer school, first of all, but what's worse is that the doors have no safeguard for slamming.  Anytime that anyone in this building closes a door, the whole building shakes. This wouldn't be a problem, though, if my brain were 'normal' and had regular thought processes.  It doesn't, for the record.  So every morning I wake up now and think that someone has broken into my house and is stealing items from my living room.

That's not the most fun way to wake up in the morning.

Honestly, the worst part is the anxiety of thinking that someone is in your house.  I hear footsteps (from the neighbors who stomp-stomp-stomp like elephants up and down the hallway) and the silence of the sleepy apartment adds to the creepiness and gets my adrenaline flowing.  Of course, then I get up and run to the bathroom (because the speed at which I move will obviously deter anyone from coming after me) and slam the door, adding possibly to the anxiety of someone else in the building.

Then I share with Larissa what I'm thinking and she wonders what its like in my head.