Musings

7 1/2 years after moving here as an adult, I went to the DMV to change my registration. I thought 3:30 on a Wednesday would be a good time to go, but clearly I wasn't the only one with that idea. After about an hour and a half of waiting (and haughtily laughing at all the people being turned away for not being prepared), there were 2 people ahead of me in line and I realized that one of the many forms I had spent days collecting was missing a piece of information. I decided to stay and see if I could get away with it. Another hour or so waiting for my number to be called, I get to the counter to find I cannot in fact get away with it. I'm not quite sure why you need to have a license, passport, 2 proofs of social security, registration, insurance, and proof of residence to transfer your tags, but you do, and I didn't. Yet somehow, in the midst of this annoyance, the DMV employee walked away and returned with a little card that was a fast pass! Go directly to the front of the line! Any time you come, no matter how busy! "You have everything together but that one paper, and I feel bad no one told you before this you needed it and you waited all that time." All of that waiting and annoyance was erased by one tiny kindness.

So today when I went to the grocery store, there was another interminable line of people getting essentials (doritos and bush's beans) for the hurricane. I'd been waiting about 10 minutes and there was 1 person in front of me before we got to the register. An older woman with 1 item approached the man in front of me and said "I've never done this before, but I have to be somewhere in 15 minutes and I just have this one thing..." and he said no. So she walked away to the end, about 5 people back. I thought about it for a moment, then caught her eye and motioned her in front of me. Maybe tomorrow she'll do the same for someone else, but regardless, it always stops me in my tracks a little to realize how easy it is to make people happy, and how amazing it is that it happens so infrequently.

Done.

15.75 down, -.75 to go

Big finish with Thirteen Reasons Why. Proof of my young-adult-books-are-great rant from the last post. Fast moving, intense, surprising. Maybe not a deep intellectual read, but a lot of things that stick with you.

As for my other goals, not so successful. I'm happy with my needlepoint progress, though I didn't finish one. I'm also happy with my musical horizon opening. My weight loss plan didn't go quite as well. Lost a few pounds at first, but as soon as that started I relented on my diet plan and ended up even by the end. Apparently a couple of 2 mile runs each week does not counteract nightly ice cream cones. I really wish someone had sat me down and told me how much my body and metabolism would change with age. "Happy Birthday, here's 20 lbs!" And it's not just that I can't eat as poorly as before; I'm always hungry. If I got a sandwich or went out to dinner, I'd maybe eat half and save the rest for later. I'd never get more than a 6" hoagie. Now, 3 sizes later, I gobble everything down and want more. What's a hungry girl to do?

Also done is the summer. Not much to say about that. I hate going back to work no matter what, but accompanied with moving from one lifestyle surrounding with family/friends to another separate lifestyle with different friends/work brings up a lot of feelings. I always swear this will be my last year in DC when I'm leaving NJ, and then I get to DC and remember it's not so bad...

Almost There...

14.75 down, .25 to go~

I panicked a few days ago that I was never going to make my goal with a week left before school. Then, suddenly, a quick weekend read and 2 books down in 1 day! With 3 days left, I need to read 1/4 of a book...

After the disappointment of Americans in Paris, I went for an old standby, Marian Keys, and The Brightest Star in the Sky. Her books aren't going down in history, but it's always a quick read with interesting characters, and I like the Irish dialects (which I then imitate for several days after reading).


The Other Wes Moore: I figured I should jump into something heavy with school approaching. The premise of this book--2 boys from the same neighborhood with similar situations take different paths in life--was enticing, but the story itself wasn't as compelling as other similar stories. The author also makes a point to say he doesn't know what the differences were that lead to his success and the other Wes Moore's downfall, but it seems pretty apparent: the author was born to 2 adult, educated, parents and strong family structure who constantly monitored him (even after his father died from illness) while the other Wes's biggest role model and most dependable family member was his drug dealing brother. I think a better side focus for the book would have been how the system failed the other Wes--and the author does mention towards the end that the other Wes was actually smarter and a lot of the author's success grew out of family connections and contact versus luck or natural ability

Daughters of the Revolution: SPOILER ALERT: I read this in one day, so that tells you the writing at least was good. I enjoyed reading but when I was finished I just sort of went "huh?" It was a good story interweaving the characters, but you realize at the end you don't really know any of the characters. It's alluded to that the daughter doesn't eat, but why? The mother sleeps with the daughter's boyfriend and that's it? There's no other mention of it? The last chapter reveals connections and announces the theme of poverty vs privilege, but then it's over, just when you want to know more! In the end, all these women react in different ways to freedom, and in the end they just have to take care of the men anyway!

Tangent: I feel like a lot of the "real" books I've read lately follow the same trajectory...people try to be individuals and explore their freedoms but end up disillusioned and right back where they were before, just a little less happy. And often there's a drawn out narrative of a character's perception of their own death or demise. I'm thinking the last book, Tinkers, A Visit from the Goon Squad, Freedom...

It reminds me of an article I just read about the allure of young adult literature, which I find myself enjoying a lot lately: "The tone of YA lit is often different: there’s less retrospection, less melancholy and nostalgia. Often, though not always, YA lit is more story-focused." That disillusioned melancholy and nostalgia is what I can't stand, so I turn to nonfiction, chick lit, or YA. As an English major/teacher, I feel a little embarrassed, but as a reader I want to enjoy myself...at least it's not romance novels!

Sun setting on the summer

Sigh.

Even More Summer Reading

11.75 down, 3.25 to go

Trading Up: not great, but fine for the beach. I finished it about 2 weeks ago and can't even remember what it was about without looking up, so that says something. But I finished it, so that also says something...

Then Came You: Loved it. Isn't gonna win any awards, but a good, quick read with sympathetic characters. I think I've read all of Jennifer Weiner's books, and they went way downhill with the past few, but this one is back up to snuff.

Americans in Paris: had this at the beach for 1 day and just couldn't do it, especially knowing I only have another week or so to get to my 15 book goal. It'd be great as a documentary, but not a beach read. Maybe I'll pick it up again another time.

Animals Being Dicks

There's a whole blog's worth! This is my favorite so far.

I'm doing this the second I can. I LOVE maps, but never know where to put them. Hopefully my next move will be to my own house and I can try it out