Illegal Hugging

Has anyone else ever heard of the Free Hugs Campaign before? I hadn’t until today when I saw it on one of Amanda Palmer’s many blogs. I guess I just don’t understand why anyone would want to ban hugs even if it is from strangers. I think its a personal decision if you want a hug from a complete stranger. Follow the link for the full story. But its apparently all straightened up now. It kind of reminds me of giving cops flowers in the 60’s except that it isn’t at all about war.

The little old lady that hugs him first is my favorite followed closely by the guy that leaps!

As Promised

This may seem like a hefty list but since I read about 30 books last year as well as my school reading I feel like this isn’t a big deal. So here is my 2009 reading list.

January

1. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
3. The Green Dwarf by Charlotte Bronte

February

1. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin
2. The Tea House Fire by Ellis Avery
3. The Communist Manifesto by Fredrich Engels and Karl Marx
4. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

March

1. Northanger Abbe by Jane Austiny
2. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
3. Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
4. Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

April

1. Emma by Jane Austin
2. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
3. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
4. Marie Antoinette the Last Queen of France by Evelyne Lever and Catherine Temerson

May

1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

June

1. About a Boy by Nick Hornby
2. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
4. 1984 by George Orwell

July

1. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
3. Walden by Ralph Waldo Emerson

August

1. Civil Disobedience by Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
3. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

September

1. Mansfeild Park by Jane Austin
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
3. The Odyssey by Homer

October

1. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
2. Artemesia: A Novel by Alexandra Lapierre and Liz Heron
3. Dracula by Bram Stoker

November

1. The Transformation by Catherine Chidgey
2. Cultivating Women, Cultivating Science: Flora’s Daughters and Botany in England, 1760 to 1860 by Ann B. Shteir
3. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

December

1. The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
3. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
4. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
6. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
7. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Alternates

1. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
2. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder and Paulette Moller
3. Mythology by Edith Hamilton
4. The Shack by William P. Young (This one I know I’ll be reading while reading the other I just had no where else to put it.)

Technically Only an Hour Late

Here is my prioritized list of goals for 2009:
1. Take a French class. My French is getting lazy.
2. Spend more time reading my Bible. This isn’t really number two as French and this are kind of neck and neck.
3. Spend more time with friends and less time at home doing nothing. (i.e. visit someone at least 4 times a week.)
4. Read more. It is poosible for me to read more even though it doesn’t always seem like it.
5. Get my life (read as my room) in order. This place is a disaster!
6. Walk my typical 2.5 mile walk at least 4 times a week.
7. Read at least two non-fiction books. The ones I have planned are a biography on Marie Antoinette (I’m not kidding when I say I love French History- it should be clear by now) and a book Called Cultivating Women, Cultivating Science about the history botany and how women improved it and shaped its study into a science. Yes, I am that nerdy.
8. Wear my pearls more often. I finally have them out of storage and I really love them so I want to wear them at least once a week.
9. Get over my issue with the phone. How else can I keep in touch with some people?! I can’t text all the time, I’ve got carpel tunnel!
10. Spend two more hours a week creating. I used to draw and paint a lot more and I want to get back to that. I also haven’t sewn anything in ages and I have BOLTS!!! of fabric just waiting to be something.

So there it is. My 2009 goals. I have a set list of reading goals to post as well. Maybe later as I am seriously overtired.

What a Year!

I don’t know about you but this year has kind of rocked my world, and not always in a good way. I’m kind of glad its almost over. I’m setting myself some new goals (not really NYR- just goals to work toward) that will at least make next year worth it. I hope you all have a happy New Year. I’ll post my goals tomorrow as I have not yet prioritized them.

My Park Playlist

This is a bit extensive but I love it! I divided it up by what’s happening at the time.

Walking there:
1. Dreams- The Cranberries
2. Marching Bands of Manhattan- Death Cab for Cutie
3. English Girls Approximately- Ryan Adams (don’t tell me!)

Finding a tree to sit under (because I like trees):
4. This is Not a Test- She & Him

Getting settled into my spot:
5. The Piano Song- Meiko

Finally getting down to business:
6. Publish My Love- Rogue Wave <3
7. Fake Plastic Trees- (Acoustic)- Radiohead
8. Loro- Pinback
9. My Little Corner of the World- Yo Le Tengo
10. Why You’d Want to Live Here- Death Cab for Cutie
11. Sentimental Heart- She & Him
12. It’ll All Work Out- Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers
13. New Slang- The Shins
14. Piazza, New York Catcher- Belle and Sebastian
15. Hong Kong Garden- Siouxsie & The Banshees
16. I Will Possess Your Heart- Death Cab for Cutie
17. String of Blinking Lights- Paper Moon
18. Til I Hear it From You- Gin Blossoms
19. I Found Love- The Free Design
20. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?- Washington Phillips
21. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here- She & Him
22. Styrofoam Plates- Death Cab for Cutie
23. You Can Have It All- Yo Le Tengo
24. Ceremony- New Order
25. Clear Spot- Pernice Brothers
26. Summer Long- Kathleen Edwards
27. Thirteen- Big Star
28. Someday You Will Be Loved- Death Cab for Cutie
29. Loose Lips- Kimya Dawson
30. I’m the Man Who Murdered Love- XTC
31. Let My Love Open the Door- Sondre Lerche
32. Know Your Onion!- The Shins
33. Champagne From a Paper Cup- Death Cab for Cutie
34. Come Pick Me Up- Ryan Adams
35. Sweet Darlin’- She & Him
36. The Only Living Boy In New York- Simon and Garfunkel
37. We Laugh Indoors- Death Cab for Cutie
38. Smile- Grant-Lee Phillips
39. Sleep All Day- Jason Mraz
40. Talk Show Host- Radiohead
41. What Sarah Said- Death Cab for Cutie
42. Unravel- Jason Mraz
43. Girl From Mars- Ash
44. Lake Michigan- Rogue Wave
45. The Sound of Settling- Death Cab for Cutie

Packing up:
46. Hop a Plane- Tegan and Sara

The walk home:
47. What Ever Happened- The Strokes
48. I Don’t Mind- Slumber Party
49. I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You- Colin Hay
50. Movie Script Ending- Death Cab for Cutie

Park Time

So I read your blogs tonight. I didn’t do a lot of commenting because I had so much reading to do. Don’t be sad, just know that I read your blogs.

I made some very tasty cookies tonight. Chocolate chip, cinnamon, butter extract to replace the vanilla and a touch of coffee extract. Genius? I think so. If you don’t believe me I’ll make you some.

I don’t know how many of you have noticed but its getting colder outside. I love it! This time of year most people huddle indoors. Not me. I keep going outside! I’ve been to the park to read at least twice and its making me happy.There’s nothing quite like tucking a book into your back pocket, walking out the door with nothing else but a jacket and taking off to the park. I usually don’t even take my cell phone or ipod. And that’s saying something! Right now I’m reading two things: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant. The latter makes me laugh until my face hurts and actually makes me cry sometimes. Read it!

Neglect is a Dirty Word!

So I’ve been neglecting my blog. I’m sorry. Especially since that means I also neglect reading your blogs. I will get back on that.

That’s pretty much it for now.

Rest In Peace

I give up looking.

On Saturday, October 11, Lance let Toby out for the last time. He wondered out, most likely to do his business, and never came back. We looked and looked all over our area and haven’t seen any trace of him. We’ve had pets my whole life so naturally, I have delt with the death of pets before but this time its different. Maybe because we didn’t get to say goodbye really or maybe because we haven’t seen a body to know that he’s dead. I keep thinking I hear him moving around in the other room or thinking I see him out of the corner of my eye. I came home this evening and noticed that something was sitting on the top of the stereo unit like he used to and my mind instantly thought that he had come home, but, alas, it was just my Harry Potter books.

To add insult to injury, I was supposed to be getting a new puppy from our next door neighbor. When his dog had puppies he had no idea what to do with them so we said we would take at least one. We even offered to pay him. He said that he didn’t want the money, just someone to take them off of his hands. About a week and half ago I asked them exactly when they would like me to come get the puppy. He said that he had to let the vet and a guy from Harbor Freight look at them first because they had also promised to take one. Then last Friday night he “snuck” the puppies into his truck and left. (If you want to be secretive and the way he was acting did make it seem so, wait until after midnight. srsly!) He came home a few hours later with no puppies.

It may seem ridiculous to be this upset over animals but I love animals. I love spending time with them, I love taking care of them, I don’t even mind the clean up. I just love them. Not to mention the fact that Ceasar went back on his word. I don’t know why he did it but I do think he feels guilty because he now if he sees one of us outside he goes back into the house as quickly as possible and avoids looking in our direction if he can help it. So ridiculous!

Looking for something to write about…

Since I haven’t been quite as busy lately, not very many interesting things have happened to me. I’ve been wanting to write for days now but I was struggling with something to write about. Today I found it in the news feed on my Yahoo! homepage. Twilight.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about then you probably live under a rock. Do not mistake me! I have not read any of the books in this series (nor have I purchased them and just left them unattended). Twilight is a series of novels by Stephanie Meyer accounting the relationship between a normal girl and her vampire boyfriend. Lately it seems that every girl I know under the age of 20 is in love with these books. I don’t get it. I haven’t read them but there are so many other vampire love stories out there that it hardly seems worth it. Well, now a movie version is coming out. A few months ago Natali and I were talking about it and just before that I had talked to Rachel about all this Twilight mania. We don’t get it. But nevertheless, people seem to love it. I found an article today (or rather- Yahoo! gave it to me) about it being a cliched love story. From what I hear and what I see on movie previews, I have to agree.My favorite line from the articles I read was, “Meyer’s ‘Twilight Saga’ is light on bloodsucking lore, heavy on high-school humdrum.”

Here are the links to the articles.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/12/twilight200812

http://features.csmonitor.com/books/2008/11/11/why-twilight-fascinates-todays-teens/

Today in History

Today in 1872 Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for trying to vote. We’ve come a long way in the last 136 years. Yesterday, after my mom got off work, she and I went to lunch and then went to the polls to vote. All of the volunteers there to help were women. No one called the police when I gave my address, told the lady I wanted to vote electronically, and walked toward the booth. No one arrested me for casting my vote and returning my ballot. I was not fined, arrested, asked to leave, or anything else of that nature. I also knew that if any of the men there had hit me or harrassed me, I would have full legal right to press charges against him and no one would say I deserved it. Not so for those women 136 years ago. If their husbands, fathers, brothers beat them for disobeying and going to the polls, no one cared. They had no right to say anything or do anything about abusive husbands. Thank God for the 19th ammendment!

And a word about Barack Obama’s election. I thank God that our country has changed enough in the last 40 years (since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s) that a black man can not only run for public office- he can become President!

(And really- I thank God for all the ammendments!)