Book List - January 2012

So here is the start of the my 2012 book list. I have two rules:

1. If I don't finish the book it doesn't go on my list.
2. Every book I read will go on the list. You may be surprised by some of the things I read.

Here is what I read in January:

1. The Next Aways by Nora Roberts - I'm a sucker for Nora Roberts Trilogies. I don't know why. They are always the same - three characters (sometimes four - usually a trio of brothers, sisters or girlfriends) and each book in the trilogy is one character's story of finding true love and each book ends with a marriage proposal (sorry if I spoiled it for you). But I started reading this book during my Christmas vacation and was a light, easy read.

2. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James - I am a big fan of Jane Austen. I've read all six of her books (some more than once) and have read my fair share of contemporary re-makes and possible continuations of her stories. And while this book very much captured the essences of Pride & Prejudice, as a mystery it totally lacked intrigue and tension.


3. Remarkable Creatures by Tracey Chevalier - This was an interesting work of fiction about two woman who really existed in the English seaside town of Lyme in the 1800s. They were fossil "hunters" in a time before evolutions was a fully flushed out theory (before Darwin's On the Origin of Species was published) and the field of fossil collection and examination was dominated by men.

4. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens - I was enjoying this book (fiction) about a woman who was abducted and held for almabout a year, locked in a cabin in the mountains. The man holding her not only raped and beat her on a regular basis but control everything about her life: when and what she ate, when and how she bathed and even when she went to the bathroom. But a little more than 2/3 into the book the plot took a weird and kind of unbelievable turn. I found the ending contrived and a little disappointing,

5. High on Arrive by Mackenzie Phillips - Poor Mackenzie, she never really had a chance with such a sad and totally screwed up father. This book was exactly as I expected, full of drug abuse, sex, drug abuse, hedonism, drug abuse, incest, drug abuse, mental abuse, drug abuse, rape, drug abuse, physical abuse, drug abuse, kidnappings and more drug abuse.

It's All About the Cut and Color

This week I'm going to color my hair. I've been coloring my own hair for about 20 years now. I first did it when I was in my early 20s because I wanted to lighten my dark brown hair. I color my hair now because it's going gray and it sucks. I totally expected to start going gray at some point but not as early as my mid-30s. I have also noticed over the last few years that my eyebrows are going gray as well. WTF?

Women are very attached to their hair. A great haircut can make you feel beautiful (that is until you try to replicate the salon style the next day). A bad one can make you feel like a troll that needs to hide under a bridge until it grows out. And we've all had our share of bad ones and they can go back, way back, to pre-teen times (or earlier) and scar you for life.

I hardly had any hair until I was almost five years old. Woman in the 70s who had the fashionable pixie cut had more hair that I did at the time. My friend's 14 month old daughter has more hair than I did at five. Eventually it did grown to be dark brown and straight. And, of course, when a woman has straight hair she wants it curly and vice verse.

When I was 11 or 12 I got my first perm to make my straight hair curly. My mother took me to the hair salon in JCPennys and I came home looking like Bozo the Clown (except it wasn't bright red and I still had hair on the top). I wanted to wash my hair immediately but my mother wouldn't let me (she paid good money for that perm - even if she admitted it was a bad perm) so I wore a hat to bed at night in an attempt to flatten it down (it didn't work). I was mortified.

I have always had bangs. And on occasion I have cut them myself. I have gotten much better at it but I have proof in the form of school photos that it's taken me a long time to get better at this skill and I'm still not great at it. And I usually just fess up to it every time I get my hair cut (I figure the person cutting my hair can tell so I might as well be honest). I don't recomment cutting your own hair (like giving yourself layers). Chances are you'll end up looking like your 7 year old niece snuck up on you while you were taking nap.

Over the years the length of my hair has also changed. It usually is at a medium length (rest at or slightly above my shoulders) but every so often I get the urge to cut it pretty short (but never pixie short - that look really on works on tall, thin woman like on America's Next Top Model). In college I didn't have a lot of money so I never got my hair cut. By the time I graduated it was the longest it had every been, halfway down my back. It was perfectly straight and, as it was the early 90s, I decided to get a spiral perm to give me lots and lots of curls. It was quite an ordeal and cost over $100 but it was worth it. I looked good. Of course about 9 mouths later it grew out and wasn't as curly so I cut it off to above my shoulder.

The last perm I had was a home perm done 6 or 7 years ago. It didn't really take. I probably won't ever get a perm again.

But I have learned some things over the years about coloring my hair and now I will share my wisdom.

1. If you have brown or black hair and you want to go blond, go to a professional. None of the boxes will do it for you so don't even try. Also, if you want to look like a natural redhead, do the same.
2. Stay away from weird color names. Stick with dark, medium or a light. Don't be tempted by colors that have the words golden, auburn, ash, reddish or chestnut in them. I know from personal experience that these will give your hair an unnatural color highlights to them (like mauve and purple).
3. The box usually suggests you test the color on a hair sample. I recommend you do this.
4. Follow the instructions. Don't keep the color on longer than recommended.
5. Wear a t-shirt that you don't mind destroying. This is a messy job and it's going to drip.
6. Pay close attention to the distribution of the dye (have a friend help you if neccessary). If you have thinning hair you might want to use more on top than at the bottom.
7. You might want to color your hair right before you get a haircut. Depending on the product, it might dry out the ends of your hair. Dye your hair, then get a hair cut to get ride of dry, split ends.
8. Finally be aware that the color will eventually go away and fade. If you make a drastic change in your color you will have roots showing eveutally. If you like your new color, stick with it. If you didn't, try another color or choose a color that is as similar to your natural color and then you won't have to worry about roots.

May all you ladies out there find the cut and color that makes you feel beautiful!

New Year, New Book List

There are only two things I do at the beginning of every new year: buy a new calendar and start a new book list. This year I will be sharing my book list with you. I started doing this a couple of years ago because I wanted to see how many books I read in a year and because I had the tendency to start reading a book that I had already read. Yes, I needed to keep track of the books I read.

I will be open for recommendations. And if you are a reader, here is where I recommend you go to find a new book to read: Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/).

For me, calling a book "good" is subjective (kind of of like movies and works of art). It all depends on what you like and enjoy reading. If you don't like romances you probably don't think Nora Robert's books are "good" even though she's a best seller.

Of course there is a craft to writing which does make a good book (along with the mysteries of how a book actually gets published which I have yet to solve). A writer needs to have a grasp of the English language (grammar, spelling, sentence structure), have a good story to tell and know how to develop a plot, characters and interest, write dialogue and description, etc.

Just because a book in on the NY Times Best Seller list (the writing industries way of determining "good" books) doesn't necessarily make it good. And sometimes your personal preferences can hinder you from a reading a really good book.

Two personal examples: "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger and "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I read both of these books well after their hype died down. I really did NOT like "The Time Traveler's Wife." First, I thought the title was misleading, the book was more about the time traveler than his wife and second, I couldn't keep track of all the time travel. I was so confused as to where in the timeline the main character was it was a big distraction (and not to spoil it for anyone but there was one scene that I thought rather gross and unnecessary and very out of place with the story). And I never had any inclination to read "The Help." I just wasn't interested in a story about black maids in the 1960s south. But I read this book last summer and just loved it so much that it stayed with me for days after I finished it. Not many books do that and to me it's a sign of a good book.

So I am open to any recommendations. While I usually stick to novels I have been know to read books outside that genre so bring it on. Happy reading!

All Good Things Must End

The end is coming. In just a few hours I'll be back to a routine, back to work, back to an alarm clock. When my first stay at home vacation started 11 days ago I didn't have many plans, just Christmas day and the fact that I wouldn't have to set my alarm clock. And it turned out to be a lovely 11 days. I spent Christmas with my family and a couple days later join them for a sushi lunch. I went out with some girlfriends to lunch and a movie and lost $30 in about 1o minutes on the slot machines in Black Hawk. I was privileged to share a lovely and elegant dinner with friends who were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. And there were quite a few quiet days when I never left my home and didn't see another person. Those days I read and slept, watched TV and movies, did some cooking or had food delivered. I probably could have been a bit more productive but wasn't but that's okay. The only thing that could have made it better was if I was doing all that with the beach and ocean outside my door.

And I admit I get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about where I'll be this time tomorrow, sitting at my desk, drudging my way through a week's worth of e-mails, catching up on things and feeling the same frustration I felt when I was last there. But you've got to have an income and to get that you have to work. And for now I have to be thankful that I had this time. The only place I've been in the last three days is the grocery store so I will probably venture out to B&N, use the great gift cards I got for Christmas and daydream about my next vacation.

May 2012 be a great year for everyone.

Post-Christmas Bliss is....

. . . lying on my bed in clean, comfy sweats after a long hot shower and knowing that every trace of Christmas is gone (except for a few gifts I need to give to people). Don't get me wrong, I like Christmas well enough (although I don't think we need to celebrate it for an entire month and it's gotten too materialistic) but it's just so much work.

I don't decorate my home for holidays. I just don't care, don't have the room for all the stuff and would rather spend my money on other things. The one exception is Christmas and that is only when my Mom & Sister are coming over on Christmas. Then I feel I need to make an effort. I want to make Christmas special for them so I decorate. If nobody is coming over there are absolutely no decorations. No light are hung, no wreaths, no Christmas decorations at all. But this was a year when I was "hosting" Christmas.

I don't go overboard but I do get a Christmas tree, a real Christmas tree. That's what I grew up with and that to me is Christmas. I'd rather have no tree at all than a fake, plastic tree. And I know that a real tree is a lot more work. A week before Christmas I went to get my tree. A nice guy working at the place I got it put it in my car for me (note: the tree was wrapped up tight with string so I wasn't sure what size it was - only how tall and that I could carry it). Then when I got to my apartment my neighbor's boyfriend offered to carry my tree up three flights of stairs to my door. So far so good. I get the tree in the stand, untied it and decorated it. Everything was going great until my completed decorated Christmas tree fell over, not once but twice and the second time it fell on top of me as I was under it trying to adjust the screws in the stand.

As I was trapped under my Christmas tree I thought this would be it, it was a slow news week and the story of my Mom and Sister finding me dead under the Christmas tree would definitely make the evening news. But I averted death and got myself out from under the tree covered in pine needles, my hand covered in dirt and sap and only a few cuts and bruises. I cleaned myself up, called my Sister and told her I would never again put up a Christmas tree.

And while it wasn't as much of a life threatening experience, it was just as stressful to get the darn thing out of my apartment. The de-decorating started almost immediately after Mom and Sister left on Christmas. By Monday the ornament and lights were off the tree and boxed up. By noon today the tree was out of the apartment and everything has been cleaned up and put away. The tree turned out to be much bigger than I thought. I wanted to recycle but couldn't get the darn thing in my car. And after carrying it down three flights of stairs, it left behind so many pine needles I got out the broom and brushed them all the way down the stairs so my neighbors wouldn't complained (of course, less than five minutes after I finished this task a maintenance person came by and vacuumed/blew all the pine needles away).

But it's all behind me now and I feel like I can enjoy the rest of my week. And if I ever mention even the possibility of wanting to put up another Christmas tree, please just say, "Remember Christmas 2011 when your tree almost killed you?" That should do it.

Ready for Vacation

For me one of the very best things about Christmas is getting time off work. For the last two weeks work has been absolutely CRAZY. I’ve worked overtime pretty much every day. That along with just keeping up with personal daily stuff (laundry, grocery shopping, new tires on the car) hasn’t helped. Then all the stuff with holidays (I’m behind on my gift shopping and I don’t decorate for the entire month, if I decorate at all – that an entirely different blog for a different time)…I am ready for a vacation.

Here in corporate America vacations aren’t what they should be. As I’ve posted before, most countries give their employees way more vacation time than we get here in America. I think for the first time in my working life I’ve finally worked somewhere long enough to get 15 days of vacation a year. Before I’ve always gotten 10 days per year (think about that – that’s less than one vacation day a month).

I like to travel and have been very blessed to be able to go somewhere once a year and it takes up a good chunk of that vacation time. Any days I have left I usually spend on other special stuff (within the last year I took a vacaiton day to watch the royal wedding or be with my friend when she had her baby). So I don’t really take vacation and stay at home. Most people take vacation during the Christmas holiday and I’m stuck at the office with not much to do (and sometimes I’m the only person in the office – honestly). Working Christmas Eve sucks. Working the day after Christmas sucks. If you’ve every worked retail it triple sucks. But for the first time that I can rememver I am taking substantial time off at Christmas, specifically the entire week between Christmas and New Year. With holidays at either end that means I will have seven business days off. SEVEN!!!! Whoahoo!!!!!! (can you tell I’m excited).

I have absolutely nothing planned for my time off. I will probably squander it away with naps and reading and eating and watching tv/movies and naps and reading…. I can’t wait.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Rude Awakening

I love Friday nights because I know when I go to bed that night I won't be awoken the next morning before I'm ready by an alarm clock (as my frequent blog readers know, sleep is very important to me).

This morning I was awaken a little after 6 a.m. by a snow blower outside my window. It had started snowing the night before and was still snowing at 6 a.m. Apparently the apartment management people thought this would be a good time to clear the sidewalks. Yes, 6 a.m. on a Saturday. Of course they didn't start clearing the sidewalk of snow that the previous Thursday morning until 8 a.m. Go figure.

So I went back to sleep. I had a dream that involved several people I know and if I remember correctly cooking. And then there was a ringing in my dream. Of course it took me a minute to realize it wasn't in my dream but my phone. It was 9 a.m. on the dot.

Now this is significant because I have nine o'clock rule. For the most part, don't call me after 9 p.m. during the week or before 9 a.m. on the weekends. Because I usually speak with Mom every Saturday morning I thought it might be her but I so rudely awaken I was too disoriented to get out of bed and to the phone before it went to voice mail. It wasn't Mom but the pharmacy calling to say a prescription is in. Is 9 a.m. on a Saturday too early for businesses to be calling? I think so.

I tried to go back to sleep but to no avail. My wonderful Saturday sleep-in had been ruined. And now I have to wait another week for Friday night to come along.