Go figure

Duh.

For the past few months, I've been really excited about making the most of my time and reading through the classics, etc. I even wrote a little post last week about how I was leaving behind all my time wasting activities (basically) and wouldn't you know...this last weekend, I have watched more tv than I care to admit. Funny how that happens.

What I watched:

The Holiday
* I'm not usually a fan of romantic comedies, they are so unrealistic. And while this is also an unrealistic movie (especially the wealth factor) it's also charming. I like how they portrayed the love stories within the context of older and younger generations.

Stranger than Fiction
* Oh wow, what a show. It is wierd. But I liked it. A lot. Great music. And the bakery scenes made me want to open a shop where I could make amazing food. I also wanted to get an arm/shoulder tattoo...for about 2 minutes.

DISCLAIMER: Both of these warrant their pg-13 rating. Language and the whole shacking up before marriage.

A further note: Both of these shows had scenes where the "romantic interest couple" after sleeping together (and I might add, after knowing the other person for a VERY short period of time) have a conversation with the words... "I think I'm falling in love with you". Hold it! What happened to falling in love and committing to a relationship before sex? Am I missing something here?

Apple Pie

Last night, on a whim, I made the best apple pie of my life. Hands down. No contest. In the battle between myself and myself as cooks- it was delicious.

Of course, sadly, my sister Claire and sister-in-law Paige still make better ones in their sleep.

Ah well. I'm still going to enjoy my pie.

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward.
Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)

(Even in matters of the stomach.)

Self Education

I've been reading a challenging book, "The Well Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had" by Susan Wise Bauer. To be frank, I've always considered myself smart enough to get by and even more importantly, in possession of (because of great teachers) the tools needed to succeed. (I really and truly believe that character is the most important key to a meaningful, and thus, successful, life.) But in reading this book, (and this is a good thing), I'm discovering how ignorant I am!

This discovery is motivating me to learn on my own time; to continue my education on lunch breaks, evenings at home, weekends and to use the time otherwise usually frittered away on tv, small talk, lame books & magazines, shopping, online surfing...boy, the list really could go on!

I just finished reading "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. More on that later, but for now, let me just say that I'm trying to wrap my head around what Swift's point was. I know it's there, and I have a hunch it's so good that I want to make sure I don't rush away from it to the next book without really, uhhhh, sucking the marrow out it's bones.

So, at the end of the day, here are two things I must remember:

1. I am an ignorant little puss
2. An education to be proud of (and that costs only time and energy) is within reach

Less talk, a little more action please!

I woke up this morning, puttered around in my gray bathrobe and was stopped in my tracks in the hall by the pleased glowing in my brain. For the first time, amidst my endless lists and mind-buzzings of what's left to do, I realized that I was actually doing what I've been talking about for a long time. THE NEXT THING. MOVING ON. PURSUING THE DREAM. Whatever you want to call it, I'm finally doing it. And it feels so good!

At 25, I'm headed back to school as full time student. I feel like I am embarking on a grand adventure. And you know what, I really am.