Monday, September 29, 2014

You know, you have goals. You have dreams. I don't have a dream.

Since I was writing book reviews, I thought I might as well make a note about my goals. Hahaha... Ok, I've just been wondering if I'm doing anything with these goals, so this is really just a way to review what I said my goals actually are.


Goal 1: Deal with stress better.
Part 1: Yoga
I'm doing Yoga every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and at least once on the weekend. So I have been averaging 4 yoga sessions each week. I am really proud of that.

I also went to a yoga class on Friday night that is offered downtown. I really enjoyed having a different class and feeling a little challenged.




Part 2: Read The Power of Now


I finally finished it! Yay for a goal accomplished!

Read the full review here.


Part 3: The new implementation of taking time to breathe and notice what is going on around me.
My automatic response to this is "Nope."

But I have been meditating. I started small and was meditating for just 10 minutes each night. Now I've increased it and I am doing 15 minutes every night. I think meditating is a very good practice and I like it a lot.






Goal 2: Be more positive/have a positive outlook on life
Part 1: The Gratitude Jar
Since I moved, I have not been consistent with the gratitude jar. When school started, I wanted to restart the gratitude jar, so I did ok with it for about two weeks, and have once again slacked off. I am renewing the goal.


Part 2: Making time for things I love
Things I am doing lately that I have been loving:

I made this super soft bear for Junior:



While I've been working on that I've been rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.



And I've been rereading some of my favorite books:


And






Goal 3: Be kinder/negative self-talk
I don't know whether anything in here can be called progress or success. So I'll work on it again for another month.

He makes everybody read his books and then doesn't even test them on it.

It is raining this afternoon. I had planned to go to the State Fair, but it's raining, so I'm skipping it. I thought that since I am sitting here, I can write a few more book reviews. 


****


The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Story:
This is McCarthy's classic post-apocalyptic novel. A father and his son are walking through a barren nuclear-ravaged wasteland. The father continuously tries to save the son and keep him alive. 

The Review:
I loved this book. 

I feel really bad for saying that I loved it. In talking about this book, everyone comments on the graphic descriptions and the horror. It is presented and discussed as a seriously violent graphic novel, and the movie had to cut a scene because it couldn't keep an R rating with it. 

But that's not what I got out of this book. Instead, the book I read was about a father's relationship with his son and how much he will go through for his son, to help him, and to protect him. The father's love and protection is a major piece, but the son is old enough and aware enough to see his father's love. He knows that his father will not eat in order to save food for his son, and rather than let him, the son points out what he is doing and makes him eat. They both need each other and show their love, even in this crazy wasteland. 

There are strikingly beautiful things about the way the story is written and told. But I loved the father and son and how complex the relationship was. And it's also interesting that the relationship can be so developed because neither character is given a name. 

I highly recommend it. 


****


Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Format:
Audiobook

The Story:
These are short humorous essays by Sedaris about life and whatever. 

The Review:
Sedaris is very funny. His observations are spot on and entertaining. He covers a bunch of different topics and just shares his observations. He writes one essay about standing in line at the airport. It was my favorite. 

I recommend it with a warning for the language. 



****

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

The Format:
Audiobook

The Story:
A pastor writes about his son's near death experience. 

The Review:
I have read a couple of Near Death Experience (NDE) books recently, which is admittedly an odd choice, so I was curious because this book is so popular. I really struggled with this one for two reasons. The first is that the writing is not good. It makes it very hard to be engaged because it is so stilted. The second reason I had trouble is because the content is problematic. The father tells the story about his 3 year old son's NDE. The son had a surgery and over the next several years tells his parents bits and pieces of what he saw. With the content, I have doubts about what the kid was actually telling his parents. The father writes the story, and because he is a pastor, he tells everything in a very strong Christian/Book of Revelation way. But rather than saying that his son mentioned X and it made the father remember the passage about purple robes, the father says that his son told him that Jesus wears purple robes and heaven is full of angels with wings, and there will be a great battle, etc. With a kid that young, I'm not sure I believe that he would present his dream or memories in that way. 

With my doubts, and how poor the writing is, I wound up not enjoying this book. I don't recommend it.



****

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

The Story:
Set in the 1940's, a young black man is accused of murder and sentenced to die, even though he is innocent. In the trial, the defense attorney compares him to brute animals, including a pig. Before he is put to death, the local school teacher is asked to meet with him and help him prepare to die. 

The Review:
This is a heavy book, although it is a short quick read. It is beautifully written. It sucks you in very quickly. Gaines is extremely adept at illuminating the racial tensions and problems in society, but he also creates a very personal relationship between these two men. 

I highly recommend it. 



****

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Steven King

The Story:
This is one of King's famous novellas. It tells the story of Andy Dufrasne who is falsely accused of murder, found guilty, and imprisoned in Shawshank Prison. He becomes friends with Red who narrates the story about Andy's time in Shawshank Prison. 

The Review:
I've watched the movie The Shawshank Redemption many times and it is a great movie. The novella is equally as good. The movie actually sticks pretty close to the book, and does a good job of getting across the mood. 

I highly recommend it. 



****

The Perfect Theory by Pedro G. Ferreira

The Format:
Audiobook

The Story:
An examination and history of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. The book looks at when Einstein developed it and then tracks the ensuing developments through the century and into the present day. 

The Review:
This was fascinating. 

To be honest, I got a little lost in some of the details about the science and in all the different names. I assume this would be a bit different if I had read a physical book rather than listening to an audiobook. But despite that, it was interesting to listen to and know there are so many developments. I was interested in the history and the arch and how it develops. 

I recommend it if you are interested in crazy science stuff.




****

32 Ways to Outsmart Cancer by Nalini Chilkov

The Story:
A super short examination of healthy practices. 

The Review:
This was an easy read with very clear explanations of why you would want to do these things and the effect they would have. Many of them are fairly common if you regularly read this kind of thing, but it is nice to have them all presented together in a specific order. I picked up a few new tips to incorporate. 

I recommend it if you are concerned about your health.