Um So I have been away for a while

I have a friend who really realllllly likes to read...More than I do, more than anyone I know. Well, Steph suggested Amy start a blog to review the books she reads! So I am posting on my blog to promote readers.
website is http://www.openbibliophile.blogspot.com/
CHECK IT OUT! She is new to blogging so let's give her some support!

The big day

So I started this blog to help motivate me to meet all the new goals I set for myself. Well, I ahve to say that the only thing the blog has accomplished is to give me an outlet when I am feeling creative or needing to vent. I am turning 30 in a week from today and although I have some momentary panic attacks, I think I am taking it pretty well. Grandma Jan told me every decade gets better and I am thinking she was probably right. And how can things be that bad? I am graduating this year with my bachelor's degree, I am making plans for my future and planning on executing them, and I even found out that someone like me who has PCOS (polycystic ovaries syndrome) can still have kids. It IS possible. The PA I go to at school also has it and she didn't get married until she was 30 and she waited a bit for kids and she has a little girl and is now working on her second. There is hope! Since as I get older, this is the one thing that I stress about I am happy to hear that all is not lost! :) 30 is going to be great!

Northanger Abbey...finally

So I actually got to spend a ton of time on this novel this term. Dr. Rand didn't mind if I used it for more than one of my papers and since I love it oh so much, I did use it. I am going to post the opening paragraph to my paper, but the rest of it I don't want anyone to steal it! lol...like they would; haha



The Significance of Northanger Abbey

Ralph Waldo Emerson asserted that Jane Austen’s writing is “vulgar in style, sterile in invention, imprisoned in the wretched conventions of English society, without genius, wit, or knowledge of the world. Never was life so pinched and narrow. Her main subject is marriageableness…and suicide is more respectable,” (handout winter term 2011). The work of Jane Austen is anything but trivial and meaningless. The time period in which she lived was a time when women’s main chance of survival was based on whether or not one was married to a man who could support her. Northanger Abbey is so much more than what Emerson declares it to be. It is not a novel written about silly unimportant items of life. Northanger Abbey was an intelligent novel written in response to the conventions placed upon women in a gentleman controlled society during Austen’s lifetime that is also responsible for shaping the characters of the women who lived in that male dominated society; this is demonstrated in two of Austen’s female characters, Eleanor and Isabella. Northanger Abbey is Austen’s clever way of exposing how the male dominated society she lived in not only made them casualties of society’s ideals, but also created them.

Can I just say that Emerson's comment got me soooo riled up! In class Dr. Rand read it and my hand was up to display my objection to Emerson's unjustified comment. I didn't know then, but my argument would end up being the whole way I generated my thesis for this paper. I go on in the paper to discuss the importance of marriage in the regency era. Marriage was something of importance to women, not because they were desperate to fall in love and live happily ever after, but because it was such an important part of a woman’s survival. It was the most fun I have ever had writing a paper!

If you want to read the whole thing ( and I have to admit that it is a pretty interesting read) message me and I will email it to you :)

SOOOO BUSY!!!

Really, I shouldn't even be updating this at the moment! I have a TON of homework to do...I'm not joking...I got so behind when I went home for my cousin Kenny's beautiful wedding, that I am playing major catch up...well now I am almost caught up with the stuff I missed and am beginning to delve into stuff that needs to be done now...I have 3 presentations to prepare for..actually 4 if I want to be really proactive, two papers I know are coming up, and a linguistic project that I know is going to take forever! I also have an entire book I need to finish by Monday morning in preparation for a midterm, a sermon by John Donne to pick out....and I know there is more, but I don't want to go over to my backpack and get out my list...

OK Despite my super busy ultra crazy schedule I have been keeping.. I have some great news! I have officially lost 9.8 pounds in three weeks :) I am super excited and I absolutely LOVE Weight Watchers! It allows me flexibility and I can indulge in a bag of m&m's every once in a while when I am really craving them (mind you this is a single serving bag....not a big bag lol and yes... I have been known to mindlessly nosh on those delicious tidbits in almost their entirety whilst plugging away at a paper...) Sad but true haha.But ya...almost ten pounds! So even though I will not be at the goal I set in October when I started this blog, I will be well on my way! I think my thirtieth year is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER!!!

P.S. I have not had time to read any of your blogs! BUT I promise as soon as I have an ounce of time I will be perusing and catching up on all you guys are doing! Maybe once I get this week squared away I might be able to take some time...Anyway, Keep on Keepin' On (as Joe Dirt says) lol

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

So I am home for the holidays and I am having a great time. A few funny things have happened that I wanted to share so far:

1. Heidi and I were driving to Target yesterday to do some holiday shopping and she sped up in a parking lot intersection. This quick maneuver was in order to avoid a car...a car that was NOWHERE near us, I might add. Anyway, as this happened I was needless to say , a little starteld. Her reply to my reaction was, "Sorry, I don't drive very often." And my retort was, "Um, that doesn't make me feel any better." Needless to say, we had a good chuckle over it because it was kind of ridiculous.

  2.    These are things I have learned :

• My Brother in law loves I Carly and he is puzzled and in complete disbelief that I have never watched this show. I am giving him this one because he has children and I do not, but I thought his exclamative phrase, "I can't believe you have never seen I-Carly." Really Lyle? Really? lol
• Kaelyn does not like loud noises and this includes my loud laugh. When I laughed at her statement, "I don't like loud noises," she didn't like that either. I lovingly told her that she would get used to it and it be something she would grow to love in time...she is not sure she believes me.
• She also loves to receive books as gifts evn though her earlier declaration of "No I don't want books; I already have books," would lead one to believe otherwise. She loves the new book I gave her The Kiss That Missed. I have read it to her twice and her mother read it to her once in the last 24 hours. She keeps wanting to know why the kiss missed.
• Kaelyn has cute little nicknames for her little brother Rylan : Ry, Lids (short for the little one), The lid (after the same thing) seece, (we don't know where she gets that one), buhbuh, buhbuh hands.  (buh buh is for baby), and the Tinies (Tinys). She LOVES her little brother and it is so cute. But even so, she still manages to steal his toys because she doesn't understand that he doesn't quite understand the concept of sharing.
• Rylan IS old enough for toys, I had convinced myself otherwise and I must remedy this situation. Heidi and I might have to make one more dreaded stop to a store so I can purchase something for him.
• And Heidi doesn't like that I am blogging while she is making cookies for Santa with Kaelyn...so I guess I will stop here.

A friend I really admire

This is just a little props to one of my dearest friends, Stephanie Young. She is absolutely amazing. She impresses me to no end. In September, she packed up her life and moved to Scotland, just for the fun of it. I admire her bravery and her strength. I love that we talk on skype when I am up in the wee hours of the morning she is sometimes just waking up and swe often have briliant chats about life and hysterical awesome chats about Doctor Who and various other things. She has great insight and I really appreciate her advice. So props to you Steph! If you have time check out her adventures on the link above. She is an amazing photographer and blogs often about her Scottish adventures.

I totally stole this picture off your Facebook page Steph ;)

Christmas at Maxine's House

So, for those of you who don't know, I live with an 87 year old woman named Maxine, who just happens to be very artistic. I took some pictures of our living room to show you how creative she is. Her tree is actually called an "untree." At first I thought it was kind of weird, but I find that I think it is pretty cool. She is a creative lady and I am happy to be staying with her this year.

SHe made these little angels...and I just noticed that there is a cobweb I need to get down...please avert your eyes.

The Untree