So, I’m pretty happy right now, which means my thoughts are pretty much all over the place.  So, this is a little list to show you what I’m most likely thinking about if you catch me staring off into space:

1.  I effing love True Blood. Why is this show so good?  OMG!  I can’t believe she shot him!  Ok, now that b***h is mo’ fo’ing crazy.
2.  I wonder if I’m going to have enough cash money to meet all my bills this paycheck
3.  God I love hot yoga.  I wish it wasn’t so expensive to get yoga certification.
4.  I really hope I get into grad school this time.
5.  Oooh what should I wear to go as Bon Qui Qui this weekend?
6.  I can’t wait till everyone comes to W-S for Homecoming
7.  Ok I should probably go read my book
8.  I want to own a bookstore
9.  Coffee is delicious
10.  Whooooaaa it is past time for me to do some laundry…

Made some more progress on my 101 in 1001!

#20 – So, since like…April…I cut down to 1 or 2 soft drinks a day (3 on a really bad day perhaps).  And then for the past 4 weeks, I have cut soft drinks out completely   I haven’t broken the caffeine addiction yet; just switched to coffee and tea.  Bow in awe before me.

#23 – I am down to a size 8   I have never been a size 8 in my life.  This is kind of a big deal people.

#72 – I went through alllllll of my clothes, and reorganized my closet & drawers.  And I have all the clothes I don’t wear in two trash bags ready to go to either work or Goodwill.

#75 – While going through my clothes, I also went through my purses.  Yay for simplicity!

And there are 12 goals in progress…So I’m feeling pretty good about that.

Meanwhile, check out my Posterous site for interesting links etc.

This will be a cheat of a post and unfairly short when there is so much more to tell you about, but I’m not feeling very good at the moment and my bed is calling my name.  Just wanted to share a couple of (paraphrased) quotes from Pastor Kelly @ Green Street…

Talking about creation on Sunday & him arguing with his dad as a teenager; his dad’s response to the evolution debate is something like this: “You’ve got it all wrong.  You’re looking at the creation story in the Bible to try to answer the questions What, When, Where, & How.  That’s not what the story’s about.  The story only seeks to answer 2 questions: Who, and Why.  And the answers are God, and Love.”

And talking about debates in interpreting parts of the Bible:  “Everything in the Bible is absolutely true…and some of it actually happened.”

I found this at a wonderful blog I read, PeaceLoveYoga.  I had to share

Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you every where
like a shadow or a friend.

(Naomi Shihab Nye)

It’s that time again…book review time!

1. Goddesses in Everywoman, Jean Shinoda Bolen:  So this book is a little difficult to describe, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a casual read to just anyone.  But, if you’re into Greek mythology, women’s issues, and Jungian psychology, it’s definitely interesting and appealing.  Apparently it was a very innovative idea when the book came out – utilizing the images of the Greek goddesses to explain and tipify the female psychological archetypes.  I found it pretty easy to understand and thought-provoking.

At the end of the day tho, I could not tell you which goddess myth I identify with more.  But, that was something I liked about the book: she took great pains to point out that women rarely fit solely into one archetype for their entire lives.  Rather a woman might have many different archetypes present within her at different points in her life.  She uses 7 goddesses throughout the book, divided into 3 categories.  The Virgin Goddesses are Artemis, Athena, and Hestia.  The Vulnerable Goddesses are Hera, Demeter, and Persephone.  And Aphrodite is the Alchemical Goddess.  If I had to choose…I guess I’d say this is my order:  First place is a tie between Artemis and Demeter.  Second place a tie between Hestia and Hera.  Then I’d say Aphrodite is third, Athena fourth, and Persephone the one I identified with the least.  But I don’t know.  Whichever chapter I was reading I seemed to identify with.  Oh well.

2.  The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon:  This novel came highly recommended to me by a few friends & fellow readers, whose opinions I place great value in for many things – but especially for books.  So I was understandably quite excited to read it (especially as it was forced into my hands with a promise to mail it back – which I swear I am going to work on next week).  And…the novel managed to live up to the expectations.  It really was extremely, extremely good.  The plot follows two Jewish cousins; one is New York born, and the other an immigrant to the States having escaped at the start of World War II.  Essentially they hit big during the comic book boom, but there is sooooo much more to the story.  Chabon’s writing is impeccable; engaging & descriptive.  The characters are engaging and the plot draws you in.  Also, the sheer amount of knowledge this author has about the rise and fall of the comic book empire is staggering.  Definitely would recommend this book.

3.  eat pray love, Elizabeth Gilbert:  I know it’s cheating because I’ve read this before and raved about it for a solid 2 yrs now.  But.  I finally reread it this summer.  And I have to be honest, I was a little afraid to reread it.  It was *so good* and meant so much to me the first time I read it that I was positive there was no way I was going to enjoy it as much this time around.  These were foolish fears.  The book lived up to my remembered expectations, if it did not surpass them.  If you are just passing through this blog, I encourage you to stop whatever you are doing on the internet, whatever you are reading, and go pick up eat pray love and read it.  If you are a friend or family member of mine and have not read eat pray love, I insist you do so now.  Ok, ok.  It can be a little cheesy and after-school special at time.  But.  The spirit of this book is undeniable.  And the author’s honesty with her emotions and experiences – and the humor and insight with which she relays them – are just incredible.  Please go read this.  Especially if you are at a transitional point in your life (aren’t we all?)

So, that’s that.  I’m trying to update the reviews more regularly so there’s not quite such an overwhelming list.  Also so I can remember what I’ve read.  But this month it would have been a short list anyway because for some reason, I really had to push myself through all of these books – even tho they were all fabulous works.  I’m not sure why I had to work so hard to do my casual reading this month…I guess I just wasn’t in the mood?  Maybe it was all the work or travel?  Regardless, I am pretty excited to be drawn back into the thrall of books with my current read…but that will wait for the next book review time.