So recently, or at least over the 24 months, I have taken up reading for pleasure. I am not sure why I stopped reading in the first place but I can certainly pinpoint it to October 2005. The month that all things changed. However, I have found the time to begin reading again; and it has become somewhat of an obsession.
I loved the Stephanie Meyer books, and that led to a love of Charlaine Harris. She is the author of the Sookie Stackhouse series and a number of other books, all with characters that I have come to love. I love Sookie so much; I named my kitten Sookie. I have read at least 20 of Mrs. Harris' books. She is a fantastic author, but my love of reading seeps into other authors as well.
Reading for pleasure is fun and I devour books in days rather than weeks. I have found that I am willing to give any book a fair read, but I have some weird habits that I will share with everyone, in the hopes that my habits are shared and not nearly as weird as I think they are.
1. I don't borrow books from the library. Why? I do not know. I worry that the two children in my house may destroy them. I worry that I may not read them fast enough in order to avoid fines. I also LOVE the smell of a new book. The way that the cover looks and how the pages feel are like drugs to me. Also the feeling of ownership that I feel. I love the feeling of ownership. I now own the story, the words, the characters. Weird huh? I know this is odd but very true. I read the books so fast, my habit can be rather expensive. Getting them from the library would alleviate this cost, other than the possibility that my kids could get ahold of it or I could return it late.... oh, it's useless. I really just like new books.
2. I will stay up to finish a book. I will ignore chores in order to read a book. I will read it so fast, as if the story may change or disappear if I don't read it right that minute. If I am reading a series, I will collect them in order to be sure that I have the next book the second that I finish the previous book. I am addicted.
3. I must read every book in a series, and in order. I will not read a book if I don't start at the beginning of the series. I also do not like it if I cannot finish a series, I want to know the character from start to finish. I ordered the new Sookie book 3 months before its release date. This was to ensure that I got to read it as soon as possible.
4. I HATE the end of the book. I start to get sad when I am in the last chapters. I want to read and read quickly, but sometimes I slow down during the last part of the book in order to make it last a few more minutes. I actually dislike finishing the book and especially dislike it when there isn't another book to read in the series. For example: I waited months to get my new Sookie book. I read it in two days. I can not believe that I read it so fast because it will most likely be months or even a year until there is a new one. This is all very frustrating. I mourn the end of the series; whenever that may be. But I know it will happen, so I am going to worry about it now. I know, I am a weirdo.
Call it an obsession, or an addiction, but at least its a reasonable one. I also think it may be genetic because my maternal grandmother and my mother are both avid readers. I am not sure if they share my weirdness, but I definitely share their love of books. I can honestly say that I have 500+ books in my home at the moment. I have 6 book shelves and two rubbermaid totes filled with books. Children's books, teen books, classics and Colin's science fiction and my mysteries. Books are awesome and the ability to write an interesting story from start to finish is a gift that I wish that I had. For now, I will simply share in the stories that authors chose to share!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Life, unmanaged.
My life is unmanaged at the moment. The first clue would be that I just posted this blog without having written a thing. This would be because I am trying to multi-task and pull up my daughter's jeans, drink a cup of coffee, read my newest "Sookie" book, outline my chapters for class, and blog at the same time. I find myself willing to add to that list, just to keep busy. I find myself questioning that logic, I have four full-time jobs as it is!! My life is busy, but I enjoy being busy and having a full schedule. I am starting to wonder why I add more and more to my list; because it feels like I do less and less well.
First and foremost my full time is the Kids. I work for Joey and Chloe enterprises! I love this job, although it is the most overwhelming job that I have. I wonder on a daily basis if I am doing a good enough job. You know, I really don't recall an interview process or a training period. I am not always sure that I would have made it to a third round interview, let alone a full time position as "parent." The kids are fantastic. Joe was reading a Little Critters book out loud yesterday and Chloe makes up her own songs. I can not really point out what I had to do with that other than encouraging them to be very independent. Colin works with Joe on the reading thing, but truly I don't believe I had anything to do with it. I am very proud of my children, I do all that I can for them. I stayed home for five years, and although many mothers say they would love to be able to do that; five years was enough for me! Not that I don't cherish those years at home with my babies, I gave them every little bit of myself. Going back to work gave me back part of myself.
My second full time job is my Hubby. We have been together for 14 years. But the real work began in 2001 when we got married. Marriages are work, and I have been seriously neglecting my work. On a daily basis I need to remember how lucky I am to have him in my life. He is a good husband in many respects. He loves me, he loves the children. He is devoted to taking care of us and making sure that all is well in our lives. He cooks, cleans, and goes the distance when I fall short. I am truly blessed. I really think I may need re-trained on the marriage thing, because I feel like I resist more than I comply. Marriage is all about give and take, I have been taking more than my fair share.
My third full time job is school. This I actually may be doing well enough at. So far I have all A's and a singular B. Which is a good thing, considering that I did not do very well in my other attempts to go to college. I am a marketing major. I enjoy the subject matter, but few others in my world enjoy it as much as I do! It's all right, I still enjoy it!! I don't spend the time on school that I should. I should be outlining my chapters as I write this, preparing for class tonight. As it stands, I'll get it done but at the last minute. This is my how I roll! I like being rushed I guess!
My fourth job is fantastic, but the least understood. I love my career-in-progress. Of course, not as much as my job as a parent!! But I work as a brand representative for a marketing company out of Akron. I really enjoy the position. It challenges me and it rewards me. I work hard, but it is a really fun job. I have a good boss who is more than willing to work with me and my home and school schedule. I believe in the brands that I am representing and it makes it really enjoyable to promote them. At some point, I will have the opportunity to open my own marketing company. I am working very hard to achieve that. However, I am finding the journey more difficult than I had originally anticipated.
First of all, the lack of support is getting to me. My husband is awesome, don't get me wrong. But he really dislikes my job. My family and friends are always questioning it. I feel like I am constantly validating my career to everyone. What I do is hard enough without the constant questioning. I wish that the path to ownership was carved out faster, that way I could show them all my accomplishments. Personally, I really feel like I have accomplished a lot already but its not something I can physically show outsiders. I was hoping that a trip to the Bahamas was in my future, but I am not quite ready for that reward. I still have a lot of development ahead of me.
This is the most difficult (paying) job that I have ever had. I worked very hard and have not had tangible things to show for it, as of yet. I have faith that these rewards are in my future, I just wish they were on a time line. That way I could say: "I will own my own business on such and such date." Things do not always work out that way!! For now I will have to deal with the questions.
My life is not out of control and I can definitely manage it. I just have to buckle down and get on it. Life is full of challenges, especially mine at the moment. But my life is equally full of love, laughter, and accomplishment. For now, I will keep the faith!!!
First and foremost my full time is the Kids. I work for Joey and Chloe enterprises! I love this job, although it is the most overwhelming job that I have. I wonder on a daily basis if I am doing a good enough job. You know, I really don't recall an interview process or a training period. I am not always sure that I would have made it to a third round interview, let alone a full time position as "parent." The kids are fantastic. Joe was reading a Little Critters book out loud yesterday and Chloe makes up her own songs. I can not really point out what I had to do with that other than encouraging them to be very independent. Colin works with Joe on the reading thing, but truly I don't believe I had anything to do with it. I am very proud of my children, I do all that I can for them. I stayed home for five years, and although many mothers say they would love to be able to do that; five years was enough for me! Not that I don't cherish those years at home with my babies, I gave them every little bit of myself. Going back to work gave me back part of myself.
My second full time job is my Hubby. We have been together for 14 years. But the real work began in 2001 when we got married. Marriages are work, and I have been seriously neglecting my work. On a daily basis I need to remember how lucky I am to have him in my life. He is a good husband in many respects. He loves me, he loves the children. He is devoted to taking care of us and making sure that all is well in our lives. He cooks, cleans, and goes the distance when I fall short. I am truly blessed. I really think I may need re-trained on the marriage thing, because I feel like I resist more than I comply. Marriage is all about give and take, I have been taking more than my fair share.
My third full time job is school. This I actually may be doing well enough at. So far I have all A's and a singular B. Which is a good thing, considering that I did not do very well in my other attempts to go to college. I am a marketing major. I enjoy the subject matter, but few others in my world enjoy it as much as I do! It's all right, I still enjoy it!! I don't spend the time on school that I should. I should be outlining my chapters as I write this, preparing for class tonight. As it stands, I'll get it done but at the last minute. This is my how I roll! I like being rushed I guess!
My fourth job is fantastic, but the least understood. I love my career-in-progress. Of course, not as much as my job as a parent!! But I work as a brand representative for a marketing company out of Akron. I really enjoy the position. It challenges me and it rewards me. I work hard, but it is a really fun job. I have a good boss who is more than willing to work with me and my home and school schedule. I believe in the brands that I am representing and it makes it really enjoyable to promote them. At some point, I will have the opportunity to open my own marketing company. I am working very hard to achieve that. However, I am finding the journey more difficult than I had originally anticipated.
First of all, the lack of support is getting to me. My husband is awesome, don't get me wrong. But he really dislikes my job. My family and friends are always questioning it. I feel like I am constantly validating my career to everyone. What I do is hard enough without the constant questioning. I wish that the path to ownership was carved out faster, that way I could show them all my accomplishments. Personally, I really feel like I have accomplished a lot already but its not something I can physically show outsiders. I was hoping that a trip to the Bahamas was in my future, but I am not quite ready for that reward. I still have a lot of development ahead of me.
This is the most difficult (paying) job that I have ever had. I worked very hard and have not had tangible things to show for it, as of yet. I have faith that these rewards are in my future, I just wish they were on a time line. That way I could say: "I will own my own business on such and such date." Things do not always work out that way!! For now I will have to deal with the questions.
My life is not out of control and I can definitely manage it. I just have to buckle down and get on it. Life is full of challenges, especially mine at the moment. But my life is equally full of love, laughter, and accomplishment. For now, I will keep the faith!!!
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