Wordy Wednesdays: The Spectacular Now

Book 7: I chose The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp because I saw a trailer for the film version, and it was being described as a modern day Say Anything, which is one of my favorite movies. The Spectacular Now is the story of Sutter Keely, a directionless, high school hedonist, whose only real goal is to have fun until he meets quiet, unassuming  Aimee Finicky while she delivers newspapers in the early morning hours. Sutter and Aimee are total opposites, but Sutter finds something intriguing about Aimee, and he feels that it's now his job to rescue her from her life.

Yes, this was young adult fiction, but I enjoyed it. Sutter Keely and Lloyd Dobler (from Say Anything) are kindred spirits. I could definitely see how the film version of The Spectacular Now is a lot like an updated and edgier Say Anything. I feel like I'm being a little vague here, but that's because I read the book back in November, so it's been a while. I'd recommend it unless you're totally turned off by YA books.

Valentine's Train Ride

This is way way way late, but better late than never.

For our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, we went on  Valentine's Train Ride on the SAM Shortline railway out of Cordele, GA. This excursion included a train ride over Lake Blackshear and a dinner, then a dance at the Blackshear County Club.

As you can see from the pictures below, we had a pretty good time. We were among the youngest train riders. The best part of the trip was the couple that we met on the train. They had children who are my age, and it was nice to talk to an older than us couple. We hope to still be out and about like the couple that we met. They seemed to really know how to make a marriage work.

The conductor.

Happy Couple

Dining Car

Place Setting

Lake Blackshear at Sunset

Making Each Day Count

This morning, I felt like Batman after Bane beats him up and breaks his back in The Dark Night Rises. I was planning to hit the gym early in the morning, but that did not happen. What's so sad about this is that it's not like I worked out really hard this past week. I think I made it to the gym once. I just had a crazy busy weekend is all.

I've realized though that I only have 106 days to complete my 30 Before 30 List, and so I really can't waste any more time. I've got to make each day count. My goal is to be working on one or more of my goals every day.

Today, I just want to focus on how I'm trying to reach my fitness goals. I've lost two pounds since I began, so I have 28 pounds to lose in the next 15 weeks, which is doable. It's only 2 pounds a week, but it also means that I can't just eat whatever I want or exercise only once a week. I need to be more intentional in my plan.

Sometimes, staying motivated is hard, but I'm using a tool called AchieveMint. AchieveMint communicates with other programs like FourSquare, MyFitnessPal, and C25K. Then, when you do certain things like check into the gym, track your caloric intake, or go for a run, you can earn points. When you earn 25000 points, you will receive a $25 Visa Gift Card. It's not a lot of money, but earning points does help me to stay motivated. I'm 14% closer to getting my gift card. Just this simple points systems helps me to stay on track.

What motivates you?

Pancakes and Puerto Rican Specialities

My mom was a really great cook when she was able to cook. I always assumed that I'd have plenty of time to learn how to cook from her, but that's what happens when you assume things. I'm not even fortunate enough to have a recipe box of things that she would cook. She didn't use recipes for the most part and would often improvise in the kitchen. I don't think I ever really saw her measure much, which is probably why I don't measure if I can avoid. A certain kitchen Nazi (Michael) won't let me just guess on the measurements. I just hate to dirty a measuring spoon unnecessarily.

Since my mom's unable to cook anymore, I try to cook for my dad and brother when I'm in town. I'm best at making breakfast, and since my mom doesn't cook anymore, there wasn't any Bisquick around for pancakes one morning, so I tried this pancake recipe for my 4th recipe. I remember them coming out pretty good, and it was a fairly simple with ingredients you most likely have laying around.

For Christmas last year, we (Mike and I) cooked a Puerto Rican inspired meal. I made arroz con gandules or rice with pigeon peas for all you gringos out there. Anyway, I had been wanting to try making it for myself for a while, and thought that Christmas might be a nice time to try it out. My first attempt at this dish was okay, but could be better. I found myself having to add more seasoning than the recipe called for.

For my sixth recipe, I made corned beef and plantains because my dad asked me if I could do something with this can of corned beef that had been in their pantry forever. Not forever, but a long time, so I gave this a shot. I remember that my mom would make this sometimes and that I liked it when she made it. It turned out okay, but I forgot to get onions, so that weakened the flavor a good bit. I just did the best with what I had on hand.

That makes 6 out of 30 recipes so far. What should I cook up next?

Still Alice

Book 6: Still Alice by Lisa Genova tells the story of Harvard professor Alice Howland's descent into dementia as the result of early on-set Alzheimer's disease. This was quite an emotional read for me because of my family history--my great grandmother and grandma both succumbed to this disease, and my mother also has neurological problems.

Genova has PhD in neuroscience, and she makes the choice to tell the story from Alice's point-of-view, which beautifully and realistically captures the frustration and fear of someone with memory loss. There were times that it got so real for me that I had to put it down, but I still wanted to see how things progressed. Genova does a great job of showing the progression of the illness. In one scene at the beginning of the book, Alice is reflecting on how she carefully eats an ice cream cone to avoid getting ice cream on her hands. Then, in a later scene, Alice is with her husband eating ice cream together. He asks her if she's ready to leave. She tells him no. Then, showing him her ice cream cone with streams of melted ice cream dripping onto her hands, she tells him that she's not finished finished with her ice cream yet. That kind of framing makes the story so real. 

Bottom line: It's an excellent read if you know someone suffering from Alzheimer's or if it's in your family history. Even if you don't know someone, it's still eye-opening and really hits close to home.

Film Reviews: Playing Catch-Up

My rules for watching 30 Academy Award Best Picture films was that I had to watch one from each decade, and the film has to be one that I have not seen. I'm really into film so I've seen a lot of Best Picture Winners, but there are some I have missed. There's only about 16 weeks before I turn 30, so I'm going to have to play catch-up.

Here are the films I've seen so far:

Annie Hall (1977): I enjoyed this film. It had some fun moments. Some things are lost on me because of my youth, but overall, it was fun to watch.

Schindler's List (1993): So, I had no concept of what this film was about before I watched it. I knew it was about the Holocaust, but I didn't know that the story was true or that Schindler was a good character. I thought the acting was great. Spielberg's stylistic choices in use of color was nice. It was truly an incredible film and an incredible story.

Forrest Gump (1994): Don't judge me, but this year was my first time watching Forest Gump in its entirety. I have seen bits and pieces here and there, but I was never really interested in watching it. Now that I've seen it all the way through, I understand why people like it so much. I like it myself, but I just couldn't get into it until now.

Argo (2012): This film was filled so much suspense and tense moments. I love it. The pacing and action were just right for me.

With these 4 and with my first review of The Artist, I have viewed 5 out of 30 films. 25 to go!!

Kimberly

Tasty Thursdays-Playing Catch-Up

My husband will gladly tell you that I'm not so handy in the kitchen. He does most of the cooking, but every now and then, I give him a night off or I just cook whatever I want to eat. So, I've been a little slacking on posting my culinary attempts, so here's some of what I've made so far. Most of the recipes I use are found on Pinterest. How great is Pinterest? I mean, it's such a great way to keep ideas and get new ones. I love it. You can follow me on Pinterest here.

Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo

A dear friend of mine gave me a slow cooker as a wedding gift, and I love using it. Some of the first recipes I tried involved the slow cooker. I've linked the recipes if you're interested.

1.  Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo--This was pretty quick and easy, and it turned out okay. I didn't have low sodium soy sauce on hand, so I used the full sodium kind, and it ended up super salty. I like to improvise when I don't have something, but this was one time that it turned out wrong.

2. Crab Rangoon--This was a just for me recipe because Mike is not a fan of seafood. On the same night I also made him some pork filled wantons. Both recipes turned out well, but I hate using our deep fryer because it's so messy. It was a fun weekend meal though.








3. PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps--
Mike and I like PF Chang's, but we don't get out to eat there to eat much because it's far. Plus, we have a better non-chain Chinese place that we love. Anyway, I made some substitutions, like iceberg lettuce instead of Bibb, but I think Bibb holds up better. This was very tasty, but not my favorite recipe.

I've tried several other recipes, but this is it for now. I'm trying to spread out my posts a little. I've still got some new recipes that I should. I'd love some suggestions also. What recipes should I try next?

Wordy Wednesdays--Book Review 5: Prey

I would not have normally chosen this book to read, but it was recommended as the next book in my book club. I can't say I'm glad to have read it either. Sci-fi is not really my thing. The storyline was pretty easy to follow though, but Crichton is pretty long-winded. As I writer, I value word economy, clarity, and concision, which is not present in this book. Was he being paid per word or something? I would've cut a lot of stuff out this book.

Bottom line: If you like stories of scientific experiments gone wrong written in painstaking detail, then this book is for you. Otherwise, skip it.

This month's book club book (my pick) was much better.

The F-Word

"The F-Word"

Don't ever say that word again.

What?

Oh, you know what you said.

You mean f--?

Stop! I can't stand that word!

It's not a bad word.

To me, it is.

Why? It's not like you've never said it.

Well, maybe I want to be more than that.

More than what?

You know.

Oh, you mean more than f--.

Exactly.

Maybe that's all I have to offer.

I know.

Then, let's just be--

You don't have to say it. I get it, okay?
I get it.


I'm not sure when I wrote this, but it must have been in like 2004. I dug this up yesterday, and now I really want to watch Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds and Amy Adams.

I used to write a lot of poetry, but I find that I don't write much when I'm in a relationship. I think it's because poetry is so personal and cathartic for me that when I'm in a relationship, it's hard to write without worrying about what the other person might feel. For instance, if I write something sad, I don't want Mike to think I'm sad because of him or anything. It's weird, I know.

I don't think this means, I'll never write poetry again, because I will and I have. It's just more challenging to do. I hope it also means that I'm happy now, but I was pretty happy then, too. Just single. This poem is also meant to be playful, and it's dedicated to all the guys and gals being friendzoned right now. I've definitely been there. I get it.

Kimberly

Perfection Perception and Procrastination

I've been cleaning up and organizing my home, and in the process, I've paused and sometimes stopped completely to read my journals from as far back as 10 years ago or more. I kept coming across this common theme--a constant struggle with procrastination and unending to do lists. I mean, like a list for every single day and not too many things crossed off.

I started writing this post a week ago, and I've put off posting it because I felt like it needed more polishing, more perfecting. And that's where the core of my problem is. I have always had a hard time writing until I felt that I perfected the introduction. Once the intro was done, I could write more freely. I also needed to be under deadline pressure to write. Beyond just problems with writing, I have a hard time doing most things until I either know I can finish it to completion or I am pressed for time or another motivator to do something.

This need to have things be perfect or as perfect as possible slows me down. It's been a huge problem, but I'm beginning to see that it's better for things to be done than perfect. So, I'm starting to let go. I'm trying to write without editing, but it's still tough, but I have to keep telling myself that the important this to do is write. The important thing is that things get done, no matter how small.

Progress is progress.

Starting today, I'm not going to settle for zero days, where I do nothing to reach my goals. Today, I will be able to say that I did something toward a goal.

Kimberly