October = Halloween (And SO Much More)

Well as October moves along and Halloween gets closer I start to think about what it is about this time of year that starts getting to me.  Once the Halloween decorations go up my mind goes to the obvious ghosts and ghouls (of course I prefer a less blood and gore Halloween) to Thanksgiving and Christmas.   Silly as it seems the Holiday Season start for me with October and Halloween, because with the festivities that begin in October I can start preparing for the next few months of craziness.  Of course Thanksgiving doesn't have the same party and fun tone of Halloween, but it has the family gatherings and time to reflect that can be valuable.  Christmas then combines the festivities of Halloween with a period for refection with the coming New Year as well. Funny for me this time of year is really kicking into high gear as I get to thinking about the silly ghoulish days of October, the quite peaceful time for thanks in November (and a nice LONG weekend), and the crazy wild ride that ends with December and the New Year.  Happy Halloween :0)

It Could be Real :0)

I was so stoked, the other day I see on Barnes & Noble's website they have a new page to publish your own ebook.  Seems like real serendipity when I have been playing around and actually trying to work on my own book that this little page comes along.  Seems like this could actually be something I can actually do, who knows, I could sell a few books could possibly have reason to say, yeah, I write books ;0)  I guess sometimes when one puts their mind to something things might just fall into place, they end up on the right path and need to follow through and go for it.  I guess I have no excuses now, nothing really preventing me from giving it a real go and saying "yes I can."

Nothing to Fear . . .

I have a really awesome friend, who loves to go for things, try something new and scary, and seems to on the surface never worry about it.  I give her credit and wish I could be so bold, I do try with a great deal of trepidation to step out of the "box," as she has so kindly put it, and just try.  I guess it is what makes us unique, she is the one who can go for that difficult thing, or so it seems to me, and I like to stick with the game plan.  Spicing it up is not really part of my repertoire and I don't really feel successful when I try to accomplish the lofty goals I really would love to set.  I know failure is not necessarily a bad thing, it can have its positive and life-affirming impact in the end, so they tell me.  Failure doesn't really scare me so much, to be honest, I just like kind of knowing a head of time if there is even the slightest chance for success and if I can't say there is, I say, ah, why go for it.  Sitting here on a Saturday night I think to myself, why am I blogging about this, haha.  Quite philosophical silly of me and  I wax poetic as if anyone really cares about my little take on life and very important regular matters.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Well, Sunday night again and I am thinking to myself, Monday, ugh.  Funny how fast the weekend goes by and then bam, Monday appears yet again to beat me down again.  Sunday though seems especially prone to going by really fast.  It always seems no matter how early I get  up on Sunday, before I know it it is Sunday night and the week begins again.  I suppose that is a good thing, I am still here and still have things do accomplish during the week, but sheesh, why does the weekend have to be over sooo fast before I have to do it all again.  I don't know what it is about Monday, probably the getting started and having the next few days looming and knowing what things must get accomplished.  Starting is the hardest part, just getting the motivation to get going is always the task and always the most difficult, especially for me.  Once I get going in the week I do great, but it isn't easy.  Loving Monday, not going to happen, not for me anyway, it is the one day that I can't seem to get overly enthusiastic about, try as I might to put a positive spin on it.  So, I bid adieu to the weekend and hello to Monday, my nemesis and likely to remain so, but I will take it down and survive to see Tuesday :0)

Book Geeks Unite

I recently joined a book club, something I thought I would never do.  Honestly, the idea of being assigned a book to read was not appealing to me at all, but now I'm finding I don't mind it because it is allowing me to discover other books and new authors I might really enjoy.  It is easy to stick to the same types of books and authors, but now being in the book club I am finding I have to put that aside and get out of the reading box I have put myself in.  It is fun discussing books with other "book geeks."  As we discuss our opinions and thoughts on the book, I find it is really fun to express my opinions and take in other opinions of the same material.  I guess that comes from sharing a common interest with someone, the most mundane thing can be made enjoyable.  Reading is such a solitary activity, even when you are sitting with someone else while reading, but by having a club to discuss books it makes reading social.  Simple as it is, it is becoming a favorite activity of mine and I am enjoying getting to know the members of my group when we veer off topic and get to know each other a little more personally.  Doing something I never thought I would do seems to be something I am getting a tiny bit more comfortable with these days, and I start wondering where will I go next :0) and I am sure enjoying this journey.


K

Mean People . . . GRRRR

I recently learned something about mean people, and came to some conclusions about their role in my life.  My thought has always been that according to the "Golden Rule" the way you treat people is how you want to be treated.  I suppose this is a naive way to think, but it is how my thought process goes and I don't see it changing.  I have accepted that karma is a real and true thing and hope to act accordingly.  I honestly think the good you put out into the world gets paid back to you and the bad you put out in the world also comes back somehow, someway.  I don't think that I have vindictive or cruel intentions when I have failed to act as I know I should have, and of course like every human I am liable to make mistakes and say things and do things that can be mean and thoughtless, but never with real intention to do harm.  Although I am starting to believe there are some people who I don't think feel quite the same way about this issue.   Sadly there are people that don't have that filter and don't truly care about their behavior and their treatment of others.  It is funny because I have been told on occasion that I am too nice.  I suppose I can't help myself and don't really think that giving back cruelty to those who have been cruel to me will serve any real purpose  Maybe that makes me a bit of a Pollyanna, but so be it, that is how I am.  I was recently confronted with a cruel person, and this cruelty was for no reason.  I find I can't do more than just avoid this person and be, at the bare minimum, cordial to them.  Seeing more and more of this nature in people still does not change how I view things and my reactions to them, because I can never allow myself to be the bad guy.  I truly want to be the bigger person, not the bad guy for the sake of payback.


K

Just Might Be A Crazy Idea - My Own Book

Okay, so after playing around with this idea I have decided I want to write a book myself!  I am going to go for it and try to see what I can accomplish with a little hard work and determination.  I am thinking it might be a little crazy, but really fun and could be an amazing experience.  Sharing a story and characters with the world is a dream I have had for quite some time.  It is so daunting to think of the task at hand, but if I take it in small achievable goals I think I just might be able to get this done.  Although writing is only part of the battle, I am not going to worry about that until I have product in hand and see where to go from there.  Yikes, I am really doing this now by posting this and putting it out there in cyberspace.  There is no backing out now.   Here goes nothing and it's do or die time. Oh boy, let the fun begin.


K

Why I Went Nook

After a great deal of resistance to going the technological route, I finally broke down and got a Nook this past June.  For the longest time I had said I didn't want to lose the feel of reading while holding a book in my hands.  I was old-fashioned about it, and knew there was something about simply turning pages.  However, I do like my gadgets and realized that it wouldn't be so bad for me to get hip to an eReader in the end.  A whole library is now with me wherever I go.  Meaning when I have the urge to go back to a favorite book, no matter where I am, I can have it at a moments notice (my own personal book genie, yippie).  Any time I want to read Pride and Prejudice, I can without any fuss or much consternation.  I see it akin to moving my music to an MP3 Player, where I have so much music at my fingertips in a small device (my own DJ with me all the time).  You see I am an avid reader (as if that was hard to guess when I have decided to blog about books and reading), so having books with me is like a fantasy come to fruition after never realizing it could be mine for the taking.  I also love, not being of a patient persuasion, having a new book whenever I want it practically as soon as I want it.  I can now get the book as soon as I want it any time of day, without having to get in the car to go get it at the store or library.  That truly is a blessing to the impatient.  I have clearly jumped on the technology bandwagon and I am on it for the duration.  To those who say what about turning pages, yup, I seem to be making do and my fingers are thanking me :0)


K

Breakfast at Barnes & Noble

A few weeks ago my best friend Stephanie texted me and asked what I was up to that Friday evening.   At first, because it was a rainy evening I wasn't really up for anything and was about to decline, until she said the magical words Barnes & Noble.  After that I was ready to go in a heartbeat needing no further incentive.  You see, we both kind of have a thing for the store, and we aren't ashamed to admit it.  This got me thinking about why I personally love Barnes & Noble so much.


I kind of compare it to how Holly Golightly describes her love for Tiffany's in Breakfast at Tiffany's.  When she describes loving the proud look of the place and her belief nothing bad can ever happen there, I know exactly what she means.  For some reason I am drawn to the store; Whether I am alone or with someone, I can't pass up a chance to go and browse for whatever available length of time.  Something comes over me, like a kid in a toy store, and I lose myself to the place and time seems to almost not exist.  I especially get lost in the endless book choices.  There are books to simply enjoy; books to learn something from; books about exotic places; books about dogs (which is another passion of mine); there is endless choice and it never gets dull.


I also find I have two kind of personalities there, my "alone" self and my "social" self.  When I am alone I am engrossed in the books, the cafe there, the various other items there and I kind of go inside my head, enjoying the place, the ambiance if you will, and simply being there.  On the other hand, when I am with a friend I love being silly there.  We go looking at stuff and saying "haha, yeah, that is creepy" or sometimes I do get more serious and see things that bring back memories.  That is time I always treasure.  Although not the most exciting of evenings some might say, for me it is what makes a perfect evening.


Since I profess myself a book geek it isn't to hard to imagine how I can have such great passion for a bookstore.  It is all par for the course with book geeks; I love books and want to find a place I feel I fit in with other people who most likely love books too.  So if Holly has Tiffany's, I have Barnes & Noble.  I say breakfast at Barnes & Noble anyone ;0)


K

Reading Obessesion

I find reading a way to enjoy something simple and personal.  Each book has something unique to offer, even when I don't like the book, there is still a power to be found in that.  They say it is a thin line between love and hate, well, that is true, love a book or hate it the feelings it inspires are personal and unique for all.  Read a review, and does a positive review mean I will love the book any more than a negative review means I will hate it?  No, it doesn't, because I will need to find that out for myself.  That is what makes reading so great, there is always something to enjoy or to feel within those pages that is going to be all my own.


K