Hold me accountable

The boyfriend has taken his daughter to D.C. for her Spring Break and won't be home until sometime on Saturday. I'm attempting to use this time to kick start myself into some productivity. There are lots of projects I always talk about doing and never manage to get done. I'm hoping that if I share the list here you all will help keep me motivated. Here's the list:

• Finish an afghan that's 6 feet wide and seven feet long. The afghan is currently half done.
• Read two books, Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell and The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King. I've started both books but am not too far in either of them.
• Pull everything out of my closet except the clothes. Organize, donate, or throw away all of the junk.

Because reading the books and crocheting the afghan cannot happen concurrently, I think this is a pretty healthy list for 5 days. Other jobs that can be done while crocheting include watching shows on the DVR to clean that off and listening to podcasts clogging up my iPod (and seemingly multiplying while I'm not looking!).

Anyone have any ideas on how I can keep motivated and get this stuff done?

What I'd like to tell you

I'd like to tell you that I have time to blog about all that's been going on in the last week. I don't think I really do, but I'll hit the highlights...

Hubby put up my Williams Sonoma shelves. These were a belated birthday present. They're going to house cookbooks and small appliances that don't get used every day. More pictures when I can get to it. Sorry!

Thinking of starting Pilates. It should be really good for me after the accident. Even got the approval of my chiropractor.

Trying to get really into my book for book club. Not making a lot of progress there. This WILL NOT be the only book I haven't read in the year since I started this thing.

Stitch and bitch tomorrow night. Plus I have to go to a viewing for my daycare provider's father-in-law. It's the right thing to do. Going to be a busy night.

Work continues to keep me busy. I still love it. I'm still crazy. :)

Spent Sunday with my best friend Amy. Went to church with her. Wonderful experience. I'll be going back.

That's the 30 second wrap up. Gotta run!

New books

For those of you interested, you can check here for the books that my book group chose for the next 6 months.

There's some interesting stuff in there. A book about a 300+ pound man who hopes to become the dominican J.R.R. Tolkein, one about a group of people on an RV pilgrimage, post-apocolyptic journeys, and just some other stuff that I'm not so sure of yet. Should be an interesting 6 months. I just hope my first book arrives soon!

Picking books

WOOHOO! Book group tonight. And we're picking new books. I can't wait. I'll report back on what we pick.

Edward and Bella

My girlfriend, Tiffany, is in trouble.

Remember, this is the year of finishing David Copperfield. Well, just as I was beginning this project, Tiffany introduced me to Edward and Bella. I'm hooked.

I'm halfway through the second of four books. Argh.

Must. Read. Each. One.

Who am I kidding. I have to own them too. :(

Amazing quote

Propping herself up on one elbow, she said, "It's funny. When you leave your home and wander really far, you always think, 'I want to go home.' But then you come home, and of course it's not the same. You can't live with it, you can't live away from it. And it seems like from then on there's always this yearning for some place that doesn't exist. I felt that. Still do. I'm never completely at home anywhere. But it's a good place to be, I think. It's like floating. From up above, you can see everything at once. It's the only way how." (pg. 315)

This comes from a book I just finished reading, Caucasia. It was a really good book, even though I found it difficult to relate. It's the story of a bi-racial girl coming of age.

Something about this quote really touched me. I wish I could explain it.

New project

You may or may not have noticed that I've added a new progress bar over on the right. I've decided to make it my goal this year to finally finish reading David Copperfield. It's 729 pages of Dickens. It's not that it's not interesting, it's just that I always seem to find something more interesting to read. So, once I finish Caucasia it's on to Dickens. Wish me luck.

Frantically reading

Book group is Thursday night and I've got 200 pages to finish. Nothing like leaving things to the last minute. The book is good, but not the best I've ever read. Plus, I figured out why it took me so long to get back into this book. I was reading it when all hell broke loose with the hubby. I think that my brain was trying to tell me something about going back to it. So, I'm back at it. And hoping like crazy that I can finish before Thursday night. Wish me luck.

She's Come Undone

I finished She's Come Undone well before book group. This month should be an interesting session as the book could be very controversial!

Now I'm reading The Time Traveler's Wife. Oh my gosh it is so good. Katie, you're in big trouble for suggesting this one. I'll probably have it finished before book group THIS month. And this is the book for next month. But it's just so interesting. I find myself having a hard time putting it down. The book talks about puzzle pieces coming in to fit. I think the whole book is like that. I keep waiting for the pieces to fall into place.

Current books

I have this bad habit of reading more than one book at a time. And working on more than one project at a time. It drives my husband crazy, but frankly, I like it. When I get bored with one thing, I can work on something else until I need a break from that. So, to explain, here's what I'm reading right now.

The Little Black Book of Stories by A.S. Byatt.

I started reading this because we're reading a book by her for our book group. It's kind of odd. I didn't really like the first story, and felt a little angry that I had wasted that much time reading it. The only redeeming virtue was a little nugget in the last paragraph. But last night I read another one of the stories. I much preferred this one. Because I did, I will continue reading.

I am also reading Slave by Mende Nazer. This is non-fiction, and is thus a major departure for me. It's not very often that I pick up non-fiction. But I was inspired by a girl that I work with. Her book group reads a lot of memoirs, and I decided that I needed to branch out. So far I'm not very far into it, but I haven't had a ton of time to read in the last week. More on that later. Really, all I've read is a short description of how her villiage was attacked by another group (I don't remember the name) and how all of the children were abducted. Then, she goes into her life before the attack. That's all I've read about so far. It seems very realistic and heartfelt. I am enjoying it.

On occasion I pull out this one, McDonald's: Behind the Arches. It's something I picked up at work. I love McDonald's, so I thought I might learn a little more about it. The story is really fascinating.

And for work, I'm currently reading two. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton. Also, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Yep, that's of Franklin Covey fame. Great books, both. I am loving them. Can't wait to read more by the authors.