Commencement

OK, I realize this blog has seriously suffered since the weather became warmer. The past few weeks have also thrown some obstacles my way, but what better way to cope than to get caught up in a great book! Our book club is reading Commencement for our next meeting, and so far I'm a fan. The book, by J. Courtney Sullivan follows the lives of four girls who met and become best friends in college. The book takes place 4-5 years after college with flashbacks of their wilder days. It explores the complexities and many uncertainties we all face transitioning into the "real world." They each struggle with the different things that life throws at us- sometimes life changing things that determine our future course. In doing so, as a reader, you begin to think about your on life choices, how they brought you where you are, where they might take you in the future, and how true friendships can last through the worst of it all. I had a little trouble at first remembering who each character was, as each chapter is told from the voice of a different girl. But after a bit, it becomes easier to follow and I found myself even relating to a certain character and being reminded of other friends in the others. 

I'm a little over halfway through this book and I'm already longing for a reunion with my old college roommates and friends from back home :)  

The Ugly Truth

I just came back from an advance screening of The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. I am in love with Gerard Butler and have never been to a screening so I was very excited. The movie was great, funnier than expected and I'd definitely recommend it. After the first few jokes I quickly realized there was not way this was a PG-13 movie, but I was cracking up the entire time.

After a great evening at the movies I got home to a nice surprise letter from my mom. I hadn't been feeling that great, and my mom sent me a card, in hopes that it would brighten up my day, and it did! The card has a Chinese proverb that says, "If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a month, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help others." My mom signed the card by saying "I think the Chinese are pretty smart people."

I'd have to agree :)

She's Got Electric Boots a Mohair Suit

This past weekend was my undoing, and one of the best I've had in a while! Friday night I spent the entire night either on a boat drinking, or on a bus drinking. All I'll say is that it got a little intense. Unfortunately I was a bit more hungover than I would have liked to see the Elton John/Billy Joel concert I have been waiting for since I got the tickets back in February! Despite a little rain before hand, the night turned out beautiful and I had the privilege of listening to these two piano men serenade me for more than 3 hours. I have to say it was one of the best concerts I've been to. There was nothing over the top (except when Elton John's piano "broke"), but these guys don't need anything else. They can sit there, not say a word to the crowd and just play and their songs and music speak for themselves.

Despite all the fun I had this weekend, I was left feeling dizzy (literally for a few days). I thought it may just be exhaustion, but went to the doctor to find out that it was something a little more than that. Nothing unmanageable, but just one more thing I have to deal with. So this weekend is the first weekend in a while that I don't have any major plans, and I'm so happy about it. I plan on spending LOTS of time laying out at the pool and finally finishing Eat, Pray, Love...reading three books at once is fun, but it is taking me all summer to finish this thing!

Rocky Morning

All week I've been looking forward to this weekend. I have a lot of fun things jam packed into this tiny little 2-day weekend, but I've been so excited. Unfortunately, my morning didn't go as planned...nothing terrible happened, just minor technical malfunctions (such as my hairdryer dying) and other things left me in a rotton mood. But it's Friday and I have so much to look forward to, I need to pull myself out of this funk. Then I remembered a passage I read in Eat, Pray, Love just last night that reminded me I need to move past this crappy morning and not let it affect the rest of my day. Of course, what she is talking about is a litte deeper than my less than pleasant morning minor disruptions, but the point is that if you left something that is unhappy, or less than desirable affect you, it will not only disrupt your life, but the lives of those around you in unforeseen ways.

"As I focus on diligent joy, I also keep remembering a simple idea my friend Darcey told me once—that all the sorrow and trouble of this world is caused by unhappy people. Not only in the big global Hitler-'n'-Stalin picture, but also on the smallest personal level. Even in my own life, I can see exactly where my episodes of unhappiness have brought suffering or distress or (at the very least) inconvenience to those around me. The search for contementent is, therefore, not merely a self-preserving and self-benefting act, but also a generous gift to the world. Clearing out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else. Only then are you free to serve and enjoy other people."

Have a wonderful weekend!

Moral Compasses and Dog Birthdays = 4th of July

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! Thanks to our flex hours at work, we got a 4-day, much needed weekend. I celebrated with friends at a bar crawl in DC and then dragged myself outta bed Friday morning to make the trip to my aunt and uncle's river house. The rest of the weekend was full of relaxing on the water, eating and lots of drinking with the fam and friends. We even had a birthday celebration for my aunt and uncle's dog, Mickey (I am obsessed with their dog, maybe b/c I've never had my own?). Anyways, I think the highlight of the weekend was hearing my dad talking about how I needed to make sure I had and followed what he referred to as a "moral" compass" after one too many glasses of crown royal and something. 

In book news, I finished my latest book club book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. More to come on this after my book club meeting. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something different. It's written from the perspective of an autistic boy trying to figure out the mystery of who killed his neighbors dog. It's written different than any book I've read and really shows that despite the complexities in life, everything can really be simplified.