Accomplishing Escapism

 So it's been a while.  I feel like I may have overloaded myself with internet projects, but I really like all of them, so I've just gotta balance them better.  To recap:  Boycott BluRay (movie reviews and other stuff I want to say about film), Alternative Read (the book version), My Bird Stands on One Foot (my tumblr, mostly reposted tattoo photos and owls with their heads upside down), and my newest project, If the truth is out there.... (wherein I'm chronicling my venture in re-watching the entirety of The X-Files).

Enough self-promotion. :D

My big news, I guess, is that my mom and I joined Weight Watchers.  I gained A LOT of weight in college, and the people in my family are not known for being skinny - obesity is a danger that I unfortunately face, and it terrifies me.  My way of battling this is to learn how to eat NOW, while I can still lose weight with (relative) ease, so that when I'm older and my already poor metabolism slows down even more, I won't balloon into a hippo and I'll already have established a habit of healthy eating.  I've been doing it for four weeks and I've lost 8.6 pounds; my pants are looser, and I honestly feel physically better.  I was having back pains that are clearing up, it's easier to wake up in the mornings, and I'm getting noticeably stronger and my stamina is better.  And I don't feel starved or deprived; mainly I'm just not snacking mindlessly and I cook a lot more.  Also I don't go out to eat for lunch except on Mondays after weigh-in when my mom and I get sushi.  I'm really feeling good about the program.

My reward for losing 20 pounds is going to be a tattoo - two goldfinches, a male and a female, flying down my ankle onto my foot.  The finches are for my parents; we got a thistle feeder a long time ago so we could watch the goldfinches in our yard, and the first summer colors finches (that really bright, gorgeous yellow) that we see have always been cause for celebration.  We had a little mourning when west nile killed so much of the songbird population in Oak Park, and when they came back we celebrated.

My birthday is on Saturday and that's pretty awesome.  I'm turning 23, and I feel like I've finally got a plan in place for the next couple of years.  Not this fall, but next fall I'm going back to school to get a Masters in Library Science, because I'd really like to work in archives and preservation.  It's nice to have a plan - this coming year I'll be getting my application together, which gives me a clear goal and timeline, which I need to get things done.  I'm looking forward to it.

I hope everyone had a fun Free Comic Book Day! 

Lately it feels like I'm tired all of the time.  Last weekend, I woke up early, went to the gym, did some errands, and sat on the couch for a moment... And then slept for, like, six hours.  I'm always getting sleepy at work, and I've really been ready for bed tonight since about, oh, nine p.m.  I really, really hope I'm not getting sick, because being sick for the holidays is AWFUL.

I finished my Christmas shopping today, so I feel both in debt and accomplished.  A new tea store opened in the big mall in my area; it is called Teavana and it is FABULOUS.  They had seven or eight teas brewing that you could try, and they were all delicious - they stock so many teas they hand you a little catalog while you wait in line to look at all their flavors.  They'll even blend you stuff if you're looking for a really particular flavor.  They're a bit expensive for every day purchasing, but I'd definitely go back for more exciting teas.

I was also pleased to learn that Pixar has collected all of their animated shorts into one DVD.  I'm quite fond of the shorts they play before their films, especially For the Birds (I can't seem to remember which film it played in front of, but Wikipedia is telling me it was Monsters, Inc.).

I had a really good Fourth.  I love going to Minnesota - my mom's family is from there - and every time I come back I have the sort of reflective thought that I could live there at some point.  My aunt and uncle's house is fantastic; they have a HUGE lawn framed by this gorgeous thick spread of trees, so it's perfectly balanced between civilization and wilderness.  My aunt is also an avid gardener, and their back garden is lovely and peaceful.  Also they get MASSES of interesting birds at their feeder, including a pileated woodpecker who doesn't think he's too large for their feeder (but he really, really is) and lots of hummingbirds.

Point being, if I ever needed to restart my life, Minnesota/Minneapolis is on the list of places I would move to.

I finally made contact with the folks at Borders, and I'm going in on Thursday to fill out my paperwork and I'll start training next week.  I've really been frustrated with the treatment I've gotten there so far - never once have they called me back when they've said they were going to.  In every single case, they've given me a date by which I should expect to hear from them, and the dates go by three or four days before I lose patience and call them myself.  And every time I get "No one called you?  They should have called you three days ago!"  No, no one called me back.  That's why I'm calling.  Because, you know, I'd REALLY LIKE to start making money.  *headdesk*

My plan to read only books I've never read before this summer is so far a success.  My next book is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, which I recently found I was NOT the only person on the planet not to have read yet.  It just felt like it sometimes but that's because I talk to Sam about books when I shouldn't.  I'm looking forward to it, though.

You know what else I'm looking forward to?  The continuation of summer movies.
Public Enemies
Harry Potter
The Ugly Truth
G.I. Joe
Julie and Julia
District 9
The Time Traveler's Wife
Final Destination 4
Because OF COURSE the world needed another Final Destination movie.  IN THREE DEE YOU GUYS.  That's almost as good as the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure flavor of the last one.  Oh God, please let Hollywood continue to make idiotic sequels to stupid movies that obviously exist only for my personal entertainment.  I would hate to think that filmmakers were starting to take themselves too seriously.