Reading These Days

or in my case listening to these days.. I've been reading  Legal Ethics - but my for fun listen to in commutes have been

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

I loved this honest and raw book. I won't lie I have been a huge Jessica fan right from "Is this chicken or fish that I have". I however really appreciated the inside look to everything she has/ is dealing with and her very candid sharing of her personal struggles.

City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert

I enjoyed this book so much.. A few days I was sorry my commute was already over, as I only listen when I am on my way to and from work. The story makes you want to be friends with Vivvy and experiencing everything with her as she navigates life both before and after WW2.

DNF

Wallis in Love - Andrew Morton 

I wanted to like this, being a huge fan and follower for decades of the Royal family, but I just can't this book is insanely tedious, I found myself turning it off more than once and just listening to the traffic report with more enthusiasm. 

Up Next

Today is release day for a friend of mine's latest. Her book signing is Thursday, where I will pick up a hardback copy and dive head first into a Veronica Speedwell Adventure!

  

The One Where the Weekend Needed a Speeding Ticket

As weekends tend to do it went by way to fast.. It was a quick but expensive one!! I needed new tires and an oil change on the Jeep.. OUCH, thankfully tires are only a every few years thing. I am also glad that times are changing and places will not mount and balance tires not purchased there. I went to Tirerack.com for them got a great deal and then had CarX put them on.

I am on break between terms and waiting not so patiently for my final grades to post.  I know I did well but I want to see what my GPA is. School is totally different when you are paying for it! In highschool I prayed that grades would get lost now I am like ok term ended where is my GPA!!! I want it NOW!

We did some odds and ends around the house, replaced the backdoor knob and lock, changed out the porch light and installed a new motion sensor light at the garage. The house got cleaned, the kitchen cabinets were organized - ok the top ones, next weekend I'll sit on the floor and to get to the bottom ones. The bathroom cabinet was redone as well and the hall linen closet is on next weekends hitlist as well as taking things to the storage unit. I have movers scheduled for the first weekend in March to clear my stuff out of my apartment.

The lease isn't up until the end of March but for the first time ever in a move I don't have to wait to the last minute and make myself nuts with the move out and cleaning of the old space, so I am not going to. Hiring two guys for two hours to just load the U-haul was not expensive and I don't have to take crap down 3 flights of stairs. Most of it is going into the storage unit so we are doing the unload ourselves. When we get the house sold and we are ready to move into our new one (when we find it) we are hiring movers again. After that I do not plan to move again for a long time.

Do you realize that in 3 weeks it is time to alter time again? March 8th we spring ahead 1 hour again, bringing with that warmer weather!! I am so ready. I am tired of being cold, I am tired of wearing 50 layers and a damn coat. I am tired of the grey gloomy blah that is outside. I can not wait to be warm again when I go outside and to NOT drive home in the dark!! 




Spring is SO close!!!

Is January over YET???????

Don't go away mad just go away already!!  I'm ready to go on to longer days, warmer weather

I have two more weeks left of this quarter in school, I have 2 HUGE finals - each are 3 hours and a final project due for LS 100.. 

Apparently the Superbowl is this weekend, which I did not even realize we were this close to it. Frankly if we are being honest my Christmas tree and decor are still up - I keep looking at it thinking, okay I have to put this stuff away but then I end up back into a school book thinking meh who fricken cares - the cat is thrilled to still be batting the lower branches for funzies. I also think its time to retire the tree its has better days, but I don't know what exact to do with it. Do you toss an artificial tree? Does it recycle? If it does where does one take their old artificial tree, and since I have yet to figure that out it helps justify that its still up HA! The one at the house is down and everything put up - except the lights outside. Its just my apartment that is still fully decking the halls. 

We did manage to do a small overhaul on the bathroom at the house last weekend. We had the tub refinished, put up a new tub surround - side note am I the only one on the planet who had no clue just how flimsy those things really are?? New things went up as well I have my steampunk bathroom finally! The shelf is still being finished as well as new towel holders then I'll toss pictures up here. 

When I take rent in on the 1st of February I will also turn in my notice to vacate on March 29th. This past 2 years have flown by. It seems like both yesterday and a lifetime ago that I signed the lease and picked up the keys to my first on my very own apartment sat in the middle of the empty living room on the floor looked around and thought holy shit now what. 

I guess I am ready to go in more ways than just waving January goodbye... 

Currently - January 2020

Why does January seem like it is a decade long?? It's like January 74th by now, right? Christmas is over bring me SPRING!! I am tired of being cold and wearing 57 layers.

My first quarter at Purdue is going well. Its just stressful balancing pre-law classes with work and family time. These days my reading material comprises Constitutional law and Supreme Court cases which is why I have not taken part in an SUYB posts in a while, I can't remember the last time I read anything. I did finish an audiobook during my commutes to the office and home.

I am also starting the packing process to move in March. My theory is that the more I can pre-do now the easier the process will be in March as I will just be starting a new round of classes. We have not found a house yet, so the move is a temporary move. I just didn't want to one sign another year lease or two pay more for a six-month lease.  I will say house-hunting only looks fun on an HGTV show.  Just me? Ok..  I have learned that I really want more of a turn key property - I don't have the patience for "fixer-upper" that doesn't come with Chip and Joanna to drive it!

Another thing I have had little time for is TV, but I have really gotten into the Netflix original You.. Oh My! Anyone else watching this?

My Christmas tree and decor are still up - because SCHOOL. Considering just wrapping it in saran wrap or tossing it over the balcony and shutting the door!

The Jeep needs an oil change - again time.  Hell, I even stopped getting my nails done and my roots are waving for attention.  I started doing my own dip nails at home because I can do that at 11 at night in my jammies while re-watching the seminar for one of my classes to prep for the quiz.  


What are y'all up to while we wait for it to warm up???

Happy Festivus 2019

Its that time of year, its Festivus - and I have not done this before, meh what the hell I am doing it now. Its the time of year you air your grievances..

Shitty drivers

St Louis traffic

Let's round out that theme with drivers who not only do NOT pay attention to what they are doing and they t-bone your car they get out of theirs and say oooo shit my bad, here is my info but you need to know I am uninsured.

Me not blogging for months and months, yes yet again.

I started at one online university and hated their set up so bad I cringe every time I hear their fricken commercial, so I transferred Universities.

Class discussions on Pay Equality and a WOMAN saying meh men are at work more they deserve more pay, there really isn't a gap and the woman need to stop bitching and just realize its math - more hours equals more pay. I rage threw my phone.

Melania Trump - shut up "lady". Your husband is the biggest bully there is.

The fact I am now gluten intolerant - I fuckin like bread...

Insane baby mama's

Sellers who think their home is worth way more than it truly is.

Your turn ... what are your grievances this year??

Whats Up Wednesday

I decided to do the Link Up with Sheaffer and Shay this month.

1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK: Menu's are really a fly by the seat of my pants sorta thing anymore. However, I am making a creamy garlic parm shrimp and pasta dish tonight and this weekend there is shrimp boil in the works.

2. WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT: Vacations I need another one!! I'd love to be on a beach with a pina colada and a book!

3: WHAT I’M LOVING: The lower humidity this week. Especially after the 100 plus degree days with 95% humidity.

4: WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO: Removing paint from the wrought iron railing on the front porch - there's a good 50 years of paint on it and it needs to come off.. It's been a PROCESS!    I am also midway through my first class in my bachelor's program - many many more to come,

5: WHAT I’M DREADING: Frankly, the end of summer - I hate the cold snowy weather and it just seems downhill from August 1st. 

6: WHAT I’M WORKING ON: School, I need to get the vacation pictures off the camera and posted. Cleaning out my closet and little odds and ends around the house to get it ready to go on the market. 

7: WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT: Finishing up the projects on the house, being done with my first class. There is just something about having that first class done. 

8: WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING: I've been watching Stargate on Prime. I'm currently reading The Marriage Pact 

9: WHAT I’M LISTENING TO: Audiobooks on my commute to the office - Currently Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. I also have my Spotify playlists going. I recently discovered that being a student again there are a few discounts I am thrilled with (hmm guess this should have gone under things I am excited about) one being that I get a deep discount on Spotify premium but that its also bundled with Hulu and Showtime. All three are just $4.99 PER MONTH TOTAL. If you are or have a college student - you need to check that out!   

10: WHAT I’M WEARING: Lately, all the maxi shirts with tank tops and sandals or cargo pants with tanks and sandals

Show Us Your Books

I was reading a blog post and one of the comments sent me off in a search.. It about borrowing digital books right to her Kindle and how that was so much easier these days. Within minutes, I had a new elibrary card to the St Louis Library and Libby downloaded. I had waitlisted 3 books, borrowed 1 and discovered borrowing Audiobooks with Libby as well.  That was last Thursday...


Since then I have finished:

Crazy Rich Asians on Audiobook

I liked this far more than I thought I would.. I will admit I checked it out to see what the hype was over the movie. I also started watching the movie, however, I will not finish that. I know so many love the movie, but in my opionion, it's another case of the story being lost due to time constraints on film and frankly, the 20 minutes I have watched of the movie I do not like.  I have already download China Rich Girlfriend on Audiobook (and have started listing on my commute) and have a hold on the 3rd Audiobook.  I recommend the book - especially if you have only seen the move.. So much has been lost in putting this into film

What Alice Forgot:

I liked it, the start was a bit slow for me and thankfully it picked up quick, I will not finish a book that doesn't hook me within the first 4 chapters or so. I have never been able to force myself to read a book that wasn't a school assigned read. This is a good quick poolside read once you get past the first few chapters. 

Still Me: 

I loved this trilogy - puffy sticker heart loved it. I think it put a very nice bow on Louisa's life and ended well. I loved Margot - and have my eye on the collection of short stories JoJo took the character from. 

On my now reading/listening to list: 

On Audio                                                                                                    on Kindle