...So, it's been a while since I was on here. I haven't been overwhelmingly successful at keeping a blog.
I haven't had time to read a single book for fun this semester-- I'm keeping one in my bathroom and reading it a couple pages at a time (and it's REALLY good!) but can't dedicate myself to it now. My classes have to come first. Which sucks. I'm so sick of classes.
Buuuut the weight loss attempt is going pretty well. I started Weight Watchers during the last week of July, and so far I've lost 26.8 pounds. From 240 to 213.2. I was hoping to be under 210 by Thanksgiving... so I'll at least be very close.
In other news, this semester SUCKS. I hate my major. I'm barely making it in my classes and don't know how to deal with it. I want to be done. Next semester should be better. But I really want to be done here. Fall 2011 will be a new start, and I feel like it will be a chance for redemption. A chance to find something that makes me happy and gives me a sense of purpose. I'm applying to a few different programs, so I'll see what I get into and go from there.
I have an interview tomorrow for a volunteer position at the Walt Disney Family Museum. This is the first step towards reaching my dream job. I'd love to work at Disneyland someday... but living in the Bay Area makes that a bit difficult! So I'm hopefully going to start volunteering at the Museum as a way to start getting involved in the Disney company. Wish me luck!
And also, I'm going to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows tomorrow night/Friday morning with my boyfriend. In IMAX. It's going to be awesome.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Books and Undesirable Poundage
I had the grand ambition of having this be a blog wholly based on book reviews, but clearly I haven't done such a great job with that. I had to take a summer class and therefore had to postpone any for-fun reading, which eliminated my material for book reviews! Boo. If I'm in class(s) I don't feel that it's right for me to do fun-reading if there is still something I could be doing for school. I feel like I'm being lazy and a poor student if I do something for pleasure first. I'm not going into debt for the rest of my life to get mediocre grades. Anyway. I've actually read two books since my class finished, but haven't written anything about them because as soon as I turned the last page of one book, the reading monster in me demanded MOOORE so I picked up a new book and kept reading. I'll get to writing reviews eventually, but for right now I am LOVING just being able to read. (At least, for the next couple weeks, until I go back to school.)
Besides reading, the other big thing going on my life right now is Weight Watchers. I decided that I was finally ready to lose this weight for good, and I'll admit, I was sucked in by a commercial. I kept seeing Jennifer Hudson looking all fabulous, and she started out at almost the size I am now, so I looked into it and decided to join. My third "weigh-in" is tomorrow, but as of last week I have lost 7 pounds. And I have about... 63 more to go before I reach a weight that would result in an acceptable BMI number. I'm really hoping I can lose that before I graduate from college in May. Since it is a lot of weight to lose, I'm not going to completely berate myself if I'm not all the way there in May, as long as I make an honest effort.
Besides reading, the other big thing going on my life right now is Weight Watchers. I decided that I was finally ready to lose this weight for good, and I'll admit, I was sucked in by a commercial. I kept seeing Jennifer Hudson looking all fabulous, and she started out at almost the size I am now, so I looked into it and decided to join. My third "weigh-in" is tomorrow, but as of last week I have lost 7 pounds. And I have about... 63 more to go before I reach a weight that would result in an acceptable BMI number. I'm really hoping I can lose that before I graduate from college in May. Since it is a lot of weight to lose, I'm not going to completely berate myself if I'm not all the way there in May, as long as I make an honest effort.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Maiden Voyage: Book Review #1.
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella is the newest book by popular author Stephenie Meyer. This work tells the story of a female character briefly mentioned in Eclipse, the third book in the Twilight series. Meyers seems proud and enthusiastic about her newest publication. In the novella's introduction, she says "The newborn life was something I hadn't ever gotten to explore... It was exciting and dark".
Bree Tanner is a young teenage girl--about 16 years old-- who has been turned into a vampire. She has been created by an older vampire who is in the process of making a newborn vampire army. Newborns are characterized by lacking self-control and the ability to think clearly, making an army of them particularly difficult to handle. Bree is a bit of an exception: after being a vampire for about three months, she shows herself to be far more mature and level-headed than her peers. She finds a friend in Diego, another initiate of the vampire army-- however, he has been in the army for a longer period of time than the others and therefore matches her level of maturity. Together, Bree and Diego discover that they have all been deceived. They learn the truths that the leader of the army is hiding from them, not only about vampire lifestyle but also about the very purpose for the creation of this army.
I enjoyed reading Bree Tanner. In fact, I enjoyed it more than some of the main books in the Twilight series. I thought that the format was very interesting. There are no chapters or line breaks. Initially I was a bit annoyed because the unusual setup offers no convenient place to put a bookmark and pause reading, but after getting accustomed to the different format I began to like it more. The decision to not break up the narration reflects Meyer's portrayal of the vampire lifestyle. According to her novels, they never sleep and have no need to rest, and the lack of chapters or breaks parallels the nonstop consciousness of the main character.
Stephenie Meyer's writing style seems to have improved since the original Twilight books. I found myself often distracted by cheesy similes and dialogue in some of her earlier novels; her new work has less corny moments and more believable dialogue. I was also glad to see that the new characters introduced in the novella successfully take on distinct personalities. Before reading the book, I was suspicious that all of her protagonists might be extremely similar to Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. However, my doubts proved fruitless. Bree and Diego take on unique temperaments and become significant individuals in the series.
My only criticism is that perhaps Meyer still has not fully delved into what it is like to truly be a newborn. Bree was clearly not as wild and uncontrolled as the vast majority of the other members of the army, and was also already three months old. Although I certainly like the novella, I had hoped for more of a genuine newborn story. I was anticipating chaos, emotional turmoil, and a frenzy to quench the insatiable thirst for human blood. It would be interesting, in my opinion, if Meyer wrote another novella exploring a character who exemplifies the typical newborn experience instead of being a more sophisticated exception.
Has anyone else read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner? If so, what do you think? Any thoughts or comments on my first stab at reviewing a book? Constructive criticism is more than welcome! Just please refrain from being unnecessarily mean. Ain't got no need to be nasty. Thanks for reading!
Bree Tanner is a young teenage girl--about 16 years old-- who has been turned into a vampire. She has been created by an older vampire who is in the process of making a newborn vampire army. Newborns are characterized by lacking self-control and the ability to think clearly, making an army of them particularly difficult to handle. Bree is a bit of an exception: after being a vampire for about three months, she shows herself to be far more mature and level-headed than her peers. She finds a friend in Diego, another initiate of the vampire army-- however, he has been in the army for a longer period of time than the others and therefore matches her level of maturity. Together, Bree and Diego discover that they have all been deceived. They learn the truths that the leader of the army is hiding from them, not only about vampire lifestyle but also about the very purpose for the creation of this army.
I enjoyed reading Bree Tanner. In fact, I enjoyed it more than some of the main books in the Twilight series. I thought that the format was very interesting. There are no chapters or line breaks. Initially I was a bit annoyed because the unusual setup offers no convenient place to put a bookmark and pause reading, but after getting accustomed to the different format I began to like it more. The decision to not break up the narration reflects Meyer's portrayal of the vampire lifestyle. According to her novels, they never sleep and have no need to rest, and the lack of chapters or breaks parallels the nonstop consciousness of the main character.
Stephenie Meyer's writing style seems to have improved since the original Twilight books. I found myself often distracted by cheesy similes and dialogue in some of her earlier novels; her new work has less corny moments and more believable dialogue. I was also glad to see that the new characters introduced in the novella successfully take on distinct personalities. Before reading the book, I was suspicious that all of her protagonists might be extremely similar to Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. However, my doubts proved fruitless. Bree and Diego take on unique temperaments and become significant individuals in the series.
My only criticism is that perhaps Meyer still has not fully delved into what it is like to truly be a newborn. Bree was clearly not as wild and uncontrolled as the vast majority of the other members of the army, and was also already three months old. Although I certainly like the novella, I had hoped for more of a genuine newborn story. I was anticipating chaos, emotional turmoil, and a frenzy to quench the insatiable thirst for human blood. It would be interesting, in my opinion, if Meyer wrote another novella exploring a character who exemplifies the typical newborn experience instead of being a more sophisticated exception.
Has anyone else read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner? If so, what do you think? Any thoughts or comments on my first stab at reviewing a book? Constructive criticism is more than welcome! Just please refrain from being unnecessarily mean. Ain't got no need to be nasty. Thanks for reading!
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