Week in Pictures: A Day in the Life

So I did a little better this week!

Next week: Around the 'hood

Wall of Fame 

Tree-line streets on the morning walk

Running errands and thinking of my pals in Sweden

Strolling down Fillmore Street

Lovely city views from the park

Week in Pictures: Beauty

This is much harder than I thought! I got three in, though...I swear I will complete the week one of these days!

Next week: A Day in the Life

A tulip in its final day...

He is a true  beauty

If you look closely, you ca see the moon in those clouds.
 The purple skyline was unbelievable.

Week in Pictures: Inspire

So this week I failed miserably. A pic a day is hard work!

Theme for next week: Beauty


Week of 8 January 2012

A man with a vision that has been seen through many generations.

January...time to get healthy.

A pop of bright in a dreary winter

Listen Here: Can I Stay

I was minding my own business, going through my day at work...and this song started playing (via Pandora). And...well...the words took hold.

This is some kinda romantic tune right here.

It's Up to You.

My Week: Thanks.

I thought I would try something new for 2012, and document life, one day at a time. Or, I should say, one picture at a time.

My goal is to take a photo a day, all pertaining to a theme. Themes may repeat, and I am open for suggestions. But, a unique photo a day, starting each Sunday. We'll see what happens!

This week...I am starting with: Thanks.

Next Week...Inspire.

Please leave your idea for a theme in the comments section (or let me know if you like/hate this idea).

Week of Sunday, 1 January.

Friends. 

Luca

My quirky little neighborhood

My running shoes!

A good glass of vino

My job

Family

Reading is FUNdamental: Book Roll 2011

Another year gone by, another batch of books read. Similar to my 2010 list, I figured I would break a few things down for 2011.

I didn't read as much as I would have liked...I have no good excuse, really. With addition of Kindle books to Overdrive (the best app ever), hopefully I'll be better in 2012!

January

• Inside a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz
  A really interesting examination into life as a dog -- what they like, don't like, smells, etc. Who knows how much is accurate -- until they can talk, we'll never know -- but did make remember sometimes to just let Luca be a dog.
  
  
• Like Water for Elephants, Sarah Gruen
  This has been on my Amazon recommendation list for a long time, and finally it was available at the library. I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at a circus (and, this just confirms my lack of desire to ever go to a circus, ever). The storyline/ending was a little predictable, and a little bit of a cop-out at the end, but overall a good, captivating read.

April
(not sure what happened to February & March...did I just boycott?)

• April: Mary Ann in Autumn, Armistead Maupin
  In what I am assuming is the last of the Tales of the City series, Mary Ann comes home. Maupin wrapped up a lot of loose ends in this book -- some unnecessarily-- but if you are a fan of TotC, this is a must read. How I wish they would continue the movies...I miss Laura Linney's Mary Ann & Olympia Dukakis's Mrs. Madrigal!
  
  
• Less than Zero, Bret Ellis Easton
  Like so many of Easton's books, Less than Zero is an examination of privilege in the 80s (or lack thereof). I have seen this heartbreaking movie several times, and so perhaps my mind was tainted with those faces & characters that I know so well. I had a rough time getting into the book. A good read, but I kept waiting for things (from the movie) to happen that never did.

May

• Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
  A definite classic, and deservingly so. Somehow, despite my English degree, there are many classics which I never read (probably on purpose)...this was one of them. This is not a quick read, and is one that, at times, is hard to follow, but is worth it! If anything, I now understand some random literary references that I never before understood.

June

• My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands, Chelsea Handler
  Ok, I totally did not get through this one. Read about 1/2, and after that, it just seemed like the same thing over and over again. I get it, she was a crazy youth (and probably continues to be a little bit so), but a lot of this book seemed like it was written for shock value.

July

• Look at Me, Jennifer Egan
  I read this one a long time ago, and it's been one of my favorite since. But I couldn't remember why, so thought it was a good time to check it out. A story of lives getting turned upside down, first love, and the complexity of people. Egan puts it all together so beautifully, you feel empathy for even the most horrid of characters.

August

• Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
  Still have not made it through this one. Fingers crossed that it will happen in 2012.
  
  
• The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, & Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
  Or, as I like to call it...3 days of my life, gone.

September

• Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel, Gary Shteyngart
  I really tried with this one...but couldn't do it.
  
  
• The Imperfectionists, Tom Rachman
  Intertwining tales of the staff at a failing Roman newsletter. I really didn't want this one to end, as there were a few stories where I just needed more closure. I loved reading about Rome so soon after being there, and loved the passage of time I experienced during the book.

October

• One Day, David Nicholls
  This movie looked horrible, but I had read the book was good. And it was...it was a fun read about a complicated relationship, even though I wanted to smack the shit out of the two main characters several times.
  
  
• A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
  By far one of my favorite books of the year. (I should have known, I consistently enjoy reading Egan novels) Here, Goon Squad refers to time, and the book explores the passage of it. It is a series of vignettes that, at first, I wasn't too sure about, but as it went on, and the stories twined together more and more, I didn't want to put it down. Time, it is indeed a Goon.

November

• Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Helen Simonson
  Another one that was on my Amazon recommended for a long time...and I am glad I finally read it! It's a story of love in your later years -- can you find it? Is it still appropriate? Does what used to matter to you still matter? And, does new love take away from what you felt from those that are no longer with us? And...do you care? Perhaps because I could identify with a lot of it (from a 3rd party point of view), but I really liked reading this one.
  
  
• Born to Run, Christopher McDougall
  Since reading this book, I have totally changed my thinking about running. I now run with a joy (even when it is painful, or boring) knowing that it is what my body was born to do. This is something I have never been very convinced about...after all, I am short and rather squatty, and I used to only seem to bulk up when I run, rather than slim down like everyone else. However, this book argues that the human body of all shapes and sizes were meant to run, that we were able to survive as a species due to our ability to run longer than our prey. I am not sold on the barefoot running aspect, but do believe we tend to overcorrect problems that perhaps aren't really there. (this is how, I am convinced, I was in serious pain throughout the summer and until very recently...the foot doc put me in orthotics and shoes for overpronators, and that totally messed everything up. Since taking out the orthotics and going back to my old shoes, the pain has disappeared)

December

• Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson
  A must-read for any fan of Apple or innovation in general. I remember when so much of this happened, and it was fun to see everything that went behind bringing us personal computers...and also Jobs's belief that people don't know what they want until you show them something they must have. Also, Jobs was kind of a jerk. 

Happy New Year!

So it's been a while, I know! I got back from Colombia, hosted a party, started a new job, went to several holiday parties, hosted another party, went to Christmas Eve festivities, then Christmas day festivities, worked, and suddenly, it was the new year and I hadn't posted a thing since I returned for Colombia! I know, life is hard.

So, here's a look back at 2011. After a super crappy 2010, I have to say...things improved in 2011 and I'm looking forward to an awesome 2012.




Featuring:

• Alisa's Bday lunch (and Nancy Pelosi)
• The Princess Project: PROM 2011
• Santa Cruz 10K & 1/2 Marathon
• SuDrew's shower
• Freccero's take Italy by storm
• Susan's bachelorette
• SuDrew Wedding
• 4th of July & tribute to dad
• Wharf 2 Wharf, take 3
• Wine Tasting Weekend
• Mom's bday at the River
• Mel's bday hop on, hop off bus pub crawl
• Hike to Twin Peaks
• Mendocino...Alexia's wedding & bday weekend
• Healdsburg 1/2 Marathon weekend
• Celebrating dad on his birthday
• SLO-town!
• Carneros wine tasting 
• Congratulations Tony & Sasha
• Colombia...Cartagena & Bogota
• Deck the halls, y'all

Not too bad, huh? Yes, there are some things missing...NCAA Friday, trolley parties, another trip to SLO (they were taken on my iPhone and I haven't been able to save those to my computer yet)...but what a fun year!