101/1001 - #93: Watch all of the James Bond movies

Self-explanatory, yes? #93 on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days is to watch all the Bond movies, in sequential order. My husband loves James Bond (most men do, I've found), and I really enjoy the films since Daniel Craig has taken on the role.

Here's the list. I'll update with the date I watch each film.

Official James Bond films

    Dr. No (1962-Sean Connery) - watched 4/3/2013

    From Russia With Love (1963-Sean Connery)

    Goldfinger (1964-Sean Connery)

    Thunderball (1965-Sean Connery)

    You Only Live Twice (1967-Sean Connery)

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969-George Lazenby)

    Diamonds Are Forever (1971-Sean Connery)

    Live and Let Die (1973-Roger Moore)

    The Man with the Golden Gun (1974-Roger Moore)

    The Spy Who Loved Me (1977-Roger Moore)

    Moonraker (1979-Roger Moore)

    For Your Eyes Only (1981-Roger Moore)

    Octopussy (1983-Roger Moore)

    A View to a Kill (1985-Roger Moore)

    The Living Daylights (1987-Timothy Dalton)

    Licence to Kill (1989-Timothy Dalton)

    GoldenEye (1995-Pierce Brosnan)

    Tomorrow Never Dies (1997-Pierce Brosnan)

    The World is Not Enough (1999-Pierce Brosnan)

    Die Another Day (2002-Pierce Brosnan)

    Casino Royale (2006-Daniel Craig)

    Quantum of Solace (2008-Daniel Craig)

    Skyfall (2012-Daniel Craig)

    "Bond 24" (2014?)

Reading is Cool. Or Something Less Lame Sounding.

I feel that there are two types of readers in the world.

There are those who read because they just love to do it, and there are those who read because they have to do it. That's a key difference in verb usage, and it's intentional.

Many people love to read. It's fun for them to collect books and to fill their free hours with new worlds and stories or histories and real crime. They read their preferred genre, or not. They just really like the way that they get to watch a story unfold right before their eyes, all thanks to a set of pages, bound together.

Believe me when I say that there is obviously nothing wrong with reading because you love it. Isn't that the definition of reading for pleasure? And reading does grant me a good amount of utility. I do love to learn a new world and new characters, and I really enjoy getting to know an author's style, and more often than not, reading inspires my writing in some fashion.

But I don't read because I love it.

I read because I need it.

Yes, really. I need to.

There are a litany of reasons for this, but most of them stem back many years, to when I was a kid growing up mostly by myself after about age 11. I couldn't go anywhere, seeing as I couldn't drive, so what were my options? Books and music (which I'm sure I'll attempt to handle in a different post, because holy jeez) and later, with more seriousness, writing.

From a very young age, I learned that if I wanted a reprieve from the strain of my day-to-day life, all I had to do was slip between the covers of a book. Between the paragraphs on the pages. Between letters in the phrases. I could lose myself that way. I could lose sight of whatever was going on in my life, and unfortunately, there was (with rather alarming regularity) always something negative and dramatic going on in my life. Reading was one of the only ways I could discern that allowed me to leave without ever physically going anywhere and, without my ever realizing it (until much later in life), it very quickly became my primary outlet and sanity keeper. Later, I would begin to write in an attempt to vent all of these feelings out of my head - that started around age 14 - but for a few years, it was me and my books, my books and me. Whether said books were from my then quite meager collection, or borrowed from my school or public library didn't matter. I treasured them. They helped me in a thousand ways. They were my coping mechanism.

And, as an adult, I have realized that in all honesty? Not much has changed.

Take this evening for example: I left work in a rather foul mood, because of a very specific reason. I got home and I was able to (mostly) shake off the ickies and be in a good mood for my kiddo and hubs, but (as the ickies are wont to do) it crept back up on me by about 9PM. By 9:30, I was trying like hell to get lost and wander around in a book, and already, the distraction was helping, nevermind that the book itself isn't actually all that great.

Reading keeps me generally sane. It keeps me focused outwardly as well as in. It helps me cope. And sure, it gives me something to collect, but more importantly, it allows me to find inner peace when everything around me is apeshit and a nasty red color and just plain mean. I need it.

And I really wouldn't have it any other way.

Besides:

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In Which There is an Apple

Hey guys.

This is going to be a sort of "update" blog. I guess they all sort of are, aren't they? But I wanted to give anyone who's interested an update on all the goings on in my life at present.

First up: I've made a good dent in my 101/1001 list, but not as much as I'd like at this point. That said, I've made progress on a few of the items that will take the longest to complete, which is nothing to shake a stick at.

Some notable accomlishments (in my opinion, anyway): 

1. I've read six of the twenty recommendations I requested.
2. I've kept record of one of six months in "My Day in Six Words" journal.
3. I've written a short story to begin my Short Story Project.
4. We have plans with regard to savings/paying off various debts in mind.

For my comprehensive 101/1001 list, you can click here.

Second, I have read 31 of my intended 85 books this year. Thus far, this equates to 11688 pages.  Cray cray!

Third, I started at what is essentially my Favorite Day Job Ever on Monday. Working at this company was always the game changer for me, and I'm hoping to be able to move from contract to permanent employee in a hot second. Good thoughts appreciated. :)

And lastly, I've decided to be more comment-y in my blog reading. I very rarely get comments on this thing, and I know how much it means to me when I actually do get one, so I want to be sure to pay that forward a bit. :)

I'll leave off with this, just for some TRUFAX:

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How are you? What's new? Are you working steadily toward any of your own goals?

PS HOMG THE WALKING DEAD AUGH.

A few updates.

Hey there.

I thought I'd blog quickly, just to give some updates regarding life in general for us, as well as a few big changes that are afoot. I like the word 'afoot;' it makes me giggle. But anyway.

So, here's the list:

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1) I'm still querying, sort of. The thing is, certain events have transpired to really make me think, and at this juncture, I'm not entirely convinced that publishing is an industry I even want to be a part of, in the traditional sense. I won't get into the whys... just know that they are numerous. Therefore, once the queries I've sent out expire, I think I'm going to sit on the manuscript for a while. It's not that I don't love writing - far from it - but to be honest, I'm a bit disenfranchised with several aspects of publishing at present, and I'm doing some soul searching.

2) That said, I am working on a few shorter pieces in my spare time, and that work has made me remember how much I love short fiction. We'll see if that goes anywhere.

3) (And this is a big one...) Ken and I are giving serious consideration to home schooling Bella once she hits first grade. The list of reasons for this is also very lengthy, and because I need somewhere to blab about them and the situation in general, I have a blog dedicated solely to the topic of Classical Education and the process we're going through as we contemplate and move toward it. I want to throw out there that neither of us have a problem with public school, in general. At this point, this is what we want, but I'm not sure how we're going to make it happen financially. (There is a Classical private school in Austin, but they are CRAY-CRAY regarding tuition.) If you go over there to that blog, or you leave a comment about homeschooling here, please leave your hate at the door. Support is what we need, as well as trust that we'll make the best decision for our family.

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4) That said, I have a job opportunity that is very promising, and would drastically change our future if/when it is made official. I appreciate your good thoughts in that regard (and also, I'd appreciate it if you'd all send "HURRY UP ALREADY" thoughts to said job). ;)

Aside from that, Ken is really enjoying his new job (although we've recently learned that he's working with my ex... which is a bit weird for me), and has completed his first session in school. 2 classes down, many more to go, but progress is progress, and I'm very proud of him.



I hope this finds you well and content. Life is too short for anything else.

- a

#Fast5 Facts (Music & Movies Edition)

1) There was a phase of my life in which I listened to a whole lot of underground hip hop. (It was from about 18 to 21. Initially, there was a boy involved.) To this day, I still enjoy the underground stuff better than any mainstream rap.

One of my favorite songs:

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To see him perform this live you can click here.

Other MCs that I love(d): Mos Def, Blackstar, Atmosphere (Slug)

2) I have never seen Goonies all the way through. 

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3) I can quote Empire Records from beginning to end. It will forever remain on my list of favorite movies of all time. 

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Mini fact: I loved Empire Records from my first viewing, and at the time, the only way I could have a copy for regular viewing was to record it on VHS. It was on the same tape as Dangerous Minds.

Other all-time favorites: Fight Club, Lost in Translation, The Nightmare Before Christmas, + a few others.

4) My love of Grunge (and '90s music in general) often makes people assume I'm older than I look. 

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Nirvana is arguably the most well-known Grunge band, and I've been of fan of Dave Grohl (ROCK GOD) since his days on drums with them, but my favorite band from this era? Alice in Chains. With Layne Staley, whom I believe was one of the best rock vocalists ever. That said, my Grunge Love extends to: Singles, Chris Cornell singing anything, flannels, Doc Martens, and the whole nine.

5) I hate - no really, hate - the movie A Christmas Story.

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The only thing I find remotely entertaining or funny in the whole of that movie is this scene, which is also wholly inappropriate and about 300 kinds of terrible. But in general? Never seeing this movie again would be perfectly fine with me. Bleh.

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What are some Little Known Facts About you and music and movies?

In Which There is a Cloud of Emo

Once again, I'm using this blog as a place to empty all the whirling, twisting thoughts in my head.

There's no need to get into the detail, but it seems that everywhere I turn, I'm reminded of my inadequacies. It seems that I'm surrounded by lack instead of fulfillment, and it's getting harder and harder to shake those feelings off and keep my chin up.

With increasing regularity, good news is almost immediately voided by bad news in my life, and it's wearing me down, down, down, to the point where, presently, I feel that my grip on contentment is tenuous at best.

It's not a matter of my mental place being depressed; it's a matter of ceaseless difficulties in various arenas of life wearing on me, and I'm so. very. tired. It's a bit like my will to fight it all off has been chipped away into it's weakest form. I dislike this weakness more than I can say.

Really, this blog is just an FYI to say that if I seem distant, that's why. While the old adage "this too shall pass" is one I'm wholly aware of, I feel that it's a bit of a joke with regard to my life, at present. And, because I don't want to be a Cloud of Emo all over the place, I tend to withdraw when I'm feeling permanently stressed, which is what's been going on for at least 4 months at this point. And in varying degrees since 2009, before that.

Suffice to say, I've been having a rough time for a long time, and I'm tired.

Good thoughts are appreciated.

- A

People, Words, Music, and Lack

I turned 30 in December, and since then, I've come to a lot of realizations about life and where I want to be and what everything means. It's a bit like I disappeared into the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and instead of coming up with 42, I got the real answer. Not that 42 isn't a real answer. Or something. And if you don't get that joke, I'm very sad for you.

Anyway.

Thing is, for several years, I've done what was easy for me.

Roughly translated: My life has sorely been lacking in passion.

I don't mean in my marriage or my friendships or whatever. And obviously, I've been writing a ton for the last few years, both on this blog and in other places, but what I mean is that I go to work, I come home. I go to work, I come home. I go to work. I come home.

And I'm bored all the while.

Because the fact of the matter is that I don't care about accounting, and that's what I work in, mostly because it's easy for me to get a job in that arena, and therefore: I am bored. I do good work, I'm efficient, and it's simple, for me. But I'm bored.

I did an inventory - a balls out sort of inventory, where I really tried to iron out my priorities. At the end of the day, here's the short list of things I care about, save my immediate family and friends (who are, generally speaking, more like family than most of the people who are technically classified as family based on genetic connectivity):

- people (both in and out of my life)
- words (i.e. writing and reading)
- music (no explanation necessary)

Yeah. No math.  No numbers. No office work.

Go figure.

So, anyway, this has been a really long, rambling way to get around to this announcement:

I'm going back to school, hopefully this fall, to get my Master's in Counseling from Saint Ed's. It's a 2-3 year program, exceptionally affordable by comparison to most of the other programs in this area, and I want it so bad I can taste it. Ken is wholly supporting, and feels a bit like "I told you so!" because he predicted this would happen years ago, as most people know.

When I think about what this would allow me to include in my life, I am giddy with excitement. I could work with people, day in, day out. I could make a difference in their lives, just by listening and offering quiet thoughts in return, if they want them. I could probably work part time and make more than I make doing my stupid accounting job, and I'd be happier, to boot. And that happiness? It's worth the strain of preparing to take (and ace?) the GRE, as well as managing life with a husband (who will also be in school) and a precocious daughter and school, all at once. Also, a social life.

Anyway.

So, yes, hopefully, you're reading the blog of a graduate of Saint Edward's University, Class of 2015 or 2016. Seeing LPC/LMFT behind my name is going to be pretty damn awesome.

P.S. For those of you wondering, yes, I am still querying my manuscript, and yes, I will still be writing. I will always write. Period.
P.S.S. It's Licensed Professional Counselor/Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I'd want both certifications.