12:34

Dec 08

Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

My initial assessment was correct, and I will not be finishing this book. It’s yet another Secret Life of Bees (or The Help), written just as poorly, with hardly anything new or note-worthy. White girl loses mom, white girl moves into new home, white girl meets black housekeeper, and Learns About Life. Black Housekeeper is sassy and wise, and treated like one of the family, so the inherent racism and inequality that permeate the culture represented are completely ignored in favor of letting yet another white girl grow up and feel empowered and strong. Yawn.

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Oct 13

Sudwerk Lager -

Oct 02

Half Marathon #2: completed!

Sep 19

The Giver by Lois Lowry


I wish I had read this earlier, because it gets a little lost in the YA futuristic book craze that seems to be happening right now. The themes are very similar to a lot of other books I’ve read (future society where government/community has strict rules around conformity in order for survival, one teen realizes that this is hurting people instead of helping them and tries to change things), so I don’t think it was as fresh and unique to me as it must have been when it first came out. I’m always a fan of books that are banned in schools, and I can see why this one bothered people. It’s well-written and interesting - definitely worth a read by anyone into YA fiction.

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Aug 25

Room by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The last scene saved this book from a 1-star review. It was sweet, touching, inspired, etc. The rest of the book? Ugh. The decision to write an entire novel in the voice of a 5-year-old was a huge mistake. I ended up skipping pages at a time to get to the point - Jack’s insipid narration of every task and item in the Room was irritating and tiresome. This could have worked as a short story, but as a novel it was just painful to wade through. Every once in awhile an interaction with a different character would pop up, and the potential of a dynamic story with engaging voices was there, but nothing was really delved into because we were stuck inside Jack’s head. This book was a complete disappointment.

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Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very charming book. Told from the point of view of a typical popular high school girl, it had an authentic-sounding voice and an interesting and sincere perspective. The character growth and development was believable and the characters were very well-rounded. I was immediately swept into the plot and read through it quickly. Very enjoyable.

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Aug 20

We know how to party in Oakland.

Aug 17

Wait until you see what beautiful art Keely & I made Monday night…

Aug 15

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was very difficult to read. The characters were unlikeable and their relationships and reactions seemed unbelievable. Eva (the narrator) was cold and distant throughout, both in her interactions and her word choice/writing style, to the point where it was hard to identify or sympathize with her. At the same time, she was living with a son who was (apparently) evil from the day he was born, and a husband who seemed willfully blind to any of his son’s issues, turning Eva into a ostracized matyr-like figure. All of Eva’s statements professing love for her husband seemed completely out of place, and there was no emotional basis for why anyone cared about anyone else. It wasn’t until the final chapter that I felt connected to the characters or had any emotional investment in them. It was interesting, to a point, and well-written, for the most part, but the emotional aspect wasn’t present enough to make it compelling beyond the sensationalist High School Shooting Rampage plot.

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I had my first running failure yesterday morning.  I chose a 12K race without looking at the topography, and arrived to a route that went straight up a mountain and then right back down.  Ran the first 1.5 miles, walked 0.5 miles, then sat down and cried on the side of the road for awhile.  My running buddy was kind enough to remind me that We Don’t Have To Finish and No One Will Judge Us For Doing What Feels Best, so we ran back down and claimed the 5K ribbon instead of the 12K.

While sniffling on the side of the road and bemoaning my unrealistic expectations for the day, I realized that my expectations were unrealistic both about what I could do in that race, and what role running plays in my life.  When I trained for my first Half, January-June, running was an exciting new adventure that made me feel great, built up some friendships, and was a satisfying, tangible sense of strength and confidence.  Now I’m training for my second Half in October, but I’ve turned running into The One Thing I Can Control When The Rest Of My Life Is On Hold.  Due to a bunch of things happening outside of running, my life currently feels like it’s not under my control - I’m depending on others in a lot of ways, leaving me to just sit around waiting for the things I want to happen.

Except for running - that’s something that I have total control over.  I’ve gone a little overboard with my strenuous training schedule and new speed work and quick mileage buildup.  I’ve gotten harder and harder on myself for any sign of weakness, getting stuck in a self-deprecating mental loop whenever I fail to hit my goal.  So I think I hit a wall yesterday and my body basically told me to back the fuck off with all the pressure and control.

So, I’m taking a break from the training.  I’m going to spend the rest of this month running because I LIKE it, and if I stop liking it, I’ll stop doing it.  Running isn’t supposed to be punishment.  I have a trail 10K this coming Saturday, and a road 10K next Saturday, and I’m going to run them for fun, without stressing about the time.

Running is fun!  Time to remember that again.