ML:BW

19
Aug

On terrible boyfriends, marriages that last and riding elephants

Last week, I somehow managed to catch my second cold in the last month and half. My yoga therapist says it isn’t surprising, with the air changing the way that it has been - a lot of people have been getting sick.

Please excuse the general shittiness of this photo.

That being said, yesterday just about the only place you could find me was in bed. I was reading the latest issue of Real Simple when I found the stat above. As you all know, I have a ridiculous commute that is conducive to me doing nothing but cooking and spending time with Jay when I get home from work. It is crazy to me that because of traffic, my commute is 45 minutes longer than the average commute.

I have to tell you, it’s worth it to me. I love living in the suburbs, near my family, in a place where I can sit on the porch in the morning with my coffee or tea, listening to the birds and looking out at the trees. Serenity, my friends, when the rest of my life is relatively high-stress and high-speed.

Yesterday I wrote about how I’ve been reading a lot. Here are four articles I’ve read that I thought you may enjoy:

How To Be A Terrible Boyfriend: Ryan O’Connell has a comical, albeit honest, way of describing the type of relationship we have all had at one time or another. Or maybe you’re still in it? “Crush their spirit slowly,” O’Connell writes. “Not all at once. Just subtly until you’ve been together long enough and can get away with all kinds of disgusting behavior.” If this piece isn’t enough for you, check out my post with 5 signs your band guy (or boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse) is a dirtbag.

Young People Expect Marriages To Last, Study Says: The recent Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults found that 84 percent of young people, single or married, between the ages of 18 and 29, expect to have a marriage that lasts a lifetime. Even though as much as 50 percent of marriages fail. “I think even though many young people have seen their parents divorce, and they’re all aware of the 50 percent divorce rate, they still go into it very determined to have a successful marriage, and very hopeful of reaching that soulmate ideal,” said Clark University research professor of psychology Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Last October I wrote a post responding to an article in which Susan Pease Gadoua explained why she believes marriage should be handled more like a business deal. As a student of Iris Krasnow and a believer in marriage, I rejected this notion. Perhaps the majority today’s youth sees marriage as a commitment, something you truly research (both the institution and your partner) before jumping in?  

Generation Read: Millennials Buy More Books Than Everybody Else: In this piece from Good Editor Liz Dwyer, we learn that the generation of people born between 1979 and 1989, known as millennials, buy more books than any other generation. Millennials, often characterized by being tech-obsessed, social media junkie, job jumping men and women (girls and boys?) are the ones who are doing the most reading and jumping on the ebook bandwagon. Take that, crotchety baby boomers!

And the week wouldn’t be complete without this Bitch Slap from Erica Napoletano on why she won’t ride your elephant and let you waste her time by taking her in circles while you try to figure your shit out.

Have you been riding an elephant?

18
Aug
If you’re not writing, you should be reading. I saw this on Jewish Story Writing (no, I’m not Jewish) and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. There is something about the close of summer, the onset of autumn, that makes us all a little more thoughtful. Autumn is, after all, the season in which everything dies, before going barren for the winter. I was reading a blog post from a woman I went to high school with this morning, and it as was if I could have written it myself. So many blog posts have been that way for me lately. No, I haven’t been writing. I’ve been reading as much as I can - be it blog posts or articles. I’ve been listening to a lot of Nora Roberts audio books. This evening I went to dinner with my parents. My stepmom asked me if I had any book recommendations. I told her she wouldn’t want to read anything I’ve been reading, because they’re mostly Nora Roberts trilogies. I have such fond and interesting memories of my first Nora Roberts novel, Public Secrets. My cousin and aunt were always reading Nora’s books and this was the first my cousin, Andie, recommended for me. I will never forget the day I was reading it on the blue line of the MBTA, when the main character was beaten until she could hear the sound of her rib cage crack - I fainted. I had never fainted before. I’m not sure that I had ever fainted again. But it was described in such detail that it really hit me. I fainted. I dropped my water bottle. I scared the poor gentleman sitting across from me. It was only a few seconds, but I will never forget it. I have been a true Nora fan since that novel. So I understand that her work isn’t necessarily going to make the literary canon, and that all of the plots are exactly the same, but I enjoy slipping into the worlds and characters she creates after a long, difficult day at the office. As I have a long, difficult drive home in an hour + of traffic. Alas, I do think I am going to try the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge. After I finish Nora’s Key Trilogy. What are you reading?

If you’re not writing, you should be reading.

I saw this on Jewish Story Writing (no, I’m not Jewish) and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

There is something about the close of summer, the onset of autumn, that makes us all a little more thoughtful. Autumn is, after all, the season in which everything dies, before going barren for the winter.

I was reading a blog post from a woman I went to high school with this morning, and it as was if I could have written it myself. So many blog posts have been that way for me lately.

No, I haven’t been writing. I’ve been reading as much as I can - be it blog posts or articles. I’ve been listening to a lot of Nora Roberts audio books.

This evening I went to dinner with my parents. My stepmom asked me if I had any book recommendations. I told her she wouldn’t want to read anything I’ve been reading, because they’re mostly Nora Roberts trilogies.

I have such fond and interesting memories of my first Nora Roberts novel, Public Secrets. My cousin and aunt were always reading Nora’s books and this was the first my cousin, Andie, recommended for me.

I will never forget the day I was reading it on the blue line of the MBTA, when the main character was beaten until she could hear the sound of her rib cage crack - I fainted. I had never fainted before. I’m not sure that I had ever fainted again. But it was described in such detail that it really hit me.

I fainted. I dropped my water bottle. I scared the poor gentleman sitting across from me.

It was only a few seconds, but I will never forget it. I have been a true Nora fan since that novel.

So I understand that her work isn’t necessarily going to make the literary canon, and that all of the plots are exactly the same, but I enjoy slipping into the worlds and characters she creates after a long, difficult day at the office. As I have a long, difficult drive home in an hour + of traffic.

Alas, I do think I am going to try the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge. After I finish Nora’s Key Trilogy.

What are you reading?

6
Jul
It turns out I like the 5th of July as much as the 4th. I went to Zen with my sisters, Lylah and Caroline, in the morning. We found a black dress for me to wear to dinner that night and they made bracelets. We checked out some of the shops, including Abacus, which is one of my all-time favorite stores. They have so many whimsical, unusual (and expensive) items. After, we grabbed lunch at the little store, H.B. Provisions and spent some time in the ocean. Last night I went out for a very fancy dinner with Dad, Sarah, our cousins Tucker and Richard, and my aunt, Ellen. The White Barn is a five-star dining experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Some of the dishes are in the photos above. My favorite was the duck with foie gras and a strawberry, all covered in some fabulous sauce. Three of us did a nine-course tasting, with wine pairings. We had so much fun and our waiter looked like Steve-o. Plus, we may be on TV as ABC filmed a portion of our dinner. Today is for sitting on the beach, reading my colleague Tina’s book and generally enjoying a leisurely vacation. Only 16 more days until that husband of mine returns from tour.

It turns out I like the 5th of July as much as the 4th.

I went to Zen with my sisters, Lylah and Caroline, in the morning. We found a black dress for me to wear to dinner that night and they made bracelets.

We checked out some of the shops, including Abacus, which is one of my all-time favorite stores. They have so many whimsical, unusual (and expensive) items. After, we grabbed lunch at the little store, H.B. Provisions and spent some time in the ocean.

Last night I went out for a very fancy dinner with Dad, Sarah, our cousins Tucker and Richard, and my aunt, Ellen.

The White Barn is a five-star dining experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Some of the dishes are in the photos above. My favorite was the duck with foie gras and a strawberry, all covered in some fabulous sauce. Three of us did a nine-course tasting, with wine pairings. We had so much fun and our waiter looked like Steve-o. Plus, we may be on TV as ABC filmed a portion of our dinner.

Today is for sitting on the beach, reading my colleague Tina’s book and generally enjoying a leisurely vacation.

Only 16 more days until that husband of mine returns from tour.