A Trip Around the Net

It's been some time since I have done a post on things that I am currently loving. 

I may have mentioned this lil slice of heaven before, but it's too good not to mention again. I go Here to get my home decorating/interior design fix on. I love this site! I find it very interesting to take a peek in others homes and see how others decide to decorate. Careful if you go on this site. It is quite addicting. 

Everyone that knows me, knows that I am an avid reader. Yes, as of late I have been reading a ton of smut, but I have a feeling that change is about to shift. It was so surprising to stumble across this Website. Not only can I read the books, I can wear the books as well....If you are ever in doubt about a gift for me...visit this site. Sylvia Plath all day! 

I also have fallen a bit in lust with tulle skirts.... seems random, but in due time, it will all make sense. 

Enjoy your week! 

Finished

So

I finished reading the Mary B. Morrison book that I talked about last week.

It was terrible.

There were about five different characters telling the story. Granted, I read part two of the series without reading part one. In all honesty, they can be read out of order, it seems, and the reader still be caught up.

The plot was very rushed. The characters were not developed enough, and sometimes, I felt, that Morrison was having personal issues when she wrote dialogue and the thought process for her characters. She would have them think one way, say what they think, then change the train of thought and words all in the next paragraph! Some would say that was done to create suspense or show inner and outer conflict in the plot, but I think the book was mashed together, and the inconsistency with the characters just proves it.

Morrison typically delivers in her novels, but this series is just awful. I mean, she writes good smutt. Perfect for you to escape in and get lost. But, most of time reading this novel, I was lost, literally. It felt like a waste of ink.

Once I got to the last page, I thought the worse was over.

It wasn’t. Part three is due out in April of this year.

Check back later this week, as I have since started reading another book. Jen Lancaster is the author, and if you have never heard of her she is funny as hell.

My Downward Dog is Off

My quest for flexibility is on.

Today I started back my first day of yoga.

It was a total failure. The DVD is 45 minutes long.

I stopped at about the 20 minute mark….and started to look at the poses sideways…and then doubt set in…

Will I ever be able to flex my legs like the girl in video?

Are my standards just a tad to high?

I.

Will.

Not.

Quit.

Currently Reading

This weeks choice in book is what I referred to before as my “smutt” reading.

My girl Mary B. Morrison never lets me down with some good old fashion smutt reading. Her book “I’d rather Be With You” is actually the second book to a series. I did not know that until I started reading it. There are a couple different characters in the book, and I’m assuming if I would have read the first one, I would not be as confused as I am right now.

I’m not that far in the book, and let’s be honest, this is not a world change read, but it’s fun, and I just needed a distraction this week.

I Will Try: Update

It wouldn't be fair to post a blog on things I am trying to change in my life, without sharing an update on how I'm doing with them.
If you can recall, I wrote a post titled " I will try". If not, please click here and catch up. 
One of the first things that I said I wanted to work on was my flexibility. Since that post I have done nothing to get closer to homegirl in the Beyonce' video.
That ended today.
I use to do yoga. Like, a lot. A really good friend of mines gave me a yoga DVD many, many years ago, and I swear by this one DVD.  Here is the link to purchase said DVD. I also went ahead and purchased one of those yoga mats as well. Swore I'd never buy one, but I tried it out today, and I see why people use them. Seeing as I have tile in my house, and I'm not wanting to bust my ass or hurt myself, I'm glad I just went ahead and purchased a mat. If you are in the market for a yoga mat, they run in range of $9.99 to $19.99. I could not find the exact mat that I purchased, and the one's I did find were ridiculously over priced. 
I plan on doing some yoga tomorrow, and I want to aim for at least twice a week, if not more. 
I am getting closer to being able to do this: 

Dear Lord,
Let me get my legs up that high...Amen...

I’m Done!

Warning: If you have not read “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, I suggest you stop reading this post right now, and maybe read my last two post about this book first.

What a read. Once I got into that novel, there was no putting it down. When I started it, I just knew the husband was off, and had committed murder against his wife. The way he kept lying to the police and his sister..you just knew he did it.

But then, the wife’s story started to unfold. We learn so much about this woman. Things like when her husband was still on step”A” in his thinking, she was already on step “E”. She took planning to a whole ‘nother level. She was very convincing. And along with convincing, she was conniving as well. I feel as though she really thought and felt the world was one big puppet show, and she could pull the strings as she saw fit.

After getting deeper into the story and learning more about the wife and her psyche, I actually went back in the book, and re-read parts from the husband. And I started to sympathize deeply for the husband. Even after knowing all that he had done, and everything that he had lied about.

I really do not want to spoil the book for those who have not read it. And I hope one of you will pick it up and read it. If you do, please comment back and let me know. Or email me.

I re-read the last couple of lines of this novel over and over…and I could not help but think, My God,kill her….

Currently Reading: Update

By the end of this week, or by the end of tomorrow, I will be done with “Gone Girl”, by Gillian Flynn. If you can recall my last post, I said that since the start of the novel, I feel that both the husband and wife are both responsible for the disappearance of the wife. That theory is still holding strong.

I said at the start of the novel, it took me awhile to get into it.

I am officially hooked, and if I did not have to sleep or pay attention to my child, or watch Law and Order, the novel would have been a memory at this point.

I know my audience is not that big, but the small set of friends that do read this lil space on the net are women. And most of them read very different things then me. Bios, Self-healing books, Erotica (don’t we all?)….

But this novel, this lil thick lil book right here….speaks our universal code as women: As in: Don’t ‘eff with a women scorned.

And if my post is not enough to get you to read this book of wonder, it stayed on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 69 weeks…

Go get this damn book already, ladies…and gents as well.

A Trip Around the Net

In typical fashion, I would be doing a weekend wrap-up, but old habits die hard, and it was tedious writing about my weekends especially if I did not get out of my sweats, unless it was to shower and put on another pair...don't judge. I did, however watch an insane amount of television, am reading an incredible book, and surfed the net. Here is just a taste.

I re-discovered this ladies Blog. Some of her post and fashion choices feel like my own. Of course there are differences between the two of us (she a red head, me a dread head =)) But, I kinda likes what I see. Give it a read. 

I watched a shit ton of This this weekend. Third either leaves the room or goes to sleep at the sound of the gavel, but I discovered that my On-demand worked again this weekend....there are dents in my sofa.

I visited my second home. They are having some great dollar sales this week. 

That's about it. I mean, it can not get more boring than that. It can actually...

Currently Reading

 

I received some feedback on my post on reading. Please keep the comments coming. I love to know what my viewers are reading about. I also have a tab at the top of my blog page titled: Loving these books. These are past reads and novels that I may even cover in my classroom with my students.

This particular segment that I want to try and incorporate periodically talks about what I am currently reading, and maybe some opinions I have on the book.

As always, I hope that if you have read something that I am talking about or have suggestions, please leave me a comment or shoot me an email (mxdupfiles81@gmail.com).

Currently, I am reading “Gone Girl”. How late am I? This book has been on the best sellers list for some time, and it also keeps popping up in my feed on my NOOK. The last straw came through a recommendation from an acquaintance. She takes classes full time, has a family to run, and kids that participate in after school activities. She ignored her family for a few days to read this book. Sold!

I am not that far into the book. I just started it, and I am not going to lie, it took me a few pages to get into it. The story is being told from both a husband and wife. The husband is telling his side of the story in present tense, and the wife’s story is being revealed through journal entries that were discovered. The basis of the story is that the wife is missing, and a very likely suspect is the husband.

Based on what I have read so far, and it has not been that much, I currently blame both spouses for the wife’s disappearance. I don’t even know how that is possible, but it’s how I feel.

Someone, read it with me. Tell me if you feel the same.

I’ll let you know if I still feel the same after I am done.

Lines,Waiting, and a Birth Certificate

 

Do you have a passport?

I am sure most of the free world in this day in age have a passport. I, on the other hand, just filed for one.

Let me backtrack.

I have a trip that is coming up in the near future, and I need a passport. The plan was to file for one back in November, but being that life gets in the way, I put it to the back burner, thus me filing for one a day ago. Now, I am one to do research before I do anything. I mean, knowledge is power! Yeah, I went there. Needless to say, that I asked people who recently received passports what I needed to do, and what I needed to take with me to get the passport. I also looked it up online numerous times. I was ready. I got this.

No I didn’t . I didn’t have shit.

I had the application all filled out. I had just tore my room up looking for my birth certificate ( keep that sentence in your mind) and my license was in my wallet. To the courthouse I go.

Once I get there, and figure out parking, go through security and then get lost trying to figure out what room I need to be in, I enter the office where magic happens. If you don’t get sarcasm, now would be a good time for you to stop reading this post. ‘Cause I’m up to my furry eyebrows in sarcasm at this point.  I step up to the counter and it goes something like this:

Lady: “Hi, what do you need today?”

Me: A passport.

Lady: “ Do you have paperwork?”

Me: “ I have the application if that is what you are referring to, and I…”

Lady: “ Do you have a birth certificate?”  ( Yup, that bitch cut me off..)

Me:  “Yes” ( I hand it to her)

Lady: “This is not a valid birth certificate”

Me: (Insert the cricket-cricket look)

Now I need to pause this story to give a bit of background on birth certificates in the state of Florida. If you were born during a certain time, your birth certificate may resemble a ID card. It’s small in size, has your full name on it, your birth date on it, the state ID number, the day paperwork was filled on you, and the day they issued your parents that card. Folks, it is the only card that most of my friends have. I have used this card since forever. In fact, I used this same card, when I filed information for my son when he was born. So for this bitch to tell me that this was not a valid birth certificate had me completely thrown.

We went back and forth as to why this what not a valid birth certificate and then I was told that I would have to obtain my original birth certificate, with a raised seal, and both my parents name on it. To the Vital Statistics office I go!

Do you know how many people were trying to get their birth certificate? More importantly, it was mid-day, like 2:00pm…why were you not at work?? There was a women there who found out that the day she has been celebrating for the past 60 years is not her birthday…yeah…she also found out that the man who she thought was her dad did not sign her original birth certificate….let it marinate now, cause this shit gets better. Her sister, who came with her, could not obtain her birth certificate because something was wrong or off about her original name on her birth certificate…Maury was needed ya’ll! I hadn’t been serviced yet, and I was getting to hear all of this, and wait! This shizz gets better than the two sisters. Before my turn, there was one more girl in front of me. I do not know how it even came up, but the girl states very loudly to the woman behind the glass: “ He refuses to sign the birth certificate, he says this is not his baby, so he wont sign it.”

Yeah

Yeah

I got my birth certificate.

I go back to the court house and the same uninterested, misinformed, non-validating woman is at the window.

Lady: “Your back!” “Do you still need a passport?”

I swear it, on everything I own, that is what she ASKED me.

Once I’m called, after a nice long wait, the person that took my new found birth certificate and other documents that proved I was me, looked at my passport picture and said “ This looks nothing like you”….

Huh?

I asked him what did he mean by that. He said if he were me, he would have asked them to take another picture.

This all took place on the same day. And no, I can’t make this shit up.

I told him I really did not care about his opinion on my picture, the lack of smile I had or the fact that all my hair was up so you really can’t tell if I am a boy or not. All I care about is filing the fucking paperwork and getting on with what was left of my day.

Yes, I really did say all of that. But come on, at this point they were asking for it.

It was a shitty day. In fact, at a certain part of the day ( when I had to go and prove I was actually born to humans) I wanted to just sit down and cry. Just have a big wallow in the fact that nothing was going as planned.

But then I went and picked up my son. He told me he had a surprise for me when we came home. I begged him not to show me something gross or tell me anything bad. He didn’t. It was much better than I expected.

He learned to tie his shoes in camp that day. And proceeded to show me multiple times with different pairs of shoes.

Because of that little display, I felt no need to drink that night. 

Whatcha’ Reading?

 

I am an avid reader. I will read almost anything, but my favorite thing to read is what others would call “smut”. Let that sink in good for a minute. I am that women who read “50 Shades of Gray” and really enjoyed the book and myself. Take that how you like it.

I also like what some call “ chic lit” as well. I love Jennifer Weiner books, and I tend to collect her actual books as well as order them on my e-reader.

The scope of my reading is quite wide, and I’m  always curious to know what others are reading as well. I love suggestions and please feel free to email any suggestions that you have loved as well. Smut and all.

You can reach me in the comment section of the blog or email me at: Mxdupfiles81@gmail.com

I Will Try…

With all the hype that surrounds today, I kind of feel like blah…not to say that this was not an amazing year. I could not have asked for a better turnout. Buying a house was the biggest accomplishment to date. I never really talked about the whole process, but I do plan on talking about purchasing a home more this year. There is so much to know, and I will say that if purchasing a home is in your near future, please make sure that you have some sort of understanding with your broker. Again, I will talk more about this throughout the year.

I am sure there are a lot of bloggers right now composing drafts on what their New Years resolutions are going to be. I can honestly say, that New Years resolutions are a bunch of bullshit. Not to say people do not follow their New Years Resolution, because there are a lot of people that do. I commend you on that. I, on the other hand, do not follow a damn thing. Day two, and I’m like, “what diet?” I believe in moderation(Hi M!), so as long as I have that on my side, then I’m good.

There are areas in my life that I want to work on. So instead of saying “Hello all, here are my resolutions that I plan to break” I offer up my “ I will try” list.

1. I watched an old Beyonce’ video last night. Yes, I saw some of the new ones, and after I picked my jaw off the floor, I started watching a concert that she did, and in this concert she had some ballet dancers. The girl dancer did a move that had me rewinding over and over again. It involved her leg being raised quite high behind her, and her torso outstretched towards the male dancer…..I got to thinking…I may not be able to get my leg that far up in the air, but I will damn sure try to be more flexible this year. Yup. You are reading that right. I would love for my body to be more flexible. How I plan to to do this…Who knows…but I will be trying.

2. I will try to write more. Not just on this blog, but my personal writing. My journaling, my story writing, my poems, all of the above. I notice when I physically write more, I am more willing to blog as well. I know I sing this same song all of the time, but let me say this: Blogging is hard work. No matter what I say about not giving a care of what others say about my words, the truth of the matter is this small space that I try to create is very intimidating. There is always someone wanting to cut you down. I think once I wrap my head around really and truly not caring, I will be set. I will try.

3. As I have gotten older, my patience tends to get the best of me. With my students, with my family, and with life. With the loss of patience comes the loss of listening and understanding. I will try to work on both. BIG TRY.

That’s about it for me. Sweet and to the point.

Please feel free to email me any comments or thoughts that you may have on the blog. I am always open to suggestions.  Mxdupfiles81@gmail.com