Book Review: Dreamhouse Kings #1 : House of Dark Shadows

Title: House of Dark Shadows
Author: Robert Liparulo
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Category: Young adult, suspense

My Rating:****

House of Dark Shadows is Robert Liparulo's first young adult title and the first in a series called Dreamhouse Kings. I was pleasantly surprised with his debut and am looking forward to reading Book 2.

The story follows fifteen year old Xander King and his family as they move from Pasadena to Pinedale, Ca. At first, Xander and his brother David are upset about leaving the big city and all their friends to move to a small town in the middle of nowhere, but the house that the Kings decide to buy quickly entrances the two boys with its mysteries. The shadowy figure of a large man who appears out of nowhere, tricks of sound, and secret passageways make this just creepy and scary enough to be interesting without being too much for a young adult audience. At first I thought it was too fantastical, but Liparulo was eventually able to bring me to a place where my disbelief could be suspended. The book is heavy on movie and television references, which bothered me at first, but it really suits the main character, so I got over it.

I thought House of Dark Shadows was gripping, a page-turner, unexpectedly frightening at times and a great story.

Thankful

25 things I am thankful for this year:

• a faith that is sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see
• my salvation that I know I do not deserve
• a fiance who supports me and encourages me
  
• my family who have always been there for me
  
• loving and uplifting relationships with my friends
• a full-time job
• the education I'm receiving at NYU
• books
• freedom
• God's creation
• the people in my fellowship group
• Apple products
• Google
• Redeemer Presbyterian Church and Tim Keller
• the chance to live in New York and my awesome house
• great roommates
• the Tahoe
  
• the Internet
  
• triangle eared dogs
  
• delicious creamers that make my coffee tasty
  
• cell phones
  
• the colors of fall
  
• piano lessons at home
  
• great deals at Ikea
  
• Netflix
  

Book Review: The Faith of Barack Obama

Title: The Faith of Barack Obama
Author: Stephen Mansfield
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Category: Non-fiction

My Rating:***
There is no shortage of information out there about president-elect Obama, but I really appreciated Stephen Mansfield's fairly objective pre-election portrayal of our 44th president and his faith. Mansfield provides well-reserached details about Obama's life, family background and encounters with different religions, and he describes to the best of his ability what it is Obama believes and has faith in. The fact is, we all have faith in something, and Mansfield makes it pretty clear that Obama does believe in God and Jesus, and to him that means carrying out Jesus' mission to help the poor and needy and to fight social injustice. Mansfield tackles the controversial issues of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's influence on Obama as his pastor of many years and Obama's voting record and stance on abortion rights. He tries to highlight both sides of the arguments and provides a foundation of facts for the reader to make up his or her mind. One of my favorite chapters profiled the "four faces of faith in politics:" Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. Though Mansfield tries to stay objective about Obama's faith, he does make the point that the political landscape in regards to faith and religion is changing, including the emergence and growth of the Religious Left.

Halloween and Sweeney Todd

On Thursday before Halloween, there was a costume party at work. Dustin went as Indiana Jones, and I went as Snow White the Avenger. Neither of us won an award, but we had fun all the same.


This Halloween, I stayed home with roommates, passed out candy to the very few trick-or-treaters who came by (w00t for leftover candy!), watched Sweeney Todd and made chocolate ghost lollipops. We still have leftover ghosts, which is fine by me as they make great after school treats :-) Also, I have since been listening to the Sweeney Todd soundtrack practically non-stop at work, at home, on runs. I only bought a few songs from iTunes, so I listen to the whole thing on imeem whenever I'm online. I wonder which will come first: will I eventually learn all the words or get sick of it?

Smelly knowledge

Two things:
1. Admire the irony that I am posting this quote on a blog
2. Forgive me for indulging in watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I was watching an episode from season one of Buffy, "I, Robot... You, Jane," and I really liked this conversation about books vs. computers. Jenny Calendar is the computer teacher, and Rupert Giles is the librarian.

Jenny Calendar: Honestly, what is it about them that bothers you so much?
Giles: The smell.
Jenny Calendar: Computers don't smell, Rupert.
Giles: I know. Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower, or a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell musty and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer is a - it, uh, it has no texture, no context. It's-it's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um, smelly.

Philip the Emperor Penguin

Today, I arrived at my desk to find a large box in my chair. In the box was a large stuffed penguin! One of my customers orders bulk quantities of Our Iceberg is Melting for his business, and they apparently have lots of these penguins for promotion, so he sent me one :-)

Naturally, I named him right away- Philip (as it was the only decent name of an emperor that starts with a P that I could find). I showed Philip around the office, introduced him to co-workers, and made him feel at home. He got right to work...

Philip meets Cathy

Philip sends a fax

Philip answers the phone

Philip tries out the office chair

Philip sends an email

Philip checks out the free book piles

Philip contemplates his day at the office.
It was a good one!

work buddy AKA D-man AKA Ross AKA Papa Bear

so, it is thanks to Dustin that I have a job. He was hired at Macmillan in June. When he heard there was another opening, he offered to give them my résumé. Voilà! I now sit this close to him (see above) Monday-Friday from 9-5. Did I mention we also live in the same house and are both in the NYU Publishing program? Fortunately, we only have one class together this semester, which provides him some respite from my exuberance.

On a side note, election day is just eight days away, and I hope you are all voting. I actually registered in New York, and though I don't think my vote counts as much here or in Arizona as it would if I lived in Ohio or Virginia or some other close call state, I'm still excited to take part in another historical election :-) BTW, if McCain doesn't win, and Sarah Palin decides to make a major career switch, there are several producers ready to make her an offer. Just imagine: The Sarah Palin Show or The Palins. Oh my!

Weekends Away

Two weeks ago, three of my roommates (Dustin, Laura & Sharn) and I drove up to Connecticut. Dustin's girlfriend, Alden, goes to Yale, and her parents live in Madison, CT. We stayed with them in the house above. It was wonderful getting out of the city, and Connecticut is so beautiful, especially this time of year.

Alden's backyard has a creek running through it.

Alden took us to meet the horse she rides- Sienna. We fed her an apple, but we didn't get to ride her. She is a gorgeous horse!

Not only does Connecticut have adorable little towns, rolling green hills covered with trees, apple orchards and pumpkin patches, they even have beaches!

Then, this past weekend, two of my roommates (Celia and Dustin) and I drove down to Virginia (I'm sorry I don't have pictures). They are both from the state, so we stayed one night at each of their families' homes. We left Friday night after class and got to Celia's house a little before 1am. On Saturday, we explored Celia's old stomping ground, and her dad took us to lunch and Borders. Then we drove down to Charlottesville and toured around Dustin's alma mater- the University of Virginia (UVA). Saturday night we stayed at Dustin's. His parents own a small farmhouse on about six acres in Winchester, and they have two dogs, five cats and two horses. I really miss having pets, and I can't wait until Mike and I get a dog (or two or three). On Sunday, I got to ride a horse! I rode Missy while Dustin's mom rode Sarah. On our way back to the barn, Missy started running, which I was fine with until I saw the tree. Missy had clearance, but I ran right into the branches and got scraped up. I think I scared Dustin's dad more than anything. It was quite the adventure, and I would love to go back there every month if I could.

Interesting

If the world could vote...

LOL cats

more animals

I've seen this site before, but I've been frequenting it recently when I need a good laugh or I have a boring minute at work. They have a book that just came out as well: I Can Has Cheezburger?

Additionally, and just as hilarious, someone has created a lolcat translation of the Bible. Here is just a small excerpt from Genesis 1:

Boreded Ceiling Cat makinkgz Urf n stuffs

1 Oh hai. In teh beginnin Ceiling Cat maded teh skiez An da Urfs, but he did not eated dem.

2 Da Urfs no had shapez An haded dark face, An Ceiling Cat rode invisible bike over teh waterz.

3 At start, no has lyte. An Ceiling Cat sayz, i can haz lite? An lite wuz.4 An Ceiling Cat sawed teh lite, to seez stuffs, An splitted teh lite from dark but taht wuz ok cuz kittehs can see in teh dark An not tripz over nethin.5 An Ceiling Cat sayed light Day An dark no Day. It were FURST!!!1

Somewhat related, there is a translation of the Bible called Da Jesus Book which is written in Hawai'i Pidgin. I believe it was a guest speaker (Steve Saint) at Christ Church of the Valley whom I first heard read from it.

"Where I Work" or "The Flatiron Building"

"For more than a century, New York City's famous Flatiron Building has occupied a piece of curiously-sized real estate at 175 Fifth Avenue, sitting on a small triangular island at 23rd St. and Broadway, facing Madison Square. Macmillan is currently in the process of renovating some of the Flatiron’s floors in the process of taking over the entire building. The Flatiron’s interior is known for having its strangely-shaped offices with walls that cut through at an angle on their way to the skyscraper’s famous point. These “point” offices are the most coveted and feature amazing northern views that look directly upon another famous Manhattan landmark, the Empire State Building." - http://us.macmillan.com/splash/about/index.html

I am a Sales Assistant at Macmillan. I work in corporate and premium sales in the special markets department, which means I handle customer service and process orders for groups like NPR and PBS among others. I also handle certain author events, which is cool. As my roommate puts it, working in the Flatiron Building is "kind of a big deal." It's funny seeing tourists try to get in past the security. They don't always realize that it's not like the Empire State Building; there is no observation deck, and tourists aren't allowed in. We don't have a nice cafeteria like Random House has, and our elevators are slow, but I love the view out my window and the park across the street.


photo courtesy of eikongraphia, modified by me ;-)Flatiron building around the time it was built, courtesy of allposters.com.

Dustin (my roommate who works at Macmillan with me) and I eat lunch out here on nice days. The city just recently put all these tables and seating areas along Broadway. We benefit from this as one side of the FIB is on Broadway. Check out the awesome view of the Empire State Building.


The view standing on Broadway

The Green Stones

As the town gathered together along the banks of the river, the people could sense the excitement in the air. They thought they had finally solved the mystery of the "special" girl, and today they would test that theory.

She had lived among them for almost twenty years. They found her as a baby the day the green stones fell from the sky. No one knew what the strange stones were or where they came from.

One spring afternoon, almost twenty years ago, hundreds of these beautiful acorn size stones that glimmered like polished emeralds rained down near the river that ran through the middle of the small town. One solitary stone among the thousands that fell that day landed in the soft ground on the banks of the water. The rest ended up at the bottom of the river.

It was not until recently that that town discovered the strange abilities of the "special" girl and began investigating. Their investigation brought them back to that one stone that fell on the ground. "Is it possible," they asked, "that this girl was born from that stone?"

"But what about the thousands of others? No one came from any other stones that fell that day," they argued.

It was decided that they would put their theory to the test. The town Councilman gathered all the people along the banks of the river. It was not a deep river, and all the people were to wade in and pick up a stone. At the same moment, they were all going to throw their stones in the air and let them fall on the ground. Perhaps the water had something to do with it. The "special" girl, after all, had come from the one stone that did not fall in the water. What would happen to these stones if they fell on dry ground?

Little did the Councilman and townspeople know that all the years the stones spent at the bottom of the river had changed them; they were no longer the same stones that fell from the sky. With the Councilman leading, everyone grabbed their stones and raised their arms high into the air to throw them. As the Councilman was grabbing his stone from the river bottom, a new green stone was falling from the sky. Then, as the Councilman threw his arm up into the air and released his stone, the new one collided with his arm. Watching his stone fall onto the soft brown earth, he had no idea that he just knocked the last remaining hope for the town into the river behind him.

**This was what I dreamed last night. I have very strange dreams sometimes**

Book Review: Crossbearer

Title: Crossbearer
Author: Joe Eszterhas
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (September 2008)
Category: Memoir

My rating: ***
Crossbearer is another Macmillan book, and it was just published last month. It is a memoir by Joe Eszterhas, a Hollywood screenwriter, whose films include Jagged Edge, Showgirls and Basic Instinct. After a lifetime of smoking and drinking, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. His doctors told him if he smoked one more cigarette or had one more drink, he would die. A month after surgery, he was walking through his small Ohio neighborhood in an attempt to deal with the intense cravings, and when he thought he couldn't take it anymore he sat down on the curb and cried out to God to help him. This memoir of faith describes his transformation from Hollywood bad boy to crossbearing follower of Jesus.

I really enjoyed Eszterhas candidness about life in Hollywood and how his former colleagues viewed his new faith. It was impressive to read about how many times God saved his life even though Eszterhas didn't see it that way at the time. It's hard to understand how people don't believe in the power of God when they hear stories like this. I hope the book does well and that his story inspires others.

There's an interview on NPR with the author, if you're interested.

BTW: This whole book review addition to my blog has come about because of a challenge. I really enjoy competition, and my friend Dustin told me about a book blogger who read 8 books from 8 genres in '08. I thought it would be fun to do a similar challenge: 9 books from 9 genres before the end of '09. I'm getting a head start because that's 17 more books than the '08 challenge. To keep track of what I read, I'm including it in my blog. I'm a bit behind on the blogging part, but I'll catch up.

Book Review: I Am Legend

Title: I Am Legend
Author: Richard Matheson
Publisher: Tor Books (October 2007, copyright 1995)
Category: Fiction, Short Story, Horror

My rating: ***
I’m a sucker for books that become movies. Even though I heard that I Am Legend the movie wasn’t that great, I had heard that the book was pretty good. Well, this was another one I found for free at work, so I though why not?

The story is actually pretty good. I watched the movie afterwards, and it’s a good thing I was prepared because the two are almost completely different. The similarity is that a disease has wiped out all of mankind except for a man named Robert Neville. Everything else about the character and how he deals with being the last man on earth (Southern CA in the book, NYC in the movie) is different. I liked the character development in the book and the twist to the end. The movie wasn’t bad though, and I can’t say it would have made an interesting film if they had stuck more to the original because so much goes on beneath the surface, in Neville’s mind, that just doesn’t translate well to the big screen.

Also, the book is more of a lengthy short story than a full novel. If you’re interested, go for it. If not, don’t bother.

Book Review: Meet the Austins

Title: Meet the Austins
Author: Madeleine L’Engle
Publisher: Square Fish (September 2008, copyright 1960)
Category: Fiction, Young Adult

My rating: *****
My favorite book when I was young was Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’ Engle. That and A Wrinkle in Time remain in my top all time favorite books, so when I started working at Macmillan and saw that we publish the Meet the Austins series in which Ring of Endless Light is the 4^th, I got really excited and picked up all the free copies I could find. I’m still searching for The Young Unicorns.

In Meet the Austins, the reader is introduced to a wonderful family with four kids, two dogs and numerous cats. Vicky Austin, the narrator, is the second oldest, and her innocent, child-like yet reflective and introspective voice give the book a sense of something deeper, beyond the simple happy family picture that is painted. The family love and dynamic is wonderful though, and personally, I wouldn’t mind if my family turns out just like them.

I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t read the other books in many years, but this one seems well-suited for even younger readers than Wrinkle or Ring. I loved it though :-)

Human Race

I finished my first 10K. On Sunday, I took part in the Nike+ Human Race. According to them, I finished the race in 1 hour 14 minutes. Unfortunately, whoever planned the route had us go over a bridge about halfway through the race that was too small for the large crowd of people to cross. They tried to make room for the finishers to get through first while they gave those of us on our first lap a tiny path to file through. It brought the runners to a stand still and then a slow crawl as we made our way across the bridge. My guess is that it added 3-5 extra minutes to most people's times, which threw off New York's average finishing time compared to the rest of the world. I finished 170,909 in the world, out of 500,000+, and my roommate Mark who ran with me finished 1,415! A fun fact: Matthew Mcconaughey finished 6,826 with a time of 43'41.

New York City? - Outdoor Adventures

Since I started my new job, I've been able to really enjoy weekends. Last Saturday, two of my housemates and I went to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. We had a quick stop first to drop off an old cable box and found a birdwatching nature trail nearby.

Dustin and I try to find some birds from this great vantage point.

Also on our way to the nature refuge we saw this amazing Starbucks. It has two floors with outdoor patios on both, a fireplace inside, and it overlooks a Venice-like canal. Amazing!

Once we got to the nature refuge, we were in awe of the beauty. We were still in the New York City limits, yet everywhere we looked we saw all kinds of plant life, birds and water.

Oh wait, there's Manhattan in the distance....

It was a great day trip. We even had dinner at an Olive Garden and didn't have to wait two hours (since it wasn't in Times Square). Yay for weekends!!!

Random Fun Fact #5

In my home state of Arizona, first cousins can get married if they are both over 65 years of age, or if they provide the state with proof that one of them is unable to reproduce.

*http://phoenix.about.com/cs/weddings/ht/marriagelicense.htm

Pink eye

I haven't had pink eye since elementary school, so isn't it fitting that I would get it on my 5th day at my new job. I woke up Wednesday morning with a swollen and goopey eye. I figured it was pink eye because it felt like what I remembered and one of my roommates had it last week. Indeed my eye did look pink in the mirror. I used some of my roommate's eye drops and went to work anyway. I didn't want to look bad by calling out sick so soon, especially since I felt fine. One of my co-workers, however, asked about my glasses since I usually wear contacts. I admitted that I thought I had pink eye, and she backed away like I had the plague and said, "That's highly contagious. I could get it just looking at you!" So she told my boss who told me to go to the doctors and not come back :-) What a way to start your first week!

The doctor gave me a prescription and said I could go to work the next day, which I did and stayed busy with everything that piled up while I was away. I'm looking forward to finishing with the drops so I can start wearing my contacts again. I feel ridiculous in these glasses because I bought them just for before bed and picked out the cheapest pair. The experience has inspired me to really get a move on buying new ones. I've been meaning too for a long time anyway.

Random Fun Fact #4

When a jockey is sure his horse is about to cross the finish line first, he may lower his hands and let up on the reins to win hands down.

-American Museum of Natural History, Horse exhibit

Book Review: Stiff

Title: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Author: Mary Roach
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (May 2004)

My rating: ****
I picked up this book based on the recommendation from a friend. It was surprisingly funny and very informative. Roach, who is a columnist for Salon and Reader's Digest, provides interesting details about what happens to human cadavers from burials to ballistics testing. I often found myself laughing out loud at Roach's wit and unique point of view; I was also struck at the way she tempers gory details with both humor and respect. She shows reverence for human life and death while sharing fascinating and well researched facts. I highly recommend this book, unless you have a weak stomach :-)

Random Fun Fact #3

Before the use of cadavers in car crash testing, researchers used pigs because of their similar organ setup to humans. Animals are still used for pediatric impact study because child cadavers are not donated to science.*

*Stiff by Mary Roach

Random Fun Fact #2

If the population density of New York was the same as Alaska, only 25 people would live in Manhattan.

Answers

1) Brooklyn, NY (will also accept New York City as an answer)

2) Leah, Tracey, Krista, Celia, Laura (I have other friends that I would accept as possible answers, but these are the closest)

3) Macmillan and Gap (or Mesa Public Schools)

4) No

5) Michael or Mike
Bonus: Arizona State University or Campus Crusade, Fall 2002

6) Mom and Dad are both living in Scottsdale, AZ

7) Reading, running, watching movies, scrapbooking, painting pottery

8) 27

9) Arizona State University

10) Shawn
Bonus question: Shawn and Parker, both because we mutually realized the other person wasn't "the one"

Random Fun Fact #1

When a person chooses to donate their body when they die, there are many uses for it. Interestingly, "donated skin that isn't used for, say, grafting onto burn victims may be processed and used cosmetically to plump up wrinkles and aggrandize penises."* Not exactly what I had in mind when thinking about donating my body to science ;)

* Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

I'm getting married! Are you invited?

As my fiance and I prepare and plan for our wedding next year (May 23, 2009), we're trying to keep it as fun as possible. He recently sent me a link to this CNN article: "Should you be invited to my wedding?" I thought it was pretty funny. Though I would never base our guest list on a serious inventory of people's answers, I wanted anyone out there who is interested in giving the quiz a try just for fun a chance to take it. I will post the answers in the next blog so you can see how you do.

1) Name the city I'm living in now.

2) Name at least two of my closest friends.

3) Name my current employer and my past employer.

4) Do I have any kids?

5) Do you know the name of my fiancé? Bonus question: Where and when did we meet?

6) Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive?

7) Name at least two of my hobbies.

8) How old am I?

9) Where did I go to college?

10) Name my last boyfriend before this engagement. Bonus question: if you can name the last two and why we broke up. If you get the bonus question right, that might automatically get you in.

Scoring helps determine whether you get invited.

If you score 50 percent or below, you definitely are not getting invited.

If you score barely over 50 percent, you are on the waiting list. If someone who scored better than you cannot attend, you might get an invitation. This barely acceptable person who might be invited may get you a great gift because of their guilt for scoring so low.

If you score over 60 percent, you get an invitation.

Danger at work

This summer I've been working part time at Gap Body. For the most part, I enjoy it. At least it pays the rent, and every once in a while it affords me a decent work story to share with my roommates. Last week something happened that I thought not only makes a good story for the roomies, it would also be an entertaining blog post. As you can see in the picture, this is the cash wrap or register area of my store. Note the three lights hanging above the counter.I'm usually the only person working here, so I put back clothes that people try on, replenish with new merchandise, keep the store clean and organized, and occasionally ring customers up. Gap Body (bras, underwear, and lounge) connects to Women (jeans, pants, blouses, etc.), and that side of the store does more business so more people work that side, and that's where the managers usually are. So, last week I was ringing up a customer when we suddenly heard a loud popping sound. Being easily startled, I screamed slightly at the noise. Then we looked up at the light above us, which is where the noise came from. It was sparking and popping. Suddenly, a blue flame appeared and engulfed the light shade. When the flame stopped, there was a slight pause and then the light bulb fell from the socket and shattered on the counter top. I looked at the customer I was helping to make sure she was alright (she was), and then grabbed my radio. In a shaky voice, I said, "Manager to Body, manager to Body." I think they had heard my scream anyway, and then they could smell something burning, so a manager came over right away. I finished with the customer and cleaned up the glass while he took the other light bulbs out as a precaution. We still don't know what exactly caused the sudden light explosion, but it was the most exciting thing to happen that day, perhaps that week :-) I still like standing under the lights though because as I stand there and fold things, I stare at my ring and how it sparkles as it reflects the light. They've put in lower wattage bulbs in an effort to keep it from happening again; I should be safe.

Do it!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you!

The Big Proposal

The long awaited event has finally occurred! Michael, my boyfriend of four and a half years, proposed to me on Friday night, July 18, 2008. He's spending the summer in Columbus, OH for his internship with Nationwide, so I flew in to visit for the weekend. He picked me up from the airport, and we went straight to Handke's for dinner. I knew we were going, so I dressed appropriately.
Michael told me it was a really nice restaurant run by one of the Certified Master Chefs in the world. Also, they have a creme brulee that has been voted best in the country. (Creme Brulee is one of our favorite desserts :-) It was a wonderful dinner. We started with lobster bisque and a cold potato and leek soup. Michael ordered "Duck Three Ways, 'Bocuse D’or' Sautéed Duck Breast, Confit of Duck Leg & Duck Sausage, Sauerkraut, & Chive Potato Mousseline," and I got one of the specials- Chilean Sea Bass with mushrooms, snow peas, baby carrots, and rice pilaf. For dessert we ordered the Dessert Symphony, which included samples of Brown Sugar Crème Brûlée with Seasonal Berries, Dark Chocolate Terrine, Raspberry & Passion Fruit Sauce, New York Style Cheesecake, Marinated Seasonal Berries in Almond Lace Cookie Basket, Sauce Anglaise, and Apple Strudel with Cinnamon Ice Cream. So yummy!!

When we arrived back at Michael's apartment, he told me the place was really messy and I should wait outside while he cleaned up a bit. I thought this was kind of weird because he has never cared too much about his mess in front of me and the housekeeping person comes every two weeks so it couldn't be that bad. I slightly suspected something, but because I have slightly suspected something several times before, I figured I was wrong again. When he let me in, he led me in to a room that could be a den but is unfurnished. He had set it up with a sheet on the floor and tea lights and roses bordering it. There was a chair in the center with cushions in front. He led me to the chair and knelt down on one knee on the cushion. Gavin DeGraw's "We Belong Together" was playing in the background. Michael had made a whole play list for the event that included "Your Song," "Collide," "The Luckiest," "Still," "I'll Be," "Back at One," "More Than Words," "More Than Anyone," "Better Together," "All for You," and "Sea Breeze."
I'm sure that Michael said something wonderful, but it's all a bit of a blur. It definitely included how much he loves me, how great he thinks we are together, and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. He pulled out a ring that I think is beautiful and just what I wanted. And of course, I said yes :-)

After I accepted, I knelt down on the other cushion, and Michael prayed over us for our relationship and our future together. I started to cry just a little. Finally, we sat down and watched a short slide show he had made featuring pictures of us over the last several years. It was amazing, and I still kind of can't believe we're finally engaged. I keep looking down at the ring on my finger to admire it, and we're having fun calling each other fiancé and fiancée or future wife and future husband. I even threw in a Mr. Amber and Mrs. Michael for good measure (a Friends reference for those of you not as obsessed as the rest :-).
I'm excited to start the planning process. We'll probably set up a wedding website soon through something like theknot.com, so I'll keep you updated. Thanks to everyone who has already wished us congratulations.

4th of July weekend

For the 4th of July weekend, Michael flew in for a visit. His brother Willie and Willie's girlfriend Stefany drove to New York from Kansas City to spend the weekend with us as well. We did all kinds of touristy stuff since Willie and Stefany had never been to the city before. We went to Times Square, Central Park, FAO Schwarz, Rockefeller Center, 5th Ave., Carnegie Deli, Chinatown, Little Italy, the Brooklyn Promenade, and the Village.

We also took a harbor cruise around lower Manhattan that featured a close-up of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

I was concerned about where to watch the fireworks because I heard some of the prime spots start filling up in the afternoon, even though the fireworks don't start until after 9pm. After going to watch the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest the morning of the 4th at Coney Island (it was a tie between Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi, and Joey won in a tie-breaking eat off), we went back to my house and enjoyed a BBQ with my roommates and some other friends. In the end, we decided it would be easier to try to find a spot on the Brooklyn side of the East River. We walked from my house straight towards the river, and in about 20 minutes we found a great park with plenty of room for us to spread out some blankets. The best part was that we directly in front of the first of the three Macy's barges from which they set off the fireworks. We still had a couple hours to wait, but I was stoked that we had such a great spot and we didn't have to show up crazy early for it.Laura, Stefany, Willie, me and Michael stand in front of our most excellent viewing spot for the fireworks.

As dusk approached, the FDNY put on a display of shooting water from their fire boats. It started clear, then the water started spraying in red, white and blue.

Except for a few (like the one at Disneyland), I'm rarely awed by fireworks displays. But when this celebration started, I thought I was seeing the grand finale. The beginning of the Macy's Fireworks show started as big as most shows end. It was the most amazing thing ever. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I was thrilled to be able to witness it from so close. Pictures don't do it justice.

more running

I registered for my first 10K. The Nike+ Human Race is on August 31, 2008. It is unlike any other race, and boasts that a million people will be running it. There are 25 cities hosting race courses on the same day; additionally, people can race wherever they are via the Nike+ chip that tracks your running. My former roommate, one of my current roommates, and I are all registered and training together. I'm really excited. If this goes well, I might sign up for the Nike+ Women's half-marathon. Every finisher receives an exclusive key chain designed by Tiffany & Co and an official finishers t-shirt in the mail. It is another race where people can run wherever they want as long as they have the Nike+ sport kit.

Since moving in with five of my friends, I've been able to get four of them to start working out with me. Mark is the one who signed up for the 10K; he has run marathons before but hasn't run in a year and a half. Laura agreed to train for her first 5K- the Race for the Cure in September. And Celia and Sharn just join in for the benefits of exercise. With the four of them and my former roommate (who could barely run a mile when she moved in with me and ran 5 today when we went to the gym!), I have constant workout buddies, which is great for me because I love doing things with other people. Turning exercise into social events is getting me to be even more active. Yay!!

Random Thoughts

Today, I decided to write down random thoughts as they came to me. My day started at 4:30am when my alarm went off. I had to be at Gap at 6am to start work today. The first random thought hit me on the subway ride to work. The car was really full for the early hour, but as I looked around, I noticed everyone was male. I looked as far down the car as I could see, and I only saw one other female. I guess it's usually all the men who have to work that crazy early. I wondered what they all did.

Random thought #2: I hate when people mumble too much. A person I work with mumbles everything she says, so I catch less than half of it. It's so annoying!

Random thought #3: I also don't like it when I say "hi" to a customer, and he/she doesn't respond. I understand when they have earphones in or can't hear me, but sometimes people just ignore me. How rude!

Random thought #4: I am oblivious to famous people. I'll never see someone famous in this city unless someone else points them out. A week-ish ago, my friend Rachel pointed out Diddy (aka P. Diddy) just after we walked past him. I practically brushed his shoulder, but all I saw was his back after Rachel said something. Then last night my roommate Sharn told me that we just walked by Michael Showalter, and I didn't notice him either. I don't know if I would have recognized him though, since he's familiar but not that well known. Laura also thinks we saw John Glover (Lionel Luthor in Smallville) at Trader Joe's, but I didn't get close enough to be able to say for 100%.

Random thought #5: How do people not know what size underwear they wear? I am regularly asked by customers what size underwear I think they would wear. How? How do they not know? There are only 5 options! It is probably the same size you are in anything else that comes in small, medium or large! Come on, people.

Random thought #6: Another question I get all the time at work is "Would I wear this for sleeping or for going out?" See, I work in GapBody which sells bras, underwear, sleepwear and loungewear. If you want to walk around the city in pj's, or comfy t-shirts, or tank tops or casual knit shorts, why should it matter whether I think it's okay or not?

Random thought #7: A song that comes on every time I work has the following lyrics: "I'm not unfaithful, but I'll stray." Isn't straying being unfaithful? How does this make any sense? It reminds me of another song by Rihanna. "and i know that he knows i'm unfaithful
and it kills him inside... i don't wanna be the reason why... i don't wanna be...
a murderer." This also doesn't make sense. If you don't want to hurt him, break it off or STOP FREAKING CHEATING!!!! I know these are just songs, but does anyone actually listen to these lyrics? They're crazy!

Random thought #8: Working for 11 hours sucks. I had to stay until 5pm today instead of the 3pm that I was scheduled until because some people from corporate were coming for a visit. We had to make the store look perfect and be on our best behavior. It somehow also meant that my managers needed me until the bigwigs left. I was quite tired, but kept up my happy face :-) So glad I have tomorrow off.

Random thought #9: These thoughts seem more negative than one might expect from me, but oh well.

New House

We moved into our new house on Sunday, and I'm still unpacking! It's so unlike me, but we have so much stuff this time. I'm living with five friends, and two of them aren't even moving in until next week. We're settling in though, and we really like the house. The landlords have put a lot of work into it. Celia and I want to paint, so that will be a project for later this month after everything is in place. I'd like to get it finished before the 4th of July because Michael, his brother Willie and Willie's girlfriend Stefany are coming for a visit. Since being back in New York, working at the Gap has kept me pretty busy. That's another reason things aren't unpacked yet. My friend Tracey is coming this weekend to stay with me. She was in the area for a wedding. I'm hoping to get a shift or two covered so I can spend more time with her. I'm still looking for a full time job. I was supposed to have a second interview with Scholastic this week, but I'm waiting to hear back for confirmation. It's tougher than I thought to get a publishing job.

States I've Been to

create your own visited states map

Kodiak Michael Souto Dec. 13, 1993 - May 15, 2008

In February of 1994, when I was in 7th grade, my family and I drove out to a house in Mesa, AZ to pick out a new dog. My mom, dad, brother and I took a look at the adorable Husky puppies, and one in particular stood out. He had brown eyes, instead of blue, and a beautiful black and white face. When my mom held him like a baby, he didn't mind at all. We took him home in a box, but in his future puppy days he would crawl behind my mom's head and lay across her shoulders whenever she drove.

We named him Kodiak after the Kodiak bears of Alaska- a state that seems much better suited as home to Siberian Huskies than the desert of Arizona. But, Kodi was at home with us. He was a sweet puppy but very strong. We put a dog door in our back door, but he quickly broke through the plastic piece that was supposed to "close" the door. For those times when we wanted him to stay in the backyard, we tried piling bricks in front of the dog door, but he got through those at well. The only thing that worked was pulling the washing machine in front of the door to block him.

Sometimes, we took Kodi up north where he loved playing in the snow. We took him on road trips and camping trips; he was truly part of the family. One time, we had to leave him in the car when we went in to my uncle's house, and he was so upset at being left alone that he chewed up the dashboard. He was always happiest when he was with the "pack."

After more than 14 years together, we had to put Kodi to sleep. It was probably one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I was grateful that my mom was able to wait until I came back to Arizona so that I could say good-bye.

I love you, Kodi, and I'll miss you.

bruised sole

Everyone knows your foot can get hurt. You stub your toe, drop something heavy on it, etc. But, what I never realized is that it is possible to bruise your sole. My soles can handle miles of running, walking all over the city, or dancing in heels, so what could hurt them? Apparently, falling up the subway stairs does the trick.

When I realized the train I was going to take to work today wasn't running, I headed for the stairs to get to another train. That's when I fell- up the stairs. Fortunately no one was around, but I scraped up my hand and bruised the sole of my foot. I'm still not sure how it happened.

So, my first time falling on subway stairs was this morning. My second time falling on subway stairs was also this morning. Coming home from work (short training shift), I was carrying boxes for moving and thinking about how I fell earlier and how much my foot hurt when I fell going up the stairs again! There was one other person there that time, so I was considerably more embarrassed. I hope this ends my career of subway stair falling.

Baby Got Books

Whenever I go back to teaching, I'd like to try to find a way to use this video. Maybe have the students make their own "cover" videos. :-)

Hugs and tipping

A friend told me today that a person should hug at least 8 times a day. That seemed like a lot to me- a person living in New York in a long distance relationship. I doubt I get that many hugs in a month. I checked it out online and found an organization that advocates:

4 Hugs for Survival
8 Hugs for Maintenance
12 Hugs for Growth

So, I think I'm going to start hugging my friends more. I hugged my roommate tonight, and I took her a bit by surprise. It may have been the first time we ever hugged. I guess I need to work on my hugging etiquette. There's a guideline on the website for that too :-) Maybe if we all start hugging more, the world will be a better place. Like this:



My other realization today was in regards to paying for meals in groups. A frequent frustration is that people put in their cash often feeling like they're contributing more than they should and yet the group still ends up short of what they need. In general, this problem can arise from bad math, forgetting to include something you ordered (like a drink), rounding down, or just simply not realizing how much to account for tax and tip. What people need to realize is that if they simply add 30% to the price of their meal, it should sufficiently cover their portion of tax and tip. For example, if you order a $2.00 soda and a $10.00 entree (it was probably $9.65, but you should always round up), then your total is $12.00. To find 30%, simply move the decimal to the left one place ($1.20) and multiply by 3. Here, this gives you $3.60. Add that to the original $12.00 to get $15.60. If you have exact change, great! If not, always round up, never down in groups, and leave $16.00. If the group ends up with too much in the end, maybe you'll get a buck back, or maybe you'll make the server's day. And serving groups is never easy, so leaving a nice tip makes their job a little better.

Happy hugging and happy tipping!

Apartment Hunting

Finding a place to live in New York City is no easy task. I have to move out of the dorms by May 16th, so the girls I plan to live with (Celia and Laura) and I started searching Craigslist and others about six weeks ago. We viewed nine apartments over the course of three weeks and almost signed on two of them. Unfortunately, we kept running into the same problem: financing. Most NY apts. require that your annual salary is 40x the monthly rent to qualify, and the average rent per person is $1000. Since Celia and I don't have jobs yet, we depend on student loans but those don't count as income for these housing companies. We could get a guarantor (aka mom or dad) to sign with us, but guarantors are required to make 80x the rent. Ouch! After much frustrating searching and viewing tiny expensive apartments in run down buildings, I found a listing on the NYU off-campus housing network for a house in Brooklyn for six people. I called for fun and found out I was the first person to call about the listing in three weeks. That night, I went with several friends to see the place. It was awesome!

The house has six bedrooms, two kitchens, two living rooms, two bathrooms, a basement, and a backyard :-) It's owned by a couple who live in Long Island and their son and his friends live there now (NYU undergrads). The house was redecorated in the 70's so it has all kinds of crazy paint work and lighting.





One of the kitchens has a red light that runs above the cupboards! We fell in love with it, applied and were approved. Yay! Because the house is owned by this friendly couple instead of a big New York real estate company, the paperwork was much easier. Also, since it's so big, Celia, Laura and I asked some friends to fill in the extra bedrooms. Three of our friends from the publishing program (Dustin, Mark and Sharn) decided to move in with us. They're taking the first floor, and we're taking the second floor.




The living room upstairs has this funky mirror wall. We're excited about embracing the 70's theme and making the house as fabulous looking as we can.





I felt so frustrated after our first attempts at getting a place. I tried to remember that God would provide something for me, and that He had something planned. It was difficult having to pass up on the first apartments we thought were so great, but waiting and trusting God proved to be a greater blessing in the end, as it always does. I'm so excited about this great house, and the fun neighborhood it's in, and the great deal that it is, and the friends I'll get to live with. And, did I mention the backyard!! Truly, this is an awesome blessing and answer to prayer.