I didn't think you could get that far from the book

I have a fondness for campy movies. My love of the Fifth Element totally proves that. :) Anyway, I recently watched the 2011 version of The Three Musketeers. Wow! I so wasn't prepared for that. I had thought that the 1994 version had gotten as far away from the original plot as possible, but really? This one blew it away! It was so over the top it wasn't even enjoyable anymore. I think I would have been happier with the movie if they had just called The King's Spies or something and hadn't even pretended it was an adaption. One of the worst parts? Realizing that Andrew Davies had a part in it. Normally he does fabulous adaptions. So not this time.

I don't like to run...

I had the fabulous New Year's Resolution this year to lose weight... again. Very pathetic. At least my motivation is higher this year as I realized that I have put on 50 pounds since I finished my undergraduate degree in 2002. Yeah, it is that scary. I tried at first just to watch what I was eating, but wasn't having much success. My sister talked me into try a website call My Fitness Pal (that has a very handy iPhone app). The first day I tracked how much I had eaten that day and realized that I had consumed around 2500 calories, so much for watching what I was eating... The app suggested that I should eat around 1650 calories to lose a pound a week. After the first week of really watching what I was eating, I lost 3 pounds. It is amazing what a little self control can do! After I got over the hump of being hungry all the time, it has been pretty easy. I have managed to stick with it and have lost 13 pounds so far. I feel fabulous! Part of that is because I have started working out as well, which moves on to the next point of insanity in my life. I am going to compete in a triathlon.

I know... I'm nuts because I hate to run! As I started working out I realized needed a reason to keep going. I love to swim, but there isn't really a marathon for swimmers. So I looked up the types of triathlons and found out that there is one called a sprint where on average you swim 500 meters, bike 13 miles, and run 3 miles. So armed with a new inhaler, I started running. I still suck at it, but I am getting where I can run for longer. The swimming will be really easy as I typical swim about 1000 meters during my morning workouts. So far the longest distance I have bicycled has been 6 miles, but that is how far I can go in my half-hour workouts. I need to start working on my distance. I have a goal next week to increase the distance (even if it takes longer the 30 minutes!) But the running will be the hard part. So far I have only been able to run a mile... I know. I can totally walk 3 miles though! I try to run twice a week and each day I increase the distance I run. My stamina is getting better, so maybe in 6 months I can run 3 miles. To make me feel even more pathetic, my sister (who is insane and loves to run) is working on running a half-marathon and can run 10 miles, last time a I checked. It makes it even more pathetic that I can't run a lousy 3 miles. Oh well, I will still keep trying. Now I just have decide on a which triathlon I will compete in...

Enabling instant gratification since 2010

As one of my New Year's resolutions, I decided to actually start budgeting. I know, it is quite shocking. As a strange side note I realized that I am not spending money on "real" books anymore. I I haven't bought a "real" book since last year. But that doesn't mean that I'm not buying books anymore... I've just switched to ebooks. Sadly, last month I spent over $40 on ebooks. I have decided that my e-reader has enabled my instant gratification needs. With it if I want a book at 1:30 am I can get it. And I can have it with me wherever I go. I'm frustrated when there isn't an ebook available and I have to actually read the "real" book. Part of me whines the whole time... the book is heavy, it won't stay open and I can't carry 30 books around with me at once. I know, I'm such a baby. I really want to buy the Harry Potter books, but they just aren't available. Come on publishers, get with the times! As an attempt to be better about my book spending habits, I will check to see if the library has the ebook available first. It helps that I can check out a book from the library at ridiculous hours as well. No need for waiting in my life. I am lucky to live in an area where the public library is actually spending a bit of money on ebooks. I have noticed that their collection is continuing to grow and I am able to get more of the books that I want to read from the library. With that I can have me ebook and keep my budget too!

the rise of e-books

I love books. I love the weight and smell of books. I love owning books, as anyone who has been to my apartment will attest... But recently I have been tempted by the notion of e-books. While I have tried reading an e-book before, it wasn't that much of a success, and I thought I would never do it again but times have changed. The other day I was running errands before going to work. One of the errands was suppose to be to stop by the library and pick up a book that I had waiting for me, so I didn't bring a book with me. Life conspired against me and I wasn't able to get to the library. I really don't like be stuck at work without anything to read, as it can be a bit slow at times. While others might point out that I do work in a library, so I could just read one of the books available there, it is full non-fiction library. It is a small collection that mostly focuses on business, a topic that I am not really interested in. Then I remembered overdrive, which allows me to check out e-books from the library. It was really nice to be able to pick a book to read have it available instantly. While reading a book on my computer wasn't all that convenient, it was much better than having nothing to read. Of course, I got into the book, so when I got home I had to pull out my laptop and tried to curl up in bed with it to finish the book. Again, I did it, but it wasn't that enjoyable. I then thought how much better it would be if I had an e-book reader. My brother-in-law has a nook, which is compatible with overdrive, and the thought of getting one of my own became very tempting. It would allow me to check out books from the library, whenever I wanted. I liked the idea of not having to go to the library to get a new book, because sometimes it isn't always possible. By no means would getting a nook stop me from buying "dead tree" books (as my sister calls it) but it would make taking multiple books on trips much easier. So not is just a case of saving up my money so that I can get a nook of my very own! Then I will never get stuck at work without a book to read. ;)

Escape from Alcatraz!

Okay, so it really isn't that hard to leave Alcatraz these days, but it was fun to go there. While I lived in the Bay Area, I always planned to go and visit Alcatraz. Somehow I never got around to going... Anyway on a recent trip to Cali I finally got around to going there. It was a beautiful day to go as it was sunny and there wasn't even a hint of fog. While it was gorgeous it was still really windy, so I was still grateful that I had a hoodie, or else I would have frozen! It was enjoyable to walk around and learn more about the history of Alcatraz. Recently it has become more of a wildlife sanctuary, so parts of the island where closed off to all for nesting birds. There is also a lot of plants and gardens, which make the island very beautiful. The prison block also has an interesting self guided tour, which I enjoyed as I could go at my own pace. Being the geek I am, I was surprised that they had a small library on Alcatraz. That is one job that I would never want to have. I know even today there are libraries is many of the prisons across the US and I am grateful to all who are willing to work in them. I am sure they can be a wonderful job, but I don't think I could handle it! Overall I had a great trip and was glad I had such beautiful weather while I was there.

It is finished!

Years and years ago, I started this cross-stitch for my sister. For the most part I enjoyed doing it, but if you look closely all the snowmen are stitched in white. That is the part that took me the longest because it was quite boring to do. I think that if I ever did this pattern again, I would make sure to do it on a darker colored canvas, so that the white would pop a bit more. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I am even happier that I could find a ready made frame in which it would fit. I am always surprised at the cost of custom framing... While I didn't finish it in time for this past Christmas, I look forward to seeing up this coming Christmas!

A Job!!

In some very exciting news, I am no longer unemployed! I recently got a job working in a small university library. While it isn't ideal, as I never really wanted to be an academic librarian, I am thrilled to have a job. It is great to be able to use my degree, something that doesn't always happen. It is a really nice place to work as all the staff and instructors are great and I already feel very welcome. The downsides are that I have to dress professionally... something that I haven't had to do for years! It did give me the excuse to go on a shopping spree... and I do like to shop. :) Anyway, right now it is still pretty novel to dress nice and wear all my new clothes. Give me about a month and I will be dieing to wear jeans and a t-shirt to work. One thing that I am sure that I won't miss is the job hunt. After months of feeling guilty if I didn't check the job listings at least once a week, I don't have to do it at all! While eventually I would like to get a different job, something more in the field I specialized in, I am quite content to learn my new job and enjoy having benefits again.