Netflix is My Nemesis

Image taken from: http://netflixlife.com/2014/12/26/reminder-movies-leaving-netflix-dec-31/

I remember strolling down endless aisles at the video store, reading title after title, feeling frustrated when the one I wanted was only available in Beta and we owned a VHS player. (Yes, I'm THAT old!) When everyone flocked like moths to a flame to the only video store in town on a Friday night when there was no high school football.

So much has changed over the years, we've gone from Beta to VHS, VHS to DVD, DVD to BlueRay, from Mom & Pop shops to Blockbuster, Blockbuster to RedBox, RedBox to Netflix, and from hard copy to streaming video. Progress is good....maybe.

What's happened is we no longer have to sit in silence, read books, or go outside to play. We can move effortlessly from one movie to the next, from episode one of our favorite TV show to number 47. All without getting out of our chair or off the couch. It's a sad convenience.

Don't get me wrong, I don't sit in judgement; I wallow in addiction. I obsess over shows I never knew existed and lie to myself (and my husband) with "we'll just watch one more" until my eyes are heavy and the night is spent. We're almost done with our latest bing watching session and are already looking for our next selection....

Is there a support group I can join? Netflix Nameless perhaps? Otherwise, I'm filling up "My List" and charging my remote.

Spring Break 2015

http://imgkid.com/break-time-clipart.shtml

I've had some great Spring Breaks over the years:

London and Paris with my friend Holly
Chicago by train (we had a sleeper car -- an experience EVERYONE should have)
Camping by a lake in East Texas
The Lodge in Cloudcroft, NM after visiting Carlsbad Caverns.

But this has been one of my favorites. No matter how much I love to travel, sometimes it's just good to be home. My daughter visited from college and as a family, we read books, binge-watched Netflix, ate good food and lounged in our pjs for hours on end. It's something we all needed.

My daughter is finishing her Senior year and will be graduating soon (GASP!). She'd just recently finished her last testing for teacher certification and her portfolio for education classes. She needed some time to just "be" and not have to look at the clock or manage a deadline. I watched the stress melt away this past week.

I've been fighting a bad sinus infection the last month and know my body just needed the downtime to recoup and get ready to finish these last months of the school year. It was nice to have quiet hours to read and do what I wanted instead of having to meet the needs of 1700 students and 150 faculty members.

My husband is a different story, He's retired, so his life is his own. Except it's really not. He's turned his whole focus to God and what He wants him to do, and finds himself working for the Lord most days in small ways. But because he's not working a regular day job, he still finds it hard to just sit and relax. He's learning.

All in all, it was a really good week. I feel like we had a Spring Cleaning of the Soul and are ready to tackle the days ahead.

Hope yours was as rewarding.

Passion and Promise Collide

I spent the first day of my Spring Break holiday at the North Texas Teen Book Festival. It was a great start to the break. I got to "meet" some great authors:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Lindsay Cummings
Ashley Elston
Julie Murphy
John Corey Whaley

I had a few fangirl moments (Kathy Reichs walked right pasted me TWICE), and picked up some new titles to read:

The Murder Complex (Lindsey Cummings)
The Naturals series (Jennifer Lynn Barnes)
The Rules for Disappearing (Ashley Elston)
The Visions Trilogy (Lisa McMann -- I LOVE the Wake trilogy!)
Dumplin' (Julie Murphy -- this one's not out yet, but I MUST READ IT!)
The Virals series (Kathy Reichs -- already a HUGE Temperance Brennan fan!).

But the biggest thing I walked away with was the need to write again.

I've always toyed with the idea that I wanted to write on a grander scale than I have previously. Listening to these authors talk about their craft, experiences, successes and fears gave me hope. I allowed their encouragement for the teens in the audience to rub off on me, the 40 something hanging out in the back of the room.

I actually started writing a book at the beginning of this year. My friend, Amianne, inspired me. She's writing a novel; I'm writing a memoir. We're encouraging each other and I'm excited about our progress. Amianne can see the finish line, but I've only just begun, though the first section is mostly finished in it's first draft. I'm learning a lot about myself and about what I want to do. I've started and stopped this book several times, but this is the race I'm going to finish. I am going to do it.

So a big "THANK YOU" to the authors for inspiring young people to read and write, and for giving this old girl a kick in the pants to do what she's always dreamed of doing!

Summer Smells

Summer smells of juicy, sweet, fresh-cut grass;

Of tilled earth and rain water, sweat and hard work.

Summer sounds of birdsong and gentle breeze;

Of lawn mowers and children's laughter.

Summer is splendid heat and timeless joy.

READ!

There are few things better than a good book. When I became a librarian, my husband said I quit working and now I just read books all day. Ironically, I read less because my work day is full of so many other obligations. The good thing is I have long holidays and SUMMER!
 

I went to the library yesterday with my husband and realized I hadn't been to check out a book in over two years (they'd kicked my name out of the system -- seriously!?). Anyway, I've been getting books from my school library, downloading titles for my NOOK and I've not really read much outside the YA level. So, I picked up one of my favorite author's books, took it home, and DEVOURED it! Really, read it yesterday! Couldn't put it down! Laughed out loud and had a wonderful time, just me and the characters! 

It. Was. Awesome! 

Then, I read most of another book today. 

I've got stacks of books all over the house. If I keep this up, I might actually work through them before school starts in the Fall. Here's to more good stories and more books to read!

7 Word Summary of My Week

Surgery recovery is painfully slow and boring.

Ben Franklin Quote

Picture taken from Hammed Okunade on Behance.