Coasting Alaska

Last week, I went on my first Alaskan cruise!  Instead of providing you with a tedious captain's log, I'm going to allow my photos to showcase each satisfying, contemplative and invigorating moment through the lyrics of Leonard Cohen.  Enjoy!


 

Why do you stand by the window 

Abandoned to beauty and pride

"The Window"

I'm traveling light

It's au revoir

"Traveling Light"

Hineni, Hineni
I'm ready, my lord

"You Want It Darker"

I'm all ears
I'm all ears
Oh the morning glory!

"Morning Glory"

I came so far for beauty

I left so much behind

"I Came So Far For Beauty"

Oh solitude of longing

Where love has been confined

Come healing of the body

Come healing of the mind

                                                        "Come Healing"

This waltz, this waltz, this waltz, this waltz

With its very own breath of brandy and Death

Dragging its tail in the sea

"Take This Waltz"

All busy in the sunlight
The flecks did float and dance

And I tumbled with them
In formless circumstance

                                                           "Love Itself"

You got me singing
Ever since the river died
You got me thinking
Of the places we could hide

                                                        "You Got Me Singing"

See also:  In God's Country - A Trip to Joshua Tree National Park

Global Love Letter Addressed To All Women

There are a ton of fun (yet trivial) holidays scheduled throughout the calendar year.   I always look forward to October 1st so that I can celebrate National Coffee Day.  On second thought, who am I fooling?  Everyday is coffee day for me.  

Unless you have been living under a rock, I'm sure you realize that today, as I blog, is International Women's Day.  Having been observed for over a century, International Women's Day is anything but trivial.  Among human trafficking, domestic abuse and rape, there needs to be awareness of the issues that affect half of the population.

Regardless of any sort of political affiliation you may identify with, it is important that we recognize, celebrate and cherish the special women in our lives yearlong.  I want to reach out to my female readers regardless of where they are in life or how strong they may (or may not) feel on a day to day basis. This post is dedicated to you:

* The women who have made tremendous strides in business, the humanities and arts

* Stay at home moms

* Working moms

* Women starting over again

* Women who have blazed their own trails

* Women who have doubted themselves today

* Women who have triumphed against all odds

* The women who are too scared to speak up

* Courageous women who have stood up against violence

* The women who inspire and promote other women

* The women who love unconditionally 

* And also the loving men who have respected and supported these women

My Top 8 Predictions for 2017

Thank goodness I can't read the future because deep down, I'm convinced it might look a lot like the movie "Idiocracy."  Still, I believe you gotta laugh to keep from crying.  Though I am certain that 2017 will be anything but predicable, I had to humor myself.   With that said, I present to you, my very own 2017 crystal ball devoid of any divine or scientific nature.  

1.  Donald Trump will make a mix tape for Vladmir Putlin.  Playlist will include the following songs:

                            "Secret Lovers" - Atlantic Starr
                            "Careless Whisper" - George Michael
                            "Private Eyes" - Hall and Oates
                            "Live to Tell" - Madonna
                 

2.  Just like any year, dozens of beloved celebrities will die, however, Betty White will outlive them all!

3.  Donald Trump will live tweet popular television shows, most note-worthy: The Apprentice.  

4.  Jar Jar Binks' cremation urn will be displayed in the new Star Wars museum.  

5.  Parental drones will be sold to helicopter parents who want to check up on their rebellious teenagers.

6.  Fake news comes full circle and becomes real news.  Readers stop believing it.

7.  Due to low ratings, season 2 of Stranger Things will prompt the inclusion of new character "12."

8.  "Freedom of speech" will be reduced to the following safe topics: the weather, sports, cute puppies and kittens, Chris Pratt, and how everyone loves Nutella spread.


What are your 2017 predictions?


See also:

Top 8 Predictions for 2016

Top 8 Predictions for 2015

58 Books in 52 Weeks

In January, I decided that my New Year's resolution would consist of reading 52 books in 52 weeks. Although the notion of reading a book a week seemed daunting at first, it eventually became rather comforting.  In fact, overtime, I felt somewhat figety or naked without a book in my hand.  As of today, I have surpassed my ambitious expectations by reading 58 books in 52 weeks.

Throughout our distressing year in rather volatile political circumstances, I have traveled to several different asteroids, the Pacific Crest Trail, and Hogwarts.  I have entered the minds of writers who have succumbed to loss but also secured victory.  I was there to share these moments both fictional and real with an ever growing sense of empathy.

I would highly recommend this triumphant challenge to you dear reader, whoever you may be.  Regardless of where you are in life, I truly believe that you can benefit greatly from this pleasurable task.  With that said, here is my comprehensive (and glorious) list of all of the books I have consumed in the last 52 weeks:

1.  The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

For lovers of: sunsets, loneliness and philosophy 

2.  Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell

For lovers of: mind reeling non-fiction

3.  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed 

For lovers of: Jon Krakauer, bucket lists and new beginnings

4.  Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

For lovers of: Gone Girl, beach reads

5.  Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

For lovers of: Africana critical theory

6.  The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

For lovers of: Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie"

7.  Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris 

For lovers of: humorous essays featuring redneck families, early speech therapy fiascos, and living abroad in France

8.  Life of Pi - Yann Martel

For lovers of: spiritual magical realism

9.  The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro 

For lovers of: Downton Abby, the emotionally repressed

10.  The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

For lovers of: absurd but strangely engaging love stories

11.  Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg

For lovers of: sociology, witty celebrity memoirs and self help books

12.  White Teeth - Zadie Smith

For lovers of: a solid debut novel

13.  The Death of Ivan Iiyich - Leo Tolstoy 

For lovers of: compelling deathbed reads

14.  The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins

For lovers of: campy page turners

15.  One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey

For lovers of: classic mental asylum novels

16.  Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg 

For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for the laaaaadies

17.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: boarding schools, wizardry and quadditch

18.  The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates - Wes Moore

For lovers of: nature vs nurture

19.  Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

For lovers of: the movie "Apocalypse Now"

20.  What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell

For lovers of: both The New Yorker and Malcolm Gladwell

21.  Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen 

For lovers of: Jane Austen, PBS and tea time

22.  The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder 

For lovers of: divine intervention, historical fiction

23.  Dark Places - Gillian Flynn 

For lovers of: rural mysteries, female psychological protagonists

24.  Gilead - Marilynne Robinson

For lovers of: Non-preachy religious literary fiction

25.  The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien

For lovers of: Books that blur the lines between fiction and memoir

26.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: house elves and enchanted car rides

27.  The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

For lovers of: marriage and honest memoirs dealing with loss

28.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: Hogsmeade, Firebolts and butter beer

29.  Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 

For lovers of: novels that are simultaneously unsettling and serene

30.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: world cups, playful gnomes and reliving those awkward awkward days of adolescence


31.  Everyman - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: existential crisises


32.  The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
For lovers of: children's fantasy literature


33.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: freedom of speech and endurance


34.  Portnoy's Complaint - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: edgy 1960's coming of age novels


35.  The Last Tycoon - F. Scott Fitzgerald
For lovers of: show biz romance novels

36.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: slightly more mature elements in their children's literature


37.  Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
For lovers of: video game dystopian novels


38.  How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
For lovers of: common knowledge


39.  I Hunt Killers - Barry Lyga
For lovers of: pulp(ish) young adult fiction


40.  Designing Your Life - Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for anyone who hasn't found their calling


41.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: Snape, good vs. evil, a fulfilling climax to a long-awaited conclusion


42.  Funny Girl - Nick Hornby
For lovers of: man-boy fiction...for women


43.  Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell
For lovers of: cold, cold 'country noir.'


44.  The Fall - Albert Camus
For lovers of: existential 'what does it all mean' late night reads


45. DJ Shadow's Endtroducing (33 1/3) - Eliot Wilder
For lovers of: the album none other than 'Endtroducing'


46.  Girl in a Band - Kim Gordon
For lovers of: women who rock


47.  Maus - Art Spiegalman
For lovers of: comic book memoirs for history buffs


48.  A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgress
For lovers of: droogs, pol, dratsing, oh and free will


49.  Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger
For lovers of: precocious family narratives

50.  Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: mesmerizing but haunting literary fiction


51.  Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
For lovers of: tragic novellas


52.  Navel Gazing - Michael Ian Black
For lovers of: (anyone who enjoys complaining about aging)


53.  One More Thing - B.J. Novak
For lovers of: comedic short stories


54.  White Noise - Don DeLillo
For lovers of: contemporary(ish) satire


55.  The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
For lovers of: the arts and the fountain of youth

56.  Ghost World - Daniel Clowes
For lovers of: graphic novels directed towards prototype hipsters


57.  The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: NPR, Whit Stillman and love triangles


58.  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
For lovers of: logic and whimsy



See also:

Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2015

Which books did you read this year?

Election Season Pick-Me-Upper

When you scan the news, it appears as though every article features headlines starring Trump or Clinton.

It's difficult to avoid political trash talk at the water cooler or dinner table.  In fact, it's impossible to avoid hearing about these strong-willed candidates unless you take a technology detox or nearly avoid all human contact.

Take a deep breath.  We have yet one more week left of this vicious election cycle, so instead of sulking about, why not peep some adorably hilarious golden retriever clips?

Oh, and by the way....you're welcome.

 

Digital Scrapbook: New City New Life

I can't tell you how many blog posts I've read that issue the disclaimer: "I'm sorry I haven't been blogging.  I've been so busy....yada yada yada."  

I'm not entirely sure if I should apologize to said readers because I haven't the slightest notion if anyone has actually noticed or cared about my blogosphere absence.  (Trust me, this is clearly a pragmatic realization and not a pity statement.  With 1 billion websites out there, who am I to hold one's interest regularly?)  Fortunately, I realized my "busyness" could translate into a solid new post.  

For the past two years, I had been living in a desert ghost town in the middle of the Imperial Valley.  With the highest unemployment in the entire country, El Centro has been denounced as one of the most miserable places to live.

This summer, (to my relief), my husband and I have relocated to Sacramento for his new teaching job.  Moving nine hours away, apartment hunting and having your car totaled by a reckless driver is more than enough to keep one preoccupied for a month or two.  

It hasn't even been a month in my our new home, but I feel like a child exploring new terrains for the first time.   When you have been locked inside your apartment due to 118 degree desert heat, you almost forget what the outside world looks like, apart from what you've seen on television.  

So here's to new signs of culture.  Here's to not having to search for a job, but a career instead.  Here's to a new city, and new life.  

Digital Scrapbook

Exploring The American River Bike trail

The touristy (but still charming) Old Town

Wandering through the historic district and urban neighborhood Midtown

Discovering my new favorite Sacramento coffee shop - Temple Coffee Roasters

.....and crashing at home after an eventful and satisfying day

Top 11 Most Relatable Anna Kendrick Tweets

Image Source: Adweek

Apparently celebrities are just like us!  They put their pants on one leg at a time.  (Even if those pants cost a whopping $800).  Sometimes Twitter is a reminder that all of us mere mortal beings occasionally struggle with a unhealthy relationship with carbs, awkward human interactions and the perils of adulthood.

On her Twitter account, actress Anna Kendrick seems to explicitly say what you've been thinking at one time or another.  Listed below are 11 of her most relatable tweets.

1.

2.  

3.  

4.  

5.  

6.  

7.  

8.  

9.  

10.  

11.  

See also: 

Best Tweets Using the Make a Movie Hip Hashtag

The Funniest Tweets Using the I Still Facebook Because Hashtag

The Best Irreverent Donald Trump Tweets

The Best Tweets Using the Rachel Dolezal Hashtag

Funniest Tweets Using the Hipster Crimes Hashtag

Music Discovery Mondays - Songs To Add To Your Workout Playlist

If you are anything like myself, you absolutely cannot work out without your iPod.  I refer to my workout playlist as a personal trainer.  The more motivating and upbeat my song selections are, the more likely I will prolong my workout.  If you are looking for new or noteworthy fitness songs to download for your workout playlist, look no further than the compilation listed below.

Busy Earnin' - Jungle

You may be busy earning a living, but this track will also inspire you to earn a few extra steps.  Download this Euro hit and mimic the mesmerizing dance moves from the music video.  (Or better yet, develop your own choreography).   

Use The Force - Jamiroquai 

When you have neglected your fitness goals, and you are looking for redirection, Jamiroquai can lead you right back into the fitness game with their track 'Use The Force.'  While working out to this tune, you will believe that you 'can do anything' all the while using the 'force' within.

Apollo Throwdown - The Go! Team

It is nearly impossible to listen to this track without grooving to the beat.  At the very least, you will catch yourself partaking in shoe-tappin' activity.  For optimum health results, crank this song on your Ipod to the highest level of ghetto-blasting amplification.

Which songs are currently on your workout playlist?

In God's Country - A Trip to Joshua Tree National Park

A month ago, I was finally able to cross off 'Joshua Tree National Park' from my bucket list.  Perhaps part of the inspiration for the trek was U2's 1987 critically acclaimed album titled none other than "The Joshua Tree."  I have included lyrics from their "The Joshua Tree" album below to showcase our relationship with desert life...and perhaps life in general.    

Desert sky

Dream beneath a desert sky 

The rivers run but soon run dry

We need new dreams tonight

"In God's Country"

In the locust wind

Comes a rattle and a hum

"Bullet The Blue Sky"

Night hangs like a prisoner  

Stretched over black and blue

Hear their heartbeat

We hear their heartbeat

"Mothers of the Disappeared"

My lips were dry, throat like rust

You gave me shelter from the heat and dust

"Trip Through Your Wires"

We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill

As the day begs the night for mercy

"One Tree Hill"

I'll show you a place high on a desert plain 

Where the streets have no name

"Where the Streets Have No Name"

Best Tweets Using the Make A Movie Hip Hashtag

What makes a movie hip?  Last Friday, Twitter users reimagined beloved movie titles with a modern and hip twist.  By using the trending 'Make a Film Hip' hashtag, Twitterers put their punniest foot forward including yours truly.  Which tweets are your favorite?

See also: The Best Irreverent Trump Tweets

Best Tweets Using the Rachel Dolezal Hashtag

Funniest Tweets Using the Hipster Crimes Hashtag