Its safe to say I am obsessed with my new project. This is typical of me: I get all gung ho about new projects and it consumes me for a week or two and then the interest dwindles. Call it my undiagnosed ADD. I really hope it doesn't happen this time. I'm relying on my sister Anne to keep me in check. We are working on this together so hopefully being accountable to someone will make me stick with it. I've done this my whole life: start something new, love it at first and then the excitement dwindles. Its the same thing with my current job. I was ecstatic the first few months: I was working in a new field, I wasn't unemployed anymore, I was meeting new people and I was good at the job. Now after almost a year, its gotten stale. I see the same people everyday, I give the same lectures about weight loss (no you cannot expect 20 pounds to come off in a week) and I'm making very little money. If I haven't stated this already: I get bored easily. That is why I'm hoping this project is interesting enough to keep me on my toes for a while. I love history and I love writing so it should keep me focused. Because of my teeny tiny attention span, I've had many different jobs throughout my life. I've worked for a drugstore, a newspaper, a library, a few restaurants, a few offices, a publishing company, 3 different gyms, 1 elementary school and 3 middle schools. I've worked in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and California. I think I'm missing a few but you get the gist. I move around a lot. I have a very overactive brain- a lot of nights I lay awake because my brain is going a million miles per hour. I am always hungry for learning new things. I had 2 majors in college and one minor because I just couldn't decide. I took up swimming at an early age, then I tried piano, then art, then writing, then cooking, then running, then yoga and of course this blog. I have tried jet skiing (loved it), ocean kayaking (surprisingly relaxing), rollerblading (bad!), hiking, a 5k, partying in Vegas, seeing a psychic in Sedona, camping in New Hampshire, being in awe at the Grand Canyon, swimming in the Dominican Republic and skiing which was the worst thing I have ever attempted. I think this is why I am such an active person - I try to tire myself out purposefully. When I was very little, my mother had a hard time with me because I would never rest. She would put me to bed only to discover an hour or 2 later, that I was still up. I never wanted to miss out on the action. Obviously, I am still this way. There is just too much to learn, too much to discover. I'm always up for tying things, even food. Give me goat brains and I'll probably eat them. I read so much because it keeps my mind focused and calm. Speaking of that, I'm going to start a Faulkner book soon. I have read him before and find him frustrating but I don't think I have given him a fair shake so its time. Anne - are you ready for "Light in August?"
There are varying definitons and opinions about what defines a classic but they all have 3 things in common: 1. It stands the test of time 2. It has universal appeal 3. It has artistic quality I have to add my own to these three and that is that it moves you to feel something - whether it be love, hate, anger, sadness or joy, a classic work of literture should have the power to move. This has led me to reflect upon my first real experience with being moved by a book. I read a lot as a child and teenager but largely to impress my mother who was a librarian. My reading experience didn't extend beyond Stephen King and the Baby Sitter's Club books. Then my junior year in high school, my English teacher assigned, "A Separate Peace." by John Knowles, a typical high school reading list book. I approached it like I did every school assigment - with diligence but little to no enthusiasm. Three quarters of the book was pretty forgettable....
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