Today I'm leaving Charleston, South Carolina heading for Auburn, Alabama. This trip is kind of momentous for two reasons. First, I'm going to Alabama...who would ever thought I'd go to Alabama before say Chicago or (in all honesty) California Wine Country.
The other reason this is kind of momentous trip is because I'm leaving the East Coast time zone for the very first time in my life. When I was growing up my family never really took a lot of vacations. When we did we visited family who lived in various places up and down the East Coast. So this is a big step in the process of making me "traveled." (I'm pretty sure that since I've never left the East Coast time zone before the age of 24, I'll never be what they call "well-traveled.")
Anyway, I'm heading west with my aunt to go visit my cousin who's a freshman at Auburn. It's parents' weekend and we're going to the game. Also excited for my first "big time" football game - because football at UVA was never a BIG deal, like it is at an SEC school.
So I'm off for the weekend! Enjoy your weekend!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Life of a 2L
The thing I want most in the entire world at this very moment is Hermione's Time Tuner from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The saddest thing is that I would use my time traveling abilities for two very specific things: extra study time and sleep.
I'm over-caffinated, under-rested, and overwhelmed. Such is the life of a 2L.
The saddest thing is that I would use my time traveling abilities for two very specific things: extra study time and sleep.
I'm over-caffinated, under-rested, and overwhelmed. Such is the life of a 2L.
Monday, September 12, 2011
In Memory
I know I'm a day late, but the thought of composing this yesterday was really too much for me to handle. However, I couldn't let the tenth anniversary of 9/11 pass without recognition of the Americans who lost their lives that day.
In years past, I've generally avoided the news on the anniversary; but yesterday I couldn't look away. I watched the re-airing of the morning's news shows, the opening of the memorial, the interviews with survivors. I cried a lot yesterday.
I was born on Long Island. I only lived in New York until I was almost seven, so I don't really have a lot of memories from that time. But I do have a few. Every Thursday night during the summer months, my parents and about 50 of their closest friends would meet on the beach for a cookout. There were always a lot of people, lots of kids, and (in true New York fashion) lots and lots of food. I remember that every once in a while, on really, really clear nights, you could just see the shadow of the Twin Towers from the beach. You could just barely make them out but they were there. After my family moved to Virginia we would frequently make the drive back to New York, and the first things to welcome you were the Twin Towers.
I loved them. To me they were a beacon of the hope and opportunity that is New York.
I was in ninth grade on September 11, 2001. I remember that I was in my freshman history class when one of the other teachers burst into the room and had my teacher turn on the TV. We watched in horror as the first tower fell. Soon after, the principal came over the loud speaker and announced that all teachers should turn off the TVs as the events did not relate to our educational curriculum. The rest of the day crawled. I remember I desperately wanted to get home.
The days immediately following 9/11 was the first time that I was really scared in my life. I remember not feeling safe and unprotected. I remember going to church and crying my eyes out. I remember feeling like nothing was ever going to be the same again.
And maybe I was right. But ten years later, I like to think we've learned something. I think we have learned the price of freedom and the importance of protecting our ideals and our standards of liberty.
Yesterday was a momentous day. It was a day that deserved a pause to reflect and remember, but I hope we all take a moment each day to remember all those individuals whose lives were taken from them that day.
May God bless the USA and may we never forget.
In years past, I've generally avoided the news on the anniversary; but yesterday I couldn't look away. I watched the re-airing of the morning's news shows, the opening of the memorial, the interviews with survivors. I cried a lot yesterday.
I was born on Long Island. I only lived in New York until I was almost seven, so I don't really have a lot of memories from that time. But I do have a few. Every Thursday night during the summer months, my parents and about 50 of their closest friends would meet on the beach for a cookout. There were always a lot of people, lots of kids, and (in true New York fashion) lots and lots of food. I remember that every once in a while, on really, really clear nights, you could just see the shadow of the Twin Towers from the beach. You could just barely make them out but they were there. After my family moved to Virginia we would frequently make the drive back to New York, and the first things to welcome you were the Twin Towers.
I loved them. To me they were a beacon of the hope and opportunity that is New York.
I was in ninth grade on September 11, 2001. I remember that I was in my freshman history class when one of the other teachers burst into the room and had my teacher turn on the TV. We watched in horror as the first tower fell. Soon after, the principal came over the loud speaker and announced that all teachers should turn off the TVs as the events did not relate to our educational curriculum. The rest of the day crawled. I remember I desperately wanted to get home.
The days immediately following 9/11 was the first time that I was really scared in my life. I remember not feeling safe and unprotected. I remember going to church and crying my eyes out. I remember feeling like nothing was ever going to be the same again.
And maybe I was right. But ten years later, I like to think we've learned something. I think we have learned the price of freedom and the importance of protecting our ideals and our standards of liberty.
Yesterday was a momentous day. It was a day that deserved a pause to reflect and remember, but I hope we all take a moment each day to remember all those individuals whose lives were taken from them that day.
May God bless the USA and may we never forget.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Emily Giffin
I invested a lot of my free time this summer into one woman: Emily Giffin. And honestly I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. Emily Giffin is the author who penned Something Borrowed (that inspired this movie) and Something Blue. These two books found their way into my beach bag this summer and I saw the movie with a friend of mine.
Honestly? I did not like either the book or movie version of Something Borrowed. I did, however, LOVE Something Blue. Let me explain.
Both of these books are about long-time best friends Rachel and Darcy. Rachel is bookish and smart, but she is not assertive and lets people walk all over her. Darcy is vivacious and selfish and takes advantage of Rachel's insecurity. Rachel is a lawyer (actually so is Ms. Giffin, the law school bits were super realistic). In law school Rachel meets Dex, develops a crush on him, and then introduces him to Darcy. Darcy then falls in love with Dex and they get engaged (this is all explained very, very early on in the book, so no spoilers here!).
At Rachel's thirtieth birthday party, Darcy gets crazy drunk and steals the show (again). So Rachel sleeps with Dex.
My biggest problem with this book was this: yes, Darcy was terrible. She was an awful, self-centered friend. But she didn't do anything that would justify her fiance cheating on her with her best friend. I didn't find it to be quite the moral dilemma that I think Ms. Giffin was hoping for.
Now the movie. Ok, so the story line carried over which I already didn't care for. My other big problem with the movie was casting. The guy that played Dex was crazy hot. But my problem was that John Krasinski (also known as Jim Halpert) played Rachel's other close friend, Ethan. There are few men that I love more than Jim Halpert so I had a really hard time rooting for Rachel and Dex to get together as I was really rooting for Rachel and Ethan to live happily ever after.
I was glad to be done with Emily Giffin, but then THREE of my friends told me that I had to read Something Blue. I'm glad I listened. As awful as I thought Something Borrowed was, I loved Something Blue. Where Something Borrowed is written from Rachel's perspective, this book is told by Darcy. Which I liked a lot more than I expected.
At the end of Something Borrowed some sh!t gets real. The sequel picks up where it left off. Its really about Darcy growing up and becoming a good, honest human being. While there's some sort of endearing quality about Darcy, this book is also missing the moral dilemma that misses the mark.
So basically, read Something Borrowed because you need to read Something Blue and quite frankly the sequel won't make as much sense without reading the first book. Happy reading!
Honestly? I did not like either the book or movie version of Something Borrowed. I did, however, LOVE Something Blue. Let me explain.
Both of these books are about long-time best friends Rachel and Darcy. Rachel is bookish and smart, but she is not assertive and lets people walk all over her. Darcy is vivacious and selfish and takes advantage of Rachel's insecurity. Rachel is a lawyer (actually so is Ms. Giffin, the law school bits were super realistic). In law school Rachel meets Dex, develops a crush on him, and then introduces him to Darcy. Darcy then falls in love with Dex and they get engaged (this is all explained very, very early on in the book, so no spoilers here!).
At Rachel's thirtieth birthday party, Darcy gets crazy drunk and steals the show (again). So Rachel sleeps with Dex.
My biggest problem with this book was this: yes, Darcy was terrible. She was an awful, self-centered friend. But she didn't do anything that would justify her fiance cheating on her with her best friend. I didn't find it to be quite the moral dilemma that I think Ms. Giffin was hoping for.
Now the movie. Ok, so the story line carried over which I already didn't care for. My other big problem with the movie was casting. The guy that played Dex was crazy hot. But my problem was that John Krasinski (also known as Jim Halpert) played Rachel's other close friend, Ethan. There are few men that I love more than Jim Halpert so I had a really hard time rooting for Rachel and Dex to get together as I was really rooting for Rachel and Ethan to live happily ever after.
I was glad to be done with Emily Giffin, but then THREE of my friends told me that I had to read Something Blue. I'm glad I listened. As awful as I thought Something Borrowed was, I loved Something Blue. Where Something Borrowed is written from Rachel's perspective, this book is told by Darcy. Which I liked a lot more than I expected.
At the end of Something Borrowed some sh!t gets real. The sequel picks up where it left off. Its really about Darcy growing up and becoming a good, honest human being. While there's some sort of endearing quality about Darcy, this book is also missing the moral dilemma that misses the mark.
So basically, read Something Borrowed because you need to read Something Blue and quite frankly the sequel won't make as much sense without reading the first book. Happy reading!
WHAT'S CURRENTLY ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
DO YOU READ BOOKS YOUR FRIENDS RECOMMEND?
DO YOU LOVE JIM HALPERT TOO???
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Summer Reading 2011
Now that I'm back at school, I'm sorry to report that my summer is OFFICIALLY over. Which means I can officially do my end of summer reading wrap-up. So that's almost a win-win scenario right? (It also means that I can do an official end-of-summer-movie guide. Unfortunately, I can't even begin to remember all of the summer movies I saw over the past few months, which I think is a sad commentary on modern American cinema.)
Anyway, I read a lot this summer. It was definitely one thing I made time for. So I don't bore you to tears with annoying book details, I'm just going to provide a basic summary (title, author, my rating, and brief summary). You can find all of these books on Amazon which you can access here (this is just going to have to suffice because I am far too lazy to look up each book and post a link to it).
So, without further ado, here is my summer reading list 2011:
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
3/5 Stars
This book was an easy read and on an interesting topic (the uber-wealthy Manhattanite), but not the best book ever. This was a quick, quick read. However, I couldn't identify with any of the characters and found most of them reprehensible.
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
3/5
Talk about morally reprehensible characters! I actually am currently writing an entire Emily Giffin post, so I'll spare you the deets here; but I will say this: this book was about terrible, terrible people and the terrible things they do to one another.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
5/5
This book was EXCELLENT. Its about a southern Baptist minister who moves his family to Africa to "convert the heathens." Told from the perspective of his wife and four daughters, no one is quite ready for the way that Africa changes them. I thought this book was insightful and beautiful.
The Black Dhalia by James Ellroy
3/5
I don't typically read murder/mystery books, but this was a selection for a book club back home. This book was very dark, and it took me a long, long time to read (I'd put it down when I got scared). I'd say it was well-written and had a few twists and turns but it did not turn me onto the murder/mystery genre.
Something Blue by Emily Giffin
5/5
As much as I hated Something Borrowed, I loved Giffin's sequel. Instead of being about terrible people who do terrible things, this was about one person's metamorphosis from terrible to pretty good. But again, more on this one later.
Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
4/5
Oh how I love Jennifer Weiner! There is just something about the way she writes that absolutely does not let me stop reading! This one is about a senator's wife and daughters who are living in the aftermath of his infidelity. His wife's life is turned upside-down; but his daughters are struggling with their own issues: one is a recovering addict and the other is dealing with her loveless marriage. Weiner's characters are always relatable and real.
Sisterhood Everlasting by Anne Brashares
5/5
This is the 5th book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I'd like to write a longer post on this one, but who knows if that will ever happen. I loved this book. I've loved all of the Pants books. This one picks up when the girls are about to turn 30, almost 10 years after the 4th Pants book ends. This book made me laugh and it made me cry. In fact, this book made me cry at the drop of a hat for about 4 days. So read with some tissues!
One Day by David Nicholls
4/5
I decided to read this after I saw the preview for the new movie coming out with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. This book is about Emma and Dexter who meet in college and are friends forever. It checks in on Em and Dex every year on the anniversary of the day they met. Amazing idea. Nicholls did a great job in making the characters real, but also in keeping certain threads going on throughout the book, so you weren't completely lost after not having seen these characters for a year.
and finally:
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
4/5
This was the first David Sedaris book I'd ever read, but it will not be the last. A collection of essays, this book would be perfect on vacation as its easy to pick up and put down. Sedaris is almost sinfully funny and had me laughing out loud in my cubicle. I love books that make me laugh out loud, and this one did.
And that's it! As you can see I was a busy, busy reading bee this summer! I'm still trying to finish a few books I started over the summer, so hopefully I'll be able to update you on those soon!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
It was like I Blinked...
...and summer was over! Seriously...WHERE DID IT GO?!?!?!?
Before anyone who's a teacher bemoans me for shortening their summer break by 2 or 3 weeks, let me explain...today was my last day of work for the summer. Monday I head back to Charleston. I move into my apartment on Tuesday. The following Monday? Why, on the following Monday, school starts up again.
Seriously where did my summer go?
It was only yesterday when I had gotten home and had three weeks off before I started working. I was bored. Then I started working at the law firm. And life was good. Then I started working at Raytheon. And life was good. Then working 2 jobs caught up with me and life got hectic. And then I blinked and now its August and am sitting in my room looking at a pile of clothes and books and shoes and bags and all of the materialistic things that I own trying to figure out how how I'm going to get it all back to Charleston (and also, how is it that my things seem to magically multiply when I store them?).
So what HAVE I done with my summer? Well not that much. I'm not saying that it wasn't a good summer, it was, but it wasn't the most eventful summer of my life. But I'm alright with that. I read a lot. I saw a LOT of movies. I spent a TON of time with friends. All in all, not so bad, even if all of it took place in Chesapeake, VA.
Now I know I've been super crappy at updating this thing. And honestly, I don't really have a good reason. Life kind of just got in the way, what can I say? I've been thinking about any of you who still read this, and I've even been planning posts, but I've been having a hard time putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). But anyways, I'm back. And, hopefully, here to stay. Be on the lookout for some good stuff!
Before anyone who's a teacher bemoans me for shortening their summer break by 2 or 3 weeks, let me explain...today was my last day of work for the summer. Monday I head back to Charleston. I move into my apartment on Tuesday. The following Monday? Why, on the following Monday, school starts up again.
Seriously where did my summer go?
It was only yesterday when I had gotten home and had three weeks off before I started working. I was bored. Then I started working at the law firm. And life was good. Then I started working at Raytheon. And life was good. Then working 2 jobs caught up with me and life got hectic. And then I blinked and now its August and am sitting in my room looking at a pile of clothes and books and shoes and bags and all of the materialistic things that I own trying to figure out how how I'm going to get it all back to Charleston (and also, how is it that my things seem to magically multiply when I store them?).
So what HAVE I done with my summer? Well not that much. I'm not saying that it wasn't a good summer, it was, but it wasn't the most eventful summer of my life. But I'm alright with that. I read a lot. I saw a LOT of movies. I spent a TON of time with friends. All in all, not so bad, even if all of it took place in Chesapeake, VA.
Now I know I've been super crappy at updating this thing. And honestly, I don't really have a good reason. Life kind of just got in the way, what can I say? I've been thinking about any of you who still read this, and I've even been planning posts, but I've been having a hard time putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). But anyways, I'm back. And, hopefully, here to stay. Be on the lookout for some good stuff!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
My Bucket List
I was out with some friends tonight and we started talking about that movie Secretariat. Now personally I love horse-racing (before you start yelling I KNOW its not the most humane thing ever), so I mentioned that attending the Kentucky Derby is on my Bucket List. For people not in the know, a bucket list is a list of things you hope to accomplish before you kick the bucket. When I mentioned going to the Derby, one of my friends asked what else is on my list. So without further ado, an excerpt from Andrea's bucket list:
- Go to Paris
- Swim in the Pacific Ocean
- Run the NYC marathon
- Be a millionaire
- Go to the Kentucky Derby
- Go sky-diving
- Write something that is published
- Complete a triathlon
- Raise a dog for a seeing eye dog organization
- Go to Italy
- Learn Spanish
- Pass the bar
- Go to a World Series game
- Volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters
- See the Northern Lights
- Drive cross-country
- Visit wine country
- See the Grand Canyon
- Finish a New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle - without help
- Drive a convertible
- Go to the Olympics
- Go on a cruise
- Live in New York City (just for a little while)
- Go to England
- Learn to (re)play the piano.
I know its a lot of traveling but I've never left the country (heck, I've never left the east coast of THIS country). That's it for now!
WHAT'S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?!?!?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Hello again!
Wow! It's been a while since my last post! I don't really have a reason why, so my bad! I've been enjoying the long summer days that have made me forget that I have my own little space in this blogosphere!
So I've now been home for just about a month. Virginia is good. So very good. I never realize how homesick I get until I'm back home in my own little corner of the world.
Anyway, the past few weeks have been full of days at the beach/pool which have given me a ROCKING tan! Seriously I usually don't get this tan ever, but if I do I'm usually not this dark until the end of July or August. It's awesome.
I also started working. This summer's kind of different than summers past...I'm working about ten hours a week at a local law firm and thirty hours a week at good old Raytheon (where they not only graciously gave me all of those hours but are also willing to competitively compensate me for my time!). This week is going to be my first week of juggling the two places so I have a feeling its going to be a bit of an adventure. Either that or a train wreck, but we'll see what happens.
Other than that, I've been keeping pretty busy. I've been lucky to get to spend lots of time with friends and my parents. I've seen bunches of movies and gone out to eat more than I really should. I love it. It might not be the most eventful summer or even the most exciting, but its working for me, and I'm loving every single day.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Summer Reading
One of my very, very favorite parts of summer is that I have TONS of free time that I can direct to one of my more favorite pastimes, reading.
I actually got a little bit of an early jump on the summer reading this year. After our momentous appellate brief was due, I decided that I deserved a few days to read a non-serious, non-legal book. My choice? Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner.
Before I dive into the book review, can I just say how much I love Jennifer Weiner? I'm not a crazy, huge fan of chick lit. I usually lose my patience with the flimsy, self-absorbed "heroines" that are only trying to find "THE guy." But Jennifer Weiner's not like that. It's still chick lit. But her characters are more developed. They're real women. They have real problems and deal with loneliness, heartbreak, and real self-doubt. I usually feel like I know the women in Jennifer Weiner's novels. Hell, sometimes I feel like I am one of the characters in her novels.
Enter Good in Bed. It's about twenty-something Cannie Shapiro, a Philadelphia based journalist who's experienced moderate success in her job. She struggles with her weight and has some serious family issues. Cannie recently broke up with a long-term boyfriend Bruce and desperately wants him back. Until he publishes an article entitled "Loving a Larger Woman" in a nationally syndicated magazine.
This book takes Cannie from Philadelphia to New York and out to Los Angeles. She grows and changes and finds herself. I don't want to give too much away but I will say that it was a good read and I'd highly recommend it. Once you're done with it, I'd also recommend reading the second novel about Cannie (Certain Girls) which I had read several years ago without knowing that it was a sequel to Good in Bed.
Be on the look-out for more book reviews! Happy reading!!!
I actually got a little bit of an early jump on the summer reading this year. After our momentous appellate brief was due, I decided that I deserved a few days to read a non-serious, non-legal book. My choice? Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner.
Before I dive into the book review, can I just say how much I love Jennifer Weiner? I'm not a crazy, huge fan of chick lit. I usually lose my patience with the flimsy, self-absorbed "heroines" that are only trying to find "THE guy." But Jennifer Weiner's not like that. It's still chick lit. But her characters are more developed. They're real women. They have real problems and deal with loneliness, heartbreak, and real self-doubt. I usually feel like I know the women in Jennifer Weiner's novels. Hell, sometimes I feel like I am one of the characters in her novels.
Enter Good in Bed. It's about twenty-something Cannie Shapiro, a Philadelphia based journalist who's experienced moderate success in her job. She struggles with her weight and has some serious family issues. Cannie recently broke up with a long-term boyfriend Bruce and desperately wants him back. Until he publishes an article entitled "Loving a Larger Woman" in a nationally syndicated magazine.
This book takes Cannie from Philadelphia to New York and out to Los Angeles. She grows and changes and finds herself. I don't want to give too much away but I will say that it was a good read and I'd highly recommend it. Once you're done with it, I'd also recommend reading the second novel about Cannie (Certain Girls) which I had read several years ago without knowing that it was a sequel to Good in Bed.
Be on the look-out for more book reviews! Happy reading!!!
WHAT'S ON YOUR SUMMER READING LIST???
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
What Doesn't Kill You Only Makes You Stronger...
...and maybe a little crazier. Its been a while since the last time I sat down to post, so you'll have to forgive me! Even though its been a while, I have to let you know - my first year of law school??? Its OVER!!!! I've been home in Virginia for the past week and, man, am I glad to be back in the Commonwealth! I missed being home.
This year was tough. Harder than it had to be in a lot ways.
School was hard, but I knew it would be. I studied more than I knew was possible. I missed my family and friends. I've never been so far away from home for so long before. My living situation ranged from mildly irritating to overwhelmingly stressful, I wasn't expecting that one. However, in the interest of maintaining journalistic standards, I won't say much more about it because I'm not offering this platform to the other side. The one last thing I'll say is this: I'm generally easy to live with but I know not always. I'm particular and never speak up when something is bothering me. So I know at least part of it is my fault for not vocalizing my complaints.
Anyway, I'm home. Finally. I'm working at a local law firm for the summer (part time) and good old Raytheon part time as well. As of right now, I'm only working at the law firm about 10 hours a week. I'll start at Raytheon in the next couple of weeks. Until then, ten hours a week is making me go crazy. Its hard to go from 100/week to ten hours a week. Usually I studied for ten hours a day, I have more free time than I know what to do with.
So for now, I have more time to write and read and enjoy. Hope everyone's summer is off to an excellent start!!
This year was tough. Harder than it had to be in a lot ways.
School was hard, but I knew it would be. I studied more than I knew was possible. I missed my family and friends. I've never been so far away from home for so long before. My living situation ranged from mildly irritating to overwhelmingly stressful, I wasn't expecting that one. However, in the interest of maintaining journalistic standards, I won't say much more about it because I'm not offering this platform to the other side. The one last thing I'll say is this: I'm generally easy to live with but I know not always. I'm particular and never speak up when something is bothering me. So I know at least part of it is my fault for not vocalizing my complaints.
Anyway, I'm home. Finally. I'm working at a local law firm for the summer (part time) and good old Raytheon part time as well. As of right now, I'm only working at the law firm about 10 hours a week. I'll start at Raytheon in the next couple of weeks. Until then, ten hours a week is making me go crazy. Its hard to go from 100/week to ten hours a week. Usually I studied for ten hours a day, I have more free time than I know what to do with.
So for now, I have more time to write and read and enjoy. Hope everyone's summer is off to an excellent start!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)