December Books 'n Bars @ Rock Bottom Brewery

I forgot to recap December's Books 'n Bars! It hit me yesterday while running that I forgot, I can't believe I did that.

Oh, well. Better later than never, I say!

The Wednesday after Christmas we met at Rock Bottom Brewery, which is a chain restaurant that brews it's own beers. There are 35 restaurants located in the US and each one brews different beers. I love brewery's like this, but haven't visited Rock Bottom that much, so I was excited when it was suggested. (Also? I really like beer. It's kind of ridiculous).


I was first introduced to breweries like this when I lived in Kansas City. We would would go to McCoy's in Westport all the time and I fell in love with their raspberry brew. Now, I cannot get enough of it, and I can never seem to find it! I think Court Avenue Brewery (for you locals) downtown has it sometimes, but not all the time.

So, enough about beer and the "bars" part, let's talk about the "books" part, shall we?

In December we chose to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This book had been sitting on my shelf unread for quite a while now, so I was excited that we chose to read it. Unfortunately, I did not manage my time well in December and on the day we were scheduled to meet, I still had 250 pages to go...

Luckily, I did it. Yes, I skimmed quite a bit, but I don't feel like I missed anything! I had a little time before meeting to scan some reviews and summaries online, and from what I can tell I didn't miss anything.

Everyone in the group enjoyed it, a few of us weren't finished (hello, December is BUSY!) so we didn't discuss too much.

What we did discuss was the unique aspects from this WWII book we did enjoy. First of all, it's narrated by Death. I had to remind myself several times that it's not the main character talking, it's Death talking!

I also wasn't prepared for the main character to be a young German girl. I just naturally assumed it would be a Jewish protagonist. I began to adore her though, and really wanted to just hug her so many times. It's so easy to assume that during WWII all German's were bad (obviously a vast generalization), but it is so shocking to me how little they knew. How many lies they were told. It's heartbreaking.

Overall, this is definitely a book I recommend, not only for the content, but for the unique perspective and the unique way it is written!

For January we are switching gears a little and reading some non-fiction to appeal to some of the male members of the group (hi, guys!) and attract more members! C'mon guys, don't you want to be in a book club?! (lol)

So, we are reading Packing for Mars by Mary Roach and we're meeting on Tuesday, January 31st at Raccoon River Brewing Co. (another brewery - I am a happy girl!). Check out the event page here! If you're in the area, I hope you consider joining us!

Happy Reading!

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Today I'm linking up with Blonde, Undercover Blonde for her Book Club Friday - you know I'm all over this link up!

I recently finished The Marriage Plot, which is the third novel for Jeffrey Eugenides and the second novel I have read by him. His second book, Middlesex, earned a Pulitzer and was also the book we read for our local book club, Books 'n Bars in November. His first book was The Virgin Suicides, which I own, but haven't read. Did anybody see the movie? I remember watching it in high school and being very disturbed by it...



I probably would not have picked this book up if we weren't reading it for #twookclub, which is this awesome book club on Twitter hosted by the adorable Stephany over at Stephany Writes!

Although I didn't love the book, I'm glad I finished it because I think it will create great discussion among the group. The many issues addressed are marriage, homosexuality (slightly) mental illness, what is normal in life...

The Marriage Plot follows three main characters, college students Madeleine, Leonard and Mitchell in the early 80s, at the beginning of the book they are all graduating from college and are embarking on possibly the rest of their lives. All three of them unsure, all three of them struggling to figure out what they're supposed to be doing. Sound familiar? On this premise alone, I wanted to like this book. When I graduated from college I did not adjust well, so I'm always curious how other people attempt this weird transition in life.

So far, how I feel about Middlesex is exactly how I feel about The Marriage Plot. I love Eugenides writing and how he weaves a story together, but I tend to hate the stories he tells. So... it's tough. His writing is just beautiful, and I don't think I have ever come across a storyteller quite like him, I just don't seem to care for the content!

I don't want to go any further because I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book. I can see how some will love it and some will hate it. Now, go read it! ;)

Learning to say no.

Last summer I took a part-time job at a local non-profit agency that serves adults with intellectual disabilities. Technically my title is "Residential Counselor" but I'm often referred to as "Staff." For example, "Amber is so-and-so's staff." Technically I provide in home care for these clients and help them work towards their "life goals." Their life goals is one of my favorite parts of the job and I love helping them work towards them. Common examples of life goals are cooking goals, exercise goals and budgeting goals.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I have been working with the same client (whom I call C) at the non-profit agency. When I first accepted the position, I specified that I wanted to be on-call staff only, because knowing my schedule changes every four months, I didn’t want clients to get attached and not work with other staff and I also didn't want to have to worry about rearranging my schedule as well as theirs multiple times throughout the year. Somehow I ended up working regularly with C, and although I love working with her, my worst fear has come true.

I ended up working regularly with C because her schedule worked well with mine, I knew her already because one of my best friends worked with her for a year and I knew she would be fun to work with. She’s very high functioning and really does not need a lot of help. Each week we do pretty much the same things. We go to the YMCA and work out (she walks, I run), we go to the library (she's working on her computer skills), we go to Friendship Class (which is basically Bible study), and we go do other normal everyday things like grocery shop or go rent movies.

Now that spring semester is about to begin my schedule is changing again, and I am working one less day with C. I really didn’t think she would mind that much. Sometimes she appears to be so annoyed with me that I thought she would welcome some new staff.

Apparently that is not the case.

I was chatting with another counselor and she was saying how one day she showed up to work with C, and C had left a note saying she didn’t need staff today. Then on another occasion she was scheduled to work C, she decided to call and double check that C was home before driving out to her place. C answered the phone and said that “Amber was coming and that she didn’t want any other staff.”

I wasn’t working that day.

Oy.

I’m touched and really very shocked, but I’m not sure where to go with it. Yesterday I mentioned again that I will not be able to work with her on Mondays and that she will have some new staff on Mondays. I suppose I will have to keep mentioning it and keep asking how things went with the other staff.

This is very surprising, because although I hate to admit this, sometimes I feel like I get a little mean with C. She needs tough love, and I worry that I get too blunt with her. I suppose tough love is subjective and my idea of being blunt is very different from someone else’s. I guess I’m not being mean if she wants me around!

This is exactly what I didn’t want, because although it is very touching, it’s heartbreaking and it makes me want to work with her, even though I am already spread too thin right now. She's having a meeting with other members on her team and I hope we can get some things resolved because she's frustrating a lot of people around her!

Just another example of where I need to learn how to say “no.” As much as I enjoy working with her regularly, I had a feeling this would not end well. I'm confident that we can get this resolved, but I'm worried things will have to get worse before they get better. Don't ya hate that?

Is there an area of your life where you struggle with saying no? For me, it is most definitely work. Always has been!

Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

It's the best blog day of the week! Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday! This is by far my most visited post of the week, and definitely the one I enjoy putting together the most. Thank you for stopping by!

If you're on Pinterest you should like up at The Vintage Apple!

On with the pins!

I need to be told this every day. For real.

Source: bitsotruth.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Yes. I would totally do this. My sister and I are currently trying to figure out what North American destination we should drive to in 2012. Read about our Niagara Falls trip in 2011 here!

Source: perfectbucketlist.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

If you do this to my hair, I will do it to yours! Please?
Why can't I french braid my own hair? I have wasted too many hours trying. And failing.

Source: Uploaded by user via Emily on Pinterest

Genius! Will be trying this!

Source: chloesnails.blogspot.com via Cassandra on Pinterest

I want my hair cut/styled like this! Gorgeous!

Source: meggielynne.tumblr.com via Amelia on Pinterest

Possibly the coolest bathroom I have ever seen!

Source: Uploaded by user via Prem on Pinterest

Sigh. I miss that annoying sand everywhere. I miss that salty smell in the air. I miss people running around in swimsuits all day. I miss living at the beach!

Source: Uploaded by user via Rona on Pinterest

I NEED THIS! I wonder how heavy those pieces are though?

Source: blog.hgtv.com via Jen on Pinterest

You knew it was coming. Right?

Source: babaloud.com via Kara on Pinterest

Hope everyone is have a fabulous week!

Time to caucus!

Today are the Iowa caucuses. Living in the capital city of Iowa makes it difficult to avoid all the hoopla! All of the nominees are here and there have been people with "Honk for Newt!" signs on street corners and other obnoxious propaganda all over any possible spot.

So, what does it mean to caucus? A caucus is a meeting of supporters, typically of a political party or movement. It's basically supposed to be like a neighborhood meeting or townhall meeting.

Want to know a true fact? Until after college, I lived my entire life in Iowa (except for about a year, which I do not remember because I was a baby) and I thought that all 50 states held nationally publicized caucuses during an election year. I thought Iowa was just special because they were first and typically right. Yep, true story. ;)

The Iowa caucuses are followed closely because it's considered to be an early indicator of who remains in the race, who will drop out and who will win the nomination for their party.

To say it's been insane in this area is an understatement. I don't usually talk about politics. At least I try not to, but every once in awhile I tend to go off on Twitter or climb up on my soapbox. I'm talking about it today, but I'm not really taaaalking about it. If you know what I mean.

I can't tell you who I am supporting, because.... I don't know. It's so overwhelming to me, and the 2012 election is worse than ever! I wish there was a clear nominee that I could say I, without a doubt, support. It's just too early for me to decide. If I make a decision I will undoubtedly change my mind, so it's best just to keep weighing the pros and cons.

I have a love/hate relationship with politics and everything that comes along with it. On the one hand, I love the feeling of being involved and feeling knowledgeable about the people that represent my country and state. On the other hand, I hate the drama, the lies and the uncertainty. I hate what goes along with claiming to be a part of this party or that party.

There's still plenty of time to decide, so in the meantime, I will try to enjoy my home state being in the spotlight! It's definitely funny to see tweets from celebrities asking where to buy winter coats in Des Moines (cough, AndersonCooper, cough).

Do you enjoy politics?

My Favorite Gift from Santa...

Hi, Friends!

Hopefully you all had a wonderful New Year's! Today I am linking up with Daphne (Flip Flops and Pearls) and Michelle (The Vintage Apple) for a fun after Christmas link-up!





Santa treated me very well this year!! Choosing a favorite gift was really hard.

Ultimately, I have to go with the Pandora bracelet that my group of friends got me. We each got a bracelet with an initial charm on it. I just love it!!!


In the past couple years we have really struggled to think of something to get each other for Christmas/birthdays and have begun to resort to the always-appreciated-but-so-impersonal gift cards.

I'm excited to add more charms as the years go by! To me this is such a thoughtful, sentimental piece of jewelry because each charm will be for a birthday, holiday or other special moment!

What was your favorite gift that you received this year?

How I will kick 2012's butt!

Happy New Year, Friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday! I'm still in awe that it is 2012... It just doesn't seem possible sometimes!

I debated on resolutions this year...as I do every year. Most of the time I think resolutions are recipe for failure, but I do, however, enjoy goals and planning and working towards something. So rather than set extremely specific resolutions, like lose 30 lbs (don't I wish), I'm going to set some broader, more flexible goals in regards to the major areas of my life.

Graduate School:
This one's easy. I want to get better at doing work right away and not waiting until the last minute. I can be the world's worst procrastinator and even though the work is always good enough, it could be better if I had started it sooner. In my program we do quite a bit of research and although it's easy to earn an A, the work is really what you make of it. I actually enjoy research, so I really hope I can work on this one.

Fitness:
A couple months ago I toyed with the idea of a 12 in '12 goal and run 12 races in 2012. I want to run all timed races. I usually participate in races for the social aspect, and this year I want to focus on running faster and longer, and I can still focus on the social aspect that way too! You're supposed to be able to run and talk at the same time, right? This race goal will naturally involve more running and exercising, so it's not just me saying, "run ____ amount of miles each week.

I would also like to get better at scheduling my workouts. Towards the end of 2011 I got much better at this, but the weeks I was really busy were when I really failed. I would like to get up each morning and work out at home (probably the 30 minute shred) so that I at least have something to fall back on if I don't make it the gym that day. This next semester is going to be insanely busy - I have to have a plan!

Diet:
This ones tough. I have so much swirling around in my head lately in regards to diet. Lately something I eat regularly makes me feel sick, I'm not exactly sure what it is. I'm narrowing it down, but I have a sneaky suspicion that I will be experimenting with a more plant based diet this year to see how it makes me feel. I would like to work more towards cutting out processed foods and meats, so this means I will have to cook more. Which means, I will have to plan ahead, because again, my schedule is insane. Sometimes I just don't have time to cook! I'm going to try and work harder at making the time.

Blogging:
2011 was THE YEAR for blogging. In 2011 I blogged consistently for the first time ever. I never took more than a week or two off at most. In 2012 I want to take it further and develop quality relationships with readers. I want to respond to the posts that I read with thoughtful comments, and not just a "That's awesome!" comment. If I'm going to read someone's blog I want to make sure I leave a comment that is genuine and explains why I think something is awesome.

I also want to do better at responding to comments. I'm terrible at answering questions people ask in the comments of my own blog posts. Mainly because I think I get irritated with the "no-reply@blogger"... if you don't have your email set up on commenting, why?? I'd like to be able to respond to you!

Reading:
I have a secret. I love to read.

You already knew that? Oh.

I do have a secret though.

My days are numbered here at ALPITC. Sad, right? When I graduate in 2013 and get a permanent teaching position I will most likely retire this blog and only write a book blog. Professionally, I think I have to. There's just way too much on this blog that is personal and may not be appropriate if my students found it. This doesn't have much to do with reading. I realize that.

So, in 2012 I want to read more than I read in 2011. This may seem crazy, because I'm taking 18+ credits each semester (I know. I knoooow) but I read a TON of young adult and middle grades so it's easy to read a couple of those a week. In 2011 I read 57 books and in 2012 I set a goal for myself to read 60 books.

Here's how I will kick 2012's butt in just a few areas of my life! There are many more, but rather than bore you with all my goals for the new year, how about you just read this year and find out?!

Hope your New Year treated you well this year!

Did you set goals or resolutions this year?