Break Break Break

Oh geez, less than 4 hours until I'm FREE for 2 weeks... I can hardly contain my excitement.

The break should be fun. We have an awesome Christmas Eve dinner planned (it's the usual, but anytime I get lobster tail is fantastic). My parents and I have 3 different shopping days planned. I'm also going on a quickie vacation to Highlands, NC a few days after Christmas (yay mountains). New Year's is still up in the air, but I would like something quiet after attending parties and bars for the past 4-5 years... yeah college, I'm finished with you. :)

I decided to treat myself to Starbucks this morning for the first time in months, since it is my last day and all. I have been super hyper ever since, mainly because I rarely drink caffeine (besides tea). I also received a Barnes and Noble gift certificate today, which is more than appropriate for me. Tonight, Adrian is coming over so we can make our annual puppy chow for her office (you know that chex mix with the chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar???). I also get to see Ashley and Krista for the first time in months, which is cool. My social life is looking up again without work "in the way"... haha.

I will update everybody in January... until then, everybody have a safe and happy holidays!!

2006 Favorites...

Here is my list of favorite things from 2006:

Favorite Movies: Note that I am no movie snob. I like what I like. Also note that none of these movies were released in 2006, I just saw them for the first time in 2006.
-The new Pride and Prejudice. I realize that this version was nowhere near as good as the A&E one made in the mid-1990s. However, and call me shallow if you want, the characters in the most recent (and much shortened) version were, well, prettier. I liked it for pure aesthetic and cinematographic reasons. It made me long once again, to go to England, especially to see the national parks.
-Amadeus. Yes, I realize that this movie was released in the 1980s and I haven't seen it yet. I LOVED it, even the extremely annoying Mozart laugh. I could watch this movie again and again.

Favorite Books:
- A Heartbreaking work of staggering genius, by Dave Eggers. This was a fantastic memoir, hands down.
-Running with scissors, by Augusten Burroughs. Another (bit more graphic) memoir, but a good read.
-The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. I think this is my favorite of the year.
-The thirteenth tale, by Diane Setterfield. My second favorite... such a unique story.
-Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. "Unputdownable" (even if I don't like the main character much).

I can't remember what I read early in the year (I don't think I did though because I was in grad school and all), so these I've all read since July or so.

Favorite TV:
-Gilmore girls. It's the only show that I will go out of my way to watch, although, it's not the same without the Palladinos writing. I'm actually hoping that this is the last season.
-Scrubs. I used to despise this show. Now that I've warmed up to Zach Braff, I find it very funny. J.D. and Turk remind me of male versions of Adrian and I.
-Sex and the city. I know, I am a girl, and now I own that damn pink monolith of a boxed set.

Favorite People:
-My parents. The most selfless people I know...
-My co-workers. They are super nice, and they have a sense of humor too (thank God). Plus, they read and stuff, like me.
-Christian Bale.
-My high school friends. It's funny how the people that I am closest to now are the ones I went to high school with (maybe it's because I live at home again???). I hated that place for years after I graduated, but I did meet some really good people in the 'ville.

Favorite Vacations
Oh wait, I didn't really go on vacation this year...

I'll update this more tomorrow... I'm trying to load this thing with updates before break when I will likely forget about this thing!

Never again will I...

shelve in the curriculum lab. I came out of there with 5 young adult novels to check out. In addition to the 9 I have already out on loan, and the 1 I have out from the public library, I am going to be reading forever. Why do I do this to myself?

I wonder why I like young adult fiction so much. I've come up with a few theories:

-I didn't really read in high school, so I'm making up for it now
-The literature has adult content, but is rarely so graphic that I can't handle it
-The fantasy literature isn't too "dungeons and dragons"-y (although I think there are a few out there)
-I feel that I am at the age where I can still relate to teenagers, but can look at them in an introspective way (basically I can laugh at how STUPID some of the characters are... hello Bella from Twilight, a book that I loved by the way)

Right now I am reading Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. It is set in Ella Enchanted's world, so I'm pretty psyched about reading it. My cousin, who is a bigger bookworm than I am, is obsessed with Ella Enchanted, to the point where she can recite the first chapter by heart. I'm going to be reading The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood next (my first).

I always apologize for my venture into nerddom when talking about books, but after all, as a librarian dealing with collection development, it is my job to read what's out there... I'm even considering some science books from Discover Magazine's Top 25 science books.

You don't think I'm smart enough to work in your fucking library?

-Mary from Party Girl, and the following post has nothing to do with my heading

This week is S-L-O-W. At work, the college kids are gone, almost everybody who is employed here is gone, and an 8 hour work day seems to drag on and on and on... I was even willing to shelve today, as I'm not able to do any acquisitions work until January 10th. 30 hours and counting (until next Tuesday) until Christmas Break. I look forward to it.

I've been looking back on the year:

January: wonderful, in a new/old relationship, happy with my friends in Indiana, got a second job at IU libraries because of my kick ass boss, and only taking two classes at IU for my last semester

February: nice beginning, great trip to Chicago, mid-month 180 degree turn-around watching friends meltdown, having yet another guy "cheat"

March: php fiasco (I will never be a programmer--I spent so long on that assignment!), rough spring break at home for the second year in a row, blow out with one of my best friends (luckily we worked through that), shutting everybody out and concentrating only on school, working out a misunderstanding with yet another friend

April: another crappy birthday, continuing shut-out, working constantly on and finishing my Wyoming web site, getting good grades, a confession made to me

May: a blur, lots of working at IU, packing to leave, hanging out with Jeff and Allison, got an A in both classes that I took

June: move from Indiana to Georgia, move from 716 to 1690, my first drum corps show in 2 years (it was BORING), job interviews, feeling like a complete mess still

July: visit to Grandparents', second interview for job that I would eventually get, things finally looking up, hanging out with friends again, Read Heartbreaking work of staggering genius

August- present: band camp (my last), started job, construction projects on new house, met with my not so wonderful past one evening, watching my brother get fired, get hired, get fired again, and finally get hired (luckily he's not in the car industry at this point), seeing my cool nephew, made a new close male friend, laughed way too much for my own good, got many cases of book anxiety (still have them thanks to my coworker Amanda), becoming close again with my parents, hanging out with Adrian a lot, Midieval times, going away parties, etc.

I was quick to think that this was a good year, but looking back, it had some rough times. Graduate school was definitely not the best experience of my life (and it never really had anything to do with school, which is funny), but I am more than happy that I got through it.

I'm pretty happy with life right now... I'm starting to get somewhat smarter about the decisions that I am making. I've realized that looks aren't always going to be what attracts me to a man (looks will fade, but personality, wit, good conversation, and intelligence last quite a bit longer...), that I CAN say no to my friends, especially if involves color guard jobs, and not have to feel bad about it, and that my parents are right half of the time (as opposed to my former stance of never). I also like making money and being able to spend it on people that I care about this Christmas. I'm totally anticipating the new year, which is currently looking fantastic.

A Quiz Revisited

One year ago I took the following quiz...

Here is how I would answer it today:

1) My uncle once: Lived in Russia (he's getting ready to move there again too...)
2) Never in my life: would I be a chicken sexer ewwwww
3) When I was five: I wanted super long hair (I used to wear a purple skirt around my head and everything... my mom made me look like a boy)
4) High school was: a time when I had HORRIBLE taste in music
5) Fire is: a big element in The Thirteenth Tale
6) I once saw: Snow in June
7) There’s this woman I know who: is from Canada (eh?)
8) Once, at a bar: I saw a band play
9) By noon I’m usually: pretty damn hungry (I eat at 2pm)
10) Last night: I was super tired
11) If I only had: money (that I will keep the same...)
12) Next time I go to church: I will say the Apostles Creed
13) What worries me most: Right now? I guess doing well at my job.
14) When I turn my head left: I see a UGA print
15) When I turn my head right: I see an Olympics Poster advertising Mexico
16) You know I'm lying when: I blush...
17) What I miss most about the eighties: Neon colors... NOT!
18) If I were a character written by Shakespeare, I’d be: Lady Macbeth (that only applies to 5 days out of the month!)
19) By this time next year: I should have a new computer (I accomplished my last year's "by this time next year..."
20) I have a hard time understanding: Boys who are younger than me... glad I gave up on that one!
21) You know I like you if: I don't know?
22) If I won an award, the first person I’d thank would be: Yeah, both of my parents simultaneously
23) Darwin, Mozart, Slim Pickens & Geraldine Ferraro: yeah, still don't see the connection
24) Take my advice, never: read a Harlequin Romance Novel!
25) My ideal breakfast is: Oh there are too many good answers to this?
26) If you visit my hometown, I suggest you go to: wow, um, wow, um... Starbucks?
27) Why doesn't everyone: read more?
28) If you spend the night at my house: my dog might sleep with you!
29) I’d stop my wedding: if i found out: he cheated on me (keeping this one the same too...)
30) The world could do without: traffic!
31) My favorite blonde is: Paul Neuman (well, he's gray now, but you know what I mean...)
32) If I do anything well, it’s: baking?
33) And by the way: 24 days until XMAS!

Breaks and Books

Here I sit at home on a Wednesday. I worked my 16 hour week (which oddly seemed much longer than the normal 40 hour week) and now I'm off until next Tuesday. I'm looking forward to the break, as some of my friends are home. Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday, but I'm glad to not have to drive 4 hours this year to eat a good meal (although I do miss the gathering with my extended family). Plus it's finally Christmas time.

I've been doing an unnatural amount of reading lately. I finally finished The Historian. It was amazing and I now know other people reading the book as well. If you like Dracula or European History in general, I would highly recommend it. It was interesting to me, as a good portion of my heritage is Eastern European. I will definitely have to re-read the book in a few months time, as I feel like I didn't fully comprehend certain parts in my haste to find out what happened to all of the characters. It's way better than the Davinci Code, and it frankly bothers me that anybody has ever called it the "Dracula Code". No predictable Dan Brown formulas here!

Now, I'm into The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield (my second bestseller, oh my). The book is nothing like I thought it was going to be... I was expecting some bookish women talking about books (which is fine with me). She has created this super complicated and thrilling tale about a famous fictitious author's past. I've honestly never read anything like it, and can't wait to get to the end.

My mom and I both agreed on the greatness of The Thirteenth Tale and The Historian, which is rare, considering that her favorite author is Anne Perry (a murder mystery novelist, who actually has an interesting life... ever seen Heavenly Creatures?) and I prefer books that have bibliographies and have well, a bit less popular value (i.e. I don't read Tom Clancy or John Grisham). Needless to say, we rarely agree on what makes a good book. In fact, these two books join the ranks of the Harry Potter Series and A Wrinkle in Time. I'm happy that we could double our list.

My circulation list at Brenau shows that I have 12 books checked out (4 are not mine). In addition to some personal copies, I have 11 thick books to read between now and January 3rd... can I do this?

I can't believe that I've spent minutes admitting how much of a nerd I am....

"Happiness is a warm puppy"

I love the Peanuts. I'm in bed right now with my "puppy," who is laying on the bottom corner. He's not a puppy anymore (turned 14 this past Friday), but hanging out with my dog is true happiness. May you rest in peace Chuck Schulz.

I'm not sure if November has progressed in its former drab-ness yet. Last Tuesday I managed to leave my car lights on for a good 10 hours... so not only did I have to call AAA (happy that I have it), but I had to deal with all of this at night, in a town that I don't know (Gainesville), and in the pouring rain. I didn't even get to vote, although I'm not disappointed in the way things have turned out. The next day, after my friend's dad's funeral, I had to call AAA again, when a friend locked her keys out of the car. I'm happy to say that they are getting plenty of business. This all added to my general feeling of "sucking at life" (and I mean at ALL areas) that I have been harboring as of late.

But life goes on, and things could be sooo much worse, and I'm happy to say that after a weekend of accomplishing much and hanging out with good friends, that I feel better. I finally finished Marie Antoinette: a journey (took me 3 weeks!), which was really good, minus the graphic part about the parading of the Princesse de Lamballes' head and heart on separate pikes to the tower where the king and queen (the Capets by that time) were imprisoned. Definitely had some nightmares after that one...

I am now reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which is really cool. I get pretty scared reading it too though, as it is about Vlad the Impaler (this 15th century leader of Wallachia, which is near Transylvania), who basically scares the shit out of me from his history alone (who wouldn't be scared of a guy who liked to have his meals outside near the thousands of people he impaled). So I can only read this book during the day or when a bunch of people are at the house. Yes, I am a wimp, but I highly recommend the book, even though I'm only 100 odd pages into it.

I've been getting a lot of Christmas shopping done, so that I won't have much to do when December hits (also so I won't find myself too poor once Christmas finally rolls around). Other than that, I'm just looking forward to Thanksgiving break (starts next Wednesday!).

When it Rains...

It sure does pour!

November has definitely not started on a good note.

Last night I got a call from Adrian about one of our best friend's dad. Basically he died suddenly and it's left us all a bit shocked. I can't even imagine what kind of pain the family is experiencing. I have known the man since I was 12. He took a lot of pride in this country as member of the military and was perhaps one of the smartest people I have ever met, with a wealth of knowledge of political science and history. It is my Christmas project to FINALLY read the only book he ever gave me, Sarum (British History). This is a sad sad event. He will be greatly missed.

My brother got another job, which was great. His old boss who originally moved him into a service writer position hired him. Well, upper management fired the boss, and then told my brother to work more hours with a MUCH lower salary. With a wife who doesn't work and a 2 year old, he had no choice but to quit. Why is this happening to him?

Bad things usually come in threes. I would say that the third bad thing, was possibly my friend Jon moving to Colorado, but it's actually a good thing because he's starting his professional career as a medical illustrator... I'm just selfish, and lacking in testosterone friendships at the moment. I'll just hope that nothing bad happens in the near future.

I hope all of your Novembers are off to a much better start!

Upcoming Events

The following are super exciting things/events in the near and far future:

1. The new Marie Antoinette movie! I am reading Antonia Fraser's account in preparation.

2. Books... I have so much to read now and I think it is ALL going to be good

3. Libba Bray has a name for the final book in the "Great and Terrible Beauty Trilogy"... The Sweet Far Thing. Sweet. AND they are coming out with a movie for the first book.

4. Christmas... I freaking love Christmas... and since I work at a small library, they close the place down for 2 weeks... it's like I'm still in school. I get to decorate this year (since I'm not in two different places for the holidays), and that always makes things seem even more festive.

5. Cold weather. Granted, I hate the cold and winter, but that doesn't officially take place here until January, so things can suck then as far as I'm concerned (we don't need to get into how much I loathe February for multiple reasons). I love heaters and down comforters!

6. Vacations... I have plans for a Chicago trip (the only good part of February), a Colorado trip in March, and two trips in the summer... one to the southwest, and one to the Northeast (have I mentioned this in previous posts???). Even if all but one of these trips falls through, I will still be stoked about getting out of Georgia (uh oh, I'm already getting restless about this place).

7. Not being in school. I'm taking that online class and realizing that it is going to be at least a couple more years before I pursue anything else in my education. I need to relax and concentrate on my job for now.

I have more but this is an illegal post, so I need to go!

Oh so close to being unique...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Long time no post...

It's about time that I post on this thing. I have made a few obvious changes since becoming a member of blogger beta (which I think I like so far). It is definitely a work in progress though, so if you can't read many of the earlier posts, I apologize. I also never know how this thing works in Internet Explorer (for you Windows users). So please, go get yourselves the BETTER browser... Firefox.

So what has been going on in my life? I worked 50 hours this week, which was amazingly "interesting", but I had grand periods of productivity which totally made up for how tired I still am. I do have Monday AND Tuesday off this week, which will be fantastic. I have done quite a bit and have been surprisingly popular over the past few days though. I went to Medieval Times yesterday for Adrian's birthday. I've been before (with Brookwood when the band went to New York City in 1999), so I kind of knew what was going on, but I definitely forgot about all of the combat, wenches, hot black and white knights, etc. It's cheesy, but I had fun. Today I went to Piedmont Park and participated in AIDS Walk Atlanta. It was really a lot of fun, and the weather was perfect for such an occasion. I'm glad to have been a part of it.

Tomorrow and Tuesday, I am seeing even more friends, so I've felt quite loved and comforted by friendships (even though some are leaving me so soon for the great West). Sigh.

I begin my very first online course tomorrow... Fundamentals of Acquisitions... yum. Should be interesting. I am looking for a course similar to this dealing with serials (yikes).

Life is good though.

The Great Contender

*This is not meant to be a "holier than thou" post. Take it as you want, but I don't believe in preaching. Promise.*

I'm a true believer in the fact that life is best lived when there are challenges (even if I don't realize it at the time, which I NEVER do...). Okay, challenges kind of suck sometimes, but one thing is for sure; life is way more interesting when challenges are involved.

I wrote a couple entries back about my brother getting his "dream job". He called in Saturday asking what time he should come in Monday morning, and they informed him that senior management didn't approve of the position. After all of the tests and such that he went through and all of the time they made him wait (thinking that he had a job), he receives this news. It was a real blow to the ego I would imagine, but he's remarkably strong and has a good support system. He'll be back soon, and I can only hope that the lack of professionalism that this company has showed him will come back to haunt them in the future. I think later he will look back on this challenge and realize that this is making him a different, and hopefully better person.

I believe that everybody has their great contender... Somebody/something who opposes your happy normal life in an effort to force you to change for your better good. Sort of like an opponent (I realize that I am veering outside of the definition), but they're not competing with you, they're forcing you to compete with yourself by presenting challenges. Whether it is a spouse, friend, God, fate... whatever. And it can be a combination or one person/being sometimes, and another person/being another time. Somebody or something that challenges you/pisses you off to do something that you don't want to to to help you on that road to self-realization or discovery. I don't like to talk about religion much because I do view it to be personal, not to be preached. But I feel like God (and universally, not just "Christian-ly") is often my contender (I haven't really found that earthly male challenger as of yet), and has been for my brother recently as he started attending church again. I was more than happy to go with him, especially as I'm getting away from my childhood parish.

While it's difficult at the time to realize that you're being pushed to become a better person, it's good to know in retrospect that there's someone/something out there who cares enough to kick you in the ass to get you going.

Cheers to challenges and our contenders.

Friendly Reminder...

That's right bitches, it's Banned Book Week.

Good News

My brother lost his job recently (no, that's not the good news). Ever since he was a kid, he's been obsessed with cars. So, it was natural for him to enter the automobile industry (not as a seller, but as a service writer). He wasn't producing enough numbers at his most recent job though, so they had to let him go.

So naturally, it's great that he just got a job as a service writer for a fantastic car company. I'm excited for him, because he was going insane without the job, and I don't have to worry (I drive the kind of car he services) about all of the cranky, mean service writers down here anymore (I hate this company's service people in Georgia... mainly because I was babied in Bloomington by Mike).

That is all... I'm happy for my bro!

National Talk Like A Pirate Day

ARRRRGGGGHHHH!

Walk the plank!

Thanks go to Amanda for reminding me.

Various and Sundry

I have a weird name. Not very many people spell Traci with an I and not many people have the last name of Peter (without the S). I usually don't get mad when people spell my name wrong... add letters where they shouldn't, etc. But when I send out an email with my name in like 17 different places, and I still get back "dear Tracy", etc., I have to wonder...

These past days have been busy. I can finally say though that I completed my first BI session (librarians will know what this means) as a professional. It's good to get these under my belt because it helps me get to know different departments and keep up with technology. Slowly but surely I am becoming comfortable...

Being busy also means being tired. I sleep very well these days, even with my vivid dreams. I've also been getting these crazy headaches (hopefully because of Fall coming) that leave me dizzy and with blurred vision. I have great vision, but I will be stopping by some optical center in the near future to get myself a pair of glare repellant glasses (and it would be a plus if they are super cute). I stare at the computer way too much during the day.

Nothing much to report. Labor Day was fun... got to see my friend Susan (D.C. Susan, not Iowa Susan) and her 22 year old brother and friends. Last weekend I went to Justin Dexter's (Ashley Tutton's fiance--I am in their wedding) place and engaged in pre-game activities. My grandfather and his wife are visiting next weekend, which also happens to be my nephew's birthday. Life is alright and pretty uneventul, which at this time, is a very good thing.

I've been meaning to post about this fun waste of time for a while now...

Go try it! It's funny to me because I don't look like any of these people!

"There's yer trouble..."

So one really cool (and potentially dangerous) thing that sticks out about my job is the fact that I am on amazon around 90% of my work day. It's awesome because I see all of these books, but it's also scary when I realize just how much I haven't read.

I'm a big fan of all things Alice in Wonderland. Next month the guy who created There's Something About Mary is coming out with a book entitled The Looking Glass Wars. I'm pretty excited to see if it turns out well, especially since he's spent 3 years researching Lewis Carroll and such. I still don't know how I feel about Wicked (I also love The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), so I don't know how I'm going to like the new book. Meg Rosoff, an amazing author, has also come out with a new book which I have to read. I am also anticipating Libba Bray's third novel in the Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy (okay, it's not even coming out any time soon, just wishful thinking on my part). Is it obvious that I like young adult fiction?

In addition to having big eyes for books, my favorite clothing store has recently come out with their fall line. I LOVE J. Crew fall lines... it is, in my opinion, their signature season. I had to wipe the drool off of half the pages because the clothes and shoes were so beautiful. My eyes are definitely bigger than my budget.

In less materialistic news...

College football season starts this weekend!

My only non-SLIS friends in Indiana just found out that their new bundle of joy will be a girl... and a future color guard diva.

My nephew was awarded a one year modeling contract last week... interesting.

That's about it... everybody enjoy your Labor Day weekends!

Did you hear?

SAD

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune... Ppppppp... I got nothing.

Dear Diary,

Life is crazy.

Little Miss Sunshine is a pretty sweet movie.

I will become a member of three professional library organizations in the next few weeks (and will take a super acquisitions for dummies online class).

I attempted to acquire a green thumb this weekend by planting seeds in a Harry Potter planting set. I really suck with plants.

That's all for now. I'm looking forward to one month from now!