20 New Year’s Resolutions For 20-Somethings

This is sucha great article from the blog Thought Catalog. Seriously, so amazing that every 20-something should read... so I'm sharing it. :-)

1. Before you status update, Tweet, Tumble or Instagram, pause and say to yourself, “is it entirely necessary that I share this morsel of thought with my entire social network?”and if the answer is not, “yes, I absolutely must,” then step away from the Internet.
2. Know which candidate you’re going to vote for in the upcoming presidential election, and know why.
3. Enough with the 14-day juice cleanses. If you want to lose a little weight quickly, eat less and exercise like crazy. If you want to lose a lot of weight slowly, do whatever Jennifer Hudson did.
4. If you really like the person you’re hooking up with and would like them to be your boyfriend/ girlfriend, find a way to tell them, and hope for the best. If you don’t and wouldn’t, stop.
5. Find a way to save approximately 300 dollars and spend it on a flight to see a friend or family member who lives far away.  
6. Please stop liking the Kardashians, all of them. It’s not helping anyone, least of all the Kardashians.
7. Spend less than or equal to the money you earn each month.
8. Wear clothes that fit you, especially to work.
9. Call someone on the phone at least once a week, and speak to him or her for at least ten minutes.
10. Start preparing now to get over the fact that Facebook is probably going to change again in six months. You’re not going to deactivate your account. You don’t know how.
11. Wait 30 seconds before you look up a fact you can’t remember on your phone, and try to remember it using your brain. This is what the olden days were like.
12. Replace one terrible reality show you’re currently watching with one wonderful scripted show currently available on television. Swap suggestion: Real Housewives of Anywhere for HBO’s Enlightened.
13. Try that food you think you don’t like but have never actually tried, unless it’s brussels sprouts. They really don’t need any more attention.
14. Cut one person out of your life who you truly do not like and add one person who you truly do. Note: not on Facebook, on Earth.
15. If you’re still blacking out regularly, you should stop.
16. Volunteer once over the next 90 days. You’ll feel really good about it, and probably end up volunteering again over the next 275.
17. Tell someone who you love that you love them on a more regular basis. To their face, not in a text.
18. Back up your entire online life onto an external hard drive, especially your photos.
19. Crap or get off the pot. This applies to whatever thing you’re not doing that you should just sack up and do already.
20. And in the eternal words of Tom Haverford, “TREAT YO SELF!”

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) by Stephen Chbosky

I was so excited to start my reading New Year’s resolution that I quickly picked a book and devoured the entire thing in a single day. I could not have picked a better book to read from my New Year’s Resolution book list. When I picked out my first book to read I had decided that I did not want to just go in the list order so I picked a random number out of hat and went with it. The result of this was The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) by Stephen Chbosky.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is narrated by a teenager who goes by the alias of "Charlie"; he describes various scenes in his life by writing a series of letters to an anonymous person, whom he does not know personally. The story explores topics such as introversion and the awkward times of adolescence. The book also touches briefly on drug use and Charlie's experiences with this. As the story progresses, various works of literature and film are referenced and their meanings discussed. At the very beginning of the book, Charlie is referred to as a wallflower for his ability to observe and understand things, but over the course of a year's worth of letters, Charlie explains the efforts of the people in his life to get him to "participate" or "do things" and the feelings and experiences he has as a result.

The author, Chbosky, names J.D. Salinger’s The Cather in the Rye as an inspiration, and he pays homage to Salinger’s work by naming it as one of the books that Charlie’s English teacher, Bill, gives him to read.

This was a great read for the New Year since it references quite a few books that are on my list such as Cather in the Rye (Salinger), The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald), and On the Road (Kerouac). It also mentioned a few books I might add to my list once I finish the initial 15: This Side of Paradise (Fitzgerald), Walden (Thoreau), The Fountainhead (Rand), Naked Lunch (Burroughs), and A Separate Peace (Knowles).

Just a few of my favorite lines:

• "Charlie, we accept the love we think we deserve."
• "And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
• "My sister spent that next 10 minutes denouncing the Greek system of sororities and fraternities. She kept telling stories of 'hazing' and how kids have died before. She then told this one story about how she heard there was a sorority that made the new girls stand in their underwear while they circled their 'fat' in red magic marker." (my commentary on this... funny because these are still the same "rumors" that go around Greek life - I still joined a sorority).
• "Mark said that the amazing white stars were really only holes in the black glass of the dome, and when you went to heaven, the glass broke away, and there was nothing but a whole sheet of star white, which is brighter than anything but doesn't hurt your eyes. It was vast and open and thinly quiet, and I felt so small."
• "There's nothing like the deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons. It was that great."

Moving on to my next book… Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (for obvious reasons).

1. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw

2. “A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean

3. “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov

4. “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac

5. “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephan Crane

6. “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger

7. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky

8. “1984” by George Orwell

9. “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand

10. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell

11. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

12. “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper

13. “Antigone” by Sophocles
14. “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck
15.

A year in review - a photo montage

2011

New Years Resolution: Books to Read for 2012

With 2012 being the year of my college graduation (finally…and long overdue) and have set out on a quest to compile a list of 15 must-read books to complete before I graduate in August.


They are in no particular order or ranked by importance – compiled this list by going over many lists I have read online of books that are high school and college graduate must-reads. I made sure t put on this list a decent amount of books that I was supposed to read in high school but back then decided to use SparkNotes instead (no bueno…I know).

The list consists of:

1. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. “A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean

3. “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov

4. “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac

5. “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephan Crane

6. “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger

7. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky

8. “1984” by George Orwell

9. “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand

10. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell

11. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

12. “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper

13. “Antigone” by Sophocles

14. “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

15. "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw

Left off the list because I have already read them (but they may become a re-read if I finish the above): Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), The Scarlett Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Ken Kesey), Lord of the Flies (William Golding), The Glass Menagerie (Tennessee Williams).

Other books I would like to read post-graduation…not classics by general life books: Boomerang Nation: How to Survive Living with Your Parents…the Second Time Around (Elina Furman), Rich Dad Poor Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki) – I actually had to read this in High School but I think it would be a great post-grad read, What You Should Know About Politics…But Don’t: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues (Jessamyn Conrad), Emily Post’s Etiquette (Emily and Anna Post).

Ugh… okay so it was wicked hard to actually pick out the top 15 I want to read, but alas, I did. I found this really great list online though that I will definitely be using next time I am in dire need of a book to read instead of picking up a trashy romance novel.

Capricorn Horoscope - 2012 New Years Edition

I've never been one to believe in horoscopes. For starters, they are always so vague that they could really apply to anyone, and also it seems like once you read them they instantly must happen and people force them to happen to matter what (so, all over the world there are 50,000 people who have read the same horoscope that told them to "jump off of a bridge" and they did...).


I kid, I know horoscopes don't really work like that - they are interpretive and don't give specific things that will happen. And like I said, for me that is just to vague.


But, there are the few times when I like to read them - mostly at the start of the New Year when everything is fresh and anything is possible. It's always that moment of "hm...where will I be this time next year?" that is so intriguing.


The website that I read it off of this year divides up the Capricorn sign into three decans: 1st decan born Dec 22 to 31, 2nd decan born Jan 1 to 10, 3rd decan born Jan 11 to 19. I would fall into the 1st decan with my birthday on December 27th. I liked this idea because it seemed to be a little bit more specific than just a general "Capricorn horoscope."


Capricorn decan 1 is in for a pretty full on 2012 because you guys are going through a very intense and life-changing period thanks to the biggest planetary alignment in over a generation. The Uranus Pluto square is directly affecting you because Pluto is in the early degrees of Capricorn, and Uranus is squaring your decan all of 2012. Those of you born from December 22 to 26 are now recovering from the Pluto conjunction over the last couple of years, but those born December 27 to 31 are facing the full force in 2012. All of you really should read my post on Pluto conjunct Sun transit and there are comments from other Capricorns describing how they are dealing with this extremely powerful energy, which can lead to deep and lasting change in your life direction. It can be very empowering and you will be driven, almost compulsively, to reform your life and improve your conditions, striving to reach your goals. The energy of Pluto is relentless and intense, giving you a powerful will to succeed.



So on top of this life transforming Pluto transit, you all have to contend with some radical and sometimes stressful changes because of a square from erratic Uranus. This is likely to mean that 2012 will bring the unexpected, a few surprises which increase the excitement levels but also mean that it may be difficult to find stability at work or at home and with your relationships. You may feel the energy of this Uranus square Sun transit as a desire to break away from restriction or boredom in your life, or it may come in the form of confrontation with others, or just unexpected events. The key for 2012 is to remain flexible an accept change in your life, take advantage of new opportunities because this really is a special time and you could totally transform your life for the better. From January to late March, luck is on your side with Jupiter trine Sun


For January 2012:

Decan 1 Capricorn has a busy start to 2012 with Mercury passing through your decan from January 8 to 15. Mental alertness and quick thinking come naturally and this helps you make the most of the increase in activity, meetings, correspondence and trips around town. You can express yourself with more confidence and ease, and better explain your ideas and plans. This is an ideal time for convincing others, buying and selling, and signing contracts. Venus sextile your decan from January 14 to 22 should bring more opportunities for love and money. You will be feeling more affectionate and can expect warm reactions from friends and partner. A good time for socializing or staying in with someone special. This would be a good month to get out and about making new friends or business contacts.

Doesn't sound like to bad of a New Year to me. :-)

So much more than a little black book...

While in the process of addressing Christmas cards I have realized just how unorganized I am. Sure, I wish I could be more organized and I usually try with to-do lists, my darling Lilly Pulitzer Agenda, and my wall calender, but to no avail my organization skills are greatly lacking.

At the moment my "address book" consists of torn off labels from envelopes of everyones address (tacky, yes, I know) I just have never had to time to sit down and write them all down into an actually address book. I might just have to go out and purchase one of the following address books in order to keep one of my other New Years Resolutions of being more organized in 2012.

Address Book 2 by mhowes87 on polyvore.com

Monsoon Flora Address Book
£8 - monsoon.co.uk

BARBARA WIGGINS Cracked Gold Foil Leather Medium Address Book
$27 - boutique1.com

Vivienne Westwood A6 Blue Squiggle Address Book
$35 - viviennewestwood.co.uk

Smythson Peridot Green Fashion Diary
$330 - my-wardrobe.com

Leathersmith of London Black Oxford Address Book
£26 - liberty.co.uk

Another fresh new year is here… another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, to love and laugh and give!

I figure now is as good a time as any to do a little recap of 2010. And overall I think that 2010 has been a great year, even through the sad times, this year has had so many exciting things happen.

Let’s start with about this time last year…

…I was thinking about joining the Navy. Seriously…me?...In the Navy? It’s simply laughable now. Obviously this leads up to the next point that happened in 2010.

…I got back into UCF. I swore to myself (and my entire family) that if I didn’t get back into UCF for Fall 2010 I was joining the Navy. Well, seeing as the above says that I didn’t join the Navy then you can see what happened.
…My older sister got married. It was a beautiful wedding and everyone had such a great time.

…I found out that I am going to be an Aunt (baby is due in May). This is super exciting because we haven’t had a baby in the family since my younger sister who just turned 21 in November. My cousin is also due with her first child in March (it’s a girl!) – fun times to be had by all!

…I started a new job. I wasn’t even actually looking for a job it just kind of fell into my lap back in August; I now work at an art studio much closer to UCF. Looking back I am still almost shocked that I actually did it, the country club was almost my safe haven, I was so comfortable there. Sure, I griped about it a lot, but I loved practically all of the people I worked with. There are definitely some that I miss more than others but overall I think I will stay in touch with most of them for many years.

And now on to all of the exciting things I’m already looking forward to in 2011.

…My little niece or nephew coming in May. And the super cute baptism in DC on my sister and brother-in-laws one year wedding anniversary at the same church they got married at.
…Possible internship in New Haven, Connecticut over the summer.

…My first semester back at UCF as a full time student starts next Monday!!

…Maybe falling in love for the first time and maybe my first time traveling internationally.
And just a few of my resolutions for 2011:

…Stop over analyzing everything.

…learn something new every month. I’m working on golf for January, one of the guys I worked with at the country club offered to teach me. Other things I’m looking at doing… tennis, kickboxing, rock climbing, surfing, glass blowing, and knitting. I’m sure once I get through all of these I’ll figure out some others to try.
Cheers to a happy and fruitful new year! I hope 2011 brings the best of everything!