So the book might be killing me, but...

I love this picture so much.  I think I took it by mistake.



See that name?  Phaedrus?  I need to understand him more.

This first book is killing me

I sure hope this isn't a sign of things to come with this challenge.

So.  Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance...it is out there.  I am relatively smart, I think.  I have read a lot of different kinds of books.  This is a tough read.  Many references I do not know.  It is slow going because I have to stop, look something up, try to put it into context, and then move on.  Admittedly, if I was just randomly reading this book, I might stop.  But it is a challenge, and as of right now, I am still too stubborn to give up on the challenge.

It would, however, be quite helpful if I was actually interested in motorcycle maintenance.  :)

If I am smart

and sometimes I am, I will use this blog as an outlet, not just a book review. 

My life is far from exotic.  And most of the time I am okay with that.  I am very lucky, and I am quite grateful for all that I do have.  But for sure, it is the mundane that runs me down.  The stupid, petty bullshit that exists in the every day.  The scheduling, and the fact that my kids don't want to put their laundry away, or that I have to fight with Jack sometimes because he just doesn't understand that I can't always drop what I am doing to buy him baseball cards (all real things that happened just today in my life, btw).  Oh and did I mention that a bird got into the house today and the kids called me freaking out and Avery couldn't possibly open the front door and try to shoo him out...that would be unsafe.  So I left work early expecting some rabid bird flying around the house pecking everyone's eyes out...here is what I came home to....ready?  Its pretty scary...

GASP.  IT IS A HOUSE WREN!  And when I opened the front door of the house, he flew out.  Just like that.  Without having to take any drastic measures like opening a window too.  This is my life, folks.  I can't make this shit up.

So I do my best to take a deep breath, maybe have some form of alcohol, and move on.  I do struggle with the move on portion of this...but I am trying.  And I am getting better.  But we are all works in progress. 

So now, the house is quieter, the laundry is mostly away, and everyone appears calm.  So its reading time for a bit before my tired eyes give out for the night.  On to more Zen...

I suppose I ought to give a "regular life" update too

There have been big doin's around here. 

Me:  Managed to pull my head out of my ass long enough to refinance my ex off the house we lived in (he had been living in it) and the kids and I and Ami J moved back in.  Moving sucks, but it has been spectacular.  Right this minute, I am typing from my newly re-organized office space in my bedroom and I am in love with it.  I continue to try to remain as organized as possible-I am a work in progress, and I am also learning to try to limit my commitments.  I am hoping the aforementioned book project will help with that.   This remains to be seen.

Avery:  She is nearly 12.  This blows my mind.  She is in 6th grade, very smart, extremely kind, and very, very, very fresh.  I suppose she comes by it honestly, but man...we are going to butt heads. 

She loves to read, which I love.  Here she is devouring another book, surrounded by members of our zoo.

 

 

Jack:  He turned 9 this summer.  This ALSO blows my mind.  He is in 4th grade, continues to excel in school and in athletics.  He would play all sports simultaneously if there was a way to do it.  I can't lie.  I derive such joy from watching him play.  It is so natural for him and it never was natural for me, so I am sort of in awe.  He is also pretty mouthy.  Shocking.

 

I effing love this picture.  He would probably be horrified if he knew I was publishing it for the world to see.  Lucky for him, I don't think anyone reads this blog. 

 

 

There are days when we hold it together MacGyver style-with dental floss and gum, but there are days that are also pretty spectacular.  I live for those moments.  



It has been a while...

But something lately has been calling me to write.  I am definitely on a quest of some sort, but I haven't quite determined what it is.  Cue the Red Rider music...

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a link from the website Buzzfeed.  32 Books That Will Actually Change Your Life.  I was pretty happy that I had read 9 or so of them-and then I thought that perhaps I should read the rest.  So I have made the decision to read the remaining books on the list by the end of 2014.  I looked them all up on Amazon and created a wish list for myself-here is a link to it...Pen's book list.  I will say that I added one book that was not originally on the list-I mentioned my plan to one of my friends and he mentioned a book that he felt I should read, so I added it on.  Why not, right?

As a side note, the 9 that I had read off of the list didn't change my life in any way, really.  I certainly liked them, but at the risk of ruining any credibility I might have with anyone, the only book in recent years that has changed my life in any way was Eat, Pray, Love.  That book made me think more about how I was living my own life in such a profound way-I keep a copy close by and reread it on occasion.

Anyway, where to start?  Well, as luck would have it, one of the books on the list was one I had already purchased along the way, because I felt it was something I was supposed to read.  Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance-An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig.  Ironically, I am teaching a class this semester on Professional and Ethical Standards and we talk a lot about where a person's value system comes from.  Perhaps this will relate to my class.  Perhaps I can end up using it instead of a textbook next semester!

So here it goes.  I am not sure if I will write as I go along, or when I finish.  I guess I will figure that out as I go along.