Life's Changes

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't posted here in months. Shame on me! In my defense, it has been a very busy few months. I'll try to keep it short, and share what has been keeping me occupied, and away from my blog.

In August, I had a wonderful trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with my mom and my sister. My sister is my best friend, and I love spending time with her. Hubby stayed home with the dogs, so we had a Girls' Week Out. We spent the week walking/running on the beach, swimming and reading good books.

While I was at the beach, Hubby had a job interview, and got the job. Woohoo - we're heading back to CA! We had 2 weeks to do a house-hunting (for a rental) trip, get back to VA, pack and fly out.

Now we're settling in to a lovely home in CA, only 7 miles from the beach, and nestled in some hills that are great for hiking. While they had a rough flight out, the dogs are thrilled to be here.

I'm on my "summer break" from law school, and hope to be back to studying in December. I can't wait to get started again, silly me! In the meantime, I'm putting some time in at my old job, just helping them on some projects, keeping my skills up and my brain occupied.

I'll do my best to not disappear again, and will be back when I have something interesting to say!

Water, Water, Everywhere!

I went grocery shopping last week, and was surprised to see things re-arranged in the store. Before I left for vacation, which I'll address in a second, there was one aisle for chips, popcorn, nuts and various waters, and another for sodas. When I returned, the chips and sodas were smushed in one aisle, while there was nothing but water in the next one. Two whole rows of water?!?!?! What the heck! I remember a time when people laughed at the concept of someday paying for drinking water. Now that some bottles are $3+, it's not so funny.

Personally, I love my Pur water filter on my faucet. It's cheap, easy, and I don't have to lug jugs home from the store.

It's just a sad commentary on the environment when 10% of the grocery store is dedicated to water sales.

Oh - my vacation... it was wonderful! Sadly, the Baby Bar didn't happen. I passed my finals, but the scores didn't get reported to the Bar Assoc. in time, so I couldn't take the exam. Instead, I'll take them in Oct.

We'd already paid for the airline tix, arranged for my stepdaughter to fly in to meet us, and all three of us had dental appointments, so we went anyway. A very expensive trip, considering I didn't get to take the exam, but I mentally shrugged it off and enjoyed myself. Though I was all set to take it, I allowed myself the week off from studying, and now I'm back to work, studying for Oct.

Book Review

I haven't posted in over 6 weeks, due to my heavy school load. I did get a chance to read a great book, however, as a reward to getting through my finals. The grades haven't come back yet, so I'm not sure if I'll be doing the Baby Bar at the end of the month or not, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Anyway, the book was "The Knitting Circle - A novel" by Ann Hood. I picked this book because I love knitting (when I have the time), and I'd read a great review of it. While the premise sounded depressing, the author's execution was brilliant. In the book, the main character, Mary, has lost her child, and finds her way back to her life through knitting, with the help of her new friends in the knitting circle. As the story unfolded, I found myself unable to put the book down.

After reading so many books that were honestly just a waste of time (and poorly written), it was wonderful to read a novel that made me think, and feel.

Now, back to law school studies for me! The Baby Bar awaits! (I hope)

Movie Review!

Thanks to Netflix, I get to watch a ton of movies. Heck, we own over 300 DVDs. But I haven't done a book review yet, because while I have enjoyed them, they didn't move me. Until we got "Freedom Writers" with Hillary Swank. It's rare to see a great story coupled with terrific acting.

I've always wanted to teach, but never went for my masters. If I wasn't already in law school, I might be tempted to go back for my M.Ed., despite the lousy salary. I hope this movie inspires people to go for it, and jump in with all their hearts.

I give this movie 5 stars out of 5, and must say that Hillary Swank has shown herself to be a very versatile actress.

They're Nuts!

Why is that people driving Volvos are the worst drivers on the road? Most of the time, when I'm tailgated, cut-off in heavy traffic, or see an extremely aggressive driver, they're in a Volvo? Is it because they think that buying a very safe car gives them a free pass to be reckless? In the middle of rush hour, a 30 year old female was behind the wheel of a Volvo, reading the paper and eating her breakfast. Not a hand on the wheel, nor an eye on the road.

Later in the drive, I spotted another Volvo driver reading a book - for over 1/2 a mile, through two intersections, and through a major interstate cloverleaf... NEVER looking up once. She ran people out of their lanes, on icy roads, during rush hour. Insane!!!!

OK, I'm done with my rant, I just wonder what it is about the Volvo that attracts these lousy drivers!

PS... I really have nothing against the Volvo itself... great cars!

The Secret?

I feel the need to comment on "The Secret", which is a DVD that everyone seems to be buzzing about, including Oprah. I'm wondering if folks who shell out $19.99 for the DVD feel they got their money's worth.

According to the director/teachers of the secret, it's a very simple thing. Line up your mind, spirit and actions in the same, positive direction, and you will get what you want. Isn't this a re-hash of most self-help books? I'm not arguing with the premise, just wondering if it's anything new.

I guess people just need to hear it repeatedly. It's funny how the world tends to beat us down as we go through our daily lives. Something as simple as hearing someone say we can do it, if we will it, gives us renewed hope for a better life.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has watched the DVD... was it worth the money and time it took to watch it? Did you get anything new out of it? Just curious!

Naked Sundays

Now, this is just frightening!

A gym in Amsterdam announced plans for Naked Sundays, the chance to exercise in the nude on Sundays. Aside from the obvious hygiene issues, how scary would it be, with folks bouncing along on the ellipticals, stairmasters, etc. Not to mention various poses in yoga and pilates classes. Ewwww! Not to get too personal, but if I don't wear a running bra, there will be some major pain involved as well!

It'll be interesting to see how many people show up for nude aerobics, and if they continue after the first few weeks. Hmmmm.....