Musings | The 16 Resolutions

Happy 2016!

I feel like all of my other resolutions revolve around my main one, so here it is: I've made it a goal this year to become more organized. Ever since I graduated from school I have let my planner go to the wayside and my detail-oriented life has slipped a bit.


Oops?


Thanks to the BEYOND generous donation from Ashley (@makeuptia on YouTube she's perfect) I now have the pricey and notoriously hard-to-get inkwell press planner (squee!). The beginning of January was slightly hectic, so this weekend I finally sat down with my computer, planner, a cup of chai tea, and sorted out my life. There are some BIG changes that are potentially going down this year, and there's no way that I can fly by the seat of my pants like I did in the second half of 2015.



So, I believe that by declaring my official resolutions on here will keep my accountable, here they are. This year, I'm thinking of them less as resolutions and more as general goals that will be solidified by the end of the year. I think that's a good way of not setting myself up for failure, ha. 

16 Goals for 2016
1. Do some form of exercise every day, even if it means fitting in some quick yoga.
2. Speaking of, practice yoga 100x more frequently (shout out to Yoga With Adriene because holy shit, she's awesome). 
3. Read 30 books in one year (I did complete my 52 book challenge, which I promise a post is in the works but is taking me way too long to write.
4. Eat less red meat. Notice I'm not cutting it off completely, considering I would have broken that resolution on day 1 since eating pork on New Years is a sign of good luck in PA Dutch communities. ✌🏻
5. Shop small.
6. Blog weekly (oops, sry.)
7. Explore cruelty-free, vegan brands. 
8. Brush the dust off the Duolingo and learn some French, dammit.
9. Stop giving excuses and actually start writing.
10. Learn to use my time more wisely i.e. don't spend four hours watching makeup YouTube videos ok
11. Seek joy in situations where I want to kick something (this happens a lot and I really should just start meditating)
12. Actually try to get 8 hours of sleep every night (I write this at midnight knowing that I'll get less than that tonight hehe.)
13. Less coffee, more tea
14. Communicate better with friends (sorry to those who've waited on my texts for days).
15. Learn to cook!!! Real meals!!!!
16. Successfully move in and start a new chapter with my boyfriend. Ooh lala.


Ok that's all sleep time bye!

Bookworm | Station Eleven

Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel
Fiction




Ah yes. Yet another book club book. I have been eager to read this book for awhile, hence I pulled the "I'm the leader so I choose" card for the second month in a row and picked this book.



And the result is...meh?



The writing is very pretty, I'll give Mandel that. However, I couldn't figure out what kind of book this was. Post-apocalyptic survival novel? Shakespearean tropes? Six degrees of separation? Katniss meets the Walking Dead meets LOST meets creepy-ass preacher man?


While the goal was probably to utilize all of these themes, it didn't blend well.

Pros: The best narration involved the citizens of the airport and Jeevan who was trapped in the apartment with his brother. The idea of watching the world crumble outside your window is terrifying and was executed brilliantly. Miranda was the best character. As I said before, the writing was poetic and beautiful.


Con: What am I supposed to get from this book? That there will always be hope? How to survive 101? How one man is connected to so many people? The book jumped around, which is fine, but I never felt like any of it was justified. If there's movie, which I'm sure there will be, I hope it's executed a bit better.


Next up, Wild!

October In a Nutshell

I'm about 9 days late, but October was good to me. 

Bookworm | The Martian

After about five months at my job, I finally feel like I actually have my shit together.

Amazing, right?

I came up with the wonderful plan of starting a book club amongst the employees of my store, and the first meeting is tonight. And the first book is, you guessed it, The Martian.

...and I just finished it, you guessed it, this morning. Har. A creative writing major at her finest.

All right so the review:

The pros: Wow. 4 stars. I honestly really enjoyed this book. Mark Watney is friggen' hilarious and it just goes to show how much better things are if you have a positive outlook on life. I spent most of the book nodding and thinking, "that's exactly what I would say." It's great. The suspense is just enough that I was jazzed up by the end, but I wasn't necessarily sick to my stomach with anticipation. Though dang, those third person interjections of the planet really messed me up--you knew something bad was going to happen when Weir shifted from Mark's POV to the planet/equipment. No bueno. Anyways, the best line: "'Fuck you,' he said to the planet below." Trust me, it's fantastic in context.

The cons: It is so gosh-darn technical. Which, in logical sense, just goes to show how much research Weir put in to this book, considering that his occupation is not spacey. Yea, it reveals how nerdy he is about it, but damn. This author knows a lot about space. However, as far as reading it goes, especially in the beginning, it got really bogged down. There was some extreme skimming within the first 50 pages. 

And personally, as I said on my twitter, I kept being uncomfortably reminded of my C+ in high school chemistry. Well Mark, if you came up with a plan and it worked, props to you, but I certainly had no idea how the hell you figured it out. Ugh. Science. Shudder. 

Anyways, it's a great read. I highly recommend it, especially if you like spacey things. If you don't, it's worth reading just for the humor. 

"Look! A pair of boobs!-> (.Y.)"

Beauty | Battle of the Cleansing Oils

I have found that the best way to remove a large chunk of my makeup is via a cleansing oil, and since then I have not been able to go extended periods of time without them. However, I'm still struggling to find "the right one." To date, I have tried four different cleansing oils, and while some of work just fine on me, others have less-than desirable results. Let's look at the lineup:

Musings | Autumn

It's here.

Review | Bath and Body Works' London Candle

     "Let's just step into Bath and Body works," I say cautiously, hoisting my three other bags higher onto my shoulder. "I just want to see what candles are in."

     My best friend from college looks down at me doubtfully, but agrees to go inside. I walk to the back confidently, eyes searching for that beautiful candle wall, but as I near the registers, I fail to see any. I spot a candle on one of the display tables and sniff it, trying to conceal my disappointment.

    It doesn't work. "Oh, honey," a tanned woman cooes, walking up to me, "the candles have moved next door...have you been there yet?"

    Shit.