Do you eat to live or live to eat?

It's probably a little cliché, but have you ever asked yourself... Do I live to eat or do I eat to live?

The other night I was having dinner with three of my friends. We had a simple meal that night: Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. Ha ha! Yes, I brought the soup. If there's one thing about me that everyone knows, it's that I can't cook worth a darn.

The four of us are sitting around, eating, chatting, laughing. The usual stuff. Somehow the discussion turned to foods and which ones were our favorites. I had been suffering from a headache that day, so wasn't really contributing to the conversation.

My friends began discussing and exchanging stories about the variety of food that they had tried while on past trips. I must say that their favorite place to have a meal was Japan, hands down. Lol.

Finally, given that I had been so quiet throughout this chat, one of my friends looks at me and asks, "When you were in Japan, what did you eat?"

I had visited Japan some years ago with an exchange program for other disabled youths. It was a two-week trip that had us mainly residing in Tokyo, except for our first few days. We first went to a bird park and camped out a bit. Okay, maybe it wasn't "camping" in the true sense of the word, but when you've got a traveling air mattress, a floor to sleep on and an outdoor facility for showers... It's camping!

Thinking on my friend's question, I had to really stop and think. After several seconds, I laughed and said that I honestly couldn't remember. This got a good chuckle out of everyone. I smiled, shrugged and said, "Sorry. I think of that line my mom told me. I don't live to eat, I eat to live."

A good statement, wouldn't you think?

I don't know what else to really say. I couldn't care less about my next meal, as long as it's warm, filling and has some protein.

Of course, I seem to be the minority, as I have many other friends who are always scouting for the next new place to have lunch or dinner. I'm not like that. In fact, I could probably go to Romano’s Macaroni Grill and do a create-your-own-pasta every night and be happy. Lol. Yes, I'd probably get tired of it after a couple of weeks, but this shows that I'm a little...boring, when it comes to food.

Do I ever wonder why this is? Not really. However, if I had to guess, I'd probably attribute my lack of interest for food on that fact that while growing up, my mother cooked all the meals. We couldn't afford to go out to eat. The most we ever did was a dinner once a year at a restaurant to celebrate my grandma's birthday. Naturally paid by other relatives.

The bottom line is, I'm a simple person who has simple tastes. Literally.

It's over!

Dewey's read-a-thon is officially over. My 24 hours of reading has ended. While it was a good run, I have to say I'm glad it's completed. The last six hours was hard, only because the sleepiness was getting to me. But fear not, I survived, slapped myself and splashed water on my face.

The final hour all I could think about (at least for a brief moment) was getting a shower and jumping into bed. My back is absolutely killing me. Although I must say I'm glad it decided to hurt only for the last hour and a half.

For the final hour, I did manage to read the first 90 pages of In High Gear by Gina Wilkins. It's part of Harlequin's NASCAR series. I must admit when this series first came out, I couldn't get enough of the books. While the desire to gobble up NASCAR books has subsided, I still get a lot of pleasure from reading one every now and then. For myself, as a fledgling writer, I look at books like this as paving the way for a new market. I sometimes sigh out loud when I see books with doctors, construction workers, cops, librarians, FBI agents and CEOs. I'm always looking for the new thing to tap in hopes that when I finally manage to finish a novel, I won't be using the same stuff as authors before me. Maybe oen day I'll find it, and maybe not.

Anyway, as for the read-a-thon, I completed reading Outlaw's Bride, Sisters Found, Tempt Me at Twilight, The Maverick's Bride, Behind Closed Doors and Bittersweet Promises. I also finished about 40% of Dream guy and 90 pages of In High Gear.

Most of these titles were 300+ page books. Only In High Gear, The Maverick's Bride and Behind Closed Doors were under 300 pages.

Well, it was a good run. Very exciting and I'm already looking to do it again next year. I'd especially like to try mini challenges or be a cheerleader at some point. Either way, the read-a-thon was great and I hope whoever's in charge keeps on truckin'!

Finally!

I was checking the Dewey website and I see a whole lot of stuff there. I have no idea if everyone is all done. I haven't seen Twitter updates or e-mails from my friends in about an hour and a half. Well, for me, I started at 2 a.m. and I'm going to make it to 2 a.m.

I thought I was going to only have one book that would fit in the final minutes, but I just finished a Harlequin entitled The Maverick's Bride by Doreen Roberts. This is not an author I'm familiar with either. Although I'm not exactly sure when this book was published. However, it could be an older Harlequin title and one done by a one-hit wonder author.

The plot of the book is a common one, but one I love all the same. It's about unrequited love and a hero needing a pretend wife. Except in this book the hero, after winning a national rodeo title, goes home to prove to his hometown he's not such a screwup. Sixteen years ago he was blamed for a crime he didn't commit, and while he wasn't convicted, no one—not even his family—believed him.

I know I've been going down on most of the books I read, so I'm going to try and say something positive about this book. I enjoyed everything about it. Sentence structure, plot pacing, dialogue. And it had the heroine in the last pages of the book realizing that it was a hopeless case and getting the heck out of Dodge. While I know some feminists might get their feathers ruffled, I've always disliked books where the heroine spills her guts and the hero has a miraculous discovery of his feelings. Sometimes I think, where is your pride? To wear your heart that far down your sleeve? Whenever I think of this situation, I'm reminded of something I read in another book. Maybe it's a quote that was ripped off from someone else, but it was to the effect of, men value the prize more when they have to work for it.

Overall, the book left me with a satisfied feeling. It was, as I like to call them, an uncomplicated read. A bit of mystery was involved, but the culprit was obvious from the start. The hero and heroine weren't at odds for a lot of the book. They held things back (as most good romances do) but they interacted in a way that allowed the mind to really get to know the characters without stressing over heated dialogue or a ton of friction.

The home stretch?

Bittersweet Promises lived up to its name. While I can't complain about the gooey happily-ever-after, the last 100-200 pages was really tough for me. So the heroine is on the run with her little brother. The only spoiler about this book I'll give is that the heroine goes to Missouri to find her brother's real father and get him to marry her so she can have a better chance of keeping the boy. Of course, the heroine is set and determined to go through with it, despite the hero and herself falling in love. And when she eventually catches up with this unknown man, he agrees to her plan.

I'm the last person, as I've said in my past blogs, to be griping about an author's story. Lord knows I probably couldn't do better. With that being said, this book started out great for me, slumped in the middle and only picked up at the very end. I think the part that irked me the most was that the unknown man knew about the hero and heroine being in love, but was willing to split them up so the villianous father wouldn't get his hands on the little brother.

I'm not into books like this, with some kind of weird love-triangle. I feel my attention is being turned towards the relationship between a main character and a secondary character.

Yes, I can see a pattern for myself here. I'm sure someone's got to be thinking, is there any books that I actually really like? I'm ashamed to say that the books I devour cover-to-cover and put down with a pleased sigh are far and few between. I've talked with my more experienced writer friends, and they laughingly tell me (albeit in a nice way) that I've just gotten picky. I can't deny that! I've gotten terribly selective in the books I read. But I remember what someone once told me not that long ago. There are thousands and thousands of books in the world, and with so many to choose from, you can afford to be picky!

Anyway, I'm counting down the hours now till the end of the 24 hours of reading! I believe I have about three more hours. I'll probably squeeze in one more book. In the past 24 hours, I've managed to eat, walk my dog and other little things without stopping my reading. Although the one thing I haven't been able to do is shower. Oh man, I'm going to enjoy taking a nice hot shower and laying on my nice soft bed and catching some Zs!

Hanging in there!

First, thanks Trisha for saying I'm entertaining. Lol. For some reason that means a lot to me.

I have to say, I haven't really used my blog that much, as I can't imagine that people want to read my ramblings about books or my boring life.

Anyway, with that being said... Another update. I'm 35% of the way through Bittersweet Promises. It would seem the heroine lost the money she was traveling with and is engaged as the hero's daughter's teacher. Helped along by a well-meaning aunt, of course.

The writing is pretty smooth so far. I don't feel rushed or bored. Oh, and apparently the author is someone I've never heard of... Trana Mae Simmons. Another author I've never heard of, but not displeasing...so far.

As for myself, it's now hit late evening and I'm feeling the burn. The need for sleep is overwhelming, but after coming this far, I would hate myself to give up now! At this point I'm thinking I'll probably get through Bittersweet Promises and another book before time is up.

I also popped into the Dewey website to peek at some of the mmini challenges going on. While I didn't participate in any of them, I noticed the one that had a music theme. It really got me thinking about the new Carrie Underwood song. So, I thought I would post the Youtube link. I'm a big fan of the song. And it seems to fit the books I'm reading. Two fo the three historicals I've read have been westerns. Even one contemporary novel involved ranches and cowboys. I felt this song fit the mood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu32vyCldh8

On a slightly different note, I'm shaking my head in amusement. I have headphones connected to my BookCourier in one ear and my other ear partially tuned to the radio. My university's football team is getting slaughtered. I haven't listened to the game at all as I've been doggedly reading. However, I did take moments when updating the blog to check the score. Good thing I knew we were going to lose this game anyway! Lol.

And yet another book

All right, one more book started. I seem to be jumping back and froth from contemporary to historical and back again. This time I started reading Bittersweet Promises. I can't remember off-hand who the author is, but when I finish the book I'll take a look at it just so I can get it down.

I'm not that deep into the book yet. BookCourier has me at 13% of the way through the book. I'm not exactly sure how many pages this novel is, but I'm guessing at least 300. I also can't quite remember what the synopsis said about it, but so far it would seem that the heroine is on the run and has had a near-escape when she and her little brother were caught in the middle of a bank robbery.

I was just taking a quick peek at the Dewey official page, and saw a list of questions. One of them said, "Are you tired yet?"

Why, yes, I am, thanks for asking! Lol. However, I feel strangely awake. As long as I don't cave in to the temptation of laying down to read. It'll be all over if I do that, so I'm walking around with my BookCourier, trying to keep active. I just came back from walking my dog and was reading the beginning to Bittersweet Promises.

Another question I saw was about interruptions. This was an amusing question. Fortunately, I haven't had too many of those. I think it also helps that my eyes and hands aren't engaged with a physical book. I've also got my parent understanding about what I'm doing, and she's been kind enough to not talk too much.

I still have several hours to go, so I'm already trying to mentally think about what I want to read next. I have a Julia Quinn romance that I'm tempted to read, but I don't want to burn myself out on historicals. I do have a few fantasy novels I've been meaning to read, so that's also an option.

Well, that's the latest update. Oh and hey, I just noticed that people are commenting on my posts. While I'm sure I'm not that entertaining, I appreciate people actually coming over here and looking.

The next book

So I said I wanted to go contemporary and I did. The next book I chose is called Dream Guy by Candy Halliday. I've never read this author before, but I thought I would give her a try. You can't find new authors to sample unless you...well, sample their work. The synopsis seemed interesting enough. Our heroine gets dumped by her boyfriend and comes up with an idea to make the perfect boyfriend in video game format. She does have a history with her boss though, which adds a little something to the story.

However—there usually is a however with me—I'm not sure if the book is to my taste. It seems very contemporary. By that I mean it seems the twenty-first century lifestyles are cropping up, and while it makes for a more realistic and engaging story... I'm just not enjoying it as much. This book fits in stuff like going to bars and getting trashed and meeting strange people in bars, etc. Personally, that's a little too out there for me. A personal preference for sure. So I'm just not into this kind of thing and I read books that reflect that. Or downplay certain things. It's probably why I shy away from Harlequi's "Blaze" series these days. Way too much bed-hopping and alcohol consumption for my taste.

But, as I say, this is a personal preference. I can't deny the book is engaging me, but the hero is making me want to smack him. He's acting like a complete ass and I'm sure hoping something comes in the end where he redeems himself.

Right now I'm about 30% of the way through the book, according to BookCourier. I may or may not stick with this book. If anything I'll stop and pick up something else and maybe come back to it. I've still got a lot of hours to go.

Three books and twelve hours gone

I just finished reading Tempt Me at Twilight. I have to say it was a book I thoroughly enjoyed. While I'm not expert, I thought the pacing was good. I didn't get irritated like I usually do that the main characters are dancing around each other and getting ticked off. I have to say though, that if there was any flaw with this book, it was the first love scene. It was comprised of staccato-like sentences. One of the things I have issues with is staccato sentences. Short, choppy sentences. One or two in a paragraph isn't so bad, but when two or three short paragraphs are like that, it disrupts my reading.

Going back to the plot, it was something I hung on. Naturally it followed a formula I've seen used in the past. With characters that hold emotions or secrets back from each other, there's always a period in the middle or near the end of the book where things are calm. The author lulls you into a false sense of security, then yanks the rug out from under you. That was the way this book was for me. Granted, the rug being yanked was tamer than other romances I've read, but what can I say? I like tame. Anything more is bad for my heart!

I'm now going to look for something else to read. I'm not sure what I'm going to choose next. The way I've been doing things is running through the books I've got on my BookCourier and then picking one without giving myself time to think about it. So far I've done a historical, a contemporary and another historical. I think I'll go back to contemporary, just so I don't get stuck in a historical novel rut.

Reached page 210

I've now reached page 210 in Joan Johnston's novel. It would seem the intrigued is getting a little stickier. I'm starting to believe the plot has more than one enemy. It's a familiar pattern I've seen with previous romance novels involving a mystery.

My opinion up until now is that the story is good. I can't say great, because I'm finding it a struggle to keep going. However, this is a strictly personal opinion. I know most intrigue novels go this way, but oftentimes, I find more enjoyment in a romantic suspense novel when the main characters aren't the direct target. Of course, this is kind of silly as most novels are better for having the targets the hero/heroine. I suppose I'm a little eccentric that way.

BookCourier has me at 53% of the book. I'm doing about 25% per hour, so I should have this book done in another couple of hours. Just in time to give my dog a morning walk. BookCourier will of course be accompanying me.

Budget Cuts, Athletics & the Why Question

Today in one of my classes we went off topic and talked about our school budget, the professors contract, etc. Obviously everyone is hurting right now, and many people are upset by the decisions of our state to cut education. I myself am disappointed that education is the thing that gets slashed. However, not knowing more about the subject, I'm the last person to give an opinion on alternative options.

One of the things about this twenty-minute discussion that our class engaged in had to do with a comment a fellow classmate made. She happened to have our school paper in front of her and commented how one page talked about the budget cuts, but the very next page talked about the women's locker-room getting a 2.6 million dollar face-lift. She was very outspoken about the fact that she regarded this as a frivolous use of money, and that the female athletes should just stop complaining and go back to their dorms or homes to shower. The student did apologize if any athletes were in the class, but continued by saying that she thought it was interesting how the school is in a budget deficit, but athletics still gets money. In other words, that people were valuing athletics far above education.

Again, I know very little about the subject as I'm not an athlete or privy to budget information. I will say that after my class I had a talk with a friend. I commented how notoriety is what gets students to come to a particular school. Since it seems that athletics is the thing that gets the most attention, then it's what gets promoted.

I have no idea if this is true or not. I am all for athletics, but I'm also for education. In my perfect world, education and athletics and whatever else would all be on equal footing in regards to money. However, in reality, that's not the case. But the focus of my thoughts now have to do with the comment that my friend made to me after I commented on the notoriety subject. He said that each student that comes to a school actually costs the school money. So if one were to look at it, the affect of more students coming to a particular institution due to the notoriety factor wouldn't really jive.

I couldn't say anything to that. I was left with very confusing thoughts. I was thinking, well, if each student is looked as a negativity because it costs the school money to educate them, then why would they want students to come at all? If there's always a budget shortfall, then why even open up a school period? Why not have a student cut-off then, to allow only so many students per so many years? Why open it up for new students all the time? I just don't understand any of this.

Mainly, I'm left with the why question. Why? What's the whole point of it if it only costs money and puts the institution into debt?

Fairy Tales

In my college class we're studying fairy tales. I have to say, the one thing about this subject that always comes up is the naiveté that seems to ooze from all sorts of fairy tales. The subject of Disney is also brought up.

Now, I grew up on fairy tales. I enjoy them and thrive on them. However, it seems to me that whenever fairy tales are focused on or discussed, the one thing that always comes up is the damsel in distress, and the princess being saved by a handsome prince. Disney immortalized this theme, and I get the feeling that people think this is a bad thing.

I say it now and I say it then...

What's wrong with Disney? Is it so bad in the twenty-first century to still enjoy Disney? Are more parents shying away from Disney because it sends the "wrong" message to kids?

All my professors appear to elude to this. While I don't think all of them are sold on the idea, I think a lot of them believe that Disney had the market on teaching our kids about fairy tales, but sugar-coated it so much that it's giving us all a toothache.

I respect my professors and the other intellectuals around the world that believe in this viewpoint. However, I have to say I disagree. Disney and others like it are forms of entertainment. It's not like solid literature that we're exposed to when we reach the post-high school period of our lives.

Maybe I've got my head in the clouds, or maybe I'm still naive myself from all those hours of watching Disney. But I still feel there's nothing wrong with Disney. Other authors are welcome to adapt the stories and make them their own. However, the beauty of the beast is that we’re allowed choice. No one says we have to be stuck in a rut and only restrict ourselves to Disney, the Grimm’s or even Angela Carter.