Favorite Book

Those of us who like to read normally wouldn't have much trouble telling someone what our favorite book was if asked....mine would have to be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and I would have to guess that I've read that book about 5 times throughout my life. I'm a little sad to report that though it's my favorite, I'm not all that great with remembering details except Scout accepting Boo Radley and me being happy about it. Having the summer to do some free reading has led me to put Mockingbird at the top of my must-reads this summer. I still have my dog-eared copy from high school (back when I thought that having free-reign to write in all the margins was a thrill, since it had always been a no-no up til that point) and I'm looking forward to reading it with adult eyes and seeing what opinions I had about it when I was a teen.

Mrs. S reminded me today on her blog of The Great Gatsby and how much I also loved that book when I read it in high school. I think that keeping up on books that have a significance to our culture helps me to get those pop culture references that others might miss because they aren't as well read. Fitzgerald will definitely have to go on my list as well....if anyone else has any must-reads (& remember this is summertime coming up, so no War & Peace) I would love to hear about what you love and why I must read it....

And though it is a guilty pleasure, the book that always makes me cry my eyes out is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I had read the book way before having seen the movie, so I figured that I knew what to expect, but something about the tenderness of the story makes me tear up every time (and Ryan Gosling isn't too bad to look at either.) I guess a good story never gets old, no matter what generation it takes place in or who reads the story, as long as there is a message that can be learned by it's readers....

Well, after another fun-filled day day as a working/single mom, I am tired....ran errands all over town, went to son's baseball game, cooked dinner, mowed the front & back yards, and finally finished The Joy Luck Club (JLC). I found myself disappointed that the story had to end once I had finally started to put the pieces together and remember which mother belonged with which daughter. Though I found the stories of the American daughters easy to read, I was much more intrigued with the lives of their mothers and the varying backgrounds these women came from to end up in the same place in America. They all have daughters that they wish could do better than they are, always hoping that this younger generation would live up to greater expectations than they themselves ever could. I really wish that I had kept better track at the beginning of JLC to the names in my head (I found myself constantly referring back to the page at the front of the book that lays out who belongs with who) and what generation they belonged to. I absolutely LOVE to read, but sometimes (and I won't say this often) it helps me to watch the movie version so that I can easily remember who's who. I'm going to try to find the movie this week and see if it helps jog any parts from the book that I may not have picked up on at first.

One of my favorite parts of the book was when Rose Jordan tells her soon to be ex-husband that she plans on fighting him for the house in their divorce and he says, "who says?" like a spoiled little boy who isn't getting his way...and her reference to being like a weed in his life when she says, "You can't just pull me out of your life and throw me away" helps to show that Rose wants to be like those weeds, wild and uncontrollable, now that she can be free of the rigid life with Ted.

Let me reiterate....

When I knew that I would have to start a blog for my end of semester project, I knew that this was going to be an adventure into the unknown. And when I knew that I had to come up with a title for this blog, I was stumped.....so I picked something that I feel reflects my life and how I live it. I don't want Mrs. S to think that my title has anything to do with our homework and assignments (though it does slightly) but I am the kind of person who worries and frets about almost everything, even when it's not my problem and I don't really have a way to solve it. I have been the mother hen in my family for most of my life, but specifically the last 10 yrs or so. My mother passed away from breast cancer 8 yrs ago after a 2 yr battle, and since I'm the oldest sibling in my family, I've always felt that it's my duty to take care of my dad and younger siblings, even when they probably don't want to be worried over, or have no idea how much I try to keep things in order. I worry and analyze over everything from school, work, motherhood, family, friends, the govt, environment, and financial status. It doesn't help that I am a world-class procrastinator, which only helps to magnify my stress. And I spend hours thinking about projects I need to get finished, knowing that if I were to only start them now that I could have a few stress-free days. Procrastinating has never let me down before, because I know that I work best under pressure, and my honor student status is my little pat on the back.

I love this new project because it doesn't seem like work at all, and I feel like I'm learning new things that I can take into the future with me.

I am almost halfway through with "The Joy Luck Club" and I carry it with me everywhere, because I never know when I'm going to have a few spare minutes to sneak it in. I'm almost disappointed that this semester is quickly coming to an end, because I have really enjoyed the readings, and the pod set-up has been fantastic with my work schedule. I'm going to take some time this weekend (after I do a last-minute paper for another class, of course) to read some of the other blogs and get an idea of how others have approached this assignment.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend....

So this is where my blogging journey begins...

Well, this is my first attempt at blogging...and i'm sure i'll have to stop from time to time to even make sure that i'm doing this right...but as the title of my blog says, i like to analyze and overthink just about every aspect of my life...

I am a 32 yr old single mother of an 11 yr old son...even the thought of having an 11 yr old makes me feel so old..but yet i'm still waiting to feel like an adult. I still feel like my father's child, even though i am grown and on my own. But i don't know how much "on my own" i can be when i chose to buy a house only 15 houses down the street from my dad but i wouldn't trade it for the world. My mom passed away when i was 23 yrs old, so i know that cherishing the relationship that i have with my father can only bring me peace and happiness.

I am starting to feel like being a part-time student has become my other part-time job...which it is, but sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when there seem to be so many obstacles to face before i reach the end. I happen to love this literature class this semester...it's never really seemed like a burden this semester because i have enjoyed reading the material..even when i thought that it would be of no interest to me. Even though there are times when the reading material may not be my particular favorite, i still find that by getting my classmates views on what we've both read i can open my mind to be able to learn new things.

I look forward to this new arena in my life...and when my very computer-literate little brother finds out that i have my own blog (when i just learned how to cut & paste) he will be both shocked and ready at the phone for all my questions for him..

Ta-ta for now..