Paper Towns

So, like, I'm pretty much super-student.

I have a busy ass schedule. I'm a full time student, I work two jobs, I volunteer a few hours a week, AND I DRIVE ALL OVER THE DAMN PLACE TO GET EVERYWHERE.

Those are things I have to do. The following are things I still miraculously find time to do:

-Go to the gym three days a week (like, OMG, that's impressive considering RUNNING SUCKS)
-Do all the assigned (yet completely unnecessary) textbook readings for my classes that "ain't nobody got time for"
-Go to most of the not-required-of-me Speech tournaments to support those angsty teens (and basically live vicariously through them when they earn lots of shiny ribbons/medals/trophies)
-READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For fun!

I have just finished my fifth book of 2013, Paper Towns by John Green, and I am so totally on track for my goal of 30 this year.

It was pretty good and John Green-ish. I mean, it was more teenagery than TFiOS, which annoyed me at times. In fact, a lot of the middle was annoying basically because I feel like he was making gooshy themes/lessons superobvious and spoon feeding them to me. I do not want to be spoon fed those types of things while I'm reading. I just want the feel them, you know?

But. BUT. The ending, as always in John Green style, was wonderful. I actually enjoy reading about teen characters that aren't sucky and bratty all the time because, guys, they exist in real life.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that I pretty much rock at balancing my life, but one area of my life that is a GHOST TOWN at the moment (like, I won't even use the word lacking because it's nonexistent) is my social life. NO SOCIAL LIFE WHATSOEVER. That needs to change because I have a feeling that the older I get, the more difficult this will be. I think I am already an old lady at heart.

#4... Strong start!

I am proud to report that, upon the end of month #1, I've plowed through book #4. Although I still have many months to stay on this track, I'm glad I've found time for leisure reading. Which is no small feat considering the fact that I'm two weeks into my LAST semester at the University of Minnesota.

Anyway, the fourth book I've read in 2013 is one that most people have read for school, but I never did.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

It was pretty good. I didn't realize how long Christopher McCandless spent "living off the land." Pretty impressive and I could/would never do it. I hate nature. Also the cold. It wasn't amazing or my favorite book of all time by no means, but it was definitely worth reading.

Other things I have impressively accomplished in the past two weeks:

1. Actually completing all the assigned textbook readings on schedule. The classes in my major are notorious for useless required textbooks that never actually help you when it comes to the tests. The professors literally say that they will not test you on the information in the textbook and that all questions will be based solely on lecture. Is this a motivator for taking the time to read the textbooks? No way. I still don't think it's necessary. But I guess I decided that it can't actually HURT and that one extra repetition of the intake of information might actually cause a small boost when it comes to testing time. And let's face it, I don't always give lectures my undivided attention anyway. We'll see if I follow through.

2. Discovering my own speech coaching strategies. No matter how involved you've been with high school speech/debate, there's always a learning curve involved when you start coaching. It takes a couple years to figure out what works for you and what makes the kids better. I've come to a place where every practice seems really productive and it's showing in their performances, which is cool to see.

3. Getting a gym membership and GOING TO THE GYM. This is probably my best recent accomplishment. I went three days in a row this week! I hate running... hate it. But I've actually come to enjoy going to the gym because it's the one part of the day that I get to have "me time." Also, I'm totally doing the Color Run, so I clearly need to get in shape.