Pencils

Here is the link to the pencils I was talking about yesterday: PENCILS .  As it turns out, they are actually called resolution pencils, which makes much more sense than conquering pencils.  The one that really caught my eye was Conquer the Souffle, it made me think about conquering something, rather than resolving to do it, or making a goal towards it.  I guess I feel like my goals, and resolutions mostly just set me up for failure.  Whereas if I set out to conquer something, there is a beginning, middle, and end.  Once it's conquered I can move onto the next thing I want to conquer.  Anyways, if Kate Spade makes them next year, I HIGHLY recommend getting them.  They are the cutest little pencils, and they work fantastically.  


In other news, I finished The Red Tent by Anita Diamant on Sunday, and spent an entire day bookless yesterday (my library isn't open on Sundays, and I get to work before it opens)!  Which ended up not being as tragic as I thought it might be.  Knowing I had 2 books waiting for me at the library made it a little more bearable.  Instead, I spent my lunch hour reading a magazine, which is also a good way to spend the hour.  But today, I started a new book, Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I read Eat, Pray, Love by her a few years ago and fell in love (did not however fall in love with the movie), there was something about how she wrote it, and was particular about every part of it (dividing it into 3 parts, making sure she had the right number of chapters) that really struck me, it just reminds me that some authors take the time to pay attention to that stuff.  Besides that, it's a great adventure book.  The book club I am a part of chose Committed of our February books (I like to read them at least a month ahead of time just to stay on track).  I hadn't planned on reading this, but once the book club picked it, I thought I'd give it a try.  With no expectations, I'm already really enjoying it.  I think, so far, it's interesting that she's weaving both the history of marriage into her personal story of marriage, that way it's not entirely autobiographical, informative as well.  As soon as I'm done with this for tonight it's back to reading.  


But about The Red Tent, I started that on the advice of my younger sister and mother.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, and after the first 50-100 pages I still wasn't sure what to expect.  Then came pages 150+, and I was hooked.  What a story, about love, life, and the history we make, all centered around one woman's story.  It made me stop and think about women's history, how in this story, it was passed down generation to generation through stories and rites of passage.  And in my life how traditions in my family, especially, have been passed down.  Some of them cooking, some of them sewing, some of them other things.  But how those stories and that history carries on.  This book was also an interesting look at womanhood, and what rites of passage happen.  In this family very specific ones, in others, not so much.  It was interesting that Dinah had 4 mothers, each from different backgrounds, and what those backgrounds taught her about her history and her future.  If you can get through the beginning, I would definitely recommend it, and then pass it on to your favorite women!


That's really all I've got for today.  Week 2 of Couch to 5K is off to a good start.  Haven't really worked on the others too much so far this week.  But onward...

Pencils and Inspiration

I finally decided that it's time I started blogging, for real this time.  I was himming and hawing about what I would call it, and nothing really came to me.  There's so much I want this to be about, cooking, relationship crap, reading, projects, fun and exciting new things, etc. and there wasn't a name that encompassed all of this.  Then I was sitting at work today, thinking about the goals I had made for this year, and looking at the pencils one of my co-workers had given me for Christmas (they are these great pencils that say things like, Conquer Color, Conquer the Trumpet, etc.) totally random, yet amazing at the same time.  So combining that with a goal I have for this year (finishing a Lighthouse Cross Stitch), thus became Conquering The Lighthouse.  Even though it's direct at a specific goal, it's not so specific that it couldn't encompass other things.  


With that said, the goal of this blog is going to be a space for me to talk about the books that I'm reading, the food that I'm cooking, and the accomplishments that I am accomplishing.  


A few things to include so far this year:


 - I am definitely looking forward to finishing the Light House Cross Stitch, I think I've had it for over 2 years now and am not even 1/2 way there.  (Will post pictures later)


 - According to Goodreads I read 50 books in 2010, I would like to read as many if not more in 2011.  I am part of a women's book group that keeps me reading at least 2 books a month, so I only have 27 others to read on my own.


 - I also started a plan for a Couch to 5K, this ones a little loftier.  One of my major goals in life is to conquer the ability to run.  Not necessarily marathons, or hours upon hours, just the ability to run a fair distance in a good amount of time.  


 - For the food, I already consider myself mainly a vegetarian, but want to lean further that way this year.  I would say on average I only eat meat 2-3 times a week, however, I do eat my fair share of eggs, cheese, and other dairy products on a more regular basis, so I would like to cut more of those and other not so good stuff out.  


 - Attitude is another biggie for 2011.  I don't generally have a bad attitude, but sometimes I find myself angry at the world, or some very specific people in it.  Some days I blame my job, somedays my boyfriend, somedays my family, somedays that stranger on the train.  But I'm trying to conquer a more zen state of being...I'll let you know how that goes!


In summary I would like to:
Conquer the Lighthouse
Conquer 51 books
Conquer a 5K
Conquer dairy
And finally
Conquer Zen


Of course I hope you are all along for the ride!