Podcast: Compilation

This is my first podcast ever and I made it for a class I took last semester.  It is a compilation of sound clips that basically summarize who I am as a reader and a person.  It isn't much but hope you like it.  I plan to post the other two I did as well which are much better in terms of content and authenticity.  If you have any thoughts, let me know!  I would love to hear feedback.

Reading: The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans is a book I randomly bought at a Marshalls store a few months back.  My friend was taking a terribly long time looking at jackets and so I decided to walk around the store and found, to my surprise, a book section.  Normally the book selection at department stories isn't usually my taste but I saw this book and figured, the story looks good and it is cheap.  I bought it.  Richard Paul Evans is an author I had never heard of before buying this book but have since seen everywhere after I bought it.  He is very Nicholas Sparks-like from what I have observed.  I can't say I am a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks stories though.  While his love stories are okay and his messages are usually very good, his books never really moved me nor do they carry much weight in terms of literary content.  That is just my experience with his books after reading four of them (The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John, The Last Song).  I guess I will find out if Evans is the same way once I read more of his books which it seems like I have to do since The Walk turned out to be the first book in a series of three. 
The fact that this book is the first in a series is something I want to address right away because it irks me.  Now that I know where Evans stands in the reading world, it seems like the story was only split in three for the purpose of making more money.  The Walk would have been a much stronger read had it been one read.  While sequels can be great, the key to strong novels in a series is a feeling of closure at the end of the novel while still holding a sense of, what is going to happen next.  This book just sort of ended and while yes it ended with a huge event happening and changing the main character's point of view, it did not take his character change into more detail and I am assuming it will be continued in the next book.  There was no need to end it there because it was already a quick read and I'm positive people would have kept reading.  The book had no closure and it is a bit obvious what will happen next.  Either way, it is obvious that there is not much of a technique to splitting these books up to be a series and are only split for the purpose of earning more cash. It should have been one book.
The Walk is the story of a man named Alan who is high up on the advertising ladder.  After just making a deal with a new company with his business partner Kyle, Alan gets a call from his neighbor that his wife was severely injured while horse back riding.  She is paralyzed from the waist down.  After bringing her home, complications occur and in a matter of hours after returning her to the emergency room, Alan's wife dies.  Caught up with grief, Alan does not want to live on this earth without his best friend anymore.  As he is about to swallow a bunch of pills, something stops him and he makes the decision to drop everything and take a walk.  He plans to walk from his home in Seattle, Washington to Key West, Florida. 
The concept of this book is one I've seen many times.  A person's loved one dies and then they go to live their life to the fullest.  We have all seen it before.  That being said, an overused structure can always have a unique and underused take and I read this book with an open mind.  I liked that Alan decided to take a walk to clear his mind and figure out where he would go after his wife's death but I also had a problem with it.  All of a sudden he thinks, I always wanted to hike across the country as a kid and so he just does it.  It doesn't go much deeper than that.  Of course there are circumstances I am not mentioning since I don't want to ruin the entire story for anyone who plans to read this book however this still didn't do it for me.  A man who had everything and had a mindset of a business man needs more than just a childhood dream to go and do something.  Or I should say, I need to know why this childhood dream pushed Alan so far to the edge that he felt he had no choice but to go on this long walk. 

The read was very quick.  I read it in a little over a day.  There were some pluses to the book that I very much enjoyed.  At one point, Alan's phone rings while he travels and he decides to throw it into the forest.  I liked this part because to become connected we must become disconnect...speaking of course of a technological society.  Another part I liked was the whole concept of walking across the country and the people you meet along the way.  My absolute favorite quote from the book is from one of the people Alan meets who says, "Some people in this world have stopped looking for beauty, then wonder why their lives are so ugly.  Don't be like them.  The ability to appreciate beauty is of God.  Especially in one another.  Look for beauty in everyone you meet, and you'll find it.  Everyone carries divinity within them.  And everyone we meet has something to impart."  This quote seems to sum up the entire purpose of this book series to me.  It is very obvious where this book series is taking us and if it goes in a non-uplifting direction I will be incredibly surprised.  I do look forward to the rest of Alan's journey though and can't wait to see how his walk changes him.
Now for another negative about this book.  While the story has many strong points and has a lot of potential, Evan's writing is extremely lazy with detail.  At one point I read a sentence that seems to summarize Evan's writing in this book, which said, "Almost as soon as I woke, the pain returned.  If you've known loss, you know what I mean."  That's the entire book's idea of description for the big issues.  As I said above, Evan's did not dive into Alan's deep persona or explain his reasoning for going on this walk to make it realistic or character connecting.  It leaves the reader to assume his underlying motives.  I think it is safe to say that this book was not written for literary attention but more for the New York Times and to uplift which is all good and just but as a serious reader, I hoped for more. 
The Walk was an overall good read.  I enjoyed the concept of the novel and found it to be very uplifting but I also feel that the book should not have been split into three books but should have been just one book, and that Evan's needs to go deeper with his descriptions.  I will give it 3 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading the next two.

Reading: The Anatomy School by Bernard MacLaverty

"If it matters at all, it must matter completely."

The Anatomy School by Bernard MacLaverty is the story of Martin Brennan, an Irish Catholic school boy repeating his final year in school.  Knowing he must pass this time around, he and his two friends Kavanagh and Blaise Foley decide to take a big risk that will hopefully help them to pass their final exams.  The book revolves around the boys witty conversations, tea time with Martin's mother and her friends, and the silent retreat Martin attends in the beginning of the novel.  The book's plot, like another book I have read titled White Noise by Don DeLillo, is somewhat invisible and consists mostly of day to day activities that metaphorically speak for the book.  The themes of sleep, photography, education, and the pressures from the Catholic faith push this story forward and make it impossible to not be able to relate to Martin's struggle in some way.
I bought this book in Oswego, New York at a dollar store.  I am always drawn to the book section in stores but it isn't often that the dollar store has books I want to read.  This book caught my eye initially because of the title.  At the time, my friend was struggling with her anatomy class and I thought the book would be something great to give her.  But this book is not really about anatomy school.  The title seems to point more to what happens at an anatomy school that changes the main character Martin in the end. 
The first 2/3 of this book were good for me.  I didn't love it but I found it engaging.  I had read some reviews of the book on goodreads.com and saw a lot of people had stopped reading after 60 pages because they were bored but I was never bored while reading The Anatomy School.  One thing I loved about the book was how peaceful it was.  It consisted of everyday nights where you have trouble falling to sleep and everyday school days with your friends.  This peacefulness helped me connect greatly to the main character.  I also really liked Martin for most of the book because I related greatly to him.  His experience in school, the emotional aspect, I could relate to very well.  That feeling of being accepted and being scared to speak out and being afraid to have your own opinion about something.  That being said, the last 1/3 of the book was a real let down for me.  For one, the book randomly jumped a few years forward and confused me for a good fifteen pages.  It also did not fully address what the result was of the first 2/3 of the story.  I mean, sure it addressed it in a subtle way that wasn't overly obvious but the story was building up and, in my opinion, deserved a better reveal of the outcome of the boys struggle from the first part of the book. 

There were a few other things I did not like about this book.  In the first part of the book, a lot of scenes take place in the classroom at the Catholic school.  One scene is in a religious class in which is required for the students to take so they can understand what it means to be a Catholic.  In the scene, Martin's friend Blaise decides to push the rules and states, what if someone doesn't believe in God.  The priest/teacher wants to discuss this issue but, like most classes, the boys are too afraid to speak their true feelings aloud in front of the class.  I was excited to read about future classes but this did not happen.  Never again did the book visit this class and it was disappointing.  I wanted to see the debates and hoped it would have challenged not only the students but the priest/teacher.  Another thing I did not like was the climax.  The climax is the title of the book...meaning what happened at the anatomy school.  What happens you ask?  Here is a spoiler...Martin loses his virginity to an Australia woman he just met and never sees again.  Not only was this cliche but it was such an anticlimactic climax.  This entire story led up to Martin having sex for the first time?  That was the climax for this book about religion that could have said a lot more?  It implies that sex is ALWAYS the most important thing that changes a person for the better.  In fact, when Martin had sex (another spoiler), he was neglecting a promise he made to a friend.  His friend, Kavanagh from school, had to do a science experiment at the anatomy school but was going to be away for the night and asked Martin to cover the night-shift for him which Martin did.  Every hour Martin had to kill a mouse and record what time he did it.  The times mattered.  Having sex, Martin missed many of the hours and so killed the mice all at one time and wrote down false times.  He then went on to blame his friend for this mishap, claiming that his friend was changing because of his girlfriend wanting him to commit to his faith and it was all Kavanagh's fault.  Martin needs to grow up and start taking responsibility.  I much liked first part of the book Martin, not second part Martin who grew cocky and just plain stupid and annoying.
Overall, the book seemed to be saying that you don't need religion which I agree with but it also said you don't need God at all.  You need to rely on yourself.  My favorite part of the book though is a quote from Kavanagh in part two when he talks about his girlfriend.  He says, "Her Christianity is so important.  It's not a superficial thing - like music or how you wear your hair.  It's her whole life...I have to promise I'll try to...believe more.  It's no good just living a life of correctness.  She says it has to come from [my heart]...she wants me to accept the Lord as my Savior.  I have to accept I'm a sinner."  This is where I was hoping the book would go and it didn't at all.  Martin was instead left as a guy who was cocky and just a glass half-empty sort of guy and he developed as a character but seemed to move backwards instead of forwards.  I will give this book 3 out of 5 stars.  I liked the first part a good deal but the second part/ending was a huge letdown and the book did not seem to go much anywhere.

Wasted Wednesday: What Public School Did Not Teach Me Part 2 (Reflection on the 50 books of 2012 challenge)

Last year, around this time, I was sitting in the very same room I am now as I type this blog.  I was thinking about this idea of having a New Year's resolution and knew that I did not want to be apart of all of the hullabaloo.  Yet a Tumblr blog user had announced that she was going to read 50 books in 2012 and invited all of her followers to participate.  What a fun idea, I thought.  Reading 50 books in a year can't be too hard, can it?  Well, it wasn't particularly easy and it was definitely a bit of a challenge...but it was a challenge I gladly accepted and found more creative freedom and excitement in my life because of it.  Reading has always been a passion of mine, but after seeing I only read 17 books in 2011, I knew my reading habits had to change.  This challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. 

I first want to talk about all of the benefits this challenge has provided me with.  First of all, this challenge gave me a much more diverse reading experience.  I picked up books that I probably would have skipped over normally.  I reread books of my childhood and actually made a point to read the books assigned to me in my college classes.  Secondly, because of the wide range of books I read, I have learned to read all books as artistic pieces which does not exclude anything just because of its genre (sorry, Fifty Shades of Grey doesn't count).  What I basically am leaning towards is picture books and young reader books.  When I showed my mom my list of books, she laughed when she saw I had read so many young reader books.  She did not take them seriously.  But writing children's books is a real art that seems to be under-appreciated for the most part today.  And thirdly, this challenge is what created this blog!  Before this challenge I had a writing blog that I was not very pleased with and had not blogged on in months.  For the Spring 2012 semester I took a Writing and Computers class and it was required of us to create a blog.  I sure was ashamed of my writing blog and did not want to continue with the same subject matter, especially since my teacher would be reviewing my blog as well as my classmates and I wanted to have something quality to show for myself.  And finally, this challenge has exposed me to so many more aspects of looking at the world and myself.  I think that is what I love about books.  They take you to different worlds while still being rooted in our own and reveal truths about different aspects of the world, of people, and of life.  It's really an awesome experience reading a book!

To reflect further on this experience, I have figured my top 15 reads of the year as well as my 5 least favorite reads of the year, plus some honorable mentions.  Let's start with the top 15 and why (1 being the best) and then I will continue with the bottom 5 (1 being the worst), followed by the honorable mentions.

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - I have grown up with this story (specifically Mickey's Christmas Carol special) but I never really sat down to read the book, particulary cause I was led to believe it was a play my entire life.  The story is so enriching, the writing is spectacular, and the lesson to be learned is one that brings tears to my eyes.  I have rated it number one because it is the only read in 2012 that I was quick to call a favorite!;
2. Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin - This book is so good!  The writing was beyond any modern day novel I have read in a long time.  The story and characters were gripping and I didn't want to finish the book.  I didn't call it a favorite at first but I'm still trying to make my mind up.  Either way, it was an awesome read - I finished reading the last 100 pages while on a cruise which says a lot I think;
3. The Wind Is My Mother by Bear Heart - One thing I have learned on my spiritual journey these past few years is that Christians are not always the ones with right answers.  In fact, a lot of Christians in the media put out the wrong answers!  It is ignorant to just learn from Christian people.  We must learn from all walks of life.  Bear Heart is a Native American and his story and his teachings really moved me and pushed me to be a better person.  The book is such an inspiration about modern day medicine and science in a world that always needs reassurance and proof;
4. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - In 5th grade my class had to read this book though I don't think I really picked it up.  I remember talking about it in class in a reading circle and I remember watching an old movie adaption.  I also only remembered the sad ending and a few other small details.  After re-reading the book, I am astounded that I haven't tried to read it sooner.  It was such a good read.  I love every bit of this book.  The truths it reveals are just amazing and the depth of the story is one that most wouldn't expect from an almost young adult novel.  I find that most younger novels carry more depth to them than some adult novels!  This is a must read;
5. Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts by Steve Turner - This one is kind of self explanatory.  I love the arts and I am very rooted in my faith and in the world we live in, it seems like these two clash most times but this book makes the argument that it shouldn't be that way.  Steve Turner talks about learning from all art and not just Christian art which is something I have believed in firmly for a long time and it is nice to see a book published on the topic;
6. The Shallows by Nicholas Carr - This read was great for me because I have just become so freaking sick of smart phones and e-readers and technology taking over our lives so that we can ignore what is important to us.  Obviously I think technology is great but I think the world overuses it.  This book really makes a clear argument about technology's negative effects and provides a lot of insight to the topic in a way that isn't discussed enough today.  Really great read;
7. White Noise by Don DeLillo - This book actually goes along the lines of #6 except it isn't non-fiction.  White Noise is a book about the effects of technology and "improvements" in our world but is tackled in a metaphorical way which I absolutely love.  The book is so simple yet it says so much and it really surprised me;
8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I read Pride and Prejudice once when I was 18 and have seen the movie loads of times.  I love the film and wasn't too sure how I felt about the book but it is now safe to say that this book is a favorite.  If it was my first time reading, this would be up higher on the list since I have now called it a favorite book but this wasn't a book that I just sat down, read, and called it a favorite.  This story has grown on me slowly throughout the years and so I have been slowly loving it more and more with each year.  It truly is the world's best love story;
9. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - The story was good in this book, but it was the writing that blew me away.  Seriously, this has to be the book with the best imagery EVER!  I wanted to write down so many excerpts and hang them on my wall just so I could use the tips for my own writing!;
10. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini - This is the 4th and final book in the Inheritance series, mostly known for the first book titled Eragon.  I eagerly awaited this book to see the conclusion to this series.  The first book was good, the second was excellent, the third was boring.  Because the third was boring, I was hoping this book would redeem my thoughts about the series as a whole - and it did!  What an amazing conclusion this book was.  Definitely boosted the series as a whole for me;
11. The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller - This was a quick read but what I loved about it is how blunt it is about our world.  Tim Keller states the false problem right away, the real problem, and uses biblical and worldly evidence to support his case.  Really good read;
12. La Luna by Enrico Casarosa - Yes, a picture book has made it on this list.  I saw Disney/Pixar's Brave in theaters for my film class and La Luna was a Pixar short that played before the movie.  I loved the short so much that I enjoyed it more than the actual film and have named it my favorite Pixar short of all time.  Needless to say I had to buy the book and it was no surprise that I loved the book since I loved the short film.  Again, it is a book that carries a lot of adult themes that kids will also be able to relate to;
13. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - I really enjoyed the first Hunger Games book and this sequel lives up to it's standards.  While the book starts out slow, it still holds your interest and then after a third of the book it gets intense just like the first book and I loved it;
14. Holes by Louis Sachar - Holes is such an awesome puzzle piece book.  The story is incredible and the themes are even better and once again this is basically a young adult novel that has themes that completely overpower lots of adult novels;
15. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - I was hesitant to put this book on my top 15 list for a number of reasons.  For one thing, the Harry Potter series is a favorite of mine and so I didn't want to be bias against other great books that could have been on this list.  And this is the fifth time I have read it so, again, I don't want my favoritism for the books to get in the way of other books that could have made it on this list.  However, when I was rating my top 15 books I had a spot open for the number 15 spot and I figured, I have to put this here.  Not only is it my favorite book in the Potter series but every time I read the book my experience is different and I learn something new.  The book is so spiritual and perfect in terms of writing, plot, and character development.  It is a perfect ending.  I think the thing that kept me reading this time was the deja vu I felt while reading.  I can't really begin to explain the feelings that pulsed through me as I read but...it sort of felt like the feeling you get when you know it is no longer summer but fall and that feeling of peacefulness and newness that comes with it.  It was really great.  The reason it is number 15 is for the simple reason that I stated above.  This will always be a favorite book but I can't put it in the way of the books I read for the first time this year.

Now for the bottom 5. 
5. Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai - This book just was forgettable to me.  It was a good book but it didn't seem to hold as much depth compared to the other books I read.  Maybe that was because I couldn't relate that much...I don't know.  It was just sort of blah.
4. The Lost Art of Reading by David L. Ulin - When I bought this book I was so excited to read it but all it was was a fabrication of The Shallows.  Sure I'm sure Mr. Ulin really thought out this book and I agreed with him a lot, but the book was so slow and a bit of a disappointment.  It also was a bit too political for my taste.
3. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein - This was one of the picture books I had to read for a seminar I took this past semester.  I just found it boring and lacking of what the other pictures books I had to read contained.  It was an incredible story but didn't really have anything to say about the world or the people who inhabit it.
2. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - I honestly don't know why everyone loves this book.  At first it was a good read and I couldn't wait to see where Oscar's journey took him but...it didn't take him much anywhere.  The book didn't seem to have a concluding statement and I was left not knowing what I was supposed to be reading.  Also, the side story about the grandparents or something...can someone explain that too me.  It never made sense for me.
1. The Fault in our Stars by John Green - Okay so I know most people will not agree with me on this one, but this book just didn't do it for me.  To start off, I was highly anticipating it because of it's popularity, because of John's popularity, and because I had never read a John Green book before this.  The title was also pretty sweet.  So I read it and it was...like watching a Hollywood movie.  It is no wonder it is considered a young adult novel.  The dialogue was so overly forced and cheesy and the story was so glass half-empty.  There were some stand out quotes and some sad moments but never was I moved or brought to tears.  I finished and thought...okay?  Just a disappointing read.  John Green is a very witty guy and I love his crash course show on YouTube but as an author, after reading this book, I find him to be overrated.  I will of course read his other books but I've heard they are all on the same type of plot-line which again seems to support my point that he is overrated as an author.

Now for the honorable mentions - Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, Room by Emma Donoghue, The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, African Folktales/Gassire's Lute/Mwindo Epic, The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings, Coffeehouse Theology by Ed Cyzewski, Disney Princess: Belle - The Mysterious Message.

This has been a really fun experience and I can't wait to see what other books are in store in 2013!  Now, those who reading are probably wondering about the title of this blog.  This challenge really pushed me not only to expand my reading horizons but also challenged me to truly think about everything I read and have an opinion on it for my reviews.  I can also honestly say that my writing improved from this experience as well as my reading comprehension.  School never pushed me to write or read any better.  It was this challenge I did for fun that changed me for the better. 

Reading: Crispin, The Cross of Lead by Avi

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi, another re-read in this 50 book challenge, is the story of a young boy who has been framed for murder and is on the run with a musician/juggler.  While struggling to figure out the mystery of his family's heritage, Crispin goes on a journey around the realm and while discovering new cities, he also discovers new things about himself.
In the beginning of the novel, Crispin is attending his mother's funeral.  His father has been out of the picture ever since he was born and now he is all alone.  Soon after the funeral Crispin, referred to as Asta's son in the beginning, is told to give up his only means for survival - the family ox.  The priest takes Crispin away to the church and reveals to him that there are many things he does not know about himself and his family.  He reveals to Crispin his true name (obviously Crispin) and then says that there are secrets he must tell him about his mother and father.  They plan to meet the next night so the priest can give Crispin this information but on the way there Crispin is tricked and the priest is dead.  Crispin is then marked as a wolfs head which means he can be killed at any time because his town blame him for the priest's murder.  Crispin is forced to run away and soon comes across a man named Bear who claims Crispin as his property and slave.  All he brings with him is his cross of lead which belonged to his mother and contains many mysteries in which Crispin can't figure out because he can't read the inscription on the cross.
While this book has a lot of good moral aspects and such, it was very plain and dull at times.  It was also an extremely quick read which I can't really complain about.  Crispin himself had good character development though which I liked.  Anyway, I will give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Reading: White Noise by Don DeLillo

Here it is, yet again, another book that I was assigned to read for school.  I sort of looked forward to reading because it was said in 11th grade that we would read it in 12th grade but then it was replaced by another book.  To my surprise, I really enjoyed the book.  White Noise by Don DeLillo is a book with little plot but a lot to say about our modern world and technologies.  The static from our radios, TV stations, headphones, etc. trap us between two worlds - the real world and the world of the media.  Soon, because we immerse ourselves in both, they become one in the same and we can't tell the difference between life and the media.  Our lives are the media.  You can't tell me that this isn't true.  Everyday small bits of media enter my brain.  Songs get stuck in my head, quotes from film and TV enter my brain such as David Beckham saying "It's so hard to be pretty" from a prank on the Ellen show or Robin Williams yelling "Help is on the way dear!" from Mrs. Doubtfire.  Needless to say, I know I am not the only one this happens too.  The book also points out that because there is so much media clouding our reality, we don't see things as clearly.  This points to the idea that has grown in recent years with smart phones and the internet - that we are so connected, we are disconnected.  One example in the book is a barn the main character Jack visits which is known as the most photographed barn in the world.  Jack's friend says to him that while a lot of people come to visit the barn, no one actually is seeing it.  All they see is the most photographed barn but not the barn itself. 
While the idea of no plot structure seems a bit frightening, the truth is that this key feature is what made the book unique and enjoyable to read.  Instead of plot the book included everyday occurrences such as Jack having conversations with his children or thinking about the structure of the household in which he resides.  Jack is a professor who teaches Hitler studies at a local college.  His intellect is what pushes the story forward as he points out subtle things such as having people come and stay at your house and feeling self conscious about things you do everyday because you know it is strange to your guest. 

While the book focuses much on the rise of technology, it also includes criticism on our consumer culture.  DeLillo suggests, and in my opinion is right on the money (as he is with many ideas in this novel), that we find our identity in what we buy.  We create this idea in our heads that these things will make us feel better and...well, they do!  But only temporarily.  His biggest example in the novel is drugs that are prescribed to people with mental disorders such as anxiety of ADHD. 
Overall, this book was outstanding to me.  The characters are all very three dimensional and the implications in which the book suggests are very real and should be made aware in the general public.  The book really asks the question, what is sacred anymore?  Life is watered down, materialistic, and fun worshipping.  We express ourselves through what we buy and have trouble making decisions because of everything shouted at us on a daily basis.  My only complaints about the novel would be the ending and the unrealistic dialogue.  I thought the dialogue was great in terms of pushing the story forward but the use of dialogue was so obvious that it sort of annoyed me.  I will give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Wasted Wednesday: The New Year

Once again it is a new year.  No longer will we write 2012 on our checks and terms papers but we will replace the dreaded year that was said to be our last with the number 2013.  We move from December 31st to January 1st and it becomes an epidemic.  Men and women rush around to find that certain someone to kiss at midnight while those who have no one feel shame or just plain resent.  Thousands of people pile on top of each other in New York City to watch the ball drop that costs thousands, if not millions, of dollars all for just one night of pleasure.  Not to mention the hype that surrounds the ball such as top ten celebrities with not much talent but big names and under appreciated agents behind them.  And finally, now that it is the new year people have to figure out, optimistically, what their faults are and try to fix them in the new year because it is too much to ask them to fix themselves in April or August or October.

Maybe it is just me but it seems like the New Year has become a bit over hyped and a lot commercial!  I mean, don't get me wrong, I grew up watching the ball drop with my parents and celebrating and having fun but this year as I sat watching Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve, I truly felt disgusted with the entire tradition.  I was watching this huge ball slowly sink toward the ground that costs enough to feed a third world country probably, a bunch of sub-par celebrities who don't have much talent but a name to themselves because of the press and their invisible agents, and I wasn't even at a party which automatically made me "sad" because instead I was at home with just my grandma and we played the game CLUE. 
This isn't the first time I have been disgusted by the new year festivities though.  It was around ninth grade when I began to wonder why new year's resolutions were such a hit to the public.  Let's be real here.  At least 75% of the American population makes a new years resolution.  Heck, I made one!  I vowed to read 50 books in 2012 and succeeded.  But most don't succeed at their goals.  In fact, they do not succeed because the goals they are trying to meet are either not realistic or they truly do not want their goal all that badly.  What really bothers me though is this - why must we make a resolution to better ourselves just because it is the new year?  Shouldn't we be trying to better ourselves all of the time?  To point out my 50 books goal, I feel no shame because I was not reading the books to feel better about myself or to better myself.  I only participated in the challenge for fun and look at where it has got me!  I never expected to have a blog I love so much nor did I expect to read so many books in such a wide variety.  I never expected where this blog and this 50 book challenge would take me and I am so grateful for it all.  But most people do not make a new year's resolution in this light.  Just a disclaimer - I'm not trying to make myself sound better than anyone else (considering my new year's resolution would be to lose weight and that hasn't happened for a long while).  Most people make a new year's resolution because they want to, A. please someone, B. rival someone, or C. make themselves feel like they are achieving something just because they say they are "going" to do it.
And then the new years kiss.  I will be honest, this has to be up their with Valentines Day.  What is the big deal?  Why do people feel the urge to kiss someone at midnight?  If you love someone, you should be kissing them all of the time because you love them!  Don't use New Years as an excuse!  However, the kiss isn't a bad tradition.  If you have someone you love and are watching the ball drop, it is nice to kiss them.  But if you aren't in love or don't currently have someone, don't feel any worse off because of it.  Don't let society define your life because you will never be happy that way.
January 1st 2013 was just another day for me.  Both of my grandmas were over for dinner and we played apples to apples, watching some Bowl Games, and ate chilly.  Technically, it is just another day.  Time is a man made invention.  So my advice is, don't take the new year too seriously.  Traditions are great but don't buy into them with so much frivolity and ignorance.  Just make the new year what you want to make it and don't try to do things just because society says they are "New Years" acceptable.