Birthday suits

Last night, I finished reading Naked by David Sedaris. It only took me about a month (High five! to myself.) The reason? It's effing hilarious.

That's not to say the main character, Dave, isn't flawed. This dude's got some of narcissistic, selfish problems my friend. But he's laugh-out-loud (yeah, I spelled it) funny, regardless. I think one of the reasons might be that he's still so relatable, and tells the reader like it is, no holds barred.

The characters he describes and stories he tells (working in a mental institution when he was 16, hitchhiking across the US, harvesting apples in Oregon) make you laugh and cringe at the same time, mostly because you probably shouldn't laugh, but still are.

You might be asking yourself, why is the book title "Naked?" I wondered the same thing until I got to the last, self-titled chapter.

After ordering a nudist colony brochure as a joke for his brother, Sedaris receives the pamphlet and actually considers booking a week-long reservation. He's apprehensive, mainly because he doesn't even walk around his house without shoes, let alone without clothes. Over the course of a week, he finally becomes comfortable walking around a (for lack of a better term) nudist trailer park. The first couple days wearing a t-shirt and shoes for some cover ... then finally exposing himself for all to see.

A nice way to end a book, where he finally developed to be comfortable in his own skin, I guess. But it got me thinking ... what if the entire world were a nudist colony?

First things first; no clothes! That means, no one would worry about buying updated clothing, and I wouldn't have to replace my ever-expansive wardrobe. (I'm a lady, what of it.) No need impressing others with the latest fashion crap. Wearing shoes and socks without clothes might look kind of ridiculous though.

It might get cold, so I figure I'd plant myself in some kind of Arizona- or California-based colony. Sand might be a problem.

Usually you have to worry about washing your hands after touching things; but what if you're putting your bare ass all over the place? Sedaris' colony recommended carrying a towel everywhere. For sanitary reasons, I would too.

But the other issue I'd have, would be seeing other people naked. A geriatric WWI veteran? Or, a 40-year-old mother of six? Yikes. Once you get used to it though, I suppose it'd be common place. It'd be like Faces of Death, where you couldn't look away -- but after awhile, all the train wrecks start to look the same.

Initially I'd be nervous because I'd be pretty self-conscious of baring all in front of them. Honestly though, I love not wearing clothes.

When I wake up in the morning, I generally prance around in my underoos for a good hour. I start by making breakfast, sometimes in the buff. It's one of the perks of living alone.

But that's really only in the privacy of my own home. I can handle seeing myself in the nude, but I'm not ready to see the rest of you.

Keep on keeping on

"The long run puts the tiger in the cat." --Bill Squires, marathon trainer

As many of you already know, I made a few New Year's resolutions in January. To update everyone on the status, and keep myself motivated, here's a little update:

Read books
I've taken certain liberties with this first one. Right now I'm reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Good so far. I've also been keeping up on my Time and New Yorker subscriptions, for the most part.

Other than that, I've become more familar with other forms of literature, including comic books. We'll blame Gregor. But don't laugh yet. I've read Watchmen, and became completely enveloped with the story. I focused so much on it, I was able to finish the whole book within a week, in time to see the movie in theaters. (Which I found mildly disappointing.) Also for Christmas, I got the beginning series of Y: The Last Man, about the only dude left alive after a plague wipes out everyone with a Y chromosome. It's written by Brian K. Vaughn; also one of the lead writers for the TV series, Lost. Reading Y is like watching an episode of a TV show, but you're actually reading. Awesome, and highly recommended.

Visit another country
Completed this last month with a trip down to Florida. Headed to Miami and took a short cruise over to the Bahamas. But even though I showed off my passport to customs, et al, it wasn't that gratifying -- no stamps! But my stepdad promises to remedy this by taking all of his and my mom's kids to Mexico next March.

Control my finances
Working on it. I'm still using mint.com, and it's come in handy to keep me on track (for the most part). I also write down every expense in my ledger, religiously. So, not only do I keep track of things going in and out of my account online, I record how much money comes out exactly when I spend it.

I just have to keep in mind summer's coming up; where I'll want to go to every Brewer game possible, along with camping trips, Summerfest, music concerts and cookouts. Gotta keep it frugal.

Participate in a marathon
My final, and most ambitious feat. (ooh, punz.) I promised myself I'd train hard for a half marathon first (13.1 miles compared to a full marathon at 23.2 miles), because I'VE NEVER RAN A LONG DISTANCE IN MY LIFE. No cross country, no 5Ks, no H.S. track.

Since beginning my training I've had bloody feet, blisters, caluses, shin splints, sores and aching muscles.

Up until recently, I had started falling off the training schedule. I struggled walking into the gym three times a week, not anticipating staring at myself in the mirror while I pushed through five miles on a treadmill. Ugh. It was mundane, boring, overdone.

But two weeks ago, I threw on some sweatpants, a long-sleeved shirt and my kicks, and decided to head outside. Only about 45 degrees, I immediately regretted the decision of not bundling up -- until I started running. And I kept running. I made it about 5 miles running, with another 2 miles totaled before and after, for a 7-mile loop.

I had never gone long distances outside, but figured I needed something to change it up. I didn't take for granted the fact that my scenery was changing. I wasn't just running in place, I was going somewhere. It felt amazing.

Then I did it again last Thursday. I planned out a loose trail to follow via mapmyrun.com for my long run of the week, and went to it. I ran a full 7 miles, with an additional 1.5 for warm-up and cooldown, totaling 8.5 miles. And I'm certain I experienced my first-ever real runner's high.

For the second time since I started training, at the end of my route I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and break through the finish line. I felt like I had accomplished something. This was bigger than me.

So, in the final stretch of training -- I know I won't compete professionally with some of those other runners -- my body has already done things I would've never even dreamed of. Here's to finishing up the last seven weeks of training.

Dropping the ball

At the beginning of every January, my biggest concern is usually how massive my hangover headache will be, and how much Tylenol I'll actually be consuming to ring in the new year. I have slight justification, because my birthday is January 1 -- but as I get older, I realize that celebrating by mixing the trifecta of alcohols for one night is not only a terrible idea, but leaves me nothing else to look forward to. I got my practice in this weekend anyway. (Thanks MrB!)

Without further adieu, I've made a few resolutions for 2009:

Read books. Easy enough, right? Maybe... Ever since signing up for not one -- not two -- but five magazine subscriptions, I've had little to no time to catch up on what I really enjoy: Books. I've decided not to renew my NY Review of Books and New Yorker magazines, opting to spend my free time on the dozens of books I bought but haven't picked up in the last year. My goal? Finish at least one book a month, on top of my additional reading. (WI Natural Resources, Lapham's Quarterly and Time magazines.)

Participate in a marathon. Initially, I had decided to run a marathon, but because I pulled my quad back in October, I sometimes have trouble running. Even if I can't run the day of the race, I can still prepare myself for a large feat of athleticism with proper training. By training for something this big, I'll also be able to tailor my diet and work on cross-training with different equipment, including weight lifting, to stay healthy all around.

Visit another country. I left this a little broad, but my main goal is to visit Europe before the end of 2010. Now, I might leave the U.S. this coming February by taking a short cruise to the Bahamas when I go on vacation to Florida. (Apparently, you need a passport; which I have and haven't been able to use.) Otherwise, maybe India at the end of 2009, when my cousin gets married. Regardless of where I go, I want OUT.

Control my finances. Remember in college when you decided applying for a credit card would help solve all your money problems, because you could just pay it back later, when you had a real job? IT'S A LIE.

I've been plagued with controlling my spending since I became an adult. Now, it's time to budget. Mi madre graciously offered to help me, instead of paying credit card companies hundreds of dollars in finance charges, I'll make payments to her each month.

I also need to start budgeting. That means I can't just buy a new outfit at Express, or go out to eat for lunch three times in one week. I've got a set payment for my debt, as well as my car loan -- but how do I keep track of this beast? www.mint.com!

Mint.com is a free personal finance website to help track every aspect of my debt and income. I signed up a few months ago, only to watch my debt fluctuate while my stocks and retirement funds dwindled. AYE YAYE YAYE.

This weekend I took a closer look at how the site really works. After organizing and categorizing all my spending for the month of December, I could take a look at where most of my money was really going. I can track how much I'll set aside each month for my budget, including car payments, gas, groceries, other bills and extras.

I can set limits on how much I'll allow myself in each category, and get an email when I go over budget.

It's easy to set up, and I can monitor all of my accounts on one site, including my 401K, IRAs, mutual funds, credit cards, car loans, checking and savings accounts; instead of logging into each site separately.

Here's to looking up, and saving some this coming year.

Top 5 Books

Because I went to school for English and writing, it's only fitting I start with books. I have a more traditional approach to reading, just because of the whole English Lit. thing. I'm getting into more contemporary books but the classics keep me coming back. I'm also partial to books that focus on characters more than plot. Don't get me wrong, moving the story along keeps me reading, but what happens to the people in the story keeps me engaged.

Here they are, in no particular order. Except for the first one... because it's my favorite book of all time.


1. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway is by far my favorite author. His succinct, non-fluff writing style keeps me engaged because it's simple, but packed with interpretation (Read his short story, "Hills Like White Elephants.")

I've read this book at least five times. And that's alot considering I usually never re-read a book. The story takes you through expatriate Jake Barnes life with a group of friends on a vacation to Spain for the running of the bulls. Most of the book involves the main group of characters going out every night to enjoy fine restaurants and to drink excessively. It's about Jake's self-discovery, or lack thereof, and his interactions and interpretations of other characters. Along with awesome character development and an engaging plotline, each time I read it, I discover more details I hadn't noticed before.

2. Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
My first experience with Vonnegut didn't disappoint. I had been vaguely familiar with his writing style and outrageous stories. A social commentator, Vonnegut also focuses on evolution and afterlife in Galapagos. I also love the quirky, cynical humor that Vonnegut incorporates in his books and short stories.

The narrator is a million year old spirit that watches and comments on the development of a group of the last humans on Earth. They've survived by evolving into seal-like creatures with tiny brains. (Sound like KV?) This narrator keeps the plot out of sequence and the reader doesn't really know what's going on until the end. And BTW, it's one of the best endings I've ever read.

3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Another one of my favorite authors, Steinbeck has a way with writing short, simple sentences, while keeping the story itself dynamic and exciting.

The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joad family's move from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression to look for work. It's a longer but faster read, and the chapters are also broken up with perspectives from different characters, along with reflective interludes or objective descriptions of the landscape, cities or other families.

I felt like I got to know the Joad family intimately, and was with them through the struggles and sacrifices they dealt with.

4. The Stranger by Albert Camus (pronounced Kea-moo)
Camus was an atheist. The main character, Meursault, is also an atheist. But neither preach about it. It just is. Meursault seems like a pompous, arrogant asshole... but he might just be more of a sociopath. Or just socially inept.

Meursault goes through the motions of everyday life without question. Really, it seems like there's little plot, until he takes vacation with some friends, and "accidently" shoots an Arab on the beach.

You learn the most about the main character once he's on trial for murder. The book itself helped me understand my own ideas about happens after you die, and to not necessarily worry about death but what you do while your'e still alive.

5. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The famous Holden Caufield comes right out of the pages with his cynical demeanor and negative attitude toward everyone around him. He might act like a tough guy, but he's really a depressed, naive kid that skips out on school to aimlessly walk the streets of NYC.

I've read this one at least three times.

There really is no plot, except that at the beginning of the novel, you know Caufield is telling his story from some kind of institution... the driving force may be to find out why he ended up there.
Another great book for discovering the depth of a character.

Runners up: One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginides

This sounds like a book report.

I'm reading The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. I don't usually get into biographies, but it's the first pick for our book club. (And it won the Pulitzer, so it has to be engaging, right?)
After reading Chad's post on whether it's better to be loved and forgotten or hated and remembered, I thought about Teddy's first wife. Before T.R. was with his famous first lady he had married his college sweetheart, Alice Lee Hathaway.
If I had to pick an answer, it'd be loved and forgotten. Right now matters, because I can feel it. I won't really care after I'm dead (as far as I know). But I modified my response to a hybrid of the two; I'd want to be loved and remembered by those who matter.
Anyway, Roosevelt was completely infatuated with Hathaway throughout his college career at Harvard, and pursued her until she accepted. He called her is "darling little wife" and wanted to build her a mansion, show her off at society functions, etc.
In retrospect, he probably saw her more as a prize he won as opposed to a compatible spouse... but that's getting off topic.
SPOILER ALERT -- Alice died two days after giving birth to their only child. Not to mention, Teddy's mom died the same day, in the same house. T.R. was destroyed, but instead of mourning, he tried completely voiding her from his memory.

"Like a lion obsessively trying to drag a spear from its flank, Roosevelt set about dislodging Alice Lee from his soul. Nostalgia, a weakness to which he was abnormally vulnerable, could be indulged if it was pleasant, but if painful it must be suppressed, 'until the memory is too dead to throb.'" (232)

Details show it's clear he tried erasing any memory of her after she died. Photos were ripped up, letters destroyed. Roosevelt even avoided acknowledging she existed in his own autobiography. She was loved, but forgotten by the person that mattered to her.

That's what I wouldn't want.



And I might've started a book discussion. Oops.