Autumn Playlist

I've seen this list floating around Pinterest, and I thought I'd finally sit down and listen to every song. As a whole, I really like it. It's a folky-hipster collection of songs that play well together. There are a few songs I'm not crazy about, but overall, it's pretty great. 

There are links to each song below, if you don't want to go to the trouble of looking up every song. I tried, as best as I could, to like to the official music videos. 

I marked my favourite ones with asterisks. I'd love to hear which ones you like (or don't), and whether there's any songs you'd add to the list. 

Down in the Valley by The Head and the Heart*

Spanish Saharah by Foals

Winter Winds by Mumford and Sons*

The Only Living Boy in New York by Simon and Garfunkel

Welcome Home by Radical Face*

Here We Go Again by Angus & Julia Stone

The Sound of Settling by Death Cab for Cutie* 

Lost in My Mind by The Head and the Heart 

Changes by David Bowie

Stay Young (Go Dancing) by Death Cab for Cutie*

Amie by Pure Prairie League

Indian Summer by Beat Happening*

Blue Spotted Tails by Fleet Foxes 

Seashell by Seabear 

You Remind Me of Home by Ben Gibbard 

Hotcha Girls by Ugly Casanova 

Cats & Dogs by The Head and the Heart 

If I Was a Baby by Ezra Furman & The Harpoons 

Oliver James by Fleet Foxes 

Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver

Sometimes I'm a Writer

Most of the time, I'm not a very good writer. The only time I sit down and write for hours on end is when I have a work deadline coming up and I procrastinated for too long. I should be more disciplined. But I'm not. I am what I am. 

Then, I saw this photo on Pinterest: 

{Source}

And it reminded me that just because I don't spend all day every slaving away at my writing doesn't mean I'm not a writer. Sometimes it means I'm lazy. But sometimes I spend time writing emails, to-do lists, and notes of things that I don't want to forget. 

Just because I'm not always writing a script doesn't mean that I'm not a writer. 

My Fall Lineup

I have a hard time transitioning between summer and fall. I love summer. It's the only time of the year that I'm not freezing {I have low blood pressure, I guess}. The upside to fall is that I can bake without dying of heat, delicious comfort foods, and the return of my favourite TV shows. And because I'm me, I have quite a few that I like to keep up on. Here's what I'll be watching for the next few months. 

How I Met Your Mother: I've been watching this show for years now. Finally, it's the last season. We've met the mother, but there's still so much more to come. There are so many unfinished stories and I can't wait to see how everything wraps up. 

New Girl: The first season was okay, and then I didn't really stick with the second season. At the encouragement of my sister, Luke and I watched it, and it was hilarious! So now it's in the rotation. So far, it's awesome. 

The Mindy Project: I've been a fan of Mindy Kaling since she was on The Office, so I will watch this no matter what happens. It's clever and full of pop culture references, and I think it will only get better as it goes on. 

Modern Family: Admittedly, this isn't my favourite show on the list. However, I love the complex characters and the woven story lines. From a writer's point of view, this show is so clever. And I love Phil. 

Parks and Recreation: I wasn't sure about this show at first. It seemed like it was trying too hard to be like The Office. But I gave it a chance, and loved it. This show is witty and clever and hilarious. Plus, the season premier takes place in London, as if I wasn't smitten enough. 

Big Bang Theory: Honestly, this is just in the list for comedic reasons. Plus, every once in a while I understand one of the science references, and I feel smart. There has even been some character development, so I'm finding this season more interesting than previous ones.

Grey's Anatomy: Okay, okay. I know it's dramatic, and some people think it's a bit ridiculous. But I can't help it - I love the drama. And the characters. Plus, I think I almost understand medical jargon. 

Parenthood: I started watching this show a few years ago when I was waiting for my Green Card. I'd already made my way through most of Netflix, so I figured I might as well give it a try. Now, though, I'm not sure if it's holding my attention. I'll give it a few episodes before I make my final decision. 

And that's all I've got. So, friends, what are you watching? 

Dreams

I am really bad at remembering this. Usually when I start a project, if I don't see immediate results, I stop. Simple as that. But some things take longer than others. Giving up only cheats me out of something great that I could've had if I'd just stuck it out a bit longer. I've been working on motivating myself and trying to be better at getting things done. While I've still go a ways to go, I am learning that since time doesn't stop, I shouldn't either. 

P.S. Earl Nightingale was a motivational speaker and a radio broadcaster from 1956-1989. 

Online Nonsense

I spend a lot of time online, both for work and for everything else. Here's what I found interesting this week. 

I love this website for random life hacks and home improvements. While I'm not exactly off-beat, I'm not a Martha Stewart, either. 

My favourite band, Yellowcard, released an acoustic album to celebrate their 10th anniversary. You can listen to the whole thing here. This is one of the first bands that I really loved, and they just keep getting better with time. 

This sweater is perfect for the almost-fall season that's currently going on. Too bad it's out of stock. It comes in lots of other colours, though, so all is not lost. 

My good friend Ashley shared this list with me yesterday, and it cracked me up. When we were living in London a few summers ago, we were definitely No. 3. 

Although I claim to be a writer, I'm not actually very good at following through on anything I do. Mostly my writing is lists and story starts. I've been working harder to be more dedicated, and in the process I've found a lot of resources. I just found a new writing blog, and I'm finding it really helpful, especially her 'inspiration' tag. 

And here's something absolutely ridiculous. You're welcome. 

10,000 and 400

I've reached 10,000 blog views! And this is my 400th post! Too bad I don't have much fanfare to go along with this important milestone. 

{Not} Going Back to School

Most everyone I know is back in school, or headed there in a matter of days. As for me, this is my second September not enrolling in some kind of education system. Growing up, I always longed for the time when I wouldn't have to go back to school. 

Now, though, I'm seriously reconsidering this. I miss going back-to-school shopping for new jeans and a better backpack. I miss stocking up on fresh notebooks, pens, and markers. I miss sitting in the living room and watching my dad label all of my supplies with my initials in his perfect penmanship. 

If I was going back to school, here's what I would get: 

Cute notebooks 

from: Target 

bigger notebook

from: Staples

my favourite pens 

{Bic Round Stick in black fine point}

from: Staples

this perfect {sold out} bag 

from: ModCloth

and this perfect back to school outfit 

{comfortable, easy, and polished}

original source, as much as I can tell: here

The only thing that keeps me from feeling too sad about this is that I don't have to worry about the stress of finals, or worry about writing 5 papers at once. Still, it's nice to have a time of year dedicated to starting a new phase of life with the right tools for the job. 

An Update {Sort Of}

I haven't posted in a really long time. Part of that was because our basement flooded. Then we went out of town. And then we went out of town again. I have pictures to share and stories to tell, but not today. So enjoy this instead. Because it's funny. 

Book: Looking for Anne of Green Gables

I've been trying to read more non-fiction lately, so I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across this book at the library. 

This is a book about the famous author L. M. Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, and countless short stories. A Canadian icon, I loved learning more about the author and her beloved heroine. 

The book starts out detailing Montgomery's young life. The author outlines unique situations that would have gone on to inspire the character of Anne. As the book progresses, more interesting facts come to light, including the identity of the model who inspired Anne's red hair, and snippets from Montgomery's journals as she grew up and began work on the novel. 

My favourite aspect of this book is discovering how much Montgomery drew on her own life experiences to shape the character of Anne, and in some instances, Diana. It makes me feel drawn to Anne even more, and closer to Montgomery. 

I highly recommend this book to Anne fans of all varieties. Keep in mind that it is non-fiction, and it may seem a bit dry to some readers. It is an easy read, and even includes photos of Montgomery, her family, and other important ephemera. It's a fascinating book, and worth the time and effort you put into it. 

Book: The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing

A few weeks ago, I finished reading The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing. 

It was a quick read, making it a good summertime book. As it opened, I was caught up in the world of a young girl who is sad about losing her childhood vacation home {it also might have been their real home, it was hard to follow along}. As the book went on, I found myself more and more interested in the life of the heroine. 

However, halfway through, things went a bit...off. There was randomly one chapter about nothing in particular. After that, the main character started doing things that didn't seem true to her character. It got really boring watching her make terrible choices, and the book stopped moving forward. Finally, the last chapter seemed to provide a sense of completion, of a satisfying ending. And yet, nope. I found the ending to be jarring, and there was no true ending, or satisfaction of endings wrapped up. 

Some people might say that it's like life; there isn't always closure, and people make bad decisions. But I felt like the ending didn't match the story that had been established. Overall, I wouldn't really recommend it. I found it on several reading lists on Pinterest, so clearly some people think it's worth reading. If you find it at the library, sure, check it out and bring it to read by the pool. But don't feel like you need to go search it out. 

Book: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

A few years ago, this book {and subsequent movie} was extremely popular. At the time, I was around 8 years old, much to young for the demographic the book was aimed for. Now, many years later, I read it without all the excitement and hubbub, and I'm glad it worked out that way; there was nothing to influence me before I read it, or sway my opinion afterwards. 

I watched the movie a few months ago, because I was curious. I'd even forgotten that it was a book. From there, I figured I might as well read it. So I did. 

I loved reading this book. I dove right in, and loved everything about it. The writing style is descriptive without being flowery, the characters are developed and interesting, and the setting is somewhere I'm not familiar with {the South, years 1920-1990ish}. Some of the minor characters tended to blend together for me, but for the most part, each character stood on their own. 

What appealed to me the most was the themes of love, friendship, and female connection that ran throughout the novel. Perhaps it's because most of my female friends have moved all over the world that I connect so strongly with a novel about having your closest friends around you. I would love it if all my closest friends lived within blocks of me, and we could get together on a whim. Unfortunately, that's not the case. So I lived vicariously through the characters in the novel. 

After I finished reading, I looked up some reviews online. While there were some positive reviews, there were many negative ones. Reasons ranged from dislike for "chick-lit" to anger over issues of alcoholism and child abuse. Yes, this is a serious read. I don''t enjoy reading about child abuse {I can't think of anyone who does}, I recognize that life is complicated and not everyone has perfect, loving parents. 

Overall, I would recommend this book. Be aware that it's not all rainbows and sunshine. It is a book about women who are trying to figure out who they are. It is a book about friendship, love, and family ties.