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    The New Year: Some Goals for 2010


    2010 - 01.01

    I hate the idea of making New Years Resolutions. The stat that I found said that 78% of people who make New Years Resolutions fail to follow through with them. The quarter that do, use tools like journaling their progress, asking their friends for support, rewarding milestones and focusing on all the benefits of achieving their goals. (Resource Link)

    But regardless, the idea of making goals for the upcoming year is very appealing. A new year feels like a fresh start, the chance to make changes for the betterment of your life.

    With that in mind, I have made goals for this year. And I’m asking any readers I have out there for help and support. Comments, ideas, recommendations and whatever else you feel like offering, heck, just showing me numbers on Google Analytics is enough to make me happy. :p

    The First goal is to start doing a drawing a day. A concept made known to me by a lovely blogger named Daisy. I attempted this last year and made it about 30 days in before I let life get the better of me. I’m hoping that by making it slightly more official, making daily updates here and getting feedback from readers, I will start making art more a part of my daily life. Currently, I’m working on covering up a journal I wrote in a year or so ago, some therapy for covering up past demons. The journal itself is beautiful with a deep dark blue slip cover and heavy cold-pressed watercolor paper. It was a joy to write in but now I think I can make something more beautiful out of it.

    See! Darn Purdy!

    Some Extra Credit, pages I did about a month ago:

    This is the one I did today:

    The Second goal is to follow the concepts in the book I’m reading at the moment called “The Four Agreements” by don Miguel Ruiz (full book review to come when I finish it). I think Ruiz makes very valid points in this book, providing ways to destress and improve your own life, creating your own heaven. The four agreements you choose to make with yourself are:

    1. Be impeccable with your word
    2. Don’t take anything personally
    3. Don’t make assumptions
    4. Always do your best

    Sounds so simple when it’s just those four ideas written on paper but already today I have felt myself stress out about things I took personally and I made assumptions that put someone in a negative light (I asked for clarity and my assumption was wrong, I felt silly, but was really glad I made the effort to get clarification.) If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.

    Third big goal is to reconnect, get together with friends more often and build stronger friendships based on trust and good experiences. I lost touch with a lot of people over the course of the years I’ve been in college and it’s proven to be a great disservice to me.

    And last but not least, the Fourth goal is to really start working on my career. I start my new job on Monday and it’s going to be amazing. The doors that it will open and the experience I will gain will be limitless. It’s time to put all that hard work done at MCAD to work and start building on it.

    Life is good… very good. I’m blessed with a close family that’s helped me through a lot of hard times and a core group of friends that has stuck by me, I also met some amazing people last year that have welcomed me into their lives with so much joy. 2009 was a really hard year that taught me a lot about myself. I am determined to grow more this year and learn more about what I’m capable of achieving.

    Happy New Year everyone! May 2010 bring you great happiness and success in all your endeavors!

    Book Review: The Gunslinger


    2009 - 12.16
    by Stephen King

    by Stephen King

    Quasi-Spoiler Warning

    As promised, wrapped this book up just a few days ago. Certainly wasn’t the smartest thing to dive into the week of finals…but somehow it all worked out in the end.

    This book came recommended to me by Chris, The Dark Tower being his all time favorite series. Although a very graphic and at times terrifying book, I found myself quickly sucked into this world. I have to admit, most of the draw in the first book is simply the curiosity to learn more about Roland’s past and what drives him to find the Dark Tower.

    I was told when I first started the book that by the end I would hate Roland, so much so that I might not want to continue the series. As I got into the book I realized that Roland is so determined to catch up with the Man in Black and ultimately find the Dark Tower that he is willing to kill anything and everyone in his way to do so, guilty and innocent alike. You get brief glimpses into his past that hint at why he grows into the man he is. But more importantly you get an image painted of the life he had before the world moved on, once lush and filled with a culture that was ruthless and demanding but still good, his home became a strange land where the Earth is barren and the people are treacherous. I think anyone that survived this kind of shift, losing everyone and everything they cared about, would lose a certain amount of humanity. Trust, Love, Friendship and Innocence are all dangerous things for him to have on his journey so he allows the death of the one that represented all of those things to him. I have a hard time hating him for it because I know there must be more behind it then simply what the first book says. That and knowing the Man in Black created this trap for him anyway. (goodness, it’s hard to write about a book and its meaning to you without totally giving important stuff away!!!)

    I give this book an 8/10, it is sometimes unnecessarily graphic and I’m currently really lost as to why he’s seeking the Dark Tower in the first place…but that’s more on my own lack of patience and overwhelming curiosity.

    Next book: The Drawing of the Three: The Dark Tower II

    Book Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!


    2009 - 12.03
    cause who doesn't love some good zombie fun?

    cause who doesn't love some good zombie fun?

    I tend to be quite behind the times when it comes to reading and when I finally get around to picking up a book to read it generally takes me forever because of everything else I occupy myself with… but I’ve finally gotten around to finishing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith. This was an absolutely delightful parody of the Jane Austin classic. A good deal of the original text remains with brief, hilarious interruptions of zombie, ninja and warrior mayhem! The five Bennet sisters are not only fine young ladies with all the stresses of attending balls, seeking suitable husbands and dealing with a mother who won’t rest until each one is married off, but they are also Masters of Death, trained by Master Liu in China.

    This was a terribly amusing read and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you love some good zombie fun. Also out by Seth Grahame-Smith is “Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters”,  his current project is “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”. Check out the Quirk Classics’ website to learn more about their recently announced “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls”, the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies detailing the origins of the Zombie infestation in London and Elizabeth’s rise as a killer, due out in the Spring of 2010 by Steve Hockensmith. Something tells me they won’t stop until they’ve “ruined” every classic with insane pop culture and fantasy. As far as I’m concerned, anything is better than sparkly vampires…*gag*

    Edit: Next up…Stephen King’s The Gunslinger, Book one of The Dark Tower series. Recommended to me by Chris. Hopefully with the semester at an end, I’ll find more time for reading.