So like most Americans (seriously, we need to do something about this) I’m wanting to lose weight. I actually have lost almost 30 pounds since last August, which is not too shabby. My goal is to be 2-5 more pounds down by the end of August to bring that total up to 32-35 lost in one year. Not stellar but I’ll take it. 

I’m not going to spend a whole long time on this because 1. I’m not done, 2. I’m not an expert and 3. Not so much the point of this entry. 

Anyway, I’m putting the goals down on the interwebs to help keep myself accountable. I want to be another 10-15 pounds down (ish) from now in November, and at my goal weight by next August. But I’m not thinking too much about those down the line goals, I’m focusing on the 2-5, which has actually helped me lose and keep it off. The little goals are easy and I don’t get discouraged. How am I doing this? By putting everything I eat into my FitBit app, watching what I eat, and working out. Simple. Traditional. Effective. 

Moving right along…

If you haven’t been watching Emma Approved you need to go do it right now. I mean, I loved Pemberley Digital’s updated version of Pride and Prejudice with the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and their update of Emma has been just as awesome. Seriously, updating Jane Austen is HARD, and they’ve done a spectacular job. 

Anywho, Emma is one of my all-time favorite books. I feel like I’ve said this before but it bears repeating. So for those of you who know the story, we just got to the point where Mr. Knightley scolds Emma for her treatment of Miss Bates at Box Hill. Now, in the adaptation, they had Emma embarrass Maddy Bates about her home-made jams at the celebrity opening of the restaurant Boxx in Beverley Hills (I see what you did there…). Then Jane gets mad at Emma because Jane is in love with Frank who has been hanging all over Emma like crazy, but we know that Frank is just doing that so no one knows about him and Jane. Why, I don’t know. So Jane reams Emma out (somewhat rightly so, but not entirely). Emma (fantastically acted by Joanna Sotomura) is reeling from this when Alex Knightley enters to get on her case about being mean to Maddy. 

We know, of course, that Knightley has come to the realization that he’s in love with Emma and he can’t stand to see her act like Frank Churchill. He believes she’s acting like Frank because she’s in love with Frank, which we all know isn’t true, but Emma’s behavior in this instance is not good. So Knightley leaves, and Emma, who has always had things handed to her is suddenly adrift. I hate sounding fangirlish but, the feels! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s episode will bring!

Moving right along. Mostly because that was two episodes ago and it still…mmm. So well done, guys! So well done! 

Last, but not least, book time.

I’ve started The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Talk about right in the feels! This book is convicting and well-written, if a little hard to get through because of the depth of the content and the language, which is at a significantly higher level than a fiction novel. (I know, talk about shifting gears…) Anyway, so far, so good. It’s been an interesting read that has given me a great deal to think on. I think this will be a slower read than what I am used to, however, I think it’ll impart much more knowledge than what I usually read as well. 

Until next time 😀

So I’m on eHarmony. I got a good deal for a three month thing and I have 4 friends either married to or getting married to someone they met online. I’m a tech savvy girl. I can totally do this.

 

If you haven’t already noticed, I’m a bit of a nerd. 

 

A pendent with a quote from Lord of the Rings, a Mockingjay pendent, a ring with a quote from Hamlet, and I also own a ring that says “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good” (not pictured). When I wear these particular items, the Mockingjay for example, I get every comment from “cute necklace” to “is that from the Hunger Games?” to “Oh my gosh! Where did you get a Mockingjay necklace?” (answer: amazon).

These pieces express some of my personality, and are great conversation starters with fellow nerds. But even if someone doesn’t know that my necklace has a quote form Tolkien, they ask “where did you get it? I love that! And that quote is nice!” and you can expose someone to classic (like Lord of the Rings) or tell them that Etsy has all kinds of wonderful things based on classic literature like this. Seriously, it does. You want a Jane Austen pendent? Done. They even have Once Upon a Time based items (for all you Oncers out there!) 

So if you want some truly unique (or nerdy, or both) items, skip your traditional jewelry places and check out http://www.etsy.com and http://www.amazon.com. You’ll be amazed at what you find! 

Moving right along. I told you all I would review Isabel Allende’s Zorro. I finished it last night, and, well…

Let me start off by saying that it is a very well-written book and a good story. But if you are looking for the stories like we used to watch on the old black and white Zorro on the Disney channel…not so much. One, it’s a lot more focused on racism, the rights of Indians (as they are called in the story), the rights of women and the rights of slaves. Yeah. It’s also more of a prequel. How did Zorro become Zorro? Who was his mother? His father? See, Zorro chronology is difficult because the creator of Zorro didn’t always pay attention to canon and continuity. This story attempts to tie them all together, from the original serial all the way up to the Banderas movies. I almost wish the title wasn’t “Zorro” because he doesn’t show up very much or for very long. It’s a lot about Diego de La Vega, Bernardo, and the two of them growing up. It was a good book but I think I prefer the original and other more swashbuckling stories. I didn’t really care about the whole Napoleon took over Spain and then he lost it political drama, I wanted Diego to go back to California and fight the evil there. He did, but it was in like the last…5 chapters of the book or so. I missed the snarky Zorro (and equally, though much more subtly snarky, Diego). Good book, but as for Zorro, your best bet is the Guy Williams Disney version. 

 

So tomorrow I have an interview for a possible real, grown-up job (yay!) but this is a little bit how I feel: