Recent Reads: Just One Day (Book #3 of 2013)

Book #3 of my 52/52 challenge was Just One Day by Gayle Forman.
I knew I was going to read this book the moment I heard about it months back because Gayle Forman wrote a really beautiful book I gushed about right here. I preordered it on Amazon, and ended up getting it the day I finished Bernadette. I finished it this past Sunday.

Our narrator is Allyson. She is freshly graduated from high school, approaching college in Boston, and is enjoying the tail end of a European tour with her friend Melanie when we first meet her. Her tour group is waiting in line to see Hamlet on stage when a bunch of young, wild actors hit up the line with fliers about their renegade performance of Twelfth Night as a group called “Guerilla Will” at a park nearby.
Allyson and Melanie have pretty much stuck to the agenda the entire trip, but upon meeting a handsome blonde man in the troupe, Allyson decides she’s ready to break some rules and check out the play. Of course, she can’t keep her eyes off the man, but once the play is over, so is the fantasy and Melanie and Allyson head back to their hotel to prepare for the end of their trip. The next morning, they head on a train to London, and Allyson makes her way to grab some breakfast from the dining cart when she spots the handsome man from the night before. He is a 20 year old Dutch man named Willem. One thing leads to another and they end up heading to Paris, just the two of them. For just one day.

What happens next is for the readers to find out. I enjoyed this book. It was romantic, yes, but it’s also about self-discovery, making friends, deciding what you want in life, following your gut...
It was a sweet book. And later this year, there will be a novel coming out called Just One Year. I’m excited to read that when it comes out.

So far, Where’d Ya Go, Bernadette? has been my favorite book. But that’s out of three. So…I have some more to go.

This has been a fun challenge so far! I’m already on book 4. Can’t wait to share it with you!

Get Well Soon

If you’re like most of the people in the US right now, you’re currently suffering from a cold (me) or, even worse, the flu.
It’s that time of year, but unfortunately it is really sweeping the nation.
I think most of us have this tendency to pretend that we aren’t sick and in turn make ourselves worse.
It is the absolute pits to have a stuffy nose, sore throat, a fever, or…ugh…stomach issues.
But pretending they aren’t there won’t make it better, as we can see from the fact that everyone keeps getting the germies.

I am a huge proponent of taking care of yourself  physically and mentally. Okay, I might not exercise…ever…or eat the healthiest diet in the world, but my well-being is still important in general. We live in a world where it’s gogogogogogogogogo. And it’s totally unhealthy for every part of our bodies. Once in a while, you have to slow down…especially when you get sick (but not just when you’re sick).

Okay, I’m not a doctor, and you probably think I’m silly, but I’ve decided to write down a list of ways to take care of yourself when you’re down with the sickness. Well, my ways. I think they work, personally…but to each their own.

And by the way, these are totally acceptable ways to deal with the “funks” like anxiety and depression and general sad/bad moods.

Comfort Food

When you’re sick, often the last thing you think about is eating. Whether it’s loss of appetite or an inability to keep it down, food isn’t always a top priority. You have to make it one, though. My go to is soup. I eat soup pretty much everyday for lunch anyways, but it is soooo perfect for sick days. The heat is soothing to the senses, it’s filling without being heavy or requiring a lot of effort. Can’t go wrong. There’s also nothing wrong with a little toast and jelly. It’s something. It’s little, but it’ll help. If you can handle bigger meals, eat your favorites. Treat yourself to some Chinese take-out. That’s also really comforting for me. And don’t forget to drink! I always do. Water, OJ, and green tea with a generous amount of honey are my go-to sick beverages.

Bedtime!

Getting sick is your excuse to finally relax, to catch up on all the sleep you’ve been missing. Rest is one of the main ingredients needed to get better. The longer you push yourself, the longer your cold will stick around. You never give your body the time to replenish and renew. It may seem “lazy" but we all know we need a certain amount of sleep and that increases when you’re sick. Even if you aren’t exactly ready to get some shut-eye, sit in bed and read a book or catch up on your shows.

Fresh Air

It’s so easy to get stir-crazy when you stay in the house/feel sick/feel sad. Don’t let that happen! Fresh air, even if it’s cold, is so refreshing. You need it to cleanse the palate. And when you’re feeling sad, when it’s easy to just stay in bed or on the couch all day, a walk (or a jog if you can manage) can do wonders.

Surround Yourself with Positivity

Stream or play your favorite TV shows and movies. Listen to your favorite music. Read a book or magazine. Browse for inspiration on Pinterest or Tumblr. Window shop online. Create wish lists. Make sure to laugh and smile!

Shower

This probably seems like an obvious suggestion, but showering can seem like the last thing you wanna do when you’re sick or sad. Don’t let it get ya down. I don’t know about y’all, but my brain stops worrying once I’m in the shower. The steam and hot water is refreshing, and once you’re clean and you put on a set of fresh PJs, it’s like you’ve been reborn.

(This is my last and biggest piece of advice…)

STAY HOME

My biggest pet peeve is when people come to work/school/whatever sick. For starters, I know how I feel when I’m sick, and being around people or attempting to use my brain or socializing is the last thing I want to do. But, no one actually wants to get sick. You’re spreading germs to everyone around you. You’re sick, they get sick, their family gets sick. It’s a cruel thing to do, when you think about it. So, seriously, stay home. You’ll prevent the germs from spreading and you’ll ultimately feel better for taking some time to heal.

 

And those are my recommendations! What makes you feel better when you’re sick?

 

Photo Credit

Lunch Break

Canteen 900 can do no wrong in my eyes. It’s truly a gem in NEPA (I’ve mentioned it a few times, most notably after my first time), and I wish I could make it a more regular stop in my life than it is. This past weekend, I spent most of my time nursing a cold. The one outing I did was head to Canteen 900 with my sister, her boyfriend, Brad, and our friends (and adorable couple) Nicole and Ed. It was their first time at Canteen 900, and I’m so glad I was there for it. We all indulged in café mochas, lattes, and teas, delicious salads and sandwiches, and great conversation. It was a lovely afternoon, and I hope to have more like that in the future.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!
And get well soon, to all the sickies out there!

Dinner Last Night: Baked Ziti

I feel like it’s been forever since I cooked.
In actuality, it’s been about two weeks or so. But still.
I found this recipe for baked ziti on Pinterest. When the budget is tight, as it always is lately, I think pasta is the best way to go.
So filling, always satisfying.

I was also craving a nice, fresh salad. And I think it’s a great compliment to the heavy, hearty ziti meal.

It makes me happy to make a good meal that my whole family enjoys.
Cooking is fun.

Happy Friday, everyone!
Here’s to a good weekend!

Recent Reads: Where’d Ya Go, Bernadette? (Book #2 of 2013)

I tore through Where’d Ya Go, Bernadette, book number 2 of my 52 books in 52 weeks challenge, in about 4 days.
Again, this is usually a good thing, as sometimes a book can take a couple of weeks for me to read depending on what’s going on in my life and how interesting the story actually is. This book was just…SO GOOD.

Where’d Ya Go, Bernadette is a story told through letters, e-mail correspondence, conversation transcripts, and the narration of one Balakrishna (better known as “Bee”) Branch, a 15 year old using everything she can get her hands on to solve the strange disappearance of her mother, Bernadette Fox. Calling Bernadette quirky would be putting it lightly. She is utterly antisocial (she refuses to deal with the “gnats” who send their children to the same school as Bee, rarely leaves the house and relies on a virtual assistant through an Indian outsourcing website to do pretty much everything for her), an insomniac who goes days upon days without showering, and loathing every inch and aspect of Seattle, Washington, where her family lives (her husband, Bee’s father, works for Microsoft, one of the reasons they moved up there). Through the emails and letters, we get a glimpse into the downward spiral her life has suddenly taken, all thanks to a looming cruise to Antarctica that Bee has requested after receiving perfect grades.

I don’t want to share much else about the book, but it just covers a whole mess of lovely topics. It’s a truly funny book, and I love the way it was written, with the toss-ups between correspondence and narration of how Bee saw things. Bernadette clearly suffers from some mental issues, and I like the way Semple handled it. Then, of course, the book contains the main mystery of wondering what happened to Bernadette.

I am so happy I read this book, my friend got it for me for Christmas so props to him, and I would recommend it to any and everyone!

Top that, 50 other books I’m going to read this year! (I hope so…)

“Proof God Loves Us”

Yesterday was all kinds of crappy. I won’t sit here and complain, but I kept thinking all day how much I wanted to enjoy a beer (or two), some snacks, and a movie with my mom and sister. I will straight up admit that I adore beer. I also adore wine and I adore trying different cocktails (my poison of choice is gin). So I’m not really picky, I guess. But beer is one of those things…there are SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS. Same thing with wine, too. Same thing with everything? It’s easy, as a young drinker like I am (who only has 4 years of legal drinking under her belt, and spent a lot of my college days with Mickey’s 40 oz because they were painfully cheap and easy to obtain) to forget that there’s more to wine than “red” or “white” and more to beer than “lite” or…well, not. It’s fun to learn about beer, to try different kinds, to expand my horizons.
I’ve had lots of tasty beers and lots of not-so-tasty beers.
But it’s fun!

Instead of going to any ol’ beer distributor for a case or a 6-pack, I like to make my own 6-pack whenever possible. 6 different beers of my choosing, from stouts to IPAs to ciders, to expand my flavor choices. I headed to Weis Markets right after work and pondered over the selection for a little while (this photo only shows about half of it).

I might not like every beer that I try when I do this, but I don’t have to settle for a whole slew of crappy beers.
Aside from going to a bar, it’s a fun way to sample.

At the Moment… (a few of my favorite things)

Onesie and Coat-Set Pajamas. I’m living in comfy cozy clothes, and pajamas are where it’s at.
Shock Top’s Honeycrisp Apple Wheat beer. So easy to drink, delicious, wonderful!

Coffee in cute mugs, especially when it’s drunk in bed.
Re-kindling my Kindle Fire love. Whether I’m reading or using it as a tablet, I’m so thankful for that piece of technology.

Movie nights with my mom and sister. (Last few movies: Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Liberal Arts, It’s A Wonderful Life)
Getting packages in the mail. I got my copy of Just One Day by Gayle Forman yesterday. I pre-ordered it on Amazon a couple of weeks ago.

 

And those are some things I love at the moment.