the beauty of birthdays

photo credit: Brimstone via Flickr cc

The past few years – and particularly the past few months – have been a roller coaster of success and failure, of good choices and bad decisions… of owning up to all of it while staving off depression and melancholy as best I can. As recently as last week I found myself entertaining the darkness of misery yet again, even as my mind was clear enough to recognize the dangers of allowing such depression to take root. None of this is new to me, and I seem to revisit it every year around this time, but knowing the pattern doesn’t help me prepare. It still surprises me. Which is why I’m so thankful for my birthday each year.

Today I am forty-four and have officially reached “middle age.” Most days I feel like I did at 26, the year of my spiritual about-face, and in my lowest moments I feel 16 again, when I could not see past the despair and angst that filled my spirit. But in the week surrounding my birthday I am happy and my heart is light. I am celebrating another year of experiences, and I’m looking forward to the time ahead in which I can strive to become my best self. God said His mercies are new every morning, and I’ve come to know that personally. I depend upon it! I’m so thankful for more opportunities to enrich this earthly experience and pass the tests of each new season.

I’ve heard people lament the passing of time and insist that they don’t need to celebrate their birthdays, but I’ve never understood that mentality. Birthdays are my fave. It’s the one day of the year that I’m allowed to celebrate myself! And I really do enjoy getting older. Even with all the joint aches and hormonal changes and (ugh) the onset of menopause, I am grateful for more time to become a better person and amend for past mistakes. My birthday is a beautiful reminder of the life that is still in front of me, just waiting to be explored. This day is my New Year’s celebration, and I want to make the best of it.

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y  T O  M E
with love to everyone who fills my world with joy and speaks Truth into my life
 

Fall Readathon 2012 :: Event Wrap-Up

And this, my friends, is all she wrote for 2012′s Fall Readathon. This was my most successful event so far – much-improved over spring’s disappointment – and though I’m always so very tired, I’m also fully energized. The freedom to read is such a gift, and each year I’m reminded how important it is to make time for it. I don’t read nearly as much as I should, but I still value it so much. This readathon offered a beautiful opportunity to share the importance of reading with a child, and I’ll always be grateful for the little bit of time that he stuck it out. What I know for sure is that D will keep asking about the next readathon event and will surely want to try again. I can’t wait!

Below are the final tallies for the Dyl, myself, and my best good friend Cerella, who also participated in her first 24 Hour Readathon. We all had varying schedules and levels of success, but I think each of us would agree that it was a very good day to read.

So this is now the official end to my 5th readathon. Looking forward to doing it all over again in the spring! Catch me on Twitter for random pop culture ramblings, and come back to phrenetical later this week for a few book reviews that are now pending. Happy reading!

End-Of-Event Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Though I had to take a 2-hour nap at Hour 10, the toughest moment came in Hour 22 when I made the idiotic decision to attempt an instructional textbook, of all things! It signaled the beginning of the end, for sure.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? The best decisions I’ve ever made for readathon were the easy-breezy narratives of John Grisham (this time) and the riveting series of The Hunger Games (October 2011). I saw a tweet during the event that deserves recognition because of its truth: “Every readathon needs The Hunger Games.” It truly makes the time fly!
3. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? This year I saw a lot of pre-event publicity on Twitter and that allowed me to keep the readathon fresh in my mind. This was much, much better promotion than recent years. Kudos!
4. How many books did you read? Better time management allowed me to attempt two books this time instead of the one that I typically complete during the event.
5. What were the names of the books you read? The Associate by John Grisham (completed) and The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages by Mary Ellen Dodd (17 pages)
6. Which book did you enjoy most? The Associate
7. Which did you enjoy least? It’s not so much that I didn’t enjoy The Writer’s Compass but that I should be far more alert when attempting to read it.
8. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I’m always in for readathon! First and foremost as a reader, but one of these days I’d love to host a mini-challenge. One of these days!

 

Total Pages Read: 110
Total Time Spent Reading: 1.5 hours
Books Completed and Attempted: (6 completed + 2 more attempted) Curious George Goes To The Hospital ● The Cat In The Hat ● Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day ● Christina Katerina and the Box ● Game Day ● Snoopy (10 pages completed) ● Go Long! (skimmed)

 

Total Pages Read: 468
Total Time Spent Reading: 12 hours
Books Completed and Attempted: Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (completed) ● A Brew To A Kill: A Coffeehouse Mystery (2/3 completed) ● Under Gemini (68 pages completed)

 

Total Pages Read: 390
Total Time Spent Reading: almost 12 hours… I think. My previous posts don’t add up like I think they should, but that just means I should never try to do math when sleep-deprived. So I’m saying I read for a total of 12 hours. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Books Completed and Attempted: The Associate (completed) ● The Writer’s Compass (dabbled)

sources for the images used in our banners:
Nolatari – tree image, original art by Sesillie Michelle Girelli D’Oyley
The Dyl – fleur-de-lis via logan_x (Creative Commons)
Cerella – “Aspidium” by Alex Ritter

Fall Readathon 2012 :: Mid-Event Survey!

We’ve reached the midpoint of this Fall Readathon! While I’ve not yet found a good amount of steam, I’m happy to report that Cerella has successfully completed her first readathon with us! She met her expectations and looks forward to the next round in April. I admit, I’d love to have her around during the wee hours to come, but I’m so happy that she was finally able to devote a day to this event that I’ve come to love so dearly. And if all goes well, she’ll be back with more participants in the spring!

For myself, last night’s lack of sleep caught up with me, and I had to take a long nap. I had hoped to last into a late hour and then sleep with the normal people, but it appears that is still not my fate. I suppose it’s just not a readathon without reading through the night.

Mid-Event Survey

1. How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired? I’m pulling myself out of a drowsy state after a hard 2-hour sleep, but my senses are starting to clear again. I’m hoping that’s a good sign!
2. What have you finished reading? Alas, I’m only halfway through the same book I’ve been reading all day. Not for lack of trying and not because it’s a challenge. Just because my body began to fight me just when I started to hit a nice groove. ::sigh::
3. What is your favorite read so far? Despite the lack of progress, I really am enjoying The Associate by John Grisham. It’s easy, and that’s something I really needed today.
4. What about your favorite snacks? Ya know… I’ve not had a proper meal all day. Perhaps that’s part of what’s keeping me so loopy? Time to remedy that!
5. Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love! The one thing I do regret from today is not being able to blog hop. Maybe the night hours will bring more opportunity.

So here’s the tally so far for Cerella and myself. Hoping for a boon in the next 12 hours! (I’m not quite coherent enough yet to know if that even makes sense! Hmm…) Onward!
 

Currently Reading: The Associate by John Grisham

Total Pages Read So Far: 164
Total Minutes Spent Reading: 265

Soda Count: Not nearly enough to keep me awake!

 

Total Pages Read: 468
Total Minutes Spent Reading: nearly 720

Coffee Count: 3 cups of coffee, plus 1 cup of Harney & Sons Chocolate and Coconut Tea

Books Completed: Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll; 1 magazine issue
Books In Progress: A Brew to a Kill: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle – 2/3 completed; Under Gemini by Rosamund Pilcher – 68 pages read

Snapshot From My Reading: This excerpt has me craving breakfast and coffee (at 5pm!)

click to enlarge

sources for the images used in our banners:
Nolatari – tree image, original art by Sesillie Michelle Girelli D’Oyley
Cerella – “Aspidium” by Alex Ritter

Fall Readathon 2012 :: Hours 4-6

Our second session of reading didn’t yield great results for the Dyl, but I managed to get into a decent groove for a short time. Unfortunately, D is finished with his readathon experience. He just hasn’t been able to find anything sufficient to retain his attention, and YouTube beckoned him on his tablet. ::sigh:: We had a little heart-to-heart, and it was decided that he gave it a good try but wasn’t interested any longer. I had to explain to him that he can’t stay at my flat if he’s not participating in the event since his other activities are distracting for me, and though he doesn’t like having to go back to his own home he understands that we made an agreement to read and only read. What makes our relationship so great is that we relate to each other on a very intellectual level, so even though he’s disappointed in having to leave, he also understands the reasoning. [That's not to say he's totally mature about it; D is still only 10 years old, after all!]

During these past 3 hours I got just over a third of the time to focus on my own reading, and the story is still holding my interest. Though not great literature, my chosen book is exactly what I wanted it to be: easy reading. Cerella also had a sporadic session during these hours as she took some time for personal tasks. This can be forgiven since she was up and reading long before the sun even began to peek through the clouds in my time zone. I expect we’ll both find our grooves soon enough and will be able to churn through some serious pages in no time.
 

Pages Read This Period: 10
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 30

Snack Count: one more cinnamon-raisin bagel, also known as Second Breakfast

Books Attempted This Period: Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz

 

Currently Reading: A Brew to a Kill: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle

Pages Read This Period: 91
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 89

Coffee Count: 3 cups
Books Read This Period: A Brew to a Kill and Through the Looking Glass

 

Currently Reading: The Associate by John Grisham

Pages Read This Period: 46
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 85

Snack Count: 20 ounces of Coca-Cola (and counting), plus a few handfuls of Cheetos. The munchies set in around Hour 4, but I’ve been able to stave them off with the caffeine.

 

sources for the images used in our banners:
Nolatari – tree image, original art by Sesillie Michelle Girelli D’Oyley
The Dyl – fleur-de-lis via logan_x (Creative Commons)
Cerella – “Aspidium” by Alex Ritter

Fall Readathon 2012 :: Hours 1-3

Well, it took Dyl and me a bit of time to get around to the actual reading this morning but we finally managed to settle in for a good, quiet hour after 90 minutes of jumping around, eating breakfast, talking non-stop, and stopping every couple of pages to ask me a question. You know… just another typical day in the life of the Dyl! He did fairly well once he settled down and focused on the reading, but we’re still struggling with true “reading” versus skimming pages and just looking at the illustrations. I’ve returned several of D’s “completed” books back to the “to be read” stack, much to his displeasure. He’s also reading the short, quick books that he’s read a hundred times each, but if he’s reading them then I count them. Right now it’s still a bit of toss-up whether he’ll last any length of time or not. When I returned to the computer for this first update I found Dyl lying on the couch drifting off to sleep. It just might be too quiet and comfortable at my place! Cerella is making great progress, of course, and I’m inching along at a snail’s pace but am sufficiently sucked in to my first Grisham choice. Already this readathon is better than the last!
 

Currently Reading: The Associate by John Grisham

Pages Read This Period: 57
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 75 (more or less)

Snack Count: strawberry-banana smoothie and a bowl of Frankenberry. Lack of sleep has messed with my appetite, I think. That’ll change soon enough.

 

Pages Read This Period: 100, we think. D was supposed to be adding totals on a calculator while I counted but he got bored and stopped without telling me. Such a boy.
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 55

Snack Count: Frankenberry cereal, strawberry-banana smoothie, cinnamon raisin bagel with plain cream cheese

Books Finished This Period: Curious George Goes To The Hospital; The Cat In The Hat; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Christina Katerina and the Box; Game Day

 

Currently Reading: Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Pages Read This Period: 175
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 150

Coffee Count: Two cups of coffee, starting on my third cup…
Books Read This Period: A Brew to a Kill
Books Finished This Period: Alice in Wonderland (I only had a few pages left in that one!)

 

sources for the images used in our banners:
Nolatari – tree image, original art by Sesillie Michelle Girelli D’Oyley
The Dyl – fleur-de-lis via logan_x (Creative Commons)
Cerella – “Aspidium” by Alex Ritter