Book Review: PUSH

I've been reading a ton lately and also just finished this book:

I really enjoyed this. The novel is written from the points of view of Precious, a girl who goes through extreme sexual abuse throughout her life and decides to start a new life for herself and signs herself up for an alternative school after she is thrown out of her high school for being pregnant. Illiterate, Precious learns skills at the school and meets other students who have been abused and learns how to begin her new, and happy lifestyle. This book was very good and you can see her writing skills slowly improve throughout the novel. She starts off by spelling ask "ax" and mother "muver" but you watch her grow through her journal entries. Although this book is great, it was very graphic when it came to her sexual abuse so I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 14/15(depending on maturity). Overall, I loved it.

Book Review :: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I just finished this book and it was amazing!

The story is told through the journal of Christopher Boone, a teenage boy who has autism. It is a very interesting read because he speaks very literally and analytically and its captivating to read how an autistic mind perceives and understands things. I read the book in about a week. It was an easy, light read that left me wanting to find out more. The storyline is that Christopher find his neighbors dog murdered with a garden fork. He begins the novel with the intention of writing a murder novel to find out the killer but he finds out much more than that and learns a lot about himself, his past, and his family. An amazing book, I recommend it to everyone.

21 Before 21

So I didn't get everything done I wanted to before I was 20, but this is a new year! I'm on my way to my 21st Birthday!! Wow! Hah. Here is a list of things I want to do, before I turn 21!

1. Get A Perm :: Yes, this was on my last list. But my hair never got long enough for me to get one (since I want long curly/wavy hair. So I'm planning on not cutting my hair until May/June and saving for a perm then.

2. Finish the Warrior Dash :: Oh Yeah baby! This, I will do!

3. Get down to my ideal weight! :: This is a big goal but I know by training daily and continuing a completely healthy diet, I can do it. My goal is around 120lbs. (That would be a healthy weight for my height 125, is even considered overweight!) I CAN do this!

4. Save money for an investment account :: I want to save up about $1000 ish to put in a CD for a future place either for rent or a mortgage. Either way, its good to have that money aside and earning interest. I would love to have enough for a down payment by the time I finish Grad School.

5. Get my CNA certification :: I need this to get a job as a CNA which I need to gain healthcare experience to get into Grad School! *whew* So I'm hoping to get that certification in the next year, maybe even a small part time job as one in the summer.

6. Run IN a 5K :: Last year I just wanted to run and not compete. I never thought last year I would be where I am today. I never thought I would be able to run and I am so psyched to be able to compete and I will complete a 5K! (Maybe a 10K next year!)


7. Raise my GPA to 3.1+ :: This will be tricky as last semester, I did, well, pretty much horribly. Since then I've taken a lot off my plate and next year will be much easier for me.

8. Keep up with Blogging :: I'd like to think that since January/February I've been getting better and I'd love to get more followers, and have avid readers! I get excited when I just see one comment, I'd love to know people actually read my blog!

9. Get my nose pierced :: I've always wanted a little ring in it!

10. Visit Boston :: It really is sad that I live 40 minutes away yet haven't been there in years. I should plan a trip to go with some friends.

11. Read 10 Books :: I know it doesn't sound like much, but when you're a full-time science student while being an RA & babysitting, I don't have much time left to read. I think 10 books is a reasonable number since I clearly didn't make the 20 Book goal last year.

12. Go to Six Flags :: I've never been! I'm hoping to go this summer!

13. Post one item on Etsy :: Again, this was on here last year. But I haven't figured out the whole finance thing. PayPal, shipping costs, etc. It all confuses me. I have stuff to sell but honestly don't know where to start! Maybe theres a book on it somewhere...

14. Donate my hair :: Right now my hair is getting SO long (bottom of my chest length) and my plan is to not cut it until September, that way I go back to school healthier, and with a new haircut!

15. Bake goodies for Christmas :: This past Christmas I spent waaaay too much money on presents for everyone I knew and I didn't really have the money so yeah, this year I'm planning to just go home a weekend, make a shit ton of peppermint bark or cookies or something. Then just package them up in pretty boxes. There we go, cheap, quick, and people will love them :)

16. Fill my entire Crayon bank up with coins :: Self-explanatory. I have a three foot tall Crayon bank that I put coins and sometimes extra money I have in. When (and only when) its filled to the tippity top, will it cash it in. (It would have to be like $500 at least, seriously)

17. Buy a pair of moccasins :: They look so comfy! I dont have any :( I've been eyeing the nice super soft ones from LLBean. I think they're "Wicked Soft"...yeah I want those :)

18. Make a pizza (& dough) from scratch :: I'll be living in an apartment again this summer with a kitchen, I can't wait to be cooking again :)

19. Read 20 Books :: This is my GoodReads goal for the year, so far I'm 7 in. I can totally do this!

20. Go for a bike ride with my best friend :: My best friend April just had brain surgery and is just starting to learn to walk again on her own. Being able to go for a bike ride with her like old times within a year would be amazing...and definitely attainable <3

21. Organize, Organize, Organize :: I've already gone through all my stuff in my dorm room and thrown out SO much clutter. Now I need to do the rest at home. I don't think I'll consider myself a "minimilist" but definitely decluttered :)

This list is definitely attainable and I will try to follow up with what I've accomplished. Also, this is super late seeing my birthday was 24 days ago. Oh well.