Quick Update

I keep reading that personal blogging is dead. Given that it's been more than a month since I posted, maybe so...

It's not that things aren't happening, cause they are. There was meeting the Governor and getting to start at the very front at the Race for the Cure, and lots and lots of other running, and I started going to church, and I hated and then kindof liked the Twilight movie. And I'm feeling really good and comfortable in my own skin, for the first time in a long time or maybe ever. And I think I'm in the midst of a major shift in the way I see myself and my role in the world. Funny thing about major philosophical/spiritual/metaphysical shifts is that it's a bit tough to get thoughts around them while ongoing. So maybe all of these things are topics for another day, and I suppose a reason that you and I both should keep coming back here.

I'm also much more into Twitter these days, so you can also follow me there if you find yourself thinking, "Man, I wish I knew more about what Becky's up to..."

Girl Books vs. Boy Books

I just finished Christopher Paolini's Brisinger, the 3rd book in (now he tells me!) a 4 book series. I liked it in general - the world he's crafted is beautifully elaborate and the characters are all pretty intriguing. BUT, man do the fight scenes drag on in this book - even more than Tolkien. There's a 10 page scene about forging a new sword, more decapitations than I can count and at least a dozen battles.

While I was dredging through what felt like the millionth battle, I was reminded of Brian's assessment of Stephenie Meyer's The Host. Basically he liked the story (one of the aliens who has taken over the planet falls in with a band of human resistance - drama ensues) but thought there were way too many descriptions of girly feelings. I LOVE the way that Meyer's handles girly angst, which is probably also why I'm such a big Twilight fan, and I think Brian would be super into Paolini's Inheritance Cycle cause the fighting scenes are beautifully crafted.

To think that our preferences are because I'm a girl and he's a boy is certainly an oversimplification, but it still has me wondering. Am I hard wired in some way towards the girliness?

Book Review: The Flying Troutmans

My 2nd Powell's Books Indiespensable book - I quite liked it.

Lowered expectations

I do the New York Times crossword puzzle whenever I can get my hands on a copy. For those of you who don't know, it gets increasingly harder as the week goes on - I can generally finish through Tuesday, by Saturday I'm totally screwed.

So, I was thrilled when I finished today's puzzle (a Thursday!) in all of about 15 minutes. Then I read the small print next to the puzzle - "all the daily puzzles this week have been contributed by puzzlemakers under the age of 20. Today's crossword is by Lucas Gaviotis Whitestone, 18 of New York City. He is a first year student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. This is his first puzzle for The Times."

Doh.

Guess I'll stop disparaging Ryan Reynolds

Cause this is pretty cool.

Today, Today, Today

In my new capacity as a Komen Austin Affiliate board member I had the opportunity today to have lunch with an amazing young woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 24. She has an incredible story and a willingness to share that I'm in awe of. Her story isn't mine to tell, but I was at lunch to talk about options for how she can work with Komen to get her message out, so keep an eye on the Komen Austin Blog and our Facebook Group as hopefully that's to come.

My personal take away from lunch is that it's really important for me to own my health and I'm sure I'll now be much more insistent in general with doctors when I think something is wrong. I think there's a tendency even at my age to think that breast cancer isn't something to worry about yet. Even though I don't know my medical history my GP and gynecologist have both said that 35 is the absolute earliest I should get a mammogram and really that 40 is "probably fine." Of course, I want to think that I'm healthy so it's easy to go along with it.

Every day I'm more committed to the cause of finding a cure for this wretched disease. As George says, we need a cure "today, today, today." You can join the fight by racing with me on November 2nd or visiting the Komen site to learn more.

Disclaimer - The postings on this site are my own and don’t represent Komen Austin positions, strategies or opinions.

Book Review: House Lights

I stumbled upon Lean Hager Cohen's House Lights at a recent time killing trip to a chain bookstore - I picked it up because it's won a ton of awards (including being a New York Times Book Review Notable Book for 2007) and I liked the cover image.

It's certainly one of the best things I've read so far this year and was a very pleasant switch from all of my YA fare of late. The story follows Beatrice, a girl on the verge of 21 who after a strange insulated childhood is finally finding out that things with her family are not what they always seemed. It's a delicate and beautifully written coming of age story - unique in both the depth of the characters but also in its tone. Hager Cohen's attention to detail is spot on and the way she weaves descriptions into the story made everything seem hearbreakingly poignant. Fantastic female characters from 3 generations (Beatrice, her mother and her grandmother) are also a big plus.