Power Progress, part 2

OK, here’s the rest of it!

Books
I wanted to read 18 books in my 31st year (in addition to the mountain of magazines I consume each month.) So far I have read 5.5. I just finished Nicole Krauss’s latest novel, Great House.

It was incredibly absorbing. The story follows an ancient, oppressive desk as it is gifted from one tortured character to the next over the course of several generations. The desk itself is almost a character- a piece of furniture that cannot be neglected or ignored, a constant reminder of one’s secrets, obligations, or shortcomings (depending on who is in possession of it.) The story opens in New York but jumps (along with the desk) to Jerusalem and London and takes smaller forays to Oxford and Chile, among other places. The displacement of people and objects during and following the Holocaust is a constant theme, which makes for a touching and somewhat tenderizing reading experience. The tale is well told, the ending unsettling but inevitable.

I haven’t finished reading as many books as I’d hoped at this point, mainly because Annie Dillard is kind of killing me. I’ve been plugging away at Pilgrim at Tinker Creek for months now, and I’m barely halfway through.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really enjoying the book. It’s just that I can only give it my full attention for about two pages at a time before my mind starts wandering to other, sometimes related, topics. Dillard is a naturalist and a philosopher, her writing goes between acute observation of the flora and fauna around her home, and broader musings on existence, awareness, and man’s relationship to the Present. It is fascinating. But. I think I have become a lazy reader or something because I’ll have about ten minutes of absolute absorption in a chapter and then suddenly I cannot focus at all. So I put the book down. And pick up a New Yorker. And so I’m behind on reading! But I’m afraid that if I abandon Dillard I’ll never come back to her and I really do enjoy our interludes. So I’m going to continue to plug away, little by little. Enjoyable and exasperating.

Sewing
I have not done any sewing. I haven’t wanted to. I’ve been gardening a lot, but I haven’t sewn a single stitch.

Friendship
I really wanted to reconnect with friends. In the spirit of quantifiable goals I decided to have 104 (2x/wk) hang outs this year. After a few weeks I realized that measure wasn’t going to be meaningful at all- I already hang out with friends way more frequently than that. I guess what was missing for me was that feeling of Connection- not that I never felt it, but when you’re a busy lady and you’re primarily friends with other busy ladies it’s easy to just grab a drink, catch up, and go your separate ways. Which is fun and necessary, but not richly satisfying in that special way. You know the way.

So I was puzzling out this Friendship goal, trying to think of ways to break routines and access that depth of relationship that certainly exists between my good friends but doesn’t always get tapped in to. And then my relationship ended and my friends were so amazing- each in their own way- and there was Connection everywhere I turned. So the moral is if you want to rekindle your friendships just break up with your long-term boyfriend. (Don’t really do that please.)

Music Appreciation
I have not received any mixes lately but I have bought or been gifted a few new albums. I think I will save my thoughts on them for a separate entry.

Travel
I wanted to take 12 overnight trips away from Portland. Since my birthday I have:
* Spent a weekend at the coast
* Visited friends in Atlanta and Chapel Hill (same trip)
* Backpacked in Opal Creek
* Family reunioned in Leavenworth, KA
* Rocked out at What the Heck Fest in Anacortes, WA
* Returned to my homeland (Denver) for a very extended visit

Also on Tuesday I will be traveling to Costa Rica! So Travel is going very well for me! I’m 6 months into my project, and I have completed (or will soon complete) 7 trips! Damn, girl!

Opportunities
Well this is a vague one, isn’t it? It makes it a little challenging to report about it! I have definitely taken advantage of any and all Opportunities that have presented themselves, if for no other reason than to avoid being alone in my house for days on end. I’ve just had a real “Say Yes” attitude (this summer especially) and I’ve really enjoyed the experiences that have resulted from it. My Costa Rica trip definitely falls into the Opportunities category- I would not have guessed in June that I’d be in Central America in August! But the opportunity arose and here I go! (Truth be told I have some anxiety about being soo far out of my comfort zone on this one, but I’m going with a nice person and I’ll only be away for a week and while it is a foreign place it’s pretty mellow over all. Maybe I’ll see a sloth! #PositiveSelfTalk!)

Well that was kind of boring
Bah! It took me so many days to write this and it’s just not that exciting of a post. I’ve got a lot on my mind you guys! Sorry for the semi-lazy/semi-dry reporting. I did feel overdue for a check in but I couldn’t quite muster the energy to make it a super fun read. Maybe if I add some cool animated gifs at the end it will make up for the lacklusterness. Let’s try: