Me and My Crazy Books

Date A Girl Who Reads (ie. ME)

So this came to me in a moment of utter distress and frustration and I felt as if I really needed it because it brightened my day. Classes have started and I have been stressed out of my mind coming home with a crazy headache every day so far this week. Then one of my teachers read this to us today in class and all I could think is...wow, that is SOOO ME!!

As you may know if you have been reading my blog, I have been reading A LOT this summer!!! I have read 75 books since April, 72 of those since May, and 29 of those in August alone. So...without further ado...

You should date a girl who reads.

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes, who has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she has found the book she wants. You see that weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a secondhand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow and worn.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent.  Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas, for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry and in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who read understand that all things must come to end, but that you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

- Rosemarie Urquico

Update

So, to give an update...last Thursday I went to the North Pole to Santa's workshop! I sent a postcard to a group of you so you should have received that, make sure to check out the postmark! Also, Saturday was my birthday, it was actually pretty uneventful, I went to Cripple Creek and we had car trouble so that was fun all around! A very good looking guy with an amazing voice told me that I was beautiful and sang to me in Italian. Thanks to all of you who wished me a happy birthday. Yeah so...this weekend I will head out to Kansas for my cousin's wedding...um that is it for now I believe!

Home

So, I have been home for a week now and since I have been home I have gone to Denver with my mom, grandparents, and nephews where we visited the aquarium. That was a fun experience by I was disappointed by their lack of penguins. However, I did get to see pregnant MALE seahorses so that was an interesting experience. We also went to the restaurant Casa Bonita which had a cliff diving show. The cliff diver was attractive so that was fun. Then we went to Colorado Springs to the zoo which was fun. I got to see penguins there! Happy Day. Also, we have had my favorite Chinese food and went and saw Cars 2 which was super cute! Aside from that we have hung out and played the Wii! Overall it has been a fun trip so far! I am enjoying being home and spending time with my nephews and mom even when they all drive me crazy!

Realizations

So I have recently have a couple of realizations. One is that my 21 list...well that turned out to be a pretty big joke on me! Usually I am pretty good about keeping goals, I'm not a quitter by nature. I have immense troubles with giving up on things but in this case...I think it is for the best! I just made some goals that were unachievable. Next time I won't reach for the stars...because goodness knows my arms don't stretch that long!

Another thing that I have realized...the world is full of hypocrites. I am sure that I am one of those hypocrites. The guy that I was crazy about in high school absolutely hated hypocrites and as such, nothing made him madder than being called a hypocrite. However, he was most definitely one. I am beginning to realize that incidents such as his, aren't isolated. They are everywhere and I'm not sure half of them would recognize themselves as such.

The final thing that I have come to realize...bad taste in guys must be genetic because I know my mom has it, I sometimes wonder if my sister got it, and now I am realizing that I seem to have inherited it as well! Such is my luck...

I'm a Copycat

So, yesterday a dear friend of mine posted about her musical habits and tastes. I too listen to music much of the time! While I am cooking, cleaning, in the shower, eating, just doing general computer stuff, sometimes during homework depending on the homework...etc.

So, I am not sure if I have a whole lot of absolute favorite bands as I most definitely go through phases...however, my top five artists or groups of the moment would probably be...in no particular order

-Taylor Swift (yes I am this much of a dork!!)
-P!NK (I think this is how she is spelling her name these days...?)
-Fun. (I was recently introduced to this group and fell in love)
-Ministry of Magic (This is the only Wizard Rock I have really taken the time to listen to but I absolutely LOVE it!!)
-Blue October (This one I haven't listened to so much lately but I still really like them)

However, music choices very much do depend on my mood and I do enjoy a good variety.

~I grew up with Country Music, (this is about all we would listen to in the car with my dad) like I mentioned I like Taylor Swift but I also love Trisha Yearwood (especially "How Do I Live"), I love Alanis Morrissette, John Michael Montgomery, Tim McGraw, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Carrie Underwood, and many others!
~My mom was into a variety of music so I get my love of 80's classics from her. Chicago might be my favorite but I also love Queen, Kansas, Asia, Boston, Kansas, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, STYX, Pat Benatar, Cindy Lauper, etc...
~I love Musicals so I listen to Grease, RENT, Wicked, Disney Music, The Music Man, etc...
~I also love soundtracks ranging from the Harry Potter Soundtracks to soundtracks for TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy to soundtracks from chick flicks like A Lot Like Love
~I have music that I listen to when I am particularly angry such as Disturbed, Hinder, Hollywood Undead, etc.
~Sunday music consists of Blackmore's Night or my Hillary Weeks Pandora station
~It is fun to rock out to Ke$ha or Avril Lavigne
~There are the songs that are constantly stuck in my head such as "Rasputin" by Boney M or "Always" by Erasure
~Sometimes I resort back to Elementary and Middle School with some Backstreet Boys or Brittany Speares
~I love Owl City as well as Paramore

Essentially my music tastes are varied, I am open to most any music! Um...so yeah, if you have any music suggestions for me that would be awesome! I am sure I could have gone on forever but...for now I think this gives you an idea of my musical tastes!

Finals

So I have this horrible character trait where I hate studying for tests. I mean...most people dislike studying for tests but I find myself almost incapable of doing so! I will look through notes for maybe an hour max and then I can't take it anymore and I just go take the test! So...two finals down and one to go! My stress level has officially dropped about 80% I would say!! Whoo hoo!