Olympics, Goodreads ratings

I've been watching the Olympics every day since it started. My roommates, friends, and I will settle onto the couch and be swept away by the triumph, loss, and drama of the Olympics as nations go for the gold. It's been glorious. And I'm fortunate enough to cheer for both the United States and Canada.

The topic of rating and scales came up tonight as we watched the Olympics, and it got me thinking about how I rate books on Goodreads.  I find that I'm pretty liberal, probably much more generous than some of my friends. In some ways, I view books much as I do my friends. Sure, I may get annoyed with some of their quirks, but overall I still love them because they're my friends and have enriched my life. So here's my breakdown:

No star—either I'm too lazy to rate the book or I hated it enough to give it nothing. Most of the time it's because I'm lazy.
1 star—I did not like this book. In fact, I probably detested this book. Not worth reading.
2 stars—It's not my favorite but it had some merit. Perhaps it made a couple of good points or had a interesting story. But it's probably riddled with poor writing, grammar, punctuation, or terrible characters. Whatever the case may be, it means I did not enjoy it.
3 stars—It's okay. Writing is okay. Plot is okay. Nothing too spectacular but nothing too terrible either. So average. C-grade.
4 stars—I like it. I may even like it a lot. I enjoyed reading it.
5 stars—I loved it. I loved it a lot. I'll reread this book in a heartbeat. It moved me. It inspired me. It helped me to see the world in a different perspective. I want to share it with my friends. It moved me. Sometimes it's more about the feelings the book evoked rather than the quality of writing.

As I said, I'm generous. Because I'm interested in a lot of topics, I find myself swept away in non-fiction and fiction alike. And if the book made me happy, I'll give it five stars.

Some books—books that I edit or proofread for work—don't follow these rules. Found under my "Cedar Fort" label, these books help provide my income and I'm super generous with my ratings. I want them all to be successful. Sometimes I write reviews on the books that I absolutely loved. And sometimes I don't. It just depends on how much time I have. If you're ever interested in what projects I've worked on, this is a good spot to check them out. Cedar Fort Publishing and Media has so many good books!

With that said, I'm headed back to the Olympics. Go Team USA! And Canada! :)

The Year of Reading--The Brothers Karamazov

The Year of Reading—I tried really hard to come up with a better name, but my creativity sputtered on this one—has been coming along just fine . . . if fine means I'm still reading the same book that I was reading a month ago. Let's face it—The Brothers Karamazov is a dense book. I'm halfway through and the murder that's promised in the second sentence in the cover blurb has yet to happen. In other words, NO ONE HAS BEEN MURDERED YET, AND I'M ON PAGE 338!

Oh, the book has talked about everything under the Russian moon, from religion and politics to servants and masters. And *spoilers* the priest is dead but there was a whole section about his life that I thought would never end . . .

Sigh. I feel like I'm close to the actual murder so I keep pushing through. If it weren't for that carrot, I would have quit reading this book weeks ago.

The next book I'm going to read is going to be shorter, written by a non-Russian, and more entertaining.

 I hope.

Oh, I really, really hope.

Just keep reading! Just keep reading!

Side note: Whenever I look at the cover, the drawing of the man floating in the background reminds me of an angry David Tennant. What do you think?

"The Year Is Dying in the Night"--Life Lessons Learned in 2013

Another year is almost gone, and I'm once again wondering how to slow time down. This year went by so fast! Yet, at times, it felt like it was never going to end. And I'm beginning to sound a whole lot older than what I really am. Without further ado, here are some lessons I learned in 2013!

LESSONS LEARNED IN 2013

(in no particular order)

1. God is aware of me and personally cares for me.  I think this is a lesson I learn every year, but it was particularly evident in 2013. From answering my prayers to putting people in my life at the right time, God was a huge part of my life. Even when I felt unnoticed, unwanted, and perhaps even unneeded, he made sure that I knew he did not feel that way about me. Those moments when I felt God's love and acceptance helped me through some tough times. 
2. Sometimes you meet your deadlines and others time you won't. Don't beat yourself up when you don't. I found that by evaluating what I could and could not control in situations was the best antidote for feeling like a failure. And by pressing forward, doing the best I could, and making up for any fault on my part often led to positive results.
3. God has a sense of humor . . . or impeccable timing. Or both. Just when I decided to transfer to the family ward, I get a stake calling that allows me to stay in my singles ward. I still laugh about this sometimes. Okay, a lot.
4. Exercise works. One reason I stopped blogging was because I joined a gym and then signed up for Group Training with a personal trainer. Three times a week for an hour. Three hours of a lot of sweat. Best decision ever. Second best decision was to involve my doctor. Through my efforts and regular checkups with the doc, I've lost 35 pounds this year, most of them in the last six months. I'm feeling great.
5. The last two miles of a half-marathon suck. But the feeling of crossing the finish line is exhilarating. Which means I'll be doing another half-marathon in 2014. I hope to be a few more pounds lighter and have a faster time. 
6. Turn to others for help, especially the Savior. Why wait until I'm absolutely miserable before asking for help? Well, that's the way I've done it in the past, but I can't say it's been the most effective. I learned that it was better to turn to others for help rather than waiting. And the biggest source of help was the Savior. Relying on him more has been life changing. 
7. Choosing kindness is a better way to live. Perhaps this is an ongoing lesson, but it's a good one. Being kind to others, even when it's inconvenient or frustrating or when I don't really feel like it, is a better way to live, one that I think the Savior did. Trying to see the other person's perspective helped me to choose kindness, and I feel it's helped me to connect with others. I'm not perfect, of course, and I've had my share of being impatient and hassled. But choosing kindness doesn't take much and it's made me feel happy.
8. Use a little less sarcasm and a little more sincerity. Sarcasm can be funny, but it can also be hurtful. Sincerity goes a long way to building a relationship.
9. Take time to study topics you're interested in. I discovered Audible and some of the books I've listened to are topics I'm interested in. And that leads to reading stuff online and checking out books at the library. I love learning and when I have a chance to study favorite topics or learn new things, I get so excited. And it makes me happy. And I feel educated. 
10. Take a chance and do something you've never done. You'll be surprised by what you learn and can do. Some things I've done this year that are firsts: run a 10k, run a half-marathon, watch Doctor Who (and now I'm a huge fan!), go on a road trip to Nevada, go to an Imagine Dragons concert, and got an Audible subscription. I've had a pretty good year.
11. When you get depressed, it's best to find someone with empathy. I've also had a year of up-and-down emotions, and I was depressed  a few times. It's those moments that I could use lesson #6. And the best people to turn to were those who are empathetic. My dear friends who helped me when I was low, thank you for your support.

Evaluation of 2013 Goals:

1. Finish editing my novel and get it published. Can we say crash and burn? I made a few feeble attempts—they were really feeble. My novel will have to wait, I suppose. The biggest blockade? Time. Most of my time was focused on health, calling, and family and friends. 

2. Have a 30-minute scripture study session weekly. Did really well at this until August. Yeah, August was a crazy month. It's been spotty since then.

3. Lose 15 pounds in 4 months. Success!!! 

Bonus goal: complete a half-marathon. Check. :)

2014 Goals:

1. The Year of Reading: this year I'm not buying any more books until I finish reading the books I've already bought and haven't read yet. The idea is not to ban book-buying but to encourage reading more. I'm excited about this one. 

2. Hike Mount Timpanogos. I haven't felt physically able to do this, but by August 2014 I plan to be in good enough shape to do it. And when I stand on the top, I am going to be so happy.

3. Find an ancestor's name and do the temple work for her. I've been wanting to do this for a while. Might as well do it this year. 

My Year in Review with Pictures, Part 2

It seems like this year went by so fast. Good thing I had my camera to take a few snapshots here and there. :)

2013 HIGHLIGHTS, CONTINUED

JUNE was the Taylor Swift concert. Oh, Taylor Swift. Her music has helped me move past a few relationships.

Taylor Swift had so many wardrobe changes. This is toward the middle of the concert, I think.

The lighting for this concert was amazing.

I went to the Strawberry Days rodeo with my friend Cara. I do love a good rodeo.

Bucking Broncos is my second favorite event

I love how straight the horse's front legs are.

This horse looks determined.

Hold on, cowboy!

JULY brought a trip to Bear Lake with my parents and other family members.

Who knew Bear Lake had this kind of grass?

Emily and I playing in the water.

Emily and Elora exploring. 

It also meant that I ran a half-marathon. That's 13.1 miles . . . all at once. I will admit that the last two miles were difficult. I wanted to quit at several points. But I knew my parents would be there at the finish line, so I kept going. It felt amazing to cross it and be done.

In SEPTEMBER I went to the SLC Comic Con! It was for work, but I got to dress up as Star Fleet officer and got my first Doctor Who T-shirts. It was geeky and nerdy and absolutely fantastic.

I'm a happy Vulcan. So maybe that makes me a Romulan?

OCTOBER was the Lake Tahoe trip with David to visit Ethan in Carson City, Nevada. The drive was long but, oh, so worth it! I had a blast with the boys and loved taking pictures. Here are some of my favorites.

So much water under a bright sky

The water is so blue

The water changes color from dark blue to emerald green in Emerald Bay

So much water . . .

The island in Emerald Bay

The island in Emerald Bay. It has a building on top that was used for tea parties.

There's probably too much light going on in this picture, but I like how the beams scatter.

The wind blew the entire time we were there, which made the lake choppy. I love the texture of the rocks in this photo.

Another sun photo... this time on the lake.

I love this rocky shoreline.

We went to Virginia City to go on a ghost tour. It's fun little town with a lot of old-timey shops. And plenty of photo opportunities.

Dave and I visited the Catholic church. Its stained-glass windows are beautiful.

The pews had doors to get in and out. Some were left open from a previous church service.

Virginia City looks like a dusty cowboy town.

The V on the mountainside reminded me of the Y in Provo.

Dave and I visited a cemetery before going on the ghost tour. It was pretty run down but had a lot of interesting headstones.

Dead twisted tree in cemetery

Cemetery in the shadows

Dirt and sagebrush and graves

This picture of the Catholic church was taken during the ghost tour

A staircase that's supposedly haunted

In NOVEMBER, my family went up to Rexburg for a funeral. I took a few pictures of the Rexburg temple at dusk.

So pretty at night

I really like the clouds in this one. 

That's it for 2013 highlights!

My Year in Review with Pictures, Part 1

Blogging this year has been dismal. Beyond dismal, really.

It's been nonexistent. Sigh.

So  to make up for my lack of entries, here are some photos! I took most of these pics with my little Sony Cybershot, which has been a such handy little camera, and I've been impressed by what it can do. One day I'll get a fancy camera, but for now, this will do.

 2013 HIGHLIGHTS, PART 1 

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? 

JANUARY was a cold month. With freezing temperatures and snowy, slushy weather, ice formed everywhere and anywhere. These photos was taken at Deerhaven in front of a friend's house. 

Poor frozen bush. 

It was so icy at the beginning of the year.

FEBRUARY was my birthday!! Liz and Stephanie gave me the best birthday present ever by hosting the most epic party that included books, friends, and food. So much fun.

Liz and Stephanie were the best visiting teachers and friends.

MARCH meant the Caldwell family annual Easter get-together. There was an Easter egg hunt, sunshine, and kite-flying. 

My niece Elora

Aleah running with the kite

Mom and Dad with all the grandkids

The Gary Caldwell family

Aleah with the kite

APRIL meant the Earth Day 10K. It was small, about 40 to 50 people, which meant that I was practically the last one to make it to the finish line. But I finished! Woo!

The Blister Sisters

And I made it to the finish line!

In MAY my mom, sister, and I traveled to St. George for my mom's work conference. On Saturday when my sister and I were left to our own devices, we went to a museum filled with stuffed animals. It was actually quite interesting and a lot of fun to spend time with my sister. 

  

Hello there, bear. We couldn't touch a lot of the animals, but this bear was an exception. 

I love this photo and all the texture. 

The butterfly collection was amazing. 

The museum was basically one giant-sized room. 

David and I said good-bye to our friend Ethan. VBFFs!

David, me, and Ethan

And then there was that time some ward friends, David, and I hiked to Calf Creek Falls.

It's so pretty in that part of Utah. 

We made it to the falls!

Black and white pic

Probably my favorite picture I took

David in front of the falls

And then there was a trip to Rocky Mountain Raceway.

So excited for the races.

Dark sky, bright lights

End of Part 1.