Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Eat. Pray. Love.

I just ordered almost $100 worth of books online, all non-law related with the exception of one, and that doesn't count because it's basically an account of how sucky law school was. =) I love to read, and before you think I'm this esoteric intellectual, please note that due to years of intense schooling, my reading for fun books consist of romance novels, chick lit, and the occasional Oprah's Book Club. But as I used to tell my mom when she refused to buy me Sweet Valley High and bought me Grapes of Wrath, "Hey. Reading is reading!" Which I truly believe. English is a hard language to grasp, really. I don't know about you, but I never remember rules of grammar and go with "what sounds right." And that not only works, but ends up being in touch with current lingo and sounds more natural.

Thus, this blog will now include brief reviews of books I've read. I know many of you love to read, and it's often difficult to find the gems amongst the trash (although the line is not distinct sometimes - a person's trash is another person's treasure...). As I've mentioned, I just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I really liked it. It's broken up into 109 chapters -- 108 is the magic number for harmony or something, and used as the number of beads in a meditation necklace, with one extra outside of the necklace loop. She's broken it up into 3 (another magic number, the holy trinity, etc) chapters that talk about the 3 places she went to seek pleasure (Italy), prayer (india), and balance (Bali). The coincidences and the way the universe works in her life really reads like a fiction novel, made even more amazing in that this is, actually, non-fiction. Like I said, it's kind of Carrie Bradshaw meets yoga. I would highly recommend it for anyone who's ever felt anxious (hello, bar exam?!) about life and unsure of where your life is going (hello, bar exam results?!).

Monday, August 06, 2007

Step by step...

Whew! It's been a whirlwind weekend. Husband and I went away for the weekend to a wedding (seems we have 5-6 a year!) and every day was packed with people to see and things to do. SO nice to live like normal people and making plans without a great big cloud looming overhead!

I feel like a toddler taking her first steps in life these days...by that I mean that law school and the ensuing year has been fraught with tension, anxiety, stress, and uncertainty. You know what I mean. It's not regret so much as being, well, tired. I don't even know what I'm doing, and I find myself envying people who have regular, 9-5 jobs and a normal life. My life is defined by bursts of intense studying, months of worrying, and a yo-yo-ing career. Honestly, at this point, I crave routine and stablility.

I'd like to find some balance, and peace within myself. I've been reading a book by Elizabeth Gilbert called Eat. Pray. Love. and it's excellent. It was a NYT best seller and it's about a woman's pursuit of balance, love, and peace in her life. It's like Carrie Bradshaw finds yoga! But also very suitable for men to read. I'm looking for some good books to read these days, eating well, hanging out with friends, and watching movies. Rush Hour 3, anyone? =)