Seize the Tuesday: Inhale the Tuesday

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by Adi Alsaid and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost. The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

It’s been cold and rainy for about a week or so down here in Mississippi. I’m not complaining at all – in fact, I like both the cold and the rain. BUT it’s difficult to sit on the front porch and read when it’s freezing and/or pouring. Finally, today, a reprieve for a few hours in the afternoon. I meant to spend all of it outside, but online work kept me occupied for longer than I’d hoped. Eventually though, I was able to sit on the porch and read. It was super humid, so much so that it felt a little like I was swimming. I usually hate this, but it’s been a several days since I was able to actually spend more than a quick run to or from my car outside, so I sat down and read. I wasn’t out there long. Twenty to thirty minutes at most. But it was what I needed. I needed to be outside in the sun breathing in the (albeit humid) fresh air. I spend a lot of time indoors, whether I’m at work or at home working or reading, and sometimes it gets to be too much. I feel a little like I’m suffocating and not being able to go outside because it’s way too cold or pouring makes me feel trapped.

It’s funny I feel this way because I used to despise being outdoors. Yeah, I was the pale, weird kid who’d rather sit inside with a book than play out in the dirt. I’m still that person, but now I’d rather sit on the porch and read and get some fresh air and good ol’ vitamin D. I breathe better, more freely, when I’ve spent some time outside. I’m very happy I was able to do that for a little while yesterday.

Tuesday seized inhaled

By the way, I was reading The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black, which I have since finished.

Seize the Tuesday: MS Book Bloggers are REAL!

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by Adi Alsaid and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

Today was a pretty great day – other than the ice on the roads this morning, that is. Why was it so great? I met another Mississippi book blogger today! We met up at our local library and then headed to Cups, a local coffee shop, for coffee and a chat. We ended up staying for TWO hours!

Her name is Lauren and she blogs over at Between the Pages. She is seriously cool, you guys. We connected in a lot of different ways and had many things in common. It was so much fun getting to know Lauren, and I’m looking forward to even more fun in the future. We’re hoping to plan a MS book blogger meet up soon! (So if you live in MS and just haven’t told me, LET ME KNOW!)

I don’t want to go on and on about it and make it weird (even though she totally told me I’m weird – haha!), but I’m so excited to be finding several other MS book bloggers, especially one that lives so close to me! It’s so great to be able to meet someone who understands when you get excited about books and who appreciates that in you. I’m looking forward to hanging out with Lauren again and to meeting even more book bloggers in person!

And of course, we wouldn’t have even met if it wasn’t for the super awesome Kelly at Live, Love, Read who introduced us through a tweet!

Tuesday met seized

Seize the Tuesday – American Beauty / American Psycho

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by Adi Alsaid and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost. The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

Yesterday was all about new music. Yesterday, one of my favorite bands for more than ten years, Fall Out Boy, released a new album titled “American Beauty / American Psycho”. So obviously, I bought it. I listened to it on the way to dinner last night, on the way home, and several times from beginning to end once I got home. It’s such a great album. This is a really, really short post. I just wanted to tell you guys to check it out, and that there is really nothing better than sitting in your room and listening to a new album. Okay, FINALLY buying a book you’ve been looking forward to for several months is even better, but new music is a close second. Losing yourself in music is a beautiful way to spend an evening. Try it.

Favorite tracks from the album from my first few listens:

• Uma Thurman (Listen to it on YouTube)
• Centuries (Listen to it on YouTube)
• Favorite Record (Listen to it on YouTube)
• I really don’t think there’s a song I don’t like, which is the mark of a true favorite band.

Tuesday seized jammed

View this post on Instagram

Yessssss. Currently obsessed with Uma Thurman. #falloutboy #americanbeautyamericanpsycho #fob

A post shared by Stefani (@stefanisloma) on Jan 20, 2015 at 4:04pm PST

Seize the Tuesday – Rereading Forever

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by Adi Alsaid and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost. The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

Since starting my blog, I haven’t reread a single book. I didn’t typically reread before starting my blog either, but I would reread a favorite every once in a while. Recently I decided to reread the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater before I read the latest book in the series, Sinner, a companion novel. I enjoyed Shiver, but the flaws in the story (INSTALOVE!!!) were more apparent to me. Linger was wonderful and heartbreaking and lovely. Right now I’m rereading Forever, and I love being able to see how Maggie’s writing developed as she wrote this series. The story and the werewolf mythology are fascinating to me, and the development of all the characters (and introduction of new ones) gets better and better with each story.

I didn’t really do anything that fun or interesting today, so I thought today’s post could be on how wonderful it can be to reread a great book. I’m making my way through Forever and taking my time so that I can appreciate Maggie’s beautiful prose and brilliant storytelling.

Alright, I’m going to go read now. Have a wonderful night (or morning or afternoon; you guys live everywhere!).

Seize Read the Tuesday!

Seize the Tuesday – Better late than never

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost. The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

Today started off kind of crappy – I spilled coffee on a couple of books and my phone. Yay! But the day was okay overall. Note that I didn’t say it got better or it was great. Because it wasn’t, but that’s okay sometimes. It was an okay day. I did some work for my online job, wrote a post for my blog, finalized my Bout of Books 12 challenge post (make sure you come check that out on Monday – and sign up for Bout of Books!!), and wrote a review for WatchPlayRead. I spent most of the day in my room but I also got out with my family for a bit for some shopping. Nothing that exciting happened but nothing super bad happened either (except that dang coffee). It was okay.

But I’m going to make it better now. I’m going to spend at least the next hour reading. I’ve been wanting to read Throne of Glass for a while now and I just got it for Christmas. Of course, that’s the book my coffee spilled on, but whatever. Moving on. I’m going to start Throne of Glass and read until I am too tired to keep reading – whether that’s in an hour or five. Let’s do this.

Seizing the Tuesday…night.

Seize the Tuesday [8] – Seize it, but do it quietly

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost. The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

Sometimes it’s the little moments. The quiet ones. The ones when you’re by yourself on the couch with a cup of coffee and a book. At least for me.

That’s how I seized my Tuesday yesterday. I usually wake up pretty early (6 a.m. or so). The house is quiet and everyone else is either still asleep or left for work. I use this opportunity to read practically every morning. I get a cup of coffee and my book, make sure I have socks on (my feet get cold and since I’m going to settle in, I don’t want to get back up for socks), and curl up on the couch. Sometimes I get to read for an hour, sometimes for 15 minutes, but no matter how long, that’s my time. For me. I don’t have to worry about work or writing or anything. I can hear the birds chirping, the wind whistling through the trees, and my heart beating. It’s wonderful.

Quiet Tuesday seized. How did you seize the Tuesday?

Seize the Tuesday [7] – But first, coffee

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost. The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

I’m obviously not very good at doing posts on the day they were meant to be, but whatever. I was out seizing the day. 🙂 I have an online job for a publisher, and I do most of my work on Mondays and Tuesdays for them, but I have found, recently, that it is getting harder and harder to concentrate on work when I am at home. So yesterday, I took my laptop and notebook to a local coffee shop and sat for a few hours doing work. I ended up doing work for my online job, my blog, and wrote an article and started another for WatchPlayRead. I’ve always enjoyed working in coffee shops: there’s coffee (duh) and you get to people watch when you can’t think of what you want to write.

I only stayed for a couple hours (don’t worry, I bought two coffees and left a tip) then headed home for a Skype session. But I got more done in those short hours at the coffee shop than I probably would’ve all day at home. Looks like I’m going to have to have at least one day each week at the coffee shop.

After I got home, I Skyped and worked some more. But then I read. I’m currently reading Michel Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things. It is, indeed, strange, but very good, and I’m really enjoying it so far. I’m glad I had some down time last night to read some. Every day is better when you can read.

Coffee Tuesday seized. (she writes as she takes a sip of her morning coffee on Wednesday and not Tuesday)

Seize the Tuesday [6] – Learning a new skill

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost. The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

When I started this year, I made a list of things to do this year. One of the things on the list was “Learn a new skill”. This could have been anything – sewing, coding, playing guitar, etc. But my favorite (and the one I wanted to learn the most) was archery. I have always wanted to learn how to shoot a bow, and of course, this want was fueled in recent years by things like The Hunger Games, Arrow, The Lord of the Rings…aka the abundance of archers in the media. So when my brother’s girlfriend said she was going to buy a new bow, I asked if she’d teach me. Today she bought it and today I began learning archery! Yay!

It’s kind of difficult to draw the bow/pull the string/whatever you want to call it (which is only more difficult due to my arthritis), but I’ve always had pretty good aim so that part wasn’t too hard. I had a lot of fun, and I think that’s mostly the point. Here’s me shooting and my first bag full of arrows. I hit the bullseye! [Sorry for the seriously crappy picture of the target]

So today, I get to mark something off my to-do list for the year, and that’s awesome. Tuesday seized.

Seize the Tuesday [4] – Getting crafty

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by Adi Alsaid and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag:#LetsAllGetLost.The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your reading.

You ever have one of those days when you have a lot you should be doing but you don’t want to do any of it so you don’t? Yeah, I had one of those days. Instead of doing some things I probably should have done, I got crafty. I haven’t really done any artsy stuff recently and that’s what I needed to do today. So I made a scarf, decorated a mug for a friend, and drew on a bowl for myself. Want to see?

      

The scarf and bowl are for me, but the mug is for a friend of mine. I am not a fan of whiskey. What do you think of what I made?

I had a lot of fun! It was a nice, relaxing day. I kind of regret it now because I might be stressed for the rest of the week trying to do stuff I should’ve done today before and after work, but you know what? I seized the Tuesday and it was wonderful.

Hope you had a great Tuesday too!