Quotation Marks

I love a good quote. At Book Club last Wednesday I was rambling on and on about the book we read (my favorite story, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss... get over it, it's my blog, I can mention it as many times as want!) and I found myself telling everyone that I know I love a book when I find passages that strike me as true. I think that is the thing that makes a writer great. The ability to synthesize truth for the reader.

Anyway, I went a little nutso on goodreads and I started posting a bajillion quotes that I love and I thought... wait, this would be a good topic for a blog post. And thus we have arrived at the crux of my introduction. (Oh, Nikki, I am totally not stealing your blog idea... I am just talking about quotes in general, not the ones that precede a novel to give you an idea of what you are in for. I am not plagiarizing!)

I have a little book that my mom got me a few years ago and it is a book that is meant to keep the titles of books on my wish list. There is also a section for quotes, which I filled up rather quickly. I won't bore you with a ton of them but I am going to list a few of my favorites. If you have some I'd love to hear (er... read) them!

"Words mean more than we mean to express when we use them: so a whole book ought to mean a great deal more than the writer meant." - Lewis Carroll

"GIRL: He was deciding whether to cut her throat or love her forever.
BOY: Right. Yes. The usual choices." - Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

"Even now, all possible feelings do not exist. There are still those that lie beyond our capacity and our imagination. From time to time, when a piece of music no one has ever written, or a painting no one has ever painted, or something else impossible to predict, fathom, or yet describe takes place, a new feeling enters the world. And then, for the millionth time in the history of feeling, the heart surges, and absorbs the impact." - Nicole Krauss, The History of Love

See, only three. I could write quotes all night but I will keep it simple. Do you want to see my favorite opening sentence I have encountered up to this point in my life?

"I am nothing but a corpse now, a body at the bottom of a well." - Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red

I am so happy when authors just start right in the middle of a story. I hate the 100 page build up method. I prefer to start in the center and learn backwards and forwards all at once. It's how I write. Maybe it's how I think. It has certainly been an element in the way I've lived.

Reading is better than just about anything, except writing. And rolling down hills. And, maybe someday, a cute boy with curly hair and glasses, one who is more than just an idea. Maybe.

Yes, My Pants Are On Fire, Why Do You Ask?

So instead of doing a triathlon I am going to NOT do a triathlon!

Okay, I did not lie or wuss out but my spot was usurped by an actual family member and, as awesome as I am, I don't trump family... apparently.

Anyway, I am still going to swim a mile in July. It's a good goal and I want to get into shape anyway. It will be nice to not have to swim with a bunch of other people. I have never been one for the pressure of races. I am more of the slow and steady nature. Tortoise vs. the Hare and what not.

Spending all my time writing* reviews for website content sure jacks me of the desire to blog. That is all I have for now. I have been busy every night this week and will continue to be... I miss having no life. I was so much better rested then.

*revision. No not seeing something twice or again.

I Do Not Have TB.

It has come to my attention...
That some of you may have gleaned...
In an earlier post...
That unintentionally...
In the sincerest of jests...
I may have implied...
With the most jovial of tones...
That I might have been suffering from...
Tuberculosis.

I do not have tuberculosis, nor have I ever. TB is really rare in the United States and completely curable if caught in time. I watch a lot of House so I am kind of a medical authority.

You might not know this about me but I am a bit sarcastic and quippy. I generally say I have tuberculosis/TB/the consumption whenever I have a severe cough. I will probably accuse you of having this disease if you are coughing a lot.

Anyway, I am TB-free!

TRY-athlon

Last night at FHE my dear sweet new best pal, Melinda, asked me if I wanted to swim. She's special, what can I say. Eventually, "Do you want to swim?" evolved into, "Do you want to swim in a triathlon with me?" I will give you a moment to collect yourself from your hysterical laughter.

There. Now I think you can make it through the rest of this with only a soft tremor of giggles. That's how I have existed since this question was posed to me last night. After my laughter subsided, slightly, Melinda told me that this triathlon occurs towards the end of July. Hmmm... that is a decent amount of time away. She also assured me that she was not concerned with winning, which is apparent in her choice of partner, at least in my case but was still important information.

So, guess what? I'M GONNA DO IT! I love swimming, I'm from the desert, after all. I have been trying to motivate myself to get more active. Having tuberculosis has gotten in the way of my motivation but, since it's apparently with me FOREVER, I am just going to ignore it from now on. I am still going to take up rock climbing like I have wanted to but now it will become a part of my strength training!

I know that I am the last person on earth whom you might imagine voluntarily competing in a triathlon or a marathon or a walk to the mail box. But if the past months have taught me anything it is that change is possible and not nearly as terrifying as it appears to be in the beginning.

So, Melly, thanks for giving me a goal! Now you have to exercise with me! And stop feeding me ridiculously delicious sweets. And RayRay, thanks for being all healthy and marathon-tastic! I will think of you every day and use your pretty face as motivation!

I'm nuts.

(Disclaimer: I call people named Melinda or Rachel or Haylee or Alycen or Maddison's boyfriend Brad things like Melly or RayRay or HayHay or Aly-bug or B-Rad specifically because they are such ditzy and ridiculous nicknames. It's ironic! Okay. So instead of making fun of me you should bask in my glorious irony! Thanks.)