City of Bones

You know what? So far this book is craptastic.
I shouldn't have been surprised; check out the endorsement on the front...

Thirteen reasons why

I've heard about this book for years, but never picked it up until I went to the library the other day.
Premise: high school student kills herself, then mails a box of audio tapes to the people she blames.
It's really engaging. A mix of her retelling and the reactions of a recipient. I started it last night and am on page 53/288.

NaNoWriMo

I have won! I am doing the stupid cabbage patch dance of joy! Now I can put it aside for a month, then start the monstrous task of editing and revising...

Unreadable.

http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/83656377.html

An interesting comparative analysis.
I enjoyed a couple of the books being compared.

Hobbits have taken over Denny's

Was I just haunted?

I can't shake the dream I had last night.
In it, I talked on the phone to a guy I dated in high school. I didn't want to talk to him, but I kept saying polite things. (He was super messed up and actually committed suicide a couple years ago.) When I got off the phone I went to a bar for a drink. A friend (who also has major issues) sat down with me and told me that I have severe anxiety and depression. They thought I should be medicated.
Then in real life my alarm clock rang and I got up and ready for work. I get in the car, the radio comes on, and the song is an old 80's number that never fails to remind me of that guy I dated. It's not a very common radio song.
Hmmmmm.

A typical woe-is-me teacher post

I am a teacher. I love being a teacher. I went into teaching knowing that it would never make me rich.

But here's what I didn't realize about living on a teacher's salary:
I qualify for income controlled housing.
Even living in cheap housing, it's still a struggle to make ends meet every month.
I would shop at Aldi not because they have fun stuff, but because I can't pay what Walmart charges for milk.
I would feel like I'm drowning in credit card debt.
I would worry about affording birthday presents for my child.
I would feel guilty about taking dance classes to try and get into shape because dance class isn't super cheap.
I would tell my children they can't have a cat/dog not only because we live in a small space, but because I can't pay pet deposits/rent/vet bills.
We would eat a lot of pasta and eggs in my house because of how cheap those are.
Going to the movies (matinee) twice a year is extravagant.
So is a concert.

A teacher's salary is barely enough to live on.