Totally Cool Tuesday

Welcome to my new blog idea. This weekly post is where I share what I consider to be totally cool. It might be a gadget, a book, a place, a person, an activity--could be anything!

For this first Totally Cool Tuesday, I have chosen a very handy dandy emergency radio. This AM/FM, TV, and weather alert radio has a hand crank to charge the built-in battery, and it can be used as a flashlight and a beacon. What I really like about this product is that you can charge your cell phone on it. Now that's really cool.

I'm really into being prepared for emergencies, and this radio would be the perfect item to add to my action plan for preparedness.

What do you think?

A Little Reinvention

Now what? Well, I'm looking for a job. Actually, I'm looking for a career--or at least employment that will allow me to utilize my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English. I want to find something that will make me smile each morning because I love what I do!

• Start buying new clothes . . . including a suit. Yes, a suit! A first for me. I actually can't wait to wear it. A little reinvention never hurt anyone: check
• Visit the Career Center at UTSA and start using their website to help locate that perfect job: check
• Work on my resume so I can upload it to the UTSA Career Center website and upload it to LinkedIn: check
• Apply!

The only thing missing is what exactly do I want to do? So many people want to know why I'm not going to teach. "You would be perfect at it." "I can totally see you teaching college students." Really? I don't see it.

I'm having trouble visualizing what that job will be, but it's out there. I just need to put all the pieces in place, and I need to trust in God to lead me.

In the meantime, I'm reading, playing pool, and cleaning/organizing my house. Little miss laziness has her eye on me, so I'm trying to stay strong! Inspiration is all around me.

Reader of Books

Besides setting the goals of finding a job, becoming a better pool player, and cleaning/organizing all the nooks and crannies in my house in 2011, I have also set a reading goal. I think it's so much fun that Goodreads.com has set up a Reading Challenge! This kind of thing is right up my alley because, well, I love to read. Oh really?

My goal is to read 111 books this year! I made a "read in 2010" shelf in Goodreads, tagged those books, and discovered I read 103 books last year. Some of those books I actually read before 2010, but I did read them again last year, so I counted them. I like to be accurate!

I'm not sure if eight more books is much of a challenge, but I read most of those books last year for grad school--and several were over 800 pages! I'm finished with school, and I have free time to read a lot right now . . . but . . . I can't really say what my reading life will be like once I start working. I hate setting this type of goal and then coming up short. I really hate that! It's like doing NaNoWriMo in November. If I start it, I finish it. Period. I might find myself reading like a maniac in November and December because I will read at least 111 books this year!

I added the Goodreads Reading Challenge widget right here on my blog (to the left) to show my progress. I can do it!

What's your goal?

Owning the Table

Time for another year of pool! The part I like best about this game is watching Ken play. He's so good, and he makes the game look so easy. He skilfully controls the cue ball so that it seems almost magical. It's also fun to see people acknowledge Ken as an amazing pool player. Infused with a bit of jealousy and a lot of admiration, Ken's opponents know who owns the table.

One of my goals for 2011 is to practice more. I think I got a little burned out by the end of 2010, so I need to get my head back in the game. I wouldn't mind owning the table once in a while.

Rack 'em!

Movies 2011

1. Country Strong--January 15
2. The King's Speech--March 16
3. The Lincoln Lawyer--March 20
4. Unknown--April 22
5. Water for Elephants--May 21
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides--June 11
7. Super 8--June 15
8. Larry Crowne--July 5
9. Cowboys & Aliens--August 5
10. The Help--August 22
11. The Debt--September 9
12. Contagion--September 24
13. Seven Days in Utopia--October 7
14. Killer Elite--October 21
15. Tower Heist--November 5
16. The Way--November 6
17. The Descendents--November 24
18. J. Edgar--December 3
19. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows--December 16
20. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--December 30


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Movies 2010
Movies 2009