Dear Migraine... We Need to Talk

For those of you who haven't heard of WEGO Health - it's a fabulous site (and happens to be where I work). I participated in this month's Health Activist Blog Carnival and wrote a letter to my Migraines (don't even get me started).

You can check out my post on WEGO Health but I've also copied it here!

Dear Migraine,

Nobody likes to have these conversations but we really need to talk. Our relationship has got some problems and I feel like I'm the only one that's paying any attention to them. I've done all I can to pay attention to your needs but I can't let your needs rule my life and I can't let your needs be more important than my own. We need to compromise because our relationship is all about you, and not about me.

I hate to tell you this but even my friends and family agree - you're a bummer to have around. They want to spend time with me WITHOUT you and they want to know that I'm not going to have to cancel at the last minute because of you. Frankly, I'd like to know that too. I'd like to know that I'm not going to have to miss a birthday or a meal or even just a quiet night with my husband because I need to pay attention to you.

We both know that's unlikely but what if we meet in the middle? I already avoid the triggers that get you going, doing my best to feed you things you love, things that keep you satisfied and quiet. I hydrate and watch my medication and my diet, I think about you all the time but it seems that you never think of me.

What if we set aside some time for you in my life? I'm willing to agree to give you the occasional Sunday if you'll give me back my Saturdays and work days. And maybe eventually, we can go our seperate ways.

What do you think? Can we compromise? I promise to continue to avoid red wine and drink water constantly. I promise to do my best to get enough sleep and avoid foods that make you angry. And in return, you can find some new hobbies? Maybe find an outlet for yourself that isn't painful?

What do you think Migraine? I want to make this work but I can't think only of you.

Sincerely,

Susan

Books 47-51: Recap

Books, books, and more books! For you my dear readers, another recap! We're almost done with 2010 and just beyond... I see 2011! What? You say it's nearly March... bah! I won't have such treason hear in Quitsville...

Right, back to the recap!

Book 47 - Heat by Bill Buford

Oh how I love food and cooking books! Heat was recommended to me by a fellow food lover (note: not foodie, we just love food!) and it was a great book to read while on vacation - 1. on vacation you're allowed to eat whatever you want so it's okay to act on impulse after reading an entire chapter about cheese; 2. it's a novel-worthy daydream about food and 3. he does a fair amount of travel in the book and who wants to spend their reading hours being jealous? Buford's book tells the story of his journey from journalist to line chef under Mario Batali (who, it turns out, I knew very little of). Buford investigates all manner of dishes, cuisines, and ingredients and writes with such love that you can't help but want to try everything he does, except maybe using up an entire pig.

(336 pages; 4.0 stars)

Book 48 - My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I've been hearing about Jodi Picoult for awhile now but I've never picked up any of her books. I got My Sister's Keeper on our shiny new Kindle, thinking it would be a good book for the big trip. I once read an Entertainment Weekly review that described Picoult's novels as something like 'based on current events, written in a year, and neatly wrapped up' (my remembering of their review of course, not an actual quote) - and I've got to say that's pretty accurate. This book pulls on your heart strings (ever visibly cried while on a cross-country train? you should try it!), does its best to paint all characters in 4 dimensions but clearly favors one or two, and is pretty neatly wrapped up in the end. All that said, the book does what it does well. I got what I expected and I was extremely drawn in to the story.

(448 pages; 4.0 stars)

Book 49 - One Mississippi by Mark Childress

One of my favorite things about travel is new book stores and how you inevitably run into a book that you never would have found otherwise. One Mississippi is a book like that - I picked it up at a tiny used book/cd store/video rental place in a tiny town in New Zealand on the way to our overnight cruise - I couldn't go on an overnight cruise without a book after all! The book was utterly surprising, mostly in that I had no idea what it was going to be about and expected far less of it than it gave (my fault). One Mississippi was surprising and heartbreaking and definitely worth a read.

(400 pages; 3.75 stars)

Book 50 - Daughter of Fortune by Isabelle Allende

Daughter of Fortune is one of those books that I've had on my shelf for as long as I can remember and yet, I bought a second copy of it while on vacation and only then did I read it. Allende is a magical spanish storyteller, weaving fantastical notions into romantic, adventurous plot lines. It's almost unbelievable that I haven't read any of her books before. I loved Daughter of Fortune - it was everything I hoped for in an epic melodramatic love story. Allende avoids the cliche but keeps the fantastical and weaves a beautiful story with rich, impulsive characters, characters that belong on the frontier of a budding nation and in the adventure of that frontier.

(399 pages; 4.0 stars)

Book 51 - Sleepwalk with Me by Mike Birbiglia

I picked up this book (signed!) when I went to see Birbiglia do stand-up last fall - and while I'll give the book a 3.5, I'd give Mike himself a big fat five point oh stars! He's a great comedian with a style that's unlike the standard stand up comedian - I've been following him for a few years now and I just really want to be his friend. He's self deprecating without being whiney and he has a knack for turning the typical of life into hilarity. The book is a collection of stories that he's told in his acts - with a few additions - so for the most part, I'd heard them before and they were funny. The problem comes because Mike isn't there telling the story to you and so much of his comedy is in his inflection and style that it can be missed in the written form. If you know and love him (like I clearly do) you can add his style back in as you read, which is what I'd recommend. Go see Mike Birbiglia live - then read his book.

(190 pages; 3.5 stars)

2010 in Review

So, it's February (in case you hadn't noticed) and I've yet to recap my 2010 goals and progress... or lack-thereof - let's be honest.

A quick refresher since I first posted these goals back in January 2010 ( a full 13 months ago):

1. Get the official Dr. Mario Record

2. Read 52 books (one a week for you math geniuses)

3. Take the GMAT

For all the nitty gritty details, read the original post: 2010 Quitsville Goals.

The bottom line here is that I was not as successful as one might have hoped. I didn't rock the world of the GMAT nor am I an official Twin Galaxies World Record Holder. Cue sad face.

I did read my 52 books however (54 if we're being exact - reviews still pending) and I did some other things that weren't on the list for 2010 but were on my life list - namely, getting married and going on an awesome trip! They weren't in my bullet pointed list for the year but they're pretty big accomplishments nonetheless.

But, we're not here to talk about success, we're here to talk about how I tanked on my yearly goals and why.

Goal 1 - Get the official Dr. Mario Record

You all know I've gotten the record, you've seen the photo, but sadly that's not enough to have my name immortalized for an unknown period of time on the Twin Galaxies website. No, they need cold, hard proof in the form of an in person viewing of my record game or a recording of said game. This creates two issues for me, the champion: one, the games are freaking long and I don't have anything to record 3+ hours of video game play nor can I even purchase a flipcam with enough time to do so and two, it seems I'm being snubbed by the Twin Galaxies Referee Union.

That's right dear blog readers - Twin Galaxies Referee Dave Nelson refuses to return my emails! Or I'm going into his spam folder. It's hard to tell. Either way, here I am, referee-less, camera-less, record-less.

Goal 3 - The GMAT

I like tests, I do well at them. Sometimes, when things are chaotic, it can be appealing to take a test and get a score and feel successful. But, I'm not entirely sure I want or need the GMAT to meet my life goals. In fact, my life goals are a little... up in the air... at the moment. I love my job, I think I'm good at it... do I want to do it forever? Nah... but the step after that? Still TBD really. GMAT is on hold for the time being. (It's expensive BTW).

So, I read all my books and I did some other big life goal things. Not a bad 2010 actually.

Books 42-46: A Recap

Book 42 - I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloanne Crossley

A reccomendation from a friend, I was told this book would make me laugh out loud on the subway (something you guys know I love doing!). I didn't think it was the funniest thing I've ever read but it did make me laugh on the subway and get some funny looks. Crossley takes a pretty askance look at her own life, especially her love life, and tells some great stories about her family, dates, etc. It's pretty fluffy - really a great commuter book. I'll be giving her other books a look.

(240 pages; 3.5 stars)

Book 43 - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell

Oh David Mitchell... you of your Cloud Atlas and your Number 9 Dream. I get it, you're a big deal, you're a NY Times Book List favorite, you're a good author. You've got me, I'll read it. After hearing countless reviews of this book, I just had to read it. It's a period novel (a fave of mine), and it's got a beautifully colored cover, and let's face it, I like David Mitchell. The book turned out to be quite good; maybe not quite worth the fanfare it received, but quite good. The story is a bit of a saga (again, something I love!) and you're introduced to a myriad of characters and plot lines but it all intertwines quite nicely and the story is actually very beautiful. Mitchell explores a time and place that I knew very little about (hello, colonial Japan?) and really surrounded me with its particulars - whether they are true or not, I don't know; but, really, it wasn't a concern.

(496 pages; 4.0 stars)

Book 44 - Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Some of you might remember Audrey Niffenegger from her first novel, The Time Traveler's Wife - which I read TWICE by the way. It was a very nice love story with fantastical elements (oh, say time travel) but that she spun in a way that was pretty believable. Her Fearful Symmetry, Niffenegger's second book, is very similar - it seems she has a wheelhouse, this one - a very nice love story with some fantastical elements. This second book is a fair bit darker though and has some pretty unexpected plot points (at least I did not expect them). It does lack a little of the believability that was so nice in The Time Traveler's Wife but maybe it's only me that has trouble with ghosts? That said, if you were a fan of the first book, you'll probably enjoy the second one as well. Niffenegger is, if nothing else, a very good storyteller and she draws you in to the book in a way that is more complete and engrossing than most novelists today.

(406 pages; 4.0 stars)

Book 45 - Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Some of you might be familiar with the musical Wicked - tells the story of the other witch in the Wizard of Oz, you know - the bad one. Well, it turns out that said musical is based on Maguire's novel of the same name. Wicked (the novel) follows the same general plot line as the musical (little green girl goes away to school, meets vapid blonde good witch, etc. etc.) but there are some vast differences between the two as well, mainly in its extremes. The novel is baser and naughtier but also darker in its themes and plot events. I wasn't sure about this one at the beginning but I really came to like it and was drawn into the story; it's very fantastical by nature and is true to a lot of the fantasy novel elements. I would definitely recommend it to fantasy readers!

(560 pages; 3.75 stars)

Book 46 - Drama City by George Pelecanos

For those of you who don't know, George Pelecanos was one of the writers behind thebesttvshowever The Wire. If you haven't watched it, stop reading my blog and go do that. But, assuming you have watched it, you're already familiar with gritty crime dramas and would probably dig Pelecanos' novel. Sure, it's not this year's literary masterpiece but it's a really entertaining read and perfect for travel. Pelecanos is clearly a fan of folks like Chandler and Marlowe and doesn't shy away from some good, old-fashioned, hard-boiled detectivedry. You can almost feel the gloom.

(304 pages; 3.25 stars)