Summer slump and catch up

Over the summer months people are more active, social, out and about, vacation, etc. Not me. I suppose it's because the past 2 summers have been screwed due to lack of work one year to starting a new job the next year. It makes things a little tougher to plan something when you have no money and starting over again. This summer I've been lucky enough to get myself a little out of that rut with better finances and slightly better choices and being focused on saving dough. I was still a slug though.

When it is too warm and live in a home with no AC all I want to do is lay around and be the laziest fucker ever. Back in March I thought I'd be physically changed for the better by this time of the year when I had a little crossfit bug bite me. It lasted for about 2 weeks until I got extremely sick with flu that turned into pneumonia. I was out of commission for over a month. I got nervous about going back to crossfit and not wanting to be up at 4:15am three days a week really didn't motivate me. Nothing motivated me. Walking? meh. Zumba? meh. Going to the gym at all? nuh uh. What have I been doing? 

Aside from my adventures in dog sitting off and on for previous and new clients, I plowed through roughly 13 books from June to date - easy new adult romance novels. Not brain challenging reads. I've been challenged enough at work and I needed some escape. I don't remember how I found out about Colleen Hoover but after reading Ugly Love I was hooked. When I read Hopeless, I was hooked and freaking balling my eyes out. When a book can make me that emotional I want to read everything from that author. So I suppose I did have a summer goal. I only have 2 short novels I haven't read from Colleen Hoover that I'm trying very hard not to dive into and saving it for my travels soon. Also, her next book comes out in early November which of course I've already pre-ordered for my kindle. 

Other books I want to read are only delayed due to trying to use the library more (reiterating my focus on saving). I like reading on my kindle so much more than a physical book because 1) I don't need to keep the book open, 2) I can read on my cell, iPad or MacBook and it will always know the spot I left off at, 3) and I can read at night using the backlit screen. This makes it so I don't need to get up and turn off the light which will disrupt me falling asleep.

I love that my county library offers digital books through Overdrive.com. I've been waiting for Girl on a Train for a few weeks now. This morning I'm down to a one person wait until I can have at it. I'm so behind in the hoopla. I hear it's like Gone Girl (highly recommended and better than the movie) but hoping it's just the suspense that's similar and not the story. I don't expect it to be a challenging book but it'll get me out of the romance novel black hole I'm in for a little while. Maybe after that I'll try a Kerouac book to get me into explore and travel mode. I still want to dive into Jane Austen novels to satisfy my English Lit desires I was not privy to in my education. I did not have the right teachers to get excited about that stuff. In fact I hated those classes and classics then. Now I'm all about analyzing shit till it's dead in the water.

In July I had some serious focus on the need to travel to Europe this year and serious convincing to have people I know to do it with me. If I couldn't do it with anyone I knew I had a Plan B to figure out how to go solo with a group of people that were in the same boat as I am in (single female, have the financial means to travel and no one to go with) with the benefit of hopefully meeting new people that don't bug the shit out of you for a week or 2...all the while sharing a room because it's cheaper that way. Sharing a room always makes me nervous, especially with people I don't know because I snore. I hate that I snore. What I hate more is sharing a room with other people who snore. My perfect person to share a room with is someone who is a sound quiet sleeper that can fall asleep to anything. Not quite comatose, but doesn't mind a snorer. 

Well, the convincing wasn't all that hard with my friends but getting it to happen was the tough part. Fortunately my booking agent from Viking River Cruises made it somewhat easy to coordinate with 3 other people. The unfortuante part of cruising is that rooms are double occupancy...meaning if I want a room for myself I am required to pay double - especially for this type of cruise. It's a small ship so only double rooms are available. Not sure what cruise lines are out there for the solo person who likes to travel but I will have to look into that in the future when I'm in the need to travel alone. I should do it at least one time in my life - another goal. The trip is set for the end of October, but mostly through 2 weeks of November. I'm so freaking excited! This weekend I'm trying to take advantage of the Labor Day sales and looking for my major travel needs on a discount. It's already Sunday afternoon and not doing a good job of it. Yesterday I spent a couple hours looking and price checking lightweight spinner luggage. I had my eye on one at TJ Maxx but decided to wait a little to see what other local stores had. The entire time this couple kept coming around and looking at the same bag which went with a carryon I liked. They snatched it up as soon as I walked away. It wasn't meant to be. I've got one more local store to check out their inventory. This can only happen if I sign off and get my ass in the shower. 

Till next time...