Retarded USC Girl

I have missed this blog so much.

Last night I had to puke and rally. In truth... I was really proud of myself... I'm fucking 30 and I can still throw down like I was in college.

posted by Ashlyn @ 4:51 PM 1 comments

I've never been crazy about war stories. If I was desperately bored and nothing good was on, I might watch Apocalypse Now or Platoon in hopes of seeing some half dressed American heart throbs, but I never got excited thinking "Oh God I can't wait for this movie to start".

So, as much as I've never been interested in war stories, it speaks volumes to say that one of my all time favorite writers, Tim OBrien writes them. He does more than just put pen to page. If ever you had a relationship with characters .... I dunno, it is hard to put into words the effect that his books have on the reader... or on thsi reader anyway.

The Things They Carried is one of the best American stories ever told. He writes with such honesty that the stories are painful to read.... but still delicious none the less.
July, July was an amazing book as well.
I just stumbled across "If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home" today in a Goodwill. I went shopping with a friend of mine and I freaked out when I saw the book.

I never actively buy books anymore. I wait for books to jump out at me and demand to be taken home. This was one of those books. So, for a whole dollar - I have another Tim OBrien book and i can't wait to sit down and read it.

:) Ah, it's gonna be a good day.

Labels: Tim OBrien

posted by Ashlyn @ 12:59 PM 0 comments

I'm so tired tonight. It has been a really long, busy day. It's been a good day though. I love days like this.... I know that when i finally lay down, i will just pass out. It's the best sleep in the world.

posted by Ashlyn @ 8:26 PM 0 comments

Well, where do I begin? A lot has happened since the start of the year.

First, dad went into the hospital. He was there for a week. He has CHF. He is doing marvelously. His doctors were just fantastic. God Bless University Hospital in Augusta, Ga. He is on a low sodium diabetic diet and he is extremely compliant. I am really proud of him. :) It is absolutely terrifying to see a parent in the hospital, especially when you dont have a great track record of parents making it out of the hospital alive.

He came to stay with me for two weeks after he was released from the hospital. Which leads me to Big News Item Numero Dos. I moved.... FINALLY to run the Lodge. It's all I thought it would be. It's a lot of fun. I get 40 hours of vacation time a week. I have taken ummm around 3 hours so far lol. It's a lot of fun.

Life is going really well right now. :) Every day is a good day :)

posted by Ashlyn @ 4:47 PM 0 comments

I did manage to tackle a few after Christmas sales. :)

I am moving on the 10th officially. Woo Hoo. It's been a long time coming..... :)

So between now and then, I will be doing a shitload of packing. In fact, I think I will start when I get home tomorrow. :)

And new year dawns..... I hope that 2010 is a good year... for all of us. :)

Happy New Year! :)

posted by Ashlyn @ 12:35 AM 0 comments

So Christmas came and went without much fanfare. It was nice, and I am glad it's over. Cold weather is coming, but the Weather Channel is not omnipotent.... and they play shitty music on the 8s, so I can't trust them. :)

I'm bored at work. Business is slow right now. I have been here for almost 7 hours and I have only seen 2 people. It annoys me. I think that we feed off of the energy of others. I don't know how hermits make it. Look at T. Kazinsky... maybe that is why he had to have his go with explosives... just a hermit trying to create some energy.

I'm sleepy... and I think I might be too tired to tackle any after Christmas sales... now, that's tired. :(

posted by Ashlyn @ 3:56 AM 0 comments

I spent way too much money in Books-a-Million last night. There is just something about that store that makes me want to move in. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but I always want a cup the moment I walk in the door. I could stroll for hours through the aisles of shelves heavy laden with volume after volume of something potentially wonderful.

The center displays are overflowing with the latest trends: vampire novels and political tell-alls. I love to hate the complete gift sets.... the easy way to own every book in a series. That seems like a cheaters way of doing things. I am in love with several series of books. Three to be exact. Well, maybe 4. :) When you invest yourself in a series, you have the thrill of the book itself, the agony of the months you must wait before the next volume is in print, the sense of victory when you track down a bookstore that still has a copy available (because I will not stoop to preordering... it's like hunting on a baited field). When you buy the entire series all at once, you lose some of what it is that you love about the whole experience.

Case in point: I remember going with Hollie to Savannah to get our hands on the new JR Ward book (Vampire porn I admit) the day it came out. This was 3 books ago. Sadly, she wrote this Guide to the Brotherhood book that totally blew and I own the last book in the series, but I haven't had the heart to read it, fearing it will suck as much as the Guide did, thus killing my desire to read and ultimately my will to live (wow - I have been watching a lot of melodramas lately).

But I digress... I was talking about moving into BaM and why I love that store. There are so many wonderful books there, I could spend hours..... but a thought hits me right before I steel myself enough to leave.... a great many of those books will suck. They will inevitably end up in the discount bin and then the remaining few copies will either end up as firestarters in the third world or as props to help level tables in the homes of people whose floors have received some sort of water damage. That must be a horrible life.

So, I walked out of there with a book as a gift for myself and one for someone else. It's hard to pass up David Sedaris. He is genius :)

And I know that we are all supposed to be wearing recycled shoes and driving alternative fuel vehicles while sorting our paper, glass, and plastic to be recycled while buying locally for small businesses and avoiding the big chain stores, but WalMart.... oh where for art thou WalMart? How could I have forgotten that your flourescently lighted aisles and employees running their "zone defense" could save me almost half? Ah, the agony....

Labels: BaM

posted by Ashlyn @ 2:59 AM 0 comments