Things I'm Looking Forward to this Summer

Hello dear readers,

As I prepare to leap out of procrastination mode and straight back into study mode, I thought I'd do a quick post on the things I'm looking forward to this summer. Nothing too creative here, no mind-blowing makeup looks or fascinating factoids; just things that keep me motivated to finish my school work!

1.

Seeing friends and family. This one's obvious, to me at least, because I'm at a university outside of my home state. Not only do I hardly ever see my family, but my best friends from high school are all at different schools. Adding to that is the fact that my sister lives in a different state than the rest of the family; summer is one of the only times I see her, and probably the only time we drive up to visit her. I plan to enjoy my evenings and weekends seeing friends and appreciating family.


2.

Yes, that's right; it is a hula hoop. Hula hooping is one of my favorite forms of exercise, because I can do it non-stop for up to two hours [perhaps more, but that's the longest I've done it] while reading, dancing to music, or watching a movie. I am lucky enough to have a large enough dorm room that I can actually hula hoop here, but time hasn't permitted lately. When I do get the time, it's usually late and already quiet hours, meaning hula hooping would just be plain rude and noisy. At home, I can hula hoop outside, inside, with friends, by myself. You get the picture. Call me crazy, but I love it.


3.

Working out and getting back in shape. I'll be completely honest and say that I have no idea what the cartoon women in the picture are doing, but I thought it was a dynamic portrayal of some odd sort of aerobic exercise. I've always done a combination of walking outside, walking to Leslie Sansone DVD's, and hula hooping, but I have not been able to keep a consistent exercise routine going. This is partly due to crazy sleep schedules, partly to class schedule and having my roommate unexpectedly disappear and reappear, and partly to lack of motivation. However, I'm not at all happy with the shape I'm in now, and I look forward to getting back in shape this summer. I'd like to try Pilates, so we'll see how that goes.


4.

Reading! No textbooks in sight, just pleasure reading. I hope to check out Being Written by William Conescu at my local library, because I've had it at school since August and renewed it all year, yet only had the time/desire to read 100 pages of it. I'm almost done, but there's no way I'll finish this week before I go home. I'm currently about halfway through Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which you may have heard of since its explosion of press that came with the motion picture version starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. I really want to finish this book before I get home actually, as my mom wants to take me to see the movie. So I suppose that's a pre-summer read.

Two books that I started at home and will now be able to finish are The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, my absolute favorite fantasy writer besides, of course, J.K. Rowling, to whom I must remain loyal, and Harry Potter y la ordén del fénix. Yes, you read that correctly. If you read my 15 Random Facts Tag, you would know that I'm in love with the Spanish language and the Harry Potter series. Why not combine the two? I've been reading the series since my third year of high school, so it's been a couple of years since I started the project. My Spanish reading isn't actually that much slower than my reading in English. English and Spanish are actually two of my best subjects, but I'm a strangely slow reader in both languages. I would like to get as far as I can towards finishing the series this summer

. Of course, in case you're wondering, I read them in English multiple times first. Last but not least on my must-reads for the summer, is Terry Pratchett's The Color of Magic. I've wanted to start the DiscWorld series ever since I read Good Omens, co-written by Neil Gaiman, just to see how his writing style differs. These are definitely not the only books I will read, but the rest of the books will be randomly picked up at the library for good fun!


5.

As you can tell from the cartoon, I'm anticipating working with a bit of apprehension. This will be my first time working a very full day, at an office job. I'm going to be in a finance department entering data and helping with sales. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I'm very grateful for the opportunity to work when I know jobs where I live are quite hard to get, even the seasonal ones. I'm hoping the 8:30-5:00 pm workday will help me sort out my sleep schedule and teach me some more about organization and work ethic that can translate into my school life. I'm very good at helping others get work done, so it shouldn't be a problem, but when it comes to homework I can't say the same. Also, the job is well-paying, which is a nice perk.


6.

Home-cooked meals! No, I don't know what food is in this picture [good job picking photos you can identify!], but it looks delicious. Dormitory food is seriously boring me these days. It's funny because I'm not a particularly picky eater when it comes to most food, but here I find myself eating the same things all the time. Now, don't worry, I'm not relegating all the cooking to my mother, who usually does it all and a billion other things anyway, but I actually agreed to help look up recipes and learn to cook this summer as well. I had toyed with the idea of being vegetarian, simply because I don't eat meat often anyway, but because of dietary restrictions of other family members it would be impossible for my mom to make food everyone could eat. I've decided not to become vegetarian, but I'd still like to learn to cook vegetarian dishes, as I'm not touching meat if I can help it. Home cooking will be a wonderful change of pace from the standard cafeteria food here, even the more homestyle food.


7.

I may actually cry when this movie is over, because it will mean the end of anticipating the movies, the end of midnight openings with my best friend, the end of possibly the biggest movie franchise ever. The trailer literally had me trembling with excitement! Except, I may add, and this is a potential SPOILER:
Harry and Voldemort do NOT clasp necks and jump off a building in the book, yet they did in the trailer. I'm sorry; I eventually tolerated the additional scene of the Burrow set on fire and the ridiculous chase scene in the sixth movie, but I won't tolerate a change to the ending of this one. The seventh movie was absolutely spectacular, and perfectly followed the book with exacting detail; it would be a shame if this one didn't do the same.


8. Better, more regular blogging! Need I say more?


I hope you enjoyed this mish-mash of a post. What are you looking forward to this summer?


To warm, sunny days and Harry Potter opening nights!

xEsther