Don't go on autopilot.

We humans have a tendency to go on autopilot when we're doing routine tasks.

We do crazy, stupid things on autopilot. Like, for instance, I once opened up a container of leftover spaghetti and found a pair of my sunglasses pushed into it. I must have done it while I was cleaning up the kitchen on autopilot after a particularly stressful day.

Check out this article from the New Scientist on "default mode network" - DMN - a structure in the brain that handles rote functions.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2151137-your-autopilot-mode-is-real-now-we-know-how-the-brain-does-it/

I'd like to challenge you to keep your brain active while you're driving to work, taking a shower, and doing the dishes.

Put on some headphones and listen to an audiobook.

Right now, I'm listening to The Child by Fiona Barton, and it's riveting. It makes me feel alive when I'm doing routine stuff at home, at work, or during my commute.

You can use Audible if you like, but I choose to borrow audiobooks from the Delaware Library Catalog. (You need a library card to access it, so go get one today.)

Don't live your life on autopilot.

Racking My Brain

Artwork by Marion Fayolle

I wish I had begun this blog (or even just a reading journal) twenty years ago. Who knows how many books I've read and forgotten since high school? Sigh.

Here are some that I can remember (not in order) and a short blurb on what I can remember of them.

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis --- The best fantasy books around. Loved them.
2. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King --- Okay. I still don't understand the apostrophe in the title.
3. I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb --- Extremely well written, but graphic. 
4. Timeline by Michael Crichton --- Made me believe I understood quantum physics.
5. Cell by Stephen King --- Long, seemed to go nowhere.
6. Congo by Michael Crichton --- I'll never look at gorillas the same way again. 
7. Cujo by Stephen King --- Utterly terrifying and the reason I always have food and water in my car. (Ten times scarier when you're a parent.)
8. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb --- Fantastic book.
9. Gerald's Game by Stephen King --- No bondage for me in the wilderness for me, thanks.
10. Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore --- Funny. I want to read it again.
11. The Green Mile by Stephen King --- Fantastic. I've read it a few times.
12. Rose Madder by Stephen King --- Memorable because it was disturbing.
13. The Shining by Stephen King --- So much better than the movie.
14. Stranger than Fiction: True Stories by Chuck Palahniuk --- Got a weak stomach? Skip this.
15. Christine by Stephen King --- Meh.
16. Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King --- Loved it, but don't remember the plot.
17. Pet Sematary by Stephen King --- Good and scary. And gross. So gross.
18. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris --- Grisly but fun.
19. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton --- Pretty much what you expect, with more gore.
20. The Lost World by Michael Crichton --- Not memorable.
21. Private Parts by Howard Stern --- I love you, Howard, but you should have worked with a better editor.
22. Harry Potter (All books) by J.K. Rowling --- I loved each and every one. 
23. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore --- Hilarious and completely inappropriate for my mother. 
24. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens --- Not bad for required reading.
25. The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens --- It made me sad. 
26. Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain --- Surprising. Naughty.
27. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown --- Fun, but completely screwed up my perception of history.
28. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King --- The movie was better than the book. 
29. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck --- It broke my heart.
30. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne --- Odd, but held my attention.
31. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden --- Very good. 
32. Wicked by Gregory Maguire --- Waste of time.
33. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey --- Disturbing on so many levels. 
34. The Shack by William P. Young --- Just bad. Really bad.
35. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides --- Amazing, intimate book. Helped me better understand LGBTQ issues.
36. The Stand by Stephen King --- Couldn't finish it. Too complex. Hallucinogens and/or cocaine may be required for full absorption... I'll never know. 
37. Needful Things by Stephen King --- Fun, crazy.
38. Bag of Bones by Stephen King --- Couldn't tell you what it was about, but I remember liking it. 
39. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King --- Endearing. 
40. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie --- What language was this translated from? Martian? I couldn't get through it.
41. Star Trek Memories by William Shatner --- As a Trekkie, I found this hilarious. (Some of it was discredited by Star Trek cast members including my beloved George Takei.)
42. Shannara Series by Terry Brooks --- I read the whole series in high school. The demon Reaper from The Elfstones of Shannara still turns up in my nightmares.
43. Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe by George Elliot --- Required reading. Pure torture.
44. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis --- Letters written to and fro do not a novel make. I don't care what you say, Aneesh Khushman.
45. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand --- Overrated garbage.
46. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck --- It wrecked me. I loved it. I'd read it again in a heartbeat.

I'm sure there are more that I'm missing, and they'll come to me in time, or they won't. So it goes. 

Kids, listen to your parents and make notes about the books you read. Start now. 

Preparing to Begin Again!

Dear Readers:

Advanced education is a must in today's professional world, so in 2013 I decided to finish my bachelor's degree with Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, NJ. Immediately after finishing my coursework for the bachelor's degree, I enrolled in Wilmington University's accelerated Master of Science in Management-Health Care Administration program. I'm now three months from finishing my master's degree.

As you might imagine, being a full time student for the past four years has made leisure reading a luxury. Time was not the problem... it had to do with ability. At the end of a workday and a half hour of homework, I just couldn't absorb any more. My brain was like a saturated sponge. I've started ten times the books I've finished, and those I've finished had to be ridiculously good to keep me motivated to finish them before they were due back to the library. I've kept notes on some of the ones I did read; and I'll blog about them as I can remember them. The half finished ones will never make it into this blog.

Still, my coursework had little impact on my ability and desire to devour audiobooks. In fact, I almost completely switched to audiobooks, because listening in the car takes a lot less effort. There are disadvantages, though. It takes longer to finish some books because I read fast, but audiobooks go at their own pace. And it is always a bit frustrating when I would like to re-read something I heard in the audio version, but can't find it again as easily as I might if I was reading a book. All in all, it was a good trade off; in a way I was still reading, though I wasn't capable to sit down with a book at the end of the day.

I have many goals for the infinite number of days ahead of me that will not require me to participate in online discussion forums, take quizzes, or write yet another paper on the Affordable Care Act or medical marijuana. These goals include learning French, losing 30 pounds, and teaching myself how to watercolor and play the banjo. (Incidentally, all of those goals will be attained through reading, to a large extent.) I figure reading a book a week again will be a piece of cake when it's the only goal that has a weekly deadline.

I hope you will continue with me on this journey to find myself through books. I'll resume blogging more frequently in the coming weeks.
❤

Dr. Annie Norman: The quiet visionary who changed my life

A few days ago, I "met" a person who (until that moment) I never knew changed my life: Dr. Annie Norman, Delaware's state librarian. Check out this blog post on her from Wilmington University, where I'm working to complete my Master's of Science in Management. Take a look here:
http://blog.wilmu.edu/magazine/updates/the-introvert-steps-out/

How did this woman whom I have never met change my life - so dramatically - for the better? I'll tell you. She created the State of Delaware's online library catalog, and integrated 59 state libraries - including those at universities, to provide Delawareans with access to the State's 2.6 million books, CDs, audiobooks, videos, DVDs, and learning materials.

Let me tell you why Dr. Annie Norman's work matters so much to me.

First, I am a voracious reader. If I had endless amounts of cash, I would certainly spend a mind-boggling amount of money on books and audio recordings to feed my addiction. But I do not have endless amounts of cash. I work a regular job and I am a woman, which means I get paid less than a male who would the same job (that's a topic for another day), and I have other problems to solve with my money, such as keeping a roof over my children's heads and making sure their bellies are full. I cannot afford the books I need (those $200 Master's degree specials that I dread to read), much less pay for the books I want.

Second, I dig deep into books to learn how I can improve the life I currently lead. My formal education at universities are important to me, but quite honestly, they do not compare to the amount of learning and self-reflection I have been able to achieve through books. I consider my formal education (Bachelor's complete, Master's in progress) simply an outward validation of the fact that I am not a blithering idiot. Instead, what really matters to me is the fact that reading has given me insight about myself, about relationships with other people, about learning itself, about writing, about leadership, and about other people's lives. And (bonus!) I get a good dose of delightfully grisly horror fiction to indulge my dark side. (It's a good thing to indulge the dark side in reading, rather than action, if one has a choice.)

The Delaware Library Catalog (www.lib.de.us) allows me to request any item of interest from the 59 participating libraries throughout the state. For no charge, library couriers will deliver my requested items to the library of my choice (Smyrna Public Library), and I get a text message and email when I've got items waiting for me. I can stop by and see my beloved librarians Ms. Nadine, Ms. Jane, Carol, and Kriss, and the items are waiting for me just behind them. Usually, I get my selections within a day or two. And *poof!* I have a copy of the book to read for two weeks, with the option to renew them for up to six weeks. All anyone needs to access this library system is a library card and access to the internet. If a person doesn't have access to the internet, they can simply call their friendly local librarian, who can make a request on their behalf.

Until reading the Wilmington University blog about Annie Norman, I never knew who was behind this beautiful, seamless system I have come to love so completely. Thanks to Dr. Norman, I have cut the barriers between myself and continued learning. The online Delaware Library Catalog has proven to be an invaluable tool for achieving my own personal and career aspirations, and anyone who does not take advantage of this system is missing out.

Thank you, Dr. Norman, for creating a program that has provided me with endless access to books about self-improvement, how to make my own jewelry, genocide, eating the right stuff, Albert Einstein, crazed axe-wielding nurses, caring for and cleaning antiques, Mahatma Ghandi, love and relationships, zombies, Canada, transgender issues, George Carlin, war, peace, death, and taxes. Thank you for helping me learn that I love sociology. Thank you for exposing me to life-changing ideas which have my own understanding of myself and others, and reduced my own ignorance. Thank you for making it possible to avoid paying $22.50 for what I think will be an amazing book, only to open it, read six pages, and decide it's for the birds. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a better person, employee, mother, friend, daughter, and partner through reading and self-discovery.

A library card truly has been my ticket to the world. Thank you, Dr. Norman, from the bottom of my heart.