Joel and I love books. We're usually pretty good about going to the library so we don't accumulate more stuff, but once in awhile we like to buy items that we either plan to keep or donate to the library when we're done. Half Price Books is one of our favorite used book stores. The one we go to is in Cedar Rapids. It has an amazing selection and the books are as good as new. They also have music as well, which is where you'll find Joel during the bulk of our visits! We took an impromptu trip to Cedar Rapids last weekend and paid it a visit. Here are some of the items I picked up: This is one of my favorite books. It is great for reflection and meditation. I gave my last copy away to a friend who I thought would appreciate it, so needed to get another copy for myself. This is a book on tape (CD) that I bought to listen to in my car. There are six discs and it is read by the author, Shonda Rhimes (if you live under a rock, she's a powerhouse television writer - Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, etc.). It is SO GOOD! I'm already on disc two and I've loved every minute of it. If you are like me - an introvert to the core with anxiety, social anxiety and/or "stage fright" - read (or listen to) this book. She gets it. And she finds a way to overcome it. It's pretty powerful. To be honest, I was initially drawn to this book because it was hot pink! But after flipping through, it looked like just what I needed at this time in my life. Earlier in the day I had told Joel that life's about having grace on ourselves and others, so it was quite ironic that this book fell into my hands. I've committed to reading one chapter each night. I don't (can't) speed through personal development books. If I try, I lose interest. It has been a pretty easy read and I enjoy the author's point of view. It can also act as a workbook, leaving blanks for you to answer questions along the way to help you check-in with yourself. I reflect vs. writing my answers down because I want to give this to the library so someone else can benefit from it when I'm done! Yes, I still buy CDs. I was thrilled to find these albums from two of my favorite riot girl bands - Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Always a punk girl at heart, baby! Lastly, here's us, happy to be together for an entire day with no other commitments, wandering as we pleased. Doesn't happen at all anymore, so we definitely made the best of our time with each other!
0 Comments
Hi. I'm Augusta. A 32-year-old woman. Wife. Dog mom. Aunt. And I have a confession to make... I'm in love with Harry Styles. I was hesitant to make this post because I'm a little embarrassed by my fan girl enthusiasm for this man. But we can't help who we love. Right? Joel knows the true reason why I'm obsessed with him - he's a young clone of my ultimate crush - Mick Jagger. And you know what, I'm alright with that! It only means that once Mick Jagger leaves us, I'll have Harry to take his place! Let me make one thing clear (because I somehow think this makes things less embarrassing) - I was NOT a One Direction fan. I discovered Harry as a solo artist, which is so, so much better than his boy band days. His lyrics are mature, his music is just the right balance of chill and upbeat, and he's cute as heck! What I really like is that his live, acoustic sets sound just as wonderful as the fully produced music you hear on his album. No frills. I have his current album on vinyl for home and on iTunes for when I'm on the go. It's my life's current soundtrack. I couldn't choose one song that was my favorite...so I picked three. Take a listen and good luck not getting hooked! :-) Have you ever "discovered" a band that has been around for a really long time and you feel a little sad that you didn't pay more attention to them earlier? This is how I feel about The Rolling Stones. Of course I knew who The Rolling Stones were. Heard some of their music, recognized their iconic tongue logo, was aware of Mick Jagger. Little did I know how quickly they would become one of my favorite bands of all time. Music is wonderful and an art form I truly cherish. I love how different bands "speak to us" at different times of our lives. I believe that bands come into our lives when we need them most. Like I said, I had listened to the Stones before, and although their tunes were catchy, the lyrics never "spoke to me." But now they do. Deeply. For example - I struggle with depression and anxiety, beating myself up (a lot) about the things I do and don't do. On my way into work this morning, I was reeling from something I was abusing myself for that happened the night before. All of a sudden "19th Nervous Breakdown" by The Rolling Stones came on the radio and I couldn't help but smile. It was a pretty perfect song to come on in that moment as I was mid-breakdown. I cranked it up, and when it was over, threw in their '64-'71 hits CD. I was in tears by the time I pulled into work finishing up "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." My sadness? Gone. I was ready. They've become my refuge during tough times lately and I feel so extremely grateful for them. Below are the songs that touched me this morning, but my list of favorites is much longer than these two! I am lucky that my husband is also a huge fan. We were able to take a trip to see "The Rolling Stones Exhibitionism" in Chicago!
I love me some Queen! Freddie Mercury is my spirit animal. And my heart will forever ache that I will never have the chance to see him in person. I hadn't listened to Queen for awhile, but the other night I was looking for some energetic music I could sing along to as I cooked dinner. I pulled up a greatist hits Queen album online and fell right back in where I left off with this band - 100% devoted. It's hard to choose one song over another, but this song is one of my absolute favorites: I'm semi-embarrassed to post this because normally popular music isn't my thing at all...but I love the song "Cake By The Ocean" by DNCE! It's not brand new, but it's newer, and still seems to be popular. Songs that play on pop radio stations normally attract me and then I'm over them pretty fast (because they're played so often), but there's something about this song that makes me smile! Please tell me I'm not alone... The first time I heard the music of Courtney Barnett, I was in love. I am all about females fronting bands and especially garage/punk bands. I feel like I live vicariously through these artists, hanging on their every lyric, wanting to be as powerful and bad ass as they appear to be. You can learn more about Courtney here. She's an Aussie singer-songwriter and guitarist. I've downloaded her albums "See of Split Peas" and "Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit." The second album listed is my favorite, but I listen to both equally. I encourage you to check her out! Here's the song that got me hooked: |
Archives
August 2022
Categories
All
|