Off the Shelf

Reading:
This past week I've been enjoying Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by the lovely Mindy Kaling. While not as deep as other selections, I've always been a fan of Mindy and her character on The Office, so it made for a good first book selection. Going into the memoir, I didn't really know much about her besides the fact her name was Kelly and she was a ditz. So in reading I kind of discovered an entire new human-being. One that had existed for 32 years, but I had never bothered to learn about in my 18. Her story is pretty inspiring to me because I've always wanted to escape to New York, even if I have no set plan. She moved to New York City when she graduated Dartmouth and lived with the income of a babysitter before becoming an assistant (to the) TV psychic Mac Teegarden. Mindy and her best friend Bren wrote a play called Matt and Ben, based on Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's sudden rise to fame after writing   Goodwill Hunting. Mindy Kaling is a writer, first and foremost. She emphasizes that. She writes many of the episodes of The Office, and now is staring in her own show. Her talent is present in this book. She's hilarious.

Listening:
Once a week I burn a C.D. of whatever the hell I'm listening to and take it to work with me. I walk into the back kitchen and give it away, receiving one of my own. The first week I started working, Austin and I started this tradition and it hasn't changed, seeing as we're both always listening to something new. I've got him hooked on Death Cab for Cutie and he's got me addicted to Mumford and Sons. We both have amazing taste in music, if you ask me. Listen to the Head and the Heart. They're my absolute favorite.

Watching:
Before this week I had never watched an episode of Seinfeld. My friend informed me that was absolutely ridiculous and brought me the first and second season. I sat down the other day and watched season 1 (consisting of only 5 episodes). I'm not crazy about it, but it is funny. Apparently it grows on you? We'll see.

Writing?:
I like the idea of writing so much more than actually executing the task. Writing...a way to get all your thoughts out. Articulately and accurately. And then when you're done, you get to decide if it's worth sharing, or if it's personal. But I don't really have much going on in my life to write about. Every once in a while I try to write a little everyday. But I just get bored with writing the same thing over and over again. Maybe I'll try again and stick with it. I like the idea of just adding a random sentence everyday. Someone suggested look at a picture of a memory and write about that. I think I'm going to try it with this picture. A lot of memories came with that evening.