Books on CD 2008

Ana's Story: A Story of Hope-Jenna Bush 4/5
Bright, Shiny Morning-James Frey 4.5/5
Cage of Stars-Jacquelyn Mitchard-3/5
Can't Wait to get to Heaven-Fannie Flagg-3/5
Christ the Lord: Out of Cana-Anne Rice-4/5
Dubliners-James Joyce-2.5/5
Every Which Way But Dead-Kim Harrison-3.5/5
Gods in Alabma-Joshilyn Jackson-3.5/5
Great Expectations-Charles Dickens- 4/5
Moby Dick-Hermann Melville-1.5/5
Oliver Twist-Charles Dickens 3.5/5
On Chesil Beach-Ian McEwan- 2.5/5
Skylight Confessions-Alice Hoffman 4/5
Sundays at Tiffany's-James Patterson 2/5
Sweet Potato Queen's First Big-Ass Novel-by Jill Connor Browne-4/5
Tess of the Dubervilles-Thomas Hardy 3.5/5
The Broken Window-Jeffery Deaver 4/5
The Husband-Dean Koontz3.5/5
The Island-Heather Graham-1.5/5
The Other Queen-Phillipa Gregory-4.5/5
Books on CD:20

Books That I Read in 2008

1984-George Orwell 4/5
A Lick of Frost-Laurell K. Hamilton- 4/5
And Then There Were None-Agatha Christie-3.5/5
Blood Noir-Laurell K. Hamilton 3.5/5
Chalked Up-Jennifer Sey 4/5
Crazy in Alabama-Mark Childress 4.5/5
Fahrenheit 451-Ray Bradbury 3/5
Greetings from Bury Park-Sarfraz Manzoor-4/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-5/5
Kissing Sin-Keri Arthur-3.5/5
Merle's Door-Ted Kerasote 5/5
Murder on the Orient Express-Agatha Christie 4/5
River Gods-Wilbur Smith 5/5
The Cider House Rules- John Irving 4.5/5
The Deep End of the Ocean-Jacquelyn Mitchard 4.5/5
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe-C.S.Lewis 5/5
The Queen's Fool-Phillipa Gregory 4/5
The Sorceress of Belmair-Bertrice Small 4/5
The Woman in White-Wilkie Collins-4.5/5
Twilight-Stephanie Meyer-4/5
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day-Pearl Cleage 4/5


Total # of Books Read this year: 21

Inscription at Rockefeller Center

“I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.

I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.

I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.

I believe that thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.

I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.

I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man’s word should be as good as his bond; that character — not wealth or power or position— is of supreme worth.

I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.

I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individual’s highest fulfillment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His will.

I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.”

John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Rest of my New York/Philadelphia Trip

On Thursday I got to go to Penn State with my Aunt and Cousin. My cousin is doing research at Penn St. using one of their greenhouses so I visited with him and saw some of his research. We ate at a really gool "build your own" burrito place called Neato Burrito.

Friday we visited Princeton, NJ. It is an adorable little town. We ate lunch at "The Original Soup Man". No Soup for You! That eveing we went to the Walnut street theatre to see Hairspray! Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest theater in Philadelphia. It is celebrating its 200th season.

Saturday I arrived back home! Yay. I was afraid that I would be delayed because of the sleeting/snowy weather. But my flight was right on time. Now back to work and getting ready for my last semester of school!

Update on 100 Things to do Before I Die

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." Helen Keller"

1) Go scuba-diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

2) Become a parent.
3) Visit Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
4) Go to a real theatre. 5/15/08 Chicago Theater to see "Wicked"
5) Take a hotair balloon ride.
6) Climb a mountain.
7) Christmas in New York.-12/08
8) Go to a major sporting event.
9) Visit the pyramids.
10) Go whale watching.
11) Visit Machu Picchu.
12) See the northern lights.
13) Visit a museum in London.
14) Attend the Olympic games.
15) Donate blood.
16) Try wine-tasting.
17) Float in the dead sea.
18) Go on a safari.
19) Walk on the Great Wall of China.
20) Take the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
21) Visit the Tower of London.

22) Eat jellied eels from a stall in London.
23) Run a marathon.
24) Send a message in a bottle.
25) Be present at a birth (of a child other than mine).
26) Hike the Appalachian Trail.
27) See the Niagara Falls.
28) Go to midnight premiere of a movie.
29) Cruise down the Nile.
30) Ride a camel in the desert.
31) Kiss the Blarney Stone.
32) Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
33) Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
34) See a musical on Broadway.-I did not see a musical, but I did see a show on Broadway12/16/08
35) Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
36) Swim with dolphins.
37) Skydive.
38) Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
39) Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
40) Watch the launch of the space shuttle.
41)Be an extra in a film.
42) Buy a round-the-world air ticket and a rucksack, and run away.
43) Give your mother a dozen red roses and tell her you love her.
44) Be a member of the audience in a TV show. --I did this, I went to see a taping of Jeopardy.
45) Put your name down to be a passenger on the first tourist shuttle to the moon.
46) See Ani Difranco in concert.
47) Plant a tree.
48) Learn to ballroom dance properly.
49) Sit on a jury.
50) Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
51) Be someone's mentor.
52) Shower in a waterfall.-3/23/08--Didn't take a full shower, didn't get naked, but I definately immersed myself in a waterfall at the end of a caving expedition.
53) Be one of the first to take a flight on the new Airbus A380.
54) Spend New Year's in an exotic location.
55) Drive across America from coast to coast.
56) Make a complete and utter fool of yourself. --I do this too often!
57) Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country. --currently the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ
58) Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
59) Drive the Autobahn.
60) Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas.
61) Raft through the Grand Canyon.
62) Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape.
63) Attend one really huge rock concert.
64) Give to a charity -- anonymously.
65) Lose more money than you can afford at roulette in Vegas.
66) Visit the Holy Land.
67) Go to Auschwitz
68) Catch a ball in the stands of a major league baseball stadium.
69) Stay overnight in a Buddist Monastery
70) Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial
71) Milk a cow
72) Visit Ground Zero in New York City-12/14/08
73) Protest
74) Take an archery lesson
75) Learn to water ski
76) Have coffee on a sidewalk in Paris
77) See Cirque Du Soleil live
78) Camp outside for a week
79) Go to a real Ballet
80) Enroll in a belly dancing class-done in August 2008
81) Ride a mechanical bull
82) Visit all 50 of the United States- visited 20/50 so far
83) Graduate college
84) Be an Oprah audience member
85) Help with a Habitat for Humanity Home
86) Go to a fashion show
87) Try fire walking
88) See the Acropolis in Greece
89) Watch Casablanca Completed 5/26/08
90) Learn to fly, get my pilot's license
91) Receive my black belt in Tae Kwon Do
92) Eat Chinese food in China
93) Get to my ideal weight again
94) Volunteer with an organization such as "Doctors Without Borders" and make a difference
95) Run with the bulls in Spain
96) Become debt free
97) See the Highland Games in Scotland
98) Stay overnight in an ice hotel
99) Drink tequila in a bar in Mexico
100) Ride horseback on a beach

New York December 2008

 I am currently in New Jersey visiting my aunt, uncle and cousins. She is really close to both Philadelphia and New York so we have visited both cities during my time here.

 She picked me up at the Philadelphia airport on Saturday. We went to the Reading Terminal Market after she picked me up to eat lunch. It was a huge bazaar type area with different foods available. We ate at a lunch counter run by an Amish family. We had a delicious Turkey Club sandwich.

 Sunday we went to New York an visited the site where the World Trade Centers fell. We also visited the church right across from the site that was untouched during the fall. This was were the volunteers and rescuers stopped in to eat and rest. This was number 72 on my things to do before I die list to visit Ground Zero. This was a very touching experience.

 Also on saturday we took the subway to Brooklyn and walked back on the Brooklyn Bridge. We also visited the New York Public Library which I loved. Very beautiful. During our travels on the Subway we saw some street dancers perform. I am always impressed at what people can make their bodies do! 

 That evening we went to the Times Square church. This church was started by a guy named Dave Wilkerson. He wrote the book The Cross and the Switchblade. The service was amazing. Very upbeat. Afterwards we ate at a Cuban Restaurant. The food was so good. I could not even begin to remember the name of my dish! 

 On Monday we went back to Philly and visited Northern Liberties. Which is a new trendy area of Philly that is still being built. My uncle owns several smoothie bars and is thinking of opening one there so we were checking out the area. We took some pictures in Love Park and visited a bazaar there. We also walked down South Street and looked at the shops. We also ate pizza by the slice at a tiny pizza place. The slice of pizza was about the size of a regular pizza! It was so big! We also ate amazing frozen yogurt know as "fro yo". 

 On Tuesday we went back to New York. We visited Rockefeller center and saw the skaters at the ice rink and read the memorial. We saw the beautiful tree all decorated for Christamas. This completes another "Thing to Do Before I Die" number 7 Christmas in New York. We walked up 5th Ave and stopped at Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany's and FAO Swartz. We visited the Empire State Building and Times Square. Around this time is started snowing! It was beautiful. We got amazing deals to see "The 39 Steps" with the Student Rush deal. This was an on Broadway show that was a spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock movie. This completed number 34 on my list. It wasn't a musical that I saw on Broadway, but close enough! The musicals this time of year are outrageously expensive. We ate at a place called Spice that was an Asian Fusion place. I tried the Thai noodles but I was not crazy about them.

 Wednesday morning we go up and ate at Starbucks. Then we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I could have spent days and days here! It was beautiful. I got a chance to visit the Roman/Greek , Egyptian and European galleries. Then we ate at a famous pizzeria inside of an old church called John's Pizzeria. We returned to New Jersey on the Staten Island ferry.

 

 We are going to Penn State tomorrow(Thursday) and possibly back to South Street Philly on Friday and I come home Saturday. More later!

 

November Movies

Bridge to Terabithia-4.5/5

Doomsday-3/5

Four Christmases-4/5

Iron Man-4/5

Never Back Down-3/5

The Good Girl-4/5

The King of Kong-4/5

The Transporter-3.5/5

The Transporter 2-4/5