Sunday Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

Since I have graduated from college I have had the opportunity to actually spend time doing things I enjoy. Three specifically? Cook, read, wine. Sometimes beer since it's nearly summertime. So I decided that I will start doing a review of something or other every Sunday. No guarantee that it will be a book but that's pretty likely. 

My first review is going to be on the novel Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. 

The book came out quite awhile ago but this is my first time reading it and I am glad I did! Totally loved it! It was awesome! Everything about it was simple but purposeful and I really felt connected to the culture just by the way that the novel was written. I also feel as though the author did a good job making sure to give some cultural explanation to certain elements without making it into a text book. 

The story is about one girl's journey from a poor orphan (her dad dies soon after her joining the geisha community) to one of the most powerful geisha around. It was quite powerful and heart wrenching at times. 

At the beginning of the book the narrator tells the readers, "I wasn't born and raised to be a Kyoto geisha. I wasn't even born in Kyoto. I'm a fisherman's daughter from a  little town called Yoroido on the Sea of Japan" (Golden 7). The author's simple sentences are easy to follow and reflect the time and era that the story is based during. I thought it was a beautiful book and I highly recommend you read it before watching the film!

Does anyone have any other books they recommend? Leave it in the comments or tell me on Facebook. I am a freaky fast reader so I am up to suggestions!

So far on my list I have:

• Paradise of the Blind
• Love in the Time of Cholera
• Inkheart
• The Book Thief
• Marley and Me
• My Sister's Keeper
• My Antonia

I think that's a pretty decent list so far but I love reading (English teacher up in here) plus it's something I learned from my Momma.

Critter Art

*I used to have a picture of this while I was in progress... now I can't find it... sorry!*

 This is my furbaby art! The whole project only cost me about $8.00 to create, and that was all just buying the canvases in a three pack at Michael's. I decided that since I don't have any children I could make some cool silhouette art, like I've seen on Pinterest to honor my precious babyfurries.

I'm pretty good at free hand drawing just from seeing something, like the animals moving around the house. But you can google search black and white images of cats and dogs and find some good silhouettes. At that point you could then cut them out and trace them and just fill in the space with black paint. They would also look really cool on a color. I just can't commit to more than black and white (maybe why I'm single? haha).

The living/dining area currently. They'll be changed to a different location once the whole redo action starts happening but they look pretty good right now I think! 

Does anyone else do tribute art to their animals? 

Happy Friday!! It's Spring Break for us next week and I start my second job working at Lowe's (uhmmm can you say... diy discount?!)  but I am sure I will be starting to make some headway on the walls and painting. Bye peach beach walls!

Linked to: I Should Be Mopping the Floor Savvy Southern Style House of Hepworths  Liz Marie Blog 

The Lost Graduation Post

I have been looking through my past posts and discovered that I had never done a real graduation post! It was saved as a draft and then long forgotten. So here is the grad post that almost wasn't.... 

On the morning of our graduation several education majors, my best friend, and myself of course assembled in the parking lot of Albertson's across the street from the location of our graduation. We were clearly having some pre-graduation beverages. aka. mimosa. The young lovely lady in the beanie is my BFF Christie. We've been best friends since we were 11.

 Cheers! 

After that moment we went inside to assemble and Christie took my camera to capture the day for me. Such a good friend!

She got a good picture of my parents while they waited for the ceremony to start.

Approaching the seat that would hold my bum as an undergrad student for the last time.
WHOOOOOO!!!!!

This one is blurry but this is me with the president of the college, Tim Foster. My mom was up in the stands with her cow bell ringer and she started blasting it when I was shaking hands with the president. He simply looked over at me and said: "Cow bell, huh?" "Yeah, that's my mom!" He shakes his head and laughs, "Nice!"

Here's my lovely decorated hat and the certificate of my graduation! Or at least the holder... still haven't gotten the actual paper. But! It was amazing. So glad I get to start the next chapter in my life. Bye bye college!