Tag Archives: Reading

Topics to Enjoy Over Coffee

Posted in Books and Articles, Things I Love by

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Happy Monday friends! We finally have a break from all of the rain in San Francisco, therefore I am trying to get in every ray of sunshine I can before the rain comes again. It is amazing how you can take something like sunshine for granted till you don’t have it for a few weeks on end. It has brought a whole new appreciation for mother nature, which is just nice to stop and reflect on.

I am officially 44 days into my Whole 30. I keep debating when I am going to stop. I have a little bit of an addictive personality so it makes it hard to give up something when I start. Watching each day pass onto the next and seeing them all add up to a sum total feels like a big accomplishment.  With that said, I am not feeling all of the amazingness I had hoped I would. Maybe it is just me wanting it to be more then it really is?

At the end of the month I will be heading off to Japan for an 8 day vacation!!  I am planning on eating and drinking all of the food and sake to my hearts content. Therefore I decided I may need to start re-introducing foods this week so I don’t defeat part of the whole goal of Whole 30, to see if you have any food sensitivities. I am also trying to pull back on my fruit intake as I have currently been using it as a crutch for my sugar cravings and frankly eat an absurd amount. Yesterday and today I have gone cold turkey, which may not sound like a huge accomplishment, but trust me it is.  Fingers crossed I can keep up withholding. Goal as of now is to try and be fruit and alcohol free till the trip starts. I am starting  dairy for re-introduction as I just miss my greek yogurt. And if I am giving up fruit a girl has to have something to look forward to!  Then I am thinking gluten free grains and maybe soy and legumes. Will keep you all posted!

Interesting People:

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Tim Ferris: A couple of weeks ago a couple of us went to see Tim Ferris speak at the Castro Theater. I was introduced to Tim’s work through my partner Dustin as he is a big fan. Tim is best known for being a national best selling author, with his most note worthy book being “The 4-Hour Work Week.” In addition he is an entrepreneur, a pubic speaker, and has been an angel investor. He saw  potential in some of the top companies within Silcone Valley before anyone else did. For instance Facebook, Uber, and Twitter just to name a few. He hosts a weekly podcast, which I love not only for his content but his voice as well. It is just memorizing. Overall he is an impressive man and constantly pushes himself to the limit for self experimentation. It was an informative and inspiring talk and I highly recommend checking him out!

Valentines Day: Although I am attached and very much in love, I have never been a big fan of Valentines Day. Maybe it was all of the years of being single and having to see happy couples celebrate with flowers and expensive dinners, where I spent many years with girlfriends, over drinking, and sharing in all of our awful dating stories. With that said I thought I would share a couple of articles I found interesting this week. And they are not about being madly in love.

Here’s The Porn People Will Be Watching on Valentine’s Day

These New Burger King “Adult Meals” Come With A Toy — And It’s Exactly What You Think

Shocking Valentine’s Day Stats That Will Make You Rethink Your Marketing

Podcast: How I Built This– A friend shared this podcast with me a couple of months ago and I am obsessed! As the website states “How I Built This is a podcast about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built. Each episode is a narrative journey marked by triumphs, failures, serendipity and insight — told by the founders of some of the world’s best known companies and brands. If you’ve ever built something from nothing, something you really care about — or even just dream about it.” I highly reccomend checking it out! My favorite ones thus far are the founders of Instagram, Air BnB, and Patagonia.

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The Girl On The Train- So Good I Forgot What Being Social Was

Posted in Books and Articles by

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They only come around every once and a while, a book so good, so compelling, you cant put it down. From the moment you start it pulls you in with such a strong gravitational pull you are helpless to resist. I can remember having this feeling several times as a child, which is maybe why I was always such an avid reader growing up. One of the most memorable was when I was in elementary school. Being a child fascinated with the dark and mysterious it is not surprising I found my way to R L Stein books. I never liked the Goosebump series, too easy of reads for myself. Instead I went straight for the Fear Street books which were geared towards young adults.  I became obsessed. Within the first few months I had finished off the entire series at that time. I cant remember just how many books that was exactly, but 50 would not surprise me.  I remember one day staying home sick from school just so I could read all day, finishing off 3 whole books. Looking at my bookshelf adorned with all of the books I had read was like looking at my prize possessions. To this day looking at my bookshelf gives me a sense of comfort and accomplishment.

As I have gotten older books rarely grab me like the once did. Perhaps it is because now most of the books I read are non-fiction and what can I say, a book on the reasons why we overeat just does not pull me in the same way a book about flying wizards does (Let’s not even start on my obsession when reading the Harry Potter series). With that said, non-fiction can’t isn’t my everyday read, but I do still need a way to escape sometimes, to leave the real world and get drawn into a place of fantasy and excitement.

Recently I had kept hearing how good “The Girl On The Train” was by Paula Hawkins from several people. One of which was my mother, a devoted reader herself and a woman whose taste in literature I trust 100%. Without even knowing what the book was about I went and purchased a copy. I have found it rare for a book to not live up to its expectations when it is a best seller and is recommended by so many people.This book was no exception.

Within the first 50 pages I was hooked, always a tell-tale sign of a good book for me. This book had a unique perspective from the various characters I had never read before. The book started with re-capping the protagonist’s thoughts as she rode her local train in the morning and evening. You were not involved in what was actually happening in the moment, instead you had to grab bits and pieces from her thoughts and reflections from the day. Reading through the main characters thoughts I became sympathetic, but also frustrated with her. She was intriguing and sad. This book was a murder mystery which kept me hanging on till the very end. Once it was all finished I felt a sense of sadness as I knew I had just lost what had been my best friend for the last week. If you have not read it yet, I highly recommend grabbing a copy.