Snow Days

I'm currently on spring break and enjoying the sun, but I never had the time to write about Louisville's snow days, so here we go.

On an average day, I can hear cars driving down the main road, honking or screeching to a fast stop. On snow days, there's mostly silence. Only the occasional car drives by, and few people are outside. Those who are shovel snow, walk their dog, or make a snowman. Even the sounds you do hear are muffled, which is why any loud sound stands out.

When I was walking through the snow around noon during our second large snowfall, I heard church bells. They were beautiful, and they sort of vibrated in the air. I wish I could remember the hymn they played, but I do remember that it felt like what I always wanted early Christmas morning to be--quiet and reverent, but powerful and energizing. I paused and listened.

When I continued walking, I ran into a woman with her dog. We immediately started talking about the snow, which seemed to make us kindred spirits, and how magical it makes our neighborhood. We had ten inches of soft, glittery snow on the ground and small droplets of ice on the trees. Our two Louisville "snowstorms," we agreed, were gifts.

Of course, after walking for 30 minutes in the snow, I couldn't feel my hands, and I decided that I'm really okay with only having a few snow days per year. I coped by drinking several hot mugs of tea, wearing three layers of clothing, and snuggling under a blanket with my readings for classes. The snow days made me take life slower and appreciate the silence. I'm definitely looking forward to spring and summer, but I do hope I can remember those moments of silence and carry them with me through the louder seasons.

Best,

Haley

Combating Grad School With Audiobooks

I'm supposed to read 1,000 pages this week.* That is in addition to 20 hours of tutoring, attending 3 classes, and attempting to be a human.

Welcome to grad school.**

27 books for 3 classes. Get pumped.
(I actually am super excited about some of those books.
But that's another blog.)

While not every week is quite that intense, I always have more than enough to read. Now, as I've mentioned before, I love reading. I especially love reading when it's something I have chosen to read and/or when I'm reading something I admire as a work of art or as a form of escapism. However, when I'm responsible for reading anywhere from 300 to 1,000 pages a week, I simply cannot read for fun. I just can't. I don't really have time, but if I try, I feel like I should be reading for class. So, I end up watching Netflix or going on a walk. Still, I crave stories and novels. To combat this craving and grad school stress in general, I've invested in an Audible membership. With my membership, I get at least one book per month, which I can listen to through an app on my phone. (It's officially my favorite app.) Since I miss talking about books, I thought I'd give a few suggestions for people looking for something to read or listen to. (I always have a debate about which experience I want--listening or reading--but that difference is also another blog.)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 

There's a large chance you've seen this book before. I know Target selected it as a part of its book club or something, and for good reason. It's gorgeous. I've read this book once, have listened to it twice, and will probably listen to it again. It's that good. The language feels textured, like an acrylic painting. The story is mesmerizing.

The core of the story involves a challenge between two magicians--Marco and Celia--who have been preparing since they were children. The venue for the challenge is a black-and-white themed circus--"Le Cirque des Reves"--that's only open at night.

There is, of course, a love story. The book jacket/goodreads summary gives away the most dramatic part, but I'm not going to tell you. Don't read the summary. Just read the book, be surprised, and fall in love with it.

When looking for an audiobook, you have to make sure the narrator is good. Listening to books can completely change your experience and feeling toward the book. Jim Dale narrates The Night Circus, and he is perfect. His voice is like dark chocolate and honey. The women actually don't sound ridiculous, which is spectacular. His performance is a joy to experience.

The Unknowns by Gabriel Roth

I follow several authors on Twitter, and I'm pretty sure one of them recommended The Unknowns. The main character is a guy in his early to mid-twenties who created a fancy computer program with a friend and then made enough money to never work again. The story starts--as many stories do--when he meets a girl at a party. The language is a strong departure from that of The Night Circus, but I still enjoyed it. It's more crisp than textured. The story--or maybe just the way the story made me feel--kind of reminds me of The Spectacular Now by Tim Thrap, which is another good novel. (I'm not telling why in case that gives anything away.)

The narrator's performance for The Unknowns is good. His voice fit the main character pretty well, and I didn't get annoyed after listening to it for too long. (This is important.) 

Note: This novel isn't quite as light as it seems.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I'm a big Rainbow Rowell (pronounced like "towel") fan. In addition to Attachments, which is her first novel, she has written Eleanor and Park (which is is probably the most well-known for), Fangirl, and Landline. Rowell's characters are almost always quirky and clever, sometimes in a John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) way. Though Attachments isn't her most popular novel, it's one of my favorites.

It's 1999, and Lincoln recently started a job as an "internet security officer" at the local newspaper, which means he gets paid to read employees' emails. He doesn't have to read them in detail. After awhile, though, he notices that he can't help but read the hilarious emails between two friends--Beth and Jennifer. As they tell each other more of their stories, Lincoln finds himself falling for Beth. But at this point, introducing himself could get weird.

This story is adorable and hilarious, and I want to hug Lincoln. The narrator does a spectacular job reading Beth and Jennifer's emails. It's probably the lightest of all of my suggestions.

Currently Listening to: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

As you can see, I still have five hours left of Station Eleven. One of my friends recommend that I read it, and I will be forever grateful. The story revolves around the lives of the members of a traveling Shakespeare company in a post-epidemic America and the life of a late actor before the epidemic. (I mean, the book had me at "traveling Shakespeare company." Obviously.)

I can't vouch for the whole novel yet, but I've enjoyed it so far. The performance, like all of the books I have mentioned, is enjoyable. (Though, seriously, none compare to Jim Dale's reading of The Night Circus.) 

Up Next: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Seriously, these books are saving my life. Hopefully they'll bring you the same amount of joy! With that, I'm done procrasti-blogging.


Best,

Haley

*One of my professors told us which chapters of a 550 page book to focus on, so that will cut it down a bit. However, we should read the whole thing. Add readings for the two other classes to that number, and you'll get about 1,000.
**Grad school is totally worth it. This includes the work and the classes.

Home(s) and Football Families

"Home" is such a confusing word now. Home is Huntsville, AL, where I grew up and where my parents live. Home is Auburn, AL, where I studied for four years, created unforgettable memories that give me that too-much-sugar feeling, and FINALLY found my voice and became more extroverted. Home is also Louisville, KY, where I now live as I work on my MA degree. That's three homes. And that doesn't even include Fort Morgan, where my family always goes on vacation, or London, where I studied abroad for six weeks and like to claim as my own. It's gotten to the point where I always have to clarify which "home" I'm referring to. For UofL's Fall Break, though, I got to go back to Auburn and Huntsville for a few short hours, and it was splendid. (Exhausting, yes, but still splendid.) This story, however, revolves mostly around Auburn.

The Samford Clock Tower welcomed me home.

It was exhausting because we were always running about, trying to get to the next thing, and because of the traffic. The traffic on the way from Louisville to Huntsville was a struggle and a half. At one point, I sat in traffic and made a hair appointment. At another, I tried to memorize Beyonce's "Partition." (The English Major in me loves when she says, "I sneezed on the beat, and the beat got sicker." She's so good with words, guys.)

It was splendid because I got to spend quality time with the fam (both my family-family and my Auburn family). Before this visit, I had been to Auburn a few times since graduating, but never while the majority of the school was in session. Guys, it was weird. I kept having to remind myself that I've graduated and that I'm one of the hundreds of thousands of invading alumni. These are the people who caused all of the traffic on Fridays and Saturdays. These are the people who took over my front yard (but they fed me, so that part was okay). I am one of them now, and it's pretty much the weirdest thing that's happened. While I'm part of the traffic, I am also the person who forces her friends to eat free food, which is great because I'm really good at that.

If you've never been to an SEC football game or tailgated before, you might find this whole thing odd. It's extravagant. There are TVs, tents, decorations, and long tables of food that rival Thanksgiving meals. When you dress for a football game, you dress up. For some of us, this means church clothes; for others, it means painting up or just wearing orange and blue. It's a bit much for a football game--I know--but I love how we've turned football into a family affair.

 Even my dad, our resident UA fan, joined the festivities. 

Friends are family too.

So, you have your tailgating family, but then you also have your college family. You intermingle, especially when you enter the stadium. This may surprise some of you, but I love crowds. Part of this is because of my time spent in Jordan-Hare Stadium. I love the energy, and I love that you are somehow connected to everyone in the stadium. Like it or not, they're part of the fam. When Auburn scores, you hug and/or high five your neighbors while throwing your shaker around. (Sometimes you really won't like it, though. For instance, once a drunk guy threw his iPhone on the ground in front of us and started stomping on it because he was upset about a crack in the screen. It's really broken now, buddy.)

Cheering our Auburn Tigers on to victory
 against LSU

If you don't think this is beautiful, you're probably an Alabama fan.

You might think tailgating would be over after the game, but no. Instead of parting ways, we made s'mores.



Just so you know I didn't spend my whole vacation tailgating, I'll have you know that I also visited Huntsville, my official home, where I spent some quality time with more family and friends as well as Little Rosie's. (I brought white queso to Louisville with me. Reminder: This is a no judgement zone.)

And now I'll just leave you with this cuteness:

I've missed this bundle of joy and
 her love to sleep by or on my laptop.

Thanks to Auburn, Huntsville, and the fam for welcoming me back home, and War Eagle!

Haley

What Happens When a Friend Visits: Syd Meets Lou

Having friends visit is always exciting. You get to experience your city through someone else's eyes. Of course, when you're new to the city, this can be different. Sydney came to visit me a little over a week ago, and it was great, but yeah, I definitely got lost a few times. (Really, I just wanted to show her more of the city.) The great thing about Louisville is that when a friend visits, meals are always grand occasions. On Saturday, Syd and I went to three different places and visited Waterfront and the UofL campus in between.

If you want an idea of what your life would be like if you visit me, here is our day in pictures:

For lunch we went to The Cafe.
The main entrance looks sketchy, but don't let that deter you!
The inside and patio look lovely and oddly European.
If you ever go, I suggest the BLT with avocado.
Then again, I think anything with avocado is good.
Also, the cakes looked superb.

Next, we went to Waterfront Park to walk over the bridge to Indiana.

This is what we look like in Indiana. 

Sydney celebrated the end of our long and arduous journey.

While there, we found this house.
We're pretty sure it will show up in a Disney movie one day.

After swinging on a bench swing in the park, we visited UofL's campus.
Syd really connected with the art.

[Insert picture of hole in the wall here--Use your imagination]

We went to Little Jerusalem Cafe with a friend for dinner. It has spectacular, cheap Mediterranean food, but it really is a hole in the wall, sooooo no pictures unless you check out their FB page. (I suggest the chicken kalaya.) 

I'm taking everyone who visits me to the homemade
 pie place because pie is honestly the best of things.

Syd agrees that pie is the best of things.
(She suggest chocolate chess,
and I suggest Dutch caramel apple.)

This, my dear reader, is what happens when a friend visits. (*hint, hint* *nudge, nudge*)

Best,

Haley

Dragon Boat Races and a Fancy Camera

Some of you might remember that time my friends and I stumbled upon dragon boat races in Scotland. It was a good time--a happy accident.  However, I didn't realize that dragon racing was, you know, a thing. Apparently people race dragon boats all over the place. About a week ago, I learned that Louisville had a dragon boat race coming up, and I knew I had to be there. For old time's sake. And for new time's sake.

However, I don't know about where you are, but Louisville's experiencing a cold front. So, I knew it would be chilly, but I didn't expect the cold front to be, well, cold. Had I known, would it have deterred me? Of course not. (Side not: It was actually warmer and sunnier in Scotland, and that's just sad.) I bundled up in layers and headed to the river with a fellow GTA, who thankfully brought a warm, fuzzy blanket. That blanket saved my life.

I can only imagine how cold the dragon racers felt, though. I mean, some of them had furry vests and shoes on because they were pretending to be Vikings and some of them had exiting hats on (see the picture below), but most of them were in thin, normal clothing. Sadly, no one dressed up as Romans, and no one danced to the "YMCA." However, we could hear Vietnamese (?) music playing in the background.

Forget the woman's hat. That was mainly an excuse to show you
a picture of this adorable, curious child.

The people in the picture don't look as cold as I felt, but trust me when I say it was freezing. (Guys. If this is what a September cold front feels like, I might not survive the winter.)

Anyway, for those of you who haven't been to a dragon boat race, you're in luck! My parents are super awesome and gave me a nice camera for graduation, so I took pictures.

This, my friends, is a dragon boat race.
(Also, I'm trying to understand Lighthouse, a photo editor thing.)

Here's a guy who really wanted a good view of the races. I applaud his efforts.

You get the gist. Teams race in boats with dragon heads, and the super cool teams dress up as if it were Halloween or something. And on that note, I'll leave you with a picture I took to show my dad that I kind of know how to use my camera on the manual aperture setting.

This is me, attempting to be fancy.
(Hi, Dad!)

Cheers!

Haley

Life Update: Surprise! I moved to Kentucky.

So I don't know if you know this, but I recently started pursuing my MA in English at the University of Louisville. (The whole Kentucky thing was a surprise to me too.) Saying that making this decision was emotionally draining is an understatement, but I'm thrilled to be here. (Life decisions are hard. That's why we take baby steps.)

In addition to being an Auburn tiger,
I'm now a Louisville cardinal, which messes with
my identity and confuses me. Grad school is weird.

Anyway, I'm a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and it's pretty cool. That means that I tutor for the University Writing Center this year and teach next year. The GTAs rock. Actually, everyone at the writing center rocks. My classes (Writing Center Theory and Practice, Intro to English Studies, and Composing Identities) are fascinating thus far, which I'm taking as a good sign. It's early in the game, so I'm pumped, guys. I'm ready to play.

I bet I'll feel less ready in about a week's time, but let's not think about that.

So, what's my life like in Louisville? Right now, it's close to what it was like before. I tutor at a writing center, I go to my classes, and I have a lot of reading homework. I mean, I'm not in Auburn, which is strange, but my room is in almost exactly the same order as before, so sometimes I wake up in the morning confused and wonder if I'm going to be late to my Italian class. (Spiacente, professoressa!)

Other things about Louisville:

• Louisville has gorgeous parks, like Cherokee and Waterfront.
• Louisville has superb dining options. (See Queen of Sheba, Havana Rumba, The Comfy Cow, and Mark's Feed Store)
• Louisville has a lot of dogs, and so far I've lived with two of them.
• Louisville's mosquitoes are worse than Alabama's mosquitoes. (My legs make a great Connect the Dots board. I just request that you don't use a sharpie to play.)
• Louisville's library likes Harry Potter, which means that the librarians must be awesome.

A dog's view of Waterfront 

Waterfront has a full section of swing sets, which is great for my inner child.

It's kind of an Auburn sunset. 

To sum up, Louisville's a cool place. (I was talking to some guy on the bus, and we came up with a great brochure tagline--Louisville: where the food is good, and the traffic is weird.) I do, of course, miss things about Auburn, like the Pop Factory, weekly Psych Nights, my wonderful Auburn professors (half the reason why I love AU), football, Aubie, The Bird House, and the Auburn Fam in general. Also, this is weird, but I miss RBD. Our library, though awesome, isn't open 24/5, which is honestly the biggest culture shock that I've experienced so far. Well, that and they wear a lot of red here. That's just weird.

I'll try to be good and post things every once and awhile, but for now... War Eagle and Go Cards!


Yours,

Haley

Book Corner: End of Summer Suggestions

You say "SUMMER," I say "BOOKS." 

That's one of my summer cheers. Why? Because one of my favorite things about summer is being able to read whatever I want.

You: But, Haley, you just graduated with an English degree. Aren't you tired of reading? 

Me: Of course not! I rarely tire of reading. I do, however, tire of reading what I'm told, even if they're good books. Maybe it's the rebel in me. 

While summer is officially over and while I will spend my next few months reading mostly books for class, that doesn't mean you can't read a book just for the fun times (or to stave off your equivalent to the Quarter Life Crisis for a few more days).

So, in no particular order, here are a few of my favorite books I read this summer:

 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This book, guys. This. Book. I love it.

When his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Daniel Sempere becomes the owner of one of the last remaining copies of The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. When Daniel discovers that someone is hunting down all of Carax's novels and burning them, he begins to unravel one of Barcelona's greatest stories.

Read this novel for crime, mysteries, love stories, and sentences so beautiful they will blind you (in a good way). It's one of my current favorite books.

Love and Ghost Letters by Chantel Acevedo 

Shout out to Chantel Acevedo for being a writing rock star!

I love this novel. I mean, I love all of novels--let's be real--but I really do love this one. I read it immediately after reading The Shadow of the Wind, which was a great transition because they have a slightly similar feel to them. This book is a love story, though perhaps not the kind you would expect.

The novel takes place in Cuba and Miami and tells the stories of Josefina and her father, the Sergeant. When Josefina leaves her father for Lorenzo, her father disowns her, and she falls into misfortune. Though she wishes her father dead, she is distraught when she learns that her father most likely died in a riot. When she begins receiving ghost letters from her father, though, her outlook on life begins to change.

Kindred by Octavia Butler

If you're about my age, you might remember reading The Devil's Arithmetic in middle school. Kindred has a similar premise. Somehow, Dana unwillingly travels back in time to the pre-Civil War South, where she immediately saves one of her ancestors--a white boy and future slave owner. Every time the boy calls her back to the past, she must pretend to be a slave longer. Dana struggles with how she can change the views of those around her as well how she will return to her normal life.

One of my professors recommended this novel, so I knew it would be good. It didn't disappoint. This is a thought-provoking read that can be difficult emotionally at times, but it's definitely worth it.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

A WWII British plane goes down in France with Maddie, the pilot, and Verity, a spy, inside. Verity escapes in a parachute but is almost immediately captured by the Gestapo. In order to avoid execution, she must expose her mission in a written confession. Her confession, however, becomes a novel of its own, as it tells not only British secrets, but also how she and Maddie became friends and how the war shaped them.

I'm not often surprised by books, but this book took me off guard. As I read, my heart pounded, hoping that Verity's confession would save her. Code Name Verity is a book of truth and secrets and twists, and it is absolutely fantastic. 

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

They are the Sinclairs, and they live charmed lives. They find true love. They spend their summers on a private island. Everything is always as it should be. At least, people are inclined to think that way, until the accident--the accident that Cadence can't remember, the accident wrapped in secrets and lies.

Yes, I know that's vague. Trust me, you don't want spoilers.

You can read this book in a few hours. You will want to read this book in a few hours. Why? It sucks you in. The fragmented sentences mixed with lyrical Once Upon a Time stories capture how Cadence is trying to remember something horrible that happened a few summers ago. The plot isn't quite as good as Code Name Verity's, but if you're into surprises, you should definitely check it out.

Bonus: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker 

I technically read this book for months over the past year and finished at the start of summer, which is why it's a bonus. It's the type of book you have to read for long periods of time and let the story sink in. I read it during school, so I didn't have as much time to let it sink in. As soon as I did, though, I loved it.

It's about a golem and a jinni (surprise!) who find themselves in New York in 1899. They both find work and try to hide their secrets from the locals, but eventually the two of them meet, and the secrets they tried to hide eventually implode.

To Read: 

• The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (currently reading)
• A Falling Star by Chantel Acevedo (http://carolinawrenpress.org/a-falling-star)
• Landline by Rainbow Rowell
• A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra