I finished JK's book!

And I WOULD, after all, recommend it.

I decided to read a review or two online to see what other people thought and the more I talk about it with friends/read other people's thoughts, the more I think we all agree.

I'm going to paraphrase the good points of one review I read on Goodreads.com because I think the person gave away a little too much info so I'd rather not direct you to it and expose you to a bunch of spoilers.

Basically, if you're expecting a twisted murder mystery or the resurgence of Voldemort, you will be disappointed. That, I think, was my problem at the beginning. I was thinking it was a murder mystery. It's not. Read the synopsis again closely. It's a character-study. She writes in an omnipotent voice (is that the right term?). We are privy to every character's thoughts—so within each conversation we hear both the dialogue and the subtext of most of the contributors. Thus, she does a GREAT job with character development. And she doesn't sugarcoat them either; basically you end up hating almost everyone since we get to hear/read the thoughts that most people never say out loud.

It's a slow-moving dramatic character sketch about how the death of a city councilman affects almost everyone in the town. They drive themselves crazy over who will take his seat, how certain political topics will be handled (since Barry was the leader of the less-popular but arguably more righteous side), and all of these under-the-rug controversies and problems are suddenly thrown into public observation.

It's twisted, unholy, and very "true" to life. The people who say JK was just throwing in porn scenes and curses because she wanted to prove that she can write for adults are dumb. It's a very realistic novel, and in reality, people curse and have sex. It's not that she is throwing around these words and scenes unnecessarily. Everything influenced the story and the character development and I wouldn't consider it excessive.

Read it. It's a little long but an easy read. Slow-paced but short-chapters so you can churn through it pretty quick. And honestly, whenever I put it down, I never had to convince myself to pick it back up—I was continually interested in what was going on, despite being a little confused at first.

The Big Announcement!!

At long last I can FINALLY tell you what I've been so damn excited about!

I got a NEW JOB! (--Not a link, just excited formatting: color/bold/capitals/size) Let down? I'm sorry if it is. I'm not engaged or pregnant or anything haha. But it really is probably the second best thing that has happened to me all year. And it's happened almost immediately after the BEST thing that has happened to me all year (freedom from Satan/moving in with Jason). As I said to a friend today, I feel like the goddamn Israelites: DELIVERANCE!

So in the span of one month, my world has awakened! Let's call Fall 2012 the jumping off point for the Golden Age of Monique. Or perhaps the Enlightenment of Monique. Either works. 

I'll be a new Program Director at my dojo! Which basically means that I'll be in control of youth class enrollment and special events. I also get to help teach the kids' classes! So really, I'm going from the most sedentary job in the world to the most active job in the world next to, I don't know, building the pyramids (which was probably more physically demanding than my new profession). I'm so excited! Gone are the days of cardigan sweaters and coffee (which are probably the two best aspects of my current job). In come the days of athletic pants and water bottles. I'll get to help people, kids specifically, find peace and calm in crazy-ass DC through a martial art that is often called moving meditation. I'll work with people who care about my personal and professional development more than revenue. And in caring about those things, I know that the revenue will follow. My salary and benefits will be directly proportional to my success, a luxury/pressure that I've never had the opportunity to experience before.

It's a change in mentality. My current job is controlled by a businessman with more companies to his name than years since I graduated college. Thus, he is 100% money-minded. It's a perfectly fine way to be if that's what you're into but the more time I spend in that office, the more I realize how little I connect with that point of view on a personal level. It's not about salary. I don't know anyone who would turn down the opportunity for more money within whatever field they love. But I don't agree with money being the PRIME focus of the company. When money is the only end so many other aspects are ignored. This switch will not only be a switch in activity level but, more importantly, it will be a shift in outlook. At my new job, we exist to spread Aikido. In doing so, we make money. Obviously we need to make money to pay rent. But success for us is measured by the amount of students actively participating, finding happiness, and telling their friends. I often describe my current job as "making Chinese food restaurant ads." It obviously isn't all Chinese food ads; it is probably only 40% ads... but the idea of making a tiny ad for a random page in the middle of a visitors guide is a futile activity for me. What am I contributing to the world? At best, the restaurant receives more guests and does a little better financially. At worst, the guide gets tossed in the trash after a family flips through it without even stopping on the page with the ad. The insignificance bothers me... This is not to say that I am opposed to the company or that I think they are evil money-hungry villains, but that is not the kind of person I am. If I'm going to continue to spend 36% of my waking life at work (I calculated it), I want to be surrounded by "my kind of people" with my kind of goals. That's all.

The best thing about this switch though, is that I have 100% confidence in its inevitable success because it practically fell out of the sky and into my lap. Life doesn't shove something into your face so blatantly if it isn't meant to be. Perhaps this is the culmination of my knack for coincidence. I happened to strike up a friendship with the only other employee of the dojo pretty early on in my training so I was one of the first to learn that they were even considering hiring another full-time person. I told him, "Hey, if you guys are looking to hire within the dojo, let me know. I'd be interested in at least hearing about it." That simple conversation led to an unexpected email WEEKS later from my Sensei saying "Hey, I was talking to (friend) and he said you would be interested in hearing about this position we're looking to fill. Why don't we have a meeting next week?"

Out of the sky and into my lap. 

Let me tell you—because I know that all of you have worked just as hard and have flailed around just as desperately screaming at life to strike some sort of balance. You'll know that life has struck its balance when the circumstances that get you there are weirder than a poorly-written prime-time sitcom. Be patient. It WILL happen. And when it does, it feels so. fucking. good. 

YES YES!!!

Exciting thing SECURED!!!
I don't think I can talk about it JUST yet in a public forum but it's 100% happening and I'm STOKED.

Teaser:
In the wise words of Jason Mraz, "You don't need a vacation when there's nothing to escape from..."

YES.

yes.

Quick JK Rowling Update

Still waiting on the could-be-exciting thing. Hang tight for a few days.

In other news, I'm now about 70% through JK's book. I must say it's certainly lacking the charm of HP, however, I don't think it was ever intended to be charming. The more I read it, the more I think it's just a character sketch (a 500 page character sketch) about what happens to a group of people who are obsessed with the outcome of a political decision. It brings out the worst in everyone. Everyone. I don't know if I really like any of the characters. But she does a pretty good job of blurring the lines between good and evil. Even the "bad" people have their reasons for doing what they do.

I can't make any conclusions yet because there is still almost 1/3 of the book left. However, if I had to judge it RIGHT NOW, I would say that while I don't *love* it, I certainly can't say that I dislike it. Something about it keeps drawing me back in. Even if that something is JK herself...

Potentially Exciting Things on the Horizon

I can't say much. Not now. But there are potentially exciting things on the horizon. I am brimming with anticipation and I really have no avenue with which to express it because of so many variables left to be solidified. Not to tease you...I am just very impatient and needed to at least announce the POSSIBILITY of my getting very excited very soon.

This would be the time where I go, "Oh man, I just jynxed it!" but really, when am I going to stop believing in jynxes? I'm 24 years old, Jesus.

Also, JK Rowling's new book. It's good. I want to be more jazzed about it than I actually am I think. I'm about 35% through now and I still feel like it's lacking stakes. Like I still feel like I'm waiting for something. It's a really nice exercise in character development but I'm looking for more plot.

Anyway, stay tuned!