books (2013 part 3)

This is the final installment of the books I read in 2013. I didn't read the 45 books I set out to, but I'm ok with that since it was a very busy and fun year. Also, in September I succumbed to pressure and downloaded Candy Crush. It took way longer to read my books after that. And it didn't help that the last book I read was over 900 pages (but was worth it). Lastly, I re-read Catching Fire and Mockingjay since the 2nd movie had come out. I set my challenge for 2014 to the 45 books like last year. We'll see how that goes. 

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl, Sandberg

I enjoyed reading this. However, I didn't get through it as quickly as I would have liked. While I was reading this book, I wasn't in a good place at work. I was actually very frustrated with my job and it was hard to read about work when all I wanted to do was not think about work. But then it got better and I was able to finish the book. Some people didn't like this book and don't like Sheryl's take on how to approach your career from a female perspective. Everyone is entitled to their opinion though. I did take some interesting things from it and I'm going to apply them to my career. Or at least try to. 

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

This was an interesting take on how America is collapsing in the near future, intermingled with a love story, albeit not a traditional love story. It was well written, but not one of my favorite books from last year. 

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

This was an easy and true-to-life book about an actress struggling in NYC. I thought it was cute and funny. Nothing super amazing, but a good fast read which was perfect on the beach. 

Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer

I had to add one more WWII book in for the year. This was one a different take on the war as opposed to the others. Agents are set out to protect the Mona Lisa from the Nazis. It was a quick read and suspenseful. Another good beach read. 

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

This was a great book, in a guilty pleasure way. And I kind of want them to make a movie out of it. Nicholas invites his girlfriend, Rachel, to attend the wedding of the year in Singapore and embark on a roller coaster of the wealthy and insane. 

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Another engrossing Ken Follett book. This one takes place in the lead-up to WWI and gives points of view of all the players involved--the US, the UK, Germany, Austria, Russia, ect. It's a fictional account, but has the historic parallel. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel which takes place around WWII. 

34/45 books in 2013.

2013 recap and 2014 goals

1451 miles. 45 BoMF runs. 8 PRs. 1 BQ. 1 200-mile relay. 2 new states. 1 stamp in the new passport. 365 photos-a-day. 3 weddings. 1 psychic reading. 1 polar bear plunge. 1 opera. 1 jazz festival. 2 JT concerts. 34 books. 1 great year. looking forward to 2014.

That was my year in recap. A lot of running, traveling, socializing, and reading. The usual. I didn't set out 2013 with a concrete list of goals, but definitely had a couple things I wanted to do. For one, take one photo a day for the entire year. I had a few rules. 1-I had to take the photo. 2-Try not to be too repetitive. 3-Try to be creative or interesting. I'm happy to say that I did it. Today I finished compiling all the photos I took. I took a nice range, from art and foliage to funny and cool things I saw. Some days were harder than others, like when I worked 12 hours in a day. Other days were easier, like when I was in a new city. I have to say living in NYC definitely helped though. There are a lot of interesting things to see everyday if you are looking. Of course, there are a lot of pictures from the Chelsea and Midtown neighborhoods since this is where I work and live. I had fun doing this project. I enjoy taking photos and I was happy to be a little more creative last year. Now I have to come up with a fun way to show off all my work. 

Secondly, I wanted to finish my 12 in 2012 list. That didn't happen. Still working on it. I feel a little guilty about not completing my list. Seriously it's taken 2 years and I still have 4 1/3 things left. But then I don't feel so bad when I realize all that I did last year. I checked off a bunch of items, including something I didn't plan on. I started out 2013 with the intention of taking a year off from the marathon distance and try to qualify for Boston in 2014. However, events from April changed that and I finally checked off a goal that I've had since 2009. A few factors contributed to accomplishing this goal, but joining CPTC was probably the biggest one. Not only did I qualify for Boston, but I ran more miles than ever before and I got a personal record in 8 different race distances. Not too shabby. 

I decided to volunteer more a couple of years ago and I'm happy to say I volunteered on average once a week with Back on My Feet. Earlier this year I started questioning my commitment to the program though. Attendance was low in the winter months and I wasn't seeing a lot of motivation on the part of the res members. The volunteers, including myself, continued to dedicate our time and energy, but I feel like it wasn't doing much. The chapter I work with changed facilities and we saw an influx of members that were motivated to do something about their life. I had thought about putting my effort elsewhere, but am happy this change made a difference and I was able to continue my commitment. 

Obviously traveling was a great highlight this year. I checked off 2 new states--Oregon and South Carolina--and 1 new country--Turks & Caicos. These 3 travel highlights included a trip with family, a friend, and one on my own. A nice mix. I traveled for running (obviously) and for weddings, and many other reasons. 

I did a few new things too, like going to the opera and a jazz age festival. I completed the Super Bowl Polar Bear Plunge for the 3rd year in a row and will continue to make this an annual tradition. I went to museums, sporting events, concerts and snowboarded once. And I read a lot--not quite as much as I wanted, but still an average of almost 3 books a month. 

I spent a lot of time with family and friends this year. One big event was a Dusseau sibling (sorry not the half sisters) reunion on Nantucket. Unfortunately it was on the heels of losing my aunt, but it motivated me to make a last minute decision to spend time with those that matter. The last time my siblings were on Nantucket together was back in 1996. We have all lived there at some point, some of us temporary, others a bit more permanent (my brother still does). We decided to do a reunion and recreate a photo my aunt (other side of the family) had taken back in the early 90s. We all borrowed some Little Feat shirts and hit the beach. 

I don't usually talk about work, but the year ended better than it started and I hope for some good things in 2014. I switched accounts and am looking forward to a lot of hard work, but an accomplished year. 

There was a lot more that happened, but I'm writing a blog post, not a book. Now time to look forward to 2014. I've been thinking of a few things that I want to do this year. So here's goes. 

1. Finish my 12 in 2012 list

I still need to go on a blind date (or any date at this point), go to AC, go zip lining, go on a NYC bus (or boat) tour, and finish writing notes to people. I think I can accomplish this. I just need to focus.

2. Run faster

This year was meant to be a year off from the marathon, and I told myself that once I qualified for Boston, I'd take a year off before doing that race. Well I was so pleased with my race (under not so ideal conditions) that I want to do even better. I'd like to break 3:30 (and kind of secretly break 3:25). I had a lot of PRs this year, but one PR that I didn't break (I got close) was in the 10k. I'm actually not a huge fan of this distance. It's too short to get into a long-distance groove, but too long for when I want to just run fast. Based on some recent races, I should be able to set a PR in the 10k. I'm working on my 2014 race plan, but always welcome an improvement across the board. 

3. Read more

Last year I read less books than the previous year. I set a challenge to read 45 books this year. This is a lot and I have yet to do it (came close in 2012 and if I didn't download Candy Crush on my phone, I may have been closer in 2013). I've want to read a nice range across various genres. Right now I'm reading a thriller and a memoir. Looks like I'm off to a good start. 

4. Do something new

So I'm not sure what this is yet. But it will be something I haven't done before. Maybe zip line since that's on my list already. 

5. Visit 3 new states, 1 new country, and 1 new ballpark

I already have Louisiana planned. But I want 2 additional states in the books by the end of the year. I also want to put my shiny new passport to good use. If I'm lucky, I can kill two birds with one stone and catch a ball game somewhere new. The sky's the limit. 

6. Be more creative 

I worked towards this last year and want to continue. I finally bought a new sketchbook a few months ago. All my old sketchbooks are probably up in my dad's attic. So here's to sketching more and improving on my photography skills. 

I think this is a good start. Here's to 2014!