I'd heard a lot of things about this book for years. I always thought it wouldn't interest me because I don't know a thing about economics and I'm more of a autobigraphy/fiction book reader. For whatever reason, I decided that I'd give it a try and it turns out that I really enjoyed the book.
The authors write the material in a way that keeps me engaged and entertained. There is no text book reading here. They take seemingly random and awkward questions and answer them in an "economists" way. From their perspective, although at first glance it may seem skewed, all questions can be answered in relation to how it affects the economy.
One of the questions that they got a lot of negative publicity was "What caused the drop in crime in the late 90's-00's?" And basically, in a very short form answer, they said the drop in crime was due to the fact that Roe vs. Wade was passed in the 70's so people who previously were not getting abortions because it was expensive and illegal, were now having them at an alarming rate. They also stated that statistically, criminals tend to be of the Hispanic and African American nationalities, so once abortion became a viable option for these women, they aborted the fetuses that statistically would grow up to be criminals. When the 90's came around, there were less people in their 20's to become criminals.
That is a very brief taste of the book. All in all, I really enjoyed it and may even add the next one in the series, Superfreakonomics to my book list.
Live. Laugh. Love.
6.04.2010
State Visit Progress
Goal #60 is Visit all 50 states. As of the last post about this goal, I've visited yet another state. I went to Seattle to visit Joey. I had a great time! It was an actual vacation filled with eating, drinking and video games. There were so many trees! And of course it rained. Which I expected and was prepared for!
1. California - Obviously I live here
2. Oregon - most recently went for work
3. Nevada - Las Vegas
4. Texas - visiting family
5. Maryland - senior trip
6. Florida - went for work
7. Arizona - went for work
8. New Mexico - went for work
9. Georgia - went for work
10. New Jersey - went for work
11. New York - went to visit friends
12. Washington - Vacation to visit Joey
We saw the Space Needle, but I wasn't convinced to pay the expensive fee to go to the top. I thought the weather was to crappy and I was gonna be pissed if I paid for it and couldn't see anything. We went to the original Starbucks. We ate at a ton of yummy places as you can see by the pictures. Those were the best pancakes I've ever had.
1. California - Obviously I live here
2. Oregon - most recently went for work
3. Nevada - Las Vegas
4. Texas - visiting family
5. Maryland - senior trip
6. Florida - went for work
7. Arizona - went for work
8. New Mexico - went for work
9. Georgia - went for work
10. New Jersey - went for work
11. New York - went to visit friends
12. Washington - Vacation to visit Joey
We saw the Space Needle, but I wasn't convinced to pay the expensive fee to go to the top. I thought the weather was to crappy and I was gonna be pissed if I paid for it and couldn't see anything. We went to the original Starbucks. We ate at a ton of yummy places as you can see by the pictures. Those were the best pancakes I've ever had.
Live. Laugh. Love.
4.15.2010
Goal # 70 - Book # 3 - Look Me In The Eye - By John Elder Robison
My book for the month of March was called Look Me In The Eye by John Elder Robison. I was especially excited to read this book because it was a sort of autobiography of John's life with Aspergers. I have some experience with children on the Autism spectrum and I've always found Aspergers to be particularly interesting. Although Aspergers is a form of Autism, it manifests itself more in social awkwardness, rather than typical autism traits such as hand flapping, movie speak etc.
The book starts when John is just a small boy and it explains how everyone in his life just thought he was a bad kid, not paying attention. People told him he was rude and inconsiderate of others and that he would amount to nothing. In actuality, he has Aspergers, but Aspergers had not been identified as a condition until he was in his 30's and John didn't get diagnosed until he was in his 40's.
The book is written with a bit of dark humour behind it because he tells stories about things he did as a child from his perspective and he justaposes it with the way "typical" people would see the same situation, therefore, making a distinction between the two.
He delves into his family life, which was a family with tons of it's own issues. He dropped out of highschool at around 15 and through a series of events, started working for KISS designing the guitars used on tour. It turns out, John had a innate ability for all things sound and tech related. He couldn't relate to people, but when it came to these things, he was King.
Although the book was not laugh out loud funny, I did find John's writing to be quite humorous. I kept comparing the way he describes his interactions and thoughts with those of other children I know who have Aspergers. The similarities are eery.
It was a great read and also enlightening in regards to what I already know about Aspergers.
Live. Laugh. Love.
The book starts when John is just a small boy and it explains how everyone in his life just thought he was a bad kid, not paying attention. People told him he was rude and inconsiderate of others and that he would amount to nothing. In actuality, he has Aspergers, but Aspergers had not been identified as a condition until he was in his 30's and John didn't get diagnosed until he was in his 40's.
The book is written with a bit of dark humour behind it because he tells stories about things he did as a child from his perspective and he justaposes it with the way "typical" people would see the same situation, therefore, making a distinction between the two.
He delves into his family life, which was a family with tons of it's own issues. He dropped out of highschool at around 15 and through a series of events, started working for KISS designing the guitars used on tour. It turns out, John had a innate ability for all things sound and tech related. He couldn't relate to people, but when it came to these things, he was King.
Although the book was not laugh out loud funny, I did find John's writing to be quite humorous. I kept comparing the way he describes his interactions and thoughts with those of other children I know who have Aspergers. The similarities are eery.
It was a great read and also enlightening in regards to what I already know about Aspergers.
Live. Laugh. Love.
Goal #70 - Book #2 - Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
So the book that I chose to read for February was Precious. I never saw the movie even though it's garnered lots of praise, including several Academy Awards. I just didn't think I was up for such intense subject matter.
The book deals with teen pregnancy, abuse, incest, rape...you name it, it's in there. It's a really short book, only about 180 or so pages and yet, it took me the entire month of February to read. I found the story extremely compelling and I was rooting for Precious the whole time, however I just couldn't handle the subject matter sometimes.
I frequently put down the book mid chapter, which I personally hate to do as it messes with my comprehension of the story.
Another thing I found disconcerting about the book was the way it was written. The book is written in the manner in which Precious thinks and talks so most of the book is not spelled correctly and frequently misuses grammer. It took a while to get used to, but eventually you get the hang of what Precious is saying.
It was a long month, but I finished the book with one day left to spare. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to seeing the movie so that I can compare the stories and the characters.
Live. Laugh. Love.
The book deals with teen pregnancy, abuse, incest, rape...you name it, it's in there. It's a really short book, only about 180 or so pages and yet, it took me the entire month of February to read. I found the story extremely compelling and I was rooting for Precious the whole time, however I just couldn't handle the subject matter sometimes.
I frequently put down the book mid chapter, which I personally hate to do as it messes with my comprehension of the story.
Another thing I found disconcerting about the book was the way it was written. The book is written in the manner in which Precious thinks and talks so most of the book is not spelled correctly and frequently misuses grammer. It took a while to get used to, but eventually you get the hang of what Precious is saying.
It was a long month, but I finished the book with one day left to spare. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to seeing the movie so that I can compare the stories and the characters.
Live. Laugh. Love.
2.04.2010
Goal #70 - Book #1 - The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything by Melissa Kirsch
The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything by Melissa Kirsch was the book I decided to read in January as part of my 12 books in 1 year goal. It was given to me as a gift for Christmas by my friend Juli.
I enjoyed the book because it divided "life for a 20 something" into categories such as relationships, health, family, friendships, fashion, religion etc. Kirsch was funny yet informative when she wrote. I thought it was going to be mostly funny anecdotes without any actual information, but it turns out I got a lot out of the book, while also laughing.
Some of the topics particularly interesting to me were the ones regarding friendship, money, love and home.
The friend chapter talked about how to differentiate your different friends and realize that friends you were once close with, may for whatever reason, not fit into your life anymore. Admitting that people grow and mature out of their high school mind frames was also a key topic I liked. You have tiers of friends, whether consciously or subconsciously and you need to know where these people fit and tend to them accordingly so as to not drop the ball on a friendship that is very important to you.
The home chapter had tips and tricks for around the house things, such as super easy recipes and quick fixes for things in the home. It acknowledged that 20+ year olds do not have a lot of money and therefore have to be creative.
The money chapter was a big one for me because I have none and it is a constant source of stress for me. It talked about how to start an IRA, which is something I'm desperately trying to do. It also broke down in very basic steps, how to buy a house, another endeavour I would like to accomplish. It talked about budgeting which I am always working towards, yet have not mastered yet.
The love chapter was nothing new or spectacular, yet it's always refreshing to read empowering "Love isn't everything, you don't HAVE to have a boyfriend, keep your standards high" type of chapters. And that is exactly what it was. And I loved it.
Overall, it was a great book and I'm glad it was the first one I chose to read at the start of this new year. I'm already half way through my 2nd/February book and I also am loving it.
Live. Laugh. Love.
I enjoyed the book because it divided "life for a 20 something" into categories such as relationships, health, family, friendships, fashion, religion etc. Kirsch was funny yet informative when she wrote. I thought it was going to be mostly funny anecdotes without any actual information, but it turns out I got a lot out of the book, while also laughing.
Some of the topics particularly interesting to me were the ones regarding friendship, money, love and home.
The friend chapter talked about how to differentiate your different friends and realize that friends you were once close with, may for whatever reason, not fit into your life anymore. Admitting that people grow and mature out of their high school mind frames was also a key topic I liked. You have tiers of friends, whether consciously or subconsciously and you need to know where these people fit and tend to them accordingly so as to not drop the ball on a friendship that is very important to you.
The home chapter had tips and tricks for around the house things, such as super easy recipes and quick fixes for things in the home. It acknowledged that 20+ year olds do not have a lot of money and therefore have to be creative.
The money chapter was a big one for me because I have none and it is a constant source of stress for me. It talked about how to start an IRA, which is something I'm desperately trying to do. It also broke down in very basic steps, how to buy a house, another endeavour I would like to accomplish. It talked about budgeting which I am always working towards, yet have not mastered yet.
The love chapter was nothing new or spectacular, yet it's always refreshing to read empowering "Love isn't everything, you don't HAVE to have a boyfriend, keep your standards high" type of chapters. And that is exactly what it was. And I loved it.
Overall, it was a great book and I'm glad it was the first one I chose to read at the start of this new year. I'm already half way through my 2nd/February book and I also am loving it.
Live. Laugh. Love.
1.04.2010
Goal #70 - Read 12 books in 1 year
Now most people would look at this goal and say big deal, 12 books in 365 days is nothing. However, for the average, busy, multi job having American, it just isn't possible. It's a shame too because I really do like to read. Before I hit high school and college, I read all the time. Then when I was forced to read books I wasn't interested in, I couldn't stand reading. Now that I am past that whole school part of my life, I am starting to remember that I once enjoyed it. Reading makes you more educated and interesting. It's also a nice break from my damn DVR.
So I decided to coincide this goal with the start of the new year. 2010 will be the year that I read 12 books. Now, I don't have to stop at 12 books if I happen to zip through them, but I wanted to keep the goal realistic for me so as to not have any avoidance issues or feelings that it was a year long homework assignment. Lucky for me that my friend Juli gave me the perfect book for Christmas to start the list off.
Book #1 - The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything by Melissa Kirsch
Once I finish the book, I will give a full book report of sorts. But I can tell you this. So far, I'm really enjoying the book because it has all sorts of information in it, most of which I've been asking myself about lately since I've hit this new "adult" phase. Things like,
How do I open a Roth IRA? or
What vitamins should I be taking to be my best? or
What's the first step in buying a house? or
How do I stop being friends with people from my past that I'm only friends with because of our past?
All very important info put forth in an entertaining fashion.
Live. Laugh. Love.
So I decided to coincide this goal with the start of the new year. 2010 will be the year that I read 12 books. Now, I don't have to stop at 12 books if I happen to zip through them, but I wanted to keep the goal realistic for me so as to not have any avoidance issues or feelings that it was a year long homework assignment. Lucky for me that my friend Juli gave me the perfect book for Christmas to start the list off.
Book #1 - The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything by Melissa Kirsch
Once I finish the book, I will give a full book report of sorts. But I can tell you this. So far, I'm really enjoying the book because it has all sorts of information in it, most of which I've been asking myself about lately since I've hit this new "adult" phase. Things like,
How do I open a Roth IRA? or
What vitamins should I be taking to be my best? or
What's the first step in buying a house? or
How do I stop being friends with people from my past that I'm only friends with because of our past?
All very important info put forth in an entertaining fashion.
Live. Laugh. Love.
State visit progress update
Goal #60 is Visit all 50 states. I'm essentially adding onto the last post regarding this exact subject because since 10/3/09, I've been to 2 more states. Go me! One was really awesome and the other was not. I'll leave you to decide which was which. :) Wouldn't want to offend anyone from either state.
1. California - Obviously I live here
2. Oregon - most recently went for work
3. Nevada - Las Vegas
4. Texas - visiting family
5. Maryland - senior trip
6. Florida - went for work
7. Arizona - went for work
8. New Mexico - went for work
9. Georgia - went for work
10. New Jersey - went for work
11. New York - went to visit friends
As of 1/4/10
1. California - Obviously I live here
2. Oregon - most recently went for work
3. Nevada - Las Vegas
4. Texas - visiting family
5. Maryland - senior trip
6. Florida - went for work
7. Arizona - went for work
8. New Mexico - went for work
9. Georgia - went for work
10. New Jersey - went for work
11. New York - went to visit friends
As of 1/4/10
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