Expected, Ideal, Reality

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a-thread Picks

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I always approach giveaways and sweepstakes with a grain of salt because so many people enter. But I also figure that, statistically, if I just keep plugging away, eventually something will come of these entries. And earlier this week it did: I won The Clothes Horse 's a-thread giveaway! So now I have $75 to spend in their online shop, and I have no idea what to get. Below are some of my favorites: Fierce Floral Shift Dress ,  Scallop Print Dress ,  Lace Swing Dress ,  Big Floral Surplice Dress ,  Brooklyn Chambray Blazer ,  Splat Dot Racerback Blouse ,  Woven Peplum Top in Maroon/Orange ,  Silk Stripes and Flowers Blouse I can't decide if I should opt for the less expensive items so I can get more than one, or if I should go ahead and blow it all on one piece. At the end of a hard week, this is one tough decision that's nice to make.
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2012 Review of Literature, Part 1

2012 was one of the first long periods where nothing I read was required -- no book lists, thesis bibliographies, or courses to answer to. So I decided to go in as many directions as possible, finally reaching for books I said I'd read just not now and digging into new authors I'd never considered (and on more than one occasion, running out the door for the bus and yelling, "I'm running late! Christopher, toss me something to read quick !"). My only real guidelines, though were 1) books I'd never read before, 2) no two books by the same author within the year, and 3) make an effort to try authors/genres/styles I'd never tried. And the results were all over the place but really satisfying. (My only real regret is not writing down my reactions as I went. As such, the reviews get more detailed the further down the list.) So here, in chronological order, is part 1: Crime and Punishment , Fyodor Dostoyevsky I actually read most of this in autumn 2011 a
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Not even hindsight is 20/20 right now.

I worry about a lot of things. It's easy for me to believe that everything happens the way it's supposed to for other people, but when it comes to my own life I'm plagued by all the little what-ifs. Did I make the right choice taking time off after grad school? The free time I thought I'd have without classes has turned into a string of endless, numbered days. Work leaves me too exhausted and drained to make much of my evening hours, especially after cooking dinner, cleaning, and preparing for the next day. It's somehow duller, lonelier, and more leeching than the schoolwork that sent me looking for a break in the first place. Should I have studied music in grad school or even gone to grad school straight out of college at all? As hard as I worked for the degree, it does little for me other than acting as a stepping stone if I ever go back for a doctorate. Maybe another major or an internship or an entry-level job would have been a better post-college choice? It
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