Skip to main content

294th New Thing - Read Wild

I finished reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed in bed last night. It released March 20, 2012 and is an Oprah's Book Club 2.0 selection. It was #1 on August 3rd's The New York Times best-seller list in nonfiction. This is a memoir that takes places in the 90's. It is the story of an 1,100 mile solo hike that broke down a young woman and built her back up again. At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she'd lost everything when her mother died young of cancer. Her family scattered in their grief, her marriage was soon destroyed, and slowly her life spun out of control. 4 years after her mother's death, Strayed decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from the Mojave Desert through CA and OR to WA and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker. But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone. She faces rattlesnakes and black bears, intense heat and record snowfalls, and both the beauty and intense loneliness of the trail. Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her. I enjoyed the book. After undergrad school, I was interested in hiking the Appalachian Trial (AT) a little while since my co-worker's daughter did it. Both stories were inspirational. It took me about 3 week to read and I gave it a 4 out of 5 on Goodreads.

What did you do today?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eating My Way Thru NOLA - Day 2

NOLA  - October 2018 Café Du Monde (800 Decatur St, New Orleans LA 70116) - Café Au Lait and Beignets, only a 10 minute wait with some live music and well worth it! Commander’s Palace (1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans LA 70130) - Soups 1-1-1 (Turtle Soup, Creole Gumbo du Jour, Soup du Jour), Commander's Crisp Romaine Salad, and Creole Tostada; and, of course, a 25¢ Martini (does it really matter what kind!). No wait for lunch today. All of it was delish and worth the dress code.  Pat O'Brien's (624 Bourbon St, New Orleans LA 70130) - World Famous Hurricane! Antoine's Restaurant (713 St Louis St, New Orleans LA 70130) - Oysters Rockefeller - baked on the half shell with the original Rockefeller sauce created by Antoine's in 1889. Central Grocery & Deli (923 Decatur St, New Orleans LA 70116) - The Original Muffuletta Sandwich on a 9″ round Sicilian sesame loaf stuffed with ham, salami, provolone, and olive salad filled...

39th New Thing – Donated $1 to Books For Africa

I read an Oprah.com article, 16 Ways to Make an Incredible Impact With Less Than $15 , recently about 16 different organizations you can donate to for as low as a $1 donation or up to a $15. Since it is the holiday season of giving, I decided to donate $1 to Books For Africa . Supposedly $1 will provide 2 books shipped to a classroom in Africa. Access to an education is one of the only opportunities young people have to end the cycle of poverty and attain a better quality of life than previous generations. Books For Africa works to help children who otherwise would not attend school by supplying educational materials to reduce or eliminate education costs. In the wake of Wyclef's accusations (1/3 of $16 million raised went to the charity), I was a little leery of donating but if Oprah says it is a reliable organization, it must be! What did you do today?

Eating My Way Thru NOLA - Day 3

NOLA  - October 2018 PJ's Coffee  (5432 Magazine St, New Orleans LA 70115) - Goal was The King Cake Protein Velvet Ice but apparently that was only seasonal around Mardi Gras. So I got a PJ's Original Cold Brew Iced Coffee instead. A chain but good stuff. Royal House (441 Royal St, New Orleans LA 70130) - Crawfish Benedict with a side of grits was very tasty. Parran’s Po-Boys & Restaurant (3939 Veterans Blvd, Metairie LA 70002) - Seafood Trifecta (1/3 fried shrimp sandwich, 1/3 fried oyster sandwich, 1/3 fried catfish sandwich *best*) dressed (mayo, lettuce, tomato). Chilly's Snoballs (3940 Veterans Memorial Blvd, Metairie LA 70006) - Sampled a few and then ordered 8oz Douberge and 8oz Wedding Cake from the drive-thru. Toups Meatery (845 N Carrollton Ave, New Orleans LA 70119) - Boudin Balls to go Mother's Restaurant (401 Poydras St, New Orleans LA 70130) - Ham, Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice Other snacks ...