Movies better than books

I know I said in my book lovers problems post that movies are never better than books, but... sometimes they are, for various reasons. I have only come across a few, but I thought I would share them today.

North and South

You guys know I love this book / TV series but I forgive you if you forgot because I haven't mentioned it in so long, and for a bit there I was using that gif every day.

What this one that isn't even in the book? 

Anyway. The book is good, and I loved it, but yeah a little bit of me likes the TV series more. The book was written awkwardly because it was originally written as a weekly series, and there are parts that are excruciatingly boring and hard to get through, and the ending is kind of rushed and abrupt. But I still love it for what it is.

Stardust

The book and the movie have some similarities, but they are almost different enough to stand on their own. I saw the movie years ago and didn't even know it was a book - I read the book a few months ago, and while I really enjoyed it, I personally prefer the movie just a little.

Big Fish

I love this movie, and when I heard it was a book I couldn't believe I hadn't read it. But there's a reason it's not as well known. It's like the guy who made the movie made it into everything it could be, but the book fell flat. I was so disappointed because I really love the movie. I don't think I have ever said that about a Tim Burton movie, but there you go.

The Devil Wears Prada

When I found out this was a book, I went straight out and got it. It was the first time I ever remember thinking the movie was better than the book. I just didn't like the writing, and nothing can compete with Meryl Streep anyway.

Lord of the Rings

Just hear me out. I love LOTR. A lot. I have a freaking elvish tattoo on my neck, ok? But I think the movies made LOTR more accessible to the world, most people would not pick up the books as they can be quite daunting. Note: The Hobbit is not included.

Also, because I had the biggest crush on Viggo Mortenson when I discovered the movies. I mean, who else can open a door like this?

Atonement

If you haven't read or seen this, spoilers. An unhappy ending after a tragic chain of events for these characters, in both book and movie. While both left me feeling a little hollow in the end, I enjoyed the movie a bit more where the book fell flat.

Plus, I just love Keira and James.

The Notebook

I just prefer the movie. I enjoyed the book immensely, but I like the movie more. I mean, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were perfect, in my opinion.

All the Harry Potter movies

Just kidding, just kidding. Oh my gosh, kidding. 

I still think one should read the book before the movie, because it can help you understand the characters more. I don't even mind when movies have to cut things out, especially when I've already read the book because I feel like I know something that the rest of the audience doesn't. But sometimes the movie can be better than the book. Sometimes not necessarily better but perfectly acceptable works of art in their own right.

But most of the time, books are better.

Can you think of any movie you preferred over the book?

Why I love Yoga and wish I'd started years ago; TFT

I know yoga isn't for everyone, so if you don't feel like reading, feel free to skedaddle.

But if you're curious.. let me talk your ear off for a second.

I don't know what you think about yoga or people who do yoga, but I'll tell you what I thought:

Yoga is for the flexible. For the spiritual. For the vegans and for the people who don't want to do real exercise. For people who don't need to lose weight or who don't care about strength training. It's for people who like to meditate and care more about breathing than getting their heart rate up. It's for people who can afford lululemon and want to spend days away from civilisation on a retreat in the rainforest. It's for people who have never struggled to touch their toes and do nothing but yoga every damn day.

Let me apologise to all the yogis out there. What an ignorant idiot I was!

I haven't been doing yoga long, and it took me a long time to even accept that what I was doing was yoga, it was worth dedicating time to and it counted as exercise. I am so thankful that I finally took Alyssa's advice and started Erin Motz's 30 day yoga challenge.

Guess what? I am not flexible. I am not spiritual, or a vegan and yoga is real exercise. I do need to lose weight (in my opinion) and I never knew true strength training until I attempted crow pose. I don't meditate although it has 100% made me calmer and able to do my version of meditating. I've learned breathing is important, and so is getting my my heart rate up - which it does during yoga. I still can't afford lululemon and I don't think a retreat is for me, but probably for financial / time reasons than anything. I can barely touch my toes - but I'm closer than I was when I started and that is important. I don't do yoga every damn day, but I sure try.

A photo posted by Kristen (@seeyouinaporridge) on Apr 1, 2015 at 5:17pm PDT

Obviously, the title of this post gives it away - I do yoga regularly and I love it. If you really think it's not for you, I just want to know why. Are you like I was? Full of misconceptions? Do you stretch after a workout? Then you can do yoga. Yoga is more than glorified stretching, of course, but when I first started it helped me to view it as that. Just stretching.

The thing is, yoga is harder than it looks. But it's more rewarding than it looks as well.

A few weeks ago, I started doing planks and push ups at home again. I had taken so much time off that I stupidly did them with incorrect form and of course, my lower back started hurting after the first day. I hoped it would go away and kept doing the planks and push ups, and my lower back hurt even more. Rage (at myself) ensued. I was feeling so.. ugh. Blech. Mad at myself and my body for being so inept.

The next day, Alyssa just happened to be talking about lower back yoga (it's like she could read my mind!) and then we talked about it further so I had a plan to get rid of this pain. Now, I'm not trying to pretend I know real pain, but my lower back hurt. I couldn't bend down to pick something up, I couldn't even pick my cats up. Sitting hurt, standing hurt, tossing and turning in bed hurt. It was a constant throbbing pain. Ouch. So I went home that night, still mad at myself and feeling very un-yogi-like and did all the poses Alyssa told me to, twice, and ... waited. The pain will still there.

Screw you yoga, I wanted to say. Instead, I grabbed a tub of ice cream and turned on hug TV.

The next morning, I woke up and checked my emails and such. It wasn't until I saw the email from Alyssa telling me to let her know how it went that I remembered my back was supposed to be hurting. I forgot because it wasn't hurting. Boom. I jumped out of bed and twisted and turned and down dogged and all sorts of things to try and aggravate it. It was all but 98% gone. Because of a few poses and twists. Like, really? That is bloody brilliant.

I know I caused the pain myself, but it sure is handy to get rid of it myself as well.

A photo posted by Kristen (@seeyouinaporridge) on Apr 20, 2015 at 3:36pm PDT

I had a couple reasons why I didn't want to start yoga. 
1 - I already run and strength train, I did not have time for another exercise.
2 - I didn't need yoga. I couldn't see any benefit to starting. It certainly wouldn't help me lose weight.
3 - I couldn't even touch my toes which was probably a good indication of all the other things I wouldn't be able to do.. and I hate when I'm not good at something. I'm not the fastest runner but I can run. I'm not the strongest, but I can still squat with weights. I didn't want to try yoga because I knew I wouldn't be good at it.

If you don't want to do yoga, that's fine. I dig it. You might not have time for another exercise, like I thought I didn't. Do you have 5-10 minutes in the morning or before bed? It doesn't have to be all or nothing, you don't have to go to a studio class 5 times a week, you can do it all at home (read Alyssa's posts here and here about beginning a home practice). You don't have to wear lululemon - most of the time I do yoga in my pajamas.

You might think that you're fine without yoga in your life. You might be like me and simply didn't feel the need to - why, when you do other exercises? What benefit could yoga possibly bring to your life that running / barre / weight lifting / whatever doesn't? If your goal is weight loss, you might think yoga won't help. I didn't think yoga would bring anything to my life. But it did. It made me stronger, more flexible and it has helped me sleep better (a big deal for me). It's helped with my running, my strength training and it is a huge stress reducer. It's helped with any anxiety and other not so great thoughts I have sometimes. It's improved my posture, my self esteem, my mood and helps me make better choices in other areas of my life. It helps me focus, and ensures that I have dedicated relaxing time where I don't think about anything else going on. It has absolutely helped me lose weight. I don't have a lot to lose and overall it's not the scale I want to go down, but rather I want to feel good about myself and fit into my clothes. It has 100% helped with that.

You might think you won't be good at it. That's totally fine. I'm not. Just check my instagram. But seriously. You don't have to be good at it. You don't have to be as good as the person next to you, or on instagram, or in the video you're watching. You have to enjoy it and not hurt yourself. That's all that matters. Your practice is your practice. That's why I love it.

A photo posted by Kristen (@seeyouinaporridge) on Apr 13, 2015 at 3:09pm PDT

Linking up with Alyssa and Tracy for Training for Tuesday!

If I had known how much yoga would benefit multiple aspects of my life, I would have started it years ago. So that's why I want to share with you today. I never thought I would be someone who does yoga, I did not think it was for me. But it is, it's for everyone and anyone who wants to do it.

Do you yoga?

Nordstrom Giveaway

Happy Monday All! Hope you had a lovely weekend. We didn't do much, a soccer game with our friends, some Europe packing planning and some yoga. But I'm not here to talk about that, instead, we have a giveaway!

Up for grabs is a $150 Nordstrom gift card, a Harrods tote bag from Marie's recent travels abroad and a Lilly Pulitzer Pink beach towel from the LillyforTarget craze!

Jill from Capri+Co || Amanda from Meet @ the Barre || Helene from heleneinbetween || Biana from Blovedboston || Pamela from Sequins & Sea Breezes || Rachel from Small Town & City Lights || Kate from Life as Kate || Kristen from See You In a Porridge || Kay from The Kay Times|| Marie from Twin Living Blog

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you all have a great Monday!

Advantages of Travelling Solo

If you would like to see all my travel posts, including recaps, tips & recommendations and packing guides, please visit my travel page.

I don't know if I've ever shared this, but the first time I came to America, I went on my own. I met up with a group of people (strangers), but I was on my own for most of it. When I went to London with my Nana, I did all my sightseeing alone. 

It's been awhile since I've travelled on my own, but even if I catch a flight to Orlando to meet my mum, or to DC to meet Alyssa and Tracy, there is something amazing about travelling alone. I don't really have a desire to travel alone anymore, I have KC and I like to share things with him. But I am glad I did it because I feel like it really made me open up and learn more about myself.

Do what you want any old time. I got to choose what I wanted to do and see. I could wander into any shop I chose, enter any museum that looked interesting and walk straight back out when I was over it. I ate when and what I wanted, slept in late or woke up to see the sunrise.

Make new friends. I am pretty shy when I don’t know people. If I know you, you'd probably scoff at me calling myself shy because I’m loud and annoying. But at first, I’m shy. I was even worse before I travelled. I literally would find a corner, cross my arms and perfect my resting bitch face. But travelling alone made me open up. I had to talk to people. When I was on the trip around America, I was in a bus with like 13 strangers. I could find my corner, or I could talk to them. It’s amazing how fast you make friends in that situation, there is no time for slow friendships. You’re in them, fast. It was awesome. I still talk to some of those people. If I had travelled with a friend (like I was supposed to, but she bailed), I would have stuck with her and not made new friends. Sure, you try, but it won’t be the same. 

Imagine if you went to Italy on your own, with a friend who spoke the same language as you, but not Italian. How much Italian do you think you’ll try and speak? Imagine if you went on your own. What a different experience that would be. It feels natural to be outgoing when I travel, which I would have laughed at if you'd told me that beforehand. Even when I first came to Louisville in 2010, I knew only Megan and I met my other (now) best friends for the first time. I was so nervous. Megan ran up to the room to get something right as they arrived, and I wanted to hide behind someone so they didn't see me. But I smiled my biggest smile, waved and rushed towards them like I knew them. Now they love me (okay I love them too). It might not seem like the biggest deal, but it was for me.

Flexibility. When I travelled on my own, I did spend a lot of time with other people, but when I wanted to be alone, no-one noticed or cared. I didn’t have to report to anyone, I just grabbed a book and sat by the pool. I wandered around the campsite while they were all drinking. I went to a movie when they went shopping. I spent money without having to explain my purchases, I did things without having to ask or check with other people. It’s so freeing.

You will learn so much about yourself. Something I realised very early on in my London trip was that I was responsible for my own happiness. I was young, moody and very annoying (or so my Aunty tells me). I realised no-one was going to hold my hand and make me happy. I was on the other side of the world from the douche boyfriend and I realised I didn’t like him so much. The beauty of solo travel is time to be alone, time to reflect and time to test myself. I started to understand myself in ways I didn’t know was possible. When faced with a choice and no-one to make it but yourself and no-one holding you back, you’ll realise ‘hey, I don’t even like museums and I don’t have to go because no-one is making me’. Before London, I convinced myself I loved all museums because everyone else did. Truth is, I like the majority of museums (history! science!) but not all (art. sorry). That is okay. I also didn’t know how much I actually enjoy the company of just me. I kinda liked me.

“I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.” – Oscar Wilde

Confidence. My world became bigger when I took the risk of going to London and America on my own. I was scared. It might not seem like a big risk, but for me it was. I felt like I conquered my fears and because of that I felt more confident about any adventure my life had in store.

Eating well. I ate surprisingly healthy on my solo travels because I wasn’t tempted by other people’s choices.

Eating not so well. Ok so sometimes I want to indulge and be a fatty. Other people, especially KC, try and be all logical and stuff. No thank you, give me all the dessert!

Common sense. I thought I had the common sense thing down before my travels, but I did some pretty stupid things. I learned really quickly though, and I feel like I have a good head on my shoulders now. I got in some sticky situations because of my naivety that I luckily got out of, but looking back I could have been in serious trouble. I’m much more aware now when I travel on my own. Don’t do anything stupid, keep an eye on your stuff, and you’ll be good. 

That never happened. I don’t really want to share any examples here (but the above photo is from one of those times), but I am glad there are things that happened during those trips that no-one in my current life knows because they weren’t there. Ergo, it didn’t happen.

It’s an awesome sense of accomplishment. I walked over 500 steps to get to the top of St Paul’s Cathedral. It was beautiful. I stood up the top, taking photos and it hit me. I was in London. I was in London. Dream come true. I was on my own, and I was just fine. I was quite a dependent person so to realise this and feel that sense of accomplishment that hey, I could do anything (hey, that’s how I felt) was amazing. The feeling of figuring stuff out on your own in a totally foreign country – it’s indescribable. Whenever it happens, the feeling that comes with it is so completely incredible you might get a bit cocky and think there is nothing you can’t do.

  

No risk of going with a bad companion. I'm sure we've all been there. Halfway through a holiday or weekend and we want to wring the other person's neck. How many times have you had to compromise on something you want to do to avoid splitting up or a fight? How many times have you said ‘I’ll sit this outing out because I don’t feel well’ just to get a moment’s peace away from those people?

“It is better to travel alone than with a bad companion.”

Of course, there are plenty of disadvantages of travelling alone as well. You might think it’s not for you because you’re not outgoing and don’t want to make new friends. Believe me, if I can make new friends in a group of 13 people I have nothing in common with, or strangers in London I ended up spending the whole day with – so can you. If you don’t want to that’s fine, but why don’t you want to?

Start small. Go on a road trip an hour away. Wander around a close but not far away city. Go to the movies on your own. Go to a concert or a festival alone. Volunteer at a race on your own. Do things on your own. Don’t be afraid.

“Sometimes what you’re most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free.” - Robert Tew

I haven't done a lot of it, I certainly haven't backpacked around Europe on my own for a year, nor is it likely that I ever do that. But little travels? I can do that, and have. Whether it's a road trip to visit family, or a new place on your own, a short getaway just for yourself or an international trip - it doesn't have to be all or nothing. If you haven't travelled solo, I highly recommend it.

Have you ever travelled somewhere alone?

Earth Day; 20 things we can all do.

Did you know that today is Earth Day? I've been trying to make better, greener decisions in my every day life and I thought today was the perfect day to share.

Swap out your light bulbs. Why? Compact florescent light bulbs use less energy than regular old light bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to ten times longer. They also save money in energy costs - more than $30 in the lifetime of one bulb.

Plant a tree or flowers. With Arbor Day (April 27th) just around the corner from Earth Day (today!), this is your chance to practice planting a fruit tree or any other kind of tree! Trees remove CO2 from the air and help fight global warming. They produce oxygen, give us shade in the summer, and provide a home for your neighborhood birds.  Make it an annual family event and within a few years you may have enough shade to drastically reduce your home cooling costs and some tasty fruit to boot! You can also plant some flowers that are native to your area and plant them in your garden or on nature strips where plants are usually grown. Restoring the local plant life will help attract native bird life, pollinators and local mammals.

arbor day

Curb your junk mail and go paperless with your bills. I have just made sure all of our bills are now online – we don’t get any paper bills anymore. As for junk mail, this is a slower process but you use the pre-paid stamped envelope in your junk mail, write "please remove" on the envelope and send it back to them - on their dime. In the long run it helps everyone -- they don't have to pay for future mailings and you are no longer buried in piles of junk mail.

Turn off lights and unplug cell phone chargers. This one couldn't be simpler. It’s normally the first thing on the list – but take a look around, do you do it? Whilst writing this post I can see one unnecessary light on (my fault) and two chargers plugged in that aren't being used. Chargers use electricity even when electronic devices are not connected to them.

Try doing "conscious" laundry. Instead of saving those piles of laundry for your Saturday or Sunday afternoon, do it at night when energy costs are lower. During the warmer weather, I do my laundry during the day, hang them on a clothes horse and stick them outside. Every house at home has a clothesline out the back (a veranda out the front, and an old rocking chair) and I understand why it's not common here with the whole seasons thing, KC thinks they look tacky but I don't care. One day I will have one.

Fix plumbing issues. A faucet leaking just one drop per second wastes over 1,300 gallons per year! A leak from a hot water source wastes both water and fossil fuel, creating more greenhouse gasses. Most repairs to plumbing fixtures pay for themselves within just a year. Fix it.

Think Green When You Clean - Cleaning products that contain chlorine or petroleum distillates expose your family to toxins and then end up in the ecosystem. Choose nontoxic, naturally derived cleaning products, which are proven effective but won’t cause long term damage to the Earth.

Make sure your car is in tip top shape. Americans waste over 700 million gallons of gasoline each year just because tyres aren’t properly inflated. Millions more are wasted because our vehicles aren’t properly tuned up. Get her checked!

Meatless for dinner. Once a week, plan a meat alternative for dinner. Enjoy pasta with a marinara or Alfredo sauce, meatless burritos, or even black bean burgers. The United Nations have concluded that meat production is responsible for around 18% of global CO2 emissions. A ridiculous amount of water is used to produce a single pound of beef, and the EPA estimates that more than 27,000 miles of US Rivers have been polluted by livestock waste. Go meatless once a week and help conserve water.

Use a refillable water bottle. In the US alone, 1.5 million barrels of oil are used every year to make disposable plastic bottles.

Use fewer napkins. Napkins contribute to the annual destruction of 34 million trees. Try only using one next time. I definitely need to be better about this, and I would love to not use paper towel at home.

Walk, Hike, Ride a Bike, Carpool. If people in the U.S. would occasionally ride a bike for a short errand instead of driving a car, over 70 million gallons of fuel could be saved each year. And there’s the added benefit of enjoying the fresh air and exercise. KC and I used to walk to the grocery when we lived closer. Another great thing would be to get rid of your car completely – but obviously might not be possible for everyone, it’s not possible for us right now. Public transport is nonexistent here, and if we were a one car family, we’d waste ridiculously more gas. Cars have a tremendous impact on the environment, not to mention your personal finances. Vehicles in the United States use more gasoline each year than our oil industry produces. I would love to be a one car family one day, we’ll see!

Get rid of weeds with your hands. Herbicides aren’t the only way to control weeds, and they’re certainly not the most environment-friendly way. Invest in a good pair of gloves and garden tools, and remove weeds by hand. Also, choose natural alternatives to pesticides for getting rid of pests.

Reduce, Reuse Recycle. It’s more than just a slogan. You can start making the world a ‘greener’ place today: return hangers to the cleaners, donate clothing and computers to charities, pack lunches in reusable containers instead of bags, there are hundreds of easy things to do and though we all know it – do we actually do it? My reusable bags sit in the car almost every time I go to the grocery. I’m going to make a conscious effort to use them from now on. Most people recycle at home, but there are a shocking number of offices and workplaces that don't recycle. Including my own. Paper, plastic bottles, soda cans. I am going to get a waste basket for recycling and if I have to take it home each day and put it in my own bin, I will.

Adjust your thermostat. Up in the summer, down in the winter. While you’re at it, try and help me convince KC to turn it up some more in the summer.

Wash your car using a bucket rather than the hose. You might think this is a bit ridiculous, but you use less water. When we had water restrictions at home, this is what we had to do. Drive the car onto grass for cleaning, so that the water you do use also waters the grass. Every little bit counts.

Take shorter showers. Again, when we had water restrictions, we were encouraged to take shorter showers and you can buy shower heads that save water. I’m a pretty quick shower taker, but I take way too many baths and I need to curb that before I use the whole Atlantic Ocean.

Buy Local. Food sold in American supermarkets has to travel an average of 1,500 miles to get from the farm to your plate. Buying locally not only supports your local economy, but cuts out the massive amounts of energy used to store and transport the products across the world. Food isn't the only way to shop local: visit neighborhood thrift stores to reduce the pollution caused by the production and transportation of new clothing and other items.

Stop Using Plastic. There is no doubt that plastics are bad. Americans dispose of 10.5 million tons of plastic garbage every year, and about 8% of the world's annual oil production is used toward the creation of plastic products. A single plastic bottle can spend anywhere from 100 to 1000 years in a landfill, and while recycling plastics helps save up to 60% of the energy used to make new products, they are often "downcycled" which doesn't curb the demand for more plastic to be produced, and it does little to prevent plastics leeching cancer-causing chemicals. Thanks to our wasteful habits, we've created huge islands of plastics in both the Pacific and Atlantic, and we not only kill up to a million sea creatures every year with plastic, but also ingest toxins that have made their way up the food chain from this waste. 

Wow. If that doesn't make you stop using plastic....

Learn more about the environment. I think the most important thing we can all do is learn a little bit more about how we can help. Borrow some library books and read up on an issue such as pollution, endangered species, water shortages, recycling, and climate change.   Think about the issues that concern you the most and if you haven't done so already, join a local group that undertakes activities to help protect the environment in your area.

For other great ideas to make your life a little more green read Kathy’s post and Steph’s post. I'm always looking for more though - what do you do to help the environment?

ps. 300th post - wtf.

My 10 Favourite Authors

Today I am going to share my top 10 favourite authors.. to be honest, this was hard, but not because I couldn't narrow it down but because I struggled to find 10. I love books and I have lots of favourites, but I don't really have a ton of favourite authors that have written several of my favourite books. Does that make sense? If I really enjoyed a book, I will more than likely add the rest of the author's works to my list, but that list is 600 books and growing, so it takes me awhile to get around to them. But anyway, off the top of my head, as of right now - these are my favourite authors.

Jane Austen - well, I mean duh.

J.K. Rowling - well, I haven't read any of her others (yet) but HP is so amazing that she is automatically on this list.

Philippa Gregory - I haven't read all of her books, but I went through a phase where that's all I was reading. I can't remember exactly which ones I read and which ones I haven't as I read them all out of order, but one day I want to go back and read them all in order. Fun!

Paullina Simons - Love, love love love so many of her books. Except for a song in the daylight. No. I want to reread The Girl In Times Square to see if it's as good as I remember.

Jodi Picoult - even though I have only read 3 Picoult's, I know I can pick up one of her books and it will be well written, and I will enjoy it. So far, anyway. Hope she doesn't ruin that.

JoJo Moyes - same thing for Moyes as Picoult's. I have loved what I've read, can't wait to read more.

Charlaine Harris - KIND OF. I adored the Sookie Stackhouse books like you would not believe. The last 2 were pure trash and I hate Harris for doing that to me. Yes, to me. I loved the rest of the series so much. Good thing I found an alternate fan written ending to make up for it. 

Marissa Meyer - I just absolutely loved The Lunar Chronicles and can't wait for the last one. The last one will determine if she stays on this list, but I just think they were so well written, original, interesting and I just gobbled them up, and what more could you want? I hope they make it into a movie (or 4).

Janet Evanovich - I can always pick up one of her books and know it will be easy, light and enjoyable.

Abigail Reynolds - well, this isn't for everyone, but I know I can pick up a P&P variation written by Reynolds and I will enjoy it. I've given up on most variations, but I love hers.

Roald Dahl - I know, it's an odd one, but this is my childhood right here and I can always pick up one of his books and be transported back so fast I get whiplash.

Linking up with The Broke and The Bookish.

Who's your favourite author?

PS - Has anyone had to enter a captcha to comment? Please let me know because I have it turned off, and if it has somehow turned itself back on - RAGE!

Sunday Sweats Vol 4

This week was a bit lazy to be honest. I didn't go to the gym once. I only ran once. I yoga'd a bit. I need to find the balance. Again, no need to read these if they aren't your jam!

Monday: yoga (20 mins) + strength-ish workout (10 mins)
I didn't get to sleep until after midnight, so there was no gym going in the morning.

I decided to do something different when I got home and attempt this yoga for weight loss video - not because I want to lose weight (though I do), it just looked interesting. I only managed about half the video, it was a bit hard and I wasn't 100% feeling it. I was sweating a bit and almost face planted on my mat, it was super slippery. Not sure why, I never had that issue with my old mat. Sad face. Finished up with this video which deconstructed some harder poses and was very helpful.

Then I did 50 squats, 3 x 20 second planks and 15 push ups. Not sure whether to count these as strength workouts though, but why not. they are for a 30 day challenge thingy (pinned here). I am trying to do strength training more frequently even if it's just those 3 things. Can't hurt, right?

Tuesday: yoga (30 mins) + strength-ish workout (10 mins)
I didn't get up again but I'm not mad about it. I woke up to a slightly lower number on the scales and even though that shouldn't be my motivation, and it's really not I promise, it doesn't hurt.

Unfortunately, I had a shit day at work with shitty people and all around shit storms. I was looking forward to going home and relaxing, yoga-ing the stress away. Unfortunately my mood was crappy and though this instagram challenge has been fun it's certainly made me realise how unaware I was of how many poses I've been doing incorrectly. Adding to the crapometer scale for the day.

Oh well, the only way to get better is to practice! I did the hips & hamstrings video and then the yoga for hangovers video (really dig it). Then I did 55 squats, 3 x 20 second planks and 16 push ups.

Wednesday: yoga (20 mins) + strength-ish workout (10 mins)
My lower back is in a world of pain, thankfully Alyssa just happened to be talking about it on her blog today and sent me further info. When I got home, I did everything she told me to plus did 60 squats, 17 push ups and 3 x 30 second planks. My lower back was still sore after doing the lower back yoga again so I just moped around the house, stuffed my face and went to sleep.

Thursday: yoga (10 mins)
This morning I woke up and checked my phone like I always do. It wasn't until I saw an email from Alyssa that I remembered my lower back was supposed to be in pain.. the pain was completely gone. I jumped out of bed, twisted and turned, bent down, picked heavy things up trying to aggravate my lower back to see if the pain was still there (I'm so bright) and I could feel a slight twinge, but it's like 98% gone. This is why I love yoga (and Alyssa!). You'd think I'd just won a millon dollars I was so happy.

When I got home, I did the lower back yoga again to make sure this pain gets gone. My squat challenge was supposed to be a rest day so I decided to take the whole day off.

Friday: yoga (10 mins) + strength-ish workout (10 mins)
Today I did 18 push ups, 3 x 30 seconds planks and 70 squats. Then I did this easy abs for lazy people video, but didn't feel like doing much else, so.. I didn't.

Saturday: Ran 3 miles (9:48p/m) + strength-ish workout (10 mins)
Yeah, first run this week. Good job Kristen. I only felt like 3, so thats what I did. Then I did 19 push ups, 3 x 40 seconds planks and 75 squats. Zero yoga today.

Sunday: Yoga (75 mins) 
I finally went to my Sunday yoga class. It wasn't an easy class but I did enjoy it.. some parts not so much but nothing too bad. Unfortunately my brand new mat and I are not friends, no matter what I do, I slip and slide on that thing like it's a slip n slide. So disappointing. I also accidentally took the whole day off from my little challenges.

A photo posted by Kristen (@seeyouinaporridge) on Apr 18, 2015 at 12:30pm PDT

Totals

Yoga 6 /  165 minutes

Running 1 /  3 miles

Strength 5 but like little baby ones

Thoughts:

- Sweet running game this week Kristen.

- The yoga teacher was nice but she was a bit snarky. I'm hoping she just had an off day because she seemed to be well liked. It was also super busy and some girl hit my face with her feet 3 times. Plus she started snoring during the last pose, as you do...

Please let next week be better... It's all on you, Kristen!

A Reintroductory of sorts

Hey there, hi there ho there.. you're as welcome as can be! No? Ok. G'day mate? No.

I felt like doing a re-introductory of sorts. Because you know, why not.

If you are new here and you want to know what the heck See You In A Porridge even means, then please read this post.

Pretty much all you need to know about me is that I'm Aussie (pronounced Ozzie), I love to read, I love cats and milkshakes though not together, I run sometimes (because of the milkshakes) and I have an unhealthy obsession with Pride & Prejudice. I hate watching anything without subtitles, I'm a child when it comes to anything Disney and I really wish I could travel more, though I love the life I lead.

I'm 28. My birthday is the 12th of February. 12/02. I wish I had been born one day later because now when I write my birthday 'Australian' people think I am born on the 2nd of December. A lot of forms have been incorrectly filled out.

My uncle nicknamed me Woody Woodpecker because I was an unfortunate looking baby, and the rest of my family called me Daddy Long Legs because I have abnormally large awkward long hands.

I have two brothers. My older brother and I have never really gotten along. I love my younger brother more, and I'm allowed to say that because sisters can say that, parents can't. Plus my brothers don't read this blog. If they ever do.. just kidding Matt! My younger brother and I are the same age for 11 days. When I was younger I would let him 'be the boss' for those 11 days, but not really. We would tell people we were twins.

My mum is one of 4, one of whom lives in England (soon to be Spain), another is the Woody Woodpecker culprit and the youngest married an Italian (I promise this has a point). I spent a good chunk of my childhood with them and their Italian family, so I feel Italian even though I am not. That was always evident when my their Nonna would continue to shove lasagne in my 'skinny little mouth'. And yes that's how we spell lasagne. I don't have a dad. Family is life, but not all family is blood.

I followed 'my person' when she moved back home to KY, where I fell in love with a guy after spending only 4 days with him. I also met my other person. Then I married that guy (after we broke up for a spell) and now we live happily ever after with our cats, subtitles, books, pictureless blog posts and new email addresses (seeyouinaporridgeblog@gmail.com).

Nice to meet you. Share a weird fact about yourself?

Still blonde on the inside

I owned the shit out of being blonde back in the day. Every time I would say or do something stupid, I'd just laugh and blame it on my hair colour. Now that I have brown hair (and have had it for 3+ years) I have to find something else to blame this stuff on. Sometimes I even forget I was blonde, it looks so fake and weird in the photos, it's hard to believe it was natural for so long. Now I'm not saying blondes are stupid, obviously not. I know plenty of stupid people and their hair colour varies. I am saying that I have done some pretty stupid stuff, and I used to be blonde. I still do these things, so... guess it just comes naturally.

I always mix up my words. The other day, I said 'so-and-so from Stock Yards Phone is on the bank'.

Sometimes I just mix up the start of the words. The other day I asked KC 'are you still playing crivia track?' He laughed for a full minute before answering.

The other day, I got in my car, didn't start it immediately, locked the doors, did something on my phone and then went to start it. The 'alarm' started going off, which I had never heard before. I freaked out, naturally, got it to shut up and sheepishly backed out of the driveway. It was 6am, mind. Sorry neighbours. I told KC about it later, and he said 'you hit the panic button'. 'no I didn't!' I exclaimed, blushing because yep. That's probably exactly what I did, as I don't have an alarm. 

I walk into things a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Like the wall that has been in my Nana's unit for 30+ years and somehow I still walk into it every time I'm there.

I was on the back of a boy's bike when I was like 15, he was going really fast down a hill and I jumped off because I was scared. I just jumped off, and landed - didn't even try to keep moving. Needless to say, I was pretty roughed up and the road destroyed my pants. I tried to play it cool but I really just wanted to cry!

When KC asks me to pass him some fancy pants tool like a phillips head screwdriver and I say, 'is that the star head one?' I literally had to ask KC which one was the star screwdriver for me to write that

I always walk on the left. This leads to me walking into people all the live long day. Normally around corners.

I always say 'you too' at the wrong moments. Enjoy your pizza - you too! Oh, I mean...

When I do something silly, like walk into people, I get all silly and laugh really awkwardly and loudly. Not cute. Really high pitched and loud.

When I'm sitting minding my business and someone walks around the corner minding their own business and I gasp like they jumped and yelled boo. I'm pretty jumpy.

I always push instead of pull or pull instead of push. Sometimes I wait until someone else goes so I can see how they work the confusing contraption that is a door.

Sometimes I pull out on the other side of the road. Look, it's confusing, ok? Luckily there is normally a car coming at me for me to realise my mistake.

I always forget about turn on red right turns. People behind me normally let me know.

I feel really stupid when I go to a coffee shop and ask if I can have a non-coffee drink. Normally just strange looks at Starbucks and the like, but smaller shops can't do it and make me feel foolish for asking. You want a coffee drink without coffee? WHAT?!

I can't say specific without really pausing to think about it, otherwise it will come out as the dreaded pacific. I also can't say Wisconsin. 

I have avoided day 27 of the 30 day yoga challenge because I thought it used bands, like fitness bands.. I was like, well I don't have them so I can't do it. Nope it's for the IT bands. D'oh. Pretty sure I have those...

I remember the day I realised why it was called 'afternoon'. Because it happens after noon. I was way older than I should have been.

We have a chocolate bar at home called a crunchie. That's what we call 'blondes' with brown hair. Brown on the outside, blonde on the inside. That's me.

Now I want a crunchie. Yum.

Help me out, anyone else do equally stupid stuff?

Books Lately

Another book post! I am finally a bit caught up aka no longer technically 'behind schedule' with my reading challenge.. Which means I read a lot of books since the last post... Like, a shit ton. Actual unit of measurement right there. Because you asked, here they are:

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins - 4 Stars

So many people recommended this book, even though it didn't sound like my jam I had to give it a go. I think my expectations were like medium, not crazy high like with Gone Girl where the whole world was all about it, but just several people I know. If that makes sense. Either way, it took me a bit to get into, the switching POVs confused me. I didn't see 'it' coming and overall, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it. It's probably more like 4.5 stars, but still. Recommend, yes you should read.

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - 5 Stars

This has been on my list for years. It didn't grab me immediately but eventually I was hooked. It deals with some tough topics, it's no fairytale. I laughed, I cried like a bloody baby (who me?). The ending was great. Like, really great. The one thing I didn't like was sometimes he would explain words that were in a different language, and sometimes he wouldn't, so I would have no idea what he was talking about. After reading reviews, I feel like there is no middle of the road - you either love this book, or you really hate it. I loved it.

King Arthur and Her Knights Series - K.M. Shea - 4 Stars

I hate when I start a series and I don't know it isn't finished - there should be a warning label! So annoying. Now I have to wait for book 5 and I don't know if that'll even be the last one or not. I'm impatient. Anyway. They are light, easy reads. They aren't literary masterpieces but who really gives a damn. I enjoyed them. I think they are self published and I did notice some errors, but pretty good compared to others. Can't wait for book 5. I'm glad I read these before the fairytale ones, because they were good, but I enjoyed the fairytale ones way more and wouldn't have enjoyed these ones have much if I read them afterwards.

Timeless Fairy Tales Series - K.M. Shea - 4 Stars

Jenn recommended these and I signed up for a free trial of Kindle Unlimited to get them fo' free. I really, really, ridiculously, really enjoyed these books (except for the swans one). They are light, easy, fluffy reads. If you are a child trapped in an adult's body you will like these. Just kidding. They are romancey without being over the top and raunchy. They are clean, light, fun reads. I thoroughly enjoyed these. They lose a star because the errors that are inevitable with self published books take me out of the story, and because they aren't the most amazing books ever written. But, I think Shea is a great writer with a lot of potential and I really enjoyed these books (except for the swans one, so much so I had to tell you twice).

One Plus One - JoJo Moyes - 4 Stars

Oy vey with the switching POVs, authors, can you stop? This book took me a bit to get into, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I hesitate to give it 4 stars because it wasn't as good as Me Before You and definitely not as good as The Girl You Left Behind but I enjoyed it more than 3 stars, and it's really nothing like the other 2 so you can't really compare. I felt like I could relate to the characters in this book more than the others, and I loved them and stayed up late to finish the dang thing (this is why I don't read in bed). Overall, I think it was well written and Moyes is absolutely on my 'buy without reading the synopsis' list.

The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank 

I feel ashamed that I have never read this, and I feel silly giving it a star rating because I feel like I am saying it was written for our enjoyment, and it wasn't. I really don't have any words that haven't been said before. I strongly recommend reading this.

Atonement - Ian McEwan - 3 Stars

I read this in '07 and I remembered what happened, so I wasn't shocked.. but I remember how I felt the first time I read this or saw the movie. It's gut wrenching. It's like being coaxed on to a rug, a beautiful rug with all these beautiful words, and just when you start to relax, someone pulls the rug out from underneath you. It's a well written book, but if I can't have happy fairytales in my books, what's the point? I understand why people love it, I understand why people hate it. I'm in the middle. The start of the book is the most excruiciatingly boring beginning of a book I've ever encountered.

Someday, Someday, Maybe - Lauren Graham - 4 Stars

I think Graham did a great job on her first novel, it was funny, witty and interesting. I enjoyed it. I didn't like the ending, not because of something in particular but because it felt unfinished. I have never really read anything from the point of view of an actress, or an aspiring one, and it's hard to relate to something I would never do, but it was definitely interesting. I don't know if Lorelai's character is actually a lot of Lauren's personality and that's why it came through in the book, or if Lauren was trying to make her character more like Lorelai.  She was a bit thick sometimes though and never really seemed to learn anything or develop, and the story was a tad predictable. But I enjoyed it, and that's all you really need.

Fairest - Marissa Meyer - 4 stars

I absolutely devoured  the Lunar Chronicles including the short stories so I was excited to read this. This is the story of the villain, and I expected it to show us why she was the way she was, and maybe feel sorry for her. Kinda like Maleficent. I did feel sorry for her, but I also wanted to smack her upside the head. She was so delusional and stupid, and she did some seriously effed up shit. Yes, she was also treated like crap, but we all have choices and she continually made the wrong ones (obviously, hence being the villain) so she deserves everything she gets and I don't pity her. I enjoyed it enough, and overall I absolutely recommend the series as a whole, but wait until November for Winter.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee - 5 Stars

I am pretty sure I read this in high school. It wasn't mandatory reading like I think it is here. Either way, I didn't remember it at all so it was like reading for the first time. It took me a bit to get into and I can understand how people might get bored and give up, but I'm glad I didn't. I wasn't expecting to love it, but I did. I don't know what else to say about it that hasn't already been said (a bazillion times) so I'll just say SO GOOD, so good, so good.

This is Where I Leave You - Jonathan Tropper - 4 Stars

I never read reviews before I read a book for fear of spoilers, so the first thing I do after I finish a book is read reviews. I want to see what other people thought, if I missed something or whatever. Sometimes the reviews make me rethink my opinion, which I hate, so I stop reading them so they don't change my mind but the damage has been done. I really enjoyed this book. I don't know why, I just felt like it was interesting and I kept turning the page. I read it in a few hours; free time à la airports and flights. It wasn't the most amazing book I'd ever read, but I did enjoy it. I felt like it was quite real. Other people didn't agree, and it made me recognise some of the flaws I'd missed. But I enjoyed it, so there. That's where I'm leaving it.

An Uncertain Choice - Jody Hedlund- 3 Stars

I don't know what was up with my copy (from netgalley) but it was seriously all over the place! Like say there are 10 lines and it should go 1-10 but it really went 2-3, 5-10, 1, 4-5. So messed up and out of order. Like wtf?! After a chapter or two I figured out how to read it all jumbled up but it was ridiculously annoying. No one else mentions this though, so was it just me? Whatever. I feel like because it was told in different POVs it was obvious who'd be chosen. My copy didn't tell me it was a different POV or who it was so I was so confused at first but eventually I figured it out. Overall it was a cute book and I enjoyed it but it definitely could have been better. Maybe the formatting just left a sour taste in my mouth. The cover is fabulous though, definitely made me want to read it. 

At the Water's Edge - Sara Gruen - 4 Stars

I was so excited to read this book. I loved Water for Elephants, though it's been years. It took me a bit to get into this book, the characters were really unlikable at first and the story seemed pointless. But of course it got better.  I don't really dig when authors use other languages and don't explain it - I mean I get that it adds to the story but um, whatcha sayin?? I felt like parts of the book did not pertain to the story and made my eyes glaze over. Other parts I gobbled up like a fat kid (or myself) eats cake. Oh and yeah there's parts about the Loch Ness monster, interesting, interesting.. Overall I read it in like 24 hours so obviously I really enjoyed it and. I definitely recommend. I got this book from Netgalley.






Lets see, I also read Around the World in Eighty Days, Bared to You, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Selection Series Novellas (The Prince, The Guard & The Queen), The Witches (yes I'm a child) and finally finished City of Lost Souls, none of which I really felt like reviewing which is basically review enough.

Skimmers, I would recommend everything. Haha. Except maybe An Uncertain Choice, Atonement and the K.M. Shea books - I enjoyed them but I think you have to be a certain type of person / reader to like those books.

Linking up with Steph and Jana but of course.

I feel like my rating system is weird. In terms of enjoyment, I enjoyed At the Water's Edge and the K.M Shea fairytale books more than The Kite Runner, but I rated them less. Sense I do not make.

I learned something interesting when I was browsing K.M Shea's website; it's really difficult for writers to update their self published books on Amazon, the update policy is apparently really crazy and unless there are significant changes, they won't approve it. Also, if you buy a book and don't read it for a year (that never happens!) and it is updated between buying it and reading it, you don't get the updated version, so the errors you see might already be fixed. Anyway, food for thought next time you (or I) read a kindle full of errors.

Read anything decent or awful lately?