My Favorite Souvenir by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland (Notes)

◆ Chapter 4

▪ So many times in life, we just keep going because we feel like the whole world will crumble if we stop moving at a pace like the Energizer bunny. But that’s not necessarily how we were meant to operate.

◆ Chapter 5

▪ Maddie was clearly not the type of girl you messed around with, despite her alleged desire to be more impulsive. Women give off signals, and from the very beginning, I knew she wasn’t the type you have a one-night stand with. She was far too complex. And far too...special.

◆ Chapter 6

▪ She seemed to channel fear into excitement, and it had an exhilarating influence on me.

▪ If it were up to me, I’d never have clicked into a binding again, but she’d inspired me to turn the bad memories into new, good ones.

▪ Some Kind of Wonderful’ by Grand Funk Railroad.”

▪ Some people had a bad tone, some people couldn’t hold a tune, and others just had no rhythm when they sang. Poor Mads was afflicted with all three.

◆ Chapter 7

▪ Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,

▪ song ‘Do You Know the Way to Santa Fe’,” I told Milo.

“I believe it’s San Jose.” He glanced over at me. “Do you know the way to San Jose…”

◆ Chapter 12

▪ Lenny Kravitz’s “I’ll Be Waiting

▪ To me, singing is an opportunity to say all the things most of us are too chicken shit to spout off in real life. Words are all puzzle pieces, and music clicks them into place to show the big picture.

◆ Chapter 16

▪ I couldn’t remember the last time Brady had said something like that—expressed a need for me in such a way. It was definitely a turn-on to be wanted. I knew he wasn’t lying; I could tell from the look in his eyes. It was interesting how much more attractive I seemed to be now that I was somewhat unavailable.

◆ Chapter 17

▪ If you’re in love with her, go for it. You don’t always get a second chance.”

◆ Chapter 18

▪ Ultimately, I had to remember it was my responsibility to find happiness for myself—whether that meant a career change or somehow finding my way to the right decision about my life partner. Ugh.

▪ Almost Lover’ by A Fine Frenzy.”

▪ It was about saying goodbye to an unrequited love. It was haunting and beautiful all at once, and I was one-hundred-percent sure he was singing it to me.

◆ Chapter 19

▪ By the time you come to your senses, sometimes it’s too late. Now, I’m not telling you to do wrong by your friend. But it doesn’t sound to me like this guy knows exactly what he wants, either. I get you not wanting to betray him. It’s not my place to tell you what to do one way or the other. But in the end, you fell for this woman without realizing who she was, not even knowing her name. You can’t help that you fell, and you didn’t do anything wrong. But the most important thing here is not what you or he wants. The question is…what does she want? Do you know?”

▪ Here’s the thing. If you want to be with her, and she wants to be with you—well, that’s two out of three. I get that your friend would be hurt, but it wouldn’t be fair to him if the woman he claims to care about really wants to be with his friend, either. People can’t change how they feel. I think you need to figure out what she wants and take it from there.”

◆ Chapter 20

▪ Brady had never been philosophical, but he did have a point. If you’re truly in love with someone, your heart should be full, and there wouldn’t be room to let another person in.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone you love is give them the space they need. Although it’s also the most difficult thing you can do.”

Life is too short to waste it with people you’re not passionate about or doing something you’re not passionate about.

When you’re with the person you’re supposed to be with, every day is like an adventure. We didn’t need to always travel the country to feel fulfilled. Just being together—hanging at the local coffeehouses or playing with our cats—made us happy.

jaded and tyed penelope ward

dry spell vi keeland

  

 Other Books by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland

Park Avenue Player

Stuck-Up Suit

Cocky Bastard

Playboy Pilot

Mister Moneybags

British Bedmate

Rebel Heir

Rebel Heart

Hate Notes

Dirty Letters

Other Books by Penelope Ward

 

Just One Year

The Day He Came Back

When August Ends

Love Online

Gentleman Nine

Drunk Dial

Mack Daddy

RoomHate

Stepbrother Dearest

Neighbor Dearest

Jaded and Tyed (A novelette)

Sins of Sevin

Jake Undone (Jake #1)

Jake Understood (Jake #2)

My Skylar

Gemini

 Other Books by Vi Keeland

 

Inappropriate

All Grown Up

We Shouldn’t

The Naked Truth

Sex, Not Love

Beautiful Mistake

Egomaniac

Bossman

The Baller

Left Behind (A Young Adult Novel)

Beat

Throb

Worth the Fight

Worth the Chance

Worth Forgiving

Belong to You

Made for You

First Thing I See

Faux Beau by Marina Adair (Notes)

◆ Chapter One
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Try on something new.
▪ Except Milly wasn’t a quitter. Something she’d learned growing up with an independent, impulsive, don’t-take-crap-from-anyone older sister, who never walked away from an adventure and never gave up when things seemed impossible
◆ Chapter Two
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Bucket list: Fill it with beer. Drink it.
▪ It wasn’t the first time Cindy had been too caught up in her addiction to play doting parent, but it was the first time Jax was given a safety net. And that’s what the Carmichael family represented to him, a safe place to land—no matter how bad the storm—even if the blizzard was a result of Jax’s rebellious side. Peggy and Kent had taken a chance on two kids who would have otherwise fallen through the cracks, and given them a home and more love than Jax felt he deserved.
◆ Chapter Three
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Keep moving forward.
◆ Chapter Four
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Always opt for lace over cotton.
◆ Chapter Five
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Without a bucket you can’t score.
▪ “Is that what tonight’s about? Fun?”
“Yes. And taking life by the balls.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Take life by the balls?”
“It’s kind of Zoe’s philosophy on life. When she got sick, she made me promise to do things that scared me, made me feel alive. We talked about things we wanted to do, places we wanted to visit, but we never got that far. She’s been gone four months already, so I have some catching up to do. So, will you come home with me?”
◆ Chapter Seven
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Claim that morning-after
crown proudly.
◆ Chapter Eight
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Get through today.
◆ Chapter Nine
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Do something that scares you.
▪ “I think that’s the problem,” she said honestly. “I don’t know what makes me happy anymore. The things I used to want seem silly now and the things that used to be important seem trivial. Before Zoe’s cancer I had this very clear map of where my life was going. I had a job I liked, a promotion right around the corner, a fiancé I loved, an apartment that was the size of a cereal box, but it was mine. I was living my big-city dream.”
▪ You’re allowed to reclaim your life and chase those dreams again.”
She blinked several times as if what he’d said didn’t compute. “Then who will pick up all the other pieces?” she asked as if she honestly didn’t know. How isolating it must be to assume responsibility for everything and everyone in her life.
Was this how Lucas felt? Like it was up to him to shoulder all the burden for the entire family? Maybe, just like Milly, Lucas had found himself trapped between what he wanted and the needs of others.
◆ Chapter Ten
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Don’t tiptoe into the cold water.
Go for the Polar Plunge.
◆ Chapter Eleven
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Be a queen.
▪ That’s the point. No romance.” Because romance led to feelings, and she couldn’t afford to grow feelings for this guy
▪ There seemed to be two sides to Jax. The flirty, play-it-fast-and-loose side, which he let people see. But then there was this other side, a deeper side, that was vulnerable and lonely
◆ Chapter Twelve
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Accept a challenge that scares you.
◆ Chapter Thirteen
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Shout from the mountain top.
▪ When faced with a problem, Jax used others as a sounding board, it was what made him such a competitive athlete. He knew when to seek outside expertise and didn’t have a difficult time asking for direction. Lucas was more introspective and tended to troubleshoot solo. It had always been that way. Even throughout school the difference between their approaches to life had been stark. Jax used every resource at his disposal, whereas Lucas would rather read an entire textbook by himself.
◆ Chapter Fourteen
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Don’t be stingy with hugs
◆ Chapter Fifteen
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Say yes to the dress.
◆ Chapter Sixteen
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Go commando.
▪ “Do you know what I was thinking the entire time? That I wished I was talking to you.” She rested a hand over his heart—which, she could feel, was pounding. “You’re funny and charming and thoughtful and you love what you do. You went after your happy and accomplished it. Don’t you see, your world is just too big to be fenced in. You don’t sit around waiting for approval, you go after what you want. It was the thing I admired most about Zoe, and the same thing I admire about you.”
▪ You’ve spent your whole life worrying about everyone else.” He cupped her cheek and ran his thumb down her jawline. “Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what you want?”
◆ Chapter Seventeen
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Go for the jelly-filled.
◆ Chapter Eighteen
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Fight for what matters.
▪ Four hundred pages of things Jax knew nothing about. His communication skills were best suited for social settings. If Jax believed in something, he could sell it to anyone. It was how he managed to land so many sponsors so early on in his career. He didn’t do analytics and minute details, Jax did things big and loud.
◆ Chapter Nineteen
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Dream under the stars.
▪ All great nights start with a blindfol
◆ Chapter Twenty
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Never shy away from a challenge.
◆ Chapter Twenty-One
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Go all in.
▪ When she walked into the room the entire male population stopped to appreciate a beautiful woman. And she was beautiful. And smart. And tenacious.
She had this dynamic energy that was inspiring and infectious. She led with an understated assurance that made people want to be around her. Then there was that quite poise about her that turned him inside out. He’d once mistook it for shyness, but now he knew better.
▪ “The other night we were talking about next chapters. What is your next chapter?” she asked. “I know you love what you do, but have you considered what comes next?”
◆ Chapter Twenty-Two
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Say yes even when
it scares you.
▪ I’m not staying because of what I’ve lost. I’m staying because of what I’ve found. This is where I want to be. This is where I belong.”
◆ Chapter Twenty-Three
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Put it all on the line.
▪ Where she’d disappeared into a bottle, Jax vanished into his career. It was the downside of the job. But a necessity to win. And Jax liked to win.
▪ I thought it was, but maybe not. I mean, freedom can be lonely and money isn’t everything. I’ve loved working on this kind of project.
▪ I get that our relationship is complicated and unorthodox, and I imagine we’ll make mistakes along the way, but I am willing to try, willing to put my heart out there and see if you’re man enough to pick it up. And I hope to God you are because I might not know how to do the whole faux-mance thing, but I know how to love. I have been doing it my whole life, and it is terrifying and intense, and I know it can seem like a lot at first, but it can also be safe and freeing if you allow it to be.”
◆ Chapter Twenty-Four
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Never be afraid to make a mistake.
At least you took the risk.
◆ Chapter Twenty-Five
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Accept no refunds on love.
◆ Chapter Twenty-Six
▪ Take Life by the Balls
Hold on to love like it is
a box of doughnuts.
▪ Big mistakes that had big consequences. Painful consequences.
But she was done with mistakes.

Flip Trick by Amo Jones (Notes)

Playlist recos

New Americana – Halsey

River (feat. Ed Sheeran) – Eminem, Ed Sheeran

rockstar – Post Malone, 21 Savage

I Like Me Better – Lauv

OT – Niykee Heaton

More Than a Feeling – Boston

Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Nexus – Niykee Heaton

Ride Or Die – Yelawolf

In This World - Bonus Track – Yelawolf

Have A Great Flight – Yelawolf

Heartbreak – Yelawolf

I Run - Feat. Yelawolf – Slim Thug

Like Father, Like Son – Struggle Jennings, Joshua Hedley

Like A Sewing Machine (feat. Yella Wolf & Struggle) – Alex King, Yella Wolf, Struggle

Ex-Factor – Ms. Lauryn Hill

Nowhere Fast (feat. Kehlani) - Extended Version – Eminem, Kehlani

Catfish Billy – SupaHotBeats

Buffalo Bill – Eminem

Arsonist's Lullabye – Hozier

Work Song – Hozier

Mad – Ne-Yo

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Guns N' Roses

Two Weeks – FKA twigs

Candy & Dreams – Yelawolf

I Said Hi – Amy Shark

Demons – Jelly Roll, Lil Wyte

Nice For What – Drake

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

Heart-Shaped Box – Nirvana

I Don't Wanna Know (feat. Enya And P. Diddy) – Mario Winans, Diddy, Enya

Had Some Drinks – Two Feet

Demons – Jelly Roll, Lil Wyte

Now You're Gone - Video Edit – Basshunter feat. DJ Mental Theos Bazzheadz

Quick Musical Doodles – Two Feet

Never Tear Us Apart – Bishop Briggs

Eyes Closed – Halsey

Taste (feat. Offset) – Tyga, Offset

Solo (feat. Demi Lovato) – Clean Bandit, Demi Lovato

Glycerine - Remastered – Bush

Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz

Hunger in My Stomach – Overtime

El Chapo – The Game, Skrillex

Savage (feat. Flux Pavilion & MAX) – Whethan, Flux Pavilion, MAX

Birthday Sex – Jeremih

pop a pill – gianni & kyle

Remember When – Bad Wolves

Lost Without You – Delta Goodrem

Privacy – Chris Brown

Digging My Own Grave – Five Finger Death Punch

Do You Mind – DJ Khaled, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Jeremih, Future, Rick Ross

Get You Right – Pretty Ricky

Your Guardian Angel – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Sunrise – Our Last Night

Medley: Let Me Talk to You / My Love – Justin Timberlake, T.I.

Lonely Day – System Of A Down

Better Than Me – Hinder

Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge – Marilyn Manson

The Love You Need (feat. Rashad) – Mase, Rashad

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

◆ Part 1

▪ “Disobey.

Don’t comply.

Rebellion is fucking romantic.”

- Jonny Ox

◆ Chapter 1

▪ Fuck your stereotypical small box of a brain, Susan, not all split homes are broken. Some are filled with more love than one normal home. Who needs normal, anyway. Normal never makes history

◆ Chapter 4

▪ “I’m sorry, wait, what?” My mumbled confusion

▪ I have always been an outcast, never fit in anywhere.

▪ I’ve never been interested in fitting in. I like diversity and anything that’s contrastingly authentic. You can’t put a personality inside a box and say; ‘That’s what she’s like.’ We’re human, we’re supposed to shed raw emotion and be violently different. More people need to embrace their differences. You don’t want to look back at photos when you’re eighty years old and think Damn, none of those opinions really mattered. I should have just been me.

◆ MADDOX

▪ They say that if someone maintains eye contact with you for three seconds or more that they are either plotting your death, or they want to fuck you.

▪ She’s a rebel without a cause, and her soul is fucking reckless

◆ Chapter 6

▪ It feels like an interrogation, but I answer anyway because I don’t really care for her or her bitchy attitude. I’m well acquainted with mean girls, and there’s one thing that they always forget; they have more to lose than us. Their pride, their image, all that plastic stuff that they care entirely too much about is a lot to lose against a girl who doesn’t give a shit.

◆ Chapter 8

▪ Did I really ever stop from when we were kids? The crappy thing about meeting someone at a young age is that a crush can turn into an obsession the older you get. It either manifests or burns out.

▪ I’m just not aware of my surroundings as much as I should be. I have missions in my head, and if you’re not on my daily mission, you probably won’t get noticed.

▪ That when you use your talent as your career, it’s either going to soar, or it’s going to kill it.”

▪ Like Eve, I am tempted by the apple…with Maddox being the apple. The question is, is the bite worth the venom?

◆ Chapter 11

▪ Intuitive would mean my assumption had some sort of intelligent ground to build from.

▪ Shallow people don’t look interesting, they look bland.”

◆ Chapter 12

▪ Sometimes, love isn’t enough to keep a relationship or marriage working.” I then shot back, “But you do, you both have friendship, too!” She said, “Yes, we have friendship and love, Amethyst, but we don’t have the kind of love that sets your soul on fire, and that’s the only kind of love that you should ever settle for.”

▪ Two happy homes are better than one broken one, and I learned at a young age that you should always keep your soul and intentions real.

◆ AMETHYST

▪ Because the rush of doing something that sets your soul on fire is foreplay, and the end orgasm is only reached by succeeding.

◆ Chapter 17

▪ shaking it.

My dad always told me that you could tell a lot about a man by his handshake. For instance, if it’s firm, it means he’s uptight and probably there for business and is keeping something from you. If it’s relaxed, he’s comfortable, a little more trustworthy.

▪ Drake’s song “Nice for What.”

◆ Chapter 18

▪ Amethyst is a lot of things, but her main attribute is the way she can read people. When she gave enough of a fuck to do it, that is. She’s a renegade. A girl who was raised in a good home but chose to rebel against society. She is loyal, fierce, sassy and feisty, but she also knows when to be soft.

◆ Chapter 20

▪ Marilyn Manson’s “Third Day of a Seven-Day Binge”

◆ Chapter 21

▪ Jelly Roll’s “Demons

▪ Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box

◆ Chapter 25

▪ Do You Mind” from Khalid and Nicki Mina

▪ Pretty Ricky’s “Get You Right”

◆ PART 2

▪ Sometimes following your heart, means losing your mind” - author unknown

~

“I hope my absence haunts you”

-achelei

◆ Chapter 37

▪ Glycerine” by Bush

◆ Chapter 40

▪ Chris Brown’s “Privacy”

◆ Chapter 47

▪ I don’t know why things happen the way they do, but I believe that the result is always the same. I believe in fate. If you veer off course, fate will help you back on. It wouldn’t matter what direction you took, eventually, your life would lead you to the destination you needed to be at.

◆ Quote

▪ A good book has no ending.”

R.D. Cumming

Truth or Beard by Penny Reid (Notes)

Not all those who wander are lost.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
 
You have this plan that ensures life-long freedom from commitment. All you ever talk about is traveling the world. You’re home just long enough to pay off loans and gain experience for your résumé. 
 
Honey, Beau Winston puts his pants on one leg at a time. He’s completely normal. Why the hero worship? Go talk to him.”
 
The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination.” ― Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Fall of Atlantis 

“Let love find you. Don’t go looking for it. The best way to attract a mate is to post an ad on Craigslist titled, “Have lube, will travel.” ― Jarod Kintz, Love quotes for the ages. Specifically ages 18-81.

When Cletus put his mind to something, he could see everything. 

Tricking her, taking her backstage had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. For me, spur of the moment was well beyond my comfort zone. I liked to know what to expect. I liked the certainty that came with a well-laid plan.

I’d never had the good sense to be afraid of perilous situations like most people. I’d been bungee jumping, drag racing, sky diving—none of which had ever set my blood pumping beyond a mild degree. The more dangerous my circumstances, the more focused I became. I couldn’t think of doing a single thing that scared me, and I’d never embarrassed easily.

It would require courage, the kind that risks public rejection.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”― Lao Tzu

I was here to pay off my student loans, gain teaching experience, and then move on and out and see the world.

Touch Me, by The Doors.

“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you've never been, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.” ― Judith Thurman 

But ever since I was a little girl I’d dreamt of seeing the world, experiencing it, and not as a tourist. I wanted to be a world traveler. I’d craved freedom and adventure.

Roberta Flack’s The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

“Don't let your luggage define your travels, each life unravels differently.” ― Shane Koyczan

 
“In a day, when you don't come across any problems - you can be sure that you are travelling in a wrong path” ― Swami Vivekananda

“One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." ― Henry Miller

There are just some girls you can’t fuck around with, because doing so would be handing over your man card. She’d own my pride first, then my heart, then my spirit. Then she’d leave, taking all three with her.

“Everything is temporary, Duane. This,” he gestured to our surroundings, “this is temporary. Even mountains fall. Nothing lasts forever. You got a chance at happiness, even for a week, a month, a year? You grab it and you hold on to it for as long as it lasts.”

“Exactly.” Beau nodded vehemently; now he was frowning, looking as serious as I’d ever seen him. “You have a chance to be with her, even for a short time? You take it. Because when she leaves, you’ll still have that.”

“We all know that light travels faster than sound. That's why certain people appear bright until you hear them speak.” ― Albert Einstein
 

“Men read maps better than women because only men can understand the concept of an inch equaling a hundred miles.” ― Roseanne Barr 

Jessica James, you’re going to have to get used to me wanting to take care of you and fix your troubles.”<BR>“I’m not a damsel. I don’t need rescuing.” “I know. You’re capable and stubborn, and I like that about you a whole lot. But maybe you could pretend to be a little less capable from time to time?”<BR>“To what end?”<BR>“So I get to feel good about rescuing you.”<BR>I smirked at this logic. His request actually reminded me of my mom and dad. Sometimes my mother would pretend she couldn’t open a jar in the kitchen or that she needed help lifting something heavy. When I’d called her on it, she’d said, “Nothing wrong with making your man feel needed. If your Aunt Louisa had done the same then she wouldn’t be so lonely in that big house of hers.”

Courting meant a long-term relationship with marriage and a white picket fence being the end goal. Marriage and white picket fences terrified me because they sounded like the end of freedom, the end of my dreams.

“I loved seeing pictures and reading stories about the world, especially the places I didn’t know existed. I spent hours getting lost in the pages, imagining myself scuba diving in Fiji, hand-harvesting saffron in Greece, or working with Jane Goodall’s chimpanzees in Africa.”

All my days I have longed equally to travel the right road and to take my own errant path.” ― Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter  

It doesn’t need to be showy. Its beauty is in its simplicity. Simple, straightforward design…with hidden depths.” He paired this with an impressive engine growl, and accelerated lightning fast along a straight stretch of road. The car certainly was responsive.

Its minimalism only contributed to its effortlessness beauty. But I could feel the untapped potential, its restless restrained power. 

First dates are like a job interview. It’s about putting your best foot forward, not arguing and speaking your mind.”

“You hush up and hear me out for a minute. You are a pretty girl. And pretty girls who don’t know how pretty they are sometimes feel overwhelmed by attention from the opposite sex.”

No man with brains would be able to put up with her brand of boring and crazy indefinitely. 

No matter how far you travel, you can never get away from yourself.”<BR>― Haruki Murakami, after the quake

“And you won’t even consider the possibility that your dreams might be made better, that life and the living of it can be enriched if you have someone to share it with. Why is that?”

“I’m not saying Duane Winston is your Ben. I’m not saying that. But watching you shut down and withhold yourself from the possibility of love and being loved, that makes me sad. That makes me sad for you. I know you want adventure, I know you want to see the world. But love is the greatest adventure, where you risk the most for the greatest reward. What good will all this exceptional living do if you’re doing it only for yourself?”

I would hate owning stuff that owns me. I would hate knowing the whole world was out there and I’d locked myself in a cage—even if the cage was gold, and pretty, with an herb garden and a flowerbed…”

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”<BR>― Marcel Proust

Books. Lots of books. At least one a week to expand our vocabulary and our minds. The classics were required reading. Plus table manners—all manners—were taken very seriously. Words like ain’t, which isn’t a word, weren’t allowed in the house, though we’ve all grown lazy with proper grammar as we’ve grown older. She also taught us how to dance.”

But really, I think I’d prefer to be out there myself. Living, doing, seeing for myself.”

I’m just saying, if you can’t have an adventure where you are, what makes you think you’ll have an adventure anywhere else?”<BR>I felt the answer was obvious; nevertheless I said, “Because it’ll be someplace new. I’ve already done and seen everything there is to do and see here.”

So, you’re telling me that when you leave and go on your wanderlust walkabouts, you’re planning on having only nice, quiet safe adventures?” He made a face, like he was disappointed in me. “That’s not living. That’s just more time spent planning.”

I know just about all the racers—the ones who take it seriously—and we have a mutual respect thing going on. But I don’t usually associate with any one group.” “A lone wolf?”

As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.” ― Gautama Buddha

“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees only what he has come to see.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison.

Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations, I Want You Back by the Jackson 5, and Uptown Girl by Billy Joel

Beach Boys, this time it was Don’t Worry Baby.

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest  

“The world is a book, and those who don't travel only read one page.” ― Augustine of Hippo

Have you ever heard of the German words wanderlust or fernweh?”<BR>“You used wanderlust on our first date. And I read a book some years ago about hiking, and the title had the word wanderlust in it. It was about people who love to hike and catalogued some of the great hiking trails around the world.”<BR>“Wanderlust in German basically means to love hiking, but it’s been repurposed by English speakers to mean a love of wandering. I remember the first time I heard the word fernweh; in German it means farsickness. It’s like, some people have homesickness and that’s considered normal, acceptable. Missing one’s family and friends, what’s familiar, I think everyone can understand longing for home. But I realized that the strange anxiousness I’ve always felt to be elsewhere was called fernweh. I have fernweh. How most people long for the familiar, I’ve always longed for the unknown. Heck, if I could manage it, I’d love to see Mars. I love to explore. And don’t think it’s an easy concept to explain or, for people who don’t have the same desire, to grasp.”

“This desire, to explore, has nothing to do with where I am. It has everything to do with where I’m not.” “So, it’s about newness? Being in a new place?”

 

They couldn’t fathom that I wanted to fill my life with experiences, not with things. I had their core values, but in so many ways we were completely different. They’d never understood my dramatic, wild side. Consequently, I’d spent my childhood trying to suppress or ignore it. But it was no use. I craved freedom, they craved structure. I didn’t know why my dreams and goals were so different from my family’s. They just were.

 

The sirens are beautiful, yes. But their song and their beauty call to the soul, not to the body. The sirens don’t inspire lust. They inspire longing. A deep, wrenching longing. Bone deep, so the sailors would rather die than live without the siren.”

 

“I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.”<BR>― Herman Melville

 

My twin had this effect on people, because he was so gifted at being insincere. I was convinced he could bullshit his way out of a federal prison if the need ever arose. He’d inherited our father’s gift of artless charm. Jethro, my oldest brother, had similar abilities. Roscoe, the youngest, was a close third.

 

“Nothing travels faster than the speed of light, with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.” ― Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

 

“Travel brings wisdom only to the wise. It renders the ignorant more ignorant than ever.” ― Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings  

Half the fun of the travel is the esthetic of lostness.”<BR>― Ray Bradbury

 

“The three saddest things are the ill wanting to be well, the poor wanting to be rich, and the constant traveler saying 'anywhere but here'.”<BR>― E.E. Cummings

 

“Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling.” ― Margaret Lee Runbeck

 

“Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion.” ― Leigh Hunt

 

The pancakes. How do you get them to be so light? It’s amazing.” I shook my head at my eccentric older brother and answered honestly because I was so tired. “Egg whites.” “What?” I stood and stacked the plates. “It’s egg whites. I keep them separate. Then I whip them ’til they’re stiff, and fold them in at the end. It makes the pancakes super light.”

 

“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” ― Mark Twain

 

If I’d learned anything from this disaster it was to be considerably more guarded with my heart. I’d always thought that if I were open to love, then love would find me. As it turns out, if you’re open to love, then heartbreak finds you and leaves you naked in a cabin with no electricity or indoor plumbing.

 

Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly.” ― Mother Teresa

 

Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” ― David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas 

 

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” ― Lao Tzu  

 

See, this is your problem.” “I don’t have a problem.” “Yeah, you do. You’re always planning, but getting nothing done, waiting for a sure thing. You love that woman, you go get her, Duane. You don’t wait ’til the time is right.”

 

You don’t wait for that kind of love to cool off. You strike while the iron is hot

 

“I don’t want to let you down. I don’t want to let anyone down. I don’t want to take without asking permission or deserving what I get. I need to take responsibility—for me, for my family—and I don’t want any handouts or free rides.”

  

All I’m saying is that you get to live through this however you decide. There’s no right or wrong.”

“Just because it came from bad beginnings, doesn’t mean it can’t be put to good use.”

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters most, in the end.” ― Ernest Hemingway 

Basketcase by Green Day

Beard Necessities by Penny Reid (Notes)

“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” — GEORGE BURNS

 

You’ll never be able to find yourself if you’re lost in someone else.” — COLLEEN HOOVER, NOVEMBER 9

 

A person’s time in Tuscany should be spent largely on three pursuits: wine drinking, food eating, and appreciating all the gorgeousness— including the art, views, and Italians. 

 

hormones and grief often make folks do nutty things, and the reasons had existed and persisted. 

 

"If you ask me, something sinister lurks in men who avoid wine,  games, the company of lovely women, and dinnertime conversation. Such people are either gravely ill or secretly detest everyone around them.”  — MIKHAIL BULGAKOV, THE MASTER AND MARGARITA

 

His typically glacial irises were hollow, lifeless, hopeless, defeated. This man who had never been average was diminished in every sense of the word. Seeing him this way physically hurt, ripples of disquiet just under my skin.

“He shrank from hearing Margaret's very name mentioned; he,  while he blamed her – while he was jealous of her – while he renounced her – he loved her sorely, in spite of himself.”  — ELIZABETH GASKELL, NORTH AND SOUTH

Life beyond this room had continued since I’d discovered the vacant rocking chair. Life had moved forward while I’d struggled to think about anything else.

You have no skeletons in the closet because your closet is empty. 

If we want something, we work and work and work and push and push and push until it happens, and then it always happens.

“I’d always secretly believed that a love as fierce and true as mine would be rewarded in the end, and now I was being forced to accept the bitter truth.”  — ALMA KATSU, THE TAKER

 

“In a weird way I must have loved my little collection of hurts and wounds. They provided me with some real nice sympathy, with the feeling I was exceptional...What a special case I was.”  — SUE MONK KIDD, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

 

It’s complicated when people die, it’s easy to feel guilty for imaginary transgressions

 

I had trouble taking myself too seriously. When you believe your own opinion is suspect, there’s not much point in putting a lot of time or energy into it. 

 

“I didn’t realize this until my momma died, but the living change, the dead don’t. Who a person was at the time of their death is who we tend to assume they always were, and who they’d always be, if they were still here. 

But that’s not the truth of me, of my life. I changed, I grew, I worked to make something of myself, to earn my family’s trust.”

 

Loving someone means wanting the best for that person, not indulging selfishness. I love my children, and that means I don’t spoil them or let them play with knives, right? Love sometimes means calling another person on their bullshit, even if doing so requires an awkward, uncomfortable conversation, like this one we’re having right now.” 

 

You’re being an asshole to yourself—and don’t you deny it. Your smiles are forced, they have been for years. Not all of them, but most. You put everyone else’s needs first. You haven’t gone on a single date since Ben died, not a single one. I’m not saying you need a man, but you’ve closed yourself off to all possibilities.” 

 

“You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”  — TONI MORRISON, SONG OF SOLOMON

 

I now know there’s a universe between wanting and doing. They are not the same. Wanting something doesn’t mean you’re ready for it.” 

 

“It hurts to breathe. It hurts to live. I hate her, yet I do not think I can exist without her.”  — CHARLOTTE FEATHERSTONE, ADDICTED

 

Your job is the substance, I get that. But my job is the perception, and perception gets people elected

 

In my experience, the only undertaking more difficult than forming new habits is breaking old ones. 

 

After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations.”  — OSCAR WILDE, A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE

 

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” — THOMAS MERTON , NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

 

Just that, two people, witnessing or experiencing the same event, can have two entirely different interpretations of the truth. To one person, the knot was a heart, and removing it devastated the stone such that it succumbed to the artist’s vision. To another, the knot was an obstruction to the stone, preventing it from being what or who it was meant to be.” 

 

Truth is always more relative than fiction. And the idea that two factual truths can exist at once, so diametrically opposed to each  other, is completely fascinating. Don’t you think?” 

Now look, your grace," said Sancho, "what you see over there aren't giants, but windmills, and what seems to be arms are just their sails, that go around in the wind and turn the millstone." "Obviously," replied Don Quijote, "you don't know much about adventures.” — MIGUEL DE CERVANTES, DON QUIXOTE

 

Listen. I’ve been where you are. And I’m telling you, if you<BR>don’t have trust, you have nothing.” 

 

“I may have lost my heart, but not my self-control.” — JANE AUSTEN, EMMA

 

She’d tell you, ‘People only hold grudges when they can’t forgive themselves.’”

 

“I think of you only twice a day - when I am alone and when I am with someone else.”  — AMIT KALANTRI, I LOVE YOU TOO

  

If she touches anywhere above the knee and leaves her hand there, that’s like the universal ‘ride below the crupper’ invitation.” “Anyway, if she touches you, that means she wants you to touch her, the sooner the better.” Jethro explained with an academic air. “Do what she does. If her touch is light and flirtatious, do that. If her touch is more purposeful, well . . . then, there you go. Proceed as directed. But, the important thing is, if she’s opened that door and you don’t walk in, that’ll leave her feeling like you’re not as into her as she’s into you. In which case,  verbal communication, boundary setting, and gentle—but firm—honesty are required.” 

 

“There is no fulfillment that is not made sweeter for the prolonging of desire”  — JACQUELINE CAREY, KUSHIEL'S DART

  

“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”  — FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

 

Actions have consequences, we don’t get to hide from them. 

 

Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice.” — E.M. FORSTER, A ROOM WITH A VIEW

 

Love isn’t about giving up. It’s about never giving up.”

Seduce him. Then, in the middle of foreplay, explain it to him. Men are much more receptive to admitting they’re wrong when they’re just about to get laid.” 

 

If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing.”  — SIR JAMES BARRIE, PETER PAN

 

A woman only wants to be conquered after she’s done the conquering. Rescued after she’s done the rescuing. Then it’s a choice she’s actively made rather than a debt she needs to repay. I think the grand gesture you need to make is asking her for help.”  I stood straighter, caught off guard by her suggestion. What an interesting idea.  “Show her you’ve been conquered.” Her smile turned sweet and she added, “When was the last time you asked anyone for help, Billy? Or told them how much you needed them? Maybe start there.”

 

Cletus was right. I was good with women, when I applied myself and when I had a goal in mind. With my family, employees, colleagues, and even constituents the goal was clear: I gave them what they needed from me in order for them to be successful, whatever that thing might be. Some folks needed praise, some folks needed boundaries and discipline, others charm and charisma, still others simply wanted frequent communication. 

 

Gordon Lightfoot’s “Fine As Fine Can Be.”

 

Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You .

  

Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones. 

 

Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.”  — WILLIAM BLAKE, THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL

 

Mistrust all enterprises that require new clothes.” — E.M. FORSTER, A ROOM WITH A VIEW

 

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”  — ERNEST HEMINGWAY

 

how I’d been raised, an intrinsic distrust of the law. My brain prioritized honor and justice over lawfulness. Laws varied depending on the place and time, required documentation, due process, and interpretation. 

 

You couldn’t count on the law to serve justice. Honor didn’t need to be explained. It just was. Within most people existed honorable impulses, whether they listened to those impulses or not. Honor was the reason the majority of folks rooted for the underdog and never questioned why. 

 

Being with Billy now was like coming home to myself, to the person I once was. She was scarred, she’d struggled and lived through dark times.  And yet, I’d missed her, her bravery, her fierce fortitude, her sense of justice. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed her until right this moment, on the precipice of confronting my nightmares. 

 

“He lay back, put his arm over his eyes, and tried to hold onto the anger, because the anger made him feel brave. A brave man could think. A coward couldn't.” — STEPHEN KING, MISERY

 

Better than most, I understand it’s sometimes better to ask for forgiveness than permission, especially when it comes to protecting the ones you love. But, after, you have to tell him the truth

 

Accepting help is its own kind of strength.” — KIERA CASS, HAPPILY EVER AFTER

 

 “I know this might be a hard pill to swallow—because it was for me—but you don’t get to wear the cape all the time. In some instances, you’re the rescuer. Other times, you’re the rescuee. That’s how it works. And you can stay here, simmering in your sour stew at not being the hero this time, or you can take Sienna’s plane back to Nashville and thank your woman for saving your ass.” 

  

“And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many.”  — J.R.R. TOLKIEN, RETURN OF THE KING

 

“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.” — FREDERICK BUECHNER

 

When I was young, I lived to survive. I’d shunned hopes and dreams, content in the safety of survival. But now I knew better. Nothing lasts forever. Not a song, not happiness, not misery. Mere survival was no safer than living for hopes and dreams. At the end, there will always be the end. So why not dream? Why not hope? Why not live life with wild faith and abandon? Why not take the risk? Otherwise, all these moments—small or significant, heaven on earth—would be lost to fear. I wasn’t afraid. Not anymore. And never again.