500 Words About Where I’ve Been Since I Fell Off the Face of the Earth

Grad school is hard. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

Grad school is even harder when you decide to work full-time and go to school full-time. Thus, it just might cause you to fall off the face of the earth (and/or your blog). The great news is it’s Thursday of finals week! By this time on Tuesday, I’ll be drinking a cup of bodega coffee as I bask in the glow of the feeling that I don’t have to go to class that night.

While I’ve been away, a lot of fun things have happened. My Klout increased by 5 points in the last 30 days. Is there a direct correlation between my activity on social media and the approach of finals week? I think so. Social media is one of my most favorite procrastination tools! Speaking of social media, have we followed each other on Twitter yet? I post lots of fun pictures on Instagram, too. And, well, I try to Google+, but that’s a work in progress.

Moving on…

Remember that two part post I did a while back about some books I highly recommend (and 3 that I really hate)? Well, as it would turn out, the author of the first book featured on that list, Max Barry, has done me the honor of including my 140 character review of Lexicon…

Just finished @maxbarry‘s #Lexicon. Two words: MUST READ. It was smart, funny, dramatic, and kept me guessing until the very end.

— Danielle A. (@thesweetdee) February 26, 2013

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… on the reviews page of his website!

Yep, that’s me, right below Wil Anderson, Hugh Howey, and Tony Wilson. To be honest, I thought this tweet was just another one that got lost in the depths of my Twitter archive. It wasn’t until just this morning that my good friend brought it to my attention. Thanks, Mel!

More fun social media news: my adorable brat of a Yorkie puppy, Penny, is going to be featured by Kibbles ‘n Bits!

@thesweetdee The perfect gift box! 😉 We’d love to feature this photo of your little guy some time. Please DM us if you’re interested!

— Kibbles ‘n Bits (@KibblesNBits) May 7, 2013

Living in New York City makes you do weird things like order 15 pounds of dog food and treats from Amazon, just so you don’t have to carry it up five flights of stairs yourself (sorry UPS delivery guy!).

Looks like we’re going to have to watch out for the pupp-arazzi now… (I know, it’s a terrible joke.)

I snapped this picture of Penny after I opened the box, not expecting Kibbles ‘n Bits to see/respond to it. I mean, I didn’t even mention them! I’m really excited to see what they do with the picture, and I’ll be sure to mention it on here when they do.

Finally, I’ve still been reading a surprising amount considering the lack of free time I have. I suppose that’s the only good thing about a 30 to 45 minute commute on public transportation. Books I’ve read, and recommend, as of late include:

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple – Why read it? Because Maria wrote for Arrested Development (which I love), and this book is just as laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – Why read it? Even though this is book is about the relationship of two 16 year olds, I found it to be entirely relatable and downright charming.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Why read it? I never had to read this for school, and I’m terribly disappointed in myself for waiting this long to do so because this book is, simply put, brilliant. It’s definitely worth taking the time to read before you go off and see the movie. (In case you were wondering, I approve of Leo as Jay Gatsby, but I am SO not impressed with the Jay-Z soundtrack. I repeat, JAY GATSBY WOULD NOT HAVE LISTENED TO JAY-Z!)

And look at that, I gave you all some extra words to enjoy. TTFN!