Erin Condren Planner Review: Unboxing

So, I finally bit the bullet and decided that I could (and should!) splurge a little on an Erin Condren Life Planner. If you're a planner nut like me, you've probably heard of these babies since they are the creme de la creme of planners. The planner I had purchased in May wasn't working out and I needed a new one, so I shelled out the $55 (or $66.96 with the expedited shipping) for the Life Planner. I actually purchased this in August before school started, but I wanted to talk not only about my first impressions but my impressing after about a month of use. Buckle your seatbelts and prepare for awesome!

How gorgeous is this box?!

First off, this box is gorgeous! That's all.

Tissue paper makes everything feel magical!

Look at all the goodies!

When you open the beautiful box, there is a beautiful layer of tissue paper. The box and tissue paper make the product feel really luxurious and expensive (which it is for a poor college girl like me).








When you fold back the tissue paper, there's a pile of free goodies! These goodies include a coupon for $10 off your next purchase, a postcard, a sticker, and really cute gift tags! (I lay all these out in the next picture, so keep scrolling!)

Goodies!

The top left corner of my box was really sticky after I pulled the shipping label off, so I put the purple postcard up there. I use the box to store things I want to put in my scrapbooks. (I couldn't throw away such a pretty box!)

There it is! The Holy Grail!

Finally, under a layer of big ol' bubble wrap, there's the planner (I might've cried a little).

Size comparison to my 2014 MacBook Air

Size comparison to my hand (which is tiny).

For posterity's sake, here are two pictures of size comparison. I thought it would be big and bulky to hold/carry around, but it isn't really. I actually really (REALLY) love the way it feels in my hand.


FINALLY we're getting to the good stuff! The actual planner!

Strong, but bendy cover. (This is the cleanest my desk will ever look.)

Let's talk about construction. This planner has an incredibly durable cover. It's made of a thick laminate plastic and is removable! (I just bought two more covers!) The planner is hand coiled with a thick, aluminum, one-inch coil. I believe it can withstand 110 pounds of pressure. There's a sheet of really lovely printed vellum (the see-through overlay stuff on wedding invitations) covering the first page of the planner. It's another one of those things that gives it that luxurious feel. The pages are printed on good quality paper (I have yet to have a pen bleed through). The print quality is excellent (and I'm an ex-printer's daughter). The colors never feel thin and nothing looks fuzzy, even the teeny tiny print and embellishments on days with holidays.

Month view

The month view is nice and big with plenty of room to write stuff. I was really concerned the tiny boxes for the 23rd, 24th, 30th, and 31st would be really cramped, especially because the 23rd and 24th are part of Welcome Weekend and I had TONS of things going on. I had to write a little bit smaller than usual, but everything fit. I don't use the Goals section a ton yet, but I'll do another post on how I set up my planner. There are also a couple of pages in the front that you can use for goal planning, etc. (More on those in December when I set them up!)

Vertical Week View

The week view is gorgeous and incredibly spacious! There's plenty of room for me to write in my entire crazy schedule and my homework (and not have a panic attack over how cramped it looks)! There's also a little Thankful Thought box in the top left corner that I think is really cute. I also use stickers for some of my planning to make certain things pop. The actual planner comes with three sheets of stickers in the back: one is pre-printed with events like birthdays, appointments, game days, etc and one is blank for you to fill in your own things. I LOVE these stickers as they fit perfectly in the boxes and are repositionable! The planner also comes with a double-sided "Keep it Together" folder with a perpetual calendar for birthdays/anniversaries, important contacts and passwords and a clear, zip-lock, plastic pouch in the back.

All in all, I highly recommend this planner. If you're willing to spend a little dough, this planner is a GEM! It has everything I need and more. I like looking at it and that makes me want to write in it. The design is aesthetically pleasing while still maintaining the level of functionality necessary for a busy person. There are a zillion ways to customize them and use them for your plannering. You can find blog posts and YouTube videos all over the Internet. I myself will be posting about how I organize mine pretty soon so keep a look out!

As always, thanks for reading!

Rachel

Internet Iceberg

Sorry I've been MIA, blogosphere! The boyfriend has been having a ridiculous amount of trouble getting Internet set up at his (brand) new apartment, which is where I spend the vast majority of my free time (watching him play video games). Allow me to explain and go on a mini rant about the wonders of Capitalism.

When we (I mean he, but we're practically one person) first started the process we thought it was going to be easy. We call AT&T and they come and install the U-verse and BAM Internet. Unfortunately, there was much more hidden below the surface and getting Internet became more like the sinking of the Titanic.

First, we had to reschedule the initial installation appointment due to the fact that we didn't know what the new apartment number was yet. Okay, so we called and rescheduled for after the 4th of July Weekend. They no-showed. I was at the apartment hanging out so I would be there during the install. Boyfriend was so nervous about it that he skipped a two-hour class to be there, but no one came. We called and they said the appointment had gotten cancelled due to a "facility error." Meanwhile, people are moving into the apartments around us and getting their Internet installed.

This exact thing happened two more times. At this point, we're ready to go somewhere else. We started looking at a local company that charges half for the same amount of high-speed Internet, and were thrilled! After talking to the landlady, however, we discovered (and here's where Capitalism comes in) that we had no choice but to use AT&T. Apparently, the complex made a deal with AT&T and allowed them to be the only people to wire the place, effectively taking away our rights as consumers. It'd be fine if they included it in the rent, but they don't. We have to go separately and call AT&T and work everything out with them. (This is why Communism sucks guys. Being told what to buy SUCKS.)

Finally the landlady's office gave us a more local AT&T representative we could call. At first, he was unhelpful. Then he finally offered a discount for all of the trouble and somehow pushed the right button to get the Internet installed (it came a couple days ago and I could've kissed those technicians). So now we have Internet! However, the promised discount was not added to Boyfriend's account AND they charged a $100 installation fee that he said would be waved.

I guess it's back to the drawing board with AT&T. Have you ever been told what to buy?

As always, thanks for reading!

Aperture and Shutter Speed and Flashes, Oh My!

Last fall, I tried to take this great Intro to Digital Photography class because

a) I LOVE photography and

b) It filled my Art General Education requirement.

Well the equipment for such a class is not cheap and I had no way to afford any of it (hello, poor college student!) so I dropped the class and prayed I could find a way to get the equipment. My prayers were answered when I received the opportunity to submit a proposal for a $2,000 grant to do a Creative Arts project and present it at an Expo next Spring. For my project I'm going to take the class this fall and apply my skills to put together a presentation for the Expo.

I got my shiny new Canon Rebel T5i with and 18-55mm IS STM kit lens and a 55-250mm IS STM lens just in time for my little sister's graduation this weekend! Of course I had to go out and play with it before then and haven't put it down since I got the battery charged. The 55-250mm lens is my favorite of the two but I took some sweet shots with it as you can see here.

My dad was teasing me asking if I was shooting in Auto. My boyfriend, Garrett's mom is also an avid photographer and had advised me to shoot primarily in aperture priority, so that's what I've been using. But all last week I watched camera videos on YouTube and have been playing with shutter speed like a 5-year-old (and I take the thing everywhere - my parents laugh at me).

(There's a bunny in this picture, I promise.)

I've been really excited to learn how to take awesome pictures and I feel like a total professional with my (pretend) fancy equipment. Sorry in advanced if you guys get a ton of photography postings (I'm totally geeking out!!!!) I'm really excited to share my journey with you all and (hopefully!) share some really great photos!

What kind of camera do you have? What kinds of pictures do you like to take?

As always thanks for reading!
Rachel

Rolling with the Tides

This book is quite unlike anything I've ever read before (if I had to compare, it most closely resembled the Mortal Instruments Series). A lot of books, particularly paranormal ones, tell the reader everything up front and use the paranormal aspect to guide the plot and create the climax. Spring Tide uses the plot to build up to the paranormal aspect. I enjoyed not knowing what was going on the whole time. It helps the reader understand what Kris is going through and connect with her.

That being said, I liked the characters and thought the character development was great, especially with Jericho (yum, yum!). While I agree with fellow reviewers that the writing style is a little jumpy in switching from POV to POV, I sense that it's that way for a reason, particularly so the reader is thinking constantly about what could possibly be happening. I don't think this book was intended to be a fluffy read that you could just sort of mindlessly sift through, but a mysterious thinker of a novel.

Despite the need-your-noggin aspect (I started and finished in the same day and wasn't reading all day or up ungodly late [oh, and I read it twice in two days]), it was one of the smoothest and quickest reads I've had in a while (I read a LOT so I'm not just blowing smoke here). While the beginning was a little difficult (mostly because I was saying "what in the world is this about?!), I was still intrigued, especially when Jericho arrived on the scene. I loved reading about the surfing as that's something I'm not exposed to in the Midwest, but I am having difficulty understanding it's relevance to the plot - I have theories and expect we may learn more in the next book (which I am anxiously awaiting).

I can understand my fellow reviewers frustration with confusion. I feel that a lot of this is a result of the sheer amount of information packed in the 300-or-so pages. And connecting the dots in my head resulted in tangles and snags. But sometimes you've just gotta roll with the tides (excuse my pun).

This book will not be everybody's cup of tea, but I highly recommend giving it a try, keeping in mind that it isn't a passive read.

Fifty Shades of WHAT?! *blush*

I was in high school during the first hype up of Fifty Shades of Grey upon it's print release. It debuted as an "erotic Twilight fan fiction." People seem to either love it or hate it. Olympic athletes and people around the globe are saying the content is horrible and un-Christian. When the movie released, I decided it was time to stop listening to everyone else's opinion and come up with my own.

I consider myself to be a morally upright young woman and was embarrassed by the novel's content during it's first go-around in 2011. Now that I'm in college, I am surrounded by this generation's sexual culture. I've seen enough posters advertising "sex fiestas" and enough lectures on the biology and psychology of sex to make me pretty hardy against the topic. I would like to say that I am not going to assess this book purely by literary, content, or plot value, but a combination. I'm going to do my best to be fair. Now, I know very, very little about BDSM except that a lot of people have a lot of problems with it. I will NOT be talking about the morals and ethics of BDSM. Needless to say, I expected a lot worse than what I got.

There ARE spoilers in this review!!!

Literary:
This novel is fluff reading. This is not a bad thing! I happen to love fluff. It's a nice break from the textbook, nonfiction, and more literary novels (ie. Austen, Bronte, Tolstoy, etc.) It's not meant to be literary. Fluff books are books that are "easy on the eyes;" they read quickly and for fun.

Even if you didn't know going in that this is Twilight fan fiction, if you've read it you'll be able to figure it out. Twilight was used a an example of poor writing quality at a creative writing seminar a friend of mine went to a few years ago. Yes, the writing is not the product of an English major from Harvard, but the story is cute if you can tolerate the unreal amount of sex. That being said, the novel was basically Twilight on pumped with loads and loads of testosterone (basically add unholy amounts of coitus).

Characters:
I liked the characters. Christian Grey was well developed, if copiously idealized. A review I read on Amazon by "meymoon" correctly identified the outlandishness of Grey being "a billionaire (not a millionaire but a billionaire) who speaks fluent French, is basically a concert level pianist, is a fully trained pilot, is athletic, drop dead gorgeous, tall, built perfectly with an enormous penis, and the best lover on the planet. In addition, he's not only self made but is using his money to combat world hunger. Oh yeah, and all of this at the ripe old age of 26!" But that's what books are for! Books aren't written to be realistic and some of literature's most beloved books are fantasy: Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Eragon, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc. Just because it's set in a realistic world doesn't mean it had to be completely devoid of fantastical elements.

Anastasia Steele was far less irritating than Isabella Swan and she was kind of a heroine in her own way. BDSM, according to Fifty Shades is kinky sex plus punishment. It's very clear in his contracts that he expects his submissives to be, well...submissive. The punishments were really the most disgusting part of the novel; canes, whips, belts, you name it. At one point, Christian hit Ana with a belt. Ana leaves him and when convinces her he's changed, she finds that the canes and belts are gone. She also unearths Christians sketchy past and helps him through the pain that he's been holding onto.

Content:
I would just like to underscore the fact that this novel is not promoting anything non-consensual or the punishment aspect of BDSM. Christian Grey had contracts and discussions with Ana about said contracts for most of the first book. The book also points out that these contracts would not stand up in a court of law if Ana was hurt and reported him. Hard limits and soft limits were discussed. Also, Ana rejected the punishing aspects of Christian Grey's...lifestyle. I'll be honest some of the sex is still really kinky and really really weird, but who are we to judge what people do consensually in their own quarters? Not to mention have you READ Cosmopolitan magazine? This book is not the first suggestion towards kinky sex in popular culture. Consent and safety are really big themes in this book though, to be fair.

While the plot is cheesy and far-fetched at times, it's a fun read with a pretty twisty plot. There are helicopter crashes, car chases, crazy exes, and break-ins. Yeah the plot is crazy and just about every bad thing that could possibly happen did, BUT it was a fun, light, amusing read. Even if you read it just to laugh at all of the content ripped out of Twilight (and oh, is it ample), that's fair. It blurs lines on what's realistic and what's moral, but if you can stomach it, the ending is pretty cute.

All in all, I give it 3 out of five stars. It wasn't great and it wasn't terrible. I expected far worse in the creepy department and while the writing itself is pretty sub-par, it's what I expected. The content is not for everyone. It pushes moral boundaries, and as a young lady with religious values I can't say I condone that on a personal level. But again, this is not for me to judge. I enjoyed the books. I took a particular interest in Christian's psychological background. I may even attempt an analysis on him if y'all are interested. Let me know in the comments section.

I hope I was fair and balanced. Any suggestions on books to review would be greatly appreciated in the comments section!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless!

Rachel

COMING SOON!!

Hello, world! I'm back. College is giving me a beating, but my friends discovered my blog and are dying for me to bring it back, so here I am. I'm giving the blog some new content as per suggestion of my dear, lovely friends so here's an update on what you can look forward to!

First, I'm going to start a new series of reviews of books and some movie adaptations of books. I am an avid reader and so are my friends and after reading the ever-controversial Fifty Shades of Grey, my friend H, is dying for me to write about it (and a whole list of others!)  Look out, though, there will be SPOILERS!!

Second, I want to attempt blending this with my first blog, Inspirspectives and post awesome tidly-bits of inspiration - great stories and personal anecdotes about faith, friendship, and awesomeness in humanity in general. Be on the lookout for great quotes and Bible verses too!

Thirdly, (I know, I know so much stuff) I want to start doing advice posts (probably lots of planner-related stuff) and anything readers ask for. If I was any good at studying I would share tips, but since I'm not too great at it I will try to give links and stuff to other blogs with great tips and make commentary when possible.

And last, but not least, general craziness from my life.

What are some things you want to hear about? Post 'em in the comments section and I'll do my best to get a post out!