Part of the joy of winter break is the time and inclination to indulge in activities you missed turning the semester especially since its rained more days than not.  So during the break between semesters, I am catching up on my recreational reading, discovering and listening to music and having several personal TV marathons.

Over the last couple months, my favorite author’ published new books which I read: JD Robb and her latest Indulgence in Death; Christine Feehan and her latest two Dark Curse and Ruthless Game; Lynsay Sands  and her latest Hungry for You;  and Brad Warner and his latest Sex, Sin and Zen.

I listened to a variety of music.  My iPhone, iPod, CD and Vinyl collection are eclectic. In the last couple days, I download music by Juan Diego Florez, Within Temptation, Shania Twain and Anna Netrebko, very diverse.  This morning I was thinking about I can group my music choices into time periods.

Here is my ten favorite tunes from my party girl days: So Alive by Love and Rockets, Eye of the Tiger by Knightsbridge, I Can See It In Your Eyes by Men at Work, Phantom Bride by Erasure, Children of the Night by Whitesnake, Shell Shock by Heart, Like An Egyptian by the Bangles, It’s Still Rock n’ Roll to Me by Billy Joel, Material Girl by Madonna and Born in the USA by Graham BLVD.

The absolute best part is having time to indulge in a TV marathon.  The first marathon was the re-watching Season 6 Supernatural which went on a mid-season hiatus until the end of January.  During the middle of October, I discovered Winchester Radio but did not listen to the show very often.  Why do I mention Winchester Radio? As I launched my Supernatural marathon I listened to the podcast about the episode then watch the episode. I gained a whole new appreciation for each episode after listening to the women of Winchester Radio.

The second marathon was White Collar which is my all time favorite TV show. I watched all season one and the first half of season two over three-day period.  I could say I watched because the acting is terrific, the mixture of drama and comedy makes me laugh and cry when right, the one-liners are mind bending but really the baby blues are what initially drew me to the show.  Now I appreciate the entire list including the hot sizzling baby blues of Matt Bomer and cannot wait until January 18^th.

The third marathon was watching The Vampire Diaries.  I do not know what it is about vampires but I have always loved ever since I picked up my first Anne Rice novel as a teenager, 15 years before L.J. Smith wrote her first paragraph about the Salvatore brothers and the girl they loved.  By the time L.J. Smith’s books starting being published I was busy pursing career and reading adult novels so I missed reading her books but my love of Vampires make turn on the season premier of The Vampire Diaries.  Wow I was hooked with the fog, crow and cemetery and I fell in love when Damon uttered the phrase “Hello Brother” with the sarcastic wit and amazing smile. Over a four-day period, I watched my Christmas present to myself, Season 1 DVD collection of The Vampire Diaries along with the second half season to date. I commented on my marathon, chatted with a few people via several different social media platforms and generally savored every delicious minute.

So as I enter 2011 with school still three weeks away I have to find my inner balance to  finish projects, prepare for the new semester, work on research, share my thoughts with the universe and have a little fun.

Seize the Day!