Fast forward to January 2006. Dario and I stop dating. I move to Astoria. I start hanging out with Jill-IAN. Thus began my year of living life a rockstar. I had more fun in the 9 months leading up to grad school than in my entire life. I drank too much, stayed out to late, laughed too loud, and all those delicious clichés that categorize being an untethered 20 something in NYC.

I had no time for books and besides, I was off to grad school at UChicago that fall where there would be nothing to do but read. Well reading in academia is not quite reading…it’s more like skimming like your life depeneded on it. When I graduated 9 months later, I gave myself a 6 month break from all things brainy. I had a steady diet of blogs, message boards, nostalgic childhood reads and occasional chicklit.

Six months turned into a year plus. It didn’t help that I spent 9 of those months in a miserable drunken depression but the fact is that I don’t think I can properly say I’ve read a book in a year. (unless you count chick lit/beach reads ((Christ, I used to read Stalin’s biography on the beach.))

So basically, I’m looking to ease back into maintaing myself as well read individual. I’m going to start slow, a little Fitzgerald, Creators, by Paul Johnson which can be broken down, and we’ll see.

Because three-point-five-years ago I was the most well-read receptionist on the planet. Once this assignment ends, I might find myself at a front desk again, and I’d be quite happy to reclaim the title!