Right now, I'm in the midst of finals wondering where the heck the semester went.  It suddenly disappeared and I am now 6 months away from graduation.  What was once 4 years has now become 6 months - my how time does fly.  With this time slipping away so quickly, I realized that I have many things that I've said I was going to do, but never quite got around to.  One such thing was putting the fact that I had found a new favorite book last August.  The Art of Racing In the Rain, by Garth Stein, easily took over the empty spot I had reserved for favorite book (books don't really move me that much very often).  I was so enamored by this book that I literally read it in the equivalent of a single sitting all in a single day (headed back from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia to Atlanta this past summer - If you notice, my cover is different than what is sold in the US - that's because I bought it in Canada - more on that later). 

Now, I may have enjoyed the book so much because I am a driving enthusiast, but to be honest, I thought the book was going to be about a dog running around in the rain.  Not so much so. I had seen the book around the pool at the resort that I work at (as a cabana boy in the summer) and figured there was a dog on the cover and it the title was about racing, so naturally the dog must have been the one doing the racing.  Boy, was I wrong.  If I had known the premise of the book, I would have read it the moment I learned about it. As you can see, the Canadian cover is much different than the US cover and tome signifies that the story line actually involves racing.  I actually prefer the Canadian cover - I guess it's the Motorsports enthusiast in me.

There is one line in particular that presents itself many times in the book - it is this:  "That which you Manifest is before you."  At this point in my life, there is probably no other quote that means more to me.  I hadn't really thought about it much before tonight, but in thumbing through the book in between my favorite TV shows and  (**edited just incase my mom is reading**) studying for my Cost Accounting Exam that I have tomorrow (last final of the semester, by the way) this quote just kinda fell into my lap, almost like fate.  "That which you manifest is before you."  Of course it is, it only took a talking dog in a book that I read some time ago to make me realize that it is, that I am in control.  I loved the quote so much, I took an old shot of mine from a secret racetrack and turned it into a wallpaper:

Shoot me an email (austin@austincabot.com) if you would like me to send you a copy of the wallpaper.  In the meantime, I highly suggest you pick up a copy of the book and read it if you haven't done so already.  Though I can't do a full review of the book since I don't remember every little detail (I did read it nearly 5 months ago), I fully intent to re-read the book over the winter break (this time with a highlighter - there are many good quotes), and write a full review complete with how I can/have applied the lessons to my personal life.  Now, back to studying for my last accounting exam I will ever take - at least at Georgia College.  You all enjoy your weekend and happy holidays!