....I have had LOADS of stuff that I wanted to blog about. I longed for time to do it. I have contemplated getting up an hour early so I could just focus on writing & blogging. And now, I have a few moments on a blissfully blizzardy day - August naps & Steve & Dahlia are working on some home-improvement shelf-building/painting project in the basement (although I hear the drum set....so maybe that's not really going as planned) & here I sit. Blogger open. New post ready to go. (photos uploading to Shutterfly in the background) and I have NOTHING.
*sigh*
I really should take better notes about my life or something. I miss having this online journal!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sunday, January 06, 2013
2012 Books
My retrospect for 2012 is as follows as I am removing it from the sidebar to make room for 2013 today! Yeah!
1. A Clash of Kings (okay - I'm actually still reading this....)
2. Unbroken
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
4. How Green Was My Valley
5. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
6. The Hunger Games
7. In the Woods
8. His Favorite Wife
9. After Long Silence
10. People of the Book
11. Catching Fire
12. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
13. Mockingjay
14. Fifty Shades of Grey
15. Gone Girl
16. Bloom
17. We Bought a Zoo *
18. Below Stairs
19. Cutting For Stone
20. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
21. Fifty Shades Darker
22. Dark Places
23. Sharp Objects
24. The Joy of Less
25. Alice's Tulips *
26. Cloud Atlast
27. Wilde
28. The Perks of Being a Wildflower
29. A Reliable Wife *
* indicates audio books
I'm still reading - A Clash of Kings (as previously mentioned) & Under the Banner of Heaven (which I barely had started last year...I'm also still listening to The Round House - with only a few chapters left. Considering I read over half of those since I started at the library in July, I'm confident that I can reach my 50 book goal.
At least it's something to shoot for!
What're you reading these days?
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Get-a-Way!
Just back from a weekend up the shore with my friend Elizabeth. *sigh* ahhhh - two nights of sleeping in a bed all by myself, a whole 24 hours without washing dishes, 4 Christmas presents made, one pair of jeans hemmed (we know how to party), glasses of wine on the deck, endless gazes at the big lake & the wonderfulness of being soothed by the sounds of the waves.
The only problem was, the weekend was too short!
The only problem was, the weekend was too short!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Movies!
Another awesome perk of working at the library is MOVIES! We circulate a lot of movies. I am often on the wait list for months & months, only to have 5 or 6 come in for me at once! And so I often just return a bunch without watching them. Which stinks. Ah well. It's the dark time of year now so I figure more movie watching is in m future. And hopefully Santa will bring us a DVD player (wifi enabled, okay, I mean blu-ray player...) Anyway - I updated my viewing list. Here are my micro reviews of those:
THE MUPPETS - loved. Of course I saw it in the theater (with Dahlia & my Mom) and felt a little disappointed after seeing it. My expectations were HIGH! But after viewing again - at home with the fam - I really enjoyed it. I love the song & dance. I love seeing places that were in my neighborhood when I lived in Hollywood. I love that my kids are really starting to dig The Muppets.
THE HELP - I read the book when it came out & heard mixed reviews from people who had loved the book and hated the movie or vice versa. Weird. So I was nervous. But I think enough time had passed and I had forgotten some of the parts of the books or something. I really liked this movie a lot. This movie made me cry & think about how awful human beings can be to each other, and also made me think about the people that stick their necks out. Yes, I liked this film. (later, after watching, I started filling in the blanks of what the movie left out of the book - I guess it didn't bother me too much.)
THE SOCIAL NETWORK - I wanted to love this movie. But I didn't. I think it was kind of boring. I purposefully updated my status on my FB account several times while watching this film. Just to make a point. FaceBook still blows my mind and the movie was *okay* but not great.
UNKNOWN - I had never heard of this gem (starring the delicious Liam Neeson) but had seen it come & go from the library so snagged it one of those times. I loved this film. Well written & acted with lots of nice twists, a little action, not too much violence, but it kept me guessing. Steve & I actually sat down together & watched this film & we both really liked it. Check it out.
CONTRABAND - Eh. Typical - guns - drugs - money - heist - things go wrong - it was okay. I like Mark Wahlberg & enjoy this genre now & then. But this was a bit boring & I kept falling asleep. I might just have been tired.
WHIP IT - I adore Ellen Page - I liked this movie. Cute, quirky. Not great CINEMA but very enjoyable. This film circulates like crazy!! Is it the Roller-Derby angle?
GAME OF THRONES - AWESOME. Need I say more? I have read the first book and 3/4 of the 2nd in the George RR Martin (not to be confused with the Beatles' producer George Martin....) series and have really been enjoying it. The series, awesome. I think the casting was SPOT ON. Of course I knew the surprises that were coming up (who would die, etc) but it didn't matter. I loved it. Of course the book has WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more in it and there were a few things added to the series that were extraneous in my opinion, but ah well. Sean Bean as Eddard Stark is awesome but even more awesome is Peter Dinklage as Tyrion. That roll was BUILT for him. I am loving watching him. I am re-invigorated to finish the 2nd book & move on to the third. I got to watch part of the first episode of the 2nd season last weekend and am chomping at the bit for more!! Dangit sometimes I wish I had cable!
THE HUNGER GAMES - waited forever to see this...finally got to. I enjoyed it but have been turning it over in my head ever since. The book is so much better. The movie hits all the right points & it's interesting to see it all laid out - but so many of the relationships are short-changed (and the entire moment of when she gets the Mockingjay pin...? Totally weird &different). And the whole idea of Katniss becoming someone that the entire district and then country gets behind is sort of lost in the shuffle. So, it's one of those cliche sayings - the movie was good, but the book was SO MUCH BETTER! Ah well. I enjoyed it.
MOONRISE KINGDOM - I love Wes Anderson. I really do. RUSHMORE (and Bottle Rocket) are two of my favorite films. I love his goofy/dorky style. I love how he makes everything look & I love how he moves the camera. I thought that Moonrise was a very quirky, interesting film...but I wanted more. A little more story. A little more plot. I liked it, I liked it for it's oddity and simplicity and yet...I wanted more. Perhaps that's contradictory but ah well, my blog. There are a couple Anderson films I have yet to see and will rectify hopefully soon.
So there you have it! All caught up on my SO INCREDIBLY engaging movie reviews. Oh I'm also currently watching BREAKING BAD (season 1) and PARKS AND RECREATION (season 4). Oh and I caught up with WEEDS - which (super-micro-review) felt so much better than season 6...like it's getting on track to be the more fun show back when everyone was happy (!) in Agrestic!
I'm caught up on now on movies so hopefully some more will come for me this week!
THE MUPPETS - loved. Of course I saw it in the theater (with Dahlia & my Mom) and felt a little disappointed after seeing it. My expectations were HIGH! But after viewing again - at home with the fam - I really enjoyed it. I love the song & dance. I love seeing places that were in my neighborhood when I lived in Hollywood. I love that my kids are really starting to dig The Muppets.
THE HELP - I read the book when it came out & heard mixed reviews from people who had loved the book and hated the movie or vice versa. Weird. So I was nervous. But I think enough time had passed and I had forgotten some of the parts of the books or something. I really liked this movie a lot. This movie made me cry & think about how awful human beings can be to each other, and also made me think about the people that stick their necks out. Yes, I liked this film. (later, after watching, I started filling in the blanks of what the movie left out of the book - I guess it didn't bother me too much.)
THE SOCIAL NETWORK - I wanted to love this movie. But I didn't. I think it was kind of boring. I purposefully updated my status on my FB account several times while watching this film. Just to make a point. FaceBook still blows my mind and the movie was *okay* but not great.
UNKNOWN - I had never heard of this gem (starring the delicious Liam Neeson) but had seen it come & go from the library so snagged it one of those times. I loved this film. Well written & acted with lots of nice twists, a little action, not too much violence, but it kept me guessing. Steve & I actually sat down together & watched this film & we both really liked it. Check it out.
CONTRABAND - Eh. Typical - guns - drugs - money - heist - things go wrong - it was okay. I like Mark Wahlberg & enjoy this genre now & then. But this was a bit boring & I kept falling asleep. I might just have been tired.
WHIP IT - I adore Ellen Page - I liked this movie. Cute, quirky. Not great CINEMA but very enjoyable. This film circulates like crazy!! Is it the Roller-Derby angle?
GAME OF THRONES - AWESOME. Need I say more? I have read the first book and 3/4 of the 2nd in the George RR Martin (not to be confused with the Beatles' producer George Martin....) series and have really been enjoying it. The series, awesome. I think the casting was SPOT ON. Of course I knew the surprises that were coming up (who would die, etc) but it didn't matter. I loved it. Of course the book has WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more in it and there were a few things added to the series that were extraneous in my opinion, but ah well. Sean Bean as Eddard Stark is awesome but even more awesome is Peter Dinklage as Tyrion. That roll was BUILT for him. I am loving watching him. I am re-invigorated to finish the 2nd book & move on to the third. I got to watch part of the first episode of the 2nd season last weekend and am chomping at the bit for more!! Dangit sometimes I wish I had cable!
THE HUNGER GAMES - waited forever to see this...finally got to. I enjoyed it but have been turning it over in my head ever since. The book is so much better. The movie hits all the right points & it's interesting to see it all laid out - but so many of the relationships are short-changed (and the entire moment of when she gets the Mockingjay pin...? Totally weird &different). And the whole idea of Katniss becoming someone that the entire district and then country gets behind is sort of lost in the shuffle. So, it's one of those cliche sayings - the movie was good, but the book was SO MUCH BETTER! Ah well. I enjoyed it.
MOONRISE KINGDOM - I love Wes Anderson. I really do. RUSHMORE (and Bottle Rocket) are two of my favorite films. I love his goofy/dorky style. I love how he makes everything look & I love how he moves the camera. I thought that Moonrise was a very quirky, interesting film...but I wanted more. A little more story. A little more plot. I liked it, I liked it for it's oddity and simplicity and yet...I wanted more. Perhaps that's contradictory but ah well, my blog. There are a couple Anderson films I have yet to see and will rectify hopefully soon.
So there you have it! All caught up on my SO INCREDIBLY engaging movie reviews. Oh I'm also currently watching BREAKING BAD (season 1) and PARKS AND RECREATION (season 4). Oh and I caught up with WEEDS - which (super-micro-review) felt so much better than season 6...like it's getting on track to be the more fun show back when everyone was happy (!) in Agrestic!
I'm caught up on now on movies so hopefully some more will come for me this week!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Micro Reviews!
I am alive & updated my reading list ---------------> over there tonight! whohoo! Amazing how working in a library gets you in the mood to READ ALL THE TIME. It's awesome. So - a couple of super short reviews:
FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY/FIFTY SHADES DARKER - crap. Total crap. Okay, okay - there's lots of sex and it is indeed "Mom Porn" but the writing is so bad. So yucky bad. I don't want to read the word "petulant" on the page more than once EVER but certainly not multiple times. I don't ever want to read the phrase "...my inner goddess...." again nor do I wish to hear about someone biting their lip. Ugh. I kept waiting for a plot. That was my problem. Needless to say, I resisted reading the third one. What a waste of time.
GONE GIRL - awesome. Loved it. The writing is snappy & interesting. There are TWISTS (!!!) that made me go SHUT UP out loud! I really enjoyed reading this book. A lot.
so much so that I read Gillian Flynn's two previous books:
DARK PLACES - I really enjoyed this too. Dark yes, but good in a "true crime" sort of way.
and
SHARP OBJECTS - also really enjoyed. Also dark. Love the twists & turns. Enjoy her writing immensely. (but GONE GIRL is still my fave)
BLOOM - the memoir written by a fabulous blogger whom I love Kelli Hampton . It's a book about redirecting your entire outlook after your world is rocked. In her case, having a 2nd daughter who has Downs Syndrome, and what that journey has been like. Her blog is awesome. Her photographs are beautiful. Her life is so incredibly blessed. It was a good read.
WE BOUGHT A ZOO - I wanted to see the movie, but wanted to read the book first....but don't have time, so listened to it at work (while buffing children's dvds, actually). I enjoyed it quite a bit although found parts really dry. I still haven't seen the film but cant' really believe they made it into one! I'm assuming they added some drama. It was a good listen. Not great, but good.
BELOW STAIRS - claimed to be the memoirs that inspired DOWNTON ABBEY - I had to read it! It is written very simply as an autobiography of a kitchen maid from that era. Enlightening. Not earth shattering but a very entertaining & quick read.
CUTTING FOR STONE - BEAUTIFUL! What I would deem modern LITERATURE. A story that takes time to unfold, draws you in without you realizing it and opens your eyes to worlds beyond in a subtle and very effective way. I loved this book.
MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN - what a crazy book! I totally dug it. Sort of magical, sort of a mystery - easy to read with tons of creepy ACTUAL photographs from decades gone by. Fantastic & surreal, this book was a fun adventure. I dug it.
EATING, SLEEPING AND GETTING UP - HOW TO END THE DAILY BATTLES WITH YOUR CHILD - um, yeah.....that's where I'm at. This book was reaffirming. Meaning - it reaffirmed that I need to stick to my guns and not let a certain someone's tantrums get the best of the situation. *sigh* so much to remember all the time. I thought this was good....not a great parenting book, but had quite a few ideas I took away with me.
THE JOY OF LESS - love this book. Lots of great ideas to declutter your house & live more simply. Still working on it.
ALICE'S TULIPS - another book I listened to while mending books at the library. I've enjoyed Sandra Dallas's other works, and found this one entertaining as well. Not quite what I expected & it wasn't something I "couldn't put down" but I did enjoy it.
That sort of brings me up to date. I have two great books at home that I"m reading (GODS WITHOUT MEN and CLOUD ATLAS and another at the library waiting for me WILD)...I realize that working in the library there are too man books & too little time! such a great problem to have!
FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY/FIFTY SHADES DARKER - crap. Total crap. Okay, okay - there's lots of sex and it is indeed "Mom Porn" but the writing is so bad. So yucky bad. I don't want to read the word "petulant" on the page more than once EVER but certainly not multiple times. I don't ever want to read the phrase "...my inner goddess...." again nor do I wish to hear about someone biting their lip. Ugh. I kept waiting for a plot. That was my problem. Needless to say, I resisted reading the third one. What a waste of time.
GONE GIRL - awesome. Loved it. The writing is snappy & interesting. There are TWISTS (!!!) that made me go SHUT UP out loud! I really enjoyed reading this book. A lot.
so much so that I read Gillian Flynn's two previous books:
DARK PLACES - I really enjoyed this too. Dark yes, but good in a "true crime" sort of way.
and
SHARP OBJECTS - also really enjoyed. Also dark. Love the twists & turns. Enjoy her writing immensely. (but GONE GIRL is still my fave)
BLOOM - the memoir written by a fabulous blogger whom I love Kelli Hampton . It's a book about redirecting your entire outlook after your world is rocked. In her case, having a 2nd daughter who has Downs Syndrome, and what that journey has been like. Her blog is awesome. Her photographs are beautiful. Her life is so incredibly blessed. It was a good read.
WE BOUGHT A ZOO - I wanted to see the movie, but wanted to read the book first....but don't have time, so listened to it at work (while buffing children's dvds, actually). I enjoyed it quite a bit although found parts really dry. I still haven't seen the film but cant' really believe they made it into one! I'm assuming they added some drama. It was a good listen. Not great, but good.
BELOW STAIRS - claimed to be the memoirs that inspired DOWNTON ABBEY - I had to read it! It is written very simply as an autobiography of a kitchen maid from that era. Enlightening. Not earth shattering but a very entertaining & quick read.
CUTTING FOR STONE - BEAUTIFUL! What I would deem modern LITERATURE. A story that takes time to unfold, draws you in without you realizing it and opens your eyes to worlds beyond in a subtle and very effective way. I loved this book.
MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN - what a crazy book! I totally dug it. Sort of magical, sort of a mystery - easy to read with tons of creepy ACTUAL photographs from decades gone by. Fantastic & surreal, this book was a fun adventure. I dug it.
EATING, SLEEPING AND GETTING UP - HOW TO END THE DAILY BATTLES WITH YOUR CHILD - um, yeah.....that's where I'm at. This book was reaffirming. Meaning - it reaffirmed that I need to stick to my guns and not let a certain someone's tantrums get the best of the situation. *sigh* so much to remember all the time. I thought this was good....not a great parenting book, but had quite a few ideas I took away with me.
THE JOY OF LESS - love this book. Lots of great ideas to declutter your house & live more simply. Still working on it.
ALICE'S TULIPS - another book I listened to while mending books at the library. I've enjoyed Sandra Dallas's other works, and found this one entertaining as well. Not quite what I expected & it wasn't something I "couldn't put down" but I did enjoy it.
That sort of brings me up to date. I have two great books at home that I"m reading (GODS WITHOUT MEN and CLOUD ATLAS and another at the library waiting for me WILD)...I realize that working in the library there are too man books & too little time! such a great problem to have!
Monday, September 03, 2012
Harvest
It's been so much fun seeing how much our little tiny raised bed garden is producing. And it was an experiment year. Due to an over zealous husband while I was away....we ended up with 17 tomato plants in our one little bed! While we have REALLY been enjoying tomato plants, they pretty much crowded out the beans, cukes & peppers. So this year we have lots of tomatoes, a couple of squash & that's about it! Next year the tomatoes are going in their own bed, or in pots so we can grow a few other things!
August can eat his weight in grape tomatoes, daily. Wish we had a couple of those plants. I miss having fresh green beans & zucchini, but I'll make sure there's room for them next year. I'm surprised we're getting as much as we are. We got 10" of rain (in one day) the week after we planted the garden & we've been experiencing horrible drought like conditions ever since.
I am looking forward to growing more next year! It's amazing to see what just a little space can provide! Think of how much food we could grow if everyone had a little plot & less grass & lawns!
August can eat his weight in grape tomatoes, daily. Wish we had a couple of those plants. I miss having fresh green beans & zucchini, but I'll make sure there's room for them next year. I'm surprised we're getting as much as we are. We got 10" of rain (in one day) the week after we planted the garden & we've been experiencing horrible drought like conditions ever since.
I am looking forward to growing more next year! It's amazing to see what just a little space can provide! Think of how much food we could grow if everyone had a little plot & less grass & lawns!
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Homemade Laundry Soap 2
In this post I talked about making homemade laundry soap. Almost 15 months later I am making a 2nd batch! What a money saver this has been! Oh and I have been using MORE than one cup of it per load, I think it isn't *quite* as strong as my beloved Tide. But still. 15 months! It probably cost us about $4 to do laundry for a year (not including, you know, power, water & mental anguish, of course.
Hooray for the homemade!
Hooray for the homemade!
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