Category Archives: Currently Obsessed With

Currently Obsessed With: February 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month!

Currently Obsessed With

February was pretty uneventful…except for finding out that the script for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child was going to be released as a book.  Other than that, not much happened in February.

Crochet:

I started out doing a granny square a week…only to pretty much abandon it last month.  I do want to get back on track with it, though.  And I’ve been working on a granny square blanket for myself, which seems to be going a lot faster than the other blanket I’ve been working on.  I know there’s going to be green (once I’m done with the blue), and I have a multi-colored yarn that has purple, pink, green and blue that I want to use, but I’m not sure if I want to add any other colors.  I think I definitely want to see how big it is once I’m done with the green- I sort of want to use the variegated yarn for a border, so the size of the blanket will probably determine if I keep going with the blanket.

I’m doing a color-blocked thing with the blanket, mostly because I don’t want to change yarn every couple of rows and weave in all of those ends, but I think it’ll look a lot cooler doing one color at a time.  Come to think of it, I’ve always wanted to do a rainbow blanket, so if I keep going, I might do that.  And I’ll definitely have to soften it once I’m done, because I’m using Red Heart Super Saver, and it’s a bit scratchy, so softening it is definitely in order.

Books:

I bought a few books last month!  On my Nook, I got Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie (which I read last year and LOVED), This Raging Light by Estelle Laure, A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas, The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan, Six Gun Snow White by Catherynne Valente, and The Boy In The Black Suit by Jason Reynolds.

Books- Feb 2016

I also pre-ordered Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, and I bought Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz and the Oh She Glows cookbook on a recent trip into Barnes And Noble.  And Night Study by Maria V. Snyder from Audible.  So it quite a month for book buying, but I’ve been pretty good about not buying a lot of books, so, somehow, it felt okay to buy a few. Plus, a lot of them were on sale, so that helped!

T.V./Movies:

Movies: I saw Deadpool, which was an awesome movie!  It was a lot of fun, and there were a lot of funny moments.

T.V.: I’ve been catching up on stuff on Hulu!  I forgot that I had a few random episodes from last year that I never got around to watching, and I didn’t realize that some of my shows had started, so I haven’t watched anything on Netflix lately.

Around The Internet:

I love this post about fiction being unrealistic.

This article about fruits and vegetables and how they taste better in Europe was really interesting.

This blog post defending romance is pretty awesome.

I really liked this post about the damaged girl narrative.

Another blog post I liked was this one about religion in YA.

This article about surrogacy was really interesting.

This book, this one, and also this one aren’t books I would normally go for, but I randomly came across them, and they seem interesting.

I can relate to this post about being proud of being a Hufflepuff.

There is definitely a stigma to doing things alone.  There shouldn’t be.

Diversity In Books: YA needs more diversity, We Need Diverse Books has a post about ways to describe hair, YALSA talks about asexuality in YA, Respiring Thoughts has a great post about diversifying the literary canon, this post about calling a disabled person inspirational was interesting and eye-opening, Reading Brightly talks about why we need more diversity in YA, and Ellen Oh has an awesome post on tumblr.

You can find more cool things I came across over on Pinterest!

Music:

1- Renegades by X Ambassadors.  I love this song right now.

2- Stressed Out by twenty one pilots.  I didn’t like this song at first, but it’s grown on me.

3- Cups from Pitch Perfect.  I don’t know why, but lately, I can’t stop listening to this song.

I think that’s all for today.  Hope you have a great day!

Currently Obsessed With: January 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

I can’t believe it’s February already!  I’m doing this a lot later than I usually do but I just haven’t wanted to sit down and write this post until now, so here it is!

Crochet:

I’ve been working on another blanket for myself!  It’s going to be a very large granny square when it’s done, and I’ve been randomly working on.  I’m also doing a granny square project where I’m doing one granny square every week, and that’s been fun but interesting!  I may or may not talk more about it at some random point.

Books:

I got a few books last month!  I got When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney, Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris, The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, The Big Book Of Granny Squares (all from Barnes & Noble or Amazon) and The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Adichie from Audible. I feel like I’m forgetting a book or two, but I’ll mention them next time if I remember what they are!

T.V./Movies:

I finally saw Star Wars last month, and I really liked it!  I really need to see The 5th Wave, which reminds me, I really need to read the book too.  As for t.v., I was watching Dr. Who until it went off of Netflix (which I’m not happy about, because now I need to find another way to watch it), and I watched the first episode of Making A Murder, which I think any fan of Serial would like.  And I’ve re-watched a couple of episodes of Gilmore Girls! I’m starting from the pilot, because I feel like I should, even though I could probably start from where I left off…if I could remember where in season 3 I left off.  Or be less lazy and look it up, but that seems like too much effort.

Around The Internet:

Considering the fact that I tend to wear the same few things over and over, a capsule wardrobe might be a good idea for me!

This is super-late and all, but I was so sad to hear about the passing of Alan Rickman.

This is a totally awesome book acknowledgement.

This 11-year-old girl is completely amazing, and she is doing an even more amazing thing.

Someone is doing some really cool self-portraits recreating famous paintings.

You can find these links, and a lot more over on pinterest!

Music:

I’ve been in a music mood the last month!  Here are 5 of my favorites from the last month.

1- That’s My Kind Of Night by Luke Bryan

2- Smoke Break by Carrie Underwood

3- Heartbeat by Carrie Underwood

4- Walking On A Dream by Empire Of The Sun

5- Roses by The Chainsmokers

Hope you had a great day!

Currently Obsessed With: Wrapping Up 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about some of my favorite things from the last month!

Currently Obsessed With

2015 was a really interesting year for me!  I did some really fun things, and I wanted to talk about some of my favorite things from the last year, as well as some of the things that happened in December.

As for December happenings, Christmas was awesome, and it was fun to see my family.  Also: I forgot how fun Christmas is when there are little kids.

I’ve been on a cleaning spree since the house was tented right before New Year’s.  I’ve spent a good chunk of the first few days going through clothes, jewelry…and even my bookshelves (but only a little bit for the books).  My room already feels less cluttered and more clean, and I can’t wait until I’m completely done.  I have a couple of areas I need to go through, but I’ve done the major areas of my room, so I’m not in any hurry to go through everything else, but I’ll probably do that soon.  Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up has been really helpful!  I don’t think I’ll use everything she talks about but it really helped with going in a certain order and keeping things that spark joy.

Crochet:

I made a granny square baby blanket and a baby hat last month for someone at work.  The granny square blanket was really good practice for the granny square project I’m doing this year, especially with joining the smaller squares to the main blanket.  I also made a soap saver for a secret santa, and I think I’m going to make one for myself!

Dec 2015- Collage

Left To Right: Soap Saver, Granny Square Baby Blanket, Baby Hat

I’m also working on a yoda hat (also for someone at work, but a different person), and while I have the hat done, the ears are giving me some trouble- I’ve tried a few different patterns, but a couple did not look Yoda-like at all, another sort of did, but wasn’t pointy enough, and so I’m hoping the pattern I’m using currently will work out.  I don’t know if I necessarily have a favorite thing I made, but I am fond of the unicorn hat I made and the Luna Lovegood scarf I made a few months ago.

Books:

You can check out my favorite books from 2015 here, so I won’t go into my 2015 favorites, but I do hope that 2016 doesn’t have as many reading slumps as 2o15.  There’s also a list of my favorite new-to-me authors.

I did get a few books last month- I got Kindred from Audible, and I got Rebels By Accident by Patricia Dunn, All The Rage by Courtney Summers and All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds for my Nook- having a gift card for Barnes And Noble was awesome because I got to get some new books and not spend any of my money!  I’ve been trying to keep the book-buying to a minimum, but somehow, a gift card made me feel more okay about buying some books.

T.V./Movies:

Doctor Who is probably my favorite new t.v. show I’ve watched last year, and for movies, Cinderella, Mockingjay, Avengers and Insurgent were some of my favorites.  Then again, the four movies I mentioned are also the four I actually remember going to see, even though I know I saw more movies than that.  I definitely want to go to the movies more this year, because last year, I didn’t go a lot.  I still need to see Star Wars- I’ll probably do that this weekend!

Top Three Favorite Things I Did:

  1. Welcome To Night Vale!  The live show was awesome, and it made me love Night Vale even more!
  2. The Knit And Crochet Show.  I was so glad I got to go last year, since it was in San Diego!  I learned a lot in the couple of classes I took and I got some very pretty, soft yarn!
  3. I went to a Harry Potter party!  Seriously, it was so much fun to dress up as Luna!

Around The Internet:

Last month, I loved seeing this story about some students who saved the school librarian’s job.

These coloring books make me want to color more.

I need to keep this article about getting out of a rut in mind.

I barely pinned or bookmarked anything for December, but you can find a lot more on Pinterest.

Favorite New Podcasts:

  1. Gilmore Guys.  It makes me want to re-watch Gilmore Girls and possibly resurrect the Gilmore Girls Recap I was doing ages and ages ago.
  2. The Black Tapes.  This fictional, Serial-style podcast is so creepy but amazing, and it’s so realistic that I forget it’s not real.
  3. I’m Dying Here.  The host has terminal colon cancer, and I really like listening to his experience.
  4. Nerdist podcast.  The interviews are always fun to listen to, and it feels more like a conversation than an interview.
  5. The Air-Raid podcast.  I’ve discovered some new music because of this podcast, and it’s always interesting to listen to the interviews with the artists.

Favorite Albums:

  1. 1989 by Taylor Swift.  This one has been out for a while, but I still listen to it all the time!  It’s definitely my favorite Taylor Swift album to date.
  2. 50 Shades Of Grey Soundtrack.  I haven’t read the books or seen the movie, but the soundtrack is completely amazing.  I’m not the biggest fan of the Crazy In Love remix (it’s my least favorite and I always skip over it) but I love every other song on the album!
  3. Native Dreamer Kin by Joseph.  I heard about them on a podcast, and fell in love with their music.

Songs:

  1. Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon
  2. Here by Alessia Cara
  3. Bad Habit by The Kooks
  4. Seeing Stars by Borns.  Fool and Electric Love are also worth checking out.
  5. Align by Aby Wolf
  6. Lean On by Major Lazer
  7. Hello by Adele
  8. Weathered by Jack Garratt

I think that’s all for today, have a great week and a great year!

Currently Obsessed With: November 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

(A Quick Note: This post is a re-post from a few days ago)

November was a busy month!  I did NaNoWriMo, which went well.  I also went to the Night Vale live show last month, and it was completely awesome!  It’s great listening to it, of course, but seeing it performed is even more awesome because you get to facial expressions and gestures and body language, and I can’t wait until the recording comes out so I can listen to it again.  Thanksgiving was fun, and it was nice to spend some time with my family.

November was a little weird, though.  I was sick the first week (and I was glad it was just a week, that was bad enough), and the time change really got to me this year.  I’d be completely exhausted by 7:30, and there were quite a few nights where I’d be in bed by 8:30/9 and mornings were just as bad.  I’d wake up at 4:30 and not be able to go back to sleep.  Sleep has been getting back to normal (sort of), so hopefully soon, I’ll be able to stay awake past 8:30.

Crochet:

I haven’t really been crocheting much.  I started some wrist warmers, and got almost done with one, but decided part of it looked weird, so I ripped it and did one row of a different pattern.  Honestly, my attention has been elsewhere, so crochet hasn’t been a focus.  Now that November’s over (and I’m done with NaNo) I should be crocheting at least a little more.

Books:

I bought Crochet Stitch Dictionary by Sarah Hazell, which I think will be really helpful!  It’s not the most comprehensive book, but it’s pretty detailed, with 200 stitches included.  I think it’ll be a good resource to have on my shelf.

Crochet Stitch Dictionary Cover

I’m still looking for a book that has granny square patterns, since I’ve decided to do 52 granny squares next year, but if I don’t, I feel like I’ve found more than enough on pinterest and ravelry.

T.V./Movies:

I saw Mockingjay Part 2!  I really liked it, and even though I get why people are disappointed, I thought it was pretty true to the book, and even the things that were changed, I didn’t really mind.  Then again, it’s not something that usually bothers me.  Splitting Mockingjay into 2 movies is weird, and it would have been fine as one movie. I know that’s the thing now, while it’s fine for some movies, it wasn’t the best idea with this one.

I’ve been watching season 5 of Pretty Little Liars, and re-watching this season of Once Upon A Time, and trying to keep up with my usual shows.  It’s been a little hard, though, when you’re trying to watch something and falling asleep during it, so I’ve been watching/re-watching stuff after it’s up on Hulu.  Hopefully I’ll be back to my normal sleep schedule once everything comes back next year.

Around The Internet:

Book Riot has some awesome posts: Breaking The Rules Of Reading, Defending Fan Fiction, Coming Back From An Off Year Of Reading and A List Of Bookish Podcast Recommendations.

I made brown butter carrots for Thanksgiving and they were amazing!

This is a great list of women authors of color.  I definitely need to check out a lot of these books.

I also need to make these Maple Walnut Blondies.

Seeing these bookplates make me want to buy some!

You can also check out everything cool I find over on my Around The Internet Pinterest board!  FYI: November was a really slow month, for some reason.  I saw some interesting things, but not a lot caught my attention.

Music:

I haven’t been listening to a lot of music, which is weird, because usually I listen to a lot of music during November.  I did want to share a couple of songs.

Hello by Adele.  I know it’s hard to escape this song, but I love it!

Break Up With Him by Old Dominion is another new favorite.

I can’t believe it’s December already!  This year has gone by really fast.  Happy December!

Currently Obsessed With: October 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month feature but sometimes more feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

It is November, which means NaNoWriMo has started!  I look forward to it every year, and I really am hoping to do at least one post about it.  I’m also going to the Night Vale live show tomorrow, and I am so excited about it! I also went to a Halloween party, and a midnight kick-off party for NaNoWriMo, and they were awesome!  I had a lot of fun, especially in my Cecil costume.

Crochet:

I crocheted things…and finished them!

Crochet- October 2015 Unicorn Hat

I made a unicorn hat, and I did have to slightly adjust the pattern- I did one less row for the hat, and I did half double crochet for the earflaps instead of single crochet.  I did the single crochet for one earflap, and thought it seemed too short, so I opted for something slightly taller.  I know the mane added some weight, and pulled it down a little, so I wonder if that’s why it was in single crochet.  But the earflaps I made are the perfect length, so I’m happy with how it worked out!

Crochet- October 2015 Headphone Hat

I also made a headphone hat, which was part of my Halloween costume, and let me tell you, it was so much easier (and cheaper!) to do than actually buying the headphones.  I considered making a microphone, but I knew that would have stressed me out, so I’m glad I didn’t make one.  Anyway, I also altered the hat a little bit- I added a row to the hat because I finished it, and it seemed a little too short, so I took out the ribbed part, added another row, and re-did the ribbed part of the hat.  Adding another row of that would have made it a little too tight.

I did learn the magic circle technique, and I can’t believe it took me so long to learn it!  I skipped over so many projects that featured it, and now I want to do all the projects that feature it.  It will make crocheting in the round so much easier.  I also learned how to do post stitches, which was hard at first, but it got easier!  The first row or two was hard, because I could never remember if I was doing a back post or front post stitch, but after that it was easier because I could actually see what stitch I was on.  I have a couple of things I want to do next, but they might have to wait until October.

Books:

I got the Night Vale book!!!!  I got it on audible, because it’s narrated by Cecil, and I can’t imagine reading a Night Vale book any other way.  But I am curious about reading a Night Vale book, so I may end up getting a copy of it. I bought a few e-books: H2O by Virginia Bergin (so I can read the ARC I have of the 2nd book), Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern, The Queen Of The Tearling and The Invasion Of The Tearling by Erika Johansen, and Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor.

Books- October 2015

I also got More Happy Than Not by Adam Silva in hardcover- I totally meant to buy the e-book and did instant purchase not realizing that it was on hardcover, and spent a couple minutes trying to figure out why an e-book was $16 when I looked at my email and realized I bought the hardcover instead of the e-book.  But I kept the book because I’m going to read it anyway, and it made no sense to me to return it.

T.V./Movies:

I’ve watched a few episodes of Arrow, and I like it enough to at least watch the first season.  I’ve also been re-watching Doctor Who- I’ve watched the season with Capaldi, because it was just added to Netflix recently.  I still don’t like Clara, and I’m not sure how I feel about Capaldi yet.

And Walking Dead…until it’s confirmed, I don’t want to believe that IT has happened.  But I’m also trying to get ready for the fact that it may have happened, because it is possible.  It’s been a week, so I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, but I also know that there may be people who haven’t seen it yet, so I’m being really vague instead of doing a spoiler alert.

Around The Internet:

You can find all of the cool stuff I find on the internet over on Pinterest.  There are way too many cool things out there!

I went down The Nostalgia Machine rabbit hole.

I can totally relate to this post about finding new favorite books.

What Should I Read Next? is an interesting book recommendation generator thing.

Booklist Online has one of the most balanced posts about Twilight I’ve ever seen.  And I really like this post over at Book Riot about Twilight.

Music:

I heard this song on the Air Raid Podcast, and I just love it!  I can’t wait until the album comes out, but in the meantime, I’ll have to check out his EP’s.

Happy November!

Currently Obsessed With: September 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things and some of the cool stuff that’s been going on.

Currently Obsessed With

I have to admit that September was really boring!  Honestly, though, it’s been so hot that all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing except browse Etsy and Pinterest with NCIS on in the background.  Now that it’s October…holy crap, it’s October!  That means NaNoWriMo is just weeks away…and the outline I said I was going to do almost a year hasn’t really happened.  I’ve read through it, and I have little chapter summary things for about half the chapters.  I’ll do what I can, and just go from there.  I’ll probably talk a little more about what I’m writing later on in the month. Once I have a better idea of what’s going on and once I’ve actually put some effort into it.

Crochet:

Once again, I haven’t been crocheting a lot.  Which means I’m still working on that dishcloth.  I did start a washcloth, since I have a somewhat decent amount of cotton yarn I’m trying to use up, but I’ve had to frog it 2 or 3 times. Row 5 is give me some major issues.  Maybe I need to do it at home?

I do want to make this crochet headphone hat for part of my Halloween costume, since it’s the cheaper option of trying to find some of the old-school headphones.  I think this Unicorn hat might be my official NaNoWriMo hat this year.  I’ll have to learn the magic circle, but it’s about time I learned it anyway, since I tend to stay away from projects that only have the magic circle as an option.  It could be fun to crochet a fun hat every year for NaNo- last year I wore the Princess Anna hat, and while I could wear again, I really like that Unicorn hat.  I definitely need to look through my stash to see what yarn I have and what yarn I might need to get.  I’m positive that I have most of the yarn I’ll need, so I won’t need to buy that much if I do need to buy any.

I’m also thinking of doing some sort of yearly crochet project.  I did the post-a-day project a few years ago, and this is a weekly nail polish project, and the idea of doing something crochet-related would be really cool.  I’m not sure if I wanted to go with doing something daily, which is a lot of pressure, and will be more challenging during certain times of the year, so I’m sort of hesitant about that.  I do like the idea of weekly, or maybe something everything month.  At any rate, I do have a few possibilities, and I have plenty of time to figure out the details.

Books:

I didn’t do a lot of book buying this month- just Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone and my audible pick. This month, though, there are some books I need to have.  Notably, the Night Vale book, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, and The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa.  And next month is Winter!

Since I mentioned Audible, I chose The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh as my book.  I’ve wanted to read it for a while, and I specifically went with the audio because of the narrator.  I loved Delawari’s narration in The Secret Sky, to the point where I added a book or two to my TBR because she narrates it.

I’m currently getting one book a month, but I’m strongly considering upgrading to two-book-a-month plan since I’ve been listening to quite a few audio books lately.

T.V./Movies: 

I am so glad that fall t.v. is coming back!  Granted, almost half of what I watch is on Thursdays…which makes me very glad I have Hulu.  Or maybe I need to drop some shows, but I don’t see that happening.

I’m still watching NCIS, and I watched a few episodes of The Walking Dead, but I haven’t gone back to it.  I might but I haven’t really thought about it.

Around The Internet:

You can see all of the Around The Internet things over on pinterest!

The next time I need a color scheme for something, I’m going right to Design Seeds.  I’ve been a fan for a while.

I am in love with this lamp.

The Harry Potter Alliance does some great work.  Donating is worth every cent if it means they can keep up the awesome work.  Three words: Granger-Lovegood shirts.

Ask Polly: Why Is Everyone Succeeding Except Me really hit home.

I have been eternally grateful for this cookbook, since the crock-pot means I don’t have to turn on the oven or stand over the stove in 90 degree weather.  I really need more crock-pot cookbooks.

Book Riot has a couple of especially awesome posts: the hysterical book contacts post and the awesome heart-warming post about getting Some Girls Are to teens.

Libraries are doing awesome things.

Read The World is one of my new favorite blogs.  I really need to spend some more time looking through their recommendations.  Food52 and The Kitchn are two new food blog favorites.

Music/Podcasts:

I feel like I’ve sort of ignored this part of my monthly recap posts this year, and right now, I’m not sure if I want to keep it going.  I don’t know if it’s just been non-music year, and I know over the last month, I haven’t been in a big podcast mood.  Hopefully, that will change (and soon!) but until then, this may be a sporadic thing.

Today, I am going to share some of my favorite audio book narrators, since I’ve been listening to a few audio books.

  • Khristine Hvam and Kevin Collins, who have narrated the Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures series. I’ve added some books narrated by Hvam to my wishlist, even though there are quite a few that I already have copies of because she narrates.  I haven’t looked at anything else Collins has narrated, but I really need to do that.
  • Kyla Garcia, who narrated Joyride by Anna Banks.  I haven’t looked at other books she’s narrated yet, but I like her a lot, and I will listen to anything that she narrates.
  • Ariana Delawari, who narrated part of The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi.  I’ve added books to my TBR because she narrates it.
  • Jessica Lawshe, who narrated A World Away by Nancy Grossman.  It’s too bad I can only find one other book narrated by her, because she is probably my favorite narrator to this point.

I was looking through my audio book shelf on goodreads recently, and realized I don’t even remember the narration or narrator for most of them.  There were a few I vaguely remembered liking, especially after looking at some of the books, but it’s amazing how few really stand out.  I think it’s safe to say that some of the ones that do stand out have been books I’ve listened to recently, so maybe they are on my mind at the moment.

That’s all for today, Happy Thursday!

Currently Obsessed With: August 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about all of the things I’m currently into and everything that’s been going on!

Currently Obsessed With

August has been a great month!  I went to a book signing (more on that in a bit) and I went to a Harry Potter party, which was so much fun!  I dressed up as Luna, which consisted of a floral skirt over some tights, with Converse-type shoes, some brightly colored socks, and a pink top.  I also printed up a picture of the Quibbler from a DIY Luna costume tutorial thing, and taped it to a magazine I had, and I also found a print-out of Spectrespecs, that I attached to my glasses.  I also wore the Luna Lovegood scarf!  I got sorted into Slytherin, which was funny, because I was dressed up as Luna, and I identify as a Hufflepuff…and I’m the least Slytherin person I know.  There were tons of stuff to do at the party, like coloring your own patronus, wizard’s chess, quidditch (which ended up being Slytherin vs everyone else), runes and trivia.  I’m definitely looking forward to next year’s Harry Potter party!

August has been really hot, and I’m hoping it cools down, because all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch t..v. and nothing else.

Crochet:

I haven’t been crocheting a lot, just working on the same dishcloth I’ve been working on for a couple of months- and that’s only at yarn group.  Otherwise, I haven’t been working on anything.  Oddly enough, though, I really want to pick up my blanket, which makes no sense because it’s too warm to work on it.

Books:

I went to a book signing!  For Zero World, which I think everyone should pick up.  But I am biased, since I know Jason, so keep that in mind.  But still.  Read it!  Anyway, we listened to an excerpt from the audio book, and Jason talked about the book, and how it came to be, and then he answered some questions, and it was just awesome.

Books- August 2015 Zero World

I’ve read a lot this month, but for whatever reason, I haven’t really wanted to read.  Audio books seem to be working well, though, because I finished one I started in July, and listened to three others.  I’m definitely on an audio book kick, so for now, I’ll probably be listening more, and reading less, since I’m not in the mood to read…with my eyes, anyway.

Books- August 2015 Coloring Book Collage

As for other books, I bought 3 coloring books, and it’s been awesome.  So even though I haven’t been crocheting, I have been coloring.  I definitely have a post about coloring books in the works as we speak, that’s how much I’ve been enjoying it.

I got The Book Of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez from Audible, and considering the fact that I’m on an audio book kick at the moment, I’m hoping that I get to it soon!

T.V./Movies:

I finished House, which I kind of want to re-watch because there are a bunch of episodes I had going as I was falling asleep, but I think I might wait a while for that.  I’ve watched a few episodes of season 8 of the new Doctor Who (I like it, and I’ll keep watching it as long as it’s on Netflix, which is the only way I can see it at the moment), and I still don’t like Clara, and I’m not sure how I feel about the new Doctor.  I’m sure I’ll have more of an opinion once I’ve watched the entire season.  I’ve also watched some NCIS, and that’s really about it for t.v.

I’ve also been watching Fear The Walking Dead, which makes me want to re-watch Walking Dead.  And I actually find it a lot creepier/scarier than Walking Dead.  I think it’s partly because we know what’s going on and where things are headed, since they’re both set in the same world.  And partly because you’re watching everything unfold. There have only been a couple of episodes, but I really like it so far.

I haven’t seen any movies…I don’t even know what’s out right now, and there hasn’t been anything I’ve wanted to see in a theater.

Around The Internet:

I have a lot to share this month!  I have a bunch of cool blog posts and articles that aren’t on pinterest (for more cool things I’ve read this month, go here).

I really loved this post on how to get back on track.

This article about book banning was really interesting.

Speaking of book banning, this post about some students at Duke having issues with Fun Home by Alison Bechdel made me think.

A post titled When I’m Gone really got to me emotionally (in a good way, though) and it really makes you think.

This post about getting your shit together is something I can relate to.  A lot.

There’s been a lot of talk about For Such A Time by Kate Breslin.  This post is particularly good. Smart Bitches, Trashy Books also has a great review about it.

You can now judge a book by it’s cover.  It’s interesting to see how my ratings of a book matched up with the ones on goodreads.

According to this calculator, it will take me 5 years and 2 months to read all 700+ books on my TBR list on goodreads.  Assuming I don’t add any other books…which I probably will…and also assuming I don’t keep reading any of the series I know are on there…which probably won’t happen…which means that it will take me longer than that to finish.

I made homemade applesauce, and it was amazing.  And really easy.  It’s amazing what you can do in the crock-pot.

Speaking of crock-pots, I want to make this bread.  I would never in a million years think of that.

This post makes me want more coffee mugs.  You can never have too many.

Maybe it’s time to get back to the books.

Or eat mini sausage pancake muffins.

We might even have time to look at really cool book-themed sculptures.

I think my favorite story, though, is the one about the middle school teacher who decorated her classroom Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone style.

Music/Podcasts:

So, I haven’t listened to a lot of music this month- I just haven’t been in a music mood.  And while I could share some podcasts, I won’t because I don’t feel like looking through them to figure out what I have and haven’t shared yet.

But I think I will share some that I want to check out- I don’t listen to a lot of book-related podcasts, so those are what I’m sharing.  I haven’t listened to any of them, so but I can’t wait to check them out.  And I’m always looking for podcast recommendations, so feel free to share.  I’ll give anything a try, so it doesn’t have to be book-related!

The Worst Bestsellers sounds fun.

Witch, Please sounds right up my alley.

Literary Disco seems interesting.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Currently Obsessed With: Character-Inspired Outfits

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about things I’m really into.

Currently Obsessed With

I went to a Harry Potter Party a few weeks ago, and in my search for a Luna Lovegood costume I could put together with not a lot of effort, I got to thinking about character-inspired outfits.  I’m a huge fan of Disneybound, which was really helpful when I was putting together a Princess Anna costume for Halloween.  If you know of any similar blogs, I’d love to know about them.

There is something very cool about using everyday clothes to dress up as a character- and there’s a certain practicality to it that I also like.  There’s nothing wrong with buying a costume, of course, but I’m finding that in terms of costumes, I’m getting more practical as I get older.  I want to dress up for Halloween (or something other party/event) but I don’t want to get a costume that is then going to sit in my closet, not being worn.  Character-inspired outfits are an easy way to do that.

The biggest appeal is that it’s fun to create outfits based on a character.  I did it last year when I dressed up as Anna from Frozen for Halloween, and I did it when I dressed up as Luna Lovegood for the Harry Potter party.  I’m definitely doing it for Halloween this year, and I’m currently deciding between Luna (since I have the outfit, but I may add some radish earrings and a butterbeer necklace) and something Night Vale- either Cecil or a hooded figure.

I’m currently figuring out a Cecil outfit- I have a plum colored shirt I’m not sure about, so I’m trying to decide if I want to go with it, a more Night Vale purple or something white.  I’m hesitant about white, because I know I’ll end up spilling all over it, and white isn’t my favorite color to wear, but it will also be easy to find if I decide not to go with plum, or if I can’t find the shade of purple I’m looking for.  And a cardigan.  I need a cardigan.  And some fun Night Vale-ish tights.  Although I’m not too worried about the shirt now, because the fun of it is that it doesn’t have to be exact, and now that I’ve talked it out a little, I might stay with the plum-colored shirt after all.

I did get this totally awesome old-timey microphone necklace, and I would need to figure out make-up for it.  I figure the temporary tattoos from the Night Vale store might be easier, because I’m not at all confident in my ability to do make-up for a Cecil costume, but we’ll see.

I’m not completely sure what I would do for a hooded figure costume, other than wear all black (which is no problem at all, since I have black clothes).  I’d need a hooded cloak, of course, but I figure that will be easy enough to find around Halloween, and maybe I’ll print up the rules of the dog park on some card stock and hang it around my neck or something.  If I go with it, of course.

Really, for Halloween, it’s more about the accessories than the actual clothes, but it’s still a lot more fun to put something together with accessories and clothes than it is to buy it.  Plus, the idea of dressing up as, say, the Sorting Hat, or Alice In Wonderland in a non-obvious way is really fun.  I just love the idea so much, and I really need to pin more character-inspired outfits.  I’m not kidding when I say that I have an entire pinterest board dedicated to it.

I do think it’s one of those things that’s really subtle, which does fit with me personality-wise, but it’s also something that can be not-so-subtle too.  Depending on who you dress up as, it might not be obvious you’re dressed up as someone, which is the appeal of doing it year-round, but it might be problematic if you’re talking about dressing up for Halloween, or something else where you need to be costumed.  But that really is why I’m such a huge fan of it.

At risk of repeating myself, I think I shall end this post here, but it was also fun to ramble on about.  Hope you have an awesome day!

Currently Obsessed With: July 2015 Was So Awesome!

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

July was so much fun!  I went to a book signing and a knit and crochet show, and both were pretty awesome. I’ll talk more about them, but I’m definitely glad I went to both!

Crochet:

July was a good month for crochet things!  I made the Luna Lovegood scarf for a Harry Potter party I went to, and I really like the scarf.  I would definitely make it again, but I think next time, I’d use a bigger hook, because something about the scarf would work well with a bigger hook.  Really, the possible combinations of different hooks and yarns would make for an interesting scarf, and it would be interesting to see how much the scarf changed.

Crochet- July 2015 Luna Lovegood Scarf

I also went to the Knit & Crochet Show, and I am so glad I went!  I would definitely go again if I had the chance.  I took a couple of classes- one about shawls, and one about the shell stitch.  I learned so much (which is all I’m going to say, since one class specifically mentioned that we only say we took the class and I’m applying that rule to the other class just to be safe), and if you have the chance to take classes with Marty Miller or Karen Klemp, go for it, because I thought they and their classes were pretty awesome.

Crochet Show- Collage

I also got some yarn.  Pretty, pretty yarn.  Which is also very, very soft yarn, and all I want to do is hug the yarn and look at the yarn.  As much as I wanted to buy all the yarn, I knew that I couldn’t.  How I stuck to my budget, I have no idea.  I really don’t. But walking around before buying anything helped a lot.

I got Mulberry silk yarn with beads, and all of the colors they had were beautiful.  I’ve never crocheted with yarn that has beads throughout the yarn, but I couldn’t resist!  I think I even have a project in mind for it, which is sort of weird, but at least I know it won’t sit there because I don’t know what to do with it.  I also got some bulky pink yarn (because pink, and they’re also local, which will make it easy to get yarn from them again).  And I got fingering weight yarn (the bright green) and the yellow is a cotton and something (I want to say rayon, but I’m not sure) blend that will be fun to work with.  I think I might want to use the green for another Luna Lovegood scarf, because I think a really light-weight yarn would work for it.  And lotion from Squirrel Stash Yarn.  (Random side note: I know Cait, and I think everyone should check out her shop on etsy. She has awesome stuff).

And Lion Brand was one of the sponsors, and they had some goody bags for people who pre-registered.  I’m excited about the yarn, of course, but the bag is a reusable shopping bag which is nice for storing the yarn I got!

Books:

I went to a book signing for The Heart Of Betrayal by Mary Pearson, which I’m super-excited about, because I really liked the first book, The Kiss Of Deception.  I haven’t started it yet, because I have what feels like 50 million library books I need to read (and not being in a big reading mood right now isn’t helping), but I will read it soon!  It was fun to hear her talk about the book, and what inspired it.  Also: the poster is awesome, and I love the pins and the bookmark!

Books- July 2015 Collage

I also got The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi from Audible, which I’m looking forward to listening to, assuming I can find some time to actually do that.

T.V./Movies:

I haven’t been to the movies in a while, but I’ve been going back and forth between House and NCIS. I was surprised that NCIS was on Netflix, but now I get to watch it from the beginning.  I randomly came across the show a few years ago on USA, so I’ve never seen the episodes in order, from the beginning.  And so far, I’ve seen all of them, but still.  It’s nice to start from the beginning.  And it’s been fun re-watching House, but I think I may have re-watch the re-watch, because I have a tendency to watch it when I’m falling asleep, so I’ve missed a lot.  But it’s still a great show.

Around The Internet:

I have an entire pinterest board dedicated to Around The Internet, so you can see everything there.

I did want to specifically mention a Cover Snark post from Smart Bitches,  Trashy Books.  Also: there is a guest review for Emily’s Magical Bejeweled Codpiece here.  You need to read it, you really do.

I read a fascinating interview with Alton Brown here.

Who knew that translating Alice In Wonderland could be so challenging?  I didn’t.

Dear Author has a really thoughtful post about liking problematic things.  It’s something I have a hard time with.

I really need to spend some time looking at this list of the 37 best websites to learn new things.

Music/Podcasts:

I have no music picks this month, because I’ve added a bunch of new podcasts to my rotation.  I thought I’d share some of the ones I’ve added recently.  I’m having a hard time keeping it short, and at this point, I’m strongly considering doing a special post just to talk about more podcasts.  I’m always looking for recommendations, so if you have any, leave them in the comments!  Here’s just a few for you:

  • The Black Tapes Podcast.  The best description I can think of is Night Vale done in the style of Serial.  I was listening to it at work (there’s only 6, and they’re all an hour or less) and I was getting massively creeped out listening to it.  And there were points where I forgot it was fictional.  That’s how realistic it is.  You can check them out here.  (Also, you really need to listen in order, because otherwise, things won’t make as much sense).
  • Most of the ones from How Stuff Works- the history one, the conspiracy one, stuff mom never told you, stuff you should know, and stuff to blow your mind.  They’re all really interesting, and if you like learning about random things, they’re worth checking out.  Which you can do here.
  • The Nerdist Podcast.  It’s really funny, and more often than not, I find myself laughing as I’m listening.  The one with Ian McKlellan was really fascinating.  You can check out The Nerdist podcast here.
  • The Gilmore Guys.  It’s a lot of fun, and I came across it when I saw an article somewhere about Gilmore Girls.  It even got me to watch a few episodes of the show.  I don’t usually start at the beginning of podcast, especially if it’s over 10 or 15, like this one.  But after listening to one of the episodes, I knew I had to start back at the beginning, so it’ll be awhile before I’m caught up on this one.  You can check out Gilmore Guys here.
  • Sean DeTore’s Mixtape (found here) and The Air Raid Podcast with Aaron Roden (found here). Both have really awesome interviews with people, and I heard about them on the Grapes Of Rad (which is also a favorite and totally awesome podcast where the co-hosts talk about the most random stuff.  You can check it out here if you want).

Happy August!

Currently Obsessed With: June 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

June has been really hot, and it makes me want to do less stuff than normal!  I’m eternally grateful for air conditioning, and no humidity, because curly hair and humidity do not get along.  But I’m really looking forward to July, because of the Knit And Crochet show (which I’ll talk about in a little bit).  And August 1st, I’m going to a Harry Potter party, which will be so much fun!  Putting together a costume will keep me busy this month.

Crochet: 

I haven’t been crocheting a lot, but I have been working on that dish towel I mentioned last month.  Other than that, I haven’t been working on anything.  It uses a shell stitch, which is hard to see in this picture, but I think it would work really well with a light color, with something variegated or even with stripes.

Crochet- June 2015 Dish Towel

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet, but I’m going to the Knit & Crochet Show.  Since it’s in San Diego this year, it’s super-easy to go, and I’m taking a couple of classes, so that will be fun too!  I’m definitely looking forward to going, and it’ll be fun to buy yarn!  And learn new crochet things.  I already got my pass, getting me into the show floor, and I just need to pick up the badge holder I got (because I know I’ll have a hard time finding my pass), and I also get a goody bag of some sort.  I do need to bring yarn and other crochet supplies, and not surprisingly, I have yarn for one class.  But not the other one, because it requires fingering/DK/sport weight yarn, and, of course, I don’t have any of that yarn.  But still, yarn!  And learning yarn things!  It’s very exciting, and I will definitely have more on that later!

Books:

It hasn’t been a huge book-buying month, but I did buy The Color Purple by Alice Walker…because it was 9 cents (yes, really) on Kindle, and I just couldn’t pass it up!  I’ve wanted to read it for a while anyway, so it was well worth it.  I also got Joyride by Anna Banks from Audible, and I’m excited about listening to it.

I’ve been checking out books like crazy from the library, and I love that they have a library card for your keychain.  It’s awesome! I know it’s not that hard to pull out my wallet to get my library card, but somehow, it seems easier to get my keys out.  I know it makes no sense, but it’s still awesome.

T.V./Movies:

I’ve been watching Gray’s Anatomy like crazy!  I don’t even remember watching Season 1, but according to Netflix, I did, because I started at Season 2.  I’m on season 10 already, and there were a bunch of things I had completely forgotten about!  It’s changed a lot- I mean, of course it has, because it’s been on for a long time, but it’s amazing how much the show has changed.  I can’t believe it!

I did watch a few episodes of Sons Of Anarchy, and I don’t know how I feel about it, but I’ll give it until the end of Season 1 to see if I want to keep going with it.

I’m always looking for t.v. recommendations, so feel free to comment if you have any suggestions!

Around The Internet:

So many things!  I think I’m sharing a few most of what I pinned this month, but a few things I couldn’t pin. You can check out everything here.

Book Riot always has really interesting posts, but there were a few I really liked: this one about how to analyze white characters in book reviews, this one about being a Harry Potter house counselor, and this post about why it’s important for boys to read books about girls.  The one about spoiler alerts is interesting, but I also felt a little bit like there was something wrong with people not liking spoilers.  I don’t know if that was the author’s intent, but that is how it came across.  Let’s just be cool with other people’s preferences, whatever they are, okay?  Also: I love that this post pokes at how escapist thrillers are horrible for readers, and it reminds me of a lot of the things that romance readers hear.  And this post about reading habits based on your Hogwarts house further confirms that I am a Hufflepuff.  But Ravenclaw is also scary accurate too, and if I weren’t Hufflepuff, I’d want to be in Ravenclaw.

There’s an awesome post over at Dear Author about what books are.

I love this post over at The Perpetual Page-Turner about not being too old for YA.

I really want to try Death Wish Coffee.

This interview with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is amazing, and got me a little teary-eyed.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the link between the bacteria in your gut and your mood.

The Midnight Garden has an interesting blog post about fandom and criticism, especially in relation to recent episodes of Game Of Thrones.

This proportional map of the world’s largest languages is fascinating.

The History Of Tampon is easily the most interesting thing I’ve read in a long time.

And the final thing I want to share: awesome library cards.

Music:

I haven’t been listening to a lot of music, and I haven’t been in a big podcast mood either, but I have wanted something to have on in the background, so I’ve been re-listening to the Parasol Protectorate series.

I will leave you the one song I have been listening to- Align by Aby Wolf, which was the Weather on a recent Night Vale episode, and I love it so much that I really am going to have to get her full album.

Have a happy weekend!  And happy July 4th to everyone in the U.S.!