Category Archives: General

An Obsession With Color

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Here’s one of my favorite things in the entire world: nail polish.  I love it, and it makes me feel so much more colorful.  I’ve always loved nail polish, and I think it was middle school when my love of my nail polish took off.

I used to wear colors like this:

And now I wear a lot of colors like this.

But I don’t mind sparkles

Or bright colors:

There’s nothing wrong with a sunny/Hufflepuff yellow.  Nothing at all.

Or hot pink.

So, I know looking at pictures of my nail polish collection is probably boring.  Or something.  But sometimes, it’s hard to pick a color.  What color fits my mood?  What color am I tired of wearing?  Should I buy another bottle?  Actually, more nail polish is something I probably don’t need.  But it’s one of the few make-up type things that I just love.

(Don’t get me going about lip gloss.  That would probably be even more boring than talking about nail polish).

There’s just something about picking out the right color at the store.  Or mulling over my color choice for the week.  So many possibilities, and it does add some color to my life.  Why I latched onto nail polish, I don’t know, but there could be worse things, right?

Honestly, I don’t get the whole going to have someone else do them, because it’s so much easier (and probably cheaper) to do it myself.  I guess it’s the whole  someone else is doing it thing?  I have no clue.  But I like doing it myself.

On that note, I want to wish all the mom’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day.

Field Trip Pictures, Part 2

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Here are the rest of the pictures from my trip to the San Diego Mission!

Remember that ladder in the Casa De Los Padres?  It led to the upper level in the picture below.

In the same building, you have some Franciscan robes on display, because they were the ones who originally ran the mission.  Now, it’s run by the Diocese of San Diego.

Here’s another picture of the garden.

I thought the brick cross in the background was pretty cool.  In the garden, there are a couple of statues.  Here’s the one of St. Joseph.

I liked the statue of Father Serra, the guy who founded the mission.

I thought this was pretty cool.  You can see a little bit of the garden, but I didn’t want to walk through it just to get a closer picture of the statue.  I suppose that’s what the zoom buttons are for, but either way, I like the garden too.

Here’s the St. Didacus statue.  I liked the white statue with the blue tiled background.  Plus, another name for Didacus is Diego…he’s the saint San Diego is named after, in case anyone is wondering.

Here’s a little…thing that was next to the Kumeyaay hut.  I’m not sure what it is, but now that I think of it, there may have been a little sign explaining what it was.

I thought this fountain was really pretty.

This cross is dedicated to Father Luis Jayme, who is the 1st Christian matyr in California.  He died in an attack on the mission in 1775.  I think we’re on the 5th church.

And while I didn’t get a picture of the inside of the church, I did get a picture of the church bells.  They rang at noon, so at least I got to hear the church bells.  And here’s an interesting tidbit of information: the church (which is still an active church) was named a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1976.

Granted, you can’t see them too well, but I was trying to take the picture while the wedding in the church was going on.  I didn’t want to be that weird person with the camera standing in front of the open door to the church.  Hence, the weird angle.  Plus, it seemed like the best angle at the time.

I’ll leave you with one more picture, at least for now.  There are still a few more pictures, which may decide to post at some point.  I’m just not sure yet.  Anyway, the last picture for today is a picture of a sign.  I think the sign is pretty self-explanatory.

Let’s Share Some Podcasts

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I can’t remember the last time I talked about podcasts, and since there’s quite a few new ones I’ve found, I figured it was time to share some of them!

I love YA, and decided to search for YA book related podcasts…and found a couple I think I’ll like.  One is Authors Are Rockstars, and it looks like they interview authors.  I’ve only listened to their most recent episode, in which they interviewed Elizabeth Norris.  Her book was already on my to-read list, and after listening to the interview, I think it’s moved up to one of the top spots.  The other is YA Literature Review, which also seems to focused on interviews.  But there seem to be quite a few reviews too, which is cool.

I’m also listening to The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe, and they talk about comic books, movies, and anything pop culture.  I know nothing about comic books, but it’s still cool to listen to, and they talk about all kinds of stuff, so it’s not like I’m really confused or anything.  And even I can kind of keep up with the comic book talk.

The last couple I want to share are Jim Harold’s Campfire and the Paranormal Report.  I’m a big fan of Weird News Radio, and he’s mentioned his other podcasts a few times, so I thought I would give both of them a listen.  They’re both interesting, and I like hearing all of the ghost stories on the campfire.  Plus, I like hearing about different paranormal topics on the Paranormal Report.

There’s still a bunch of podcasts I’m not sure about, so if I decide I want to keep listening to them, I’ll definitely be sharing them!

Field Trip

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I went on a little field trip yesterday.  And it was fun!

After reading Night Walker, I definitely felt like going to the San Diego Mission.  Which I didn’t do…until yesterday!

It was pretty cool, especially since I had never been there before.  I totally thought I did, until I got there, and realized I had not been there.  I even took pictures!

First, we have the Casa De Los Padres.  So, there’s a replica of the mission back in the good ‘ole days.

Just ignore the fact that part of is cut out of the picture.  This was the best angle I could get.

This is what one of the rooms may have looked like.

Above is the only picture of the church I took.  There was going to be a wedding, so I just took a quick look around.  Besides, taking pictures in a church felt a little weird, like I shouldn’t be doing it.  So I didn’t.

I didn’t get to go in the sanctuary, because it was closed off, so I moved on to the garden.  The flowers were pretty and it felt very peaceful.  Plus, there were several statues.

This is the St Francis Of Assissi Fountain.  There’s also one of St. Joseph and Father Serra.  And one in the Pieta Garden.

I took a couple of pictures in the Father Jayme museum but there was a glare because of the glass case they were in.  It was pretty cool, because they had a lot of Kumeyaay artifacts, like baskets and vases.

From there, I went to the St Didacus Statue and the Pieta Sculpture.  You can see the Pieta Sculpture below.

After that, I saw a Kumeyaay hut.  The Kumeyaay are pretty important in both San Diego and California history.  Sadly, everything I’ve learned about them in elementary school is long-forgotten.  The Kumeyaay Hut can be seen below.

After that, I saw the Archaeological Site, which was pretty cool.  The thing that stuck out the most was the fact that they haven’t found any burial grounds at the Mission.  Apparently, there were pretty strict rules about where people could be buried, and they have yet to find any there.  You can see it below.

I definitely have more pictures, which I think I’ll share sometime this week.  It was really cool to see a part of San Diego I’ve never seen before, and considering it’s the 1st of the California missions, it’s a pretty historical place.  It was definitely worth the trip!

Up To No Good?

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I really haven’t been doing much, except for reading.  Well, I’ve clearly been reading a lot, which is perfectly fine with me.

But I thought I’d talk about what’s been going on, since I haven’t done that in a while.  I’ve done the usual book reading, and some blog reading.  Maybe it’s time to share more of my favorite blogs.  I just don’t want to leave any of them out- maybe it could be a very irregular feature or something.

I’ve been listening to my podcasts, and even found some new ones that are definitely keepers.  And some I’m not sure about.  Plus a bunch I still need to listen to.  I’ll have to share those on Monday.

I’m looking at bedspreads!  Well, kind of.  I really need a new one, because the one I have has a big hole in the middle.  And I’m keeping my sheets folded over it so I can hide the hole.  It’s been an irritating search, because all the really cute bedspreads don’t come in a twin size.  Maybe I need to go with a comforter set instead of a bedspread, but bedskirts are irritating, and I don’t want to get one if I can find a bedspread.

I’m also waiting for a bunch of pre-orders to become available.  I pre-ordered Carrie Underwood’s new album.  I also pre-ordered the new one from Norah Jones, so those reviews will be on their way next month.  Plus, I’m waiting for Insurgent by Veronica Roth, Destined by Aprilynne Pike and Endure by Carrie Jones.

I’m really liking my Nook, and with all the series I’m reading, it’ll be a godsend, because I won’t have stacks of series all over the place.  It really is convenient, and I’m glad I got it.

So, that’s all I can think for today, but I’ll be back tomorrow!

I Feel Irritated

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Can I take a few minutes to complain about some things?  Because I feel like I need to get a few things off my chest.

I love series, I really do, but I may have to take a break from them for a while.  I feel like they’re really starting to take over.  Plus, I feel like I’m always saying that I hope things are going to be explained in the next book.

My current source of irritation with series is Shade.  In the 100 or so pages I read before giving up, nothing was explained.  I felt like I was reading the 2nd book in the series, and had to check what number it was.  Even after discovering that it was indeed the 1st book, I felt like I was reading the wrong book in the series.  Like…some explanation about things would be nice.

I also need to complain about blogger cookbooks.  I don’t mind if bloggers publish cookbooks.  But if they’re going to do so, can they at least come up with recipes that aren’t on their blog?  I have no incentive to buy their cookbook if I can get the same recipe at their blog for free.

Oh, and this is really random, but can people stop wearing headbands if their hair is in a bun or a ponytail?  I don’t get it…your hair is completely pulled back, so why do you need a headband.  Which one is it, headband or ponytail?  It just looks weird to me.

If anything goes wrong today, I’m blaming it on the fact that today is Friday the 13th.  I’m not terrily superstititious or anything, but at least I have an excuse for anything weird that happens today!  So be careful or have fun today, I guess?

Either way, happy Friday the 13th!

Guess What?

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I got an e-reader!  It’s all very exciting, and it’s still in the shiny, new toy phase, since I got it Friday night.  I ended up going with the Nook- part of it is the fact that I love Barnes and Noble, but I also just really like how it looks.  Okay, the thing where it turns black for a second when you turn a page is slightly annoying.  I don’t particularly need something to simulate a turning page, but whatever.

I like that it’s a lot easier to carry it around than an actual book, and that I can carry multiple books on one device.  For the forseeable future, I probably won’t be downloading any new books on it.  Except for Insurgent, which I pre-ordered.  But I think I’m going to stick with books I’ve already read, and books from Project Gutenberg.  It’s definitely not going to replace traditional books, and there are some books that I don’t want an e-book for. But other books, like series, or stuff I want to read that I don’t want anyone else to know I read will eventually end up on it.

I really like it so far, and I’m definitely warming up to it a lot faster than I ever expected.  I’m sure I’ll be talking about more…especially as I use it more!

I also got the Joy The Baker Cookbook!  I was flipping through it the other day…and even made some cookies!  There’s a hundred recipes, and every single one of them has a picture!  I feel like that’s pretty rare for cookbooks, and it’s nice to see what everything is supposed to look like.  And a lot of it is baking, so it’s right up my alley!

That’s all for today, I think, so have a great Sunday!

Technology!

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I’ve been thinking about technology lately.  I normally don’t think about it, but I’ve been looking at iPods lately.  I definitely need a new one, because half of the music I have on iTunes isn’t on my iPod.

But I started thinking about how much I use my iPod.  It started to snowball- iPods turned into the internet, and that led to t.v., which led to e-readers and cell phones.

Something that crossed my mind over the weekend was an e-reader.  I was in Barnes and Noble, and for the first time, I really considered getting an e-reader.  I figured I’d get one eventually, but it was low on my priority list.  Like bottom of the list low.  And for the longest time, I figured I wouldn’t use it very much, so there was no point in getting one.  But then again, that’s what I said about my iPod, and it’s something I use a lot.  For me, it would be a big purchase, so I’ll have to think about it carefully.  Maybe I should make a pro/con list or something.

I’ve never really thought about unplugging more.  But now, I’m kind of wondering if I need to.  Perhaps I should take note of how much I use technology, like over the span of a week or something, just to see.  It could be an interesting experiment.  I may have to try it sometime soon and share my findings.  If there are any, that is.

I really liked this article called The Joy Of Quiet.  It’s an interesting article, and quiet can be good.

So…

I think I’m done rambling.  At least for now.  But the rambling will continue on another day.  Possibly tomorrow.  But I don’t really know for sure.

The Hunger Games: The Movie

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I saw The Hunger Games Monday night, so I thought I’d share my thoughts about the movie.  I wasn’t sure how tired I’d be Monday night after seeing it, so I decided it would be best to wait a day to gather my thoughts.  And as it turned out, I was utterly exhausted by the time I got home.  There’s no way I could have written anything resembling coherence.

There will be spoilers, so if you haven’t seen it, and don’t want to have the spoiled, you have been warned.  

I really liked it!  I thought it was a good adaptation, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it followed the book pretty well.

I loved seeing the scenes where they show the commentators for the Hunger Games as well as the scenes between Seneca Crane and President Snow.  And the scenes in the Game Room were a nice addition too.  And the districts watching the games!  Seeing a different side of things was a good idea, because you never really thought about the other side in the book.  At least, I didn’t.

It really made it feel like I was watching reality t.v., and when you think about it, the Hunger Games is the ultimate reality t.v. show.  For me, it really showed how ridiculuous reality t.v. can be.

Rue!  I cried, and I really wish I had some Kleenex with me.  Overall, a lot of the deaths were harder to take than I thought.  Rue’s especially, but also Cato’s.  And the initial bloodbath at the Cornucopia…reading it, I was all “whatever.”  But there’s a difference between reading and seeing.  Rue’s death was the saddest, and her death really brought to life the horror and the unfairness of the Games.  It’s really too bad they didn’t show the parachute from District 11.  I would have liked that.

Here’s what surprised me: the romance wasn’t as played up as much as I thought.  Which is good, because the books were never about the romance for me.  But there was a point where they didn’t play it up as much as it should have.  The point did get across though, so all in all, I think it worked out.

Other thoughts: Effie was unexpectedly hilarious.  The Capitol was cool, and reminded me of Star Wars.  The people who live in the Capitol looked ridiculous but not as ridiculous as I thought.  What was with Prim freaking out?  It’s like she doesn’t know what’s going on, but standing on the sidelines and actually having to participate are 2 very different things.  Still, she has to have some idea what’s going on.  Their mom was more irritating than I expected.  Haymitch was less of an ass than I expected…and also less drunk than I expected.

Is it just me or did the berry scene at the end of the film seem a lot longer in the book?  I thought the scene with Snow when he’s standing in the gameroom and then leaves was really creepy.  Lenny Kravitz as Cinna: loved it!  And why isn’t there a version of Rue’s Lullaby on the soundtrack?  Speaking of the soundtrack: after seeing the movie, I love the song selection even more.

All in all, I was pretty happy with it, and I really want to see it again!

You Won’t Believe This!

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So…I did something last week that I haven’t done in months.

I wrote something other than a blog post!  That’s right, I actually worked on one of my old novels.  I didn’t write much- around 300 words, before I decided I need to re-read it, on account of me not remembering what happened.  This is what happens when you stop working on stuff over the summer.

I will need to re-read it, and all of the other stuff I was working on, because I don’t remember what on earth I was working on or what I wrote.  Making it up as I go along isn’t anything unusual, but a refresher never hurts.

It was very exciting, though, and it was nice to get back to novel writing.  I think I’m going to work on things in very small chunks- only 200 to 300 at any time, because I want to ease my way into it.  I haven’t done any other work on the novel-writing front, but hopefully I’ll get back into it over the next few days.