Tag Archives: rambling

Currently Obsessed With #3: March Is Over Already?!?!?!

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I can’t believe March is over already!  It seems like the year is going by so fast.  I really can’t believe it’s April already.

And that means it’s time for another round of what I’ve been up to and my favorite stuff from the month of March.

Like all the nail polish I got.  I’m such a fan of the Maven box, and it’s fun to get a box of things I know I’ll like.  To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure about the colors for March, since they scream spring, but I still liked them enough to get the box, plus two add-ons from a couple of the other boxes.  I also got a couple more bottles of green, and one of gold, which- very sadly- didn’t come in time for St. Patrick’s Day.  Thankfully, I have other shades of green, but the new greens are much more St. Patrick’s day than the one I wore. Which, by the way, is the shade of green from the March Maven box.

My normal Maven box is It Girl, which has 3 full-sized bottles of nail polish, and included Princess Grace, Margaret and Lizanne, and I decided I liked Lilou and Harriet enough to add them in.  Plus Leah, Peyton and Zelda, which are two shades of green (Leah and Peyton) and gold (which is Zelda).

While I love getting new nail polish every month, it also means I’m getting new polish every month…which means I need somewhere to keep it all.  And so I got something to store it in, because I really had nothing else to keep it.  And I love having it because it’s all in one spot and can carry it to wherever I decide to do my nails.

March Nail Polish Collage

Left: March Maven Box, Top Right: Nail Polish Storage, Middle Right: March Maven Add-Ons, Bottom Right: My Belated St. Patrick’s Day Nail Polish

I’m also obsessed with all the good t.v. right now!  So many things, and it’s seems like I’m always watching something or catching up something.  Because, for some insane reason, stuff has to be on at the same time.  Like, Cosmos, Believe and Resurrection…how can I possibly pick between 3 great shows?  I’m really glad I have Hulu, because it’s the only way to keep up with everything!

I finally starting crocheting a blanket!  It’ll take a while, and hopefully it will be done by the time winter rolls around.  I’ve been working on it randomly, and I’m really getting into ripple blankets!  I definitely want to make another blanket, but I’m thinking shades of green for the next one.

Blanket End Of March Collage

The ripple isn’t showing up too well in the picture, but I think part of it is that it’s a small, gentle kind of ripple.  Well, it’s really more of a wave, but I still like it!

As for music…I haven’t been listening to much, but I will say that I’ve been listening to the Divergent soundtrack on repeat for the last couple of weeks.  It’s sooooo good and it fits the movie perfectly! Speaking of the movie, I thought Divergent was fantastic!  Four…I loved Four in the series but the movie made me love him even more.  I wasn’t sure about Kate Winslet as Jeanine, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good a fit she was.  And it was the same thing with Shailene Woodley!  She really is a good choice for Tris.

Back to the soundtrack!  I’m really into it, and I can’t listen to anything else right now.  So many great songs, but here are a few of my favorites.

1- Find You by Zedd- I can’t stop listening to it!  It’s definitely my favorite song right now (and my favorite song from the soundtrack)

2- Fight For You by Pia Mia- it somehow manages to make me feel better every single time I listen to it!

3-  Hanging On (The I See Monstas Remix) by Ellie Goulding- I love the song, and the remix is even more amazing.

4- Lost And Found (The Odesza Remix) by Pretty Lights- One of my new favorites, and I can’t wait to check out Pretty Lights other stuff.

5- Dead In The Water by Ellie Goulding- She’s featured pretty heavily on the soundtrack, which is okay with me because I love Ellie Goulding so much!

That’s it for the goings on from March!  I hope everyone has a lovely day!

2014 Already?

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I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t believe it’s 2014 already!  It really does feel like 2013 went by really fast.

I feel like 2013 was a pretty good year, and all sorts of stuff happened.  I went to a few book signings, which was totally awesome, especially because they were the first book signings I have ever gone to! I’ll definitely be going to more, because they were totally fun to go to.

Speaking of books, I read an astounding 183 books!  I had a goal of 150, so clearly I exceeded expectations there.  According to goodreads, that amounts to 50,596 pages, which is a lot of pages. Overall, I really liked what I read, to the point that remembering what I don’t like is easier.  I really feel like I’ve gotten better at picking books I’m going to like, and that if I really strongly dislike something or am very not into something, I’m probably going to put it down and not finish it.  I’ve decided to aim for 160 books this year, and if the last couple years are any indication, then I’ll have no problem meeting that goal!  I don’t have much to add in terms of books, especially because I covered it pretty well in the bookish survey I did.  And my top books of 2013.  Oh, and this post I did my favorite new-to-me authors.

Writing this post is a little weird.  I’m so used to top ten lists and book reviews and Gilmore Girls recaps that writing something that isn’t one of those is really weird.  I definitely want to do more posts where I’m just talking about whatever, because I kind of miss those.  I’m not sure how often they’ll be, but at least one or two a month.

I get the Julep Maven box now!  I love nail polish, so a monthly box that contains nail polish is perfect for me.  There’s a really good chance I’ll be sharing them.  Like now!

January Maven Box

Left To Right: Mona, an add-on, and this months selection, Farrah, Annemarie, and Hope, plus, 2 unidentified orange squares

So, my box had Farrah, Annemarie, and Hope, and I decided that I like Mona (a nail polish included in a different box) enough to add that on to my box.  They also randomly include things sometimes, and I think the orange squares may be nail buffers, but I’m not quite sure…still, it’s always fun to get some mail that’s nice and fun.

Speaking of sharing, I think I’m going to share my crochet projects.  It wasn’t until last month that I actually started taking pictures of what I crochet (well, on a regular basis) because I was doing a few gifts for people and wanted to have pictures of what I made, so I might feature that too.  Even though I’ve been crocheting for a couple years, I still get intimidated, but I’d also like to get over that, so I’ll be trying new things as far as that goes.

Actually, I have a few ideas in mind for some fun posts, so when I hammer out the details, I’ll be sure to share!  There’s so much I want to do this year, both for my blog and in general, so I’ll do a post about resolutions sometime in the next week.  Once I narrow things down and such.  I’m definitely planning on taking a look back on the resolutions I did last year, so I think I want to take a look at that to figure out what to focus on this year.

I’m pretty sure I’m done rambling for today, so I hope everyone has a great 2014!

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

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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!

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.

Oodles of Books!

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It’s no secret that I read a lot.  With 115 books last year, and 50 for this year, it shouldn’t be a surprise.

So today, I thought I would talk about why I choose the books I do.

Mostly, I go off of my 599-books-long to-read list on goodreads.  More than a few are series, and sometimes I decide to continue with the series.  Sometimes I don’t.  Or sometimes, I decide to finish it, but not right away.

It’s hard to not add books, but I add some to the list every once in a while.  Thankfully, I’ve added most everything to shelves as best I can, so at least I can go to specific shelves if I’m in the mood for American history, or Tudor England or a biography.  But sometimes, I just go straight down the list.

I usually check out the “popular” shelf at the library.  Basically, it has quite a few books that are super-popular, and once in a while, I manage to find something I want to read on it.  I also like to see what books they have on display throughout the library.

But one of my favorite things to do is to pick backs based on the title and/or cover.  It’s fun to do every once in a while, especially when I want to read something that’s not on my TBR pile.  Sometimes I manage to pick up something that is on my TBR list, but mostly, it’s cool to see what catches my eye.

My general thought on reading is that it’s important to read different genres.  There are so many books out there, and I don’t want to limit myself by reading a handful of things.  I do prefer young adult and anything Tudor England, but at the same time, expanding my horizons a little is also really important.  Reading is not only an escape (which is only sometimes) but a way for me to learn something new.  At some point, I’d like to read more classics, more non-fiction and to re-read some of the books on my shelves.

I’m currently reading 4 books, plus a stack of books that I checked out from the library.  And more on the way!  Not many- currently 4, with a bunch that I’m on the waiting list for.

That wraps up the rambling for today, but I’ll be back tomorrow with something random…or not.

I’m Not Just Reading

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Since I posted a ton of book reviews last week, I thought I’d talk about other stuff for once.

I don’t really do that anymore, mostly because posting book reviews are often easier to post, as opposed to coming up with other topics.  Seriously, sometimes I just stare at the screen and have no clue what to blog about.  I really need to brainstorm ideas, that way I’m not just staring at the screen, wondering what to write about.  Plus, I like talking about stuff other than books, so I’ll be working on that.

I’ve almost starting writing stuff!  Seriously, I’ve gotten very close to opening up one of my novels and starting writing.  Will this be the week I start writing again?  Stay tuned to see if I actually do it.

I’ve been playing the Sims for a while now.  Not a lot, although probably more than I think.  It seems like they fixed that weird glitch in world adventures, so they can actually go on vacations and not come back as a double.  Plus, stuff is still there and doesn’t disappear.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the expansions packs, since there seem to be rumours of problems/glitches with the other ones.  Maybe when the next version of the sims come out?  Although the biggest factor is the prices, because in comparison to the Sims 2, the Sims 3 is expensive.  Eventually, I’ll get around to it.  I think.

I’ve been cooking…more cooking than baking, which is weird.  Because I love baking.  Actually, I’ll probably do that since I feel the need to bake a loaf of bread.  And chocolate chip cookies.  Because they make everything better, and chocolate chip cookies are my favorite.  Speaking of food, I should probably make something.

T.V.!  It’s been a while since I’ve talked about it.  I’m sad to see that this is the last season of House, but at the same time, I think it’s time for it go off the air.  Pan Am has already had it’s season finale, and I have a feeling that it won’t be coming back.  But I hope it does.  And apparently Terra Nova had it’s season finale back in December or something.  Which I didn’t realize until a few weeks ago.  I thought maybe they were on hiatus or cancelled or something.  Everything else that I watch is pretty much the same, and I’m enjoying everything.  I really liked the 200th episode of NCIS, and how things might have turned out.  I wasn’t sure about it at first, but by the end, I loved it!  At this point, I’ve given up on Revenge and Person Of Interest, because I keep forgetting to watch it.  I feel like I’ve mentioned that already, so I’m sorry if I have.  But if I haven’t, then I’ve pretty much given up on it.  Maybe I’ll get around to it eventually.

I can’t think of anything else, so have a great day!

For The Love Of History And English

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I love history.  So much, in fact, that I will read it on my own.

See, me reading history, on my own, for fun, seems to confuse some people.  And me reading for fun seems to confuse people too, especially if I’m reading anything that’s an “English class book.”  An “English class book” is basically my phrase for books that are considered classics…basically, anything you’d probably read in an English class.  It’s almost like I have to be reading it for a class, because people apparently don’t read Pride And Prejudice or Dracula for fun.  But I really need to read more classics, because there are a lot of books that I haven’t read, and I feel like I’m missing out on some books I feel like I need to read at least once.

Like The Diary Of Anne Frank.  I have NEVER read it, and I swear I’m not making this up.  I don’t think we even read an excerpt of it.  1984?  Never read it either.  Lord Of The Flies?  If you guessed that I haven’t read it, you guessed right.  I definitely need to read some of these books, but if I don’t like them, that’s fine, because the goal is to at least try to read them.

But back to history.  It’s true, I don’t have a degree in history.  And I don’t have one in English either.  Nope.  My degree is in sociology.

A lot of people think I studied English.  I understand that, because I like writing, and I read a lot.  Sometimes, it is entertaining to see people’s reaction when I tell them I studied sociology and not English.

On rare occasion, someone thinks I studied history, because I like reading Tudor history.  Someone even asked me once why I studied sociology, and not English or history.  Since I really like history, and I really like reading, it would make sense to study it, right?

Not exactly.  See, I love reading, and I find history really interesting.  But I know that those are 2 things that I will continue to do.  It’s not that I like sociology more because I have a degree in it.  It’s really that I know I don’t need any kind of encouragement or pushing to do it on my own.  I guess you could say that I’m a self-learner…I have no problem doing it on my own.

I do wish that I had the chance to take more history and English/literature classes.  There were more than a few that looked interesting.  But with an entire section of iTunes that’s devoted to podcasts posted by universities, I’ll be able to “take” some classes.  While there are a lot of classes that don’t seem to be posted, there are still more than enough podcasts for me to pick from.  Plus, they’re free, I can listen to them at my own pace, and I don’t have to do any homework or assigned reading.  I’ve looked it before, but wasn’t too interested.  But it’s time to listen to something new, I think, and I might as well see what’s out there.  I’ll definitely talking about them in the near future.

Word For The Year

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I can’t remember where I got this idea, but knowing me, it was probably a blog or a podcast.

But I feel the need to pick a word to describe how I want my year to go.  Like hope or positivity or kindness or something.  Every word I think of seems so boring and cliché.

Like, positivity is good.  I try to be positive.  But do I really want it to be my own personal word of the year?  I’m not sure. 

Creativity?  Maybe.  I do want to be more creative, whether I’m writing, being craftsy, baking, or cooking.  There are so many ways of being creative, so maybe it’s a good word to have as my word.

Healthy comes to mind, but I feel like it’s because it’s a new year, and that’s the thing on everyone’s mind.  I do need to exercise, and I feel like I eat pretty well, but I’m not sure.

There’s no rule that I need to have, so maybe a list of words that I can think about and remember and incorporate into my life.

I don’t have a set list of resolutions this year, and I’m not sure why.  I mean, there are things I want to accomplish this year, but I can’t seem to get into it.  But this word for the year thing has.

Go figure.  I think I need to create a master list and then narrow it down from there.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to talk about my guiding word soon!