Tag Archives: tv

Currently Obsessed With: April 2017

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

I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these…probably because it’s actually been a while since I’ve done one!  Not a lot has been going on over the last few months, and my break from blogging really wasn’t intentional. But I think it was good because mentally, I just needed a break.  Now I feel more refreshed and focused on things again.

Books:

I have quite a few new books!  Over the last few months I got American Street by Ibi Zoboi, The Reader by Traci Chee, and Iron Cast by Destiny Soria.  The last book I got on one of their half-off sales, and I’m not sure what book I’m getting this month.  I’m thinking about The Rose And The Dagger, since I listened to The Wrath And The Dawn, and I’m a huge fan of the narrator.  But I’m still undecided.

I did get a few cookbooks!  I got the King Arthur Flour’s All-Purpose Baking Companion, which I love, even though I’ve only made a few things from it.  They’re my go-to when I want to bake, and I’ve had my eye on that cookbook for a while.  I also got the Damn Delicious cookbook– I’m a big fan of her blog, and her recipes are really easy and are really good!  The last cook book I got was 30 Minute One Pot Meals.  I really like the recipes in this one too.  I’ve made a few things from it, and they all came out really good.

As for e-books, I bought Talon and Rogue by Julie Kagawa, The Storm Siren Trilogy by Mary Weber, These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker, The Only Thing To Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond, Caraval by Stephanie Garber and Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones.  I also pre-ordered A Court Of Wings And Ruin by Sarah J. Maas.

Crochet:

I’ve been crocheting a lot!  I made a baby blanket, some baby booties, and a baby beanie for a co-worker, and I made a blanket for my Grandma for her birthday a few months ago.  Well, it was in progress way before that, and I thought about giving it to her at Christmas, but there was no way I was going to finish it in time if I wanted it to be a Christmas present, so it turned into a birthday present.

I am working on another blanket- I’ll probably keep this one for myself- but I’m going to have to find a non-blanket project soon, since in the next month or two, it’ll be too warm to work on the blanket.

T.V./Movies:

I saw a couple of movies recently!  I saw Kong: Skull Island, which was fun.  I also saw Beauty And The Beast, which I loved!  I’ve also been re-watching Star Wars in preparation for a Star Wars-themed trivia thing that I’m going to this week.

I’ve watched a few episodes of A Series Of Unfortunate Events on Netflix, and I’m on the fence about 13 Reasons Why.  I didn’t like the book, but people at work keep telling me I need to see it, so maybe I’ll watch it eventually? I’m also curious about The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu, and even though I’ve never read the book, I’ll definitely be watching it soon!

Around The Internet:

This one is several months old at this point, but here are the reasons why some libraries are getting rid of their late fines.

This also also a little bit old, but I love the photos of the U.S.-Mexican border in this photo-series The Atlantic did.

I can’t begin to imagine not having access to pads and tampons.

I love to bake, and this article explains why perfectly!

I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t care if the book is better than the movie.  A good story is a good story, no matter how it’s told.

Here’s what happens when “And Then The Murders Began” is the second sentence of novels.  I don’t think I can pick a favorite.  They’re all pretty funny.

This blog post about the problems with #ownvoices LGBTQ books is really interesting.

I doubt we’ll come to a consensus on when to spoil things, but in general, I think it’s important to respect other people’s spoiler preferences.

Upcoming Things:

  • Star Wars Themed Trivia Night!  I hope I remember enough to be helpful, but either way, it will be fun.
  • My birthday!  I usually don’t do anything for my birthday, but maybe I’ll do something the weekend before.

Music:

  • The Cure by Lady Gaga.  This is currently on repeat.  I really love this song.
  • LA Devotee by Panic! At The Disco.  Why do I not listen to them more?  I used to love them, and then I just sort of stopped listening to them.  This is one of my favorites right now.
  • Restless by Cold War Kids.  I don’t remember when I first heard this song- maybe on the radio?  Anyway, I really like it!
  • Now Or Never by Halsey.  I really like Halsey in general, but this is my new favorite song…by her.



That’s all for today.  Have a great week!

It’s Back: The No-Spoiler Edition Of My Initial Thoughts On The Gilmore Girls Revival

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As a Gilmore Girls fan, today was a HUGE day, since 4 new episodes dropped on Netflix.  I’ve been insanely excited ever since I heard there were going to be 4 new episodes!  I was really glad that I had requested today off, since it meant I could spend the day watching it.

I will do my best to stay spoiler-free as I talk about my initial thoughts…but if that doesn’t work, I will definitely be sure to warn you with a spoiler alert, since I know not everyone is able to watch it right away.

Heading Into The New Episodes:

I definitely was planning on watching at least season 7, but sadly, I never got around to it.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to make my way through the entire series before these episodes came out, but season 7 seemed doable.  I will go back and re-watch the series one of these days.  I essentially got lazy with the recaps I was doing of the show, and even though I randomly think to myself that I should start doing that again, I never follow through on it.  Maybe I’ll bring it back, but I’m honestly not sure if I want to commit to it, at least on a regular basis.

I’ve actually been avoiding all of the random articles about the new episodes, which is rare for me, because I generally don’t care.  But with the new episodes?  I didn’t want to go in knowing anything.

My Initial Thoughts:

As I’m writing this, I have finished watching all four episodes, so everything is really fresh!  There are 4 episodes, and each are around 1.5 hours.  Each one focuses on a season, but everything is blurring together, so I’ll start off with winter, and then do the other 3 seasons.

Winter:

It was really nice to be back in Stars Hollow, and Winter was a good way to start things off.  It definitely is setting things up, and we’re getting drawn back into this crazy town.  We see everything that’s been going on with the characters since we left them years ago.

I definitely felt like this was for the fans, and in this episode in particular, it felt like there were a lot of nods to the series, especially the first 6 seasons.  There was some acknowledgement of season 7, and it was interesting to see how they dealt with it.  This goes for all 4 seasons, but they acknowledged stuff that happened but at the same time, they did sort of gloss over that season and these 4 episodes.  I’m not sure if that makes sense, especially without spoiling anything.

Spring/Summer/Fall:

Summer and Fall broke my heart.  All four episodes were very emotional for me, but Summer and Fall in particular were really emotional, and I cried during pretty much the entire episodes for Summer and Fall.  Not to the point of being dehydrated (which happened when I saw both The Fault In Our Stars and If I Stay), but I do feel really tired and a little bit drained.  Some things surprised me, and others didn’t, but I loved being on the crazy roller coaster that is the Gilmore family.

Three Things I Was Wondering Prior To These Episodes:

There were three main things I was wondering going into the new episodes, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one with these three major questions:

1- How would they deal with the passing of Edward Herrmann?

2- How would Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino deal with season 7 (which they weren’t a part of)?

3- What are the final 4 words?

So, here are some non-spoilery thoughts.

#1: The Death Of Edward Herrmann

He was amazing as Richard Gilmore, and it was hard watching the show without him and seeing all three Gilmore Girls deal with his passing, particularly Emily and Lorelei.  I don’t consider this a spoiler, since it’s been a couple of years, but I thought they handled it very well.

#2: Dealing With Season 7

I mentioned this a little bit, and I thought certain things we saw in the revival acknowledged season 7, but in a passive way?  Like I said, I’m not sure how to describe it with no spoilers, but they sort of glossed over how certain characters got to where we see them in the new episodes.  Not that they need to explain what happened, and you can sort of figure it out, but…I don’t know.  Passive acknowledgement?  It’s the best way to describe it, I think.

#3: The Final Four Words

I think any fan of GG knows that Amy Sherman-Palladino (ASP) knew the final 4 words.  Which, of course, we never got, since she and her husband left the show after season 6.  But man, I was floored and speechless.  I still am, at least a little.  I really didn’t know what to expect, and I’m sure people had a lot of guesses (that I tried very hard to stay away from).  But I was not expecting THOSE final 4 words.  It just makes me wonder…spoiler-y things.  I’m definitely surprised.  And that is all I’m going to say.

Other Thoughts:

There were some other things I wanted to talk about it, and then I’ll wrap it up.

I think something else everyone was wondering was Rory’s love life.  I know I’m not the only who was wondering if Rory would end up with one of her boyfriends (Dean, Jess or Logan), if she would be with someone new, or if she would be single.  I know a lot of people are Team Jess, and for the longest time, I was team Logan, before switching to team Rory.  I don’t know who’d I’d pick now, if I did have to pick one of them.  I was glad to see it resolved, and man, I want to talk about it more, but I won’t, because I’m trying not to give spoilers.  That would be best saved for another post, I think.

I actually related to both Rory and Lorelei a lot in these episodes, but especially Rory.  Particularly when you think you have everything worked out, and then life doesn’t go the way you thought it would.  Something about these episodes really hit home for me, and I think I just need more time to process it.

I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the references, but I really liked the ones I picked up on.  And there’s one reference that is my favorite reference in this entire revival.  It was hysterical, it really was.  I don’t want to give it away, though.  I will say, in regards to all of the pop culture references, that they were a lot more current than I expected.  I remember not picking up on a lot of the references from previous seasons because they were a bit too old for me, and I really expected it to be the same this time around.  I’m sure there are a bunch I missed for that reason, but I really was surprised that I actually knew a lot of the references.

I loved seeing all of the characters we know and love- I was surprised that we didn’t see one character (unless I missed it which is possible, but unlikely), and there were a couple others that were mentioned but never appeared (and I thought they would).  And this is a little bit spoiler-y, but I was surprised to see one character. Really surprised.  I’m sort of glad, but at the same time, I wish we didn’t, and it was definitely a nod to the original series. There was one thing we learned about a character that didn’t surprise me, but I also didn’t want to assume things either, so I’m glad they actually mentioned it, because it was implied before.  And it seemed like they were maybe going to go in the same direction for another character, but they didn’t.

I was glad Melissa McCarthy’s character Sookie, popped up, and I was wondering if she would make a brief appearance, given McCarthy probably has a busy schedule.  I just loved seeing what all of the characters were up to- Michel, Lane (and Hep Alien), Paris, Doyle.  Let’s just say Doyle was particularly awesome.  Well, everyone was awesome, but I just loved it when Doyle showed up.

Did I Love The Episodes?

It’s hard to say.  I mean, there was a lot I LOVED.  There’s a lot of really interesting elements in these episodes, particularly when you tie them into the previous seasons, and I really loved that too.  I was really excited, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up, because what if I didn’t like them?  I really did love them, but part of me has mixed feelings too.  I am excited that we get more Gilmore Girls, even if it’s four episodes, and that definitely plays into the initial love I have for these episodes.  In a way, this first watching is to take it all in, and I do want to watch them again, with maybe a slightly more critical eye.

For now, I love the episodes, but I also have some mixed feelings about some of what we see.  I’d love to see what everyone else thinks, but please keep your comments spoiler-free for everyone who hasn’t seen the episodes yet.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall T.V. Freebie

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers share their own bookish top ten lists based on the topic of the week.  You can check out Ten Tuesdays here.

Blog Graphic- Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Favorite Shows

I talk about books a lot- of course I do, but I also like watching t.v. (a lot), so in honor of fall t.v., I’m talking about my ten favorite t.v. shows.  Recommendations are also good, I’ll give anything a try, and it doesn’t even have to be similar to the shows on my list (although that would be helpful but not necessary).

  1. Basically anything by Shonda Rhimes.  Scandal is super-dramatic, you never know what’s going to happen on How To Get Away With Murder, and I love Grey’s Anatomy so much it isn’t even funny.
  2. Once Upon A Time.  I love this weird take on fairy tales/Disney characters- which is pretty much what happens when the guys behind Lost decide to do a show about fairy tales.
  3. The 100.  I have a really good friend who loves this show, and I basically started watching it so I would know what she was talking about, because she loves it so much.  And then I got hooked, and the new season needs to start now.
  4. Walking Dead.  I’ve never read the comics, but I love the show, and you never know what’s going on.
  5. Gilmore Girls.  I’m looking forward to the revival SO MUCH, and it’ll be nice to see what’s going on in the lives of the Gilmore Girls.  I’m sad that Edward Herrmann won’t get to be a part of the revival, because it won’t be the same without him.
  6. NCIS.  I can’t help it, I just love it.  I’m curious to see what the show is going to be like now that the character of DiNozzo is gone, speaking of which, I still haven’t seen the last couple of episodes of the last season, so I should probably catch up on them before the new season starts.
  7. Reign.  I know it’s not the most historical accurate show, but it’s dramatic and entertaining, and I’m enough of a history nerd, especially where Tudor history is concerned, that at some point, I’ll probably actually getting around to reading the shelf of books I have about the time period.
  8. Sleepy Hollow.  It’s Ichabod Crane meets the apocalypse!  And I can’t wait for season 4, especially with how things ended for a particular character.  That took me off guard, and had the show been cancelled, it would have been a good ending point for the show.  But since it’s coming back for a 4th season, I want to know how the show is going to go forward.
  9. Blacklist.  I tend to watch this show on Hulu, but I’m a season behind since it wasn’t airing on Hulu for some reason.  It’s still good, though, and I really recommend it, especially because James Spader is amazing on this show.
  10. iZombie.  I watched the 1st season on Netflix recently, and I’ll definitely be watching when it comes back on!

Currently Obsessed With: July 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

July has been a fun month!  It’s also been really hot, and the lack of working AC didn’t help, so for the most part, all I had the energy to do was sit on the couch and watch t.v.

Crochet:

I finally felted the purse I talked about last month.  I tried doing it by hand, but I got really impatient, so I ended up throwing it in the washing machine.  I had to do it a couple times to get it to how you see it in the picture, but I think it also depends on how felted you want it.

July 2016- Felted Purse

I wasn’t completely happy with how the handles turned out, but that was my fault- I didn’t count as well as I thought I did for that part of it.  It’s also really small, so I’m not sure what I’m going to use it for, but I am using a different purse (that’s also bigger than what I’m used to), so maybe I’ll use it for smaller things like my keys and wallet.  But I’m not sure.  Below, you can see what it looks like, before and after felting.

July 2016 Purse Before And After

As you can see, you can still see the stitches a little bit, but I think felting is one of those things where you do it until you get the look you want.

I did a capelet and witches hat too, and both took longer than I wanted to.  But only because I got a bit lazy, so then I had to crochet furiously for about a week, just to get them done in time for the midnight release of HP And The Cursed Child.  But I got it done!  Somehow, I did, even though I’m not completely sure how!

July 2016- Fleur Collage

I really like the capelet, though I don’t know that I’ll wear it much beyond the Harry Potter events going on.  But honestly?  It was a lot cheaper/easier making it than it would be to buy it.  And it’s the same with the hat!  I will say, though, that the hat threw me a little.  I really like it, and it turned out well, but there was something slightly weird about it.

There were some rounds, mostly towards the end, where my stitch count was off for no apparent reason- and it was always the rounds where I didn’t increase.  I had the correct number of stitches in the previous round, I didn’t miss any stitches- even at the beginning and end of the round, and I even counted a good three or four times.  And yet, I was still off by one stitch, even though I should have had the correct number of stitches.  I don’t think it’s the pattern, because it was fine until the brim, so I’m chalking it up to crocheter-error.  You can find the pattern for the hat here, and the pattern for the capelet here, if you’re interested!

Books:

I went to the Gail Carriger book signing for Imprudence, and I had a great time.  If you ever have the chance to go to one of her books signings, they’re really fun.  She takes questions the entire time, and she’s funny, and people always ask really interesting questions, and she has some really funny answers.  One thing I might start doing is taking notes, just because I can never remember what they talk about, and I wish I could talk more about what people asked and what their answers are.

Also: Harry Potter midnight release party!!!!!!!!  That was fun, and I talked more about it here, but I will say that it was nice to go to another midnight release party for Harry Potter.  I can’t think of any other book that would get the midnight release party treatment.

As for the books I bought: I bought Imprudence by Gail Carriger, and Servants Of The Storm by Delilah Dawsonn. Of course, I also bought Harry Potter And The Cursed Child- both print and e-book.  I also got When Reason Breaks by Cindy Rodriguez from Audible.

T.V./Movies:

I saw The BFG, which I talked about here, and I also went to see Ghostbusters.  Ghostbusters was a lot of fun to watch, and in no way did it ruin the fact that I grew up on the original- which I now want to re-watch, because it’s been way too long since I’ve seen it.  I loved Holtzman, and Patty was awesome, and I loved that they were very much about the science, and what they had to go through in order to be taken seriously.  Also: Chris Hemsworth as the dumb receptionist was absolutely hysterical.  It definitely has its own story, and I think the all-female cast was a good choice because it meant it was really different from the original.  But there are also quite a few nods to the original Ghostbusters movie, and that was really cool.  And definitely stay for the credits, because it’s one of the most entertaining credits I’ve seen in a long time.

As for t.v., I’ve been watching Law & Order: SVU on Netflix, so I’ve basically been watching the post-Stabler seasons (which I’m sure are on hulu).  I will never understand how I can binge-watch this show.  I finished season 1 of iZombie, which I really liked, and now I’m watching Royal Pains.  I’ve only seen bits and pieces of Royal Pains, and the original stuff on USA is pretty cool, from what I’ve seen of Royal Pains and White Collar.

Around The Internet:

Reading rules we don’t follow as adults that we expect students to follow was pretty interesting reading and makes a lot of good points.

This blog post about genres and how important it is to place books into the right genre was also interesting reading.

On a semi-related note: How To Define YA and Do YA Characters Need To Be Role Models?

I liked this post about disability terminology, this one about navigating criticism and discussions about disability representation, and this one about chronic illness in YA.

I also liked this interview with 4 YA authors about sci-fi, sex and writing for young women.

If it weren’t so hot, I’d totally make these baked chicken strips.  However, that just means I may need to have these snacks on hand.

This honey lemon chicken looks really good!

This post hits the nail on the head about required reading in English class.

Speaking of school…I loved seeing these historical photos.  They really bring history to life.

I am a fan of page flags, particularly when I read non-fiction, and these make me want to buy some!

You can find all of this, and more, over on pinterest!

Things I’m Looking Forward To In August:

There’s not much, but there are a few things I’m looking forward to.

  • A Harry Potter party!  I went last year, and it was super-fun, and I’m definitely looking forward to it this year.
  • I’m going to a book signing for The Beauty Of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson.  I’m sad the series is coming to an end, but I also need/want to know what happens next!
  • Suicide Squad!  I usually go see all of the Marvel movies, but I almost never make it to the DC ones.  But this one looks cool.

Music:

Here’s a playlist of what I’ve been listening to over the last couple of months.  Enjoy!



Currently Obsessed With: May 2016

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

Currently Obsessed With

May was a really good fun month!  I went to my cousin’s wedding up in Oregon, which I talked about here (and I shared a bunch of pictures too).  And, of course, I had my birthday, and it was pretty nice, even though I didn’t really do anything.  I don’t really get why people freak out about turning 30, because it really wasn’t a big deal to me.  If anyone has thoughts on that, I’d love to hear it, because it seems like people seem to freak out about turning 30 more than any other birthday, and it just confuses me as to why…

Crochet:

It’s been a good month for crochet!  Partially because when I went up to Oregon, I needed something to do in the car, and it was a good chance to work on stuff.  Like a cowl!  I love that it’s bright pink, and it’s pretty warm, but it was hard to do as a capelet.  As it turned out, it was a quite a few inches off in terms of circumference, so while it was good as a cowl, the capelet didn’t quite work.  But I’ll still wear it, and if I make one from this pattern again, I’ll either need a slightly bigger hook, or I need to do more chains to make it work as a capelet/cowl.  I do like it, though, because it’s really simple, and you just keep going until you’re done!

May 2016- Collage

I also started this shawl, and I really like the pattern.  It started off going pretty fast, but now it’s big enough that each row does take a little bit longer.  It’s taking longer than I thought, partially because it’s getting a little bigger, but I also think it’s because I’m using a small hook and a fairly thin yarn.  I’ve never worked with fingering weight before, and I’m still getting used to working with it.  It’s pretty yarn (and squishy, which makes it fun to work with) and I love that’s self-striping.  I’d definitely buy more of the yarn, but next time, I might do something that involves using 2 strands of it.  That could give it an interesting look.

And I’m still working on the blanket.  The yellow is done, and blue is next!  I’m not sure if I’ll keep adding colors after the blue is done, or if I’ll start on the border.  Maybe measuring the blanket is in order…it is big enough to keep me warm and sit under, and it’s going to get really hot soon.  Once that happens (and if it’s not done), it will definitely have to be put aside until it’s cool enough to work on.

Books:

I’ve been busy reading a lot, but I did buy a few books this month too!  I got The Cage by Megan Sheperd, The Girl Of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson, plus the rest of the books in the Throne Of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. I already had Throne Of Glass, and after reading Crown Of Midnight and Heir Of Fire, I knew I liked them enough to actually buy the e-books.

I also got The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone by Laini Taylor from audible.  I also bought Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto from audible.

I’ve read Daughter Of Smoke And Bone, and I’ve tried reading the 2nd book in that series a few times, but always put it on hold because I can’t get into it, so I’m hoping I’ll like the audio book more!  It helps that I really like the narrator they have for the series.

I’ve also been getting audio books from AudioBook Sync, which I did last summer too.  I still haven’t listened to those (I really should get them on my iPod to listen to when I’m driving to work), but I love that they have such a wide range of books.  And I love that they’ve paired classics with newer books.  Some I already have, and there’s a couple I either have on audio already, or it’s one I’ve read, and didn’t like.  But there’s a bunch I haven’t heard of, and I’m looking forward to actually listening to some of them.

T.V./Movies:

I saw Captain America, and I thought it was completely awesome!  I don’t always get to the theaters for the other Marvel movie they do, but the main ones are getting better and better in my opinion…I think this one is my favorite so far!

I also saw X-Men: Apocalypse, and for me, it was entertaining but just okay.  But maybe that’s because the last X-Men movie I saw was the first one- I haven’t seen any of the others until this one, so it stands on it’s own pretty well…but I was probably missing things from the previous movies.

As for t.v., I’ve been catching up on stuff (mostly Nashville and Agents Of Shield since I’ve been way behind on both of them), but it seems like t.v. is winding down until the fall.  At least for me, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll actually start something new this summer.

Around The Internet:

These fish tacos are really good!

I love these diagrams of family trees in Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology.  It makes them seem more clear somehow.

The kitchn has a really good guide to storing tea.  I drink tea, but not the way I drink coffee…but I think it has some pretty good tips.

And on another tea-related note, is loose-leaf tea really better than tea bags?  Which reminds me, I do need to get some more loose-leaf tea.  I have a place here in San Diego, but I’m always looking for more places.

I thought this article about wellness and healthy eating was interesting.

This Jane Austen Bingo makes me wonder how it would work as a drinking game.

I need a reading nook.  These make me want one so bad.

This post about whitewashing in The Hunger Games movies made me think a lot, as did this post about things to keep in mind when talking about books with LGBT characters.  And from The Huffington Post: 4 myths about reverse racism that need to stop.

This post about movie adaptations: a million times yes!

Should we stop worrying about spoilers?  Maybe, but it probably depends on the person.  Either way, this article was a pretty interesting read.

You can find all that and more over on pinterest!

Music:

I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve done an actual, official playlist, but I’ve been listening to quite a few songs lately, so I figured it was warranted!

Have a great day!

Currently Obsessed With: March 2016

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

Currently Obsessed With

It’s hard to believe that it’s April already!  Seriously, it feels like this year is going by so fast!

Crochet:

It’s blanket-mania!  I have three different blankets going on right now that are in various stages of completion- one is for me, and it’s getting pretty big.  Big as in keeping me warm when I’m working on it big, and I’m on the fourth color I had planned for it.  I have some yellow and blue (a darker shade of blue than the other shade of blue I used earlier in the blanket) that I’m going to add, once I’m done with the green.  I think it’s getting to the point where I might need at least 2 skeins for any new colors, because as it gets bigger, each color change is fewer rows, but it could look interesting.  I’m probably going to need at least 2 or 3 skeins for the border, because I definitely want a border!  I have so many options to pick from, especially with the crochet border book I just got.

I’ve been looking at crochet patterns recently, because I’m going up to Oregon for a cousin’s wedding next month, and I’m going to need something to do in the car ride up and back, so I have a bunch of patterns bookmarked.  At some point I’m going to print them, and try to figure out what matches up with the yarn I have…or maybe I should try to find patterns according to what I have in my stash.  At any rate, I will be looking at my yarn stash and patterns, and pick 2 or 3 to work on, because that is going to be one long car ride.

Books:

I got a few books this month!  From audible, I just got Skylark by Meagan Spooner, which I’ve wanted to read for a while, so I might listen once I’m done listening to Night Study.

I also bought The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury, which I read last year and liked, and when I was randomly browsing the 2.99 and under section in the Nook store, I knew I had to get it!  That’s how I ended up buying Among The Janeites by Deborah Yaffe, which looks like a pretty interesting book about the Jane Austen fandom.

And in print, I bought Catherine Of Aragon: The Spanish Queen Of Henry VIII by Giles Tremelett.  I have some stuff about Anne Boleyn, but not Catherine Of Aragon, so I figured this would fit in nicely with my Tudor England non-fiction stuff.

And I also got Around The Corner: Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman, which is definitely a crochet book I need right now, what with the blanket frenzy I seem to be in.  There are a ton of borders, and there’s a pretty decent variety of them (with 150, it’s to be expected), so I’ll definitely have a lot to pick from!

I definitely have a ton of books on my Nook I can read (but knowing me, I’ll probably bring one or two print books too), because there is no way I’m spending that much time crocheting..my hands will start to hurt, so reading breaks are definitely in order!

T.V./Movies:

I’ve been re-watching Grey’s Anatomy, and I’m pretty much at the part where they’ve taken their boards, which means I’m at the plane crash part of the series.  I’m also behind on some stuff, so I’ve slowly been catching up on stuff this weekend.

I haven’t seen Allegiant yet but maybe next weekend I’ll see it.  I also anxiously awaiting Captain America: Civil War, and how it’ll tie into Agents Of Shield.  I don’t even know what else is playing right now.  We shall see though.

Around The Internet:

Some Diversity Stuff: We Need Diverse Books has an interesting list of stereotypes & tropes navigation, CBC Diversity has an interesting post on not identifying with characters, and Publishing Perspectives has an interesting article on diversity in YA.

I’m really intrigued by this tea and book subscription box.  I’m a fan of tea, and I like it, but I’m an even bigger fan of coffee, and I’m curious if there’s a coffee and book subscription box out there.

I made chicken broth in the crock-pot this weekend, and it was super easy!  I froze it to use it later, but considering how much I use it (and the fact that the grocery store has had some really good sales on chicken lately, resulting in having a bunch of chicken in the freezer), it’s probably a good idea to save the bones and make my own.

I pinned this chili cheese tater tot casserole to my Food I Love board a few weeks ago, but it looks really good!

And I like the idea of pre-made oatmeal packets.  It’s probably a lot cheaper than buying the boxes!

Periods In YA:  Why did I not think about it until I read this blog post?  I’m sure there are reasons for it (like why we don’t see characters go to the bathroom or take a shower), but still.  How is it not even mentioned in passing?

I just really, really like this blog post about New Adult.  I don’t read a lot of it, but I really want to!  From what I have read, though, I do agree with a lot of her points!

And I don’t have anything specific pinned for this (unfortunately) but I know I’ve seen a couple of blog posts about changing ratings of books after they’ve been rated months earlier that were really interesting.

Music:

I honestly have nothing.  Not even a podcast recommendation!  So I will leave it at that, and I hope you have a wonderful Monday!

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: 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!

T.V. Talk: I Really Need To Talk About Grey’s Anatomy (With Spoilers)

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I’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix, and while watching it, I had so many random thoughts while watching it that I needed to get it all out!

Blog Graphic- TV Talk

There are going to be spoilers for all 11 seasons.  You have been warned.  

First, my thoughts on Season 11.

Which is the season that just happened, for anyone who is curious.

Did Addison go to Derek’s funeral?  I don’t think we’ll ever know, and in the long run, I don’t think it’s that important, but I am curious.  I know they’re divorced, and it seemed like they didn’t talk much after that…well, maybe but I’m not sure.  But she is his ex-wife…

Overall, I liked the structure of season 11, and the focus on Meredith and her past, especially in relation to her history with her mom.  I am wondering how far ahead Shonda Rhimes knew that Derek was going to die, because there were some really interesting parallels between Meredith and her mom, and this time around, it did seem like it was hinted at throughout the season.

Re-watching this season, it’s actually surprising that it took so long for Maggie to come in- considering the fact that the affair Richard and Ellis is a very well-known fact at this point, and looking back, it fits in with everything else this season, and it does seem like the best point for it to come up.  I don’t, unfortunately, remember what I thought about Meredith having a half-sister, except that I wasn’t sure.  I didn’t really pay attention to what I thought about it at the time.

I kind of wonder if it was always something Rhimes considered- both the introduction of Maggie, and the death of Derek, and she was waiting for the right time to write those things in.  Like, on NCIS, the death of Mike Franks was always in the back of someone’s mind (whoever it is makes those decisions), and they were waiting for the right time to work it in.  That’s the feel I got with both things while marathoning it.

I was also nervous about Yang (played by Sandra Oh) not being on the show anymore, but I was surprised by how much I didn’t miss her being gone.  She’s a great character, and I miss her, but I thought the show didn’t suffer for it.

Random Thoughts On Other Seasons

The free clinic.  It was important for a while, but then it wasn’t really mentioned or a place where they went anymore.  I’m curious if it got dropped in favor of other story lines, or if went away the way the E.R. almost went away when Pegasus tried to take over the hospital, or if it’s still there but not a story line anymore.

I kind of miss how much they interacted with the nurses and other hospital staff.  It’s probably something that’s been dropped with because of the different story lines, but still.  I miss it.

It also seems like there are a lot more characters now then there were when the show started, and sometimes, it feels like the number of things going on and characters to focus on seem a little overwhelming.  But it is the sort of show that can go on for a long time, because you can always bring in new characters as old ones leave.

It’s amazing how different the few remaining original cast members look- especially Meredith.

After the plane crash, during the first couple of episodes of season 9…it was hard to watch.  But it really struck me how much they needed to have what happened in the woods as the second episode. It had a lot more impact and was truly heart-breaking knowing what happened after those events happened.  Especially when you’re doing a re-watch.

Considering how many of the hospital staff get together, I’m surprised that it took so long for them to have an official policy on workplace relationships.  In real life, a hospital like Seattle Grace probably would have had something like that in place already. Obviously, I’m not watching it because it’s just like real life, but really, so many seasons in, and it takes an intern lodging a complaint for them to do something?  Granted, it’s why we have Derek and Meredith (love them!) and Mark and Lexie (miss them!) but it still popped into my head.  And they do spend so much time together that it makes sense.

It really is easy to forget about characters once they’re off the show.  Like the couple of interns from Mercy West, who died in the shooting, or Dr Brooks and Leah Murphy, even though they left more recently.

Whatever happened to Meredith’s dad?  With Lexie gone, there really is no point to having him mentioned again, and he and Meredith never really had a relationship in the first place.  I can’t remember if it was mentioned- the last thing I remember was the liver transplant, and after that, nothing.

I feel like there used to be more funny moments, and now, it doesn’t seem like there are as many now.  Which is fine, but I kind of miss the funny moments.

I think Grey’s is going to be on for a while, but I am curious about how they’re going to end the series…when it does, of course. I don’t want it go anywhere, but I am sort of wondering what might be in store for us in general, especially with the death of Derek.

Interns!  There was the first group seasons ago, that had Lexie and George, and the one that had Ben, Wilson and Edwards. And there’s the new group introduced at the end of season 11, so I’m curious if any of them will stick around and if they’ll have more of a role.  I still think there’s a lot going on, even without an intern story line, and I kind of didn’t notice until the end of season 11 that groups of interns were few and far between.  Maybe they’re there, and just never appeared on the show or something.

Happy Sunday everyone!