Definitely slowing down a bit here....I did finish this book a couple of weeks ago, and haven't posted about it, but I'm in the process of 2 other books right now, and just can't seem to get focused on reading again.
For those of you who don't know, Kevin Smith is director (Clerks 1, 2, and soon to be 3, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Jersey Girl, Red State, and some others) and is a very funny man. Now, that being said, I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone who 1) isn't a Kevin Smith fan or 2) doesn't already know who he is. He claims to make his living "off of dick and fart jokes" so if you are offended right now by that, don't pick up his book. =]
However, I LOVE Kevin Smith. I had recently watched "An Evening with Kevin Smith" and "An Evening with Kevin Smith 2" and had been exposed to quite a bit of him through Zach, and decided to read this book. Above all, Kevin seems to be one of the most genuine, unfiltered, and open people in show business, and I just want to be best friends with him. [I do not care in the slightest if this is something he consciously works towards to create a persona, but I really don't think it is.]
The follow-up to reading this is that I got Zach tickets to An Evening with Kevin Smith for his birthday (he was doing a set at the Chicago comic book convention.) Seriously - I love him. I felt so much better about life after sitting and listening to him talk for 2 and a half hours. [And considering the morning we'd had getting to Chicago, there was a LOT of stress to relieve.]
Anyways, since this was a collection of articles, I'm interested in reading his other book.
And now to find motivation to read the next 41 books....
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Book 8: The Good, Good Pig - Sy Montgomery
So, I finished this book awhile ago and just never got around to writing about it, which seems fitting for my experience with this book. I got this book as a birthday present from my aunt Lisa in 2006, and I meant to read it many times over that period, and just never got around to it...until now!
This book was delightful. For anyone who has a pet or a love for animals in general, it is quick read and very entertaining. This is a memoir of Sy Montgomery's life with her pet pig (complete with pictures) and various other animals. It was entertaining and endearing, and there was a lot of little tidbits of information about pigs that I didn't really know. I also found it really interesting to see how similar the silly stories about Christopher Hogwood (the pig) were to my silly stories growing up with my dogs Doc and Ranger. Not necessarily that they were the exact same stories (although Ranger definitely shared a very similar obsession with food), but they just resonated in a very familiar way. I hypothesize that the sentiments that people have about their pets are universal no matter what the pet is. (Since my experience with pets has been limited to dogs, a bunny, and fish, I can't vouch for this, yet.) Also, I couldn't help notice the similarities in physical descriptions [especially in regards to noises] between Chris and my delightfully snorty bulldog, Abe. =]
I'll also admit that after reading the book, I was definitely obsessed with having my own pet pig [something I won't give up on, but know it won't happen anytime soon]. I'm also really interested the author herself. She is, basically, a nature writer. Her life sounds extremely interesting with lots of trips around the world to research and observe animals in their native habitats for her books and other publications. She's definitely someone who I'm going to add to my list of authors to read more of.
Now, how to get a pig.....
This book was delightful. For anyone who has a pet or a love for animals in general, it is quick read and very entertaining. This is a memoir of Sy Montgomery's life with her pet pig (complete with pictures) and various other animals. It was entertaining and endearing, and there was a lot of little tidbits of information about pigs that I didn't really know. I also found it really interesting to see how similar the silly stories about Christopher Hogwood (the pig) were to my silly stories growing up with my dogs Doc and Ranger. Not necessarily that they were the exact same stories (although Ranger definitely shared a very similar obsession with food), but they just resonated in a very familiar way. I hypothesize that the sentiments that people have about their pets are universal no matter what the pet is. (Since my experience with pets has been limited to dogs, a bunny, and fish, I can't vouch for this, yet.) Also, I couldn't help notice the similarities in physical descriptions [especially in regards to noises] between Chris and my delightfully snorty bulldog, Abe. =]
I'll also admit that after reading the book, I was definitely obsessed with having my own pet pig [something I won't give up on, but know it won't happen anytime soon]. I'm also really interested the author herself. She is, basically, a nature writer. Her life sounds extremely interesting with lots of trips around the world to research and observe animals in their native habitats for her books and other publications. She's definitely someone who I'm going to add to my list of authors to read more of.
Now, how to get a pig.....
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
2013 Book 7: Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Despite being an avid reader for basically as long as I can remember, taking AP English in high school, and graduating with an English degree, I've never read Fahrenheit 451. Until now.
It was a super quick read (I actually finished it several days ago) and really interesting. It definitely got me in the mood for utopian/dystopian fiction. [As a side note, I took an upper level literature course in my senior year of college titled "Utopian Fiction" which was extremely interesting (and taught by possibly my favorite professor [possibly, because we all know I can't pick favorites] and after that course, the books we read, and the intense discussion we had, I will never be able to separate utopia from dystopia because they are not at all mutually exclusive.]
Alas, if you haven't read this, I highly suggest it. 1: It's not a time suck. 2: It immediately draws you in. 3: It makes you reevaluate the society we live in now, where society could be headed, but more importantly how you are living your life.
The book in it's entirety started out as a short story that Bradbury wrote in the late 1940s, which developed into a novella, which developed into the book [the first US copy was printed in 1953], which later developed into a million other medias. The only reason I'm sharing that is to point out that this whole concept was basically developed in the late-1940s!! I cannot believe how how everything Bradbury describes is still so fitting (or even more so) to this day and age. It just blew my mind, and, as I said earlier, made me think more consciously about how we are living nowadays. Without getting on a soapbox here, there's way too much that people take for granted. Definitely in most recent history, but especially now. Most shocking, infuriating, and dismal is how often people take knowledge for granted. Books! Read books! They're amazing! Think! Think for yourself! Take advantage of the resources all around you and be open to learning and thinking and creating your own thoughts and opinions! You can learn, you can experience, you can travel - all within a book. [Key theme song to Reading Rainbow]
It was a super quick read (I actually finished it several days ago) and really interesting. It definitely got me in the mood for utopian/dystopian fiction. [As a side note, I took an upper level literature course in my senior year of college titled "Utopian Fiction" which was extremely interesting (and taught by possibly my favorite professor [possibly, because we all know I can't pick favorites] and after that course, the books we read, and the intense discussion we had, I will never be able to separate utopia from dystopia because they are not at all mutually exclusive.]
Alas, if you haven't read this, I highly suggest it. 1: It's not a time suck. 2: It immediately draws you in. 3: It makes you reevaluate the society we live in now, where society could be headed, but more importantly how you are living your life.
The book in it's entirety started out as a short story that Bradbury wrote in the late 1940s, which developed into a novella, which developed into the book [the first US copy was printed in 1953], which later developed into a million other medias. The only reason I'm sharing that is to point out that this whole concept was basically developed in the late-1940s!! I cannot believe how how everything Bradbury describes is still so fitting (or even more so) to this day and age. It just blew my mind, and, as I said earlier, made me think more consciously about how we are living nowadays. Without getting on a soapbox here, there's way too much that people take for granted. Definitely in most recent history, but especially now. Most shocking, infuriating, and dismal is how often people take knowledge for granted. Books! Read books! They're amazing! Think! Think for yourself! Take advantage of the resources all around you and be open to learning and thinking and creating your own thoughts and opinions! You can learn, you can experience, you can travel - all within a book. [Key theme song to Reading Rainbow]
"Do you know why books [...] are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores. It has features This book can go under the microscope. You'd find life under the glass, streaming past in infinite profusion. The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a sheet of paper, the more "literary" you are. [...] Telling detail. Fresh detail. The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies."
Read it; it's delightful.
Friday, April 12, 2013
2013 Book 6: The Visible Man - Chuck Klosterman
Ugh.
Chuck Klosterman has really just been losing it for me. This book was ---- pretty bad. Klosterman excels at non-fiction. I really [mostly] enjoyed his non-fiction pieces, and I really like the collections of essays. I think he does a really great job focusing on both music and sports. BUT - it's clear that Chuck thinks he's an expert, and he gets really pretentious really fast.
This book is supposed to be FICTION. And I can't help but hear Chuck's voice throughout the whole thing. There were several times where I couldn't believe that an editor [or even a friend who read it prior to being published] didn't take some of that stuff out. It's most apparent in the music references that have NO BEARING AT ALL on the story that Chuck is trying to tell. If you're writing fiction, you need to take yourself out it. At the very least on the surface.
Overall, I think the concept was interesting, but the execution was beyond poor.
Chuck - perhaps I'll read Killing Yourself to Live [by far my favorite of his] and like you again, but you're really just getting on my nerves now.
Chuck Klosterman has really just been losing it for me. This book was ---- pretty bad. Klosterman excels at non-fiction. I really [mostly] enjoyed his non-fiction pieces, and I really like the collections of essays. I think he does a really great job focusing on both music and sports. BUT - it's clear that Chuck thinks he's an expert, and he gets really pretentious really fast.
This book is supposed to be FICTION. And I can't help but hear Chuck's voice throughout the whole thing. There were several times where I couldn't believe that an editor [or even a friend who read it prior to being published] didn't take some of that stuff out. It's most apparent in the music references that have NO BEARING AT ALL on the story that Chuck is trying to tell. If you're writing fiction, you need to take yourself out it. At the very least on the surface.
Overall, I think the concept was interesting, but the execution was beyond poor.
Chuck - perhaps I'll read Killing Yourself to Live [by far my favorite of his] and like you again, but you're really just getting on my nerves now.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
2013 Book 5: Live From New York (An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live)
I have been an on and off fan of Saturday Night Live for years. (As I think most Americans are, even if they don't realize it.) I remember my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles talking about different sketches over the years (far before I was allowed to watch it). I remember catching episodes here and there from the mid- to late-90s. I very specifically remember going to prom my junior year of high school (on a Saturday night), staying for maybe 3 songs [I don't even remember if we danced to any of those songs] and then leaving to go to my date's house where we watched SNL with his dad.
In the last two years or so, Zach and I have been watching SNL on a pretty regular basis. (Actually, I'm sure we haven't really missed any episodes. Thank you, Hulu.) Since Zach and I have been together, I've gotten into the comedy world a lot more (Thank you, Zach.) and I've been getting a lot more interested in some of the history of comedy, and I think SNL is a really interesting cross-section of the comedy world.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book because it is very anecdotal. The book is written (or rather compiled) by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller, but it is "told by it's stars, writers, and guests." Basically, they interviewed a bunch of people and organized all kinds of direct quotes into a chronological history of the show. As I said, I really liked the stories - I liked hearing about all the personalities, the struggles, and the highs and the lows of all the cast members.
I had two complaints (sort of) about the book: 1) I wished it was a little more current. I don't know if there'd ever be a revision that includes later casts, but I'd really like to see a lot more from people like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrall etc, especially to see how their thoughts about the show evolved and how they look back on it after having left. 2) There's just something that didn't quite work with the format. It's not that I don't like the format, because I read Please Kill Me: An Oral History of Punk Rock 5 or 6 years ago, which is done in the same exact way and I loved it. I think the subject matter fits a little better. I think the topic of music lends itself better to this format. Mostly, I just wanted to see this book as a documentary - because I really would have liked to see some of the sketches that they addressed, and I think the people they interviewed would have been really fun to watch on video, to actually see the animation and the emotion as they recall their time at SNL.
Anyways, overall, interesting book. In closing, one of my favorite lines from the book was:
"Alan Zweibel: I remember Gilda used to say that she would search through Lorne's desk hoping that she'd find a note in there that said, 'I really like Gilda.'"I laughed when I first read that, but there's so many other emotions tied into that statement, and I think it sums up the feelings of most cast members (and not even necessarily tied directly with Lorne Michael's, but the show itself, too,)
Monday, March 18, 2013
don't know when, but a day is gonna come
I have a cleaning problem. Once I start, I just can't stop. [The key words in the statement are "Once I start"] For some reason, cleaning is a huge stress reliever for me. There's something really invigorating about the actual process of cleaning, and the reward at the end is soooo nice. I love being exhausted and collapsing on to the couch or the bed or whatever, and looking around and seeing everything in it's place, with everything smelling so fresh and so cleanclean.
The issue comes in when I get really obsessive about it and don't know when to stop. I regularly spend my entire day off on Friday cleaning for 7+ hours straight. And I'm starting to realize that as good as that may feel sometimes, I also need some down time to just relax.
My solution for this past week was to clean as usual BUT to set a timer for each room, and to stick to the timer. Now I'm new at this, so I didn't do an awesome job at following the timed guidelines, but I think I did pretty good, and it worked much better than my usual routine.
I know you're all [who reads this anyways?!?!?] wondering why I'm telling you this, so here it is. So many people are really good at prioritizing, but I think most of those same people really underestimate how bad they are at time-management. This is far outside time-management in terms of getting as much stuff done as you can in a certain amount of time.
This is making sure that you're managing your time well enough to take care of your mental self. I think what happens often is that people think they're doing themselves good by doing things that they love - and that's the idea, to a point. But if you're doing something you love, you're probably not thinking about how that same thing can probably give you some added stress. Somewhere down the road it's going to catch up with you.
I got to the point where I was just feeling exhausted, like I never got a day off. I felt like every day was just rushing to get to the next, and I realized that I was doing that to myself. Here I thought taking my off day to clean for the entire was relieving my stress, but, especially in this case, it was adding to it. I'd be exhausted because I never got a day to just relax, and as soon as I finished cleaning, a new mess was already being made so I was constantly feeling behind. [For the record, I'm still struggling with going from living on my own to having a roommate.]
It's a super simple idea, but seriously, TRY IT. I felt so much better partially because I felt like I had more structure to my cleaning routine, but also because when I got to the end of the total amount of time I allotted, I didn't look around and say "There's so much more to do"; instead, I looked around and said, "Wow, look how much I've done!"
The issue comes in when I get really obsessive about it and don't know when to stop. I regularly spend my entire day off on Friday cleaning for 7+ hours straight. And I'm starting to realize that as good as that may feel sometimes, I also need some down time to just relax.
My solution for this past week was to clean as usual BUT to set a timer for each room, and to stick to the timer. Now I'm new at this, so I didn't do an awesome job at following the timed guidelines, but I think I did pretty good, and it worked much better than my usual routine.
I know you're all [who reads this anyways?!?!?] wondering why I'm telling you this, so here it is. So many people are really good at prioritizing, but I think most of those same people really underestimate how bad they are at time-management. This is far outside time-management in terms of getting as much stuff done as you can in a certain amount of time.
This is making sure that you're managing your time well enough to take care of your mental self. I think what happens often is that people think they're doing themselves good by doing things that they love - and that's the idea, to a point. But if you're doing something you love, you're probably not thinking about how that same thing can probably give you some added stress. Somewhere down the road it's going to catch up with you.
I got to the point where I was just feeling exhausted, like I never got a day off. I felt like every day was just rushing to get to the next, and I realized that I was doing that to myself. Here I thought taking my off day to clean for the entire was relieving my stress, but, especially in this case, it was adding to it. I'd be exhausted because I never got a day to just relax, and as soon as I finished cleaning, a new mess was already being made so I was constantly feeling behind. [For the record, I'm still struggling with going from living on my own to having a roommate.]
It's a super simple idea, but seriously, TRY IT. I felt so much better partially because I felt like I had more structure to my cleaning routine, but also because when I got to the end of the total amount of time I allotted, I didn't look around and say "There's so much more to do"; instead, I looked around and said, "Wow, look how much I've done!"
2013 Book 4: Fargo Rock City - Chuck Klosterman
Remember how I read the last book in 2 sittings?? This was the complete opposite. This was a relatively short book. This took me forever to read. I happen to love Chuck Klosterman. Marley got me hooked on him a couple of years ago, and I've enjoyed pretty much everything of his I've read. This was a little different.
However, I'm not saying I didn't like it, but it was definitely the hardest for me to get into, and the lowest ranking of all his books (that I've read). I think my biggest issue with this book was my expectations of it. Fargo Rock City is a book about metal music. (For those of you who don't know, Chuck is both a music and sports journalist, which is what I find so interesting about him - he is very knowledgable on both ends, and I enjoy his perspectives on both.) I think I wanted a history of metal out of this, and there was definitely a bit of that. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is semi-interested or semi-informed on metal music to begin with.
Being a child of the 80s (specifically a child of parents who were teenagers in the 80s and therefore raised on the 80s) I was pretty familiar with a lot - probably most - of the bands mentioned. However, Klosterman is always name dropping (which once in awhile gets obnoxiously pretentious) so there were a lot of mentions about obscure metal bands, which I would have loved to know more about, but Klosterman just never went there. I'm guessing that I was not Klosterman's target demographic in writing this, and I think now that I'm finished with the book, I'm feeling okay with that.
One of my favorite things about reading Chuck Klosterman is his anecdotes - they almost always seem perfectly placed, perfectly relatable, but perfectly individual all at once. And that quality definitely saved my impression of this book. I was most impressed with the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the book (which is a perfect example of why I always finish a book I've started.)* It's in the end that Klosterman kind of brings everything back together and ties it in to his life.
And to end, my chosen quote has nothing to do with metal music at all, but I thought it was funny and true.
However, I'm not saying I didn't like it, but it was definitely the hardest for me to get into, and the lowest ranking of all his books (that I've read). I think my biggest issue with this book was my expectations of it. Fargo Rock City is a book about metal music. (For those of you who don't know, Chuck is both a music and sports journalist, which is what I find so interesting about him - he is very knowledgable on both ends, and I enjoy his perspectives on both.) I think I wanted a history of metal out of this, and there was definitely a bit of that. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is semi-interested or semi-informed on metal music to begin with.
Being a child of the 80s (specifically a child of parents who were teenagers in the 80s and therefore raised on the 80s) I was pretty familiar with a lot - probably most - of the bands mentioned. However, Klosterman is always name dropping (which once in awhile gets obnoxiously pretentious) so there were a lot of mentions about obscure metal bands, which I would have loved to know more about, but Klosterman just never went there. I'm guessing that I was not Klosterman's target demographic in writing this, and I think now that I'm finished with the book, I'm feeling okay with that.
One of my favorite things about reading Chuck Klosterman is his anecdotes - they almost always seem perfectly placed, perfectly relatable, but perfectly individual all at once. And that quality definitely saved my impression of this book. I was most impressed with the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the book (which is a perfect example of why I always finish a book I've started.)* It's in the end that Klosterman kind of brings everything back together and ties it in to his life.
And to end, my chosen quote has nothing to do with metal music at all, but I thought it was funny and true.
"Booze is the greatest of all equalizers. Rich drunks and poor drunks both pass out the same way."*There is one book that I started reading that I haven't (yet) finished. (For some reason I feel an obligation to tell you all.) I started reading We Were the Mulvaney's probably 7 or 8 years ago, and I just couldn't get into it and I still haven't finished and I feel inexplicably awful about it to this day. Which means I'll probably get around to finishing, or rather re-starting, it eventually.
Friday, March 1, 2013
2013 Book 3: Bossypants - Tina Fey
I read this book in two sittings, because it was so fucking funny. I know I was incredibly obnoxious while reading it, because I could not stop laughing out loud. After reading the first chapter, I knew I would not be able to read it in public, because I looked like a fool laughing hysterically. I absolutely love Tina's humor. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that she has done that I haven't liked in some respect. (I'm sure there are things I'd dislike, but I'm either a) not aware of them or b) not aware that she was behind something I didn't like.)
So, this book sparked some interesting conversation in our house. The book is Alyssa's, and she lent it to me, and I read the first half of it all at once, and Zach heard me laughing non-stop, and Zach read it, and we discussed it.
Alyssa loved it. She read several sections to me while she was reading it, because she thought it was so good.
I LOVED the first half. Especially coming off of a rewatch of the first 6 seasons of 30 Rock, I could not get enough it. (Hence reading the first 130 pages all at once.)
Zach liked it, and then got really angry about it.
Zach's complaint was basically that Tina gets kind of preachy and makes a couple of outright comments and a lot of allusions discrediting her male audience. When Zach first brought it up, I hadn't read it through, so I couldn't really speak to it. Alyssa was not shy about saying that she didn't notice it at all. I don't know if it was because I was sort of looking for it, but I definitely noticed what Zach read into it - and I was also kind of offended. There was one particular quote, where I had to put the book down because I could barely believe that she included something that was so clearly alienating a HUGE part of her audience.
Overall, it was an excellent book, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes her style of humor, and I will probably re-read it again someday.
It's hard to narrow down a quote, because there were sooooo many funny things in this book that I want to share, but to list them all would basically just be a reprint of the book. (READ IT ALL!) But, I will begrudgingly narrow it down to just one:
Yeah, I definitely cannot recommend this book enough.
So, this book sparked some interesting conversation in our house. The book is Alyssa's, and she lent it to me, and I read the first half of it all at once, and Zach heard me laughing non-stop, and Zach read it, and we discussed it.
Alyssa loved it. She read several sections to me while she was reading it, because she thought it was so good.
I LOVED the first half. Especially coming off of a rewatch of the first 6 seasons of 30 Rock, I could not get enough it. (Hence reading the first 130 pages all at once.)
Zach liked it, and then got really angry about it.
Zach's complaint was basically that Tina gets kind of preachy and makes a couple of outright comments and a lot of allusions discrediting her male audience. When Zach first brought it up, I hadn't read it through, so I couldn't really speak to it. Alyssa was not shy about saying that she didn't notice it at all. I don't know if it was because I was sort of looking for it, but I definitely noticed what Zach read into it - and I was also kind of offended. There was one particular quote, where I had to put the book down because I could barely believe that she included something that was so clearly alienating a HUGE part of her audience.
Overall, it was an excellent book, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes her style of humor, and I will probably re-read it again someday.
It's hard to narrow down a quote, because there were sooooo many funny things in this book that I want to share, but to list them all would basically just be a reprint of the book. (READ IT ALL!) But, I will begrudgingly narrow it down to just one:
"I was a little excited but mostly just blorft. "Blorft" is an adjective I just amde up that means "Completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum." I have been blorft every day for the past seven years."I'm choosing this one because I 10000% relate to this feeling, and because Alyssa came into my office at work to read this quote to me out loud because she thought of me right away when she read it, so I think it means something. =]
Yeah, I definitely cannot recommend this book enough.
2013 Book 2: A Feast for Crows - George R.R. Martin
Book two is complete!
Again, this is a re-read, and I'm finding it really hard to write a good "report" without spoiling anything, because there is SO MUCH GOOD STUFF in these books! The first time I read this one, it took me quite awhile. The plot seemed a lot slower, I think mostly because there wasn't as much super intense action as the first three books. It was definitely a slow build, and the first time around, I was kind of taken aback by that in comparison with the others.
The second time around, I was almost shocked by how exciting it was! Partially, I think its because I'm picking up so many of the small details this time around. And I already know what happens in the next book after this, so all of those tiny details which didn't seem important the first time around are suddenly vastly important. Ultimately, this book was so much better than I remember.
Here's a short section from the book that I particularly liked. The quote is from a really great character, who is incredibly wise in so many ways - even in the simplest comments.
Again, this is a re-read, and I'm finding it really hard to write a good "report" without spoiling anything, because there is SO MUCH GOOD STUFF in these books! The first time I read this one, it took me quite awhile. The plot seemed a lot slower, I think mostly because there wasn't as much super intense action as the first three books. It was definitely a slow build, and the first time around, I was kind of taken aback by that in comparison with the others.
The second time around, I was almost shocked by how exciting it was! Partially, I think its because I'm picking up so many of the small details this time around. And I already know what happens in the next book after this, so all of those tiny details which didn't seem important the first time around are suddenly vastly important. Ultimately, this book was so much better than I remember.
Here's a short section from the book that I particularly liked. The quote is from a really great character, who is incredibly wise in so many ways - even in the simplest comments.
"'[...] we tremble on the cusp of half-remembered prophecies, of wonders and terrors that no man now living could hope to comprehend...or...'There is one more book currently out in the Game of Thrones series, and I do plan on re-reading it, but I'm going to take a break for a little while and read some other things. I've already got a pretty large list of things to read, but if you've got any suggestions, let me know!
'Or?' said Sam.
'...or not.'"
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
2013 Book 1: A Storm of Swords - George R.R. Martin
I'm declaring now that re-reading books is definitely fair game for my 2013 book list. I read the entire series of Game of Thrones books last year, in pretty quick succession. It was my first serious experience with fantasy books, and it was awesome.
Anyone who has read fantasy knows the differences between fantasy and other fiction. I tend to be pretty introspective, and as a result I love character-driven pieces (although, to be honest, I don't think anyone really dislikes character-driven stuff). Anyways, I get so caught up in characters, and these books are definitely not an exception. Within the first few chapters of the first book, I had my favorite characters picked out. As the series progresses, my perception of certain characters has changed a lot. My favorites and least favorites (by definition) haven't changed, but my appreciation and intrigue with specific characters has changed a lot which has been really exciting.
Because I read this book before I decided to write about what I was reading, I don't really have any specific thoughts about this one. Plus, I'm already halfway through the next book, and so everything is blurred together, and I'm completely focused on the plot of book 4.
I'd definitely recommend these books to anyone who is willing to take on a challenge - they are beefy books, and there are a ton of characters (I still kind of wish I would have done a character map), but the storyline and the characters are extremely well-crafted. Its one of those series that is very easy to get into - within a sentence or two, I'm completely immersed into this other world.
One down, forty-nine to go!
Because I read this book before I decided to write about what I was reading, I don't really have any specific thoughts about this one. Plus, I'm already halfway through the next book, and so everything is blurred together, and I'm completely focused on the plot of book 4.
I'd definitely recommend these books to anyone who is willing to take on a challenge - they are beefy books, and there are a ton of characters (I still kind of wish I would have done a character map), but the storyline and the characters are extremely well-crafted. Its one of those series that is very easy to get into - within a sentence or two, I'm completely immersed into this other world.
One down, forty-nine to go!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
its time to light the lights
I'm sure you have all been waiting for an update from puppy parenthood [and my "new" life in general] so here it is....
Last week was exhausting, stressful, busy, and took forrrrrevvvvvvvverrrrrrrrrr. I thought the week would fly by because of how much stuff we had to do, but every day seemed longer and I felt more tired.
The big plan was to move things over gradually throughout the week, and have my dad help us with a big move on Friday when we had a trailer. On Wednesday we found out that the parking lot at the old apartment was going to be closed all day Friday into Saturday for re-paving - aka we weren't going to be able to move anything during the day on Friday. Luckily Ben had rented a moving van for Wednesday. Ben and Zach moved most of Ben's stuff during the afternoon, and by the time I was done with work we were able to get a lot of our stuff moved in the van. (We were mostly concerned with furniture.)
Friday morning we ended up having my parents meet us at 7 AM to get the last of our furniture moved out before the parking lot was closed - that meant two days in a row where Zach and I had approx. 2 hours of sleep. So we moved most of the morning - we just had the last of the furniture and then all of my storage unit to move. I bought mom and dad lunch, and then Zach and I spent the rest of the day/evening unpacking and trying to get as much done as we could before puppy.
Saturday morning was a bit of a mess - all of my own fault. At that point I was severely sleep deprived. I had some more things to finish on Saturday morning before we went to pick Abe up, so I set my alarm for 6:30 and we had plans to leave at 8:30. And... I woke up at 8:39. Ugh. So we had to rush to get out of town and we still had some other things to do before we could leave [all of them because I dropped the ball...or several balls]. Anyways, we left like an hour and half later than expected. BUT everything was okay because, we came home with a puppy!
Last week was exhausting, stressful, busy, and took forrrrrevvvvvvvverrrrrrrrrr. I thought the week would fly by because of how much stuff we had to do, but every day seemed longer and I felt more tired.
The big plan was to move things over gradually throughout the week, and have my dad help us with a big move on Friday when we had a trailer. On Wednesday we found out that the parking lot at the old apartment was going to be closed all day Friday into Saturday for re-paving - aka we weren't going to be able to move anything during the day on Friday. Luckily Ben had rented a moving van for Wednesday. Ben and Zach moved most of Ben's stuff during the afternoon, and by the time I was done with work we were able to get a lot of our stuff moved in the van. (We were mostly concerned with furniture.)
Friday morning we ended up having my parents meet us at 7 AM to get the last of our furniture moved out before the parking lot was closed - that meant two days in a row where Zach and I had approx. 2 hours of sleep. So we moved most of the morning - we just had the last of the furniture and then all of my storage unit to move. I bought mom and dad lunch, and then Zach and I spent the rest of the day/evening unpacking and trying to get as much done as we could before puppy.
Saturday morning was a bit of a mess - all of my own fault. At that point I was severely sleep deprived. I had some more things to finish on Saturday morning before we went to pick Abe up, so I set my alarm for 6:30 and we had plans to leave at 8:30. And... I woke up at 8:39. Ugh. So we had to rush to get out of town and we still had some other things to do before we could leave [all of them because I dropped the ball...or several balls]. Anyways, we left like an hour and half later than expected. BUT everything was okay because, we came home with a puppy!
On the way home
When we got home, we had both of our families over for a housewarming/puppy meeting. Zach and I made chicken and beef enchiladas (which we've been raving about to our families for awhile now) while everyone played with the puppy.
Uncle Sam playing and cuddling with Abe
Zach's Mom and Abe and his fat puppy belly
Abe and Rooster taking puppy naps
[Abe loved Rooster - he followed him everywhere, but Rooster
did not seem too enthused to have a little shadow with him]
Abe pooped after all the visiting. Look at his little tongue sticking out!!
Abe in the lovesac. He looks so tiny in it!
Abe as a puppy hat
He pushes all the food to the back of the bowl, and then has to put his front paws in to reach the rest
Agh! That face!
Tickling his belly. Doesn't he look like he's laughing?!?
Snuggled in his blankie
So far everything has been going pretty well. The first night at bedtime he whined for less than a minute, and Zach cleared his throat loudly and Abe was quite for the rest of the night. Sunday and Monday night were a breeze. We've been having to get up after about 3 or 4 hours because he needs to go outside, but we feed him and play with him a little bit and then go right back to bed.
The housetraining is going fairly well also. He's going right away when he gets outside, and there have been a few times where he goes to the door or starts to bark or whine when he has to go out. In the meantime, he has some of the strongest dog farts I have ever smelled, but he's so goddamn cute we can't help but love him.
He's got a lot of personality - he's pretty fiesty, but he calms down pretty well. Today he was just full of shenanigans. He discovered that he can fit underneath one of the loveseats, so he keeps trying to crawl under there.
Abe vs. Mirror
We've also gotten pretty settled into the new place. We've still got some unpacking to do, but we've got our den/office where we can store stuff that we don't have time to unpack right now but need to keep away from Abe.
Unfortunately, I have to go back to work tomorrow. Definitely not looking forward to it, but I guess I have to. So I should be off to bed, since I won't get to take any naps after being up with Abe in the morning.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
and everything is going to the beat
Whew. Two days of this week complete, and I'm exhausted.
Zach, Ben, and I got the keys to our new apartment today! We will be spending the entire week moving, so we didn't get too much done today. Zach and I met Ben at the new place at 1 today to get the keys, and we had each loaded up our cars so we unloaded the two cars before work this afternoon. After work tonight, Zach and I took another load over. [I'm sure some of you out there are thinking we're crazy for moving at 1:30 in the morning, BUT the weather is soooo much more bearable at this time so I much prefer it.] I think we're going to try and get a few more loads in during the week before my awesome dad brings down a trailer on Friday.
This week is bringing lots of changes. Most people would agree that change - even when it is welcome - is always a little bit hard. We're making so many positive changes this week, but I still get that slight unsettling feeling. You're excited for the new things to come, but for a moment you almost second-guess yourself, and think it might just be better to keep everything just as it is. The move I am 100% ready for, and despite my loathing for moving, there's nothing to second guess there.
We're also getting a new [to us] car this weekend. I found out a few months ago that my car is going to need some big, expensive repairs pretty soon. Considering that the repairs I had to do in April and the upcoming ones that would need to be done cost more (pretty substantially more) than I actually paid for my car, I decided to get a new car. So Zach and I have been looking into getting a new car. After much searching and discussion, we decided to buy my parents car. We're getting an excellent deal, and they're being super awesome and trading cars with us before we actually get all the paperwork and everything worked out. On the one hand, I'm excited to have a nice, dependable car [with air conditioning!]. On the other hand, Shelby (my car) and I have had some pretty good times. The driver's seat is molded just right for my butt! All the settings are just right! Yeah, I sweat my ass off every day without air conditioning, and she makes some funny noises sometimes....but she's all mine! So a little bit of second guessing there. ;) Le sigh...
I don't know if you've heard (wink wink - I know everyone is sick of me talking about it), but the biggest change is the new addition to our family - Abe! Only 5 more days until he is home and all ours. We're clearly excited. We've been waiting for nearly a year, and the last three weeks have been especially painstakingly long. But we needed to find a good vet, and we needed all kinds of dog supplies, and we're still searching for a good dog food, and we just want to be awesome puppy parents. We've done our research, we've read books, watched shows, talked to breeders, etc... but its a lot of pressure to take care of another living being (still, a pressure that we are glad to take on). And now that the puppy will soon be in our care, I just hope that everything will work out and we'll have a happy, healthy wrinkly puppy.
So that's what is going on in my head. Lots of preparation - most of it exciting, some of it daunting. Between making moving arrangements (including storage unit, trailer, helpers, getting the keys, forwarding mail, setting up cable/internet, etc etc), looking for cars and figuring out auto loan and insurance stuff, and getting everything ready for the puppy, I'm ready for some relaxation - especially since its all happening in pretty much one week.
Luckily, I was just approved off for a few days next week. Primarily Zach and I wanted to spend some quality time with Abe when he first comes home, but I think it'll be nice to get settled in to the new apartment and to have some downtime after this crazy week.
I'm guessing this will be the last post until after the move, so keep an eye out for new posts with lots of pictures!
Zach, Ben, and I got the keys to our new apartment today! We will be spending the entire week moving, so we didn't get too much done today. Zach and I met Ben at the new place at 1 today to get the keys, and we had each loaded up our cars so we unloaded the two cars before work this afternoon. After work tonight, Zach and I took another load over. [I'm sure some of you out there are thinking we're crazy for moving at 1:30 in the morning, BUT the weather is soooo much more bearable at this time so I much prefer it.] I think we're going to try and get a few more loads in during the week before my awesome dad brings down a trailer on Friday.
This week is bringing lots of changes. Most people would agree that change - even when it is welcome - is always a little bit hard. We're making so many positive changes this week, but I still get that slight unsettling feeling. You're excited for the new things to come, but for a moment you almost second-guess yourself, and think it might just be better to keep everything just as it is. The move I am 100% ready for, and despite my loathing for moving, there's nothing to second guess there.
We're also getting a new [to us] car this weekend. I found out a few months ago that my car is going to need some big, expensive repairs pretty soon. Considering that the repairs I had to do in April and the upcoming ones that would need to be done cost more (pretty substantially more) than I actually paid for my car, I decided to get a new car. So Zach and I have been looking into getting a new car. After much searching and discussion, we decided to buy my parents car. We're getting an excellent deal, and they're being super awesome and trading cars with us before we actually get all the paperwork and everything worked out. On the one hand, I'm excited to have a nice, dependable car [with air conditioning!]. On the other hand, Shelby (my car) and I have had some pretty good times. The driver's seat is molded just right for my butt! All the settings are just right! Yeah, I sweat my ass off every day without air conditioning, and she makes some funny noises sometimes....but she's all mine! So a little bit of second guessing there. ;) Le sigh...
I don't know if you've heard (wink wink - I know everyone is sick of me talking about it), but the biggest change is the new addition to our family - Abe! Only 5 more days until he is home and all ours. We're clearly excited. We've been waiting for nearly a year, and the last three weeks have been especially painstakingly long. But we needed to find a good vet, and we needed all kinds of dog supplies, and we're still searching for a good dog food, and we just want to be awesome puppy parents. We've done our research, we've read books, watched shows, talked to breeders, etc... but its a lot of pressure to take care of another living being (still, a pressure that we are glad to take on). And now that the puppy will soon be in our care, I just hope that everything will work out and we'll have a happy, healthy wrinkly puppy.
So that's what is going on in my head. Lots of preparation - most of it exciting, some of it daunting. Between making moving arrangements (including storage unit, trailer, helpers, getting the keys, forwarding mail, setting up cable/internet, etc etc), looking for cars and figuring out auto loan and insurance stuff, and getting everything ready for the puppy, I'm ready for some relaxation - especially since its all happening in pretty much one week.
Luckily, I was just approved off for a few days next week. Primarily Zach and I wanted to spend some quality time with Abe when he first comes home, but I think it'll be nice to get settled in to the new apartment and to have some downtime after this crazy week.
I'm guessing this will be the last post until after the move, so keep an eye out for new posts with lots of pictures!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
ready and waiting
Ugh....these three weeks are going incredibly slow. Although we'll be crazy busy the next two weeks, I think Zach and I are both looking forward to it in hopes that it makes the time go quickly. In the meantime, here are some more pictures from when we met Abe!
Daddy and puppy!
Mama and puppy!
Today we spent the day getting supplies for Abe. Just two toys, first aid kit, shampoo, brushes, nail clippers, bed for in his crate, and a soft blankie to be all snuggled up. (The super cute moose is from Zach, and the blanket is from me.)
Dear Abe -
We got all this stuff for you! Please come home soon!
Love, Amanda and Zach
Monday, June 25, 2012
the luckiest
BIG AWESOME FANTASTIC AMAZING SUPEREXCITING NEWS!
As of yesterday, Zach and I are officially puppy parents!
We have been saving up for a puppy, and planning and reading and researching, for almost a year now. Zach has wanted an English Bulldog since he was a little boy, and after reading and looking at tons of pictures, it didn't take much convincing for me. We found an apartment where we could have a dog and saved, and now that our move is coming up we started to look more closely at breeders. We found a breeder we really liked about 2 1/2 hours from here. He had two litters, one that was about a month old and one that was about two weeks old and at least 8 adult bulldogs, so we were surrounded by dogs!!
We made an appointment for Saturday to meet the breeder. We set it up on Monday and had to wait until Saturday which meant we had nearly a week of agony trying to keep ourselves sane and calm. In all this time of preparing, we had kind of put together an idea of our ideal puppy - male, mostly white, one dark ear, and maybe a spot over one eye. So we went there, we met the breeder, he was awesome and enthusiastic and super informative. When we first walked in to the room with the two litters, Mike (the breeder) was saying, "I've got this male left..." and as he turned around, we saw the perfect puppy. He is mostly white, with one black ear, a black spot over his eye, and a black little puppy butt. Zach and I looked at each other immediately, and there was an unspoken statement that this was our puppy. He is adorable and perfect and wrinkly and we are already in love with him.
As of yesterday, Zach and I are officially puppy parents!
We have been saving up for a puppy, and planning and reading and researching, for almost a year now. Zach has wanted an English Bulldog since he was a little boy, and after reading and looking at tons of pictures, it didn't take much convincing for me. We found an apartment where we could have a dog and saved, and now that our move is coming up we started to look more closely at breeders. We found a breeder we really liked about 2 1/2 hours from here. He had two litters, one that was about a month old and one that was about two weeks old and at least 8 adult bulldogs, so we were surrounded by dogs!!
We made an appointment for Saturday to meet the breeder. We set it up on Monday and had to wait until Saturday which meant we had nearly a week of agony trying to keep ourselves sane and calm. In all this time of preparing, we had kind of put together an idea of our ideal puppy - male, mostly white, one dark ear, and maybe a spot over one eye. So we went there, we met the breeder, he was awesome and enthusiastic and super informative. When we first walked in to the room with the two litters, Mike (the breeder) was saying, "I've got this male left..." and as he turned around, we saw the perfect puppy. He is mostly white, with one black ear, a black spot over his eye, and a black little puppy butt. Zach and I looked at each other immediately, and there was an unspoken statement that this was our puppy. He is adorable and perfect and wrinkly and we are already in love with him.
So without further ado...
Sir Aberford Undertaker, of House Porkchop,
the First of His name.
(Abe for short)
Snuggling with his new mama
So tiny!
He has very soft jowls.
He likes to lay like this.
He looks extra cute in his daddy's arms!
Giving his daddy beard kisses.
We are so excited! The next few weeks are going to be pretty busy though. We will be moving soon, with a move in date of July 13th. We were thinking we would be getting a puppy from the second litter, because they would be ready to go home around August 1st which would give us a couple of weeks to get settled into the new place. Abe is from the first little, and even though it will be a tight timeline, we'll be bringing him home on July 14th!!! Only 20 days! So now I'm going to try and work out something to get into the new apartment a little earlier so we can get things at least a little bit set up before puppy comes home. My apologies if blogs slow down between now and then. Speaking of which, I should be packing and making lists and planning and freaking out.....
Look forward to TONS of pictures of our new baby boy! =]
Monday, June 18, 2012
if there's any other way, i'll do anything for you
Whew. The older I get, the busier and more exhausting weekends get. What happened to weekends being a time to recoup after a busy weekend?
This weekend was definitely fun though. Friday night Zach got off work a little early and we went out to dinner with my Mom and Dad for an early Father's Day dinner. We went to a barbecue place, which was mostly good. The fries were pretty awesome (probably because they were mostly grease) and we had some yummy hush puppies for an appetizer. My meat was not great though..good flavor, but the cut of meat was grisly and tendony. Plus the acoustics in the restaurant were terrible. It wasn't that busy when we were there, the music wasn't terribly loud, but it was really hard to hear, and I felt like we were all yelling at each other. Aftewards we went and got some Cold Stone ice cream which was good. However, we sat out on State St. to eat it and were accosted by a trashy guy on the street. Luckily my big strong dad and big strong boyfriend were there to protect us. ;)
Saturday we got up early and went out to spend the day with Zach's dad and siblings. We started the day with a grill out which was nice. The weather kept changing between super sunny and windy/rainy, but once it settled down we had a really great afternoon for it. After spending the afternoon out in the sun, we headed back to Madison to one of Zach's family's favorite restaurants and met his sister for beer, burgers, and fries. By the time we got home, I was ready to go to sleep. (I did take a nap at like 10pm).
All in all a great weekend with family. And lastly, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the best dad in the world (mine of course!).
This weekend was definitely fun though. Friday night Zach got off work a little early and we went out to dinner with my Mom and Dad for an early Father's Day dinner. We went to a barbecue place, which was mostly good. The fries were pretty awesome (probably because they were mostly grease) and we had some yummy hush puppies for an appetizer. My meat was not great though..good flavor, but the cut of meat was grisly and tendony. Plus the acoustics in the restaurant were terrible. It wasn't that busy when we were there, the music wasn't terribly loud, but it was really hard to hear, and I felt like we were all yelling at each other. Aftewards we went and got some Cold Stone ice cream which was good. However, we sat out on State St. to eat it and were accosted by a trashy guy on the street. Luckily my big strong dad and big strong boyfriend were there to protect us. ;)
Saturday we got up early and went out to spend the day with Zach's dad and siblings. We started the day with a grill out which was nice. The weather kept changing between super sunny and windy/rainy, but once it settled down we had a really great afternoon for it. After spending the afternoon out in the sun, we headed back to Madison to one of Zach's family's favorite restaurants and met his sister for beer, burgers, and fries. By the time we got home, I was ready to go to sleep. (I did take a nap at like 10pm).
All in all a great weekend with family. And lastly, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the best dad in the world (mine of course!).
Friday, June 15, 2012
its bound to melt your heart - for good or for bad
My intentions were to blog more than I was before, but that has proved difficult. Time is kind of flying by, but its one of those weird contradictions where you feel like you've been ridiculously busy, constantly running around, but can't even start to list what you've done.
The biggest thing in the past few weeks is that I got my hair cut!! I got approximately 6 inches cut off, so it was a pretty big change. I will have pictures sometime soon (which has been part of the delay with getting a post up, but I'll have to do without for now).
Zach and I went to his uncle's wedding/reception a few weeks ago out at Blue Mounds State Park. It was absolutely gorgeous out there. It was basically a party at the campground (with some awesome cake) followed up by a bonfire. We also got to see the sunset out of the ridge of "mounds" which was beautiful. Afterwards Sam came over and spent the night so we got some extra hang out time with him.
Last week we went to a Brewers game with a bunch of our friends (I think it was 19 people total). I took half a day of work (it was Zach's day off) and we headed down to Milwaukee and met everyone there for tailgaiting. It was a pretty good game to be at - Brewers v. Cubs, good game, and we won! Plus it was our first game of the year, so it was exciting just to be there.
I also went to the zoo last week with Steph and Jake. At the time, I was sad to not have seen the lions (they were inside when I was there) because they are one of my favorite animals to see. But now I'm even more sad, because the mama lion just died a few days ago! =[ Make fun of me all you want, but I was particularly upset about it - that poor baby lion, Leopold, is without his mommy!
Anyways, not too much else new is going on. Apologies again, but hopefully you'll see another blog soon!
The biggest thing in the past few weeks is that I got my hair cut!! I got approximately 6 inches cut off, so it was a pretty big change. I will have pictures sometime soon (which has been part of the delay with getting a post up, but I'll have to do without for now).
Zach and I went to his uncle's wedding/reception a few weeks ago out at Blue Mounds State Park. It was absolutely gorgeous out there. It was basically a party at the campground (with some awesome cake) followed up by a bonfire. We also got to see the sunset out of the ridge of "mounds" which was beautiful. Afterwards Sam came over and spent the night so we got some extra hang out time with him.
Last week we went to a Brewers game with a bunch of our friends (I think it was 19 people total). I took half a day of work (it was Zach's day off) and we headed down to Milwaukee and met everyone there for tailgaiting. It was a pretty good game to be at - Brewers v. Cubs, good game, and we won! Plus it was our first game of the year, so it was exciting just to be there.
I also went to the zoo last week with Steph and Jake. At the time, I was sad to not have seen the lions (they were inside when I was there) because they are one of my favorite animals to see. But now I'm even more sad, because the mama lion just died a few days ago! =[ Make fun of me all you want, but I was particularly upset about it - that poor baby lion, Leopold, is without his mommy!
Anyways, not too much else new is going on. Apologies again, but hopefully you'll see another blog soon!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
even better yet
Alright, I'm thinking I might try and get away from the weekly blog. More impromptu, less boring "this is what I did this day and that is what I did that day" sort of thing. Any thoughts? I don't really get any feedback from you guys, so if you're reading, and you care for a certain format or want to see something new, LET ME KNOW!!!
Last Friday I went out for breakfast with Steph, Lisa, Jake, and little [little, but chubby] Nora! It was sooooo nice to sit down and talk with them. Both Jake and Nora were sleeping for a large part of the time we were there, so we got lots of talking in and then had even more fun when the babies woke up. Nora is absolutely adorable. I can't even stand how cute she is. She is the happiest baby I've ever seen, and has some of the cutest chunky baby rolls I've ever seen.
Last Friday I went out for breakfast with Steph, Lisa, Jake, and little [little, but chubby] Nora! It was sooooo nice to sit down and talk with them. Both Jake and Nora were sleeping for a large part of the time we were there, so we got lots of talking in and then had even more fun when the babies woke up. Nora is absolutely adorable. I can't even stand how cute she is. She is the happiest baby I've ever seen, and has some of the cutest chunky baby rolls I've ever seen.
[sorry, this quality isn't great....from a phone to a phone to the internet doesn't look great. Damn you, technology!]
Even though I'd only gotten 3 hours of sleep the night before, I resisted the urge for a nap and spent a large part of the afternoon reading out on the porch, because it was so nice out. [I'm trying to readjust my sleep schedule, even by the slightest bit, but it's much harder than it sounds. ] I did end up taking a nap after I dropped Zach off at work, and then I got to see my parents for a bit (they stopped by on their way through town).
Finally, Zach and I went to a friend's birthday party, but the most important part of the night was - a long overdue reunion with one of my bestest friends, Brianna!! She was in town for the same birthday party, so we got to spend the evening with her.
When I got home from the birthday party, I made some cupcakes that I've been waiting to make for months. Going back to my earlier note about sleep schedules...why would I go to bed at 4am when I could be making cupcakes?!?!
Anyways, Britny and Nick gave me a housewarming present ages ago that was a Chocolate Stout cupcake mix with a recipe for chocolate mocha frosting. They also provided me with a bottle of cherry stout to use in the recipe. The result was...delicious!
Saturday we did our usual routine - got up super early (for us...3 hours of sleep again!) to head to the Farmer's Market and get our spicy cheesy bread, doughnuts, and kettle corn. I didn't last long after eating my donut though, passed out for a few hours afterwards.
Alright, leave me some feedback if you have any feelings on the blog (or maybe just for fun...)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
you and me together, nothing is better
Well, this week was definitely a bit busier than last - especially the weekend.
Work was pretty...entertaining...this week, to say the least. Had one of my first really interesting meetings, which I can't say anything about of course, but I can say it was a great learning experience. I was really late for work one day this week though. I now work early one day a week, because I needed a day that I overlap more with the rest of the department (who all work days). When I first planned it out, I thought it was going to be a good idea because I'd be done earlier, but going to bed early the night before isn't great. Either way, I woke up at the time I was supposed to be punching in, and ended up being 1/2 hour late.
I did get to have a 3 day weekend this week though. Friday Zach and I spent the day running errands, cleaning, etc. Then Saturday we had to be up early for an apartment showing, so we went to the Farmer's Market in Hilldale to pick up some Stella's Spicy Cheesy bread and then ran a few more errands (which has kind of become a Saturday tradition for us). Afterwards, Zach's Dad, Sam, and Meghan came over and we spent the afternoon watching Game of Thrones and eating [horrible] pizza. Later that night, Sam came back over and Ben came over after work and we played our newest obsession, HeroClix, until very late maybe 5ish in the morning...oops!. [I won't go into the details, but it's a strategy based board game that involves little superhero (or villain) figures, and it's awesome.] That was a bad decision, because we had to be up very early on Sunday - 2 nights in a row with 4 hours of sleep doesn't end well.
Sunday morning we went out for breakfast with Zach's mom and Sam at little restaurant on Willy St. To start with, we were sleepy and crabby. It was super crowded, and way too "self-service" for my tastes at that time of the morning. You ordered your food as soon as you came in the door, and then found a table (or whatever furniture you could find) where you then got your own silverware and water and everything. Because it was so busy, all we could find to seat 4 people was an old couch, two recliners, and a pretty small coffee table with reading material all over it. Then you wait until the kitchen staff screams - literally screams - your name out and you go and get your own food. In retrospect, it doesn't sound that bad. And I've been to similar places that I didn't mind at all (Sunroom on State, which is always good), but this was just incredibly annoying to me at the time. I got a blackberry scone which was pretty awesome, but the rest of my breakfast was subpar.
We did a little bit of running around which included a stop at Petsmart. That was also terrible idea. We know we're getting soooo close to getting a puppy, but this didn't help our patience at all. AND when we were leaving, we saw an adorable tiny little Rottweiler puppy.
Then we went to Alyssa's graduation!!! I can't believe my baby sister graduated from college. It was kind of weird sitting up in the balcony thinking that 3 years ago I was sitting in that same spot, wearing my own unflattering black gown. [And of course I teared up a little bit when they started playing Varsity, as a true Badger always will.] CONGRATULATIONS, ALYSSA!!!!
Afterwards there was a celebration, with lots of good food and family time. It is always nice to see family, especially because I don't get the time or opportunity to travel very much. Unfortunately, Zach and I were pretty much zombies by that time. A beer and two plates of food did not help, because then my tummy was all full and I was sleepy, and my body just wanted to shut down. We came home and laid down (crashed) for a nap at 830 pm. And then I went to bed early and slept 10 needed hours.
Alright, off to maybe play some games or read. Have a good week everyone!
Work was pretty...entertaining...this week, to say the least. Had one of my first really interesting meetings, which I can't say anything about of course, but I can say it was a great learning experience. I was really late for work one day this week though. I now work early one day a week, because I needed a day that I overlap more with the rest of the department (who all work days). When I first planned it out, I thought it was going to be a good idea because I'd be done earlier, but going to bed early the night before isn't great. Either way, I woke up at the time I was supposed to be punching in, and ended up being 1/2 hour late.
I did get to have a 3 day weekend this week though. Friday Zach and I spent the day running errands, cleaning, etc. Then Saturday we had to be up early for an apartment showing, so we went to the Farmer's Market in Hilldale to pick up some Stella's Spicy Cheesy bread and then ran a few more errands (which has kind of become a Saturday tradition for us). Afterwards, Zach's Dad, Sam, and Meghan came over and we spent the afternoon watching Game of Thrones and eating [horrible] pizza. Later that night, Sam came back over and Ben came over after work and we played our newest obsession, HeroClix, until very late maybe 5ish in the morning...oops!. [I won't go into the details, but it's a strategy based board game that involves little superhero (or villain) figures, and it's awesome.] That was a bad decision, because we had to be up very early on Sunday - 2 nights in a row with 4 hours of sleep doesn't end well.
Sunday morning we went out for breakfast with Zach's mom and Sam at little restaurant on Willy St. To start with, we were sleepy and crabby. It was super crowded, and way too "self-service" for my tastes at that time of the morning. You ordered your food as soon as you came in the door, and then found a table (or whatever furniture you could find) where you then got your own silverware and water and everything. Because it was so busy, all we could find to seat 4 people was an old couch, two recliners, and a pretty small coffee table with reading material all over it. Then you wait until the kitchen staff screams - literally screams - your name out and you go and get your own food. In retrospect, it doesn't sound that bad. And I've been to similar places that I didn't mind at all (Sunroom on State, which is always good), but this was just incredibly annoying to me at the time. I got a blackberry scone which was pretty awesome, but the rest of my breakfast was subpar.
We did a little bit of running around which included a stop at Petsmart. That was also terrible idea. We know we're getting soooo close to getting a puppy, but this didn't help our patience at all. AND when we were leaving, we saw an adorable tiny little Rottweiler puppy.
Then we went to Alyssa's graduation!!! I can't believe my baby sister graduated from college. It was kind of weird sitting up in the balcony thinking that 3 years ago I was sitting in that same spot, wearing my own unflattering black gown. [And of course I teared up a little bit when they started playing Varsity, as a true Badger always will.] CONGRATULATIONS, ALYSSA!!!!
Afterwards there was a celebration, with lots of good food and family time. It is always nice to see family, especially because I don't get the time or opportunity to travel very much. Unfortunately, Zach and I were pretty much zombies by that time. A beer and two plates of food did not help, because then my tummy was all full and I was sleepy, and my body just wanted to shut down. We came home and laid down (crashed) for a nap at 830 pm. And then I went to bed early and slept 10 needed hours.
Alright, off to maybe play some games or read. Have a good week everyone!
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