Sunny Side Up

Christmas Survey

2010-12-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

I'm still alive! Taking a break in between finals, and I thought I'd break back into my blog and answer a Christmas survey :)

Please join me!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Well, I usually do gift bags, because I'm terrible at wrapping presents, but I think wrapping paper is more classic and festive.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I definitely prefer real. When I was growing up, we always had a real tree, and going to the lot to pick one out was an adventure in itself. I still love real trees, but have to admit that I have an artificial one right now (and it's hideous. Hideous.) I'm planning on replacing it with a better artificial one after this Christmas (and hoping to get a highly discounted one!).

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon after Thanksgiving as we can. We've been really busy, so the tree still isn't decorated o_O

4. When do you take the tree down? Pretty soon after Christmas. Usually tired of seeing it by then!

5. Do you like eggnog? Mmmm yes :)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I'm really not sure... probably books. Or I'm guessing something Barbie related, I loved my Barbies!

7. Hardest person to buy for? Probably any guy... Dad, Brother, Russ.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Nobody is easy to buy for to me... I always worry about people not liking what I get! But I think I'll go with my best friend, because we have pretty similar tastes... and she usually wants a lot of things throughout the year, and I take notes.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, I guess we don't...

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, if we send them. Our family isn't big into Christmas cards, because we see each other at this time of year I guess?

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Oh, I don't know. I doubt I've ever been given a terrible gift...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I actually haven't seen a lot of the classics, and think I will try and see a couple this year. When I was young, I loved Prancer and of course all the Rudolph type movies

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? December, after finals :\

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mmm... I like all the snacky type foods. My mom and I usually bake some goodies. I love lemon bars and peanut butter balls

16. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)? Clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? "Silent Night," "Here we come a-waissaling" "Baby, It's Cold Outside", "Santa Baby"

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? A lot of traveling, but at least close by. I have divorced parents and divorced grandparents... The movie "Four Christmases" is basically my Christmas.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes, but only if I sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"

20. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree? A Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both, part of having to go so many places on Christmas means we start on Christmas Eve ;)

22. Favorite children's Christmas song? I loved "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" of course. And "Deck the Halls"

23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People who are insane in stores... crazy lines and people not caring that they are knocking into other people. People who have to complain about hating Christmas, just be quiet and let other people enjoy it.

24. Favorite ornament theme or color? I like nature themes... This year mine is very natural - berry picks, wood and berry star, little owls and squirrels.

25. Turkey or ham on Christmas day? I prefer ham usually.

26. What do you want for Christmas this year? IDK really.

27. Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa? No, but Russ actually did last year! It was for my Mom's friend's store. It was hilarious!

28. Age you discovered who Santa was? I don't remember my age... but I think I was on the school bus around Christmas time and some little brat wanted to tell everyone. I do remember that I absolutely did NOT tell my little brother. I wanted to believe it wasn't true, and I knew it would make him sad too.

29. Eggnog, hot chocolate, or apple cider? All of the above, but man, I love Starbucks' Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. Heavenly.

30. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors? I like rich colors paired with gold. Jewel tones.

31. Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof? Not this year :(

32. How does Santa get into your house? He doesn't yet ;)

33. Do you prefer gifts or gift cards? I love either :) Gifts are fun to open, but gift cards are fun too. If anyone gives me money though, it just goes to bills :(

34. Favorite children's Christmas Cartoon? Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer... though I don't think that's technically a cartoon.

Cell Phone Photos

2010-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

I am borrowing this idea from Stephanie from Dirt and Lace!

I thought this was a really fun idea, and I loved seeing Stephanie's pictures, so I thought I'd play too. As I've mentioned before, I love taking photos. Although I don't always have a camera with me, I do usually have my cell phone, so that's where most of my photos end up. Most of them are random, but I thought I'd share some of them for fun. As you can guess... many are of my dog.

I love that our cellphone pictures tend to be more candid and random than pictures taken with a regular camera! Most of mine are taken to send to someone (usually my mom or husband).

I have no idea when most of these are from, but I think they go older to more recent, LOL.

Lilah and a couple of my mom's doggies

A lizard that I saved from the street. He seemed to have only lost his tail, but he was obviously pretty pissed, LOL.

I love random license plates... and used to love Kim Possible.

Lilah's moving box.

Lilah & a Viola

This is what happens if fresh folded laundry is left unattended...

Violas & Asparagus Fern

Russ at the dog park... I love how there are dogs bounding everywhere (Lilah is on the far right).

I already miss the dog park...

An "Alien Skull" at my old college, which I also miss.

And there you have it, random snippets of my life. I'd love to see yours!

Mascara Review: Maybelline "Pulse Perfection"

2010-09-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Even though I've been wanting to try this mascara for awhile, the price held me back for awhile. When I saw it for 50% off at the local Rite Aid, I couldn't resist!

I tried Waterproof (it may be a pain to get off, but it holds curl) in Very Black. I have to say, I was very happy with the results. I hate clumps and love length, and this was perfect for both.

I would definitely recommend this mascara to fellow clump-phobes!

Sweet Disposition

2010-09-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

I know this is probably old news to half the world, but I don't care. I am so loving this song, and it's so nice to see a good band get recognition and big deals.

"Sweet Disposition" - The Temper Trap

So long, Summer (almost)

2010-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't written a blog in quite awhile, I was actually planning on posting a pic of when I received the dress that I won, but it still isn't here... so that will have to wait.

Usually I find that I don't write because either nothing "exciting" has happened, or because of the fact that I've always somewhat attempted to keep negativity out of my blog. I don't know why I do that to be honest, since this blog is supposed to serve as a type of outlet in many ways. Don't get me wrong, nothing tragic has happened, I just in general am not a person that does very well with change - and there seems to be a lot of it lately. Moving, changing schools, husband changing work offices... and of course absolutely bleeding money because of moving (crazy deposits, boxes, and finding someone to help us move... or hiring someone, and then of course had to buy all my school books as well).

When I'm stressed out or overwhelmed I tend to either avoid whatever it is by burying my head in the sand... or more literally in a pillow or my couch (a great concern for Delilah, who frantically tries to uncover my face to kiss). And whenever I eventually have to face it head-on, I feel overwhelmed and think of the worst-case scenario. As much as I'd love to be different, I can't help who I am or magically transform into an optimist, or even someone who likes and desires change.

Anyways, that's what I've been up to, preparing for moving and school. I've been trying to think positively since the largest obstacles really have already been cleared (Russ transferring, me transferring, and actually finding a place). I just know that it/I won't feel okay again until it's all finished and I'm settled into the new school.

Today I was driving and a couple of leaves fell from a tree, leaves that probably made a nice crunchy sound as I drove over them. For a moment I thought of fall, my favorite time of year. Cooler weather, Apple Hill, and of course, cute cozy comfy cardigans... this thought reminded me that all of this too will pass.

And of course, to anyone actually out there, sorry for my whine-fest!!

I won?!

2010-07-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

I'm so psyched! I, someone who never wins a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g just won a dress from Shabby Apple via a giveaway hosted by Kater at All This Happiness (beautiful blog)!

Just thought I'd share and send a huge thanks to Kater for hosting the awesome giveaway!

And here's the dress, too cute!!!

"Oh La La" Dress

It's currently sold out, but I should have it soon :) Yay!

Here, there...

2010-07-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

Lake Natoma... for some fishing (Russ) and reading (Me)

Me in my dorky getup, I still managed to get a terrible sunburn even with sunblock on.

Day trip to San Francisco to escape the heat in our hometown... it was about thirty degrees cooler there. Yes, PLEASE!

We really didn't do much in San Francisco, but this was one of my favorite parts of the day, watching the sunset by the ocean, and forgetting that it was early July (hence my red nose, it was freeeezing!). I also enjoyed our delicious plums from the fabulous farmers market in the ferry building, and the tasty pot- stickers from a little restaurant we discovered during our last visit.

We decided we need to plan a little getaway somewhere else... as for me, I feel the need... the need for big trees!

It must be love...

2010-06-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

When I find something that is a deal AND amazing... I feel like I just have to share it with someone, ANYONE!

I'm actually a bit of a YouTube beauty video junkie, and watched a video (I can't remember which one it was), and the girl in it highly recommended this...

L'Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner (pictured above in brown, I bought black)

And lucky me, our local Rite Aid had it on sale for less than six dollars. If you've ever used Urban Decay's eyeliners (which in my opinion are amazing, but too expensive for me), I would compare the way it goes on to be much like those eyeliners, yet less than half of the cost. It glides on VERY smooth and easily, and with a lot of intensity, I would love it if they had it in some other colors!

Love it!

Lack of inspiration...

2010-06-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

I can't even say how many times I've logged into Blogger and wanted to post something, anything. I am just drawing a complete blank lately!

Nothing much is new here, I'm back in school for summer semester, and then... yikes, I transfer to a university... Which means we will be moving soon, so I'm super stressed about that... new town (more expensive area). Ahhh... oh well.

I've been wanting to do a new look in here, to maybe inspire me a bit... so who knows maybe you will see a new look in here soon!

Since I don't have anything else to say, I thought I'd share a song I really love right now. Congratulations by MGMT. I love MGMT :)

It's not a music video - just a song, enjoy :)

Stepping (and descending) into History

2010-05-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we went with my grandma and grandpa (who are in town visiting) to Colombia State Park and then to Moaning Caverns... It was nice to spontaneously get out of town, generally if I am going somewhere I plan it to death until it's no longer any fun. We just picked up, brought some sandwiches, and went basically!

The park that we went to was an old town that was booming during the Gold Rush. There are quite a few of these towns near us, where gold drew people from across the country and across the seas and inspired them to seek their wealth from California.

Here are some of our pics...

And here are the photos from Moaning Caverns. I was excited to see this... and when my grandma and grandpa didn't want to go in (partly because of the long hike down and then back up, but mostly because they creep my grandma out) I didn't really worry too much about it affecting me. I was wrong, by the time we climbed to the bottom (very tall cave, but not big horizontally), my legs and arms were shaking violently. The old staircase also gave me the creeps, which I have a photo of below...

Regardless, I'm still glad I saw them despite having shaky legs and hands for hours afterwards...

It probably didn't help though that they turned the lights off for us to experience how dark it gets in there... oh and this is after they told us about the human remains (over 100 of them) found in this cave.

The above photo is interesting because this was actually formed in China from the Yangtze River, then purchased many years ago and placed in this cave (sort of random really, if you ask me). But it still forms here in this cave...

To give perspective on how large this cave was, the above stalagmite is around 23 feet tall...

The tour guide must have taken twenty of these pictures in an attempt to get a clear one... I'm guessing the light around me is from my ghostly complexion LOL

Clearing out the Cobwebs...

2010-05-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's pretty dusty in here!!

Sorry for my lack of posting, school has been crazy busy these last few weeks (honestly, the whole semester). I would say I'd never take that many classes at once again... but I'm sure I eventually will have to again!

I thought I'd share some of my pictures from Yosemite. I went on a class field trip there a couple of weeks ago... it was incredible. It was just beautiful beyond description. I did go last year, but by that time most of the waterfalls had stopped running... they really do make a difference!

Oh, and by the way, I just about cried with excitement when I found out Blogger updated the picture uploading. True, you still can only upload basically one at a time (or at least input after they are all uploaded), but baby steps. Baby steps.

Still, I got a little photo happy, I can't help it, I just love our parks (and especially Yosemite) so much...

Also, we were in a documentary! Very exciting, though quite uncomfortable. They wanted us to be very natural throughout it, and it's hard not to stop talking when a camera is clearly recording everything.

Magical, at a certain time of day, the light hits this waterfall just right, and it climbs from the bottom, slowly up to the top. I was so fortunate to see this!

Making dinner in the dark...

Hike up to Vernal Falls (which was closed at the last 300 ft... grrrr)

Cute Owlie at the museum

If anyone knows what these flowers are... I would love to know!

Galen Clark, first protector of Yosemite... he made this headstone and had six (five remaining) Sequoias planted around his grave... so now he is in the trees. I thought that was very poetic.

Yosemite Falls

Native American grinding rock...

Waterfall along our hike around Hetch Hetchy

Below, the beautiful Hetch Hetchy...

Pictures & Updates...

2010-04-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd share some pictures here on my blog, because I've truly been terrible about blogging lately. As I've surely mentioned before, my best friend and I do have a sort of fascination with taking random photos and pretending we are aspiring photographers. Sometimes we excitedly text each other "photo shoot" ideas, though many remain just ideas. Her boyfriend suggested a "country" type of theme... and here's the result! Of course that photos are "improved" with Picnik's "60's Mode" (I can't remember the real name of it, but it makes the photos look warm and wonderful).

And here are some photos from Easter...

We actually went to brunch with the family at a restaurant, which isn't our normal plan. We also went to church in the morning, which was really nice.

Not much else is really going on in our corner of the world... we've been dealing with handing our car back to the dealer (a lease... never do it kids!!!). It's an absolute nightmare. Volkswagen's inspection company wasn't able to come out until the 13th, and our lease ends this Wednesday the 7th. Their fault, right? Well, according to them, I have to pay again to extend the lease. After arguing (and I'll admit, some crying, I am a bit of a crybaby), I realized that I couldn't talk them out of making us pay more.

Like I said before, the entire thing is a nightmare, and I have learned my lesson and vow to never, ever do it again.

School is good, but absolutely crazy. Added my 7th class today (another online, and short class) in a mad attempt to grab as many units as possible before hopefully transferring.

Hope all is well in everyone's corner of the world, and that you all had a wonderful Easter!

A Day by the Lake

2010-03-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we went to a nearby lake so that I could work on my Ecosystem project for my biology class. It was a beautiful day, and I thought I'd share some pictures. I actually have a ton of other pictures because I took a lot for my assignment, but just sharing a few...

I had an assignment for my Asian History course to visit the Asian Arts Museum in San Francisco, so Russ and I made a weekend out of the trip. It was really fun, and we both got our fill of good food (Pork Buns, Chinese Donuts, Chinese Pancakes, Oh my!) and lots of walking! I will most likely share some pictures once I have them uploaded, mostly the pictures are of the museum, which was really pretty neat, in my opinion! I have seen some very old things before, but I think the Oracle Bones that we saw were one of the oldest I've seen to date. Very neat, I will share more later!

Visitors...

2010-03-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

I'm still here, I'm alive, I swear. My blog has just taken a backseat to "life" right now. To be honest, I don't have much to write or talk about, just busy with school, school, school. Also feeling a little down, and I try to keep my blog bummer-free, as I've said before...

I thought I'd share some pictures from our weekend, which was very nice. My cousin and her fiance came to visit us from Southern Cali. It was so awesome to see her and meet her fiance. I hadn't seen my cousin in over two years... We did the tourist thing, and took them to San Francisco, including a tour of Alcatraz. And little did I know, there was a Chinese New Year parade, celebrating the end of the New Year festivities. That was such a treat, I wish I could have seen more of the parade and festivities.

These pictures are in reverse order, not that it matters, but I'm just too lazy to deal with Blogger's dumb photo upload feature right now!

Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T18:42:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone had a very special one!

My Valentines:

AND....
Gung Hay Fat Choy!!
Happy Chinese New Year to all, I'm a Tiger, so maybe this will be my year ;)

Spring Dreaming...

2010-02-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

I know, I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself here. It's just been so grey and miserable out these past few weeks, I can't help but dream of spring!

Above are some daffodils that the hubs and I planted in a little flower box that we have... only to have *something* (not our dog) dig them all out the next day... GRRRR.

The sun has burst through a little bit in the past few days, and it's supposed to be a little nicer this weekend here!

What's the weather like where you are?

I'm sorry...

2010-01-31T12:25:00.000-08:00

That I have once again become a terrible blogger. I just haven't had too much "good stuff" to blog about. To be honest, things aren't so great right now in a few areas, but it's something that I will probably hold off on mentioning until they are more of a sure thing. Well, I'll probably end up coming back to delete this entry (or at least this portion), since I try to keep this blog "bummer-free"... but I just wanted to clear my head...

Well, in happier news, my best friend Ariadna is home from Russia earlier than planned. I think everyone, even her, is happy about the earlier arrival. It's really great to have her home :)

Another bit of good news, so far I've been keeping up with my huge school course load, even my body feels semi-recovered from my Aerobic training class on Thursday. The first two days after, I wasn't able to raise my left arm, LOL. I think she gives us a harder workout on Thursday (everyday it's a new routine, designed for "muscular confusion"), because we have more time to recuperate before the next class.

Hope everyone had a nice Saturday, and are now relaxing and enjoying your Sunday! I'm sorry again for being a bummer, I really do try to keep it out of my blog, but sometimes just feel pretty overtaken by it.

Am trying...

2010-01-19T09:43:00.000-08:00

Not to panic. Really, I've gone through this every semester when my classes first begin. I receive a syllabus from each instructor, see all the thousands of projects, papers, research essays planned, and my heart begins to race. I panic.

I'm feeling it even more this semester, because two of my courses are online, which I have never attempted. Not to mention one of them is a Biology course (the other is an English course, which I feel slightly better about). I have a large course load this semester because I must have a certain amount of units to transfer. Usually, students would still be able to transfer if they were a few units short of being a Junior, but California's campuses are incredibly impacted, and most are not even accepting Freshman this year.

So, I am trying *not* to panic so much over my courses and tell myself it will all work itself out in the end. I am reading my Biology teacher's good reviews on "Rate My Professor" almost the way someone would obsessively rub a worry stone or squeeze a stress ball. And obviously, I'm blogging about it to vent as well...

In other news...

After a few failed attempts, we finally went to see Avatar, in 3D. I don't know about where you guys live, but it is still selling like crazy here. We went with my mom and step-dad, and we weren't even able to sit with them. Frankly, we were lucky to find seats at all!

I have to say that the 3D was almost too much for me for the first hour or so. I remember thinking the same thing when I saw Coraline in 3D, except since Coraline was much shorter than Avatar, I had problems with it almost through the whole movie.

Wow, what can I say? Avatar was beautiful. It was just amazing to look at everything in that movie, and I'm really glad we went and saw it in the theater! I've heard people say that they thought the storyline was lacking, but I was pretty happy with it. I do agree that it was long (I think around two and a half hours), but I just really liked it.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend, especially to those who had a lovely three-day weekend!

Book Review: The Good Earth by Pearl Buck

2010-01-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

Pearl Buck's classic... The Good Earth

Review from Bookreporter.com - Original FOUND HERE.

"The earth lay rich and dark and fell apart lightly under the points of their hoes. Sometimes they turned up a bit of brick, a splinter of wood. It was nothing. Some time, in some age, bodies of men and women had been buried there, houses had stood there, had fallen, and gone back into the earth. So would also their house, some time, return into the earth, their bodies also. Each had his turn at this earth. They worked on, moving together --- together --- producing the fruit of this earth --- speechless in their movement together."

The simple raw imagery of THE GOOD EARTH won Pearl S. Buck the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1932. Its poignant portrayal of a poor farmer's life and his bond with the land is as relevant to our own ancestral roots as it is to rural China. Wang Lung, the central figure around which the entire narrative revolves, is a man of many complexities depicted by his relationships with his wife, his father, his children and his village. His land is precious, its value equating to his own self-worth. Although steeped in the ancient traditions, he reflects certain enlightened thinking at times that may be more for the author's emphasis of injustices than a true depiction of the average Chinese peasant in the early 1900s.

Wang Lung's story begins as a young man seeking a wife to cook, clean and bear his children. O-lan, a slave's slave from a wealthy household, comes to live and share his life in the subservient fashion that traditions dictate. Initially their marriage brings satisfaction to both, although for vastly different reasons. Wang Lung has a sense of fulfillment in having such a wise and competent woman to raise his children and maintain his home. And even though women are still considered "slaves" by their men, O-lan has found a better life than she's ever known; she is well-cared for and Wang Lung is kind. Together they bring five children into the world and work their thriving farm.

But just as the life of a peasant is harsh, so are the traditions that mold marriage and family. Women are little more than chattel, necessary for procreation and to serve the household needs. A girl child is an unwelcome birth and can even bring shame to families unable to produce a boy. During hard times young girls were often sold into slavery or worse. For all the compassion that Pearl Buck feels for these people and the beauty she finds in their simple lives, her outrage at the conditions of the women is apparent. Although Wang Lung's thoughts are a bit more liberal than we might expect, he still maintains his distance, displaying neither open affection nor love for the woman who shares his life.

". . . she was like a faithful, speechless serving maid, who is only a serving maid and nothing more. And it was not meet that he should say to her, 'Why do you not speak?' It should be enough that she fulfilled her duty."

"Sometimes, working over the clods in the fields, he would fall to pondering about her. What had she seen in those hundred courts? What had been her life, that life she never shared with him? He could make nothing of it. And then he was ashamed of his own curiosity and of his interest in her. She was, after all, only a woman."

As the years pass, Wang Lung's family suffers abject poverty and famine but their strength of character sustains them through stark conditions that we would find inconceivable. Reduced to begging in the city, Wang Lung steadfastly refuses to sell his land. Then as China experiences the first rumblings of revolution, the cycle of prosperity returns and Wang Lung eventually becomes the wealthy landowner that he once envied and despised. But his evolution from a proud hardworking peasant to the decadent life of an idle lord is disheartening. Pearl Buck eloquently portrays the sad disintegration of this man and his family as they become alienated from the land and the noble values it imparted.

--- Reviewed by Ann Bruns

My Review:

Almost anything about the plot of this book has already been summarized very well in the above review. Aside from the summary of the book, I would like to simply give my recommendation for this book, and the message that it carries.

I know that when many people hear the word "classic", many may shy away thinking that it might be dull or even difficult to read. However, this book is a "quick read", and flows smoothly. It reads as easily as books written by more modern authors, and is absolutely fascinating and at times, shocking.

Personally, I am absolutely fascinated with Pre-revolutionary China (and just finished a history class on traditional East Asia) so I knew this book would be one that I would enjoy.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?

Also, while I was looking for pictures of the book for this post, I noticed that there is a movie as well, does anyone know if it's any good?

Welcome!

2010-01-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take a moment to welcome some new readers that I've gained recently!!!

I'm so happy to have you guys!

I hope everyone is doing well, I'm going to try and come up with some ideas for posts this week... since it's my last week off before school. I was thinking about also doing a book review somewhere in there since I read a couple over my break... "The Good Earth" by Pearl Buck, and "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel. Would you be interested in either of those? Or even both? (I would highly recommend both of these books, so I'd be happy to do either).

(Side note... does anyone know how to underline titles in your post? I used to be able to by hitting Ctrl U... but now some little window pops up when I do that)

I always worry that the reviews are super boring, but I love to read, and love to talk about what I read, so I just started doing those...

Anyways, hope everyone had a wonderful weekend... one more week off and then I'm back to the daily grind (school) myself. And to be honest, I couldn't be happier. I'm sure I'll regret saying that in a few weeks, but being home all the time just doesn't make me feel good...

Does anyone...

2010-01-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ever just get lost out there in YouTube land? I'll sometimes click on something that someone else posted on Facebook, or sent me the link to... or I'll see that my favorite makeup guru has posted a new video... and then I end up clicking on a side video.... then another...

And, well, you get the idea.

Yesterday I stumbled on Failblog on YouTube... and could not stop watching the train wrecks. Like I've said before though... I'm pretty easily amused.

Terrifying.

Even funnier considering the lyrics...

And of course there's this one, LOL

Yeah, that's all I've got guys. LOL, I'm going to try and work on some more creative ideas to get my blog going again!

Speaking of which.... anyone have some ideas?? LOL, I'm clearly desperate!!

An Update, and Some Pictures

2010-01-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

Well I know I'm a little more than late on this one, but I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years Eve. Ours was very quiet, we just went out to dinner and came home.

Also, since it's been that long, I hope everyone also had a wonderful holiday! Our Christmas was... pretty good. Everyone was absolutely spoiled, as usual. It was fun, though this year felt a little... different to me. I don't know if it was from the stress of finals and not being able to shop early (though who am I kidding, I never shop early...), but I just felt like everything was so rushed this year, and though I know this is going to sound corny, I'm just going to say it.

Christmas lacked that *magic* this year for me.

I don't know if it's because I've just been feeling pretty down or if I'm just getting "old", I don't know. I will say though, that I will absolutely NOT procrastinate so much on my holiday shopping next year, especially since, as crazy as finals felt this year, they will surely be crazier when I am at an actual university, and not just community college.

Why am I having deja vu saying those words? Oh... that's right, I said the exact same thing in this very blog LAST YEAR. So we'll have to see if I link back to this very post next year, which will be truly sad.

Well, enough of the rambling... here are some pictures of our Christmas...

Christmas Eve at my Grandpa's...

Christmas morning at Mom's...

And then at Dad's...

How we all pretty much felt at the end of the day...

And here are a few New Years pics...

Just Popping in to Say...

2009-12-24T10:53:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!!

Enjoy your holiday!!

Twenty-Three...

2009-12-19T23:48:00.000-08:00

I just celebrated my birthday, and thought I would share some pics!

I actually spent most of the day Christmas shopping, because I was woefully behind due to finals (which are O-V-E-R!!!).

This year (like every year before it since I was old enough to shop for others) I have vowed to never put off my shopping until the last minute. I say this every year, but I know perfectly well that next year will be exactly the same, if not worse (since I will *hopefully* be attending a new school at a higher level).

Later that night I met up with family (my grandma & grandpa are also in town) & we went out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. Then we walked around a lit-up garden/nursery (which I blogged about here).

After dinner, we went and enjoyed a family favorite, the "strawberry jello cake". (A cake made by mixing jello pudding mix into the cake batter, yum yum). My mom puts a very delicious twist on it, and it has become a birthday staple in our family!

Santa, Baby...

2009-12-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today we went to a little holiday party that my mom has each year for the dog club that we belong to. We have a lot of fun taking our dogs to play and socialize, and have met some awesome people there.

AAAAnnnnd, if this particular Santa looks vaguely familiar...

It's because it's none other than my hubby in there!

The lady who was hosting the party asked Russ if he would dress up as Santa.... OMG, I was just dying over it. And since I'm a Harry Potter nerd myself, I have to comment that he looked a tad like a white-bearded Hagrid, don't you think?

Russ was such a good sport about it, it was a lot of fun.

Also a strange sight - my hair in a ponytail. I really don't like having my hair pulled back, but as finals approach and deadlines draw near (ONE....ESSAY...LEFT!) I find this happening much more often. I guess I'm turning into a true college student.

Elf Yourself!

2009-12-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

In which I again apologize...

2009-12-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

For being a terrible blogger.

Next week is finals, and I'll be pretty busy for the time being. Then I will have plenty of free time, YAY.... at least until next semester starts. I am hoping that next semester will be my last before I transfer, if all goes as planned.

To give a small update, I have simply been studying, doing homework, hunting rocks (for my Earth Science Lab project). That Earth Science Lab class is my most difficult class this semester... and it is worth ONE UNIT, yet it's required so the measly one unit must be suffered.

It also snowed here on Monday, which is a very very rare occurrence where I live. It does get quite cold here, but it doesn't usually snow. I think I've seen it snow here twice in my life now, and the first time I saw it snow it didn't even settle on the ground before melting.

Hope everyone is staying warm and dry in these early winter/technically late fall days!

Wonderfully Wordless

2009-11-29T12:27:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with family and/or friends... and remember the many things that we all need to be so very thankful for.

And of course, enjoy your turkey!!!

God Bless!

New Moon...

2009-11-23T08:18:00.000-08:00

We went to go see New Moon yesterday, and really enjoyed it! Like most people are saying, it is pretty apparent that this movie was made with a larger budget than the first movie, the effects were just amazing.

Also, obviously apparent was Taylor's (Jacob's) hard work getting in physical shape for the movie... WOW... just wow...I was pleased with the actors too... I can't believe I'm saying this... but I think even Kristen Stewart did a better job in this movie (at least compared with the first movie). Her odd screaming fits kinda weirded me out though... and even Russ asked me what she was doing... I think they were supposed to be nightmares? I don't know. That could have been left out, IMO.

Overall, we really enjoyed it! More humor in this one, and more going on. And the next one is only seven months away, crazy!

Apple Hill

2009-11-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

I think I have mentioned before that we love to go to Apple Hill in the fall. It's basically just a huge bunch of orchards (not just apples, though that's the main product there) on a beautiful... well... hill.

Apple products (cider, pies, apple donuts, apple butter, apple wine... etc etc...) are sold there. We scooped up some apple butter and our favorite apple donuts. It's also fun to go pick your own apples at some of the orchards too!

Here are a few pictures from our trip this year!

Above: home of one of the angriest German ladies I've ever encountered. Delicious food... though the secret ingredient is resentment... especially if you don't pay with cash.

Veterans Day...

2009-11-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

Just a quick entry to say Happy Veterans Day to all of those who have and are serving our country! Thank you for your service!

A special thanks to my sweetie, who served in Iraq for most of 2005! Thank you, love!!

Above: A great pic Russ sent me in Iraq

Above: A beautiful homecoming in 2005, unfortunately it's a really small pic :( but you get the idea

2009-11-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning, Russ received a phone call from his dad, letting us know that Russ' grandmother passed away the night before...

I was so very sad to hear this... I only had the opportunity to meet Russ' grandmother once (she lived in New York). I really enjoyed the time that we spent there, his entire family was welcoming, and his grandma was just as sweet as could be.

She was also Russ' only living grandmother, so my heart just aches for Russ. I know how hard it is to lose grandparents (both of my father's parents also passed away from cancer). I know the feelings of regret and sadness over not spending more time, or making more phone calls to our loved one that eventually passes.

So everyone, give someone you love an extra hug today, or give them a call to remind them how much you love them. No doubt, they most likely already know (as I'm sure Russ' Grandma certainly did), but who on earth doesn't love being told "I love you"?

Frustrated...

2009-11-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

*Warning, total rant ahead*

As I think I've mentioned before, Hubby and I currently rent our house. We decided to move to a house about a year and a half ago, back when I was still working and not in school. Clearly, we had quite a bit more money then.

Lately we've really been feeling the crunch at the the end of the month when our rent is due, and every month I regret that it's another month that we are paying someone else's mortgage rather than our own. Really, it's pretty ridiculous.

My husband is a veteran, and there is a home loan program that we hope to get approved for. Long story short, it would probably be a few hundred dollars cheaper a month for us to buy a little starter home.

To make matters worse, we lived here for about a year and a few months with a vacant house to our left, and an older couple to our right (who were as wonderful as could be). Now, we have two families on each side, which is wonderful, but these newer suburban houses are almost literally stacked on top of each other, and sometimes it's just loud.

And then the new neighbors that moved into the vacant house... well, frankly I don't know what's wrong with this guy. I think you guys probably know that I'm a bit of a nature lover, so you can imagine my heartbreak when he cut all the branches off of his lovely tree in the front yard (he was upset that it was dropping stuff on his car - insert eye roll). I was upset, but I knew the branches would grow back, and well, it isn't my front yard (though the tree is about a foot away from mine).

But one day when I woke up and came into my living room, I felt like something was missing from the room. When I realized what it was, I was so sad.

I mentioned before that our houses are VERY close together, well, we had this lovely vine covering our fence right outside our sliding glass doors (the only windows in the house with something pretty outside of it). The lovely vine, that flowered every so often and smelled so lovely, and provided some privacy from the house next door was gone. He had removed it, and now all I see when I look out the door is my fence, and through the fence, my neighbor's backyard, which means they can now see inside my house just as easily. Needless to say, my blinds are now shut.

Sorry for the long rant you guys (and I very well may delete this later). It has just been super frustrating and need to get it all out. Part of me knows I'm being completely ridiculous, but I guess I'm just ready for a *cheaper* place to call our own.

Wonderfully Wordless

2009-11-03T16:42:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloweenie!!

2009-10-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Happy Halloween to everyone!

Here are some pictures of our pumpkin carving... I'll update this later with pictures of them lit, but we don't have the right size candles right now.

Russ made a puking pumpkin... and mine is an owl :). Well... at least I tried to make an owl (using Martha Stewart's example). He looks a bit like a Furby though.

And here's a little video clip that I took the other night when we brought home the pumpkins. I think I've mentioned before that Delilah is pretty mellow and quiet (Thank God.) and she doesn't bark often....

But when she sees pumpkins, she just goes crazy. We think it's hilarious... but we're pretty easily amused ;)

Hello...

2009-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Hello there. Just a little update from me...

I have been super busy, again/still, with school. I don't know what it is about this semester, but just when I think I might have a second to breathe, there's more work piling up. Luckily, I am halfway through the semester.

Today I have my second to last midterm. I've had midterms for two weeks now, spaced out depending on the class... not sure if this is better due to more study time, or worse because it's prolonging the agony. Either way, today is my biggest and potentially most difficult, so really, I should be studying instead of blogging! ;) Oh well.

On a sad note, I still haven't gotten to do a single darn thing Halloween related. No Apple Hill pumpkin patch, no baked pumpkin seeds, and not a single scary movie. The hubby & I are planning on getting a couple pumpkins tonight, so hopefully this sad fact will change soon!

Hope all is well with everyone, and thank you everyone for all the nice comments I have gotten lately!! I love blogging and taking pictures, and it makes it that much better when I get sweet comments on it :)

Talk to you soon!

Wonderfully Wordless

2009-10-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Updated: Thanks to Amy for my creative new title!!

Obviously this one isn't wordless, but I hope to make this a regular occurrence, since you all know I love taking pictures, even though I still just have my point and shoot :P

Anyways, here are some random pictures from my week.

No explanations, titles, or notes, just pictures.

See you later, Alligator...

2009-10-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends is pursuing her dream to visit Russia, and is doing so through an English teaching position there. She will *only* be gone nine months... but I'm really going to miss her.

She is the one that you usually see in my photos on here, not only because she loves pictures as much as I do, but also because I spend a lot of time with her. I am really going to miss her, but wish her the best of luck and lots of fun on her adventure!!

Here are some pictures from her going away celebration on Saturday night!

Rainy Days...

2009-10-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Outside of school, it doesn't seem like I have much to update about my life lately.

We had a big storm on Tuesday, and since then, it's been grey and drizzling, with a few random breakthroughs from the sun before it hides behind the thick clouds again.

Along with loads of homework and studying for midterms, we've had some time to bundle up and snuggle safe inside our home while the rain trickles outside...

Yes... even Delilah has a little sweater. I always told myself I'd never be "that" person who puts her dog in cutesy little sweaters... but I guess things change, LOL.

It was just too darn cute, and felt so snuggly! Since Lilah was a puppy, she's always had an almost obsessive love of blankets and all things warm... it absolutely makes her day when I pull her blankets out of the dryer and let her lay under the still-hot-from-the dryer blankets (well really, who doesn't like that?)

I thought I'd try this little sweater on her to see if she liked it.

I still can't figure out whether she likes it or not. On one hand, she reacts the way most dogs do, she freezes up and doesn't move. Most likely because she is used to being blissfully naked, and doesn't yet realize that she can move the same way in a sweater.

On the other hand, she seems to enjoy the coziness, and soon looks like this...

Usually, she falls asleep within minutes of me putting her sweater on. She also gets excited if I lift the sweater up and ask her if she wants it, so I truly can't figure it out.

Well, I hope if it is rainy where you are, you too are warm and snuggly!

Sweet October...

2009-10-09T10:17:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned that I love Fall?

October has to be one of my favorite months of the year; the air smells crisp and sometimes smoky, cardigans and sweaters are brought out to breathe some fresh air, and who can forget the magical night of Halloween, and with it the abundance of horror movies on cable and in the theaters?

Here are some photos from the past couple of weeks in late September and the start of lovely, lovely October...

"Then summer fades and passes and October comes. We'll smell smoke then,
and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a
sense of sadness and departure."- Thomas Wolfe

Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

2009-10-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

This is a...
Mirror Post from Simply Femme!

"'Do you believe in ghosts, Miss Lea?' she had asked me. 'I am going to tell you a ghost story.'"

Just in time for Fall, and the spookiness of Halloween, a review of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

Suite 101 Review: Original found HERE.

This rich, multi-layered Gothic tale, in the tradition of Daphne DuMaurier and the Bronte sisters, grabs the reader from the first pages and doesn't let go.

"Do You Intend to Tell Me the Truth?"

The Thirteenth Tale is the story of Vida Winter, a best-selling British writer nearing the end of her life, and Margaret Lea, the youngish apprentice bookseller and part-time biographer, whom Ms. Winter has chosen to write her life story. The problem is that Ms. Winter has spent her life telling stories -- including 19 different ones about her background and childhood. Will she be able to tell the truth this time?

The Thirteenth Tale

The Thirteenth Tale is, of course, Ms. Winter's final tale. As it unfolds, the reader meets a troubled family, right out of the pages of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, and a crumbling Gothic mansion called Angelfield. There is a secret garden, confused identities, and tragedy, all in the Gothic tradition. But, although this novel pays homage to those great novels that came before, it stands well on its own. To add another layer, Margaret has ghosts of her own, ghosts that are awakened as she hears Ms. Winter's story.

My Review:

When bookish and quiet Margaret Lea receives a letter from one of world's most acclaimed authors asking for her to come and write her life's story (of which she has provided multiple variations of throughout the years), Margaret is instantly confused and apprehensive, and yet at the same time, absolutely captivated. Margaret then embarks on a journey during which she not only uncovers the ghosts of Vida Winter's past, but also brings to light the skeletons in her own closet.

The Thirteenth Tale is a novel that I have read before, and have turned to once again to fulfill a craving for all things eerie and "gothic" that frequently arises this time of year. Once again, this story did not disappoint.

The Thirteenth Tale is full of creepiness and disturbed beings, as well as lovable, yet dark and brooding characters. Time seems to be a mystery in this story, and I often found myself imagining that this book was set in a time period closer to that of books such as Bronte's Jane Eyre (which gets frequent and adoring mention in this novel). However, mentions of modern items and aspects also threw me off track. The result seems to make the novel even more romantic and simultaneously eerie.

I would absolutely recommend this novel if you like a good spooky, and somewhat twisted tale. I can imagine this book as being perfect to read in a comfortable chair in front of a dying fire, while sipping hot cocoa (Margaret's favorite) on a cool October or November night. Of course, that's just me being overly romantic, but that's just why I loved this book so much. :)

So if you have a craving for all things mysterious, spooky and Gothic around this time of year, I would suggest picking this one up.

"Tell me this, do you believe in ghosts?"

Yosemite Trip

2009-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share my photos from the weekend before last. Russ and I went on a trip to Yosemite National Park to celebrate our anniversary!

We just stayed at a little Cabin at a nearby KOA. It was much more affordable than a hotel, and it was just more fun, in my opinion.

I wanted to share these sooner, but I've actually been house-sitting (and dog-sitting, 4 dogs, ughhhh) the entire week... and just got home on Friday night...

Everything was nice but, it's GOOD to be home.

Here are some pictures!!

Our "Welcome Spider"

Spider next to a normal sized leaf, he was BIG

On our cute little porch swing

This was amazing, this water was coming up from the ground into that little pond, and down the waterfall... It's called "Fern Spring"

Bridal Veil falls, the only waterfall still running by the time we got to go :(

Eerie...

Clothespin Tree. The distance can be misleading in this picture, the space is actually large enough for a pickup truck to drive through...

In front of "The Grizzly"
Surviving Tunnel Tree (the other had collapsed awhile ago...). These were made quite awhile ago to draw visitors to these attractions.

Thought this one above looked like a giant creature's foot...

On the way to Glacier Point...

We finally worked up the courage to ask someone else to take our picture :)

Half dome from Glacier Point at sunset...

Before our trail ride...

Russ on "Kitty", myself on "Chance"

Kitty getting a drink from the creek.

One Hundredth Post - and a New Look!

2009-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yay! I've finally reached my 100th Post!

So which post could be more appropriate than this to debut my new look for Fall?

Well, my Blog's lovely new look, that is.

Isn't it great?! It was done by Stephanie at Dirt and Lace Designs, who is also a fellow Simply Femme author!

I have been away from home for the past week and a half, so I'm sorry for my absence from here, but mostly for my absence from reading your blogs and commenting!

I will be around to visit you all soon!

Last Call!!!

2009-09-29T21:03:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder,

The Giveaway at Simply Femme ends tomorrow, September 30th!!

There are some seriously awesome prizes so I really suggest that you go check it out!!

-K

I'd like you to meet....

2009-09-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

Simply Femme!

I know many of my readers on here are also readers at the former "Chic Chat" so many of you probably already know about our big change! If not, stop over by Simply Femme (even the domain is ours, can we say EXCITING!?!) and check out the new... well, everything!!!

Click the link above to check it out, or my little button on the side of my page!!

-K

New, New, and New!

2009-09-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

Good news (for me at least)! I finally got my replacement camera! I mentioned before that I actually had a warranty on my other camera, which was just awesome, since they just sent me a check for the full amount that I paid for my camera. So, I bought the same one (but a newer model) for the exact same price.

So far, I really like it, though I wish that I had never gotten the idea of having the Semi-pro camera into my head... as that's a no-go for awhile. :(

Here are some pictures of my favorite photo subject...

I can't complain, the camera takes good pics for a point and shoot... I'll get my Rebel someday :)

So, it's nice to have a camera again... Ariadna and I took a trip to San Francisco last Friday (on partial "business" this time, she had to apply for a visa as she is going to Russia soon...). We both felt naked to not have a camera, horrible, I know.

Saturday was also our anniversary... we had guests at our house, and had also made other plans, which I will share later, so Russ worked some overtime, and we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant that I had always wanted to go to in Old Sacramento, The Fire House. Price and lack of a reason to actually go has always kept us from going, but I looked in the Clipper magazine, and there was the restaurant, with a buy one-get-one-free entree. I was very surprised to see them in there, but delighted too!

I don't know about you guys, but we're a couple on a tight budget, and I will gladly use coupons any chance I get, even on my anniversary :)

Oh! And here are my lovely roses from my sweetie!

The 2nd "new" is that I will have a new look in here soon for fall! Absolutely love this layout, but think it's time for some fall in here, even if it is still in the lower 100's here. Yuck.

-K

This weekend...

2009-09-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend...
Has felt just like Fall. And to be honest, I couldn't be happier.

I love when the mornings are cool and crisp, and the day warms only slightly... and I especially love that we can finally have our windows open to let fresh air in, rather than running the air conditioner non-stop!

This Saturday was Russ' 27th birthday... he spent the day exactly the way he wanted, mostly on the couch and working a little on the yard...

Later that day, we went to Chili's, and then dessert and presents at my mom's house. My mom and I made a family favorite, a strawberry jello cake.

After making the cake with my mom for the first time, I have a new respect for how difficult that cake is to decorate!! The top layer of the cake is constantly sliding off of the bottom layer, we finally decided to stick something in there to hold it still while she frosted the top!! What a mess! Thankfully, the mess turned out really pretty, and of course, delicious.

So Happy Birthday to my sweetie!! It's been a lovely "fall-ish" weekend, and many more to come... personally, I'm ready for a trip to Apple Hill :)

-K

Book Review: Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife

2009-09-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

Duplicate Post from Chic Chat...

Amazon.com Review:
Just as A Mormon Mother is the standout memoir of a 19th-century polygamous woman's life, this autobiography offers the compelling voice of a contemporary plural wife's experiences. Daughter of a second wife, Spencer was raised strictly in the Principle as it was lived secretly and illegally by fringe communities of Mormon fundamentalists—groups that split off from the LDS Church when it abandoned polygamy more than a century ago.

In spite of her mother's warnings and the devotion of a boyfriend with monogamist intentions, Spencer followed her religious convictions—that living in polygamy was essential for eternal salvation—and became a second wife herself at the age of 16 in 1953.

It's hard to tell which is more devastating in this memoir: the strains of husband-sharing with—ultimately—nine other wives, or the unremitting poverty that came with maintaining so many households and 56 children. Spencer's writing is lively and full of engaging dialogue, and her life is nothing short of astonishing.

After 28 years of polygamous marriage, Spencer has lived the last 19 years in monogamy. Her story will be emotional and shocking, but many readers will resonate with the universal question the memoir raises: how to reconcile inherited religious beliefs when they grate against social norms and the deepest desires of the heart.

My Review:

According to Irene Spencer's biography, she is currently the mother of fourteen children (one was adopted, thirteen are her own children), the grandmother of 123, and the great-grandmother of 61. While these numbers alone are astonishing, her story of being a plural wife and enduring horrible poverty is just as equally incredible.

I found this book to be quite a page turner, and read through the 400 pages very quickly. Throughout the book, I had to keep reminding myself that the unbelievable story was an actual memoir, and not a storyline from "Big Love", or any other TV show.

While I enjoyed the book, I found it a little painful to read at times, because I have never been in Irene's shoes and felt an incredible pressure from a religion that was brainwashed into me from a very early age. Irene knows what her heart truly desires (to be a man's only beloved wife), yet she also believes she must follow her religious path, and become a goddess on her own planet in heaven. To achieve this goal, a polygamist must acquire at least seven wives (called a quorum), and have as many children as possible with these wives. Though he will ultimately be in charge of this world in heaven, his wives will receive the honor of being goddesses, rather than just angels.

Irene even gives up a man that she believes could have been her soul mate in order to become another man's second wife. I used the word "painful" above, because so often, I found myself thinking "Just get out of there!", yet she stays for twenty-eight years.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed reading this book, and found it incredibly interesting. I also enjoyed Irene's witty and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor, as well as her honesty in sharing her disappointing sexual relationship with her polygamous husband. I would definitely recommend this memoir!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?

Awesome Giveaway!

2009-09-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you all know about a killer giveaway that Bernadette is doing over at Chic Chat.

To check out the details CLICK HERE!!

The prizes are a.m.a.z.i.n.g (Sephora, Tiffany's, Vera Bradley, OH MY!) and I totally wish I could play along with you guys!!!

Go check it out!!!

-K

Back to School...

2009-09-02T08:36:00.001-07:00

Well, technically I've been back to school for a bit, but full time Fall Semester just started on Monday.

The campus is an absolute zoo right now, as the school is currently very overcrowded. I have to get to campus about an hour and a half before my first class in order to find parking, since it usually takes at least that long. The first day, I seriously thought I was going to cry with frustration, it was so ridiculous.

My math professor told us yesterday that there were something like 47 empty spots in classes in the entire campus, which is really, REALLY not a lot. This was also in the class where 25 people were hoping to snatch up the five spots and add the class. Unfortunately, I got lucky, and my name was drawn to add.

I only say unfortunately because, once again, it's a math class. :( :( :( I really am thankful that I was able to add the two classes I needed.

Unfortunately, Photography is not on my schedule... which I am very sad about. I still plan to take it next semester though, not only because I want to, but because I will need to take it in order to transfer.

Well, there is my little update, I hope to be in here more often especially since the summer is over, and I think we all know how summer somehow affects our blog updates!!

-K

For a little "LOL"

2009-08-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

If you want to laugh (well, at least it made me laugh)

Go look at Cake Wreck's post today.

I have not laughed 'til I cried in a very long time, but this seemed to do the trick.

-K

Book Review: The Lovely Bones

2009-08-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

I also just posted this at Chic Chat!

Listal.com Review:

On her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer--the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones, unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case.

As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. Susie's resembles the athletic fields and landscape of a suburban high school: a heaven of her "simplest dreams," where "there were no teachers.... We never had to go inside except for art class.... The boys did not pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue." The Lovely Bones works as an odd yet affecting coming-of-age story.

Susie struggles to accept her death while still clinging to the lost world of the living, following her family's dramas over the years like an episode of My So-Called Afterlife.Her family disintegrates in their grief: her father becomes determined to find her killer, her mother withdraws, her little brother Buckley attempts to make sense of the new hole in his family, and her younger sister Lindsey moves through the milestone events of her teenage and young adult years with Susie riding spiritual shotgun. Random acts and missed opportunities run throughout the book--Susie recalls her sole kiss with a boy on Earth as "like an accident--a beautiful gasoline rainbow."

Though sentimental at times, The Lovely Bones is a moving exploration of loss and mourning that ultimately puts its faith in the living and that is made even more powerful by a cast of convincing characters. Sebold orchestrates a big finish, and though things tend to wrap up a little too well for everyone in the end, one can only imagine (or hope) that heaven is indeed a place filled with such happy endings.

My review/thoughts (and some thoughts from Book Club's meeting):

This was probably my second or third time reading this book, and I was the member that nominated this book for our book club to read because of the movie coming out soon. I hadn't read this book in a few years, and also wanted to reread it, since I have a horrible memory that needed to be refreshed!

I remembered enjoying this book before, and once again, I did. I think that it is certainly a sad book, but at times can be quite bittersweet and moving. I think that for some the subject matter in the beginning of the book can certainly make it difficult to pick up, but the real story lies in what happens around Susie's death, and how it affects her family and friends, and even the little suburban neighborhood where she grew up.

I think that what our book club found most difficult to understand about the book was how the family dealt with (or rather, didn't deal with) Susie's death. I think that avoidance was a huge factor in this book; it is sadly a very realistic possibility that leaves an "open wound" in a family that won't address the tragedy, and therefore can never entirely heal, even with the remedy of time.

Well, I don't want to give away too much of the storyline, but I did want to say that I think that most of the women's book club really enjoyed this book, but to also provide caution that it can also be a very sad story, so I wouldn't consider this a light read to pick up!

I also wanted to share the trailer for the movie, which I believe comes out in December...

Tahoe/ Truckee Day Trip

2009-08-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

My friend Ariadna and I took a day trip to Tahoe and Truckee yesterday, just to get out and do something. I am done with Summer classes, and won't start Fall semester until the last week of August, so I have some time on my hands...

Here are some pictures from our little trip. My little camera is still working, though very painstakingly, and takes forever to focus, if it chooses to at all.

We mostly just walked around and looked at the pretty sights, it was a nice day :)

-K

A Question...

2009-08-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

So my mom called me last night, and told me that as an early birthday/Christmas present, she and my dad want to buy me a professional camera!!

As many of you may know, I really love taking pictures, but all I have is my little Canon point and shoot, which worked wonderful (aside from currently being broken) for what it is, but I just feel like I'm ready to take it to the next level.

When we were up near the Oregon border camping in the redwoods, my mom said that she thinks I really have an eye for taking pictures, and that she'd like to see me do more with it as a hobby.

I've also been wanting to take a class at the college, but it requires a camera beforehand, so that's why it's an early present (as class starts in two weeks) :)

So here's my question...

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good professional camera. I am almost positive that I will be getting the Canon Rebel... which a friend of mine has praised highly... but I don't know all the specifics. I am going to shoot her an e-mail and ask, but wanted to see if I could get any other opinions from anyone, since I will have this baby for a long long time!!

Thanks for any help you can provide for my techno-phobe self!!!

-K

Update from a Bad Blogger...

2009-08-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hello All...

Wow. I am truly a bad bad blogger lately. What is it about the summer that seems to always make this happen?

I just wanted to check in and say hi and that yes, I am still alive... I have actually been blogging at the *new and improved* Chic Chat more than here lately, so you can always go check that out! We have a Question of the Week over there, as well as regular posts :)

I can also blame my faulty camera for lack of posts lately... I love posting pictures on here, and my camera has been acting up. I noticed all during our trip to the redwoods that there was something wrong with the focus... and when the pictures were uploaded, some were very very blurry. I was really disappointed, but also very relieved to find that the camera is still under warranty.

I am guessing that we bought the extended warranty after my Kodak camera disaster.... or maybe Russ talked me into the extended warranty. I am not one to generally worry about what might happen to the brand new camera, and I am usually so cheap (...er, I mean frugal, yes, frugal!) that I hate to add another charge to an already somewhat expensive purchase (though the Canon was actually quite a reasonable price on Amazon). I'm really grateful for the twenty dollar charge now, of course.

See, now you guys are probably happy I haven't been blogging. What a rambler.

I hope everyone is having a lovely end of the summer!! I am thankful for the recent break in the heat, the days have been nice and warm, but not too hot. It's been nice!

I am now off to work on my speech for my communications class... and I will definitely be glad when this one is over...

-K

Busy Bee...

2009-07-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe not so much busy, just seems like I haven't had much to blog about. Every day has been fading into the next lately.

However, I can't say the same about this last weekend. It was a great one! On Friday, Russ and I went with my mom and step-dad to go see No Doubt and Paramore!!

Wow! What a show! I totally loved how No Doubt kept their styles (dress-wise and show-wise) authentic to how they were as a band.

I am going to try to upload a video on here via blogger... so it very well might not work... I just don't feel like hassling with Youtube right now... and to be honest... I don't think I remember my password right now! I'm terrible :(

Then on Saturday I met up with some friends for some mexican food and margaritas! I chose a pineapple one, and it was GOOD.

Sunday was spent at Lake Clementine again. Cheap, good entertainment. It is certainly beautiful there, and the water is pretty clear (A requirement for me to get in). Also, there's just sand and pebbles at the bottom, not all kinds of plants and mushy stuff.

Hope you all had a nice weekend too!!
-K

Grand Re-opening!

2009-07-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hello All! Sorry I have been MIA these past few days (oh dear... has it been weeks??). I blame the summer. I hope to have an update sometime this afternoon, but until then I have a special announcement to make!

Chic Chat has RE-OPENED!!

Click the button to go visit us, and check out the new question of the week feature! I personally love it!

P.S I was totally going to do the lyrics to Eminem's "Without Me"... "Guess who's back, back again? Chic Chat's back..." well, you get the idea.

But I restrained myself. So please visit :)

-K

Coldplay Concert

2009-07-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
Just a short blog as I am trying to finish up a school project. Ugh, I have seriously written over ten pages, and I need a little break.

Perhaps a reason for my procrastination was the awesome Coldplay concert that I got to go to last night! My mom had an extra ticket, and so I went along with her, my step dad and one of her friends.

When we got there, we also got free VIP seats from someone who had extra tickets. It was really pretty crazy, I'm sure they could have sold those tickets to someone else, but they just didn't want the hassle I suppose.

Anyways, the concert was amazing... I had never been to a "show" type of concert, mostly just rock and alternative concerts by smaller bands, so no performance type shows. The lights were amazing, the video on two huge screens was so neat... it was live, but the way it was shot made it look like a music video (the sound effects went with the song). And finally tons of tissue butterflies shot out of cannons and floated around the stadium. It was quite a show! Oh, and they also moved several times during the show so that everyone (even the very back row grass seats) got a front section view of the show. I thought that was pretty cool of them. I'm probably missing something, because they really had so much going on, it was great!

Here is the only picture I have, that my mom's friend took. I didn't even think to bring my camera, I was in a bit of a rush yesterday...

And finally, I was so excited when they played one of my favorite songs(not just by them, but favorite song in general), The Scientist, as an encore performance.

If you like Coldplay and ever get the chance to see them, it's a show well-worth seeing!
-K

Movie Weekend

2009-07-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hello All! My weekend was pretty laid back, not too much going on, just a nice chance to relax and for us, catch up on a couple of movies we wanted to see.

We went to the movies twice this weekend (which we do not normally do). We went once by ourselves and another time because my mom and step dad invited us to go see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with them.

Well, Transformers was good... but it was very long and had A LOT of action (which I tend to get bored during). There wasn't much humor in the storyline like the first movie, and another thing that really bothered me was this. Okay you guys, Megan Fox is seriously hot. We know this, we can see this no matter what she wears, so why did we need to show off the "hottness" so often... including a slow-motion run in a low cut tank top (Yes, I'm serious).

Like I said, I think she's hot, but it was all a bit much. That being said, I liked the movie fine, just not as much as the first one. Russ, of course, loved it.

The time that we went by ourselves, well actually with Ariadna and a guy she is seeing (don't know whether I am allowed to call him the boy friend or not yet), we went and saw Bruno.

It was very funny, but I still liked Borat more. The movie was totally hilarious, but more of in a shocking way... I know that Borat was too, but I think this was a little more for shock value than Borat. Also, I am amazed that they got by with an R rating... WOW. I don't want to know what the movie looked like before they changed things to make it an R rather than NC17.

Now the movie I am REALLY excited about?! HARRY POTTER is out this week! AHHH!!! SO EXCITED! Haha, yes, I am totally serious. I LOVE Harry Potter. Just had to get that out.

So that was our Friday and Saturday night... during the day on Saturday we went to the local swap meet/farmer's market to look around. I usually don't find anything there, but we did pick up a few things.

On Sunday we went to Lake Clementine, which I believe is close to Auburn. It was very pretty, and the water was super clear. I wanted so bad to swim, but I didn't bring anything to swim in (I actually don't even have a suit right now...)

I read on the shore while Russ swam like a fish for hours... and dared to swing off of a rope swing into the water, several times, and in the process, seems to have broken his right middle finger. Oh boy... he is going to the doctor today, though I'm not sure that they can do much for him, though it does (pardon me for the "grossness") appear that it needs to be re-set. It is a little crooked. Poor guy...

So that was my weekend, I did have a picture (just one) from Lake Clementine, but it is just of Russ, and his tongue was hanging out in the picture, so I won't post it ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!

-K

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

*Warning - Tons of pictures ahead*

Wow, this took me forever to upload these pictures! Blogger really needs to make a better way to upload large amounts of pictures...

Anyways, this past weekend Russ and I went camping with my mom and step dad up near Crescent City, CA. It is very close to the Oregon border, and it didn't even feel like we were in California! It was very cool, around 50-60 degrees all weekend, and it was pretty nice to "beat the heat" for a weekend.

During our trip we went to several places, including my step dad's grandparents' house, Fern Canyon, and walked through some old-growth redwood forest. Fern Canyon was absolutely surreal, it is just something that I can hardly describe or capture on camera.

Everything was just amazing, and it was a really nice trip! I don't want to write too much more, because there are a ton of pictures on here, and this entry will be long enough already.

Of course, please excuse my crazy hair in the pics, we were campin' :)

Mom and I at the campsite

Russ with some elk antlers that my step father's grandpa found in his field

My step father's grandparents' (I know, say that 10x fast), backyard. Incredible.

Russ with Babe the big blue ox

Me with Paul Bunyan... I love how they just had to have his shirt open and chest hair all over. LOL
Mom with Paul Bunyan's calculator

The walls of the canyon were covered with ferns...

Russ with Rob's (my step father) grandpa and other veterans for TAPS.

This was so random, rubber duckies being released and caught in the river

Entering an old growth redwood forest

A huge banana slug

Russ and what I think was called a "nurse tree" that was growing off of another tree

A flower made from driftwood

Returning Soon...

2009-07-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

I will try and catch up with reading blogs and hopefully posting my own blog this afternoon (& posting some pics)!

-K

Brittany's June Giveaway Entry!

2009-06-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I am doing this a little late, but I just finished up my final exam at school and have some time to spare, and wanted to do my entry for Brittany's June Chic Chat Giveaway!

Not only is it a great prize, it's a fun little entry to do too, so feel free to participate as well!

Here are Britt's rules:
Write an entry in your blog about the top 5 things you love about being a woman and the top 5 things you hate about being a woman. But you can't just give a list, you have to elaborate under each one and give your reasons for having it on the list.

Once again, the original entry can be found HERE.

Here goes!

What I Love:

1. Girly indulgences - I am a fan of all things girly. Makeup, beauty products, manicures, pedicures, you name it, I'll try it (except that whole fish pedicure thing ;) ). Luckily, these things that I love go hand in hand with being a girl!

2. Changing/enhancing appearance - I love that when going out at night, a woman can transform into an entirely different creature... from girl next door by day to a smokey-eyed siren at night. Oh, the magic of makeup and styling tools!

3. "Chick Flicks" - I know a lot of guys enjoy these too, but they always think they have to pretend like they don't. Even my darling husband will make a big fuss in front of other people about going to go see a "chick flick" when I know perfectly well that he liked Made of Honor as much as I did. Me, I don't have to pretend... I'm a chick... and that's what chicks watch ;)

Same goes to "chick shows" that men wish they could watch without excuses (Sex in the City, Gossip Girl... etc)

4. The female body - Really, it's quite incredible isn't it? Not just the form, which of course is beautiful, but the ability to create and carry another being, is just amazing.

5. Advancements for women - Once again, it's quite incredible how much rights and expectations for women have advanced so quickly (in most places, at least).

Also, women tend to vote more than men in the United States, we aren't taking advantage of our rights... we're using them!

Things I Dislike...

1. Stereotypes - I don't drive bad because I'm a woman, I'm not less intelligent than a man, etc. Stereotypes are so annoying. In fact, a few of these have to do with stereotypes, it seems...

2. Weight issues - Oh boy. My husband quit drinking soda, and lost ten pounds seemingly overnight. The season changes from spring to summer, he slims down from the increased heat... while still gorging on pizza, fast food for lunch, and meat n' potatoes. So. Not. Fair.

3. Body image - While this sort of goes with the above, I think it bothers many women that it is okay for men to be overweight, but not "okay" for women. I have heard many women say that they prefer a guy to have "a little weight on him" (including myself), but have yet to hear a man say the same thing...

I was watching the Sopranos last night (6th season, part 2, Tony is HUGE). You can literally hear Tony Soprano wheezing throughout the entire episode from being significantly overweight, but he's still scoring tons of attractive women. Obviously, this would not work if the genders were reversed, and it's incredibly annoying.

4. Monthly Visitor - Ladies, do I need to say more? Sometimes it seems my life revolves around inconvienences connected to this...

5. The glass ceiling - the glass ceiling is an invisible yet real barrier that prevents women from advancing in careers as quickly (and as high-up) as men.

Why is this? How in a world ran and sometimes ruined by men, do we still allow this barrier to still be in existence? It almost seems that facts like these totally cancel out my number 5 in the "Love" category... hopefully it will one day change.

So there's my entry! Let me know if any of you do it too!

-K

Time Traveler's Wife Trailer

2009-06-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I did a book review previously for The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and I just wanted to share that the movie trailer has recently been released! Enjoy!

-K

A Dad Weekend...

2009-06-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

Not only is today Father's Day, but my dad's birthday was also on Friday. It was his "Big One", he turned 50! We had a surprise party for him yesterday.

I didn't write about it beforehand because I was honestly worried that somehow he would stumble across this, even though I don't give my blog address out to family.

So, my dad knew that there was going to be a party at his house, but thought that it was going to be a quiet barbecue with some people from his girlfriend's family there.

My brother told my dad that his car wouldn't start, and when my dad walked out into the front yard heading to jump Kyle's car, there was a crowd of people also there to celebrate.

I honestly think he was very surprised, though I felt like he was being suspicious about things all day!

Here are some pictures from the party...

Walk up to the pool...

Dad with the cake(s)!!

Russ and I with my Grandpa and his wife, Bev (My mom's father)

Dad with some prunes, and some over-the-hill gag gifts. Not sure why the cane needed to be in that position, my dad may be 50, but has the humor of a teenage boy, LOL.

And here's something I thought about sharing before the party. I had to hold off though, as I mentioned before...

I made a little video of some pictures. It was actually quite a process, I even had them mailed in from family to put together this video.

I just thought I'd share some of my favorites...

My dad and his brother...

My dad and I...

My dad as a baby... I love that picture.

Hope you all had a great weekend and Father's Day!

OH! And I also wanted to mention that my friend Ariadna is blogging again. Head over to her blog if you'd like to read her recent dating stories... sure to be interesting, at times not PC, and very true. She has the strangest knack for attracting weirdness, I swear.

-K

Oh wow...

2009-06-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

I'm Blonde!

I went in to get my highlights touched up, and I think she added a few more, because I ended up very blonde! (And WHY Blogger, do you tell me that it's spelled Blond? I have never seen it spelled that way!)

I am still adjusting to it, but I think I like it :)

I always do this love/hate thing for a day or two after I get my hair done. I think it's kinda fun for summer though!

(Oh, and I will totally do my eyebrows lighter, I swear. Just went in darker and came out lighter, so they're a bit dark for the hair now)

-K

Tagged!

2009-06-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Ally at Today is my Birthday! to do this fun tag. It came just in time, too, because I don't have much to write about right now.

I left the rules for the tag at the very end...

What is your current obsession?
Hmm… I always have something that I seem to be obsessing over. I guess today it’s my hair, because it looks terrible and I’m getting it done tomorrow, yet not sure what I should do with it. This is a big ridiculous dilemma that I seem to go through every time it’s time to get my hair done again… and I’m sick of thinking about it.

Big sunglasses... (though these are a joke, I promise)

Other than that I’m really obsessed with bright nail polish right now. It’s just so FUN!

Oh, and Sims 3…which just came out a few weeks ago. Yeah. Pretty much obsessed. :(

What is your weirdest obsession?
My weirdest? Hm… Dachshunds (Wiener Dogs), Owls… I don’t know that those are weird though… Also obsessed with Sushi, Thai Food, and Pho (Vietnamese soup, YUM)… Once again, not that weird. Hmm, sorry you guys, not too much juicy stuff here!

Coffee or tea?
Tea. I never drink coffee, I guess I just haven’t acquired that taste for it yet. I do love tea though!

What’s for dinner?
Very good question. I have no idea, and maybe I should start thinking about it.

What 5 words best describe you?
Sarcastic, Easily-Amused, Worrywart, Friendly

I think the 2nd one counts as two words...

What was the last thing you bought?
My dad’s birthday gift, a shirt from Harley… I have a double whammy, his birthday and Father’s Day in the same weekend, Oy. Luckily Father’s Day gift was purchased awhile ago.

What are you listening to right now?
Cheesy soft rock on the radio in the living room. Currently playing: “You’ve got a friend”

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Probably Green Tea or Strawberry… usually have frozen yogurt though.

What do you think of the person(s) who tagged you?
She seriously has one of the funniest blogs I have ever read. I first found her blog via Andrea's lovely A Cat of Impossible Colour blog. I believe it was the entry about giving the dog a haircut and making a moustache. I was instantly hooked, she is very witty and writes hilarious Haiku as well!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
For just an hour? Hm, I guess to a place in Switzerland that I went to once after I graduated from high school, I think it was called Lucerne. I could just sit for the entire hour and look at the beautiful scenery around me.

Which language do you want to learn?
I would love to be able to learn Japanese… but I took years of Spanish in school and guess that when I have to take language again I will continue with that.

What is your favorite colour?
Purple and Teal

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
I am replacing this question, since I hate just about everything in my closet right now.

The new question is…

If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would it be?
Since an hour simply isn’t long enough to spend anywhere, I would love to take a vacation to Thailand. There are many other places I would love to go (Japan, Italy, Switzerland), but I think Thailand is topping the list right now…

What is your dream job?
Hmm… Well right now I feel like my dream job is to be an elementary school teacher. I hope I still feel the same when I am in the classroom.

What is your favourite body part? Of your own.
My eyes, I guess. Or the eyelashes, since they are quite long, and I like that.

What is your worst habit?
Where to start? Haha, kidding (kinda). Well, I bite my nails, pick off the nail polish (and usually don’t even notice that I’m doing either), I watch too much tv & play on the computer much too much, and always longer than I plan…

What's your party trick?
I can wiggle my ears… does that count? No? Well too bad, I’ve got nothing else :(

Do you admire any one’s style?
I admire a lot of people’s style, and not always the same “type” of style either. I really love feminine and vintage looks especially though.

Describe your personal style?
Non-Existent.

What are you going to do after this?
As I was filling this out, my mom called, and said that she passed this huge test that she took for work. Huge as in she's been studying for it for over a year, and the test itself was over four hours. I think we will be celebrating with her tonight :)

What are your favourite movies?
I like a lot of movies… I really love Harry Potter. I do. I don’t care if I’m twenty two, I will always love these books and movies.

Some other movies off the top of my head: The Hangover (just saw it, hilarious), Amelie, Gone with the Wind, Coraline, Classic Disney Movies.

What is your favorite fruit?
Strawberries…Pineapple…Mango…Blackberries. I don’t think there’s a fruit I don’t like actually…

What inspires you?
Other people inspire me… books I read… I find the Dalai Lama very inspiring as well.

Your favorite book?
Oh boy. So many… I will just say a few authors… Wally Lamb, Amy Tan, J.K Rowling. As for single books, I loved The Alchemist and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The Time Traveler’s Wife. So many more… must move on though.

Do you collect something?
Books, sometimes random things, nothing in particular really. Clutter. I collect clutter basically.

What is your favorite smell?
Fresh just-picked strawberries at the stands by the road. Pine leaves and wet dirt. Oak trees and dust. My dog. (I don’t care if that’s weird, it’s true. She isn’t a stinky dog, anyways, maybe because she is small & indoors a lot.)

What are you most proud of?
Lately… just getting my butt back in school I guess.

How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up?
At least twice. Usually close to five times, which is why I have a backup alarm as well. If I know there is something urgent that I MUST get up for on time, I usually get up right away.

Cats or dogs?
I would say dogs. They are just so lovable and playful. I do love cats too, just not as much as dogs.

What’s your biggest fashion mistake?
Geez… I don’t even know, there have probably been many. I definitely know that in high school my friends and I overdid the glitter and rhinestones so much that I cringe at the thought of it…

Complete the following: Love is...
Hard to describe.

I think Love is loving someone else more than (or maybe it is simply as much as) you love yourself.

What's the best life lesson you've learnt?
I think Ally’s answer was perfect.

Kindness is so incredibly important. Treat other people the way you would like to be treated. The world would be such a better place if everyone could do just that…

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." - Dalai Lama

If you could be a fly on the wall in any person's living room, who would it be?
Hm.. well maybe not in a living room, but in whatever meeting room the writers of “Lost” gather in. I’m curious if they just have a dartboard full of possible events on the show and just take turns throwing darts at it and writing it into the script… or is there some logic going on and everything will be explained in the last season?

So here are the rules for the Tag…

1. Fill out questions with your own response and replace one question that you don’t like with a question that you made up.
2. Tag four people

I’m not going to tag anyone in particular because I have already seen a lot of you do this… if you haven’t please do it, and let me know if you did!

-K

Book Review: Good in Bed

2009-06-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

So I don't usually pick up Chic Lit, but this was an option at a book exchange that the book club had at Christmas. I had read Jennifer Weiner's book In Her Shoes and liked it, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Review from Amazon.com
It is tempting at first but unwise to assume Candace Shapiro is yet another Bridget Jones. Feisty, funny and less self-hating than her predecessor, Cannie is a 28-year-old Philadelphia Examiner reporter preoccupied with her weight and men, but able to see the humor in even the most unpleasant of life's broadsides.

Even she is floored, however, when she reads "Good in Bed," a new women's magazine column penned by her ex-boyfriend, pothead grad student Bruce Guberman. Three months earlier, Cannie suggested they take a break apparently, Bruce thought they were through and set about making such proclamations as, "Loving a larger woman is an act of courage in our world." Devastated by this public humiliation, Cannie takes comfort in tequila and her beloved dog, Nifkin. Bruce has let her down like another man in her life: Cannie's sadistic, plastic surgeon father emotionally abused her as a young girl, and eventually abandoned his wife and family, leaving no forwarding address. Cannie's siblings suffer, especially the youngest, Lucy, who has tried everything from phone sex to striptease. Their tough-as-nails mother managed to find love again with a woman, Tanya, the gravel-voiced owner of a two-ton loom.

Somehow, Cannie stays strong for family and friends, joining a weight-loss group, selling her screenplay and gaining the maturity to ask for help when she faces something bigger than her fears. Weiner's witty, original, fast-moving debut features a lovable heroine, a solid cast, snappy dialogue and a poignant take on life's priorities. This is a must-read for any woman who struggles with body image, or for anyone who cares about someone who does.

My Review:

I think this book was typical Chic Lit, which to me means generally enjoyable and also a light and "feel-good" read. The book was funny at times, easy to read and relate to, yet at the same time delightfully unrealistic in places.

I don't have much to say about this book, since I think it was described pretty well in the Amazon.com description. I will at least mention; however, that I did like Weiner's other book In Her Shoes better.

Overall, I think this is a great read if you are looking for something light, fast-moving, and a happy ending. Great vacation or beach read!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?

-K

Book Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-06-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This book was another one that I nominated for the book club that I belong to... I had read it before and wanted to share it!

I found some wonderful summaries of this book, but they were really long, and I don't want anyone to get bored with this post. Here is a good short one from About.com. The original can be found HERE.

About.com Review:

If you read the back of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger you may wonder whether it is science fiction or romance. It is neither. This is not your average time travel fantasy involving a machine and scientists eagerly trying to break the space-time continuum. In fact, Henry DeTamble wishes he did not travel through time. He does so involuntarily, and when he does, he wakes up in another place and time, naked, nauseous and ravenously hungry. Henry's time travel drives the story, but is not really what the story is about.

The Time Traveler's Wife is about love. It is not, however, a romance novel, or anything close to it. The novel pushes on philosophical questions of meaning and purpose. It is built around connections and longings. At the center, there is love, but there is also a lot of real life description--family tensions, punk rock shows, jobs, friendships. Niffenegger describes the world so realistically that you will find yourself believing that some people are actually plagued with involuntary time travel. If you are like me, you'll also wish Henry and Clare were your friends.

One of the best things about The Time Traveler's Wife is the way it is told from two perspectives. It also does not follow linear time. The structure mimics the lives of the main characters. In doing so, it enhances the empathy you feel for them.

I highly recommend The Time Traveler's Wife for anyone who wants a compelling read that will give you much to think about and feel.

My Review:

As I mentioned before, I had read this book a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. It had been awhile since I read it, and since the movie is supposed to be out later on this year, I thought I'd nominate it for our book club to read (we like to go see movies together too!).

I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first time I read it. It has a very unique and interesting story-line, as well as a wonderful love story. I know that from the title and description this may sound like a sci-fi book, but I hardly think it could completely fall under that classification, so don't let that scare anyone off!

While one of the main characters (Henry), is a time-traveller, the story doesn't revolve around the science or details of his time travelling. Rather than focus on this (which could turn this into a Sci-Fi genre), the story focuses on the relationship between Henry and Clare, and their most uncommon and NON-sappy/mushy/cliche love story (if that makes any sense). While Henry is involuntarily time travelling, Clare must patiently wait for him, sometimes for years at a time.

I don't want to go too much further into the plot, since it is summarized pretty well above without giving any "spoilers".

Bottom Line: I would definitely recommend this book. I do want to say that the book club had mixed feelings on the book, mostly due to the sometimes confusing issue of the time travelling, and where he is, and how old he is (and as a result, how old Clare is). This is something that I had to overlook (and NOT over-think)... I think in the end it all makes absolute sense and was a beautiful love story. Although some of the other readers were confused about the time-travelling issue, they did say that they liked the love story aspect of the book.

As I mentioned before, the movie comes out later this year (IMDB currently says August, but still no trailer for the movie). Since there isn't currently a trailer, here are some pictures from the movie that were on IMDB. The leads will be played by Eric Bana (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Hulk, etc) and Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Mean Girls). I'm really excited about the casting choices!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?

-K

Blue.

2009-06-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

(Which is a very strange word, when it's just written by itself)

So I'm feeling a little down in the dumps about something... sad, blue. So I really don't have much to write about (not going to write about it today...maybe not at all on here, I don't know...), but just thought I'd check in.

I had a test that I was super nervous about today, because the class I am taking isn't really what I thought would be my forte, so to speak. It's a politics class, and while I obviously feel very strongly about certain social issues, I have to admit, a lot of the rest was all Greek to me. So, this class was highly encouraged by my counselor (didn't know if you all knew, but I'm going to school to become an elementary school teacher). I think it's ended up being a great choice, because I really feel like I am learning about something that is worth knowing. It's nice to read things and hear people talk about current things with our economy that I can actually understand much better now... well... at least getting there...

Haha, just had to throw this in there :) I love someecards

But as much as I was worried about this class and this test... I've found myself actually learning the information (rather than memorizing, which really never does any good in the long run) and I think the test may have not been a total disaster, I will have to let you guys know. Probably shouldn't write this or I'll jinx it or something.

So yeah, that's all that's been new in my world lately... Russ and I are still hoping to plan a camping trip to the park that I mentioned in my last entry, so that should be nice! Hopefully other things will be looking up soon!

-K

Lazy Sunday...

2009-05-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello!
So my weekend has been quite uneventful really. Russ worked on Saturday, and I worked on a paper for my Political Science class.

It was a paper on the possibility of California's state parks possibly being closed for a bit due to our state's huge budget problems... it is so sad to me. I have such amazing memories especially of one of the parks (Big Basin Redwoods) in particular. We spent many camping trips there when I was younger, and I just loved it there...

To think of losing this beauty (though they say it will only be for a few years) really saddens me...

No idea who these people are, but aren't these trees just amazing? They really are THAT BIG. My brother and I used to love going inside the trees and exploring...

We have been planning a trip back to Big Basin this summer, and by the looks of it, we better make that soon, before we lose the opportunity.

If you are a Californian (or even if you aren't!!!) and would hate to see many of our amazing parks such as Big Basin Redwoods be closed (no matter how long they say it will be for), please check out this site to sign a petition... this was turned down last year and hopefully it will be again.

On another note, Russ and I rented Doubt from our beloved local Redbox (which reminds me, I need to drive over there and take it back when I'm done with this entry). I enjoyed the movie... I think it was very interesting, and I like that not everything is entirely answered, and leaves the viewer to make their own judgement on what really happened...

Don't want to say too much more, I'm a firm believer in not giving things away and ruining the movie for others! As you probably know it had many nominations this year, and had an incredible cast. If you are in the mood for a serious movie (and maybe even a little dark), then I would check this one out...

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!! I'm off to hopefully return my Redbox rental and watch the MTV Movie Awards :)

-K

My weekend (so far) in pictures

2009-05-24T17:06:00.001-07:00

On Friday I drove to Davis to go see my friend, Andrea. Andrea is my "travelling friend", and is graduating this semester, and then off to travel again. I will miss her very much, but I know it is what she loves to do, so I'm happy for her and glad I got to see her!

I didn't take any pictures this time... we were too busy catching up. I really wish I would have though, and some pictures of Davis. I love Davis, it's such a neat college town.

I will probably take pictures next time I go to see her, because I plan on seeing her at least once more before she leaves for 2 YEARS :(

On Friday night we went to go see Star Trek. I had never watched any of the shows, or other movies (didn't even know there were any). I used to say that "this wasn't my type of thing" but I've found lately that if I just give things a chance to "be my thing" I usually end up liking it.

The movie was great! From what I've seen in other pictures, they did a great job with the casting. Russ said the same thing, and he has seen many of the shows and other movies. He kept trying to explain to me who everyone was throughout the movie, even though it was a prequel and I was understanding everything just fine. :P LOL

It was also directed by J.J Abrams, the creator of my FAVORITE show Lost!

Not much happened on Saturday... we just hung out and relaxed... I can't remember anything of interest from Saturday.

On Sunday, we met up with my Grandpa and his wife for his birthday celebration. We went to this totally adorable restaurant that was set in the middle of a plant nursery. There was so much to look at, and the restaurant looked a bit like a green house, so you could look out when you are eating. The food was yummy too! I would love to go back for a special occasion at night, when they have the trees all lit up and tables lit by candle light!

Some pictures I took there...

Actually, the one above was taken at my Mom's LOL.

My mom with some weird crocodile/alligator statue :)

Russ and a huge wind chime!

Yesterday was just a really fun day... Russ has been in an awesome mood because he finally has had a little time off to rest and not be working all weekend. We just had a great and beautiful day yesterday :)

Today we will be going to a bbq at my mom's house, which is always fun!!

-K

New Look!

2009-05-21T22:57:00.000-07:00

OMG! I have an all new layout in here, doesn't it look amazing?!

Thank you so much to the amazing Brandi at Bwise Templates for my awesome new look... I LOVE IT!!

Now to enter all my pesky "widgets" again! Grrr to Blogger... but this new layout... SO worth re-entering them!!

Thank you again Brandi, the layout is very "me" and very "Sunny Side Up", it's just perfect :)

-K

Just Checking In...

2009-05-18T16:08:00.001-07:00

Hello All, just wanted to check in after the weekend. Hope everyone had a nice one! It was blistering hot here, around 103 degrees this weekend. It's cooled off a little since, thank God!

Russ and I went to a restaurant for happy hour with Ariadna on Friday night. One of my favorite restaurants around here is normally a pretty pricey restaurant (though very good, always places in Best of Sacramento and Sacramento's A-List)... so it's nice for special occasions, but we definitely cannot afford it very often. However, they recently made a Happy Hour (or hours rather, since it is twice a day, and extended hours on Friday nights).

If you come during Happy Hour and sit in their bar area (which is actually very nice, as is the entire restaurant) it is five dollars for any meal/appetizer on their Happy Hour menu! Five bucks! It simply can't be beat, unless you eat at home (which we have been doing quite well at lately). It is GOOD food, I had a miniature pizza which was basically like a bruschetta, but on flat bread. Yum! Russ and Ariadna had a steak salad, which is always delicious.
After dinner, we went out and made s'mores, which they have been doing on Friday nights lately.

Ariadna, making the chocolate "disappear"

Russ tried to explain to her that we can't see the chocolate in her mouth when you take the picture, hence the expression here.

On Saturday morning, I met with the book club that I belong to for our "anniversary breakfast". That was really fun, and it was nice to see them again. It's crazy that I've known most of them for a year now! I'm glad that I have class during the day now, so that I can start going to book meetings again.

Saturday evening I took some manicotti that I made over to my Mom's house, and we had dinner there, and headed to Big Spoon for dessert afterwards.

And Sunday... not much there either. Russ caught up on some much needed sleep... he has been working a lot lately, Summer is a busy time for him at work. Later I went on a quest to find a planner... which was surprisingly difficult. I thought for sure stores would have tons of them (though apparently I'm looking for one at an awkward time). Everyone had adorable journals... but planners? Not so much. I finally settled for one at Border's (mostly because I had a gift card for the store anyways...).

Finally, today I started my first Summer class... and this time was right on time for it :)

I'm sorry, I know this has probably been an incredibly boring post...

I will update again when I have something more interesting to blog about :)

-K

Dog Park Fun

2009-05-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

My mom called me around 5:00pm yesterday to let me know that Shirley (a friend of the family) called and was heading to the dog park with her dogs Tanky and Miley. My mom said that she was going to go too, and wanted to know if we (Delilah and I) wanted to meet her there. Of course, Delilah is always ready for some dog park fun, so we left and headed for the dog park!

Here are some pictures of our time at the dog park... the blonde (by the way is blonde spelled without an e at the end? I was always under the impression that it had an e, but blogger spellcheck doesn't quite think so...) dachshund that looks kind of like Delilah is her sister, Miley :)

Aaaaand... here's a pink and purple dog that we saw. LOL.

I don't think I'll be doing Lilah's fur like that anytime soon (rolls eyes).

After the dog park we went on a bike ride at the place that I mentioned before in here... it was absolutely beautiful, as always.

I rode 5.5 miles yesterday, and want to try and ride 25 miles by the end of the month. Now I was afraid to say that in here because 1.) It's really not that much and 2.) You're all going to know if I don't even ride that little bit!

But that's sort of the point... I need to say something and stick with it!!

-K

Some Pics from Mother's Day...

2009-05-12T17:14:00.001-07:00

Well, I like to do a blog after the weekend generally to share my pictures from my weekend. This last Sunday was, of course, Mother's Day so I will share those pictures :)

We drove up to Grass Valley/Nevada City to meet with some other family members for a late lunch. After that we headed to their lovely home in Nevada City and just sat around enjoying the nice day and talking.

A bunch of Calla Lilies (Mom's favorite) for my mom from Russ. I also got her a couple of night gowns that she wanted.

My Grandma and I

I am in the center kneeling, along with my mom and brother :)

I love big trees!!

It was a nice weekend, and most importantly, I think my mom had a good one too :)

Hope all my mommy friends had a great one as well!

-K

P.S - was totally about to use my picture of the "K" in the sand again... but don't want to ruin my entire formatting on the blog again. Blogger really needs to fix that little issue.

Um, eager much?

2009-05-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

So this is pretty embarrassing...

I just went to the college with all of my stuff all ready to start my first summer class. So I found the classroom and was sitting outside it for a few minutes.

I kept checking the time and wondering why even the professor hadn't shown up to the classroom yet... I mean I was only ten minutes early, they should be there... right?

Time went by and I looked at the clock again, still not believing that nobody else would be there yet. I checked my schedule again... yes, right classroom.

But then looked at the date on the paper. Class begins May 18th. But Mother's Day was the 10th which means... today's only the... 11th?

Haha... yeah.

Book Review: Water for Elephants

2009-05-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Review from Amazon.com

Jacob Jankowski says: "I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." At the beginning of Water for Elephants, he is living out his days in a nursing home, hating every second of it. His life wasn't always like this, however, because Jacob ran away and joined the circus when he was twenty-one. It wasn't a romantic, carefree decision, to be sure. His parents were killed in an auto accident one week before he was to sit for his veterinary medicine exams at Cornell. He buried his parents, learned that they left him nothing because they had mortgaged everything to pay his tuition, returned to school, went to the exams, and didn't write a single word. He walked out without completing the test and wound up on a circus train. The circus he joins, in Depression-era America, is second-rate at best. With Ringling Brothers as the standard, Benzini Brothers is far down the scale and pale by comparison.

Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob's life with this circus. Sara Gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Jacob, once it becomes known that he has veterinary skills, is put in charge of the "menagerie" and all its ills. Uncle Al, the circus impresario, is a self-serving, venal creep who slaps people around because he can. August, the animal trainer, is a certified paranoid schizophrenic whose occasional flights into madness and brutality often have Jacob as their object. Jacob is the only person in the book who has a handle on a moral compass and as his reward he spends most of the novel beaten, broken, concussed, bleeding, swollen and hungover. He is the self-appointed Protector of the Downtrodden, and... he falls in love with Marlena, crazy August's wife. Not his best idea.

The most interesting aspect of the book is all the circus lore that Gruen has so carefully researched. She has all the right vocabulary: grifters, roustabouts, workers, cooch tent, rubes, First of May, what the band plays when there's trouble, Jamaican ginger paralysis, life on a circus train, set-up and take-down, being run out of town by the "revenooers" or the cops, and losing all your hooch. There is one glorious passage about Marlena and Rosie, the bull elephant, that truly evokes the magic a circus can create. It is easy to see Marlena's and Rosie's pink sequins under the Big Top and to imagine their perfect choreography as they perform unbelievable stunts. The crowd loves it--and so will the reader. The ending is absolutely ludicrous and really quite lovely.

My Review:

Everything that I could say about this book has basically been said in the review above, which I think was quite well done. I did really enjoy this book, although parts of it actually really turned my stomach. There were also some very funny parts though, and a very interesting and page-turning storyline. I also enjoyed reading the back section of this book on how Sara Gruen gathered her inspiration to write this book.

So I would say that I would definitely recommend this book, I think it was well-written and fast-moving. Sara Gruen did some great research before writing this book, and I think that a lot of it is quite factual and even more interesting because parts of it are based on true stories!

As always, let me know if you have read this book, and what you thought about it, or if you decide to pick it up and read it!

One more thing...

Has anyone here read the the book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand? Geez, I am trying to get into this thing. It was chosen by my book club as our "Big One" (it is a little over a thousand pages, and quite literally in about size 7 font). I am having quite a problem getting into the book and was hoping if someone could tell me if it gets more fast-paced.

Take me to the river...

2009-05-07T22:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Ariadna and I went to the river (Yuba River). We had planned to go for awhile but the weather had been so yucky and our schedules always conflicted. Finally, I had a week off from school, and she had a day off from work, and we took off and tried to find a swimming hole that I used to go to with my mom when I was younger.

Unfortunately, my mom told me later that she thinks we went to the wrong covered bridge (surprisingly quite a few out here). We went to the Bridgeport bridge, which I believe is one of the longest covered bridges in the states. It doesn't look very long in my pictures, but it is actually quite long.

It was funny, I kept saying to Ariadna, "You know, I just don't remember it being quite this LONG...." Sure enough I was right, but I am still glad I got to see this one too!

Anywho, it was still a great trip and totally beautiful out there... there was a point when we were going up some VERY curvy roads uphill and I looked over the edge... it was scary but so amazingly beautiful!!!

And, as always, Ariadna and I had quite the adventure getting there. We stopped to grab something to take with us to eat, and I'm guessing the owner of the restaurant didn't appreciate some "non-locals" coming into their little place. I'm not sure if we had "city-folk" written all over us but it was strange...

We admired the small-town grocery store and wished a little that we were from a town like that, rather than a town of huge grocery stores, Wal Mart, and chain restaurants. A town where you not only know your neighbors, but you know their family. I don't even know my neighbors on a first-name basis.

Then, somehow we missed the bridge (I was looking out the wrong side of the window, and Ariadna said she saw it but didn't know "that was it" LOL, I think I asked her how many long covered bridges she saw on the way ;) )

And of course, Ariadna almost hit a poor squirrel (Ariadna + Driving = A little scary) who dashed out like mad into the curvy road. I think he heard our blood-curdling screams when we saw him and hopefully ran back into the bushes. We didn't see any squirrel bits on the way back, so I was relieved :)

So that was our trip there, and here are some pictures of our little journey!

This Sunday I think we are going to the *other* bridge with my family for Mother's Day, so I will have to take pictures of our picnic out there.

Cinco De Mayo

2009-05-07T11:08:00.001-07:00

Okay, so Cinco de Mayo was two days ago, but I just thought I'd post a few pics since I was gone most of the day yesterday...
Cinco de Mayo is also one of my best friend's (Ariadna's) birthday... so we went to a celebration in Sacramento called "Bloc Party".

Unfortunately we should have gone a little earlier, because when we got there it was the tail end of everything. Even the band was wrapping up, the mechanical bulls were gone (not that I was going to ride them anyways!), and pretty much everything advertised on the tickets were gone as well.

(We had to tease Ariadna about dancing with Kevin Federline/AJ Littrell)

-K

I'm Back :)

2009-05-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

So I just wanted to pop in and say hello after my recent absence.

My first semester officially wrapped up last week, and while I was happy to be done with some of the monster papers in those classes... I was a little sad to be done at the same time. I met a lot of nice people, and will probably keep in touch with a few, but we all know how that really goes when you leave a class...

I don't have much to write about in here, but I think I will try and do a book review later on today for the book that I just finished called Water for Elephants.

But yeah, nothing much new with me, my grandparents are in town, so we've been spending a lot of time with family the past few days, which is always nice :)

I also got out of class a little early last Thursday night and finally got a chance to go to one of Russ' softball games. It was really fun! Not to mention he looked pretty darn cute out there ;)

Well, not much else to say, I will update when there is! :)
-K