Watching The Blue Planet

I haven't been sleeping good lately. And I'm pretty sure that is a huge understatement. That being said, I am insanely tired. Very much like a zombie. Being sick really through off my sleep schedule apparently. Usually I would be taking a nap right about now, but I really want to sleep tonight, so instead I am watching the BBC series The Blue Planet. I love stuff like this. The world is amazing. It's crazy how much we don't know about it.

I finished The Man Who Loved Books Too Much. It was excellent. I was totally sucked in to the story. This is probably the shortest review I have ever done. Sorry...zombie today :)
Rating: 10/10

I also finished Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom. I loved it. Short and to the point and happy things. There is no reason for someone to dislike it. I consider myself an atheist and I thought the religious nature of the book was very nice. I am now planning on reading all of Albom's books. I like his writing.
Rating: 10/10

Currently I am reading Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut. Kind of a change of pace. I have read a few things by Vonnegut and I enjoy them. Always humorous and unique. I have no clue what this one is about so far. Other than what Kurt wrote in the intro. I am only 4% into it.

Please join and participate with Love Bomb:

www.DropALoveBomb.com

It is a wonderful idea to brighten up peoples day when things are going rough. It is easy and only takes a couple minutes/week to make someones day. Really, I can't imagine why people wouldn't do this. No excuses!

Have a good day everyone.
If you live in Minnesota, drive safe! Lots of snow today and ice tomorrow. Yikes!

Being Sick

This has been an insane week. I am super sick. It is a huge pain in the ass. I have had to miss a couple days of work, which is no good and makes me sad. I do not like to call in sick! I also have a ton to do to get ready for college. Including financial aid stuff that is confusing. I guess looking at this all written down, it doesn't look very insane. It just feels that way. Probably because I am seeing through sick colored glasses.

Reading on my Kindle has been awesome so far. Literally no complaints. I definitely prefer it to the Nook, which is a nice bonus, because I only changed e-readers due to customer service issues. I didn't think that the devices would be that different, but they are. Here are some of the biggest differences as far as I'm concerned:

• The Kindle is a lot more basic. You don't customize things as much and it doesn't have games.
• 
  The Kindle is much, much smaller. Very nice for reading one handed.
• It also has WAY nicer buttons for turning pages if you like to read one handed.
• Speaking of buttons, I prefer Kindles buttons to the Nook touch screen that works only half the time.
• Navigation on Kindle is a lot more simple.
• On the Kindle, fonts are way more customizable. You can change every little thing about them.
• Kindle shows percentage read as opposed to pages read on the Nook. This makes more sense because on e-readers, sometimes one page is actually four page clicks.

There are a lot more differences, but unless you have an e-reader, you could probably care less, so I won't go on and on :)

I finished the Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson. I liked it a lot, didn't love it. It was a little bit slow getting into and I preferred the flashback parts to the present. This novel held my attention and it was a lot of fun. I was surprised how much sexual stuff the movie left out. Pedophilia, midget sex, more pedophilia... you get the point. It had a great ending. This book did not disappoint!

Rating: 7/10

Last night, while in a Nyquil haze, I started reading The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett. I am 25% into it and am loving it. This may be due to the fact that I too am obsessed with books and can somewhat relate to the book thief. I don't know if this was meant to be a book you relate to, but for me it is. Since getting my Nook, and now my Kindle, my obsession with owning physical copies of books has dissipated, but it used to be somewhat out of control. It still kind of is even with an e-reader. Books are my passion. That is basically what this book is about. It is a true crime story, so it also fits into my year goal of reading more nonfiction. Go me!

It seems like everyone is sick right now, so get better!!! Hopefully these flu bugs and colds will go away very soon.

Here are some quotes:

"How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being."- Oscar Wilde

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."- Albert Camus

"If you want to be happy, be."- Leo Tolstoy

The Incredible Shrinking Man

I just finished Catcher, Caught. I thought it was pretty good, but could have been better if it had nothing to do with Catcher in the Rye. That was sort of pointless. I read a couple reviews people wrote about how irresponsible Daniel's parents were and how that would never happen. To that I say, it just happened in Minnesota not too long ago. I don't know all the details, but a family did not want their kid to have chemo and they went ran away. I think they caught them and he ended up getting the chemo. My guess is the author saw that news story and ran with it.
Rating: 5/10

Up next is The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson. I love his writing and his outlandish ideas. He is one of my favorite writers. A while ago I saw this movie and I thought it was fun. Hopefully the novel is better though :)

I have a really bad cold, so I don't really have much to say. Too bad it's already Monday tomorrow...dumb work!

My New Kindle!

I got my Kindle today. I'm super excited about it :)

The first book I am going to read on it is called Catcher, Caught. It is by Sarah Collins Honenberger. It has some connection to Cather in the Rye and something to do with a boy having Leukemia. It was published by Amazon Encore, which is Amazon's own company to find and publish new authors. So that's kind of cool. 

Last night I finished Fated by S.G. Browne. It was okay. Not bad, not great. The ending redeemed it quite a bit. Parts were very funny, but mostly it was just a fast read.
Rating: 6/10 

Here is a great article.

I don't feel like typing much tonight!

Have a good weekend :) 

Kindle

Here's to you, assholes at B&N!!!

Do not buy a Nook.

If you want an e-reader please go for a Kindle.

Barnes & Noble has terrible customer service. This is not the first time I have had issues with them and today I was appalled with the way the customer service representative treated me and handled the problem with my broken Nook. They would not return it at the store and in two to three weeks I should be getting a replacement... after they get mine.

So... tomorrow I will be purchasing a Kindle. When I receive my new Nook I will be selling it. This feels so weird, because I have always been a dedicated B&N shopper and supporter. But they have totally dropped the ball.

I hate to post negativity on my blog and apologize for this rant. I just don't want people to have to deal with all of this bullshit. I have never heard of people complaining about Kindles or Amazon.com's customer service. Go that route :)

Have a good day all! I will write a new entry when I get my Kindle :D

"Sometimes a headache is all in your head. Relax."  -Hartman Jule

The Death of a Nook

My Nook broke :(

I am about half way through Fated by S.G. Browne and I don't know when I will get to finish it. The button to turn pages cracked in half. This doesn't make the Nook unusable, but I have the extended warranty so I'm returning it for a new one. Maybe they will even let me upgrade to a Nook Color. they should, considering it's cheaper than what i paid for my first release Nook. My fingers are crossed that Barnes and Noble will just let me give them mine and take a new one immediately. Otherwise I need to mail mine in and wait for a new one. What a pain!!!

Also my computer is breaking. UGH!

Sleepy Day

I finished Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. It was awesome and I am so happy to have read it! All of the stories were excellent and evoked a ton of emotion. I could hardly put the book down. I also really loved the afterword he wrote. I think King would be a fun guy to hang out with. He seems nice and funny. Read this collection of stories if you want some thrill.
Rating: 10/10

Up next is Fated by S.G. Browne. I'm slightly concerned it is going to be like bad Christopher Moore. Hopefully not though. Speaking of Christopher Moore, I wish he would write something new. Anyways, Fated gets great reviews from Amazon and B&N so it has a pretty good chance of being good. Usually those sites are right on.

This might be random and weird, but I don't know a ton about American history from about 1900 to about 20 years ago. So, I decided to read about the JFK assassination and all of the people involved. I knew nothing about it. Man... sad stuff. I also made the HUGE mistake of watching the video of JFK actually being shot. Ummmm, all I can say is that probably was a mistake. Is it just me or should that not really be on youtube? Don't watch it if you are sensitive to horrible things. When I first clicked on I wasn't aware that is what I would be watching. Anyways... It is really interesting to think about where we would be as a nation if that hadn't happened. I plan on learning about American history a lot more in the next few months. Hopefully some of it is really happy so it will balance out.

I don't have a ton more to say. This weekend is going to be very busy and very snowy. I feel kind of worn out this week. I had a cold for a couple days, which was super lame. I think I still have it a little bit, cause I am just not feeling 100%.

Have a nice weekend everyone! Be safe and be happy :)

"Happiness is never stopping to think if you are."  ~Palmer Sondreal

"Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad."  ~Norm Papernick

The Stir Fry :D

 In progress:

Finished product:











I just wanted to share :) I am pretty proud of how my gluten free/mostly yeast free dinner turned out!

Big Driver & Chicken Tacos!

Last night I finished Big Driver, the second short story in King's Full Dark, No Stars. I loved it. It was nearly impossible to put down. The ending was satisfying too. Super riveting. I give it 10/10.
I am enjoying Full Dark, No Stars a lot more than I thought I would. Maybe short story collections aren't so bad. After I finished Big Driver I started the third short story, which is called Fair Extension. This one should be interesting because it has a couple connections to King's novel Insomnia...which I read and liked a lot.

My gluten free eating has been going good. Last week went okay, this week is going very smooth. It's pretty tricky because I also can't eat much yeast. So between those two things being removed from my diet, I have a lot less variety than what I'm used to. Today for lunch I made delicious chicken tacos in our new toaster oven. For dessert (because I love lunch dessert) I had a small pancake with strawberry jelly. YUM! For dinner I am making a big stir fry. It is going to be amazing. Today is a good food day :)

It feels like this week is insanely busy. Busy with places to go, activities to attend, work and chores. It kind of weighs me down. Not to mention my parents divorce crap. That is emotionally draining as well, although in the past week it has eased up a tiny bit. I try to make at least one hour a night to just lay in bed and relax. Usually this means read, but sometimes I watch T.V. or a movie. Last night I cut out words and pictures in magazines for the vision board I am going to make Saturday. I have never made a vision board before. Hopefully they work!!!

Here is a good link:
Simple Truths Smart People Forget

Sunday Extravaganza!

Today is very exciting! I get to go out for sushi with my mom and boyfriend. The three of us love going out to eat together. It's always super fun :) Not to mention that I love sushi and would love to eat it all the time.

I wanted to share some fun links today. Seems like I haven't done that in a while. Here they are:
Animals with crazy faces! -Awww :)
Top ten moral dilemmas. -Definitely a thinker...
Awesome cover art!!! -I wanted everyone to see some of this amazing art.
REAL ways to impress. -Do them!

I hope that everyone has a lovely day. If you live in Minnesota like me, looks like we have more snow coming! Happy Sunday!

-I almost forgot! I just finished the first short story in Full Dark, No Stars. It was called 1922 and I liked it quite a bit. It was more a novella, as it was about 120 pages. I give it 7/10. Not too shabby :)

Full Dark, No Stars!

About a Boy was great! I really enjoyed it. It is a story about growing up in all sorts of ways. It is also a really fast read, which is nice :) I will definitely be reading more Hornby stuff eventually. His writing is very witty and clever. This weekend I plan on watching the movie, just to see what it's like.
Rating: 9/10

I'm going to read Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King next. It's one of the novels I wanted to read sometime this year, so I figured I would knock it out right away. Not that I don't want to read it, I am just super indecisive today about what I want to read. I literally changed my mind at least eight times.

I don't have much to say this morning. The cast of Jersey Shore is on GMA. It's pretty gross. I will never understand the appeal of those people and that show. Yuck...

:)

Be happy.

Be appreciative.

Be kind.

Be generous.

Be understanding.

What goes around will most definitely come around, so be the best you can!

About a Boy

I am half way through About a Boy by Nick Hornby and much to my surprise, I am loving it. I thought it was going to be okay, but it is actually really funny and awesome. Kind of touching. I'm excited to see where it ends up going.

Today kicks off my first totally gluten free day of the year. I am not supposed to have gluten or white things (such as white rice, white potatoes, white sugar). It is a huge pain in the ass, but I feel ten million times healthier after eating the way I am supposed to for a couple days. This year I want to try my very hardest to eat right. Gluten intolerance sucks a lot, but feeling icky sucks way more. I know I can't have gluten based on what a nutritionist I saw told me. Then about a week ago my mom saw a psychic and she said the same thing about me. Kind of weird, huh? It just got me thinking that I probably should take my health more seriously.

In the past few days I have gotten a bunch of new novels. About 18! I am really looking forward to reading them all. Getting new books always makes me super antsy and excited! Some of the new ones I am really looking forward to reading are:

• Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow...although it's written like a poem or something, so I'm not sure what I think of that.
• This Perfect Day by Ira Levin. I have always wanted to read his stuff and this is a good start.
• Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. No idea what this one if about. It was up for a Man Booker award, usually only good books get that.
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. 

I'm not sure what I plan on reading next, but it may be one of those. Picking what to read next is unreasonably hard when you have lots of good stuff to pick from :) I'm so lucky to have that as a problem.

I would like to mention that I am watching Modern Family right now and it is so funny! My boyfriend and I never really got into it, but we just got season one on DVD and loved it. It's the kind of show I can watch over and over. Like Friends, Gilmore Girls or South Park.

First of the Year!

It's officially 2011! Another decade gone. Time moves way too fast!

I just finished reading How to Disappear Completely by David Bowick. I don't remember how I even heard of it, let alone why I have it on my Nook. It is about 150 pages long and apparently is out of print. This is Mr. Bowick's only published work as far as I know.

How to Disappear Completely is a strange little novel. I enjoyed it and am happy to have read something by this lesser known author. The story is basically a 20 something hipster guy going through a break up with his long-term girlfriend. It was refreshing as far as simplicity goes and parts of it were pretty funny. That being said, I didn't like a couple bits. One of them being how every other page the characters are drinking. That is pretty much all they do. Just casually drinking. They are also always going on Myspace and stuff. Maybe this book is a more honest look at modern life than most, but it makes for a semi-drab read. I read for entertainment. Not to hear about people checking Myspace. This novel can easily be finished in a day or two. It's pretty fluffy and easy to read, so if you are looking for something like that... here you go :)

Rating: 6/10

One of my goals this year, as I said in my previous entry, is to expand what I read. By that, I mean which authors and genres I choose from. Maybe a couple more nonfiction books and a few more novels written by 'classic' authors. Here is a little list of books I want to read this year that are out of the norm for me:

• Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King- For some reason I have always steered clear or short story collections.
• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch- Just usually not my thing. Tiny inspirational books.
• The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant- Nonfiction.
• Kim by Rudyard Kipling- A classic and also on my top 100 list.
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens- I think I should read something by Dickens. This is a random selection. If you think I should read something else by him first, let me know.

Up next I am reading About a Boy by Nick Hornby. I have a bunch of novels picked out that I wanted to for sure read this year, and something by Hornby was one of them. So here goes. I have never read any of his stuff and hopefully it's good. I know movies based on his work get mixed reactions.