Books

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Totally Doing A Great Job of Writing Regularly…

Published January 17, 2015 by Malia

There’s something about publicly announcing I’m going to blog more regularly that seems to send my brain into rebellion and causes me to blog even less frequently than I was.  Which strikes me as completely ridiculous.  So, just to be safe, I’m done making proclamations regarding how frequently I’m going to write or how much weight I am going to lose. 

So, this is how I’m spending the wee hours of Saturday morning…

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I’m hanging out at the comic book store while the boy participates in the midnight pre-release of the next set of Magic cards.  This is actually a pretty big deal among those who play.  Some of these people will be here until five or six a.m., and then be back in a few hours to play for several more hours.  I’m not playing because I really, really, really, REALLY stink.  I make the worst players look like experts.  After a brain frying day at work I’m just not in any mental state to play a strategy card game.  However, I do enjoy hanging out and supporting the boy and getting lots of reading done.  I love that I can sit in the corner and read for hours on end, and no one cares or tried to bug me. 

Also, I’ll be honest, it’s a nice break from wedding stress.  I’m only 56 days away from the wedding, and my anxiety is through the roof.  I’m really excited about the future and the wedding, please don’t think I’m not.  However, there’s so much new and different that is headed towards me at break-neck speed and it’s a little scary.  I’m moving in with a boy.  That’s a definitely a first.  I’m gaining a whole pile of relatives all at once.  I’m changing my name.  I’m going to have to give up my wild, single girl habits (Translation: I have to start showing some restraint in the Kindle book purchasing).  This is only the short list, there are so many other things I could be listing off, but the goal is to not be stressing at the moment, so the list ends here.

56 days is not a very long amount of time…maybe I should start thinking about packing…

Reading is Fun?

Published July 25, 2014 by Malia

When this year began, I decided that instead of just  re-reading all the books I always re-read every year, this year I would make an effort to read things I’ve never read.  I’ve done pretty well so far.  Mostly, I’ve been reading a combination of fantasy, YA,  and graphic novels.  The graphic novels have proved to be worth my time.  (Bone was absolutely fantastic, but Watchmen was a really bizarre read.)  The YA has been a bit hit and miss.  I’ve enjoyed discovering the books by John Green and Rainbow Rowell.  Then there are books like The Selection series, which I’ve only stuck with because I felt like I should finish what I start.  They’re typically books with a good idea, but the execution is poor.

Then there are books like the one I just tried to read.

About a year ago, I heard that Marvel was going to be publishing two chick-lit novels.  One about She-Hulk, the other about Rogue.  The idea was that it would introduce female non-comic readers to these comic characters and thus make them want to go read the actual comics.  In theory, a decent idea.

At least the covers are pretty?

 

I recently got my hands on both novels, and thus far I’m not impressed.  I got about  1/3 of the way through The She-Hulk Diaries, and completely gave up.  The author is quite fond of using the term OMG.  OMG should only be used in the rarest of cases, and certainly not as the way you start nearly every sentence two or more of your characters say.  I’ve read books with shallow characters before, but the author barely even tried to cobble together a personality for the heroine, let alone any of the secondary characters.  Honestly, I don’t have high expectations for chick-lit.  I expect fluff, and average writing.  These are two things that should not have been hard for the author to accomplish.  However,  I spent the better part of the week trying to get somewhere in the book, constantly telling myself that it had to get better, I finally threw my hands up in frustration and went running back to the safety of Jim C. Hines’ Goblin trilogy.

http://www.jimchines.com/novels/goblins/

 

I’ll take Jig the Goblin and his fire spider any day over a menagerie of vapid characters unable to think about anything more important than a smoothie.

I’m Grateful and Rageful

Published November 28, 2013 by Malia

I’ll get to the rage in a moment.  First, what I’m thankful for.

1.  Family.  Good times or bad, I love that I have a close family that is very supportive of each other.

2.  My excellent friends.  I’ve been very blessed with five wonderful women that I consider to be very dear friends.  Each one knows me, faults and all, and still lets me be part of their lives.

3.  My job.  A year ago, I never would have guessed that I was just weeks away from starting a job I truly love.  A job that I gladly go to, and that I truly enjoy.  Also, I have a really fantastic supervisor, and I’d be really lost without her.

4.  My love of reading, and the easy access to an almost unlimited supply of books that there is.

5.  The roof over my head.

6.  A working vehicle.

7.  Snapple.  Silly, I know, but it’s quite yummy.

8.  Doctor Who.  I love this “kid’s” show.  It’s smart, funny, and is something I can share with my family and friends.

9.  I’m generally healthy, and have much to live for and look forward to in this life.

Okay, so, it’s not so much rage as irritation.  Tomorrow is Black Friday.  I understand the theory behind the day.  It makes sense that businesses want to try to get in the black before the year ends.  However, and yes I know I’m not the only one saying this, it has gone from out of control to complete absurdity.  It used to be just one psycho day, but now it’s almost a full week.  How is  this okay?  Plus, it seems that there’s at least one death every year in connection with Black Friday shopping.  People’s lives should be of more value.  What does that say about this culture when possessions are held in higher esteem than a human being?  Don’t misunderstand me, I’m as greedy as the next person, but even I have my limits.

So, if you’re going to take part in the madness, remember that your fellow shoppers are human beings.  Remember that the people working in the stores aren’t making very much, aren’t getting to spend time with their loved ones (and have likely missed most and/or all of Thanksgiving), and being rude to them isn’t going to make things go any better for you.

Pillow Talk

Published January 24, 2013 by Malia

My bed is cold.  Every.  Single.  Night.  My bed is lonely.  Every.  Single.  Night.  I’m surrounded by pillows, but you know what the problem with pillows is?  Pillows never ask you how your day was.  Pillows just lay there in various forms of flatness, and are silent.  In fact, if my pillows start talking, I’m pretty sure I have bigger problems than just having a cold, lonely bed.  My point is, on some levels being in my late 20’s and single truly has it’s downsides.

Now, don’t misunderstand me, I greatly enjoy some parts of being single.  I love that if I want to go hang with friends, I have no worries about if I have plans already, or if my friends will accept my boyfriend into our group.  I love that I can be pretty selfish when it comes to my money.  If I want to buy a book or movie or video game (although, I’m pretty sure most guys don’t care if their girls buy video games) and I have the money, it’s no big deal.

Overall, though, as the years pass and I remain single it tends to get more wearing.  I just want someone to share in this adventure of life with.

To this end I was having a conversation with two really close friends a few weeks ago, and one friend asked me if I had a list of what I was looking for.  I had a mental list, but afterwards, I realized that I’ve never written down that list before.  Then earlier this week, as I was praying that God would bring that special someone into a friend’s life, I realized that I’ve never actually prayed that God would bring someone into my life.  So, I immediately texted one of my 3 very bestest friends and asked her if she would pray with me about this.  I really don’t believe I was created to be alone.  I believe that I am alone right now, because there are lessons I am in the process of learning.  However, the desire to be married has yet to be removed (and crazy as it sounds, I’ve prayed it would be), so I’m changing up how I pray.  I rarely ask for help from anyone (even God), which is pretty wrong.  It’s not that I’m too proud, I’m kind of backwards. I don’t want to bug people or God with my needs or wants, because I feel they’re so paltry compared to people with real needs.

Anyway, since I’m not desiring my pillows to develop voices, and I’m not wanting to be known to my “niece” as the crazy cat lady, here’s my list of what I’m looking for:

1.  Not just a fan, but completely on fire for Jesus.

2.  Loves pets; sans bugs, snakes, and spiders.

3.  I don’t care if he’s a sports fan, but he needs to be okay with the fact that I am not, nor will I probably ever be a sports fan.  Also, if I do watch sports, I rarely cheer wildly.  However, I totally love the Olympics, and he will have no problem getting me to sit and watch those games.

4.  Enjoys musicals.

5.  Loves movies.  Going to the movies is something I really love doing, and I would hope that I’d be able to be with someone who not only enjoys the whole going to the theater experience, but is willing to make entertaining comments throughout.

6.  Loves British t.v. shows, especially all things “Who.”  I have always had a soft spot for things produced by the BBC.  Generally, they’re quite a bit better than most things on American television.

7.  Loves books.  Hmmm…maybe this should be a bit higher on my list.  Yeah, it probably belongs up there as number 3.

8.  Family relationships should be important.  I’m pretty much it when it comes to parent care on my side of the family, so he’s going to have to be okay with this, and willing to help me.  Also, it’s super important to me, despite my age, that he ask for my father’s permission to date/court/marry me.

9.  Wants to travel, visit museums, go to the zoo, see the world, and take pictures of all of it.  I admit I’m not a great photographer, but I really love to take pictures.  I want to be with someone who enjoys travel and photography as much as I do.

10.  Be okay with the kid thing.

Let me explain number 10.  (And yes, I’ve kind of talked about this before, and yes, it may be slightly graphic and uncomfortable to read.)

Last fall, when everything went really south, health-wise, I found myself sitting, facing a doctor who was trying to figure out how to deliver unpleasant news.  She had to tell me that it was highly unlikely that I would ever be able to have children.  To this day, I don’t envy doctors who have to tell women this.  Fortunately, for her, I didn’t go into hysterics or any of that sort of reaction.  In fact, I pretty much had already guessed.  I’d known for a long time that certain parts didn’t work right.  Parts that are required to carry a baby through a pregnancy.  Her telling me, just confirmed what I already suspected.  Now, I’ve never been wild about having kids, but I certainly thought having one might not be too bad.  I’m okay (mostly, but believe me there have been some intense discussions with mom and with God regarding the fact that there are 15 year old’s who sleep with everything and get knocked up, and yet I try to be a good kid, and not only do I have this whole nightmare weight situation, but I also have a body that doesn’t understand the basics of how to work right) with all of this, but recently I’ve found myself wondering if this will be a huge check-mark against me for guys.  It seems that a lot of guys, even good guys, are obsessed with the idea of producing babies.  I guess they need to know that their sperm can swim in order to feel like a “real” man.  I figure that if I there’s someone out there who can love me, knowing that I can’t have babies (unless a miracle takes place), then they truly love me, and don’t just view me as breeding stock.

11. Doesn’t take himself too seriously, or say mean-spirited things, thinking he’s being funny.

12.   Loves, respects, and treats me as a partner, not just someone who’s supposed to clean and cook.  In return, I guarantee that I will love, respect, honor, and be loyal.  I’m looking for a best friend.

And there you have it.  I know that we can’t always have what we want, but I figure it doesn’t hurt to be specific.

Friday Night Questions

Published October 20, 2012 by Malia

-Why are Austen novels so enchanting?

-Wouldn’t it be fun to just hit the road and see the world?

-If you could cosplay, what character would you choose?

-Am I the only one who got seriously creeped out by the show Extreme Cheapskates?

-Am I the only one who hates being asked what my favorite book/movie is?

-Aren’t whiteboards great?

 

Books are Fun!

Published September 27, 2012 by Malia

Okay, so I kinda…sorta…really, really, really love books!  That is why, when I find things related to books I love, I have this crazy need to share it with other people.  Hence, I’m really excited to share The Lizzie Bennet Diaries with everyone I can.  Basically, it’s a modernized retelling of Pride and Prejudice mostly from Lizzie’s point of view.  The episodes are pretty short, and I’ve gotten through about half of them.

Here’s the first episode:

You can find the rest of the episodes at the webpage http://www.lizziebennet.com or on youtube.

Dancing in the Library

Published August 30, 2012 by Malia

I finally uploaded the Pandora app to my iPod, and I’m so glad I did.  My work shift just flew by this afternoon.  I really love my job, so having good tunes was an added bonus.

To some I’m sure that my job would be pretty boring.  I work in the inter-library loan of the library.  My job consists of finding books in our library to send to other libraries, emailing, copying, and mailing articles people need.  It’s pretty quiet work that doesn’t require much interaction with others.  Perfect for an introvert.

Anyway, it was just one of those perfect days, and when I went to go pull books from the shelves I would put on Pandora.  The station I had picked was “Showtunes,” and while it played some Broadway, mostly I got Disney songs.  This led to mouthing along to the words, which led to some scary attempts at dance steps as I looked up and down the aisles for the books.

Long story short, I’m really thankful for my job!

Happiness is…

Published August 26, 2012 by Malia

It’s the start of a new week, and it seems like it’s a good time to make a list of things that make me happy.

1.  Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog

Okay, stop whatever you’re doing and dedicate the next 42 minutes to watching this:

Before I saw this I didn’t realize that Nathan Fillion could sing.  Really, though, this is awesome.  Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion directed by Joss Whedon.  The same guy who brought such awesomeness as Firefly and The Avengers to us.  If you absolutely can’t stop and watch it right now, it’s supposed to be airing on the CW in October.  “Home is where the heart is, so your real home’s in your chest.”  and “Oh goodness, look at my wrist, I have to go.” are just a few of the great lines from this.

2.  Lemonade

3.  The mini-Joslyn art museum on my wall.

 

Okay, this isn’t the best picture, but let me explain.  Those are all postcards that I got at the actual Joslyn Art Museum.  I have my favorite two pictures from the museum up, along with several other pictures from there that I really like.  When I look at them, it’s like getting a moment at home.

4.  The pile of reading that I’m wading through.

 

These are just three of the books I’m using this semester.  I’m loving getting to read fun stuff.  (Okay, I’ll be honest, grammar isn’t fun.  In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s where fun goes to die.)  Right now I’m reading parts of The Illiad.  The Odyssey  and Beowulf are rapidly approaching.

5.  Having my own room.

6.  The Piano Guys

I posted one of their videos the other day.  I’ve been watching some of their other videos, and I’m really impressed.  It’s not just piano that they are awesome with, either.

7.  This:

 

This was a joke gift given to my grampa when I was really little.  At the time I didn’t understand the joke, but I get it now.  I claimed this when we were sorting things after the funeral.  It’s now hanging above my desk.  (And yes, there’s a bathtub playmate inside it.  If anyone wants to know what’s inside, just ask and I’ll post a pic.)

8.  My bedding

I’m a big fan of my bedding set.  It looks like newsprint, and it’s reversible.  Plus, there’s matching pillow shams!  I really, really love this bedding.

9.  Taco in a Bag

This is my Monday tradition here at school.  Every Monday afternoon (provided it’s not a holiday weekend) the dining center’s To-Go special is Taco-in-a-Bag.  This is the closest I get to decent Mexican food here in ND (which is quite sad when you think about it), so it makes me really, really happy!  For the uninitiated, Taco-in-a-Bag is a bag of chips (lunch box size, I get Doritos) with a scoop of taco meat, some lettuce, nacho cheese, and salsa.  (You can put tomatoes, sour cream, and whatever else you want in, I’m just a super picky eater.)  Then you kind of close the bag, squish it all together, and then you eat it.  Sounds weird, looks gross, tastes amazing!

10. Comments!

I always get excited when someone comments, but I was uber excited this week when I saw that someone I’ve never met outside of the internet commented!  It probably sounds silly, but I find it amazing that these little posts can be read by anyone, anywhere.