Don't you LOVE these short weeks? It's Friday already! Yay! Likely, the next time I'll see you will be next Friday as I will be on vacation starting tonight (I really wanted to say NOW, but alas, 'tis not so!). When I arrive on the Eastern shore, I may pop in during the week if I have internet and time and show you what I've been up to.
Until then, have a fantastic weekend and week! :D
1. I don't know why I'm such a time optimist when it comes to certain things - things that inevitably take at least twice as long as I think they will. Thus, my optimism only ever brings me stress and suffering. Guess that makes me some kind of masochist too?
2. Following that, I suck at packing. It takes me FOREVER. The sister, on the flip side, is REALLY GOOD at it. Usually, I mooch off her superior abilities, but she left earlier. Sad times. Do you suck at packing or are you a super packer like the sister?
3. I signed up for Elana, Jen, and Alex's Great Blogging Experiment on Sept. 24. It's about Writing Compelling Characters. Um, right... I might make Alz write that one.
4. I had a dilemma yesterday - what to wear onto the plane? I mean, do I go for comfort and be a slob or do I try to look kind of presentable since I'm getting to my destination in the morning and will have to SEE people, maybe even INTERACT with them? I settled for something in between (I think); I tend to dress comfortably anyway. I just hope it doesn't look too slovenly. How do you dress for travel - slob or chic?
5. Finally, a friend let me in on some squee-worthy news! It totally made my morning! Awesome possum start to the weekend.
Aaaand I'm off to NYC!
9.07.2010
Teaser Tuesday: Siblings
Welcome back from the long weekend for those of you who celebrated Labor Day! Nothing like a 3-day weekend to rejuvenate the mind and body. I think we should have 3 day weekends at least once a month. Other countries have siestas and tea time and other sorts of afternoon breaks! Can't we come to a compromise and have a 3-day weekend once every couple of weeks?
Ah, wishful thinking. How were your weekends, by the by?
In any case, I will be a busy bee this week, trying to make my most pressing deadlines and getting down to the dread business of packing (I hate packing). The sister is flying off to NYC before I do, so I can't mooch off her superior packing abilities. SIGH.
But I will probably get in a Randomosity post on Friday, and then everything's up in the air because I will be on the East Coast indulging in frolicsome revelries.
So in honor of down time and chillaxing with siblings, I give you my very first Teaser Tuesday post. Wrote it last week on a whim and rediscovered two characters I barely ever wrote before. I remembered how much I liked them.
Have you ever forgotten about a character or story only to rediscover them again? Did you pick that story back up after?
Snippet written from the following prompt from Toasted Cheese.
Use the following words: bored, useless, together, little, stars.
*
On nights when the weather permitted it, Sybil knew she could find her brother on the roof. Sol liked to lie on his back and stare into the darkened sky for hours. She always wondered what it was he thought about when he did that, but she didn't feel it was right to ask. Like it would be an invasion of his privacy, even though she knew he wouldn't mind her asking.
As expected, she found him there tonight, his arms crossed behind his head, eyes on the little pinpricks of light. He didn't take his gaze away when she sat down next to him and ruffled his dark hair. Instead, he said, "I wish there were more of them. I wish they looked like they did in the pictures, a whole shining white ribbon."
"You only get that stuff out in like the desert or something."
"I know. I just wish, you know?" He was silent for a moment, and then he turned to her. His eyes were the color of charcoal, unreadable. "Were you bored or something? You never come up here."
Sybil shrugged. "Eh, sort of. I kind of felt useless downstairs, sitting in a room all by my lonesome."
"No TV?"
"Just the usual crap."
"You'll be bored here too," he said and went back to looking skyward.
"I know."
With a sigh, Sybil stretched her legs out and lay down next to him. The roof was hard against her back, and she wondered how Sol could spend hours up here lying on something so uncomfortable. The bowl of the sky curved over them, trapping the lights and sounds of the city under its dome. It was the perfect weather for stargazing - cloudless and clear. If it weren't for the light pollution from everything around them, Sybil imagined they'd be treated to quite a sight. As it was, she only saw a few glittering points far, far in the deepest of the blues.
"Hey," she said. "What do you see up there anyway? What are you looking for?"
He didn't answer her for a while, and she didn't push him. Sol kept a lot of things to himself, and maybe he didn't want to say anything. She was used to that by now - his silence and his secrecy. It didn't bother her as much as it used to because she knew he didn't mean anything by it, and out of everyone, she was the person he trusted the most. He would tell her in his own time.
"It makes me feel like I'm not alone," he said. "Like there's something out there like me, bigger than me."
Sybil rolled onto her side, propping herself up on an elbow to peer down at him. His face was expressionless, and his skin was an eerie shade of pale in the relative darkness. She could tell his mind was far away from this rooftop where they were together, searching the galaxies flung wide above their heads. Slowly, Sybil reached her free hand over and flicked the tip of his nose. Sol started, shaking his head and staring at her in surprise.
"You aren't alone, stupid," she said, poking him in the cheek for good measure. Then she settled back down and pointed up at the stars. "Look, if you connect those ones, they make a lobster."
"I think it's supposed to be a crab," he said, sounding a little confused.
"How does that look anything like a crab? It's a lobster. It's got a tail."
She heard the rustle of fabric as her brother shifted his position and felt his hand wrap around hers. His skin was ice cold. This too she was used to, so she didn't flinch from his touch. He only held her hand briefly before he let go, but it was enough to make her smile.
Ah, wishful thinking. How were your weekends, by the by?
In any case, I will be a busy bee this week, trying to make my most pressing deadlines and getting down to the dread business of packing (I hate packing). The sister is flying off to NYC before I do, so I can't mooch off her superior packing abilities. SIGH.
But I will probably get in a Randomosity post on Friday, and then everything's up in the air because I will be on the East Coast indulging in frolicsome revelries.
So in honor of down time and chillaxing with siblings, I give you my very first Teaser Tuesday post. Wrote it last week on a whim and rediscovered two characters I barely ever wrote before. I remembered how much I liked them.
Have you ever forgotten about a character or story only to rediscover them again? Did you pick that story back up after?
Snippet written from the following prompt from Toasted Cheese.
Use the following words: bored, useless, together, little, stars.
*
On nights when the weather permitted it, Sybil knew she could find her brother on the roof. Sol liked to lie on his back and stare into the darkened sky for hours. She always wondered what it was he thought about when he did that, but she didn't feel it was right to ask. Like it would be an invasion of his privacy, even though she knew he wouldn't mind her asking.
As expected, she found him there tonight, his arms crossed behind his head, eyes on the little pinpricks of light. He didn't take his gaze away when she sat down next to him and ruffled his dark hair. Instead, he said, "I wish there were more of them. I wish they looked like they did in the pictures, a whole shining white ribbon."
"You only get that stuff out in like the desert or something."
"I know. I just wish, you know?" He was silent for a moment, and then he turned to her. His eyes were the color of charcoal, unreadable. "Were you bored or something? You never come up here."
Sybil shrugged. "Eh, sort of. I kind of felt useless downstairs, sitting in a room all by my lonesome."
"No TV?"
"Just the usual crap."
"You'll be bored here too," he said and went back to looking skyward.
"I know."
With a sigh, Sybil stretched her legs out and lay down next to him. The roof was hard against her back, and she wondered how Sol could spend hours up here lying on something so uncomfortable. The bowl of the sky curved over them, trapping the lights and sounds of the city under its dome. It was the perfect weather for stargazing - cloudless and clear. If it weren't for the light pollution from everything around them, Sybil imagined they'd be treated to quite a sight. As it was, she only saw a few glittering points far, far in the deepest of the blues.
"Hey," she said. "What do you see up there anyway? What are you looking for?"
He didn't answer her for a while, and she didn't push him. Sol kept a lot of things to himself, and maybe he didn't want to say anything. She was used to that by now - his silence and his secrecy. It didn't bother her as much as it used to because she knew he didn't mean anything by it, and out of everyone, she was the person he trusted the most. He would tell her in his own time.
"It makes me feel like I'm not alone," he said. "Like there's something out there like me, bigger than me."
Sybil rolled onto her side, propping herself up on an elbow to peer down at him. His face was expressionless, and his skin was an eerie shade of pale in the relative darkness. She could tell his mind was far away from this rooftop where they were together, searching the galaxies flung wide above their heads. Slowly, Sybil reached her free hand over and flicked the tip of his nose. Sol started, shaking his head and staring at her in surprise.
"You aren't alone, stupid," she said, poking him in the cheek for good measure. Then she settled back down and pointed up at the stars. "Look, if you connect those ones, they make a lobster."
"I think it's supposed to be a crab," he said, sounding a little confused.
"How does that look anything like a crab? It's a lobster. It's got a tail."
She heard the rustle of fabric as her brother shifted his position and felt his hand wrap around hers. His skin was ice cold. This too she was used to, so she didn't flinch from his touch. He only held her hand briefly before he let go, but it was enough to make her smile.
9.03.2010
Randomosity on Fridays: Happy Labor Day Weekend!
I'm sure you're all eager to be off on your frolicsome revelries, given the long weekend. So let's get to it! Friday Five time!
1. I got my hair cut yesterday. It was supposed to be short - like a bob, but my hairdresser (who I like very much) suggested I try something that is something like a bob but also still long. It's kind of cute, but I think it's also kind of mullet-y. I'm not sure how I feel about this...
2. Lately, I find myself annoyed with random, little things. Is it time for a change of scenery? A change of pace?
3. College football has begun! I'm rather excited. It feels like it's been a long time since I was into it - probably because I didn't pay much attention last year. Possibly this sense of hope and anticipation has to do with the USC fiasco. Sorry Trojans fans, sucks for you, but maybe FINALLY Cal will get into the Rose Bowl. It's been like 50 years since the last one! C'mon! Now, we just need to not mess ourselves up. GO BEARS!
4. I've had a bunch of weird dreams lately, likely brought on by my speeding through the Hunger Games trilogy. In one dream, I was in the Hunger Games in the arena. I had a knife. My partner/ally/friend was injured but limping along okay with the help of a walking stick, and we were trekking down some foresty path. It was a lot like hiking actually, except for the part where people were hunting us, but I didn't seem that concerned.
In another dream, I was a werewolf. Something (not the moon) triggered my lycanthropy, and I spent most of the dream shaking and feeling clammy (like in a cold sweat) as I tried not to shapeshift into a wolf. Anyway, I met my favoritest professor in the world, Remus Lupin (of Harry Potter fame) on a bus and tried to act like I was not going to either be sick on or wolf out on him. At the next stop, I made a run for it, but he caught up to me in a parking garage (yeah, I don't know). He very kindly asked me if I was trying not to turn into a wolf, and when I said yes, he gave me a bottle of pills. DID YOU KNOW that Wolfsbane potion now comes in PILL form? Yes, it does. I thanked him, took one, and was no longer in danger of shifting.
5. For my New York trip (soon!), I'm not sure if I should bring a book or if I should bring the Kindle. I have yet to use it, which also means there is nothing on there yet. But yes. Book or Kindle?
Any advice for me? Have you had any weird dreams lately? Have a safe, sunny, and fantabulous Labor Day Weekend! TGIF!
1. I got my hair cut yesterday. It was supposed to be short - like a bob, but my hairdresser (who I like very much) suggested I try something that is something like a bob but also still long. It's kind of cute, but I think it's also kind of mullet-y. I'm not sure how I feel about this...
2. Lately, I find myself annoyed with random, little things. Is it time for a change of scenery? A change of pace?3. College football has begun! I'm rather excited. It feels like it's been a long time since I was into it - probably because I didn't pay much attention last year. Possibly this sense of hope and anticipation has to do with the USC fiasco. Sorry Trojans fans, sucks for you, but maybe FINALLY Cal will get into the Rose Bowl. It's been like 50 years since the last one! C'mon! Now, we just need to not mess ourselves up. GO BEARS!
4. I've had a bunch of weird dreams lately, likely brought on by my speeding through the Hunger Games trilogy. In one dream, I was in the Hunger Games in the arena. I had a knife. My partner/ally/friend was injured but limping along okay with the help of a walking stick, and we were trekking down some foresty path. It was a lot like hiking actually, except for the part where people were hunting us, but I didn't seem that concerned.
In another dream, I was a werewolf. Something (not the moon) triggered my lycanthropy, and I spent most of the dream shaking and feeling clammy (like in a cold sweat) as I tried not to shapeshift into a wolf. Anyway, I met my favoritest professor in the world, Remus Lupin (of Harry Potter fame) on a bus and tried to act like I was not going to either be sick on or wolf out on him. At the next stop, I made a run for it, but he caught up to me in a parking garage (yeah, I don't know). He very kindly asked me if I was trying not to turn into a wolf, and when I said yes, he gave me a bottle of pills. DID YOU KNOW that Wolfsbane potion now comes in PILL form? Yes, it does. I thanked him, took one, and was no longer in danger of shifting.
5. For my New York trip (soon!), I'm not sure if I should bring a book or if I should bring the Kindle. I have yet to use it, which also means there is nothing on there yet. But yes. Book or Kindle?
Any advice for me? Have you had any weird dreams lately? Have a safe, sunny, and fantabulous Labor Day Weekend! TGIF!
9.01.2010
Internet Addiction
Welcome to September everyone! I can't believe August is already over. How is it possible that we are already 8 months through the year? How? Eck, I just had a thought about my New Year's Resolutions, and I think it might be time for another progress report, which makes me kind of depressed.
LET'S SWITCH TOPICS.
Ahem. Last night, the cable and internet at my house inexplicably went out. The following conversation took place between the sister and I.
Sis: OMG, what am I going to do? What am I going to do?
Me: Um, I'm going to read. *pulls out book*
Sis: What the heck! What am I going to do? I'm going to pull my hair out. I can't even read this! *picks up The Book Thief* I'm too depressed.
Me: Post-Mockingjay syndrome still? You're going to be more depressed if you read that (the Book Thief).
Sis: I know that. Mockingjay effed up my mind so much that I can't read this or anything. Argh. *flails* How did people live before the internet?
Me: What the heck. Dude, when were you born?
Sis: It's like when something good comes along, you know. Like what did I do on the internet before youtube?! *pulls out phone* Crap, even my iPhone is useless... (she doesn't have a data plan) *fiddles with it* Hey, you wanna play Cooking Academy? iPhone games save me again!
Me: Until the battery dies.
Sis: No, whatever! It's not like a blackout! If this was a blackout, I'd really be pulling my hair out.
The conversation did bring up a good topic - how people spend their time and how people used to spend their time. So who else is addicted to the internet? What do you do when there's no internet or cable? What do you do when there's a blackout?
LET'S SWITCH TOPICS.
Ahem. Last night, the cable and internet at my house inexplicably went out. The following conversation took place between the sister and I.
Sis: OMG, what am I going to do? What am I going to do?
Me: Um, I'm going to read. *pulls out book*
Sis: What the heck! What am I going to do? I'm going to pull my hair out. I can't even read this! *picks up The Book Thief* I'm too depressed.
Me: Post-Mockingjay syndrome still? You're going to be more depressed if you read that (the Book Thief).
Sis: I know that. Mockingjay effed up my mind so much that I can't read this or anything. Argh. *flails* How did people live before the internet?
Me: What the heck. Dude, when were you born?
Sis: It's like when something good comes along, you know. Like what did I do on the internet before youtube?! *pulls out phone* Crap, even my iPhone is useless... (she doesn't have a data plan) *fiddles with it* Hey, you wanna play Cooking Academy? iPhone games save me again!
Me: Until the battery dies.
Sis: No, whatever! It's not like a blackout! If this was a blackout, I'd really be pulling my hair out.
The conversation did bring up a good topic - how people spend their time and how people used to spend their time. So who else is addicted to the internet? What do you do when there's no internet or cable? What do you do when there's a blackout?
8.30.2010
Good Karma Giveaway Winners!
I am not a fan of Mondays, but here's some happy news from the giveaway front.
I've already delivered shark bookmarks and The Hunger Games to our first prize pack winner Miss GENNIA. Yay for more HG readers!
And prize pack 2 with the journal and bookmarks goes to ASIU1990! I'll contact you (or you contact me?) so I can get your mailing info.
Thanks for playing! May the odds be ever in your favor!
I've already delivered shark bookmarks and The Hunger Games to our first prize pack winner Miss GENNIA. Yay for more HG readers!
And prize pack 2 with the journal and bookmarks goes to ASIU1990! I'll contact you (or you contact me?) so I can get your mailing info.
Thanks for playing! May the odds be ever in your favor!
8.27.2010
Randomosity on Fridays: Real or NOT Real Edition
Obviously, I have Mockingjay on the brain, but I will refrain from spoilers because that's not cool. I even dreamed I was in the Hunger Games when I was reading the first book. Luckily, it wasn't anything scary - other than being in the arena aware that other people are trying to kill you and your partner is kind of useless because he's injured and not at all taking things seriously. But otherwise, it was okay - just me hiking through the woods.
I am so tired, guys, from all the crazy reading and staying up late to read because sleep and being a zombie at work was totally worth it. Or at least I thought so at the time (I'm really feeling it now at the end of the week), but mostly it was worth it. Onwards and upwards!
So you tell me, real or not real?
1. I read the entire Hunger Games trilogy + Sapphique in a week.
2. It has taken me nearly a month to read The Sky is Everywhere.
3. Lucky Macbook is lucky! My friend and I each won a Mockingjay pin from Scholastic in their last giveaway. We both entered on my Macbook.
4. Mockingjay made me switch teams.
5. I am going to New York for a week mid-September.
6. I just bought these Steve Madden oxford booties for nearly half off the retail price.
7. I have not slept more than 5 hours this week.
8. There is still time to enter the Good Karma giveaway where a copy of The Hunger Games, sharks, and a nice journal are up for grabs. The odds actually are in your favor.
What's REAL and NOT REAL in your life lately? Last weekend of August! ENJOY IT!
ANSWERS after the cut.
1. NOT REAL: It was more like 1.5 weeks. Monday before Mockingjay Day was a day of agony for me because I had been done with Sapphique by Friday (after I'd finished Catching Fire), and I couldn't wait for Mockingjay.
2. REAL: It's a lovely book, but I got side-tracked and then swept away by the Hunger Games madness and then Sapphique. I'm finally finishing this one up.
3. REAL: Looks like naming my lucky win after my luck demon was a good idea. Can't believe we BOTH won a pin!
4. NOT REAL: I already adore Peeta, and while my affection for Gale grew in Mockingjay, I'm still FIRMLY Team Katniss. Besides, I'm in love with Finnick Odair. Yeah, that's right. Finnick fangirl.
5. REAL: I'll be in NYC starting the 2nd weekend of September, staying with my old Cal roomies. Yay! Anything I should definitely go do?
6. REAL: Saw them in store, but didn't love them enough (not a fan of shiny leather) to buy them at full price. The lower price on Amazon made me waver enough to proceed to checkout, and thanks to some mysterious promotion, they're practically half off store-price! WIN.
7. NOT REAL: The night I finished Mockingjay was a 5 hour night - well, less than 5 because my brain was too restless to properly shut down. The other nights were more like 6 to 6.5 hour nights.
8. REAL! So go enter! You have until Sunday night, Pacific time!
I am so tired, guys, from all the crazy reading and staying up late to read because sleep and being a zombie at work was totally worth it. Or at least I thought so at the time (I'm really feeling it now at the end of the week), but mostly it was worth it. Onwards and upwards!
So you tell me, real or not real?
1. I read the entire Hunger Games trilogy + Sapphique in a week.
2. It has taken me nearly a month to read The Sky is Everywhere.
3. Lucky Macbook is lucky! My friend and I each won a Mockingjay pin from Scholastic in their last giveaway. We both entered on my Macbook.
4. Mockingjay made me switch teams.
5. I am going to New York for a week mid-September.
6. I just bought these Steve Madden oxford booties for nearly half off the retail price.
7. I have not slept more than 5 hours this week.
8. There is still time to enter the Good Karma giveaway where a copy of The Hunger Games, sharks, and a nice journal are up for grabs. The odds actually are in your favor.
What's REAL and NOT REAL in your life lately? Last weekend of August! ENJOY IT!
ANSWERS after the cut.
1. NOT REAL: It was more like 1.5 weeks. Monday before Mockingjay Day was a day of agony for me because I had been done with Sapphique by Friday (after I'd finished Catching Fire), and I couldn't wait for Mockingjay.
2. REAL: It's a lovely book, but I got side-tracked and then swept away by the Hunger Games madness and then Sapphique. I'm finally finishing this one up.
3. REAL: Looks like naming my lucky win after my luck demon was a good idea. Can't believe we BOTH won a pin!
4. NOT REAL: I already adore Peeta, and while my affection for Gale grew in Mockingjay, I'm still FIRMLY Team Katniss. Besides, I'm in love with Finnick Odair. Yeah, that's right. Finnick fangirl.
5. REAL: I'll be in NYC starting the 2nd weekend of September, staying with my old Cal roomies. Yay! Anything I should definitely go do?
6. REAL: Saw them in store, but didn't love them enough (not a fan of shiny leather) to buy them at full price. The lower price on Amazon made me waver enough to proceed to checkout, and thanks to some mysterious promotion, they're practically half off store-price! WIN.
7. NOT REAL: The night I finished Mockingjay was a 5 hour night - well, less than 5 because my brain was too restless to properly shut down. The other nights were more like 6 to 6.5 hour nights.
8. REAL! So go enter! You have until Sunday night, Pacific time!
8.24.2010
MOCKINGJAY!
MOCKINGJAY is out today! Sadly, I am working and so cannot be huddled on a couch somewhere, furiously flipping through pages to find out what happens next. (Please, no spoilers!)
Anyway, just wanted to pop in and join in the interwebby celebration!
I'm celebrating work-appropriately with an all black outfit, accented by a gold bird pin given to me by a friend. It's not a mockingjay because sadly, I don't have one of these, but it'll do (and I love it besides). And of course, there's a hint of gold eyeliner. (CINNA!)
Also, Team Katniss FTW!
 |
| (courtesy of Galleysmith.com) |
1. She's fierce.
2. She's independent.
3. She doesn't need a man. And anyway...
4. She wears the pants in the relationship triangle.
5. She's not afraid of carbs or eating with her hands.
6. She's a fighter and a survivor.
7. She can shoot you in the eye with an arrow...in the dark.
8. She will claw you in the face if you piss her off.
9. She's a BAMF.
10. She's the girl on fire.
I haven't been this excited about a book release since Harry Potter! So with that, I leave you with this randomly related discussion between Alz and my sister over Twitter about hand-made manatee toys.
Sister: i think i want to make HUNGER GAME-ateess! the green one will be katniss. orange = peeta
Alz: So will the Katniss one have a braid & a bow & arrow motif while the Peeta one has a loaf of bread sewn onto its belly?
Sister: Katniss will have a mockingjay sewn on it (which you will do since i am not skilled) HAAH peeta one sounds good.
Krispy: We agree though that Alz will have to make Cinnatee because he needs to be pretty/fabulous.
P.S. Don't forget, I'm giving away a copy of The Hunger Games, sharks, and a pretty journal!
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