Heavy Head and Shoulders

• I have become involved with the horrible habit of thinking.
• Making a house a home.
• Hoping it truly was an imaginary bug my cat was chasing in the litter box last night.
• Shortened dark wool pants and flaming white socks over black buckle shoes just don't cut it.
• Thinking about writing.
• Unless it is a favorite, is it really necessary to keep a book once read?
• Matching, dust, organization, neatness, usefullness, and unfinished projects: my continuous obsessions.
• Finding the right costume that suits me.
• Advancement and becoming more.
• Making the most of time and finding the energy to do so.
• To cap it all off I'm deliberating giving up sugar.

They Don't Believe Me

Yesterday it rained and rained. Perfect time to finish reading "Holy Cow" (see my review of the book here). Afterwards, I attempted to start up my sewing machine. Threading the machine isn't the problem so much as threading the bobbin. When I couldn't find the manual, I asked Glenn to help. (Yes, he is quite capable of threading a bobbin.) But we couldn't get the needle and bobbin to work together...so clearly this means I will be dancing naked at Shimmy Fest. ;) Other than that...I'm excited about the possibility of purchasing "The Great Ewok Adventure" on DVD. Oh yeah, and getting to the theatre when it's not crowded...maybe next week? When we saw "Die Hard" the other week, I heard a girl outside say, "This is the first time I've ever had to stand in line for tickets at a theatre in Arkansas."
*giggle*

As the Wind Wills

I need to get to the tenth book of the Wheel of Time Series. And by 'get to' I mean clean a path to that bookshelf.

My Life on the Beach

Inspired by this.
My conversation with VJ about it:

Colleen says: I want to open up a bookstore called Books On the Beach. And that's where it will be.
Sarah says: Ooooooooooooooooooo.
Colleen says: All paperbacks. Under $5
Sarah says: All the books will be justtheweeniestbit warped and have a few grains of sand in them, for character?
Colleen says: Of course,
Sarah says: *nods*
Colleen says: but that will happen naturally.
Sarah says: I love it already.
Colleen says: And, we buy the books back.
Sarah says: Oooooooo, good idea.
Colleen says: Return the book, get $3 back.
Sarah says: NICE.
Sarah says: I will shop there A LOT.
Colleen says: A "Sandals Optional" sign will hang out front
Sarah says: I love it.
Colleen says: The books that are so badly beaten will sit in a moveable cart that will be rolled outside every morning and back in at night.
Sarah says: Perfect.
Colleen says: If they are so bad, then they get burned in the yearly bonfire.
Sarah says: What a glorious end for an old worn out book.

Oygle

• I can't stop saying it. Oygle.
• Just woke up this morning all giddy. I think the universe knows why, but I sure as heck don't. Oygle.
• I've been having an intercontinental laugh the past couple of days. Oygle.
• Expecting a ginormous rain today. Oygle.
• Hope the squirrel and birds eat all of the bread I put out this morning so Sophie has something fun to look at. Oygle.
• Why does my cat Howl wish to drink out of the toilet bowl? Oygle.
• Just found out where to score some mini Care Bears tins. Oygle.
• Anyone wanna waste some B & W film with me? Oygle.
• KXUA is playing some great music this morning. Oygle.
• Started reading the selected letters of Margaret Mead this morning before finishing the current Wheel of Time book that I'm on. Oygle.
• Glenn has been tearing thru the Hitchhiker's Guide of the Universe books. I've never seen him do this before. Rather kick-ass. Oygle.
• My friend scared the crap out of me last night. But I've forgiven her. Just wait until she sees the pictures I take this weekend....

Day Around Town

• First, wake up by getting a massage from a purring kitty.
• Loll about on the computer playing Sims.
• Return library books.
• Make an appointment at the raving hair cutters.
• Attempt to get a car wash in the rain.
• Realize that the carwash is closed.
• Use their free vacuums while it starts to drip.
• Dive into your car when you realize how much drippage has accumulated on your seats.
• Drive around until you find yourself at the little Greek café.
• Order something with lamb, grab a raspberry tea and call up your friend while you wait.
• Your friend decides to join you at lunch then you wander off to the raving haircutter’s. And by raving I do not mean that he is mean or hateful. He just likes to talk. And it’s fun, unless you get easily to moderately offended. It was truly an experience. I did like it though when he bowed after cutting my hair.
• Stretch your legs a bit by walking uphill to the Best! Used! Bookstore!
• Get lost in there while looking, only to get a call from the friend you walked in there with. Consider it a cellular Marco Polo.
• Next! Go to Wal-mart and purchase “Light Reddish Chestnut” hair dye. (NOTE: Next time get two bottles as you have lots of hair.)
• Part ways with your friend and go home where you clean house! Why? BECAUSE YOU HAVE A NEW KITCHEN! YAY!!!
• The perfect time has come to give your cats the new furry toy mousies. They will scamper, act surprised and get crazy playing with the new toys. (NOTE: Do not be surprised if you find the younger kitty attempting to retrieve the rest of the packaged mousies from the toy basket that you placed behind the couch and on the tallest shelf.)
• Now you’re hungry. Proceed to Sonic where they will forget part of your order and give you coupons that amount to a free meal with ice cream. Yippee!!!
• It’s late at night, and girls love to throw hair dye parties late at night. Halfway thru this dying, send your husband back to Wal-mart for another package of hair dye.
• Congratulations! You look like a princess thanks to your friends terrific hair dying skills.
• Collapse on the bed.

With Dread Fear, She Asked Me...

I feel a dire need to get this book. You see my grammar school library never had any books on unicorns. I know because I made sure to ask our librarian every time I was in there for an entire year.

The Last Weekend of Hedonism

The last 72 hours have brought me many things. Some pleasant, some odd, and some sneezes.

• considering buying a helmet
• it's been too long between deep cleanings
• counter space is a wonderful thing
• I hope this is just a 24 hour bug and not the flu
• Chistmas is nigh
• realizing that I need people to bake more
• there are far too many sugar-deprived people out there
• coming to accept that no one will finish a pan of Igor bars
• driving from here to Fort Smith should not be that difficult
• monkeys are fun and cute
• I want a 'For Dummies' library and I truly believe that I will be the smarter person for it

Watching this video really makes me want to request window-attachable bird feeders for Christmas. I really think I'll be a better cat owner for it. ;)

The Shooting Star

I guess because it's the Halloween season, people would expect scary things from us bloggers. Instead, I'm going to post about something that is a little more seasonal for autumn. I saw a meme asking about a book that meant a lot to you when you were younger, and a lot of memories came flooding back to me. Including one book that was flooded, and then lost in a fire. Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs. I don't think there was ever I time that I read this book and did not cry, much less a time when I looked at the cover and started to brim with tears. Even now, the screen in front of me showing the book cover on Amazon has me all misty.

Autumn is a time of relection, cherished memories and the changing of ages. This book is a perfect reminder of that.

Watching television is not going to help us right now.

Let's make one thing clear: I don't watch the news. It's depressing. I'm not saying that news reports should all be about puppies and kitties, but it's unnerving how reporters can talk about murder or the new fear while smiling. I typically get informed by searching thru different news sites on the web. I figure that if I read five reports on the same story, that I will be able to make my own opinion. Fox news , 'a central hub of the conservative movement's well-oiled media machine', reminds me of the TV station in V for Vendetta. Last night Bill Clinton was interviewed by Chris Wallace about his global agenda. It got off-topic when Chris mentions e-mails he received from viewers when they heard that Clinton would be on his show. They wanted to know why Clinton didn't do anything about Osama Bin Laden during his presidency. Notice the body language, notice how Clinton still keeps the atmosphere light, notice how Clinton also doesn't just brush off the question, but gives an informed answer. One thing that I always admire for any politician or celebrity is when they can answer a question. Not just give a flippant answer or throw out an accusation. In any interview of Clinton that I have seen, he has always given an informed answer. I think I might watch these videos again and take notes to catch the names of the books being thrown around. Giles and his secret vice.

:P

Take the quiz: http://quiz.myyearbook.com/zenhex/quiz.php?id=4939"> size="+2">Which vampire from the Vampire Chronicles By Anne Rice are you? Marius You are Marius. Marius is a Child of the Millennia, or one of the few vampires who make it through more than a thousand years, and actually, Marius is over 2500 years old, having seen centuries of war, religion, plague, and disaster, and is somewhat disillusioned by it. He claims to have no religion, and was once a grand painter in Venice, before his happiness was destroyed by a Satanist Roman coven. Marius' to > Quizzes'>http://www.myyearbook.com">Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook! Take the quiz: http://quiz.myyearbook.com/zenhex/quiz.php?id=4952"> size="+2">How well do you really know the book, The Queen of the Damned? Believer You are a believer. You know Anne Rice novels inside and out, especially The Queen of the Damned, the third book in the Vampire Chronicles series. You know that many people just think they know what it was all about and the movie was a horrendous adaptation. You know your vampires, what the Story of Akasha was really all about. I commend you. Finally someone who knows more than who played' as > Quizzes'>http://www.myyearbook.com">Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook!

Take the quiz: Which Famous Novel Are You? (Pictures) Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (By; Jules Verne) You look for adventure where ever it may be. People love to be around you due to your imaganitve ways to create exciting stories. Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook! Take the quiz: which ancient power are you? Spain You are in the spainsh civ. your terriortory is diverse and you are always willing to help those who want to crush the Roman Horde (at least try to crush them). Also known for competeing with the gauls. Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook! Take the quiz: Would you make a good general? You would be a great general! Alexander the Great. Julius Caesar. Napoleon Bonaparte. Erwin Rommel. You! You are a great general. You not only care about your assigned missions, but also you care about the men. You are a charismatic leader, always with the soldiers, keeping up their morale and will to fight. Not only do you have great character, you are also a solid tactician. Great strategy and great character! Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook! Take the quiz: What Historic Woman Are You? Queen Medb Queen Medb was an Irish queen, and what a queen! She ruled HER WAY or the HIGHWAY. When arguing with her husband over who had the greater fortune, she got so mad that she called a war on a neighboring kingdom to capture a bull so that she'd be wealthier than her husband. She was impulsive, temperamental, and passionate, just like you. But try and be a little calmer. Read more about this fascinating woman: http://www.angelfire.com/de/arkhamhaus/medb.html Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook! Take the quiz: Can you be a REAL Norweigan Viking?(pics) You are a viking... You are a viking, but maybe not a norweigan...Anyway good job!;););) Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook! Take the quiz: Geography Genius? Genius!!! You are a Genius, you know all sorts of cool worthless trivia that will get you no where in life!!! Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook! Take the quiz: What Militaristic Historical Figure Are You? Napoleon Bonaparte I Organized and careful - cool, calm, collected. Ready to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook! I'll end the quiz stream here. And think about Waterloo. No, not that one. The water park one.

My Summer 2006 Reading List

I am currently on Book Four The Shadow Rising of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It's excellent. I love the pace of the books. Whenever I wrote I always felt like rushing through things. I would love to finish reading the current books in this series over the summer, but in case I don't or get too wrapped up in them, I wanted a list of other books to read. If you have any suggestions, then please put them in the comments section. A reading list is always a very good thing to have. Tori Amos: All These Years: The Authorized Illustrated Biography by Kalen Rogers Life of Pi by Yann Martel Dream of the Unified Field by Jorie Graham Ender's Game and series by Orson Scott Card Dostoevsky (Not sure what. I've already read Crime and Punishment, and I can't make up my mind if I want to reread that or something else.) Call Me Crazy: A Memoir by Anne Heche

But you don't seem bookwormy.

Why is it that people don't compare others to a character in a book, but compare them to a character on a tv show? I know that America has started the reading frenzy, but has it been affecting our lives? We read, but we don't talk about it. If we don't talk about it, if we don't incorporate it into other parts of our lives, then are we really doing it? Or have we turned into closet readers? Today's quote by Owen in Never Kill a Boy on the First Date.

Am I In Heaven?

We are moving soon, and with moving comes the inevitable packing. The first thing that I chose to pack are my books. Well...not books so much as slim pickings from the amount of books that I used to have. I used to have a ton of books before we moved to Arkansas, and then our moving van caught on fire. Since then, I haven't really felt like owning too many books. I felt like I had lost all of my children, and now I only buy thosse books that I know I will read again or would want others to read. As you can imagine I've been exchanging books with friends and browsing the local library shelves. And we all know the main problem with the library, right? You gotta call dibs on any new books that come in. You also run the risk of books never returning from their owners or when you finally get a book, discover that it is falling apart in your hands. Let's not even get into late fees. As I was browsing dooce.com I happened to look over at one of her adds. It was an add for FREE USED BOOKS. So, I clicked it. And you will too. Why? Here's their pitch:

Free membership, unlimited trades Select 3 free books today to get started You own the books you get, keep them or exchange them when you are done. Convenient shipping. Print shipping labels with free prepaid U.S. postage from our website. Use regular paper. No need to go to the post office. No need to use your own stamps. It's Easy! Bookins arranges for you to get the books you select. No need to contact other members. No bidding, or negotiating! Our Quality Guarantee—100% satisfaction with every book every time, or your next shipment is on us.

You're itching for it now, aren't you? The link? Mr. Linky? Do you want him? Need him? Thinking about all of those old books htat you *almost* gave away, aren't you? You love me. Bookins.

Seven

Books (Or Series) That I Love: Out on a Limb by Shirley MacLaine The Camino by Shirley MacLaine Anne of Green Gable Series by L.M. Montgomery The Awakening by Kate Chopin The Riftwar Series by Raymond E. Feist Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice Satan Says by Sharon Olds Favorite Movies Jaws (politics, tragedy, comedy, true love, Rocky Horror Picture Show (this movie made me realize that you can take your audience anywhere and do whatever the hell you want to express yourself through art) Pirates of Penzance (Kevin Kline, George Rose, Linda Ronstadt, and Rex Smith sing! Pirates!) The Princess Bride (also a wonderful book, especially w/ all of the parentheses, Andre the Giant!) 50 First Dates It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Goonies I Just Can’t (Or Don’t Wanna) Stop Eating things I shouldn’t. Being lazy. Forgetting. Being clumsy (which can be painful to others) Being an early riser Singing Showing that I am happy when I am really happy about something Things to Do Before I Die Be able to make promises and knowing full well that I will not only remember them, but fulfill them.See the Pacific Ocean Be respected Have my portrait painted Spend an entire night on the beach and wake up to the sunrise Dress as something outrageous for Halloween Go on a pilgrimage

Things That Attracted Me to Blogging:

It was something to do in my free time. I could keep a journal and not have my hands hurt like hell from writing in long hand. I learned more about coding. Ooooh! Buttons pretty! Endless possibilities of embarrassing my friends. To actually have an opinion. The illusion of feeling published.

Seven Things I Say Most Often What? Ummmm…. (daydreams) I’m sorry, what did you say? Huh? I don’t know Do you need anything? I love you

Seven Impractical Things I Think Would Be Really Cool Anyway

• Every Wednesday is Queen Day. Everyone is strongly encouraged to dress in drag.
• Localized and national monorail system, everyone gets a free ride and it runs 24/7.
• For the news to tell the truth about what they had to do to get the story and how they edited it before they showed it/published it. Might make some people responsible for their work and take the spin out.
• A system where your job would circulate. For example, you would be an onion farmer one month, be a news anchor the next month, and a daycare worker the last month. (Yes, yes, I see all of the wholes and realize that the quality would go down; this could be just the assistant job. Maybe.)
• National Health Care for Americans
• Cheaper, healthy food and expensive junk food. Why not let filthy habits also be expensive?
• See charity begin at home and not a world away. A lot could be fixed.

The Play's the Thing!

The other night I watched The Simpsons. It had been awhile but I was pleased to see them reenacting 'children's stories' and one of those was Hamlet. During the reenactment of the play scene, Bart gives the quote of "I'll catch the conscience of the king!" the king, played by Moe, overheard Bart. And this is the part that made the little English major inside of me want to reach out and slap Groening!

"Hey man, you can't hear me, I'm doing a soliloquoy!"

Now you know why I'm so mad! Wait, you didn't catch it? He said SOLILOQUOY!!! You can hear someone doing a soliloquoy, Hamlet's line was an aside you dope!

Aside: A piece of dialogue intended for the audience and supposedly not heard by the other actors on stage.

I was quite frustrated but continued watching The Simpsons because while frustrating, it was still quite humorous.

Don't Be Surprised When I Tell You...

...that each blog I read, I consider a gem.
...that I don't have a clue about what I am going to write for NaNo this year.
...that I love the cold, blistery weather we are having.
...that I get upset when I see Christmas lights being put up, and there aren't any Halloween decorations to be seen. (Yes, even in my own home, but we are poor so BITE IT!)
...that I do love my husband's addiction to Anarchy Online. It means that he understands my addiction to the Sims.
...that I can be quite mean when I need to, but will probably cry about it as soon as you are gone.
...that for the first time ever, I coasted into a gas station today.
...that I need coaxing to read past the third book in the Chronicles of Narnia books.
...that I froze my butt off going camping this weekend.
...that I can easily devour a large pizza all by myself.

Nightly Adventures

BAD JOKE OF THE DAY: "London Colleen.... "

I finished reading NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman last night. It was great. I worried at first that it was going to turn into a 'wander-fest' with directionless characters, but Neil pulled through with wonderful visuals and a great sense of imagination. It was a tour of London's Underground and the people left behind by society. It was also one of the few novels I've read that has scared me. I look forward to reading American Gods, but first! THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW by C. S. Lewis.

Drac, the Read

I finished reading DRACULA by Bram Stoker the other night. Edward Gorey illustrated the work which added a humorous twist. I kept asking, "Are they taking themselves too seriously?" How much do they miss or how much time is wasted due to propriety? How has it helped them? Drac himself seemed to be missing for most of the book. At first I was waiting for him to really attack, then there was all of the planning and tracking down his dirt. The end really seemed to be building though. Like, okay, something is up, there has got to be a major turn coming. But it was not what I thought it would be.
However the idea of compiling the book with journal entries and having your characters rely on those entries was an interesting idea. Most journal novels I have read seem to be more of a cop-op for writers and give a foggy picture of the world. But in Dracula it was much different. I started to think more about how I blog. What is important? Did I capture enough information for later? It reminded me of how I can't wait to see the pictures that I just got developed. I can't remember what I took a picture of, but hope that I captured enough of what I wanted. Odd enough, I always seem upset that there are never enough pictures of me. I want to know about what I was doing. Was I happy? How did I interact with this environment? Hey! There's a picture of a building, but did I ever go inside? Why is it so important that I have a picture of it? Will I feel the same way about my blog in a couple of years?
Suggestions for what to read next?