tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27240447897841475632024-02-18T18:13:13.712-08:00From the Mixed-Up Files of Ms. K.G. PezzenweilerI am a nerd movie. These are my thoughts.K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-48545295878802326442020-12-19T22:55:00.001-08:002020-12-19T22:55:17.562-08:00KG's Five Best Things Ever: 12/19/20<p style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Take a look at the hottest trends and coolest items in my life this week. It's the Five Best Things Ever for 12/19/20:</span></p><div><br /></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-9a8f00b9-7fff-7b76-53da-3f783086a01c"><ol style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pantsuit Politics Podcast - Considering the Covid-19 Vaccine episode:</span></p></li></ol><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Chris Beyrer, a John Hopkins epidemiologist, joined Sarah and Beth on the</span><a href="https://www.pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/show-archives/2020/12/11/considering-the-covid-19-vaccine-with-dr-chris-beyreredit/2724044789784147563/9087961196232236539#" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12/11 episode of Pantsuit Politics</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to talk about the development of the vaccine. I thought it was a great conversation about what went into the trials and the time developing the vaccine. It’s an extremely helpful episode to hear if you have concerns about getting the vaccine when it becomes available to you. Pantsuit Politics is one of my favorite podcasts and I recommend the show in general, and especially this episode in particular.</span></p><ol start="2" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amaryllis bulbs</span></p></li></ol><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAJJpD-QYYOfSVIiCkDaEg8x_zlBdfcE4P_f8ZTeoVSiNHCrRGe3bB8QdFqxh4xqXhavvjZgTJ6kLCpydGLYxxwN8i5wv6yo-1UUc9EJmeDozg3UzoXPNQta8P6YIJpU9zcQ7mxaGKzw/s4032/20201215_094246.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Amaryllis bulb" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAJJpD-QYYOfSVIiCkDaEg8x_zlBdfcE4P_f8ZTeoVSiNHCrRGe3bB8QdFqxh4xqXhavvjZgTJ6kLCpydGLYxxwN8i5wv6yo-1UUc9EJmeDozg3UzoXPNQta8P6YIJpU9zcQ7mxaGKzw/w150-h200/20201215_094246.jpg" title="Amaryllis bulb" width="150" /></a></p></div>I</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">usually buy both my mom and me amaryllis bulbs for Christmas with the idea that if we plant them on Christmas day, we will each have a flower sometime in January. One day in November, the Internet told me it was the day to plant Amaryllis bulbs. “So Early!” I thought. I listened though and immediately bought the bulb and planted it. I sure am glad I did. It bloomed this week and it will knock your socks clean off because it’s so glamorous and beautiful.</span></div><div><br /></div><b>3. Kenny Moore II’s interception against the Raiders</b><br /><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Just Watch it</a>. Oh, you already saw it? I don’t care. Watch it again. It was incredible. You suck Derek Carr.<div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><b>4. </b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">642 Tiny Things to Draw book</span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-RbG3aCHFVEN1zTcOi4elLvTCzP-vJpZBit6jSS2K2OduXLQ09V4Cl7PL-Rxxcd9NpMa7u_ARxE2xiaDgypXWxPEnj530YD8x7bkzA8mD1G9AJOjQ0lnOy_qDPEgI25rFx5V9WhiotE/s4032/20201219_212702.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book Prompt: Eye Dropper" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-RbG3aCHFVEN1zTcOi4elLvTCzP-vJpZBit6jSS2K2OduXLQ09V4Cl7PL-Rxxcd9NpMa7u_ARxE2xiaDgypXWxPEnj530YD8x7bkzA8mD1G9AJOjQ0lnOy_qDPEgI25rFx5V9WhiotE/w150-h200/20201219_212702.jpg" title="643 Tiny Things to Draw" width="150" /></a></div>My friend Carrie is an excellent gift giver. She gives gifts that are so perfect, you wonder why you didn’t already own them. This year, she sent me an array of wonderful things including a guinea pig Christmas ornament and also this tiny book called <a href="https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/642-tiny-things-to-draw" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">642 Tiny Things to Draw</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It has 642 prompts of small things to draw and the space to draw them. The prompts are creative and sometimes challenging.</span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Who Killed Mr. Boddy (Clue #1)</span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2ofarIRjD9JDf2ILwAnBWkL5zDSMUBFzo-XgasXsEadMXzxMyxrgew_4uzGjZvfkmgivKhMbGw3-O_x_7nGgIP7SnBw0oEl0MMwRmNbi5eL41gNlejH1-5gRfeqJNTa_bxOx79TC9vM/s4032/20201219_214115.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Who Killed Mr. Boddy (Clue #1) Book Cover" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2ofarIRjD9JDf2ILwAnBWkL5zDSMUBFzo-XgasXsEadMXzxMyxrgew_4uzGjZvfkmgivKhMbGw3-O_x_7nGgIP7SnBw0oEl0MMwRmNbi5eL41gNlejH1-5gRfeqJNTa_bxOx79TC9vM/w150-h200/20201219_214115.jpg" title="Who Killed Mr. Boddy (Clue #1) Book Cover" width="150" /></a></div>This month, I’ve been enjoying reading a few of my collection of kids' books procured from either <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://littlefreelibrary.org/" target="_blank">Little Free Libraries</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or the clearance section at Half Priced Books. My favorite so far is </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/650243.Who_Killed_Mr_Boddy_" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who Killed Mr. Boddy. (Clue #1)</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It’s a collection of 13 short mysteries involving the shenanigans of the Clue board game characters. It’s ridiculous. It has puns. Here is a sample from the book, so you get the idea:</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mr. Boddy and the other guests chased the old woman through the hedge maze. But they all got bushed. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then they chased her through the family cemetery. This must be a plot! Thought Boddy. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then they chased her through the miniature golf course, where Boddy’s shoes began to hurt his feet. There must be a hole in one, he thought.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though they steal, burn down the mansion, and try to murder each other, Mr. Boddy keeps inviting the group over every week. I don’t understand why they are friends.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scholastic made 18 of these and I hope to find more of them in book bargain adventures in the future.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s it for this week, my friends. These are the five best things ever in my life this week. Maybe I’ll see you back here next week. I’m not making any blogging promises though. </span></p><br /><br /></div></div>K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-67628407664593119442019-02-06T20:12:00.002-08:002019-02-06T20:12:56.049-08:0019 in 2019: Visit a Cat Cafe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxWHbqxojAk9x-SkYHf2Jw3YjxgkxIKpy2l1RiGD9tWgC3fHojRrrCy4cgm_MwjGL6pbxSBNyAKGGU1uH-cW9kbhQxSu31WZg-cX0hxdxMS_vGbK2b_hKE2iKiV6UkxHGHgRSWZbtEdE/s1600/20190203_112843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxWHbqxojAk9x-SkYHf2Jw3YjxgkxIKpy2l1RiGD9tWgC3fHojRrrCy4cgm_MwjGL6pbxSBNyAKGGU1uH-cW9kbhQxSu31WZg-cX0hxdxMS_vGbK2b_hKE2iKiV6UkxHGHgRSWZbtEdE/s200/20190203_112843.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
Number three on my <a href="https://nerdmovie.blogspot.com/2019/01/19-in-2019.html" target="_blank">19 in 2019</a> list was the needn’t to be explained “Visit a Cat Cafe!” I’ll go ahead and explain it anyway. I love animals. I like visiting animals at people’s homes or zoos or aquariums. I like looking at pictures of animals. The majority of my Instagram feed is made up of baby animal aggregators, zoos, Internet famous pets, and animal photographers. (The rest, if you are wondering, is crafty folks and hot people.) So, when this new trend of cat cafes started, I was ready. Somehow though, I managed not to make it to one in 2018 even though I really really wanted to. Even though some friends went to some without me! When I started thinking about my 19 in 2019 list, the cat cafe is one of the first activities that sprung to mind.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjs2RePlYmXfHPRTGWPeXoPZDZQrJ-Xx81Ag02nUjGGMCS6lMViY8lDABtW9ksgfuFRhNNKCRb2_0R89cZ7MutBrXERfryn2ynwe6-O5vBL_h2RV7i_DNX7RSV38X29W2QUH8IcjuX9c/s1600/20190203_115253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjs2RePlYmXfHPRTGWPeXoPZDZQrJ-Xx81Ag02nUjGGMCS6lMViY8lDABtW9ksgfuFRhNNKCRb2_0R89cZ7MutBrXERfryn2ynwe6-O5vBL_h2RV7i_DNX7RSV38X29W2QUH8IcjuX9c/s200/20190203_115253.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
So, finally, in 2019, I visited my first (and not last) cat cafe, <a href="https://seattlemeowtropolitan.com/" target="_blank">Seattle’s Meowtropolitan</a>. A cat cafe with a pun in the name is right up my alley (cat). This place had everything! There were suspension bridges across the top of the room, a giant cat tree, baskets of toys, cozy places for sleeping and hiding, a huge wheel to run on (do cats even do this?) and even a few cardboard boxes for just for old time’s sake.<br />
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Some of the cat there are permanent residents while the majority are up for adoption. They all just roam around the room hanging out while excited visitors desperately walk around trying to win some attention. Some were playful while others hid in cat houses for some alone time. All of them are super cute though and I wanted to take them home with me, especially this beauty with a blue and a green eye.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously! Look at this beauty!</td></tr>
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My friend L likened her cat cafe experience to visiting a cat brothel. That made me laugh when she told me and when I got there I couldn’t shake the sentiment. She was right! You just paid for an hour of cat attention (EWWWW. Not THAT kind, but still.) Those floozies are just lounging around waiting for the next batch of desperate people to arrive! They had a backroom they could retreat to if the customers got too handsy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tall friend M is not taller than the suspension bridges.</td></tr>
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Did I care that I paid for cat attention? NO! Would I do it again? Definitely! Lucky for me a <a href="https://nekoseattle.com/neko-bellingham" target="_blank">cat cafe is rumored to be opening in Bellingham</a> this Winter.
K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-26163719568341313962019-02-02T11:34:00.000-08:002019-02-02T11:34:07.694-08:00Present Participle List: January 2019This was a busy, busy month at work. I worked a lot of overtime and then I got a yucky cold. So I waffled between working my butt off and being flat on my butt. Here are a few things that I got up to.<br />
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<b>Watching:</b><br />
<a href="https://nerdmovie.blogspot.com/2019/01/8-sick-day-documentaries-to-heal-your.html" target="_blank">Documentaries, lots of them.</a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XAb49O4NTrtXifoDACdYmcXgHaUcWjKtWw6qoEm6OEQ8m0lOg3KZJ3jB_jJD57beU10pYUurOmSA5FVvTQ6ieO5I-lAzGbdCsuSni1P9rDGxwMByn-pLvp8qh0CVdwaDSVlQjn_AUok/s1600/top+chef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XAb49O4NTrtXifoDACdYmcXgHaUcWjKtWw6qoEm6OEQ8m0lOg3KZJ3jB_jJD57beU10pYUurOmSA5FVvTQ6ieO5I-lAzGbdCsuSni1P9rDGxwMByn-pLvp8qh0CVdwaDSVlQjn_AUok/s200/top+chef.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Chef_(season_16)" target="_blank">Top Chef Kentucky</a>: It’s been years since I watched a season of Top Chef, the show with the hottest judges in reality show history, Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio. Nothing much has changed about the show and I prefer it that way. There are still the nice chefs and the cocky chefs and the nervous chefs and creative challenges in between in-show car and Whole Foods commercials.
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<b>Eating:</b><br />
<a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/10718-shrimp-and-grits">Shrimp and Grits</a>: One of my <a href="https://nerdmovie.blogspot.com/2019/01/19-in-2019.html">19 in 2019</a> goals this year is to cook new recipes. I subscribed to New York Times Cooking and cooked Shrimp and Grits with <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11324-garlicky-swiss-chard">Garlicky Swiss Chard</a> as my first two new recipes of the year. Then I ate grits again and again after that and at least another time after that.
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<b>Listening:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_ooiVGhJ-_Z-TQuWXIcE2pJDPZYJcHO48rx82roh4qBZ8oFpbxb04SIR7goNBMirBlhKhoztWwk_8C4nHVMFbBDAbLhzlE4ldAhnrBrZX-7BNWsE8U1q9kyYfVLF4iCN5vBG6jwW4L8/s1600/john+scott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1330" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_ooiVGhJ-_Z-TQuWXIcE2pJDPZYJcHO48rx82roh4qBZ8oFpbxb04SIR7goNBMirBlhKhoztWwk_8C4nHVMFbBDAbLhzlE4ldAhnrBrZX-7BNWsE8U1q9kyYfVLF4iCN5vBG6jwW4L8/s200/john+scott.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/radiolab-punchline" target="_blank">Radiolab episode: The Punchline </a>
Thanks to the recommendation by MJV, I checked out a hockey-based episode of RadioLab about the season when goon John Scott was elected to the NHL all-star game in a popular fan-fueled campaign. It could be an allegory of what happens when corporations try to use social media marketing without a complete understanding of how it works. It details the steps the NHL took to remove John Scott from the game and highlights their villainy. Sure, the NHL is run by jerks, but in this situation they go out of their way to be total dicks. I recommend this episode to sports fans and students of social media alike.
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<br />
The Smiths<br />
I read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15745753-eleanor-park" target="_blank">Eleanor & Park</a> by Rainbow Rowell, whose characters are big fans of the Smiths and I’ve been on a Smiths’ bender ever since. I’ve been listening to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Gf-f_hWpU" target="_blank">A Light That Never Goes Out</a> a lot, probably an unhealthy amount.
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<b>Reading</b>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpc1DfLsNGEuXjxAqQ1CC79PKgDUSJ6wuKIx1ERgzSxqf_QEbMCoc-oDKyubA17N11Hiw24vgillBcLnKP6sRaxcaCgEN5Jsh9x1LkKQ3IJsSDIp6umEa3qs9G_Myx7cJFUyYQlLTQ6U/s1600/west.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpc1DfLsNGEuXjxAqQ1CC79PKgDUSJ6wuKIx1ERgzSxqf_QEbMCoc-oDKyubA17N11Hiw24vgillBcLnKP6sRaxcaCgEN5Jsh9x1LkKQ3IJsSDIp6umEa3qs9G_Myx7cJFUyYQlLTQ6U/s200/west.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/359090.Upstairs_at_the_White_House" target="_blank">Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West</a>
This intriguing book by J.B. West, who served as usher and then chief usher in the White House from FDR to Nixon is filled with awesome tidbits about the first families he served. There is nothing salacious here as West has such respect for each of the presidents and their families. The book covers so many behind-the-scenes looks at important moments in American history including the Kennedy assassination and the death of FDR in office.
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<br />
<b>Playing:</b><br />
<a href="https://nerdmovie.blogspot.com/2019/01/19-in-2019-play-rpg.html" target="_blank">Star Wars: Edge of the Empire</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.ea.com/games/a-way-out" target="_blank">A Way Out</a><br />
A bartender at my favorite bar <a href="https://www.bestbudslounge.com/" target="_blank">Best Buds Gaming Lounge</a> recommended A Way Out to my friend D and I and then we spent the next many hours and beers playing it. It’s a cooperative prison-escape jaunt that feels more like playing through a movie then a game. Yeah, there are a lot of cutscenes but you also get to steal a truck from old people! This playable Choose Your Own Adventure is very entertaining.
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That's what I was up to in JanuaryK. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-43162588794482670572019-01-29T22:20:00.000-08:002019-01-29T22:20:30.957-08:0019 in 2019: Play an RPG!<br />
It's still January and I've crossed another <a href="https://nerdmovie.blogspot.com/2019/01/19-in-2019.html" target="_blank">19 in 2019</a> off my list! Number 7: Play an RPG! is now complete. I've been interested in playing an RPG such as D&D for years and even created some Shadowrun characters with a friend back in college and I still hadn't managed to actually play a game.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieusY2SZ5iAnQpaWeMHapgjCu-qtUX1-O7jd8ntUcKJz_Ixt_t580rzkOnoKAErIY5dUfV5jPTfyBlWoOOCT_AZe3kJK7H05OgcmcEc4eBkifbNBfHuW8hnWkUr_0HxSY7YsaES5rTfno/s1600/star+wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieusY2SZ5iAnQpaWeMHapgjCu-qtUX1-O7jd8ntUcKJz_Ixt_t580rzkOnoKAErIY5dUfV5jPTfyBlWoOOCT_AZe3kJK7H05OgcmcEc4eBkifbNBfHuW8hnWkUr_0HxSY7YsaES5rTfno/s200/star+wars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
On Black Friday, I saw a screaming deal for the <a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/star-wars-edge-of-the-empire-beginner-game/products/star-wars-edge-of-the-empire-beginner-game/" target="_blank">Star Wars: Edge of the Empire beginner game</a>. I figured Star Wars was a great place to start my RPGing adventure, since I'm familiar with and love the Universe already. The package came with a condensed rule book, an adventure book, maps, specialized dice, four pre-made characters and another adventure available for download online. Knowing I wouldn't be able to find anyone to play in December, I set it aside for examination this month.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Setting this up ended up being much easier than I ever expected. I thought since I'd previously never played, it might be hard to find people willing to try an RPG with me. I had a lead on a DM already; my good friend S is an experienced one and great at games in general and very fun to play with if you don't mind losing. Thankfully, he agreed and took the materials home to study.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHKm7hnicaM1y-7K_x2C22eMtKXWbnBrn8nZ7_kmatgawFIZyzLH6cXWt76Mi0eBlam_X37u-GJfLkQ3uCrBMs4YQ-K9CX1mRpJmafQGDn1Uqcxx251-vSjU2iYgC0lZjbhnL0BWk-gM/s1600/20190126_162510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHKm7hnicaM1y-7K_x2C22eMtKXWbnBrn8nZ7_kmatgawFIZyzLH6cXWt76Mi0eBlam_X37u-GJfLkQ3uCrBMs4YQ-K9CX1mRpJmafQGDn1Uqcxx251-vSjU2iYgC0lZjbhnL0BWk-gM/s320/20190126_162510.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The character folios.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So now I just had to find 2-3 players. Befriending a good chunk of the IT department in 2018 made this task laughably easy. I sent one email to three people and immediately had three interested people reply. Soon after, I found a fourth.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3QRp6UqtXGbvciniN-4OgdMEoeQgOrUv-TyAShmgAsl5MmIjNWQM6KEiyqnd-B33cmdNSeY5rhBQGQQWBilVSx4GAOI9ubTHPRx6RTDyWnNVn8XtYw6MfGZC3kcX3j7x0bxwtKEPFOI/s1600/scott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1349" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3QRp6UqtXGbvciniN-4OgdMEoeQgOrUv-TyAShmgAsl5MmIjNWQM6KEiyqnd-B33cmdNSeY5rhBQGQQWBilVSx4GAOI9ubTHPRx6RTDyWnNVn8XtYw6MfGZC3kcX3j7x0bxwtKEPFOI/s320/scott.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DM S reads us the beginning of the story.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Saturday afternoon, we met at our local board game bar <a href="https://www.rookandrogue.com/" target="_blank">Rook & Rogue</a> for our first session. Two of the folks couldn't make it, so we started with three players and our intrepid DM. We decided to start with the pre-made characters so we could get the hang of the game and see if we liked it. T was the human rogue smuggler, D served as the droid medic/mechanic, and I was the former-gladiator wookiee.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r799-WjtIehhZbvDtZp0ufz8c04hSFsD3yN60rTzwio5tuJyB8c5OrLQw3CvMm679ewPddFty6cwFL0Si6LJBrFqmdPiQNE2eDRHkYIKAquDrgylKaGBfLmSbfOn3v2zdtZrrJXPlkU/s1600/Lowhhrick.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r799-WjtIehhZbvDtZp0ufz8c04hSFsD3yN60rTzwio5tuJyB8c5OrLQw3CvMm679ewPddFty6cwFL0Si6LJBrFqmdPiQNE2eDRHkYIKAquDrgylKaGBfLmSbfOn3v2zdtZrrJXPlkU/s200/Lowhhrick.png" width="149" /></a></div>
As soon as I discovered that the game came with a wookiee, I knew I wanted to play that role. My general game playing style is to fight and attack, so the rage-full wookiee <span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Lowhhrick<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></span>would be perfect for me. Perfect he was. I did everything a hotheaded wookiee would want to do, used my blaster, vibro-axe and fists to beat up people up!<br />
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My favorite game moments were when Lowhrick, after backing a droid into a closet and having a hard time disabling it with fists, finally ripped its arms off. He also had such success with the vibro-axe that he killed two stormtroopers and convinced a third to surrender allowing the group to steal the stormtrooper's suit. (Who knows? We might need it later.) It also sent us into giggles because it reminded us of a favorite moment from the Star Wars Lego game series.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvgKY6euF9RVOiSlEj3dlK_s9Z9UQCsvlRqXHFrr3CBNS5-v0Gqi536OAcnUScpwcI8g-eVEL0nnhiHFwl3B7p1wiCu3oJBopFlsHQxmPvJU8VBrzvbhCrUwFpDPrTLryELL2uFgDWfQ/s1600/Chewbacca+Stormtrooper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="430" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvgKY6euF9RVOiSlEj3dlK_s9Z9UQCsvlRqXHFrr3CBNS5-v0Gqi536OAcnUScpwcI8g-eVEL0nnhiHFwl3B7p1wiCu3oJBopFlsHQxmPvJU8VBrzvbhCrUwFpDPrTLryELL2uFgDWfQ/s320/Chewbacca+Stormtrooper.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wookies are slightly larger than Stormtroopers. That's a fact.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The game itself feels very thoughtful. After the bad guy called my Lowhrick "a carpet", I was struggling with the need to rip that bad guy limb-from-limb and blowing our party's cover in the process. DM S had me roll for discipline and said I could interpret that roll as I wanted. I rolled a crazy success and decided that meant Lowhrick should be highly disciplined and think of the group instead of letting his anger rule. I'm still not sure it was the right choice as days later, I still would like to destory that baddie. I love that the game has so many different characteristics to roll for that seem to fit the character.<br />
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There was one part of the story, a side quest, that I wish we had attempted. The map had a small pen that held three grown dewbacks and one baby. Immediately, I wanted to ride or steal (or both) the dewbacks. I became a bit obsessed with the idea of a Dewback Derby through the streets even though that would have definitely attracted unwanted attention to our party. I'm still thinking about it and I hope that a future session might involve this pen of dewbacks.<br />
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The first session was a success and I immediately walked over to the game store and bought the core game book and also a second set of dice. All the players had fun and we are looking forward to playing again. I hope it becomes a regular thing for the year.K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-10958533608316961722019-01-24T18:18:00.000-08:002019-01-24T18:18:22.895-08:0019 in 2019: George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I couldn’t let January 2019 pass without knocking at least one thing off my <a href="https://nerdmovie.blogspot.com/2019/01/19-in-2019.html" target="_blank">19 in 2019</a> list, so on January 13, my friend R and I headed up to Canada to check out <a href="https://www.reifelbirdsanctuary.com/index.html" target="_blank">The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary</a>. For just $5 admission, we checked #18 off the list!<br />
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After coworkers told me about the sanctuary years ago, I knew to expect a large number of birds when we arrived. What I didn’t realize is just how many species we would see. We saw:<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Canada Geese<br />
Mallards<br />
Wood Duck<br />
Pintail Duck<br />
Ring Neck Deck <br />
American Wigeon<br />
American Coot<br />
Hooded Merganser <br />
Bufflehead<br />
Shoveler<br />
Blue Heron<br />
Snow Geese<br />
Saw-Whet Owl (2 different ones)<br />
Great Horned Owl<br />
Bald Eagle<br />
Red Wing Blackbird<br />
And a bunch of finches and robins<br />
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These are just the ones I remember too. I’m sure there were more.
We saw thousands of birds. Sometimes, we were surrounded by ducks all around our feet. We had to be careful not to step on them. Ducks were everywhere.<br />
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I saw for the first time and fell in love with the American Widgeon, otherwise known as the cutest green-headed duck in all the land. (Take that Mallard!)<br />
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My other newest bird love is the adorable Pocket Owl (real name = Saw-Whet Owl) who sleeps in trees and waits for me to come get him and bring him home with me in my hoodie pocket.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuXFMq2vO-6KZust38wF1XlduyX0CkyKm5TZALfaiURlVRa4ZSNAXvevMZcJ-hyNyXNrynkibl-0xHzn54NAjXo4qUyaTy2GNKU2qYhy-BRak6pFPKeZK-NWIHCdy4YCBKc3H62k7oIg/s1600/46024672414_2fefb7b083_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="428" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuXFMq2vO-6KZust38wF1XlduyX0CkyKm5TZALfaiURlVRa4ZSNAXvevMZcJ-hyNyXNrynkibl-0xHzn54NAjXo4qUyaTy2GNKU2qYhy-BRak6pFPKeZK-NWIHCdy4YCBKc3H62k7oIg/s400/46024672414_2fefb7b083_z.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Saw-Whet Owl photo by R. Weber - used without permission because he is a jerk.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The best bird moment was seeing a Hooded Merganser really showing off and primping and preening his hood. If he could have talked to us he would have yelled "LOOK AT ME IN ALL MY MAJESTY! I AM SO HANDSOME AND BEAUTIFUL. LET US MAKE BABIES!!!" I mean, just look at him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGANglUMftVIbf27526rdx_NtYirVN4k2uYDavpiWjYN4IB2wiW0Ka6DFY-FoKsHdaneapWOU3un_7XegU_Gx5Q-jJOn67zB57IwXXaetI9kswgC6AiBjtgbgxaHjD_8JisxgB27eie8/s1600/45834067455_ba714d2f92_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGANglUMftVIbf27526rdx_NtYirVN4k2uYDavpiWjYN4IB2wiW0Ka6DFY-FoKsHdaneapWOU3un_7XegU_Gx5Q-jJOn67zB57IwXXaetI9kswgC6AiBjtgbgxaHjD_8JisxgB27eie8/s400/45834067455_ba714d2f92_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Hooded Merganser photo by R. Weber - used without permission because if I asked him, he might say no.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The great thing about going to the sanctuary with R is that he is an avid birder so can tell me the names of all the birds and he takes really awesome pictures with his really awesome camera. Take a look at my cell phone picture of a bald eagle and his picture of that same eagle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0GvIgFmqCZCkqRe5cAdQWuM0P7gkH5lBuv8rVUxMrKJkFL490PZfgL5RY82C3jN4Z5qOcvOJMOM9XFNcrI1jS7mkOp0gYIyg0UqKHSVSeSYVx02lIX43btDsL56ru5YI3TCKIwA1JKE/s1600/20190113_130531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0GvIgFmqCZCkqRe5cAdQWuM0P7gkH5lBuv8rVUxMrKJkFL490PZfgL5RY82C3jN4Z5qOcvOJMOM9XFNcrI1jS7mkOp0gYIyg0UqKHSVSeSYVx02lIX43btDsL56ru5YI3TCKIwA1JKE/s320/20190113_130531.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bet you weren't surprised that this picture was taken by me with a cell phone.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoAkX3rFPh5M1fPe0mzIio-OudzkEq-gInNCFB4DeZUlOhAu01MDe5YP47vlfmlCbsvLIGHy3tsbj6EUfn84AblaSUGs5izfly4wckcY34nywWRvgh0TyBJixt4A3ZXYNB7Vj3zi5EHo/s1600/39784214093_ffbf8873bf_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoAkX3rFPh5M1fPe0mzIio-OudzkEq-gInNCFB4DeZUlOhAu01MDe5YP47vlfmlCbsvLIGHy3tsbj6EUfn84AblaSUGs5izfly4wckcY34nywWRvgh0TyBJixt4A3ZXYNB7Vj3zi5EHo/s400/39784214093_ffbf8873bf_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and this picture was taken by R, an accomplished bird photographer. (Picture used without permission because R sucks.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The worst thing about going to the sanctuary with R is that he makes you carry the tripod the whole time and then HE NEVER USES IT! He is the worst. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/25213816@N08/sets/72157677752769648/with/31807873757/" target="_blank">His pictures are excellent though</a>.<br />
<br />
The sanctuary trip was a success and R and I have made a new goal to go three more times this year, once in each season. Prepare yourself for future bird photo posts dear reader.K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-87236336554027108592019-01-22T22:45:00.000-08:002019-01-22T22:48:54.337-08:008 Sick-Day Documentaries to Heal Your Cold (or help you take a nap)I caught the mother of all colds last week and stayed home for a boring and lonely 3.5 days. Usually when I’m sick, I sleep a lot until the cold goes away. This set of symptoms was a different beast though and I didn’t manage to sleep much. I had a terrible headache that prevented me from reading, so watch TV I did. A lot. A whole lot.<br />
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Usually my sick day show watching consists of the Price is Right followed by some sort of nostalgic TV show like Magnum PI. Occasionally, I’ll watch a documentary or two. Since this sickness was some sort of extra sick, I decided to do some extra TV watching. So, I present to you: THE GREAT SICK DAY DOCUMENTARY FILM FEST OF 2019!!!<br />
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The trick with picking a good sick day documentary is that it can’t cover a topic that will make me cry. My nose was stuffy. I already couldn’t breath from either nostril. I didn’t need any additional tears or emotion clogging up the already congested works. Eliminating movies that won’t make me cry is no easy feat. I cried at Deadpool 2. It meant no emotionally uplifting sports stories (goodbye all 30 for 30s and Andre the Giant), no recently deceased biopic of awesome musicians or handsome actors (Sorry David Bowie and Paul Walker) and absolutely nothing with baby animal death (see you later Planet Earth) and especially not awesome human facing tremendous odds and coming through adversity with grace and strength (every documentary ever.)<br />
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So, what was I left with? These 8 films presented in the order that I watched them (and the platform where I streamed them.) <span id="docs-internal-guid-4c8efee9-7fff-99c3-6c9c-83236cc6c5d3" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I review and rate them here using a special 1-5 cough drop rating scale.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RZiUtDY1qGugxUc8NKR6r1nHuzL8LQNGPwhVZpTzRDImQ9qN0c9P2gMu3hLUKa2FY2-6B2tHPF8-gUbMALv7TH3X1ONUN7WlfUq21LacFpIncDTZbdMhckxvdrjmvvEEnl-8pggHqp4/s1600/bid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RZiUtDY1qGugxUc8NKR6r1nHuzL8LQNGPwhVZpTzRDImQ9qN0c9P2gMu3hLUKa2FY2-6B2tHPF8-gUbMALv7TH3X1ONUN7WlfUq21LacFpIncDTZbdMhckxvdrjmvvEEnl-8pggHqp4/s200/bid.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6854248/" target="_blank">Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much</a> (Amazon)<br />
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Price is Right is the undisputed sick day viewing champion. It’s the best hour of any sick day, so when I discovered a documentary about the Price is Right perfect showcase bid, I knew it was the grandest way to kick off my film fest.<br />
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The movie stars Ted Slauson, A Price is Right super fan who watched the show so often, he realized that the show often reused prices. To help train for his inevitable show appearance, he developed a prize database and memorized the prices for all the prizes that the show used. He appeared in the show’s audience nearly 30 times and can be heard yelling out prices and coaching contestants in footage that spans a few decades. He did make it on the show once, but was foiled by low wheel spins and didn’t make it to the Showcase Showdown. He was eventually banned from show for yelling out to the perfect down to the dollar bid on a Showcase Showdown, which the contestant used to win the show.<br />
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The storytelling throughout is compelling and Slauson is an extremely likeable protagonist. Some of the show’s producers claim he is cheating. Is he though, when the show lazily reuses prizes as often as every four episodes? I suppose it’s up to the viewer to decide. (I did decide. He wasn’t cheating. Don’t reuse prizes, dummies. Get a mattress from another company.)<br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>Everyone. Who doesn’t like Price is Right? Everyone should/would enjoy it.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5 Halls Menthol Cough Drops with Triple Soothing Action ($2.59 for a pack of 30, Bob)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaHqwyMVXOQiXZGGMYiEA_FCXJKdxadKpdAwbg25stchSDkVsetzWMUGmqhcvdlArTEwxXjRkFXvBh4q7mXo8yOjLT9RgjvIk2KvXEDZcR2UI7josXr896ItEaINLjtytQW27LahLlLg/s1600/MV5BZjdmZGM5ZDYtNGZmYS00NmYxLWJjZjYtZTE5YmY0NmVjNTc2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDM3MTM2NzA%2540._V1_UX182_CR0%252C0%252C182%252C268_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaHqwyMVXOQiXZGGMYiEA_FCXJKdxadKpdAwbg25stchSDkVsetzWMUGmqhcvdlArTEwxXjRkFXvBh4q7mXo8yOjLT9RgjvIk2KvXEDZcR2UI7josXr896ItEaINLjtytQW27LahLlLg/s200/MV5BZjdmZGM5ZDYtNGZmYS00NmYxLWJjZjYtZTE5YmY0NmVjNTc2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDM3MTM2NzA%2540._V1_UX182_CR0%252C0%252C182%252C268_AL_.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3444312" target="_blank">Abducted in Plain Sight</a> (Netflix)<br />
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Let me start by saying this is the most bonkers true crime documentary I have ever seen. There are at least three crazy fact revelations that felt just as bananas as the big climatic reveal in the Jinx series. I was yelling at the TV like it was a football game.<br />
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The hook here is that it recounts the true story of a young girl who was abducted by the same man twice in the early 1970s. I thought that would be most insane thing to come from the story, but no. That fact becomes almost normal compared to other parts of this story. I don’t even want to say more. I want you to watch it and then for you to call me so we can talk about how batshit it all is. It’s nuts!<br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>True Crime fans and everyone I know so someone will talk about this movie with me. Seriously friends, watch this; then call me.<br />
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<b>Documentary Rating:</b> 5 out of 5 Cold Eeze lozenges.<br />
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<b>Bad Parenting Rating:</b> 5 out of 5 vitamin C drops. Bad parenting abounds. It’s through the roof. It’s so bad, it earns a rating based on items that are cough drop adjacent, but are clearly not cough drops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8ZqYDcU9C2bEEB3f3fHc9ua7fAQdYnj-ezzB1DbK7OpsjeQ5vKmuYm6VKPtNUdEX-52AO1YG6nvZA4gw9oAN4MRcIEnUqbdwskXhPl9Nkx1LcXnl_7atQYXrCT6CQcncBFGVNp70NqA/s1600/afterpornends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8ZqYDcU9C2bEEB3f3fHc9ua7fAQdYnj-ezzB1DbK7OpsjeQ5vKmuYm6VKPtNUdEX-52AO1YG6nvZA4gw9oAN4MRcIEnUqbdwskXhPl9Nkx1LcXnl_7atQYXrCT6CQcncBFGVNp70NqA/s200/afterpornends.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1291547" target="_blank">After Porn Ends</a> (Amazon, also on Netflix):<br />
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This documentary could have also been called Porn Stars are People Too. Just like the title suggests it explores what happens to former porn stars after they quit the biz and move on with their lives. It turns out a lot of regular stuff happens. They play golf, become real estate agents, and parents. Some have harder paths and become alcoholics and experience the loss of a spouse. Some, like Mary Carey run for Governor of California. They all just seem so regular and so human. *feigned shock* Go figure!<br />
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I don’t know what I was expecting from this, perhaps something more salacious, but I found it to be refreshing. The most interesting bits come when the stars talk about what happens when their new friends and acquaintances discover their past lives or recognize them. Another highlight is the children of some of the former stars are interviewed. Some are embarrassed by their parents profession and some are proud. Overall it’s a nice movie, if not a little boring.<br />
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<b>Recommended for:</b> curious folks, the religious right (because “sinners” are normalized here), and porn fans. Of course<br />
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porn fans. Duh.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 3 out of 5 cherry Ludens (Those things might as well be candy.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqXmxKMSsGNf02OksE-3ZTtDm41R61aA4vODC57cHeke38HkuotbYGYvkCXDa-saYu1ZQy4tpIXbvZqscFjj3YNPwmx_bR4AwMdJ5Ln093j6rcSOcY7LvPf3FksRojuzDGzgHmUQXdyY/s1600/nintendo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqXmxKMSsGNf02OksE-3ZTtDm41R61aA4vODC57cHeke38HkuotbYGYvkCXDa-saYu1ZQy4tpIXbvZqscFjj3YNPwmx_bR4AwMdJ5Ln093j6rcSOcY7LvPf3FksRojuzDGzgHmUQXdyY/s200/nintendo.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3063470" target="_blank">Nintendo Quest</a> (Amazon)<br />
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There are 678 officially licensed Nintendo games including some incredibly rare titles. In this little adventure, a big-time Nintendo nerd seeks to purchase all of them without using the Internet in 30 days time while his friends make a movie about it.<br />
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I wanted to like this movie, but I it ended up bumming me out. What could have been a rollicking road trip across the country exploring used game stores is instead a guy talking on the phone and going to his own local game stores three times. They do take some road trips, but protagonist Jay seems to have some anxiety issues that prevents him from displaying enjoyment of these trips.<br />
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I also wanted to know their total budget and costs of the pricier games. They used an on screen graphic denoting how much money was left in the budget without every mentioning their budgetary constraints. This movie left me wanting for more information just like Mario is always wanting more mushrooms.<br />
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<b>Recommend for:</b> Nintendo collectors, I guess, mostly just Hugh and Alex from <a href="https://www.bestbudslounge.com/" target="_blank">Best Buds Gaming Lounge</a>. Alex might not even like it. Just Hugh. Really, I want Hugh and Alex to go on this adventure and make a movie about it. They would do it right. I would love the Hugh and Alex version of this movie.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 2 out of 5 Fisherman’s Friends (Have you had these? They are gross. You can’t eat have more than one.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYjL_LialKuuZre123d2dG9BgaFq8nFLDPFmUbdy4zpLPsGyr52xL4Mbpdc9OJCWZrxpOyhSHE_ut5jVbQ_qaQEk7ZWqlzgM68yd5T3R2-Y1479WZ97IOldxr3awLt07GUDH9wyPiPgk/s1600/pez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYjL_LialKuuZre123d2dG9BgaFq8nFLDPFmUbdy4zpLPsGyr52xL4Mbpdc9OJCWZrxpOyhSHE_ut5jVbQ_qaQEk7ZWqlzgM68yd5T3R2-Y1479WZ97IOldxr3awLt07GUDH9wyPiPgk/s200/pez.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903003" target="_blank">PEZheads: The Movie</a> </b>(Amazon)<br />
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What do you watch after you watch a movie about collecting video games? A movie about collecting PEZ! Fun fact: I am a recovering PEZ collector. Topping out at around 180 machines, I sold the bulk of my collection on eBay many years ago. I still have about 50 of my favorite machines which include Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Lucky Charms leprechaun.<br />
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I’ve established now that I love PEZ. They are part of my identity. And you know what is not exciting? Watching people buy PEZ. Also not exciting? Listening to people talk about PEZ. The best part of this movie is the visit to the PEZ factory to see how they make the candy.<br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>PEZ Heads and no one else.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 2 out of 5 Halls Breezers. (You need to eat two at a time, because those suckers do not work.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRPc_ixH132B-bmo2i1G-HVQTT-X5xtkinfBlQoU457H3m9ImOXVfgDgyj02MMd-qo3cUgyvLFenPsfSnDok2qLMgKofLOr0XQDDRuE9RcL9q-hYBPtLjcol6VlPQc9uj_g020F1Xycg/s1600/atari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRPc_ixH132B-bmo2i1G-HVQTT-X5xtkinfBlQoU457H3m9ImOXVfgDgyj02MMd-qo3cUgyvLFenPsfSnDok2qLMgKofLOr0XQDDRuE9RcL9q-hYBPtLjcol6VlPQc9uj_g020F1Xycg/s200/atari.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3715406" target="_blank">Atari: Game Over</a> (Amazon)<br />
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Everyone knows about the legend of the “worst video game of all time” Atari’s ET and the urban legend that Atari buried millions of unsold cartridges in the desert outside of Alamogordo, NM. What starts out as a plan to seek the truth about this tale, ends up as an exploration of the meteoric rise and fall of the Atari company.<br />
<br />
Along the way, the story of the ET game is explained and the game designer provides his side of the story. His side of the story is the most compelling part of the movie, he doesn’t start out being a very sympathetic character, but as he explains the circumstances of the making of the game, I started to come around to his point-of-view. The movie<br />
culminates in the excavation of the desert landfill and the pacing is such that I got really excited about the scenes where they start digging up the dump. Will they find any ET cartridges?! Watch and find out! (Yes. Yes they do.)<br />
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<b>Recommended for:</b> game nerds, history buffs, urban legend fans, children of the 1980s<br />
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<b>Sick day rating:</b> 4 out of 5 children’s cherry flavored Sucrets (my childhood favorite, they had a weird medicinal taste that made them more gross and less candy-like then Ludens.)<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXD1Q6fJgBEof0TwQuVDDL9VmWx2OI6XCbHowbanid4nk1puoH2Hmmmvecuo3qcacfkrhKM60Rhyphenhyphenge0B8UE3DCtt-Viv8wKXgIlOrrw8nzhHaHDVQOXy80XtdY_FJBWhYJh8_P0TjrZw/s1600/best+worst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXD1Q6fJgBEof0TwQuVDDL9VmWx2OI6XCbHowbanid4nk1puoH2Hmmmvecuo3qcacfkrhKM60Rhyphenhyphenge0B8UE3DCtt-Viv8wKXgIlOrrw8nzhHaHDVQOXy80XtdY_FJBWhYJh8_P0TjrZw/s200/best+worst.jpg" width="135" /></a> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3282712" target="_blank">Best Worst Thing that Ever Could Have Happened</a> (HBOGo)<br />
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More than 30 years after the Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical Merrily We Roll Along closed after just two weeks to terrible reviews, the original cast reunites to talk about their “big break”. The movie is directed by Lonny Price (Neil Kellerman in Dirty Dancing “If they think you're with me, they'll be the happiest parents at Kellerman's. I have to say it. I'm known as the catch of the county”) who scored a starring role in the musical when he was in his early twenties. Jason Alexander (Seinfeld’s George) and Giancarlo Esposito (Gus in Breaking Bad) were also in the original Broadway cast and Alexander is heavily featured in the movie.<br />
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The footage available to Price and his team is outstanding as it much of it was from a documentary ABC was making about the musical while it was in rehearsal. Since it was a Sondheim work, it was presumed to be a huge hit. Unfortunately it wasn’t and it bombed.<br />
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Hearing the cast talk about the play is exciting, because they capture how huge the play was to them at the time. Their innocence is on display and they all all so darn earnest and hopeful that you can’t help but cheer for them. The camaraderie between the cast after 30 years is still palpable and even though the project was a failure at the time, they all talk about the project with so much love. It’s an absolute joy to watch.<br />
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<b>Recommended for:</b> Broadway freaks, old friends, people in their early twenties and late forties.<br />
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<b>Sick day rating:</b> 4 out of 5 Cepacol (Those are the good ones that taste bad, but numb the heck out of your throat and mouth so you stop coughing for a few minutes.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpadNTTzaBNfZWUBxjR_GiP6DLGI5KrTECRRaEbuFY_T33lcGz68pDYCZzyWszOOb8mo6AzW5I6HerKeYsYDFuzUM7qGFkDFeHZmRjXiUMd_sMkav1eBBKwn-nBnp6byrTPhVhDxNiVDg/s1600/glow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpadNTTzaBNfZWUBxjR_GiP6DLGI5KrTECRRaEbuFY_T33lcGz68pDYCZzyWszOOb8mo6AzW5I6HerKeYsYDFuzUM7qGFkDFeHZmRjXiUMd_sMkav1eBBKwn-nBnp6byrTPhVhDxNiVDg/s200/glow.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559038" target="_blank">GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling</a> (Netflix)<br />
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This film chronicles the rise and unexpected end of the 1980s women’s wrestling show The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. It highlights the neon spandex, sky-high hair, and frosted makeup of the mid to late 1980s in tons of over-the-top footage from the original show. More touchingly, it features the wrestlers reminiscing over their friendships and hard work of practicing for the show and what has happened since its cancellation.<br />
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The women in it are absolute power-houses and characters to this day. The movie features the best kind of reminiscing because so much of it is recalled with glee by the ladies. After watching, I was left with warm fuzzy feelings thinking about what happens when groups of women form meaningful lifelong friendships. It broke the main rule of sick day viewing in that it made me cry.<br />
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<b>Recommended for:</b> women, sports fans, 1980s aficionados<br />
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<b>Sick day rating:</b> 5 out of 5 honey lemon Ricola (my cough drop of choice.)<br />
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GLOW was an uplifting conclusion to the 2019 Great Sick Day Film Festival and yet, I still hope there isn’t a 2020 version. Using 3.5 days of PTO on being sick is lame. Just in case there is, what other documentaries should I consider? What are your favorite documentaries for either sick or healthy day viewing? Should I just stick with Price is Right?<br />
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In the immortal words of Bob Barker, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”
K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-87305901576560381352019-01-14T12:45:00.000-08:002019-01-14T12:45:00.408-08:004 Reasons Why My TBR Pile Might Kill MeIt’s not hard to keep a TBR list. Anyone can make a Goodreads account and click the green “want to read” button or keep a handwritten list in their bullet journal. What takes a little more commitment and a lot more space is a physical TBR stack. This is where I find myself now, with a more than three-foot (Yes, I measured) pile of books taller than my nightstand next to my bed. With the paltry shelves of the actual furniture long full, I’ve expanded to the floor.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0oFlAqcH_xZcdnYWNgBacV0T5_diTWScNkHTLJkYUKnhc5LukvNLfx2KlFvmcAv-1aD-d7W981Lu9BceBhRz_2bfUwuOsLgKeECFip1msPmiexVTvWEAxkScLM83c1uCd4I7lUHVmIg/s1600/bookmountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1518" data-original-width="1600" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0oFlAqcH_xZcdnYWNgBacV0T5_diTWScNkHTLJkYUKnhc5LukvNLfx2KlFvmcAv-1aD-d7W981Lu9BceBhRz_2bfUwuOsLgKeECFip1msPmiexVTvWEAxkScLM83c1uCd4I7lUHVmIg/s320/bookmountain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Highest Peak of Book Mountain</td></tr>
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My TBR stack was created by the following four-pronged fact attack and because of this it will mostly likely tumble over and bury me in a pile of unread books:<br />
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<b>1. I have a relentlessly positive attitude.</b> I always overestimate how much free-time I have to devote to reading. Relatedly, as an extrovert, I rarely turn down any invitations that take me away from my apartment and my TBR stack and into the outside world. While Shonda Rhimes had her Year of Yes, I really need a year of no to make time for all the books I want to read.<br />
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<b>2. Quality book recommendations abound!</b> It’s so easy to find lists of good books recommended by people I trust. Since my friends know I like to read, they often pepper me with enthralling titles. Many newsletters arrive in my inbox each week and I never leave clickbait headlines such as “50 Amazing Mysteries You Can’t Live Without” unclicked. If I don’t click, I might miss out on my new favorite book!<br />
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<b>3. It’s just too easy to buy cheap books these days.</b> If I see the one penny (plus $3.99 shipping) option on Amazon for an interesting book on a just read click-bait list, I am doomed. That book is as good as the newest book to earn the coveted top of the TBR stack spot, a temporary position until the next book arrives. Used bookstores are also one of my favorite places to spend time.<br />
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<b>4. I love to get mail. </b>There is almost no small joy as delicious as many padded envelopes falling out of the mailbox. Each yellow bubble mailer is stuffed with the promise of relaxation and escape and I’m addicted to the possibility of what is inside. (Yes, even though I ordered it and ostensibly should know what it is already.)<br />
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The combination of these deadly truths has created the large problem occupying about 3 cubic feet of my 600 square foot apartment. Sure, the pile occasionally topples. It’s precarious. This lets me rearrange the order and gives those near the bottom a chance to ascend again. One day it might fall on me while I sleep.<br />
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Examining the pile is almost seeing a geologic cross section. The strata indicate my interests over time. At the base you can see four different versions of The Christmas Carol from Mickey Mouse to Marvel Zombie versions from when I was comparing the Bob Cratchit character in each, but never completed my study. In the middle, I see one of the last books my uncle read before he died and it’s one I’ve started many times but can’t finish because of the reason it’s there. Freshly placed like new topsoil are two new YA titles purchased with a gift certificate and some penny books gleaned from a list of YA in verse (<a href="https://bookriot.com/2016/03/22/100-must-read-ya-books-in-verse/" target="_blank">Thanks a lot Book Riot!</a>)<br />
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How much taller will it get? Probably not much. Usually around this height, I enact a temporary “NO NEW BOOKS” rule and read 12-18 inches of the stack before I fold and a new interest takes hold and I purchased 3-4 new titles to quench my thirst and the cycle starts anew. Also, at the insistence of my friend Z, I have purchased a new small shelf and started to cull the herd.<br />
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Will it ever disappear? Probably not. Sometimes I pull one from the middle and while I might never get back to those Christmas Carols on the bottom, they make a solid base. It’s a permanent part of my home decor and secretly I like it.
K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-62927791041820343622019-01-11T12:39:00.000-08:002019-01-11T12:39:04.264-08:00Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ReviewI have never excelled at giving good movie or music recommendations. The problem is that I like too many things. It’s hard to give a helpful critique when I think many movies and music are “sssssooooooooo gooooooooddddd”.<br />
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Years ago, I told my friend Jonnie, while we were arguing about a band that I thought he should like, that he didn’t have an appreciation for enough pop culture. I said that if he had a sieve over his head that let in new music, the holes in his sieve would be too small to let anything through. He disagreed and yelled “YOU NEED SMALLER HOLES!” thereby letting the office know that the holes in my pop culture sieve were way too big and let in enough junk to drown me. Then he drew me the following cartoon.<br />
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This picture hangs on my cubicle wall to this day to remind me to have a more critical eye when accepting the trendiest of pop culture trash. It has worked to some extent. I’ve never seen an episode of any Real Housewives or Kardashian show and yet it has failed to influence my taste in movies. I still seem to like and find something enjoyable about most movies.<br />
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My friend MJV asked me to start writing movie reviews more than a year ago and I blanched for the reason outlined above. How helpful will it be to you to read about all the reasons why I like all the movies that I see? This brings us to today though. When I relented and have written my thoughts on <a href="https://youtu.be/tg52up16eq0" target="_blank"><i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i></a> just for him. Here you go, MJV. This is all your fault.<br />
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<i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i> is absolutely amazing action-packed animated Spider-Man story. In it Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales gets spider powers in the regular way and soon meets Peter Parker where he discovers that there are many other spider-people currently converged in his very own NY-based universe. Together they must fight the evil Kingpin together and get each of the spider-people back to their own spidery multiverses.<br />
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I loved this movie. It’s my favorite Spider-Man movie so far, counting even <i>Spider-Man: Homecoming</i>, which I adored. It is probably my favorite superhero movie of all time, but I need to watch both <i>Black Panther</i> and the last Avengers again before confirming this ranking. It’s great though. Really really great.
Let’s take a look at different aspects of the movie:<br />
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<b>Story:</b> Exciting! The story and plot were action-packed but had enough quiet and moving scenes so viewers could catch their breath and get to know the characters. It flows like a superhero story should and rewards the viewer with big fights and big laughs.<br />
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<b>Characters:</b> Superb! Miles Morales is my current favorite Spider-Man and he is the main character here. The supporting spider people, especially Spider Gwen are great too. Newcomer Peni Parker is set to be a star and steals her scenes. Sony/Marvel/whoever owns the property can’t get a Peni Parker and SP//dr mecha book or cartoon out fast enough. I don’t know why they weren’t ready with one already.<br />
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<b>Animation:</b> Loved it! It’s beautiful. The styles of all the spider-verses meld together in a beautiful and cohesive way. It’s seamless and stunning throughout. I want to see the movie in the theater again, so I can pay less attention to the other aspects of the movie and just check out all the eye-candy.<br />
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<b>Voice-Acting:</b> Fantastic! Nic Cage was perfectly moody as Spider-Man Noir and John Mulaney had perfectly-pitched Looney-Tunesesque voice as Spider-Ham. It was as if he hired a wizard to summon the spirit of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Blanc" target="_blank">Mel Blanc</a> to coach him in the room. Every casting choice was great and fit all the characters.<br />
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<b>Sound Track:</b> A+! It’s mostly slow and chill hip-hop, with some more rock-tinged and gritty tracks sprinkled throughout for the action sequences. Popular acts Lil Wayne, Jaden Smith, Post Malone, Nicki Minaj and Juice WRLD each have songs on the soundtrack. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApXoWvfEYVU" target="_blank">The first single, by Post Malone</a>, is my most listened track so far.<br />
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So, there you go, a totally useless review! I liked everything about <i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.</i> And if you don’t like it, you’re wrong!
K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-85854078989944399232019-01-09T12:39:00.000-08:002019-01-09T12:39:01.363-08:00The Dark Side of Choose Your Own Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do you ever have a tidal wave of memories that crash over you without warning from the recesses of your brain? This happened to me one recent Saturday morning when I had a distinct memories of a family road trip, stuck in the very back bench seat of my family’s silver 1986 Plymouth Voyager as we crossed the hot Eastern Washington desert, reading and rereading a box set of four Choose Your Own Adventure books. I remembered picking out the set at Costco and how special it seemed because my mom was buying me four books instead of just one.<br />
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Whatever caused my sudden and unstoppable need for a nostalgia-fueled afternoon of sifting through Choose Your Own Adventure books was now gnawing a small pit in my stomach. It was a thirst that needed to be quenched immediately. Time to track down some of these gems of my childhood!<br />
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<b> WARNING!!! </b></div>
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Do not read this book straight through from beginning to end! These pages contain many different adventures as you search for favorite books from your childhood. The adventures you take are a result of your choice. You are responsible because you choose! What will happen as you scour the town looking for Adventures?<br />
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Good luck!<br />
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I set out for my favorite used bookstores thinking it would be an easy quest. There are, after all <a href="https://www.cyoa.com/pages/history-of-cyoa" target="_blank">260 million copies in print</a>. How hard could it be to find a few? After traveling across town and back to four used bookstores and pulling up to the library only to find that it closes early on Saturdays, I was empty-handed and ready to admit defeat. Tired and disappointed, I smelled like the musty pages of all the books I didn't buy. Then I remembered thrift stores! I hadn't thought to stop at any of them. They certainly had books from the 1980s so they must have a shelf of CYOA just waiting for me. Could I fight my weariness and continue my quest? This day was starting to feel like a <i>Choose Your Own Adventure</i> of my very own.<br />
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<i>If you go to Value Village to continue looking for original Choose Your Own Adventure books, turn to page 75. </i><br />
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<i>If you give up and stop by a brewery for a pint on your way home, turn to page 83. </i><br />
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I was tired, yet still unwilling to give up. I skipped the delicious porter and head to Value Village. Turning ahead to page 75 in my own adventure, I find the following.<br />
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<i>You park your car in the large nearly empty lot and walk through a light rain to the thrift store entrance. You walk through the old automatic door and stroll hopefully up to the children's book section. On the shelves, you see tens of books from the Twilight series and multiple versions of Chicken Soup for the kid or teenage soul. You are momentarily distracted by the Sweet Valley High selection, before realizing that there are ZERO original or even reprint Choose Your Own Adventure books at Value Village. You return home, dejected and empty-handed and launch into a frantic and lonely ebay bender for CYOA books where you purchase many original and reprint books and also a disturbing number of copycat and wannabe series. As the spoils of your online auction addiction start to arrive, you wonder when you will have time to read them and where to store them all. While laying on the floor compiling information on CYOA books, you see your life flash before your eyes as an avalanche of small paperbacks topples and crushes your skull. </i><br />
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<b>The End </b></div>
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Luckily, the beauty of CYOA books is the ability to start over after a quick and painful death. The reader always gets the opportunity for a new beginning with the hope for a successful and happy ending. As I dug through my newly acquired stash of CYOA books though, I was struck by how rare a truly gratifying conclusion was. I was dying left and right and with reckless abandon. Sometimes I would survive, but I would end up in a psych ward, hospital or kidnapped. Here are some samples of how I met my end, again and again.<br />
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“You will never escape. You will be a prisoner of the ants forever.”<br />
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“'Fools! You will never defeat me.' These are the last words you'll ever hear.”<br />
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“Your teeth rattle in your mouth. You are dying of instant old age.”<br />
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“Almost worse than dying is the thought that the vampire will live to become the terror of the Earth.”<br />
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“You become delirious with thirst and walk straight into the path of a rattlesnake.”<br />
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I bet you can guess what happens next. In other endings, I was lost in time and space, was enslaved (twice!), made a bargain with evil and was devoured by piranha feeding frenzy. Now I know why I had so many nightmares as a kid. I guess they include that warning at the beginning for a reason. Plus, even if I did survive, many of the endings weren't very satisfying. Maybe I survived, but I was left without riches or reward or my life was irreparably changed in some way. Endings here ranged from possibly great “You are now Genghis Khan” to downers like “Let's quit while we are still alive” and “Six months to the day after you first acquired Conrad (a supercomputer), he burns out his circuits from working too hard. Just two days after that you are sent away to fat kids' camp.” Sometimes they were truly bizarre, “You will have the distinction of being your own great-great-grandfather with the knowledge that no one else possesses.” Correct me if I’m wrong here, but I think the book is suggesting that you bang your great great grandma. Um . . . Yuck.<br />
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Where were all the amazing endings that I remembered from my childhood? Where were my piles of treasure? Are all the titles in the series this dark? At this point, I decided a more quantitative look would be required. I read all the endings in nine books and charted them to find out if the series was as brutal as I thought in my first look.<br />
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It turns out that yes, they are very very dark. The data backs up my empirical evidence. I counted 242 endings and 66% of them ranged from kind of sucky to severely abominable (just like the snowman in one of the titles I purchased.)<br />
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Even though I categorized one third of the endings as “happy,” I am using that word as loosely as possible here. “Happy” in CYOA world just means that you lived. You might wake up in a hospital and find out that your friend is dead, but “Hooray!” at least you survived. If you’re lucky, perhaps you also stopped a group of Druids from completing their ritual or made friends with a yeti. Amnesia is sometimes involved.<br />
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Although the exact percentage was untracked in my study, true victory does occur in some cases. I would guess it happens about 10-15% of the time and most of those successes mean you have gained fame and/or fortune.<br />
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This darkness made me wonder about the author <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._A._Montgomery" target="_blank">R. A. Montgomery</a>. Did he even like kids? Why does he want us all to meet untimely deaths over and over? Were these book just his elaborate fantasies on eliminating children from this earth? He did write more than 50 of the books and since he died in late 2014, I guess we’ll never know.<br />
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Luckily for me my personal <i>Choose Your Own Adventure</i> adventure had a happy ending. Much like one you would find in the books, I lived and am mostly unchanged. I walked a nostalgic path, completed an experiment, learned a little and gained no fortune. Now it’s back to Value Village for those <i>Sweet Valley High</i> books.
K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-9142856732696673942019-01-07T11:54:00.001-08:002019-01-07T16:00:55.779-08:00The 7 Best Books I Read in 2018In 2017 and 2018 I set a goal of reading or listening to 100 books or audiobooks. In 2017, I consumed 193 books mainly because I went on a huge children’s literature binge to combat my despair over Trump’s inauguration. That January and February, I went through loads and loads of story books and it was fun. It was a great antidote for the terrible news.<br />
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Last year, I ended up consuming 92 out of 100 books even though I started two book clubs and expected to easily meet my goal. I’m not unhappy that I didn’t meet my goal, just surprised. Last year was challenging for me, as I tried to balance the new commitment of spending time with my 92-year-old aunt who we moved from assisted living in California to a facility a few miles from my apartment. It was harder than I ever imagined. I spent a lot of time feeling sad and frustrated and that manifested in playing a lot of games on my phone and doing mindless internet scrolling.<br />
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I still read great books though and gave seven of them the coveted 5/5 rating on Goodreads. A mix of non-fiction and mostly YA fiction, they are, in no particular order:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDQWtn-aW6Fk6n41cU2Wyn6lEHcHtXh9id6I1McS4fe3Hkpwiwb8NJ5lRO_mWVTH_ZBFhJmWFUlppWADN97lSL_2xs66-fNIzPn_AWjhBJdb3mkKlN-tc0JJfSD5Vha8NrdgjmgkxL00/s1600/educated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDQWtn-aW6Fk6n41cU2Wyn6lEHcHtXh9id6I1McS4fe3Hkpwiwb8NJ5lRO_mWVTH_ZBFhJmWFUlppWADN97lSL_2xs66-fNIzPn_AWjhBJdb3mkKlN-tc0JJfSD5Vha8NrdgjmgkxL00/s200/educated.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35133922-educated" target="_blank">Educated</a> </b>
This book was on a lot of lists last year and for good reason. In it author Tara Westover shares her enthralling life story of being raised by survivalists in Idaho and not getting a formal education until she turns 17. It’s an incredible story of self-reliance and self-preservation. Pair it with The <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7445.The_Glass_Castle" target="_blank">Glass Castle</a> (which I gave 5 stars in 2017) if you want to read two stories about bonkers parents in a row.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZMzi50WpP5bGgg7Jy_0xjtaORTtvxDk8zE7qVy-4gU2Xm6PhTc4mBDoM73KdkIh6Ja-UCfgPmSqQ56dHcDeLASffPP7lPf75fLmijoqr5RJ1qD39VL8cqwKjV9DeO_U28Yz_FAxmb_s/s1600/Ill+be+gone+in+the+dark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZMzi50WpP5bGgg7Jy_0xjtaORTtvxDk8zE7qVy-4gU2Xm6PhTc4mBDoM73KdkIh6Ja-UCfgPmSqQ56dHcDeLASffPP7lPf75fLmijoqr5RJ1qD39VL8cqwKjV9DeO_U28Yz_FAxmb_s/s200/Ill+be+gone+in+the+dark.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35068432-i-ll-be-gone-in-the-dark" target="_blank">I’ll be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer</a>
</b>This is a chilling account of the decades long search for the Golden State Killer, released just before he was actually found. Michelle McNamara was obsessed with the case and I enjoyed creeping myself out by listening to it. My personal interest in the case is that when he was known as the East Area Rapist (before he started killing his victims), he raped a woman on the street my family lived on when I was one. It was horrifying to hear places that I know described as crime scenes and haunting grounds and then a relief to know that he has finally been caught.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKIOP3sOVv_kxtvO_TYZLfeIikaJeghqh6IzNfy3iqSyab-xkGIw2Z5FbebbBs4wt8yqvbzq33zBmsEF4EEo26Nh6ToMpKtcHQtgWf1poC5hSwfdmeGAQ9EaS5q7psAJ5PlUI2kps27w/s1600/girlssnowglass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKIOP3sOVv_kxtvO_TYZLfeIikaJeghqh6IzNfy3iqSyab-xkGIw2Z5FbebbBs4wt8yqvbzq33zBmsEF4EEo26Nh6ToMpKtcHQtgWf1poC5hSwfdmeGAQ9EaS5q7psAJ5PlUI2kps27w/s200/girlssnowglass.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b>3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32768509-girls-made-of-snow-and-glass" target="_blank">Girls Made of Snow and Glass</a></b>
The last book I finished this year, by first time author Melissa Bashardoust, vaulted onto my list of favorite books ever. Ostensibly it is billed as a feminist retelling of Snow White (without the dwarves). It’s so much more though. It’s about friendship and nature versus nurture and creepy fathers and being true to oneself all while incredible expectations are heaped upon you. I listened to the audio and plan to buy the book to keep on my favorites shelf and read again and then again after that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m4cl9B-mFB4DNX-OJr3Y5z5verF5mxsGqH2hnr9hO_xobvLLFUbbaYQDd6IUnARdjOusN04O3IrRtY50FaXAdsZGtWkI3tsAE1SEDWkGIwf9ZrqwEGuSvy99_hVahGOhXGpqB7s_NNI/s1600/Talkaboutrace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m4cl9B-mFB4DNX-OJr3Y5z5verF5mxsGqH2hnr9hO_xobvLLFUbbaYQDd6IUnARdjOusN04O3IrRtY50FaXAdsZGtWkI3tsAE1SEDWkGIwf9ZrqwEGuSvy99_hVahGOhXGpqB7s_NNI/s200/Talkaboutrace.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35099718-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race" target="_blank">So You Want to Talk About Race</a></b>
Hey white people, don’t ask your black friends to teach you about the racism they experience daily. Save them the trouble, frustration, and heartache and do the research yourself instead. Start here with this book by Seattle’s Ijeoma Oluo. Learn about the structural injustices in America. It’s a fantastic launching point for your own study and understanding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnf9D620BuNQMZpCdxjZ9eV7DeipPVtRoyKMSPlJczkqEARcmJyBXlU8adcGrUpNKZD5jIV_eHm-Wnjlo_AlpiXanAMP6Ox6jjTkRQAwHhxjfJY4THnLhHb7_DgSQ9d-s4fIfPzZ_epmk/s1600/poetx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnf9D620BuNQMZpCdxjZ9eV7DeipPVtRoyKMSPlJczkqEARcmJyBXlU8adcGrUpNKZD5jIV_eHm-Wnjlo_AlpiXanAMP6Ox6jjTkRQAwHhxjfJY4THnLhHb7_DgSQ9d-s4fIfPzZ_epmk/s200/poetx.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<b>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33294200-the-poet-x" target="_blank">The Poet X</a></b>
This novel in verse won the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s literature. Elizabeth Acevedo captures a powerful and raw YA voice in her main character Xiomara. I devoured it in one night. It’s an accessible introduction to poetry if you’re looking for a place to start because while it’s still a novel, there are so many beautiful standalone pages.<br />
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<b>6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone" target="_blank">Children of Blood and Bone</a></b>
Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel is an action-packed epic fantasy YA and the first of a trilogy. The friendship between the two main characters reeled me in and the magic of their country and journey made me stay. I listened to the audiobook and immediately went out to buy myself a copy and have been enjoying a slow reread ever since.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnmwQzTqLQpOJILrVX5ETVQFziG-td_fW_dQ3jcyGjavjBBTLZRpT943TtlfyWfRT3OzjGx8QxXCS_i_JvPMXh4wk8eX1tUqr1dWjRJDCjHN0BtJw1gQ-0V96eaYpNTCLmKp_JiWepWk/s1600/heatingandcooling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="293" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnmwQzTqLQpOJILrVX5ETVQFziG-td_fW_dQ3jcyGjavjBBTLZRpT943TtlfyWfRT3OzjGx8QxXCS_i_JvPMXh4wk8eX1tUqr1dWjRJDCjHN0BtJw1gQ-0V96eaYpNTCLmKp_JiWepWk/s200/heatingandcooling.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
<b>7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34068532-heating-cooling" target="_blank">Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs</a></b>
This book is utterly delicious. On page three, I had already started lamenting its short length and upcoming end. It’s a tiny book with vignettes that when compiled together build you a stunning picture of the author, Beth Ann Fennelly’s life. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read and I plan to buy it this year with plans to reread it many times. <br />
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I’m two books into my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/10719615" target="_blank">2019 reading challenge</a>, where, again, my goal is 100 books. I’d love to hear your book recommendations if you’ve got them and, in turn, I’d love to suggest books for you. These seven are a good place to start.
K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-7905834853463395882019-01-01T14:01:00.001-08:002019-01-01T14:26:22.988-08:0019 in 2019!Following the lead of <a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/podcast-episode/199-evaluate-18-for-2018" target="_blank">Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft</a>, cohosts of my favorite podcast <a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/podcasts/" target="_blank">Happier</a>, I’m embarking on a list of 19 things I want to do in 2019.<br />
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<b>1. Restart a blog! </b>I miss reading all the blogs I read in the early aughts. I miss writing silly little posts about the silly things little things I love. To activate my writing muscles, I need to practice writing and I won’t write if I’m my only audience. Blogging gives me the illusion of other people reading it. In 2019, I will publish at least two blog posts each week.<br />
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<b>2. Complete a Happiness Project!</b> I’m a happy follower of the work of the aforementioned Gretchen Rubin. I love her podcast and her books especially, <a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/books/the-happiness-project/about-the-book/" target="_blank">The Happiness Project</a>. This year she is launching a yearlong course, <a href="https://courses.gretchenrubin.com/happiness/" target="_blank">The Happiness Project Experience</a> and I’m going to actively participate in this class.<br />
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<b>3. Visit a cat cafe! </b>This one doesn’t really need explanation. I like cats. I like cafes. I'm going to go to one.<br />
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<b>4. Send out Christmas cards!</b> Every year I give treats and cards to my coworker friends, For the past three years, I haven’t finished sending cards to all my family and friends that live outside my midsized Hamlet. In 2019, I will mail Christmas cards to all my friends and family BEFORE Christmas day.<br />
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<b>5. Join the <a href="https://www.whatcommuseum.org/members/become-a-member/" target="_blank">Whatcom Museum</a>! </b>Here is another no brainer. I am a member of the Seattle Art Museum and go there more times a year than the museum in my own town. This year I will join it and visit it five times.
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<b>6.Finish craft projects!</b> </b>I’m an avid starter of craft projects. I’m an abysmal finisher of craft projects. This year, I will finish one previously started craft project a month.
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<b>7. Play an RPG! </b>I’m a game nerd that’s never played D&D. I’m interested in playing an RPG and on Black Friday I bought the beginner game for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. I want to find a DM and play it this year.
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<b>8. Go to a game store event! </b>I like to play nerdy games, but I’m not very good at them. I lose a lot. I’m also pretty embarrassed to play them with people I don’t know because I'm terrible at remembering rules. In 2018, I went to one Keyforge event. It was fun even though I lost all three of my matches. This year, I will go to at least one nerdy card game event at a game store.<br />
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<b>9. Make my Apartment nice! </b>Currently, my apartment is decorated in the style I call “Storage Unit chic”. It’s bad. There are piles of stuff everywhere. In early 2019, my apartment will look nice enough that I won’t be embarrassed if someone wants to visit.
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<b>10. Go on the <a href="https://stateofthesolarsystembham.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">State of the Solar System </a>walk! </b>There is this fun statue downtown that I call Pac-Man because, well, it looks like Pac-Man. It turns out that it is actually a statue of the sun and it is the beginning of a scale model of the solar system, with plaques around town for each of the planets. I want to take this walk and find all the planets.<br />
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<b>11. Take toy portraits! </b>Sometime last year, I had the idea to take some of my action figures and toys out in nature and make little composed scenes with them. Did I do this? No! Of course not! Am I going to do it this year?! Yes!! At least once with my Luke and Yoda action figures.<br />
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<b>12. Rock town and campus!</b> A few years ago, I painted rocks and hide them along the route of the Bellingham Pride Parade. I also painted 100 small smiley face rocks and hide them around Cannon Beach, OR. Both were super fun experiences.This year, I will rock town once and also campus once.<br />
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<b>13. Complete a 30-day yoga challenge! </b>This one is another that doesn’t need much of an explanation. I like yoga. I’m going to do it once a day for 30 days in a row once this year.<br />
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<b>14. See Improv Shakespeare in Chicago!</b> This is a gimme of a goal. Bestie MJV and I are planning a trip to Chicago in April where our main goals are to see improv shows and eat and drink yummy food and beverages. We will definitely go see my favorite improv group ever <a href="https://www.ioimprov.com/shows/the-improvised-shakespeare-co/" target="_blank">The Improvised Shakespeare Company</a> once (or maybe twice).<br />
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<b>15. Cook new recipes!</b> In 2018, I was in a major rut. I had a lot of cereal for dinner. I didn’t bake very many new recipes. This used to be a source of major joy for me and I think it still is. To find out, I’ll cook or bake from 24 new to me recipes this year<br />
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<b>16. Use my toy cameras!</b> I have a collection of little-used fun toy cameras. Some are film and some are instant. I almost never use them. This year I will complete at least one roll of film with each toy camera.<br />
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<b>17. Use up my bath and beauty products!</b> Somehow I have managed to collect a lot of bath bombs and sheet masks and I haven’t been using them. I’m going to use one of them a week until they are gone.<br />
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<b>18. Visit the <a href="https://www.reifelbirdsanctuary.com/index.html" target="_blank">The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary</a>!</b> There is a pretty great bird sanctuary just north of me. I’ve never been. I’m going to explore it once this year.<br />
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<b>19. Plan a <a href="http://www.keeptalkinggame.com/" target="_blank">Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes</a> happy hour!</b> At PAX West 2018, me and Dupree played the super fun bomb defusing game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. I am going to organize a happy hour around this game this year.<br />
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If I keep to item #1 on the list, I'll update this space with my progress over the course of the year. If I don't, you'll never know if I completed this list!K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-34148073818587492632009-04-16T21:24:00.000-07:002009-04-16T21:24:00.459-07:00April Happy List1. Cooking with friends: Dupree and I made chicken carbonara on Friday. It was fun to cook with him even though I hit him for eating the chicken while he was shredding it.<br /><br />2. Tim’s birthday party: Tim reserved part of Barca for us and it was a ton of fun having our own section and lots of room to mingle. It was great to see old friends and party like it was 1997 along with meeting some of Tim’s coworkers and students.<br /><br /><br />3. <a href="http://www.circuscontraption.com/">Circus Contraption</a>: My birthday present to Tim. It was one of those shows that made me love Seattle. Just the fact that little shows like this with amazing acts can exist makes me happy. We went to Via Tribunali for dinner after the show and it was an excellent date night. I think I could be a professional date planner. Seriously. I come up with the most fun things. Too bad I’m terrible at finding boyfriends.<br /><br />4. Running: I’m taking up running. Well for now I’m still walking more than I’m running, but it’s good and I like it.<br /><br />5. Justin: A new friend this year that is totally fun and also enjoys cartoons.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApQmsf_6T44IM5vUv_JgPZPpUM5eZ99Jp51eH-zzM5SlgJKJwb-lag9M81oESOSbwjZ8EjNmz2zUwFqegG_yZ6QC8lMgQWeGC3tca0itowMU8z0FyR5AdpruW4kpzBZCdOKSiVE06nuQ/s1600-h/tim+walker.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325419054362652866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApQmsf_6T44IM5vUv_JgPZPpUM5eZ99Jp51eH-zzM5SlgJKJwb-lag9M81oESOSbwjZ8EjNmz2zUwFqegG_yZ6QC8lMgQWeGC3tca0itowMU8z0FyR5AdpruW4kpzBZCdOKSiVE06nuQ/s320/tim+walker.jpg" border="0" /></a>6. <a href="http://www.thomastreuhaft.com/Tim_Walker/tw.html">Tim Walker’s photography</a>: It is a fairytale or circus act or make believe. His portfolio is incredibly inspiring. Look closely for those of Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter. They are a treat. A crazy weird treat.<br /><br />7. 80s movie and crafts night: This is the fourth month and so far it has been a success. We are watching License to Drive and I think I might work on some embroidery. You gotta love the two Coreys and we haven’t watched a really bad movie yet.<br /><br /><br /><br />8. Reading: I haven’t done it a lot lately and it makes me feel like something is missing. I need to get back into the books I’ve started.<br /><br />9. Kris Kristofferson: <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/27113898/the_last_outlaw_poet/">Rolling Stone had an amazing article by Ethan Hawke about Kris Kristofferson</a>. My favorite bit from the article is on the website and it is definitely something you should read. Because of this anecdote and the rest of the article, I have a huge crush on Kristofferson right now. He’s supremely talented and I need to rent some of his old movies from Netflix. It might even help me out of my Paul Newman phase.<br /><br />10. Cupcakes: Although I’m disappointed in the Ham’s new cupcake shop, I have it on good authority that there are amazing cupcakes being sold at the Farmer’s Market. I’m going Saturday to investigate.<br /><br />11. Aziz Ansari: I first saw him at Bumbershoot two or three years ago, but now he seems be getting noticed. He was in Human Giant, then Scrubs, and now has a big role on Parks and Recreation. <a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1613494">Worst Mix-Tape </a>is an old favorite.<br /><br />12. Blueberry season: I know it isn’t blueberry season yet, but I’ve been dreaming of making these <a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2008/12/blueberry-almond-cupcakes-with.html">blueberry almond cupcakes </a>for months and I refuse to make them with frozen blueberries.<br />13. Laura: She’s always fun to hang out with, is quick to laugh and make me laugh, and provides good and supportive advice when I get whiney. She is a gem.<br /><br />14. Carrie’s upcoming visit: Only two weekends until I see one of my number one ladies.<br /><br />15. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19084934">Etsy prints</a>: Emily posted a link on Facebook with some letterpress prints that I need to own. For now, I’m enjoying looking at them online and dreaming of where I will hang them.<br /><br />16. My brother’s dancing video: see below. I can’t stop watching it and I can’t stop laughing when I’m watching it.<br /><br />17. Watching Dupree’s business come together: Going along for the ride while his dreams of a coaching practice become a reality is a joy to watch.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjXN399J0VOaNEkPIZkF2Tjxuqrl5Y2RctO1f8yuhHAwdA4S-sLZXEEtX8UHH8uZU-Z-pNvdD10v7ZEpaVgVeltVhVnEKcte6pXfRYRO5bnS0ULqwKu2B4pEEtBtUoQ69yJ8zjvZ9u8c/s1600-h/clock.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325419620248383378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjXN399J0VOaNEkPIZkF2Tjxuqrl5Y2RctO1f8yuhHAwdA4S-sLZXEEtX8UHH8uZU-Z-pNvdD10v7ZEpaVgVeltVhVnEKcte6pXfRYRO5bnS0ULqwKu2B4pEEtBtUoQ69yJ8zjvZ9u8c/s320/clock.jpg" border="0" /></a>18. The most beautiful clock in the world: I’m bidding it on right now on Ebay. I’ll know if it is mine in a few days. I’m guessing the price will skyrocket, but for now I’m thinking happy thoughts. Perhaps I will hang it next to the print set above in my imaginary retro house.<br /><br />19. The song from Circus Contraption: I’ve sung it at least once a day since we saw the show. It goes like this: <em>“Love, love, love, we got it in slop buckets! It sloshes around in there. If some spills we don’t care. ‘Cause we got plenty of love to go around.”</em> Then repeat for forever.<br /><br />20. WE shows: I’ve probably seen them play 50 times. Maybe not that many, but it seems like that many. I’ve never counted. Anyway, I never get sick of it. Never ever. They are the most fun and it’s not just because they are my friends.K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-84536538737505186192009-04-15T22:15:00.000-07:002009-04-15T22:15:00.457-07:00Peep ShowHappy Easter! I know it is now three days passed, but if you go to any major grocery or pharmacy chain right now, you can still get deep discounts on a variety of delectable Easter treats.<br /><br />Easter is the undisputed candy holiday champion. Don't even attempt to argue with me. I will not be swayed. Halloween is all about candy, but it doesn't have a variety of its own special treats. On Halloween, all your costume gets you is tiny versions of candy bars you can get at full size all the time. This is not special. This is a trick being played on you! On Easter you get a basket of a variety of amazingly specialized treats delivered right to your door and you don't even have to walk around your neighborhood dressed like Slutty Spongebob for these rewards. What about candy corn you ask? Halloween has candy corn. Well guess what? No one except Judy likes candy corn. Easter has malted milk eggs, giant chocolate bunnies, fudge eggs with your name on them (personalized candy!), those amazing tiny hard shell Hershey eggs, and the Godfather of all candy, the mighty Cadbury Cream Eggs.<br /><br />Easter also, most importantly for the sake of this blog entry, has Peeps. Peeps started just as an Easter treat, but now have branched out to snowman and trees at Christmas, ghosts at Halloween, and hearts for Valentine's Day. I'm one of the few people I know that enjoys eating Peeps. For reasons I don't understand, many people seem frightened by marshmallows manipulated into holiday shapes. Peeps have become more of a pop culture phenomena than actual food. Luckily for us, the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/04/10/GA2009041001975.html">Washington Post sponsored a Peeps diorama contest </a>with some amazing results. Click through their slideshow to see Peep-based homages to Octomom, the Nighthawks painting, the US Airways crash on the Hudson, and other historical events and happenings. My personal favorite is Octomom, but Nighthawks took the grand prize. Many entries are highly detailed and very entertaining. Now Peeps are both food and art!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>(Thank you Laura for bringing this contest to my attention.)</em></span>K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-36404087949496241552009-04-02T20:29:00.000-07:002009-04-02T20:39:02.900-07:00Your Tax Dollars at WorkMy brother is a US Marine currently undergoing security training in Virginia. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoWSdf4Zt5E">This is what they do in their off time</a>.<br /><br />(P.S. My brother is the adorable one in the front.)K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-38760160567669602122009-03-13T22:43:00.000-07:002009-03-13T22:43:00.554-07:00February Intention Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGRZaN3ZL_AL-btfts-K0U1zoQkkRZIQ4ICBMqeHubTc20SCM7eCNfIofuEBq5wABaf2wblyUK1RcYyezkYmqtkEJlbc2SW0zYYatr7fS54erZf3jaeNTvPxp_lDawzkyM7xSibsWb2g/s1600-h/n690240879_1991783_2060423.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312359397626051650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGRZaN3ZL_AL-btfts-K0U1zoQkkRZIQ4ICBMqeHubTc20SCM7eCNfIofuEBq5wABaf2wblyUK1RcYyezkYmqtkEJlbc2SW0zYYatr7fS54erZf3jaeNTvPxp_lDawzkyM7xSibsWb2g/s320/n690240879_1991783_2060423.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>In order to stay accountable to my 2009 intentions, I must write about them every month. I thought I’d do a short review of the items that applied to February. </div><div></div><br /><div><strong>Complete two crafty projects a month.<br /></strong>This one was easy of course. I finished two mini-albums. (One on my trip to the San Diego Zoo in October 2008 and the other a Valentine’s day gift for Tim featuring pictures of us in college.) I did buy some materials for new projects though and this is one thing I’d like to stop doing. I need to be more economical and use supplies I already have to finish projects I’ve already started.</div><div><br /><strong>Read two books a month.<br /></strong>Last month I wrote that this goal should always be a gimme. Of course, this month, I didn’t accomplish the goal. I finished Oscar Wao, but started and did not finish two other books.<br /></div><br /><div><strong></strong> </div><div><strong>Go to at least one concert a month of a band that does not count one of my friends as a member.<br /></strong>I went to see Super Diamond for Z’s birthday. This again should be easy to accomplish every month. The first two months though, I saw bands that I’ve seen previously. In March, I want to take this one step further and see a band that is new to me.</div><div><br /><strong>Double the amount of money I give to charities over 2008’s total.</strong><br />No action was taken on this goal in February. I need to work more on this goal this month. I think it will be a challenge to accomplish this goal this year. Last year, I had this same goal and it was easy, because I just doubled the amount of money taken out of my paycheck and given directly to United Way. I decided not to double that amount again this year, because although Bellingham’s needs are many, I’d like to focus on other areas. My two main areas of focus will be Donor’s Choose projects in Detroit area classrooms and supporting the Whatcom Hospice Foundation.<br /><br />When selecting Donor’s Choose projects in the past, I would focus on high poverty areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The need is still great there, but I’ve been interested in and saddened by the degradation and decaying of Detroit for some time. It’s a shame that what was once one of America’s greatest cities is now reduced to ruin. In the last few months both Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone have featured articles on the city as it failing relates to their sports teams and music scenes. Although sending some money to classrooms in Detroit won’t save the city, it is something little that I can do from across the country.<br /><br />Supporting the Whatcom Hospice is much more personal, as they provided outstanding care and support to my friend in his last days. The work they do eases some of the burden placed on the dying’s family and I’m thankful that they were there to help my friends.<br /><br /><strong>Re-commit to exercise plan by working out at least seven hours a week.</strong><br /></div><div>This intention continues to be only half-way fulfilled. I did better than January, but still feel that I can work out more and harder. I’d like to try doing a longer workout in the morning, but that means getting up right away instead of hitting the snooze button.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Finally, just because I don’t want to post a boring blog without a picture, the above is a shot of me and my new favorite hat on the shores of Langley, WA at Mystery Weekend 2009. (Photo by Z.)</span></div>K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-43775921294029677742009-03-12T21:50:00.000-07:002009-03-12T21:50:00.914-07:00Happy ListFebruary was a crappy month. It was split into two distinct parts. Before and after. First the worry about the rapidly declining health of a loved one and then too soon later the grief and anguish over the loss of that loved one. It was sudden. It was surprising. I am sad. Now, I focus on the superficial. Amidst tragedy, life kept moving. I laughed. I had fun. Things made me happy. Here is a list of those things.<br /><br />1. Mystery Weekend: I think we’ve attended the Mystery Weekend in Langely for six years now. It’s the best kind of girls’ weekend. We collect clues, interview suspects, and map out motives. Oh yes, we also do a lot of catching up, shopping, and eating. It’s good to be surrounded by those that have known you the longest.<br /><div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Lmu4V1Dx-ZCbxuKtEjp1TjK5X1UJ4cv-wjgn1eUpo6JaX7cHP1GWEAuJBkEK7kI9vLYCzpJDnVt_8N9dVcYZGS6uVmBHyC-obLu_VNyy_K1Z5C-bM5VhmlbiO1MLUmEQLzYH9p4VyWQ/s1600-h/maze.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312345353796221906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 216px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 215px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Lmu4V1Dx-ZCbxuKtEjp1TjK5X1UJ4cv-wjgn1eUpo6JaX7cHP1GWEAuJBkEK7kI9vLYCzpJDnVt_8N9dVcYZGS6uVmBHyC-obLu_VNyy_K1Z5C-bM5VhmlbiO1MLUmEQLzYH9p4VyWQ/s400/maze.jpg" border="0" /></a>2. Woodland Wonderland Wood Maze: Of course I don’t need any more fabric, but my collection of blues and oranges is almost large enough to make a quilt.<br /></div><br /><div>3. Mr. T pattern: The full color pictures make me laugh every time I flip through the book.<br /></div><br /><div>4. Mr. Blue by Catherine Feeny: It’s just a sweet little song.<br /></div><br /><div>5. Super Diamond concert: Amazingly fun show with amazingly fun people to celebrate amazing roommate’s birthday. Bonus amazingness goes out to my new black dress.<br /></div><br /><div>6. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=14088684">Cupcakes and Zombies print</a>: Two of my favorite things together. This will soon hang in my kitchen. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBUEXfpmUZFQuZZAVuPJi_nKtgAXyRS2JPO0TznacmWI_yDBNKiT8dmcJ3K-_NiP-fPhWXa3-8Pri9Rc43FelW3bcoeylnhZ9h5zoSkIAkP4ikIggQgYbBOYXNsN_LLbYcVkd1PyLpLw/s1600-h/kanye.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312346020499127202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 259px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBUEXfpmUZFQuZZAVuPJi_nKtgAXyRS2JPO0TznacmWI_yDBNKiT8dmcJ3K-_NiP-fPhWXa3-8Pri9Rc43FelW3bcoeylnhZ9h5zoSkIAkP4ikIggQgYbBOYXNsN_LLbYcVkd1PyLpLw/s400/kanye.bmp" border="0" /></a>7. Kanye’s new girlfriend: half supermodel, half robot. I’m trying to quit online gossip sites, but I just can’t! I like she’s crazy beautiful in a weird way. (Side note: In this photo Kanye is wearing a letterman’s jacket from one of my high school’s divisional rivals.)</div><div><br />8. Books: I’m working on way too many now: World War Z, Happier, Blood Lite, Couch. It would be good if I actually finished a book sometime.<br /></div><br /><div>9. Cheese store: Bellingham’s <a href="http://www.quelfromage.com/">Quel Fromage</a> has way too many delicious cheeses. My favorite right now is called Barely Buzzed which has a coffee and lavender blend rubbed on it. Fancy, right?</div><br /><div>10. Screen printing: Now that I have a giant tub of emulsion and four months to use it, I better make some more stuff. The only thing that impedes my progress here is my lack of Photoshop and drawing skills. It’s hard to make a design, but it is fun to print! </div><div><br />11. Roller Derby: The anticipation for this weekend’s match is building. I’m excited to go and cheer on F.L.A.S.H. Plus Laura got an amazing black eye at practice and I’m so jealous of it. She looks like a total bad-ass. </div><br /><div>12. <a href="http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=6007409&blogId=474457827">Carrie’s A Love Letter to the Lost</a>: because it’s beautiful and perfect and I read it every day. </div><br /><div>13. Downtown Bellingham art: There is a bunch of newish stuff on many street corners my favorite is the <a href="http://bellinghamherald.serramedia.com/content/bellinghams-newest-sculpture-takes-little-getting-used">big tacky sword</a> and the big red macaroni. I’m guessing it really isn’t called “big red macaroni” but that’s what it looks like and I haven’t been next to it to read a plaque.</div><div><br />14. <a href="http://www.deblob.com/">De Blob</a>: a strange, relaxing, adorable game for Wii.</div><br /><div>15. Seeing Rob: I took a long weekend and went home to visit my brother while he was between training sessions with the Marines. Now that he is away from home, I value every opportunity to hug that kid. </div><div><br />16. Silly workouts: workout DVDs are some ridiculous fun. Lately I’ve done Shaun T’s Rockin’ Body and Working out to the Hit: Motown. I don’t know if they make me feel good because of the workout or because they are silly. I think it’s probably the silliness. </div><div><br />17. Music: I’ve been desperate for some new stuff lately, so I’ve been into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Dan Auerbach and Neko Case. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclKr60uG1VF-lxwEbjraHwQY8lV1Zh2bE8TvgO19QTq8Y2rp1Atsr4ttgCz9NEClblVh540camSIo4ZZuID3XzofF0m0ukNkTD6TGoC3UY02liNtSpFeWtWJ29BH0gI_lEBTTMUeH1WY/s1600-h/mcqueen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312346776747704146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 259px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclKr60uG1VF-lxwEbjraHwQY8lV1Zh2bE8TvgO19QTq8Y2rp1Atsr4ttgCz9NEClblVh540camSIo4ZZuID3XzofF0m0ukNkTD6TGoC3UY02liNtSpFeWtWJ29BH0gI_lEBTTMUeH1WY/s400/mcqueen.jpg" border="0" /></a>18. <a href="http://jezebel.com/5168024/alexander-mcqueen-fallwinter-2009-derelicte-in-wonderland">Alexander McQueen’s Fall/Winter 09 show</a>: crazy big weird lip treatments, crazy big weird feather outfit, crazy big weird high heels. It’s crazy inspiring. </div><div><br /> </div><div>19. Macarons: <a href="http://www.cakespy.com/2009/02/cakespy-undercover-macaron-fever-at.html">Cakespy profiled Honoeré</a>, a new bakery on Capitol Hill. They make amazing macarons, which I first saw profiled on <a href="http://www.theblackapple.typepad.com/">the Black Apple</a>. I’ve been wanting to make them ever since, but need to taste a real one before I attempt it. Now I have the perfect place to go and try one and also the take pictures of the beautiful cookies.<br /></div><div> </div><div>20. Friends new and old: I’m lucky because thanks to old friends, I met some new friends last year. I feel especially lucky to have met Shannon because she is made of pure fun and wonderfulness. Thanks to my vast network of awesome friends, life is more fun and hard times more bearable.</div></div></div>K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-81722355984076618522009-02-28T02:35:00.000-08:002009-03-12T10:54:12.395-07:00He’s Here!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-p6_P5z1hpp9wT2QghFXmqwHORYzHFJIIsiTP4-LPcK5cR2SuhcnN6a4aEqKIwje3Ay9cyl42aYwwrOHjVXhGbUqh6qgO6AtWInNBjujXrg_6CrNh8PxyWI67OFE3K2IAZ2B91josC0/s1600-h/mr-t.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307611424006260290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 212px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 297px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-p6_P5z1hpp9wT2QghFXmqwHORYzHFJIIsiTP4-LPcK5cR2SuhcnN6a4aEqKIwje3Ay9cyl42aYwwrOHjVXhGbUqh6qgO6AtWInNBjujXrg_6CrNh8PxyWI67OFE3K2IAZ2B91josC0/s400/mr-t.jpg" border="0" /></a> The Mr. T pattern has arrived and I’ve read the instructions and started ordering the needed supplies. First, I looked for the fabric for his skin, because I thought this would be the most difficult thing to find. I did all my shopping online, because the thought of going to some sort of doll-making supply store sounded frightening. The pattern called for “non-run interlock polyester knit.” I didn’t have much luck there, but using the search terms “doll skin fabric” I hit the jackpot. I settled on a chocolate cotton knit because the website describe it as “premium dollskin” and the Mr. T shade was discounted 50%. The fabric, a 3.5” needle, and matching thread are on their way to me. Once they arrive I can begin making my very own Mr. T! <div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7qXLlkaPgTbXS7j50wnhZMkE0M9LreBMHoGEyqEwnWSc0IPtM6R4tSoBTXxAMAUmfbZXHn5Pg00_G2QrjhtBP3clHaMX-tokX_79TCOHF33wQMC-Ikm3VSFlLVAWaTYvpA1QDGS4hIg/s1600-h/dollskin.jpg"></a><br /><div>While shopping for these supplies online, I discovered that doll making websites are totally creepy. There are weird doll patterns, naked eunuch doll bodies, and something called "alligator forceps." Seeing these things online just proved to me that I was definitely not prepared to venture out to a brick and mortar doll making supply store. <em>*shudder*</em></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mSX5l4SuTwc7UooQTLxktceRxbjfgG7XmitaOQVqmQQ-tA-D2LBPL1UujrSRNnfdjgDWOdp4z_5ZO7X6St1Oj5OWt_X89Ns_Tj5nYoYuJF_wTl25EZ4LXpSlzN9R3Faz4j9kCqTcIMU/s1600-h/DJ05.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307610175279304002" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 170px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mSX5l4SuTwc7UooQTLxktceRxbjfgG7XmitaOQVqmQQ-tA-D2LBPL1UujrSRNnfdjgDWOdp4z_5ZO7X6St1Oj5OWt_X89Ns_Tj5nYoYuJF_wTl25EZ4LXpSlzN9R3Faz4j9kCqTcIMU/s400/DJ05.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqgYeed-rD5hoSQNPX9alkcdCgw05NbiGTMPHUKkNlZAFSZX6NnFQHYHUlfQfDatgIa7Vy0IzQwSOp0daJ695wX25y7XIFHMTkB1E47zncckiHpJjVNMKnGT2mPeYou1HVVDN_i5_G0o/s1600-h/creepy2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307610021260962994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 304px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqgYeed-rD5hoSQNPX9alkcdCgw05NbiGTMPHUKkNlZAFSZX6NnFQHYHUlfQfDatgIa7Vy0IzQwSOp0daJ695wX25y7XIFHMTkB1E47zncckiHpJjVNMKnGT2mPeYou1HVVDN_i5_G0o/s400/creepy2.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jKo9lcpjQU6LtwBMODO4wNLMTUeVp3utbmiPK4x5vq0I1B71GoeZIMpsqh0mUaW8rAU00koKJvfAfQdW-RLJu6zzdpMOmuasXUk8BcLeTFfoSxpSlDGsQp8H2mI_FtTH2O0OwhtG-ds/s1600-h/creepy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307610108690047122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 136px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 234px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jKo9lcpjQU6LtwBMODO4wNLMTUeVp3utbmiPK4x5vq0I1B71GoeZIMpsqh0mUaW8rAU00koKJvfAfQdW-RLJu6zzdpMOmuasXUk8BcLeTFfoSxpSlDGsQp8H2mI_FtTH2O0OwhtG-ds/s400/creepy.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqQdZk0vWQZMYg7PTL5szwslftqEVw3RVBj5Z4bW1752hsC_cVq_tWSDRqeAcjINxEezok2xqlBQ1JYWP8rmjx-kwlfkOc0wf6Yopcj3Iy2xG2eSTYAJrqE3_0rGXbWoEvtTxbNnGRhQ/s1600-h/F55.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307610263532800770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqQdZk0vWQZMYg7PTL5szwslftqEVw3RVBj5Z4bW1752hsC_cVq_tWSDRqeAcjINxEezok2xqlBQ1JYWP8rmjx-kwlfkOc0wf6Yopcj3Iy2xG2eSTYAJrqE3_0rGXbWoEvtTxbNnGRhQ/s400/F55.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div>K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-51567253313372513372009-02-21T13:33:00.000-08:002009-02-21T13:33:00.391-08:00Personalized Muppets!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwEVvEZpz0UjI6i5x99f8bspqDQf8NEHvIP37uBqK03GMVk6WmFaHSlPrdMSe8SPLpk-zqsXwGdNxjFLPq3RJdn-Gl5Nz0PWitm5QsH9Q0RnHe3MhK0agk6pG9G0sHabU_Ioy48kRW8c/s1600-h/muppet_confir_01.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304958084723610258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 54px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwEVvEZpz0UjI6i5x99f8bspqDQf8NEHvIP37uBqK03GMVk6WmFaHSlPrdMSe8SPLpk-zqsXwGdNxjFLPq3RJdn-Gl5Nz0PWitm5QsH9Q0RnHe3MhK0agk6pG9G0sHabU_Ioy48kRW8c/s400/muppet_confir_01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The only thing I love as much as Mr. T is the Muppets. When I was a kid, My parents took me to see an exhibit of some of the Muppets at OMSI. I watched Muppet Babies and reruns of the Muppet Show religiously. The first movie I saw in the theater was the Great Muppet Caper. I wanted my own Muppet. Imagine my surprise when I realized that this is a possibility today. Shortly before Christmas, I discovered that <a href="http://www.fao.com/catalog/factories/muppets.jsp">F.A.O. Schwarz launched a make-your-own Muppet workshop</a>. Popularity was higher than supply and the Muppet Maker was down all through the holiday season. It’s back-up now and offers a few basic shapes along with many eyes, noses, and outfits.<br /><br />So, if you ever have and extra $90 that you want to spend on me, this is what I want! The best Muppet I designed was orange with the horn-rimmed glasses, a red nose, bald fringe and the plaid jaket. I named him Melvin Whipple. (Sidenote: Did you know that there is a <a href="http://www.cowboypoetry.com/whipple.htm">cowboy poet named Melvin Whipple</a>? I didn’t, but he seems like a cool cat.)<br /><br />Finally, I just noticed today that a <a href="http://www.empsfm.org/exhibitions/index.asp?categoryID=177&ccID=254#">Jim Henson exhibit is coming to EMP </a>this summer. This is exciting news. From the pictures, I think <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueuA-9pqRok&feature=related">Rowlf</a> might be there. This will be more exciting than seeing Yoda. Who’s in?<br /><br /><div></div>K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-19463881647376513942009-02-20T22:23:00.000-08:002009-02-20T22:23:00.188-08:00Jackpot!<div>I have found it! The thing I have wanted most in the world for some time now.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7zyi4yKtr9JP8wb3wPhnt6j7M8SaMyGeSpxkozHRagFpyp-NCGMCwotCU0gzBx6Z3CTchvJLPAQNvmK23lUTFbnJoC1uh_l3sivTZZe2HjIHLW6MILz4rDObvRvThjaI61OvGpIe4fQ/s1600-h/mr_t_soft_sculpture_doll.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304947302567555666" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 232px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7zyi4yKtr9JP8wb3wPhnt6j7M8SaMyGeSpxkozHRagFpyp-NCGMCwotCU0gzBx6Z3CTchvJLPAQNvmK23lUTFbnJoC1uh_l3sivTZZe2HjIHLW6MILz4rDObvRvThjaI61OvGpIe4fQ/s320/mr_t_soft_sculpture_doll.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />It is an original uncut pattern book from 1984 with detailed instructions on making your very own Mr. T doll. My love of crafts and Mr. T is well documented. This product is the perfect marriage of two things I hold dear. I only became aware of this pattern less than a year ago. I don’t remember how I found it, but I came across an article <a href="http://www.thevillager.com/villager_113/hepities.html">on gallery that was having an exhibit of 100s of Mr. T dolls </a>made from the above pattern. Greg Rivera, the collector, had been purchasing these <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/HOMEMADE-MR-T-17-CLOTH-DOLL-ONE-OF-A-KIND_W0QQitemZ110352137922QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDolls?hash=item110352137922&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50">homemade Mr. T dolls on Ebay </a>for some time and had even <a href="http://daddytypes.com/2007/04/20/vintage_mr_t_cabbage_patchy_dolls.php">commissioned a group of artists to make Mr. T dolls</a> based on the pattern for a charity auction. The show was back in 2005, but <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/randyknott/280600503/in/photostream/">photos of some of the dolls </a>can be found on flickr.<br /><br />You better believe that if I knew about this pattern in 1984, I would have had my Grammy whip me up one of these dolls along with a full camouflage, denim, and sweat pant wardrobe. My Grammy has mad crafting skillz. (Yes; with a z!) She made me a Pound Puppy, crocheted Bert and Ernie dolls, clothes for my Barbies, and a whole raft of other amazing toys. If I sent her this pattern tomorrow, she probably would make me my very own Mr. T doll. She would think I was crazy, but she would do it. I think this is something I should try to do myself. The problem is, I don’t have mad sewing skillz, just novice sewing skills. (Too lame to end in z.) I have even less drawing skills, which I believe is how he gets his eyes and brows. Once the pattern arrives and I start the project, I plan on documenting my progress (or failures) here. Stay tuned! </div>K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-69523066774292877412009-02-11T22:01:00.000-08:002009-02-20T10:23:46.562-08:0025 Random ThingsI was tagged on Facebook a million times, so I decided to double post here and there. Enjoy. Enjoy twice!<br /><br />1. I love horoscopes. My favorite one this week said, “You've been riding a wave of positive energy. Help others get on the wave with you!” Dear everybody,<br />Come on in. The water is fine.<br />Love, Kerry<br />2. My Miss Richland softball team had a rivalry with H.A.P.O. bank’s team. I still boo when I pass the Richland branch. Zinn Photo forever!<br />3. This much I know is true: If you think you’re expert enough to make a list of the Top 10 Christmas movies ever made and you don’t include the Christmas Story on that list, then you are an idiot. Not only should it be on the list, but it should be and is the best Christmas movie ever made.<br />4. Recently, I saw another list by some self-proclaimed “expert” that had a major omission that made me discredit the entire list. I, however, cannot remember the topic of the list or whatever I thought was missing from it.<br />5. Recently and relatedly, I started taking Gingko Biloba in the hopes that things like #4 would stop happening.<br />6. Rainbow Connection is the sweetest song ever written. I have four versions of it on my ipod. I would like at least one more by someone who shall remain nameless. He knows who he is.<br />7. My brother is my hero and I have the sweatshirt to prove it.<br />8. I always say that Sorry is my favorite board game, but who am I kidding? It is actually Scrabble. A few weeks ago, I got three bingos in a row. Yes, I am bragging. I’m sorry, but that is just awesome. I don’t expect that to ever happen again.<br />9. If you don’t like the Muppets, then I don’t think you are worth knowing. I consider it an essential mark of a good and reasonable person. Seriously.<br />10. Also, I often judge people’s sense of humor on their opinion of MTV’s The State. If you don’t like the State, I probably won’t believe you when you tell me something is funny. I’m not proud of it, but a girl has to have standards.<br />11. I think animal nicknames and nicknames ending in the long E sound are pretty much the cutest thing ever. Someone recently called me pumpkin-head as a term of endearment. Some might be offending, but I liked it.<br />12. A short list of mythical/sci-fi/awesome creatures I like: vampires, zombies, unicorns, aliens, yetis, ninjas, pirates and monsters of all sorts.<br />13. A shorter list of mythical/sci-fi creatures that I dislike: fairies.<br />14. My favorite color is green and I usually like the green character the best. (ie Luigi and Martian Manhunter and to a lesser extent Cheer Bear, but I like him/her more because I think him/her should be called Irish Bear. Sidenote: Did the Care Bears have genders?)<br />15. I like making soap. I also like baking. A third thing I like to do is send packages of goodies to my friends. I am sad that you can’t send soap in with a package of cookies because it will make the cookies taste like soap. If I could figure out how to solve this problem, I believe my treat packages would be world-changing and unstoppable.<br />16. I remember what #4 was about: cupcakes! I read a list of best cupcake places and not only was Trophy not number 1, it wasn’t even on the list. I’m sorry St. Cupcake and Cupcake Royale, you are good, but you are no Trophy. (Maybe Gingko works?!)<br />17. My first celebrity crush was Bo Duke.<br />18. My second was Murdock from the A-Team.<br />19. I’m very ashamed when I don’t like critically acclaimed movies that everyone I know loves. I give these movies a 3-star rating in my Netflix queue, so people will think I have good taste in movies. Truth is I hated Donnie Darko and Lost in Translation. Let’s face it, I just don’t have good taste in movies. Caveman starring Ringo Starr is one of my favorites.<br />20. The worst hangover I ever had was after a night of playing Heroclix for shots. That is the nerdiest possible way to get a hangover.<br />21. The perfect date involves four stops: restaurant, arcade, bar with live music, cupcake or donut shop. If you go to Jules Mae you can kill two birds with one stone and play Skee Ball between bands. If you are in Portland you can go to Ground Kontrol and end the night at VooDoo Doughnut. The number one reason I miss the Crocodile is that I haven’t been to Shorty’s since it closed.<br />22. I love outside birds a lot. I don’t know the names of many. I think pet birds are disgusting.<br />23. Tacos should be capitalized. (For example: Tonight, I’m making Tacos! Gee these Tacos are superb.) They deserve the respect that capitalization in the middle of a sentence provides.<br />24. I’ve recently realized the supporting my family and friends’ endeavors is my greatest pleasure. Sure, I don’t have a band or make amazing cakes or do roller derby or sell my art or crafts, or want to be a Marine, but I know people who do. They kick ass and I’m so proud of them.<br />25. Meeting Mr. T would be my greatest honor. I don’t know what I would say, but it would be really cool to give him a hug.K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-3187729520903598262009-02-10T22:58:00.000-08:002009-02-10T22:58:00.377-08:00Short rant on Congress<a href="http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/173613-Congress_Changes_DTV_Hard_Date_to_June_12.php">Congress decided to delay the switch to fancy digital cable</a>, because the American public is confused and many have not purchased their converter boxes yet. It’s nice to know that during this time of economical turmoil, presidential change, and war that Congress is spending time worrying if everyone is going to get to watch their Deal or No Deal come February. Let’s cut to the chase. We’ve known for over two years that this switch is going to occur by February 2009. The message has been scrolling across the bottom of Jeopardy for months now. We are a nation of procrastinators, Congress. If Joe the Plumber hasn’t picked up his little converter box yet, that’s too damn bad. As soon as his TV stops working, driving over to Radio Shack will shoot to the top of his to-do-list. How about getting some real work done?K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-16042227237900882912009-01-28T22:04:00.000-08:002009-02-10T16:57:52.249-08:002009I start every new year (and every new month) with a set of intentions. It’s the only way I can keep myself accountable and actually accomplish my goals. Without boring you with exact wording, this year my focus is on conservation. This encompasses everything from reading books and using craft supplies I have already purchased to building up my savings and supporting the Washington economy by buying from local businesses and purchasing food from local sources.<br /><br />More specific action items for 2009 include:<br />1. Complete two crafty related projects a month.<br />2. Read two books a month.<br />3. Go to at least one concert a month of a band that does not count one of my friends as a member.<br />4. Join the <a href="http://communityfood.coop/">Co-op</a><br />5. Double the amount of money I give to charities over 2008’s total.<br />6. Visit Sara and Isaiah.<br />7. Re-commit to exercise plan by working out at least seven hours a week.<br />8. Put money in my savings accounts every month.<br /><br />January is almost over and I’ve definitely made positive strides. I’ve been crafting up a storm too, completing 3 mini-books, the entire syllabus of an online scrapbook class I took this fall, five embroidered onsies for a friend that had a baby, a banner for the <a href="http://www.wewrotethebookonconnectors.com/">best band on Earth</a>, and a few other smaller projects. I’ve also read two books <a href="http://villagebooks.booksense.com/NASApp/store/Product?s=showproduct&isbn=9780441016990">Dead Until Dark </a>and <a href="http://villagebooks.booksense.com/NASApp/store/Product?s=showproduct&isbn=9780441009237">Living Dead in Dallas </a>by Charlaine Harris and started <a href="http://villagebooks.booksense.com/NASApp/store/Product?s=showproduct&isbn=9781594483295">the Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao</a> and <a href="http://villagebooks.booksense.com/NASApp/store/Product?s=showproduct&isbn=9780071492393">Happier</a>. I’m also going to see <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=29037295">Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings </a>and the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ivanmilev">Ivan Milev Band</a> on Saturday. These three action items are almost gimmes though. They should be actions that I accomplish easily each month.<br /><br />Also, I joined the Co-op. That was a no-brainer, especially now that they have a branch by my apartment. Buying local milk and eggs are the first changes I'm making, but I need to begin shopping there every week. Until they can grow bananas in the Pacific Northwest, I will never be able to buy everything from local sources. I’ve begun organizing and purging of my craft supplies and closet. The projects is not complete, but there is definitely a lot less crafty mess around the apartment. I’ve also restarted my vacation savings account and set some Christmas money aside in my house savings account.<br /><br />The month hasn’t been completely successful though. I haven’t been strict about not purchasing new crafty supplies or books though. I bought three new books, but only completed two. I borrowed the two I completed, so my collection of unread books has only grown. I did visit all of the craft stores in town (yes, all five of them) and purchase something at every stop. (Ack!) Luckily, I’ve been moderately successful with recommitting to working out, but feel that I could improve in this area. I need to start regularly working out in the morning again.<br /><br />Good thing I didn’t make a New Year’s intention to blog more. That would have failed absolutely miserably.K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-48570464342640602782008-12-02T22:39:00.000-08:002008-12-02T22:39:00.234-08:00Ewww Gross! Fetus CookiesOne of my favorite things to buy at antique stores is cookie cutters. I have a small collection of ordinary shapes. Since cupcakes are my medium of choice, I don't decorate cookies very often. When I do, though, I like to have lots of options. Most of my cutters are standard like flowers, hearts, a snowman, and a football. The craziest (and favorite) shape I have is a mustache. I didn't think you could get too out there with cookie cutters. I thought there would be some things that people wouldn't want in cookie shape. For example, a fetus shape. That is a shape people would not be comfortable eating. Turns out, I was wrong. People do want to eat fetus shaped cookies, so much so that they need to buy a <a href="http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2008/12/fetal-bites.html">fetus shaped cookie cutter</a>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31ifJkkezmquzzTLLCU4Wxa2Iv6oCt5vthPfzweTiVDP5d7LdF4seD6QD_LvULWCuLTtKg1QdumGHbjpCmE19IP8BvEoabn-S5qaIdzEQXmojj_CR5qYJPqc4fpGuaaCicD6QCGflCl8/s1600-h/fetus+cookie+cutter+from+cake+wrecks.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275329864573404034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 282px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31ifJkkezmquzzTLLCU4Wxa2Iv6oCt5vthPfzweTiVDP5d7LdF4seD6QD_LvULWCuLTtKg1QdumGHbjpCmE19IP8BvEoabn-S5qaIdzEQXmojj_CR5qYJPqc4fpGuaaCicD6QCGflCl8/s320/fetus+cookie+cutter+from+cake+wrecks.jpg" border="0" /></a> Zandra pointed me to this entry at one of my favorite blogs, <a href="http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/">Cake Wrecks</a>, and although many of you may already read this fine blog, I thought this atrocity warranted further mention.<br /><br /><br />Um, gross. Why would anyone want to eat a fetus shaped cookie? Who is this person that thought, "Hmm. I'm going to a baby shower.<br /><br />It is baby themed. I'll bring cookies shaped like babies. Not born babies though; unborn babies! Mmm delicious!" Furthermore, who are the people that went to the baby shower, ate the fetus cookies and then encouraged the maker that there is a market for fetus shaped cookie cutters. Quite a few people had to green-light this hideous thing before it was brought to us consumers. Some things just ain't right and this is one of those things. If you disagree, you can purchase your very own <a href="http://www.stupid.com/fun/FETS.html">fetus shaped cookie cutter</a> from <a href="http://stupid.com/">stupid.com</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p> </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7-Lwibu0s-afV_3PiNMmNylybJp1ma0abiG18ALmtCF5LyrS1n8DsQplu6mkoeiqoz1wnp03br4JlgRuBmT4KZ263uz3FWL5DUCZQ1Ozg2dgnhs9Pv6brpvTA1gBgqWp8as7PyN50Go/s1600-h/KellechusRockBandCake_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275334937269185378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7-Lwibu0s-afV_3PiNMmNylybJp1ma0abiG18ALmtCF5LyrS1n8DsQplu6mkoeiqoz1wnp03br4JlgRuBmT4KZ263uz3FWL5DUCZQ1Ozg2dgnhs9Pv6brpvTA1gBgqWp8as7PyN50Go/s320/KellechusRockBandCake_1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><em>P.S. If you've read all of the Cake Wrecks archive and would like to see some amazingly good-looking cakes and baby shower appropriate treats, check out </em><a href="http://www.kellechu.com/"><em>Kellechu Cakes</em></a><em>. My good friend Kelley, makes incredible Rock Band and other awesome non-wreck cakes.</em><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7-Lwibu0s-afV_3PiNMmNylybJp1ma0abiG18ALmtCF5LyrS1n8DsQplu6mkoeiqoz1wnp03br4JlgRuBmT4KZ263uz3FWL5DUCZQ1Ozg2dgnhs9Pv6brpvTA1gBgqWp8as7PyN50Go/s1600-h/KellechusRockBandCake_1.jpg"></a>K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-67739539287454302502008-12-02T19:18:00.000-08:002008-12-02T19:18:01.553-08:00Turducken: Now with more meat!Some of you may just be getting over your Thanksgiving day food coma. I still have three or four meals worth of turkey left, but it's not too early to think about next year. Now you've heard of a Turducken, right? That's a chicken stuffed inside a duck, stuffed inside a turkey. Then it's all cooked up and enjoyed by many. Well, apparently enjoyed. I've never tried it, so I don't know. Dupree sent me a link to the ultimate Thanksgiving dinner treat. The good people at <a href="http://bacontoday.com/">Bacon Today</a> (and I say that because only good people would have a blog devoted solely to bacon) thought that only bacon could make a turducken even more amazing? They outline the complete steps for making a <a href="http://bacontoday.com/turbaconducken-turducken-wrapped-in-bacon/">Turbaconducken</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67lNiS2-jdW6lS-Xvl9MSjDURkxMQQtqoy0VeQ0iHJ1o58C-Y_2tXiSmSqeLq6FtmoNQI4-t9TqA3yTF-9SUKYAQoX43Nlxd44IhGdSkh9PFuEMrKaJMpuOGu6Dlk3c5Z0W3uh3M5eP4/s1600-h/bacon+today+turbaconducken.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275239879653169954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67lNiS2-jdW6lS-Xvl9MSjDURkxMQQtqoy0VeQ0iHJ1o58C-Y_2tXiSmSqeLq6FtmoNQI4-t9TqA3yTF-9SUKYAQoX43Nlxd44IhGdSkh9PFuEMrKaJMpuOGu6Dlk3c5Z0W3uh3M5eP4/s320/bacon+today+turbaconducken.jpg" border="0" /></a>Pictures of raw meat are pretty gross, but take a good look at that monstrosity, I mean delicacy, at left. It's incredible. The masterminds at <a href="http://bacontoday.com/">Bacon Today</a> clearly thought this process through, because not only is the entire turkey wrapped in bacon, but the duck inside the turkey is also wrapped in bacon.<br /><br />In case you think that isn't enough pig product for one meal, the chicken inside the bacon-wrapped duck, inside the bacon-wrapped turkey is also wrapped in bacon. The <a href="http://bacontoday.com/turbaconducken-turducken-wrapped-in-bacon/">Turbaconducken</a> is both feat of engineering and a work of art. Consider making it for your family feast next Thanksgiving. Heck, even make it this year for Christmas!K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2724044789784147563.post-54966968710115086582008-11-19T21:59:00.000-08:002008-12-02T09:27:45.416-08:00Halloween, You've Gone Too FarThe sexy <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Halloween</span> costume has become more and more popular over the last few years. I believe it started with real-life jobs that have sexy counterparts in the porn world. This <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">category</span> would include sexy nurse, sexy teacher, sexy sailor, or sexy cop. Later, it branched out into the fantasy world. That brought us sexy pirate, sexy witch, and the viking vixen among many others. Then the sexy costume became an epidemic. Sexy versions of hundreds of standard costumes began popping up in the Halloween costume aisle. This year, though, I noticed a disturbing new trend in Halloween costumes: the sexy cartoon character. At one party I intended, I spied a young lady dressed as sexy Buzz <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lightyear</span>. This prompted me to do some research into sexy cartoon character costumes. I found sexy Jane <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Jetson</span> and Wilma <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Flintstone</span>. That's fine, I could see how these characters could be morphed into their sexy counterparts.<br /><br /><br />While I thought the sexy Buzz <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Lightyear</span> was questionable, the biggest violation of this new sexy costume category is sexy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">SpongeBob</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">SquarePants</span>.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhM0OccvySmJ8MG8ZdCYcMxYLeaxeQECILF9KYdE8ypdcDxpgjHfeIq47WYCe4JxnLhyGb3qafHUrK24r4ja8Pq-kyHkCaUqvwypROsTI9Gp90ZXqVUV8_-XSPoI3h0vdrCGARtJNstw/s1600-h/sexy+spongebob.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270619857944152370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhM0OccvySmJ8MG8ZdCYcMxYLeaxeQECILF9KYdE8ypdcDxpgjHfeIq47WYCe4JxnLhyGb3qafHUrK24r4ja8Pq-kyHkCaUqvwypROsTI9Gp90ZXqVUV8_-XSPoI3h0vdrCGARtJNstw/s320/sexy+spongebob.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">SpongeBob</span> should not be sexy. Let me repeat that: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">SPONGEBOB</span> SHOULD NEVER BE SEXY. You see, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">SpongeBob</span> is a sponge. He is a kitchen variety rectangular yellow sponge charged with cleaning spills and washing dishes. There is nothing sexy about a sponge. Also, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">SpongeBob</span> is a male sponge. He does not wear a skirt. He wears pants. In fact, he wears pants so often that he has adopted "pants" as part of his last name. He is directly identifiable by his love of pants and, therefore, his lack of skirt.<br /><br />Now ladies, I value the sexy costume. If you would like to dress sexy on Halloween or to any other costume required event, I say go for it. Sexy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">SpongeBob</span> fits all the requirements of a sexy costume. You've got the tight shirt, the short skirt, and the high and, therefore, uncomfortable heel. This costume even comes with an extra accessory, a strategically placed "neck tie" that acts as an arrow pointing directly to ones naughty bits. This costume is text book sexy costume. The flaw is the character itself.<br /><br />Next Halloween, I implore you ladies, stick to sexy costumes that make sense. Go out as sexy Super Girl or French Maid or even sexy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Ghostbuster</span>. At least there could be a female <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Ghostbuster</span>. Stick to costumes that can actually be female and sexy. There can never be a female male sponge, Ladies. Never.K. G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03055350878487568010noreply@blogger.com5