Yup. I done done it again. This time, it was inspired by something I’d previously Kickstarted. The editor sent an email with his previous publication information. There was a shark anthology.
In case you missed the leggings and tank I just bought, you may not have noticed I’ve got a bit of a thing for sharks. When I realized Sharkpunk edited by Jonathan Green was out of print but available new, for a price comparable to retail, I pounced. I want to see if they do sharks justice. While they are apex predators who are worthy of fear, they’re also living creatures who are worthy of respect. They play a critical role in the ecosystem and can be incredibly beautiful. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
The Bachelor Book Tag
With The Bachelor winding down, I thought I'd borrow a book tag from BookTube
First Impression Rose –A book you bought because of the cover
Charm by Sarah Pinborough. I saw this when I was in B&N and the cover caught my eye. I loved the texture and detail. Then I realized it was a fairy tale retelling and I was all about it.
The 2-on-1 Date – Pick a series and your favorite and least favorite within it
I'm choosing the Fables series by Bill Willingham. My favorite is probably The Good Prince because that tells us so much about Ambrose. It's a really beautiful and powerful story in the series. My least favorite comes from an off-shoot of the original with Jack of Fables with The End. Everyone dies. It felt like a disservice to some of the characters of this universe to be killed off out of convenience.
The Wrong Reasons – The book started off amazing but the ending was terrible
In the Woods by Tana French. This like would have been a 3 star book from me regardless but there was a lot of potential to do interesting things and then SPOILER ALERT the main character never remembers what happens to his friends and completely fucks up his life. I refuse to touch another of her books to this day because I hated the ending so much.
Bachelor in Paradise – You're favorite light, fluffy read
Love and Capes by Thomas Zahler, the entire series. It's only 4 trades long so any and all of them. It's a very sweet series about a normal girl falling in love with a superhero. The focus is on their relationship and life. It's more like a sitcom than heavy comic book series.
The Most Dramatic Season Ever – A book that was a total roller coaster ride
The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. A friend of mine recommended it and I feel in love instantly. The first line is "Dear You, The body you're wearing used to be mine," and it doesn't really slow down from there. It was a smart, engaging, thrill ride.
The Fantasy Suite – The most amazing romantic build up and release
I was leaning toward Jane Austen but I'm going to be a little different and say The Parasol Protectorate series. In that world, vampires and werewolves shouldn't be able to reproduce so the fact that Alexia is pregnant causes quite a fuss. While her werewolf husband drinks himself stupid, Alexia must busy herself saving the day until he comes to his senses. It was a very fun watching them come together, break apart, then come back together again.
The Final Rose – Your favorite book from the last 6 months
I've heard a year or a month for this category so I decided to land in the middle. That's a decent average for how long these couples last anyway. My pick is Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. It's illustrated creepy stories that I absolutely adore. My favorite was the short one at the very end because I have a thing for the Little Red Riding Hood tale.
First Impression Rose –A book you bought because of the cover
Charm by Sarah Pinborough. I saw this when I was in B&N and the cover caught my eye. I loved the texture and detail. Then I realized it was a fairy tale retelling and I was all about it.
The 2-on-1 Date – Pick a series and your favorite and least favorite within it
I'm choosing the Fables series by Bill Willingham. My favorite is probably The Good Prince because that tells us so much about Ambrose. It's a really beautiful and powerful story in the series. My least favorite comes from an off-shoot of the original with Jack of Fables with The End. Everyone dies. It felt like a disservice to some of the characters of this universe to be killed off out of convenience.
The Wrong Reasons – The book started off amazing but the ending was terrible
In the Woods by Tana French. This like would have been a 3 star book from me regardless but there was a lot of potential to do interesting things and then SPOILER ALERT the main character never remembers what happens to his friends and completely fucks up his life. I refuse to touch another of her books to this day because I hated the ending so much.
Bachelor in Paradise – You're favorite light, fluffy read
Love and Capes by Thomas Zahler, the entire series. It's only 4 trades long so any and all of them. It's a very sweet series about a normal girl falling in love with a superhero. The focus is on their relationship and life. It's more like a sitcom than heavy comic book series.
The Most Dramatic Season Ever – A book that was a total roller coaster ride
The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. A friend of mine recommended it and I feel in love instantly. The first line is "Dear You, The body you're wearing used to be mine," and it doesn't really slow down from there. It was a smart, engaging, thrill ride.
The Fantasy Suite – The most amazing romantic build up and release
I was leaning toward Jane Austen but I'm going to be a little different and say The Parasol Protectorate series. In that world, vampires and werewolves shouldn't be able to reproduce so the fact that Alexia is pregnant causes quite a fuss. While her werewolf husband drinks himself stupid, Alexia must busy herself saving the day until he comes to his senses. It was a very fun watching them come together, break apart, then come back together again.
The Final Rose – Your favorite book from the last 6 months
I've heard a year or a month for this category so I decided to land in the middle. That's a decent average for how long these couples last anyway. My pick is Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. It's illustrated creepy stories that I absolutely adore. My favorite was the short one at the very end because I have a thing for the Little Red Riding Hood tale.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Indie Makeup
It wasn't until recently I considered myself a makeup geek. It started to dawn on me when I ran out of room for lipstick and decided I couldn't buy anymore until I'd used up what I have. Then I realized I know at least one major technique. I can cash in a 500 point reward at Sephora.
I can name more than 3 indie brands. In fact, when a friend asked, I named several. How many?
Shiro
Colourpop
LA Splash
Fyrinnae
Makeup Geek
LimeCrime
Sugar Pill
I had snark for a BuzzFeed article that left off a few of my favorites. I can only testify to the first two. Shiro's shadow is amazing but the lip stuff doesn't have the staying power I'd hoped for. Colourpop's liquid lips live up to the name but so drying. The shadows are good but holy glitter Batman.
LA Splash gained some fame in 2015 with Harry Potter and Disney Princess lipstick lines. I haven't purchased any yet based on my above reason but they look fun. Fyrinnae has some gorgeous stuff. I can't wait to try their shadow and color changing lips. I've heard good things about the final 3 but haven't seen anything I got pumped for. I've heard good things about all of them.
So there you have it. I'm a bit of a makeup geek and here's a few indie brands you can try.
I can name more than 3 indie brands. In fact, when a friend asked, I named several. How many?
Shiro
Colourpop
LA Splash
Fyrinnae
Makeup Geek
LimeCrime
Sugar Pill
I had snark for a BuzzFeed article that left off a few of my favorites. I can only testify to the first two. Shiro's shadow is amazing but the lip stuff doesn't have the staying power I'd hoped for. Colourpop's liquid lips live up to the name but so drying. The shadows are good but holy glitter Batman.
LA Splash gained some fame in 2015 with Harry Potter and Disney Princess lipstick lines. I haven't purchased any yet based on my above reason but they look fun. Fyrinnae has some gorgeous stuff. I can't wait to try their shadow and color changing lips. I've heard good things about the final 3 but haven't seen anything I got pumped for. I've heard good things about all of them.
So there you have it. I'm a bit of a makeup geek and here's a few indie brands you can try.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Why Ya Gotta Let Me Down?
Watching loads of BookTube has turned me on to the reality that stories can often disappoint us. Here are some books I found to be deeply disappointing.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
I loved the movie when I was a teenager. It was interesting, magical, and about different forms of love. When I realized it was based on a book, I sought it out and was promptly let down. The book had no magic and no action.
Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher
This story had a fantastic premise. Superheroes we've never heard of, an average schmoe suddenly gets powers, can they defeat the big bad? The only reason I finished this was because I wanted to see how Christopher tried to tie the train wreck together. Spoiler alert: not well.
Friendship by Emily Gould
Self-absorbed millennials fuck up their lives and relationships. If I wanted that combined with a vague non-ending, I can just watch Girls.
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale
I expected a fun fish-out-of-water story when a former Manhattan business woman moves to a working farm in Virginia. Instead it was a nonstop bitchfest that left me wondering if this woman actually liked her husband, kids, or life. Oscar the Grouch and Grumpy Cat are more uplifting than McCorkindale.
Armada by Ernest Cline
This book is OK but what depresses me about is that I can see the book it could have been. It's premise is marvelous but the execution is forgettable, unoriginal, and rampant with tropes. It just felt like a long piece of fanboy fanfic. You're better than this Cline. Ready Player One says so.
In the Woods by Tana French
We get two mysteries: the disappearance and probable murder of two local children and the sole survivor who remembers nothing and the little girl who turns up dead at an archaeological dig in the same woods many years later. One of the mysteries doesn't get solved. No. A thousand times no. Do not delve deep and leave me with nothing. I refuse to touch anything she's written to this day because of this. Just no.
Anything by Nicholas Sparks
I went through a phase where I read a lot of him in high school and I eventually realized the SOB just recycles the same story over and over again. Occasionally he allows a happy ending but more often than not, death and misery. I want some of those hours of my life back.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
I loved the movie when I was a teenager. It was interesting, magical, and about different forms of love. When I realized it was based on a book, I sought it out and was promptly let down. The book had no magic and no action.
Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher
This story had a fantastic premise. Superheroes we've never heard of, an average schmoe suddenly gets powers, can they defeat the big bad? The only reason I finished this was because I wanted to see how Christopher tried to tie the train wreck together. Spoiler alert: not well.
Friendship by Emily Gould
Self-absorbed millennials fuck up their lives and relationships. If I wanted that combined with a vague non-ending, I can just watch Girls.
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale
I expected a fun fish-out-of-water story when a former Manhattan business woman moves to a working farm in Virginia. Instead it was a nonstop bitchfest that left me wondering if this woman actually liked her husband, kids, or life. Oscar the Grouch and Grumpy Cat are more uplifting than McCorkindale.
Armada by Ernest Cline
This book is OK but what depresses me about is that I can see the book it could have been. It's premise is marvelous but the execution is forgettable, unoriginal, and rampant with tropes. It just felt like a long piece of fanboy fanfic. You're better than this Cline. Ready Player One says so.
In the Woods by Tana French
We get two mysteries: the disappearance and probable murder of two local children and the sole survivor who remembers nothing and the little girl who turns up dead at an archaeological dig in the same woods many years later. One of the mysteries doesn't get solved. No. A thousand times no. Do not delve deep and leave me with nothing. I refuse to touch anything she's written to this day because of this. Just no.
Anything by Nicholas Sparks
I went through a phase where I read a lot of him in high school and I eventually realized the SOB just recycles the same story over and over again. Occasionally he allows a happy ending but more often than not, death and misery. I want some of those hours of my life back.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Downsizing
I love the tiny house movement. I spent my adolescence watching nothing but McMansions get built. I spent time wondering why nobody was building houses like the ones from my childhood. Houses that were 1,200-2,000 square feet. Families are getting smaller so how much space do we need?
I subscribe to Tiny House Talk's email and often realize how easy it could be to live tiny. I saw this video of a couple who converted a bus into a tiny mobile home and it's absolutely lovely. (Although I do wonder how they have 'adult time' with minimal curtains.) It made me realize how simple it would be. In theory, I could do this.
I'd just have to give up a few different hobbies I really enjoy.
I like to cosplay. Nothing too intense but if you like to wear costumes, it requires stuff. The costume itself, accessories, possibly makeup. Makeup is another thing I enjoy. Even if I parsed down my collection, not that much would go. I enjoy being able to experiment with this lipstick, that eye shadow, this eyeliner and maybe this blush. I've maxed out on lipstick storage. It's too the point where I own enough stuff that I feel bad not wearing makeup some of the time. I want to be able to wear out some of.
I love to read and after my birthday, I will be doing a culling of my collection again but I can't imagine life without physical books. I stopped buying ebooks because I realized I rarely read them. I enjoy holding the story, feeling the pages, seeing the typeface, maybe catching a new/old book smell.
I want to own fewer things and cut back on my consumption but I'm not ready to give everything up yet. Living tiny is an extreme choice that reminds us we need to swing back to a happy medium between McMansion and micro-home. I love and admire the tiny lifestyle but it's not what's best for me right now.
Monday, February 15, 2016
The Gift of Giving
I signed up for the reddit gift exchange for books and eagerly awaited my match. I like to think I'm above average in finding a good book for someone. Today I got my match and I was reminded that I'm not like the rest of the world.
I got a Nicholas Sparks fan. WHY??????
I hate Nicholas Sparks. He's arrogant, unoriginal, and smug. He reuses the same basic story line over and over again. Person (usually a woman) meets someone. For some reason, this is not the greatest idea. Dramatic tension as they fight it then fall in love anyway. Cue huge dramatic reason they can't be together. Something brings them back together and they decide to make a go of it. 9 times out of 10, it ends with one of them dead.
However, my match also likes Harry Potter and is slightly younger than I am. I may have to stretch myself a bit but there was stuff there for me to work with. She likes stories where people fall in love and you get swept away by the story. Move aside Sparks. It's time for writers with more than one idea to work some magic.
I hit up BookOutlet.com (tread carefully, those deals are addictive) and cross-checked their inventory against books I've enjoyed, personal favorites, and what the deals were. Since it's President's Day and I use ebates, I got some extra savings.
There's Cake in My Future by Kim Gruenenfelder
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
A Million Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton
My Big, Fat, Supernatural, Honeymoon edited by P. N. Elrod
Cake is smart, funny, and engaging chick lit. Elephants is a beautiful and captivating love story. Mistakes let's you play 'what-if' by choosing your own adventure with your lottery winnings. Honeymoon will give her the love story with some more exposure to genre fiction and what it has to offer.
She is also getting a mini-bookmark with young Hermione on it, Just Married MadLibs, and 4 gorgeous blank cards from society6: Cliffhanger, A Quiet Spot, Never a Quiet Year at Hogwarts, and The World Belongs to Those Who Read. Those cards come in sets of 3 so 1 of each for my first match, 1 for my rematch person, and 1 for me.
I could just shove a book in an envelope and call it a day but that's not nearly as much fun. My first reddit exchange I wasn't sure what to expect but my Santa went above and beyond what I anticipated. My second was a rematch and they were incredibly considerate of what I said I liked. They even printed me homemade stickers of Jane Austen and the deathly hallows symbol. The Nicholas Sparks fan got stiffed on her last gift exchange so I think my creativity will help make up for that Secret Krampus.
I got a Nicholas Sparks fan. WHY??????
I hate Nicholas Sparks. He's arrogant, unoriginal, and smug. He reuses the same basic story line over and over again. Person (usually a woman) meets someone. For some reason, this is not the greatest idea. Dramatic tension as they fight it then fall in love anyway. Cue huge dramatic reason they can't be together. Something brings them back together and they decide to make a go of it. 9 times out of 10, it ends with one of them dead.
However, my match also likes Harry Potter and is slightly younger than I am. I may have to stretch myself a bit but there was stuff there for me to work with. She likes stories where people fall in love and you get swept away by the story. Move aside Sparks. It's time for writers with more than one idea to work some magic.
I hit up BookOutlet.com (tread carefully, those deals are addictive) and cross-checked their inventory against books I've enjoyed, personal favorites, and what the deals were. Since it's President's Day and I use ebates, I got some extra savings.
There's Cake in My Future by Kim Gruenenfelder
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
A Million Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton
My Big, Fat, Supernatural, Honeymoon edited by P. N. Elrod
Cake is smart, funny, and engaging chick lit. Elephants is a beautiful and captivating love story. Mistakes let's you play 'what-if' by choosing your own adventure with your lottery winnings. Honeymoon will give her the love story with some more exposure to genre fiction and what it has to offer.
She is also getting a mini-bookmark with young Hermione on it, Just Married MadLibs, and 4 gorgeous blank cards from society6: Cliffhanger, A Quiet Spot, Never a Quiet Year at Hogwarts, and The World Belongs to Those Who Read. Those cards come in sets of 3 so 1 of each for my first match, 1 for my rematch person, and 1 for me.
I could just shove a book in an envelope and call it a day but that's not nearly as much fun. My first reddit exchange I wasn't sure what to expect but my Santa went above and beyond what I anticipated. My second was a rematch and they were incredibly considerate of what I said I liked. They even printed me homemade stickers of Jane Austen and the deathly hallows symbol. The Nicholas Sparks fan got stiffed on her last gift exchange so I think my creativity will help make up for that Secret Krampus.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Would You Rather
Borrowed from Books and Lala, I bring you a bookish Would You Rather.
Only read trilogies or only read standalones?
I like a lot of trilogies and series but I feel like the
trilogy is becoming so overdone. Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, City
of Bones, etc. I’ll opt for standalones. It allows for more variety and more
options. You don’t see many memoirs coming out as trilogies.
Only read female or male authors?
This question is slightly evil. I love anything by Neil Gaiman or Jasper Fforde. I love the John
Connolly series with Samuel and Bosworth along with his short stories. There
are a ton of talented men out there. That said, I’d have to pick women. Women
are the lesser heard voice and they have a lot more to say. I’m more drawn to
memoirs by women, most feminist nonfiction is by women. There is a lot of
unexplored talent there that I’m actively trying to dive into this year.
Only shop at B&N or Amazon?
I think the either/or here is online or brick and mortar.
While online is cheaper and convenient as hell, nothing can erase the
comfortable hominess of a bookstore. Brick and mortar baby!
All books become TV shows or movies?
TV shows. Hands down. While movies are a fun way to enjoy a
book, not all books can be condensed into 2 hours. Some need a miniseries to
really tease out all the things the author laid out. With more streaming
services offering less filtered content, I’d vote for TV series.
5 pages a day or 5 books a week?
I know ever BookTuber will have the same answer. However, I
have an active social life, a podcast addiction, and a day job. I am currently
incapable of reading 5 books a month. For the sake of my sanity and sleep, 5
pages. It would suck to only be able to read 150 pages a month but I suspect I’d
get really into novellas.
Professional author or reviewer?
Author. I’ve got a lot of creative ideas floating around in
my head I think could be something but haven’t devoted a ton of time to turning
that into anything. Why? Busy life, other priorities, unsatisfying excuse here.
I want to write more fiction and hopefully, you’ll see some soon.
Only the same favorite 20 or only new books?
New books. I’ve got a very long memory. There’s one book I
want to reread by the end of 2016 but I still remember most of the plot. I can
still spout off a ton of details of things I read and enjoyed 2 years ago. I
read Tana French’s In the Woods around 4 years ago and can still give a
detailed rant about why I hated it. I don’t reread because I need to let things
fade so I can fully enjoy them again so this one wouldn’t hurt too much. At
least, not right away.
Be a librarian or a bookseller?
Librarian. If this was a career that paid better, I’d be all
about it. I’d love to be able to make a decent wage and help people find good
books. Libraries are integral to the community and it would bring me so much
joy to be able to be a part of that.
Only read your favorite genre or only read every genre but
your favorite?
Favorite genre. It would pain me to know I couldn’t read
anymore essays or memoirs or feminist nonfiction but my favorite genre is,
well, genre. Fantasy/sci-fi is such a crappy catchall for things like monsters,
magic, space, fair folk, ghosts, dystopia, post-apocalypse, zombie, steampunk,
cyberpunk, urban fantasy, high fantasy, and many aspects of horror.
I miss Jane Austen? Find an applicable period piece. I want
a spy adventure series? Time for The Laundry Files. I miss nonfiction? Just
read a fictionalized history or memoir. How about a play or classic? You’d be
hard pressed to find something that hasn’t
been touched by the supernatural. Genre fiction is so diverse and far-reaching that
I would never run out of options.
Only read physical books or only read ebooks?
I completely respect ebooks. I actually have a new Kindle on
my wish list so I can appreciate some of the new ebooks I’ve been getting. It’s
great when you travel because you have hundreds of books to choose from. It’s
little and light weight.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Richer Reading Life Activity #1
I pulled double-duty because not only have I listened to a podcast about books, I also discovered BookTubers! What rock have I been living under that I missed all of the cool women vlogging about books? I'm going to give you guys the break down.
Brought to you by the ever fantastic Book Riot, this podcast deals with quandries that face many a book lover. I've dabbled in this podcast before but not since 2014. I decided to restart it from the beginning. It turns out the dilemmas facing book nerds haven't changed much in the last 2 years.
Despite over 50 podcasts, Rita Meade keeps finding something to talk about. I'm less than 10 episodes in but it doesn't look like there's a lot of repeated content. The guests routinely rotate and offer a different perspective on whatever issue they're facing like reading the classics, lending books, defending your taste, ebooks versus physical books, and if audio books is really reading.
It's a calm podcast so it keeps me mellow rather than winding me up like The Black Tapes podcast. I'm excited to keep listening.
BookTubers
I just discovered the tip of this iceberg. I think I clicked a link from Book Riot and saw several different videos in the related column. I started clicking and fell down that rabbit hole that YouTube can be.
I really enjoyed BooksandLala because she has a perspective closer to mine. She's a bit older, married with a kid, and deals with grown up stuff like bills and taxes. A lot of BookTubers are rather young. Ariel Bissett is definitely young but she has a surprising amount of insight and wisdom for someone her age. Her videos about timing and her book purge were excellent.
Some others I've discovered that I'm curious to explore more are PadfootandProngs, PeruseProject, BooksandPieces, EpicReads, and TheStillPoint. Does anyone know any other BookTubers I should be watching?
Podcasts and videos about things I love. I'm enthused. Ariel Bissett said she only read 25 books in 2015 because she was so busy traveling and experiencing the book community. (Side note: Can I have that problem?) It really shows that loving books is about more than just reading.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Richer Reading Life in 2016
Part of my desire to give up on a challenge was so I could relax and enjoy reading without the stress and pressure of a challenge. But I want to have a richer reading life which both about what you read and how you read.
This challenge was also inspired by two articles from BOOKRIOT: Read Harder Challenge 2015 and 2016 and tips for a richer reading life. Since this is for 2016, I have 16 in each category. 16 books to read, 16 activities to do. Each of these should be fun, so help me gods.
Things to Read
-By a woman
-By a POC
-By a LGBT person
-Deals with mental illness
-Woman in politics
-Author over 65
-Author from Africa
-Takes place in Asia
-Indie Press
-Translation
-Poetry
-Published before 1850
-Genre I typically avoid
-Award winner
-Audiobook
-Recommendation
Things to Do
-Ask a librarian at my local library for a recommendation
-Ask someone I respect for a recommendation and read it right away
-Read outside
-Read a book that looks like it will make you uncomfortable
-Read out loud to someone I love
-Dog ear a page
-Write in margins
-Give away a book that's been in my TBR pile for a long time
-Cull 10 books from my collection and don't bring any new ones home for a month
-Attend a reading event near me
-Read the book, watch the movie, debate which is better
-Listen to an audiobook of a physical book I DNF
-Listen to a podcast about books
-Memorize a poem
-Read one page of a holy book of faith I was not raised with
-Have a conversation about books with someone you've never talked books with before
It's unrealistic to say I won't buy any more books but I'm running out of space and I need to save more money. I can only bring 16 new books for 2016 outside of conventions. I can only purchase at conventions if I can get them signed. Gifts purchased to be given to others or given to me as gifts don't count.
This is it for 2016. It should be an interesting year.
This challenge was also inspired by two articles from BOOKRIOT: Read Harder Challenge 2015 and 2016 and tips for a richer reading life. Since this is for 2016, I have 16 in each category. 16 books to read, 16 activities to do. Each of these should be fun, so help me gods.
Things to Read
-By a woman
-By a POC
-By a LGBT person
-Deals with mental illness
-Woman in politics
-Author over 65
-Author from Africa
-Takes place in Asia
-Indie Press
-Translation
-Poetry
-Published before 1850
-Genre I typically avoid
-Award winner
-Audiobook
-Recommendation
Things to Do
-Ask a librarian at my local library for a recommendation
-Ask someone I respect for a recommendation and read it right away
-Read outside
-Read a book that looks like it will make you uncomfortable
-Read out loud to someone I love
-Dog ear a page
-Write in margins
-Give away a book that's been in my TBR pile for a long time
-Cull 10 books from my collection and don't bring any new ones home for a month
-Attend a reading event near me
-Read the book, watch the movie, debate which is better
-Listen to an audiobook of a physical book I DNF
-Listen to a podcast about books
-Memorize a poem
-Read one page of a holy book of faith I was not raised with
-Have a conversation about books with someone you've never talked books with before
It's unrealistic to say I won't buy any more books but I'm running out of space and I need to save more money. I can only bring 16 new books for 2016 outside of conventions. I can only purchase at conventions if I can get them signed. Gifts purchased to be given to others or given to me as gifts don't count.
This is it for 2016. It should be an interesting year.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
The Fandom Awakens
I saw the latest installment of Star Wars on Friday. I had grown to loathe this movie by viewing time because of the inescapable hype. I then made a snarky comment on reddit that blew up enough to make the front page. I knew which character died within an hour.
This didn't help since I'm highly critical of this franchise. The writing on the first 6 films sucks. While there are some funny moments, most of it makes on the smallest amount of sense necessary to keep the series afloat. The character development is nonexistent. Leia's planet is blown up and we hear no more about it. Luke's entire family is flambeed but when he goes into battle, he wishes Ben/Boo Radley was there instead of the people who raised him. Anakin and Padme have no chemistry. When she said "I love you," I thought, "Are you sure?" Padme loses the will to live after seeing her babies born? That is the stupidest, most indefensible shit I've ever heard in my life and I've seen Trump at the Republican debates.
I went in prepared to hate this movie. I left with a new appreciation for the franchise. Contrary to what the previous paragraph would have you believe, I don't hate the franchise. I respect what it has done for popular culture but I saw it as an adult when you can't unsee plot holes and bad acting. The Force Awakens fixed most of the issues I had with Star Wars. It even passed the Bechdel Test!
The cast was diverse and talented. The story was interesting, made total sense, and ended in a way that had resolution and left room for the other 2 films we know are coming. The characters had motivations and desires that worked and they grew and changed as the story progressed. It was a good movie. I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10.
Why didn't I rate it higher? I want to give it a 7 but I have 2 major problems with this film and explaining those requires SPOILERS. You have been warned.
1) Cheap CGI
The new cantina scene was great. Maz (Lupita Nyong'o) was an excellent use of motion capture. However the junk dealer on Jakku? He looked ridiculous. I've seen enough episodes of Face Off to recognize the fat suit, foam, and paint that went into this character. It was very half-assed and again, took me out of the moment.
The worst offender was Kylo Ren's mentor. If you can nail Star Wars FaceTime in the prequels, Space Gollum should look better in here. For a big bad, he looked like the forgettable villain in a fairy tale cartoon for little kids. I don't care if he's 20 feet tall (you should call tech support about that BTW). If the Sith leader can look creepy and menacing on video conference, so can Space Gollum.
2) Derp Vader
Someone kill the casting director. They nailed every character except Kylo Ren. Why did every other character work so well? Because they were either already established in the universe or the new kids were played by unknowns except Derp Vader. He's played by Adam Driver, better known as Hannah Horvath's boyfriend on Girls.
The second I saw him without the mask, I couldn't take him seriously as a villain. Driver has gotten to much exposure as this weird idiot on an insanely popular show. FFS, one of the Obama kids interned on it! People associate him with this role. I couldn't unsee it and it took me out of the moment. Even his rage tantrums felt like Derp Boyfriend instead of Unstable Bad Guy.
While I'm on the rant, why does he have such nice hair under a freaking helmet? It's like he's out of a damn shampoo ad. Can you at least pretend to make him look different than Derp Boyfriend? Give him a military cut? Anything? How about a vague attempt to make him look like his parents? Derp Vader is a walking joke about the milkman.
Did Driver do a good job? Yes. Had I never seen him before this, I'd think he was OK. A milkman joke but good. But I have seen him and it's like watching Rob Schneider as the bad guy.
Those two issues are going to be mostly my issues. Unless you've seen Girls, Kylo Ren hasn't been tainted for you. If you love, like, or merely tolerate Star Wars, go see this movie. It's the best in the franchise. The nerds were truly blessed this holiday season.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Enough Is Enough
I read this article on Cracked about why we really hate the Kardashians.
He’s pretty spot on with a lot of his points but I don’t 100% agree with
everything.
I didn’t rage about finding out about Lamar Odom’s big
crisis. Khloe is the least annoying Kardashian and she was still legally his
wife. When she put the divorce on hold to handle this crisis, I thought, “That
makes sense,” and went about my life.
I spend no time deliberately thinking about that fame-whore
family but our media makes it near impossible to avoid them. Recommended links
on CNN or Facebook, rants on other social media just perpetuate their hold over
our culture. Brown says it best:
“All those blogs and
magazines and news sites don't talk about Kim Kardashian because they care
about her, they do it because you care about her, and the frustrated comments
you leave and the links you anger-share on your Facebook page do nothing to
make that less true.”
Most people love to hate them because we all love a common
enemy. Why do you think Speidi was a thing 10 years ago? I saw an article about
Kim complaining how fat she was this late in her pregnancy. I saw red but knew
posting anything would just perpetuate their status in our culture so I just
resumed my regular life.
I think they’re vapid, materialistic, and useless. What good thing have any of
them done with their fame and fortune? Before you say the domestic violence
PSAs, they didn’t consent to those. That was an artist and photoshop.
That’s what makes the history of genocide and persecution
their ancestors escaped that much sadder. They fled to survive and many of their
descendants haven’t actually done any good in the world. Robert Kardashian
helped a murderer go free. All of the women help perpetuate a shallow, image
conscious ideal on young girls.
I will grant these fools their ability to capitalize on this
medium and monetize their fame. That doesn’t make them smart. That makes them
one step down from a savant. They’re not intelligent and they’re not worth our
time.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
What Should I Be?
I’m not sure what I’m going to do for Halloween this year. I was originally thinking a feminist Hulk but that requires more pieces and makeup than I can really afford to buy. I need to come up with 2 costumes for 2 different parties. Here’s what I’ve got available to me:
-Victorian widow
-Pirate
-Vampire
-Serial killer (they look just like everybody else)
-Stand-up comedian (they look like everyone else except broke)
-Cereal killer
-(Fallen) Angel
-Death/victim of higher education
-Catholic school survivor
-Pirate
-Vampire
-Serial killer (they look just like everybody else)
-Stand-up comedian (they look like everyone else except broke)
-Cereal killer
-(Fallen) Angel
-Death/victim of higher education
-Catholic school survivor
Last year I was the color purple and the year before that I was a witch. I might be able to pull off a fae but it’s reachy. I have a bunch of RenFest stuff but that maybe be a little overdone since our RenFest wraps right before Halloween. There’s a little too much of me to love for me to be comfortable as the TARDIS or Lolitapool all night.
I could do a ‘spirit of Halloween.’ I could reuse some of the same pieces I used for the witch but I want my costume to be a bit more straight forward this year. I did a conceptual costume last year.
I’m leaning toward the pirate for one weekend and the widow for another. The widow will require some makeup but I should be able to pick something up at the drugstore. I’d have to make my face very pale but I’ve already got the rest of the makeup for both looks.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Men's Rights Get It Wrong, Again
I already learned what happens when you post something accurate about GamerGate and MRAs on Twitter but what happens when you post it on Reddit?
Someone asked why feminists are angry. I said that if you consistently have your point dismissed, ignored, or redirected so no man actually has to think about his power and, gods forbid, change his behavior, it's frustrating. Then you have groups like GG and MRAs whose sole purpose is the antagonize feminists rather than do good in the world, you start to get a little angry.
I have read multiple articles about GamerGate and MRAs from pretty reliable sources (Washington Post, NYT) and I fail to see any good they're doing. Those sources also do some impressive things like actually citing their research rather than spouting off facts and expecting everyone to take them at face value.
I also made sure to note that I have had personal experience with both of these communities and none of them have been pleasant. I posted something positive to Ann Wheaton on Twitter while she was under fire for saying something not positive about GamerGate. Despite do nothing to provoke any of these individuals, I got several antagonizing tweets. In the world of GamerGate logic, supporting their enemy means taking up a sword for their side in battle.
Someone asked why feminists are angry. I said that if you consistently have your point dismissed, ignored, or redirected so no man actually has to think about his power and, gods forbid, change his behavior, it's frustrating. Then you have groups like GG and MRAs whose sole purpose is the antagonize feminists rather than do good in the world, you start to get a little angry.
I have read multiple articles about GamerGate and MRAs from pretty reliable sources (Washington Post, NYT) and I fail to see any good they're doing. Those sources also do some impressive things like actually citing their research rather than spouting off facts and expecting everyone to take them at face value.
I also made sure to note that I have had personal experience with both of these communities and none of them have been pleasant. I posted something positive to Ann Wheaton on Twitter while she was under fire for saying something not positive about GamerGate. Despite do nothing to provoke any of these individuals, I got several antagonizing tweets. In the world of GamerGate logic, supporting their enemy means taking up a sword for their side in battle.
"So what you're saying is your opinion on gamergate and MRAs is formed by listening to people that already hate them talk about them?
MRAs have opened shelters for men and continue to push for recognition of male rape and domestic violence victims despite opposition which extends all the way to outright criminal violence and shootings.
Gamergate has achieved significant reforms in ethics policies at many major journalistic outlets as well as raised literally hundreds of thousands of dollars for everything from funding female game developers to anti-bullying and anti-suicide charities.
The people telling you that both are the devil incarnate are literally racists, pedophiles, and rapist defenders like Sarah Nyberg, Arthur Chu, and Leigh Alexander."
"MRAs literally can't even try to talk about lowering the catastrophic suicide rate among men without large groups of feminists flooding the venue with death and bomb threats, blocking the doors, attacking people trying to get in, and pulling fire alarms to shut the whole thing down.
Which side is really the one that tries to make life harder for anyone who dares disagree with them here? The side that tries to open shelters, or the side that shoots peoples' dogs for sheltering male DV victims?"
I asked both users to show me proof of their evidence. If there's anything both of those groups seem to love, it's throwing out facts without citations and expecting everyone to take them at face value. If you want to change my mind, the burden of proof is on you.
I have yet to see anyone in either group defend their side without resorting to vitriol and ranting. They're consistently bad listeners and incapable of find fault with anyone on their side. Both groups have horrible reputations and it seems very well earned.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Shore Leave #2 or Book Round Up
Because I have a very large amount of books, I’ve been
keeping track of them on GoodReads. This has been somewhat complicated given my
recent purges but overall, it’s been helpful. The neurotic little crazy person
in my likes knowing how many books I own.
Books were by far my biggest splurge at ShoreLeave. I bought
11, all of which I was able to get signed. Some folks were cool and gave me a
deal for buying more than one, proving it never hurts to ask.
One was a speculative fiction anthology called Pangea. The
continents never shifted and Neanderthals still exist as second class citizens.
Everybody go! I bit. When I went to add it to my GoodReads, I couldn’t find it.
I had to do some searching before I discovered it’s not out yet. I got a very
cool anthology before the rest of the world? Sweet!
Otherwise, my list includes:
-No Small Bills by Aaron Rosenberg (There was a whole think involving
free rubber duckies with purchase last year. It was too perfect.)
-Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens by Patricia Bray and
Joshua Palmatier
-Beauty Has Her Way edited by Joshua Palmatier
-Heroes!: The 2013 Fiction Anthology edited by Kelly Swails
-Into a Strange Land by Ben Anderson
-The Witch and the Walking Tree by Ben Anderson
-Taming the Goblin by Ben Anderson
-Snyper: A Matter of Caliber by J. Merideth Harmon
Friday, July 31, 2015
July Shopfessions
Kickstarter
The Secret Loves of Geek Girls - $49
Elysian Springs - $20
Clothes
Skull sweater - $35
Two Dresses and Leggings - $107
Books
BookOutlet - $26
Amazon - $43
The Reading Room - $23
Music
Jillian Aversa - $10
zircon - $6
Makeup
Bite Duo Lipstick - $12
Makeup Forever Lipstick Shade 51 - $20
Sephora Eyeliner Shade 12 - $13
MISC
Shipping - $9.95
Hot Topic - $54.81
Returns/Extra Earned
eshakti - $39.45
PoshMark - $32
Sold books - $25
I found out about the Kickstarter from BuzzFeed. I've been trying to avoid Kickstarter but they seem to find me.
I wanted some more work dresses so I used a discount code for Torrid and shipped it for free to my local store. The sweater? See Poshmark below. Can't sell without seeing what's for sale.
Book outlet had given me a $5 off coupon so I got several books I'd been wanting to get my hands on. The Reading Room offered me a 40% off + free shipping code the same day the author of one of my favorite books drops a new title. I'm actually reading it now along with someone else as part of the PopSugar Challenge.
I tried 4 different bookstores to find Living Well, Spending Less by Ruth Soukup before I gave up and got it on Amazon. I added some other things to get the free shipping. I really hope Ms. Soukup can help me in not spending any more.
As for makeup, I figured out how to work everything that wasn't mascara after the age of 25. In a few short years I've escalated to the point where I can't be left unsupervised in Sephora. I stopped by to pick up a few basic pieces to build my nonexistent face collection and this resulted in a few impulse purchases. From Amazon I ordered 3 lipsticks, 2 of which were for costumes.
I don't have a good excuse for Hot Topic. I wanted a smaller backpack for the weekend and the necklace was perfect for a cosplay Boyfriend and I do.
My grand total of unnecessary stuff for July? $359.76 Ouch. Another month confirms what rubbish I am at not spending money. For almost all of these I can hear a voice in my head saying "Excuses, not reasons." With a regular rent check to go along with my cell phone, COBRA, and car insurance bills, it has become very clear to me that I need to do a lot better than I've been doing.
At least I've gotten better at counteracting my spending habit. PoshMark was a recent discovery via a Hello Giggles article. One woman managed to pay off her student loans with the site so I decided to sell clothes that didn't fit or I didn't need. I bought a sweater but I've culled my closet once again and have several pieces that will hopefully earn more than the $0 I was getting with them sitting in my closet unused.
Earnings for July? $96.45. That counteracts the spending total to $263.31. With the new budget I'll have to be on, that's still too much but I'm hoping a budget app will help me really see where my money needs to go, not just where it doesn't need to have been.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Peeping Tina
I saw this article posted on FB and holy comment section Batman. People had a lot of opinions about this one.
The Cliff notes version is that two women were seated behind a couple at a baseball game. The two women saw the wife sexting "Nancy" who was really a guy named Mark. The women took some photos of her sexting and wrote a note on the game program telling the hubby that she's probably cheating and gave her number if he wanted the photo of the sext.
The main opinion that was floating around was that people need to mind their own damn business. I don't 100% agree with that sentiment because if it was my relationship and my exposure to disease, I'd want to know. I don't care who is telling me or how they found out. The two women telling hubby about the sext wasn't wrong. Splashing it all over the internet, however, was.
The entire internet just became privy to a very personal saga for a couple that could be easily discovered with a few more details. We already know the city and 'Nancy.' This is not something that the couple should have to deal with publicly.
There are also a lot of things the public doesn't know because we're not in the situation. The biggest one that came up in the comments was that hubby might be abusive. That, among other possibilities, seem doubtful based on what we, the public, know.
Hubby is abusive and wifey is looking for a way out
I am highly skeptical that a woman who is being hit or manipulated would be bold/stupid enough to sext a man with hubby three feet away. Most normal women in not-horrible relationships wouldn't risk being found out that easily.
Possessive partners also tend to keep close tabs on the social media and messages that their partner sends. Why send them with him right there when he'll probably check your phone later? Why risk the potentially dangerous consequences of being found out?
The couple is poly or in an open marriage
Those relationships thrive on communication and honesty. The second someone starts keeping secrets, it all goes to hell. If they're relationship wasn't monogamous, why is Mark saved as Nancy?
Nancy is her writing partner and they were working on a romance novel
I was reaching for this one but given the number of people I know who write fiction or fanfic, this is not the stupidest someone has come up with for this.
Anyone who has never looked at someone else's text is full of crap. Whether accidentally or on purpose, it has happened. I was doing my morning shuffle off the train I ended up seeing someone reading an email from Laura. I have no idea what the email was about. I only saw the name but I wasn't trying to see anything.
I found one brilliant thing on some humor site where a woman complained to her friend that a guy kept spying on her texts while she was on the train. Her friend had her delete all the past messages and they went back and forth pretending to plan a hit until he got freaked out and went away. I tried to search for it but holy crap the internet is depressing.
The Cliff notes version is that two women were seated behind a couple at a baseball game. The two women saw the wife sexting "Nancy" who was really a guy named Mark. The women took some photos of her sexting and wrote a note on the game program telling the hubby that she's probably cheating and gave her number if he wanted the photo of the sext.
The main opinion that was floating around was that people need to mind their own damn business. I don't 100% agree with that sentiment because if it was my relationship and my exposure to disease, I'd want to know. I don't care who is telling me or how they found out. The two women telling hubby about the sext wasn't wrong. Splashing it all over the internet, however, was.
The entire internet just became privy to a very personal saga for a couple that could be easily discovered with a few more details. We already know the city and 'Nancy.' This is not something that the couple should have to deal with publicly.
There are also a lot of things the public doesn't know because we're not in the situation. The biggest one that came up in the comments was that hubby might be abusive. That, among other possibilities, seem doubtful based on what we, the public, know.
Hubby is abusive and wifey is looking for a way out
I am highly skeptical that a woman who is being hit or manipulated would be bold/stupid enough to sext a man with hubby three feet away. Most normal women in not-horrible relationships wouldn't risk being found out that easily.
Possessive partners also tend to keep close tabs on the social media and messages that their partner sends. Why send them with him right there when he'll probably check your phone later? Why risk the potentially dangerous consequences of being found out?
The couple is poly or in an open marriage
Those relationships thrive on communication and honesty. The second someone starts keeping secrets, it all goes to hell. If they're relationship wasn't monogamous, why is Mark saved as Nancy?
Nancy is her writing partner and they were working on a romance novel
I was reaching for this one but given the number of people I know who write fiction or fanfic, this is not the stupidest someone has come up with for this.
Anyone who has never looked at someone else's text is full of crap. Whether accidentally or on purpose, it has happened. I was doing my morning shuffle off the train I ended up seeing someone reading an email from Laura. I have no idea what the email was about. I only saw the name but I wasn't trying to see anything.
I found one brilliant thing on some humor site where a woman complained to her friend that a guy kept spying on her texts while she was on the train. Her friend had her delete all the past messages and they went back and forth pretending to plan a hit until he got freaked out and went away. I tried to search for it but holy crap the internet is depressing.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Men Write Women Write Women
I looked at several of my favorite books and I realized, a lot of them are written by men. Many have strong, well developed female protagonists and male authors. People have been making excellent arguments for reading female authors or a more diverse author pool in general but I think exposure to excellent female protagonists is just as important.
I'm not saying men can write women better than women themselves or this list would be a lot longer. Men writing women is not easy as noted by The Atlantic. Tor has an excellent piece not only on writing women well but creating a more gender balance narrative as a whole.
The reason this thought occurred to me was that when I think of well written characters that I have loved, these are the books that immediately spring to mind.
The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde
The Checquy Files by Daniel O'Malley
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The idea behind encouraging consumption by female authors is that it strengthens their voice and increases opportunities when their publisher sees that they do well. When I think about female authors with excellent female protagonists, I think:
Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan
The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Longbourn by Jo Baker
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
These are just a handful of personal favorites and is not meant to be in any way comprehensive. I'd love to hear more about what female characters you love and who created them.
Music: Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson
I'm not saying men can write women better than women themselves or this list would be a lot longer. Men writing women is not easy as noted by The Atlantic. Tor has an excellent piece not only on writing women well but creating a more gender balance narrative as a whole.
The reason this thought occurred to me was that when I think of well written characters that I have loved, these are the books that immediately spring to mind.
The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde
The Checquy Files by Daniel O'Malley
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The idea behind encouraging consumption by female authors is that it strengthens their voice and increases opportunities when their publisher sees that they do well. When I think about female authors with excellent female protagonists, I think:
Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan
The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Longbourn by Jo Baker
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
These are just a handful of personal favorites and is not meant to be in any way comprehensive. I'd love to hear more about what female characters you love and who created them.
Music: Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson
Monday, July 13, 2015
Princesses and Zombies
This post was inspired by this BuzzFeed article where Lily James, or live-action Cinderella, guesses which princesses would survive a zombie uprising. I wanted to call a lot of BS on who survives and why.
Snow White - Very unlikely
She is a naive and helpless the entire story. She only survives on the charity of others. If she can use that animal camaraderie on getting violent predators to attack zombies, she could make it. Otherwise, Snow will definitely need that glass coffin back.
Aurora - Die, early
Much like Snow, she exists to be pretty, naive, delicate, and useless in emergencies. Even the fairies charged with her care would be pretty useless. They can't make a cake or dress. How are they going to come up with a battle plan?
Ariel - It Depends
Mermaid Ariel would be fine. Zombies would decay in the water and those that didn't float or decompose would be stuck on the bottom. Merpeople aren't bound by gravity. They can move the same way fish do and would have the luxury of being able to be just out of reach while they slaughter zombies.
Human Ariel would be zombie chum the second they breached the palace walls. She's a wayward teenager with no clue about the world she's living in and, much like the others, is naive and useless in combat.
Belle - Likely
She would be useless in physical combat but her father's an inventor and she reads nonstop. At some point she had to stumble across nonfiction and get some decent ideas about how to protect herself. Her combat skills are weak so without backup she'd be a liability. If Adam is still a beast and his staff still inanimate, they'd be pretty unstoppable. A zombie can't eat a candle or dresser. If everyone's human, things might get dicey. Her odds are good, not great.
Jasmine - Very Likely
A princess with access to her own army, in a hostile environment to zombies, with a genie, a magic carpet, a tiger, and a hubby with intimate knowledge of the streets? She's got this. Even if she's solo, the palace walls are sturdy enough to give her time to think of a back-up plan.
Pocahontas - Lives
Friend of nature and hunter, she would become a complete badass. She knows the land and can probably call in a few favors with bears and wolves.
Mulan - Lives
Cosplays a man in the Chinese army and no one notices? She could walk among zombies with the right camouflage. She's also a kick-ass soldier who could slay some shambling dead without breaking a sweat.
Merida - Lives
A strong, fierce, independent archer, Merida would lose that teenage angst very quickly and become a better shot than Daryl on TWD.
Tiana - Lives
Tiana is no stranger to hard work and doesn't have time for other people's stupid nonsense. She'd become Michonne PDQ in that situation.
Rapunzel - Likely
We're back to sheltered and naive but Rapunzel had enough spunk to get out of several sticky situations. If she's in the tower and/or has the hair, she'll do OK. She can hoist herself up a tree with the hair and swing down a la Tarzan with a frying pan if the zombies start to cluster. However, I have doubts about her lasting long term. If it's after the haircut, maybe no so much.
Anna - Even Odds
Sheltered her entire life, Anna is completely clueless and only moderately useful when the wolves start attacking. If she had to fight her way through a zombie hoard without Kristoff or Elsa to help, she'd probably wouldn't make it. If someone was around to watch her back and train her, she'd make it by the skin of her teeth.
Elsa - Lives
A master of ice and snow, Elsa could readily create an army of snowmen to take on the ones she couldn't freeze and shatter on her own.
Snow White - Very unlikely
She is a naive and helpless the entire story. She only survives on the charity of others. If she can use that animal camaraderie on getting violent predators to attack zombies, she could make it. Otherwise, Snow will definitely need that glass coffin back.
Aurora - Die, early
Much like Snow, she exists to be pretty, naive, delicate, and useless in emergencies. Even the fairies charged with her care would be pretty useless. They can't make a cake or dress. How are they going to come up with a battle plan?
Ariel - It Depends
Mermaid Ariel would be fine. Zombies would decay in the water and those that didn't float or decompose would be stuck on the bottom. Merpeople aren't bound by gravity. They can move the same way fish do and would have the luxury of being able to be just out of reach while they slaughter zombies.
Human Ariel would be zombie chum the second they breached the palace walls. She's a wayward teenager with no clue about the world she's living in and, much like the others, is naive and useless in combat.
Belle - Likely
She would be useless in physical combat but her father's an inventor and she reads nonstop. At some point she had to stumble across nonfiction and get some decent ideas about how to protect herself. Her combat skills are weak so without backup she'd be a liability. If Adam is still a beast and his staff still inanimate, they'd be pretty unstoppable. A zombie can't eat a candle or dresser. If everyone's human, things might get dicey. Her odds are good, not great.
Jasmine - Very Likely
A princess with access to her own army, in a hostile environment to zombies, with a genie, a magic carpet, a tiger, and a hubby with intimate knowledge of the streets? She's got this. Even if she's solo, the palace walls are sturdy enough to give her time to think of a back-up plan.
Pocahontas - Lives
Friend of nature and hunter, she would become a complete badass. She knows the land and can probably call in a few favors with bears and wolves.
Mulan - Lives
Cosplays a man in the Chinese army and no one notices? She could walk among zombies with the right camouflage. She's also a kick-ass soldier who could slay some shambling dead without breaking a sweat.
Merida - Lives
A strong, fierce, independent archer, Merida would lose that teenage angst very quickly and become a better shot than Daryl on TWD.
Tiana - Lives
Tiana is no stranger to hard work and doesn't have time for other people's stupid nonsense. She'd become Michonne PDQ in that situation.
Rapunzel - Likely
We're back to sheltered and naive but Rapunzel had enough spunk to get out of several sticky situations. If she's in the tower and/or has the hair, she'll do OK. She can hoist herself up a tree with the hair and swing down a la Tarzan with a frying pan if the zombies start to cluster. However, I have doubts about her lasting long term. If it's after the haircut, maybe no so much.
Anna - Even Odds
Sheltered her entire life, Anna is completely clueless and only moderately useful when the wolves start attacking. If she had to fight her way through a zombie hoard without Kristoff or Elsa to help, she'd probably wouldn't make it. If someone was around to watch her back and train her, she'd make it by the skin of her teeth.
Elsa - Lives
A master of ice and snow, Elsa could readily create an army of snowmen to take on the ones she couldn't freeze and shatter on her own.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Making My Poshmark
I found out about Poshmark from Hello Giggles. Since I've been purging stuff, I've got a big pile of clothes in good condition just taking up space. I tried listing some items on Poshmark and I've already sold one dress.
It's very driven by social media so I've got to log in regularly and play the game. The downside of playing the game is looking at other people's listings and finding things I want. I bought a sweater someone had so I kind of broke even on the dress I sold.
According to the website, the more you list, the more you sell so I'm hoping to get more items listed by week's end. I've already learned if you lower the price of something or edit the description, it will renew interest. Send me good juju so I can get these clothes to people who want them and make a little bank in the process.
It's very driven by social media so I've got to log in regularly and play the game. The downside of playing the game is looking at other people's listings and finding things I want. I bought a sweater someone had so I kind of broke even on the dress I sold.
According to the website, the more you list, the more you sell so I'm hoping to get more items listed by week's end. I've already learned if you lower the price of something or edit the description, it will renew interest. Send me good juju so I can get these clothes to people who want them and make a little bank in the process.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
June Shopfessions
Kickstarter
The Doubleclicks - $10
Oh Joy Sex Toy - $20
We're Alive: Lockdown - $20
Clothes
Amy Pond Jacket - $58
Spider Gwen cardigan - $50.17
New Normal Apparel shirt - 57.92
Balloon Dress - $40
Surplice top - $32
LOC Pride and Prejudice tee - $28
MISC
eshakti shipping - $13
Kristyn Hippe EP - $8
In App expansion for Bonza - $3
Sold
Selling books - $38.44
With the offset, that brings my total spending to $301.65 for the month of June. Since I'll be sharing a closet with someone, I have no need to acquire more clothes. I will need to figure out how to share space and I don't know what the dress code will be for the next job/temp gig I have so there's no point in dropping money I don't have on clothing I'm not sure I'll use.
The Kickstarters I funded this go around were all ones I'd planned to invest in once I knew they were going to happen. I wanted to be a part of Oh Joy and have a personal investment in the other two.
I saw the Amy Pond jacket when I went to look at something I saw in the store window. I talked myself out of a lovely but impractical polka dot dress but I could use the jacket as a lazy Amy Pond cosplay since I already have a navy and white striped tank. As for the cardigan, I've seen 2 different designs on We Love Fine and watched them sell out. Not this time.
The New Normal Apparel I have no excuse other than it allowed me to wear leggings as pants. I just found out I had a new temp assignment that would pay the best money I've ever made and it should go on for a couple of months. Imagine my disappointment when it stopped after 3 days.
To celebrate unexpectedly getting another gig, I acquired a customized dress on sale from eshakti. With the customizing fee, it was about $40. Because I got more than one item, the top was 30% off and is enormously practical. After that gig ended abruptly, I went to the Library of Congress. It is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen including the Vanderbilt mansions. They had a Pride and Prejudice tee exclusive to them that I couldn't resist picking up. I managed not to buy any books but that doesn't feel like quite the badge of honor I want it to be after looking at these numbers.
My big lesson from this month is that no matter how long they say a temp gig is for, it could end tomorrow. I can no longer trust what I'm told for the duration of any future assignments. No more celebrating. I'll celebrate by saving money since I'm moving in August.
On the upside, most of the major birthday I've got for the rest of the year are taken care of and I've got a head start on Christmas. I also got an influx of cash from selling books back. I've discovered 2 new apps that I'm hoping will allow me to sell books and clothes for cash. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. I'm hoping I won't be idle for too long but there's no guarantee that I won't be out of work for the next month.
The Doubleclicks - $10
Oh Joy Sex Toy - $20
We're Alive: Lockdown - $20
Clothes
Amy Pond Jacket - $58
Spider Gwen cardigan - $50.17
New Normal Apparel shirt - 57.92
Balloon Dress - $40
Surplice top - $32
LOC Pride and Prejudice tee - $28
MISC
eshakti shipping - $13
Kristyn Hippe EP - $8
In App expansion for Bonza - $3
Sold
Selling books - $38.44
With the offset, that brings my total spending to $301.65 for the month of June. Since I'll be sharing a closet with someone, I have no need to acquire more clothes. I will need to figure out how to share space and I don't know what the dress code will be for the next job/temp gig I have so there's no point in dropping money I don't have on clothing I'm not sure I'll use.
The Kickstarters I funded this go around were all ones I'd planned to invest in once I knew they were going to happen. I wanted to be a part of Oh Joy and have a personal investment in the other two.
I saw the Amy Pond jacket when I went to look at something I saw in the store window. I talked myself out of a lovely but impractical polka dot dress but I could use the jacket as a lazy Amy Pond cosplay since I already have a navy and white striped tank. As for the cardigan, I've seen 2 different designs on We Love Fine and watched them sell out. Not this time.
The New Normal Apparel I have no excuse other than it allowed me to wear leggings as pants. I just found out I had a new temp assignment that would pay the best money I've ever made and it should go on for a couple of months. Imagine my disappointment when it stopped after 3 days.
To celebrate unexpectedly getting another gig, I acquired a customized dress on sale from eshakti. With the customizing fee, it was about $40. Because I got more than one item, the top was 30% off and is enormously practical. After that gig ended abruptly, I went to the Library of Congress. It is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen including the Vanderbilt mansions. They had a Pride and Prejudice tee exclusive to them that I couldn't resist picking up. I managed not to buy any books but that doesn't feel like quite the badge of honor I want it to be after looking at these numbers.
My big lesson from this month is that no matter how long they say a temp gig is for, it could end tomorrow. I can no longer trust what I'm told for the duration of any future assignments. No more celebrating. I'll celebrate by saving money since I'm moving in August.
On the upside, most of the major birthday I've got for the rest of the year are taken care of and I've got a head start on Christmas. I also got an influx of cash from selling books back. I've discovered 2 new apps that I'm hoping will allow me to sell books and clothes for cash. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. I'm hoping I won't be idle for too long but there's no guarantee that I won't be out of work for the next month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)