In which I geek out about travel, Seattle, Disney, Chuck, and books!
So, yeah, that whole updating thing!
I'm back in Seattle now... feels WEIRD to be back after so long. But it's nice to see I haven't been forgotten! :P I'm back and working at Half Price Books again, at least until February. And past that, I haven't a clue. :P
Cross-Country Trip!
So moving from Florida to Washington entails a long drive! Dad and I spent a week in the car, seeing everything along the I-10/I-5 corridor. So here's a few stops and links to pics!
The Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, LA - one of the most haunted places in America! Kinda cool to see a real, old plantation, especially a haunted one. Nothing weird while we were there, and it was bright and sunny and pretty and not at all creepy weather. :P Although my car died a half mile out of the plantation, so maybe the ghosts hitchhiked? We spent an extra night in St. Francisville, waiting for the car dealership there to get the part to fix it.
Carlsbad Caverns, NM - Um, this was quite possibly one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Seriously. As a kid I always wanted to see real caves, and this one is awesome, in every sense of the word. It's HUGE. Like, I don't think you can understand how huge it is until you see it for yourself. Photos just don't do it justice! I'd love to go back here again and spend more time. If you ever go, do the Natural Cave Entrance Trail. It is steep, but there's lots of swtichbacks to make it easier, places to rest, etc. But if you miss that, you miss a LOT of really cool sights. I enjoyed that part WAY more than the "Big Room" that you see just by taking the elevator. Do yourself a favor, get the workout, and go through the Natural Cave Entrance.
Disneyland - ...you knew I'd do this, right? Duh. Yay, comp tickets! It was the first day of the Christmas stuff, so the park was INSANE. But we got there early enough (8:30) and made liberal use of FastPass, and did almost everything we wanted to. (We missed World of Color... something to go back for!) A Christmas Fantasy, Believe in Holiday Magic, it's a small world holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and stuff like Finding Nemo that opened since I left. W00t!
Seattle
So I'm chillin' in Seattle again! Seen a few movies (Tangled - see below, Megamind - hilarious!) and read a few books (yes! book update below!) and got up to Alpental for skiing for the first time in a few years.
It took a couple of warm-up runs to get the feel of it back. For the Pass, the snow wasn't too horrible! It was a bit wet and heavy, but DEEP. Deep enough that my older-than-sin skis had some trouble with it. Almost buried myself up near the top of the Edelweiss chair. :P But it was back to expert runs by the end of the day, and pain for the following two days.
And within a week of getting back, we got a nice snowstorm. I'd forgotten how entertaining it is to sit inside here during a storm and watch the chaos on the news. Srsly, Seattle, thanks for the lulz.
Had my birthday that week, too... and had kind of a poopy one. My Wii went 101, so I gotta get it fixed... I need to play Epic Mickey, but that's hard with a system that doesn't work! :( Latte (my chocolate lab) finally had to be put down that day, too... at age 17. Yup. 17. Rest in peace, puppy...
Tangled
For the benefit of you overseas kids, I'll stay spoiler-free here! Basically, I LOVED IT. I wasn't really expecting much out of it, 'cause the trailer made it seem cheesy, but really, it wasn't. It was sweet and touching and ZOMG ALAN MENKEN I STILL WANT TO HAVE YOUR AMAZING DISNEY MUSIC BABIES. Seriously. I've been rocking out to the soundtrack a LOT. "I See the Light" is BEAUTIFUL. That song needs to win awards. I love it liek woah! And "Something That I Want" is just fun to rock out to. Pascal? Kinda rocked. Also, Rapunzel? Marion Ravenwood would be proud of your frying pan skillz.
Chuck
So I just started watching this show and am SO IN LOVE. Dare I say it's... awesome?? Seriously, it's one of those "why didn't I start watching this before?!" shows. I've plowed through two seasons in a week, and am partway into season three now. I'll be caught up long before the next new episode airs. Chuck = ADORKABLE. Um, check the icon. Yup. Adam Baldwin WINS again as Casey - it's like Jayne gone super-spy! And the Chuck/Sarah ship - aside from being frustrating at times - brings out my inner squee! I also want to hug Morgan. He's squishy like a teddy bear. :P And the dialogue just rocks. Great music, too... hell, they picked Cake for the theme song. You just can't go wrong there. And power to the nerds! Plus, Robert Duncan McNeill as a producer is extra win. So I've been TOTALLY fangirling that show now. So, Chuck fans... AWESOME FICS! SHOW ME THEM!
(also... can we have singing!Chuck at some point? 'Cause Zach Levi's voice in Tangled is SO gorgeous...)
Books
Yes! Lots of books to catch up on!!
Blood of the Fold (Sword of Truth, Book 3) - Terry Goodkind
Downhill from the first two, but still enjoyable. I still think Goodkind has some serious issues with women...
Stone of Tears (Sword of Truth, Book 2) - Terry Goodkind
Just as enjoyable as the first book! These ones really keep the story moving along, and keep you interested. Parts of this one get pretty dark - more than necessary, IMHO. That being said, I can't wait to read the third one!
The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris
Gruesome? Yes, but VERY well-written. Edge-of-your-seat story, and just as much of a psychological thriller as anything else. Loved the movie AND the book - that's rare for me!
The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time, Book 4) - Robert Jordan
Easily the weakest in the series yet. This one seemed much, much longer than it needed to be. Parts of it dragged on, and it seemed like, by the end, not much had happened. And the parts that did seem momentous felt glossed over.
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
This book is very, very well-written, and was a very good read, but I'll be blunt and say that if you want any sort of good, happy feeling after finishing a book, don't read this one. It's not uplifting by any stretch of the imagination. The trials that all of the characters go through can be pretty horrific, but it's written in a way that really leaves an emotional impact. I really enjoyed the segments that dealt with the Afghani culture, one so different than what we know in America.
8/25/10
Stardust - Neil Gaiman
A sweet little story, if a bit cliched. The plot is fairly predictable, although it's told with quite a bit of imagination and great description. A quick, easy read, and definitely enjoyable.
8/16/10
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded - Simon Winchester
Considerably more scientific than I expected. It felt a bit more like reading a scientific paper than it did reading a narrative. Okay if that's what you're looking for, but it can make for a bit of a dry read.
8/9/10
Star Wars: Dark Tide II - Ruin - Michael A. Stackpole
Not a particularly exciting book as far as Star Wars novels go. It felt more like a novel that continues to set up the Yuuzhan Vong rather than anything else - which I suppose is really what it was meant to be.
I'm back in Seattle now... feels WEIRD to be back after so long. But it's nice to see I haven't been forgotten! :P I'm back and working at Half Price Books again, at least until February. And past that, I haven't a clue. :P
Cross-Country Trip!
So moving from Florida to Washington entails a long drive! Dad and I spent a week in the car, seeing everything along the I-10/I-5 corridor. So here's a few stops and links to pics!
The Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, LA - one of the most haunted places in America! Kinda cool to see a real, old plantation, especially a haunted one. Nothing weird while we were there, and it was bright and sunny and pretty and not at all creepy weather. :P Although my car died a half mile out of the plantation, so maybe the ghosts hitchhiked? We spent an extra night in St. Francisville, waiting for the car dealership there to get the part to fix it.
Carlsbad Caverns, NM - Um, this was quite possibly one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Seriously. As a kid I always wanted to see real caves, and this one is awesome, in every sense of the word. It's HUGE. Like, I don't think you can understand how huge it is until you see it for yourself. Photos just don't do it justice! I'd love to go back here again and spend more time. If you ever go, do the Natural Cave Entrance Trail. It is steep, but there's lots of swtichbacks to make it easier, places to rest, etc. But if you miss that, you miss a LOT of really cool sights. I enjoyed that part WAY more than the "Big Room" that you see just by taking the elevator. Do yourself a favor, get the workout, and go through the Natural Cave Entrance.
Disneyland - ...you knew I'd do this, right? Duh. Yay, comp tickets! It was the first day of the Christmas stuff, so the park was INSANE. But we got there early enough (8:30) and made liberal use of FastPass, and did almost everything we wanted to. (We missed World of Color... something to go back for!) A Christmas Fantasy, Believe in Holiday Magic, it's a small world holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and stuff like Finding Nemo that opened since I left. W00t!
Seattle
So I'm chillin' in Seattle again! Seen a few movies (Tangled - see below, Megamind - hilarious!) and read a few books (yes! book update below!) and got up to Alpental for skiing for the first time in a few years.
It took a couple of warm-up runs to get the feel of it back. For the Pass, the snow wasn't too horrible! It was a bit wet and heavy, but DEEP. Deep enough that my older-than-sin skis had some trouble with it. Almost buried myself up near the top of the Edelweiss chair. :P But it was back to expert runs by the end of the day, and pain for the following two days.
And within a week of getting back, we got a nice snowstorm. I'd forgotten how entertaining it is to sit inside here during a storm and watch the chaos on the news. Srsly, Seattle, thanks for the lulz.
Had my birthday that week, too... and had kind of a poopy one. My Wii went 101, so I gotta get it fixed... I need to play Epic Mickey, but that's hard with a system that doesn't work! :( Latte (my chocolate lab) finally had to be put down that day, too... at age 17. Yup. 17. Rest in peace, puppy...
Tangled
For the benefit of you overseas kids, I'll stay spoiler-free here! Basically, I LOVED IT. I wasn't really expecting much out of it, 'cause the trailer made it seem cheesy, but really, it wasn't. It was sweet and touching and ZOMG ALAN MENKEN I STILL WANT TO HAVE YOUR AMAZING DISNEY MUSIC BABIES. Seriously. I've been rocking out to the soundtrack a LOT. "I See the Light" is BEAUTIFUL. That song needs to win awards. I love it liek woah! And "Something That I Want" is just fun to rock out to. Pascal? Kinda rocked. Also, Rapunzel? Marion Ravenwood would be proud of your frying pan skillz.
Chuck
So I just started watching this show and am SO IN LOVE. Dare I say it's... awesome?? Seriously, it's one of those "why didn't I start watching this before?!" shows. I've plowed through two seasons in a week, and am partway into season three now. I'll be caught up long before the next new episode airs. Chuck = ADORKABLE. Um, check the icon. Yup. Adam Baldwin WINS again as Casey - it's like Jayne gone super-spy! And the Chuck/Sarah ship - aside from being frustrating at times - brings out my inner squee! I also want to hug Morgan. He's squishy like a teddy bear. :P And the dialogue just rocks. Great music, too... hell, they picked Cake for the theme song. You just can't go wrong there. And power to the nerds! Plus, Robert Duncan McNeill as a producer is extra win. So I've been TOTALLY fangirling that show now. So, Chuck fans... AWESOME FICS! SHOW ME THEM!
(also... can we have singing!Chuck at some point? 'Cause Zach Levi's voice in Tangled is SO gorgeous...)
Books
Yes! Lots of books to catch up on!!
Blood of the Fold (Sword of Truth, Book 3) - Terry Goodkind
Downhill from the first two, but still enjoyable. I still think Goodkind has some serious issues with women...
Stone of Tears (Sword of Truth, Book 2) - Terry Goodkind
Just as enjoyable as the first book! These ones really keep the story moving along, and keep you interested. Parts of this one get pretty dark - more than necessary, IMHO. That being said, I can't wait to read the third one!
The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris
Gruesome? Yes, but VERY well-written. Edge-of-your-seat story, and just as much of a psychological thriller as anything else. Loved the movie AND the book - that's rare for me!
The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time, Book 4) - Robert Jordan
Easily the weakest in the series yet. This one seemed much, much longer than it needed to be. Parts of it dragged on, and it seemed like, by the end, not much had happened. And the parts that did seem momentous felt glossed over.
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
This book is very, very well-written, and was a very good read, but I'll be blunt and say that if you want any sort of good, happy feeling after finishing a book, don't read this one. It's not uplifting by any stretch of the imagination. The trials that all of the characters go through can be pretty horrific, but it's written in a way that really leaves an emotional impact. I really enjoyed the segments that dealt with the Afghani culture, one so different than what we know in America.
8/25/10
Stardust - Neil Gaiman
A sweet little story, if a bit cliched. The plot is fairly predictable, although it's told with quite a bit of imagination and great description. A quick, easy read, and definitely enjoyable.
8/16/10
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded - Simon Winchester
Considerably more scientific than I expected. It felt a bit more like reading a scientific paper than it did reading a narrative. Okay if that's what you're looking for, but it can make for a bit of a dry read.
8/9/10
Star Wars: Dark Tide II - Ruin - Michael A. Stackpole
Not a particularly exciting book as far as Star Wars novels go. It felt more like a novel that continues to set up the Yuuzhan Vong rather than anything else - which I suppose is really what it was meant to be.