Tuesday, August 28, 2012

There and Back Again with My Long Time Friend

I just finished re-visiting one of my favorite characters in literary fiction.  

Mr. Bilbo Baggins and I just finished our journey "There and Back Again" for the umpteenth time.  I have known Mr. Baggins for the greater three quarters of my life. I remember when I first linked that funny looking red-headed cartoon character to this marvelous book.  I remember my 4th grade teacher reading it to us in school, and later having to write an essay in the 8th grade.Each and every time I find something new that I love about being a hobbit.

I was inspired for my latest read by several people that I follow on Twitter.  In lieu of the new movie coming out (Click here to see the trailer), August was deemed "The Hobbit" month.  Needless to say I spent the first three weeks of August reading what everyone else had to say about their re-visit or first time visit down the hobbit hole.  I finally caved, (book #35 on my 50 book pledge was chosen), and I took the journey to defeat Smaug once again.

One of the things that I like the most about "The Hobbit" is it's straight forward simplicity. Simplicity, mind you, that later turns a little more complex when one carries on the adventure in "The Lord of the Rings".  Yet "The Hobbit" manages to stay as a quick, exciting, straight-forward read, which leaves you feeling as though you've been on an epic journey.  I've found that many books I've recently read tend to focus on descriptions focusing of every single tiny detail that each and every character is thinking, feeling, doing, and seeing ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" - I don't really care how many cokes Lisbeth Salander drinks in a day, yet Mr. Larsson had each and every one of them well documented), resulting in something that should only be a few hundred pages, turning into something that is rather long and heavy to hold for the duration of the adventure.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE epic reads, but they have to actually be epic, complex, AND exciting.

Through the whole book there are terms along the lines of "poor Mr. Baggins", which I like to think of as sarcastic by the end.  Mr. Baggins is not poor by any means.  His hobbit hole is a marvel in architecture, so much so that his relatives could not wait to get their hands on it, and he ate several meals a day, no poor person could afford either.  Mr. Baggins is the shit!  Inexperienced in everything, away from home and not only did he carry the dwarves through their journey, he rescued them time and time again.  He endured and persevered.  And, yes, like everyone else, he missed the comforts of home, but you can't honestly tell me that Bombur wasn't hungry or that Fili and Kili didn't miss their own beds.  So, "poor Mr. Baggins", it must suck to be so awesome.

This re-read was just as good as every other time that I've read this book.  I smiled at Gandalf's fireworks, and I almost refused to read "Flies and Spiders", simply because I hate the though of giant spiders, and I still remembered the answers to the riddle game with Gollum.  The trip down the river in the apple barrels still leaves me feeling clausterphobic.  And I could still feel Bilbo's pride and confidence grow each, and every, time he defied the odds and showed the world what a quiet homebody can accomplish if their mind is set.

Needless to say, deeming August as a time to re-read "The Hobbit" was a marvelous idea, kudos to whoever thought of it :)


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

50 Book Pledge Part II (update)

So continuing on:

11)  The Ninja Handbook by Douglas Sarine & Kent Nichols

12)  Percy Jackson & the Olympians Book Four: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

13)  Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

14)  Betrayed by PC & Kristin Cast

15)  Cabal by Clive Barker

16)  Generation A by Douglas Coupland

17)  The Alchemist by Michael Scott

18)  His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

19)  Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell

20)  Empire of Silver by Conn Iggulden

21)  A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

22)  The Maze Runner by James Dashner

23)  Insurgent by Veronica Roth

24)  50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James - Yes, I read this, curiosity got the best of me.  Besides, who doesn't like good porn?

25)  Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

26)  Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell

Thursday, March 1, 2012

50 Book Pledge

As part of my new years resolution for 2012 I've decided to embark on the 50 Book Pledge (again), but this time I've got one of these fancy badges.   It's March 1st and I'm 10 books in, so I thought I would post what I've read so far. 

1) Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden

2) Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin

3) The Last Archangel by Elliot Cross

4) Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

5) Marked by PC and Kristin Cast

6) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

7) The Vampire Diaries The Return: Nightfall by LJ Smith

8) The Strange Case of Finley Jane by Kady Cross

9) The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

10) Great Feuds in Science - Ten of the Liveliest Disputes Ever by Hal Hellman

As you can tell from this list, I read pretty much anything that falls into my line of sight and grabs my attention.  I'm open to suggestions if anyone has them :)

Friday, September 23, 2011

Scattered Thoughts

Sometimes I sit back and wonder what people think of me.  I don't do this often and when I do, I usually come to the same conclusion:  I am awesome and logically everyone should think that I am awesome too.

I have idiosyncrasies.  Mr. Awesome refers to these as my "quirks" (sounds like "perks" but better because it starts with a "Q", I like "Q" words, you don't see them in every sentence).  They are weird things, like needing to have the right weight to a coffee cup, and not being able to sleep properly, and compulsive list making, and drinking sparkly fruit soda from wine glasses, and getting overly excited about my "nerdy science things".  Though I am told sometimes that my "quirks" get a little out of hand at times, they are for the most part adorable. 

Today I read an article about bionic bacteria (bacteria capable of producing proteins using unnatural amino acids) = awesome.  OK, my biotech geek may have slipped out just a little bit there.  To contrast the biotech geek; I also read an article about the how to cook perfect scallops, a useful skill if one ever finds out Chef Ramsey is coming to sup.  Yes I used the term "sup", I like it, and I decided that it is not used enough, so I used it (I also used it in a recent Facebook status).  I think my use of strange/outdated words falls into that "quirk" category.

This picture always makes me smile and it's fall time now:


I'm pretty sure that my puppies are much, much smarter than they let on.  One day we came home and one of the three was watching out the window.  "Awwww how cute, Ninja missed us", followed by barking when he heard us unlocking the front door.  Open the door - the other two were pulling the garbage apart and all three scramble to hide (because maybe the humans won't figure out who ripped the garbage apart)...  We are now almost positive that Ninja did not miss us and he was actually acting as the lookout while the other two rooted through the garbage for something good.


I like crayons and rainbows.  Rainbow flavored crayons are the best ----  Um ya, see the weird shit that comes out when my mind just wanders.  Rainbow flavored crayons?  WTF?


My coffee cup is empty and I'm hungry.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Appreciating the small things.

I tried and tried to come up with a brilliant, "I love you" post for our anniversary yesterday and I just couldn't top the one I wrote last year.  And even though it's been another full year and we've faced some of our most severe obstacles, we are still the same as we always have been.  I love Dustin, he is my world and he loves me, I am his everything, etc, etc, etc.  Mush, mush, mush.  It's pretty self explanatory.

We have a baby and she's grown up tremendously.  It's been amazing to watch her learn everything there is to know about just being alive and she's shown me how to appreciate it more than I could have ever imagined.  I've had a hard time over the last year with coming to terms with not being in control of everything that happens in my life.  I used to feel that I was in control of everything, including the death of a very close friend, yes I blamed myself, horrible, I know, but it's the truth and it was very, very hard on me, especially when I came to the realization that it wasn't my fault.

Despite all the odds, and all the precautions, and against what should have happened, I ended up as less than 0.1% and it almost killed me.  After having control of myself ripped out of my hands, I've learned that I can't predict everything.  I can't prepare for anything, and I am definitely not responsible for all the things that happen in my life.  I don't talk about what happened, and I don't talk about my feelings, there's no reason to.  Life carries on as usual.  Dustin stood by my side, like I knew he would, we hoped for the best, and we smiled in spite of everything and everything worked itself out.

I don't like to look at things in the perspective of "oh my god, I almost died", and I definitely know Dustin tries not to think "my wife just about died", but it happened and it changed us both.  Despite everything I have a whole new outlook on life and it's a good one.  I am still here for a reason and I am trying as hard as I can to be the best me that I can be.  I no longer blame myself for things out of my control, and I am grateful every morning when I wake up, alive.  I breathe deep when it rains, and I soak in the sun when it's hot.  I try every day to smile for no reason.  I am definitely not the same person I was a year ago.  I'm happier, more relaxed, and even though I found humor in the small things before, now they really make my day.

Thank-you Dustin for standing beside me in sickness and in health.  Thank-you for not pushing me when I don't want to be pushed.  Thank-you for not letting me see you crack under the worst imaginable pressure.  And thank-you most for letting me deal with things in my own strange ways.  You are my rock and I love you more than all the cake in the world.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Running Rant

What kind of people strike up a conversation with the girl jogging by with her iPod at full blast?  My neighbors, that's who.  Come on people, there is a time for idle chit chat and that time is not when I'm sweating like a pig and in the middle of my 3rd lap.  The friendly "Hello" wave when I ran past you the first time was OK, annoying the second time, but stopping me in the middle of the road on my third pass to ask how my day is?  WTF is wrong with you?  Can't you see I'm busy?  Sorry, but I'm not running past your house because I'm lonely and want you to stop me to chit chat, I'm running to keep my heart rate up.

The comments are a whole other story.  I've been jogging around my block several days a week for over a year and yet the same people feel the need to use the same comments each and every time they see me.  "Oh look at you running again".  Excellent observation Einstein.  It wouldn't be quite so bad if it was just one comment, but there needs to be a comment for each lap (and I usually do between 6 and 10 laps in a given day).  "Another lap, look at you go", "Wow, how many is that now?", "Aren't you getting tired?"... 

I think my annoyances with my neighbors have enforced my already strong love for running in the rain.  Not only do I just enjoy the rain, but I also really enjoy that no one stands outside in their front yard when it's raining.  No one stops to chit chat in the rain.  AND I can always pretend to be one of "those people", the ones that think the rain is going to melt them, so they cover up and run away as fast as they can, and I can do so without feeling like I'm being rude to the people interrupting my attempt at health consciousness.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Ode to My Favorite Sweater

My favorite sweater is probably the ugliest sweater I own, but I love it to pieces anyways.  I bought it when I was 15 at some store in a mall and for 15 years it's been my favorite sweater.  It's not the one that I look the best in, and it's not the one that I reserve for date night.  It's the one that I lay on the couch in, the one that I grab when I'm chilly at home, the one that I won't ever get rid of no matter how holey or threadbear it becomes.  It's my favorite sweater, we've been through too much together to throw it away.

We've snuggled in with a good book, we've warmed each other up, we've gone through good times and bad.  My favorite sweater has shared countless adventures with me; travelling though books and movies and imagination.  We've dreamed together, we've met reality together.  My favorite sweater was there when I got my heart broken (each and everytime), it was there when my pets died, and it was even there when my friend passed away.  It is always there to give a hug.  It's kept me warm when it was cold, and it's kept me dry when it rained.

My favorite sweater is itchy, and it's scratchy, and it's a really ugly shade of brown, but it's still my favorite. It's got two big pockets that I love to shove my hands into, because you can never go wrong with big, warm and cozy pockets. My favorite sweater has a zipper that has never, ever gotten stuck and arms that are just the right length, long enough to cover your whole arm to just where your first knuckle ends.  My favorite sweater is long and it keeps my bum warm, I hate having a cold bum.

My favorite sweater and I have danced in the living room together and we've sung the wrong words.  We've been happy and sad and right pissed off.  We've felt confused, neglected, letdown and damn right miserable.  We've turned things around, we've looked at the bright side, we've weighed options together.   We've started, we've worked, we've acheived, and we've failed.  We've always had each other  My favorite sweater is a part of me.

My favorite sweater has never said anything mean to me.  It's never been rude to me.  It's never made me feel sad or worthless or that it doesn't care.  My favorite sweater is always supportive, and always positive, and always pushing me in the right direction.  I don't care that my favorite sweater is ugly, it fits me perfectly.