Fashion Obsession

That is the topic suggested next in my line-up. Too bad I don't have one. Well, maybe that's a good thing. I was looking through a photo album on Facebook last night (?), and I discovered that the girlfriend of an adopted brother of mine has the largest shoe obsession ever. I don't believe I have ever met someone who owns anywhere near as many shoes as she does. I think she commented that she thinks she owns around 250 pairs!! There were some pictures in this album of all of her shoes. It was amazing. Or something.

These are some things that I have been obsessed with over the years:

Anastasia
Blue eyes
Height (in guys)
Muppets
3 particular boys
Oh! Silly Jamie - Twilight, of course (shameful, but I've blogged about it plenty before, so it's not like it's a secret here)

What about you?

Veteran's Day

What a great day - I spent awhile cleaning my room (you wouldn't be able to tell, though. It's not clean yet, and I've still got a long way to go. More accurate would probably be "organizing my closet."), visiting with a great-uncle and great-aunt, getting a massage (heavenly!), watching part of a war movie until it stopped working, etc. However, there is a reason that today was a holiday, and that is what I wish to address. Actually, I mostly want to thank my grandpa. He was a pilot in the Pacific theater of World War II. I don't know much about his service, but he has told me a few things, and I can't imagine what it would feel like to be in the middle of a war. Nor do I ever care to find out how that feels. I'm so thankful to my grandpa and many, many other men, as well as women, who have served in the military to help protect and preserve freedom. Thank you, Grandpa!

The Graveyard Book

I read The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, over the summer, and I don't think I ever reviewed it, which is quite neglectful on my part. My youngest brother actually read the first part of it while I was driving some of the family up to Utah. I really liked the book, so much so that I had to finish it on my own before the rest of the family returned home earlier than I (with the book). I'm not super familiar with Gaiman, but my brother likes him. He wrote Stardust, of which you may have seen the movie adaptation. He also wrote this great poem.

Anyway, about the book. It won the Newbery Award, as you can see, and I know why. It's great! It is a rather dark tale, which is not surprising from the title or cover. The book is about a boy who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard. As my brother says (and he knows better than I do), it is obvious that Gaiman is familiar with much folklore and legend. If you're in to that kind of thing, you will love this book! It's a young reader book, so it doesn't take long to read. It's pretty fascinating with many characters who have their own stories. I have to admit that part of it was almost too twisted for me, but I still love the story, and I'm so glad my little bro shared it with me. By the way, it's a great story to have read to you, too; I don't think all stories work that way.

Disclaimer: if you decide you want to try out Gaiman, his children's books are the safest place to go. My brother says his adult books are very "adult" in content, so be careful.

Washer

I almost forgot to blog again - I'm going to have to do better at remembering or I might lose this year. Guess what happened to my roommates and me tonight? Whether you want to know or not, I will tell you. One of my roommates was trying to do laundry when she noticed water coming out from beneath the washing machine - oops! I had an experience with a washing machine once-upon-a-time that led me get on top of the washer, so I could look at the drain hose behind it. Well, that wasn't the problem. The girls and I ended up pulling the washer out far enough that one of them could get behind it, which was quite brave, seeing as how the floor beneath where the washer normally is was filthy. Another roommate and I tipped the washer forward while she examined the bottom of the washer. After three of us had examined it, we determined where the leak is, or at least where the water is coming out at. That didn't really do us much good, seeing as how we don't know how to fix it. Close to two full rolls of paper towels later, I am in my room, getting ready for bed much later than I wanted to be. But, at least the floor should be pretty clean now, right? To try to keep as much water from the floor as possible, my roommate removed the wet clothes from the washer. Then I got a hose, and she tried to get a suction thing going, but that didn't work. I ended up scooping out about as much water as I could with a cup. Fun times!

10 Year Reunion

This weekend was my 10 year high school reunion - I'm old! I wasn't sure if I wanted to attend or not because it meant the annoying drive, it was more money than I wanted to pay, and I was only going to make it to one of three days of events. In the end, I decided to go for two reasons: 1) I didn't want to regret NOT going, down the road, and 2) I didn't want to bail on one of my friends, whose twin sister told him that he WAS going, I believe.

Well, the drive wasn't as bad as it might have been because my little brother went home with me. The event did cost more than I wanted to pay, but I guess that's how it goes. I am glad, however, that I went, even though it was for only one event. I went to last night's dinner at a local casino. My friend had told me that there were many people who were supposed to be attending, and I wasn't too disappointed. I got to see several old friends/acquaintances and say hello to them. One of my very best high school friends, who I haven't been in touch with for years, was there, and it was really nice to catch up with her. She's the only girl in the few pictures I took. There were several people who I wish had attended that didn't, like my other high school best friends, the valedictorian, and others. However, it was fun to catch up with the people I did. It brought back some memories, and makes me a little melancholy for the old days, not that I would necessarily go back - one just misses the good times of yore.

Creation

Today's topic suggestion was something I have created - um, I don't really do much of that, so I decided to put this picture up. Then I remembered that I put this picture up before. I guess I'm repeating, but I created some of these pies for last year's Pi Day. I think I made three. You will also notice some red balls in the upper-left side of the picture. They may or may not be mine. My roommate made most of them, but I think I helped make a few for Chinese New Year. I'm not much of a "project" girl, so that's what I've got.

Contest Giveaway

Rules: Answer the following trivia questions, and I will send you a prize. Question: How can bats hang upside down on a wall and sleep without falling off the wall? Do they need to be upside down or could they sleep right-side up? If they do have to be upside down, why do they have to be upside down? The prize will be determined when you fulfill the requirement to win. At that point I will contact you and we will discuss what I send/give to you. I'm sorry this is not very thought-out, but I just realized I hadn't posted yet, and I'm about out of time. Good night!