Anogete's Journal

So, I might regret jogging the entire two miles back to the apartment after walking two miles to forest entrance yesterday morning. Just a little bit. My muscles are nearly recovered, but my legs were a bit sore earlier today. At the time, I felt fantastic, though. The fresh, autumn air and a bit of a jog was just what I needed. I had never been up to that particular trail head before, it was gorgeous. It is maintained by the home owners association in the area, so most people aren't familiar with it. The National Forest Service doesn't list it one their website, either.

I might regret this, but I procured (read: illegally downloaded) a torrent with Sherrilyn Kenyon's novels in it. I've read Fantasy Lover, thought I didn't love it all that much. It was okay. I was in the mood for something fast and mindless after reading that last Gene Wolfe novel (dense!), so I picked up Night Pleasures at the bookstore. I figured it was fate since the female lead in that novel shares my name. "I play hero to thousands, but am known to none. And I love every minute of it. Or so I thought until one night when I woke up handcuffed to my worst nightmare: a conservative woman in a button-down shirt. Or in Amanda's case, buttoned all the way up to her chin. She's smart, sexy, witty, and wants nothing to do with the paranormal-in other words, me." See! I want to be smart, sexy, and witty! I had second thoughts before I made it to the checkout, and I put the book back on the shelf. Now I've managed to stick it on my computer. Is anyone familiar with the Dark Hunter novels? Are they bad, okay, pretty good, great, fantastic?

George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is sitting by the bed waiting for me. High fantasy with a political bend paired with mindless paranormal romance. What's wrong with me?

P.S. - OMG - election please be over. I hates you with a passion, and I tire of seeing Obama's and McCain's ugly faces on my effin' television every night.

I read an article today about ways to relieve stress. One of those ways is to create a list of ten things you are grateful for. I'm not particularly stressed, even if my rate of return on my 401(k) is -18%. Things could be worse, right? ;-) Actually, I'm not stressed; I just thought this would be a good thing for me to do.

( i iz grateful for... )

But really, if you're unable to sleep, go listen to that soundtrack link I put above. It makes me want to lie down and sleep on the floor by my computer.

( true blood episode 3 thoughts - spoilers )

Oh, and I finished The Host by Stephenie Meyer. The second half was better than the first, and I ended up reading the majority of it in twenty-four hours. I'm so happy I read it, and I recommend it to anyone else in the market for something new. If a book makes me cry, then I count it as a damn good book, even if there are a quite a few Stephenine Meyer haters out there. Oh, and theredzebra1, Team Ian all the way! :-) How could anyone not love him?

I need to make some Sam icons, STAT.

Other than a quick trip to the market and a used bookstore, today was a lazy sort of day. I finished I Capture the Castle, and I absolutely loved it beyond the telling. I'd write more about it right now, but whenever I finish a novel I really enjoy, I tend to gush and make no sense whatsoever. So, I'm just going to recommend it to anyone with a similar taste in novels. It absolutely broke my heart and then put it back together again. A little piece is still missing, but that's what makes me love the book so much. Actually, I want to shove this book in the face of some contemporary authors (::cough::Smeyer::cough::) as an example of what sort of book a girl should read to give her a proper (and gorgeous) view of first love. But, whatever, we're all about that 'soul mates 4ever' now, right?

( zee question )

What's on tonight? True Blood, that's what. For the record: so excited. So excited that I might even start liking Bill. At least until Eric shows up around the third or fourth episode. I don't subscribe to HBO or any of the premium movie channels, but DirecTV is offering a few weekend of HBO at the moment, so I'll be able to watch it tonight. In the future, I'll have to depend on all the tech-savvy fans out there who can upload the episodes to YouTube.

Ferguson has a love/hate relationship with the vertical blinds in the living room. They're easy for him to push aside for peeking out in the yard. However, they block the sun and prevent his favorite past-time: sunbathing. Yesterday, he figured out a way around them. Pictorial proof.

I picked up a copy of I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith this weekend. I've heard some good things about it from a few people, and it seems to be the sort of novel I'm in the mood for at the moment. Has anyone on my flist read it? What did you think?

I finished Garth Nix's Sabriel a little over a week ago. After taking a pit stop to finish the next-to-last Sookie Stackhouse novel by Charlaine Harris, I picked up the novel (Lirael) that follows Sabriel. Anyway, this isn't really about that novel or the Charlaine Harris one. Okay, actually, I do have something to say about the Charlaine Harris one, but you might want to quit reading because spoilers are abound. So, I'm peeved that Quinn killed Andre. Completely and irrevocably irritated over that little fact. I really liked Andre. And I used to like Quinn until now. The bastard. Was anyone else sad to see Andre go?

Anyway, back to what I originally intended to post. Near the end of Sabriel, the main character's self-declared protector (and the only person left in the royal blood line) declares his love for Sabriel. How does he do it? By saying this:

"I love you... I hope you don't mind."

I've read a number of reviews of the novel, and a few of them mention this line or the relationship between Sabriel and Touchstone (odd name because he cannot remember his name). One girl said, "And his declaration of love for Sabriel is pretty much one of the funniest I've read this year. Oookay...I doubted that Romeo ever asked Juliet whether she minded at all. And sneaking into a lady's room in the middle of the night, tch tch."

Personally, I found the simple statement quite endearing and sweet, even romantic. Is this just me? Am I a sucker for the moment of insecurity when a character expresses his/her true feelings? As much as I latch on to strong-willed and confident characters, I love that little hint of hesitancy when it comes down to matters of the heart.

I finished the back to my knit v-neck tank. It's gorgeous, but I still have the front to tackle before I can post super awesome pictures of my super awesome cotton tank.

Oh! And there was a nice little write-up on Richard Armitage (my pretend boyfriend when Jason's not around) on Entertainment Weekly's website. The author even included a wonderful clip from Robin Hood, in which Guy (Richard Armitage's character) makes me swoon like no other. Gah. Just gah. His pants are conspiring to distract me from my life.

I never understood Amazon's ebook reader, Kindle. I'm aware that it sold out quickly and that many have been auctioned off on E-Bay for loads of cash, but I still don't get it. I have an iPod because it holds a considerable amount of records for portable listening. But why would I need fifty books at my fingertips while I'm walking my dog or sitting in a coffee shop? One or two will do, and I can tote those babies around in a small bag. Beyond that, a bookcase filled with books is gorgeous to me; it's a work of art. Why would I want to replace them with a little electronic gadget? I could understand the appeal if these ebooks were dirt cheap due to a smaller publishing cost, but they aren't. The last I saw on Amazon, they were selling for about $10 a pop. I can get the same book at a used bookstore for $2.50. Or even brand new for $8. Actually, I have a ebook reader and a Palm (which has the ability to read ebooks). I never use them to read published work. Occasionally, I'll upload a piece of fanfiction I'm reading to the Palm, but that's really all they are good for to me since I've bought a laptop.

Anyway, Nick Hornsby, a most excellent author, posted a blog about this. I adore him. You can read his reasoning against the Kindle, Illiad, and other assorted readers right here.

Work was obnoxious this morning, but I've managed to clear my desk of clutter. I'm looking forward to an afternoon of Goldfish crackers and ice tea.

I'm in the midst of planning a little vacation for Jason and I. I've found a lovely vacation rental home in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Georgia O'Keefe lived in Abiquiu from 1949 to 1986, so I'm sure the scenery is gorgeous. The rental home is situated just outside of the town and is an hour drive from both Taos and Santa Fe. From the pictures, it is absolutely gorgeous with wonderful views. The website gave copious amounts of information on local attractions, hiking trails, and fantastic places to eat. I believe there are loads of art galleries in the area, especially around Taos. Plus, they allow dogs, so we can take Ferguson. I e-mailed the info to Jason. If he's agreeable, then I think I'm going to make the reservations for the end of September or early October. There are still a couple weekends open around that time.

I've never been a big fan of the 4th of July holiday. Even as a kid, I disliked fireworks. I was never afraid of them or nervous around them; I just thought they were boring. As an adult, I find them even more boring. Being a vegetarian, I'm not a fan of cookouts either. The smell of cow flesh being seared on a metal rack quite often makes me queasy. So, bah humbug to the 4th of July. I managed to get out of any required attendance at a cookout, but I was forced to attend a miniature fireworks celebration at Jason's mother's house. They pulled the Markel card on Jason - told him that the least he could do for his poor, little niece was to come over and light fireworks for her since she doesn't have a father. Whatever. Manipulative woman. I do feel sorry for Markel, though. She's such a good-natured little girl, and she hugs my leg for all she's worth when I walk in the door. Anyway, I've never seen so many grown adults act like children around fireworks. Don't scream when it bangs and lights up. That's what fireworks are supposed to do, so it should come as no surprise.



I got up at 9:00 this morning to take Ferguson on our usual weekend 4-mile walk to the park. Usually, at that time of morning, the temperature is just hitting seventy degrees. This morning it was just hitting eighty degrees, so I nixed the long walk and ended up doing a 2-mile one at the park near our place. I even talked grumpy Jason into tagging along.

I started reading Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses this afternoon. So, so, so good. The first twenty pages were terribly confusing, but now that I'm nearly a hundred pages in, I've got my bearings, and I'm really enjoying it. I began Charlaine Harris' Definitely Dead yesterday, and I already love Quinn. Sam is still my man, though. How about Sookie keeping Quinn and Eric, and I can have Sam? Also finished the third volume in the Hellsing manga. It's so good that I'm already reading for the fourth volume, even though I told myself I'd stretch it out and make it last.

Jason and I watched Death at a Funeral last night after the fireworks bullshit. I laughed until my stomach hurt, so I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a good comedy to tickle them. Plus, Alan Tudyk (better known as Wash from Firefly) was in it, and his character was tripping on some unnamed drug which he took by accident for most of the film. The highlight was him sitting in the bathroom, unraveling the roll of toilet paper off the dispenser and telling the sheets to come "join the others." Some kind soul has put the clip up here on YouTube. And if that isn't incentive enough, he does give you nice view of her bare bottom toward the end of the movie while he's standing on the roof, threatening to jump to his death.

My mother found my MySpace. o_O I got one a couple years ago because it was the easiest way to communicate with a friend of mine from back home. I didn't put any effort into it at first, but then I started finding old friends from my high school days, and I got sucked into creating a decent profile and uploading some pictures. It's been nice to talk to people I haven't seen in years. Anyway, my mother knew I had a MySpace because a few other family members had found it and friended me - cousins (hers and mine) and the like. This evening, I got a message that 'Kim' had sent a friend request. I immediately thought it was the boss's daughter who works with us now. I clicked on the profile and found my mother. So, now I'm friends with my mother on MySpace. I had to go through my profile and my minimal blog on there to make sure I didn't need to remove any incriminating evidence of my deviant behavior. Oddly enough, there wasn't anything that needed to be removed. (All of that stuff is on this LJ, no doubt.) On the other hand, I think it's neat for her to be able to see into this side of my life. I've never been very open with my mother about my interests just because she doesn't share them. She's not really opposed to them; she just doesn't seem understand them all that well. Her favorite movies all involve Martin Lawrence, for crap's sake. Plus, it will be a nice way for her to keep in contact with other family members. I left her a comment on her page, but I'm still a bit weirded out.

Jason and I just watched the tenth episode (Master of Monster) of Hellsing, the anime series. How can anyone watch that and not 'ship the hell out of Alucard/Integra. Just the thought of it makes me swoon. The bit in the dungeon when he is released from captivity by her and ends up taking a bullet in his arm to save her from her uncle? And then she uses his arm to steady hers as she aims her gun at her uncle to shoot him? Gah. My idea of romance is so twisted.

In related news, I'm going to publicly admit to my severe love of Eric from Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire novels. So, my problem isn't with vampires; it's just with Bill. Alcide has also grown on me in this third novel. I didn't think I'd like him all that much at first, but I can't help it. He's charmed me.

I started reading Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson because it came highly recommended. It's so ridiculously good, and now I'm even more disgusted with our government and the collective idiocy of nearly every single elected official in Washington. I want to make them all sit down and read this book. If they can read, that is.

I'm so nerdtastic. My shirts from Mises.org arrived today, and I'm totally wearing one of them to work tomorrow.

( you mean I have shirts that don't have fandom references? )

I put up a hummingbird feeder today. I've seen a little guy flying around the parking lot each morning when I go to work. I feel bad for him because I don't think anyone around here feeds the hummingbirds. So, I put the feeder outside this afternoon, and I filled it with a simple recipe of sugar water I found on the net. I hope I'll see him tomorrow morning at the feeder.

I started reading the first Sookie Stackhouse book this morning when I got bored at the office. I'm already 100 pages into it and totally in love.

( lyfe jennings, why are you so awesome? )