Anogete's Journal

I'm on the bandwagon. My Dreamwidth account is anogete, like it is here. I've done fuck all with it because I just haven't had the time or energy. Plus, creature of habit here, always going back to the LJ. I haven't yet figured out how to friend or subscribe or whatever it is you have to do, so you'd be doing me a favor by friending me there since I don't yet know how to friend you. Is there just a little button by the person's name?

( drama llama )

I really dig J.R. Ward's writing style. She cracks me up with the badass banter between the Brothers in her books. ::huggles Rehv and keeps him away from the scorpions and spiders:: Also, holy shit, I love Xhex to death. She's must be one of my all-time favorite female characters ever in the entire world. I absolutely cannot wait for the next novel centered around her and John Matthew.

I must have the next Black Dagger Brotherhood book. Like now. Because Rehvenge is my favorite. Why do I have to wait until Tuesday? Why can't some unsuspecting bookstore stick it out on the shelf today instead of following the rules?

I've been in a not-so-bad mood about work for the past few days. Payroll Girl found another job. She's been hitting the job search hard for about four weeks now, and finally found something on the base. I'm happy for her because she wanted out much more than I did. She's planning on giving notice this coming week. I'm questioning whether I want to give up my comfy job for another where I most likely won't have the perks I have now. Despite the drama-llama, I have it pretty damn easy. Where else can you openly play computer games and read books without getting reprimanded, you know? So, whatever... I'm still half-assing the job search.

During my hour-long walk yesterday, this happened...



What the crap? Seriously? I was just out for an hour. ::shakes fist at sun::

Also, during the walk I developed a playlist in my head of super awesome songs to take a stroll to on a nice spring day. Have a mix CD of this scrumptious songs...

( spring strolling )

Many of the songs are quite rhythmic, which I find excellent for walking. Stick them on your favorite MP3 player and strut down the streets of your neighborhood. Just remember to wear sunscreen.

Well, crap. I forgot our annual audit at work is tomorrow. I haven't done a single thing to prepare for it, which means I'll be slogging through musty boxes of bank statements and canceled checks for most of the morning. Eff this.

Jason and I started watching the recent episodes of Doctor Who, beginning with the ninth Doctor.

Brent Weeks, you slay me! You kill two of my favorite characters? Tell me people are resurrected in your novels or I might cry. And you twist the knife by making characters I like kill other characters I like. Damn you. I'm avoiding spilling names because I don't know if anyone reading my blog might want to crack open Brent Weeks's The Night Angel Trilogy. I mentioned it a few weeks back when I saw the super shiny covers in the bookstore and had to get them since I :heart: assassins. Well, in these books, they aren't really assassins; they're wetboys. A wetboy is an extremely skilled assassin; they're the fellows you'd send to kill an assassin. At any rate, the books are fantastically wonderful, and I'm current devouring the second novel in the series.

Because I loved Lil' Wayne's "A Milli", it should come as no surprise that I also love Beyonce's "Diva". Although, I do prefer the dance done Trois Style. The one in the tutu is my favorite. And just like everyone and their mother, they've also done their rendition of "Single Ladies", complete with what appear to be devil horns. For a more faithful and technically superior knockoff of "Single Ladies", you can check out this fellow's video. He's very good!

I read Paul Auster's Leviathan this weekend. Auster is one of my favorite authors, though he is rather difficult to classify or describe to someone. Wikipedia says he blends absurdism and crime fiction, and I suppose that's a good enough description as any, but I don't think it encompasses the depth of his work. Anyway, I went into Leviathan knowing nothing about the plot other than what was on the back cover, and I was not disappointed. The entire ride was gorgeous and tragic and uplifting.

The novel is narrated to you by an author named Peter. He wants to tell you exactly how his long-time friend and fellow author, Benjamin Sachs, ended up blowing himself up on the side of the road in northern Wisconsin--how Sachs went from an outgoing, successful author living with a wife in Manhattan to sitting on the side of the road with a bomb in his lap in the middle of nowhere.

It was quite a ride, and I had a difficult time putting the book down. Though it has a sense of being surreal--as I feel all Auster novels do--the events leading up to Sachs' demise are believable in a bizarre, coincidental way. There are several major players in the novel, and they are all quite likable in their own way, yet always somewhat tragic in their relationships with others and themselves. At any rate, if you're looking for a quick read, then I'd highly recommend Leviathan. I don't think anyone would be disappointed with it unless they care little for the inner workings of a person's mind.

Ferguson has joined me at work today because I'm taking him to the vet this afternoon. He needs his yearly check-up and the evil!shots. Poor little guy. I hate to do it to him, but the shots are necessary to register him with the city and keep him healthy. Every time I go, they try to talk me into getting his teeth cleaned, but I'm so reticent about that because he has to be put under to do the procedure. Plus, it's a load of money, and it isn't like he has horrible teeth. I brush them every day with a special doggie toothbrush and poultry-flavored doggie toothpaste. I'm a good dog-mom, dammit.

My book thong died a horrible and abrupt death yesterday evening. It just ripped in two in my very hands. I almost cried because it has served me well and kept my place through so many books. I was so distraught I couldn't even throw it in the garbage; it's still on my side table all forlorn and damaged. So, it looks like I'm going to spend a portion of my lunch hour buying a replacement.

I'm such a little follower. Several people on my flist have participated in this meme, and I felt it might be fun.

Ask me to take a picture of anything in my daily life. I'll take the picture and post in here on my journal. The request can be anything you like--my fridge, bookshelves, office, shoes, whatever.

I found a collection of short sci-fi stories by Gene Wolfe in a used bookstore last week. I wasn't feeling in a mood for a particular book when I finished Desperate Duchess this morning, so I picked it out of my stack. Sometimes a good gathering of short stories is just what you need.

And my icon? So effin' true. My heart is broken, Mr. Martin. I have a mind to drive an hour north to Santa Fe and hunt your ass down.

While we were walking Ferguson at the park, Jason's mother called my cell. Jason answered, and she asked if we wanted to come to her superbowl party today. His response? "Hell, no!" ::huggles Jason:: This is why we get along so well. We're reading sci-fi books in the silence of our apartment instead of at some sort of brash, nacho-cheese-filled superbowl party.

First, OMG - Sandor Clegane icon. ::drools::

Never let it be said that I'm above superficial behavior in relation to novels. I went to the bookstore for something completely unrelated (a historical romance set in England), but ended up walking out the door with that and another novel--a fantasy one--I had never heard of before called The Way of Shadows. I never buy a novel without prior knowledge. It's the first in a trilogy by Brent Weeks, who I've also never heard of before. At any rate, I bought the damn thing because the third book in the trilogy was sitting so prettily on the shelf looking like this. I'm only human, and I'm a total girl about assassins. I love assassins. This is probably completely unhealthy and indicative of a slight mental disorder on my part, but I can't seem to help myself. The hood, the daggers, the black clothing, the mystery, the oh-my-god-he-could-kill-me-with-a-flick-of-his-wrist. Okay, I'm going too far with that last one because I really do want to live, but you know what I mean. Assassins float my boat. So, I bought the first one just because I must read it, and I was afraid I would forget the title of the trilogy should I venture outside the bookstore without something in my hand to remind me of it. Has anyone heard of these novels? I looked them up on Amazon, and they appear to be quite well-rated with mostly-positive reviews. ::cue fangirl squealing over assassins::

I'm a pig. I had Olive Garden today, and even though I was full to busting, I still ate that huge piece of tiramisu I ordered. Oh god, it was good. I had a food orgasm.

If I had any shame, I'd be reticent about saying this, but I really like Britney Spears' Blackout album. It's terribly fun to work out to, but my enjoyment of it extends beyond that. I refuse, however, to admit that I dance around the apartment to it because that would just be undignified. My favorites? Here, here, and here. And who can forget the lamentable video filmed for Gimme More? The stripper pole wouldn't be so bad if she knew how it use it instead of prancing around like she's on the verge of passing out and holding onto it for balance.

I finally broke down and decided to buy a Sigg bottle. The model I got was slightly expensive (a little over $25), but I freakin' love it. It's beautiful and very handy while working out. Plus, it holds a full liter of water, and I am a water-drinking fiend.

My original intention for this weekend was to read voraciously. I read a whole two chapters in Welcome to Temptation because I kept getting distracted by various other things. Damn responsibilities. I did finish the last novel available in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Sadly, I liked all the subplots much better than the snore-fest that was Phury and Cormia's romance. John Matthew and Xhex? Just the thought of it makes me squeal with delight. And Rehvenge? ::faints:: My new favorite. Even if his half-sister is blackmailing him into screwing her. Incest, eww. Rehv's book now, please? Now? Can I also have icons? BDB communities, anyone?

My mother tells me the same stories every single time I call her, and I only call her once a week. If I have to hear about the debacle at the Lions Club meeting that happened two months ago, then I'm going to beat my head against the wall. For real.

And just so you all know, the only reason Fleetwood Mac was anything at all was due to Lindsey Buckingham. He knocks my socks off without fail. Everything he writes gives me chills, especially "I'm So Afraid." Just that moment when his voice first cuts through the instruments, sounding fearful and in so much pain. Ack, it kills me.

After half the people on my flist told me Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is the most wonderful movie, I finally watched it this weekend. Oh my, it was fantastic. I don't know if I swooned more over Michael (Lee Pace) or Joe (Ciaran Hinds).

ccangel42 reminded me of another album I used to own years ago--Joey Lawrence's debut. It was cheesetastic, and I really do mean that. Wanna hear a couple songs?
Justa 'Nother Love Song (my personal favorite on the album)
My Girl
Yes, I really did listen to this non-stop when I was twelve.

I have to run an errand for work, so I'm leaving early. I think I'll just happen to stop by the book store on my way home and pick up Jennifer Cruise's Bet Me since dressagegrrrl recommended it so highly. I like romance novels, but finding just the right novels or authors is such a daunting task in a genre with so many. Rec me romance-ish books if you know of something worthwhile.

Yeah... I totally bought a treadmill. My excuses are many. I don't like sharing the treadmill in the fitness center, and everyone is going to be up in that place come January 1st to begin their New Years resolutions. It's nice to walk across the apartment to exercise instead of going out in the cold. The model I wanted was on sale. Blah-de-blah. Excuses. I'm so excited about it, though. It's a folding model, so it won't take up half the library, which is where I'm going to be putting it. Yay for exercise!

I'm enjoying the Black Dagger Brotherhood novels more and more. I finished the third on Sunday night. Deciding which brother is my favorite is too difficult a task for me. Although, right now, I want to huggle Phury. Tell me someone else wants to huggle him too, the poor bastard.

I love, love, love Eric B. & Rakim's "Microphone Fiend". "E.F.F.E.C.T. a smooth operator, operating correctly." Gah, I love that. I also enjoy Rage Against the Machine's version. If you're not so much into the hip-hop or rap, then it might be more up your alley. The song is solid either way.

I sold several old DVDs and CDs to a media store today, and they gave me $40 in credit. I used some of the money to buy the first two novels in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. It's smutty vampire erotica. I'm several chapters into the first book, and I like it well enough, but I'm not in love with it. It is a quick and easy read, though.

So, I have this issue with vampires. I love the idea of vampires. Really, I do. It's just that every single time I pick up a book with vampires in it, I end up attracted to the character who happens to not be a vampire more than any of the fellows with fangs. Anita Blake? I liked Edward. Twilight? I liked Jacob. Southern Vampire? I liked Sam. You get the idea. The outcome of the quiz I just took shouldn't have been a surprise to me.

There's some silly quiz on the internet that determines which Brotherhood member is for me. I thought it best I take it before I read more of the books just so I don't inadvertently skew the answer. (God, isn't it ridiculous how seriously I take this quiz business.) Anyway, I took the quiz, and what did I get? I got the one human that the quiz offers as an answer. And the funny thing? I actually like him better than the vampires in the novels, but I didn't know he was going to come up on the quiz. I like to think of him as a young Skinner, who just frickin' makes my motor run.

So, yeah... I don't know why I bother with the vampire books. I always like the humans better.

On a side note--if you're looking for a quick read with hip vampires that wear leather and are tortured and emo in some way or another, then I recommend The Black Dagger Brotherhood. It is erotica, but some fanfiction would make published erotica blush, so it isn't something you haven't seen before in the archives of any fanfic site.

Oh, and the two exceptions to my weirdness? Alucard in Hellsing and Louis in The Vampire Chronicles.