Tis the Season...

....that all the cool toys come out to play. As a closet geek, I love this stuff and while Christmas and I aren't exactly on speaking terms most years, I am secretly excited to see the new techno toys that will be bombarding us. First up is Kindle from Amazon. I haven't looked too much into it (it's still $400 and bound to be bug filled) but first got wind of it through Gaiman's blog (November 20th entry). Opening general gist - it's a portable, reloadable, downloadable book. Which means I'm probably gonna love it. Though there is no way to infuse the plastic with the smell of an actual book (which is one of my most favorite smells), I hope I know someone that gets one so I can play with it.

Today I came across a random "What to buy the techno geek in your life" list that are always so popular at this time of year. This list ranged from $100 - $140,000 so I guess it's something for everyone. My favorites were the $7500 digital, personal soda/booze fountain, and the magic card that allows me to download pics from my camera to the net wirelessly whenever I walk by a wi-fi spot (which I think I should of known about before now, I guess I just haven't paid that much attention to my own camera).

Also intriguing was the Les Paul Robot Guitar. I know the name Les Paul, I dated the "guitar ex" for long enough to know that one, but that is about the extent of it. I defer to all my more well versed musicians out there to tell me if this thing is neat or just a sham to allow unknowledgeable impostors behind the curtain, cause if that's the case I take back my support.

And finally, the be all end all toy that if I had $300, to casually throw away that is, cause I might have $300 if I thought about it but it should probably go towards student loan payments (wow, I digress), I would have to have. First of all because I would use it not only on airplanes but on the El. And secondly because the two paragraph promo references X-Men, so you know the product has to be cool. No hints, check out the link and see for yourselves. Ah, the joys of the holiday seasons!

200

I'm not unpacked. There are random papers on every flat surface of my apartment. I still am not sure where the rest of my checks are once this pack runs out. But today I crossed a milestone that makes none of that matter. I am officially at over 200 books in my online catalog.

Giving Thanks

I'm headed out for the long weekend for some good old R&R back home in my moms house. I probably won't get a chance to get to a computer so I'll do my What I'm Thankful For List right now....
Friends who live in Chicago with family in Madison that I can rideshare with
Hedgehogs under my desk
Finding a last minute video game downtown
4 day weekends
Having almost all my family all in one place, and not living in that place
Internet access at work
A job that pays enough to eat, live, and have a few drinks now and then
Growing up enough to become friends with my brother
Not growing up too much that I don't still love a good comic book
Having friends that live all over the world (though I do miss them very much most of the time)
Growing up as a reader
Having a mother who I'm actually friends with
Last minute mani's and pedi's for the hell of it
A gigantic bed (after sleeping on a twin for a year, a queen feels as big as an ocean)
Heat when I can find it (or make it on my own)
Earth, Air, and Water
Friends with dogs that I can visit
Only having 2 hours of work left!
Cheers and happy thanksgiving to all those out there that stumble upon this!

Humor leads to a better day...that and it's now the weekend for me.

Totally stolen from my friends blog. To see the full version go to his webpage, it's fantastic. And thanks to all the well wishers today after yesterday's gloomy post. There is hope outside these walls after all, thanks for the reminder.

527 Days

One year, five months, twelve days. This is how long it took for me to find myself leaning against the stall door of my work bathrooms crying into my sweater. One year, five months, twelve days.

Sometimes the blog is just not on your side

I had a really good post, okay maybe not really good but I was happy with it. It was all about how I went and bought a bed this weekend, and how it really is a symbolization of how I have made a commitment to Chicago and to living a life here, letting go of ideals and notions that were unrealistic, and how I managed to talk a sales guy down an extra $100. Then I did something weird and it all disappeared. So I am not going to try and recreate those sentences, I've tried that in the past and I just get frustrated when I don't come up with the same quirky twists and original plays on words.

Instead let me clarify that just because someone works at the bottom of the ladder does not mean that they enjoy being treated like they are standing at the bottom of a ladder, being used as a stepping stone for all those around them. It's frustrating, it hurts, and it makes the bottom rung want to go find a new ladder.

It's cryptic but it helps me vent.
That's all.

Ah, to be 19 again

I managed to completely regress and act like a 19 year old this weekend. It was not a planned trip back to 1999, and I didn't dress appropriately for travel, but I ended up there none the less. Friday night I drank more than I should have and finally confronted a nagging question I had regarding a possible romantic interest. While I did learn that the door was shut, and it was shut in a nice and non accusatory way, I still feel silly for not realizing the door wasn't open earlier, and I have made further shopping excursions for my favorite addiction potentially embarrassing.

Then on Saturday I decided that one night of drunken revelry was not enough and got even more intoxicated at a bowling alley during a double birthday celebration....and really what else is there to do at a bowling alley? After having a ridiculously too fun time bowling in my sneakers with a group of people I barely know (being surrounded by folks you don't have a high potential for running into again breaks down and often obliterates the ability to think rationally about ones actions....that and 4 glasses of gin helps) I found myself in the delightfully risque position of pressed up against the outside wall under the lips of the little brother of one of the actual honorees of the party (lucky for me it was not the little brother of the honoree who I know and consider a friend, that would of been entirely inappropriate). A whirlwind of encounters happened in which everyone left, I lost the boy (whose name, much to my friends delight, completely escapes me) and then wandered home in a gin soaked haze. I did manage to only walk down one wrong alley before I found my apartment (hey I just moved, give me a break!) and slipped into a dreamless slumber.

So here it is Monday morning. I have seen some of the birthday pictures, and feel pretty justified in saying that they should never, ever be posted anywhere and I need to invest in t-shirts that fit. I checked in with the friend, who assures me that she is not mad at me, and thinks the whole situation is actually quite funny and is enjoying laughing at me as I wander by hoping she will tell me the name of my Saturday night suitor (which so far she has not!). Apparently I had some lingering youth issues that I needed to exorcise this weekend, hopefully that has taken care of it and I can go back to floating through life somewhere in my late 20's where I belong.

October Books

I feel like October was a slow month for reading, though when I look back it seems there were at least 10 so I guess that's not too bad (though three are graphic novels, so do those count?)
Here they are -
Daughter of Fortune; Isabel Allende; Oct. 2007 - Sometime in the past year I read Portrait in Sepia by Allende in which the same characters are involved just later in their lives. I didn't know this when I started, but figured it out quickly enough. I really enjoy Allende's writing, though at times I get lost in the names and relations of everyone.
Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love; Bill Willingham; Oct. 2007 - Storyline is still fantastic, along with great art and witty commentary throughout.
Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm; Bill Willingham; Oct. 2007 - Storyline gets more in depth, the introduction of the characters that had to be dealt with in Vol. 1 is less so you can get more into it.
Brilliance of the Moon; Lian Hearn; Oct. 2007 - Book 3 of the Nightingale series.
Grass for His Pillow; Lian Hearn; Oct. 2007 - Book 2 of the Nightingale series.
Across the Nightingale Floor; Lian Hearn; Oct. 2007 - Was given to me by my stepmom for my birthday. It's a great story set in feudal Japan (not great with history so not sure if that is the right terminology). Adventure, intrigue, some love thrown in, all the elements you need.
Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile; Bill Willingham - Recommended by both my father and the bookstore comic book guy for when I finished the Sandman series. Basically any fairy tale/fable that you have ever heard of (and some you haven't) are living in present day NY. It's great, the art is fantastic with all kinds of little hidden (and sometimes not so hidden) details that keep your eyes on the page after the text is done. My favorite part is the high level of snarkiness from the characters.
Death - The Time of Your Life; Neil Gaiman; Oct. 2007 - Another spin off from the Sandman series.
Outlander; Diana Gabaldon; Oct. 2007 - Given to me by my stepmom for the birthday. It's advertised as a romance, and at times it gets a little graphic and intimate but in the end it boils down to a great fantasy story (fantasy as in magic not fantasy as in porn).
The Tale of One Bad Rat; Bryan Talbot; Oct. 2007 - Given to me by my father for my birthday. Now that he knows I'm back into comics I think that will be the center of the majority of our interactions. He described it to me as the book that comic book readers gave to their friends to show that comics could and are more than just guys in tights and capes. It's gritty, heartbreaking, and deals with some pretty serious shit. It was amazing. Anyone that works with kids or teenagers who have dealt with abuse might want to take a look to use it as a ice breaking tool.
The Grey King; Susan Cooper; Oct. 2007 - I think this was the last book from the Dark is Rising series I tore through last month. I lost interest by the end as it is YA reading level. To be honest, I feel like I read it so long ago I don't remember much about it. Guess I should start writing the mini reviews when I finish instead of waiting to the end of the month.