Thirteen Random Things About Me

Just a little assortment of oddities about me.

1.  When I was very small, in the summer, children would catch lightening bugs in Kentucky as soon as dusk hit every night.  We would run around the yard catching them, although back then the lightening bugs were so plentiful  you couldn't move without running into them.  Sometimes we would keep them in jars we had poked small holes in the lid of so they could have oxygen. We would stare at them in the jars as we fell asleep then released them the next morning. Now days we feel lucky to catch a glimpse of a lightening bug in the summer as they are no longer as plentiful as they once were.  This may be because towns often will spray for mosquitoes and do other crop dusting now days and that affects the lightening bug population as well.  The wonder of the lightening bugs is diminished but we haven't  had a mosquito bite in ages. But once as a child we did have the wonderment of lightening bugs. Simple and free: lightening bugs.

2.  In my late teens I was a member of Amnesty International.  At that time participation was mostly sending post cards around the world to try and help political prisoners be freed.

3.  My mom bought me a Shakespeare for children book when I was six years old. I learned about A TALE OF TWO CITIES early!
4.  I finished with the children's side of the library in the small town we went to and started reading adult literature when I was ten years old.
5.  Some of the adult books I read as a child were LOVE STORY, FOREVER AMBER, NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, & many Reader's Digest condensed books. Those were some of the books in my house.
6.  As a child I would sit in church services and write poetry or short stories (quite often) instead of listening to the sermon.

7.  I have a rule that once I start reading a book I have to finish it.
8.  In high school I pretended to be a fan of the writer Edgar Allan Poe because it seemed like a cool thing to do.
9.  I actually was a fan of Maya Angelou and her book "I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS".
10.  In Middle school and early high school I would skip lunch all week at school and save my lunch money to spend at the skating rink on the weekend.
11.  When I was in early high school I also would leave the skating rink early sometimes and when parents came to pick us up at the end of the evening I would pretend I had been at the skating rink the entire time. 
12.  I am a fan of CORONATION STREET, which is a English soap that used to be available on Hulu. I like CORRIE, me.
13.  I will NEVER watch the television show on ABC called THE CHEW simply because they canceled ALL MY CHILDREN and put THE CHEW on  in it's place.  ABC can take that cooking show and shove it!
 So those are some things that make up me...
....and yourself?

image credit: Onward
posted I participation of newthursday13.blogspot.com

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD: The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace

The Kings and Queens of Roam is a nice little read by Daniel Wallace, who is also the author of the novel Big Fish. The author looks a little crazy in his book jacket picture but then with such a creative imagination one would have to be a little bit fey :)  I would deign to be fey to be as creative as him!

Short Synopsis:

The novel is written in tall tale folklore style of the south.  A man named Elijah kidnaps a Chinese man in China named Ming Kai. Elijah kidnaps him so he can have the Chinese man help Elijah become rich by teaching him the secrets of making silk. It is during pioneer and settler times in the United States. They search far and wide for the resources needed to make silk, then build a town close to that spot.  It tells a story of luck and chance and hard work with a few friendly ghosts giving advice for good measure.  The novel also reminds us that everything didn't come up roses for immigrants to the United States, that they were often disappointed.
 
The story centers somewhat on Elijah's two daughters Helen and Rachel. After their parents die early in life Helen and Rachel spend all their time together as Rachel is blind.  Helen tells Rachel a series of mistruths about herself and the world that makes Rachel afraid and also makes her feel bad about herself.  Helen is able to do this because Rachel is blind and can't see and the two are fairly isolated the way the live in a small town.  What happens when Rachel breaks away and finds out all the mistruths her sister told her?

Practical Life Applications:

1.  This is one that is in a lot of novels and movies but: DON'T BE WANDERING AROUND IN THE WOODS LATE AT NIGHT. NOTHING GOOD CAN HAPPEN!

2.  The story talks about how the world is not an easy place and the most important thing people can do is build them a good private life where they can enjoy themselves and find comfort.

3.  Don't automatically assume even the closest people to you are telling you the truth.  There are many and varied reasons why someone could goad or cause others to believe mistruths.  In this story the girl who believed the mistruths was physically blind.  However just being naïve  or inexperienced can make us mentally blind to the truth as well. Don't let some messed up person's opinion, or their meanness  make you feel bad about yourself! Trolls will be trolls....

4.  The ghosts in the story knew the past and the present but they could not predict the future.  So, just like the ghosts didn't know everything there is to know, no one person in the world is right about  everything! Keep your own counsel for your life.

And there we have it, a book review off the top of my head for THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF ROAM.

SUNDAY STEALING: ASK ASK ASK

Back with Sunday Stealing, www.sundaystealing.blogspot.com, where this weeks meme was stolen from the blog I take surveys.
"TO BE HONEST", almost any one question could be taken by itself and made into a separate blog post of it's own.  But here we go!

1.  If you were stranded on a desert island, who do you wish to be with?  Well...this is an oft asked question, but I would need a army engineer who could build things.

2.  What do you feel right now? Lazy :)

3.  What chocolate is your favorite?  I am not that sophisticated to have a favorite chocolate.  Just chocolate is good!

4.  Why did you create a blog account?  To learn to blog.  It was actually a suggestion in an article from O magazine. O as in Oprah.
5.  Who is your favorite blogger?  I don't have a favorite but I do like to page through blogs.
6.  When was the last time you cried?  Right at this moment I'm not sure...!

7.  What kind of music do you listen to?  I listen to mostly Rock, R&B, and pop hits from the 1970's on up to the present.
8.  Do you have trouble sleeping at night?  Well I have been finding out why people go to bed early; in case they have to poop the rest of the night.
9.  Did you try to change for a person> ?  I suppose I have before, for my family or school, etc.  Which the Spanish word for Jesus is Jesus.

10.  Do you prefer jeans or shorts?  Jeans please.
11.  Are you in a good mood or bad mood?  Lazy
12.  Do you have a grudge against anyone>?  Yes, no, maybe?  I'm technically a hillbilly lol.

13.  Are you a crybaby?  Focus!
14.  When people praise you for your features what physical feature do they praise? Eyes
15.  What hair color do you prefer? NICE N EASY
16.  If you can change anything about yourself what is it? To be better at math.

17.  Can you live without internet?  Of course I can, since I lived without it the majority of my life.
18.  Have you ever experienced being hysterical ? I guess, yes.
19.  What are you thinking about right now? These meme questions, other family members, motivation.
20.  Have you ever been hurt so bad you didn't have words to explain how you feel?  No, I always have PLENTY of WORDS.
21.  Do you have trust issues? Ha!
22.  Do you believe in the phrase " if it's meant to be it will be?' Not 100 percent, no.
23.  Do you believe in Destiny? Yes, and no.

24.  How do you look right now? Pale
25.  Did you ever feel like you are not good enough?  Since I am human, yes.
26.  Favorite city?  Nashville.  Tennessee that is.

What are a few of your answers to these questions?

Thirteen Coloring Tips

The adult coloring craze has been sweeping the nation but all those swirls and loops and circles are not always so easy to get used to. Here are some tips to help keep, or to get, that coloring swirl on.

1. Buy a small hand-held pencil sharpener.  It will be needed to sharpen the colored pencils to help refresh their color and smoothness of coloring.  If the color starts to look dull sharpen the pencil as often as you like to refresh the color.

2.  All those swirls and lines can be a challenge  to fill in so it is good to start with coloring the small areas first.  Then it feels freer to make the broad sweeping strokes needed to fill in the bigger areas.


3.  Set a timer for the desired amount of time wanted to color to keep track of desired stopping and starting times. It may be easy to lose track of time. 

4.  Don't get discouraged.  Keep trying.  If you have ever colored at all previously in life it may take a little while for "it to come back to you." Also a picture that is being worked on may not look that great while it is being worked on, however wait for that moment it will start looking better and  that it seems to come together.

5.  Each colored pencil will actually color two to three variations and shades of the same color depending on how hard the pencil is pressed down on while in use or how broad or close the strokes with the pencil are made with. Have fun experimenting with this.

6.  Buy small $1 packs of colored pencils at the Dollar Tree and other discount stores in order to obtain a slightly different shade of the colors you may already have.  This cuts down on boredom as the more colors and shades of a color you have the better it is.

7.  In my opinion, Crayola brand colored pencils color smoothest and blend colors together easily.

8.  DO blend colors together with colored pencils to get different shades of colors in order to have a good variety.  For example, use a lighter color such as yellow under a green color to get a shade of green you don't have available in a pencil. 

9.  The DollarTree stores do have coloring books in a box marked as relaxing coloring and the price is one dollar.  They run out quick so keep checking back if they are not displayed the first time.

 

10.  The more expensive coloring books that run from 10 to 18 dollars are worth the money as they have so many templates to color they will be in use for several months.  They also are made of better quality paper then the cheaper 1 dollar coloring books. 

 

11.  Don't worry about conforming to certain styles, colors, or standards. Everyone is free to color and make their picture look however they want it themselves.

 

12.  These rainbow pencils that change color are so much fun and will automatically do a lot of the shading for us without much effort.

 

13. The most important thing is to have fun and relax! No pressure.

 

 

 

 
 
Images Credit: Onward
 
Participation with Thursday Thirteen at newthursday thirteen@blogspot.com
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

ColorColor

My sister got me this
book for Christmas and
I had to smile.  I had
almost gotten her one!

At Onward, as you may can tell, we love bright colors.  When I was growing up during the pre Internet era I used to take magic markers and draw different shapes and just liked to see how different colors looked up against each other.

I posted a few pictures I colored on Facebook and two of my friends said they found it relaxing. I find it relaxing as well.  It gives me something to do while I think about things.  Often I have fallen asleep while coloring which is a great thing for a nocturnal person who needs to go to sleep earlier!  Other times while I have been coloring I have thought of solutions to daily problems. 


I don't prefer coloring waves though as it feels too chaotic.  I prefer to color landscapes or floral and  fauna.  But coloring  reminds me of doing ceramics; picking the colors and painting them on the green ware and waiting to see how it comes out.  It also reminds me of doing arts and crafts like cross stitching, or making hook rugs, except that coloring is easier.  Everyone can color!

The big child tells me that Books A Million has an extensive section at their stores just for adult coloring books. Of course you may also find them at stores such as Walgreens and Walmart.  Right now the prices for adult coloring books runs from ten to fourteen dollars.  However, a co-worker advised me she had found adult coloring books priced as low as four dollars at certain types of dollar discount stores.

The other night I was feeling a little down, but then I realized I had colored myself a bouquet! Which a certain little RN I know showed me the coloring book she had bought for herself.  She didn't have time to finish anything much but she did say it was being used in hospitals as an activity.  One of my co-workers who is an author had been coloring in down time at work and she said she liked coloring so much she had made trips around town buying up coloring books.  So it is official that the adult coloring craze has caught on... but then who wouldn't like to color instead of doing  more adult things like work, eh?!

How is the adult coloring craze going for you and yours?

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD: The Four Seasons by Laurel Corona

This is one of the books I enjoyed last summer. It is a historical novel set in Venice during the 18th century when music ruled.  Two sisters were left as babies at an orphanage that also happened to be a music academy.  In between the routines of life in an impersonal institution one of the girls learned how to sing with exceptional talent.  The other sister, after almost malingering from lack of life choices, was able to persevere and become a violin virtuoso as well as inspiration for the famous composer Vivaldi.  Operas were sung, choirs performed, small boys were even castrated in hopes their voices would retain their heavenly soprano sound into adulthood.  People who sang and preformed on stage were much acclaimed and admired even as celebrities are admired today.

The society in 18th century Venice was full of moral contrasts.  Some women were required or expected to be virgins their whole life to the point of being cloistered while a married lady who was wealthy was allowed to have another lover besides her husband as long as it was discreet. It was essentially open marriages.  The sister with the singing talent was swept off to marriage by a handsome, wealthy good guy.  After all she was as well known in 18th century Venice as our modern day celebrities are on television now.  The more introverted sister, that played  the violin,  had to live her life as a cloistered virgin locked away in the music academy. Priests, like the composer Vivaldi, were often living openly with their housekeepers being their unofficial significant others.  It was a rumor Vivaldi lived with a woman that way but there is no actual evidence to prove he ever actually broke his priestly vows of celibacy.

The title of the book, The Four Seasons, is making reference to the work of music Vivaldi composed by that name that is well known.  The novel starts out as interesting historical fiction. The subject of feminism is introduced after the married, wealthy sister becomes in charge of the family finances. The author did make it clear that a woman being in charge of the family finances was an unusual occurrence in 18th century Venice. The other theme that is woven through out the novel is the power of making choices.  The author emphasized  that even a poor orphan who has to be a cloistered virgin her whole life still has personal choices to make that can impact her life for better or for worse. So that was the actual theme to the novel for me: Even the least of us have big or small choices everyday that can make our life that day better or worse.  The title of the book, The Four Seasons, may also refer to the four seasons of life and how each season may be different.  The novel was written by Laurel Corona who is a professor of English and Humanities and lives in California.

Sunday Stealing: Would You Rather Meme, Part 2

Back with these revealing
hypothetical questions from
www.sundaystealing.blogspot.com
originally featured on WTT: THE BLOG
This weeks questions stolen from
SIGN UP GENIUS

Would you rather go to a movie or dinner alone? Supper

Would you rather say everything on your mind or never speak again?  "...Therefore be wise as serpents but harmless as doves."__Matthew 10:16
There would be no way to say everything on your mind or never speak again.




Would you rather make a phone call or send a text? They both have their place.
Would you rather read an awesome book or watch a good movie? I like both but I could live without movies.
Would you rather be the most popular person at work or the smartest? I am not a follow the crowd type person. The world is bigger then being the most popular person.
Would you rather put a stop to war or end world hunger?
Who knows the right answer for that one?
Would you rather spend the night at a luxury hotel or a scenic camping site?  I already live in Kentucky and have all the scenery I want, so I would pick the luxury hotel for a change of scenery.
Would you rather explore space or the ocean?  Looking forward to the day I can go straight up in a space shuttle from Kentucky, straight down to Hong Kong to work for the day, then back to Kentucky.
Would you rather go deep sea diving or bungee jumping?  I can watch those on TV.

Would you rather be a kid your whole life or an adult your whole life? Life ain't PETER PAN,
Would you rather eat a meal of cow tongue or octopus?  Whichever one is fried or has gravy on it or is on a biscuit.
Would you rather have x-ray vision or magnified hearing? Hearing
Would you rather work in a group or work alone? I do my best work alone.

And how about yourself? What would you rather do?
Happy Sunday and have a great week :)