Theme Thursday: Store

I went out to take pictures for this week. I looked like a creeper. And even after devoting an hour to looking like a creeper I hated all the pictures. But never you fear, I am dedicated to the Theme Thursday cause and I wasn't about to quit because I hated all the pictures. 

Oh no. No I was not. 

Instead you get this lovely piece of photography genius. 

One time I was going through the Drive-Thru and was waiting behind someone for a minute or two. And I was utterly perplexed by this molded plastic sign to my immediate left. I understand that the little gouge in the yellow underneath the D is the final point of the two golden arches coming together but it looks so sad up close. Like some bored teenager took a lighter and melted the sign like it was any old piece of playground equipment. (I've been to some really nice parks in my life that have been previously frequented by upstanding members of society so I speak from experience.)

Lucky for you and me, the little gouge of plastic provoked my thoughts long enough that I returned to the place with the $1 Fountain Coke and captured this picture for all eternity. Because I couldn't bear the idea that my thoughts on the tiny indentation under the D go unrecorded and unshared. You are welcome. 

Linking up with Cari for Stores. 

Next week's theme is Out. Thinking cap is already on for that one folks. Godspeed. 

WWRW: Legend and Prodigy

I think I am going to quit my book club. No. I am probably not. It's a totally empty threat because I like socializing and reading even though I so rarely like or even enjoy the book.

This month we are reading Legend by Marie Lu. I went ahead and got it's sequel at the same time because I like to just read books in one fell swoop. In this case... Legend was bad. Really bad. It was disjointed. The plot was unbearable. Just so uninteresting.

Basically there is a North Korea like version of the Western United States--called the Republic. Day is almost a Disney Aladdin/Robin Hood-esque teenager on the streets and June is the exact opposite as a Republic prodigy. They of course wind up in cahoots, though for entirely different reasons and just as quickly as they meet they wind up sharing a kiss. Like all bad YA books. I mean it is a very G-Rated kiss but why do authors suppose that teenagers are so willing to just kiss whoever without so much as 3 conversations? Anyway just as you adjust your mindset that they have feelings for each other the major plot twist comes. Only because the book is written from 2 perspectives you know the plot twist is coming.

Luckily I finished Legend quickly. I was all set to write about how authors should just stop trying to write dysotopian trilogies because they're just getting bad. The Hunger Games I enjoyed. Matched was just okay. Divergent was probably the concept that was the most thought provoking to me. Legend was terrible. It really was. And I had the second book already? I figured if I had it, I might as well read it. And Prodigy was SO much better.

It's honestly too bad that in the world Lu created, her story had to start where it did. All that is interesting starts in Prodigy. And second novels in trilogies historically have been the weakest. I am here to tell you this is not the case. I read them on my Kindle so I'm not sure of the exact page amount but I do wonder if she pitched her idea and the publisher it was decided it was a trilogy so instead of writing one or two cohesive books we were forced to read Legend on it's own?

I don't even want to try to summarize what happens in Prodigy because so much does. It is better than Legend. Way better. But it's still not as good as some of the other series. Because it really doesn't take much to be better than it's predecessor.

The third book, Champion comes out the same day as an another book and I don't have to tell you which one I am going to read first. Though I will eventually get around to Champion because I want to see if it improves or not. And though this is easily the weakest series of the bunch I am sure the movie rights are just around the corner--but who knows? All this dysotopia is really starting to blur together, all these tests and medical manipulations. If I were a slightly more conspiracy theorist... nope I'm not even going to go there. Oh this will be the new Scary Movie format to mock me thinks.

Okay yes. The movie rights have been sold already. Read it. Or don't. You're not missing a whole lot. But if you do dive in--try to have Prodigy at the ready... it redeems it's older brother.

Linking up with Jessica for WWRW. What have you read lately? What's your book club reading lately?

Theme Thursday: Text

The theme is text. 

I think this week I am going to let the picture speak for itself mostly. 

f/5.6, 1/60, ISO-125

Well I will add that 5 has a bad rep but it is my favorite.

Linking up with Cari. You should too. 

WWRW: Someday Someday, Maybe

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. Since I first heard about it. I am a huge Lauren Graham fan. I love Girlmore Girls. Seriously, I honestly don't know anyone who loves that show on my level. And for those of you who would like to try to compete: if you're a Jess don't even bother. But I can remove Lauren from Lorelai. I know that she is NOT Lorelai Gilmore but I do like her as an actress. So I thought--hey why not read the book? And then I got gift cards for my birthday and it was like the stars aligned and I bought it and dove right in.

So a little rundown on the book itself: Franny is trying to make it in New York. She is an actor/waitress and throughout the plot she rises, she falls and she figures out what makes her tick. She grows as a person, as an actor and realizes that sometimes life changes without your permission but that can be okay.

Okay now that I've told you what the book is about, I'll let you in on my thoughts. But before I do here's a few things I should tell you about me that you may or may not already know.

1. The theatre community is incredibly inbred, close-knit and SMALL. In degrees of Kevin Bacon (I'm a one btw.) the theatre world doesn't need 6, they need 3.

2. I have been in theater my whole life. In 3 different states. I went to an arts high school for theater all the way through my masters degree. This being said, I know a lot of theater people.

I wanted to like this book. I did. But I know too many Franny's. I know people struggling in New York, who work at restaurants to pay the bills, or they temp. I know these people. I also know people who are struggling to make it in Chicago, Minneapolis and LA. To be fair, I know people who are fairly successful in most of those areas. And by fairly successful I mean that acting is their primary profession and they are not working as waiters or anything on the side.

The book is not poorly written, it was actually really good. Lauren Graham gets it. She's been there for all of it. She's gone through it. So she knows and writes accordingly. She also has a great voice. It reads like people talk and there's never any ridiculous "he said" "She replied" nonsense. I just wasn't interested. It wasn't a novel to me. There was nothing novel about it. It was like a biography of so many people that I know. It is set up for the sequel that wasn't officially coming when the book was published but is apparently coming now. There's talk of it even becoming a television show. Oh the poetic justice of that. A book about an unknown finding herself and making an acting career will probably launch someone's career.

The book probably would have been more compelling to me if Franny had let her deadline pass and moved on with her life. I'd love to see what happens then. The people I know are too stubborn to ever just stop. Maybe that's the point of the book? But Lauren Graham doesn't know anything about that since clearly she's getting work on the stage and screen.

So my overall opinion on this book was not thrilled. But in this case please please do not just listen to me and not read it. The book is not bad I just couldn't get over it. I am genuinely curious what someone who doesn't love Lauren Graham or know people in this world would think. The reviews on Amazon are mostly good which makes me think it's worth a read. Maybe a library book?

Linking up with Jessica this week. I actually read a lot this week so I have next week's post all ready to go! I'd love to know what you're reading, I love a good suggestion.

Catching Up with My Life.

You know when you get out of a pattern of regular blogging and things happen and you're like "I'll make sure I write about that." Then a lot of time passes and your list of things is long. And you think "I don't have time for that." But then almost a month passes and you realize that you haven't written a sentence about life except for linkups? 

So hold on to your hats for a brain dump post where I recap all the good stuff of August and the first 10 days of September. So I last left off at C’s first haircut. That was pretty great. Okay technically I left off at our 3 year anniversary. We went out to dinner just the two of us. That was snazzy, except Husband dropped his ring and it got so far under the booth our waitress had to come lay down and get it for us. His ring is too big. I bought him a new one this spring after he lost a bunch a weight but it looks like we’ll be getting another one. (Titanium can’t be sized.)

At home in August was filled with much playing and learning. Somewhere between July 26 and August 26 C exploded with the verbal and the listening and just all around grew up. He’s so big now. It was overnight, now nothing on the edge of the counters are safe! He's such a good little dude. And for what we lack in communication (because gosh while I'd love to understand all of his words they're still mostly gobbledygook to me) he more than makes up for in listening. He is a great listener. He follows instructions really well. I'm impressed. But I'm the momma so my standards are pretty low.

C and I spent a glorious 10 days in Minnesota to round up August. My broseph went to college! Which makes me old and sad. He is going to a great Catholic all boys school and there is a Priest on every floor of the dorms. And a Monastery right in the middle of campus. But while I am sure he’s having a great time at school my mom is an empty nester for the first time and since it was her birthday we went up to keep her company. Nothing like a running one year old to keep you occupied!

My good friend is having a baby on Friday! And her baby shower was while we in town too so that was a bonus. Living out of state just far enough that I don’t get to go to everything I missed her wedding shower and bachelorette party so I was happy to be there. We also got to go visit my Grandpa at his new digs in a senior living complex. It's like college basically. They all live on their own but there's activities and a dining hall where they do your dishes. I can't wait to move in!

C and I kept busy during the day while my parents worked. We went a big indoor playground with tunnels and things. C LOVED climbing and giggled his way down every single slide. He had a blast. I had fun too—it was definitely a workout. We also went to the zoo and it was perfect. We did most everything. We skipped the farm because my BIL has a farm and even though it’s not zoo-ified and cleanish C will have lots of access as he grows to actually experience farm life if he’d like.

It was hot that day so the bears were swimming.
Brown Bear is one of C's favorite books so we spent a long time waving to the bears.

Of all the gin joints… Hanson was going to be at the Minnesota State Fair. Twice. For Free. Let me repeat. Hanson. I know I’ve written about it before but I love them. They sing my favorite song. And I was going. (They were a contributing factor to going to Minnesota.) Okay so it wasn’t completely free, you had to pay for Fair admission. But $8 with an advanced ticket and the $5 bus ride (WAY cheaper and easier than parking) and that was the cost of the Hanson concert. It was so much fun. It was like 1997 all over again. As I am certain you can imaging most of the people in the bandshell area were about my age and female. Hanson was amazing and even though I didn’t get any MMMHops it was a great night. They have their own craft beer and it’s called MMMHops. It just doesn’t get any better. Except they sang my favorite song so it actually does. 

I got there an hour and a half early and this is all the closer I got. 

I also had an eye appointment. Yeah I know. How exciting. But it was. I was more than a little overdue for one and I need new contacts. As in the ones on my eye balls when I walked in were the last ones I had. At all. But I solved that problem, had the eye exam, ordered contacts and bonus--finally I'm got my free Firmoo glasses.

Then both of my brothers were home for Labor Day, which doesn’t happen all that often anymore. And it was my birthday! I went to the Mall of America and to Ikea. Which was fun. I didn’t get anything but it was fun to walk around. And Husband and I went back to the State Fair because I love it. It was glorious.

Monkeys are the very best. I know you know that.
We put a diaper on our Monkey friend. 

As far as the rest of September at home is concerned mostly we are just doing our normal things. C really enjoys cooking. He stands on his stool and “helps.” (Mostly just watches up close.) Lately he’s made bread, cookies, mac and cheese, cake and meatballs. In fact right this second I have banana bread to take out of the oven so I will go do that. This is basically what we’ve been up to lately. 

Theme Thursday: Recess

Theme Thursday. Recess. Now Immabe honest and I wasn't sure if Cari meant recess like "There's no Theme Thursday this week, you all should go get lives and leave me alone for 7 more days!" Or if she meant like "after lunch playtime in elementary school." 

Then all I could think of was that little cartoon from Saturdays. It was on before or after Pepper Ann which was the cartoon I actually wanted to watch. I can still sing that whole theme song. Man I miss cartoons like that. 

So since the elementary school is a whole whopping 6 houses away we decided to go to the school yard. C played around with Husband and I took some pictures of playground equipment. We of course went after dinner so there were no random children actually having recess because I am not a creeper.

So assuming the theme was actually of recess and NOT a break I am linking up with Cari and the Clan. She really threw some whammies into the mix these next two months... it's going to take a lot of brain power to come up with some of these. I like it. 

WWRW: One of my Standbys

August was awesome. How on earth did it go so fast? There was so much going on I totally dropped of the blogwagon but that’s okay because I was out enjoying. In all my August goodness reading took the back burner. Well, reading new books that is. 

But I did reread some tried and trues because that’s just the kind of girl I am. Including Family Baggage by Monica McInerney--an old staple of mine. I pick it up several times a year. It is engaging and interesting. There’s a lot going on in the story complete with flashbacks but they seem like real people in a real family. Even if the plot is a little farfetched to actually happen I enjoy it.

The basic overview is that this Australian family along with a close family friend owns a travel agency. The MAJOR storyline takes place as Harriet, the youngest, goes on her first tour after a mental breakdown. (I can’t come up with another term that’s better and while mental breakdown makes it seem really ridiculous it truly isn’t.) Harriet’s is leading a bunch of senior citizens on a tour themed for an old English television show, and the senior citizens are the most endearing bunch of characters I’ve read in a long time. I wish they’d jump right off the page and knit me a sweater and keep me company. There’s a lot going on with the family but it all revolves around this one tour.

I can’t honestly say this book will change your life or even make you think but I definitely enjoy it and I keep picking it up over a lot of other books I own so that may be saying something. But it could also be saying I have odd taste in novels and I should probably read something new. I am hoping to jump back on the reading train this week as I settle into unofficial fall. I got a few books from the library so I am hopeful.