Thanks Guys :)

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you guys, my friends, who left encouraging comments on yesterdays post! I'm still emotional, the things that are upsetting me aren't going to go away in a single day, but after writing all that out yesterday and taking some time to myself I'm feeling much better.

I'm feeling motivated again - and that's the best part! I think that's what frustrates me the most about fighting depression, it steals away my motivation, and my drive to get things done is something I take pride in. Oh well, maybe that's God's way of reminding me not to be so proud? Who knows?

I spent the morning at the doctors office getting my bi-weekly shot and reading during all the waiting time. Got a bunch of errands run afterwards with my psycho brother. Feeling rather tired now. That's normal after my shots though. I didn't sleep well last night either so that doesn't help. BUT, my evil twin is coming over later and just knowing I'm going to see her gives me an extra burst of energy :D

*hugs to all*

Life's a Jumble

Sometimes life is just a jumbled up mess. Often, life is a jumbled up mess. Things are confusing, stressful, overwhelming, but that's life.

Right now I have a lot of different things running through my head. I'm trying not to worry about my cousin. I'm trying not to worry about my best friend. I'm trying not to worry about me...

I can't really talk about everything that's going on right now because some of it is very personal to other people.

Stress is a funny thing you know? It affects us both body and mind, and just when you think your finally handling it well, you realize your not.

Right now I have a lot going on that's stressful. I'm trying hard not to let it get to me. I know that worry won't do anything to make my life longer. I know that freaking out doesn't help anything. I also know that stressing out makes my lungs and migraines worse.

So what do I do?

Depends on the day. Some days I just bury myself in the routine and try not to focus on the things that are upsetting me. Other days I've learned I have to just let myself feel the emotions and let them pass. Those days I usually end up reading a lot. I've found I can work things out in the back of my mind while I'm reading a book.

The last 24 hours has been one of those "reading a lot" times. I found out yesterday that the organization that I thought was going to be helping me with my disability can't help me after all. That was a lot to take in. The good news is that I found a lawyer already through a friend. He told me what the next steps are (I actually don't need his help at this point), and if I get denied a second time I'll call him again for help. So...while that did stress me out, it's working out ok.

Then something happened with my best friend last night. I can't talk about it, and it's going to be ok, but suffice it to say having that happen on top of the disability stuff was a lot to take.

I'm such an over achiever it's hard not to beat myself up when I have a day where I need to just work through my emotions and I let my normal routine drop. But I'm learning too. If I let myself work through things, like today, then things go much smoother than if I try to force myself when things get too bad.

All this to say...ya...I get emotional when things get bad...but I'm going to get through it...I've learned to cope. Sometimes I don't cope well, other times I do, but life moves on.

Thanks for listening.

Spindles End by Robin McKinley

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Spindle's End

I think I may have found another author to fall in love with! So far the only thing I've read by her is this book, "Spindle's End," but if the rest of her books are any thing like this one then I'm in love! I think you will be too.

"Spindle's End" is a fanciful retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. The story is set in a land where magic permeates every day life, and there are fairies in most of the villages. When the princess is born the King and Queen decide to invite 21 fairies to be her godparents. Unfortunately, as they each give the princess her gifts, an evil fairy shows up. She curses the princess to die by pricking her finger on a spindle on her 21st birthday. But can the curse be evaded?

Katriona is a going to be a fairy when she gets older, and she was blessed enough to attend the Princesses name day ceremony. She finds herself accidentally kidnapping the Princess, but it's the best thing that could have happened! By taking away the Princess to her home village she hides her from the evil fairy, Pernicia, and because of this she has the blessing of the palace, not that any one knows where Katriona and the Princess are.

The Princess, who they call Rosie, grows up to be her own determined personality. She talks to animals, doctors horses, and works hand in hand with the village blacksmith. Eventually, though, she must learn her true parentage, and then face Pernicia's curse. Will she manage to triumph? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum

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Ozma of Oz

"Ozma of Oz" is the response to the cry of many young readers that Baum bring Dorothy back to the world of Oz. This time she reaches that magical land not by tornado, but by ship wreck, and she first spend a good deal of time in the kingdom of Ev.

The kingdom of Ev is languishing because the old King sold off his wife and children in exchange for a long life, and then threw himself into the sea in remorse. Now it's up to Dorothy, Ozma, and their host of friends to figure out how to free the missing Queen and the children.

Dorothy, with her sweet personality, makes several new friends in this book that you will fall in love with! There are a lot of little lessons to be learned a long the way as well, so if you are reading this to your kids, you'll have some fun ways to sneak in some teaching moments. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Sandstorm by James Rollins

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Sandstorm

I'm not really sure why I ordered this book from the library. I think a friend recommended the author to me, but the last few months have been so hectic that I don't really remember! Ah well, that's life. "Sandstorm" is an adventure thriller in the tradition of Indiana Jones or anything by Clive Cussler. It's not what I read on a daily basis, but it is a genre I enjoy venturing into from time to time!

"Sandstorm" is the first book in Rollin's "Sigma Force" series of books. The Sigma Force is a small group of elite operatives designated by the US government to deal with certain problems. In this case, they are investigating a strange museum break in and the weird "lighting" that was associated with it.

The search will take us to the Arabian desert, and deep into the lives of two women. Lady Kara Kensington and Safia al-Maaz appear to be very different. Lady Kara is a wealthy heiress with a drive and determination that has taken her inheritance and multiplied it. Safia loves nothing more than spending time studying and preserving ancient artifacts. The two have a lot in common though. Safia grew up as Lady Kara's companion, and both of them have their roots in Arabia, and in this mystery.

If your looking for a "can't put it down" action-adventure than this book is perfect for you!

I Love My Kitchen!

I was even going to show off my kitchen with a photograph, but I'm not feeling too good this afternoon so you'll just have to settle for my words. *wink*

I knew I liked my kitchen when we moved into this apartment, because it has much better storage space than the last one, but I didn't realize how much I liked it until I moved in with my parents for almost two weeks. If you missed that...I moved back with my parents because they were painting my apartment complex and the fumes were giving me migraines. Well, I came home to my apartment yesterday, and the first thing that jumped out at me (other than how much I love being with my hubby), was how much I love my kitchen! (don't worry, hubby really did come first)

Why do I love my kitchen? Well, my parents have a HUGE kitchen. It's ideal for when you want to bake a million cookies, or feed an army, but when your not feeling good and need to make yourself food? Yeah, then it's just waaaaay to big.

My kitchen? It's tiny. I can just about reach everything by simply turning one direction or another! Sometimes that's frustrating (with a complicated meal for instance), but when I'm not feeling good it's nice to able to get food with an absolute minimum of movement!

It's good to be home :)

Aria's Quest - an Update

I've been a really bad writer and its been awhile since I've posted up any updates to Aria's Quest! Sorry guys. This last month or so has been pretty hectic. I just haven't had the energy to write! I'm hoping to get back to work on the story soon, so you should be seeing more of Aria's Quest in the near future :) I have all sorts of ideas for it, but of course I usually do :P

DS9 - Season 2

As I watched Season 2 recently I couldn't help but think of how my perspective on the show has changed. I was just a kid when I watched it the first time. I remember having a crush on Bashir, really liking Jadzia, and admiring Kira. In fact, I was completely fascinated by Bajoran civiliztion and I used to pretend I was a Bajoran!

Watching it as an adult I still like Bashir, but I can't quite figure out why I had such a crush on him! At least not in the early seasons while he's so young and brash. I seem to remember him settling down a little in the later seasons...but I guess I'll see as I watch them.

I still really like Jadzia, and I think my admiration for her character has grown now that I'm watching this as an adult. It must have been hard to portray the two sides of that character, both Jadzia and Dax. I also love how they develop her character to be more of a rogue in this season!

My perspective has changed drastically on Major Kira. I still like her character, but when I was little I wanted to BE her. I wanted to be a tough fighter who didn't back down from anything. In some ways I am, but looking at Kira now I see her as being a little too much of a fighter for me to desire to emulate her any longer. I've learned to value peace and many other things that she never had time for. Oh she has her softer moments, but she is always defined by the years she spent fighting, and I am glad that I never went through the type of hell she did.

The Dreaded "C" Word.

No, don't freak out, I don't have cancer, but my cousin does. We've known for about a week and a half now and it's rocked the entire family. How could it not? Cancer always rocks the boat.

Mark is 5 years older than I am, and we've never been really close, but his sister and I do have a bond, we're only 4 months apart.

Anyway, Mark found out a week and a half ago when he went in for some dentist work and they found lumps. They did some blood work, discovered the cancer, and he's been in the hospital since last Thursday receiving his first chemo treatments. He has blastic Mantle-cell Lymphoma. Don't know what that means to much, but there are VERY few people in the country who has it, and it's extremely rare for anyone under the age of 50 to get it.

Right now it's hard to say what's going to happen. The cancer is advanced...its in all his lymph nodes and probably his GI Tract. He may end up needing surgery. He is getting 6 rounds of chemo (week in the hospital, two weeks out), and then he'll need a bone marrow transplant. Because of the type he needs that's going to have to come from one of his siblings. Fortunately there are 4 of them :D

The good news is that he looks like he's doing great! He said it's kinda hard for him to wrap his head around because right now he feels fine, except for being bored out if his mind, and it's all happened so fast that it's been hard for it to feel real. I think all of us feel that way right now. Trying to wrap our minds around it. Obviously its way worse for him though!

How am I doing with all this? Meh. It comes and goes. Kinda in shock and there are rough moments, but like I said I'm not super close to him so it could be a lot worse to deal with. It's still hard though, no matter how close or distant we are, he's still family ya know? It was good to get to see him today though :)

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum

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The Marvelous Land of Oz

"The Marvelous Land of Oz" is the second book that L. Frank Baum wrote about the delightful land of Oz. It came out four years after the first one because, well, he originally had no intention of writing any more! He received many letters asking for more books though, and he finally gave in and kept writing them.

In "The Marvelous Land of Oz" we meet some new characters and rejoin some of our old friends. Tip, a young boy, is the main character of this book. He's grown up with a mean old sorceress, but after the accidental creation of Jack Pumpkinhead, he runs away. Tip and Jack get into many adventures on their way to the Emerald City, where the Scarecrow now rules. Unfortunately they arrive right as a bunch of girls, lead by General Jinjur, decide to take over the city!

Tip and Jack ended up joining forces with the Scarecrow and the Tin Man to win back the Emerald City. Along the way a flying Gump is created, we visit with Glenda the Good Witch, and the long lost Ozma is finally found! I had a lot of fun joining this motley crew on their journey and I'm sure you will too.

Sometimes All You Can Do Is Laugh...

As you know if you've been following my blog, I had to move into my parents house temporarily because of the paint fumes from them re-painting our apartment complex. Well my dear hubby has stayed at the apartment because he needs to have his computer for programing purposes. Which has been hard, but he's coming over every evening, and I'm actually handling better than I thought I would.

My hubby on the other hand...

Well, he's not too great at taking care of himself. Eating wise that is. Most of the time he eats because I put food in front of him! Other than that...it's just too much work to put down his homework (or computer games).

This means that since I've been gone...he's pretty much been eating the dinners here at my parents house and very little else! Admittedly, part of the problem is that he ran out of some basic supplies, but when I tried to suggest he go shopping he'd tell me he didn't have time.

Tonight, I gave up. He didn't come over tonight. I assumed it was because he still wasn't feeling well (I have other suspicions now). Of course, I also figure he's not feeling well because he hasn't been eating enough...

Anyway, I was actually feeling good (for once!), so Mom and I decided to take Moses some dinner and stop at the grocery store at the same time. I picked up some basic supplies and then some things that wouldn't require much preparation. Milk, cheese, soda, hot pockets, frozen burritos, and some cheese its, oh, and bacon.

Mom and I got to the apartment and guess what??? Moses had finally gone to the grocery store! I think that was the real reason he didn't come over tonight, but he hadn't bothered to say anything, it wouldn't have occurred to him. So guess what he got? Milk, cheese, soda, frozen pizza, and Cheetos.

Hmm...sounds like a pretty similar list doesn't it?

We just had to laugh. I guess I don't need to worry about him having enough to eat until I get home now do I? Wouldn't it just figure that I finally give up on him taking care of himself right as he finally decides to?

Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore

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Vector Prime (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 1)

"Vector Prime" is one of the "New Jedi Order" books. The "New Jedi Order" are a series of books by various authors set in the Star Wars timeline at a point after Leia and Han's twins reach their late teens (21 years after the Battle of Endor). This is the first book in this portion of the Star Wars Saga.

Once again a dark enemy threatens the safety of the republic. This time coming from the beyond the edges of the galaxy! This will provide the Luke and his family with an extra challenge as this new race does not have a presence in the force.

The threat is also magnified by the fact that these new aliens approach life from a totally different angle than anything they've ever encountered thus far. Instead of being technologically based, everything is organic, including their ships! Combined with their lack of force-presence this means our friends are forced to scramble as they look for a way to save the galaxy from this new threat.

My Thoughts on the Upcoming TV Season

As you may or may not know, I spend a lot of time watching tv and movies while I work on my various crafty projects, which means that I'm really excited that the fall tv season is starting! I've had a lot of fun watching various things over the summer, but I'm excited to have new shows again, even though I'll have to wait on pins and needles from one week to the next... So here's what I'm looking forward to watching :)

Castle - ABC - Monday Nights

This will be the second season of Castle. I started watching last season when a fellow Firefly fan mentioned that Nathon Fillion was going to be staring in it! Nathon played the roguish Captain Mal on Firefly, and I was excited to have a new show to watch him in. I wasn't disappointed! Castle is the story of a murder mystery writer (named Castle) who starts tagging along with a dective on her cases. She doesn't really like it, but since Castle is charming and has most of the heads of the town in his pocket, she doesn't really have a choice! I'm looking forward to their banter, the interesting cases, and seeing what new trouble Castle manges to get himself into this season!

Lost - Coming Back Early 2010

I'm actually rather upset about this one. I've noticed over the last year that the tv seasons are no longer as rigidely adherent to the fall schedule as they've been in the past, but I didn't realize Lost wasn't coming out until March! I discovered that when I went to do a little research for this post.

I'm a new Lost fan. I didn't have the time to watch it when it originally came out, and I didn't really want to start the series part way through because everything's so connected. Then, this summer, hulu released the first seasons! So I started watching, as did Mo, and became hooked! We watched the first 5 seasons in about a month. Yes, I know we're crazy. And now we have to wait until March to find out what happens next! Argh!

NCIS - CBS - Tuesdays

I've been a fan of NCIS for a long time now. I started watching it because it's a crime drama - and I tend to like those (I watch Law and Order too, but not as dedicatedly). I kept watching because I love the characters! I'm really excited for this new season to start because they left us hanging at the end of last season with Ziva in Israel and in danger. I'm hoping she gets to come back to the team, it wouldn't be the same with out her!

NCIS: Los Angeles - CBS - Tuesdays

I'm a little skeptical about this show, but then again, aren't most fans when the tv stations create a spin-off of a show you love? Oh I'm going to give it a chance, but it won't have the cast I love, so we'll see. On the other hand, I do love crime drama's, so it might manage to win it's way into my heart!

We have seen the lead character, Callen, on NCIS before. There was an episode with him in it last season. He looks to be a promising character. A bit of a loner, likes doing things his own way, and friends with Gibbs! I don't know anything about any of the other characters in the show yet, but he's a good anchor character.

Chuck - NBC - March 2010

This is another one I just found out today won't be coming out until next year. This is one that Moses and I love watching together! It's well written, is full of laughs, and I'm not looking forward to having to wait for several more months. *sigh*

Heroes - NBC - Monday's

I came to Heroes fandom late - but I've seen every episode! Mo and I like watching this one together too, and then arguing about it. My dear hubby and I tend to have different opinions on things, and it amuses me how differently we interpret this show sometimes! I'm a wee bit leary about this season because I didn't like some of the trends that I saw at the end of last season. We'll see what I think once this season has a chance to unfold.

So You Think You Can Dance - Fox - Wednesdays

As a former dancer, anything involving dance fascinates me! I've never really liked Dancing with the Stars, but I've loved So You Think You Can Dance ever since the first season! Life has kept me from watching the last two seasons for the most part, but I'm hoping to be able to follow this season! I've missed the first two audition episodes, but those are no where near as fun as the main show so I'm not too disappointed. I was going to watch it this week, but then something went wrong with the tv here where I'm staying at my parents house. Oh well, we'll get it figured out in time for next week!

Bones - Fox - Thursday Nights

This one comes out tonight! Woohoo! My brother just went back to my room to mess with my tv until it works too :) I love Bones! Not only because it's yet another crime drama, but I also fell in love with the characters a long time ago. Brennan can be so clueless sometimes about real life, and Booth, well he's darn handsome not to mention a fun character :) The last season ended in a weird place with Booth in a coma, and Brennan having recently requested that he be the sperm doner for her baby. And I do mean literal doner, no physical act invovled. So this season should start off interesting!

Fringe - Fox - Thursday Nights

Fringe is a cross between a sci-fi and a crime drama. There's usually some sort of crime or at least startling activity that occurs each episode, but they never have a very normal explination! I love the show because, well, I love things that are out of the ordinary! There is a lot of mystery and conspiracy involved too, which makes things pretty interesting. And again - I get to watch it tonight!

Dollhouse - Fox - Monday's

My original attraction to Dollhouse was simply that it was created by Joss Whedon. As a fan of his work (Buffy, Firefly) I was hoping for another quirky and fun show. Dollhouse doesn't have the same level of fun as his previous work though. It's definitely darker and more serious, but it does still have his touch to it, and because of that some things are simply different from what you might expect. I don't like it as much as his previous work, but I'm intrigued by the concept behind it enough that I plan on giving this second season a try.

House - Fox - Monday's

House is one of those shows I go back and forth on. After all, he's such a jerk! And sometimes the weekly "patient with a weird disease, several misdiagnosises and a near death late, solved at the last second" pattern gets old. I got sucked back in, however, when I realized that this season is going to premier with House in a mental ward! That amuses me :P So I went back and watched the last season on Hulu just get get caught up with the story. I'll probably end up watching this a day behind though, because it's on at the same time as Heroes, and I'd rather watch that one live snuggled up with my hubby!

I don't know how often I'll end up commenting on these shows as the season starts - but you probably won't get constant updates on my thoughts :P

Manna from Heaven by Roger Zelazny

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Manna From Heaven

I was first introduced to the writings of Roger Zelazny when my evil twin loaned me his "Chronicles of Amber." Someday I'll have to reread them again and review them for all of you, my friends, but for now let me just say that I love the series! Zelazny is an author who writes with depth, complexity, and a fair amount of humor.

In "Manna from Heaven" we have a collection of short stories by Zelazny. After having read the Amber books through twice it was really interesting to me to sit down and read some of his writing that was completely unrelated! Well, not completely, the last few stories are based in Amber. Sadly, these stories hint that he intended to add to the Amber saga, but he has since passed on and will not be writing anything else.

One thing I really enjoyed about reading these stories is that your often left thinking. It's always up to the reader to interpret what they've read, but how often do we walk away from a short story pondering what we've read and imagining the implications and where the story might go next? You'll find yourself doing that with many, if not all, of these stories. And the best part? You probably will walk away with very different thoughts than I would, and neither of us would be wrong.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

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Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)

"Moon Called" by Patricia Briggs is a modern fantasy set in the Tri Cities area and is full of werewolves, vampires, fae, and the main character is a skin changer! For those of you not familiar with the Tri Cities, it's part of my home state, so that was a lot of fun for me. This is the first book I've read by Briggs and I'm really looking forward to reading more.

Mercedes, the main character, is a skin walker. She's of Native American descent and can easily change back and forth between her human form and coyote form. She didn't grow up in a Native American community though, no, she was raised by Werewolves. As a result, she knows way more about their culture than most, and she's on friendly terms with the local pack.

Actually, Mercedes seems to be able to make friends with just about anybody. Her former boss and friend is a fae, she regularly does car work for a local vampire, and she's quick to befriend a new werewolf when he shows up on the scene. Things go crazy not long after that as blood is shed and Mercedes finds the people she loves in terrible danger.

One thing I really appreciated about this story is that it's not your typical "oh it's fantasy so we have to throw some dirty, nasty sex scenes in." There is some romantic tension (and I loved it) but it's a pretty clean read. The cover art doesn't really reflect that though.

I'm feeling super-emotional...

The good news is that we've figured out that my migraines are probably being caused by the painting that's going on in my apartment complex right now. The bad news is that they spent the last few days of the week painting MY building and my migraines have gotten worse and worse. So the only solution we can come up with is that I'm going to have to move back to my parents house for a week or two until things air out.

While I love my parents...I'm super emotional about this! Mo will be staying here at the apartment, and while I'll still probably see him every day, it won't be the same. :( I'm slowly working on packing up my craft stuff to take with me right now and hoping I can stay sane through all of this.

Of course, it will be nice to be able to think clearly again...and stop the pounding pain...

DS9 - Season 1

I love to watch things while I'm creating. Often that means watching things on-line, but I'm also blessed with a best friend who's Dad collects science fiction television shows! Right now, that means that my brother and I have borrowed the entire Star Trek - Deep Space 9 collection! We'll be trading the discs back and forth.

Currently I'm watching the first season. It came out way back in 1993, so I would have been 11 when I first started watching the show! I remember there were some episodes I didn't get to watch, at 11 I still got kicked out of the room if there was too much sex in the show, and I don't mind that my parents did that one bit! Fortunately I got to watch quite a bit of it!

It's amusing to go back and watch the first season. Not only am I viewing this as an adult, which is very different, but it's funny to see all the characters looking so young and new to their stations! Some of them don't look or act that different, but many of them have different hair cuts, Jake Sisko is played by a different actor than in later seasons, and the crew is still settling into their different roles on the station.

One character that has always fascinated me is Jadzia Dax. Not only is she a strong female character, but she has the exotic characteristic of actually being two personalities joined as one. Jadzia, the woman, and Dax, the symbiot within her. The symbiot has lived for over 100 years, transferring from one Trill (Jadzia's race) to another. It's most recent host being a man named Curzon. A man with a close friendship to Jadzia's current supervisor, Captain Benjamin Sisko.

This creates many interesting complications in Jadzia Dax's life. For instance, her relationship with Sisko has necessarily changed. Also, through the memories of the symbiot, she has much more life experience than her physical years would normally allow for. They explore this topic in the episode "Dax" where Jadzia is brought to trial for the supposed crimes of Curzon Dax.

Memories

There are so many things that I could say about Sept 11th. Most of it has been said already by others, and probably said better! What I remember the most vividly is trying to get through having to work that day, getting updates on what was going on from the customers, coworkers hugging and crying, hugging regular customers, and my boss trying frantically to figure out where the tool was so we could lower the flag. Turned out it was in his car trunk. That was a rough day - and I live on the opposite side of the country! It didn't get better quickly either. We were all shook up, and the nation was in mourning. I didn't know anyone who was in the Towers, but I knew people who lost people, and I know people who should have died that day but for some reason weren't where they were supposed to be. God protected them.

To all of you who lost someone who or who were affected in any way by that tragedy, my heart goes out to you and you are in my prayers.

Weekends

The Blog Fire theme right now is our favorite weekend activity. That got me thinking.

Weekend's have always been kind of messed up for me. When I was working full time I usually worked weekends, so my favorite weekend activity was time off! Or getting off work early enough to do something afterwards!

My favorite thing to do when I had time off work was to go swing dancing. I loved to dance! I'd get off a 10 hour shift, rush home to shower the smell of roast beef off, throw on a cute skirt and some make-up, grab my shoes, and be out the door! Back then I had boundless energy and I usually would dance for four hours or more, and then go out to get some food with my friends afterwards!

These days my weekends are a little weird again. It's not like I work on the weekend anymore, but with my health problems my days pretty much blend together. I don't have the strength to dance any more, and I don't really have the strength to do much actually. So weekends don't really mean anything to me, but there's hope! Some day with I'll get my health back, I hope, and when I do I'll do fun things on the weekends again :) And who knows - maybe during the week too!

Pretty Flower!

Mo's parents were so sweet last night! We were going to go over for dinner, but my migraine came back full force, and they brought dinner to us! Along with some fresh plums, and the pretty flower you see below :) It's a dalia :)

The Dark Lord's Demise by John White

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The Dark Lord's Demise: The Archives of Antropos (The Archives of Anthropos)

"Dark Lord's Demise" by John White is the 6th book in the Archives of Anthropos. I grew up on the first 5 books of this series, and we never knew that he had published a 6th book! Then, when my brother and I were browsing the "newly bought books" section at my library we saw this, and nearly started jumping up and down and screaming right there in the library! Don't worry, we somehow managed to restrain ourselves.

"The Archives of Anthropos" is a Christian Fantasy/Allegorical series in the tradition of C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. It follows a series of boys and girls who are magically transported from Canada to a fantasy world called Anthropos. In this land they fight evil in the name of Gaal, who is a type-representation of Jesus.

I spent hours as a kid imagining that I'd been sent to another world to fight evil! Sometimes my dreams were more "Narnia" in type, and some times more "Anthropos," for they are two very different worlds. I was captivated by the idea of living in a fantasy world, and I don't think I ever really grew out of that concept!

"Dark Lord's Demise" was a great finish to the series. It wrapped up loose ends that had always bothered me in book 5. I'm didn't find myself as caught up in it as I did the rest of the series, but I have a feeling that's just because the rest of the series is forever immortalized as a part of my childhood, and reading this book as an adult years later can't really add it to that part of my world.

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maquire

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Son of a Witch:

In "Son of Witch" we follow the story of Liir, the boy who is probably Elphaba's (The Wicked Witch of the West) son. Nobody really knows for sure though, and he really struggles with his identity as a result. In fact, he usually just avoids all questions that are family related!

After the death of Elphaba, Liir strikes out on his own, looking for his missing friend, and trying to figure out who he is in the process. Along the way he meets Princess Nastoya, Glinda, and even the Scarecrow! He also enrolls in the army for awhile, where he learns a lot, but eventually grows disgusted and leaves.

Thing are developing politically in Oz during this book. They go through succession of leaders after the Wizard leaves, and the consequences to the people aren't always good. Liir becomes more a more integral part of this than he wants or would expect.

I think I actually liked this book more than I did the first one. That could simply be because Maquire had more room to play here considering Liir is a new character to the Oz stories! It was interesting to see his nods to the original books though. I'm glad that I'm rereading the original series right now too :D

March to the Sea by David Weber and John Ringo

Buy it Now!

March to the Sea (March Upcountry)

In "March to the Sea" we rejoin Prince Roger MaClintock and the Emperors Own as they struggle across the harsh planet of Marduk. Just like in "March Upcountry" you'll find lots of hilarious moments mixed in with the battles and struggles to survive! There's even some new crazy beasties to make things interesting.

I will admit though that I didn't like this book as much as the first one in the series. They get too bogged down in the details of weapon development and battle strategy. I ended skimming sections to get to the good stuff. However, I have it on good authority that this is the worst book in the series and book 3 is just as good if not better than book 1! So if you read my review on March Upcountry and were considering picking up the series, don't despair, it's still worth it!

One thing that was done really well in this book is the character development. Prince Roger continues to grow as both an individual and a leader. There are new developments in the romantic tension between Roger and Despraux. We also learn a lot more about Palmer, a deep character with a heavy load as he tries to balance protecting the Prince, and letting the Prince have enough freedom that he can be effective! After all, Prince Roger is the best shot of them all.

Photo Fun Day!

I've been all melty brained lately because ... well ... life is just overwhelming sometimes :P So when I found this "Melty Brain" on my friend Theresa's blog I just had to share it with the world! it also became my desktop picture for now *guilty grin*

My brother and I saw this while we were out about town today.

Mutual consensus? SCARIEST student driver sign ever!

Holy Moly! Soda DOES grow on trees!

My brother found an inside out Oreo!

And that's it for Photo Fun today :)

Looking back at August :)

I had a busy month! Oh wait - I always do don't I? LOL I'm feeling a lot better with the whole kidney stone thing - I think it's over! Woohoo! So let's see what's happened this last month...

Oh! First...I just realized I never finished doing photos of the apartment. Ooopsie >_> I'm going to work on putting up pictures on the walls this week, so if that works I should be able to take pics and show off next week sometime :)

Personal Stuff:

Blank Canvas

Moving is Mess

I Survived!

Caffiene Prayer

Hullabaloo

Hullabaloo Update

Easily Distracted

Owie!

Back to School - Etsy Bloggers Carnival

Day by Day

Fighting Through Disappointment

My Writings:

Aria's Quest - Pondering

Aria's Quest - Talking to Joey

Aria's Quest - So Tell Me?

Book Reviews:

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaimen and Charles Vess

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshylin Jackson

Crazy Hair by Neil Gaimen and Dave McKean
Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest

The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaimen and Gris Grimly

A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales

The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint

Night Mare by Piers Anthony

Judgement of Tears: Anno Dracula 1959 by Kim Newman

Dragon on a Pedestal by Piers Anthony

Better Off Undead

Gods In Alabama by Joshylin Jackson

Movie Reviews:

Night at the Museum 2

Augusts Winner!

Is Meri Green Leaf!

Not only is she a great blogger, she's a great artisan!

Look at her Summer Elf!

Now for the fun numbers this month :)

Top Commentator: This month - 15, Last month - 11

Total Commentators: This month - 27, Last month 24

Total Comments: This month - 93 , Last month - 78

Want to win your own $10 Gift Certificate? Just comment on this blog! The runners up were at 14 comments and 12 comments. It was a close one this time! Can you do better?