30 Day Meme: Books
Day: 1 / 30
Subject: A book series you wish had gone on longer.

It wasn’t a series which is my problem. I wish it had been a series. Sunshine by Robin McKinley. I devoured it within a day and demanded more. Phaedra jutted out her lower lip and pouted at me as she delivered the bad news: Robin McKinley doesn’t do sequels, apparently.

Well why not? It was a good book! It was a neat premise! If crap like Twilight and the books by Sunny can get sequels, why wouldn’t this author do them? Granted, this was pre-Twilight crap when the whole fantasy genre went to Hell…

Every other series that I am reading currently all have books coming out or planned. I was worried that the Anne Bishop books (The Dark Jewels world) were done after the trilogy and prequel but had been ecstatic when Dreams Made Flesh came out and then the rest of the novels. More! Give. Me. More!

So, come on. Robin. Pick up Sunshine again! Make a sequel! Do a series!

I don’t know why I’ve been thinking about this for the last several days but it probably has something to do with the television shows I have watched in the last several days. First the subject came up in Grey’s Anatomy and then in Bones.

Pregnancy. Kids.

I am about 98% sure I do not want to be pregnant. Ever. I’m about 65% sure that I do not want children.

An episode of Bones that I watched today had Dr. Brennan being interviewed on a morning talk show about her book and upcoming movie (I’m only in season one) and the host asked something about what Brennan would tell her children. She stated that she didn’t want children and the host got very uncomfortable. Agent Booth then told her later that she came off as hating children. I understand that it’s a television show but it still speaks to the truth. Not wanting children is not the same as hating them. It’s not even comparable to anything. It’s a preference.

I was never really big on playing with dolls and acting like they were my baby. When I played with the other children, I would take on the mother role but didn’t really have any interest in it. I am very maternal; I just don’t want any of my own at this point in my life. Maybe not even within the next decade.

Does that make me weird? So be it.

I don’t want to carry a child. I may not even be able to carry a child due to my internal workings. But that bridge will be crossed if I ever reach it. There is something about the whole process that just makes me cringe.

And then there is the whole baby thing after it is born. According to everyone else, you are doing it wrong. Person A tells you one thing, Person B tells you another. Your mother tells you yet another thing while your mother-in-law has a completely different view from everyone else. Your neighbors all have ‘advice’ and everyone scoffs when you do things your own way. Every year, mothers become more and more paranoid and more and more obsessed with keeping their children as close to them as possible for as long as possible.

Attachment parenting? Really? Worst. Idea. Ever. In my opinion, of course. Home schooling? No fucking way would I ever put my child through that. And I went to public school my whole life, including going through a school shooting. And yet I would still send my child through public school. Why? Because I firmly believe in the social interaction that someone needs to have before moving into the real world; so many people entering the adult world have no idea how the real world works or how to properly socialize with their peers.

By the way, “peers” does not mean someone in your age group. It refers to the people around you who are of the same legal, social standing. Older, younger, richer, poorer, etc.

People are getting worse and worse about their ability to interact with their peers. Part of this is due to the internet and social media while the other part is due to how well they were socialized as a child and adolescent.

Mothers nowadays are so beyond obsessive and paranoid that, frankly, I just do not want to be counted among them. I would wind up disciplining the child of someone else because they refused to do so. I’ve seen children who were raised without being disciplined. Their parents claimed that they were refusing to ‘silence their voices’ but they raised two incredibly bratty, extremely spoiled, unbelievably rude children. I feel bad for the children, really. Because when they enter the real world? They are going to fail.

I just do not want that responsibility while having to defend myself to everyone else who all think they know better than I do.

If I ever decide to have children, I would adopt. And I would adopt a child (or children) who are considered too old… the ones that can’t seem to be adopted because everyone else wants babies and small children so they can be the ones to shape them. No thank you.

Angel and I finished watching The Legend of the Seeker today and were highly disappointed by the fact that there will be no third season!

Favorite character? Cara. All the way. The looks she gives, the pure sex that she just exudes on screen. And the adorable way she doesn’t understand certain things. Awesome character. Favorite pairing? Cara x Kahlan. I know. I know. But I loved watching them both on screen. I can dream, right?

Didn’t get much done today. Filled a trashbag with the trash up in the loft and I feel a little better about the small bit of cleanup. Dishes downstairs, et cetera. I meant to unpack more boxes today but just couldn’t summon the willpower to be creative with where to put things. And now I only feel guilty because Robby’s sister (and brother in law?) are randomly showing up tomorrow on their way across the country. So all the boxes in the spare bedroom? Not gone.

After finishing The Legend of the Seeker, Angel and I watched a couple more episodes of Stargate Universe before moving on to about five minutes worth of Hellcats (and quickly decided that it was a crap show so that got deleted real quick). Now we’re on to Bones because I haven’t seen it yet and I started watching season one the other day.

I think I’m hooked.

I always got conflicting information as a child. I was told that I could do whatever I put my mind to. I wanted to fly. I was told that I could be whatever I wanted to be. I wanted to be a princess. I was told that I was perfect in every single way. My father was always my guiding light, my supporting beam, my rock.

My mother, I suppose, envied me for my potential. Maybe that is why she made me feel like I was never good enough; why she would tell me that I could do no right. In one breath, she would tell me that she loved me. Because she had to. In the next breath, she spoke of what a troublesome child I was.

Conflicting information.

She called me a liar, a nobody, a lazy and unmotivated human being. She accused me of being closed off yet threw my emotions back into my face as soon as I surrendered them. My mother did everything she could to stifle what I could be. My mother did everything she could to silence my voice, to mute my creativity, to make me as miserable as she was.

Misery loves company.

I felt like looking back at myself today. Not for any real reason other than my being introspective. When I thought I was going to lose my father, all I could think about were the things that would never be and the things that I would be left with. In this world, we are given two birth parents. Whether we know them or not, whether we lose them later or not, it does not matter. There are two. Of my two, I was going to be left with the one who has done the most damage, the most harm. I was terrified. I was not yet done. I was still unfinished. I needed the sane guidance, the warm strength my father had to offer.

When I look back at the things that shaped me and made me who I am today, it was from my father that I learned who to be and from my mother what not to become. Our parents give us lessons to learn, whether they mean to or not. After years of being told that I just wasn’t good enough, I began to believe it. I have zero self confidence when it comes to my inner workings. My emotions, my creativity… it all gets locked away where only a select few are able to catch a glimpse. I am too self-conscious and too terrified to share.

But I remember one thing that I told myself. I had the courage that she never had. I had the courage to leave everything behind and take a chance on something that may or may not work out. I dropped my life and moved across the country, leaving all friends and family behind. I had the courage to stay and to try my best to make it work. I had the courage to make wonderful friends. And I had the courage to admit when enough was enough.

I really thought, for a little while, that leaving would be like admitting defeat. It was not defeat. It was the recognition that I was no longer doing anything for myself but for everyone else. I was no longer putting myself in the forefront of my own thoughts, my own desires falling to the wayside. What was the point?

I still want to fly.

My definition of flight, now that I am older, may be different from that of my younger self and far more abstract. But, dammit, I am going to take flight.

Watch me soar.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Just another something I picked up for an easy read. I wound up liking the author’s writing style quite a bit but it was difficult to really get into the story. I loved the idea about the Graced and even their physical marking.

I think my biggest problem was the difficulty in getting into the main character’s head properly. The reader knew what drove her but didn’t quite understand enough WHY there were certain things done or not done. There was not enough attention paid to the Council, which was one of the few things Katsa did that she felt somewhat proud of. It was more of a way to skip over loopholes and possible slow parts in the story, that the character could go to these random council-sympathizers and obtain whatever they needed. If there had been more to that, perhaps Katsa’s uncle finding out about the council through rumor, there would have been a feeling of purpose.

It was not a difficult read but it was not something I devoured over the course of a few hours. It will entertain most readers enough to not make them feel like they’ve wasted several hours of their life; it has just enough good story behind it that it was not a waste of paper.

Nevermind the way-too-quick end of the story’s main villain…

It is the 15th of September and, as promised, it is time to announce the winner. I did not get many entries but I also did not advertise the giveaway as much as I probably should have. It was still fun and I enjoy giving things away.

Again, this giveaway was for the business card holder-slash-wallet that looks like an old school gameboy. Lots of fun this thing is.

On to the winner!

After running the randomizer, the winner is…

Angel of thequeenb.net! I know. Hilarious, right?? Congrats, Angel!

I will be tossing your prize at you shortly. LOL

Hmm… what shall I give away next….?

Angel and I had a marathon today, watching 12 episodes today of The Legend of the Seeker (Yay Netflix instant queue). I have to admit that it was a series I had been curious about but never interested in enough to sit down and watch it.

(Come to find out that it was not renewed for a third season… just my luck, right?)

It was actually fairly decent. The acting was horrendous in the beginning but seemed to get better. I had a fangirl moment at seeing Ted Raimi, of course, but all in all it seems like a pretty good series. I kept badgering Angel with questions because she’d finished the Sword of Truth and had the bits and pieces of knowledge the show hadn’t yet given.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll even start reading Terry Goodkind after this.

The thing that was making me laugh the most is how much Craig Horner and Misha Collins look alike!

Kinda freaked me out at times. Not that the world doesn’t need more hunks like them… (and I have to mention that Craig Horner’s body is OMG! Fab abs. I wanted to nibble on him.)

So… yeah. I’m just gonna leave that thought there. Nudge it under the rug a bit.

So there is this spicy marinade that I named the Sauce of Awesome. Angel wanted something spicy and so had looked up a couple recipes. This thing? Blows everything else out of the water. It was intended for steaks but has done splendidly with chicken, hamburger, carne asada… I mean YUM.

So I figured I might as well put it out there for those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of seeing this recipe.

Note that you can adjust the amount of spices, peppers, etc. to suit your taste. Some people like a minor kick. Others like it so that they can no longer feel their mouth. Angel has made it and Robby has made it, both in different ways and it still comes out delicious.

The image to the left is of the chicken.

taken from: http://www.lobels.com/recipe/recipe_09.htm

Serves 6
Total preparation time: 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes to 2 hours for marinating before grilling

INGREDIENTS
3 (20 oz.) Boneless Rib Steaks
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
2 scallions, sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Vegetable oil cooking spray
*Try substituting Nirmala’s Wild Fire Chili Blend

DIRECTIONS
1. Trim the outer fat, or ask the butcher to do so.

2. Combine the soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, cumin, cayenne, scallions, jalapeno, garlic, and pepper in a glass or ceramic bowl. Put the steaks in a glass or ceramic dish and pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for as long as 2 hours. Turn the meat once or twice and return to room temperature if refrigerated before grilling.

3. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. Lightly spray the grill rack with vegetable oil cooking spray. The coals should be moderately hot to hot.

4. Lift the steak from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Grill the steak, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn and grill, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes longer for medium rare, or until it reaches the desired degree of ‘doneness’. Let the meat rest for a few minutes before carving. Transfer to a warmed serving platter.

Enjoy!

Red Hood’s Revenge by Jim C. Hines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. I had to start out by saying that because I really did. Not enough to give the coveted five-stars but it was close. The author’s take on the fairytales we’ve all come to know and love (be them the old, original versions or the fluffy Disney versions) is refreshing and interesting.

As was my instinct with the second book in the series, the third was focused around Talia; Sleeping Beauty’s tale is not that of Disney’s fluff nor was it even the idea that it was rape that awoke the princess. Talia has always sort of danced on the edge of my mind, vying subtly for the favorite-character spot. This book sealed the deal.

The princesses head to Talia’s homeland after the assassin known as Red Hood (hello Little Red Riding Hood, how are you?) comes calling. There is more that is told not only about Talia’s story but about the world of Faeries, Deev, and Peri. In this land, the Fae are more in charge than the humans and it was interesting to see the story unfold there in regards to the why and how. But mostly, it was lovely to see Talia unfold and be revealed; it was not a disappointment.

The “Princess” series is a great one. Especially for me: the girls are royalty but are some kick-ass females. In fact, the tagline for the series is “Do we look like we need to be rescued?” Love it!

My brother and stepfather arrived today, while we were eating dinner, to deliver my bookcase. It is the twin to the one that I’ve had for years. Kyle didn’t want it any longer and I adore mine so I claimed his.

… not that I actually have anywhere to put it. I did some rearranging in my room tonight. I went through boxes, unpacked some stuff, moved things around, and threw out whatever I deemed as trash. I did not get as far as I would have liked to but I feel very accomplished.

And very tired. I am utterly exhausted now. It doesn’t help that I got very little sleep last night (four hours or so) because I was completely paranoid about Kyle; he was supposed to call me when they left San Diego and let me know what the plans were. The original plans got changed apparently and I was never informed. I am certain that I would have slept a lot better if I knew I wasn’t going to hear from them.

Regardless, I have the bookcase in my possession and I have a better plan of action for the bedroom when it comes time to paint it. I am very excited to paint it! I even finally decided on how I was going to do it. I will have to take pictures and show it off later–assuming it doesn’t look like crap.

I think I’m going to go to bed soon. Just as soon as I clear off my bed.