No, Really

When I said I was ready to say goodbye to the sun and heat, I really meant it. But I guess the world wasn't listening, because it was 97 degrees in Long Beach today! Boy have we been having some weird weather lately. The five-day outlook says that there will be "few showers" on Saturday. We'll see if that actually happens...

Quote-o-the-day

Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
-Langston Hughes



I never thought I would ever say this, but I'm ready for fall. I'm ready to say goodbye to summer and the sun, to not feel the heat for a while. I'm ready to welcome cool and cloudy days, to feel some raindrops on my face. I have always been a summer girl, but I think I may be changing...

Getting Knitty With It

My friends and I had a fun knitting party the other night. I realize that with our book clubs, crockpot dinner parties, and now knitting get-togethers, it must seem like we are over preparing ourselves for our future retirement days. But who says you can't enjoy doing these activities when you're young? We certainly have a great time doing them, and we are far from old! Knitting, wine & good company, how can you go wrong with that combination? The event was at my place, and there was a pretty large group of 17 ladies over. Many were new to knitting, so they learned how to get started from those of us who already know how, and we eventually had a little knitting factory going on. It was a lot of fun, and I think we may have to do it again sometime. When I'm done with the scarf pictured above, my next project will be an attempt at fingerless gloves. I have a feeling I may need some help with that project, so we'll see how it goes...

Ice Ice Baby, Twilight Style

Ice Ice Baby by Vampilla Ice: HILARIOUS! Play the video, lyrics are right below so you can follow along.

(spoiler warning: the whole series is referenced, so beware if you haven't finished reading all four books!)

Coastal Cleanup, Crockpot & Country

Aside from having to do some extra work on Saturday morning, I had a much needed relaxing & low-key weekend! Ahh, it was so nice...

After a couple of hours at work, I still had enough time to head over to my local beach and participate in the annual Coastal Cleanup Day. It surprised me how many people were out there picking up trash together--it was great to see that the event was able to draw in a significant amount of community participation. People of all ages were there, but I especially loved seeing parents with their young children, exposing them to these activities. I overheard a mom and dad talking to their two daughters, "Tell me, what did you learn today? Why are we out here doing this, and how did this trash get here?" They were not only teaching their kids the importance of being out there and picking up the trash, but were encouraging them to think beyond it. Why is the trash here? What can we do to change that and make sure it doesn't end up here in the first place? It's nice to know that there are many parents who try to instill these values in their children, the importance of stewardship and actively participating in caring for the earth.

I spent most of my Sunday reading (started The Lace Reader and really enjoying it so far) and knitting (taught myself a new lace pattern), then had friends over for some dinner and some country line dancin' (well, learnin' some country line dancin'). Dinner included pulled pork sandwiches that I made in the crockpot, plus a bunch of yummy sides that the friends brought over, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Mmmm, it was all delicious. I had been wanting to try the pulled pork sandwiches for a while, and finally used the recipe I got from The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Volume II (when I visited Robin's Woods last month, Jennifer had checked this out from the library for me to take a look at.) It was a great recipe--after nine hours of slow-cooking, the meat just fell apart and was tender and wonderful, and the sauce was very good too, not too tangy not too sweet. Line dancing in the living room was fun, although I think we need a little more practice before we take our moves to the dance floor, haha.

The weekend went by too quickly (doesn't it always?) and now it's another (busy busy!) week at work...

Quote-o-the-day

"Books were making her restless. She was beginning to read, faster, more, until she was inside the narrative and the narrative inside her, the pages going by so fast, her heart in her chest--she couldn't stop." -The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai

Waiting for the Twilight Movie

Although it's unfortunate that we have to wait so long to see Harry Potter, how awesome is it that Twilight slid up into its time slot? I'm elated by this! I can now enjoy the movie three weeks earlier than originally planned! But even with the move to November, it is still more than two months away. I don't know how I'm going to bear all the anticipation--it's torture, especially with teases like this great interview with the Twilight screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg. Lots of interesting insight on her work on the script and the adaptation process a novel goes through, and it's making me even more excited for the movie. Of course, the movie will be different from the book--it has to be, because it's changing from a story being told in writing to a story being told on screen. I'm actually looking forward to seeing these changes though--seeing everything come to life, the actors' performances, how the story unfolds--just seeing Twilight in a different way. I have a feeling I'm going to love the movie just as much as the book. I'm not one to wish for time to move faster (it's already flying by way too quickly), but seriously, is it November yet??? I'm not very good at being patient. Oh, I can't wait! Oh, the torture!

On another movie note, there are only two teaser trailers out right now. With the release date coming up, I'm assuming that a full theatrical trailer should be coming soon. Hopefully it will be very soon.

Also, taking over the world is coming along...

Twilight Conversion Count: 41

not THAT kind of nudi beach

So, the stats on my blog has shown some very amusing results. The most popular way people find themselves here? By searching for "nudi beach." To their disappointment, I'm sure, they didn't get what they were looking for. All they would have found was this post about one of my tidepooling outings and all the nudibranchs I saw, haha. Sorry folks, but I don't frequent the other kind of nudi beach. Just the ones with pretty molluscs on them.

wish i was here again...

Sol Duc Falls-Olympic National Park, Washington

A Message from Beyond

I have years of emails still stuck in my inbox, and for some reason, decided to go through some of them today. Amongst all the junk, I found a precious little email that my grandpa wrote me, in his broken english, EXACTLY four years ago TO THE DAY--on September 13, 2004. Reading it brought me to tears--I'm finding that this is more than just a coincidence, and I'm taking the very special message as his last little goodbye to me.

Here is the email...

Dear Jane,
Hi! How are you ? What are you doing right now? Still worrying about your future?
Have you fun? Getting already a new job, a new tail ?
You know, your grandpa is proud of you et loves you too much for your good feelings and behavior. You really deserve happiness and success in life. And all of that will come on its time You're not to worry too much in advance. Live only for today,enjoy the present minute every day you have to live and you'll be happy.
I'am trying now to get in touch with you by E-mail to see if the connection's available
In the mean time, as you really need a good wish,
"I wish you health, I wish you well, and happiness galore
"I wish you luck, For you and friends,
"What could I wish you more. "

So long - Au revoir - To see you or write to you very soon-
Good kisses and Love,
GrandPa

Wish it was Twilight

I recently read a great and interesting blog entry from author Shannon Hale on How to be a Reader. Some people may have a different opinion, but I totally agree with her take on the reader's "reading experience." Take a look at it, and let me know what you think.

I'm currently reading The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. Having a blah moment with it right now, but still trying (struggling!) to finish so I can move onto other things. Oh, how I wish it was Twilight. Or better yet, *sob* Midnight Sun. The writing and story just isn't doing much for me. And of course, it's not because it is a bad book (I'm sure it's far from being a bad book, since it won the 2006 Man Booker Prize.) The person I am right now just can't quite enjoy and appreciate the book. Who knows, maybe that will change one day. There have been plenty of occasions, for whatever reason, where I have a hard time getting into a book. But later on, when I give it another try, I end up loving the book.

Comments spoiler warning: there may be Breaking Dawn spoilers in the comments of this post, so don't read them if you don't want to be spoiled!

in case you were wondering...

....about my plan to help twilight take over the world, oops, i mean my plan to create twilight fans one friend at a time.

twilight conversion count: 39

muhahahaha

50% of the 8 Things About Me

I've been a slacker blogger lately, so since Mag tagged me, I will do half of the 4 steps. (In my defense, I'm not tagging anyone because I don't know enough people to do it.)

1. Post these rules.
2. Each tagged person must post 8 things about themselves on their journal.
3. At the end, you have to choose and tag 8 people.
4. No tag-backs.

*****

So, here goes: 8 things that you may or may not know about me...
1. I enjoy snorkeling more than scuba diving.
2. I don't mind going to the movies by myself.
3. Some of my co-workers call me "organized and well-prepared." Others call me "anal."
4. I have a book-buying problem.
5. I love ice cream. If I could eat it every day, I would.
6. I always walk out of Target with more than I had intended to buy.
7. I taught myself how to knit
8. I am COMPLETELY obsessed with the Twilight Series.

Quote-o-the-day

"He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left."
-Chinese Proverb