Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Magnificent
I found this quote in my journal the other day, so I just whipped up a great background for my computer using it.
My Top Things of the Week
Photoshop Brushes: Sometimes I get in a downloading mood and I just can't seem to get enough of them. I lost my favorite set in a quest to organize them all. But gratefully I was able to recreate them.
Outlander by Diana Gaboldon: This was 850 pages of wonderfulness. I was a little worried about the length of the book, but honestly once I got into it I hardly noticed it. It had a wonderful story and great character development. I'm excited to read more of the series, but I think I need to take a breather and read some short easy stuff for a little while.
Tess of the d'Ubervilles: One of the most horrible movies I've spent four hours of my life on! I felt bad for all of the crap Tess has to put up with and yet in the end she gets condemned to death because she finally took her retribution on the man who seduced her. It's just a bunch of horribleness finished off by more horribleness.
The Quantum of Solace: Better than Casino Royale, although lacking in the leading lady romance of the other James Bonds. I loved the text they used to name the places they were. The fonts were great and the words really blended into picture. I know, go figure my favorite part is the fonts.
Daniel Deronda: I remember not really enjoying this movie when it first came out on Masterpiece Theater. But it had been such a long time ago that I thought I'd check it out again and see if it was really as bad as I thought. Luckily it wasn't. I really enjoyed it. Although any movie with a handsome leading man has my vote. So, yeah, it was much better than I remember.
The X Games: I'm not a real sports fanatic, but this was cool. Mom and I went to the gym last week and instead of reading what we brought, ended up watching this. It was awesome to see the snowmobile tricks and the skiing tricks. I don't know that I would go out of my way to watch it, but it really was neat.
Fog: On Friday Mom and I left the gym in a cloud of fog. I don't remember being in fog this bad before. The visibility was like 10 feet. It was really surreal.
Wheat Thins, Double Stuf Oreos and Cinnamon gummy hearts: I'm telling you, I just can't seem to get enough of these wonderful, oh-so-healthy foods.
Apple Pie: On the same train of thought, we made pies over the weekend and they were most delicious. I love, love, love my mom's apple pie! When we made it for Thanksgiving I'm a little embarrassed to say that I ate the whole 11 inch pie all by myself. It was over a week however and I never had more than two pieces a day. I can't think of anything better than apple pie for breakfast!
Snow: On Sunday it snowed like crazy. When I woke up on Monday morning there was at least 8 inches of snow. It's been a little warm lately, so the bottom of the snow was slush. My sister was supposed to shovel some of it, but true to fashion she wouldn't get up and only ended up shoveling maybe 10 square feet of snow. Instead of shoveling she spent most of her time trying to get the snow blower to work. (I think our snow blower knows the difference between men and women because it never seems to work for us girls!) So, when she had to go to work I got left with the shoveling. This is what I shoveled: most of the snow off my sister's car, half of the west driveway and gutter, the sidewalk, the walkway to our front door, the east driveway and gutter and the walk to our back door. It took me over an hour and a half to do it and man, every muscle in my body aches! I don't think that I've shovelled that much snow single handedly before. But if not me, who was going to do it?
The Time of Aspen Falls by Marcia Lynn McClure: What a delightful read! All her books are delightful. I received it in the mail on Saturday and finished it last night. There's still the silly sub plot, but the romance is most enjoyable.
Outlander by Diana Gaboldon: This was 850 pages of wonderfulness. I was a little worried about the length of the book, but honestly once I got into it I hardly noticed it. It had a wonderful story and great character development. I'm excited to read more of the series, but I think I need to take a breather and read some short easy stuff for a little while.
Tess of the d'Ubervilles: One of the most horrible movies I've spent four hours of my life on! I felt bad for all of the crap Tess has to put up with and yet in the end she gets condemned to death because she finally took her retribution on the man who seduced her. It's just a bunch of horribleness finished off by more horribleness.
The Quantum of Solace: Better than Casino Royale, although lacking in the leading lady romance of the other James Bonds. I loved the text they used to name the places they were. The fonts were great and the words really blended into picture. I know, go figure my favorite part is the fonts.
Daniel Deronda: I remember not really enjoying this movie when it first came out on Masterpiece Theater. But it had been such a long time ago that I thought I'd check it out again and see if it was really as bad as I thought. Luckily it wasn't. I really enjoyed it. Although any movie with a handsome leading man has my vote. So, yeah, it was much better than I remember.
The X Games: I'm not a real sports fanatic, but this was cool. Mom and I went to the gym last week and instead of reading what we brought, ended up watching this. It was awesome to see the snowmobile tricks and the skiing tricks. I don't know that I would go out of my way to watch it, but it really was neat.
Fog: On Friday Mom and I left the gym in a cloud of fog. I don't remember being in fog this bad before. The visibility was like 10 feet. It was really surreal.
Wheat Thins, Double Stuf Oreos and Cinnamon gummy hearts: I'm telling you, I just can't seem to get enough of these wonderful, oh-so-healthy foods.
Apple Pie: On the same train of thought, we made pies over the weekend and they were most delicious. I love, love, love my mom's apple pie! When we made it for Thanksgiving I'm a little embarrassed to say that I ate the whole 11 inch pie all by myself. It was over a week however and I never had more than two pieces a day. I can't think of anything better than apple pie for breakfast!
Snow: On Sunday it snowed like crazy. When I woke up on Monday morning there was at least 8 inches of snow. It's been a little warm lately, so the bottom of the snow was slush. My sister was supposed to shovel some of it, but true to fashion she wouldn't get up and only ended up shoveling maybe 10 square feet of snow. Instead of shoveling she spent most of her time trying to get the snow blower to work. (I think our snow blower knows the difference between men and women because it never seems to work for us girls!) So, when she had to go to work I got left with the shoveling. This is what I shoveled: most of the snow off my sister's car, half of the west driveway and gutter, the sidewalk, the walkway to our front door, the east driveway and gutter and the walk to our back door. It took me over an hour and a half to do it and man, every muscle in my body aches! I don't think that I've shovelled that much snow single handedly before. But if not me, who was going to do it?
The Time of Aspen Falls by Marcia Lynn McClure: What a delightful read! All her books are delightful. I received it in the mail on Saturday and finished it last night. There's still the silly sub plot, but the romance is most enjoyable.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
There Certainly Are A Lot Of Inquisitive Idiots
It was eerily quiet on Thursday morning when I arrived at the library. I looked around and realized that all the computers were down. I knew at that moment that it was going to be an interesting morning. Sitting on the desk in front of me was a sign informing the patrons: "The computers are down, but you can still read the books!" I was surprised at how many people either A. didn't notice it or B. didn't find it funny. All morning patrons came in asking if the computers were working. I mean hello! They obviously missed the eight signs on the entrance doors, not to mention the sign on my desk, the signs on every computer and the blackened screen on the monitors. I think they thought that we might make an exception just for them. Not likely!
One guy came back to the desk several times telling us he was an IT repairman and blah blah blah blah blah is what we should do to fix the computers. My coworker told him, "Sir, I don't care what you think is wrong with the computers. I'm not fixing them, I don't know when they'll be fixed and I'm not passing your message on to the library IT guys." After that, the man finally left us alone. But seriously, if he was such a great IT man, why the heck was he at the library at 10 in the morning? Doesn't he have a job?
Another man thought he was witty by trying to make a poem out of our signs. I'm still shaking my head at that one.
Another man walked right up to a computer, ripped the sign off and started messing with the computer. Oh, my coworker was mad! He went up of the man and said, "Sir, why in the world are ripping my signs off? Haven't you read the signs? The computers are down! Move along!"
At one point out of sheer frustration, when someone came up to us asking if all the computers in the library are down, my coworker said "Nope. I think that there's one of the 4th floor." Then the man hurried to the elevator to check it out. Can you imagine if we'd had only one computer working what the line-up for that would be? It's staggering how stupid people can be.
My favorite patron of the day had actually nothing to do with the computers. There was a man sitting in the browsing section reading a book or newspaper. One would pass him without looking twice, but for the dime stuck to the side of his bald head. Yes that's right. It was a dime. What in the world . . . why . . . I have not the words to explain this oddity. Did the man think that the aliens wouldn't be able to read his mind or something? It was just weird!
One guy came back to the desk several times telling us he was an IT repairman and blah blah blah blah blah is what we should do to fix the computers. My coworker told him, "Sir, I don't care what you think is wrong with the computers. I'm not fixing them, I don't know when they'll be fixed and I'm not passing your message on to the library IT guys." After that, the man finally left us alone. But seriously, if he was such a great IT man, why the heck was he at the library at 10 in the morning? Doesn't he have a job?
Another man thought he was witty by trying to make a poem out of our signs. I'm still shaking my head at that one.
Another man walked right up to a computer, ripped the sign off and started messing with the computer. Oh, my coworker was mad! He went up of the man and said, "Sir, why in the world are ripping my signs off? Haven't you read the signs? The computers are down! Move along!"
At one point out of sheer frustration, when someone came up to us asking if all the computers in the library are down, my coworker said "Nope. I think that there's one of the 4th floor." Then the man hurried to the elevator to check it out. Can you imagine if we'd had only one computer working what the line-up for that would be? It's staggering how stupid people can be.
My favorite patron of the day had actually nothing to do with the computers. There was a man sitting in the browsing section reading a book or newspaper. One would pass him without looking twice, but for the dime stuck to the side of his bald head. Yes that's right. It was a dime. What in the world . . . why . . . I have not the words to explain this oddity. Did the man think that the aliens wouldn't be able to read his mind or something? It was just weird!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Draper Temple Open House
Last night I was able to go with my ward to the Draper temple open house. Little did I know that it was the first day of the open house. We had tickets for 8:20 pm and with the volumes of people we didn't get up to the temple until at least 9:00 pm. But it was ok, because I just got to sit around chatting with my friends from my ward as well as some friends from the other single's wards that meet in our building.
The temple was beautiful. I've not gone through one of the smaller temples, so that was new. All I can say is it was worth the wait. Everything was fantastically beautiful. In one of the rooms there was a chandelier that was at least 10 feet tall made with thousands of crystals. It looked like something in the Swarovski store.
Below are pictures I took with my friends, as well as I picture I got from lds.org.
An artist's rendering of the temple
A bunch of my friends (from left to right):
Victoria, Sara, Holly, Becca, Me, Jen, Beckie and Mary.
Here we are in from of the temple.
These are the girls I drove up with.
Me, Becca, Holly and Beckie
This time I'm taking the picture.
Janet, Beckie, Becca and Holly
The temple was beautiful. I've not gone through one of the smaller temples, so that was new. All I can say is it was worth the wait. Everything was fantastically beautiful. In one of the rooms there was a chandelier that was at least 10 feet tall made with thousands of crystals. It looked like something in the Swarovski store.
Below are pictures I took with my friends, as well as I picture I got from lds.org.
An artist's rendering of the temple
A bunch of my friends (from left to right):Victoria, Sara, Holly, Becca, Me, Jen, Beckie and Mary.
Here we are in from of the temple.These are the girls I drove up with.
Me, Becca, Holly and Beckie
This time I'm taking the picture.Janet, Beckie, Becca and Holly
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Artistically Inclined
I've been in a tutorial mode this weekend, well the last three days any way. As you know (or don't know) I like to make something usable or at least awesome looking with what I learn. I've found a few great quotes to use, some great stock photography to play with and some random ideas rolling around in my head. So, without any further ado, here are my creations! (Feel free to take what you want - just comment to tell me what you're taking. If you want any converted to a different size, just let me know.)
watercolor text
glass orb with dial
an awesome quote (I totally agree with!)
glowing letters and an great quote
moon shine text
using the action tool to full advantage
glowing letters splash
(also, I like the idea of a desktop calendar)
peeled away sticker
practice with my tablet
(from Katrina & Aaron - you guys are awesome!)
and overall romantic movie creativity
watercolor text
glass orb with dial
an awesome quote (I totally agree with!)
glowing letters and an great quotemoon shine text
using the action tool to full advantage
glowing letters splash(also, I like the idea of a desktop calendar)
peeled away sticker
practice with my tablet(from Katrina & Aaron - you guys are awesome!)
and overall romantic movie creativity
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Body Worlds
Today we went to the Body Worlds exhibit at the Leonardo downtown. It's across from the new library, which is quite convenient seeing as how I get free parking down there. (My friend Chlarson loaned me his pass for the other car. He's awesome that way!) Today was my day to volunteer at the library, so Grandpa and I headed down there around 9:00 am and met up with everyone else (being Mom, Grandma, Victoria and Addie) at about 11:00 am. It was approximately $20 per person, which was a little steep in my estimation. I should note that I have been to Body Worlds before down in Houston, so I knew what to expect. I don't recall it being so much in Houston.
The exhibit was great. I had seen a lot of it before; the cross-sections and single organs. But there was some new stuff that was neat. This exhibit focused mainly on the heart so there were a lot of displays of veins throughout the body. They had an interesting exhibit on embryos. Victoria said she liked this exhibit better than the one at the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago. I on the other hand thought that the one in Chicago was a bit more thorough. They had some displays of animals which were interesting; a cow's heart, the veins in a rooster, a cat's heart and a dissected camel.
Bottom line: the displays were great but I don't know that it was worth full price. It was rather crowded, there were a lot of lines and bottle necks. I feel they could have space planned the exhibit a lot better. Knowing the floor plan of the old library, I was a little surprised at how poorly it was planned. I think the exhibit in Houston was much better, spatially speaking. If it comes again to the Leonardo (which by the way I don't think will ever become a museum under current management) I don't think I'd bother - especially for the price.
Here we are in front of the Leonardo.
Here's a good close up of us.
Aren't I just so cute!?!
This was my favorite display.
It wasn't in this exhibit though.
I saw it in Houston.
My second favorite display.
Again, only featured in Houston.
The camel, probably the greatest display in today's exhibit.
The exhibit was great. I had seen a lot of it before; the cross-sections and single organs. But there was some new stuff that was neat. This exhibit focused mainly on the heart so there were a lot of displays of veins throughout the body. They had an interesting exhibit on embryos. Victoria said she liked this exhibit better than the one at the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago. I on the other hand thought that the one in Chicago was a bit more thorough. They had some displays of animals which were interesting; a cow's heart, the veins in a rooster, a cat's heart and a dissected camel.
Bottom line: the displays were great but I don't know that it was worth full price. It was rather crowded, there were a lot of lines and bottle necks. I feel they could have space planned the exhibit a lot better. Knowing the floor plan of the old library, I was a little surprised at how poorly it was planned. I think the exhibit in Houston was much better, spatially speaking. If it comes again to the Leonardo (which by the way I don't think will ever become a museum under current management) I don't think I'd bother - especially for the price.
Here we are in front of the Leonardo.
Here's a good close up of us.
Aren't I just so cute!?!
This was my favorite display.It wasn't in this exhibit though.
I saw it in Houston.
My second favorite display.Again, only featured in Houston.
The camel, probably the greatest display in today's exhibit.Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Books of 2008
Here is a pretty comprehensive list of the books I've read this year, in the order that I read them - barring a few children's books that I read to nephews. That makes a grand total of 76 books this year!
Only With Your Love - Kleypas
A Summer Affair - Wiggs
Persuasion - Austin
The Stolen Princess - Gracie
The Perils of Pleasure - Long
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose - Willig
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Selznick
The Perfect Wife - Alexander
To Love An Earl - Thornton
Cherished - Thornton
Scarlet Angel - Thornton
The Bride's Bodyguard - Thornton
Only With Your Love - Kleypas
Stranger In My Arms - Kleypas
Again the Magic - Klepas
Because Your Mine - Kleypas
Texas Wildflower - Wiggs
An Offer From a Gentleman - Quinn
Love, Stargirl - Spinelli
Remember Me? - Kinsella
Never Lie to a Lady - Carlyle
Shanna - Woodiwiss
My Fair Mistress - Warren
The Accidental Mistress - Warren
His Favorite Mistress - Warren
The Good Girl - Hale
The Rogue Knight - McClure
Whisper His Name - Thornton
Dangerous to Love - Thornton
The Whispered Kiss - McClure
The Host - Meyer
Ashes in the Wind - Woodiwiss
Kissing Cousins - McClure
The General's Ambition - McClure
Weathered Too Young - McClure
The Windswept Flame - McClure
Daydreams - McClure
Saphyre Snow - McClure
Indebted Deliverance - McClure
Practically Perfect - Fforde
Love Me - McClure
The Missing Grooms - Holbrook
Captain Wentworth's Diary - Grange
The Prairie Prince - McClure
The Unobtainable One - McClure
The Lost Duke of Windham - Quinn
A Rose in Winter - Woodiwiss
Dangerous to Kiss - Thornton
Dangerous to Hold - Thornton
The Reluctant Suitor - Woodiwiss
You Only Love Twice - Thornton
Twilight - Meyer
New Moon - Meyer
Eclipse - Meyer
Velvet is the Night - Thornton
To Catch a Pirate - Parker
Breaking Dawn - Meyer
Fancy Pants - Hake
Petals of the River - Woodiwiss
Sweet Cherry Ray - McClure
North & South - Gaskell
After Midnight - Medeiros
A Most Proposal - Bell
Kissing Cousins - McClure
The Highwayman of Tanglewood - McClure
Love Me - McClure
Daydreams - McClure
An Old Fashioned Romance - McClure
The Prairie Prince - McClure
Divine Deception - McClure
The Seduction of a Proper Gentleman - Alexander
The Visions of Ransom Lake - McClure
Heavenly Surrender - McClure
The Vampire Who Loved Me - Medeiros
Madeline Parker - Herd
Once Upon a Christmas - Farr
Only With Your Love - Kleypas
A Summer Affair - Wiggs
Persuasion - Austin
The Stolen Princess - Gracie
The Perils of Pleasure - Long
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose - Willig
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Selznick
The Perfect Wife - Alexander
To Love An Earl - Thornton
Cherished - Thornton
Scarlet Angel - Thornton
The Bride's Bodyguard - Thornton
Only With Your Love - Kleypas
Stranger In My Arms - Kleypas
Again the Magic - Klepas
Because Your Mine - Kleypas
Texas Wildflower - Wiggs
An Offer From a Gentleman - Quinn
Love, Stargirl - Spinelli
Remember Me? - Kinsella
Never Lie to a Lady - Carlyle
Shanna - Woodiwiss
My Fair Mistress - Warren
The Accidental Mistress - Warren
His Favorite Mistress - Warren
The Good Girl - Hale
The Rogue Knight - McClure
Whisper His Name - Thornton
Dangerous to Love - Thornton
The Whispered Kiss - McClure
The Host - Meyer
Ashes in the Wind - Woodiwiss
Kissing Cousins - McClure
The General's Ambition - McClure
Weathered Too Young - McClure
The Windswept Flame - McClure
Daydreams - McClure
Saphyre Snow - McClure
Indebted Deliverance - McClure
Practically Perfect - Fforde
Love Me - McClure
The Missing Grooms - Holbrook
Captain Wentworth's Diary - Grange
The Prairie Prince - McClure
The Unobtainable One - McClure
The Lost Duke of Windham - Quinn
A Rose in Winter - Woodiwiss
Dangerous to Kiss - Thornton
Dangerous to Hold - Thornton
The Reluctant Suitor - Woodiwiss
You Only Love Twice - Thornton
Twilight - Meyer
New Moon - Meyer
Eclipse - Meyer
Velvet is the Night - Thornton
To Catch a Pirate - Parker
Breaking Dawn - Meyer
Fancy Pants - Hake
Petals of the River - Woodiwiss
Sweet Cherry Ray - McClure
North & South - Gaskell
After Midnight - Medeiros
A Most Proposal - Bell
Kissing Cousins - McClure
The Highwayman of Tanglewood - McClure
Love Me - McClure
Daydreams - McClure
An Old Fashioned Romance - McClure
The Prairie Prince - McClure
Divine Deception - McClure
The Seduction of a Proper Gentleman - Alexander
The Visions of Ransom Lake - McClure
Heavenly Surrender - McClure
The Vampire Who Loved Me - Medeiros
Madeline Parker - Herd
Once Upon a Christmas - Farr
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