Mounds Bars + TV = Bliss

I'm spending my Super Bowl Sunday eating junk food and watching 30 Rock. O yeah. I'm awesome.


Currently Reading: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (I'm on page 84) 

Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

I was super-excited to get my Katy Perry OPI polishes in the mail today!! I think they would have arrived sooner had the blizzard not interfered. But the important thing is that they are here, they are gorgeous, and they are MINE! I bought the whole set. They offer a mini-pack of the four colors, but I really wanted the full-size bottles, so I was able to find a deal on the four colors, plus the new black shatter polish:

The colors, from left to right, are: Last Friday Night, Not Like the Movies, Black Shatter, The One That Got Away, and Teenage Dream. I cannot wait to try them all out. Fortunately, I painted my nails blue this week, so I decided to see how Last Friday Night looked over the blue (which is OPI's Dating A Royal), since it's a blue and silver glitter polish:

I'm kind of embarrassed that my camera really sucks and the detail isn't the best, as well as the fact that the polish on my index finger is starting to chip, but this is as good as it's going to get right now. Anyway... I actually really love how it looks over the blue. The glitter in the polish varies in size - there are finer pieces and also holographic pieces, in both blue and silver. The Teenage Dream polish looks to be basically the same, except it's pink rather than blue, and I'm excited to try that one out too.

The shatter polish has been getting a lot of buzz lately, too. I had a shatter polish awhile ago, but I ended up having to throw it out, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it works. Leesha gave the black shatter a pretty good review on her blog (and I kind of want the Serena Williams polish, too. I love that gold color). I will have to post more pictures as I try out the different polishes.

Currently Reading: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (I'm on page 42)

I'm Still Here

 I know, it's been an embarrassingly long time since I last blogged. I hang my head in shame. Thinking back to July, which is when I made my last blog entry, a lot of craziness went down, which I think definitely contributed to my not wanting to do much of anything. What an emotional roller coaster it was. But, it's a new year now, and I thought it would be a good resolution to get into the swing of [blog-y] things.


So. What can I write about today? I guess I feel that 2011 is off to a good start. I have a part-time job doing some graphic design fun for the fantastic marketing company, 121 Creative Communications. I am grateful to have this opportunity, and I am hoping that it will eventually lead to some equally fantastic full-time design work. But in the meantime, I am happy to have some work to do (not to mention some money coming in).


January is in full swing, and it is fuh-reezing here in Chicago. It's times like these that make it hard to believe that it's ever summer here. Thank God I decided to clean out the garage back in November so that I'd be able to pull my car in. If only there were some way to get some relief from the cold... oh, wait! I am going to California tomorrow! My brothers and I are going to visit my grandparents (and the great Mickey Mouse, of course), for a week. I am beyond excited. I want some sun and some fun.


OH! And also, be sure to wish the Bears success on Sunday as we play Green Bay (boo!) in the playoffs! Super Bowl, here we come!!

Currently Reading: Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult (I'm on page 28)

The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

 I know. How could a book about pants possibly receive an “exceptional” rating? I first read these books while I was in high school, and they quickly became some of my favorites. I’ve been wanting to re-read them for awhile, and there is no better time than the summer for these books. But could a book I loved in high school still hold up now that I’m 24? A significant and resounding yes.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how remarkable this book (and the others in the series) is. I am not ashamed to admit that I am a fan of young adult fiction. True, it may not always be the “deepest” literature out there, but it is fun and quite entertaining. And as someone who has read a handful of the Gossip Girl novels and three of the four Twilight installments, I can definitely say that Brashares’ Pants is a greater work than all the aforementioned combined. She doesn’t focus on social conquests in the teen world or the catty female relationships such as in Gossip Girl. She doesn’t focus on an all-consuming Romeo-and-Juliet type romance. Instead, she chooses to illustrate the deep and meaningful relationship that exists between teenage girls. I think that some of your richest and most memorable friendships are those that you experience in high school, and Brashares captures this perfectly through her four main characters: Carmen, Tibby, Lena, and Bridget.

The fact that Brashares is an extraordinarily talented writer is simply icing on the cake. Her characters are versatile and complex. Her language is rich and her descriptions vivid. She includes real-life scenarios that everyone has experienced, making the novel very relatable. I ate it up, as I’d imagine any teen reader would. It’s funny, it’s poignant, it’s gorgeous and it’s honest. Every. Girl. Should. Read. This. Book. (Four out of Four stars)

Shutter Island

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Lehane is becoming one of my favorite authors. I generally find that mystery/thriller novels are a lot of plot and little substance, but Lehane seems to find the perfect balance of both. When I read Mystic River last fall, I found myself unable to put it down, despite the fact that I had seen the movie and therefore already knew how it was going to end. 

And so what made Shutter Island all the more fantastic for me was that I didn’t know how it was going to end. It was just as fast-paced, suspenseful, and thrilling as Mystic River, but even more mysterious and bizarre. It is one fantastic book. I was dazzled by his tangled plot line, utterly bewildered while I was in the middle of it, then amazed at how neatly it all tied up at the end. 

Very few books are able to put me on edge, but Lehane’s descriptions are so vivid that I was honestly getting chills. He depicts sorrow and grief better than any other author I’ve read. The ending is exquisite. After hearing several people say they were able to guess the ending, I deliberately prevented myself from coming up with any of my own theories as to what was going on on this mysterious island. But I have to say, even if you do have a general idea of what’s happening, it’s the handful of details that will make it all worthwhile. With a complex storyline and page-turning suspense, Shutter Island will hardly disappoint. (Three and a half out of Four stars)

The Cardturner

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
In his author’s note at the beginning of the book, Louis Sachar tells his readers how difficult it was to write about bridge in a way that would help his young adult audience understand how the game is played. And so, I commend him for taking on this difficult task. Having said that, this book was still hard to understand. I suppose this could be considered a good thing, because it kind of makes me want to learn how to play bridge just so I can understand what the heck he’s talking about half the time. The great thing, though, is that this is still an enjoyable book, even without understanding the bridge game. As always, Sachar pens intriguing characters, smart humor, and an overall poignant novel. 

His main character, soon-to-be high school senior Alton Richards (like the great Stanley Yelnats), is pretty much your typical teenager, but with a certain sort of quiet wisdom about him. In the book, Alton’s parents volunteer him to be a cardturner for his blind uncle Lester Trapp at his bridge tournaments. To his surprise, Alton finds himself intrigued by both his uncle and the game. As his summer progresses, he struggles to figure out what the game means, and ultimately figure out the meaning to his own life. 

I think what I like most about this book is its different levels. It goes from teenage worries (the recently dumped Alton is pained to think about his ex, Katie, with her new boyfriend, who also happens to be Alton’s best friend: “I don’t know why it hurt more to think about Katie with Cliff than Katie with somebody else, but to put it lightly, it tore at my insides”(13).) to humor (“I once had a teacher who told me I’d be twice as smart if I was half as smart as I thought I was. I’m still trying to figure that one out”(67).) to the philosophical (“’Just because some of us are smarter than kangaroos, it doesn’t mean we know everything… we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. But how do we know those are the only five [senses]? What are we failing to perceive?’ It didn’t seem right to point out that [Trapp] no longer had all five senses. Or maybe, I considered, it was his loss of sight that made him wonder what else he was missing”(68).). I was surprised with every turn of the page. 

Holes is still my favorite Louis Sachar book. It’s going to be difficult to top that one. But The Cardturner offers something original and entertaining. (Three out of Four Stars)

Walt Disney World: A Retrospective

So now the question I'm being asked is: Which do I prefer, Disneyland or Disney World? This is actually a tougher question to answer than you would think. In my opinion, you can't really go wrong with Disney. In general, I'd say I probably like the west coast version better. I feel that since it's older, it has more nostalgia and history. When you're walking through Fantasyland, for example, It's small and feels like you're walking through a little village, rather than a theme park. I missed that feeling in Disney World. I felt that Disney World was more like, "let's just go big." Which I think is ultimately what Walt Disney had in mind when he built it. Not to say there's anything wrong with that, but it felt a little less personal to me. Also, since I've been to Disneyland so many times before, I noticed the differences in some of my favorite attractions. I much rather prefer the Disneyland version of "Pirates of the Caribbean," where you float past the restaurant and everything's calm and peaceful, then suddenly you're plunged down a waterfall and into the "Pirate World." I also missed the Matterhorn and the amazing music track to "Space Mountain."

On the other hand, there are some great things you have at Disney World that you don't get at Disneyland or California Adventure. The whole experience of just staying at the Disney hotel was unlike anything I've experienced. I know Disneyland has hotels, too, but I've never stayed at one. I think going home to the hotel every night made the whole Disney World experience all the more special for me. It was like the magic never ended.

Disney World also has Epcot, which I am a big fan of, as well as some great rides at Animal Kingdom and the Hollywood Studios. But there's also so much to do, when you're finished with it all you feel fulfilled enough not to come back for a few years.

I had an amazing time, and I'm really happy I got to experience this other facet of Disney. It really is a truly unique experience that I will never forget and want to relive many more times!


Currently Reading: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (I'm on page 190)