Sassy in Suburbia

2010 in Review

2010-12-28T23:10:00.000-08:00

So 2010 is almost over. Overall, it's been kinda crappy.

I started in January with a Glaucoma scare at the doctor...

Went on to February and had tons of friend drama..

March brought my first Macbook pro and all it's loveliness

But April was full of work angst and but a writing workshop where I discovered I love to write but hate to be told to write...

May was my birthday month and slightly underwhelming due to anxiety issues

And then June was when I filed bankruptcy after two years of being broke and dodging collectors

July was hot and I ate terribly and slept a lot

August was when I really started to lose it at work..

And by September I was crying every day, despite a new iPhone and Kindle

October brought hope as I got a new job

November's training for that new job kept me busy to the point of being sick

And December has kept me sick, but the job compensates for it. I'm happy at work, lonely at home, and sick of being sick.

It's been decided I have Hypoglycemia so I get to start a new diet in 2011. One without white flour or starchy foods or excessive amounts of sugar. So..something completely new. I am excited for my first prosperous year with money in savings and the real possibility of a car on the horizon.

Book Review-Anna and the French Kiss

2010-12-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

I am in love. With a book. More specifically, a Young Adult romance chick lit book. Not something I thought would ever be happening.

I picked up Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins after Amazon suggested I might like it. I wishlisted it and waited for it to drop in price, since it just came out in December. Then one day John Green raved about it, citing how it was written during NANOWRIMO and was just fantastic. I am a dork for my fellow NANOWRIMO participants so I purchased it and figured I would read it between calls at work since I wouldn't have to really concentrate on chick lit.

On a whim, I picked it up last night to read the first chapter and was absolutely enthralled. Perkins has managed to spin this tail of an American girl sent to a French boarding school. Withing giving too much away I will tell you it's AMAZING. It's got romance (duh) and croissants and English boys and real girls with real hobbies and interests. I can't tell you how annoying it is to read Mary Sues in actual printed books. Save that for Fanfiction.net. But Anna is so far from a Mary Sue, she's very real and emotional and finds herself in the situation that many of us do: hot English boy has hot girlfriend.

Something about this book just makes you want to keep reading. Every chapter is a cliffhanger in such a subtle way that you aren't annoyed, you just want more. By the time I finished I was giddy with delight and yanked out my laptop to search for more from this great author.

I'd give it ten out of five stars if I could. I've already began my author stalking for the next book. Stephanie Perkins is not only an excellent writer but a cool chick as well.

Everyone should go buy and read this fabulous book!

Bed shopping

2010-09-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

I've been in the market for a bed and I've been frustrated at the lack of concrete information about beds. Apparently you are simply to go to a store, lay on beds and pay whatever price they are asking. Comparison shopping is impossible because mattress manufacturers change the names and models of their item for every store. Information about bed buying is sparse. Most of the info comes from the bed companies themselves.

Anyone have any tips for bed shopping?

Book Review-Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

2010-07-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am one of those girls who reads a book thinking "Yep. Saw that coming. That too." I am not easily pleased and often dislike more books than I like.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott is one of those books that makes me go "Whoa! That's different." This books is written from the point of view of a 15 year old girl. 5 years earlier she was abducted from a school field trip by a pedophile. He drives her a few hours away and keeps her locked in his apartment. For five years he starves her, abuses her, controls her. She wants out of the situation so desperately she is willing to die or sacrifice another little girl for her freedom. The story goes through her thoughts and fears as she and this man scout around town for her replacement and his next victim. It's not a fast paced story but the plot and the way it unfolds kept me turning and unable to put down the book until it was done. Then I dove onto the internet for more books by Miss Scott. I haven't found a book that gave me such a different take on a horrible crime. The world is littered with books about the heroin and her daring escape and spitting in the face of your captors before using your years of martial arts training to beat him to a pulp. Finally, a book that realizes that not all girls can kick ass and take names yet does not make the girl into a helpless "somebody save me" person either.

Swagbucks!

2010-05-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

I found a good way to earn some free goodies. Swagbucks gives you points for searching and you get gift cards for the points.

Swidget 1.0great free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Society disgusts me

2010-04-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Society and people have been disgusting me lately. For the non-Portlanders, I will fill you in on the gritty details of what’s been going down here lately. People have been bad and cops have been having to shoot them. People are mad cops are shooting bad guys.

Basically there have been two men shot lately. One man was very very late on his child support and refusing to let his ex-wife pick up the kids. She calls the cops. Cops arrive, guy grabs kids, dashes in house with them while brandishing a shotgun and parades in front of the windows with a kid in one hand and shotgun in other. He calls the cops and even makes demands and the cops figure they have a full blown hostage situation. They bust in and the guy runs. They give him the old “Stop or I’ll shoot” and he decides to fight a cop and keep running. They shoot him, he dies.

Second guy is harassing people in a very public park full of joggers, kids, and women with babies. He was homeless and mentally ill and went into the women’s bathroom and started cutting on himself with a large knife. When the cops arrive, he charges them repeatedly with the knife, and it takes four shots to get him to stop. He dies.

To me it sounds like two sad men made some bad decisions and paid for it with their lives. It sucks, but I’m glad no one else was hurt in their parade of psychotic behavior. To the anarchists and college kids of this town? Police brutality! Cops killing innocents! Shooting people is bad, even if they try to kill you first!

So then these people decided to hold a peaceful protest (read: RIOT) downtown during rush hour. They did it in the street with no permit and held up traffic. They all conveniently brought camcorders and cameras and waited for the cops to arrive to break them up. When the cops herd them onto sidewalks..POLICE BRUTALITY! The cops were pushy but the rioter landed the first punches. Several were arrested, they brought in the cops on horses to break it up (No one fucks with horse cops. Period), and everyone is crying even more police brutality over them breaking up the protest. They threw trash cans, broke some windows and doors of local businesses, and threw rocks at a grocery store. Yes, let’s protest violence with violence.

I’m with the cops on this. I don’t feel either shooting was uncalled for. And then they decided to set up the cops further by recording the cops shutting down their protest. Sometimes I dislike being in such a town with hippies and anti-government radicals, and anarchists. Then I eat their yummy vegan food and remember why I love Portland.

Nanowrimo

2009-11-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

Since it's November I wanted to touch a bit on National Novel Writing Month or Nanowrimo. Every year people are challenged to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It's a hard task to complete and takes a lot of motivation, planning, and hard work.

This is what Nanowrimo is about though. The work! It's about proving yourself or proving something to yourself. If you're a newbie or a repeat writer you still prove to yourself each year that you can pop out fifty thousand words in thirty days. It may not be the best novel. Writing in such a frenzy is the gateway to grammatical and plot errors. Several years ago I started misspelling my characters name around November 14 and had to page through it for hours in December and fix it.

Personally I just hit 10k words today and am excited to get out some more. So to everyone participating this year I wish you the best of luck. And may the odds ever be in your favor!

I've got to stop ending every motivational blog/sentence/text with that. Hunger Games is addicting.

Let the games begin....

2009-09-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for a Hunger Games movie I can barely contain myself. I spent 45 minutes scouring the internet for a cast, spoilers, ANYTHING! Came up mostly empty but found a few people also interested. For the record, I am on Team Gale. Peeta just doesn't do it for me.

For anyone who likes the Hunger Games, I recommend watching or reading Battle Royale. It's got an eerily similar premise. Kids placed in an arena and told to fight until there is only one left. It's more towards population control than punishment for a rebellion. But it's still interesting and a good read for HG fans.

Not much happened today. I had a sandwich and a frappuchino for dinner and am playing Zoo Tycoon 2. I remember how much I hated the first because you had to feed the animals every three seconds. This one is not like that at all. I intend to play it more right after this.

Glee and Dollhouse start soon. 9, Nine, Jennifer's Body, and Youth in Revolt all come out soon. It's gonna be an exciting fall!

I decided to start sharing my Latin learning. I'll share a Latin word every post.

Today's Latin Word: Decerto: to contend or fight to the finish

Education

2009-09-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I'm a nerd. A geek, a dork, member of the A/V Club or whatever else they are calling it these days. Learning excites me. I was the only girl thrilled for the first day of school. Sharpened pencils, 70 pages of empty paper waiting to be filled, new textbooks to read through. I loved school so much then during my Senior Year of high school when we could choose 3 classes as fun I went with Science Fiction English, Creative Writing 2, and Geology.

In my mind, I can't grasp how someone can not love learning. I'm technically not in school right out. I'm going back to college after a financial break starting September 28th but during this break I've still been teaching myself things. Free web courseware, iTunes U downloads, books, books, books! I'm currently teaching myself Latin and looking to get my German to conversational. Maybe learn French again so Sarah and I can converse. Languages are pretty. History is fascinating. Science is useful. Math and I do not have the best relationship but I know what I need to get by and will take the classes I need to complete my degree.

Obama pushing education makes me happy inside. I wish this country did pride itself in it's brains more often. The educational system needs a lot of reform. Your education these days seems to be up to you to pursue it. Schools are not across the board. In my hometown, education was pivotal. Stupidity just didn't go down well. Ignorance was hard to get by with. People took honors classes, applied and got into Ivy League schools, and we constantly had state standardized tests to make sure we were where we should be. I've lived in a few other cities and I realize I had it good. People do not get elective classes. You can pass a class just by showing up. Some kids pass because there is nothing else to do. Math and spelling are not the core basics and many people do not have a good grasp of them. I'm torn if this is the best way for things to be. If we make one standard education system, you will still have the slackers who fail classes because they don't believe in the system. And there's not enough time to cover all subjects so students will still have to look outside of school to really cover subjects they have a passion for. Alas, I can still dream of a world where everyone is well educated and wants to be though.

Music Time

2009-09-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Since recently acquiring an iPod I found I have been much more "into" music than I used to be. I've gotten acquainted with Shuffle. Playlists are my friend. Genius and I are practically lovers. I'm enjoying dropping gigs of random things on there and discovering new artists on my morning commute. I figured I would share my Top 5 Songs of the moment, according my iTunes Play Count anyway. If anyone has any artist recommendations, please share!

Top 5 Songs Of the Moment
1. When I Grow Up-Garbage
2. Queen of Pain-Alkaline Trio
3. The Tower-Vienna Teng
4. Nobody-The Wondergirls
5. Another Day-Rent

My taste are so random. I also need to sort the Itunes library and delete all the crap I've tried and have hated.

Goals for the Future

2009-09-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

I've been mulling over what to do with my life the past year. For the first time I'm out on my own and can do anything I want. No parents or roommates to be considerate of. The world is my oyster, for the most part. Money still counts. Which is my problem. If it didn't count, I'd quit my desk job and spend my days volunteering at animal shelters, working at a dog training facility, and taking photographs. But there is almost no hope any of that working out in the short term future. So to keep up my spirits I've devised some goals I wish to accomplish. Personal, professional, etc.

+ Complete 12+ credits a year for college with at least a B average
+ Own a dog of my very own
+ Go a fan convention again like ComicCon. So much fun!
+ Watch all the older episodes of Doctor Who plus specials
+ Write a novel and share it with at least Sarah and my online friends.
+ Try to sell my photography and cards online, for no other reason than to offset the costs of my insane expectations for supplies.
+ Fly to England to visit Rosi (and have her visit me in Portland!)
+ Read every book on Amazon wish list to date
+ Get a Macbook and master Apple to the point in which I can ditch my PC
+ Having $1000 in savings
+ Go on an out of state vacation

I feel that's sufficient for now. I may add more later. It's very cathartic to list what I want to accomplish. I hope I can come to do all this and the ones I add later.

Rewarding Bad Behavior

2009-08-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

In a recent NBC article about President Clinton talking North Korea into release two imprisoned female journalists it was mentioned that it was essentially rewarding North Korea's bad behavior. I have a few problems with this statement. First of all, since when does getting two innocent journalists released come to be any sort of a reward for anyone but the journalists and their loved ones? If they did this to piss off the US it certainly isn't a reward to release them. It isn't solely up the USA to reward or punish their behavior. This is why we have a United Nations. Also, what behavior does that reward? The killing of prior journalists? The setting off of bombs on the 4th of July? The constant threat of nuclear weapons? I don't think we need to reward any of that.

I am slightly amused at the fact that Clinton, despite not having power for 9 years now can still walk into an angry foreign country and get shit done. It hasn't been mentioned if Obama made any move to release the prisoners. I suppose this makes us look a bit silly. A man who is not in power just negotiated the release of two prisoners from a foreign country that hates us. While our President has beer and argues police tactics against black men. And fails to pass a health care reform bill. It does look bad. But seriously, I fail to see how we rewarded their behavior at all. And it's a stupid saying that makes us seem to treat North Korea like our dog.

Rescue or Breeder?

2009-04-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

We all remember the promises Obama said when campaigning. Tax cuts, health care, energy, reform, dog for the kids, etc. So far he is doing an excellent job of keeping those promises. This week he made good on the canine promise. He adopted Bo, a 6 month old Portugese Water Dog from Ted Kennedy, who breeds the dogs. Obama is happy, his children are happy, the dog has a home. If only the media and public were that easily pleased.

Apparently Obama stated "rescue" dog when mentioning a puppy for the girls during the campaign interviews. Now the media and a good part of animal rescues are up in arms debating if Bo qualifies as a rescue or not. Do these people not have day jobs? Bo was first purchased by another family who returned him to the breeder at 4 months old because he was too much work. That qualifies as a adopted dog to me.

The part that irks me the most is how these people are saying Obama should have taken his daughters to a traditional shelter, pound, or breed specific rescue and picked out a dog that way. Adopting a dog in need of a home from a friend apparently is the same as purchasing one to them. There are flaws in that logic though.

A regular shelter or pound is a great place for a regular family to adopt a dog. However the Obama's lifestyle may prove difficult when finding the right dog. Shelters take in dogs with little or no information on their background. The dog may later in life prove to be not good with children, upset at traveling, aggressive with strangers or have training issues. For a regular person that is a small challenge which requires a bit of work. Being in the public eye however, it's ten times worse to have it come out that your dog bit it's dogwalker or chewed up Air Force One. Additionally, it would be a bit upsetting to the shelter workers and animals to have to close down for hours or days to let the Secret Service and Obama come through.

The rescues that are the most upset at Obama don't seem to be considering his lifestyle either. I did a bit of Googling and according to most of their adopter requirements, Obama wouldn't even be allowed to adopt from them. Stringent requirements such as no children, a certain amount of free time per week, a backyard with specific types and heights of fencing, and a background with the breed. Most people wouldn't even fit that description, let alone the President. Breed specific rescues are so intent on babying "their breed" and making sure the dogs are in the best hands they go overboard. The dog they chose is a good choice in my eye. Young enough to learn to deal with a versatile life, but still a puppy. Portugese Water Dogs are obedient, aloof, and don't shed which is what you want in a family dog that will have change on a daily basis. I'm highly doubting Obama will be walking this pup himself, and the girls are too young.

Although I am an advocate for shelter dogs, in cases like this you really almost need a dog from a breeder. Dog's from a breeder can be bred to have specific qualities or personalities. They generally come with guaranteed health, some training, and the breeder is almost always willing to act as a trainer or guide if you need help. Should you not be able to keep the dog, the breeder takes it back and will rehome it into a better fitting family.

Pink in Portland!

2009-04-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

So I've failed you all with doing this Blog Every Day thing. I am just not exciting enough for a blog post every day. I'm still gonna blog though!

Today I bring you the Pink in Portland collection. A bunch of handmade pink things made locally in Portland.

This is a recycled glass vase. The artist seems to love turning old glass into new pretty things to decorate your home. You can find their online store here

A pretty Quartz bracelet just in time for Easter. This would be a perfect gift for a teenage girl or an older women who is young at heart. The artist's store, which can be found here , contains many other bracelets that are just as gorgeous.

The best thing for the stress of final exams or everyday life is rice filled pillow! This person has taken a simple heat pack and covered it in a delicate pink fabric for a cute stress reliever. You can find more of her stuff here

It's not quite summer yet, we have many rainy days ahead of us. The rain tends to bring the rain and cold as well. You can keep your baby warm with this lush pink blanket. It's both functional and adorable and is suitable for any baby, whether that baby is an infant, a kitten, or your Chihuahua. You can find more baby-oriented blankets here

I saved the best for last. Dennis Anderson's Cherry Blossom Soap in a Jar is sensational. It's the epitome of Portland. It's handmade, vegan, and smells like our beloved Cherry Blossom trees which have just begun to bloom. You can find more of these great bath and body items here

No judging! It's not midnight yet!

2009-04-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

Almost missed a day of this because of having a social life. So today is Follower Input Day! Tonight I went to a lecture about the Isle of Lesbos and Vampyres. Except it didn't really have much to do about vampires. It was more a slide show of historical artifacts from Ancient Roman times. Still very informative and I enjoyed the lesson in History, however I wanted more Vampires. Or as Andrew says, Vampyres.

What is the last thing you went to and it was not what was expected?

Food Time!

2009-04-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

For today's blog I decided to share some of my favorite recipe sites. I used to be a big fan of buying cookbooks, but the price of these books has risen to $20-$80 per book depending on the author. That is just too much for a stack of recipes in my opinion. As usual, the Internet is here to save the day.

Allrecipes.com-This is a user content site where people submit their own recipes. It is an excellent place to browse for ideas and to find what I like to call "normal" food. You know, the stuff that requires ingredients found in regular grocery stores. Each recipe also has reviews and a rating system, which can be handy. The main reason why I love this site is the extensive search system. You can search by ingredients to include, ingredients to exclude, prep time, cooking method, dish type, and using special considerations like the dish being vegan. It came in handy for those times I wanted cookies but were out of an ingredient such as eggs or baking soda. Just exclude the item and there is usually a version that skips or substitutes it!

Recipezaar.com-Another user content recipe site, Recipezaar is newer than Allrecipes. It has the same features of browsing by dish, meal type, and food. However it also adds browsing cookbooks and a Menu tab for either browsing or creating your own printable menus. They also offer links to different food blogs, and a forum where you can ask questions about food-related things. A kitchen converter which translates measurements for you is the most valuable tool and makes it an overall great site.

Epicurious.com-This is kind of like the snooty, upper class mother-in-law of the aforementioned recipe sites. Epicurious boasts recipes, menus, guides, measurement converters, video directions, articles, forums, and user added content. It is backed and contributed to by two major food magazines, Gourmet and Bon Appetit. This was the first recipe site I found upon searching and it is truly amazing. The one problem with this is that it tends to lean towards the upper classes of food. It takes some digging to find a recipe that will be cost efficient to make at home. It's a great site when you are planning for a fancy dinner or want something out of the ordinary.

Vegcooking.com-This is the all vegetarian and vegan sister site to Allrecipes.com One of the best resources that has something for everybody, from the seasoned vegan to the newbie vegetarian. They include the usual user submitted recipes and search engine, but also have perks like an Intro to Veganism, Restaurant of the Month, Ask a Vegan Chef, and a Vegetarian/Vegan shopping list. This is a must-bookmark site for vegetarians and vegans.

Handmade Local Things You Should (or I should!) Buy!

2009-04-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

When I lived in PA there was no such thing as buying locally. Things were purchased from national chain stores who sold either regional or national brands. No local brands, few small stores, and certainly no stores full of handmade things. Portland has been a wonderful eye opener. We live near a dairy factory, there are farmers markets everywhere, and they have entire blocks downtown donated to selling handmade goods. So I searched around on the best site to find handmade items, Etsy.com, and brought back some of my favorite goodies.

Rockvelopes

These stunning envelopes are made of recycled rock band flyers. They are 3.5 x 5 inches, large enough to fit a standard card. You get a packet of 10 for $10. Very cute for handing out birthday cards or using for other special occasions. Rockvelopes can be purchased here

Geisha Cameo

I fell in love with this necklace as soon as I saw it. The glass intaglio in the middle was fused by hand to the sterling silver backing and it hangs from a circa 1950's chain. The craftsmanship is amazing. The piece is absolutely gorgeous and would be wonderful for a night out or with a simple shirt. You can find it here and be sure to check out the artist's other handmade jewelry.

Bubblegum Dress

This is definitely cuter than a store bought dress. Portland seems to have this underground movement of people who can make their own clothes. And they make them so fabulously. I believe this piece is an update of a vintage party dress and decked out in lace and silk. It's one of those dresses that makes you feel like you are a belle at a grand ball. You can purchase it and the dressmakers other pretties here

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake

Portland is known to be the home of many "foodies", the treasured nickname for food fanatics. The streets downtown are laden with restaurants, coffee shops, food carts, and bakeries. I stumbled upon this baker and couldn't help but drool over her combination of a cheesecake and a chocolate chip cookie. It's delectable! She also makes yummy little tea cookies and make-at-home cookie mixes. You can find her online store here

BEDA

2009-04-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

BEDA is a new thing I'm trying. It stands for Blog Every Day in April. Essentially you have to post one blog a day. Maureen Johnson is the creator behind this fabulous exercise. It will help sharpen my writing skills and give me some public space to express my opinions or share a bit of my life. I think it's wonderful and I'm glad I attended her video chat and learned about this.

I won't count this as my April 1 post. I'll find something a bit more entertaining.