Internet Mandy Database

Role Call - The Girls!

2009-08-18T20:14:00.015-04:00

I've been meaning to do this post for some time, but as I said without the new laptop and newish camera blogging has been a little difficult. Now with all my excuses aside I want to take this opportunity to introduce my friends. This may be a bit silly since my friends make up a large portion of my audience, but it can't hurt. And for those of you who don't see me socially several times a week here are some faces to put with the names.

So, in alphabetical order, let's get started:

Christine:

Here's Christine standing in an alley (some of you may recognize that alley from a major motion picture) with a cup of coffee in her hand. If you know her at all you will know that the coffee is classic Christine. And she's just like she looks in the picture...super nice.

Kate:

Next up is Kate standing with her head between two barrels (which you will not recognize from any major motion picture). I'm not sure why she's got her head between two barrels except that I told her to do it and she did. Kate's a tad quirky (in a good way) and that's part of the reason I like her so much.

Kristin:

Here we have Kristin being Kristin. She's actually just pointing across the Strait of Juan de Fuca into Canada, but she's really, really excited about it. Which is just like her. You can almost always find Kristin smiling or laughing about something.

Katie:

Now this is the Katie that I know and love. Sometimes she may seem a bit serious, but it's just that she's better at acting like an adult than the rest of us. Deep down she's pretty goofy and she loves laughing with and at us while we act like fools.

Regina:

Last up is Regina. Here she is demonstrating the proper way to perform a twiga call (it works over mountains!). Regina is the philosopher of the group. I'm always amazed by her ability to illustrate her thoughts through awesome analogies.

So there they are, the girls of the group. They are my best friends and I love them all so much. Without them my life would be pretty boring. Actually it would be ridiculously boring.

Coming Soon: The Boys!

Back! Back with a Vengeance!

2009-08-18T19:05:00.002-04:00

It's been quite awhile since I've actually updated this blog. And by quite awhile I mean three months. But in the time since my last post I've become the proud owner of a new laptop and an almost new camera and I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that having these two things will make it a bit easier to actually get around to blogging.

So, what do you (all seven of you) have to look forward to over the next few weeks? Well, there are some fun concerts I'll be attending. And there is the much anticipated return of Project Runway. The even more anticipated arrival of a certain movie this fall (do the words New Moon mean anything to you?). A trip to Disney World (yes, another one!), the U.S. Open and reading progress reports. Of course, I'll be sharing some pictures and stories from Dorks in Forks (it was awesome). And I'm sure I'll find some random things to post about along the way.

What about you all? Anything fun going on over the next few weeks?

A Mosaic About Me

2009-05-17T19:10:00.000-04:00

Well, since pretty much everyone else did a mosaic about themselves I thought I'd better do one too. The rules were simple - answer the questions listed below and use them to search flickr for a picture. If you get a chance you should check out Regina's, Christine's, Kristin's and Katie's mosaics as well. Enjoy!

The Questions:

1) What is your first name?

2) What is your favorite food?

3) What is your favorite color?

4) What is your favorite drink?

5) What is your dream vacation?

6) What is your favorite hobby?

7) What do you want to be when you grow up?

8) What do you love most in life?

9) What is one word to describe you?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HENRY!

2009-05-05T00:30:00.003-04:00

Today is Henry Cavill's 26th birthday. I love Henry Cavill! (He is #1 on my laminated list after all.) I wanted to celebrate with a showcase of some truly lovely pictures of him. Hop on over to my laminated list to check them out. Please believe me when I say that you won't regret it. Here's a sneak peek of what you're in store for:

Happy Birthday David!

2009-05-02T13:48:00.004-04:00

Today is David Beckham's 34th birthday. Exciting, right? So, follow this link over to my laminated list and enjoy some picture of David. And just for a taste of what you'll be seeing there please enjoy this:

The Lesser Bronte?

2009-04-24T14:41:00.000-04:00

I'm the youngest of four children, so I've experienced my fair share of sibling rivalry over the years. I may have brought some (or most of it) upon myself, but having siblings inevitably means that you will be compared to them. My siblings and I are all pretty different people and those differences have become more apparent as we've gotten older. Hopefully, we're all past the need to compare and compete.

But what about famous siblings who have similar (or exactly the same) kinds of careers? It's pretty hard not to compare them to each other. In my house we jokingly like to refer to one of the siblings as the "lesser" one. Let me give you an example of what I mean:

Scott and Rob Niedermayer

If you couldn't tell from the pictures these brothers are both hockey players, but one is better than the other. Scott (on the left) has won four Stanley Cups, the Norris Trophy (Defensive Player of the Year) and the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP). Rob has won just one Stanley Cup. Maybe it's not fair to compare the number of Stanley Cup wins since hockey is a team sport and everything, but let's looks a couple of key points:

1) When Scott won the cup in 2003 with the New Jersey Devils they defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim...Rob's team.

2) When Rob finally did win the cup in 2007 he did so with Anaheim. That same year Scott won his fourth cup, also as a member of the Ducks.

3) Scott was the MVP of the 2007 Playoffs, not Rob.

So, you can see Rob did finally win, but it took his brother coming to his team to get it done. Poor Rob. Or as we like to call him in my house, The Lesser Niedermayer.

And there are other examples I could throw out: Beyonce and Solange Knowles, Haylie and Hilary Duff, Peyton and Eli Manning...I'm sure there are other good (and some far more talented) examples.

Anyway, my whole point is that sometimes one famous sibling can overshadow another to the point that people miss out on some really great things that the lesser sibling has to offer. Case in point, Anne Bronte.

Poor Anne never gets any of the attention or praise that her sisters, Emily and Charlotte, have received over the years. In high school most of us had to read Emily's Wuthering Heights and Charlotte's Jane Eyre, but did you ever have to read anything that Anne wrote? Probably not. Can you even name one of Anne books? I doubt it. And, honestly, that's a shame. Over the past few months I've had the opportunity to read two of Anne's novels and I must say I was pleasantly surprised by them both. Both Agnes Gray and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall are engaging stories, with great characters and superior writing. And while the literary significance of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre are much discussed and highly lauded, the social commentary Anne offers in her works should not be overlooked.

So, please, if you get the chance check out some of Anne's work. And while you're at it look into some of the other lesser siblings out there. You might find that you enjoy their talents more than those of their "superior" family members.

Hello Love

2009-04-23T16:30:00.002-04:00

Just a few words about God's incredible love for us courtesy of Chris Tomlin. I hope you find them as encouraging as I do.

Love

There is love, there is love

When our hope is hard to find
And our faith is in decline
We need a cause to stand behind
Love

We all want the way it feels

Time it comes and time it steals

What remains, what is real

Love

There is love, there is forgiveness

There is love in times of need

When life is cold there is a promise

You will never go without

There is love

It heals the sick, comforts the weak

Breaks the proud, raises the meek

In this life no guarantees

There is love

There is love, there is forgiveness

There is love in times of need
When life is cold there is a promise
You will never go without

Love is the answer

Love will find a way

When we love one another

It's a brighter day

When life is cold there is a promise

You will never go without

There is love, there is forgiveness
There is love in times of need

When life is cold there is a promise

You will never go without

Love

There is love

Love

Hello love

Read or Die!: First Quarter Update

2009-04-16T18:20:00.000-04:00

I intended on posting this update about the first quarter of Read of Die earlier this month, but between my April Fool's joke, Project Runway and the NHL Playoffs I was completely distracted. Anyway, I just wanted to give a little report on the reading progress I made so far this year. And if you've forgotten or aren't familiar with the Read or Die reading challenge you can read more about it here. I've developed a handy dandy spreadsheet to keep track of everything. I was inspired by Regina to do this, though my spreadsheet is not nearly as cool as hers (you should ask to see her spreadsheets, they're fully awesome). So here's the update through March 31:

27 books read
10540 pages read
15 new books read (that's 55.55%)

I'm definitely well on pace to read 60 books this year, but I'm not quite on target for my goal of at least two-thirds new books.

Here is a list of the books I've read so far this year and a little bit of commentary (in case anyone is interested):

New Reads

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Several of my friends have also read this book and I find it interesting that we all thought the pretty much the same thing -- not the greatest book and certainly not a wholly original idea, but very exciting. I thought that Collins did a great job describing the action in a way that was very easy to picture. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of second book in the trilogy, Catching Fire.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer - Another post-apocolyptic pick (I had a theme going) that was very engaging. The premise (alien "souls" that overtake the "hosts" on a given planet) was very interesting. This book is a stand alone, but the story could easily be extended into a series. In this novel Meyer presented a love parallelogram, as opposed to the love triangle she gave us through the Twilight Saga. She ended the story with what I like to call a "pretty bow", meaning that the loose ends were tied in a satisfyingly happy way (which I realize not everyone is a fan of, but I find it refreshing sometimes).

Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke - The Paige Turners read Inkheart in February and I found it enjoyable, so I decided to go ahead and read the other books in the series. There was not quite as much character development as I would have liked (they are children's books after all), but there were still some fantastic characters, like Dustfinger and the Black Prince. The whole idea of the story and the Inkworld itself was enchanting and I also appreciated that while most of the characters could be placed on either the "good side" or the "bad side", Funke clearly did not intend for the "good" characters to all be likeable. Funke is, in my opinion, a gifted storyteller and at some point I'd like to read some of her other works.

What Would Walt Do? by D.M. Miller - Christine and Joe were super excited that they stumbled across this book (it was the title) and they were kind enough to give it to me for Christmas. I wish I had liked it. The title and introduction make you think that the book is going to be about Walt Disney's creative process and design ethic, but really it's just a rambling autobiography. It is poorly written and boring and I just wanted it to end.

Edmund Bertram's Diary by Amanda Grange - I'm a big Austen fan, but I'm not usually keen on the spinoffs and continuing stories that are currently flooding the book market. That being said, I find Grange's retellings of Austen classic tales through the journals of the leading men to be rather charming. And while this one was my least favorite (probably because Mansfield Park is my least favorite of the major Austen novels) it was relatively enjoyable.

Lady Susan, Sandition and The Watsons by Jane Austen - As an Austen fan I thought it was high time that I check out something other than her six major works. And while I didn't love any of these stories, I'm certainly glad I read them. These works are (with the exception of The Watsons) unlike any of Austen's well known stories and, quite frankly, they lack a lot of the charm of her other works, but when carefully read and considered they provide some great insight into Austen's life and the progression of her writing.

Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis - Two of my good friends are quite possibly the biggest Narnia fans ever and so I've promised to read the series. I want so badly to like these books, but I'm finding it difficult. I like the idea of the books and when I read them I can see how they could be fleshed out and made into incredibly entertaining movies, but I just can't get passed the writing style. Some people (like James McAvoy) find the loosely woven narrative to be charming because it allows the reader to imagine the action and fill in the gaps themselves, but I don't like it. I didn't like it when I first started the series as a child and I don't care for it now. Sorry, Kristin and Christine. I tried. And I will finish them some day.

Quiddith Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling - The Harry Potter series is my absolute favorite, so of course, I loved these books. The information in them was great, the notes written in by Harry, Ron and Hermione were hilarious and the introductions and commentaries by Albus Dumbledore were amazing. If you're even a casual Harry Potter fan you should check these books out. They are short, easy to read and totally worth the time.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - Wow! That's just about sums the book up. This was another Paige Turner reading and it sure did offer a lot to talk about. This memoir tells the story of one woman's life growing up with very unique (that's putting it mildly) parents. Parts of the story will make you laugh hysterically and parts will just make you angry. This one is crazy, but definitely worth the read.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano - Is it just me, or is it a bit presumptuous to refer to your own life story as "interesting"? And isn't it especially presumptuous to use the word interesting in the title of your autobiography? Thoughts? Anyway, after watching Amazing Grace and reading a truly interesting (and funny) biography of one of my personal heroes, William Wilberforce, I decided that I wanted to read the works of some of his peers. So I started with the former slave, Olaudah Equiano. And don't get me wrong the narrative is fairly interesting and story of Equiano's salvation is very touching, but much of the book seems very repetitive.

Rereads

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - This was a selection for my other book club, the Book SMACKers. I had already read this novel, but that was back in high school and I didn't remember it that well. It's a bit long, but the story is still very engaging. I'm eager to check out Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, which is apparently the story of Mr. Rochester's first wife.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - This was another selection for the Book SMACKers and another one that I had read in high school (actually I believe it was the assigned reading for the summer before senior year). Anyways, I actually really enjoyed this book. The story is, at times, really depressing and some of the characters (Heathcliff, Catherine and Hindley) are just about the worst people that I have ever encountered, but I can really appreciate how unique this story must have been when it was published. I'm not one of those people who will go back and reread this over and over (that probably wouldn't be fun), but I can see picking it up again in another 10 years or so.

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - I've mentioned my love for the Harry Potter series before, so I won't go on about it here. This time I'm listening to the audiobooks and they are amazing.

The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - See my comments on Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader above

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - From some of my previous posts you may have been able to tell that I'm a fan of this series. They certainly don't break any literary ground, but they are thoroughly entertaining and as I said above, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I reread them this time in celebration of our big Twilight DVD Release Party (pictures to come).

Congratulations to you if you got all the way through this post. I realize it was a bit long and a bit wordy. In the future I'll try to update each month rather than quarterly.

So, have you read any of these books? Any comments to share? And do you have any suggestions of books I should read? I'm always looking for something good.

It's Playoff Time!

2009-04-15T16:00:00.001-04:00

That's right everyone, the NHL Playoffs have arrived. And if you're anything like my family and I, then you are totally stoked. Seriously, this time of year is one of my favorites. It means Chinese food and Vernor's. It means sleep deprivation from staying up until 3am watching sudden death triple overtime. It means rearranging my entire life around the hockey schedule. What's not to love?

But more than anything the NHL Playoffs mean one thing:

DETROIT RED WINGS

Since I started watching hockey I have been fortunate enough to see my team win the Stanley Cup four times! They are the defending champs and I certainly believe that they can win it again this year. In celebration of the playoffs my friends and family are participating in a playoff pool. The victor will not only be acheive eternal glory and bragging rights, but also custody of this:

Okay, so the winner won't actually get the real Stanley Cup. It's just a replica. And it's made of plastic. And it's only about 6 inches tall. But that doesn't make the it less awesome and it certainly doesn't make the victory less sweet.

So, to get eveyone in the spirit of the playoffs I will leave you with some pictures of my favorite playoff moments. (I found TONS of pictures and really had to restrain myself from posting 30 or 40 of them.) Anyway, enjoy the pictures and the playoffs and I just know that EVERYONE will be cheering for the right team (If you aren't yet sure of what team that is you might want to reread this post.)

The Laminated List

2009-04-13T15:30:00.000-04:00

Most of you know that I maintain a separate blog devoted entirely to my laminated list. If you're not sure what a laminated list is (or if you're just interested in looking at some very attractive photos) you might want to check it out.

Whenever one of the guys on my list has a birthday I like to post a few pictures to, you know, celebrate. Anyway, it was brought to my attention (thanks Katie) that I should post here to reflect those celebratory posts. And so, here they are, the links to the old birthday posts.

April 1 - JJ Feild

March 31 - Ewan McGregor

Please be sure to check out the photos of Ewan. Trust me, you won't regret it. And keep an eye open for the flurry of birthday posts that will be appearing next month.

Carry On, Project Runway!

2009-04-13T10:43:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late getting to this, but for those of you who haven't heard yet Project Runway is finally set to return. Yeah! After months of legal battles it has finally been decided that the show can move to Lifetime and begin airing again. Honestly, I couldn't care less which network the show airs on, but I am super excited that it's coming back. I can't wait to meet the new lunatics they call designers. I've missed seeing the awfully awesome and awesomely awful things that they create for each show. Seriously, what is there not to love about dresses made out of plants/candy wrappers/coffee filters?

If you're not familiar with the show (shame on you!) here is a sampling of some of the delightful creations we've seen in the past:

And, of course, I can't post about Project Runway without mentioning this guy:

Tim Gunn

What crazy challenges will we see this year? What ridiculous materials will the designers have to change into couture creations? And most importantly, what will be this year's big catchphrase? From a show that has given us gems like, "Carry on", "Make it work", anything-"licious", and "Andre? Where's Andre?", I'm expecting something great.

Thank You, PopSugar!

2009-04-01T16:56:00.006-04:00

PopSugar is one of my favorite blogs. It's full of tons of celebrity photos and gossip and I'm not ashamed to say that I find it all totally entertaining. I check it a couple of times each day while I'm at work just to break up the monotony of the day. Well, this morning when I logged on I had no idea that this delightful little gem was waiting for me:

An article saying that Rob Pattinson dropped out of New Moon! What? Of course it was just those crazy people over at PopSugar playing a little April Fool's Day joke on their readers. And I wasn't fooled for a second. Really, I wasn't. I knew as soon as I saw the link on the first page that this was a joke...and did I laugh? Of course I did. I laughed because my immediate thought was that I absolutely must forward this most ridiculous article to my two good (and sometimes gullible) friends, Kate and Christine.

Like any good Twilight fans (with too much time on their hands and decent internet search skills) Kate, Christine and myself like to keep each other updated with any Twilight tidbits that we may stumble across. Why just the other day I sent Kate and Christine links about the people that were cast for the roles of Caius and Heidi. So sending them a link to this article wouldn't be at all suspicious. And I couldn't have been more pleased with their responses.

Christine responded via e-mail with one simple line:

"LOL I believed it at first! I think I actually gasped."

I can actually picture Christine opening her e-mail, clicking on the link and being shocked at the title of the article, but it probably didn't take her long to figure out that it was actually a joke.

Kate, on the other hand, didn't catch on as quickly. And I was fortunate enough to witness her reaction first hand. We were standing at Katie's desk at work when I pulled up the article for her. When she read the title she quite urgently told Katie to move out of her way so she could see better. As she quickly read the article she didn't notice that Katie, Joe and I were all laughing. She didn't catch on when she got to the absolutely ridiculous part about Taylor Lautner taking over the role of Edward. She didn't even see the bold print that said "April Fool's." She stood there, her face turning red, and said, "Read more! Where are you supposed to go to read more?" I finally stopped laughing and pointed out that it was an April Fool's joke.

Needless to say Kate was quite relieved. And I was victorious! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Just For a Laugh!

2009-04-01T10:19:00.013-04:00

During my normal morning internet ramble I stumbled across this site. It's called Pocket Edward and it's hilarious. If you're bored or in need of a laugh you might want to check it out. Here are few of my favorite pics from the site:

Edward goes bowling

Edward goes zen

Edward doesn't like germs (For Christine)

Edward meeting Paul Rudd (Another one for Christine)

It's Friday! Do You Know What That Means?

2009-03-20T12:51:00.006-04:00

I love Fridays. I get to sleep in a little and go to work at 11am, which is nice since I'm usually out late on Thursdays. I can also see an end to the dragging work week and bask in the glory of two glorious work-free days (most weeks anyway). But one of my favorite things about Fridays is checking out the Friday Eye Candy on Daily Mish Mash. Jen's blog totally cracks me up most days, but Fridays are special. Take a stroll over there and see what I mean. And don't forget to vote in March Madness With a Twist!

Oh, and in keeping with Jen's blog, here is are a piece of my favorite eye candy. Enjoy!

Henry Cavill (*swoon*)

You can also check out my laminated list for some more eye candy. I recently posted the new rules and will be debuting my new and improved list next week.

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-19T10:45:00.006-04:00

Okay, so I'm a little late, but I thought I share what my friends and I did for St. Patrick's Day.

Last year we watched In America (check it out if you haven't seen it, it's pretty good) and ate corned beef and cabbage and Ben and Jerry's Dublin Mudslide for dessert. We had so much fun that we decided to get together again this year.

We debated on the movie for a while. I had to remind Kate a couple of times that James McAvoy is Scottish, not Irish. She really wanted to watch Penelope (I can't blame her, it was cute). We finally decided to just find something with an Irish actor, but not necessarily with an Irish theme. Christine, being the great Narnia fan that she is, suggested that we watch The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. She reasoned that Liam Neeson, who is Irish, was the voice of Aslan and as a bonus, C.S. Lewis was also from Ireland. She was pretty surprised when everyone agreed (we aren't all as big of Narnia fans as she and Kristin).

Kate was kind enough to bring over everything we needed to make bubble and squeak. While Katie, Kate and I were busy cooking the other girls entertained Charlotte. By the time we were done we had something like this:

It didn't come out exactly as it was supposed to, but it was still yummy. For dessert we had a variation of Regina's famous strawberry pretzel salad. She made it with lime jello since it's green, obviously. On a side note, do not mix jello with kiwis. Apparently, they don't really like each other. Something about the kiwis makes the jello not set. You can't even put kiwis on already set jello because the jello will unset. I'm serious. Poor Regina learned this the hard way when an entire slab of kiwi-topped jello slid off the rest of the dessert and right onto the floor of her car. Oh, and sorry to the person who ended up with green jello on the curb in front of their house. Happy St. Patrick's Day?

Portland + 2!

2009-03-19T09:28:00.004-04:00

I'm excited to announce that our upcoming Dorks in Forks trip has expanded to include some new dorks. My sister, Katie, and good friend, Regina, will be joining us in Portland for a few days at the end of the trip! Neither of them are Twilight fans (strange, I know), so they won't be joining us for that most dorky leg of the trip. They will be arriving in Portland the day before we come back from the Olympic Peninsula and then they will drive up to meet us at Mt. St. Helen's before the whole group returns to the city for a few days of fun.

Some sad news about Port Angles, the place we wanted to stay was booked, so we had to pick something else. I just had a feeling that we wouldn't be able to get in there. We went with one of our back-ups:

Red Lion Hotel

It's right on the water and has some great views of the nearby mountains. We got a great deal and the rooms are nicer than at our original choice, but it lacks some of the charm. It's also in the middle of the city, which puts us about 20 minutes further from Forks than we would have been at Lake Crescent Lodge. Oh, well.

As for Portland the group finally decided on the Inn at Northrup Station. We decided that the location and feel was the best for us. We sprung for the rooms with either a private balcony or private patio. And when I actually made the reservation I found out there is a free continental breakfast and they provide you with passes for the streetcar. I love free food! (Really, who doesn't?) And the streetcar passes were completely unexpected.

So, at this point we have our plane tickets and all of our hotels are booked. We still need to make reservations for our rental car and at a couple of restaurants, but that's about it. I'm so excited I can't blink.

Mmm...Cupcakes!

2009-03-06T13:58:00.003-05:00

In keeping with the my Mom's theme over at Spun by Me I thought I'd share some cupcakes as well. Over the last few days I've been searching for fun stuff for my fellow dorks and I to do during our visit to Portland and I stumbled across this:

Cupcake Jones

That's right, it's a cupcake store. Apparently they have three special cupcakes available every day (this month's are The Pearl, Downtown Cupcake Brown and Springtime Lemon) and then three additional cupcakes available each day. Check out March's menu for descriptions of all their tasty treats.

I told the girls about this most delighful find last night and they were very excited. We plan on going there at least twice during our visit. And don't worry, we'll be bringing some home to share as well.

Dorks in Forks!

2009-03-04T22:30:00.031-05:00

Last summer some of my friends and I stumbled onto the Twilight series and became totally obsessed. Seriously, we were like crazed 15-year-old girls. We couldn't stop talking about the books (much to the chagrin of Katie and Regina), we were constantly listening to the soundtrack and we were counting down the days until the first movie was released. We were, of course, at the midnight showing of the movie. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I saw the movie three times within the first 24 hours of its release. During this time Christine, Kate and I were also daily monitoring Stephenie Meyer's website for book and movie updates.

At some point during our near constant Twilight conversations we got to talking about the pictures of Forks and La Push on Stephenie's site. Some of the places looked really interesting, and so, big dork that I am, I brought up the idea of actually going to Forks and La Push. Of course, big dorks that Kristin, Christine and Kate are, they were thrilled by the idea. And there in lies the birth of an adventure. And as I've mentioned before, I really think that all good trips and events need a title hence Dorks in Forks! Somehow, it just seemed appropriate.

And now, after months of discussion, I am super excited to announce that Dorks in Forks is officially on! This past Monday we actually purchased plane tickets, so there is no going back now.

The plan is fly to Portland and then drive up into Washington. We'll be staying in Port Angeles for three days and while there we plan to visit all of the places featured in the book. On the drive back we plan on visiting Mt. St. Helen's. Then we will end our trip with two days in Portland.

Now that our airfare is booked I've turned my obsessive planning skills to finding hotels. I forwarded Kristin, Christine and Kate some options for the three legs of our trip and the discussion of where we should stay has begun. But I was wondering what everyone else thought.

For night one we will be staying in Portland and the goal is pretty much to find somewhere inexpensive to sleep since we will be getting up early the next morning to drive to Port Angeles. We will probably just stay somewhere near the airport.

For our stay in Port Angeles (near Forks and La Push) we are hoping to stay at the Lake Crescent Lodge. I'm just waiting to hear back about our reservation request.

The Lodge

Crescent Lake

Another shot of the Lodge...isn't it pretty?

The tougher choice will be where to stay during our last two nights in Portland. I had no idea that there were so many amazing hotels there. We've pretty much got it narrowed down to three options. Here they are:

Option #1: Hotel Modera

This choice is about $60 cheaper per night than the other two. It's a bit further away from most of the places that we would want to go, but still pretty close to everything. It's got a cool modern feel that would be very fun.

Option #2: Hotel deLuxe

This choice has a 1930's Hollywood theme carried throughout. This one is more centrally located in the city and the rooms come with a pillow menu, an iPod menu and a "make it so" button (I haven't quite figured out what that is, but I'd like to find out). They also show movies on the roof.

Option #3: Inn at Northrup Station

This choice has a much quirkier feel than the other ones. It's located in the trendy part of town near all the boutiques, art galleries and restaurant row. The room would either have a balcony or access to the rooftop garden.

So, if these were your options, where would you stay and why?

Read or Die!

2009-02-13T21:18:00.008-05:00

My friends and I love to read. It seems like every time we get together someone is talking about the book they just finished or the book they are currently reading or what books they are hoping to check out. Indeed, my friends are such great book lovers that two of them have started book clubs that I have the great privilege of attending every month (Thanks Regina and Suzanne!). So, some of the girls and I have decided that since we spend so much time reading we might as well have a little competition. And because I feel like all fun ideas and events need names I have dubbed this competition Read or Die! It's a little dramatic, I know, but it is a competition after all.

And now for the rules:

1) Keep track of both the number of books and the number of pages read each month.

2) Each book must be counted in the month in which the book was finished.

3) Audio books can be put toward the total. Just check Amazon for the page count.

At the end of the year we will all report the number of books and the number of pages that we have read and then we'll name the two winners. The goal is to read at least 60 books. And since some of us (me in particular) have a tendency to reread, the goal is also for at least 40 of these books to be new.

I'm really quite excited about this friendly little competition. But to my friends, I will warn you all that it is on...like Donkey Kong!

I've Been Tagged!

2009-02-06T23:34:00.001-05:00

So, my mom (Marie of Spun By Me) asked for me to share seven things about myself. I think she thought it might be a good way to encourage me to actually start posting on my blog. Anyways, here it goes:

Seven Things About Me

I'm a huge sports fan. And I mean HUGE. My favorites are hockey (Go Wings!) and tennis, but quite honestly, if you can call it a sport and find it on tv I'll check it out. During the hockey season I watch well over a hundred games and if there is a tennis major going on then that is, without a doubt, what I'm watching (even if it means getting up in the middle of the night to watch live matches from Australia). And the Olympics...I love the Olympics. Don't even try to talk to me about anything else during those three weeks.

I love lists. Making lists is one of my favorite pastimes. I have lists of everything from movies to books to music. If I'm going on a trip I will make a detailed packing list, a list of every outfit and a list of every list. Seriously. Ask my friends. They've seen me do it. And nothing makes me happier than copying the lists until they are perfect. For Christmas this year my friend Kate got me this great book, Listography. It's a journal of your life in lists. Isn't that the coolest thing ever?

I am currently ranked #23 (out of 178275 participants) on the Goodreads book trivia quiz! This is an accomplishment for which I am extremely proud. Really. And if you haven't checked out Goodreads before, then you should. Not only is it super fun answering the trivia questions, but you can also win free books and keep track of the books you've read and want to read (yeah lists!).

Speaking of reading, my absolute favorite books are the Harry Potter series. I love long stories full of adventure, creativity and character development and these books are full of all those things. And they are great to read aloud, particularly when read with a British accent (ask my friend Christine, she gets this too). They are also chock full of delightful names, like Florean Fortescue, Minerva McGonagall and Bathilda Bagshot. The glorious alliteration is almost too much for me to handle! I've recently started listening the audio books and they are a must for any true fan of the series. Jim Dale is awesome and I'm picking up on things I've never noticed before, though I've read each of the books at least 10 times.

I have an unnatural love for Sharpies. I love the fine-point ones, the fat ones, the super fat ones, the lime green ones and the new Sharpie pen. But nothing beats the classic black Sharpie. I especially love the way that this pen smells. Try it. Hold one up to your nose and take a big whiff. It's great!

I love big purses. The bigger the better. I like knowing that I can dig into my bag and find anything from a toothbrush to an umbrella to Jimmy Hoffa. My favorite place to find these big bags is Target because, frankly, I'm too cheap (read poor) to spend more the $20 on a purse.

Singing is definitely not one of my talents, but I still love to sing, especially in the car. Not to blow my own horn, but I am an unbelievably awesome car singer. I sing loud and with feeling. You know those people that you see totally rocking out in the car? I am proud to say that I am one of those people.

Twilight Trailer!

2008-10-09T18:47:00.002-04:00

Useless Information

2008-09-01T16:42:00.007-04:00

Internet Movie Database (IMDB) is one of my favorite websites. Nearly every day I spend about 10 minutes (usually in the morning when I first get to work) on this site checking out which celebrities have birthdays that day, reading the news blurbs and answering the poll and trivia questions. I just like reading up on all those little movie and tv factoids. I don't take it too seriously. It's no big deal if I miss a day, but it's something I like to do. So, when it came time to name this blog, taking a cue from one of my favorite websites seemed appropriate. (Thanks to Regina for making the suggestion!)

But the name isn't just because IMDB is one of my favorites websites. It's also because, as my friends and family can attest, I am a wealth of useless information. It's like osmosis, I just suck it all in. My head holds a ridiculous amount of trivia about actors, movies, tv shows, etc. If you have a question about a movie or someone who was in it and you don't have a computer close by, then chances are I can answer the question for you. I'm also a huge sports fan and while I can't always tell you all the crazy little statistics and the specific names of the plays (you know those details that 90% of American males are born knowing), I can tell you quite a bit about most sports. Curling anyone?

I don't want people to think that I have nothing better to do than sit in front of the computer or tv soaking up little bits of trivia (although some days that is the case) and I certainly don't want to come across like a know-it-all. But this is my special gift and I figure I might as well embrace it. I do wish that I could more easily use my powers for something good, like remembering all of the things I learned in college or memorizing Bible verses. Oh well.

So, in the spirit of embracing my gift, I've decided to impart some of my thoughts to the rest of the world. Check back every once in a while. I'll be sharing some of my random ideas, a lot of my personal opinions and, of course, a ton of useless information.