Its Been a While... guess we all need a break?

It has been a LOOONNGG time. I’m sorry for this. I haven’t felt very creative or like sitting in front of my computer. I know that I can only get what I put in. I just have a lot of chaos going on in life. I am not the kind of person that likes to not be in control. Thankfully I have a pretty set plan B if plan A falls through. I have had three plan A’s. If this does not work- I am going to this plan B. How is that for being vague? I can’t really talk about it until it’s all set. I can say that I will be moving in the next four weeks. I do no like packing and I have a lot of stuff to pack up.

READING

I feel like I haven’t read in months but that is not true. I started a book called Love You, Mean It. It’s a sad story so I put it down for now. I read a few books by Dean Koontz recently: Demon Seed, Trapped, and Your Heart Belongs to Me.Demon Seed, was okay. It reminded me of Smart House, the Disney movie. Trapped, was kind of boring and not really my style. I just plan on reading The Taking this week as well.

Someone was moving out of my apartment last week and brought a bunch of stuff down to the laundry room- giving it away for free. JACKPOT! I got a lot of new books and sweaters. I gave my mom a couple of the sweaters and took the rest home.

ETSY SHOP

Well I separated my business side from my creative side. I moved some furniture around in my apartment.. here are some before and after pictures. My living room is my creation area.  My bedroom is huge, so I took half of it for the business area and storage of my inventory. I utilized my bookshelf, white organizers, and my desk.

TV!

I like to rent seasons of TV shows and play them while I create. It helps me to concentrate on what I am doing. Right now I am in the middle of Friday Night Lights (starting S3 soon), In Plain Sight (Season 2), and I still have to watch S1 of Ally McBeal again since I skipped it, and S6 of The L Word (love my LA lezies) again since its now at the library finally! 

Thats all folks :) Im going to get back to my Friday Night Lights now. Its good stuff.

Run For Reading 5k

As part of my "2010 better be a hell of a year because 2005-2009 were crap" goal, i started working out. No one like a fat lazy unhealthy Randee. By no one, i mean me. im sure no one else cares. ANYWAYS. so i started working my legs which need the most work in my opinion back in December. I have never ran a 5k... running 3 miles sounds like something track people or nutsos do. right? well i am a nutso now. I am picky about the charities i give to... but Run for Reading, YES! We raised money for my library which has cured my boredom for many many nights and saved me monies like you dont even know.

Well the 5k took place this past saturday. did i meantion im not very bright. So not only did i stay up ALL friday night (explains the lack of color on my face), i also didnt stretch before of after my run (my legs and butt hurt major til monday!). been kind of down lately so i am proud i even went, and even finished. i have been "half assing" pretty much everything in life for a few months now. i just dont care about much. not the point.

So i havnt been training like i used to.. january and feb were strong months but march and april... i just dont have the motivation. so i could have been more prepared. either way my goal was 45 minutes. If i went any beyond that, well i would be really upset. i was not prepared for all the serious runners... and twice or three times my age too. So i got passed by a LOT of people.. but i also finished before a lot of people.

44 minutes. and at the finish line there was a very cute boy. treat times two.

Im sure if i slept before the run, maybe ate dinner the night before, had someone to run with, and if it wasnt so damn cold and windy that i could have done better. but i topped my goal under the stupid circumstances. but like i said i just dont care. i did it. i gave money to the cause.

Randee before the race on NO sleep

NUMBER 427

Finished in 44 minutes (boi not present for picture)

Randee after the 5k

If it werent so damn cold and myself so tired

i probably would have been a sweaty mess

at least im a little more awake

Randee's "i dont like the cold or the wind

im tired hungry and want to go home" Face :)

Next time, I will do better. I might do the 5k with people from my work. I have til April 26 to decide. 

I hope you enjoyed my story time. Its not often i do personal life stuff... but running isnt too personal. :) Thanks for reading.

xoxo

Randee

The Picture of Dorian Gray

"Realize your youth while you have it. Don't squander the gold of your gaze listening to tedious, trying to improve the hopeless failure or giving away your life to the ignorant, the common, and the vulgar, which are the aims of false ideals of our age. Live live the wonderful life that is in you."

"Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing. A new hedonism. That is what our century wants. You might be its viable symbol. With your personality, there is nothing you could not do. The world belongs to you for a season."

"People who only love once in their lives are really shallow people. What they call their loyalty and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or the lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the intellectual life. Simply a confession of failure."

I liked these and wanted to share. Its a good story.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

xoxo
Randee

FEBRUARY BOOKS part 1

I finished my third novel in the Kathy Love series I am reading. It is called I Only Have Fangs For You.

Let me tell you, these books are fantastic! I love all three that I have read. The ending of this had my talking out loud "WHAT?!" so good. The romance part isn't as hot as My Sister is a Werewolf, but it is good enough. The other book from this 4 book series that I have read is Fangs but no Fangs.

I can see myself as Mina which made it even better. I like being able to step into a good book, and I find it very easy to step into all of these vamp books.

If I didn't mention it, or this is your first time reading my blog, this series is about three brothers who are turned into vampires, and a sister who is turned into a werewolf. They are the Young family.. Elizabeth, Christian, Sebastian (my fav), and Rhys. You don't HAVE to read them in order but I think it helps. I did not read them in order and I am not confused. I started this series on my trip to Florida with my best friend, S. She introduces me to a lot of good things in life, like Etsy, The Chicago Diner, and stuff. GO HERE for more details.

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I also read this book called Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. It was a random pick, and I wasn't expecting too much from it. I was wrong to judge. The beginning was a little slow for me to get into, but once the pieces fell into place- I couldn't stop reading. This was new for me. They weren't the stereotypical vampires and creatures. They were different and had new creatures.. its new for me so I can't remember all the details but its a nice change of pace.

This is the first book in the series. There are four books out so far.
"Two races of vampires walk our world. One, the Moroi, are alive and wield elemental magical. The other, the Strigoi, are undead and evil--feeding on the innocent to survive. Rose Hathaway--a half-vampire with poor impulse control--is training to be a bodyguard for a Moroi princess. Learning to decapitate and stake is hard enough, but Rose's real danger may lie in an illicit romance with one of her instructors"
Go HERE to read more on this series.

and no.. since the twilight saga which got my addicted to these books... no other vampire sparkles. wtf. sparkle? S Meyer... you can do better I think. I used to love that series... now I'm not so sure.

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I have the Black Dagger Brotherhood series being shipped to me. I downloaded a bunch of Jane Austin books, and for my lunch hour read... I am reading the Great Gatsby because I've never read it.

Always accepting requests and ideas for new reads :)

xoxo
Randee

Lost, Fangs, and Knitting Needles

LOST (tv)
i watched all of lost seasons 1-5 in like a 3 week time frame and SERIOUSLY fell in love. last night was the FINAL season premier and i have to say i am kind of disappointed. i hate waiting a week for another hour but i know when tuesdays at 9 roll around ill be glue to the couch.

i don't really like Sawyer as much since he fell in love with Juliet. Im glad Michael hasn't made another appearance.

FANGS (books)
Im reading I Only Have Fangs For You by Kathy Love . its the third book in a 4 part series that i've read. its pretty awesome. I may take a break from my vamp love for a couple months and read something different. i thought about reading the Bible. 23 years old and i believe there is a God but i've never really gone to church since well i just don't like the idea of it. I have like 6 bibles in my library that were gifts. different versions. my dads side of the family are all church goers and at one time i wanted to get into it. i just want to read it for fun and to know what people are talking about.

I just finished The Lost Symbol over the weekend. not as good as Angels and Demons but i didn't think it was bad. same level of coolness as The Da Vinci Code. a little predictable for me but i guess all art is an old idea reinvented.

I love book requests so if u know something you REALLY liked, let me know and i will read it- if its in my local library or i can find it on audio book for free.

Knitting Needles (craft time for etsy )
i made a new scarf and hat set over the weekend (cute pic below with my great grandma's teddy bear as a model). i am trying to use up all my yarn from last year. I learned something new and used that new smarts to make a pretty shawl. i ran out of yarn so once i buy more i can finish it and list that baby. or wear it myself :) no sales yet but i'm still reading up on the etsy shop deal.. ill figure out how to make those sales that people talk about one of these days :)

I joined the Queer Etsy Street Team . i love it. i got to witness/enjoy my first tuesday night chat with the group, or those of us that were on. i had to leave just as the party started thou for Lost...

I also started a flickr account to keep all my pics of things I am or will be selling in my shop. I may use it for other purposes too but thats the main reason for now.

BED TIME. im going to sleep before 2am finally!

xoxo
Randee