Green Lantern

I FINALLY saw Green Lantern.  I LOVED it!  Seriously, loved it.  It was funny, Hal Jordan was loveable, and the bad guy got put in his place at the end.  What's not to love?  There was even a hint at the end of a possible (please, for the love of all that is holy, gimme another!) second movie.

Now, I can kinda understand why some people had a problem with the movie.  In fact, there were several people in the theater griping and moaning about how the plot left something to be desired, or the Green Lantern Corp were stupid.  To this I say, shut up and freaking enjoy the simplicity of this movie.  Why can't the movie simply be about the triumph of good over evil?  About accepting that there's fear inside of us and the only way to overcome it is to have the courage to admit it?  I love mind-bending movies as much as the next nerd, but c'mon.  There're times when it's beautiful to simply sit down for a movie and revel in the simplicity of it all.

In light of this, enjoy this picture of my special dollar theater (I know, I'm ashamed) movie ticket.  And a picture of Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) in all his Green Lantern splendor.

On a side note.  For whatever reason, I feel an overwhelming compulsion to add a picture to every post.  Mainly because they look so naked without a picture, y'know?  Maybe it's just me.

Accents

While working on a project at work, I had the enjoyable task of watching some movie clips to make sure they were functioning correctly.  Despite the fact that the majority of the movies took place in non-English speaking countries, all of their accents were English.

So.  If you're staging a movie in France, never fear!  As long as at least one person speaks with an English accent, no one will even notice!

Stuff

I've come to realize that every time I start to make a blog post, I end up deleting it because it's not witty or informative or something.  Then, I had an epiphany (cue angelic, inspirational music).  I don't need to have a substantial or whatever post all the time.  This is my blog and I can whatever I want with it!

In light of that, I've recommitted myself to posting something at least once a week.  I mean, this blog is supposed to be my mental meanderings and there's been little mental meandering happening lately.

Also!  I've decided I'm going to do a Halloween Super-Nerd SPECTACULAR Giveaway!  Be happy/excited!  I don't know what I'm giving away yet, but it will be nerdy and it will be Halloween-y.  But, there's a catch.  I want more followers! \(*o*)/  So, the giveaway won't happen until I hit at least 30 followers.  Buahahaha!

So, help me promote my blog and when I hit 30 followers, I'll post the rules (or lack of rules, whatever) and what the prizes and such will be.  I'm totally excited about this giveaway.  You have NO idea!

And, because I'm hyper (little sleep+caffeine=hyper-goofy Super-Nerd), here is a picture of my cat, Tux.  Yay!  Doesn't he look devilishly dapper?

Texas Gothic

I just realized how long (okay, not too long) it had been since I posted something.  So.  SURPRISE!  I'm posting something!  In celebration of this, I've decided to do a book review.

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore.  Here's the synopsis courtesy of B&N:  Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal.  She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business.  Her summer gig?  Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister.  Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal that it normally is.  Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.


What I say: I got this book and gave it to myself as a birthday present.  I have excellent taste *v*  Moving on.  This was an excellent book!  I stayed up way too late and consumed copious amounts of caffeine the next morning (curse you, early-morning work shift!) to finish this book.  I loved Amy.  If she and I ever met, we'd be friends.  I know how it is to toe the line of normality when family is concerned.  Amy is feisty and loyal, finding ways to talk around the weirdness in her life without too much outright lying.  And, she's smart.  I love smart and sassy heroines.  Fierce.  Anyway.  The plot was excellent and it was nice to share the growing experiences with the characters.  I admit, there were times I wanted to jump into the pages and play Hormone Referee with Amy and Ben.  I have already added this book to the list of books that I will re-read when I'm having a bummer day and feel like procrastinating prioritizing my  homework.  There was a definite conclusion to the book, but I find myself chanting for another book in the Amy Goodnight series.  Hopefully, it'll happen.


On a side note, I loved Amy and Phin's full names.  And, I totally wish they sold bottled Phin Effect.  It would make life so much easier/more awesome.


Oh, and for those of you that got jealous (like me) of the natural shampoo and stuff that Amy uses, never fear!  There's a company called LUSH Cosmetics that sell some pretty amazing products.  I haven't yet tried any of them, but the day will soon come!  And when I do, I'll add a review.  Anyway, the lovely RCM blogged about this company awhile back which is how I heard of it.  So, you can pop on over to her blog by clicking on the super-awesome link and read up on her experience with LUSH.  LUSH lists all of the ingredients contained in their products and provide an explanation as to what it is and does.


Back to the book.


Along with being jealous of the natural soaps, the book infected me with Imusttravelitus (I'm funny) and I started mentally planning a trip to visit Texas during the not-summer months.  I'm originally from Las Vegas but the tales of humidity on top of the heat there have my shying away from a summer jaunt to Texas.  So, the trip will happen...someday.


Now really.  Back to the book.


I loved the developments in the book and how Amy (and eventually Ben) were able to come together (tehehe) and figure out the problem.  Also.  Loved Amy's cousin Daisy.  You'll have to read it to understand.


So, that was a bit of a rambling review.  But, go out and read the book!  You'll be as addicted as I was within the first few pages.  Amy has a gripping voice that pulls you into the story.  Besides, you know you want to relive the days when you hid under the covers with a flashlight so you could finish a book.

Sweet Venom 2 Title Hunt!

The fabulous Tera Lynn Childs has put together a fantastic giveaway!  I have the honor of being one of the blog hosts and I apologize for not getting this up earlier than now.  I just started school and my first class was earlier than I thought!

Anyway, the prizes being given away are 5 signed copies of Sweet Venom and a grand prize of $50 bookstore gift card.  And, this contest is open internationally.  Rejoice!

Here's the book overview, courtesy of bn.com:


Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a Minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they’re triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful Gorgon maligned in myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

You will need to fill out the entry form located on TLC's website http://teralynnchilds.blogspot.com/.  For more information (and links to all the participating hosts) head to TLC's website.

Happy Hunting!

A (oh look, a very large, conspicuous letter) word of advice: Start the hunt on TLC's website.  It'll be easier and less stressful that way.

Pretty Pictures

My sister and I took these pictures yesterday when the weather was threatening storms.  Lightning was flashing (awesome!) and the air smelled wet and clean (beautiful!).

So, here are the pictures we took.  Ignore the parked cars and power lines and focus on the beauty of a stormy/sunny sky.

School renewal and yummy food

School starts next Monday *cries*  I'm ready and not ready.  I love buying school supplies, so that may be where the "ready" part is coming from.  I love learning and the classes I'm signed up for this semester are going to be amazing.  But, I'm kind of dreading going back.  It's been nice having a lazy summer!  I don't want that to end.

But, alas, it will end all too soon.  Which means I need to get my butt in gear and buy *heavy sigh* my textbooks.

In other news, I made the most delicious dinner the other night.  Homemade chicken stir-fry rice.  And, because I'm awesome, the recipe is as follows:

1 cup of rice (I used brown, but it doesn't matter)
2 chicken breasts, thawed
Green and yellow pepper, chopped (I used half a green pepper and a quarter of the yellow because that's what I had)
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp tempura sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce, enough to coat the rice, chicken, and veggie goodness
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (I didn't use any real measuring cups or anything, so this is all guestimating)
Any other veggies that float your boat
Salt and pepper to taste

I cheated and used a rice cooker which also steamed the chicken.  Once the rice and the chicken were done, I added the whole lot to my pretty, shiny new wok, and cooked everything so the flavors meshed with each other.

It didn't take that long to make and boy was it yummy.  The recipe definitely makes enough for leftovers to be had the next day.

This talk about food makes me want to run out and find an awesome lunch box/bag.  I found a 3D-like princess lunch box at Target that made me smile.  Maybe I should run back for it.