Category: blog

blog · life · q&a

40 Odd Things About Me…

Michelle1 Comment

Alright, so let’s see how ‘odd’ I am. 😀

1. Do you like mustard? Nope, can’t stand it (except in my family’s homemade spaghetti sauce)
2. Choice of carbonated beverage?  Root beer!!!
3. Ever traveled to another country? Yup, I’ve been to both Canada and Ireland.
4. Whiskey, Tequila, Vodka? …where did all the Rum go?
5. Hot dogs or Cheeseburgers? Cheeseburgers.
6. Favorite Type Of food:  Spaghetti
7. Do you believe in ghosts? Nope.
8. What do you drink in the mornings? Coffee or water, if I’m feeling healthy, lol.
9. Can you do a 100 pushups?  Nope.
10. Summer, Winter, Spring, Or Fall? Winter!!!
11. Favorite hobby? Reading (and knitting and video games and travel)
12. Tattoos? Nope.
13. Do you wear glasses? Yep, otherwise I’m totally blind.
14. Phobia? I have a stupid fear of the Xenomorphs from the Alien movies, but I don’t know why.
15. Nickname? Meesh, Shelf, Sly.
16. Three drinks you drink?  Water, coffee, and iced tea
17. Biggest Downfall? Impatience, maybe?
18. Rain or Snow? Snow, all the way.
19. Piercings? 4 ear piercings (1 in the left and 3 in the right)
20. Age? I’m as old as my nose and my two big toes and a little bit older than my teeth.
21. Taken or Single? Taken
22. How long taken or single? About a year now
23. Kids? None
24. Favorite color? Blues, greys, and greens
25. Employed? Full-time
26. Can you whistle? Yes.
27. Where were you born? Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia.
28. Brothers or Sisters? One each, both younger.
29. Ninjas or Pirates? Ah, here is where the rum has gone… Pirates.
30. Surgeries? Yes, I’ve had a frenulectomy, my wisdome teeth removed, and a mole removed for biopsy.
31. Religious? Trying to find my way back.
32. Shower or Bath? Shower and THEN bath 😛
33. Like gambling?  Not really, no.
34. Are you loyal? To a fault.
35. Broken bones? Nope!
36. How many tv’s in your house? Umm, 3?
37. Worst pain ever? Migraines.
38. Do you like to dance? Love it!
39. Are your parents still alive? My mother is, but my father is not.
40. Do you like camping? I like the idea of camping and would very much like to try it out again, now that I’m an adult.

These questions are originally from, Stitchedroots, via NothingButKnit.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, feel free to join. Please, leave a comment so we can read your answers and share in the fun!

blog · review

Two Book Tuesday

MichelleLeave a comment

I decided to do something a little different for this Two Book Tuesday and talk about two scary books that I’ve read recently that sent shivers down my spine and made me want to turn on all the lights in the house.

First we have Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward.  A young adult horror title with a slightly dystopian feel to it, Bleeding Earth has a pretty original idea for an apocalypse where the earth literally starts to bleed and growing hair and bones.  Throughout the story, we follow Lea as she navigates trying to maintain a normal life in spite of the encroaching blood while hoping that her girlfriend will be strong enough to go public (going against her father in doing so).

Even though it has its problems (with plot and actually ANSWERING WHY THE EARTH BLEEDS TO BEGIN WITH), I absolutely could not put this book down.  It was just… viscerally disturbing and nauseatingly descriptive.  Every single time that the blood is described, I wanted to gag, and when they introduced the hair and bones I actually had to close the book for a minute and just breathe.

This book is gross.  It truly is horrific in both atmosphere and the behavior of the people trapped in a world they believe to be ending.  I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on goodreads and suggest you read it if you like Young Adult or being spooked. 👻

Book two is Down by Ally Blue and is one of fifteen titles that I purchased at the 2017 Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention.  I was lucky enough to meet Ally Blue in person and goofy enough to gush about which of her books that I ADORED!  Over the course of the discussion, she mentioned that she had just finished her first ever horror title and would I like to purchase it?

Now, I am not a huge follower of the horror genre, but I do love Ally’s writing style and honestly, how do you say no to an author who is sitting right in front of you?  I am thankful that I didn’t.  I bought that book and then sat on it for months…  Months that I could have spent reading this!  At any time!

Down is a horrific take on the mermaid mythos that has a distinctly science fiction twist and a smidgen romance.

blog

Random | Digging a little deeper into… sneezing!

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While at work one evening, I heard the attending doctor sneeze and immediately responded with “Bless you!” As the night continued on, I couldn’t help but wonder why I had responded so quickly, almost without even thinking about it.

So, I decided to do a little research into the origins of the phrase…

Although it was used by both Hebrews (found in Numbers 6:24) and early Christians as a benediction, there is no evidence in the Bible of the use of God bless you in regards to sneezing.

This practice may have begun some time during the first century AD and was mostly used in combination with superstitions surrounding illness and possession by evil spirits.

It was believed by some that a sneeze was the body’s way of expelling evil spirits; others thought that sneezing actually created an opportunity for the body to be possessed (hence the blessing to keep the devil from stealing their soul); and a less popular belief was that the heart stopped when a person sneezed and blessing them welcomed them back to life.

One legend even states that Pope Gregory the Grat decreed that any time someone sneezed, they were to be blessed by saying God bless you as a way to provided protection from the plague.

Variations of the benediction God bless you can be found in almost every culture across the globe: from the Spanish Salud to the Irish/Gaelic Sláinte and the widely popular German Gesundheit, all are wishes for good health.

Regardless of which superstition came first, this phrase is considered a polite way of showing common courtesy to our fellow humans and I’ll probably keep on using it.

blog · book review · review

Book Review | Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

MichelleLeave a comment

…Louie wondered how the absence of one person could take so much air out of the house.

I was really excited for this book and could hardly wait for its release date to read it! Sadly, I ended up having to wait a little while because someone got to the library’s copy before me, lol.

Saving Winslow is a somewhat short book about a little boy names Louie and Winslow, the LGD (Little Gray Donkey) foal he takes responsibility for when it doesn’t look like it isn’t going to survive.

While I wasn’t particularly drawn to Louie and Winslow, this book was absolutely filled with realistic attachments and feelings. From the “empty spaces” left behind by Louie’s big brother Gus who has joined the army to the pragmatism nearly every adult shows towards Winslow’s chances of survival.

My favorite character (sorry Winslow!) is Nora. Hands down. From her very first meeting with Winslow, you can tell that something isn’t right. She even mentions the little brother they had who was born 2 months early and didn’t survive. Later on, she suggests a leash and collar for Winslow and tells Louie that her family used to had a dog who died.

Nora has obviously been hurt by the loss of a baby brother and beloved pet and is terrified of getting too close to anyone/anything again for fear of the loss. Her actions, however, show a little girl that just wants to hang out with Louie and Winslow and not have to let them go.

Admittedly a cute book that ends with the potential return of Gus and Winslow’s departure to the farm to take up his mother’s role as LGD (Livestock Guardian Donkey) for Uncle Pete’s animals.

I do not believe that this book lives up to the claims from School Library Journal or Publishers Weekly to be a “standout tale” or “a convincing portrayal of human growth.” It was merely an ok book.

blog · book review · review

Book Review | Pandemonium by Warren Fahy

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Except for Andy, everything about this book was a disappointment and guess what? Andy dies (spoiler).

I was super excited to get to read this book after the wild ride that Fragment took me on. I was curious about how the Hendros were adapting to life among humans and how the humans who survived Hender’s Island were coping with the horrors they went through there.

Sadly, after all they went through in Fragment, with the way they were written in the sequel, I actually ended up disliking Geoffrey and Nell! It was always “wifey” this and “husby” that… Yes, I triple checked, she calls him “husby” not “hubby.”

Nell, a brilliant scientist, runs around half naked during what is supposed to be a life threatening situation because she “forgot” to wear a bra and THEN has to disrobe AGAIN later! What the hell?!?!!!? And Geoffrey isn’t much better… he was one of the most interesting characters in Fragment, smart and funny and really likeable! But in Pandemonium, he was reduced to mindless panic and idiotic gushing over Nell like a slobbering sycophant rather than a loving husband.

I hated Sasha with a passion. If she’d been written as a teenager, her behavior would have been believable, but a ten year old pulling what she did out of her hat all throughout Pandemonium? Yeah, no.

The thing I was looking forward to the most was seeing what had happened to Hender and Andy and the other Hendros. These moments were few and far between, and felt as if they’d just been thrown on the page as an afterthought.

The villains (both human and hendro) were utterly forgettable and felt like caricatures of old-times bad guys, swirling their mustaches and clasping their hands in glee.

All in all, Pandemonium is just a bad book. If I could give negative stars, this would get -7 ⭐️’s.

An utter disappointment after the brilliance of Fragment, it will be a long time before I trust Warren Fahy enough to pick up another of his books.

blog · book review

Two Book Tuesday

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So, I started reading Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee about two weeks ago and had to put it down because I was busy with work and life in general.  My plan is to start back at the beginning instead of picking up where I left off…

Seven Tears at High Tide by C. B. Lee is a young adult fantasy / romance about a teenage boy who wishes for a summer of love, a wish which is granted by a nearby selkie who overhears his heartfelt plea.

Kevin Luong has had his heart broken by the boy-next-door who decided he is no longer gay and doesn’t want to “fool around” with boys anymore. Instead of spending the summer together with Miles, Kevin is suddenly alone and feeling particularly unloved.

On a whim, he sheds seven years into the ocean and makes a wish, asking for just one summer to be happy and in love. He doesn’t really expect his wish to be granted.

What Kevin doesn’t know is that someone hears his wish. Morgan, a selkie boy, happens to be swimming near enough to hear and hope that he will be the one chosen to fulfill the request. His mother, and matriarch of his selkie herd, grants him permission to shed his skin and go ashore to meet Kevin.

So begins a summer of innocent love, with Kevin teaching Morgan how to be both human and to pass as a normal teenage boy.  But, as the boys grow closer, they begin to realize that there is something sinister in the works in their little seaside town.

Semiosis by Sue Burke just flat out sounded like a cool book.  I remember getting an email about it pre-release date and wanting desperately to read it.  I even texted my friend, and local librarian, asking her to purchase it for the library so that I could read it!

This book appears to be right up my alley, with first contact situations, space colonization, and an alien (possibly plant-based) intelligence. With the summary including fun words like “bizarre, inexplicable, and grapple” who wouldn’t want to read this?  😀

Movie Review | Revolt
blog · movie review · review

Movie Review | Revolt

MichelleLeave a comment

“To live is to fight. To fight is to live” would have been the best catchphrase for this film. Inspiring and short. Instead, they chose to go with “Resist or Serve” which would have made sense… if our main character had been an alien all along and chose to turn against his masters.

Spoiler alert: he isn’t.

I really wanted to enjoy this movie, it looked entertaining and I’ve been known to enjoy B-list movies on occasion, but it just wasn’t able to bring it all together in the end… Now it took me a minute to realize this, but ultimately “Revolt” (falling short of its intended goal) comes across as a cheap knockoff of 2010 movie “Skyline.”

Continue reading “Movie Review | Revolt” →