Marriage Survey

For all you married people out there! Tag your married friends that you want to know about!



1. When is your "engagement" anniversary: I think it was early to mid-October 2007. I don't remember the exact date.



2. When is your "marriage" anniversary: October 18th, 2007



3. How long have you known your spouse: I met him at band camp (snort) when I was in 10th grade... so 12 years.



4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged: About a year



5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time? Band Camp in South Carolina



6. What is your spouse's full name: I refuse to post that...



7. Do you have any children: I'll go with Ashley and say "two furry ones!"



8. How many - boys/girls: one boy and one girl :)



9. Do you have any house pets: see above



10. Do you own a house or rent: own



11. Do you live in the country or town/city: A Town



12. What is one of your favorite activities together: Walking, which sometimes leads to hiking, watching movies, running errands, and most importantly, eating and traveling



13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot: I'm not sure, but we're hoping the honeymoon becomes the favorite spot. We have travelled a lot all over the west, but we've planned for much more



14. When did you first kiss? Christmas eve, 2006



15. What church do you attend? St. Josephs



16. Is this the church you were married in? No... we were married in a university chapel in Illinois (where my grandfather taught)



17. What town is your current address at? Fort Collins, CO



18. Do you work or stay at home: I work and so does Jon. If we have children in the future, I hope to go down to part time and would love to be a stay at home mom, which is it's own complicated job.



19. Where did you go on your honeymoon: We haven't gone yet. We're going this November to NZ.



20. What was the funniest gift you gave when dating? There were many, but all I can remember right now is the "I Dewey" shirt



21. How long have you been together? 3 years



22. How long did you know each other before you started dating? About 10 years being acquaintances

23. Who asked who out? He asked me.



24. How old are each of you? I'm 27 and he is 28



25.Where do you each work or go to school? I am a librarian for a public library district in a nearby town and he is a medical animator


26. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? For me, it's making dinner... I never know what to make for dinner and never have the energy to make it!


27. Did you go to the same school? High School and College, but not Grad School



28. Are you from the same home town? Yes



29. Who is smarter? I would say the same... although in different areas



30. Who is more sensitive? Me



31. Where do you eat out most as a couple? The Rio, Suehiro, or Sri Thai... all local restaurants



32. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Well, living here, I would say Georgia



33.Who has the craziest exes? I don't think either of us have crazy exes



34. Who has the worst temper? Me.



35. Who does the cooking? Both.



36. Who is more social? He is... he is confident in making friends and I am shy



37. Who is the neat-freak? Depends on the day



38. Who is more stubborn? Me



39. Who hogs the bed? Jon would say me and I would say him



40. Who wakes up earlier? Me



41. Where was your first date? Throwing frisbee at the park



42. Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends? Equal for us, or at least close.



43. Do you get flowers often? No, but I don't want them a lot because they'll die.



44. How do you spend the holidays? I prefer it with just him instead of running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to satisfy both families.



45. Who is more jealous? Me



46. How long did it take to get serious? We were serious about 4 months into the relationship



47. Who eats more? Him.



48. Who does the laundry? Me



49. Who’s better with the computer? Him.



50. Leave a piece of advice for the other couples. Don't sweat the small stuff and only spend what you can afford!

Survey

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7am... sleeping in!

2. Diamonds or pearls? no preference

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

4. What is your favorite TV show? Doctor Who

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Depends on the day, but I would usually say cereal

6. What is your middle name? Sue

7. What food do you dislike? Raw tomatoes, cooked carrots, eggplant, squashes, Chinese 5 Spice

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I don't have one... but I always listen to the local classic rock station

9. What kind of car do you drive? Honda CR-V

10. Favorite sandwich? I don't have a favorite

11. What characteristic do you despise? cockiness/conceit (I'll keep Camille's answer)

12. Favorite item of clothing? I am having clothing issues as of late, so I would say pajamas because they don't make me feel bad

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Most anywhere that doesn't have a lot of bugs and doesn't compromise my safety

14 . Favorite brand of clothing? J. Crew, Banana, and Ann Taylor

15. Where would you retire to? Somewhere accessible to an airport, but not Florida

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? ???

17. Favorite sport to watch? None

18. Furthest place you are sending this? No clue

19. Person you expect to send it back first? No one

20. When is your birthday? April 2

21. Are you a morning person or a night person? morning

22. What is your shoe size? 8 or 8.5

23. Pets? Quincey (named after the character in Dracula hence the different spelling-- most people think we named him after the town in which we were married) and Meadow (we kept the breeder's name for her)

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? No

25. What did you want to be when you were little? teacher, paleontologist

26. How are you today? Day off! I'm so tired.

27. What is your favorite candy? Most anything gummy

28. What is your favorite flower? dahlias, roses

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? November 21st... overseas vacation!

30. What's your full name? (excluding that from the blog)

31. What are you listening to right now? Cash Cab

32. What was the last thing you ate? Waffles (me too Camille!)

33. Do you wish on stars? No

34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? turquoise

35. What is the weather like? cool and sunny

36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Haven't talked on the phone today

37. Favorite soft drink? Root Beer, but I try to avoid all of them

38. Real hair color? Light Brown

39. What was your favorite toy as a child? Rub-A-Dub Doggy

40. Summer or winter? Change of seasons

41. Hugs or kisses: both

42. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla

43. Coffee or tea? ??

44. Do you want your friends to email you back? Depends on what I am emailing

45.When was the last time you cried? Last week?

46. What is under your bed? nothing

47. What did you do last night? I closed the library

48. What are you afraid of? Why would I list that in a public area?

49. Salty or sweet? Sweet

50. How many keys on your key ring? 4?

51. How many years at your current job? 1 year

52. Favorite day of the week? Usually Friday

53. How many towns have you lived in? 6

54. Do you make friends easily? No, I am shy.

55. Favorite restaurant? Here in Fort Collins? Either The Rio, Suehiro, or Sri Thai

Moose!

Hiking in Southern Wyoming...

Squeaky Clean Editorial

I love bar soap to the point of obsession (but not compulsion). The only time I have ever preferred a body wash to bar soap was when I toured around the country for this in college. I like the way soap makes my skin feel clean without stripping too much away. Body washes tend to smell detergent-y (to me) and most of the time involve some sort of beads or ribbons that I just don't care to deal with. I like a well made, triple-milled soap, preferably with some sort of scent.

My favorite brands that I must praise are this and this. The former has been falling out of my favor as of late ever since it joined partners with the main owner of the site. I feel like the company has drained the soaps of any of its former variety and creativity (if I could just get my hands on their Fresh Cut Grass and Ocean scents again, I would be so happy). The original and oatmeal varieties are excellent though. The latter is one of my childhood favorites. My dad always made sure that my mom and I always had an ample supply of bath items and this was his choice, mainly because they carry a Gardenia scent, which is my mom's favorite. Also, this company has been in business since the 1700s. When I was a kid I was all over the bubble baths, but these days, the lavender soap is my absolute favorite. Lavender is my all time favorite scent, and these guys get the spicy, yet soothing scent down to a tee.

While I have an ample supply of soap at home (there were some major summer sales and my husband and I are well stocked for the next year) I'm always on the lookout for a good bar soap, whether it be from a major company, locally made, or made from my own hands (one of these days I will try soap making). What is your favorite scent/variety/brand, or better yet, care to prove me wrong on the body wash front?

What is wrong with this picture???

1. My mom wants a Bl@ckberry so she can text and email with her best friend (who lives within walking distance). My dad already has one and I get more emails from his Bl@ckberry than from his physical computer.

2. Jon and I recently got on a family plan for our cell phones. We got the cheapest phones possible and refused the additional charges for texting because we rarely text.

So much for the younger generations "keeping up with the technologies."

Hello Blog!

I have neglected you once again!  Today is EXTRA special because I'm posting twice!  This is a rare occasion indeed.  I have another random Wednesday off and thank goodness because I have managed to mess up my back over the past few days.  So, what's been happening in Colorful Colorado?

-The in-laws visited a few days back.  We took a trip down to Colorado Springs to visit this and this.  The dogs were an absolute hit at the first stop.  People went nuts over their coloring and the fact that they have long hair, which longhaired dachshunds are common, but people just don't realize that they're dachshunds.  They had a blast getting all of the attention and they enjoyed climbing rocks.  Here is a picture... they were exhausted.

The cog rail was awesome, although the seating was uncomfortable and is the likely reason for me sitting on the couch with a painful lower back now.  The scenery was beautiful though and the summit was breathtaking.  I found out that one of my friends worked up there in the shop when she was in high school... they make great high-altitude doughnuts!

-Our dear friends here in FoCo gave birth on the 3rd.  The father went to high school with us and is a medical animator, like Jon.  They gave birth to a precious little boy and he is the first newborn I have ever held.  He has give me reason to practice my stitching lately, which is a hobby that I have come to really enjoy.  So I have created several images on a set of terry cloth bibs.  Cats, drum sets (his dad is a drummer), sea life, rockets, etc.  So much fun!  We're so happy for our friends.

-My parents will be out for a visit next weekend.  I'm so looking forward to this because the dogs love both sets of grandparents and their visit coincides with this... something my mom and I have anticipated for quite a while.

-Jon and I have started one of those "couch to 5K" programs.  Since moving to Colorado, I have done the same amount of exercise, but have eaten more.  I feel awful.  My heart rate feels so fast, so my main goal is to reduce my heart rate. Running here has proven a bit more difficult.  Not only am I out of shape, but the altitude kicks my butt.  We're gradually working our way to a healthy running regiment (we're only on week 2 now which has us walking a lot) and I'm looking forward to feeling like I'm not going to have a heart attack every day.

So that's it for my update.  I'll be back hopefully sooner rather than later!

Book Review: Howards End

Author: E. M. Forster

Originally Published: 1910

Read in: April - July 2009

My second Forster novel, Howards End proved to be an interesting read.  The book focuses on three different gradations of middle class families and class struggles in Edwardian England.  The Wilcoxes are a hard-core rich English family.  The Schlegels are half-German and spend much of their time in salon-like pursuits.  The Basts are of the lower middle class and are constantly struggling.  

Margaret Schlegel and Mrs. Wilcox form a friendship neat the end of Mrs. Wilcox's life that is so profound that she decides to leave the Howard's End estate to Margaret instead of her own family.  The remaining Wilcoxes find this so preposterous that they chuck the written note into the fire and Margaret never knows of her inheritance. The Wilcoxes had an embarrassing encounter with the Schlegels earlier at Howards End when Margaret's younger sister, Helen, struck up a romance with the younger Wilcox son, who soon left the country without her.  After Mrs. Wilcox's death, Henry Wilcox falls in love with Margaret and the two soon married, much to Helen's chagrin.

The Basts come into the picture when at a musical event, Helen accidentally takes Leonard Bast's umbrella home with her.  Leonard follows her and shares an awkward encounter at the Schlegel home.  Eventually Bast and his wife become a charity case for Helen and when the three attend an event hosted by the Wilcoxes, Bast's wife recognizes Henry as a former lover.

The above is only half of the connections these three families share.  It's amazing to me that all three are part of the middle class because they're so different in almost every aspect of life.  The Basts, at the bottom of the middle class totem pole, obviously struggle the most and the passionate Helen is often looked down upon for showing compassion for them.  Margaret is often stuck in the middle of arguments, as she tries to get Henry to open up more while getting Helen to calm down at the same time.  The climax at the end of the book is shocking and very telling of the time period and acts as a wake up call for all.

I enjoyed this book, although not as much as A Room With A View.  I really enjoyed the movie with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.  I watched it about half way through reading the book because I was honestly struggling to finish the book (hence, why it took me 2.5 months to complete.)  The movie got me back on track though, even though it spoiled the end for me.

Up next for the Classics Challenge is Madame Bovary.  I read A Simple Heart in French in college and enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to this.  Actually, I think this will be the first French author I've read since college.  I think I overdosed back then, but I'm looking forward to getting back to my roots, because there are some AMAZING French authors out there.

Tagged

I've been tagged by Camille to list 6 completely unimportant things that make me happy. :)

1. Sunday breakfasts out with my husband-- We are blessed in Fort Collins to have a ton of breakfast options.  Every Sunday morning we treat ourselves to a morning out to eat.  To be honest, we've both been so busy lately that we've eaten out more than we would like, and the evidence has been noticed in both of our waist lines.  Moving back to the point though, we both enjoy the excellent food at many of the fine  establishments FoCo has to offer.  
2. This magazine--  I never really appreciated this magazine, but LOVE its Western counterpart.  I have always enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the West and this magazine is a perfect representation of that lifestyle.
3. Bubble Bath-- I am a sucker for bubbles.
4. Gaming--  We don't play constantly, but have a ton of fun when we do.  Plus, we have gaming at the library, and as teen point person, I need to know these things.
5. I could not live without my favorite lip balm ever.  While this is important to me, it is likely not important to the rest of the world.
6. Reading time-- I get anxious when I'm not able to read for some reason or another.  For instance, I've been working on Howard's End for a couple of months now and I am going crazy.  Yes, I've completed many books since beginning Forster.  I like the book, but it's time to move on to the mound of classics neatly arranged in my bedroom shelving.

Tag yourself!

A Day Off!

I always dread the beginning of the month because I'm usually working and don't get much accomplished at home.  There are 4 librarians where we work, so we each take a weekend to be in charge of the building.  I always take the first weekend, which I don't mind, but who wants to work weekends?  Anyways, I'm very behind on blogging, so I will write a quick, but possibly long update.

A few weekends back, Jon and I spent way more money than we should have and spruced up our little backyard.  The majority of the weekend was spent trying to get rid of rocks.  Living in a desert environment, rocks are huge in landscaping.  They take up space and don't require a lot of maintenance. Jon and I aren't fans though, so we opted for a dark mulch.  We planted some juniper trees, which will eventually allow us some privacy, and of course flowers, flowers everywhere.  I LOVE the flowers out here.  Lots of delphinium, peonies (which we didn't get, but I REALLY want some at our next house), columbine, etc.  I love the colors in our backyard. We also got some honeysuckle, clematis, and raspberry to grow along our fence and some strawberry plants, which we hope will do well next year.  The only problem with all of this?? The DOGS.  They love eating mulch and Quincey completely toppled one of my beautiful delphinium plants a few days ago.  We have some areas fenced off, but can't find enough fencing anywhere around here.  Also, our grass is completely destroyed from their urine.  I'm very happy they almost never have accidents in the house, but our grass is paying the price.  Even with the crappy grass, we're very happy with our backyard and love eating on the patio set on the cool Colorado evenings (yes, it is still cool here.)

About a week later, we traveled to Georgia for Memorial Day weekend.  This was the first time we had both been back in almost a year and it was a delightful visit.  I am particularly impressed all that was accomplished during our visit.  Jon and I traveled to Gainesville our first full day back to visit the Brenau library.  I left with a tear in my eye because looking back, I had the best job and worked with the best people.  I was so lucky to get a job like that straight out of graduate school.  We also managed to see Ashley, Adrian, Chris and Margaret, and also accomplished our main objective of surprising Jon's mom.  His dad wanted to throw a surprise party for Karen's 60th and have a lot of visiting relatives be the main surprise.  So he flew in relatives from Massachusetts and Minnesota, and we flew in from Colorado.  Karen was completely surprised, so mission accomplished.  I also got to spend some time with my parents and even visited a store that Bakerella likes (to the envy of some Colorado friends)!  I might just make some cake pops today.

So what do we have to look forward to this summer?  It's going to be crazy for me since summer in a public library means summer reading program.  When I can get away, Jon and I will be camping and exploring this place and hopefully one place in the Poudre Canyon this summer.  Jon's parents are visiting for the 4th and we'll be headed down to the Springs with the dogs in tow.  My parents will be out in the middle of the month and I hope to do some Wyoming explorations with them (and watch this).  Yes, Wyoming is my favorite state.

I plan on posting pictures of all this at some point.  For now though, it's on to positing some book reviews.  I need to catch up with my reading challenges!

1001 Goals Revisited

See below for my update.  Items in bold are either in-progress or completed.  Confused?

Start Date: July 18th, 2008
End Date: April 15th, 2011

Creativity:

1. Experiment with food design and making food look pretty (and taste good too.)  I took my first cake class in January.  I was going to continue in March, but we didn't have enough people to make a class.  Since then, I've been too busy, but it was the perfect winter hobby for me.
2. Pick up some form of sewing art.  Well, I tried to crochet again, and miserably failed.  My next hobby is embroidery!  I got a friend a gift certificate for her birthday and fell in love with the patterns.  So my next project is embroidering dachshunds on a half-apron!  I don't have a great track record, but I'm crossing my fingers. 
3. Draw and paint again .
4. Ask Jon to teach me basic photography techniques.
5. Ask Jon to teach me basic Photoshop techniques.
6. Make something with the bulk of dried lavender I accidentally bought last year.

Financial:

7. Establish a ROTH-IRA to supplement any retirement earned through an employer.
8. Start contributing to a cause... likely something to help animals and people who help animals (Humane Society or some ASPCA.)  We contributed to Toys for Tots and Dachshund Rescue of North America.
9. Make an effort to tithe more.
10. Continue to pay bills in full and on time.
11. Continue to stay credit card debt free (neither Jon nor I have ever been in cc debt) and continue to only use cards for what we can afford.
12. Pay off Wonda, my car.  I am bolding this one because my car will be paid off next month!
13. Get Jon a new car/truck, and only after my car is paid in full to avoid two car payments.
14. Prioritize major purchases for the house and only purchase another major item when the item of higher priority is paid in full.
15. Only dip into high interest savings either in a dire emergency or to use towards school.
16. Continue to contribute any small amount to the high interest travel fund.
17. Stay insured for health and dental even if unemployed.
18. Do not impulse buy books because they'll likely be donated within the year anyways.

Food:

19. Bake at least one confection per week, excepting vacations.  I've followed this one for the most part.
20. Grow an herb garden.
21. Bake bread more often and learn how to hand knead.
22. Better icing technique and piping skills.
23. Attempt a fancy pastry like a napoleon or an éclair, or reattempt the French macaroon.
24. Practice new cooking recipes to become a decent cook and not focus so much on baking.
25. Get used to high altitude baking.
26. Bake a soufflé (stole this one from Amanda.)
27. Start getting milk products from a dairy delivery service instead of the grocery store.  I love having a milk service.  The quality far surpasses the store.
28. Learn how to cook an authentic foreign dish.

Fun Times:

29. Get a dog and successfully train and socialize it.
30. Get a bike and use it.
31. Host some form of a get-together once per quarter.
32. Have board/card game nights as much as possible.
33. Watch all Doctor Who DVDs available on Netflix.
34. Go see a drum corps show if they come to Denver at any point, since I haven't been to one in a while.
35. Watch one watered down horror movie with Jon... during the day time... when it's sunny.
36. Watch the original Star Wars trilogy.
37. Attend some sort of theater event.
38. Go to at least one festival (food, Renaissance, etc.) 

Health/Environment:

39. Pick up an activity/hobby that requires exercise and/or being outside.
40.Walk as much as possible.
41. Join a club of some sort in Fort Collins to meet new people.
42. Make an effort to get out more.
43. Do not commute to any job more than 30 minutes, unless our financial independence relies on it. School would be an exception.
44. Continue using reusable bags at grocery stores.  
45. Eliminate coffee to very special occasions and drink only tea for caffeine needs.
46. Drink only one soda per week.
47. Replace all lamp bulbs with energy efficient ones.
48. Get a physical once every 3 years.
49. Go to the dermatologist every other year.
50. Wear sunscreen when exposed to the sun for long periods of time.
51. Learn to ski (I've never tried.)
52. Eat red meat at the most twice per week, preferably less.
53. Eat at least 3 servings of fruit/vegetables per day.
54. Start stretching and become limber again.
55. Learn how to shoot a gun.


Home/Organizing:

56. Never leave dishes unwashed.
57. Plant flowers and bushes around the house and maintain them to become a better gardener.
58. Decorate tastefully for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.
59. Do not decorate for Christmas before the day after Thanksgiving (yeah, I might fail at this one.)
60. Devise a storage system for kitchen items.
61. Dog-proof the house.
62. Put up dry wall in the garage and devise an organized system for Jon's stuff.
63. At least make plans to have the basement refinished so Jon can have his office/man cave.
64. Get a bedroom set.
65. Establish the guest room.  We now have a real bed in the guest room ever since acquiring the sleep number bed.  My parents will no longer have to sleep on air mattresses!
66. Make a set and realistic house cleaning schedule and stick to it.

Learning/Career:

67. Consider schooling for possible new paths and try to avoid student loans to finance education.
68. Pick up French and Italian again, or learn Spanish, as it is more practical.
69. Read at least 3 history texts, mainly in European history (one on England, one on France, and one on Eastern Europe.)
70. Take a business or entrepreneur course if switching careers.
71. Re-read The Elements of Style by Strunk and White since I'm awful at grammar and writing, as well as other grammar books.
72. Have at least a part time job by October, whether it be as a librarian or something else.  
73. Vote in 2008 election.

Personal:

74. Get married and change my last name. I still need to change my life insurance though...
75. Make an effort to start my marriage off on the right foot by establishing alone time, us time, and keeping communication open.
76. Establish a living will.
77. Consider pregnancy or adoption by the age of 29 (having a child by 30.)
78. Be less private about my relationship with God, but do not overstep boundaries and do not rub religion in people's faces.
79. Attend church more often.
80. Get to know the in-laws better, as well as my own family.
81. Learn how to drive a stick shift.
82. Have my hair cut at least 5 inches sometime after the wedding.  Oh boy was it cut!
83. Make an effort to be more social and pursue quality friendships.  

Reading:

84. Read 100 classic novels that I have not previously read.
85. Read one book outside of my comfort zone.  I'm doing a book club for seniors.
86. Read and complete a Tolstoy novel (Anna Karenina was a failure for me.)
87. Read all current and past Printz, Newbery, and Caldecott Medal Winners.
88. Attempt the Lord of the Rings trilogy again.

Travel:

89. Visit at least 10 national parks that neither Jon nor I have previously visited.
90. See New Zealand.
91. Visit at least 2 of the 4 states I have left to see in the U.S. (Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, Idaho.)
92. Get back to Europe, preferably England again, but I wouldn't complain if I visited Prague, Greece, or Italy either.
93. Camp at least once per year.
94. Go to Dinosaur monument.
95. Take the Colorado Train
96. Drive through Independence Pass.
97. Take Jon to Devil's Tower and Little Bighorn.
98. Renew passport (can't travel internationally without it!)
99. Find a good and safe place to board the dog(s) when traveling.
100. Go home at least once a year.
101. Visit the Northeast again during summer.

Life Update

Whoh.  It's already May... seriously?  The latter half of May and all of June are the perfect months in Colorado.  Warm days, cool nights, the smell of sage (the best) in the air on evening walks.  It's wonderful.  Sadly, we've been experiencing some crappy weather on weekends, but we managed to take a hike on Saturday.

So, a couple life updates...

1.  Reading has been very slow as of late.  I've given up on one book.  I liked it, but I just wasn't in the mood for a mystery.  I have moved on to this, which I hear is wonderful.  I'm also still reading this and this and need to update on this for the "Once Upon a Time" challenge.

2.  I haven't been reading much a. because work has been so busy and is only going to get worse and b. I've been watching TV and movies.  Sigh.  I don't watch much TV and I NEVER know what anybody is talking about when they quote movies (excepting Harry Potter.)  Jon loves Lost and I thought it was the stupidest show on the planet.  We have been watching the show with our friends for a while and I was originally attending for pure socialization.  I soon asked far too many questions and was asked to watch the show from the beginning.  I'm now hooked and am desperately trying to catch up.  Also, I can't believe I'm admitting this, but this was an amazing movie!   I'm officially a sci-fi nerd.

More to come later...

Lately On My Mind...

• Our new bed (arriving tomorrow)
  
• Pandemics
• Senior Smackdown
• Lakes
• Sawyer
• Tommy and Tuppence
• Vacation, Vacation, Vacation

Ahhh...

A walk after work in perfect weather and the sun still shining at 7pm... the faint smell of sage in the air.  I love Colorado.  I love approaching warm weather. 

Book Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Author: Diana Wynne Jones

Originally Published in: 1986

Read in: March and April 2009

Howl's Moving Castle was my first read for the Once Upon a Time III Challenge.  I have been wanting to read this book ever since I first saw the movie version by Miyazaki, which I regard as one of my favorite movies of all time.  Of course, the book was written years before the movie and I wanted to see how the two differ. I found that they differ quite a bit!

Sophie, the main character, lives in the kingdom of Ingary, where magic is commonplace.  Her two sisters are sent away when their father dies and Sophie is left to work in a hat shop along with her stepmother.  After a brief encounter with the wizard Howl (although Sophie doesn't know it is Howl at the time), Sophie meets the Witch of the Waste who places her under a spell that makes her 90 years old (note that she also can not tell anybody about the spell.)  From here, she decides to make a life of her own and ends locating Howl's castle, which is a huge oddly shaped building that moves all over the place and has a magic door that opens to different locations in Ingary. Sophie moves in under the guise of "new cleaning lady."

Sophie meets Calcifer, a fire demon who moves the castle and has a spell cast on him, as well as Howl's apprentice, Michael (Markl in the movie) who falls in love with one of Sophie's sisters. The main demon of the story, both for Howl and Sophie is the Witch of the Waste.  When Sophie falls prey to her, it's up to Howl to save the day.  Basically it's a coming of age story for multiple characters, with a magical twist.

I thought the book was great.  I love Ingary and found most of the characters believable, even in a world of magic.  I'm glad I watched the movie first because the two differ so much (Miyazaki must have used a lot of creative license) and I rather like an alternate way of going about things.  I might get around to reading the sequels eventually.  Diana Wynne Jones seems to be a great writer.

Book Review: Brideshead Revisited

Author: Evelyn Waugh

Originally Published: 1945

Read in: February - April 2009

Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited was my first read for the 2009 Classics Challenge.  The story is narrated by a man named Charles Ryder.  Charles meets a fellow student named Sebastian Flyte while studying at Oxford.  Sebastian is a fun-loving and needy guy who brings a teddy bear named Aloysius with him everywhere.  The boys form a very close relationship to the point that Sebasitan rescues Charles from his abysmal, yet comical life with his widower father during the summer holiday.  Charles is brought to the family's home called Brideshead, after a first brief visit at Christmas earlier in the year.  There he gets to know Sebastian's very interesting family, whom are all very different personalities and varying degrees of Catholic, something that Charles has never previously considered.

As Charles and Sebastian's schooling progresses, Sebastian begins to find more comfort in alcohol than Charles, to the point where he flees his normal life and travels to Morocco, and then a Tunisian monastery, where he becomes a charity case.  Even Charles can not bring him back, so Charles distances himself from the family.

The above only encompasses the first section of the book, so there are more serious encounters in store for Charles and the Marchmain family.  What I like most about this book is the range of emotions.  There is comedy, drama, love, very vague homosexual undertones, religion, loss, and much more all wrapped up in British formality.  Even though the book took me quite a while to complete, I enjoyed every minute of it.  I plan to read more Waugh, only in the distant future, as I have quite the pile of British literature at my fingertips at the moment.

Giving In...

I can't resist another challenge.  Carl hosts the best challenges, but I was reluctant to join since I wasn't able to complete the R.I.P challenge last fall (marriage got in the way.)  Now that I'm a bit more settled in Colorado, I think I can complete it.  I participated in the Once Upon a Time II challenge last year and I'm looking forward to Once Upon a Time III this year!  Plus, Carl has given us "the journey" option, which only commits us to one book to complete the challenge. By all means, I will do my best to complete more, but I can guarantee commitment to one book for sure.  So below is my list of potential reads.  I can't wait and thanks again Carl!

1.  Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

2.  The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke (I completed Jonathan Strange for last year's challenge)

3.  Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare

4.  Something by Tamora Pierce

5.  Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (I've read the first two, so I should read the third)

6.  Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

7.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Off to read...

Classics Challenge 2009

Well, I almost didn't see Trish's Classics Challenge 2009 post until too late.  I'm planning on reading classics all year, so I'm definitely in.  I hope to complete the "entree" section (5 classics) but will do my best to read as much as possible.  Here's the reading list in which I plan on using for the challenge.  

1.  Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (I will only use this if I don't complete the book by the end of March)

2.  Howard's End by E. M. Forster

3.  Villette by Charlotte Bronte

4.  The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

5.  Vanity Fair by William M. Thackeray

6.  Middlemarch by George Eliot

7.  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

8.  The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence

9.  Animal Farm by George Orwell

10.  Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert

11.  The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

12.  Nana by Emile Zola

13.  To the North by Elizabeth Bowen

14.  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

This list is by no means all-inclusive.  These are simply books I own and haven't gotten around to reading just yet.  I'm looking forward to the challenge and thanks for hosting this again, Trish!

A Wish

I want to take a ride on the cat bus...

Goodness

Good Reads

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban-- I'm on my quest to reread the series before HBP comes out in theaters this summer.  This is also the first time I've reread the all of the books since she completed the series.  It is just as wonderful as I remembered and I'm looking forward to one day planting my butt on the couch and having a 5 movie marathon.
• Brideshead Revisited-- I'm about halfway through this British classic and I'm in love.  Not only do I appreciate the book itself, but am intrigued by the characters and all the mention of Catholicism.  I might post a full review when I'm finished.
• Various other reads-- I'm also chugging my way through the teen Alice series, which is like crack, and I want to see how things turn out.  Also on my shelf are various nutrition books, books on fertility (long story but it has multiple purposes), books on canning and preserving, and books cake decorating.
  
• Upcoming goodness-- I think my next classic will be Forster's Howard's End.  I also need to read one of two Agatha Christie novels for the year, so I'm going to go in the order she wrote them and read The Secret Adversary.  I would also like to try the Western genre to expand my horizons and Lonesome Dove came highly recommended.  We'll see.

Good Times

• Jon turns 28 this coming Monday.  I'm looking forward to making him a Wall-E cake and just having a nice quiet, peaceful birthday celebration with family.
• My parents are going to visit the second week of April.  I'm going to work my butt off the end of this month so I don't have to take much official vacation time.  It looks like I'll have three days to (finally) explore Colorado with them.  I don't mind playing tourist in the least!  Celesti@l Se@sonings factory here we come!
• Wii Fit!  We've had it since February, but are waiting to actually open it in April.  Talk about discipline!  I love our Wii and am looking forward to exercising when I want (I have a knack for wanting to take a walk when the weather is crappy.)
• I'm enjoying a day off today.  I worked another marathon recently, and have enough hours to take today and Friday off to stay even with my hours.  I'm off to make bread.

Adding Insult to Injury

I'm busy and stressed right now.  To add insult to injury, I've had this stuck in my head for days!

Help!