Finding Happiness Through Hobbies

Hey guys, I know it has been a long time since I have written on here, and I was actually surprised to see a comment on one of my blogs recently.  I have been meaning to write, but have been keeping myself busy with other projects.

I thought this plant was done for this year, but it proved me wrong!

A couple of years ago I got out of the driving department, which was a very good change for me.  My new supervisor was great. So, I was sad when, after a year, he quit, as well as our General Manager.  I managed to stay. It took about 9 months before we got a new supervisor, which kept me very busy at my place of work. Eventually, we added some more people, but I was still working tons of overtime hours. I do like the new supervisor, though, which is good. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, none of us, have not been able to work for about a month now.

I still have my other hobbies, though. Whether I am working at my regular job or not.  I have actively done Inktober for 2 years in a row, now. For those who don't know, Inktober is a worldwide individual challenge inspired by prompts put out by Jake Parker.  He created it to get better at his inking skills.  I tried 3 years ago, just doodling from a few of the prompts, but never posting.  Then, two years ago, I committed to do the whole thing, no matter how bad my art looked.  Last year, I even bought a sketchbook, some new pens, and an official shirt, to motivate myself.  My cousin even sent me a fountain pen for my birthday, to motivate me as well.  She participated with me, but did not post her drawings.  She did show me, her artwork, however.  It was fun!

I did buy new art supplies, but I actually only used half of the ones shown here (last year).  The other half, I used the year before. Shown:  Official Inktober shirt, pencil, India ink, ballpoint pen, Sharpie, eraser, and sketchbook (I didn't use the India Ink for either Inktober... maybe next year?).

Two years ago, I had some vacation time to do my drawings, and they were pretty easy, and went quickly. Last year, everything I thought of took a little more planning and work. When the list was put out in September, I did some pre-sketches, so I would not forget those ideas.  All the inking, however, I waited till the day of. It was definitely challenging, especially with as many hours as I was putting in at work, but I felt it was worth it.

This was my pencil sketch of "Legend" Daryl Hall.  I debated whether I should ink this one or not.  I should have not.  At least I took a photo, first.  I still need practice on drawing people.

November came.  I noticed one of my favorite cartoonists, Michael Jantze was having a challenge in drawing characters from his comic strip The Norm.  He called it "Normvember."  I came up with some ideas, and drew them up.  He really liked them.  In fact, he sent me some hand-drawn post-its of his own work, which was very cool. It was fun.

My mashup version of The Norm and Doctor Who for Normvember.

A cute little gift my sister brought me from Japan on her last visit here.

My sister and her family visited from Japan back in August of last year.  She ordered herself an iPad, and told me about a drawing program called "Procreate." It looked pretty awesome.  Last December, I received an iPad as well, for Christmas, and downloaded Procreate. It is very much like Photoshop to me, so I learned it very quickly, and am still learning new things about it.  I have drawn on it every day since.  I get ideas from prompt lists on Instagram.  There are so many talented artists on Instagram! One of my favorite musicians, Alex Band even started following me.  That was exciting.  Just recently, I participated in a challenge called #6fanarts.  I had friends tell me who to draw for most of them, but I decided to choose to draw Alex Band for my first slot.  I was so happy that he, and many of his fans, liked it!

My stylized version of Alex Band for the #6fanarts challenge.

Another hobby that I have been doing is reading a ton of books.  3 years ago, I started doing a 50 book reading challenge, that one of my friends started.  She uses a list from the Idaho Falls Public Reading Library.  They give a list of 50 categories, and you get to choose a book from each category.  It really expands the type of books you read.  I read categories I would not normally pick, but I found out there are so many categories I like.  After each year of reading, we meet at her house for a party, that usually involves good food, and a white elephant book exchange, games, and prizes.  The first year, I managed to read all 50 books, in each category.  Last year, there was an option of three different tiers.  I chose the lowest, the 25 books.  Thank goodness I did.  There was no way I was going to get through 50 books last year.  This year, there was no other option, so I am trying to do 50 books again.  Hopefully, with this isolation period we are in, I can catch up, and make it.

Lots of books to read, so little time, well, maybe not now.

A current thing, that I am proud of, is, I have managed to keep two of my plants alive for several years now.  They only seem to like the light from my bedroom window, so it really limits the plants I can have, I guess.  I have a geranium that bloomed twice.  Not many blooms the second time, but I was surprised, because I heard they do not bloom more than once.  The impatiens, I thought were done for, and I wound up trimming them back so much, they looked ridiculous.  Then, last year, they filled out, and had a ton of blooms throughout the season.  I was thrilled!

More blossoms!

I am also enjoying cooking again, even if it is on limited ingredients, because I have only been to the store once since this whole isolation period started. When I did finally go to the store, I forgot to get some things!  Oh well!  I am finding things in my house I forget I had, or realized I haven't used.  I am now putting them to use. Making me glad I purchased them in the first place.

Through all this, I have had my good days and bad days. I feel grateful that I have time to do things I like, and also get things done that I did not have much time for.  I worry sometimes how long this will last. Will my job really be there when this is over?

This was a doodle for "Wind," but it feels appropriate for these uncertain times.

The worst news so far, was hearing that one of my favorite YouTubers took his own life.  In his last video, he admitted to being bi-polar.  It would sometimes take a long time for him to post a new video, but I didn't mind, it always made me happy when he did.  I did not know him personally, and I never made any comments on his YouTube account.  I did wonder earlier in the week he died, how he was doing, personally. I wondered if this isolation period was hard on him.  He hadn't posted any videos for awhile, and I just figured once we got through this, he would post one.  I was devastated when I heard the news. He did the videos called "Talking Kitty Cat." It was videos of him, of his cats and dog.  The main star, being a cat, named Sylvester.  Sylvester's character was a foul mouthed, selfish cat, but you couldn't help but love him, anyway. Steve Cash was humorous in how he brought new life into his pets.  He also sang sometimes. One catchy tune is called, "What the Kitty Doesn't Like."  He had a really nice voice.  I am really going to miss Steve Cash, and his awesome videos.

Unrelated, a day or so after, Alex Band went live on Instagram. He talked to fans, brought out his son, talked a little bit about fatherhood, and sang two of my favorite songs of his, "Anything" and "Euphoria."  That cheered me up a bit.  It was really nice for him to do.  He did more songs the next day, on his Patreon page.

As I was writing this, I caught the last half of a live show on Instagram with Mandy Moore (another favorite singer and actress) and her husband, Taylor Goldsmith. They sang very well together.  They seem to compliment each other very well, as a couple, too.

I was just happy to have toilet paper before the news of isolation hit.

Everybody is dealing with things in their own way.  Some of us are able to work, helping others.  Some of us are able to be with our families and teach them. Some of us are able to do things to cheer others up.  Wherever you are at, you are important. Whether you know it or not.  It may be difficult, but we will get through this, one way or another.

I believe we will.  More of my artwork can be seen at my Instagram site.

50+ Books, 31 Drawings, and One Amazing Concert

The past couple of years I have been really trying to challenge myself. Some of the challenges were thrust upon me, but many I chose to do. Last year, I finally was able to get out of the driving department, and go into the area I wanted to be. It seemed to take forever to happen, I was doing overtime beyond driving, just to prove I had what it takes to do the job. It did not help that my pain from the car accident got worse for awhile, making it difficult to stay as long as I would have liked, having to make time for doctor appointments and therapy for the pain, but I finally made it. Unfortunately, now my supervisor, who has been a very good fit for me, has decided to move on, leaving me wondering what will happen next.

At the beginning of this year I decided I would finish 3 books. Three that I started years ago, but never finished.  That all changed when I was asked if I was interested in a 50 book reading challenge to be completed within the year.  The reason being, each book had to be from a different category from a given list.  Since Les Misérables was on my personal reading list, I immediately dropped it.  The book is long, and difficult to read, and I did not have the patience to put it with a list of 49 other books.  The other two were fit into other categories, and I figured I would get them both done.  I decided towards the end of the challenge, that I would leave one to finish after the challenge, so I could take more time with it, to enjoy it more.

The challenge started in mid January.  I finished November 11.  I have finished other books since, but I felt really accomplished in having read 50 books!  It wasn't easy for me.  I normally do not read that fast.  I figured out a way to make things work out though.  The challenge helped me find books in categories I might not normally seek out.  I also reread books I had not in years, and felt I got something new out of them.  I found new books I liked, but also realized some popular books are severely overrated.  I wrote reviews for each one as well.  If you are on Goodreads, I think you can view them here: Jackie's Extreme Nerd Reading Challenge Books/Reviews.

If that wasn't enough to keep me busy this year, I also decided to do Inktober, a drawing challenge that happens every year in October.  People from all over the world draw from a prompt list (or create their own), doing one drawing per day.  It started with someone interested in challenging their inking skills.  I tried it last year, but only did a handful of the challenges.  This year, I did every single challenge. There were times it was incredibly difficult to think of something to do, even though the word for the day was already given.  Other times, it was a challenge drawing what I wanted to.  I got through it, though, and hope to do more with my art in the future.  You can see my artwork, and some of my photos from before the challenge here: Jackie's Instagram Inktober Drawings (as well as some photos).

In August, I decided to give myself an early birthday present, and take myself to the Train/Daryl Hall and John Oates concert. I invited my friend Jan, who I have known for many years, but have not done a lot with. I noticed she was interested in going to the same concert through Facebook. I invited her to go, and we had a blast! I have been a forever fan of Daryl Hall & John Oates, and have been to a couple of their concerts. I became a fan of Train around the time they first started, and have wanted to see them in concert, but never have been to a live show.  I do have a DVD of them in concert, however, that cover all my favorite songs from the "Drops of Jupiter" album, but it is not the same as seeing them in person. It was definitely worth it.

Kandace Springs opened the show, and had a lovely beautiful soulful, jazzy sound.  She set a nice calming vibe at the beginning.  I really enjoyed her part of the show.

Even though I did not realize that Pat Monahan is now the only one left in the band since I became a fan, they put on an impressive, high energy show. I also did not realize how long Train has been around. I think it has been about 18 or 20 years!

Train started their set with a song called "Drink Up."  I am not absolutely sure I had heard the song before, but I knew I really liked it, right away. As the show progressed, Pat took selfies of himself with some lucky audience members cell phones, and threw them back (I hope everyone caught their phones okay). Later, he brought out some Train t-shirts, threw some out to the audience in front of him, then put one on. He had each member of the band sign it, while he sang wearing it.  Then he threw it out to the audience.  An older guy who did not seem very excited (probably because he was more a fan of Hall and Oates, maybe?), caught it.  He gave a little smile, then dabbed his head with the t-shirt. Such a shame.  Too bad it wasn't thrown to someone more enthusiastic. The concert went on, and people lit up their cell phones during "When I Look to the Sky."

During a more upbeat song, Pat threw large beach balls out to the audience on the main floor. Everyone was singing, having a great time. Except for maybe the guy with the Train t-shirt, who knows?  They ended their set with my favorite song still, which is "Drops of Jupiter."  It sounded incredible.  I wanted to hear it again right after it was preformed, but I was also excited to hear Daryl Hall & John Oates.  It had been awhile since I had seen them live.

During intermission people were still excited and happy, the arena showed excerpts from Daryl's online show, "Live at Daryl's House."  They showed a clip where he sings with Cheap Trick, several audience members (including myself) waiting for the next set burst into song, "Mommy's alright, daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird...."  It was great.

The seats next to me, that no one was sitting in during the Train concert, filled.  They really missed out, I think.  As Daryl Hall and John Oates are taking the stage, two girls are standing, blocking the view, and talking to each other.  Seriously?  Someone yells, "Sit down!"  They don't do it.  I yell, "Sit down!"  My friend Jan, taps on the guy in front of us, who then quietly asks the girls to sit down. They finally do.

Daryl Hall & John Oates are still amazing in concert.  I was happy because I got to hear some of their more popular songs live, that I hadn't been able to before.  They sang hit after hit after hit.  They also sang a new song, that Train and Daryl Hall and John Oates collaborated on, "Philly Forget Me Not."  I love the song, their voices really blend well together.  They sang a couple of more songs together.  "Wait for Me," a Hall & Oates song, and "Calling All Angels," a Train song.  Pat leaves the stage, and the duo keeps singing. When the set is over, they leave the stage, but are called back for an encore.  They sing three more songs. They finish with "You Make My Dreams."  Even though it is late, I wish the concert wasn't over.  I kind of feel the same way about this year.  It was a pretty good year for me.  So long, 2018.

January's Book Club: Where'd You Go, Bernadette

This month I went to a new book club that was just formed.  It is a combination of some of the people from the day book club I used to be in a long time ago, and the evening book club, which only met a few times, and then stopped for some reason.  We met back in November to discuss what we might want to read throughout the year.  One of the members suggested a book I had already listened to the audio version of, called "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" by Maria Semple. This time I decided to read it digitally.

Our book group met around dinnertime, so we have decided to bring food.  The food suggested was to "bring our favorite Antarctic dish."  I brought blue and clear JELLO jigglers (recipe found on Pinterest) that looked like ice!  There was also iceberg salads, cold fruit soup, hot tomato soup, gummy penguins, along with many other great things.

"Where'd You Go, Bernadette" is focused mainly around five people, so absorbed in their own worlds, that they cannot really see what is going on around them.  There is Audrey, the nosy neighbor, who is a gossip and a trouble-maker.  Audrey's friend, Soo-Lin, who likes to complain much about her personal problems and thinks more of herself than anybody else.  There is Elgin/Elgie Branch (pronounced El-jin, or L.G. - as the audio book pronounced it), who is a Microsoft big-wig who is completely absorbed in his work.  Elgin's wife, Bernadette, an eccentric, artsy, fashionable woman, is at the center of everybody's drama. Finally, there is Bee, the overly-enthusiastic teenage daughter, who wants to go to Antarctica, after receiving the best grades she could get from her current school.

The book was a big hit in my book club.  The book's main setting is in Seattle, and the Greater Seattle area.  All of us live in the Greater Seattle area, so it made it more personal for us, than maybe someone who lives outside that.  I have heard reviews of the book both ways.  Some people really love the book, some don't like it at all.  I can see why on both sides. 

In my group, there were a couple of women who moved from California, and there are a couple of others who husbands work for Microsoft.  When asked if they could relate to the book, they definitely felt like they could.

Being originally outside the Greater Seattle area myself, I could relate to some of the issues as well.  Some reviews I read/watched thought the characters were "too over-the-top."  Part of the reason why I may have not loved this book as much some, may be because I felt some of the characters were almost too real.  I could relate to them too much, having known people in my lifetime who have acted much like the characters in the book do. 

Audrey drove me crazy.  She was the character I loved to hate.  The book would not have been entertaining without her.  One person in my book group said that she was her favorite character, and she had the best arc.  Which is true.  Of all the characters in the book, Audrey has the best arc.

Bee was my favorite character.  The book is told from her side, through a series of letters she reads throughout the book.  I liked the style, reading the compilation of letters, and faxes, and whatnot.  I felt the format really makes the reader feel a part of the story.  In some ways, the reader is Bee, looking through all the information to figure it all out.  As a group we agreed that it could not work from anyone else's viewpoint.

Some reviews felt the title was misleading.  They thought Bernadette did not leave till late in the book.  This isn't entirely true.  However, it doesn't necessarily mean "gone" as in physically gone, either.  I think some readers might have missed that part.

Some reviews thought a couple of characters sounded the same.  I think it helped that I heard the audio version first.  It helped me keep track of which character was who, and I felt the narrator did a great job.

Something I didn't understand, when I was reading it digitally, is some words in a couple of the letters being in bold for no apparent reason.  Did anyone else notice this?  Did I miss something?

I could go on about the other characters, but I really don't want to spoil anything.  All I know is that we had a ton of people at this book club, and everyone there seemed to really enjoy it.

My Book Report: The Books I Chose to Read In 2015

According to Goodreads, I read a total of 13 books last year.  That is 10 books less than the year previous.  The past year was an accomplishment, however, because I finally finished the 1,472 pages of the book, Gone with the Wind, which was a New Year's Resolution of mine for 2015.

Here is my review of it from Goodreads:

Book #1  Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell  My rating:  4 stars.

Wow. I cannot believe I finally finished this book! It is a long book, and I took my time to fully enjoy it.

I was not expecting to like this book much, because I saw the movie years ago, and found the movie to be boring back then. The first time I fully watched it, I had a really bad sinus infection, so that might be part of the reason. I remember renting it again, and still finding it boring. Now, that I have read the book, I feel like giving the movie a 3rd chance. I thought the main actors chosen in the movie were great for their parts, at least.

I started this book years ago when my book club suggested it. I knew I wouldn't finish in a month, but I started the book, hoping it to be more interesting than the movie was. It started off well (but so does the movie). I was frustrated that it didn't have the text-to-speech feature, though - of all the books not to have that! I then became very busy at work, got distracted with life, other books, etc. I wound up putting the book down for a few years, and picking it back up because I really did want to finish what I started.

The book could have easily been a series of 5 books, and is actually broken into 5 separate parts, which I found interesting. It follows the life of Scarlett O'Hara and all the trials she goes through. There is also Rhett Butler, who appears in different stages of the book. Each character seems to develop, and reveal more about themselves with each section.

There were some surprises I didn't see coming, and some things I should have seen coming, but didn't. Reading this book was almost like watching a soap opera, set in the 1800s. Some parts made me laugh (which I didn't expect at all), some parts shocked me, other parts angered me, and some parts frustrated me - so many emotions on one book!

Even though the book is fiction, it gives some insight of how some people may have really thought of things back then, and how they interacted with each other over certain situations. There were some parts of the book that seemed irrelevant, which I feel could have been cut, but for the most part, I really enjoyed reading it.

Now I am just curious how the movie version will compare.

I borrowed the movie, giving it a 3rd chance.  I actually liked the movie this time.  I felt it did a pretty good job with the book, of course it had to omit several parts, but I remember overall liking it.  It seemed like the book helped me get a better understanding of what was going on in the movie, too.


Book #2  The Giver  by Lois Lowry.  My rating:  3 stars.  If you read this book, you probably liked it better than I did.

I decided to read this book because a reviewer wrote that one of the books I really liked, called "Matched," was "a total rip-off of 'The Giver.'" So, I expected this book to be just as good or better than the Matched series, that I like so much.

I felt "The Giver" had some good concepts, but I felt the plot was weak. I also felt the characters were underdeveloped, and their dialect was not very believable for their age group. I do understand that it is supposed to be a more advanced society, but still. Also, some horrific things happen, which I found fairly predictable.

There is an addition of magic that really doesn't make sense with the story. I overlooked the magic part, because maybe advanced technology could possibly create something that seems like magic in our time, but even so, it did not really seem to fit in well with the rest of the story.

I actually liked the ending, because it can be viewed in more than one way. I did not realize that this book in the series was going to end the story however, and there were some things brought up that were never explained, so it seemed pointless to even bring them up in the first place.

Matched may have been influenced by this book, there a few things that are the same, but overall, Matched is totally different, and a much better book.


Book #3  These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901, Arizona Territories (Sarah Agnes Prine #1) by Nancy E. Turner. My rating:  5 stars.

I am so surprised how much I liked this book. I started to read it a long time ago for my book club, but never had time to get into it. It was just recently added to my library as an audio version, which makes it easier to get through, since I can listen while I work.

The first part of the audio version, the narrator, Amy Rubinate, sounded a bit stiff, and I was wondering if she was right for the reading of it, but later on, I felt like she did a really great job.

The book itself put me through many emotions. I was grossed out by some things so much, I almost decided to stop reading. I also wondered if it would be too much like "Follow the River," which was also a good book, but I really did not feel like reading something like that at this time.

Luckily, it has more going on than the "Follow the River" book had, and the plot is totally different, once you get through the first part.

"These Is My Words" has some really gross, graphic scenes, but it also has humor, sadness, frustration, romance, and more. It is a great read and/or listen.


Book #4  Fighting Invisible Tigers: Stress Management for Teens  by Earl Hipp.  My rating:  5 stars.

This book was written for a younger audience than me, but I still thought it had some great tips, even for adults. I wish I read this when I was a teenager, it may have helped. The book is wonderfully illustrated, and gives readers tips on how to be more calm, positive, and goal oriented.


Book #5  The Perfect Scent:  A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York by Chandler Burr.  My rating:  4 stars.

I would have never picked up this book to read, except it was suggested for book club. I don't often wear fragrance because most female fragrances give me a terrible headache (which runs in my family, on my father's side).

I found this book to be fascinating. I really never thought about what makes a fragrance, or how it is made, but is explained as a piece of art that tells a story. After reading this book, it totally makes sense.

I wound up switching from the hardback book to the audio edition in order to get through the book faster. Mel Foster does the narration. His voice sounds smooth, and a bit clinical.

Foster's voice is a good match for the book, but I looked up Chandler Burr, who wrote the book, and wondered why he did not narrate it. Burr's voice is more animated, and I think he could have added more passion to his own story.

Nevertheless, I thought the book was interesting, and sometimes funny. I did zone out on some of the more technical aspects that were mentioned, however. I did not care to listen to the long list of compounds mentioned. I would have quickly skimmed the compound part if I were actually reading the words. The audio helped with the pronunciation of some of the words I did not know (there are a few words in French), and other complicated sounding brands such Hemès, which I was familiar.

It seems like it would be helpful to have an imagination while reading this book, because some scents described (like specific flowers), you may not necessarily know what they smell like. Some of the author's descriptions are downright hilarious, he doesn't sugar coat anything.

My favorite part of the book is Chandler's first meeting with Sarah Jessica Parker. She adds a cheerful lightness to the story, and I found her thoughts intriguing.

I wasn't sure I should go to Book Club, the week they had it on this book. The woman who suggested the book had a whole bunch of fragrances that she said we could smell and try on. I was worried about getting a bad headache.

I decided to go anyway, and found that most of the fragrances did not cause any problems. I really liked the "Lovely" fragrance. When upon hearing how much I liked it, the owner gave it to me as a gift to take home! I have even worn it a few times since then, I still really like it. It really smells lovely!

So whether you like fragrance, or are just curious about the process, this is a good book to listen to!

Book #6  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.  My rating:  4 stars.

I really liked this book, but I felt like it had so much sexual reference, drugs and abuse, that it overshadowed the main really good parts of the book. Some of it was essential to the plot, but I just felt it was overdone. It also seemed to make light of things that really should be seen as more serious.

I loved the format of the book. The letters really draw the reader in, and makes you feel like a character in the book, yourself. I felt I understood Charlie, even though most of his actions are so different from how I would act. I still found him relatable, despite our differences.

Most books I either feel happy or relieved when I finish them. This one I felt a little sad about finishing. That is all I will say.


Book #7  Stones Into Schools:  Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Greg Mortenson, Atossa Leoni.  My rating:  2 stars.

This was another book I started for book club a long time ago, but never finished. I just couldn't get into it.

When I saw it as an audio-book, recently, I decided to get through it that way. I liked the dialog parts, but only seemed to last about 25% of the entire story, in the center section. The narrator, Atossa Leoni, really added life to those parts. The rest of it made me zone in and out frequently. Every once in awhile I thought it would pick up, but then it didn't for me. It was mostly depressing, too. It was not a bad book, it just wasn't my cup of tea (pun intended).


Book #8  The Manga Japanese Cookbook:  Japanese Bento Boxes, Main Dishes and More!  (International Edition) The Manga University Culinary Institute, Chihiro Hattori (Illustrator).
My rating:  4 stars.

This is a very cute cookbook. I borrowed it from the library mainly because I wanted to know what dango had in it after watching Clannad. The book makes some references to other anime and manga between recipes.

The recipes look interesting and tasty. Maybe someday I will try them!

I was influenced by this book to put a bit of sugar in my omelets.  I think they taste so much better now!


Book #9  Lost Cat:  A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology by Caroline Paul, Wendy MacNaughton (Illustrations).  My rating:  5 stars.

This is a book about a woman obsessed with the goings on of her cat. It is humorous and entertaining, but it also made me cry. The illustrations are delightful! It makes a nice, quick-read for those who like cats.

Book #10  The Rules:  A Guide for People Owned by Cats by Max Thompson.  My rating:  3 stars.

This book was just okay for me. I guess my main problem, is that it felt inconsistent. Starting with the cover. I like the cover, it is a beautiful illustration. The illustrations inside really don't correspond. They seem amateurish compared to the cover. They could also be seen as quirky and fun, but the cover suggests otherwise.

The content is all very tongue-in-cheek. Is it supposed to be written (and illustrated) by a cat or a human? It seems to be one or the other at different times in the book. It has humor, but sometimes you wonder if the author is trying to convince you of things you should not do. Other times, it seems important that you should do what the author suggests.

There were some things that definitely made me laugh out loud, but overall, I was disappointed in this book.


Book #11  No More Bad Decisions by Sydney Finkelstein.  My rating:  3 stars.

This book made some good points, but I wished it was longer.

Book #12  The Mystery of the Green Cat by Phyllis A. Whitney.  My rating:  5 stars.

My 3rd grade teacher read this to our class, and I absolutely loved it then. This book, and a picture on the back cover of a little cat, inspired me to make a little ceramic cat in college that I still have.

I haven't probably read the book since 3rd grade, but I still found it intriguing today. Some things and phrases are quite dated, yet it still stands the test of time. I am surprised I could not borrow this book from the library. It is quite a classic.

(My Dad saw this book, sitting on my lamp table during the Christmas holiday.  He read it, and also really enjoyed it.  He thought it gave a great description of San Francisco.)


Book #13  Exploring Calvin and Hobbes:  An Exhibition Catalog by Bill Watterson.  
My rating:  5 stars.

I haven't even reviewed this book on Goodreads yet, but I absolutely loved this book!  When I read it, I felt like it was written just for me!  Of course, I knew it wasn't, but it was a very satisfying read.  In "Exploring Calvin and Hobbes...", there was a nice, long interview of Bill Watterson with smart questions about his cartooning, as well as some of his personal life.  He also included some favorite comics from other cartoonists, pointing out what he liked about them.  Watterson comes across as very intelligent and kind, which is probably explains why he doesn't want to hang around just anybody.  The artist showed off a little of his photography and painting as well.  He is obviously incredibly talented and continues to grow.  Most of his answers did not surprise me, except for the fact that he has a brother.  I guess I just figured he was an only child.  I wish he did answer the question of what the little gadget with holes in it was.  I have one of those, and I used it during cartooning class on one setting only.  I have no idea what it is called.  I guess if Bill Watterson doesn't know, it really doesn't matter.

The Real Forks, Washington

Last Summer, my friend Danita, came for a visit from Las Vegas.  We only had one full day to spend with each other, so I asked her what she wanted to do.  To my surprise, she said she wanted to visit Forks.  

Some of you may have heard of a book and/or movie called "Twilight."  It was made into a series of books, and then a series of movies.  I read them, I liked them okay, but I would not necessarily call myself "a fan."

My friend Danita, obviously is.  Especially since she wanted to see Forks long after the book series and movie series was over.  She said she could go with this other friend of hers, but since we had limited time to spend together, and I don't mind seeing new things, I decided to take her.

Before our trip, I did some research.  She wanted to go to Forks before all the fan related stuff was gone, which she said has been happening recently.  I found a place online that gave out maps for the "Twilight Tour."  What I didn't know was that absolutely no scene from the movie was actually filmed in Forks!  I knew that some of the scenes weren't, but all of them?  I wondered if my friend knew.  I decided to tell her, because I didn't want her to be disappointed when we got there.  She must not have minded, because we wound up going anyway.

I recently decided to watch the movie because I swore I saw the photo above in one of the movies.  It wasn't in the first movie, that is certain.  I also noticed that Edward Cullen's car had an Oregon license plate!  Couldn't they at least have a Washington license plate on the car?  Am I being too picky?

The town is small.  Which I expected.  It actually did not take long to get to each tourist attraction on the map.

This is "Bella's house."

This is Forks High School.

This is the place where Bella and Michael worked.

This is City Hall.

This is just some scenery around city hall and the "Cullen's house."

This is the "Cullen's house."  Actually, it is a bed and breakfast.  I looks pretty nice.

They even have a mailbox that says, "Cullen."

The Community Health Center, where Dr. Cullen works.

He even has a reserved parking spot!

The vampire threat seemed pretty high, despite how sunny it was outside.  This was taken at a place to eat on the "Treaty Line."  They had very good hamburgers there.  They even had a little area set up for fans to sit in.

Even though it took only a few minutes to get to each attraction around Forks, it took forever to drive out to La Push!  It was worth it, though.  It was my favorite part of the trip!  The beach was beautiful!  My photos don't do it justice.  Also, the sand was not black like most beaches I have been to in Washington, it was actually the color of sand!  I didn't know we had sand-colored beaches in Washington till then.

We came across some sand art while we were there.  Below, a volcano:

a starfish:

part of an octopus head (the whole thing was impressive, though): 

An alligator:

a crab:

and last, but not least, SpongeBob SquarePants!

It was getting late, and earlier I had suggested we should go see "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" which was playing for free at the Mural in Seattle Center.  We thought we had plenty of time to get there.  We wound up not taking the ferry (which was a mistake), and wound up on some back-roads on the way home.  If I had known my GPS was going to take me a totally different direction going home, I would have stopped to get gas first.  I was beginning to wonder if my car would even make it to a gas station as far into the woods as my GPS took us.  Eventually we did make it to a gas station, and a much needed facility.  We grabbed some snacks, and went home.

Overall, we had a great time!  It was nice to spend time with my friend, see something new, and embrace nature.

So, if you are looking for a place to take a day-trip this summer, I would definitely recommend La Push.  However, make sure you have gas before you leave the area.  You may want to ride the ferry on the way back, too.