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.

Lego Architecture, The Beauty of Music Videos, and My Thoughts on The Bellevue Arts Fair 2014

So, you are probably wondering if I made it to the Bellevue Arts Fair this year.  I did, but not for very long, as I had another event that I decided to attend that evening.  I saw many great things in the short time I was there.  I will write about that towards the end of this blog.  

A few weeks before the Arts Fair, I went to the EMP specifically to see "Spectacle:  The Music Video" exhibit.  Before spending my time, listening and watching incredible music throughout the years, I briefly took a look at the exhibit:  "Block by Block:  Inventing Amazing Architecture."

I had forgotten about the Lego exhibit at the museum when I arrived at the EMP, so it was an extra bonus to see!  The exhibit was not very big, as it only took one room, but the Lego structures were quite nice.

In the photo below:  Buildings from two favorite cities together.  Left:  The Willis Tower (formerly "Sears Tower") and the Space Needle.  Complete with the 12th man flag waving on top:

The little details are amazing:

These Lego men are working hard to complete the 30 St. Mary Axe, structure in London:

The music video exhibit was much larger than I expected.  Several monitors were dispersed throughout each room, and often showed more than one music video.  You could spend all day there, just watching the videos themselves.  Since this is in Seattle, they obviously had costumes from a Macklemore & Ryan Lewis video (Thrift Shop) on display:

I want my MTV...

First music video aired on MTV August 1, 1981:  "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.

Devo's "Whip It" played below a replica of the iconic head-gear, in what they called an "Energy Dome."  I think it looks like the bottom half of a toilet plunger:

This is the result of when OK Go makes a music video using a Rube Goldberg Machine ("When the Morning Comes"):

One of my favorite music videos of all time "Take On Me" by A-ha.

The artwork is just amazing in it:

There was one music video on display that was in 3D.  The 3D was amazing, but it had to be one of the weirdest music videos I have ever seen.  The music video is called, "Wanderlust."  The artist is Bjork.  Here is Bjork's headgear and a prop-head:

...and I believe this may be a mock-up sketch.

After finishing what I wanted to see of the music video exhibit, I found some new things on display for the "Icons of Science Fiction Exhibit."  I also took some photos of things I missed before:

One of the Robots from "Lost In Space":

An old cyberman costume from "Doctor Who":

I believe this is supposed to be the Discovery One space craft.  From "2001 Space Odyssey":

There were several sci-fi books on display that had piles of things around them:

Stargate helmet:

I was looking forward to going to the Bellevue Arts Fair this year.  Like every year, I planned not to buy anything, and luckily, I managed to save my money.  So, in a way, it helped that I had to leave early.

 

One of the first things I was impressed with, was a table done by Rocky Canyon tileworks.  A beautiful table, hand-crafted in a mosaic style.  A husband and wife team do all the artwork themselves.  The wife individually carves each shape from clay to be laid into the tables, and the tables are welded and shaped by the husband.  The result is colorful and lovely.  Some of the stones look as if fresh water droplets are remaining on the surface of the table.  It makes a very stunning effect.

As I was looking at David Bjurstrom's art from afar, I could have sworn they were black and white photographs.  I was amazed at the incredible detail.  The shadowing is astonishing.  There is one piece that is called "Longhorn," and the hair looks as if you could touch it.  It is so amazing.

There were some interesting retro-looking radios at the Arts Fair this year from Mod Radio.  Some looked like globes, others looked like antique cameras, and some looked just like old radios - except you could attach your iPod to them.  I thought they were pretty neat, and kind of fun.

They had some of this chain-link clothing on display at Unzicker Design.  It may look light to wear, but just lifting a small piece of it, I could tell it would be quite heavy.  It would be quite awesome to wear however, to a party or somewhere.

Can Do Planes makes art from recycled pop cans and beer cans.  I really liked an airplane I saw made from a Coca-Cola can.  There were planes, vehicles, and a few animals done in this style.  It was pretty fun.

Some large pieces of glass, with light illuminating from behind gave Samuel Bates artwork a breath-taking 3D effect.  Looking at the pieces, it would not seem possible, but they are carved in a way that gives an illusion of depth in space.  My favorite piece is one he has of a girl with butterflies coming out of her hair.

Last, but not least, was one of my favorite items I saw that night.  A Carogi bag.  These bags are not only pretty, but they are versatile.  You can wear them as a shoulder bag, a hip sling, a backpack, and a book-bag.  I liked one of the bags with a face on it, but there are others without faces, if that is not your style.  The artist was very nice, and showed me the various ways it can be folded to be a different bag.  They were all very detailed and beautiful.

I wish I could have spent longer at the Bellevue Arts Fair, but sometimes plans conflict with other plans.  I think I may have only stayed 40 minutes, looking around under the Bellevue Square Mall parking lot, but perhaps it was more like 2 hours.  I am not sure.  It seemed like a short time, but my feet were tired at the end.

Looking Back: Things I Want to Remember from 2013,LookingForward:Things Happening In 2014

Where does the time go?  January flew by, February only had 28 days in it, and now it is March!  I started to write this blog either in early January or late December.  I suppose I should finish it!  Here are some things I want to remember from 2013, and a few things going on so far this year.  

Driving in Seattle:

The Ferry Ride to Bainbridge Island:

I had been on a ferry before (when I was a kid), but never by myself with a car. Just before I was asked to do my current route, I was asked to go to Bainbridge Island for a special delivery for my work.  It was a new experience for me.  

The music I enjoyed during 2013 (and still today):

Clarity - Zedd (featuring Foxes) - I love this song, the video is kind of different, but I really like it.  The vocals are excellent.

Let Her Go - Passenger - The singer's style on this song kind of reminds me of Cat Stevens.

Radioactive (also It's Time, and Demons) - Imagine Dragons - Very catchy tunes.  Radioactive is my favorite.

Stay - Rhianna (featuring Mikky Ekko) - Nice, soft and slow song.

Red Hands - Walk Off the Earth - I liked this song the instant it came on the radio.

Out of My League - Fitz and The Tantrums - They also had a great song that was free awhile ago called "MoneyGrabber."  I like their style.
Trouble - Taylor Swift - I like many of Taylor Swift's songs, this just has some extra oomph to it!

Safe & Sound - Capital Cities - Upbeat sound.  The lyrics are kind of cool, too.  

Battling dragons.  I had to battle some dragons last year.  I am not going to go into it, but I am glad I am past having to deal with certain people or circumstances that made my life difficult last year.

Working with a great group of coworkers.  Last year, I have had the opportunity to work with, and get to know some great people at my current job.  I do not get to see them as often as I like, now that I am on the road almost the entire time for my current route.

In 2013, the workers at my current job had great camaraderie.  I have not had that at all the jobs I have worked, and my current place has not always had that in past years, either.  It makes a difference when you work at a place where everybody tends to get along.  It only takes one person to make a good situation not-so-good, to downright miserable.

For Christmas I got a Kindle Fire! (I have been making very good use of it in 2014, reading tons of books, streaming movies, etc.)

Finishing my friend's 3rd book (an early birthday gift to myself).  Here is my review from Goodreads:

Eena, The Curse of Wanyaka Cave by Richelle E. Goodrich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is probably my favorite in the series so far. The cover is my favorite too, really like the colors used, and I like how it has some depth perspective to it.

There are many memorable and interesting things that happen in this book. Like meeting the other civilizations on the planet, and how they live. Ian's new talent. Getting a peek into the past, to understand the characters better. I liked how it ended, too. I could even be okay if the series just ended there, leaving it up to the reader's imagination -- but I know that is not where it ends.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

View all my reviews

 I set some small goals for 2014:

This year I plan to... by jackie-s-eyeslikeacat featuring LSA International

Eat more vegetables.  So far, so good.  I have been adding more vegetables to my lunches, and the dinners I make.  More variety, too.  I am particularly enjoying cucumbers and red bell peppers lately.

Drink more water.  I have been getting better about taking my water to work, so I can have it on the road.

Read more.  I have been reading quite a bit more since I got my new Kindle.  I can read the pages faster with a bigger screen (compared to my iPod, which I had been using, and still do sometimes). I also like the text-to-speech feature, which is much more smooth than my other Kindle text-to-speech feature.  I still like to read along when I use that feature, it helps me understand the tone better when I read along.  The tone and word pronunciation can be wrong while listening to a automated voice.  I can correct it in my head better if I am looking at the words myself. 

Write more.... oops.

Draw more... It isn't drawing, but I have been entering many more contests in Polyvore, just to keep my creative juices flowing.  Lately, my sets have been going a little more on artsy side than my sets in the past.  I have done a little doodling on the side, once on a McDonald's napkin during a lunch break.  

Another site I have been enjoying, is looking artwork done by various people on Illustration Friday.  The site that gives a word, and then anybody can add their drawings/artwork that resemble that word.  I have drawn a few doodles on my own, from the word given, but I have never actually submitted anything to it.

Exercise for at least one more day (I specifically worded it like this to myself, so I wouldn't get discouraged).  I have had to walk to the Park & Ride lately, due to a change in parking arrangements at work.  I could wait for the shuttle, but sometimes it is just faster to walk the 20-30 minutes it takes to get there!

I was very close to adopting a cat this year.  A friend of mine had to give hers up, and I was highly considering it.  Unfortunately, I feel my apartment charges too much to own a pet, so I probably won't be getting one as long as I live where I do currently.  I don't mind paying a one time deposit fee for a pet (which is how it was when I first moved here), but a month-to-month rent in addition feels like a rip-off.  So, I will just have to visit other people's cats instead.  I will really miss my friend's cat.  Isn't she pretty?

Autumn Owls - Raindrops in the River

I came across this song today.  I really like the sound of it.  It is a bit ominous and depressing, but I really like it!

Current Music Favorites!

I have been enjoying this song while at work on the radio for awhile now, called "We Come Running" by Youngblood Hawke.  So, I was excited to see that it is offered free this week on  iTunes (through Monday, the 20th of August)!

Some other tunes I have been enjoying this month are:

"Too Close" by Alex Clare

"Feel So Close" by Calvin Harris

"Overkill/Hold Me" by Delta Heavy (Originally because I saw this video with a clip of it in it, it only has a small segment of the song, but you get the idea.  The video is funny, too - my favorite part is when he jumps over the fence).



I also regained the love for "Rule the World" by Take That, a song that originally played in the ending credits of the movie "Stardust."  I thought they did a great job at the Olympics performing it, and it was probably my favorite performance at the closing ceremonies.  The Pet Shop Boys performance of "West End Girls" was good as well.  Did it remind anyone else of The Hunger Games, though?  Not that that is a bad thing, really...just curious.

Primavera Anticipada

This is such a beautiful song and video. Laura Pausini is an Italian artist, and James Blunt, a British artist (<--British? I did not know that!), is also featured on this video. I think their voices blend well together. This is the Spanish version. There is an Italian version as well. I probably like this one best, because I heard it first. I love trying to sing the Spanish lyrics, even though I honestly don't know how to properly pronounce the words, having never learned Spanish! Makes me want to learn, though!

Gordon Lightfoot

I have been listening to this song quite a bit lately. The lyrics are so beautifully written, and in this performance, the emotions of the song are captured very well.

If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot - 1979

Adele and Oren Lavie

A few weeks ago I downloaded the music video: "Her Morning Elegance" by Oren Lavie from iTunes. I fell in love with it immediately. It reminded me of a video that I had seen by Adele, called Chasing Pavements about a year ago, which I also liked very much.

The Moody Blues - Question

Like I have said before (in a previous blog), this is a band my whole family likes. I have been able to listen to them quite a bit recently, due to my new job position because my boss is into the classics. Here is a song by The Moody Blues that I have been listening to lately (previous music video has been removed.  This is a different video of the same song).

Moody Blues - Question (1969)

What Happens When a Pirate, Dragon, and Robot Form a Band

This video is so very creative and funny!

Crooked Teeth - Death Cab for Cutie

The video has been removed since I last posted the video, but you can still buy it on iTunes, or see a small portion on the link above.