Updates!

So the Fall semester is finally almost over! Which means I'll be able to regularly blog again for like 2 months before Spring semester gets crazy busy. I have lots of awesome topics in mind so keep an eye out for that.

Update #2: I might be moving my blog to Wordpress in a couple of weeks. I took a Web Design class this semester and was more thoroughly introduced to Wordpress (I've blogged there briefly in the past for a job) and I really love how its managed. I'd probably upload my past blogs from here, so there won't be any loss of old blogs. I really just want to nerd out over organizing it. I can basically make my own blog website. Words cannot describe how excited that makes me. Yes, I know, I am a dork.

So keep your eyes peeled for those developments! Happy finals to any fellow students out there and I hope you all have an epic transition into winter break :) I'll be bloggin' from Duluth, MN next time I'm here so see you in Duluth!

Rock on

Kicking the Habit

Well, hello folks! Sorry I haven't blogged in so long :( I've been so busy with school, it is insane. I figured I'd post something quick, just for fun! This is a feature radio piece I produced in my Advanced Radio Production course at UW-Oshkosh. It actually won a couple of awards: 1st place at the Wisconsin Broadcaster's Association in the Long Form Production Non-News Category (2010) as well as 1st place at the National Broadcast News Association in the Soft Feature (Student Market Radio) in 2010.

It's about my journey as a smoker, and how I quit. It's got some fun music and honest writing, so check it out!

Hope you liked it! Let me know your thoughts, I love getting feedback :D Rock on!

Paramore "Singles Club"

Being the huge Paramore fan that I am, I have to blog about this: Paramore is releasing new songs! I could not be more excited!!!!!!

You can go to the Fueled By Ramen webstore to check out the different sets you can purchase. I am so stoked, you have no idea! I love their newest song "Monster," but I am just so curious and excited to see what they sound like with just the 3 of them now. If you don't follow the band, their lead guitarist and drummer left the band this past winter, so its kind of a big deal to see what the band will become. "Monster" indicates good things in my book, and I already love "In the Mourning" even just from the video of Hayley and Taylor jammin together. Check it out:

It's really cool how they're releasing the songs too. If you go buy it now, you can download "Renegade," but you have to wait for the other 2, which will be "Hello Cold World" in November and "In the Mourning" in December. I sadly have to wait for $ to transfer into my bank account before I can go buy it! I cannot CANNOT wait though. Rock on Paramore fans.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe!

So it seems that I'm making it a habit of only posting about movies and music. Understandable, seeing as how much I love them both and they are both integrated in my schooling and everyday life. But there is more to my interests that just those things. I actually love to bake. In high school, the only thing I knew how to make was lemon poppy seed bread (in a bundt pan) and my friend Janae made weekly requests for it!

I think its the methodic nature of baking that makes me love it so much. There's just something so fun and calming and organized about measuring everything out, mixing it and seeing something yummy come out in the end. So I thought I'd share a recipe with you! Here's a nice fall recipe and its one of my favorites! It's pretty simple, but super yummy. Enjoy :D

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water and spices together, then combine the dry ingredients, but too not mix too thoroughly.

Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked into the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on rack.

Yields one loaf

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Fun tip: if you want the bread to taste more cinnamon-y, double the amount of cinnamon. Tastes sooo good! This is one of my favorite things to bake because it just smells so damn good the whole way through! And it tastes good obviously ;P

Hope you enjoy it! I'll post more recipes along the way as I find more favorites. I have like 4 other things I love to bake so if you want to know them, just comment and I'll post em. Do you like my recipe? Or do you have a better one? Comment away! Rock on folks.

The Soundtrack of My Life

Everyone has their favorite music. Maybe for some its just a favorite band. Others, a favorite song. I have tons of favorite songs--who doesn't? I bet you could think of 10 right off the top of your head. But how many complete albums do you love? I'm talking, the whole damn thing, not just one song. I actually have quite a few albums in my iTunes library that I really do like the whole thing. To be honest, I went through and made a list of 20 and narrowed it down to just 10 so this blog wouldn't put you to sleep!

Now, here's the deal: these albums are not ranked in way, shape, or form. There is no effing way I could figure that out. I had a hard enough time cutting the 10 that I did. Some albums have stuck with me because of what they provided me at the time, some are just epic. Anyway, hope you enjoy :D

Something Corporate "Leaving Through the Window"

I figure to start it off, I'll start with my earliest favorite album. A teacher of mine gave me this album back in the 6th grade actually. I was like 12 then. That's 10 years of love. I love love love Something Corporate. Their lyrics are so intricate and flowing. Personal favorite tracks include "Punk Rock Princess," "Fall," and "Hurricane." That last one is so epic. Seriously! From the lyrics to the guitar, from Andrew McMahon's amazing voice to the part when it breaks down after the 2nd chorus--holy shit I just am in love with it. Totally brings me back to junior high walking to school to go crush on my first official boyfriend. I will always love this one.

Interview with the True Blood-ed Lost Boy at Twilight (Hold the Garlic)

Just gonna put it out there: I love vampires. Vampire novels, vampire books, songs about vampires. Okay, I like vampire novels and books and there is one vampire song I know of that I like. "If I Was Your Vampire" from Marilyn Manson's Eat Me, Drink Me album is epic. Just sayin'.

Anyway, the thing that I love about vampire stories is that they are all different; so many different authors and filmmakers have different takes on these age-old tales. I personally get really annoyed when a story lives completely in the box and utilizes all the stereotypical vampire characteristics. My favorites are the ones that don't include:

• Garlic. An herb? Seriously? These creatures suck your blood to live and they can't handle a little garlic? Idiotic.
• Fear of holy symbols. Most vamp tales include some sort of God vs. The Devil internal debate, but it just seems small-minded for them to not be able to stand crucifixes or churches.
• Wooden stakes through the heart. Please. Get creative with how you have to kill these suckers. They're immortal. A simple wooden stake is just an insult.

These are just a couple of characteristics I'm not too fond of. I enjoy the nocturnal, pale, need to be ripped apart and burned to death type. Now, there are several contradictory characteristics that I find interesting. Some I'm strictly on one side, some I could go either way. Some are age-old staples of vampire lore, some are newly created. Lets take a look at a couple.

Retractable vs. Stationary Fangs

This is really just a simple distinction. I used to be a bigger fan of their teeth just being subtlety pointy, but True Blood really changed my mind. It is so awesome how their teeth just snap down! I am still a big fan of the subtle fang, I'm especially fond of Interview with the Vampire scene's when Louis and Claudia change. Below are videos demonstrating both True Blood's retractable teeth (to Lady Gaga) and Interview's stationary ones (from a fan video that includes Claudia's transformation into a vampire).

Nocturnal vs. No Sleep (aka: Twilight)

So just a short note on this one. In all vampire tales, they cannot go out in the sunlight or they will die. But not Twilight. Oh no. Twilight has their vampires never sleep. That would be okay I suppose. If Stephanie Meyer didn't make them sparkle in said sunlight. Yes, I said sparkle. What is scary or deadly about being sparkly? Good God.

Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys

Beautiful vs. Deformed Face Upon Transformation

This is one that I take a powerful stance on. Vampires are supposed to be sexy and romantic and deadly seductive. While I am a fan of The Lost Boys, I hate it when vampires get all deformed when they "transform." This is not sexy:

Kiefer is sexy. This picture: not sexy. Fail.

Same goes for Angel. David Boreanaz has much too pretty a face to have get all nasty like that.

Need Invitation In vs. No Invitation

Now this is a rule that is overlooked by most vampire stories. 9 times out of 10, it doesn't really matter to me. But in stories such as Let The Right One In and True Blood, it really adds something special. In True Blood, it adds this whole new level of sexual angst when Sookie won't invite Bill or Erik in. And in Let The Right One In, as the title suggests, inviting a vampire in can be the last thing you ever do. Yes, that sounded ridiculously cheesy, but that old lady in the book bit the big one after inviting Eli in just because he/she is in a child's body.

These are but a few of the vampire controversies alive among vampire lore. Finding the right combination will buy you a classic vampire story that will stand the test of time. Here's my favorites and why.

Claudia, Louis, and Lestat in Interview with the Vampire

Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles

I absolutley love the world that Anne Rice has created for her vampires. If you've read the books you know that only Interview with the Vampire is through Louis' POV and that the following novels are through Lestat's POV. The books are fantastic. The history of how they came to be is fascinating and there is always a constant sense of romanticism infused with that history. I can't fully express in words how much I love these stories. For those of you only familiar with the film Interview, its pretty close to the book. I love the concept of a child vampire and how it is forbidden in their world. Also love the whole look and feel of the film. Makes me want to be a vampire.

HBO's True Blood

True Blood

This show is just such an ingenious concept: what would the world be like if vampires "came out" in society? The synthetic blood Tru Blood, makes it possible for them to interact with humans normally. This show is just epic thanks to Alan Ball and his vision. True Blood is nothing but pure sex. These vamps are so sexy, their blood is sold like drugs because it gets you high. This is the perfect modern day vampire story. Oh and Evan Rachel Wood rocks.

The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys

So I know I talked some smack about Kiefer in this movie earlier, but I can't deny my love for The Lost Boys. This cult classic is dripping with 80s amazingness - from the fashion to the motorcycles to the tunes. If I could go back to the 80s, I would hang out with these guys. I want to be Star. Yes, they do employ almost all of the annoying staples: aversion to holy water, stake through the heart, and bad breath (of all things), but you seriously cannot help but embrace the cheesy-ness. And can I please get a t-shirt with the tagline?

"Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire."

Enough said.

There are plenty more vampire stories that I like bits and pieces of, but I'll leave my list at that. I have a love/hate relationship with Twilight, so I can't bear to include it in my "favorites" list. I will say, the things I do like about Twilight are all the different powers each vampire has, the "vegetarian vampire" concept, the Volturi, and Bella's whole pregnancy storyline (I find that insanely fascinating). Other than that, the movies pretty much slaughtered everything else about the story.

What is your favorite vampire movie or book and why? I seriously want to know.

Seriously.

Rock on.

Pretty In Pink is Pretty Stupid.

Okay, I just need to vent. I just watched Pretty In Pink for the first time in a while, and holy shit does that movie actually suck! It was never my favorite brat pack flick and I always thought it was bunk that Duckie didn't get the girl, but WOW does it actually suck. Not only does Andie ending up with Blane suck as an ending, but their "love" is totally unjustified and non-existent. The venting shall commence:

First off, the way they get together in the first place is absolutely ridiculous. Their first date is a total sham, proving nothing except that they have nothing in common. And oh no, this is not a case of we-come-from-different-social-standings-but-we-still-can-make-it-work, oh no. They literally have not a single thing in common. Blane brings her to a party with his friends because its what he likes to do and they are assholes to Andie and she doesn't have a single second of fun. Well then Andie takes Blane to a punk club because its what she likes to do, but aside from Duckie being an asshole too, Blane doesn't have any fun either. So what should they do about it? Make out apparently. We have nothing in common? Oh well, we have this weird attraction to each other so let's just make out. And this somehow means that Andie loves Blane afterwards...

Next, their version of "dating" is obsurd. Blane and Andie have their second "date" in a barn of Blane's country club where no one can see them. Not only is he hiding her away in embarrassment, but he keeps talking about how "this is going to happen" and "I want this to happen." Did he ever stop to think that it was happening? As in they were already supposedly "seeing" each other. That was just him trying to convince himself that he was going to go through with dating her/taking her to prom. What an asshole.

Oh and by the way--Andie is a total bitch who can't see what is right in front of her face. I root for Duckie all the way (especially since she originally ended up with him before they changed the ending) but I'm writing this blog solely to point out the ridiculousness of Andie and Blane. While Blane is hiding Andie away in a barn to make out behind closed doors, Duckie is sulking around just wishing he could have the chance to have Andie on his arm. Just think about how proud Duckie would have been to be with her. If Andie could have just gotten over herself, they could have been so fun together! Anyway, moving on...

Third, Blane is a spineless turd, to put it bluntly. In the very next scene, Andie is trying to call Blane and he ignores her phone call! What an insecure prick. Oh, and us as the audience are supposed to be all "poor Andie" but screw that noise! What did she expect??? What did we expect? The next day Andie confronts him (the only time she ever thinks straight in the entire film) and he totally lies to her face! And then he lets Steff talk shit about her! Not once in this entire film does Blane's character show any kind of heroism in sticking up for Andie.


Now Duckie on the other hand... all Steff had to do is talk 2 seconds of shit about Andie and Duckie was all over him! And might I say that that fight ended with Steff on his back covering his face while the teachers has to pull Duckie off of him. Take that you rich butthole.

And last but not least, we have the finale: prom. Okay, its great and empowering and all that jazz that Andie wants to go to prom to show everyone and show herself--blah, blah, blah but I totally lose all respect for her when she caves at Blane's lame little speech. "I believed in you. You just didn't believe in me." WHAT??!?!?!!?!? She took the time to give him a chance and he's the one who got all worried about his image. Big whoop that he went to prom alone and sat here being all broody! He should feel bad for being the turd that he is. But no, he gets to throw it all on Andie and then she goes running after him for it. Nevermind Duckie showing up and nevermind how happy Andie was to see him. Lets just act like that never happened.

All in all, if you ask me, Andie and Blane had the most pointless, uninspired romance I have ever witnessed on the silver screen. Not once did I feel legit fireworks for their chemistry. The only heart-strings of mine that were pulled were because of Duckie and his lip-syncing, genuinely sweet manner. I'm not one of those pro-Duckie whiners who only thinks Duckie should have won the girl because he was so devoted. No--I think that if anyone should have gotten the girl it should have been Duckie because Blane and Andie suck together. I can guarantee they probably screwed that night and then never spoke again. No wonder this movie ended Molly Ringwald's career. Well until that secret teen life show on ABC Family came along, that is.

Long live the Duck man.

What are your thoughts on the Duckie vs. Blane debate? Rock on peoples.

Its September, My Last Year Begins

I looked at the date on my phone today and it read 09/01/2011. Holy shit, its September already, was my first thought. I will be starting my last year of college in less than a week. I can't believe it. It feels so good, exciting, annoying, and scary all at the same time!

Good because everything I do this year will be the last time I have to do them. My last fall semester, my last spring semester. While these could be sad things, right now they just sound good. I've been in college for four years already because of transferring and this last year is long overdue.

Exciting because I have some pretty sweet things lined up for this year. I'm producing the annual Concert for a Cure that will be on October 13th. I've had so much so far just booking the bands, helping make the poster and just thinking about how fun it will be! I've been interviewing for some on-campus jobs so a new job for the school year is on the horizon. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Also, I have this awesome opportunity to manage some bands and get them booked at the New Moon Cafe here in Oshkosh. Just sent off the email to confirm the date I want so I'll keep ya updated on that. This whole concert thing just might be a career path for me...

Annoying because I basically have to stick around for a whole 'nother year for like 6 classes, but of course they can't be taken in one semester. On a very big level, I'm actually really sick of college and the way people are in college. This shouldn't be news to anyone here in Oshkosh, but I'm not really close with anybody save for Ben and a couple other people. I am so ready to start my life in a city far far away from here. Can't wait to start that chapter of my life.

Lastly, its scary because graduating means that I will officially be a "grown-up." I'll have to start paying back loans, having a full-time job and making big life decisions. Ben and I have a life to start together that scares the shit out of me, but makes me insanely excited all at the same time. I already worry about money constantly and thats not going to subside any time soon. There are a lot of looming worries on the horizon, but I am prepared to take them as they come. I guess I'm just scared of things not working out.

But more than anything, this year just makes me think about how happy I am. I'm happy with how much I've grown over the past four years, I'm happy with the person I've become. I managed to quit smoking, start living a healthier lifestyle, met the guy of my dreams (and flushed the bad ones I've had down the toilet), grown a backbone, which in turn has helped me cleanse my life of the negative people I let bring me down. I've gotten to do some amazing things like have an internship at a legit news station, crewed a Skillet concert, worked on tons of TV shows, won some awards for a feature radio piece, now producing some concerts on my own, and I've managed to fall in love with the man of my dreams...

So no matter how annoyed, excited, or scared I get, I can take comfort in knowing that I've followed my heart to an amazing man and amazing career opportunities. I can only hope that you all out there can know the hope and happiness I feel. So to all you college seniors out there this year--good luck in your future endeavors, and I feel for you. And to Ben: I pray this year comes and goes swiftly so we can start our new lives together. Love you and rock on.

I agree, the VMAs really did miss their mark.

So I watched last night's VMAs--I even live tweeted like a dork because I didn't have anyone to talk about them with because Ben refused to watch them with me. While perusing the Hollywood Reporter this afternoon I came across an opinion article about the show by Shirley Halperin called "MTV Video Music Awards: How the 2011 Show Missed the Mark (Opinion)." I am with ya Shirl, I agree on pretty much every single point you made, save a few. Let's hash this business out:

I did enjoy Gaga's opener. I found it really entertaining, even the drawn out monologue. I think everyone was expecting some crazy fashion masterpiece, but she went above and beyond and slapped us all in the face again by being a man. A pretty good lookin' one too if you ask me. Not gonna lie, it looked like she majorly biffed it hopping off her piano, but she rocked it nonetheless. Loved the line about Gaga putting on heels to take a shower.

Yes and Yes to the half-assed tributes to Brittney and Amy Winehouse. Those little girls were like mini-Brittneys on crack! Could it have been any quicker? And the tribute to Amy was really weird... very random feel with Russell Brand, then Tony Bennett, and then the odd choice of tribute song. Hello!!! Where was "Rehab" or "You Know I'm No Good" or "Me and Mr.Jones"? Honestly, the only reason I know the song "Valerie" is because I used to have a friend obsessed with Amy and he would sing me "Valerie" but would sing Mallory in place of Valerie as a fun joke. Pick what she's known for, for God's sake!

Beyonce totally stole the show. She is just an effortless classic diva like old school Whitney Houstin or Tina Turner. And that belly-rub!!!!! Could not have been more epic of a cute moment. She's gonna be performing till that baby pops out, I swear. Could you imagine "Single Ladies" with a prego belly? Beyonce could do it.

And I would like to add, WTF Chris Brown? First off, when was it okay to like him again? I thought he was on everyone's shit list still from the whole hitting Rhianna thing... guess I'm not up to speed. But the lip syncing and effing random time jump things? Where did "Smells like Teen Spirit" come from? So confusing. And the flying through the air thing got real old, real fast.

Who were half of those people???? I know I'm a little out of the loop with Top 40 most all the time, but I seriously didn't know half the damn songs performed! I agree with Shirley on all of the examples put out there--all but Adele. Yes-she could have sang "Rolling in the Deep" but "Someone Like You" did just fine. She made me cry.

There are lots of other little things--good and bad, as Shirley states. The no host thing = epic fail. The random set = utter confusion. I did enjoy though, as stated, all of Gaga, Dave Grohl's acceptance shout-out, as well as Katy Perry winning some shit.

All in all, kind of lacking in continuity and creativity. But as Adam Lavine said best, the VMAs are the “one day a year when MTV pretends to still care about music.” So true. So true. I could write an entire blog just talking about how MTV totally blows when it comes to their programming. But thats another blog for another day.


Thanks for reading--tell me how you feel and continue to rock on.

My Summer Bookshelf

Well hello! Hope your summer has been good, first off. Mine will officially be over in 2 weeks, but I don't regret the way I spent it. I had a great time watching movies at the discount cinema with Ben (my boyfriend) and not having a job. But the one goal I set for myself this summer was to do a shit ton of reading. And that I did. I read/finished 6 books--well, technically 5 because I'm still reading number 6. Why the big reading kick? I love reading for fun. Always have. But as a college student, reading for class and assignments eat up your life and your desire to read leisurely. Come September 7th I will no doubt be stranded in the middle of a book that I won't finish till winter break, but at least I got my fix while I could. Here's what I read and my thoughts on each. Enjoy!

1) "Let the Right One In" by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Let the Right One In is more commonly known for the film adaptation from Sweden. I am a huge fan of reading books that have been adapted to film. There is nothing better than enjoying a movie, finding out its based on a novel, and then reading that novel only to receive so much more of the story what was in the film. Several of the books on this very list of summer reading have been adapted to film. Anyway, I also love vampire stories (this isn't the only vamp novel I've read this summer either) and this one is particularly interesting. Not your typical seductive, all about sex vamp story for sure. Based on a boy named Oscar and the vamp "girl" Eli he meets. I'm not gonna lie, the book got a little stale after a while in terms of pace, but it was still a great story. The film totally captured the mood and vibe of the book. So, not my favorite read of the summer, but good just the same. If you like vampire novels, give it a whirl, or at least see the film. NOT the American re-make though. I don't care if you don't like subtitles, watch the Swedish version.

2) "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger

Yet another novel that was adapted to film, this book was so good! Technically I didn't read the entire thing this summer, I had started reading it during the school year last year and never finished it. But this is such a great love story! The writing was phenomenal and it was so well organized. The book flips back and forth between Henry's POV (the time traveler) and Clare's POV (his wife) while also flipping through time. It may sound confusing, but it makes total sense while reading it and creates such a magical world where Henry gets to see his dead mother on occasion, meet Clare as a young child, see his own future child, as well as many other escapades-both dangerous and endearing. READ THIS BOOK! Seriously. Could not put it down. Good movie too. I absolutely love both Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. Perfect casting.



3) "Push" by Sapphire

First off, if you've seen the movie Precious, you know how sad/inspiring/crazy this story is. Well, take the intensity of the movie and multiply it by like 5 and you get the novel. I don't think I could even put into words all the things this book made me feel. Mostly, it just made me sad. So many people like Precious are out there in the world, and they don't do a thing to change it because they've never known any different. This story is a perfect example of how kids get lost in the system and get fucked by the system. No child should ever have to endure anything near what Precious fictionally did. That's all I'm going to say or I'll start ranting. If you can handle it, read the book. It will blow your mind and see the world a little differently.

4) "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

While being an American classic and a title I had often heard of in my life, I had never until this summer read Catcher in the Rye. It was at the suggestion of my boyfriend Ben that I give it a whirl. He thought I would like Holden (the main character) because he talks constantly about people being phony--a concept I too am not fond of. There are a lot of legit points that Holden makes about people in general, but I'm not going to lie--not my favorite book. His ranting got really old a lot of the time and he was really self-centered. Holy crap was he self-centered. The style of writing wasn't really my cup of tea either with it being in a style of speech rather than an actual novel. Don't really have much exciting to say about it because I simply didn't care for it too much. Can't win 'em all right?

5) "The Tale of the Body Thief" by Anne Rice

Okay, just to get this out in the open: I LOVE ANNE RICE'S VAMPIRE CHRONICLES!!!!! These books are by far my favorite vampire stories. Although I have only read the first 4, I've read Interview With The Vampire three times, The Vampire Lestat twice, and would gladly go back and re-read The Queen of the Damned, that book was awesome also. I love Lestat. I won't lie, I fell in love with Louis first in "Interview," which is through Louis' POV. But with the following novels being in Lestat's POV, I learned to love him more. "Body thief" was a really interesting concept, allowing Lestat to once again inhabit a mortal body. I won't spoil the story with any details, but its an interesting ride. Memnoch the Devil is in my bookshelf waiting to be read next :D

6) "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown

Currently reading this one right now, but it shouldn't be long before I'm finished. I seriously cannot put this book down! I know I'm a little behind the times in reading it, but whatever. I'm reading it now and thats what counts. Sorry to all you Christians out there, but this book makes me glad I'm not religious. It is ridiculous how much of Christianity is just copied from other religions--nothing is original!!! I don't want to religion bash so I'll just leave my comments at that. On another note, with this being yet another novel adapted to film, I'm very muchenjoying the extra detail of the book, but I'm finding that the movie is surpassingly accurate tothe novel. So, if you've seen the movie, you can definitely guess every new plot development, but it by no means ruins anything. So if you're like me and still haven't picked it up, I encourage you to.

WHEW! Sorry for the massively long first blog! Please don't let the longevity keep you from reading my future postings. I'm usually not this long winded, I'm just proud of what I read this summer :P As far as reading goes, the books on my "to-read" list still are Memnoch the Devil, Silence of the Lambs (yet another book adapted to the screen), and a must-re-read of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'm sure there'll be a HP posting to come after that one.

Thanks again for reading my blog, comments welcome. Rock on!