Tuesday Meme!

Caz did this cute little survey over at Cherry Blossoms and Vodka and I felt I was due for a meme. :)

So, here's to the Desert Island Game...

Which 5 movies, books and tv shows would you bring with you to a desert island?

Movies:
*Almost Famous
*Across the Universe
*The Family Stone
*Miracle
*Walk the Line

Books/Magazines:
*Harry Potter series (you know I can't pick just one!)
*Twilight series (again, not choosing...)
*Shopaholic series (ok, I'm just cheating now...)
*The Great Gatsby
*My Sister's Keeper

TV Shows:
*90210 (old and new...)
*Gossip Girl
*The Bachelor and The Bachelorette
*Full House (all seasons...)
*Dawson's Creek (all seasons...)

What would your top 5 be?

Basic etiquette

It just dawned on me that the girl I was dogsitting for didn't thank me. Not a voicemail, email or note left on the counter when she picked up the dog.

Isn't it proper to thank the person for doing something nice for you when you would have otherwise had to pay for the dog to be boarded? I would think so...

At first I was really hesitant to watch the dog, my job can be pretty demanding and if something goes wrong in my store I am held 100% responsible. I am gone for looooong hours. This is the reason I do not own a dog of my own and got a cat instead. I was going out of my way.

Maybe she's annoyed that I mentioned keeping him if she was still looking for a new home for him? I don't see why though, she's the one that approached my roommate and I about it almost 2 months ago. Now, she has changed her mind. It seems like, ok you didn't want him before when nobody else wanted him and now that someone wants him you don't want to give him up. Grr...

Buuuuuut, back to my point. Shouldn't she have said "THANK YOU"??? Isn't that basic etiquette or good manners? I'm not asking for a gift or money. Just a simple, "thanks" would suffice.

That's all. Rant over.

Little sweethearts <3

Something I am most passionate about is kids. I love kids and hope to someday have a family of my own. I have always been a kid at heart and can play with them for hours. When I was younger (probably somewhere between 11 and 13) my best friend at the time and I were inseparable as most girls that age are. She had a younger sister that was 4 or 5 at the time and my friend would always get mad at me because I would pay attention to her sister and let her tag along with us. Ha ha!

When I see children being neglected by their parents, or overhear their parents say something truly horrible in front of them I am disgusted. I manage a children's store so I see my fair share of children's tantrums and fits. It doesn't bother me, they're kids and kids throw fits. It only bothers me if parents give in right away and give them what they want. That is just asking for more.

Well, the other day this woman came in with her two small children and right away we knew she was not happy with her kids. Then we heard her say, "God, I hate kids."

Wtf?

Why would you say that within earshot of your children? I was so disturbed and disgusted by this woman. I wanted to shake some sense into her. Does she not realize the psychological damage she is probably doing to her small children? They are going to grow up thinking their mom hates them.

Then the other day I was enjoying a relaxing day at Barnes and Noble reading and a little girl probably around the age of 4 walks by my chair crying "Mommy, mommy!"

I look around to see if her mother is near and see nobody. I continue to keep my eye on her and was about to get up and take her to customer service when what appeared to be her mother walked up behind her. She wasn't frantic, she wasn't concerned and she seemed far more interested in finding the latest Jodi Picoult book then finding her lost 4 year old daughter.

Maybe I'm over reacting, or maybe it's because I am reading The Shack right now. I know how easy it is to lose a child, I've seen it happen several times in my stores during the past 5 years. They easily wander off and are easily distracted. Yet, that is even further a reason to keep a close eye on your children. There are just too many sickos out there that prey on these innocent children -- Maybe The Shack really is getting to me. What do you think?

Kindle...

I love new electronic gadgets. iPods, iPhones or Blackberries, laptops, digital cameras and portable dvd players -- I love them all!

There is one gadget I have been strongly against.

Kindle.

I know it's cool, I've always thought it was pretty sweet but I just loooove books. Ever since I was a little girl I have just loved checking out books from the library and browsing bookstores. I cannot imagine reading an entire book from this flat gadget that looks like a small notebook (only thinner). I'm not good at reading several pages on a computer screen, so how is this any different? For example when I finished the Twilight series I started reading Midnight Sun on Stephenie Meyer's website and it took me forever to finish! It was only 265 pages!

Kindle has been teasing me with it's features and convenience. Here are my reasons why I am now leaning towards needing a Kindle...

-I carry the book I'm currently reading everywhere with me, sometimes they're not tiny paperbacks but large hardcovers. It gets heavy! The Kindle would make traveling pretty darn convenient.

-Books are cheaper with the Kindle. Most books are only $9.99 on Amazon and download like music.

-It can hold all the books you're reading, so you always have them with you. This would be great for me since lately I tend to be in the middle of two or more books.

-You can highlight text or mark it passages in the book. There is also a keyboard so notes can be typed while reading the book. This would be great for me because I'm a dork that likes to look up words that I'm not sure of the meaning of later. Also, a lot of the times I get blog ideas while reading and forget to write them down, therefore forgetting what I wanted to blog about!

-Each book can turn into an audio book. Sweet! Audio books are what got me through the road trips from Iowa to South Carolina and vice versa.

Looks like I've pretty much convinced myself, huh? I think I have. This may be my next splurge! :)

What does everyone think of Kindle? Do you have one? What are your pros and cons for it?

Libby likes the Snuggie too!!

I think if I'm not careful she's going to take over the Snuggie! Maybe I will have to buy one just for her! =)

Also, here's a pic of Zeke!


Isn't he adorable?! I just love his snaggletooth, his lip is almost always caught on it!
I came home last night and he was already gone. I was so sad!! It doesn't look like I'm going to get to keep him. I really thought it was a sure thing as his mom was trying to give him away last month but she must have had a change of heart. Bummer!!

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

I just finished this book last night (finally) and I have to say it is one of the best books I have read in a really long time. Hopefully I have gotten my reading mojo back! Next on the list is The Shack by WM. Paul Young, which is rather short and supposed to be fabulous.

After reading this review of American Wife I had mentally put the book on my "to be read" shelf. Since I had made a commitment to utilize the public library and stop spending money on books I put the popular book on hold. Two months later my turn for the book came, I tried to read it right away as it's still highly requested and could only be checked out for two weeks without fines. I ended up keeping it a month (oops, sorry!), I felt bad but I had to finish it before returning it and they wouldn't let me renew it!

I was a little hesitant at first because I'm (unfortunately) not really into politics or George W. Bush for that matter.

Although American Wife is fictitious its main character Alice Blackwell is unmistakably modeled after former first lady Laura Bush. It is only safe to assume that her husband, Charlie Blackwell is loosely modeled after former President Bush. I fell in love with both characters of the book and have to wonder now, have I begun to like President Bush more now having read this book? The jury is still out on that one, I'm really not sure.

In the book Alice is a bookish, polite girl that is someone you have to admire. She had a quiet sense of strength that appealed to me. She did not draw attention to herself but when she was in the spotlight, for better or worse, she handled it with a grace and poise that many can only hope to attain one day.

Alice deals with many trials and personal struggles in the book. Struggles that many of us cannot dream of dealing with. There were moments in the book where my head was so wrapped up inside this character I felt like I was her. Her emotions had projected so much onto my own emotions I felt upset when she was upset. I was happy when she was happy.

I love it when I get lost in a story like I did this one. I love being able to identify with a character so strongly you feel sad to have to let them go when you finish the book. Although I like just about every book I finish, I don't find this happening with many characters. I have to wonder what it is about the writer that gets me so engrossed? I haven't quite figured it out, because I believe it's a more subtle talent. A subtle talent I wish I had.

What books have had a powerful impact on you? What characters have you felt so in tune with that while reading their story you felt a part of it?

Rachel Getting Married

Has anyone seen it? I just rented it and am going to watch it. I love Anne Hathaway and hope it's good!!
I have the next two days off, and my original plans for my "weekend" have fallen through so I'm going to get caught up! I need to do some serious reading -- I have been reading American Wife for almost a month now, waaaay too long for me. I need to organize the clothes in my closet and put away the winter clothes and my DVR is getting really backed up. I will find plenty to do!