Speak Up! | Heart

It's the first Friday of the month! Which means it's time to link up with Amber and Annie for Speak Up, their monthly vlog link-up. This month's topic is "heart."

I had no idea what I was going to talk about, then it all kinda just spilled out of my mouth. This video started as 23 minutes long - so there was A TON of stuff cut out to make it only 10 minutes. Haha. I'm working on trying to keep them short though!

In my video I talk about Hozier's song "Take Me to Church," say "ass" while discussing theology, and share my coffee/tea dilemma.

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them in the comments. Or, even better, make your own video and link up!

I'm also linking up with the Faith and Fellowship Blog Hop!

I Got A Box!

Happy Monday everyone!

I feel like the weekend flew by. I'm not ready for Monday!

But, on the bright-side, I got something awesome in the mail on Saturday and I did an unboxing video on my new YouTube collab channel with my friend Laura. Check it out!

If you would like to try out GeekFuel, click this link! (I also get $5 off if you sign up via this link.) https://www.geekfuel.com/ecPf2C


Also, I'm linking up with Mingle Monday today!

The Doctor Who Tag

A week or so ago I saw someone on YouTube had done a "Doctor Who" tag, and well... I just couldn't resist! Here's my video answering the questions.

I tag all of my friends who are Whovians! Feel free to do the tag as a video or as a blog post.

Here's the questions:

- Who is your favorite Doctor?
- What is your favorite Doctor Who story?
- Who is your favorite companion?
- What was the first Doctor Who story you ever watched?
- What is your favorite series or era?
- What is your favorite pre or post regeneration story?
- What is your favorite Tardis desktop theme?
- What is your favorite Doctor Who monster or villain?

Life Update Friday

As I promised yesterday in my video here is a quick life update for all of you who are tired of me talking about NaNoWriMo!

- Tomorrow my family is celebrating my grandpa's 90th birthday! 90 - that's crazy and totally awesome! I'm really excited to see everyone over the weekend and celebrate. We saw most of them for my sister's wedding, but with all of the preparations and craziness we didn't actually get to have a whole lot of quality time with them. So, this will be nice.

- I'm in a madrigal group! (Not magical, madrigal.) For those who aren't total nerds like me, it's a renaissance singing group. We get to dress up in costumes and sing old songs and talk about boars heads, figgy pudding, and wassail. I did it in high school and it was so much fun, and when a friend told me there was a group putting one together for Christmas, I was really excited. We've had about three rehearsals so far, every week on Sunday night, and I've liked it a lot. I'm still getting to know the people, but they seem pretty awesome. I love my director - he really knows his stuff- and he's a ton of fun. Even if he took my David Tennant phone background for Matt Smith. I definitely need to work on memorizing my music though.

- I also am starting a new job on Monday! It's only temporary through the middle of January. BUT, it's for a pretty big company, I'll get paid well, have a lot of hours, and if they'll keep their best people on full time after January. Which would mean actual salary and benefits. The job itself is answering phones for customer service, but I'm still excited. For now I'm still at the preschool though in the mornings because I don't want to give up a permanent thing for a temporary job.

- I feel like everyone is having babies. At least two of my friends have had babies this week. It's crazy. Really happy and awesome! But crazy too. But don't tell my sister, she's already ready to have one.

- It's snowing right now. There's only a dusting on the ground, but still. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Discuss.

- I heard Matthew Morrison (Mr. Shue on Glee) is going to be taking over the role of JM Barrie on Broadway's premiere of Finding Neverland, replacing Jeremy Jordan (the guy who played Jack in Newsies on Broadway and was Jimmy on Smash and will be in The Last 5 Years with Anna Kendrick coming up) who I LOVE. I love both actors but I'm super torn because I LOVE Jeremy Jordan. I know the rest of you don't care but I do.

- Recently I listened to Neil Patrick Harris' Choose Your Own Autobiography and it was every bit as awesome as it sounds. I'm also currently reading Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers. It's the final book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy and I'm outrageously excited.

- My Facebook book club, The Book Worms, is currently reading The Circle by Dave Eggars. OMG it's crazy! You need to get in on this. If not, next month we're reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. If anything, you should join so you can watch videos of me talking about all of my feels about books.

- Kirstie and I are back at it with vlogging! Remember in August how I do Vlog Every Day August? (VEDA.) Well, now we're hosting Vlogmas. Basically, you vlog everyday December 1-24 leading up to Christmas. We (as in mainly Kirstie and I've been giving my two cents here and there) have been brainstorming topic ideas. Once the sign up is ready I'll let you all know. I think personally I'm going to do a weird hybrid of Vlogmas/Letters to Advent. When it gets closer I'll explain more.

I feel like this post needs a picture. Because every good blogger has pictures, right? Right. Here's me jamming on my uke. Cause you know... this is exactly how I look when I sing and play...

So... how is everyone today? Doing anything fun and exciting this weekend? Tell me about your lives!

Are You My Mummy

I feel as though everyday I get more and more into the "fall" spirit. This weekend there was perfect fall weather with the sun shining but a slight chill in the air, the NaNoWriMo site is officially up and running for this year, and yesterday I spent all day with some friends at Six Flags for Fright Fest. (I only got scared by one of the actors once!)

I can't even remember the last time I've been to Fright Fest. I think it was in high school. It's so much fun though. I love watching all of the actors in costume walking around scaring people and the ridiculous/corny/slightly creepy decorations the park has up everywhere. My favorite costumes I'm pretty sure were the old time soldiers with gas masks It was very Doctor Who. I tried to take a picture to post with #areyoumymummy but they were walking too quickly. :-(

But there is also this amazingly cheesy show called Love at First Fright and it was my favorite part of the day. They sang all of these songs and threw in as many pop culture jokes as possible and it made my heart happy. So, now I have "Time Warp" stuck in my head. Which... isn't too bad. I love "Time Warp" and it's a perfect Halloween type song. 

If I Could Go Anywhere

There are a ton of places I want to visit someday. I feel as though with every year of my life my "bucket list" of places where I want to travel seems to get longer and longer. It's almost impossible for me to pick just a single place to go.

Lately though, I have been on a London kick lately. Maybe because half of what I find awesome comes from Great Britain. Sherlock, Mary Poppins, Downton Abbey, Jane Austen novels, Doctor Who, The Beatles, Shakespeare, Harry Potter... you get the gist. Even beyond that though, there's so much history there along with culture. Several people have told me I would love London for all of the theatre and the history.

Also, they speak English. So... not having to learn a new language would be a plus.

How amazing would it be to see The Globe Theatre where all of those historic plays were first performed? It would take everything in me to not jump up on the stage with a sword and try to learn how to stage fight and randomly burst into sonnets and soliloquies.

http://sunshineinlondon.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/another-london-gem-the-globe-theatre/

Or hang out at Buckingham Palace and wait for royalty to come out? I mean... William is married but Harry is still available, right? He's gotta come out of there at some point if I stand outside long enough.

No, I'm not a stalker. Why do you ask?

Then there's the Tower of London. SO MUCH WENT DOWN THERE! It would be super creepy I think, but also awesome.

Then of course, there would be going to Kingscross Station and posing at Platform 9 3/4. Because... obviously.

Westminster Abbey is a MUST. So many historical figures, as well as writers!, are buried there, and it's absolutely beautiful. 

I also would need to go have a proper tea at some point. I'm not really a tea drinker, but in London I'll make myself be one.

Okay... I'm going to start gushing. Let's be honest, I'd probably visit every single place where anything British happened ever (real and fictional) and pretend I'm the people in the stories. Guess I better go practice my British accent...

Blog Everyday in July Topic: If I Could Go Anywhere... Link up here.

Happiness Is...

For people who are long time readers of this blog, along with my family and friends, they probably have a good idea of the things which  make me happy in life.

Coffee

This is pretty frequent on my Instagram

My dog, Bandit

Another frequent image on my Instagram

Books

Just a small handful of my book collection

Musicals

I saw Motown the musical a few weeks ago with some friends and WOW! It was incredible!

Various fandoms (Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Sherlock, etc.)

They're all here in one picture! Isn't it GLORIOUS?

However, there are other things in life which make me happy that I want to share with you today which you may or may not know about.

-Random mixes on 8tracks.com. This is the one I've been listening to this morning as I write, and it's one of my favorite mixes I've found. But there are a ton of other mixes I love too. I've found a ton of new songs I've fallen in love with by letting this app/website take over as I'm reading or blogging and checking emails.

Covers And Coffee from Mrigank Nath on 8tracks Radio.

- The Chicago skyline. Or any city skyline really, but I live in Chicago so I'm partial. I see the skyline every morning as I drive to work and of course when I drive into the city. But every time I'm always awestruck that I get to live in such a beautiful city. Even when I'm driving in the rain or crappy weather it's pretty. The way fog and clouds wrap around the skyscrapers makes you feel like you're in a movie.

We had some pretty scary storms the other night, but how cool is this photo of the clouds????? Source

- Shopping for clothes and makeup. It sounds ridiculous, and I used to not be a big fan of it. But now that I've gotten older and I've learned how to really pick out what looks good on me and what I like, it's so much more fun. (Even through college I had to have friends put my makeup on for me because I didn't know how.) I really enjoy putting together outfits and different looks for what I want to do that day or who I want to be. It's like creating little costumes for yourself. Like Lola does in the book Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Although, Lola goes way more extreme than I do. But honestly, I'd rather wear a fun skirt than blue jeans because I like how I look and it's way more comfortable.

- Random snap chats from people. It's become one of my favorite ways to keep in touch with people, especially those who don't live near me. Their faces make me smile. Awhile ago one of my good friends who lives in Maryland got snapchat and sent me a picture. I was so excited because I had realized how long it had been since I had seen their face and there it was! I love how we can be ridiculous and crazy and look awful but see images of each other and our lives. (Seriously, I need more snapchat buddies. If you want my username just send me a message. FOR REALS.) Also, that dancing ghost thing is adorable.

- The fact that I'm hosting Vlog Every Day in August (VEDA) with my friend Kirsti. 

Kirsti and I with our friend Lor when we went to The Magical World of Harry Potter last year.
Yes, that is butterbeer in our hands.

Wait- what?

Yup. You read that right. For the last two years I have been participating in VEDA with a ton of other internet people on YouTube and it's been a blast. We create a calendar of topics and everyone posts their short videos and we all comment on them and become friends. The other day when Kirsti and I saw that the "captain" of VEDA was stepping down for this year, we kinda on a whim decided to team up and do it ourselves!

If you've ever thought about doing it, this is the year because it is SO MUCH FUN.

For more info you can follow us on Twitter (@WeBlogWeVlog). That way you can be up to date on everything going on! If you aren't on Twitter but want to participate just let me know and I can be sure to get you the information.

So, what makes you happy?

Today's Blog Everyday in July Topic: Five things that make you happy. Link up here!

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares- Review

I've been a fan of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books and movies by Ann Brashares ever since high school. Just this past year I listened to the conclusion of the series as an audio book and still felt just as attached to the characters as I had when I first read the book and saw the movie. When I had the opportunity to read Brashares newest book before it was released in stores, I jumped at the chance.

The Here and Now
By Ann Brashares

Basic Summary Without Spoilers

Prenna is a 17-year old girl living in present day New York. However, she is not from here. She, along with everyone else in her Community, are from the future and immigrated to the year 2010 when she was 12 because they were escaping a plague which covered the earth via mosquitoes. The Community has incredibly strict rules where they cannot go to doctors, not interfering with the outside world, and of course - not falling in love with one of the "natives" of the time they are living in. Which, naturally, is a problem for Prenna and her "native" friend Ethan. However, they both end up knowing more than they should and go to prevent what has already happened in Prenna's past/what will happen in Ethan's future.

Welcome to the world of time travel everyone.

My Thoughts

The Cover: Honestly, nothing special. When you look carefully you can kind of see little scenes in the triangles, but even after reading the book these scenes don't mean much. Knowing it is an Ann Brashares novel is the most the cover has going for it.

The Premise: The idea of this book was really interesting. It was a bit of a different view of time travel and what the future will bring in the next generation or so. Many novels which deal with the future lean towards technology, media, and social issues. This novel goes toward the angle of global warming and it's long-term effects on the world. It was definitely not a view I would have thought of so I found it interesting. There also wasn't a whole lot of time travel itself in the novel. There was only one instance in the very beginning and everything else was simply a result of that instance. However, I did feel as though the plot was pretty loose and I didn't completely understand all of the ramifications of Premma and Ethan's actions through the story. It gets confusing trying to figure out why some things changed int he end but other didn't and why some people remembered things and others didn't...

But then you have to remember it is time travel. With most stories about time travel, you will never 100% understand everything that has happened and it's results.

Any Doctor Who fan is very familiar with this.

I couldn't have said it better myself, Doctor.

The Characters: There honestly weren't a ton of characters in this story, which is nice every once in a while because having too many characters gets confusing. Most of the time is spent with Preena and Ethan. I enjoyed them very much. They were likable and determined. Yet, they weren't very complex. We learn a bit about their past, but it was more about their families vs. the main characters themselves.

The World: I covered some of this in the premise, but it was an interesting world. Of course, most of it was spent in 2014, so it was very familiar. But it was interesting to read about the supposed history of 2014 until the 2090s.

The Love Story: Adorable. It's young first love and very sweet. They talk about sex a lot, but that'll happen when the guy is 18 years old and it does actually have to do with the plot, so it's tolerable. There were also times I was very much "Awww this is so cute. Wait! Shouldn't they be planning what their next move is in saving the world? Oh well. This scene was adorable. They'll figure it out later."

Overall Thoughts: This book was cute, interesting, and read very quickly. I enjoyed the love story and seeing another view of what the world might be like in the next generation or so. However, I felt as though Brashares could have gone deeper with the characters and the plot. The world and premise was great, but there could have been so much more. Yes, it's wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey, but I still feel as though there needed to be more plot and make a bit more sense.

I gave it 3 stars because I did like it, but there could have been more.

The book comes out April 8 and you can pre-order it via the links below.

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Half.com