My Favorite Authors

I think it is a little ironic that I have a bunch of book reviews coming down the road and today's post is about authors. Maybe the universe is telling me I need to read more. Hey, Universe! I need more time if you want me to read more books! Damn universe....

1. John Green - I really loved The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns. I wasn't particularly fond of An Abundance of Katherines and I haven't even read Looking for Alaska yet. But I don't think you have to love ALL of their books in order to list an author as a "favorite." On the contrary, Green is more of a favorite because of his personality and charitable action over his writing. He is just an awesome person that happens to write pretty good books.

2. Raold Dahl - I know this one is a little controversial. He may not have been the most awesome person. However, he did write some very amazing books. When I was in grade school, I made it my goal to read every single one of his books housed in the school library. And I did. I will always love Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, The BFG, and The Witches with all of my heart.

3. Jim Butcher - My husband listens to a lot of audiobooks. The Dresden Files series is one of the series that he snatches up the minute it hits the virtual shelves. While the series started out as an amazing pulpy detective novel, it has matured into something more. And even though there are fairies and demons and ghosts, not once do they ever feel out of place in modern day Chicago. It takes a lot of talent to be able to pull that off.

I'm only going with the top three. I have read a ton of books and, I'm sure if I sit and think about it, I can come up with another dozen authors I adore. Why don't you tell me YOUR favorite author? Maybe you'll turn me into a new fan.

Don't Tell Anybody But...

Generally, I don't keep a lot of secrets. Let's see what my brain comes up with for this.

Don't tell anybody but I am a very busy person. Between working full time, taking my daughter around to all of her activities, finding time to record three YouTube videos a week, plus all of my writing jobs...I don't have a lot of "down" time. It seems like I could try to manage my time better. I'm just not sure where to cut the corners.

Don't tell anybody but I really do dislike my full time job. I frequently end up getting the short end of the stick. Any time I try to make things easier on myself, I get ignored by management. But it does put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads so, until something better comes along, I am stuck.

Don't tell anybody but I enjoy hanging out with my family. And I don't just mean my immediate - husband and daughter - family. I enjoy hanging out with other family members too. We have a lot of fun when we are together.

See? I said these weren't particularly interesting "secrets." Ah, well. Maybe tomorrow's prompt will be more interesting.

Meal Planning For This Week

Wait, what? I don't cook the meals in our house and I definitely do not plan them. So I can't even really do this prompt.

They want a food topic, fine. I will talk about lunches then because I sort of plan those.

My daughter's lunches for school are pretty much always the same. A peanut butter sandwich with baby carrots (this week, at least), a Fiber One brownie, and juice. Sometimes, instead of the baby carrots, she gets a sliced apple or a handful of grapes but it always a fruit or vegetable. The rest is basically the same every day.

My lunch is a little more varied because I usually go out. Since my schedule is changing this week, things will be different. However, I always go to Saladworks at least once a week and get a chicken caesar salad. Then I usually fill in the rest of the week with Wawa hoagies, McDonald's, or Wendy's, depending on what errands I have to run that day. Today, though, I will be hitting the local grocery store to pick up some items for the lunches I will need to eat at my desk.

Yes, I know my lunch could be healthier. I am working on that. We will see where this week takes us.

I Feel Coziest When

I don't know that this one even needs a list! For me, it is pretty simple:

I feel coziest when I am snuggled up under some blankets with my family and my dogs. That is it. It works if we're just watching TV or if my husband is playing a video game or even if we're all napping. Having everyone piled on the couch all warm and toasty is the coziest feeling ever.

That was a little too easy, wasn't it? That's OK. Let me know your cozy moments. When do you feel the coziest?

Posters That Were On My Walls

This is an interesting topic. I know I said this on my YouTube channel but I'm not sure I have said it here - I am old. It seems like every other blogger/vlogger out there is at least 10 years younger than me, if not more. I am comforted by the fact that I am about the same age as John Green and Rhett & Link. YouTube is not just kids! Just keep this in mind when we discuss this topic:

Posters That Were On My Walls When I Was Growing Up

The movie poster for Disney's Aladdin

Sailor Moon

My sister and I shared a room for most of our childhood. She was really into New Kids on the Block so there were a bunch of NKOTB posters on the wall but they were not mine.

I don't think I had a lot of posters of people. I did tear out some pages from Teen Beat and put them on the wall. But I was more into collecting the baseball-type cards that were in the back of every issue. I cut every one out and kept them in a wallet. TONS of them.

Normally, I would try to list the people in the Teen Beat pages I put up but I don't even remember who made it onto the wall. I think Kirk Cameron, maybe. Brian Bloom comes to mind because he has those super blue eyes. I also feel like Wil Wheaton was up there but I could totally be making that up. I think the posters were less about the actual people and more about the pictures being pretty.

Yes, I was a strange child.

Must Haves For A Night In

Well, now, see, this list will depend on whether I am alone or whether my family is with me. Those are very separate lists.

If I am alone?

  • Something they don't watch - a TV show or YouTube channel
  • Some sort of junk food that I don't normally eat when they are around
  • My dogs snuggled up on the couch with me

If I'm with my family?

  • A TV show or video game that we all play together
  • All three of us snuggled on the couch together (sorry, dogs, you get the floor)
  • Snacks that my daughter can eat with her braces

I suppose those don't sound like very different lists but they are in practice. Admittedly, I don't get a lot of time to myself so the first list is mostly a wish list. But that is OK. I enjoy spending time with my family.

Things I Finished (So Far) This Year

What makes them think I finished anything? Nah, I did finish some things. Let's see...

I successfully ported my website (and this blog) from thegeekwithin.com to cassandra-morgan.com, complete with a new host and a fresh look. I am quite proud and happy about that.

I started my YouTube channel, which I am enjoying immensely. I'm not sure if that counts as "finished" since it will always be a work in progress but I got it this far!

Hm. I honestly don't know what else. A lot of the things I have are constant projects, like the YouTube thing. I don't usually have a lot of things to finish, just things to keep working on.

Subjects I Can Talk About For Hours

I don't usually talk a lot. But when certain subjects come up, I can't stop babbling. I try my best to be polite and not monopolize the conversation....but sometimes it is difficult.

1. My daughter - She does a LOT of things. A LOT. So I frequently have a lot to say about things she's accomplished or what she is currently doing or what she has planned. Sometimes it's a little too much.

2. Sailor Moon - I love Sailor Moon a little too much.

3. Bad writing in books - I review a lot of books. Most of the time, the book is already for sale to the general public by the time I read it. I honestly have lost count of the number of books that are grammatically incorrect, have numerous misspellings, and are just plain difficult to read due to the errors. If you are going to write a book, do it right. Get some good editors and have multiple people read through your manuscript. Don't just toss it up on Amazon because you said it's finished.

I think those three are the main culprits. Sometimes, if I find a new Thing that I think is super interesting, I'll do a ton of research on the subject and babble about it to my friends. I try really hard to not do that. I know it can be annoying.

Ain't Nobody Got Time For

Grammar, apparently. I get that this is a meme but, seriously, do we have to keep it going? Ah well. Here goes:

1. Thinking you are "too old" to do something. I am, like, a billion in internet years. Yet here I am starting new things and trying things out. I may be "old" but I'm not dead.

2. Being too serious. Have fun! Who cares if someone is looking at you? I bet they are wishing they had the guys to just do whatever.

3. Caring what strangers think. Your close friends and loved ones love you for who you are. Why care about what some stranger on the street thinks of you? Their opinion really doesn't matter all that much.

4. Hating on other people. This kinda goes along with number 3, except on the other side. Don't be the person that hates so-and-so because they are this or that. What does it matter to YOU if they are gay? What does it matter if they have pink hair? It literally has zero effect on your life. Focus your energy on something positive for a change.

Basically - be awesome to each other. It isn't that difficult. Really.

Books Everyone Should Read

Hm. A lot of the books I think people should read aren't necessarily books that I think they will enjoy. These are mostly books that will get them thinking.

1. To Kill A Mockingbird

2. Flowers for Algernon

3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

4. Mists of Avalon

5. Paper Towns

There are probably a ton that I am forgetting but these are some of the big ones. I will probably get some strange looks for my list but that is OK. I'm used to strange looks.