Monday, December 31, 2012

10 lists of almost 12 from TwentyTwelve

This was supposed to be 20 lists of 12 but that was really hard.  Now it is 10 lists of almost 12. I will say that if I am alive in 2101 (as a robot, obvi), it will be so much easier to list 1 items in 21 categories.

1. Top Life Events
  • Seeing Railsplitter at ACTF
  • Going to my first (and second and third) Red Wings game ever!
  • Commune with Sarah, Becky, and Emily
  • Working the Fireworks with TPC
  • Erin's Wedding and seeing a ton of my friends
  • Taking a cake decorating class and making a decision to try and get into a pastry program
  • The pirate water balloon fight on my 23rd birthday
  • Taking an Italian class and feeling like I understood a foreign language for the first time in my life!
  • Visiting Anna at NIU
  • Tigers going to the World Series
  • Go Curling for the first time!
  • Not attending a single funeral all year (This is huge for me)

2. Songs I Became Obsessed With
  • Andy Grammar - Fine By Me
  • Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
  • Taylor Swift - Treacherous
  • Victorious - Take A Hint
  • Natalia Kills - Wonderland
  • Jana Kramer - Why Ya Wanna
  • Casey Abrams - A Boy Can Dream
  • Phillip Phillips - Gone, Gone, Gone
  • Hunter Hayes - Everybody's Got Somebody But Me
  • Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend
  • Raelynn - Boyfriend
  • Wonderland - Don't Want To Fall In Love

3. Shows I Followed (Not necessarily shows that I STARTED watching)
  • Pretty Little Liars
  • How I Met Your Mother
  • Big Bang Theory
  • Real World: St. Thomas
  • Dance Moms
  • The Challenge: Battle Of The Seasons
  • Big Rich Texas
  • Project Runway Allstars
  • Bunheads
  • New Girl
  • Once Upon A Time*
  • Chicago Fire*
*The whole season is sitting in my DVR waiting for me, so I am way behind


4. Entire Albums That I Can't Stop Listening To
  • Phillip Phillips - The World From The Side Of The Moon
  • Taylor Swift - Red
  • Casey Abrams - Casey Abrams
  • Hunter Hayes - Hunter Hayes
  • Wonderland The Musical
I'll be honest, these are the only full albums I have recently


5. Saddest Moments
  • Tigers being swept in the world series
  • NHL Lockout
  • Finding out Toby was part of the A-Team (PLL)
  • Ending up in the ER in August for stomach pain and still having no answers
  • Getting my first (and second) IV
  • Having to leave The Parade Company
  • Not seeing a single performance at Carthage

6. Tweets I Favorited
  • @carthagecollege: Congratulations to Carthage alumna Laura Kaeppeler, '10, Miss America 2012!
  • @noahg89: @ohswan , @chelsowicz went on pintrest. I saw red wings photos and knew they were from you
  • @MJCarrier: Instead of getting autographs from celebrities, I'm going to get them to sign prewritten Letters of Recommendation.
  • @chris_manzo: It's not editing, they just scream "bleep" every time they are mad.#rhonj
  • @lucyhale: Just caught @IANMHARDING singing @taylorswift13 no big deal
  • @HonestToddler: Date night is rude and thoughtless. Why are they still dating? Are they undecided?
  • @HonestToddler: Mommy just told the baby and his mom my name, age, and favorite games like identify theft isn't a thing.
  • @OhSwan: Me: " Doesn't Lochte have beautiful eyes, grandma?" Grandma: "I think he's beautiful all over." #rockongrandma #teamlochte (Yes, I did favorite myself)
  • @Efergz: "Libertarian: is that just a Hillsdale invention?"
  • @grden_of_eden: How do we get Eminem to rap America the Beautiful during the World
  • Series? #debate2012
  • @bexmoy: Live every week like it's mouse week.
  • @bexmoy: ABC Family is FINALLY doing Harry Potter week instead of weekend!


7. Things I Have Learned About Myself (Good and Bad)
  • I am a good worker.  This is my second job that I have had since graduation that I was hired on for a season and asked to stay on.
  • I have hoarding tendencies.  Cleaning my room really forced me to face this reality.  I am not holding on to trash, but I have a hard time throwing things away if they are in good condition even if I will never use them.  I am working on this though and have just thrown out/sold/given away a ton of crap.
  • I fail without structure in my life.  If I feel like I have an open schedule I will dawdle all day. If I can plan out my week I get so much done.
  • I need to update my wardrobe.  When I dress more adult, I feel more adult and I act more responsible.  It is hard for me to find strength in my life when I am wearing the boxers and tank I just slept in.
  • I need to separate the "I need"s from the "I want"s.  (I.e. "I need to move out" versus "I want to move out".)
  • That being said...I need to move out.  However, maybe I don't need to move out quite as soon as I would want to.

8. Books I Read (For The First Time) and How I Rate Them
  • Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin (3/5) It was very interesting to read about the sad and serious past of such a funny person.  It is really interesting to hear her blatantly talk about she would do anything to be famous, and she basically did.
  • Wife By Wednesday - Catherine Bybee (3/5) Good quick read, but not too much to the plot.
  • The Back Door Of Midnight - Elizabeth Chandler (4/5) I love this "series" and this author. The books in the series are only connected by the location, and I started reading them in like middle school.  They still hold my attention and I still go back to read them
  • A Hopeless Romantic - Harriet Evans (2/5) This book is told in three parts and only the middle part was interesting.  
  • The American Heiress - Daisy Goodwin (2+/5) This was a really long book, and I am giving it a 2 out of 5 because I can only really remember like 2 things in it.  I gave it the + because something must have kept me reading but I would need to reread it to figure it out.
  • The Fault In Our Stars - John Green (5/5) Amazing!  This was a suggestion from a friend on one of my Facebook statuses and I was not disappointed.  It was not a sad cancer book, but I did cry through the last 50 pages.  I finished it and could not read anything else for a week because I just wanted to hold onto those characters and their stories.
  • The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service - Beth Kendrick (3/5) It was good story of a woman rediscovering herself after a failed relationship, but not great.
  • Stay - Allie Larkin (5/5) If you want a book that is based around a dog, I would choose this one over #7. Super sweet and funny.
  • Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (4.5/5) This was another FB suggestion.  It would get a 5/5 for description, originality, and mystery, however...it started off slow and did have moments where it dragged a bit.  Still a really good read if you like to read.
  • The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window - Kristy Moseley (1/5) AWFUL!  You would think I would learn my lesson with self-published books.  This was a book that makes me sad because the idea behind it could be a really good book, but the execution was not there.  It had to have been written by a teenager.  I'll leave it at that.
  • City of Bones/Ashes/Glass/Fall Angels/Lost Souls and Clockwork Angel/Prince - Cassandra Clare (5/5) This series is really good!  If you liked Hunger Games and YA books, this could be right up your alley.  I liked the Clockwork prequels better, but all are good.  The final books in both series are coming out in 2013, and COB is going to be a movie as well (get ready for like a 15 movie series).

9.  Quotes From Some Of Those Books
  • "One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us." (Clockwork Angel)
  • "Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry," said Tessa, determined not to let him run wildly off with conversation. (Clockwork Angel)
  • "They were only cogs," he said softly. "Only gears. Harmless."/It was Henry, to Charlotte's surprise, who replied, with-out turning, "Inanimate objects are harmless indeed, Mr. Mortmain.  But one cannot always say the same of the men who use them." (Clockwork Angel)
  • "He always says exactly what comes into his head. No filters."/"Filters are for cigarettes and coffee," Simon muttered under his breath as they went inside. (City of Bones)
  • "But isn't that what love is, Clarissa? Ownership? 'I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine,' as the Song of Songs goes."/"No. And don't quote the Bible at me.  I don't think you get it." (City of Angels)
  • The benefit of being in love with someone who was with someone else was that I never had to honestly face him with all those feelings.  They were hidden and secret and protected. (Stay)
  • "I love things that are beautiful when you don't expect them to be."/"Like what?" He asked softly./"Oil rainbows on the road. Rain on a car windshield at night." (The Back Door Of Midnight)

10. Blog Posts I Hope To Get Out Early in 2013
  • Society Has Made Christmas An Egotistical Holiday
  • Growing Up Is A Team Effort
  • Why I Am Not Like Most Females/Why I Don't Want To Be A Mom
  • How To Talk Like An Italian
I'm going to try and be more dedicated to this blog in 2013.