KirstenL4W

I’ve been doing reviews of books I’ve been reading (not a lot, since the bulk of my book reading is done in the moments between going to bed and actually falling asleep), and because of that I’ve been looking at more blogs and websites dedicated to books and writing. And of course, since I’m so in the loop about all sorts of stuff, I found out today that there is a whole week dedicated to banned books. This year, that happens to be this week. There are lots of books that have been banned or attempted to be banned, but for the purposes of this post I’ll be referencing this article that I found.

First, my thoughts on banned books. It shouldn’t be allowed. Period. I have to begin by saying that I’m not a parent and have no plans on being one, but I am an aunt, cousin, and friend to children whose education I care about. I firmly believe that the best way for children to get the best education possible is to question things. Being spoon-fed all your knowledge and thoughts will not prepare anyone for the real world, because the most successful people in this world are not automatons who repeat back everything they’ve been told without question. No, successful people challenge everything, push the limits, and understand the world in which they live. The study of literature in general teaches us to think critically so that we can better interpret the world around us. Banning books does no favors for anyone. Check out this list of most ironically banned books, and even if you thought banning books might be a good idea, you’ll start to see how ridiculous it is. I mean, really - Fahrenheit 451?

(Of course, poorly written crap that leaves readers less intelligent after reading can be banned.)

Now, for my thoughts on books I’ve read that are on the previously mentioned banned books list.

• The Harry Potter Series - I never got into this until I met my husband. I have since read all the books, all in a row, and I find the stories consistent from one book to the next, the character development to be above par, and the theme of love to be an integral part of this series, but in an unexpected way. Plus, as 11 Points said, it did re-introduce the joy of reading to an entire generation. You can’t fault it for that.
• A Prayer for Owen Meany - One of my favorites. Look for my review on this book soon, as I recently finished a 2nd reading of it. Is Owen’s unwavering faith too much for people to handle? Or is it the way that John questions Owen’s faith (along with his own)?
• The Grapes of Wrath - After East of Eden, I was compelled to read more Steinbeck. It’s a great story of a family during the Depression years, and I encourage everyone to read it, if you haven’t already.
• The Great Gatsby - I read this in high school and college,and even though the lists say it’s been banned at times, I can’t for the life of me figure out why. Maybe because it doesn’t depict a perfect suburban middle-class life? It is an excellent book, though.
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl - required summer reading before I started my freshman year of high school. I was a slacker and didn’t read it. Banned in part because it’s supposedly too sad. Shouldn’t books stir emotion inside of us? Must it always be happiness?
• To Kill a Mockingbird - I remember really enjoying this book, to the point that I read it too fast and didn’t absorb it as well as I could have. Must re-read.
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - I read this in Contemporary Lit in high school. I had a hard time with it, but this book taught me that any story is easier to digest if you can pick out one thing in the book that you personally identify with. Perhaps if I read it again I’ll find something.
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - on the list in my Contemporary Lit class. I kinda sorta didn’t read this one (but still passed the class), but still remember some of the major themes of this book.
• East of Eden - another one of my favorite books ever. I read it for the first time in Contemporary Lit in high school, and have re-read it a few times since. EPIC novel made even better when you start getting into the character development, because I think that we can each see a bit of ourselves in every character (even Cathy/Kate).

As an independent thinker, I really have no idea what’s so wrong with the above books that we can’t let them be taught in our schools and stocked in our libraries. I would encourage everyone to read banned books (and other books) and speak out against banning books.

The Encyclopedia of Me series is back! I had to take some time off because I could not think of anything for the letter J. I finally took out my dictionary and going through the entire J section to find words that could be contenders. I ended up picking Jobs because so many of us are defined by what our jobs are, so I’ll tell you about some of the jobs I’ve had and how they shaped me.

Waitress at Friendly’s
For those who don’t know, Friendly’s is a chain of ice cream shops in the New England area. Besides having awesome ice cream sundaes, they serve typical fast casual fare like burgers and other sandwiches and just about anything that can be fried or cooked on a griddle. I got this job when I was 15, during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. It kept me busy, earned me some money (most of which I spent on New Kids on the Block paraphernalia) and taught me that summers aren’t just for play. Oh, and taught me that Fribbles made with iced milk are way better than the new recipe, which uses soft serve fro-yo, which I bitched about here.

Supermarket Checker at Shaw’s
After some babysitting jobs, which didn’t work out for me because I hate babysitting, I decided to get a job at the local food-mart. I was 17 and halfway through my senior year of high school. I actually stayed with Shaw’s for a long time. Not continuously, mind you, but it’s one job that was always there for me when I needed a job, and one that worked out best for me. Other retail jobs never really seemed to cut it, except 1, which I’ll mention further on down this list.

Anyway, while I was with Shaw’s, I worked my way up from bagger to cashier, then on to Checkout Assistant (aka “Bitch With The Keys”). After doing that for a few years, I finally got my chance to get into the Service Desk, which is where you learn more about the inner workings of the store than any other single department. I think being at the service desk helped improve my performance at the checkout as well, because I knew not only how to do what I needed to for the customer, I also knew how not to fuck things up for the store accounting. And speaking of accounting, I worked my way up to store bookkeeper while I was there. It’s a far cry from a more complete bookkeeping position that you’d find in an office setting, because all I really had to do was count the tills and enter the info into the computer, and a few other reporting things, but all that experience at Shaw’s helped get me where I am today.

Wallpaper store clerk
I actually worked in two different wallpaper stores at different times. Both jobs were short-lived, but considering my affinity for interior design. Back in the 90s, everyone was wallpapering their homes. The job was more customer service than design oriented, since my job duties mostly entailed trying to narrow down what the customer was looking for and pulling some sample books for them to help them make a selection and keep from being overwhelmed by the hundreds of books we had. But I did learn how to properly wallpaper, prep the wall to make it all go easier when you decide to take the stuff down, and I learned that there is wallpaper for just about any look you could hope for (or hoped you’d never have to see).

Temping
When I was trying to get out of Shaw’s and into office work, I went to a temp agency. My first assignment was at their office, catching them up on data entry. It was supposed to be for a month, but I worked too fast so it ended sooner. That agency didn’t have any more work for me since they do mostly manufacturing, but a few weeks later I ended up finding a front desk job with another temp agency. It helped me learn a lot about the staffing industry and the corporate world in general, including how not to get scammed by the job boards.

Receptionist at a graphic design firm
After I got a bit burned out working in the temp agency’s office, I switched it up a bit and went out on temp assignments for the same agency. I guess I really needed to see what a big world it was out there and wasn’t happy staying put in the same place every day - not yet, anyway. After a few assignments, I ended up at the design firm. They knew that the position would be opening up, and I liked it there so I asked the agency if I could submit my resume, which I did. Of course I was hired, since they already knew I had what it took to do the job. Being at that job taught me the finer points of graphic design, and I gained a huge appreciation for the field and creativity in general. I enjoyed my time there so much, that I still think about pursuing graphic design as a career, or at least taking some classes to learn a few things about it. But the job had to go - I got laid off just two weeks after 9/11.

Administrative Assistant for an executive search firm
This was another job I learned a lot about the corporate world from. It was a small office, and my co-workers were like a family. I had a great 2 1/2 years there. It’s where I was working when I started my blog, and I remember that time in my life as being a huge personal growth period. I still see my old boss every now and then (when we both happen to show up at church at the same time). In the end, I left because, being a small office, I had gone as far a I could and I needed to spread my wings even further.

Accounts Payable clerk for big company
I hesitate to list my current employer here, because they are a big company and I don’t want to find out the hard way that they don’t like the fact that I have a blog. It’s also why I don’t talk about work too much, not like I did when I was at the above-mentioned job. But this is a job that can take me far, if I want it to. The clerical and small amount of accounting-related jobs I’ve had in the past are a big part of what got me this job. My title is actually Administrative Assistant, because at a big company they have to fit you into a box, and that’s the one that fits me best. I’m not yet a full-fledged payables clerk, though I do know how to process some invoices. I’ve learned tons while I’m here, and there are always opportunities to learn more. And even though it’s a big company and there are hundreds of people there I don’t know, the A/P group is small and very close knit, so I have the best of both worlds. I’ve been there 2 years in December (plus 6 months on a contract basis), and have no plans on leaving. I want to learn everything I can there before I head out to my next employment adventure.

Those are a few of the jobs I’ve had, with many short-lived jobs in between that weren’t really for me. And even though some of the jobs I’ve held don’t seem to be related, the cumulative experience is what got me where I am today. What sort of jobs have you held that helped make you who you are today?

As I’ve started doing more On the Internet posts, I had to come up with ways to keep track of everything I was reading that I wanted to share. I don’t have any one method, but I thought I’d share the methods I do use.

• Add a star - Google Reader and Twitter both offer this option, though on Twitter it’s known as “Favorites.” I use this as a quick and easy way to flag items that I want to be able to go back to later, and I can un-star them when I’m done.
• StumbleUpon - I only have this installed on my home computer, so it’s the least-used method on my list. But if you are on a computer that has you signed in, it’s a great way to bookmark stuff worth mentioning, and sharing it with others who might not necessarily read your blog.
• Email - yep, good old fashioned email. During my lunch at work, I read news and try to get through a few items in my reader. For news items, I tend to just email them to myself. It’s pretty easy - just go to File > Send > Link by email (in IE) or File > Send Link (in Firefox). This method only works if you’re using an email client that is installed on your computer, like Outlook, which I use at work. If you don’t have that, then copy and paste the link into a new email message.
• Paper notes - Yes, I still have paper notes. Not sure why, because if I’m reading something on the computer that I want to share, I can use any of the above 3 methods, but once in a blue moon I am actually away from the computer. That’s when I’ll write down a website that I might want to check out later or ideas that come to me when I’m out in the field. See, I have the very inefficient and not at all organized habit of putting the paper on my desk for future reference. (Yes, my desk at home is a mess.) Then, when I get to my desk and decide to sift through all the papers, I can decide if I still want to write about it or share the link.
• Bookmarks or favorites - I have a folder in my bookmarks called “On the Internet” where I park interesting finds. As I go through the rest of these methods, I put all my links here so they’re in one place when I’m ready to post.

That’s what works for me, and I think that I capture about (wild guess here) 95% of the stuff I want to share. If you do round-up or link posts like I do, what methods work for you?

Here I go, surfing the internet and totally slacking on posting. Here’s what I’ve found lately:

• My friend Fresh Peaches is at it again on her site Such Cool Stuff. This time she features a mutual friend of ours, Eve, who designs way cool vinyl wall stickers at her Etsy shop, Atom and Eve Design. Go check out Eve’s shop, and check out Such Cool Stuff for interviews with a bunch of great artists and musicians.
• Le Creuset cookware is supposed to be the creme de la creme of cookware. I don’t own any, but I drool on my mother-in-law’s when Mister and I visit - of course, the delicious food she cooks has something to do with that. Since I would love to have some cookware that makes cooking superb meals seem effortless, and since my favorite color is Aquamarine, I wouldn’t mind at all if I received this set as a gift sometime, say, for Christmas or something. Just sayin’.
• Not too long ago, Mister saw something on my computer screen that piqued his interest. I told him he could find at a blog that does nothing but lists. Mister checked it out, and actually spent over 6 hours one Saturday reading through the archives on Listverse. They say that list posts are very popular, and there are quite a few blogs and websites that do nothing but lists, and this one is the best one out there, at least that I’ve found. Go check it out, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s addicting!
• Another web series for you - IKEA Heights is a somewhat campy take on shows like Melrose Place, and filmed entirely without permission at an LA-area IKEA. There are only 4 episodes so far, but it’s fun to watch. (Thanks to Young House Love for the link!)
• Now I need to take time for a public service announcement. Get Rich Slowly had an article on how to avoid phishing scams. This issue also came up at work when one of our employees got an email claiming to be from the bank our corporate card is with. I did some looking into it, and most banks will have an easy to find link on their website regarding fraud. In most cases you can forward the phishing email to fraud@ [insert bank url here]. This also goes for Paypal and other websites that you may or may not have accounts at, and they aren’t necessarily financial. The most important thing to remember is never click on the links in a suspicious email!
• I got my new IKEA 2010 catalog in the mail today! Now I can start planning what I need to get on my next IKEA shopping excursion. Yes, I said need. I need IKEA. Too bad I have to drive to LA to get it.
• I don’t remember if I told you already, but I’m telling you now. Diesel is taking pre-orders for his new novel, Mercury Falls. If Diesel’s blog is any indication, this is gonna be one heck of a book. I already pre-ordered my copy, which will come complete with Diesel’s pathetic attempt at a signature. You won’t get the chicken scratch autograph if you wait until the release date, so pre-order a copy now!
• David Airey has a great post on why you want to search yourself. If you’re online, it’s worth it to keep tabs on yourself to manage your online reputation and just see what others are saying about you. I set up a Google Alert on myself. It’s super easy and like I said, worth it.

I think that’s it for now. I’m fading fast, and I’d like to get in at least a page or two of reading (books, not internet) before I fall asleep. Enjoy!

I have to be honest - I didn’t pick up this book because the story looked interesting. I bought it because it was on the bargain shelf at the bookstore, and it takes place in Las Vegas. For that price, I was willing to put up with it, certain that it would be over quickly.

This book is about vampires. Vampires that live in Las Vegas. I’m down with the Vegas part of it, since I live here and all, but I never got into the whole vampire thing. Which means that I have never read and have no intention of reading a certain vampire series written for the young adult market but is wildly popular with women my own age.

But enough about that. Bled Dry: A Tale of Vegas Vampires by Erin McCarthy is about Brittany, a woman who gets herself knocked up by a vampire after a one-night stand. As we read further into the book, we find out that her sister has become a vampire after marrying one, and that her brother-in-law is president of the whole vampire nation. Brittany happens to be a half-breed herself, though she doesn’t have any symptoms at all. Her unborn child will be three-quarters vampire, and there was only one other known case of this ever. Which makes the baby a super-powered vampire and very sought after for this reason. So Mr. One-night-stand, who happens to be doing some DNA research on the whole vampirism virus and trying to find a cure, figures all this out and tries to protect Brittany.

What problems did I have with this book? Well, it was overly simplistic, had long, drawn-out love scenes that were more annoying than titillating (no, I’m not a fan of trashy romance novels, why do you ask?), one-sided underdeveloped characters, and other than maybe having been in a casino once, the author obviously had no knowledge of Las Vegas because it didn’t factor very much into the story. Sure, most of the scenes take place in a casino, or a room in the hotel, but having lived here for over six years now, I should know Vegas, and I did not know the mostly nondescript town with a fictional casino that this story took place in.

This is an ok book if you’re looking for something to read when you’re traveling so you can forget the book in the seat-back pocket. I’m just glad I didn’t pay more than $5 for it. And don’t worry, future book reviews will be of books with some actual substance to them.

Dear HGTV,

I have been a huge fan ever since I realized that you had a whole channel dedicated to home decorating and design. Even as a teenager, I preferred house and home magazines to fashion and gossip, so this new channel was right up my alley.

Over the years, shows came and went, got more sophisticated, and more variety was introduced to viewers. I really enjoyed that period in the mid-90s when you had a few British decorating shows in your lineup. My favorite shows are those that feature organizing (get more out of your space) and budget decorating (get more out of your money). I like seeing the actual makeover process on any program, because I think viewers can get the most out of it and gather ideas along with processes to spif up their own homes.

Then came the real estate shows. House Hunters was boring until you started going to other cities besides LA. Even then, I didn’t watch it much until you went overseas. House Hunters International allows me (and others, I’m sure) to live vicariously through others and shop for homes in locales that we only dream of visiting, never mind living in.

My First Place was a show I liked when it first aired. Again, it was the makeover and budget part of it that I liked. When it turned into another version of House Hunters, I got bored. Property Virgins is yet another incarnation, but with a less likeable host (bring back Suzanne Whang). And don’t even get me started on The Property Shop. I can barely stand to watch the commercials for that show, never mind the show itself, because I just don’t like Tatiana. Now, if you were to show the inner workings of a design firm, let me know. That one I’d be interested in watching.

My point is this: the real estate stronghold on your prime time programming is getting boring. No, not getting - it got old a long time ago. I do understand that in these hard economic times, you are looking at your production costs as much as possible. I’m sure it is much less expensive to point a camera in the face of someone who is already going through the process of buying a home than it is to pay for all the labor and materials involved in making over someone’s space. I get that. But for those of us who are staying put, who want to enjoy the space they live in, what do we get to watch?

Before you go and tell me that there are decorating shows on at other times, let me tell you this: I am writing this post from my desk at work, during my lunch break. Many other people reading it are also at work, just like you at HGTV are. Prime time is pretty much the only time I watch tv, though I have been making an exception for Design Star.

Back to my main point. I think you need to bring back more shows that are based on decorating - actually doing something to the inside of your home, and showing the process. Budget decor and organizing shows, both of which show how to get more out of what you already have as I mentioned above, would be very timely with the economy being what it is. From perusing the HGTV message boards, I know that I am not the only one who is tired of all the real estate shows. That being said, there are some real estate shows that are helpful. I like Real Estate Intervention, and Design to Sell and Get It Sold are both useful even to those of us not trying to sell a home. What these 3 shows have in common is useful information. Showing people wandering around trying to figure out what home to buy is not useful. We need the most bang for our cable TV buck, so give us some eye candy along with useful information.

Please consider what your viewers want. Many probably still watch all the real estate because they watch HGTV out of habit, not because they actually want this. Read your message boards - don’t make us start an email campaign to get what we want. I long for the day when I can once again watch decorating and design shows on HGTV.

Sincerely,
A longtime viewer

Yesterday I went shopping at Tarjay, and some of the new fall decor is out. This is the time of year that always gets me down the most. Being from New England, I am used to fall - it signals new and fresh and cozy more than spring does. It’s the end of summer, the end of don’t-touch-me-it’s-too-hot weather, back to school, new clothes, new haircuts, new everything. The leaves turn from green to all sorts of reds, oranges, and yellows, and there’s a crisp smell in the air. Shorts and bathing suits get packed up in favor of sweaters. I love sweaters. Apple picking, pumpkin carving, baking all sorts of goodies (now that it’s cool enough to actually turn the oven on), even having a fire in the fireplace.

Living in Vegas, I cannot partake in any of these fall rituals. The fall season in Vegas exists only because the calendar says it’s so. September still sees temperatures into the hundreds. Air conditioning is still a necessity well into October. Sweaters are only worn in homes, stores, and offices where the a/c is set too cold. A quart of ice cream has no hope of getting home alive, unless you bring a cooler and buy ice at the store. Baking is still a dream, as is grilling, because it’s too hot outside to stand over hot coals. At night, we’re lucky if temps fall into the upper 70s. *sigh*

I miss New England weather more and more every year. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say. I have to keep reminding myself that I moved here after one of the coldest, snowiest winters on record. I have to keep reminding myself that I couldn’t get the temp in my condo above 60 if the temps outside dropped below 20. I have to keep reminding myself that I was cleaning an inch or two of snow off my car every single day. That kind of weather really wears on you. But so does the heat. I can always put on another sweater or some gloves and sip some hot cocoa. There’s only so much clothing I can take off, especially in public. I just don’t have the body for that kind of exposure.

My craving for a real New England fall will be satisfied for a week next month. When I return, I will be filled with visions of decorating for the fall. Setting out decorative items in all sorts of reds, oranges, and rust colors. Pumpkins and leafy knicknacks. A clear, pumpkin shaped jar filled with candy corn. But it doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t fit here in Vegas. The desert can appear to be the same colors as a New England fall, but it’s not the same. It lacks something when one attempts to recreate the feeling here. It’s just not . . . cozy. It’s not the same walking into a house all dressed up for fall when outside still smells like stale summer, not crisp leaves and that cool nip in the air. It needs to be cozy.

Mister and I both agree that we need to move out of Vegas, and we will, when the time is right. Bigger forces keep us here - for now.

Ok, it’s been awhile since I last posted. But don’t blame me - I took a long weekend away and I don’t check email or anything else online when I’m away. Well, blame me if you want, but that’s the way it is.

Anyway, when I got back from my long weekend I checked the comments on my blog and found that I had new comments on my post Cuts Like a Knife. My mom left a comment to bolster my ego, and my mom’s Cousin Betty left me an amazing comment (that’s becoming a habit with her). Betty suggested I try writing a book.

I’ll be honest, the idea is not new to me. Besides a few bloggers I know of who have written or are trying to write books, I too have thought of this. It’s something that’s been at the back of my mind since I was a kid. English literature and writing classes have been among my favorites in school, and they are the classes I always got the best grades in. I still have a lot of the stuff I wrote back then, and even posted one of my papers here on my blog. I have it in my blog post idea list to post more of my writing from school.

Writing a book is a great idea, and while I’d love to do that, I’m not ready - not yet. I think I still have some adventures to come that will help put me in a better position to have a complete book. I’d be looking towards a memoir or collection of anecdotes from my life, or using stories from my life and propelling them into a fictional chick lit book, which is a genre I tend to like. In the meantime, I’ll continue writing here. This blog is a beginning, a place to practice writing and hone my skills and test out what sort of stories would appeal more than others. Based on what I like to read, I am drawn towards stories in which I can identify with a character or situation in some way. I like complex, well-developed characters because I like to be able to figure out what makes them tick. Even if what I write isn’t popular, I like to know that it resonates with readers. As a writer, these are all skills that take time and lots of practice to perfect.

While I continue living my life and writing my story in my head, do you have any suggestions? Any blogs or books to read that will help me along my way?