29 Books for 2009

So, in an attempt to revitalize my blog, I'm doing a reading challenge. WOOT! I love to read and have joined various book clubs.

My challenge is to read 29 books in 2009. I will *obviously* read more than that, but I must read the 29 books I've chosen before the year is through.

This challenge is "borrowed" from Crystal's 28 Books in 2008 challenge: http://u.silencios.org/index.php/content/28-books-in-2008)

After I read each book (in no particular order), I'll post a review. I'll include a link to Chapters and Amazon for those interested in reading it as well.


29 Books in 2009

1) The Glass Castle: A Memoir - Jeannette Walls
2) Keturah and Lord Death - Martine Leavitt
3) The Chocolate War - Robert Cormier
4) Atonement - Ian McEwan
5) Stardust - Neil Gaiman
6) Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging (entire series)- Louise Rennison
7) Be More Chill - Ned Vizinni
8) The Pact - Jodi Picoult
9) Messenger - Lois Lowry
10) Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce
11) Go Ask Alice - Anonymous
12) A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
13) The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown
14) Along for the Ride - Sarah Dessen
15) Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
16) City of Glass - Cassandra Clare
17) Extras - Scott Westerfeld
18) The Queen's Fool (series) - Philippa Gregory
19) Enders Game - Orson Scott Card
20) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
21) The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
22) Night - Elie Wiesel
23) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (series) - C.S. Lewis
24) A Walk to Remember - Nicholas Sparks
25) Looking for Alaska - John Green
26) Inkheart (series) - Cornelia Funke
27) The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
28) Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast - Robin McKinley
29) The Order of Odd-Fish - James Kennedy

Voila!

Please post a link to your own "29 in 2009" and I'll make a new page with lists.

UGH! I'm so horrible!

I'm such a horrible blogger!

I'm terribly sorry for the late reply, once more. I've been positively swamped with school and such.

Outside of school this year, I am on my public library's youth council, in the library book club, percussion ensemble, senior band, ushering for a production of Romeo & Juliet, and hopefully auditioning for The Tempest. AHHH! Too much!

Anyways, just an announcement to those who are reading that the http://homeschoolblogawards.com/ nominations are fast approaching. If you're interested in participating this year, please click on the above link.

Music of the Day: Linus & Lucy Theme - Vince Guaraldi

Quote of the Day: Don't go where I can't follow. - Lord of the Rings

Delay

Sorry bout the delay.

I really struggle with updating things like blogs. Usually my day-to-day life is so uneventful, that I'd rather just wait a week, then summarize.

So, with a week to go before school, I'll be getting ready soon. Promise to post tons about that.

I went out west to Alberta to visit my Aunt Lisa, Uncle Randy, Syndey (7), Sasha (4), and Nolan (18m). Tons of fun! :)

Hope everyone's having a lovely week, and I really wish this blog would be more popular. Hmmmm.... I'm thinking of adding a blogroll. Suggestions?

Three is Definitely NOT a Crowd

So, SYTYCD. Affectionally called 'Dance Show'. My #1 purpose for watching TV in the summer.

*WARNING: This post will be extremely long and opinionated..... So be sure to have popcorn ready*

Season 1
I think I saw the audition for this one, and that's it. The show never grabbed me, I wasn't impressed, etc.

Season 2
The amazingness set in. Let's break it down.
- Benji was one of the funniest dancers to watch. Overall, I thought he brought a lot of life and charisma into the show.
- Travis was, in my mind, the true winner. Technique, lines, facial expression, carriage, everything was amazing every weeek.
- Donyelle never particularily stood out in my mind, but I suppose she did an OK job.
- Heidi was hilarious to watch, mainly with her hip-hop because she tried so hard. I loved her determination, though, especially with the Mia Michaels routine (see picture).
- Ivan was one of my favourites from the start. I'm really glad he made it so far in the competition, and he grew so much. Very proud of him.
- Allison was also a favourite of mine. Allison & Ivan was my favourite couple.... I was really sad to see her leave.
- Natalie was a so-so dancer for me. At certain times she shone, while other times she simply dropped the ball. I would've liked to see Allison in her place.
- Ryan & Musa are together for me, because I could seriously never separate them. This is not meant to be a racist comment, its just that seriously, I could never tell them apart. They both did a fair job in the competition, and I'm glad they made the Top 20.
- Martha did amazing until she dropped, LOL. I loved her and Travis, but I was really disappointed with her change of attitude.
- The others are blah to me. BLAH!

Season 3
Great season! I got my whole family invovled in this one.
- Sabra was an amazing dancer, and she really started to stand out to me as a fighter in the Top 8 for some reason. She sort of flew-under-the-radar for a while, and then POW! she was there.
- Danny was a great technical dancer. I'm very happy that he made it as far as he did, and although I somewhat agree with the attitude-ish comments, I believe that by the end, he had softened.
- Lacey was hilarious! She started to annoy me after a while, yet performed such awesome dances that I loved her by the end. She is definitely her brother's sister.
- Neil was a favourite of mine. Loved him from the start. Such an amazing gymnast and dancer, who always performed with such passion.
- Lauren was not necessarily a favourite of mine, and I sort of knew that she wouldn't make it to the Top 4. She did some breath-taking work, though.
- Pasha was great! I loved how he made everything look so simple, even the hip-hop and dances he wasn't so familiar with.
- Sara was a favourite of mine, and boy, did she step up to the plate. I loved her versatility, and was quite sad to see her go.
- Dominic didn't really do that much for me, but I will say that he is excellent at what he does. His hip-hop with Sabra was sensational.
- Kameron was another dancer that I would've liked to see kicked off faster. He was a good partner for Lacey, but otherwise, did nothing for me.
- Jaimie was an awesome technical dancer, but I felt that she was somehow holding back a little. Could've used a little more oomph from her.
- Hok was awesome, and I would've traded his spot for Kameron's anyday.
- Anya wasn't a strong dancer outside of her element, and I was sort of upset that she didn't seem to give it her all in the non-ballroom dances. That being said, she was phenomenal in the ballroom stuff.

Season 4
I'll write a proper thing for this next week. Love the season!

Then Comes Marriage

Well, in a sense, I have been 'married' many times over the years. Marriage, in the sense that I was emotionally attached to something.

Have you noticed I like lists? :P

1) My best friend Katherine. I love her to death. An amazing friend, a great role model.... I couldn't live without her. She's currently on vacation in England, so I sort of hate her guts, but that'll all change after the first post card.

2) Drama. I have been acting since I was 8-years-old, including various productions and lessons and such. I branched off into musicals in about 2006, but will be returning to my roots with some Shakespeare next spring. Drama is such a part of my soul, that its really hard on my to not have a script or rehearsals for over 2 months. Talk about mental breakdown.

3) BNW or Baby Names World. An amazing website, where I made some great friends! ANyone reading this, I highly suggest that you boogie on down to http://www.parentsconnect.com/home/index.jhtml and check out the 'new' BNW. Feel free to register (for free) and post around. Anabel, whom you'll see from time to time, is one of the most amazing people in the world.

4) Music. Other than singing (which needs some lessons), I also play the piano and clarinet. Clarinet was picked up this past fall at school, and I've been playing piano since I was 4. I repeatedly download sheet music for free, and have a binder full of it. Yes, I'm a sneaky-spy-person that way.

5) Babies. Yes, I have an odd attachment to them. My current 'dream jobs' are doula, OB majoring in multiples, or NICU doctor. Something about giving babies the opportunity to live makes me incredibly happy. I read many blogs about people who have had miscarriages, stillbirths, or their babies have died later on, and I feel I need to reach out to them. *insert sappy inspirational music here*

6) Facebook. Yes, I am that kind of teenager. I still think of it as the best way to communicate with people my age. If you don't have an account, sign-up and try it. Completely free, you can have a private page so no predators can find you, and you can live-chat with your friends. *Disclaimer: Live chat sucks, so much. I prefer Gmail chat, personally, over anything like MSN or AIM*

7) Fanfiction. My life. Can't live without it. I admit, my stories are pointless. I'm more of an 'idea' person. I read CSI:NY, Harry Potter, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zorro, Tamora Pierce, Inuyasha, Yu-Gi-Oh, Teen Titans, Star Wars, Sue Thomas: FB Eye, Sarah Dessen, Matrix, Bones, House, X-Men, Justice League, Batman, Phantom of the Opera (POTO), etc. LOVE IT!! (Anyone wanting a suggestion for a good read, just leave a comment)

8) SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance) My reality TV show. Love it. In case you didn't notice, next Wednesday/Thursday is the 4th Season Finale. WOOT! I'm personally cheering for Katee and Joshua, but that's just me. *See next post*

Voila!

First Comes Love

My first blog post. Wow. I already deleted my first attempt at that. Go me.

First off, some need-to-know things. I am not married, so any marital disputes are few and far between. I am not pregnant, I do not have a child at home, I have not had trips, quads, or quints, my baby is not in NICU or on CPAP.

However, I read blogs for each of the above statements. I'll post them randomly, but if anyone wants me to shower you with them now, comment away!

To the good stuff:

1) My name is Laura.
2) I love baby naming. I'm completely and utterly obsessed with it. I was a Personal Name Advisor on Baby Names World (the world's 2nd most popular naming website) until it was purchased by Nickelodeon earler this year. I cried. :(
3) I have two parents, mum and Dad. Mum is one of my best friends.
4) I have a dog, Gretchen.
5) Blah, blah, blah, blah.

A heads up: The first dozen posts or so are just random, and do not document the 'daily interactions' of August 1.

YAY! Made it through my first post. Love is easy. :D