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Current Mood: Achy

Currently Listening to: A.D.I.D.A.S. by Korn

# of Views: 12,431

Today's Goal: To powershop after work.

 

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Current Mood: Tired

Currently Listening to: Deep by Nine Inch Nails

# of Views: 12,376

Today's Goal: To relax.

Do you remember how you developed a love of reading?  According to my parents, my love of books started very young. I loved them so much that my parents used to take them away as a form of punishment. (Only for a short amount of time, though...thankfully.) Growing up on a farm, I quickly learned to lose myself in a book...so much so that I went through books at a much faster rate than my parents and the local library would like...luckily, that love of reading has stayed with me throughout the years.

What are some books you loved as a child?  The Little House on the Prarie series, as so much of it took place in or around the area where I grew up. I liked Dr. Suess and Little Golden Books and The Monster at the End of this Book and other Muppet-related books. Also read a lot of Judy Blume, Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High books.

What is your favorite genre?  Basically I would define it as 'general fiction.' I'm not that big into non-fiction, for the most part.

Do you have a favorite novel?  This answer changes almost weekly. I really do like the Harry Potter books and The Book Thief.

Where do you usually read?  In my living room. Usually with the tv off and music playing in the background.

When do you usually read?  When at home and awake. After work. Before work. Weekends.

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?  I try not to. I like the satisfaction of having only one story-line in my head at one time.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?  Yup. It is usually a much slower pace of reading for me. And depending on the plot, I usually need more breaks from the book as it is 'real' vs real to me.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out from the library?  I typically buy most of my books (Barnes & Noble rocks!), but I also get a lot of Advanced Reader Books from my mom (Barnes & Noble rocks!).

Do you keep most of the books you buy?  About 99.9% of the time I do.

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them?  I ams sans-kids at the moment, but I do buy a lot of books for the children in my life (co-workers, cousins, friends). I tend to favor Little Golden Books and Dr Suess. Shocking, I know.

What are you reading now?  I am finishing up Three Bags Full. It is a delightful sheep murder mystery.

Do you keep a To Be Read List?  Yes. And it never seems to get shorter.

What’s next?  The final 4 books in the Lemony Snicket series (The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto, The Penultimate Peril, The End). Followed by The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Loving Frank and The Complete Persepolis.

What books would you like to re-read?  Jasper Fforde's novels, cause they're just fun. The Harry Potter series. Anne of Green Gables series.

Who are your favorite authors? Jasper Fforde, Dr Suess, JK Rowling...the list is long...and depends on the mood I am in that day.

 

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Current Mood: Ambivalent

Currently Listening to: Little Black Backpack by Stroke 9

# of Views: 12,337

Today's Goal: To finish reading Three Bags Full. For reals this time.

From:

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

A week ago Friday. And it feels so good. (Looks much, much better too.)

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.

Spending the entire day at the Dell Rapids swimming pool with my sister and cousins. Usually followed by a trip to the DQ for a Blizzard or Peanut Buster Parfait.

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

Butter for baking and for popcorn. Olive oil for cooking.

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

Norwegian. I'm getting to the age where I really want to learn more about my heritage.

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

In 5 years I expect to be out of debt.

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Current Mood: Ho-hum

Currently Listening to: Two Princes by Spin Doctors

# of Views: 12,326

Today's Goal: To finish reading Three Bags Full.

Yup. I survived another trip. Overall, it was a very relaxing time. I had the opportunity to do most of the things that I planned on doing (3.5 out of the 5 listed in my last blog entry), along with a few other fun things. Here's a general rundown of my 10 days in the 'frozen tundra' (aka SD in the eyes of most people I know in BR).

 

- Flights went swimmingly well, as I arrived in Sioux Falls almost on time.

- Started off my trip with a chicken caeser bread bowl salad from Perkins with my sister.

- Watched neighbors shoot off fireworks while being eaten alive by bugs. There seems to be a lot more of them in SD than I remember.

- Played whist with the family.

- Enjoyed the 'cooler' weather - 78 degrees!

 

- Tried to go to The Original Pancake House for breakfast before my mom went to work. Didn't happen. Reason: Time, we were there at 6:30, it opens at 7:00.

- Tried to get breakfast at Perkins. Again, denied. Reason: Closed for the holiday.

- Finally got breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my folks. Totally enjoyed my plate of blueberry pancakes. There were well worth the wait...and frantic driving.

- Hung out with my dad most of the day on the farm. (Mom was at work. Sister was at her boyfriend's folk's house.)

- Enjoyed brats and all the fixings with my family.

- Played UNO Spin with everyone.

- Endured even more bug bites while watching fireworks in the neighborhood. It's one of the perks of living on a hill.

 

- Finally got to enjoy a plate of Swedish pancakes at The Original Pancake House with my mom.

- Attended a birthday party for my cousin's two daughters, which resulted in seeing most of my dad's side of the family.

- Yay! Enjoyed a Snickers Blizzard from DQ.

- Met the youngest member of my sister's crowd. (8 weeks old, and she's adorable.)

- Felt extremely old by hanging out with my sister's friends, along with their younger siblings, on a bus to and from Baltic.

- Danced. Yup. I danced.

 

- Spent most of the day relaxing on the couch or a chair either at my sister's place or on the farm.

- Supped with my parents in SF.

- Experienced a slight delay in plans, as the alternator in mom & dad's car decided to go kablooey after supper.

- Ended the day playing cards.

 

- Woke up early to 'follow' Dad to Sioux Falls in order to drop off the car to get fixed.

- Traveled to Brookings to enjoy the Ag Heritage Museum and a couple of hamburgers at Nick's, along with a yummy piece of strawberry rhubarb pie.

- Headed to Sioux Falls again with my sister to meet up with a bunch of high school friends.

- Due to rolling blackouts, we ended up not staying at our original destination long. So, we headed to Champp's for supper and trivia. Our group (2 Late 2 Win, But Better Than You) came in second overall. If we would have been there for the first round, we would have rocked the casbah.

- Caught up with former high school classmates over adult beverages at a number of local establishments.

 

- Woke up later than usual.

- Watched Beowulf with my folks before getting ready to head to Nebraska.

- Experienced car trouble #2 while beginning my journey, as a tire decided that it didn't want to be punctured by a screw. Luckily, I noticed the odd noise before gettin on the interstate. And I was close to home. And had a cell phone. And a nice man from a local business came to help start the tire changing process. And Dad was there shortly thereafter.

- I-29 in Iowa has a lot of construction.

- Hung out in Fremont. As Lincoln had a bit of weather to watch out for upon my arrival.

 

- Opted not to go to Lincoln afterall, as I was feeling a bit blucky. (Actually decided to watch cable TV instead.)

- Returned to SD for supper and more cards/games.

 

- Broke the fast with my parents at The Original House of Pancakes. (We really like that place.)

- Shopped with my sister for a bit.

- Enjoyed a yummy steak and salad bar supper at The Monarch Steakhouse.

- Learned that I'm not that shabby at bowling and tennis on Wii.

- Sucked hardcore at MarioCart.

 

- HAIRCUT! Finally got a haircut!

- Lunched at Panera. Mmmmm....brocolli cheese soup in a bread bowl...

- CELL PHONE! Finally got a new cell phone!

- Malled it a bit with MoSus.

- Grabbed Starbucks (first time in over a week) while 'trying' to find a tattoo parlor with MoSus. Result: Failure.

- Hung out with my sister at her place.

- Headed to Sioux Falls for supper with the baby (mentioned on July 5) and her mother.

- Nutty's...no good comes from going to Nutty's with MoSus.

- Watched the Republican warm up to MoSus at the Top Hat.

- Returned to my sister's place for some well-deserved rest.

 

- Made a short pit stop at the farm before heading to Sioux Falls for lunch with Thor and daughter.

- Again 'tried' to find the tattoo parlor in SF. Result: Failure.

- Headed to Best Buy to search for a new computer for MoSus. Result: Somewhat failure, as she decided to order one on-line instead.

- Although yummy, I still prefer the Mint Oreo Blizzard over the Girl Scout Thin Mint Blizzard. (Also, had cheese curds!)

- Returned to the farm. And no one was there. Dad was at a tractor pull. Mom was at work.

- Went to Baltic for supper with my sister, her boyfriend and a friend couple of theirs. Why am I always the 3rd or 5th wheel?

- Back to the farm to enjoy the recently updated television offerings. (Parents just bought their new digital converter boxes in preparation for February 2009. They bought them after getting their $40 coupons from the government, of course.)

 

- Awoke early to say good-bye to my parents before they left for an IH Collectors meeting.

- Relaxed in the chair.

- Packed my bags and headed to the SF Airport.

- Flight #1 was on time.

- Flight #2 was delayed by about 2 hours.

- Flight #3 was on time. Which proved to be almost a problem, as I was not. I barely made it aboard. My luggage did not make it.

- Returned to Baton Rouge. Where it's hot.

- My apartment was hotter as the a/c had decided to stop working. (It was 86-degrees.)

- Crashed.

 

Well, that's my trip in bulleted form. I probably should be getting to work. Or something.

 

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Current Mood: Anxious (waiting for my luggage to arrive)

Currently Listening to: Stinkfist by TOOL

# of Views: 12,303

Today's Goal: To make my shopping list. (Honestly, my cupboards are bare.)

 

 

Yup. I am within hours of beginning my journey home. And I'm rather excited about it. (Can you tell?)

 

Well, on that note, here are the 5 things I hope to accomplish over the next 10 or so days:

 

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Current Mood: Excitable

Currently Listening to: Desperately Wanting by Better Than Ezra

# of Views: 12, 277

Today's Goal: To get the Jumpin' Husker Ferrets and apt ready for my absence.