1. What item would you be embarrassed for people to know you own? I have some pretty hideous underwear hidden in a drawer LOL, it definitely wasn't pretty like I thought it was going to be :P
2. What is something you splurged on just for you? The first edition (2 vols.) of The Worst Journey in the World
3. What is something that you own with no real world value that is priceless to you? My bus ticket to Wheathampstead, one of the best days of my life
4. Do you collect anything? Sure, postcards of four-poster beds, books, shirts from places I travel to, etc
5. What item belonging to a friend/family member do you covet? I really like the curtains in mom's room, even though I like my own curtains haha..one time I wrapped up in them and watched the Northern Lights from her deck haha!

Yesterday I was reading in bed and heard something fall onto a decorative plate I had in the living room..I jumped up and walked over, hoping it wasn't broken, and saw this:

I about melted from his cuteness and told him to stay so I could get a picture haha (Abby would get up on top of the cabinets too before she got old lol). I told mom he was surveying his kingdom :P (thankfully the plate was fine too)

Our sign at work is finally up!!

Yay!! Yesterday the store made over a thousand dollars, so people have definitely noticed! I was worried by the days that were like $200 something, but people just had to find us first. Busy days make me really happy, I love selling books!

Mom and I saw How to Train Your Dragon this week, and Hiccup's connection with animals made me SO happy. <3 I loved the scene where Hiccup and Astrid were riding Toothless and the Northern Lights were out! Such a great live-action remake, I can't wait for the sequel!

Ughhh it's been so hot this week..my coworker said her arms were sticking to her desk! In the afternoon storm clouds build up over the hills to the north of town (air mass thunderstorms, not associated with a cold front and they dissipate quickly from lack of energy. I love mom's weather knowledge!), and yesterday they looked CRAZY and intense! A volunteer at work lives out that way and she said her plants got pummeled by hail. Of course the lightning caused a bunch of forest fires (I could smell the smoke last night), and people are being told to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice..yikes. When mom was driving me to her house earlier I saw a smoke plume from one of the fires (Vicki's firefighter boyfriend is Sam is off work because he had surgery, but I'm sure he's following everything closely too). Thankfully on Monday some storm clouds associated with a cold front will come through, and on Tuesday it's supposed to be 69 degrees!! That'll feel amazing haha, it's gross sweating so much while trying to work :P

( june 17-20 )

Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley (Oct 13-Nov 4). The bookstore's book club book for Oct-Nov. I read the later version of the story years ago, which was alright, but I REALLY didn't like the original 1818 text. Victor Frankenstein is one of the most annoying, whiny book characters I've come across (mom agreed too). Someone on Goodreads said "If you open up any page in this horrendous book, you will have a 100% chance of Victor whining of what a miserable wretch he and/or the Daemon is." I tried it, and sure enough, they were right. The best part of the book was when the monster pulled aside Frankenstein's bed curtains LOL

A Polar Affair: Antarctica's Forgotten Hero and the Secret Love Lives of Penguins by Lloyd Spencer Davis (Oct 31-Nov 6). Oh my, a book partly about penguin sex LOL. They aren't as innocent as they look... O_o

Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know by Ranulph Fiennes (Nov 7-13). Most people in their 50s and 60s are thinking about retirement..meanwhile Fiennes climbed the North Face of the Eiger, ran 7 marathons in 7 continents in 7 days (that sounds AWFUL D:), summited Mt. Everest (at 65, the oldest Briton to do so), etc. He was also the first to completely cross Antarctica on foot, completed the Northwest Passage, cut off his own frostbitten fingers after trying to walk to the North Pole, and many other things. I can see why he's known as the Greatest Living Explorer! He makes me feel very lazy LOL (his brother Ralph Fiennes played Voldemort in Harry Potter!)

Conquering the Impossible: My 12,000-Mile Journey Around the Arctic Circle by Mike Horn (Nov 14-20). That didn't sound fun at all, especially walking in -95 degree weather D:

How Iceland Changed the World: The Big History of a Small Island by Egill Bjarnason (Nov 21-25). A good time to read this after hearing about the volcano that's erupting! I must go someday, it sounds like a cool, friendly place!

The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence (Nov 26-28). Two kids stranded in the Alaskan wilderness spend most of their time fighting with each other..ugh. I wasn't expecting a reference to A Christmas Carol though, I wouldn't have spotted it if I hadn't been obsessed with it like I am right now haha (the author also wrote The Winter Pony, a story told in the perspective of one of Robert Falcon Scott's ponies..that one was a lot better than this one)

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley (Nov-28-30). After six years, a new Flavia de Luce novel!! She is so funny..she liked to decorate her room with death cap mushrooms to "draw the eye" haha. And believe it or not, this book had FOUR references to A Christmas Carol!! Two books in a row?? What are the chances of that? The author almost always mentions something about glaciers/Antarctica/polar exploration, etc, and this one was no exception (I about died when in the first book Flavia said the walk across her cold room would have daunted Scott of the Antarctic lol). I think Alan Bradley must be a fan of that sort of thing too!

The Hidden Life of Ice: Dispatches from a Disappearing World by Alberto Flores d'Arcais (Nov 30)

Yesterday mom and I saw Wicked (part one), which was pretty good! (I remember liking it when I saw it live in London too.) I don't remember Glinda being that annoying though. D: I must see the live action How to Train Your Dragon too! I'd heard a little about The War of the Rohirrim, but I didn't expect it to be anime-styled! Why?!? To me, that completely ruins it..sorry anime fans, but I just can't do it :/

( nov 30-dec 1 )

1. Which partially-read book would you especially like to finish someday, and why didn’t you finish it last time you read it? Hmmm..not sure..
2. Which partially-watched TV series would you like to complete? The Expanse, Bones
3. Which half-completed task is nagging at you most insistently? Housework, always..who wants to do that after work though lol?
4. Which incomplete project is likeliest to get some attention in the near future? I'll probably wash the dishes or something haha
5. Which half-consumed item in your refrigerator or pantry are you thinking about right now? Water

I finally found a copy of this movie!

It was hard to find for some reason..with a title like that, of course I had to get it LOL. I hope it's not boring! Hugh (Cherry's uncle) commented "Is that Cherry looking over your shoulder? It's his stance, but I'm not sure..." Oh yay, it's not just me, the Cherry Stance is real! Haha. I've been able to pick him out in pics with other people because of his stance. I hope he's not weirded out that I have posters of his uncle on my wall LOL..hopefully he's glad people still remember and care about Cherry!

Yesterday at work a couple classes came over on a field trip..one kid was named Osiris, and one chaperone was like "do you know where your name came from?" and he said "yeah, I used to be a god!" LOL awesome :P

( nov 16-22 )

On Saturday, the bookstore made $8,626, our best sale yet! It seemed like there were 100 people in the building when we opened haha. It was pretty epic! We promote our merch (shirts, bags, etc) a lot more now, and that's one reason why we do so well now. Because I worked Saturday, I had today off, so I figured I'd pamper myself haha and get my hair cut!

Nice! I love choppy layers lol. There was drama though, when I got out of the car I saw a police officer trying to run on the slippery ice after someone..he was holding a taser and screaming "GET ON THE GROUND!!!" The guy finally listened and that's when at least 6 or so other police officers arrived..all that for one guy?? Crazy lol

Mom and I also saw The Wild Robot. I've been curious about the book it's based on, but thought I was too old to read a middle grade book. I was worried the movie would be too "kids-y," but it was SO good! The animation and use of color was GORGEOUS and it just had a great story. I definitely need to read the book now!

( oct 12-16 )

1. Wrong answers only: what is the secret of your success? Drinking kale smoothies every day
2. Wrong answers only: how would you like to spend this weekend? At a party with crazy techno music
3. Wrong answers only: what’s next? Swimming in the Chena River
4. Wrong answers only: when will you finally get that thing done? Two months and five days from now
5. Wrong answers only: what do you have to say for yourself? I'm just so mean! It's all from the negative comments on the Internet, sorry!

I did end up watching The Road, probably one of the bleakest movies I've ever watched. I don't usually cry when watching movies, but the ending of that one broke me. Viggo Mortensen is always great to watch though. He starved himself for the role, and got thrown out of a shop because they thought he was homeless. Even if he WAS homeless, I would never throw Viggo out of a shop LOL

It was such a fun atmosphere at work today! It was busy and the customers were in a good mood and talking to each other about books. I'm wearing a shirt that says "I read past my bedtime," and everyone was amused by that lol. That kind of atmosphere I'm happy to soak in!

( aug 3-9 )

Mom and I recently watched Dune Part 2 (which was epic, except for the fact the music was so loud that half the time I couldn't understand what people were saying), and I was surprised by this trailer:

They made a sequel to Twister?? I had no idea that was going to happen! I doubt it'll be as good as the first one, but I'll probably watch it anyway haha

Today at work a customer came in with his kids, and when he came up to the register he asked me about a bee book he wanted..I thought he had put it on the request list, but didn't see it. He was about to go to the back to look for the volunteer he thought helped him, but I was like "uh, no, I'll get the bookstore manager." He was being super weird with his kids, like I saw him drag one across the floor, and kissed another in a weird loud way and kept saying "toot toot!" My skin started crawling. When Vicki came up he said he had seen a couple books at the sale and they were put aside for him or something?? I was like "ohh, I misunderstood" and he said "I thought I made that clear to you." Uhh, no, you just said you were looking for a book. Then he kept HITTING HIS KID on his chest, RIGHT in front of me!! He also said "shhh!" in a super mean way. OMG my skin was absolutely CRAWLING then. I felt weird and uncomfortable by his vibes to begin with (the curse of being an empath lol), but that was upsetting..those poor kids!! I had to go to the back and hug Vicki's curtains haha, I was SO uncomfortable by the whole thing. Vicki didn't find the books he was talking about either, but she and another coworker were weirded out too (Vicki actually talked to Lucie about it, and next time he comes in she's going to observe him..child abuse is NOT ok). It took a long time for my skin to stop crawling (I've dealt with plenty of "odd" customers, but this guy just set me off!). Those kids deserve better! And weirdly enough, a customer who checked out after that had a bee on her shirt..it's a weird bee day! :P

I recently had my semi-annual inspection, and Abby just followed the inspectors around, meowing and making sure they did a good job LOL..such a social kitty!

( march 16-20 )

1. Which trivial pursuits have recently been most satisfying? Hidden number/letter games lol, making lists on List Challenges, etc
2. What’s the riskiest thing you’ve attempted this week? Hmm..maybe not bringing all my super warm stuff to work, since dad picked me up (it's been really cold, around -20. My parents spoil me lol) and I figured someone would drive me home..good thing I was right :P
3. What are you definitely not sorry about? Not going to Alaska Behavioral Health anymore..it was an awful place!
4. When it’s all over, what do you hope people will remember about the way you played the game of life? That I always tried to be positive, and how I will always be excited when I see something I'm interested in (I feel like adults forget how to do that, and am always sad when someone says they're interested in something, and just are "meh" when they see it)
5. What kind of trouble do you hope to get into this weekend? Sleeping late, relaxing..such a rebel I know :P

Today was work's Christmas party..for the first time, we closed the bookstore during the party! I've been wanting them to do that for years, it's not fun when one of us has to worry about the register the whole time! We had snacks and did a White Elephant..this year, we were supposed to bring something we already owned. I ended up getting The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (I figured picking something book shaped was safe LOL, I hate always ending up with coffee or something else I don't like). It's a really beautiful book, so I'm glad with what I picked! After that we watched Home Alone (all week we voted on what Christmas movie to watch, and that one won)..I hadn't seen it in years! Entertaining, but unrealistic (surely someone would have noticed the kid's empty seat on the plane?!). The bookstore is open for another week, but everyone else has two weeks off (I'd be bored anyway :P). Everyone thought it was weird saying "see you next year!" haha

( dec 13-15 )

We made it home today! On one of the flights I watched Les Miserables..HOW had I not seen it before?? Some of the songs were tedious, but I LOVED the "Look down, look down" song and "Do You Hear The People Sing?" On both the United flights, mom upgraded us to the premium section, and it was AWESOME..so much room!! We got an Air B&B in Seattle near the airport, and got a few hours' sleep. We had to wake up at 5 something today, ugh. I saw some nice mountains and glaciers, and watched Unbroken in between glacier watching haha. Yesterday seems like it was a long time ago. :P We got in at 11 something, thought it felt like it was later since we'd been up so long. I am definitely tired, maybe I'll take a nap later. I feel bad for Jo, because he has to leave tomorrow to go on a work trip to Phoenix..ouch. Everyone was COLD when we walked outside..I guess we got acclimated to Puerto Rico lol. Abby was definitely happy to see me..I love her "don't stop petting me!" face hehe. <3 I'm glad I have another day to rest before I go back to work

( a few more pics )

3 – Sandwich Day: Do you like sandwiches? What's your favourite sandwich filling? Yeah..turkey, cheddar cheese, mayo, onions, etc

4 – Candy Day: Do you have a sweet tooth? What's your favourite candy? Yeah..M&Ms, Smarties, etc

...you see this scene in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and drool over the four-poster bed instead of shirtless Benedict Cumberbatch LOL. It's so fancy and exquisite! I wish I could afford a fancier one :P

There's a lot of fires in the state now, and today was pretty smoky..eww

( 22. What was the last TV show you watched? Did you enjoy it? )

Today's trivia: Queen Elizabeth II's dairy cows sleep in waterbeds that help them protect their knees, umbilical cord and udder

I had today off work, because on Saturday we had a "retreat," where we learned about each other's strengths and stuff (ah, so that's why we did that strengths assessment test lol..it actually was pretty interesting)..I stayed over at my parents' house and woke up this morning with both cats on my bed, read some, talked to grandma, went to lunch with mom, got a new laptop (I can't watch Netflix, Prime, etc after they discontinued Flash, and I don't think it has enough memory to update the software), went to the store and spontaneously looked in the clothes section (amazingly, we found things we liked!), and saw Infinite Storm at the theater (I'd never heard of it, but it sounded interesting when I checked to see what movies were playing..a mountain survival story movie!). Now I'm tired, but it was really fun! I really love coming home and turning the lights on on my bed..they make me SO happy! <3

( pokemon update )

26. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week? "On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory [New Hampshire] recorded a windspeed of 231 miles per hour at the summit, the world record from 1934 until 1996. Mount Washington still holds the record for highest measured wind speed not associated with a tornado or tropical cyclone." Crazy! (That was the mountain in Infinite Storm)

27. Have you ever been fired from a job? Nope

28. When dining out, have you ever complained about a meal, or sent your order back to the kitchen? Yes, if it's REALLY bad, or if it's cold or something

29. If you found out a close friend or relative was doing something illegal, what, if anything, would you do about it? Not sure..it might depend on what it was..

30. If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person? Detail-oriented..I've been told I'm very observant lol

Today's trivia: Platypuses don't have stomachs. Its gullet connects directly to its intestines