25 books in 2012!

On November 1, I achieved my Goodreads goal to read 25 books this year! Earlier this year I was so worried that I wouldn't make it, and now I have. It feels so good!

Here are the books I read in the second half of the year:
(For the first half and a description of my goals, review this post.)

Ladybug Girl, David Soman (childrens')

Ladybug Girl at the Beach, David Soman (childrens')

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee, David Soman (childrens')

Ladybug Girl Dresses Up!, David Soman (childrens')

You Already Know How to Be Great, Alan Fine (self-help)

Little Women: Vocal Selections, Jason Howland (I couldn't find the musical script/book in the Goodreads database)

A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire #1, George R.R. Martin (adult fantasy/fiction)

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (classic)

Created for Greater Things, Jeffrey R. Holland (inspirational)

I'm Bored, Michael Ian Black (childrens')

A Clash of Kings: A Song of Ice and Fire #2, George R.R. Martin (adult fantasy/fiction)

Go Forward with Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley (biography)*

Okay, I feel a little like including those childrens' books is cheating, but a book is a book and I want a record of them because they are adorable. Plus, the Game of Thrones books are 500-700 pages long which has to count for at least two books each, right? AND I've been listening to the Harry Potter books on my iPod at work. Right now I'm about two-thirds of the way through #7, The Deathly Hallows. That means, in reality, I've read at least 32 books! Oh, and my continual reading of The Book of Mormon. Man! I am on FIRE!

To celebrate reaching my goal, I'm reading The Scarlet Pimpernel just for fun.Then, I'm going to tackle the third Game of Thrones novel, which is 900 pages long. After that... maybe a monster book like Dracula, or World War Z, or Northanger Abbey. Who knows? By that time it'll probably be the new year, so I might be in a different mood anyway!

I have a little time to decide what reading goals to make for next year. They'll probably be less strict so that I can reread a few favorites -- it's been a long time since I read The Belgariad and I miss those characters -- and also so that I stretch myself, but don't feel as stressed as I was this year... would that defeat the point? I don't know. I need to work that out.

Hooray! I did it!

Hope your goals are going as well, this year. Care to check in?

*Fun fact: Go Forward with Faith was published on November 1, 1996 -- I finished it 16 years to the day after it was published. Whoops and woo-hoo!!

Veterans' Day

Happy Veteran's Day!

I am so thankful for those who have and are sacrificing their safety and comfort in order to secure and protect the freedom the rest of us take for granted. I am proud to be a daughter and granddaughter of brave, hard-working veterans. Their love and example means the world to me.

My handsome Naval-veteran dad and
his gorgeous young wife

My terrific WW II vet grandfather and me

God bless our serviceman, and God bless the United States of America. I am so lucky to live here!

November tybbling 2012

And now it's time for another session of random, mostly-unrelated thoughts that I don't have enough to say about to give their own posts:

• I've known for awhile that the planet of Endor in Star Wars: The Revenge of the Jedi was originally supposed to be populated with Wookies, and then it was decided to half-size the Wookies in favor of something more family-friendly. However, it wasn't until yesterday that I realized how similar the names "Wookie" and "Ewok" are. I should be embarrassed by how excited I was by this yesterday, and yet, I'm not embarrassed. Just happy!

• I spent a lot of money this summer, mostly on new clothes to fit the new figure, gasoline for rehearsals and performances, and eating out. I had to dip into my savings to pay off my credit card and I don't like that at all. So, this month I've been trying to be really careful about what I spend, and bought hardly anything non food or gas related. I still spent more than I should have. Bleh. Budgeting is hard, but I'm proud of myself for continuing to try.

• I miss this baby...

• ...and am grateful for some awesome fun times last weekend in Idaho Falls with her mom, one of my favorite mission companions. I miss you again already, Suzy!!

Please forgive my fashion faux pas. Or, reassure me that
it's fashionable to wear clothes that don't match :-P

• Doing South Beach again this week 'cause I've gained a few pounds since the closing of my show (also have had no willpower; white hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies at 11 pm are AMAZING!!). If I don't do it now, before Thanksgiving, I probably won't again until January, and I really don't want to wait that long. I forgot how difficult that first Phase I week is. I want bread and chocolate ALL THE TIME. It's a little sad to go out with my friends and see them eating the stuff I'm eschewing, but why should they deprive themselves just because I am? I made my choice and I want to see it through. I had hoped I'd only need a week, but I should probably keep it up a few more days. It's nice that no one else has noticed the extra pounds, and I still get compliments all the time on how I've kept the weight off. Woot! I'm definitely trying!!

• I recently discovered rootbeer float-flavored dessert sugar-free gum and can't decide how I feel about it. It tastes pretty good, but it kind of makes me wish I were just drinking a Diet Coke. Also, it is terrible for blowing bubbles, which is the thing I usually like most about gum. (For the record, so far, Strawberry Shortcake produces the best bubbles.)

• Finally caught up on all the work I missed while I was sick during September. Phew! So nice not to be behind anymore!

• I voted and feel satisfied that I made informed and good choices. I'm so happy the election is over and we can all go back to our regular lives again! Plus, I'm excited that the government can get back to the business of governing, instead of spending all their time stumping for votes. My prayers are with them!

• I stayed off Facebook for a few extra days to let the fervor die down a little. Maybe I'll log back in tonight (at which point I'll be deluged by posts complaining about the weather). I really missed it. I loath not knowing what my friends are up to. 

• When the fall television season started, I put ten new shows on my Hulu queue. Seven weeks later, only three of those shows remain in my queue: Go On, Ben and Kate, and The Mindy Project, although the jury's still out on that last one. Sorry Revolution, The New Normal, The Mob Doctor, Elementary, 666 Park Avenue, Nashville, and Mockingbird Lane. Most of you were pretty good, but just not enough that I wanted to keep you around. Ah, well. I already watch plenty of television.

• Working on season 6 of Gilmore Girls and I really like it! It's cool to see the way Lorelai and Rory's relationship keeps changing along with the other changes in their lives. I have struggled with a few of their choices, and Lorelai drives me crazy sometimes, but at the end of the day they love each other and that's what matters. Now I understand why several of my friends say they wish they live in Stars Hollow!

• I'm glad it's snowing today, though the morning commute was a pain. It feels a bit more wintery (hooray for scarves and sweaters!), and makes the fact that Thanksgiving is two weeks away seem less crazy!

C'est tout! What's on your mind today?

Happy Friday!

Star Wars and Disney

At this point, it's no secret that Disney purchased Lucasfilm from George Lucas, and are planning to release a new Star Wars film in 2015.

Yaaaaay! As a teenager I read a lot of Star Wars books and I'm so excited to see what they do! I do hope they don't try to continue the Luke/Leia/Han story, and focus on events later in the future. They wrapped up the second set of movies so nicely, why mess that up? Plus, I'm a little nervous about other actors trying to take on those iconic roles.

Actually, this video gave me hope. Sure, it's from an interview in 1983, but it's nice to know that later movies were always an option!

(Also, I love that when this interview was broadcast, no one had seen Return of the Jedi, yet. It was fun to watch the clips and pretend I was seeing them for the first time. Now I want to watch it again.)

I'll stop worrying until we actually get news about story, casting, etc. This is all new!

I WILL say that I'm annoyed that everyone keeps referring to Princess Leia now as a Disney princess. Princess Leia is what Disney princesses WISH they were... and I say that even as a big fan of the Disney princesses. Leia was fighting for a bigger cause than her own personal dream. She was rescued a few times, but did her share of rescuing, too. She fought her own battles. And in the end, she DIDN'T end up with a prince.

Okay, I admit this made me smile.
Wish I knew who the artist is.

I know, I'm taking this too seriously. I can't explain exactly why this rubs me the wrong way. It just does.

That being said, this video is hilarious.

"I kissed my brother."
"Ew, you ho!"

Haha! No princess's life is perfect, I guess!

SYMIHC: The History of Underwear

I think I've mentioned before that I listen to the Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast. The subjects are fun and interesting, and I like the easy-going, conversational style of the hosts and guest hosts. The subjects vary quite a lot (sports, wars, people, and so forth for quite a few different countries and time periods) and they love getting requests from their listeners. I have learned a lot while the show helped keep me awake through many a work day and road trip!!

Since I just did two plays where I was required to wear a corset, I found this recent podcast fascinating. Funny how the history of underwear can be so fascinating!
(I should warn you that this podcast is quite a bit longer than usual. It's about 50 minutes long, but most are between 20 and 30 minutes.)

If you're at all interested in other historical topics, here are some of my favorite podcasts, many of which can be downloaded for free on iTunes:

• How the Underground Railroad Worked
• How the 1916 Shark Attacks Worked
• The Birth of Frankenstein and the Vampyre
• Rival Queens: Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I
• Victoria and Albert
• Who was Rosie the Riveter?
• How the Great Wall of China Works
• Mutiny on the Bounty
• Was Satchel Paige the greatest pitcher in history?

Now, go learn something!

Another reason to go to New Zealand

I have vacations on the brain, and after seeing this video, I wish more than ever that I had the time and money to go to New Zealand ASAP!!



Love that this airline has such a sense of humor and that WETA helped out. Kind of dorky and really funny -- totally my style!

Happy Friday!