82. Learn 2 new French words and 1 French idiom a week (26/143) (more info)
83. Learn 2 new ASL signs a week (26/143) (more info)
French Vocab:
bruyant(e) (adj) – loud, noisy : The music is too loud. – La musique est trop bruyante.
rire (v – conj)– laugh: I have a loud laugh. – J’ai un rire bruyant. (C’est vrai!)
French Idiom
à son insu – without someone’s knowing
ASL vocab
loud – The index finger touches the ear then changes to both fists shaking back and forth. (video)
laugh –Both L-hands make an upward motion from the mouth, away from the face. (video)
30. Watch 101 new movies (40/101) (more info)
Rating ****
Sorry it took so long for me to get this up! I’m still trying to work out a blogging schedule around my new work schedule.
I did go to the midnight showing of Twilight: New Moon on Thursday night/Friday morning! I was a little worried about screaming teen girls, but the crowd was really good. And the movie was GREAT! I was a little nervous about it because I’m a fan of the books and although I liked the first movie, it wasn’t at all that I wanted. New Moon is much, much better. Aside from a bigger budget and therefore better effects, the actors look a lot more how I had pictured them (as far as clothing and style). And um when does Taylor Lautner turn 18?…. I’ve always been Team Edward, however I think I may be Team Jacob for the movies :)
I LOVED the soundtrack and how they blended it with the right scenes. The timing and feel of the movie matched the book. Yes, it’s mopey and depressing… it was supposed to be!
I’d highly recommend seeing this even if you weren’t impressed by the first movie.
52. Try 15 new restaurants (8/15) (more info)
57. Eat 10 things I’ve never tried before (11/10) (more info)
Some of you may have noticed a shortage of posts lately. That is partially due to me needing a break and then I got a job serving at Cafe Brio located in downtown Springfield. While training I had my first meal there (so new restaurant!). The shrimp BLT was AMAZING! I’m not just saying that because I work there. I’ll tell you if I don’t like something. I did take the tomatoes off because I don’t like them, but overall I’ll be eating it again for sure.
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13. Read 101 books (27/101) (more info)
Rating ****3/4
(Same review as posted at 25HourBooks.com)
This book in 6 words: Made me want to have heterochromia.
I wasn’t planning on reading this yet. There were other books higher up on my TBR pile. However, I couldn’t help but start it last night at 2:00am and then I could not put it down. I finished it early this morning and should probably sleep before writing this review…. oh well…
I LOVED Graceling by Kristen Cashore!! I literally couldn’t put it down. Now I do have a tendency to do this on occasion, but I usually don’t want to slow down so that the book won’t end. The story was absolutely captivating. It was complex without being confusing. There were so many twists and turns and tense moments that were well balanced with the right touch of relationships and romance.
We follow 18-year-old Katsa, a Grace — meaning she was born with an extreme skill… killing. She is controlled by her uncle, King Randa, and expected to do his dirty work. This is starting to wear on her and she feels less comfortable with the tasks she is sent to perform.
Then she meets Po, a Graced fighter. She is struck by how relaxed him seems around her and how she always feels him staring. She doesn’t plan on befriending him or how drastically it will change her life. She soon learns a secret that could ruin all the kingdoms of her land.
I loved the characters. They were so well-written that I laughed and even teared up at times. The only small thing that kinda bothered me was that Katsa is yet another girl who refuses to marry… I will, however, consent that this is very different since it is set in a medieval-like period and marrying would make her the property of someone else. All in all, it was a minor factor in the overall story. I also having read Hunger Games recently, kept wanting to call Katsa – Katniss and Po – Peta 
I will buy this book and reread it (although I think the magic of all the surprises will change the story). I’m also picking up Fire and anxiously awaiting Bitterblue. I think it goes without saying that I highly recommend this book, although I think more so for those who like Fantasy and YA.
* This book counts towards my A-Z Books Challenge
28. Find a new musical artist a month (6/33) (more info)
I downloaded this last month and meant to post about it… The XX is a band from south west London, England, formed in 2005. I think ContactMusic describes them best:
The XX strip all that is sunshine and lightness out of pop and tarmac over it with a melancholic sheen, making for a sound that is supremely beguiling, haunting and infectious.
Favorite songs from the album XX at the time this was written:
82. Learn 2 new French words and 1 French idiom a week (25/143) (more info)
83. Learn 2 new ASL signs a week (25/143) (more info)
Thank you to Amanda for showing me a list of the 2,000 most used French words… So I’m going to start working my way through it…
French Vocab:
mais (conj) – but : I was going to read, but I watched TV. – J’allais lire, mais j’ai regardé la télévision.
comme (conj)– as/like/how : You are as cold as ice. – Vous êtes comme le froid comme la glace.
French Idiom
à propos de – about; concerning; with regard to
ASL vocab
but – The index fingers begin crossed in front of the chest and then seperate lifting up to two fingers standing straight up. (video)
how –Both hands have B-hands together with fingers pointing out, the wrists then turn flipping the hands so palms are up. (video)
10. Comment on someone else’s blog 3 times a week (more info) (25/131)
I’m sorry I haven’t been posting these! I have been commenting though. I promise! This week I’m featuring apple pie recipes! Hopefully this will inspire me to completed goal 55. Make a pie from scratch :)
- Apple Pie Enchilada recipe from Melissa’s Journey
- Apple Cream Pie recipe from farm to table
- French Apple Pie recipe from fruit tart
They all look so delicious I may have to try them all!!
13. Read 101 books (26/101) (more info)
Rating ****1/2
(Same review as posted at 25HourBooks.com)
I am very glad that I stuck with this book… I’m just not sure how to review it without giving too much away…
Fledgling by Octavia Butler tells the story of Shori. The book begins with Shori waking up in the woods in extreme pain with no memory whatsoever. She doesn’t who, what, or where she is. She appears to be a little black girl of maybe 10, however, Shori is a fifty-three-year-old vampire. A lost child of an ancient species living in symbiosis with humans. Shori is genetically modified, the first of her species to be able to not only be awake during the day but also able to walk in the sun. She is able to do this in part because she is one of the first black vampires.
I think a lot of the magic of the book, specially in the beginning is that you are learning along with Shori. So I don’t want to give too much away. I will say that I think you have to have an open mind when you read this. The story jumps into racism, family, free-will, polyamorous relationships, genetic engineering, sex, and pride. The author created a whole new vampire. I love her take on the mythology. It was different, but it worked. It was one of the most realistic versions of the lore I’ve read.
I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not I should write about the part of the book that bothered me in the beginning. I wanted to tell you something that would make it not seem so bad, but I think it’s supposed to bother you. So all I’ll say is don’t give up on it. It may weird you out at first, but it will be ok.
I do highly recommend this book and not just to those who like the paranormal genre. I think that this is more sci-fi/science based than fantasy. And at the bottom of everything it’s really about people and how they treat and think of others.
30. Watch 101 new movies (39/101) (more info)
Rating ***
It was Shane’s turn to pick the Netflix movie so we ended up watching Eagle Eye (2008). It was OK. Not great. But also not bad.
Summary from IMDB:
Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.
The effect were good. The acting wasn’t bad. However, the plot just seemed overdone at this point. Very Terminator and iRobot. It does have the added creepiness of it being more possible than those however. Overall, I’d recommend watching it if you like action movies.
