Books, Books, Books

I decided 3 months ago that I wanted an e-reader.  While I love my 50 cent thrift store reads, it really is a pain in the butt to carry 2 or 3 books around at a time.  (I read fast, don't judge).  Then about 2 months ago, I dismissed the Kindle & Sony readers and decided I would get a Nook.  But, Nooks cost money, so I had to save up.  And make another decision.

So, on Saturday, I finally decided I would purchase a plain old Nook (not the "I-wanna-be-an-iPad" Nook Color) in the next 2 weeks.  And on Sunday my lovely boyfriend gave me a Barnes & Noble bag with a newly purchased Nook, complete with protective over.  Can you say LUCKY DUCK?!

And now I have a problem.  

There are so many decisions to make!!!  

1.)  Do I decorate this cover?!  Especially since it already has a water stain on it from work?!

2.)  Do I buy new cover that I can clean off easily.

3.)  How do I decide what books to buy/read?!?!

I feel like the internet can help me out on this.  There is a website where people share book recommendations?  The people that read my blog have ideas?

Luckily for us poorer folk, there are a lot of free e-books out there.  Even if you don't have a nerdy e-reader, you can find information on how to read stuff (fo' free!) here.

Also - saw Harry Potter yesterday.  Awesome except for the end where cheesy makeup seemed to make the main actors 5 years older instead of 19.

Now that the nerdgasm is over, I have a interesting story about 'the girl that convinced me to get a Nook'.  We always have the weirdest experiences together.

TGTCMTGAN and I ran over to the bar closest to our work at 1:58, hoping we could get one drink in before going home after a long shift.  Fortunately, we are both regulars and good tippers so we got 2 drinks.  Unfortunately, us and one very drunk dude were the only ones left sipping spirits.  Of course the drunkard starts talking to us, interrupting our conversation.  He calls us the boombox girls and tells us in his Boston accent "I'm a southern gentleman from Austin."  I reply in a NE accent "or from Boston." (for more of his inane ramblings follow @alooney on twitter).

He proceeded to tell us about his two divorces, how he'd like to see one of his ex-wives cut up in a trashbag on the side of the highway.  We were still giggling at his incoherent half-sentences when he roared "AND DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU AREN'T MARRIED, YOU HAVE NO LOVE IN YOUR LIFE."

The moments of clarity that alcohol sometimes gives is ironic.

I always say, you'll meet the strangest people in bars after 2 a.m...

DIY: Jewelry Tree

I've told you of my yearning for a jewelry tree and also of its' exorbitant cost and absence from any of my wish-lists. Needless to say, when Liz got into DIY-ing so did I and I decided my project this week would be a jewelry tree.

Dudes, you might be bored by this topic BUT, if you are looking to impress a girl and you show up at her door with a handmade jewelry tree, you're probably gonna get some.  Or at least a hug.  Or some sort of food.  Or something.

Things you will need:

• base container (bottle, planter, something awesome)
• decorative rocks or marbles
• a tree branch (either from outside or a craft store
• glue or a glue gun
• optional:  spray paint
• also optional:  a glass of merlot

First, if you want to spray paint the bottom, go for it.  I did.  The color blackberry was on clearance, so my tree is blackberry.  Next, I scrounged around the park next door for a good branch with lots of little places to hang stuff.  I de-leafed the branches then spray painted the bark a little.  I just felt like all the sap and germs and bugs would be covered then.

After everything was dry I glued the branch into the base and placed the decorative rocks all around it.  If the branch breaks or I find another one, it can be easily replaced!!

And there is the finished project!!!!

 So simple and easy and cheap!!!!!  Instead of getting a $60 tree from Urban Outfitters, I spent less than $20 at Michael's craft store.  And, if I wanted to make another one, it would cost about $5!!!

Any ideas for next week's DIY?!?

Hello, Old Friend

It's been a minute. And by a minute, I mean a few months since I have typed a blog post and posted it to my old friend, Stooptime, so my other friends could read about what is up in my life. And there are many, many reasons. But, I'm throwing those reasons aside and coming back to my old friend. Because I like Stooptime & all that it provides.

That being said, I NEED BLOGGER FRIENDS. I need an audience to talk to, people to follow, people to follow me. So share my blog!! I'm like a little kid in preschool on the first day. All alone with my heart on my sleeve, trying to figure out how to make friends in a new world.

(Gosh a re-first blog post is hard to write. There's just no transition material at all. And no "main topic". I can't wait until the second one...)

Today I am going to do a few DIY jewelry trees (since I've been too poor for the past couple of years to buy one and too forgetful to put it on my birthday or christmas lists) and a few bracelets for a blogger giveaway, all while day drinking and celebrating the birthday of a good friend! But, I'll post about that tomorrow.

For today, I'm going to share a book I just read and highly recommend for some light & fun reading! "Tales of a Female Nomad" is about Rita Golden Gelman, who, as a newly divorced 40-something woman, sells most of her possessions and lives in different parts of the world learning about other cultures and languages. She's a writer (mostly children's books) and lives off of the income from that. The book is fascinating and a cheap way to travel to parts of the world you might never make it too. She is still a traveling nomad, and her website still chronicles her journey. I got the book for 50 cents at a thrift store, and it is probably just as cheap on Amazon and free at the local library if you need a good beach read!

(Gahhh! There's still no transition material!!)

Other things I'm up to: running a half-marathon, looking for a "real-kid" job, doing lots of other DIY projects, making the best cocktails ever, being hilarious and awesome, eating cake, reading, and rediscovering the art of blogging. And other random things that will weave themselves into the narrative of my life that is Stooptime.

Welcome back! It's good to write again.