So I think cats are okay. I've just recently discovered that I actually think they are cute, and would potentially want one in my future. I blame my parents who never really allowed my siblings and I to have anything more intense than some goldfish that we won at the fair. One lived a really long time and was abnormally big. The other 3 died within days. Maybe the first goldfish ate them? I can't remember, it's too traumatic.
I do, however, love dogs. Dogs are my thing. I am anxiously awaiting the day when I move into a dwelling that actually allows pets, and I can get my dream dog: a beagle, or a golden retriever/lab mix. But in the meantime, check out this website:
I am an avid book reader, collector and worth noting, a total nostalgia junkie. In other words, I collect children and teen books. I love re-reading stuff from my childhood. I feel no shame in it, although the overflowing boxes of books in my closet are starting to worry me. My grandmother saved most of her books, and I remember running downstairs to her basement to flop on the couch and dig into her first edition Nancy Drew's. I hope someday to pass the books I've loved onto my kids or grandkids or anyone else I can pawn them off on. In the meantime, I'll keep re-reading and collecting and enjoying.
There's the classics: Judy Blume, Roald Dahl, Harriet the Spy, Little House etc. But my guiltiest pleasure is 80's ya series. Oh my God, I LOVED a series that I could collect and set up on my bookshelf, trying to fill in the numbers I was missing. Here's a sampling:
The Baby-Sitters Club Oh sweet BSC, you were a time of innocence before I jumped into Steven King and V.C. Andrews. I absolutely still love this series about a group of baby-sitters and their adventures. There was nothing too dramatic about the BSC. Sometimes they would fight, like if Mary Anne got a makeover, or Stacey decided she was mature for the club, or if Claudia would eat the last twinky (kidding). But that's kind of why they remain a favorite. The relationships the girls had with each other was so realistic and well, for lack of a better word, normal. Completely relate-able. And worth it just for the epic outfit descriptions. (Boy Crazy Stacey and Mallory and the Trouble with Twins were my two favorites: hello, the beach and makeovers?)
Sweet Valley High SVH was awesome for the opposite reason. Total unbelievable drama! (as seen in the above image, yum frozen pancakes.) This series was set in the fictional town of Sweet Valley, with a cast of white bred, beautiful teens headed by the perfect size 6 Wakefield twins. It's a soap opera and I loved it. Famously ghostwritten by a bazillion writers, it made Francine Pascal rich, and robbed me of my allowance on many occasions. Basically Sweet Valley High and The Baby-Sitters Club made teen publishing what it is today.
Freshman Dorm Sorry for the small images. But if you can lean in real close to your screen, you'll see my favorite part of the Freshman Dorm series: collage covers! I always loved how it was a bunch of photos, with weird 90's junk sitting on top of it (erasers that spelled out hot, nail polish, weird key chains, mini pizzas). Freshman Dorm encouraged my dreams of college while I was still in middle school. Surprisingly realistic, well at least in the beginning, the teens of Freshman Dorm *gasp* actually go to classes, and work on their homework in between falling in love, becoming anorexic, getting addicted to drugs, almost getting married etc. I avidly re-read this series now, in hopes that it will pump me up, a contrast to how boring college actually is.
Cheerleaders This tiny photo was extremely difficult to locate, which is making me realize this series might have been harder to find in the 80's than I thought. I still own way too many of these books. I just loved this series because I wanted to be a cheerleader when I was a little girl, but really...the plots are either totally ridiculous or completely boring. You don't really feel anything for *any* of the characters because they're mostly so shallow and self centered, and not in a fun Jessica Wakefield or Lila Fowler kind of way either. Oh well, I still loved it as a kid. Famous ya authors got their start on this series, including Caroline B. Cooney and Christopher Pike!
Sunset Island Sunset Island....oh how I still love thee. This series follow three girls who become au-pairs on a beautiful island during two (very long) summers. Cherie Bennett is the master of describing outfits, most of them horrendous (think day glo), and child care is mostly put on the back burner, with the focus on the girls love lives with various hot dudes on the island. My favorite part is the local band, Flirting with Danger (!!!). Seriously, that name is so ridiculous, you have to love it.
Sleepover Friends These were, and still, are kind of baby-ish, but c'mon, it's called The Sleepover Friends! Cute! Really, it's like The Baby-sitters Club lite. Pretty wholesome, nothing too intense happens. The only real reason to read these books are for the intense junk food sessions they go on. Serious food porn. Pizza, fudge, Dr. Pepper, bbq chips, cookies, leftover chinese food...if it's in the fridge, these girls will eat it.
Other series I loved (and some I still collect) include: Canby Hall, The Fabulous Five, Pen Pals, Sunfire, Satin Slippers, Couples, Sweet Dreams, Merivale Mall, Seniors, Roommates, Girl Talk, geesh.
Now I've just gotta keep my fingers crossed that the new Sweet Valley and BSC books that are planned, aren't totally terrible.
So I shouldn't have been such a braggart about my computer success. Because promptly after posting that blog, and watching two episodes of Jersey Shore on MTV.com (don't hate, it makes me laugh so hard), my new-ish old laptop crashed. A goner. Two trips to the Apple store wasted. Hard drive is busted. And it's not really worth replacing.
So I've made the mature decision. To purchase a new lap. A NON-MAC! (the screaming and crying you hear is my boyfriend wailing in the corner.)
I've been a Mac girl for a while. I'm an Apple addict. However, I just can't afford a Mac Book Pro, and I need something fast, that I can stream video, surf the net and write papers for school on. I'm not asking for much. I don't need anything too fancy. I just refuse to spend $700 (and up!) for a used or refurbished sluggish powerbook or ibook.
So I'm doing it! (I've got my eye on this Toshiba)
Also, remember when I was hating on Twitter? Well because of my iPhone and the awesome twitter apps, I've joined. Mostly to read other celebrities tweet. But then today, I dove it. I posted a tweet about not tweeting. Ten minutes later, I actually tweeted. I felt the urge, and I succumbed. So if you want to follow me, (the two people who read this blog) do so.
User name is: IWantYouSass (yes, i forgot to put the 'R' in my user name. And didn't realize this until I'd already added all my favorite celebs to follow, and didn't want to deal with creating a new account. Now lots of pervy and skeevy internet dudes just see I WANT YOU and decide to follow me. Ughhh, creepy)
My computer needed a new keyboard, and it's back to it's sluggish ways. BUT, I also have access to an older laptop now, which is kind of like the greatest thing in the world. It's sort of mine. But not. But it is. But not. It's still awesome.
It other news, The Grammy's were pretty much a snooze fest. Except Pink. Holy shit balls, she was amazing.
Weirdly enough, when Pink first came out, I was a part of her street team. I used to post on the AOL music boards a lot, and somehow got involved with the promotion before her first album. I haven't followed her much since then, but every time I see her on TV, I'm just like...dang, you are cooler than any other crappy female singer out there. Props to Pink for keeping it going.
In a side note, remember when AOL was the shit? Good lord, my dad used to have to set a timer for me because I spent so much time on it. The thing would chime, and he'd be like "okay, your hour is up!". And I'd be like, "but dad, I'm still chatting in this stupid chat forum to strangers in Milwaukee!"
A record store working, 80's ya book collecting, pie making dork who also knits and reads comics. Always on the quest for a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. Prone to listening to bad pop music while cleaning. In college with aspirations of becoming an elementary school librarian.
