sorry for going AWOL

Lately I have been: 

1. reveling in the mindlessness that is watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. learning how to crochet
3. making an afghan with the aforementioned skills
4. reading
5. rearranging the room Brynne and I share
6. catching up on sleep

I'll probably post a picture of the afghan when it gets done. That may be a while though. 

no pithy title

I'm sitting in the Little Rock airport using up my computer battery. I know that I'll regret it later, but I really don't wont to read the Terry Brooks book I have, because it's bad enough to actively annoy me, and I don't have another book. Plus, being on my computer lets me people-watch without them knowing that I'm doing so. 

Oh! I read Paper Towns yesterday, and it definitely was the best book I've read this year. (I know that isn't saying much since the year isn't even half over yet, but...) I sat in Barnes and Noble and read the whole thing in about three hours, which I think is the good way to read books. I read sad Margo, whom I think I like slightly better than happy Margo. And the book was so good that I can't think of words to describe how good it is. You'll have to live with my vague 'it was awesome' unless I think of something on the plane. 

culture shock

Culture Shock. I have the beginnings of it, because for the first time in my life since I was five, I'm looking at America with the thought of living here. 

Here is the start of a new label, and probably a new ongoing theme. 

Day 1: 

Things are often too sweet or too salty. It makes me wonder what else is in the food. 

I feel tiny. As someone who is 5'8" and 108 pounds, in China I'm usually one of the tallest people in a group, and somewhere on the medium to thin side, definitely not absolutely miniscule, which is how I feel here. 

(!)

I'm leaving. 

Today. 

And I might not be coming back. 

And it would be so sad if I weren't so excited about going. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go rush around madly. 

bet you didn't know...

It's been a while since I've done one of these, and I think they're fun. 

Name five things laying around your computer. 

A bottle of sugarless mint gum, a roll of tape, a bunch of books, an alarm clock, two pairs of scissors. 

10 places you've lived, in order. 

I'm assuming that whoever wrote this means chronological order. 

Santa Maria de Guia, the Canary Islands, Spain

Madison, Wisconsin, the US of A

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, USA

Five different houses in Dalian, China

Two houses in Ningbo, China

...and that's it. 

A romantic night would be...

Um...romantic? I've never thought about it. But I suppose it would matter who it was with than anything else. And whoever it's with should have a say in what we do. 

Were you ever rushed to the hospital? What for? 

Yes, I was. For second-degree burns caused by oil splashing all over my neck and face. I was unconscious for most of it, and what I do remember is just...red. Thankfully the only scarring I have is some tiny bumps under my right eye. 

What's the worst that can happen? 

I could live forever. (I'm sure there are worse things out there, I just can't think of them right now.) 

:D

So. I suppose that the time has come for me to make an official announcement about this. 

I'm leaving for the States next Monday and may not be coming back to China in the fall. In fact, I probably won't be. I'll be living (!) with Brynne and her family instead. *much happiness ensues* 

Now I need to go pack. 

Greywalker

...by Kat Richardson

The first half was tolerably good, but the ending was atrocious. The writing, plot, characters and setting weren't bad, some of it was quite good, but the ending of the book just...wasn't in alignment with my view of the universe. It was too dark, too hopeless, too out of balance, and simply didn't have that sense of completion and fulfillment that I look for in the ending of a book. The ending felt more like an angsty middle than a conclusion. 

However, the beginning was good enough to actually make me read the book, which is quite a feat, since I usually don't like mysteries OR paranormal fiction, much less both together.