Taking Stock: November 2016

via

via

via

Christmas is coming--and so is the end of the semester. Things are starting to look up.

Dreading: Finals. They’re never as bad as I think they’ll be; the anxiety leading up to them is actually worse. This semester, though, I have a cumulative Chemistry final, so all bets are off. 

Switching: Majors. In October I transferred into English Education (from Nursing), and I’m already feeling a lot happier and less stressed. My goal’s always been to study for a job where I can help people, and English Education combines that with the subjects I’m best at and love most. I’m a little sad about giving up Nursing, but not sad enough to plow through Organic Chemistry. 

Reading: The Boston Jane series by Jennifer L. Holm (I’ve yet to read a book of hers that I don’t at least like); Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, Issues 1-6 of The Dreamer by Lora Innes, The Trespasser by Tana French, Dune by Frank Herbert, and The Fall of the House of Walworth by Geoffrey O’Brien. 

Scrounging: For Thanksgiving leftovers. At this point we might have a little bit of turkey left, but everything else--three-berry cranberry sauce, loaded mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, pumpkin pie--is long gone. 

Missing: Sleep. 

Raging: Over the election. Sort of. At this point I’m more depressed than angry...but also still angry. We’re in for a rough couple of years, and right now I’m praying there’ll only be four. 

Thankful for: My family. Books. Writing. Netflix. College. 

Watching: An ungodly amount of TV, especially during break, plus four horror/true crime documentaries. Each one was creepy in its own way, but my two favorites were Killer Legends and Cropsey. They’re both centered around urban legends, available on Netflix, and very, very good. 

Taking Stock: June 2016

Feeling: A little discouraged. Writing was going so smoothly until last week. I have lots of ideas, and high hopes for July, though.

Missing: College. I’ll have a pretty hectic course load next semester, but I’m already excited to get back.

Reading: In the Woods by Tana French, Nimona by Noelle Stevenson, To the End of June by Cris Beam, Batman: City of Owls by Scott Snyder, and Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith.

Rereading: Entwined by Heather Dixon. I adore this book.

Wondering: If I’ll ever get to a point where I’m able to produce stories consistently, instead of in twice-a-year spurts.

Watching: The Simpsons. They’re episodes where I identify with Homer way too much.

Knitting: The scarf that will never be finished. Next time I’ll use wider needles.

Journaling: Barely at all this month. Things have been pretty quiet around here. :)

Eating: Fresh peaches.

Craving: More fresh peaches.

Loving: Cassandra Cain, Barbara Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth...basically the entire batfamily. Also that they’re actually called “the batfamily”.

Picture Credits: X, X, X

Taking Stock: May 2016

Reading: Going Postal, possibly my favorite Terry Pratchett book of all time; The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and a bunch of comics. I’m finally dipping into Marvel and loving it, especially Daredevil. Also Jeffrey Brown’s Star Wars books, which are too cute to pass up.

Eating: Curry shrimp for Mother’s Day.

Drinking: Homemade lemonade.

Binging: Law & Order: SVU and New Girl.

Missing: The beach. The boardwalk. Dune fries.

Loving: Mermaids, pretty journals, and superhero aesthetic boards on Pinterest.

Cooing: Over the Lego Batman trailers, which I somehow missed until now. Clearly this movie will be a work of art.

Craving: Violet lemonade. Rose lemonade. Any kind of lemonade.

Making: Eggs-in-a-basket. They’re delicious and I’m a little obsessed with finding the perfect flipping technique, since I obviously have nothing better to do than make sure my eggs are set but not too set.

Reorganizing: My desk. It’s the one spot in my bedroom that I clean on anything like a regular basis.

Searching: For a job. It’s about as fun and stress-free as you’d expect.

Listening: “Walkabout” by The Augustines, “Release” by Pearl Jam.

Picture credits: X, X, X

Taking Stock: April 2016

Surviving: Finals. Somehow.

Writing: Much more regularly. I’m not turning out any masterpieces here, but just producing a bit of something more or less every day has been wonderful.

Reading: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Secrets of the Dragon Tomb by Patrick Samphire, Under the Jolly Roger by L.A. Meyer.

Watching: Law & Order: SVU. Police procedurals are my kryptonite, and Law & Order is especially addictive. Movie-wise, I saw The Judge (good) and This Is Where I Leave You (very good).

Feeling: Sad that the semester’s ending and I’ll have three months with no assigned reading or papers. I never thought I would be, but I am.

Noticing: Pots full of flowers on doorsteps in the town where I go to college.

Appreciating: Warmer weather. It’s finally started to feel like spring.

Drinking: Way too much soda and not enough tea.

Eating: Homemade Napoleon Cake. It was delicious!

Admiring: The “Batman Through the Years” mug at my college bookshop which I won’t buy because it’s a waste of money...but it’s Batman. On a mug.

Listening: To “Someday” by Steve Earle, “Home” by American Authors, and “If I Had a Heart” by Fever Ray.

Launching: The Comics Cafe, a new blog for reviewing and/or gushing over comics! It’s still very much under construction, but you can take a look here.

Picture sources: X, X, X

Taking Stock: March 2016



   Sorry for the radio silence! School has been pretty crazy lately, but I’m hoping to blog more in April.

Watching: Daredevil season 2. It’s really hard for me to write/talk about my favorite shows without spoiling them, so I’ll just say that season 2 was everything I hoped it would be and more. So, so, SO good. All of the new characters were amazing, and even though the Punisher is my favorite (obviously), Elektra runs a close second.

Stressing: Over homework. Finals are coming up in about four weeks.

Reading: I just finished The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes and Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

Journaling: Pretty sparsely this month. Mostly thanks to lackluster reading, tons of homework, and a massive show hangover (thanks, Daredevil).

Listening: To way too much Taylor Swift. My favorites are “Style”, “Out of the Woods”, and “Welcome to New York”.

Wearing: High heels for the first time in ages and wondering how I ever used to be able to run--much less walk--in them.

Eating: Lamb and Peking duck for Easter.

Also reading: Wolverine: Origin, Batgirl, Vol 1: The Darkest Reflections, Batgirl/Robin: Year One, Blue Beetle, Vol 1, and New Suicide Squad, Vol 1. I need to read more Marvel comics--DC is great, but there’s only so much Batman you can take at one time. Ditto for the Suicide Squad.

Craving: A really, really good YA book (any genre). It’s been a long time since I got the full-five-stars, sobbing-my-eyes-out, why-can’t-I-live-in-this reaction from a book, and I miss it.

Knitting: That scarf. It’s still nowhere near finished, but one day...one day...it will be. :) And yes, I did knit while watching Daredevil, so more than once I had one eye on my stitches and the other on whichever guy was getting beaten to a pulp onscreen. It was amazing.  

Thinking: About starting up a blog specifically for reviewing comics and graphic novels. I barely have time to blog here anymore, but we’ll see. Maybe this summer….

Picture credits: x, x, x

Taking Stock: February 2016

 

Ready for: Spring. The weather’s been a little warmer for the past couple of days and I’m praying it sticks.

Studying: Sociology, Math, Composition, and Atlantic World History--all tough but interesting.

Making: A commonplace book for my favorite quotes. For now it’s a pile of hole-punched pages, but I plan on binding them together once they’re all filled up.

Liking: Long waits in the library.

Visiting: Washington D.C. The Air and Space Museum and the The Museum of the American Indian.

Deciding: To write what makes me happy, not what I think I should be writing.

Reading: Lots of good books but not many great books. My favorites this month were Passager (a story by Jane Yolen where Merlin’s a feral child abandoned in the woods; you really should read it), Career of Evil, The Four Seasons of Brambly Hedge, A Year Down Yonder, and After Iris.

Listening: To "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers and "In a Big Country" by Big Country.
Watching: Crimson Peak. Creepy, gruesome, and very, very Gothic.

Rewatching: Doc Martin seasons 3-4, Supernatural season 2.

Hoping: To blog more in March, but I’m not making any promises!

Wishing: For a house by the ocean where I could write and read and go for long walks and be cute and quirky and never worry about anything.

Feeling: Hopeful and excited. I feel like February was a month for recharging, and March will be the month for getting things done. (I always feel like this. But this time I really mean it [fingers crossed].)

All pictures via Pinterest.

Taking Stock: December

Savoring: The last few weeks of Christmas break; my new lemon-tea-scented candle.

Waiting: For snow.

Thinking: About fixing myself a cup of hot cocoa.

Reading: Li’l Gotham, volumes 1 & 2 (these stories are hilarious and adorable and BEAUTIFULLY illustrated—I can’t get enough of them); The Magician King (even better than The Magicians); Every Word (perfection).

Worrying: About 2016. Lots of things will be changing for me, and I’m both super excited and super stressed.

Binge-watching: The X-Files on Christmas Eve. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Writing: Very little this month. I’m not sure if it’s writer’s block or good old-fashioned laziness, but lately putting words on paper has felt like filtering Jell-O through a sieve (or some other equally bad metaphor).

Deciding: To make some New Year’s resolutions this time around. They might not stick, but it’s worth a shot.

Eating: Christmas leftovers.

Wishing: You all a happy New Year and a (belated) merry Christmas! Blogging has been such a wonderful experience, and I’m so grateful to everyone who took the time to read my posts. You guys are beyond lovely. 

All pictures via Pinterest.

Taking Stock: November

Looking forward to: Christmas!

Eating: Thanksgiving leftovers. There’s no such thing as too much mashed potatoes.

Watching: Jessica Jones.

Reading: The Girls at the Kingfisher Club, Brooklyn, Winter’s Bone, After the Golden Age, Jim Henson: The Biography.

Listening: To the Sussex Carol.

Burning: Honeysuckle-scented candles. I love having one close to my desk when I’m writing.

Waiting: For snow.

Craving: A cup of tea and a window seat to sip it on.

Wishing: I had more time (and more motivation) to do the things I want to do.

Seeing: Mockingjay Part 2 at the theater. 

Finishing: “A Forest of Bones”, my short story retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. You can read it here. 

All pictures via Pinterest.

Taking Stock: October

Reading: Lots of comics: Batman: The Long Halloween (good), Batman: Hush (great), All Star Batman and Robin (so bad it’s good); plus Phoebe and Her Unicorn; Jane, the Fox, and Me; and The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes, which I wanted to like so badly but just couldn’t get into.

Watching: Season 1 of Gotham, season 11 of Supernatural, some of The X-Files.

Drinking: Sparkling apple cider (it’s delicious).

Also Reading: Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex.

Listening: To Nero by Thomas Bergersen.

Journaling: Here and there. One of my goals for next month is to write at least two entries a week.

Planning: Projects for NaNoWriMo. I probably won’t actually be writing a novel in a month, but I’d like to use it as a jumping-off point for being more productive.

Eating: Salt and vinegar potato chips.

Knitting: A red and yellow Gryffindor scarf.

Looking forward to: Halloween! I don’t trick-or-treat anymore, but I love the pumpkins and the costumes and especially the candy.

Publishing: "Morte Mare", a ghost story I wrote a while back. It's quite a bit darker than my usual stuff, but I hope you'll like it! You can read it here.

All pictures via Pinterest 

Taking Stock: September

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking forward: To October. Autumn is my favorite season, and I can't wait until the leaves start to turn and there's a real chill in the air.

Eating: Popcorn. Extra-extra butter is the only way to go.

Publishing: Another ghost story! Morte Mare will appear in Inkblots & Typing Spots on October 30th. A ghost story published the day before Halloween--how cool is that? I can't wait for you guys to read it!

Reading: Jesse James: The Last Rebel of the Civil War

Hoping: For a productive week. (Haha.)

Watching: (Or Watched, rather) The lunar eclipse on the 27th. I didn't stay outside for the whole thing, because I'm a wimp who bores easily, but I did get a good look at the blood moon.

Drinking: Cherry coke.

Loving: Gel pens, journals, good books, and visits from friends.

Still wishing: For hot cocoa.

Realizing: That the one-year anniversary of this blog is coming up! I started posting here all the way back in November, and I honestly can't believe I made it this far.

 

 

All pictures via Tumblr and Pinterest.

Taking Stock: August

Reading: The Artemis Fowl series, The Walking Dead volumes 1 & 2, loads of Bruce Coville short stories.

Discovering: A new favorite flavor of tea—jasmine.

Buying: Gel pens.

Rediscovering: How hard writing can be. It’s not something you ever really forget, but every so often it comes back full force to punch you in the gut.

Doodling: All over church bulletins. It actually helps me concentrate during sermons.

Wishing: For hot cocoa.

Waiting: For autumn. Especially October. Especially Halloween.

Finishing: Editing a ghost story. I’m still not completely satisfied with it—I never am—but it feels good to be finishing something.

Journaling: Almost every day. My entries are as boring as you’d expect.

Listening: To “Scrooge” from A Muppet Christmas Carol. Best. Song. Ever.

Starting: To use a planner. We’ll see how it goes. 

All pictures via Pinterest.

Taking Stock: July

Wondering: Why summer is passing so quickly.

Reading: Gotham by Gaslight: A Tale of the Batman, wherein a Victorian-era Batman hunts down Jack the Ripper. I hope I’m not the only one who thinks this is begging to be made into a series on Netflix

Eating: Anything I can fit in my mouth, but mainly salmon cream cheese. There can never be too much salmon cream cheese.

Drinking: Gallons of tea. My favorites are Country Peach Passion and Lemon Zinger.

Watching: Way too much Netflix. My sister and I just got into Daredevil.

Writing: First drafts. Terrible, horrible, open-the-sewage-pipe-of-my-unfiltered-mind-and-let-it-spew-all-over-the-page first drafts. And it’s the most fun I’ve had writing in a long time.

Buying: A new dress. I don’t think anybody feels good about themselves after clothes shopping. It ain’t for the faint of heart.

Also Reading: The Bloody Jack series.

Waiting: For cooler weather.

Knowing: I need to get outside more often. I probably won’t, but I should.

Starting: To read more comics and graphic novels. It’s such a different experience from reading a “normal” book and I love it!

Loving: Red nail polish, Microsoft Word, and flip-flops. 

All pictures via Pinterest

Taking Stock: June

Reading: The Journals of Dorothy Wordsworth, Surviving the Applewhites, Guards! Guards!

Making: Collages on my journal pages. All you need is a pair of scissors, some Scotch tape, and magazines to rip apart.

Wishing: To go to the beach. I miss the ocean.

Listening: To the Tarzan soundtrack. I love all Disney soundtracks, but this one just made it into my top three favorites (the other two are Hercules and Treasure Planet).

Watching: The Walking Dead, Raising Hope, Parks and Recreation.

Enjoying: Less-than-scorching-hot weather. I’ve been outside a grand total of two times in the past two days, but still….

Wanting: A desktop like this.

Wondering: If I should start knitting again. I made hats, washcloths, gauntlets, cup cozies, baby blankets, scarves, and purses before I quit two years ago. I've been wondering if I should start again ever since.

Drooling: Over candied strawberries. I had them at a friend’s birthday and they were beyond amazing.

Writing: Notes and story ideas and more notes.

Praying: I’ll get a first draft of something finished before the end of summer.

Needing: To read more.

Admiring: Tasha Tudor. I’ve mentioned her on the blog before. There’s something incredibly inspiring about living your life exactly as you want to live it, even if that includes corsets and wood-burning stoves.

Waiting: For my copy of Onyx, the newest issue of White Ash Literary Magazine. One of my stories will be printed in it!

Loving: Warwick Goble’s fairy tale illustrations. He might be the subject of my next Artist Spotlight. What do you think? 

All pictures via Pinterest