Libraries... :)

... are cool !


Seriously. I LOVE libraries. I don't know whether it's the mood, the smell, the peacefulness, the books or the comfy chairs, but I'm thinking it's a combination of all of these things that makes me love them. Big libraries are the best, where there are lots of little hidy-holes & nooks to curl up in. Of course libraries have changed a lot in the last decade. Now they have computer hubs with Internet, or some might have wireless for your convenience. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that we've got to move with the times & updating & upgrading is wonderful but I like how libraries used to be. I like the past in general, you can learn so much from it.


That's part of the reason I like libraries. Of course, it's also because I love reading... & that's what usually takes place in a library. :)


Just knowing that all around you, filling the shelves is information. Whether it be fact or fiction, reality or fantasy or past, present of future. It's all relevant. Just because a particular section might not appeal to you, it will to someone else. I can guarantee. Every single book in a library will be loved or just simply read and enjoyed by someone, somewhere along the line. As they say: one man's trash is another man's treasure.


I find libraries inspiring; because of the pure information they contain, because of the quiet, peaceful, reassuring safety they communicate, because of the interesting people that you meet there with interesting points of view (I don't know about you but I could discuss my favourite books for hours), because of they way that you can lost time with your head in a book, or just wandering the isles & because of what you can discover & learn.


Here's an inspiration & a half...

The Kansas City Library, USA.
(http://unusual-architecture.com/kansas-city-public-library-missouri-usa/)

How amazing. I would really like to visit The Kansas City Library someday... :)
(http://www.photographymojo.com/2010/02/bizarre-buildings-pictures-yes-they-are-real/)

~C

Obsessions.

Everyone is obsessed with something.

Usually, there is some world wide trend happening, in regards to a current television show, music artist, book, product or movie. In recent times some of the major obsessions have been: Harry Potter, Snuggies, Twilight, Justin Bieber, Facebook, Cop shows, Vampires (in general) & Fantasy books (seriously, there has been a recent overload of them & they are mostly ALL THE SAME!).

Well, at the moment I am obsessed with an amazing television series called Supernatural. :)
You may have heard of it. If you haven't (you haven't LIVED) it's basically a story about two brothers who, bound by tragedy and blood to a dangerous, otherworldly mission, travel the mysterious back roads of the USA in their '67 Chevy Impala, searching for their missing father and hunting down every evil supernatural force they encounter along the way. Supernatural acquires a dedicated following due to its thrilling story lines, great family drama, and charismatic young stars. The great soundtrack of classic rock, metal, country, and blues hits doesn't hurt either!

"Supernatural is a freak. It's a mutt. It's a Frankenstein's Monster of pretty much everything I love - horror, comedy, urban legends, classic rock, Joseph Campbell, Route 66, Westerns - all stitched together into one bloody, twitching package." ~ (Creator Eric Kripke, from a Titan Publications press release.)

 I love it. And this is why...

I recently (about 5 minutes ago) read a forum discussing Supernatural & why us fangirls & guys alike just want to eat it up. I found heaps of interesting points that people may not see on the surface. Also, some great quotes to describe the show. Hehe. *Spoilers*

"It's all about the pretty pretty men with the pretty pretty guns listening to kick-ass rock music in a kick-ass muscle car as they, well, kick ass and take names. Until, of course, it's not, and then it's about two lost little boys who aren't really sure where they're headed or what the hell they're going to do about all of the trouble that just keeps piling up around them." (http://theladyscribe.livejournal.com/)

"[P]retty boys who fight supernatural beings, [...] have some daddy issues and an us-against-the-world mentality, paired with the added layer of the forbidden... it has fangirl material written all over it." (http://pocketfullof.livejournal.com/)

"The overarching narrative is classic and appealing: Wandering the Earth Fighting Evil." (http://harriet-spy.livejournal.com/)

1. Dean Winchester. :) He's an amazingly sexy combination of 2 classic stereotypes: the stoic hero & the reckless, flirtatious bad-boy rolled into one gorgeous packaging, with a soft, chewy, angst-filled centre. He'd to anything for his brother & has an undying, almost obsessive respect and obedience to his father. But apart from that he has addictions to unhealthy diner food, bad TV dramas, classic American muscle cars & women.

2. The believable family-orientated relationships. Seriously. This show does 'family' brilliantly. The relationships between the brothers, their father & a few of the more minor characters (such as Bobby & Ellen) are very realistic. You never come away feeling as if an argument was faked or that the acting was bad. Sometimes you can easily forget that the ACTORS have lives.

3. It's NOT set in a high-school environment. Supernatural appeals to both teens & adults & I love they way that it can appeal to adolescents without having to be a cliched, high-school drama, where the characters have to depend on their friends for support. The characters (although sometime seeming young and teenager-ish are independent adults & this series is not one for the tweenyboppers. (Let them stick to their high-school dramas!)

4. All of the stand-alone episodes. These are great for a bit of humor of a change up to the story line. sure the arcing, main, intense quest id great but it can get a little heavy at times. the stand-alones are some of my favourites. they could be from a different characters perspective, written in a different way than normal, or just plain weird, but i love them.

5. Road trip! It's a road trip story. Who doesn't love 'em. Travelling the back roads, meeting interesting characters along the way. You can put the characters anywhere on the map & they'll adapt, survive & always have a good time. 

6. The Impala. :) It's love at first sight, but also goes by the name of a, 1967 Chevrolet Impala. It's black, shiny & pretty much oozes 'muscle car-ness'.

"Supernatural has wolfed down fandom with a side of fries and onion rings, in a seedy motel room, wearing flannel, while angsting with its gorgeous brother." (http://notrafficlights.livejournal.com/)

~C

Guilty Pleasures.

Well, hello there!
Today's session will be about 'Uncovering the Real You!' & then of course, if you are staying for the second part of the lecture the topic will be 'How To Be a Successful Buissnessperson'.

JUST KIDDING. Thank goodness, I hope my blogs aren't that boring... or intimidating.

I'd like to write a bit about embarrassing moments & guilty pleasures. (That is of course, if you want to read about them.) Everyone has had at least one 'embarrassing moment' in their life, & some people may have had many more. Here are some of the common ones that I've heard of recently:

• Your mum 'accidentally' honking the horn as she drops you off in front of some of the hottest guys/gals you know. Cringe!
• You tripping over and flashing those gorgeous Betty Boop undies. >.<
• Tripping, in general.
• Walking into something... like a bin, for instance can be extremely embarrassing.
• Calling your 'mono-browed-not-so-crash-hot-fuddy-duddy-you're-wearing-the-wrong-sized-bra' graphics teacher 'Mum'.
• Being caught out with your pants down. (Who knows what you were up to... Well, actually, now all of Facebook knows...)

Yeah, you may have laughed at a few of these (don't feel guilty) & that's good because laughter, as everyone knows, is the best medicine. Sure, this sort of incident may make you want to crawl under a rock for the rest of your life, but try not to let it. It's okay to feel down for a little while, but don't let it affect you forever! Get over it, move on & believe me when I say that it is NOT the end of the world.
To prove my ingenious thesis, I will let you all have a giggle over a recent 'that-just-made-me-wanna-die' moment of mine. Not that it was entirely my fault. So, I had a bit of a birthday bash and my bestie decided she would drag all of the party goers to the local supermarket and buy me some not-so-desirable items... I wont go into the gruesome details. It was a bit of a joke, but the cashier wasn't really laughing... He (who I might add, knows me & is well... quite remarkably good-looking) just proceeded with the transaction rather awkwardly. :\
Have a laugh. I didn't. Not at the time. But really, WHO CARES! You obviously can't hide your face forever. So forget about it. Pretend it never happened. Make a joke about it. Talk about it. Or don't. But whatever you do don't hold a grudge. Life is too short.

Onto the second, slightly related, topic for this post: Guilty Pleasures.
These can be quite embarrassing (almost as bad as calling your teacher Mum) & often tell you a lot about a person. They can be personal, or just plain silly. Everyone has a few. Some more than others, depending on how private or confident they are. I would like to share a few of my own, just for a giggle.
Enjoy.

My Top 5 Guilty Pleasures:

• Twilight.

Yes, I got sucked into the fang-demonium, a cult which fangs on and doesn't let go until it's bled you dry. I own all of the novels & more. I'm a bit of a twi-hard when it comes to Twilight paraphernalia. I've got magazines, posters, key rings, badges, bags, the list goes on... I wont bore you.

• Singing & Dancing in the shower

Yep. I sing, at the top of my lungs and yep, I dance. In the shower. Nuff' said?

• Procedural Cop Shows

I know they are all the same. I know they take more notice of the relationships between the characters than the actual work behind finding the bad guy. I know they're predictable & I know they are really, really bad representations of reality. But I love them! The tension, the drama, the characters, the blood & gore, the clues, the mystery & intrigue!!! I must say, I'm a sucker for a guy who knows how to handle a gun. :)

• The Jonas Brothers

I'm sorry, really, really, REALLY, sorry. But they're kinda cute. And they sing in harmony... & they wear vests... & they know how to colour code. Again, sorry guys.

• Drinking water straight out of the bottle in the fridge.

Sorry Mum, sorry Dad. If you guys knew I did this secretly, when you're out, or not looking, you'd kill me. But it's soooo far to cupboard to get a glass & at least I'm reducing the amount of washing up we have to do... & I admit. It makes me feel a little bit rebel. :)

There we go. Everyone has 'em. Everyone is ashamed of 'em. Sorta like pimples or toe fungus... Well anyways I think I have a thumb cramp...

Keep Laughing!
~C

1.Of.My.Many.Hobbies.

I have a lot of so called, 'hobbies', things that I love to do & ways that I love spending time. But right now, I'm just going to tell you about 1. Just one.


Reading.
I love reading, soooo much. It's great for everything.

• Healing a broken heart. (... I think, although that's something I don't really, fully understand because if your heart is broken, then you would be dead. Say you got shot, in the heart. This would 'break' your heart, so to speak, but you would die. Also, if you were stabbed in the heart, you would die with a 'broken heart'. So it would be more correct to say that if it's your emotions that need healing, reading can do just that. But then again, so could a big tub of Ben & Jerry's)
• Escaping. This is one of my favourite aspects of reading a good book. If you find one that appeals to you, that you like & even that you can't put down, you can get completely absorbed by it. Lose yourself in the storyline. Relate to the characters. Love the places it takes you. Find a good book & a comfy armchair & you can escape into the story for hours. Leave behind all of your worries, forget about all the bills that are overdue & fade out the noise of every day life.
• Learning. One can learn a lot from reading. It doesn't matter if what you're reading isn't something along the lines of "The Boring But Completely Factual Book Of Quantum Physics", you still learn things; skills, mistakes, lessons, words, hell even geography! Reading expands both your general knowledge & your vocabulary. Take this blog for example, the title is not a made-up or foreign language, but interesting & unusual words which mean: nonsense that changes quickly. Also, you may notice the URL I have chosen for this blog, the-kvetch-of-Carman. Kvetch is an uncommon word which means to complain constantly, so you could say this blog is the constant complaints of me, Carman.

This is going out on a limb here, but I believe that books can have a significant impact on a generation or a particular society. (I know this example is widely used, but it's true) Harry Potter for example got children to read. It helped kids & teens to escape into the magical wizarding world & is said to have had a great impact on that certain generation. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling, has received a lot of praise over the years & I guess I am doing just the same, but I think it deserves it.

Also, If you think about it, the Classics not only would have greatly impacted on their society because of the great way in which they were written or the way that they were so ahead of their times but because they were popular (& still are) & encouraged people to read. Nowadays the Classics, such as: Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, To Kill A Mockingbird & of course anything by Shakespeare, give the reader a beautiful insight into another time.

Thanks again...
Keep Reading !!!
~C

Welcome!

Well, hello there. :)
Welcome to my blog. This is my first ever entry, so lets see how I go...

Recently I have realised something, you may call this realisation an epiphany: Family is the most important thing you could ever have. Now, 'family' comes in a lot of different shapes & sizes (especially in this day & age) but whatever your 'family' may look like on the outside, essentially they all love you unconditionally, on the inside. Families can be easy to deal with or very, very hard to handle. Whatever you do, make sure that you make time for your family. Time, is hard. Harder than family, harder than that physics exam or the 10,000 word term paper on the logistics of ancient society.
:\ Scary.
People, I have also realised, are all brilliant at one thing, making excuses. From the common, "I've just been too busy lately!", to the not so common, "Four of my eight cats have had conjunctivitis in the past month!", everyone can automatically regurgitate responses that rid them of responsibility. Excuses are silly. So what, you've been working the late shift & haven't been able to drop a line to the parentals. They want to know how you are. And DON'T dribble that self-effacing crap about 'not wanting to bother them!' Family love you. Sure, your sister might burn the Christmas roast chatting away to you on the phone, but she'd rather get a fresh & friendly update than eat a 'still-pink-in-the-middle-almost-raw' chook.
Believe me.

Forget about the fights between you & your little annoying brother or the misunderstandings between you & your favourite cousin. Call them. Drop in on their doorstep. Text them. Talk to them. Tell them you love them. And (sorry to be a bit on the negatory... but) make sure they know you appreciate them before it's too late.

~C