Confessions of a Book Lover: The Hunger Games Trilogy

So, I've been meaning to get another book lover post up and I am finally doing it although it isn't a Tuesday. :P I'm not actually going to tell anyone much about these two books except that you need to read them. Seriously. These are so good that my brother read them and who knows how long it's been since he's read a long book!

I didn't realize it until recently, but the Hunger Games trilogy (soon to be trilogy, book 3 comes out later this month AND it's possibly the first book I have ever pre-ordered, partly due to the ridiculously fabulous price of eight dollars for a hardback. Anyway...) is extremely popular. Like, movie deals popular. They are also young adult literature which, this I also didn't know, is embarrassing for adults to be caught reading. Seriously? Young adult literature is some of my favorite fiction...world building, fantastic story telling? Who cares who it was written for as long as it's good and well done. Apparently I suck at being a book snob (I'm cool with that). Anyway, the New York Times has given me permission to love what I have always loved. Thanks, New York Times. Not. You can imagine that authors like Robin McKinley and Gayle Foreman (who is on my to-read list and with whom I have to disagree on one thing: the book about the history of salt? it's one of the most awesome. books. ever) are thrilled to be "real authors." >.>



So. The Hunger Games. I came across Hunger Games through an author's suggested reading list. Maybe Tamora Pierce? Not sure. The book is intense. One of the first things that grabbed me was the ease of the world building. Within a few pages, I knew this was a post-apocalyptic/futuristic version of our world. Too, Katniss's relationship with her mom did some serious resonating with me. Without going into too many details, Katniss had to grow up fast and her mom was kind of...there but not there. It echoed pretty strongly some of the feelings I struggle with for my mom (and my dad, in different ways, though). I even bookmarked one passage because when I read it, I stopped and thought, "whoa."

I kept watching, waiting for her to disappear on us again. I didn't trust her. And some small gnarled place inside me hated her for her weakness, for her neglect, for the months she had put us through. Prim forgave her, but I had taken a step back from my mother, put up a wall to protect myself from needing her, and nothing was ever the same between us again.

Sorry if that's too much honesty for a booklover post but, man, that passage just touched something I had never really articulated.

The book has its basis in mythology, if that's something you're into. In a q&a, author Suzanne Collins says,

A significant influence would have to be the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The myth tells how in punishment for past deeds, Athens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete, where they were thrown in the Labyrinth and devoured by the monstrous Minotaur.

And that's The Hunger Games. One boy and one girl from each district in a post-war, post-natural disaster North America go to the Capital and fight to the death.



Catching Fire covers the aftermath of the games, picking up about 6 months after Katniss returns from the Games. The nightmares, the transition from near-starvation to plenty, and the aftermath of her actions in the Games--and the rebellion that she inflamed.

What happens next is not an accident. It is too well executed to be spontaneous, because it happens in complete unison. Every person in the crowd presses the three middle fingers of their left hand against their lips and extends them to me. It's our sign from District 12, the last goodbye I gave Rue in the arena."

:P I'm kind of scared to say anything else because it will give away some of what happens in the Hunger Games. Again, intense.

I'm pretty excited about Mockingjay which comes out August 24, especially since everyone has been extremely tight lipped about the book...I haven't come across any leaks or spoilers. Heck, I'm excited about the movie and I hope it's well done because a movie with an awesome female heroine like Katniss? I can't wait. Oh, here's a trailer for book 3:


Boy, I rambled a lot. Haha. That's what I get for writing off and on for 3 hours and then finishing at nearly midnight.

Maybe not

So I started to go upstairs then decided I would probably just stay downstairs. Just seemed like the safer option for some reason...

Mixed Bag...

I've been a little blah, haha. I haven't taken a ton of pictures and I've got a book review post I want to do but I'm just all kinds of meh about things. I think the heat is making me all slow and drowsy. :P I like a cat, as Autumn would say. So here are a few photos and updates. First! We have living room walls! And a ceiling!


Of course, the bad news is that this means I have to start painting again soon. Sigh. Also, my summer aikido class had its end of the summer party on Thursday. We did a circuit of games and activities we did over the last few weeks and ended with some Japanese sweets. The next session begins on September 7 and will run for 6 weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:45-4:45 for anyone who is interested. I wish I had video of those first classes. It's been pretty amazing to watch the class evolve from chaos to a group of kids who could actually do a couple techniques. This is most of them:


Since we moved in two weeks ago, we've had a series of firsts. This week was Autumn's first bath in the new, big tub. That was horrible because it involved first getting the tub clean enough for her to bathe in. ::shudder:: The first week, we cleared enough of the garage to park one car in it. I made my first meal the Thursday after we moved in. And, yesterday, Papa D brought Autumn her first serving of rainbow frozen yogurt to be eaten in the new house. She was thrilled.


And, here are a few stray photos from July. These are from Lainey and Papa D's 4th of July party. Mike and Autumn, playing in the water slide pool. I wonder why she scrunches up her face like that whenever anyone tells her to smile. :)


This is like a photograph that could describes me and Mike without words. hahaha. Mike=grumpy, Sharaze=happy.


Ok, how awesome is this? Autumn got some serious air here! I'm tempted to make one of those lolcats out of this. Maybe "invisible bike."


Like this, for those not in the know about lolcats.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Ha!

Goin' to the chapel...

Well, something much anticipated happened today! These guys:


Are totally getting married!!


And there was much rejoicing. /cue hallelujah chorus

:D

Seriously, I'm really pumped. Liz has been a part of our life since not long after Mike and I got married way back in 2002. Here's what Molly looked like at about the time we met Liz:


Weird, huh? Honestly, Donnie and Liz are more like our friends than my brother and SOON TO BE SISTER IN LAW (/beam) so this is extra exciting. Too, Liz has been through a lot with us. My dad's intervention, his funeral, my grandmother moving back to the Philippines...


All the Twilight movies (teehee), baby and wedding showers, weddings and receptions...


Elizabeth was even the first person I told other than Mike that I was pregnant with Miss Autumn. Although for some reason I have no photos of Liz holding Autumn as a teeny beebee so here's the next best thing. Haha.


Anyway, I'm so excited for Elizabeth and Donnie. Part of it is for them and part of it is definitely selfish. I'm looking forward to many more years of zoo visits.


Dress up


And civet poop coffee.


Congratulations, guys!!

Moving Day!

Well. We did it. Saturday we moved into the new house. :D :D :D

It started out pretty early for me. I had to drop Molly off at the vet around 7am. I made an appointment for her to get her yearly checkup and grooming so that she wouldn't get a chance to make a break for it. Here she is the night before the move, chilling in the blanket trunk:


I got to the house before everyone else so that I could get a few things done. When I arrived, I found that Mike's mom (who I didn't get a picture of, unfortunately) had been busy Friday night. She marked our territory...


And hung some ferns from the balcony. She's so sweet. I had one person ask me if it was the first thing we put out and my brother asked if we were trying to "pass" as suburbanites by putting out a monogrammed flag. Haha. I had to give all the credit to Lainey because I never think of things like that.


And, actually, when I say I got to the house before anyone else, I really mean before anyone moving anything because I was beaten there by three people. Manuel, who is doing most of the big work here (replacing subflooring, doing a couple bathrooms...stuff like that) was here early.

Along with T, who is usually here with Manuel. Autumn always asks where they are so I kind of wonder how long she's going to ask about them after all this work is done. Anyway, they were finishing up the downstairs bathroom which, by the way, looks amazing.


And, of course, Papa D was here. I swear he's here working more than he's at his own house. He and Lainey are seriously tireless.


Here are our Movers O' Awesomeness beginning with my brother Donnie who came with Liz whose photo I forgot to take. Dude. Liz is crazy. We were all hanging out and eating lunch and here she comes hauling in more boxes by herself.


Eric, to whom I have promised a glorious Korean barbecue meal for helping on the hottest day of the year.


And Frank and Ryan who both drove a really long way to help out. Ryan came from Birmingham (that was really just good timing on his part although it is funny to say that Mike's brother drove from Alabama to help). Frank came from Rossville. I'm hoping that now that we don't live over an hour apart we'll get to see Frank, Emily, and Olivia more often. Frank and Ryan amused my brother by talking about football and looking at football news pretty much every time he passed by them.


My mom and sister came by to help out, too. Here I am with Beebee Woxie. :P You know what's going to be nice about moving in finally? I won't have to pretty much go around all the time in my paint clothes and paint hair. I can do stuff like change before I paint and then change before I leave!


Here's Valerie who was at the house unpacking for a really long time AND who risked her life and very soul to pick Molly up from the vet.


My mom tackled the Shower of Horror. :D Actually, it wasn't that bad considering how bad the rest of the house was when we moved in.


Our community group leaders Matt and Jamie stopped by to say hi and brought us some flowers. How incredibly nice was that? I love seeing the pretty pop of color in the kitchen whenever I go in.


We had furniture delivered INCLUDING the all-wonderful BED! Mike and I have been sleeping on an aerobed since we sold our bedroom furniture in May at Mike's parent's garage sale. It was so. stinking. nice to sleep in a bed. Sorry, my fellow Asian friends, I have no nostalgia for sleeping on the floor. Give me a mattress any day! This isn't the bed (obv, right? haha) but it is one of the tables we had delivered. The one we won't actually sit at until after the breakfast room and living room are completed. I'm a bit concerned that it might be a little too nice for the breakfast area and that I made a mistake because it's seriously the coolest table and chairs ever. Lainey assures me that it only seems that way because the room isn't complete yet.


Want to know what else is awesome? Eating at a table as a family. We also sold our kitchen table, thinking we were only going to be without for a couple weeks. Yeah, no. The first few weeks of eating at tv trays and our desks weren't too bad but after a while, not eating as a family started to wear at us.


Shoot, this is a long post isn't it? I'll wrap it up by saying that the work isn't over! Mike spent this evening stapling up insulation. I'm unpacking and this week I have to get the house in Lakeland all spackled and cleaned so the new real estate agent can get to work selling it. Not to mention unpacking and the painting I have to do here. :P It isn't over but at least after this week, I will only be maintaining one house and someone else will be handling house appointments and showings. Yay!


Thanks for your prayers and help over the last few months. We have a little more to go but it seems less daunting today than it did on Friday.

This is it...

Well, it looks like we're moving on Saturday! The living room and breakfast area won't be finished and neither will one upstairs bathroom, but everything else is pretty much done and waiting on cleaning and touchup paint! And, of course, all the million tiny little things that crop up unexpectedly (like painting switch covers which I just remembered). So, this week's going to be something else. I still have to pack most of this house, haha.

I'm going to be pretty unavailable the next week to 10 days, just so everyone knows. We're all hard at work, as you can imagine. No one is safe from getting sucked into house work. Not even brothers who visit from Kansas City:


Autumn's been working hard, too. She wanted to paint with Uncle Brad so I gave her a roller and a closed bucket of paint and told her to pretend. It worked out pretty well. To the point that she was a little put out that Nanny was using her roller.


Autumn has also been helping me take tape down after painting the trim. Friday we did a good chunk of the house so this is what Autumn collected:


She even babysat Beebee Woxie. :P Well, entertained her a little is more like it. My mom and my sister Valerie came over and helped me with some of the paint stained floors.


Now, before you think we are working the little miss to death...she *is* getting some playtime...


I thought it might be kind of fun to show everyone the before and after of one or two of the rooms. This is the master bedroom before any work.


The picture of Autumn with the paint roller is kind of an in the middle pic because all the carpet is out but the walls are already painted. This is the after. It's a different blue, all the walls are blue (instead of the one brown wall), the ceilings have been scraped and painted, crown molding has been added, the intercoms have been removed and the carpets are new. Also, the fan is no longer hanging by a couple of wires like it was when we bought the house and there are four new cans lights thanks to Papa D. Ooh, and new windows.


This one's Autumn's room. It took two coats of primer to cover this green. The lights were odd in several rooms. For some reason, they were all off-center. Almost like someone had moved the walls and left the lights. Autumn had two lights. One was offcenter in the middle of the room and one was a random light next to a wall. Papa D centered the middle light, patched the random extra one, and put in two cans. He and Manuel also made her closet bigger by making the adjacent playroom closet smaller. Craziness, huh?


And here's the after. This was the second go-round with pink, haha. The first was so nuclear that you could see it glowing from down the hall. Same deal as the master, crown molding, no intercom, new doorknobs and hinges, new carpets and windows, scraped ceilings. Major plus about all this carpeting and all the new paint? No more dog urine smell. Score!


So that's what we've been doing! In every single room. Busy, busy. Thanks for putting up with us during all this stress. Moving won't make it over because there will still be more going on but hopefully not having to deal with two houses and keeping up for house showings will help a lot!

More Conversations with Autumn

What Autumn said: "Mama has a booboo! On her face!"
Lainey: "She does?"
Autumn: "Papa did it!"


What really happened:
During one of my practice tests, I let Stephan's hand get too close to my face while I was apply a joint lock and his thumbnail cut my chin.

What Autumn said: "Lainey pinched me!"


What really happened:
Autumn: "Lainey pinched me!"
Me: "She did? Was it when she put you in the car seat? It was an accident?"
Autumn: "Yes."
Me: "So are you okay? Did she say sorry?"
Autumn: "Yeah. I'm okay. She said sorry."

Prayers with Autumn:
"Dear God." mumblemublegibberish. "Lainey. P.D." mumblemublegibberish. "Amen."


:D So, the moral of the story is, if Autumn says something crazy, ask for clarification.

Also, that first photo is from our Twilight night! We had so. much. fun. and I have no idea why we don't go out to eat more often! Also, the movie wasn't terrible. Bonus! And another bonus! Autumn. In a Belle costume. Playing the drums. :D