Just [Sylvaa]

[Sylvaa]

1 hour ago, Waanie said:

This made me smile, trashy romances FTW . 

 

I read way too many historical trashy romances (because it's classy, of course). To the tune of that is almost solely what is available in my Kindle library (it's not totally, but probably 80 % 85%). Not sure if you were around, but a number of challenges ago, I started reviewing some of the trashy romances I read when they were super bad. It was fun. I should do it again. But I've actually liked the ones I've read recently.

 

Update:

• The Purdue basketball team is staying at my hotel. It's super full and they are really tall.
• Hit my tomato goal, but just barely. I was pretty slacky yesterday, but I'm not sure why. Actually, I halfway know. Mornings in general, I have issues being productive. I'm not sure if it's a mental thing or what, but I just can't focus until like 11:30. But then I can kick butt through the rest of the day. I need to figure out why I can't really focus then. It's not sleep related. 
• I am also having difficult time being good at figuring out what I need to do in a day and how to "make it up" if I don't accomplish it. The tomatoes are keeping me moving forward, but I should be able to be more productive.
• I hit my water goal, 1 sweet, 0 alcohol, and also did two workouts (the T25 and a YWA video that I really liked).

[annyshay]

33 minutes ago, Sylvaa said:

It was fun. I should do it again.

Yes please!

[WolfDreamer]

1 hour ago, Sylvaa said:

too many historical trashy romances

 

You should branch out to historical trashy supernatural romances and then review those. 

 

Glad things are going well.

[Sciread77]

5 minutes ago, WolfDreamer said:

 

You should branch out to historical trashy supernatural romances and then review those. 

 

Glad things are going well.

 

If you’re interested in moving to supernatural/fantasy romances I’ve got a recommendation.

[WolfDreamer]

1 minute ago, Sciread77 said:

 

If you’re interested in moving to supernatural/fantasy romances I’ve got a recommendation.

 

If you say Twilight, we're no longer friends. 

[Waanie]

1 minute ago, Sciread77 said:

 

If you’re interested in moving to supernatural/fantasy romances I’ve got a recommendation.

Please tell! I'm almost at the end of my current vampire romance-series (Chicagoland vampires), so I'm open to suggestions for the next one .

[Sciread77]

1 minute ago, WolfDreamer said:

 

If you say Twilight, we're no longer friends. 

 

No kidding. 

 

The Postcards from Asgard series by Amalia Dillin. 

 

I read Twilight when I was teaching because it was so popular with my students. It was a painful experience. 

[WolfDreamer]

9 minutes ago, Sciread77 said:

It was a painful experience.

 

Agreed. And I only bothered with the first film...

[Waanie]

4 minutes ago, Sciread77 said:

 

No kidding. 

 

The Postcards from Asgard series by Amalia Dillin. 

 

I read Twilight when I was teaching because it was so popular with my students. It was a painful experience. 

Twilight is just... creepy? Whiny? Teenager-y? I have definitely read worse, although the sparklies are definitely in the lowest quarter. 

 

The Postcards from Asgard looks interesting . I will try it after I'll finish my current book, thanks for the recommendation.

[Sciread77]

41 minutes ago, Waanie said:

Twilight is just... creepy? Whiny? Teenager-y? I have definitely read worse, although the sparklies are definitely in the lowest quarter. 

 

Twilight could have been worse. I saw the movies, though they definitely weren’t keeping my attention too well. Pattinson will always be Cedric Diggory to me, so I keep thinking how weird it was to have a Hufflepuff wizard posing as a vampire. 

 

41 minutes ago, Waanie said:

The Postcards from Asgard looks interesting . I will try it after I'll finish my current book, thanks for the recommendation.

 

Anytime!  Full disclosure, the author is a longtime friend of mine. I love her writing. 

[Sylvaa]

6 minutes ago, Sciread77 said:

1 hour ago, Waanie said:

Twilight is just... creepy? Whiny? Teenager-y? I have definitely read worse, although the sparklies are definitely in the lowest quarter. 

 

Twilight could have been worse. I saw the movies, though they definitely weren’t keeping my attention too well. Pattinson will always be Cedric Diggory to me, so I keep thinking how weird it was to have a Hufflepuff wizard posing as a vampire. 

 

Unpopular opinion: I didn't think the books were that bad. (Disclaimer, I've never seen all of the movies (I've seen bits and pieces as they have been on tv), so any hate related to them isn't included in this opinion).

 

I read them because there was such uproar over them and people were raving. I did think they were whiny and teenagery, but I thought that was the target audience, so it didn't necessarily bother me. I think they were over-hyped and that the story was just okay. But it was a nice light reading that I didn't have to think about - perfect for reading sitting by the pool. As the parent of teenage girls, I think Bella's character was actually a very good representation of how some teenage girls act and I appreciate the fact that she was a main character who didn't do anything (so often female main characters have to play a part - Hermione was smart; Katniss led the revolution; meanwhile, Bella was just kind of happy pining over a guy and being part of her family). So I mean, I feel like it could be worse. 

 

I won't read them again. But I don't like when books that get people reading get judged because they aren't good enough or are lacking (note: I didn't take either of your comments as being judgmental, I just started ranting).

[NeverThatBored]

I'm with you! As a high schooler at the time they were coming out, I quite enjoyed them! Most of the criticisms are also totally true, but they don't invalidate them being fun to read. 

[Waanie]

I enjoyed the first and last book, but disliked the middle two books. It's also the age-category where there is a big cultural difference between (my friends in) The Netherlands and the US; the pining was just not a thing, and almost nobody has a driving license during high-school. I also dislike cringeyness, of which there was plenty. Afterwards, people pointed out to me how creepy Edward's behaviour is, especially considering she's underage. However, I can totally see most people enjoying it, but it was not for me.

 

37 minutes ago, Sylvaa said:

But I don't like when books that get people reading get judged because they aren't good enough or are lacking (note: I didn't take either of your comments as being judgmental, I just started ranting).

I totally agree on this! Whether it is silly romances or over-the-top space opera, you can always tear down a book. That does not mean that other people are not allowed to enjoy reading them and it does not make them lesser people. The same holds for movies and music as well, of course.

[Sciread77]

I didn’t hate the stories, but I never really could bring myself to care for Bella as a character. She’s definitely like a lot of real life girls in our culture, and I’d be terribly concerned for any of them. 

 

The worst part was the grammar and unnecessary mistakes (at least in early editions).  The movies weren’t unenjoyable. I totally get where people like them. There’s a few cool parts too. I never hated the sparkle vampire part. I thought it was funny. Which I think was the original intention of the writer. 

 

Generally speaking, I’m a big fan of anything that gets kids to read. I’ve had arguments with friend who also read a lot over them talking about how picky we/they are when it comes to books. 

 

1. No we’re not. We read more than average so we take more chances. 

 

2.  I will read the back of a shampoo bottle. I promise you, Twilight was more entertaining. 

 

3.  Reading begets reading. So I don’t care what you start with as long as you keep going. It’s a useful life skill! And it helps you become a better person. 

 

Do what you enjoy and screw the haters. But not literally because they don’t deserve it. 

[Sylvaa]

2 hours ago, Waanie said:

It's also the age-category where there is a big cultural difference between (my friends in) The Netherlands and the US; the pining was just not a thing, and almost nobody has a driving license during high-school.

 

I love when we get into conversations like this (about cultural differences) because it's so neat to learn about how things are different. The drivers license is pretty area dependent in the US. When I lived in a large city, there were a number of people who had never learned to drive (even I didn't do so), but where I live currently, it is virtually impossible to get around without driving. 

 

3 minutes ago, Sciread77 said:

I didn’t hate the stories, but I never really could bring myself to care for Bella as a character. She’s definitely like a lot of real life girls in our culture, and I’d be terribly concerned for any of them. 

 

I read this article about how there is so much just vitriol over Kristen Stewart and how emotionless she is through most of the films, but in reality that is how the character was written. It was kind of an interesting article about how so many people took her portrayal as a knock against her acting ability instead of seeing it as a positive. I thought it was pretty interesting.

 

I agree that she was a well-written character from the point of mirroring a lot of - particularly teenage - girls in the U.S. But no, as a mother, I encouraged my girls to be more independent and couldn't really relate to her as a person of interest. 

 

As a side note, I never really thought too much about the whole Edward being so much older than Bella. But interesting. I guess that would bring up the question as to whether or not vampires mature. I mean, considering the fact he was, what 100's of years old, I wonder what age Bella would need to be for that to not continue to be creepy. #askingtherealquestions.

 

2 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

I'm with you! As a high schooler at the time they were coming out, I quite enjoyed them! Most of the criticisms are also totally true, but they don't invalidate them being fun to read. 

 

I always forget I am older than you until you say things like this.  

[Sciread77]

Thoughtful questions. I think the age difference becomes ok with the standard half your age plus 7. This has been the subject of way more debate than it probably should have in my social circle, which “isn’t even interested “ in Twilight lol. 

 

Kristen Stewart deserves accolades, even if the end result is hilariously mocked. She definitely nailed the character. I think most of the intense hatred was fueled by jealousy on several levels. And she doesn’t deserve most or all of it. 

 

On that note, I also feel terrible for Rebecca Black. She definitely didn’t deserve the vitriol. Poor kid was only thirteen. And yeah, the music video was a travesty and the song was goofy but it was also catchy and I hear it in my head every single Friday. 

 

[Sylvaa]

15 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

Thoughtful questions. I think the age difference becomes ok with the standard half your age plus 7. This has been the subject of way more debate than it probably should have in my social circle, which “isn’t even interested “ in Twilight lol. 

 

Is this half your actual age or the age you look (when speaking of vampires). Because we don't necessarily know that vampire brains continue to develop after they are turned. Seems like the only acceptable solution would be for vampires to only fall in love with other vampires. Does that mean we are being ageist against the undead?

 

Yesterday:

• Hit all of my goals. I was actually really productive yesterday and I'm not sure why. 
• Still did a little bit of exercising, but I'm definitely not doing most of what I'd regularly do. I probably need to think more about tapering the next time I run a half marathon. I think shortly I'll transition to a 2 a day workout plan.
• I've been participating in an online training program designed for people who do OCR's. The guy who writes the programming reached out to the group late last week and asked if anyone would be interested in working with a supplement company he partners with. It's pretty much getting free products in exchange for being part of a marketing program they are starting. I am in e-mail conversations with the company about being a part of this program. I'm not going to mention the name, because I'm not selling anything, but it might be a good kick in the pants to really buckle down.
• I have a (harmless) crush on my Wednesday evening bartender. It's helping me lose weight as I can be starving, sit down, and decide that perhaps the attractive guy does not need to watch me shovel and entire pizza in my mouth. 

[Waanie]

18 minutes ago, Sylvaa said:

Seems like the only acceptable solution would be for vampires to only fall in love with other vampires.

Ah, so this is the reason that the main character usually becomes a vampire at some point in most series ^^.

 

Congratulations on achieving all goals .

[Sciread77]

Edward was born in 1901 and turned in 1918. Twilight takes place in 2005, when he is roughly 104 years old. 

 

So, brain development question aside, by the standard equation he could date a 59-year-old. 

 

Blank slate aside, though, I think we’ve a solid argument that Bella is fairly adaptable to whatever goes on around her. She’s gonna not do that much regardless of whether she’s in the middle of a vampire war or a homecoming dance. 

 

She looks age appropriate for Edward. So if he turns her in the next few years, they can be together forever without drawing attention. And if he developmentally froze as a 17-year-old, changing her ASAP is really their only chance to be together. Because most 19-year-old girls are already developmentally leaps and bounds beyond most 17-year-old boys. And I’d bet if they wait too long Edward will annoy the relationship to death. 

 

Suddenly, I’m tempted to form a society dedicated to hunting down only teenage vampires because the world has enough drama with temporary teenagers. 

 

 

[WolfDreamer]

8 minutes ago, Sciread77 said:

the world has enough drama with temporary teenagers.

 

As a secondary school teacher and a parent, I concur.

[Sciread77]

Sorry y’all. I’m now emotionally invested in this topic. 

 

Especially because if I’d been stuck as a teenager, I know for a fact the world would be worse off lol. 

[Sylvaa]

Update:

 

OMG I FINISHED A HALF!!!!

Okay, sorry about that (not really though). 

• Thursday after work, I took an Uber to the airport, picked up a rental car, and drove to Cincinnati. I stayed in the airport DoubleTree, which I do not actually recommend. You know you spend way too much time in hotels when you recognize the menu as being the same as the one at the Hilton you stayed at in 2016/2017.
• My husband flew in about 10 am Friday. We had a bit of an issue because I told him to grab Starbucks in the airport for both of us and apparently he thought it was only a suggestion. So we were both uncaffeinated until almost noon. He has since apologized.
• We drove straight to Keenland as it was a little too early to check in. I got my race stuff (bib and shirt) and we wandered around looking at everything. It was a pretty cool set up, although pretty much just an extra excuse to buy things. I did however pick up a really cool medal holder:
• I also saw this medal holder and almost bought one for @NeverThatBored and / or @fleaball
• 
• Got checked into our hotel and relaxed for about half an hour before driving into Lexington and taking place in a Bourbon 101 class. It was pretty fun, very educational, and taught me a lot about bourbon. Coincidentally, one thing I learned about bourbon is that I can't drink it. Not in like a, "I become an angry drunk" type of way, but in a "my stomach rebels against this" type of way. I'm not sure what it is about it, but I can say that I will not be trying bourbon again. Of note: it wasn't like we had a number of shots and I was hungover. This was like maybe 1.5 shots through the whole time we were in the class and I was able to confirm the reaction the next day.
• Found a really fun restaurant to eat dinner. They had a ridiculous amount of beers on tap. I was driving (which was fine since I wasn't all about drinking the day before running anyway), but my husband got to try a few. The food was also super tasty.
• Went back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
• Saturday was the race. It was very organized considering the amount of people participating. My husband was pissing me off a bit because he kept trying to compare it to his paintball events, but I knew shortly I could just run off any irritation. When I signed up, I estimated about a 13:00/mile pace because that was what I had been doing on longer runs up until that point. Granted, I need to tell you all that I totally had gotten off the bandwagon after being sick a few weeks ago and hadn't actually done any running longer than 10 miles since then. But that put me squarely in the last group of runners. This was actually kind of extra motivation because I had this fear of not being allowed to finish the race for being too slow. 
  • The start of the race was a bit annoying. There were A LOT of walkers who had misrepresented their pace, so they got put in an earlier group. I probably spent the first 3 - 5 miles trying to zig zag in between groups of walkers from earlier heats. I don't mind walkers, I feel like a half is a half regardless of your pace (and let's be very honest, I'm not fast, so I'm not one to judge). But at the same time, it was really annoying, particularly at the beginning to try to get around large groups of walkers. 
  • People kept telling me it was a very hilly race. They did not lie. I got into a rhythm of walking up the hills and running down / the straights. I actually felt really good through the majority of the race. The scenery was gorgeous and, while I had my headphones and my phone with me, I ended up just enjoying the course and the people around me. 
  • Around mile 11, I bonked HARD. I was at the point where I knew I was going to finish the race and I think my body just decided it needed carbs more than it needed to get me to the finish line. It's my own fault really as I knew I needed to do something about race nutrition, but I hadn't bothered (see above about not running far enough). I spent mile 11 just convincing myself to keep going forward. Luckily, close to the 12.1 mark, I started talking to a super nice woman who was having IT band issues. She had a nice pace going and I kept up with her, even running to the finish line. 
  • I finished the race in 3:10:10. For a 14:31 pace. 
• After the race, we went back to the hotel for a while. We kept the rest of the day fairly open; we had discussed going to the Distillery District, but it was fairly overcast and supposed to rain, so we just chilled in the hotel room. We did stop in at the post-race party that evening, but it was all bourbon samples. I had two, but see above. 
• Yesterday, I dropped my husband back off at the airport, then drove back to Louisville. I'm on site until Thursday, then back home. I'm planning on working from home next week, so it should (hopefully) make up for the not being home in two weeks.

[NeverThatBored]

I'm so proud of you!!!! You worked hard to stick to a running plan and you did the thing!! 

 

(Also those medal holders are 100% accurate)

[squeakyvalkyrie]

That is amazing!!! Congratulations!

[Sylvaa]

 

Okay, not so ginormous now. A finish line picture of me that I don't hate! 

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