Tuesday Treasures - Rocky Mountain National Park Edition

In honor of the anniversary camping trip we just got back from (our anniversary is actually today, yay us!!), Tuesday Treasures gets a Rocky Mountain theme. More details of the trip will be going up here and elsewhere in the upcoming weeks.

1. Random and often startling differences in weather/temperature within just a few miles.

For example:

The Campground

Glacier Gorge Trail (about 8 miles away)

2. ELK! There were so many elk. SO MANY ELK. (Look closely in this picture)

3. Getting our parks passport stamped for the very first time! I guess this isn't specific to the park, but to National Parks in general. Also, I seem to be terrible at stamping right-side up.

4. Park amenities. This park has great bathrooms. They had sinks and mirrors and flushing toilets! You laugh, but I have stayed at so many campgrounds where none of these things were present, and some where there were no bathrooms at all. Also, the National Park shuttle system rocks. It's free, it's environmentally friendly, and the drivers are super cool. Use it, people!

5. Last, but possibly the most important, the views.

 

Thursday Treasures

I managed to get all my pre-blogging done before vacation, but I came back completely exhausted. Even though it was supposed to be one of those relaxing vacations, I still ended up not sleeping enough and had to drive a ways. Staying in someone's home rather than a hotel also means that cooking and cleaning and shopping also enter into the picture, plus taking care of Ms. B. I also kept up with my running and swimming and hiking, which were wonderful but not exactly relaxing either.

Anyway, here is this week's treasures post, a little late, but still fun.

1. I have a new T.V. show: Criminal Minds. I had moved almost completely away from crime procedurals (unless you count Castle and Bones, which I don't). My mom loves CM and my cousin Liz has a mad crush on Reid. I refer to him as her boyfriend (which might confuse her actual boyfriend) and he has definitely become one of my TV boyfriends as well. In addition to Reid's awesomeness, I think I really like this show because I love serial killer storylines in other shows, and all the episodes of CM are about serial killers.

2. This book was one of the most realistic, sweet, non-dramatic, thoroughly enjoyable young adult stories I have ever read. The kids don't treat their friends like crap, but it still rings true regarding teen life and feelings. All the t(w)eens reading PLL, Gossip Girl, and Twilight should read this instead. Etienne St. Clair is a much better crush than any of the boys (or supes) in those other books.  My attitude about YA books is basically that I'll read anything, and why should I miss out on a good YA book just because it didn't exist when I was actually a young adult?

3. Emergency Flats. Nope, not tires, shoes. These little guys fit in your bag (or you can use the little gold bag they come in as a wristlet), and they can absolutely save your feet in an emergency blister/too-high heels situation. I used them after my brother's graduation, when I had to walk several blocks back to my car. I learned my lesson from my SIL's graduation when I trotted across campus in heels and came back with lots of blisters for my effort.

 

4. About.me sites. These are really great for organizing all your links in one place. They are especially handy for putting on business cards. Most of my profiles link to this site now, and my moo cards do too. 

5. I'm currently obsessed with trying to figure out the ideal blue for my TARDIS-inspired manicure for Comic-Con this year. Last year, I did a "space" manicure that didn't come off as awesome as I thought it would, mostly due to lack of trial runs. The silver "star" glitter that I layered on top ended up covering too well, obscuring the rest of the manicure.

This current obsession inspired my tweet yesterday about wanting someone to create a TARDIS blue nail shade that came in a TARDIS-shaped bottle. I definitely felt the solidarity from my fellow female Who fans on that one.

Here's the front-runner in the hunt so far, but I haven't tested anything.

The shade is China Glaze First Mate, from their Anchors Away 2011 summer collection. Image is from Ulta.

Meet Benjamina

I had a twitter request before I left to post about the bunny I'm hanging with this week. Since this is an autopost (no internet at my cousin's house - she uses a verizon card or something), all these pics were taken in my backyard, before we left.

This is Benjamina Bunny. She's named after the beloved Beatrix Potter character, obviously, but feminized. My cousin has had her for a few years. She can be feisty, but she's mostly very sweet.

I would rank free bunnies (cage-free and litterbox trained) somewhere on the higher end of the maintenance scale. I swear she eats better than I do, and requires bunny-proofing and daily constitutionals. As someone with very low-maintenance cats, it seems like a lot of work. She makes up for it by being extremely cute.

Benjamina is blind in her left eye, but very active and personable. You would never know it except if you snuck up on her port side. She's a total foodie (veggies, fruit, pellets, and hay) and attacks her food and her food plates with relish. I often come down to her room (she has her own room at our place because of the kitties) and find the bowl and the plate in opposite corners.

Who wants a bunny now? ;-)

Mark Your Calendars Part II - Lord of the Rings & Disney Parks

To celebrate the release of the Lord of the Rings Extended Versions on Blu-Ray, all three extra-long versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy are coming to theaters this summer. Check out the fathom events site for a theater near you!

I love the extended versions, which include a lot of great material that didn't make it into the feature films. Taking a book series so packed full of detail and story and whittling it down into something the average person will sit through had to be a monumental task. The extended versions capture a little more of that story (though personally, I could do without Viggo Mortensen's singing).

And for those Disney Parks fans out there (like myself), here are the dates for the new awesomeness coming this summer:

May 20th -  The newly rebooted Star Tours ride re-opens in Hollywood Studios, Disney World. Yay!

June 3rd - Ariel's Undersea Adventure (California Adventure) and the newly rebooted Star Tours (Disneyland) open. Cars Land, which is something I'm dying to check out (hello, Route 66 fanatic), doesn't open until next year, but you can have plenty of fun with these other rides. The Little Mermaid was always one of my favorite movies, and of course I'm excited to see what they do with Star Tours, although I loved the original ride.





July 1st - The transformation will be complete on California Adventure's Paradise Pier. I'm looking forward to this area become more unique and Disneyfied. Also, if you haven't checked out World of Color yet, that is a must see.

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Mark your calendars!

Tuesday Treasures - Vacation Edition

Normally I wouldn't post about being on vacation while I'm actually on vacation, but my husband is at home, so if you're planning on robbing my house, you are outta luck.

1. Going somewhere weird or unusual. Have you read the Weird US travel/coffee table books? We have the ones for Arizona and Colorado. These are highly recommended if you want to travel off of the beaten path or learn some strange history about your destination. After living in Tucson and traveling Route 66, I have actually been to most of the weird places in Arizona (people from AZ are probably nodding). Most of the weird stuff in our area of Colorado is in Manitou Springs, like the coffin races, and all the hauntings.

2. Relaxing. I can appreciate a relaxing vacation. I am definitely not a person who needs constant activities, though I do enjoy a good ski or scuba dive. On our honeymoon, I spent an entire day in a hammock on the beach. Paradise! As you are reading this, there is a very good chance that I'm soaking in a tub fed by a natural hot springs. Ahhhhhh.

3. Reading. This should probably be number one. Getting away from TV and internet on a vacation means lots of book time. A very long car trip means lots of audiobook time. I'm a somewhat fast reader as well, so I have to bring lots of books with me. I've been stockpiling them for my current vacation for weeks, including the following, which have been tempting me:

4. Seeing and photographing awesome stuff. It's nice to see and take pictures of things that aren't in my neck of the woods. Keeps the creative muscle strong (or something). I consider seeing and experiencing new things to be the root of why anyone travels for vacation, so I don't think I need to say much more about that.

5. Packing. I love packing (hate unpacking, sometimes my suitcase goes for weeks without being fully unpacked upon my return). I love making lists, and packing lists are the best because making one means you are going on vacation!! If I'm traveling by plane, my usual M.O. is to pack as minimally as possible. I don't like to check bags (I had my bags lost once, the day before my cousin's wedding, with all my cocktail attire for said wedding inside), and I don't like to lug around more stuff than is necessary. If I'm camping, I try to minimize the gear while still having to pack all the food, which can be a challenge, especially now that we live in Colorado, and all the food has to be in a bear box (or the car) at night. Car travel is always challenging, because I'm torn between having too much crap, and forgetting something. It's easier when you are traveling with others, because space is limited.

I would normally have "spending time with family and friends" on this list, but as I'm going on this vacation mostly alone (with a bunny), that doesn't really apply.

Mark your calendars - Geek Movies & TV

Edit: Not enough sleep last night. I completely forgot the movie that was the INSPIRATION for this post. I have added it now.

Lots of awesome stuff coming up this summer. Here are some of my favorites (to be followed by more posts in different categories).

May 20th - Pirates 4 comes out (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides). I can't not watch it, though I wasn't thrilled with the third movie. It's hard to make sequels that live up to the original. It seems like we aren't hashing the same old story over again, which will be a nice change. I might not see it in 3D, though, the trailer indicates that there will be a lot of swords thrust out at the audience and someone might lose an eye.

June 17th - Green Lantern premieres, and as a Ryan Reynolds fan, I have faith. After they aired the extra footage at Wondercon, I've been even more positive about it. I'm not sure who OK'd that first teaser trailer.

July 8th - Torchwood: Miracle Day makes its debut on Starz. I'm so thankful for this reboot, I can't even tell you. I'm so glad the series didn't end with Children of Earth. That would have been just terrible. Jack, I've missed you!!

July 11th - Eureka and Warehouse 13 premiere on Syfy. I read a couple of articles that said Warehouse 13 was the most popular Syfy original show of all time. Don't get me wrong, I like the show, but that surprised me. It has stiff competition, like my beloved Eureka. (sorry for the old pictures, I couldn't find new promos)

July 15th - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II. This was the original inspiration for this post and I totally forgot it the first time around. I'm very excited for this one, obviously, especially considering that Part I was so good, and that was the camping, low-action part.

July 22nd - Captain America premieres during Comic-Con. I can't decide whether that's the best idea ever or the worst. I sure know a theater in the gaslamp district where every show will be sold out. I have been skeptical about the Avengers movies (aside from Iron Man, of course), but after Thor ended up being pretty gosh darn great, I have a much more upbeat attitude going in.

July 29th - Right after Comic-Con, we finally get to see Cowboys & Aliens. I have my free promo shirt from the last convention! Come on, cowboys fighting aliens, James Bond and Indian Jones? There is no way this movie could be terrible. In Harrison Ford I trust.

 

What are you looking forward to this summer? 

Tuesday (Wednesday) Treasures - Anglophilia Edition

Anglophile: One who admires England, its people, and its culture. (I've expanded this parameters for this post a bit to cover the whole U.K.)

These are in no particular order, because I can't make them all #1. I also made this a list of 5, then I had to make it 10, and then I totally cheated and made "its actors" one line item.


1. Doctor Who (DUH) - You get a big American DUH for that one because if you don't know that I like Doctor Who by now, I'm not sure whose blog you've been reading.

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2. Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling) - The books, obviously, and to a lesser extent, the movie adaptations. These have become the most re-read books on my shelf. I actually think I've lost count of how many times I've read them. For the first four, we are very probably in double digits.

3. Monty Python - The most quotable comedy troupe ever. At the very least, Monty Python and the Holy Grail should be required viewing.

4. Douglas Adams - I consider Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (a trilogy of five books) recommended reading for all humans. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency isn't bad either. If you haven't read the former, you are missing the secret meanings behind about 50% of geek quotes. I would consider them to be the most quotable books ever.

5. Top Gear - See this post for details on that obsession.

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6. Jane Austen - Love the books, love the movie adaptations. She has a way of writing strong female characters and period stories that are charming, without being too creepy (not that I don't love the Bronte sisters - Charlotte & Emily Bronte, anyway) or lame.  Adaptation-wise, I particularly like the BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice. I always watch it when I'm sick because I have nothing better to do than watch hours and hours of miniseries.

7. J.R.R. Tolkien - This one goes without saying, I think. The Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit are genius works of fantasy that a lot of people have been leaching off of for decades. I guess that's what happens when you set the bar so high!

(We have this edition. It weighs a ton)

8. Neil Gaiman -A writer of superb comedic, yet also heartbreaking, fiction. His episode of Doctor Who airs this week. So. excited.

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9. Eddie Izzard - I have seen him live and he is just entrancing. He's not like the stereotypical stand-up comic. He makes biblical and historical references and makes you feel like you're part of a select community where everyone is in on the joke.

Cake or Death?

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10. Its Actors - Here are some of my faves:

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(I felt you needed to see this picture twice)

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heehee

(there are lots more, but if I ever want to hit "publish," I have to stop here.)

Bonus: Red Dwarf. I haven't seen it in such a long time, but the announcement of its reboot has me humming the theme song. 

What's your favorite British stuff?

Back to blonde?

Random and possibly pointless post ahead. I hope this isn't the first time you are reading my blog. It's usually better. 

I think I'm going to go back to blonde. I feel like the dark color looks good, but it fades much more quickly. I'm also less inclined to notice the outgrowth until I look at my hair really closely and it looks like it's three different colors or I happen to see a picture of myself from when it was freshly-colored. It would also save me some money because I won't have to get the base color, just highlights, as my natural color is dark blonde.

Still mulling it over but I think it might be time to go back.