Somehow, reading books seems to have gotten a bad rap.*

Do you know about Goodreads? Basically, it’s a social network for book geeks, created by the founder of Tickle. Or, in their words, “Goodreads' mission is to improve the process of reading and learning throughout the world.”

Once you sign up for an account (a super fast and easy process), you just look up your favorite (or least favorite) books and authors. You can then rank them and add a review if you’re so inclined. Then, you can see if any of your book geek friends are members. Just like in Facebook, you can search your e-mail address book and then request access to your friends’ profiles.

A couple months ago, Amy told me about this site during a Cool Chat when we got onto the topic of good books. (I still haven’t read any Joel Rosenberg yet, Amy, but I’ve got one of his books on reserve at the library!) Then a co-worker mentioned it last week. So, finally, a couple days ago I decided to dive in.

In case you’re wondering, “dive in” basically means that I wracked my brain to think of every book I’ve ever read. And I then proceeded to rank it 4 or 5 stars (4=I really liked it! 5=It was amazing!).

No time to write reviews. Must add more books to my total. Must remember more authors. Must have largest total in history of Goodreads!

*sigh*

As so often happens, I became a tad bit obsessive. As a result, I haven’t really used this program to its fullest potential, instead focusing on acquisition. You know, quantity not quality. This is the very reason why I must limit my time on Facebook. Left to my own devices and tendencies, I would be looking up and friending every single person I’ve ever met. Not because I really want to be in touch with all those people. Nope. Just to get more “friends.”

In my defense, I really have read a lot of books. And if I remember the book or the author, it’s most likely because I truly did like or even love them. But now that I’ve gotten this first rush out of my system, I will try to be a bit more thoughtful about my rankings. I might even get around to writing a review.

(Or, I might not. It’s hard to say. See, I decided a couple months ago that I should start a second blog to chronicle my efforts to become an editor. I would share with you all the steps, successes, failures, education, etc. Just to keep a record of it, really. And part of it was going to include reviews of books I’m currently reading. I might still do it. Who knows? It could become my newest obsession!)

* Quote from the Goodreads website.

Confession Time

Hi. My name is Photoqueen, and I read a lot of blogs. So many, in fact, that I’ve had to start using Google Reader (thanks to my friend, Amber, for mentioning this great service!).

I know this does not really come as a surprise, considering how many of my posts revolve around other people’s blogs. But I’ll tell you, I do have some good reasons for reading blogs. First of all, it’s fun. Oh, good reasons. Right. Okay, well, it’s often research. Occasionally for work and often for my quest to become an editor. Researching the publishing industry has led me to some great sites. As has my journey to becoming a better home-maker, complete with clean floors and home-cooked meals.

And that brings me to my point (after only two paragraphs, eh?). One of my very favorite sites is called Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. It’s written by a mom/wife/cook/photographer/blogger who lives on a ranch in Oklahoma. She has a huge blog following, and it’s no wonder. I was originally drawn in by her yummy recipes and stayed for her amazing photography (and tips).

But as I’ve continued to read about her and her life, I’ve been impressed by her love for her family. She just puts it right out there, unashamed, for everyone to see. And in the comments of one of her recent posts, one reader mentioned that this is the very reason why she loves reading this blog. She said it’s refreshing to hear a woman speak lovingly about her husband and lift him up, instead of tear him down. That was really encouraging and a little convicting to me, all at the same time.

So, today I’m wondering:

• What do you hope readers gain from your blog?
• Is there a blog or site you visit that is particularly inspiring or encouraging?

Good news!

I joined Weight Watchers two months ago. But last week, I finally started following the program for real. And I hit my first mini-goal - lost 5 lbs. Five down, 70 to go. I know it sounds like a lot, but that's my WW goal. I can do it this time.

This is going to be legen...(wait for it)...dary!

As I have mentioned before, I really enjoy the TV show, How I Met Your Mother. (Although, I just searched my site for mentions and realize that I mistakenly left it off my list of TV shows I love!) For me, it’s a show that makes me feel like I’m watching a bunch of my friends. Like Ed, another one of my favorite (though no longer on air) shows, HIMYM has characters that seem real to me. Not that I think they are real (I may love TV, but I haven’t truly lost my grip on reality!), but if they were real people, they would be the kind of people I’d want as my friends.

So it should come as no surprise to me that some of the phrases used on HIMYM have started to creep into my own vocabulary. After all, when Ed was on the air, my husband and I started pronouncing lettuce “leh-TOOS,” thanks to a running gag on that show. And even today, we’ll say it, primarily during otherwise boring grocery store trips.

It turns out that I’m not the only person to adopt television phrases, specifically ones from HIMYM, as my own. This article lists the phrases the show has introduced to us, including “Legendary,” “slap bet,” and “Suit up!”

Are there phrases you use that originated with a TV show or movie? I’m sure there are tons – share your favorites!

Our washing machine overflowed again and flooded the garage floor. Again.

Product Review: Western Bagel Alternative Bagels™

As of today, I have paid for three months of Weight Watchers…and have lost a total of 2.4 pounds. This is not good. Fortunately, WW’s fall campaign, Lose for Good, has inspired me to renew my dedication to losing weight and improving my health.

Lose for Good is a national campaign promising that for every pound lost with WW between September 7 and October 18, WW will donate the equivalent of one pound of food to someone who needs it. In addition, local offices are collecting food for local hunger relief programs. The meeting I attend will be donating food to Harvesters.

As part of my new and improved attitude toward eating healthy and losing weight, I bought some new bagels. I’d read about 1-point bagels several times, but had never gotten around to buying any. After all, they’re more expensive and only sold at Hy-Vee (while I normally buy most my groceries at Walmart). But this week…this week, I’m being healthy. So, new bagels it is.
Western Bagel Alternative Bagels™ are very good. I got the Sweet Wheat variety, and they’re quite yummy. Sweet and wheaty. The bagel is definitely smaller than the ones I like to buy at Einstein Brothers (check out their site – it’s a really good one). But it tastes good, and when I add my fake cream cheese, it’s a pretty good breakfast. And thanks to the extra fiber in the bagel, it lasts longer than a bowl of my favorite, not-as-healthy-as-it-seems cereal.

Princess Rant #1

Before I had my daughter, I would chuckle at sarcastic or even rude baby clothes. Then I would think – or sometimes say to my husband – “I will never let my kid wear something like that.” Now that I have a child to clothe, I have to admit that it’s been tempting on occasion. When I saw the onesie at Walmart that said, “Teething bites,” well, not only did I have to agree, but I wanted to wear that shirt myself!

But while some of these shirts (hats, onesies, etc.) are cute and funny, I still don’t think rude statements are appropriate for children to wear. (I imagine this will ensure at least one fight with a teenager down the road – don’t even get me started on the appalling phrases I see teens wearing these days! Hmm…"these days"…how old am I?)

The princess trend is also annoying to me, for reasons I will expound on later, so clothing that combines sarcasm and princess attitude is just too much. Too. Much.

You know me as Photo...

...but sometimes I go by other names, too.

Disclaimer: I was not a fan of Beverly Hills 90210. And I'm not promoting the new version, either.

However, I know that if I'd watched the original series, I would have loved it. I didn’t watch it because at the time, my family only had one TV. And I was not allowed to watch that kind of "garbage." (In case you’re wondering, I was also not allowed to watch The Simpsons. That one, I’m okay with, as even now, I think that show is pointless and annoying.)

Anyway, back to my point. (What was it again?) Last week, the much-buzzed-about revival of 90210 premiered. I caught the second half, partly because nothing else was on and partly because I was curious. And partly because I loved Jennie Garth in What I Like About You. (Chalk that one up to things I secretly love!)

It was okay. Turns out, I would have been offended if I’d seen the first half, but since I didn’t, I thought it was okay. But that's a topic for another post. Because my point after all this rambling is this: how did my names get on this show?! My whole life, I’ve thought I had a weird (or unique, as I’ve come to see it) middle name. Occasionally – no, rarely – I’d see another girl with that name. But now, here it is, on the CW! One of the characters is named Adrianna.

And then. And THEN! I found out the next day, when I was reading reviews of the show (and learned about the icky scene in the first half), that one of the main characters is played by an actress named Annalynne. That’s Photobaby’s name! Spelled differently, but still, I really kind of thought I’d made that name up myself! And there it was, on the CW!

Okay, so this isn’t really a big deal. But it is kind of interesting. Two of my family’s uncommon names in one show. Huh.

Do you have any unique names in your family? Do you like unique names or hate them? After a lifetime of being embarrassed by my “weird” middle name but also aware of how irritating it can be to have the same name as five other girls in your class, I really stressed out about giving Photobaby a unique but not weird name. I think I did okay, but only time will tell. Check back with me when she's 12...

Where Were You?

I was driving to my temp job, running late as I often do, when I heard the news.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was in my car trying to beat traffic on my way to the Pitch office. Pitch is an alternative newspaper, and I was temping in their accounting office. My duties including fun projects like filing and answering the phone, but it was a week of guaranteed pay, something my recent-graduate bank account needed desperately.

The radio station I was listening to must have had a TV nearby, because they began talking about the first tower being hit immediately. At first, I wasn’t concerned or even interested. It seems crazy to think about that now, but the truth is, I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. Quickly, I realized this was not a “normal” accident and that something bad was happening.

Now my heart was pounding, and not just because I was late for work.

I told myself to calm down. After all, I was going to the best possible place – a newspaper office. Surely, if anyone would know what was happening, they would.

But when I got to the office – yes, a few minutes late – nobody had heard. And when I tried to tell the people in the accounting office, they didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. I even suggested that we turn on a radio, but they didn’t.

I realized then how silly I’d been, thinking of this as a regular newspaper office. I wasn’t at a major daily; I was in the accounting office of an opinion paper.

They finally realized what was going on and did turn on the radio. As we heard about the second tower and the Pentagon, I sat on the floor of the office and filed, numb and scared. A few people started crying and called relatives or friends who lived in New York and DC. One girl found out that her cousin had missed the train and therefore, was late to work. He was supposed to be in one of the Towers, but he wasn’t.

As I covered the receptionist desk over lunch, I sat glued to the radio. I looked online for news, but back then, the information highway was just a four-lane, you know? I listened to the radio news announcers tell us what the President was doing, and I wondered why they would share that information with the whole world.

And I sat there, wondering if I should ask my temporary co-workers if they’d like to pray. Sure, I didn’t know them and they worked for a newspaper that has very different values than I do. But maybe today would be what it took for them to turn to God. And maybe I could be the one to show them the way!

Um, yeah. I was too scared to suggest anything like that. After all, they had already rejected my original idea to turn on the radio. How could I even think about asking them to pray?

So I didn’t. I prayed, of course. But I didn’t take that opportunity to talk about serious things with these people I would know for just five days.

That’s where I was when the world stopped turning. Where were you?

Home Sweet Home

Have you ever seen the old movie, The Money Pit? Some days…no, some weeks…I feel like I’m living that movie.

A few weeks ago, our air conditioner broke. The HVAC guys wanted to basically gut our house and do $6500 worth of work. We just got a new blower for the A/C instead, for about 1/4 of the cost. Of course, 1/4 of that amount is still a pretty hefty chunk of our savings!

Shortly after we got that problem taken care of, our washing machine overflowed. Thankfully, our washer and dryer are located in the garage. That’s not normally convenient, but when it overflows (this was not the first time for us), it is. Anyway, so we had the plumber come out last week and snake our pipes. It mostly solved the laundry issue and completely fixed our bathroom sink that hadn’t been draining, but the bathtub still has some issues. But I am starting to get caught up on laundry and last night, I even washed and dried the mats that had gotten soaked during the garage flood.

And then last night, after I’d gone to bed and Mark had gotten home from work, I was abruptly woken up by him saying, “We’ve got big trouble.” That couldn’t be good, right?

No, it wasn’t good.

Apparently, he’d been sitting in the living room when he heard a GUSH! The best we could tell, at 11:30 at night, is that our water heater was spewing water into our crawl space. He went outside and looked into the crawl space and sure enough, it was full of water. (Side note: Our A/C and heater are in the crawl space, so they don’t work and sometimes break when the crawl space gets flooded. Found that out on one of the coldest days of winter a couple years ago.) So, he got out our sump pump, realized he needed a different hose to hook it up, went to Walmart to buy the hose, hooked it up and finally went to bed around 2 a.m.

He’s called the plumber today and they’re supposed to come out and see what the problem is. We probably need a new water heater, and I’m just hoping that we don’t have water damage in the walls or anything.

The good news, Mark tells me, is that we might be able to get a different type of water heater that would allow us to knock out a wall in our bathroom and make it bigger.

Right. Another project. That’s the good news?