Posts Tagged ‘reviews’

2015 Goal Update: March

Since we’re about a quarter of the way through 2015, I thought it was time to give you an update on my 2015 goals! I’m off to a good start!

1.Read 1 book each month I think I’ll disagree with: 25%

So far I’ve been doing this one in conjunction with Goal 7:

January: The New Lifetime Reading Plan by Clifton Fadiman and John S. Major

I was so sure this one would be only full of dead white guy writers, but there were actually a ton of international works. I put a bunch of things on my to-read list. A pleasant surprise!

February: Don’t Be That Girl by Travis Stork

The cover is particularly insulting

The cover is particularly insulting

A guide written by a former Bachelor contestant about how to stop being bad stereotypes of women and how to start being a stereotype of women that Travis Stork approves of. The best is the chapter where he tells you you’re too good at your job and it’s intimidating to potential dates.

March: The Frazzled Female by Cindi Wood

This book had some good points about taking time to relax and practice mindfulness and self-care. But in general it was very repetitive and I didn’t care for the writing style. Or being called a female.

2. Finish I Detonate Around Him: 75%

This is my tumblr that critiques 50 Shades of Grey. I’m about 80% done with the last book!! And then I have my traditional wrap up posts where I make graphs like a huge nerd.

Pictured: Something a huge nerd would do

Pictured: Something a huge nerd would do

It’s been 3 years, so I’m looking forward to finally being done.

3. Visit every restaurant on my list of restaurants to visit: 58%

This is kind of cheating because the list included things that I already had visited before the start of this year. But after last year’s abject failure, I needed something to give me an edge! So far probably the coolest thing we’ve tried is Escazu chocolates, where you can get historical hot chocolates, made from recipes as far back as the 1500s!

We all know Cortes could hot chocolate like a boss

We all know Cortes could hot chocolate like a boss

4. Review at least 1 thing online a month: 25%

So far I have only reviewed places I really like (La Farm, Carolina Popcorn Shoppe, Goji Bistro) to make it easier. Eventually I promise to give something less than 5 stars, but I have to work up the nerve.

5. Plaid Pladd Blog: One guest blog post per month: 25%

So far we have had three great guest blogs!!!! James Fox gave us a thorough look at his studies into bad anime, Rob wrote a nice excerpt from his ongoing examination into America’s Next Top Model, and Mom Ladd wrote about the perils and rewards of being Mom Ladd.

6. Knit a sweater: 60%

This is just an estimate, but I’ve finished the front, back, and most of one sleeve. It looks good so far!!

7. Get hella into a different Dewey Decimal Class each month: 25%

So far, the 100s have been my favorite!

Total: 42%

Pretty good for March!

Previously: 2015 goals

Book Reviews: Maureen Johnson’s Devilish

I am a tentative fan of Maureen Johnson. Her books usually have some sort of gimmick to separate them from normal trashy teen high school drama, but sometimes the careful balance between the gimmick and the angsty melodrama is upset and both seem annoying. I’m mainly thinking of:

13 Little Blue Envelopes

13 Little Blue Envelopes


The premise is a cool international scavenger hunt set up by the main character’s dead aunt, which sounds awesome, but the main character spends most of the trip being angsty so it was kind of disappointing.

Not so with her 2006 release, Devilish.
devilish

Jane Jarvis, the main character, is smart, loud, and takes no crap, especially if someone is trying to dish it out to her shyer, more awkward best friend Ally. So when Ally shows up one morning cooler, prettier, more confident, it’s almost like she’s sold her soul to a demon to gain the popularity high school girls crave most. And then it turns out she so totally did. The demon turns out to be posing as Lanalee, a sophomore girl with an insatiable lust for cupcakes, who agrees to Jane’s wager to save her friend’s soul. Luckily, some of the nuns at Jane’s private school turn out to be demon hunters who help her on her quest to fight the increasingly dark powers present at school and save her own soul.

This book is the perfect mix of highschool popularity drama and supernatural comedy. Jane’s voice is sarcastic and mature, not annoyingly pandering to a perceived superficial audience like many young adult novels. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes:

1) Demons
2) Snarkiness
3) Lots of cupcakes
4) All kinds of sacrilege
5) Kick Ass Nuns

Luckily, I’m a fan of all five.
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Times I Have Almost Died: Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe

Today, unlike the many more harrowing Times I Have Almost Died, I was nearly killed by sheer joy. The Culprit? Chapel Hill’s Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe. The Weapon? The M&M Waffle.

This isn’t the first encounter I’ve had with the joy that is M&M Waffles. The theory occurred to me in the Wiess Servery when morning when I realized some SCIENTIFIC FACTS upon which to base this experiment in the tasty sciences:

1) The Wiess Servery has a waffle iron.
2) The Wiess vending machines have M&M’s (sometimes)

Hypothesis: I could put M&M’s in the waffle batter and get M&M waffles!!!

Unfortunately this was in the early days of my scientific career so I had failed to take a few vital parts of the experiment into consideration.

1) I hate waiting in lines so the waffle iron was pretty much out of my reach.
2) M&Ms can burn and melt and things. Though they seem magical, they are essentially chocolate.

Thankfully, Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe has my back! A narrow diner with waffles, pancakes, eggs, and hashbrowns, this would TOTALLY have been a Breakfast Club Destination had it been in H-Town during my three-year tenure as Breakfast Rep. The M&M waffles were maybe the closest mortal man can be to heaven. At least if your version of heaven involves waffles and candy. MINE DOES.

Unfortunately by the time I realized this was a life-changing experience, all of the food was gone. I will probably have to make several more research trips to this location and eat several more M&M waffles. You know, FOR SCIENCE.

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