Went to ladies book club for the first time last night. It was really good. The book was My Sister's Keeper. Our next book is called The Shack. I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm supposed to be watching Lost right now, but my parent's insurance lady is here. Eating into my Lost time.

We had another showing of our house today, which meant another rude realtor. I really don't think there are any other kind.

We also saw Prince Caspian which was completely awesome. And I saw it before I read the book, which is something I very rarely do. I finished The Horse and His Boy once we got back this afternoon. And now it's just a nice evening of doing nothing. I might watch some more of The 4400.

I can't believe I haven't been online since February. That's insane.

Nothing much to talk about. Still in Edmonton.

Idol rocked this week. I'm currently obsessed with The Beatles. Eleanor Rigby has been playing a pretty continuous loop since I downloaded it yesterday.

It also appears that I'm on a Meg Cabot binge. I love her.

In my quest to read 250 books (not in a given time period, just in general), I finally finished PS, I Love You. I really wanted to go see it at the movie theatre, but now no theatre in the city is showing it. I'm hoping that Westmall will add it to their list this weekend. Anyway, here's the list as it stands so far. This includes the books I read last year for the 50bookchallenge, which I have since quit.

1. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
2. Queen Of Babble - Meg Cabot
3. Skeleton Key - Anthony Horowitz
4. Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs
5. The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot
6. The Door - Mary Roberts Rinehart
7. Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
8. Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin
9. "My Ox Is Broken!": Detours, Roadblocks, Fast Forwards, And Other Great Moments From TV's The Amazing Race - Adam-Troy Castro
10. The Princes Of Ireland - Edward Rutherfurd
11. Five On A Treasure Island - Enid Blyton
12. Goodnight Nobody - Jennifer Weiner
13. The Girls' Guide To Hunting And Fishing - Melissa Bank
14. The Nanny Diaires - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
15. Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling
16. Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets - J.K. Rowling
17. Fast Women - Jennifer Crusie
18. Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
19. How To Be Popular - Meg Cabot
20. Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire - J.K. Rowling
21. Straight Talking - Jane Green
22. Faking It - Jennifer Crusie
23. Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
24. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
25. Mugglenet.com's What Will Happen In Harry Potter 7 - Ben Schoen, Emerson Spartz, Andy Gordon, Gretchen Stull & Jamie Lawrence
26. Mental Floss Presents Forbidden Knowledge: A Wickedly Smart Guide To History's Naughtiest Bits - Editors Of Mental Floss
27. Bras & Broomsticks - Sarah Mlynowski
28. Enchanted, Inc.: A Novel - Shanna Swendson
29. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
30. The Other Woman - Jane Green
31. Chicken Soup For The Volunteer's Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Arline McGraw Oberst
32. Chicken Soup For The Sister's Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty & Nancy Mitchell & Heather & Katy McNamara
33. Queen Of Babble In The Big City - Meg Cabot
34. Veil Of Roses - Laura Fitzgerald
35. All-American Girl - Meg Cabot
36. True Love (And Other Lies) - Whitney Gaskell
37. The Broker - John Grisham
38. The J.A.P. Chronicles - Isabel Rose
39. The Peacock Emporium - Jojo Moyes
40. The Second Assistant: A Tale From The Bottom Of The Hollywood Ladder - Clare Naylor
41. The King Of Torts - John Grisham
42. To Have And To Hold - Jane Green
43. The Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs
44. Must Love Dogs - Claire Cook
45. Me Vs. Me - Sarah Mlynowski
46. Must Love Dogs - Claire Cook
47. The Rainmaker - John Grisham
48. Queen of Babble - Meg Cabot (Again, what can I say?)
49. Beka Cooper: Terrier - Tamora Pierce
50. The Last Juror - John Grisham
51. Happiness Sold Separately - Lolly Winston
52. PS, I Love You - Cecelia Ahern

Next up is Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson.

So I did something today that I have never done before. I went to a movie on a weekday afternoon...by myself. Not that I've never been to the movies by myself, because you sit in the dark, it's not like you really spend quality time with the other person. I've just never done it on a weekday. The theatre was dead. I wondered if it was open when I got there, that's how dead it was.

I desperately wanted to see 27 Dresses and nobody wanted to go with me, so I went by myself. That movie is totally made of awesome. It was even better than Juno (which I saw on Friday). I love romantic comedies. And thanks to sapphs I knew that the song "Bennie and the Jets" would be played at some point during the movie, but was still completely unprepared and know have it stuck in my head. I suppose it's better than Britney Spears's "Piece of Me," which I had stuck in my head last week. Oh, and the Backstreet Boys "Inconsolable." Sadly, my mother is now in love with...A.J. I think. I always get him and Howie mixed up. I'm 23 years old and reliving my Backstreet Boys years. That's cool, I guess, because before Christmas I was all about the Spice Girls. I think that had to do with the fact that Mel B. was on Dancing with the Stars. I still can't believe she didn't win.

I had a completely wonderful day. I had to get up to make sure my brother's got up, but I figured it was better than making my mom get up. She's been really sick since Christmas, and she may have to have surgery. Getting up for 15 minutes in the morning isn't going to kill me. I went back to bed until 10:30, at which point I got up, had breakfast, took a shower, watched part of The View and then hoped on the bus. I went to Michael's to get a new circle cutter and a few bits and bobs, and then headed over to the theatre. When the movie was over I went to Indigo, picked up the books my mom wanted for my brother's silent auction, bought myself a book, and caught the bus back home. I tried out my circle cutter and then I've been on the computer looking at the paper embroidery patterns that Harm and Lenie copied for me.

The best part of today is knowing that tomorrow I have a very similar day lined up. I'm getting my nails done and running a few errands for my mom, but nothing too strenuous. My aunt may be coming over tomorrow for a little bit, so I have to clean the bathroom and vacuum the kitchen, but I think I can manage. We'll find out tomorrow if my aunt has to have another mastectomy. Good times at the Williams's household. It'll fit though. My mom and I have been calling ourselves the Weeping Williams ever since we watched the Stargate: Atlantis episode "Sunday." Every night since then we've watched something that's made us cry. Sadly, it's been two weeks, and I'm still upset over the fact that Eileen had to give up Holly and then watching poor Liam tell Michelle about Dean. Coronation Street really knows how to pull the heart strings.

When my mom said to me yesterday that she might need to have surgery and that she would need me to stay home, I felt like maybe I should call Jane and tell her that I can start work on Monday, but I'm just so sick of working. I'm sick of my life being in limbo. I'm sick of being a temp. It's been a year since I've had a full time, permanent job. I'm sick of having to walk to the grocery store with my little old lady shopping cart for groceries. I'm sick of taking the bus to work. I want to move. I don't care if it's -65 degrees in Winnipeg; I just want this to be over. I want our house to sell and I want to go. And if my mom's going to be forgiving on the rent, then I can afford to take a little time off. It's not like I don't have the rest of my life to work.

My updated reading and movie lists can be found here: http://misshigherpower.livejournal.com/26573.html

I gave up on Olivia Joules & the Overactive Imagination. Snooze fest.

In honour of the new year, I have been doing some major housekeeping. I did a huge clear out of my communities and my flist. I only kept people if I make a point to try to read their journal (which is hard, but I do try). If you really want to be on my flist, let me know and I'll add you back in.

I'm trying to be more productive this year. It's not a resolution, as such, it's more of an "I always say I'm going to do blah" but never get around to it. I figure with the pending move (still pending, no actual movement) now is a good time to start simplifying things and deciding what is important to me.

I've just started a new fanfic, that once I get over this next bit of writer's block, I hope will be good. I'm going to go back to some of my old fics and challenges as well. Actually, I've left all of the challenges, but I'm still going to use the prompts, I just don't think they'll be fandom specific. My NCIS obsession has hit full blast, and I have an insane need to write, write, write. If I can get back into Gilmore Girls, I might even take a crack at the crossover fic I was thinking about writing. Writing is high on my list of priorities this year.

I also finished the 50bookchallenge that I started last year. I made it through 51 books, and started on a 52, but due to the holiday season and the wackiness that is my family, I didn't get it finished.

( The Full & Complete 2007 List )

I'm going to track my reading and DVD viewing for year. Just for fun.

( The 2008 Book List )

( The 2008 DVD/Movie List )

I think that's all I needed to get out of my system.

I'm one book away from completing the 50 book challenge. I have, however, decided to leave the community, because as much as I loved challenging myself to read the books, I hate having to do a write up on every book if I want to post my progress. So from now on I will be posting my progress in my own journal.

Here's the list to date:

( The List )

49 / 50 (98.0%)

I'm currently working on The Last Juror by John Grisham. Unless some great tragedy befalls me, I should be finishing it this weekend.

Julie and I went to see Sydney White last night. I love Amanda Bynes. She has the best comedic timing.

Has anyone read Wicked? Julie and I got it and the sequel for my friend, but I've never read it.

41. The King Of Torts - John Grisham - Legal - I found myself completely terrified by my level of investment in the character of Clay Carter. I had a hard time finishing this book because I was so afraid of what I assumed would be the horrific fate of the character. He was likeable. As the only lawyer for the Washington, D.C. Office of the Public Defender, Clay finds himself drawn into what I can only call a terrible web of greed and self-destruction. This web is woven around him by large pharmaceutical companies, and I now find myself wondering what horrible side effects I may experience from any medications I have ever taken. It wasn't one of Grisham's best books, but a good read anyway.

41 / 50 (82.0%)

Thoughts on this week's:

( CSI: NY )

( The Office )

As the new TV season starts next week, I really feel that I should get better about posting. In order to get back into the posting rhythm, I think I'll try and write a little bit about my vacation and my summer life. I think that I'm going to need a place to vent for the next little while because some big changes are going to be happening in my life. But I'll start tomorrow, because I'm too damn lazy to start today.

Books that I've read over the summer for 50bookchallenge:

24. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
25. Mugglenet.com's What Will Happen In Harry Potter 7 - Ben Schoen, Emerson Spartz, Andy Gordon, Gretchen Stull & Jamie Lawrence
26. Mental Floss Presents Forbidden Knowledge: A Wickedly Smart Guide To History's Naughtiest Bits - Editors of Mental Floss
27. Bras & Broomsticks - Sarah Mlynowski
28. Enchanted Inc.: A Novel - Shanna Swendson
29. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
30. The Other Woman - Jane Green
31. Chicken Soup For The Volunteer's Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Arline McGraw Oberst
32. Chicken Soup For The Sister's Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty & Nancy Mitchell & Heather & Katy McNamara
33. Queen Of Babble In The Big City - Meg Cabot
34. Veil Of Roses - Laura Fitzgerald
35. All-American Girl - Meg Cabot
36. True Love (And Other Lies) - Whitney Gaskell
37. The Broker - John Grisham
38. The J.A.P. Chronicles - Isabel Rose
39. The Peacock Emporium - Jojo Moyes

39 / 50 (78.0%)

And as a last little note: I started watching The Office this summer. It's my new obsession. I love Jim & Pam. And what the heck is up with Dwight?

I'm finally getting around to posting these.

21. Straight Talking - Jane Green
22. Faking It - Jennifer Crusie
23. Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix

I'm finally closing in on the last of my Harry Potter books. I'm not ready for the next one. I don't want it to be over. I'm trying to avoid reading anything un-Harry related just to keep me in my little bubble. We'll see how it goes.

23 / 50 (46.0%)

Well, I haven't updated in forever. I've been busily preparing for the next Harry Potter book by rereading the previous ones. The result? I'm in a Harry Potter frenzy. Here's the list:

10. The Princes of Ireland - Edward Rutherfurd
11. Five On A Treasure Island - Enid Blyton
12. Goodnight Nobody - Jennifer Weiner
13. The Girls' Guide To Hunting And Fishing - Melissa Bank
14. The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
15. Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling
16. Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets - J. K. Rowling
17. Fast Women - Jennifer Crusie
18. Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
19. How To Be Popular - Meg Cabot
20. Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire - J.K. Rowling

I had a go at Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black, but it was just weird. I dropped it almost immediately. I'm currently working on Straight Talking by Jane Green. Faking It by Jennifer Crusie is after this, and hopefully by that time my mom will have finished with Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix. Yay!

20 / 50 (40.0%)

In other news, I love my icon. Something about a girl with gun.

I finished books 8 (Something Borrowed) & 9 ("My Ox Is Broken!": Detours, Roadblocks, Fast Forwards, And Other Great Moments From TV's The Amazing Race). Both were excellent books. "My Ox Is Broken" gave me a better appreciation of the trials and tribulations of racers. I definitely feel less animosity towards some of the "evil" racers. Although, I still think Jonathan is evil.

I'm now off to watch Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire with my brother. I'll watch anything today as long as it's not curling.

Books 5-7 are finished. I read The Princess Diaries, The Door, and Angela's Ashes. I'm now on to Something Borrowed. It seems pretty good so far. And by so far, I mean chapter 1.

I haven't been on LJ in a while. I tried to find the last friends post that I read, and it was over 900 posts back. They don't let you go further than that. I decided that I would never get through them all and I've officially given up. I can't play catch up.

Life has been pretty stressful. I quit my job at the library. I was so nervous about giving my notice. I've never had to do that before. I've always been a temp. Actually, that's not completely true. I did have to give notice at MacDonald's. I wrote my letter in purple crayon, because that was the only writing implement they had in the "staff room." The funny thing was that when I told Karla, my supervisor, where I was going (City of Edmonton, Planning & Development department), she said "My dad worked there for 20 years." I swear, that woman could go to Siberia and run into someone that she knows. A woman that we used to work with was apparently related to the entire province of Alberta. Anyway, everyone was really nice, and I miss working there. Okay, I miss the people that I worked with, except for Tina. I don't miss being treated like the dog's breakfast.

But I made a huge mistake. It wasn't a mistake to leave the library, because if I couldn't stay there, but the job I went to could be performed by an untrained chimp. I spend most of my day in a comatose state. I'm so bored. And I've only been there two weeks. I've already contacted the temp agency that originally placed me at the library. She has something in mind, so hopefully I'll hear something next week. I can't stay at the City. The days are interminable. They go on forever. The other day I looked at the clock at 9:14, went and cerloxed 4 booklets and thought well that must have taken a while. No, it took 8 minutes. I need a bigger challenge.

Good news, though. I booked my tickets to Europe. I'm officially going. I leave on August 20, and I'm counting down already. I also found out that Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are coming to town. Finally, taping General Hospital everyday comes in handy. I totally would have missed that if I hadn't taped it last week. I went on my coffee break last Thursday and stood in a huge line up and had to leave because I knew they weren't going to get to me. I went back at lunch, figuring I'd give it another shot, but not getting my hopes up, because it sounded like seats were pretty scarce. Turns out that they'd added another show. My mom and I got tickets in Row 26 in section 229 on the aisle for $89. They're actually really good seats, right where the arena curves. We always get tickets in that area for figure skating. We could've gotten seats three rows closer on the other side of the arena for an extra $50 per ticket, but it wasn't worth it. I'm super excited. Faith Hill is the one person that I've always said that I would pay any amount of money to see. Well, her and The Beatles. But considering the fact that George and John are dead, I doubt that's going to happen.

I finally finished Deja Dead, book 4/50 for the 50bookchallenge. It was a really awesome book.

( Thoughts )

Today is my second last day at the library. I start my new job with the City on Monday, and I'm very excited. I have very little idea about what my job will involve, but it's definitely time for a change.

Well, I finished book 3 for the 50bookchallenge. The updated list is here. I was reading Eldest by Christopher Paolini, but it was really boring. I hate it when a sequel isn't as good as the original.

I just joined 50bookchallenge. Here are the books that I've read so far this year.

( The List )

So, it's only taken me four days of nabbing computer time whenever I could, but I have finally caught up on my friends page. My life since last Thursday has been pretty hectic, and it seemed like every time I sat down at the computer, someone (usually brothers) would need the computer. I, personally, think that IMing your girlfriend is not a vital activity. Especially since he's sort of grounded. Ugh!

I met up with a couple of friends from high school on Thursday. I was sort of dreading it and sort of looking forward to it. I had a major blow out with my friend, Julie, in September and we haven't talked since. So, I was definitely dreading seeing her. We used to talk to each other at least twice a week. I was so upset when we had our fight. I cried and I was upset for weeks, but this time I wasn't calling her. She's super opinionated and very tempermental. She has what I would consider a superiority complex. She graduated in April with a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis on East Asian History and felt that should qualify her for better paying jobs. I've been working my ass off for two years (since graduation) and she figured that she should be getting better jobs and getting payed what I get payed. All she ever does is complain about her receptionist job, and she seems to think that because her job is boring that all administrative jobs are boring. Let me tell you, so not the case. Before we had our major fight, she'd been really condescending, but I was willing to let it slide because her dad had just committed suicide, and she was, in effect, being evicted. Her mom and step-dad were moving to Victoria. They bought her a condo, so she wasn't being hung out to dry. But when she called me dehumanizing, I'd had enough. She may think that I'm a dehumanizing, uneducated fool, but my other friends don't. So I just didn't call her. And on Thursday, it was nice to see her and catch up, but I realized that my life is way less stressful without her. I think she's going to be a once a year type friend.

I was, however, super excited to see my friend Carol. I've known Carol since the 6th grade, but we really became friends in high school. She's studying for her Masters in Entymology at McGill. It was really good to see her. She's so off the beaten path and she's just so accepting of everything. And we always have the best time when we go to her place. Her mom's a storyteller and dinner conversation is always really interesting. This time we talked about the different types of intelligence. It was so much fun.

We exchanged gifts. I gave Carol Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and I gave Julie a Buffy Bobblehead. I received the new Tamora Pierce book from Julie and a pomello, Christmas light earrings, and I Capture The Castle from Carol. The funny thing was that Carol had given me the same book two years ago for Christmas. We got a good laugh out of that.

I had a horrible day on Friday. For the past two years, I've been working for the same company. They have a horrible problem with keeping staff. Especially in the Administrative area. My former boss (she quit, smart lady) and I pretty much ran the office. When Lori quit, I had to step up and do things that a lot of people two years out of college would not be doing. My thanks? They hired an Executive Assistant and basically demoted me. Fun times. To top it all off, the EA is a complete bitch. She bosses me around. Two summers ago, my friend Michelle (who was working there at the time) and I created a brand new filing system. It took us months to put together and no one wanted to provide any sort of input. The new EA gave me a half hour lecture on why the filing system is inadequate and that most staff members were in agreement. I almost cried. I managed to hold it together until I left the office (early, thank goodness). I did, however, provide several patrons of the Edmonton Transit Service with my opinions (I was on my cell phone with my mom). The one, bright, shining moment in my day was that one of the temp agencies that I had contacted called me. I did speak with her today. I just did the online testing and I have an interview on Tuesday morning.

Saturday was a cleaning and wrapping presents day. Sunday morning we went to church and then I took a nap, peeled potatoes, and then we watched Christmas music videos on CMT. We opened our Christmas Eve presents (pyjamas! Shocker!) and went to bed.

Christmas was pretty lazy. We didn't even get out of bed until 11:30. We opened our stockings (Amy Grant CD, body butter, gloves, blue cable knit sweater, underwear, candy, a chocolate letter, and a Christmas orange). Our family gift from Santa was the Deal or No Deal DVD game. Then we lazed around for several more hours while we started on dinner and did our Christmas phone calls. We talked to my Opa at the rehab centre. He's really grumpy and negative. He's not even trying to get better. We had talked to Oma the night before. We opened our gifts from Holland (chocolate letter, craft knife and a 3D card book, with a single sheet from Marco at the market, for me and licorice, gouda cheese, kruidnoten, rum nut bar, and cookies for the family). Then we were on the phone with my Aunt Tiny, and then we spent at least an hour and a half on the phone with Harm & Lenie. I didn't get to talk to Tom, but I'll talk to him later. I told Lenie that I really want to work in Holland, and she said that if I come this summer (to live, but I think the invitation would still stand if I visited) I can go with them to Lyon, France. I really, really want to go back now. I miss them and Holland so much. And somewhere in there we talked to Grandma & Grandpa for a while.

When all of that talking was done, we moved on to presents. I got $75 from Grandma & Grandpa. Lachlan gave me socks and a Diddl pen (yay! I love Diddl). My mom bought the pen when we were in Holland last year and forgot about it. Colin gave me The Devil Wears Prada DVD. Before we opened presents, I had been sitting in the living room reading the book, so he was pleased. Graeme gave me the Angel Season 5 Angel action figure. I already have it, so I'm going to exchange it when I go to West Ed with my mom and cousin tomorrow. And, of course, I save the best for last. My parents gave me Keen Eddie: The Complete Series DVD set, a VCR (so I can watch all the stuff I tape on other VCRs in my bedroom), and a leather jacket. The leather jacket is so pretty and it smells really good.

The best gift I got, though, was not an actual gift. My brother, Graeme, is completely immature. He took a year off (which has now extended to two years, with no end in sight) to earn money. He promptly spent it all on comic books and DVDs. He's addicted to comic books like an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol. It's really sad. Anyway, my mom asks him what he's going to spend his Christmas money on and he starts talking about this Batman Lego set that he's going to buy. The day goes on and I don't think about it again until Lachlan, my 9 year old brother, is opening one of his gifts. I'm looking the gift he's unwrapping and as the paper is coming off, I think I see the Joker. So, I say as much, and as he tears more paper off I realize, yes! It is in fact the Joker. Mom & Dad got Lachlan the gift that Graeme wanted. I, meanwhile, have just about fallen of the couch laughing. There were tears streaming down my face, and my stomach hurt so badly. It was the best gift EVER!

We finished our day out by watching 1 vs. 100 on TV. We're big game show people.

Boxing Day was so lazy. I didn't get out of my pj's until 3:00. And I didn't leave the house. We braved the mall on Wednesday, where, all in all, it wasn't two crowded. I got some make-up remover and lip gloss. My mom got a $540 London Fog coat for $230. She put her Christmas money toward that. I almost had a freak out at the Disney Store. They're usually so well stocked after Christmas. I really wanted one of those stuffed animals done in the icy white colour, but they didn't have any. The stock was really limited. I picked out a purple Tinkerbell mug and a Tinkerbell sweatshirt that says Enchanted State. My brother got a couple of things. We then stood in line forever. They had three staff members working: two folding shirts and one on the till, where they were doing both refunds and exchanges. Then one of the girls folding shirts comes over to the till. She helps one customer while talking on the phone to the manager, who was in the back. Then, right when it's my turn, she leaves to tell a staff person who had come in and wasn't supposed to, the plan for the afternoon. Asking him when he wants his break, and other stupid things. Deal with the huge line, then talk with employees. Duh! She then goes back to folding shirts, and I still haven't been helped. By this point, my mom and I are loudly bitching about the situation. She finally comes back and helps me, and I ask for the name of the manager so I can complain and I find out that she's the assistant manager. My mom had to hold me back. I was ready to punch her out.

We went out to a party that night. The house was huge. And every house in the neighbourhood was huge. The smallest house out there was worth $750,000. I wish. My friend Bev and I went over to our friend Karen's house yesterday afternoon. And this afternoon I finally caught up on my friends page. Which brings me to now. If anyone read all of that, I will be extremely impressed.

I've read a ton of memes over the last little while, so I'm going to do a mass post when I finish with this one.