Thursday, April 29, 2010

Thursday Reading Corner

I'm an avid reader. I love books, I love to read. With one minor caveat: I love to read books that don't require thinking, or learning.

Yes. I said it. I don't want to learn from books.

I want to enjoy them. Devour them. Escape in them.

There are several series that I faithfully follow and snatch up.

1. Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse - Dead & Gone is the latest book in paperback (#9 in the series). oh how I love these. Easy reading, fantastic characters, vampires, shape shifters, telepaths - it's incredible. It happens to be the series that HBO's True Blood is based on (though the show & the books are different). If you haven't read this series yet, get on it!














2. JR Ward's Black Daggar Brotherhood. Completely swoon-worthy! Ok, so yeah - it's also about vampires and their enemies (Lessers in this case). Don't let that keep you away from them. I promise, I'm not all that into sci-fi or the vampire thing. But these aren't to be missed!












3. JD Robb's "In Death" Series. Ok, my reading lists are making a liar out of me! Join Lieutenant Eve Dallas as she fights crime in the future. The character development in this series is incredible. There's love, mystery, murder, intrigue, celebrations, and all sorts of futuristic inventions. The series has been out for several years, so if you haven't read it, definitely start at the beginning (and check out your half price/used book store!)














4. The Women's Murder Club by James Patterson. I love the strong female leads, and the no-nonsense characters. The 9th book in the series was recently released.













5. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The lead is a pseudo-bounty hunter, and she's hysterical. I catch myself laughing out loud frequently! I catch myself trying to count how many of her cars have been blown up. The 17th book in the series was recently released.













Actually, I'll read anything Janet E. writes - she's just plain funny!

Those are my favorites. What about you?? Leave a comment and let me know what you like to read.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Andy Warhol

Betcha didn't know I have a "thing" for Andy Warhol huh?

I do...and I will also confess that I'm not much of an art appreciation sort of person. But something about Warhol strikes a chord with me.

I was lucky that the Modern Museum of Art in Fort Worth has a special Andy Warhol exhibit. The exhibit focuses on the last decade of his life, and the art in this exhibit is probably not what you would automatically identify as Warhol's. There were some fantastic pieces though, and some of them are in The Modern's permanent collection.

Including this self portrait:












Freaky huh?

They also have one of my favorites: The 25 Colored Marilyns (his title, not mine!)













They also features 6 of the 8 pieces in his "The Myths" Collection.

Here are couple of those:

The Star












Mickey Mouse













The Witch












These are amazing in person - covered in diamond dust so they sparkle and pop off the wall.

They had several of Warhol's collaborations with Jean-Michael Basquiat. These were VERY different, Basquiat has a very urban, gritty style.













Warhol also did a number of religious paintings, which are pretty interesting.

If this exhibit comes to your area, be sure to check it out. It's very interesting!

To read more about it and see more of the exhibit, check this link: Andy Warhol The Last Decade

Stay tuned for a new day...

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Hello, Sunshine!

Today is the sort of day us Texans dream about. Sunny, mild, light breeze, big blue skies.

I love spring! Too bad it only lasts about 3 weeks before summer sets in...















Ok - so this was taken last fall, but you get the idea! Just swap out the mums in the planter on the porch for a hibiscus.

Stay tuned for a new day!

Monday, April 19, 2010

New Day: Shallow Thoughts

My friend Trisha posted these today, and they made me laugh out loud. I had to share them with you!

Shallow Thoughts for the Day......


* Nothing ticks you off more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

* I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

* There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

* I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

* I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

* I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

* How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

* I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

* Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

* Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

* I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

* Bad decisions make good stories

* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

* Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

* There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

* I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my thirty page insurance policy that I swear I did not make any changes to.

* While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

* I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

* I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

* Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

* Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

* I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

* Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what to do to with it.

* I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

* I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

* I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with liquor than with "Kay".

Stay tuned for a new day!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

It's a New Day!

That's right, it's a new day, and a new blog for Allie.

Out with the old, in with the new.

If you ready my previous blog (alliefortworth.blogspot.com) you know that I'm going through a pretty tough time, and I'm not enjoying the challenge.

As a coping mechanism, I'm trying to look at each and every day as a brand new day, a new start, and take it as it comes.

Thus..the new blog.

And in kicking off the new blog, here are a few of my favorite things, in pictures:

1. The first roses of the season (yep, these are mine! unbelievable huh??)























2. My adorable nephews









3. Sunbathing pugs 









4. Bon Jovi, and killer floor seats at the concert









Stay tuned for a new day!