Friday, February 27, 2015

Friday with a Fitbit and a Blog Hop!

Mornin' Friday!  I haven't blogging all that much lately, and now I'm finally getting back into it (darn all those people who want to learn to ballroom dance! :D ).  I also decided I need a little gadget to tell me whether I'm being active enough or not, so yesterday I bought a Fitbit Flex!  If anyone shouts at me saying it was expensive, pointless thing to buy, I will respond by saying I've tried to motivate myself by getting a gym membership, I've tried to keep food and exercise calendars and diaries, and I've tried having my husband (a health freak) bully me into exercising.  None of it worked, so I tried the Fitbit app for a few weeks, liked it and was able to keep up with it, and decided to get the little Flex-thing.  Aaannd I like it!

....But I digress.  It's Friday and it's time for a blog hop!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Wednesday's Opinion: These Are A Few Of My Favorite (Harry Potter) Things

Ugh. I haven't been posting a whole lot lately.  In my defense, I had a butt-load of dance-teaching stuff over the past two days, so getting a chance to sit down in front of my computer and force my brain to think about writing was really difficult to do.  Note to self: do a mass blog-writing session and schedule posts!

Anyway, this week's opinion:

A Few Of My Favorite Harry Potter Things

There are so many reasons to love the Harry Potter, but one of the big reasons why we Potterholics love it so much is the magical world that J.K. Rowling created; a wonderful place that feels oh-so-real but is just out of reach.  The spells, the books, Quidditch...there's just so much about "the wizarding community" that a Potter fan can love.

So, the question is, what is it specifically that we love about Potter's world that we truly wish was real so we could try it?  So I figured today I'd list a few of my favorite Harry Potter things, just for fun!

(WARNING: THERE BE SPOILERS! If you haven't read the Harry Potter books and you really want to, continue reading at your own risk!  Most aren't really spoilers, but I mention which characters have died in the stories, and which survive, get married and have children.)

Book Review: Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Harry Potter #5), by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Harry Potter #5), by J.K. Rowling
★★★★★ and ♥

Synopsis: There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Potter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?
Here are just a few things on Harry’s mind:
• A Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey
• A venomous, disgruntled house-elf
• Ron as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team
• The looming terror of the end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams
…and of course, the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In the richest installment yet of J.K. Rowling’s seven-part story, Harry Potter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts.
Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty; and unbearable sacrifice.
Though think runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back
In A Sentence: Hello, my name is Lisa and I’m a Potterholic….

Monday, February 16, 2015

Hello Monday! A Weekly Update

Heeeeey Monday!  Can't believe we're in the middle of the month already!

Thank God there isn't any snow planning to fall tonight; I am so happy to be teaching Monday dance lessons again!  I feel so disoriented, I hope my students remember to show up :)

Happy belated Valentine's Day everyone by the way!  Since I had to work on the 14th, my hubby and I celebrated on Friday the 13th.  We went for a couples massage at a nearby spa, which was wonderful.  Then we had a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, followed by watching a goofy movie.  It was a nice day!

The spa we went to.  They did an excellent job!


As for my reading progress, well it seems that I can only finish 2 books at a time.  Ah well.  Considering how busy I've been, this comes as no surprise.

That being said, I did complete 2 books!  Yay!  Here they are:

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Book Review: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1), by Philip Pullman

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1), by Philip Pullman
★★★★★ and a ♥

Synopsis: Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle
In A Sentence: A excellent read that impresses me every time.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Hello Friday and Happy Early Valentine's Day! Time For A Blog Hop

Happy Friday and Happy Early Valentine's Day.  Because I'm working tomorrow (*sigh*), I took the day off today so Dave and I could still get a romantic, relaxing day together. :)  So enjoy all the chocolate people!

But I digress.  Today is a blog hop day!


Thursday, February 12, 2015

Book Review: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (Harry Potter #4), by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (Harry Potter #4), by J.K. Rowling
★★★★★ and a ♥

Synopsis: You have in your hands the pivotal fourth novel in the seven-part tale of Harry Potter’s training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that’s supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn’t happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he’s not normal—even by wizarding standards.
And in his case, different can be deadly.
In A Sentence: A reread that still pulls at my heartstrings.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Hello Monday! Catching Up With My Reading List.

Good morning!  Well, kind of a good morning.  It's snowing here in Connecticut and I'm beginning to wonder why the hell I live here.  I might have to cancel my Monday classes for the third week in the row.  Dang!  We had such a great momentum with the beginner classes and now my students are going to come to class next week feeling really disoriented.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Book Review: Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #3)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3), by J.K. Rowling
★★★★★ and ♥

Synopsis: For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter’s defeat of You-Know-Who was Black’s downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, “He’s at Hogwarts…he’s at Hogwarts.”
Harry Potter isn’t safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
In Sentence: How could anyone not love this book?!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Book Review: Holes, by Louis Sachar

Holes (Holes, #1)Holes by Louis Sachar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holes, by Louis Sachar
★★★★★ and a ♥

Synopsis: Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-goo-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day, digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes. It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
In A Sentence: One of my favorite tales that I never get tired of.

Monday, February 2, 2015

It's February Already! A recap of last month and my goals for the next 26 days

Ugh.  It's Monday.  My cat decided 5:50 a.m. was a good time for me to wake up, it's snowing hard outside, and my kitchen is still a mess from making food for yesterday's Superbowl.  Whoopee....not.

The first thing I saw at 5:50 this morning.

Well, on the plus side, it's a new month!  And a new month means new reading goals!  Yay!

Compared to other months, January was a terrible reading month.  Only 5 books!  Truthfully, though, I don't think I would have been able to read anymore than I actually did.  Last month was so busy for me work-wise, and there was a lot I needed to do, so finding time to sit down and read for more than 10 minutes at a time was proving to be very difficult to do.  I also blame Snow Crash; it was slow going for a good 150 pages.

Here's my list of books read.  The picture will take you to the Goodreads page, while the link will take you to my review.