On Father's Day, my husband and I went down to Alabama to visit my parents.  I'd been all keyed up for this holiday, because for the first time, I was able to afford to get my dad something really neat.  In the past, presents for the people I care about have fallen under the constraints of things like my allowance and my minimum wage job, or under the shadow of big things like going to Germany, paying for college, and paying for a wedding.  I wouldn't say I'm free and clear of all things like that yet, but I'm in a nice little period of respite.

I was looking online for nice copies of books my dad would really like, when I discovered that for $10 more than what I was going to pay for two books, I could have a 4th generation Kindle.  Then I thought about the size of the house my parents live in and how it's already full of the things they've acquired throughout their lives, so really, there's no room for me to impose a book collection of my own design on them.  And this tiny little Kindle that can hold something like 1300 books is the size of less than one book.

Kind of an old picture of the best Dad ever

I was all squirmy during dinner.  I couldn't wait to see if this good gift, this costs-more-than-$20 gift, would be something my dad would actually like or be a useless lump of technology that my dad wouldn't bother to figure out.   And speaking of dinner, the Logan's in Cullman SUCKS.  Anyways, we get back to the house, and I give him the little black box.  He opens it up and...

Poker face.  My dad is notorious for his grumpy poker face about everything; my friends were terrified of him when I was growing up.  I never could figure it out, but eventually I realized that to people on the outside of the family, he just looked tall and angry and potentially mean.  So I showed him how to work it for the most part, but even after that, I still couldn't figure out whether he actually wanted the thing or not.

So I went home and was a little sullen, because I could tell he didn't hate it, but I didn't know if he loved it.  It was a complete toss up, and I had to go home before I could even see how things turned out.  That's part of what sucks about living so far away: I don't get to be a part of my family's everyday things anymore.

BUT THEN.  He called me the next morning because he couldn't get the navigation controls to work right so that he could read the Kindle User's Guide that came on the device.  I knew then that he was actually interested in it and maybe even (gasp) liked it.  He also had another issue: I had put so many books on the Kindle, the device didn't have enough memory to actually read a book...  I did not know that this was a thing, but it is.

In order to help him with this little problem, Mike and I grabbed a delicious apple stack cake from Publix and made another southerly trip.  My dad has always been very quick to pick up new things, so once the memory issue was solved by deleting some random books that he'd never read anyway, he was quick to figure everything out.  Watching him learn the ins and outs and look the device over, I now know that he's happy with it.

So what's the verdict on the Gen 4 Kindle?  After having factored in what I thought personally and what my dad had to say about it, I've reached the following conclusions:

4th Generation Kindle

Summary:

 Pros:

• Extremely long battery life
• Very affordable 
• Great for just reading, no bells and whistles
• Very easy to load files onto it

Cons:

• No keyboard
• No wall charger
• Not really old people friendly
• Low memory, slow processing
• Book organization is lacking, no selecting sections by letter

 
What We Love:

I love that it's finally been long enough that a generation of the Kindle that is just an e-reader, no bells and whistles, has dropped in price so that just about anyone could get one.  Granted, Amazon probably doesn't advertise that this product is available and cheap because they want to plug the new stuff, but it is.  It was $69 brand new with free shipping.  That is an amazing price, and I'm glad I found it.

The battery life on the book-reading-only Kindles is EPIC.  The device can last a month on a single charge, so it's perfect for carrying anywhere and everywhere with you to read without having to worry about the battery dying.  This was a big seller for me.  I don't really like to carry my books around with me for fear of ruining them, yet I can never go without reading.  I've tried to make the life last as long as I can on my iPod so that it can do the Kindle's job, but it doesn't hold a charge for more than a day of sporadic reading.  So jelly of my dad right now!

The lack of bells and whistles like a backlit screen, sounds, and color account for the great battery life, and it's perfect for someone who just wants something to read with rather than a fully functional tablet.  Sure a tablet can use the Kindle app, but it can't compete with dat battery life.  This Kindle is a good choice for someone who already has an iPad, because you wouldn't be doubling up on tablets. It is very lightweight, which makes it easy on the wrist when reading, whereas tablets can be pretty heavy.

It's very easy to get your own MOBI eBook files onto it.  Some of the later generations have safeguards against adding non-Amazon MOBI files to your device because of pirating fears, but this one works exactly like a portable hard drive: drag and drop.  Very simple stuff.

Just drag and drop.

What We Hate:

I didn't think it would be an issue when I bought it, but it is.  This thing has no keyboard, and it's horrible.  You have to navigate around a little keyboard with the arrows like it's the dark ages, which made my dad roll his eyes and sigh.  It is incredibly tedious and makes simple tasks exceedingly difficult.  Also, the symbols on the four provided buttons are somewhat non-standard looking and weird, which also doesn't help.  If I had this to do over again, I'd buy the Kindle Keyboard; it costs exactly the same amount and would save everyone a headache.

Look at this lunacy

It seems to run pretty smoothly, but god forbid if you want to run a search.  I wouldn't even bother.  It can only hold 1.35 GB, and searching that much data is just beyond the little thing.  If you're looking for something, it's easier just to surf through the list rather than perform an actual search.

The book organization on it is terrible.  If you place it by author, it seems to be very confused about sorting them by first or last name, so it just does a jumble of both.  We've got Ambrose Bierce next to Isaac Asimov.  How is anyone even supposed to find anything if it can't sort and it can't search?  And you can't select the letter your book title or author name starts with and skip to that section, you must surf through every book from A to Z looking for that one elusive bastard of a book among 1,300.

Also, instead of buying it used, I bought it new and paid the extra $10 because I assumed that the charger in the description meant wall charger.  Not so.  The device only comes with a USB charger, and seeing as how my parents have no computer, it was useless until they went to Wal-Mart and bought a converter.

Even though I got this device for someone who is nearly 70, I do not recommend this as a gift for everyone's grandpa.  My dad has always been rather tech savvy, so he didn't struggle with it.  However, I could never give this to my mom or aunt.  The lack of keyboard, weird button locations and symbols, jacked up sorting system, and odd layout/navigation all combine to make something that your average grandparent would never figure out.  If you're looking for something old-folks-friendly, I'd go for the touch.

Fireworks over Green Lake in Seattle, July 4, 1947, courtesy of MyGreenLake.com

The 4th of July is the essence of summer. It's also the essence of the U.S. It takes place right at that golden moment, when the weather has grown hot but not too hot. People spill out of their homes in the evening with baskets and coolers full of American food and American beer. Blankets are spread, and bare feet touch grass. Everyone comes together, to one place, laughing and smiling and playing like children, and the fireworks, always bigger than remembered, crackle in the night sky.

Some people say that so much time has passed that holidays have begun to lose their meaning, but what better way to celebrate being free than to relax under the summer sky, listening to country singers try to define freedom to a twangy tune? What better way than to see and feel and experience things that just cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world?

I hope that everyone has an amazing Independence Day this year! Here's a little poem I love that is just right for the occasion. Not only does it remind me of the end of every 4th, it is beautiful and makes me lay back and think, as a good poem should.


Good Night 
by Carl Sandburg, 1920

Many ways to say good night.

Fireworks at a pier on the Fourth of July
         spell it with red wheels and yellow spokes.
They fizz in the air, touch the water and quit.
Rockets make a trajectory of gold-and-blue
         and then go out.

Railroad trains at night spell with a smokestack mushrooming a white pillar.

Steamboats turn a curve in the Mississippi crying a baritone that crosses lowland
cottonfields to razorback hill.

It is easy to spell good night.
        Many ways to spell good night.

So this is something I've been seeing a lot on Pinterest lately: Christmas trees made out of books!  I've seen several pretty spectacular ones from libraries all over the world, as well as smaller trees made by individuals in their homes.  This is a great idea for someone with a lot of books and creativity to spread around (I'm sure plenty of my readers have both), so I've put together a little guide for creating a book Christmas tree of your very own!

Courtesy of the Richard A. Gleeson Library at the University of San Francisco in CA

The book tree pictured above was actually made using a few hundred books, but you can make a slightly more humble tree if you don't happen to have that many books on hand.  Here's what you'll need to get started:

• As many of your nicest looking books as you can spare for the outer part of the tree
• Some less beautiful books to fill the inside of the tree
• Several books of decreasing size to make the point of the tree
• All the usual decorations, such as lights and ornaments (don't forget the star!)

Step 1:  Measure your space, and decide how large you want your tree to be at the base.  Remember that the larger you make the base, the taller the tree will be and the more books it will require to make.

Step 2:  Organize your nice looking books based on thickness.  Using books with a similar thickness on each row will help to keep the tree stable.

Step 3: Create your first ring of books on the floor according to your measurements from step 1 with the spines facing outward.

Step 4: Make a second ring of nice looking books within the first so that any gaps in your outer ring won't reveal the tree's filler books.

Step 5: Use your less beautiful books to fill in the empty space inside your second ring.  Be sure that these books are arranged flat and are level with their corresponding row.  They do not have to be arranged in a circular fashion, the must merely fill the space to offer your tree some stability that it wouldn't have if it were hollow.

Step 6: Begin the next row a couple of inches inside the circumference of the one before it, and repeat steps 3 through 5.  Do this for each of the subsequent rings until you are unable to make any more rings.  The following video from a library in Polland demonstrates this portion of the tutorial:




Step 7:  Once you are unable to create more rings, stack your books of decreasing size into a pyramid and place it atop the tree to make a point.

Step 8:  Have fun decorating, and enjoy your unique book Christmas tree!


Be sure to let me know if you enjoyed the tutorial, and don't forget to send me pictures of your own book tree on Facebook or to notesfromcarcosa@yahoo.com!  Also, if you'd like to follow me on Pinterest, just click the button below. 

 








Thanks for reading!

 Thanksgiving is over, and just like every other store on earth, I'm in the spirit of a mega-sale!  Or rather Amazon is, and I'm fortunate enough to be able to offer my readers all the Black Friday deals Amazon.com has to offer until December 3!

I've added a brand new Magazine Subscription section to the store so that I can offer you guys $5 subscriptions to a few and discounted subscriptions to others.  I've also added several discounted Blu Ray boxed sets to the DVD/Blu Ray section of the store, and they're all half off or more!  AND... Amazon is having a buy 3, get 1 free sale on a butt ton of books, so I've provided a handy dandy link to that below; just click 4-for-3 on the menu to the left.  Have fun shopping!

So every year, the branch of Sigma Tau Delta, an English honors society, at my college has a Halloween party where people show up in costumes that follow a literary theme.  Everyone always gets really creative, because you can be anything to do with literature and English, not just characters from books and plays.  I've seen some interesting ones over there years, and even though this will be my last Halloween party with them, I'm brimming with costume ideas!  I'm eager to share a few of them with you, and don't forget that most of them will be available in the Notes From Carcosa Online Store! <3

My costume this year

1.) Antony and Cleopatra - While they are technically historical figures, Shakespeare did write a play about them!  Also, I'm doing this one this year with Mike, so no stealing.  It's pretty simple to find both of these costumes preassembled, although the headdresses that come with the preassembled Cleopatras are sometimes lacking (I ordered this one to replace it).  The hardest part for us has been finding sandals for Mike in the winter.  Cleopatra's shoes are a little easier; you just need a pair of gold heels or some simple sandals.  If you'd like to make the costumes a little more interesting, you could add snake bracelets to the Cleopatra costume or a gladiator helmet or shield and sword to the Antony costume.  Also, wigs don't generally come with the costume, but it's simple enough to pick one up for a reasonable price.  Just try not to confuse Antony and Julius Caesar when dressing up: Antony is usually depicted as a warrior type, while Caesar is depicted in a toga, the calm leader.

2.)  Abigail Williams - Anyone who has seen or read the Crucible remembers the ultra bitch, Abigail Williams.  Accused of witchcraft in the first place, she goes on to blame everyone else, first as self defense, then as a device to get rid of the wife of the man she has been having an affair with so that she can have him all to herself.  At one point, she goes so far as to stab herself in the stomach with the wife's sewing needle, and that is the basis for this costume.  All you really need is a good pilgrim costume, a knitting needle, some scissors, fabric glue, and some fake blood.  It sounds like it might get a little crafty from that list, but it's pretty simple. Just cut a small hole at the seam near the stomach, insert the needle (perhaps add some padding to protect yourself), glue it into place with the fabric glue, and top it off with the blood!

3.) A Plot Twist - Here's something clever and simple that can translate over to something less nerdy when you're all done being and English geek.  Start with a '60s girl costume and some go-go boots, then all you need is a sign around your neck that says "plot" and some wicked dance moves!

4.) Gregor Samsa - Kafka's pitiful protagonist from The Metamorphosis is pretty simple and straightforward; all you need to be is a giant beetle (I personally picture a giant cockroach). For added detail, you could tape/glue a fake apple onto his back.

5.) Hubris - Hubris is one of those things that's always represented in literature, so I thought it would be fun to tackle it as a costume.  It's open to anyone's ideas and interpretation, but I was able to think of a few fun elements that could be added to the costume.  Start with this shiny disco shirt (don't forget to let the chest hair hang out) and some tight black pants.  Add some fake D&G sunglasses with a huge logo, and slick back or spike up the hair with copious amount of hair gel.  For the final touches, ad a pocket brag book with pictures of your Porche, your mansion, your corner office, and your Olympic medals, put on your WWE Championship Belt, and set your ringtone to SexyBack.

So I know it's a little late, but I just love sharing these each year <3  Usually I only accomplish half or fewer of the goals I set for myself, so this year, I decided to make them very attainable to the point that I almost can't avoid doing them.  Also, this year I only made eight resolutions instead of ten, mostly because Mike and I were making them together and he got so tired he went to sleep on me, but that's kewl cuz I love him =]

*Psst! If you're not going to bother to read my resolutions, skip to the bottom, read the last para, and tell me what you think!

1.) Read more.
Okay, any of you who actually know me know that I am notorious for reading a crazy amount of books.  However, over the past year or so, I've really let that slide.  I read fewer books than ever in 2010 for various reasons, and I would just like to get back on track.  Life is short, and I have to fit as many books into it as possible while I still have the time to be idle enough to read them.  I feel reading makes me a better, more well-rounded person, and I never want to stop that positive growth.  It's time to get back on track!

2.) Stretch every day.

3.) Learn to speak German very well.
I started the endeavor of learning German through Rosetta Stone during the Fall semester of last year, and while I've completed level 1, there are still 4 levels to go.  I'd really like to be good at speaking the language and understand it very well for a couple reasons.  If I know the language, things will be easier when I'm spending extended time in Germany.  Also, learning another language is an enriching experience, just like reading lots of books.  It helps me to get in touch with the roots of my own language, and the two being somewhat similar, it makes it a little easier for me to learn.  I don't want German to end up like Japanese where I learn a bit but not enough to use.


4.) Beat the video games I've left perpetually unfinished.

Darn those primers!

Alright, I know this was my resolution last year, but I did do quite a bit of work toward achieving this goal.  However, being the gaming enthusiast that I am, of course I haven't finished all those games!  I'm the kind of person who likes to dominate a game; not just beat it, DOMINATE IT.  I have to collect every item and do everything to the fullest extent it can be done, and if I realize I failed to do so, I often simply restart the game and try not to miss it the second time.  I've had this problem with Final Fantasy X, where I seem to always miss one or two of the Al Bhed Primers in the heat of the moment and feel like I have to do the whole thing again so I can have them.  I also always collect all the summons in any Final Fantasy or similar game and unlock all the secrets available in others.  This means I've played Silent Hill 2 through enough times to get all the endings and a couple of the secret endings on the Greatest Hits disc.  Right now, I'm in the middle of getting the UFO ending where it turns out the whole thing was orchestrated by aliens.  BUT... this year, I just want to get through them all perfectly, which means never taking my eyes off the item and secret guides so that I don't miss my golden opportunity.


5.) Work on my scrapbook of memories Mike and I have made together.
When Mike was here with me in March, we ended up buying a Martha Stewart scrapbook from Wal-Mart and a bunch of cute scrapbooking supplies from Hobby Lobby.  I wanted to do this to preserve all the memories we made during the first half of our first year together and preserve one very special memory that only some of you know about <3  However, because of the mixture of the deployment, school, moving, and other obligations that have popped up, I have yet to start it.  All the things I want inside are collected in one place, but I just haven't put anything where it goes.  This year, while I'm in Columbus or Savannah or what have you, I would really like to finish that scrapbook, or at least work on it.  I'd also like to start work on a second one that chronicles all the events and good times we share with friends and each other leading up to the wedding (which will in turn have its own album).


6.) Stop being such a pack rat.
I don't know why, but I have a tendency to keep things when it's probably time to just let them go.  I accumulate stuff and bring more stuff into the house, and sometimes, it all doesn't have a home.  After watching a lot of episodes of Hoarders and What Not To Wear, I know that time in my life is over.  I guess while I wasn't a hoarder, I did have a little too many things that just served no purpose anymore but I couldn't let go of them, and I think I agree with the psychologists on Hoarders about keeping those things and avoiding the change of losing them was my form of security during a very insecure time.  I'm happy now, and I don't really have the inclination to hang on to any useless baggage anymore.  I've gone through just about everything I own and have trashed a whole bunch of things or given them to the Salvation Army.  I know I'm not in the place of hanging on to useless crap anymore, but I'm making this my resolution so that I'll continue to keep things that way.


7.) Take care of my nails.
I really love the way my nails look when I file them and keep them painted on a regular basis, but oftentimes, I just find myself feeling too busy or too lazy to do this.  While some of my favorite colors take a while to dry and on rare occasion, things may get a little mess, it's not too difficult to maintain my manicure.  This year, I'd like to keep my nails well cared-for at all times, because whether I'd like to admit it or not, people notice the state of a person's fingernails, and some take it as a reflection of that person's personality.


8.) Make myself feel better about my (lower) body through the magic of leg exercises and this awesome Butt Lift in a Box that I saw at Victoria's Secret.

Example of a lady with saddlebags

Like I said in number 2, I really don't exercise that much.  I think well-defined muscles are weird on a girl; we're supposed to be soft and feminine.  I'm not a big person, and by simply not giving in to the pressure of eating more than nature dictates simply because it's there when I get a super-mega-value meal, I maintain a healthy weight.  However, I didn't always do that, and for a while there, I had a pretty big badonkadonk, lol.  Everyone knows that things are always a little different after you've lost the weight you put on, and this is true for me.

The shape of my hips has changed, and I'd just really feel better if I did something about it.  I've developed saddlebags (fat on the outer thigh right below the hips) that make it hard for me to pick out flattering skirts.  It makes my hips pretty strange because the saddlebags stick out more than my actual hips.  From what I've read, it's nearly impossible to get rid of them, and when I first read that, I panicked and bought an exercise machine that is supposed to target them called the Leg Magic.  It's not hard and totally works, but I just don't use it like I should.  I'd like to start using it daily.  My butt has also lost a lot of it's perk.  I'm very happy with the size; I don't want it smaller or bigger, but I want it to be lifted just a little and not to sag as much.  That's why I'm going to go ahead and spend a little extra money on my new butt improving cream.  I'm getting Butt Lift in a Box that I first saw at Victoria's Secret, a three-step kit that's supposed to lift and firm your butt back to perfection.

Wow, manicures and a perkier bottom, what a year it's going to be.  I'm sure those of you who speak to me on a regular basis know I'm a crazy promoter of stuff I find that works, so if the Butt Lift in a Box is successful (or not), you know I'll let you guys know about it <3  Oh, and give me a little feedback, you guys: would you love to hear about all the tons and tons of body-improving, age-reversing, cellulite-erasing products I've tried that have brought me great success or total failure?  Let me know!

When it really comes down to it, I think Halloween is my favorite time of year.  It's like the magical culmination point of horror coupled with spots of eroticism and pop culture all wrapped into one night.  Well, I guess Halloween is more like a week, because there's just about a million haunted houses and parties all week long.  Also, that's about how long a hollowed-out pumpkin stays fresh-looking.

I love to decorate and carve pumpkins too, but this year I didn't.  It just doesn't feel right to drag out decorations and put them up without Mike, which is why I won't even be having a tree this year for Christmas.  Granted, I'll definitely be stocking up on decorations for next year's holiday season, but they won't grace this particular half-way packed, box cluttered apartment this year (or any year, for that matter).

I'm sure a few of you know that I usually play hostess to a small Halloween get-together every year, but I've taken a little hiatus.  I really, really love to cook and entertain everyone, and I'm sorry I'm skipping out on what might be one of my last chances to do so with the people I grew up with.  Instead, I spent this Halloween week at a couple different places, wearing a couple of different costumes.  I found myself first at my good friend's Halloween themed engagement party.  It was a little surreal, but in the best way.  After being apart for so long, a small slice of high school was collected in one place.  It was like drifting back to something old an familiar only to find that we've all become very different while remaining very much the same.

I decided to dust off my Queen of Hearts costume for the occasion, and after making sure I was securely duct taped (hint: Halloween costumes small = huge, always order the x-small if you can), I traveled a familiar route past Fairview, past the gas station where Sanday, Katty, and I used to get green pepper pizza; and found myself in Arab.  I really wanted to bring a bottle of something to give to the happy couple, but because Arab has only recently become wet, I really had no idea where to look for the liquor store.  While I'm given to wandering throughout towns during the daylight hours, looking for interesting things, I wasn't about to drive around WrongTurnsville looking for a liquor store in the dark.

It was chilly, I was not dressed for it, but it was an amazing evening.  The bride-to-be's mother is a caterer, so not only were the decorations super fabulous, but the food was amazing.  They even had shrimp in a giant cocktail glass, chocolate dipped strawberries, and mini bacon-cheddar potato skins.  I was really impressed and even took the time to look at her portfolio.  I really think I've made my decision about who's going to make my cake and food at our wedding.  Here's a link to her catering business, located in Arab, AL, Cake-N-Eat It 2.

We all caught up, took pictures, toasted, looked fabulous, and ended the evening on a high note.  I'm really disappointed that I won't be able to make it to her wedding next year because I'll be in Germany, which is why I made it a point to most definitely show up that night.  It was worth it, and I'm sincerely sorry I won't be able to see her beautiful, peacock themed wedding.

Last night, I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some quesodillas and spray-can hair dye, sufficiently bloodied myself up/ trashed my bathroom, and drove an hour to Athens for the Sigma Tau Delta Halloween party.  In case some of you don't know, Sigma Tau Delta is an English honors society, so it'll come as no big surprise that the party has a literary theme.  Every year, members are invited to come as something, anything to do with literature or English.

This year, I decided that I'd pay homage to the great Stephen King by buying the official Carrie costume for the occasion.  I was a little disappointed, but if you're willing to spend an hour or so altering it and bloodying your own hair because the wig was worthless, it actually is a great costume.  Granted, the back doesn't have blood on it and the fabric was pretty sheer (I had to buy a slip), but I don't think anyone noticed or cared.



Afterward, myself, one of my (don't laugh) ghost hunting friends from Drama Production class, and his girlfriend went over to McCandless Hall on campus to hunt for the less-than-elusive ghosts.  It seems like every time we go there, something actually happens.  It's like a little thrill, because who expects to return over and over to the same place to have strange incidents present themselves every time?  We both took plenty of pictures, but I've yet to go through my set.  However, we did hear what sounded like heavy, booted steps on the balcony overhead.  Isn't it funny that we didn't go looking for ghosties because of Halloween but just because it's our regular practice when we're gathered in one place?

For me, these little get-togethers feel like the closing chapter of the book that is Cullman.  Granted, I'll still be lurking around north Alabama until about my 3rd year of graduate school, staying with my parents and occasionally winding up on the Athens campus, but the end of yet another era of my life is approaching.  I don't think of it as a bad thing at all; in fact, I don't really feel like I've ever had any real ends to my eras, only beginnings of sequels.  It's an ongoing story that can definitely be divided into individual pieces, but when there's an infinite number of sequels, I suppose there isn't really an end at all.

Well, despite there being no real end, I still won't be living in Cullman anymore after April of next year.  I've never traveled much.  I've been here my whole life.  My life isn't going to be worse for leaving here, but there are so many things I'll miss, despite how much I said I hated it here when I was younger.  If you can look past some of the negative things, this really is a good place to live.  It's safe, everyone I've known and cared for is right here, and it's always been home.  That's why even though I'll be ever returning to here for visits, to have my wedding ceremony, to go to school, I must still give this town a proper goodbye.  Even though no matter how I vote this Tuesday, the new or old laws won't affect me, I wish this place only prosperity and advancement while still remaining quaint and novel.

Good luck everyone; I know we're never going to lose touch.