Messy Reads


It was mentioned a while back that I should join Good Reads, and I did.  A CRAZY amount of y’all are on there, though I shouldn’t be surprised given how many bookworms there are on here.

Now, if you’re interested, I’ve started a “Messy Reads” group on Good Reads.  It’s not a book club, it’s just a way for us readers to stay a little more connected, stalk each other’s current reads and glean ideas for more books.

Currently I have two discussion posts up; one for introductions and one describing a section called “Wish Lists.”  Right now the group is public, but if we get a bunch of crazy spammers I’ll make it private.  My friends on GoodReads have already received invites to the group, but you can join by going to here and logging in to join.

If you’re not a GoodReads member, click here!

This could be fun, this could suck.  But we won’t know until we try! (Okay, don’t tell me if it sucks.  I’ll cry.)

Photo Credit

October 13, 2011 9 Comments Short URL, , , , , Books, Comics, Geekery, Read this!

Name Calling and Middle School aka why my psych bills are so high…

On Friday, an interesting conversation happened on Twitter in regards to names, specifically name calling. More specifically, middle school name-calling.

Some people dreaded high school, others junior high but my personal big bag of suck was middle school.  [In Texas, (well, in my area) elementary school is Kindergarten through 4th grade, middle school is 5th and 6th grade, junior high is 7th and 8th grades and high school is 9th-12th.] What is it about the age of 10 to 12 that makes kids little a**holes? Hormones must have a hand in it; the same chemicals that cause height and body hair also make a previously sweet child think it’s okay to brand his former best friend James Hooper as Lames Pooper. And it’s not just boys. Place a group of more than four tween girls together in a room, I can guarantee that one of them will be sobbing and asking for a ride home within two hours. Whatever your “fault” is, overweight, underweight, big boobs, no boobs, rich, poor, ginger or brunette; kids will find a difference and exploit it. Read More

October 10, 2011 33 Comments Short URL, , , , , Musings, Name Game, Rants

WINNER!

Before I announce the winnerof our giveaway of Awkward.: What to Do When Life Makes You Cringe – A Survival Guide, can I just mention that the lovely and fabulous Becca, formerly of A Los Angeles Love and currently at Stumble and Leap, is good friends with the author Sam Scholfield???  Even MORE proof that Sam’s awesome….

*************

NOW!  I refrained from commenting on the Awkward giveaway entries just so I wouldn’t mess up my count, but OH MY LORD I want to hug every single one of you and feed you cookies!  Who knew that the 90’s and chairs made things so awkward?!?  I cringed, I laughed and I love every one of you.

However….THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE (always wanted to say that.  It would feel better with a giant broadsword in my hand…)

And that one is…according to my super scientific method of plugging your names into random.org…. HELEN!!!!

Yay for Helen and this short, sweet and awkward entry:

“A guy at work asked me out and I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m married… to a lady.’

…

Awkward, awkward. But also REALLY funny later.”

Also?  REALLY funny now too…**

So yay for Helen!!!  Email me your address and you too can learn to tame that mighty beast called the Awkward Monster.

And thank you all for your entries, this was fun!  And be sure to pick up your own copy of Awkward.: What to Do When Life Makes You Cringe – A Survival Guide.

After all those stories I can safely say, “You need it.”  Bless your hearts….

**Okay, this is unrelated but if you haven’t already, PLEASE go read Helen and Lindi’s graduate post at APW.  Not only is it lovely and beautiful, they have one of the MOST STUNNING wedding photos I’ve ever seen.  Seriously, it’s like straight out of a movie and makes me swoon every time I see it.  Go swoon.

October 7, 2011 4 Comments Short URL, , , , , , Books, Giveaway!!, Read this!

Call to Arms!

Attention, moppets!  But especially you Gleeks. (You’re out there. DON’T EVEN LIE.)

So I have this whole post on talent that I’m going to run one day, but this is more important.  See, I sincerely enjoy Glee.  Yes, the show’s storylines are getting more and more convoluted and I don’t love Lea Michele as much as I did when I first saw her in Spring Awakening and I do not even want to hear about auto-tune I KNOW SO HUSH ALREADY; but that’s not what’s important. Read More

October 5, 2011 6 Comments Short URL, , , , , , , Geekery, I gots the music in me, Link Love

Maggie and the Inappropriate Doggie Treat

Note: I apologize in advance for this.  While this post’s language will edited to be work-safe, the content might teeter on the line.  You’ve been warned.  Also, if you’re related to me (by blood or marriage) I apologize again and I ask that you don’t tell Grammy I wrote this.

This is my Moo.

She’s just had a haircut, hence the sad puppy face.

Anyway, I have a problem with constantly picking up treats at the store for Maggie.  I adjust her food accordingly so she doesn’t gain weight (okay, fine when I remember…) but I want to stuff her with treaty goodness constantly just as a reward for being SO DAMNED ADORABLE.  At one point she had more variety in the cupboard than we did; does a 25lb dog REALLY need four different kinds of organic peanut butter biscuits?

Yes.  Because she’s our schmoopy widdle lovey stinkpot. Read More

September 30, 2011 32 Comments Short URL, , , Maggie, The Fam.

Kind of a Mess Giveaway!!!!

WHAT??? You haven’t entered the giveaway to win a copy of “Awkward: What to Do When Life Makes You Cringe” by Sam Scholfield?!?

Click HERE and rectify that situation post haste.

Do it.

September 30, 2011 0 Comments Short URL, , , , , Books, Giveaway!!, Read this!

Sad Bastard Music: Me and My Besties

Is it weird that I sometimes acquaint artists with a certain type of person I’ve been friends with? Maybe it’s their personality, maybe it’s their music, but certain musicians are just immensely likeable and make me think of what type of friend they’d be.

Okay, yeah, it is a little weird. I’m okay with that. Just go with it.

Kelly Clarkson – Sober
 Read More

September 30, 2011 16 Comments Short URLI gots the music in me, You Sad Bastard

Awkward: What to Do When Life Makes You Cringe by Sam Scholfield (and a Giveaway!!)

Having a blog named “Kind of a Mess,” you can imagine that I might know a little something about awkward moments. And cringe-worthy situations. And soul-crushing embarrassment. And you would be right. So when I was asked by The Experiment to review a book called Awkward.: What to Do When Life Makes You Cringe – A Survival Guide, I knew it was kismet.

Sam Scholfield, author of Awkward knows a little something about awkward situations too, but she was smart enough to write a book about them. Awkward walks you through crazy and not so crazy situations that might leave you at a loss for words and wondering if you stay perfectly still, maybe your previously undiscovered mutant gene will activate and you’ll suddenly turn invisible.

Read More

September 28, 2011 24 Comments Short URL, , , , , , Books, Giveaway!!, Read this!

Heeellllloooo!

And I’m back!  Mostly.  A big thank you to everyone for so many nice emails and general thoughts. Things are way better than they were and I’m not gonna pretend that so many lovely people thinking sweet thoughts didn’t have anything to do with it…

A little bit of a change; we’re moving to a three times a week posting schedule, with maybe a few pithy posts in-between.  (Cause y’all know I can’t keep my mouth shut for long….)  But I want what goes up to be good and not just filler because I think I have to post daily.  It’s not like I’m hurting for content; in fact, I have enough Kind of a Mess Interviews that I could just put those up for a month or two and be fine, but that’s not fair.  Y’all took the time to answer those questions so I should at the very least take time to be present when they’re run.  But we’re going to have a few fun things (giveaway!!!) coming up, so you’ll forgive me for being a bit more silent on here.

Also, I haven’t been active on Twitter, and that’s partially because I’m busier at work and can’t really play on my phone like I used to and partially because SWEET BABY JESUS, CAN Y’ALL TALK!!!  I’m serious, I have a hard time keeping up what’s going on…

Anyone else have that problem?

Am I just getting old?

Probably.

“Back in MY day, we had chat rooms!  None of this tweety twatty twit thing…  When you wanted to get fancy, we used ICQ and we LIKED IT!!”

Anyway….today, let’s talk about balance a bit.  I need to find a little more balance in my life, so I can play with my internet friends AND have an offline life…because right now I suck at both.

How do y’all find balance?  With anything – friends vs. family, job vs. partner, budget vs. Ebay… (Don’t act like I’m the only one with a problem.  I usually get outbid and that’s fine, but sometimes it bites me in the butt…like last week, when I became the proud owner of 24 mini bottles of OPI’s Nail Envy.  *sigh*)

Do I need to employ more regimentation in my life?  Should I schedule my blog writing time, my blog reading time, my craft making time?  Or is that going to turn me into a fuss-bucket drone?  (Can you be a fuss-bucket AND a drone?  Maybe?  C3PO?) Did I just use “regimentation” in the wrong context?  I use TeuxDeux and loads of post-it’s to keep organized, but what other programs do y’all use?

Does it get worse when you have kids?  I know we’ll have to be on their schedule so that solves a lot of my issues:   “What do I have to next?  I have to– Nevermind.  Apparently I have to unclog the toilet, get a Tonka truck out of the chimney and then try to get peanut butter off the dog.”

Those damn kids aren’t even conceived yet and they’re already grounded…

Anyway, how do y’all find balance?  And how do you manage everything you have to do in the day? And mostly importantly, HOW ARE YOU?

September 26, 2011 30 Comments Short URL, , , , I fail at life., Mundane and Such

Well, hell.

I’ve been silent for the last few days because the 2011 Summer of Suck has continued with another family emergency.  Because of that, and the anniversary trip that Jethro and I have planned for next week, Kind of a Mess will be taking another hiatus for two weeks.  BUT, when I come back on the 26th, there’ll be a giveaway (!!!) and some other fun things I have planned. 

Also, I will attempt to not suck so hard, but I’m not making any promises.

In the interim, let’s use this post as a suggestion box.  Anything you want to see more of?  Less of?  Recipes I should try and then blog about?  Other blogs that I’m not reading that I should be and should be linking to?  More crafty things?*  Subjects you want to hear me blather on about?  (I am an excellent blatherer. Jethro refuses to listen to me on long car rides, so my blathering muscles are going to waste.)

On a way more fun sidenote, I am the awesome because at Love Your Way, my suggestion won their renaming project!!  I’m super excited, more for being a part of their naming than the prize (which is also awesome.)  Check it out here, and keep an eye out tomorrow for the downloadable thank you card they’ve designed.

Thank you for your patience, my moppets.  I love you more than my luggage.

*I have a TON of craft projects going on, but I can’t show you any of them because they are gifts for people who read this blog and even though they PROMISE they wouldn’t read a post about their present, they cannot be trusted. (MOM.)

September 12, 2011 9 Comments Short URL, , Mundane and Such, The Fam.

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