Monday, July 29, 2013

What Do You See in the Mirror?

Soft Light

In Season 2, Episode 23 of The X-Files, Agent Scully and her former student act as a doubled pair. Both are styled very similarly, and it is obvious from the beginning that this young character was created as a foil to the older FBI agent. Both are very similar in personality, and both share nearly identical skepticism to the fantastic circumstances in which they find themselves. The differences are minor, and these differences cause the younger character’s subversion and demise.

Doubling

The doubling between Scully and her former student is meant to mirror the doubling of the Scientist and his shadow. From the beginning of the episode, I was absolutely sure that because of the similarities between the two women, one would not survive the episode. I had seen later episodes, so I knew that Scully would survive and that it would be the younger that would die.

Monday Morning Madness #24: Recovering From a Lazy Sunday


For once I’m actually writing this post in the actual morning. You might have noticed my weekly post was missing last Monday. Well, I do have an excuse as I went to bed around four o'clock in the morning on the 22nd. The Syfy channel was playing a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon over that weekend and I got hooked into the madness around 10 PM after I had finished watching True Blood and Falling Skies.

I was bullied all through my high school years and I found solitude by watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. I guess you could have called me a  Slayerette or a Scoobie as I had Buffy posters plastered on bedroom walls, I recorded every episode onto VHS tapes (I had a few of the VHS sets too), and I collected and read every tie-in novel, that is until my local Walmart quit carrying them. I eventually grew out of my Buffy/Angel phase. I still have the tie-in books in a closet. I was given both series on DVD a few years ago for Christmas, but I have never attempted to watch them to this day. Though after watching the marathon on Syfy, I may have to drag the DVDs out and watch them.

Review - The Companion Guide to Family Tree Maker 2012

The Companion Guide to Family Tree Maker 2012
By Tana L. Pedersen
Publisher: Ancestry Publishing
Pub. Date: 2011
ISBN: 978-1593313388
Retail: $24.99
Pages: 320
Buy Link: The Ancestry Store

Review:

Genealogy has become more popular thanks to the reality series Who Do You Think You Are?, which started it's fourth season on TLC last Tuesday featuring celebrities such as Kelly Clarkson, Jim Parsons, and Christina Applegate. Many people around the world have been researching their family heritage way before the series started. Thanks to modern technology you now have the ability to keep track of all your family findings by using the computer software called Family Tree Maker, a program that first came out in 1989; way before home computers were in the average household. FTM has had dozens of upgrades over the years and including several different owners. The most popular genealogy site in the word is ancestry.com, who happens to be the current owner, released the FTM 2012 in September 2011.

I was in my early twenties when I got interested in genealogy, mostly thanks to my mother who was already researching our family history. My genealogy days came to a stop several years back when I hit several brick walls, since then my mother has taken over the family research. I bought my mother the FTM 2012 software last year, which the software turned out to be a major improvement compared to the old versions as you can sync directly with ancestry.com. The 2012 version is now on my computer as well and I have now started to get back into genealogy.

There is a basic guide with the program, but there are so many changes in the program it takes awhile to figure out what is what. Luckily, there is the Companion Guide to Family Tree Maker 2012 written by Tana L. Pedersen to help us new and old FTM users understand all the cool new tools and features. If you are a new user, the first few chapters will go over all the basics on how to setup the program with your family's information.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Book Blogger Hop: July 26th - August 1st

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!


Grab the Button!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

This week's question submitted by Elizabeth.)



How do you organize your books to be read?


2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

My Answer:
Any TBR books on Kindle go into a review folder. TBR review paperbacks go into a pile on an endtable or on my desk.

Linky List:

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Is There ANOTHER Craigslist Killer?

Remember the movie, The Craigslist Killer? Well, that film was based on true events, and if you weren’t convinced then, you’ll definitely be convinced now. Shocking news surfaced recently, when reports of yet another Craigslist murder began to circulate on the Internet. The victim, 27-year-old Daniel Cook, was killed last Friday when a Craigslist deal took a turn for the worst.

A resident of Williamstown, New Jersey, Cook had been browsing classified ads on Craigslist, when he saw an ad for an all-terrain vehicle. He wanted to take a look at the ATV, but the seller was located in Pennsylvania. He was well-aware of the potential dangers involved in meeting up with strangers from Craigslist, so he rounded up his girlfriend and another friend, and the three of them hit the road for the Philly area to check out the ATV. Little did Cook know, he was driving straight into a trap from which he would not return.

Cook Murdered By Craigslist Seller

Cook and his friends arrived at the address, where they met up with Thomas Coffee, the 23-year-old who posted the ad on Craigslist. According to Cook’s friends, Coffee pulled him away, stating that the ATV was around the back of the house: that’s when their meeting took a violent turn. Cook’s friends reported that two gunshots were heard after the two men headed toward the backyard. Police believe that Coffee pulled out a gun and shot Cook twice after robbing him of the cash he brought to pay for the ATV.

Emergency responders arrived, and they saw a man on the ground with two gunshot wounds: one in the chest, and another in the ankle. Officials positively identified the man as Daniel Cook, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. Thomas Coffee locked himself inside his home, and would not allow police inside, but officers surrounded the home and waited until they were able to secure him.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Bloggers, Reviewers, Sponsors, & Others Wanted for the 13 Days of Halloween 2013 Event

This year I'm partnering with Literary R&R!


There are only 85 days left until Halloween, which is simply my favorite holiday of the year as it brings out the kid in me. I grew up as a horror junkie (still am). I would circle all the upcoming horror movies being aired on television in the TV Guide. I was never one for trick-or-treating, but I have always loved decorating the yard with creepy things and giving away candy.

October 1st - 31st will be my  31 Days of Halloween, featuring 31 days of Halloween themed posts, ranging for horror movie reviews, horror book reviews, interviews with authors, guest posts, giveaways, and more. I would like to make this year more insane than last year, but I can't do it alone.

I'm looking for talented bloggers, authors, filmmakers, and horror fans to help out with guest posts, movie reviews, book reviews, or anything creepy. Each submitter will get a byline and a link back to their blog or website.

Additionally, I’m looking for giveaway sponsors, like Halloween costumes, candy, DVDs/Blu-rays, books, or anything Halloween related.

If you like to participate please fell out the form here

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Review - A Big Year for Lily

A Big Year for Lily
The Adventures of Lily Lapp
Book 3
By Mary Ann Kinsinger & Suzanne Woods Fisher
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0800721343
Pages: 272
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/mVlq1
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/sfisher
 
Review:

There are countless Amish fiction books for adults in the bookstores. It is nice to see a new series aimed for middle graders. I read the first book in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series last year, but I missed out on the second book. Litfuse Publicity Group and Revell nicely sent me a free copy of the third book, A Big Year for Lily, in exchange for my honest review.

Lily Lapp is an imaginative nine-year-old Amish girl, who, along with her cousin, has adventures around her Amish community. Life isn't exactly easy for Lilly as she has to deal with some school bullying from Effie Kauffman and a particular boy who likes to pick on her. It will take the love of her family and her faith in the Lord to help her make it to her tenth birthday.