Ready to Rock

No, no, not more Rock Band talk, I promise. However, we are now ranked #1 on a song:

On vocals, at least.

About a month or so ago, Mickey and I went to a wedding. The wedding was fantastic, the bride looked lovely and the groom was very bouncy. We drank, we danced, we took lots of pictures with disposable cameras.

But, my favorite part, and the part I was most looking forward to, didn't happen til the next day.

After breakfast at a place that reminded me of eating in a grandmothers kitchen in the 1950's (best Eggs Benedict, ever, btw) we drove a little further down the road and went gem mining.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved gem mining. I was so excited (and somewhat nervous) to share one of my favorite things in the world with Mickey. Excited because, you know, rocks are awesome. Nervous because, you know, if you don't like rocks, gem mining is boring as hell.

But, before you get bored reading about rocks, here are some pictures of our loot:

And seriously? That's not even a quarter of the awesomeness. 

Apparently,  gem mining isn't as common as I thought. So here's how it goes.

You buy a big bucket of dirt. The super-passionate gem-mining dood gives you a wooden box with a screen for a bottom and a spade-shovel-thingie. Then he leads to to this trough of running water that is normally a couple different levels. 

You sit on an uncomfortable wooden bench and drop a spade-full of dirt into your wooden-screen box. Then you shake it about and gently lower it into the water, letting it wash away all the dirt. Then you sift through what is left and, hopefully, find real treasure. 

And we totally did. We found quartz and tiger's eye and flourite and topaz and amethyst and some gorgeous jasper. But even better than that, we found rubies, sapphires and emeralds. This whole glass is filled with them, in fact:

Looks just like plain boring rocks, don't they? But once polished and cut, they are gorgeous. We just haven't made it that far yet. 

Rubies were probably the most fun for us to find because they sound different than all the other rocks. They are heavier than other gems, so when the water pushes them down the trough, they give off a deeper sound. We got a few of our rubies from the couple who was mining upstream from us. Shhh.

We killed almost two hours gem-mining. I am happy to report that Mickey enjoyed himself and now I have a lot more awesome to add to my rock collection. 

Don't judge. Rocks are awesome. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird... Laughs?

I have been a fan of SNL since I was a little girl and would stay up late  on Saturdays to watch it with my dad.

Yeah, sometimes the cast has sucked and sometimes the writers have been crappy, but I almost always laugh at least once every episode.

Well, this past weekend we watched the episode Maya Rudolph hosted. In that episode was the funniest skit since last year's smash hit "Liquorville."

It is hysterical and quoteable, which basically is my favorite one-two punch of SNL-isms. I present you with Maya Angelou's new prank show: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Laughs." 

More Talk About the Same Book

 I finished "We Need to Talk About Kevin" last night. It was fantastic the entire way through.

One thing that normally annoys me about books and movies is the ability to predict the end. I was able to predict the end of this one, but I wasn't bothered by it. Like I said before, the author of this book built things masterfully: her characters, her situations, and, most importantly, suspense. She unraveled things beautifully.

Yeah, I had figured out the end of the book before the end, but I kind of got the idea that the author wanted the reader to figure it out. So that the reader could experience the same dread and horror that Eva experienced. And I totally did. I knew  what was going to happen. I mean, not just the big thing that she talks about the entire book, but the rest of the ending. I knew  it would happen and I kept reading, hoping for a twist that wasn't this.

This was one of those books that I want to start immediately after I read the last word. I want to just immerse myself in it and pick up on all the things I missed the first time.

But, I won't, because I have Chew waiting for me. =)

Smarties: The Book I Am Currently Reading Edition

Sometimes I will be reading a book and read something that just resonates with me. Right now I am reading "We Need To Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver.

It is so good. It's one of those books that you can't shake all day. I've been slowly savoring it for about two weeks now and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about it more than once. Shriver is talented because she has created a character that is extremely easy to dislike for two thirds of the book, but within a paragraph and a half, she makes you feel sorry for him and want to take care of him. Or maybe I have just gone all soft. 

I am almost to the end of the book and really loathe to finish it, mostly because I am dreading what will happen at the end. I mean, I know the big horror that happens; it's inevitable. But I worry that there will be a surprise horror as well. I also don't want to finish it because it is that good. It may sound weird, but I'll miss it when I'm done. 

That's one of the reasons I like the Walking Dead comics so much, I always have a new issue to anticipate. And by anticipate, I mean wait impatiently. 

So, back to "Kevin." 

Sunday morning, I was standing in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for the family, reading my book in between stirring and baking and flipping the sausage around and I read a line that reminded me a lot of what a very good friend once said to me:

"[A] common mistake of the good hearted: She assumed that everyone else was just like her."

I am slightly guilty of this. Sometimes, it really frustrates me. 

And in closing, Tilda Swinton was cast perfectly in this role. I cannot wait to see the movie. 

Continuing to Rock.

Sorry, no time to blog.

Too busy rockin'.

The song was "Handlebars" by Flobots, for the record.