Category: Meanderings

Morning Meanderings… The Comprehensive Plan For Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

Good morning!  I like this picture because it really captures most mornings for me…. coffee coffee coffee, like fuel to a car. 😛

Those of you who have blogged for any amount of time have probably had offers made for people to guest post on your blog.  The truly funny ones are ones that have nothing to do with what you blog about, they could be offering to share with your readers about tires for your car, UGG Boots, vitamins and vacation destinations… all of which have been plugged to me…. and no they did not offer anything in return or I may have caved on the vacation one and Book Journey would have become “Traveling With Book Journey” or something like that…. and I would go to fascinating places like Hawaii and Aruba and telling you what I was reading while sipping some delicious fruity drink and sporting some amazing tan…

well,

a girl can dream.

I digress..

SO, a couple of days ago I receive the email says that they noticed I talk about zombies from time to time.  😯

I do?

 

This is a stretch but their may have been zombie like creatures in the Passage that I read a couple of years ago… Flyers or Virals I believe they were called…  hmmmm….. well anyway, it was the next line that caught my attention…

 

we thought your readers may like detailed information on how to prepare a barn or garage for the zombie apocalypse.

Well… what sort of person would I be if I did not pass this vital information on to you?  And seriously, what if this post…. saved a life?  😛

 

And honestly, we are still five days out from Halloween… plenty of time to grab a couple of buddies and put up a pole barn.  😉  AND as the article says, since money will soon be useless, why not opt for the concrete floor?  This will lead to avoiding zombies tunneling under your building.

The article goes from how to design your pole barn, to how to stock it, the weapons you need… a team.  One of my favorite parts of the article is choosing your team…

Choosing Your Survival Team

As with everything in life, it’s all about the people you know. The last thing you want to do it be holed up with a useless, hysterical mob.

Stay away from:

  • People in the entertainment industry* (actors, singers, models, etc.)

  • People in useless white collar trades like SEOs, marketing professionals, accountants, and salesmen

  • People who are overly bubbly or overly depressing (you’d wind up throwing them to the zombies eventually)

*The exception to this rule might be comedians…everyone needs a good laugh!

Your ideal team of Zombie Apocalypse survivors will include:

  • Someone with military and/or police experience, preferably an expert marksman

  • Someone with hunting/foraging experience

  • A nurse, doctor, or veterinarian (honestly, a vet might be your best bet if you also have livestock)

  • Someone with farming/gardening experience

  • A handyman who has mechanical experience

  • A genius who dabbles in everything from computers to mechanical engineering

  • A few “blue collar” folk not afraid to get their hands dirty, learn new things, and do some grunt work

 

 

Isn’t that awesome?  That’s my funny for the day.  I am still in the cities at the library/literacy Leadership Training.  Day one was good and in about an hour we will kick off day two.  I will be heading back home tonight after 5.   Hope your day is wonderful.  I am listening to I, Michael Bennett this morning on my IPOD,  love that series.  🙂

 

Oh… and if you want to read the rest of the article on Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, ummm…. you know, just for ummmm…. research.  Feel free to do so here.

Not So Morning Meanderings… But I think a worthy post anyway….

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

 

*Sigh* I cant even say good morning because by the time this post went up… it was afternoon.  Yesterday morning I left for the cities at 6:30 am for a meeting, then a board meeting and returned home after 10 pm last night WIPED OUT.  Then this morning I got up and went to check in on the IHN guests and wound up talking with my friend Shelly for three hours who was one of the volunteers who stayed over night and held down the fort while I was gallivanting around Minnesota.  In fact this morning I tried to remember the last time I had a day of not “doing” and I had to go back almost three weeks. 

I have another crazy day today but after tomorrow noon, things should slow to a mere simmer and no longer life at a boil.   My picture that graces the top of this post is part of the running around I did yesterday.  While in Minneapolis I stopped in at the book store Magers and Quinn where Michelle from Red Headed Book Child works.  Unfortunately she was out running an errand so I missed her but did manage to purchase three books and this neato mug.  😛

 

I though for today’s Saturday Snapshot (stop over at Alyce’s and check out this fun meme!)  I would post a few pics from my last week between crafting at the cabin, stopping at an apple orchard to the road trip yesterday. 

 

 

My friend Amy also had to give it a try…

 

 

Cool building in Minneapolis

 

On a tandom funny note do you ever use that “check in” option on Facebook?  From your Smart Phones you can have facebook post where you are at and I love that!  Yesterday morning while in Minneapolis I was going to check Connie and I in and seen one of the near by places was “United Geeks Of Gaming”.  A quick Google check verified that it was a group that meets to play board games and video games…. LOL, I checked us in there. 😛

Have a great day everyone!

 

I have about an hour and a half here before I need to hit the ground running again.  I have some books to put away in the books room, laundry to finish, and dishes to put away.  Tonight when all is said and done I hope to actually crack open a book. 😀 

How is your weekend going?

Morning Meanderings… Hobbit Book Club

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

 

Good morning!  Wednesday!  already!  WOW!

I usually feel these days like I am behind – behind on reviews, reading, and occasionally life as well.  Today would be a fine example of that.  As I was looking through some old emails that I had yet to open (*sigh*) I found an interesting link to an online Hobbit Book Club.  As you more than likely know, The Hobbit is coming out as a movie.  What you may not know is that I LOVE all things Tolkien.  SOOOOOO…. I have to look into this deeper.

If you click on the link, you will see I am already behind.  If you know me, you know I am going to try to catch up anyway… 😀  My posting of this today is to make sure you 1.  know about the read-a-long and 2.  see if anyone else is doing this already, or would care to chase after it like me… with me. 

 

 

I leave you with these questions…

Have you read The Hobbit before?

Are you interested in reading it now – pre-movie?

And most importantly…

Is that Dumbledore in the movie trailer? 

Morning Meanderings… A Recap Of Last Weekends Bike Ride

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

 

Happy Saturday ya all – 😀  I am currently up North – yes further north than my home in central Minnesota at our cabin for a girls crafting weekend.  Lap top – has stayed home this time as I do not have internet there anyway so this is a pre-scheduled post that I am hoping (fingers crossed!) will appear magically on my blog on Saturday morning. 😀

 

For today’s Saturday Snapshop over at Alyce’s At Home With Books, I thought I would share some pics and thoughts from the Mankato Ramble from last weekend. 

I drove to Mankato Minnesota on Saturday late afternoon as the drive is almost 4 hours.  Hello audio books!  😀  I stayed the first night at my friend Diane’s house as my College Son was out-of-town.  Can you believe it – I come to his town and he is not home?  LOL  He was actually in Duluth and was getting back early Sunday. 

On Sunday morning in 25 degree weather (uh… yeah) we went to the bike ride.  I rode with my friends Diane, Sheila, Belinda, and Jason – and a new friend, Josh.

The ride was good but cold – really cold for the first couple of hours.  I was almost caving to do the shorter 36 mile ride instead of the 44 mile ride.  Thankfully my friends stayed strong and we completed the ride as planned.  Here are some pics from that event:

Jason and I, pre-ride

 

One of the pit stops

 

Guess I should have posted this one first 🙂

I am not usually a big cookie fan but something about the cookies on this ride…. oatmeal chocolate chip…. MMMMMMMM

 

Diane and Josh took the shorter ride so at the end, this is who I finished with: L: Belinda, Sheila, Me, and Jason

 

We had a great time.  I then spend Sunday with College son Justin.  We went out to dinner and then to the movie Pitch Perfect which was funny and good!  I stayed over night with Justin and then drove home Monday morning.  A great weekend! 

Check out more pictures of what people are up to at Alyce’s Saturday Snapshots!

Morning Meanderings… Banned Book Week Winners and a fun box of formal dresses!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

 

Good morning and I mean good morning as I am writing this at 3:30 am.  This was not the plan but I woke up at 2:50 am when hubby went to go move equipment and now I am WIDE AWAKE.  😛 
Last week was the fantastic Banned Book Week event and I am still excited from all the participants.  I have BUNCHES of winners to announce and here they are:

 

The winner of the PREP post $10 Amazon gift card is….  Belle from Book Belle!

 

The winner of the copy of The Giver is Shannon from I Run Teach Read!

 

The Chocolate Wars post CHOCOLATE giveaway (which was comments on my post and on Florinda’s  goes to Jennifer from The Relentless Reader!

 

The Blog Participant drawing of a $20 Amazon gift card that was for everyone who signed up and offered a post during banned book week goes to…. Gina from Book Dragon’s Lair!

 

And finally – I had mentioned that all comments go into a LARGE Banned Book drawing for my banned book week posts as well as commenting on the other posts I linked for banned book week.  That prize package looks like this:

And the winner is:

Crys from Book Em!!!!

 

*All winners were chosen using random.org

 

And one more fun thing. 

 

Gina from Book Dragon’s Lair sent me a little package last week… she knows that every July my book club dresses in formal wear for our annual “Queen Event”.  She sent me two gorgeous dresses for any of the eighteen girls in book club to choose to wear if they would like.  How cool is that!  Here are the dresses:

Just another thing I love about the book blogging community!  Thank you Gina they are beautiful!

So this morning I leave for our cabin for a crafting weekend.  I am really looking forward to a couple of days of chilling out.  Next week we serve for IHN (homeless in our community) so it will be a bit of a busy week and a little down time is just what I am looking forward to.  Posts and reviews are prepped to go up while I am away so continue to stop in and see whats happening and what I have been reading 😀

Morning Meanderings….

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Good morning!  First off Banned Book Winners – I will post tomorrow morning.  I am sorry about this delay – if you read my post yesterday I had pulled winners yesterday morning and was typing them in and linking them as I wrote my morning post.  When I hit publish there was an error and wordpress logged me out.  I logged back in and most of my post was not saved and none of the winner info or links.

GAH.

My plan was to post then this morning but I am finally sitting down with coffee to type and see that I have 40 minutes to write the post shower, get ready, and get to work.  Tomorrow then.  Truly.

This week has been a BUSY one.  Monday I came home from Mankato and worked at the Library on the window.  Tuesday was book club, last night was my serving night with the teens and tonight – tonight I was supposed to leave for the cabin for a craft weekend.  I was not packed, not sure what I have for craft supplies and just overly not ready.  😀  I posted out book club review on The Wizard Of Oz (and food and dressed up members) last night.

Thankfully my wonderful friend Amy called last night and suggested we go Friday morning and come back on Sunday rather than go tonight and come back on Saturday evening.  That works so much better 😀

SOOOOO – that said, I will be packing tonight and probably running to a couple of stores to see what cool things I can work on.  It will be a good weekend.

Ok and just for fun… it is October and all… here is a book trailer (best book trailer of 2009 bt the way) Of Sense and Sensibility… and ummm…. Sea Monsters.  Have a great day!

 

Morning Meanderings… It Ain’t Easy Being Green… and Banned Book Week Winners

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Good morning!  😀

Hope everyone had a wonderful Tuesday and now working their way to a great Wednesday.  Last nights book club was WONDERFUL!  We reviewed The Wizard Of Oz and in typical Bookie style, the food was AMAZING and a few of us…

dressed up.

 

I need to also post the winners from the Banned Books week event!  I have not forgotten!  SO here they are from all the giveaways I held last week during banned book week:

 

Ok – I had just finished this post with all my winners and post links and hit submit – it logged me out and when I came back in my post ended here.  *sigh*  I do not have time to re do it this morning as I have used up all my time and must get ready for work.  Ugh.  We will try this again tomorrow morning – so sorry for the delay.
Have a great day!!!!  😀

Morning Meanderings – the first in a week New Book Window and a WINNER!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

 

Good morning!  Can you believe this is the first Morning Meandering in a week?  Last week was all banned books week… all week.  😀  After a crazy busy and fun weekend I made it home yesterday afternoon tired but happy.  Pictures from the bike ride will show up on Saturday. 

Yesterday afternoon I took down the Banned Books display from the library and brought “My Precious” books home and switched out the window with “Spooktacuar Reads” for October for all ages.  I put up a shelf of books for children, middle grade, young adults and adults.  I use my own books or print covers of the books and put over a small box so that we don’t pull books off the library shelves – I wasn’t to be sure that if someone sees a book they would like to read, they have the opportunity to check it out – which yes, I also checked our on-line library catalog to be sure all the books int he window are books the library has.  Yes, I can be anal.  😀

So here is a pic of that window:

 

 

I didn’t go all scary – but good mysteries and for the younger kids a couple about pumpkins too.  😀

 

I do have MANY winners yet to pick from Banned Book week but that is going to have to wait until tomorrow I will however tie up my giveaway from the Bloggiesta post, which is:

 

Kimberly of The Windy Pages!!!

 

Congratulations!  😀  I will get that sent off to you in the next couple of days here.

 

Today I work and tonight is our book club review of The Wizard Of Oz!  Expect great pictures to show up from that one as I know a few of us…a re planning to dress up and you never know what can happen when the Bookies get together!  It is going to be a busy – but fun day!  😀

 

 

 

 

Saturday Snapshot: The Unveiling Of The New Bookshelves! SSSQQQUUUEEE!!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)123 Comments

 

Good morning!  😀  It is the morning of my family gathering here at the house and I am feeling really good!  I have worked hard the last couple of days prepping the house, the deck (which looks awesome!), the garage and yes, the finishing of the book room. 

Now I know a lot of people who would not get excited about book shelves…. but I believe you, fellow book lovers, know how exciting it is to have room to put your books where you can find them and enjoy them.  They look fantastic!  So before I post the pictures know that most of these books are my private collection I have accumulated through the years.  Library book sales, garage sales, ordered on-line and from my local Indy store… these are books that I have either read and loved, want to read, love the author so picked up others by the author… and yes, I admit some are unread and chosen because I love the cover or have heard good things about the book/author.

Ok…. ready?

 

This is the outside of the book room. I pulled two of my cases to the outside and really like the look.

 

Ok before we move into the room I need to explain how we came to have such a space unclaimed in the house.  Originally, this space was two bedrooms.  When we moved here, we added on a master bedroom off the back of the house and finished off the basement and put a bedroom down there as well.  Then Al (buddy) made this space his office for our business.  After a couple of years we put an office at the business which is, quite literally, out behind our house.  Al moved all his office things to the new space and I was left with a big space and wondering what to do with it….

for the past 4 years it has held book shelves and my writing tools…

and now…

 

If you open the doors and look immediately to the left, this is what you see.

This is the left corner – these are review books, giveaways, and ll my food related books – cook books, memoirs, etc…

This is the left side – right corner if that makes sense and these are all alphabetized by author – upper shelf starts with “A”. These are all my personal books.

 

 

Ok. Standing in that left side and turning completely around – this is the right side of the room. I know, I know… I am so good with descriptions…LOL  Oh yeah, and as I took the picture – Mater walked in.  Hello Mater!

 

This is the close up of the right side and this is the continuation of the alphabet from M – Z.

 

 

This is the right side, right corner. Yes, that is ET. This space currently is used for books I have two of so I remember to do a giveaway when I review them It also hold my Bookies years in Reviews since 2002 and books that have come in this week for the Sunday Salon mention.

This is the right side of the room, left corner. This is where my current reads are, books I am using for research – anything I need to get my hands on quickly. Yes my long suffering copy of Jane Eyre is in this grouping.

This is the 5 remaining book shelves (there is on to the far left as well) in the room that you see when you enter the doors and look directly across the room. They have not been organized yet because I don’t want to eliminate them and need to think of their purpose. Eventually I may try to narrow in down so I can fit in a comfy chair again.

Ok… there it is.  While working on this project 3 bags of books were donated to the library.  4 more bags will be going to my book club for first pick in October and those they do not want I will take and donate to the Friends Of The Library sale.

Thanks you Alyce for hosting Saturday Snapshot where we can post the pictures of our lives.  Stop by Alyce’s spot at At Home With Books and see what other things people are taking pictures of. 😀

I am about to enjoy a beautiful fall day with my relatives.  Maybe, those will be next weeks pictures… 😀

Morning Meanderings… Bloggiesta Start up, Banned Book Hop, and An EPIC Meryl Streep fail

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

Good morning!  Today is the official starting day to Bloggiesta Fall 2012!  Bloggiesta is an awesome time to out and do a little blog maintenance, learn some new tips (yes, even us long time bloggers can learn something new!) and just overall come out the other side feeling awesome about out GREAT blogging community and our blogs.  I love being a part of Bloggiesta!

For me this time around Bloggiesta is going to be surrounded by major going ons in my life and on the blog but I am going to do whatever I can to participate as much as I can.  I am hosting a mini challenge and a gift card giveaway for the event.  I am also hosting a huge Banned Book Party for Banned Book Week that starts Sunday and I am organizing that and participating in the banned book hop (I know, I know….I have said yes to too many things…. 😀 ) with a giveaway as well as the daily giveaways and awesome Banned Book posts that will start up here on Sunday and go through next Saturday.

Did I mention that tomorrow I am hosting a family reunion here at my home for about 50 people?  😯

Life….

is never dull.  😛
For my hopes and dreams of Bloggiesta this time around here is my to do list:

1.  Catch up on the reviews I need to write (currently that is 4)

2.  Visit at least 10 new blogs a day throughout the weekend.  (I love visiting blogs!)

3.  Update my side bar to my current reads

4.  Participate in as many of the mini challenges as I can.

That’s it for now – due to obvious reasons (see above) I am going to keep it small and if I can add to this, which I suppose as I look at the mini challenges I will)….

Meryl Streep Movie Night – 1st night…

Quick update on last nights movie night at my home.  I had rented from Netflix the movie The Deer Hunter for our first Meryl Streep Movie night gathering.  You can catch all the details on that here.  So I prepared some cheese and grapes and crackers for my guests and when they arrived we proceded to go watch the movie. 

Except…

the movie wouldn’t load. 

I took it out of the DVD player and it was cracked on the bottom.  NO KIDDING!  😯  By the time we were deciding what to do it was 7:30 pm, we called out one local video store who did have a copy but when I looked on line I realized it was 3 hours long.  3 HOURS????  I didn’t even know they made movie that long in the 70’s!  SO…. instead we watched My Sisters Keeper as sadly I had no Meryl Streep movies that I own (s0 my bad!).  My plan is today to pick up the video store copy and I will watch it perhaps tonight or tomorrow night – but I will get it done and we will have our discussion… it may just now have to wait until after Banned Book Week.  😀

So that is what is happening here.  I would love to hear about your weekend plans.  Are you participating in Bloggiesta?  In banned book week?