I Am The Messenger

Rating: 

For the first time this summer, I feel that I can actually say that I completely enjoyed this book.Ed Kennedy is an ordinary 19 year old cab driver who plays cards when he's not working, owns a dog called The Doorman, and has an impossible crush on his friend.

Life goes on as it always has until one day, he finds himself stuck in the middle of a bank robbery. In spite of his gut, he makes a heroic move and the small town he's in starts to notice.

Then things get weird. A card arrives in the mail, and on that card are three addresses. Three addresses he never noticed within his small town - and all of them need his help.

There's also a nice little twist at the end that adds some flair.This is a wonderful story about how much you can do by just being ordinary. It is an encouragement to open our eyes to others that surround us and, if we can, help - even if it's just as simple as buying two scoops of ice cream.

I would encourage anyone who needs a kick in the but, who feels they can't, or wants to know ways they can change the world to read this book.

I Don't Believe in Good-Byes

Today is a challenging day for me.

It is the last I will be working in the Union.

I started the Block Party of my Freshman year, before the school year even began. I was terrified and knew no one; and was promptly thrown into a gigantic grey shirt with the logo printed on it following my boss around and basically doing whatever was asked of me. I did not talk, I barely made eye contact, and I was overwhelmed with the information poured into my brain.

During that first week we had training and it was very apparent that I was the only new member to the team. Throughout the next semester, three more freshman would come on board - three wonderful women that helped me have a successful life here at TWU. We bonded relatively quickly, mainly through horror stories of our mistakes at work and horror movies (still very unclear of how the latter happened), and remained very close as our peers slowly graduated and left.

We became the veterans - those old enough to pass on the knowledge of our mistakes to the newbies every semester but also comfortable enough to joke with our bosses. Truly and honestly, we were the product of two wonderful offices that taught us all about scheduling, setups, bus schedules, and life.

I wouldn't be who I am without the people that have came and left this office. I surely wouldn't be able to take the next step in my journey without the encouragement and lessons from my superiors.

This is my family. This is my home.

I don't believe in good-byes - they are too final. Good-byes declare endings, and my time with these people isn't over.

This is just a see ya later. A very long, extended see ya later.

I love all of y'all - from the depths of my heart. Thank you for allowing me to make mistakes; thank you for teaching me how to love; thank you for helping me become a better human being.

See y'all soon,

Kaity

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Rating: 

It has been brought to my attention that I might be the only one in the world that had a negative view of Guardians of the Galaxy - I fully believe that it was a difference of opinion.

However, I fully swing with the majority vote on the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

I have quite a big problem of finding my way to the theater, especially when it is discount day for college students. My friend and I were a little skeptical going into the movie, but we were wonderfully surprised.

The CGI was impressive, the actions scenes were a decent amount of time and didn't take away from the plot, the TMNT were very much themselves and acted their age (which I was actually worried about), and Megan Fox proved that she can, in fact, act. Even if her character was pointless through basically all but one scene of the movie. 

We were given some nice background of everyone at appropriate times and Mikey allowed quite a bit of comedic relief. I enjoyed the fairly predictable hero and villain plot only because I believe it added a bit of the original kid magic into the movie.

I enjoyed my time. I didn't look at my watch wondering when it would be over and I wasn't surprised for the bit of set up for a second movie at the end. 

The movie is pretty family friendly, and one I might find myself watching again.

City of Heavenly Fire

Rating: 

Throughout this summer, I have been inhaling The Mortal Instrument Series, starting from about April until this last week.

I thought the book was decent, although, as usual, I have a few problems with it – actually a  few problems with the series.

First big problem? (Spoiler) Incest is not something I support, and having the love interests kiss and then find out that they are related until book three where they continue to constantly kiss is a HUGE no no for me. In fact, after reading the first book last year, I set it down and refused to continue with the series. The only reason that I picked up the next book was when (and I will most likely never say this again) I watched the movie. The adaptation was fairly close, but they also had Hodge suggest to Valentine that he should convince the two they were related.

So I continue to read in hopes that this horribly done twist would be resolved. It was.

Until her actual brother showed up and it was back again.

To be fair, he really wasn't fully human and really had never been loved before. Well – still not a good enough excuse.

CoHF follows our favorite characters Clary, Jase, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon as they rush of boldly (relative term) to defeat the last Morgenstern, Sebastian – Jonathan. They find themselves trapped between lies and demon worlds with impossible choices that Cassandra Clare tries to completely fix in the end.

As an up and coming writer myself, one of my biggest pet peeves is when try to give every character a happy ending – especially when the majority of the book is about battles and war. It is okay to let characters die or move on. Heartbreak is a part of life, and I don’t think that should be worked over in fiction.

But, overall, this really isn't the worst series ending that I have ever read.  

Congrats on the main series finally being finished, Clare.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Rating: 

My friend and I went to watch this movie to relieve stress. I went in there with low expectations. I left not disappointed.

Marvel is suiting up for something big. We are introducing characters and slowly starting to pull things together one by one. Spoiler: The Avengers group is not limited to those shown in the actual Avengers movie.

Many people told me that they loved this movie. I thought that it was stupid. I truly hope that it was supposed to come across as a comedy, because that is what the script set up for. There were vulgar lines not needed and I don't even want to know how my Van Diesel was paid for saying five words through the entire movie. Actually, he said three - his vocabulary expanded at the end.

I laughed in the correct parts, there were a couple of touching moments, but this is not a movie that I will be going back to watch any time soon. 

Just a quick summary: A bunch of criminals are thrown in jail and realize that the thing they stole could destroy the planet. Therefore, they must band together and save the earth. Which they do. They stand up to fight the main villain, only to find out later that he's not the true mastermind. 

Spoiler: We have seen this criminal before. 

Again, Marvel has a plan. I'm sure we will see it soon enough. Maybe I was just expecting a higher level of comedy or a bit more serious of a movie. Either way, this was not my favorite movie.

Until next time,

Kaity

A Dirty Job

Rating: R (Adult Content)     

I typically am found with a young adult book clutched in my hands, but I went exploring and stumbled across this little beauty.

Christopher Moore takes the idea of Death and places a completely new idea on it. What if Death wasn't just one person? What if people really didn't have souls - or at least didn't have them for part of their lives? What if getting souls to the correct person was the reason if the world fell into destruction or not? What happens when a quiet Beta Male has been plucked from his everyday life and been chosen for something special?

Charlie Asher is a fairly normal man trying to survive as a single father after his wife passed away unexpectedly. After meeting a man in a mint green suit, his life is turned upside down and he finds that people keep dropping dead around him, shadows aren't all that they seem, and his secondhand store has a tendency to attract glowing red objects that only he can see.  

Charlie Asher has stumbled into a new job that he can't really refuse, no matter how hard he tries. You see, he is one of San Francisco's own Death Merchants. His job is to gather up the souls of the deceased and help them find their resting place..er...body.

I enjoyed this book greatly. I found laughable and sobering moments throughout it. I thought that it was pretty well written. I have been advised to dive into Lamb next. We shall see.

Until next time,

Kaity

Apologies for My Behavior

I always seem to think better after a good run and a massive clean. Luckily, I was able to do both this weekend, but in reverse order.

Last Thursday was the first of two moves I will be making this month. I spent a good majority of the weeks before preparing by going through each and every little thing and deciding if it was worth keeping, donating, or trashing completely. Then, the few things that I had decided to keep went into boxes that went into cars that eventually brought me home.

Afterwords, for the first time in three weeks, I went for a run. It. Was. Marvelous. (and painful)

The pounding in my feet matched the beat of my heart and cleared the fog away from my brain - allowing it to analyze the things that I had packed away and my past moves over the last four years. It was about this time that I realized that I had become quite the unbearable cretin not only through the stressful change that is happening now, but through all the major changes of my life.

Moving to TWU.

Breakups.

Moving home from TLC.

Starting graduate school.

Moving out of my first apartment.

Moving to Boston.

I have treated people poorly and unfairly because I was not able to properly deal with the substantial amount of feels that were rampaging through my body. I snapped in anger; I held onto things and people too tightly; I severed friendships that I deeply miss.

I am not asking for sympathy, because I don't deserve it. I need to better control myself when I'm stuck in a neutral zone, the place between endings and beginnings. No one deserves how I treated them.

Dearest friends and family, if I have offended you in any way, I apologize from the depths of my soul. I ask your forgiveness in my attitude and my lack of control. Being human is not a good excuse for the mess I have created, but it is the only one I have.

I will work on becoming stronger and being a better all around human being. I ask for your help and prayers.

Thank you and all my love,

Kaity