That Just Happened!

 Ack!  I have so much to tell you! 

Okay on the docket today is a Mo’vember wrap-up and some more challenges for 2010.

Mo’vember is officially over!  Thank goodness.  I had just about enough of that crazy ‘stach. 

Final Day - Nov 30

By the end it was getting so unruly and he was even starting to stroke it in his sleep.  (um, yeah I only sometimes watch him intently while he’s sleeping. But it is only to wonder how someone who has the capacity to annoy me so much can look so innocent as they are sleeping. Don’t judge.)  Here is a pic of the clean shaven MPW. The one I know and love to kiss (sometimes). Thanks for all your support and donations to the cause. I know a lot of people were on board this year, so I know that they have raised a ton of money for prostate cancer research and men’s health.

I must say though, Will was pretty disappointed with the ‘stach this year.  As I mentioned before he wanted to be like the guys in Super Troopers

and felt it was more Flanders.    However, on the very last day someone came up to him at work and asked “shouldn’t you be off chugging syrup somewhere?” which made his whole day month because that is a reference to a scene in the movie.

Yeah, That Just Happened!

So onwards to the challenges.  I thought to myself, “Jenn, you are new to blogging. You are new to challenges. Don’t push it.”  The plan was to pick one or two that I really wanted to participate in a sign up for those as I originally discussed.  However, I wasn’t kidding when I said I Love A Good Challenge and with all the book bloggers out there posting the sign ups to some awesome challenges I cannot resist the temptation to sign up for more. (Thank goodness a lot of them allow for crossovers).  So out of the 10 that I really want to do I have managed to narrow it down to a few I really, really  want to do.  I am already participating in the 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge and have been posting my reviews on my site. The Virtual Advent Tour started yesterday and I am an active follower of that (too scared to participate, remember?) and I have signed up for the 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge and the 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge over at J. Kaye’s.  I have my own personal challenge going to read all of the fiction winners for the Governor General Literary Award and have been posting reviews for those books as well.  *whew* It sounds like a full plate (and it is) but I just cannot help it, the following challenges look amazing!

Adding to the list are the following

The Social Justice Challenge is being hosted by Amy at My Friend Amy, Hannah at WordLily and Natasha at Maw Books.  The goal is to read two books on the monthly theme which ranges from AIDS to Hunger to Genocide.  It is a chance to raise your own awareness and your reader’s by your recommendations and challenge updates.  I have taken an entire course on AIDS and I am very passionate about it’s prevention, so that will be a very provoking month for me I think.  You can sign up now and choose books from the lists provided, or suggest your own.  Right now the lists are being put together, so if there are any books you think would fit in with this challenge, head on over to their site or leave me a comment on mine.  I already suggested 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa and And the Band Played On which chronicles the rise of the disease and it’s entrance into America.

I don’t think I am going to do this one this year, but it is such a cool idea I thought I would let you know about it.  The What’s In a Name? Challenge 3 , hosted by Beth F, is a good way to read different books that you may not have picked up.  You need to pick a book that fits each of the following categories:

1. A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
2. A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House
3. A book with a title(queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan
4. A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia
6. A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

The next challenge I am adding is the Twenty Ten Challenge hosted by Bart’s Bookshelf.  You would read 2 books from 10 categories for a total of 20 books. I think it is a great way to expand my reading horizons and try some books that I might not have otherwise.  For the final category I think I am going to read two Romance novels.   I think they are silly and overly dramatic, but I have been hering about some books lately that look pretty interesting.  So I will call this Published Under Harlequin.  Again, that will start in 2010 and you can head over there to sign up.

Also, do not forget that MizB has a whole bunch of awesome challenges for you to sign up for.  The great thing about her challenges is you can participate at many different levels, so if you do not want to make a huge commitment, no problem!  And you can still take part and challenge yourself a bit.

I think that about wraps it up for my Wrap Ups.  Have a comment?  Think I am crazy for attmepting so many challenges?  I embrace your opinions, so leave it for me.  I love  comments like the Cookie Monster now loves fat-free snacks.

Yeah, That Just Happened!

Last night was…interesting.  From the moment MPW got home to the time we went to sleep there were some winning moments.  I had an attack of the sillies and I am pretty sure that at that point MPW stopped enjoying the same sense of humour about things.  There was an incident when he called the dog, a debate about his level of commitment to my blog (which according to him is high, according to me the blog comes fifth to cars, computers, RC copters, and Jeff Dodge), a question about tacos and a realization that I hate his moustache (it just isn’t him…and his whiskers tickle up my nose).

In the bedroom I have a wall of bookshelves *sigh* with all of my books.  As we are drifting off to sleep MPW mumbles, “Hey Jenn…is that book by Michael J. Fox or The Michael J. Fox?”  Well that did it for me.  I let out a very loud, very ugly guffaw and then giggled for a good 10 minutes.  The Michael J. Fox?  I had no idea MPW was such a fan!  “Yeah it totally is,” I responded. The Michael J. Fox.  *snort*

There was also another incident.  Involving a book.  I don’t know if you would agree, but I really, truly think books have a smell.  The smell is dependent on what age the book is written for, what they use to bind the book and the age of the book.  I just remember being really young, having my Mom read to me and each book having a smell.  My favourites were Amelia Bedelia and Dory the Witch.  Well last night I picked up one of the books for my personal GG Challenge and it smelled.  Kind of like a text book, kind of not.  So I opened up the book, pressed my nose to the page and inhaled.  Yep, definitely like a textbook and yep, definitely when MPW walked in.

  He laughed, shook his head and when I tried to explain he just said, “No, no.  No, no.”

But you understand, right?  You know what I am trying to say?  Books smell!  They do!  I’d like to think they smell of adventure, but maybe that’s just me.

Yeah, That Just Happened!

November isn’t the best month for anyone I don’t think.  Sure, we all know someone with a birthday in it (maybe yours?) and it is one month closer to Christmas, but overall it is just cold and a forewarning of weather to come.  This year I have something else to dread.

MO’VEMBER!!!   *cue doomsday music*

This will be the second year MPW has participated in this event.  It’s not that I am not a fan. Cause I am!  Raising money for prostate cancer research is a cause anyone can get behind, but there are certain drawbacks that need to be considered.  For one, when we go out with my friends they introduce him to other people as “It’s for Mo’vember, but this is Jenn’s boyfriend,” at which point I politely let them know the moustache is, not the boyfriend.  The other draw back is  this:

Please keep in mind this is only one week in last year.  It was so much worse by the end.  So much worse.  And this year he is going for a Super Trooper ‘stache…

and I do have to be seen with him in public. And admit I know him. So please, please, please donate to a good cause. Support MPW in his venture, or at the very least donate to show support for the fact I will have to be seen with him.