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Sims 4: Barbie’s Dreamhouse Part 1
Yo, there! I want to switch gears to what I usually talk about here and take on another favorite topic of mine: The Sims! Sims 4, to be exact!
If you haven’t already noticed, I’ve mentioned it in my bio!
Here’s the story of how I edged my way into the Sims: many, many years ago, when my cousins and I were all kids, before social media existed, we played computer games. I remember a specific time when I watched my cousin play the first Sims on her P.C. I wasn’t permitted to play it because of the nudity involved. Sure, it was blurred out, but I respected my cousin for looking out for me.
I don’t recall what version of the Sims it was–if you played longer than I have, you know about all the game packs! Sims 1-3 must have the most of them! What I’m getting at, it could have been the base game or a pack my cousin played that time I watched in awe over her shoulder.
That version of Sims my cousin played was old enough to have a Sims version of Avril Lavigne! I freaking grew up listening to that Canadian chick! (Nowadays, if you’d like to have a celebrity in the Sims ya gotta create them yourself.)
Whatever year the Sims came onto GameBoy Advance, I played that, too. That Bustin’ Out one. . .
Hey, the original game is for mature audiences, alright?
When I hit fourteen, I took to playing the Sims 3–the base game–and Sims 3 Pets on the Xbox. At that age, Xbox was still in its prime for me.
I seriously did not know the ins and outs of the game back then.
For a hiatus up until my late teens, glory be, I returned to it for the most specific reason of all:
Sims 4 was born!
After that, I stuck to it on the Mac. I created Sims, built their homes, played their lives, returned to reality, and the cycle continued.
To keep the following in a nutshell: I’ve made lists of Sims to create, what worlds to put them in, goals of what packs to buy in the future, all to not tire of the Sims 4.
Since I’ve narrated my growing love for the Sims, let’s get into the real juice.
I’ve made my own Barbie and family! Her sisters, to be exact! It’s a work in progress, so bear with me.
Sims Barbie house. Courtesy of TheEilof97, my Sims name. I’ve spent months on this! Yes, it’s nothing like the dreamhouse in the Netflix series; however, I’ve designed it upon inspiration. I’m aware there are Barbie CC houses far more extravagant than this–I’ve seen them. I’m wary, though, of how much CC I download. The time it takes to find content I’m satisfied with is draining. For myself, I stick with Tumblr for the customized content. I must say, I’ve not had the best luck in finding amazing Barbie dreamhouse CC. I do what I can, what I find.
Applause for those who go out of their way to download immense amounts of customized content!
Here, I went with the red roofing as inspired by Spanish-styled housing. I didn’t want a boxy house, hence why the roofing doesn’t sit in a perfect square if you get me. I wanted a pool for Barbie and fam, and since the house is not a box, I had to make do with the shape of the pool.
That upstairs window goes to Barbie’s bedroom. I’m thinking of adding a near-floor window or balcony.
Sims Barbie pool. Courtesy of TheEilof97. For Barbie and crew to hang out by the pool, I installed not just seating arrangements but a bar and grill. Not much room here when I need a type of fence back here!
Sims Barbie pond. Courtesy of TheEilof97. I could have added another room here or a porch; going by the design of the house, there wasn’t all that much to put here. Hence why there’s a pond! I’m disappointed with the Maxis pond decor. I imagined the wildlife objects, in build mode, would be four-dimensional. They’re more like stickers when you place them on the pond!
For the inside of the house . . .it’s still a work in progress. I will upload pics of the rest when I’m all done.
Cozy chairs CC courtesy of Kouzeesim. These cozy chairs are CC from kouzeesim which you can download on Tumblr. I needed this as soon as I saw it! I added a chair for each sister, each in a style to coordinate their personalities. I’ll have a better pic of them later.
Sims Barbie playset. Courtesy of TheEilof97. To fill the space, I added toys here for Kelly. Kelly and not Chelsea, as I learned to my disturbance, Kelly was replaced by Chelsea, like a doppelgänger or robot! Since I grew up with Kelly toys, CD Roms, and a movie, I’m taking the original sister and not this changeling.
Strawberry planters courtesy of Nolan-Sims. I’ve never seen something like this before! Brought to you by Nolan-Sims, these strawberry planters come in a variety of colors.
What I’ve done with them here is the best I’ve done with them so far. One of these isn’t enough!
Sims Barbie calendar. Courtesy of TheEilof97. Here’s a peek at what my Barbie Sims look like currently. According to this, Kelly’s birthday is coming up? Am I reading that correctly?
Nevermind. Her’s takes place in winter along with. . . I forget which sister that is!I’ll have a part 2 to this, which will either be of Barbie’s sisters and her and their profiles or the fully finished interior design of the house.
Other items I wish to upload to my current game:
Game tables
Speakers
Cupcake machine
Aquarium
Flat-screen tv
Food kioskTake care, Simmers!
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TV Series and Movies I Need to See This Year
Mentions: Arthur, Inventing Anna, WINX Club, Victoria, Greta, Little Women, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, Aquaman, Birdman, The Power of the Dog, The Secret of Kells, and Annabelle 2&3
Before I get all weird and off-the-wall, let’s turn our heads to what occurred this week: Ukraine is under attack by Russia. My heart goes to those fleeing their homes, to those who have loved ones over in Ukraine. My heart goes to those in Russia who wish they could fight back. I wish I had more words to say.
Back to a lighter note: I, Eileen, have time away from Baby today! I brought her over to Funny Baby’s house to have a playdate with one another! It worked out because I told her I had a couple of appointments! True, as this post was initially set for last Wednesday. It’s not like I don’t try to set a time for all of you!
Since I don’t have set plans for the foreseeable future, imma lay out the movies and tv shows I need to see this year. Maybe you’ll like my list; maybe you won’t. That’s why we have TikTok and YouTube–for those who can’t bother with TV seasons or movies more than an hour and a half long.
Arthur) Oh, goodness, how old am I? For your info, Arthur ended its last season days ago after being on air for 25 years. It’s one of the longest-running kids’ shows of all time. Presenting empathy, real-life situations, and its line of celebrities is perhaps what made this beloved show run for this long. If you are in my age group, you might remember the oldest episodes more so than the newest episodes–unless you happen to have glimpsed at Arthur in the past ten years. *Cue the sad music from the episodes*
Inventing Anna) I’ve got a newbie on this list, and her name is Anna! Inventing Anna is a series on Netflix (for a change, not Paramount+, HBO, or AppleTV+) about a female con artist. Think Elizabeth Holmes or President Cheeto. Should you have ever seen Ozark, you may be familiar with Julia Garner–she’s the player here!
I, for one, barely had interest in this series when I was a wee one. It’s had spin-offs and recently a Netflix live-action series, I believe. Le livre of that makes me want to watch this spell-binding animated series from where it all started. I need to know: Will I enjoy it? How many seasons does it last? Which platform do I watch it on? Will eating half a box of chocolate ruin the experience of watching it or not?
Victoria)
Victoria absconded us at season 3 with dire warnings. I’ve been awaiting for thee to make her final return; alas, I’ve been in the dark. Pray tell, you enjoy the English productions? But of course! I fancy England, for I am an Anglophile. Tea practically runs in my blood. The English sweets aren’t easy for me to resist! Has this Queen returned yet, or has she other duties to consider?
Greta)
Let’s pop on over to another female-dominated production, this time a feature film. Some blond teen returns an item to a lone French woman, and stalker city ensues. I saw its movie trailer, and I was like, “Why is this older woman after a blond teen? Does she want her autograph?”
Well, I’m little, I’m a woman, why not watch? Do you recall the buttload of commercials and advertisements this film had before it hit theaters? It did reach theaters, didn’t it? It was Christmas day . . .okay, besides that, I’m impressed by the cast in here. I’m more impressed that I haven’t seen it.
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin)
This looks like it may be one of the best films in the franchise. What is it, a teen girl visits a village where her ancestors are, to learn more about her dead mother? Her mother’s spirit is still there? Hauntings…loading. From what I’ve noticed, these types of films–the portrayal of scary home movies–went up in popularity since the first Paranormal Activity. Looks like the PA franchise couldn’t end it just yet after the last film. Apparently not enough complaints about trips to the bathrooms. . .
Aquaman)
I’d like to check it out! Let’s experience this “underwater” live-action film. Until the movie’s upcoming release date, I’d never heard about this superhero. There’s a similar superhero in Spongebob and in Fairly Oddparents. My mermaid obsession is coming out! I wanna feast my eyes on what Nicole Kidman’s power is in this film! She’s a mermaid!?
Birdman)
We’re going back to eight years when this bizarro film touched the silver screen. I had my doubts about this one. I still kinda do. Michael Keaton’s a superhero-actor here? Retired actor? An actor-superhero? He’s more like Deadpool, personality-wise? It’s a quirky film. Watch …if you watched Batman.
A newbie film! I’m not a Western fanatic, but I’ve been tracking Benedict Cumberbatch since his Sherlock days. I gotta see how cruel he acts in his latest project!
It’s some animated Irish film I don’t know what it’s about. It shares the same animation style as Wolfwalkers, that AppleTV+ series. I’ll give it a go–it has that fantasy element to it.
Annabelle Creation & Annabelle Comes Home
Yeah, I don’t have a fascination with old, creepy, haunted dolls in IRL, but when I saw several minutes of the sequel of Annabelle on TV–that’s Annabelle Creation–I had that desire to freak myself out for the fun of it. Based on true events, the real Annabelle doll stays away from humans, since she’s, how do I put this lightly? CURSED! Your life if you wanna visit her. BTW, Annabelle Comes Home is the 3rd film of this franchise. I have no desire to watch the first one since IMO, it doesn’t seem worth watching.
For accurate information on the films and TV series, click on the links, since I didn’t feel like researching for this post at all! That’s not usually the case!
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The Top Books I Read in 2021
Mentions: Frozen II: Forest of Shadows, Rocketman, Almost Adulting, Tuck Everlasting, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Every Day, Part of Your World and Sea Witch Rising
Taken from my newsletter, on Feb. 9, 2022
Eileen: Baby! Come here! *Eileen is seated in a chair, facing her audience. A stack of books sits next to her.*
Baby: *Crawls into the room until she’s at Eileen’s feet. She raises her stubby arms to Eileen.* Uppy.
Eileen picks her up and sits her on her lap.
Baby: What’s going today?
Eileen: Wanna go over the books I read last year that I loved? With our audience? Baby: I mean if you say so. I could be taking a bubble bath.
Eileen: *Rolls her eyes and bends to the side to pick up a book from the stack.* Remember this one?
Baby: Holy jeepers! That took you an infininity to finish!
Eileen: Yeah, okay. Forest of Shadows, the sequel to Frozen–
Baby: No it’s NOT! It’s an inbetweener to Fwozy I and II!
Eileen: You’re right. In Forest of Shadows, Princess Anna wants nothing more than to be at her sister Elsa’s side. However, queenly duties always come first. For Queen Elsa, she is at the ready to sail around the world. In the meantime, a mysterious blight affects the animals of Arendelle, forcing Elsa to delay her trip. Anna then comes across a secret room in their castle, along with a magic spell that she sets off. It’s adventure after adventure in this novel.
Baby: *Shaking head* Whoa, man.
Eileen: I know. I’d definitely reread it. It was a perfect read for mid-winter. I took that opportunity.
Baby: ‘Kay, how about a drink now?
Eileen: No, we need to move on to the next book.
Baby: Sooo greedy.
Eileen: Next up, we have a behind-the-scenes book of Rocketman.
Baby: Jiminy cricket!
Eileen: What’s wrong?
Baby: I remember you’d wead that book when you couldn’t sleep. You were like, “Baby, I need my Wocketman book, or I can’t sleep!”
Eileen: You done? As I introduced it, it’s a behind-the-scenes account of the filming of Rocketman, a musical fantasy of how Elton John became Elton John. The book is rife with photos of the costumes seen in the film, pictures of cast and crew, interviews, and quotes.
Baby: Tell us WHY you like it so much.
Eileen: I rather not.
Baby: I can tell them.
Eileen: It’s best you didn’t.
Baby: Eileen–
Eileen: *Stuffs a pacifier into Baby’s mouth* Baby taken care of.
Here we are. *Sets another book on her lap*–Almost Adulting. It reads more like a chapter book, like a memoir, than a DIY/reference book. If you’re a young adult female starting to get out on her own, consider this one. The author writes her own adulting experiences, such as why getting in bed early and waking up early is rewarding to traveling by yourself for the first time.
Baby: *Rips pacifier out of her mouth* How am I supposed to talk with this nippy in my mouth?!
Eileen stares into space.
Baby: *Pointing at book* So funny you’re trying to adult when you write about babies!
*Eileen sighs as she takes another book from the book pile*: I have a nostalgic one here.
Baby: I LOVE NOSTALGIA!!!
Eileen: Tuck Everlasting–a book that I was introduced to in grade school. The story follows a family who has the gift, or curse, of living forever. A young girl stumbles upon them and learns their secret. The young girl befriends the outliers. However, it’s not just their secret that’s then in jeopardy, but a stranger who has followed this girl, whose goal is to unveil how the family came to live forever.
Baby: Have you ever played Jeopardy? I haven’t. It doesn’t interest me. If all the questions were related to babies and mommies, I’d get them right! All their questions are for peepies that like, went to school. I’m in preschool. Does that count as school? I wish I knew. Then there’s kindergarten. That’s tough. Compare that to preschool, and that’s like, first grade to ninth grade.
Eileen takes Baby and sits her on the floor in front of her.
Eileen: Enough out of you. Let’s finish.
Baby: *Arms crossed* Aren’t you being a teacher’s pet.
Eileen: *Raises an eyebrow at her* Here’s another from childhood: From The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler–Young Claudia plans to run away from home. To have enough money in tow, she has her little brother Jamie come along. Together they run off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Happening to be in the right place at the right time, the children discover a statue that may have been an artist’s work from the Renaissance period. For the siblings to uncover the truth of this statue, their quest leads them on a trail to an elderly woman who might have the answers to the work of art.
Eileen: *Moves on since Baby has not interrupted* Okay.
Every Day. It’s one for young adults. Well, teenagers, too. A spirit that goes by the initial “A” transports from body to body every single day, without control over it, without ever knowing where it will end up next. A has never attached to anyone, except one day when it wakes up in the body of a high school boy named Justin. Justin has a beautiful, kind girlfriend named Rhiannon. It’s from there, A finds a sense of belonging. Not just a sense of belonging, but the challenges of struggling to stay with Rhiannon, no matter what A looks like every day.
Eileen: *With another book in hand*: This has got to be one of my favorites.
Disney Twisted Tales: Part of Your World–Imagine if Ariel, the little mermaid, hadn’t gotten to kiss Prince Eric? That’s what this book covers. In my own words (as I’ve been doing this whole time), Ariel has returned to the sea as queen. Ursula rules Eric’s kingdom from the top. A striking piece of evidence is brought back to Ariel as proof her species can still reign supreme. With this in mind, Ariel has a second chance to bring down Ursula once and for all.
Eileen: Lastly . . .I have here Sea Witch Rising, the sequel to Sea Witch. If you aren’t familiar with the Sea Witch series, it is a darker, foreign take on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. In the sequel, Runa and Alia are mermaids–twin sister mermaids. Alia has traded her voice to the Sea Witch for another life with a human prince. Without his love for the newly transformed human, Alia will die. It’s up to Runa to save her.
Meanwhile, the Sea Witch longs for a life other than the life she currently lives. It feels impossible when she has duties to fulfill. Altogether, Runa comes to terms with powers of her own. Excitingly exchanged in alternating POVs, if you’re into epic fantasy, you might find this on your “favorite books” shelf.
Eileen: *Looks down and is startled to see four more babies sitting at her feet. There’s Fashion Baby, Funny Baby, Nature Baby, and Sleepy Baby.*
Baby: I could have invited more.
Eileen: Tha-that’s alright.
Fashion Baby: Anyone up for pedicures?
Sleepy Baby: Nada. *Falls asleep before falling face-first on the floor.*
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Books I Hope to Read this Year
Mentions: Circe, Me, What Once Was Mine, The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, Ella Enchanted, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Stalking Jack the Ripper, Dear Edward, Emily Windsnap and the Tides of Time
Good afternoon! Eileen is taking over today! Baby doesn’t deserve attention today because she’s been a pain in the ass. I told her to play elsewhere while I take on this newsletter.
I may have published a book months ago, but I don’t spend much time reading. There are other free writes I devote time to, career seeking and promoting this book on the side.
I’m adding books to my TBR list when I’m not reading. It’s an ongoing list—a list of a hundred and more.
What will this decent author read next? I’ve compiled a list of new, classics and mostly new!
Note: This was taken from my newsletter by the same title.
I’m so up for this one! It’s on my bookshelf, ready for my miniature hands to grasp at the pages. This book freaking won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2019! The same year, it was listed as one of the best novels of the year by NPR, WAPO,( Washington Post) TIME, Entertainment Weekly, New York Public Library, Publishers Weekly, rated #1 on the New York Times Bestseller and on the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fantasy!!!
As for one who loves fantasy and mythology, this better not be a disappointment!
Baby: Hewo!
Eileen: Baby! What are you doing? You’re supposed to be playing!
Baby: Beh! I found a book to read this year! It’s called Hookers and Blow Save Christmas!
Eileen: Baby! Uh, not now! Later. *Shoves Baby away from the screen*
Baby: You think you’re so grown up because you can read.
Eileen: I like bio/autobiographies for one reason: to get the inside scoop on the protagonist. To feel like I know them on a personal level. I like Sir Elton John not just for his music but for overcoming the challenges in his life (attempted suicide, terrible relationship with his father). Note: that info you can find almost anywhere and not strictly in the book. My admiration for Sir John piqued at the height of the fantasy drama film, back in 2019, ROCKETMAN.
Baby: I’m BACK!
Eileen: Baby, I didn’t call you.
Baby: Noo. But this Jimby Fallon book did. *Holds up one of Jimmy Fallon’s baby books, Your Baby’s First Word Will Be DADA, to her face*
Eileen: *Pushes her away from viewers* Baby, I doubt they want to read a picture book.
Eileen: Disney invades your bookshelves! It has long before it turned itself into a streaming service! Might you remember the Little Golden Books? The five-minute story collection?
Not long ago, I discovered Disney’s Twisted Tales, a chapter book collection for young adults. Take the series as alternate realities to your favorite Disney tales–and here’s another twist–these tales are dark. From Alice in Wonderland to Peter Pan, surely you settle on one that you won’t be able to put down.
Rapunzel is the latest in the series, with the publication date as recent as September of 2021.
I’ve added Reflection, Conceal, Don’t Feel and Part of Your World to my collection. I’m a Rapunzel fan; there’s space on my bookshelf for her dark tale.
Baby: I’m adding to my collection! Wook at this super cutie! *Shoves book in Eileen’s face*
Eileen: Really? Did I not put a lock on your door?
Eileen: Yeah, it’s a book, and it’s a film! I rewatched both movies about two years ago. Not much for me to say about this one other than I am kind of drawn to pretty book covers. Moreover, I am familiar with the author Meg Cabot.
Baby: *From bottom of the screen, she holds up a book. Her hand is the only appendage visible. Eileen takes the book to read the cover.*
Eileen: You want me to read The Bad Seed?
Baby: Read it TO me!
Eileen: I will . . . once you learn how to crawl.
Baby: *points her hand down, to mimic a shadow puppet bird*
Eileen: Another book to film starring Anne Hathaway. Another film I’ve seen dozens of times and could see another more.
I’m at that age where I should jump into chick-lit books for young adults—especially ones over two-hundred-something pages like the one I am listing here.
I have read reviews of this book where the readers preferred the film version. Usually, I am that person! Tell you what: you cannot always go by reviews. Go with what your heart desires.
Eileen: *Looks around for Baby–doesn’t see her* I guess we’re good the–ow!
Baby: *Upside down and hanging from the ceiling* Eee-heee!
Eileen: *Picks up dropped book* What is this? *Reads the title: It’s Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. Eileen hands it back to Baby.*
6) Ella Enchanted
Eileen: Yes, you’re in good company if you weren’t in the know that the film is based on the book! Another film starring Anne Hathaway! Three in a row! Hardly done on purpose! No, I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of hers. She has quite a résumé. This book came out in the same decade as Harry Potter. I mention that should anyone might have noticed this fantasy read along the same shelves. I’ve never heard of any praise or media coverage for Ella. That’s not to say I won’t enjoy it. I certainly will leave star reviews for it.
Baby: Think fast!
Eileen: * Ducks in time to miss a book thrown through the air and aiming for her head. She looks at the book’s cover.* Corduroy.
Baby: *Pointing at Eileen* You have six hours, and if you don’t read to me . . .
Eileen: There will be consequences.
Baby: There will be consequences.
7) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Eileen: How have I not read the Harry Potter series yet? How is Apple still cranking out new models of iPhones? I dunno! To be fair, I did start reading it long ago, long before we realized what’s actually inside of a hot dog. I read to maybe page eleven, then found it did nothing for me. Since I’ve watched the Harry Potter films time and again, I’m sure I will enjoy the books, come to think of it. Hey, Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, watched three HP films. So . . .yeah! Eileen: *Blinks fast and notices a book slide out underneath Baby’s nursery door. Eileen takes the book and reads the title.* We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
Eileen: Interesting! Can’t tell if I’m babysitting or interning.
8) Stalking Jack the Ripper
Eileen: Book one of Stalking Jack the Ripper series, not only is the main focus on Jack, but throughout the installment, other characters are as follows: Prince Dracula, Houdini, and the Devil himself. I’m fascinated by the macabre atrocities carried out by the Ripper, therefore, this looks like a book I’ll fancy. While I’m not interested in magician magic, Harry Houdini’s mysterios fascinate me as well. It’s that era, also, that engages me: pre-1900’s.
Baby: Psst!
Eileen: I think I heard the faucet turn on.
Baby: PSST! Eileen: Tell me that’s the faucet.
Baby: Eiween! *Slides book on the floor over to Eileen*
Eileen: *Reads cover* The Rainbow Fish. Oh,there’s also a note. “Read before dark or you shall get a fart.” What?
Baby:*Crawls away, giggling*
Eileen: I’m hoping this novel doesn’t get my nerves going as I read it. It’s a story that could certainly occur in reality. What sparked my interest to put this on my TBR list is the theme of survival. In addition, the process of healing. If I can get by reading the entire book, I will be proud of myself. *Looks around for a random flying book or a baby face. There isn’t any.* Eileen: Okay, moving on. Last on the list. . .
10) Emily Windsnap and the Tides of Time
Eileen: I’ve been going back to this delightful series throughout the years. I used to own the first book, and then after having read it many times, I donated it–books always need homes. Last summer, I read the second to last one in the series–Emily Windsnap and the Pirate Prince–and by the time I could have gotten around to reading this one, I decided to wait for next summer. The Windsnap tales are the sole mermaid series I’ve stuck with and read every one. I’m sure you remember the first book, for those of you in my age group! *Peeks around the room again, but no sign of Baby or her storybooks.* I guess that’s all for–
Baby: *Slams on top of Eileen, with a book in her hand* Noo! Storytime!
Eileen: Yes, storytime.
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2021: The Year I Became an Author
Shall we say 2021 deserved a nicer shelf life than one filled with hate and despair?
Think back to it, so I don’t have to get into the details. This wasn’t the best year I’ve ever had (that was in 2018), but yeah, it was memorable in more ways than one.
To start off, I finished the final season of MLP:FiM! I left off at season 7 before that and enjoyed the last three seasons. The creators called it quits after season 9, by the way. I did, however, give their spin-off a shot: Pony Life. I LOVED it! Still waiting for Season 2 to be available elsewhere besides YouTube’s paid service.
Onto a political note (though it shouldn’t be :/), my mom and I got ourselves tested for COVID after we received a not-so-pleasant surprise from a relative. Mom and I tested negative, thank goodness!
Love in the time of COVID? Ehh.
This year I rented a PO box for the first time. It was needed for the specific reason I signed up for a newsletter service. Addresses apply, that’s why.
In the spring into summer, I obtained helpful marketing tips months before my book’s publication date. A chat with cozy mystery writer Melissa Storm paid off those sessions.
I can’t put this aside: in winter, I was flaring up with Cosynd, the copyright law company, after months of silence from them. It turned out to be a misunderstanding.
Spring was where I emailed a countless number of individuals and publishing companies if they’d like to review my book. Spring was when I officially made a professional account on Instagram last time I checked.
Summer, quite obvious here. That’s the season I became an author.
June 30, to be exact!
Somewhere along the way, I turned into an official GoodReads author! I have an Amazon Author profile and profiles elsewhere on many bookshop websites. More like biographies.
After going through trials of three separate website builders (I couldn’t settle on which one was less of a hassle to work with), I decided upon WordPress.org. While up until this point, the format could look more put-together, I will work out another theme once I find one that fits my budget.Seriously, the summer would not be complete had I not traveled to my cousin’s wedding. That weekend, I had a ride up through NY up to MA. Although it was about a 26-hour vacation, it still made my weekend! Hurricane Henri turned up, and how lucky we were to have made it through unscathed!
The fall was when my editor tried time and again to turn my book into an ebook. No joke, it took about two months until completion! I had to tell myself the next time I do this, I need to find another publishing company that can make my book into two editions without draining me of money. Or I can go with ComiXology, even.
Ebook publishing is not as simple as I imagined. 🙁
In late September, what stands out in my memory, was when I emailed author and illustrator Marc Brown; I wanted his permission to feature him on my blog. What do you know? On that day, a Saturday, he responded within the hour! It was okay with him!
As for the rest of the year, I tumbled (Tumblr) for a first, finally switched to ConvertKit, and received a review or two for my book.
After losing my grandmother to COVID, I lost another relative to it, not even a year later after losing her. I spoke with R2H on Zoom. I kind of made a new friend when my college friend and this newish friend met up at the mall, weeks after the birth of Omicron. At last, I tried ShakeShack.
2021 was a pisser! 2022 better be a more agreeable year! Let this just be like a repeat of the Spanish flu and be over after exactly two years! -
My First Real Rating for Babyland was 2 Stars–Here’s How I Felt About it
Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.com I’ve been craving reviews for Babyland long before its publishing date. I’ve done my research: have beta readers review it,
seek out book bloggers, take your book to a reputable website that accepts books for reads and reviews.
While some choices I made worked, and others didn’t, I was left with the same feeling altogether: disappointment. A combination of lack of funds, missed deadlines or the need for heavy blog usage on my website were just a few reasons I missed out on sending my book out for a review.
What did work, though? Reaching out to book bloggers was my best choice! I didn’t get much feedback from professional review services, suffice to say.
I reached out to maybe fifty book bloggers, asking if they’d like to review my book. I’d say maybe 98% DID NOT RESPOND. The 2% responded with a polite no thank you or thanks but left an excuse. Others greatly accepted.
However, keep in mind when one accepts your book to read it in exchange for a review, you may not hear from them again. Take this as they’re busy, they did not like your book after all, or they’re plain rude.
I suggest you email them to make sure they received the copy of your book (whether digital or print is up to them). If no response, try again a week or two later. Still no response? It’s possible they’re too busy or lost interest. If you know they’ve read your book then, and haven’t left a review yet, remind them with one email.
Onto with the rating I’ve been meaning to write about. I reached out to a book blogger, she gladly accepted, she read my book, then it took her about two months to post the rating.
She emailed me her rating for it, at last. I wasn’t too surprised when she didn’t care for it. She did however, give it 2 stars over 1. The first rating I received was a star.
In so many words, she was excited to read it. Once she started to read it, though, she got bored with it and didn’t understand what the pictures were describing.
On a positive note, she first stated how it’s definitely not for kids. She loved how it was dark humor because she likes that, and she couldn’t spent hours looking at the drawings.
I could have gone out of my way to read the 1 star review, but that reviewer did not come off as nice as this reviewer did. If I can, I look for reviewers who are honest, not blunt, when reviewing books.
Best of all, the reviewer who earned my book 2 stars said she did not want to sound rude. She did just that.
I suppose I’m up for accepting (mentally?) reviews as low as 2 stars as long as the reader/reviewer found something likeable in my work. Especially so if I don’t find a nasty reivew. Authors get that their work won’t be loved by everyone on the planet. I don’t think it does much good (least for the author) to shout from the roof tops how awful a book was. If Twitter existed in the time of Jackson Pollock, something tells me his paintings would see the worst reviews ever. Maybe I branched off a bit.Enjoy the rest of the year! Feel free to ask any questions! I highlighted where you can read the review if you’d like!
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Unnecessary Words To Take Out of Your Writing
Let me delve into this blog post by saying this: I’m not writing this to claim I am the perfect writer. There is none. No writer can pull off the most spotless, no-rules-broken piece of literature. It would help if you had your spelling errors corrected, sure, and grammar corrected as well. I, for one, have my writing rules that I follow and believe are an amount that must be followed no matter what.
Okay, so what words should you avoid at all costs in your writing?1) Suddenly
Please, doesn’t everything on Earth happen suddenly? The toast popped up from the toaster, the baby popped out, the pigeon crapped on my head, I slipped on ice and cracked my ribs? Maybe it’s your lucky day if that’s all you broke open. If all!2) Try and
Try and make my day by writing grammatically correct. You’re better off with, “Try to.” Read this sentence: “Try and stop me.” Now this one: “Try to stop me.”3) The reason is because
Both “reason” and “because” are transition words connecting to consequences. To have two of them in the same sentence is redundant. You’d either write, “Because” or “the reason is that.” See? They’re twins, but they don’t need to share a sentence.:)4) Same exact
Haven’t we been here before? Again, we’ve run into twins? Fraternal twins, rather. “Same exact” is redundant. Choose either “same” or “exact” for a sentence. You can do it!5) Each and every
Similar to “same exact” and “try and.” Pick either of these, not both. I know, it must be like when you order at Starbucks for a frappuccino refresher. Yeah, I don’t order crazy drink combos often.6) A single individual
I believe an individual is single. You don’t go around saying, “I’m a single individual,” or do you? If you are single, is what I’m getting at here.7) Just
This word is often overused. “Just” should be used when defining something that happened a moment ago or an exact amount. It’s a word you use sparingly. Did you just get off the train, as in a minute ago, or was that an hour ago? How about just a dash of salt–not a tablespoon but a sprinkling?8) Same difference
Now here’s an oxymoron. You can’t have something that’s the same and different. Scratch out these two words altogether.9) End result
Results often are the end. In transitional phrases, you have an example of “in the end.” “End result” is redundant, as I mentioned a few specific words in this post. You could substitute “end result” with “in result.”I won’t hunt you down and kill you if I ever see cringe-worthy mistakes in your writing. Learn from them, as you learned from dumping that trashbag of a boyfriend. Feel free to break the rules, too. These might best come in handy for character dialogues, but hey, not for your dissertation.
Laters, peeps!
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November-My Birthday Month, Birthstone and More
Photo by Maksim Goncharenok on Pexels.com My Birthday Month, Birthstone and More
November: the eleventh month of the year, the coldest autumnal month, the month veterans have their celebrations, and we give thanks.
Hey, November happens to be my birthday month! Today, November 17th! In 1997, on a cold Monday night, a screaming, somewhat underweight baby was born. That red-faced strawberry (as I was dubbed; thanks, family) grew into a short, quiet, multi-talented me.
I fall under the Zodiac sign of Scorpio. As for my Chinese Zodiac, that is the mighty Ox.
‘Kay, into the specifics. Time to crush your meditative wellbeing. Your mindset, rather. Zodiac signs fall into astrology, like tarot cards and that horoscope shitty-shitty-bang-bang.
Astrology is a fake science! Sor-ry! Time magazine points out (they’re not the only ones that do) that astrology is fake science, science for fun. This isn’t to say you must stop a) performing b) following c) contemplating astrology. I learned this a while back, the lies of it! I didn’t put a stop to reading about astrology now and then, nor writing about this post.
Set aside the crushing truth I told you and get to know my Scorpio. Scorpio’s constellation is visible in the night sky during July and August. Known as Scorpius, rather. It doesn’t resemble a scorpion but more so a J or curved tail.
Photo by Sharath G. on Pexels.com Because Canva no longer allows free downloads of graphics :<
What about Scorpio–when are you a Scorpio? When you’ve hatched–ahem, sorry–a Scorpio is from October 24 to November 22. Such of their traits is protectiveness; they’re attached, they are a determined person. They are also known to be passionate, brave, resourceful, powerful, and true friends.
What’s more, Scorpios tend to like a good fight; when they’re right, they like to win; mysteries, truth, facts, talents, and teasing. They don’t like those who don’t mind their own business, dishonesty, secrets revealed and small talk. Their weaknesses are distrust, jealousy, manipulation, and violence.
Some other fun facts: Scorpios have the water element; their ruler is Mars (such as the planet), and their colors are red, scarlet, and rust.
I’m going by research, don’t ask what these have to do with anything!;)
Now, what about Chinese Zodiac signs? The animals associated with them rotate each year. My birth year was ’97, making my animal the Ox. What do you know, this year in 2021, it was the Ox again! I completely forgot!
Like our Zodiac signs, the Chinese Zodiac signs have specific traits associated with them. The Ox is considered determined and reliable. New to me, there are also elements assigned to them. If I’m reading it correctly, the elements differ by birth year. The elements are standard and exact: earth, fire, wood, metal, and water. For my birth year, it looks like my element is fire. Those with the element of fire are restless, animated, and love laughing. This is according to the Show Me Book.
Photo by Skully MBa on Pexels.com
Moving on to the November birthstone, topaz: topaz is best known for its brilliant yellow luminescence. However, orange, brown, pink, and light blue are other colors the topaz revel in.
In case you didn’t know, each month has its birth flower! Sounds funny, doesn’t it?
I’m visiting my birth flower today. She’s 101 years old.
Photo by TGH on Pexels.com This was one of the same graphics I found on Canva, prior to the unpleasant surprise that I need a paid account to download all my works made with Canva now! Including sharing them! Thanks, guys! How many paid accounts can one possibly have??!
We have birthdays, birthstones, birth years, birth months, birthplaces, birth parents, birthday parties, birthday buddies–
I can totally rattle off who my birthday buddies are: actress Rachel McAdams, director Martin Scorsese, actor Danny DeVito, diplomat Susan Rice! I never knew I shared a birthday with Susan Rice until I researched this.
Anyhoodle, November’s birth flower is the chrysanthemum.
Anyone recall the picture book with that title? By Kevin Henkes? It’s a cute one that my momsie’s read to me. There’s an animated version of it from Scholastic that I’ve watched long ago. That was when VHS existed. . .
Anydoodle, famous November birthdays include Hilary Rodham Clinton and Jodie Foster.
Going off-topic, back in 2016, it was required in my health class to take the Myers-Briggs personality test. It coincided with our career choices for college. Mine is INFJ, standing for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judging. I won’t go into full-blown detail about it.
I pleasantly discovered which Disney princess shares my personality type: Elsa!What did you find intriguing or shocking in this post? Anything you want to share? Please share in the comments below! Scorpios (in spirit) unite!
Sources:
Dower, Laura. For Girls Only: Everything Great about Being a Girl. Feiwel and Friends/Hallmark Books, 2010.
Fagerstrom, Derek, and Lauren Smith. Show Me How!: 500 Things You Should Know: Instructions for Life from the Everyday to the Exotic. Collins & Brown, 2009.
Old Farmer’s Almanac. “November Birth Flower.” Old Farmer’s Almanac, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 8 Oct. 2021, https://www.almanac.com/november-birth-flower.
Old Farmer’s Almanac. “November Birth Flower.” Old Farmer’s Almanac, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 8 Oct. 2021, https://www.almanac.com/november-birth-flower.
“Scorpio Zodiac Sign Scorpio Horoscope.” Astrology Zodiac Signs, https://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/zodiac-signs/scorpio/.
Waxman, Olivia B. “Are Zodiac Signs Real? Here’s the History behind Horoscopes.” Time, Time, 21 June 2018, https://time.com/5315377/are-zodiac-signs-real-astrology-history/.
DeLarge, Alex. “I Always Knew Pocahontas and I Were Kindred Spirits (of the Wind).” Imgur, Imgur, 24 Apr. 2014, https://imgur.com/gallery/DKjUi81.
“Advocate Personality.” 16Personalities, https://www.16personalities.com/infj-personality. -
The Music Genres on My iPod
Once in a while, I download a song or two onto my iPod. That’s if finances aren’t dire and I can recall the song (s) I wish to download. Oh, I’m that person that does not carry their iPod with them. It lives on my iPad. Hey, I’m not that antique where I stick with the first iPad ever invented. It is the iPad mini. iPad mini lives! Like all its iPhone cousins and Apple Watch second cousins–
What are we doing here? Music is omnipresent, but of course! We are in the twenty-first century!
We are? *A dumb baby scratches her head.*
Allow me to dive in and list the genres of music listed on my iPad–iPod. One in the same?Alternative:
twenty one pilots; Barns Courtney; Coldplay; Imagine DragonsClassical:
Tchaikovsky; London Philharmonic Orchestra
There’s more, but I fail to bring any to mind.Hard Rock:
Three Days Grace; Saint Asonia; ApocalypticaHip-Hop/Rap:
Pharell Williams; Hamilton the musical
Hamilton counts. Look at the album.Holiday:
Bing Crosby; Enya; Trans-Siberian Orchestra; Manheim SteamrollerMusicals:
Like, Frozen . . . anything from movies, basicallyPop:
Avril Lavigne; Miley Cyrus (up to 2010); KT Tunstall; Michelle Branch; Sam Smith; Matchbox Twenty; Adele; Bruno Mars; SiaR/B:
Alicia. . . Alicia KeysRock:
David Bowie all the way; The Fray; The Killers; Breaking BenjaminSoundtrack:
So, the ones from the movie Hanna; Frozen II; Moana; The Polar ExpressTribute:
Kind of sounds as though these are dedicated to the ones who are gone. Nah. Just orchestral pieces combined into albums, written for Miley Cyrus and Three Days Grace.Ironic, right, that I care for rock, but classical, too? I love classical for its grandiose cadences. Hope I wrote that out correctly. The slight nuances I have to listen for, significantly when I can’t determine one piece from another.
Additionally, I like me some Celtic music, Japanese music. Dark, gothic music perfect for those days when the sky is thick with storm clouds.
To point out, I’ve grown with Celtic music. It’s reminiscent for me; in my younger days, the radio played those tunes. Celtic womens’ ghost-like voices crooned out from the radio. Along in the background played flutes.
I get my love for Celtic music from me Dad. You’ve probably guessed my heritage points towards the Emerald Isle. You are correct.
He has also introduced me to Scottish music. I’ve found a love for bagpipes in music. No, I do not play them meself, and I can’t bring meself to get close to them physically. Anyone who has been a good enough distance to them doesn’t need a telling of its deafening sound!
Alright, I must write more about what classical composers I like! I may not have a broad collection of them on my Apple device, but screw that!There’s Bach, Beethoven, Grieg, Handel, and still others I cannot name because they happen to be dead! This isn’t to say I am a fangirl of them! I’ve listened to a melody of theirs and fallen in love with it!
I gotta say, though, I can’t make sense of the numbers and letters written into the titles of orchestrated music. Not that I’m not intrigued to educate myself!I’ve enjoyed this laundry list! Tell me, what genre are you into (right now or always)? Any genres you can think of that I haven’t listed? These are a handful of genres, no shit. Feel free to write them below!
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Movie Genres I’m Into
As a cinephile, my intense love for the movies breaks into film history, film facts, celebrity news and so on. I scrutinize a film from the filming location to hidden Easter eggs.
Enough said, as mentioned above, being a cinephile, I expand my horizons. Where are we going here?
The Anime fanatics. War . . .jarheads. Diehard sports fans. Bandwagon fans. Using words I’m making up at the moment, sorta. Or not.
Don’t need to tell ya ’cause imma show ya!
I do not prefer one over the other. These are my go-to.
Without further ado, before I bore you into the next life, here:Action:
You and your bro stay up until four in the morning watching these. Your eyeballs feel like warm, teary hard-boiled eggs from lack of sleep. Weird? Yeaaahh. What an absurdist remark, ya noob!
Mad Max: Fury Road; X-Men franchise; Assassin’s Creed; Robin Hood OriginsAnimation: Or animated? Whichever.
Spirit:Stallion of the Cimarron . . .
You know I had “rise” in there instead of “stallion?” I don’t know where that came from!
Iron Giant; The Adventures of Tin-Tin; My Little Pony: The MovieYo, these go hand in hand. Tin-Tin is in fact live-action but hey, doesn’t it look animated?
Biography:
Lincoln; Steve Jobs
Why, aren’t the the film titles about Steve Jobs absolutely confusing? There’s the Ashton Kutcher film titled Jobs and the most recent film, Steve Jobs, starring the sexiest man ever, Michael Fassbender. How about the next film of the Apple giant bear the title, “Not User Friendly”?
Hidden Figures; Rocketman
It is, okay? There happens to be more music in it.
Mary Queen of Scots; Sully; Captain Phillips; The Revenant . . . ishComedy: Booksmart; Hot Fuzz; Shaun of the Dead; Airplane; Monty Python; Caddyshack; Deadpool 1&2; The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Classic: Spaceballs; The Naked Gun; The Sound of Music; Mary Poppins (1964); Heidi (1937)
Sure nailed that list!Chick films: Legally Blonde 1&2; Mean Girls; Sleepover; Princess Diaries 1&2; The Devil Wears Prada; Aquamarine
Note I’ve legitimately seen these films. I’m not posting particular favorites/randoms. Like I’m not gonna post The Hangover because–mind blown fact–I’ve never seen that film and have no interest in it. Sorry if I ruined your day.
Documentary:
Yes, I have docos on here. Docus. Should also be docos. As a young’un, it’s expected the lack of appreciation there. I’ve matured and realized the appreciation of education. If there’s a docu-doco out there for you that isn’t boring AF, go for it! I’ve found ones that interest me all the way.
Hail Satan?; Where to Invade Next; Jesus Camp
Okay, Jesus Camp is down here for the sake of shock and to poke fun at it. I’m in no way religious. Apologies if this is offensive to you. That’s my personality.Fantasy:
Pan’s Labyrinth; Harry Potter franchise; Cinderella (2015); Miss. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children; Doctor StrangeForeign:
To immerse oneself into a foreign flick can be quite rewarding. For those who haven’t traveled for shit (me, me, me!) it takes you around the world virtually. As a reminder, traveling truly is exclusive. I’d do it if I acquired the funds.
Parasite; Mostly Martha; Pihu; BrooklynHistorical:
I’ve appreciated history once I’ve attended high school. History, I’d say, is subjective. Subjective like ones whom are after unicorn sloths versus unicorn cats. I’ll take the original–the unicorn–please.
Dunkirk; Jackie; 1917; The PrestigeHorror:
A wee I regretted sitting through. That scare factor, the bile coming up your throat. Yet your eyes linger to the screen when your insides are screaming to get out.
Get Out; Us; Oculus; Orphan; The Uninvited; Paranormal Activity; Midsommar; Freaky; The Shining; The Invisible Man (2020)
Hey, can I cut in like I have been and say what timing The Invisible Man had in coming out in 2020? Invisible but it’s there? Like the virus? Scary enough?
It Follows; Chernobyl Diaries; Run.; American Psycho
Honest, The Shining did not scare me to the core. I’ve played that on TV at least eight times. Unlike The Shining, Midsommar stayed with me negatively. If you aren’t prepared for that type of movie–ahem, cult–it might not be ya thing. That’s all I will say about that one.Sci-Fi:
Seriously depends. Are there aliens involved? Metamorphic zombies? If experiments are the substance of the film, humans turn out not to be humans, I’ll be there.
Hanna; Morgan; War for the Planet of the Apes (hello, Andy Serkis); Venom; Arrival; The Martian; PrometheusThriller
Difficult for me to think of here.
Panic Room; InceptionI intentionally left out “family,” “drama,” “holiday,” and “romance,” as those are cliché to me. There’s an abundance of them, to say the least.
What do you think of these genres/movies I listed? Any genres you can think of that aren’t usually a talking point? Say them below in the comments.
See ya ya ya!
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