tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59539769710344144462024-03-05T10:59:48.114-06:00giltz, glam & gatsbyKateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-40039832315946187842012-12-09T12:00:00.000-06:002012-12-09T14:07:57.177-06:00head banging headband<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Have you ever bought something spur of the moment but later wondered why? I have more times that I'd like to admit... </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I was shopping downtown this week and saw someone wearing an extremely cute headband that worked at the store. I immediately found the same headband & bought it, not thinking much about it. Now, I have no idea where to wear it to. I don't work at a trendy store and I don't have THAT much of an exciting life to rock out head bands all the time. I guess I'll just wear it all around my apartment... but I do LOVE it!</span><br />
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KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-83710507925211582402012-12-08T13:27:00.003-06:002012-12-08T13:27:58.429-06:00Violets of March<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><i>Violets of March</i> by Sarah Jio was one of those books I stumbled upon based on my family's suggestions. I'm not sure if I mentioned before, but I come from a family of readers. My mom, aunts, cousins, sister & even grandma all read on a daily basis. It's almost as if we have our own little (unofficial) book club going on. And let me just say, they all have especially good taste in books! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Violets-March-A-Novel/dp/0452297036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354994234&sr=8-1&keywords=violets+of+march" target="_blank">Violets of March @ Amazon.com</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';">A hearbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of it's anonymous author.</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: small;">In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: small;">Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"> </span></b></span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I couldn't believe how easy it was to get lost in this book.. that's how good it is!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><i>Violets of March</i> is a love story within a mystery & every character that's introduced adds so much to the story. I have to say, my favorite character is Aunt Bee - a fun, down-to-earth older lady who holds the biggest secret of all. Bainbridge Island is also a character in itself and Sarah Jio does such a great job making the reader feel like they've visited the island long before they picked up the book. I'm pretty sure this is one of my favorite books I read this year & would definitely add it to my top ten books of all time!</span>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-40485357650024665442012-11-08T12:54:00.001-06:002012-11-08T12:54:27.382-06:00back again..<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5pOjOWeYbDk3NneNSRFlKtmPQx5XO3e3o_1p-MyIh250VlAsmnfND56x1RrZppizUetSF18IUq6Jfw-HU2fQ3tbDoXa03yRdWmBwtg4vcB-Zy2vVD0oFcFJpjNVog2eVhSmPdsPPN6sV/s1600/DSC_0693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5pOjOWeYbDk3NneNSRFlKtmPQx5XO3e3o_1p-MyIh250VlAsmnfND56x1RrZppizUetSF18IUq6Jfw-HU2fQ3tbDoXa03yRdWmBwtg4vcB-Zy2vVD0oFcFJpjNVog2eVhSmPdsPPN6sV/s640/DSC_0693.jpg" width="424" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I admit. I've been doing some serious slacking when it comes to my blog. A couple of things have been happening in my life that have taken away any free time I used to have. I've been traveling to a couple of cities in the US & Ireland, working long hours, celebrating some exciting news and reading of course. You might be thinking "What can Kate be celebrating that would take her away from this amazing blog?"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Well.. that's a great question. The fact is that </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm engaged!!!!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">It's true :) Chris proposed to me back in March & gave me the shock of my life. I literally had NO idea that it was going to happen any time soon. I might not have reacted the way it happens in movies (and books), but that's what he gets when he surprises the hell out of me! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><i>Chris down on one knee. "</i>Kate, will you marry me?"</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Me</span><span style="color: #4c0084;"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">" What is that!? What ARE you doing? Is that real? Oh. My. God. Are you serious!?!?"</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><i>Chris starting to laugh at me. <b>"</b></i>Umm, yes it's real. So is that a yes?"</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Me (beginning to let everything sink in): <i>"</i>Oh. My. God. I can't believe this! Of course I'll marry you!!!"</span> </blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Sorry, Chris! But we wouldn't have it any other way ;) And now, the date is set...</span><br />
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KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-21250805463703473992012-02-06T07:00:00.001-06:002012-02-06T07:00:01.914-06:00The Hunger Games<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Recently I decided to jump on the bandwagon and begin reading the <b>Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. </b>Let me just say, I am so glad I did! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC7kJMwIHkIY7yWPTPKyHcEDpd_TtQsg8CjHqtVnAWPSbjSGwFX12PEhXRShipW_3kAw7CDwHb0TDyysTdI_qAPZrmXiosvsEzbnEIMTBSiV2-tOQaU4VkQL-e9lrQn-5GvpII-_ZvZ0S/s1600/hunger_games_trilogy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC7kJMwIHkIY7yWPTPKyHcEDpd_TtQsg8CjHqtVnAWPSbjSGwFX12PEhXRShipW_3kAw7CDwHb0TDyysTdI_qAPZrmXiosvsEzbnEIMTBSiV2-tOQaU4VkQL-e9lrQn-5GvpII-_ZvZ0S/s640/hunger_games_trilogy1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"> Lucky for me, I was able to rent the first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/dp/0439023521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328394801&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><b>The Hunger Games</b></a>, on Amazon because I'm a recently new Prime member. The first page grabbed my attention immediately and from there I just could not stop. Literally. At one point, I think I was even walking to work while reading. Don't worry, no one was injured in the process.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Now, this is where Amazon Prime gets you. I was happy enough to rent the first book but then I had to wait until February 1st to rent another book. Well, that just could not work for me. I had to know what would happen next to Katniss! I bought the second book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Catching-Fire-Second-Hunger-Games/dp/0439023491/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328394801&sr=8-2" target="_blank"><b>Catching Fire</b></a>, for my kindle & raced through that book as well. Unfortunately, it still wasn't February 1st. That means I had to buy the third book, <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mockingjay-Hunger-Games-Book-3/dp/0439023513/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1328394801&sr=8-3" target="_blank">Mockingjay</a>,</b> for my kindle as well. Needless to say, I absolutely enjoyed all three books & loved the ending! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Suzanne Collins trilogy has an urgency to it that, when combined with the very startling life-or-death plot, is incredibly mesmerizing. It's entertaining and disturbing all at once. The characters stayed with me days after I put the third book down. If only I could find more books that leave a lasting impression like these did!</span><br />
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</span>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-52730785872947382862012-02-04T16:25:00.000-06:002012-02-04T16:25:33.132-06:00keeping up<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Not with the Kardashians but with my New Year's resolution. I've been busy this January reading, reading, and... reading! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUotq_IuT5OjTbJO7dY6HjrJ6kD5j-R3o2kVnVfUQ-pwJedIJ1_tRZCS3zz3CC_0hyphenhyphenG5JycN93XitOPjUVauIpw8S7WZtFUry1ze5fQQvTzit0k_IZK9oYapAuLm5YsGuQohwz2WkHt-cc/s1600/IMAG0076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUotq_IuT5OjTbJO7dY6HjrJ6kD5j-R3o2kVnVfUQ-pwJedIJ1_tRZCS3zz3CC_0hyphenhyphenG5JycN93XitOPjUVauIpw8S7WZtFUry1ze5fQQvTzit0k_IZK9oYapAuLm5YsGuQohwz2WkHt-cc/s400/IMAG0076.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/East-Eden-John-Steinbeck/dp/0142000655/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327771656&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><b>East of Eden by John Steinbeck</b></a>, which has become one of my favorite books. It's difficult to read a book that has been admired over and over again. You tend to set high expectations for the book without even turning the first page. Happily enough, East of Eden exceeded my expectations as I got further and further into it. I was glad this book had 601 pages, just more to read from John Steinbeck. The characters in this book are what made me love it so much. Each one I wish I could have met personally and by the end, I feel like I did.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">And yes, that it my lovely kitten Charlie telling me I've read enough of Steinbeck for one night.. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"></span>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-40721826360286428582012-01-05T22:20:00.003-06:002012-01-05T23:08:32.152-06:00my kindle<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Given my somewhat challenging New Year's resolution, I've decided to put my Kindle to the test. Let's see how many books I can download before it literally explodes with words!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Every time I turn my kindle on, I think about the day I received it. The weekend before my birthday in June, one of my best friends and I decided to take a short weekend trip to Fort Lauderdale. My generous boyfriend, which I have yet to mention in my blog, decided to give me my birthday present the day before I left. He knew that I had been dying for a kindle ever since they came on the market. (I would watch the Amazon Kindle videos in amazement at least once a day.) Because he knew how excited I would be, he decided to record my reaction. Only, he completely threw me off when he walked out of his house... </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxfVaWJglyc3mx_d2B3pA3VEjmwRLMQtus-W3p0d40xqT91CQNQlLZdRCquN34CdsRGhN7ov5FWrCePa9roIA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-82335710585989850232012-01-02T22:46:00.000-06:002012-01-02T22:46:42.046-06:00new year's resolution<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unbelievable. </span>The holidays have come and gone and I was just putting my party hat on. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Despite the fact that my official work week starts up again tomorrow, I've decided to allow my holiday vacation to end at exactly midnight. That gives me a little less than two hours to relax and enjoy my free time.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I'm not sure if any of you have heard of <b><a href="http://librarything.com/">librarything.com</a></b>, but it is actually an amazing website. They have a section that is dedicated for groups of people to have topics of discussions related to one of my favorite things... books! One of the groups that was created recently is called '75 Books Challenge for 2012'. Given my dwindling holiday spirit (not midnight yet!), I've decided to make this one of my New Year's resolutions...</span><br />
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;">75 Books in 2012</span></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Number 1: East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Yes, it's over 500 pages. Haven't you heard? I'm kind of an over achiever.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Let's just pretend I started it today instead of 2 weeks ago...</span>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-43512801427151472102011-12-14T20:58:00.001-06:002011-12-14T21:00:03.698-06:00The Piano Tuner<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZn9YcWSwnTmfGsLa3nNoTSC-Z24e4jXjthLBY6XxIYcXZkNweNM-XwVVRu-IhqkevCSRBhHsEmtset4CF3QUD7mx0YF_s2B4qIRqPXx5WIj5mRTdWt5Rv5OO3id6c255wmmJUB0oU_QY/s1600/80508-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZn9YcWSwnTmfGsLa3nNoTSC-Z24e4jXjthLBY6XxIYcXZkNweNM-XwVVRu-IhqkevCSRBhHsEmtset4CF3QUD7mx0YF_s2B4qIRqPXx5WIj5mRTdWt5Rv5OO3id6c255wmmJUB0oU_QY/s400/80508-cover.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Tuner-Novel-Daniel-Mason/dp/1400030382/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323917512&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';">The Piano Tuner @ Amazon.com</span></b></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">'<i>Have you read </i>The Piano Tuner<i>? I just could not put this book down!'</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><i>'Oh yes! I read this one in only a couple of days.'</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><i>'Okay, good. I won't take this one then.'</i><i> </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">This is exactly the conversation I overheard while browsing through the books at the Newberry Library book fair this summer (well, if you call browsing pushing through people to grab a book that YOU saw first). Of course, as soon as I heard the lady was putting the book back down I just had to grab it. This did require me to squat down in a crowd full of people, proceed to look underneath a table, and find the box of books that had not been put on display yet. I'm not really sure why the woman couldn't just put it back on a shelf. Either way, I was not letting this book go!</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 12px;">The <i>Piano Tuner</i> by Daniel Mason is an enchanting story of Edgar Drake, commissioned by the British War Office in 1886 to travel to hostile Burma to repair a rare grand piano vital to the country's strategic interests. Eccentric Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll has brokered peace with local warlords primarily through music, a free medical clinic, and the "powers" of common scientific instruments, much to the dismay of warmongering officers suspect of such unorthodox methods. Drake is an introspective, well-mannered person who, once there, falls in love with Burma and stays long past the piano-fixing to aid Carroll's political agenda.</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I have to admit, the conversation I overheard might have gotten me a little too hyped up for the book. I did enjoy it but it was not one of my all-time favorites. <i>The Piano Tuner</i> did a great job of grabbing my attention from the first page, however I felt like Edgar Drake's journey to Burma was a little too long for my taste. I would have enjoyed more action when Mr. Drake arrived at Burma and was introduced to the eccentric Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll. Dr. Carroll was such a well-developed character and it would have been nice to hear more about him and his adventures. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">All in all, I enjoyed the book. If you ever come across <i>The Piano Tuner</i>, hopefully not in the compromising position I found myself in, be sure to pick it up. </span>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-44948792127841584212011-11-30T22:07:00.001-06:002011-12-04T19:54:07.749-06:00kitty cats<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ak1P77Lb4wzvxzvTg_6W7I6hMiH0dnOdGR3UY0EhYlbviPqGwvbdg7fnelA4eZUSZfvSPK7x_JfWTWgdrdCtb1Ei1aJvZMziOoaIsMLOQByv37FVAXbjUTo-KewM1fxdaeyxNeTu5n1l/s1600/DSC00768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ak1P77Lb4wzvxzvTg_6W7I6hMiH0dnOdGR3UY0EhYlbviPqGwvbdg7fnelA4eZUSZfvSPK7x_JfWTWgdrdCtb1Ei1aJvZMziOoaIsMLOQByv37FVAXbjUTo-KewM1fxdaeyxNeTu5n1l/s400/DSC00768.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">About a month ago, I made a somewhat irrational decision to adopt two 6 month old kittens. Most normal people would think this kind of decision through, given that you are pretty much changing your entire life. I, however, did not. I never even owned a cat or knew anything about cats. The word "litter box" was literally another word for "trash can" to me. I've grown up with dogs all my life, so how much different could cats be? They ARE both animals.. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I could never have been so wrong.. Cats are extremely different than dogs. They can jump and climb and squeeze into the tiniest of places. Places you didn't even know existed in this apartment. I mean, you would never find a dog in one of your cabinets in the kitchen. You would never expect a dog to jump in your sink, take out the sink stopper, and drop it right next to you. You would never expect a dog to place themselves directly in front of the TV and try to paw themselves INTO the TV. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">But... they are the most adorable kittens in the world. Marley & Charlie are two sisters who are absolutely nothing alike. That seems to be a common theme among sisters in general. Marley is the trouble maker who does not listen to anything I say. Charlie is the most laid back kitten who just wants to sleep next to you all day. I have to say, I think I'm in love.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Let's just hope I don't become a crazy cat lady now. If you do get my hand made Christmas card that has pictures of my kittens all over it, you might want to look the other way. Maybe I have already gone off the deep end...</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLYimWdcIbQ2MY8SRvhr6UtFXOmso4iLqelZ2VqIr2mGAo9tkw0leg6VwOE9_rWdKSDxlIApZeykAxbUZDKOuKrlcUhqoZjSKN8R3y-5FJLbnh_16HB4QrTrEu_qdmnqKhjKVlihyapBb/s1600/DSC00764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLYimWdcIbQ2MY8SRvhr6UtFXOmso4iLqelZ2VqIr2mGAo9tkw0leg6VwOE9_rWdKSDxlIApZeykAxbUZDKOuKrlcUhqoZjSKN8R3y-5FJLbnh_16HB4QrTrEu_qdmnqKhjKVlihyapBb/s320/DSC00764.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfuIj_-4c3EdoWnUMofcyizPOiWaqp8rNQXNScxHQrICN2k8Q1HGHi7I3u_36u1VPOR6FCC-s0ezM45HuELSvnc7or2W2b7BUEE3QeLb9-T8Ac0tH00TbJRei9mSdnzmLBSc7gxIaJH0Q/s1600/DSC00748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfuIj_-4c3EdoWnUMofcyizPOiWaqp8rNQXNScxHQrICN2k8Q1HGHi7I3u_36u1VPOR6FCC-s0ezM45HuELSvnc7or2W2b7BUEE3QeLb9-T8Ac0tH00TbJRei9mSdnzmLBSc7gxIaJH0Q/s320/DSC00748.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfuIj_-4c3EdoWnUMofcyizPOiWaqp8rNQXNScxHQrICN2k8Q1HGHi7I3u_36u1VPOR6FCC-s0ezM45HuELSvnc7or2W2b7BUEE3QeLb9-T8Ac0tH00TbJRei9mSdnzmLBSc7gxIaJH0Q/s1600/DSC00748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLYimWdcIbQ2MY8SRvhr6UtFXOmso4iLqelZ2VqIr2mGAo9tkw0leg6VwOE9_rWdKSDxlIApZeykAxbUZDKOuKrlcUhqoZjSKN8R3y-5FJLbnh_16HB4QrTrEu_qdmnqKhjKVlihyapBb/s1600/DSC00764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a></div>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-79264713137247718162011-11-10T22:00:00.000-06:002011-11-10T22:00:17.981-06:00hello again<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I know, I know. It's been awhile. You can only imagine what I've been up to. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">For starters, I moved into my own apartment near the Northside of Chicago in the beginning of September. Not only did I have to move my enormous collection of clothes, shoes and handbags, but I also had to move at least 100 pounds of books that I've collected. Let me tell you, my movers were not happy. I found a place on the top floor of an apartment building that doesn't have an elevator. "It was pretty challenging" might be the understatement of the year.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Prior to moving into my new place, my boyfriend and I took on the project of painting the entire apartment. One important fact to note, I've NEVER painted anything. I must admit, I believe we took on too much in a short amount of time. However, my place has a very catchy name now.. The Yellow Submarine.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">The hockey season also started recently and for all of you who know me well, I am a HUGE fan of the Chicago Blackhawks. Given that I try to go to almost every game, October was pretty busy. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">My parent's company also began filming commercials for the family business, which I am a star in. Well, if you count the blonde hair that you can see through a windshield of a car for a split second. I definitely count that! One bonus was that we were lucky enough to have not one, but two Blackhawks players star in the commercial. That was definitely one of my favorite days! More to come once the commercial airs..</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">My newest adventure I've taken on is the adoption of two kittens! I've never had cats growing up, only dogs. But I have to say, they are AMAZING! They are two sisters, Marley and Charlie. Once I have my camera up and running, I will share more photos. These two girls definitely keep me on my toes. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">And of course, I've read a couple of books along the way... If only I had enough bookcases to fit all these books I own.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></div>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-17362456528589986522011-08-22T19:00:00.009-05:002011-08-22T19:00:04.154-05:00The Wild Rose<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I've been busy this past week reading a book that I just could not put down. I had been anxiously waiting for <i>The Wild Rose, </i>the third book of the Rose Trilogy by Jennifer Donnelly, to appear in a nicely wrapped Amazon box at my front door. When it finally got here, I had to resist tearing into the box and reading right then and there.</span></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwg23bAfodkJV2HvWxG-XGn2vhilNUSWQXR47_caMJ9UhM8IdNJJUxaTOUAL8fSWre2wtK0O4w8V-n2wnsfUTfHDIcy8dqN1u9touo5M3gjmu0qleQ3Z-ajIieB3A0AR8c5T6NHV_fKBgK/s1600/Wild+Rose+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwg23bAfodkJV2HvWxG-XGn2vhilNUSWQXR47_caMJ9UhM8IdNJJUxaTOUAL8fSWre2wtK0O4w8V-n2wnsfUTfHDIcy8dqN1u9touo5M3gjmu0qleQ3Z-ajIieB3A0AR8c5T6NHV_fKBgK/s320/Wild+Rose+Cover.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Rose-Jennifer-Donnelly/dp/1401301045/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314047339&sr=1-1">The Wild Rose @ Amazon.com</a></b></span></div></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Let me just say, I actually read the book slower so it wouldn't end. That's how much I loved it. Below is the description of the book, which you can also find</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><b> <a href="http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com/wild_story.html">here</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">.</span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 12px;">London, 1914. World War I looms on the horizon, women are fighting for the right to vote, and explorers are pushing the limits of endurance in the most forbidding corners of the earth. In this volatile time lives three exceptional people:</span><br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 12px;"><b>Willa Alden, </b>a passionate mountain climber who lost her leg while summiting Kilimanjaro with Seamus Finnegan, and who will never forgive him for saving her life.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><b>Seamus Finnegan</b>, a polar explorer who tries to forget Willa as he courts a beautiful young school teacher back home in England.</span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><b>Max von Brandt</b>, a handsome German sophisticate who moves in high society London, but has a secret agenda.</span> </span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Seamus Finnegan and Max von Brandt both loved Willa Alden, and both men lost her. Neither expects to ever see her again, but when a catastrophic event calls Willa home to London, expectations are smashed, promises broken, and none of the three will ever be the same. As the last golden days of the Summer of 1914 give way to the gathering clouds of war, Willa, Seamus, and Max find their lives forever intertwined in a lethal web of forbidden loves, hidden loyalties, and dangerous lies. </span> </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 12px;"><i>The Wild Rose</i> is part of the sweeping, multi-generational saga that began with <i>The Tea Rose</i> and continued with <i>The Winter Rose</i>. Many beloved characters from both books continue their adventures in <i>The Wild Rose</i>. With myriad twists and turns, thrilling cliffhangers, and fabulous period detail and atmosphere, <i>The Wild Rose</i> provides a highly satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy. </span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">I've read and throughly enjoyed all of Jennifer Donnelly's novels and this one is no exception. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Even though </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><i>The WIld Rose</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"> is part of a trilogy, Ms. Donnelly does such a great job at incorporating the background of the main characters that you don't need to read them all in </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">order. I actually stumbled upon <i>The Winter Rose, </i>the second book of the trilogy, at my local library and read that one first. I didn't even know it was part of a trilogy until I looked to see what other books Ms. Donnelly wrote. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">This novel was an action packed adventure from start to finish. Even though the book may look a bit intimating to read (all 600 pages of it), the uncertainties and thrills each character encounters will not let you put this book down.</span></span>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-55403968344009024622011-08-11T20:11:00.002-05:002011-08-11T20:13:43.734-05:00something blue<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwGeyDJ3m2PhPfNuKv1x1gN28Q3504DxaggRl-TIQOU4hI6CRobCmwgq2ZEmbpgMzv0ylQrw9SFan3My3bzfBq6J5YQf0UUR9JBGJoAvz4-A101yJcVnwH_b4SSNTYqjJhdZdHcV6zB3L/s1600/DSC00482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwGeyDJ3m2PhPfNuKv1x1gN28Q3504DxaggRl-TIQOU4hI6CRobCmwgq2ZEmbpgMzv0ylQrw9SFan3My3bzfBq6J5YQf0UUR9JBGJoAvz4-A101yJcVnwH_b4SSNTYqjJhdZdHcV6zB3L/s400/DSC00482.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Yesterday I had the clever idea to wear a new pair of shoes to work. Two years ago I found these shoes on sale for $15. What a steal! Why I've never worn them since they were bought was a mystery to me, until today. These lovely shoes are a light blue color with a chunky heel, reminding me of something Carrie Bradshaw would wear. I never seemed to have the right outfit that would go with these pairs of shoes. Well, today ended that catastrophe. I decided to wear these blue shoes with a light grey dress. Perfect a nice day at work, or so I thought.</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">As I walked into the office yesterday morning with my fancy blue shoes on, I was told by a co-worker they were "fabulous". What a great start to my day! Too bad it pretty much went downhill from there. As the morning progressed, I started to notice how many times I would need to get up from my desk. Coffee break since I was feeling a little sleepy. Bathroom break because of all the coffee I've been drinking. Water break since I'm feeling a little dehydrated. Bathroom break from all that water. Invitation to lunch that I have to accept. A couple of city blocks to our lunch destination. Back to my desk. Print job that I have to save from the printer. Water break again. Bathroom break again. I'm sure your starting to get the picture. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">By the time five 'o clock rolls around, my feet are screaming "please, please, PLEASE don't walk any farther!" Only problem is, I have to get to the train station that's five blocks from my building. All I can say is, if you happened to see someone limping down Monroe Street yesterday in light blue shoes, looking like she just learned how to walk, it was nice meeting you.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c0084; font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Maybe that's why those shoes were on sale...</span></span></div>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953976971034414446.post-8604682728860295522011-08-09T22:13:00.010-05:002011-08-11T19:21:05.639-05:00hello my name is Kate..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">..and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> I think I might have a slight problem. Nothing to be too worried about. I mean, it could be worse. My problem could be an addiction to $1,000 Louis Vuitton purses or maybe $200,000 high-rise condos. Even though I wish I could afford those kinds of addictions, mine doesn't really fit into those price ranges. Nevertheless, I seem to have a problem.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mGiA5fuFb6kghCtuUdnAc4a6TaB6h6iYQqyZvsfFwm4tJGEWnsONR8z1lqk5cx-pxxsk_TwOmZijd0t274camsAp7T36KY8W6fMQ530bBoYzGkTNYbY8fs5KbHwSle-1vJ9pKgmy0Is1/s1600/DSC00481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mGiA5fuFb6kghCtuUdnAc4a6TaB6h6iYQqyZvsfFwm4tJGEWnsONR8z1lqk5cx-pxxsk_TwOmZijd0t274camsAp7T36KY8W6fMQ530bBoYzGkTNYbY8fs5KbHwSle-1vJ9pKgmy0Is1/s400/DSC00481.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">I am addicted to books. Seriously. In the past week and a half I've bought thirty-four books. I just couldn't stop. First, came the <a href="https://go.newberry.org/Page.aspx?pid=374">Newberry Library Book Fair</a> here in Chicago that I wait for every year. Each book was $2 or less so I had to buy twenty-two books. When will you ever find great books in amazing shape for only $2? Next came the going-out-of-business sale at Borders (which I'm very sad about by the way) where I bought ten books. Then one of my favorite authors, <a href="http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com/">Jennifer Donnelly</a>, came out with her new book so of course I had to pre-order <u>'A Wild Rose'</u>. Finally, I was in a local book store last weekend in Lake Geneva, WI and couldn't fight the urge to not support a local bookstore causing me to buy yet another book. Thirty-four books. I think I need to steer clear of all book stores for a while.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">Hello my name is Kate and this space is meant to be a place to share my amusing reviews on books I've read as well as the random incidences I find myself in every day. </span>KateBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13829351079346235283noreply@blogger.com1