nikabird

[nikabird]

Castles Crumbling (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) (Lyric Video)

I've been thinking about this song the last couple of months. That's it.

(I've wanted to post this for a couple of week now and it feels weird to post it with 3 shows left in the Eras tour, because that isn't why I'm posting it. But we're just going to go with it.)

[nikabird]

Reblog if your blog is boopable-safe so you can get all the (probably new) achievements. I don’t care about notes I just want boops

[nikabird]

I finished The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan over the weekend. I liked it. It was interesting noticing how he was influenced by the Lord of the Rings, but it very much it's own book and story. I'm really interested to see how the story continues because I can see some of what was set-up in the first book, but I'm not sure I'm seeing 10+ books worth of material.

I was telling my husband, that I went into this series really blind. I knew it was a long series but other than that I didn't know anything about the book/series and have somehow managed to avoid spoilers. (Let's see if I can keep it that way.)

I started Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin. I listed to the first book, Serpent and Dove, as an audio book, but I'm reading the second book on my kindle. It took me a awhile to warm up the first book, but I'm glad I stuck it out. I'm really interested to see how a lot of things play out and I really do love the cast of characters.

I also put some books on hold at the library today because I need to finish some of the other series I'm reading. These series are:

The Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland

Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery series by C.S. Harris

Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander

Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber

[nikabird]

Books that I've read over the past year or two that I still think about.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

Belladonna by Adlyn Grace

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

A Forgery of Roses by Jessica Olson

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

[nikabird]

What in the freaking heck is wrong with the RomCom writers/publishers? Not to knock what others are enjoying, but I used to love this genre and it has just become, meh. :/

I'm not asking for the next Great American Novel, but come on, give me something a little bit better.

I think part of the problem is what seems to be an over reliance on the "Enemies to Lovers" trope. It seems like everyone is using, but not using it well.

Not every couple need to hate each other to start the story. And if you are going to use it, actually use it - don't half ass it.

[nikabird]

It seems like I see a lot of things where people hate someone or a book, or a tv show and they act like if this thing never existed everything would be right in the world. Yet, all I can think is that if you were able to get rid of the thing you hate, you would just find a new thing to hate and this cycle would start again.

[nikabird]

It’s really no wonder so many people are depressed and unhappy these days. Politics and IMPORTANT TOPICS are shoehorned into every freaking thing. I just want to read fun books about fun stories and not be smacked over the head with IMPORTANT TOPIC OF THE DAY. (I have no issue with books having these items, but when they are in what feels like literally EVERY piece of media it gets really, really old.)

Seriously y’all gotta let people have fun and not shoehorn “important” topics into EVERYTHING. Do you know what that does? That makes people not care about anything, sometime out of spite. People need to have things that exist just to be enjoyed.

Also - double standards. Knock it off with those. Seriously please.

[nikabird]

For some reason I want to record these thoughts for possible reference down the line.

My tumblr may not show it, but I am a Taylor Swift fan, and the news/rumor that she may have broken up with Joe Alwyn sort of breaks my heart. But here are my thoughts (don’t really know if they are in any kind of order.)

I think why I want to throw my 2 cents in is because I know the tabloids run random things all the time, but this is the first rumor I’ve seen hit the social media rounds (okay - instagram) that seems to have picked up some steam. Everything else seems to kind of blow over quickly or is obviously click bait. Although a fan, I don’t follow the social media stuff too much.

1) If it’s true, I sincerely wish the best for both of them. I don’t know that much about him, but he seems like a really nice guy. I saw someone else say something to this effect on instagram, so the following aren’t really my words - but if nothing else he was really good to her and loved her at low point in her life and she needed to have that kind of love.

2) If it’s not true, I wonder if it’s an April Fools Joke that didn’t take off on April’s Fool and then picked up steam a few days later, causing this mass panic and confusion.

3) It was a rumor started by the media because they either a) got bored during a brief pause in Taylor’s touring schedule or b) are feeling vindictive for some reason because they tour is doing well, like really well. I’ve seen headlines (didn’t read the articles, I know not what I should do) that the Eras Tour is set to break records. And let’s face it, the media is the media.

I just wish a truly official source would confirm or deny. But then, I suppose on some level this really isn’t any of our business and a lesson to not be nosy. Maybe it’s because she’s on tour and people are making signs and dressing up that if feels like we should know.

[nikabird]

You know what I think? I don’t think the world is actually broken. Do bad things happen, yes. Are there issues, also yes.

But honestly, I think a lot of the “broken” stuff is pushed by politicians/media & news/social media because it gets people’s attention. It sucks people into doom scrolling, it preys on people’s insecurities, and other things I can’t think of right now.

So I’m done with Broken. The world it awesome, and there are so many, many, many, things to love and be happy about. And I’m going to be Happy!

I’m going to love what I love, and never, ever, apologize for it. I’m not going to apologize for who I am, or where I live. If you don’t like it, that’s your problem, not mine.

[nikabird]

I have so many thoughts about things right now I’m not even sure how to start putting them down, except to ramble. I suppose I could journal, but there’s something about putting my two cents out into the world that I like and want to do more often.

I use to write papers for college, but since then it has felt like I can’t collect my thoughts like I use too. I know part of it is I’m out of practice and part of it is I had way more time in college to work on those things. (Never mind that I’ve been out of college for over 10 years now.)

Now I work I full time job, and that takes up a lot of my energy and I often don’t want to think when I get off from work. But the thoughts are still there. I just don’t know what to do with them. I’m hoping if I just start somewhere I’ll start to be able to organize these thoughts.

I already feel better typing out the above.

I think another problem is I don’t have Microsoft Word on this laptop and I’m annoyed that they are subscription based now, so I let the lack of a word processing program keep me from writing. And yes, I have looked for free ones, and I do have a Google account, but I’m so use to Word. Although I’m just typing this up in Tumblr, so something, something excuses.

Okay first steps here, baby steps here. Let’s see how the next couple of days go.

[nikabird]

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This is Charles. He wants to go on a journey around tumblr. could you show him around?

[nikabird]

I have a deep seething hatred of the word problematic.

I also have a deep seething hatred that people can’t just let people enjoy things.

I’m trying to work on ignoring both of these by that I mean just tuning out the word problematic and ignoring negativity that is not constructive. Unpacking let people enjoy things should probably be a post all its own, and requires much more thought and commentary than I’m in the mood to give it right now.

[nikabird]

1/9/2023

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell has been DNF’d. The first couple of chapters were interesting, but then it became not interesting. Maybe it would have picked up, but I wasn’t sticking around to find out. It’s too bad because I really, really like The Tipping Point.

I finished Wintering by Katherine May. It’s an okay book. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. Parts were interesting, parts were not. I wouldn’t dissuade people from reading it, but I also don’t feel that “OMG everyone should read this!!!” feeling. Make of that what you will.

I’ve started The Rehearsals by Annette Christie. I found this one at Target and bought it to round out the by 2 get 1 free deal. So far I’m enjoying this one.

[nikabird]

1/3/2023

Happy 2023 everyone!

I have 3 carry over books from 2022 (seriously 3?)

Wintering by Katherine May

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee (which I just discovered is the 3rd book in a series. I noticed that when I logged into Goodreads just now; somehow I missed that the first time, oh well)

The first book I’m starting in 2023 will be Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

The subtitles have been left of Wintering and Blink because I’m lazy and should be getting ready for bed right now, but instead I’m here on Tumblr.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is a behemoth of a book, and so it got sidelined during the holidays. Booked on a Feeling was an audio book from the library that I didn’t listen to fast enough and now I’m on the waiting list. Although the Libby app tells me I’m 2nd in line, and the library website tells me I’m next in line. So I’m not really sure what’s going on there.

I think I’m about 50% through Wintering and that’s my commute book, so I should have it finished here pretty soon. Blink is my read at home book, so assuming I get to bed at a decent hour it should be finished soon too.

[nikabird]

Autumn Kitty by Афиногенова Татьяна

[nikabird]

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 

[nikabird]

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