Quick note...

I've noticed that there's a few US-2s and Mission Interns who have this blog linked. While I would LOVE it if you read this blog too, (it's more ramblings and musings than what's actually going on with me/NOLA/Hagar's House,) this is the blog I would like you to link on your websites:

Wandering Mouse

I'm following you guys on this blog, since that's where I already have my followers set up, but I'll be posting things about my work and life in NOLA on the other blog. I'll also put your links up on there too!!!

Much love, and I hope all your work is going fabulously.

Leaving...on a jet plane!

I have been waiting for this for a long. Freaking. Time.

So now that I've done it, it seemed OK. I mean, of course I cried and I was sad, but that's not a bad thing. It's a love thing. You can cry and miss people without it being horrible. Saying goodbye to my family and everyone at church was like that. I'm most sad about the people I didn't get to see, (Mike, Adam, HannaH...) but I feel like I got a nice chance to say farewell to everyone else.

Today, I flew into NYC. I'm basically a pro at this flying thing. Whenever we flew into LGA I was thinking, "Why is this so familiar?" Then I remembered it was my fourth time to NYC this year, which was a tad mind-boggling.

Also, I'm re-naming this blog and creating a new blog! The other one will be for my US-2-ocity, and this one will be more personal ramblings. (Not that anyone will read either...but it's nice to pretend, right?)

My NOLA blog is: amandameetsnola.blogspot.com . It currently has the very poetic blog title: "Blahblahblah." My brain is fried and I haven't come up with a title yet, OK? Patience is a virtue.

For all US-2s

In honor of all my fellow US-2s, mission interns, missionaries, preachers, and other people in service to the Lord (or whatever...)



And I see Danielle tomorrow! YAAAY!

Have a great weekend!

And now you're back! From outer space!

OK, so I didn't go to outer space. (But I did go to Utah. Close enough.)

I'm now going through the pretty significant realization that I'm moving in 14 days. And it's far enough that I can't really pack yet, because the stuff I'm going to pack is stuff I'm going to need until then, but I don't want to pack while Dani's here, but I don't have much choice.

Conundrum.

Also it's very hard to try and figure out who I'm going to see before I leave. Two weeks looks a lot shorter after vacation.

I talked to John on the phone last night and I realized how desperately I'm going to miss him. And Connie sends me all these bumper stickers on Facebook about stargazing. It's been so long since I've seen her, and I miss her so much! (Plus I know it's going to be too hazy in NOLA to do much stargazing. That and the highest point in Louisiana is Driskill Mountain: elevation 535 feet.)

I'm really not complaining. I'm excited about going to NOLA, THRILLED about the work at Hagar's House, and really looking forward to meeting people down there.

It's just hard to get there.

At some point in the future there will be a rambling vacation post for the 2 people interested!

MOAR Fantastic Books!

First and foremost, BREAK by Hannah Moskowitz is officially out! I wrote a quick review of it on Amazon:

Jonah is on a mission to break all his bones. There, you've got the plot of the book.

Not so fast. Because a person's life isn't isolated. Jonah spends most of his time (when he's not intentionally falling off skateboards) trying to save his younger brother from dying from food allergies. His best friend is egging him on to keep breaking bones, while his brother is having reactions all over the place and begging him to stop. His parents are clueless and trying to take care of a baby who won't stop crying.

Everything going on in Jonah's life pushes him to keep going. The reason for his actions make sense, in a way. When you're reading this book, you ARE Jonah. You are completely in his head, and while the leaps in logic seem crazy to the outside world, when you're Jonah, it all ties together. And as a reader, I was dragged into his thoughts and emotions.

Moskowitz has written a fantastic debut novel. Jonah's voice stays present through the whole book and doesn't lose much steam in the middle, the way many first-person novels do. I would recommend this book to anyone (as long aren't a pansy when it comes to blood and pain.)

Sound intriguing? Go buy it!

Also, I'm a little slow and just read HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins. WOW. I devoured this book. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time, and gave me that warm fuzzy post-amazing-book feeling. I ordered CATCHING FIRE, the next book in the series from Amazon, but it won't be here until I'm already gone! Alas.

I also just read GODLESS by Pete Hautman. I wasn't as impressed by it, but a lot of that might be because I read it so close to the awesomeness of the first two books. I thought it was still a pretty decent book, but I wasn't blown away by it.

Next up? Not sure. THE THIEF LORD, maybe.

Crack of the Week

In case you haven't picked up on this particular quirk (i.e. neurosis) in my personality, there's something you should know.

I have a bit of an addictive personality. Which is pretty awesome when I get addicted to something productive like, I don't know, PRACTICING, but is less exciting when it's something like Monopoly.

Currently, I'm back on an anime kick. (Note: Windows does not believe "anime" is a word. Screw 'em.) So I've watched absurd amounts of Fullmetal Alchemist in the past few days. (Windows doesn't believe in "Fullmetal," either. WHY DO YOU HATE JAPAN, BILL GATES?)

So if I've been a terrible/distracted/annoying friend over the past few days, that's probably why.

You know, my blog is still called "Music Major Madness." While the madness still almost certainly applies, I'm not a music major anymore. I don't write about writing much, so it would be stupid to name the blog for that. Hm...name change is probably on the horizon.

(Note: Dani sent me a copy of FRAGILE ETERNITY, and she totally rocks my socks for that. Even if the end did make me a little aggravated. Cer la vie.)

Shh! Jesus is watching!!!

Scene: we're walking through the church parking lot this morning.

Mom: Holy shit, it's hot.

Me: You can't say shit here! Jesus can hear you better!

Mom: Well, I said holy...

A real post will come soon. Eventually.