Happy Halloween!

Just wishing my readers a Happy Halloween!!

We were allowed to dress up at work today but I wasn't feeling well this morning and wound up waking up late, so I just threw on my Marvel Heroes dress and went off.

But I think out of anywhere I have worked before, this has definitely been the best year for dressed up coworkers. I have never had so many coworkers participate in Halloween before. It's great! I feel a bit left out for not doing anything, but what can you do? I am saving my strength for a Halloween party that I am attending tomorrow with my boyfriend, we are going as Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas!

Honorable mention of my coworker's costumes:

• Hagrid from Harry Potter
• Bane from Batman
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears (4 different people)
• Pirate
• Daenerys/ Khaleesi from The Game of Thrones
• A Minion from Despicable Me
• Pete the Cat (a character from a children's book)
• A woman from the Prairie
• A "Fork in the Road", using 2 strips of tape taped onto a shirt as the "road" and a plastic fork taped in the middle..... hahaha
• Where's Waldo
• The University of Michigan coach in disguise (after a particularly terrible football season)
• One of my pregnant coworkers made her orange shirted tummy into a jack-o-lantern
• A Princess
• Finn the Human from Adventure Time

And among my awesome coworkers were a slew of children and babies dressed up. Including a toddler dressed as a Dr. with a white coat embroidered with "Dr. Q. T. Patootie".

I can't even.

I love Halloween.

What did you go as?

Black Nails

Black nail polish: 90s Goth fashion or popular chic nail color? You decide.

I think black manicures are totally underrated. I am currently rocking solid, shiny black nails and no one has asked me if I like Marilyn Manson. I am even wearing this manicure at work.

I admit that I did choose this color choice based on the fact that Halloween is tomorrow, but I've been known to rock it year-round. In a world of French manicures, vintage red and funky glitter nails, black is unexpected.

Black is taboo. Many people associate it with being strange, or with being Gothic or part of some heavy metal band. But I think it is chic and stylish. It goes with everything, it's nice and dark for winter, when hair and makeup trends tend to get a bit darker.

I like that I can wear it with a dress at work, or with leggings on the weekends, and still look put together.

What is your verdict?

Book Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Two or so years ago, a friend recommended that I read the book entitled Speak. I added it to my Goodreads List and just now got around to it. I listened to it on audiobook in the car during my ridiculous commutes to and from work.

My reviews are based only on my own opinions and this may contain spoilers. To check out more of what I am reading, take a look at my Goodreads widget in the sidebar.

Melinda is a brand-new Freshmen entering high school. She has no friends, no one to talk to, no one to sit with at the lunch table. The thing is, Melinda is entering school with all her friends, and the people she has gone to school with for a long time. Something happened over the summer that causes all of her friends to shun her, people to throw things at her, call her names, and knock her books out of her arms. She becomes and introvert. She refuses to speak to her parents, she hides her body with huge, ill-fitting clothes, she starts to skip class and subsequently starts failing. She finds a safe haven for herself inside an old, abandoned janitorial closet in her school and goes there when she needs to escape it all, which is often. Eventually, she starts skipping classes altogether.

Halfway through the book we learn her secret, and then it all makes sense. Melinda starts to become tired of her new self, and wants to work towards becoming the person she used to be, but she has to realize how to grow a person, as if a seed, among so much hurt and anger.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good, quick read. This is a YA novel.

Super Amazing Pumpkin Carvings

Tonight my boyfriend and I are attending my friend's annual Pumpkin Carving Party. We all really get into carving, and we all like to be a little silly.

Last year's fun carvings included a Dachshund and a T-Rex (which I carved!)

I have been cruising the internet looking for different, out-of-the-ordinary, funny, scary, and difficult carvings. Here are a few of my favorites:

Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas:

This awesome Merry-Go-Round:

Cinderella and her pumpkin coach:

Chuck Norris!

Sugar Skull:

The Joker! Why so serious?:

Which ones are your favorite? Have any really cool pumpkin ideas for me?

Parks & Rec

After several months of watching, I have finally finished Parks & Rec!

I really enjoyed this show. Amy Poehler plays Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. She works with a host of kooky coworkers, including her best friend Anne, played by Rashida Jones. Chris Pratt also has a role in this show (and mysteriously drops 50 lbs during season breaks, which I am assuming is when she was toning up to start filming Guardians of the Galaxy) as a not-quite-the-brightest-bulb shoe shiner with a band called Mouse Rat.

I loved that Leslie was funny but also was a strong female figure. It is a breath of fresh air having a show with comedy but also touched on some strong points such as female equality and the percentage of females working in government. Leslie is a pusher, and she is constantly pushing her employees, especially April (played by Aubrey Plaza), fellow female government employee with an attitude problem and a love for anything terrible.

My favorite character, however, was definitely Ron Swanson. I think he just may be my Spirit Animal. He is the Deputy of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee. And the kicker: he loathes any kind of government. He is very "don't tread on me", and I love it.

Among the long list of things that Ron hates are:

• Talking
• Feelings
• Lying
• Government
• Vegetables
• Europe
• His ex wives (plural), both named Tammie

All in all, the show was entertaining, funny, and I actually learned a thing or two about goverment. Figure that out!

I rated this show 5 stars on Netflix. Now go watch it!

About Me

My name is Natasha and I am 26-years old. After graduating with my Master's in Library and Information Science, I threw myself into my work. I paid my dues in the Library world and now work as a full-time Librarian.

In the meantime, though, I really lost touch with my creative side. This blog is about my getting back in touch with the things that make me happy. I will be posting my favorite recipes, my food experiments, and my baking accomplishments. I will also be posting book, TV, and movie reviews, like this one (what kind of librarian would I be if I didn't include a few books reviews?!), as well as crochet and craft projects I have been working on. Keep an eye out for some of my favorite finds as well, as I love to collect both quirky knick-knacks as well as really helpful gadgets that help make life easier.

This blog will offer you, my friends and readers, a place to be inspired, to find tips and tricks and, of course, pictures of my super cute bunnies. I look forward to sharing my journey with you!