Personal Post: Left Behind

It can be really easy to feel sorry for yourself sometimes. When all you can see of the road you're on is where you're standing now. I'm reminded,  in times like this, of the scene in Disney's Alice in Wonderland, where Alice finds a bright red path leading "home." She happily hurries to follow every twist and turn. Until she sees what looks like a dog, with a brush for a nose and a brush for a tail. She's stopped in her tracks because the dog like creature is brushing away the path! All the came before and all that comes after has been swept away, and all she can do is cry.

I feel like that right now. Like crying. Like sitting down on a rock in the middle of an audience of strangers and begging anyone to show me the way. What Alice lacked in that moment was hope, and it is hope I am finding difficult to hold on to right now. I know God has a plan, and I know that it is a perfect plan that I am a part of. But it sure doesn't feel like that when you can't see the path ahead of you. When all you can see is your life continuing the way it is now. And that sucks.

I love my family. I love my job. My freedom. But I feel like the kid who never grew up. The one no one takes seriously. The one who has no idea what it's like to be on her own. I've been left behind...

Reading with Kindle

Recently, a dear friend of mine bought herself a brand new kindle fire HD tablet as a birthday present. To herself. Haha. Her first edition kindle fire couldn't hold a candle to the sleek, high speed device. Apps outdated, run time too slow, storage almost non-existent! At least, those were her complaints. So! Being the wonderful friend that she is, she handed the older kindle down to me. I didn't have one, and had no other tablet to compare it to. I was so excited! I've been wanting an e-reader for years, ever since the first Nook was released. Well, this wasn't a Nook, but who was I to complain? It was free! I found the adorable case at Toys-R-Us in the clearance section for $7, and bought a new charger port for $5. Over all, I paid $13 for my lovely little tablet. Score!

Then Amazon introduced this thing called "kindle firsts" that basically put Kindle far above any other e-reader in my opinion. Basically, at the beginning of each month, Amazon emails you a list of four books that are not yet available to anyone else. You pick two, paying a ridiculously low price. For Prime members, the books are free! The catch? All you have to do is read at your own pace, and when you're done, write a short review. Basically what you thought and why. Very straightforward. And very worth two free e-books every month! 

But you don't need a kindle to get these great books from Amazon. All you need is the kindle app! I have one on my phone. It's great because it syncs with any other Amazon tablet or app you may have. So you always keep your place across devices. The other thing I love about this app is that it learns your reading speed based on how often you turn the page, and estimates how long it will take you to finish the book. I especially love this feature because it gives me a realistic idea of how quickly I can finish my ever growing stack of reading material and crank out new reviews. 

This is a great app for any reader with a tablet, computer, or smart phone. I highly recommend it with a high high 5 out of 5 stars! And if you have an extra $80 to spoil yourself with. Get a kindle paper white!! My personal favorite. You won't regret it. 

Top 10 Best of Greek gods in the Now

Who doesn't love a good Greek god story? With the release of HerInteractive's newest Nancy Drew game, Greek gods have been the table talk for the last several days. I've gotta admit, I'm not complaining. They're fascinating. The originals are so rich in drama, there's endless possibility of other pop culture versions. Here are my top 10 fave.

10. Clash of the Titans

Of all the live actions I've seen, this movie has it all. Winged horses, mummy-looking guys, Medusa! A great example of a story that based itself in Greek mythology, then made it their own!

9. Kid Icarus: Uprising 

Confession: I'm a sucker for Nintendo. But come on! Icarus is one of those stories I was told as a kid. Obey your parents, or you'll end up like that guy. I always felt sorry for him. Yeah, he disobeyed and all but he didn't know it was gonna be life or death. He was just having fun. So Nintendo giving this game a second chance? I'm rooting for him. 

8. DC's Wonder Woman

With her mother being THE Queen Hippolyta, that makes Wonder Woman granddaughter to Aries, Greek god of war!! Pretty neat-o. :)

7. Skylanders Lightning Rod

This guy is essentially Zeus. His bio claims when he joined the Skylanders in the popular game, he left a group of people who worshiped him as a god! 

6. Monster High's and Ever After High's C.A. Cupid

Daughter of everybody's favorite god. C.A. Cupid is an adorable character and makes a beautiful pair of dolls!

5. Rich Riordan's Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus series. 

Riordan does a fantastic job of bringing the gods down to earth and presenting them in exciting, adventurous ways kids will understand. Way to make history more awesome! 

4. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys 

Kevin Sorbo. 'Nough said. (Side note. Kevin Sorbo voices one of the Skylander, the hammer wielding rock giant, Crusher.)

3. Charmed seasons 5-7 (various episodes)

Charmed was, and is, over all a fantastic show with lots of different and amazing aspects to it that make the show (pardon the pun) magical! Their interpretation of Greek gods and goddesses is one of many examples why this show should never have ended!

2. Disney's Hercules

Should'a seen this one coming. ;) The music, the animation, HADES!!! I fell in love with Greece after watching this movie as a kid. Still one of my favorite movies of all!

1. Nancy Drew: Labyrinth of Lies

Yes. This is, by far, so far, my absolute favorite translation of Ancient Greek mythology into pop culture. No spoilers but this game is FANTASTIC!