List#5 (Favorite Webcomics)

I like to start my morning with checking my email and laughing a little by reading a few web comics.  I can't remember who turned me onto them originally, or if I started seeing them pop up more and more as I browsed personal art sites.  Either way, I have quite a few comics that are my not so secret guilty pleasures to read.
Here are a few comics that I've enjoyed for consecutive years now.  Like many people with webcomics series, sometimes comics wane in relevance and I find myself less interested.  The same goes for my own preferences and views of the authors; sometimes they change and I no longer read the comic.


Sinfest

by  Tatsuya Ishida 

Updates daily; a cute comic done to provide lighthearted commentary on modern events and provide comedic relief with a simple plot-line.

http://www.sinfest.net/


Questionable Content
by Jeph Jacques

The art, plot-line and references in this comic and progressed quite a lot since I've started following this one.  I do love the mix of hipster, wit and random partnering within it though.
I'm also quite a fan of the creator; he's a decent guy who's always been genuine with his content and viewpoints.
http://questionablecontent.net/



Demonology 101
by Faith Erin Hicks
A webcomic mixing high school and tough emotional issues with the fantastical.
To preteen me, this was amazing.  I still on going back and rereading it sometime too.  I was an emotional little thing and I still love Sci-Fy and Fantasy books so this was right up my alley.
It is completed however.  No more updates; although the author does have other current works online.
http://www.faitherinhicks.com/webcomics/


The System
by Roscott
Fairly work and graphics themed commentary.  Always good for an illustrated version of the thoughts you have on the daily.
And, as expected of a professional designer; the website is very nicely laid out with ease f use taken into account.

http://www.systemcomic.com/



Books of Adam
by erm...Adam
More of a blog with illustrations; I still love the life commentary Mr. Adam provides with each update.
It may not update frequently but I find myself laughing almost as much as when I read Yuuko & Ananth's blog/comic.

 

http://www.booksofadam.com/2011/08/let-me-eat-cake.html




Other Comics I highly recommend:
Comedity
Least I Could Do
Girls With Slingshots
Something Positive
Hyperbole and a Half
Applegeeks
Machall

List #4 (Music I love)

The Four Seasons: Violin Concerto in E Major, RV 269, "Spring": III. Allegro
by Vivaldi

The best version I've ever heard of this section is by Candida Thompson, Henk Rubingh, Jan Jansen, Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, Liz Kenny, Maarten Jansen & Stacey Watton.  I bought the CD haha. 
This is the 1985 performance recording of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdJT96LvgUs



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Don't Stop Me Now
by Queen
One of my favorite songs of all time.  Always god for an energy boost, or singing at the top of your lungs in the car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM


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Last Night
by The Strokes
My mom gave me this single on CD s long ago I can't even remember.  Still love this song though and it's made it's way onto a lot of mix CDs and playlists since.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOypSnKFHrE


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Feeling Thisby Blink 182Throwback to when one of my best friends would play this on his Walkman on the bus every morning, so many years later and I can still feel the bus seat listening to this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kMZ23T9VHE


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Devil's Spokeby Laura Marling
Laura Marling's first CD is great to put n when I'm writing anything, her voice is unique enough that nothing blends into itself but her voice is relaxing enough to relax to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PSGQgrAXwY


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List #3 (People I Find Inspiring)

Natalie Portman

An actress I find admirable in not just skill but character.  She's not only beautiful (the new face of Dior, for example,) intelligent (she has a degree in Psychology from Harvard; "I'd rather be smart than a movie star." -The New York Post,) but charitable as well.

A vegetarian since childhood, Natalie Portman has made remarkable strides for vegan issues.

In 2011, Portman and her then fiancé Benjamin Millipied were among the signers of a petition to President Obama in support of same sex marriage. 

 

A strong supporter of women's rights; I find Mrs. Portman's strength of character amazing.

Surces:  http://www.natalieportman.com/npcom.asp?page_number=5
http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/225-natalie-portman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Portman#Education 

Hillary Clinton
I do believe Mrs. Clinton shall be president.

Yes; I'm one of those.
I am a proud feminist, and liberal enough to appreciate her political agenda financially not just socially.

It may just be my private impression of her; but I love thinking that she doesn't give a hoot what you think about her.  She fights for women's rights, minority rights and "smart power" applications instead of growing the military-industrial complex further.

She's brilliant; not just a Yale graduate but also of Wellesley College as well.
Everyone sees her various humanitarian works as she goes about her business as Secretary of State and she sticks to her guns even when she disagrees with POTUS.

sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/hillary-clinton/
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1241&bih=593&tbm=isch&tbnid=_Tzb9zeahyGXcM:&imgrefurl=http://www.perche-quebec.com/files/hillary/individus/hillary_en.htm&imgurl=http://www.perche-quebec.com/files/hillary/images/hillary1.jpg&w=298&h=399&ei=Abo7UI2nE4aq8ASF8oHoCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=979&vpy=144&dur=1019&hovh=260&hovw=194&tx=85&ty=115&sig=112837258762344893300&page=1&tbnh=120&tbnw=90&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:169
https://www.google.com/search?q=hillary+clinton&sugexp=chrome,mod=19&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Queen
Elizabeth I 
“I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.”
Advancing the arts, religious rights and respect for women; she accomplished so much in a time period when women were generally without any power.

"Elizabeth Tudor is considered by many to be the greatest monarch in English history. When she became queen in 1558, she was twenty-five years old, a survivor of scandal and danger, and considered illegitimate by most Europeans. She inherited a bankrupt nation, torn by religious discord, a weakened pawn between the great powers of France and Spain. She was only the third queen to rule England in her own right; the other two examples, her cousin Lady Jane Grey and half-sister Mary I, were disastrous."

Source:  http://www.google.com/imgres?start=30&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1241&bih=593&tbm=isch&tbnid=6gFah9jPn0z2BM:&imgrefurl=http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/religion-of-the-shakespeares.htm&imgurl=http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/images/aaa-queen-elizabeth-1st.jpg&w=222&h=297&ei=xBs9UOSyOJK89gTCuYC4Dg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=745&vpy=212&dur=2139&hovh=238&hovw=178&tx=112&ty=252&sig=112837258762344893300&page=2&tbnh=133&tbnw=100&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:48,s:30,i:49
http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/eliz1.html
http://www.biographyonline.net/royalty/elizabeth/queen-elizabeth-I.html 

List #2 (Books I Wish to Read.)

The Forever War
by Joe Haldeman
(Love the introduction and the first chapter promises it to be an interesting read; as well as one many regular sci-fy readers commend.)

"The monumental Hugo and Nebula award winning SF classic-- Featuring a new introduction by John Scalzi

The Earth's leaders have drawn a line in the interstellar sand--despite the fact that the fierce alien enemy they would oppose is inscrutable, unconquerable, and very far away. A reluctant conscript drafted into an elite Military unit, Private William Mandella has been propelled through space and time to fight in the distant thousand-year conflict; to perform his duties and do whatever it takes to survive the ordeal and return home. But "home" may be even more terrifying than battle, because, thanks to the time dilation caused by space travel, Mandella is aging months while the Earth he left behind is aging centuries..."

-http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-war-joe-haldeman/1100649605

Freakonomics:
A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
(I've just always heard good things about this book and it's audibook companion.  I figure it couldn't hurt to read it seeing as I would like to have a greater understanding of our economy.)

"Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?

What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?

How much do parents really matter?

These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to parenting and sports—and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head. Freakonomics is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They set out to explore the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and much more. Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, they show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives—how people get what they want or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing."

-http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/freakonomics-steven-d-levitt/1100550563?ean=9780060731335

The HOBBIT
by J.R.R. Tolkien 
(I must confess that although I read the Lord of The Rings Trilogy back in middle school I never quite got around to the Hobbit.  It's really rather embarrassing considering the amount of times I've read and watched LOTR.)

"Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum"
-.http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hobbit-j-r-r-tolkien/1100068700

A Game of Thrones
by George R. R. Martin
(I've already set aside winter break to read through as much of the series as I can.  It's immensely popular, the type of fantasy novel I fall in love with anyway, and my uncle is starting to blackmail me into reading the series haha.)

"Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones."

-http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin/1100041703?ean=9780553593716

List #1 Cont.

House of Leaves
by Mark Z. Danielewski
(An amazing read, fascinating on so many different levels.  Although I felt that it tried to force a deeper meaning at times, the levels, end notes and footnotes made it an extremely enjoyable read {multiple times})


"Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children."-http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24800.House_of_Leaves

Betting on The Muse
by Charles Bukowski
(Bukowski is one of my favorite people in the world simply for his unapologetic postures.  He's harmlessly blunt, rude and offensive, and yet entertaining at the same time.)


"Betting on the Muse is a combination of hilarious poetry and stories. Charles Bukowski writes about the real life of a working man and all that comes with it."-http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betting-on-the-muse-charles-bukowski/1100609697?ean=9781574230017

List #1 (Books I have read.)

I've decided I'm just going to go with three of my favorite books that I've read.   I'm sorry many of them are probably not the most mainstream literature but I still LOVED them haha.

THE ROOK
by Daniel O'Malley
(Not only my favorite recent book but definitely top three of all time.   Excellently written I didn't sleep until I'd read the entire novel.  Brilliant concept and very witty with the execution.)
 
 

'“The body you are wearing used to be mine.” So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.

She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Checquy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own.

In her quest to uncover which member of the Checquy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined.'

-http://www.rookfiles.com/

RANT
by Chuck Palahniuk
(A book I've reread many times; still an all-time favorite.  I love the perspectives the author uses for the character's in his book, and I'm not a fan of his other written works.)

"A high school rebel who always wins (and a childhood murderer?), Rant Casey escapes from his small hometown of Middleton for the big city. He becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. On appointed nights participants recognize one another by such designated car markings as “Just Married” toothpaste graffiti and then stalk and crash into each other. Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends gather testimony needed to
build an oral history of his short, violent life. Their collected anecdotes explore the possibility that his saliva caused a silent urban plague of rabies and that he found a way to escape the prison house of linear time.…"

-http://chuckpalahniuk.net/books/rant

First Post!

First post! Testing....testing...1..2...3..haha.  Just trying out the formatting and prepping for regular blogging.