26.

Finally finished reading a very good book. It is called "Monster", is by A. Lee Martinez and I would definitely recommend to people who enjoy cryptobiology and the similar. I have always been interested in cryptids and the study of them so the book highly appealed to me. I decided the best way to finish a good book would to be in a warm bubble bath and a glass of ice cold pink lemonade. I do not want to give away much about the book in case you want to read it yourself, but it is full of cryptozoology, good story telling to the point where you can vividly picture the scene in your mind, and questionable quotes.

At the end of the book itself there is an "extras" section where someone interviews the author. For the most part it is good but I was saddened when he said he doesn't believe there are cryptids out there in the world and that is why he wrote a book where they do exist. Really? I, for one, do believe some exist. They do not have to be unicorns or such, but everyday new animals/cryptids are found that the world did not know existed. There is another quote in the extra section that I thought was quote worthy: "For a while, I used to think it would be cool to take a tour of haunted America, but all those ghost hunting reality shows burned me out on that dream. You can only watch so many people bumble and stumble their way through darkened rooms, jumping at shadows, before you start thinking this would be a pretty silly hobby." I agree with this; not the point about silly hobby but the part it all being a reality show burning people out on it and then not wanting to do it. People should go out and experience it for themselves.

The book was not expensive and kept me and my mind entertained. So if what you have read so far has intrigued you enough, go out and buy it then let me know what you think of the book.

4.

Ciao!

I did it, and even though it was a bit difficult towards the end...I finished Italian 1. I had the best teacher I could ask for, her name was Maria Lidia. She was a very petite lady but you could tell she loved her language. She grew up in Italy and moved to the United States once she was older. The classes were two hours ( give or take) every Monday for about 9 weeks. I am one of those people who take a lot of notes and I wrote down everything I thought my brain could absorb. So needless to say, I have a note book half way full of notes and pages the teacher handed out. The first few classes were mostly learning some words for greetings and goodbyes and whether a word is masculine or feminine. Then the classes started to get a bit more tough, but I wanted to stick with it and learn as much as I could. It seemed other people didn't have the same mind set. The class started out with 13 people and by the last class it ended with 5.

I have been in love with Italy, mostly Rome, for as long I can remember. I lived for a short bit in Sigonella, Italy but I was young and didn't comprehend too much of the language when I was there. Also, I have taken some years learning Latin and I thought learning Italian would help me when I make the trip to Rome in the coming years.

So on the last class, the teacher brought in some tiramisu she made herself. I didn't eat any, but I could smell the strong aroma of the caffe' filling the room. After completing the class, I learned so much and here are a few things:

- When speaking in Italian, you have to open your mouth more and actually form the words. A lot of people I run into and interact with mumble and barely open their mouths while speaking English.

- How to speak about trains, bus ways, hotels, air planes, restaurants, numbers, time, conversations and a bit more

- About the culture there and more

I will be taking Italian 2 once I am a bit closer to my Rome trip, and if you ever had a thought about taking a language course, do it and you will not regret it.

Arrivederci

50.

I have been a long time fan of Brian Posehn, whether it be his jokes or acting. I think it was about a week ago, I was surfing the internet (which is the usual) and stumbled across a blurb from Brian Posehn. I read it just to see what it was and saw tour dates; I didn't get too excited since he doesn't really come my way often. Scrolling down I saw a show in Virginia...Arlington that is. I googled how far away the venue was and it equaled out to a little over 3 hours. That seems ok, not too far of a drive and I have never been there before. So I bought tickets and awaited the date of the show. Time seemed to fly by ( it has seemed that way a lot lately) and before I knew it, we were driving to the Arlington Draft House. Brandon and I didn't really hit much traffic, but once we got to the venue was when I started to get frustrated. I had looked up the draft house online before we got there to see where parking was. The map said it had over flow parking so I was relieved and we went around the back of the building towards it. I have one question : How do you call your lot an "over flow parking lot" if it only holds about 15 cars! We drove around some more looking for somewhere that wasn't a mile from the venue. We finally found some meters near the building, parked and proceeded to get change out. What also kind of shocked me ( but not really since I live in Virginia Beach) was that I had to put about $4 in change for 3 hours of parking.

So after all the parking dilemma, we walked to the draft house to
get inside and hope for good seats since it is first come first serve. To my surprise, we showed up at the right time and got in the front section of the line to get inside! This show was completely sold out so I was even more glad to be in the front of the pack. The employees let us in and we rushed to the front. Yes, we got front row center, no one sitting in front of me, only the stage. The lights dimmed and we watched as the opening comedians did their bits. Then it was time...freaking Brian Posehn was announced and came out on the stage. We were so close I could see up his nostril and his shirt. We were a bit below stage level and his shirt was a bit small. So when ever he would get excited about a joke and wave his hands in the a
ir, I got a peek at the stoner belly. He told a lot of new jokes as well as some classics, and I was laughing so hard I got a bit teary. One of my favorite parts was when people would try to heckle or were just being RUDE and talking loudly. There was a group of people in the front corner of the room by the stage who obviously forgot their "grow the F up pills" at home. They talked loudly and Brian would try to just leave it be, talk some more then keep looking at them. One time though, he just stopped and said " Can you shut the F up, I'm a stoner and get distracted easy, geez" ( in his nice but demon filled voice). Then he went back to his bits and I had a great time; I only wish he would have come out at the end to meet some of the audience..like me! If it wasn't such a far drive I would go to the show again the following day. If you have never heard of him ( live under a rock) look up his name and let the metal beard draw you in and his witty jokes keep you enthralled.