Cloud Nine (#15)

It’s the Cloud Nine catch up edition!  The end of the year tends to get a little crazy, but here’s some cool stuff that happened.

  • I won Nano!!  Woot!
  • Visited the family at Christmas and had a blast playing with my niece.  She’s so cute!!
  • Lots of awesome Christmas pressies from family and friends.
  • I decided to start doing more letter writing.  So naturally I ordered stamps and wax so I could put wax seals on them!
  • GILMORE GIRLS!!!  
  • Rogue One, in theaters, opening night (or rather the night before actually).

Sia in concert

I remember when I first heard Chandelier, I was kind of like “What is this?”, and then I looked up the video and that feeling was only reinforced. However, due to my days in the color guard back in high school, I really enjoyed the modern dance elements of the video and was majorly impressed. So I started telling people to watch the video because it was different, and awesome, and kind of crazy.  I checked out other songs, got one of her albums through Google Play, and enjoyed all the dance aspects to her videos. In short, I was hooked.

I wasn’t sure exactly what she would do for a live concert, but based on her appearance on The Voice last season I hoped it would incorporate dancers.  I was not let down.  Her concert was not only her music, but a modern dance show as well.  I loved it!  

Sia in concert - Photo taken by Meiran
Sia in concert – Photo taken by Meiran

Sia stood off to the side, on a box, with her signature wig and bow.  And there was a smaller stage set up on the stage that was the setting for the dancers.  A few props were brought in, and the effects were simple. There were no pyrotechnics or over the top costume changes as one expects with a major pop star.  It was different, and interesting.  

I look forward to seeing what she does in the future.

Cloud Nine (#14)

  • My birthday!  Although I might be getting old enough that I don’t want to admit to having birthdays anymore.  😉
  • Inn BoonsBoro and a trip with my best friend.  The Inn was gorgeous, and so inviting.  It was very easy to feel at home there.  We’re already talking about going back.
  • Sia concert!!  This was kind of my birthday present to myself.  And it was awesome!
  • Cherry Apple Cider! – My friends picked some up for me at the local farmer’s market.  I love this cider!!!

Monstress

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both.

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Monstress by Marjorie Liu

I was able to read issues 1 – 6 from NetGalley, which comprise the first volume of the comic.  For me, I find reading comics a bit different from novels.  Which I know is stating the obvious, however with novels all the pictures come out of your own head.  It’s your imagination choosing how to portray things.  With comics, the pictures are there for you, and it’s something I have to remember to pay attention to as well as the words.  Especially because with the more condensed format of the comic, the pictures are a large part of the story and can tell you things that aren’t included in the writing.  I find that reading comics is almost harder for me because of this difference.

On the other hand, comics allow you to enjoy art that enhances the story.  There are so many styles, and the artwork for Monstress is gorgeous.  The cover art combined with the title is what drew me in.  The story is dark, and can be disturbing, which is reflected in the art.  It’s also beautiful.  

The story is intriguing as well and I want to know more about Maika, and the people she’s picked up as companions.  I feel like these characters can not be taken at face value.  There’s too much going on for that to be the case.

I’m interested in keeping up with this series, but I have a feeling I’ll wait until the other omnibus volumes come out, rather than reading each issue separately.  Here’s hoping it doesn’t take too long for the next one!


four-star

Cloud Nine (#13)

  • It’s fall!  I’ve been able to wear long sleeves, even a hoodie!  
  • Pumpkin Spice!!  I’ve already had cereal, cookies, and a pumpkin spice chai.  So yummy!
  • Kenshin Part 2
  • Intervention 7 – Got to see Juliet Landau and Alex Kingston.  Woot!  Plus yummy food from Smashburger.
  • Figured out how the usb drive worked for music in my Jeep.  I don’t have a cd player, and using my phone can be cumbersome.  The usb works awesome though, so now I need to buy a physically smaller one, and load it up!
  • I made it to book club this month!
  • Figured out at least the start of a concept for NaNoWriMo.