What I'm Reading Now

 Since the vampire genre is in full hype and I'm a big fan of the "True Blood" series, I decided to give the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris a try. I'm half way through book two of the series, Living Dead in Dallas, and I'm really liking them. I was very skeptical when I started the first book, Dead Until Dark, but they have turned out to be very fun, light, and entertaining. The book series has less violence, drugs, and sex than the HBO series, but it gives a lot more insight into the characters and the supernatural world. I can't say that I prefer one over the other, since they are both very good in their way.
 They're not dark and gothy like most books in this genre, so they can appeal to anyone, whether you're a fan or not of the vampire genre. I highly recommend this series for those of you looking for something quick, fun, and sassy to read. -Don't underestimate them, they are addictive once start.-

Trials and Tribulations of a Houston Socialite

"I don't want Google knowing about me." My mother-in-law said this when she discovered pictures of herself posted on a site related to an event that she had recently attended. It made her very uncomfortable and afraid that someone would potentially stalk her. We explained to her that it's almost impossible these days to not be on the internet somewhere, even if it's just your name. Basically, if you exist, you're searchable.
 Not satisfied with that answer, she insisted that we find a way to "get her off of the internet".  We didn't know if it was even possible to "get her off of the internet", and we had no idea where to begin. My advise to her was to search for a cyber p.i. to handle the case, since it was clearly out of our league. My husband also suggested that she sever all ties with friends and family, use an alias, and always leave the house in disguise. (Yes, my husband is a smart ass.)
 To a socialite, life without parties, gallas, and other miscellaneous events is no life at all. So, when faced with the dilema of choosing between an extremely active social life and internet anonymity, her stalker fears miraculously faded, and her her social life won out. Her anxiety then turned to making sure that her "good side" is taken in photos, since Google now knows about her.

Agricola

Lately I've been attempting to play the popular board game Agricola. I won't even try to explain the rules, since they are as complicated as building a nuclear bomb. However, the idea is to build a simple farm, add upgrades like stables and livestock, and expand your household. Sounds easy, right? ...Wrong! I've played several times now and still have no idea what the best stategy is for winning. Eveytime I think I'm doing great I end up being dead last or failing miserably. I'm not giving up on this game, though. The challenge is part of the appeal (addiction).

 I highly recommend this game for those of you who play chess or other strategy based games. You won't be disappointed, as there is more than one way to play Agricola. The number of players determines the way the game will be played. If you're up for the challenge, then good luck and I hope you fare better than I have.

Something Girly

Since I posted something "manly" for my very first blog entry, I thought my next entry should a bit on the "girly" side. What could be girlier than make up?
  It's a big deal for me to find a foundation that I actually like because I HATE FOUNDATION. There, I said it. Almost every foundation I've ever tried feels great for about an hour or so, then it feels like I have about an inch of mud all over my face. I've wasted so much money trying to find one that I can actually tolerate all day or all night long. So far I've only found one foundation that I absolutely love and feel that I can't live without. Airflash by Dior has been my cosmetic godsend. It's an aerosol spray foundation that I literally apply in just seconds.

THE PROS-
1) It feels so lightweight that you'll forget you're even wearing foundation. This is a major plus for me!
2) Eventhough it's incredibly lightweight, it provides perfect coverage.
3) It provides a near flawless finish so very little concealer, powder, or color corrector are needed.
4) The coverage lasts a long time.
5) A little goes a long way, not much product is needed to achieve the coverage that is desired.
6) Application is very fast. It takes me about 10 seconds for a perfect, flawless finish.

THE CONS-
1) It's expensive!  It costs a lot more than most people are willing to pay for foundation ($60). I don't recommend it for every day wear.
2) It's messy at first until you fine tune your application technique, which doesn't take very long.
3) It's limited to only 5 shades. Finding the right color for your complection may not be possible with the limited color range.
4) It will cause any facial hairs to visibly stand up. This can very easily be fixed by lightly buffing with a large powder brush. If you're not aware of this in advance it can kind of freak you out, especially since there is no mention of this in the packaging.

In my opinion this product is well worth the price! I've gotten more compliments with this product than anything else that I've used.

Liam Neeson

My husband and I just saw Liam Neeson's new movie "Unknown" and noticed that he has fallen into a brutish "bad ass" trend. I think it's awesome that he's become an action hero again, with movies like "Taken", "Clash of the Titans", and "The A-Team" reminding us how much we like him in that genre. It takes me back to the days of "Darkman" in the 90's when we first saw him pummle bad guys to a pulp. If you're a Liam Neeson fan, like myself, then you'll like "Unkown" a lot. Lots of action, a good plot twist, multiple car chase scenes, beautiful women, and Liam Neeson kicking butt make for a great time.

Five things you should know about Liam Neeson:

1- He's from Northern Ireland

2- He's 6'4"

3- He played Zeus in "Clash of the Titans"

4- He played Colonel Hannibal Smith in "The A-Team'

5- He's a bad ass