Top Ten Tuesday: Non-Bookish Sites

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

So I tend to focus on mainly bookish things here. Even my last post, which was art related, stemmed from Harry Potter. But what kinds of sites do I read that aren't book related? Here's my top ten:

10. Pottermore

Sorta cheating here, but I do enjoy the games/activities on Pottermore. Sure, it's a site based around a book, but it's not just about reading, right?

9. Etsy

Partly business, and partly just browsing. Perusing the site for the latest and greatest handmade goodies is just so much fun! Seeing the prices on said goodies...well, not so much. When I win the lottery...

8. The Daily Show

This one I mostly go in spurts. I see a little on TV and then go watch 5 episodes (or extended interviews) straight. Jon Stewart is awesome.

7. Hellfire Commentaries

That's right - I have a video game addiction. But I'm lousy at playing games, so I settle for watching other people play them instead. It keeps me up-to-date on pop culture, while entertaining me with the commentators' witty rapport. And gotta love NTom's British accent.

6. That Guy With the Glasses

A fairly recent find, but I absolutely love watching CR, The Nostalgia Critic or Nostalgia Chick rip into my childhood favorites. Whether it be Disney, TV shows of olde or not so olde, these guys are masters of hilarity. I find myself cracking up even while they're bashing movies I absolutely loved.

5. XKCD

A comic that may not look pretty, but consistently delivers great punchlines, touching moments, or witty insights.

4. ...With Sprinkles

A web-comic/blog created by one of my college friends. I always look forward to Mondays knowing I'll get a good laugh - even if it does usually come from her misfortune. ...Does that make me a bad person?

3. TV Line

I wouldn't say I'm an American Idol addict...but I love reading/watching Michael Slezak's recaps, insights, interviews and predictions each season. And when he's not reporting, I sometimes look for the latest spoilers for my fave shows. TV spoilers = okay. Book spoilers = I kill you.

2. YouTube

I'm tempted to put this as number one, but since this is purely entertainment/distraction, I guess it gets lowered a peg. Whether it's watching a line of related videos for 3 hours more than anticipated, or checking out my favorite channels (SSoHPKC, ApprenticeA, CardGamesFTW, ItsJustSomeRandomGuy, HISHEdotcom, and TheCreatureHub to name a few), YouTube never ceases to entertain.

1. deviantART

Another site all too easy to spend unaccounted hours at, deviantART is probably where I spend the most non-bookish time. Between reposting my reviews, browsing random art, managing the SmilingMoonCreations account, browsing more art, checking in on my groups, uploading photos, and browsing the latest art my favorite artists have posted, it's a busy busy site.

Honorable Mentions:
Pandora
Library's Site
Ctrl+Alt+Del
Various Manga sites
Facebook


Yeah, a lot of my sites revolve around movies, video games, and art.
Can you tell I like distractions?
Which sites are on your list? Let me hear you howl!

Majorly Undecided

Since I'm in the process of re-reading Trickster's Girl before moving on to reading and reviewing its sequel, Traitor's Son, here's a bit of fun I ran into today while visiting one of my favorite comics, xkcd.

First, here's a video that should help provide context for the comic below:


Ah, good olde musicals.
If you're in for another tongue-twisting song, check out It Really Doesn't Matter.

I'm sure most college students have felt pretty confused at one point or another, especially when it comes to declaring their major. I didn't declare my major (Creative Writing) until the last minute (Junior year), even though I knew when I applied that's what I wanted.

And now, with the recession, I'm sure many kids that age are wondering exactly what to do. I can't offer much advice, seeing as every person and situation's different, but here's a comic that may make you smile:

Someday I'll be the first to get a Ph.D in 'Undeclared'.

Hope you enjoyed.

There Is No Plan, Plus 5 More Career Secrets

~The Adventures of Johnny Bunko~
The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need
By Daniel H. Pink & Rob Ten Pas
Amazon ~ Powell's

The 6 career secrets no one ever told you.

Meet Johnny Bunko. He's probably a lot like you. He did what everybody—parents, teachers, counselors—told him to do. But now, stuck at a dead-end job, he's begun to suspect that what he thought he knew is just plain wrong. One bizarre night, Johnny meets Diana, the unlikeliest career advisor he's ever seen. Part Cameron Diaz, part Barbara Eden, she reveals to Johnny the six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work.

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is America's first business book in the Japanese comic format known as manga. Packed with smart, life-changing advice you won't find anywhere else, it's the last career guide you'll ever need.


My dad picked this up as he was perusing the bookshelves at Goodwill. I was pretty surprised when I saw it since he primarily reads only non-fiction, and definitely not picture books. But he said he'd heard good things about it, and had read the author before. So I shrugged and didn't think any more of it.

J is for Jokes

Sometimes when you've had a bad day, you just need a joke to lighten the mood. They say laughter is the best medicine, and when you're going through some tough times, it's great to be able to escape into a laugh every now and again.

So here are some jokes, comedians, and generally funny videos I've found around the net. Hope you can find something that tickles your funny bone.

God and three of his disciples are up in heaven, just chillin and chatting. Suddenly, God tells the disciples, "Go out and do a bad deed." The disciples are hesitant, but this is God talking so they really can't argue. All three leave and go out to do their bad deeds.

The first disciple comes back crying—just bawling his eyes out. God asks, "My son, what did you do? Why are you crying?" The disciple says through his tears, "I killed a dog." God comforts him and says, "Go, drink from the Holy Water and all will be forgiven." So the disciple goes off to drink from the Holy Water.

The second disciple comes back crying—barely able to walk from his grief. God asks, "My son, what did you do? Why are you crying?" This disciple takes longer but finally says, "I killed a camel." God comforts him and says, "Go, drink from the Holy Water and all will be forgiven." So the disciple goes off to drink from the Holy Water.

The third disciple comes back laughing, clutching his sides, barely able to breathe. God, quite confused asks him, "What did you do? Why are you laughing?" The disciple takes a long time before he can speak, but finally says, "I peed in the Holy Water!"

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A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your pet has passed away."

The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. The duck is dead" he replied.

"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet patted the dog and took it out.

The vet returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed the bird from it's beak to it's tail and back again. The cat sat back on her haunches, shook her head, meowed softly, jumped down and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck." Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys, and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.

The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$300!" she cried. "$300 just to tell me my duck is dead?!!"

The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $40. But with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it all adds up."

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When a Woman Will Lie

One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river, her thimble fell into the river. When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "My dear child, why are you crying?" The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family.

The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with sapphires. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

The seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a golden thimble studded with rubies. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

Again, the seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord reached down again and came up with a leather thimble. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

The seamstress replied, "Yes." The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.

...

Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water. When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, "Why are you crying?''

"Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!"

The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney. "Is this your husband?" the Lord asked.

"Yes," cried the seamstress.

The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"

The seamstress replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'no' to George Clooney, you would have come up with Brad Pitt. Then if I said 'no' to him, you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said 'yes', you would have given me all three. Lord, I'm not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so THAT'S why I said 'yes' to George Clooney."

And so the Lord let her keep him.

The moral of this story is:

Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

Signed,
~All Us Women

Warning: Strong Adult Language



So, any good jokes you can share?


A couple J Books I've Read:

A Jovial J Vid:

The J Font:

Me in Threes

Yeah, it's silly, but what else am I gonna do?

I have been tagged by Lisa Gail Green to participate in ME IN THREES.

So here goes:

Three names I go by:

Vicki

Stormy

Wolfy

Three jobs I've had:

Courtesy Clerk

Guest Service Representative

Moderator

Three places I've lived:

Indiana

Beaverton

McMinnville

Three places I've been:

Walt Disney World

Medieval Times (Los Angeles)

Terminus Harry Potter Convention (Chicago)

Three favorite movies:

WALL-E

Apollo 13

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Three favorite books authors:

JK Rowling

Patricia Briggs

Tamora Pierce

Three places I'd love to visit:

England

Ireland

Aussieland Australia

Three favorite hobbies:

Writing

Reading

Photomanipulation

Three things I'm looking forward to:

Seeing the results of the Alice in Wonderland Contest on DeviantArt (June 15th)

NaNoWrMo (November)

The 7th Harry Potter Movie release (November 19th)

Now three following bloggers that I don't know enough about:

Kevin Atteridg

Yusra

J. Cordelia

TAG YOU'RE IT!!

^_^

I've Been to New York...?

Firstly, my mom likes to hoard my mail. I don't know why she can't just give it to me, but it somehow ends up in her room and I don't see it for years.

Case in point, I didn't receive my acceptance letter to Eastern Washington University until just before I left for Linfield College.

Well, last week, she found another piece of mail for me. Check out this postmark date:

 Yeah, that's right, April 06, 2009. Nice job, Mom. Course, that means I was still at college, so I don't know why it was coming to my house...but still.

The fun doesn't end there. I'm not quire sure why, but apparently I was sent a card from:

I'm not even sure I received any information from them when I was applying to colleges.

But now it gets really weird...

Dear Victoria,
I'm so happy you decided to join us last weekend for scholar's weekend. I hope you had a good time. It was a pleasure meeting you during our walking tour of the lower East Side. I'm sure you are receiving many offers, but I hope you decide to join us this fall and be an MLK Scholar.
Hope to see you again,
Christina

On the left side of the card was this picture:

As you can probably see, I am not in this picture (though, you can click to see it larger). I was at school all through March and April of last year. In fact, I have never been to New York State, let alone New York City.

Wait a moment...is that me?

No, no I don't think so. The hair might be similar, but I'm still pretty sure I wouldn't go to NYC for an MLK Scholar's weekend. Yet, they sent me a card (with my name and address).

Now, this leaves me one of three options...

1. I have an evil twin.
2. Someone I know decided to go on this trip and give them my information instead of their own.
3. Another 'Victoria S.' attended this MLK Scholarship weekend, and didn't give any of her own information. So, when trying to contact her, the school Googled her, or Facebooked her or whatever, found me, and inserted my address.

I think I can rule out #1 if only because our house isn't big enough for me not to notice another me running around.

#2 could be plausible...except that I can't recognize anyone in the photo. So, either it is that girl above trying to play a prank on me, or she had to take a potty break and wasn't in the picture, or was the one TAKING the picture!

...Or it could just be #3. Which I find pretty funny anyway.

 So, now I'm thinking about contacting the admissions office and having some fun... So, if you were in my situation, what would you do?

Or, if you're the one who posed as me...let me know and I will be happy to sue you for identity theft.

That is all. ^_^