‘Q & A’ Category

  1. My Regional Dialect/Accent Video

    February 3, 2011 by sassenach

    I saw this video meme on kc‘s blog and figured I’d give it a try! The idea is that you read the following list of words so that other people can see how you pronounce them. Then, there’s a set of questions to see what terms you use, based on your regional dialect.

    A little bit of background info: I was born and raised in southeastern Virginia, lived in New Mexico for about 4.5 years, then moved back to Virginia. My parents are originally from the Philippines, which is why I say certain words a different way sometimes (and I elaborate on this in the video). Other than these two states, I’ve never lived anywhere else or traveled outside the U.S.

    Would like to say that it’s always really weird hearing my own voice recorded because it sounds so different inside my head. :lol:

    The words and questions (I got these from bethany actually‘s blog):

    Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

    * What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
    * What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
    * What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
    * What do you call gym shoes?
    * What do you say to address a group of people?
    * What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
    * What do you call your grandparents?
    * What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
    * What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
    * What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

    And here’s my video. To view it, enter the password mixedupbeauty. Enjoy!

    Southeastern Virginia Dialect & Accent from sassenach on Vimeo.

    Category: Q & A, Video | Tags: | 3 Comments

  2. Booking Through Thursday (on Friday): Heavy

    January 28, 2011 by sassenach

    Booking Through Thursday What’s the largest, thickest, heaviest book you ever read? Was it because you had to? For pleasure? For school?

    I’m going to assume this question refers to page count. Without a doubt, the “thickest” book I’ve ever read has to be one of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books. I just checked on Goodreads, and apparently the winner is The Fiery Cross, with a page count of 1,443. (And that’s the mass market edition! Egads. I’m glad I had the trade paperback, which was plenty thick as it is.) Unfortunately, TFC is my least favorite book in the Outlander series. I think it was sorely in need of some good editing. I’m kind of amazed that I actually finished reading it.

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | 1 Comment

  3. Thursday Poll: Makeup & Resolutions

    January 6, 2011 by sassenach

    As seen at Pink Sith:

    1. Blush Of The Day? – NARS Deep Throat. I think makeup names can be ridiculously gimmicky and this is one of them. But “shimmery peach” just doesn’t have the same ring to it, I guess. This is the first NARS blush I bought and I love, love, love it. It’s very flattering without being overpowering; I’ve since bought two other NARS blushes and it’s easy to over-apply those, but I don’t have that issue with DT.

    2. Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? – I didn’t make a formal list before New Year’s Day, but I’ve been tossing ideas around internally, so I’m going to write a post about those soon.

    3. What makeup purchases have you made since January 1st, if any? – A couple Urban Decay eyeshadows (Stray Dog and Shakedown). Yesterday, I just ordered the elusive UD Naked palette, so that should be here in a few days. :)

    4. How did you celebrate New Year’s Eve? – M and I stayed home (as we do every year). I rang in the New Year on the couch, in my PJs. I alternated between the various TV specials but they were all kind of dumb. We did watch the ball drop, though. After that, I flipped back to some marathon that was on–I think it was either Intervention or The First 48–something really depressing and not really fitting for the celebration!

    5. Any Beauty resolutions you think you might want to make this year? – I’ve acquired quite a stash in just several months, so I’m going to work on using up certain products that I own several of (primer, concealer, powder) before trying new brands.

    Category: Makeup, Q & A | Tags: | No Comments

  4. booking through thursday: life-changers

    December 23, 2010 by sassenach

    Booking Through Thursday Which Book Changed Your Life?

    Let me begin by saying that I can’t possibly choose just one book. I can choose a few, though, and explain why they’re so important to me.

    Patti's Luck - Sleepover FriendsThe Sleepover Friends series by Susan Saunders

    I discovered Sleepover Friends ages ago; ok, probably when I was around 8 or 9. I just checked and the publication date was 1987, so I might have been even younger when I first began reading the series. It’s a standard youth series that follows four best friends through their pre-teen years; sort of a Baby-Sitters Club lite. I remember these books fondly because they were the first set of books that made me really fall in love with reading. I flew through the series and re-read them countless times. (I was even known to carry them around with me wherever I went, including a Catholic mass that bored me. My sister was very peeved that I was reading a fiction book during Communion. oops.)

    The Age of Innocence by Edith WhartonThe Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

    I first became aware of The Age of Innocence when the 1993 film adaptation was released in theaters. I remember seeing commercials for the film and being intrigued with the costumes, characters, and story. I bought the book and loved it, although there’s no way that my 13-year-old self possibly could have grasped the story in its entirety. Looking back, and having seen the film many times, I’m quite sure that my teenage self didn’t “get” many of the book’s nuances. But it drew me in with its seemingly doomed story and made me into a Wharton fan (Wharton being a master of the doomed love story). I’m not sure if I would’ve read Ethan Frome if I hadn’t loved The Age of Innocence so much.

    Outlander by Diana GabaldonOutlander by Diana Gabaldon

    I would be remiss if I didn’t include Outlander on this list. It’s a book that has truly invaded my consciousness as a reader. I recall seeing a later book in the series (The Fiery Cross) in a bookstore but putting it back on the shelf when I realized it was part of a series. At the time, I wasn’t interested in reading a series that wasn’t yet complete. Later, I wound up going to a different bookstore and buying Outlander. I remember that the pace of the book struck me as rather slow, and I wondered if I’d made a mistake in buying it. But I kept reading and the book became Very Interesting Indeed. I went back to the bookstore before I’d even finished book #1 and bought book #2. I knew this was a keeper and I had to read the other books. The rest is history, isn’t it? The characters of Jamie and Claire are burned into my mind and this book is the reason why my username everywhere is sassenach. It’s kind of bittersweet because I’m not as obsessed with the series as I used to be–I feel as though the story has been dragged out needlessly and books 1-3 remain my favorites–but I’m certainly still a fan and always recommend the series to others.

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | No Comments

  5. friday five: random

    December 11, 2010 by sassenach

    Friday Five–December 10, 2010

    1. What’s your favorite tree house story?
    This is sad to admit, but I’ve never had a tree house. I’ve never even climbed a tree! Ever. In my entire life. It’s so tragic.

    2. If your life was a soap opera, what would it be called?
    “Flashes of Brilliance, Moments of Stupidity.” lol, I was going through my archives earlier and came across that as a post title I’d used before. I’d say that describes my life perfectly.

    3. If you change your name, does that take away all your past and give you a new start?
    I used to think that a name was very important, but I don’t really feel that way anymore. Having changed my last name (when I got married) and then choosing not to change it back (after I got divorced) was an interesting decision, but ultimately came down to practicality and ease. That is, I can’t really be bothered to change it back because I don’t place much sentimental value on my last name anymore. It really has gotten to the point where it’s just…a name. That being said, if M and I ever make our relationship legal someday, I would probably change my name again. But at this point, I’m not putting too much weight on the name itself.

    4. What’s worse being creepy or a dramatic liar?
    Um…they’re both bad? Creepy people freak everyone else out, and liars aren’t good friends.

    5. Have you ever stabbed anyone in the back?
    Not that I can remember!

    Category: Q & A, Randomness | Tags: | No Comments

  6. booking through thursday: current reads

    September 23, 2010 by sassenach

    Booking Through Thursday What are you reading right now? What made you choose it? Are you enjoying it? Would you recommend it? (And, by all means, discuss everything, if you’re reading more than one thing!)

    I seem to have lost my reading mojo recently. I blame this on the book I’m technically still reading, Summer by Edith Wharton. As much as I love Wharton, this is just really boring. I thought about abandoning it, but I’m half done and it’s actually a short book…I just need to hurry up and finish it already.

    There’s a second book I’m reading, but I haven’t gotten very far since I only started it in an effort to get my reading mojo back. It’s The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I heard it’s somewhat similar to The Hunger Games, so that sounds promising. I’m only a chapter in, but I like what I’ve read so far.

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | 3 Comments

  7. booking through thursday (on saturday): reading meme

    August 21, 2010 by sassenach

    Booking Through ThursdayMeme of Reading Questions:

    This is a pretty long post, so I’m putting it behind a cut.

    (more…)

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | No Comments

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