"My name is Britta, and I now own a Kindle."

Of course I had to add this novel, what with the new Breaking Dawn trailer that's out. 

I've written this article expecting stones to be thrown from every angle. Of course, as a bibliophile, the purchase of a Kindle could seem a kind of betrayal. After all, I've been voracious in the fight to keep the printed word on the shelves, tagged my websites, and engaged in many a testy dialogue on how E-Readers are blasphemous to the written word! And then I moved to the UK, and realized I purchased more books than I could possibly bring home with me. The solution? A spanking new Kindle 3G.

I couldn't stop the exhilaration flowing through me, as new gadgets are always fun! I purchased it right before making a London trip, thinking I could test it out, and see how it fared against wonderful binding. 

Pros

3G Network/Memory: The thing that truly boggles my mind is knowing that I have close to 60 books tucked into my purse...but in a neat little slab. I think every bibliophile would agree that they've tried to fit entire libraries into their bags, and as awesome as it is to have them all, it's hefty and hard on the shoulders. Adding more to the obsession, Kindle 3G is connected to a network which allows perpetual access to the Amazon marketplace. If it's a novel you simply cannot wait for, especially if you were going to order it online, the Kindle satisfies the impatience!

Glare-Free Screen/Seamless Page Turning: Before I purchased a Kindle, I believed that the screen would have the glare of a computer screen. I normally have no problem reading on the computer, yet over time, it can tend to pull a whammy on your eyesight. The invention off E-Ink has changed me. Once you get over the discomforting thought that comes with not reading a physical book, you sink right into the Kindle. Its' page turning buttons are placed at a comforting reach on each side. Before you realize it, you've fully immersed yourself into the world of the novel, rather than being taken up with binding.  I, for one, was surprised at how easy it was to transition. 

Notes: One of the greatest features on Kindle 3G is Notes/Highlighting. I'm one of those people who not only underlines every line that sparks an emotion, but fills any white spaces with notes and jottings. Originally, I was put off by the Kindle, believing I wouldn't have the same luxury. But Amazon went and added a note taking feature, which allows you to Highlight whole passages. For those of us who love to share, it allows you to share your recent notes and highlights via Twitter and Facebook. Even more fascinating is the nifty feature which allows you to view the most popular highlighted passages of any book that other's have noted. Of course, if you're a reader who hates little notes left in by past graffiti artists, then it can be turned off!

Experimental Prototypes (Music, Internet, Text to Speech): It was awesome to discover that the Kindle allows you to surf the net. Is it the smoothest running browser? No, but just the fact that it's included makes me feel like I'm getting more for the dollar. Do you like to listen to music while reading? Kindle also has a feature which allows you to download MP3's and listen while you read, surf, or browse the Amazon Marketplace. Text to Speech allows you to rest your eyes, and listen to an automated voice read passages. That feature definitely came in handy during my 5,000 word essay on Wuthering Heights.

Battery Life: With the 3G network turned on you can read for as many as ten days. With it turned off, you can read for as long as a month. Sounds pretty good to me!

Skins/Covers: Kindle has some of the coolest covers and skins! If you love to beautify your gadgets, one can get lost on Etsy or Amazon searching for slip covers! It helps you to personify your portable library!

Cons

Eau de Novel: I believe most bibliophiles read books for the entire experience: its binding, the kind of paper it's printed on, its smell (be it new or old) and its overall allure. I, for one, love used novels because it seems entire lives are imprinted on to them, especially worn paperbacks! Unfortunately, with a computer device, one cannot appreciate these little additions. Amazon sees it as becoming immersed  in the words themselves instead of aesthetics. What's you're take on that?

Battery Power: It's very weird to think your novel could lose power, and you'll have to race to an outlet/usb port to continue reading. Although, I've never allowed mine to lose power, but I'm currently testing it out.

Book Shops: If you make too much of a home with your Kindle, it could easily stop you from venturing out to bookshops, having a cuppa, and sharing in the beauty of a wonderful marketplace full of books. I couldn't really imagine not making trips to bookstores and taking in the ambience of literary excitement.

Kindle Book Prices: As a standard, most books are $9.99, but it can go as high as $15 depending upon the publishers set price. Can you see my face, eying them with disdain? I'm paying nine dollars and ninety-nine cents for a novel that has neither binding, nor glue, nor fanciful pages to bend or highlight. What am I paying for exactly? A file sent by Whispernet (Amazon's wireless network). Files should be no more than $5 dollars. And then the publishing world wonders why so many would rather pilfer the file from google than to overspend...on a file! In one particular occasion, I wanted to purchase Young Hearts Crying by Richard Yates, but was put off by the astounding price of $11.99. I still haven't purchased it to this day. To spend this much, it must come with all the fixings (perhaps like the Barnes & Noble Nook): Full color screens, video footage, and writer interviews on their processes...something that reminds me it's not just a mobile file.

Overall

I've discovered that I love my Kindle about as much as I love lugging books around. However, I wouldn't go as far as to say it replaces books. There is no replacement to a lovely book cover, binding, and enchantment of browning pages or musty fragrances. But this causes me to choose certain books wisely. There are some books that unfortunately aren't worth having in solid forms (This doesn't mean they aren't good!). Some are completely fine to download and keep in your awesome slab collection. While others, must be collected, savored, read again and again without the fear of a dwindling battery. 

What say you Bibliophiles? Kindle or no?

Source: We Heart It 1 | 2

Insignificant Things: Remember Me Challenge

Because sometimes we all need a little reminder.

{source}

{source}

{source}

Reading Remember Me greatly inspired me to put together this challenge for myself. 

I noticed a lot of similarities between Tyler and myself: a kind of boredom about the lives we lead. You wake up, you have to be strong, so you pretend you don't need anyone; vulnerability is a trap, and no one can touch you. Experience taught you to be this way, but you usually end up stuck. You want to change it, but sometimes you feel like nothing you do will change anything.

Then I noticed Ally, and how no matter how hard she was knocked down, she went after life with zest. She sought the 'best' things in life first, and taught Tyler to do the same. There's something about literally grabbing life by the throat!

I'm so tired of living life in some sort of cave, like I'm going through the motions just to do it all over again tomorrow.  I want to gain a sense of celebration for seemingly no reason, because if anything is worth celebrating, it's life, my friends and family. When I was little, my mother would choose any day of the week to make pink pancakes for me, or blue ones the color of the Smurfs in the cartoon.  And I looked forward to it each time because I didn't even know why the day was special, it was just fun!

So this challenge is really simple: Go out with some people you love, even some new people you want to get to know, and have fun. Celebrate them, celebrate yourselves. Celebrate the fact that its Thursday. Wear party hats and go mental in the streets! Whatever you want. As long as you're creating a memory. The Gandhi quote basically says that the things you view as insignificant are the most significant.

How will you choose to be remembered?

if this challenge inspired you, please feel free to save this graphicand add it to your page! please link back to this post!

"What's the least offensive way to call someone a dismally vain, self absorbed shell of a human being?"

Why am I intrigued with this show?

My Life as Liz premiered on MTV on Monday night, and I really had no idea what to expect from it. I thought, 'Oh, MTV's good at showcasing teen's lives like an episode of MADE, why not give it a try." Who I met was a girl named, Liz Lee. A red haired, Juno-esque angst tank living in a town of blond androids, and those who aspire to the same shallow existence. It's her senior year, and she wants to leave High School with a bang, change some lives, some minds, and experience life outside of four walls.

Review
Sure, its a type of cliche to explore teen angst, as every generation has its club of angst filled, post pubescent human beings. But this show rocks on so many levels. It's witty, fun, hilarious, and each character, even the blond robots, have distinct personalities. I always gravitate towards people who flow against status quo, and have unique hair, so Liz fits the mold. She's not so angst filled you want to shake her, and you want to see her move on to defeat her arch nemeses, get the perfect shy, scruffy guy, and change Taylor Terry's (Questioning android) life.

Favorite moment
Episode 2: Liz gets a Valentine's Day surprise of 12 carnations from first name- Secret/last name- Admirer. When she gets home, she ties each carnation to her ceiling fan with ropes that look like nooses, and watches as they spin. Most random/ hilarious moment I've seen in a while.


Character Who Might Grow On Me

Taylor Terry
Although she proved to be a real turncoat when she completely ignored Liz on the first day back at school (after having confided in her how much she wants to change from an android to a living breathing mammal), she sticks up for Liz to her fellow blond trouble makers, and rushes to apologize to her after an unfortunate happening.

She may never change. Or she might, and become her own person by the end of the season!

Cheers

britta.

Dreaming my way to a Profit

{weheartit}

My mother posed a challenge to me today. It's actually a perfect way to start the new year, but an equally daunting task. In her self assured voice she asked: "Suppose that you're in Wales, and the chocolate store you work in provides enough money for you to eat, and for transportation, but still not enough to handle other necessities. How would you work your gift?"

How would I work my gift? "I obviously don't know, Mom, that's why I am in this situation," I replied, words laced with sarcasm and self doubt. Self doubt is what's kept me from leaping out there, and writing for print, or sending out short stories. So I launched into blogging three months ago, desiring to do it in a way which would seriously help me get noticed, and form a portfolio of sorts. It's still my desire! But, I've always tried so hard to stay away from competition and in reality, the kind of hunger and persistence that makes you move. Why: because if I fail, then what?

But, what if I don't fail?

Over the past year, I have met cool people, and followed some awesome bloggers out there who take the cake when it comes to persistence:

Wish Wish Wish

Carrie

Carrie started her blog to create a portfolio of all of her photographs, fashion inspirations, and personal musings. I've watched it over the last year, and it's become a voice for style and photography. Carrie's been featured in fashion magazines, blogs, and shops such as Modcloth.com, for her keen fashion sense, whimsical musings, and awesome photographs.  She's even branched out by making small videos of her shopping excursions through Brick Lane, and other parts of London. It all started with her making a small blog just for herself, and now she's well on her way to achieving her dreams.

Charade Style

Megan

Megan started Charade Style to show college students how to efficiently save money, move forward academically/professionally, and how to be a fashionista on a budget. I've peeped in to her website off and on throughout the year, and it's pretty brilliant. Her articles 'Making Your Dreams Come True,' and the latest 'Make Your Life Amazing' series, cause you to stop, sit, and think about becoming the very best 'you' you can be! She's also a creative writing major, as I am, and she wanted to write about things she loves, while building a well written portfolio for prospective opportunities. So far, she has several hundred subscribers waiting to read her how-to's!

Bella Amour

Gabrielle

My GREAT friend Gabrielle, started her website, after creating an amazing graphics community on livejournal. She learned that people actually wanted to pay for her blinkies, icons, and web layouts, and then branched out to start Bella Amour! She creates beautiful, whimsical work that will bring out the Princess in all of us, or the elegant Audrey Hepburn that all of us wish to be! She's really just started it, but its only the beginning of success. All it took was stepping out there, and learning that she was worth her hire.

These women really illuminate me, because all it took for them was the drive to create something with their gifts. Oh the journey! Two Thousand Ten will be my year to do just that. I just have to find a niche some how.  If you know what it is, feel free to let me in on it!

Wow. Lovely.

Why am I intrigued with this show?

I am later than most who've been watching since series one. Plus, in America it doesn't seem to be quite as widespread. But being a lover of British everything, when I heard of SKINS, I thought, ah..why not?

Slight Review.
Seriously, we thought Degrassi went there. But these kids make them look like Sesame Street. I remember watching the first episode with my mouth wide open the entire time. Profanity, sex and drugs for days. I was both disturbed, and interested to see where it went. The next parts in the series go harder and harder with the drug abuse and lurid sex. However, as a writer, I can respect the creation of interesting characters. If you divert your attention from all of the debauchery, you see each character seems lost in their own ways. None of the characters are carbon copies of others we've seen before, which is awesome! For the most part, the show isn't a carbon copy.

RATED: MA. Definitely not the most kid friendly show. However, not one for censoring, this stuff does go on in high schools during real time. This show reminds me we have loads to pray about, and people to pray for. :-).

Favorite Character

Cassie.
She reminds me of a character of mine.
She's enigmatic. At first {in the first episode} I thought: Wow, I didn't know they had valley girls in England. However, her story has many more layers than that. She's been neglected so much that she drowns it all out, as a child would while colouring outside of the lines. Cassie's both sunshine and rainbows, while being completely aware of trauma.

I am happy that

This kid grew up from the film, About A Boy. Very handsome!

I love that: the jingle of the show twinkles as if there's nothing wrong in the world.


off for now, kiddies.