He Wants the B(OOKS)! Book Haul Video

BOOKS MENTIONED (Amazon Affiliate Links)

1.  Leslie by Omar Tyree: http://amzn.to/1VffoDe

2.  Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler: http://amzn.to/1PtIQ46

3.  Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs: http://amzn.to/1Vffr26

4.  No Longer a Slumdog: Bringing Hope to Children in Crisis by K. P. Yohannan: http://amzn.to/1Saw7bJ

5.  Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P. Bix: http://amzn.to/1PtJ9vV

6.  China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan: http://amzn.to/1PtJfn2

7.  The Train Now Departing by Martha Grimes: http://amzn.to/1PtJhLD

~~~~~CHANNELS MENTIONED~~~~~

1.  FreeFormLady [Leslie]: https://www.youtube.com/user/LadyTee315

2.  Musical Tait [Parable of the Talents]: https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicalTati

3.  Dale LaRose [Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl]: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpZqzK8iuRiVkY5PQtDKxTw

4.  Yesmissjane [China Rich Girlfriend]: https://www.youtube.com/user/yesmissjane

Night #2 Resident Evil 0 HD Live Stream

Today's LIVE Stream of Resident Evil 0 HD

Resident Evil 0 is one of my favorite games in the Resident Evil franchise–for a variety of reasons.  I love the grittiness of its atmosphere the protagonist Rebecca Chambers and Billy Cohen traverse through.  Of course as they unveil the Umbrella Corporation's secrets, while fighting zombies and mutated monsters.  Nonetheless, naturally, I love the music as well.

I also love the game because of Rebecca's unassuming nature, and how strong of a character she was.  The game puts Rebecca through hell–and number of times.  She's a survivor.  The homely bad-ass.

The list  goes on.  I have so many great memories of the game when it initially released on the GameCube in 2002.  The night I bought it, me and some friends were heading to Birmingham.  We stopped to get oil at Wal-Mart and bought the game there, toting it down the highway in pure excitement.

So I'm glad Capcom released the game in HD.  Between the two, I would actually take Resident Evil 0 as opposed to the original's remake.

Anyway, enough babbling.  I'm Live Stream in the game on the PS4 via my gaming channel.

(And yes, I curse while playing games.)

New Year, New Metaphysics Haul

A new year brings a new visit to the metaphysics gift shop to freshen up Life's pages.  Okay.  Well, something like that.  You all know what I mean.  Anyway, I do this just about every January, so I'm back again with another Dreammaker haul to share.  

The first thing I asked when I stepped in the shop Saturday was whether the proprietors had anything new.  New crystals.  Incense.  Gemstones.  Anything worth a try for the upcoming year.  It's been a year since I last stepped in the place, and because I like trying new New Thought items, I had to see what was new.  Experimenting with different powders and such, but not so ritualistically.  If you will.  

I ran out of my Anna Riva powdered incense from two years ago, so I decided to head in this direction for 2016.  There's so many to choose from, though.  I went back and forth during my visit.  You have the incense powder you burn for attracting love, finding success, and meditation.  There's even a powder as specific as winning a court case!  (I pray I never have to indulge myself in that specific blend.)  

I decided to get the incense blend for better business and healing–both self-explanatory on their purpose.  But outside of their function, I really love the actual aroma of each.  The better business has the same lemon/lime scent as Anna Riva's money powder.  (In parts, it smells like money.)  And the healing powder has a peppermint and spicy vanilla scent.  According to Anna Riva's website, this particular powdered incense is best burned on Sunday's.  As a purifying and protective fragrance lingers throughout your home. 

That's right.  Quick money herbal spell mix.  I had to grab this one.  Especially after getting off the phone with a student loan company the day before.  As well as standing for eight hours at work previous to my Dreammaker trip.  A grueling and mind-numbing eight hours I must add.  Anyway, I've never had a herbal spell bag before.  And it was new so why not?  I dropped a pinch or two into my crystals/gemstone pouch and'll burn the rest.  You know.  To see what cracks and crevices of life some little money will seep through.

(Note: this stuff doesn't burn well.  But let's be clear: anything I buy from a metaphysics and New Thought gift shop is hardly used in its traditional sense.  It's usually about fun and experimentation.  So I wouldn't count on me to understand the exact purpose of this mix.)

I was long overdue for a new smudge stick.  My previous one is just that: STICKS.  So I finally got a new one for cleansing and purifying space, body and mind.  Oh, and crystals/gemstones.  

But check this.  I read an article not long ago that linked burning white sage to clearing bacteria out of the air.  So the Native Americans continued to have it right.

Well, that's all I got for.  Here's to 2016.  More progress.  More growth.  Evolving with good people and better opportunities.  Remember to visit the Dreammaker website for your own New Thought gifts.

1Q84 | Aomame X Tengo | BOOK 1

Oh, boy.  Oh, joy.  Oh, what-the-Hell-I-like-this-book.

I decided to open 2016 going after my bigger books.  This includes omnibus editions containing a set of series entries of some sort.  Which is exactly where Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 lies.  Containing a total of three books, I recently wrapped up the first entry.  And have yet the precise words to describe the experience.  I don’t think there any concrete words.  Yet, not to suggest I didn’t enjoy the experience–because I did.  And a lot more than my previous–and introductory–reading of Murakami’s Dance Dance Dance.

I just don’t know exactly how to put the experience into words.  So perhaps a quick summary would get my thinking juices flowing.  Or one could hope.

So here’s what 1Q84 is about.  Which is only right for me to walk you through this summary alongside myself.  The little synopsis/premise I collected previous to picking the book (over a year ago) were kind of misty on its direction.  The book itself throws all these terms at you to describe your approaching experience.  Romance.  Mystery.  Fantasy.  All to name a few.  And it’s all those descriptions–in some gradient of each over another.  But I found those descriptions useless, for those grappling with engaging with the book.  To me, the book is a surreal reading experience.  One you have to take in without–I guess you could say–a concrete overture to rely on.  Funny how many Japanese writers put me in this frame of mind after venturing through their books.

The story alternates between two third-person narratives.  Of course they'll eventually float into the same literary space of Tokyo, 1984.

ASMR Exp. | Kitchen Noises Making Watergate Salad

2016 Goodreads Challenge GOALS... Err... Maybe Not

First, I gotta wonder how long I’ll be able to keep this “joke” up.  Because I’m always changing my mind about something.  Secondly, of course I’ll never stop a year reading only 17 books.  I'm not that HIGH!

What’s up, visitors/friends/neighbors/etc?  I’d like to share what I set myself up for in 2016, about Goodreads' yearly book consumption challenge.  Now I know reading and keeping track of your finished books is not a big deal to some.  But, personally, I like keeping track.  It speaks to the OCD and book lover nature in me.  The Goodreads' platform containing various thumbnail images of my book conquests puts a touch of joy in my bookworm spirit.  Or something like that.  Anyway, unfortunately, I think I got a little too OCD and personal with my reading last year.  Last year what should’ve been a relaxed stroll through books turned slightly into a grind-feast.  And it had a lot to do with increased work hours and just general personal life distractions.

You know how it goes.

So I played around with the thought of just skipping out on the challenge this year.  I told myself I was going to let it go and take my time reading.  But that’s just no damn fun to me!  I love a challenge.  I love being a witness to progress.  Hell, I love books and the hours I spend soaked in them.

So I decided to soup up my favorite number–17–and stick it in the blank box as my goal.  That’s it.  17.  From 2015’s 60 to only 17.  That number will eventually morph and transform into something bigger.  But only after I’ve hit it.

Now on to fill in the goal!

So what's your 2016 Goodreads reading goals?  What number do you have in mind?