Helena Handbasket

The Hunger Games Trilogy | Book 3

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:36:00 +0000

The Mockingjay: The final book of Hunger Games got back on track with the action; it had an appropriate ending in my opinion - messy, tragic, and bittersweet.

As I read the last page of Mockingjay, a wave of sadness hit me. I felt a sudden void and pondered: What could I possibly read next that could top this epic adventure that completely hijacked my imagination and took me to places I haven't been since childhood?

So I did what any normal person would do in this situation .. I started reading the first book again.

Thoughts about the movie coming soon.

The Hunger Games Trilogy | Book 2

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:26:00 +0000

Catching Fire: Still a page turner but not as good as the first.

Not a fan of the love triangle, meh! Can't we just focus on the gratuitous violence?!

Fun Fact: I was an archery champion in middle school. I received trophies and ribbons. I didn't have many friends but who needs friends when you have a bow and arrow?

The Hunger Games Trilogy | Book 1

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:51:00 +0000

I read the first book in less than 24 hours. Could not put it down.

That is all.
Susan

Censorship is Whack

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:24:00 +0000

My favorite SOPA public announcement, courtesy of The Oatmeal.

More info on SOPA can be found here or here.

Sayanora, 2011!

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:20:00 +0000

Instead of doing a recap of how eventful my 2011 was, I'm here to torture you with another meme. I know what you're probably thinking:

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Gambled in Las Vegas! Well, kinda... I fed the slot machines $50 over the course of four days and watched Adrian play blackjack and roulette. Risk-taker, I am not.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make any for 2011 and will probably avoid making them in the future.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not really - just a bunch of coworkers and acquaintances.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My cousin passed away on Thanksgiving. He was a great man with a kind heart and soul and will be missed.
5. What countries did you visit? Just the good ole U.S. of A.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? Endless amounts of cash and booze.
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Sending Deanna off to college sans nervous breakdown.
8. What was your biggest failure? The photography challenge.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury? I sprained or pulled something in the torso area a few months ago. After a few visits to the doctor, I still don't know what happened.
10. What was the best thing you bought? Tickets to see Roger Waters perform The Wall @ the Verizon Center in July 2012! I had to see this show again.
11. Where did most of your money go? VCU *tear
12. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Deanna's graduation from high school and moving in with my best/boy friend.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer? <-- (thanks, VCU)
14. What do you wish you’d done more of? Sleep.
15. What do you wish you’d done less of? Driving.
16. What was the best book you read? Stiff.
17. What did you want and get? A Kindle!
18. What did you want and not get? Another motorcycle *sad face.
19. What kept you sane? Therapy (and Adrian).
20. Who did you miss? Makeda.

Happy 2012, ya'll!

Susan

Book: Animals Behaving Badly

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:58:00 +0000

This is a hysterical book filled with short narratives and facts about animals being jerks. I don't think I've gotten through one page without laughing out loud. The author also keeps a blog with the same title - check it out sometime!

Loving my Kindle!

Susan

Christmas Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 03:22:00 +0000

I'm fighting sleep as I type this. Quite the stark contrast of 25 years ago when I was tossing and turning, waiting impatiently for morning so I could attack my pile of gifts and bask in the glory of Christmas day.

I miss being a kid.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Susan

What's A Meme?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:05:00 +0000

Apparently, these self-surveys are called "memes." Who knew? Anyway, here is the A-Z of Me, inspired by Nicole & Allie.

Don't forget to post yours! Narcissism is underrated.

A. Age: 35. I think. Yeah. I’m 35.

B. Bed size: King. Once you’ve gone king, everything else feels like a cot. A king-sized bed is like having your own private island - it’s great.

C. Chore that you hate: Dusting. It is so unfulfilling – as soon as you’re finished, another layer appears.

D. Dogs: I prefer dogs over people. My Boxer, Roach, brings me joy every day.

E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast. I will never understand people who skip this meal on purpose.

F. Favorite color: Toss-up between green and orange.

G. Gold or Silver: Silver. Gold makes my skin look like poop.

H. Height: Between 5’7 & 5'10+ (when I break out the heels).

I. Instruments you play: I used to play clarinet, violin, guitar, and piano. I regret not sticking with the piano because I was really good at it, once upon a time.

J. Job title: LAN (Local Area Network) Administrator

K. Kids: One daughter so far.

L. Live: Germantown. Soon to be Odenton.

M. Mother’s name: My mother's name is Mary Elizabeth. Everyone calls her Mary Beth. She is one of my heroes.

N. Nicknames: Sue but only special people can call me that (please don't assume you are one of them).

O. Overnight hospital stays: Just one when I had Deanna.

P. Pet peeves: People who leave their dog shit right by the pet cleanup station.

Q. Quote from a movie: “Missa Chow so cold….” – Mr. Chow, The Hangover Part II

R. Right or left handed: Rightie.

S. Siblings: One younger sister, one older brother.

T: Time you wake up: Before the sun comes up. If I’m lucky, I’ll sleep till 8 a.m. on weekends. I'm convinced I was a farmer or a baker in a past life.

U. Underwear: When I wear pants or short skirts; otherwise, I’m probably commando.

V. Vegetable you hate: Mushrooms make me want to hurl. I recently gave them one more chance but they were still slimy and tasted like dirt.

W. What makes you run late: All of the above: 270/495/295/95/355

X. X-Rays you’ve had: A few years ago, I was in a minor motorcycle accident and got x-rayed. I also get x-rayed during my dental checkups every now and then.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Bulgogi (Korean beef that is OH so good), chili, guacamole, Cowgirl cookies, and red velvet cupcakes.

Z. Zoo animal: Zoos are dumb. I feel so bad for wild animals that are confined. I hope they pull a Rise of the Planet of the Apes someday.

The Ides of March

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:39:00 +0000

I'm all over this.

Susan

NITB Wrap-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:48:00 +0000

I am happy to announce that Project NITB has come to an end. Here is a quick summary of the results:

Did I cut back on personal spending? Majorly.
Was I perfect? No.
Did I save thousands of dollars? Nah.
Did I become more mindful of my spending? Yup.

What I would have saved went towards expenses for my teenager. Senior year is an expensive one, HFS! Prom, graduation, SAT, ACT, college apps, wisdom teeth extraction... the list goes on and on. For those of you with more than one child, my heart goes out to you. For REAL.

Getting rid of my credit cards was the most liberating part of NITB and I don't regret it for a second. I don't think credit cards are stupid or evil - they're just not for me.

I'm proud of myself for making it through -- it was easier than I thought it would be (much easier than the photography challenge debacle).

Farewell, NITB. Now bring on the Lulu and Anthro!

Just kiddin' - college starts on the 25th. Goodbye, savings account.

Susan

Perception

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:28:00 +0000

Most days, we feel like this:

And some other days, this occurs:

But we always remember where we came from and have lots of hope and positive thoughts about where we are headed.

Life is good.

Susan

FYI

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Oh, who am I kidding?

I'm ok with this.

Susan

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 10

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Day 10: A photo of whatever you please.

I love this pic. Makeda took it almost two years ago:

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 9

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Day 9: A photo of something from a distance.

Sugarloaf Mountain ski trails in Vermont.

*Totally cheating at this point, using recycled pics from my albums. I just need to get this challenge over and done with. Meh.

Happy Anniversary, Studio X!

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 03:05:00 +0000

Photography Challenge | Intermission

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:37:00 +0000

Enjoy this musical selection while I work on fixing my camera.

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Day 8: A photo of something close-up

I always come across unusual moths in my 'hood.

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:38:00 +0000

This one was difficult for me. I have a lot to learn about manipulating light to create special effects. Here is a shot of Deanna on our balcony.

This is how it should be done. Deanna's friend Roberto shot this a few years ago. He's amazing.

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 6

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Day 6: A photo from a low angle

Getting ready to Zumba @ Studio X:

Little Miss Graduate

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:10:00 +0000

She did it! I couldn't be more proud.

Congratulations, Deanna!

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 20:23:00 +0000

Day 5: A photo of whatever I please

Roach loves his new bed (thank you, Grandma):

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 20:17:00 +0000

Day 4: A photo from a high angle

Scene from a mall (kid's play area):

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:53:00 +0000

Day 3: A favorite place to be

Studio X for kickboxing and Zumba!

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:39:00 +0000

Day 2: A photo of what I wore today

Today, I wore this dress to Deanna's graduation.

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Celmer) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:57:00 +0000

I've been challenged! Thanks to Tish from Luv & Kiwi for the inspiration. Let's see if I can keep up with this one.

Day 1: A photo of myself