Currently

I meant to do one of these a little earlier in the month but I forgot, whoops. But here it is now, stuff I have been up to.

my gram's puppy Lily

Watching: Teen Wolf! Season 4 just started and the first episode was excellent. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. I've also been watching Adventure Time in between doing school work to give my brain a break.

Reading: I powered through all the books currently out in the Magnificent Devices series as well as doing a lot of reading for class. The last book (Ruin and Rising) in The Grisha Trilogy also came out and I read through that pretty quickly. It was an excellent way to end the series but I'm still pretty emotional about it.

Listening to: This collection of southern gothic playlists and well as this collection of anti-romance/aromantic playlists.

Wearing: Comfy clothes per usual -gym shorts, loose tank tops, sports bras, flip flops. I did get creative for the Fall Out Boy concert though and rocked these awesome gold and black striped shorts I have.

Doing: Homework. I just finished up all my work for my first class and have a week break before my second one starts. But the past week or two has been a lot of reading and essay writing and test taking. I've also been playing around on photoshop a lot, organizing my notes for camp nano next month, and hooping,

I know this space is quiet. I know I don't update much. But if any of you are really interested in my day to day you can find me on twitter -I tweet a lot and it's a great way to get in touch with me.

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Currently

I'm trying so hard to update this space more and it's kind of working. I've spent most of the last week with the lovely Sue who just celebrated her 24th birthday. We've mostly just been hanging out, writing, watching some tv shows, and drinking wine. We did, however, volunteer at the library to help set up and run a book sale, which was fun.

Writing in the library.

Other than that, currently I have been...

Watching: Penny Dreadful, which is so good and I can't wait for the next episode; Orphan Black, which I just finished season 1 of last night and I am definitely hooked; and I finally got to see Vampire Academy which I loved. I'me a huge fan of the books and I was extremely pleased with the movie adaptation.

Reading: I finished the Graceling Realm series recently and I've also been rereading The Dream Thieves because it's one of my favourite books. I just got Etiquette & Espionage from the library which is next on my reading list.

Listening to: Lots of upbeat music -M.I.A., Nicki Minaj, Little Mix, Marina & the Diamonds, Save Ferris, Maroon 5, Rizzle Kicks, etc.

Wearing: It's warmed up a lot here so I've mostly just been wearing shorts and lightweight t-shirts or tank tops. I've been going barefoot as much as possible or just throwing on flip flops. I love summer because I can get away with wearing no shoes or sweaters. It's great.

Doing: Writing a lot. I've also baked a lot recently, which I love doing but haven't really in awhile. I also taught myself how to make gifs in photoshop so I've spent a lot of time doing that, just because I can.

I also will be signing up for summer classes next week so that I can finish my degree. I had to wait for my petition to count Women's Lit as a literary movement class to go through and it finally did. So I will be taking Women's Lit and hopefully another history course and when I'm done I can officially say I have a B.A. in English Lit. Hurrah!

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Currently

This space has been quiet and I apologize for that. I haven't really had much to say to be honest. I have been spending a lot of time writing, reading, and talking to people via my tumblr because it's a more active space in general. I didn't forget about this blog though, I have just been at a loss for what to post. I haven't really done anything interesting.
Although, I did finally go to the doctor's to talk about my anxiety/depression. Both my mom and my brother are bipolar and we decided I definitely am as well. Which is no surprise. I'm currently on some medication for it and we'll see how it goes.

view from my back door.

So lately I have been...

Watching: I started watching Parks & Rec on netflix, which is entertaining. I also watched Brooklyn 99 which is an amazing show and I recommend everyone watch it. 

Reading: The third book of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy came out this month and I read that in about 2 days. It was so good, such a great ending to a fabulous series! If you haven't read them you should.

Listening to: A bunch of different stuff, but a lot of punk and pop punk, that kind of stuff -Fall Out Boy, The Rocket Summer, Joan Jett, The Donnas, Bikini Kill, Blink 182, The Pretty Reckless, Garbage, The Black Keys.

Wearing: Spring has finally, truly arrived! Which means I have been wearing mostly tank tops, shorts, and lightweight sweaters. I even got away with going barefoot the other day.

Doing: Sitting outside in the sun and writing, spending time with Sue, reading (always), thinking about my fictional worlds, doctor's appointments,and  making my own laundry detergent.

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Currently

Patches I got recently.

Watching: Teen Wolf every Monday, of course. Once Upon a Time also started up again recently and the first episode was pretty good. I'm behind on a lot of other stuff though. I haven't been watching much. Although I did have a mini-marathon of Bob's Burgers the other day.

Reading: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, which is the second book in the Maze Runner series. It's... interesting. I also read The Ocean at the End of the Lane recently which I included in my last book rec post.

Listening to: Tons of pop punk and ska recently -Blink 182, Reel Big Fish, Big D & the Kids Table, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, that kind of stuff. 8tracks mixes that have been getting a lot of love include: this, this, & this.

Wearing: T-shirts, leggings, this plaid men's overshirt that Sue bought for me and I love, and my faux leather jacket when I go out. 

Thinking About: Books. Writing. Plots. My head is swimming with stuff lately. I've been thinking about punk werewolves a lot. I want to write about punk rocker orphaned werewolves so bad. I already have so many projects, but this one will not leave me alone. 

Doing: I spent another week and a half with Sue which we spent writing, walking, cooking, drinking wine, watching paranormal tv shows, reading, chatting, and just enjoying each other's company. While home I spend a lot of time cleaning and writing and hooping. I also got to spend some time recently with not only Sue, but my best friend Jennie as well, who I have known since we were 10 years old. We don't see each other often and it was nice to hang out and talk and be silly.

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Currently

It just. Keeps. Snowing. (View from this lady's window)

Watching: Teen Wolf every Monday. I've also watched Iliza Shlesinger's act War Paint about 3 times in the past month or so. It never gets old.

Reading: Currently I am reading The Maze Runner which is pretty good. I also read Graceling not that long ago and I recommend that for YA fantasy fans. And I'll be honest with you guys, I have read a lot of fanfiction lately. NO SHAME.

Listening to: This playlist as well as a decent amount of ska music -Reel Big Fish, The Fratellis, Save Ferris, & Slow Kids At Play.

Wearing: My usual uniform of leggings, t-shirts, hoodies, and slippers. When I go out I wear pretty much the same thing only replace the slippers with boots and the hoodies with my faux-leather jacket and a scarf.

Thinking about: Writing & books mostly. Me and Sue have been bouncing ideas off of each other so most of the time my head is spinning with dialogue and scenes and plot possibilities. I've also been thinking a lot about monsters, which I am currently writing a separate post about.

Doing: I've spent a good hunk of time at Sue's place hanging out with her which has been nice. I'm hoping to go back again soon. Other than that I've been reading and writing mostly. And cleaning the house. It kind of need constant upkeep. I don't mid though. I've also been doing some filing work downstairs in my grandfather's office but that never takes up a lot of time. I'm pretty efficient at it.

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Currently

Well I haven't done one of these in forever and a lot has been going on, so here we go!

These are my books.  Organizing them is a pain.

Watching: Teen Wolf. TEEN WOLF YOU GUYS. I don't know why I waited so long but I am in love. I just finished catching up yesterday and I have so many feelings about these characters.

Reading: I have been reading so so much lately. Currently I am on book 2 of The Lunar Chronicles (which I recommend 100%) and I also finished Deathless last week and I REALLY RECOMMEND THAT. It's a dark Russian fairytale novel and it is A+ all around.

Listening To: This & This & This & This

Wearing: Mostly leggings and t-shirts -comfy and perfect for working out in. Also I almost have my slippers on because my feet get cold without them in about 10 seconds.

Eating & Drinking: Blood oranges, toast with peanut butter, and lots of coffee.

Thinking About: Moving forward, fitness routines, books, the future in general. My mind is a whir of a lot of things. Everything is different now than it was just a few weeks ago. My brain is still trying to make sense of it all, trying to figure out where to go from here.

Doing: Um, watching Teen Wolf, haha. And reading a lot, of course. I've also spent a decent amount of time with my grandmother, going for walks, hooping in my bedroom, cleaning the house, and texting my bestie.

So, here's the thing. I moved again. I now live with my grandfather, which is where I was living a few years ago before I moved out to Fitchburg to be closer to school. Me and my boyfriend broke up, and no, I really really don't want to talk about. Not right now. Eli and I have made ourselves comfortable in our new home, Eli has adjusted very well (he enjoys watching the horses in the back yard), and I am making resolutions. 

First and foremost has been my fitness. The roads around here are great for walking/jogging and I plan to take full advantage of that. I also may or may not have some Zumba videos. Working out helps me deal with my anxiety so I want to make sure I make time for it everyday.

I'll be applying for work downtown a few places and hope someone will hire me. My grandmother said she'd add me to her phone plan once I get a job so that I can actually have service instead of just going off the house wifi. From there, I don;t know, but I hope to the gods that this year is better than 2013 was.

So, what are you guys currently up to?

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Currently

Hello lovelies, how is everyone doing? The blogosphere has been a relatively quiet place lately so I thought I would drop in and liven it up a little bit. So here's my life currently.

Watching: I have been watching a lot. TV shows have been starting back up and this season I am watching The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Sleepy Hollow, Once Upon a Time, and American Horror Story. I also saw the first episode of Reign and enjoyed it so that might be added to the list as well.

Reading: I have been reading soooo much. I read the entire Vampire Academy series and all that is currently out for the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. I've read The Raven Boys & The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater and I just finished Night World vol 2 by LJ Smith. I am thinking about picking up the Divergent trilogy next.

Listening to: I have been switching between my Lorde, Imagine Dragons & Panic! at the Disco, and Feveray Pandora stations.

Wearing: Lots of leggings and t-shirts with fuzzy socks to keep my feet warm. And I have been making it a point to do my makeup on a semi-regular basis again which just makes me feel better about life in general. It's amazing what some eyeshadow and lipgloss can do for my mood.

Eating & Drinking: Lots of coffee and tea as far as beverages go. Eating has mostly been stuff like toast and tomato soup. I'm settling into fall eating habits. I want breads and soups ad everything pumpkin.

Thinking About: My novel for Nanowrimo as well as a lot of personal stuff. My world is shifting again. I try to get all my thoughts out on paper to help keep them sorted. I've been emotional lately. I went from feeling anxious and sad to feeling angry and ready to rip people's eyes out. It's been interesting to say the least.

Doing: Job hunting. I have put out tons of applications the past few weeks. I've heard back from a few companies about writing positions and have been writing sample articles and the like. I've also spent a large amount of my free time dancing around my apartment to loud pop music. Like I said, lipgloss does wonders, haha.

What are you up to currently? Does anyone have any book recommendations? I'm always looking for more. I'm particularly interested in anything fantasy, especially if it's YA lit.

Manda Rave

Currently

Watching: Me and my boyfriend got ourselves caught up on the last season of New Girl. I know, the new one just started. I can't wait to watch it! We've also been watching Modern Family, which is pretty entertaining.

Reading: I have been reading sooo much lately. Things of note include Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor as well as the second one, Days of Blood and Starlight. I have also been reading the Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead and have been enjoying them more than I thought I would.

Listening To: Welcome to Night Vale! I got myself all caught up though so now I am just waiting impatiently for the next show to come out. If you've never heard of Welcome to Night Vale, it's a podcast put out twice a month. "Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Turn on your radio and hide. Welcome to Night Vale."

Wearing: Jeans and t-shirts or leggings and t-shirts, usually with a hoodie or my large black knitted sweater over it, paired with either sneakers of my 8-hole doc martens. This is my favourite season of the year and I love being able to wear pants and knits again. I'll miss summer, but I plan to enjoy the autumn as much as possible.

Eating & Drinking: Toast with sliced tomatoes, peanut butter banana smoothies, sliced eggplant cooked in olive oil and spices, and lots of coffee and tea.

Thinking About: Time and the changing of the seasons. I can't believe it's already September. 2013 has flown by. I feel like my year hasn't been that great and I would like to change that in these last few months.

Inspired By: Books. I have been reading so much lately that I have been super inspired to write.

Doing: Again, reading. Also writing (personal, blog stuff, and some fiction stuff), poking around polvore, and taking long deep breaths of fresh autumn air.

Manda Rave

Currently

Happy Wednesday lovelies! How is the week treating everyone so far? Mine has been okay. My boyfriend is away again (he's not coming back until Friday) which is super sucky but other than that I have nothing to complain about. I am spending time over at my grandfather's this week and probably next shredding paper. He's an accountant and needs to destroy all his old records before recycling them. It gives me something to do and a little extra money, which I could definitely use.

This is my mom's new dog, Duchess <3 td="">

Watching: Me and the boy finished watching Scrubs the other day. I'm kind of sad we have no more to watch. I'm also still watching Roswell. I'm in season 2 right now. If you need a show about alien teenagers that will drag you along an emotional roller-coaster, I recommend it. We also watched Atlantis: The Lost Empire the other night which is always awesome.

Reading: My recent reads include Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (which is the first of an urban fantasy series, if you're interested) and I am now reading For A Few Demons More by Kim Harrison, which is #5 in her Hollows series.

Wearing: Gym shorts and a tank top when home, long skirts and dresses when I go out. It's been cool enough lately that I even got away with wearing leggings one day.

Eating & Drinking: Ugh, I'm on my moon time right now so me eating is kind of all over the place. I'm trying to keep it healthy though. We got pine nut hummus over the weekend and I have been enjoying that. I've also been drinking a lot of water and various kinds of tea.

Thinking About: Fiction writing, soul healing, jewelry making, and clothes shopping. All have been on my mind. I want to write a few posts for the blog about fiction writing as it's something I have been doing for a long time but rarely share here. 

Inspired By: Laura's newest lookbook has got me itching to create right now. Pinterest has also got me in a permanent state of inspired lately when it comes to outfit ideas and projects for around the house.

Doing: Paper shredding, house cleaning, jewelry making, reading, forest exploring, wine drinking, and kitty chasing. The usual I suppose.

Manda Rave

Currently

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you are all having a good week. It's been kind of rainy here (it's shaping up to be a pretty wet summer, boo!) and I have been working tirelessly on a week long birthday blog celebration for later in the month. Excited? You should be!

Anyways, this is what I have been up to lately...

New earrings in the shop!

Watching: Scrubs with the boyfriend when he gets out of work, as well as New Girl. We watched the whole first season in a few days and I love it. Too funny! I have also been watching Roswell which I used to watch on SyFy in high school and when I found it on Netflix I knew it was time for a re-watch. 

Reading: Currently I'm reading Hit List by Laurell K Hamilton which is the 20th book in her Anita Blake series. If you're into urban fantasy novels, this series is pretty much the mother on the genre.

Wearing: A cut up t-shirt and shorts/comfy harem pants. And lots of long skirts and dresses when I leave the house. I just got a pair of bandelettes in the mail so I expect those will become a wardrobe staple as well.

Drinking & Eating: My weight in water (only half kidding there) and lots of mexican-type food. I'm big on salsa, tortilla chips, black beans, avocado, the works. And I'll use cumin and chili powder to season just about anything. 

Thinking About: My blog and the plans I have for here the week of my birthday. Also thinking a lot about health and happiness.

Inspired By: The endless "fitblrs" on tumblr as well as this post by Alexandra Franzen. If you haven't checked out that woman's blog yet you really should. She's amazing.

Doing: Watching tv shows (while hula hooping! so it's not all laziness), blog planning, working out, keeping the house clean, reading.

What have you been up to?

Manda Rave

Currently

My moods have been changing with the weather the past few weeks. Sunny days (today!) I am happy and productive, and rainy days leave me feeling slow and anxious. Don't get me wrong, I like a good day of rain, but it has been raining a lot lately.

But today is nice out and I felt the need to take pictures of myself. "Selfies" are great ego boosts don't you think? It's a way of capturing yourself through your own lens. Pictures taken by other people are nice of course, but a good self-shot is such a nice way to capture your current mood and emotion, the way your hair is or the way the sun hits you.

Lately I have been...

Watching: The Secret Circle! I just finished it (there is only one season, boo) and I am in love with it. I have a serious weakness for teen supernatural/witch shows. If you like The Vampire Diaries chances are you'll like this show.

Reading: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. So. Good.

Wearing: Shorts and tank tops with bathing suit tops for bras. Yep, super classy. But it's comfy so I couldn't care less.

Drinking & Eating: Sooo much water. I drink at least 6 large glasses a day, no joke. Also eating tons of bananas and avocados, as well as oatmeal, which has become a new comfort food for me.

Thinking About: Writing and characters. New characters keep coming to me and I couldn't be happier. I've also been thinking about minimizing a lot. Me and my boyfriend are going to do a house purge this weekend.

Inspired By: Witchcraft, flowers, this pinterest board, sunshine.

Doing: Watching The Secret Circle, cleaning the house, brainstorming, playing Kingdom Hearts (and freaking out over the announcement of the long awaited third game!), working out, baking.

Manda Rave