Last night we watched, Bridge to Terabithia, and I felt pretty bummed out by the time it ended. I guess I was expecting more fantasy and a much happier story, not one that had me using up a box of Kleenex. *sigh* Maybe I should start reading some reviews of movies before I rent them so I'll have at least some idea of what to expect.

I really lucked out because I got to see the space station and shuttle gliding across the sky again last night. Usually I miss out on things like this due to uncooperative weather so this time I'm sending out a thanks to mother nature for ultra clear skies. Since there's always a balance to things, we're supposed to have thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow night.

I practiced drawing for about an hour yesterday. Not nearly enough considering I haven't touched my sketchpad in weeks, blaming it on eyestrain. I would have had my new glasses by now but they called to reschedule my appointment. Now I have to wait until July. Ugh. Maybe I'll just head into a Lens Crafters again even though I was a tad disappointed in their service the last time around.

Gods, it looks like an otherworldly war zone around here. When I venture out into the backyard and take my walks, I'm constantly stepping over mutilated bodies of cicadas. ICK! I've even had the privilege of watching birds snatch cicadas right out of the air, drag them to the ground, and then rip the shit out of them. *gag*

I finished reading, "Nightlife" by Rob Thurman and loved it. Going to tackle "Doppelganger," by Marie Brennan next, right after I peruse my flist, start on the laundry, and finish up a few other chores.

Did anyone catch the space station and shuttle cruising across the sky last night? I did, and lemme tell ya, it was a beautiful sight!

If you missed it, you might get to see it again tonight depending on your location. Here's a link for more info. Space.com

Once again another weekend is gone but many pleasant memories remain. Since the weather was perfect we spent a lot of time outside, puttering around the yard. When I say we, I mean the hubby and I, of course. :D

We did a lot of walking at the mall on Saturday. The hubby got himself a new cell phone and I picked up more books. (naturally) These are the new editions to my library.

1. "Doppelganger," by Marie Brennan. Here's the bit off the back cover: "When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. But what happens when the doppelganger survives?"

2. "Warrior Angel," by Margaret and Lizz Weis. I've always been a big fan of Weis and her Dragonlance books and was surprised to find her writing a "paranormal romance" with her daughter. Hope it's as interesting as it sounds.

3. "Declassified: Chaos Theory," by John Whitman. It's an original Jack Bauer Novel based on the hit series 24. I'm a big 24 fan so I thought I'd give this a try.

4. "Moonshine," by Rob Thurman. This is the one I started on. It's about 2 brothers who tackle preternatural beings in New York. So far I'm loving this book. The concept is slightly reminiscent of the tv show, Supernatural. The author, Rob Thurman is actually a female with a live journal account. robgoodfella Check it out.

Clear skies on Saturday meant pulling out the telescope...and the digital camera. ( Astronomy Pictures )

The hubby grilled sausages on Sunday. Yummers! Then we caught up on anime watching and finished off another Netflix disc of "Supernatural" before tuning into Food Network to watch the "Next Food Network Star." All in all, it was an enjoyable weekend.

As promised...( The moon nearly hugging Venus )

I took that picture Saturday night and really lucked out because a few minutes later the clouds rolled in. Rain followed off and on throughout Sunday. We really needed rain.

I'm sitting here in disbelief over the fact that I've only managed to read 3 books this year so far. Sheesh, there was once a time I read 3 books a week! That was before the internet took over my life. lol It really is an addiction, but I guess there are worse things to be addicted to. I might work on a web page later to keep track of the books I read each year. Maybe that will be the incentive I need to dive into the pile of books sitting around here collecting dust.

Latest Netflix rental: "Running with Scissors." What a strange movie! But it left me with the notion to start writing a memoir of my life, especially the early years. No doubt it would be boring to the masses, but my kids or grandkids might get a kick out of reading it someday when I'm long gone. I often wish my parents or grandparents enjoyed writing and would've left some of their thoughts and hopes on paper for me to read but that wasn't the case. Writing about my past might even prove to be rather cathartic now that I think about it. Well, this is another project I must add to my "to do" list.

Tonight is the 2 hour season finale of "24." I'm really stoked about it! It wasn't the greatest season yet it wasn't bad enough to turn me off completely. All shows have their high points as well as their low points, and loyal fans stick around no matter what right?

I'm fairly caught up with Heroes now thanks to the marathon that aired on Sci Fi network this weekend. Hubby is going to try to record the season finale on our old VCR recorder since it airs against 24. Hope it works.

Urban Word of the Day: puzzle butt -- the crack in a monopoly board. "The dice landed right on the puzzle butt." Check out more interesting words at Urban Dictionary

Once again a sliver of the moon and Venus dominate the sky at dusk. I managed to snap a few pics before the clouds rolled in and tucked the best one here...( Behind the cut )

I'll try to get out there again tonight because the moon and Venus are supposed to be practically on top of each other. Right now there are clear skies here in Chi town but that could change at any minute.

For all you Heroes fans, Sci Fi network is having a Heroes marathon today. I believe they're showing something like 21 episodes. I missed several since those in power decided to put Heroes up against my beloved 24. Maybe I'll catch up on a few later.

We rented Kyle XY from Netflix and watched the first 4 episodes last night. Now I have to wait for the rest of the discs. It's a pretty cool show. The premise is a tad reminiscent of the old "John Doe" series that didn't last very long, only this time the math genius with the memory loss is a teenager. G4 had a Ninja Warriors marathon last night and we ended up watching until midnight. What a great show!

Today is Saturday which means it's also pizza/anime night. I'm looking forward to chowing down on thin crust pepperoni and sausage while watching the latest episodes of Bleach, Naruto, Death Note, Claymore, and El Cazador de la Bruza to name a few.

Oh, I went nutso with some watercolor paint I have lying around and did the following picture the other day. Hey, I don't claim to be an artist, so be nice. lol
( Tiger )

Last night I sat out on the deck and managed to snap a few pics of the moon and Venus. I put one behind ( The Cut )

If the weather continues to cooperate, and I don't get too involved watching anime, I'll probably be out there again with my small telescope. I have a thingie that let's me attach my digital camera to the scope so maybe I'll test that out.

Watch for the Lyrid meteor shower on April 22nd. For more info visit Astronomy dot com

I haven't had any luck with seeing any meteor showers yet. It's always cloudy, raining, or too cold here when one is scheduled to happen.

About 3 years ago, a relative got me interested in astronomy, and then I got my husband interested it in. It didn't take long for us to run out and buy a small telescope. That summer we'd sit out in the backyard together on the weekends exploring the sky, which is a bit hard to do since we live in a big city and that means a lot of light pollution. But we did manage to see some pretty cool stars, and my first close up look of the moon through the scope took my breath away.

The following summer, and the summer after that, I was too busy role playing every night on my yaoi rpg board to enjoy the night sky. Now that the board has closed down, I look forward to returning to this hobby.

When I walked out my back door and stepped onto my deck last night I saw Venus shining brightly in the west. Beautiful. Once the weather warms up a little more, I plan on trying to take some pictures through the telescope with my digital camera. Wish me luck.