In the Name of Black Friday Madness!!! . . .

I fell asleep super early tonight thanks to everything that has happened these last couple days . . . and then awoke at 1 a.m. this fine morning, deciding that this would be as perfect a time as any to pen (aka write on my cell phone) a blog post.

Now it's 1:15 in the morning as I sit here, a lively Boccherini classical Quintet playing in the background, as I calmly question my sanity, droopy eyes aside.

This is a bad idea.

If driving tired is equivalent to driving drunk, is this equivalent to drunk blogging?

Yup.

(Backing up a little.)

I hate the idea behind Black Thursday, because it's no longer enough to wait till Friday.  We must now encroach upon Thursday, turning a relatively quiet day of cooking and family drama into a madhouse dash between one good deal after another.  And all those poor workers who were dragged away from their families to work 8+ hour shifts through the midnight hour.

Last year I boycotted Black Thursday.

This year I participated.

Curiosity overcame any sound judgment . . . and I'm $90 poorer as a result.

My Mom wanted to check out the Mall and the adjacent Target store.

We explored the Mall a little, most stores were closed at 6:30 p.m. (Some stores opened at 8, others 10, all stores had to be open by midnight).  The girl working at the Games and Calendars store worked a 13 hour shift, from six that night to seven the next morning.

Most of my shopping was done at Target.  No big screen for me, though the multiple rows of TV boxes towards the front of the store was quite impressive.

I headed upstairs where I scored three Nintendo 3DS games at $15 each: Mario Kart 7, the new Donkey Kong 3D game, and Super Mario 3D World.  Each game is normally $40.  I also found the board game "Pandemic" for $31.  (I've known about this game for years, hearing how much fun it is, but ever since the Ebola outbreak I've thought about this game and how much I want to play it.  Blame my sick twisted humor). And I got the Nashville season 2 part 2 Target exclusive CD with 21 tracks for $7.  Love the music on the show, so that was a huge win, especially since the album normally retails for $16.99.

With tax it all came out to $90.28, when the normal pre-tax price would have been $176.99.  So that's pretty good.

(It's almost 2 am and I need to finish this up so I can catch some more z's.  I'm feeling my mind drift)

My Mom and I finished shopping right before midnight, which was when Bath and Body Works opened.  (It was apparently a madhouse, so I'm glad I didn't stick around to experience that insanity).  We got home around midnight, and then got caught up watching a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel, so 2 a.m. was about the time I fell asleep last night, which already feels like ages ago.

Though, while still at the mall and right after a frozen yogurt break, my Mom commented that Black Thursday must be nice for those without families, because it gives them a chance to be around people, when they would have otherwise been lonely.  I can see that.  The mall was lively and festive, even with the late hour.

Personally I still feel Black Thursday is wrong.  Thanksgiving is a day for friends and family, and not a day to take other people away from their friends and family, but despite this I still had a good time.

It was fun.

And after I awoke yesterday morning I found out my Mom went back to the mall at 4 a.m.!!!  Totally getting no sleep at all.  Crazy!

And now I must get back to bed.

Good morning and good night.

(2:34 a.m.)

(With the way I wrote this blog you can tell I'm in that weird "is this morning or night" "today or yesterday"? stage.  There's a strange blur between days this early in the morning).

-_-;; zzzzz

Nerd Tuesday! Just Because

I've decided that today is Nerd Tuesday!

Why?

Why not.

I'm tired and it seems like a Brilliant idea . . . 

. . . though technically everyday should be Nerd Day.

Anywho!

it's crazy how things have changed in just the last few years thanks to the book wars.  The dominance of Amazon and online shopping is to thank for that, and I'm just as much to blame, because I find myself ordering online time and again for a good discount.

But there have been consequences, such as the closing of Borders Book.  I still reminisce about Borders and how much I miss it.  I still have the rewards card.  (Don't judge!)  But I do miss that store, both the random meet ups with my siblings, which, for some reason, never carried over to Barnes and Noble.  And I miss the three story Borders store in Santa Barbara.  It's so funny, because my family would visit Santa Barbara, and instead of hanging out all day at the beach, we would spend hours in Borders.  Books are magical and that was a magical store.

With all these changes Barnes and Noble has changed their format as well.  Instead of being filled entirely with books and magazines, there's now a large assortment of board games, puzzles, toys, and nerd collectables such as Doctor Who, etc.

Honestly I'm cool with these changes.

And the other day I noticed they created display cases for some of the figures you can buy.  Being the nerd that I am I had to take pictures to share.

 Sailor Moon.  The memories!  Sure brings back some good times watching toonami with my brothers and reading the mangas.

 D.C. vs Marvel.

Marvel wins by default, thanks to the Green Lantern.

And Gundams!

Gundam.

As much of a fan that I am, it's a wonder that I don't own my own tiny mecha.  I should save up and buy a Wing Zero, and then have fun putting the model together.  I haven't put a model together since I was a kid!  Good times.

Learning about History through Vintage Postcards

 It's no mystery on this blog that I love postcards.  I participate with postcrossing.com, in which I'm really close to receiving 400 postcards total from around the World.

A little while ago I started collecting vintage/antique postcards.  My collection is pretty small, but so far I love what I've been able to find while visiting antique shops.

I visited quite a few antique stores throughout the Utah Valley, but couldn't find any Utah postcards.  I guess it makes sense that I had to travel outside Utah to finally find some, and it was in Cambria CA where I found a nice little stash.

 These postcards I place between 1945 and 1950

It's fun reading what is described on the back.

 Southern Utah postcards circa 1970's.

Did you know Bryce Canyon inspired the look of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland?  It's all thanks to a National Geographic article back in the day.  (I heard this on one of those behind-the-scenes DVD's that you can buy at the Disney park.  I really need to find the article.)

 I've heard my Mom and Grandparents talk about "The Sky Ride" at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon several times this last decade, but every time I visit the falls I have a hard time imagining it.  There's no trace of this old ride. Apparently there was a restaurant at the top you could visit.  That would have been fun.

I believe I literally let out a squeal of delight when I found the postcard and couldn't wait to show my family.

 Before and after photos of Mount St. Helens.  Amazing.

 More postcards spanning the country.

I just love how these older postcards are drawn/painted.  It adds to the charm.

 Now this is my most favorite find:  A photo book of images found throughout Oregon and California, all drawings.

 I love the classic cars.

My Favorite Place in the World: Cambria CA

 Yes, I love Disneyland.  Love, love, love the place, but Cambria CA is my favorite place in the World.  I discovered this quaint little town in the seventh grade, when my class in middle school took a field trip to Hearst Castle, San Simeon.  We drove through Cambria, and I knew I had to return and explore.

These pictures are from a trip I took with my Mom and Grandma last year.

 Where I like to buy old books and look through the art gallery.

 Super yummy BBQ.  I crave central California tri-tip.  I miss the smell, and at this grill you can smell the tri-tip cooking down the street.  Honestly, this is one of the things I miss most living in Utah.  There was a fantastic tri-tip grill in Porterville, where I grew up.  So yummy.

 . . . Have I mentioned how much I love Cambria's quaintness?

 All along Moon Stone beach there's a walking path.  It's necessary during high-tide, but really nice to walk along.  On this trip I didn't photograph any squirrels.  There's so many!!  And they're crazy friendly.

 Moon Stone beach is my favorite beach in the World.  Granted, there's not a lot of beaches I've visited, but I love this stretch of Ocean.  During low-tide it's fun to walk over the rocks and look at the tide-pools, seeing crabs, shells, sea urchins, and other fun things.  Sometimes you can hear an otter in the distance trying to crack a shell on a rock.  And the "sand" on the beach are little stones.  You must wear shoes.  It's fun to shift through the tiny stones to look for different colors, or find "moon stones" which, here, are white agates covered with calcium.

 It's so cold that my Grandma brought a blanket.

 A sign reminding you not to feed the seals.  During certain times of the year you can see them hanging out on the beach.  It's really fun.

 Some of the extended Linn's shops behind the restaurant.

They're all about the Olallieberry.

 My favorite shop.

 It's a tradition to always fill a sachet with potpourri.

Apparently, according to my Mom's cousin, my first cousin once removed, Cambria is really getting hit hard with the California drought, which is really sad.

But I hope to visit one day soon.

Cambria and Moon Stone beach is beautiful in the Spring with all the spring flowers. I love to visit this place in my dreams.