Happy Valentines Day 2013!

Hope you all had a nice day, whether you celebrated or not!

As a non-romantic I’ve never bothered much with this day, but it’s still cute so see all the hearts and cards and teddy bears. Markus had to work overtime tonight so we haven’t done anything special. On Sunday it’s our 1 year engagement anniversary so we might do something then instead.

Sidenote:
I’m so happy I managed to finish some pixel art!
I’m rusty as shit and could barely remember how to shade, but at least I finished something.

It’s sad how difficult I find it to get pixel work done these days – mostly because I spend 8 hours a day in front of a computer at work, so I really don’t feel the need to spend a whole evening in front of one when I get home. Not to mention how sore your hand and wrist get from tightly clenching the mouse for hours while making a million little micro-movements to move the cursor one pixel at a time.
If only there was a way to pixel on the iPad while laying on the couch…

I found this reading meme on Lauren Reads YA and since I’m a sucker for questionnaires I wanted to participate.

Physical book or e-book?
I’ve read a few books on my iPad but I find my eyes gets really tired from it. I don’t know if it’s because the iPad screen isn’t optimised for long periods of reading? I’ve heard Kindle screens are amazing so maybe it would be different if I used one of those?
Regardless, I don’t think e-books can compare to the feeling of holding a real book in your hand, manually flipping the pages and smelling the paper.

That sounded almost dirty, didn’t it?

Audio or book in hand?
I can’t listen to audio books. For some reason I find it difficult to concentrate on the story unless I drop everything else and just sit still and listen, and in that case I might as well read. Strange as I have no problem listening to a TV show (having the TV on while walking around doing other things) or listening to music, but audio books makes me stressed. Weird.

Paperback or hardcover?
I don’t really care as long as they don’t do this:

I don’t know what it’s called in English, but it’s a hardcover with a paper wrapping and I hate it. Were they too cheap to print the title directly on the cover? If this is the only type available I will probably refrain from buying the book. Ugh.

Adult or Young Adult?
Maybe I’m getting old, but I generally tend to prefer adult characters with adult problems. Regardless of genre.

Series or standalone?
Standalone. It’s a bit of a problem when you’re a fantasy nerd since every fantasy author in the entire world seem to be writing epic super series… My problem is that I tend to get so involved in the story I’m reading that I can’t read anything else until it’s finished. I’m a one book at a time kind of person, so if I read a series I have to read every single book until I can proceed with something else. This can be more than a little time-consuming and sometimes puts me off starting massive series since it feels like such a huge project to get a hold of them all.

Said the girl who have a bookcase full of series… Ok, so I don’t REALLY care. I’ll read anything.

Dog ears or bookmarks?
Bookmarks if it’s a hardcover, dogears if it’s paperback. Usually.

Breaking the spine or barely opening the book?
I hate that first time you open a hardcover and try to carefully pry it open and it gives off this horrible CREEEEAAAK like I’m torturing it. By the time it’s finished the back is usually pretty broken though.

Borrow or buy?
I tend to buy. Partly because I’ve always wanted to have a library of my own and partly because I absolutely suck at returning books in time. I still go to the library every once in a while (I love the atmosphere in there) and I occasionally borrow something but it never fails: I will return it past due date.
Buying is kind of stupid though since in reality I don’t have any bloody room to have a library! I really should try to start reading ebooks instead. Maybe investing in a Kindle would be a good idea after all?

Bookstore or online?
I love physical books stores for pretty much the same reasons I love libraries – you get to stroll around among the books, letting your mind wander, reading a little bit here and there, flipping through pages at random, smelling the paper, and suddenly stumbling upon something great that you didn’t even knew was there before.
Online is cheaper and more convenient, but it’s also less personal and I usually only get just those books I set out to buy and don’t wander around like I do IRL.

Fiction or non-fiction?
Right now I have a book on my bedside table about furniture and interior design through the ages and I also have the Ozzy Osbourne biography I Am Ozzy on my reading list. I like non-fiction, but I’d say 95% of what I read is fiction.

Fantasy world or real life issues?
My first thought was “fantasy world” but it actually doesn’t matter, a good story is a good story regardless if it takes place in Westeros or Afghanistan. Same for bad stories. It’s just that fantasy worlds tend to have magic and swords and dragons and all sorts of awesome stuff like that and reality based books tend to… not have them. Truthfully I’ll read just about anything as long as it’s not crime drama. The CSI shows on TV bore me to tears and books of the same genre do the same.

Monster read or short & sweet?
Depends on my mood. Sometimes I want to just dive into a long, complex story and get lost for hours and days and sometimes I just want a quick fix.

Starry-eyed romance or full of action?
I don’t think a book need a love story to be interesting, and I’ll probably cringe if it gets too sugary sweet, but I don’t mind it either. I’m actually quite fond of so called chick lit which is often romantic. But I also love action books, so it doesn’t really matter.

God, I’m such a book slut. My answer to all these questions seem to be “doesn’t matter, I’ll read anything with letters”.

Curl up in a Snuggie or bathe in the sun?
Not that I even own a Snuggie, but I definitely prefer staying in and getting cosy. I’m so not a beach person.

Read the review or decide for yourself?
I rarely read reviews in advance. Sure, I might hear someone say “that book’s great” and decide look into it, but I don’t normally read anything about the book before reading it and I don’t base whether or not to read a book on its reviews.
Sometimes I check the reviews after reading a book though, like if it’s a book I really really liked (or really really hated) just to see what others thought of it.

Zombies or unicorns?
Unicorns! Zombies are cool too, but when in doubt always choose the one with a tail.

On March 25 I’ll be 30 years old. Yes. I will try to avoid posting any angsty omg-I’m-so-old-what-am-I-doing-with-my-life posts as the date draws nearer… but I can’t promise anything.

Since it’s the big 3-0 I want to do something special. Markus asked if I didn’t want to travel somewhere? Where would I go if I could go anywhere? “LONDON!!” I shouted and it was settled.

(Snatch ♥)

Since my birthday is around Easter and travelling is much more expensive on holidays we’ve decide to go in early April. We’ll be there over a weekend, from Thursday to Sunday. The plane tickets are bought and ready, and I’m actually looking for hotels right now.

I’ve been wanting to go there my whole life so I’m really excited! Whee!
If anyone has any advice or tips regarding visiting London in April feel free to share.

I’m an introvert. Bet nobody was surprised to hear that.
Being an introvert means being psychologically wired in a way that makes you thrive on introspection, reflection and solitude rather than discussions and social gatherings. Simply put extroverts charge their batteries by talking and being with other people while introverts charge their batteries by thinking to themselves and being alone.

In early December last year Hanna and Cassie started a little blog project called Introverts Unite! to bring together bloggers (who often happen to be introverts by the way) and share their experiences of having this… alignment or what to call it. I found out about it through Alyssa and wanted to participate too.
Just because I’m an introvert doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with me.

Being an introvert is almost exclusively viewed as something negative. Surely it can’t be normal to want to stay at home on a Saturday night, with a book and a glass of wine, rather than going to the club with friends? Or to get mentally exhausted after spending a few hours in a shopping mall on a busy Friday afternoon? Or get overly excited at the prospect of having a whole weekend to yourself and not be bothered by anyone?

Society tells us we’re supposed to be social and open. We’re supposed to have a metric shit-tonne of friends and exciting plans for every weekend. Having a buzzing and active social life is an accomplishment, something to be proud of.

But… what if you don’t have that? What if you don’t even WANT that?

I’ve never craved much social interaction. I love my family and my friends, but I don’t need to have them around me at all times and I most certainly don’t need to be surrounded by strangers.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind going out and meet new people. Sometimes I even want to! Being introverted doesn’t necessarily mean you’re shy or socially awkward (I totally am though, I just try to hide it) or that you want to be alone all the time.
I have no problem meeting people, the thing is I don’t want to very often.

Introvert by Aubrey

The only problem with being an introvert is that people won’t let you be one.

As a kid I was constantly nagged to be more outgoing. All my teachers always had the same feedback: “Karin do well in school but need to be more talkative and come out of her shell.” My mum, a hardcore extrovert, would never stop bugging me to call a friend or go out and do something! And with “do something” she meant do something with others, not just walk around in the forest by myself like some little weirdo.

God, I really was a little weirdo… Poor mum.

Anyway, to me “loneliness” is a beautiful word and it’s often incredibly difficult to make people understand it’s not because I’m depressed or sick – I’m fine, honestly. I just need to refill my energy deposits.

Here’s what I want people to realize:
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be alone, even if it’s often. If that’s what I want and it makes me feel happy and fulfilled then that’s what I need to be. Simple as that.
There’s also nothing wrong with having only a handful of close friends. Quality over quantity and all that. The trick is to find friends who understand that you need your private time.

And if you’re an extrovert, please don’t try to pester anyone into “coming out of their shell” and “be more social”. If we don’t want to hang out it’s not because we don’t like you, it’s nothing personal. Everyone is different and your way is not the only way. You’re not right, just different.