Every season is magical.

March 24, 2015March 23, 2015 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

At the beginning of the winter season I was worried it was going to be a mild winter. I really wanted to play in the snow. My two goals for the season 1) make a snow angel and 2) make a snowman.

That first snow day I was so excited. I played in the snow and made a snow angel. First goal down! But the snow was too fluffy to make a snowman.

Each snowfall added to the last making huge snowpiles on the sidewalks and streets. But it was the untouched snow that really got me excited. I’m not sure what it was but I really liked leaving my boot print or hand print or writing something in the untouched snow.

Squirrel prints

When it snowed on the first day of spring it was like a final farewell from Jack Frost for the year.

I will miss the snow and the magical, child-like excitement that went along with fresh snowfall.

Now I can get ready for spring. I can’t wait to take walks (reading breaks on benches) in Central Park or ride my bike through the city.

I need to make plans for all the things goals I want to accomplish this spring. NYC needs to be explored!

Each season brings out a new me. A new, hopeful, ready to tackle anything me.

gif courtesy Imgur

Bitch, I’m flawless!

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

Whenever I feel self-doubt, or less than my awesome self, this will be my mantra. Plus, thinking of Spongbob Squarepants wearing a long, luxurious red wig makes me smile. (I’m going to overlook the misspelling.)

TakingLibertyS 2014 review

December 30, 2014 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,200 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 37 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

This is why Santa goes down the chimney!

December 22, 2014December 22, 2014 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

I wondered how many children cried when they saw this and how many parents had to hold in their laughter!?

Sony Pictures needs to American-up

December 18, 2014December 18, 2014 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

This is not a political blog but I had to exercise my right to free speech and speak out about the bullying from hackers on Americans.

I would have never seen the movie The Interview. It looked really stupid and considering how much movies cost these days I wouldn’t want to waste my money. But my freedom to choose what movie I want to see was taken away by terrorists and people who gave in to them.

The Guardians of Peace – obviously this name is an oxymoron – sent out a threatening message on Tuesday. Here’s the full message found on Variety:

Warning

We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made.
The world will be full of fear.
Remember the 11th of September 2001.
We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.
(If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.)
Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
All the world will denounce the SONY.

More to come…

Overlooking the grammar, there are several problems I found in this threat.

“We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown” – A special screening of the film in Los Angeles happened last week without any problems.

“Those who seek fun in terror…” – Well, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black.

“an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made” – Come on, like this movie is the worst movie ever made about horrible dictators.

“The world will be full of fear.” – Now you’re just pissing us off.

“the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment” – This is not a Sony attribute it’s a human one.

It’s time for Sony to American-up and reverse their decision and release the movie for FREE in some other form.

These terrorists threaten us with our greatest fear – more terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. This is not the end. They will not stop; they will keep threatening and dictating.

Now don’t get me wrong, I completely understand why Sony and the movie theaters have decided not to show the movie. I understand the blame and guilt they would take if something did happen or the possibility that no one would see any movie on Christmas day. I understand it, I just don’t like it.

I will go see a movie of my choice on Christmas Day. I will not live in fear but I will live with buttered popcorn in my hands, a smile on my face and freedom in my heart.

It’s Snowing in NYC

November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

This is what I woke up to this morning. I love the snow, especially when it doesn’t stick to the ground. I do not love the slipping and falling snow and ice brings.

Enjoy this video that I took using the slo-mo feature on my iPhone.

Humid Monday in NYC

November 24, 2014November 24, 2014 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

It was 65 degrees this morning and extremely humid but I still saw people who dressed like the next ice age was upon us!

a christmas story animated GIF

I even told one woman that it was 65 degrees outside and she said, “Oh, that’s cold!” I was like, “No, it’s not. Just wait until the end of the week.”

Poor woman, she may not make it.

the shining

Mockingjay

November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of the few books that my dad and I read. He bought it on his Kindle and he liked them so much he was able to lend them to me through Amazon.

We knew right away that Donald Sutherland would be perfect for President Snow, but the others we would have to see before deciding. The first movie didn’t disappoint.

Mockingjay hits the big screens today and I can’t wait to see it next week. The books will always hold a special place in the library of my heart.

I really enjoyed this Buzzfeed article by Kristin Harris because some of these quotes were my favorites too. Did your favorite quote make the list?

The 10 Most Popular Quotes From “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay”

“And if we burn, you burn with us!” posted on Nov. 20, 2014, at 5:08 p.m.

Kristin Harris BuzzFeed Staff

According to Amazon Kindle, these are the passages that readers highlight the most in Mockingjay, the third and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy.

Lionsgate

10.

Lionsgate

Watch Katniss and Peeta come to life on the big screen when The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 hits today!

The 10 Most Popular Quotes From "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay"

morganted.tumblr.com

Brain downloads

November 20, 2014 / takinglibertys / Leave a comment

I love reading books. I love the journey, getting to know the characters, the anticipation of what will happen next.

But then I look at my To Be Read list and I feel downtrodden. I feel like I need to hurry through the book I’m currently reading so I can get to the endless stream of book I just need to read. Sometimes I need to take a break after reading a really good book just to absorb all that imagery and feelings. Then there’s the pile of books and the TBR list on Goodreads yelling at me, “Read me. Read me. READ ME!!!”

I get overwhelmed. Then I wish I could just plug in and download the book directly to my brain, Matrix-style. I could read so many books in just a few minutes. That long list would be gone by lunch!

Then I think the anticipation of what will comes next will be gone. That calm, reflective period after spending a whole night reading a great book would be gone too. Everything that makes a great book even better would be gone. Everything would be gone.

When it comes to reading it’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey. And I love the journey, one book at a time.