MY TOTALLY BIASED REVIEW OF (FUNKY FOR MY HOMETOWN) SODAS -- # 2 ROUTE 66

My second soda was so out-of-this-world in color that I had to try it next.  It is an amazing non-natural color that it reminded me of Slimer from Ghostbusters.

This is Route 66 Lime Soda.

Again, the picture does not do this soda justice. For me, this soda almost glowed from the awesomeness of the color.

I must admit I did have a bit of danish before drinking this so my taste buds were a bit off.

Anyway, the soda was more tart and less sweet (maybe because of the danish) than Shirley Temple.  I liked it, but was disappointed that I didn't get a burst of lime flavor.  The smell was outrageous with lime, but the flavor was lacking. Minus a point for that.

Even my mother agreed that it did not have as much flavor. (Yep, she's trying them too. She's the 'taster' in the family.)

There was no artificial sweeteners in this one. Yay!

So flavor aside, a more tart soda that makes Mountain Dew look almost normal.  

MY TOTALLY BIASED REVIEW OF (FUNKY FOR MY HOMETOWN) SODAS -- #1 SHIRLEY TEMPLE

Okay, this should tell you how utterly boring my life happens to be.  When sodas are interesting enough to blog about, you know its bad.

And now the back story first.  I had to go to the local hardware store to get a surge protector.  I've only been in this store maybe three times since it moved into the building when it's predecessor folded.

On that day, since it was already in the mid 80 degree range at 9:30 in the morning, I noticed the store had a drink fridge.  So call me oblivious the other times I was there.

The fridge had all these cool-looking bottles. I wandered over and took a gander.  My little junk food loving heart skipped a beat as I saw soda flavors and names I have never heard of before.  So, later, I ended up buying them.

Now, onto the review of the first soda, pop, fizzy drink, or whatever you want to call it.

The first one I opened was called Shirley Temple.  

Love the color of the soda.  The picture cannot do it justice.  

Anyway, so I took my first drink.  The only flavor I can name that this soda tastes like is grenadine.  Of course, that depends on the brand of grenadine you get.  I'm not a drinker so I've only tasted pure grenadine once, but it is a distinctive flavor. 

I even asked my mom to taste the soda and she agreed with me.  

It wasn't bad, I must say, but it did leave an aftertaste because of the aspartame.  Minus one for that.  It was a sweet soda too. Maybe a bit too sweet. 

All in all, I did enjoy the soda.

LIFE, THE WORLD, AND OTHER THINGS STRANGE AND UNUSUAL

And so it has come to pass that half a year has flown by in a blur.  I don't know where the time went.

Last Tuesday, I did my first session of Summer Reading Program.  I thought it went well.  I think the kids were receptive to it.  I hope I get some repeaters.  We made poetry where you take a page and circle words that jump out then block out the rest.  Then I had a huge pile of poetry lines in strips and they made poems from them.

Bless public domain websites like Project Gutenburg. They have a host of works that are free to download and read and use.  52,000+ books in multiple languages.

So it will be on to next Tuesday and the next session with the Theme of Art.  du du dun!

Au revoir, mes amis.  Okay, I don't speak French, but I like the language.

A SHADOWED SPIRIT BY SARA C. SNIDER

Okay, peeps, I'm doing something entirely new and different here.  A blogging friend has a book coming out, and I have the honor of posting about it.

Isn't the cover soooo pretty?  I just love the feel of it.  

The muted background  enhances the gold sparklies.

Where to find the Awesomeness:

Kobo
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play 
Goodreads 

Plus, she is having a giveaway on her blog between May 17th through the 31st.

So swing on over and try your luck!

The mystical Blurb: 

She used to be called Emelyn. She used to be nobody. Now she is Siyan--a creature of magic known as an And'estar. But Siyan doesn't understand what that means, just as she can't control the power that has woken within her.

Addigan worked her entire life to master the Art of magic and become a respected Magister, only to fail her final test. Scarred and desperate to prove her worth, Addigan pursues rumors of trees of power and a mysterious people called And'estar.

When Siyan heads into the dense and dangerous forest searching for answers, she doesn't realize Addigan is coming for her. In this twisting chase of hunter against hunted, Addigan must choose how far she is willing to go to prove herself. And Siyan must let go of everything she knows--and everything she loves--if she is to gain control over her power. Even if it kills her.

In a journey that follows the intertwined lives of two women, A Shadowed Spirit is a mystical tale that redefines the boundaries between life and death, dreams and reality, and what one is willing to sacrifice to achieve the happiness she seeks.

And last but not least Where to find the Author:

Blog
Facebook 
Twitter
Pinterest

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!

Yes, today is Star Wars fun day.

People, libraries, and so many others have fun by dressing and displaying books and movies of the epic series that spans almost three generations.

I made my first Star Wars fandom trip when I was six months old.  My mother told me that I loved R2D2 and the Jawas.

I revisited this epic moment when they first came out on VHS for the first time.  Then again when I was in college. That was when the remastered editions came out in theater in the mid 90s.

I have come to have a love/hate relationship with Jar Jar Binks from the first of the new trilogy.  My favorite happens to be the third movie where we return to the beginning of the of the original trilogy with the birth of Darth Vader.  And with him, the return of the most awesome of voices, courtsey of James Earl Jones.

I loved BB8.  He was my absolute favorite character next to Rey.

Kylo Ren, on the other hand, has my deepest, darkest thoughts of how to relieve him of life with the most pain possible.



(All pictures from Pixaby)

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- REFLECTIONS

This year was a fun theme.  I love delving into mythologies and legends, ghosts and evil creatures, and even stories that are just urban myth.

I'm happy that I finished it.  It was very close to being the first one that I did not finish.

I still haven't been able to fix my computer, and I only get bits of time to post at work (aka lunch break and breaks).

So, V was almost not happening.  I had nothing on it the day before it was due, but I got it out and had the the last letters (except for z) written out.  Well, the informational stuff was written out on paper.  I still had to write the stories at the time of posting.

I didn't get to visit many blogs this year, but the ones I did were great.  Silver Fox had some awesome vintage Comic book Heroes and Villians.

Samantha came back in style with her gorgeous MUSIC and STORY with the fantastic contests that I love.

And I got followers!  That made my day.  Thank you!

I had a wonderful time.  See you again next year.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- ZMEU

You watch her.  You want her to be your bride. She is perfect for you.

Swooping from the sky, your might is too strong for them.  You take her up into your arms.

She struggles, but it is futile.  She will marry you.  A purr of pleasure rumbles at the thought.

This time your precious maid will not be taken away.



Zmeu is a humanoid dragon!  One of the coolest beings I've come across.  They can turn into full dragons and have other shape shifting ability as well.  They also can create tools to use.

There is a debate on etymology and that he could be some type of ogre or giant, but why mess with a fire-breathing, maiden-stealing, flying bit of awesomeness!

Of course, the handsome young man (aka  Făt-Frumos) has to go rescue the girl from it.  Sometimes, he has to travel to the lair of the Zmeu, tarâmul celălalt (other world/realm) to save the maiden from marrying the creature.

They don't always steal girls. They steal other precious things like golden apples or the sun and moon.

There are different versions from all over Eastern Europe.  This happens to be the Romanian one.