Summer?

After raining for the entire month of May, Texas finally seemed to realize it's (basically) summertime and the temperature shot up into the nineties. For, like, a week. Now Tropical Storm Bill is working its way up from the Gulf Coast, so the past couple of days have seen overcast skies and random torrential downpours. I'm glad the clouds have come back for a few more days because I'd actually forgotten how bright the sun is (which sounds ridiculous, but when it peeked out from behind the clouds for the first time in thirty days, I legitimately nearly wrecked my car).

Aside from the weather, life hasn't been too crazy. Since we're short staffed at my branch and I work Sundays at BookPeople, I've been working seven days a week most weeks. Even though working at BookPeople doesn't really feel like work most of the time, I still miss having actual days off. I'm really looking forward to my vacation for this reason, and also because I desperately miss my Blogger Family.

I've gotten to work and attend a couple of really great author events in the past month or so. Melany and I decided at the last minute to see mustache-less Nick Offerman ("I've done you the disservice of appearing before you with just my face. I understand you feel slighted.") which was insane (865 PEOPLE) and wonderful. I worked the event for Melissa Cistaro's debut memoir Pieces of My Mother, and was able to talk with her and a writer for Kirkus reviews for awhile afterwards. A few weeks before that, I went for barbecue and beer in a seedy joint off I-35 with New York Times best-selling author Craig Johnson. This is my life now.

We found a new apartment. It's (way) south and really nice. It's also super close to a great coffee shop and an awesome bar, but we've only been to each a couple of times since they are so far away from where we currently live. Only a few months left with this view though.

On a sad note, Britny moved away from us this past weekend (but only for a little while). For our last hurrah, her, Melany, and I went to a free Quiet Company show on Thursday night where they shot their video for "Seven Hells." Then on Friday night, despite my extreme exhaustion, Britny and I somehow talked for literally six hours about Harry Potter, books, and TV shows. (These extremely long talks always start with Harry Potter.) See you soon, Britny!

-Maggie

A Few Things

Currently, I'm sitting in a hotel room in the great city of Hobbs, New Mexico (heavy sarcasm). I'm here for work-related things and, let me tell you, I'm ready for a day off. All in all, it hasn't been too bad though. Tonight is great because I got off early and found out Albertsons carries Ruby Red. Also, Golden Girls is on literally all the time. Partyin' in room 142.

Here's a few things you should check out:

01. Fall Out Boy's new single "Centuries" is fantastic. Listen here.

02. This comic lists 7 Signs You're Becoming An Adult and it made me literally laugh out loud (LLOL?). I guess I am becoming an adult because I related to all of these. Melany and I had an entire conversation (see: argument) about dish racks just yesterday.

03. Definitely teared up watching these transformations.


04. This couple is documenting their travels by taking pictures of each other taking pictures of each other. They call their project Lens Between Us and all of their photos are certainly fueling my wanderlust.

05. I'm a big fan of great handwriting, aesthetically pleasing signatures, and pretty things in general, so these 17 Coolest Signatures of Famous People Through History definitely caught my interest.

Hope the rest of your week goes smoothly! Here's hoping mine flies by.

-Maggie

Monthly Mix: January 2014

For the Sleepless Nights from marvelousmaggie on 8tracks Radio.

1. Landfill – Daughter
2. Twin Size Mattress – The Front Bottoms
3. On the Roam – Baby Alpaca
4. We Don't Need Our Heads – A Great Big Pile of Leaves
5. Chasing a Ghost – The Head and the Heart
6. Marching Bands of Manhattan – Death Cab for Cutie
7. Until We Get There – Lucius
8. Good To Sea – Pinback
9. Hearts Like Ours – The Naked and Famous
10. Human – Daughter
11. Perth – Bon Iver
12. Days – The Drums
13. Late March, Death March – Frightened Rabbit
14. A Few Screws Loose – A Great Big Pile of Leaves
15. Half About Being a Woman – Caroline Smith
16. Yellow – Coldplay
17. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) – The Lumineers
18. Sloom – Of Monsters and Men

I finished this mix back in December. Why am I just now posting this? (I actually have reason this time, guys. I wasn't just procrastinating.) My cousin and I moved into our house. That took considerable time as I packed and moved everything mostly by myself (which was awful and I would not advise it). Then school started, and I also began training for morning books at work, which meant going in at five in the morning. Aside from all that, and worst of all, we still do not have Wi-Fi at our house yet. It's been a struggle. I feel like Laura Ingalls Wilder.

We also don't have our washer and dryer hooked up yet, so I've brought my laundry over to my grandparents' house and am using their Wi-Fi while I wait for my towels to dry. Expect more updates in re our house and school soon.

-Maggie

Give it a shake

Somehow, we are in the last week of June already. I don't know how these things happen. I guess what they say is true–time flies when you're having fun and school is not slowly draining you of your will to live.

With the first full month of summer coming to a close, I felt an Instagram Recap was in order (something I apparently only do during the summer). My summer has been great so far–filled with trips home, meet-up planning, seeing movies,* hanging out with best friends and new friends, pranks on coworkers, rereading Harry Potter, and a few margaritas here and there.

In a few short weeks, I will be shepherding twelve bloggers around Austin. It's going to be an adventure, to say the least. It has been quite the undertaking, planning this meet-up, but everything is pretty much set now. Just a few minor details to iron out, and it will all be good to go! I can't wait to see everyone again (and a few for the first time).

How's your summer going?

-Maggie

* Go see This Is the End. It's ridiculous and inappropriate, but so hilarious. The ending of the movie alone is worth the price of admission.

April 25: Bits

Today, the high was 102 degrees. Summer is fast-approaching, and I am not pleased or prepared.

After I got off work, I drove to the Starbucks on Quaker and picked up a venti nonfat no whip white chocolate mocha in preparation to stay up all night working (again). While waiting at the window for my coffee, I was struck with a random story inspiration that I will hopefully get to write after these next few weeks are over. If I am actually able to finish it (because I am not good at the finishing part of writing stories) and it doesn't suck (it probably will), I will share it with you.

There are these new Dinamita Nachos Picoso Doritos and they are really good. New unhealthy addiction alert.

I am scheduled to work an eight hour and forty-five minute shift on Saturday–fifteen minutes short of getting a lunch. This is the second time this has happened. I am now on a mission to kill all the things.

Last night, I found out the entire series of Star Trek: The Next Generation is available on Netflix Instant. All I want to do is snuggle up and watch Captain Picard be awesome, but I must finish these next three weeks first.

-Maggie

April 15: Kismet

Day before yesterday, I was having a bad day at work. I was in a terrible mood and time was dragging because of it, making my seven-hour shift seem like fifteen.

A middle-aged woman with dark hair walked up carrying one of those little blue baskets. I asked her how she was (she was "pretty good"), and began checking her few items. She realized that she had forgotten something, and asked the sacker to grab her two onions.

While we waited, she asked me about school and my major. I told her I was majoring in English, and she asked, as everyone does, if I was going to teach.

"No, I want to be a librarian," I said.

"Oh! My daughter is a librarian," she said. "She could be like your mentor!" She grinned.

"Hey, if she's willing!" I laughed.

We talked some more about her daughter and what she did, I mentioned being worried about not getting accepted into the Master's program, and she asked me some more questions. Then she handed me her business card.

"If there is anything I can do to help you, just let me know," she said.

I took the card and thanked her profusely, startled by her kindness. After all, we had only been talking for a few minutes, the amount of time it took for the sacker to run to the produce section and back. She began gathering her things and said it wasn't a problem, that she would love to help anyone who wanted to be like her daughter.

"You know," she said stopping at the end of the counter, "I never come to this United. I think God sent me here."

It's good to know there are still good people out there.

-Maggie

April 8: Twenty Tomorrow

I like my job. I don't always want to go and sometimes the longer shifts seem to drag on for an eternity, but it could be so much worse. I could still be working at Aeropostale.

They work with my school schedule and I haven't been denied requested days off yet, and that's nice. I get paid weekly, which is also nice, and I have coworkers that I really like, which is the nicest. Some of the "regulars" are great too (because grocery stores have those, which I feel isn't something you'd think).

There is one elderly couple that comes to the store nearly everyday because they buy their food one day at a time–no, really. When you ask how they are doing, the husband says, "I am blessed by the Lord, and God bless you."

One young woman always brings her little one-year-old son with her. When they come through my line, she tells him my name is Maggie, and he gets so confused because apparently their cat is also named Maggie. The look he gives me says, "What? You can't be Maggie! You have no fur!"

Then the other day a little old lady came in with her son, and he told me that she was about to celebrate her 101st birthday. I was shocked. She was almost 101 and she was just kickin' along! She didn't need one of those buggies to get around the store, and she wasn't even hard of hearing. Her and her son were making jokes and we all laughed as I was checking their groceries. The son said she needed to write a book on longevity. She shook her head and said it "probably wouldn't be very interesting," which is a lie because take a moment to think of all that she has lived through. I mean, a lot of stuff has happened since 1911.

It is hard for me to believe that I will have been alive for two decades tomorrow. I can't even begin to fathom what is must feel like to have been alive for ten.

-Maggie