Planet Rinda

     I’ve just finished the seventh book in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series,  All Together Dead.  And as I expected, it was wonderful!  Allow me to confess that although I love to lose myself in a good book, I’m not a speedy reader.  More like molasses in January when it comes to tearing through a book.  Yet with every one of the Sookie Stackhouse books, I’ve quickly devoured them!  And the same holds true with the latest one.  I just gobbled it up in less than two days! 

     The books are an easy read.  They draw you into the world of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress that is steadily becoming more and more involved in the world of the vampires.  Now, I don’t want to give away a lot.  No spoilers necessary here.  What you need to know is these books are well-written.  The characters burst with life and energy.  And they are very believable, which is kinda scary because her books are populated with a bevy of supernatural creatures.  Sookie feels very comfortable to me.  She feels like she could be me or my sister or my best friend.  I can relate to her real-life problems and the world she’s grown up in.  Now, the vampires!  They’re mysterious, complex and most of the time, damn sexy!  But there’s so much more.  Shapeshifters, weres, witches, demons…she covers the supernatural spectrum in these books.

     The series starts with Dead Until Dark.  A quiet, unassuming story of a small-town girl that never fit in who discovers that Shakespeare was right.  There really are more things in heaven and earth than Horatio or Sookie dreamt of.  And after a great revelation worldwide, Sookie discovers a world where she and her ability (telepathy) aren’t considered weird.  She discovers love and loss. And Charlaine Harris is such a good writer that you can’t help but want to tag along. 

      Oh, and one more quick note.  HBO is in the process of filming a new series based on the books called True Blood.  It’s being written, directed and produced by Allan Ball, the creator of HBO’s Six Feet Under.  Anna Paquin is set to star as Sookie.  I haven’t heard much buzz on it yet so I’ll keep you informed.

Technorati Tags: Charlaine Harris, Dead Til Dark, All Together Dead, Sookie Stackhouse, Southern Vampire, Sookie Stackhouse Series, HBO, Allan Ball, Six Feet Under, True Blood, Anna Paquin

      I’ve spent a good chunk of time this evening thinking about why I like Sims 2 so much.  I mean, it’s a lot of fun!  I truly love it.  But why?  I think, to me, it’s a wonderful escape.  I can create a perfect world to suit whatever my mood might be.  I get to choose the people that populate it, how they look, how they act, everything!  I can make them as funky or straight-laced as I like.  Then I get to guide them through their daily lives.  In a way, it sounds boring but it’s not!  At least not to me.    

      There’s such a pure and simple pleasure in playing the Sims.  I’m sure it satisfies that part of me that enjoyed playing Barbies and paper dolls as a child. The Sims, especially Sims 2, are animated dolls for grown-ups.  Also, it’s a lot more fun clicking my mouse and making my Sims do the dishes than it is for me to go to the kitchen and do so!  But it’s so much more than that.  
 
      Lately, I’ve really gotten into downloading custom content for my Sims.  I had no idea how much was out there!  It’s amazing!  While, I’ve not yet tried my hand at creating my own custom skins and meshes, I do love adding all the cool stuff that other, more talented, people create.  If you play the Sims, I suggest that you investigate some of the custom content out there.  It can breath new life into the game if you’re beginning to get bored.  You can download everything from hacks that allow you add careers or control a pregnancy to wild, imaginative genetics like hair and eyes.

       Here are some of my favorite free sites for custom downloads.  Oh, and it should go without saying that anything you download, you should check for viruses and such before installing.

 Mod the Sims2—a smorgasbord of goodies by some of the most talented people on the web.  The best place to start!

 PeggySims—My favorite place for hair for my female sims.  Lots of great stuff here.

 All About Style—I love the selection of clothes here. 

 Helaene—Her make-up and eyebrows are absolutely gorgeous!

 SimCribbling—truly unique genetics and hair meshes…perfect for my anime Sims.

      That barely scratches the surface of what’s out there.  Go and explore.  And you too could have the Sims of your dreams…no matter how wild those dreams might be.

Technorati Tags: The Sims, The Sims 2, game mods, EA, Maxis

     Lucky Star is one of my favorite animes.  It’s new but will definitely be an all-time fav!  It’s such a fun and colorful anime that grabs you right at the start with it’s catchy theme song (“Motteke! Sailor Fuku“) and bright colors.  The story focuses on four high school girls and follows their lives with comical results.  I really identify with the drowsy-eyed, blue-haired lead character Konata Izumi.  She’s smart and athletic by nature but passes on sports teams and after-school clubs that would cut into her prime-time anime viewing.  She would rather play computer games and read manga than do her homework.  She’s a funny, lazy, clever girl that is near and dear to my heart.

     Her antithesis is her friend Kagami Hiiragi.  She’s a serious, conscientious student.  And Konata’s laid-back, easy going style drives her crazy!  She relies on Kagami to copy her homework or loan her a school book that she left at home in favor of the newest manga.  Kagami’s twin sister Tsukasa, like Konata, is an average student at best.  She’s not as focused as her older sister (by two whole minutes!).  Tsukasa’s a bit of an airhead as well as a klutz but she’s really a sweet, good-natured girl.   She’s good at cooking and housework, areas that Kagami can’t seem to master! 

     Rounding out this colorful cast of characters is Miyuki Takara.  An adorable pink-haired sweetie that is well-mannered and intelligent.  She comes from a wealthy family and has a deathly fear of dentists.  She’s the one the other girls come to with questions about school or life. 

     The anime seems to float along like a warm summer day.  It’s light and sweet and oh so funny!  It began as a manga, which I have yet to read.  It’s not been released in the US yet but based on it’s popularity in Japan, that shouldn’t take too long.  If you think you would enjoy this light-hearted slice of life anime, search it out on the web.  It’s well worth the trouble.   This will definitely be added to my anime collection as soon as it’s released here in America.  Oh, and if you catch it, please watch the credits.  The karaoke discussions are hilarious!  I strongly recommend this anime to seasoned otaku as well as newbies in the anime craze.  It doesn’t disappoint! 

Technorati Tags: Lucky Star, anime, Motteke! Sailor Fuku, Konata Izumi, Kagami Hiiragi, Tsukasa Hiiragi, Miyuki Takara, Izumi Konata, Hiirgai Kagami, Hiiragi Tsukasa, Takara Miyuki, youtube, youtube videos, videos

     Today I want to talk about my current favorite book.  I’ve just finished the first three installments of the Dresden Files series.  And they rock!  I must admit that I didn’t begin reading the series until after watching the first season of the Sci-Fi Channel series adapted from the books by Jim Butcher.  They were on my list of must reads but I hadn’t quite made it to them.  I even had the first book in the house but honestly it wasn’t until after the series intrigued me a bit that I dug it out and jumped head first into the world of Harry Dresden.

I must give credit to the Sci-Fi Channel. They’ve made an entertaining and amusing series based on the books.

     The books are great.  I would highly recommend them to all.  They center around Harry Dresden, Wizard For Hire.  A good man with a dark past and great magical talent.  He’s just trying to do the right thing and eek out enough to live.  Sounds simple but it’s not.  The stories are multi-layered and filled with believable, colorful characters.  My fav so far has been Grave Peril.  It tells a tale of ghosts, fairies, vampires and white knights…with Harry right in the middle of it all!  I don’t want to give away too much…just go read it! 

     I feel that before I close, I must give credit to the Sci-Fi Channel.  They’ve made an entertaining and amusing series based on the books.  They do try hard to stay true to the original work and have actually made several of the books into episodes.  Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can squeeze into an hour long TV show.  The books let you go deeper into the stories and that’s always good!!  So go and pick up one of the Dresden Files books and enjoy.  And thank Jim Butcher for a wonderful read!

Technorati Tags: Dresden Files, Harry Dresden, SciFi Channel, TV, television, Jim Butcher, books, wizard, magic, Grave Peril

Welcome to Planet Rinda!  A beacon of giddy weirdness illuminating a darkened corner of the internet!  Here I hope to share with you my love of all things rinda—anime, manga, television, movies, books, Sims 2, and who knows what else!  I hope to use this space to share my opinions of new discoveries and old favorites.  Perhaps you can share your thoughts with me as well.  So come back from time to time and check it out.  Who knows what you’ll find…