Catch-up: websites, t-shirts, viral videos, and Peyton Manning

My apologies for not being on the blog for a while! I haven't been feeling myself the past couple of weeks so I've neglected reading, writing and even studying to the point where I have nearly a whole text book to read in just over a week! Yikes. But I'm jumping back on the wagon and powering through.

In this post, I just wanted to mention a few random tidbits to get me back in the flow. It's gonna be super random, but here we go! In no particular order...


Buy bookish items and support literacy
I was contacted this week by Brad, who asked me to mention his new philanthropic company, Gone Reading International. By visiting their website and buying from a range of reader-oriented products, you can help improve literacy around the world. Check it out – shipping within the US is free with orders over $25, and worldwide shipping is also available at very reasonable prices. I especially love these cute bookmarks... perhaps I will be purchasing one soon!
To learn more about Gone Reading International's mission, click here.

Kony goes viral
I'm pretty sure you all would've heard about the Stop Kony campaign of 2012, but incase you haven't, please watch this video. The children of Uganda need our help!







I won Paulo Coelho! Well, sort of...
Straying away from saving-the-world antics, here's some perfectly useless but entirely interesting information: I won a Paulo Coelho t-shirt on Twitter the other day! Woohoo! HarperCollins UK were giving them away this week to promote the release of Coelho's latest novel, Aleph, to paperback, and a re-issue of The Alchemist. So be sure to check those out next time you're in Waterstones!

Indianapolis Colts - Peyton Manning = one sad fan

Sigh. I have to mention this because it's what has been on my mind most of the week. I'm a massive fan of professional American football (NFL), the Indianapolis Colts, and most of all Peyton Manning. If you watch it, or even if you don't and just live in the US (the guy must be everywhere right now!), then you probably know he was released by the Colts this week after missing the entire 2011 season due to a neck injury. And, to be completely dramatic, my heart is broken. He has been the Colts quarterback for 'fourteen wonderful years' (as he said in the press conference... and they have been much more than wonderful), and because of these completely unforeseen circumstances, he has left to find a new team. I'm devastated that he's not going to be playing for my Colts anymore, but I'll definitely be following him and cheering him on wherever he goes. He's a legendary player and an even better person! I'll miss seeing him in a Colts uniform like a mad person, but at least he'll be back on the field doing what he loves. To the team who gets him: be prepared to kick some serious behind next season because he's gonna definitely take you on an amazing ride! We'll loan him to you for now ;P ...

Crafty Jackie's being crafty!
Back to plugging websites! This time, I want to tell you about my good friend Jackie's new craft website, Crafty Jackie. Here she sells a lot of awesome homemade items such as bags, soft toys, key rings, and so on. You can even send her requests for items, and she'll make them especially for you. So if you're looking for a gift for a friend, perhaps something for Mother's Day, or just want to treat yourself, you might be able to find it there.

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Okay. So I think I'm done being random for now! Hope you found it a little interesting, haha. I'll be back soon with a review of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (nearly finished!)

What's been on your mind?