Disqus - Latest Comments for lorenanr

Re: A Great Day with the Kids... on the Cheap - The Simple Dollar

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Wed, 03 May 2017 12:49:27 -0000

I've got a "spend the day with the kids day" on Saturday -- we plan on visiting our local comic book shop for Free Comic Book Day in the morning, having a picnic lunch at a local park, then watching my co-worker's halau (hula dance troupe) at a local Hawaiian culture festival. It'll be a busy day, but full of fun and free cultural events!

Re: Getting beyond the buzzwords: Schools improvise as they add art to their STEM schools

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 19:17:38 -0000

My son's K-8 school, Chet F. Harritt School in Santee, Calif., has a STEAM curriculum.

Re: Fiesta Chick-style Casserole with Jalapeño Nacho Chips

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 21:24:48 -0000

Living in the middle of avocado country, guacamole is my dip of choice!

Re: Ultimate San Diego Bucket List (101 Things to Do in San Diego)

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 19:42:42 -0000

Welcome to San Diego! Some other suggestions from a native: witness the grunion runs, attend the Miramar Air Show, sit in the champion's booth at Lucha Libre Taco Shop (as opposed to "just" going), eat at El Indio Taco Shop (kitty corner to Lucha Libre and one of the oldest taco shops in SD), check out December Nights (AKA Christmas on the Prado) and Earth Day in Balboa Park, go to a drum circle at Black's Beach, visit the Whaley House and Old Town State Historic Park (two separately operated entities in the same area of town), walk through Chicano Park, tour the Mission San Diego de Alcala (the first mission in California; it still operates as a Catholic parish), visit the new downtown library...

I could go on and on, but these were the first things that popped into my mind that are intrinsically one-of-a-kind San Diego experiences. Also, if you're interested in hiking, be sure to check out "Afoot and Afield in San Diego County" -- it's basically the go-to guide for hikes throughout the region. It includes degrees of difficulty, amount of time to complete, elevation, etc. Good luck on the bucket list!

Re: Free Fridays 3/13: ANYTHING BUT SWEET + Baby Animal Pet Vet

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 11:35:55 -0000

I tried searching for the ebook version after getting the paperback page, too. Unfortunately, it doesn't even show up as having an ebook version (I did a search by author, then selected Nook version, to no avail). Bummer!

Re: Teen Heartthrob Madness: Seventeen, Round One

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 13:43:10 -0000

Oi! This is the first bracket where I skipped voting because I simply could not be bothered to care.

For the record, I'm SO happy to see some men of color in all of the brackets -- yes, Black/brown/Asian teens can be just as awkward (or sexy) as white boys (see: SD's own hometown "hottie" Mario Lopez :D).

Re: Teen Heartthrob Madness: J-14, Round One

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 13:37:56 -0000

Well, I should qualify that when I vote for the obvs Gen X choice (see: any guy from an '80s flick), I'm always mystified when they're NOT ahead. ..

Re: Teen Heartthrob Madness: J-14, Round One

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 19:20:30 -0000

This year's madness brackets are highlighting just how old I am...

Re: Giveaway: THE DUFF

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 02:32:00 -0000

Brittany Murphy in CLUELESS!

Re: Cover Reveal: Everybody Knows Your Name

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 20:19:36 -0000

Tell me about it! Also: Pimp My Ride, Punk'd (prankster TV) for and The Andy Milonakis Show (weird sketch comedy that feels like it's everywhere now).

Re: Cover Reveal: Everybody Knows Your Name

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 13:30:46 -0000

I'm not a big fan of reality TV, but that doesn't mean I don't watch it for the "train wreck factor." But, the first reality show I watched and still love is MTV's "Real World: San Francisco." All other iterations PALE in comparison!

Re: Blog Tour: Ruin and Rising

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:52:33 -0000

I think I relate to Alina's role as a saint the most -- not because I'm a saint (far from it!), but because of the expectations built around her. She's expected to do so much more than she ever has before, and she's so afraid to let people down because she doesn't know if she can do what they're asking and risking failure seems like a dangerous proposition. It's caused her to second-guess herself and, at this point, makes it seem like an all-or-nothing choice to save her people. While I've never faced anything so important, I have had a huge fear of failure that has caused me to make mistakes. Granted, I learned from those mistakes, but it was a painful education...

Re: The Girl With the Dragonfly Tattoo

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 13:33:10 -0000

There was the time I took the train from San Diego to San Bernardino to visit my friend in college (I was a junior in high school; she was a freshman). I left from the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego in the afternoon and ended up in one of THE creepiest train stations -- it was after dark and completely deserted. It was like arriving in a post-apocalyptic world...I had NEVER been so happy to see my friend at the time!

Re: NOOK Daily Find: The Program

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 18:00:31 -0000

I don't know if it's a problem with Feedly, but I didn't get any updates of Nook blog posts until Tuesday and missed out on this Daily Find. Have there been any problems importing this blog's content into feed readers? Just curious how much of a "me" problem it is.

Thanks for any assistance!

Re: Reader Mailbag: Civil Disobedience in Toddlers

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 19:13:03 -0000

I've been reading this blog for years and I normally do not comment. However, I just loved "civil disobedience in toddlers" because, as the mom to a toddler, I find myself in the same situation from time to time. Stay strong, Trent!

Re: Ooh My Little Pretty One: REALITY BITES Gets A Blu-ray For Its 20th Anniversary

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 16:11:46 -0000

It's almost sad how excited I am for this to be out on Blu-ray. I think this is when my Janeane Garafalo girlcrush started...

Re: Giveaway: How I Live Now

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 18:14:22 -0000

Living in So Cal, I've got earthquake tips galore. There's the basic: drop, cover and hold on. And here's a fun one: keep a whistle on you -- you never know when things might collapse around you, in which case that whistle will help you notify rescuers where you are. (I used to ride the light rail to work everyday, where there's an underground station. So, this seemed REALLY important to me.)

Also important -- always have snacks in your purse! (I always do, but that's because I'm the mom of an always-hungry toddler. Seriously, he eats more than me...)

Re: Your New Fake Boyfriend: Theo James

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:32:07 -0000

Veronica Roth blogged about Four's mixed-race heritage. In the second book, I understand that Roth is more overt about Four's mother's looks/racial features, so that's where it comes from. So, YAY, for mixed-race characters (as I'm one myself)!

Re: Your New Fake Boyfriend: Theo James

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 16:44:01 -0000

I just finished reading DIVERGENT this weekend thanks to a co-worker lending me his copy (yes, a male co-worker who reads YA!). Now, I'm obsessively researching anything and everything about ~~Theo James~~ the movie while I await my borrowing/reading of INSURGENT.

Of course, FYA is just what I need -- thanks, Mandy, for READING MY MIND.

Re: Fate Will Find A Way

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:48:26 -0000

Huzzah! I LOVE winning free reads! THANK YOU FYA YOU BOOK-GIVING GROUP OF BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.

Okay, now back to my regularly scheduled professional lady mode! ;-)

Re: Fate Will Find A Way

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:26:00 -0000

I don't necessarily believe in fate, but I think things happen for a reason. This kind of reasoning is helpful when it comes to things that seemed SUPER devastating at the time (not being able to go to the college of my dreams, breaking up with my first serious boyfriend) that turned out wonderfully in the end (attending one of the top 10 programs for my new major at my parents' alma mater, meeting the man I'd eventually marry)...

Re: Your New Fake Girlfriend: Anna Kendrick

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 12:10:32 -0000

Oh, you're absolutely welcome! I love Ben Folds Five and I have a toddler who loves all things Jim Henson, so I've watched this video MANY TIMES. Thankfully, it NEVER GETS OLD.

Re: Your New Fake Girlfriend: Anna Kendrick

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 14:51:50 -0000

She's also SUPER AWESOME in the Nerdist's music video featuring Fraggle Rock (!!!) and Ben Folds Five. Check it: http://youtu.be/mEyrfFwf3rI

Re: Lessons From Comic-Con 2013

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 15:24:11 -0000

I'm going to be that person -- the one who's all "I remember when Comic-Con only took up half the convention center" but still wishes they could have gone this year. So, I started going in high school and stopped going once I got preggers. I haven't been the past three years. It. is. killing. me.

BUT, everything goes online in ~~minutes~~ days, so I don't feel like I'm missing too much, so, you know, there's that.

In any case, I hope to go next year where I will hopefully not feel SUPER GUILTY ditching my toddler to enjoy super nerdy fun times for basically four days straight. Here's to hoping I can successfully reinstate my press badge! Oh, and I think we should do an FYA meet-up anyways so we can meet in real life ~~and stop stalking each other online~~.

As far as Comic-Con protips go, I totes echo what Kristin said. Also, if you need a quiet place to decompress, I suggest the Park in the Park at PETCO Park. It's usually super quiet since there's no baseball scheduled during Comic-Con and, unless there's an event booked, it's a ghost town compared to the Gaslamp. On that note, just ditch the Gaslamp Quarter and head to the East Village -- there's a lot more great food than they're used to be and it doesn't get sketchy until late night hits.

Also, don't get your hopes up too high to "see everything" at Comic-Con. I highly suggest you find the one "need to see it" panel or event and let everything else fall by the wayside. If you don't, you miss the random people-watching (a time-honored event whether you cosplay or not) and meeting cool people who are just as nerdy as you are, and instead get overheated/dehydrated/annoyed trying to do the "Comic-Con experience."

Of course, if you're into the not-so-popular stuff (read: not movies or TV), you'll find seats more easily for panels that explore off-beat topics like manga, books and writing. And, as a supporter of local artists, webcomics and indie publishers, I highly suggest you visit the Artists' Alley -- there are a bunch of AMAZING small press comics to explore and amazing artists trying to get their name out there.

Lastly, as far as souvenirs go, I'll admit that the best things I've ever gotten at Comic-Con weren't the cool freebies (whether it was at a panel or from an industry party), but were sketches or random signatures (one year, my husband and I ran into Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons (AKA my husband's favorite TV show). So, bring a small sketch book and a camera, to store your Comic-Con memories. It's much easier to lug that stuff back home, too, especially after a 10-hour day of Con, trolley and enduring sweaty, smelly nerd...

Re: PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS Giveaway

Lorena Nava Ruggero — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 15:02:50 -0000

I've always liked the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. It's a cool name, plus I just like that a woman was associated with victory in athletic competitions and in war. Bonus points that she's included in a lot of different designs, from the first FIFA World Cup to Greek coins.