Mariah's Nerdy Notes

Hey guys, I have made a little workbook for you guys to fill out if you are interested in doing the Choose Your Own Story. I've given each level a little quest and left room for you guys to write in your own rewards. The story follows a young adventurer who has to defeat the bosses in a dungeon leading to the dreaded Book Wyrm, and free the kingdom of Literaria. After a brief introduction, you get right down to business taking down bosses in the form of books. After every five books you go up a level. This workbook covers the first four "chambers," or groups of five books that you need to read to get your new title. This goes off of one of those old time RPG or Choose Your Own Adventure stories. For this adventure, you choose your own stories, meaning you choose what books you want to read and set your own time limit. There are seven titles to gain from NOOB to Dragon Lord (a unisex title in Literaria), and seven chambers you have to clear. Set your own goals and I

Hey guys and gals, So I've been bullet journaling off and on for a couple of years now, but really decided to recommit this year to just using a bullet journal instead of a bullet journal and a regular planner. A very dear friend of mine got me a beautiful datebook for Yule, which I'll be using mostly as an external future log instead of having one in my journal. I am going to be using the Scribbles that Matter Pro notebook. I got it off Amazon for $15 and I love the feel of the paper. Mine is white, with black and gray bookmarks, black pen loop, and black elastic band. At the beginning of the Scribbles that Matter notebook is the title page with a handy dandy spread to show what date the journal was started. I'm starting mine on the 31st of December as shown below. After the title page is a Key page, already split into two handy columns and the three index pages. In most bullet journals, people create their own, but Scribbles that Matter (and the Leuc

Hey everyone, Sorry for my disappearance lately. There have been some very rough days starting in November and December. There have been some family issues and we are waiting for some sort of resolution, but I'm hoping everything is finally going the way we need it to for the New Year. This year I have designed my own reading challenge that I'm calling Choose Your Own Story. I don't know about you all, but I have a TBR list a mile long and so I needed a challenge that fit my needs a little better. Here's how it works. There are seven levels based on the number of books read: - NOOB 1 - 5 - Peasant 6-10 - Bard 11-15 - Mage 16-20 - Wizard 21-25 - Sorcerer 26-30 - Dragon Lord 31+ books I've set rewards up for myself corresponding to each level, but feel free to join in with or without rewards. Keep the conversation going in the comments below. I'm working on developing a printable for you guys and I'll be doing a video soon of my set-up in my bul

Hey guys, I just put up a new video over on my Youtube Channel. https://youtu.be/vhLaNt0MkPA Make sure to check it out and like, subscribe and leave a comment! Mariah

****Hey guys, Mariah here. Sorry for the one post this week. I hurt my back something awful and am trying to get everything caught up now that I have some meds for it. Wish me luck. Anyways, a hearty welcome back to my friend Torin and to all of you for tuning in to another week of "The Witch I Knew on Pleasant Home Road."************** SUNDAY CIDER The faire was on a Sunday in mid-April and it wasn’t until almost a month later that Lilith and I arranged another time to meet, eat, and drink. We’d deliberated for a short while about the day until we decided on a Sunday evening. It was still decently temperate out instead of the scorching southern heat that’s so prominent. I remember not quite being able to find the house but the road I was on was correct: Pleasant Home Road. I’d eventually found the correct place and parked and walked to the door. Unassuming, the door seemed wholesomely easy to approach, unlike other doors with garish knockers or flanked by over-sized

**Hey guys, and welcome back! Here is Chapter 2 of  The Witch I Knew. **  DAY DRINKING The day of arrived and I hadn’t heard from her yet. “Typical”, I thought, to which my phone responded, almost with an air of annoyance of the fact I would think that, by chiming in with a text message. T’was her, simply stating that shed be there that day and that she was excited to hang out. “bloody brilliant” I responded. My messages were short and sweet that day because a friend of mine was visiting from out of town and we were meeting another of my friends at her house to pick her up for the faire that day. My friend (who’ll be referred to as Widgen, her cat, also affectionately referred to as her tiny crack-head) was visiting from out of town and was on a road trip of her own and had stopped in my town to take part in my hospitality for a grand few days. Widgen, like Lilith, was average height by my standards with dirty blonde hair that was a mix of wavy and curly that danced in s

In September, I received an Advanced Reader Copy of a book that was about to be published for the first time here in the United States. The book was  Podkin One-Ear, by Kieran Larwood (Clarion Books, September 2017). Originally, released in the UK about this time last year, the book has finally reached America's shores and bookshelves.  Set in a world, where rabbits are the predominant species and have evolved not only the ability to speak, but have divided themselves into clans. Each clan has a burrow akin to the castles in medieval stories, which acts as the central point for the surrounding areas. The book follows the adventures, heartache, and coming of age of three siblings, children of the Chief of their clan. The second eldest, and heir apparent, is Podkin, who is completely happy in his role as a spoiled prince. He, his elder sister, and their baby brother are forced from their home after a clan of rabbits known as the Gorm attack. The rest of the story follows these thr

***Hey guys! Sorry this is up so late, but I promised a guest post and here it is. Please welcome Torin to the blog and enjoy the first chapter of "The Witch I Knew on Pleasant Home Road"!.*********** The Witch I Knew on Pleasant Home Road By all personal accounts, and by my own standards, I live a pretty mundane life. I, like everyone, enjoy the exciting excursion now and then. A friend recently told me I lead a “unique life”. In that regard I suppose its just in the colour paint we use on the canvas that is our life that makes it “unique” to some and “mundane” to others. To myself my particular painting is, perhaps, dull? To others it seems vibrant. *writer’s note: at this point I had originally droned on for about a paragraph about the differences in colour and the particular ‘swatches’ we use for our individual paintings (yes, I used that word) but I felt it wouldn’t be prominent to this particular post so I’ll just continue *shrugs violently** In my attem

Hey guys, What a wild ride. You would not believe the amount of stuff that has happened in the past few months and I won't bore you with it. Long story short. My new place is full of boxes and is 3000 miles away from where I last wrote to you. It's been a rough few months, but I finally am starting to get settled in. On that note. There are a couple of things you can look forward to here on the blog and on the YouTube channel. First things first. There's going to be an awesome review of a new book that hasn't even been published yet! We also have a new series coming out written by my friend, Torin. He'll be guest posting once a week until the series is finished. Torin's been working really hard on the first few posts, so stay tuned for that every other Friday (starting this Friday). Over on the YouTube, we're going to have some more playthroughs, some TBR lists, some geeky crafts, and more as I get settled in. New videos will be posted the first weeken

Hey everyone, So remember forever ago when i said I was going to start a YouTube channel and then I failed miserably at doing that because life was making me cry and beg for mercy? Well I told life I was gonna do what I want (and got rid of a lot of toxic people and relationships) and conquered my fears with a mighty roar....or a sip of coffee and glare. And..... I STARTED MY CHANNEL. Yup...look me up: Mariah Macomb. There are two videos currently and I couldn't be more excited to keep going. I release one every weekend, so far there is a book haul and a playthrough of the first three levels of Rayman Legends. So there's that? Who are some of your favorite YouTubers and what would you like to see on my video?

Hey everyone! I recently subscribed to a relatively new subscription box called MerLady. It offers mermaid themed goodies valued between $45-60 for about $35 a month. I adore this box. Keep reading for an unboxing of the goodies involved in this month's theme Bohemian Merbabe. Look at that logo. Be still my heart....and open the box!  After you open the box, there is a handy list of everything in the box with the value and the vendor. Some of these items can be bought on the Merlady website, and similar items can be bought at the vendors listed. This was everything in my box. We'll go through each one of these items below. Starting with....  The Jewel Soaps! There are three little soaps: an emerald, an opal, and an amethyst. I loved how vibrant these were and how they go with the mermaid theme. They go great in my ship-wreck themed upstairs.  This makeup pouch now goes everywhere with me holding my pens and important paperwork. It's about 6 inches by 9 in

This week's Five Fandom Friday (hosted by the the Nerdy Girlie) is five fictional planets I would want to visit, real or fiction. I chose to do five fictional planets that I want to visit and decided that I would include planets from books, movies, games, and TV shows. 1. Magrathea - Douglas Adams' home planet of customized planet makers Magrathea is the home of the planet makers that created Earth in Douglas Adams' A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  I would love to see these masterminds at work. Artists carefully creating amazing planets. Everything in its place and touring the studios. That's something even Marvin would be...depressed and anxious about. Oh Marvin. 2. Ixchel  from A Wrinkle in Time  Ixchel in A Wrinkle in Time  is where Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which take Meg Murray, her father, and Calvin O'Keefe after their run in with IT on the planet Camazotz. It is here we meet the strange sightless creatures with tentacles that meet Aun

                         Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2  opened up this past weekend to huge, adoring crowds. It heralded the return of some of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including an even more adorable Baby Groot. I went opening night to a packed theater and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was cautiously optimistic as sequels often disappoint, but this movie was, at least in my humble opinion, just as good as the first. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 continues the story of the Guardians dynamically. It not only introduced new characters and races, but showed continued development and growth of the original characters. Not only do you get to see how Groot is continuing to grow and return to his former self, but you see the deepening of the relationships between and the maturation of the original characters. It is obvious that some time has passed between the original and this new movie, but it is easy to see the gang has been up to various protecti

Hello everyone and welcome back to Five Fandom Fridays. If you don't know what a Five Fandom Friday is, you are in luck. A Five Fandom Friday is a weekly blog list prompt written and hosted by The Nerdy Girlie . They're awesome and you should totally try it out. This week's prompt is Favorite Retro Video Games. Oh boy...this one opens a can of worms, but here we go. First, I'm going with games that I'm super familiar with, so they might not be "retro" to some. Second, I'm a 90s baby so there are going to be a lot of 90s games. You have been warned. Alright, let's dive in. 5. Blazing Dragons This game was and remains hilarious. It tells the story of the a young dragon, Flicker, who lives in Camelhot (get Camelhot...because dragons...nevermind) and is in love with the beautiful Princess Flame. In order to ask for her hand in marriage, he has to be a knight which he isn't. It is a point-and-click adventure/puzzle game that is inspired by

I was absolutely positive that I was going to be back a month ago. I had a blog planner picked out and everything. Then life sucker punched me hard. Everything got busy and hard really fast. I started going to a counselor, trying to sort out some difficult things. Then...the unthinkable at least for me, happened. I made the decision to call off the wedding and less than a week later, my fiance and I broke up. That was a week ago tomorrow and it sucks. I'm not going to mince words. We both know the decision had to be made. It just sucks. This is a very complex issue for me and this post is not about that I promise. It's just an explanation of what has kept me away from all of you. The truth of the matter is...no matter how strong or how much you know you made the right decision. A year and a half is still a year and a half and no amount of support helps dull the pain completely. I want to throw myself back into all things nerdy, but the fact of the matter is I'm exhausted

Hey guys, So I sat at my desk last night, trying to figure out what to post about. After all, there's a ton of awesome new games, movies, and all sorts of cool stuff to look forward to in 2017. I could write about my new magnetic bookmark haul or my book challenge or...and then it hit me. I didn't know what to write about. I don't know what to cook for dinner. I don't know why my goals keep falling through. Cue Epiphany music I need organization in my life and at work I am super organized. At home...not so much and I feel like that is causing the quality of my blog posts and my life to suffer. I want to bring you guys the best geeky stuff I have to offer and fulfill my promise of a YouTube channel. I want this blog to be awesome and colorful and filled with great content that keeps you guys coming back for more. So I'm taking a few weeks of a hiatus, just to get my life together a little bit and sort everything out. We will return to even better scheduled pr

Hey everyone, We're back with a Five Fandom Friday. :D This one means a lot to me. I've always wanted to travel, so let's get started. 1. Japan As an anime fan girl, gamer, and overall lover of Japanese culture, Japan is one of my ultimate destinations. The Fiance was stationed there for two years and LOVED it. I've never left the States. Needless to say, I am SUPER jealous. This will be remedied though, as this is our honeymoon destination or at least it's on our list of places to go within the next two years. This lovely picture is Akihabara, a.k.a. NERD PARADISE. This is where the Pokemon and Studio Ghibli stores are. Not to mention countless arcades, themed cafes, stores, and so so much more. I can't wait. 2. Disney World I grew up for the most part in California. I've been to Disneyland and Sea World, but I have never been to Disney World. This may seem like a minor problem, which it probably is, but I feel the need to go to the Happiest p

Hey everyone, So as I'm sure most of you know yesterday was Hayao Miyazaki's birthday! He just turned 76. I adore his work and the work that he put into Studio Ghibli. In honor of his birthday, here are my top 5 favorite Hayao Miyazaki movies. 1. My Neighbor Totoro I'm obsessed with My Neighbor Totoro. Not only was it one of the first five Studio Ghibli movies, Totoro, the friendly forest spirit that the main characters interact with became the face of Studio Ghibli. This movie struck a cord in me as a child. My mom had cancer when I was younger and spent a lot of time away getting treatment. While the malady of the girl's mom isn't really known, she is in the hospital the entire movie. Heart-breaking at some points and absolutely exhilarating at others, this movie is amazing. I have a Totoro onesie, Soot Sprite Slippers, and a Totoro mug set. Totoro is me and I am Totoro. 2. Howl's Moving Castle. This movie is an interpretation of Dianna Wynne Jon

Hey everyone, I would say I'm beyond glad the holidays are over, but the holidays being over starts the birthday season for me. Between our families and friends, my fiance and I have four birthdays this month alone. My wallet is already screaming at me. Given the fact that it is the new year, I wanted to talk about what my goals are this year. I chose the word Centered for my word of the year and built all of my goals off of that. It took some serious thought and journaling to really decide how I wanted to go about this. I got a Hobonichi Techo A6 English planner for Christmas/Yule (Thank you, future father-in-law. <3) and it was the perfect thing to get me started. Every month I'll check in with you guys to show my progress...hopefully on the YouTube channel...when I can figure out how to make things work. For January, here's what my goals are. Health:  I HATE working out. HATE IT. I work at a desk all day and even though I'm in the military and have a man