BlueObsidian's About Me and Lensography

My name is Kim, aka BlueObsidian, and I am a girl with a LOT of interests and hobbies. I have been a freelance writer since 2007 and one of the reasons I love it is because I can write about all my favorite hobbies. Here on Squidoo, I've created lenses on several of my favorite hobbies: video games, writing, and food.

I started writing because I've always had too many interests. I want to learn about everything I can! So, I've funneled this love into writing and learning. Read on to see what I've been working on recently!

As long as I can remember, I've been a huge fan of books. My house is overflowing with bookshelves, and even more books get tucked away anywhere there is room. So when I began to write web content, one of the first topics I wrote about was books. In fact, my first Squidoo lens was about reading. Here are my top lenses on books and authors, in the order that I created them (starting with my first lens ever):

Ten Must-Have Books On Writing
I'm a little obsessed with books about the craft of writing. Perhaps it is just a method of procrastination (after all, when I am reading them I am not writing), but I also find inspiration and motivation in many of them. This lens features the ten books on writing that I find the most helpful and exciting. I'd love to hear if you have any suggestions that didn't make my list!

Writing Down The Bones
After creating my list of the best books about writing, I realized that there was one book I went back to more than any of the others and it deserved its own page. That led me to write about Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. This book always puts me in the mood to create.

Dean Young, Contemporary American Poet
I love poetry, and one of my favorite contemporary American poets is Dean Young. All of his books have homes on my bookshelves! I created this lens as a tribute to some of the work that I find the most inspirational.

Five Books to Read Before Starting Law School
Besides my love of reading, I am also just finished law school. Some of these books are ones I read before I began, while others are ones I wish I had known about and read sooner!

Five Great Books for Graduates
Graduation gifts can be difficult to pick out. This list details my five favorite books for new grads. There are choices here that are appropriate for high school, college, and beyond.

I've always adored video games, ever since the days of Atari (I wish I still had that system). I love Sim games and RPGs in particular. Most recently, I was finally dragged into playing World of Warcraft. Who knows how I even have time to write! One of my all-time favorite series of games is Harvest Moon. It began on the Super Nintendo and has had a number of great games. I am creating a series of lenses as game guides for some of my favorite Harvest Moon games.

Best Harvest Moon Games
Almost every Sony or Nintendo system has one or more Harvest Moon games, but this list represents my top favorites. It still includes some classics from the SNES and Nintendo 64, which hold up as time passes!

Harvest Moon: Sunshine Island Relationship Guide
One key element to Harvest Moon games is building friendships with people in town (and maybe even getting married). This guide will help you improve your relationships in Harvest Moon: Sunshine Island. It includes a list of the simplest and cheapest liked and loved gifts to give each villager.

Best SNES Games on the Wii Virtual Console
I loved my Super Nintendo when I was a kid, and I still think some of the games on that system are some of the all-time best video games. This is a list of my top five SNES games that you can download to your Wii (plus a few of the runners up).

There are many things that I love that I haven't been able to create lenses about yet. My favorite movies, foods, cookbooks, and more are yet to be described. This is a list of my top five favorite movies. I could (and have) watched these films over and over again! This probably could have been a top ten or top twenty list without much effort, since I love to curl up with a good movie, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

After college, I decided to attend the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. After all, I had always loved to cook! I received a certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts and was employed as a baker for four years after that. Although it isn't what I do professionally anymore, cooking is still one of my favorite hobbies. If I could only have one food for the rest of my life, it just might be pie. I love to create sweet treats and make simple dinners for my family. Here are my top lenses about food:

Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe
I think caramel may be one of my favorite sweets. I love caramel sauces and candies! I am a huge fan of the modern trend of using salted caramels. The salt helps to control the bitterness that may develop as sugar cooks and it really enhances the flavor of the finished sauce. This one is a great recipe!

Chocolate Hazelnut Fondue
Interactive foods completely appeal to me. After all, what better goal than to get your friend and family talking and laughing during a meal? Because of that, I think fondue is a fun dessert idea. This one is chocolate hazelnut. Do you like nutella? You may want to try this!

Unique Bundt Cake Pans
If you want your desserts to be truly fabulous, a great cake pan can help. I love to make food that is beautiful as well as delicious, and these unique bundt cake pans are super cool.

Homemade Popsicle Molds
There are many different fun and unique homemade popsicle molds that you can buy to create your own frozen treats. This page is one of my favorites that I have created, because I've been on such a popsicle kick lately! Check out the recipe for pomegranate yogurt pops. It's one of my recipes and seriously delicious!

Gourmet Gifts Ideas for the Home Cook
People know I love food, so on birthdays and holidays I always get piles of cookbooks. While I adore cookbooks and have a massive collection, there are so many more options for buying gifts for people who love to cook. My favorite idea is a gift-basket of high-quality ingredients. Give them something they would consider a treat or may not be able to afford to cook with on a regular basis!

Must-Have Kitchen Tools and Equipment
If there is a new kitchen gadget on the market, I'll probably try it. However, I tend to go back to the same basic tools and equipment when I need to cook. Don't be like me and have a drawer full of gadgets you will never use. Start by checking out this list of cooking equipment that I personally use and love!

I've had my KitchenAid for years and I love it to death. It may not be the most practical small appliance in my kitchen (I think the crock pot wins that one) or even the small appliance that I use the most (that goes to my toaster oven), but this stand mixer has such a range of uses that it is one of my favorites. I use it for all my doughs and batters and it never ceases to amaze me.

I am completely obsessed with Harry Potter and have also created a number of pages featuring actors from the series that I admire. While I certainly love the lead actors, I think that many of the smaller roles and the wonderful character actors that play them make the series something special.

• Bonnie Wright, who plays Ginny Weasley.

• Fiona Shaw, who plays Petunia Dursley.

• David Thewlis, who plays Remus Lupin.

Dobby is one of my favorite characters, particularly his portrayal in the books. Part of me really wants a cardboard cut-out of him for my office. Check out this one at AllPosters:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Dobby

36 in. x 15 in.

Buy This at Allposters.com

If I didn't go to law school, I was thinking about going into interior design. I love find the potential in a room. However, since I don't have much time I often have to focus on one or two elments that need some sprucing up. If you want to give your bedroom a makeover, start by changing the paint color or bed linens. Either one will give your room an entire new life!

How to Choose Paint Colors for a Bedroom
A coat of paint can completely change a room. Painting a bedroom is a quick project, but it makes more of an impact than nearly any design change. And it doesn't take long!

Butterfly Bedroom Ideas
There are butterfly bedroom ideas for people of any age. Butterflies look great in a nursery, teen's room, or even a mature master suite.

Green and Brown Bedding Sets
Green and brown bedding sets provide a fast and easy way to decorate your bedroom, since they come wiht nearly everything you need. A few decorative pillows can really change a room.

Gender Neutral Baby Bedding Sets
Parents choose gender neutral baby bedding sets for many different reasons. While these crib bedding sets may not be traditional, they all are beautiful and fun!

Fun Polka Dot Bedding Sets
I love the bold look of polka dots for bedding sets. They can be as youthful or mature as you want them to be. Check out these cute sets for ideas.

It's hard to pick a favorite Harry Potter book, since the series is so interconnected. However, I do love the themes of the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I've always appreciated the way that you can see Harry grow in this book, and how he becomes more connected to his parents and their lives.

A little bit about everything else I love

While baking, reading, and video games may be my three favorite hobbies, I tend to get interested in just about everything. Fashion, movies, and trivia are also big hits with me! These lenses are a sampling of some of my other interests. Feel free to visit my Profile Page to see a complete list of my lenses. After all, I try to add at least three new lenses each week! There should always be something interesting going on.

Setting Goals for Writing
No matter what you write (or want to write), setting goals for writing is a great way to focus and make sure that you finish your project. I am hyper-organized and love creating schedules and goals for myself. I thought I would share some successful techniques with aspiring writers.

Successfully Writing for Helium.com
As you can tell from this lens, I love to write. Helium.com was the first website I used to publish web content and I still make a little money from it each month. I think it is a great place to learn the skills needed for writing online.

20 Oregon Fun Fact Quizzes
I am a total trivia nerd and have fallen in love with Oregon since I moved here three years ago. This page has 20 quiz questions just waiting to be answered. If you are a Squidoo member, you will earn at least 200 points by answering all the questions on this page!

Graduation Announcement Samples
I am graduating from law school this year and found it crazy how much money it was costing to buy everything I needed. The announcement packages were so boring and didn't suit my needs, so I found some that I loved on Zazzle. See my favorites here!

Emerald-Cut Diamond Engagement Rings for Any Budget
Sometimes, the lenses I put together are just for things that I think are beautiful. When it comes to jewelry, emerald-cut stones are my favorite. Something about the geometry of the shape is fantastic. These rings rang in price from affordable to ridiculous.

Please note that all photos on this lens are my own images unless otherwise specified. You may pin this lens to Pinterest, but other use (particularly commercial use) is not allowed without permission. Stealing isn't cool, particularly since there are plenty of places to find stock photography and images with a Creative Commons license on the internet.