Hear the bells ringing they're singing that we can be born again!
Hear the bells ringing they're singing Christ is risen from the dead!
The angel, up on the tombstone, said he is risen, just as he said!
Quickly now, go tell his deciples that Jesus Christ is no longer dead!
Joy to the world! He is risen! Alleluia! Is risen! Alleluia! Is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
-Easter Song by 2nd Chapter of Acts.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - A review.
I recently (as in two or three days ago) finished The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain for literature.
Title: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Author: Mark Twain (real name, Samuel Clemens)
Synopsis: Huck Finn escapes town with a runaway slave, Jim, and they travel down the Mississippi River together and have many an adventure.
My rating: 6/10 stars.
Why I liked the story: It was VERY entertaining. Huck and Jim get into a lot of scrapes and usually they are pretty humerus. Plus, Mark Twain's writing style in itself is very funny.
He had some really great descriptions.... Some that made me laugh out loud. .....Something about the meat was harder than chewing on an old corpse.
The plot twist near the end when Tom Sawyer showed up... That was really funny! My mom thought it was too far fetched, but I loved it.
So (spoilers!) Huck goes to this house because they're holding Jim and trying to give him back to his rightful owner (except they have the wrong address). Huck is going to try and rescue Jim but the lady of the house comes running out and says she's so glad to see Huck. She thinks that Huck is her nephew. Her nephew Tom Sawyer! Well, then Tom comes... And Huck pretends to be Tom and Tom pretends to be Sid (his brother). Tom agrees to help Huck rescue Jim but he insists on doing it the right way. AKA, making it as complicated as possible (when all the while, Jim is actually a free man because his former owner died and set him free in her will).
Anyway, there's one part where Huck and Tom are trying to roll a giant grindstone into the shack where Jim is being held and they can't do it by themselves so they go and slip Jim's chain off the bed and get him to help. Then they slip it back over the bed because they aren't done rescuing him yet. It was really outrageously funny....
Mark Twain really seemed to know what he was talking about. After all, he was a riverboat pilot for awhile. I think that he did a good job of portraying life on the River in the 1840's.
Huck and Jim's friendship is very nice. Even though the Civil War wouldn't happen for 20 years in the book.... Huck is ahead of his time - he realises that Jim is a man, just like himself.
Things I didn't like/things you should know: The main reason that I will not be re-reading this book anytime soon is that I didn't like the unchecked lawlessness/Godlessness. Mostly all the characters are immoral, lie, and cheat. Hardly anyone raises a finger against them.... Although the King and Duke (two con men) do get tarred and feathered for conning the people up and down the river.
Huck's father was an alcoholic who beat and yelled at his son, stole all his money, and drank it away. Huck has very little education and because of this upbringing, he lies. A lot. Usually he gets away with it without anyone being the wiser. Sometimes he struggles with morals... Should I turn Jim in or not? In the end he ends up saying no, I will continue to break the law (of the times) and keep running away with a runaway slave, even if I have to go to hell for it.
So yeah, I didn't care too much for the unchecked lawlessness of almost all the characters.
The characters swear a bit... Also, the N (slang for negro) is used a LOT! That kind of annoyed me... just because I'm not a huge fan of slang terms or swear words (whenever someone swears in a book I feel like hurtling it across the room. It's one thing hearing it on TV... But actually reading the word? Yuck!). At the same time, though, the N word was used a LOT back then. It was the accepted everyday term before the Civil War. It's history. Are we not going to read the story of Solomon in the Bible just because he had 700 wives? That's history too. It doesn't make it right... But that's what was acceptable back then (actually, I'm not 100% sure in Solomon's wives was acceptable... at least in the eyes of God. I can't remember when He said "one man to one woman").
Have I read it before? Nope.
Will I read it again? Probably not... At least not anytime soon.
Would I recommend it? It was a very entertaining read. The lawlessness might not bother some people (on the contrary, the N word probably would.
Random fact: Did you know that Huck Finn was a banned book shortly after it came out in 1884? It was banned because Huck Finn wasn't a "hero." He wasn't the well behaved, wild animal-saving boy people wanted to read about. Now, however, Huck Finn is banned because of the racial prejudices throughout the whole book. It's kind of interesting to compare to two.)
Anyway.... You have to take a grain of salt with this book, I think. It really is in the eye of the beholder. If you are interesting in reading an entertaining classic go ahead and read this book! Just be warned that it is full of racial prejudices and lawlessness.
Although I can't help but wonder if Mark Twain wanted it to be that way because he was trying to write a biography on society.
Anyway, personally, I did not care too much for this book. But other people might.
Live long and prosper!
Title: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Author: Mark Twain (real name, Samuel Clemens)
Synopsis: Huck Finn escapes town with a runaway slave, Jim, and they travel down the Mississippi River together and have many an adventure.
My rating: 6/10 stars.
Why I liked the story: It was VERY entertaining. Huck and Jim get into a lot of scrapes and usually they are pretty humerus. Plus, Mark Twain's writing style in itself is very funny.
He had some really great descriptions.... Some that made me laugh out loud. .....Something about the meat was harder than chewing on an old corpse.
The plot twist near the end when Tom Sawyer showed up... That was really funny! My mom thought it was too far fetched, but I loved it.
So (spoilers!) Huck goes to this house because they're holding Jim and trying to give him back to his rightful owner (except they have the wrong address). Huck is going to try and rescue Jim but the lady of the house comes running out and says she's so glad to see Huck. She thinks that Huck is her nephew. Her nephew Tom Sawyer! Well, then Tom comes... And Huck pretends to be Tom and Tom pretends to be Sid (his brother). Tom agrees to help Huck rescue Jim but he insists on doing it the right way. AKA, making it as complicated as possible (when all the while, Jim is actually a free man because his former owner died and set him free in her will).
Anyway, there's one part where Huck and Tom are trying to roll a giant grindstone into the shack where Jim is being held and they can't do it by themselves so they go and slip Jim's chain off the bed and get him to help. Then they slip it back over the bed because they aren't done rescuing him yet. It was really outrageously funny....
Mark Twain really seemed to know what he was talking about. After all, he was a riverboat pilot for awhile. I think that he did a good job of portraying life on the River in the 1840's.
Huck and Jim's friendship is very nice. Even though the Civil War wouldn't happen for 20 years in the book.... Huck is ahead of his time - he realises that Jim is a man, just like himself.
Things I didn't like/things you should know: The main reason that I will not be re-reading this book anytime soon is that I didn't like the unchecked lawlessness/Godlessness. Mostly all the characters are immoral, lie, and cheat. Hardly anyone raises a finger against them.... Although the King and Duke (two con men) do get tarred and feathered for conning the people up and down the river.
Huck's father was an alcoholic who beat and yelled at his son, stole all his money, and drank it away. Huck has very little education and because of this upbringing, he lies. A lot. Usually he gets away with it without anyone being the wiser. Sometimes he struggles with morals... Should I turn Jim in or not? In the end he ends up saying no, I will continue to break the law (of the times) and keep running away with a runaway slave, even if I have to go to hell for it.
So yeah, I didn't care too much for the unchecked lawlessness of almost all the characters.
The characters swear a bit... Also, the N (slang for negro) is used a LOT! That kind of annoyed me... just because I'm not a huge fan of slang terms or swear words (whenever someone swears in a book I feel like hurtling it across the room. It's one thing hearing it on TV... But actually reading the word? Yuck!). At the same time, though, the N word was used a LOT back then. It was the accepted everyday term before the Civil War. It's history. Are we not going to read the story of Solomon in the Bible just because he had 700 wives? That's history too. It doesn't make it right... But that's what was acceptable back then (actually, I'm not 100% sure in Solomon's wives was acceptable... at least in the eyes of God. I can't remember when He said "one man to one woman").
Have I read it before? Nope.
Will I read it again? Probably not... At least not anytime soon.
Would I recommend it? It was a very entertaining read. The lawlessness might not bother some people (on the contrary, the N word probably would.
Random fact: Did you know that Huck Finn was a banned book shortly after it came out in 1884? It was banned because Huck Finn wasn't a "hero." He wasn't the well behaved, wild animal-saving boy people wanted to read about. Now, however, Huck Finn is banned because of the racial prejudices throughout the whole book. It's kind of interesting to compare to two.)
Anyway.... You have to take a grain of salt with this book, I think. It really is in the eye of the beholder. If you are interesting in reading an entertaining classic go ahead and read this book! Just be warned that it is full of racial prejudices and lawlessness.
Although I can't help but wonder if Mark Twain wanted it to be that way because he was trying to write a biography on society.
Anyway, personally, I did not care too much for this book. But other people might.
Live long and prosper!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Were you there?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
- Negro spiritual
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
- Negro spiritual
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
A writerly tag. And some Liberace.
Jack tagged all her followers and I am going to take the tag as it is a fun writerly one.
1. What is the working title of your book?
You Don't Find Them, They Find You.
2. Where did the idea come from for your book?
This is a loooooooooooooonnnggg story.....
It starts with my favorite cousin. When I was younger, I used to make up spy stories about us. Unfortunately, I don't think any of them got past one or two pages....
Well, sometime at the beginning of last year I was at the thrift store and this new and improved secret agent idea popped into my head. I had to write it down right THEN. Luckily my mom had some paper and a pen with her....
Well, that idea evolved into my present spy SERIES!
3. What genre is your book?
Espionage.
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition.
Varina would be played by Michelle Dockery probably.... Although she would have to fake an American accent.
5. Give the one sentence synopsis of your book.
A race to find Liberace's rhinestone before the bad guys!
(If you don't know who Liberace is, shame on you. Here is a video for you:
6. Is your book self-published, published by an independent published, or represented by an agency?
It isn't published yet. When I finish all the books and edit them... I am going to try get an agency interested (because by that time I'll be in college or out of college and I'll have the knowledge to try do something like that. Right now I don't know enough about publishing).
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
One month - last year's NaNoWriMo!
8. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My favorite cousin.
9. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
Ummm... It's got a bunch of pop culture references that I will be forced to take out later (which will be sad). Also, Daniel and Varina go poking through the (sadly, closed. In real life and in my book) Liberace museum in Las Vegas. That was pretty fun to write since Liberace was such an extravagant guy. They try on some of his rhinestone-covered clothes.
And there you have it. I am going to (evily) tag Jessica at Authorly Insane. And my friend Jen too. You guys just have to answer the same questions I did.
Live long and prosper!
1. What is the working title of your book?
You Don't Find Them, They Find You.
2. Where did the idea come from for your book?
This is a loooooooooooooonnnggg story.....
It starts with my favorite cousin. When I was younger, I used to make up spy stories about us. Unfortunately, I don't think any of them got past one or two pages....
Well, sometime at the beginning of last year I was at the thrift store and this new and improved secret agent idea popped into my head. I had to write it down right THEN. Luckily my mom had some paper and a pen with her....
Well, that idea evolved into my present spy SERIES!
3. What genre is your book?
Espionage.
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition.
Varina would be played by Michelle Dockery probably.... Although she would have to fake an American accent.
I don't know who would play Daniel..... Alexander Siddig has the right face shape, and is thin enough (at least, he was in his Deep Space Nine years). He also has the perfect accent. But Daniel is white, not east indian; and he has blond hair and blue eyes.
Soooo... that face/body shape with Michael W. Smith's hair and eyes?
If such a person exists.....
Really, though, I would be happy with a younger Alexander Siddig.
A race to find Liberace's rhinestone before the bad guys!
(If you don't know who Liberace is, shame on you. Here is a video for you:
That, above, is early in his career, I believe... Before he wore his flare, literally, on his sleeves.
Here is a picture for you:
If you are interesting in learning more about Liberace.... buy my book when it comes out. xD Kidding. Really, though, if you want to hear more of his music, I highly highly highly recommend the Muppet Show episode starring him. It can be found on youtube.)
6. Is your book self-published, published by an independent published, or represented by an agency?
It isn't published yet. When I finish all the books and edit them... I am going to try get an agency interested (because by that time I'll be in college or out of college and I'll have the knowledge to try do something like that. Right now I don't know enough about publishing).
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
One month - last year's NaNoWriMo!
8. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My favorite cousin.
9. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
Ummm... It's got a bunch of pop culture references that I will be forced to take out later (which will be sad). Also, Daniel and Varina go poking through the (sadly, closed. In real life and in my book) Liberace museum in Las Vegas. That was pretty fun to write since Liberace was such an extravagant guy. They try on some of his rhinestone-covered clothes.
And there you have it. I am going to (evily) tag Jessica at Authorly Insane. And my friend Jen too. You guys just have to answer the same questions I did.
Live long and prosper!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Top Tuesdays: Top Tolkien Dwarves.
Keeping with my Tolkien themed Top Tuesdays.... Here are my top Tolkien Dwarves!
12. Nori.
The only reason I don't like Nori (and the only reason he's last) is his hair. I can't get past the fact that he looks like a star up in the sky.
I do like his actor, though. His actor seems like a nice guy. I'm sure Nori is a nice guy as well... I just don't like his hair.
11. Bifur.
Mostly I just put all these Dwarves in random order because most of them don't have epic personalities... Especially in the books. Peter Jackson did a good job giving most of them personalities in The Hobbit and I think they will have even more personality in the next movies.
Bifur, again, has a really cool actor who seems like a nice guy. Not sure what's going on with the mini-anvil in his forehead....
10. Dwalin.
Dwalin. Haha. He's like the brawn of the group. He's super tall (for a Dwarf) and likes head-butting people. He's cool.
9. Dori.
Dori is Nori The Star's brother. He seems very nice in The Hobbit; he offers tea to Gandalf (who, if I remember correctly, refuses him and asks for some wine). Dori seems like a nice Dwarf.
8. Thorin Oakenshield.
(This is where my actually opinions start to play a part)
The Dwarf king. I don't remember him too much from the books.... He's a bit too serious for me in the movie. But I suppose he is kind of preoccupied with saving his mountain from a fire breathing dragon (think furnace, with wings).
7. Gloin and Oin.
Gloin is Gimli's father and Oin is Gloin's brother. They are pretty cool. In the movie Oin has a hearing trumpet like Calculus.
6. Bombur.
(Hee hee, I couldn't resist.)
Bombur is my second favorite in the book, but is sixth in my top movie Dwarves.
He eats. Everything. One of my favorite parts in The Hobbit is when the other Dwarves have to carry Bombur after he fell into the river in Mirkwood. I can't wait to see what Peter Jackson did with that in the second film.
My other favorite Bombur moment is in The Fellowship of the Ring (at least I think that's where it is. It might be in the end of The Hobbit. I can't remember) when Gloin is telling Bilbo about the other Dwarves. He mentions that Bombur has to be carried around by a couple of young Dwarves because he's gotton so big. Hee hee.
5. Gimli.
"Just keep breathing, that's the key!"
I love Gimli. He's hilarious, especially when he's with Legolas. They are kind of like Odo and Quark from Deep Space Nine. They hate each other but then end up getting along (to some degree). Plus I love the guy who played him.
4. Fili and Kili (because you can't have one without the other. They even DIE together!)
They are Thorin's nephews and the youngest (in the books. In the movie, for some reason, Ori is the youngest...).
Fili and Kili were always pretty cool in the book and in the movie they are wonderful! Why do they have to die?!
3. Ori.
I LOVE Ori. He is SO adorable! And he's very polite and shy and I'm told that he carries around a sketchpad... Though it has yet to make an appearance. He's just too cute!
2. Bofur.
Bofur beats Ori by only a smidgen. He is so jolly and funny. And he has a cool hat. He's great.
1. Balin!
The Santa Claus of the Dwarves.
Balin has always been my favorite. I'm not sure why... He just always has been, ever since my dad first read me The Hobbit. He's the eldest, I believe, and therefore has seen much and has a lot of wisdom. He's kind of like the grandpa of the group.
Now some random pictures:
(Dori encouraging his little brother to try "green food")
(Balin and Dwalin looking like they are cooking up a plan.)
(I have this as a poster hanging on the wall of my room.)
And to complete this post I leave you with.....
May your beard grow ever longer.
12. Nori.
The only reason I don't like Nori (and the only reason he's last) is his hair. I can't get past the fact that he looks like a star up in the sky.
I do like his actor, though. His actor seems like a nice guy. I'm sure Nori is a nice guy as well... I just don't like his hair.
11. Bifur.
Mostly I just put all these Dwarves in random order because most of them don't have epic personalities... Especially in the books. Peter Jackson did a good job giving most of them personalities in The Hobbit and I think they will have even more personality in the next movies.
Bifur, again, has a really cool actor who seems like a nice guy. Not sure what's going on with the mini-anvil in his forehead....
10. Dwalin.
Dwalin. Haha. He's like the brawn of the group. He's super tall (for a Dwarf) and likes head-butting people. He's cool.
9. Dori.
Dori is Nori The Star's brother. He seems very nice in The Hobbit; he offers tea to Gandalf (who, if I remember correctly, refuses him and asks for some wine). Dori seems like a nice Dwarf.
8. Thorin Oakenshield.
(This is where my actually opinions start to play a part)
The Dwarf king. I don't remember him too much from the books.... He's a bit too serious for me in the movie. But I suppose he is kind of preoccupied with saving his mountain from a fire breathing dragon (think furnace, with wings).
7. Gloin and Oin.
Gloin is Gimli's father and Oin is Gloin's brother. They are pretty cool. In the movie Oin has a hearing trumpet like Calculus.
6. Bombur.
(Hee hee, I couldn't resist.)
Bombur is my second favorite in the book, but is sixth in my top movie Dwarves.
He eats. Everything. One of my favorite parts in The Hobbit is when the other Dwarves have to carry Bombur after he fell into the river in Mirkwood. I can't wait to see what Peter Jackson did with that in the second film.
My other favorite Bombur moment is in The Fellowship of the Ring (at least I think that's where it is. It might be in the end of The Hobbit. I can't remember) when Gloin is telling Bilbo about the other Dwarves. He mentions that Bombur has to be carried around by a couple of young Dwarves because he's gotton so big. Hee hee.
5. Gimli.
"Just keep breathing, that's the key!"
I love Gimli. He's hilarious, especially when he's with Legolas. They are kind of like Odo and Quark from Deep Space Nine. They hate each other but then end up getting along (to some degree). Plus I love the guy who played him.
4. Fili and Kili (because you can't have one without the other. They even DIE together!)
They are Thorin's nephews and the youngest (in the books. In the movie, for some reason, Ori is the youngest...).
Fili and Kili were always pretty cool in the book and in the movie they are wonderful! Why do they have to die?!
3. Ori.
I LOVE Ori. He is SO adorable! And he's very polite and shy and I'm told that he carries around a sketchpad... Though it has yet to make an appearance. He's just too cute!
2. Bofur.
Bofur beats Ori by only a smidgen. He is so jolly and funny. And he has a cool hat. He's great.
1. Balin!
The Santa Claus of the Dwarves.
Balin has always been my favorite. I'm not sure why... He just always has been, ever since my dad first read me The Hobbit. He's the eldest, I believe, and therefore has seen much and has a lot of wisdom. He's kind of like the grandpa of the group.
Now some random pictures:
(Dori encouraging his little brother to try "green food")
(Balin and Dwalin looking like they are cooking up a plan.)
(I have this as a poster hanging on the wall of my room.)
And to complete this post I leave you with.....
May your beard grow ever longer.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
I'm going to camp!
Okay... I'm not going to REAL camp. But I am going to Camp NaNoWriMo!
Camp NaNoWriMo is basically NaNoWriMo.... Except in April (and July. Although the months change each year, I believe).
You can write whatever you want during Camp be it novel, epic poem, screenplay, script, play, novelette, short story... Whatever. You can also choose your own word count.
In 7 days, 3 hours, 34 minutes, and 17 seconds, Camp will start.
I will be writing the second installment in my spy series starring Daniel and Varina. Actually, it's the third installment... The second installment will be written during the July Camp. Why am I writing the third book second? I don't know. It just kind of happened that way.
So, if you don't hear much from me in April..... I have probably been eaten by a plot bunny (or worse, a plot BEAR!) or stung by some mind-dulling-character-destroying poison ivy.
Fare ye well fair blog followers.... I hope I make it out alive.
Live long and prosper.
Camp NaNoWriMo is basically NaNoWriMo.... Except in April (and July. Although the months change each year, I believe).
You can write whatever you want during Camp be it novel, epic poem, screenplay, script, play, novelette, short story... Whatever. You can also choose your own word count.
In 7 days, 3 hours, 34 minutes, and 17 seconds, Camp will start.
I will be writing the second installment in my spy series starring Daniel and Varina. Actually, it's the third installment... The second installment will be written during the July Camp. Why am I writing the third book second? I don't know. It just kind of happened that way.
So, if you don't hear much from me in April..... I have probably been eaten by a plot bunny (or worse, a plot BEAR!) or stung by some mind-dulling-character-destroying poison ivy.
Fare ye well fair blog followers.... I hope I make it out alive.
Live long and prosper.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
"I do not cough for my own amusement," replied Kitty fretfully.
My best thinking time is when I'm taking a shower. I don't know why, but my best ideas come when I'm in the shower. As a result, I tend to take 30-45 minute showers because I'm so absorbed in my own thoughts, I wash veeeeerrryy slowly.
This morning I had quite a few "aha!" moments in the shower.
One was another how-Sherlock-survived-the-fall theory. Maybe Kitty, the reporter ("You repel me" girl), had something to do with it! I mean, she had access to Moriarty and Sherlock both. What if Sherlock hired her to spy on Moriarty? That way, he would know Moriarty's plans.
I promise, no more Sherlock theorys... I just can't help it. They started filming season three two days ago. The first episode is called The Empty Hearse which I think is SO hilarious because the book where Sherlock comes back after being "dead" for three years is called The Empty House.
As well as coming up with that theory, I came up with a background and a motive for a character. Perhaps I shall someday elaborate on him because he is quite interesting.
I also did some brainstorming that I have been putting off. I had to figure out a bunch of different ways for people to do stuff. Now I have that figured out and I can go on with the planning of the third novel in my spy series (which I'm writing second because I thought it would be second... but it turns out it fits better as third).
Have I mentioned that I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo next month? You can set your word count goal for anything that you choose (within the peramiters of 10,000 and 999,999 words I think... I don't remember). I'm going to try and do another 50,000 word novel. The third book in my spy series starring Daniel and Varina. More info on that as it comes.
Yesterday I read a little bit in each book that I'm currently reading. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudice, The Princess Bride, and even a few pages of The Two Towers!
My library finally got in a copy of Agatha Christie's first mystery starring the detective Poirot. I'll probably start that soon too..... I can never read just one book at a time.
Tomorrow I'm going to Canada for a few days to play board games and Nintendo with my cousin. It shall be fun. But it also means I'll disappear for a few days, which is fine.
I thought I'd do something special to tide you over until whenever I do my next blog post (please note my sarchasm).
Some snippets from various works of mine! Now, since I'm still quite new to the novel-writing sphere, there won't be too many snippets from different novels.... Mostly just After the Twelfth Night and the first spy novel (which I am dreading opening... because it is so rough. I'm afraid).
Enjoy:
"I would like to go ashore as soon as possible," said Sebastian. "Seeing that the island is large and we all have families we want to get back to-"
"I don't!" Dogberry piped up. "I have my family here with me!" He patted Jamie on the shoulder; Matthias was under guard in his room.
".....Most of us have families we want to get back to-"
"I don't! I have my Sebastian right here!" Olivia said. "I'm SO glad I came on this little journey!"
"As I was saying," Sebastian continued loudly, "most of us have families we want to get back to so the sooner we start searching the ialdn for the treasure, the sooner we can get back to our families."
- After the Twelfth Night Part 2.
"Those beslubbering fat-kidneyed hugger muggers!"
- After the Twelfth Night Part 2.
In the background the second voice piped up, "Give me that!" and evidently snatched the phone away. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" demanded the younger voice which was totally unlike Caroline's sweet tones. Instead, of sweet and quiet, this girl was loud and fiery.
"I've done nothing with your sister," Daniel replied.
"What are you? A creeper? A stalker? A murderer? I could have the police there in five minutes! Or the army! How would you like the army? My sister is in the army! She could probably beat you up and kill you! Although that would probably land her in jail....."
"I-" Daniel attempted to say.
Just then Varina emerged from her room down the hall.
"Marines? No! You don't have to call in the marines!" Daniel was saying when Varina rescued him by taking the phone.
- 3rd Spy book (I admit, I wrote the first chapter back in December.)
"Please, Sebastian, introduce us to your friends and then sit down!" said the fat man.
"Of course, Uncle," Sebastian replied. He turned and gestured to Antony. "This is Antony. His father saved me from drowning in a ship wreck."
"Son of a sailor are you?" Sebastian's uncle asked.
"Yes, sir. Actually, Father was a pirat....." Jamie elbowed Antony in the ribs and he coughed. "Yes, sir."
- After the Twelfth Night part 2.
Inside the bustling airport, Daniel and Varina got their tickets and headed to their gate to wait for the plane.
"Let's stop and get something to eat first, please?" Daniel asked.
"We just had breakfast! Surely you aren't hungry again?" Varina said.
Daniel shrugged and pointed to a cafe cozily situated between the Hudson News store and a place to buy luggage.
"I think everyone has luggage here...." Daniel muttered as they past the luggage store.
"I hope so!" giggled Varina.
- You Don't Find Them, They Find You.
"Whoa!" said Antony, spotting the sword in Antonio's raised hand. "Are you planning on killing me?" he joked.
"No," replied Antonio, scowling. He started to walk away from the boy, hoping to lose him.
"Where are you going? Can I come?" asked Antony, matching Antonio's stride.
"I'm going to find a friend. And no, you can't."
- After the Twelfth Night Part 1.
The passengers grabbed their seat rests to keep from jerking about. The wind and rain played tug of war with the plane, jostling it this way and that.
"I can't believe it!" Varina yelled.
"What?" Daniel asked in a panicked voice.
"We met on a plane and now we're going to die together on one!"
"No one said anything about dying!" Daniel said in the best reassuring voice he could muster. Suddenly the plane went into a nose dive. Everyone screamed and the last thing Varina remembered before she blacked out was Daniel's hand reaching back and grabbing her's.
- You Don't Find Them, They Find You.
So what did you think? Are you interested? I'm still toying with the idea of publishing.... But people have to be interested in my writing in order for me to publish it. Finishing the books would also help. xD
Live long and prosper! Have a good weekend.
This morning I had quite a few "aha!" moments in the shower.
One was another how-Sherlock-survived-the-fall theory. Maybe Kitty, the reporter ("You repel me" girl), had something to do with it! I mean, she had access to Moriarty and Sherlock both. What if Sherlock hired her to spy on Moriarty? That way, he would know Moriarty's plans.
I promise, no more Sherlock theorys... I just can't help it. They started filming season three two days ago. The first episode is called The Empty Hearse which I think is SO hilarious because the book where Sherlock comes back after being "dead" for three years is called The Empty House.
As well as coming up with that theory, I came up with a background and a motive for a character. Perhaps I shall someday elaborate on him because he is quite interesting.
I also did some brainstorming that I have been putting off. I had to figure out a bunch of different ways for people to do stuff. Now I have that figured out and I can go on with the planning of the third novel in my spy series (which I'm writing second because I thought it would be second... but it turns out it fits better as third).
Have I mentioned that I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo next month? You can set your word count goal for anything that you choose (within the peramiters of 10,000 and 999,999 words I think... I don't remember). I'm going to try and do another 50,000 word novel. The third book in my spy series starring Daniel and Varina. More info on that as it comes.
Yesterday I read a little bit in each book that I'm currently reading. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudice, The Princess Bride, and even a few pages of The Two Towers!
My library finally got in a copy of Agatha Christie's first mystery starring the detective Poirot. I'll probably start that soon too..... I can never read just one book at a time.
Tomorrow I'm going to Canada for a few days to play board games and Nintendo with my cousin. It shall be fun. But it also means I'll disappear for a few days, which is fine.
I thought I'd do something special to tide you over until whenever I do my next blog post (please note my sarchasm).
Some snippets from various works of mine! Now, since I'm still quite new to the novel-writing sphere, there won't be too many snippets from different novels.... Mostly just After the Twelfth Night and the first spy novel (which I am dreading opening... because it is so rough. I'm afraid).
Enjoy:
"I would like to go ashore as soon as possible," said Sebastian. "Seeing that the island is large and we all have families we want to get back to-"
"I don't!" Dogberry piped up. "I have my family here with me!" He patted Jamie on the shoulder; Matthias was under guard in his room.
".....Most of us have families we want to get back to-"
"I don't! I have my Sebastian right here!" Olivia said. "I'm SO glad I came on this little journey!"
"As I was saying," Sebastian continued loudly, "most of us have families we want to get back to so the sooner we start searching the ialdn for the treasure, the sooner we can get back to our families."
- After the Twelfth Night Part 2.
"Those beslubbering fat-kidneyed hugger muggers!"
- After the Twelfth Night Part 2.
In the background the second voice piped up, "Give me that!" and evidently snatched the phone away. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" demanded the younger voice which was totally unlike Caroline's sweet tones. Instead, of sweet and quiet, this girl was loud and fiery.
"I've done nothing with your sister," Daniel replied.
"What are you? A creeper? A stalker? A murderer? I could have the police there in five minutes! Or the army! How would you like the army? My sister is in the army! She could probably beat you up and kill you! Although that would probably land her in jail....."
"I-" Daniel attempted to say.
Just then Varina emerged from her room down the hall.
"Marines? No! You don't have to call in the marines!" Daniel was saying when Varina rescued him by taking the phone.
- 3rd Spy book (I admit, I wrote the first chapter back in December.)
"Please, Sebastian, introduce us to your friends and then sit down!" said the fat man.
"Of course, Uncle," Sebastian replied. He turned and gestured to Antony. "This is Antony. His father saved me from drowning in a ship wreck."
"Son of a sailor are you?" Sebastian's uncle asked.
"Yes, sir. Actually, Father was a pirat....." Jamie elbowed Antony in the ribs and he coughed. "Yes, sir."
- After the Twelfth Night part 2.
Inside the bustling airport, Daniel and Varina got their tickets and headed to their gate to wait for the plane.
"Let's stop and get something to eat first, please?" Daniel asked.
"We just had breakfast! Surely you aren't hungry again?" Varina said.
Daniel shrugged and pointed to a cafe cozily situated between the Hudson News store and a place to buy luggage.
"I think everyone has luggage here...." Daniel muttered as they past the luggage store.
"I hope so!" giggled Varina.
- You Don't Find Them, They Find You.
"Whoa!" said Antony, spotting the sword in Antonio's raised hand. "Are you planning on killing me?" he joked.
"No," replied Antonio, scowling. He started to walk away from the boy, hoping to lose him.
"Where are you going? Can I come?" asked Antony, matching Antonio's stride.
"I'm going to find a friend. And no, you can't."
- After the Twelfth Night Part 1.
The passengers grabbed their seat rests to keep from jerking about. The wind and rain played tug of war with the plane, jostling it this way and that.
"I can't believe it!" Varina yelled.
"What?" Daniel asked in a panicked voice.
"We met on a plane and now we're going to die together on one!"
"No one said anything about dying!" Daniel said in the best reassuring voice he could muster. Suddenly the plane went into a nose dive. Everyone screamed and the last thing Varina remembered before she blacked out was Daniel's hand reaching back and grabbing her's.
- You Don't Find Them, They Find You.
So what did you think? Are you interested? I'm still toying with the idea of publishing.... But people have to be interested in my writing in order for me to publish it. Finishing the books would also help. xD
Live long and prosper! Have a good weekend.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Top Tuesdays: Top Hobbits.
That's right, folks! My top five Hobbits! Hobbits are a race of beings that inhabit the Shire, which is in a corner in Middle Earth. They are generally under four feet high and have a lot of hair. They can disappear when they don't want to be seen, because they are stealthy (it also helps if they have a magic ring that makes them invisible).
5. Frodo.
Don't get me wrong, I love Frodo, the main player in the Lord of the Rings trilogy... He's just never been my favorite. He's heroic and saves Middle Earth... and... he's a main character. I've never been overly fond of the heroic, humble main character (Luke Skywalker is another example).
4. Merry.
Merry's pretty cool. And he has some nice lines in The Fellowship of the Ring. That's about it....
3. Pippin.
Come on, it's Pippin. You HAVE to love Pippin! He and Merry are best buds who have not yet reached adulthood (33 in Hobbit years). They are happy-go-lucky and grow a lot over the course of the books (because, of course, they have been Taken To Isengard and take part in a battle or two and have all sorts of adventures).
Pippin has the majority of good lines. "It comes in pints?" That line has been in my head all day because of Thinkgeek.com. They are selling Doctor Who pint glasses and I was just waiting for someone to post in the comments "it comes in pints?"
2. Sam.
Sam. Frodo's loyal gardener. He follows Frodo literally to the end of the (Middle)earth at risk to his own life because he promised Gandalf to watch over Frodo. He's like a puppy, except better. Sam is an amazing friend and just an amazing guy all around.
1. Bilbo Baggins.
Bilbo is not typically your typical hero. Gandalf basically signs him up for an adventure without his consent and because of Bilbo's Tookish curiousity, he can't help but go along with the Dwarves to take back their home.
Bilbo likes the fine things in life: his pipe, food, a clean hankerchief, food....
Through his adventures, he finds courage that I'm sure he didn't know he had. He isn't driven by necessity like Frodo and ends up being very brave. He wants to show off his burgaler skills which gets him in more trouble than it's worth.
Bilbo is one of my favorite characters in the Tolkien world, and, indeed, in the literary world. And he doesn't have to swear every other world, take revenge for the death of his brother, or sleep with every girl on the block.
Plus, he's got hairy feet. You gotta have a hero with hairy feet every once in a while.
Live long and prosper! And who is YOUR favorite Hobbit?
5. Frodo.
Don't get me wrong, I love Frodo, the main player in the Lord of the Rings trilogy... He's just never been my favorite. He's heroic and saves Middle Earth... and... he's a main character. I've never been overly fond of the heroic, humble main character (Luke Skywalker is another example).
4. Merry.
Merry's pretty cool. And he has some nice lines in The Fellowship of the Ring. That's about it....
3. Pippin.
Come on, it's Pippin. You HAVE to love Pippin! He and Merry are best buds who have not yet reached adulthood (33 in Hobbit years). They are happy-go-lucky and grow a lot over the course of the books (because, of course, they have been Taken To Isengard and take part in a battle or two and have all sorts of adventures).
Pippin has the majority of good lines. "It comes in pints?" That line has been in my head all day because of Thinkgeek.com. They are selling Doctor Who pint glasses and I was just waiting for someone to post in the comments "it comes in pints?"
2. Sam.
Sam. Frodo's loyal gardener. He follows Frodo literally to the end of the (Middle)earth at risk to his own life because he promised Gandalf to watch over Frodo. He's like a puppy, except better. Sam is an amazing friend and just an amazing guy all around.
1. Bilbo Baggins.
Bilbo is not typically your typical hero. Gandalf basically signs him up for an adventure without his consent and because of Bilbo's Tookish curiousity, he can't help but go along with the Dwarves to take back their home.
Bilbo likes the fine things in life: his pipe, food, a clean hankerchief, food....
Through his adventures, he finds courage that I'm sure he didn't know he had. He isn't driven by necessity like Frodo and ends up being very brave. He wants to show off his burgaler skills which gets him in more trouble than it's worth.
Bilbo is one of my favorite characters in the Tolkien world, and, indeed, in the literary world. And he doesn't have to swear every other world, take revenge for the death of his brother, or sleep with every girl on the block.
Plus, he's got hairy feet. You gotta have a hero with hairy feet every once in a while.
Live long and prosper! And who is YOUR favorite Hobbit?
Monday, March 18, 2013
Aren't ordinary people adooooorrable?
Last night I watched the final Sherlock episode, The Reichenbach Fall, for the first time since it aired in America (at the beginning of the year, I believe). No, I haven't been putting off seeing the episode because of the emotional trauma of seeing Sherlock dying.... I just haven't been able to find Reichenbach since I watched it on TV a year ago.
My mom surprised me by watching most of it with me (because it was on TV) and the first thing she said when it was over was, "Do you know how he survived? Tell me how he survived! Do you know?" and I had to break the horrible news to her.... No one knows. Because John Watson's three years are becoming the fan's three years.
It was kind of cute. But, there were no tears between the two of us. I don't cry much for things like TV shows and movies. I was, however, kind of making fun of the whole rooftop and fall scene.... That's what I do. I make fun of TV shows, even TV shows I adore. Sorry Sherlock.
Rewatching the episode gave me no insight on how Sherlock faked his death. There are several points which I'm sure have something to do with it... I just don't know how they all fit together.
Some random thoughts and things to do with Sherlock's fake death:
1. Sherlock playing with the bouncy ball.
This seems like the generally accepted survival theory that the ordinary people have chosen. Sherlock is seen playing with a bouncy ball twice in the episode. It is a (well known?) fact that if you put a bouncy ball under your armpit you can mask your heartbeat. People think that's how Sherlock "survived" - he masked his heartbeat.
Personally... I'm not too fond of this theory. It seems too obvious. I think that Moffat is just playing with us with the whole ball theory. But who knows, maybe it is part of plot!
2. The little girl screaming when she sees Sherlock.
I'm positive that this has to do with something. I just don't know what.
3. Moriarty's body.
He shot himself, right?
And then Sherlock fell....
Wouldn't the people from the hospital have checked the roof? Unless, of course, Moriarty paid them off....
But really. Where did Moriarty's body go? Why didn't it show up??!
4. Sherlock crying on the phone when talking to John.
Sherlock wouldn't cry.... UNLESS he was trying to make someone believe something or if he was trying to get information from someone. Mark my words, the whole thing is highly suspect!
5. Sherlock on the phone with John... He tells John to tell everyone - Mrs. Hudson, Molly, anyone who will listen - that he was a fake. In the book Sherlock hides away for three years in the hope that all the people after him (like Sebastian Moran) will kill each other off or get themselves arrested. Well, they all do except for one Sebastian Moran, who Holmes then takes care of in that book.
Anyway, Sherlock telling John to tell everyone that he is a fake could be his way of protecting himself from Moriarty's snipers. Just like the book... Watson publishes his story about Sherlock's death and everyone believes it.
6. Molly.
She's in on it. I know it. She's a character that Moffat created - she's probably standing in for Mycroft (because Mycroft is the one in the book who helps Sherlock get away) - and is therefore acceptable to be in on side plots.
7. Sherlock picked the building to meet Moriarty on. He sent Moriarty a text saying "Come and play. St. Bart's rooftop. SH." He also tells Molly.... "I think I'm going to die." Sherlock must have deduced at least some of Moriarty's plans so he could fake his death but still seem like he didn't know anything when he was on the rooftop (the location that HE picked!).
8. Extract from "The Empty House" (AKA, the one where Sherlock comes back) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
Watson - "My dear chap, I am overjoyed to see you. Sit down and tell me how you came alive out of that dreadful chasm."
(A bit of description and Holmes asks Watson to go on an adventure with him before answering his question.)
Sherlock Holmes - "Well, then, about that chasm. I had no serious difficulty in getting out of it, for the very simple reason that I never was in it."
Watson - "You never were in it?"
Sherlock Holmes - "No, Watson, I never was in it."
I can definitely see BBC's Sherlock saying, "For the simple reason that I never was in it."
My own personal theory which probably won't be right (because it is influenced by sci-fi shows like Star Trek and Doctor Who):
Prothstetic makeup can really change a person's appearance.
These two Star Trek characters are played by the same actor, Mr. Ethan Phillips:
I think that Moriarty had a prothstetic mask of Sherlock Holmes. When he kidnapped those two little kids Moriarty was wearing it and that's why the little girl was so afraid of Sherlock when he went in to question her. She thought that he was the kidnapper, because Moriarty essentially "is" Sherlock Holmes (he even says it in the episode. He says "I am you" and later Sherlock, when facing M, says "I am you." He could mean literally).
Up on the rooftop, Moriarty kills himself. Sherlock puts on the mask and maybe his coat and scarf (that would explain the new scarf.... he didn't want M to touch his things. Hee hee) or whatever... and pushes M's body off the roof.
So there's my theory. The second half is kind of far fetched.... But it could work. After all, Moffat is head writer for Doctor Who and they do lots of prothstetics for that.
Live long and prosper.
My mom surprised me by watching most of it with me (because it was on TV) and the first thing she said when it was over was, "Do you know how he survived? Tell me how he survived! Do you know?" and I had to break the horrible news to her.... No one knows. Because John Watson's three years are becoming the fan's three years.
It was kind of cute. But, there were no tears between the two of us. I don't cry much for things like TV shows and movies. I was, however, kind of making fun of the whole rooftop and fall scene.... That's what I do. I make fun of TV shows, even TV shows I adore. Sorry Sherlock.
Rewatching the episode gave me no insight on how Sherlock faked his death. There are several points which I'm sure have something to do with it... I just don't know how they all fit together.
Some random thoughts and things to do with Sherlock's fake death:
1. Sherlock playing with the bouncy ball.
This seems like the generally accepted survival theory that the ordinary people have chosen. Sherlock is seen playing with a bouncy ball twice in the episode. It is a (well known?) fact that if you put a bouncy ball under your armpit you can mask your heartbeat. People think that's how Sherlock "survived" - he masked his heartbeat.
Personally... I'm not too fond of this theory. It seems too obvious. I think that Moffat is just playing with us with the whole ball theory. But who knows, maybe it is part of plot!
2. The little girl screaming when she sees Sherlock.
I'm positive that this has to do with something. I just don't know what.
3. Moriarty's body.
He shot himself, right?
And then Sherlock fell....
Wouldn't the people from the hospital have checked the roof? Unless, of course, Moriarty paid them off....
But really. Where did Moriarty's body go? Why didn't it show up??!
4. Sherlock crying on the phone when talking to John.
Sherlock wouldn't cry.... UNLESS he was trying to make someone believe something or if he was trying to get information from someone. Mark my words, the whole thing is highly suspect!
5. Sherlock on the phone with John... He tells John to tell everyone - Mrs. Hudson, Molly, anyone who will listen - that he was a fake. In the book Sherlock hides away for three years in the hope that all the people after him (like Sebastian Moran) will kill each other off or get themselves arrested. Well, they all do except for one Sebastian Moran, who Holmes then takes care of in that book.
Anyway, Sherlock telling John to tell everyone that he is a fake could be his way of protecting himself from Moriarty's snipers. Just like the book... Watson publishes his story about Sherlock's death and everyone believes it.
6. Molly.
She's in on it. I know it. She's a character that Moffat created - she's probably standing in for Mycroft (because Mycroft is the one in the book who helps Sherlock get away) - and is therefore acceptable to be in on side plots.
7. Sherlock picked the building to meet Moriarty on. He sent Moriarty a text saying "Come and play. St. Bart's rooftop. SH." He also tells Molly.... "I think I'm going to die." Sherlock must have deduced at least some of Moriarty's plans so he could fake his death but still seem like he didn't know anything when he was on the rooftop (the location that HE picked!).
8. Extract from "The Empty House" (AKA, the one where Sherlock comes back) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
Watson - "My dear chap, I am overjoyed to see you. Sit down and tell me how you came alive out of that dreadful chasm."
(A bit of description and Holmes asks Watson to go on an adventure with him before answering his question.)
Sherlock Holmes - "Well, then, about that chasm. I had no serious difficulty in getting out of it, for the very simple reason that I never was in it."
Watson - "You never were in it?"
Sherlock Holmes - "No, Watson, I never was in it."
I can definitely see BBC's Sherlock saying, "For the simple reason that I never was in it."
My own personal theory which probably won't be right (because it is influenced by sci-fi shows like Star Trek and Doctor Who):
Prothstetic makeup can really change a person's appearance.
These two Star Trek characters are played by the same actor, Mr. Ethan Phillips:
I think that Moriarty had a prothstetic mask of Sherlock Holmes. When he kidnapped those two little kids Moriarty was wearing it and that's why the little girl was so afraid of Sherlock when he went in to question her. She thought that he was the kidnapper, because Moriarty essentially "is" Sherlock Holmes (he even says it in the episode. He says "I am you" and later Sherlock, when facing M, says "I am you." He could mean literally).
Up on the rooftop, Moriarty kills himself. Sherlock puts on the mask and maybe his coat and scarf (that would explain the new scarf.... he didn't want M to touch his things. Hee hee) or whatever... and pushes M's body off the roof.
So there's my theory. The second half is kind of far fetched.... But it could work. After all, Moffat is head writer for Doctor Who and they do lots of prothstetics for that.
Live long and prosper.
Friday, March 15, 2013
It's a slow day in the neighborhood....
Last week my blog erupted in posts. This week has been slow... But I do have a piano song for you.
Sonata in G major by Haydn.
Live long and prosper!
Sonata in G major by Haydn.
Live long and prosper!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Top Tuesdays: Top Tolkien books (that I've read).
J.R.R. Tolkien is my favorite author so I thought I would do a Top Tuesdays with my favorite books (that I've read) from him!
7. The Tolkien Reader.
A collection of short stories by Tolkien... Including one about Tom Bombadil!
Also, Farmer Giles of Ham. It's a great story about a farmer who has to go kill a dragon.
The reason this book is on my last list is because I haven't read it for awhile and don't remember anything about it... Other than that is was good!
6. The Return of the King.
Again... I don't remember this book because it's been a long time since I read it. I'm sure it's still as good as when I first read it, though!
5. The Two Towers.
Great book - although it kind of drags in some parts.... And I can't seem to get through it! Argh!
4. Mr. Bliss.
Tolkien used to write stories for his children and Mr. Bliss is one of them. Mr. Bliss decides to trade his bicycle (which can only ride downhill) for a car. He then proceeds to run down a few people and wreck their modes of transportation... Mr. Bliss offers them rides and they go through a dark scary forest where they meet some bears. Then they go to someones house for dinner and the bears make trouble.
It is a very, very cute read and surprisingly long for a children's book. Tolkien illustrated it himself as well which is super cool. It's a great book.
3. Roverandom.
When one of Tolkien's sons lost a toy on the beach, Tolkien wrote a book about it!
Rover was a dog... until he bit the bum of a wizard, when then turned Rover into a toy. Rover runs away from home and has all sorts of adventures (he goes to the moon and to Atlantis on the bottom of the sea).
It's another very cute children's book. Tolkien also did some illustrations for this book.
2. The Fellowship of the Ring.
I re-read this last summer and really enjoyed it; more than I thought I would. I enjoyed it much more than I remembered.
1. The Hobbit!
Of course. =) The Hobbit is one of my favorite books. It is filled with fun and adventures and Hobbits!
So there you have it - my favorite Tolkien books that I have read.
In other news.... I rescued a book from the thrift store yesterday.
This copy is by Elinor M. Buckingham and was published in 1905 - that's over 100 years old!
I rescued it. The people at the thrift store put a big sticker over the front! Of a rare 1905 book!! I was outraged, so I rescued the book. Plus, you can't have too many copies of Robin Hood (since they're all different - based on the same legend)!
I also found this at the thrift store....
The Star Trek Magazine was run by Paramount and ran from 1999-2003. They were $8 a copy and were filled with cool Trek stuff - interviews, ship layouts, stuff you could buy, inside looks at how the writers write, bios on aliens.... stuff like that.
Well, before the the magazine came out in 1999, Paramount did four test editions in 1998. They only sold in two cities: Seattle and Columbus.
This magazine is one of those magazines (I feel like Randalf from Veggietales: Lord of the Beans).
Here's the best part, I got this rare copy for only 49 cents!
Of course, I doubt it's worth very much today, even though it is rare. But it means a lot to me. I get to see pictures from the "new" movie Insurrection (of course, if I really wanted to, I could just pop it into the TV and watch it instead). And how about that new Dax? And the DS9 and transporter technical briefings are super cool too!
Live long and prosper!
7. The Tolkien Reader.
A collection of short stories by Tolkien... Including one about Tom Bombadil!
Also, Farmer Giles of Ham. It's a great story about a farmer who has to go kill a dragon.
The reason this book is on my last list is because I haven't read it for awhile and don't remember anything about it... Other than that is was good!
6. The Return of the King.
Again... I don't remember this book because it's been a long time since I read it. I'm sure it's still as good as when I first read it, though!
5. The Two Towers.
Great book - although it kind of drags in some parts.... And I can't seem to get through it! Argh!
4. Mr. Bliss.
Tolkien used to write stories for his children and Mr. Bliss is one of them. Mr. Bliss decides to trade his bicycle (which can only ride downhill) for a car. He then proceeds to run down a few people and wreck their modes of transportation... Mr. Bliss offers them rides and they go through a dark scary forest where they meet some bears. Then they go to someones house for dinner and the bears make trouble.
It is a very, very cute read and surprisingly long for a children's book. Tolkien illustrated it himself as well which is super cool. It's a great book.
3. Roverandom.
When one of Tolkien's sons lost a toy on the beach, Tolkien wrote a book about it!
Rover was a dog... until he bit the bum of a wizard, when then turned Rover into a toy. Rover runs away from home and has all sorts of adventures (he goes to the moon and to Atlantis on the bottom of the sea).
It's another very cute children's book. Tolkien also did some illustrations for this book.
2. The Fellowship of the Ring.
I re-read this last summer and really enjoyed it; more than I thought I would. I enjoyed it much more than I remembered.
1. The Hobbit!
Of course. =) The Hobbit is one of my favorite books. It is filled with fun and adventures and Hobbits!
So there you have it - my favorite Tolkien books that I have read.
In other news.... I rescued a book from the thrift store yesterday.
This copy is by Elinor M. Buckingham and was published in 1905 - that's over 100 years old!
I rescued it. The people at the thrift store put a big sticker over the front! Of a rare 1905 book!! I was outraged, so I rescued the book. Plus, you can't have too many copies of Robin Hood (since they're all different - based on the same legend)!
I also found this at the thrift store....
The Star Trek Magazine was run by Paramount and ran from 1999-2003. They were $8 a copy and were filled with cool Trek stuff - interviews, ship layouts, stuff you could buy, inside looks at how the writers write, bios on aliens.... stuff like that.
Well, before the the magazine came out in 1999, Paramount did four test editions in 1998. They only sold in two cities: Seattle and Columbus.
This magazine is one of those magazines (I feel like Randalf from Veggietales: Lord of the Beans).
Here's the best part, I got this rare copy for only 49 cents!
Of course, I doubt it's worth very much today, even though it is rare. But it means a lot to me. I get to see pictures from the "new" movie Insurrection (of course, if I really wanted to, I could just pop it into the TV and watch it instead). And how about that new Dax? And the DS9 and transporter technical briefings are super cool too!
Live long and prosper!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The crack in Amy's wall.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Also, am I the only one who thinks the crack in Amy's wall looks like the Batman signal?)
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Call me Ishmael.
Five weeks, 724 pages, and 135 chapters later.... I did it. I finished Moby Dick. And this is my review.
Title: Moby Dick.
Author: Herman Melville.
Synopsis: "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or not money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world."
In the first 40-50 chapters: When land gets too boring (or too expensive) Ishmael, the story's narrator (well, sort of... but I'll get to that later) likes to get hired to a ship and sail the seas for awhile. Previously he's only been hired to merchant ships. But this time, however, he wants to experience whaling.
So Ishmael goes to Nantucket, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, and the whaling headquarters - so to speak - of the United States. In Nantucket he meets Queequeg, a cannibal, and they become friends.
They get hired to the ship Pequod and thus the adventure begins.
The next 50-60ish chapters are filed with facts of whales and whaling, with the storyline thrown in occasionally. Ahab, the captain of the Pequod, who is out to get revenge on the White Whale Moby Dick for eating his leg, is introduced; as well as Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask, the first three mates; and the harpooners, Daggoo and Tashtego (Queequeg is also a harpooner).
We get to learn our way around a whale, inside and out, and we learn how a whale is caught, killed, and made into oil.
We also get to see Ahab rile his crew to his cause - catching Moby Dick.
Along it's way, the Pequod meets with other whaling vessels but only stays long enough to inquire if they've seen the White Whale.
The last 10-20ish chapters of the books are mostly about the voyage - conversations between the crew, gamming (meeting) with other whaling vessels, the making of Ahab's new ivory leg (since his other one broke), and finally, in the last three chapters, Moby Dick is spotted and chased!
My rating: 8/10 stars.
My thoughts (because they are too jumbled to be put into good and bad categories): First of all, This book is not for everyone, and certainly not for young people because I was even having a hard time understanding some of the stuff in the book.
That being said, I did enjoy Moby Dick, however tedious it was to read.
For one, it was a LOT funnier than I expected it to be. The first 50 chapters or so (before they get on the whale ship) are really, really funny in their own way. Ishmael bemoans the fact that he has no money and no place to sleep for the night and then he says, "But enough blubbering, we are going whaling and there will be enough of that later."
My favorite part, though, is when Queequeg is getting hired to the Pequod. Ishmael has already been hired, and the staunch Quaker owners of the ship are wary of letting a savage on board. Peleg, one of the owners, didn't quite catch Queequeg's name so he goes around calling him Quohog (and Warthog once) for a few chapters. A 'quohog' is a type of clam. It's really funny.
This book is very philosophical and spiritual.... Herman Melville, the author, grew up Dutch Calvinist, and really, really knew the Bible. He's all the time making allusions to passages in Moby Dick. He gave a lot of his characters Biblical names as well (Ishmael, Ahab, Bildad, Elijah, Gabriel, Jonah....) and they all have meaning behind their names. Ishmael, for example, in the Bible was the first son of Abraham (Abram, then) with Sarah's maid servant Hagar. When Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah, Abraham exiled Hagar and Ishmael into the desert. The Ishmael in Moby Dick is similarly left alone at the end of the book.... as he is the only survivor after Moby sinks the Pequod.
Though Melville really knew the Bible, I do not think he was a Christian. In the book he kind of puts all religion as one - like, all religions are good and fine and just respect everything. It was kind of disturbing.... In one part Ishmael takes part in worshipping Queequeg's pagan idol and there are many mentions of the devil. Several of the characters are seen as being possessed (although that could be sailor's superstitions out on the sea).
The book is very deep in that way.... Some of the philosophical stuff was way too deep for me to understand, at least right now, since I'm so young.
The characters were really good. You don't really get to know them very well.... I would say the character you most get to know is Ahab, though he certainly isn't the hero. This book doesn't really have a hero.... Ahab is more like an anti-hero. He's after revenge and you can't reason with him, which eventually costs him his life, as well as his ship and his crew's lives.
I still felt a connection to the characters, though. I didn't want them to die at the end of the book. I knew it was coming, but I couldn't help but shout in my head "DON'T FOLLOW AHAB! MUTINY! LEAVE! DON'T LET HIM KILL YOU ALL!"
Strangely enough, the one character I didn't feel too much for was the one that survived - Ishmael. Ishmael is the narrator of the book and has been compared to Melville himself. Both didn't really have a set job; they both went from one job to another, trying to find their place in society. They both tried out sailing (though Ishmael lasted longer than Melville, who deserted his whaling voyage after a few weeks). A lot of the book is actually done in third person. It's as if we were listening in on secret conversation of different crew members... Ahab telling the carpenter to get a new leg, Starbuck fighting with himself over whether to kill Ahab in his sleep, Ahab talking with Pip.... Ishmael wouldn't have been able to hear all these private conversations. Plus he doesn't say, "I snuck down near the Captain's cabin and listened at his door." The narrative is just put down. Occasionally Ishmael will pop back into the story. "I stood on the mizzenmast in a deep reverie... Now that we're here, though, let me tell you about baleen and their use in women's skirts." Personally, I think Ishmael IS Melville. The first line of the book is "Call me Ishmael" which could imply, my friend pointed out, that Ishmael isn't his real name. Call me Ishmael. It reminds me of in Tintin when he says, "My name doesn't matter, but back home they call me Tintin." So, if Ishmael isn't his real name (because I don't think any characters ever say, "Ishmael do this!" or "Ishmael do that!"), his real name could easily be Herman Melville. And since Herman Melville is the author, he has access to all his character's private conversations. So I think Ishmael is Herman Melville (that explains how he survived the wreck at the end as well).
Melville was obviously a genius. He read a tremendous amount about whales and whaling, and also knew the Bible very well, and also knew Shakespeare and other old writings very well. He is constantly making allusions to this whale book, or that Bible verse, or Plato, or a statue in a foreign country, or a painting on the wall of his friend's house. He added so much into his book. It is really amazing how well-read this man was. He was very smart.
Now just a couple things you should know.... There is one chapter, near the beginning, when Queequeg and Ishmael meet. The inn is full and Ishmael has a choice between sleeping on a hard wooden bench, or sleeping in the same bed as a savage (because back then, men shared beds at inns. It happens in Robin Hood by Howard Pyle as well. Poor Robin has to share a bed with the Sheriff of Nottingham if I remember correctly! Back then it was no big deal). Ishmael doesn't want to risk being eaten in the night, so he opts for the bench. It is, however, too small for him and he can't sleep. He decides that maybe the cannibal isn't so bad... and tells the innkeeper to take him to the room. Ishmael gets into bed (Queequeg is out at the moment. Selling shrunken heads) and is almost asleep when Queequeg comes back. They soon become friends. My point is, Melville alludes to them as being almost like a married couple and in the morning, Ishmael wakes up with Queequeg's leg thrown over him. It is quite awkward to read... even though I'm sure Melville didn't mean anything by it. If I had been forewarned about it, maybe I would have been more at ease.
There are also a couple of swear words... of course, since the majority of the book takes place on a whale ship!
And then the spiritual stuff I mentioned above.
Have I read Moby before: No.
Will I read it agian: Yes, definitely. When I'm older.
Would I recommend it? I would, actually.
There is soooo much more I could talk about but I think I'll only pick one last thing, so as not to bore you all.
The ending.
THE ENDING!
Aaarrrghhhh!
So, Moby Dick is mentioned throughout the whole book but doesn't actually make an appearance until the last three chapters. The last three chapters are spent trying to chase him and kill him.
In the last chapter, Moby smashes Ahab's whale boat, sending him flying to his death, and then proceeds to attack the Pequod. Moby smashes the hull of the Pequod several times and ends up sinking the ship. Everyone dies except for Ishmael who is saved by the ship's live buoy (which is actually Queequeg's coffin altered to be a buoy. Queequeg had a coffin made for him earlier in the book when he thinks he's going to die of a fever). Everyone dies and Moby Dick isn't even killed!
724 pages for NOTHING!
And what's worse, Moby Dick is still out there, in the ocean, just ready to attack innocent ships..... Beware. Beware!!
Live long and prosper.
(Me, at the ocean, reading Moby. Don't steal.)
Title: Moby Dick.
Author: Herman Melville.
Synopsis: "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or not money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world."
In the first 40-50 chapters: When land gets too boring (or too expensive) Ishmael, the story's narrator (well, sort of... but I'll get to that later) likes to get hired to a ship and sail the seas for awhile. Previously he's only been hired to merchant ships. But this time, however, he wants to experience whaling.
So Ishmael goes to Nantucket, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, and the whaling headquarters - so to speak - of the United States. In Nantucket he meets Queequeg, a cannibal, and they become friends.
They get hired to the ship Pequod and thus the adventure begins.
The next 50-60ish chapters are filed with facts of whales and whaling, with the storyline thrown in occasionally. Ahab, the captain of the Pequod, who is out to get revenge on the White Whale Moby Dick for eating his leg, is introduced; as well as Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask, the first three mates; and the harpooners, Daggoo and Tashtego (Queequeg is also a harpooner).
We get to learn our way around a whale, inside and out, and we learn how a whale is caught, killed, and made into oil.
We also get to see Ahab rile his crew to his cause - catching Moby Dick.
Along it's way, the Pequod meets with other whaling vessels but only stays long enough to inquire if they've seen the White Whale.
The last 10-20ish chapters of the books are mostly about the voyage - conversations between the crew, gamming (meeting) with other whaling vessels, the making of Ahab's new ivory leg (since his other one broke), and finally, in the last three chapters, Moby Dick is spotted and chased!
My rating: 8/10 stars.
My thoughts (because they are too jumbled to be put into good and bad categories): First of all, This book is not for everyone, and certainly not for young people because I was even having a hard time understanding some of the stuff in the book.
That being said, I did enjoy Moby Dick, however tedious it was to read.
For one, it was a LOT funnier than I expected it to be. The first 50 chapters or so (before they get on the whale ship) are really, really funny in their own way. Ishmael bemoans the fact that he has no money and no place to sleep for the night and then he says, "But enough blubbering, we are going whaling and there will be enough of that later."
My favorite part, though, is when Queequeg is getting hired to the Pequod. Ishmael has already been hired, and the staunch Quaker owners of the ship are wary of letting a savage on board. Peleg, one of the owners, didn't quite catch Queequeg's name so he goes around calling him Quohog (and Warthog once) for a few chapters. A 'quohog' is a type of clam. It's really funny.
This book is very philosophical and spiritual.... Herman Melville, the author, grew up Dutch Calvinist, and really, really knew the Bible. He's all the time making allusions to passages in Moby Dick. He gave a lot of his characters Biblical names as well (Ishmael, Ahab, Bildad, Elijah, Gabriel, Jonah....) and they all have meaning behind their names. Ishmael, for example, in the Bible was the first son of Abraham (Abram, then) with Sarah's maid servant Hagar. When Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah, Abraham exiled Hagar and Ishmael into the desert. The Ishmael in Moby Dick is similarly left alone at the end of the book.... as he is the only survivor after Moby sinks the Pequod.
Though Melville really knew the Bible, I do not think he was a Christian. In the book he kind of puts all religion as one - like, all religions are good and fine and just respect everything. It was kind of disturbing.... In one part Ishmael takes part in worshipping Queequeg's pagan idol and there are many mentions of the devil. Several of the characters are seen as being possessed (although that could be sailor's superstitions out on the sea).
The book is very deep in that way.... Some of the philosophical stuff was way too deep for me to understand, at least right now, since I'm so young.
The characters were really good. You don't really get to know them very well.... I would say the character you most get to know is Ahab, though he certainly isn't the hero. This book doesn't really have a hero.... Ahab is more like an anti-hero. He's after revenge and you can't reason with him, which eventually costs him his life, as well as his ship and his crew's lives.
I still felt a connection to the characters, though. I didn't want them to die at the end of the book. I knew it was coming, but I couldn't help but shout in my head "DON'T FOLLOW AHAB! MUTINY! LEAVE! DON'T LET HIM KILL YOU ALL!"
Strangely enough, the one character I didn't feel too much for was the one that survived - Ishmael. Ishmael is the narrator of the book and has been compared to Melville himself. Both didn't really have a set job; they both went from one job to another, trying to find their place in society. They both tried out sailing (though Ishmael lasted longer than Melville, who deserted his whaling voyage after a few weeks). A lot of the book is actually done in third person. It's as if we were listening in on secret conversation of different crew members... Ahab telling the carpenter to get a new leg, Starbuck fighting with himself over whether to kill Ahab in his sleep, Ahab talking with Pip.... Ishmael wouldn't have been able to hear all these private conversations. Plus he doesn't say, "I snuck down near the Captain's cabin and listened at his door." The narrative is just put down. Occasionally Ishmael will pop back into the story. "I stood on the mizzenmast in a deep reverie... Now that we're here, though, let me tell you about baleen and their use in women's skirts." Personally, I think Ishmael IS Melville. The first line of the book is "Call me Ishmael" which could imply, my friend pointed out, that Ishmael isn't his real name. Call me Ishmael. It reminds me of in Tintin when he says, "My name doesn't matter, but back home they call me Tintin." So, if Ishmael isn't his real name (because I don't think any characters ever say, "Ishmael do this!" or "Ishmael do that!"), his real name could easily be Herman Melville. And since Herman Melville is the author, he has access to all his character's private conversations. So I think Ishmael is Herman Melville (that explains how he survived the wreck at the end as well).
Melville was obviously a genius. He read a tremendous amount about whales and whaling, and also knew the Bible very well, and also knew Shakespeare and other old writings very well. He is constantly making allusions to this whale book, or that Bible verse, or Plato, or a statue in a foreign country, or a painting on the wall of his friend's house. He added so much into his book. It is really amazing how well-read this man was. He was very smart.
Now just a couple things you should know.... There is one chapter, near the beginning, when Queequeg and Ishmael meet. The inn is full and Ishmael has a choice between sleeping on a hard wooden bench, or sleeping in the same bed as a savage (because back then, men shared beds at inns. It happens in Robin Hood by Howard Pyle as well. Poor Robin has to share a bed with the Sheriff of Nottingham if I remember correctly! Back then it was no big deal). Ishmael doesn't want to risk being eaten in the night, so he opts for the bench. It is, however, too small for him and he can't sleep. He decides that maybe the cannibal isn't so bad... and tells the innkeeper to take him to the room. Ishmael gets into bed (Queequeg is out at the moment. Selling shrunken heads) and is almost asleep when Queequeg comes back. They soon become friends. My point is, Melville alludes to them as being almost like a married couple and in the morning, Ishmael wakes up with Queequeg's leg thrown over him. It is quite awkward to read... even though I'm sure Melville didn't mean anything by it. If I had been forewarned about it, maybe I would have been more at ease.
There are also a couple of swear words... of course, since the majority of the book takes place on a whale ship!
And then the spiritual stuff I mentioned above.
Have I read Moby before: No.
Will I read it agian: Yes, definitely. When I'm older.
Would I recommend it? I would, actually.
There is soooo much more I could talk about but I think I'll only pick one last thing, so as not to bore you all.
The ending.
THE ENDING!
Aaarrrghhhh!
So, Moby Dick is mentioned throughout the whole book but doesn't actually make an appearance until the last three chapters. The last three chapters are spent trying to chase him and kill him.
In the last chapter, Moby smashes Ahab's whale boat, sending him flying to his death, and then proceeds to attack the Pequod. Moby smashes the hull of the Pequod several times and ends up sinking the ship. Everyone dies except for Ishmael who is saved by the ship's live buoy (which is actually Queequeg's coffin altered to be a buoy. Queequeg had a coffin made for him earlier in the book when he thinks he's going to die of a fever). Everyone dies and Moby Dick isn't even killed!
724 pages for NOTHING!
And what's worse, Moby Dick is still out there, in the ocean, just ready to attack innocent ships..... Beware. Beware!!
Live long and prosper.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Steampunk.
So that thing I mentioned I might go to in the last blog post... Well, I went and it was super cool.
My library brings in guest speakers sometimes to talk about stuff. I went to a doll one once... and various ones on homeschooling.
Tonight's speaker, however, was talking about something super cool.
A little genre called "Steampunk" which some of you are familiar with.
I recently started to read Steampunk. I started with the Larklight series by Philip Reeve and went on to read the wonderful Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld (I've reviewed both series. To read my reviews go to the top of the page and turn right at 'books.' Then scroll down until you find the name of the book and click the orange link. And actually, if I were to be honest... the first Steampunk book I ever read was the Sherlock Holmes book I got at the Christian book store. That definitely had a Steampunk element in it).
Steampunk is a very unique genre. It mixes several genres together.
As I see it, Steampunk is basically an alternate history set in the Victorian era filled with steam-powered machines.
The lady had two ways of defining Steampunk. One was: Steam = All steam powered, gas lights, ect. Punk = Rebellious, edgy.
The other was.... What do you get when you mix mad scientists, top hats, gas masks ("Are you my mummy?" Let it be said here that she was using Larklight as an example), robots, detectives, clockworks, time travel, history, scary monsters, mechanical goofies, cowboys, zeppelins, romance, and aviation? You get Steampunk!
Steampunk is a relatively new genre. There were, however, precursors in the genre. They kind of laid down the foundation - thought outside of the box for their time and came up with new, fantastical ideas. These authors were H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes.
The first actual "Steampunk" authors were Tim Powers, James P. Blaylock, and K.W. Jeter. They all published Steampunkish books around the 1980's and their publishers didn't know what to classify the books as. Sci-fy? Fantasy? So, K.W. Jeter came up with the term Steampunk.
Since then, Steampunk has grown and more people have found about it and it is becoming popular.
What are some common things you see in Steampunk?
Almost all Steampunk is set in the Victorian era (mid-1800's-early 1900's) or has a Victorian era flair to it. So you see a lot of Victorian stuff in Steampunk.
But mixed in with that is crazy inventions and space travel and time travel.
There are also a lot of gears in Steampunk. And, of course, steam powered machines. (And weapons too. Lots of cool weapons, it seems.)
You also see a lot of top hats and goggles.
Which leads me into Steampunk fashion....
Again, it's all very Victorian. Suits and vests for the men. Top hats, goggles, and cool boots for everyone.... For the women, it becomes a bit more complicated. Steampunk women usually wear tight dresses (but back then, all dresses were tight because of corsets) and corsets with high heeled boots (with weapons concealed within).
Lots of layers for both men and women... The outfits are kind of haphazardly. They look somewhat sloppy - like the characters are on the run from something and wear what they can find. I like the look. It's cool. It fits with the whole gears and steam-powered thing.
And I just HAVE to share this next picture.... It's Wil Wheaton who played Wesley Crusher in Star Trek The Next Generation. I personally love Wesley. And Wil too! Wil Wheaton is a huge geek and always has been. He runs all his own websites and has published several books on geekiness. He also plays computer and strategy board games. He plays Dominion and Ticket To Ride, which are two strategy games I love to play with my Dad and Cousin.
I'm not exactly sure if the picture is meant to be Steampunk or not.... But it sure looks like it! Wil Wheaton, his wife Anne, and the TARDIS. Ah, perfect. It's one of my favorite pictures. (Edit- Sure enough, it IS meant to be Steampunk! They are actually posing here in merchandise for a Steampunk store... Which I will enumerate on later).
As Steampunk grows more popular, more and more books and movies are being written and produced. One thing that the books have in common with each other is their writing style. They are written very much in the style of the Victorian era - flowing, beautiful, with big words that need to be looked up in the dictionary.
A few Steampunk websites that the lady mentioned....
One is Steampunk.com which has a list of Steampunk books.
Then there is a Steamcon.com which has a list of where Steampunk Conventions will be held in the future (Evidently there are Steamcons as well as Star Trek cons and Comicons!).
Gentleman's Emporium.com has Victorian style clothes and accessories for men and women.
Clockwork Couture is a website featuring Steampunk style clothes and accessories which you can buy and it is for this website that Wil Wheaton and his wife posed. So I guess the police box maybe wasn't the TARDIS.... But it still looks like the TARDIS and Wil Wheaton is a Doctor Who fan soooo.....
Anyway, I checked out all these websites briefly and they all look super cool! Especially the Clockwork Couture because of Wil and Anne Wheaton. =)
(However, everything looks super expensive! But it's still fun to look at.)
What I really like about Steampunk is the creativity. Because it has so many genres poured into one, you can literally do ANYTHING! Just so long as you stay within the parameter of steam-powered Victorian-era stuff. But you could be a cowboy or you could time travel or you could be in space and meet aliens.... Anything! Plus, the fans are so creative! Perhaps the biggest thing I love about being a geek is the imagination.... To be a geek, you have to imagine that this or that is actually happening. You can take what the creators started with and you can expand it. You can become a part of it! You can build things (like TARDIS's or Enterprise's or Steampunk computers, bikes, cars, etc). You can make your own costumes like the ones above.... You have to be creative to be a true geek and Steampunk really fits into the category of creativity.
So that's what I learned today. =)
Live long and prosper!
My library brings in guest speakers sometimes to talk about stuff. I went to a doll one once... and various ones on homeschooling.
Tonight's speaker, however, was talking about something super cool.
A little genre called "Steampunk" which some of you are familiar with.
I recently started to read Steampunk. I started with the Larklight series by Philip Reeve and went on to read the wonderful Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld (I've reviewed both series. To read my reviews go to the top of the page and turn right at 'books.' Then scroll down until you find the name of the book and click the orange link. And actually, if I were to be honest... the first Steampunk book I ever read was the Sherlock Holmes book I got at the Christian book store. That definitely had a Steampunk element in it).
Steampunk is a very unique genre. It mixes several genres together.
As I see it, Steampunk is basically an alternate history set in the Victorian era filled with steam-powered machines.
The lady had two ways of defining Steampunk. One was: Steam = All steam powered, gas lights, ect. Punk = Rebellious, edgy.
The other was.... What do you get when you mix mad scientists, top hats, gas masks ("Are you my mummy?" Let it be said here that she was using Larklight as an example), robots, detectives, clockworks, time travel, history, scary monsters, mechanical goofies, cowboys, zeppelins, romance, and aviation? You get Steampunk!
Steampunk is a relatively new genre. There were, however, precursors in the genre. They kind of laid down the foundation - thought outside of the box for their time and came up with new, fantastical ideas. These authors were H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes.
The first actual "Steampunk" authors were Tim Powers, James P. Blaylock, and K.W. Jeter. They all published Steampunkish books around the 1980's and their publishers didn't know what to classify the books as. Sci-fy? Fantasy? So, K.W. Jeter came up with the term Steampunk.
Since then, Steampunk has grown and more people have found about it and it is becoming popular.
What are some common things you see in Steampunk?
Almost all Steampunk is set in the Victorian era (mid-1800's-early 1900's) or has a Victorian era flair to it. So you see a lot of Victorian stuff in Steampunk.
But mixed in with that is crazy inventions and space travel and time travel.
There are also a lot of gears in Steampunk. And, of course, steam powered machines. (And weapons too. Lots of cool weapons, it seems.)
You also see a lot of top hats and goggles.
Which leads me into Steampunk fashion....
Again, it's all very Victorian. Suits and vests for the men. Top hats, goggles, and cool boots for everyone.... For the women, it becomes a bit more complicated. Steampunk women usually wear tight dresses (but back then, all dresses were tight because of corsets) and corsets with high heeled boots (with weapons concealed within).
Lots of layers for both men and women... The outfits are kind of haphazardly. They look somewhat sloppy - like the characters are on the run from something and wear what they can find. I like the look. It's cool. It fits with the whole gears and steam-powered thing.
And I just HAVE to share this next picture.... It's Wil Wheaton who played Wesley Crusher in Star Trek The Next Generation. I personally love Wesley. And Wil too! Wil Wheaton is a huge geek and always has been. He runs all his own websites and has published several books on geekiness. He also plays computer and strategy board games. He plays Dominion and Ticket To Ride, which are two strategy games I love to play with my Dad and Cousin.
I'm not exactly sure if the picture is meant to be Steampunk or not.... But it sure looks like it! Wil Wheaton, his wife Anne, and the TARDIS. Ah, perfect. It's one of my favorite pictures. (Edit- Sure enough, it IS meant to be Steampunk! They are actually posing here in merchandise for a Steampunk store... Which I will enumerate on later).
As Steampunk grows more popular, more and more books and movies are being written and produced. One thing that the books have in common with each other is their writing style. They are written very much in the style of the Victorian era - flowing, beautiful, with big words that need to be looked up in the dictionary.
A few Steampunk websites that the lady mentioned....
One is Steampunk.com which has a list of Steampunk books.
Then there is a Steamcon.com which has a list of where Steampunk Conventions will be held in the future (Evidently there are Steamcons as well as Star Trek cons and Comicons!).
Gentleman's Emporium.com has Victorian style clothes and accessories for men and women.
Clockwork Couture is a website featuring Steampunk style clothes and accessories which you can buy and it is for this website that Wil Wheaton and his wife posed. So I guess the police box maybe wasn't the TARDIS.... But it still looks like the TARDIS and Wil Wheaton is a Doctor Who fan soooo.....
Anyway, I checked out all these websites briefly and they all look super cool! Especially the Clockwork Couture because of Wil and Anne Wheaton. =)
(However, everything looks super expensive! But it's still fun to look at.)
So that's what I learned today. =)
Live long and prosper!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Dissection of a worm.
Top Tuesdays is once again postponed... So it can be a Top Thursday! (Perhaps.... I don't know, I might skip it this week since I am most likely going to something tomorrow which would be blog worthy.)
Today in science class we dissected a worm. And it was really fun.
Now, this is not my first dissection ever....
Meet Jackie:
When we first got Jackie we thought that she was a he and his name was Jack. When Jack laid an egg, however, we knew we had made a mistake. So we re-named our pet Jackie and lived a happy enough life with us. Until the fateful day when an egg she was trying to lay, got stuck, and she died.
Then, because Mom and I are curious homeschoolers, we dissected Jackie and saw her brain. It was all very interesting.
Anyway, today's dissection of an earth worm was very, very different from dissecting one's Parakeet. For one, I actually knew what I was doing - I wasn't just watching Mom hack away at the bird, trying to get it open. Two, I knew what I was looking for. In our lab books we had to draw a picture of what we saw and label all the internal structures we saw.
Did you know that worms acutally have a head and a tail? The head is closest to the clitellum, which is the discolored rise in the worm (the clitellum aids in reproduction).
Also, worms don't eat dirt. They take in dirt and then eat the tiny particles of leaves and stuff that they find in the dirt.
We started the dissection by gathering supplies. (Disection kit... the worm... the thing you put the worm on.... The gloves are really for the mad scientist look since I didn't actually end up using them.)
Then we had to feel the worm's anterior and posterior sides for setae (aka, we had to feel the front and back ends for little hairs which aid in locomotion).
Next step: Pin the worm to the blue tub thing and cut it open (sorry the picture is sideways... Don't know how to fix it).
Next, pry the the worm open and pin the sides down.
The segments of the worm continue on the inside.
My friend accidentally opened the wrong end... But I'm glad she did! Because you can see the dirt that is about to be pooped out.
The front end of the worm (with all the organs) looks like this:
How interesting, right? Starting at the left of the picture... At the very front, is the pharynx which then leads to the aortic arches (the little black things). Then there's some seminal vesicles which store the sperm, and some seminal receptacles which contains eggs. Then there's a crop and gizzard, which help in the food-eating process. And then the looooooooooooooooooonng intestine which stretches to the back of the worm. The little black line on the intestine is the dorsal nerve chord. There's another nerve chord underneath the intestine.
It is so interesting to learn about something and study the pictures, and then see the actual thing with your own eyes!
Live long and prosper.
Today in science class we dissected a worm. And it was really fun.
Now, this is not my first dissection ever....
Meet Jackie:
When we first got Jackie we thought that she was a he and his name was Jack. When Jack laid an egg, however, we knew we had made a mistake. So we re-named our pet Jackie and lived a happy enough life with us. Until the fateful day when an egg she was trying to lay, got stuck, and she died.
Then, because Mom and I are curious homeschoolers, we dissected Jackie and saw her brain. It was all very interesting.
Anyway, today's dissection of an earth worm was very, very different from dissecting one's Parakeet. For one, I actually knew what I was doing - I wasn't just watching Mom hack away at the bird, trying to get it open. Two, I knew what I was looking for. In our lab books we had to draw a picture of what we saw and label all the internal structures we saw.
Did you know that worms acutally have a head and a tail? The head is closest to the clitellum, which is the discolored rise in the worm (the clitellum aids in reproduction).
Also, worms don't eat dirt. They take in dirt and then eat the tiny particles of leaves and stuff that they find in the dirt.
We started the dissection by gathering supplies. (Disection kit... the worm... the thing you put the worm on.... The gloves are really for the mad scientist look since I didn't actually end up using them.)
Then we had to feel the worm's anterior and posterior sides for setae (aka, we had to feel the front and back ends for little hairs which aid in locomotion).
Next step: Pin the worm to the blue tub thing and cut it open (sorry the picture is sideways... Don't know how to fix it).
The segments of the worm continue on the inside.
My friend accidentally opened the wrong end... But I'm glad she did! Because you can see the dirt that is about to be pooped out.
The front end of the worm (with all the organs) looks like this:
How interesting, right? Starting at the left of the picture... At the very front, is the pharynx which then leads to the aortic arches (the little black things). Then there's some seminal vesicles which store the sperm, and some seminal receptacles which contains eggs. Then there's a crop and gizzard, which help in the food-eating process. And then the looooooooooooooooooonng intestine which stretches to the back of the worm. The little black line on the intestine is the dorsal nerve chord. There's another nerve chord underneath the intestine.
It is so interesting to learn about something and study the pictures, and then see the actual thing with your own eyes!
Live long and prosper.
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