Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Top Tuesdays: Companions of the Doctor.

I'll probably re-do this after I watch the seventh season, so that I can include Clara.
Here are the five companions from the first six seasons of the re-boot of the TV show Doctor Who!

5. Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan).

 

I. Love. Her. Hair. WHAT WERE YOU DOING KAREN GILLAN!!!!! Shaving it all off???!?!!?!! It was beautiful!!!
Anyway, Amy is an alright character. She didn't really POP with me and I liked her better when she was with Rory (or Vincent Van Gogh) as opposed to her with just the Doctor. I think she's a strong character (all the girls in Doctor Who are strong) with an attitude. As far as characters go, she's pretty cool. Not my favorite, but I don't hate her. And her hair is amazing.

4. Martha Jones (played by Freema Agyeman).

 

When I first started Doctor Who, I was convinced that I was going to hate Martha. After watching the third season, I pleasantly surprised myself. I really like Martha! I think she's a great character. She's got some great episodes (Blink anyone?) and grows a lot over the show. I like how every time she comes back (after the third season is over) we see her getting on in life and loving it, even without the Doctor always by her side.

3. Rory Williams (played by Arthur Darvill).

 

Rory only slightly beat out Martha and I'm even now considering switching them... But I'll leave him where he is. I like that the Doctor occasionally has a male companion, such as Rory.
After seeing seasons five and six, I can agree that finding a Rory in life would be great. I think he's a great guy. He wants to protect Amy but is slightly goofy and awkward about it. He's a very nice guy. Plus he waited for how many years for Amy?

2. Donna Noble (played by Catherine Tate).

 

I love Donna. I love how she's not the typical young and skinny companion that the Doctor usually has. I mean, come on, Rose, Martha, Amy, and Clara are all very young. Donna, though still young, isn't twenty or even twenty-three.
When she meets the Doctor (and at the end of the fourth season, *sniff*) she reminds me a bit of Rose's mum - kind of girlish and lost and cares only about gossip and stuff. But when she meets the Doctor, her whole outlook on life changes and she grows so much and becomes such a great person.
One of the best things about Donna is that she is not a love interest. She's the Doctor's best bud - his friend - his mate. ("You ain't mating with me sunshine!")

1. Rose Tyler (played by Billie Piper).

 

Alright, I admit, I do like Rose because she was the first companion I ever watched. But that's not the only reason I like her. I think she's got one of the more complex storylines in Doctor Who. Her family members and Mickey have their own stories that weave through and intertwine with the Doctor and Rose's.
Rose starts out as a shop assistant whose eyes are opened to how big the world really is. By the end of the first season, she simply can't go back to eating chips, working, and sleeping her life away. She has to be doing something big. And by the end of the second season, the Doctor has become such a big part of her life, that it's horrible when they're *spoilers* separated.
Rose, like pretty much all the rest of the characters in Doctor Who, grows a tremendous amount during the course of the show. That's why I like her.

Live long and prosper!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Prayer would be appreciated.

Hi guys.
So, I'm leaving again for a week. Myself and a youth leader and two friends are going to a Christian conference which will last from Monday-Friday. I would appreciate some prayer because I have never been away from my parents for more than two nights before. Plus I'm just a little bit nervous about spending five days with people I wouldn't normally spend five days with. Especially since I get migraines sporadically and if I have a problem (like a mini-emotional breakdown), I don't feel completely comfortable rushing to the people I'm with. As far as I'm concerned, my most intimate thoughts are alright for my God, my brain, and my mom, and that's it.

So now I'm sitting here listening to Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead Symphony (great choice, I know), contemplating my fate, wondering if I should put some blog posts on schedule again, and wondering if I should go pack because we leave in less than 12 hours.

And I want to go read some Emma. So I'm going to try and do a scheduled blog post or two and then go pack and then go read and then get up and leave and AHHHH!

Live long and prosper.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

How did Sherlock suvive the fall? He fell on a pillow, of course!

I had another video to show you... But I can't find it! I lost it in my files. So I'll have to go searching for it another day.
Until then, enjoy this!



I filmed that sometime at the beginning of the year... January or February. I was gonna add more to it... But then decided not to. So I put it together tonight haphazard-like. I don't even think the clips are in the right order (to coincide with BBC Sherlock's version). Ah, well.

Live long and prosper!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Eerie.

It's one of those nights. One of those eerie nights where a windstorm suddenly blows in quickly and makes the trees dance. It's too hot to shut out the windows, so instead the wind breezes though the house, accompanied by the wind chimes. They mingle with the sounds of the rickety fan which has seen at least thirty-five years of use.
It's one of those nights where you just can't help but weave stories and listen to classical music. I should be in bed by now, snuggled up with Emma by Jane Austin.... But Chopin holds me captive.
It's one of those nights where, on accident, when first writing the word 'night,' you accidentally write the word 'knight' instead, because the wind mixed with classical piano mixed with the two romantic movies you watched tonight is putting you in a mystical mood.
Maybe, just maybe, if you write the word 'knight' and wish hard enough.... he might come to you, high on his white horse, and take you far away to a castle, where you will live together forever.

I break free. Chopin shan't shackle me any longer.

Farewell and goodnight.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

La de da.

I have been filming scenes for my book trailer the past two days. Lots of stopmotion... It's very tricky. Here is a sneak preview:

 

BEWARE the Phantom Knee!!!

Tonight I have been re-organizing my doll cabinet while reminiscing about my childhood. Namely Thomas the Tank Engine and Shining Time Station. And Between the Lions and Theodore Tugboat. And there's always Old Bear Stories and Arthur and Dragon Tales..... They really don't make TV like they used to.
Especially Thomas. He used to be a real train. Now he's just CGI and he looks horrible. Did you know Ringo Starr (former Beatle) did Thomas' voice for the first two seasons? I think that's really cool! I was watching an interview with him where he was talking about Thomas. He said that one of the reasons he agreed to do it was because they were going to make it look good - not cheap. Well, Ringo, you predicted the future because now Thomas looks cheap. His other reason for doing it was because he's good with kids - he used to be one when he was younger.

Anyway...

Live long and prosper.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Top Tuesdays: Top TV shows that aired before 1975.

Not including Star Trek. These are more feel good, slapstick, sit-coms that have been re-running for ever.

7. McHale's Navy.

 

This is a funny show about a group of Navy men during World War Two. Not only is this a funny show, it has Tim Conway in it as well! Tim Conway is one of my favorite funny people. He's hilarious.

6. The Partridge Family.

 

This is a show about the musical Partridge family and their goofy manager Reubin. This is a fun show... and if I were alive back when it aired, I would surely be one of the girls who had a crush on Keith Partridge (David Cassidy. The farthest right in the back row). Although Danny (the redhead) is probably tied with Keith as my favorite character.

5. Gidget.

 

Gidget, which only ran for one season (sadly) was a sitcom that starred Sally Field as the surfing-loving, freshman, Frances - or, Gidget, as everyone calls her.
She is the second daughter of a single professor. Her older sister is married to a psychologist.
This is a very cute, fun show. Gidget is always full of surprises and likes to push her limits. She always has a plan (and it usually gets her in trouble). Her father, sister, brother in-law, and friend Larue are great supporting characters.

4. The Monkees.

 
England had The Beatles, and America had The Monkees. The Monkees were (I believe) a made-for-TV-band. They were thrown together to create a musical sitcom about four guys who live together and are trying to get famous.
I love this show. Some of you may be going "WHAT?! HOW can she like the Monkees? She's a Beatles fan! The Monkees just look like Americanized Beatles!" It's perfectly fine for me to like The Monkees because they and The Beatles weren't enemies. John Lennon even said that he never missed one of their shows. So ha.
Anyway, The Monkees show is right up my alley because it's all slapstick humor, which I love.
Micky (top left) is the actor of the group. In the show he's always quoting someone or pretending to be someone or talking in a weird voice. Actually, he reminds me a lot of me. In real like, Micky Dolenz is a very funny man (and a Trekkie, I believe. Though I can't find any real evidence... Some things that he's said, however, have made me think that he's at least a sci-fi fan. Who else would talk about Spock and parallel universes?)
Peter (bottom left) is the dumb, cute one in the show. I'm fascinated with his hair. He shakes his head, and his hair shakes with it (in straight lines - like the ladies on TV that advertise shampoo). It's really quite amazing to watch.
Davy (bottom right) is the British one of the group. He comes from England. He's kind of the level-headed, smart one. Davy Jones in real life is no longer alive. He died last year, sadly.
Mike (top left) is my favorite character. He's from Texas. He's super tall, the 'dad' of the group (he watches out for the others), ALWAYS wears his green hat, and usually always has a grumpy look on his face.
Here's proof:


 
3. Get Smart.
 

 

A hilarious detective show about Agents 86 and 99. This is a great show, and it's tied with The Monkees. While The Monkees is music+slapstick=two of Abbey's favorite things, Get Smart is spys+slapstick=two of Abbey's favorite things.

2. The Andy Griffith Show.

 

I've been watching this show about as long as I can remember. My grandparents would watch it in  Minnesota and I would watch along with them. I love this show. It's about sheriff Andy Taylor, deputy Barney Fife, and Andy's family Aunt Bee and son Opie. They live in a small town and Andy is the sheriff, sorting out all sorts of problems. It's a great, very clean, moral show.

And number one is.....

1. Leave it to Beaver, starring Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, and Jerry Mathers as The Beaver.

 

How can you not love this show? It's like the stereotypical American sit-com. I mean, everyone knows that if your mom is like June Cleaver, it means that your mom is practically perfect in almost every way.
This, along with Andy Griffith, is one of the best TV shows you will ever find.

And there you have it! There are more I could mention... such as Alfred Hitchcock, The Twilight Zone, I Love Lucy, Burns and Allen, The Jack Benny Program.... and more. But, I haven't seen sufficient episodes of those to add them to the list. Well, I could add Jack Benny and Burns and Allen to the list, but it's getting too late already and I must go to bed! Perhaps I shall talk about them some other night.

"Say goodnight, Gracie."
"Goodnight Gracie."

Monday, July 22, 2013

Camping pictures!

Every year we go to San Juan Island with our friends to camp, whale watch, and relax. So here are the pictures!

The camp (complete with one white dog):

 

"Blue tarp camper, you're one of us."

We celebrated my birthday while we were one the island. My request was lunch at The Hungry Clam (great restaurant. If you ever happen to go there.... get a milkshake. They're HUGE!) and then the bookstore. The island has two wonderful bookstores and they also had a library book sale while we were there. So I came home with lots of lovely books.

 
 
I'm the one in the Doctor Who t-shirt. And that's just a corner of the bookstore. The rest of it is just as packed with books. They have over 45,000 titles. 0.0
 
The beautiful sunset:
 
 




 

 
 
The critters!
A butcher on the island takes all of his leftovers and spreads them out of a flat stretch of ground; foxes, bald eagles, and ever a black cat come and take the scraps of meat. It's very cool to watch, although it isn't good that the animals are becoming reliant on humans for their food.
 
 
Black kitty going for a drumstick. Ravenpaw?
 
 
 
 
A gray fox. This is was sooooo cool because foxes are one of my favorite animals.



 
 
No bald eagles were coming so we went back to the car and got in. Just then, FIVE (all in the above picture) eagles came swooping down and started dive bombing the piles of meat. It was really cool.
 
 


 
 
"Why yes, I am rather fabulous, aren't I?"

  
"Mine, mine, mine!"

 
 
There are three Orca whale pods in the Pacific northwest: J, K, and L pods. This has been a very bad year for whale watchers because the whales haven't been coming by lately. We were lucky enough to see them two days.
 
 



Breach! The whales must have been happy because we saw at least five breaches! The whale above did three in a row! It was really amazing to watch!
 
And one last picture:
 
 
 
Ghost mountains in the background. The land to the left looks like Jurassic Park!
 
Live long and prosper.







Sunday, July 21, 2013

I have come baaaaaackk to liiiiiffee.

Some of you may have been wondering why I haven't been commenting this past week... It's because I have been camping! I scheduled four posts, which I was glad to see published! I was a little skeptical.
Anyway, camping was very fun. Sometime in the next week I'll post pictures... We saw wild Orca whales and bald eagles and even a gray fox!
For now, though, I thought I'd just say that I was back and that I finished two books while away!
One was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. If you were to read an Agatha Christie... THIS IS THE ONE!!! Oh my goodness gracious she is an absolute genius. She had me so wrapped up that I had no clue about anything.... The cool thing about this one is that there are no detectives or police officers until the epilogue. This is such an amazing book. Wow. It was surprisingly creepy, which I was not expecting. I really felt the character's stress and fear. There was one point where I was reading in the car (out of the wind) and I was at a very tense part and my mom opened the trunk to get something. I jumped and was certain that I was going to be murdered.
The second book I finished was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland which I also LOVED. It was my type of book: very creative and colorful.
Now that I'm back at home, life has started to crash back down on me and I feel stress coming on.... So I'll go to bed soon and get to work tomorrow.
Live long and prosper!
(The title comes from the second Night at the Museum)

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Children's Corner, by Claude Debussy.

This was one of my recital pieces. Enjoy!


Live long and prosper!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Nerd Life: StarGate.

I had a long thing explaining StarGate... but it was too messy so I decided to delete it all and start over because I can't figure out how to explain this show because IT'S JUST TOO AMAZING FOR WORDS!!!!!!
So what exactly is StarGate?
Well, first it was a movie in 1994. The StarGate, a circular ring that, when the right code is punched in, will open up wormholes to other planets, is found in the movie (titled 'STARGATE') and the first trip though it is taken.
After that, StarGate was made into a ten seasons long TV show (with several spinoff shows) with the same characters (though not the same actors) as the movie. It follows the team SG-1 as they travel through the gate to make friends - and enemies - and to find more knowledge.


 
(The poster for the movie)

This is a show like no other sci-fi show out there. For one, it's set in modern days. Also, it isn't all spaceships, aliens, must-blow-things-up. It's kind of like space-travel-meets-archaeology.
I really love that the primary means of travel in this show is not spaceships. The SG teams have to gear up and walk through the wormhole to get to the other planets. Not until much later do they figure out how to make a spaceship (with the help of alien technology and help from the Asgard's). In this show, the humans aren't the rulers of the galaxy - we're just starting to get out there in the universe, and there are a lot of people out there that want to take advantage of our planet.
Which is bad, because, besides the president and all the people working for the StarGate program (which is run by the Air Force), no one else knows about it! The rest of the humans on earth no nothing about all the enemies out there and it's up to SG-1 to save the planet over and over again! Which they do, of course.
Another thing that I love about this show is that it is SO WELL MADE! Watching it makes you think that it really is happening because the writing is so superb (as is the acting). And I LOVE how they include so much archaeology and Egypt and pyramids (which are actually alien spaceships) and even the Arthurian legend. They make it so it all seems real. Oh, it's just so amazing.
I'm gonna talk about the characters because they are so lifelike and likeable that really, anyone should watch the show just for them:

Colonel Jack O'Neill (played by Richard Dean Anderson).

 

He is an Air Force colonel who leads the SG-1 team through the first eight seasons of the show, before being promoted (and, subsequently leaving the show. I believe it was because he wanted to spend more time with his daughter).
He is a gruff man, very sarcastic, but a great leader. He has some personal baggage - his son accidentally killed himself with Jack's gun, and as a result, Jack's wife left him. Jack is a very lovable character and very funny. It's sad to see him go at the end of season eight, but he has a recurring role, so he shows up again.


His best friend is Teal'c, he watches hockey, he's never seen Star Wars, and his favorite show is the Simpsons.

Samantha "Sam" Carter (played by Amanda Tapping).

 
 
AKA one of the most well done female characters on TV. She's part of the Air Force, carries a gun (and uses it) with SG-1, can hold her own against men, but still remains feminine. She's a bit of a geek, in terms of computers and stuff. She's an astrophysicist. Sam is very down-to-earth and kind. She's a really great character.

Teal'c (played by Christopher Judge).

 

Teal'c is a Jaffa warrior. The Jaffa are kind of like guards to the bad guys (the Goa'ulds) but Teal'c defects from them in the first episode and spends the series trying to free his people from the slavery that their false gods (the Goa'ulds) have put them in.
He's pretty cool. He doesn't speak all that much and hardly ever smiles.... But in a cool way. That's the way he was raised. He does enjoy an occasional hockey game ("The Canucks of Vancouver are superior warriors"), though, and has seen Star Wars, what, eight times? Nine.


His catchphrase is "indeed" which he says all the time.

And now my favorite character... ever. In the whole wide world. Okay, maybe not. But he's right up there with Julian from Star Trek and Sherlock Holmes and Tintin. I mean, seriously. He has got to be the best character....

Daniel Jackson (played by Michael Shanks).

 

AHHHHHHHHH! I LOVE HIM!
Sorry....
Anyway, Daniel is the nicest guy in the whole wide world. He's kind and compassionate. Plus he's an archaeologist which is super cool. And he knows a whole bunch of languages. He also dies, like, ten times in the show. Most of the time it's his clone or the version of himself in an alternate reality. And he makes the WEIRDEST faces. Seriously, if you were take a screencap of all his weird faces, you could laugh your way through life.
His first three seasons are spent trying to find his wife, who was kidnapped by one of the Goa'ulds to be his wife.
He's just such a good guy. It's kind of sad in the last two seasons when his character changes from nice guy to gruff guy.

Those four, Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Daniel, are the primary characters for the first six characters. Then, in season seven, Jonas Quinn joins them just for one season.

 

He's a pretty nice guy as well, though is he kind of a filler character.... But he's cool. I like him. He's an alien. And he likes to watch the weather channel.

In season 8, Jonas leaves and it's just Jack, Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c again. But then in season 9, Jack is promoted to General and leaves the show.

Colonel Cameron Mitchell take his place (played by Ben Browder).

 

After the amazingness of Jack O'Neill... It might annoy some people to have a new leader.... But I LOVE Cam Mitchell. He is so cool. I realized the other day that he's a totally geek. He makes all these Star Trek references, even if people don't have a clue what he's talking about. And there's this one episode where he meets an alternate reality version of himself and they are talking and making jokes and they're like best friends.

 

That's how he is, but with an alternate version of himself.
He's a really great character. He's so cool.

And the last character... Vala Mal Doran (played by Claudia Black).

 

Vala is a bad girl. She shows up a couple of times and then becomes a pretty regular cast member during seasons nine and most definitely ten. She's not a character that most people would like, but she grows on you. She is sneaky and manipulative and only does stuff for others if she gets something out of it. She's gone through a lot in her life... abandonment and being a Goa'old host and lots of other stuff. She likes to seduce people and have fun and is kind of childish.
Despite all her faults, though.... She does grow on you (at least, she grew on me). She grows a lot in her two seasons for the better and eventually joins SG-1.

So, all in all, this is a very wonderful show. If you like sci-fi and archaeology this is definitely the show for you. It is so intricate and well done. The acting is superb (there's an episode where all of the characters switch personalities with each other and they do brilliantly acting as each other. It is so totally amazing) and the writing is superb. This show is definitely a 10 out of 10!

Live long and prosper!

Little disclaimer thingy... Like all TV shows, this one definitely has it's faults in language and sexual content. If you start watching this show, BEWARE of the first episode. The made-for-TV version of it is just fine (I believe) but if you watch the extended edition/feature length version of it has a full screen image of a naked lady.... So, just watch out.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Top Tuesdays: Top Disney Princesses

11. Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.



 
The only reason she's last is because I haven't seen The Princess and the Frog and, therefore, can't make any comments about her.

10. Merida from Brave.


Similar story here. I did see Brave a couple weeks ago... But it was with the girls from my youth group and we were having fun doing hair, nails, and makeup at the same time... So I wasn't really watching the movie. I love her hair, though!

9. Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.

 
 
I haven't seen Sleeping Beauty for years. Actually, I think I've only seen it once. So, I remember pretty much nothing about it. But I love the lady who plays Aurora.... whose name I can't remember. xD

8. Cinderella from Cinderella.

 

I don't really like Disney's Cinderella. I haven't seen it for a long time... but I just don't think it can top Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella (which I grew up on and love):

 

I mean, come on, it's got Whoopi Goldberg, Whitney Houston, and Bernadette Peters in it! They are wonderful!

7. Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Drawfs.

 
Snow White is my dad's favorite Disney princess because he got his picture taken with her in Disneyland.
Like Sleeping Beauty, I have only seen Snow White once and that was a really long time ago.

6. Pocahontas from Pocahontas.

 

I used to love Native Americans so Pocahontas was a favorite when I was little. Now... I'm not sure if I would like it so much. I don't really remember much. Except in the sequel the love interest "drowns" and she ends up falling in love with someone else (and I liked the first guy better! I think his name was John Smith... so maybe it was better that she fell in love with someone else? Silly Doctor).

5. Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

 

I haven't seen The Little Mermaid for awhile, but I remember really enjoying it when I was little. I also remember enjoying the Poor Unfortunate Souls song... I don't know what that says about me. xD I always thought Ursula was a cool bad guy (bad lady? Villainess? Bad octopus-thing?).

4. Rapunzel from Tangled.

 

Come on, who doesn't love Tangled?

3. Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

 

I love Beauty and the Beast. I think it's a great movie. I love the music and the characters and the Beast's library.... Don't tell anyone, but I kind of based a library in Part Three of After the Twelfth Night after the Beast's library.

2. Mulan from Mulan.

 

LOVE Mulan! It has so many great quotes and nice music. This is definitely a classic, folks!

And now.... numero uno!

1. Jasmine from Aladdin!

 
 
Jasmine has always been my favorite. I can still remember the first time I saw Aladdin... It was my favorite movie for a long time afterwards. And Jasmine has remained my favorite Disney princess. I even had a Polly Pocket Jasmine!
 
So there you have it!
 
Live long and prosper.