Norwegian Wood

I already used "A Day in the Life" for the title of one of these update posts, so I had to use a different Beatles song. "Norwegian Wood" was the first one that came on Pandora radio.

What have I been...

Playing?
I'm frantically trying to memorize my pieces for my senior recital... We just added the final piano song today. Chopin's Berceuse. Wish me luck with the chromatic thirds.
Also playing a lot of classical music on the radio.

Watching? (I'm building up to the big ones)
...Gilmore Girls...
Also, some Frasier. 

Reading?
Oh boy. Get ready for the list.
A biography on Claude Debussy (my nonfiction for the month).
Another nonfiction (that I'm reading for history class) about Islam and why they were super advanced in the Middle Ages, but then never advanced any further until the 1800s, when they decided they really needed to advance their technology a bit.
Second Son by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt. Brant is about to meet Arnaud and I'm excited!
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This is my book challenge book for this month.
WAAAAAAAYYYY too much Calvin and Hobbes. I've finished four books so far this month.
I'm a little worried about finishing all the books I'm supposed to this month... but if there's one thing I'm great at, it's not finishing books when I'm supposed to. Hahahaha...

Writing? (This is the most exciting, guys!)
I finally started editing my fantasy novel! Eeeee!!
I've been thinking about editing and how to edit for twenty-two days, and now I've finally begun! I wrote up a plan last night. Here it is:

Step 1- Read through book, writing down inconsistencies, plot holes, and disappearing details. Also, taking note of changing scenes by separating them by a line.
Step 2- Go through story again, this time writing down each scene on a separate note card. Also, note (in the notebooks) all character traits and quirks with sticky notes.
Step 3- Arrange, rearrange, add, and subtract note card scenes. Eventually, come up with a detailed outline, complete with places for theme and character and plot development (via sticky notes attached to the note cards).
Step 4- Rewrite.
Step 5- Analyze. (Send to beta readers*?)
Step 6- Rewrite and analyze some more.
Step 7- Edit. Copiously.
Step 8- Decide what to do with brilliant, finished manuscript.

*Here is the difference between beta readers and editors: http://www.novelpublicity.com/2011/11/finally-an-answer-heres-the-difference-between-line-copy-and-content-editing/

Look! Here's my stack of Book and editing supplies!

Tea:

Music:

And I got FIVE whole chapters done! That's not very much in the grand scheme of things because the first few chapters are short (and there are 50+ chapters), but it's WAY more than I've gotten done all month so I'm happy! 

What have you guys been up to?

Live long and prosper.

Sherlock: The Empty Hearse

BEWARE SPOILERS! DO NOT ENTER if you have not seen Sherlock season 3, episode 1 (or, do not enter if you want to be spoiled).
YOU HAVE BEEN FAIRLY WARNED!






He's back.

Sunday was a good day. The Seahawks are going to the Superbowl, Sherlock returned, and church was great.
Sherlock had been in the back of my mind for about a week... and the hour before the premier I got more and more antsy, waiting for the clock to strike 9:58. It finally did, and there I sat, huddled under the quilt.
My excitement peaked in the first few minutes and then I was able to watch the rest of the episode like a sane person.
Here are my thoughts:

I loved how the focus was on John and Sherlock's relationship, and not on the actual plotline. This is what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle does in The Empty House story as well. The plot is a nice side story... but it's really only stuck in there so the story doesn't look like plotless fluff.
However... I did feel like some things could have been explained better/shot with more clarity. I felt like a lot of scenes catered right to the fangirl's heart. And while that's all good and stuff... this is a professional TV show. It shouldn't play out like a fanfiction.
Some examples of confusing things... at the beginning someone is running through the woods and he's surrounded. We cut to a shot of someone being beaten in an underground prison. I've read that the running person is Sherlock, and we all know that he's the one getting beat up, but for me, there wasn't enough point A to point B to connect the two scenes.
Similarly, at the end, when John and Sherlock are in the subway car, we suddenly go straight into a shot of Sherlock telling Anderson how he survived the Fall. Seemingly, this is the real answer... But then Sherlock walks away as Anderson is pointing out all the faults.
Huh? How does that fit into the near-death situation that John and Sherlock were in at that moment? (Except, of course, to make the watcher think that Moffat's not going to resolve the situation in this episode.) Was that something that Sherlock was remembering (if so, odd time to remember it), or something that John was imagining? Or was it happening at the same time? Did it even happen at all, or was it a fantasy?

Speaking of all the scenes where Sherlock "survived"...
Wasn't that BRILLIANT?
I think it was absolutely a brilliant scheme of the writers to write all the fan plots into the story!
Anyone remember THIS POST?
Well, you can guess how excited I was at the beginning. I was like, "They used my idea! I can't believe it's in there!"
Now I'm afraid that Moffat will never tell us how he actually fell. Someone said that the last one, where Sherlock is telling Anderson, is the real story... but somehow I just don't believe it.

I had several favorite parts. One was at the beginning, when John is about to propose to Mary, and Sherlock stealing people's things so he can pretend to be a waiter. That was so hilarious.

And all the moustache jokes that he made about John! "He has to lose that. He looks ancient! I can't be seen wandering around with an old man." "Does yours wipe off too?" "Seriously, are you going to keep that?" and all the while, you can just see the confusion and anger building up in John until he finally just has to tackle Sherlock. 

My other favorite part was when Sherlock and Mycroft were playing "deductions."

That was a bit of amazing writing (and acting! All those lines!). Mycroft is my favorite Sherlock Holmes character anyway... But that scene was so cool. And right out of the book. Maybe in the book they weren't necessarily deducting a pom-pom hat... but they were certainly trying to out-deduce each other! I've been waiting for a scene like that.

Speaking of Sherlock's family life...

And those were Benedict Cumberbatch's real parents too! Isn't that cool? I hope they show up again. That would be cool. If they're so normal, how come their kids are such super-geniuses? "He's adopted."

I loved the introduction of Mary Morstan.

I loved her character and it will be sad if/when she dies, which I'm afraid is imminent. She makes such a good addition to the team! And her and John make such a great pair. Plus she's played by Martin Freeman's real-life partner, which is pretty cool.

Molly was nice in this episode too, though she's always nice. It was cute when she was Sherlock's "John" for a day. One of their cases was a story from the books (the one about the step-father pretending to be his daughter's online boyfriend)! And it was great when she was telling Sherlock about her boyfriend and she said "I didn't meet him at work." Haha, after Moriarty, that will never happen again. I loved how her boyfriend dresses like Sherlock.

And did you hear that song near the end?? They were playing 'Do you hear the people sing, singing the songs of angry men...' from Les Miserables. We're singing that in my choir this year! All Saturday evening I was listening to that song because I've never seen Les Mis and I wanted to hear how the song went and then I just couldn't stop listening to it because it was so catchy and then it showed up in Sherlock! Crazy.

There were, of course, parts that could have been skipped/left out... The whole scene where John is working at the hospital I'm gonna skip if I ever watch the episode again. There was a whole bunch of stuff in there that is not suitable for any eyes.

Also, near the beginning, there's that scene where Mrs. Hudson and John are talking about Mary and Mrs. Hudson thinks that John's new 'somebody' is a guy and John replies that he's "not gay!" That joke is starting to feel overused. Even a reporter in his review of the episode felt it.

And the roof scene (another theory by one of Anderson's minions) where Sherlock and Moriarty lean in for a kiss... Thankfully Anderson interrupts the girl before she can go into detail.

Anyway, there are my thoughts. I'm looking forward to next week's episode and I'm wondering what's going to happen. I'm guessing that there will be another attempt on John's life by the new baddy (is it Augustus Milverton? I can't remember) amidst all the wedding-y stuff. Poor Sherlock, having to be best man. And he can't get out of it by an "engagement" either this time  (like the birthday video).

Live long and prosper!

DUN DUN DUN DUN

The story you have just seen is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

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.

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."

"Elementary," said he.

Here is my review of:

 

Hee hee.... I'm just kidding.

 

 



 

 

Elementary! Starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu. It is a Sherlock Holmes adaption set in modern day New York.

Boy do I have mixed feelings about this show....

When I first heard about this show (way back when CBS announced it) I was like, "WHAT A HORRIBLE IDEA!!! I HATE THIS IDEA! FEMALE WATSON???? WHAT???? THEY ARE TOTALLY RIPPING OFF SHERLOCK (made by the BBC, also a Sherlock adaption set in modern day)!!!!!! FEMALE WATSON?!?!?!?!?!?!??!??!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!! THIS IS GONNA BE HORRID!!!!!!!!!! UGH! I AM NEVER WATCHING THIS!!!!!"

And then we heard that Jonny Lee Miller was gonna be in it. Now, my mom and I love Jonny Lee Miller because he's in our favorite adaption of Jane Austin's Emma.

 

 



So then my mom started saying, "I might watch Elementary just to see him." Because, really, Jonny Lee Miller is a really good actor.

Then she started saying, "Maybe I'll watch the first episode."

Then I started saying, "Maybe I'll watch the first episode with you. JUST TO AFFIRM MY THOUGHTS THAT I HAVE ALREADY MADE ABOUT IT!!!"

Then we watched the first episode. And the second. And then every episode.

So now, here are my thoughts:

 

THE EPISODES:

I will say right off - I did NOT like the first half of the season. Every episode was the same to me. No episodes from the first half of the season stand out to me. At all. I can tell you the synopsis of every one: Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson, his sober companion, help the NYPD investigate homicides. And E-Lock (as Jack and I call him) sleeps with a lot of prostitutes.

Really, that's what happens in almost every one.

Now, I have a couple of problems with that... One: When all the episodes are about the same thing, the writing isn't all that great. When none stand out in my mind, the writing isn't all that great.

Two: In the Sherlock Holmes books, Holmes almost never works with the police... The police have to BEG him to work with them. He doesn't particularly like the police. E-Lock, however, is as cozy with the police as Sherlock Holmes can be. He's always working with them. I had a problem with that. Sherlock Holmes is a CONSULTING detective. Individuals who don't want publicity/don't want the police involved come to Sherlock Holmes and he solves their cases. None of this happened in the first half of the season. Every single episode was done with the police. And every single episode was about murder.

Third, of course, the prostitutes. OH MY WORD I HATED THAT SO MUCH! They didn't show anything. But lots was implied. And it never had anything to do with the plotline. UGH. That annoyed me SO much.

Fourth, the random little nods to the books bothered me, because they almost never showed up again. Like E-Lock's violin. It showed up in one episode, randomly. Then it never showed up again after that. In the books, the violin is pretty important.... In the show, he tries to burn it. xD There were a couple of other things... but I don't remember them.

 

Then the second half of the season came and I started to like the show better. I will tell you why:

First, less prostitutes! HURRAH! They almost all disappeared.

Second, the plotlines started to vary, thank goodness! (Actually, I lied earlier.... the balloon boy episode stood out in the first season. That was the only one. 'Cause it was kind of a kidnapping/murder story). People actually started coming to Sherlock Holmes of their own will to have him consult for him. And I don't think they were all murder stories either. But I don't remember. Maybe I liked it better because Joan stopped being E-Lock's sober companion (because he's a recovering drug addict) and became his assistant, helping him with his cases and solving her own.

We also get to find out a bit more about E-Lock's past.... That he was once 'in love' with a woman named Irene Adler. We start to see him 'human' side. There was also Alfredo, E-Lock's sponsor, and I liked him. He was pretty cool. Also Joan wasn't all "I MUST help E-Lock become a REAL human person!" She's more understanding and knows that E-Lock just needs to be himself.

And then the finale. Oh wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. WOW! WOW! WOW! That was seriously one of the best season finales I have EVER seen. It's right up there with Doomsday/whatever the first half of that episode is called:

 

 

 

It's also as good as The Best of Both Worlds (which is a season finale/cliffhanger for season 3 of Star Trek Next Generation):

 

 

Oh my goodness.... the Elementary season finale... SO SUPRISING. And amazing.

That made me really like the show.

 

THE CHARACTERS:

After the finale, I have thought more about the first half and the characters and such.... And I realized that maybe it wasn't so bad after all... At least the character development side of it. I still think the plotlines weren't all that great.

Looking back at the first season of Elementary, I can see how E-Lock started out as a broken man just out of rehab who works on homicide cases with his sober companion and has women who are not his wife come over. As the season went on, some of these things disappeared as he healed. I don't know exactly what changed.... Maybe having an actual friend - Joan. Maybe he realized that you can't buy love (can't buy me looove.... looove... can't buy me loo-o-ooove.... I'm a Beatles fan, remember?). Anyway, I could see the change in his character.

Joan too. She started out as someone who was always in E-Lock's face, trying to get him to open up about himself. Then she realized that that's now how E-Lock works. And they became good friends.

 

THE CONTENT:

I mentioned the prostitutes already....

There was also bad words, of course.

And there was also a lot of gore for a TV Show - I thought. In the finale (or the second to last episode, I don't remember) Joan opens up a guy's chest cavity.... There's just a whole bunch of blood and gore in this show.

 

OVERALL OPINION:

Like I said, I have very mixed feelings about this show. I really loved the finale because it totally caught me off guard - it was something that had never been done before that I thought was absolutely brilliant.

I also liked the parts where Joan and E-Lock were butting heads. Like when she knocked over his key collection. And when he burned his violin. They're a funny team.

But then there's all the content.... Which makes me really really really really dislike the show. As of now, I don't know if I'll be back to see the second season. The Bible says to think about pure, right things. And Elementary doesn't really focus on pure, right things. So I'm not sure. I don't have to worry about it for awhile yet. Before the finale I had made up my mind NOT to watch season two. But after the finale.... I don't know. It just seems like the show might be going in a cleaner direction. So we'll have to see.

 

So there's my review of Elementary. I can't say I would recommend this show. To me, it wasn't all that great (except the finale). I think their are plenty of other shows out there with wacky detectives (like The Mentalist). I don't think TV needs another one.... But I can see how Elementary appeals to some people.

 

In other news.... filming of my trailer has become dangerous. I built a jail in my hallway which we've been tripping over all day.

 

 

 

Yeaahh....

We've also been attacked by snakes:

 

 

 

 

Actually, I was doing science today and learning about snakes and I was like, "WAIT A MINUTE! I should have one of my characters in After the Twelfth Night be almost squeezed to death by an anaconda! Or a boa constrictor!" So I'm adding that in. Mwahaha.

I'm also thinking about making After the Twelfth Night into three parts instead of two... Perhaps more on that later.

 

Live long and prosper.

Postponed. Oh no, Christmas is canceled!

I am postponing today's Top Tuesdays until tomorrow because I have something important to talk about that I have been thinking about for a few months now.

Fandoms.

Wikipedia says that a Fandom is....
Fandom (consisting of fan [fanatic] plus the suffix -dom, as in kingdom, freedom, etc.) is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices (a fandom).

So basically, a fandom is a community of fanatics.... Some examples of different fandoms would be: Sherlock, Doctor Who, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.... it goes on and on. Anything geeky and popular will probably have a fandom.

Those who know about fandoms and BBC are probably aware of this phrase:

 

I have mostly seen this phrase in correlation to Sherlock... And Doctor Who whenever someone dies. "Right in the feels" pretty much means that something angsty (anxiety, pain, fear) happens (usually a character dies) and because the person behind the screen was so attached to the characters or the storyline that they feel pain at whatever happened.

Now, this post is going to take a random turn... But remember "the feels."

In "A Scandal in Belgravia" (Sherlock season 2, episode 1) Irene Adler says, "Brainy is the new sexy" and I think she's right (despite my dislike of the S word. And of Irene herself). A few years ago you were popular if you loved makeup and Justin Bieber and Twilight and frilly, girly things. And boys and Disney Channel and stuff like that. Now, however, the tables are turning. With shows like Doctor Who and The Big Bang Theory becoming so popular all over the world, the tides are turning towards geekiness. More girls are now becoming obsessed with BBC shows and sci-fi and fantasy are replacing Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place - the Highschool Musical that every little girl dreamed of. Now girls dream of The Doctor coming to pick them up in the TARDIS.
I look at people's blogs (mostly random people) and I see people's Pinterest's (again, mostly random people) and I feel sad. They obsess over these BBC shows and these BBC guys and really, I see no difference between girls obsessing over Zac Efron and David Tennant. I see true geekery as knowing everything about the shows... For example, knowing how to talk in Klingon, or knowing the history of Gallifry, or knowing how to write in Elvish. Knowing the little things. Simply obsessing over something, doesn't really give much depth.... The depth comes in knowing the little things.
Anyway, that's not my point.
I feel SO sad for the people that only obsess over TV shows, geeky or not. For me, it's great to be known as the "Trekkie" at church. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel unique. For other girls, I think it feels good to be "geeky." They want to fit in (and hey, if hot, time travelling aliens are involved, it's just an added bonus!). It's fun to post funny pictures and "get the reference." (Did you guys get the one in the title??? It's from Sherlock!!)
I know I enjoy looking at funny pictures. But... is that all?
It that all there is to life?
No.
Of course not.
But do all the fangirls know that? I don't know. I don't know what they think.
But it makes me very very sad to see people obsessing over TV shows. Things that don't matter. Life should be spent doing better things. Getting a good education.... Working.... Family.
GOD. Getting to know God.
In youth group we just started a new series where we're talking about being a follower, verses being a fan. A fan sticks around the sidelines while a follower... Actually, we haven't talked about what a follower is yet. I believe that is next week (that or I wasn't paying attention).
Similarly, our pastor is always stressing the point that being in the Word of God is very important. We should spend time daily in the Bible, getting to know God.
I think, how much time do people spend watching Doctor Who?
Then I think, how much time do Christians spend watching TV shows. Time that could better be spent getting to know God better.
I know that I spend waaaay too much time watching TV or surfing the wide web. I don't spend nearly enough time with God.
Some say that their teen years are for partying. They use their teen years as an excuse. I am finding that I am using my teen years as an excuse for watching TV. I keep thinking, "I don't want my kids to grow up watching too much TV - ruining their imaginations. I want them to read books. Maybe I won't even HAVE a TV when I get married and have kids! I want them to be closer to God." Then I think, ashamedly, what about me? I could stop watching TV right now. But I'm a teen, I can goof off if I want. I'm a teenager!
I'm using it as an excuse. I realise that. And I really am trying to change. It's hard, though.
Anyway, these are my own personal convictions I've been going through lately... I don't mean to change any of your minds.

So, spending more time with God is my first point.
My second point is family.
Tonight I have been watching family videos from a family reunion on my Dad's side in 1998. The whole family was these - every child and every grandchild (except for my Favorite Cousin, who was not yet born). That is no easy task... My dad has quite a few siblings who each have a few children of their own.
Anyway, my dad was videotaping the whole event. He was asking everyone to tell a story that they remembered of Grandma and Grandpa (or Mom and Dad, for his siblings). He was also being teased for always videotaping. He said at one point, "It's all part of the memories!" and I couldn't help but think, "OHH! RIGHT IN THE FEELS!"
You see, my parental Grandpa passed away last July. For the last 10 years or so, he had been suffering from Alzheimer's, a heightened version of dementia (says Wikipedia). All I know, is that Grandpa didn't know anything when he passed away. His soul was gone and all that was left was an empty shell.

 

Near the end, all he would do was sit with his eyes closed. He would have to be fed and bathed and put to bed. Through it all, my Grandpa loved him and took care of him - everyone in the family did, really.
It was a blessing when God finally took him home. The memorial service was a really really good time. Stories were shared and it was a time of rejoicing in my Grandpa's life.
I never really had a close relationship with my Grandpa, because his Alzheimer's was already pretty bad when I was old enough to have any sort of relationship with him (though from what I hear, he was a pretty hard person to get to know). It was really good to hear stories about him. I kind of got to know him through hearing other people talk about him and I am so grateful for that. I really regret not being able to "get to know him" or even just to observe him. He was my Grandpa, after all.
Anyway, on this family video that I'm watching, he's there. He's not just there, he's there. As in, his mind hasn't gone yet. He was interviewed by some of the family. He was talking, telling stories, telling jokes... And all caught on camera! I was really happy to see that as well.
Tonight I was going to watch Star Wars but I popped this in instead since it was sitting there and I had been wanting to see what was on the tape.
I am SO glad I did.
I am enjoying watching this SO much more than watching Star Wars or Doctor Who or any other TV show.
Watching TV isn't bad. Watching movies isn't bad. But too much TV, to the point of not doing other things, is bad.
Someone said (people say it is Einstein, but I don't know) that "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots."
I think that day has come. We are so caught up in our own little worlds.... We can talk over the internet but it is so impersonal. We watch TV shows and feel like the characters are our friends... Is that right? Shouldn't we be spending more time getting to know our friends, family, relatives, and God? than getting to know TV characters?
I'm not a fangirl. I try to make that known to people. I enjoy TV, and occasionally it becomes more important than other things... But I try really hard not to let it overtake my life. I don't want to be a fangirl. I don't want to spend my whole life talking about TV shows and characters because there is no substance to that sort of life. It is an escape, sure. But for how long? We all have to come back to reality sometime. And when we wake up, we'll find ourselves all alone because we've spent more time watching TV or cat videos than building relationships with people. I don't want that kind of life. There's nothing to that life! It's so dull and surface! There's no depth!
Watching these home videos, where everyone is laughing and talking has really opened my eyes, I think. (And when people weren't laughing or talking they were all sitting in the same room reading. Hee hee. How times have changed... Now we sit in the same room glued to our screens.)
Anyway, this is all my own opinion. It's just stuff I've been thinking about lately.

And seeing my Grandpa smiling and laughing may just be the best thing I will see this month.

Daniel Adams and Varina Webb.

Alright, I lied. No prologue for Defenders of the Realm today. Perhaps tomorrow.

Instead, I am going to explain some of my characters names.
Daniel Adams and Varina Webb are my main characters from my 2012 NaNoWriMo novel You Don't Find Them, They Find You which is a spy novel, of sorts. Both Daniel and Varina are spies... Though the novel is more of a race.

A little bit of history on the name "Daniel" in correlation to me.
When I was little, my friend and I would play house with our Bitty Babies. We were the moms, our husbands were invisible, our children were our dolls. For awhile, my friend and I had Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby as husbands.... Then we branched out and used other names. I always had James, until my friend and I started to fight over that name. Then I changed mine to Daniel and she changed hers to Dwight. From then on, our "husbands" were always Daniel and Dwight.

So, when I came up with the idea for They Find You there was really no other name for the main male character.
Daniel's last name, Adams, has always been with him too.
Which presented a problem....

In our games of house, my name was always "Arica Adams."
Now, for my female main character, I natually named her Arica because that's a name I'm very familiar with. But I couldn't name her Arica "Adams" because she and Daniel couldn't have the same last name.
Trouble trouble trouble... At first I wanted to change Daniel's last name because I wasn't sure if "Adams" was a British last name. Then I decided to change Arica's last name... I didn't know what to change it TO, though.
Then one day I was lying on the couch watching this GREAT old cop show called Adam-12 and the name hit me.

 

The guy on the right is called Jim Reed in the show. I got to thinking... Arica Reed? Then the name "Webb" flashed across the screen (he's one  of the producers or something). That was it! WEBB! Arica Webb!

Then we departed on our long journey to the East Coast.
We saw many many things. One of those things was the home of President Jefferson Davis (he was president of the Confederacy during the Civil War).

 

Before we got the tour, however, the guide told us a bit about Jefferson Davis and his family. They mentioned his wife... Varina Davis.

My heart leaped a bit. Varina was the absolute perfect name.
I was so excited that I pulled out a scrap of paper and wrote it down. It says, "Instead of Arica Webb... Varina Webb?"
Thus was born Varina Webb.
She even looks a bit like Varina Davis - the same dark, silky hair and round face.

I think that Varina is one of the prettiest names in the whole wide world. And Webb is one cool last name.

How do you name your characters?

Live long and prosper!

Ah, ah, ah, ah, Stayin' Alive!

I heard that song on the radio the other day and immediately thought of Moriarty....

Anyway, I survived Black Friday!
Did I crumble
Did I lay down and die
Oh no, not I! I will survive!
Oh and as long as I know how to love I know I stay alive.
I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give.
And I'll survive!
I will survive! Hey, hey.

First we had to drop off a load of stuff at a mission thrift store which just opened.
Then we went to the American Girl Doll store and I bought Caroline's Travel Outfit, Spencer, and Hat which my heart hath longed for since before it was out. It is likely to be one of the last pieces of AG clothing I buy since in a few years I'll be headed off to college where dolls would not be welcome.
Here is the lovely Linda (who accompanied me to the AG store) modeling the outfit!
Without the spencer and hat.

With the spencer, hat, and Martha the dog.

This is one of my new favorite outfits. I LOVE the shoes.

After the American Girl store we went to Barnes and Nobles which is my absolute favorite store in the entire universe! What a wrong move.... SO much wonderfulness was on sale.
We went to CD/DVD section because I had originally come for a Vince Guaraldi Trio CD (he does the music for the Peanuts).
We ended up looking at the DVDs and movies and finding Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (in blue-ray) for a really cheap.
Did you know that Doctor Who has its OWN section at my Barnes and Nobles? I was looking through the TV section going, "Where's Star Trek? Where's Doctor Who? I've seen Doctor Who here before... So where is it?" My dad found it. It has its own section. B+N had episodes from all 11 of the doctors and I just stood staring for a few moments in awe. Partly at so much Doctor Who (and sci-fi history) in one place and also partly because of the prices! Doctor Who must be imported from England because no way would they cost $80 a season if they were made in the United States.

Running 3 seasons in the early '90's, the Tintin books were made into 30 minutes cartoons. My dad has a friend who owns all the episodes and when I was younger we borrowed them all (several times) and watched them. I was enchanted and ever since, my dad - who grew up with Tintin - has been keeping an eye out for them.
At Barnes and Nobles we found all three seasons for a really good price. We could not resist and I can now - ecstatically - say that we own the cartoon series! I am SO happy! I was not expecting to find Tintin in America (not the book... we saw the Tintin movie at B+N as well!).
However, I think that the cartoons will go under the Christmas tree so that means we can't watch them yet.
They also have a really cool Hobbit display at B+N - a table set out with all sorts of Hobbit merchandise and things. It's pretty cool. =)

We didn't buy any big screen TVs or anything today.... Who needs them? I'm satisfied with what we have. God has really blessed us and I am very thankful.

And for those out there who didn't get any turkey yesterday..... (gotta love Danny Kaye!)

A very long blog post (but worth it!)

My computer is broken.
And since I am lazy on the internet... I haven't logged out of my mother's blogger account and onto my own. But now I have. Because I feel the need to blog.
Also, because I'm tired of this whole "30 day challenge" thing (since it's not really a "30" day challenge anymore....)  but am determined to finish it, I am going to finish it right now! In one blog post!

Day 24: A movie in which no one would expect you to love.
I am going to do this day a bit differently.... I am going to do movies and TV shows no one would expect me to love.
No one would expect me to love "Thomas and the Magic Railroad."

Thomas the Tank Engine was my childhood. I spent hours playing with my train set. First I had to build and re-build the railroad... Then I would play with Thomas and Percy and Lady and all the other engines I had (I always wanted Edward and Henry but, sadly, never got them). Whenever we go to a certain store that I know has Thomas trains I go and look at them and memories come flooding back.

A few TV shows no one would expect me to love are...

Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

Arthur

Leave It To Beaver

The Andy Griffith Show

Many of you are probably familiar with Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Arthur. They are both shows for younger audiences.... But I love little kid shows. They are usually soooo clean and teach you simple lessons that everyone should remember.

Leave it to Beaver is a story about the Cleaver family. June Cleaver, the mother, is often made fun of in today's society because she was so "perfect" which she was. It just made Leave it to Beaver better.

I love old black and white TV shows.

The Andy Griffith Show was introduced to me by my grandparents. It is a show about Andy Griffith (last picture, the guy without a hat) and his fictional son Opie. Andy is sheriff of a small village. Barney Fife (guy with a hat) is his deputy. Aunt Bee (the lady) takes care of Opie. It's a great show with a great theme song! *goes off whistling*

Day 25: A recipe.

Boeterkoek

1 kop boeter

1 kop suiker

2 kop meel

1 ei

1 thee lepel almond

1 thee lepel baak poeder

Kneed alles met de hand of vork.

Schep het dreg in een pan. Plat maken.

Sprenkel met een beetje melk.

Stop in 350 oven, 30-35 minuten.

Eet smakkelijk!!

Boeterkoek is a Dutch recipe for butter cake. It's really good! ....If you can translate the recipe.

Day 26: A childhood memory.
Oh dear... I have been thinking a lot about my childhood lately. And I'm not even out of high school yet! I feel so old though....
Hmmmm.... A childhood memory. I can remember getting embarrassed an awful lot when I was small. I would say something and people would laugh and say, "Oh how cute" and I would be shamed and would think I was no good. I remember once being at a relatives house for Christmas and my little cousin received a gift and I said, "Is it what he always wanted?" and everyone laughed and I was soooo embarrassed. I hated being laughed at when I was little, even if I made a joke. I think it was because I was very shy. I always kept by my mom's side. I never wandered very far from her. As I got older, I hated putting myself out there and talking to people because I was afraid they would laugh at me or think I was stupid.
Then I took Shakespeare.
This wasn't any ordinary Shakespeare class, though. This Shakespeare class was more of a "Get-you-out-of-your-comfort-zone-by-silly-acting-games-with-Shakespeare-on-the-side" class. Boy did it help! Since then, I have been putting myself out there more and talking a lot more. I often think, "What does my youth group think of me now?" (in a laughing way) because my first year in youth group I barely talked. I was the shy girl who sat in the corner alone. Now, I don't care what my youth group thinks. If they think I'm a weirdo, crazy, nerdy, sci-fi lover, geek..... Well, all I can say is.... I AM! That's who I am. And if anyone has a problem with that, that's there problem. Because I am me. I'm not saying I'm perfect. In fact, I'm far from perfect. I'm still a work in progress. I'm still being molded into who God wants me to be. I've given up caring what people think about me. I only care about what God thinks of me. Because really, He's the only one that matters.

Day 27: A physical feature you love.
ACCENT!! No question about it. I absolutely love accents. Especially English accents. I could sit and listen to an English accent all day. Perhaps that's why I love Sherlock Holmes so much? And Jane Austin? Everyone in those books/movies has an accent. Even Tintin has an accent!
But enough about accents.... My mother wants the computer so she can do a blog post so I'd better finish this up.

Day 28: A scar you have and it's story.
Here is the scar-

No it's not the big brown thing. It's the little white thing next to it. I feel a few summers ago an scraped my knee while camping. Me and my friends were playing tag with some other kids in the campsite and I slipped and fell on gravel and skinned my knee. One of the other tag-players came over and asked if I was ok and I said yes and continued to play, even though my knee was burning. I tried running... Then I looked down at my knee. It was gross. It looked like this:

I am very glad that it has turned into a small scar.

Day 29: Hopes, dreams, and plans you have for the next 365 days.
I could go on and on with this one.... But I will narrow it down to just a few things.
1. Start taking singing lessons.
2. Read the following books:
    a. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
    b. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
    c. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
    d. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
    e. The Young Sherlock Holmes by Darrell Pitt
    f. The Steampunk Detective by Andrew Lane
    g. The Tintin Novel based off of the movie by some whose name I don't know.
3. Finish editing my NaNoWriMo novel.
4. Plan this year's NaNoWriMo novel (I have an AMAZING plot line floating around in my brain!! It's full of detectives and secret weapons and trench coats..... But more on that in some other post.)

Day 30: A motto of philosophy.
I am going to do a quote instead. Whether it is philosophical... You can decide.
"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim for earth and you will get neither."
-C.S. Lewis.

On a closing note, I am thinking about changing the title of my blog to "Random Ramblings." What do you guys think?

Hopefully, I will get my computer fixed soon and then my posts will be much more frequent again.

Until then, have a blessed week!