Extra Words

Our Weird Ass Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:33:00 +0000

I live in the Willamette Valley, south of Portland, north of Eugene. My city has a very strange bubble that surrounds it that keeps snow from reaching the valley floor. Not to mention, we're at about 120 feet above sea level. It snows about every 3-5 years here. It's the kind of snow that comes for 2 days, makes it miserable to get around town and then, we get rain for the rest of the winter and well into the spring.

This year, it's snowed at least once a week since the end of February. What the heck? Today, it snowed nearly all day. This. Never. Happens.

The view from my desk at work. It's snowing.

You may already know this, but I love to take pictures of scenery. I'm really not good at people pictures, but plants and animals and mountains are easy for me to take pictures of. I live in a great location for taking pictures. We get cherry blossoms and daffodils. We live an hour from some of the most beautiful and interesting forests I can imagine. I get a lot of opportunities to take pictures. When I take pictures, I file them by date. I recently realized that I've taken pictures at the end of February and beginning of March for the last 3 years.

Here's a look at the difference in the seasons we're experiencing.

March 6th, 2010

February 27th, 2011

March 21st, 2012 (not a black and white photo)

So. If this is the result of global warming, I'm calling shenanigans. What's warm about this? It's f-f-f-freezing outside.

Is this because of the earthquakes that tipped our planet just a little bit? Like some kind of strange butterfly effect that's slowly shifting our seasons by 2-3 months each year? Come to think of it, summer didn't really show up for us until August last year, but we only had one piddly snow.

Whatever it is, it's nice to look at but I'm ready for some real sunshine. I'm ready to relearn how to ride my bike.

Rear View Mirror: A Short Story

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:02:00 +0000

This is what I'll call an almost true story. Although I must admit, I talk to myself more than I've let on. I hope you like it.

Rear View Mirror

A Short Story

In the same motion that she’d used for the past five years, Jessica fastened her seat belt and started her car. It was a clear June morning; she was on her way to work. She looked at herself in the rear view mirror and sighed. “This isn’t what you said you were going to do, girl.”

The car made its familiar clunk as Jessica put the car in reverse and backed out of her parking space.

She looked at her hands on the steering wheel. “Where are you going?” she said. And her heart broke a little when she realized that where she was going was even further away from where she wanted to be.

“Let’s do something about it,” she said. Her mind went to work on a plan, a plan to reach her goal. This was the day that Jessica was going to take the rest of the steps to being a successful writer.

“How long do I have?” she asked herself.

“Five years,” she answered.

“How will I know when I’ve made it?” she asked.

“When you don’t have to get up to an alarm clock anymore,” she answered. Jessica looked at herself in the rear view mirror and smiled. “That’s going to be the best day,” she added as an additional affirmation.

She thought about the steps along the way. First, she’d go to school to earn the degree that will boost her confidence and, hopefully, earn her respect in the writers’ community. Second, she’d research the industry and learn as much about her future as she could. And lastly, she’d keep writing and keep working to improve her existing stories. A twinkle of hope filled her heart as she pulled onto the freeway and mixed in with the speeding cars.

The cars zooming around and weaving in and out of the lanes brought Jessica’s attention to the challenge at hand but as the traffic thinned, her mind returned to the goal and the plans. She thought about the challenges she’d face. She thought of J.K. Rowling being turned down so many times when she tried to sell the first Harry Potter novel but she kept trying and eventually became a best selling author. Jessica knew that the likelihood of selling a book was not good, but Ms. Rowling kept working at it and so would Jessica.

She thought about the effort involved in writing and how much of her work would never be read. Then she considered that some of Kurt Vonnegut’s best work is his most underappreciated. The same is true for C.S. Lewis. Jessica thought about the books she’d read and the words that those men had spent their hours writing. She wondered if they’d felt like they were working or if they had to stop themselves from writing to get some sleep as she had so many nights before. She wished that there were a way to ask them but decided that they must have loved it as much as she did and so she would never consider writing work, even if no one else reads the words.

The best-selling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, Charlaine Harris, wrote a lot of books before she learned how to craft such incredible characters. Only days before, Jessica had finished another of Ms. Harris’ books and was talking with her friends about the strength of the female character had and how much Jessica would need to grow her own writing so her characters would be that strong and believable. And Jessica made a promise to herself that she would.

Neil Gaiman wrote dozens of children’s books and many of the Sandman graphic novels before readers took notice of his fantasy novels and the realistically magical worlds he creates. Jessica hoped that her worlds would seem as real when others read about them. She added reading more books to the list of things she’d do while she was on her road to her goal. Her blinker notified the cars around her that she’d be changing lanes and Jessica worked her little blue car over to the freeway exit ramp.

She could see the building where she worked and she sighed. “That place takes so much of your time,” she said. “But it’s a necessary time taker,” she reminded herself.

Feeling glum again, she thought about her own writing and how amateurish it seemed. Then she remembered that some book sagas don’t have to be well written to sell millions of copies and then laughed. She promised that she’d never allow herself to publish anything she didn’t believe to be well written and intelligent.

Jessica thought about her heroes and the challenges they all faced. She was sure that she’d face her own struggles too but she knew that she must endure them in order to reach her goal.

The parking lot at work was starting to fill but there were still spots near the front doors. Jessica pulled her car into a space and then turned it off. She looked in the rear view mirror again.

“Five more years,” she said and then smiled. “Five more years.”

Captain America

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 22:28:00 +0000

I’m a good girlfriend. I acknowledge and accept the importance of the XBOX and all it’s purposes I attend midnight releases and midnight showings. I can speak Star Wars and know the difference between an AT-AT and an AT-ST. I participate in Light Saber battles and will attend Comicon and PAX conventions simply because I like the atmosphere. These are things that a good girlfriend does. Among the list of things, there aren’t many that are unpleasant. And one of the best things about being a good girlfriend is getting to go to see the comic book movies.

This weekend we went to see Captain America. I don’t know the story of Captain America and I always enjoy a good movie, so I was willing. I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t know much about superheroes other than what I’ve learned from the blockbuster movies that have been released. And I have to also admit that I was confused as to how the same guy could be Johnny Storm and also be Captain America, partly because of fairness and also because I imagine all the superheroes to exist in the same universe. One guy can’t be two guys. Of course this was all cleared up by my boyfriend before we arrived, and the actor really has grown up quite a bit.

Anyway, Captain America was wonderful. After a cliffhanger opening, the story moves to the small, sickly Steven Rogers trying to enlist in the Army during WWII. He feels that it’s his duty to serve. His best friend is recently enlisted and scheduled to be deployed. Steven has asthma and is denied entrance. It isn’t the first time he’d been denied, nor would it be the last. The young man is determined to give his all for his country because other men will. He says that it shouldn’t matter that he’s small. He shouldn’t be special because of his size. This young man’s got more virtue in the twinkle of his eye than I will ever have. You just wanna give the little guy a high five.

Eventually, he is allowed to enlist. A doctor sees Steven as the perfect candidate for so many reasons (which make the young man even more wonderful) to become an enhanced super soldier. And Steven agrees, because he’s in the army now. So Howard Stark (yep) helps to turn Steven into Captain America.

One of the neat things about Captain America as a superhero is that he’s not a secret identity like Spiderman and Batman. Everyone knows who Steven Rogers is. He could be a real guy in our world, even more so than Batman or Spiderman could be. This always makes a character more lovable to me.

Another amazing attribute of Captain America is his fearlessness. He is unafraid of pain or his own well-being. Even when he was small, he stood up for the little guy. He says to the doctor “I don’t like bullies, I don’t care where they’re from.” And then a little tear wells up in your eye. Yeah, he’s that good.

I recommend seeing Captain America before it leaves the theater. We’ll also add it to our home collection, hopefully in 3-D when it’s released. This was a great movie.

Conversing With Your Characters

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:36:00 +0000

As a writer, I spend a lot of time researching ways to be a better writer, to have stronger characters, to build richer worlds. It's one of the many ways I write without actually doing any writing. I call it honing. And oddly enough, I usually end up with a wind in my sails that pushes me to actually work on my novel. It's the articles that I read that inspire me, they lead me to try their ideas and I am always pleased with what I have done.

I recently read an article from Writer's Digest called How to Craft Compelling Characters. The article provides tips about creating characters that readers will love, and hate. This article got me thinking about my characters and how compelling they really are. So I decided to interview them based on the article's ideas of what good character development means. I won't share the details of the interview here, as I'm disappointed in where some of my characters are at in their development and I'm hoping you'll learn about them as you read the story. I will, however, share the questions that I asked so that you can use them on your characters.

I answered the questions based on only what is written in the story so that I could see if there were any gaps that needed to be filled. Keep in mind that not every character will answer every question, but try to answer as many as you can. And if you see a question with no answer that should have one, make sure you find a way to answer it.

What's really important to you?
What do you need that you do not have?
What do you have that you can not live without?
What keeps you from getting what you need?
What have you tried and failed in your quest to get what you need?
How would you describe your current circumstances?
What would make your circumstances worse?
What would make your circumstances better?
What keeps you from improving your circumstances?
Who is your best friend? Why?
What person do you distrust? Why?
Do you think that people like you as a person?
Does anyone openly dislike you? What about private dislike?
Is there anyone in the world that you would give your life for? Why?
Do you have any secrets?
Do your secrets affect anyone around you?
Who else knows your secrets?
What do you think your best quality is?
What do you think your worst quality is?
What frightens you most?
What makes you feel powerful or strong?
What makes you sad?
What makes you happy?
Have you experienced shame or guilt?
Have you caused grief?
Do you believe yourself to be a generous person?
Do you believe yourself to be forgiving?

I know that's a lot of questions to ask but the character that can answer most of them will be a deeper character. And when you're reading over the answers, think about the age of the person talking. For example, I found that one of my characters who is older than most of them read as if he were a young boy. I have some life experience to add to make him feel more realistic.

I hope you enjoy the interviews with your characters. This was a fun exercise for me. And add more questions if you feel that they'd fit into your story better.

Wilson's Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:15:00 +0000

Light clouds covered the morning sun as we walked up 6th Street towards the Space Needle. We sniffled against the chill of the wind. Our destination had seemed much closer when we first spotted it but as we walked further we began to plan the Light Rail trip back. But it was a nice morning and the walk was good for us.

We dodged people coming out of Top Pot donuts and then crossed the street. A tall, fairly well dressed African American man approached us and said, "Good morning!" in the most genuine tone I'd ever heard. His eyes were clear and bright.

"Good morning," we both said back with a smile.

The man stopped. He said, "Do you know that most people will only look away and keep walking?" in a very thick Nigerian accent.

We didn't know what to say so we smiled at him and shook our heads in polite disbelief.

"It is true," he said. "And do you know that if we stop saying good morning to each other, we are breaking down our communication?"

We both nodded. It had never been something that we'd talked about, communication, but we both agree that it's important. I think most people do.

"Communication is what makes us human beings. The way we communicate," he said.

"It is," I said.

"I am homeless and hungry," the man said. "It is like being at the bottom of the mountain, looking up at the top, and there is no way to get there."

The man extended his hand to shake mine. "I am Wilson. What is your name?"

"Jessica."

"And you, sir?" he said, turning to my sweetie.

"Mike."

"You two are good people, I can see this." He met our eyes with his. "I am hungry. Do you have any money that you can share with me so that I can eat?"

Without hesitation, Mike and I rummaged in our pockets and purse. I found a snickers bar (my emergency stash) and a SoyJoy bar that I'd picked up at the Emerald City Comicon. I handed them over. Mike found a five dollar bill in his pocket. "Get yourself some McDonalds or something." There was no doubt in our hearts that Wilson would squander what we’d given him. We both tossed in a couple of cigarettes for him because cigarettes in Seattle are expensive.

"Thank you very much," he said. "This will give me energy for another day." He bowed his head to us a little.

"You're welcome," Mike and I said at the same time.

"Jessica and Mike," he said, his accent fully engaged, "I am going to give you a blessing. Not just a blessing for you, but for your whole families."

We both stood smiling at Wilson. Sunlight broke through a spot in the clouds. I laughed inwardly at the change in the overcast sky.

Wilson said, "May God bless your lives with happiness and may your faces always be like this.” He stopped and looked at our faces, which I must admit did feel more joyful than usual. “You have shared with me. May God bless you."

It was a powerful feeling, being blessed by a total stranger. I know that it happens all the time, but Wilson's blessing felt different to me. It came from gratitude. It came from honesty. It came from someone who had nothing but a blessing to give.

Wilson thanked us again before walking away with the same vitality he'd walked to us.

Mike and I walked to the Space Needle and took some pictures. We talked about Wilson, but not about his message of communicating. We talked about him, the wonder of him.

May God bless Wilson and help him reach the top of the mountain.

The Emerald City Comicon 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:12:00 +0000

For the past 9 years, the beautiful city of Seattle has hosted the Emerald City Comiccon, a mecca of comics and pop culture. Artists and retailers come to peddle their wares and to sign a few autographs.

We met Steve Lieber, Kurt Busiek, Dusty Peterson, Mike Mignola, Greg Ruka, Erik Larsen, Diana Greenhalgh and a couple other's that I'm sorry that I can't remember. They all signed their books for us and we spent some time talking to each of them. I have to say that Steve Lieber was my favorite. He picked up the comic book that Mike had just bought from him and instead of just signing the
cover like the rest of the artists did, he opened it up and starting sketching a face. Then, as if he needed to ask permission, he looked up at us and said, "Do you mind if I do a quick sketch?" with genuine curiosity. As if we could have said no. He drew a cool lady with a headband. Dusty Peterson was also really cool to talk to. In case you don't know, he's drawn album art for Six Feet Under. (Not my kind of music, really, but beautiful and dark art.)

There were many, many interesting people at the ECCC as well. William Shatner, Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes were there. The 501st and other Star Wars Cosplay groups were there. I met an ewok; it was a glorious time.

There were all sorts of super heroes in all shapes and sizes. There was a lot of spandex on people that it shouldn't be and a few people that it seemed to be made for. I had a great time getting my picture taken with some of them.

The media guests charge to have a photo taken with them. No thanks. But they also do panel interviews. We went to only one panel, Jonathan Frakes. He was hilarious and charming. We were very entertained. And it was nice to sit down for an hour.

We also met some of the people from 343 Industries, a video game company. They were as cool as my boyfriend said they would be and I look forward to getting to chat with them again sometime.

The convention ran for three days and we were present for all of them. It was time well spent and the proximity of the convention center to nearly every other Seattle attraction kept us from getting bored.

2 Movies+1 Book=1 Incredible Story

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:10:00 +0000

**spoiler alert**

Is it possible to give a 1 person standing ovation?
I'd like to give one to Charles Portis, the author of True Grit.
I've never been able to read an entire book in one day. I just don't have the focus for it after years of multitasking. Goodness knows I try. But when I started reading True Grit, after watching both versions of the film, I tore through the pages without stopping. Perhaps it was because I loved the movies so much and knew the story well, or because I wanted to know which version of the movie's ending had it straight. Here's what I learned.

The real story of True Grit, in a nutshell: Mattie Ross' father, Frank Ross, is shot in cold blood by a man that he'd been trying to help. The man who shot him, Tom Chaney, disappears into the Oklahoma Territory where the local law can not go. Mattie insists that Chaney be brought to justice. She hires a U.S. Marshall to find Tom Chaney, seeking a man who's got grit. She chooses Rooster Cogburn, a one eyed drunk, and offers to pay him fifty dollars to find Chaney and bring him back to Fort Smith to be hanged for the murder of her father. Rooster reluctantly agrees, after much negotiating.
While Rooster is stalling the trek into the Oklahoma Territory, a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf, comes to Mattie about Tom Chaney. He is also looking for the man to be brought back to Texas and hanged for the murder of a senator and his hound. He tries to talk Mattie into letting him help her find Chaney then take him to Texas instead of Fort Smith but Mattie won't stand for this and tells LaBoeuf so in her purposeful and witty way. Rooster and LaBoeuf meet and discuss the girl and her plan. Eventually Rooster and LaBoeuf decide that they're going to go alone to get Chaney and Mattie will be notified when he's been hanged. She won't stand for this either and follows them, regardless of how they treat her.
Adventure ensues and they do end up catching Tom Chaney. Mattie is then kidnapped by Chaney's companions and Rooster and LaBoeuf are forced to flee and see her die. They go. And I'm sorry if you don't know how it ends because you're about to. Mattie shoots Tom Chaney but the blast knocks her down into a pit of rattlesnakes. She's stuck and her arm is broken. As she's trying not to slip through the moss and brambles, deeper into the pit, the snakes wake from their winter slumber and one bites her.
Chaney comes to and finds Mattie in the pit where he prepares to shoot her. Rooster comes back just in time to finish Chaney off, dropping him into the pit with Mattie. Rooster goes down into the hole and gets her out and leaves Chaney dead with the snakes and another mans remains. When Rooster finds out about the snake bite, he rushes Mattie back to Fort Smith, running her pony to death and then carrying her the rest of the way. She loses her arm. There's not a really happy ending, but everything ends up the way that Mattie wanted it to be. And for Mattie, justice is happiness.

The Coen brothers are brilliant. If their version of True Grit doesn't win at least 3 Oscars, I'm going to be really disappointed in the American public. (Facebook is not more important than the adventure of a willful young woman.) But their version is a little different. Mattie has different experiences with Rooster in the movie than she does in the book. LaBoeuf doesn't go his own way in the book either, but I think that the way that the Coen brothers wrote it makes the connection between Rooster and Mattie so much stronger. It makes the ending so much more powerful. I'd like to see it again before it leaves the theater, and I can honestly say that I haven't felt this way about a movie in a long time. Mattie Ross is such an incredible character that she sticks in my mind. I really appreciate Charles Portis' talent for providing his fourteen year old girl so much gumption and wit. I hope to someday write characters as well as he wrote Mattie.

Now, as for the original True Grit, its more similar to the book for the majority of the film. But given the fact that this version was made in 1969 and Mattie Ross was being played by Kim Darby, a much too sweet version of the sharp tongued young woman in the novel, the ending is different. It wouldn't be right for Miss Darby to appear to have shot a man or to have lost her arm. Not many people would have bothered to watch something like that in those days. (We're tougher nowadays) And I don't think that John Wayne would have allowed it.
On a side note, I didn't realize that John Wayne only knows how to be one character and that he reminds me of my uncle so much.

Charles Portis, thank you for your work. I will read it again and again. Joel and Ethan Coen, I love what you've done with your updates. And the dirtiness of it all really makes it seem realistic. I'm hoping that it wins the Best Picture award. I also think it would be very special if Jeff Bridges won the Best Actor award because John Wayne won it for the origincal Rooster Cogburn. And I loved the way Jeff Bridges portrayed the one eyed fat man. Hailee Steinfeild also deserves the Best Supporting Actress (which should have been the Best Actress, but whatever) because she was Mattie Ross exactly as Mr. Portis intended, I believe.
Good luck to all of them.

And if you haven't read or seen True Grit, I highly recommend doing both. And I'm sorry about the spoiler.

This Can't Be Stopped

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 23:32:00 +0000

I heard that they were making a new The Great Gatsby movie. I also heard that Baz Luhrmann is planning to direct it. And that he thinks he might do it in 3D. Oh please don't! Gatsby is perfect as it is, we don't need an over colored and over filmed in high speed re-enactment. This was so much bad news that I had to do more research to find out if it was true. It's unconfirmed truth, meaning that they' re talking about it and possibly planning on it, but they're not quite certain yet. Other unconfirmed truths have Leonard DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire may act in it.

So you may ask yourself, why is this all bad news? I'm about to tell you.

First, let me start out by saying that I loathed The Great Gatsby when it was required high school reading. But wouldn't you know it, the summer that I graduated I read it again. It was the only non-bodice ripper in the box of books at the drive thru coffee stand where I worked. It filled only one long, hot day, but it was a good day. I enjoyed it so completely that I've read it a few times since and still find something more wonderful about it each time. And I like the movie adaptation because it is incredibly accurate, right down to the presence of the color green in the story. My fear is that they won't be able to recreate the same detail and accuracy and complexity of the story without completely duplicating the original movie but with different actors, like Psycho.

That brings me to the director. And for the purpose of this blog I will retract my previous statement about not caring who directs a movie. I do. Baz Luhrmann is not my kind of director and I find myself turning most of his movies off because I get tired of seeing bright colors and close ups revealing the pores on the actors nose. When I was fifteen and Romeo and Juliet came out in theaters, I was first in line. I devoured it and I loved it, but in retrospect I think it was only because it was a requirement in my social circle, and the bitchin' soundtrack. Now, fifteen years later, I can't watch it all and the music is only nostalgic. I lose interest when Juliet's mother is preparing for their masquerade and the camera moves so many times in so many different directions that it actually has an impact on my balance. Moulin Rouge isn't any better and I've never seen Strictly Ballroom simply because I'm afraid. Australia is better, as far as cinematography goes and it gives me a glimmer of hope that this won't be another of Luhrmann's spectacles. I'm hoping with all of my hopes that he respects Fitzgerald's vision of the roaring twenties, and keeps the freak show out of it.

Now, 3D. 3D is awesome. They've made huge advances in the technology very recently and the 3D theater experience is catching up with the price of the tickets. Scenes have more depth, the viewer is more involved in the story. And in some movies, objects pop out at the audience, creating an all encompassing experience. But, not every movie needs to be 3D. And if Luhrmann follows through with what he's been talking about, we'll be seeing Gatsby, face down in a pool, in the middle of a theater. Please no. Gatsby is an experience in itself. It doesn't need to have access to addition dimensions to make it more enjoyable. What would be the point, other than to create depth? And if he does make it in 3D, it won't be filmed in 3D, so there won't be as much of the depth as we're getting from the other live action 3D movies. It's not necessary. I won't pay more to see it that way. I will pay more to see it in DLP though, because that's a sharp picture.

So, I'm not excited, and almost worried about the new Gatsby movie. I hope that Baz does a good job telling the story so that the people who've never been to East Egg will get the right idea about it. I hope that he does Mr. Fitzgerald proud and doesn't make it into an unsightly mess of color and close ups like he's done to other classic tales in the past.

Computer Love

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 06:29:00 +0000

I was on my daily Twitter Clicking (where I read through dozens of posts, open dozens of articles and then read them) when an article from TheOnion.com about a man who hates his copmputer, because of his printer. It reminded me of another article about printers and their subterranian origins that I'd read on TheOatmeal.com. Yes, I think I like websites named after food that is best not eaten by itself.
Anyway, it made me think about how I solve computer trouble. And the terrible damage I've inflicted upon the contents of my hard drive, and countless hours of typing.
My laptop is four years old. It's a dinosaur by most standards. It weighs more than a gallon of milk. But it's also got a 17" screen and a 10 key pad which were the newest and best features when I bought it. Today, it runs hot like lava if I use it for gaming (Plants vs. Zombies) and I've got a 9 cell battery on it to make it last for hours because the poor charger port barely hangs on anymore. I've also worn the wrist rests down with my mouse... it's not a mousepad afterall.
Anytime my computer has trouble, I always start with a power cycle. Oh yes, the good old turn it off and turn it back on routine. Fixes nearly everything. But as it turns out, this doesn't free up memory. This is where I start digging around in my files to remove things that I don't need. I used to use this nice writing software but when I found out that it was leaving little tiny save files behind, millions of them I'm sure, I decided it had to be stopped. I changed the settings on the software to stop making mini saves and then I set to work deleting the mini saves from my hard drive. I needed those 8 megabites really bad. And wouldn't you know it, I deleted all the files, emptied the recycle bin and defragged before I realized that I couldn't access my nearly completed novel. I do more damage than I'm worth really. It's a good thing that my printer decided that the planets were aligned just right for it to print it out. Needless to say, I knew the story very well after re-typing the entire thing. I don't use that program anymore, mostly because I destroy anything that isn't based in .pdf or .doc formats.
DRM's cause me other troubles, but that's a whole other blog. Just let me say, if you screw up your computer and have to get software support from your manufacturer, support that they charge for, just reinstall the OS and call them to fix it when it needs to be partitioned. I call this the mega power cycle.

Anyway, I wanted to share these articles with you, and a funny story about the pain I've caused myself with my own laptop. I'm looking into getting a new one someday. But until then, I'll be emailing myself my work every night and praying that my hard drive fights to see another day.

Stolen - Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:45:00 +0000

I finished another book today. That's the third this week. Probably not much of a feat for some, but for me, that's a big deal. I'm not good at concentrating long enough to be able to read quickly. I finished a Terry Brooks novel and a Charlaine Harris novel by Thursday and was feeling pretty good. I was also honestly not really looking forward to starting the second book of The Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong after the first one bored me so excessively. But I'm not one to hold it against an author if they bore me once. I'll give them a second chance, sometimes even a third chance if the characters are good enough. I have to say, Stolen exceeded my expectations. I liked the action.
Elena, the only female werewolf in the world, finds herself kidnapped by a parapsychological scientist and a few other people looking to manipulate the super human genes and use it to make the world a better place. Without retelling the story, let's just say that Elena is incredibly tough and resourceful, and the action in the story makes it hard to put down.
But what I really liked about this story was how Ms. Armstrong used Elena's self-depricating sarcasm to make her more real to me. She was speaking to me. It really involved me in the emotions she was feeling. When Elena was scared, I was scared, because the voice Ms. Armstrong used for Elena's narrative is so real. It's like listening to your best friend retell the story, but in your head. This might be one for an audiobook too, come to think of it.
I didn't realize how fast action moves in text. I suppose I haven't read many stories where fighting, running, hunting, or escaping were involved, or at least as involving as Ms. Armstrong makes it. Elena's inner monologue keeps the reader very in tune with what she's doing or what's happening around her. There's barely time to pause when the action gets going because Elena is so observant.

Overall, I liked Stolen better than Bitten and I'm looking forward to reading Dime Store Magic. Stolen was intense and exciting and I give kudos to Kelley Armstrong for really changing her style between the two books.

True Grit Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 01:03:00 +0000

**Disclaimer** When I watch a movie, it's never because of who directed it or who acted in it. I watch stories being played out for me, and it means very little to me who is playing the part or who told them what to do. With that being said, any movie review I write is based on the story I've witnessed and the way it was played out.

I think Young Guns is the only other western I've seen from beginning to end, until today. Young Guns was all right but True Grit was exceptionally entertaining. The story was interesting, the characters were real enough to pull on my heart strings.

True Grit is the story of Mattie Ross, an intelligent and witty fourteen year old, and her search for the man who shot and killed her father. The story begins with Maddy making arrangements for her father's burial and settling some business. Here we learn that she's sharp tongued and quick minded and has little trouble getting what she wants with her persistence and follow through. I loved her. If I could be fourteen in the 19th century, she's the one I'd want to be. When she approaches Rooster Cogburn, the over-weight alcoholic U.S. Marshall, to enlist his help in tracking down Tom Chaney. She wants to see him hanged for the murder of her father. And she means it.
Mattie is opposed by LaBoeuf, a Texas Ranger on the hunt for Chaney because in addition to Mattie's father he also murdered a Texas senator. LaBoeuf believes that Chaney ought to be taken back to Texas for a trial and punishment in Texas; Mattie still wants him punished for murdering her daddy in Arkansas.
Cogburn doesn't want to help Mattie, says he doesn't want to be a babysitter. LaBoeuf does want to help Mattie, but doesn't want her to interfere with his month's of work finding Chaney and taking him back to Texas. And that's how an adventure happens.
This story is kind and thoughtful, but also ruthless and bare. I feel like the reality of the setting, the clothing, the dust, the poor treatment of the indians and the value of a dead body really made the story feel more powerful and the attachment to the characters seem more true.
It didn't make me cry, but it did invoke my emotions. I felt worried about Mattie, and even stupid old Cogburn.

If you've never seen a western in the theater, this is a great start. If you've not seen a western since Young Guns, this movie is a must. I feel prepared now to watch 3:10 to Yuma and the one about Jesse James and the coward Robert Ford or something like that. Go see True Grit. You won't regret it. Best two hours I spent all weekend, I'd say.

Driving on Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:52:00 +0000

It was decided that we needed pizza today. It's unfortunate to want pizza on Christmas; there's nowhere to get it and the grocery store has too many other choices. We ended up at Safeway, looking for pizza when the craving for Chinese food came to us. Safeway Chinese food is good for satisfying the craving but ours had just closed up their deli. Bummer. We then decided that Chinese food was our food to get. We thought for sure that there would be at least one decent Chinese restaurant open. (It happens in the movies.) We were mistaken. We drove around for about an hour trying to find Chinese food or pizza. Jack in the Box ended up messing up our order and we're home now. But that's not the point of this. While we were driving the streets of Salem Oregon - from one end of Lancaster Drive to the other we saw so many weirdo drivers... I made a list.

Car turns left on red light from Lancaster onto Sunnyview. Granted the oncoming traffic was a bit down the road still, except for the green mini van who had to slow down... Whoa. That was close.
Another quarter mile slips by, driver puts his head out the driver window to look at me over his shoulder and then proceeds to cut me off. Perhaps he thought eye contact was how drivers ought to signal their intentions. Good thing I have decent reflexes. Another close call.
During this same incident of lane changing, a white car turns out of a parking lot and takes the car who just cut me off's spot in front of me.
Driving through downtown there was more of the same mayhem. People were even throwing soda cans out their car windows.
Another car drove into the oncoming lane for about a block before pulling up next to someone's lawn, whipping back into the street and then settling in on the grass.

I understand that the holiday means that the police force will be light. But you have to know that the police men and women who are on patrol are probably pretty pissed off and will pull you over for anything and write you a ticket just for making them have to work.
I learned that when we drive on Christmas, we need to be extra mindful of the morons. I can't afford a new car but if I'm not watching for them, I might have to.

HTC HD7 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 01:37:00 +0000

When I first became a cell phone user, I was into the newest phones but when phones got smarter, I stayed away, preferring the newest and greatest in phone devices. I guess I thought they were too complicated and too clunky for what they were. I was into compact, sleek and if it had a slide up screen, I had to have it. Then, I tried a Windows 5.0 device because it looked familiar and had a stylus. Text messaging was becoming a part of my life and this one had a full keyboard. It was all right, for what it was at the time, but now, its almost completely useless. Cell phones have evolved quite a bit in the past 5 years, and my taste in devices has gone with it. After the Windows device, I tried a Blackberry which I loved. I even had one of the very first Android devices on the market and went back to my Blackberry for the love of it. (I never cared to try an iphone because I'm really not an Apple fan, but that's another blog.) There were more to follow, I upgrade yearly. I couldn't bring myself to switch away from the Blackberry simply because it worked right every time I wanted it to, and they make a darn sexy phone these days.
But after years of loving my Blackberry devices, I have finally made a committed switch. I just got my first Windows Phone 7 device - the HTC HD7. And I love it more every time I touch it.
AT&T made a commercial about the Windows Phone 7 device and how it's supposed to be a phone to free you from your phone. That's a load of bull. I can't stop touching it. It's that amazing.

I've never trusted a touch screen phone before, I'm honestly still a little afraid of my Zune and it's touch screen, because I consider myself to be rather twitchy and fidgety and not likely able to press a precise place on a touch screen. But I was willing to give it a shot because this screen is enormous. It's a 4" screen but it looks bigger because of how it sits in the phone. I'm able to touch the screen fairly accurately and there's a great auto correct function in the messaging fields that is also very helpful. The smiley button is convenient, but I don't get to see the smiley's I'm sending. If ever you receive one that isn't polite, I'm sorry. And sometimes, I get a little lag when I turn the screen from portrait to landscape.
Another big gripe that I've heard but am not really suffering from is the lack of copy and paste. I don't care, but if this matters to you please consider yourself warned.

I'm already a Zune user and XBOX gamer so I was glad to see that I can finally integrate these accounts into one device. It also has access to XBOX Live Games and I earned achievements while I was playing the free download of Flowerz. FUN! I almost dropped the phone when I heard the familiar "bleep-bloop" because it happened so suddenly. Speaking of sounds, it works well and sounds great when I play the music through the AUX port in my car stereo. There's a cool sound enhancer app that really livens it up. And if it's running through your car stereo, it automatically turns into a speakerphone that lets you hear your caller through your cars speakers. The speaker on the device itself will allow your caller to hear you. That was fun to learn. You won't, however, be able to download or use a custom ringtone on the phone until they put out an update to fix it, which I'm sure that Microsoft is working on right now. (Right, Microsoft?)
The Windows Marketplace is all right. It's not as huge as Android, and it's lacking a few basics, like a decent e-reader app. I did find a few fun apps, and there's always the basic Facebook, Twitter, Fandango. We also found a Subway app that allows you to order your sandwiches and then go get them. COOL! I didn't try it out, but I might someday. The Netflix app is also cool and it might be exclusive to the HD7. I haven't seen it advertised on any of the other Windows Phone 7 Devices. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Overall, this phone is amazing. I'm not too challenged by the touch screen and it's really fun to use. It's also simple, like the Windows 7 Operating System. The phone is sleek and comfortable, but big enough to make watching movies and browsing the internet comfortable. I don't have a rating scale, but I do have to say that it's better than a Blackberry but still not quite an Android. (I know that the Android device is superior in its diversity, but the frequency of the updates, and the lack of functionality between them turns me off completely.)

Why I Love the Twilight Saga

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 04:10:00 +0000

Ha! That's right, I said it. I love the Twilight Saga, but not for the same reason that the teenager girls do. In fact, they're part of what I love about the series.

I read an article while I was on my after work Twitter clicking called If 'New Moon' Was 10 Times Shorter and 100 Times More Honest. It was hilarious. It basically broke down New Moon to its most basic ideas and used the actors names instead of the characters. So Kristen and Robert talk to each other as if they were the actors, not the characters. He refers to her as having "dull angst". She basically calls him a creepy old pervert when he asks her to marry him. And it's because of articles like that one that I love Twilight. They remind me that it's okay to appreciate the series, as long as I remember how ridiculous it is. And I like the idea of day walking vampires.

I love the wretchedness of Bella Swan and the horrendously overbearing Edward Cullen. They're perfect for each other. They swoon and fawn and gross me out all day long. I wish that it wasn't such a devestating thing for the teenage girls to find out that real love, and real men, aren't really like that, and most women are damn glad about it too. Real love is easier than constant attention, and it's more rewarding than being dead together forever. When I read the books, I had to keep telling myself that they were 30, not 17 and 109 years old, so that I could turn the page. I didn't like Romeo and Juliet because they were only 14. Regardless of the era, I think that there's just no way that you know that you're willing to die for someone when you're 14, unless they're one of your siblings or parents. I mean really. What if you're wrong and this magical, wonderful person isn't worth dying for? Do you have any idea how pissed your parents are going to be? I think that people need to experience life and get to know themselves before they make any kind of commitment to another person, but maybe that's just my backwards thinking in action. (It's my blog, I can say what I want.)

The way that the world revolves around Bella and Edward is funny to me as well. It's like they live in this bubble of blind people. Obviously, there is something wrong with Edward and the rest of his family. If the kids are all adopted, why are their eyes the exact same color? I have a sister with blue eyes, one with brown and a brother with brown. My eyes are brown. We're related by blood and we have different eye colors. These vampires are related by blood too, but they're supposed to be adopted by the Cullens, not inbred weirdos. And they're ghastly pale, sickly looking. Edward looked particularly ghoulish as he stepped out of the dark alley in Volterra too. There are poodles and little old ladies wishing that they could find whatever whiteners the Cullens use on their skin.

I feel bad for Stephenie Meyer's husband too. He's got a wife with an image of "the perfect man" that is nowhere near what any real man could be. I hope he doesn't try to measure up, or that if he does, that it isn't killing him. It must be exhausting to always have to profess your undying love to someone. He's like a pull string doll. Pull the string: Bella I love you. Pull the string: Bella, Marry me. Pull the string: I love you forever. If Edward was smart, he'd realize that Bella is just lucky to be there and doesn't need to be fawned over all the time. Shoot, they'd probably have an even better time with each other if they weren't always wrapped up in some talk about loving each other forever and making her a vampire. I don't know how she can stand it. No man can be that attentive, and its a good thing too. I hope that this isn't how the teenagers think that a man is supposed to act. I'd be so annoyed if my every move was monitored, watched, coddled or otherwise controlled. The part when Edward took the distributor coil out of Bella's truck to stop her from going to the reservation to see the stupid werewolf (don't get me started on my hatred of the werewolf. Pansy.)would have made me so angry, I wouldn't have spoken to him for days. I'm so glad that I don't have an Edward. I will give him credit for his thoughtfulness though, but he's too thoughtful most of the time.

Well, that seemed more like a rant than a profession of love, but I do have to say that I like the books; the story is nice if you remind yourself that their not teenagers. And I look all over the internet for funny articles about the series. I found another good one at theoatmeal.com. Enjoy!

Practice Procrastinating

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 04:32:00 +0000

I'm supposed to be practicing for the job interview I have on Wednesday morning. I've got to put on a presentation that will last for 15 minutes. The work is done; the power point is spectacular and the speech is nice and engaging. I just can't get myself to practice it all the way through for some reason. I stop as I'm going to look at something else and then I pick up and go back to it. This time, I stopped because I wanted to add a black slide for the pause. I need to learn it all. I'm afraid I'm going to end up knowing the first three slides really, really well but I won't know the last half at all.
And how on earth am I supposed to concentrate on practicing the speech when there are so many more exciting things to do? Is this a sign that my speech is boring? Or is it because I am too stressed out about the prospect of failing that I can't bring myself to prepare? UGH! Why are life goals always so darn hard to achieve? Not to say that being a trainer for a cell phone company's customer care is what I always wanted to be, but it is close - I'll get to teach someone something important. And in a small way I get to leave my mark on the world. It brings me a lot of satisfaction. I'd love for it to be my real job. But here I am ticking away at my keyboard, rambling about not being prepared and procrastinating… totally defeating my own purpose.
I guess I'll get back to it. My fingers just needed a stretch. Now, I will FOCUS and get my presenting on.

Saving Daisy - An Auron Short Story

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 19:55:00 +0000

Lily and Lavender are on a mission to save their sister Daisy from the goblins, but Lavender is annoyed with her sister for getting caught, again. When they find her, Lavender comes up with a way to have fun, but it lands all three of the fairies in danger of being dinner.

Lily and Lavender fluttered their wings, propelling their little bodies across the fields of the Froelic shore. The fairies crossed the mouth of the river and dove down into a game trail through the forest’s thick underbrush. In the distance, goblin barks marked their destination. They followed the sound along the winding trail; their wings’ lights lit the brambles and bushes that covered the dark forest floor.

“Do you think the goblins really have Daisy?” Lily asked her sister Lavender as they popped out of the rabbit trail near the top of a gulley. “What if she’s just lost? Or found some root to eat and forgot to come home?”

“I’m sure they’ve got her. Daisy is always getting herself caught because she’s not careful,” Lavender answered. Her sweet tinkling voice did nothing to hide her true feelings about rescuing her sister. “And she’d better not have been eating root, she promised she wouldn’t when she was going out by herself,” she muttered, irritated. It was obvious that she didn’t want to be looking for her sister; she would’ve rather been starting her own trouble with the bulbous, grimy goblins in the forest. Lavender was glad that she only had two sisters to keep track of or she may never get to have fun.

“She just gets distracted,” Lily said, defending her younger sister.

“The goblins are getting better at catching us. We’ve got to watch out for their traps,” Lavender said and pointed to a snare the goblins had placed for that very purpose.

“It’s hard to pay attention,” Lily said, as the sisters approached the gulley where the goblins’ bonfire was being held. “They make the best parties to ruin.”

“But to have the most fun, you have to not get caught,” Lavender replied, shaking her head in disappointment over her sister’s one track mind. Her short brown hair shimmered around her head from the shaking. “If you two stay out of trouble, we don’t have to spend time looking for each other and we’ll have more time to play,” she added. Lavender looked serious, scolding, as she spoke to her sweeter sister.

“Do you see Daisy?” Lily asked. They flew to the top of the hill around the gulley. Tall trees lined the rim giving the fairies good cover. Fairies were small, no more than ten inches tall and they used their size to their advantage.

Lavender and Lily landed on a high cedar branch so that they could see everything.

Lily looked down through the branches. “They’re disgusting,” she whispered, even though there was no chance of being heard over the creatures barking. She straightened and smoothed her long blonde hair, as if just looking at the goblins would make her less pretty.

Lavender nodded with equal disgust while she preened herself. The goblins danced around their fire, flailing their stick like arms and legs. Their bulbous bellies shook as they hopped; their long, pointed ears flopped around their bald brown heads.

“There she is,” Lavender said. She pointed to a secluded area of the gulley where a fairy with dark brown hair covering her face was dangling. Daisy was suspended by her left leg, her arms and wings were bound behind her back. Her right leg hung limp, probably exhausted from being held upright for so long. She’d been missing for a day.

Lily slapped a hand over her mouth to keep the frightened scream inside her. “What’ll they do with her?” she asked in a whispered panic. Her wings beat slowly as if they were only waiting for her brains permission to fly. The glow was faint, but in the darkness of the forest, it would still be seen.

“Stop your light,” Lavender hissed. “They’ll catch us all and then we’ll really be in trouble.” She glared at Lily who looked as though she might start to cry.

“You’re no fun for this,” Lily remarked, a slight quiver in her voice. She wished that Lavender would stop being so short about Daisy getting caught. It would be more fun if Lavender was in a better mood.

“I’m just trying to get us all out of here alive and you’re being careless,” Lavender snapped back. She didn’t like being called no fun; a fairy never does.

“What will they do with her if we can’t get her?” Lily asked, refocusing on why they were there in the first place.

“They’re probably planning to eat her,” Lavender answered, pointing out the fire and the large animal roasting on a spit. There were smaller skewers resting against a tree, perfect size for tying a fairy on.

Lily shook her head slowly in disbelief; worry filled her blue eyes with small tears. “Let’s go get her,” she whispered. There was a note of pleading in her tone.

Lavender sighed. There’s no time for crying, she thought. Lily always worried and the worry would distract her. Lavender tried to focus, to come up with a plan that would save Daisy and keep Lily from getting into trouble. Lily needed specific instructions and she needed Lavender to give them to her. “You will go carefully down to where she is hanging and untie her. Try not to fly,” Lavender said.

Lily nodded one time.

Lavender continued. “I’ll go into the gulley and distract the goblins so they won’t see you. Meet me back here as soon as you can. I’ll watch for you if I can.” She was pleased with her plan; it enabled her to harass the goblins and it would make the whole ordeal much more worthy of her time.

The instructions were clear. Lily nodded her head and then took to leaping between tree branches until she was directly over where her sister was dangling. She landed gracefully on each branch; there was no movement.

Lavender waited until she couldn’t see Lily’s blonde hair trailing through the trees any longer. She didn’t wait to see how Lily would get to Daisy. She was ready to go and crash this goblin celebration for no good reason at all. The malign Lavender flew straight down from the tree beating her silky wings fast so that her light would shine brighter. Squatty necks turned squashed faces to find the source of the light. Angry barks erupted around the gulley when the goblins’ recognized their only real enemy. Fairies had been tormenting goblins for all the years that Froelic existed and neither seemed to care to put an end to it. It was as if they really enjoyed the cat and mouse game they played.

The thrill of danger rushed through Lavender as she dipped low, darting through the tips of the flames. Goblins barked and leapt to grab her but she easily dodged their spindly fingers. She didn’t understand why her sisters and other fairies had such a hard time with this. The trick was to stay out of their reach and to let the ecstasy have control.

Lavender circled the fire and then looked at her sisters. Daisy was no longer dangling but it seemed that Lily was struggling with getting her wings untied. They both looked panicked, but they were working hard at the strings. Daisy would have to be able to fly; fairies aren’t strong enough to carry each other, regardless of the nothingness of their weight.

Lavender took advantage of her sisters’ need for more time and made another dip down over the bobbing heads, barely out of the reach of the goblins fingers. Some of them leapt to try and catch her feet. This was closer than Lavender usually allowed herself to get. She knew she was being careless but she was really enjoying herself. This was the best rescue she’d ever made, she thought as she darted around the goblins heads, pulling at the fur on the ends of their ears.

She looked around for her sisters again but they weren’t where Daisy had been tied up. She spotted them as they made a quick flight to the branches. Lavender circled the fire once more, and toppled the goblins roasting meat into the flames when she crashed into it at full speed.

In the branches, Lily and Daisy watched in awe as Lavender expertly evaded the leaping, barking, grabbing goblins at her heels.

Goblins chased Lavender still jumping and reaching for her. Their barks blocked out the sound of her tiny heart racing as she flew as fast as her wings would carry her.

“Go!” she shouted as she got within earshot of Lily and Daisy. “Get to the river!”

They did not hesitate before leaping off the branch and flying through the trees with careful precision. They dodged and swerved around the trees, thick as they were in the deep parts of the forest. Lily and Daisy did not look back to see if Lavender was still behind them but the goblins sharp barks continued so they assumed their sister was still there.

"We're almost there! They won't follow us across," Lavender shouted, confirming her presence. She sped up her wings and buzzed past her sisters. The goblins were still following the fairies lights but they were getting further and further behind. Lavender knew they wouldn’t catch up now, but thought it would be fun to see them try.

The tree line broke at the edge of the river and the fairies crossed the cool, calm water. They stopped on the opposite shore and turned to watch as the goblins broke out of the underbrush. A few of them didn't stop soon enough and splashed into the river. Goblins couldn't swim, they could only thrash and splash around wildly.

Nearby water fairies came to the surface. To add to the chaos, they splashed and squirted more water at the goblins. The water in the goblins’ faces made it even harder for them to reach the shore. They grabbed and reached for each other, trying to stay on top of the water.

Lavender, Lily and Daisy stood on the shore of the river, laughing as the goblins climbed out of the water. Their grimy bodies were now streaked with clean and the fur tufts on the ends of their ears hung limp. They looked even more ridiculous than usual. The water fairies stopped their splashing to join in the laughter. The goblins disappeared back into the forest, grumbling and grunting in their own way with the shreds of their dignity dragging behind them.

The three fairies, having accomplished their task and had a little fun, gathered themselves and flew back across the meadows to their shoreline home in the tall yellow grass. Lavender decided that she'd definitely made the best of this rescue. The three sisters giggled and chattered all the way home, excited to tell the other fairies all about their adventure with the goblins.

Peter Pan Complex

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:01:00 +0000

There are dozens of different ways to learn a version of the story of Peter Pan and I'm fairly certain I've taken in most of them. But until this week, I'd never actually read the book and learned the story as J.M. Barrie intended. I'll never know what took me so long to read it; it was an absolutely wonderful page turning adventure and I learned a lot about myself in the process.
The story happens as it's been told and retold before. Wendy, a young English girl, is happy in make believe worlds with her brothers until Peter Pan, a young boy who refuses to grow up, comes to get his shadow out of her nursery. He finds out that Wendy knows stories, she knows what happened to Cinderella, and he wants her to come to Neverand with him to tell stories to them all like a mother. Wendy agrees after she learns to fly, along with her brothers to the second star on the right and straight on 'til morning. Peter is arrogant, selfish and he says "I want to always be a boy and have fun." And he does. The Lost Boys, Wendy and Peter have adventures in Neverland until Wendy decides that it's time for her and her brothers to return to their own mother. Peter acts like a brat, like the eternal child that he is, but eventually, everything works out as promised by the author in the beginning of the story.
Mothering is a huge theme in this book. Wendy is charged with the task of being the mother to Peter and the Lost Boys. Wendy's own mother plays the part of a caring and nurturing woman who has a kiss that Wendy can not have. In fact, only Peter Pan can have Mrs. Darling's kiss.
Peter's rejection of mothering, but affection for Wendy creates most of the inner tension of the story. He wants so badly to be loved and cared for, but his free spirit and his immense pride keep him from really giving anyone a true look at him. He's a wonderful boy, full of life, but he's sad about his fate. He has no mother of his own and doesn't remember ever having one. He loves Wendy but eventually loving Wendy means that he has to grow up which would be worse than death. He wants to always be a boy and have fun.
It's a wonderful adventure, one that's easy to read, but surprisingly deep. The author tells the story the way a story teller with no pages to reference does - it's very conversational and I find this to be one of my absolute favorite ways to read a story. It's even possible to find yourself clapping to save Tink's life. I never had the urge to clap while watching Mary Martin go on about her little fairy. (Although "Finding Neverland" had me believing in fairies)
It seems strange to think that a story about a headstrong, selfish, cocky and overly brave little boy would have such a deep impact on a "grown" woman but it really did. We've heard of men having a Peter Pan Complex, wherein they refuse to grow up and act like an adult in spite of their age. They're irresponsible, temperamental, cocky and sometimes downright fantastic to have. But after reading this book, I think there might be a female version of the Peter Pan Complex too.
It was Mrs. Darling who pointed this out to me. She is sitting in the nursery with her children and thinking about the name she's been scrubbing from Wendy's mind. (Our mother's scrubbed our minds when they tucked us in at night so that we could sleep. Now I know why it's so important.) Although she knows that she doesn't really know who Peter Pan is, she believes that she might and she feels that she's seen his face in the faces of some women with no children. This was the point for me when I thought that maybe, just possibly, that might be why I still feel like a girl, not at all like the grown up that I am. There're a lot of things about my lifestyle that aren't very grown up, but I'm of the grown up age and yet I don't consider myself to be a woman; I'm just a girl in my heart. I've just recently celebrated my 30th birthday but I forget all the time that I'm old enough to buy beer. It's great that age is truly just a number to me and I don't know how I've gotten this lucky. But is it possible that part of the secret of eternal youth, of refusing to grow up, is not being a mother? If so, I think its great because I always want to be a girl and have fun. There are millions of mothers out there already, doing a fantastic job and enjoying it and I'm grateful to them. As for me, I'll enjoy this eternal youth and hope that my body will keep up.
Oh the cleverness of me.

My Thoughts on Airport Security

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:42:00 +0000

There's been a lot of talk about the TSA and their heightened security measures lately. I've read articles about people being subjected to aggressive searches for no apparent reason. And it's for our own good.

I find myself mixed about the situation. On the one hand, we get to feel slightly more certain that there aren't any bombs or weapons on the plane, but on the other we are allowing ourselves to be subjected to potential violations of our personal spaces. It's as if the need for safety has increased so much that people are allowing themselves to be subjected to these extreme searches.

I did some research. I wanted to find out what the TSA says about the potential security screenings that a traveler may be put through. I did find a rather informative link about how to get through the line faster and another about the possible baggage screening. They even included a tip regarding extremely personal items in your carryon. How thoughtful of them.

But what I didn't find was the information about what goes on during a personal screening; only that one could happen. Interesting. I had some questions. How would I be selected for this screening? What would I be required to do? What would happen during the screening? These are things I'd sure like to know. And Google doesn't know either, in an official sense.

I'm not curious about the answers to these questions because I intend to smuggle some illegal item aboard the airplane. I want to know because I want to make sure I shave my legs and not wear holey panties. These are the things a non-terrorist worries about. And if I was a terrorist, I wouldn't care that they're going to search me. I was probably given orders that I should detonate if I'm caught anyway. DUH! And any other non-terrorist person who might consider taking some sort of weapon aboard a plane for some non-political/religious reason probably won't use it anyway because we're just not that into dying.

And as for who gets selected: to make this security measure of a strip search effective, every traveler should have to have one. I'm not saying I think it's a good idea, but what if I'm selected and not carrying anything while Little Miss Bomb in Her Bra is boarding the plane? What a wasted effort. Now, I'm held up for no reason, the staff of TSA is bothered with my boring search, and the bomb will still go off as intended. It's ridiculous.

Maybe it's the airlines that are forcing the TSA into making the security so extreme so that people won't be afraid to fly. Now there's an idea. I think they should just make it less expensive. And these security checks are being paid for somehow.

But for some reason, we want more security at the airport. We feel like we can stop bad things from happening to us if we get the bad guys and girls before they can act out their plans. It makes sense. Other bad people have gotten on planes and done terrible things in the past and if there's anything we know as earthlings, it's that history does repeat itself.

But when it comes right down to it, it's not just the bad guys and girls that we have to worry about. What if something awful happens to the pilot, somehow? Or the air traffic controller misses a beat and two planes collide? These are the risks we take every time we get on a plane, whether the passengers have had their genitals checked or not.

Overall, I think the increased security is ridiculous, but it's something that has become necessary in some cases. I don't think that the TSA is going about it the right way and I do think they ought to inform passengers about the process a lot better than they do.

Air travel is the safest way to go because, let's face it, the pilots are getting pretty damn good at keeping the planes up and out of each other's way. Even the Hudson crash ended well, all things considered. Now, if we can stop hating each other as human beings, we can all travel nicely like people did before some assholes stole some planes and destroyed one of our greatest cities and thousands of lives. Until then, I'll just be glad that I can't afford to travel and wait for the world to be a better place.

Books vs. eReaders

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 04:12:00 +0000

I love books. I love the smell, the feel, the sound of books. Books have always been an important part of my life. I remember going to a bookstore when I was very young and thinking, "This place is special. This is where the stories live." Since I've always wanted to be a story teller, a writer, I was completely taken by the place. I still am enthralled with bookstores. But times they are a-changin', and we're moving into the electronic age. I'm sure years ago there was someone who was still in love with the record store, hated the mp3 player and vowed to always feel that way who are currently re-buying their favorite albums from the iTunes store because of the convenience and the decline of the record store. And like record stores, bookstores are disappearing, starting with the small and precious ones. There's a new book in town: the eBook and its unwittingly malevolent counterpart, the eReader.
I was hesitant about ereaders because they don't have any of the things I love about a book, apart from the story. (When I say hesitant I mean I damn near refused the idea.) A few friends of mine had tried them and said good things, but I wasn't convinced. To me, it seemed that it would feel like holding a piece of plastic, cold plastic, and there'd be no pages to turn. I would just click. It was too different from what I loved. I wouldn't be able to carry it in my back pocket like I did with Still Life With Woodpecker and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It was a machine, not the simple gathering of paper that books have been since the beginning of books. (They've really never evolved, except for their bindings.) Then, something different came along. This one had a soft back, not like the rigid plastic I'd seen so far. Said to be more like a book, the Kobo made me reconsider my rejection of this technology.
Borders carries the Kobo and being a fan of bookstores, (this chain satisfies me better than most) I was happy to go into the store and touch it. It wasn't there at first, but eventually, they built an entire display of ereaders right in the middle. Okay, I thought, maybe this technology isn't some monster made up by Amazon.com. Maybe this is actually something other stores are supporting too. And then I read a lot of articles about ereaders and ebooks and how they are starting to take over the market. And then the idea of publishing my short stories in ebook format comes to my mind. Okay, it's not that bad after all. I read a book on my computer and although it bothered my head after a while - stark white pages with dark black type can really tire the eyes.
And then I got to touch a Kobo. It doesn't feel like a really worn in paperback by any means, but it reminds me of a hardcover novella in it's weight and texture. It's one handed reading, which is excellent, and it sits on my knees just like a hardcover book does. Also, I don't have to worry about losing my place because it automatically bookmarks my page for me. And the cover won't ever get bent, I hope, because I'll never have to hold it wide open to read the inner edges. (Some books are too thick to be made into trade paperback.)
The Kobo isn't expensive and from what I've seen, it works about the same as the other ereaders out there. I like that the wi-fi is easy to set up and the download speed is decent for a gadget. It comes with 100 books already on it; titles like Great Expectations, The Iliad and Emma. Another neat trick: when it's powered off or in sleep mode, the cover of the book displays on the screen. It's pretty nice, not bad for grayscale really. I'm reading The Source of Magic currently, and I'm enjoying the experience.
So now that I'm swayed, does this mean I'll abandon my bookstores and stop buying paperbacks? No way man. I still love books so this means that I'll be buying the ones I really like more than once so that I have a real version and a portable version. Because although my Kobo does fit in my back pocket, I'm more comfortable keeping it in my purse and I'll be getting a case for it soon. It's delicate, but I can put more books on it than I could ever hope to get into my purse, by a long shot. In the end, I end up supporting both formats, which makes me happy.

Connected Through Story

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 03:19:00 +0000

I recently read an article about ways that parents connect to their teenage children. I remember being a teenager, it was rough. My mom grounded me for a month because I skipped school and with as much school as I'd missed, I got off lucky. She said no phone, no friends, to school and to home and that was it. And if I missed a class, that teacher would have caller her. As far as 15 year olds go, I was exceptionally miserable. And because I was miserable, and incredibly bored, I had no choice but to connect to my mom. We became what I call best friends. I had no problem with it at all.
But as I got older we spent less time together. We ended up in different towns after a while. We talked on the phone about our going's on. She'd come to visit me when she visited my other siblings. Everything was fine, but there wasn't the common ground that we'd shared before. I had to find something. So I read Twilight. I know, blah blah Twilight blah blah. I forgive you if you stop reading now, but I hope that you won't.
I read Twilight and because I liked the basics of the story (There! I said it!) and I love me some vampires, I recommended it to my mom. She read it but she didn't like that "the little girl has to die." I valued her opinion and went on with my day. We both finished the series. Then, a friend at work recommended that I read Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries. I love vampires and I devoured this series. My mom did too. And now when we talk on the phone, we have something to talk about other than our jobs and her busy dogs. So thanks to vampires, Charlaine Harris (and Stephenie Meyer too, I suppose), I have a better friendship with my mom as an adult. And because I'm adult I can say bad words sometimes and not get scolded. But not too bad.
Now, we're reading different book series and recommending them to each other. I feel like we're doing good things for each other, reading together, and we always have something un-mundane to talk about. If you struggle with connecting to your parents, or feeling a friendship with them (which is excellent to feel as an adult), I definitely recommend finding a book series and reading them together. It's wonderful.

How to Not Drive Like an Idiot

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 16:53:00 +0000

I don't proclaim myself to be the best driver on the road. Goodness knows I've had my fair share of oops moments. But I do make sure to stick with a few basic principles that I believe have kept me and the other drivers and passengers on the roads around me safe as possible. I think that if we all obeyed at least some of the same principles, we'd have much less traffic problems, less road rage and possibly, on a very wide scope, a less grumpy world because everyone is getting to their destination on time.
Principle #1: Pay attention to what is going on around you, always. You should know what cars are near you when you're driving. You should also have your next ten seconds planned out so that you don't have to make erratic movements and possibly cause a crash. It's simple. Pay attention and use your mirrors for their intended purpose.
Principle #2: Don't tailgate. Not only is it dangerous, it makes most people feel like they're being bossed around or bullied. These same people generally won't be inclined to do as you're trying to force them to do and may even do the exact opposite, quickly and without warning. I guarantee that it will take longer to get there when your car is stopped in the car in front of yours' trunk. Solution? Stay back, wait to pass. Flip them off as you go by if you must, but don't ride their bumper because most people won't let you bully them in their car. We feel invincible in them.
Principle #3: Use, but don't abuse your turn signals. Turn them on before you turn, shortly before. I think there's a one hundred foot rule. Whatever it is, I'm certain that it isn't eight miles ahead of time though. So, if you hear it clicking or binging or whatever sound it makes, be sure to obey it or turn it OFF.
Principle #4: The speed limit is there to say how fast we're allowed to go. Let's get as close to that as possible or pull over so that other people can. If the sign says forty five, go forty five, maybe even a little faster if you're feeling daring. But be safe. And remember, police men have a quota and the faster you're going the more points you're worth.

Thanks for reading. Drive safely.

Megamind Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 22:02:00 +0000

I consider myself a connoisseur of comedy. I enjoy comedy in most of its forms, the only exception being poop jokes or gags involving bodily functions. I like funny movies, funny books and funny people. This weekend, I wanted to quench my thirst for hilarity with Megamind. I was successful.
Megamind is a super hero story that takes place in a made up city, called Metro City. Megamind and his nemesis Metroman battle for control of the city and the love of fans. Of course, good always wins over evil, so Megamind comes close to winning some of their battles but Metroman is always the overall victor; until Megamind finds a way to actually destroy Metroman during a routine news reporter kidnapping. Now with Metroman out of the picture, Megamind is free to do what he pleases with the city and its inhabitants. And he does, along with the help of his creature friend, Minion.
But eventually he gets tired of running rampant because there's no one there to stop him or throw him in prison or even fight with. He's bored. He decides that he needs a source of good so that he can be completely evil again. He comes up with a plan to make life more interesting to him. Meanwhile, he also starts to woo the reporter, Roxanne, that he's so fond of kidnapping. That's what the movie is about. I'll leave the rest up to you to see.
The general theme of the movie is the constant battle of good and evil, like most superhero movies. This one varies from the norm a little bit because Megamind, the supervillain and self-proclaimed over lord, discovers that he can't be sufficiently evil without someone to do good against. It's like Batman and The Joker: The Joker tells Batman that he can't kill him, won't kill him, because he's too much fun. And we all know, deep inside, that Batman won't kill The Joker because he's not a killer. Megamind feels like The Joker would have if he'd actually been able to kill Batman. The movie is based on this paradox of good and evil needing each other for their own existance.
I truly believe that Will Ferrell is funny down to his very marrow. I know that not everyone appreciates his humor but I truly do. That being said, I think that Megamind is Will Ferrell at his most pretentious, most appalling, most self-righteous, and most perfect. It's what I imagine Ron Burgundy to be if he were placed in the future and had super powers, and better manners. Megamind is cocky and ignorant. (In one preview we see him answer a cell phone with "Ohlow" instead of "Hello".) He changes words to make them sound more fierce, or villainous, like Metro City becomes Metrocity (think atrocity). It's funny and charming. Also, the animators did a great job of putting Will's emotions and expressions into Megamind. If Will were blue, cerebrally unbalanced and extremely skinny, he'd look just like Megamind.
David Cross is the voice of Minion, Megamind's companion and servant. Minion cares for Megamind in many ways. Minion also helps Megamind plan evil things because they're evil doers. I think that I understand that it's usually Minions idea to kidnap Roxanne, voiced by Tina Fey. Minion is another one of those characters that you want one of for yourself because he's resourceful and so damn cute.
Tina fey was her usual eloquent and loquacious self. She's the brains of the outfit, regardless of what anyone he interacts with thinks. Jonah Hill becomes something other than himself and Brad Pitt isn't in the movie much, in spite of how the previews make it seem.
The humor is enjoyable and well paced. I laughed out loud many, many times. There's also a lot of humorous dialogue so we don't really have to watch the background in fear of missing something funny. It did feel a little long for about five minutes, but that may have been my bladder talking. I definitely recommend Megamind. Four out of five stars easily.

Happy Birthday, Car.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:25:00 +0000

Today is my cars tenth birthday. I bought it on my 20th birthday. (You do the math.) I was thinking about the day I bought my car. I got my first speeding ticket that day. I couldn't believe my Jeep actually went over 55 miles per hour. And what kind of cop writes a ticket to someone on their birthday? I also remember that day because I remember thinking about how long my car would last. They call them cheap cars, maybe they are, but Plymouth Neon is doing just fine. I didn't think I'd be driving it ten years later. But then a lot of things are different than I expected them to be ten years ago.
I don't have kids. When I was married, which I'm also not anymore, I thought I wanted to have kids. It didn't work out, but I'm not sorry about it. I have pseudo stepsons and I think they're awesome. Plus, being a part time semi parent means that I get the freedom of not having kids too. And I still get a super boyfriend. I win all the way around.
I don't own a home or drive a mini-van or sell Avon. YAY! All but the homeownership part. Don't get me wrong, the apartment rocks, but I want a backyard so bad. Someday.
I still write, every day, about everything. That's something that I'm never going to change. And I think I'm further along in my writing career than I thought I would be. And I've read a lot of really good books.
I think it's all in our heads, this whole "age is a bad thing" idea. I feel like I'm doing all right, for my age. In fact, I may be a little behind in some areas. And that's okay with me because I don't want to be a grown up. So turning thirty isn't that bad. I'm still just a girl in my heart.

Plagiarism

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:08:00 +0000

There's been a lot of talk on the social networks about plagiarism today. It all started with a Cook Source Magazine article that was written by someone not associated with Cook Source and not paid for their work. Emails were exchanged between the writer of the article and the magazine. The email from the writer is an angry email, as it should be, and Cook Source's reply is even worse.
There are a few things very wrong with the reply. The first thing being that the internet is public domain. It's not. Anything I post on the internet is mine. Anything you post is yours. That's how it works.
The next bit goes on to talk about how this sort of thing happens all the time. And it does. It's called citations. As long as I give credit where credit is due, I am doing the right thing. Granted, the article writer's name was credited for the article, but she was unaware that her article was even going to be used.
This leads us to the third terrible thing. The reply tells the author that she is lucky to have had her poor work edited at no charge. Now forgive me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that if I write an article and I edit it to the best of my ability, I can then sell it to some interested party. This interested party will not ask me to pay for the edits they've made. And regardless of my editing abilities, I will not be charged for the editing that is performed after the work has left my hands. They're paying me for the story, the subject matter and the voice that I write in, not my grammatical perfection or spelling wizardry.
I would be flattered, honored, probably even cry from joy if a magazine or some other source wanted to use anything that I've written, and I would even be honored to do this for free. I would also want to know that my work was being published. This to me was the worst thing that Cook Source did to the article writer. She had no idea.

Anyway, that's just my thoughts on plagiarism. I hope that my work makes it somewhere that people will see it, someday. As for now, I'll keep an eye out for pieces of mine that I don't know are out there.

November Colors

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:20:00 +0000

who are you,little i

(five or six years old)

peering from some high

window;at the gold

of november sunset

(and feeling:that if day

has to become night

this is a beautiful way)

-ee cummings

I went out today to take pictures of the leaves changing colors and it made me think of ee cumming's poem, probably because of the way he describes the colors and the way that the days come to an end in November. I love to take pictures of scenery and critters. I'm fortunate to live near many excellent picture taking locations. We went to a park, the largest park in the city, and we fed the squirrels and took pictures of the trees in their different shades.

This is why I love my home town.

The wildlife is friendly enough to share a bag of munchies.

And the trees hang on to their leaves for as long as possible, even when they turn for the winter.

And the sky stays blue, once the fog burns away.

It's not a big fancy city, just a really big town, and I call it my home. I probably always will. And someday, I hope to own one of the houses over looking this park. But that's another day.