A New Bookcase

Hey everyone, how has your week been?  As I mentioned in Wednesday's post Hurricane Sandy started mine off a little rough but we have recovered so no harm no foul.  Anyways like most bibliophiles I have a lot of books, like over a hundred, maybe two, and I tended to run out of space for them all.  Well over the weekend I moved a new bookcase into my room and I went from going from piles of books on my floor to having room to spare on shelves.  The best part is that all of my Wheel of Time books fit on one shelf.

Kind of blurry I know, that is what I get when I use an Ipod camera

So far in NaNoWriMo I've had a good day and a bad day. On Thursday I got over 1,800 words while yesterday I wrote under 500.  I'm actually need to cut this short so I can squeeze in another writing session to reach today's goal.

Oh, and as always Don't Forget To Be Awesome.

National Novel Writing Month 2012 - The Night Before

So I haven't had much time to think about NaNo over the last couple of days thanks to one of the worst storms in living memory.  Luckily though, where I live made it through relatively unscathed, only one tree came down near us, and that was a couple hundred feet away.  We did lose power, which has screwed with my planned schedule for this blog but it came back this morning so I'm all set.

Most of my preparation this year is looking over what I wrote last year.  I ended up only writing about 13,000 words, which in itself is the most I have ever written, but this year I plan to pick up where I left of and finish the novel I ever thought of.  Technically this means I am "cheating" as the rules require the project to be entirely new but I since I am not counting last year's words and once I finish with the main plot I plan on re-writing last year's scenes.  The other main  part of my preparation was compiling a writing playlist.  I don't know about you but music is a big part of my inspiration.  For the most part it is instrumental stuff, a couple movie soundtracks (Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are two big ones), some songs are from CD's bundled with my Music History textbook (my favorite being an arrangement of J.S. Bach's Little Fugue for an orchestra, which is just epic).

Anyways, here is the low down on my NaNo Project:

"In the realm of Kateena everyone has a magical Talent, it is what set them apart from those they left behind. Each of the seven tribes draws their power from a different source but an eighth power exists that should not be interfered with. Seven hundred years ago a faction drew upon it and in doing so released a great plague prompting the leaders of the tribes to seal them away and in doing so create Kateena. When the focus for that seal is broken it is up to a small group led by a pragmatic young squire so recreate the spell before the seal decays and the sealed ones are released."

That synopsis needs work but I think that can wait until the novel is actually written.

A Triumphant Return?

So as you can probably notice, I haven't updated this blog for a large number of months.  In fact I decided to take a break from the internet (besides of course Facebook and YouTube videos) to focus on my health and my schooling.  Today I got back some very good midterm grades and I have a substantial head start on my end of semester projects, so I decided to reward myself with a return to the internet.  Whether it is triumphant or not is up to you dear readers.

So I have a some plans for this blog in the days and months ahead which I will talk a later date but for now I'll limit it to two and expand from there.  First I plan to restart my Once Upon a Time commentaries.  I really enjoyed doing them and it gives me a chance to give my theories to the world.  The other project is more of a short-term proposition, but since NaNoWriMo is coming up in less than a week, I plan on blogging about the experience periodically.  By the way if you want connect with me on the NaNoWriMo website my profile can be found here.  Feel free to add me as a writing buddy!

Well that is it for now, so take care and don't forget to be awesome.

Review: Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I, unlike the vast majority of people, am not bothered by spoilers. Oftentimes I'll spoil myself about a book series. For example, I knew the ultimate, final ending of the Mistborn trilogy before I read the first book. Maybe it comes from my ability to reread books, after the first time I'm spoiled for the ending. It's the journey that counts I guess, not the destination.

So it is kind of unusual that I didn't already know what was going to happen going into the book and I'm glad I didn't. It was kind of fun thinking about the event that splits the book into Before and After, which is a really cool way of structuring the story. I was kept guessing until she told the guys to distract the Eagle for her, once that happened I knew she was dead.

I identified heavily with the main character because, besides his ineptitude at pre-calc and the alcohol/smoking, we are very similar. Alaska was an intriguing character to say the least, and it could be argued it was just as much her story as it is Pudge's.

I just have to say I wish I had a class with Dr. Hyde.

In regards to the Author: I watch John's videos on youtube and I really like the whole culture that has sprung up about John and his brother Hank. It is strange though, reading his books after watching him. He is a goofy, nerdy guy, which is a good thing,but he writes such deep, thought-provoking books.



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Once Upon a Time - Red Handed

So I have to say, I've been waiting for this episode for quite some time.  Red and Granny are among the last of the major characters introduced in the pilot's War Council scene, and they've been present in almost every episode since then.  It's almost unfair that they've been held back until now.  I've recently spent some time researching the Little Red Riding Hood story for a project in my Theater class, and of all the different versions I read/saw this episode has to be one of the most interesting.  Now I'm one who prefers the original, darker versions to the present day "Disney'd" ones and I feel that this episode does quite well in honoring the original while keeping true to the overall feel of the show.

Why is it that Grannies are almost always either frail and weak or fierce, independent types?  Red's Granny firmly rests in the later category (much like my own).  The scene where Snow "introduces" herself to Red is by far the funniest part of the episode.  It also establishes that Snow isn't as comfortable roughing-it as she is later on in earlier episodes...  That seems almost oxymoronic,  I did call the whole werewolf aspect early in the episode though I, like Snow and Red, thought the boyfriend was the wolf.  I did begin to harbor doubts about it when Red approached him about it, something just felt off about it.  A major OMG moment for me was when Granny told Snow she was tracking Red by scent.  My expression was the same as Snow's.  This story isn't over, they still have to "save" Granny so she can be at the War Council.

In Storybrooke, the investigation into Kathryn's disappearance continues while the tension between Ruby and Granny comes to a head.  I don't really have much to say about Ruby in this other than her short time with Emma helped her to be more mature and secure in her self.  The actress who plays Ruby is very beautiful, which in a cast with several incredibly beautiful women can be forgotton.  but the scene where Ruby and Granny come to terms is when she looks her best.

I wonder why David is having those episodes when he hasn't since he first woke up, unless of course he's been having them just not on camera.  When he, Emma, and Dr. Whale were talking and Regina interrupted I was really confused.  I didn't get why Regina was "protecting" David when the phone records she supplied helped to incriminate him.  The end of the episode cleared that up though, it's not David she wants to frame.  It's Snow White Mary Margaret...

First Picture - http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab212/nmn129/Recap%20Images/Episode-1-15-Red-Handed-Promotional-Photos-once-upon-a-time-29334654-595-397.jpg

Second Picture - http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTM3ODAxODg2MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTE0MDE1Nw@@._V1._SX640_SY427_.jpg

Once Upon a Time - Dreamy

I really hadn't expected an episode like this.  I don't know why not, one of the examples the show creators always gave for possible stories was "the story of how Grumpy became grumpy."

http://onceuponatime.sqpn.com/files/2012/03/dreamy_nova.jpg

I was happy to see Amy Acker as the fairy Nova/Sister Astrid, I've liked her work since I saw her as the quirky Winifred "Fred" Burkle on Angel and wish she did more, but alas...  I do find it strange that the dwarves hatch from eggs.  I wouldn't say it was a bad Idea but it is certainly... different.  I liked that the dwarves received their names from magic pick-axes, it just makes sense.  I also liked that the diamonds the dwarves mine are ground into the magic dust the fairies use; it explains two mysteries in one fell swoop.

Overall I was kinda "eh" about the episode, it had parts I liked but it didn't quite hook me like other episodes have.  The relationship between Dreamy and Nova felt a bit rushed, both in starting and ending.  Why did Dreamy give up without more of a fight?  He was different from other dwarves, maybe he could love.  I did love how Dreamy's pick-ax broke, as that shows that "Dreamy" is dead, since the pick-axes are bound to their respective dwarf.  "Grumpy" couldn't use "Dreamy's" pick-ax.  This story isn't over though, Grumpy still needs to get to the jail cell where he meets Snow, but that will probably be a future season.

http://static-l3.blogcritics.org/12/03/05/177257/O4.jpg?t=20120305144824

In Storybrooke the same sort of thing happens between Leroy and Astrid.  She spills some glittery stuff on him and he falls in "love," with a nun...  Mr. Gold's refusal to help the nuns is explained a bit by the fact that most, if not all, of the nuns are/were fairies, but that begs the question why doesn't Rumple like fairies?  We have already seen him kill one in the Cinderella episode.

One of the gems in the episode is the scene were Leroy goes up to a roof and Mary Margaret follows him thinking he is going to jump.  When she says so he replies with something to the effect of, "What? I'm not going to jump.  That's crazy!"  He then cuts off the electricity so the people have to buy candles.  The Miner's Day Celebration also echoes the symbiotic relationship between the Dwarves (miners) who mine the diamonds and then grind them into dust for the Fairies (nuns).

It pains me that Emma is beginning to doubt her super power, because Sydney got those records from Regina so they could be faked.

On Fairy Tales

Hmm... Typing that reminds me of a particularly good essay by The Professor (an honorific for J.R.R. Tolkien used on the LOTRO Forums) called "On Fairy-Stories."  If you get a chance to read it do so.  It is worth it.

As one can probably tell from my posts on Once Upon a Time, I am a fan of fairy tales.  Make that a fairy-tale-oholic.  I don't know how many books/movies/etc. of fairy tales (or adaptations/recreations thereof) I have.  Now I am not the only fan of fairy tales, one only has to look at the entertainment industry to see that fairy tales are the new "it" theme.  Not only do NBC and ABC have shows based of fairy tales (Grimm, which I lost interest in months ago and the vastly superior Once) but there are not one but two Snow White movies coming out in the near(-ish) future (Mirror, Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman).

http://www.illusionsgallery.com/Fairy-tales-L.jpg

"Wait," you might be asking, "wouldn't that get repetitive?  They are all based on the same thing!"  Well...  No.  Saying that is like saying Twilight and Dracula are the same because they are both about vampires.  They aren't one is one of the great Horrors and the other is a kind-of trashy romance.  (I feel I am justified in saying that because I have read the entire "Saga."  I wish I hadn't, but I have.)  Likewise Once is Lost-esque, Grimm is a crime drama, Mirror, Mirror is a comedy and Snow White and the Huntsman is an action/drama (I think).  All are very different genres.

So there is a question begging to be asked, why are fairy tales so popular?  If you look at the world's state of affairs it is kind of obvious.  Economies aren't doing so well, heck even entire countries have gone bankrupt, the world vacuums  at the moment.  Is it any wonder people are liking something that reminds them of the point in their childhoods when they hadn't a care in the world?

Of course it is wise to remember the modern way of telling the tales is not he original way of doing so;  the tales have been "Disney'd."  That is made them all happy and cheerful while the originals were actually quite dark.  And rightly so!  Their purpose wasn't to entertain, they were cautionary tales.

Take Little Red Riding Hood, most people think it goes something like this, "Girl meets wolf in forest on way to Grandma's house.  Wolf runs ahead and eats/pretends to be Grandma.  Red shows up and talks about Grandma's features are so big.  Wolf is somehow defeated and Red and Grandma both survive."  Right?  Wrong.  Most of it is right but the ending this, "Wolf eats Red.  Then Woodsman comes along, kills the wolf and cuts Red out of its stomach."  Gruesome, right?  The point of the story is thus,

Children, especially attractive, well bred young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf. I say "wolf," but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all.

                                                                               Little Red Riding Hood