For National Novel Writing Month last year I wrote a zombie story. I completed my 50,000 word goal before November 30, and then I put the story aside for a while to give myself a break from the marathon of writing but during the year I kept working on it until now I consider it finished.
I'd like to edit it so it lends itself more to be easily read and to make it a better story in general. Once I'm done with that I don't know what I'll do with it, but it's fun to think that I actually wrote and completed a story. In my Word doc it's 109 pages with standard size font and all that.
Just for fun I thought I'd put up about the first page, so if you're interested in zombie stories then feel free to read on.
And then I recommend going to Amazon.com and checking out two fantastic zombie stories by Mira Grant called "Feed" and "Deadline". I'm waiting on the third book of the trilogy, "Blackout" to be released next year.
Your're in control,
Pressing pause on my heartbeat,
Someone stole all the air,
So I can't speak,
Now,
I know,
The chase, is on,
I feel, as though,
My time, has come
How many times do I fly through your head space?
Now it's speeding away from the safe place,
Yeah,
Your skin,
Your touch,
The kiss,
You rush, too much,
And here it comes
When your lips touch mine,
It's the kiss of life,
I know, I know that it's a little bit frightening,
We might aswell be playing with lightning,
We touch like,
Like it's out first time,
Oh oh,
I know it is a little bit frightening,
We might aswell be playing with lightning now.
Oh oh,
Just you and me and the coats in the back room,
Learning things they don't teach in the classroom,
Now,
You're here,
I feel, the fear
Now everything,
Is oh so clear
Been addicted to you since the first hit,
Out of control like a surge of electric,
Now,
Your skin,
Your touch,
The kiss,
You rush, too much,
And here it comes,
When your lips touch mine,
It's the kiss of life,
I know, I know that it's a little bit frightening,
We might aswell be playing with lightning,
We touch like,
Like it's out first time,
Oh oh,
I know it is a little bit frightening,
We might aswell be playing with lightning now.
Oh oh,
Oh oh,
Oh oh,
Oh oh,
Your skin,
The touch,
The kiss,
Too much
Your skin,
The touch,
The kiss,
The rush
Your skin,
The touch,
The kiss,
Too much
The rush,
The rush,
The rush,
The rush,
When your lips touch mine,
It's the kiss of life,
I know, I know that it's a little bit frightening,
We might aswell be playing with lightning,
We touch like,
Like it's our first time,
Oh oh,
I know it is a little bit frightening,
We might aswell be playing with lightning now.
Oh oh,
Oh oh.
- The Wanted
The guy that I used to roleplay online with as Rory posted a portion of this lyrics to me so I had to go find the song on YouTube. I actually really enjoyed it and have been listening to it fairly constantly since. Even better? It's set to come out in the US this month so go check it out!
Last year I participated in National Novel Writing Month and my plan is to try again this year. The whole idea is to write 50,000 words from November first until midnight November 30. Last year I completed the goal, but I know I had a lot of urging from one of my very good friends online. This year, however, since she won't be online as often so I'll have to yell at myself to write. If anyone else out there wants to help each other write and work through the month let me know. We can yell (encourage) each other together.
Otherwise I'll be trying to make myself write every day. Or at least finish 50,000 words by the end of November.
Let's see how well this goes over.
This probably means blog posts will slow, but I'll try to schedule some things to go up to keep you entertained.
I hope everyone had a good Halloween weekend and that today is filled with tons of candy eating and more fun times dressing up.
If you're in New York check out the parade because it promises to be a good time with plenty of cool costumes. If you're not then hopefully your area has something fun to do, or maybe there's some good haunted house type things to check out.
And here it is! This post got a little bit delayed because my mom took some extra time to do some last minute details to the coat, and my shirt needed to be hemmed because it's a men's shirt. But it's finally finished!
So there's me and my costume. I love that without the pirate hat, coat and sword I can pretty much wear this to class. Which I am doing today.
Also, I bought a $5 wig so here's how it looks.
Considering how beautiful Karen Gillan's hair is at all times in this show I'm not sure how I feel about the wig. I might just wear my hair loose. Either way, after a long anticipated wait my costume is finally finished! I love everything about it. You can see what an awesome job my mom did on the buttons and what a difference the length of the shirt makes. Before it was nearly as long as the skirt. She also did a great job on the gold trim for the hat.
I am officially set for Halloween! Bring on the parade on Monday!
Carving pumpkins for Halloween or just for fall in general is one of my favorite things to do in addition to the obvious dressing up aspect of this time of year. When I was a kid I just did the standard face, with a few variations over the years.
One year we used the pumpkin 'guts' to spread in and out of the mouth of the pumpkin to simulate it throwing up. That was probably my favorite pumpkin.
Last year I carved a pumpkin with the Rebel insignia in it.
This year because my Halloween weekend is so busy I doubt I'll get a chance to carve anything fancy, but here are a few cool websites I found in case you want to carve some cool pumpkin designs!
This site has a Boba Fett, Yoda, Jabba and Darth Maul carvings.
This one has David Tennant's Tenth Doctor with the Tardis.
And this one has some pretty complicated, but extremely awesome, instructions on how to make a Death Star pumpkin.
If you're looking for a cyberman, this site is the one to look at. If you're talented also check out the template for an Eleventh Doctor that last site mentions.
If anyone actually attempts any of these way cool pumpkins let me know! Or let me know if you find any other cool sites with more templates, I'd love to keep them all in mind to work on next year.
For Halloween I always make a playlist of my favorite songs to listen to and put me in the Halloween mood. It's my favorite 'holiday' of the year. I don't have many of the popular songs like "Thriller" or "Monster Mash" (although my mom is insisting I purchase those) but I do have some favorite cds to listen to.
My first cd that I always put on is "Oculus Infernum" by Van Helsing's Curse. I actually came across this cd completely by accident years ago when I was doing a search for the soundtrack to the movie Van Helsing. I listened to a couple of the clips on iTunes and decided it sounded cool so I got it. Since then it's become one of my favorite cds even when it's not Halloween. It sort of tells a story set to music. Basically it's about this horrible, nameless evil that comes and starts attacking people and how the only person who can stop it is this little boy with the help of someone from the Van Helsing family line. It's completely worth a listen to and there's a website for the cd here: http://www.vanhelsingscurse.com
The other two cds I listen to come Halloween time are cds by the group Wednesday 13. Their cd "Fang Bang" is my favorite one. My friend introduced me to this group when I was in high school and pretty much my favorite song from them is "American Werewolves in London". Mostly because I really like the movie "American Werewolf in London" but the song is pretty awesome too. I love that part of the lyrics are "we're going down to Piccadilly Square to raise a little hell" which is a reference to the big scene at the end which takes place at Piccadilly Square. Little things like that amusement me. The other cd I have of theirs is "Transylvania 90210". I'm not as big a fan of this cd as "Fang Bang" but there's definitely some good stuff in there for Halloween time. Of course, listening to both of those cds assumes you don't mind plenty of cursing in your songs. If you don't mind that then I definitely recommend checking them out.
As I mentioned I'm also going to be purchasing "Thrillier" and "Monster Mash" because my mom insists those are important songs to have for Halloween. I'm not a big fan of either song but it's Halloween time and like with Christmas time sometimes you have to listen to some songs you just can't stand.
That's it for my Halloween music selection. If you have any favorite songs you listen to around this time I'd love to hear about it, so leave a comment!
Aside from that my Amy Pond pirate costume is in its last stages of development. The lining is getting stitched into my coat, the shirt is being adjusted because it was too long and I'm exchanging the brown hat I have for a black one that I can put gold trim on like Amy's. Yes, there will be a post about it when it's done!
I've been looking forward to Halloween more this year than I have in quite some time. The reason for that is because I'm crazy excited about being pirate Amy Pond this year.
It's a bit unusual for me because I never wear skirts. As in I can count on one hand the number of times I've worn a skirt in recent memory. However, Amy is just such an awesome pirate and it's a fun costume that I couldn't resist.
All Star Wars all the time- This should be pretty obvious from the name but it's great to have a place to talk about the latest Star Wars news, the new episode of The Clone Wars, your action figure collection, comics books, novels, how none of your friends understand why Jar Jar sucks or even how much you're looking forward to the next convention.
The 'atmosphere'- I have yet to see people not get along on this website. Sure there are differing opinions, but everyone is respectful of other people's opinions and thoughts and sometimes you can even make someone see something about Star Wars they never would have noticed before. Even though everyone is of different ages it hardly matters because we all share an incredibly strong interest that brings us together.
The administration- John Doyle has done an incredible job creating this site and making it easy and fun to use with some awesome features like the ability to post pictures or photo albums or write articles. The moderators also do a good job of blending in and getting along with everyone and keeping things in check if need be. I'd just like to say thanks, guys!
Occasional fandom overlap- every so often I see conversations about other movies whether it be Indiana Jones, Transformers or some other movie or tv show and I think it's great because so many of us share other common interests aside from Star Wars.
It's hard to put this last reason into words but basically... everyone on this site is awesome. I've made great friends through the forcebook, and even some virtual siblings. It doesn't matter whether you're a Jedi, a Sith, a Light Sith, a Dark Jedi or a Mandalorian because we all love Star Wars and that's the most important thing.
So basically, if you like Star Wars, go check it out. You won't regret it.
In previous posts I've talked about how I enjoy writing stories both on my own and with my friends. Lately I've been doing more writing on my own thanks to 750words.com. The other day I discovered this blog on tumblr devoted to Amy and Rory fanfic writing. It's a great blog and I really enjoyed the first story the author wrote but it made me think about how much I wanted to write some Doctor Who fanfiction but I couldn't think of a good story. I toyed with some ideas of creating some original characters, but lately I've been completely and thoroughly obsessed with Amy and Rory. When I re-watched "The Girl Who Waited" it occurred to me that it would be really neat to have a flashback of Amy and Rory's first kiss.
But that's not likely to come. So I went ahead and wrote my own version of it. Which I'm bravely deciding to post here. So if you're interested, then read on and let me know what you think!
I've recently purchased a mini skirt for my Amy Pond costume but have been wearing it just for fun. I'm still figuring out how she actually sits down in the damn things, though.
Oh, yeah. It's because they spend all their time running.
I don't even remember how I came across this site, but I recently discovered the site 750words.com and have been enjoying it quite a lot. Basically, the function of the site is to provide people with a private place to 'free write' every day. The goal is to write at least 750 words, no matter what it's about. It's just meant to convince people to write every single day no matter what the content is or the grammar or spelling.
What makes it fun is that the site keeps track of things like how quickly it takes you to write the 750 words, how many words per minute you write and even how often you use certain words in a post. There's also a point system which gives you points every time you complete the goal. As you go the more points you get. If you can convince friends to get on the site and you want some friendly competition, that's a way to keep track of it.
The site also tracks a ton of other things that pertain to what you've written and can compare it to other days you succeed in the goal. It's a lot of fun to look at even if I don't always understand what the stats are for or how they are compiled. My favorite thing about it is that it helps me write every day because I like to see how how I can get my streak. It can be hard to remember, and after the first three days I completely forgot about it, but I try to make myself write even when I stare at the site and think about all the other things I'd like to be doing. I love that I can just write about whatever comes to mind because it's private. No one else is going to read it, and even I don't bother going back to check the jibberish I come up with. It's easy to just hop from topic to topic and not care that it doesn't all make sense or that I misspell plenty of words along the way.
Thinking ahead, I think it'll be a great way to keep track of my National Novel Writing Month stats. It's easy to see how many words you've written, and it saves the document every 10 seconds or so which means I don't have to be afraid of my computer crashing and potentially losing everything. I even love that every night it's just a fun way to organize my thoughts on what I did during the day and what I need to do the next day. Basically, 750words.com is my new favorite website, and if you're at all interested in writing or just want a new place to keep a journal then I highly recommend that you check it out.
Lately among my Star Wars friends there seems to be this divide. On one side there's the Force users whether they consider themselves a Jedi or a Sith, and on the other side there's Mandalorians. I think it's pretty clear where I stand in this divide, and it's rather nice knowing that the Mandalorian side is growing so much. However, because of this divide I think it's easy for people to think one is better than the other; especially when the topic turns to the ethics of the Jedi which is, I think, a touchy subject since the Jedi are meant to be the 'good guys'. But every time Jedi raising kids away from their families and possibly taking those kids in not so nice ways comes up that 'good guy' title gets a little murky. It also gets murky when the idea of Jedi essentially using a slave army to fight the war is mentioned. Because of the murky waters and many opinions I thought I'd go ahead and jot down my own thoughts on the subject.
And finally here we are, The God Complex! Been looking forward to this episode for weeks. And let me just say right now, right here, before we go any further... it did not disappoint. It honestly didn't. Now, if by now you still haven't seen then you have two options: go watch it RIGHT NOW, or just leave and read another post that has nothing to do with how brilliant this episode of Doctor Who was. "Are you sitting comfortably? Then let us begin." (if you know what episode that's from then leave it in the comments and you'll win a virtual high five from me)
Tick tock goes the clock
And what now shall we play?
Tick tock goes the clock
Now summer’s gone away?
Tick tock goes the clock
And what then shall we see?
Tick tock until the day
That thou shalt marry me
Tick tock goes the clock
And all the years they fly
Tick tock and all too soon
You and I must die
Tick tock goes the clock
We laughed at fate and mourned her
Tick tock goes the clock
Even for the Doctor
Tick tock goes the clock
He cradled her and he rocked her
Tick tock goes the clock
Till River kills the doctor
- Doctor Who
Tonight's the night! The answer to our questions! Well, knowing Moffat we'll get some answers and a heap more questions to go with it. Although I hope it won't be too much of a cliffhanger considering it's the end of this season.
Also, thanks to whoever compiled the words to the poem and made it coherent. Because it certainly wasn't me. But I think it's brilliant. Right up there with the Demon's Run poem.
Courtesy of BBC America, here's a prequel video to tonight's episode! It's amazing.
In case I haven’t mentioned, Mandalorians aren’t big on bloodline. Family to them is more about relationship, who is there for you and who takes care of you rather than actual lineage.
Aliit ori’shya tal’din.
Family is more than bloodline.
Adoption is pretty common to the Mandalorians. Kal Skirata legally adopted almost every single clone trooper he ever trained, not because they had no family, but because he cared. It mattered to him what happened to them, and he helped them set up real lives outside the war. They called him Kal’buir, or “Papa Kal”. And sure, you may think adopted nearly a hundred clone troopers is obvious since, well, they never had parents to begin with. But Kal didn’t stop there. When a Jedi Knight named Bardan Jusik left the Jedi Order Kal adopted him too, and when his boys started to get married, he called his new in-laws ad’ike, or “little sons/daughters” (because there’s no gender specification in Mando’a). Family is family, blood or not, in-laws or not. You’re either family, or an aruetiise, which means anything from “outsider” to “traitor”, though it most often is used to talk about anything non Mandalorian.
And Kal didn’t do this because he didn’t have a family. He did; at one point. But his wife divorced him, and his two sons declared him dar’buir which means “no longer a parent”. Again, a legal term for Mandalorians. But even though his sons divorced him, his daughter never officially did. Despite all that Kal never stopped supporting his family, he still sent his kids money, even after 30 years of not having seen them. It may seem like nothing, but then after 30 years when his daughter reappears and needs his help he helps her, and she asks for cin vhetin, or “a fresh start”.
I meant this to be a quick little blurb about the Mandalorian saying “family is more than bloodline”, and it seems to have turned into more of a Kal Skirata bio. But I think that says something. There are all these little sayings that give aruetiise an understanding of the Mandalorian mentality, but it’s easier to prop Kal up and say, “Look! This man right here just about embodies everything that the Mandalorians stand for, and how they think”. Sometimes that helps.
As my friends on theforcebook.com are aware, sometimes we all get together and play the game Jedi Academy online. They all recommended picking it up and because I wanted to be able to play online with my friends I went ahead and got the game from Steam.
When I bought the game, I discovered pretty quickly that Steam has a rather strange setup for playing their games. That could just be because I'm an absolute novice at downloading and playing PC video games, though. I purchased the game and then before I could download it I had to download Steam. Initially I had quite a few problems with the download process. I got as far as Steam telling me it was updating, and then it would close, and when I tried to open it, it complained about the following error:
Steam.exe (main exception): To run Steam you must first connect to the internet.
I sent an email to the Steam support people, but I really wanted a quick answer so I took to the internet. None of the solutions I came up with were very helpful, though. After some time working on it, though, my dad figured out that thanks to the firewall settings of our router Steam couldn't properly retrieve updates. So we lowered our router firewall settings and I was able to complete the install, download my games and I only need to lower the firewall when I want to play online with my friends. Otherwise as long as I'm only playing locally it doesn't impact me playing my game.
Overall, I enjoy playing the game. I'm not used to PC games because I've played Jedi Academy on my xbox, so going from a button system I'm used to, to a keyboard control system that I have absolutely no idea how to use. It's very distracting. But I like to think I'm getting better at it. Now that I know how to set up my firewall settings accordingly I'm having a lot more fun with the game. If you play online drop me a comment because I'd love to find other players to play with!
Is it corny to say I'd been waiting for this episode almost above all the other's? Except for maybe The God Complex. Well, I've been waiting for this episode since I first realized that Amy gets some pretty badass sword skills and cool but strange looking white armor as seen in the trailers. What I didn't expect from this episode was how emotional it would turn out to be. Things like that seem to jump up from behind and surprise me with this show, although you'd think I'd know better by now. Guess not. "Spoilers!"
“I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
Got a chance to watch Night Terrors while I was home the other day. I have to say that this episode I was looking forward to almost as much as The God Complex because that episode had a really awesome extended scene that was shown at Comic Con. It was all "The Shining" and spooky. But to me, Night Terrors has an awesome title. As usual, spoilers abound from here on in.
Take all your chances while you can
You never know when they'll pass you by
Like a sum the mathematician cannot solve
Like me trying my hardest to explain
It's all about your cries and kisses
Those first steps that I can't calculate
I need some more of you to take me over
Take me over
If I had the chance to start again
Then you would be the one I'd come and find
Like the poster of Berlin on my wall
Maybe there's a chance our walls might fall
It's all about your cries and kisses
Those first steps that I can't calculate
I need some more of you to take me over
It's all about your cries and kisses
Those first steps that I can't calculate
I need some more of you to take me over
I know I because I cant calculate
How to respect you
How to start again
How to start again
How to start again
It's all about you
- Athlete
This is the song that was at the end of the Doctor Who episode "Vincent and the Doctor". As seen in the following video. Not sure why it's a mirror image, but it looks fine anyway.
The other day I had my dad take me to Target so I could buy some things for the start of the school semester. On my list were shirts, a lunchbox, some notebooks and a planner. We found everything pretty easily except for the lunchbox. I had been to Target a few days earlier and saw a really neat Star Wars lunchbox that I wanted to get. Since we didn't immediately find it with the school supplies I suggested going to look for it with the Star Wars toys. My dad and I then had the following conversation:
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Ring out the bells again
Like we did when Spring began
Wake me up when September ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my fathers come to pass
Twenty years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends
Well if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say.
I never want to let you down or have you go, it's better off this way.
For all the dirty looks, the photographs your boyfriend took,
Remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?
[Chorus]
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out
What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?
(I'm not okay)
I told you time and time again you sing the words but don't know what it means
(I'm not okay)
To be a joking look, another line without a hook
I held you close as we both shook for the last time take a good hard look!
[Chorus]
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out
Forget about the dirty looks
The photographs your boyfriend took
You said you read me like a book, but the pages are all torn and frayed
I'm okay
I'm okay!
I'm okay, now
(I'm okay, now)
But you really need to listen to me
Because I'm telling you the truth
I mean this, I'm okay!
(Trust Me)
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
Well, I'm not okay
I'm not o-fucking-kay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
(Okay)
When I was in Disney back in June for one of the Star Wars weekends, I got to see the show Obi-Wan and Beyond performed by James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan and Plo Koon on The Clone Wars. At first I didn't know what to expect when I went, but what I got was a hilarious half hour spent watching James Arnold Taylor showcase the many voices he can create. The show really gave me an appreciation for the kind of work voice actors do. We hear them every day and hardly pay attention! I could go on about how much fun the show was (I saw it all three days I was at Disney!) but I really think you should just sit down and watch the video for yourself. Trust me, it's worth it!
Someone on theforcebook.com posted this video. I know it has nothing to do with Star Wars, but we're all nerds, and I know that I was really excited to see it! I love that Karen Traviss is now involved with the game, as well as the books. What's more is that it reminded me I picked up "Coalition's End" at my local Borders 'going out of business' sale and need to get on reading "Anvil Gate" as well before the game come out! Well, actually, I have until December because that's when my Star Wars Xbox 360 is coming in and my current Xbox doesn't work so I have to wait anyway. If anyone else has any good videos or thoughts on the books (without too many spoilers since I haven't read them yet!) feel free to share in the comments!
Episode 8 of Doctor Who series 6 finally aired last Saturday! In case my previous posts didn't quite convey the message, I was pretty excited about it. I was even lucky enough that dear ol' hurricane Irene waited until AFTER the episode was over to kill the power in my area. But let's get on to the review. From here on in there are, as River likes to say, SPOILERS. So don't read on if you don't want to know details about the episode. I had thought to do a spoiler free review, but it just didn't seem possible.
Over the weekend my area of Long Island got fairly well pounded by hurricane Irene. There were evacuations in nearby areas that were only 5 minutes away from my house. All the local businesses closed up early on Saturday and many of them boarded up their windows in preparation of the storm.
The winds started up by Saturday afternoon but it didn't get bad until late at night and most of Sunday. Fortunately our power held out long enough to watch "Let's Kill Hitler". I was already into watching it a second time at midnight when the power went out at 12:45am. Sunday I was able to go to a friend's house and charge my phone and my mom's phone so we were ready in case the power didn't come back for a while. While I was at her house I checked the LIPA site and found that nearly half of Long Island had lost power.
Just had to say.... We are in the final few hours before "Let's Kill Hitler"!! According to my countdown, we're at 7 hours and counting! I'm enjoying the Doctor Who marathon that is airing on BBC America. For those of you who can't or aren't watching, might I suggest checking out my picture blog of "A Good Man Goes to War" to refresh the memory before tonight?
I'm sure most people have seen this already, but I love this little video. It's a 'prequel' to "Let's Kill Hitler" and it's incredibly well done and suitably heart-wrenching.
As the new season of Doctor Who approaches (tomorrow night, yay!) I've been going back and trying to find things to wear that would pass as what Amy Pond wears in the episodes. Mostly I've been focusing on her pirate outfit she wears in "Curse of the Black Spot" because I plan on wearing that for Halloween. I mean, come on, Amy Pond + Pirate = best ever.
The other day my mom brought me a kid's Star Wars t-shirt that she picked up at the store. I didn't immediately understand why because it was such a small size there was no way it would fit me. She said she planned on making it into a bag for me. Again, I couldn't really visualize it. Then she sat me down, showed me how to make it and how to use the sewing machine and suddenly my shirt went from this:
In five millennia, the Mandalorians fought with and against a thousand armies on a thousand worlds. They learned to speak as many languages and absorbed weapons technology and tactics from every war. And yet, despite the overwhelming influence of alien cultures, and the absence of a true homeworld and even species, their own language not only survived but changed little, their way of life and their philosophy remained untouched, and their ideals and sense of family, of identity, of nation were only strengthened. Armor does not make a Mandalorian. The armor is simply a manifestation of an impenetrable, unassailable heart.
- Mandalorians: Identity and Language, published by the Galactic Institute of Anthropology
Star Wars: Republic Commando Triple Zero
Karen Traviss
One of my favorite hobbies as a kid used to be watching my parent's reaction when I told them a movie came out x number of years ago, just to watch their faces as they flashed back to the moment in time when they were sitting in that movie theater watching that movie and realizing that, while it feels like not too long ago, it actually was many more years than they realized.
My karmic justice for that is to have my younger cousins do the same thing to me, and have this XKCD comic strip rub it in my face further.
Even now I can smell the clothes
Freshly from the wash
Still hot from the dryer
Even now I can smell your skin
To wrap you in a towel
Lay you on the bed
And try to love you
Even now I can feel your arms
I can feel your breast
I can hear your songs
And I always can find you again
Even now I can feel your hand
Gently over mine
With almost no weight at all
Even now I can feel your eyes
Watch me as I strum
Much too late at night
Even now I can see you smile
I can hear you hum
I can hear you sing
And I always can find you again
Even in the dark of night
Even in the lowest light
Even as the world outside
Is spinning, and spinning
Even now I can feel your hair
Blow across my cheek
As we sit in one of two chairs
Even now I can feel your face
Resting on my chest
Wrestling for sleep
And failing at it
Even now I can see you sleep
I can see you dream
I can see you fly
And I always can find you again
And I always can find you again
And I always can find you
- Dashboard Confessional
The only reason I have this song is because it's on the NCIS soundtrack. I'd never listened to it until the other day and now I really enjoy it so I thought I'd share it. For those who haven't heard it, here's a video.
One of my new favorite shows to watch is In Plain Sight. I spend more of my time watching shows on USA now than anything else. Anyway, if you watch In Plain Sight you know the character Mary Shannon is famous for her sarcasm and witty remarks. In addition to the Wisecrack generator on the USA network site I found this list of sarcastic remarks.
I find it's always a good idea to memorize a few so you can whip them out at the right moment. It's good to indulge your inner Mary Shannon on occasion.
The other day my mom sent me this site with the following comic. All I know is, it's absolutely true. High school teachers either never attended college themselves, or have been out of college so long that they don't remember what their experience was like.
I have three animals. As mentioned in my page about them, I have Guy the cockatiel, Saphira the lovebird and Kara Reiko, the pekingese/shih tzu mix. I've had Guy since I was 10 years old and she's smart enough to realize that when she hears the sound of the garage door opening that means someone is coming home and she gets excited and has a very distinct squawk for when this occurs. Before I got Kara it was always nice to come home to those squawks, and now it's nice to come home to both the squawks and Kara waiting at the door for me to come in.
The funny part is, according to my mom (since I'm usually the one coming in from outside so I don't witness it first hand) that Kara has obviously learned Guy's squawk because on occasion Guy will sound the alert of someone returning to the house before Kara notices. And the funnier part? Guy has caught on to the fact that Kara knows her 'someone is coming' squawk. So, according to my mom, every now and then, just for kicks, Guy will sound the alarm and Kara will run to the door. Except no one will come. I say Guy is doing it on purpose so she and Saphira can get a few chuckles at the dog. Especially since Guy never used to sound off false alarms until Kara showed up.
Anyone who doesn't have pets might not believe me, but I'm sure someone out there has some funny stories about how their pets interact. If you do, I'd love to hear them!
As a side note, my birds are smart, but they are not talented. At least, not like this bird. I wish I knew how to teach them this!
Well, a few days ago my second attempt at a poll closed. I didn't get as many results as I had in the first poll. Not sure if that's due to the question or just fewer people visiting my blog who cared to vote.
Anyway, the question was, "Favorite Doctor Who companion?"
Here's the results:
Rose Tyler: 66%
Martha Jones: 0%
Donna Noble: 33%
Amy Pond: 0%
Rory Williams: 0%
I was tempted to try to get more votes from this but have given up on it. When/if I think of another better question I'll hold another poll. For now, that's it from this one!
It has some really great pictures of some of the new sneakers and jackets that Adidas is releasing for the Fall/Winter 2011 collection. I already have a pair of Darth Vader sneakers that I bought from last year's collection. I don't wear them that regularly since I like to keep them in good condition, but they're fun when I want to wear cool sneakers that I'm sure people don't even notice are actually Star Wars sneakers.
The other day I was finally able to track this book down at the library here in the city. I'm still getting used to the system here, but I dove in head first and now have about 8 books on hold waiting for me. But back to Star Wars. I know Paul Kemp is new to the land of writing Star Wars novels, and for that I definitely cut him a bit of slack. However, the first book I read of his, Crosscurrent, was much better than I had expected from a first time Star Wars novelist. Going on that I decided to give Deceived a chance even though I typically have a hard time getting through the books that take place thousands of years before anything I'm used to reading about in the Star Wars timeline. It's not so much that I mind not having the usual characters around, it's that I get very confused when they start tossing around the words 'Republic' and 'Empire' and I have to keep reminding myself it's not the same factions that I'm used to because they don't exist for another thousand or so years according to Star Wars history.
I sometimes have a tendency to get a little obsessed with things. Just a little bit. Like the time I watched X-men 10 times in seven days when my dad first bought me a VHS copy when I was little. Or the time I watched the first episode of season seven of NCIS seven times in four days. Or, most recently, when I watched "A Good Man Goes to War", the last episode of the first part of season 6 of Doctor Who, 6 times in less than 48 hours thanks to an iTunes rental.
But I don't obsesses... much.
To steer away from my habits, wouldn't it be more fun to go back through some of the highlights of the episode complete with screencaps that I took while watching it? That sounds like fun to me. Almost as much as watching the whole episode over again! Which I would do... if my iTunes rental hadn't ended a few hours ago. Damn.
I didn't always love reading. In fact, when I was little (say, before first grade), I actually didn't like reading at all. Don't get me wrong, I did it and I read quite a few different kids books like Clifford and the Biscuit books and things I read for school. I was homeschooled at the time so the fact that most kids don't start to even learn to read until first grade never applied to me. I was reading on my own by Kindergarten.
I don't really remember that well a time before I liked reading, but I do remember that I didn't like it. My mom took me to our local library one day and we ran into a lady who worked in the children's section that we also knew very well because she lived in the same apartment complex that we did. She had a book recommendation for me. The 7-year-old me was not overly impressed but, to be polite, I checked the book out anyway. She assured me that I would enjoy it. This is the book she handed to me:
I still remember when the librarian, her name was Noreen, handed it to me. It's weird, I'm not sure why I remember it so clearly but obviously my brain thought that it was an important moment to remember. And it was. Because that book officially started my love of reading. Even more importantly it started my love of mystery stories.
Cam Jansen was my first hero. She has a photographic memory, and whenever she wants to remember something she just looks at it and says 'click' like a camera, which is where her nickname Cam comes from. Her best friend Eric would help her solve all their cases and I couldn't get enough of the stories.
Eventually I moved on to other mystery books like the Nancy Drew Notebook series, Encyclopedia Brown, and once I was older, Sherlock Holmes. Even though I always had different career paths chosen such as being a vet or a paleontologist or marine biologist, in the back of my mind I always thought it would be cool to be a detective.
Anyway, after that I never lost the love of reading. I would devour books as quickly as I could and even now if you give me a few uninterrupted hours chances are I can finish a book. For example, the other day I started the book Deadline by Mira Grant. I started it at 3pm and by 3am I was finished. I took a few breaks to eat and wander the internet, but basically in less than 12 hours I had finished a 600 page book. I've also been known to finish Star Wars novels in a few hours. When I got the Harry Potter books at midnight I would take them straight to my room and read them straight through until I finished. That's probably my favorite activity and one I don't get to do all that often anymore. Sure, I still read a lot but I don't get a chance to just sit curled up with my dog and read a book from start to finish without worrying about having to do homework or go to class. I enjoyed reading Deadline all the more because I decided I wasn't going to put it down until I finished it, even if that meant I was up until 3am with class the next morning. The best way to experience a book is without interruptions because it's the only way to really stay engrossed in the story and keep it all fresh in your mind.
Now that I'm finished with Deadline it's time to get started on Deceived by Paul Kemp, and then Conviction by Aaron Allston. I haven't read a Star Wars book in over a month, and for that I have another librarian to thank. One of my good friends online has been recommending books for me, with her last recommendation being a series by Tamora Pierce. I finished the fourth book in the Protector of the Small series the other day and am looking forward to getting some other Tamora Pierce books from the library. So that's two librarians I owe for introducing me to awesome series!
I may not always get to ignore the world and sit with my books the way I'd like to, but as long as my friend keeps recommending books for me to read and Star Wars books keep getting published, I will be able to always have a book to read and that's just as good for me!
So the other day I decided to foolishly ignore the the fact that my Netflix suggestion told me that it rated the movie "Skyline" at about a 1.8 based on my ratings of other movies. I had seen trailers for it before and thought it looked exciting if nothing else.
Unfortunately, it didn't even have that going for it. I'd warn you about spoilers and to not continue reading and all that except for the fact that if you haven't seen this movie then you are smarter than I am, and if you are feeling that maybe you should check it out, please continue reading so you'll understand what a bad idea that is.
One of my new favorite tv shows is on the USA network and has arguably the most handsome guy on tv at the moment. White Collar is a great show, and now that I live in the city a lot of the time it's neat to see the places they go and realize I know where they are. Which brings me to this post. I thought it would be fun to put together a list of places that Neal and Peter and Mozzie and the others end up at, so maybe the next time you're visiting the city you can check them out too!
Grand Central station - The show usually has a few different shots of Grand Central that they use between scenes, but early in season 1 when Neal was looking for Kate and he figures out her clue about the bottle, he goes to Grand Central to meet her.
Central Park- In the episode "Threads", the second episode of season 1, Peter is sent to Central Park and when I was watching my dvds I recognized immediately where he was thanks to the fact I had been wandering around that area on my birthday earlier this year. Peter is first seen by the Naumberg Bandshell, but he ends up running over to the nearby Bethesda Fountain. It's right on the Central Park lake and a beautiful area so a must see on anyone's tour list.
Queensboro Bridge - In a season 3 episode, Neal and Mozzie are talking (and walking) right along York Avenue between 60th street and 59th street. I pass that on the bus to school every day and I recognized the wall and the area.
Conservatory Gardens - In the final episode of the second season, "Under the Radar" Neal and Peter go to the Central Park Conservatory Gardens to look for Alex Hunter. I know this place is now on my list of places to go visit soon.
Neal's apartment - This is probably the most famous location seen on White Collar since it is seen so often in the episodes, and I now know it's true location. It's located at a different address than is given on the show, but it's still on Riverside Drive. The following site gives more detail, plus the address. It's also on my list of places to go visit: http://www.nyc-architecture.com/UWS/UWS047.htm
That's all I have for now but as I go back through the dvds I'll try to find more locations to add to the tour list!
For anyone who is in San Diego attending Comic Con this weekend, I hope you have a great time and know that I am extremely envious! I've been wanting to go for years and this was supposed to be the year I go. Maybe next year. For now I'll settle for scouring the internet for news on the events and pictures. If any of my readers went, I'd love to hear about how it was!
I have a love/hate relationship with coming up with names for characters when I write stories. It's fun to look for new names to give my characters that are unique but still fit in my story. If it fits, I'll sometimes just use names from my favorite characters on other tv shows or books or movies.
One of my most popular posts has been when I compiled a list of baby names for parents who are fellow nerds like myself. I thought it'd be fun to come up with some more names to add to the list!
Again, the point is to pick names that you, as the parent (or writer in my case) are aware belong to a beloved character, while not saddling your child with an obvious name like Anakin or a boring name like Matt. Even if it is the name of the current Doctor.
Girl Names:
Amelia- This name actually serves double duty if you're a Doctor Who fan it's obvious, if you're a Star Wars fan it might not be quite as obvious. It's the name given to Jacen and Tenel Ka's daughter after she is taken in by Han and Leia at the end of the Legacy of the Force series
Alanna- Yet another that serves two separate groups of fans. This is the real name of Jacen and Tenel Ka's daughter, but it is also the name of the Lady Knight in Tamora Pierce's book series
River- Do you think of Tam or Song? Either way it's one of my personal favorite girl's names since I love both characters with this name
Melody- If you've seen the Doctor Who episode A Good Man Goes to War then the reason this name is on here is self-explanatory
Rose- And why shouldn't you name your child after one of the Doctor's most famous companions?
Boy Names:
Rory- For Doctor Who fans, this is an obvious choice, I mean, what better honor than to name your kid for the Last Centurion?
Neal- Ok, this one maybe isn't that dorky, but if you're a fan of White Collar, then you know the name Neal Caffrey is just a really cool sounding name. However, it might be avoided if you don't want your child to become one of the FBI's most wanted
Mickey- No, I'm not talking about the Mouse! I'm talking about Mickey Smith, ex-boyfriend of Rose Tyler and one of many heroes of Earth in Doctor Who
Kieran- Another for the Star Wars fans out there who read. It's the name used by Corran Horn when he first started training to be a Jedi
The Transportation system- Like I said, the subway and bus system here is extensive and that's all well and good, however, unless you're taking the subway it takes freakin' forever to get anywhere. Which is a problem for me, because when I want to get to school, I have to take a bus. It's my only option. Unless I want to pay about the same amount as my tuition per semester to take a cab. According to Google Maps, it's 3.5 miles to my school. What would take me about 5 minutes to drive on Long Island turns into an hour long commute one way. I've never quite understood the phrase "faster than a New York minute" because there's really no such thing as getting anywhere fast on this little island. Again, unless you're taking a subway there's a lot of "hurry up and wait" for the next bus or cab to arrive so you can "hurry up and wait" some more in traffic.
Not having a car- This goes hand in hand with my complaints about the transportation around here. Sometimes when I want to go somewhere I don't want to wait 10-15 minutes for the next bus to arrive. I want to leave my apartment and start moving, not sit around and wait. Maybe it's because everyone on Long Island pretty much gets their driving permits on their 16 birthdays, but I miss my car more often than not.
It's dirty- You know how on all those cop shows you see people wandering around the city and it's bright and there's lots of movement and all that stuff that makes for good tv? Well, it's not like that for real. And I'm not just talking about the people who 'forget' to clean up dog poop on the sidewalks, I'm talking about other things like air pollution. Sometimes I look outside my window and go "wow, it's such a beautiful day out, I want to go hang out outside" but the moment I get outside I want to go back in. On a nice day outside the only thing you want to do is take a deep breath and enjoy the experience. When you take a deep breath in the city it's hard not to feel like your lungs are rebelling against you thanks to all the car exhaust, truck exhaust, cigarette smoke and somehow stale feeling air. It's inescapable, even in places like Central Park, and for the most part I try to do as little deep breathing as I can when I'm outside.
No roof access- When I thought about living in the city and the things that would be cool about it and the things that would suck, there were only two things I required from any potential apartment. A fire escape, and a roof that I could go to and hang out on. After all, on all the cool tv shows that take place in New York City, that seems to be the place where everyone hangs out. I got my fire escape. I didn't get my roof access.
People- While I may act friendly enough to the average person, I'm not really a people person. The only reason I don't go all out and show it like say, Mary Shannon of "In Plain Sight", that's only because it's easier to just suck it up and deal with a person rather than picking a fight about how dense they are. There's a lot of people here. And 90% make me want to drill a hole through my skull. The cure? A book and earplugs with my iPod at all times. It's safer for everyone involved.
Being close to the water- Maybe this is a hold over from living on Long Island, but I love that the apartment I live in is walking distance to the East River. One of my favorite things to do with Kara is to take her out on a nice walk along the path by the water.
The transportation system- The bus and subway system is expansive. You can get pretty much anywhere in Manhattan by either taking a bus or the subway or a combination of both. Just make sure your MetroCard is filled and off you go!
Different places to eat- In walking distance of my area alone there are Indian restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Italian restaurants, pizza places, an Uno's and plenty of other cuisine choices. And they're all really good.
Walking distance- As nice as it is to just hop on a bus to get somewhere, sometimes you don't want to wait for it to arrive to get you somewhere and that's often the case with me when I want to go to the supermarket or the movie theater or something like that. Which is fine because I can walk less than 10 minutes and get to most things I need, there's even a 7-11 right on my corner!
Dog Parks- If I had to pick one thing that I really loved about the city it would be the dog parks. Kara may not be a fan of running around with other crazy animals, but I love that there's a place I can take her and sit with her and know that the day she does want to play with the other dogs she'll be able to. There's a dog park right at the end of my block and Central Park is a short bus ride away with even more parks and places to just walk around and enjoy the scenery.
< Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose intelligence is surest."
Ravenclaw students tend to be clever, witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable.
Notable residents include Cho Chang and Padma Patil (objects of Harry and Ron's affections), and Luna Lovegood (daughter of The Quibbler magazine's editor).
It took me about 5 minutes to complete, and I honestly wasn't all that surprised to get Ravenclaw. In my years as a Harry Potter fan I've taken a few of these kinds of tests of the years and I pretty consistently get Ravenclaw. Which is fine by me! Which house do you belong in, and is that where you want to be?
I saw the final Harry Potter movie last night (this morning?) at the midnight showing at my local theater, so once I've had some sleep I'll post my thoughts on it.
The other day I took my dog, Kara Reiko, a pekingese/shih tzu mix, to the local vet for a wellness check up. She hadn't been to the vet in about a year so I thought it was about time to go. Now, Kara is a very happy, energetic and playful dog even at almost four and a half years old. She loves nothing more than to run after her favorite toy or for me to 'chase' her around the house so I thought for sure this was going to be a quick in and out check up.
Unfortunately, it wasn't. The first thing the vet commented on was that that Kara has what is called luxating patella. According to the vet there are four types of it, with one being the most mild case and four being the most severe. The vet also said that Kara has type IV, the most sever case of it. She even let me feel as she moved Kara's kneecap right out of place and back in again. It was extremely disconcerting especially since I've never noticed any symptoms of it in her, and the other vet that I took her to on Long Island didn't catch it.
She explained to me how I need to keep Kara from jumping on and off the bed and couches and things like that. Which is going to be extremely hard to do considering how often we play by her jumping on and off the couch or the bed, or how at home she jumps off the couch arm rests when she's barking at some squirrel outside.
The part that baffles me the most is the fact that the vet says Kara has type IV, which is the most severe and everything I'm reading online talks about how a dog with type IV would be limping all the time and need to have the kneecap reset by a vet. Except, like I mentioned, Kara runs around all the time and has never shown any signs of limping or any kind of pain at all. If the vet is right then I'm not sure how I missed it because it sounds really serious and I'd hate to thing that this is happening to my poor little dog and I didn't catch the signs. I mean, I spotted a random red mark on the back of her neck that was gone within a few hours, how can I miss limping or running in pain? I don't get it especially because Kara is a faster runner than I am, and if I want to take her outside to run full tilt I have to get on my Razor scooter in order to keep up with her.
I've decided I'm going to call the vet and ask some more questions just to make sure that I understood correctly and I'm not just driving myself crazy for no reason. If anyone out there knows more or has experienced this with their dog I'd really appreciate hearing about it. I know Kara will appreciate it to because as of right now I have the couch and my bed blocked off so she can't jump up on them and I know she's hating it.
It may seem like a silly thing to give any thought to but since I have different shoelaces for some of my sneakers it's important to tie them a certain way if you want to be able to see the cool patterns on the laces. For example, my sneakers that have my "I <3 Zombies" shoelaces are tied so the words are actually legible.
I liked some of the different designs on the site above so I tried it on my high top Converses.
On the left is the pattern Double Back, and on the right is how I had it tied before, just as a comparison point. I think it's pretty cool and I'm looking forward to figuring out which patterns I want to use on my other Converse sneakers that I have.
Back in May my friend and I went to the Discovery Museum to go see the Harry Potter exhibit that's there. I used to be a much bigger Potter fan than I currently am, but I was still really excited to go. I'd been to the exhibit of Star Wars: The Magic of Myth when it opened at the Brooklyn museum of art in 2002, and the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination while it was in Boston in 2005. Both exhibits were fantastic and I had a lot of fun at each of them so I was similarly looking forward to the Harry Potter exhibit. It's always really cool to see the costumes and get a sense of what they're like in person, and often times it's really fun to see just how tall the actors are in real life since that's hard to get from a movie screen. In fact, in Boston, my friend and I (the same friend who accompanied me to the Harry Potter exhibition) were surprised to see the actual size of a droideka and realize just how tall they are! It gave us a better appreciation for why they're able to give even a Jedi a hard time.
Anyway, back to the Harry Potter exhibit.
The fact that they had the Weasley car coming out of the building was a nice touch. But the nice touches ended there. Once inside you were told that there was no photography allowed. That in and of itself was extremely disappointing because what's the fun in seeing the costumes if you can't pose next to them for pictures, or take a picture of some of the props that they had to show your friends how cool they were?
Also, it was a very small exhibit. Most of the costumes were from the last two movies, meaning The Half-Blood Prince and the first part of the Deathly Hallows. There were a few costumes from the other movies, though. We were done with the whole exhibit in less than an hour. That's probably because once you were inside there weren't many labels for the costumes aside from telling you what movie the outfit was used in and who wore it. So my friend and I pretty much just wandered through the whole exhibit just glancing at the costumes and moving on, especially since people would crowd around the more popular costumes (such as Harry's trunk that had some school books in it or the Quidditch players costumes) and it was frustrating to try to squeeze in with the other people to get a good look.
I know I probably shouldn't compare, but I can't help it. I had a lot more fun at the two different Star Wars exhibits than I did at the Harry Potter one. For one, we were allowed to take pictures and I would put some up but they're on my mom's computer and I don't have access to them. And two, the exhibits were just more friendly when it came to how they were set up and more than anything, they were set up and meant to be fun. The labels for the costumes were more detailed and just the way it was laid out in the museum lent itself to be enjoyed more since you were able to wander around the area and go wherever you wanted rather than be shuffled along with a crowd of people all trying to get a look at one thing.
In my opinion, the Harry Potter exhibit wasn't worth the $30 that I paid to get in. In fact, I wish that I had instead spent my money on the new dinosaur exhibit at the natural history museum, the World's Largest Dinosaurs. When I have money to spare again that's where I'll be going and I'm sure the museum won't let me down.
Just out of curiosity I'm starting another poll (my first one was marginally successful) so I'm marking the beginning of it with a post.
As I have been lately on a Doctor Who kick (in case my string of Doctor Who posts didn't give it away) and I thought I'd come up with a poll relating to that. Originally I was going to ask who everyone's favorite Doctor was, but since I've only watched the recent ones I thought that limited it too much to just Nine, Ten or Eleven. So instead I want to hear who your favorite companion has been! Feel free to explain in detail in the comments, or sound off in any way.
Note: This is me trying out spontaneous blog posting rather than my usual carefully thought out posts that are scheduled. Also, spoilers ahead. You have been warned.
A few months back my dad attended the Tribeca Film Festival and watched the movie "Grave Encounters" which then started us off on the subject of horror movies. I'm not usually big on horror movies since they aren't usually as good as I hope for. That's not to say I don't like them, and I even compiled a list of my favorites for a previous blog post. Anyway, while my dad was telling me about Grave Encounters, the only thing I could think about were the two Paranormal Activity movies so I finally got Paranormal Activity 2 on Netflix dvd and today we sat down to watch both of them right after the other.
"Demons run when a good man goes to war.
Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war.
Friendship dies and true love lies.
Night will fall and dark will rise.
When a good man goes to war.
Demons run but count the cost, the battle’s won but the child is lost.”
- River Song Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes to War
I've just been re-watching the last episode before the summer break thanks to a 48 hour iTunes rental. My mind is still reeling from that episode, and if you haven't seen it not only will the above poem not make any sense to you but I'm not entirely sure what you're waiting for! Go watch it! It's a brilliant cliffhanger for the 'midseason' finale and I can't wait for it to start up again in September. Even if the tile "Let's Kill Hitler" seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the previous episode. I'm sure Steven Moffat won't let us down, though.
I always hate the blog posts from people apologizing and explaining their absences from the blogverse so I'll keep this one short. My disappearance was due to my nerd lifestyle taking a brief backseat to my real life as things such as finals, the police test and my job at my tae kwon do school took control of my life and I had to settle in for the ride.
All I have to say about the following link is that even though I am not (yet) a police officer I fully believe everything said in the following post. I believe it so much that I'm taking the police test for my county in just a few weeks. I know my chances of actually getting the job are slim (it's not a good time to be taking the police test in my district) but that's why I'm a criminal justice major and there are plenty of other districts I can go to and take their tests.
That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane,
Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn - world
Serves its own needs, dont misserve your own needs. Feed
It off an aux speak, grunt, no, strength,turn, ladder
Start to clatter with fear fight down height. Wire
In a fire, representing seven games, in a government
For hire and a combat site. Left of west and coming in
A hurry with the furies breathing down your neck. Team
By team reporters baffled, trumped, tethered cropped
Look at that low playing! Fine, then. Uh oh,
Overflow, population, common food, but it'll do. Save
Yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs,
Listen to your heart bleed dummy with the rapture and
The revered and the right, right. You vitriolic,
Patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty
Psyched
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine
Six o'clock - TV hour. Don't get caught in foreign
Towers. Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself
Churn. Locking in, uniforming,and book burning, blood
Letting. Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive. Step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crushed, uh-oh, this means no
Fear cavalier. Renegade steer clear! A tournament,
a Tournament, a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions,
Offer me alternatives and I decline
(chorus)
It's the end of the world as we know it (it's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (it's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (it's time I had some
time alone)
I feel fine
(repeat chorus)
The other night I dreamt of knives, continental
Drift divide. Mountains sit in a line, Leonard
Bernstein. Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester
Bangs. Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom! You
Symbiotic, patriotic, slam book neck, right? Right
(repeat chorus)
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (it's time I had some
time alone)
(repeat chorus 2x)
Fine
It's the end of the world as we know it (it's time I had some time alone)
- R.E.M.
And, as a bonus, a video! Since the world is apparently ending today I thought I'd go all out. Enjoy! And, to quote a great man... "I'll see you in hell!"
(If you don't know that's Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back then you make me sad...)
Back to the street where we began
Feeling as good as lovers can, you know
Yeah, we're feeling so good
Picking up things we shouldn't read
It looks like the end of history as we know
It's just the end of the world
Back to the street where we began
Feeling as good as love, you could, you can
Into a place where thoughts can bloom
Into a room where it's nine in the afternoon
And we know that it could be
And we know that it should
And you know that you feel it too
'Cause it's nine in the afternoon
And your eyes are the size of the moon
You could, 'cause you can, so you do
We're feeling so good, just the way that we do
When it's nine in the afternoon
Your eyes are the size of the moon
You could, 'cause you can, so you do
We're feeling so good
Back to the street, down to our feet
Losing the feeling of feeling unique
Do ya know what I mean?
Back to the place where we used to stay
Man, it feels good to feel this way
And now I know what I mean
Back to the street, back to the place
Back to the room where it all began
Back to the room where it all began
'Cause it's nine in the afternoon
Your eyes are the size of the moon
You could, 'cause you can, so you do
We're feeling so good, just the way that we do
When it's nine in the afternoon
Your eyes are the size of the moon
You could, 'cause you can, so you do
We're feeling so good, just the way that we do
When it's nine in the afternoon
Your eyes are the size of the moon
You could, 'cause you can, so you do
We're feeling so good, just the way that we do
When it's nine in the afternoon
I've been trying to write it off
But I'm doing all I can
To take the slur out of my words
You do your best to understand
I'm keeping you in mind
But I'm getting out of hand
Pour the medicine that keeps me right
Is settling
I get so easily distracted
It's 7 and I'm already wasted
I'm 21 and I'm already hazy
What am I gonna, what am I gonna do?
It's 7 and I'm already wasted
I'm 21 and I'm already hazy
What am I gonna...
I'm gonna stand up and brush it off
And I'll become a better man
I've been trying to explain myself
But no one understands
I'm getting out of line
But I'm keeping all my plans
My movements and my messages are all I said
But my constant contradictions
It's 7 and I'm already wasted
I'm 21 and I'm already hazy
What am I gonna, what am I gonna do?
It's 7 and I'm already wasted
I'm 21 and I'm already hazy
What am I gonna, what am I gonna say?
What do you do here in the moment?
What do you say?
What do you do?
What do you need?
7 and I'm already wasted
I'm 21 and I'm already hazy
What am I gonna, what am I gonna do?
It's 7 and I'm already wasted
I'm 21 and I'm already hazy
What am I gonna, what am I gonna do?
- The Starting Line
This song came up on my Pandora radio station the other day and I enjoyed it thoroughly being a 21 year old myself. So I had to share.
Yesterday was Free Comic Book Day! As I mentioned in another post I was going to be attending with a cosplayer group. Most of the members went to the downtown location but I went to the Times Square one because it was closer and easier for me to get to. I had a really great time just hanging out and talking to some of the people waiting in line and hopefully amusing them. Anyway, all the pictures are up on their Facebook page here. From there you can check out all the photos from their three locations.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one:
Also, I was given a free pass for an advanced screening of the movie Priest which I will be going to on Thursday with my dad. We have no expectations from that movie, but it should be a fun thing to do on an otherwise boring Thursday night.
Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day! That's right, head to your local comic book store and (assuming they're participating, which, if they're smart they will be) they should have a selection of free comic books to choose from! And if they're really cool, they'll be like Midtown Comics here in the city and have a big celebration type thing. And if they're very very cool like Midtown Comics, they'll have people dressed up in costume!
That's right, I'm going to be at Midtown Comics dressed up, because I'm really cool that way. My Jedi costume is 90% finished (meaning it's acceptable to be worn and looks really cool but not good enough for Rebel Legion standards because I'm missing about two things) so I will be there with another group of costumers promoting comics and the store and otherwise just looking really spiffy in our costumes. No, we're not getting paid for it, we're just doing it because it's an excuse to dress up and have a whole lot of fun. When else will I get to take the subway wearing half my tunic and carrying my lightsaber and not feel like a crazy person? Ok, maybe on my way to some other NYC convention, but I don't have any of those lined up.
I've been looking forward to free comic book day pretty much the entire semester! Here's a preview of me wearing most of my costume that I took while I was in Philadelphia visiting a friend of mine.
For anyone wondering, I still have to get my mom to make the undershirt for my tunic (I'm wearing an an inside out Star Wars t-shirt here), she has to make me better pants and the tabards. I'd also like to get new boots for it, but the ones I have for now are fine. They're not shown in this picture.
Anyway, if you're in NYC come down to Midtown Comics and check out all the cool people in costume, and if you're not, still head to your local comic book store and see if they're participating in free comic book day!
