Well, I am nearly done with the five hats for Klondike.
Well, actually, not really.
I started the fourth this morning, and I only just learned I had to do a fifth, which is slightly terrifying. But whatever. Since the fifth I had NO idea about and only found about half an hour ago (she did not tell me her colors when I posted in the group a few weeks ago), I'm giving her really weird colors (maroon and orange, or something to that effect).
Anyhow, in other news, I am getting SUPER pumped about my senior project, because it is perhaps the dorkiest thing ever. It started off as the fashion line thing and sort of developed into this, which I am TOTALLY excited about, by the way. It is knitting a large garment and two extra things based on adventure/ sci-fi movies, particularly Indiana Jones (vest, satchel, wristlets), Pirates of the Caribbean (vest, sword sash, belt), Lord of the Rings (shirt, belt, coin purse), and Star Wars (Jedi tunic, belt, wristlets). It is going to be rather difficult to get it all done, particularly in three weeks, but whatever. I really want to get this done.
Also, I have already found people who are willing to be models for it.
The one I ham most excited about is the Star Wars one, even though it is the most complicated (Jedi tunics are hard) and the largest (THREE FREAKING PIECES!).
I'm not selling any of the larger things, by the way (I might majorly piss off George Lucas and the Government for selling his copyrighted stuff), though I may work on some of the vests (neither of which directly appeared in the movies) and sell those, and I'm probably going to work on developing the belts and wristlets to sell as well.
I'm really excited.
Okay, my dork rant is over, and I have to go to lunch. Farewell.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Senior Stuff and Musicals!
Well, opening night for the musical is tonight, and I am kind of majorly terrified. Okay, not majorly, but still sort of nervous. See, even though I've been in 21 shows (counting this one), the only times I've ever had solos were in Cabarets, where EVERYONE has a solo unless they are deliberately singing in a group. Also, I'm notoriously bad at keeping my own pitch when there is a full orchestra playing under me (I think this is partially due to a severe lack of experience of having a solo with a full orchestra. Funny how that works. You don't get solos unless you have experience holding your own pitch; you don't get experience holding your own pitch unless you get solos). So there's that. However, I HAVE gotten better, which is good. Rather than being notoriously bad, I'm now just cautiously okay.
In other news, I have some ideas of what to do for a senior project. The top three are writing a novel, doing some sort of theater internship, and knitting/ designing some sort of fashion line thing. I know I could do the novel; the theater internship might be harder to secure. The knitting... I'm not so sure.
However, I've been sort of captured by the whole knitting thing (even if knitting is not a warm-weather activity). The only problem with this is that, should I choose to pursue it, I'd be knitting somewhere in the vicinity of five to ten hours a day, including weekends (the senior project rules require that you work at least 25 hours a week). There's no issue of me being able to find the time - if I do senior projects, my teachers generally let me out of class (except for my chorus teacher, but that's only until the spring concert is over), and I don't doubt I will be able to buy cotton yarn somewhere and work with it. The trouble is that whole knitting-ten-hours-a-day thing. I mean, in order to pass the senior project committee (we ARE getting graded on it), I have to do something substantial. And something substantial involves knitting a LOT. Also, what would I do about models? What would I do about actually SHOWING it?
I already have an idea of what I would make - three or four major things (a dress and two shirts; two dresses and two shirts.... something like that), and an array of accessory type things - bags, belts, stuff like that.
The trouble is, I tried knitting a dress in three weeks. It didn't work. It came close, but it didn't work. Partially because I was epically procrastinating on it.
That's another potential for disaster - with an entire afternoon off (and more, when chorus is over), how much TV time will I be logging, and how much will I use TV time to procrastinate on the epic amounts of knitting I'll have to be doing?
I mean, I have to train for Philmont as well, which means I'm going to have to take at least an hour out each day to do some sort of physical exercise. I should have started training months ago, which means I need to start exercising in earnest, like, now. That is a mandatory thing.
If I have to knit ten hours a day, and I'm going for an hour run and getting back at one, that means I will finally put my needles down at 11:00 every night, and that is if I don't procrastinate epically.
Who needs epic knitting three weeks before school lets out, anyway?
Any thoughts?
In other news, I have some ideas of what to do for a senior project. The top three are writing a novel, doing some sort of theater internship, and knitting/ designing some sort of fashion line thing. I know I could do the novel; the theater internship might be harder to secure. The knitting... I'm not so sure.
However, I've been sort of captured by the whole knitting thing (even if knitting is not a warm-weather activity). The only problem with this is that, should I choose to pursue it, I'd be knitting somewhere in the vicinity of five to ten hours a day, including weekends (the senior project rules require that you work at least 25 hours a week). There's no issue of me being able to find the time - if I do senior projects, my teachers generally let me out of class (except for my chorus teacher, but that's only until the spring concert is over), and I don't doubt I will be able to buy cotton yarn somewhere and work with it. The trouble is that whole knitting-ten-hours-a-day thing. I mean, in order to pass the senior project committee (we ARE getting graded on it), I have to do something substantial. And something substantial involves knitting a LOT. Also, what would I do about models? What would I do about actually SHOWING it?
I already have an idea of what I would make - three or four major things (a dress and two shirts; two dresses and two shirts.... something like that), and an array of accessory type things - bags, belts, stuff like that.
The trouble is, I tried knitting a dress in three weeks. It didn't work. It came close, but it didn't work. Partially because I was epically procrastinating on it.
That's another potential for disaster - with an entire afternoon off (and more, when chorus is over), how much TV time will I be logging, and how much will I use TV time to procrastinate on the epic amounts of knitting I'll have to be doing?
I mean, I have to train for Philmont as well, which means I'm going to have to take at least an hour out each day to do some sort of physical exercise. I should have started training months ago, which means I need to start exercising in earnest, like, now. That is a mandatory thing.
If I have to knit ten hours a day, and I'm going for an hour run and getting back at one, that means I will finally put my needles down at 11:00 every night, and that is if I don't procrastinate epically.
Who needs epic knitting three weeks before school lets out, anyway?
Any thoughts?
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
musicals and stuff
Greetings!
Well, the stuff that I was most worried about with regards to the musical have finally been solved. I have a costume! And we rehearsed the song we need to rehearse! So things are good in that regard. Okay, I don't ENTIRELY like my costume, but at least it exists, and it sort of fits my character's personality! Huzzah!
On the other hand, there's a little over a week until the show goes up, and our set isn't fully built and a lot of people still desperately need to work on their lines. I'm pretty much good, because I only have two lines, but some of the main people really need to work on it.
Also, I'm going to have to miss musical rehearsal in its entirety for the first time ever on Saturday. In the four years I've been doing my school's musical, this is the first time I'm going to have to get out of rehearsal all day.
Of course, I haven't been a senior for the last three years, so I wasn't applying to college the other three years, so that doesn't really count.
On Saturday, I'm going to go for a scholarship interview for a college that's among my top three. I applied early action there and regular for the other schools, so I have heard back from only this one and a few others as of yet.
The whole thing is just sort of panic-inducing because I'm missing rehearsal so close to the show, and it's for something that will affect my future a LOT. I want to get both right, but it's kind of hard to pull off without a Time Turner.
Also, I have awesome news on the knitting front. I've finally started binding off on the Dark Mark Flag, and I actually LIKE how it turned out. Okay, the top could be better, but MOST of it looks cool.
Now I have to start working on the hats that I'm making for the Crew. They aren't matching in color, but the Dark Mark is a recurring theme. The main reason for that is because I don't have enough gray and green yarn to make six or nine hats with; I probably don't have enough gray and green to make ONE hat. But I DO have a lot of other colors and a Dark Mark intarsia pattern, and we DO get points for team spirit at Klondike. Why not add some creativity?
Anyhow, I have homework to attend to before a four-hour rehearsal today. Farewell.
Well, the stuff that I was most worried about with regards to the musical have finally been solved. I have a costume! And we rehearsed the song we need to rehearse! So things are good in that regard. Okay, I don't ENTIRELY like my costume, but at least it exists, and it sort of fits my character's personality! Huzzah!
On the other hand, there's a little over a week until the show goes up, and our set isn't fully built and a lot of people still desperately need to work on their lines. I'm pretty much good, because I only have two lines, but some of the main people really need to work on it.
Also, I'm going to have to miss musical rehearsal in its entirety for the first time ever on Saturday. In the four years I've been doing my school's musical, this is the first time I'm going to have to get out of rehearsal all day.
Of course, I haven't been a senior for the last three years, so I wasn't applying to college the other three years, so that doesn't really count.
On Saturday, I'm going to go for a scholarship interview for a college that's among my top three. I applied early action there and regular for the other schools, so I have heard back from only this one and a few others as of yet.
The whole thing is just sort of panic-inducing because I'm missing rehearsal so close to the show, and it's for something that will affect my future a LOT. I want to get both right, but it's kind of hard to pull off without a Time Turner.
Also, I have awesome news on the knitting front. I've finally started binding off on the Dark Mark Flag, and I actually LIKE how it turned out. Okay, the top could be better, but MOST of it looks cool.
Now I have to start working on the hats that I'm making for the Crew. They aren't matching in color, but the Dark Mark is a recurring theme. The main reason for that is because I don't have enough gray and green yarn to make six or nine hats with; I probably don't have enough gray and green to make ONE hat. But I DO have a lot of other colors and a Dark Mark intarsia pattern, and we DO get points for team spirit at Klondike. Why not add some creativity?
Anyhow, I have homework to attend to before a four-hour rehearsal today. Farewell.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Knitting For Awesomeness
GUESS WHAT!?!?!? I get to knit something! It's a totally awesome something! And the totally awesome something is going to be TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You may think how utterly Not Exciting this is. And, I admit, me knitting something is totally Old News by the standards of pretty much everyone I know. But I get to knit something AWESOME this time!!! And it's going to be AWESOME! (can you tell that I'm excited about doing it?)
Before I say what it is, I need to digress for a second. (It'll make more sense when I actually get to the bit about what it is I'm making).
So, as you probably know, I'm in a Venture Crew. (Venture Crew is essentially co-ed Boy Scouts.) We can do all the stuff that normal Boy Scouts do, except we do it more awesomely because we're co-ed (and we wear different uniforms because we're not actually Boy Scouts).
Anyway, my Crew is sending the first all-girl team (I think - I don't know whether we will be all-girl) to the Klondike Derby (where you drag sleds around, even when there's no snow, and do Boy-Scout-y things). At each of the towns, where you perform each of the tasks (knot tying, first aid, stuff like that), you get little nuggets, which are basically your points. You don't get any nuggets for the things you don't do right, and whichever team gets the most points wins the thing (yes, it's a competition). You also get points for team spirit, which entails a Flag, a Team Name, and a Team Cheer, among other things, I think.
And that brings me to Why I Get To Knit Something Awesome. That Awesome Something is our Team Flag, for which you get points for originality and execution and stuff as part of the Team Spirit Points. Since I can't go to the Derby (which makes me very sad indeed), my contribution to the endeavor of Winning Klondike is making the flag. I have to design and execute the intarsia for it (intarsia = motifs = single-image things that you knit. Fair Isle can be found on all those weird knit sweaters from the 80's). And the intarsia that I'm designing and knitting onto the flag is that of the Dark Mark from Harry Potter. It's based off of the Dark Mark design from the book rather than the movie, because the Movie Dark Mark is more complicated and harder to design for a Newbie Intarsia Designer like me.
Nevertheless, I'm supremely excited.
I've already started working on it, and it's turning out a lot better than I expected. It's also going a lot faster than I expected. I don't know why this might be, but it is. Maybe I've found more time to knit during the school day. Maybe I've gotten faster at knitting. Maybe doing intarsia makes the process going faster. Maybe I'm just supremely psyched to see how the intarsia worked out and am therefore knitting really fast to see how the proportions worked out and stuff so I can have time to go back and do some frogging if I need to (frogging = undoing).
Well, I have to go knit now. Farewell.
You may think how utterly Not Exciting this is. And, I admit, me knitting something is totally Old News by the standards of pretty much everyone I know. But I get to knit something AWESOME this time!!! And it's going to be AWESOME! (can you tell that I'm excited about doing it?)
Before I say what it is, I need to digress for a second. (It'll make more sense when I actually get to the bit about what it is I'm making).
So, as you probably know, I'm in a Venture Crew. (Venture Crew is essentially co-ed Boy Scouts.) We can do all the stuff that normal Boy Scouts do, except we do it more awesomely because we're co-ed (and we wear different uniforms because we're not actually Boy Scouts).
Anyway, my Crew is sending the first all-girl team (I think - I don't know whether we will be all-girl) to the Klondike Derby (where you drag sleds around, even when there's no snow, and do Boy-Scout-y things). At each of the towns, where you perform each of the tasks (knot tying, first aid, stuff like that), you get little nuggets, which are basically your points. You don't get any nuggets for the things you don't do right, and whichever team gets the most points wins the thing (yes, it's a competition). You also get points for team spirit, which entails a Flag, a Team Name, and a Team Cheer, among other things, I think.
And that brings me to Why I Get To Knit Something Awesome. That Awesome Something is our Team Flag, for which you get points for originality and execution and stuff as part of the Team Spirit Points. Since I can't go to the Derby (which makes me very sad indeed), my contribution to the endeavor of Winning Klondike is making the flag. I have to design and execute the intarsia for it (intarsia = motifs = single-image things that you knit. Fair Isle can be found on all those weird knit sweaters from the 80's). And the intarsia that I'm designing and knitting onto the flag is that of the Dark Mark from Harry Potter. It's based off of the Dark Mark design from the book rather than the movie, because the Movie Dark Mark is more complicated and harder to design for a Newbie Intarsia Designer like me.
Nevertheless, I'm supremely excited.
I've already started working on it, and it's turning out a lot better than I expected. It's also going a lot faster than I expected. I don't know why this might be, but it is. Maybe I've found more time to knit during the school day. Maybe I've gotten faster at knitting. Maybe doing intarsia makes the process going faster. Maybe I'm just supremely psyched to see how the intarsia worked out and am therefore knitting really fast to see how the proportions worked out and stuff so I can have time to go back and do some frogging if I need to (frogging = undoing).
Well, I have to go knit now. Farewell.
Friday, January 6, 2012
excitingness and rehearsal
Well, I have some news, and I have some news.
The first bit of news is that I may or may not be able to write the climax of my novel today. The maybe factor comes in at the times in which I have a choice to make as to whether to keep procrastinating or actually write the darn thing.
The other bit of news is that I have rehearsal all next week, and I don't like it.
Well, I like rehearsal. But I don't like the CONCEPT of rehearsal. Also, I don't have a costume yet, which cannot be said for the rest of the main female ensemble.
I like going to rehearsal and I generally like the musical (except for going to the full-cast rehearsals when nobody pays attention to the directors because everybody is talking to their friends). But, in theory, I don't like the idea of having to spend three hours (or four or five) not doing homework. Generally, though, the musical is enjoyable.
I just have to re-learn time management, because right now it may not be working out well. (We've only been back in school for a week, so I haven't returned to the utterly confusing part of calculus yet).
Being in rehearsals have made me appreciate free blocks a lot more. Especially having two or three free blocks a day. From what I hear, free blocks help a lot of my school's alumni with time management in college. For me, that remains to be seen (partly due to the fact that I don't know where I am going).
Speaking of college, my #3 has finally endeared itself to my mother (it's also the school that I have a high chance of going to, because my #1 and #2 are really ridiculously competitive). I always thought I'd like it there, because it's tiny and has a good writing program and a good classical theatre program, and those are my top two career choices. My mom thought it was the super-conservative type of college (not like deep south, but sort of close), and that, since I grew up liberal, I would probably really abhor it because of that.
There were two things that finally convinced her (aside from my liking it) that I would be happy there.
First, they had an LGBT advocacy week recently. I'm not sure of the direct reasoning behind it (in memorial of suicides? Fundraising against LGBT bullying? Because it was a free week in the semester?), but I'm glad it exists.
The other reason my mom is finally fine with it is that they have a supermassive Harry Potter Movie Marathon planned for this weekend.
Honestly, those two things alone would have convinced me to apply, if I hadn't already gotten in. Huzzah!
Right. Enough about college. I have to go write the climax of a novel that I've been working on for the last two months. Or go to Starbucks. But probably the former, because it's cold and I'm broke, and I don't need caffeine.
Farewell.
The first bit of news is that I may or may not be able to write the climax of my novel today. The maybe factor comes in at the times in which I have a choice to make as to whether to keep procrastinating or actually write the darn thing.
The other bit of news is that I have rehearsal all next week, and I don't like it.
Well, I like rehearsal. But I don't like the CONCEPT of rehearsal. Also, I don't have a costume yet, which cannot be said for the rest of the main female ensemble.
I like going to rehearsal and I generally like the musical (except for going to the full-cast rehearsals when nobody pays attention to the directors because everybody is talking to their friends). But, in theory, I don't like the idea of having to spend three hours (or four or five) not doing homework. Generally, though, the musical is enjoyable.
I just have to re-learn time management, because right now it may not be working out well. (We've only been back in school for a week, so I haven't returned to the utterly confusing part of calculus yet).
Being in rehearsals have made me appreciate free blocks a lot more. Especially having two or three free blocks a day. From what I hear, free blocks help a lot of my school's alumni with time management in college. For me, that remains to be seen (partly due to the fact that I don't know where I am going).
Speaking of college, my #3 has finally endeared itself to my mother (it's also the school that I have a high chance of going to, because my #1 and #2 are really ridiculously competitive). I always thought I'd like it there, because it's tiny and has a good writing program and a good classical theatre program, and those are my top two career choices. My mom thought it was the super-conservative type of college (not like deep south, but sort of close), and that, since I grew up liberal, I would probably really abhor it because of that.
There were two things that finally convinced her (aside from my liking it) that I would be happy there.
First, they had an LGBT advocacy week recently. I'm not sure of the direct reasoning behind it (in memorial of suicides? Fundraising against LGBT bullying? Because it was a free week in the semester?), but I'm glad it exists.
The other reason my mom is finally fine with it is that they have a supermassive Harry Potter Movie Marathon planned for this weekend.
Honestly, those two things alone would have convinced me to apply, if I hadn't already gotten in. Huzzah!
Right. Enough about college. I have to go write the climax of a novel that I've been working on for the last two months. Or go to Starbucks. But probably the former, because it's cold and I'm broke, and I don't need caffeine.
Farewell.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Bored and musicals!
So right now, I'm bored. Go figure! It happens a lot when I have free time. And when I've finished all the homework I can do right now. Like reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray."
For the record, the ending of "Dorian Gray" (which is really good book in general, by the way) is the hugest mind-fudge ever. If any of you have read the book, you would know what I mean. If any of you haven't read the book, I suggest you do so, especially if you like books that involve the slow descent into insanity and darkness and people who you think are someone are actually embodied in other things and stuff. And huge mind-fudges where it turns out what you thought was someone was someone else and stuff (think Mad Eye Moody and the polyjuice potion from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Wait... that was basically the same thing I said earlier. Never mind. But it was still an epically huge mind-fudge.
But, in all, it was a really good book. Also, the painter dude was completely in love with Dorian (ye who have read the book shall not deny the obvious truth to this statement. You know it's true).
Anyway, in other news, MUSICAL REHEARSAL IS PICKING UP!!! This is good because it means that the show will be going up soon. It's bad because it means that I have rehearsal until 7:00 (3 hours a day) all this week and next, with two-hour rehearsals on Saturdays; in two weeks, it'll progress to 8:00 rehearsal every day (4 hours a day); then it'll be 9:00 (5 hours a day) and then it'll be show night. AAAHHHH!!!!!!
I think it's going to be a good show, but we NEED to work on one of the songs. I haven't gotten my music for it, and I have a solo in it. I'm not important enough to have a script, so I need a photocopy of the music, which I haven't gotten. I don't know about you, but I can't really sing something well if I don't know the words. Or the notes. Or the harmony. What's worse is that there are no rehearsal days assigned for the song, so I can't learn it at a rehearsal with the other people in the group. Grrrr.
But some of the songs are going really well. Yesterday, we spent three hours re-working the choreography for one of the all-girl songs, and it turned out really well. I think that'll probably be one of the best songs in the show if it keeps going the way we're going. It just bugs me that I don't have music for the other song. A lot.
Um... there isn't much else to report, except for the fact that I have to do homework later and go to chorus at some point to pass the class and demand my music.
Also, I may have to miss musical rehearsal for the first time ever in a few weeks. I have a scholarship interview at a school that I want to go to. On the other hand, it's a private school, and is therefore expensive, so financial aid in any form it presents itself is very welcome.
So... that is my story/ rant for today. Huzzah!
Farewell. I must depart to go to class and demand music and such.
For the record, the ending of "Dorian Gray" (which is really good book in general, by the way) is the hugest mind-fudge ever. If any of you have read the book, you would know what I mean. If any of you haven't read the book, I suggest you do so, especially if you like books that involve the slow descent into insanity and darkness and people who you think are someone are actually embodied in other things and stuff. And huge mind-fudges where it turns out what you thought was someone was someone else and stuff (think Mad Eye Moody and the polyjuice potion from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Wait... that was basically the same thing I said earlier. Never mind. But it was still an epically huge mind-fudge.
But, in all, it was a really good book. Also, the painter dude was completely in love with Dorian (ye who have read the book shall not deny the obvious truth to this statement. You know it's true).
Anyway, in other news, MUSICAL REHEARSAL IS PICKING UP!!! This is good because it means that the show will be going up soon. It's bad because it means that I have rehearsal until 7:00 (3 hours a day) all this week and next, with two-hour rehearsals on Saturdays; in two weeks, it'll progress to 8:00 rehearsal every day (4 hours a day); then it'll be 9:00 (5 hours a day) and then it'll be show night. AAAHHHH!!!!!!
I think it's going to be a good show, but we NEED to work on one of the songs. I haven't gotten my music for it, and I have a solo in it. I'm not important enough to have a script, so I need a photocopy of the music, which I haven't gotten. I don't know about you, but I can't really sing something well if I don't know the words. Or the notes. Or the harmony. What's worse is that there are no rehearsal days assigned for the song, so I can't learn it at a rehearsal with the other people in the group. Grrrr.
But some of the songs are going really well. Yesterday, we spent three hours re-working the choreography for one of the all-girl songs, and it turned out really well. I think that'll probably be one of the best songs in the show if it keeps going the way we're going. It just bugs me that I don't have music for the other song. A lot.
Um... there isn't much else to report, except for the fact that I have to do homework later and go to chorus at some point to pass the class and demand my music.
Also, I may have to miss musical rehearsal for the first time ever in a few weeks. I have a scholarship interview at a school that I want to go to. On the other hand, it's a private school, and is therefore expensive, so financial aid in any form it presents itself is very welcome.
So... that is my story/ rant for today. Huzzah!
Farewell. I must depart to go to class and demand music and such.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
First Post of 2012!
Hello, and welcome to 2012! For the record, the apocalypse will NOT come in December, if it comes at all - it will come in June, when I graduate. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, I'm done screaming. For now. I may come back and scream some more later... maybe.
Anyway, since it's a new year and stuff, I've decided to post my new year's resolutions. Huzzah! Judge them/ me how you will. I really don't care.
Anyway, the list:
1. Finish a novel.
2. Read a lot of books (target: 50-ish).
3. Get good grades.
4. Get into college.
5. Go to college.
Yeah. Not a lot of resolutions to keep, I know. But that's why it's going to be rather easy to keep the resolutions - because there's not many of them.
Anyhow, in other news, I was NOT partying last night at midnight, nor was I watching the ball drop. I was at home. Reading. Yeah. But the book - "City of Bones" - is really good. Yes, I've finally started it. And it's NOTHING like "Twilight," which is very, very nice.
How is it different?
First, there are demons.
Second, the characters have depth.
Third, there are more questions that just "Who/ what are the Shadowhunters?" There are also questions like "Why can Clary tell there are Shadowhunters when she's not a Shadowhunter herself?" and "What is this block in Clary's memory and why is it there?"
Yeah. City of Bones is REALLY good. I love it. I find it rather annoying, however, that I have to force myself not to read it - a rather difficult task, as I really want to go back to reading it, now that I've started talking about it - because I have to read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and finish a study guide for government instead.
Yes, I have break work.
No, I have not done it yet.
Gotta work on that...
Yeah...
Yep, I'm off to be rather dorky. I will be reading fantasy and doing homework on New Year's Day. I hope this doesn't carry any foreboding for the rest of the year. I do NOT want to be constantly doing homework until December.
Okay, I'm done screaming. For now. I may come back and scream some more later... maybe.
Anyway, since it's a new year and stuff, I've decided to post my new year's resolutions. Huzzah! Judge them/ me how you will. I really don't care.
Anyway, the list:
1. Finish a novel.
2. Read a lot of books (target: 50-ish).
3. Get good grades.
4. Get into college.
5. Go to college.
Yeah. Not a lot of resolutions to keep, I know. But that's why it's going to be rather easy to keep the resolutions - because there's not many of them.
Anyhow, in other news, I was NOT partying last night at midnight, nor was I watching the ball drop. I was at home. Reading. Yeah. But the book - "City of Bones" - is really good. Yes, I've finally started it. And it's NOTHING like "Twilight," which is very, very nice.
How is it different?
First, there are demons.
Second, the characters have depth.
Third, there are more questions that just "Who/ what are the Shadowhunters?" There are also questions like "Why can Clary tell there are Shadowhunters when she's not a Shadowhunter herself?" and "What is this block in Clary's memory and why is it there?"
Yeah. City of Bones is REALLY good. I love it. I find it rather annoying, however, that I have to force myself not to read it - a rather difficult task, as I really want to go back to reading it, now that I've started talking about it - because I have to read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and finish a study guide for government instead.
Yes, I have break work.
No, I have not done it yet.
Gotta work on that...
Yeah...
Yep, I'm off to be rather dorky. I will be reading fantasy and doing homework on New Year's Day. I hope this doesn't carry any foreboding for the rest of the year. I do NOT want to be constantly doing homework until December.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Sherlock, dorkiness, and NaNo songs
Greetings! First off, I just saw the most recent Sherlock Holmes movie, and I HIGHLY recommend it because it was one of the most bloody brilliant movies I have seen in quite some time (in the fast-paced way full of mind-boggling logic and observations that only Sherlock Holmes, even the one played by Robert Downey Jr., can come up with). I enjoyed it immensely.
Second of all, I want to admit to my increased amounts of dorkiness. I didn't mention this yesterday (not sure why), but I went to the National Air and Space Museum in DC yesterday, and while I was there, I found William Shatner's memoirs of "Star Trek."
Yes, I bought it.
And yes, I understand most of the "Star Trek" references that are reasonably rampant within it. It would be impossible to write a memoir of a franchise you've been a part of for a quarter of a century and NOT include references to the franchise.
Anyway, the third thing I'll mention has to do with the NaNoWriMo forums. Being the National Novel Writing Month dork that I am, I still peruse there, waiting for next year's NaNoWriMo and looking for good ideas (and often procrastinating and/ or passing the time). Anyhow, while I was looking through the forums, I found a thread entitled "the 12 days of Nanomas." Upon looking further, I found that several Wrimos had compiled a parody of the classic holiday song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
Because the song is rather awesome, I copied and pasted it here. Sing along if you want. Enjoy!
On the first day of Nanomas
my inspiration gave to me
a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
On the second day of Nanomas
My inspiration gave to me
2 cliched characters
and a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
(skipping ahead to the last verse...)
On the twelfth day of Nanomas
My inspiration gave to me
12 Chekhov's guns
11 heads a-desking
10 characters dead
9 cups of coffee
8 sleepless nights
7 macguffins
6 zany subplots
5 deus ex machinas
4 sequel thoughts
3 plot holes
2 cliched characters
and a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
Second of all, I want to admit to my increased amounts of dorkiness. I didn't mention this yesterday (not sure why), but I went to the National Air and Space Museum in DC yesterday, and while I was there, I found William Shatner's memoirs of "Star Trek."
Yes, I bought it.
And yes, I understand most of the "Star Trek" references that are reasonably rampant within it. It would be impossible to write a memoir of a franchise you've been a part of for a quarter of a century and NOT include references to the franchise.
Anyway, the third thing I'll mention has to do with the NaNoWriMo forums. Being the National Novel Writing Month dork that I am, I still peruse there, waiting for next year's NaNoWriMo and looking for good ideas (and often procrastinating and/ or passing the time). Anyhow, while I was looking through the forums, I found a thread entitled "the 12 days of Nanomas." Upon looking further, I found that several Wrimos had compiled a parody of the classic holiday song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
Because the song is rather awesome, I copied and pasted it here. Sing along if you want. Enjoy!
On the first day of Nanomas
my inspiration gave to me
a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
On the second day of Nanomas
My inspiration gave to me
2 cliched characters
and a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
(skipping ahead to the last verse...)
On the twelfth day of Nanomas
My inspiration gave to me
12 Chekhov's guns
11 heads a-desking
10 characters dead
9 cups of coffee
8 sleepless nights
7 macguffins
6 zany subplots
5 deus ex machinas
4 sequel thoughts
3 plot holes
2 cliched characters
and a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
Monday, December 26, 2011
Holiday Greetings!
Happy (belated) Hanukkah, Merry (belated) Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa (which isn't late!), Merry Solstice (belated, and I probably got the salutation wrong), and General Winter Holiday Greetings for whatever you may celebrate but that I may have missed!!! May the holidays be awesome to you (unless the holidays are, for some reason (be it cultural or religious), not supposed to be awesome for you... I'm not judging you if they are...)!
Personally, I celebrate Christmas, and it was rather awesome this year.
Why?
Well, we flipped up who made what for dinner this year (my brother and I normally do the desserts, but he made the turkey and I made the potatoes).
Also, I only got two articles of clothing: a hat and a National Novel Writing Month Winner's shirt. I specifically asked for no clothing, and I was happy that I didn't get any. I DON'T NEED ANY MORE CLOTHES. Everyone needs hats (especially super-awesome beanies like the one I got), and the National Novel Writing Month Winner's shirts are rather cool. Also, my mother found my fedora, which is EXCITING!
I also got "The Comedy of Errors" and "City of Bones" from my brother. "City of Bones," going from the summary on the back, sounds like the Twilight series but better, because they have demons, action, and the main character seems to have some sort of ability that confuses everyone (as in, they seem to be confused as to what this ability might be and why the main character, of all people, possesses it).
I think it's this ability that captures my interest in "City of Bones" more than my interest in "Twilight." I mean, the first book of "Twilight" wasn't bad, plot-wise, because there was the "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE???" element and the "WHO ARE YOU, EDWARD???" element, but the other books didn't (and, to an extent, really couldn't) expound on that.
Also, the end of "Breaking Dawn" (more specifically, the climactic sequence of "Breaking Dawn") was kind of disappointing. I don't know whether the author is morally opposed to writing fight sequences or something, but if she were, then she could've at least written some sort of struggle in that scene (epic arguing, someone letting their guard down or something that could have endangered EVERYBODY and made you wonder whether anyone was going to come out in one piece) but she didn't. (That non-battle scene is a major contributing factor to the Reasons Why I No Longer Like "Twilight").
Unfortunately, I have a LOT of books to read before I can get to "City of Bones," so I cannot find out what this ability is, why the main character has it, and other reasons why it's different from "Twilight" for a week or two at least. This is kind of depressing.
Well, I have all break. I can read a lot in that time. :)
Personally, I celebrate Christmas, and it was rather awesome this year.
Why?
Well, we flipped up who made what for dinner this year (my brother and I normally do the desserts, but he made the turkey and I made the potatoes).
Also, I only got two articles of clothing: a hat and a National Novel Writing Month Winner's shirt. I specifically asked for no clothing, and I was happy that I didn't get any. I DON'T NEED ANY MORE CLOTHES. Everyone needs hats (especially super-awesome beanies like the one I got), and the National Novel Writing Month Winner's shirts are rather cool. Also, my mother found my fedora, which is EXCITING!
I also got "The Comedy of Errors" and "City of Bones" from my brother. "City of Bones," going from the summary on the back, sounds like the Twilight series but better, because they have demons, action, and the main character seems to have some sort of ability that confuses everyone (as in, they seem to be confused as to what this ability might be and why the main character, of all people, possesses it).
I think it's this ability that captures my interest in "City of Bones" more than my interest in "Twilight." I mean, the first book of "Twilight" wasn't bad, plot-wise, because there was the "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE???" element and the "WHO ARE YOU, EDWARD???" element, but the other books didn't (and, to an extent, really couldn't) expound on that.
Also, the end of "Breaking Dawn" (more specifically, the climactic sequence of "Breaking Dawn") was kind of disappointing. I don't know whether the author is morally opposed to writing fight sequences or something, but if she were, then she could've at least written some sort of struggle in that scene (epic arguing, someone letting their guard down or something that could have endangered EVERYBODY and made you wonder whether anyone was going to come out in one piece) but she didn't. (That non-battle scene is a major contributing factor to the Reasons Why I No Longer Like "Twilight").
Unfortunately, I have a LOT of books to read before I can get to "City of Bones," so I cannot find out what this ability is, why the main character has it, and other reasons why it's different from "Twilight" for a week or two at least. This is kind of depressing.
Well, I have all break. I can read a lot in that time. :)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Nearly-Winter-Break rantings
I'm rather excited for winter break, because it will involve a lot of free time, no homework, lots of sleeping, and a LOT of writing. Huzzah!
But I have to wait until Thursday is over before winter break starts. It's rather annoying (and by 'rather annoying,' I mean 'a major source of irritation').
What's the point of this week, anyway? I mean, really. Barely anyone assigns any homework (except for the English teachers who assign books over break, like my teacher has), and since so many people are leaving for the holidays early, the numbers are so diminished that barely anyone is around to do those corny pre-winter-break games that teachers sometimes come up with. Even if teachers actually teach, there are often so few people around that it's kind of lost. For example, there were five people in calculus today (well, there are normally 10 or 12, so that's kind of irrelevant... but the fact remains). Also, there's a good chance that many of us will forget about a lot of the stuff they're saying over the course of winter break anyway. This week is rather boring, and a bit useless, except for feeling bored and getting some writing done in the school library and things of that nature. And for musical rehearsal.
The annoying thing is, though, that I can't skive off school for this week, because I'm applying to William and Mary over break (I sent in my VCU audition request last night! WOOHOO!), and I have to make sure that my semester grades are really good so I can bump my not-exactly-William-And-Mary-Worthy GPA (but I want to finish my novel by January First so I can add that to the resume; hopefully my creds there will cancel out... not likely, but still).
Yeah. This week is annoying. Really annoying. Grades, Break, or Novel? Hmmm....
As the week goes on, though, I believe we will get an increasing number of free blocks as more and more students leave to spend the holiday in Hawai'i or somewhere equally awesome; thus, the boredom factor of the other students will drastically increase. One of my friends left for India on Friday, for example. My brother is going to the Dominican Republic in January. A friend leaves for Hawai'i tomorrow. I'll just be around, doing pretty much nothing except writing and applying to college. GRR!
I wish we had a snow day. Or something. I like snow. A lot. Especially during Christmas.
You know, it kind of bugs me that it snowed close to Halloween, but it's currently December and there's no snow in sight. Even the temperatures do not want to forebode snow (at least not last week. The temperatures are descending again, but there's some doubt in my mind that there will be enough moisture in the air to supply snow as well).
But more on that when it actually happens.
Anyway, in other news, my group of friends had a mini-secret-Santa thing today. My person gave me a Lord of the Rings piano/ voice book for Fellowship of the Ring, and a little button that says "I <3 To Sing." It's really exciting, and I adore them, especially the song book, mostly because it has songs that I have to actually practice on (as opposed to those really annoying big-note books designed for the 12-and-under pianists who are still learning to sightread, but have songs that the 13-and-ups can get in two tries), and some of the vocals are in ELVISH! WOOHOO!!
Today I have proclaimed to be a good day.
If I could get some more writing in, it would be an AWESOME day.
That remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, I am going to make a prediction, and I'm fairly certain that this prediction may come true: the rest of the week has a high likelihood of being horribly boring and rife with free blocks. I'll keep you updated; for now, I must go to class.
But I have to wait until Thursday is over before winter break starts. It's rather annoying (and by 'rather annoying,' I mean 'a major source of irritation').
What's the point of this week, anyway? I mean, really. Barely anyone assigns any homework (except for the English teachers who assign books over break, like my teacher has), and since so many people are leaving for the holidays early, the numbers are so diminished that barely anyone is around to do those corny pre-winter-break games that teachers sometimes come up with. Even if teachers actually teach, there are often so few people around that it's kind of lost. For example, there were five people in calculus today (well, there are normally 10 or 12, so that's kind of irrelevant... but the fact remains). Also, there's a good chance that many of us will forget about a lot of the stuff they're saying over the course of winter break anyway. This week is rather boring, and a bit useless, except for feeling bored and getting some writing done in the school library and things of that nature. And for musical rehearsal.
The annoying thing is, though, that I can't skive off school for this week, because I'm applying to William and Mary over break (I sent in my VCU audition request last night! WOOHOO!), and I have to make sure that my semester grades are really good so I can bump my not-exactly-William-And-Mary-Worthy GPA (but I want to finish my novel by January First so I can add that to the resume; hopefully my creds there will cancel out... not likely, but still).
Yeah. This week is annoying. Really annoying. Grades, Break, or Novel? Hmmm....
As the week goes on, though, I believe we will get an increasing number of free blocks as more and more students leave to spend the holiday in Hawai'i or somewhere equally awesome; thus, the boredom factor of the other students will drastically increase. One of my friends left for India on Friday, for example. My brother is going to the Dominican Republic in January. A friend leaves for Hawai'i tomorrow. I'll just be around, doing pretty much nothing except writing and applying to college. GRR!
I wish we had a snow day. Or something. I like snow. A lot. Especially during Christmas.
You know, it kind of bugs me that it snowed close to Halloween, but it's currently December and there's no snow in sight. Even the temperatures do not want to forebode snow (at least not last week. The temperatures are descending again, but there's some doubt in my mind that there will be enough moisture in the air to supply snow as well).
But more on that when it actually happens.
Anyway, in other news, my group of friends had a mini-secret-Santa thing today. My person gave me a Lord of the Rings piano/ voice book for Fellowship of the Ring, and a little button that says "I <3 To Sing." It's really exciting, and I adore them, especially the song book, mostly because it has songs that I have to actually practice on (as opposed to those really annoying big-note books designed for the 12-and-under pianists who are still learning to sightread, but have songs that the 13-and-ups can get in two tries), and some of the vocals are in ELVISH! WOOHOO!!
Today I have proclaimed to be a good day.
If I could get some more writing in, it would be an AWESOME day.
That remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, I am going to make a prediction, and I'm fairly certain that this prediction may come true: the rest of the week has a high likelihood of being horribly boring and rife with free blocks. I'll keep you updated; for now, I must go to class.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Well, the reality has finally sunk in.
I am a senior.
I did my last winter chorus concert last night. I sang the Hallelujah Chorus for the last time in the black uniform dress that we have to wear; next year, if I go, I'll be wearing jeans, probably. If I go next year, I'll be in the audience for the whole concert instead of performing for a few numbers, for the first time... well, ever. I didn't go to any of my school's concerts before I went to my school (I didn't have any reason to), so the first time I went to a Winter Concert at my school was when I was in sixth grade and I had to sing some song with the Middle School Chorus.
Yeah. This is SO WEIRD. CAN'T DEAL. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
grr.
I am a senior.
I did my last winter chorus concert last night. I sang the Hallelujah Chorus for the last time in the black uniform dress that we have to wear; next year, if I go, I'll be wearing jeans, probably. If I go next year, I'll be in the audience for the whole concert instead of performing for a few numbers, for the first time... well, ever. I didn't go to any of my school's concerts before I went to my school (I didn't have any reason to), so the first time I went to a Winter Concert at my school was when I was in sixth grade and I had to sing some song with the Middle School Chorus.
Yeah. This is SO WEIRD. CAN'T DEAL. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
grr.
Friday, December 9, 2011
More rantings from the wearied novelist
This may very well be the longest Friday I've had in a very long while. First of all, I was up until one in the morning last night (a new record), then I woke up about half an hour before I had to leave (which is half the time I leave myself), then I was almost fifteen minutes late to school because my parents wouldn't give me a ride (figures, under the circumstances). Then everything just kind of deteriorated for the rest of the morning. It kind of majorly sucked.
And then I got to my free blocks, and all was well. Mostly because I was in the library (as I am now), and I was asked for a book suggestion from a middle school girl who needed something to read. Since she'd read the Protector of the Small Quartet (by Tamora Pierce), I sent her to the Lioness Quartet (also by Tamora Pierce, who is probably the Master of Worldly History Tie-Ins; she has around a zillion books set in the same kingdom, and everyone knows about a lot of other people's stories, so which is kind of ridiculously cool. Also, Tamora Pierce is generally a really good writer).
Also, I was happy in the library because I like being in the library, and I had a full two hours of time in which to do absolutely nothing of consequence (except for government homework).
Anyhow, now I'm in the library again, and I'm STILL feeling tired. I WOULD go to Starbucks, but I have rehearsal today and I cannot get to Starbucks and back in half an hour or less (ditto for taking a nap). Well, closer to twenty minutes. So I'm in the library, with no caffeine, so I am blogging to keep myself awake. I'll probably write more of my novel later, once I log off.
I'm pretty sure the novel's going pretty well. I mean, it's not going BRILLIANTLY, because I'm TIRED and can't spout out two decent words to save my life, but the plot's still moving. I'm beginning the ever-steepening descent into the climax, which is really exciting because it's the climax, and also because it's the farthest I've gotten in any attempt at a literary work that I've ever made (in terms of plot, that is. I'm pretty sure what I have added to last year's NaNoWriMo novel makes that story, not this one, the longest thing I've ever written ever, INCLUDING history essays).
Well... um... yeah. I have nothing more to say to you, because I am tired and I am not in a creatively rambling mood. Were that the case, I would continue.
I am going to go write now (this probably will not go very well, because I now have ten minutes until rehearsal and no flow of creative juices). And do other things. And try to keep myself awake for a while longer. And probably get some food at some point.
Anyway... yeah.
Bye.
And then I got to my free blocks, and all was well. Mostly because I was in the library (as I am now), and I was asked for a book suggestion from a middle school girl who needed something to read. Since she'd read the Protector of the Small Quartet (by Tamora Pierce), I sent her to the Lioness Quartet (also by Tamora Pierce, who is probably the Master of Worldly History Tie-Ins; she has around a zillion books set in the same kingdom, and everyone knows about a lot of other people's stories, so which is kind of ridiculously cool. Also, Tamora Pierce is generally a really good writer).
Also, I was happy in the library because I like being in the library, and I had a full two hours of time in which to do absolutely nothing of consequence (except for government homework).
Anyhow, now I'm in the library again, and I'm STILL feeling tired. I WOULD go to Starbucks, but I have rehearsal today and I cannot get to Starbucks and back in half an hour or less (ditto for taking a nap). Well, closer to twenty minutes. So I'm in the library, with no caffeine, so I am blogging to keep myself awake. I'll probably write more of my novel later, once I log off.
I'm pretty sure the novel's going pretty well. I mean, it's not going BRILLIANTLY, because I'm TIRED and can't spout out two decent words to save my life, but the plot's still moving. I'm beginning the ever-steepening descent into the climax, which is really exciting because it's the climax, and also because it's the farthest I've gotten in any attempt at a literary work that I've ever made (in terms of plot, that is. I'm pretty sure what I have added to last year's NaNoWriMo novel makes that story, not this one, the longest thing I've ever written ever, INCLUDING history essays).
Well... um... yeah. I have nothing more to say to you, because I am tired and I am not in a creatively rambling mood. Were that the case, I would continue.
I am going to go write now (this probably will not go very well, because I now have ten minutes until rehearsal and no flow of creative juices). And do other things. And try to keep myself awake for a while longer. And probably get some food at some point.
Anyway... yeah.
Bye.
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