Blogging

Haven't had much to say lately. . . . As you ought to be able to surmise by the lack of posts, since we all know that I'm not lacking in time.

Been working on a story. That means I've been writing pieces of it, stuff that I doubt will ever actually go into it. I make up the best parts of my plots when I'm writing, not when I'm just thinking about it. Thus, in order to plan a book, I have to write the book. Doesn't work out so well when you're trying to actually get something down to stay, but it's fun all the same, which is the point for me.

I don't write for the hope of getting good enough to get published. (Or just popular enough. Take Twilight for an example. Bad writing = easy, easy, easy reading = totally popular with the teens.) I never thought that type of writing sold. It never made the cut with us. I'd say that I could write that well, but A) Where's the proof? and B) "Well?" Really? Writing as "well" as the Twilight series, like that's something to be proud of? I digress.

I read The Name of the Wind again. Felt like I could sit down and read it through as soon as I'd finished. If you take out the profanity, it's a good book. Good story, interesting characters (Bast is my favorite). There's so much to it. So much thought and time and effort. I don't have that kind of. . . dedication? Something. I want to read WarBreaker again. I really liked that book. Lightsong, or whatever his name was, was just great. And the sword. Can't think of it's name. . . . Actually, Lightsong is the only name I CAN remember. Hah. . . .

Going back out to CA in a little while - about three weeks. :) It's a long trip. Longest I've ever been on. People at home miss me. Funny, I don't remember them making half as big a deal out of it when I moved to school. . . . Maybe that's my memory, or the fact that it happened and was done. I didn't go, come back, go, come back, etc., etc.

People in CA want me to stay longer. They make comments (mostly the people at church who haven't seen me all week, hehe) "Didn't you just get here?" Sometimes, I feel like I'm in a video game trying to keep both sides of a scale even. Every time I boost one side, the other sinks. So I run to that one and push it up, only to find that doing so made the other one drop.

Conclusion? Popularity (or whatever this is) is difficult. Life is easier when no one cares if you're around. It's also more lonely. I'll take this and be happy. :)

Dum, da-da, dum!

Well, here I am in California again. Have you ever thought about what weird names our states have? California? Michigan? I mean really, what is THAT? And city names. What's a Baltimore? Or a Lansing?

I really didn't start writing a blog to go on about what nonsense names are though. Then again, I didn't really start writing a blog for any reason. I just felt like it and had nothing to do at the moment. Zack should be home pretty soon and then we're going out for our anniversary. Yes, I know. . . . I never thought I would be one of THOSE people, but here I am celebrating the months of my anniversary. I'll probably do the whole "Happy birthday, kid, you're a week old today" thing too. . . . :P

It's weird being at someone else's house. . . especially when it's just you and your boyfriend's mom all day. . . . Slightly awkward. She's very unintrusive though.

Zack likes his birthday present. =) Crises adverted. Yay! (I think "crisis" is a much funner word than "crises." Anyone else?) I think he might be home - the dog is barking.

Nope.

Marley & Me is a horrible, sad movie. Yes, I cried, but I was in the company of many criers so I didn't feel as weird about it. lol I'm getting terribly soft in my old age. And boy, do I feel old today. . . . I need a hair-cut. . . . Oh, Mother Deeeeeeeeeeeeeearest. . . . ;) Teehee.

I'm bored. . . . . Everywhere I go, I'm bored. Ugh.

Movie Critic Review

Contrary to what you might think from reading that title, this is not a review of movie critics. Be warned, this may very well contain some spoilers. I'm not sure yet as I haven't written it. . . . High Voltage: Proceed at your own risk.

Nanner, nanner.

So recently I've seen a few movies. Let's start with the oldest, which just happens to be the one I saw most recently. Terminator: Salvation. This movie came out sometime last May, I do believe. Christian Bale was in it amongst others, one of whom shared half of the main character status with Bale. Kyle Reese and Star, the little girl with him, were the best people in the movie, in my opinion. And the kid who played Reese was actually quite reminiscent of the guy in the original Terminator. I thought that was a nice touch. Stuck with the storyline; not many swear words; good effects; nice action. Over-all an entertaining film. The one problem was that the semi-main character, Marcus, reminded me of the Spiderman III Sandman in some ways. I'm not really even sure why. . . . But he did.

Next: Up!
Saw this movie in a theatre that contained a grand total of four people, including my boyfriend and I. This upped the enjoyment of the film substantially. (And the other two were a really cute old couple who absolutely loved it. But anyway.) The movie itself: It was good! Pixar delivered again. The beginning gets sad, but it doesn't last long and the following scene has you laughing again. I thought the timing was so incredibly perfect. The story is good; the main character is great; the giant bird that's like a mixture of every bird you can think of is hilarious and Doug, the dog, is less stupid than you think from the previews. Overall, I really, really, really liked this movie. But it's not better than robots falling in love, sorry. Wall-E is still the reigning champion.

Last, but not least: Sherlock Holmes.
Interesting movie. Had me worried at a couple spots about whether or not witchcraftiness was going to stand, and it's probably far more cool for someone who's read Sherlock Holmes stories and who will catch all the references. Thankfully, I had someone who had read them with me and he was able to point out all those things. The slow motion parts where Holmes does his fight sequences were a little too. . . . well, graphic. For my tastes. Seeing it faster was much better. The slow motion annoyed me, though I liked the idea of the voice-over as he thinks through exactly what he's going to do. In the end, a statisfactory mystery, good quick-witted dialogue, and vivid characters.

If you've read all this, you must be bored. Or have some type of emotional attachment to me. Possibly both. . . . Anyway. I enjoyed Up the most, I think, which is quite odd for me. Then Holmes, then Terminator. Although that could be as much a tribute to the effect of a good environment upon movie-watching as to the quality of the movies themselves. Thus, I say that my conclusion must be: Make sure to watch movies in uncrowded areas with your significant other, as comfortably as possible. You'll enjoy the movie more. =D

Up: **** 1/2*
Sherlock Holmes: ****
Terminator: ***

Maybe. . . . . ;)

Oh, and Happy New Year. :)

Well, it's done.

Christmas is over; the goose is hung; the stockings are burnt; and everyone is sick from eating too much candy and sweets. (Or just plain too much food.) What am I talking about, you ask? I'm not entirely sure, but the previous describes pretty much how I feel about things.

It was good; shorter than most years, but okay. Usually Christmas lasts for like a week. Family Christmas and then going to Grandma's four times to see people. . . . Our Christmas and Grandma's Christmas are too far apart this year. lol Oh well. Whatcha gonna do?

Side note: Firefox accepts "gonna" as a real word. Strange, no?

Yesterday was our three month anniversary. :) "Our" refers to Zack and me, obviously. Seriously, how could you NOT know that? You're so whack, Ed. (Get it? /nudge, nudge /wink, wink)

I must be bored. . . . Lots of cleaning to do the next two weeks. My wookumshnookiepums is going to be here in twelve days. Hey! No wonder I was singing twelve days of Christmas this morning in the shower. . . . Ha. Just figured that one out. =D

. . . . Why am I telling you???

It would be really cool if Firefox recognized "wookumshnookiepums" as a real word. Just think about it for a minute - it would.

A note on Football: Tampa Bay beat the Saints??!?!? A 2-12 team beat a 13-1 team. . . . . Crazy. . . . Why can't that happen with the Lions? And the Colts lost today, too. . . . Now no one has a perfect record. . . . It's kind of sad.

Been a while.

So my boyfriend has a blog. :) www.zshrout.blogspot.com

Mom and Dad are going out into a blizzard to get presents. I wasn't serious when I told them to do that. . . . Presents aren't worth getting stuck in a ditch. No, really, they're not. Seriously.

I've noticed something of late. . . . People don't take things that aren't real seriously. Like WoW. People would camp their best friend and expect no hard feelings because it's a game. Because it's not "real." They don't seem to realize that because they are really doing it, even though the venue is make-believe, it's still them doing something unpleasant to their friend.

Now, personally, I was never in the position to camp somebody's dead corpse. I wasn't big on the PvP. I only killed Horde if I really needed to. (Like they had attacked me first.) Generally, if we fought, I died. And I was okay with that. Random person playing on the enemy's side decides to kill me (or attempt to kill me), who cares? I don't know them; it's nothing personal. But had my brother, playing an undead rogue, decided to kill my druid Nienna a few times, knowing it was me - that I have a problem with. I don't understand why someone would do that.

Why do games release people from being nice? "It's just a game!" What does that even mean? It's not real, so my actions don't count? Say what? What you do is real; what you say it real. No, you're not really killing someone. But camping someone is really frustrating to the person being camped. It's meant to be. You are purposefully provoking someone else to anger for your own enjoyment. Lots of people consider that "going too far." But why is that the line? "It's a game, and the rules allow it." Oh, well then. The rules of the game are a higher law than "Be ye kind one to another"?. . . . There's a disconnect that I can't seem to grasp.

Some games are purposefully designed to spur this on. And I think that is why the vast majority of the time I dislike most games. I don't like killing people in WoW; I don't like sending people back to their home in Aggravation. I can't separate my actions in real life from actions in a game because the game is part of real life. I also know that most people don't see it like I do, and that if I say something about it, they think I'm a sore loser or that I'm not playing the game right. Worst of all, I'm not always consistent.

Sometimes, I give in to peer pressure - everyone's trying to stop one person from winning and I can do it. I don't really care if the person wins, but everyone else does. And then there's the whole "I don't know this person, so it's okay." See, I can see that. I can see blasting people you don't know out of the water when they're on the opposite side. (I'm wondering if I shouldn't. Why should it make a difference if I know them or not?) But not when you're playing a game that doesn't require it and especially when you know those people. Certain activities (airsoft and nerf wars, for example) require you to shoot the opposing team. I've no problem with that. That IS the game. But when it's unnecessary, then I don't get it. And I specifically don't get why knowing someone is another excuse for it. It seems to me that the more you care about a person, the less you would put them down. By whatever means, in whatever venue.

Anyway. This is longer than I had intended. . . . Actally, I hadn't planned to write any of this. But lo, I have. And now it's off to the library for me and Kate. :)

La la la

I have a splitting headache and I feel like my eyes should be falling out of my head. lol Not feeling the greatest in any way really. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Some are okay, some are meh, some are just downright ugh.

You know the song Fame And Fortune from Rudolph? He and Hermie sing it. . . . Anyway, whenever I'm in particular physical discomfort, I substitute the words "Pain; Discomfort" for "Fame and Fortune." And then it goes round and round in my head. Probably not good for the headache.

Mike's hilarious. People are silly. I think he'll have a Joss Whedon type o' deal. Write a show that gets cancelled after one season (half a season?) and then make a gazillion dollars on the movie sequel - not because of theatres, but because of DVD sales. The power of devoted fans. ;)

I know this guy who wrote a book. I bought the book because I knew the guy and thought it was cool. The book needed editing. Badly. The name of one of the characters changed to something else (accidentally) and then changed back without any type of explanation. An editing mistake. Anyway, he wrote another book. Do you not say anything? Surely, someone had to tell him that it needed to be edited, right? But really, who wants to chance it and spend the 20-30 dollars on the next book? Is it politeness or lack of caring about the person that keeps you from saying something about it? Hmm. Do you just hope he gets better at it?

Dave - sorry I haven't gotten back to you yet. I haven't forgotten or anything.

Anyway. I think I need to exit the computer now before my brain explodes. ;)

This week

Is busy and strange and for some reason, it has this weird foreboding feeling to it. I'm not a fan. Of the foreboding feeling. Strange and busy is fine. I think. . . . Maybe it isn't but I just don't want to admit it because that would mean I'm lazy. I don't want to be lazy.

I was asked to sing a song for the Christmas program at church. . . . What to do. I probably should. . . . Not really part of my established comfort zone though. lol And what do I do about accompaniment?! Hey, hey, Mike. =D You know you want a piece of the action. ;) I'll make you cookies? lol Mom? Someone? Please?

(I'd ask Kate, but she's already in the program and will most likely be otherwise busy with lines and costumes. The people who are already doing stuff shouldn't be made to do more stuff. Right? Right.)

I had a bunch of things I was going to write about the other day that now I cannot recall. I wonder if "pregnancy brain" is something I can catch without being pregnant. . . . lol Hmm.

Revelation: I just realized where I get my OCD-ness. lol "Could you get a more uneven number!?" Teehee. :) Mom, you're so cute.

There's this Llama song - very funny. Llama, llama, duck. (If you don't know it, check YouTube.) Have you ever noticed how non-rhyming songs lose their coolness if you just read the lyrics and don't know the tune? It's just completely . . . . Meh. . . . lol I have noticed that recently.

Special Thanks to Mike and Tuesday for breaking their writer's strike and coming back to us. =) I missed you.

A Moral Issue?

The question is as follows: Is it morally wrong to use a version other than the King James Bible?

I find such a proposition impossible. If it were, how many people would we know who are in constant sin? How many on Dad's side of the family use the NIV? What of the Haitians who only have the equivalent of the NIV in their language? Are they doomed because of it?

If it were morally wrong, they could never be right with God. But we know that God doesn't allow His children to remain in unconfessed sin. So either they're not saved, or it's not wrong. I can't believe that Heidi is a Christian and also believe that it's morally wrong to use the NIV over the KJV. Thus, I find it impossible to believe that this is a moral issue.

What, then, is it? A matter of personal preference? A matter of what's best? I don't know how to classify it. If it can't be morally wrong to read the NIV, can it be morally right to read the KJV? Is the person who holds to the KJV automatically a better Christian because of it? Is it impossible to find, by the Holy Spirit's leading, the same theology in the English Standard as you'd find in the King James? Dare we limit Him so, to think that He cannot teach us just as much from one version or another? Or is it that we think He just won't? But why, if it isn't right or wong?

Perhaps, you never thought it was wrong. Perhaps, you still do. For me, I cannot condemn it.

Confusion in the ranks!

Apparently there were some questions about why I would write such a thing about deception in my previous blog post. Basically, because it's true and it was on my mind. I was in no way condoning such action; just stating facts. All cleared up now? ;)

There were a lot of things I was supposed to do, a lot of things I was supposed to talk to people about, a lot of . . . stuff that I was hoping to get done last weekend. . . . lol Yeah. Family get-togethers are not very conducive to productivity. ;) Ah well. Such is the nature of socializing.

I'm hungry. I think my stomach got used to "feasting" mode. . . . Silly tummy. Feasts are for kids!

I don't like this in-between weather. It's not cold enough to need long-sleeves, but it's not warm enough that you're fine in short-sleeves. Booooooo. Oh, also, Steelers? Boooooooo! And a HISS for good measure. ;) Bleh, Ben Rothlisburger. Bleeeeh. (I hope I butchered his ridiculous last name. ;) Haha.)

I'm not at school anymore! =D YAY!

I thought that deserved a little bit of celebration. :) You know what else deserves joyousness? One-month anniversaries. :) How fun. Teehee. :)

It's almost over!

October, that is. :) Yay! I generally prefer October to November, but not this year. Probably not next year either. . . . Hmm. We shall see.

I am poor. No, really. I'm broke. . . . No monies. My car insurance is due soon. I can't pay it. I'm going to go put an application in at the local Burger King. I didn't go there earlier this week because they seem to never be hiring and my brother worked there and gained my family an unhappy reputation with one of the higher ups. But now there's a sign out, so it's definitely worth a shot. :)

Deception is an easy thing. Making up a story and sticking to it and not getting it confused with the facts is really not as hard as TV makes it look. You just have to think it through before implementing it. Ask all the questions yourself before anyone else has the chance. Iron out the kinks.

I have no idea what kind of food Burger King serves. . . . Whoppers. . . . And delicious breakfast sandwiches. . . . Do they even have any chicken??

I keep debating with myself if I should put controversial things on here. And obviously, I keep not doing it. It's not that I'm a chicken. (At least, that's not the only reason. . . .) I just don't know if I could do it well enough without writing a fourteen-page post. And I'm not good at those; I get side-tracked far too easily.

In closing, have a quote that's been on my Facebook for two or three days: Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires.

There's a lady bug flying around, bumping into my ceiling. . . . Shh, little Lady Bug! Shh!