Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Fire Abates





Buon pomeriggio!

All right, folks, it's that time again. Time for a summer update (the penultimate one, in fact - hence Tarzan in disbelief and shock). I have certainly gotten a few things done (mainly books) since the last update in July, which is satisfying. I am one book shy of having the list finished (The Return of the King), and at the last update, it should be marked off the list. I am steadily getting through it, whereas The Fellowship and The Two Towers I was able to get through pretty quickly. This week has been fairly busy and finishing writing this sequel-prequel thing has been the priority. I plan to have that done before the first day of classes as well, but cross your fingers for me. I only have ten days until I zip out of here and to the Noke. Crazy, right? Summer is rapidly coming to a close.

Books:

Inheritance (of the Inheritance Cycle by Paolini) (5/11)
The Girl who Played with Fire (5/20)
Man's Search for Meaning (5/25)
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (5/31)
City of Bones (6/7)
City of Ashes (6/14)
City of Glass (6/23)
Clockwork Angel (7/15)
Clockwork Prince (7/20)
Clockwork Princess (7/25)
The Fellowship of the Ring (8/6)
The Two Towers (8/9)
The Return of the King (28.8% done!)

Movies/shows:

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (4/28-5/08)
Wreck-it-Ralph (5/07)
Cats Don't Dance (re-watch) (5/14)
Dinosaurs: We're Back! (5/14)
Road to El Dorado (re-watch) (5/20)
The Fountain (5/22)
Saving Private Ryan (5/24)
Swan Princess (5/31)
Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (5/31)
Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure
 (for old time's sake; I was obsessed with these movies as a child!) (6/1)
The Road (6/8)
500 Days of Summer (6/9)
The Possession (6/13)
Matrix Trilogy (re-watch) (6/15)
Avengers (rewatch) (7/2)
Phantom of the Opera (rewatch) (7/3)
Thor (7/3)
Bachelorette (7/4)
Mean Girls (rewatch) (7/4)
Tarzan (rewatch) (7/5)
Despicable Me (7/5)
Déjà vu (7/7)
The Island (7/10)
Hell's Kitchen [season 10] (7/7 – 7/16)
American Psycho (7/17)
Tron Legacy (7/26)
Elektra (7/27)
Pretty Woman (7/27)
Legion (8/6)
Fried Green Tomatoes (8/10)

Games:

Bioshock (6/3 – 3:55 PM to 11:58 PM = 8 hour completion)
Halo: Reach (6/4 – 9 hrs: 16 mins: 48 seconds on one day)
Bioshock Infinite (7/17 – around 8 hours for completion)
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3

Serious:

Revise the living daylights out of first book in trilogy (5/21)
Outline second book (6/28)
Write second book (7/1 -    ) [I’m fifty thousand words in, with a bit more story to tell!]



Well that's it for me, it seems. Off to drink this strawberry-banana-blueberry smoothie I just made - and it's one of the frozen kind, so it's fresh and refreshing (:

I shall return to update again in ten days or so, unless I have something else that I simply must share between now and then.
Ta!

V

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Thoughts of My Waking Dreams


Why is it so oddly satisfying to harmonize with humming household electronics? (Vacuums, pop corn makers, etc.)

If I was bald, I'd probably wear hats almost constantly.

When I was younger, I used to think ingesting blood would put it back into my bloodstream.

No matter up much I practice, I have realized I will never be proficient at speaking to unknown persons on the telephone (i.e. any sort of office, take-out food orders).

I think sneezing while driving is one of the most frightening experiences ever. Especially while on the highway.

Sometimes, if I laugh hard enough and I am simultaneously trying to keep quiet, I will start to squeak.

If you ever ask me the question "if you could pick a superpower, what would it be?" these are the top three answers I will give you: invisibility at will; selective telepathy; and the ability to see everything about myself through a stranger's eyes (looks, personality, behaviors, mannerisms, things I write, stuff I draw, speech patterns, etc.)

I get all my best writing ideas just as I'm falling asleep. If I don't write them down somewhere, they are 90% of the time lost forever. It's difficult to remember things thought of between sleep and wake unless I've left myself a reminder to find later. 

Monday, August 5, 2013

Song Questions

On the road trip to Norwalk, OH for the Pontiac Nationals this past weekend, I decided to put my entire iPod on shuffle (which is only 1,345 songs) and not skip any. The main rule of the game was to write down any questions the songs asked and answer them. I came up with this as I stared out the truck window at all the green mountains of Pennsylvania and figured I would give it a shot. Thus, below is the result of this little game.


“How do you feel about the ocean? How do you feel about the deep blue sea?” (Holiday by Future of Forestry)
It's pretty.

“Hey brother, do you remember when we used to play out doors till the light was absorbed by the night?” (Younglife by Anberlin)
First of all, I'm a female. Second, I do remember that. Kickball in the cul-de-sac till dark. 

“Hey lover, do you remember when we would dance in your apartment till neighbors would knock on your door?” (Younglife by Anberlin)
No, I don't remember that, actually.

“Do you remember when we had no money to speak of, nowhere else to eat but your floor?” (Younglife by Anberlin)
Yes, and we only ate on the floor because there were lots of people and not enough chairs. 

“Don't want to reach for me, do you?” (The Little Things Give You Away by Linkin Park)
Depends - who are you to me?

“Tell me Maria, why I see her dancing there - why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul?” (Hellfire - Hunchback of Notre Dame)
I dunno, Frollo, I think you just really like her body and it’s driving you insane. Also, my name isn't Maria. 

“Am I supposed to be happy when all I ever wanted - it comes with a price?” (Cat and Mouse by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)
Anything worth having never comes easy, or free. 

“Are we the same people as before this came to light?” (Cat and Mouse by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)
Perhaps, perhaps not. People do have the capacity to change.

“Can you hear the echoes fading?” (In The Mourning by Paramore)
Always. 

“How much pain has quaked your soul? How much love would make you whole?” (I Belong to You by Muse)
Those are some fairly personal questions, Mr. Bellamy. 
My soul is still pretty intact. As far as love, I'm already more than whole. 

“Will you help me find the right way out, or let me take the wrong way down? Will you straighten me out or make me take the long way around?” (The High Road by Three Days Grace)
I’ll try to lead you in the right direction and tell you when you're doing something you shouldn't be, but I promise I won't always be right. 

“Are you listening? Are you watching me? We have an emergency, so are you listening?” (Emergency by Paramore)
Yes; I wish; very intently. 

“Is this really happening?” (If It Means A Lot to You by A Day To Remember)
Yes. Yes it is.


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Infernal Love Triangle Devices



There have been many curious thoughts floating around in my head while I’ve been reading the Infernal Devices books. I’m currently in the middle of book three, Clockwork Princess, and definitely in the thick of the drama between Jem, Will, and Tessa. For those of you who have read this trilogy, you fully understand what I mean.
One of the biggest ponderings in my brain has been a distant memory I’m very much reminded of through Tessa’s struggle of giving half of her heart to each of the boys and being tormented by this.
Years ago, so many more years ago than I originally thought, I had taken a great liking in a boy I’d met and hit it off with. We immediately were instant messaging each other all the time, always looking forward to chatting every single night for hours about random things; art, writing, life…you name it. I was happy and in love, giddily so.
There was a slight problem in my bliss, however.
He was already involved with someone and had been for a while, long enough so that there was no way for me to compete with it. He loved her and had no interest in leaving her, but he also liked me a lot, too. We were really good friends and I believe if he had not been previously committed, I would have jumped at the chance if he asked to date me.
It did not pass the way I imagined it would.
What ever does, really?
There came a point where I began to understand that there was no way for me to win over all the love of this boy and it felt like I was pulling him away from his beloved, when that wasn’t my aim at all.
Amid these thoughts and worries, I had drawn out a crude comic using my amazing artistry (not) and it depicted a boy and two girls by his sides. We were all smiling, existing together happily. (His girlfriend thought my crush on him was cute and she didn’t mind that I talked to him a lot, probably because she thought I wasn't a threat, which is true - I really wasn't.) Then, he took out his heart (obviously it was a figurative depiction, not the real, beating, bloody organ) and went to give it to one of us, but upon realizing there was indeed only one heart, he frowned. It was certainly troubling to have two people so close to you, but have to choose one over the other. This is the struggle Tessa was going through.
The comic-boy had a realization and split his heart into two equal pieces, happily presenting one to each girl. We smiled, at him and at each other, content with his decision. At least I imagined myself content.
But then, his face twisted, he clutched his chest, and fell over dead. The comic-girl and I looked at one another in shock. I then realized that the only way for him to be happy and alive was for him to have his heart whole, even if it was with someone else. Defeated, I surrendered my half to his beloved and she put it back together, essentially reviving the boy. The girl thanked me, they waved, and skipped off together, leaving me behind and alone to draw in the dirt and wonder if the situation could have possibly gone in my favor instead.
Gradually we began to lose contact, messaging one another less and less until the only contact that remained was seeing occasional posts from him on Facebook.
As I’ve grown up and expanded the understanding of my own emotions, I realized I had truly loved him, but only so far as the idea of being with him. We were great friends, really, but I never would have lasted long with him. There were many lifestyle choices he made that I didn’t agree with, but while we chatted, I simply overlooked them.
In the end, it was better that I let him go (he wasn't ever really mine anyway). He wasn’t meant for me, and while I was struggling with the idea during out tight friendship, I know now that what happened was for the better. I still love him as a person and wish him all the happiness he can stand, but at the same time I know there is someone else out there for me. Peace was made and I was content once more.
I’m not sure how Clockwork Princess is going to end, but I have a feeling Jem is going to die and as his last wish, will demand Will to make Tessa happy because that’s all that Jem wants, and Will and Tessa will be together. She will reconcile with her residual feelings for her dead fiancée, her and Will’ll have a kid (somehow? Maybe?) and name him James and call him Jem.
Just a wild hypothesis. We’ll see how true it ends up being once I finish the book this week. There’s also a slight possibility they don’t get together after their mutual friend is long gone.
What I learned from the whole situation was that I’m very particular about the qualities and lifestyle choices of the man I will marry in the future. (Oh yes, this will happen.) I, someone who always tries to have the lowest of expectations, am expecting a lot of the man for me. This makes it very easy for me to believe that once I find him, it won’t be long before I know he’s the one. God knows what I’m looking for and what I need, so once I’ve recognized all that, it will be obvious.
This is what I believe.
Anyway, that’s just a little tid bit of my life. I’ve recently discovered that I don’t post much about myself; it’s mainly fictional writings and updates and lists at the shallowest level. Here and there I’ve mentioned personal things. Maybe that was already enough for you. Maybe you really don't care. If so, that’s cool. You’re not obligated to read everything I post. You’re not even obligated to read a single thing of mine, but I do appreciate when you do. So thank you.
I guess that’s all for me. For now.

Vicki out.


Image (C) http://emokid711.deviantart.com/art/Stitched-heart-100992011

Monday, July 15, 2013

Much Ado About Something

Salve, tutti!
Hello, everyone!

It is yet again time for another summer update on my lists and progress! It's not quite as impressive this past month as the previous one was, but hey, progress is progress no matter how you slice it, and that is all that matters to me (especially about how my second book is coming along).

So, here's the line up. I also have a spot of explaining to do (I'll get to the asterisks toward the bottom):


My reading list:

Inheritance (of the Inheritance Cycle by Paolini) (5/11)
The Girl who Played with Fire (5/20)
Man's Search for Meaning (5/25)
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (5/31)
City of Bones (6/7)
City of Ashes (6/14)
City of Glass (6/23)
City of Fallen Angels*
City of Lost Souls*
Clockwork Angel (7/15)
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
Clockwork Prince
Clockwork Princess

My movie/show-watching list:

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (4/28-5/08)
Wreck-it-Ralph (5/07)
Cats Don't Dance (re-watch) (5/14)
Dinosaurs: We're Back! (5/14)
Road to El Dorado (re-watch) (5/20)
The Fountain (5/22)
Saving Private Ryan (5/24)
Swan Princess (5/31)
Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (5/31)
Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure
 (for old time's sake; I was obsessed with these movies as a child!) (6/1)
The Road (6/8)
500 Days of Summer (6/9)
The Possession (6/13)
Matrix Trilogy (re-watch) (6/15)
Avengers (rewatch) (7/2)
Phantom of the Opera (rewatch) (7/3)
Thor (7/3)
Bachelorette (7/4)
Mean Girls (rewatch) (7/4)
Tarzan (rewatch) (7/5)
Despicable Me (7/5)
Déjà vu (7/7)
The Island (7/10)
Hell's Kitchen [season 10] (7/7 - 7/16)
Legion
American Psycho
(new) Tron


Games:

Bioshock (6/3 – 3:55 PM to 11:58 PM = 8 hour completion)
Halo: Reach (6/4 – 9 hrs: 16 mins: 48 seconds on one day)
Bioshock 2*
Bioshock Infinite
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo 3 ODST



Serious:

Revise the living daylights out of first book in trilogy (5/21)
Outline second book (6/28)
Write second book (7/1 -    ) [I’m fifteen thousand words in, with lots of story left to tell!]


Ah, so here it all is. I've watched more movies in the last month than done much reading (due to being busy, of course) but hopefully in the coming few weeks I have left I'll get done all the books I want to.

As for the asterisks - they mean this:
I am removing them from the list. The two books I'm cutting are because I have talked with some people I trust who say the now-series would have been much better if the author had stopped at the end of the third one, which I have finished. So, my interest was lost upon reading the blurbs about the next two books and thus I am chopping them from my list. Nothing personal.

I'm also cutting Bioshock 2 from the list because I have started it, with a couple other people, and it's just not holding my attention. I thought it would be cool to be a big daddy (as I loved that little nugget in the first one) but for some reason it just seems to be an illogical continuation of the first Bioshock. They brought in a new villain and a new protagonist, if I'm not mistaken, and left the environment as Rapture. Overall, nice idea, but it isn't doing it for me. Bioshock Infinite, however...that one I'll definitely need to finish. (:

So! This is my progress. Not quite so impressive. I just have two more updates on this list left (one more on August 15th and the last one probably around August 24th - I leave for college on the 25th which means summer will be officially over!). 

Fun fun fun!

Talk to you later!
Arrivederci!