Initiating Blog entry for May 26

Oh! Would you look at that! It’s my turn again! I posted last only a mere 4 hours ago.

If you will allow me, I would like to take you on a journey. A journey back to Kindergarten, to the day when your Teacher asked the class a simple question: “What would you like to be when you grow up?” As a sort of companion to Fivesixer...blog CHAMP!! ’s prompt from yesterday, I want you to look back on your journey to discovering what you wanted to do with your life and if you ever ended up getting there. Did you have to change your dream when you realized it was unrealistic? Start with your childhood dream job (if you can remember) and take us through your current job or the job you held most recently. (I apologize if you’ve already wrote something similar in yesterday’s blog. If that is the case, and you don’t want to write about it again, feel free to tell us about your day. That is always a nice fallback.)

When I was very young, the first thing I ever wanted to be was an Astronaut. Once I was old enough to realize being an Astronaut was almost the scariest thing I could think of, I moved on to wanting to be an Interior Designer or Architect. I loved to draw scenes of rooms and make sure the angles of the ceiling and floor were perfect. This was in about grade school when we were learning about point of view and vanishing points so it was natural for my obsessive brain to latch onto that as something I knew I was good at.

Eventually, drawing became too much of a hassle for me. I couldn’t carry my drawing notebook everywhere and I let go of the dream of designing. It wasn’t really a conscious decision. I just moved on to something different.

For a while, I didn’t have much of a plan for the future. It was right around the time that we moved and I was trying to deal with all the changes in my life instead of worrying about my future. After I settled, I began to write. I remember the first time I had the inspiration for the novel I am working on now (still). I was staying up late, like all pre-teens like to do, and suddenly a name popped into my head. Just a name: Mickey Alan.

I instantly sat bolt upright in bed (I might have been trying to fall asleep) and wrote the name down in my notebook. With that one name, came more names; more characters to fit those names and a story to hold everything together. This bit of inspiration was the start of my endeavor to write "Agent 38" . Though I am still trying, this passion has become just that: a passion. I don’t hope to rely on writing to make a living and so, writing became a hobby instead of a dream for my future.

For a while, I was completely into cop shows and that whole scene. I thought it was so intriguing at the time and I loved the respect and power. From this mindset, the MC in my novel got her personality and fearlessness. I thought of her as my future self for a while, but then my vision evolved and I began to care less about the physical stresses, which I thought I wanted, and more about the intellectual stresses.

Like I said in my last post, I like a good intellectual challenge. Something that will really make me think. Something that when the answer presents itself, it is as close to a light bulb being switched on as you can imagine. I still feel connected to the world of crime solving, but I no longer wish to risk life and limb on the front line. Still, I do not wish to be behind a desk for endless hours every day. In the words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle through the mouth of the world’s most iconic detective, “"My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, . . . But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave mental exaltation."

And so, as we come to the end of this entry, my question to you is this: What was your dream job as a child? Did you ever achieve that goal or has your goal changed over the years? Focus on what you wanted to be when you were very young. Did you ever become what you dreamed of becoming? Why or why not? What prevented you from getting there or helped you achieve it?

~Emily

PS. Feel free to use all of these questions, only a couple, or none at all.
 

May 25 prompt by Fivesixer...blog CHAMP!! : "This one's about what you'd be." 

This prompt comes at the perfect time. Our wonderful prompter over-generalizes that “most of us have jobs or are retired” (no offense taken) but I think I have a long way to go before I get to either of those things. FiveSixer talks about what you might change your career to if you had the chance. Since I am a bit behind in that category, I will look at the things I may want to be doing in the future.

The reason I say this prompt comes at the perfect time is that today was the Graduation Ceremony for the seniors. That will be me next year. My favorite teacher (the one who is retiring. Yes, I feel I must remind you again) gave the commencement speech and though my eyes remained dry through that (“I was never a crying [wo]man” in the words of Jake Epping/George Amberson of 11/22/63), I did cry when I hugged him at the end. Yesterday when I saw him, I told him “This is the end” and he responded after a short pause, “I know.” It is very sad because my class is the only class he hasn’t seen through graduation. Usually, his students leave him and now he is leaving his students.

We will be without his guidance when we start to choose colleges to apply to and ultimately enroll in. Luckily, he told me I can email/snail mail him at anytime if I need help, and I surly will take him up on his offer. He may not be with us in person, but he will be with us in spirit. Gosh, now I’m talking like he’s died. He has not and I pray, for the sake of the world, that he doesn’t for a long, long time.

May 24 prompt by BBWOLF Turning 23 6/3 : "5-24-2012 Criminal Mastermind/Unsung Hero" 

This is dangerous territory.

I have had plenty of escapades into the land of the Criminal Mastermind. A friend of mine on this site suggested I had to “get in the head of my villain” in order to understand him and why he does what he does. (He may not want me to tell you who he is but it’s too late for that. It was Wordsmitty ) I have taken to imagining the horrors I could bring to this world with the right resources and the mind of the criminal mastermind I am trying to create. But we won’t get into those. Who knows? If they actually happen one day, all your heads would turn to that girl’s blog you read all those years ago. No. You would turn me in. Not a good idea.

Honestly though, talking about my misdeeds and general petty criminal behavior is not something I wish to discuss online. I plead the fifth.

As for my hidden heroics . . . I’m sure I’ve had some of those too, but I can’t remember. Isn’t that one of the sad things in life. I am too humble to try and remember the good deeds I have done. I could just make one up, but that would add another misdeed to my already long list. But it all evens out in the end, right? All the misdeeds and good deeds, I mean. Hopefully, anyway.

In other news:

Worked for five and half hours today decorating the gym for the senior’s graduation tomorrow. I even left before everything was done. But that’s okay, ‘cause I was one of the first ones there. It should look really nice when it’s done but I was exhausted and had to leave. The ceremony it tomorrow at 10:00 am. So sad. I’m going to .

My math teacher told me today that I didn’t do as bad as I was scared I did on my math final. That’s a relief.

Going to the Big Island Film Festival tonight. Wordsmitty will be there too. Maybe we will run into each other.

Take care,
~Emily
 

May 23 prompt by Yera : "(Yera, May 23) Whoops." 

Not much in my life is happening right now that is worthy of a “whoops.”

I could probably toss a “whoops” on the fact that I have yet to fold my laundry from the weekend. I could say “whoops” because I didn’t sell my schoolbooks back to the bookstore on Tuesday like I said I would and now I have to make time on Thursday to do it. I could say “whoops” because I watched TV instead of doing something more productive. Like I said; nothing serious.

In other news:

Finished 11/22/63. I knew the end would come, but I still feel like by putting it down, I am betraying a good friend. If you have not read this book, I highly, highly, HIGHLY, recommend it. You will not be disappointed. Stephen King never disappoints.

Brought my cousin and her friend back to the airport today. Listened to loud music in the car on the way back and it was relaxing. Driving always relaxes me, for some reason. It doesn’t relax me so much that I may become a danger, but it just allows me time to think. It’s nice to have that time.

I gotta write some reviews for an auction package I donated. In my own auction, no less. Yeah, I’d better get on that.

Have a nice day,
~Emily
 

May 22 prompt by Brother Nature : "It takes time to wait." 

Well, I’ve waited to write this entry, and now I have hardly any time to write it in; just under an hour. Of course, I’ll get it done, but that isn’t to say it’s going to be any good.

Today was the last day of finals. Just like yesterday, I had no tests up until Math at 2 pm so I waited, and waited. I read my book. Then read some more. And when my butt started hurting from sitting in one place, I shifted positions and read some more. I almost don’t want to get to the end of Stephen King’s book (see last entry), but I am still anxious to get there. Waiting to get there and, just like how I’ll end up getting this blog in on time, I’ll end up getting to the end of the book eventually. Then I will no longer be waiting.

Another thing I am no longer waiting for is school to be over. Because it is. Over. Done. Finished. Complete. And man, now I’m just back to waiting. Waiting to go to the Mainland on vacation. Waiting to go to the Writing Camp I’m in. Waiting to go crew rowing in the lakes in Minnesota. Waiting for next year to start.

We are always waiting for something. Right now, I am waiting for the registrar to email me back about the “Work Program” I talked about last entry. I’m waiting (apprehensively I might add) to see my final grade on my Math test. (I won’t tell a lie: It was hard. My teacher does that thing where she makes the test super difficult so no one thinks they did good and then curves it. Hopefully, anyway.)

As for what I do while I’m waiting: I guess it depends how nervous I am. If I am anxious about the thing I am waiting for, I twiddle my thumbs and can’t relax. If what I am waiting for is a good thing, I twiddle my thumbs and can’t relax. If it’s somewhere in the middle, I just go about my normal day. Because really, is there any point in our lives where we’re not waiting for something?

In other news:

This blog just passed 2,000 views mere minutes ago! I looked at it when I first logged on and it was at 1,995 and then I looked again just now and it crested the 2,000-view mark. Thank you all!

Yesterday was my dear friend’s (blue jellybaby ) real life birthday and I forgot to mention it in my entry. So here is a big shout-out to her now:

You may want to cover your ears . . . or not.

May 21 prompt by BBWOLF Turning 23 6/3 : "5-21-2012 My Day" 

Let’s see . . . my day was quite boring actually. Still, I will tell all that I can of the day in the life of me!

Woke up and drove to school (that part is the same pretty much everyday). It is finals week and today the tests were Science at 9 am and History at 2 pm, but I didn’t have a Science exam because I took AP Bio and am already finished with that class.

I arrived at school at 8 am and picked up a “Work Program” slip. Every student is required to have some sort of work agreement every year, whether it be cleaning a classroom, or being a teacher aide, or something equally boring. I would have liked to be a TA for my English teacher, but remember, he’s leaving, so I can’t do that. Instead, I’m going to help out the registrar with funneling people into the right classes and answering questions and the like. Not too exciting, but most of my work will be at the beginning of the year because that is when most of the registering for class confusion takes place. Then I’ll be, for the most part, free of work duty until the end of the year.

Filled that out and brought it up to the administration building to put in the registrar’s mailbox. By now it was about 8:15 am and I was seriously wondering why I was at school so early if I didn’t have a test until 2 pm. I cleaned out my locker for a couple minutes and brought an armload of books down to my car. Tomorrow I have to sell back some of the books and sell the others to friends who will be taking the class next year.

Then, I found a nice comfy chair in the math building and logged onto WDC with my iPad. Nothing too exciting going on, though I did wonder where the blog prompt was. Then I watched the first two episodes of the cartoon, “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”   because it was free on Instant view Netflix. After that, I read for about 2 and a half hours. I’m almost at the end of Stephen King’s 11/22/63   and am so excited to finish. I looked up the old jazz song, “In the Mood” on YouTube because it plays a major role in the book and I wanted to see what it sounded like. I found it, looked at the comments, and found myself staring at a glaringly obvious spoiler. Not fun.

I was angry I had been foolish enough to look at the comments where trolls

May 20 prompt by blainecindy - I love my WDC! : "One of my embarrassing moments" 

One of my first memories is also one of my most embarrassing ones. I probably remember it because it was embarrassing, but many people’s flashbulb memories

ID: 1868448   (Rated: 13+) Power Reviewers Superhero Contest  Superhero based Auction and Writing Contest! Bidding NOW! GPs to benefit Power Reviewers. by Emily~Cowboys+Pirates=1791808

May 19 prompt by Prosperous Snow : "Snow ~ Somewhere ... Some when ..." 

Well, it would appear that many bloggers have followed Snow’s example and written a poem in the spirit of the prompt. All are wonderful, but I have never been much of a poet. I like to pretend, but what I come up with is amateur at best. Of course, it has been said that practice makes perfect. Just because I’m not the best at something right now, doesn’t mean that somewhere, some when, I won't become good at it. Being as young as I am, I can afford to experiment with my life a little and see what happens.

Somewhere, there is a child like me without the privilege to experiment with their likes and dislikes or their values and beliefs. Some when, this may change, but until such a day, I see it as an extremely humbling experience to live in the time that I do.

I certainly don’t know what will happen in my life, but something WILL happen, and that’s enough for me. I may not know where I will find myself in the future or what I will be doing, but I am content with than.

Some time in my future, I may be someone I cannot foresee at this point in my life. I may be living somewhere I cannot image, with someone I have yet to meet. But I welcome the uncertainty of somewhere . . . I welcome the uncertainty of some when.

In other news:

Watched the season 2 finale of Hawaii Five-0   last night. I just have to say: HOW COULD IT HAVE ENDED LIKE THAT!!!?? Now they’re making me wait until the next season just to see if a certain character lives of dies! It is infuriating! (If you watched the episode, you’ll know what I’m talking about.) Ugh! It makes me so mad, but in love at the same time! Isn’t that the way with any relationship?

~Emily
 

May 18 prompt by Earl PubNewEbook : Something’s Telling me it Might be You

I can see how this prompt would play nicely to how you met your true love, but for me, I have no such story. Yet, anyway. Though I have not, and probably should not for a while, found the man I am going to marry, I have found one of my true loves right here on WdC.

Well, one of my true loves IS Writing.com.

Almost a year ago now, I wanted to brag. I wanted to show off what I thought at the time to be the most outstanding writing the world had ever seen in an anonymous setting. So, I went online and typed “writing” into the search bar. Low and behold, the first item to pop up was “Writing.com.”

I came on, instantly uploaded the first chapter of the novel I thought was perfect, and waited for the reviews to roll in. They did. And they proved to me that I had a long way to go.

I began to become more active on the site and joined a couple groups and thought, Well, this is pretty nice. The people are nice. The community is nice. Everything is just so nice.

I had always been in love with writing, but WDC has allowed me to interact with like-minded people and talk to them about things my family wouldn’t necessarily understand. From the very first day of being a member here on WDC, I knew this was the one. I knew this was a place I wanted to spend a heck of a lot of time on and a place I knew I would fit in perfectly.

Since then, it has grown into an obsession. But that’s a story for another time.

In other news:

Today was officially the last day of classes! Woo-Hoo! Now all I have is a couple finals and them I am completely done with Junior year. Holy cow. I’m a Senior!

I’m working on a super secret project with Jen d'Arque - Busy Bee . I can’t tell anyone about it, but it’s going to be a heck of a lot of fun!

Take care all,
~Emily
 

May 17 prompt by blainecindy - I love my WDC! : "The reason I was born into the world" 

What a philosophical prompt, Cindy! I like it, but I think it is something I will never truly know, nor should I ever seek to find one definite answer to. I believe people are born to play a multitude of different roles for a multitude of different people.

For my mother, I was put on this Earth to show her how to raise a daughter.

For my father, I was put on this Earth to play the role of the son he never had and to question him when he needs to be questioned.

For my sister, I was put on this Earth to inspire her, encourage her, challenge her, and comfort her.

For my friends, I was put on this Earth to laugh at their jokes and listen when they need an ear to spill their troubles.

For my pets and all the other animals I have come in contact with, I was put on this Earth to nurture them.

For all the acquaintances I have made, I was put on this Earth to provide a social obstacle and a friendly face.

For myself, I was put on this Earth to challenge, grow, create, learn, teach, believe, and write. Everything I am and ever will be cannot be summed up in a single post on a single blog on a single day. No one will ever know what their presence on this Earth has meant to those around them, but there is no shame in just being yourself. If you try to hard to be the person you think others expect you to be, you will lose sight of the reason YOU were put on this Earth. YOU. Not the character you play who you think is you. The real you.

No “In other news” today. I’m tired and have homework so . . . Take care,
~Emily
 

May 16 prompt by Bonnie14222 : "May 16: Weather Changes Me" 

Well, Bonnie wants to know what it’s like to live in a place where the weather rarely fluctuates more than 30 degrees. Luckily, I live in one such place.

Of course Hawaii is warm year-round, but those who live here know we have seasons too. Honestly, I miss winter. I used to play in the snow as a kid back when we lived on the mainland, and now I kind of miss it. Of course, back then I didn’t have to shovel the snow (Thank God) and I suspect if we lived someplace that snows today, it would be one of my chores. But we don’t, so HA!

I also miss the autumn time. I’ve always thought it was so beautiful when the trees change color and I often image dramatic scenes taking place in the fall. But Hawaii doesn’t have much of a fall; the leaves on some of the trees (lots of Cherry Blossom near where I live) turn yellow and fall off, but not much of the dramatic effect I imagine.

Here, there is the rainy season (winter time) and the dry season. I’ve always liked the smell of rain, and I like the feeling right before a downpour, but I can’t stand misting rain. If I’m going to get wet, might as well get soaked as opposed to just damp and sticky. The sound of rain inspires me to write. Also, I like to be cooler rather than hotter when I write. Warm air makes me stagnant and I’d much rather write when a light breeze was coming in through an open window.

Although the weather in Hawaii is not as dramatic as in some other places, the subtle changes in the direction of the wind and the height of the waves is enough for me.

In other news:

Please hold on one moment while I clear my throat . . . Okay. Ready. Are you ready?

It’s that time of the week again!

The Newsletter Picks of the Week!

I have four favorites this week, and each for different reasons.

The first is the "Action/Adventure Newsletter (May 16, 2012)" . This newsletter talks all about the art of writing engaging and fast-paced action scenes. The bit that stood out the most to me was this one:

1. Perform the Action

Get up and act out the scenes, when possible. Sometimes the problem is that you're not describing what a human body actually does in a given situation. If you're describing someone climbing a ladder, then climb a ladder. If it's a fight scene, throw a few punches. Try out a few kicks. If possible, observe or take a martial arts class. How do people tend to fall: on their sides, on their hands? What sorts of exclamations do they make? Do they wipe sweat away, or do they ignore it? How does a body respond when a hand or foot makes contact?

The main reason I chose this was because I thought I was crazy for acting out the scenes in my book! I would be in my room, with the door closed, punching and kicking the air and seeing what guttural noise sounded best. I’ve also been known to “play pretend,” so to speak, and imagine I am my character and just let my mouth run. What would her retort be to a certain jibe from a certain person? How would she show her affection over the phone? I really enjoying acting these scenes out and I’m glad I’m not the only one!

My second pick is the "Fantasy Newsletter (May 16, 2012)" . This fantasy newsletter discussed the importance of setting. Because I usually use places that I know are real, or at least resemble a certain place, I often don’t worry too much about setting. I tend to focus on character development and when that development needs the setting to change, that is when the setting comes into play. I realize though that I should probably pay more attention to the setting and have a greater interaction between it and my characters. I liked this newsletter for showing me this, not to mention the fact that it had this wonderful quote highlighted:

"Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one."
― Terry Pratchett

My third pick is the "For Authors Newsletter (May 16, 2012)" . This newsletter talks about self-publishing and the reason I chose it is because I recently had a friend on this site self-publish his book. What a thrill that was for him. I admire anyone who can get a book published at all and admire you even more if you are able to pull off the art of self-publishing.

Finally, my fourth newsletter pick is the "Mystery Newsletter (May 16, 2012)" . This newsletter, though Mystery by title, can be applied to any writing. It talks about choosing between first person POV and third person POV. Somehow, I always write in first person when I am not thinking about it but I have begun to use more third person and stretch that muscle. What ends up happening though is that I am writing along in third person and then all of a sudden, I go back and read what I have written and see that the last five sentences are in first person. I slip back into it and if I’m not careful, I could leave some of those mistakes in and feel the wrath of the reviewers for it. I think the reason I write in first person most easily is because it connects me to my character. I AM my character and that to me allows the inspiration to flow easier. Instead of my character having to do something, I have to do something. It makes writing very personal.

This morning when I walked to my class, there were more sprinklers (remember them from when I slipped down the hill?). Anyway, there were tons of them. Everywhere! I didn’t even know our school owned so many sprinklers! It was like a minefield trying to outmaneuver the spinning things on the way from the parking lot to the classroom. Several of them were overlapping and I had to dodge out of the way of one only to be in the oncoming path of another. Now, I know there was probably a round-a-bout route I could have taken to keep clear of the spraying water, but I obviously didn’t take thet. Why? Because I’m lazy.

My AP Bio class went to our teacher’s house for lunch and a movie during that class today. It was like a little end of year party celebrating the conclusion of Biology. There are seven of us in the class (small, I know. All those who didn’t take it were the ones in their right minds) and 5 of those 7 are Asian. Why am I bringing this up? Because for lunch we ate sushi. Chopsticks were the utensils of choice to eat with and, though I know how to use them (you have to living in Hawaii), I was sure I looked inferior compared to the masters. Oh well. At least it tasted good!

The movie we watched was Contagion   (fitting, right?) and I had watched the first part of it before. I had to stop watching it when Spoilers

May 15 prompt by Earl PubNewEbook : "This is abusing!" 

Well, most of the abuse for me is already over and done with for this school year. Hooray! Today, I had a class in the morning where I literally just sat there playing on my iPad, and then school for me was over and I drove home. It is 10:30 am in Hawaii when I am writing this. I am for sure feeling the end of year slacking coming on, but being done with more that half of my finals is the best feeling I've had in a long while. No stress.

And so, with no schoolwork to occupy my mind, I occupy it with words. Particularly words questioning the villain in my novel "Agent 38" .

He is the one character whose motives still escape me. I know the things he has to do to make the novel move forward, but I don't know why he is doing it. I know he is a villain, but I don't know how he got that way.

I need a villain who the reader almost looks up to in a way. One that after you read the book, you say, "Wow, that was the best villain I've ever read." The villain that is so bad, he's good. The villain who makes other villains scrub his feet in the morning.

But to be all this, he needs a cause worth fighting for, just like the hero. I don't want him to play the "crazy" card. That's too cliche and overdone. He has to be smart. Suave. Slick. Slimy. With enough class and honor that enough people look up to him. Witty enough to threaten to outmaneuver the hero in the end. At this point I'm thinking he's a war vet, so older and with dignity and a reputation. He's got connections and knows how to be manipulative. I think he also has had experience with bombs. Maybe a bomb tech guy.

But still, what is he fighting for? Some sort of personal or family trouble? Does he have a beef with my main character? Does he have some loftier goal like the domination of a country or the world? Perhaps he wants control of an industry so he can get even more rich?

I need to figure this out because my main character can't stop him without knowing what he wants in the end. And for that to happen, I have to know. This is the dilemma I find myself in. It is abuse. I am abusing myself and I feel abused because all the books I read, the villains are so top-notch. I just wish I could write a villain like the one in James Patterson's book, Tick Tock  . I reread a couple of the sections in that book where the villain was being especially evil trying to get ideas and all I came away with was a greater feeling of inferiority. Of course, anyone's going to feel that way when they compare themselves to a master.

In other news:

My high school held an awards ceremony last night and I got an email I was to be receiving something so I had to go. The awards were to recognize "Outstanding Achievement in Academics, the Arts, and Athletics." I was inducted (along with about 10 or so other of my peers) into the "Cum Laude Society." There must have been a certain GPA requirement in order to be inducted but although it sounds fancy, there is nothing really special about being a member. Except for being able to say that you're part of a super secret society and can't tell anyone about what you do in it.

My first ever attempt at an auction closes today at 11:59pm. Check it out if your heart desires. It's not like other auctions; you win raffle tickets for participating and the winner gets 30% of the pot! (Sorry for the selfless plug ):

ID: 1856848   (Rated: E) RAUCTION (Raffle/Auction) - Round 1  Combined Raffle and Auction! WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Please Fulfill Packages ASAP by Emily~Cowboys+Pirates=1791808

May 14 prompt from Prosperous Snow : "Monday Muse" 

Well, my muse right now is completely fried. I'm not sure if he is completely dehydrated or has a severe case of heat stroke but all I know is that he's not on the top of his game. Why? Because my brain has been turned to scrambled eggs by my AP Biology exam.

I knew it was going to be my hardest exam, but man, this was killer. Come to think of it, I may just have used every last scrap of energy my muse had left. I hope he's not turned into a puddle of goop. Boon? You still there?

Don't talk to me.

You changed your color? Well, that's to be expected; I'm pretty blue right now too. The multiple choice was okay and I think I did a fair job on that. There were some that I absolutely had no idea about though. Hopefully my guessing senses were honed.

The free response questions were the worst. My hand was scribbling and my brain was firing, but the problem is, I don't really know what the scorers are looking for. I had a bad case of diarrhea of the pen, but all that writing could all be a waste because sometimes the scorers are looking for that one thing you are unfortunate enough not to write.

So that is why my muse refuses to speak and why I can't get myself to think hard enough to write a good entry for today.

And that's what happens to me when I'm tired and cranky: I talk to myself. Mostly about nothing of use; rambling on and on about nothing I think is something while my brain is still back in the Bio exam. At least now it is all over and I can go cry in a dark place.

In other (not so depressing) news:

Reached 50 community recognition today thanks to Maryann . You rock, Maryann!

Picking up my cousin and her friend from the airport tomorrow. They are coming to visit during just the perfect time: Finals week. *insert sarcasm here* I mean, it's better now than a little earlier because now I only have to worry about 2 finals. My other three classes are over and the APs done. Wow. That feels good.

Anyway, I'll sign off now before I pass out. Take care,
~Emily
 

Initiating Blog entry for May 13

BBWOLF Turning 23 6/3 ’s prompt from May 11th about “That Special Movie” got me thinking: What about that Special Book? Is there a book that, when people ask you what they should read next, you recommend this one? Is there a book with scenes so good, you read them over and over and it never gets old? Is there a book you can recite every line the main character says, word for word? Is there a book that you learn new things every time you read it? Has this book influenced your own writing in any way? Please tell me your reasons for choosing the book you did and who the author is. Links to Amazon are good too, just incase your recommendation catches my attention. (Feel free to make your entry somewhat of a “Book Review” if you choose. With Summer Break coming up, I need as many books lined up as possible.)

So, let’s get to it then!

If it is not already clear, I love books and I love reading whatever I can get my hands on. When I was younger, I used to sit in a bookstore and just smell that new book smell. It was so healing. But now, with the technological age, bookstores are becoming obsolete. Now, I’m not complaining. I am a child of the generation of newfangled advancements, but I still like the feel of holding the physical book in my hands and not having to read it on a screen that makes the book look the same as every other book you read on that same screen. I read all of the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories on a Kindle and now it is more difficult for me to keep them separate in my mind. Each story blends into the next because of the device I was reading them on. This is why I try nowadays to buy all of my books in their physical form.

I am sitting on my bed now, looking at my wall of bookshelves, trying to decide which one to write about today. Actually, the decision isn’t too difficult.

The Queen’s Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner has always been a favorite of mine. The four books in the series don’t get enough recognition in my opinion. This is probably because the author spends four years writing a single book. The first one, The Thief   came out in 1996 ( the book is nearly as old as I am! ), the second, The Queen of Attolia   came out in 2000, the third, The King of Attolia   came out in 2006, and the fourth, A Conspiracy of Kings   came out in 2010. So, yes, there has been a long wait between each new installment. This, like I said, is probably one of the reasons this series doesn’t get enough attention. At this rate, we can expect a fifth between 2014 and 2016. I discovered them when the first three were already out though, so waiting was not such a big deal.

Please note that Amazon places the recommended reading age at “10 and up” which is perfectly fine, but there is so much more to these books than what a ten-year-old can get out of them. I have read and reread this series more times than I can count and would gladly read them again at the drop of a hat. In fact, writing this has made me want to pick them up yet again. The funny thing is, every time I read even a passage from one of the books, there is something subtle that I didn’t know was there before. The author has this way of writing that she is able to insert a slight change of tone in a single word and write a subliminal change in expression into a character that the read doesn’t see at first but which vastly increases the depth and dimension of the characters.

The characters in these stories are some of the best defined and truly ‘real’ characters I have ever read. They have real world problems, and express emotion in the perfect, subtle nuances of real people. They are complex and dynamic and the people you think are the villains and heroes have a way of switching sides (that is all I will say about that ).

The setting is also so stunning to me, mostly because I could never write something like it. It is set in a fantasy world of Kings and Queens, alliances and enemies, and Gods and mortals. And yet, everything seems so real, like I could walk into the world and feel right at home.

This is a little review I wrote to convince a friend to read the books:

I have a confession to make. That is, my favorite book of all time is a children's book meant for kids in middle school that people our age could easily read in a day or less. I have realized that many books, though they may be intended for a younger crowd, have deep messages and unique meanings that can also be enjoyed by older people as well. Each time you immerse yourself in the world where a kingdom's most prized possession is its thief, you will be astounded by the novel discoveries to be made. Each read yields new concepts to be explored and fascinating passages that may leave you dumbfounded why you didn't get the full meaning before. The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner is one of these stories. Read and loved by many age groups, this book has a complex plot filled with espionage, thievery, and political rivalry.

Turner, who is also the author of the book of short stories, Instead of Three Wishes, based the Queen's Thief series on the ancient Greeks understanding of religion. Gods play a major role in the fates of mortals throughout the series and it is believed that mortals can converse with these Gods, though not everyone is in the God’s favor. This has it's roots in ancient Greek beliefs that the Gods were distinctly human and portrayed human emotions such as love and rage. However, the Queen's Thief series is a fictional tale and therefore is the product of the authors imagination. The soldiers in the book fight with guns as well as swords though the guns are still "not as accurate as a crossbow." This information then would place the story (using Earth's history) between when guns were invented and when guns began having grooves in the barrel.

The reason that Turner chose to emphasize Greek beliefs is because the Greeks loved ingenuity. This is a significant theme throughout the books. More often than not, the heroic stories of the ancient Greeks depended not on whether the hero had the goodness and strength to overcome evil, but whether he had the cunning to outwit his opponent. On the surface, the main hero of the books, Eugenides, is just a boy thief who grows into a man and overcomes obstacles along the way, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah. Underneath this though is a second story. A story of a boy with a temper and too much wit for his own good who must outsmart his many adversaries while retaining his dignity and trusting his Gods.

Like I mentioned when introducing the series, thieves are a defining factor as to whether your kingdom is successful or not. This is a unique point of view because under normal circumstances, thieves are regarded as the scum of the earth. This is still true in the Queen's Thief series but the thieves are also regarded as the prized possession of a kingdom. If your kingdom has one, they are treated as part of the royal family, but once they leave the castle, they are back to being a sewer rat. This, of course, is why they are so useful to the Kings and Queens. They already have a low standing in society and therefore blend in amongst the townspeople quickly and are able to perform the kings bidding without much interference from anyone.

The Thief starts out as a basic "get-out-of-jail" story but evolves into a tale whose many facets can be read by everyone but only understood by those willing to look for them. All of the twists and unexpected turns throughout the series cannot be explained in a mere page of text so you'll just have to read the adventure for yourself!

Here is a link to another glowing review of the series with NO SPOILERS  .

Here is the first paragraph from the first book:

"I didn't know ho long I'd been in the king’s prison. The days were all the same, except that as each one passed, I was dirtier than before. Every morning the light in the cell changed from the wavering orange of the lamp in the sconce outside my door to the dim but even glow of the sun falling into the prison's central courtyard. In the evening, as the sunlight faded, I reassured myself that I was one day closer to getting out. To pass time, I concentrated on pleasant memories, laying them out in order and examining them carefully. I reviewed over and over the plans that had seemed so straightforward before I arrived in jail, and I swore to myself and to every god I knew that if I got out alive, I would never never never take any risks that we're so abysmally stupid again."

The spine of the first in the series has been completely torn up simply because I have opened so many times. I know the exact pages of the scenes that inspire me and read them often when I need a little boost. These books have a way of doing that for me: giving me that little push to write some more.

I aspire to write characters as well as Turner does and her style of writing is one I follow when I hit a dry patch in my writing.

Sorry for writing such a long entry about this but the simple truth is, I could write so much more. I am holding back. This is what I want you to feel when you write about your “Go-To” book. Why is it so special to you?

Some of my other favorites are:

Series (Links to first book in series):
Alex Rider  
Young Bond  
Ranger’s Apprentice  
Pendragon  
Michael Bennett  

Single Books (These change often so this list is what currently comes to mind):
11/22/63  
Life of Pi  
The Giver  
Graceling  

In other news:

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL YOU MOTHERS OUT THERE!!!!

May 12 prompt by Fivesixer...blog CHAMP!! : "This one's about the last minute." 

I am a list-obsessed person. Making plans and keeping to them is somewhat of an impulsive act for me. So for me, if/when my plans are changed beyond my control, I often don’t like it.

Things must change and evolve or else everything would always stay stagnant. I realize this and still cling to the plans I have set for the world and myself. What often happens, is that I have an idea of what I am planning to do at a specific time (for example, this Summer) and then those plans change beyond my bubble of control.

However, I have learned that changing plans is not necessarily a bad thing. Great fortunes can come out of a shift in the tides just as easily as great misfortunes. I try to take things in stride and when my list becomes so jumbled I can no longer read it, I toss it in the ocean and make a new one. Because that’s the way life goes.

In other news:

Not much other news to speak of today. Tomorrow is my day to make the prompt and I already know what I’m going to prompt you guys about. It is also Mother’s Day. Breakfast in bed for my ma is in order, I think. Also, she wants to go see the new Johnny Depp movie, Dark Shadows  . It should be that stupid kind of funny where you laugh but wonder where your dignity has fled to. It’ll be fun.

~Emily
 

May 11 prompt by BBWOLF Turning 23 6/3 : "5-11-2012 That Special Movie" 

For me, there is no single movie that takes the cake. There is no single movie which I claim to be my favorite movie, every day for the rest of time.

As a teen absorbed and influenced by popular culture, I go through phases of movie obsessions. There are a few, however, that I continually come back to. I have to put them into categories because I can’t make myself pit two equally good movies against each other because each has unique things that make it likable.

First, my favorite older cartoons that I used to watch all the time when I was younger: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron   and Aladdin   are tied. The music in each is phenomenal and I love the classic characters in each.

Next, my favorite new cartoon would have to be a tie between Up   and Despicable Me  . The unconventional heroes spoke to me and I like the way each is funny. They both have humor for children as well as humor that only an older generation can appreciate.

Next, my favorite anime cartoon. This has to be in a different category because I am so attached to this movie, that I couldn’t bear to see it booted off by my other favorites. Howl’s Moving Castle   is full of classic Japanese quirkiness and stunning animations. Howl is the cartoon being I consider to be my favorite.

Next, the franchises. Indiana Jones   and Pirates of the Caribbean   have had their faults, I acknowledge this. Both were meant to originally be trilogies and many people threw fits when both franchises made a fourth movie. I know fans bashed both of the newest installments of these franchises, but these are the kind of series that to me, never have a bad moment. The simple fact that the movie is connected in any way to the franchise, makes me enjoy it even if people around me in the theatre are cringing. Can you believe Harrison Ford first played Indy way back in 1981! I won’t have been born yet for another 14 years! And still, they stand up to the higher tech movies of today. Other of my favorite franchises include: Die Hard  , Mission Impossible  , and Daniel Craig’s James Bond   (sorry, I’m the younger generation and never knew any other Bond).

Finally, my favorite movies from the past year and my current obsessions. Avengers   and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows   are both movies I would watch repeatedly, only stopping for the essential homeostatic functions. I would ingest them through my eyeballs they are that good. Interestingly, both are sequels and both I think are better than the originals. And who said sequels always go downhill? Also, Robert Downey Jr. (who I ) is in both of them which makes them have even more eye-candy than they did before.

In other news:

Bought a Costumicon Subscription today. It lasts ‘til July 6th I think. I’m too lazy to check. I’m also nearly at 50 Community Recognition! That is a huge milestone and before I am even a year old too (my anniversary is June 12th)! Wow, that is right around the corner!

Here is one of the Youtubers I am subscribed to listing his top 100 movies you should see before you die:



Well, take care all,
~Emily
 

May 10 prompt from Yera : "(Yera, May 10) Oh, How Time Flies. . . " 

Yera wrote in her entry about the eminent end of the school year and this fact is hitting me really hard.

I took my AP Literature test this morning. I want to say I for sure got high marks, but I am really not sure. I’m not sure whether feeling content that I tried my hardest is a sign that I did well or that I just thought I did well when in fact completely botched it. The three essays were easier for me than the ambiguous multiple choice. Thank you to my muse. He was there for me today with the essays and I never found myself stumped. There were two hours allotted to the three essays and I got them done and was able to feel comfortable about having time to read over them for grammar. I felt really solid on those but again, I’m not sure if that contentment I feel in the pit of my stomach means I did well or if I did moderate but could have done more. On the multiple choice, I felt I did a fair job guessing. There were many questions which had me puzzled interspersed with ones I knew the definite answer to, but being able to eliminate the obvious wrong answers gave me a little boost. There is no guessing penalty and I am proud to say I finished every question. The actual test time was 3 hours but it ended up turning into a 4-hour test because of all the extra bits you have to fill out (name, address, etc.).

My brain feels like mush but I am happy to have that test done. Now there is only one I have to worry about: AP Bio. However, after today, I am feeling pretty solid but don’t want to get complacent. I know our Bio teacher prepared us to the T, there is just so much to remember and that’s what scares me. That test is on Monday so I have the whole weekend to study for it. I don’t want to say “cram” but I feel like that is what I will be doing. Amazing that in the first couple of entries in this blog, I talked about trying to get into the classes I am taking now. It has been a full school year since I started this blog, and that to me is truly amazing. Now I am taking the end of year tests . . . It’s been a long Junior year.

After that Monday when I finish my Bio, I will only have two classes I have to go to: Pre-Calc, and US History. The finals for those classes will be a cinch compared to the AP’s. And after those finals are done, it will be graduation! There is one word I have to say about that: Bittersweet.

The Seniors are leaving. My favorite teacher is leaving (my AP Lit teacher, coincidentally). I will be a Senior and that much closer to college. It is just too much. Thinking about the speech my English teaching will be giving at the Senior’s graduation makes me tear up, and I haven’t even gotten there yet. Last night, I lay in my bed and cried. I have to admit this because I don’t consider myself a very sappy person, but the end of this year has gotten to me like none of the past years have. Last year I was able to grin and bear it when my Senior friends left, but for some reason, this year is different.

I am that much closer but for some reason, I feel that much further away.

In other news:

Take that last sentence above how you please. I don’t really know what I was thinking when I wrote it, but it felt right.

Remember my first real writings Boon was telling you about a couple entries ago? Well, I found them. The only problem is they are hard copies and not saved on a computer I have access to. I would transcribe them (and maybe will some day), but right now it is way too much work. I did find the first ever poem I wrote. That too is a hard copy, but it is short so I can share it. I think this poem is the reason I never wrote poetry again for the longest time. I’ve copied it exactly, word for word and it is pretty awful, but I can laugh and now so can you :

Seeing as Earl PubNewEbook is offline, today the prompt will be a "How am I enjoying the 'Follow Me' blogging format so far?" along with anything else I can think up to share with you. (Thanks to Brother Nature for stepping up and making sure we all get that 'Blue Month' we are looking for.)

From the entries I have seen from everyone so far, I think that everyone is quite enjoying this new concept for blogging that Earl came up with. Last month, I was honored enough to judge the second week of the challenge and truly had a fantastic time doing that. It is fun to be on the other side of the judging! Did you know? One of the other judges, Wordsmitty , has been participating (though not officially) in the challenge since the very beginning of the month as well as most of the entries from last month. The link to his blog is in my "Member Blogs" heading on the left.

         Go take a look and leave a comment for him.          
He is a friend and I would be grateful!

May 8 prompt from Brother Nature : "My Righting is Getting Bedder." 

Great prompt Brother! I don’t think I’ve ever let my muse speak unedited, but to follow your example, here he is. I’ve got to get to school, but Boon will take good care of you during your stay (hopefully, he will be able to figure out how to post it . . .):

Before I even start, I must let you know: My paws don’t get along well with keyboards so this may take me a while to write.

Andre: It is nice to meet you buddy! If any of the other muses come out today, hello to you too! We should all get together some time. Just us. No masters allowed. Hang out, fetch a bone . . . erm . . . or whatever it is you eat. That would be fun, right?

I don’t think Emily has ever let me write to you like this in such a raw form; usually she edits me so much. I can’t stand it!

Just the other day, I wanted to write and thus, so did Emily. But, instead of writing about what I wanted to write about, she went off on a fling and wrote about some cowboy dude. She thinks he’s cool, but I think he is a big, ugly brute with no feelings. I wanted her to continue the story of my Master, Agent 38. She had been on such a roll with the Character Sketch Challenge! It was amazing to see us work together so well. Sometimes though, I think I fell asleep, leaving her to fend for herself. She didn’t like that, and, let me tell you, the entries from those days are absolutely horrendous.

Anyway, she went off into right field and wrote a bar fight with her cowboy, Adam Locke. A bar fight! What is this? The Wild West? Agent 38 and I live in the real world! Emily should be paying more attention to us. Our story is almost finished too. If only she would wrap up our book in a timely fashion and not be sucked into another time to write about someone not nearly as important as Agent 38! She is such a procrastinator!

Skafdub c ek.bwac ke.kascb durfbv abdskjbwsefc mqweirhb wkeur vsw hc

Sorry about that. I pounded my paws on the keyboard.

Anyway, this stupid brute of a man that Emily is so eager to write about all of a sudden has his story in this folder. But don’t read it. I swear to you, he is a bad man. A rebel!

ID: 1791808   (Rated: 18+) A Damn in Eve  Western based story starring Cowboys AND Pirates! Working on new chapters. Review? by Emily~Cowboys+Pirates=1791808

Agent 38, on the other paw, is the ideal read for a bored mind. I made sure Emily featured her prominently in her highlighted items so I urge you to give her a look. Besides, I wrote most of that Character Sketch challenge. Here is the day I am introduced:

"Day Eleven: Let it all Hang Out" 

Let’s see. Emily’s first real story, she wrote in 3rd grade. In class, no less! Well, not as a class project, more like a “let’s-not-pay-attention-to-the-teacher” project. It is probably my fault; I was still a puppy then.

Anyway, I had the urge and she wrote a short story about a stuck-up girl learning that she was not the center of the universe with the guidance of a unicorn who saved her from an army of rats. I don’t think she still has the story, but I will look for it while she is at school.

Oooh! Cat!                              

Boon
 

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May 7 prompt from blainecindy - I love my WDC! : "When I'm on top of the world" 

When am I on top of the world? When do I feel like nothing can bring me down from the euphoria of success? When is there nothing in the world that is unobtainable?

Achievement comes from determination. When I am on the top of the world, I know I worked to get there. Of course, the help of others to get to that place is in no way shameful. The top of the world for me is happiness for my family and a feeling of joy and contentment.

Being on the top of the world instills in me the desire to bring the rest of the people who are not yet at the top of their world. As Lao-Tzu said, “To lead the people, walk behind them.” This is what keeps me in this state of being on the top of the world: helping others to achieve.

"When I am on the top of the world, I kneel, offering my back to the billions of others seeking the top." ~Emily
                   
Original Quote Alert!

ID: 1791808   (Rated: 18+) A Damn in Eve  Western based story starring Cowboys AND Pirates! Working on new chapters. Review? by Emily~Cowboys+Pirates=1791808