End of the Day

Well, I managed to finish reading Luther.  It wasn't that bad, but now I have to answer three pages of discussion questions.  Joy.  I hate those things.  And I need to start my Winchester paper.  And take a bath.  In the next two hours.  Fun.

I probably shouldn't complain, though, considering how much work I got done.  And the fact that I watched four episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise this weekend and The Princess and the Frog.  That was a pretty good movie, admittedly.   But, at least what I have left isn't that bad.  And I'll get to finish the Winchester paper tomorrow anyway, along with my Psych stuff.  Not bad, really.  I actually had a pretty good weekend.

Because of that, I'm off to relax for a while before I do the discussion questions (or most of them, at least)...

Tomorrow is bound to be more interesting...plus, I already have a song picked out and I might have time to review something...and go bother my best friend via phone call...hehe...

This Weekend's To-Do List

I figured that I would to this for the heck of it...and because I need some motivation right now.  Yes, yes, my third post of the day, and just because I'm bored and not in the mood to be reading Martin Luther...

This is what I started with....

(Bio) Read Chapter 24 (Mon)
(Bio) Read Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes (Mon)
(Bio) Answer questions on Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes (Mon)
(Chem) 12 problems from Chapter 12 (Mon)
(Chem) Read Chapter 13 (Wed)
(Chem) Finish Radioactivity Lab (Thurs)
(Chem) Pre-Lab 16 (Thurs)
(History) Read West pgs 356-361 (Mon)
(History) Read On Christian Liberty 1-74 (Mon)
(History) Discussion questions for On Christian Liberty (Mon)
(Psych) Read Chapter 2 (Tues)
(Psych) Review chapters & readings for Quiz (Tues)
(AL) Wilhelm (The Romance of Arthur) 59-93 (Tues)
(AL) Winchester paper - 2-3 pages MLA format & research (Tues)
(AL) Read handout (Tues)

This is after the striking...



(Bio) Read Chapter 24 (Mon)
(Bio) Read Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes (Mon)
(Bio) Answer questions on Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes (Mon)
(Chem) 12 problems from Chapter 12 (Mon)
(Chem) Read Chapter 13 (Wed)
(Chem) Finish Radioactivity Lab (Thurs)
(Chem) Pre-Lab 16 (Thurs)
(History) Read West pgs 356-361 (Mon)
(History) Read On Christian Liberty 1-74 (Mon)
(History) Discussion questions for On Christian Liberty (Mon)
(Psych) Read Chapter 2 (Tues)
(Psych) Review chapters & readings for Quiz (Tues)
(AL) Wilhelm (The Romance of Arthur) 59-93 (Tues)
(AL) Winchester paper - 2-3 pages MLA format & research (Tues)
(AL) Read handout (Tues)

And this is what's left...

(Chem) Pre-Lab 16 (Thurs)
(History) Read On Christian Liberty 1-74 (Mon)
(History) Discussion questions for On Christian Liberty (Mon)
(Psych) Read Chapter 2 (Tues)
(Psych) Review chapters & readings for Quiz (Tues)
(AL) Wilhelm (The Romance of Arthur) 59-93 (Tues)
(AL) Winchester paper - 2-3 pages MLA format & research (Tues)

I suppose it's back to work again.  Ick...on to Luther...

Crunch Time

It's been totally crazy lately.  Since class has started, I've been busy all the time.  Right now, I've still got a ton to do.  So far today I've finished the dozen chem problems that my prof didn't mention at all.  And they're due tomorrow.  I didn't know about them until yesterday morning.  Great, right? 

That leaves me with reading On Christian Liberty and answering the discussion questions for that for tomorrow for History and that's the last of what I absolutely have to have done for tomorrow...the only problem with that is that I have a paper for Arthurian Legends on Tuesday.  And it's not even just a paper.  It's a presentation.  Thankfully it only has to be two to three pages long, but still.  I don't want to be finishing it at midnight tomorrow.  That would be horrible.  That, a reading, and a little Psych stuff are still on the list, but it's not that bad.  Well, I don't think it is.  I'm actually about to read a the chapter for Chemistry on Wednesday then get to the Luther reading, which I REALLY don't want to do...but I have to...mainly because there's sort of a paper on that, too.  Due a week from Wednesday.  The problem with that?  I have another paper for Arthuian Legends due that Tuesday.  That one is on Morgan le Fay, so it's not as difficult, but still...

And now it's back to work...more later, more than likely...

Tightrope ♥ Emily and Damon ♥ Make It or Break It

It's been a while since I blogged...but I've got a ton to be doing, so I'm not going to be able to post for a bit if I do get a chance to do that today....but I had to post this song. This song was on the season finale of Make It Or Break It, a show about four elite gymnasts, their families, and the other people in their lives. (Spoiler alert) Damon sings this song for Emily at the end of the finale and it's perfect for them as a couple. This video is one about them that I found, obviously. They're an adorable couple and I hope things work out for them.

Mordred's Lullaby

A friend of mine told me about this song ages ago, and it really fit a character I was writing at that point in time. I'm still writing that character, but it's been a long time since I did...this song still reminds me of him, and I love it in general...it's very pretty. And it's Arthurian Legend, go figure...

Lifehouse - If This is Goodbye

So, I found this song last night....I think it's really pretty, and it's Lifehouse, one of my favorite bands. They're seriously awesome. Particularly their latest CD, Mirrors and Smoke.

Lifehouse - Best Of Me (What's Left Of Me)

I love this song - I have the rest of this CD, but unfortunately I'm missing this one and a couple of the other bonus tracks because of the version I have (stupid multiple versions on Amazon...). All the same, this is an amazing song and I absolutely adore it. It also provides a bit of inspiration for one of my stories.

What Time in the Car Does...

I am such a nerd.  It’s one thing to have a Star Wars hoodie and Imperial Cog earrings (pictures forthcoming…eventually…), but it’s an entirely different thing to be wearing those and be rocking out to a song that is a reference to my childhood and people of my generation.  So, I’m sitting in the car on the way home wearing my Empire Strikes Back thermal hoodie and my Imperial Cog earrings…and my younger sister and I are singing along to the original Pokémon theme song that I have on my iTunes.  (I want to be the very best, like no one ever was.  To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause…)

Yes, I just admitted it.  While the pie chart I posted yesterday might not say so, but most people I know think Pokémon is entirely stupid.  Or that it’s evil.  I’ll make no comment on the latter because I don’t believe it.  I also disagree with the other comment – it’s actually not stupid.  And unlike some of the things it teaches to children actually mean something, unlike a lot of the television shows of this age. 

Ash is competitive and driven.  The whole series – all fourteen seasons and five generations as of yet – has a couple of overarching themes and lessons. 

First, never give up.  No matter how many times you get knocked down, get back up and work harder to get to the goal you’re trying to achieve.  You can do it and no one can stand in the way of your dreams.  Just keep trying.  You’ll get it someday.  You just have to work for it.

The second lesson is don’t ever take your friends for granted.  Your true friends will stand by you through everything, no matter what.  Even across distance and time, you can always rely on them.  You may not see them for a while, but if they are truly your friends, nothing will change that.

Those are two things that have stuck with me since I was little and Pokémon was all the rage.  When I was younger, it was the coolest thing ever.  Now, it’s not so much, but those of us who remember it still think it’s pretty cool for the most part.  Actually, a lot of kids still think that it’s awesome. 

I still have to say, though, in reference to the show…they never should have gotten rid of Misty or Brock…they were awesome…

“It’s a whole new world we live in, it’s a whole new way to see…it’s a whole new place, with a brand new attitude, but you still gotta catch ‘em all and be the best that you can be…” (Pokémon Johto theme song)

Review: Troubled Waters

Zoe Ardelay is grieving for her father when a messenger of the king is sent to retrieve her.  She is asked to go to the Palace as the king's fifth wife, and she cannot refuse this messenger.  But once she gets to the city, she slips out of his grasp and disappears from all view.

For a time, Zoe lives happily in the city, but eventually she discovers something that had been hidden from her when her father took her into exile with him: she is the Coru Prime, and she must return to the Palace.  This time, however, she must go in her own right with power of her own.  And, as Coru Prime, she is safe from any unwelcome marriage attempts, such as that of the king, who we find out later is not a bad person.  Now Zoe must navigate the court and be careful not to make an enemy of any of the four wives of King Vernon.

In Zoe's world, people are associated with four different things - sweela, which is fire; elay, which is air; torz, which is earth; hunti, which is wood; and coru, which is water.  Each of these elemental associations is passed down from parent to child.  Zoe's father was a sweela man, as she put it, but she is like her mother and is a coru woman, though she is said to have a sweela heart many times. 

I found this book in the new books section of the public library by my school.  I've spent a great deal of time reading books I've gotten there that I never would have found at the bookstore or at my home library.  Then again, my home library is not well-stocked and it's staffed by nazi librarians.

I loved this book.  I absolutely adored this book.  I flew through this book even though I was sick the evening I read the largest chunk of it.  It brought me a great deal of joy when I wasn't feeling very well.  I honestly wish that Sharon Shinn had written more books in this universe (though this book only came out at the end of last year).  But, since she hasn't, I will probably be picking up her other books anyway.  I would give this book the full five starts.  It's really amazing and I highly recommend it.

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon

 

I've been a fan of the Spyro franchise since Season of Ice in 2001.  I own all of the portable games that have been released since then.  I will admit that I have not finished all of them - Shadow Legacy proved difficult and I just never got around to finishing the second part of the Legend of Spyro trilogy, The Eternal Night.  But I have played all of them at some point. 

This is a game I've looked forward to being able to play (I've been a little behind on the games for a while - I usually start a game, lose interest for a while when I get stuck, and go back later with new resolve) since it's 2008 release. 

After playing it through from start to finish, I find that I am a bit disappointed by how short the game was for me.  I blew through it in record time for a Spyro game.  I'm still not finished with Season of Ice (those fairies have proven difficult to find in some cases), I've finished Season of Flame and Attack of the Rhynocs multiple times, I've gotten stuck on the final boss (I think) on Shadow Legacy (last I remember, at least), I've beaten The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, and I've gotten stuck in The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night.  I don't think I've ever blown through a Spyro game in the time it took me to beat this game.  My save file clocks in at 8:41.  Several of those hours had it sitting open on my bed while I did other things and I was constantly multitasking.  Yet, I beat the final boss - after a great deal of frustration when he kept killing me - in under nine hours. 

This is simply a short game.  The developers did not put nearly as much effort into it as previous Spyro games and I find that fairly disappointing, though I would still buy a new Spyro game in a heartbeat.  There are maybe six levels where you go through and use your elemental breath on the enemies, some of whom are immune to certain types of Spyro's or Cynder's breath.  Admittedly, they're long levels with save points few and far between.  That's another thing that frustrated me.  There were certain points where I kept dying, and I would always respawn at the last checkpoint, which was AGES before where I had been.  That would be why my DS spent a great deal of time sitting there on my bed while I was working on something or other for something else.  Or watching a movie.  The bosses - once you figure out what you're supposed to do - are also pretty easy. 

The game mechanics are good overall, though I found that I was constantly switching dragons from Spyro to Cynder and vise-versa instead of switching the kind of breath I was using.  The use of the bumpers was a bit irritating, but that's my only issue with the gameplay. 

Graphically, this game is pretty well done.  It's not as good as Season of Ice - which, as my first Spyro game, sets very high standards because it could keep me amused for hours and hours without fail - or any of the original handheld series.  The drawings of Spyro and the other characters are beautiful, and the voicing in the cutscenes is somewhat night. 

Overall, I wanted to love this game.  I honestly enjoyed it, but it is not my favorite of the Spyro franchise.  It is, unfortunately, right down there with Shadow Legacy for me.  For a Spyro game, I give it two and a half stars out of five.  For a game overall, I would give it three stars.  It's a fun game, but I wish it was longer and more intricate than just running forward and breathing things on the enemies. 

This is Too Funny...

So, I'm surfing a little while I'm packing to go home for a long weekend right now...  I'm not one of those people who likes to post a million tiny posts to her blog in a day, but I had to put this up.  I found this picture, and it is just funny...and so very true for people around my age who used to watch Pokémon...

I know a ton of people who would be in the red section and very few who would be in the black section...

Ready For Love - Cascada

My roommate had me listen to this song a couple of days ago...I think it's pretty good. It actually reminds me of a couple of characters I love to write, so it's even a bit inspiring...

Review: Coronets and Steel

Sherwood Smith is a favorite author of mine.  She's not as high as Jim Butcher, Brent Weeks, or Brandon Sanderson, but she's up there.  I've read her Crown Duel books (both the duo of Crown Duel and Court Duel, plus the prequel, A Stranger to Command) and A Posse of Princesses.  All of those were very good, and I certainly don't think I'll stop reading that particular brand of her books.

Coronets and Steel is a different kind of book.  It's an urban fantasy set in modern times.  Coronets follows the journey of Aurelia Kim Murray, a college student from California.  She's on a search for her family's history on her maternal grandmother's side.  Her search takes her to Europe, where she runs into dead end after dead end.  That's when she meets a man she dubs Mr. Darcy upon first meeting him.  And the first time she sees a ghost.

 I find this book very well written and certainly up to par with her previous works.  Smith has also stepped out of the usual area of her fantasy writing.  I don't often read urban fantasy because I just don't find many well-written books that are like that.  This book left me wanting more.  The author masterfully led up to her ending and chose to leave me where I would certainly go after the next book in this series.

Overall, I would give this book three and a half stars.  It's clean, it's well-written, Kim is a likable main character, and it's just a great book.

The Trial of Lancelot

I'm still on my Arthurian kick, it seems. I'm in the process of finding images to make icons (which I'm considering posting them on here, as well, once I've made them), but I keep getting distracted by something.


This is one of those things. Heather Dale's The Trial of Lancelot. This singer's voice is amazing and she does a lot of Arthurian songs. I'm not even through listening to this song for the first time and I adore it. It's simply beautiful...

The To-Read Pile

So, yesterday I mentioned a to-read list.  I've had a bunch of books accumulating on my bookshelf (the books on which are double shelved at this point because I have so many) that I haven't had time to read yet.  Many of them have been waiting a while, though I've meant to read them for ages.  I'm hoping to get through the list below this year, and hopefully more than that.  Of course, knowing me, I'll have a lot more than that. 

1. Miss Julia Takes Over – Ann B. Ross
2. How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less – Nicholas Boothman
3. The Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkien
4. The Naming – Alison Croggon
5. The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leroux
6. With God in Russia – Walter J. Ciszek, Jr.
7. Sight Hound – Pam Houston
8. Les Misérables – Victor Hugo
9. The Talismans of Shannara – Terry Brooks
10. The Elf Queen of Shannara – Terry Brooks
11. The Druid of Shannara – Terry Brooks
12. The Scions of Shannara – Terry Brooks
13. Isle Witch – Terry Brooks
14. Antrax – Terry Brooks
15. Morgawr – Terry Brooks
16. Academ’s Fury – Jim Butcher
17. Cursor’s Fury – Jim Butcher
18. Captain’s Fury – Jim Butcher
19. Princep’s Fury – Jim Butcher
20. First Lord’s Fury – Jim Butcher
21. The Dresden Files: Ghost Story – Jim Butcher
22. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
23. Emma – Jane Austen
24. Persuasion – Jane Austen
25. Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen
26. The Snow Queen – Mercedes Lackey
27. Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare
28. The Call of the Wild – Jack London
29. Lucifer’s Hammer – Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
30. Joshua – Joseph F. Girzone
31. Johnny Tremain – Ester Forbes
32. Blood Red Horse – K.M. Grant
33. Out of the Silent Planet – C.S. Lewis
34. Perelandra – C.S Lewis
35. That Hideous Strength – C.S. Lewis
36. Millennium Falcon – James Luceno
37. Warbreaker – Brandon Sanderson
38. Elantris – Brandon Sanderson
39. Fate of the Jedi: Outcast – Aaron Allston
40. Fate of the Jedi: Omen – Christy Golden
41. Crosscurrent – Paul S. Kemp
42. Coruscant Nights: Jedi Twilight - Michael Reaves
43. Coruscant Nights: Streets of Shadow - Michael Reaves
44. Coruscant Nights: Patterns of the Force - Michael Reaves
45. The Han Solo Adventures – Brian Daley
46. Shadows of the Empire – Steve Perry
47. Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil – Drew Karpyshyn
48. Taliesin – Stephen Lawhead
49. Merlin’s Harp – Anne Eliot Crompton
50. Halo: The Fall of Reach
51. The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
52. Troubled Waters – Sharon Shinn
53. The Looking Glass Wars – Frank Beddor
54. Daughter of the Forest – Juliet Marillier
55. His Majesty’s Dragon – Naomi Novik
56. The Clone Wars: Wild Space – Karen Miller
57. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms – N.K. Jemisin
58. The Mammoth Book of Merlin – Mike Askley
59. Fire – Kristin Cashore
60. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance  - Sean Williams
61. The Belgariad Vol. 1 – David Eddings
62. Dark River – Erin Hunter
63. Outcast – Erin Hunter
64. The Road to Avalon – Joan Wolf
65. Coronets and Steel – Sherwood Smith
66. Hamlet – William Shakespeare
67. The Mists of Avalon – Marion Zimmer Bradley
68. Idylls of the King – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
69. The Night of the Solstice – L.J. Smith
70. The Lady Elizabeth – Alison Weir
71. The Captive Queen – Alison Weir
72. Ariel – Steven R. Boyette
73. Ascendant – Diana Peterfreund
74. Iron King – Julie Kagawa
75. The Shunning - Beverly Lewis
76. The Confession - Beverly Lewis
77. The Reckoning - Beverly Lewis
78.  The Irish Princess - Karen Harper
79. I Am Mordred - Nancy Springer
80.  For Camelot's Honor - Sarah Zettel
81. Firelight - Sophie Jordan
82.  The Black Prism - Brent Weeks
83. The Queen's Pawn - Christy English
    
84. Rival to the Queen - Carolly Erickson
    
85. The Virgin Queen's Daughter - Ella Chase
    
86. A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver - E. L. Konigsburg
87. Innocent Traitor - Alison Weir
88. The Last Full Measure - Michael A. Martin
89. The Centurion's Wife - Davis Bunn & Janette Oke
90. The Swan Kingdom - Zoe Marriott
91. Daedalus's Children - Dave SternThe Twilight of Avalon - Anna Elliot
92. Knight Errant  - John Jackson Miller
93. Choices of One - Timothy Zahn

New Years Resolutions

I'm not very good about keeping my resolutions every year.  I tend to lose interest or forget or I'm just too lazy to actually remember to keep them. 

I only remember about three or four of the ones I've tried, though I've attempted a blog post with them on my last attempt at a blog.  Among them were reading the New Jedi Order in order...or reading all of my Star Wars books in order...or the Dragonriders of Pern books, or something like that.  And, of course, I never make it. 

This year I'm going to try again and I intend to actually try to keep them this time. 


1. Read all of the books I've accumulated in my to-read pile
2. Lose the weight gained last semester plus more and keep it off
3. Finish Never Surrender, one of my Robin Hood (BBC) stories, and Beauty Will Rise, the next one on my to-write list
4. Complete a partial draft of an original novel
5. Make progress on my in-progress stories, preferably 6+ chapters for each story, or completion to the ones I'm working on that will be done before there are six more chapters, even if they aren't posted.
6. Get a 3.8+ GPA next semester and the fall semester
7. Clean my room until it is actually clean and organized like it should be.