Some Fantasy in Reality

2008-12-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

I am moving to my wordpress blog. My initial idea was to wait until I hit 100 posts, but I have realized that it is too hard for me to maintain two blogs. Well, really it isn't; but I'm kind of tired of taking care of two blogs. So I decided to move even when this post is only my 93rd post. Just because 93 isn't as commonly used as 100 doesn't mean it's any worse. At least, I think it's the 93rd. I hope I'm right, because I'm so bored I even made a little cartoon praising the number 93:

Cute, right? I know. Even if it is a stick girl. It was Paint, and all I had was the little laptop pad.

So from now on, I shall be found at http://floatingfaraway.wordpress.com

As for what I'm going to do... basically posts like normal, except book reviews in between.

Merissa

I have a delightful cold

2008-12-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

Well. Can you hear the sarcasm in the title?

Because I have a cold. I daresay that is very interesting. Although I am not sneezing right now. I was sneezing a moment ago. Now I'm not. Unfortunately.

(This cold is making all my sentences messed up, starting sentences with "because" and writing fragments. If I copied it to Word, everything would go crazy with green squiggly lines.)

It's my mom I feel sorry for. First my sister (she had a cold a few days ago, did I mention?), and now me. I am just glad I am not coughing.

With luck, my cold will wear itself out soon. I don't want to go to school on Monday with a cold.

Merissa

'Tis over!

2008-12-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

It's December 1st. That means something different to everyone, I suppose, but what do you think it means for me?

It's over!

No, I don't mean the year. The year isn't over yet; that's January. When that comes, I shall devote a special post to it. But what is over right now? Come on, say it, say it...

NaNoWriMo!

There, I knew you had it.

I haven't finished. But I did pretty well, I think. This was my progress, based on the graph they provided at NaNo:

11/01/08 - 11/04/08: Understands that I have no plot, therefore does not write anything. Realizes that this is probably why you are allowed to sign up way before November, but also realizes that the words are refusing to come out, and because they are very important in a story, decides to obey them.

11/05/08 - 11/11/08: Forces self to write sporadically. Vexes family with repeated phrases: "I must write!" despite the fact that I am not writing as much as I am saying that.

11/12/08 - 11/18/08: Actually succeeds in writing around 1000 words a day! Or even maybe 2000! Is succeeding very prettily, although probably will still not catch up.

11/19/08 - 11/28/08: Sudden growth spurt of novel inspires some easy time, resulting in almost nothing written.

11/28/08 - 11/30/08: Realizes how close November is to ending and gets onto the computer. Then somehow forgets because of the extremely fatal disease known as procrastinating.

12/01/08: I know that because of this, I will be scolded for not focusing. Not only am I friends to geniuses online, but I have recently discovered that several aquaintances from real life have also finished NaNoWriMo ahead of time, time often being several days.

I'm pretty sure that's impossible. Even though I don't believe them to lie to me. Considering how smart they are, perhaps they built a machine to stop time and worked on it while we were all frozen in time. Next time, please let me out of time to write with you. I won't reveal your devious secret.

Although I can't say I'm as bad as that schedule makes me out to be. I think I'm just not the sort to be forced to write something so long in such a little amount of time. (And I did have an awful lot of schoolwork. I suddenly had to write several essays and creative writing pieces.) But I did write more than I've ever written in the course of a month. 20,000 words! So let's look on the positive side of things, shall we?

Now I have to congratulate the people who did finish. Congratulations! I wholly admire you for succeeding in that very difficult task. (Also, I ask you if I couldn't borrow your brains for a while, at least your writing brains, the part that makes you write.)

Merissa

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

That title will probably used dozens of times today, but I don't mind being cliched today. Thanksgiving is so cool. It's my favorite holiday. What other holiday to you get to go around thanking other people? And get thanked? It's so awesome.

I am thankful for:

1) God, the church, and all the saints who are so helpful day in and day out. I don't know where I'd be without all of you. Praying to God gives a certain peace, especially in time of trouble.

2) My friends:
a. My real life friends. You guys are great. And funny. Even when you guys get mad at me. Because then you all forgive me. Just like I forgive you.
b. My Internet friends. It's so fun to be able to have friends from everywhere, all with similar interests. Globalization rocks. It's inspires a lot of confidence in me when I realize that people can be the same as you even when they live thousands of miles away! And even on the opposite side of the world!

3) My family.
My mother, who is not saying anything despite the fact that my room is once again messy and that I simply cannot bear to put stuff away as soon as I'm finished. Or put them away ever.
My father, who does not mind when I read too much and is actually proud of me.
My sister, who is, you know, my sister. For nagging me and being the "perfect" little sister.

4) Being a nerd.
I know people are always making fun of nerds, but that's because they don't know how easy we have it. We get good grades; we do not have to worry about stuff like dressing in the latest styles; teachers like us; parents like us; etc., etc., I know! It's not as if we don't have any hard stuff, but compared to other people? If they knew, they would so want to be us.

5) Writing!
By writing, I mean all types of literature, published and non-published. I love writing because it gives me a way to express my feelings in an discreet way. If there was no such thing as writing... I'd go crazy trying to keep stuff inside of me. I mean, I'm already crazy talking to myself, but being crazy talking to myself is worse than being crazy keeping stuff inside. The only reason I talk to myself is to see how words sound together.

6) Music!
I love music. Music is so nice. Without music, everything would be silent right now. Do you know how hard it is to work to silence sometimes? Sometimes, yes, silence is good, but there are just as often times that sounds are good. And yes, I don't pay that much attention to it. Often I only become aware of it until it stops, but that means I am paying attention to it, just semi-consciously. Which is how I do a lot of things.

7) Sleeping.
I know that sounds super lazy, but I'm not thankful to sleeping because of sleeping. I'm thankful to sleeping because it gives us dreams. And dreams are so often abstract and everything, but they do get you to see things in a different light. They also give you remarkable insight upon your thoughts. You get to see what's been occupying your mind so much that you've been dreaming about it.

8) The ability to stop.
I've so not finished. I have a lot of more stuff to thank, but I'd go on and on. So many things to be thankful for... that by the time I'm finished, Thanksgiving would be over! And you so do not want that to happen. So I shall stop here.

Have a great Thanksgiving! And don't forget to give thanks, even if it's for one tiny thing Because everything matters.
Merissa

Winter

2008-11-24T12:39:00.000-08:00

*I finally surrendered to the cold this morning and went to the bus stop in my winter jacket. I was very reluctant to do this, as it is not yet winter (although you wouldn't know that from all the freezing cold weather). Winter will not be in another month (hear that, weather? Warm up, please)

*By now it is certain that I'm not going to finish NaNoWriMo. But I figure I'll finish it by the end of December. Then I'll probably ignore it for the whole of January and go back to it in February.

*I made a wordle of my blog the other day. I think it's of the last few posts. Here 'tis.

I was being very creative when I named it "stuff" because that is the only word that can describe my blog accurately. And not even very accurately, at that.

*I am so excited for Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is so fun. I like it even more than Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving (a few days early)!
Merissa

I'm considering...

2008-11-20T13:25:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if I want to do this, but I'm thinking about it. I think I might decide to leave this blog (I mean, it would still be here, with all it's stuff, as in posts, but I would move myself to my wordpress blog which is actually a book blog. I think my regular posts, and my book posts would even themselves out, and everything would be fun (well, I like to think that everything's fun, anyway. I should say that everything would work out better.)

The thing is, I love this blog a lot, but wordpress seems like a better place to work, I don't know why. It's kind of coincidental that Anilee decided to move back to wordpress, too, as in today.

I'm really hesitating, though, because I'm not sure. Blogger is awesome, in that you can make your own templates, and easily arrange everything. Blogger's stuff is user-friendly, while Wordpress is more... neat, more proffessional, I guess.

But I'm really hesitating. Partly because this is my first blog, and secondly... well, I haven't hit 100 posts yet. This is my eighty-seventh post. Only thirteen more (unlucky number! yay!) and I'll have 100. It's a childish reason, but I think that somehow 100 posts would be nice.

So I think I'll wait until I have 100 posts on this blog until I formally move. Perhaps the 100th post will just be officially declaring my move. That's what I think I'm going to do, anyway.

Merissa

Posts that I never finished/published

2008-11-17T16:44:00.001-08:00

There are a few posts hanging around in my 'edit posts' that I have never published. Nor do I have any intention of ever publishing them. But I was reading through them, and I decided to let y'all see some of them, to see what you've missed. :P

[words in here] = my comments, bold words = titles of those posts, ---- separates different posts (by the way, most of them are excerpts) Now let us see:

The End of the World

I am sitting next to this boy. He is explaining how the world will end in about twenty years. Global warming, for one. The glaciers will melt. Blah-blah-bla-blah. Oh, and the government is against us.

My eloquent response: "Ah."

[Apparently, I don't care enough about the end of the world to finish the post. By the way, the boy I was talking about? Visit his blog here - it was on my blogroll before, but he was so annoying I took his link off ;) And about the government being against us - I'm pretty sure he had a very low opinion of Bush. However, he staunchly supports Obama]
-----------------------------------

My Inner Writer

I think it (my inner writer) comes from reading too much, but I'm not sure. It's just that I love to read, and while I'm reading, because I want to be a writer, I tend to notice things--grammar, namely, but other stuff, too, like phrasing and the way the have big letters at the beginning of paragraphs. Like

This. (That is, if 'this' was the beginning of the paragraph).

Last week, I was reading Along the Shore by L.M. Montgomery--author of the Anne of Green Gables series--and noticed a part where it said 'She siad.' Well, my inner writer went crazy, let me tell you. In that occasion, it started laughing evilly, because L.M. Montgomery is a very lauded author, before I reminded it that it was not Miss Montgomery's fault but the fault of the person who typed it up. Then it shut up, because it doesn't like to be corrected. It sulked for two minutes, then discovered something wrong in the short story I hand wrote.

It is extremely fond of revenge.

[I had almost forgotten about this post! Unfortunately, I haven't forgotten my inner writer. She won't let me. She reminds me of herself every two seconds. She reminds me to check the squiggly lines that Mozilla Firefox gives me. No! I will not! I refuse! (therefore, if you find errors in this post, blame my inner writer)]
-----------------------------------------

What do you want to do it when you grow up?

I've wanted to be an author for two years. It is not just a fancy that I'll abandon in a few months because something else inspires me. It's something I mean to go through with. And I'd appreciate if people stopped arching their brows and smiling and saying, "I'm sure you'll do that, dear," in a voice that says, Nay.

[This post was prompted at frustration for the lack of respect at the occupation of authors. Authors are awesome! So awesome! AND THEY CAN WORK IN PAJAMAS! AND THEY CAN TORTURE THEIR CHARACTERS! AND KILL PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE IN A BAD MOOD!]
---------------------------------

"Twilight"

[Funnily, that's as far as I got. I recall that I was going to make a post on how one time my friend (she is not very well read; she hadn't even heard of Twilight before then) came upon my other friend (who really likes Twilight) and I discussing Twilight. She misheard and thought we said 'Toilet' and later she heard some people obsessing over Edward. Ever since then, she (she still does) has called him Edweirdo of the Twilight series.]

-----------------------------------------

Do you pay attention to detail?

This is going to be an interesting post.

[Amusingly, this is as far as I got. And I don't remember what else I was going to put. Perhaps I forgot while I was writing that first sentence, so I never finished it.]

There you go. All my posts. I have more than that (I am constantly writing posts and not publishing them) but unfortunately I deleted them. But I hope you enjoy the ones I held on to.

Merissa

Ack!

2008-11-14T14:08:00.001-08:00

How did everyone just get such high word counts on NaNoWriMo? As of right now, I am mad at Anilee, Danielle, Maribeth, and Taiger. And Leigha. I'm mad at Leigha, too.

Let's do some math right now. Anilee's word count is almost four times my word count. Danielle's is almost three. Maribeth's, like, twice my word count, and Taiger and Leigha are also ahead of me. Taiger even wrote a thousand more words since I last checked!

It is intolerable.

I think I am going to go over to their houses in the middle of the night to murder them. And my excuse will be that they were intending to take over the world, and I had to stop them (note to self: show people evidence on Leigha's blog). I will dutifully forget that I was ever excited about it and will pretend that I've been shocked by it since I first heard word of the treason, and only needed time to figure out what to do. And even though I am not particularly sure that Maribeth or Taiger or Danielle had that big a part in the plan (or any part) I will tell the investigators that I believe they did and were merely being quiet about it. I will say that they had more tact than Leigha, and that it is a good thing I found out they were also on Anilee and Leigha's side. ;)

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to finish NaNoWriMo anyway. But still, it is difficult having such brilliant friends, because it means that there is always the chance that they will be ahead of me. (Okay, not just a chance that they will be ahead of me. But I have a reputation to uphold.)

Sweetly and innocently yours,
Merissa

Reading

2008-11-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

There's this boy in my class. I like to say that I read a lot, and I do, really, read a lot. But he - he reads even more then me. He reads a lot. I think the saying (he's the most famous nerd around, famous enough for a saying) goes, "He reads a book every two hours during class." (I don't know why he hasn't been busted by the teachers for this saying, but maybe he's just lucky.)

I read a lot. But I have a limit. My limit is a book per day. When I read more than one book per day... I feel like I'm upsetting a natural balance I set a long time ago, right after I realized my reading was becoming too consuming.

So watching him (and I guess he's pretty smart. He wrote a two page poem in rhyme for a creative writing assignment. I suck at rhyme, and all I did for that assignment was two pages of [rather dull] prose). Watching him, I was wondering, Why does he read so much? What does he find in those books that are so addicting?

I love books. I ♥ reading. But I'm not willing to read a book per two hours. I prefer to think over the books and consider them. (I like considering books. It's very fun.)

I think... to a certain extent, reading is no longer healthy. It becomes a form of escapism, instead of an enjoyment. Instead of reading to experience things you probably would never have a chance to experience otherwise, you attempt to bury yourself in the world of books and magical things and happy endings, instead of facing the outside world. A world that will never exist.

And that's... that is, as I said before, just not healthy.

I'm not saying anything negative about that guy. I don't even know him, except that he's in two of my classes. But I was thinking, and I'm glad I don't read that much. (I used to read a lot more than I do currently. If I had allowed myself to go on, perhaps I would read as he does right now. But I do not. Brava me.)

What do you think?

Merissa

Three Asterisks: A warning

2008-11-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

I have a challenge for you. Open up a word document. Do not use one that is already open, that has your work on it, or if you do, suffer the consequences and do not blame me. I warned you already.

Make three asterisks like this: ***

Then press enter.

And voila! You now have a impossible-to-remove, dotted, black line.

Or if you can remove it, please tell me how. I spent thirty minutes last night trying to remove it from one of my school essays that was due today. I ended up having to basically retype some of it.

So my warning is: Never use three asterisks in a row and then press enter.

Please don't. It's, like, fatal to manuscripts. It's like this weird scar. It's like trying to jump down the stairs on one foot. Wait, that's what I did last night. And possibly this morning. Oh, well.

Back to NaNoWriMo!

Merissa

Just Dropping In...

2008-11-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

For some reason, whenever I get on the computer, I think, Look! The Internet! I better go on and check my email, because what if I accidentally miss an extremely important one? What if {insert name here} emailed me for help on her homework and I didn't reply in time!?

That has happened before, actually. The mortifying thing about someone emailing you questions and you not answering is that when you get to school the next day (usually when that thing is due) you have no idea that you failed to help your friend what she asked for it! And then, when you finally check your email, days later, and you see that the email is there, you face the embarrassment of knowing that you failed your friend.

Honestly, the next time I decide to stay off the Internet for a few days, I should send out an email to my closest friends and tell them not to ask me via email for help with homework.

But, back to the main point, usually my inner procrastinator lures (no, I'm not kidding, literally lures) me to the Internet. And I, the weakling that I am, goes along.

So I have decided to comply with my inner procrastinator, and write a post. Even though the post is mostly about why I'm writing a post.

And I promise, I am working on my NaNo. (Although if you're my friend on NaNo, please look away from my number. It's... sad.) By my calculations, if I write 2000 words per day, I can still finish. That's 2 chapters. I am writing really short chapters, ones that are usually around 1000 words. (Which means I'll end up with 50 chapters. Whatever, snarky voice. I'm ignoring you.)

This post finally done, I shall get back to my NaNo. (As if I were dying to get back to it.)

Merissa

Updates

2008-11-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't been here for like a week (and that is impressive, considering I never planned it, it just happened. That never happens.), so I am going to give you a list of updates.

Update #1: I joined Twitter. As if I didn't already procrastinate enough, I joined Twitter. And from what I know, it is very good for procrastinating. Fact: I have already forgotten my password, and I joined yesterday. I really need to write these things down. But my URL is twitter.com/merissalong. And I now have a new password.

Update #2: I don't remember what this one is. Um... I burned my tongue. I can't remember what I'm supposed to put here, so I'll put that. I was having hot chocolate. I love hot chocolate. The problem was that the hot chocolate was warm, then I added more water, then I took a drink of the formerly-warm-but-now-burning-water, thereby burning my tongue.

Update #3: My NaNoWriMo has a total of about one page. The first two days of November I was busy with these programs that took up the whole day. Yesterday, I was so busy I only wrote about a page. Which means I should probably shut up and work on my NaNo. But wait! I have to say one more thing (and when the one thing morphs into two things, then three things, then five thousand things....)

Update #4: I really should get back to my NaNo, huh?

Update #5: Okay, okay! I'll stop. Goodness, I'm merely being kind to you by giving updates. I'm not purposely avoiding NaNoWriMo! (*crosses fingers behind back*) Of course not.

Merissa

P.S. I was going to give you an update 4 and 5.
P.P.S. Okay, so maybe I don't have an update 4 and 5.
P.P.P.S. Still. ;)

I started blogging

2008-10-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

sometime in December. This is my first post, and this is my second post, posted on the same day.

I am happy to say that my blogging skills have improved since then. You can see my nervous eagerness on the first post (I was terrified about what I was going to write) and the awkwardness of my second post (I felt obliged to post again, but I wasn't sure what to post about.)

I am not sure why I started blogging. One part was possibly the fact that I wanted somewhere I could express my feelings, and my diary had started getting dull. Another was the fact that there would be a limit to my feelings on the computer, as anyone could read it. And another was probably the fact that a lot of my LRRH friends had blogs, and they seemed fun.

So I started one. In the first month, I changed the template a LOT. I guess I've changed it a lot recently, too.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. This is my answer to Cuileann's Question. (Doesn't that sound cool?) I would have merely commented, but as you see, it would have been a bit too long for a comment. So I decided to post it on my blog (as one of her suggestions) because it was an interesting topic.

Merissa

Just Me

2008-10-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

I am. I am Just Me. I cannot be anyone else. I just realized that today in class. And I know I've been told that for the all of my life, but I never figured it out myself. A lot of times you know things, but they don't really matter that much until you realize it yourself.

As it is nearing the voting, my class has been talking about politics a lot. We've been debating laws, rules, and candidates. And it was in the midst of this that I realized that my ideas didn't match anyone else's, maybe in fragments, but never the entirety. And sometimes, I guess I feel obliged to hold my hand up to vote for something I don't believe in. That is peer pressure. That is why a lot of the times the teacher makes you put your head down so you cannot see anyone else's vote, and they cannot see yours.

And really, I realized that it is because I am Just Me. That is why my opinions don't mirror anyone else's. That's why I think the way I do, why I believe the things I do.

Isn't that sweet? It means I can believe ANYTHING I WANT, and do WHAT I FEEL IS RIGHT.

I like that.

Merissa

I need gloves

2008-10-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

I seriously do. My fingers are freezing even as I type this. They're kind of numb and cold, really rigid and stiff. I hate this feeling. Why do hands get so cold anyway? It doesn't seem to make sense. I also know that when I go on a walk in winter or early in the morning, my ears go all red and itchy and cold. Why in the world are hands and ears singled out?

Like I said, it doesn't make sense.

Of course, right now, my ears are not that cold, because the air around me is not that cold. Ears, thankfully, do not get cold that easily.

This morning, as I was waiting for my bus (a somehow approved of torture exerted on young children and teens), and my neck was cold. This was mainly due to the fact that I had pulled my hair up in a messy bun, and my neck was uncovered and unprotected from the fierce cold. So I need a scarf. I do have a yellow yarn scarf that I knit myself (maybe someday I shall upload it onto this blog and let you all see), but it's really uneven on the sides and shockingly thick. I don't know what compelled me to knit it that thick, but I did, so now I don't feel like wearing it. I am knitting another one, but who knows when that'll be done?

This is probably the one thing I hate about cold weather: it sneaks up on you. And the problem here is that while it's cool in the morning, it is really warm in the afternoon. You end up either freezing in the morning or sweating in the afternoon as you cart home your sweaters and stuff from the morning.

Hey, this morning I walked to the bus stop, and my breath just fogged and floated away. That is one thing I love about winter: the foggy breath! And to think I'd forgotten about it. Needless to say, that walk to the bus stop completely reminded me. I love it.

Merissa

Your Own Opinion Meme

2008-10-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is a meme, as the title informs you. I was tagged by both Q and Summermoon, which is a heavy hint that I should do it. Here are the rules.

Copy and paste the blank form into your blog twice, only fill in one.
Fill in the blanks with whatever you think is the appropriate answer, bold your answer if you wish. And they don't exactly have to make sense.
Add one more item to the meme
Tag 4 people and comment on their blogs

I think it should be mandatory for each household to have ________

I think the President should name August 22nd _________ day.

I think stop signs should be a different color, I think they should be ________

I think that _______ is/are wasting America’s time, and we should replace it/them with _______

I think that fashionable clothing is a ______

I think writing essays is________

I would never_________

More days should be_______*

--------------------------------------

I think it should be mandatory for each household to have plenty of light bulbs and plenty of sleep.

I think the President should name August 22nd Daydreaming day, in which you sit around, doing nothing at all but staring into the distance and annoying your teachers.

I think stop signs should be a different color, I think they should be light blue with a green neon peace sign behind the stop so people will not be frustrated by the stop so much that they stand up and throw tomatoes at it, which is why they are red in the first place, I assume.

I think that textbooks are wasting America’s time, and we should replace them with videos, slide shows-in short, visual, moving things, that do not cause you to nod off with your heads in their pages.

I think that fashionable clothing is a exotic type of torture invented by sadistic clothing makers who love money and therefore create the heretofore unknown word, 'fashion' and somehow be able to make people spend more money on the otherwise identical things.

I think writing essays is a exasperating process in which you must draft, rewrite, erase all, draft again, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, delete all, draft again, finally figure out what you want, and write the final copy.

I would never dare to say never, because you never know, never is an awfully long time.

More days should be relaxed, in which you don't have a mist of panic about you that you've forgotten something, as I sometimes do, not banishing it until it is bedtime and I recall that I have gotten through the day safely enough, as I always do.

That was fun. I got a little carried away, and I'm pretty sure that no one else came up with such long responses, but who cares? There is nothing in the rules that says you cannot put long answers. At least, I don't think there is. Let me check. Nope. There isn't. So there.

I am going to tag my real-life blogging friends of the strange but amusing male species: Demosthenes and Froggy. I know I'm supposed to think of two more, but I can't, so let me be, okay?

merissa

*this is the one I added.

Exhales Softly

2008-10-12T14:00:00.001-07:00

I don't know. Everything is so weird sometimes. Not at all relaxing. Contrary to my previous belief, instead of cleaning up my room and removing myself from it, I spent a grilling day yesterday moving everything around.

Fact: this is not normal me. The normal me doesn't even like to clean up, much less move things around. And yet, for some reason, that was exactly what I was doing. (My mom, when she poked her head into my room to see what was making so much room was actually speechless. My mom is rarely speechless, so it's saying something that she actually was speechless.)

Right now, my room is practically clean. That is saying that most of the floor is empty except for paper bits, unless you count a certain corner which is piled high with paper and STUFF.

But onto positive things. I changed the background of my template. It seems like lately everyone is changing their template to something from Cutest Blog on the Block (okay, maybe just Anilee and Q) so I went over and found something I liked, and decided to put it in for a while. The ribbon on the side thing seems a lot more stable than the previous flashes of light. I'm not guaranteeing that I'm going to keep it like this, but it'll probably be like this for a while.

I am bringing this up because although I put it on the sidebar, it recently occurred to me that if you were using a feed reader like Google Reader (that I use) it would be pretty hard to tell that I'd changed it. Unless you were physic, and could somehow see through the feed readers onto the real blogs, I'm not sure that's possible. (I'm not sure the physic thing is possible, either.)

And I think there was something else I was going to bring up. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what it was, so I shall finish here. (If you've read the Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen, remember how sometimes Delia can't remember things until it's too late? I think I'm sort of like her in that way.)

Merissa

[Edit: I remember! (After I've published this post, naturally) Does anyone know how to get rid of the orange banner at the top that advertises for Pyzam? I kept it up there before, because I really did get the backround from there, but now it seems a little inappropriate.]

I am clustered

2008-10-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

I think I deserve a fun post right now. I've just been going through the Presidential Debate for a Social Studies project and it. was. tedious.

But anyway, to build on the title of this post, I do really like pretty stuff. I discovered it this morning, when I was cleaning out my room.

My room is awesome, but it has been exactly the same (add or subtract a few accessories) for months, possibly a year. So this morning, it being a teacher workday, I decided to move things around. (This was also because I didn't want to write AT ALL.)

But anyway, soon I was cleaning out my desks and piling the stuff on the floor so I could move it easier. Pretty soon I saw a problem. It was the following: there was no more room to move the stuff from place from place because every bit of free space had been taken up by STUFF that had previously occupied the desk's drawers, surface, and floor beneath it.

So I went through it and, while most of it was junk (I think at least seven sheets were of childish abstract art that I created in fits of boredom) I threw away a grand total of FIVE SHEETS OF PAPER. I also put a few pieces of paper into an envelope and wrote on the surface: "Open in 10/10/10". Then I threw it back into the unending pile of STUFF.

The plain fact of it is I have too much stuff.

I have about three bags (although two are way too small to actually USE) and I also entered this contest purely for fun.
I have bunches of books and yet I still insist on buying some when most of the books are mediocre and the library is perfectly sufficient.
I start new notebooks when I've only half filled my previous ones, and I end up pushing them into the depths of my closet.
I cut pretty pictures and words out of magazines and leave them everywhere until I remember to get out my picture bag and stuff most of it in.
I paste project rubrics (for torture) and random pictures and quotes (for entertainment) on my walls.
I leave everything out so that I can remember not to forget about it.
I talk aloud to myself and when I realize it I start talking to my STUFF.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I have a problem. I don't really have a problem with throwing things away, but I have a problem with deciding to throw them away.

And when I decide what I will do about all my STUFF, I will sit down and look fondly at all of it and end up stuffing them back into the depths of my desks and not moving anything around.

Merissa

NaNoWriMo '08

2008-10-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

First of all, I would like to say that I appreciate the comments on my 'Annoyed' post. And to Spammer: I don't care who said what or if nobody said anything at all or whatever, just don't spam. I'm not blaming you or anything. I am just asking you to please stop.

That finished, I would like to announce here, on my blog, that I am participating in NaNoWriMo this year. I have already mentioned it on Little Red Reading Hood, but I decided I should announce it here, too.

And I do confess that I have already started, despite the fact that it is not nearly November yet. My way of reasoning is that the goal of NaNoWriMo isn't to write a 50,000 worded novel in November; mostly, it's just to write a novel. The 50,000 is in there to make it a reasonable length and the November is in there just to set a deadline so you can't back out of it on the excuse of writer's block.

I haven't written much, actually. For some reason, ever since school started, I've found myself shying away from a fresh pen and paper. It's okay if it's a work for school, but if it's fiction and purely from imagination, I shrink. So I started writing on Sunday. So far I've written three sentences: one sentence on Sunday and two on Monday, with a lot of crossed out words in between.

I think I just need to find my style and pace again, after losing it from being gone so long. It's hard, really, to actually sit down and put pen to paper; there are so many other things going on.

But hey, on a brighter note, I found out I got an 100 on my Language Arts (or English, if you call it that) memoir, so I think that will be something to encourage me.

But I will be doing NaNoWriMo this year. You can find me here.

Merissa

Annoyed

2008-10-03T13:16:00.001-07:00

Surprisingly, yes, I am annoyed. Because recently, I have been spammed several times, which requires me to change the comment section to the point where I have to read over every single comment and approve of them before they are published. Frankly, I find that very annoying, because I like trusting my readers, and no one else ever really says anything reprehensible.

Personally, I cannot understand why someone would actually take the time to spam. Not to advertise anything, or such, but just to ruin the a blog and annoy the blog moderater. That makes even less sense than the mosquito I just jumped around, attempting to kill. At least the mosquito has a reason for doing what it was doing; spammers really don't.

And actually, my personal opinion is that if you're wasting time spamming people, which is, really, a modern version of egging a house or such, why don't you use your time doing useful stuff? Read a book, write an essay, do homework or extra credit. Join a club, babysit, earn money. If you think about it, there's a lot of stuff to do in this world.

So I cannot comprehend why someone would bother to spam other people. I doubt it's because there is any particular satisfaction in watching other people's dissatisfaction. And it is not even seeable, because while the bloggers may make alternation to their blogging, it is not visual.

And what blows my mind even more is that, the people behind all of this-they don't even put their real name. It's either 'anonymous' or something similar to that, like their profile would be closed. My personal theory is, if you don't want anyone to attack you, don't do anything worth attacking.

Therefore my request is: Please don't spam. I don't mind if you're expressing your personal opinion, because if you are, you can certainly do that, even if it's contrary to my own. If you have a request, I'd be happy to listen to it. But please, please don't spam.

Merissa

Today at School: the Good and Bad

2008-09-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today the teachers let us out twenty minutes before the bell rang. 'Us' is the three teams in our hallway. That is about 360 people in the hallway. Turns out, it wasn't such a great idea. Everyone was shouting to everyone else, trying to find friends and navigate through the hordes of people. Everybody was shoving and pushing and tripping through people with their binders and folders and agendas and pencils and pens.

The idea was that you get this slip, and if you didn't get it signed four times by the end of the month, you could get out early and hang out with friends on other teams. It got signed if you were goofing off or doing something of that nature. I guess it was a good basic idea, but it wasn't planned well enough.

And then, about 2 minutes before the bell rang, everybody collected their stuff and began making their way to their lockers or lining up as close as they could to the door, understanding what an insane idea it had been in the first place.

And then. The bell rang. I swear, I freaked here. There were, like dozens of people pushing and there was nothing to do but follow the flow of the crowd. I sort of felt like it must have at the end of the City of Ember or something like that. It was horrifying.

Of course, the teachers stopped everyone after the first ten seconds (thank goodness) and yelled over the commotion that if we pushed, nobody was going out. Which stopped the pushing pretty fast.

Then we were out and free and everybody got within decent distance from everyone else and it was gone. A bad nightmare that lost its fright after you woke up long enough to realize that it was stupid.

But it was definitely scary. I'm glad it's over.

Merissa

[Edit: after I posted it, I realized I hadn't posted anything about the 'good' part. Oh, well. I guess I'll post it tomorrow]

I Hate Gym

2008-09-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Gym is just not right. I should know. I have it first period.

I drag myself out of bed in the morning and trudge through the rain to get to the bus stop, where I wait several minutes before the bus comes in all it yellow glory above four wheels that delight in splashing anyone standing anywhere near. Then I get to school and am forced into the locker room where I must change into horrific clothes that match the gym requirements. Whereupon I exit and am tortured and made all sweaty until the gym teachers reluctantly surrender us to the next class because of the warning bell.

Ahem, ahem.

Not right.

Then I have to do a six minute run. It might be better if we're allowed outside and may listen to our iPods and I can drown myself out with music. But instead, because of aforementioned rain, we are forced to run inside until our sides kill us.

And I only get 13 circles around the gym, because I am totally not the athletic type. 12.5, actually, but we get to round up. (I'm surprised the gym teacher doesn't make us round down, but I guess he is feeling an itch of guilt.) The goal is 15 circles. If I remember my numbers correctly (as I believe I do), 13 is not quite 15, I'm sorry to say.

Then I must go change back into my normal clothes and proceed throughout the day as if I haven't been subjected to this horrendous treatment.

As I said before: Not right.

Case closed.

Merissa

Letters to Isha

2008-09-20T13:10:00.001-07:00

I used to have a journal, but then I got sick of it. For a while I wrote about two pages in it a day. Addicting. But then, it just got boring. So it's still only half full, the last few pages taken up with pathetic attempts to revive my journal spirit.

Lately, though, I've given more thought to having a journal. I ended that one March of last year, so it'd probably about time. In my old journal, though, I didn't particularly write to anybody. I didn't do any of that 'Dear Diary' stuff at the beginning of each entry. I just launched in on whatever was bothering or exciting me at the moment.

If I did start again, though, I'd probably do something like 'Dear Diary'. Only, I'd be writing to someone: Isha. And I'm pretty sure you don't know who Isha is, but she's a cat. My cat. My, er, imaginary cat.

I first found Isha in May, I think? At first, she was a hedgehog. But eventually she turned into a cat. Don't ask me how. And Isha the cat is much more snobby than Isha the hedgehog. But she refuses to change back.

And lately, in school, whenever we have tests and there's leftover time (as there usually is), I get out a scrap sheet of paper, the back of which is probably covered in equations or such (I don't like calculators very much. I prefer my brain to an electronic device.) And guess what I do then? I write a letter to Isha.

So I was wondering if I should put it all in a notebook. Because the backs of my binders (especially math, and a little science) are, if not filled, holding at least three letters to Isha. So maybe I should put them all in a notebook, and call it a journal.

I probably won't ever do that, though. One, I'd have to haul a notebook everywhere, and two, it would be more thoughts than what happens every day.

Anyway, I don't believe Isha doesn't do anything with the letters. She follows me wherever I go, so I don't need to mail them to her or anything. I think if I did mail them to her, she'd toss them into the trash. Cats are way too snobby.

But I find comfort in the letters. I like expressing myself like that. There are some things so trivial it is unnecessary to share them with anyone. But Isha, after following me around everywhere, already knows everything, so I can write whatever I want to her.

So maybe that is a sort of journal.

Merissa

Another Meme

2008-09-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

The 3 Meme

tagged by Ennalee

Rules: 3 Catagories-
3 MUST read books
3 Keep your eyes on these, and
3 Look for these soon.

Then I'm going to tag three bloggers. They will copy these lists, but will subtract one and add their own. This might be a problem, because I've only read like one of each that's on Ennalee's list, but I'll just pretend that I've read two. ;)

(And please keep the additions 2007-09)

MUST read books:
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
The Host by Stephanie Meyer (I'll probably be reading this soon)
Undercover by Beth Kephart*

Keep your eyes on these:
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
The 13th Reality by James Dashner
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale*

Look for these soon:
Cybele's Secret by Juliette Marillier
Magic And The Modern Girl (Red Dress Ink) by Mindy Klasky
The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli*

And I tag:
Cuileann
Danielle and
Maribeth

*these are my additions

My Horoscope

2008-09-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

This is what my horoscope says today:

Something small has been itching at you for quite a while and it’s vital that you sit down and sort it out right away. You may need to readjust your value system slightly to accommodate your new feelings.

Now before you say anything, I want you to know

1. I am not one of those extremely superstitious people; no, I only noticed it today, because I put it on my iGoogle, and I scrolled down and happened to see it, but

2. I do have a sense of humor, and

3. This is interesting.

That said, I shall ask, What exactly does this mean?

So I am taking its advice: I am sitting down and sorting it out. Only by now, the thing itching at me is the horoscope. It is vital that I sit down and figure it out, and readjust my value system so that my horoscope is first.

And, anyway, the only thing I need to do is study for my science quiz. I need to, but I don't want to. It's science! Why should I study for it! Science! Science! Science!

So I think the horoscope people got it wrong. It should be more like,

Something small [, the science quiz] has been itching at you for quite a while and it’s vital that you sit down and sort it out right away[i.e., study for it]. You may need to readjust your value system slightly[, so that science is first] to accommodate your new feelings[, which is stupidity].

Or does it seem like it's saying I'm in love?

Your small heart has been itching at you for quite a while and it's vital that you sit down and sort your love life out right away. You may need to readjust your value system slightly to accomodate your new feelings for ...

Which makes me wonder, who am I in love with?

Or another twist:

Something small [your heart] has been itching at you for quite a while and it’s vital that you sit down [and give it a rest] and sort it out right away [make sure you get life insurance]. You may need to readjust your value system slightly [and write our your will] to accommodate your new feelings [and make sure you don't feel too bad about what might happen].

Gee. I hope not. I might as well give my heart a rest anyway, huh? So while I'm doing that,

What do you think?

Merissa

The 3 Meme

2008-09-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

tagged by Ennalee

Rules: 3 Catagories-

3 MUST read books

3 Keep your eyes on these, and

3 Look for these soon.

Then I'm going to tag three bloggers. They will copy these lists, but will subtract one and add their own. This might be a problem, because I've only read like one of each that's on Ennalee's list, but I'll just pretend that I've read two. ;)
(And please keep the additions 2007-09)

MUST read books:

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
The Host by Stephanie Meyer (I'll probably be reading this soon)
Undercover by Beth Kephart*

Keep your eyes on these:

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
The 13th Reality by James Dashner
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Look for these soon:

Cybele's Secret by Juliette Marillier
Magic And The Modern Girl (Red Dress Ink) by Mindy Klasky
The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli*

And I tag:
Cuileann
Danielle and
Maribeth

Procrastinating!

2008-09-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Procrastinating!
That's what I am doing now, ev-
en though I shouldn't.

Not much to say

2008-09-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

except that I'm either encreasingly bored or irrationally panicked. I do not even have enough grasp on my emotions to know which. Or maybe I'm both, so that the two even each other out, which makes me feel like I'm emotionless most of the time. And also means I do not have any intelligent philosophy to bestow on all of you. ;)

Merissa

There's a Hurricane Coming!

2008-09-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Now. Is it just me or is this really cool? That is actually Hurricane Hanna. I spent a long time finding an impressive picture of Hanna. Most of the pictures were of Hurricane Ike, which is apparently much bigger than Hurricane Hanna (and I'm not even completely sure if she's a hurricane or a tropical storm, but who cares?) But Hanna is hitting tonight at two. So I am very enthusiastic about her right now.

I guess some people would find this weird. But to me, it's not that big of a hurricane, so why shouldn't I be excited? It'll probably strand me inside, but I need time to work on my writing, which has been sadly neglected since school started.

And plus, it's not big enough for us to miss school or anything. And while some people find that depressing, at least we won't have to make it up later. And I don't mind school so much. It's so not hard, so who cares? Even the math is easy.

And right now, I'm in a good mood. I'm not even considering the possibility of impending world doom. I am feeling very optimistic. More than usual, and all because a hurricane is coming. I never knew hurricanes could make me so happy. I am for some reason excited, even though I've seen a lot of hurricanes. I really cannot wait.

Merissa

Enna Isilee’s Birthday Extravaganza!

2008-09-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here’s the next installment in Enna Isilee’s big birthday contest:

Today you get to judge a book by its cover: What is your favorite book cover? That’s all you have to do! Just leave a comment that includes the title of the book you think has the best cover and you’ll automatically have 2 entries towards this week’s prizes and the grand prize.

This week’s prizes will be announced on Monday, and the grand prize will be announced on Enna Isilee’s birthday, September 22nd. Have fun!

Dry

2008-08-30T11:34:00.001-07:00

Lately, I have more and more frequently discovered that my originality has been sucked dry by some unknown force. Book reviews are fine, because they mostly discuss books, and books are the easiest thing in the world to discuss. But when it comes to discussing my own views and opinions on random things, I don't know.

I think this week my originality is being quenched by my Language Arts teacher. Every single morning, I have to go in and do bellwork. Bellwork is basically answers to questions like, "Who are you?", "What are your goals for this year?", "What's your favorite hobby?" or "What are you doing this weekend?"(5-7 sentences on all of them)

Honestly, these aren't really the sort of questions you are able to scrutinize and analyze and complain or congratulate. All you can do is, well, answer them. Such as, "I am so-and-so.", "I want to blah-blah-blah", "I love to something-or-other" or "Procrastinate or whatever."

Really, you can't really show who you are in those. They are flat questions. They don't let me tell about how I almost missed my bus on Tuesday because my friend and I were so engrossed with Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale. They don't let me express my fear of breaking the TV or computer screen. (I have this feeling that there's all this electricity going on behind them and I'll get very hurt).

So, yeah. Originality, I think, is something that accumulates. The more you use, the more you have. Right now, I have been neglecting to use it (although I've tried) so it's not very much. I hope it'll be more next time. I hope the bellwork gets better. I hope I get better.

Although this could be a test to find our how original I can go. So now, I firmly resolve to put as much humor and fun into my bellwork that I can. So hopefully, I will be in a more optimistic mood when you meet me next.

Merissa

Venus Fly Traps

2008-08-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, today is the first day of school, but it's too soon to post about it. Maybe next week.

In the meantime, I'll divert your attention to Venus Fly Traps. They aren't usually capitalized, but today they are important, so they are (and bolded, too).

I really hope I am alone on this, but when I was small, I was really scared of Venus Fly Traps. I mean, I was really impressed that they ate flies. But other than that, I was not.

[my thoughts on Venus Fly Traps when I was eight: They are cool. They eat flies. They eat flies as soon as flies land on them. Wait a second... what if something else landed on them? What would happen then? What if... what if my finger landed on them! Would my finger disappear? No. That's a really stupid idea. It would never happen. But... what if it did? Would the venus fly trap really eat my finger? No. But what if....]

So... yeah. I mean, I knew it was impossible, but there was always that question: Are you sure it's impossible? What if it isn't? Really fascinating. Whenever a discussion came up about it I always wanted to ask but felt stupid doing it. So I didn't. What do you know.

And now, years later, I've asked. (Well, not now. A few months or years ago. I don't remember.) My friend acted totally normal. "Yeah, it seems like that, doesn't it? But really, it won't. You just pull your finger out of it. But if you do it too many times, the plant'll die."

So now I know. It won't eat my finger. Despite years of belief to the contrary, I now know Venus Fly Traps will not eat my finger.

So cool, right? It's fine. And yet... it's different. There's no more anxiety. But that anxiety was fun. And besides, it's not like I was going to try it and lose a finger, right? Of course not.

Now something tells me I should just put my finger into a plant. It won't eat my finger. I know, now. In fact, if I challenge it too many times, I'm capable of killing it, not the other way around. I really should try it out.

But what if...?

Merissa

Three Columns

2008-08-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

I've just gotten three columns (as you can probably see, unless you're using Google Reader or something like that.) Thanks to Q! I'll probably leave it like this for a week or so, to see if I like it. Feel free to comment on it!

And I'd love to do more to my wonderful blog, but I can't at the moment. I have a set number of mathematical problems to do before 12 o'clock and here, at the moment, it's already 11. It's just like my mom to insist I continue on my homeschooling stuff even two days before public school starts! Because, yes, I'm going back to school after three years of homeschooling. It'll certainly be interesting.

Merissa

Query

2008-08-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

I am so curious about things lately.

How do you get three columns on Blogspot instead of the customary two? Because I think three columns would be nice.

There would be the possibility that I wouldn't like it and wouldn't use it, but still, it's helpful to know this stuff. And it's probably on one of the blogger help pages, but the blogger help pages confuse me. They're probably very helpful and useful, but not to me. Besides, it would take eons for me to find the specific article on this very aged computer.

And I am one of those people who like to ask people. One of my friends thinks it's weird. She asks me if I'm embarrassed. She says I never seem embarrassed. For example, she says, I'll go up to a salesperson and cheerfully ask a question when my friends are too embarrassed to do it. How can I do that?

I guess I used to be embarrassed too. But my mom kept on insisting I ask dumb questions (well, she didn't think they were dumb questions) to salespeople, and soon I realized salespeople were paid to answer questions. If they are being paid to serve me, shouldn't I take advantage of that? Plus, I doubt they would memorize my face and say, if they ever saw me again, "Hey look! It's that girl who had no idea where the bathroom is!" Yeah, I'm pretty sure that won't happen.

Oh, great. I was going to make this a short, few sentence post. I have never had a post like that. And instead I end up like this. Maybe you should just tell me how to get three columns on Blogspot before I wander off more and forget my question.

Merissa

Once Upon a Fairytale...

2008-08-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

There lived a girl named Merissa. She was very intelligent and pretty and brilliant at math- so brilliant she did not need to study at all. She hardly had to look at the question to know the answer. She certainly did not stay up at night yelling at her geometry textbook.

To add to that, she was amazingly tidy. Her room never got mad at her and suddenly became dirty. Her back-to-school supplies were all ready in her backpack; they were not scattered about the floor because her room had an earthquake. And also, even if it had, if she mentioned it, nobody would laugh and say Merissa was crazy. They would appreciate Merissa's ingeniousness and wonder that they hadn't known earlier.

Also, Merissa had all the books she wanted. She was super good friends with owners of bookstores, and editors, and they all gave her the books on her to-be-read list for free. She never had to wait ages until the book was released; then wait even more while her cash ran away from her. Her cash always stayed in place.

And she did not ever have writer's block. She edited, but only to make better. She never somehow edited worse. She never twitched for ages in her chair, confused and bored. She never wrote boring stuff. Her hand always obeyed her brain, and her brain, in turn, was always helpful.

Another thing was that Merissa never was puzzled. Even if she was on an Apple computer for the first time in ages. She never shook her mouse around and wished she was not in the college library because she could not make noise in the college library.

Merissa was brilliant. She was smart. Everyone liked her, and she never had a moment where she did not know what to do.

And she existed only in a fairytale. The parallel-world Merissa was, well, still brilliant, but I guess in a less obvious way.

Merissa

PS. And, I comfort myself, the fairytale Merissa was also boring. So there.

Blogger's Block

2008-08-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

The end. Because I absolutely have nothing to blog about. The only reason I'm blogging is because I haven't posted anything since Tuesday, so I feel obliged to. I think my blogger's block is part of my writer's block. But don't worry. I'll recover. I usually do. But if you never hear from me again, you'll know this time was fatal.

Mosquitoes

2008-08-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

I just caught a mosquito on my arm and ugh: there was blood. Which of course means that the mosquito had been feasting. And based on the fact it (yes, it) had been darting around me for several minutes, the blood probably came from me. (I'm sorry; I know this sounds disgusting.)

Anyway, I have a bad feeling that the blood came from my pinkie. Because now my pinkie is all red and it itches. And also the mosquito bit me near my nail, so it is very difficult to scratch. Goodness, mosquito; I never knew you were so defensive of your cousins. Just because I've been belittling Edward Cullen lately....

But for some reason mosquitoes adore me. I don't know what I did to attract their adoring eyes. So pardon me while I get some bug repellent.

Merissa

PS Which makes me wonder, is there some sort of vampire repellent? It would have made Bella and Edward's relationship a lot easier.

"Albeit" and other fancy words

2008-08-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I used the word "albeit" in conversation, and I was really pleased. Usually I'm pleased when I use a word I've just learned. But then I got thinking, and I was like, why was I so eager to use that word?

Basically, albeit is not the most common word. The only times I've encountered it was in the Princeton Review Word Smart and in Artemis Fowl. The cool thing about Artemis Fowl is that it's original and fun, and at the same time it also has words you don't see often because of Artemis' extensive vocabulary.

And besides, albeit is actually a pretty annoying word (for me, at least). When I first saw it, I thought it was pronounced albeet. Then I realized it was basically "all be it" put together. But honestly, who uses albeit? If I was to use it, I'd probably later go and erase it for 'although' or simply 'but'.

Which means, I find albeit merely an unnecessary word. And that brings me to the point: there are so many of these words that could be substituted for a much simpler word. Really, what's the use of such words? I really can't think of a time when albeit would be better than although or but. Maybe that's because I haven't seen much but--well, if you find a sentence where albeit would be the best word to use, please notify me.

Albeit is a fancy word, albeit unnecessary.

Merissa

Editing

2008-08-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I was going through my pictures. (The amateur photos people take that are not at all adequate to the real thing). And there was so much! And so many of those pictures puzzled me, as in "Why are these still here?"

Because really, honestly speaking, those photos weren't anything. None of my photos are particularly good, but these really sucked. And what I realized was, I spared them before not because I was merciful, but because I didn't want to delete them. Because I thought that, in spite of what wasn't good about it, well, I could still enjoy them, right?

So I got pretty depressed while deleting them. Because that was basically what I was doing: scan, sigh, delete. Scan, sigh, delete. I've only gone through about one third, and I've already deleted 100+ photos.

One of the reasons for this is that I haven't looked through them for a long time. The other? Well I think I've gotten more critical. If a photo was puzzling or dark or something, it was gone. Usually I figured it didn't matter if they loitered and took up memory.

But later, as I was looking back through them, I realized something. I might've deleted a lot, but guess what? The ones left, the ones saved? They looked so much better without the other ones sprinkled about! So, so much better.

And then I realized something. It's the same with editing stories. Sometimes you really don't want to delete stuff because come on, you worked hard for all of it! But you know what else? Without deleting it, you're left with a good story littered with a bunch of unnecessary stuff.

I'm not good at editing. I don't like scratching our or backspacing (i.e., erasing). But now I think I'll be better. A good idea might be to focus on the book it will become, not the rough draft it is now.

Just some encouragement if you are having a hard time editing.

Merissa

MOLD4EVR

2008-08-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

Isn't this positively awesome? Taiger made it. She also made the one on the side (scroll down to see it).

Merissa

2008-07-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am now, officially, Merissa. Verity never was my real name. I used to use it because it fit. Sometimes it seemed to fit me better than my real name. It certainly fit better when I was here.

Why Merissa? I feel somehow like I've outgrown Verity. Something small, insignifigant, yet important, still. I don't know what; I'll probably never know. But Verity doesn't feel right anymore. And Merissa? Merissa does.

Merissa is my GoodReads name. That's where I got it. I thought it would probably be confusing, for me to have so many names, and then I realized--Verity just didnt' work that well anymore. Merissa was basically spur of a moment, but it clicked. Not completely maybe, but that's the way with the world isn't it? Nothing is completely true, nothing completely fits, but you still do your best.

Which reminds me of something I learned last week. Everybody walks around wearing masks, trying to fit in. Sometimes they wear numerous, to fit in wherever they go. I think the real you is the innocent one, the nice one and kind one. Whereas the you usually there--it's not completely true. If it was, lies probably wouldn't be needed.

So ever since I've heard that, I realized I'm like that too. I wear a mask. I lie. I do, sadly. So Merissa. I guess it's one way to change the mask. I still haven't taken it off. But it fits better; it reflects more of who I am. That's what I'm hoping.

I came here to introduce Merissa, and I ended up posting all of this. But it rings true, so I won't erase it. Is it confusing? Merissa is the same as Verity. But more mature, more honest, I hope. That's what I'm wishing. What I'm working for.

So say hello to Merissa. She's a lot more philosophical than Verity. Verity was light, playful, sometimes fickle. Merissa, I hope, is more serious.

Merissa

P.S. I was just typing Merissa up and realized the first two letters were, guess what? M-E.

Not Dead

2008-07-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

I think I just figured that out. I mean, most people write something like, "I'm alive" after they've been away for a long time, but "Not dead" seems more optimistic to me. Or at least it's a lot better than the litany of "I-think-I'm-dead"s that I've been uttering the last few days.

So now I'm in Dallas. Isn't that interesting? So it's one hour later than I'm used to. I had the worst car ride here. My sister got all irritated and we had to share a row that was mostly taken up by luggage. To add to that fabulous recipe there was a toddler boy who decided to burst into tears and plead to be let go home in the middle of the night (this was also about twelve hours into the ride, so it was definitely not happening).

And the camp? It was awesome. The girls I roomed with were hilarious. One night we had this fainting spell which meant we practiced fainting in case it'd be needed (that is not ridiculous). Another night we had this pillow fight because one girl wanted to the sleep but another girl and I wouldn't shut up. We kept on Shhhhhing each other. Which was, you know, only to help her, but apparently she didn't feel that way and decided to bop us with pillows.

The part of the camp that made me say "I think I'm dead"? Well, there were these two crazy Edward fangirls. Crazy to the point where one declared she had an affair with him and he gave her a cow, which she milked once and then he ate. Of course, that was fun, too. I got to make fun of how she was so stuck on him. Example:

Me: So let me get this straight: Edward falls in love with Bella because her blood smells nice?
Her: No! That's not the point! He loves her!
Me: So he fell in love with her because he's in love with her?
Her: NO! YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!
Me: *thinks* Muahahahaha. I am.

Or I could just say something about how freaky it is that Edward has an incandescent chest. You know.

But other than that, it was brilliant. I loved the messages that were given on the Bible. So many of that such I probably never would've figured out myself. And the week passed so quickly I didn't really care about all the restrictions. And my cold wore itself out, so I wasn't bothered by that.

I'll finish here. I'm probably going to change the blog title soon. I might even change my display name. Did you know that Verity wasn't my real name?

Verity (anyway)

Bye!

2008-07-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, bye. My plans for the next two weeks:

On Friday (or Saturday; I still haven't figured out which day!) I am leaving for church camp, which will be for a week. My church is not that strict, but its camp is. It forbids the following items: electronics (which, yes, include iPods and cellphones) and cards (they distract) and even novels! (I guess they distract too). I'm not criticizing my church; I mean, I'd like it if they weren't so strict, but really I'm just stating the facts, even though I do wish they were different.

So on Friday (or Saturday) we (meaning me and the other teens in my church) will be driving two hours to Charlotte, where the camp will take place. We shall spend a week there (which means this time next week, I'll probably be sitting in a meeting, hunched over my Bible).

The plan is basically that on Sunday, our parents will all drive there and will have a Lord's Day meeting, then drive us home, but of course, any family of mine cannot settle for anything nearly so simple. Instead, because of a training (church related) that coincides with the camp, they'll be picking me up on Saturday, a day early, and we'll drive eighteen hours to Dallas.

Did I mention that we won't be driving alone, and that there'll probably be more than ten people on the car with us, and that when we get there we won't be living in a hotel, but in someone's house? And that on our return drive it'll be (plus the hours from Charlotte to home) twenty hours?

Yep. And I'm not sure if that house'll have a computer (or if I'll be able to use it) so I can't guarantee more posts. I know; I'm so prepared.

Even more: because the church camp doesn't allow stuff like electronics and novels, and also forbids sleeveless shirts and shorts, I'll be packing skirts (knee-length or longer) and jeans (long ones, of course) and neat blouses. In this heat! So I have to pack two bags: one for church camp, one for church training. I also have to prepare other things, like which will be going on both trips, which things will be going on only one, how to get my things home from Charlotte, and how to end a scarf after knitting it relentlessly for months.

So yeah, you could say I'm busy. And that this is an awesome time to catch cold, because that's exactly what I've gone and done. Brava, Verity. No one was ever able to do things like you.

I mean, I'm not complaining, but things are stressed. If I have time tomorrow, I might pre-arrange a few posts so you won't miss me so badly, but don't count on it; I might not.

So, while I'm gone, I guess the thing to do is to go back and read old posts. Probably when I finally get back home, I'll be changing the title of this blog to something else. The blog will be the same, but still. I have some 60+ posts, I believe, so I don't think you'll be bored. I might even move the archive up so you guys can access it easier. :)

Wish me luck! I love y'all!
Verity

New Template

2008-07-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't mentioned changing the template, but I've been thinking on it, and I've had my eye on this one... today I finally decided that it was the right time. Also, I figured that if I didn't like it I could change it back.

Now it's so weird. I visit my own blog, and I'm unused to it. I mean, I easily get used to others' changes in template... but somehow this one seems alien. Like Kirsten and Annabel said in Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, "It's different somehow. More personal." Way more personal.

I think I'll probably change the title of my blog, too. I think I'll post this warning and then change this a few days later, because I don't want you to visit my site and freak and be like, 'What happened?!' Because now that I think about it, it's a good question. I'll ask myself sometime.

Ur. Oh, I remember. Before I sign off, I have a question. For this challenge thing, I have to learn greetings in three languages I don't know. Um, I think translations for "Hello, how are you?"
Yeah, that's it. I already know English, Chinese, and Spanish. So I was thinking of French, Italian, and something else? Actually, as long as it's not in the languages I know. I think I should use one of those online translation engines, but I feel safer with human knowledge.

So. Um. I think I'll sign off now. I just wanted to introduce my new template.

Verity

This Haiku

2008-07-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

This haiku has a
nice long nose, sticking out at
me, lofty and proud

Note: something I came up with this morning during writer's block. Not bad, huh?

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, yes, I know it's only Thursday, and therefore only the 3rd of July, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to post tomorrow, so I'm posting a day early.

I'm going camping tomorrow. Uh, somewhere near the Smoky Mountains, I think. But since we're driving, and we don't even have a set time about when we'll leave (which means it could be very, very early in the morning. That is not very likely, but it's possibly) , I'm just being safe and posting this a little early. Is that okay?

And to add more to that, it's a church activity, and my dad is in charge of the food, and probably more, and he doesn't even know when we're leaving! He doesn't even know if we'll see fireworks! Impressive, don't you think?

Which is one way to say that there are people like me: hurried and frenzied and somehow manage to make everything work in spite of everything that seems otherwise.

So... back to being optimistic. Hope you have a fabulous, fabulous Independence Day (at least do it for me! I'll probably be running around, raving about stuff I forgot at the last minute). Happy, happy July 4th; enjoy the fireworks; have fun with whatever you do; laugh at me; laugh at me; and don't forget to read. Don't forget to read!!!

Happy Independence Day (even if it's a day early)!

Verity

An Intelligent Conversation with a Five Year Old

2008-06-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

note: this conversation took place at camp where I was counselor
"Where are we going?"
"To the park. We're going to play games."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Is it fun?"
"Super fun."
"Is it a million fun?"
"It's a million fun."
"Is it a thousand fun?"
"It's--wait. A million is more than a thousand."
Pause. "It is?"

Dropping In

2008-06-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Verity is dropping in. She is speaking third person for the first time ever on this blog, because she is absolutely sick of first person. She'd be sea sick, but she's not on sea, so she's not.

Now, normally Verity is very fond of first person. After all, she speaks it every day, right? And she's writing a novel in first person. That novel is probably the reason why she is sick of first person. Because she's been writing it all day. Plus, she's been listening to an audio tape that's in present tense, so her head's been full of present tense, and she's spent a lot of time converting it to past tense, so her novel will not be freaky in the way it is past tense some and present tense some too, like she couldn't make up her mind which was better.

Another reason Verity's probably bored of first person is because she's been speaking it for forever. The last time she spoke third person was several months ago. And people tend to think she's mad when she speaks it in public. Technically, she is mad, but they seem to think she's the crazy sort that is going to start talking to statues, etc. Silly people. They should definitely know she doesn't speak to statues. She's way too busy talking to books and notebooks, because books and notebooks are soooooooo understanding, way more understanding than statues. Really.

Verity has just reread this post and realized it's entirely in present tense. She will take a loooooooooooong time changing her brain to speaking past tense again. But she is not really fond of present tense in books, so she must. Poor brain. But of course, it's all for her brain's good.

Verity decides she's rambled enough and dropped in enough. She hopes people now understand that she is not statue crazy. Only book crazy.

Verity

A Firm Resolution

2008-06-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to put this.

Well, you know how I mentioned here how I'm so busy? Yes. Completely, totally so. Before, last year, I don't think I procrastinated so much. I mean, I went all over... but now it's just really gone to the extremes. I'm constantly going online... and I don't think that's a really good thing, either.

So I've given myself a limit. Not counting visits related to school, I won't come online but three times a week. I know that's a little extreme... but hey, it's good for me to try out self-control, and to see if I can do it. So, I think I'll probably have only one post a week. If you're lucky, I might have two... but I'm doubting it.

And yes, I'm horrified. At myself. At everyone. (I don't know why I'm horrified at everyone. Maybe because so many people somehow like grape fruit?)

And I have horrible timing. All that time I haven't had much to blog about... and I choose to quit basically right after I start a book blog and begin contributing to another. Not that I won't do anything at those blogs... just not as much as I'd expected.

Anyway, that's not my only goal. This is my next one: no reading. I mean, yes, reading for school. But otherwise? At most, one novel every fortnight (for those of you who don't really read those old-fashioned books, a fortnight is two weeks). It's bad, but I think I can manage.

Why am I doing this to myself? Well, lately my eyes have been feeling really tired, so I want to give them a rest. And the second reason... is I want to focus on schoolwork.

My mom isn't completely sure, but she says she might send me back to school this year. (In case you didn't know, I'm homeschooled.) And while I'm sure I'm not behind those school kids, I just want to make sure. There's nothing bad about being ahead of everyone, right?

And there's a third reason too. It's a slightly more subtle one. I don't think that, ever since I realized I loved reading, that there has been a time I haven't read a book for more than two days. Maybe less than that. And lovely as it is, it's a little tiring to be so addicted. To want to pick up every book that comes within my sight line. I'm going to take a break from that, figure out some of the real world instead of hiding in pretend ones. Do you get that? I mean, books are not a pretend world, but they aren't the real one, either. And I want to know what the real one is.

I'm not sure if I've made this completely clear. I hope I have. If I haven't, all I can say is, too bad. And you know what? Yes, I am petrified. Petrified, as in Harry Potter petrified. And it's rare I'm so petrified and beyond reach that I actually quote Harry Potter, but I am. I don't know how I'm going to live without books.

But I'm doing this to find out.

Verity

Sorry...

2008-06-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been here lately... I've been busy, both with schoolwork and with other work. For example, now I'm part of two other blogs. Is that extreme? All in one week.

Book review blog: http://floatingfaraway.wordpress.com

MOLD blog: http://embracethemold.blogspot.com

Cool, right? Sorry I can't stay longer... wish I could... but more is beckoning.

I promise more by... Friday.

Verity

A Few Things

2008-06-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

Number 1 is that I'll probably start a book review blog. What with the poll on the side, I began feeling guilty about putting off reviews... but come on, every time I'm on, there's something I want to post, and that's not a book review. I've posted four, but that was only because of the TFT Challenge, which I really wanted to finish.

Um, so I'll probably post a link when I actually do that. I have no idea when I will, unfortunately.

Number 2 is that I've agreed to listen to Josh Groban. Can you believe it? Ani Isilee is sooooo happy. (She's also very evil, but I'm so fond of her I won't mention that--anymore, I mean.) And Anidori Isilee'll probably glad when she finds out, too. They are unofficially the ones who keep at nagging you to listen to Josh Groban until you give in. In case you are confused, they are the Anilees. They should be sisters. They are, in a way: LRRH sisters. I'm part of that sisterhood, too. Isn't that interesting? It's just one bizarre, strange sisterhood. Plus about two boys. But they don't go often. I mean, it's hard to get addicted to a website if it's full of crazy girls, right?

And now I'm reminded of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. But we don't bond over pants. We bond over books. Shannon Hale books, to be exact. And if you have not read her, do not expect mercy from me.

Wow. I've just reread what I wrote and it's amazing. The way the mind jumps from subject to subject is amazing. Another way to describe that jumping is 'randomness.'

Number 3 is--what? I don't know. Um. I'm puzzled. I was pretty sure I knew what number 3 was--but then I got to it, and I thought, okay, number 3 now. Then I thought, wait, what was that?

Now I'm registering for a blog at wordpress, and I still have no idea what I'm going to call it.

Wow. I've seriously written this in segments. This is just about Part 4. Between Part 1 and Part 4, I've figured out computers are against my listening to Josh Groban. They, like, shut down when I try (well, technically not shut down; more like lack flash or lack sound). So I'm not even trying now.

Later, maybe. And that'll just be my number 3, since I don't have any other number 3.

Verity

(edit: I've decided not to make the book review blog just now. Maybe Sunday?)

Hum

2008-06-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to post. Absolutely nothing. I mean, I've already tried two topics, and the whole page was covered (so now it looks really blank) but I don't know. What should I post? Lemme think....

Oh, have you ever been in company with people whose first language was Chinese? Not to belittle them, because they are undoubtably awesome (I was one), but it really is funny (of course, I should mention that I forgot Chinese while I was learning English and am now re-learning it....)

Anyhoo, it's really funny. For example, in Chinese, instead of having seperate words for 'pretty' and 'handsome' for each gender, they only have one word. So I was in the car with a boy classmate and his mother, and his mom mentioned his violin concert. Which would have been normal, except she said she remembered he was in his 'pretty dress.'

Because, you know, formal suit: dress, and I've already explained the pretty part. So it was hilarious, and I just started laughing. The boy started scowling at me and throwing a scarf at me, which did not really hurt. (By the way, have I mentioned how immature real boys are? If it had been Finn, for example, he would have just looked down, not really annoyed. --Not that I love him, Anilee, so he's still yours.)

Also, it's really funny to watch boys react to being called pretty. It's hilarious, actually.

Verity

(Yay, I've actually made a post that I like! I was about to give up hope. I am so glad. And you should appreciate how hard I work to come up with a good post. :D )

Stairs are Dangerous

2008-05-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

Did you know that?

I mean, they totally are. Especially if you're in a hurry, and your feet aren't exactly the most obedient of feet, and they tend to trip a lot. If that's the case, then stairs are very, very dangerous. (If you've read The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce, then you'll know how dangerous it is. I mean, if an talented mage like Tris almost died, where am I? Okay, I haven't been cursed, but still.)

Stairs are completely dangerous for me. Which means I tripped and fell and might've sprained something if the railing wasn't there. (The railing, by the way, is my especial friend. It might roll its eyes a bit--or a lot--, but it totally understands how much I need it, and is always there to save my life yet again.)

Well, that's all I want to say. Mainly, that's all I have to say, because I have no idea what else to say. I just wanted to warn you, that's all.

Verity

I'm Behind

2008-05-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

I'm behind. Behind on my writing, behind of my math, behind on my science. The only thing I'm not behind on is my reading. I guiltily finished The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray this morning. MOLD has taken over my brain.

So, I'm typing this on a short break. Of course, by the time I'm finished, it will not be short anymore but whatever. Um. Oh, yeah, a couple of unrelated things:

MOLD has a side effect, did you know that? I can just hear the doctor in my head: "Oh, ma'am, MOLD is nothing to worry about, although it does sometimes come with a side effect of clumsiness..." Yeah. Because, you know, I've got this huge bruise taking up half my forehead. I got it on Saturday, but it still hurts when I touch it. What happened: I walked into one of those exercise bars they have at my community park. I was, er, thinking about Forest Born, the still unpublished fourth Book of Bayern. That's a very legal reason to walk into an exercise bar, isn't it?
Well, I know I complained about the silence of libraries, but I didn't really mean I wanted an opera singer in the lobby of the library. Because, you see, that's what happened. Also on Saturday, shortly after I finished that post, an opera singer was invited into the library and prompted to sing her terrifyingly high notes right in the open. Now, I'm flattered if you read my post and listened to it, dear library, but I didn't quite expect that. I mean, I'm sure she sang very well. I just would prefer to figure that out at a theatre, not a library.
Once upon a time there was a naughty girl who spent all her time blogging and on LRRH and reading and not on schoolwork, which was a very grave fault indeed. So grave, in fact, that she failed her tests and didn't get into college and turned into a beggar. The end.

That last bullet is a story my grandmother told me. Well, she didn't actually tell it to me, but she meant it. Or I think so. Anyway, I should take it as a warning and sign off before I procrastinate any longer--

Verity

Bananananans and Libraries (no relation)

2008-05-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Um. I know I promised a post yesterday, but my computer froze. And, I have no idea what it's going to be about. So... let's talk about bananas, shall we?

Wow, I don't know why I chose bananas. But to continue... I never really liked bananas because the ones in our house are usually all brown and rotten, and also because it's confusing to spell. Once, I had to spell it aloud and I said something like, "B-A-N-A-N-A-N-A-N-A" Then I stopped, because I was pretty sure I had passed the finish line and gone for an unnecessary extra jog. (Which was true, of course.)

I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I'm writing this post while skipping back and forth between other blogs, LRRH, and email. So I am very... lost. Although I shouldn't be surprised at that, because I'm normally lost. It's a constant in my life.

I'm sitting at the library right now, because I refuse to write this post on my treacherous computer that freezes when I have important stuff to do. I have a bunch of brilliant books next to me right now, which is really great, considering I haven't read a new book in about three days, which is serious. Well, I'm supposed to be reading The Golden Compass, but I find it frustrating. Plus, a guy I know (although I think he's only in fifth grade?) said it hates God. Which I doubt, but *shrug* I'm not picky about that stuff.

Okay, I need to hurry and finish this post. The library's computer is about to kick me off. Thanks, library. I'm not very pleased with the library right now, but that's probably because I'm not pleased with myself. Apparently, my library card got caught in a book and I didn't realize it until I went to check out my big pile of books. They didn't find it. Which is, basically, bad. I've already lost one library card. I believe my mom will seriously consider killing me if I lose another, and I don't want to die. Plus, I want to check out these books.

I just read over my post. Wow. I hope you know I'm not always this crazy. I mean, I am, but I keep it nicely masked under my completely-reliable-down-to-earth self. Or I hope so.

Verity

This does count as a real post, doesn't it? Because, frankly, for me, real is random.

Some Favorite Book Quotes

2008-05-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

'Ani shuddered.'
-The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

'Everybody always wants to be a mermaid.'
-Mermaid Park by Beth Mayall

'I dreamed I was a frog. I was yucky.'
-Bloomability by Sharon Creech

'He picked up his pen again and wrote: Something.'
-A beginning, a muddle, and an end by Avi

' "I'm the eldest," said my sister. "It was mine to give." '
-Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

' "How odd," she remarked, showing no sign of surprise.'
-Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller

( I promise a real post by the end of tomorrow)

Verity

Random Question #1

2008-05-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

(What that means is that sometimes, when I have nothing of interest to post, I'll merely post a question--random, of course--and leave it for comment)

The Question: What is more boring than reading a Chinese textbook describing abstract geometry?

Also, bear in mind that the reader is not very good at Chinese herself.

Verity

Something...

2008-05-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is something I wrote some time ago. I really have no particular idea why I wrote it. It was just something that popped up and I managed to get on paper. It still confuses me a little, but...
_____________

She was reminded of the time she had been in a toy shop in the mall. She had been reading the advertisments on a Barbie box (embarrassingly; even now she hated to think of that), when a crash had sounded. She hastily put down the box and ran toward the noise.
There was a toddler boy standing there, in the middle of the aisle. Next to him was a snowglobe. Broken. The snow and glitter scattered across the floor. The snowman that had initially been inside the protective circle was lying on the floor. It was still smiling.
The toddler let out a sudden wail for his mom; his mom came, scolding and comforting him at different intervals. The girl left.
But later, she would think of the snowglobe, lying there, broken forever. And she would think of the snowman, who had just lost its world, who had been jolted into another world, vulnerable, unprotected by a sheet of glass, still smiling like the world was--what was the saying? she couldn't remember--the world was a game, nothing serious (that wasn't the saying, but that was what she settled with).
And it made her wonder, exactly how would she react if the earth suddenly, somehow, broke? Would she smile, like the snowman? Or would she do something else?

My top 20 favorite books

2008-05-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

A bunch of people (Miss Erin, Bookbutterfly, etc.) have done this, so I guess I'll do it, too.

What: Top twenty favourite books in no particular order. Don’t think about it for too long. Take twenty minutes only to compile your list. Bold the ones you’ve read, or reread, since you’ve started blogging. Include novels, non-fiction and plays.

Okay:

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
5. Mermaid Park by Beth Mayall
Two Suns in the Sky by Miriam Bat-Ami
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
On Pointe by Lorie Ann Grover
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
10. Emma by Jane Austen
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems by Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard
The Last Silk Dress by Ann Rinaldi
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
15. Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
Rules by Cynthia Lord
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey
The Little Mermaid (the original tale) by Hans Christian Anderson
20. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

Wow. It took a long time to finish this post, in part because of my dying computer, and in part because of all the authors' websites. I seriously didn't know they all had ones! But note, please, that though they have websites (easily found on Google) that doesn't mean they have blogs. (which is, really, too bad; I love author blogs).

I think I've become used to linking. I just about automatically linked 'Google' without even thinking about it! Not to mention that most people wouldn't need that link. *refuses to link the second 'Google'* *refuses to link any of the other 'Google's*

Verity

P.S. Yes. Those are just about my favorite books. Of course, being me, I've forgotten half, which is actually a good thing in this case, because only twenty are allowed.

The 123rd Page

2008-05-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Bookbutterfly.

Rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4.Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.

So, I picked up Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech. I do so love Sharon Creech. She's so funny, but she's sensitive at the same time. Plus, she likes romance. The three sentences:

Friday, July 20

I have about a million things to say, but my brain is too mushy from being with Alex, so they will all have to wait for tomorrow. I do love Alex Cheevey!!!!
--------------------------
Saturday, July 21

Saw Alex again, so cannot think.

I don't think the dates count as sentences. But can't you tell just how brilliant Sharon Creech is by those three sentences? Okay, so you can't see the sensitivity. Still!

I don't tag anyone, because I think everyone's been tagged. But feel free to count yourself tagged if you haven't been.
________________

BTW: I changed a few of my blog colors, just to mix things around.

Random thought of the day: Is 'Still!' a pathetic comeback or a helpful comeback?

Oh, yeah: I'm leaving Friday morning for a church event, and I'm coming back Sunday night, so I doubt you'll hear from me until Monday.

This post sure has a lot of things added on that have nothing to do with the meme. I guess that's just me.

Verity

Wildwood Dancing

2008-05-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

by Juliet Marillier

Jena lives with her four sisters close to the Transylvania woods, a place of mystery and magic. The five of them find a portal that allow them to go to a dancing glen in the forest on every full moon, where they dance the night away with strang, magical creatures.
But Jena's cousin, Costi, was drowned in the forest, in a pond. And now his brother, Cezar, wants to revenge him, by cutting down the forest... and killing Jena's secret friends. To make matters worse, Jena is sure her older sister, Tati, is falling in love with a Night Person, which is forbidden. Can Jena figure out what to do and who to trust, before it's too late?

This is a retelling of 'the Twelve Dancing Princesses', written brilliantly and descriptively in a new, original way. It's the first book I've read by Juliet Marillier, an Australian writer, and I recognized, straightaway, another awesome fantasy writer. It was an instant favorite of mine.

There are lots of books I find tedious because they have too many descriptions, and some shallow because they have too much action, whether it is fair or not. But with Wildwood Dancing, I believe the two were nicely balanced. The characters were well drawn, the plot is developed logically and by a person who understands and respects fantasy. And, as a bonus to parents who worry that their children are reading too much fiction and not learning enough, it has a large vocabulary.

More: read Summermoon's interview with Juliet Marillier, the author, here.

Verity

The Goose Girl

2008-05-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Well, the Twisted Reading Challenge is almost over, so I'd better hurry up and finish. Up next:

by Shannon Hale

Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee is the Crown Princess of Kildenree. As the first born, she is meant to rule after her mother and father die... or at least she thought so. But things change.

Her brother becomes the heir to the throne. Unbeknownest to Ani's father, Ani's mother betrothed her to the prince of Bayern, a neighboring country. Ani is only told after her father dies. So shortly after her birthday, Ani sets out to meet the man she is to marry, armed with only a few guards, her lady-in-waiting, and her ability to speak with birds and her horse, Falada.

I love this book. It's one of my favorite books, written by one of my favorite authors, Shannon Hale. It's a retelling of the Grimm's fairy tale, and for those who don't mind spoilers, they can read the original here

I've reread this book dozens of times. I met people who say they don't like it very much. I get it. And I have to say, this book isn't for reading. It's for rereading.

The first time I read it, I have to say I wasn't very interested. I only reread it later, because I heard a lot of good things about it and I liked the author. And as soon as I reread it, I loved it.

The Goose Girl isn't the type of book to rush through. It's a book to read slowly, savoring its details, page by page. So I recommend, to anyone who wants to read this book (and I highly recommend it), that they should have a lot of time to put aside, and not try to speed through it.

Because if you speed through it, the entire book will seem rushed and jumbled. The details are hidden in brilliant paragraphs, and if you just skim through it, you'll miss them all.

And just in case you're doubtful, I repeat: I love this book.

Verity

You can tell I'm insane...

2008-04-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

I am bored
I am procrastinating
I should be writing;
I am not.

My words are scribbles
My words are mess
the computer's my sanctuary
as good as it gets.

So I'm making a poem
off the top of my head
a bad poem; a good poem
a bad poem, I bet.

My rhymes don't rhyme
my rhythm's off
can't you see
my head's gone ker-plop?

My Not-Really Spring Cleaning

2008-04-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided to clean my room. I have a very nice room, but it is really messy, basically due to the fact that I am fond of forgetting to return things to their regular positions. Everyone says you should return things from where you take them, but I find that difficult when, perhaps I was doing something, and then I left for a break and then came back, and had completely forgotten about it. How am I supposed to put something away if I'd forgotton about it, anyway?

So I started from my books. My special, delightful companions that must now be cleaned up as if they were things and not magic. First, I tried shoving them into my already full bookshelves, but I guess even I knew that was a hopeless task. Then I piled them into my closet.

After I had closed the closet door, I picked up my notebooks and pens and pencils and duly shoved them into their rightful places as such: The closet, the closet's shelves, my dresser, my pockets, and the space beneath my bed.

It's really tiring to figure out which should go where, so then I took a break where I wrapped up one of my (empty) boxes and sent it to myself. I was very generous with myself; it was a favorite box and the wrapping paper was a favorite, too.

Properly relaxed, I then set about cleaning this: my closet. It is a very interesting thing to 1) take out the newly stacked books/notebooks/pens/etc. and put the outside, 2) look in the closet to see everything is in place and then 3) replace the books/notebooks/pens/etc.

(By the way, that's one way you can find me: ask for the girl with more books in her closet than clothes.)

And you know what I did next? I was famished from cleaning the closet so I did this:
I sat down and wrote an essay about why one shouldn't clean one's room.

Thus I completed my Spring Cleaning with a fourth of my room cleaned.

Verity

Robin McKinley

2008-04-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to do a review on Beauty, by Robin McKinley, but I don't really like reviews. So I'm going to compare all her books.

I'll jump right in.

Robin McKinley is a very skilled storyteller and fantasy imaginer. But storytellers should be able to make you feel as if you're in the story, like you're a part of it, and I don't believe she does that very well. In her books it seems like there is a sense of isolation, that you're alone, watching the inside while you're on the outside.
Beauty, I think avoids this. It's her first novel, I think, and she definitely hadn't quite developed her style of long description. There is, in there, definitely a lot of description, but not to the point where you get annoyed. Instead, I felt really at home.

I love Robin McKinley's descriptions; they're so acute and her vocabulary is extensive; still, I think she overdoes it sometimes, so that I feel left alone. It's like she's trying to distract me from the story, and it works pretty well, too.
In Spindle's End, especially at the beginning, it was like I couldn't concentrate. Her writing is very well, I guess, but she extends things I don't think she needs to extend.
I think another reason I disliked it was because of the long paragraphs. I dislike pages with long paragraphs; as soon as I see them my mind starts to drift. The thing is, my eye can't focus very well on long paragraphs. I'll reread a part and then I'll forget where I was. Short paragraphs make it easy to skim to where you left off; long paragraphs make it harder. And in Spindle's End, I think every page was like that, full of long paragraphs.

I really liked The Hero and The Crown and The Blue Sword. The descriptions were long, but they were focused on the right things. I was caught up in the story, so my mind didn't wander enough; therefore I didn't really need to find where I was at. And, of course, I didn't need to go reread things. Instead, I noticed them the first time and remembered them, which is awesome in storytelling.
The Blue Sword did have a few extra details, but on the whole, it was good too, although I didn't enjoy it as much as The Hero and The Crown.

I'm reading Rose Daughter right now. It's really good, too. It seems to me that Robin McKinley needed to find her place and she didn't find it until The Hero and The Crown, but now that's she's found it, she's really good. Even before she found her place she was good, but now she fits better and snugger than before.

Verity

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

2008-04-13T11:04:00.001-07:00

Here's the first Twisted Fairy Tale thing I'm doing:

By Jessica Day George

She has no name. She is known simply as 'pika' or 'the lass', and she is an extra mouth to feed to her family. So when a polar bear--an isbjorn--askes her to go with him to his palace in exchange for riches, she agrees. What happens next is totally unpredictable.
This book is a retelling of the fairy tale 'East of the Sun and West of the Moon'. I really enjoyed language and the adventure, but when I think it over, there are some things I dislike.
One thing is that it seems quick in some places. I think that someone wouldn't fall in love with a girl if the rest of his life depends on her. It's too much to risk. And when he is punished by her rash act, I don't think he would be terribly pleased when he next saw her, even if she went through a lot to find him.
And I think that it's unusual if you suddenly realize you love someone when he has to leave you. When he does leave you. And when everyone is telling you to wait one year for everything to be clear, I think I would.
There are more things than this, but I'll leave the rest out. I liked the main theme, and I certainly liked the voice of the novel.

Rating (1-20,): 14

Harry Potter

2008-04-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

You know, I was reading Anilee's blog. She has the most awesome rants on the Twilight series.

Do you know where this is going? Well, I've decided I want to do some rants, too. It's like I'm Enna, sort of (from Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. If you don't read it, I shall be forced to do something ugly). I have to relieve my anger or else it so overcomes me. Don't worry; I don't kill people. But I sulk, and I don't like sulking. It's such a bother.

Enough about that. Now Harry Potter. I like Harry Potter; the plot twists and magic are really fantastic. But some things.... And I warn you.

1) This doesn't mean I don't like Harry Potter. I said I did, and I don't lie (At least I'm not now). It's just that I want a post about Harry Potter, and if I spent it on positive things, no one would read it because everyone already knows Harry's positives. I just want to rant about his negatives (besides, how do I let off my natural annoyance by sweetly talking about his positives?).

2) This'll most probably have spoilers. Personally, I wouldn't understand a person who really likes Harry Potter who hasn't read all the books by now. But then, I don't know, so I'll include this warning.

Back to Harry Potter. Here's something that's been bothering me whenever I read or think about HP since I read it: the part where Dumbledore tells Harry he's amazingly selfless. Hello? That's like we couldn't figure out Harry was selfless by ourselves, so we need this billboard informing us. Harry is selfless sometimes. But amazingly so? No. At least, I don't think so.

Sure, Harry's defeating Voldemort, the most evil villain, and saving the world as he does that. But I think he did that not only because Voldemort was evil but also because Voldemort murdered his parents. Personal revenge.

And Harry does like to indulge sometimes. When shall I forget that part in book #5? You know, the part at the beginning where Harry is shouting at Hermione and Ron and talking LIKE THIS. Sure, he did all those things. And sure, he deserves to know. But shall we forget that they had no choice? If he was going to be lecturing, maybe he should've let Dumbledore (and maybe Sirius and Arthur Weasley) know. But he didn't. Because they were higher than him. Authority. So he vented his anger on Hermione and Ron who didn't nearly do as much as he did, yet always stayed to help?

And in the 7th book. If I've got it correct, after Harry found out about the Deathly Hallows, he was listless for days, caring only for them, and if it hadn't been for Ron, who knows what would've happened? Gee, I don't know. All I know is, something bad might have happened. But he didn't really feel selfless then.

Sometimes I agree with Snape.

But what annoys me most, after all this time, is still Dumbledore telling Harry he's selfless. Oh, sure, I'm jealous. Who doesn't want to be selfless and appreciated for it? But it seems to me that J.K. Rowling didn't have enough adoring fans for Harry, so she made sure everyone knew that Harry was amazingly selfless. Oh, sigh.

And that does sour my taste for him a bit. I really love the series. But sometimes... just give me a break. I don't like selfless heroes. All my heroines are selfish. Amazingly so. One has princes beheaded so they don't marry her sisters. One becomes a spy to defeat her enemies in war and take them captive for revenge (and all they did was insult her hair). Okay, that's a little extreme. They're not nearly as bad as they seem. But what I'm saying is, I don't like perfect people. Remember those people who said, "If life was perfect, it'd be boring"? Yeah. Harry's not perfect. I know, and it endears him to me.

Oh, well, I think my annoyance is used up for about a month. At least, I hope. This is probably the longest post I've made so far. And I still love digressing.

Verity

Libraries

2008-04-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

I was really, really bored on Saturday. Could you tell? I bet.

The thing was, I was at a library. Libraries should be awesome because of what they are: books galore! But instead, it's a universal rule that you must be quiet in a library, because people who don't really enjoy books 'need quiet to enjoy books.' Personally, I think that if you really like books, then it doesn't matter how loud it is around you. You don't hear it.

But the problem is, for some reason, not a very large percentage of people enjoy books to the point where they'll read continually every day, or at least whenever they have time. The larger percent enjoys books, but don't take them quite so seriously or regard them as a nice but not essential passtime (TV, anyone?)

So when you go to the library, it's always quiet and full of hushed conversations. I do appreciate it; it's really nice when you're looking for books and have to concentrate on them, and I do admit that it's nicer to read when it's quiet. I really don't mind the quiet. But I do mind the rule that you have to be quiet. I mean, whenever my sister comes prancing up to me with a book she's found, my first impulse is to shush her because we're in a library.

So when I reread what I've written, it seems to me that libraries have two definitions to me: the first is that it's a place to be quiet, and only the second that it's paradise with thousands and thousands of books.

I'm not complaining about libraries; I love them, and I jump at a chance to visit them. But sometimes... I just wish it wasn't so unnaturally silent. By now, after years and years of visiting them, I'm really used to it. But on Saturday, I was a little annoyed and I really don't have the guts to start yelling in a library, no matter how much I upbraid them about being silent, so my blog was the next closest thing. And I had always wanted to do something wild and funny like that.

Verity

2008-04-05T09:11:00.001-07:00

Today, I'm feeling Artistic. I feel like Flaunting my Artist License(similar to POETic License). Don't ask me why, but I feel small, So I'll be Big. And Bold and Daring and Strange.

That was weird. I am weird. I should stop. What am I doing? I have no idea.

Do you think I should reverse it? So instead it's:

?do you think i should reverse iT .maybE

I like Colors. I like Random. I like p.e.r.i.o.d.s.

Currently, I feel idiotic. *sarcastically* I wonder why. But worse.

I don't have anything to blog about, so i'll be queer.

I'll let my inner being out. What!? am I doing? I'm at the library. I'm on the computer. I'm blogging.

And I can say. Hi. I'm

Verity

Candles

2008-04-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

I've changed my profile picture. I like candles, and I like to think that I'm like candles.

I think the first time I realized how nice candles were was when I was 7 and at Super Target. My mom was going through the store, and she stopped in the candles section. I distinctly remember picking up different coloured candles and smelling them, breathing their scents in.

I love candle scents. I love all nice scents. I think I am sensitive to smells. I seem to notice them so thoroughly. That was probably the first time I noticed candles, but I immediately developed a close kinship to them. I love things that smell nice, and, generally, candles smell nice.

Candles are lovely. I like the way they have designs chiseled into their sides, and are dyed different colors. For me, candles are artwork. High-class artwork.

Another reason I like candles are because they are light bearers. I've never been afraid of the dark, but I love the light. Light is forever special, and I'll always, always love the light. Light, to me, is safety. Candles hold light. Candles represent safety.

I've made an entire post about candles, writing of my appreciation for it. It probably isn't the best post I've ever made, but I still think I ought to express my love for candles. Candles are romantic. I'm a romantic.

Verity

My Resolution, Script Frenzy, and other Loose Threads

2008-03-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

Ho-hum. I've finally made my resolution. (I attempted to make one earlier, here) From April to June I'll read one fiction book for every two chapters/scenes/short stories I write. One fiction book for every non-fiction one I read. I am serious about this. And I know I am, because for two days now, I've been overloading on my fiction reading. I've always read a lot, you know, but currently... anyway, tomorrow's the first day of April, so I really don't wish to miss it that much.

What's next? Oh, yes, Script Frenzy. Script Frenzy is where one writes an 100 page play in one month (April). For more information: http://www.scriptfrenzy.org. I intend to participate, though who knows if I'll finish? But I hope I do, so please wish me luck.

Hmmm. Oh! yes. I spent this weekend in Atlanta. It was, how do you say it, interesting. I like that word. It doesn't necessarily mean it was nice. It just means it's difficult to express, but it was ususual. Another nice word. Unusual definately has a hint of something negative. At least, I think it does.

I'd share more, but I don't think it's right. I've already said a lot. I should warn about that, shouldn't I? Maybe put it in my profile. I ramble on, for some reason. Look, I'm doing it now.

Yes, I really should stop. So long, farewell.

Verity

Five Crazy Things I Did

2008-03-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

I This is another meme...

Rules:
1. Follow this format
2. Copy/Paste the rules
3. State who tagged you and add a link to their blog
4. Write 5 crazy things you did as a little kid
5. Tag 5 people

tagged by Anilee

1. When I was small, I used to want to be Jasmine or Aurora--yes, the Disney Princesses of Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty. I don't know why except maybe I really, really wanted to be a princess.

2. I used to (okay, maybe I still do occasionally) pretend that I was an additional character in a book I really liked and would have these long-speech conversations with the true characters.

3. When I was in first grade my mom had to bribe me to read picture books. Two months later, I fell in love with reading and would borrow over thirty books at a time.

4. Once, when I was small, I went to visit my dad's mom in China. My grandfather had passed away a few years before, and his best picture was hung on the wall as a memorial to him. I was obviously unimpressed, because I took on look at the picture and said he looked like a monkey. Even now I can't go back to visit without one of my aunts bringing it up.

5. I started to play violin in first grade, and when I was in fifth grade my mom and violin teacher decided it was time I learned how to tune it by myself. So, aided with a mechanical tuner and my violin, I proceeded to do my best and break two strings (a violin has four strings in total).

I bet everyone has already been tagged, so I'll just tag Leanna and Cuileann and hope they haven't been tagged yet.

Bribes

2008-03-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about bribes. Is it completely bad to accept one? What if you have to?

For example, what if you don't want to eat this thing, because it is just about the most bitter thing you ever tasted, but a person says, 'If you eat {insert food name here}, I'll give you {insert something you want most in the world here}.' Should you do it then? It's not like you're harming anybody by eating it. But how are you to know that it's bad? That the food has a poison in it, and you're going to die?

Okay, that was a really bad example. 1, if you want to poison someone, why don't you put it in something good so that you don't have to offer so-and-so amount? 2, Why would someone want to poison you? Wait a minute, if you are someone someone wants to poison, then you must've done something bad, like... but I digress.

I bet you're wondering why I'm thinking about this. I know: pretty weird thing to think about, right? But then again, maybe Verity is just weird, so it doesn't matter. Well, I am weird, thank you very much, but I would prefer not to term it that way. This is why I was thinking about it:

On Monday, my Mom had me clean up my room. I was just sitting on my bed, not listening to her orders (I was reading a book), and she yelled ('cause I guess she guessed I wasn't cleaning up), "As soon as you finish your room, we're going to the library!" My mom really knows me.

But ever since that incident, I've been wondering, was that a bribe? Okay, technically, it wasn't termed like a bribe ('If you clean your room I'll take you to the library'). But the meaning was sort of like, 'Okay, Verity, if you're not going to clean up, I'll make you by offering something you love.'

And ever since then I've been wondering. I know it's a very stupid wonder, and I should be spending my time doing something else, but.... Anyway, I promise I won't think of it as much anymore. I just wanted to relieve my feelings a tad.

Don't worry though; my insanity won't bleed off on you. At least, I hope it won't.

Verity

A Weak Resolution

2008-03-23T13:05:00.001-07:00

I've been pondering for a while... maybe I read too much? Personally, I don't mind but... there are a lot of other books... not just fiction. So maybe... I could go on a fiction diet that means... only five books a week? That's the best I can do... or maybe I should do... one fiction book for every two non-fiction books? no. Or maybe... one fiction for every non-fiction book? I think I shall settle on that.

Okay. I've just looked back and there are soooooooooooooo many periods. If you actually read it that way, it sounds like I'm really weak-ish. I'm not. I'm just uncertain about my resolution, that's all. I love fiction books. Love, love, love, love, love, love, love them. Should I do this? Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Well, it's for discipline, isn't it? So I think I shall... start next month. Yes, I'll start in April. Unless something interrupts it, of course. No. It'll be... two fiction books for every non-fiction. You don't want to starve me, do you?

Yes, I know I'm hopeless. I'll be less hopeless next month, of course. Maybe

Tag! You're it!

2008-03-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Taiger
( www.thejournaloftaiger.blogspot.com )

The rules:

1. you link back to the person who tagged you.
2. post these rules on your blog.
3. share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5. let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

The six unimportant things:

1)I'm a writer who rarely finishes what she starts on
2)I'm writing a play right now, but I won't finish it anytime soon.
3)I don't know why I gave those unimportant things.
4)I take unreasonable delight in replying and commenting
5)I have a slow computer.
6)My computer isn't working properly, so I have to actually type out Taiger's website instead of linking it so you just have to press her name to get there.

Who shall I tag? Okay:
Felicity, Mimagirl/Erin, Cuileann, ElizabethBennett, Leanna, and Hwalk. I do hope none of you have been tagged yet.

Reading 4 Twised Fairy Tales

2008-03-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

I've decided to accept this challenge by Enna Isilee.

You're supposed to read 4 Twisted Fairy Tales from March 5-May 5, which I'll probably definately finish, since I'm such a helpless bookworm. You can read anything, as long as they bear any resemblance to fairy tales, so I choose:

1. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marilliar
2. Beauty by Robin McKinley
3. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
4. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I'll probably finish this list WAY before May 5, but love for reading is not a love that I wish or shall change.

Another Meme: My Life in Six Words

2008-03-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Ani-Isilee

Okay, this is hard.

*Musing*

Absent, dreamy, but not quite hopeless.

Yes, that's it. Let's just say I have a very active imagination, and that I'm so engrossed in my stories sometimes that I'll mutter aloud. Today, in the afternoon, I heard myself saying, out loud, "stupid and arrogant and insipid." I said that aloud! Luckily, there was no one within earshot, or I'd still be cursing myself and say something else entirely. But even though my sanity may be questioned, that doesn't mean I'm hopeless, I swear.

I tag elizabethbennet

Hm. Sheepish smile

2008-03-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in such a long time... I've been really busy lately, I guess.
I seriously don't have anything to say, so I won't say anything much. Just dropping in to say 'hi.'

I'll just say that I won't ever stay away so long again, and post something else, later, when I feel more posting creativity

Verity

P.S. Yes, I'm sorry I can't think of anything creative to say.

Life

2008-02-22T17:06:00.000-08:00

This boy just came up to me and said, "Being a fourth grader is not easy."
I have no idea where that came from. It might just be a coincidence that he's in fourth grade.

In Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, a character gets a message: 'Everybody has his own agenda.' That makes sense. Everybody has thoughts and concerns that are important to themselves, even if not to other people.

The boy beside me has an agenda of winning the video game and possible stealing this computer if I get off. The girl on the other side has an agenda with finding nice songs and dresses on the Internet. I have an agenda with finishing this post.

And what about other agendas? The ones of parents, teachers, even little kids? It's hard to find someone who doesn't have his own agenda. Impossible, that's what I mean.

But when you start caring for other people's agendas, ones that have nothing to do with you, then I think it means you are growing up. And I don't think anyone is fully grown up. Everyone has a child in them. But being grown up consists of not letting the child out as much.

I might become a philosopher yet.

Verity

Randomness

2008-02-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

If I could, I think I'd title every post 'Randomness' It's a nice title when you have absolutely no idea what you're going to post.

I think I should be more... resolute. I am resolute on somethings, but bad at others. For one thing, I should be doing my math right now. But how can I do math when I can be on the Internet? It's not that I don't like math (it's okay--some of the time) but it's just that I like a lot of things better. Like reading. And writing. And poetry. And everything English. And even somethings Chinese.

But I know I should be doing algebra. It's just that there's a difference between what you should be doing, and what you want to be doing. A big difference, trust me.

So I'm leaving to do math right now. Possibly. Or maybe I'll curl up on a couch with a book and then turn to math when my conscience is totally screaming at me. I know it should be the former, but I think fate is in favor with the latter.

Insanity

2008-02-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

You know, I was wondering, can you be crazy sometimes, and not crazy other times? Because if you can, I think that's me. I'm am perfectly insane sometimes, and yet other times, I'm ab-so-lute-ly calm (well, almost).

I mean, sometimes I'll be perfectly calm (even after eating chocolate), and then, all of a sudden, I'll be gone, out of my mind, crazy.

I think Shannon Hale is most to blame. I mean, I love her and her books and everything else related to her, especially Little Red Reading Hood, her online forum, but sometimes, she gets me worked up(translated by my dictionary of terms, dreamy) and then I'll be in Bayern or any magic land for ages, only briefly wandering out for food or sleep.

Of course, maybe I should just blame myself for being so addicted to fantasy books and writing fantasy and fantasy-etc. I even call myself Fantasy!
Because, you know, I am. That's why I'm so insane sometimes, although it's not that obvious. You can tell I'm insane when I wander around aimlessly with a faraway look in my eye, and don't answer when someone talks to me. So don't take offense if I don't answer you. Just shake my extra hard and tell me that if I don't answer, I'll be exiled from the land of magic forever. That'll make me snap back to Earth pretty quickly.

It's not that I don't like Earth, don't take me wrong. It has a few marvelous magical items of its own, such as a little box called 'the computer', and another rectangular prism thing called a 'book' But I need more magical things. I don't know why. It's just in my genes; I didn't have any choice.

So I'll go insane once in a while. So there must be something where you're crazy sometimes, and then not crazy other times. I'm proof of that.

Book Meme

2008-01-28T17:53:00.000-08:00

Tagged by Leanna

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

Um, this is a hard question. There are so many classics that I haven't read! But I'll say Pilgram's Progress. It's supposed to be really good, but for some reason I keep putting it off. I'm sure I'll read it, but I have no idea when I will, and exactly when. My mom really wants me to read it too which is another reason I should read it--she won't nag me if I'm spending time on it. But I'm always either avoiding it or forgetting about it. Wish me luck.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

Well, I've always wanted to meet Catherine Morland in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. She reads so many novels (like me!) and has a fabulous imagination.
I think I'll also choose Razo in River Secrets by Shannon Hale. I love all her characters, but Razo is especially funny and memoriable.
Third is probably Luna Lovegood. I love her dreamy, oblivious ways. I really think she's my favorite character in Harry Potter, if just because she's so oblivious.

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can't die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for a while, eventually you realize it's past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

The most boring book ever? That's hard. I mean, I recall disliking a book, but never really being bored. I might be one of those people who cannot dislike books. Well, I'm having the hardest time sitting down and reading War and Peace, but I don't think it's because it's boring. It just that nothing has stuck yet. Or the Grapes of Wrath, which my mom has wanted me to read for, like, ever. But maybe it's just the sheer length of the books, and not the story. I'm sure either could be fascinating if I just sat down and read it with my mind made up to finish it.

Come on, we've all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you've read, when in fact you've been nowhere near it?

I haven't read Stephanie Meyer because my library doesn't have her, and I haven't read Tamora Pierce, even though I have a book by her. But I've never hinted at reading it.
I haven't read The Lord of the Rings, and I think a friend of mine thinks I have. But I really can't think of anything else.

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you'd read, only to realize when you read a review about it/ go to re-read that you haven't? Which book?

Well, I thought I'd read The Secret Garden, and it turned out I'd only read an abridged version. Actually, that's the case with a lot of classics I read. Not anymore, though. At least, I hope that I haven't done it anytime recently.

You're interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisior to some VIP ( who's not a big reader). What's the first book you'd recommend and why: ( if you feel like you'd have to know the person, go ahead and personalize the VIP).

To someone who needs a good and simple books that's not scary, I'd recomend a book by Shannon Hale, who is one of my all time favorite authors.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading and comprehension in a foreign language of your choice. What language do you go with?

French is a language I'd always wanted to know, but now Italian is weighing in pretty much too. I don't know--one of them. Thank goodness a fairy hasn't offered--I'd be exhausted trying to decide!

A mischievious fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will re-read once a year for the rest of your life ( you could read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

Is there a particular reason I must? And is the reason serious? Then I'd say Pride and Prejudice, which I've already resolved to read once a year. It's such a nice book, with such nice long speeches, and romance packed into it.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

Well, I love good cover art. But I don't pay much attention to book bloggers. I think I will, eventually, but there's already a lot of books on my 'to read' list, so...
But then, I did read Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George, because people said it was great. And the same goes for Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. So I'd say the effect is positive, because I loved both those books, but I really haven't 'discovered' anything yet.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

Oh, if this were true, I'd be in heaven. First of all, I'd have all the books I've read and loved. Then I'd have all the books my friends love, because our tastes are similar, and I trust them. And I'd have a lot of the award winning books, because I like reading award wining books, it makes me feel studious. And I'd also have a little shelf reserved for books I mean to write. (A little one, I said.)And then I'd have all the books of favorite authors.
It'd be brightly lighted (no use to labor your eyes) and very spacious, with places to lounge and read comfortably. There should also be a laptop here and there, when I'd want to go online. And I wouldn't mind if there was a secret portal somewhere, too. ;)
And they'd definately all be hard back. I want them in really good condition.

Hmm, I'll tag
faith and ennagirl. But I'll have to wait until LRRH is back up to PM them.

Hmmmmm

2008-01-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

You know, I'm really bad at titles. I would just leave the title space blank if I could, but I feel obligated to.
Right now I'm in a library, with millions (okay, maybe only thousands, because this library isn't that good...) of good books (quite a few bad books, too).
Don't you love to read? I do, I love, love, love to read. I'd add a few more loves, but I don't want to waste space.
So that's a little more about me. I love to read, and I'm prone to digress if I have no idea what I'm going to blog about.

My Writing

2008-01-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

I started a blog on my writing. I wanted to express myself online, and I was also a little guilty because I had not let my uncles read what I wrote, and I know that they wanted to.
www.daydreamsofmine.blogspot.com

Thinking

2008-01-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

Just thinking, that is.
Well, and rereading The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale.
And catching up on Little Red Reading Hood.

So, Side note:when I say I'm just doing something, chances are I'm exaggerating. A lot.

Hmmm. I really have no idea what to say.

What do I normally (not that I really have a time when I'm normal) do when I have nothing to do?
I probably read, or write, or sit looking at the ceiling looking dumb.

And what do I do when I have something to do?
Read, or write, or do what I'm supposed to do. Except that it's usually in favor of the formers.

Some thoughts on Writing

2008-01-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about writing stories, and I think I'm a tad depressed about it right now.

There are best books of fantasy: that make sense, complicated, and have endings that are not very predictable. The problem is, how are you supposed to think of these things? A few things come to me in inspired moments, but not really. And so many things are confusing. How are you supposed to explain things fully, without making it all lagged down and boring?

There are the best books of reality: realistic, basically. How are you supposed to guess the accurate reactions? And you have to keep everything real, everything, everything. Which mean you have to know people very well. But authors are usually adults, and have more experience with me. Arghhh.

Don't mind me. I told you I was depressed.

New Year

2008-01-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

I know it's the second of January 2008 (already!?) I should've posted this yesterday, but I didn't, so I'll post it today.

Did anyone count down the minutes 'til New Year? I stayed up until eleven thirty, then I decided to go to bed, because, for some reason, I didn't feel like staying up(shrug). Maybe I did stay up though. It might've taken thirty minutes for me to fall asleep. I didn't watch the clock, though.

And, of course, we have New Year resolutions. Mine are:
1) keep my eyes good (as in, don't get glasses)
2) write more (as in, continue to write more and don't abandon anything)
3) (more from a guilty conscience than out of concern for myself)--eat less candy.

I hope I can keep them.

Writing/Math

2007-12-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

What do y'all like better? Math or Writing. I should say english. My friends say math because it's so easy. I prefer English. I mean, I like math, but it's not my favorite. it's my... half favorite.

Math is simple and complicated and easy and hard. It's always about logic, never changing. The same rules apply over and over again. Writing, on the other hand is always different. You choose what to write about, and the result. Math has a fixed answer, writing has numerous ones.

See why I like writing better?

Travel

2007-12-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

The tiring thing about travel is the well, travel part. Which includes packing, airplane, and the new place.

Let's start with the packing: first of all, you have to know the weather, so you pack the right things.
Then, of course, there are the things to bring. Hmmm, shall I bring this book or that book? Or maybe that one? Should I bring my story about the princess? Or should I leave it at home?
And last are the things you should bring on your person onto the airplane. A book, yes. Or is a book bad for your eyes? A camera? A tape?

Then there's the airplane. The security check, the boarding, and the time.
The security check: take off your shoes, bags, cell phones, etc., and place them in a basket. Walk through the security door. Take your things back...
The boarding: Your first name please? Last name? Your seat is ..., I'm sorry, you can't bring water onto the flight, please leave it here...
The time: I'm bored. Read your book. I finished. write in your notebook. Don't want to. Look outside, the scenery's beautiful.All I can see are clouds.

And the new place: A new place. Enough said.

Christmas Season

2007-12-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas season basically starts as soon as Thanksgiving ends. You pack up your turkeys and such and get out paper wrapping and gift lists.

Christmas season is busy for me because I'm one who makes Christmas cards that look almost like store bought cards. Then I have about a million people to send cards to. And then you have to buy presents. Is it just me of is very pressuring?

Actually, I don't really care. Not really. A little, not really. Something like that.

Me again

2007-12-16T12:14:00.000-08:00

That was lame, so I'm posting again. I should say something, so I will.

Ummm. I'm in the library right now. My mom wants me to borrow the Story of Mankind. It's a history book, but it's interesting enough. I also have Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Walk Two Moons, and a writing guide.

First Post

2007-12-16T10:58:00.001-08:00

I know I should've posted this before, but I was so busy!

Anyway, welcome to my site. It's in need of lots more stuff, but i'm working on it!

Some Fantasy in Reality

I have a delightful cold

'Tis over!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Winter

I'm considering...

Posts that I never finished/published

Ack!

Reading

Three Asterisks: A warning

Just Dropping In...

Updates

I started blogging

Just Me

I need gloves

Your Own Opinion Meme

*Exhales Softly*

I am clustered

NaNoWriMo '08

Annoyed

Today at School: the Good and Bad

I Hate Gym

Letters to Isha

Another Meme

My Horoscope

The 3 Meme

Procrastinating!

Not much to say

There's a Hurricane Coming!

Enna Isilee’s Birthday Extravaganza!

Dry

Venus Fly Traps

Three Columns

Query

Once Upon a Fairytale...

Blogger's Block

Mosquitoes

"Albeit" and other fancy words

Recent Comments

Editing

MOLD4EVR

Merissa

Not Dead

Bye!

New Template

This Haiku

Happy 4th of July!

An Intelligent Conversation with a Five Year Old

Dropping In

A Firm Resolution

Sorry...

A Few Things

Hum

Stairs are Dangerous

I'm Behind

Bananananans and Libraries (no relation)

Some Favorite Book Quotes

Random Question #1

Something...

My top 20 favorite books

The 123rd Page

Wildwood Dancing

The Goose Girl

You can tell I'm insane...

My Not-Really Spring Cleaning

Robin McKinley

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Harry Potter

Libraries

Candles

My Resolution, Script Frenzy, and other Loose Threads

Five Crazy Things I Did

Bribes

A Weak Resolution

Tag! You're it!

Reading 4 Twised Fairy Tales

Another Meme: My Life in Six Words

Hm. *Sheepish smile*

Life

Randomness

Exhales Softly

Hm. Sheepish smile