Monthly Archives: January 2011

Look After You

Posted in Look After You by

I read part of Look After You, one of my 2009 novels.  If you want to get technical, I read the attempted continuation that I did last May, but who cares about technicalities?  I thought I’d share some of the gems that I found.

  • That your independent and that your identity is dependent on me.” (this makes no sense- lindsay is independent, yet her identity depends on josh?)
  • I’m cute most of the time except for the times when I’m annoying.” (there’s nothing weird about this sentence, but I thought it was pretty funny)
  • “No one is offended the menu!” I exclaimed.  (my inner editor must hate me because of the wods words I tend to leave out; Updated 1/23, even with blog entries, my inner editor must hate me.  Leaving letters out can be just as funny/weird as leaving words out)
  • But it was the best food ever.  I kid you not.  Best fruit ever (*facepalm*)

Granted, that group isn’t that bad, because really, it could be worse.  A lot worse.  But considering I just…stopped after a week, it’s not a big surprise that it’s not nearly as funny as it could have been.  I couldn’t help but giggle, though, because there were parts that were just too cheezy.  It’s no wonder my inner editor hates me, and always wants me attention, with a lot of the stuff that just spews from my finger. 

I would also like to point out that a whole chapter was devoted to Lindsay hoping that her wedding would be a disaster.  And she talked about it while at her wedding.  She was pretty disappointed that she didn’t spill on herself, and that she only tripped once.  And I do believe there was something about needing to get drunk so something entertaining would happen.  Clearly, I wanted to have things wrong with Lindsay.  At least, I think I wanted something to be wrong with her, I really can’t remember now. 

I think I’m slowly re-reading everything, so who knows what I’ll find?

Fear of Death

Posted in Writing Prompts by

Today’s Prompt: Are you afraid of death?

Yes and no.  The actual thought of dying doesn’t scare me, because death is inevitable.  Unless a way to live forever comes along.  But how I die…that is what scares me.  I hope it’s not painful, and I don’t suffer.  I want it to be quick and painless.  With my luck, it’ll be painful and drawn out.  Or something stupid.  Although I have to say, I’d take stupid over painful and drawn out anyday. 

I don’t how accurate my answer really is, because I’ve never had any near-death experiences or anything (thankfully), although there was the one time when I had food poisoning and thought I was going to die.  Which was me being dramatic, but it was not a pleasant experience.  Anyway, I’m right in the middle, but my answer could change over time.

And Another Writing Prompt: What do you think about ghosts?

I definitely believe in ghosts.  I think it would be cool to see a ghost or have some other encounter with a ghost.  So a couple years ago, I went to the Whaley House in Old Town San Diego, and I have to say, it was pretty cool.  And there are some places you know have to have a lot of ghosts, like the Tower of London.  And you know the White House has to have a few ghosts running around.  I do like ghost stories.  And anything paranormal is interesting.  Perhaps I have another plot bunny on my hands.

Character Profile: Me

Posted in General by

I thought today I’d character profile myself. 

Hometown and Current City: San Diego!  (awesome weather the last few days!)

Siblings: Nope.  I’m an only child.

Favorite Color(s): Tie between pink, black, and purple.

Favorite Animal: Cats, Dolphins, and Butterflies

Favorite Soda: Dr. Pepper.  But I’m also partial to squirt and fresca.

Favorite Sports: Gymnastics, ice-skating, swimming, and baseball.  I will admit to watching the olympics 24/7 when it’s on, even the stuff I could care less about. 

Favorite subjects: english (which probably isn’t a big surprise) and history.  Or pretty much any social science.   

Favorite music:  it’s hard to say, but I think I have to go with country.

Favorite food: mexican and italian.  does dessert count?  because if it does, then it’s totally one of my favorites.

Favorite games: candyland; monopoly; mario kart; apples to apples 

Favorite tv shows: House, Grey’s Anatomy, Gilmore Girls and NCIS (why did I not start watching this show earlier?  I seriously need to catch up on it)

Fears: spiders, needles (although not as much as I used to be)

likes: the zoo; roller coasters; languages; swings; trampolines; baking!; coloring; board/card games

dislikes: ferris wheels (but I will go on them); bugs/insects; driving (there are some scary drivers out there!); wearing shoes

Majored in: sociology; almost double majored in sociolgy and social work, but then I ended up dropping social work as a major. 

When I was little I wanted to be: a teacher.  I think I said a nurse at one point.  But mostly a teacher.

If I were at Hogwarts, I’d be a: toss-up between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.  But I’m leaning more towards Hufflepuff. 

Favorite vegetables and fruit: watermelon, apples, carrots, brocoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes

Least favorite fruits and vegetables: brussel sprouts, asparagus, eggplant

favorite holiday: christmas and st patricks day

Least favorite holiday: valentines day and thanksgiving

Random Stuff:

  • I love coffee.  It’s my friend.
  • I went camping once, and it was fun. 
  • Disney movies are amazing (snow white is my all-time favorite)
  • i like fruit snacks
  • i love rachael ray
  • the last movie I was in theaters was Black Swan- it was good!  (but I’m still annoyed with the ending)
  • My grandma used to do arts and crafts, and I wished I had learned from her before she had her stroke. 
  • I’m 4’10- I’m just tall enough to go on roller coasters
  • I still sleep with a stuffed bear named Sammy.  I’ve had him for as long as I can remember.
  • I wear glasses.
  • I once sprained my ankle go-karting (and I still have no idea how I managed to do that)
  • I used to be a girl scout and I used to take ballet.
  • I also used to play softball

Country Music

Posted in Music by

It’s not funny how much I love country music.  Seriously, it’s totally awesome!  And it’s one of the very few genres I can listen to without changing the station every  seconds.  There’s a lot of story-telling in country music, which is part of the appeal.  Some of the songs are epicly funny (read: quite a few songs by Brad Paisley- Celebrity, Ticks, Alcohol), and some are OMG that song is my jam (Sideways by Dierks Bentley, Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy by Big and Rich, She’s Country by Jason Aldean).  And others are song that make me feel better (pretty much anything by Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney).

And of course, no blog post about country music is complete with mentioning Garth Brooks, Reba, and…Taylor Swift.  Mind you, I’m not putting Taylor Swift on the same level as Garth Brooks and Reba, because I’m not.  But country music is not country music without those three.  At least for me.

I definitely need to start listening to some of the older stuff…like Johnny Cash.  I’m partial to Willie Nelson.  But I’m definitely not up on most of the stuff before the 90’s…cuz the 90’s are my decade.    

Back to country music though, I love country music.  And it always makes me feel better.  Country music is completely amazing! 

I’ve mentioned a few of my favorites in country, but that is a very incomplete list.  Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, SheDaisy, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Tim McGraw, and Brooks and Dunn are also big favorites of mine.  Country music isn’t the same without them, at least in my book.   

Where The Heart Is

Posted in Books by

Definitely a good book.  For those keeping track, this book is ranked 12 out of 24 on my top 24 book list. 

It really struck a chord with me- I’m not sure why but Novalee is definitely an interesting and strong character.  To be left behind by her boyfriend at a Wal-Mart, 7 months pregnant (and only 17), and nowhere else to go…She ends up living in a Wal-Mart, undetected and keeping track of everything she ate, drank and wore so she could one day pay back everything she had taken from the store. 

I’ve never gone through what she had to go through, but she’s a very sympathetic character, and while at Wal-Mart, meets several other great people- Sister Husband, Moses Whitecotton, and Benny Goodluck.  And who could forget about Forney Hull and Lexie Coop?  All very memorable characters.

Sister Husband is pretty awesome- she definitely made Novalee feel welcome after she came to Oklahoma.  Sister Husband is kind and pretty spunky.  She offered to let Novalee and Americus stay with her after Novalee’s mother bailed.  And Novalee a stranger to her at the tine too.   

Moses Whitecotton- I’d say he definitely inspired Novalee to become a photographer, and helped her out with her photography. 

Forney Hull- definitely set up to be Novalee’s love interest.  To me, he also inspired her to read, and Forney, being the town librarian (at least in his sisters stead, since his sister was an alcoholic), is also someone who plays an invaluable part of Novalee’s life. 

Lexie Coop- she’s definitely Novalee’s best friend.  One of the most moving scenes in the entire book was when one of Lexie’s boyfriends rapes Lexie’s two oldest children, and Lexie and her five kids live with Novalee and her daughter.

It definitely sheds a light on a small town, where people help each other out, and how community and friends are so important in our lives.  It also shows what life is like for the lower class.

Turning Point Update

Posted in Turning Point by

Random Note: My top 24 book list has it’s own page, so if you haven’t checked it out, it’s right next to the current projects page!

I’ve finally read it for the 1st time, since, well, ever.  And I have to say, I’m pretty impressed.  In the five years I’ve done NaNo, this is (so far) the only one where I thought most of it was pretty decent, with a few parts even being (dare I say it?) good.  There’s the requisite fluffy parts, some parts that are cute, and a lot I can work with.  I actually think (if I ever go back and edit) that I’ll end up keeping most of it.  It’s still needs a lot of work, of course, because I did write it in a month.  But I’m pretty happy with a lot of it!  I also thought I’d share some of the gems I found.

  • They are doing their jon.  (don’t you mean they’re doing their job?  doing their jon did give me a laugh though)
  • “That’s very sensical,” laughed ian.  “Don’t you mean logical?” asked kiora.  “Nope, I meant logical.”  (I have no idea know if using the word sensical was on purpose or an accident- either way, I decided to run with it, with some strange results)
  • Plus, if your dad decides to ruin for office it’ll be good to make nice with people.” (Sienna, I think you meant to say run for office, although given kiora and blake have a strained relationship at best, running for office may not be the best idea)
  • “Please be quiet,” kiora begged.  “I know you don’t want to relieve high school, but if you two don’t stop, then I’ll fail everything and end up on welfare because I had to drop out of school.  Is that what you want?” (there may not be anything wrong with this sentence, but it amused me)
  • Kyle somehow managed to glare at dustin most of the ride home.  (I didn’t know glaring was that hard)

There’s definitely a lot more where that came from, so I’ll be posting them every once in a while.  Some of it, I definitely didn’t remember writing, which is to be expected- and it definitely makes any rereads interesting.  It’s like, I wrote that?  Some of it made me scratch my head, and stare at the screen in wonder.

The Gin Blossoms

Posted in Music by

Seriously, I need to pimp out the Gin Blossoms.  They are seriously one of my favorite bands ever. 

I tend to jump around a lot when I listen to music, but the Gin Blossoms are one of the few bands I can listen to without feeling the need to skip to something else after a minute.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something about their music that makes me feel calm and yet nostalgic.  Their new album (No Chocolate Cake) definitely reminded of New Miserable Experience (which is also completely amazing, and if you have to get any of their albums, New Miserable Experience is the one to get).

Congratulations I’m Sorry and Major Lodge Victory are also pretty good.  I will say that while I like Major Lodge Victory, it’s probably my least favorite of the 4.  Major Lodge Victory definitely has a different feel to it than the other 3.  Congratulations I’m Sorry would probably be my 3rd favorite, if I were to rank them in order of how much I liked them.

It is good to see bands grow and change- each album is definitely them, but there definitely is something different about each one.  When I’m writing, they are definitely one of the first bands I go to, and at least one of their songs ends up on my playlists.  They definitely get me into the writing mood.

Luna Lovegood

Posted in Character Spotlight, HP & The Giant Prehistoric Chicken by

She is hands down one of my favorite Harry Potter characters ever!  In fact, she’s tied with Hermione, along with Hagrid, as my three favorite characters in the series.  What’s interesting about Luna and Hermione is that they are opposites, and complement each other quite nicely.    

She’s really random and quirky, which is completely awesome, and she doesn’t care about what others think of her.  And even though she knows people steal her things and make fun of her, she still cares about them.  Plus, her house looks totally cool- like a giant rook, and it would be pretty awesome to live in a house shaped like a giant rook.

Luna’s pretty open-minded, and has some pretty unusual beliefs, as well as some unusual habits and an unusual way of dressing.  All of this makes her a fairly easy target, and she’s ridiculed a lot, but she also overlooks it, and is, in my estimation, an optimistic person.  

I do see some similarities between Luna and myself- the open-mindedness, and patience and acceptance of others.  I wish I could be as serene and calm as she is- while I can be calm and serene, I’m not anywhere near as calm and serene as Luna.

Pacts

Posted in Other Projects by

So yesterday, I did a little planning for one of my untitled plot bunnies- the one about the pact that has far-reaching consequences.

  • so the two friends are Poppy River Addison and Jordan Connor Scott, and they’ve been best friends since they were little
  • Jordan gets left behind in the wake of what happens
  • I have no idea what happens yet, or what the pact entails
  • of course, it changes everything for her friends and family
  • Jordan feels guilty because he couldn’t protect her
  • she left behind journals and letters so he would understand what happened
  • It’s going to go back and forth between present time and her letters and journal entries

While I don’t know for sure what exactly this pact is, the notes I’ve come up with point to Jordan protecting Poppy from something and not being able to.  I also have the distinct feeling she didn’t tell him everything, because she feels like leaving her journals and letters to him will help him understand and deal with what happened to her.

I definitely need to come up with friends and family.  Alternating between letters and the present time will be an interesting challenge for me because I’ve (usually) stuck to present time, and going back and forth between past and present will be a lot different.  I’ve done the occassional flashback, so it’ll be interesting to see how it actually turns out.  And NaNo is the perfect time to try something new.  I’m pretty excited about this one now because it’ll test the relationships of everyone that she left behind and how one event/pact can change everything.