This is a few days late, but I finally finished the rough draft (or first draft) of Jade's book.
Let's get out the balloons!
Unformatted correctly, the total page count is 99 pages, and the total word count is somewhere around 53,000. That's about the same length as Burning Hope, so I'm pretty pleased with that. I'm also fairly pleased the way that the character development turned out-- Jade went from extremely bratty to, in my opinion, a fairly decent human being.
I'm happy I finally finished. :)
Of course, now I have about a year or two before it's even halfway done, editing wise, and even then I'll always find something to change...
Maybe it'll be done in time for the OYAN contest, though. Not that I expect it'll get even into the semi-finalists... But it's always just fun to join in the hype about sending in your novel to be read and judged. Besides- if it doesn't end up in the semi-finalists... You don't know how awful it might be!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
What Grownups Really Mean
When I was about eight, and Katie about ten (I believe), I was shopping with her and her mother. Her mother had said that it would only be "a few minutes" and then we could leave.
It ended up being several hours.
While we were wandering around with her mom, Katie and I decided we must, MUST, write a book about "what grownups really mean when they say something but don't really mean it". Sadly, this book has never been realized.
But there you go.
This post is dedicated to you, Younger Angela and Younger Katie.
Keep on dreaming.
It ended up being several hours.
While we were wandering around with her mom, Katie and I decided we must, MUST, write a book about "what grownups really mean when they say something but don't really mean it". Sadly, this book has never been realized.
But there you go.
This post is dedicated to you, Younger Angela and Younger Katie.
Keep on dreaming.
WHAT GROWNUPS REALLY MEAN WHEN THEY SAY SOMETHING BUT DON'T REALLY MEAN WHAT THEY SAY
In a minute
Usually used when asked "how much longer?", "in a minute" generally means something along the lines of "I really don't know, but probably longer than you want to be here." When you hear "in a minute", be prepared for a very long wait.
Maybe
Translation: No.
We'll see...
Translation: No.
(Very rarely it may mean "maybe, possibly". Try to figure out by tone of voice.)
After your school...
This is usually used when you're begging for something. Its translation according to adults probably is "when you've finished what I've assigned you", but the practical translation goes something along the lines of "As soon as you finish all the piles of boring homework I've piled on you which seems worse for you than usual because you're dying to go do this thing which is more interesting than dividing fractions, then maybe we'll think about it if I'm not too tired by then which I probably will be."
No
Translation: Not right now, but if you keep bugging me about it I'll eventually cave.
I was thinking...
This usually is an unexpected surprise. Its translation goes something along the lines of "I just had an idea which you may or may not think is excellent, but I sure do, and whether or not you think so doesn't matter because I'm going to make you go through with my idea whether or not you want to because I'm an adult and you're not and I can make you do whatever I want to."
That reminds me
Translation: I'm going to go into some lengthy explanation that you don't want to hear and I'm going to end with telling you to do some tedious, boring job which you don't want to.
I'll have to think about it
Translation: No.
Ask your father/mother/sister/aunt/uncle/brother/friend/distant relation/random stranger
Translation: I'm going to make you go run a marathon to different people to ask them something to which they'll simply reply "go ask *insert name here*".
*****
There you go.
Have a little blurb of Angela's life. XD
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Katie Day
Hey!
So, this is The Secret, Katie.
Happy Katie weekend!
Yes. This is a bunch of people who all got their acts together to tell you how much they love you. Or how awesome you are. Or how much they care about you. Why?
Because you are amazingly awesome.
I don't have much else to say, that I want to say out here on a public blog... But let's just say that Katie is pretty awesome, and she's going through a hard time, and I love her to bits, and that we all hope that she's going to be okay. Forever and ever. :)
Reasons Katie is Awesome:
1. She makes me laugh. All the time. Even if she doesn't mean to.
2. The craziest stuff happens to her.
3. One time she convinced me that she was a time traveler.
4. She's amazingly smart.
5. She's the only person I know who has a strong enough will to pull all-nighters three times in a row, doing homework all night.
6. She knows what I mean by The Urge, and can resist it.
7. Katie's really really pretty.
8. She writes better than I do. @_@ Her writing is amazing.
9. Her characters are really interesting. And funny. And kind of awkward! (Reflecting on her that she's good at characters.)
10. She is a really good pianist.
11. She can be really serious when I need her to be.
12. And yet she's immature enough that I don't have to worry about acting that much older than I actually am!
13. She has an exellent moral compass.
14. She won't lie to me.
15. I've known her since I was four, and she has always been this awesome.
16. She's a fantastic hockey player.
17. She uses amazing adjectives. XD
18. She blogs really well.
19. She got me to finish our collective novel. And she edits. Voluntarily edits!
20. She has really good taste in books/music.
I could keep going. But I'm not going to. Because I don't want to bore anyone. And. I can tell her this stuff over texts. XD
We love you!
So, this is The Secret, Katie.
Happy Katie weekend!
 |
| Created by Linda (Cat) |
Yes. This is a bunch of people who all got their acts together to tell you how much they love you. Or how awesome you are. Or how much they care about you. Why?
Because you are amazingly awesome.
I don't have much else to say, that I want to say out here on a public blog... But let's just say that Katie is pretty awesome, and she's going through a hard time, and I love her to bits, and that we all hope that she's going to be okay. Forever and ever. :)
 |
| Picture created by Katie F. (Sadly, this was sent after I put the video up... :/) |
1. She makes me laugh. All the time. Even if she doesn't mean to.
2. The craziest stuff happens to her.
3. One time she convinced me that she was a time traveler.
4. She's amazingly smart.
5. She's the only person I know who has a strong enough will to pull all-nighters three times in a row, doing homework all night.
6. She knows what I mean by The Urge, and can resist it.
7. Katie's really really pretty.
8. She writes better than I do. @_@ Her writing is amazing.
9. Her characters are really interesting. And funny. And kind of awkward! (Reflecting on her that she's good at characters.)
10. She is a really good pianist.
11. She can be really serious when I need her to be.
12. And yet she's immature enough that I don't have to worry about acting that much older than I actually am!
13. She has an exellent moral compass.
14. She won't lie to me.
15. I've known her since I was four, and she has always been this awesome.
16. She's a fantastic hockey player.
17. She uses amazing adjectives. XD
18. She blogs really well.
19. She got me to finish our collective novel. And she edits. Voluntarily edits!
20. She has really good taste in books/music.
 |
| Modern art by Isaac |
I could keep going. But I'm not going to. Because I don't want to bore anyone. And. I can tell her this stuff over texts. XD
 |
| From Angela |
We love you!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Angela's Music v. Valerie's Music
We all know that your music can say a lot about you. It's well aware that when you're looking on someone's music player, you're basically looking into their soul- who they actually are. Unless they happen to have a spazzy computer which randomly syncs music onto their ipods/zunes/etc. In which case, you're looking into the computer's soul. (Also fascinating.)
Which is why it takes a lot of gut to both look at someone's music player, and to have someone else look at yours.
So, I want to demonstrate a bit of difference between my sister's music, and my music. Because we have different music tastes, like different bands, and you just might end up liking some of the songs.
Here we go!
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
(by the way- I hope these videos work. Our new computer apparently doesn't have Adobe Flash Player. <_< So I can't see 'em.)
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
Of course, that only covers a few of the songs Valerie wrote out for me. :/ But yes. There you go. Music tastes. Might not seem that different. But they are. (They better be... <_<)
Which is why it takes a lot of gut to both look at someone's music player, and to have someone else look at yours.
So, I want to demonstrate a bit of difference between my sister's music, and my music. Because we have different music tastes, like different bands, and you just might end up liking some of the songs.
Here we go!
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
(by the way- I hope these videos work. Our new computer apparently doesn't have Adobe Flash Player. <_< So I can't see 'em.)
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
Valerie's Music:
Angela's Music:
Of course, that only covers a few of the songs Valerie wrote out for me. :/ But yes. There you go. Music tastes. Might not seem that different. But they are. (They better be... <_<)
Monday, January 16, 2012
How To Finish Half Western Civ Homework In One Day
I am a chronic procrastinator. As that happens, I tend to leave all my homework until the last minute- especially Western Civilization. As such, I have perfected the art of finishing half my WC homework on one day- and finishing the rest up the next.
This is how:
1. Start reading the chapter.
2. Highlight.
3. Do the 50 terms as you read said chapter. (They go in chronological order! :D)
4. Take notes for the AP essay (does not count if you have a DBQ.)
5. Finish chapter.
6. Photocopy workbook.
7. Go to sleep.
*next day*
1. Write essays
2. Do workbook.
3. Take online quiz.
4. Correct workbook.
And there you go. Done. Ta da. I'm brilliant.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Cookie Saleswoman Part One: Door to Door
It's not an easy thing to do, selling cookies. You have to harrass people- probably strangers- to give you money for cookies that they don't even have yet. You have to manage to convince people that they do want cookies. You have to talk to deaf old men. You have to get people to break their new years resolutions and eat sugar/junk food.
You have to do this in January when it's cold and snowy and you'd really rather be home.
This is the art of the door to door cookie harrassment.
Here are some tips to make this better:
1. Bring a clipboard. This way you don't end up writing on your sister's head.
2. Wear socks- if you do not, you will get snow in your boots. And get a blister. And then will complain about it the entire way back until you start walking like a zombie.
3. Wear gloves.
4. Master the art of becoming slap happy on a notice. Having a grumpy guy tell you he doesn't want to buy cookies is a lot easier to accept when you can laugh about his weird eyebrows.
Now that you have some of the tips down, here are the steps to the door to door sale of Girl Scout cookies:
1. Find a house. Any house. As long as there is no "no soliciting" sign, and it isn't your house, it should be fine.
2. Approach said house.
3. Ring doorbell.
4. Wait for 30 seconds.
5. If no one answers the door, leave.
or
5. When the door is answered, smile like a preppy cheerleader on crack and say "want to buy some girl scout cookies?!"
6. When they mishear you (and they will mishear you/not hear what you've said), repeat in a louder, more obnoxious voice, "Do you want to buy some Girl Scout cookies?!?!?!?!?!?!"
7. When they say no, say "thank you anyway!" and walk off.
or
7. When they say yes, ask them what type.
8. Explain that the Girl Scouts do not have chocolate chip cookies.
9. Describe the cookies for them.
10. Write down their order.
11. Tell them you want your money now.
12. Tell them you do not in fact have change for a $20, $10, or a $5 bill.
13. Forget where to make the check out to.
14. Remember where to make the check out to.
15. Take money.
16. Write down address.
17. Leave.
18. Repeat from step one.
And, yes. You will run into people who don't want cookies. Or who don't eat sugar. Or who have a house that smells like hotdogs. Or who will inexplicably have two doors. Or who will have funny eyebrows. But overall, it's worth it.
And if you don't have patience to read all of the above?
Just use my rule of thumb:
If they don't answer the door in 30 seconds, run like heck.
(They're either kidnappers, aliens, not home, or creepers. :))
You have to do this in January when it's cold and snowy and you'd really rather be home.
This is the art of the door to door cookie harrassment.
Here are some tips to make this better:
1. Bring a clipboard. This way you don't end up writing on your sister's head.
2. Wear socks- if you do not, you will get snow in your boots. And get a blister. And then will complain about it the entire way back until you start walking like a zombie.
3. Wear gloves.
4. Master the art of becoming slap happy on a notice. Having a grumpy guy tell you he doesn't want to buy cookies is a lot easier to accept when you can laugh about his weird eyebrows.
Now that you have some of the tips down, here are the steps to the door to door sale of Girl Scout cookies:
1. Find a house. Any house. As long as there is no "no soliciting" sign, and it isn't your house, it should be fine.
2. Approach said house.
3. Ring doorbell.
4. Wait for 30 seconds.
5. If no one answers the door, leave.
or
5. When the door is answered, smile like a preppy cheerleader on crack and say "want to buy some girl scout cookies?!"
6. When they mishear you (and they will mishear you/not hear what you've said), repeat in a louder, more obnoxious voice, "Do you want to buy some Girl Scout cookies?!?!?!?!?!?!"
7. When they say no, say "thank you anyway!" and walk off.
or
7. When they say yes, ask them what type.
8. Explain that the Girl Scouts do not have chocolate chip cookies.
9. Describe the cookies for them.
10. Write down their order.
11. Tell them you want your money now.
12. Tell them you do not in fact have change for a $20, $10, or a $5 bill.
13. Forget where to make the check out to.
14. Remember where to make the check out to.
15. Take money.
16. Write down address.
17. Leave.
18. Repeat from step one.
And, yes. You will run into people who don't want cookies. Or who don't eat sugar. Or who have a house that smells like hotdogs. Or who will inexplicably have two doors. Or who will have funny eyebrows. But overall, it's worth it.
And if you don't have patience to read all of the above?
Just use my rule of thumb:
If they don't answer the door in 30 seconds, run like heck.
(They're either kidnappers, aliens, not home, or creepers. :))
Friday, January 13, 2012
The Problems With Being An Author
Authors are strange creatures. To most sane people we seem like the sort that should be locked up in a zoo and studied. We don't necessarily have mental disorders, yet we completely see imaginary people. We talk to ourselves more than we talk to other people, we fail piano exams because our characters interrupt us. We never go anywhere without a notebook and a pen, and we can predict most plot twists in books and movies.
Before I was an author, I thought authors were insane.
Now I'm an author and I think everyone else is insane.
However, despite the fact that it's amazing being an author and most of us enjoy it, there are also many things that are... well... not so good about being an author. I've decided to make a list of them for lack of a better blog subject to post on.
People Think You're Insane
I, and most authors that I know, have gotten so many weird looks when talking to our characters or planning a book out loud, that we keep the conversations inside our heads now, because it's simply easier than explaining about our characters. Conversations aren't the only things, though. We stop when a character walks past. I've freaked out at my sisters before because they sat in a chair my character was on. I've almost slept on the floor because my bed was filled with characters. (Nena, Jade, Gavin, Alyssa, Jack, and Shawn.)
Writer's Callous
Unless you write by hand, chacnes are that you have a writer's callous. That is- a hard piece of skin where your hand rests against the desk as you type. I only have one on my right hand inexplicably, but it's there. (Unsurprisingly, it's the worst in November. Go figure.)
Too Many Ideas
I know some authors who can't get a good idea to save their lives. And it's hard when you are focusing on coming up on ideas. But when you're just relaxing, when you're in the middle of writing another novel already, when life is good... Bam. You'll get an idea, and suddenly that is the one thing that you need to focus on more than anything else. That leads to the next one...
No Focus
Once you have your ideas, chances are you aren't going to be able to focus on anything. Because after a while of thinking about that one, perfect idea, you start to get discouraged about it. Which means you don't want to think about it. But then you don't want to not think about it, because your other books make you feel like failures. This leads to being an author laying on their bed, trying not to think about writing or characters. (Pretty well impossible.)
Feelings of Failure
It's true that anyone can feel like a failure. But authors more so. Because when their characters are being stupid, or they haven't written or edited for a long while, or when they don't want to edit, or when they can't plan out a good plot, or when they get some (good) constructive criticism, they feel like complete failures.
Hope that helps the balance. :)
Before I was an author, I thought authors were insane.
Now I'm an author and I think everyone else is insane.
However, despite the fact that it's amazing being an author and most of us enjoy it, there are also many things that are... well... not so good about being an author. I've decided to make a list of them for lack of a better blog subject to post on.
People Think You're Insane
I, and most authors that I know, have gotten so many weird looks when talking to our characters or planning a book out loud, that we keep the conversations inside our heads now, because it's simply easier than explaining about our characters. Conversations aren't the only things, though. We stop when a character walks past. I've freaked out at my sisters before because they sat in a chair my character was on. I've almost slept on the floor because my bed was filled with characters. (Nena, Jade, Gavin, Alyssa, Jack, and Shawn.)
Writer's Callous
Unless you write by hand, chacnes are that you have a writer's callous. That is- a hard piece of skin where your hand rests against the desk as you type. I only have one on my right hand inexplicably, but it's there. (Unsurprisingly, it's the worst in November. Go figure.)
Too Many Ideas
I know some authors who can't get a good idea to save their lives. And it's hard when you are focusing on coming up on ideas. But when you're just relaxing, when you're in the middle of writing another novel already, when life is good... Bam. You'll get an idea, and suddenly that is the one thing that you need to focus on more than anything else. That leads to the next one...
No Focus
Once you have your ideas, chances are you aren't going to be able to focus on anything. Because after a while of thinking about that one, perfect idea, you start to get discouraged about it. Which means you don't want to think about it. But then you don't want to not think about it, because your other books make you feel like failures. This leads to being an author laying on their bed, trying not to think about writing or characters. (Pretty well impossible.)
Feelings of Failure
It's true that anyone can feel like a failure. But authors more so. Because when their characters are being stupid, or they haven't written or edited for a long while, or when they don't want to edit, or when they can't plan out a good plot, or when they get some (good) constructive criticism, they feel like complete failures.
Hope that helps the balance. :)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Characters I Am Proud Of
I'll admit that I love all my characters with the exceptions of Joanna, Michelle, Alex, Candace, and a few others that I'm not remembering at the moment. But, yes. For the most part, I adore all my characters. However, there are a few that I'm particularly proud of, for various reasons.
Here are the characters, and why.
Smith- Evil as heck vampire
Actually, Smith is one of my all time favorite characters and also the one I'm the absolute most proud of. Why? Because my friends have nightmares about him! Because he's sufficently creepy enough to creep people out! Because I've never been able to make a good villain before him! He's pure evil... But he doesn't necessarily seem like that. Why? Because he's super, super polite, and he's capable of feeling depression/loneliness.
He's still evil, though.
Jade Zamzow- "Cooler than you."
Jade. Oh Jade. Where to start with her? She introduced herself to me, without any summoning. She has a bazillion faults and negative personality flaws, and yet people still feel compelled to love her. She's selfish and sexist (against guys) and considers most people way lower than she is. Yet, everyone loves her. ('Specially Katie's character... XD) I'm mostly proud of her because I managed to give her personality flaws enough that someone pointed that out when critiquing my book (that she's a bit selfish), and yet... She makes a workable main character. Think a chaotic good character, if you're familiar with D&D jargon.
Jacqueline Louise Marqs- Anger management class? What anger management class?
Valerie helped me come up with Jackie, to tell the truth. But she's mostly my invention. Why? Because her personality has shifted so far since she was created. She started out as a mildly attitude-y slightly gothic asian girl... For anyone who knows her, this definition will be completely foreign. Why? Because now she's anger issue-y, completely goth, angsty, amazingly awesome asian girl. Who is awesome. Why am I proud of her? Because I've never made a character who can honestly get mad at someone at the drop of the hat. And, with the exception of Amanda, I have never made anyone who uses violence so often either.
Kezia Dustin- Conservative, protestant.
The reason that I'm proud of Kezia (first. character. EVER.) is because she's so unlike me when it comes to politics and religion. That's pretty much the sole reason I'm so proud of her.
Jacob- Super genius
Why am I proud of Jake? Well, with the exception of Smith, none of my characters can be so much of a jerk. None of them. None of them are as inappropriate and idiotic and just as annoying as Jake can be. Characters generally either avoid him or beat him up when they first meet him. No one likes him, really, and he really doesn't care that much. I'm just proud that he's still a jerkface even though I made him two years ago.
Alyssa- "Glitter! Yay!"
Alyssa is amazing. I love her to death. She's one of my earliest characters, one of the first characters I actually saw, and she's so... happy! That's why I'm proud of her. Because she is, essentially, a bubblehead. She's intelligent, sure, but she doesn't have a ton of common sense. And unless she makes an effort, she's not going to think of things like "Smith might be waiting to kill me". She also gets really happy really fast. And that's why I'm proud of her.
There you go. The characters I am most proud of. If you want to know, here are the books they're in:
Smith = Charele's book
Jade = Jade's book (great titles, right?)
Jackie = Music Box
Kezia = Burning Hope
Jake = Steampunk book of doom
Alyssa = Alyssa's Book
There you go. ^_^
Here are the characters, and why.
Smith- Evil as heck vampire
Actually, Smith is one of my all time favorite characters and also the one I'm the absolute most proud of. Why? Because my friends have nightmares about him! Because he's sufficently creepy enough to creep people out! Because I've never been able to make a good villain before him! He's pure evil... But he doesn't necessarily seem like that. Why? Because he's super, super polite, and he's capable of feeling depression/loneliness.
He's still evil, though.
Jade Zamzow- "Cooler than you."
Jade. Oh Jade. Where to start with her? She introduced herself to me, without any summoning. She has a bazillion faults and negative personality flaws, and yet people still feel compelled to love her. She's selfish and sexist (against guys) and considers most people way lower than she is. Yet, everyone loves her. ('Specially Katie's character... XD) I'm mostly proud of her because I managed to give her personality flaws enough that someone pointed that out when critiquing my book (that she's a bit selfish), and yet... She makes a workable main character. Think a chaotic good character, if you're familiar with D&D jargon.
Jacqueline Louise Marqs- Anger management class? What anger management class?
Valerie helped me come up with Jackie, to tell the truth. But she's mostly my invention. Why? Because her personality has shifted so far since she was created. She started out as a mildly attitude-y slightly gothic asian girl... For anyone who knows her, this definition will be completely foreign. Why? Because now she's anger issue-y, completely goth, angsty, amazingly awesome asian girl. Who is awesome. Why am I proud of her? Because I've never made a character who can honestly get mad at someone at the drop of the hat. And, with the exception of Amanda, I have never made anyone who uses violence so often either.
Kezia Dustin- Conservative, protestant.
The reason that I'm proud of Kezia (first. character. EVER.) is because she's so unlike me when it comes to politics and religion. That's pretty much the sole reason I'm so proud of her.
Jacob- Super genius
Why am I proud of Jake? Well, with the exception of Smith, none of my characters can be so much of a jerk. None of them. None of them are as inappropriate and idiotic and just as annoying as Jake can be. Characters generally either avoid him or beat him up when they first meet him. No one likes him, really, and he really doesn't care that much. I'm just proud that he's still a jerkface even though I made him two years ago.
Alyssa- "Glitter! Yay!"
Alyssa is amazing. I love her to death. She's one of my earliest characters, one of the first characters I actually saw, and she's so... happy! That's why I'm proud of her. Because she is, essentially, a bubblehead. She's intelligent, sure, but she doesn't have a ton of common sense. And unless she makes an effort, she's not going to think of things like "Smith might be waiting to kill me". She also gets really happy really fast. And that's why I'm proud of her.
There you go. The characters I am most proud of. If you want to know, here are the books they're in:
Smith = Charele's book
Jade = Jade's book (great titles, right?)
Jackie = Music Box
Kezia = Burning Hope
Jake = Steampunk book of doom
Alyssa = Alyssa's Book
There you go. ^_^
Snow
It is (finally) snowy here in Illinois!
I know.
It has taken a horribly long time.
But.
It started snowing at about 10:30 this morning, and it hasn't stopped. It's 3:45 now. We must have at least two inches already, too, because it's nearly covered all the grass. (meep!) I'm really excited about this. It's really pretty.
There you go. Snow. The first snow of the year. Finally. And, it's still coming down in large quantities. Which means that my teen sledding day might happen. (Yay!)
Just wanted to post something to celebrate. :)
I know.
It has taken a horribly long time.
But.
It started snowing at about 10:30 this morning, and it hasn't stopped. It's 3:45 now. We must have at least two inches already, too, because it's nearly covered all the grass. (meep!) I'm really excited about this. It's really pretty.
Just wanted to post something to celebrate. :)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Myths, Legends, Fairytales, Urban Legends.
I have always been fascinated with myths, legends, fairytales, and, more recently, urban legends. Before I could even properly read, my dad bought me a book of Grimms' fairy tales. Now, I'm not positive that these are the originals, and I definitely want to get myself a new book of them, but I still love reading them. It's an old, green, leather book with gold printing on the front. Actually, the binding is stitched onto the cover, because at one point it started falling apart and I fixed it.
So, I've grown up with these fairytales.
Because these are so amazing to myself, I thought I'd define the different titles for you. :)
Myths:
Myths generally take place in mythical settings. They often have to do with the creation of the world, or at the least, gods, goddesses, and fantastical things along those lines. They may or may not have humans in them, but if they do, these humans are more than likely going to be superhuman, posessing great strength, skill, wisdom, or some such. A good example of this is the Mayan creation story, which I will sum up...
The gods used to live in the ocean. Eventually they got sick, and commanded the earth to rise up and plants to grow on the ground. After that, they decided that the world was too quiet, so they made animals. Animals could not praise them however, so they attempted to make humans.
The first humans they made were made of mud, and could not stand. They only talked in gibberish, because they had no minds. After it rained they would also fall apart. The gods got rid of these humans as fast as possible.
The second type of humans they made were out of sticks. The stick humans could walk, talk, and stand on their own. They didn't fall apart when it rained. However, they didn't have any brains, or souls. They made no sense when they talked, and they didn't know right from wrong. They'd mercilessly burn their cooking pots, and beat their dogs. The gods made a flood of sap to try to destroy them. Many of them died. The dogs prevented many of them from escaping, and the pans burned them. The houses collapsed when they tried to hide on the roof, and the ones that escaped into the trees were turned into monkeys.
Before the gods created a new type of human, a crow, parrot, mountain cat, and a coyote came to them and showed them corn. The gods figured, hey, we've already tried sticks and mud, and snow won't work, so why not try to make them out of corn? So they fashioned them out of cornmeal, and then fed them special potion made out of corn. The potion worked like a myhical energy drink, and they were endowed with extreme wisdom and strength. They grew to know everything, and could see everywhere on the planet. Eventually the gods realized that they were too perfect, so they blew a magical mist into the cornmeal peoples' eyes, which lowered their knowledge and made them unable to see for miles in directions. Thus the humans were created.
As you can see, the humans were either mud, sticks, or superhumans.
Legends:
A legend is different than a myth, in the way that it takes place to more or less regular people, in more or less regular settings, though often in a land far far away in a time long, long ago. The Odyssey is a legend- Odysseus is a more or less regular human who travels through what was believed to be the way the world was, and then returns. He is not a superhuman-- the only super things about him are his intelligence and his hubris.
(The Odyssey is too long to sum up. Go read it.)
Fairytales (or folklore):
A fairytale is not usually believed to be true. Unlike myths and legends, it does not usually deal with gods or goddesses, and does not have to do with regular humans. They are told mainly for entertainment, and to teach basic morals. The beautiful stepdaughter is a pious, good person, she shares some of her bread with the three dwarves, and then sweeps off the step- she finds the strawberries her stepmom sent her to get, and the dwarves make her grow more beautiful every day, make a gold coin fall from her mouth whenever she says a word, and say that she will marry a king. The evil daughter goes to try to get money, does not share her food with the dwarves, grumbles about sweeping the step... They make her grow uglier every day, make snakes and lizards fall from her lips whenever she speaks, and says that she will die a horrible death. (That's a real fairytale- part of one, anyway.) They often take place in parallel universes, or in the real world as it would be with magic.
Urban Legends:
An urban legend is different than a legend in the fact that it is often told to have happend to someone that the teller knows, in a local place, and relatively recently. Urban legends are stories, so they will have an intro, a climax, a series of characters, conflict, and so on. They often also convey morals, or lessons about life. They are not necessarily untrue. Many urban legends actually come from true stories, or at least facts. However, after being told by different people, and moved from locality to locality, their facts change, the characters change, they are exaggerated and embellished. What once may have started out with "my sister went to the mall and had some creepo try to hit on her" may end up with some story about how someone was lured from a shopping mall to then be raped and killed and how you should never trust anyone. Make sense?
Of all of these, I have to say that my favorites are fairytales/folklore, followed up by urban legends tied with myths. Legends are my least favorite, although even those are pretty fascinating. :)
To find fairytales: search "fairytales". You will find them. Or, go to your library and get a book on them. Or find a book you already have. Fairytales are everywhere.
Myths: go to the library (or search) for "myths". Often it's best if you add a civilization before hand... for example "Ancient egyptian myths" or "Spanish myths" or somesuch.
Legends: search for "legends", and try some of the more well known ones. (Odysseus, Beowulf... etc.)
Urban Legends: try snopes.com. ^_^
So, I've grown up with these fairytales.
Because these are so amazing to myself, I thought I'd define the different titles for you. :)
Myths:
Myths generally take place in mythical settings. They often have to do with the creation of the world, or at the least, gods, goddesses, and fantastical things along those lines. They may or may not have humans in them, but if they do, these humans are more than likely going to be superhuman, posessing great strength, skill, wisdom, or some such. A good example of this is the Mayan creation story, which I will sum up...
The gods used to live in the ocean. Eventually they got sick, and commanded the earth to rise up and plants to grow on the ground. After that, they decided that the world was too quiet, so they made animals. Animals could not praise them however, so they attempted to make humans.
The first humans they made were made of mud, and could not stand. They only talked in gibberish, because they had no minds. After it rained they would also fall apart. The gods got rid of these humans as fast as possible.
The second type of humans they made were out of sticks. The stick humans could walk, talk, and stand on their own. They didn't fall apart when it rained. However, they didn't have any brains, or souls. They made no sense when they talked, and they didn't know right from wrong. They'd mercilessly burn their cooking pots, and beat their dogs. The gods made a flood of sap to try to destroy them. Many of them died. The dogs prevented many of them from escaping, and the pans burned them. The houses collapsed when they tried to hide on the roof, and the ones that escaped into the trees were turned into monkeys.
Before the gods created a new type of human, a crow, parrot, mountain cat, and a coyote came to them and showed them corn. The gods figured, hey, we've already tried sticks and mud, and snow won't work, so why not try to make them out of corn? So they fashioned them out of cornmeal, and then fed them special potion made out of corn. The potion worked like a myhical energy drink, and they were endowed with extreme wisdom and strength. They grew to know everything, and could see everywhere on the planet. Eventually the gods realized that they were too perfect, so they blew a magical mist into the cornmeal peoples' eyes, which lowered their knowledge and made them unable to see for miles in directions. Thus the humans were created.
As you can see, the humans were either mud, sticks, or superhumans.
Legends:
A legend is different than a myth, in the way that it takes place to more or less regular people, in more or less regular settings, though often in a land far far away in a time long, long ago. The Odyssey is a legend- Odysseus is a more or less regular human who travels through what was believed to be the way the world was, and then returns. He is not a superhuman-- the only super things about him are his intelligence and his hubris.
(The Odyssey is too long to sum up. Go read it.)
Fairytales (or folklore):
A fairytale is not usually believed to be true. Unlike myths and legends, it does not usually deal with gods or goddesses, and does not have to do with regular humans. They are told mainly for entertainment, and to teach basic morals. The beautiful stepdaughter is a pious, good person, she shares some of her bread with the three dwarves, and then sweeps off the step- she finds the strawberries her stepmom sent her to get, and the dwarves make her grow more beautiful every day, make a gold coin fall from her mouth whenever she says a word, and say that she will marry a king. The evil daughter goes to try to get money, does not share her food with the dwarves, grumbles about sweeping the step... They make her grow uglier every day, make snakes and lizards fall from her lips whenever she speaks, and says that she will die a horrible death. (That's a real fairytale- part of one, anyway.) They often take place in parallel universes, or in the real world as it would be with magic.
Urban Legends:
An urban legend is different than a legend in the fact that it is often told to have happend to someone that the teller knows, in a local place, and relatively recently. Urban legends are stories, so they will have an intro, a climax, a series of characters, conflict, and so on. They often also convey morals, or lessons about life. They are not necessarily untrue. Many urban legends actually come from true stories, or at least facts. However, after being told by different people, and moved from locality to locality, their facts change, the characters change, they are exaggerated and embellished. What once may have started out with "my sister went to the mall and had some creepo try to hit on her" may end up with some story about how someone was lured from a shopping mall to then be raped and killed and how you should never trust anyone. Make sense?
Of all of these, I have to say that my favorites are fairytales/folklore, followed up by urban legends tied with myths. Legends are my least favorite, although even those are pretty fascinating. :)
To find fairytales: search "fairytales". You will find them. Or, go to your library and get a book on them. Or find a book you already have. Fairytales are everywhere.
Myths: go to the library (or search) for "myths". Often it's best if you add a civilization before hand... for example "Ancient egyptian myths" or "Spanish myths" or somesuch.
Legends: search for "legends", and try some of the more well known ones. (Odysseus, Beowulf... etc.)
Urban Legends: try snopes.com. ^_^
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Piano
Piano is truly amazing. The ability to play certain keys at different times- or at the same time- and produce a sound that is at that moment more beautiful than any other in the entire universe. That is what piano is. It is the ability to sit down and play a song, and feel like you are beautiful and part of the music. That is what piano is. It's one of the most popular instruments to play- and yet when you're playing it, it's you and only you who can pull the melody out, who can create the dynamics, who can pluck the keys like you're pulling the sound out of their very beds. That is what piano is.
As you can tell, I adore piano.
Actually, I'd rather play piano than eat. Or sleep. Piano is the one thing that I can say I would sit still for hours just to do. If I didn't run out of music to play, if the songs I loved had endless repeats, I would play them like that. The Invention no. 8 is like that. Instead of playing an F chord at the end, you just hit a single "f" in the right hand, and the song begins again. You can repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it, and the only thing holding you back from playing it five, ten, thirty times in a row is your ability to play for that long without resting. That is the only thing holding you back.
Piano makes me happy. No- piano doesn't make me happy. Piano makes me unaware of myself. When I'm playing a sonata, and I know I'm hitting the right notes, it's like I become completely absorbed in myself, and yet I'm not there at all. I'm aware of what my hands are doing, and yet at the same time they're moving by themselves, without my guidance. I can ponder through horrible social situations while playing piano, but not feel bad about them because the music makes it okay.
The music makes everything okay.
There's something about music in general that makes people happy. The way it can sweep you away and not let you go until you're ready. But when you're playing the music, when it's you who is creating it, and you know you're creating it well... Then you're part of it. You are not controlling it, and it is not controlling you. You are one, you are together. That is what piano is.
Pian is amazing.
As you can tell, I adore piano.
Actually, I'd rather play piano than eat. Or sleep. Piano is the one thing that I can say I would sit still for hours just to do. If I didn't run out of music to play, if the songs I loved had endless repeats, I would play them like that. The Invention no. 8 is like that. Instead of playing an F chord at the end, you just hit a single "f" in the right hand, and the song begins again. You can repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it, and the only thing holding you back from playing it five, ten, thirty times in a row is your ability to play for that long without resting. That is the only thing holding you back.
Piano makes me happy. No- piano doesn't make me happy. Piano makes me unaware of myself. When I'm playing a sonata, and I know I'm hitting the right notes, it's like I become completely absorbed in myself, and yet I'm not there at all. I'm aware of what my hands are doing, and yet at the same time they're moving by themselves, without my guidance. I can ponder through horrible social situations while playing piano, but not feel bad about them because the music makes it okay.
The music makes everything okay.
There's something about music in general that makes people happy. The way it can sweep you away and not let you go until you're ready. But when you're playing the music, when it's you who is creating it, and you know you're creating it well... Then you're part of it. You are not controlling it, and it is not controlling you. You are one, you are together. That is what piano is.
Pian is amazing.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Inspector Gadget
Best. Theme. Song. Ever.
Except possibly this one.
Or this one.
Or the one that I watch now...
Ahhhh! Nostalgia!
(Veela and I used to wake up at 7AM and wake up our mom and try to convince her to let us watch channel 11 so we could see Cyberchase. The most EPIC math tv show EVERRRRR.)
And... Dragon Tales. Forever part of my childhood.
And we can't forget George Shrinks. Veela and I always wanted this one THE MOST. It was the special one. Partly because for some reason they only played it every two weeks. :/
ARTHURRRRR! Veela and I could still sing along with this. <3
Teletubbies!
Urgh.
Hard to choose. <3
How to End a Conversation
Do you often find yourself trapped in endless conversations? Are you sick and tired of the same old routines for ending pointless talking? Do you often find yourself hearing about stuff you don't want to? Sick of listening to random strangers? Do you not only want to avoid hearing about these things, but you want to avoid the conversation altogether?! If so, The Guide is for you!
Filled with handy dandy advice on everything you'll ever need to know*, the guide is guaranteed to make your life better, faster, and easier. Buy The Guide now, and we'll throw in a free marshmallow gun for shooting those pesky siblings!
This is a LAST CHANCE offer! Call 1-555-NOT-REAL for this amazing offer!
*The Guide does not contain information on the following subjects: skydiving, how to hotwire a stereo into a bomb, faery extermination, haircutting, La Famille Passiflore, Association for College Management, how to meet Jorge Arteaga, or corporate spies, among others. The Guide will not burst into flames. The Guide does not claim to feed the user. The Guide is incapable of making sandwiches. Side effects may include: headaches, dizziness, cancer, papercuts, purple hair, awesomeness, and in most extreme cases, belief that one is a zombie. Ask your doctor before using.
Filled with handy dandy advice on everything you'll ever need to know*, the guide is guaranteed to make your life better, faster, and easier. Buy The Guide now, and we'll throw in a free marshmallow gun for shooting those pesky siblings!
This is a LAST CHANCE offer! Call 1-555-NOT-REAL for this amazing offer!
*The Guide does not contain information on the following subjects: skydiving, how to hotwire a stereo into a bomb, faery extermination, haircutting, La Famille Passiflore, Association for College Management, how to meet Jorge Arteaga, or corporate spies, among others. The Guide will not burst into flames. The Guide does not claim to feed the user. The Guide is incapable of making sandwiches. Side effects may include: headaches, dizziness, cancer, papercuts, purple hair, awesomeness, and in most extreme cases, belief that one is a zombie. Ask your doctor before using.
Chapter 5: How to End a Conversation
Chances are in your life you've found yourself trapped in a conversation when you really don't have time to talk. If it's over the phone or face to face, you'll probably find it particularly bad. How can you tell someone you don't have time to talk- and what if they say that you do? You need a way to get out of that conversation, and fast. Chances are you've already tried all the tricks in chapter four, and they either didn't work, or are unavailable. Maybe you don't have time to walk away and then come back. Maybe walking away means they think it's time to walk and talk. Maybe none of those are available. If so- never fear. We at The Guide have come up with another bunch of tips on avoiding conversations. Read on to find out how to avoid all those unwanted conversations.
Be a killjoy.
No one wants to be depressed. Most people also don't know what to say to something depressing. And if they do, chances are you can play off not talking because you're depressed. There are several ways to do this. Our favorites are saying things along the lines of:
"I went to the wake of a two year old yesterday."
"I haven't seen my friend smile since her dog died."
These usually do the trick of making people shut up.
Taking a phone call.
This is a classic, but is also very do-able. If you have your cellphone along when you're in an unfortunate conversation, text someone and tell them to call you to get you out of a conversation. Or, if no one is available, set your alarm to go off in a minute past, with your ringtone as the alarm tone. Pretend that someone is calling you, walk away and take their call. If you're having a conversation on the phone, do the opposite. Pretend that someone is calling you away from the phone to go do something like load the dishwasher.
Invite someone else to join your conversation.
Granted it won't necessarily end the conversation, but it'll might cause the conversation to become more interesting. In a best case scenario, the person who was annoying you and the person you invited to talk might start talking and you can slip away.
Bombard them with random facts.
It's a sad fact, but most people don't really want to learn about the working conditions of seven year olds in a cotton mill in Britain during the Industrial Revolution. Using random facts like that on people will generally get them to think that you're too weird to talk to. Or, it might convince them to leave you alone. Or, worst case scenario, you've reinforced your memory on western civilization.
Here are a few facts to get you started:
Sharks die if they don't keep swimming.
The youngest chimney sweeps during the Victorian era were four years old.
King Richard the Lion Hearted was probably gay.
Your ears create more earwax when you're stressed.
Lions sleep for more than 20 hours each day.
Pretend to lose use of your legs.
Talk to yourself.
Start reminding yourself of stuff you have to do. Rant about people you don't like. Discuss all the homework that you have to do in the next week. Chances are if you do this, people will stop talking to you.
Remember, if all else fails, just tell them that you can't talk. And if they say you can- keep insisting. Sometimes people really are okay at listening.
Have fun ending conversations!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Not Dreading
The problem with the week after New Years is that you have to go back to school. And work. And you have to clean the house up from Christmas. And do laundry. And then there's just that horrible feeling when you realize that the year before is gone and you're never going to be able to live there again and even though every morning you're a day older it feels like much longer than that.
Creeeeepy.
So, yes. I am preparing to go back to school. Actually, I'm back to school. I've already worked on WC for about two hours today, and I'm preparing to work on it more after lunch. Piano... Hahahaha. No more piano > food for a while, either. Because if I don't eat, I can't do other school. Which is a pity, because playing piano nonstop for about three hours is really awesome and I wish I could do it more often. Oh yeah. B)
But on the other hand... I'm glad to be back to school. I need to catch up on stuff (Japanese... Math...), and being back to school full time is great for that. I'm just hoping that I can finish my stupid math book before summer. (Good luck with that, Angela.)
On a brighter note...
2012 should be pretty awesome. (This is basically what I should have done in my post yesterday but I was too tired to do).
Because I'm an obsessive list maker, let's make a list. (Ready?!) Here are some stuff I'm looking forward to in 2012. Or at least not dreading.
1. Drivers ed. How creepy is that? I'll be 15 in March, so this fall I'll be able to start learning to drive. Disturbing...
2. Sonata festival. Because I'm a special piano student, I get to be one of the 7 people my teacher sends to the sonata festival. Basically, I play a sonata the very best I can, and then two judges judge me. If I get a gold, I get to go play in this really fancy recital. (Isn't that exciting?! //sarcasm)
3. Western Civ AP. No, not insane. Well, not that insane. I'm actually looking forward to the AP. I'll probably bomb it, but at the moment I'm fairly confident in my ability to remember at least some of this stuff. Besides, after the AP WC is over, which is going to be epic beyond belief. And I'm sort of a strange person and I actually enjoy writing the essays.
4. Watching The Hobbit. Must I say more? I'm soo geekcited for it... O_O
5. NaNoWriMo 2012 Because there's no way I'm not joining in the fun.
There you go. Five things I'm looking foward to- or at least not dreading. :)
Off to lunch then (dun dun dun) school again.
Creeeeepy.
So, yes. I am preparing to go back to school. Actually, I'm back to school. I've already worked on WC for about two hours today, and I'm preparing to work on it more after lunch. Piano... Hahahaha. No more piano > food for a while, either. Because if I don't eat, I can't do other school. Which is a pity, because playing piano nonstop for about three hours is really awesome and I wish I could do it more often. Oh yeah. B)
But on the other hand... I'm glad to be back to school. I need to catch up on stuff (Japanese... Math...), and being back to school full time is great for that. I'm just hoping that I can finish my stupid math book before summer. (Good luck with that, Angela.)
On a brighter note...
2012 should be pretty awesome. (This is basically what I should have done in my post yesterday but I was too tired to do).
Because I'm an obsessive list maker, let's make a list. (Ready?!) Here are some stuff I'm looking forward to in 2012. Or at least not dreading.
1. Drivers ed. How creepy is that? I'll be 15 in March, so this fall I'll be able to start learning to drive. Disturbing...
2. Sonata festival. Because I'm a special piano student, I get to be one of the 7 people my teacher sends to the sonata festival. Basically, I play a sonata the very best I can, and then two judges judge me. If I get a gold, I get to go play in this really fancy recital. (Isn't that exciting?! //sarcasm)
3. Western Civ AP. No, not insane. Well, not that insane. I'm actually looking forward to the AP. I'll probably bomb it, but at the moment I'm fairly confident in my ability to remember at least some of this stuff. Besides, after the AP WC is over, which is going to be epic beyond belief. And I'm sort of a strange person and I actually enjoy writing the essays.
4. Watching The Hobbit. Must I say more? I'm soo geekcited for it... O_O
5. NaNoWriMo 2012 Because there's no way I'm not joining in the fun.
There you go. Five things I'm looking foward to- or at least not dreading. :)
Off to lunch then (dun dun dun) school again.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Resolutions
Happy New Years, Everyone!
(Pointless Capitalization FTW)
I could go on and on about how this year is going to be fabulous and everything, but I'm not going to. I'm going to talk about my resolutions. Why? Because it's a short post and I feel obligated to post something so I can have a little thing say "2012: 1" on my post archive thing, and my sister wants me to move. Alright? ;)
Here, then, I present my resolutions. More or less. You know, if they make any sense at all.
1. Be a kinder person why? Because I'm still not a kind enough person. Oh, I'm plenty nice but I'm not necessarily very kind all the time. Which bugs me. Oh well. Good resolution. Maybe that means I'll stop being an abusive sister, eh?
2. Be more environmentally friendly Because it would really stink to have this be the year that global warming gets completely out of hand. Of course, if the world really does end in twelve months, that won't be such a big deal.
3. Do my schoolwork more often, faster, and get it done on time instead of wasting an entire week saying "I have to do WC" but not actually doing WC 'nuff said.
Anyway, here's hoping that 2012 is better than 2011!
~Angela
**edit**
And my fourth resolution:
4. Beat 2009's post count Because 10 more posts last year and I would have beaten it. THIS YEAR I WILL SUCCEEEEEEEEED!!!!
(Pointless Capitalization FTW)
I could go on and on about how this year is going to be fabulous and everything, but I'm not going to. I'm going to talk about my resolutions. Why? Because it's a short post and I feel obligated to post something so I can have a little thing say "2012: 1" on my post archive thing, and my sister wants me to move. Alright? ;)
Here, then, I present my resolutions. More or less. You know, if they make any sense at all.
1. Be a kinder person why? Because I'm still not a kind enough person. Oh, I'm plenty nice but I'm not necessarily very kind all the time. Which bugs me. Oh well. Good resolution. Maybe that means I'll stop being an abusive sister, eh?
2. Be more environmentally friendly Because it would really stink to have this be the year that global warming gets completely out of hand. Of course, if the world really does end in twelve months, that won't be such a big deal.
3. Do my schoolwork more often, faster, and get it done on time instead of wasting an entire week saying "I have to do WC" but not actually doing WC 'nuff said.
Anyway, here's hoping that 2012 is better than 2011!
~Angela
**edit**
And my fourth resolution:
4. Beat 2009's post count Because 10 more posts last year and I would have beaten it. THIS YEAR I WILL SUCCEEEEEEEEED!!!!
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