Been Thinking Lately . . .

I don't really post on my blog, so I was thinking of possibly creating a book blog. But I have qualms about it.
1) I don't have time to write about everything I read (even though I do find the time to read the dang things anyway:D)
2) I'm afraid of sounding completely stupid - I really don't know a whole lot about writing reviews of things
3) Looking at others book blogs sometimes I just get overwhelmed with everything that they do and it feels like I would have to do everything too
4) I want to serve a mission - would dropping off the face of the internet world for a year and half be necessarily a bad thing?

On the plus side
1) I could interact with more book loving people
2) I'd have an excuse to read books for fun - not just boring ol' textbooks
3) I can improve my writing abilities
4) Some book bloggers get free books so I could possibly get free books (but in all reality I probably wouldn't)
5) Whenever people ask what I'm reading - I can just give them my URL and would end up not chatting off their ear for an hour about the lastest thing I had just read

I don't really know. Somedays it seems like a good idea, and other days it just doesn't.
I've also been thinking about changing my emails so I just have one -it's annnoying somedays to bounce in between the two.
Opinions anyone, to help this poor undecisive person?

Political Debates = Bible Bashing

I just decided that I hate talking politics with people. It's not that I don't know what's going on, for the most part I do, but whenever I talk to someone with different views than me it turns into one big bible bash. No one is happy with the other person and contention is sown. Nothing is accomplished and all that's left is hard feelings. To avoid the contention and confrontation (I'm not a very confrontational person to begin with) I'll just keep my political views to myself.

Shakespeare, How I Love Thee

As I'm procrastinating writing a couple of papers for classes that are due this Friday, I decided that I would take a moment (or several) and write about my enduring love for Shakespeare.

I had always enjoyed studying Shakespeare's plays all throughout high school and told everyone that I 'loved' Shakespeare. Man would I get the weirdest looks! Love Shakespeare? Really? People thought I was crazy! But I really didn't even comprehend how amazing the Bard really is as I went through those high school classes. I'm currently taking a Shakespeare class in college and everyday I learn something more about the huge depth and bredth that he had in his plays. Whoever says that Shakespeare is not a genius has never read, truly read, any of his plays. Not only are they beautifully written, but his scope on the whole human perspective is stunning. Throughout the semester my understanding has steadily increased and I look forward to diving into the texts. There is so much more hiding under the surface of those plays. I cannot even begin to say how much I love them. Heck, I'm seriously debating about quoting King Lear in my talk on gratitude on Sunday. How much bigger of an English nerd can I become?

I guess I should go revel in the gloriousness of the Shakespeare paper that I'm writing (it's on Henry V, Machiavelli, and Obama - it's going to be awesome!), but whenever I'm are forced to write something its the something that I least want to think about at the moment:)

Yep, I'm a Slacker

My friend told me that I need to post more - but lately I've found nothing to post on. My life is filled with homework and papers and more homework and papers. Life is fairly boring as of now - but hey RJ I posted!!

Annoyed

People can be so annoying! And when people are annoying and I get annoyed, then I get cross, and when I get cross I get angry, and when I'm angry I'm no fun to be around because I flip out at every little thing and that makes other angry with me, then I get even madder because then instead of being annoying, they're rude and UGH!!! Stupid consequences to actions.

Happy Making

I love being happy. It's one of the best feelings in the entire world. Life is way good right now; it's so Happy Making :)

So Unfair

I will admit to totally being a sucker for pretty things (i.e. clothes, hair accessories, shoes, etc.). Which makes me think that it so unfair that the UK and the US have different covers for books and movies, especially since the UK covers are so much more pretty! For example (UK is on the right, US is on the left):

Does anyone else find this completely unfair? I know I do!

I Love the Jonas Brother's!!

Enough said.

New Obsessions

The trends lately have had more of a 70's/80's vibe and I have to say, I'm obsessed. I love the cool chic look that everything has with that bohemian edge. Mostly, though, I'm obsessed with this:



I have this on my shirt right now, hugely splattered across my stomach. My best friend, her sister, and I have matching peace sign bracelets, I love it! Why? I really don't know. Another trend that I have fallen in love with is tie-dye. My best friend and I had a tie-dye party once and now I where those shirts all the time - they are my favorite! Why has this sudden craze come over me? Every single time I see a new peace sign or tie-dye, whether on shirts, skirts, dresses, scarfs, jewelry, I WANT it!!

Simple Pleasures

It's not that I don't love my family - I do - but I've spent the past two weekends stuck in a trailer to spend time with both sides of my family. I have to say that I missed the simple pleasures of life, even though both weekends were fun. I missed having my own space to move around in without bumping into beds or tables or bathrooms that contain themselves in 30 feet. I missed my computer for various reasons. I missed walking with my best friend in the morning. I missed having a bed all to myself (my sister says that I'm a wild sleeper). I missed showers. I missed that I couldn't sit down and watch the new movie I bought from Amazon. I missed being home.

I know there is a God

And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish.
For if there be no Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we are not, for there could have been no creation. But there is a God, and he is Christ, and he cometh in the fulness of his own time.
2 Nephi 11: 6-7

Attempt at a Book Review: The Hourglass Door

Lately I haven't been sure what to blog about since I find myself becoming repetitive in my posts, so I thought that I would attempt a book review (thusfar reading has taken up a huge portion of my summer), after the style of my esteemed AP Lit teacher this past year.

Synopsis: Abby's senior year of high school is going according to plan: good friends, cute boyfriend, and college applications in the mail. But when Dante Alexander, foreign-exchange student from Italy, steps into her life, he turns it upside down. He's mysterious, and interesting, and unlike anyone she's ever met before. Abby can't deny the growing attraction she feels for him. Nor can she deny the unusual things that seem to happen when Dante is around. Soon Abby finds herself drawn into a mystery whose roots reach into sixteeth-century Florence, and she uncovers a dangerous truth that threatens not only her future but the lives of those she loves.

Review:Emily Watts, a bestselling author, said, "Move over Edward - Dante is bound to eclipse you." For that quote I picked up this book at the bookstore and immediately started reading (I'm not a big Twilight fan, in case you didn't know). I did find myself making comparasions to Twilight throughout the entire book. There is mystery surrounding Dante and Abby starts to dig to find out what it is. The bad guys are the same 'type' of person that Dante is (never fear, vampires have no place in this book), and the romance that ensues between Dante and Abby. But that's where the similarities ended. Abby was a strong character who wasn't about to wait around for Dante to come and save her, unlike Bella and Edward. In fact, Abby ends up saving Dante. I loved Mangum's characters in this book, they felt real to me and made mistakes and had to learn and grow throughout the novel. The book was really quite fast paced and a quick read; it was really enjoyable as well. Unlike Twilight though, I really loved this book. It was detailed and beautifully written with interesting circumstances that were totally belieable, even though they couldn't possibly really happen. I'll eagerly anticipate the second book (which promises to be nothing like New Moon) that will be released in 2010.

Hopefully as my first book review it wasn't terrible :)

Nostalgia

Ever wished for a time that has been, but you know you can never go back to? Even though that time was scary and new, it was one of the happiest times of your life and now out you go to uncharted waters where you are afraid you might drown? I'm nostalgic for years past *sigh*, and I can't seem to get out of that rut.

Too Obsessed With Image

I have a friend who I was talking to the other day and she was telling me about her new diet. Her new one. Meaning that she has had several others before this one and she is only 17. I shake my head slowly; I really don't understand the urge to count calories obsessively or survive only on egg whites and pineapples for the fact of staying skinny. I believe that you can still be chunky and be healthy at the same time. Fat does not equal unhealthy and skinny does not equal healthy. Each person is different and so you should take in what your body needs and not everyone elses. I do believe in being healthy and eating things in moderation with exercise to balance everything out though. Denying yourself foods because calorie/sugar/carb/whatever count is too high will only result in disaster. That's where moderation comes in. If you are craving that chocolate, having a single piece and stopping there is fine. It will not throw off your "diet" and you can continue on with life. However if you deny it entirely and break down and have a piece, then you throw your diet to the wind and you might as well eat the rest of that chocolate bar because your being bad anyway. *Sigh*. I know I need to work on this stuff too (darn you exercise *shake fist*), but life shouldn't be controlled by the foods you eat. I think that we should go out and enjoy life without worrying about the food that we eat. Just eat less, eat better, eat in moderation, and exercise. As long as we are healthy, I think that we are happy.
*btw: I do love you my friend, we just have very different opinions on the matter of dieting and being healthy*

Words are just too impossible to find . . .

"Sign my yearbook."

Ah, the dreaded words.

What does one say to good friends that they have had throughout all four years of high school? How can you possibly express how much you care for them and how amazing they are without sounding completely redundant? This is possibly the last time that I will see all of these people but I cannot possibly write down all that I feel and all that we have been through in a measly five line shout-out in the blank white pages of a yearbook. Words are just too impossible to find. Too impossible to adequately express. I'll admit that I started to cry when I read through them today knowing that high school is forever over and friends are moving away and continueing on with life. An ache came into my heart as I read over my best friends and knowing that she will live in another state and I can't have long conversations with her anymore or movie nights (I really started to cry then). I can't believe it's over, but I'm glad for a new chapter to begin.

Another Random Piece of Musing . . .

What does the word 'GOSSIP' inspire you to write about? (Daily Topic)

I hate to say that I'm one of those base people who tend to dawdle in gossip but sometimes there is little else to be done. Eleanor Roosevelt once said that great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people. However I tend to disagree. What is ideas and events without people? I know she most likely meant the discussing of people to be negative or derogatory, but I'm sorry, sometimes you just need to get things out of your system on how you feel about certain people and certain things that you do. However a line must be drawn. Spreading nasty rumors is just too nasty and mean and should be avoided at all cost.

I have had several 'gossip hours' (as we have so dubbed them) with good friends as we sat around and just talked about random people and things they do. They are, in fact, very cleansing for the soul as you get all that negative energy out of you and you can move on with life instead of holding out on all those negative thoughts. Ugh . . . that sounded very hippieish (for the lack of a better word), but I really do think that way.

What Genre?

Music is a funny thing. Taste changes from year to year and my taste in music has significantly changed through the years. When I was younger it was all oldies that my parents listened to such as Bryan Adams, Styx, Queen, and Collin Raye. When my opinions started to take more shape my music became teenage pop like No Secrets, Jesse McCartney, and Hilary Duff. Then came the alternative rock, R&B, hip-hop, Michael Buble phase, instrumental, only Broadway, country (well . . . only Rascal Flatts really), to where I am now. My new favorites are artists like Regina Spektor (thanks Reuben for the awesome CD), Ingrid Michaelson, A Fine Frenzy, Jason Mraz, Matchbox Twenty, Josh Groban, Imogen Heap, Taylor Swift, Keane, David Archuleta, Sara Barielles, Colbie Caillat, Fray, etc. It's interesting to see where I've come from and different phases of music that I've been through that has affected my tastes now. When people ask what genre of music I like, I can honestly say all but rap (never had much of a stomach for it).

Birthday Reflections

It's strange to see yourself become older, even if you don't feel like anything has changed. Especially when you know things will become crazy within the next year and now there is no escaping it. Even though growing older has its advantages, sometimes I wish I could stay 14 because then I was barely in high school and I didn't have the stress and the decisions that I have to make now. I could sit in my room all day and read if I wished (I wish I could do that now). But I'm glad at the same time. It's liberating to become older and become more independent, and whether I want it or not, I've just gained another year.

Confessions

Today I am grateful for my best friend who I can talk to about anything and they totally understand. In fact, they happen to do the same things. We both just didn't know it. I'm glad that I can talk to them and have "confession" time where we can . . . just talk. I've missed that the past couple of months. Thank you Reuben James!!

Fickle

People are fickle. They are one person at one moment, and the next moment they are someone else entirely. This can happen when they are with different people and are trying to fit in with the other's status quo. Where is consistancy in people's characters? Why can we not be happy with who we are and show our true side to everyone? I was with a person today who I typically get along with, but she had someone else with her today too. I started to talk about things that are fairly commonplace in our lives but then she lashed out in denial that such things are truth. She blatantly insulted me for being who I am in an attempt to make herself look more cool in front of the other person. I don't understand trying to be something you are not to please society at large. I don't get it.

Settings, Characters, or Conflicts?

Every week I get a a set of Writing Prompts from a place called Daily Topic (http://writingfix.com/ ). And this prompt intrigued me enough to want to post it and my little story that I wrote. "What's the most important plot element? Setting? Character? Conflict? Write a defense, or pretend these three things are characters in a scene, and write their argument for 'Which one of us is best?'"


"If only you could understand what it means to be me," Character lamented, reclining in a soft leather chaise, her face forming into a melodramatic pout. "It is so very difficult to go through what I have to. These writers think that they could put me through anything. They need someone to be kidnapped, they need someone to be the villain, they need someone to be ridiculously funny. And who do they choose? Me. Always me."

Conflict raised his dark eyebrows and laughed, "Please Character, you are not that important. Without me you would sit idly in a room and do absolutely nothing. You couldn't even think coherent thoughts. I'm the one who dictates where the story goes and what you do and what goes through your head. Without me you would be nothing."

Character shook her head fervently, "But without me you would have no one to do those awful things to."

Both of them turned to a light airy chuckle coming from the other side of the room. "You see," the speaker said, "that is where you are both wrong. Neither of you could exist without the other. You build off of one another to create stories, and, granted, get the most attention for it. But I can stand on my own. I don't need Character or Conflict. I can simply exist."

"Oh, Setting, I didn't think you would join us," Conflict drawled.

Now it was Setting's turn to raise his eyebrows, "I've been with you the entire time Conflict. But that is what you've failed to notice. I am the room you stand in, the chair that Character is sitting in, the world outside these walls. Just face it. I can exist without you, but you can't exist without me."

"That's true Setting," Character said sitting up. "But writers normally write Settings for Characters and for Conflicts, not just for some pleasant scenery. If they do, then it's for exercise only. You could never be published just as you are."

"What Character is trying to say," Conflict said condescendingly, "is that you can exist but you would be incredibly boring without us."

"I think," Setting said, his tone matching Conflicts, "that we would all fail miserably without the other. Conflict needs Character, Character needs Setting, Setting needs Conflict, etc. A story wouldn't be very good without any of us. We are all needed to suceed."


The story is sort of lame, but that's all right I guess. I think that all are needed to create a decent story, but do you guys think that one is more important than the other?

Saying the Wrong Thing

Have you ever thought something and muttered it aloud without really thinking about it only to realize that the people that you were talking about are standing right next to you? It's sort of embarassing and extremely awkard, especially when they get all defensive and you can't think of anything witty to say until afterwards. I think I just need to learn to shut up and not say anything at all.

Just Can't Find the Words to Begin

Where can I even begin on Tess of the D'Urbervilles? I have such a love/hate relationship with that book that talking about it is difficult. I have never felt so impassioned about a book. It is strange really, it makes me think and it makes me angry and it makes me happy. Thomas Hardy knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote Tess, of that much I am sure.

I watched the movie the other day, and as good as it was and how much I loved it, I wouldn't recommend it and I would not watch it again. It was such an emotional roller coaster that, again, I don't know where to even begin. The movie itself was beautiful just like Hardy's prose in the book. But I looked at characters differently now than when I read the book for the second time. For example I hated Angel more in the book but after seeing the movie I can't help but to love him and despise Alec. Don't get me wrong, I despised Alec in the book too, I just hate him more now.

I guess all I can say is just how depressed I am after watching/reading Tess. It is such a sad story and my heart just aches for Tess. My heart aches for Angel too. The pain that both of them suffered was painful to watch.

There is so much to say about this book, but I somehow just can't find the words to begin.

Change is Good

Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death. --Anaïs Nin

Change is good. I keep having to tell myself this.

Remember That One Time?

I was with a bunch of friends last night and one of the guys was talking about how we need to get out and live, so that whenever we sit around and have gossip hours (like we did) we can say "Remember that one time?" and hear other reply, "Oh yeah, that was great." He said that we should always be spontaneous and go crazy. I agree. I should have more of those "Remember that one time?"s.

Twilight

I know I've previously done a post on the stupid series, but at the urging of a friend, I have decided to post another one. (I am ashamed I even read them actually) Last week I was asked the question why I found the book to be so popular, and I think my answer astonished them. I told them first that Twilight was popular because Stephanie Meyer is an excellent storyteller, but a crappy writer. I mean, how many times did she describe Edward as having 'cold marble skin'? I don't want to waste my time to count. I should have stopped there (it was an important board of people interviewing me for a scholarship), but I felt passionate enough about it to continue on. I continued to say that because of the growing lack of intelligent thinking in our society, people cannot handle a heftier read than Twilight. Just mentioning brilliant modern authors such as Brandon Sanderson, Amy Tan, Paulo Coelho, and Chinua Achebe send their minds reeling. It astounds me how our society can function! Lastly, I said that Twilight is a sensual high for people who dare not read harlequin romances. Twilight is just sex, without the sex.

I may have went too far (I didn't get the scholarship), but I can honestly say that I don't regret saying it. That probably was the boldest thing that I have done in awhile, but it felt really good. I felt good. I feel enormously confident. Even though I am currently scholarshipless, I wouldn't change my answer if that was what was required of me to win. Maybe it will knock some sense into what were probably Twilight fans. I hope they'll now go out and read a better author.

Moving Forward

Yesterday morning, I have to say, was truly amazing. I woke up at the beautiful hour of 5:30 to go to school. After I got ready, I sat down and briefly checked my email, only to find that
I GOT ACCEPTED TO BYU!!!!!!
I can barely believe it, I'm so excited! Knowing where I'm going to go is so relieving, but yet it adds more pressure all at the same time. I'm excited to live on campus, to take amazing classes, and to have fun.

How English Has Influenced My Life

For that portfolio that I had to design I wrote a poem to sum up my feelings for the glorious English language. I've been meaning to post it for a while, but didn't have the time to find the effort to find it on my flash drive. Anyway. here it now for your personal enjoyment. Tell me what you think!

How English Has Influenced My Life
By K.

Wriggling words of childhood
Fill the page with shaky letters
Of barely formed sentences
So simple, but deeply complex
The way the graphite touches the page
Building line upon line, perfection in sight

Arms filled chin high of feathery light pages
Of promised adventures
That await the flashlight under the covers
When sleep would seem more practical
But the mind ready to devour whatever comes
Within reach of greedy eyes

A page in length, of freshly printed paper
That told the story of a princess and wizard
Pride and joy fills the pleased father
As he reads, smiling at the use of siblings names
Cast as heros and villians
And eager fingers ready to write more

Soft clacking at the keyboard, head shaking
At the impossibility of finishing before dawn
Fingers flying, deleting, starting again from scratch
Print, edit, print once more until perfection
Is reached, at the cost of a night of sleep
Glad for teachers who had taught correctly

Book stuck under the nook of an arm
Tucked into corners of a bedroom
Shelves overflowing, fat with pages
Stories following everywhere from
The backyard, to weddings, to conversations
Filling life with beautiful words

Ink from cheap ballpoint pens stain fingers
As detailed sketches of characters
Pack notebook after notebook
Stories coming from everywhere in life
Filling the mind full of ideas
Touching every aspect of my life, and touching everything I do

Books

Can I just say how much I love books? How much I am in love with the written word? How much I love learning the stories behind the stories? How much everything connects with each other so flawlessly? Can I just say that nothing in the world makes me happier than a good book. A pleasant conversation. Beautiful music. Time spent with friends and family. But mostly books. Always books. I've seemed to have given my heart away (albiet a long time ago) and I don't want it back.

Getting Back Into the Groove

"The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium." ~Norbet Platt.

For the past couple of months, I seemed to be in a constant state of writers block and it really has affected me. Writing has always been one of my loves and not doing it daily or even weekly has really thrown me off of my 'groove'. But because of a recent portfolio I had to make about myself I went back to writing. Part of the requirements included 2 pieces of work by yours truly, and I could not believe how hard it was to find something that I liked that I had written before. It was all to immature, too flat, too wrong for what I wanted. So I started to write again.

But I didn't stop there, I just wrote yesterday, planning on spending just a half hour and just write about anything. But what turned out from some musings while doing the dinner dishes turned into a two hour writing spree where I just typed as fast as my fingers would let me.

I have forgotten how much I was in love with writing. They may not be the best writing, but just to write and to express myself has been too great for words. I now try to haul around a writers journal with me wherever I go so I can write whenever the urge hits again, even if that causes me to lose sleep. Now I just work for it to stay.

Scary How Fast Life Comes At You

I cannot believe that 2008 flew by so fast. I still have whiplash. I have been thinking about the past for several weeks and how fast life is happening. I want it all to slow down and freeze. I have friends who are married, friends getting accepted into college, friends who are in relationships, and it is all so real to me where it wasn't before. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that my best friend and I will live states away, that I'll be in college, that more of my friends will start families. Am I not too young for all this to happen? It sure feels like it and it scares me half to death. I feel like I've not lived enough to move on with life, and yet I feel so old. I don't know what will happen. I don't know what I will do.

Pack Rats

Happy New Year! Normally on New Years people blog about their resolutions that they are going to try to keep through out the next year, but since I'm completely opposed to New Years Resolutions, I decided to write about something else.

Today I was cleaning out my closet so I can start my year afresh by getting rid of old things and cleaning out junk I don't need or want anymore. It is a very cleansing excersise by the way. Anyway I hollered to my little sister and her friend to come and sort through my old stuff before I gave it away to DI. They did, and then my little sister started to mock my closet, making fun of it because it was so clean. She then called me a pack rat because I had two boxes full of sentimental childhood toys and I immediately bristled. That could have probably been the worst insult that she could have given me.

My little brother and I started to talk about it and he agreed with my sister, but he also said that everyone is a pack rat in their own way. He told me that I was a minimalist pack rat, oh the oxymoron, but I was a little bit more appeased then my little sister's rude comment.

It's funny how connotations can rule our minds. To my little sister, a pack rat might not be that bad of a word, but to me it is.

Anyway, it sort of made me angry and I just had to rant about it. Sorry it is not quite the New Years blog that most people make.