Batten down the hatches...

MY STORY

... because the entire East Coast is about to get whammed in the face with Sandy. My family has stocked up on flashlights, fun food that can be cooked in the fireplace (Jiffypop, s'mores, hotdogs, etc.), batteries, you name it. School's out, and flooding is possible, but opportunity for fun is optimal. Because my opinion is, don't let a crazy hurricane rain on your parade when you can have an adventure! I mean, just look what adventure does for a writer:

Normal person: "Gah! Cold shower! I'm freezing!"
Writer: "I finally know how it feels to be stuck in a freezing torrential downpour!!! I've gotta write this into a scene."

Normal person: "Gah! All of our food is going bad and it smells!"
Writer: "I can now write an accurate description concerning the smell of decay!!!"

Normal person: "Gah! The power's out, technology is dead, and I have to use a flashlight!"
Writer: "No Internet to distract me from my masterpiece! I can write dramatically by candlelight like the geniuses of old, and call flashlights "torches" and lose them in Narnia! Huzzah!"

Did I mention we might have family game night?

We might have family game night. :)

PS - Sorry this post is so long overdue. But truly, I have been busy. Still working on those college applications, still haven't finished my O.O. speech, still practicing music for multiple concerts, still doing homework for AP classes, still getting distracted by the Internet and by rippingly corking books such as...

READING UPDATE

Entwined!!! I *finally* read it. I was milling about the book fair at my co-op, silently wishing they had this book. I had daydreamed that they would have it, but I figured it was impossible. I mean, I've been pining after this book for months now. It seemed so unlikely that our little tiny fair would have such a book. Yet there it was, in the middle of a pile, there it was, in all of its glory!!!

Now that I have read this darling book, I am quite determined to learn the fictional dance in it, the Entwine (see above for the dance and the corresponding adorableness of Azalea and Lord/Captain/Mr. Bradford), and the Soul's Curtsy (also fictional and amazing). Read about the Entwine here. Read the authoress' blog here. I swear on silver that Heather Dixon's blog is almost as hysterical as she is. I mean, I stayed up til 1 AM reading it once. Every. Single. Post. Finally, you can purchase the book here. Support B&N so we can prevent another Border's incident.

Those of you who know me personally, don't hate my guts, and like to have fun, contact me so we can learn this aforementioned Entwine. And the Soul's Curtsy... but only when the boys aren't looking. ;) Oh, and I've decided to incorporate some of Lord Teddie's language into my daily life. People think I'm nuts whenever I exclaim "smashing" or "ripping" or "corking". But then again, they already think I'm a little crazy.

Finished this too. AWESOME ending. Classic Riordan, to end with some mentally insane plot twist/cliff-hanger. Buy it here. You won't regret it.

 I read this all in one day, as I did with Entwined. It was wonderful. I simply could not put it down, under any circumstances. I was so happy to be back with the beloved characters of my childhood. It made me sort of sad to see Miri grow up and develop even more as a character, but it was very well done. Either I couldn't put down the book because the plot had thickened to the consistency of peanut butter, or because I was determined to make sure that Miri did the right thing.

Oh, and Peder was just as swoonworthy as ever. That silly mountain boy... I think I love him more than I did when I first read him when I was ten. *wide grin* He's just a stupid, oblivious, complete and total boy. Purchase this lovely book here. You shan't regret it. And if anyone is interested in sewing me Miri's blue crocus dress...

WRITING UPDATE

Furiously plotting my NaNoWriMo novel. Dragging others down with me. I think I may have roped in my best friend, and two of my younger sisters, who are both determined to do the 50,000 word program, even though they qualify for the Young Writers Program. November is in only a day or two, and if I'm without power, that's going to make my job a lot harder. I mean A LOT harder. So please, say a prayer or two that I can get this all done. Now excuse me while I add NaNo to my list of impossible things...

Greetings from the Depths of Despair!

MY STORY

I'm in mourning.

There would be a video here of Bunbury's funeral in The Importance of Being Earnest if the universe liked me, but alas... PS - I *finally* saw that movie, and I would *highly* recommend it. That was code for "this-is-my-new-favorite-movie-ever-and-not-just-because-Colin-Firth-is-in-it".

Have you ever seen a character and liked them right off the bat? Like, no dialogue, no action, just saw them and decided they were the best thing since sliced pumpkin bread? Well, it happens to me. (See my Doctor Who confession here). And sometimes, very rarely, you completely adore that character, and your adoration simply grows and flourishes with time. You love them in every sense of the word. And then cruel, horrible writers, not so different from yourself, decide it's a fantastic idea to KILL THEM. Blimey, they don't just kill them, they make them so blimey heroic and their death so blimey tragic and the circumstances so blimey impossible and messed up and blimey complicated that there is literally no possible way to make their death more horrible.

I'm not naming names. I don't want to ruin things for anyone else. But let's just say that there were many tears, and I can feel my soul sinking into the depths of despair. And if you think I'm using hyperbole... I'm not. This Anne is definitely in the depths of despair, and nothing but sweets and hugs can keep her from completely abandoning her duties altogether.

Really, I'm quite serious.

WRITING UPDATE

I spent the entire weekend out of the house, so I have no writing to report. I was too busy eating, drinking, making merry and whatnot. And starting BBC's Robin Hood. Marian is the best thing that ever happened to the world of TV heroines ever. Unless of course, miserable writers decide they want to tear apart another character... Why not? Why bother? To be, or not to be? The play's the thing! The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Pardon me: All of my misery has sent me on another rant.

... She dies, doesn't she? Aw man, now I've gotta buy MORE tissues.

I totally didn't choose this picture of Marian because Richard Armitage is in it. Nope. Not at all... Even if we've all come to the conclusion he would make the most swoontastic Darcy ever. NBD.

READING UPDATE

I'm supposed to be reading Fahrenheit 451, but my mum picked me up a copy of The Mark of Athena, which I naturally started. Not too far into it, but Percy and Annabeth are together, so nothing else matters. Unless they get killed too.

"Have you got a handkerchief? I never seem to have one in moments of crisis."(I'd give brownie points for that reference, but it introduces another dimension to despair. If you get the reference, you understand where my depression comes from. Understand?)

The trailer is so misleading. Just... Just go watch it. Now.