What I'm... No. 9

I'm back! Mwah ha ha!
Books:

The Great Detective

This was a great book. I really loved it and it was informative and funny.

City of Glass

I finally finished this one. I didn't like it as much as the others, but it was okay.

The Goldfinch

This was a good book, but it was long and full of drugs/sex/mental illness/illegal activity/awful choices.

Madison and Jefferson

This is a great book, but I have been reading it for quite a while. It really is fascinating what the American school system doesn't tell us about our founders.

Vampire Academy

This is my pulp fiction guilty pleasure series, and I do like it a lot, but it doesn't feel the same as the other series that I love.

Frostbite

This one is slightly worse than Vampire Academy.

Vision of the Future

I loved Specter of the Past and Timothy Zahn is an awesome person. I am so excited to read this one!

Blogs:

Sprinkle of Glitter

Louise's blog is practically perfect in every way, as usual.

Sunny Sweet Pea

Sunny and sweet, as advertised.

This Charming Life

Kaelah's blog is charming as ever.

Anna Saccone

I love Anna's blog. She is funny and truthful an perfect.

Life of Bon

Bonnie's blog is yet again hilarious.

Nishaantishu

Beautiful photos, minimalist theme, amazing posts.

Charlie McDonnell

Funny and engaging.

Alice's Antics

I started reading this one recently and I really like it so far.

Listening:

Fall Out Boy

My sister A just got all of their albums, so have been listening to a lot of Fall Out Boy. Some of the older stuff is growing on me, but my favorite album is American Beauty/American Psycho.

Panic! At The Disco

I love Panic! My birthday present from A was Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! which is my favorite of their albums.

twenty one pilots

Listen to them a bit. I really like Car Radio, some other songs are okay, but I'm really just on the fence.

New Politics

Vikings is a great album and their other albums are quite good as well.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is my favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OneRepublic

Yet again, I am listening to Native.

Imagine Dragons

Everything Imagine Dragons is great.

Podcasts:

Dear Hank and John

Amazing and super funny, as per usual.

Watching:

Movies:

Jurassic World

Chris Pratt was awesome. I really loved this movie, and I want to go to Jurassic World to see the petting zoo.

The Force Awakens

See this post. It is a comprehensive view of my thoughts.

TV:

Doctor Who

Oh my gosh, this season was amazing. Post on specifics to follow.

YouTube:

danisnotonfire

I love Dan.

AmazingPhil

And Phil.

vlogbrothers

P4A was great and I am so excited for 2016.
We are all batpeople.

Crash Course

Almost done with Psychology and loving Astronomy/US History/World History.

Zoella

Zoe's Vlogmas is great.

Sprinkle of Glitter

Louise's as well.

That's it. Bye!

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Chorus of the Day!

I'm out of touch, I'm out of love

I'll pick you up when you're getting down

And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now

I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind

I'll do it all for you in time

And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better

Last Chorus of the Day:
Ship to Wreck by Florence + The Machine

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La! ~SCP

You Know What This Is

I saw The Force Awakens.

It was a beautiful movie, visually stunning. The colors were so bright, and everything you see is beautiful. Even the background mesmerizes you. I never wanted to stop looking. The sounds are, once again, more beautiful than anything. This is a minimalist dialogue movie. I loved it.
Everyone in my family is talking about what they did or did not like. That doesn't matter. It was beautiful and amazing and it wasn't perfect, but if it was it would have sucked. It was Star Wars. It is Star Wars.

Yes, the book storyline is better. Yes, the Original Trilogy is better. Star Wars isn't perfect.
What I liked best was that they didn't change the opening. Same music, same words, same magic.
It was sad. Oh my, it was sad. It was happy and it was heartbreaking. It was emotional.

I'm still not sure if I'm dreaming.
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Chorus of the Day!

And oh my love remind me, what was it that I said?

I can't help but pull the earth around me, to make my bed

And oh my love remind me, what was it that I did?

Did I drink too much?

Am I losing touch?

Did I build this ship to wreck?

To wreck, to wreck, to wreck

Did I build this ship to wreck?

Last Chorus of the Day:
Vegas Lights by Panic! at the Disco

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La! ~SCP

10 Days Until Star Wars: The Force Awakens!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn' he just gorgeous?!

I want to cry.

There are ten days until the best day of my life and the end of my world. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do after the movie is out. I have been counting down since somewhere around 235. I have been waiting for this my entire life. Star Wars was, is, my first fandom. People talk about how they always come back to Hogwarts. I will always come back to that black sky with beautiful white stars and scrolling yellow words. That is Star Wars. A black field with white points on it brings Star Wars into my mind.
I watched Star Wars for the first time when I was six. My mother says I talked about it constantly, even before that. I would come home and talk about Yoda, Luke, Leia, Vader and their adventures. How Han Solo and the Wookiee took the droids on the Falcon. I told her the stories she already knew, but she saw how much I loved them, in my forcefulness. I was a timid child, but Star Wars made me shout, yell, speak louder than a whisper. I pushed these movies I had never seen on anyone who would listen. I loved them before I knew what they were.
I am sixteen now. Ten years later, I love them in the same visceral, instinctive way. I cannot remember a time when I did not love Star Wars. I cannot remember a time when I did not know Star Wars. Star Wars is as much a part of me as breathing. This is the place I call home.
What does one do after the movie comes out? I have only been waiting for this for 235 days, but really, it's been my whole life. I don't know where to go from here. I can wait for Civil War (May 6), or Rouge One (2016), but no wait will ever compare to this one.
The Force Awakens, I can feel it in my bones. Waiting for this movie is a part of me, written in my DNA. Will I be lesser once it is here?
I want to believe that I will not. I will be remade, cast in a new image, absorbing another part of myself. I can carry on, even without the waiting.
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Chorus of the Day!

In the Vegas lights

Where villains spend the weekend

The deep end

We're swimming with the sharks until we drown

The Vegas lights

The lies and affectations

Sensation

We're winning 'til the curtain's coming down

Last Chorus of the Day:
Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine

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La! ~SCP

Young Authors' Conference - Things I Should Have Told You No. 1

So, way back in June or something, I went to a conference at MSU (Michigan State Universtity, or the best school ever [except maybe Oxford]). The conference was about writing and being an author. They talked about how to develop your dream to be more likely to achieve it. The thing that I remember most is at the beginning, they asked who wanted to be an author, and every hand went up. Then, the speaker said that only one percent of us would achieve that dream. I remember that all the time. Some people may be depressed by that, but it makes me work harder.

My first workshop was about dialogue with Cinda Williams Chima. It was so informative. We talked about how to incorporate dialogue into your stories and how to use dialogue to drive a story. This was very helpful for me; my writing is based in description and I use very sparse dialogue, but this helps me pack as much of a punch in a few sentences as I can.

Next, my group workshopped our pieces together. We gave each other feedback and worked on individual improvements. This part was so fun! Love workshopping! (If anyone wants me to post the piece I worked on, I can.)

LUNCH!!!!

Then, I went to a workshop about revision, which was helpful because I have a hard time changing my work because I am so attached to.

Next up was a talk on being rejected in the publishing process. This was very interesting. The amount of very famous books that were heavily rejected is astonishing.

Lastly, I went to a workshop about publication. This was very intimidating because of the difficulty in being published. I look forward to the challenge, however.

The Young Authors' Conference was really fun, and I wish I had written about it sooner. Then again, this is the Things I Should Have Told You.

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Chorus of the Day!

The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out

You left me in the dark

No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight

In the shadow of your heart

Last Chorus of the Day:

Gold Rush by Ed Sheeran

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La! ~SCP

What I'm... No. 8

Books:

Einstein's Dice and Schrodinger's Cat by Paul Halpern

This book was fairly good, and quite intriguing, but it was more biography than physics book. The text swung from overly simplistic to impossibly complex and failed to accurately grab my attention, which is why it took me ages to read. That said, it was quite informative, but more a jumpy history than sage distillation of these two great men's contributions to physics.

The Great Detective by Zach Dundas

I'm reading this right now, and it is fabulous. It is informative, entertaining and possesses a unique and captivating voice.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

I read the City of Bones and the City of Ashes about a year and a half ago, but could never finish this one. I feel that City of Glass is not as good as the first two. The characters' decisions do not always seem to reflect their personalities, and the plot is too far reaching and fails to drive the book at the pace of the previous two novels.

Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell

This book was quite good, though wholly depressing. It raised many complex issues and handled them beautifully.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

This book is amazingly weird, completely unexpected and wholly Vonnegut. It has the random, jumpy style of his. We switch between viewpoints quickly, but the disconnected style forms a beautifully constructed, well imagined narrative in a rich and imaginative world with complex characters in complex situations. I love the fact that Vonnegut has put himself into the story; he becomes a character as well as a creator, which poses an interesting dynamic as he interacts with the characters he himself has created.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

This book really excites me right now. I was at a writing conference that Cinda Williams Chima was presenting. She is a very engaging person with powerful ideas and methods to writing her stories. I am extremely excited to read this book, and many others by her.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I picked this up because it looks interesting and intriguing. It is quite hefty, about 700 pages, but I look forward to delving into a well-developed, complex world.

Probably more, but I've forgotten... :(

Blogs:

Sprinkle of Glitter

Louise always brings a smile to my face with short, sweet posts that perfectly chronicle her life. I feel her blog is able to have more dimension than her YouTube channel and more accurately describe her.

Sunny Sweet Pea

Jenny is amusing, honest and dogmatic about preserving and sharing her life. She speaks of likes and dislikes, as well as everyday events that shape her and her family.

This Charming Life

Kaelah is amazing. I don't know how to put her truthful, honest, authentic charm into words. She oozes class, sophistication and humbleness along with calm charm and casual wit.

Anna Saccone

Anna is phenomenal. She writes clearly and concisely about her life. Anna never fails to post honest reviews, displaying each and every product from all angles, taking the good as well as the bad,

Life of Bon

Bonnie is laugh out loud funny. And amazing.

Adventures of an Anglophile

Andini always has beautiful outfits and fabulous posts.

Nishaantishu

Freya is extremely inspirational. She documents her life in a fresh and honest way that really pulls you into her reality. You see the world through her eyes and experience life in a different way.

HelloIAmMiriam

I so loved Mariam's blog, and I desperately want to continue to love. The blog has, however, been making its way into ever more political territory. I wish it would return to books. I am not a political person, by any means. I do respect its importance in society, but I cannot respect politics.

Charlie McDonnell

Charlie's blog is largely a companion to his channel, and I appreciate that, but I feel he has wonderful writing and wish for more posts in the future.

Wil Wheaton

Wil is effusively funny and full of opinion.

Anne Wheaton

Anne is incredibly poised in a world where so few people are. She respects herself and understands her place in the world, while striving to put her values into practice at every turn.

Listening:

Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy has managed to captivate me for reasons I still do not completely understand.

Panic! At The Disco

Panic! is incredible, pushing the boundaries of accepted music and striving to create art, instead of noise.

Ed Sheeran

LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hank Green

I love Hank's music for its nerdiness, and its incredible messages.

Chameleon Circuit

Doctor Who is all you need.

Florence + The Machine

Florence + The Machine captivates me. I am in love with these songs and her voice.

Podcasts:

Dear Hank and John

Dear Hank and John distills all the best qualities of these two brothers into twenty minute episodes. Brilliantly funny, incredibly introspective and perfectly honest.

Watching:

Movies:

Jurassic Park

This was an amazing film. I solidly recommend it.

TV:

Doctor Who

YAYAYYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYYAYAYYAYAYYAYAYYAYAYYAYAYAYYAYAYAYYAYAYAYYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Many people do not like Peter Capaldi, but I feel he is an amazing Doctor and Clara is amazing.

YouTube:

danisnotonfire

You know Dan.

AmazingPhil

And also Phil.
(Who wants to buy their book?)

vlogbrothers

See above for best thoughts.

Crash Course

Always informative, funny and concise.

Geek & Sundry

Wil Wheaton is an amazing human being. When does Titansgrave come back?

Zoella

Always love Zoe.

ThatcherJoe

Joe is funny, imaginative, and slightly off his rocker.

PointlessBlog

I have mixed feelings about Alfie. He is a funny guy and amazing person, but I find him grating and irritating after a while.

Jim Chapman

Jim is like Winnie the Pooh as a person: perfect.

Sprinkle of Glitter

Louise is amazing and I love her.

That's all she wrote.

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Chorus of the Day!

But I do it for the love,

Waiting on the gold rush

Keep it on the edge

Smoking on a roll up

When I see my friends all they say is hold up

And remember the time

When we were in school, listening to grown ups

Didn't learn a thing, but then again you know what

You know how to sing

But you don't know anything other than that

So maybe you should learn to love her like, like the way

And maybe you should learn to love her like, like the way

And maybe you should learn to love her like, like the way

And maybe you should learn to love her like, like the way

You wanna be loved

Last Chorus of the Day:

This is Gospel by Panic! at the Disco

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La! ~SCP