Thursday, July 15, 2010
Just in Case Anyone is Alive....
I have a feeling everyone is dead, but if not I posted part of my story on The Erratic Muse. If you have a little time, it would make me so happy if you read it. :-)
Here are links to a movie and two book reviews I've been able to do-
The Red Baron (2008)
Stepping Heavenward - Elizabeth Prentice
Canon of Scripture - F. F. Bruce
Thanks for reading.
Miss Pickwickian
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Summer and Reviews
Hey all!
I know summer is horribly busy...but I know a lot of you are trying to get a lot of reading done. It would be awesome if you could put reviews up!
We all enjoy reading and it's always good to hear about new books. Movie reviews would be awesome too!
I just posted a review on Megan Whalen Turner's new book The Conspiracy of Kings on my Erratic Muse blog. If you haven't read the Attolia series you really should!
Contact me and you are free to borrow them.
I also just wanted to share my excitement about a writer's conference I'm going to be able to go to in August!!!!!!!!!!! I think it is going to be amazing and I hope I will learn a lot.
I'm sure you'll hear more about it.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful, productive summer!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Textus Receptus, Looking like a stuck-up Nerd, and Mark 16
Omnibus IV section C, 4th quarter assignment
5/3/10
St. Clement
This actually isn't about St. Clement at all....it just reminded me of that rhyme:
Oranges and Lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's....
Anyways. I wrote this when I was very bored the other day. I honestly don't know very much about it. It is very odd. So odd, you may give me funny looks next time I see you. But, after all, desperate times call for desperate measures. No one has posted anything for a very long time! Someone needs to save the blog from utter ruin! Esmeralda to the rescue! (:-P) I needed something to post, and something quick. Thus, I give you,
Lemons on Sunday
P.S. There are a few wonky allegories in this. So wonky, you may wonder if I actually understand the meaning of allegory. However, I'm curious to see if any of you can figure out what all it means. If you can't, that's ok. It prolly doesn't make much sense. It made sense in my head :-P
'I do like lemons,' he said.
He was gazing out to the street, not looking at her. She was staring at her feet.
'Yes,' she murmured, 'But limes are far more effective.'
'Oh, I don't think so.' He leaned back against the wall. His voice was drawling and bantering. 'Lemons can hide things, sour things that certain people shouldn't see.'
'Yes, but limes are stronger,' she replied. 'They can keep certain people from coming in. They are too slippery for attackers.'
She turned to him, her face earnest, almost pleading.
He glanced at her, one eyebrow raised, then turned his gaze back to the cold street.
'So you prefer limes to lemons?' he asked in a rather acidic voice.
She blushed. 'I'm not saying I like either of them, actually. As far as it goes, I'd rather have a strawberry, or a peach, or an apple-' She stopped, and quickly put her hand over her mouth. She had been disturbed by his coldness, wasn't thinking clearly in her effort to defend herself. She had let-that word- slip out. She had said it. What would he think of her now?
She was trembling now, shifting her feet.
He turned to her. His face was like stone.
'What did you say?'
His voice seemed to have grown deeper. Her mind went blank. Fear swept over her. She tried to speak, but her voice shook.
'No, no, I- I didn't mean- don't think- oh, please-don't be mad at me!'
She was near tears. She couldn't look at his face. A tear slid down her cheek and plopped onto her shoe as she waited fearfully for him to respond. She was both dreading and hoping his words. She finally summoned enough nerve to look up- and he was gone. She let out a wail, and fell down weeping on the steps.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Matrix
Now, the Matrix is rated R, I think for violence. I’d never seen an R rated movie before so I was pretty excited. I can’t say I saw the whole thing though…my younger siblings were watching so we skipped a scene or two. We don’t have Clearplay, but we have my dad, which is just as good :-P He remembers where every obscene swearword is and every inappropriate scene. And there was a lot of swearing. BUT despite the constant muting it was AMAZING. I mean, you know a movie’s epic when they all wear black leather clothes and sunglasses and carry so many guns they just throw them away when they’re done with them and pull out some new ones. You also know a movie’s epic when it’s about rebelling against world domination. I love those kinds of movies. The Lord of the Rings, the first Narnia, Star Wars, and (if you think about it) I am Legend. There’s a big bad guy (in this case, a computer program) who’s taking over the world, and a small group of good guys try to get rid of the big bad guy. It’s also very much science fiction (with the whole ‘what is reality’ thing going on and the Matrix itself and all the computer programs), which makes me love it even more. :)
I also loved the imagery going on with the names. The hero’s name is Neo, Latin for New. Very appropriate, since Neo is the One they’ve been looking for and the only One who can save them, etc etc.
The leader of the good guys is Morpheus. The name Morpheus is from the Greek (or Greekish word) morph, or change. After all, what bigger change could there be than bringing down the matrix? His name could also be Orpheus with an M stuck on the front. Orpheus sang so beautifully that the very rocks were moved…I guess you could say Morpheus was effective in moving Neo and the others…hahah but that’s going a little far maybe….
The heroine’s name is Trinity. Now, I wonder what they were trying to get across with her name?
The colony of people rebelling against the Matrix is called Zion. The city of God. Interesting, no?
I also liked the Oracle. It seemed like such a Greek, archaic thing to have in the midst of black sunglasses and guns. And the kids in the Oracle’s house were all in Greekish robes and doing Jedi-things with spoons…it all seems sort of unearthly and archaic…and then you meet the Oracle. Haha! That whole scene seemed so ironic.
Along with Zion and Trinity, I noticed a couple other…idk… similarities that reminded me of the story of Jesus…maybe I’m going a little far…if you’ve seen the movie you can tell me what you think. So, Neo is supposed to be the Savior (obvious parallel there). He is betrayed by that creepy wimpy dude (Judas-figure) in to the hands of the Agents. When they are trapped, he lets Trinity go through the telephone (giving up his life for hers). The agents then attack him. He has a few moments when he either dies or is so close to death they all believe he’s dead. But then he gets ‘resurrected’ and defeats the agents (which, btw, is THE most awesome scene in the whole movie). Obviously, Neo is of course sinful and not without fault, and the story doesn’t follow that of Christ’s passion perfectly, and I’m not trying to make it. I just noticed some interesting parallels :)
The thing that bugged me most about the Matrix: The fact that Neo is “guilty of every internet crime”. And when he has that underhanded dealing with those creeps in the first bit…It’s not a big part of the story, but it bugged me that the Hero used to be a criminal, even if it was in the Matrix.
The part I liked the most: Of course, the most redeeming part of the movie is when Neo decides to save Morpheus, even though he risks death and the ruin of their ship, instead of killing Morpheus to let themselves escape.
I also loved that a déjà vu is a glitch in the Matrix; when they change something…. RUN!
There is no spoon.
And they had a martial arts fight scene :-P
So, yeah, epic movie.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Music tag thingy
Put your iPod on shuffle and press FW for each question. Use each song title to answer each question!
1) How am I feeling today? Paper Heart – All American Rejects
2) Will I get far in life? Deathbed – Relient K. Ouch.
3) How do my friends see me? The Bird and the Worm- Owl City4) Where will I get Married? Swallowed in the sea- Coldplay; now that doesn’t bode well, does it?
5) What is my best friend's theme song? The Call-Regina Spektor. Yes, definitely.
6) What is the story of my life? Falling out – Relient K. Haha, isn’t it just.
7. What is/was highschool like? Hey Stephen- Taylor Swift. NOT. I don’t even know any Stephens.
8. How can I get ahead in life? Move Along- ARR. Sage advice, I suppose.
9. What is the best thing about me? Fearless-Taylor Swift. Indeed :-P
10. How is today going to be? Love Story-Taylor Swift. Hahah.
11. What is in store for this weekend? Lothlorien – LOTR sound track. Hey, wouldn’t that be cool!
12. What song describes my parents? Lion-o. Haha. I’m not sure my mom would appreciate that…
13. How is my life going? Tidal Wave – Owl City. You could say that I guess.
14. What song will they play at my funeral? California- Hawk Nelson
Let’s pack up and move to California, hop on board before we get older…hmmm
15. How does the world see me? Must have done something right- Relient K. HA
16. Will I have a happy life? Who I am hates who I’ve been- Relient K. Uh- oh
17. What do my friends really think of me? The Hardest Part- Coldplay. Really?
18. What should I do with my life? Rush of blood to the head- Coldplay
19. What is some good advice for me? Change your mind- The Killers. Hahaha!
20. How will I be remembered? Viva la Vida- Coldplay. Huh.
21. What is my signature dancing song? Strawberry Swing- Coldplay. There ya go!
22. What does everyone else think my current theme song is? Bring me to Life - Evanescence…Seriously?
23. What best describes my personality? A Beautiful let-down- Switchfoot. Oh dear.
24. What do I like in a guy? Halo –Beyonce. HAHAHAHAHA
25. What is my motto? Fidelity- Regina Spektor. Haha!
26. What do I think about often? Vanilla Twilight – Owl City
27. What do I want to be when I grow up? Stay Beautiful-Taylor Swift. Don’t I wish…
28. What do I think of my best friend? Never Alone – Barlow Girl
29. What do I think when I see the person I like? Breathe – Taylor Swift haha!
30. What song will I dance to at my wedding? Falling apart- AAR. Oh boy, wouldn’t that be sickeningly ironic….
31. What is my biggest secret? White Horse. Um.
Now it’s your turn…. :)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Alice in Wonderland!!!
Stephan Fry! (He was only the Cheshire cat’s voice, but he’s still awesome). The Cheshire cat gave me bad dreams, though. His grin. Freaks me out.
And Alice. Actually, I found Alice a little annoying on occasion - her attitude just seemed so typical of the young movie heroine. But what I really liked was what they did with the whole Fabjous Day (Calloo! Callay!) Battle and Alice being the champion. Usually, when movies have a girl do the killing they’re trying to score a point for their Feminist views, sort of a So there! Girls can fight too! But in this movie they didn’t seem to emphasis the fact that Alice is a girl fighting and winning, but rather Alice as a person who has lost her muchness, and is finding it again. It’s not about Feminism, or telling us girls can do that as well as boys; it’s about gaining personal courage to do the right thing. Queen Susan fighting with the boys in Prince Caspian? A jab from the feminists. Alice fighting the Jabberwocky? Anything but.
I didn’t think they should have let the Jabberwocky talk. It’s less scary that way. But his purple blood was cool.
Take 6
Something odd. I enjoy these guys in short doses. They actually have a very cool David and Goliath song, but there wasn't a good version on youtube.
Their singing is amazing and always without accompaniment. Just thought I'd post something (and something rather odd) since I missed my day.
Enjoy,
Miss Pickwickian
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
84 Charing Cross Road.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a very short and sweet book. A compilation of the letters of Helene Hanff, and Frank Doel, the proprietor of an English book shop (I like how she used the term "book shop" instead of "book store"), and, eventually, the remainder of the book shop staff, and the wife of the proprietor. Very witty and charming.
The movie, I confess, was more appealing, as it showed the story of the writers of the letters. It starred Anthony Hopkins (one of my all-time favouritest actors), as the book shop proprietor, and Anne Bancroft, as the New York City playwright with peculiar taste in antiquarian books.
The movie makers faithfully used the majority of the letters found in the book.
I think I'd like to read some more of Hanff's works, since the way she wrote her letters was funny, witty, sometimes sharp, but very likeable. There was humor sprinkled liberally throughout the whole thing, along with the sweet, the touching, and, in one or two cases, the sad.
I wish English book shops of the sort existed today. I'd strike up a correspondence with the proprietor, or manager, or whoever would sell me the books, and become fast friends, and, eventually, go to England personally.
View all my reviews >>
Thus the review of Me. I'll try to have something more elaborate for next week. ;)
Thanks for reading!
Love you all!
- aisha
Friday, March 19, 2010
Phantastes
Well, at least I think it’s the most wonderful book in the world. It is a tough call, though. :)
The Title? Phantastes.
The Author? George Macdonald. For those of you who are familiar with George Macdonald, the mere fact that he is its author should automatically endear this book to you. Those of you have the great misfortune of never reading any of his works, you have only to talk to someone who has and watch them swoon at the mention of his name.
First, a quote. “It must have been more than thirty years ago that I bought – almost unwillingly, for I had looked at the volume on that bookstall and rejected it on a dozen previous occasions – the Everyman edition of Phantastes. A few hours later I knew that I had crossed a great frontier. I had already been waist deep in Romanticism; and likely enough, at any moment, to flounder into its darker and more evil forms. Now Phantastes was romantic enough in all conscience; but there was a difference. Nothing was at that time further form my mind than Christianity and I therefore I had no notion what this difference really was. I was only aware that if this new world was strange, it was also homely and humble; that if this was a dream, it was a dream in which one at least felt strangely vigilant; that the whole book had about it a sort of cool, morning innocence, and also, quite unmistakably, Death, good death. What it actually did was to convert, even baptize, my imagination.” -C.S. Lewis
When I first read Phanastes many years ago, I couldn’t have told you the main plot or what the point of the story was. At first glance, the story is about a young man named Anodos who gets lost in Fairyland, and wanders through many bizarre and random adventures trying to get un-lost. The nature of the story leaves one confused, befuddled, not knowing what the point to Anodos’ seemingly random wanderings is or where the author is going with this story. The whole tale has a quality of unearthly, bizarre beauty that initially can be mind-twisting if you’re not used to that sort of writing. But as I’ve read it over and over again, the point becomes increasingly clear. While Anodos has many seemingly unconnected adventures, two themes and two people run through the whole thing.
The first real mishap Anodos has in Fairyland is the acquiring of his Shadow. He finds his Shadow as a result of ignoring some wise advice, and the Shadow fallows his wherever he goes. The influence of the Shadow makes him moody, and makes him suspicious and distrustful. If his Shadow falls on flowers, they wither. If his Shadow happens to fall on a Fairy-child, the child becomes a plain and vulgar farm boy. In short, Anodos’ Shadow is a symbol of his Sin, and the process of disposing of his shadow a symbol of his search for redemption.
The other two people who run through the whole story are the White Lady, and the Knight. Anodos frees the White Lady from her marble tomb through his singing, though she runs away from him. Throughout the story, he is driven by his love for her and a desire to see her once more. Anodos also meets the Knight, who symbolizes the kind of man Anodos desperately, wishes to be. The Knight flits in and out of the story, and near the end Anodos comes to love the Knight as a master. Through the course of searching for the White Lady, however, Anodos learns that his White Lady loves the Knight, and that she is meant for him and cannot love Anodos in the way Anodos has been wanting her to. Anodos at first struggles with this, but later accepts it through realizing that the Knight, his master, is more worthy of the White Lady than he is. Anodos displays his unconditional love for both of them by sacrificing himself for their sakes. The ‘revelation’ is that Anodos has been searching for the wrong love and loving the wrong way; he eventually realizes “that it is by loving, and not by being loved, that one comes closest to the soul of another”.
Related to both the love theme and the sin theme is the Alder Maid, who Anodos mistakes for the White Lady, but who is in truth wicked and a snare for men’s souls. Her part in the story reminds me very much the Proverb’s Strange Woman.
In short, Anodos’ journey through Fairyland is a quest (the knight theme is very prevalent in this story) for both Redemption and a search for the right kind of love. It all gets resolved at the end, which is quite moving, and I won’t give it away. :) Phantastes can strike one as being odd or bizarre, but it is also intensely beautiful. It’s an unearthly, unreal kind of beauty that will leave you in a daze when you get up from finishing it. I highly recommend it- I read it every year to get my priorities straight:-P. If its weirdness puts you off at first, give it a chance. Underneath its seeming random and odd narrative, it’s truly the most beautiful story I’ve ever read.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Hannibal's Elephant
Comments are welcome, be they compliments or criticisms.
P.S. I'm planning on posting someting more real on Saturday, and I'll try very very hard to post consitently every Saturday. :-P
I am so deadly cold. The wind is unbearably bitter here, and the sky is grey and sunless. Elephants are not meant for the frigid North. Many of us died crossing the Infernal Alps; my friends, some of whom I had known in Carthage when I was young. They fell down in the snow, and never got up. I fear the country itself almost more than I fear its people. We will die of this dreadful cold yet. The men suffer too, for they were born in Africa and worship the sun like cats. And we are too poorly provisioned to have much of a barrier against the cold. The men’s armor, once a symbol of Carthage’s glory, is now so worn from our fighting that it amounts for little protection from Roman spears, let alone from the elements. The men’s tents are ragged and patched from a thousand set-ups and take-downs. Their shoes have holes from a thousand miles of ceaseless trudging, through ice and snow, over rock and rubble. Their minds are becoming numbed and exhausted from fighting a thousand battles, from killing thousands of other men, from enduring a thousand days away from their homeland.
The irony of our situation strikes despair into the hearts of our men. Thus far, we have been victorious in the field. When sword met sword, we have not failed to conquer. But that was then. That was when we were fresh, with plenteous provisions. Hannibal apparently has been so obsessed with hurting Rome he has been neglecting the very tool he is using- his own army. I have heard it said, back in the stables at Carthage- oh Carthage! - that an army moves on its belly. Apparently, Hannibal has not. Our provisions are evaporating like the dew off the grass (oh, how I would like some grass just now; even the dry summer straw of the savannas where I grew up). The rations that the men exist on are barely enough to feed a hedgehog. As for us, we are a little better off since we can eat the foliage of whatever plants happen to be around our camps- but we are hard pressed to find food in the amounts necessary to really sustain us. Have you ever seen an Elephant that is skin and bones? I bet you just can’t picture it. We’re starving. Though thus far undefeated by any man, we are defeated by starvation and the elements. And we all know that in this next battle, Rome cannot fail to defeat us when we fight them starving.
We elephants have no choice but to go on, to submit to Hannibal’s orders, for we are but beasts. And we are by nature patient beasts. But you can see the resentment and fear in the eyes of the men. We are on the verge of another battle, and they know they are weak from lack of food. They know now that Hannibal is a crazed (though albeit genius) lunatic whose sole purpose in life is to make Rome pay. When he was originally recruiting troops, they saw visions of glory and honor on the battlefield of Rome. But now, watching themselves die of starvation, they wonder why Hannibal had to drag all Carthage into his personal grudge. I’ve heard tell that some of the men- our Spanish troops- are planning to desert. I wish for Carthage’s honor, but not at the price Hannibal is willing to pay. I know it is honorable to fight to the end, but in my heart I wish we could surrender, quit, be done with this war. End the fighting and go home to Carthage. Feel the sun again. I envy the Spanish- they at least will see their homes one day. I will not.
It was my stable boy, Abdul, who told me of the Spanish defectors. It is from his conversations with the soldiers and the other stable boys that I get knowledge about what the army is doing. He was my stable boy back in Carthage; I know him, and he knows me. We met on the first day of my army training. I was nervous, fearful, untamed. The saddles, the ropes, and the earring that told my regiment all hurt; the noises of other elephants, shouting men, and trumpets were strange and frightening. But Abdul came up to me and gave me an apple; he spoke soothing words to me, and introduced me to the other elephants. He made me trust him. I love him, and I see the fear and pain in his eyes as he waits for death; death by starvation, or death by the hand of a Roman. I saw him say goodbye to his father and mother. I saw the pretty girl who used to come around the stable to talk to him give him her bracelet when he went off to fight Hannibal’s war. He’s wearing it now. He knows she’ll be waiting for him; but I fear he will never come back to Carthage. He fears it too. His fear is the fear of all the men. There is so much fear in the air tonight, I can almost reach out and grab a trunkful of it.
It is the night before the battle. The elephants whisper to each other as they huddle together against the cold air. Do you remember how we used to parade through the streets of Carthage on feast days? The children would ride on our backs and give us fruit from the palace gardens. And how we would lay in the sunny fields all day? Yes, I remember. I remember Carthage. But I will never see her again. I’ll never eat an apple or let a child ride me again. There is a battle tomorrow. I am fighting in it. Do not put despair in my heart by talking of my home. I will fall down in Rome, and never get up again.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Shakespeare's Sonnets
Recently I've been dealing more with poetry and lyrics then I've ever done in my life.
I've never really read very much poetry because a lot of it has always seemed so over the top. I tend to dislike overly romantic or meandering drama over leaves and scenery etc.... And it seems like what there is to say has already been said and so much of it is similar. (Very narrow view I know.)
Lately, however, I have been trying to study some poetry and delve into lyric writing etc. I enjoy the actual writing part and I can think of plenty of things to write about. (And maybe since I don't like meandering drama I should do something about it. ;-)
I've been writing a lot of rough lyric sort of verses in short bits of time. It helps me feel like I've accomplished something well I still work on my long story. :-)
Anyways, I thought I should learn some stuff about how it actually should be done.
I've picked up two books on poetry (how to understand it, what it's uses/powers are, how to write it, etc...). I've also been working through a book on song writing, but it is a bit of a drag. (The first chapter is about diving into the depths of your soul to find your polished pearl of inspiration...exactly the sort of thing that put me off poetry to start with.)
Anyways, I thought a good place to start would be studying the best, so I picked up a lovely copy of Shakespeare's Sonnets at "Exodus". I can't say it's my favorite thing, but I am happy that they are enjoyable. :-)
What are your views on poetry? Do you have favorite works?
"Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget'st so long
To speak of that which gives thee all they might
Spend'st thou thy fury on some worthless song,
Darkening thy power to lend bas subjects light?
Return, forgetful Muse, and straight redeem
In gentle numbers time so idly spent;
Sing to the ear that doth thy lays esteem
And gives thy pen both skill and argument.
Rise, resty Muse, my love's sweet face survey,
If Time have any wrinkle graven there;
IF any, be a satire to decay,
And make Time's spoils despised every where.
Give my love fame faster then Time wastes life;
So thou prevent'st his scythe and crooked knife."
Enjoy,
Miss Pickwickian
The Erratic Muse
Monday, March 8, 2010
Self Inflicted Goals
For about two weeks last month I met my goal of writing 500 or more words a day.
Then....kidding and lambing season started happening and it all went out the window. I'm trying to start back up again, but lets face it, life is BUSY!
I haven't got any routine down since the critters started having babies everywhere. I need one! I have a lot of after highschool studies and such that I want to be making speedy headway through and I am 100% determined to write.
I'm working on a number of projects.
A book for our business
My Ligonier study course
School writing....
History and a couple other independent (and very fun) stuff for school
Song lyrics
And dearest to my heart, my story!
In January I set the goal as having the final draft done by Feb 1st 2011. It seemed reasonable as I was plugging through past 25,000 words and all. But then....CRASH! Now I'm on my 100 billionth redo.
I'm still hoping to make Feb 2011. There is an amazing contest that you can get feed back on and that is the deadline. I can do it! (..........maybe)
So I'm back to 500 words six days a week. It really isn't very much and only takes 1/2-1 hour. If I cut down other optional activities I know I can make it most days. And I want to write! It makes my whole day better. And writing every day keeps you in shape, it's the constant theme in all writing advice. It must be sound.
This year my journal has almost been reduced to plan schedules and goals, but I think it is good. Goals are good. I think their even gooder when they are self-inflicted. :-)
I hope I make it.
I don't know what this post was all about really...but I guess now you can all hold me accountable for my 500 words. ;-)
Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian
The Erratic Muse
BTW, if you all didn't see Plushenko's Gala skate, you should see it!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Project Assignment
So, what if we all take a day of the week, and we post at least twice a month on that day of the week (or close to...doesn't really matter)?
It's just if we have a day then we'll be more apt to actually post and we won't get a bunch of posts on the same a day or something so people can see them all etc...
Please put out dibs on days. We have 8 people, so some of us will have to share. ;-) Those who don't wish to write much, can share if they like.
Please comment with the day you'd like or any other ideas you have on the subject.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Stardust
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read the graphic novel version. Which was neat. My first ever graphic novel, in four parts.
It didn't run all together like some stories I've read. I liked how it all came together very neatly at the end, though.
I especially liked how it has that taste of the old magic. Sort of reminded me of The Princess and Curdie, the way it was written, the way it wasn't just a bunch of magic spells and charms etc., it was a magic world.
It's a nice story. Kind of sad at the end. Graphic is right, though. Not child approved. It's alright for the discerning reader, but don't let your little brothers and sisters read this, kay? Thank you.
The movie, however, is very cool, though it doesn't follow the book exactly, and it *is* fairly child approved. Pretty funny too. Especially the dead brothers.
He's rather dashing, though you don't think so at first, and she's very beautiful. :)
Anyways. Thanks for reading!
View all my reviews >>
Monday, February 22, 2010
Project?
Hey everyone. :-)
It seems like The Ladies Pickwick Society is very slow, hopefully stuck in a hibernation and not death.
I was wondering if you all would like to do a project (sort of like the heroes thing) or something??
Please comment with any suggestions.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Music box Dancers = future gold medalists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2WTEvhDpqM
Aren't those little kids amazing? What I want to know is, how old are they, when did they start training, and what will they be in ten years? Proportionally, they're about ten times stronger than I am! How can kids that little be so strong? They're awefully cute at any rate :)
Friday, February 5, 2010
When God Weeps
I need to read it again, because it's just that good.
It hurts, though, too. And many times I just wanted to close it and not open it again. I did, several times. I put it down for weeks. But it is worth reading.
It's really not that long, somewhere around 250 pages.
I have included here a couple of excerpts from the book. The first is a poem Joni quoted, author anonymous. Maybe it'll give you an inkling, or some curiosity as to the rest of the book. The second is a paragraph from the second to last chapter, which was, by far, the most appealing of the chapters, recounting promises and the beauty we'll experience in Heaven. Both excerpts I copied out and have attached to the bulletin board that hangs above my desk so I may see them every day and have Hope.
Here is the first:
When God wants to drill a man, and thrill a man and skill a man,This is the second:
When God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part.
When He yearns with all His heart to create so great and bold a man
That all the world should be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways.
How He ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects;
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him into shapes and forms of clay
Which only God can understand.
While man't tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands;
Yet God bends but never breaks when man's good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses,
And with mighty power infuses him,
With every act induces him to try His splendour out.
God knows what He's about.
Ever good pleasure on earth is but a shadow if its fulfillment in Heaven. The best of friendships are embryonic on earth, snatching only a few short years to mature. There's never enough time. Words can never convey what overflows our hearts. I experience this bittersweet sadness with intimate friends. I love them so much that I want to pass through them, reach the other side, to know them fully, be one with them. Not to posses, but to meld with them. I can't on earth. I'm on the outside of their heart's door, always wanting to get in, get closer, even while relishing in their company. My longings are eased know that in Heaven I will "get in." Jesus has deigned it: "Holy Father, protect them...so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:11)
So I hope you find the time to read this book.
Thanks for reading this post. :)
Love you all!
- Aisha
Monday, February 1, 2010
Star Wars sort of remake using a little poetic liscence. Well it's actually not that different. I just use....idk...story lisence?
:)
Sweat ran down the face of every Rebel pilot. Streaks of red and green flashed across their vision as enemy TIE fighters shot at them. The Rebels were trapped – Star Destroyers and TIE fighters on one side, and an operational Death Star on the other. In the mind of every Rebel as they strove to break through the enemy fighters was the thought, This shouldn’t be happening.
Their plan was exploding, like so many Rebel ships were at that moment. Somehow, the Enemy had learned of their arrival. The Death Star had sent Star Destroyers to cut off any retreat that lay open to the Rebels. Even though they had been discovered, the Rebellion’s plan to blow up the Death Star might still be carried out, if a few of the Rebel ships could manage to escape enemy fire and enter the Death Star. But the shield which surrounded the Death Star, the shield which the Rebels on the moon of Endor were supposed to have taken down, was still up. The Rebels could not touch the Death Star as long as the shield was activated. The Death Star itself was not supposed to be operational; of all things they had not expected that. The Rebels were now engaged in a hopeless battle, a desperate attempt to give the Rebels on Endor more time.
But Commander Lando Calrisian’s thoughts were not with the present situation, even as he told the pilots to not attempt retreat, as they would try to gain more time to get the shield down. Even as he waited desperately with the rest of his men for the shield to go down, he didn’t let his thoughts dwell on it. He had faith in Han Solo; that old buccaneer! He knew Han would get the shield down. He wasn’t even worried about the possibility of himself getting shot down by an enemy fighter. He was too skilled a pilot to let that happen. It was what would happen if the shield was removed that filled his thoughts with dread; if he actually was able to carry out the plan. He knew that when Han removed the shield, he, Lando, would enter the Death Star, destroy its power generator and then – he knew he would never be able to make it out in time to escape. He would blow up with the Death Star.
As he waited in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, Lando was afraid. He was afraid of death. He was afraid he would not have the courage to carry out the plan. But he knew that if he did not destroy the Death Star, there would be no one else to do it. The question he asked himself was, would he do it?
His thoughts went back to a few months back. Only a little while ago, he had been the leader of Cloud City. He had a past of gambling and piracy, but a lucky turn of events found him head of a prosperous new mining venture. He was now wealthy, lazy, and didn’t give a *curse word* for the Empire or the Rebellion. He was, as the saying goes, sitting pretty.
And then – shattering Lando’s carefree world came the last person he expected or wanted to see – Darth Vader; and a Darth Vader with a deal to make. Darth Vader informed Lando that his old friend Han Solo would be arriving to Cloud City shortly, requesting aid. Lando would pretend to be an accommodating host; while he would in actuality make arrangements to hand Han over to Darth Vader. If Lando failed to do this, Darth Vader and his Empire would think nothing of killing Lando. Faced with this, Lando Calrisian made the greatest mistake of his life – he made the deal. Even more than he feared his conscience he feared death. He was selfish, and he knew it. He convinced himself that there was no other possibility, that he had no other choice than to hand Han Solo over to Darth Vader. He chose not to watch as his guilt built up.
But events did not turn out. Darth Vader did not keep his word. His friends saw him not as the helpless victim that he saw himself as, but rather a traitor and one in league with the devilries of the Empire. And as he watched as the friends he had betrayed were tortured and taken captive, Lando knew they were right. His guilt burned him; it was as though his long history of selfish enterprises and law breaking had caught up with him in this final monstrosity. His conscience weighed him down like a millstone; even his administration in Cloud City was revealed to him as nothing more than one of his selfish schemes. His world was shattering; and it was of his own doing. The final blow came as the Storm Troopers dragged Leia away; her desperate voice echoed in his head. “We trusted you!”
And then, In the midst of his crashing world his mind had straitened. He was a traitor, and he knew it. But there was still a chance to save Han and Leia. He had spent his entire life making all the wrong choices, doing only the things which would profit himself, and avoiding anything that put him in danger. He had been a scoundrel. But Lando made a decision then and there that for once was not motivated by selfishness or fear. Lando decided to join the Rebellion.
He saved Leia and Chewbacca from the Storm Troopers. He saved Han from Jabba’s palace. And now, with the Death Star he was faced with another choice. The final test.
Lando’s mind snapped back to the present battle as the shout went through the rebel fleet, “The shield is down!”
Lando’s hands stiffened for a moment as he went for the controls.
Then he turned the ship towards the Death Star.
“I’m going in.” he said.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Blog
So I started a blog. Check it out.
http://brightshininglights.blogspot.com/
And please follow!
-Susannah
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Return to Cranford
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Night At the Museum 2
We finally got around to watching Night At the Museum: the Smithsonian and I was completely and very pleasantly surprised. (However, do not watch it twice in three days if your not supposed to be using your tummy muscles! :-)
Anyways, if you want something lighthearted and funny, it's perfect and very clean (I think it's even funnier and cleaner then the first one...something rare indeed).
And you all should be following my blog "The Erratic Muse"...pretty please.
And that the party was wonderful and thank all of you that could come for coming!!!! And boo-hoo we missed you Beka and Aisha!
Someone else take a turn...
Miss Pickwickian