Another Writing Excerpt!

This was a paragraph describing some scene from nature.
The sun dips behind the trees, her rays reaching out through the leaves, as though desperately trying to stay above the horizon. Trickling further and further down, she peeks behind the tattered gazebo, thrashed apart by birds and nature. In the sun’s death throes the sky lights up in a magnificent array of oranges and reds. The clouds drift lazily, unaware of the spectacle around them. At last she is swallowed below the horizon, and all color is drained to a dark blue, growing ever blacker as time goes on. It is a dance the orb will make each day until doomsday, a dance of life, a dance of death. When we are but bones and dust, she will dance, dance until the very end.

Words on a Page

Been dog-sitting all day, which has been thankfully really easy. Thank God, because if I was baby-sitting or something I think I would've wanted to shoot myself by now. Jessica came over and we watched Doctor Who, which was quite nice. Unfortunately, I've been kind of lacking in proper food today so when I go home I'm making something delicious.
Welp, that's it for today. Oh, and the dogs are adorable.

Making Bank

For the next eight days my mom will be in Granville, Ohio for her high school reunion. This means I'm going to be alone, yay! And, I've got a job dog-sitting my aunt's dogs for the next two weeks, which means making money! Even more yay!
I hate the idea of getting an actual job. Honestly, I hate the idea of being restrained by a schedule at all. I thrive on the freedom summer gives me. Wake when I want to, sleep when I want to, eat when I want to, randomly go out and do something if I want to. Having a job makes me restrained again, and don't even get me started on school. I just feel so much better, mentally and physically, when I am free.

Oh look a writing excerpt!

Been reading A Storm of Swords most of today, which has put me in a bit of a medieval mood. When I was taking my creative writing class this spring, we had to write a few pages of our final project. Not knowing what I was going to do, I wrote the first few pages of a fantasy medieval political drama action adventure thingy that was kind of like Game of Thrones but not really. I wrote it in about 30-45 minutes one night, so it's not the best and probably has lots of typos, but if you want to read it go ahead.

The faint hum of violence hung in the air after the night’s storm. The ground squished with each footstep the girl took, flecks of mud splashing the hem of her dress. A tree in the town square had crashed from the winds, which had started the horses in the stables enough to have knocked open one of the door locks. Some of the night’s watch had to gather a horse or two that had scurried off early in the morning. The girl felt sympathy for the horses, because she knew what it was like to be trapped. Her family was among the poor of this tiny hamlet, a place few had known existed. She heard the tales as a small child of princesses and heroes, and fell asleep each night dreaming of what it would be like to be one. Each morning, however, she was faced with the same cold reality of poverty.
The hamlet was buzzing with excitement this morning. Not the kind of excitement one feels from parties or other celebrations, but the curious, morbid excitement of fear. For today, the girl had heard while she was doing her chores, was going to be a hanging. The bottom of her stomach had fallen out. Such an event was occurring far more frequently than ever before. The victims hanged were not just murderers or thieves anymore, but good men who suffered only one transgression that before would have been so minor.
The girl hurried forward in the rapidly growing crowd. The hum of the gathering grew louder with each additional person, until it became deafening in the girl’s ears. Not far away from her she could see the stocks and the nooses hanging down. Her eyes clung to them, hypnotized as they swayed with the damp wind. Above her, the sky was an electric blue, and the cotton clouds sailed along, ambivalent to what happened so far below them.
The crowd hushed. Up the steps came a man dressed in the colors of the town guard’s captain. In his hand he carried a scroll rolled up into a tube. Following them, with loud footfalls, came the prisoners. First, a man who looked as though time and stressed had aged him considerably. Following him, his wife, the sides of her head adorned with a shock of gray. Finally, came the son, a boy no older than fifteen. The girl’s jaw dropped slightly, though she had the self-control to lift it back up. The eyes of the boy seemed so calm, and yet, there was a fear deep inside of them.
“The prisoners,” began the captain, reading from the unfurled scroll, “have been found guilty of the failure to pay taxes, an assault on the king’s guard, and treason. By our laws, these crimes have the punishment of death. I hereby declare this to be so, by order of the king, in the Year of Our Lords, 567.” As he spoke the hangman pulled the nooses around each other their necks. When he finished his speech, the captain made a subtle, yet noticeable motion. The hangman pulled the lever.
A ripple of shock and unsettlement went through the crowd. The girl cast her head down. All she wanted was to leave this place, to go back to the time of fairy tale princesses and heroes. It was a time of desperation. It was a time when heroes were needed once more.

Next Stop, Anywhere

The height of summer always makes me think back to when I was younger and was obsessed with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and fantasy in general, but mainly those two. It was also when I thought I'd be a young writer someday, so I took great care in delving my imagination into my favorite works. In so doing, I would think back to being a little kid and hearing stories about magical forests with different areas that led to your favorite worlds. Obviously this was a library, but there's something I find immensely... childlike and fantastic about that. Walking into a deep green forest in June, the sun on your back, and seeing a sign like this up, showing where to go to find your favorite place. And then you'd follow the sign through the forest, and find your very own Hogwarts, or Narnia, or Ghibli Hills. It would be like a nexus of all things good.
I wish I lived up north where green forests like the one I imagined exist, putting up a sign like this, and then just going off to read in different zones of magic. Maybe putting up little things referencing those areas, like Gryffindor seals and elvish writing.
I'm 20 years old and I want a magical forest of all of my favorite things. Is that so much to ask?

I posted this song during my music challenge, but it reminds me of reading my fantasy books during the summer. When I hear it, not only do I imagine a summer night looking at the stars, but also of the Harry riding his broom through the night sky, having his own adventure, or Frodo and Sam beneath a big tree, sleeping.
Summer to me isn't go out and party. It's get out a book and delve into the world created.

A Summer Update

This summer has been wonderfully epic so far. From my personal life to my life with friends, everything has been just fantastic. This summer is really turning out to be the one I've been wanting for I don't even know how long. I've been doing everything I wanted and more, from Universal to my first concert, to Busch Gardens and reading A Song of Ice and Fire, all the things I've wanted are working out nicely. I still need to get the DnD campaign rolling, but we've got loads of time for that.
Starting Tuesday I'm going to be getting money from dog-sitting my aunt's dogs, which is absolutely wonderfully timed. There's a big thing I'm planning which Ashley knows about, and which Jessica will know soon. But I don't think I've been so happy, excited, and nervous for anything before :-D

Day 30: Whatever I Fancy

Well, the last movie blog post. It's been a good ride, not as fun as the music one but still good.
Anyway, the post asked for whatever I fancied, and I couldn't find a movie thing, so here's David Tennant being awesome as Hamlet.

Day 29: DVD Wishlist

I'm not totally sure what they mean by wishlist. It's not like they're video games, I can rent them from Netflix or just buy them. I also don't have any DVDs that I want right now, so....
I KNOW! This whole countdown has been focused on movies, right? So now, I'll do a thing on television, because TV series come to DVD. So, my favorite TV shows:
1). Doctor Who

Everything I could say about this show and it's impact I've already said in a previous post. Funny, dramatic, scary, sad, and genre-busting brilliance.
2). Top Gear

I felt hesitant to post Lost here. Lost was my favorite show for the longest time, but I haven't watched it in over a year. Much like Jurassic Park, I think of it as a major part of my entertainment maturation into who I am now, but it's no longer my favorite.
Top Gear I just happened to watch one day because it was always on BBC America. I am so glad that I did. I'm not a car fan, but the show is honest to God hilarious. Every time. One of these days I'm putting my Stig bumpersticker up.
3). Mad Men

I didn't expect to love Mad Men. I had watched maybe an episode or two and found it easy to sleep to. I had heard so many great things about it, but I dismissed it as overrated. Then, just one day, I decided to give it another shot, and actually paid attention to the episode.
It's a slower paced show. There's no explosions or fist fights. It wraps you up in its tale, slowly and unexpectedly. You find yourself engaged, as though you're watching a play about a time long past, and yet still relevant. You become entranced, unable to look away even for a moment. The delivery, the direction, the writing all work together as a smooth, understated machine.
I feel it a disservice to put a clip of the show up here alone. I had a great one, just gutwrenching, a clip that shows why this show is so splendid. But without the rest of the machine, the cog is pointless. To really appreciate it, you must watch the show.
4). Game of Thrones

I am a little hesitant to post Game of Thrones here. The show just completed its first season, and, while it was extremely epic and very very very good, I don't know if I'd call it a favorite just yet. The book series it's based on is definitely my post-Harry Potter book obsession, but will the series live up to it? Time will tell.
5). The Walking Dead

From the first episode I considered this my Lost after Lost. A ragtag bunch of survivors in a character-driven drama, except, instead of a mysterious island, we have zombie-run Georgia. I haven't watched this for a few months, but the show, even with a very short 6-episode season, really left an impact on me.

Day 28: Last DVD Purchased

I love a western. I don't know why. I never pretended to be a cowboy when I was little. In fact I was pretty ambivalent about the old west until a few years ago. I don't know what got me invested into it, but I really like westerns now. Not that I'd say they're one of my favorite genres, but I'll go through kicks where I'm just in the mood for one. I'd say True Grit was one of the best westerns in the past ten years. I'd compare it to my other favorite, Unforgiven, but it's almost a little unfair to do that. While they both paint realistic portraits of life back then, Unforgiven is given more of an air of symbolism and metaphor, like it is meant to be criticized. True Grit is an excellent story, but captures a more real and gritty view of the time period. I'd say I'd prefer this version over the John Wayne incarnation, though that is also a good film.
Also, the way they talk in this film is infectious and begging to be imitated. It's not "mosey on down," it's very drawn out and sophisticated, though what is being said is usually crude.

Day 27: First DVD Purchased

That I purchased? I think the first DVD for myself was The Phantom Menace. I didn't buy it, but it's one of the earliest DVDs I remember getting for me. The movie I think has gotten a lot more flack than it should have. It's certainly not good, it's just very average and, if comparing to the original trilogy, than yeah, it REALLY sucks. Anakin is played terribly, Jar Jar is a mess, but there's a really interesting story hidden under there. If Lucas hadn't been so overly protective and tyrannical, the film could have been quite excellent.
I have a lot of good memories from the summer of 1999, when this first came out. That year was a really excellent summer. I'll always look back on this movie fondly because of it.

Day 26: A Movie I Have Seen More Than 10 Times

Oh look, another movie from childhood! It's weird how my earliest movie theater memories have to do with Disney films. I remember seeing this with my mom here at Bell Tower. It was cold and around Christmastime. I just think about sitting in that theater watching this, and it's hard to believe it was so long ago.
If it wasn't for this movie, I don't think we would have had the emotional resonance of Toy Story 3. We were all Andy playing with our toys, imagining the adventures they'd get in to. Now we're grown, in college, and most of our toys are gone. But they were there for us when we needed them, and we may still have some of them to this day. When I watch Toy Story, I think about playing with my toys as a kid, and that makes me feel good.

Day 25: A Movie Based on a Book

I remember first seeing this trailer. I was in some movie, watching the trailers, when that opening of Harry going up to his cupboard door, and Uncle Vernon slamming the vent shut, saying "there's no such thing as magic" was first uttered. The owls started flying, the music was rising, and I knew: this is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. There it was before me, like an invitation to Hogwarts. I had read Chamber of Secrets by that point, I believe. My third grade teacher had read Sorcerer's Stone to us. The magic was right there, and it was real and tangible. I haven't seen this trailer since then, and it's still surreal. There's something so innocent and... well, magical, about it. It's Harry Potter when the magic was new and strange and fantastic. While we love it, we've grown accustomed to it. You can't beat that magic when it's brand new.
The magic began November 2001, and it all ends in July 2011. Of course, it never really ends... though that's a tale for another day.

Day 24: A Movie More People Should Have Seen

Yeah, a lot of people have seen this by now. But when it came out in theaters, it didn't make a whole lot of money, which means a lot of people hadn't seen it at the time.
On my first day of the previous Christmas vacation, I had just gotten this in the mail. Wanting to celebrate the end of an extremely difficult semester, I decided to watch it, and I'm so happy I did. This movie is hilarious, awesome, and very original. I've heard it said this is the best video game movie ever, which I'd agree with. When I got sick with food poisoning, this is what I watched to feel better. I love it.

Day 23: A 2000's Movie

Yes, you all know it thanks to "I drink your milkshake," but it happens to be a really great film, but for a reason different than what I normally give. Back in AP English, when we were discussing All the King's Men, which is a titanic, sprawling book that could cause serious injury if thrown at a person, someone mentioned how the plot of the book is really dull. That's true. I never got past the first few pages because of its boredom, but we only ever focused on two or three key points and ignored the rest of the story. Elmeer defended it by saying that the characterization and meaning of the book is greater and more important than the plot, which is a reason why we read it. I feel like that's the same truth behind There Will Be Blood. The plot is by no means poor or boring, but it's not its strongest feature. The point of the movie is to watch Daniel Plainview's character spiral from shady to downright evil and alone. If you watch closely, you can see how he starts to stoop when he walks, as though his greed was contaminating and mutating him. Daniel Day-Lewis plays the part to perfection to the point he becomes Plainview. It's a great character study, even though it's now impossible not to laugh at the milkshake scene.

Day 22: A 1990's Movie

I was struggling to come up with a good 90s movie, and then I thought, "what the hell?" So here is my choice, The Lion King. I saw it on stage and it was incredible, and I remember when I first saw it as a little kid with my dad in San Diego. However, I still haven't seen the movie in its entirety in at least 15 years, which is far too long in my opinion. If we could plan a movie day for this I would appreciate it :-D

Day 21: A 1980's Movie

Whenever I think of the 80s, I think of this movie. I'm not so in love with it as MANY people are, but it is a good, fun movie. Plus, Doc Brown is hilarious, and I'd say my favorite part of the film.

Day 20: A 1970's Movie

I would I could gush more about the movie that gave us the best movie trailer I've ever seen, but I have little time. My favorite horror movie, it's extremely awesome and stuff.
Watch the trailer at least. Please.

Day 19: A 1960's Movie

Spoiler alert: she is.
This is The Graduate, I'd say my favorite movie of the 1960's, and one of my top ten favorite films of all time. And no, Jessica, it is not just because of the soundtrack. It was made for the baby boomer generation, fresh out of college and lost. But it's so timeless that it is entirely possible to relate to today. We can all sympathize with Ben when it comes to love, lust, and placement in society. This was really one of the first movies to show how it's not easy to be young, that there's lots of pressure and stress that comes with not knowing what to do with life.
It's seriously one of the best movies in American cinema, and it is essential that you watch it.

Day 18: A 1950's Movie

In my film class this year, we watched a lot of movies (no surprise). One of them was Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, which ended up being a pretty good movie. It ended up being a psychological thriller, and performed exceedingly well in that aspect.
Um... I have nothing more to say.

Day 17: Favorite Actress' Movie

My favorite actress is Meryl Streep... but my favorite film of her's is Out of Africa, which I've already chosen. So... I'm going with Doubt, because I can't think of a second favorite, and I really liked this movie.
Also I tried using the Pedobear trailer, but it wouldn't let me share it :-/

Day 16: Favorite Actor's Movie

This is a bit strange, as I've never thought of having a favorite actor. So... I'm just going to go with Russel Crowe, because he's super awesome in Gladiator, and I love that movie... so yeah.

Day 15: Favorite Season-themed Movie

Torn between this and Christmas Vacation, I have to choose It's a Wonderful Life. This movie is always played in my house at Christmas time, and with good reason. It's a really heartwarming film, but I didn't appreciate it until just recently.
There was a time in my life when I felt like I gave and gave without ever receiving anything in return. I felt like I had tried to be everyone's best friend, and yet no one was my best friend. I needed a best friend that year, because I felt very alone.
It was near Christmas, and this was airing on NBC. I'd always liked it, but never loved it, thinking it was too sappy or something. Watching the third act of the movie, where George Bailey contemplates the worst, and is shown a vision of a life without him, I felt a sense of familiarity. Thankfully not suicide, but seeing what life would be like if I wasn't in it. At the end, when George is with his family, and all of the people he helped in his life walked into his house to give him money to keep him from jail, I felt a tear come to my eye. Then, when he read the note left by his guardian angel, I felt another tear.
It was one of those moments that helped me appreciate the life I have now. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful friends who I'd do anything for.

Day 14: Favorite Musical

From The Sound of Music

Day 13: Favorite Underrated Movie

Busy today, so just the trailer.

Day 12: Favorite Remake

Oh, this is pretty tough. I was going to say True Grit, but technically that's just a new adaptation of the book, not a remake of the John Wayne film. The Thing is based off of the book too, not the old movie. So, I'm going with King Kong. I saw it Christmas Eve with my dad and thought it was great. It's not in my top ten list of favorite films, but remakes tend to suck. King Kong was very successful at not sucking, and proved to be very entertaining.

Day 11: Favorite War Movie

I'm not a big war movie fan, unless it's a war in a pseudo-medieval fantasy world or in space, but I do enjoy other films based on actual wars. One of these was Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. There's actually not a whole lot of combat, but it certainly takes place in a war, specifically the Napoleonic War. It's actually a surprisingly good film, one that I have watched twice in a row because of how good it was, which is no small feat. For a story that is mostly about the exploits of sailors, it's very captivating. I would definitely recommend seeing it.

Day 10: Favorite Sci-fi/Fantasy Movie

Well I've already said how LOTR is my favorite series, and that's all fantasy, so they're spoken for. Instead, my favorite sci-fi film is The Empire Strikes Back.
I've always loved Star Wars, as every guy does, but obviously I love it more than the average guy.
I wish I could say how much of an impact it has had on me like the other films I've mentioned, but Star Wars is Star Wars. It's been in my life forever, it's my childhood and adulthood, past and present. It's the classic tale of good versus evil put into space. It's what everybody wants, but can only live out here. It was my introduction to sci-fi, it's something that leaps to mind at least once a day. It's ever present, and I'm glad about that.
Also I know that trailer isn't for ESB specifically, but I saw it a few years ago on Cinemax and have remembered it ever since.

Day 9: Favorite Childhood Movie

My earliest movie memory is walking into the family room of our house and seeing my family watch Jurassic Park. I remember hiding behind my grandma because I was too scared to watch some of it, but lots of it I did see. From that moment until I was 14 I loved Jurassic Park. I was obsessed with it. Literally. Lots of people say they were obsessed with something, but I was seriously obsessed with this film. I must have watched it at least 200 times in my entire life. I had the toys (still do, stowed away), the games (still do), t-shirts (at least one is in my closet, I think), the book (so crinkled from reading too much it's almost falling apart), and photos of me at Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure (lots are on the walls of my house). I even had a Jurassic Park clock at one point.
I've mentioned before how this movie touched off my love of Spielberg and cinema, but it also drove me to creative heights that I would not have had otherwise. I said yesterday how those three films series made me into who I am. This one film may have had the greatest effect.
I remember waking up one day at 14 no longer having a strong interest in the film. I can't say it's particularly sad, but, like so many other things, it was an adventure 65 million years in the making that came to a close.

Day 8: Favorite Movie Franchise/Trilogy

Movie franchises are the backbone of my adoration for film. My favorite films often lead to sequels, after all. Movie sagas last throughout my life: I've had Star Wars since childhood, Harry Potter since I was eleven, and Lord of the Rings during my formative teenage years. Star Wars ended just before high school, Lord of the Rings ended at 13, and Harry Potter, arguably the greatest youth epic in modern history, and perhaps one of the most defining pieces of entertainment of our generation, ends in July. Those three film sagas alone have had the greatest impact on my taste, personality, and interests than any other piece of entertainment alone (I'm including the book series along with the film series for LOTR and HP).
Having to choose my favorite is almost impossible. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Star Wars has two mediocre and one bad prequel (COUGH Attack of the Clones COUGH), and, while the original series is top notch and brilliant, their potency is still tinged with the knowledge of what could have been for the prequels. In addition, I have no particularly fond memories (outside of our movie marathon) for them, making them hold a more constant affection for them than favoritism.
Harry Potter is one of the biggest franchises in my life. There was a time when I was younger that I had a fervent love for the series. The books are still among my favorites of all time. The films have an incredibly impressive streak of being very well made, a feat that is not to be looked lightly upon. I remember going to see each one of them in the theaters and being so excited before and after them. While the third film onward took some liberties with the material, I grew soon after to love them as their own entities from the books. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is now my favorite place ever, and I am constantly smiling when I ride Forbidden Journey. Yet, much of that love for the films and park is based off of my love and nostalgia for the books. The movies on their own, while great, are not among my favorite films ever (save Deathly Hallows part one and, hopefully, part two). So for that, I still have to move on without saying they are my favorite.
Which leaves Lord of the Rings. The only one I saw in the theater was Return of the King. My grandma gave me the trilogy as a Christmas present when Fellowship of the Ring was just released. I had some interest in them, sure, but there was no love for the material. I read Fellowship for the AR points in school, and damn it was a difficult read at eleven. Due to its difficulty, I put off reading Two Towers for years.
Just after my fifth grade field trip to space camp, I was sitting in my parents' hotel room, they down by the pool. I, a pale and chubby kid, was unwilling to go swimming outside of our backyard pool. So, instead, they let me watch one of the movies that hotels offer on demand. I decided to watch Fellowship of the Ring and was very surprised to really enjoy it. In fact, I loved it. I bought the toys and watched the DVD with my parents when it was released, and was pleasantly surprised to find they also really liked it.
I didn't sit down and read Lord of the Rings completely until a few years ago at Verot, but I had seen the entire trilogy on film several times over by that point. They were incredibly well-made, deserving every single award they got, including the beautiful score. Whenever they're on TV, I always watch them. They're so hopeful in a time when we need it most, and were so welcome in my life when I needed them. The stories are eternal, and that's why Lord of the Rings is my favorite film trilogy.

Day 7: Favorite Drama

So... this might not be what you expected. For one thing, in the second act the film becomes a romance, which isn't exactly my type of genre. But "Out of Africa" is about a Danish baroness starting a coffee farm in Kenya in the early 20th century, and the trials, tribulations, and joys she experiences along the way. It was based off of a true story written by the baroness herself, which I own.
It has the most gorgeous setting of any film. This movie makes me want to go to Africa. The story is enthralling in a way I can't truly give justice, and the acting is top notch, which is expected considering the principal roles are played by Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
It's another one of those movies that reminds me of the summer. I remember these past few years my mom would put it on just to have something in the background, but it was also a film I could watch just because I wanted a movie to watch, I was in the mood, or I needed something to go to sleep to. Granted, that isn't the highest praise, but it's a movie I could watch whenever I want.