SHIPPING TO ME TOMORROW I'M SO EXCITED
all the swords and knives from this guy are so beautiful look https://www.etsy.com/shop/bccutlery
that is all u_u
Monday, June 30, 2014
LOOK
LOOK
and no I didn't spend $500 on this sword, I did a lot of the design work so it was cheaper for me lol
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Swords, Art, and Coffee
Hello again (finally).
Well, since I wrote my last entry, a TON has changed. I'll start from the beginning, and we'll see how long this post goes, I guess!
First off, I'm no longer at college. This probably comes as a surprise to most of you. The reason I left is a rather complicated one. I'll tell the story as best I can.
First off, you guys probably know I have big problems with procrastination. I found out that this is likely because of ADHD, and I left for college shortly after learning that--which meant that I still didn't know how to manage my time properly. As a result, I had trouble getting anything done. Homework was a struggle. Writing essays/papers became very hard for some reason, and even READING was tricky to finish!
Second, I started having roommate problems of an unusual sort. I'm very introverted...but my roommate was even more introverted than I am. She would leave the room--but only for class and to get food. She next to never hung out with friends, and she kept odd hours. At first, she'd wake up at about 6am to get ready for classes and go to chapel, and go to bed at around 11pm. Because she was asleep then, I felt almost like I had my own space, and would stay up late and sort of sleep in as much as I could the next morning to continue to preserve my time to recharge my social batteries. Unfortunately for me, when she got up at 6am, she tended to make a bit of noise as she searched for her things, showered, etc.
(One of my suitemates also showered at about 2am every day. I have no clue why.)
But then...for some odd reason...she began to stay up until 2am like I did. Considering her habit of getting up at 6...she was getting about 4 hours of sleep. I don't know how she managed it, but she somehow did, and suddenly the one bit of time I had purely to myself was gone.
It was based on this propensity to stay in the room at all times and a few other problems that I finally talked to my floor leader, the housing director, and at last to my roommate herself. I'd never really confronted anyone about anything before, but I managed somehow, despite how scared I was. It went surprisingly well (I was worried about her reaction), and things changed a bit after that, but the problems continued to persist. I'd be okay with it when I was there, but when I was out with friends, or on break, or things like that, I'd realize how trapped I felt in that situation and just want out.
So I booked a single room for the next year, decided I could manage one more semester like this, and thought that was that.
But then there was the matter of glorious art. I was taking a lot of really tough classes (Latin, great books, etc.), and for fun, decided to also take a drawing class, as I think I've mentioned on here before. Not sure though. Anyway, when I got my grades in at the end of the semester, I discovered something surprising.
My highest grade was in that art class.
I was going home, having struggled through my first semester, and was realizing that hey, maybe I don't actually want to force myself through more academics if I don't have to. High school, for all I enjoyed it, had been an exhausting experience, and I was still feeling very burned out from all the work I'd done there. It was making things like papers, reading, studying, and going to class very difficult.
But art...when I sat down to do an art assignment, I could work for hours and love every minute of it. I'd put my headphones in, and listen to an audiobook or some music, and draw the still life, and get my hands and jeans covered in charcoal, and get up and stretch and go down the hall and get Dr Pepper from the vending machine and just sit and breathe in the atmosphere of the art building...
I LOVED IT SO MUCH THERE. And I loved my art class with every fiber of my being.
When I wasn't at the art building, I was at that coffee shop that I mentioned in my last post. I would go there to escape and feel almost by myself. I didn't know many people there--sometimes I'd run into a friend, or I'd meet someone, or wave goodbye to the baristas when I left (I was there so much they all knew me). But most of the time I'd find my little perch and draw or write or laugh at funny pictures on the internet or even *gasp* get work done there.
The coffee shop was my other favorite place at college.
So it's no surprise that when I returned home for break...and then took a trip to Florida for a bit, before returning to college...that I started thinking.
Why am I even there? Is it God's will for me to be there anymore? What am I supposed to be doing? Why don't I love all of it like I thought I would?
Over the break I started feeling increasingly stressed about going back. I started feeling more and more that I really, really did NOT want to return to my college.
That's when I remembered that before I left for college the first time, I had considered for one dreaming, wild second, that maybe I actually wanted to go to art school.
After discussing things with my mom, praying about it, and everything...I made my decision. I was going to go home. I was going to work on my portfolio.
And I was going to go to art school.
Currently I'm at home, starting on that portfolio. And remember how much I loved that coffee shop? I work at one now. It's very different from just sitting in one, but there's something so satisfying about brewing coffee, making tea, meeting regular customers, waving to the little kids who come in with their parents, educating people about coffee and tea, grinding coffee beans, and actually having a job. Even if that job does involve getting to work at 4:30 am once or twice a week. And cleaning the bathrooms once or twice a week.
Long story short, life is so much better now than it was then, and I thank God that He was able to show me that I didn't have to feel pressured to live up to what I thought I had to do because I was capable of it. I'm so glad He helped me explore my more creative side and spend time doing something I really enjoyed to the point where I realized that there could possibly be an actual career there for me.
So yeah. Everything is pretty good now ^_^
You're probably wondering why I mentioned swords in my post title by now, huh? Well, I have made a decision. I was always planning on getting myself a "HOORAY YOU GOT A JOB" present with my first paycheck, before I started saving in earnest for a car, an apartment, etc. (Because yes, I'd love to have my own apartment. And a driver's license. Heh.) And I decided...
*drumroll please*
...that I'm going to be purchasing myself an actual medieval ish sword. Something I've wanted since I was about seven years old, and finally have the means to procure for myself.
Yes, I do have a replica sword (which ironically looks about identical to the one on the cover of The Bones of Makaidos). Yes, I do have a competition katana (i.e., it's not sharp, and you can't sharpen it, but it looks like a sword and you can swing it around like one). But there's something exciting about buying a sword that I will actually be able to slice watermelons in half with and feel like a real knight while holding!
Also I found somewhere I can get a beautiful custom-designed one that's not upwards of $3000. So that is a DEFINITE plus.
What am I going to do with it? Keep it in my room. Eventually have it on my wall. Slice watermelons with it. Pass it down as an heirloom to future generations. *shrug* Maybe swords will make a comeback and I'll find a slightly more practical use for it!...okay, maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.
But anyway, that's my story of swords, art, and coffee. And I'm excited to see what the future holds!
*posts post*
Well, since I wrote my last entry, a TON has changed. I'll start from the beginning, and we'll see how long this post goes, I guess!
First off, I'm no longer at college. This probably comes as a surprise to most of you. The reason I left is a rather complicated one. I'll tell the story as best I can.
First off, you guys probably know I have big problems with procrastination. I found out that this is likely because of ADHD, and I left for college shortly after learning that--which meant that I still didn't know how to manage my time properly. As a result, I had trouble getting anything done. Homework was a struggle. Writing essays/papers became very hard for some reason, and even READING was tricky to finish!
Second, I started having roommate problems of an unusual sort. I'm very introverted...but my roommate was even more introverted than I am. She would leave the room--but only for class and to get food. She next to never hung out with friends, and she kept odd hours. At first, she'd wake up at about 6am to get ready for classes and go to chapel, and go to bed at around 11pm. Because she was asleep then, I felt almost like I had my own space, and would stay up late and sort of sleep in as much as I could the next morning to continue to preserve my time to recharge my social batteries. Unfortunately for me, when she got up at 6am, she tended to make a bit of noise as she searched for her things, showered, etc.
(One of my suitemates also showered at about 2am every day. I have no clue why.)
But then...for some odd reason...she began to stay up until 2am like I did. Considering her habit of getting up at 6...she was getting about 4 hours of sleep. I don't know how she managed it, but she somehow did, and suddenly the one bit of time I had purely to myself was gone.
It was based on this propensity to stay in the room at all times and a few other problems that I finally talked to my floor leader, the housing director, and at last to my roommate herself. I'd never really confronted anyone about anything before, but I managed somehow, despite how scared I was. It went surprisingly well (I was worried about her reaction), and things changed a bit after that, but the problems continued to persist. I'd be okay with it when I was there, but when I was out with friends, or on break, or things like that, I'd realize how trapped I felt in that situation and just want out.
So I booked a single room for the next year, decided I could manage one more semester like this, and thought that was that.
But then there was the matter of glorious art. I was taking a lot of really tough classes (Latin, great books, etc.), and for fun, decided to also take a drawing class, as I think I've mentioned on here before. Not sure though. Anyway, when I got my grades in at the end of the semester, I discovered something surprising.
My highest grade was in that art class.
I was going home, having struggled through my first semester, and was realizing that hey, maybe I don't actually want to force myself through more academics if I don't have to. High school, for all I enjoyed it, had been an exhausting experience, and I was still feeling very burned out from all the work I'd done there. It was making things like papers, reading, studying, and going to class very difficult.
But art...when I sat down to do an art assignment, I could work for hours and love every minute of it. I'd put my headphones in, and listen to an audiobook or some music, and draw the still life, and get my hands and jeans covered in charcoal, and get up and stretch and go down the hall and get Dr Pepper from the vending machine and just sit and breathe in the atmosphere of the art building...
I LOVED IT SO MUCH THERE. And I loved my art class with every fiber of my being.
When I wasn't at the art building, I was at that coffee shop that I mentioned in my last post. I would go there to escape and feel almost by myself. I didn't know many people there--sometimes I'd run into a friend, or I'd meet someone, or wave goodbye to the baristas when I left (I was there so much they all knew me). But most of the time I'd find my little perch and draw or write or laugh at funny pictures on the internet or even *gasp* get work done there.
The coffee shop was my other favorite place at college.
So it's no surprise that when I returned home for break...and then took a trip to Florida for a bit, before returning to college...that I started thinking.
Why am I even there? Is it God's will for me to be there anymore? What am I supposed to be doing? Why don't I love all of it like I thought I would?
Over the break I started feeling increasingly stressed about going back. I started feeling more and more that I really, really did NOT want to return to my college.
That's when I remembered that before I left for college the first time, I had considered for one dreaming, wild second, that maybe I actually wanted to go to art school.
After discussing things with my mom, praying about it, and everything...I made my decision. I was going to go home. I was going to work on my portfolio.
And I was going to go to art school.
Currently I'm at home, starting on that portfolio. And remember how much I loved that coffee shop? I work at one now. It's very different from just sitting in one, but there's something so satisfying about brewing coffee, making tea, meeting regular customers, waving to the little kids who come in with their parents, educating people about coffee and tea, grinding coffee beans, and actually having a job. Even if that job does involve getting to work at 4:30 am once or twice a week. And cleaning the bathrooms once or twice a week.
Long story short, life is so much better now than it was then, and I thank God that He was able to show me that I didn't have to feel pressured to live up to what I thought I had to do because I was capable of it. I'm so glad He helped me explore my more creative side and spend time doing something I really enjoyed to the point where I realized that there could possibly be an actual career there for me.
So yeah. Everything is pretty good now ^_^
You're probably wondering why I mentioned swords in my post title by now, huh? Well, I have made a decision. I was always planning on getting myself a "HOORAY YOU GOT A JOB" present with my first paycheck, before I started saving in earnest for a car, an apartment, etc. (Because yes, I'd love to have my own apartment. And a driver's license. Heh.) And I decided...
*drumroll please*
...that I'm going to be purchasing myself an actual medieval ish sword. Something I've wanted since I was about seven years old, and finally have the means to procure for myself.
Yes, I do have a replica sword (which ironically looks about identical to the one on the cover of The Bones of Makaidos). Yes, I do have a competition katana (i.e., it's not sharp, and you can't sharpen it, but it looks like a sword and you can swing it around like one). But there's something exciting about buying a sword that I will actually be able to slice watermelons in half with and feel like a real knight while holding!
Also I found somewhere I can get a beautiful custom-designed one that's not upwards of $3000. So that is a DEFINITE plus.
What am I going to do with it? Keep it in my room. Eventually have it on my wall. Slice watermelons with it. Pass it down as an heirloom to future generations. *shrug* Maybe swords will make a comeback and I'll find a slightly more practical use for it!...okay, maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.
But anyway, that's my story of swords, art, and coffee. And I'm excited to see what the future holds!
*posts post*
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Hello again
Oh hello blog...
Wow, it's been a long time. I've been super busy but that's no excuse for not updating. Anyway.
Since I last posted I've started college. I'm really enjoying it so far, even if the workload is pretty heavy. (Lots of reading, which I don't mind, except that it's tough to get it all finished!) I've also figured out how much I love taking art classes, and I'm planning on basically majoring in art and film at the moment. That obviously might change, but it's what I'm leaning toward at the moment.
Speaking of art, I've been doing a ton of drawing. I got a wacom tablet so I basically can sit and sketch things on my computer. It's not quite the same as drawing on actual paper with an actual pencil, but overall it saves me money because erasing is easier and I don't keep filling sketchbooks and having to buy new ones. Overall it's been a great purchase and I'm super happy with it. (Plus it's lighter than a sketchbook and colored pencils and stuff so I can carry it around more easily :D)
Writing wise...haven't been doing as much of that, sadly. I've come up with lots of ideas...but haven't had time to get them written yet. I've actually done more drawing of the characters than writing them (is that sentence grammatically correct? I got six hours of sleep last night. I think it's understandable.). Hey, at least drawing them is giving me ideas about their personality!
I've also splurged a little bit and bought myself another lightsaber. I like the ones I have back home, but it's really tough to use them because they're huge. xD So I got what's basically a kids' size one (I have absolutely tiny hands, haha) and that's been working pretty well. About the same size as my katana, which I finally got last summer. Not sharp, but made of actual metal and with an actual sheath and pretty awesome. :D
I had something I was going to write here...oh, that's right. I heard about this little coffee shop right by campus, walking distance from my dorm. It's been here for almost twenty years and it's a pretty neat place. (It's where I facetimed you from, Jamie and Rachel.) They have this "secret sauce" that they put in their coffee that is sort of vanilla flavored and really, really good. They also have tea, I think, which is something I'll have to try soon. There's this one seat that's kinda-sorta a window seat, it's raised sort of like one of those tall tables at restaurants, and there's a window near it, but this part is halfway closed in and has a corner that's perfect for leaning back in. There are comfortable cushions and one of those raised tables and space for my backpack and an outlet for my laptop right there. In the warmer weather, I sat outside a lot because it was so hot and humid. There are booths and couches and stuff in this sort of porch area out there. But the temperature has dropped unusually for this time of year (apparently), and so I've resigned myself to coming inside to study or relax here--and this seat usually opens up at some point and I'll take it. They have cool concerts and stuff here, and open mic night almost every Wednesday, but I haven't gone to any of that yet (thanks, homework). Soon, I hope. It would be a nice way to spend an evening!
Next semester I'm gonna be taking mostly art and film classes. My adviser says I can take an independent reading course for credit hours, so I'll definitely be taking advantage of that. I might also take a mythology course, or possibly a course in creative writing, if I can get into that. They usually don't offer it to freshmen, but I'm going to email the professor and see what happens, because getting college credit for writing would be pretty epic.
There's also the possibility, at the end of my four years here, of doing a creative thesis. That means that instead of having to write a million-page strictly academic paper--not that that's a bad thing, it's just not as fun as what I'm about to say--you can make an art porfolio. Or possibly a movie. One girl is currently writing a novel. A novel. And it counts as her thesis! Needless to say, this is my kind of thesis and I will definitely be doing my best to be able to complete one.
One kid did his thesis his sophomore year. If I can manage a novel-for-thesis project, who knows? Maybe I'll join the club. I'm pretty sure you get credit for working on your thesis, or something like that.
Finals are currently in full swing. Tomorrow I'm finishing up my last art class assignments, and Monday I have my finals in Bible and Latin. Those shouldn't be terribly hard. And on Tuesday I have my art final...and then Wednesday I go home and I get to see my family (and Bandit, whom I've been missing quite a bit!) My dad's side of the family, his sister and her husband and all three of my cousins, are coming to visit on the 26th too.
Also there is the small matter of the Hobbit movie, which I haven't had access to yet. I'm reserving any and all judgments on it until I see it. I wonder if there's another art book for this one. I have the art and design book for the first one, and it's INCREDIBLE and I highly recommend it if you like artsy behind-the-scenes stuff. Or Weta Workshop. Or both. (Which if you like one or the other, you probably do like both.)
*drinks coffee* I was never much of a coffee drinker before this. I mean, I'd have the occasional Starbucks or cup of coffee when we were over at someone's house or when we had company or something, but it wasn't until this year that I started regularly drinking coffee. (And Dr. Pepper, but that's another story.) It's not an actual habit, more one of those "I quite like this beverage, I believe I will partake in another one now." I.E. I went three weeks without coffee when I was sick, and had no problems whatsoever. Hopefully it'll stay that way. Caffeine used to calm me down and put me to sleep, so...
Anyway, that's basically what I can think of right now for this post. I'll probably come up with more stuff, and I'll definitely be trying to update at least once a week, no matter how short the posts are. I want to actually get good at this blogging thing, because it's really fun and I quite enjoy it.
(Sorry for the wait, Jamie. Here it is, post dinner still, but a lot more post than I thought.)
That is all. u_u
*posts post*
Wow, it's been a long time. I've been super busy but that's no excuse for not updating. Anyway.
Since I last posted I've started college. I'm really enjoying it so far, even if the workload is pretty heavy. (Lots of reading, which I don't mind, except that it's tough to get it all finished!) I've also figured out how much I love taking art classes, and I'm planning on basically majoring in art and film at the moment. That obviously might change, but it's what I'm leaning toward at the moment.
Speaking of art, I've been doing a ton of drawing. I got a wacom tablet so I basically can sit and sketch things on my computer. It's not quite the same as drawing on actual paper with an actual pencil, but overall it saves me money because erasing is easier and I don't keep filling sketchbooks and having to buy new ones. Overall it's been a great purchase and I'm super happy with it. (Plus it's lighter than a sketchbook and colored pencils and stuff so I can carry it around more easily :D)
Writing wise...haven't been doing as much of that, sadly. I've come up with lots of ideas...but haven't had time to get them written yet. I've actually done more drawing of the characters than writing them (is that sentence grammatically correct? I got six hours of sleep last night. I think it's understandable.). Hey, at least drawing them is giving me ideas about their personality!
I've also splurged a little bit and bought myself another lightsaber. I like the ones I have back home, but it's really tough to use them because they're huge. xD So I got what's basically a kids' size one (I have absolutely tiny hands, haha) and that's been working pretty well. About the same size as my katana, which I finally got last summer. Not sharp, but made of actual metal and with an actual sheath and pretty awesome. :D
I had something I was going to write here...oh, that's right. I heard about this little coffee shop right by campus, walking distance from my dorm. It's been here for almost twenty years and it's a pretty neat place. (It's where I facetimed you from, Jamie and Rachel.) They have this "secret sauce" that they put in their coffee that is sort of vanilla flavored and really, really good. They also have tea, I think, which is something I'll have to try soon. There's this one seat that's kinda-sorta a window seat, it's raised sort of like one of those tall tables at restaurants, and there's a window near it, but this part is halfway closed in and has a corner that's perfect for leaning back in. There are comfortable cushions and one of those raised tables and space for my backpack and an outlet for my laptop right there. In the warmer weather, I sat outside a lot because it was so hot and humid. There are booths and couches and stuff in this sort of porch area out there. But the temperature has dropped unusually for this time of year (apparently), and so I've resigned myself to coming inside to study or relax here--and this seat usually opens up at some point and I'll take it. They have cool concerts and stuff here, and open mic night almost every Wednesday, but I haven't gone to any of that yet (thanks, homework). Soon, I hope. It would be a nice way to spend an evening!
Next semester I'm gonna be taking mostly art and film classes. My adviser says I can take an independent reading course for credit hours, so I'll definitely be taking advantage of that. I might also take a mythology course, or possibly a course in creative writing, if I can get into that. They usually don't offer it to freshmen, but I'm going to email the professor and see what happens, because getting college credit for writing would be pretty epic.
There's also the possibility, at the end of my four years here, of doing a creative thesis. That means that instead of having to write a million-page strictly academic paper--not that that's a bad thing, it's just not as fun as what I'm about to say--you can make an art porfolio. Or possibly a movie. One girl is currently writing a novel. A novel. And it counts as her thesis! Needless to say, this is my kind of thesis and I will definitely be doing my best to be able to complete one.
One kid did his thesis his sophomore year. If I can manage a novel-for-thesis project, who knows? Maybe I'll join the club. I'm pretty sure you get credit for working on your thesis, or something like that.
Finals are currently in full swing. Tomorrow I'm finishing up my last art class assignments, and Monday I have my finals in Bible and Latin. Those shouldn't be terribly hard. And on Tuesday I have my art final...and then Wednesday I go home and I get to see my family (and Bandit, whom I've been missing quite a bit!) My dad's side of the family, his sister and her husband and all three of my cousins, are coming to visit on the 26th too.
Also there is the small matter of the Hobbit movie, which I haven't had access to yet. I'm reserving any and all judgments on it until I see it. I wonder if there's another art book for this one. I have the art and design book for the first one, and it's INCREDIBLE and I highly recommend it if you like artsy behind-the-scenes stuff. Or Weta Workshop. Or both. (Which if you like one or the other, you probably do like both.)
*drinks coffee* I was never much of a coffee drinker before this. I mean, I'd have the occasional Starbucks or cup of coffee when we were over at someone's house or when we had company or something, but it wasn't until this year that I started regularly drinking coffee. (And Dr. Pepper, but that's another story.) It's not an actual habit, more one of those "I quite like this beverage, I believe I will partake in another one now." I.E. I went three weeks without coffee when I was sick, and had no problems whatsoever. Hopefully it'll stay that way. Caffeine used to calm me down and put me to sleep, so...
Anyway, that's basically what I can think of right now for this post. I'll probably come up with more stuff, and I'll definitely be trying to update at least once a week, no matter how short the posts are. I want to actually get good at this blogging thing, because it's really fun and I quite enjoy it.
(Sorry for the wait, Jamie. Here it is, post dinner still, but a lot more post than I thought.)
That is all. u_u
*posts post*
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
A Promise
Hello all (but especially Jamie since I just got your postcards; I keep forgetting to check my mailbox but I'm making a point of doing so every couple days from now on!)
This is a promise that at some point today, between now and midnight Central Time, I will be making an actual blog post so you all know what I've been up to lately. u_u
HOLD ME TO THIS. PESTER ME VIA SKYPE OR TEXTING OR WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY, JUST HOLD ME TO THIS. ^_^
That is all u_u
This is a promise that at some point today, between now and midnight Central Time, I will be making an actual blog post so you all know what I've been up to lately. u_u
HOLD ME TO THIS. PESTER ME VIA SKYPE OR TEXTING OR WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY, JUST HOLD ME TO THIS. ^_^
That is all u_u
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Wow, it's been a while...
(This post is dedicated to Jamie. Here it is, as promised!)
So. I haven't posted since Sauron conquered Mirkwood. Perhaps nothing since has been able to compare to that momentous event? Well, actually that's not true. I'm home from the undisclosed location, I have a job, I still haven't fully learned to drive, I've written the first draft of a novel, I'm about to start work on a second, unrelated novel...and I have two lightsabers. Yes, two lightsabers. My past couple days may or may not have been spent changing the color of their blades and deciding which I liked best for various characters my brain is demanding I come up with.
Anyway.
My mirror in my room is covered in a map and a list, both related to my new book, which will be called Tertius, I think. I'm writing it for Camp NaNoWriMo, which is like NaNoWriMo, but in April. u_u And you can write whatever you'd like, so I might try making semi-regular blog posts to add to my word count. ^_^ Semi-regular meaning every two or three days...
And yes, you read what I said right in the first paragraph. I have a job. I'm working for my parents, doing odd jobs around the house, and helping my mom put together a choir curriculum. Naturally this job involves art and music and video editing. And lots of time during which I can listen to audiobooks, and incredible podcasts like the one Jamie recommended in her latest blog post. (GO LISTEN, IF YOU HAVEN'T YET. DO IT. NOW.)
I've also been making paper mache armor and assorted other articles for a costume that will hopefully not only go with my new lightsabers, but with my other assorted weaponry as well! Who would've thought that paper mache clay could be so much fun to work with, or that I'd be found outside slaving over a mask with a dremel for an hour, or spray painting stuff copper, or getting gorilla glue all over my fingers and not being able to get it off for a couple days...well, considering I hadn't paper mache'd anything since I was about eight, it's a rare event. xD Though I must say I enjoyed it immensely, and I'll probably post pictures in the next couple days.
In other news, life is relatively normal. I'm about to launch into reading a whole bunch of books I should've read a long time ago, books I received during my stay at the undisclosed location. Books like "A Little Exercise for Young Theologians" by Helmut Thielicke and "Mere Humanity" by Dr. Donald Williams. ^_^ Among MANY other things. If I find any I especially like, I'll probably wind up ranting about them. A lot. Yeah.
So, anyway, I can't think of much more to add, other than that I may post a video from the recent karate tournament I was in if y'all want, or that I finally joined the karate demonstration team again, or that drawing is very fun. u_u
In other words, I guess, for now, that is all. u_u
So. I haven't posted since Sauron conquered Mirkwood. Perhaps nothing since has been able to compare to that momentous event? Well, actually that's not true. I'm home from the undisclosed location, I have a job, I still haven't fully learned to drive, I've written the first draft of a novel, I'm about to start work on a second, unrelated novel...and I have two lightsabers. Yes, two lightsabers. My past couple days may or may not have been spent changing the color of their blades and deciding which I liked best for various characters my brain is demanding I come up with.
Anyway.
My mirror in my room is covered in a map and a list, both related to my new book, which will be called Tertius, I think. I'm writing it for Camp NaNoWriMo, which is like NaNoWriMo, but in April. u_u And you can write whatever you'd like, so I might try making semi-regular blog posts to add to my word count. ^_^ Semi-regular meaning every two or three days...
And yes, you read what I said right in the first paragraph. I have a job. I'm working for my parents, doing odd jobs around the house, and helping my mom put together a choir curriculum. Naturally this job involves art and music and video editing. And lots of time during which I can listen to audiobooks, and incredible podcasts like the one Jamie recommended in her latest blog post. (GO LISTEN, IF YOU HAVEN'T YET. DO IT. NOW.)
I've also been making paper mache armor and assorted other articles for a costume that will hopefully not only go with my new lightsabers, but with my other assorted weaponry as well! Who would've thought that paper mache clay could be so much fun to work with, or that I'd be found outside slaving over a mask with a dremel for an hour, or spray painting stuff copper, or getting gorilla glue all over my fingers and not being able to get it off for a couple days...well, considering I hadn't paper mache'd anything since I was about eight, it's a rare event. xD Though I must say I enjoyed it immensely, and I'll probably post pictures in the next couple days.
In other news, life is relatively normal. I'm about to launch into reading a whole bunch of books I should've read a long time ago, books I received during my stay at the undisclosed location. Books like "A Little Exercise for Young Theologians" by Helmut Thielicke and "Mere Humanity" by Dr. Donald Williams. ^_^ Among MANY other things. If I find any I especially like, I'll probably wind up ranting about them. A lot. Yeah.
So, anyway, I can't think of much more to add, other than that I may post a video from the recent karate tournament I was in if y'all want, or that I finally joined the karate demonstration team again, or that drawing is very fun. u_u
In other words, I guess, for now, that is all. u_u
Sunday, October 28, 2012
In which Sauron conquers Mirkwood
This post was written for one week ago, but of course I
forgot to post it. >_<
Hello.
SO sorry it took me so long to update. When you have busy
weeks and only about five hours of internet on Sunday and that’s it, it’s hard
to remember to write... >_>
ANYWAY...Friday marked the halfway point of my time here at
the undisclosed location. xD Six whole weeks. It’s flown by...doesn’t seem like it’s been this long. I guess I’ll just
try to give you a week-by-week summary; nothing too long since I’m leaving for
church in less than an hour.
Week one was filled with games and such, sorta like
icebreakers, so that we could all get to know each other. If I remember right,
we went on a hike to a lake which most people who had seen real lakes decided looked more like a pond. But it was really nice
out there, and we all got to drink from the place where the stream that fed the
lake (thus making it a lake, if I remember right....) came out of the ground.
It was really cool. xD
Week two...uh...classes started that week, I think. I think
it was the Bible class we’re taking here. We had one teacher for a while, and
then the professor we all rather dreaded arrived. I shall not reveal his name,
as it would reveal my location, but suffice it to say that many people were
rather scared of him. I was seriously expecting someone who looked like a drill
sergeant. The night he arrived, we all sat in the classroom for quite a long
time, as his flight was delayed. People kept shouting “HE’S COMING!” every time
they saw anyone approaching. After several false alarms, we grew rather lax,
and the time he really came was the
time when many of us gave up trying to sit up super straight and generally act
like people who really wanted to make a good impression. Of course. Fortunately, when he walked into the room, he more
strongly resembled the kindly next-door neighbor of six years I had before I
moved. Nevertheless, he’s very good at questioning your ideas, no matter
whether they’re right or wrong, making you really think about them. I walked
out of that classroom feeling like I’d never had a real thought in my life! xD
Around this time, approximately the end of the second? week,
my friend Skylar got sick with what I think was the flu. Of course, the next
morning, I was also sick with it,
along with two or three other people. On the bright side, I’d stayed up playing
Slap with the chef and two of the other students for several nights in a row,
and I was pretty tired and needed time to sleep...which is very rare here at the undisclosed location. So I lay in bed all
day, actually thanking God for my being sick, because not only did I get to
face my fear of the stomach side of the flu (which I got only very mildly, thank goodness), I actually
got to sleep!!!!!! xD I was back in class the next day, but it was really nice
just to relax for a while. And my friends were awesome. One has already
graduated college and is already a nurse, so she gave me vitamins and advised
me on how to get well. (As the undisclosed location lacks any sort of medical
personnel whatsoever, she’s basically taken on the role of nurse here.) My
roommate was really nice and went to get her for me in the morning when I first
realized I was sick. And one of my Slap friends made me toast for dinner. ^_^
Anyway...enough about this. Sunday we went to host homes
from the church we’re attending, where we had lunch and got to use the Internet
and had the opportunity to get to know some of the church people better. Turns
out my host family was from the same state that I’m going to college in, so
they were telling me I’d love it there, et cetera. ^_^
The next week, I’m pretty sure we had more
classes...everything’s sort of a blur of class, games of pool in the game room,
maybe some excursions places. I think I went to Walmart (nearest Walmart is an
hour away...) during week 3 and bought yarn and a crochet hook and learned to
make hats from my roommate and one of the mentors. As the specifics are sort of
melding together, I’m going to summarize what we did. Amid English Lit,
politics, and church history classes, we worked twice weekly on improvement
projects here on the property. I’ve sanded and stained part of the building I
stay in, dug ditches, pulled weeds, helped in the kitchen, assisted in
organizing a tool shed...basically done a bunch of different things. We went to
a town about 1.5 hours away on my roommate’s birthday and went shopping.
There’s a really awesome bookstore there, a used bookstore where the books are
piled haphazardly and several rows deep. It’s basically a place that looks like
it used to be a house, but someone filled it with books and made a few walkways
through them. xD It’s AWESOME.
We also went camping, about a week after I was sick. I wound
up in a six-person tent with only one other girl. We woke up in the middle of
the night freezing cold, and after she went outside to walk around for a while,
to try to warm herself up, she came back in and reported that it was actually
warmer out there than it was in the tent! We wound up sleeping under the stars
for the rest of the night. It was really beautiful ^_^
We’ve also been to the Great Sand Dunes, which is basically
a bunch of sand dunes sitting randomly in the middle of the rocky mountains. We
went sand sledding and sandboarding...I went down a rather large sand dune on
the sand sled and got my ears, eyes, and nose FILLED with sand. But it was
really fun anyway xD And it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL.
And we got to go to Walmart after that. Before coming here,
I never realized how exciting a trip to Walmart could be...
Oh! And last weekend, the worship pastor from the church
allowed a group of us to play for the service. I got to play keyboard/piano for
maybe...six or seven songs? It was a really cool experience, something I’ve
always wanted to do, but haven’t had many opportunities to. I’m pretty sure we
get to play every other week, which I’m really excited about ^_^
So, that’s basically life here. Class, class, and more
class; work crews; the occasional excursion to somewhere in the relative
wilderness, or Walmart, or town; music... And many, many, many games of Risk. A bunch of us wound up starting a game about
three days ago, and it’s become what I think is probably a nightly thing. Last
night I wound up playing both normal Risk and Lord of the Rings Risk. After
allowing myself to die in the regular Risk game, I focused on my LotR game.
LotR Risk is a four-person game. My friend Sam and I were playing using plastic
Elves, riders of Rohan, and eagles, while two of my other friends, at one point
during the game jokingly dubbed Sauron and Saruman (even though ‘Saruman’ was a
girl...) played using plastic orcs, Nazgul, and cave trolls. xD
We spent quite a long time on this game, both playing it and
complaining about the innacuracies of the map. One of the mentors even pulled
out his copy of The Two Towers to compare the map to the board. xD
It came down to me and Sauron. I had nearly all my plastic
Elves in Mirkwood, and he owned everything else. xD So we basically pushed both
our armies into the middle of the board and fought one huge battle. He had
maybe...a five to seven times larger army, so he beat me, but the Elves fought
valiantly. xD It was very entertaining.
Anyway, so now I’m sitting here, having slept in the
classroom as my roommate is sick (there’s a horrible cold going around...), and
writing this blog post. Tonight will probably either involve yet another game
of Risk, or watching a movie and discussing it with a group of people. Aside
from American football on Thanksgiving (I don’t even watch American
football, normally...), I don’t get
television here. The torturous part is that the new seasons of Touch and Doctor Who came out. Since I’ve been here. I’ve tried downloading
one of the Doctor Who episodes, but the internet is torturously slow, so I
probably won’t get it for another six weeks. That’s no big deal, as I still
need to finish the rest of the seasons....*cough*...and we’re not really
supposed to watch TV or movies here (but some people do, and you don’t really
get in trouble as long as you don’t watch them when you’re supposed to be
studying or exercising or something. I’d watch it at night, during free time,
when many people go to bed anyway, so it wouldn’t take away from anything...)
...
Anyway, it’s fifteen minutes before church, and I need to
get ready, so I’ll sign off for now. Fare thee well, friends, and until next week!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
PANIC!!!!!!!
I'm. Leaving. Tomorrow.
Oh wow.
Anyway...my apologies for not posting for so long. I've been a bit busy trying to fit in visits with real world friends, packing, preparing, and whatnot. >_>
So...tomorrow morning at about 8:00 I leave my house, not to return for three months. I'm off to an undisclosed location (if you know me, you know where it is, I think), for a semester program of epic proportions. Who knows what will happen while I'm gone and only have Internet for *gasp* about five hours a week?!?!?!
I'll live. I think. xD It'll be good for me to get away from Internet and whatnot. :P
So, anyway, I'll be writing LOTS of letters, sending the occasional text, and being on the computer once a week, if you'd like to contact me.
So...anyway. I'm working on packing STILL...such a procrastinator. Trying to stuff as much stuff as possible into my backpack, backpack purse thing, and two suitcases, one of which is halfway as tall as I am, and rather wider...and weighs 50 pounds...
Not to mention tomorrow is my first solo plane flight!!!! =D
Jamie--it was fun to hear that my slightly offhand comment about getting a passport got you dreaming about international travel. xD I went to go apply today, and the office was closed. I'm gonna have to go to a post office in my undisclosed location in order to apply. xD
So, anyway, I'll be posting once a week with my adventures, and whatnot...I'll also be checking all of your blogs, in order to keep up with what's happening with you guys.
"See" you all soon!
Now, I've got to go pack my chocolate and my Twizzlers. v_v
That is all. u_u
Oh wow.
Anyway...my apologies for not posting for so long. I've been a bit busy trying to fit in visits with real world friends, packing, preparing, and whatnot. >_>
So...tomorrow morning at about 8:00 I leave my house, not to return for three months. I'm off to an undisclosed location (if you know me, you know where it is, I think), for a semester program of epic proportions. Who knows what will happen while I'm gone and only have Internet for *gasp* about five hours a week?!?!?!
I'll live. I think. xD It'll be good for me to get away from Internet and whatnot. :P
So, anyway, I'll be writing LOTS of letters, sending the occasional text, and being on the computer once a week, if you'd like to contact me.
So...anyway. I'm working on packing STILL...such a procrastinator. Trying to stuff as much stuff as possible into my backpack, backpack purse thing, and two suitcases, one of which is halfway as tall as I am, and rather wider...and weighs 50 pounds...
Not to mention tomorrow is my first solo plane flight!!!! =D
Jamie--it was fun to hear that my slightly offhand comment about getting a passport got you dreaming about international travel. xD I went to go apply today, and the office was closed. I'm gonna have to go to a post office in my undisclosed location in order to apply. xD
So, anyway, I'll be posting once a week with my adventures, and whatnot...I'll also be checking all of your blogs, in order to keep up with what's happening with you guys.
"See" you all soon!
Now, I've got to go pack my chocolate and my Twizzlers. v_v
That is all. u_u
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