Before I say anything else, I want to make it perfectly clear that this story is one hundred percent true, not embellished by anything, exactly as I remember it. All right. Here we go.
Because of Tropical Storm Irene, our home and surrounding property sustained damage, so we put in a request to FEMA for disaster relief. On Sunday, the FEMA guy* came to our house to assess the damage.
Being the socially suave animal that I am, I always feel awkward when service people come to the house and I'm just sitting there, doing nothing, or carrying on with my normal life. I realize that I don't need to feel awkward, but the fact remains that I do. There's something that feels just WRONG with just having jelly toast when the furnace man is working his butt off and I'm doing nothing to help, not even paying any attention to him.
I actually had the conscious thought "I don't feel like being social right now", so instead of remaining at the kitchen table and continuing to work on a plan for NaNoWriMo (like a normal person would), I decided to take my noveling folder and head upstairs to my room, to essentially hide away until the FEMA guy had gone. Since there was no damage to the upstairs, I figured that I would be out of the way. I sat down on my bed and put my headphones on, turned up the Jonathan Coulton music** and pulled out my pen.
Everything was wonderful until mom called up the stairs "We're coming up there, are you okay?" now, this might be a normal occurrence in someone else's home, but my room isn't a mom-free zone, and announcing her presence as she came up the stairs is something that just never happens. Even though it was a normal thing to say, it felt like she was yelling "come on, make sure you've got your pants on."
So I looked up from my writing, and suddenly, I realized that I had left at least three bras on my desk, the middle of the floor, and on my CD rack. Panicking now, I ran around like mad, scooping up my underthings from their precarious positions where they had been strewn, and cursing my untidy nature. Finally, I managed to corral my brassieres, and had just managed to tuck them away in the bra-housing-place, when the FEMA guy came up the stairs. I posed myself in what I hoped was a casual place, over by my desk.
This would have been a perfectly fine idea if I had followed through with actually being interested in what was on my desk, but because of my aforementioned untidy nature, there was a stack of clean laundry to put away, a pile of cd's, and no place to work on something that would genuinely hold my attention for a few minutes, so I did what any normal person would do. I just sort of stood there, watching him and smiling like a loon.
My mom, standing behind him, having no idea why I looked the the cat that had just eaten the proverbial canary, kept giving me looks, trying to ask me what on earth was up by only using her eyes. Of course, all I could do was continue to smile at her, in what I hoped was a charming manner, all the while thinking "Oh god, this what I get for trying to avoid social interaction".
He just kind of looked at me, after he finished measuring the room and said, "Well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing, then". I think I thanked him and then he left, so I got out my guitar and played some wizard rock***.
After a little while, I thought that it might be awkward if I stayed in my room for the whole time the FEMA guy was here, so I packed up my stuff and made my way downstairs. My sister, who had the sense to remain at the kitchen table and keep on with her sewing project, saw me return from my hidey-hole, and without my needing to say a single word, casually said "He's outside".
I spent the rest of his visit pretending to play it really cool, but paying VERY close attention to the door to see if Mister FEMA Man was going to return.
He didn't.
The moral of this story is twofold. One, I am a gloriously socially awkward human being, and two, hiding from the FEMA man only makes it worse.
Good people of the blog, this is my brain. Good night.
* Dear FEMA guy: if you are reading this, I hope I amused you, and that you didn't think I was hiding drugs in my room or something.
** The amount of time I've spent listening to The Princess Who Saved Herself and watching the Doctor Who music video that a fan did to go along with it is absurd.
*** Story of my life, people.
Showing posts with label storytime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label storytime. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Week Eleven: "...let me dance in the glitter."
The dedicated blog readers who have been with me from the beginning (February/March 2010), or who have read back that far*, will recall True Colors, the absolutely fantastic conference for lgbtq(etc, etc, etc**) folks.
If you haven't, and don't feel like going back to look it up, or I haven't been non-stop yakking to you about it already, here's a refresher.
3,000 lgbtq youth and the people who support us, rainbows, laughter, friendship, entertainment, all packed into two full days of workshops, keynotes and even a dance.
This year will be my first time presenting, but my fourth time at the conference overall.
Being in a place full of such acceptance and unconditional love is such a heartwarming feeling. Not to say that I don't have that at home, which I do, most certainly. Spending a weekend with 3,000 people who are all so wonderful is simply energizing.
Four years ago, I went to the conference as a 14 year old, straight ally daughter of lesbian moms.
This year, I will be going as a 18 year old, third generation queer*** presenter.
I've grown and learned a lot about myself, and I'm beyond happy with both who I am, and where I'm going.
It's not only the anniversary of going to TC, but it's also the anniversary of this blog. (In my mind, the February 2010 posts don't /really/ count. Even though they do.)
I'd like to thank each and every one of you. You've let me into your lives, and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed getting to know you all. Each comment, each follower and every one of you who attempted/are attempting to do BOW'11 with me mean so much.
Thank you all so very much, and let's go onto another year!
One more thing:
Bring on the rainbows, and let me dance in the glitter.
~Whimsy
* Or those who speak to me regularly on Skype or another social network.
**Forgive me for using the short string of letters, please. I'm not writing out the whole QUILTBAGPIPE initialisim every time, but I'm doing it in my head, believe me.
***My grandad, my mum and now myself are all queer. ^___^
If you haven't, and don't feel like going back to look it up, or I haven't been non-stop yakking to you about it already, here's a refresher.
3,000 lgbtq youth and the people who support us, rainbows, laughter, friendship, entertainment, all packed into two full days of workshops, keynotes and even a dance.
This year will be my first time presenting, but my fourth time at the conference overall.
Being in a place full of such acceptance and unconditional love is such a heartwarming feeling. Not to say that I don't have that at home, which I do, most certainly. Spending a weekend with 3,000 people who are all so wonderful is simply energizing.
Four years ago, I went to the conference as a 14 year old, straight ally daughter of lesbian moms.
This year, I will be going as a 18 year old, third generation queer*** presenter.
I've grown and learned a lot about myself, and I'm beyond happy with both who I am, and where I'm going.
It's not only the anniversary of going to TC, but it's also the anniversary of this blog. (In my mind, the February 2010 posts don't /really/ count. Even though they do.)
I'd like to thank each and every one of you. You've let me into your lives, and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed getting to know you all. Each comment, each follower and every one of you who attempted/are attempting to do BOW'11 with me mean so much.
Thank you all so very much, and let's go onto another year!
One more thing:
Bring on the rainbows, and let me dance in the glitter.
~Whimsy
* Or those who speak to me regularly on Skype or another social network.
**Forgive me for using the short string of letters, please. I'm not writing out the whole QUILTBAGPIPE initialisim every time, but I'm doing it in my head, believe me.
***My grandad, my mum and now myself are all queer. ^___^
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Week Four: "Let a REAL MAN park the boat."
Brace yourself, my friends, for a tale of danger, hysterical laughter, melodrama and stupidity.
Last year, in the spring, it rained like WOAH. Now, I know that's not the most succinct sentence to begin on, but it's pretty crucial for the rest of the story.
Near my house, there's a brook. It's about waist deep at it's best, and about mayyyybe ten feet wide? Anyway, all that really matters is that it's SMALL, and pretty non-threatening. And then...it RAINED. It rained SO MUCH that my sister and I decided to take the canoe out, and paddle through the backyard and the woods.
At this point, the brook has gone from small-and-non-threatening to LARGE CURRENT OF WATER FLOWING REALLY FAST IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREAKING LAKE IN THE WOODS.
And so, we paddle. Nessa turns to me and suggests that we paddle across the DANGEROUS CURRENT*.
My reaction: O_____O
Her reaction: -___- "Live a little."
My reaction: *trepidation*
And so we struck out across the waters. Our intent was to reach the other side, turn around, and return to safe land, but about halfway across, the fast-moving stream caught up the back end of the boat, and we started to spin and drift downriver, away from the house and we kept going faster.
I think right now is a good time to mention that at the end of this stream, there's a waterfall. A big, huge, 8 foot PLUS waterfall.
Commence the panic.
I grab onto a small bit of tree in the middle of the overflowing river and clutch it, all the while babbling,
"Whimsy McWhimsysen**, age seventeen, was found dead in the brook this week. She is survived by her mothers, and her father. We remember her as a lover of theater, and a compassionate soul. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to The Harry Potter Alliance."
Yes, that's right, folks. I was writing my obituary. In the middle of a river. In a canoe. This brilliance was eclipsed by me, proclaiming that "I don't want to be the next spaghetti dinner".
There is SOME logic behind this. You see, if you live in a teeny tiny town like mine, when somebody dies, say, the fire dept will throw a spaghetti (or barbeque, or whatever) dinner as a fundraiser. That's what I WAS going for, but HELL NAW. Madness instead. WOO!
So after much deliberation, we decide to just go with the flow*** and try to go down the river, and veer off into the flooded woods. Thank heavens, we managed it. So, we float into the next-door neighbor's yard, and by extention his pond. It's pretty calm in there, so we head for an island that's been created from the swollen waters.
The island has a neat little dent in it, perfect to park the boat in. Nessa steers i, and JUST misses the wee cove (really, there's nothing at all wrong with how the boat is, keep this in mind). She gets out of the boat and onto the land. I grab the paddle and shove off from the land, effectivly abandoning her with the parting shot "Geez, WOMEN. Let a REAL MAN park the boat."****
...I know. What can I say?
So unbeknownst to me, the current was stronger than I had expected. The back of the boat starts twisting away, and I'm about ready to go back into my Twisting Spiral Of Doom And Panic About Spaghetti Dinners (TM) again. Luckily for the boat, me and my sanity, Nessa grabbed the boat and dragged it back up on the bank, saving my panicky self.
The rest of the day went without incident, but the events that I've mentioned are more than sufficient to provide the adventure aspect.
And THUS ends my story of melodrama.
All aspects of this story are %110 genuine. Really. Even my speech about my obituary.
OH! ALSO, I have created a new "about me" page. Go and check it out HERE and then if you have any questions that I DIDN'T answer, post 'em in a comment.
That's about all for this time, happy BOW'11ing! You guys are doing really well with the blogging every week thing. Kudos there!
Off to go work on an exciting new venture (which you'll unDOUBTEDLY hear about soon, so hold on, y'all),
~Whimsy
P.S. If you haven't seen it already, BOW'11 has a page of it's own. You can check it out HERE, and tell me what you think!
*Nessa is RIGHT NOW, in fact holding with her opinion that it was not, in fact dangerous. I'm running this by her, so I don't misquote her.
**Clearly, this was not the name I used, but let it be known, the rest of this is totally accurate.
***Dear god, I am WAY to happy about that bad pun.
****You all know I am very much not mysogynistic, BUT I do poke fun at those who are.
Last year, in the spring, it rained like WOAH. Now, I know that's not the most succinct sentence to begin on, but it's pretty crucial for the rest of the story.
Near my house, there's a brook. It's about waist deep at it's best, and about mayyyybe ten feet wide? Anyway, all that really matters is that it's SMALL, and pretty non-threatening. And then...it RAINED. It rained SO MUCH that my sister and I decided to take the canoe out, and paddle through the backyard and the woods.
At this point, the brook has gone from small-and-non-threatening to LARGE CURRENT OF WATER FLOWING REALLY FAST IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREAKING LAKE IN THE WOODS.
And so, we paddle. Nessa turns to me and suggests that we paddle across the DANGEROUS CURRENT*.
My reaction: O_____O
Her reaction: -___- "Live a little."
My reaction: *trepidation*
And so we struck out across the waters. Our intent was to reach the other side, turn around, and return to safe land, but about halfway across, the fast-moving stream caught up the back end of the boat, and we started to spin and drift downriver, away from the house and we kept going faster.
I think right now is a good time to mention that at the end of this stream, there's a waterfall. A big, huge, 8 foot PLUS waterfall.
Commence the panic.
I grab onto a small bit of tree in the middle of the overflowing river and clutch it, all the while babbling,
"Whimsy McWhimsysen**, age seventeen, was found dead in the brook this week. She is survived by her mothers, and her father. We remember her as a lover of theater, and a compassionate soul. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to The Harry Potter Alliance."
Yes, that's right, folks. I was writing my obituary. In the middle of a river. In a canoe. This brilliance was eclipsed by me, proclaiming that "I don't want to be the next spaghetti dinner".
There is SOME logic behind this. You see, if you live in a teeny tiny town like mine, when somebody dies, say, the fire dept will throw a spaghetti (or barbeque, or whatever) dinner as a fundraiser. That's what I WAS going for, but HELL NAW. Madness instead. WOO!
So after much deliberation, we decide to just go with the flow*** and try to go down the river, and veer off into the flooded woods. Thank heavens, we managed it. So, we float into the next-door neighbor's yard, and by extention his pond. It's pretty calm in there, so we head for an island that's been created from the swollen waters.
The island has a neat little dent in it, perfect to park the boat in. Nessa steers i, and JUST misses the wee cove (really, there's nothing at all wrong with how the boat is, keep this in mind). She gets out of the boat and onto the land. I grab the paddle and shove off from the land, effectivly abandoning her with the parting shot "Geez, WOMEN. Let a REAL MAN park the boat."****
...I know. What can I say?
So unbeknownst to me, the current was stronger than I had expected. The back of the boat starts twisting away, and I'm about ready to go back into my Twisting Spiral Of Doom And Panic About Spaghetti Dinners (TM) again. Luckily for the boat, me and my sanity, Nessa grabbed the boat and dragged it back up on the bank, saving my panicky self.
The rest of the day went without incident, but the events that I've mentioned are more than sufficient to provide the adventure aspect.
And THUS ends my story of melodrama.
All aspects of this story are %110 genuine. Really. Even my speech about my obituary.
OH! ALSO, I have created a new "about me" page. Go and check it out HERE and then if you have any questions that I DIDN'T answer, post 'em in a comment.
That's about all for this time, happy BOW'11ing! You guys are doing really well with the blogging every week thing. Kudos there!
Off to go work on an exciting new venture (which you'll unDOUBTEDLY hear about soon, so hold on, y'all),
~Whimsy
P.S. If you haven't seen it already, BOW'11 has a page of it's own. You can check it out HERE, and tell me what you think!
*Nessa is RIGHT NOW, in fact holding with her opinion that it was not, in fact dangerous. I'm running this by her, so I don't misquote her.
**Clearly, this was not the name I used, but let it be known, the rest of this is totally accurate.
***Dear god, I am WAY to happy about that bad pun.
****You all know I am very much not mysogynistic, BUT I do poke fun at those who are.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Week Three: A CHALLENGE!
I just finished reading Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise and Magic's Price, all by Mercedes Lackey. So. Freaking. Good. O___O
This doesn't happen much, but I knew pretty much as soon as I started reading the first book that I HAD. TO. HAVE. THEM.
I have griped (vocally, and often) about the lack of LGBT characters in fantasy novels. The Last Herald-Mage (LHM) books are indeed fantasy with a gay protagonist. YES! Oh, thank whatever-you-want-to-thank. Anyway, it's just nice to have a main character who's not your normal "hero(or anti-hero) goes on journey, finds self worth, destiny and opposite gendered lover along the way" type.
Seriously, if you haven't read the LHM books, then do so NOW. It was to the point where I was walking around with my nose in the book so far that I nearly walked into a wall. Maybe more than one.
Anyway, in other news my life is going well. Reading a lot lately, which is good. I had gotten away from reading tons, mostly due to watching un-godly amounts of Doctor Who and Torchwood (I REGRET NOTHING. SUCH PHENOMENAL TELEVISION.) and am back on my usual book-crazed path, and with a vengeance at that.
Because of that, I've been thinking about fictional characters lately, and not just in the "hey, I really love Remus Lupin, 'cuz he's a cool guy" kind of way. No, more in the "these characters are fictional people who I grew up with. Who I admire, in some cases."
So, I invite all of you to make a list of your top 5/10/20/30/you pick the number of favorite fictional characters, what books/movies/tv shows/plays/whatever that they're from, and why they're so cool. Why they stuck with you.
Here's mine, in no particular order.
1: Arthur Dent.
He's the last human from earth. He belongs to Douglas Adams, the creator of the fantastic Hitchhiker's Guide books. Arthur (by the way, having a hell of a time trying to spell his name properly) is just an ordinary guy, living his ordinary life and then all of a sudden, WHAM. He's off on a multi-dimensional space adventure, trying desperately to keep his mind, his towel and Ford Prefect by his side. What I like about his is that he's very HUMAN, he rolls with the punches (something that I don't do that well, for the record) and he tends to do what any normal person would do after being thrown into some very abnormal situations.
2: Holly Short.
She's from the Artemis Fowl books, written by Eoin Colfer. Holly is one of the toughest female characters that I know, and she's not even a HUMAN. She doesn't do the typical I-Am-A-Woman-So-I-Need-Saving-All-The-Time schtick, and I love her for that. She's incredibly smart, creative, compassionate, and she doesn't take any nonsense. That being said, she's also not perfect, like some authors can tend to do when creating a main character. She doesn't do well with authority (a trait we share) and tends to do things her own way, even if they stray a bit over the line of lawful. She tries to do her best, no matter the circumstance.
3: Paul. (Just googled it, and he hasn't got a last name. O__O)
Paul is the main character in Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, a book which I absolutely ADORE (and if you know me, I've probably talked your ear off about it, and tried to make you read it). There could be a whole blog post on why I like the book, but this is focused on the character. He's very whimsical, sweet, open minded, and yes, he is gay. I think the best thing about Paul is that he's so supportive of his friends, whoever they are. He's also quite the romantic, creative, and he marches to the beat of his own drum, no matter who is judging him.
4: Jacky Faber.
Opinionated, liberal-minded, gutsy, and overall one of the strongest (and still very much HUMAN) female characters I have had the pleasure of reading. Jacky is from L.A. Meyer's Bloody Jack books. I mean, the girl is a PIRATE...amongst other things. For living in the 1800's, she is about as rebel-tastic as it gets. She's impulsive, but clever, and the way she will always stick up for her friends, and for the anyone who's weaker and smaller than she is. She starts out as the lowest of the low (as a street rat) and works her way up the ladder through her own guile and wit. Did I mention that she's British? Yeah.
5: Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren is THE quintessential book about an unschooler EVER. (In my very biased opinion, that is.) She may be about 10, but that girl is a genius. The best bit about her, is she will give it back to whoever dishes it out, be it police, a schoolteacher, or whoever. She knows who she is, what she wants, and isn't afraid to go and get it. She's self-sufficient, creative and more than a bit crazy. She does things her own way, and 9 times out of ten, it ends up turning out okay. Despite the fact that these books are clearly written for young kids, (and translated from the original Swedish, which makes for interesting grammar sometimes) Pippi is fantastic.
Honestly, I can't pick who I want to do next*, so I'll leave it at five, for now.
Maybe I'll do this again, sometime. There are just SO MANY I'd like to discuss, and I don't want to give you a wall of text. ^___^
SO, If you made it through to the bottom of this, I challenge you to do your own. I stuck to books for mine, but that's just ME.
So with that, I leave you. I have to go dig out my copies of Hitchhiker's Guide, Artemis Fowl, Boy Meets Boy, Bloody Jack and Pippi Longstocking. I have reading to do.
Yours in books,
Whimsy
P.S.
If you have a book that I MUST READ, tell me. I'm always looking for new books.\
P.P.S. If you've read any of these books, let me know in a comment what you thought. I love comments. (I mean, you don't know how excited I get when I read that I have a new one. It's hilarious.)
*The list includes,
Jim Tanner (Treasure Island), Puck (Midsummer Night's Dream), Roger Davis (RENT), Joon (Benny and Joon), Severus Snape (Harry Potter), Alanna (Song Of The Lioness), Daine (The Immortals), Lani Garver (What Happened To Lani Garver), Meg Murry (A Wrinkle In Time), Jazz (Define 'Normal'), Jo March (Little Women) among others...
Also, I tried to keep it to ONE character from each book series. That's why there's not a TON of HP characters on there.
This doesn't happen much, but I knew pretty much as soon as I started reading the first book that I HAD. TO. HAVE. THEM.
I have griped (vocally, and often) about the lack of LGBT characters in fantasy novels. The Last Herald-Mage (LHM) books are indeed fantasy with a gay protagonist. YES! Oh, thank whatever-you-want-to-thank. Anyway, it's just nice to have a main character who's not your normal "hero(or anti-hero) goes on journey, finds self worth, destiny and opposite gendered lover along the way" type.
Seriously, if you haven't read the LHM books, then do so NOW. It was to the point where I was walking around with my nose in the book so far that I nearly walked into a wall. Maybe more than one.
Anyway, in other news my life is going well. Reading a lot lately, which is good. I had gotten away from reading tons, mostly due to watching un-godly amounts of Doctor Who and Torchwood (I REGRET NOTHING. SUCH PHENOMENAL TELEVISION.) and am back on my usual book-crazed path, and with a vengeance at that.
Because of that, I've been thinking about fictional characters lately, and not just in the "hey, I really love Remus Lupin, 'cuz he's a cool guy" kind of way. No, more in the "these characters are fictional people who I grew up with. Who I admire, in some cases."
So, I invite all of you to make a list of your top 5/10/20/30/you pick the number of favorite fictional characters, what books/movies/tv shows/plays/whatever that they're from, and why they're so cool. Why they stuck with you.
Here's mine, in no particular order.
1: Arthur Dent.
He's the last human from earth. He belongs to Douglas Adams, the creator of the fantastic Hitchhiker's Guide books. Arthur (by the way, having a hell of a time trying to spell his name properly) is just an ordinary guy, living his ordinary life and then all of a sudden, WHAM. He's off on a multi-dimensional space adventure, trying desperately to keep his mind, his towel and Ford Prefect by his side. What I like about his is that he's very HUMAN, he rolls with the punches (something that I don't do that well, for the record) and he tends to do what any normal person would do after being thrown into some very abnormal situations.
2: Holly Short.
She's from the Artemis Fowl books, written by Eoin Colfer. Holly is one of the toughest female characters that I know, and she's not even a HUMAN. She doesn't do the typical I-Am-A-Woman-So-I-Need-Saving-All-The-Time schtick, and I love her for that. She's incredibly smart, creative, compassionate, and she doesn't take any nonsense. That being said, she's also not perfect, like some authors can tend to do when creating a main character. She doesn't do well with authority (a trait we share) and tends to do things her own way, even if they stray a bit over the line of lawful. She tries to do her best, no matter the circumstance.
3: Paul. (Just googled it, and he hasn't got a last name. O__O)
Paul is the main character in Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, a book which I absolutely ADORE (and if you know me, I've probably talked your ear off about it, and tried to make you read it). There could be a whole blog post on why I like the book, but this is focused on the character. He's very whimsical, sweet, open minded, and yes, he is gay. I think the best thing about Paul is that he's so supportive of his friends, whoever they are. He's also quite the romantic, creative, and he marches to the beat of his own drum, no matter who is judging him.
4: Jacky Faber.
Opinionated, liberal-minded, gutsy, and overall one of the strongest (and still very much HUMAN) female characters I have had the pleasure of reading. Jacky is from L.A. Meyer's Bloody Jack books. I mean, the girl is a PIRATE...amongst other things. For living in the 1800's, she is about as rebel-tastic as it gets. She's impulsive, but clever, and the way she will always stick up for her friends, and for the anyone who's weaker and smaller than she is. She starts out as the lowest of the low (as a street rat) and works her way up the ladder through her own guile and wit. Did I mention that she's British? Yeah.
5: Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren is THE quintessential book about an unschooler EVER. (In my very biased opinion, that is.) She may be about 10, but that girl is a genius. The best bit about her, is she will give it back to whoever dishes it out, be it police, a schoolteacher, or whoever. She knows who she is, what she wants, and isn't afraid to go and get it. She's self-sufficient, creative and more than a bit crazy. She does things her own way, and 9 times out of ten, it ends up turning out okay. Despite the fact that these books are clearly written for young kids, (and translated from the original Swedish, which makes for interesting grammar sometimes) Pippi is fantastic.
Honestly, I can't pick who I want to do next*, so I'll leave it at five, for now.
Maybe I'll do this again, sometime. There are just SO MANY I'd like to discuss, and I don't want to give you a wall of text. ^___^
SO, If you made it through to the bottom of this, I challenge you to do your own. I stuck to books for mine, but that's just ME.
So with that, I leave you. I have to go dig out my copies of Hitchhiker's Guide, Artemis Fowl, Boy Meets Boy, Bloody Jack and Pippi Longstocking. I have reading to do.
Yours in books,
Whimsy
P.S.
If you have a book that I MUST READ, tell me. I'm always looking for new books.\
P.P.S. If you've read any of these books, let me know in a comment what you thought. I love comments. (I mean, you don't know how excited I get when I read that I have a new one. It's hilarious.)
*The list includes,
Jim Tanner (Treasure Island), Puck (Midsummer Night's Dream), Roger Davis (RENT), Joon (Benny and Joon), Severus Snape (Harry Potter), Alanna (Song Of The Lioness), Daine (The Immortals), Lani Garver (What Happened To Lani Garver), Meg Murry (A Wrinkle In Time), Jazz (Define 'Normal'), Jo March (Little Women) among others...
Also, I tried to keep it to ONE character from each book series. That's why there's not a TON of HP characters on there.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Week Two: An Adventure!
Sunday, January second.
In which Whimsy goes out on a shopping trip, and has quite a day.
As some of you may know, I got some of the typical female genes. Examples: The I-Love-Romantic-Comedies gene, the Hey-I-Like-To-Dress-Up-In-Fancy-Clothing-Sometimes gene, and a few more that for the life of me I can't think of right now, but that's pretty much where it ends. You see, I missed out on one of the most female-typical genes in the world.
I. Hate. Shopping. So. Much.
So, we start off with going to Target*. Now, if you've never been to Target, let me tell you about it. It's big, it's red and it's full of a LOT of crap that I would never buy.
Anyhow, I had to return something there, and while I was there, I saw jeans. I have REALLY LONG LEGS, and if you do not have long legs, you don't know the pain that is attempting to get pants to fit your legs. Mostly, I get my clothes at thrift stores, since (most of the time) I find that paying $25 dollars for a pair of pants, no matter HOW brilliant they are is just stupid.
There I am, in the target jeans section. WHO KNEW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF JEANS???
So, I grab a few pairs that look like they'd be in my right range, regardless of one being a "fit 3" and the other being a "fit 6".
So, I go into the changing room, and I start to pull on the jeans. They're getting caught on my socks, so I pull off my socks, and try again. After fighting with this pair of jeans for around about five min, I finally get them on. My legs feel like sausages stuffed into VERY TIGHT CASING. Stiff-leggedly, I wander over to show the rest of my family.
Sister: "WOAH."
Me: "I. Cannot. Move."
Sister: *snickers*
Me: *looking down at rag on jeans* "This says 'Skinny'. These must be 'skinny jeans'. I will never wear these again."
So, I go back to the dressing room, and find a pair that does NOT say "skinny", and try that on. I end up with two pairs of 'bootcut' jeans...whatever THAT means.
So, we're leaving the store...FINALLY, and I see the Converse shoes display, and a pair of purple Converse. My first thought: "Ten wore those..." And then, "EVERYONE WEARS THOSE". People who followed me during BEDA, will recall my intense dislike of ANYTHING "conformist", so I brushed by them, after asking my mum, (who has much better fashion sense than I do) if I could wear my white sneakers with my new (very dark blue) jeans. She suggested that we look at the shoes, since I had never really liked my sneakers...
I had Intense Emotional Turmoil over these shoes, but FINALLY, new shoes. Plaid converse shoes. (The purple wasn't in my size. I was sad.)
Now, what the most hilarious bit is, I LOVE THESE NEW SHOES. For the first time in a LONG TIME, I like my shoes.
There was no point to that. Now you know what shoes I wear.
ANYHOW.
Bookstore! Whimsy becomes MUCH happier. I got Dash and Lily's Book Of Dares, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I am ALREADY DONE WITH IT. Such a good book. Such awesome characters. So much laughter. You all need to go and read that book. RIGHT NOW.
The other book I got is The Wake Of The Lorelei Lee. It's the eighth book in the Bloody Jack books, a series I COULD NOT LOVE MORE IF I TRIED. Pirates, feminists, street urchins, Brits, history, well done writing, a fantastic heroine, seafaring...all that good stuff. Read those too. Start with Bloody Jack, and keep going.
On our way home, after stopping at a few more places**, we start to realize that the car is acting weird. On the way home, the car breaks down...THREE TIMES.
Thank whatever-it-is-you-believe-in, but we somehow made it home. WOW.
Oh, in the next few weeks, I will be talking about one of my newest obsessions, Doctor Who and Torchwood, and HOPEFULLY changing my blog background.
That is the longest post EVER about nothing at all.
Too long, didn't read?
I hate shopping, skinny jeans and conformity, I own Converse, read books, the car broke but I'm okay, I love Who and Torchwood, and ZOMG THE BLOG MAY LOOK DIFFERENT SOON.
*falls on floor to watch chick flicks*
Vividly,
Whimsy
*Yes, bad and anti-gay, but what are you going to do? I already boycott Wal*Mart.
**Fabric store for fabric for a tunic my sister is making me, and electronic store.
In which Whimsy goes out on a shopping trip, and has quite a day.
As some of you may know, I got some of the typical female genes. Examples: The I-Love-Romantic-Comedies gene, the Hey-I-Like-To-Dress-Up-In-Fancy-Clothing-Sometimes gene, and a few more that for the life of me I can't think of right now, but that's pretty much where it ends. You see, I missed out on one of the most female-typical genes in the world.
I. Hate. Shopping. So. Much.
So, we start off with going to Target*. Now, if you've never been to Target, let me tell you about it. It's big, it's red and it's full of a LOT of crap that I would never buy.
Anyhow, I had to return something there, and while I was there, I saw jeans. I have REALLY LONG LEGS, and if you do not have long legs, you don't know the pain that is attempting to get pants to fit your legs. Mostly, I get my clothes at thrift stores, since (most of the time) I find that paying $25 dollars for a pair of pants, no matter HOW brilliant they are is just stupid.
There I am, in the target jeans section. WHO KNEW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF JEANS???
So, I grab a few pairs that look like they'd be in my right range, regardless of one being a "fit 3" and the other being a "fit 6".
So, I go into the changing room, and I start to pull on the jeans. They're getting caught on my socks, so I pull off my socks, and try again. After fighting with this pair of jeans for around about five min, I finally get them on. My legs feel like sausages stuffed into VERY TIGHT CASING. Stiff-leggedly, I wander over to show the rest of my family.
Sister: "WOAH."
Me: "I. Cannot. Move."
Sister: *snickers*
Me: *looking down at rag on jeans* "This says 'Skinny'. These must be 'skinny jeans'. I will never wear these again."
So, I go back to the dressing room, and find a pair that does NOT say "skinny", and try that on. I end up with two pairs of 'bootcut' jeans...whatever THAT means.
So, we're leaving the store...FINALLY, and I see the Converse shoes display, and a pair of purple Converse. My first thought: "Ten wore those..." And then, "EVERYONE WEARS THOSE". People who followed me during BEDA, will recall my intense dislike of ANYTHING "conformist", so I brushed by them, after asking my mum, (who has much better fashion sense than I do) if I could wear my white sneakers with my new (very dark blue) jeans. She suggested that we look at the shoes, since I had never really liked my sneakers...
I had Intense Emotional Turmoil over these shoes, but FINALLY, new shoes. Plaid converse shoes. (The purple wasn't in my size. I was sad.)
Now, what the most hilarious bit is, I LOVE THESE NEW SHOES. For the first time in a LONG TIME, I like my shoes.
There was no point to that. Now you know what shoes I wear.
ANYHOW.
Bookstore! Whimsy becomes MUCH happier. I got Dash and Lily's Book Of Dares, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I am ALREADY DONE WITH IT. Such a good book. Such awesome characters. So much laughter. You all need to go and read that book. RIGHT NOW.
The other book I got is The Wake Of The Lorelei Lee. It's the eighth book in the Bloody Jack books, a series I COULD NOT LOVE MORE IF I TRIED. Pirates, feminists, street urchins, Brits, history, well done writing, a fantastic heroine, seafaring...all that good stuff. Read those too. Start with Bloody Jack, and keep going.
On our way home, after stopping at a few more places**, we start to realize that the car is acting weird. On the way home, the car breaks down...THREE TIMES.
Thank whatever-it-is-you-believe-in, but we somehow made it home. WOW.
Oh, in the next few weeks, I will be talking about one of my newest obsessions, Doctor Who and Torchwood, and HOPEFULLY changing my blog background.
That is the longest post EVER about nothing at all.
Too long, didn't read?
I hate shopping, skinny jeans and conformity, I own Converse, read books, the car broke but I'm okay, I love Who and Torchwood, and ZOMG THE BLOG MAY LOOK DIFFERENT SOON.
*falls on floor to watch chick flicks*
Vividly,
Whimsy
*Yes, bad and anti-gay, but what are you going to do? I already boycott Wal*Mart.
**Fabric store for fabric for a tunic my sister is making me, and electronic store.
Friday, August 20, 2010
BEDA, Day 20: Names, backstories and plotlines, oh my!
So, my friends. I have bits about my novel to share with you.
I've been thinking about my NaNovel, and I have come up with (what I think are) some good ideas.
I have two stories that I'm working off of this year, a plotline and a (stupidly extensive) backstory. The backstory follows the lives of the FIRST five people on my list, and the main plotline follows the daughters of the first five.
The idea behind the story is that the BACKSTORY is your everyday fantasy plot with good triumphing over evil, etc, etc. However, the perceptions of "good" and "evil" have been skewed by the people who are telling the history/public perception/combined with the fact that scared people will believe just about anything, even though both parties are equally in the wrong.
Anywho...
I'm VERY picky about names, so picking what I'm going to call my characters is a BIG deal.
I'm including a bit of a bio about each of them, and be warned...NEARLY EVERYONE DIES. But it needed to happen. I am sad about killing them, honest. :(
So far, I have these:
Cairene Llewellyn - Princess who was born by the King and another woman, shunned since birth, only member of royal line left; becomes Queen by end of the Backstory.
Liam Newlin - Commoner boy, family dies in combo flood/famine, teams up with Cairene, eventually marries her, becomes King by end of Backstory
Tavis Bronwy - Loner-type young adult, marries Ziske for appearance's sake, has child with her by end of Backstory.
Ziska (Ziske) Arwydd - Young woman from the mountains, powerful mage, married to Tavis, but her heartmate is Shivaun/Carys/Malia. Dead by end of Backstory by Liam and Cairene; has infant.
Shivaun/Carys/Malia Riedwyn - Young woman, mage from small village in upper country, loves and is together with Ziske. Tavis and she get along fine, no battle for Ziske's heart. Dead by end of Backstory.
---
Talaith Bronwy (Arwydd) - Daughter of Tavis, Ziske and Shivaun.
Aneira/Ariene/Elain Llewellyn - Daughter of Cairene and Liam.
--------
So, waddya think?
Also, I will be away until Monday. Expect regular posts, but comments shall be replied to when I get back.
Have a wonderous weekend, all!
~Whimsy
P.S. I shall miss keeping up on my other BEDA friends's blogs. :( However, I am off to do AWESOME THINGS, so it's all great. ^_^
I've been thinking about my NaNovel, and I have come up with (what I think are) some good ideas.
I have two stories that I'm working off of this year, a plotline and a (stupidly extensive) backstory. The backstory follows the lives of the FIRST five people on my list, and the main plotline follows the daughters of the first five.
The idea behind the story is that the BACKSTORY is your everyday fantasy plot with good triumphing over evil, etc, etc. However, the perceptions of "good" and "evil" have been skewed by the people who are telling the history/public perception/combined with the fact that scared people will believe just about anything, even though both parties are equally in the wrong.
Anywho...
I'm VERY picky about names, so picking what I'm going to call my characters is a BIG deal.
I'm including a bit of a bio about each of them, and be warned...NEARLY EVERYONE DIES. But it needed to happen. I am sad about killing them, honest. :(
So far, I have these:
Cairene Llewellyn - Princess who was born by the King and another woman, shunned since birth, only member of royal line left; becomes Queen by end of the Backstory.
Liam Newlin - Commoner boy, family dies in combo flood/famine, teams up with Cairene, eventually marries her, becomes King by end of Backstory
Tavis Bronwy - Loner-type young adult, marries Ziske for appearance's sake, has child with her by end of Backstory.
Ziska (Ziske) Arwydd - Young woman from the mountains, powerful mage, married to Tavis, but her heartmate is Shivaun/Carys/Malia. Dead by end of Backstory by Liam and Cairene; has infant.
Shivaun/Carys/Malia Riedwyn - Young woman, mage from small village in upper country, loves and is together with Ziske. Tavis and she get along fine, no battle for Ziske's heart. Dead by end of Backstory.
---
Talaith Bronwy (Arwydd) - Daughter of Tavis, Ziske and Shivaun.
Aneira/Ariene/Elain Llewellyn - Daughter of Cairene and Liam.
--------
So, waddya think?
Also, I will be away until Monday. Expect regular posts, but comments shall be replied to when I get back.
Have a wonderous weekend, all!
~Whimsy
P.S. I shall miss keeping up on my other BEDA friends's blogs. :( However, I am off to do AWESOME THINGS, so it's all great. ^_^
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
BEDA, Day 18: Whimsy plays a game!
So.
Nick from "Looking For Glasses" has tagged me with the Versatile Blogger award/meme/whatever-it-is-thingy.
The idea is, you have to post ten facts and a lie about yourself, and your readers have to guess what one is false. I'll give the answers and tell the tales behind the facts tomorrow.
One: If I could pick three stores to shop at, they would be Staples (office supplies), Barnes and Nobel (books), and Claire's (accessories).
Two: I hate reality TV, like Project Runway and Last Comic Standing.
Three: My first online community was Neopets.com.
Four: I've gone rock climbing.
Five: I have a scar on my knee from nothing but my own idiocy.
Six: I have met Niel Cicierega. (The Potter Puppet Pals creator)
Seven: I am allergic to guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, horses, cows, certain dogs and cats, dust, hay, and seasonal allergens. However, I am NOT allergic to gerbils.
Eight: People have asked me if I wasn't in school because I was stupid, if I was adopted and if I was Amish.
Nine: I will pick pretzels over cookies. Every time.
Ten: I have only been told once that I look like my dad.
Make your guesses, fair friends!
Tata,
~Whimsy
I need to tag somebody, don't I?
Charlie from Boyintree
Rachel from The Armoire
Paige from BEDA (Blog Every Day August)
There. Three will do, won't it?
Feel no obligation to do this at all, and if I DIDN'T tag you and you want to do it anyway, just go the heck ahead. Let me know if you do this in the comments so I can see your posts, okay? Thank you muchsome!
Nick from "Looking For Glasses" has tagged me with the Versatile Blogger award/meme/whatever-it-is-thingy.
The idea is, you have to post ten facts and a lie about yourself, and your readers have to guess what one is false. I'll give the answers and tell the tales behind the facts tomorrow.
One: If I could pick three stores to shop at, they would be Staples (office supplies), Barnes and Nobel (books), and Claire's (accessories).
Two: I hate reality TV, like Project Runway and Last Comic Standing.
Three: My first online community was Neopets.com.
Four: I've gone rock climbing.
Five: I have a scar on my knee from nothing but my own idiocy.
Six: I have met Niel Cicierega. (The Potter Puppet Pals creator)
Seven: I am allergic to guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, horses, cows, certain dogs and cats, dust, hay, and seasonal allergens. However, I am NOT allergic to gerbils.
Eight: People have asked me if I wasn't in school because I was stupid, if I was adopted and if I was Amish.
Nine: I will pick pretzels over cookies. Every time.
Ten: I have only been told once that I look like my dad.
Make your guesses, fair friends!
Tata,
~Whimsy
I need to tag somebody, don't I?
Charlie from Boyintree
Rachel from The Armoire
Paige from BEDA (Blog Every Day August)
There. Three will do, won't it?
Feel no obligation to do this at all, and if I DIDN'T tag you and you want to do it anyway, just go the heck ahead. Let me know if you do this in the comments so I can see your posts, okay? Thank you muchsome!
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