It was going alright until I realized the reason the tiles and grout had been cracking. The tiles were attached to a metal plate. This is what made up the lid. However, the plate was flimsy, rusted, and completely unreusable. So, my father and I had to look for another plate. He found a sheet of metal at a local home improvement store. So today, I got to cut that sheet into a circle. I used a metal saw and it was pretty difficult. Not only did my arms get vibrated out of their sockets, but even after measuring it a bunch of times, I still had to go back and cut it three more times to get all the minor adjustments.

Doesn’t it look like a lot of work? It is! And we had to stop for the day. I still need to file the edges of the circle and put rust preventer on it. Then I’ll be able to put the tiles back on!

It struck me that she is completely, totally, and actively pursuing her dreams and goals. That is commendable. That is something  that I should be doing. But think about it: some people live to not become famous. My friend is perfectly fine with not being shot out into the limelight. But there are those people who want to be a part of this world in a larger way.

I think I want to be one of the latter. I have this dream of writing novels and sharing my passion for words and thoughts and characters that are in my mind. So why haven’t I been spending every day working on it? Why do I let time pass me and my dreams by? I know I can do this. I know everyone can grab what they want if they work for it. But I need to work.

Thank you for looking at this. It’s an encouragment to see even one person look. It means someone finds what I do interesting. I’ll try not to let you down. I will work more on my novel and put up interesting bits. Probably the funny bits.

Thank you again.

Ok, who remembers “Little Bunny Foo Foo”? You know, little bunny foo foo hopping through the forest scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head. etc. Be grateful you can’t hear me sing this. When I was younger this song came out on a video-like movie thing. I know, that’s a bad description. All I can say is that I’ve seen this on a television in my young childhood. Bunny Foo Foo is this ginormous white rabbit with clothes and looks pretty creepy really, if you think about it. And when the fairy godmother comes down and turns him into a goon or whatever, he gets these huge purple, green, and orange spots all over him. Yikes!

So that’s all background information. In my dream, I’m running through this forest, chasing a little rabbit. I think I was going to eat it, if I caught it. I’m not too sure. When suddenly it dashes into a hut in the middle of the forest. I charge in after it and it has magically transformed into Bunny Foo Foo! Foo tells me how he has this curse on him yadda yadda and I must help him. I apologize for chasing him and then the dream changes.
So that was my dream. Short, yes. But bizarre. Who dreams of Bunny Foo Foo? Only me, I feel. A friend told me that I should sell my dreams to a movie producer or something cause they would make great movies. Not this one, I’m afraid. It’s too weird.

So then I went and saw the movie with a friend. The movie was entertaining, but I was a little disappointed with how much it deviated from the book. The main plot of the lighting bolt getting stolen was there, but other things weren’t. For example, the main bad guy in the books is not Hades. (Trust me, I’m not  ruining it.) Also, there is another strong girl character in the books that is Percy’s ‘arch-enemy peer’ named Clarisse. In the movie, Annabeth became a mix of her book character and Clarisse. Which is a little sad. Third, the books focus on Percy through middle school to high school. The movie has him in his junior year at high school. There were a couple other things, but I found those three to be the most upsetting because that’s what carries the books through the rest of the series.

Also, I have to say that I didn’t picture the centaur guy, Chiron, as Pierce Brosnan. That was a little weird. Hard to wrap the mind around. But the other characters were well cast, I thought.

Anyway, if you see the movie, you should read the book. If you have a child going into middle school or interested, I think you should also read the books. I’m very glad I bought them. They are really fun to read.

It was made in 1997, and I’m not going to lie-but I feel like I’ve been thrown into a time-warp. I remember this! Things like no cellphones, not a lot of computers in homes, cassette tapes! That one really got me. The singer was recording a song onto a cassette! Oh my, I felt like I went back in time.

I know this is a short post, but I think you should take my advice on this one. Check out other nation’s shows – it’s an insight into their culture, but also a great cheesy time.

So the first book in this series is called Dead Until Dark. It has inspired the series True Blood on some random tv channel. And, since it was written before the Twilight series, I’m guessing it might have had an influence in that as well.

The premise is that vampires have “come out of the coffin” about being around. As such, it is politically acceptable to interact with them on a daily basis. Sookie, the main character, can read minds(remind you of anyone?) but not Bill’s who is a vampire. Naturally, they hit it off since Sookie smells/tastes great to Bill and she can’t hear a word he thinks. etc. I won’t go into detail and spoil the plot and what happens. I do want to say, that yes, there are werewolves and there is demand for Sookie’s attention by multiple people/monsters. Figures.

I know I shouldn’t rag on it because the premise seems repetitive because it was actually the original. But what I do have to say somewhat negatively about it is the writing style. It’s alright. I mean you can figure out what is going on through the mind of the main character and there is some surprise/twists/turns. But I just feel that it would have been better advertised for teenagers rather than adults. No, teenagers are not less intelligent than adults, but the vocabulary in this book is feels geared toward teenagers more so than adults. I think if I had read this a few years ago, I would have found it much more enjoyable than today. I felt a little let down. For a book on the New York Bestsellers, it’s not all that well-crafted.

I know you may not agree with me. And that is cool. Feel free to disagree. And I’m probably a little fed up with the vampire craze going on. But the book left some to be desired for me. I wish there was more to it than what is there.

My thoughts on it are varied. I liked it. I thought it was an interesting idea. The premise of the novel is that a sentient life form has arrived on earth and in trying to make the world a better place, has taken over human beings. They attach to our nerves/spinal cord/brain. Something like that. And naturally, there are groups of humans who don’t agree with this. GASP! Well, one of these Hosts is attached to a woman who won’t give up her mind without a fight. Which leads the Host to take the girl in search of her brother and lover.

In an effort not to ruin the rest of the plot, I’ll stop here. Like I said, I did like it. But it was really hard to get through the first half. There isn’t much action and it’s a lot of semi-psychoanalysis and conversation between Host and human. It was hard to get into the book and I had to force myself to keep reading. But it was worth it, I believe, once the characters actually started moving on their convictions and beliefs. And I liked how it ended. It was a good, happy ending that was also surprisingly satisfying, compared to Meyer’s other ending. If you enjoyed the Twilight series, I think this is a good weekend read. Or month-long read. It is a pretty thick book. And I think it did take me about a week to read. So, depending on how long it takes you and if you can push yourself to the quicker-paced part then, I say “go for it!”

So, I’m just going to tell you about this series I finished reading. It’s called the Night Angel Trilogy(hence the title of this post). It’s about a young boy/man who becomes an assassin. I had seen it in the book store and thought it looked interesting. So, I got it for my brother. I mean, a story about an assassin? That’s perfect for guys. right? Well, I gave it to him for Christmas and he let me read it after him. And I was impressed.

It’s by Brent Weeks and it’s his first novels. For a first-time author, it’s very good. In fact, I think it is very well written for a seasoned author. The viewpoint jumps between characters and focuses on the collapse and re-birth of a kingdom. While the first book spans years of Azoth/Kylar’s life(the main character) the next two books are in about a year time span. Even though there are many “big” characters interwoven, you are able to get a full grasp on each of them. Several of the minor characters are little more than a description and thought from someone, but that’s all you need to know about them. Often times, some authors will get so wrapped up in the minor characters you forget about the main ones. However, I think Weeks does a great job highlighting which characters are important.

There are several instances, however, that I feel were a little rushed. A character, Solon, goes home after being gone for 12 years and his interaction with his ex-lover feels very quick and pushed. It was hard to get a firm grasp on what he was exactly doing and how he was able to then swoop in later. The timing of it seems a little off. There are a few other times like this, but overall, the pacing was good and kept your interest.

Now, another reason I liked this trilogy so much was because of the content. Yes, the main character works to become an assassin. However, there is more to his story than kill, kill, kill. Weeks brings up the thought of one God and many gods and a goddess and how it affects those that believe different things. How characters respond in different situations is based on their beliefs and ideals. Those who think that in life you live and die are cynical, hard, and angry. The ones who believe there is good in people and there is a higher purpose for life, react accordingly. This is not to say the characters are cookie-cutters. “Good” people will have moments of anger or hatred and try to hurt others. The “bad” people have moments of compassion and love. It shows that some people can change. But there are true antagonists and protagonists. And the struggles go beyond “hm, should I kill this guy or not?” But there are all the conflicts: man v nature, man v man, man v self. And it makes for a very well-rounded and interesting story.

I’m not going to lie. I was reading it and felt a twinge of jealousy. If I could give a book as good as that for my first, I would be able to die happy. It was a very well-written and executed story. Yes, there were some ‘problems’ but every book has those and Weeks was so that you could ignore them and get to the meat of the story. So, I would recommend reading these to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy/scifi book. I know they are on my re-read list.

So I think I’m going to write about this movie I saw: Sherlock Holmes. It was great! The movie has a very dry, witty sense of humor. Exactly my type. I walked out of it with a friend who asked me: “Enjoy it much? Reminded me of you.” Ah ha. It was great. One of my favorite lines was, “I went farther down the rabbit hole than I anticipated, but I have emerged with my fluffy tail intact.” Sherlock is great. I thought Watson was also a very strong character. I’ve noticed that many times the sidekick gets the short end of the stick, but the Watson in the movie had a very commanding presence and held his own against the crazy intelligent Holmes. I highly recommend this movie.

While watching the movie, I felt a slight annoyance. You see, the main antagonist is a magician. He uses magic to kill and get his hands on power and glory. Well, I didn’t really like this while watching. It almost felt like they weren’t giving Sherlock a worthy opponent and they had to resort to tricks and magic. However, at the end, when all is explained (and I won’t spoil it all for you) it comes clear that there was more going on and actually, the opponent was not all he appeared. I felt better about the movie as I left than I did while in the middle of it. Which I suppose is a good thing(?). Anyway, I think you should watch it if you enjoy the droll, witty humor. Or if you like an incredibly intelligent protagonist. Or if you like psuedo-mysteries where you try to figure it all out before the main character does. Or if you like good friendships. Or if you like anything. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this movie!

I have enjoyed Karen Miller’s Kingmaker, Kingbreaker set. It has some refreshing characters that can sometimes be completely unlikable. One is this secretary named Darren and his sidekick, Willer. They are so unlikable. They aren’t necessarily smart or pure evil, they are the guys that you avoid at the office. And you can’t help but giggle when Asher, the main character, insults them in a clever/sarcastic way – my style of humor.

However, it is now Christmas Eve. And there is a story that was written about these days. It’s mostly found in the book, The Holy Bible and more specifically the book of Luke.

Luke 2:1-20

¹In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ²(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³And everyone went to his own town to register.

 ⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

 ⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[a] the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

 ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 ¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Can you imagine it? You’re sitting around in the fields. The sheep smell, your buddies smell. You’re probably bored out of your mind. Suddenly BAM! there are ANGELS in the sky proclaiming God’s glory. I would be acting like when I stay up too late playing video games, drinking monster drinks, and hanging out with my best bud – on a serious buzz. And I wouldn’t come off of it until the day I died. Angels. In the sky. Telling ME about God. And then going and seeing this little baby. And learning he was going to save me. Because he is Immanuel. God with us.

wow. seriously.