Last year around this time, I did a blog post talking about all the good and bad things that happened in 2009, and how I was going to make 2010 an even better year. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking a lot about that post, and how much things have changed in a year, for better and for worse, and how I can do better in 2011.
First off, let's talk a little bit about things that have gotten better since last year. Some of you map remember that my parents got back together in April after a six-month separation. Obviously, that's the best news I've gotten all year. Also, I kinda got a job. Something that slightly ruined the way I spend my time, but allowed me to buy gifts for my parents.
I had another fabulous vacation, with much thanks to the new Wii. And there's a chance I may be going to either California or Florida sometime in the next two years. I've made progress in researching my family tree. Oh! And I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1, and it's definitely the best movie yet.
My goal to write more than ever before certainly paid off. While I'm not sure if I reached 300,000 words like I wanted, I did do pretty awesome. More than six fanfics complete, another successful NaNoWriMo year, a failed but still lengthy movie script for Screnzy, and lots more started projects. My hope at reading more, however, didn't pay off.
Back in September, I was given seventeen books for my twentieth birthday (titles below). So far I've read nine of them, and am about half way through of the the six books I got for Christmas (titles below). Even if I miraculously finish that one by midnight, I'll have only read 14 new books this year. My goal was 50, so it's a bit of a let down, but I'm pleased with how much I did read.
Of course, with the good comes the bad. I had to give up a cat at the beginning of the year. Some people who I called my friends showed their true colors. And I did some things I'm not proud of, too. But, like last year, the good outweighs the bad.
So, here's what I'm planning for next year:
-I will read 50 books that I have never read before, write book reviews for each of them, and participate in at least five book challenges.
-I will write at least 300,000 words, keep a track of all words written, and continue to update my WriYe account with this number.
-I will participate and win both Screnzy in April and NaNoWriMo in November.
-Using a combination of my new Wii Fit and John Green's Fitness for Nerds routine (http://dft.ba/-johnfit) I will lose enough weight that I'll feel comfortable in a one-piece swimsuit by vacation time.
-I will keep a detailed schedule and check it every day so that I don't forget to do my household work, or neglect my friends.
-Using the webcam that I'll (hopefully) be getting around Valentine's day, I'll make a video for the Project for Awesome in December to raise awareness about Lupus.
-I will finish writing and editing Ghosts of Autumn.
-I will not be as angry this year. I will forgive myself more. I will let go of the little things. I will build my self-esteem up to where it needs to be.
-Lastly, I will update my blog at least once a week, so I'm not rushed to write an end-of-year post seven hours to midnight on New Year's Eve. ;)
It's a rather long list of promises, I know, but I really want to do this. Each thing is something I need to do to better myself, and better my life. I thought by 2010 I'd be somewhere completely different that where I am in my life. I have only myself to blame for that.
To make it easier to follow along with my progress through the year, without having to read through all my posts, I'll be changing the blog's layout a little bit. It's hard to explain right now, but you'll see soon.
If you're still reading this, then I have to ask you a favor. Post your New Year's resolutions below. You can do it anonymously or sign it. If you don't do the whole resolution thing, just tell me something you wish would happen to change in 2011. If you'll be keeping a blog next year with updates on your resolution list, link me to it. I don't want to do this alone.
---
Before I go, I just wanted to do a little bragging about how awesome my parents are, and how well they know me. Without me putting the majority of these book titles on my birthday/Christmas lists, they got me:
John Green's-
Looking for Alaska
An Abundance of Katherines
Paper Towns
Maureen Johnson's-
Suite Scarlett
Scarlett Fever
Girl at Sea
13 Little Blue Envelopes
The Key to the Golden Firebird
The Bermudez Triangle
Garth Nix's-
Sabriel
Lirael
Abhorsen
Rick Riordan's-
PJO: The Lightning Thief
PJO: Sea of Monsters
PJO: Titan's Curse
PJO: Battle of the Labyrinth
PJO: The Last Olympian
HoO: The Lost Hero
James Patterson's-
Witch & Wizard
Margaret Peterson Haddix's-
SC: Among the Hidden
SC: Among the Impostors
SC: Among the Betrayed
SC: Among the Barons
Amazing, aren't they? =D
I'll stop rambling and go work on that schedule now. I hope everyone has a great night. Be safe, and have a Happy New Year!!!
Love, Lizzy<3
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Crazy, Crazy Day
I think the title says it all.
Finished packing and stuff on Friday night. Then, when my mom came home at eleven-thirty, we threw the last-minute stuff in boxes and hit the road. It was a twenty-minute drive to our new home (from Milton to Mississauga), and now we're in our new home! My mom and I spent most of the night moving boxes around together. You know, keeping kitchen things in the kitchen, taking all twenty+ of my boxes into our room... that kind thing. My dad got to sleep for a few hours since he had to get up and six-thirty and pick up the rest of our furniture (couches, hutch, armoir..) with his friend and bring them here.
When that was done my parents went back to the house to get our cats, since they didn't feel like cooperating when we wanted to leave. My oldest two, Smokey and Oliver, are here with us now. As mentioned in my previous post, Mickey could not come with us. My dad finally managed to get him in the box and take him to the shelter. I'm trying not to dwell too much on any of this.
So, I really like the apartment so far. The bathroom's huge, I'm sharing the master suite with my mom (computer's in my room!), we have a fireplace and a dishwasher now... It's very nice. The downfall is that it's freezing in here. It's only starting to warm up now. I managed to get a few hours of sleep between all the madness, but I should probably go back to bed room.
Now, onto more exciting things.
Bookmarked, my new book blog, is finished!! Yes, as soon as I finished dinner, I ran to the computer and got to work putting the finishing touches on it. It'll probably go through a few changes as I really start to use it, but it's fine for now. Also, I've already done my first review of a book I read last year. So, head on over to www.esbookmarked.blogspot.com to subscribe and let me know what you think. Okay?
xoxoxoxo,
Lizzy
Finished packing and stuff on Friday night. Then, when my mom came home at eleven-thirty, we threw the last-minute stuff in boxes and hit the road. It was a twenty-minute drive to our new home (from Milton to Mississauga), and now we're in our new home! My mom and I spent most of the night moving boxes around together. You know, keeping kitchen things in the kitchen, taking all twenty+ of my boxes into our room... that kind thing. My dad got to sleep for a few hours since he had to get up and six-thirty and pick up the rest of our furniture (couches, hutch, armoir..) with his friend and bring them here.
When that was done my parents went back to the house to get our cats, since they didn't feel like cooperating when we wanted to leave. My oldest two, Smokey and Oliver, are here with us now. As mentioned in my previous post, Mickey could not come with us. My dad finally managed to get him in the box and take him to the shelter. I'm trying not to dwell too much on any of this.
So, I really like the apartment so far. The bathroom's huge, I'm sharing the master suite with my mom (computer's in my room!), we have a fireplace and a dishwasher now... It's very nice. The downfall is that it's freezing in here. It's only starting to warm up now. I managed to get a few hours of sleep between all the madness, but I should probably go back to bed room.
Now, onto more exciting things.
Bookmarked, my new book blog, is finished!! Yes, as soon as I finished dinner, I ran to the computer and got to work putting the finishing touches on it. It'll probably go through a few changes as I really start to use it, but it's fine for now. Also, I've already done my first review of a book I read last year. So, head on over to www.esbookmarked.blogspot.com to subscribe and let me know what you think. Okay?
xoxoxoxo,
Lizzy
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Changes To Be Made
I'm going to ignore my pile of things to do to day, in favor of discussing two important issues with you, and a possible new project or two for myself.
First, I've been hearing a lot about Haiti this past week and it's been getting me a little depressed. I mean, I usually stay out of the current affairs - politics, war, American Idol - but this just seems to be getting worse as time goes by. It's especially bad knowing that there's nothing I can do to help. So that why I'm asking anyone who reads this blog, to please give to the Red Cross or another trusted organization that you know is helping the Haitians. Every little bit helps and you'll earn my gratitude and respect - and let's face it, my gratitude and respect is what you really want out of this deal, isn't it? ;)
Second on my list is big publishing problem. After reading a well-written open letter to Bloomsbury publishers by Ari(here- http://blackteensread2.blogspot.com/2010/01/open-letter-to-bloomsbury-kids-usa.html) earlier, I became aware of how Bloomsbury has used a Caucasion model on the covers of two books featuring African American main characters. Thankfully they've already changed the cover of Liar by Justine Larbalestier, but Jaclyn Dolamore's Magic Under Glass still has the wrong cover on it.
Please go over to Ari's blog (http://blackteensread2.blogspot.com/) and join in the discussion about how to get Bloomsbury and future publishers to change. And while you're at it, start buying and/or checking out books with main characters of a different race than yourself. While I've never shied away from books not featuring a white MC, I haven't read many either.
Now, onto my new projects:
You already know about my writing challenges which I'm happy to say are going quite well. And I've talked a little bit about the 50-book challenge I wanted to take up last year before real life interrupted it. I'm obviously still doing both of these.
Also, I'm managing the site for the 6 Months, 6 Novels writing challenge I'm doing. I'm involved in two rpgs right now. Toss in my one writing course, chores, and the inconvenience of having to spend time with my family, and you'd think I'm booked full, wouldn't you? Not quite.
I've been working off and on for the past couple of weeks on another site. The official site of Elizabeth Sabourin. Because I figured I'll need it when I start publishing my stuff later this year. Besides, I need a place to store links to all the sites I'm on so when I make new friends I can point them to the site and say "I'm at all of these places. Check me out!"
But after reading Ari's blog, and being linked to a couple of writing challenges, I thought about how I really need to start reading more. I mean, I know I said the 50 book thing was going to happen, but I feel the need to clarify. It's starting next month. As soon as I get to the new apartment, I'm finding the nearest library and taking out a stack of books. But it's not just the reading that's bothering me.
As I said above, I have no problem reading books that don't have white main characters, but I don't think I ever have. I have a list of over fifty books to read this year compiled by my friends and mother, but I don't know if any of them are really going to get me out of my set ways. It's not only the color of the MC I'm talking about, the genre is also something to look at. I'm a fantasy freak. Supernatural, horror, some romance and comedy too. I'm slowly getting into historical fiction by accident. I need a wider variety of books to read.
So, I'm calling on the help of anyone who stumbles upon this post to send me book suggestions. Any books. Any rating, any genre, any length, any author. Keep in mind that I'll be skipping over any sex scenes as best I can. I'd rather just stay away from non-fiction. Anything else goes. Tell me what books you like and why.
Thinking about this, I wondered if, while I'm reading all of these books, maybe I should start another blog that focuses totally on book reviews. I know I've done reviews here in the past, but wouldn't it be cool to have one place devoted to the reviews? -shrug- Just an idea.
So let me know. Give me books to read, tell me if I should go ahead with the new blog. I want to know what you think.
xoxoxo
Lizzy<3
First, I've been hearing a lot about Haiti this past week and it's been getting me a little depressed. I mean, I usually stay out of the current affairs - politics, war, American Idol - but this just seems to be getting worse as time goes by. It's especially bad knowing that there's nothing I can do to help. So that why I'm asking anyone who reads this blog, to please give to the Red Cross or another trusted organization that you know is helping the Haitians. Every little bit helps and you'll earn my gratitude and respect - and let's face it, my gratitude and respect is what you really want out of this deal, isn't it? ;)
Second on my list is big publishing problem. After reading a well-written open letter to Bloomsbury publishers by Ari(here- http://blackteensread2.blogspot.com/2010/01/open-letter-to-bloomsbury-kids-usa.html) earlier, I became aware of how Bloomsbury has used a Caucasion model on the covers of two books featuring African American main characters. Thankfully they've already changed the cover of Liar by Justine Larbalestier, but Jaclyn Dolamore's Magic Under Glass still has the wrong cover on it.
Please go over to Ari's blog (http://blackteensread2.blogspot.com/) and join in the discussion about how to get Bloomsbury and future publishers to change. And while you're at it, start buying and/or checking out books with main characters of a different race than yourself. While I've never shied away from books not featuring a white MC, I haven't read many either.
Now, onto my new projects:
You already know about my writing challenges which I'm happy to say are going quite well. And I've talked a little bit about the 50-book challenge I wanted to take up last year before real life interrupted it. I'm obviously still doing both of these.
Also, I'm managing the site for the 6 Months, 6 Novels writing challenge I'm doing. I'm involved in two rpgs right now. Toss in my one writing course, chores, and the inconvenience of having to spend time with my family, and you'd think I'm booked full, wouldn't you? Not quite.
I've been working off and on for the past couple of weeks on another site. The official site of Elizabeth Sabourin. Because I figured I'll need it when I start publishing my stuff later this year. Besides, I need a place to store links to all the sites I'm on so when I make new friends I can point them to the site and say "I'm at all of these places. Check me out!"
But after reading Ari's blog, and being linked to a couple of writing challenges, I thought about how I really need to start reading more. I mean, I know I said the 50 book thing was going to happen, but I feel the need to clarify. It's starting next month. As soon as I get to the new apartment, I'm finding the nearest library and taking out a stack of books. But it's not just the reading that's bothering me.
As I said above, I have no problem reading books that don't have white main characters, but I don't think I ever have. I have a list of over fifty books to read this year compiled by my friends and mother, but I don't know if any of them are really going to get me out of my set ways. It's not only the color of the MC I'm talking about, the genre is also something to look at. I'm a fantasy freak. Supernatural, horror, some romance and comedy too. I'm slowly getting into historical fiction by accident. I need a wider variety of books to read.
So, I'm calling on the help of anyone who stumbles upon this post to send me book suggestions. Any books. Any rating, any genre, any length, any author. Keep in mind that I'll be skipping over any sex scenes as best I can. I'd rather just stay away from non-fiction. Anything else goes. Tell me what books you like and why.
Thinking about this, I wondered if, while I'm reading all of these books, maybe I should start another blog that focuses totally on book reviews. I know I've done reviews here in the past, but wouldn't it be cool to have one place devoted to the reviews? -shrug- Just an idea.
So let me know. Give me books to read, tell me if I should go ahead with the new blog. I want to know what you think.
xoxoxo
Lizzy<3
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Getting Back in the Swing of Things
Wow, I can't believe it's been five months since I updated last. Yikes. Really, really sorry about that. Um, things have been weird and hectic and stressful lately, but I'm going to try and get you all up to date in this one post. Wish me luck.
First off, let's talk about life in general. The basic changes are: there's still a chance we're getting rid of my youngest cat, Mickey (did I mention that before?); we're moving! Probably going to Mississauga, probably at the end of next month. I went on vacation and had a great time there. I got a new printer/scanner for my birthday, so hopefully I'll soon be able to upload a picture of myself. Speaking of which, I'm nineteen, yay!! For my birthday I also got my best friend Tippy's book, Etched in Stone ( http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Etched-In-Stone-Book-One-The-Skyla-Chronicles/Tiffany-Marie-Saxe/e/9781606933732/?itm=1 ) which I'll be reading very shortly, but more on that later.
YouTube has been a recent obsession of mine. First it started as just watching Tippy's vlogs (http://www.youtube.com/user/tiffanysaxe ) but then I found the VlogBrothers (http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers#play/uploads) who, in turn, led me to the 5 Awesome Girls (http://www.youtube.com/user/fiveawesomegirls#play/uploads). I'm a dedicated Nerdfighter and you can find me over at the Ning (http://nerdfighters.ning.com/) under the username of Elizabeth Sabourin. I'm also trying to save money to buy a webcam or something so that I can start vlogging, which will mean more updates than normal blogging! =D
Kristina of the 5 Awesome Girls gave me the idea for the Book Challenge. Last year she read 50 books in one year. I want to do the same. I'll be starting as soon as I finish the book I'm reading now. I'll start with Tippy's book, and I've already got about 45 other books picked.
I'm still doing the writing course, but I don't want to talk about that right now. Actually, while watching Tippy's latest video in which she talks about her book projects, I realized I haven't really done that yet. I mean, my mom knows about my stories cuz she's a writer too and it's great to have someone to bounce ideas off of, but I've kinda kept the ideas secret from my friends. Hmm. Well, I'll talk about them in my next post (which might be tonight it all goes well).
If you're into role-playing you should check out Tippy's Harry Potter site, Something Wicked (http://hoggydays.proboards.com) where you can find me playing about ten characters, most recently Fred Weasley. We're also working to revamp her old HP rpg, Marauding Mysteries.
Ok, that's all I can think of right now. I'll get to work on the book-ideas post. =]
DFTBA!
-Lizzy
First off, let's talk about life in general. The basic changes are: there's still a chance we're getting rid of my youngest cat, Mickey (did I mention that before?); we're moving! Probably going to Mississauga, probably at the end of next month. I went on vacation and had a great time there. I got a new printer/scanner for my birthday, so hopefully I'll soon be able to upload a picture of myself. Speaking of which, I'm nineteen, yay!! For my birthday I also got my best friend Tippy's book, Etched in Stone ( http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Etched-In-Stone-Book-One-The-Skyla-Chronicles/Tiffany-Marie-Saxe/e/9781606933732/?itm=1 ) which I'll be reading very shortly, but more on that later.
YouTube has been a recent obsession of mine. First it started as just watching Tippy's vlogs (http://www.youtube.com/user/tiffanysaxe ) but then I found the VlogBrothers (http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers#play/uploads) who, in turn, led me to the 5 Awesome Girls (http://www.youtube.com/user/fiveawesomegirls#play/uploads). I'm a dedicated Nerdfighter and you can find me over at the Ning (http://nerdfighters.ning.com/) under the username of Elizabeth Sabourin. I'm also trying to save money to buy a webcam or something so that I can start vlogging, which will mean more updates than normal blogging! =D
Kristina of the 5 Awesome Girls gave me the idea for the Book Challenge. Last year she read 50 books in one year. I want to do the same. I'll be starting as soon as I finish the book I'm reading now. I'll start with Tippy's book, and I've already got about 45 other books picked.
I'm still doing the writing course, but I don't want to talk about that right now. Actually, while watching Tippy's latest video in which she talks about her book projects, I realized I haven't really done that yet. I mean, my mom knows about my stories cuz she's a writer too and it's great to have someone to bounce ideas off of, but I've kinda kept the ideas secret from my friends. Hmm. Well, I'll talk about them in my next post (which might be tonight it all goes well).
If you're into role-playing you should check out Tippy's Harry Potter site, Something Wicked (http://hoggydays.proboards.com) where you can find me playing about ten characters, most recently Fred Weasley. We're also working to revamp her old HP rpg, Marauding Mysteries.
Ok, that's all I can think of right now. I'll get to work on the book-ideas post. =]
DFTBA!
-Lizzy
Monday, March 23, 2009
Pet Peeves
Current Mood: stressed, excited, creative
Currently Listening to: random rock music
So .... my main reason for posting right now is because I don't want everyone to think I've abandoned this blog. It's just that my latest assignment for the institute of children's literature was due on the twentieth and I thought it was later, and I haven't even started writing it yet. :(
My assignment is supposed to be an article written on whatever I want. But since I really hate writing articles - even though I'm decent at it - I've really been dreading this one. I have, however, come up with an age group and subject. I'll be talking about the responsibility of various pets, for a young child. At least that's the plan. After I finish this post I'm going to do some research - I really only know about cats.
On the subject of books, I got Eclipse today. I'm really excited about it, but I have to share it with my mom. And I'm not really allowed to read too much because of this assignment. That reminds me, have I mentioned how big of a fan of Twilight my mom is? Oh yeah, she's obsessed. She read Twilight and New Moon in like four days. She was more excited to see the movie than me! Then again, I really wasn't looking forward to it anyway. I mean, the Harry Potter movies have been pretty bad, I expected the same with this.
We did buy the movie this Saturday... or Friday night, actually. I was pleasantly surprised, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. I mean, Robert Pattinson as Edward? He's not even good-looking. And they deleted some of my favorite scenes and lines from the book. -sob-
My dad watched it with us today and actually liked it! Which is really surprising, because he hates a lot of movies. Now my mom's got him reading the first book. Tell me, is it a good or a bad thing that my parents have been calling each other Bella and Edward all day?
Anyway, I still can't tell you much about my rpg informational site/blog that I'm working on. Work is kind of at a stand-still right now due to my busy schedule. But I'm still on Something Wicked, and just joined an rpg owned by another friend of mine, Emily. It's an original storyline, kinda like X-Men. I'll give you the link in my next post. I'm also done an rpg of my own.
It'll be called Incinta Incanto, and it's a Harry Potter rpg. All the boards are put up and stuff, I just need to finish my character bios. I'm still not sure if I should open right now. I mean, what's the point on opening when my two best role-playing friends are so busy? Well, maybe I'll be able to do it the next couple of months. Fingers crossed!!
xoxoxoxo
Lizzy <333
Currently Listening to: random rock music
So .... my main reason for posting right now is because I don't want everyone to think I've abandoned this blog. It's just that my latest assignment for the institute of children's literature was due on the twentieth and I thought it was later, and I haven't even started writing it yet. :(
My assignment is supposed to be an article written on whatever I want. But since I really hate writing articles - even though I'm decent at it - I've really been dreading this one. I have, however, come up with an age group and subject. I'll be talking about the responsibility of various pets, for a young child. At least that's the plan. After I finish this post I'm going to do some research - I really only know about cats.
On the subject of books, I got Eclipse today. I'm really excited about it, but I have to share it with my mom. And I'm not really allowed to read too much because of this assignment. That reminds me, have I mentioned how big of a fan of Twilight my mom is? Oh yeah, she's obsessed. She read Twilight and New Moon in like four days. She was more excited to see the movie than me! Then again, I really wasn't looking forward to it anyway. I mean, the Harry Potter movies have been pretty bad, I expected the same with this.
We did buy the movie this Saturday... or Friday night, actually. I was pleasantly surprised, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. I mean, Robert Pattinson as Edward? He's not even good-looking. And they deleted some of my favorite scenes and lines from the book. -sob-
My dad watched it with us today and actually liked it! Which is really surprising, because he hates a lot of movies. Now my mom's got him reading the first book. Tell me, is it a good or a bad thing that my parents have been calling each other Bella and Edward all day?
Anyway, I still can't tell you much about my rpg informational site/blog that I'm working on. Work is kind of at a stand-still right now due to my busy schedule. But I'm still on Something Wicked, and just joined an rpg owned by another friend of mine, Emily. It's an original storyline, kinda like X-Men. I'll give you the link in my next post. I'm also done an rpg of my own.
It'll be called Incinta Incanto, and it's a Harry Potter rpg. All the boards are put up and stuff, I just need to finish my character bios. I'm still not sure if I should open right now. I mean, what's the point on opening when my two best role-playing friends are so busy? Well, maybe I'll be able to do it the next couple of months. Fingers crossed!!
xoxoxoxo
Lizzy <333
Monday, March 9, 2009
Mysteriously Wicked Royalty
Okay, I know it's Monday, but I don't have any movie news for you. My mom and I started watching The Librarian 3 last night, but we were too tired to finish. Sunday is just way to hectic a day to watch movies - or do anything productive, for that matter. I can tell you that it's shaping up to be better than the second movie in the series. Moving on, I'm here to promote those sites I've been telling you about.
First up, Marauding Mysteries. MM is a marauder-era Harry Potter role-play site, owned by my friend Tippy. The basic setting of the plot is that the Marauders, Lily, Snape and so on are in their sixth year at Hogwarts. The war is raging, and many sub-plots are already in effect. Lily (played by Tippy), while dating James, has started an affair with Severus. Meanwhile, Remus had a one-night-stand with a seventh-year Kyndrick (also Tippy's), and now she's pregnant and he's trying to figure out the best way to tell her that he's a monster. Lucius Malfoy (mine) is currently trying to deal with braking up with the only girl he's ever loved, while getting to know his long-lost half-sister, and keep his drunk mother and influential father out of his life.
More sub-plots of MM are taken from other books or tv shows. For example, we have a Twilight plot in which Tippy plays Alice Logan-Longbottom, and her brother Hayden(Edward). And my other friend Iris plays Serenity(Bella). We still need Jasper and Emmett's characters.
One Tree Hill also has a plot here. I play Haley who is in here seventh year, married to Nathan, just found out she's pregnant and is trying to help in the war. Unfortunately, we've only filled the roles of Haley and Brooke.
While MM may seem a little dead right now, I intend to make my four+ posts today or tomorrow which should get people back. Here's the link- http://hoggymysteries.proboards.com/
Next up is MM's sister site, Something Wicked This Way Comes. The history behind Something Wicked may be a little confusing, but I'll try to make it clear. On MM, I asked how far we had to stick to canon, seeing as we'd already changed so much. Eventually it was decided that we'd stick to canon, but Tippy wanted to make another site that would focus on what could have happened to our characters. So, the plot of Something Wicked is AU.
Basically, Severus made a deal with Voldemort to spare Lily and Harry's lives. He married Lily and had a daughter with her, and now they're trying to keep Harry from joining the Death Eaters, while pretending to be loyal to Voldemort. Remus' wife, Kyndrick, died when their daughter was five, and now Olivia Lupin is in her last year at Hogwarts. But guess what- she's so much like her mother that she becomes pregnant - with Fred Weasley's child! Then there's Lucius. Since his father's death, he's taken over the family business, bringing his sister into it. He and Narcissa are spies, loyal to the Order. But they haven't been able to tell Draco the truth about them so he's ready to go join the Death Eaters.
Many more plots are in effect. Aside from Lucius, I play Luna Lovegood, Blaise Zabini, Cooper Moon, and Haley James-Scott. I'll also be taking up 2-4 more characters. Yes, I know I'm insane. But I think it's allowed since at least four of them will be adults, and there aren't that many plots for them yet. Anyway, here's the link- http://hoggydays.proboards.com/index.cgi
Lastly, just a little notice for those of you who are keeping track of my projects, Tippy has offered to help me in making a site/blog that will focus on advertising role-playing sites. We will write reviews of sites we come across and post them up so people can find the perfect site to play on. Plus we'll have other features that sites such as RPG Directory, Blank Pages, and Caution 2.0 have. Can't post a link yet, but I promise it'll be amazing!
Oh, and on a quick side note, I finished New Moon a couple of days ago. Actually, after I finished my last entry I curled up on my bed and read until I was finished. lol. Uh, must be going now. Please, please, pleeeeeeeeeease join MM and Something Wicked, I'll love you forever if you do! And send me a pm when you do, or comment here. ^_^
xoxoxoxo,
Lizzy
First up, Marauding Mysteries. MM is a marauder-era Harry Potter role-play site, owned by my friend Tippy. The basic setting of the plot is that the Marauders, Lily, Snape and so on are in their sixth year at Hogwarts. The war is raging, and many sub-plots are already in effect. Lily (played by Tippy), while dating James, has started an affair with Severus. Meanwhile, Remus had a one-night-stand with a seventh-year Kyndrick (also Tippy's), and now she's pregnant and he's trying to figure out the best way to tell her that he's a monster. Lucius Malfoy (mine) is currently trying to deal with braking up with the only girl he's ever loved, while getting to know his long-lost half-sister, and keep his drunk mother and influential father out of his life.
More sub-plots of MM are taken from other books or tv shows. For example, we have a Twilight plot in which Tippy plays Alice Logan-Longbottom, and her brother Hayden(Edward). And my other friend Iris plays Serenity(Bella). We still need Jasper and Emmett's characters.
One Tree Hill also has a plot here. I play Haley who is in here seventh year, married to Nathan, just found out she's pregnant and is trying to help in the war. Unfortunately, we've only filled the roles of Haley and Brooke.
While MM may seem a little dead right now, I intend to make my four+ posts today or tomorrow which should get people back. Here's the link- http://hoggymysteries.proboards.com/
Next up is MM's sister site, Something Wicked This Way Comes. The history behind Something Wicked may be a little confusing, but I'll try to make it clear. On MM, I asked how far we had to stick to canon, seeing as we'd already changed so much. Eventually it was decided that we'd stick to canon, but Tippy wanted to make another site that would focus on what could have happened to our characters. So, the plot of Something Wicked is AU.
Basically, Severus made a deal with Voldemort to spare Lily and Harry's lives. He married Lily and had a daughter with her, and now they're trying to keep Harry from joining the Death Eaters, while pretending to be loyal to Voldemort. Remus' wife, Kyndrick, died when their daughter was five, and now Olivia Lupin is in her last year at Hogwarts. But guess what- she's so much like her mother that she becomes pregnant - with Fred Weasley's child! Then there's Lucius. Since his father's death, he's taken over the family business, bringing his sister into it. He and Narcissa are spies, loyal to the Order. But they haven't been able to tell Draco the truth about them so he's ready to go join the Death Eaters.
Many more plots are in effect. Aside from Lucius, I play Luna Lovegood, Blaise Zabini, Cooper Moon, and Haley James-Scott. I'll also be taking up 2-4 more characters. Yes, I know I'm insane. But I think it's allowed since at least four of them will be adults, and there aren't that many plots for them yet. Anyway, here's the link- http://hoggydays.proboards.com/index.cgi
Lastly, just a little notice for those of you who are keeping track of my projects, Tippy has offered to help me in making a site/blog that will focus on advertising role-playing sites. We will write reviews of sites we come across and post them up so people can find the perfect site to play on. Plus we'll have other features that sites such as RPG Directory, Blank Pages, and Caution 2.0 have. Can't post a link yet, but I promise it'll be amazing!
Oh, and on a quick side note, I finished New Moon a couple of days ago. Actually, after I finished my last entry I curled up on my bed and read until I was finished. lol. Uh, must be going now. Please, please, pleeeeeeeeeease join MM and Something Wicked, I'll love you forever if you do! And send me a pm when you do, or comment here. ^_^
xoxoxoxo,
Lizzy
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A Break From Reality #2
Anyway, moving on to movies: just saw the remake of Salem's Lot last night. It featured Rob Lowe and Donald Sutherland - and who doesn't love Donald, right? Can't stand Kiefer, but I love Donald. Ack, I'm getting off topic. The point of this paragraph is that the remake of Salem's Lot = a bloody waste of time. They killed off every good guy but one - won't say which one - and the movie was terribly confusing all the way through. I've never seen the original, and at this point I'm really not looking forward too it.
Facebook has been a pain lately, kicking me off at the worst times - the worst times count as the ones when I'm playing Pet Society, by the way.
Uh ... whatelse is there to say? I'll leave role-play talk for my next entry. Gaming is for another blog completely... Aha! Only got one thing left to talk about. And that'd be the book my parents just bought me last Sunday. Can anyone guess? That's right! New Moon by Stephenie Meyer!
At first I was a little weary to start reading, having read many bad reviews of this book. But how ever am I supposed to advance to Breaking Dawn - supposedly the best in the saga - if I don't read this one first? The first two chapters were nice. Loved that little chat with Carlisle. The third chapter though ... well, let's just say that I kinda knew where it was going (there were no spoiler warnings in those reviews). So, from chapter three to chapter sixteen, I've been really depressed and I think a lot of that hased to do with the fact that I still think I'm a lot like Bella - she hurts, I hurt.
I'll admit, there were a lot of great moments along the way. I can now understand why a lot of people think Jacob Black is good for her, at least. I mean, he's hilarious. But I still smile every time Edward is mentioned. Anyway, I was really disappointed that the Cullens haven't reappeared yet. I really thought they would by now, given the Preface, and what I know about the next books. But I just started chapter seventeen and I'm kinda anxious to get back to it, so I'm gonna cut this post short. Thanks for listening to my rants!!
xoxoxo,
Lizzy
Facebook has been a pain lately, kicking me off at the worst times - the worst times count as the ones when I'm playing Pet Society, by the way.
Uh ... whatelse is there to say? I'll leave role-play talk for my next entry. Gaming is for another blog completely... Aha! Only got one thing left to talk about. And that'd be the book my parents just bought me last Sunday. Can anyone guess? That's right! New Moon by Stephenie Meyer!
At first I was a little weary to start reading, having read many bad reviews of this book. But how ever am I supposed to advance to Breaking Dawn - supposedly the best in the saga - if I don't read this one first? The first two chapters were nice. Loved that little chat with Carlisle. The third chapter though ... well, let's just say that I kinda knew where it was going (there were no spoiler warnings in those reviews). So, from chapter three to chapter sixteen, I've been really depressed and I think a lot of that hased to do with the fact that I still think I'm a lot like Bella - she hurts, I hurt.
I'll admit, there were a lot of great moments along the way. I can now understand why a lot of people think Jacob Black is good for her, at least. I mean, he's hilarious. But I still smile every time Edward is mentioned. Anyway, I was really disappointed that the Cullens haven't reappeared yet. I really thought they would by now, given the Preface, and what I know about the next books. But I just started chapter seventeen and I'm kinda anxious to get back to it, so I'm gonna cut this post short. Thanks for listening to my rants!!
xoxoxo,
Lizzy
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
For Whom the Bells Toll
For our second edition of Book Tuesdays, I'm going to be talking about ... idk. Um, I could talk about the dictionary .. no, too long and I only have two hours before this becomes Booky Wednesdays. Hmm. Ah, ha! -drumroll- THE ABHORSEN TRILOGY. That's by Garth Nix, for those of you who don't know.
Sabriel, the first in the series, was about a girl of about eighteen whose father was the Abhorsen, the famous necromancer who worked for the good guys, putting dead things back in Death. Sabriel was raised from a young age in an all-girls school in a country named Ancelstierre, which was located right below the Old Kingdom, where her father lived and worked. Ancelstierrans didn't believe in the things those from the Old Kingdom did though - like magic and dead things. But Sabriel's school was close to the Wall - a magical wall that separated the two countries and kept many dead things out of Ancelstierre. It also prevented magic from being used in Ancelstierre the farther it got from the Wall.
One night, a night when Sabriel's father was expected to astral-project into her room to discuss her future, he doesn't show up. In his place is a dead creature carrying the Book of the Dead and his bells - the seven bells of a necromancer. From this, Sabriel gathers that her father is in trouble and takes on the responsibilities of the Abhorsen, journeying into the Old Kingdom for the first time since she was a child, to find her father. But the Kingdom has not been right for centuries, ever since the royal family was killed.
And that's enough about that one, for people who haven't read it. At first, I was a little skeptical about the story. But was pleased to see that Nix had used a female lead character for such an adventurous and gruesome story. It is now one of my favorite books.
Lirael, the sequel, centers on a Clayr girl. Clayr are the seers of the Old Kingdom. We'd come across twin Clayr in Sabriel, but Lirael takes us into the glacier where they live. And it tells us of their customs and why there are so few male Clayr. And, of course, it tells the story of Lirael herself. A motherless young teen as she grows up without receiving the Sight, but instead buries herself in the Clayr Library where she works, discovering the secrets of the Old Kingdom. Soon Lirael's curiosity leads her far from the Glacier and out into the Kingdom proper to try and stop the old evil that's threatening to break free of its bonds.
Of course, the story also follows Sameth. But I can't really talk about him without revealing secrets that are talked about in Sabriel. For the same reason, I can't talk about Abhorsen, the third book in the series. I will, however, say that Nix is an amazing author and if you like adventure novels, you should definitely check out this series. Especially since Garth is writing a fourth book, planned to be out sometime in the next two years! Oh, and don't forget about The Creature in the Case. It's a short story taking place after Abhorsen. You can find it in Across the Wall, a collection of Nix's short stories.
That's all for now, loves. I'm expected to do some role-playing before I get offline in about fifteen minutes.
xoxo,
Lizzy <3
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Perks of Having Pen-Pals
Well, since my blog is clearly awesome, you must be awesome for reading it. So, I'd like to give all you awesome people a gift this fine morning by letting you in on a secret. I'm friends with a celebrity!! Yep, it's true. Oh, I'll bet money on the fact that you're not thinking of the right one. But still, one of my best friends is a celebrity.
Miss Tiffany Marie Saxe, known to all us commoners as Tippy, recently recieved some good news. Her book was published! 'Tis true, I've seen the proof with my own two eyes - and so shall you! The perks of having pen-pals is that before they get rich and famous, they have to advertise. So, for Tippy, the perk to having me as a friend (aside from many of my amazing qualities) is that I have this lovely blog that I can advertise on for her. The perk to having Tippy for a friend, aside from her great sites and random humor, is that she wrote a book that sounds wonderful. If only I had the money to order it .....
But wait! Maybe you do! Well, even if you don't want to send me a free copy, you can order your own on Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Etched-Stone-Book-Skyla-Chronicles/dp/1606933736/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233432600&sr=1-1 Or on Barnes & Noble - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Etched-In-Stone-Book-One-The-Skyla-Chronicles/Tiffany-Marie-Saxe/e/9781606933732/?itm=1.
I believe both sites have summaries of Etched in Stone, so there you go. ^_^
xoxoxo
Lizzy
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Twilight After Midnight
It's nearing one in the morning here in Milton and I'm bored. So, what's a girl to do when she's avoiding responsibility? Blog, of course!
Today ... er, tonight, we're talking about Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I received the book as a gift over Christmas and read it before the week was up. It's so romantic and mysterious and amazing! Now I can't decide which is better - Twilight or Harry Potter. Before I get into my real review of the story, I'll just say that I have yet to see the movie and the other three books in the series, so please don't spoil them for me. Spoilers ahead!
For starters, let's talk about Bella. If you really want to know me in a way that you can't through a computer, read Twilight and picture me as Bella. Clumsy? Yes. Not exactly like everyone else? Yes. Strange relationship with father? Yes. Little to none experience with dating? Absolutely. Hell, even the description of her fits me... kinda. I now believe Stephenie somehow bugged my house and wrote Miss Swan entirely off of me (I wish).
Edward. The name sends images of all my latest hotties fluttering into my head, though none of them are Robert Pattinson. I'll admit, I didn't understand why women always said they were in love with fictional characters. Of course, I'd liked many characters from books, tv, and movies. I've wanted them to be real, so I could be friends with them. But I've never wanted a guy for dating purposes. I mean, I think after the third or fourth Death Eater attack, I would have told Harry to hit the road. Edward though, he got to me. He's just .... perfect!
Reading the book during all the movie hype (and with my two best friends being huge fans) it was kind of impossible to not know about certain things. Like how Edward and his family were all vampires. So when Bella meets Edward in biology class and he seems distant or to be a complete jerk, I didn't get quite as paranoid about it as she did. In fact, I was a little mystified as to why he acted so strangely toward her at first. I mean, clearly they'd gotten past the whole human-eating thing, otherwise they wouldn't step foot inside a public school. When their eating habits and Bella's scent were finally explained, I was very pleased to find that Stephenie had quite an imagination.
I'd heard, though never read, about other teen vampire romance novels, so presumed she was just following suit. But to hear that she'd actually re-written the traditional vampire rules, I was ecstatic! For example, they can eat human food; they don't sleep; and, most shocking of all, they sparkle! It takes a brilliant imagination to come up with a monster that sparkles in the daylight. ^_^
Concerning the other characters, I love Alice and really wish she was real too. I mean she's so ... cool. Rosalie, although a little cruel, I want to know more about. She wouldn't be the first "bad" character I've liked. Jasper's all right, but I get a little worried about his inexperience (the first chapter of New Moon doesn't help that fear). Emmett's fine, I guess. Esme I love, and Carlisle too, come to think of it. As for Jacob ..... well, I don't really have much to go on yet, do I? I know I don't want him with Bella. I mean, he acts his age, and she's so advanced for hers. It just seems weird. I know there are a lot of people who will disagree with this, but they've all read past Twilight. I must say though, I'm quite confidant that I'll always be a Bella/Edward shipper. I really don't care if he leaves in the next book or not.
So, that's my review of Twilight characters. Overall, the best way to describe it would be to say that it kept me laughing all the way through. Even when Bella was just doing her homework I was caught up in it all. And when they were running for their lives, it still kept my attention - which is normally very hard because I don't enjoy fight/action scenes unless they have a lot of dialogue. That's it. My review is complete. Must go retrieve laundry now. Bye-bye!
~Lizzy
Friday, February 6, 2009
Harry Potter in a Minute
Okay, I figured that since books are basically my life, I'd start with the first.
So ... you already know I like the amazing Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I'll give you a little history here, to show how absolutely stupid I was to listen to my mom all the time when I was a kid. I was eight when Philosopher's Stone came out. My mom saw J.K. on the Rosie O'Donnell show (am I the only person my age who remembers watching that?) and bought the book for me. We began reading like two chapters a day, sometimes one if she was having problems pronouncing words. For example, she called Crabbe, Crabby - and it wasn't a joke! So then we suddenly stopped reading it. I can't remember why. We watched the movie when it came out two or three years later, and I loved it. I said I wanted to continue reading the books, to get ahead of the movies. You know what she told me? "There might be words in the book you won't understand because they're British translations." Ha!
Finally, a year later, when we began seeing previews for Chamber of Secrets, I (again) told her I wanted to read the books, and this time I didn't listen to her warnings. I got two chapters in on my first night of CoS when she asked how it was going and I told her all about Dobby. She thought he was funny (especially since we'd been seeing him on the previews) and she said she wanted to read it with me. So I started all over again. After that night, she never picked up the book again, and I was left waiting for her to continue with it. Needless to say I was a bit miffed when I saw the movie before finishing the book. Then another year or two passes and we decide to try Prisoner of Azkaban. This time we did good, we got a quarter of the way through the book when we stopped. Grrrr.
About a year before the third movie came out I was sick for a while and had nothing to read. And yet, there were the Harry Potter books, sitting on my end table collecting dust. I picked up the first one and read it all the way through, by myself. After I finished a few weeks later, I looked for CoS but discovered it was still packed away in a box in our basement (we'd moved while I was reading PS/SS). So I skipped ahead to PoA. I didn't bother reading from the beginning, I figured I still remembered enough to help me out. Something about a mysterious new D.A.D.A. teacher who liked Harry, and Hermione was keeping a secret. I did finish the book months before the movie came out. I think I finish Goblet of Fire before the third movie came out too. Anyway, that's enough rambling about my stupidity. In order of my favorites, PoA, PS/SS, GoF, HBP, CoS, OotP, DH; or, 3,1,4,6,2,5,7. But I really don't give the last three enough credit. I'm just a little mad about my two favorite characters dying in 5 and 7. (coughsiriuscoughremuscough)
Moving on ... oh, I don't have time to move on. I forgot how much I can ramble on about HP. So, next edition will continue my discussion about books. Twilight is next up. ^_^
Love y'all,
Lizzy
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