I'm feeling a lot better now. I just had a great pre-Thanksgiving dinner at my church home group, and no one hated me for not making brownies like I was supposed to. (Excuses: I was sick. I couldn't figure out how to use the oven. I never go out of my dorm room, and people were giving me funny looks. Someone else was also making a dessert.)

( I'm getting rid of negative thoughts... )

I so have mixed feelings about this. First, I despise book banning. I realize that there are certain things that are just unsuitable for certain ages of children. For example, you don't want a fifth grader to get their hands on Midnight Cowboy because they just are probably not mature enough to handle it. (It's a book we're reading in English now, which, despite its disturbingness, I kind of adore.) But I think kids should definitely have access to them. It sounds like such a double standard, but I don't think it's up to the school system to decide what they shouldn't be allowed to read.

I know there are extreme cases where a library could simply choose to not put a book on the shelves. But the reasons that people ban books are just ridiculous. They take a lot of things out-of-context and don't consider the book's meaning on the whole. Like, one school tried to ban Laurie Halse Anderson's Twisted because it discussed suicide. WHEN THE WHOLE POINT OF THE BOOK IS TO NOT DO SUICIDE. You follow me?

I think books that have a message, or at least let readers see the consequences of stupid actions, should always be acceptable. If you ban a book because it talks about a kid having premarital sex and getting pregnant and then having to face the consequences, that's fine. If it's something with kind of senseless vulgarity (Gossip Girl, maybe), I can see how it wouldn't have as much value as a more realistic work. But... yeah. Whatever. No book banning.

I think we should just put age restrictions on books. Or not restrictions, but recommendations. List what all the book contains that could be offensive to people, and then let the parents and kids decide what books they want to subject themselves to.

Another example: I think Go Ask Alice should be required reading for EVERY TEENAGER, but it is extremely disturbing. But that's the point. If everyone read that book, I swear the drug problem would go down. It would have to. It's just... amazingly poignant.

*ramble ramble ramble*

My mind is trying to sabotage my enjoyment of New Moon.

This happened to some extent last year, too. I seem to get caught up in the opinions of the haters and (even though I promise myself I won't) I torture myself by reading movie reviews and I just generally get in a funk where I forget why I liked it in the first place. *glum glum glum*

Good news, though. The few reviews I've read have been pretty... favorable. I just sort of skimmed them, but this one review... I just loved it because it kept slamming Harry Potter. It was basically saying that the emotions of the characters in NM ring so much truer than anything in the HP movies. The teenagers are fully-rounded, well-acted, amazing people that created a believable romance, whereas the HP kids just sort of... snog. I thought that was hilarious, because I've always said that the romance in the HP series is lame. But that's not JKR's goal, so I'm not criticizing. I'm just saying that SMeyer is kind of the queen of romance.

*sigh* So I'm trying to build my excitement back up again. Help me, omg.

P.S. Listening to Hana Pestle's "Need" over and over again certainly helps recapture the lushness.

Sorry, I just have to get something out here.

Last weekend, my parents came to visit me. We decided to go see a movie, and the only one I really wanted to see was Where the Wild Things Are. Ever since I first saw the trailer (which gave me chills and all sorts of happy-joy-joy thoughts), I knew that it was probably going to be an amazing movie.

And I was right. ( cut for rants about ignorant movie-goers )

[40] twilight cast. events & photoshoots. ashley greene. kristen stewart. jackson rathbone. nikki reed. kellan lutz. robert pattinson. taylor lautner.

Preview:


( The hair is 75% of my performance... )

I can't even keep up with NM news lately. Like, it's getting so ridiculous. And I just want to invest so much time into discussion and watching interviews and stuff.

Soooooo, I'm going to work super-hard this week to get all my big projects done. I've got two essays to work on and a craptastic digital movie to finish. I know I can get them done this week. BY SATURDAY. So. Wish me luck.

+ ROB/KRISTEN ARE SUCH WIN, YES?

I didn't want to have to do this, but I'm thinking about changing my major.

It's not all that bad. I'm really not changing much at all, really, if I end up deciding to do it. Right now I'm working toward a double major in English and History. I had counted on being able to pick up a minor in Communication. Unfortunately, the Comm department here is kind of broke, so they really can't afford to teach people outside of the major. Thus, no such thing as a Comm minor. This sucks for me. I mean, I guess you technically don't have to have a minor. And it might be possible, with the strings I have to pull in the Honors program, to still get into the Comm classes I want.

But, when I think about it, Comm is a much more useful degree than History. I adore history, of course, but I have no plans to do anything with it, per se. If I switch into Comm, I can drop a few history classes that I was taking just to fill the major requirements and take a lot of really awesome classes in European history. Which I would just love.

If I switch into Comm, I'll have to take 39 more hours in addition to the 50+ I've already got for English. I don't yet know if this is feasible. One of the reasons I could fit in a history major was because I was bringing in six credits from AP and definitely had enough room to fulfill all the requirements. For Comm? I don't know. A lot of the classes I would be taking anyway, just because they interest me, but I'd have to add some media interests and public speaking and the like.

But basically, I don't have time to figure this out right now. I've got two more weeks until Thanksgiving/New Moon Break, and I'm hoping to get all my assignments done this week so I don't have to worry about them at all next week. Don't want to be stressed. But over break, I can definitely think about the major situation and just see if it's possible. If so, I'll try to drop my History of Technology class next semester.

[20] twilight cast. robert pattinson. kristen stewart. taylor lautner.

Preview:


( There's nothing I won't understand... )

Let's countdown 'til New Moon!



Without going into spoilers for the various clips you've seen from the movie, let's share the one part we're most looking forward to in the movie. Yup, you can only choose one. That will make this interesting.

Mine is the Volturi lair confrontation. :) Yours?

I may do an obnoxious picspam pic for each day. :)

I told myself that I would use NaNoWriMo to work on Kiss of Death extensively. *quails* I don't know if I can, someone help me. John Green, you promised a video on Sunday about this! You better freaking deliver, because otherwise I am so screwed.

*sigh*

More conversations with Guy Friend Who Tries to Pretend He Doesn't Care Much About Twilight:

HIM: Don't make fun of me. How can I be too eager for New Moon?
ME: You can't, really.
HIM: Aren't you excited?
ME: I AM EXCITED.
HIM: Have you seen Kristen Stewart in it? She's hot.
ME: Yeah, she is, I guess.
HIM: Have you seen her in Into the Wild? OOOOOMIGOSH.
ME: *moves away*

Video to Cheer Me Up Today:


I love that movie so freaking much.

[20] new moon. movie stills. kristen stewart. robert pattinson.
[1] eclipse. bts. xavier samuel.

Preview:


( I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure I was dreaming... )

Haha. I cannot summon the will to work on papers right now.




I'm getting super excited for New Moon. I've carefully avoided the recent deluge of clips and TV spots (although I watched entirely too much of the werewolf sizzle reel before I came to my senses and shut it off). I've been more focused on individual scenes than the actual story, which is why it didn't really hit me that I get to see the movie until a few days ago. I've said it many times, but the story of New Moon is absolutely gorgeous, and I'm so pumped for this movie.

I had the most hilarious conversation about New Moon yesterday, though. I ran into the older brother of one of my friends back home, who goes to the same college as me. I hadn't gotten to see him until yesterday. So he was asking how I liked college and all this, and then randomly he's like...

HIM: Wait, you like Twilight, right?
ME: Yeah.
HIM: Okay. I watched it the other day with my sister. And I just wondered what Bella was doing with another guy in the new movie!?
ME: Oh. Yeah.
HIM: I mean, I thought the last guy was... like, awesome.
ME: Well, Edward breaks up with her New Moon.
HIM: You are kidding me! Ah, why?
ME: You would know this if you'd watched the trailers...
HIM: Well, I wasn't paying too much attention... I just... but doesn't she become a vampire? I know she does, eventually.
ME: You'll just have to watch it.
HIM: -_-

He was entirely too enthused.

I have tickets for Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:00-ish. I'll be seeing that with two of my friends, at least. And I think I may be going to a midnight showing here, but it all depends on whether someone gives me tickets. I mean, I expressed interest, but I don't know who's in charge of organizing that in our dorm. And then I'm going to see it the next Sunday with my family, and probably a few more times over Thanksgiving break. Ohhhh, I can't wait.

I don't know if I'll have time to reread the books before then, though. This makes me sad, because I know I've forgotten things. I just don't remember what order things go in, and I can't remember exactly when Bella figures out they're werewolves, or why Paul transforms in the book as opposed to the movie and just... gah. Maybe it'll be better that way. I can enjoy the movie without being caught up in the differences. But I would still like to know.

Also... my friend and I have a plan to hiss "Good riddance!" when Edward leaves. Maybe not the first time, but... during one showing. Now, we love Edward, but we just wanna see if the tweens will attack. XD

[6] xavier samuel.
[8] bryce dallas howard.
[8] the vampire diaries. 1.06 "Lost Girls"

Preview:


( We are not frightened anymore... )

Locked the second chapter of "Kiss of Death." I can't tell you all how much I appreciate all your feedback, particularly the wonderful constructive criticism I got on pacing and general OOC-ness. I'm taking this project very, very seriously, and I want to make it as good as possible. My current goal is to finish it off, which, at the rate I'm going now, will take forever. But I'm going to make myself generate rough material for it over the course of November for NaNoWriMo, if only so I can have a basic string that ties all the scenes I have together. I hate transitions and boring in-between-plot stuff, but it has to happen. Once I've got a lot of that in, I think the story will evolve and get a lot more fleshed out than it currently is. I'm working with a very straightforward outline, and I'd like to just let the story expand wherever it needs to in order to make it more... relevant, I guess. I'd like it to be more than just a cutesy weird romance, even though that's a huge part of what it is. Already, I know a lot of scenes I've written are quite dark and sad, and I need a way to seamlessly blend those in with the yayfulness I've already published.

So that's where we are on that.

Last night, I was crippled by what may have been my worst migraine ever. The causes are unclear, but it's probably dehydration and BAD TOUCH CHEMICALS in food. It was horrible.

Very miffed by the recent Summit promotion blitz for New Moon. Too much information, dears. I will not have this movie ruined for me, not at all. But I'm successfully sequestered away from videos. Pictures = fine. But no more footage. I've already resisted the last two clips they've released. (Volturi and one in the parking lot) NO.

I might be going to see Ponyo tonight at the local theatre. Hopefully that works out, because I love me some Miyazaki. Gotta read some stuff for English, got a few papers to work on. Woo!

Summit keeps pissing me off. I have to go into a bunker and refuse to watch any more clips or TV spots now. Oh well. These were enough.

[12] twilight cast. ashley greene. kellan lutz. rachelle lefevre. kristen stewart. robert pattinson. taylor lautner.
[5] twilight. promos.
[16] new moon. promos. clip #1: jacob's transformation. tv spot #1: event.
[23] alice in wonderland (1951).

Preview:


( 'The time has come,' the Walrus said... )