'Twould seem a weekend in bed is driving me little a little crazier than usual. I've gotten out of bed a handful of times and only left the room twice...today. Yesterday...maybe I left the room four times. Hooray for math. I can count.
So today I streamed White, a Korean Horror flick (subtitled) and watched the entire Kaze no Stigma anime series (24 episodes). Of course, I also talked with the vet and asked that they run a comprehensive blood panel on Neko, not only to search for a possible culprit, but also to check on her kidney and liver function since dehydration could cause issues. And my dad called to check on me, which was sweet, but I couldn't talk long since I was waiting on the vet to call and I'm a cheapskate who won't pay for call-waiting on my home line. I hate land lines and, since I mentioned it, I'm feeling better than I was, but still not great, still have an awful headache, and didn't need to take any of the pain meds I was given on Friday.
Okay, so the reviews! #1 - White. This subbed Korean horror movie is about an all girl idol group who have hit bottom and live in the shadow of a popular group. That all changes when one member discovers a song called 'White,' complete with choreography, and the group takes it on as their own. However, as they find more and more fame, and begin fighting with one another for the "main" spot, tragedy begins to strike and the member who found the song begins to wonder if it isn't cursed. The plot may sound a bit hokey and anyone familiar with vengeful Japanese/Korean/Asian ghost-story horror movies may guess how it plays out with ease, but it was still an entertaining movie. I won't say it was gripping or even scary - it isn't capable of grabbing the audience in the ways that The Grudge or The Ring could - but there was at least one moment where my jaw dropped open and I thought the constant bickering and bullying among the girls was realistic. I'm more familiar with Japanese culture and the problems with bullying there, but given this film's deeper meaning, I found their cruel and degrading treatment toward each other and one member in particular very believable. There were a few moments of beautiful artistry, especially near the end, when White emerges - I love her solo poster - and there are a few moments where I was confused. I'm not certain if I missed something, if something wasn't translated, or if it's an insider thing specific to the music industry, but they refer to a video tape a lot and when they begin to analyze it for a specific thing, it's that specific thing that lost me. But even so, it's been a while since my brain has tried to solve a movie while I watched and I was right on top of this one (again, anyone familiar with these types of films probably won't find it that difficult - it just felt good to be watching and solving again, instead watching and mindless). Anyway, I enjoyed it and liked it. I liked the way the main character was handled throughout the movie and especially in the end. POSSIBLE SPOILER DEPENDING ON HOW YOU VIEW SPOILERS - I like that while she did get a little snobbish after gaining popularity, she still treated her best friend well (even if she did call her an "acquaintance" in an interview), and how she signed the cd for her friend - I think there are subtleties in her actions toward her friend that speak more toward her character than the words she uses. Anyway, that's my take and I liked that attention to detail with the character.
I do have one minor issue with the movie, but stating it here would, in my opinion, be a major spoiler, so I won't say anything at all. Things just...happen in a rather convenient way for the plot to advance and that doesn't mesh very well with the typical ghost story.
#2. Kaze No Stigma - an anime series about elemental martial arts magic users that focuses mainly on a high powered fire-using family who banished their son, Kazuma, because he couldn't harness the power of fire. As an adult, Kazuma returns, having gained the power of wind, and joins forces with his former family in their fight against evil. Okay - that is a super simplified version of the plot, but it's better than the one Netflix provides, which makes it sound like something for kids. Teens, yeah, ok. But not little kids. First - the coloring is excellent and the voice acting is excellent (dub), with a lot of familiar voices. Second - Kazuma was SO MUCH like Phantom in the second part of Phantom: Requiem for Phantom (Zwei) after he accepts his fate, that it was eerie. For the first couple of episodes, if it wasn't for the wind and fire magic, and screeching teenage redhead, I'd think I was watching Phantom. They aren't voiced by the same person, but I swear they are similar. Anyway, the first part of the series focuses on Kazuma's relationship with his family and his partnership with Ayano (the screeching teenage redhead). At first they mostly go about one or two episode monster hunts until the story begins to evolve and form a linear, continuous plot. This plot delves into Kazuma's past, is sad and tragic, is interesting, and makes me really wish there would be another season. However, according to a quick bit of research, the creator for this story is now deceased and it appears the project has been cancelled. I haven't confirmed any of that as true, but given that the anime aired in 2007 and it's now 5 years later...I think they (Gonzo) have moved on. My thoughts. Kazuma is a serious fellow and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of him throughout the anime. He is one of those unflinching, unwavering, and unbeatable guys with a tortured heart beating at the center of his chest. He made me want to watch this anime. He is why I watched the whole thing in a day. The rest...okay, so the rest is fine, except that I wish the rest had stayed at Kazuma's level. But maybe that was their way of showing the difference of maturity in their characters - I don't really know. Ayano had moments of maturity, but overall was rather annoying and I wanted more seriousness and maturity from her. Overall, I wanted more seriousness and maturity from the whole anime. The other supporting characters, like Kazuma's brother, Ren, his uncle, and his father, and the villains and whatnot where all fine. I actually really liked Ren. He was a cute character and I loved his interactions with his friends. But the seriousness and maturity level extends to the anime itself. There's a lot of fan service going on here - panty shots, wind blowing skirts up, torn up clothes, big breasts, unnecessary boob jiggling (and I mean it - boobs jiggling in the scene just to have them jiggle). The story gets really serious once the relationships are established and this just doesn't go with the maturity level that the anime sets for itself. That was kind of disappointing. I wanted more from it. If it hadn't gotten so serious, if Kazuma was a little goofier - maybe like Vash - I don't know - maybe the lighter side would've been easier to accept. But as it is, this seems like two animes trying to meld into one that kind of mostly works, but leaves you wishing it was a little bit better. So that's it. I enjoyed it. I wish there's more to it. I want to know what happens, what the whole story is, and I wish it was more serious. But even with all that, this is a title I would put on my buy list. It wouldn't be at the top, but if I saw it for a good price tomorrow, I'd pick it up. I can enjoy goof, silly anime (I LOVE Cromartie High and Azumanga Daioh), and I can appreciate lighthearted characters juxtaposed with serious characters (take xxxHolic or Fruits Basket, for example) when done well. However, here, the juxtaposition doesn't sit well. But if you can overlook that, or if you like jiggling boobs and panty shots along with lots teenage girls, fighting, monsters, and fire/wind magic, then check this title out.
When I sat down to write this, I realized that what I should be reviewing is my new laptop. Is it ironic that I work in I.T. and choose to review movies and anime instead of my new HP Pavilion M6 with its 3rd gen (yes, Ivy Bridge...woot!) Intel i5 processor and 8gb DDR3 ram and 700 gb hdd? The M6 is HP's replacement for their DV6 line, which is my other laptop, running a measly core two duo with 4gb ddr 3 and a 500 gb hdd. It's going to get a ram upgrade and become my husband's laptop since his Dell is dead and will soon have a greater metal-to-lead ratio (read: he's going to shoot it). We have an even older HP Pavilion, from one of the dinosaur-eras from whence XP was born, that we upgraded as a spare for my father-in-law to use when he house sits for us. We added a one-gig stick of ram and that thing is speeding along now. I'm looking forward to upgrading my DV6. Maybe one of these days I'll review this M6.
Sorry for any typos. I've already taken my meds and vertigo is setting in, so re-reading this is out of the question now. Have a good night!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Movie Reviews! The Caller, Audition, The Perfect Host ... Quick Anime Review Notes ... and Some Rambling!
I've been wanting to blog. But not about any one thing in particular. And I realize that I tend to not only write long posts, but also ramble on about topics completely unrelated from one another.
So, for starters, So You Think You Can Dance is done. Chehon and Eliana won. YAY! (Even though I'm sad for Cyrus. Boo!) I found a lot of music through the season and through the "if you like this, you might this" feature on Amazon, so I have a "brand new" 6-hour playlist filled with a range of music from classical, dubsteb, and electronica. Woot! I even bought a cd - Gus Gus Arabian Horse. I < 3 them! (yes, I just did that. Check them out...I fell in love first with Believe (not on Arabian Horse) and Over (track 3 on Arabian Horse))
What else is new in the world as I see it? Well, my cat Neko (occasional substitute blogger whose name is the same as the Japanese word for cat even though we pronounce it with a long ee...see rambling?) - anyway, my cat Neko had to go to the emergency clinic the Thursday night before last and then to our local animal hospital on last Saturday morning, which is where she has resided ever since. She presented with bloody diarrhea and impacted anal glands. She was in a lot of pain. She is doing better, but is on three anti-biotics, subcu-IV fluids, and isn't in any shape to come home yet. :-(
In addition, Lucien, our alpha male (who is the biggest baby), had a bladder infection and the antibiotics made him sick. He spent over 6 days/nights in the hospital on two occasions (total) waiting for urine samples because he is such a stubborn little guy. He finally came home today with the okay to stop treatment and keep an eye on him. He's been cuddling ever since.
So, speaking of cuddling and health issues, I had to go to the doctor again yesterday and am in the process of setting up a potential surgical consult to follow the procedure I'm having done in a few weeks. SO, I've spent the day in bed cuddling with Lu and streaming Netflix while Tim and G-man work the Illini game.
Which leads to why I actually decided to write this post. I watched three movies today and as I write this, I'm starting an anime series (which I will restart to give it a proper watching): Kaze no Stigma (Stigma of the Wind, I believe). I recognize many of the voices, so while I'm not paying a lot of attention to it, I'm already intrigued just because of that.
Movie #1: The Caller - psychological horror/thriller. A woman going through a divorce moves into an apartment whose phone receives calls from a woman living in 1979. They strike up a friendship that soon turns sour...with dire consequences in the past and present. I liked it. The lighting, camera work, and coloring were all excellent at creating the atmosphere and setting the mood. I didn't really cringe every time the phone rang, which I imagine is what the director intended, but there was so much going on in the story, that the phone almost fell into the background. The movie has some heart-wrenching moments and others that make you just stop for a second, but it doesn't allow you much time to mourn or wonder because it keeps moving forward. The movie seems simple on the surface, but it's multilayered and intriguing. The mystery behind the caller is never explained. I like that because anything they came up would seem contrived and ruin the story. There were a few spots where I questioned why she didn't call the police, but those were easy to brush aside for the sake of the story. In the end, what needs to be explained has been explained and the story comes together in a near perfect way. It is tragic and beautiful with all of the layers, and even more so when extra time is taken to think about those layers. I can't make a call on the Nerdgirl scary scale - I don't think it's scary, especially not in the spooky sense, but there are a few places that could make someone jump (it is more psychological after all). There aren't any monsters and the only paranormal events are the phone calls. Everything else involves people (for example: the main character's abusive ex-husband). There are a few violent scenes, but they tend to build up and pass quickly, and I don't remember seeing a lot of blood, except in one scene, but even that is brief.
Movie #2: Audition - Japanese Horror (subtitled). Okay - so this movie has a cult following for the supposedly gratuitous and graphic torture scenes that (according to Wikipedia, so take that for whatever it's worth) made the movie hard for even Rob Zombie to enjoy. I've been curious. The Japanese are known for going over the top and I've seen some crazy torture stuff in anime, so I was more than a little curious about Audition. I just needed to know if I could stomach it. I decided to try. The movie runs about an hour an a half, and most of it focuses on the central story: a widower, 7-years after his wife's death, is urged by his teenage son to remarry. Together with a friend in the movie production business, he holds auditions to find the perfect woman. Of course, as you can probably guess, he doesn't choose wisely. However, since most of the movie focuses on him, his loneliness, his son, his son's ambitions, and then his excitement at falling in love with the perfect woman, I found myself relating to him and empathizing with him. Perhaps I would have been drawn in more had I not known anything about the woman. The parts that have made the movie so popular don't occur until the last 30 or even 20-minutes of the film, and the famous, "graphic" torture sequence is among the last in the film, and most of it is spent showing more of how much she's enjoying it than it is actually showing the torture. Okay, so here's my take on it - I'm very sensitive to things. I hate torture in movies, will not watch domestic or sexual violence, hate seeing animals get hurt or killed, etc. But I was almost laughing during the torture scene. It just seemed so out of place. Her character had shifted so drastically and without explanation, that her torture getup and her devices - the whole thing just seemed really out of left field (pardon the lack of a better expression). (Before anyone says anything about the "love only me" thing, I get that, and I get that she snapped when she saw the picture of his late wife, but even with that, it was a drastic shift.) And then the torture itself, by today's standards, with the Saw movies and whatnot, was VERY tame. There was hardly any blood and it really was more about her enjoying his pain and what she was doing than actually showing what she was doing. In my opinion, this will stay a cult hit, because it is one, but time has done the damage because movies have only gotten more violent. I've been more disturbed by the violence in the newest Bond films than I was by anything in Audition. Now, that said, because of that, I was able to enjoy the movie. I can see where the shock and awe factors were supposed to be, but in the end, I felt horrible for the widower and I felt sorry for her. But her story wasn't adequately told or something was lost in translation to bring about anything more than surface feelings for her because her end character did not match the character she had been throughout the movie. Even given that what I say is "tame torture" by today's standards...LATE EDIT: I've removed the Nerdgirl scary scale comment because I realized that I don't honestly know how she would rate this movie and she has a much stronger stomach than I do. So I've decided to rate this on my own scale, which makes more sense since I described my own tastes. This is not a movie that people like me or people sensitive to violence should watch. It is still sadistic. It is still torture. It is sad and tragic. I was only able to make it through because I researched the movie ahead of time, knew what to expect, had some previous experience with the genre in animated form, and got myself into a frame of mind to see it completely as a work of fiction (much easier to do with an anime, I have to say). If I had gone in blind and not prepared, I am certain parts of the movie and the end would have bothered me. However, even with all that, I stand by the my review.
Movie #3 The Perfect Host - dark comedy/thriller. Starring David Hyde Pierce, The Perfect Host has been on my watch list for a while, but I kept forgetting about it. A bank robber on the run crashes the wrong dinner party and regrets it...a lot. Skipping ahead - Nerdgirl - watch this!! This movie is so dark and hilarious, and David Hyde Pierce is absolutely perfect in his role. This movie was made for him. Just when the robber thinks he has control...um, no sir. You've just entered the Twilight Zone mind of a violent schizophrenic who likes to party. Between the drinking and the singing and the conga line and the dancing, and then the pool...there is so much to this "dinner party" as seen through the eyes of the robber and the eyes of Pierce that it's hard not to get swept up and just enjoy the "fun." Sometimes I wasn't sure how dark it was actually going to go, but that was part of how good it was. And there was more going on in the background, as well, such as flashbacks regarding the robber's life and why he robbed the bank, and discoveries detectives were making about his case. The former served to help the viewer feel sorry for the robber, since he appears initially as a cold-hearted jackass, while the latter seems misplaced and forced into the story because it needs to be there until everything is neatly tied together in the end. The thing about these other two parts is that while I was enjoying the dinner party and not trying to solve the case or look for twists, there were certain things that my mind would grab onto - little tidbits of information that only existed in the story because they were pertinent in some way. That is, after all, one of the first things we learn as writers - only add what's necessary (unless its a deliberate distraction, but hey, even that's necessary, right?). So I deliberately ignored those tidbits, just so I could enjoy the movie without solving it. And I'm glad I did because it was so much better that way. Excellent movie. I can't say that enough.
So I'll stop there. I have a two queries out and am working on a one-page synopsis. One. Page. X_X Ug.
Until my next ramble. Goodnight. Oh - it's a Bleach night! Yay! ^_^ Until then, back to Kaze No Stigma. Oh, and, although been it's on my watch list for awhile, since Adult Swim acquired the rights to show it, I've been watching Samurai 7 - it's starting out slow and one character in particular is rather annoying, but it's enjoyable. Plus it's based on Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai, which the Bare Naked Ladies sung about in One Week (and Sailor Moon, too!). I'm not really a big BNL fan, though. I've also been forcing myself through Casshern Sins and that's starting to pay off. I think they could have tossed half of the eps and been better off. I've never seen the original. Other anime titles that I've watched and enjoyed lately (read: within the last year or so) include Gun X Sword (come on, its like Spike from Cowboy Bebop piloting Big O with a wee bit of Trigun mixed in there somewhere. How can that not be awesome?), Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne (adult title) - despite the gratuitous nature of adult titles, this one included, I liked the story and actually cried at the tragic turn, Trigun: Badlands Rumble? (the new movie) - awesome - NEW Trigun based on the Maximum manga series - a must see (and must read) for any Trigun fan or Vash fanatic (like me, even though I'm horrible with titles right now), Claymore - it's been a while, but I liked it - not one that would top my buy list, but I would buy it some day - another sad, tragic tale and I'm drawn to sad, tragic tales - this one reminded me of D's plight in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, but the two are in no way similar in any other way - Claymores are female warriors and there are no vampires here, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom - phenomenal - foreign travelers brainwashed into becoming master assassins for a Japanese mafia-type. The story is deep and layered (I'm into layers) and goes throughout years of their lives and how their "job" affects them. It centers on the male lead and his desire for freedom, but as we Americans like to say, "Freedom isn't Free" and that's exactly what he learns. I'd have to say that Phantom reminded me of Darker than Black, although they are a bit different. I'd have to watch DTB again, but right now I'd say Phantom is the better of the two. Bleach: Fade to Black - the 3rd movie in the Bleach series. Okay - so first, it's Bleach, so it's awesome, and second it focuses on Rukia, so Byakuya's in it, too - double awesome (I clearly have a thing for fake, hot guys). I've liked all of the Bleach movies, but this is my favorite so far - it let us further into the Kuchiki world than we've gotten and I love that Byakuya came around because of his late wife. We don't see much humanity or emotion from him, so that scene is one of my favorites.
Oh my gosh. I've done it again. Good grief. See? I can just go on, and on, and on. Finally, I bought Halloween socks with a bat on them that kind of resembles the bat symbol. How cool is that? Totally what I thought. Time for me to shut up.
So, for starters, So You Think You Can Dance is done. Chehon and Eliana won. YAY! (Even though I'm sad for Cyrus. Boo!) I found a lot of music through the season and through the "if you like this, you might this" feature on Amazon, so I have a "brand new" 6-hour playlist filled with a range of music from classical, dubsteb, and electronica. Woot! I even bought a cd - Gus Gus Arabian Horse. I < 3 them! (yes, I just did that. Check them out...I fell in love first with Believe (not on Arabian Horse) and Over (track 3 on Arabian Horse))
What else is new in the world as I see it? Well, my cat Neko (occasional substitute blogger whose name is the same as the Japanese word for cat even though we pronounce it with a long ee...see rambling?) - anyway, my cat Neko had to go to the emergency clinic the Thursday night before last and then to our local animal hospital on last Saturday morning, which is where she has resided ever since. She presented with bloody diarrhea and impacted anal glands. She was in a lot of pain. She is doing better, but is on three anti-biotics, subcu-IV fluids, and isn't in any shape to come home yet. :-(
In addition, Lucien, our alpha male (who is the biggest baby), had a bladder infection and the antibiotics made him sick. He spent over 6 days/nights in the hospital on two occasions (total) waiting for urine samples because he is such a stubborn little guy. He finally came home today with the okay to stop treatment and keep an eye on him. He's been cuddling ever since.
So, speaking of cuddling and health issues, I had to go to the doctor again yesterday and am in the process of setting up a potential surgical consult to follow the procedure I'm having done in a few weeks. SO, I've spent the day in bed cuddling with Lu and streaming Netflix while Tim and G-man work the Illini game.
Which leads to why I actually decided to write this post. I watched three movies today and as I write this, I'm starting an anime series (which I will restart to give it a proper watching): Kaze no Stigma (Stigma of the Wind, I believe). I recognize many of the voices, so while I'm not paying a lot of attention to it, I'm already intrigued just because of that.
Movie #1: The Caller - psychological horror/thriller. A woman going through a divorce moves into an apartment whose phone receives calls from a woman living in 1979. They strike up a friendship that soon turns sour...with dire consequences in the past and present. I liked it. The lighting, camera work, and coloring were all excellent at creating the atmosphere and setting the mood. I didn't really cringe every time the phone rang, which I imagine is what the director intended, but there was so much going on in the story, that the phone almost fell into the background. The movie has some heart-wrenching moments and others that make you just stop for a second, but it doesn't allow you much time to mourn or wonder because it keeps moving forward. The movie seems simple on the surface, but it's multilayered and intriguing. The mystery behind the caller is never explained. I like that because anything they came up would seem contrived and ruin the story. There were a few spots where I questioned why she didn't call the police, but those were easy to brush aside for the sake of the story. In the end, what needs to be explained has been explained and the story comes together in a near perfect way. It is tragic and beautiful with all of the layers, and even more so when extra time is taken to think about those layers. I can't make a call on the Nerdgirl scary scale - I don't think it's scary, especially not in the spooky sense, but there are a few places that could make someone jump (it is more psychological after all). There aren't any monsters and the only paranormal events are the phone calls. Everything else involves people (for example: the main character's abusive ex-husband). There are a few violent scenes, but they tend to build up and pass quickly, and I don't remember seeing a lot of blood, except in one scene, but even that is brief.
Movie #2: Audition - Japanese Horror (subtitled). Okay - so this movie has a cult following for the supposedly gratuitous and graphic torture scenes that (according to Wikipedia, so take that for whatever it's worth) made the movie hard for even Rob Zombie to enjoy. I've been curious. The Japanese are known for going over the top and I've seen some crazy torture stuff in anime, so I was more than a little curious about Audition. I just needed to know if I could stomach it. I decided to try. The movie runs about an hour an a half, and most of it focuses on the central story: a widower, 7-years after his wife's death, is urged by his teenage son to remarry. Together with a friend in the movie production business, he holds auditions to find the perfect woman. Of course, as you can probably guess, he doesn't choose wisely. However, since most of the movie focuses on him, his loneliness, his son, his son's ambitions, and then his excitement at falling in love with the perfect woman, I found myself relating to him and empathizing with him. Perhaps I would have been drawn in more had I not known anything about the woman. The parts that have made the movie so popular don't occur until the last 30 or even 20-minutes of the film, and the famous, "graphic" torture sequence is among the last in the film, and most of it is spent showing more of how much she's enjoying it than it is actually showing the torture. Okay, so here's my take on it - I'm very sensitive to things. I hate torture in movies, will not watch domestic or sexual violence, hate seeing animals get hurt or killed, etc. But I was almost laughing during the torture scene. It just seemed so out of place. Her character had shifted so drastically and without explanation, that her torture getup and her devices - the whole thing just seemed really out of left field (pardon the lack of a better expression). (Before anyone says anything about the "love only me" thing, I get that, and I get that she snapped when she saw the picture of his late wife, but even with that, it was a drastic shift.) And then the torture itself, by today's standards, with the Saw movies and whatnot, was VERY tame. There was hardly any blood and it really was more about her enjoying his pain and what she was doing than actually showing what she was doing. In my opinion, this will stay a cult hit, because it is one, but time has done the damage because movies have only gotten more violent. I've been more disturbed by the violence in the newest Bond films than I was by anything in Audition. Now, that said, because of that, I was able to enjoy the movie. I can see where the shock and awe factors were supposed to be, but in the end, I felt horrible for the widower and I felt sorry for her. But her story wasn't adequately told or something was lost in translation to bring about anything more than surface feelings for her because her end character did not match the character she had been throughout the movie. Even given that what I say is "tame torture" by today's standards...LATE EDIT: I've removed the Nerdgirl scary scale comment because I realized that I don't honestly know how she would rate this movie and she has a much stronger stomach than I do. So I've decided to rate this on my own scale, which makes more sense since I described my own tastes. This is not a movie that people like me or people sensitive to violence should watch. It is still sadistic. It is still torture. It is sad and tragic. I was only able to make it through because I researched the movie ahead of time, knew what to expect, had some previous experience with the genre in animated form, and got myself into a frame of mind to see it completely as a work of fiction (much easier to do with an anime, I have to say). If I had gone in blind and not prepared, I am certain parts of the movie and the end would have bothered me. However, even with all that, I stand by the my review.
Movie #3 The Perfect Host - dark comedy/thriller. Starring David Hyde Pierce, The Perfect Host has been on my watch list for a while, but I kept forgetting about it. A bank robber on the run crashes the wrong dinner party and regrets it...a lot. Skipping ahead - Nerdgirl - watch this!! This movie is so dark and hilarious, and David Hyde Pierce is absolutely perfect in his role. This movie was made for him. Just when the robber thinks he has control...um, no sir. You've just entered the Twilight Zone mind of a violent schizophrenic who likes to party. Between the drinking and the singing and the conga line and the dancing, and then the pool...there is so much to this "dinner party" as seen through the eyes of the robber and the eyes of Pierce that it's hard not to get swept up and just enjoy the "fun." Sometimes I wasn't sure how dark it was actually going to go, but that was part of how good it was. And there was more going on in the background, as well, such as flashbacks regarding the robber's life and why he robbed the bank, and discoveries detectives were making about his case. The former served to help the viewer feel sorry for the robber, since he appears initially as a cold-hearted jackass, while the latter seems misplaced and forced into the story because it needs to be there until everything is neatly tied together in the end. The thing about these other two parts is that while I was enjoying the dinner party and not trying to solve the case or look for twists, there were certain things that my mind would grab onto - little tidbits of information that only existed in the story because they were pertinent in some way. That is, after all, one of the first things we learn as writers - only add what's necessary (unless its a deliberate distraction, but hey, even that's necessary, right?). So I deliberately ignored those tidbits, just so I could enjoy the movie without solving it. And I'm glad I did because it was so much better that way. Excellent movie. I can't say that enough.
So I'll stop there. I have a two queries out and am working on a one-page synopsis. One. Page. X_X Ug.
Until my next ramble. Goodnight. Oh - it's a Bleach night! Yay! ^_^ Until then, back to Kaze No Stigma. Oh, and, although been it's on my watch list for awhile, since Adult Swim acquired the rights to show it, I've been watching Samurai 7 - it's starting out slow and one character in particular is rather annoying, but it's enjoyable. Plus it's based on Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai, which the Bare Naked Ladies sung about in One Week (and Sailor Moon, too!). I'm not really a big BNL fan, though. I've also been forcing myself through Casshern Sins and that's starting to pay off. I think they could have tossed half of the eps and been better off. I've never seen the original. Other anime titles that I've watched and enjoyed lately (read: within the last year or so) include Gun X Sword (come on, its like Spike from Cowboy Bebop piloting Big O with a wee bit of Trigun mixed in there somewhere. How can that not be awesome?), Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne (adult title) - despite the gratuitous nature of adult titles, this one included, I liked the story and actually cried at the tragic turn, Trigun: Badlands Rumble? (the new movie) - awesome - NEW Trigun based on the Maximum manga series - a must see (and must read) for any Trigun fan or Vash fanatic (like me, even though I'm horrible with titles right now), Claymore - it's been a while, but I liked it - not one that would top my buy list, but I would buy it some day - another sad, tragic tale and I'm drawn to sad, tragic tales - this one reminded me of D's plight in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, but the two are in no way similar in any other way - Claymores are female warriors and there are no vampires here, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom - phenomenal - foreign travelers brainwashed into becoming master assassins for a Japanese mafia-type. The story is deep and layered (I'm into layers) and goes throughout years of their lives and how their "job" affects them. It centers on the male lead and his desire for freedom, but as we Americans like to say, "Freedom isn't Free" and that's exactly what he learns. I'd have to say that Phantom reminded me of Darker than Black, although they are a bit different. I'd have to watch DTB again, but right now I'd say Phantom is the better of the two. Bleach: Fade to Black - the 3rd movie in the Bleach series. Okay - so first, it's Bleach, so it's awesome, and second it focuses on Rukia, so Byakuya's in it, too - double awesome (I clearly have a thing for fake, hot guys). I've liked all of the Bleach movies, but this is my favorite so far - it let us further into the Kuchiki world than we've gotten and I love that Byakuya came around because of his late wife. We don't see much humanity or emotion from him, so that scene is one of my favorites.
Oh my gosh. I've done it again. Good grief. See? I can just go on, and on, and on. Finally, I bought Halloween socks with a bat on them that kind of resembles the bat symbol. How cool is that? Totally what I thought. Time for me to shut up.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Health Update - sleep is good - I'd like more please
It's only 9:52 cdt and it feels like 2am. I was just reading one of my old status updates - the one where I was officially diagnosed with MS, to be precise, and just realized that I have been plagued by sleep issues since this whole medical-thing started. I also realized that I started this blog to keep my friends and family updated on my health status with my MS (multiple sclerosis) and it turned into a writing blog with updates on my MSs (manuscripts). An odd twist there.
Sleep is a funny thing when you suffer from a lack of it for one reason or another. In my case, my brain doesn't want to "shutdown" or "hibernate." Like a computer, once it's up and running, it wants to compute and process, so while my body's in shutdown mode, my brain's all like, "Oh no, we can't do that! We still have this to think about! Or this to plan! Or this problem to solve!" So I'm on medicine to suppress that along with medications that have sedation effects. But then when those kick in, I get the vivid dreams, because - again - my brain is ON. And these are weird dreams, let me tell you. If I'm not suffering from nightmares, I'm having dreams so weird, they wake me up from sheer oddity. So then I take medicine to suppress dreaming along with everything else. And still I can't sleep.
I can't fall asleep. I can't stay asleep. I can't wake up in the mornings. But, very much like I said in that old post, I can nap during the day just fine. Of course, those odd, vivid dreams are there. I recently had a very strange dream about South Park characters that had me laughing so hard in my sleep I woke up. I don't know. I haven't watched South Park in months and it didn't even have any actual South Park characters in it.
But recently I've discovered a beverage called NEURO Sleep - a concoction of vitamin-y things that induce sleep, and the joys of melatonin and magnesium. I hate to do a testimonial thing, but that Neuro Sleep drink works for me. I drink about a third of the bottle 30-minutes before bed when I take my melatonin and I am out. And since starting the melatonin - I take a dual-layer pill: the outer layer is a fast release and the inner layer is time released - it's been easier to wake up.
But alas - it's still not a magical pill. I wake up in the middle of the night. I still have blue circles under my eyes. I'm still exhausted all the time. I still have MS, after all.
Then again, that's not all. We've recently done some work around our house and my health hasn't been the greatest, anyway. I'm suffering from some mystery ailment that has been under investigation since June and I have to undergo a procedure in early October for some exploratory looking around (yay). In addition to that, I appear to be entering some of the secondary issues related to MS - where the MS itself seems to be okay (although we haven't done an MRI this year, so we don't really know), but I have other health issues kind of sorted related - like atypical raynaud's disease. What is up with that? It's 90 degrees outside and I'm inside under my blankets feeling like my toes are getting are frostbitten. I have never had it happen during the summer before, so I am definately not looking forward to the winter.
So back to working on the house. My husband has a bad back and I'm the type of person to take on extra work to alleviate someone else's suffering. That's just who am I. Well, it's never quite sunk in that I can't really do that anymore. Between being taxed mentally and physically at work, and then coming home and laboring (like scraping down a popcorn ceiling, prepping it, sanding it, prepping it, sanding it, priming it, painting it, and then re-painting the walls, for one example) - I was exhausted-exhausted. But I slept great!
Anyway, I had to see my endocrinologist and my bp was 83/53. I was so dizzy and seeing stars, and couldn't even take in the deep breaths for the physical exam without steadying myself on the table. He ordered me to go home for the rest of the week, on bedrest, and to drink plenty of water to get my blood volume up. Being someone who doesn't like to do nothing, that was hard, but I did what he said. Having a doctor tell you - actually tell you - "You are in no shape to be doing anything yourself" is hard to hear, and to have that followed up go to the ER for IV fluids if you throw up is just down right scary, so I listened. I drank water and checked my bp. It was low for a few more days and it took about a week before people started telling me I looked better, but I still get light-headed and see stars on occasion. It was scary. This was the first time I've ever pushed myself hard enough to see where pushing myself would get me. If I don't learn my limits, I'm going to wind up in the hospital. It sucks. My brain doesn't seem to understand that and in the heat of the moment (sorry for the cliche), my body doesn't either. It's not until way afterward, when the pain sets in, that I've realized what I've done. Adrenaline and the need to get the job done takes over, and that's what I focus on.
So needless to say, health-wise, it's been an eventful and long summer. I haven't been able to get out and enjoy the garden like I normally would. I've been far more exhausted than normal and in far more pain than normal. We are hoping this exploratory thing might help explain some of the joint pain, but if not, I may have to go back to the rhuematologist (sp?). That's all I need. Another specialist.
The one thing all my doctors have in common is a worry over my sleep. All of them say they think I'd be much better off if I could sleep. I think so, too. But there's not much I can do about it. Maybe a sleep study would help. I'll talk about it with my neurologist in November.
I know this one isn't proofed and I apologize. I've already taken my nightly/sleepy-time meds and I need to hop into bed. So good night and thanks for checking in on me.
PS. Chehon and Cyrus made it to the finals. I don't know what to do. :-( Chehon? Cyrus? Chehon? Cyrus? I personally think they are rigging the show to push the audience to vote for Cyrus, which sucks because he truly is awesome - and I only say that because he got dubstep as his choreographed dance on the last show. Granted, his style is "animation," but it's darn close to dubstep and they said they would never have his style on the show because it's too hard to do. And yet, guess what? There it is and who gets it? Cyrus. And was it fantastic? Yes. But does Chehon get a wonderful ballet routine to show off his spectacular muscles or abilities to defy gravity as he soars through the air? No. He gets the cha-cha-cha, which he is just not good at. (Sorry Chehon - I'll still vote for you.) Chehon's solo and his choreographed routine were great, but that cha-cha-cha was awful.
PSS. And I can't write without a book update. I finished reading Confessions and making my hardcopy edits. Granted, it still needs work, but I just love reading that story. I was bawling at the end. My husband came home and saw me crying and asked what was wrong. I pointed at the computer screen and he asked, "You know how it ends, why are you crying?" The first book used to make me cry like that before I read it hundreds of times. I suppose eventually I'll stop crying when I get to that point, but dammit, it's sad. I think for a brief respite, just for fun, I'll read what I have written in COMS, and then resume the actual work part of writing. And for the record, changing the indents to tabs on Confessions wasn't nearly the PITA it was on the The Arrival. The one thing I did stumble with was hyphenating ##-year-old and maintaining consistency. I had to study the rules for that a bit. I'm still not entirely clear, but I think I have it down now. Here's the link I used: http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/426348/2805.htm. It's amazing the details that stick out on every read through. Something new jumps out--even small details like dates or numbers of people that make me stop and recount and think, wait, that's not right, it should be this...I love it.
What do you know, Max Richter, On the Nature of Daylight, is back on my player again - but it's transitioning to Olafur Arnalds. He is a wonderful musician. I have yet to find a song of his I don't like. This one is Brotsjor, but I am quite fond of his Living Room Songs album, among others. Still can't do anything without music.
And finally, our pepper shaker broke. So we had to buy a new set. We chose ninjas. Anyone entering our kitchen beware! O_O
Sleep is a funny thing when you suffer from a lack of it for one reason or another. In my case, my brain doesn't want to "shutdown" or "hibernate." Like a computer, once it's up and running, it wants to compute and process, so while my body's in shutdown mode, my brain's all like, "Oh no, we can't do that! We still have this to think about! Or this to plan! Or this problem to solve!" So I'm on medicine to suppress that along with medications that have sedation effects. But then when those kick in, I get the vivid dreams, because - again - my brain is ON. And these are weird dreams, let me tell you. If I'm not suffering from nightmares, I'm having dreams so weird, they wake me up from sheer oddity. So then I take medicine to suppress dreaming along with everything else. And still I can't sleep.
I can't fall asleep. I can't stay asleep. I can't wake up in the mornings. But, very much like I said in that old post, I can nap during the day just fine. Of course, those odd, vivid dreams are there. I recently had a very strange dream about South Park characters that had me laughing so hard in my sleep I woke up. I don't know. I haven't watched South Park in months and it didn't even have any actual South Park characters in it.
But recently I've discovered a beverage called NEURO Sleep - a concoction of vitamin-y things that induce sleep, and the joys of melatonin and magnesium. I hate to do a testimonial thing, but that Neuro Sleep drink works for me. I drink about a third of the bottle 30-minutes before bed when I take my melatonin and I am out. And since starting the melatonin - I take a dual-layer pill: the outer layer is a fast release and the inner layer is time released - it's been easier to wake up.
But alas - it's still not a magical pill. I wake up in the middle of the night. I still have blue circles under my eyes. I'm still exhausted all the time. I still have MS, after all.
Then again, that's not all. We've recently done some work around our house and my health hasn't been the greatest, anyway. I'm suffering from some mystery ailment that has been under investigation since June and I have to undergo a procedure in early October for some exploratory looking around (yay). In addition to that, I appear to be entering some of the secondary issues related to MS - where the MS itself seems to be okay (although we haven't done an MRI this year, so we don't really know), but I have other health issues kind of sorted related - like atypical raynaud's disease. What is up with that? It's 90 degrees outside and I'm inside under my blankets feeling like my toes are getting are frostbitten. I have never had it happen during the summer before, so I am definately not looking forward to the winter.
So back to working on the house. My husband has a bad back and I'm the type of person to take on extra work to alleviate someone else's suffering. That's just who am I. Well, it's never quite sunk in that I can't really do that anymore. Between being taxed mentally and physically at work, and then coming home and laboring (like scraping down a popcorn ceiling, prepping it, sanding it, prepping it, sanding it, priming it, painting it, and then re-painting the walls, for one example) - I was exhausted-exhausted. But I slept great!
Anyway, I had to see my endocrinologist and my bp was 83/53. I was so dizzy and seeing stars, and couldn't even take in the deep breaths for the physical exam without steadying myself on the table. He ordered me to go home for the rest of the week, on bedrest, and to drink plenty of water to get my blood volume up. Being someone who doesn't like to do nothing, that was hard, but I did what he said. Having a doctor tell you - actually tell you - "You are in no shape to be doing anything yourself" is hard to hear, and to have that followed up go to the ER for IV fluids if you throw up is just down right scary, so I listened. I drank water and checked my bp. It was low for a few more days and it took about a week before people started telling me I looked better, but I still get light-headed and see stars on occasion. It was scary. This was the first time I've ever pushed myself hard enough to see where pushing myself would get me. If I don't learn my limits, I'm going to wind up in the hospital. It sucks. My brain doesn't seem to understand that and in the heat of the moment (sorry for the cliche), my body doesn't either. It's not until way afterward, when the pain sets in, that I've realized what I've done. Adrenaline and the need to get the job done takes over, and that's what I focus on.
So needless to say, health-wise, it's been an eventful and long summer. I haven't been able to get out and enjoy the garden like I normally would. I've been far more exhausted than normal and in far more pain than normal. We are hoping this exploratory thing might help explain some of the joint pain, but if not, I may have to go back to the rhuematologist (sp?). That's all I need. Another specialist.
The one thing all my doctors have in common is a worry over my sleep. All of them say they think I'd be much better off if I could sleep. I think so, too. But there's not much I can do about it. Maybe a sleep study would help. I'll talk about it with my neurologist in November.
I know this one isn't proofed and I apologize. I've already taken my nightly/sleepy-time meds and I need to hop into bed. So good night and thanks for checking in on me.
PS. Chehon and Cyrus made it to the finals. I don't know what to do. :-( Chehon? Cyrus? Chehon? Cyrus? I personally think they are rigging the show to push the audience to vote for Cyrus, which sucks because he truly is awesome - and I only say that because he got dubstep as his choreographed dance on the last show. Granted, his style is "animation," but it's darn close to dubstep and they said they would never have his style on the show because it's too hard to do. And yet, guess what? There it is and who gets it? Cyrus. And was it fantastic? Yes. But does Chehon get a wonderful ballet routine to show off his spectacular muscles or abilities to defy gravity as he soars through the air? No. He gets the cha-cha-cha, which he is just not good at. (Sorry Chehon - I'll still vote for you.) Chehon's solo and his choreographed routine were great, but that cha-cha-cha was awful.
PSS. And I can't write without a book update. I finished reading Confessions and making my hardcopy edits. Granted, it still needs work, but I just love reading that story. I was bawling at the end. My husband came home and saw me crying and asked what was wrong. I pointed at the computer screen and he asked, "You know how it ends, why are you crying?" The first book used to make me cry like that before I read it hundreds of times. I suppose eventually I'll stop crying when I get to that point, but dammit, it's sad. I think for a brief respite, just for fun, I'll read what I have written in COMS, and then resume the actual work part of writing. And for the record, changing the indents to tabs on Confessions wasn't nearly the PITA it was on the The Arrival. The one thing I did stumble with was hyphenating ##-year-old and maintaining consistency. I had to study the rules for that a bit. I'm still not entirely clear, but I think I have it down now. Here's the link I used: http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/426348/2805.htm. It's amazing the details that stick out on every read through. Something new jumps out--even small details like dates or numbers of people that make me stop and recount and think, wait, that's not right, it should be this...I love it.
What do you know, Max Richter, On the Nature of Daylight, is back on my player again - but it's transitioning to Olafur Arnalds. He is a wonderful musician. I have yet to find a song of his I don't like. This one is Brotsjor, but I am quite fond of his Living Room Songs album, among others. Still can't do anything without music.
And finally, our pepper shaker broke. So we had to buy a new set. We chose ninjas. Anyone entering our kitchen beware! O_O
Sunday, September 2, 2012
One is Done and I love Dancing
So I'm back on my poor neglected blog. The Arrival is done. Like, done done. My synopsis is done. Like done done (I hope). I have a query out. A real one. And I have my fingers crossed.
The synopsis. Why must that be the hardest part? As I sit here and write this, I'm listening to Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight," which is hauntingly beautiful and conveys a certain level of emotional pain not too unlike the pain of writing a synopsis. Author, take the manuscript you've spent aching hours sculpting into the perfect work of art and break it down until nothing remains but its skeleton. As a person who loves words - and I love words - that was rather difficult to do. While I consider it "done," my synopsis is still 10-pages, which seems long to me, but that's really only something like one page for every 50 in the MS. In the end, it reads well, I cover the major players, the main plot, and it makes sense out of a very complex story where even the subplots tie into the main plot. In a story where nothing is gratuitous and everything exists for a reason, it was difficult in some places to determine what to cut and how to make that one small detail stand out. I hope it's good enough, because the synopsis has to be just as good as the manuscript.
Now I have edits for Confessions that I made on a hard copy months upon months ago and the joy of changing all of Microsoft Word's indents into tabs. I thought I had turned that feature off (and one would probably think I would have caught that while writing...but no....) - so for any writer out there who hasn't done that yet - DO IT! It is a pain in the rear to fix after the fact, trust me. At the very least, I love Confessions the best of the three, so I truly enjoy working on it.
COMS has been coming to me in bits and pieces. That's an odd one, I must admit, but fun, too, and has some scenes that I read over and over just because I enjoy the imagery. I've blogged about how the story and characters have taken me in unexpected directions, but I'm even more surprised at how this one is being written. I wrote The Arrival in 3 months. Confessions took longer, but it's also a longer MS and I researched as needed for specific scenes. COMS, on the other hand, is throwing itself at me in no particular order. So I write what comes to me and plug it in where I think it should go and reorganize along the way. That said, the first four chapters are segued and flow, but the rest is a mess filled with notes to myself about where I anticipate things will go or what I think will fill the gaps, and the one person who has read what I have so far loves it (sans notes, of course - can't give away my secrets!). I know where the story will end, but it hasn't told me how it's getting there yet, and that is utterly fascinating to me. The way things are going, the ending itself has actually changed a little, because I've added a new character who never existed and who will become a major player. BUT - the way the story ends for my trio of main characters will remain the same as I have planned from the very beginning. This just opens it up even more for the possibility of a continuation - something I had also planned for all along in case I wasn't ready to let go of my characters. After all, I already have the title for book four - In the Shadow of the Cross - and the opening sequence written. ^_-
As stated in previous blogs, religion is key in my stories, and I realize that shows in the titles. Not so much in The Arrival, I suppose, until after it's been read, but the other three definitely infer religious connotations. I want to reiterate that these are not religious or preachy books. I have blended faiths and texts to mold my story the way I want to tell it and, in doing so, have created scenes and tales that do not fit within the scope of mainstream Christianity. I intend for them to be entertaining pieces of fiction, but I had one reader become disturbed by the direction I went toward the end of The Arrival. I wasn't aiming for that result, but being told that I had written something capable of drawing readers in and affecting them on an emotional/spiritual level was actually a compliment.
And of course I continue the agent hunt. I haven't submitted any other queries at this time, so I still only have the one out. I'm not naive, but I'm also not in a hurry and didn't feel the need to fire off a bunch of letters at once. I liked this particular agent, so I chose to stick with one letter. The very first agent I ever queried requested a partial based on the premise, but that was also way back when - back in the first year when I wrote The Arrival and it had no business being seen by anyone. I was naive back then and that MS was in no shape for the eyes of my mother, let alone an agent. So....I'm researching and compiling a list. I know my next move and have plenty to keep me busy.
Oh - in other news, my favorite B & B is closing. :-( I like to go there to write. Not that I compare myself to Stephen King in ANY regard, but I always think of him and the Stanley Hotel when I go down there. So Tim and I are going down to the manor one last time in about a month. Oakridge Manor - Bob and Anna - you have treated us well, and I've enjoyed writing at your manor. I will miss being able to spend time there and visiting with you over breakfast. Thank you so much for having us over the years.
And finally, I'll openly admit to being a huge So You Think You Can Dance fan. I hope Eliana wins for the girls, but I'm totally torn between Cyrus and Chehon on the guy's side. Cyrus is just amazing at what he does and his ability to pick up the choreography without any formal training. But Chehon...Chehon is AMAZING - the level of emotion and skill he brings...I love his solos, especially. Well, I love both of their solos, because they get to do their styles, but Chehon's recent choreographed dances have been fantastic, too - that tango and the one with park bench...I just can't decide!! I've been voting for Cyrus, Chehon, and Cole (and Eliana) the whole time, and all three guys made it to the top six, so I had to pick my top two. If Cyrus and Chehon make it to the top four...I don't know who I'm going to vote for...I thought for sure I would vote for Cyrus, but I think Chehon is winning me over. Why must decisions be so hard?
The synopsis. Why must that be the hardest part? As I sit here and write this, I'm listening to Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight," which is hauntingly beautiful and conveys a certain level of emotional pain not too unlike the pain of writing a synopsis. Author, take the manuscript you've spent aching hours sculpting into the perfect work of art and break it down until nothing remains but its skeleton. As a person who loves words - and I love words - that was rather difficult to do. While I consider it "done," my synopsis is still 10-pages, which seems long to me, but that's really only something like one page for every 50 in the MS. In the end, it reads well, I cover the major players, the main plot, and it makes sense out of a very complex story where even the subplots tie into the main plot. In a story where nothing is gratuitous and everything exists for a reason, it was difficult in some places to determine what to cut and how to make that one small detail stand out. I hope it's good enough, because the synopsis has to be just as good as the manuscript.
Now I have edits for Confessions that I made on a hard copy months upon months ago and the joy of changing all of Microsoft Word's indents into tabs. I thought I had turned that feature off (and one would probably think I would have caught that while writing...but no....) - so for any writer out there who hasn't done that yet - DO IT! It is a pain in the rear to fix after the fact, trust me. At the very least, I love Confessions the best of the three, so I truly enjoy working on it.
COMS has been coming to me in bits and pieces. That's an odd one, I must admit, but fun, too, and has some scenes that I read over and over just because I enjoy the imagery. I've blogged about how the story and characters have taken me in unexpected directions, but I'm even more surprised at how this one is being written. I wrote The Arrival in 3 months. Confessions took longer, but it's also a longer MS and I researched as needed for specific scenes. COMS, on the other hand, is throwing itself at me in no particular order. So I write what comes to me and plug it in where I think it should go and reorganize along the way. That said, the first four chapters are segued and flow, but the rest is a mess filled with notes to myself about where I anticipate things will go or what I think will fill the gaps, and the one person who has read what I have so far loves it (sans notes, of course - can't give away my secrets!). I know where the story will end, but it hasn't told me how it's getting there yet, and that is utterly fascinating to me. The way things are going, the ending itself has actually changed a little, because I've added a new character who never existed and who will become a major player. BUT - the way the story ends for my trio of main characters will remain the same as I have planned from the very beginning. This just opens it up even more for the possibility of a continuation - something I had also planned for all along in case I wasn't ready to let go of my characters. After all, I already have the title for book four - In the Shadow of the Cross - and the opening sequence written. ^_-
As stated in previous blogs, religion is key in my stories, and I realize that shows in the titles. Not so much in The Arrival, I suppose, until after it's been read, but the other three definitely infer religious connotations. I want to reiterate that these are not religious or preachy books. I have blended faiths and texts to mold my story the way I want to tell it and, in doing so, have created scenes and tales that do not fit within the scope of mainstream Christianity. I intend for them to be entertaining pieces of fiction, but I had one reader become disturbed by the direction I went toward the end of The Arrival. I wasn't aiming for that result, but being told that I had written something capable of drawing readers in and affecting them on an emotional/spiritual level was actually a compliment.
And of course I continue the agent hunt. I haven't submitted any other queries at this time, so I still only have the one out. I'm not naive, but I'm also not in a hurry and didn't feel the need to fire off a bunch of letters at once. I liked this particular agent, so I chose to stick with one letter. The very first agent I ever queried requested a partial based on the premise, but that was also way back when - back in the first year when I wrote The Arrival and it had no business being seen by anyone. I was naive back then and that MS was in no shape for the eyes of my mother, let alone an agent. So....I'm researching and compiling a list. I know my next move and have plenty to keep me busy.
Oh - in other news, my favorite B & B is closing. :-( I like to go there to write. Not that I compare myself to Stephen King in ANY regard, but I always think of him and the Stanley Hotel when I go down there. So Tim and I are going down to the manor one last time in about a month. Oakridge Manor - Bob and Anna - you have treated us well, and I've enjoyed writing at your manor. I will miss being able to spend time there and visiting with you over breakfast. Thank you so much for having us over the years.
And finally, I'll openly admit to being a huge So You Think You Can Dance fan. I hope Eliana wins for the girls, but I'm totally torn between Cyrus and Chehon on the guy's side. Cyrus is just amazing at what he does and his ability to pick up the choreography without any formal training. But Chehon...Chehon is AMAZING - the level of emotion and skill he brings...I love his solos, especially. Well, I love both of their solos, because they get to do their styles, but Chehon's recent choreographed dances have been fantastic, too - that tango and the one with park bench...I just can't decide!! I've been voting for Cyrus, Chehon, and Cole (and Eliana) the whole time, and all three guys made it to the top six, so I had to pick my top two. If Cyrus and Chehon make it to the top four...I don't know who I'm going to vote for...I thought for sure I would vote for Cyrus, but I think Chehon is winning me over.
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