Bowties Will Always Be Cool

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! I did. Now, Doctor Who. I know this post is a little late in regards to when the episode actually aired, but I didn't have internet at my grandparents house, so you'll have to forgive me.

In the words of a Youtuber, "the Moment came and went", and we waited in anticipation for the Christmas special. And that came as well. I knew that Matt Smith was regenerating, and (I thought) I had prepared myself for the end of the 11th (12th? 13th?) Doctor's era. Matt Smith left with a whiz and a bang, the way he came in and had his first episode, The Eleventh Hour. It's taken a while for his regeneration to set in.

The regeneration itself was amazing. It was huge and epic and amazing. I thought it did the 11th justice. In general, I really liked the episode, but I had a lot of problems with it. I can't believe I'm saying this, I'm not usually prone to critique Doctor Who episodes; actually I don't usually critique anything at all. But I think being a Whovian for quite some time  comes with certain expectations.

So let's talk about the Doctor's stay at Trenzalore. What was it, 300 years? I hated that. It made no sense to me and really didn't help the plot any. Why did Matt Smith need to be old and grey for his last and final episode? Also, I really hated that he sent Clara away. He should know by now that this never is a good option, sending his companions away. I think it's going to take Clara a while to forgive the Doctor for that. I also felt that the whole not-having-clothes thing was really annoying and Tasha Lam (I think her name was) also got on my nerves and it took me a while to like her. I like Capaldi's entrance, but it should have been written better. However, PC's a great actor, so I'm not concerned. It will be fun.

Overall, well done, Steven Moffat, you messed around with everyone's feelings on Christmas. I'll miss Matt, but it will be ok.

And bowties...will always...be cool.

Happy Christmas

It's winter break! Finally. Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope you have an awesome outro to 2013.

I'm sorry I haven't had time to read blog posts for the past couple of days. Hopefully I'll get up to date on stuff after this upcoming week is over.

Until then, Happy Holidays.

I go now to be anxious all of Christmas day and cry in front of the TV. It will be fun. Really.

Rose: The Play

I wrote this last year.

Scene: John and Rose on a bridge overlooking London at night. Rose is leaning over the bridge looking down below. John leans against the bridge beside her.

John: A penny for your thoughts.

Rose: I’m not really sure what I’m thinking.

John: I’m glad you’re back. (Strokes Rose’s hair)

Rose: It’s really good to see you again. (Smiles at John)

John: You know, I’d been thinking.

Rose: (looks away from the water and faces him) What?

John: You and I. We should get married.

Rose: You know that can never happen. (She looks below again)

John: You love him, don’t you?

Rose: It’s more complicated than that. Much more.

John: You’re not safe with him. You’d be safe here, with me, like old times. Why can’t you stay? (Raises his voice, his fist pounding the railing.)

Rose: There is nothing here for me.

(Enter the man)

John: Nothing. I’m nothing. (Stands away from the railing to be directly in front of her.)

Rose: I didn’t mean it like that. (Looks at the man, upset)

The Man: Rose, it’s time to go.

John: So that’s it then. You just gonna leave me here. Will I ever see you again?

Rose: I don’t know. (Looks at John sadly and goes to stand by the Man)

John: You are going to leave…with him. You aren’t even sure who he is. I’m not sure who he is.

The Man: I’ll take care of her, I promise. (Places his arm around Rose)

John: But you can’t promise. (Looks at the Man)

The Man: (looks down at his feet)

John: You live a life of risk, constantly in danger. She will never be safe.

The Man: She has me.

John: Yeah, you.

Rose: This is what I want.  Think about it! I was a cashier at a grocery store! Now I’m travelin’ the world!

John: What’s wrong with cashiers?

Rose: I couldn’t live like that.

John: You’ll come back.

Rose: I don’t know.

The Man: I only got a couple minutes of power, Rose. You have to come now.

John: Can’t you stay a little longer?

The Man: I’m sorry John. I’ve only got a couple of minutes.

John: (aside) Never gonna see her again and he tells me she has to leave now.

Rose: I’m sorry, John. We had fun times together. (Puts her hand on his shoulder)

John: There could be more of that if you stayed.

The Man: (Glances behind him anxiously, then looks at Rose sadly)

Rose: I’m coming.

The Man: I wish we had more time. I’m sorry. But we’ll be stuck here.

John: Go on then.

Rose: Don’t forget about me. But listen: find someone else.

John: You know I won’t, and there never will be anyone else.

Rose: (Now crying, puts her hand in the Man’s.)

(Rose and the Man leave the scene)

When Your Teacher's a Whovian

So I recently did a writing assignment for British Lit in which I had to create a parody synopsis of my favorite TV Show. Yep, I picked Doctor Who. That part was easy. First I had to write a summary of what the original TV show was about, and then I had to write a the synopsis of my parody show. But anyway, I get a 93 on the assignment, so I decide to review the teacher's notes to see what I got wrote. Apparently I missed some grammar and organization issues, which knocked off some points. Nothing major.

I had mentioned in the original TV show summary that the Doctor was in his 13th regeneration. Because:
1st Doctor, 2nd Doctor, 3rd Doctor, 4th Doctor, 5th Doctor, 6th Doctor, 7th Doctor, 8th Doctor, War Doctor, 9th Doctor, 10th Doctor, 10.5 Doctor, 11th Doctor. Moffat says so.

I guess my teacher didn't see it this way, and she red-commented my sentence about the Doctor being in his 13th regeneration, and marked it as WRONG. The comment said the doctor was in his 12th regeneration. And she repeated that comment TWICE.

So yeah, Whovian battle. But my teacher is a Whovian.

My teacher is a Whovian!

Seriously though, I think she really just took off points for that...

Follow the Book, Please

I saw the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on Friday night. I had wanted to rewatch the first one before seeing the second movie, but I didn't have time. So, I went and read the movie synopsis online as a refresher. Anyway, I personally thought that the movie was great, but apparently a lot of people did not share my opinion.

I became aware after watching the first movie that the content for the new trilogy was taken out of three other books by Tolkien. I don't remember the names of the books, I think one was called the Simirilian, but I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing/spelling that correctly. It is kind of obvious that they are drawing from other sources, like the fact that Legolas is in the movie. Anyway, a lot of the people I know who are fans of Tolkien were kind of mad at the movie. They felt that it didn't follow the book, and that the director put too much in, like the love plots. (I say they put that in for the girls, but whatever). I guess I don't really have a say in this because I've never actually read the book. (I know, shocker) I liked the movie a lot, but apparently that was just because I didn't know any better.

I don't want this to turn into a rant session, but I really am staring to get annoyed with people who complain when the movie doesn't follow the book perfectly. Now I'm not saying that I'm not disappointed when my favorite book isn't done justice on the big screen, and I get somewhat annoyed when I think about movies like Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief. That movie was really horrible. But in a lot of cases (ok maybe in some cases), the movie doesn't turn out too bad, and I think this was the case with The Hobbit. I thought the actors and the director did a pretty good job with it considering the book doesn't have enough content to make into a trilogy, and the other two books by Tolkien don't have enough content to put together a whole movie. And it's just my opinion, but I'd rather have three good movies than one. I heard one person say that the movie was a waste of time and money. I think that's going a little too far, and it's not supporting the actors or the director, and it ruins the atmosphere for everybody else. So what, it wasn't the best thing you've seen. Make the best of it and enjoy it. I did.

Anyway, just some thoughts I had on the subject. I hope I don't offend anyone- everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

The Annoying Travel Companion

The Annoying Travel Companion

                Since there was now no reason for me to stay at Hanford, I thought it best that I leave old memories behind and start anew. I thought of traveling to London, or perhaps Bath, to seek my fortune away from my friends and relatives. In the end, however, after much consideration, I decided to go to Baxley, for I knew of a man whose needs for his new business might require my services. Perhaps it would suit as a good source of income, and I could meet new people and make new friends. Truly, it was the change of scenery I needed the most.

                I decided to board the train at Wexford, which I knew to be a less populated train station, and less likely to have a whole lot of conversation, which was not very pleasant if a person wanted to sleep. Upon boarding the train I was seated across from a young lady, perhaps not much younger than myself, who immediately took to conversation, dashing all hopes of catching a nap after my emotional interlude earlier in the afternoon.

                “Hello, sir-lovely afternoon, isn’t it? I looked out the window and had to admit- that it was, in fact, a lovely afternoon. Weather-wise.

                “Yes it is,” I replied shortly and proceeded to read the newspaper I just picked up from under the seat.

                “You say that it is a lovely afternoon, yet your countenance betrays you. You do not think it lovely at all!” said the girl emphatically. Her curls had begun to bounce rather rapidly as the train sped along. Some people were staring at us.  I put down my newspaper.

                “I merely agreed with you, madam.” As she opened her mouth to reply, I picked back up my newspaper. I had no idea what I was reading, nor did I care. I could only hope it would persuade her to stop talking. I lowered myself in the chair, thus bringing the newspaper higher above my face.

                “I say, why are you so dull? It is a wonderful day- and what are you reading, that you seem so intent on?” I groaned inwardly and decided that ignoring the young lady might be the best plan of action. As I stared more intently at the newspaper, I began to see patterns in the spaces between the letters. Before I could put it down to ease my headache, I felt it snatched from me. Astonished and startled, I looked at the girl, who was now inspecting the paper.

                “Have the goodness to give me back my paper, lady.”

                “I cannot believe you are reading this. Such garbage! You support these shameful and inhumane practices?” Obviously I had no idea what she was talking about, as I had not actually read the newspaper at all. I decided to act as though I did, and hence discover what it was that I supposedly “read”.

                “What are you accusing me of so ardently?” I demanded. “Have I not the right to read what I please?”

                “Yes, sir, but to read positive essays about the seeming enslaving of young children in our factories is an abomination. You should be ashamed of yourself!”

                “On the contrary, I do not support those ideas, nor do I put them into practice. I merely have an interest in literature in general.” I reached out my hand and motioned for her to give me the paper, which, in turn, she ripped in half and placed beside her on her seat.

                “I do not believe you. I think you an arrogant, impolite fool, and am ashamed to have made your acquaintance.” Suddenly this whole thing seemed rather humorous.

                “But you haven’t,” I replied, extending my right hand. “My name is Vince Warden. What’s yours?”

 This was something I wrote on a whim. Usually when I write, I have no particular plan. Sorry this is so random. I know it sounds like an excerpt from a chapter of a book.

               

Ender's Game

Since I work at the library, I am very up to date on all the new books that we get in, especially the ones going into the YA and Children's Area, because that's mainly where I shelve. Last week I picked up Ender's Game from the stack of new books I was shelving. I heard one of my friends talking about it and saw that they made it into a movie, so I decided to read it. Plus, I love being one of the first people to read a copy of a book. It smells so good.

I finished it in a couple of days, mostly due to the fact that I couldn't put it down. I don't write reviews well, so bear with me. Also, it is probably going to sound somewhat vague; I don't want to spoil it for other people.

In one word: brilliant. In many words:

I don't normally like child violence; I'm not a fan of the Hunger Games at all. But this book was really intriguing. I have to confess, when I found out the kid was six at the beginning, I was a little hesitant. However, this book isn't a kid's book at all. While it may be about a child, the book its definitely geared toward an older audience. Ender's mind was way more complex that of a little boy's. The book kept me guessing at what was going to happen until the very end.

I noticed a few grammatical errors while I read the book, but then I realized Orson Scott Card had intended it sound that way. It made it more informal and helped the reader to make a stronger connection with Ender and the way he thought.

Anyway, I really liked the book and look forward to watching the movie. Asa Butterfield is one of my favorite actors (probably the only kid actor I like) and I'm really excited to see him as Ender. I also requested the rest of the books from the library. Hopefully they are all as amazing as the first book.

Short Story - Dollar General Robbery

Dollar General Robbery

Courtney E.

            There was no other option. I had to do it. If I didn’t, they would kill me. Say I wasn’t brave enough to carry it out, and so could no longer be a part of them. This was the only way to stay alive, let alone provide for myself and my siblings. Of course I don’t want to do it. I just didn’t see any way out of my predicament. I used to hate crime. Three years ago, I would have been the last person to rob anything and the first person to report anyone doing so. I was “straight” then.  But life isn’t as easy as that. There is much more to it than being a “good boy” as I was called. Now I was twenty – one. I haven’t even applied to any colleges, and barely made it through my senior year in high school.

            I pulled my blue hood over my head and pulled up the mask. Turning around, I saw the faces of the people I now had to rely on, the gang. They were my family now, I told myself. Sure didn’t feel like family. I turned around and checked the gun attached to my belt. Shakily, I made my way into the store. There weren’t a whole lot of people, just a handful. I looked around, wondering what I should do next. I could make a run for it. Never see any of them again. Maybe even make a life for myself. But what about my family? What would my mom do without me to provide? I grimaced as I thought of my way of “providing”. Some job.

            I walked to the back of the store to gather my thoughts. I had to finish this job, or people I loved would suffer. And the gang would call me a coward. That was the biggest reason, not that I was all so sure that anyone would hire me for a real job. I had gathered quite a reputation within the last few years, and was pretty sure the people around ignored me on purpose. There was no other option, I was sure of it.

            I walked up to the cashier, my hand still shaking. He asked if he could help me, I didn’t reply but merely kept my head down and tried to focus on the gum rack in front of me. I even picked one up. I used to chew gum all the time. I really enjoyed the feeling of fresh air in my mouth. But that was when I used to care about that kind of stuff. I put the gum down and turned back to the cashier. I needed to get this over with.

            I pulled out the gun and held it in front of me. Breathing heavily, I demanded that he hand over the money or else. I don’t think I sounded very convincing. Not to mention the fact that I didn’t even know how to use this weapon, and didn’t plan too. I may be a thief, but I am not a murderer. The cashier just looked at me in surprise, and then his hand reached for the phone. I looked at the gun in my hand. Then I ran.

--This was an assignment for a writing class I took a while ago. I was supposed to turn a news story into something fictional.

Cleverbot

I found this website called Cleverbot. It's amazing. I had a conversation with it. Clearly I have too much time on my hands. Anyway, here was part of the conversation. Cleverbot's words are in blue.

 

Amazing, right! I pretended to be the Doctor.

I Tackle the World of Code

That's right. I've started to code. I found a website called Code Academy, which is basically a free online school on how to code. It looks a lot like Khan Academy website-wise, if anyone knows what that is. It has different levels of coding. I took Web Design my sophomore year, but I don't remember a lot of it because I didn't really but it into practice. Anyways, I have found it rather fun. I just started Basic HTML 2 of Web Fundamentals and then I'll probably start Java. I'm really excited, it will be really neat to learn how to do real coding and web design. Yes, I know, I'm a geek. Normal people my age and gender talk about guys, I talk about coding. Whatever. I don't really care. I get really excited when I find something new on the internet that can help me learn different stuff. The world God made is amazing.

I Want My Little Box Back

I feel like I have less and less time to myself these days. I do things with my church at least three o nights a week, and during the day I have schoolwork and other classes. It's starting to wear me down, even to the point to desperation. Last Sunday, it started to snow after morning service, and I started praying for the cancellations of all the evening activities. Apparently God heard me (I know he always does) and a half an hour before I had to leave to worship band practice I got my wish. I literally jumped for joy. I did not want to go anywhere.

I thought the feeling would go away after having a night off, but it didn't. I felt the same way and continue to feel the same way now. I don't want to do anything, go anywhere, I just want to curl up in my room and do my things all by myself. It's really frustrating considering the rest of my family gets really excited about certain events and I am just not really feeling it.

I think perhaps I am doing too many things at the same time. I have taken too much on and now I'm breaking under all the pressure. This is not good, and adding a job next semester will probably not make my life any easier. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really just being immature about wanting "free time", but it is a part of who I am as a person. It's the way God made me. However, I need to stop making it the focus of every day. For example, I've found my self counting down the hours until seven o'clock, which is normally when I can be by myself (for the most part) and being extremely annoyed by everything happening around me.

It does not help that my sisters are really loud at home. They seem to have to be continually cracking jokes and goofing off at one volume level: extra loud. Loudness has always made me feel very confined and anxious. It think its probably my OCD for the most part, but it's also part of my personality. I like things to be calm and contained and moderate, which appears to be the opposite of everyone else in my family. Except maybe my mom. The biggest problem about this is that they don't stop when I ask them, even when I've told them why it bothers me. I think they probably think I'm making it up and just don't want them to have fun, but that isn't true. I just want them to be a little quieter while doing it. Ok, a lot quieter.

Anyway this is mainly what I'm really struggling with right now. I just want to be alone and have everyone leave me alone in my little box. Hopefully I'll find some way to deal with it, but for right now I'm just going to be praying.

Discarded

Today was my library day, and my boss didn't leave me anything to do. So I asked another lady that works there if she had any jobs and she told me to discard these old books. This involved tearing out the pocket that the date card goes in and getting rid of the silver security sticker underneath. In most of the books I had to complete cut the page out in order to get rid of the pocket; otherwise it would tear the book. Even though I was really only doing this:

I felt like I was doing this:

It was a heartbreaking process. Some of the books had really cool nameplates in them, dated from like the 80's and occasionally the books were even older. I had to resist the urge to sniff them all. Well, I sniffed one. Or two.

Today I was especially annoyed by the people who come to the library just to "chat". Seriously.Just.Get out.

Any way this is my favorite place in the world.

We Need to Talk About Loki

Spoilers, so don't read on if you don't want to know about it.

I don't typically like superhero movies. Iron Man is ok, but I really am not big on the explosions. Sometimes it is just too much. Thor is my favorite superhero movie, partly because its more fantasy-like.

Last night I watched Thor: The Dark World in the theatre with two of my sisters. It was really good, and I was impressed. I think I probably laughed at all of the scenes with the Dark Elves, it was really funny to see Christopher Eccleston as a Dark Elf. Thankfully there was only one other person in the theatre besides us. Apparently no one goes to movies on Monday nights. (Either that, or they were all watching Hunger Games)

There were some plot holes, like the fact that Thor didn't visit Jane during the Avenger's movie. I mean, why wouldn't he? It didn't make sense. But overall it was awesome and I thought it was better than the first movie.

My favorite character has always been Loki in these movies, so it was really interesting to see what he did with him in this movie. I felt like I was on an emotional rollercoaster and was really confused. Has he changed or is he more evil than ever? I was really frustrated, especially at the end, where he impersonates (?) Odin. Why would he do that? It didn't really make sense. I really hope he didn't really kill Odin, I want them to redeem his character. So what is up with Loki!?

Yep that was my fangirl rant.

I knew Tom Hiddleston when I was like twelve before I watched Thor. He was in a British miniseries called Return to Cranford. It's one of my favorites.

Welcome to My Family

Shopping. What most people do in the month of December. Why? Christmas. Last year, I really procrastinated about getting Christmas shopping done and was rushing around two weeks before. But I am changing my ways. I started Christmas shopping two weeks ago. However, I haven't really gotten anywhere. Because of the fact that I have six other people in my immediate family, Christmas shopping takes forever. Did I talk about my family? I don't think I did. I know this blog is supposed to about me, (that sounded terrible) but I'll share a little about my family, because this is part of me.

The youngest is Charity, she just turned six yesterday. She's in Kindergarten. I teach her Kid's Club class at church. Next is Rebekah, who is eight, and in third grade. She is a lot like me. I mean, like when I was little. (not NOW no haha). Mary is 11, she's in sixth grade, and just started youth group this year, much to the delight of Rachel, who is 14, and in eighth grade. Hannah is a freshman (she thinks she's all that. Just kidding) and I'm the oldest, which I think I said before. (I'm a senior- they can't wait till I get out of the house.)

That was the rundown. Yeah no boys. (I fantasize about having an older brother, but my friends tell me I don't want one.) My mom has red hair, which none of us got. I wish I had it. I love her red hair. Mom tells me that I should be thankful I'm a blonde, but all people do is make stupid jokes about it. Hannah thinks her hair is red, but it's really just brown with a hint of reddishness. Not even. I mean really, who does she think she is, Amy Pond?

But yeah, our house is crazy. My mom is a single mom, our father hasn't lived with us for like five years now. He was abusive mentally and physically and that chapter of my life closed when he left. I'll write about that another time. It's a long story.

Our house is really not that big, and for someone who is an extreme introvert with OCD, this can sometimes be really difficult. There isn't really anywhere I can go to be by myself. I share a bedroom with two other people, Rachel and Hannah. (Who are TOTAL slobs by the way - no offense sisters, love you) I feel like this is why I like my "things", like Doctor Who and drawing and Sherlock and the piano etc. I can escape through them. Anyway this was supposed to be about my family.

We are all in so many things we rarely have a night free. Sometimes Monday and Tuesday nights are free, but usually we are asked to do things extra and end up scheduling them on these nights. Wednesday night we have Kid's Club and Junior High youth group, Thursdays are handbell practices, and Fridays are bible study or movie night or something else. Saturday we always have either a youth group event or a dinner going on and Sunday is Senior High youth group. It's crazy. We get done with Monday and then it's time to go to church again. It drives me nuts. Too much, too much!

So, my family is nuts and I'm nuts (I'm probably the wierdest).

I have to get back to schoolwork, I'll probably think of something else to write about later. Slan!


By the way...this is SO me...

The One on Anime and Manga

I have to admit, I have a lot of obsessions, even though The Doctor is the biggest. I really love reading Manga and watching Anime. I am currently reading Tsubasa, which is apparently a spin off of xxxHolic, which I haven't read, and most likely won't. Tsubasa has 28 volumes, I just finished the 22nd book. I really like the story, but it is sometimes hard to follow. It still continues to amaze me how complex graphic novel plots can get. I'm not going to go into the pretense of the story, but it is a great series.

I have read La Corda d'Oro, which is by far, my favorite Manga. I love music, and at one point wanted to go to music school, so this was really perfect for me. It's not really that popular, but I really loved it. The art was brilliant and it is my favorite style of Manga. (Which I believe is Abbreviated Realistic)

I also occasionally watch through an anime. The first one I ever watched was Clannad. Bad choice. But not because Clannad is a bad anime, rather the contrary. It was brilliant, and the best. It ruined all the others. (man, I CRIED) Yes, hands down, Clannad is my favorite. I watched Princess Tutu as well, one of my friends had been bugging me about it for quite some time. If you can get past the unrealistic art (which some people prefer) and the annoying voices, it's really a great story. I just HATED the ending though. I'm one of the those people where if the ending isn't perfect, it isn't worth watching.

I just finished what I believe to be the first season of Full Metal Panic. I really liked it. (I don't normally like violent animes, but this was ok). It's kind of an old anime, but you really can't tell from the art. It's still really good.

I'm not really sure what category movies with Japanese style artwork fall into. Are they called anime movies or something else? I've only seen two- Howl's Moving Castle and 5 Centimeters Per Second. Don't watch the later, it's awful. But Howl's Moving Castle is awesome, definately one of my favorites. I plan on watching more like it when I have more time.

Anyway, so I think I will probably start Death Note when I finish Tsubasa. It's apparently a good manga.

FYI: I LOVE Tomoya.

On Christmas Music and Desktop Wallpaper

Now don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, and Christmas music. However, all things in moderation. Like I really follow that. Ever. Especially when it comes to Doctor Who. Anyway, I am sitting in Sheetz again today, and guess what? They are NOT playing Christmas music. Kudos to Sheetz.

I love Christmas music, but it gets annoying after a while. I realize that the majority of the population in the United States probably opposes my opinion. But to walk into Sheetz and have it pretty much be the only place not playing Xmas music really made my day. It was even more awesome because the music that plays in Sheetz is basically the same as my Pandora station, which makes my life amazing. I get to listen to Coldplay, Of Monsters and Men and Colbie Collait all day long.

So yeah, Sheetz gets the medal of fantasticness today.

On a completely different note...
The Time of the Doctor promo pic came out! (at least a better one than before) This was really great because I was looking and looking for a good DW pic to change my desktop wallpaper on my school computer. I am really not supposed to change it, but I do anyway. (Who wants to stare at the Microsoft logo all the time.)

Finding a good wallpaper for my computer is something of a task for me. Due to my OCD (I think), I have to have a wallpaper that is at least a quarter larger in resolution for me to be satisfied. The subject of the wallpaper must be centered and have the perfect pose etc. So it takes me a while to find a wallpaper that I REALLY like, and when I do, I'm like, no. I don't know anyone else who does this, but having a perfect desktop screen is essential to my life. Seriously. I organize my desktop icons like twice a day.

Anyway, that's all. Back to schoolwork.

 

If you want to download the full res version, here: http://i.imgur.com/vFU9DRP.jpg

Officially a Wholockian

Yep. I'm Sherlocked. I finally got around to watching this amazing series after my friends bugged me for months. I was intimidated by how long the episodes were, but it doesn't matter. (Just a couple of really late nights) Sherlock is amazing. So far I have completed season 1. This happened during Thanksgiving break because I didn't have much else to do except for watch old Who, draw and read. (And my Manga was already finished!) I am super excited to start watching Season 2, but all my friends say that I will cry my eyes out...

Who Withdraw - How to Handle

I furiously kept up with Doctor Who so I would be ready for the 50th. But now...I HAVE NO NEW EPISODES! The world is ending. But I found a solution. Fortunately enough, classic Who is on Amazon Prime. Yay for Amazon. (Apparently Netflix took the old ones down) So I have been watching old who episodes...I watched the first and second Doctor episodes that were available, and now I am on Jon Pertwee. He is so funny. I really love the old Who ones, I didn't think I would, but they are amazing. 

So this is how I am living until Christmas...a starving Whovian found some old potato chips. 

"A Little OCD?" Never Saying That Again

I have recently become aware of the fact that I have OCD. In a big way. It never occurred to me that some things I thought I did just because I was weird were actually part of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. For a long time, I thought that OCD wasn't really an actual problem. I thought it was just something someone uses in conversartion to laugh about being meticulous or particular about something. I was wrong. OCD is an actual condition people have, and is something to be taken seriously. For the past week, I had been wondering if the things I have problems with socially and other odd things I do were a sign of OCD. They are.

I took some different screening tests on various websites, and they all came back that I had moderate to severe OCD. Now I realize that things on the internet cannot always be trusted, and that I probably shouldn't be too bothered by it. However, pretty much ALL of the symptoms listed applied to me. While this was scary, it was also relieving. For the longest time, I thought I was unnormal and that something was just strange about me that no one else has and that wasn't any specific thing. It was good to know that there is actually a reason why I do these things and a name for the condition.

Something I also realized is that OCD is not just about being super organized and picky about things. Becuase if that is all it was, it really would probably not be that serious. However, there is a much bigger picture here. Feeling the need to be even in everything (i.e. constantly evening out your shirt, your food, doing something four times so it feels right.), not being able working with other people, not being able to touch other people, and germaphobia are all things I struggle with on a day to day basis and are also a part of having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Another intresting thing is that obsessions play a hand in this disorder. This doesn't surprise me at all. OCD follows a pattern of obsessions-anxiety-complusions-relief-obsessions in a circle. People who have OCD use obsessions to deal with anxiety and to bring relief. I don't think this is neccessarily an bad thing, but it definately confirmed by self-diagnosis.

I am considering seeing someone about this, I will be talking to my mom a little more about it. It's dominating my life in so many ways I didn't realize.

On the other hand, this is how God made me, and this is how he wanted me. All I can really do is pray that He would give me self control and contentment and ask Him to take away false fear and let me be at peace.

When a Geek is Bored

Hi guys! Happy December...22 days till Christmas. I will probably post like 10,000 times this week...there are so many things I want to write about on here.

Like I said in my last post, I am the oldest of all my cousins. They basically hang out with my younger sisters, so I am really left by myself. The result? This.

 

 

I present: the etch-a-sketch tardis. I got skills with the etch-a-sketch...not really. Do people even use these things any more?

 

Anyway, I'll probably post several times today, but this is all for now. To schoolwork! Yay.



Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy your holiday.

I will be at my great-aunt's house tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I love my grandparents, but this will probably not be a fun weekend for me. All the cousins are older than me, and the adults still see me as a kid...(hello I am 17 AND a half on Thanksgiving day), so I am in that awkward in-between stage.

My cousins are kinda hard to get along with...the oldest one is 11 and obsessed with Hunger Games which makes any outdoor play strangely violent and usually ending in tears. Yes. That's what happens when you let a 6th grader watch Hunger Games. There is reason for PG-13, people.

You guessed it: Not a big fan of the HG. But anyway, Thanksgiving.

I will probably be sure to bring books. Also all my art supplies and my kindle. Other wise I will die.

So most of the weekend will look like this:

Anyway Happy Thanksgiving. I'm going to go watch old Who episodes to get me through withdraw.

The Moment Came

So guys. DOCTOR WHO!

Before I get into the 50th Anniversary special in detail, fangirl rant time.

Oh my gosh David Tennant! It was awesome to see him back. John Hurt was awesome! Gallifrey was spectacular. Rose...wow. ALL THIRTEEN! What was that about?? (Besides Capaldi's eyeballs). WAIT does that mean he is the last Doctor. NO.

That being said, now into details.

That episode opens up with Clara and the 11th (now 12th or 13th?) starts out amazing and ends 10 times more amazing. John Hurt plays the War Doctor, which the Doctor comes to terms with at the end of the movie. Gallifrey is saved and the whole basis of the show was altered as well. No more Time War.

My favorite scene was the "all thirteen". That was just brilliant. All the Tardis's (?) all the Doctors, saving Gallifrey. It was epic. But it confused me. Remember the 12 regeneration rule? What happens now? Is Capaldi the 13th doctor or the 14th, and will Doctor Who continue?

Billie Piper's role also confused me alot. But I thought that the whole "moment" thing was really cool.

But it broke my heart at Tennant's last scene in the movie. He said...you guessed it. "I don't wanna go." I swear I think all the Whovians in the theatre had thier hearts break.

My conclusion is: The special was brilliant, but it left me with even more questions than I had before the movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Into Hibernation

I am going to watch the Day of the Doctor in the theatres on Monday and not on Saturday when it actually airs, (I don't have BBC, and I am NOT driving to Philidelphia do see the simulcast) I am at risk of spoilers (!) for two whole days.

So I will not post anymore after this until Tuesday due to this fact. I am staying offline until 10:00 pm on Monday. That means no Facebook, Pinterest, DeviantART, Blogger, and maybe even my email...

There you have it. Farewell Internet.

So...

Allons-y!

A Geek's Bedroom

I think that you can tell alot about a person from thier bedroom. I was looking around my room the other day and realized how dorky I am. I took pictures.

So here is where I keep my drawing stuff and some of my books. If you look carefully on the top shelf on the far left, you can see half of my 1930 Complete Works of Shakespeare. I got it at the library book sale a couple weeks ago. The bottom two shelves are art stuff and such, I organize my artwork by date. (See the binders that say Artwork I and II) I also keep journals and half written books on this shelf. (I have a lot of those.)

This is beside my headboard. This pictures pretty much speaks for itself. I have a Merlin calendar hanging there. Top left (left to right) of the calendar is an Irish postcard, then a small picture of Celtic Thunder, then a postcard from Brotherband Chronicles Book. I have a Starry Night print hanging to the left of the calendar and directly below it is a picture of the 10th Doctor and Allons-y in Gallifreyan that I drew. Below that is the box my Tardis came in. On the shelf is my Harry Potter 8 in 1 disc set and the first two seasons of Merlin as well as a Celtic Thunder DVD and some other stuff. Also, I don't know if you can see this very well, but sitting on the shelf at the base of the DVD's is a homemade Harry Potter wand.

On the bottom shelves I keep my tech stuff and usually it also contains like 10 manga books from the library.

 My headboard. From right to left on the top shelf: the green box is a clay box I made in class and carved and painted. The Tardis. Then a box I made at a pottery place.

Second Shelf: Harry Potter books, then Beautiful Chaos (a Doctor Who book) and then the whole Rangers Apprentice Series (I'm missing two-a bit short of funds at the moment) and misc books.




Well there you have it. My geeky bedroom. You're welcome.

All Hail the Tardis

Drum roll please! I finished it. My Tardis is complete and done in time for the 50th anniversary.

So in case anyone cares, I made this out of white Sculpey clay and painted it with Reeves acrylic. (That came in a set I got for Christmas about five years ago) I then gave it several layers of Scupley glaze to give it that shine and prevent the paint from chipping and sticking to me.

 Down here is a comparison of the new one on the right and an old one I did in an art class last year. Pretty bad, huh? The new one is so much better. I had just started watching Who when I made the first one so I hadn't had much time to study the Tardis haha. See what watching all the series gives you? A perfect Tardis. Not. But anyway I think the new one has more detail. Took me stinking forever to paint police box on the new one. But it is accurate! I realized that when I painted the first one I made the Police Box words in black on white instead of in white on black. I was such a new Whovian. :D  Anyway that's all for now. :)

My Artwork

So I discovered I can add pages to my blog. Awesome. So the tab at the top right is linked to my DeviantArt page, which has all my artwork on it. That's pretty much it. Artwork. Yeah.

http://kotoni-sukina.deviantart.com/

Oh, and if case you're wondering, Kotoni Sukina is how my name is pronounced in Japanese.

Allons-y!

Science and Faith

I really enjoy listening to music while I work on various art projects, it inspires different themes for my artwork. I usually set up my kindle on the table where I work and listen to Pandora. I really like Coldplay, the Script, One Republic and Maroon 5 (some songs are sketchy, I "thumb down" those ones.)
I found a song that I really like by the Script called Science and Faith. It explores the idea that love and faith cannot be explained by science. Although the Script is most likely not a band with Christian members, the song's message had an element of truth. Whether people like to admit it or not, science is not the answer to everything. True, alot of things can be explained by science, but since God is the creator of everything, the essence of everything cannot be explained without him in the picture. I was reminded of this during a conversation at the dinner table about astronomy. I really love astronomy, and have taken it as a school subject for about two years now. It fascinates me. (This may have something to do with Doctor Who) But alot of the theories in my textbook are very Big Bang focused and not Creator focused. When I said this to my mother, she pointed out that God could have used the Big Bang to create the Earth and the universe and such, but not in the way scientists believe it happened. Personally I lean more towards 7-day creation, but what she said is true. A lot of parts of the Bible were not intended to be taken literally. None of us were there when creation happened, so none of us really know how exactly the Earth and the universe were created. We only know that God created it. It says somewhere in Hebrews, I believe, that a thousand years is like a day to God. If we took that passage completely literally, then when it says in Genesis that God created the universe in seven days, that could mean 7000 years. So who knows? No one will know the exact answer until we reach heaven. But it doesn't really matter how God created the Earth, does it? Just the fact that He created it and what He created is ridiculously amazing.

Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair

Yet another post on the same day. I'm on a roll. But this is a really short one. This blog is probably go
ing to be more of small updates on my thoughts then long meditations. I wish I could write long meditations haha.

I finished Macbeth today in British Literature. I kinda enjoyed it. I came to hate Macbeth, love Banquo and mourne with Macduff. Last week I had to do a research paper on Shakespeare Tragedy and Macbeth. I found it interesting to note that Shakespeare composed Macbeth during the reign of King James and most historians believe that he was trying to make a point and show James up through this play. Originally a tale of a great king who was admired for bravery and good kingsmanship, Shakespeare twisted it around into a conscience- riveting and twisted tragedy in which ambition kills sense of duty, honor and leaves people tormented by guilt.

Who in a Weekend and a Nerd Girl Problem

I'm super excited for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary! Like probably every other Whovian, I have bought my tickets to see the Day of the Doctor in the theatre near my house on the 25th. (I love the Doctor, but driving down to Philidelphia on the 23rd for the simulcast was a little much for a 17 year old who can't drive). But now I had a problem. Who was I going with?

Where I live and in my church, I am one of the only two girls who like DW. The other girl is a little too ridiculous for me to enjoy watching it with. And I was NOT going to wait to get a group together at my church to make plans. The tickets would be sold out and that would take forever.

After some consideration, I decided to take along my "adopted" father from church. However, he had absolutely no backround information on the Doctor...he called him Doctor Who. (horrible, right?) I then spent all day Saturday and part of Sunday afternoon watching Doctor Who episodes. Let me tell you, it is really hard to pick episodes to watch to introduce the doctor. Really hard. We ended up starting with Bad Wolf and the Parting of the Ways. Bad choice. It was really hard to explain Bad Wolf and regeneration, but I felt that it was necessary. We watched Midnight as well. I forgot how tense that episode was, but it was really a characteristic episode of the show.

We watched some others and ended with Nightmare in Silver. Not really the best of the cybermen, but I liked the episode. All I have to watch to be caught up now is the Name of the Doctor. I think I confused my friends but it was fun. Nothing better than spending the weekend watching Who! :)

Of Mermaids and Dragons

Today at breakfast my family and I had an interesting and deep conversation about creatures in mythology. My sister Rebekah started it by telling us that a seven year old in her school class said she watched some television program where scientist "found" a mermaid. Really now. So this opened a whole can of worms about strange creatures and we came to dragons. This got me started talking because I really like medieval history and legends.

From the way I see it, there is truth in every legend (I think the Doctor said something similar in an DW episode- the Doctor's Daughter?). I think there was probably some sort of form of dinosaur left on Earth during the medieval ages which are our "dragons". I watched a commentary by Ken Ham a couple of years ago in which he states that dinosaurs may have seemed to blow fire because of very hot breath due to their large bodies.

As far as mermaids go...No.

Google Glass: Reality or Science Fiction?

At this rate, I'll be posting like five times a day. Whatever. Hey, it's not like anyone's reading this, right?

My best friend Sarah's dad was asked to test Google Glass recently. I believe he went, although I haven't heard anything of it since. Some people know about Google Glass, but the majority of people I haved talked to have no idea what it is, and upon hearing my explanation, laugh.

So what is Google Glass? In short, Glass is a smartphone worn as glasses. You can watch movies, use Google Maps, and take pictures, right from your eyes. Amazing, right? I was really excited about these fantastic pieces of technology right off the bat. Currently they are not available to the public, but are expected to be on the market next year. Most likely it will become the top 2014 Christmas list item.

The more I learn about this product, the more amazed I am. I'd say we haven't done too badly with futuristic movies in the past. I feel like I am starting to live in a science fiction tv show, waiting for the Doctor to turn up and stop the use of Google Glass that is secretly hiding hijacking alien species.

A Somewhat Boring Post

One of the most annoying things about cyberschooling is working away from home. This may sounds strange, but I hate working at other places. Yeah, yeah there's interenet everywhere so I can work, I get that. But seriously, nothing is more bothersome.

Aside from the strange looks you get as you walk into Sheetz with your family and their 4 or 5 laptop bags, buy nothing, but leave three hours later, there is the noise factor. Constant music, or people talking endlessly. Today, while working in the school office, an alarm sounds for about fifteen minutes while it is fixed.

I love cyber school, but sometimes the portability that is one of it's main entices is also the downpoint.

T.A.R.D.I.S. In Progress

It's getting closer to the special day! I wanted to share the Sculpey Tardis I'm making for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary. Hopefully I'll wear it if it comes out well. It is currently drying after a clear coat. (You wouldn't believe how many coats such a little thing would need). I'll post a final picture when it's done.

The Haunting of the Library

Ok, so maybe posting will be somewhat random. I lied.

I work at the library once a week for about three hours on Wednesdays (sometimes shorter, sometimes longer), and I LOVE it. I think the library is one of the best places in the world. It is a place that has a rule for quietness! Seriously, amazing. But really. I read alot. Well sort of. (I like to think I read). Actually I haven't been reading much at all. Manga doesn't count does it?

One of the things that catches my attention while I am at the library is the lack of people. In the book sections. I am beginning to think that people don't read any more. About 75% of the people that come in while I am there are showing up to use a computer. I mean seriously, get your own or use a tablet. I suppose that isn't very gracious but it makes me sad that most people don't read actual books anymore. I really like to read, I even like Shakespeare. (If your surprised, read the blog title).

Anyway to get to what I was writing about to begin with. Haunted library. Sounds like something from a movie, right? Today I overheard some conversation about while working today. Right now, spirits and such are a hot topic at the library due to a strange occurence. The library asked specialists to come in and determine whether spirits and ghosts were roaming about the bookshelves. (Hello? you know Halloween is over, right?) Seriously wacko. Needless to say, this has induced some interesting stories from other people about their own expiriences. Apparently the next time something falls off a hook and hits the basement stairs I should blame a ghost.

I suppose things like this really seem odd to me because I'm a Christian. (you're probably thinking: "Isn't that even the more reason to be afraid of spirits?) However I feel no fear, I am going to heaven when I die. And God doesn't send spirits to disturb us. Haunted library? I don't think so.

Introduction

Hello People,

So I decided to start a blog. I'm not a very outgoing person (like, 100% introvert), so I thought this might be a good way to communicate my ideas and thoughts on things. Even though I don't like to talk, I really am passionate about various subjects and want to put myself out there.

I am going to try to commit to at least one post a week, and hopefully get to two after I have gotten started. We'll see how this goes with school and stuff.

Till next week,

Courtney E.