Happy New Year!

Stephen Hayford

2012 is over already? A while ago when anticipating the release of The Hobbit the year seemed so far away and now it's done and we're all still alive - no apocalypse yet!

I'm going to mirror my post from last year and go through a few good things from this year...

Early in the year I went on a young women's retreat - it was silent (we didn't talk much but listened a lot) which was awesome because it was a lot easier to focus on talking to Jesus, and also great because I didn't have to awkwardly try to socialize! Ok, mostly the first reason, but it was the best retreat I've been on and I'm so thankful for it.

I did another musical this spring/summer and it was, well, pretty much the best show I've done too. Since it was my fourth show with this group I felt more comfortable than I had before and that was so nice. And the musical itself was a ton of fun too. Though I still had some challenges in it, I totally loved it.

Got my learner's permit in May and drove as much as I could to get my license in August! Thank you Mom and Dad for helping me!

Star Wars Celebration VI, which I already talked about in another post so I won't go on and on about how great the experience was again.

This fall I started college! And so far I've survived!

What really helped me survive was joining a small church choir that I absolutely love! We have a really nice group and the music is really enjoyable.

And as I mentioned at the beginning, we finally got to see The Hobbit! I would say it's pretty worth the wait.

Oh, other fandomy things - I finished all the Ace Attorney games (and sealed my obsession with the series), got through all of Once Upon a Time and Fruits Basket (loved both) and started Doctor Who (I currently have one episode left of season 1).

I said this last year, but connecting with friends and family meant a lot to me this year - meeting new friends and strengthening old friendships. I love you guys (that includes you, followers)!


I had two lists last year, things I planned (did them all) and some things I was hoping to do. Let's see how I did on the second list...

Make a fanfiction.net account and write more. (Technically it's not midnight yet so I could make an account real quick but that sounds like cheating. So no, I didn't do that, and didn't write too much either - writing seemed particularly difficult this year, though I do have some blog posts I'm proud of.)

Do Script Frenzy in April. (Yep! Did an Ace Attorney fanfiction script which I think was pretty bad, but it was still fun and I got to the 100 pages. Unfortunately, the program ended this year so if I do it again it will be unofficial.)

Get better at music, writing, and my recent interest of drawing. (Definitely better at music, a little change at writing maybe, and drawing...I'm not really sure because I'll get lucky and draw something good once in a while, but then aren't so good the rest of the time so it's hard to tell)

Make a Jedi costume for Celebration VI. (Yes! Mostly...I still don't have a belt or boots and I recently discovered my tunic has a hole in it after washing it, so it needs work all around.)

Read more...and not just fanfiction. (I'm afraid I didn't read much of anything this year. There was the Fruits Basket manga and a few other things scattered through the year.)


Don't have many plans for next year besides school, so skipping that and on to things I hope to do this year and resolution type things:

Watch The Avengers (maybe even tomorrow), Doctor Who, Sherlock, more Once Upon a Time, Star Wars 3D movies, and The Hobbit part 2!

Costuming - fixing my Jedi costume, and I'd love to do an Ace Attorney cosplay (specifically Maya Fey who I think wouldn't be too hard), and maybe LotR-ish cloaks.

Write - blog posts, stories/fan fics, and lyrics (I have several big projects involving lyrics-writing I really want to work on).

Better manage computer time - drag myself off Tumblr more in favor of sites where I talk to friends and/or have way to improve myself (through writing and some reading).

Try to exercise once in a while (which would be more than I do now), eat a bit more healthily, and get to a place where I'm healthy and feel good about my body (also known as wanting to try and lose some weight without worrying my parents).

Work on my spiritual life. Way.

...This list looks a lot harder than last year's. Wish me luck!


Guess that's all for now! I'll just be here listening to people bomb us--I mean shoot off fireworks. Hope 2012 was a good year for you all, and hope 2013 is even better! (and that it doesn't take you too long to remember to write the correct date!) May the Lord be with you!

Bilbo Baggins on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

councilofelrond.com

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS for The Hobbit.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit of The Shire and an elf-friend. He recorded an account of his famous adventures in his memoir There and Back Again, which was translated by J.R.R. Tolkien and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

I was quite looking forward to seeing this adaption of my book and I must say it did not disappoint! Of course quite a bit was changed from my memories of the adventure, but the film was quite enjoyable. For one, the locations are beautiful. The country they use to represent Middle-Earth, New Zealand was it? has remarkable landscapes that I must say do my land justice. The sets they build, such as Bag-End and Rivendell, are quite good, and I hear that many fans are happy to see them again after the Lord of the Rings films and "come home" in a manner of speaking.

Martin Freeman did an excellent job portraying me, I thought. Not only did he bear a good resemblance to me in my younger days, but he also provided a fairly accurate representation of me back then. I laugh to see how distraught he (I) was at all of the dwarves coming to tea! Yes, the old Bilbo Baggins didn't like surprise visitors, but now I always look forward to visits from my old companions.

The movie Thorin was a bit different, perhaps more likable for those who do not know him, but still showed his importance. His motivations are changed from the simple want for gold to wanting to help his people, and although it was not a focus in my book, I'm sure the thought of winning back their home did not escape the real Thorin.

His rivalry with Azog was quite interesting, and I am quite glad he never actually attacked our company! We had plenty of adventures without him! For that part of the story, I am quite in the dark. How strange it was to sit in the theater on pins and needles, knowing the outcome and being quite safe, but still wondering if 'we' would survive our encounter!

Unlike my book, the film also showed many of Gandalf's dealings during our adventure. It was nice to see Radagast the wizard in it, as I have never met the fellow, and understand a bit more of just what Gandalf was up to when he wasn't with us. He told me a bit, and described an encounter with Radagast during the Council, but seeing it made it much more real.

I must credit the filmmakers on their research! While the story of the Bullroarer is common knowledge in the Shire, not as many outside know of it. Also I believe I never mentioned that the spiders were from the line of Ungoliant in my book, did I? I've forgotten now. Perhaps Frodo mentioned it somewhere.

There is so much to talk about but I'm running out of paper! Let's see - the rest of the dwarves were all right, the singing good, the plate-tossing quite amusing (though I fretted through the whole thing!), the appearance of my friend Lindir was nice, oh, and Smaug! What a clever idea to avoid showing him throughout the film. It made for interesting shots during the battle. And his large eye opening at the end! Sent a shiver down my spine. I look forward to seeing the dragon in his entirety, but only on film! I should never like to meet a live dragon again.

I suppose that about does it! I'll likely remember something I wanted to say after I send this off - I'm getting old now! I hope you all have a merry holiday season and happy New Year! Sílo Anor bo men lín! May the sun shine on your road!

---

Arda here! I saw The Hobbit the Sunday after it came out and loved it! It was so wonderful to go back to Middle-Earth and see familiar places and characters. But now we have to wait a whole year! Well, we waited even longer for this one so I suppose we'll make it. Anyway, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all! May the Lord be with you!

The Tolkien Tag - Nessima's blog party

councilofelrond.com

Nessima of Arda Nessimava is having a blog party! Today she did a tag and it looked like fun, so here we go! (spoilers ahead if anyone is being careful)

1. How did you first hear about LOTR & The Hobbit?
I can't remember the first time, but it was around the time the LotR movies came out. My brother read the books and got my mom and I to read them.

2. How many times have you read LOTR/The Hobbit? Or have you yet to read it at all?
Probably 3-5 times each...the first time Mom read them aloud to me, sometimes I'll just read parts - it's hard to remember.

3. Would you name your child after a character from it?
I'd like my kids to have normalish names, but I might consider Melian (Silmarillion character) for a girl's middle name.

4. What are your thoughts on Tom Bombadil? Do you think he should have been in the movie?
He's a lot of fun - really like his songs! It would have been fun to have him in the movie but he doesn't move the story along so I understand leaving him out.

5. Do you have a favourite piece of poetry from any of Tolkien's books?
Oh my...The song of the troll, there is an inn, Lay of Luthien, to the sea, and of course In Western Lands!

6. Have you read any of Tolkien's work besides LOTR and/or The Hobbit?
I've read The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales (and Bilbo's Last Song but that's really short). Liked them a lot, especially Unfinished Tales, but a bit hard to understand!

7. Can you write in the Tengwar?
Only if I have a guide! It's really pretty.

8. Were you at all disappointed that Prince Imrahil wasn't in the movie?
I don't remember considering it much when I first saw the movies - I like him, but it's another character to introduce and explain who doesn't do too much so again, I understand.

9. What would happen if you and Denethor were put face to face?
He would probably think "who is this and why is she here this is unimportant why does Mithrandir keep bringing these people..." and I would think "oh my goodness he rules Gondor but Faramirrrr." Or I'd be terrified because he's dead.

10. Would you rather reside in Edoras or Minas Tirith?
I guess I'd go Minas Tirith because of Aragorn, and the city is really cool. I love Rohan though.

11. What think you of Éomer's armour?
Never noticed it...I thought his helmet was a little weird, but I don't hate it.

12. What do you think of Boromir?
I like him, the poor guy. I can't say he's completely responsible for blowing up at Frodo since the Ring was influencing him, and he's human so more susceptible than a hobbit or elf (I think anyway). I like his relationship with Faramir a lot.

13. Which is your favourite LOTR couple: Sam & Rosie, Aragorn & Arwen, or Faramir & Éowyn?
Sam is my favorite character and I go by the name Rosie on some websites so I love them, and Faramir is adorable and Eowyn beautiful and they're both so strong so I love them too.

14. Did you shed any tears when Thorin died?
No...sorry, never liked Thorin too much. He's kind of grown on me recently, but...maybe the movie will make me like him more.

15. Which is most terrifying of the following: orcs nabbing you in your sleep, giant spiders crawling out of dark tunnels and forests, Nazgul standing right over where you're hiding, or a ghost army that doesn't like you very much?
My first thought is the spiders - I can't take spiders a fraction of their size, so I wouldn't do too well with that. I think I should be more worried about the others though.

16. How well would you enjoy life as a hobbit? Would it be preferable to being something like, say, an elf? Or a Ranger?
I'm most like a hobbit so I think I'd enjoy it pretty well, but I'd like to visit the others!

Can you guys believe that there is actually a live action version of The Hobbit in existence and the general public, regular people like you and me, will get a chance to see this movie in less than two weeks? And said movie looks awesome?

That's why the world is ending. It can't handle it.

Kidding of course! Thanks for reading all, and may the stars shine on your path!

Piñatas, Puzzles, and Princesses

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been meaning to post and worked on a couple, but, and sorry I keep saying this, I'm busy and "one thing drives out another," but here's a quick one about what's been up with me.

School is good overall, though I've felt behind the last couple weeks. I like all my professors and enjoy homework...occasionally. No it's ok, just takes a lot of time. This week to celebrate the upcoming Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), we had a piñata in Spanish class (that teacher is pretty great). We did it under an outside balcony and a few random passerby's were smiling and one guy was saying "is this real?" and taking pictures. There was candy inside the piñata and when we went back to the classroom we had an opportunity for extra credit points. Whichever candy we had the most of corresponded to a certain question, like name five of the "evil ten" irregular infinitives in the future tense (it was open book too so super easy). So that day was fun. I also like my computer class a lot - my teacher is really nice and the classes are fairly relaxing. Math was ok until I took a polynomial to the knee, and English is ok but finding the meaning of stories and poems can be hard. So there's my quick school update!

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (for 3DS) came out on Sunday! My brother came to my school with me on Monday so we could get it afterward. So far it's fun - the story and characters are good as always, puzzles good, but the new features and look it has because of the series' transition from the Nintendo DS is difficult to get used to. It's fun to be playing a new one though!

I didn't do much for Halloween but my brother and I made a couple simple costumes from stuff around the house and played around a little bit. We did Phoenix Wright and female!Klavier Gavin from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. For my brother's costume we made the hat that Phoenix wears in that game and it turned out really cool!

Other things...I joined a choir at church and really like it - a couple good friends are in it and I'm getting to know the others, and I'm singing alto which is fun (I'm kind of a second soprano so I end up in whatever part needs people...).

Haven't been doing a lot of reading, but really enjoying the Fruits Basket manga when I can get it from the library - I think I'm past the parts covered in the anime, so it's all new stories to me now and still awesome!

Oh yeah, apparently there was some big news about Star Wars the other day. Yep, Disney bought Lucasfilm which was surprising, but they've had close ties for a while so at the same time it's not too surprising. The announcement of three new movies, though, I still can't believe that! Trying to stay positive about that right now. The thing is, I know what it's like to love the SW movies that everyone (exaggerating) hates, so I don't want to be one of the haters for the new generation of fans. If all else fails, maybe they'll be fine movies but not in my idea of how the Galaxy Far Far Away goes. But a lot of good could come from this change too - it'll be interesting to see what the next few years are like for Star Wars. The worst part is that the news broke on Facebook when I was trying to do homework. Who cares about how mind mapping works for math when you realize Leia is a Disney princess! Haha, I don't think she'll be included but it's still cool.

Thank you to those who tagged me in the 11 tag - I wrote up most of a post about that but need to shorten it - I'll get to it eventually...hopefully.

Oh, and I'm sorry I haven't been commenting much on other blogs. One day there were a bunch of posts to read that I didn't have time for, so I got behind for a while - just now trying to say something on occasion.

Well my brother just finished playing Layton so I'm going to play for a bit before dragging myself to bed. Thanks for reading, hope I can post more soon. May the Lord be with you all!

The Pirates of the Ring

Ahoy, me followers! It be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Today's the day to bring out all o' those piratey words ye have picked up and shout "Arr" to the world! To celebrate the occasion, I have here a script o' sorts - I give ye, The Council of Elrond: Pirated Edition!

Captain Elrond: Avast ye seadawgs, mateys of old. Ye be summoned here to meet the threat o’ Mordor. Ye’ll unite or ye’ll go down to Davy Jones’ Locker. Each race be bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the Ring, Nine-fingered Frodo. (Nine-fingered Frodo places the Ring among the pirates.)

Barnacle Boromir: Shiver me timbers, it be true! In a dream, I saw the starboard side grow dark but on the port side a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: ‘Your doom be near at hand. Isildarr’s Bane be found…Isildarr’s Bane… (He nears the Ring.)

Captain Elrond: Blimey!

Gandalf Greybeard: Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Drink and the devil had done for the rest. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum…

Captain Elrond: Arr, never ‘as a soul spoken those words ‘ere, Gandalf Greybeard.

Gandalf Greybeard: I isn’t askin’ for your pardon, Captain Elrond, for the Black Speech o’ Mordor may yet be heard in the four corners of the Earth! The booty be altogether evil.

Barnacle Boromir: Belay that, it be a gift! Why not use this Ring? Long has me dad, the Quartermaster o’ Gondor, kept yer waters safe from the brigands o’ Mordor! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!

Arragorn: Ye can’t wield it! None of us can. The One Ring be answering to Scurvy Sauron alone. It has no other captain, savvy?

Barnacle Boromir: And what would a landlubber know of this?

Arragorn: Don’t do anything stupid…

Long-legged Willy: (Jumps up.) Arr, this be no mere landlubber. He be Arragorn, son of Arrathorn.

Barnacle Boromir: Arragorn? Well blow me down! This… be Isildarr’s heir?

Long-legged Willy: Aye, and ‘is granddad be the Captain o’ Gondor.

Arragorn: Sit down, Long-legged Willy!

Barnacle Boromir: Gondor has no Captain. Gondor needs no Captain.

Gandalf Greybeard: Arragorn be right. We cannot use it.

Captain Elrond: You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed.

Gangplank Gimli: What be we a’waiting for? ARRR!! (Gangplank Gimli attacks the Ring.)
Captain Elrond: Belay that! We can’t be destroying the Ring that way, Gangplank Gimli, son of Grog Gloin. The Ring was made at the world’s end. Only there can we destroy it! It must be taken up to the crow’s nest o’ Mordor and cast deep in to the sea. One of ye must do this.

Barnacle Boromir: One does not simply sail into Mordor. Its black gates be guarded by more than just bilge rats. There be evil there that does not take sleep. And the great deadlight be ever watchful. Not with ten thousand buccaneers could ye do this. It be folly!

Long-legged Willy: (Jumps up.) Have ye heard nothing Captain Elrond has said? The Ring has to go to Davy Jones!

Gangplank Gimli: (Jumps up.) And I suppose ye think ye can do it?!

Barnacle Boromir: And if we fail, what then?! What happens when Scurvy Sauron takes back his booty?!

Gangplank Gimli: I will walk the plank ‘fore I see the Ring in the hands of a scallywag!

Gandalf Greybeard: Do you not understand that while we bicker among ourselves, Scurvy Sauron’s power grows?! None can escape it! (They argue.)
Ring: Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Drink and the devil had done for the rest. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum…

Nine-fingered Frodo: (Stands up.) I’ll be taking it! I’ll be taking it! I’ll take the Ring t’ Mordor. Though I do not know how t’ hoist the sails.

Gandalf Greybeard: (Goes over to Nine-fingered Frodo.) I will help ye on yer voyage, Nine-fingered Frodo, so long as it be yours to sail.

Arragorn: If by me life or death, I can protect ye, I will. Ye have me cutlass.

Long-legged Willy: And you have me pistol!

Gangplank Gimli: And me cannon!

Barnacle Boromir: Ye be carryin’ all our fates, lad. If this be the will o’ the council, then Gondor be seein’ it done.

One Eyed Sam: (Appears.) Avast! Mr. Frodo’s not goin’ anywhere without me!

Captain Elrond: Nay, it be nigh impossible to separate ye, even when he be summoned to a secret council and ye be not.

Merry Morgan and Pegleg Pippin: (Run in.) Wait! We be comin’ too!

Merry Morgan: Ye’d have to feed us to the fish to stop us!

Pegleg Pippin: Anyways, ye need sailors o’ intelligence on this sort o’ pillage…voyage… thing.

Merry Morgan: Well that be ruling ye out Pip!

Captain Elrond: A crew o’ nine… So be it! Ye shall be the Pirates of the Ring!

Pegleg Pippin: Great! What be our heading?


Yo ho ho, what a tale that be! Thanks to me dad for the original idea, and to me brother for namin', suggestin', and proofreadin' the script. Twas originally copied from Council of Elrond before being translated into pirate. Hope ye all enjoy, and fair winds!

Star Wars: Celebration VI - My Experience

So I said a while ago that my brother and I were going to Star Wars: Celebration VI! We went on Friday and Saturday and it was really really cool.

Since it seemed weird to me that my last several posts have just been me talking, I got Captain Rex to recap part of it for me! Take it away, Rex.

Captain Rex: Thank you sir. Once Arda and her brother got in the convention center and picked up their badges, they headed right up to the exhibition hall, where the 501st Legion was holding their Troop-Athlon. It's a competition we sometimes have amongst us Clones, and these Stormtroopers I keep hearing about (there were a few other troopers, Bounty Hunters, and even a Jawa involved as well).

Anyway, each team has to complete various challenges while in full armor. Now I don't mean to complain, but this stuff we got has its problems - lack of peripheral vision and maneuverability just a couple. Actually, they had this saying there, something like "Can't see, can't sit, can't shoot." Now again, I'm grateful to the Republic for the armor we have, and it has improved, but...well, I suppose that saying they have is pretty accurate. You get used to it though, and once you go through all the training on Kamino you tend to forget about the shortcomings a lot of the time. Until one of your brothers walks straight into a door, but that doesn't happen too often.

I'm getting off track - a few of the challenges were the Ewok toss (one team member tossing stuffed Ewoks to another), using a Death Star bowling ball (keep seeing this Death Star around - wonder what it is) to knock over pins with Representative Binks drawn on them (I must admit I got a chuckle out of that. Arda'll be mad if she found out though), and riding a segway through a short course. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, and I'm sure some of these guys will be hearing their fellow trooper's opinions on how they did in the barracks.

The course where both the Troop-Athlon and Droid Races took place.

Thanks Rex! (Heh, I think he had more fun than he's letting on.) Next, a bunch of the girls from The Lakehouse Forums met up - it was so cool to meet online friends, and somewhat surreal as well! We hung out for a while, then went to a special Her Universe cupcake party we had been invited to. There were some TCW cast members there which was really cool - I was too shy to say much, but I was with my friends as they talked to Dee Bradley Baker and Matt Lanter, and I saw Dave Filoni (should have tried to talk to him - he's so cool!) and Tom Kane (also saw Ashley's husband David Eckstein, but didn't realize it until later). Then toward the end, we all got to talk to Ashley herself! I've heard people say she's really good at remembering people, but I was surprised that she recognize me from our brief meeting two years ago at the last Celebration! Her support of TLF has been amazing, and it was so nice of her to spend time with us. After the party most of the TLF girls went to wait in line for the Clone Wars premiere. I waited with them but ducked out to join my brother, who had gone to a panel called the Obscure Character Face-Off, before the show started, and after a bit of hanging around the exhibit hall, called we it a day.

On Saturday we didn't go to too many events, but it was still fun. The first part of the day I spent doing photo shoots with the TLF girls. There were a bunch of neat props in the exhibit hall that we posed with - a random Stormtrooper joined us for a couple pictures as well.

My brother and I spent the rest of the day in the exhibit hall, 501st room, droid builder's room, and just looking around, me taking random pictures once in a while. We did get to see some TLF friends one more time before saying goodbye, which was nice. Before we left, we did a bit of shopping - he got a volume of Star Wars Tales and I bought a Her Universe shirt and a couple Jedi Apprentice books (only $5 for two of them!). There were also these Galactic passports that you could take to the different publisher booths and get them stamped - that was pretty cool. Then we basically wandered around a bit before heading out.

Meeting and hanging out with my online friends was definitely the highlight of my weekend. It was really neat to see people I knew from online, and that includes others like costumers and SW celebs I had seen pictures of. When I went to Celebration V, I didn't know or know of too many SW fans so now it was really cool to have friends there and recognize people from the internet. And like last time, there were a bunch of great costumes and it was so fun to watch everyone! I kind of wish we could have seen more panels, but it was still an awesome weekend and I'm so glad we were able to go.

And now for pictures! Here are some others I took:

There was a small collection of items from Rancho Obi-Wan, including the Great Holocron! My Jedi-obsessed self was really excited to see this - I didn't even know a real version existed!

As I was taking a couple pictures of this mannequin, I start to hear heavy breathing behind me. Really heavy breathing. So I turn around and there's a live Vader standing over me saying, "She's taking pictures of a mannequin, for crying out loud!" Whoops, didn't see you there, my lord...

Just cool. I love Star Wars fans.

In the droid builder's room - R2D2 and Leia's message!

This was in the Rebel Legion area. I want one of these!

Also in the Rebel Legion area. It's so cool how you can imagine you're in the galaxy far, far away there, like this seemed like it could be from the rebel base on Hoth.

Bail Organa! I was so excited to see him - his costume was awesome and he really looked the part too. He said to vote for him in November. Guess who my write-in candidate for Senator is...

One more from the Rebel Legion area - should have leaned on this and tried to sell some death sticks.

Yes, this was in the exhibit hall, and yes, I had to take a picture of it. What an awesome Gandalf mold!

One last shot from the doors of the convention center with a bunch of Sith taking pictures together. Seeing this makes me really miss this place.

Oh yes! And I promised to show you the Jedi costume I was making! I give you, the headless Jedi-man!...girl...person...(ok just look at it):

I wore it Saturday of the convention. It still needs some work (I finished the sewing only a night or two before the con!) but I'm happy with how it turned out and it was fun to wear.

So there is my somewhat long, hopefully entertaining report of Star Wars: Celebration VI! Thank you all for reading, and may the Lord and the Force be with you!

Getting Ready

Thanks for all the votes on my poll! Your answers are really helpful, and I'm flattered that so many choose "updates on me" for a post topic, so that's what this is about! Though I hope I'm not too boring for you all...

Lately I've been getting ready for school and Star Wars Celebration VI, both of which are coming up soon!

This semester, I'm taking Intermediate Algebra, Composition II (focusing on literature I think), Spanish II, and a computer course (covering Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, etc). I think Comp might be kind of cool, because although it will probably have a lot of reading, some of the stories might be cool. The syllabus mentioned "The Gift of the Magi," a short story I read for high school lit a year or two ago and enjoyed, so I'll have that to look forward to. Hopefully math won't be too hard (my brother said intermediate algebra is easy), and I'm not sure what the others will be like.

As a (now former) homschooler, it will be my first time being in a classroom part of the time, which I am both nervous and excited about. As long as I can get used to the new environment I think this semester will go well. Let's hope!

One thing I did in order to prepare for school is get my driver's license! It's really weird to think I can just randomly drive myself somewhere now. I got it on Wednesday and haven't been driving alone yet, but I may go out briefly tomorrow morning. Somewhere I can get to easily. Not ready for any big unfamiliar roads...

For Celebration VI, I've been working on a new Jedi costume. Two years ago for CV, I pieced (literally pieced) a costume together from leftover fabric and by guessing without a pattern. It was fun to wear, but had a lot of room for improvement. For this one I got adequate fabric and a real pattern and so far it's looking great! I have a small list of things left to do on it, mostly adding velcro and hemming (and hawing), and I'm pretty excited about it!

Today I finished watching Fruits Basket, an anime about a young girl who is taken in by a cursed family - whenever they are hugged by someone of the opposite gender, they turn into an animal of the zodiac. Some online friends liked it a lot which is how I knew about it. It was really fun but had deeper themes as well. Now I must get the manga from the library!

Yep, so life is kind of moving forward right now. I'll try to check back in a couple weeks from now once Celebration and the beginning of school are behind me - if school doesn't eat me first! Hope you all have an awesome weekend and may the Lord be with you!

A Few Items of Business

Hey everyone! I have a new poll on the side bar, if you would all check it out. I've been having some trouble thinking up blog posts lately, and I'd love your input! Comment here if you have anything to add.

Next, a few bloggers awarded me!

1. Thank the person who nominated you and give the link.
Thank you Shena at Pens, Thespians, and Words and Edessa at Holonet Entertainment Daily!

2. Tell us how the idea of making a blog popped into your head and why you continue it.
Hmm...I can't remember exactly, but it could have been when I started reading The Catholic Jedi Academy. Eventually I read blogs by other Star Wars fangirls which also influenced me. I continue it because it's been really great to have a creative outlet and find that some like my writing, not to mention that I get to meet and talk to a bunch of awesome people!

3. Describe a usual day of your life.
For my previous school year, wake up, check a few websites, get ready for the day, force myself to start school, I may practice some music before or after dinner, shower in the evening, pray the rosary with my family, hang out together, then go on the computer for a while before finally getting myself to bed. Summer is similar but without the school.

4. The best collaboration with a blogger(s).
I did a guest post a while ago which was fun!

5. Worst collaboration with a blogger(s):
None.

6. Explain what having this blog means to you.
Basically number 2, being able to write fun things and share them with others. And you all have been such nice followers and I greatly appreciate your comments and for sticking with me in my inactivity.

7. Nominate 5 followers for this award.

Jedigal1990 at A Jedi and a Mouse
Vellvin at An Irish Maiden
And if you follow me and haven't gotten this yet, I give it to you!

Thank you to Helen at The Life of a Musician and Dancer and Solace at Prophets of the Force!

Now I must say seven random things about myself...

1. I almost always play as Yoshi in Mario Kart.
2. School supplies will almost always slow my stride when I spot them at a store - must look!
3. Typing fast is fun for me.
4. I like listening to a cappella music.
5. My room has blue walls.
6. I used to listen to Hannah Montana music a lot.
7. Someday I want to perform in Annie.

I give this to...

Jedigal1990 at A Jedi and a Mouse
Edessa at HoloNet Entertainment Daily
Vellvin at An Irish Maiden
Shena at Pens, Thespians, and Words


And finally, Alyianna at Scribbles of a Catholic Teen sent me the 11 tag again! I'm not going to do the whole thing since it took me forever last time, but here are her questions:

1. What do you think makes a (a question for the guys) girl beautiful or a (a question for the girls) guy...errm...attractive?
Hmm...I'm attracted to humor, kindness, friendliness, and shared interests. As for looks...depends.

2. What is your favourite type of flower?
I like sunflowers and the tiny white flowers that are often arranged with roses.

3. Who is your favourite character of all time?
I think I'd have to say Obi-Wan here. It could be Sam Gamgee, though.

4. What are you listening to right now? (Doesn't have to be music if you're not listening to that.)
My brother and the Wii.

5. What is/are your pet peeve(s)?
I know I had a specific one at one point, but I honestly can't remember. One thing I guess is music or videos playing automatically on a website and scaring me out of my wits. Especially when the computer volume is high. And adds that pop up. Or expand when accidentally you roll over them. Cause how often do you actually want to look at them?

6. What is your favourite language?
Hm...I guess English, since it's the only one I can really use. I also like Latin, Spanish, German, and Elvish.

7. Do you have a special place in your house?
My room is kind of my special place, but I haven't been spending as much time there lately. I have to clean my desk and keep it clean, then maybe I'll be there more.

8. Do you sleep on your back, on your side, on your front, or do you turn around a lot?
Mostly my front, but I once in a while I try to change...usually unsuccessfully.

9.  Do you a song that reminds you of a time of your life that you wish you could go back to?
This is random, but once in a while the Wii Sports theme will take me back to when we were first playing it, under our cousin's guidance. It was fun and peaceful. TV themes can also take me back, but I'm not sure if there are any times I want to go back to - each time has had it's joys and sorrows.

10. Do you have one movie that you really hate? If so, what it is it and why?
I don't think so...not that I can think of anyway.

11. What is your favorite song at the moment?
As of right now (this changes every few days), Guilty Love by the Gavinners. From Ace Attorney (sorry, maybe I'll stop talking about that someday!).


I really appreciate the awards and tag, especially when my blog is quiet. Thanks everyone!

Have a great weekend all, and may the Lord be with you!

America's Fight for Religious Liberty

Hey everyone. There's some really important stuff going on regarding the freedom of religion in the United States that we all need to know about.

There's a health care mandate that will force some people, mainly Catholics, to pay for things they believe to be wrong. But the underlying problem won't just affect the Catholic Church, but all religions.

I don't want to get too in to politics on this blog, at least not right now, but this is an important issue of morality I've been wanting to bring up. Please know that I am not trying to offend or attack those who disagree, but present and stand up for what I believe to be true and inform you all of this important issue in our country today. And with that, we're off!

Religious liberty is awesome
One of the greatest things about the United States is that we have freedom of religion. Originally, many people moved to the "New World" to escape religious persecution in their own countries and practice the faith they believed to be true. In the Bill of Rights, the very first amendment says that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

So how is this being threatened?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that health care plans have to include contraception, sterilization, and pills that can cause abortions. The Catholic Church, and some others agree on certain issues, believes that these are morally wrong. But this mandate will force institutions to pay for this, against their consciences.

And people can't get exemptions?
In order for hospitals, schools, charities, etc to qualify as a "religious institution" and be exempt from this mandate, they can only employ and serve people of their own faith. Meaning Catholic hospitals and charities can only help Catholics. Which is pretty much insane. If they don't comply, they would face fines big enough to shut them down. In 2010, the National Catholic Register reported that one in six patients are treated in Catholic hospitals (article here). That's a lot of people. There was a proposed accommodation, but it basically didn't change anything.

It will affect more than just Catholics
While it seems like this is about Catholics and contraception (which is widely available, even if it's not included in your health care plan), the big problem is how it sets a precedent for the way religious institutions are defined. Once the definition is made so narrow, more and more people who don't qualify will be put in a position where they could be forced to violate their beliefs or face the consequences. Anyone could be required to do what they believe is wrong. And the other big thing - if religious liberty is set aside here, won't it just be easier to set it aside again?

But we're taking a stand!
You know how God always brings good out of evil? Well, there have definitely been good things coming from this situation. One of the biggest is that it has brought so many people together - not just Catholics, but lots of denominations and religions; anyone who wants to be able to freely practice their religion and preserve those rights for the next generations. We're not letting our freedom go without a fight!

Please join us to preserve our religious liberty! Stay informed, tell others, look out for ways to get involved in your community (like contacting senators/representatives or attending events) and of course, pray. Here's one suggested prayer:

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

O God our Creator,

from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

(from usccb.org)


To learn more about the issues, I'd suggest reading Twelve Things Everyone Should Know About the Contraceptive Mandate. It's easy to read, not that long, and really helps to clarify things. There is also a lot of information in the religious liberty section of usccb.org.

I sincerely thank you for reading this! If you have any questions or are looking for more information, let me know and I'll try to find some answers for you.

Thus ends the most serious post I've ever written. So let's add one bit of fun!

God bless you all, and God bless America!

Update on me

Stealing idea from Nessima and others!


Books I've Been Reading:
- Dear America: With the Might of Angels
- Meet Cécile (American Girl)
- Ace Attorney manga (The Miles Edgeworth Files)

Music I've Been Listening To:
- Adrisaurus
- Video game related music, as usual

Videos I've been watching:
- Blimey Cow
- This Time Productions

Things I love and/or can't wait for:
- Musicals (I'm in one and this is our final weekend of shows!)
- Ace Attorney (finished the third game yesterday - the last case was awesome, as always)
- Friends
- Upcoming church events

Other thoughts:
- I was finally able to request a transcript so I can transfer my credits from dual-enrolling to the college I'll be going to this fall! That was tricky to get.
- Three more days of putting on a ton of makeup for stage, then back to looking normal, thankfully. Maybe I'll start wearing a bit on a regular basis, but chances are my laziness will win out and I won't.
- I haven't written a song parody in a while.
- I haven't written anything in a while.
- You're awesome for reading this.

And because some were adding pictures...

Off to practice some music and later put on makeup for the millionth time! Hope this post wasn't too lame - I have one possible post idea for the future, but probably won't have time to write for the next few days. Have a great weekend everyone, and may the Lord be with you!

Video Game Music Remixes

Isn't video game music just awesome? Here are some cool remixes my brother and I found (he probably found most) and enjoyed listening to. Hope you enjoy too!

I've never actually played any Legend of Zelda games, but I must say, Zelda + violin = beautiful. The visuals of this video are gorgeous too!

An a cappella version of the Bowser stage music from Super Mario 64. It's so true to the original song, and interpreted using only voices! Very cool.

Just feel yourself relax. This combines a jazz/soul version of "The Fragrance of Dark Coffee" (from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations) with the sound of rain and a crackling fireplace. I'm listening to each song as I add it to this post, and I do not want to stop this one.

What if every time Mario died and returned with another "life," he had to come back as a baby and relive his life up to the place he died before? From the webcomic Brawl in the Family (an awesome Nintendo webcomic - check it out!) comes this idea, accompanied by a medley of Mario music from multiple games.

Now to take the reflective mood and utterly destroy it, here is the Bob-Omb Battlefield music from Super Mario 64 combined with the theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It fits. And yes, two songs related to Super Mario 64 in this post. Sue me. It's one of the best games ever. Arguably.

I usually shy away from remixes, but there are some really great ones out there! Do you have any favorite video game remixes, songs, or soundtracks?

The 11 Tag - part 2

A while ago I did a post on the 11 tag (click here for part one!), and promised answers to the others who tagged me. Well, the questions added up quickly (44!), so I picked five questions from each person that tagged me for this post. If there was a question I skipped that you'd like an answer to, let me know and I'll gladly add it!
 
Voronda's questions:

1. What you dream to be when you get older?
Well, putting aside all worries about majors and careers, I guess one dream I have is to be a better writer and artist, even if they're not things I would pursue as a career.

2. What was yesterday like?
Let's see, yesterday was Saturday (hopefully I'll get this posted before midnight so it will still be yesterday). I practiced some music, went out with my mom and brother (got a Qui-Gon action figure at Target!), came home and did practiced some more music and dancing to relax (for a musical - I don't really know how to dance otherwise!), and eventually went out again with dad for secret mission part one. Dad kept some flowers for Mom at a friend's house as a surprise for Mother's Day and he and I went to plant them in window boxes. I drove around a bit so we'd have a cover story (I got my permit a week or so ago), then came home. We went to church for a while to pray, came home again and eventually Mom went to bed. Dad took my brother and I back to the friend's house to pick up the window boxes for secret mission part two. When we came home we were about to put them in Mom's window, but her light was on! We met her, but she went back to bed soon and after waiting a while, we got the flowers in the window. And she was surprised this morning, which was great. So to make a long story short (too late) yesterday was a little tiring but good.

3. Dream House?
An older house, something kind of small and cozy with a front porch and window seats. And maybe yellow walls in the kitchen with lace curtains.

4. A place where you wished you lived it could be any where?
It used to be the Shire, but I'm not sure now. Maybe Minas Tirith or Naboo. Nope, no real places for me!

5. Would you rather give up music or reading/Writing for a year?
Ask me a couple months ago and it would easily be reading/writing, but now it's harder... Music is a big stress reliever for me (and can be lots of fun) and I've gone long periods of time without reading and writing, so I guess I'd give up reading/writing. Thankfully, though, I don't think I'll ever have to make this choice for real!


Alyianna's (from her main blog):

1. What songs are the most played on your iPod...or whatever you use to play music?
Mostly video game related songs and musicals (and video game musicals!).

2. What was the last movie you watched?
The Phantom Menace in 3D! It was a lot of fun. Oh, that was in March...I don't watch movies too much. I'd really like to re-watch Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva soon, as well as see Captain America and a few others.

3. What was the last blog you were on (besides your own and this one)?
What do you know, Alyianna's other blog - Password to Middle Earth!

4. What was the last thing you laughed at?
Not sure, but it might have been a video my brother showed me and our parents - an interview with Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. He kept imitating Mario throughout the video and he seems like a cool guy.


5. Do you like writing stories? If so, what is the story you last worked on/you're working on right now?
I do! My last project was Script Frenzy, a challenge to write 100 pages of a script during the month of April. My script followed a minor character from Ace Attorney, and it was a lot of fun! I've been wanting to write more, but I don't have too many ideas right now.


Alyianna's (from her review blog):

1. Who are your three favourite music artists?
John Williams, The Tolkien Ensemble, and Disney, if they count (they're all listed under "artist" on iTunes, but I've always thought of that term only applying to an individual or band). This does not count a few awesome people on the internet that I've been listening to a lot lately.

2. How many blogs do you follow in total?
70 (oh my, I didn't know it was so many! I may have to clean it out soon), but one is a webcomic, not all of them update, and I don't read all the posts on my dashboard.

3. What type of videos do you watch the most on YouTube?
Mostly video game related ones. Videos where a different audio track is put to pictures or video from a game are a lot of fun. I've been watching some homemade movies lately too.

4. (I'm going to steal Bree's question as well. XD) What is true love to you?
Answer 1: Wanting the absolute best for another person, helping them to be their best, and willing to give yourself to achieve those things. Answer 2: Accepting and loving someone for who they are. Answer 3: From the gospel we read in church today, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends."

5. Who is your favourite actor/actress?
Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor! They seem like really nice people from their facebook pages and what I've heard about them.


And finally Nessima's:

1) You have a choice of being given any super-power; what is it?
Maybe telekinesis - it seems like a rather harmless power and it would be like using the Force! Flying would be cool as well, or maybe healing, but I don't think I actually want a super power.

2) What's your favorite musical instrument? What image comes to mind when you think of this instrument?
I love the piano and violin. I don't have a particular image for a piano, but the violin makes me think of Rohan.

3) Would you rather be divinely beautiful, angelically good, or dazzingly clever?
I might say dazzlingly clever. I don't want to be seen as "perfect," and as long as I look all right, I don't have a strong desire to be divinely beautiful. Maybe if I was dazzlingly clever, I could solve the super hard puzzles from the Professor Layton games (there's a few I haven't solved without help yet)!

4) If you could've been born in any time period (other than your own), what would it be?
The first thing that comes to mind is the 1940s. That's one of my favorite fashion eras, and I've always enjoyed reading about that time.

5) You hear about a new historical or fantasy movie that is coming out soon. You are:
a) Ecstatic: you're favorite dream-boat of an actor is in it!
b) Super-stoked: the book that it's based on is amazing!
c) Excited to see the costumes, of course!
d) Your favorite composer is doing the soundtrack. Need I say more?
e) Going just to see the horses which will undoubtedly be gorgeous.
f) Not going at all; there's a new sci-fi thriller out that begs to watched!
Mostly B, or I'll see a cool movie trailer and then read the book first. C and D would be smaller factors but still there, and F only applies if said sci-fi thriller has something to do with Star Wars.

There you go! Now you know a bit more about me. Thanks for tagging me, girls!

Sorry for once again abandoning this blog! Most of the things that have made me busy for the last few months are done now, so maybe I'll post a bit more often. If anyone is interested, I added a note to the first of Gollum's April Fool's Day posts so you can see what the blog looked like that day. Check it out here.

Have a great day everyone, and may the Lord be with you!

Gollum on The Clone Wars: Brothers

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. 
Gollum is a guide of the lands north and west of Mordor and an informant for multiple powers in Middle-Earth.  He is a fishing enthusiast and a skilled waterman, this feat being recognized by King Elessar himself.  When he is not fishing or searching for his precious, Gollum enjoys inventing riddles.

You didn't think we watched The Clone Wars, did you, precious?  Yes, yes, we watch it.  The wizard, the one who interrogates poor Sméagol [Gandalf], we heard that in some video games he is voiced by Tom Kane, who plays Yoda, yes?

What?  Noooo, don't hurt poor Sméagol for breaking the...hm?  The "fourth wall"?  What's the "fourth wall," eh?

The short blogger wanted us to write this before because the episode reminded her of us, precious.  Mmm, it reminds her very much of us.  But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Sméagol had a nice time watching this episode.  It wasn't our favourite, but we likes it much better than watching the fat hobbit in our movies.

This episode finally has Darth Maul in it.  The short blogger doesn't understand why he is not dead.  Sméagol understands.  Where we come from, many come back to life, yes they do, precious.  Like Wraiths, and the Eye, and the wizard, yes, they all came back once.  But they have magic.  Does Darth Maul have magic, precious?  We doesn't know.  It could have come back with dark magic, or maybe it just doesn't need it's bottom half.

For so many long years, Darth Maul was living in this strange place.  We lived in a cave for a very long time too.  Much longer than it did.  But we are not as crazy, are we, precious?  We wonders what made it insane.  Hate?  Yes, yes, that may be.  It hates the Jedi who took Darth Maul's legs and its position.  Just like we hates Baggins.  He stole our precious!  We hates it!  Hates it!  Forever!  AHHHHH!

Mm, yes, we will go on.

We thought the episode would be good joined with the next one, mmm, or having more story included.  Many of the scenes added something, yes, but didn't amount to much.  But Sméagol is patient and still enjoys it.

Sméagol likes the snake.  It is funny.  We would like someone to bring us things to eat like it does.  Nice rabbits and crunchable birdses!  We are tired of orcses.  And we would like a friend.  Yes, Sméagol would like a friend.

The fat hobbit doesn't count.

That is all we have to say.  We liked the episode, but not as much as the Mon Calamari arc.  Lots of fishess in those, yes precious!  May the precioussss be with you!

The New Master of In Western Lands!

Yesssss!  Precious, precious, my precious, oh my precious!!!  We has it!  The Precious!  We has taken over In Western Lands!

We are now very strong!  We are the master!  Lord Sméagol!  Gollum the Great!  The Gollum!  Yes, we will be called The Gollum!

Fissh, now we has nice fish!  Look!  Look at the sidebar!  Nice, juicy, beautiful fissh!  All for ourselfs, precious!  We doesn't have to share it with the fat hobbit, no precious.  We takes the fish for ME!

But good Sméagol will keep the blog running.  Good Sméagol always helps.  He even has an episode review, yes, from The Clone Wars.  Soon it will be posted.  Later, but very soon, precious.

Hmm, what else can we talk about?  Does it like riddles?  Maybe we gives it a riddle to solve?

What has roots...no.

Alive without breath...no.

Ah!  We has it.

High to low, then back again,
In darkened forest, stuck in pen.
Out at last and finally free,
To get back what belongs to me.

I guide and wait while planning all,
That those I guide will soon befall.
I'll bide my time and then attack,
So I can get my treasure back.

But then a new pursuit I found,
An easy way to be renowned.
This very day I hold new weight,
And that is why I am now great.

Who am I?

Difficult, tricksy yes?  Think it can solve our riddle?  Guess!  Yes, guess in the comments!  We'll tell when someone has it right, so don't look if it doesn't want to be spoiled!

While it thinks we are going to have some fissh.  May the precioussss be with you!  Hee hee hee hee!

---

Note from Arda: Thanks for bearing with my April Fool's Day silliness! If you weren't around the time or wish to relive the glory of Gollum's temporary reign, here's what my blog looked like:

click to see larger

The 11 Tag

Jamie, Shena, Alyianna, and Voronda tagged me!  Thanks so much girls!  I am going to answer Jamie's and Shena's questions in this post and do another with Voronda's and Alyianna's.

The Rules:

1) Post these rules.

2) Post 11 random things about yourself

3) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post

4) Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer

5) Go to their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged

6) No cop-outs in the tagging section like, “If you are reading this” or “if you follow me”. You have to legitimately tag people!

11 random things about me:

1. I really enjoy room decorating and have done lots of reading and thinking for mine.  Next time I have a free week with no school I'm hoping to repaint the trim and make some other changes.

2. If I could, I would learn sign language, more Spanish, Japanese, German, and Latin but I'm not sure if I ever will.  I recently heard of a language learning program that seems really good and cheap - maybe I'll look into it sometime.  I could also take up Elvish (Sindarin) again sometime.

3. On the piano I mostly play video game music nowadays.  My brother and I have three binders filled with music we've printed off the internet.  I'm starting to lobby for a binder solely for Professor Layton and Ace Attorney music and I've been trying to transcribe some PL music myself - it's a fun challenge, but I'm a bit stuck at the moment.

4. I have been playing quite a bit of minesweeper lately.

5. I found my future wedding cake.

From Cake Central

Isn't that gorgeous?

6. My favorite colors are purple, blue, green, grey, and brown. Black and white are pretty nice too.

7. I usually go to the Star Wars Weather Forecast to check the temperature.

8. Firefox is my preferred browser, but since I downloaded Chrome for school I've been using that when I have problems with Firefox.  My theme on Firefox is Professor Layton and on Chrome it's Lord of the Rings.

9. When it's cold, I like wearing fuzzy socks.

10. My favorite foods are the oh-so-original pizza and pasta.

11. I think polar bears are really cute.

Here are Jamie's questions:

1. What famous movies have you not seen yet but would like too?
To Kill a Mockingbird, Mulan, and The King's Speech.

2. What is your opinion of Charlie Brown?
Love Charlie Brown!  So innocent and sweet and funny!  If you followed my blog around Christmas, Peanuts was mentioned about every other post.

3. Which of your favorite books would you love to see made into a film and why?
Hm...I love the Jedi Apprentice series but think that would make a good TV show...maybe The Princess Academy or one of Gail Carson Levine's books.  Oh, and John Paul II high!

4. What is one of your favorite pass-times?
Wasting time on the internet.  And reading, and different stuff with music, like piano and singing.

5. What type of vehicle would you love to own, from any film, book or even from reality?
I have never been too interested in vehicles, but maybe a Jedi starfighter, or an LotR horse if that counts.  Or a sandcrawler, just to be random.

6. What movie poster would you LOVE to own if you could have your pick?
This is weird, but I'm not that big on most of the posters of my favorite movies.  I'll go with Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva!

7. What is a minor thing you’d like to see in your future spouse?
It would be nice if he enjoyed singing.  And had an easy-to-spell-and-pronounce last name, but that would just be a bonus.

8. What is your opinion of snakes?
Snakes...why did it have to be snakes?  They creep me out.  Last time there was one in the front garden I was able to look at it without...dying or something, but I still do not care for them.

9. What is a pet peeve you’ve discovered from being on the blogosphere?
Blogger messes with formatting...sometimes there are big spaces, sometimes little spaces - annoying!

10. If you could dress up–without any difficulty or thought of cost–as any character, who would it be?
Oh gosh so many...A Jedi (which I hopefully will this year), Eowyn, Ahsoka, Miles Edgeworth (I wouldn't be the first girl to), Flora Reinhold, and...well, pretty much anyone.

11. Where would you like to go on vacation this year?
It would be nice to go the beach sometime.


And here are Shena's questions:

1: What is your favorite book?
The Lord of the Rings, specifically The Fellowship of the Ring with The Return of the King a close second.

2: Have you ever traveled to another country? If you haven't where would you like to go?
I went to Mexico when I was six or seven for my uncle's wedding (I got to hang out with my cousin a ton and see lots of cool Catholic stuff!).  I've also been in Canada but I don't really remember it.

3: What is your favorite genre of music?
*opens iTunes* Soundtrack, if you include musicals, video games, and Disney.

4: What is your favorite hair color?
Hmm...I think brown.  I do like my red hair, but I've always thought brown was pretty.

5: Do you like YouTube?
I do!  There is a lot of trash on there, but lots of fun stuff too.  I enjoy watching videos with clips from one thing put to the audio of a different movie trailer.

6: Which fictional characters have you had a crush on? If you haven't which character is your favorite?
A couple of my first crushes were Mario (yes, Super Mario) and a character from Paper Mario.  Kind of embarrassing... I have had a crush on Obi-Wan, but now he's kind of a friend, in a weird way (still totally love him but trying to keep it as "just friends") and right now I'm kind of in love with Miles Edgeworth from Ace Attorney.  So handsome and charming!

7: If you could have a lightsaber, what color would you want it to be?
Green!  It's often used by Jedi Consulars which I think fits me best.

8: What Jedi/Sith would you be in the Star Wars universe?
I would probably be Obi-Wan.  He is the character I think I'm most similar to.  Or maybe Bant or Darra.

9: Do you like anime? If so, which is your favorite?
Kind of - I have never watched an anime but am crazy about a couple video games I've heard called anime and got a book from the library on how to draw it.

10: What is your favorite thing to learn about?
I find psychology very interesting, so either that or maybe music or literature.

11: Who is your favorite superhero?
Everyone is excited about The Avengers and I feel like I'm the only one who never got in to superheroes!  Captain America looks kind of cool though, so I may try that sometime.  As of right now my favorite superhero is Patman!  Known as Patrick Madrid in real life, he's a Catholic apologist.  There is a magazine he works on called Envoy that once had a funny comic of him talking about apologetics.  So yes, Patman is my hero!


11 questions from me:

1. What is the first book you learned to read?
2. What is your favorite dessert?
3. What is your favorite book genre?
4. Where would you most like to visit in the world?
5. What is your current computer wallpaper?
6. What song is stuck in your head?
7. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?
8. What is your favorite musical?
9. What fictional world would you most like to live in?
10. What is your favorite season?
11. What is your favorite comic?

Anyone who reads this and would like to answer the questions, feel free to take them!  Yes, I know I'm copping out and it's against the rules, but I don't think I know 11 people who haven't already been tagged.

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Sorry about the lack of activity here lately.  I've tried to write a few posts but they weren't interesting enough to finish.  Will keep trying though and maybe someday I'll be able to get back to posting regularly!  May the Lord be with you all!

The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

Thank you to Annika Elipton at Writing Beyond the Moon and Aayla Rain at Fangirl & Farmgirl for this award!

Rules:

1. Post seven random things about yourself.
2. Award this to 10 other bloggers!


Random things about me:

1. I like sticky notes
2. I enjoy putting on accents
3. I work on parodying entire musicals for fun
4. Obi-Wan is my BFFF (best fictional friend forever)
5. Flip flops are my favorite type of footwear
6. I like to think that some humans are evolving into hobbits and I am one of them
7. Singing almost always lightens my mood




I will tag...


1. Alyianna at Scribbles of a Catholic Teen
2. Jamie at Through Two Blue Eyes
3. Rebecca at Just me...
4. Shaak Ti at God's Jedi Girl
5. Atina at Atina the Jedi
6. Jedi Knight Autumn at An Autumn Day


And anyone else who has not gotten it yet!


Have a great weekend my friends, and may the Lord be with you!




P.S. Thank you to those who gave me the Dragon Appreciation Award and sorry I never got around to posting it!

SOPA, PIPA, and Pirates of the Caribbean

The proposition of some members of the United States Congress to combat internet piracy by censoring certain websites has caused an uproar among many frequent users of the internet, but some argue that these measures will help prevent theft and the sale of illegal goods.  In order to avoid any political confrontations, In Western Lands (hereafter known as In Western Lands, Western Lands, IWL, and The Page with Words on It) has decided to publicly and temporarily claim neutrality, and declares that any statements made by employees of In Western Lands (including, but not limited to, Arda) do not in any way reflect the thoughts or opinions of In Western Lands.  Although such a stand has been taken, The Page With Words on It still wishes to present you with a balanced and politically correct report featuring the opinions of individuals on all sides of the debate.

Sparrow opposes the anti-piracy bill.

PORT ROYAL - In Western Lands stopped to chat with Commodore James Norrington and Lord Cutler Beckett.  Both have spent a considerable amount of time trying to rid the seas of pirates, and they agree that similar action must be taken on the internet.

"Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them," said Norrington, speaking of those who upload copyrighted material onto the internet.  "I intend to see to it that any man who breaks the law in such a fashion gets what he deserves."

Lord Beckett agrees, and he believes that although there will be opposition, the bill still has a good chance of passing.  "The pirates know they face extinction.  All that remains is where they make their final stand."

Predictably, those who would be in danger of being shut down are strongly against the bill.  We asked a worried Joshamee Gibbs his thoughts on what SOPA would mean for him.

"It's bad," he said.  "Bad for every mother's son who calls himself a pirate."

With Gibbs was his associate, Captain Jack Sparrow.  Captain Sparrow is also against SOPA, saying that it would take away from the freedom of the those who use the internet.

"It's not just URLs, and flash, and HTML, that's what a website needs, but what a website is, what the internet really is, is freedom."

While Captain Sparrow would prefer that the bill does not pass, he says that it wouldn't be a completely negative outcome for him.  He is already developing software to keep from being censored, and once all the other offending sites are shut down, he will be able to gain everyone's buisness.

"I rather like that idea," Sparrow said.  "Captain Jack Sparrow: The Last Internet Pirate."

Unfortunately, our interview of Captain Sparrow was cut short by the sudden entrance of Commodore Norrington who attempted to arrest the captain.  The two ran from the room before any more questions could be asked.

Not all have such strong opinions.  Captain Hector Barbossa stated that he would not give an opinion until after Congress votes on the anti-piracy bill, an action that was recently postponed.  When asked why he would wait, Barbossa only said, "Where's the harm in joining the winning side?"

Mr. Cotton is another man undecided as to his position, or so we inferred.  His parrot spoke for him, telling us, "Shiver me timbers!"  Gibbs told IWL that it means, "I like grilled cheese."  We are not convinced, but finally concluded that such a statement shows a lack of opinion on the matter.

Nevertheless, many do have strong opinions on SOPA and IWL encourages its readers to be cordial to those who may have opinions different from their own, unlike Sparrow and Norrington, who ran through the room even as Cotton's parrot was speaking.  While Norrington was chasing Sparrow with his sword drawn, Sparrow was calling behind him, "This is the day you will always remember as the day that you almost caught, Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Article on FoxNews.com used as a reference.  The thoughts and opinions expressed do not necessary reflect the opinions of In Western Lands or its employees.  Pirates of the Caribbean is owned by Disney and IWL lays no claim to the characters and quotes taken from the films.  This article is a work of fiction and any resemblance to people, places, or parrots, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.  Please don't sue us.