The Review Project pt. 1

I follow the blogs of a few of my favorite authors. One of them is Gail Carriger. Sometimes they host contests, and right now she's having a review contest to win an advance copy of her next book.

I really want one, so here's my first review of Etiquette and Espionage, the first book in the Finishing School series: 

This book is awesome. The heroine, Sophronia, is brave, impulsive, and flawed, which makes her more believable. As a less-than-ideally behaved young lady of good family, she is sent away to Madame Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But to her surprise, this school doesn't just teach young ladies to curtsy and make polite conversation with nobles. Finishing School teaches the young ladies to finish...everything, from secret missions to their enemies. Set in a steampunk world with a backdrop of vampire and werewolf society, this book was quite enjoyable.

91 words. Yay. (The minimum is 60.)
Now about the contest...
See, it's not actually being judged on the quality of the reviews. 20 reviews are being randomly selected. And yes, you can enter multiple times...which is why I'm going to be putting up lots of Finishing School reviews until June 10th. Sorry. This is the only blog I have and I'm not on Goodreads.

But to make it fun, I'll include a review of whatever else I'm reading too!

Which right would be...uh...well, I'll just review something I finished a while ago, because I actually remember the author's name.

Review of Jump by Ginger Rue:

I had my doubts when I started this book. It's from the point of view of Brinkley, a self-obsessed snobby teenager, who is put in therapy because her behavior has caused four other girls to leave her private school. This is her last chance: if she doesn't improve, she'll be expelled. The only reason she hasn't been expelled is that her parents paid for an auditorium. She is a total brat and I wasn't sure if I would like reading about her. But I did. As she starts her counseling sessions, Brinkley begins to have strange experiences wherein she enters another person's body for a few hours--thus literally walking in their shoes. These experiences teach her what it's like not to be her, and her character undergoes a profound change over the course of the novel.
I thought that the author worked in the change in Brinkley's character really well. It was gradual and satisfying.
The premise was a little weird, but I liked it. And while some things are never really explained, I think that allows the reader a little freedom to form their own theories. So yeah, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

Okay, gotta go now.

And You Thought Classical Music was BORING...

There are some truly bizarre stories out there.

For instance, there was one composer, J.B. Lully, who stabbed himself in the foot while onstage. He had this conducting staff that he pounded on the stage to keep time, and he got himself in the foot with it. Then he got gangrene, refused to have his foot amputated, and died. And all this from conducting classical music. The orchestra is a dangerous place to be.

(I learned about this in 4th grade when I played one of his pieces and double-checked my facts here.)

I'm sure there are plenty of other gruesome composer stories--but the one I heard yesterday is pretty darn weird.

It's about this guy.

This is Franz Liszt, and you know how these days Justin Beiber and One Direction have crazy fangirls? Yeah, he had them too.

Liszt was the first piano virtuoso. He invented the piano recital, and his must have been pretty exciting, because the Victorian ladies of the 1840s would rip up his handkerchiefs and fight over his gloves for souvenirs. Some ladies kept his coffee dregs in vials around their necks or on their dressing tables. There was one lady who picked up a cigar stump that Liszt had dropped and chained THAT around her neck. She had it put into a locket with "F.L." monogrammed in DIAMONDS on it. It smelled extremely nasty.




You know how these days people throw their underwear at rock concerts? Yeah, Liszt fangirls did that. They threw their underwear at him while he was onstage.

Stop and think about that for a minute.

Lisztomania started around 1841. Here's what your typical Liszt fangirl would be wearing to his concert.

Leaving aside the fact that this was the early Victorian era, reknowned for its propriety--how the heck did they even get their underwear OFF??

You'd have to get through, like, two petticoats and a corset to find anything you could throw. And this is at a classical concert. You know, like an opera house, with lots of seats. How exactly does THAT work?!

(Here's a question for anyone who's been to a concert with underwear-throwing: Do you take it off, or just bring an extra pair? I haven't been to a concert like that, so I have no idea.)

Another thought: Victorians didn't really bathe as much as people do nowadays. Their underwear probably would have been fairly...whiffy.

EW.

So next time you're at a rock concert with underwear-throwing, remember where it all started:

By the way, if you want more recent classical hotties, check out 2Cellos. Although for these guys, "classical" is stretching it...

Charlieissocoollike and IF

I really, really like Charlie McDonnell (a.k.a. Charlieissocoollike) and this video really impressed me. Charlie says at the end that it helps to publicize this, so that's what I'm doing. Here's part one.

Check out his other stuff too! He is awesome!

That's all for now.

A Poem about Not Getting Poetry

Yesterday we had this poetry workshop in Creative Writing with a professional poet.

I should mention that my poetry sucks. It always starts rhyming, doesn't really go where I want it to, and turns out exceedingly silly.

I also don't get a lot of the poetry I read. For that reason, I don't really read that much poetry. It's a vicious circle, I guess...or at least a depressing one...or something...

So even though it's awful, and a bit embarrassing, I'm putting this up with notes in between verses.

I don't understand poetry
The words just don't make sense to me
I'm not that smart, I'm only me
Perhaps I'm less than I could be
Should be
But I don't understand.

(32 words for one idea. Brilliant. :P)

I like the clarity of prose
And I just lied but no one knows
The teacher thinks I'm taking notes*
"Notes" doesn't really rhyme with "knows"
Who cares
That didn't rhyme at all.

*C'mon, it's not that bad. I'm writing poetry in a poetry class.

Poetry seems quite obtuse
It's confusing as the deuce*
Though a good outlet for abuse
I know it's a great deal of use
For a recluse**
I'm not sure I can understand.

*My friend asked me what this means. I'm saying it's confusing as heck, but "deuce" rhymes and "heck" doesn't.
**I have truly no idea why it says that except that it rhymes.

Maybe it's cause I can't write*
When I think my brain seems tight
Constricted; anything but bright
If I try hard then I just might
See light
And write or read some poems.

*Obviously I'm only talking about poetry, not other stuff.

Okay, I've tortured myself (not to mention you guys) enough. I'm stopping there.

I let my friend and fellow CW student read this, only she read it in my scribbly handwriting. "You don't have to read the whole thing," I told her. "It's stupid."

"I'm more worried about reading your handwriting." She pointed to a word in the second verse. "What's that word say?"

I looked at it. "I'm, uh...not really sure..." Then I read the line and looked again. "Oh. I think that says 'clarity'."

We had a good laugh over the pure irony there.

It's finally here! Universal Studios pt. 2

I finally got the photos! (All photo credit goes to Elizabeth "Izzy" Keeney.) So without further ado...

Left to right: Me, "Alkira," and "Izzy"

Probably the most awesome part of Universal Studios was the area where you could take photos with the characters.

They had Frankenstein's Monster, a guy with a mask and a chainsaw, a mummy, and a vampire.

Doing the Monster Mash

Does someone want a hug?

The vampire was AWESOME. I went up to talk to him twice (we walked by him a few times).

First time:
(It should be noted that I was wearing a bright red sweatshirt.)

Me: Hi.
Vampire: Hello.
Me (struggling to say something cool): Nice day.
Vampire: Bit sunny for my taste, but yes.
Me: Ah.
[Awkward pause]
Vampire: I like you jacket.
Me: Thanks!
Vampire: It's making me hungry.
Me:...Thanks...um...bye.

He had a very nice accent.
I went back to my friends. Alkira laughed hysterically at me. We walked around there some more, and I had an amusing run-in with a statue. There were two, sitting on this park bench, painted completely black. For the life of me, I could not tell if the statues were actually statues! I thought I'd check by poking one of them.

So I sneak up...Sneak sneak sneak...Within three feet now...sneak sneak...And suddenly, no warning whatsoever, the one I'm planning on poking turns and smiles at me!

I jumped about three feet in the air and skedaddled back to my friends PDQ.

OH! And we got to meet Vin Diesel! (Is that how you spell it?...not really sure...)

Us with Vin Diesel. And no, I have no idea what I'm doing with my hand.

Well, not really. But we had fun with the big, creepy wax model, anyway.

Being Sherlock Holmes fans, we were inordinately excited to see a street sign proclaiming that we were walking down BAKER STREET. Then we stopped and oohed over the sign that said MRS. HUDSON'S BOARDING HOUSE.

But what we REALLY fangirled over was the door with a 221B plaque on it...and a silhouette of Holmes! Complete with deerstalker and spyglass!

Standing in a famous shadow

Universal did most of the original 1940s movies.

My friends teased me because I kept trying to open doors that didn't open. I couldn't get into the 1920s car either. Grr.

The case of the immovable mail flap

The case of the closed phone box

I probably shouldn't have tried so hard to open it, though...

Yours truly gets arrested!

Then when we went down to ride the rides, Alkira had a couple of Egyptian deity incidents. There were these two Egyptian gods, a man and a woman, walking around outside of the Revenge of the Mummy ride. They were both on stilts, so they were what, five feet taller than us? Something like that. Anyway, Alkira goes running up to the guy and yells, "HIGH FIVE, MAN!"

He just gave her this look--you know, a proper look--and walked off. Like, I am too mighty to deign to high-fiving mortals. 

"You suck!" yelled Alkira.

She fumed about it for the next few minutes, until we ran into him again. Then she ran up and wanted a high five again. She raised her hand over her head.

He gave her another look--and then raised his hand over HIS head. Come and get it, mortal.

Remember that he was like five feet taller?

High five, man! Uh...

Izzy and Hannah and I were laughing hysterically in the background. But I think Alkira got her high five.

(As a side note, the woman was willing to give out high fives. Egyptian goddesses are apparently nicer than Egyptian gods.)

Egyptian goddesses are friendlier than Egyptian gods

A bit later we headed back to the photo area. Alkira wanted to have a go with the vampire. I should mention that we are NOT Twilight fans.

So we wait for the other tourists to finish taking pictures of him biting their wrists and the occasional neck and then walk up.

Alkira: Hi!
Vampire: Hello.
Alkira: I notice, sir, that you do not sparkle.
Vampire: Well, that's because I'm a REAL vampire, no?
Alkira, Izzy and Me: !!!!
Me: *I love you.* (But only in my head.)
Alkira: So what do you think of vampires who DO sparkle?
Vampire: Well, they're not real vampires, are they? They're more like...elves. I mean, I can drink blood, be out in the daytime...
Alkira: Dude. You're awesome.

Count Dracula, who does not sparkle,  enjoys his snack

Then we took some photos, reaffirmed how truly and utterly amazing that vampire was, and stopped bothering him.

I seem to have some pictures left over, so here they are!

Jaws enjoys his snack. I do not.

...? Who turned out the lights?

Alkira and I cheer on the Dodgers.

One of the original DeLoreans from Back to the Future. It was on the behind-the-scenes tour.

Izzy loses her mind...to a fish.

What I was really doing when I got "arrested."

Izzy with the Universal fountain thing

So Proud :)

I am so proud of myself right now.

I just came up with my best villain name yet!

I’m writing this Harry Potter fan fiction. It’s about Dudley’s daughter, Violet Dursley, going to Hogwarts.

For a fanfic it’s okay. I’m having fun, and that’s what important. I’m pretty sure that J.K. Rowling never thought of some of the plot I’ve come up with.

In my story, Violet is friends with Scorpius Malfoy, who’s very shy, insecure, and not brave enough to defend himself from James and Albus Potter's teasing. Violet, who’s essentially good if a bit obstinate, sarcastic and prone to solving things with her fists, defends him. And then he meets a mysterious being in the halls of Hogwarts…

I needed an additional villain, a Slytherin, so I just now came up with a name. There’s a lot of pressure with HP fanfic to write good names, what with J.K. Rowling’s being so great.

Here’s mine: Tarquin Thyestus.

Here’s the etymology:

In ancient Rome, there was a run of particularly nasty emperors of the Tarquin family. They tended to get a bit stabby-stabby, as we Latin scholars say. Everyone was relieved when someone else took over.

Thyestus also comes from Latin class. Last year we read this story called The Curse of Atreus. Here’s a quick summary:

Atreus and his brother Thyestes were Tantalus’s descendants. Remember, Tantalus was the guy who fried up his kids and served them to the gods. (You see where this is going…)

Even though Thyestes was married with kids, he liked having affairs. But he really shouldn’t have had one with his brother’s wife. Atreus found out about it, and he did what any reasonable man in his position would do: He invited Thyestes—and Thyestes’  kids—over for dinner.

Well, the kids mysteriously disappeared before the main course, presumably to eat at the kiddie table. Thyestes commented on how tasty the meat was, before wondering where the kids had got to.

You can probably guess where the kids had got to.

Suffice it to say that family reunions probably got a bit awkward after that…

So both names have wonderfully evil negative connotations—just what you want in a villain!

I realize that J.K. Rowling has rights to all the Harry Potter stuff, but that name? That name is mine. I am SO using it again for another story. I might even think of something different for the fanfic and save good old Tarquin for something else…

Happy birthday to my mom! I got her an awesome gift, but I'm not telling what it is in case she reads this before tonight... :D 

Universal Pt. 2 is written and I'm waiting on pictures. 

Universal Studios, Part 1

I meant to post earlier, I really did. Like a week ago.

But it's hard to find the energy to do anything when you have strep throat, all right? I missed four days of school and watched waaay more TV than I usually do. Well, actually not TV so much as videos. My mom got the BBC Pride and Prejudice from the library. That was fun.

Anyway, exactly a week ago I got to go to Universal with my best friends from Waldorf! It was Izzy's birthday and her aunt, who works in the business, got tickets AND fastpasses! THANK YOU, KATHY!!!

So off I went with Izzy, our other best friend Alkira, and Izzy's older cousin Anna! (Please note that all names are fake.) It was fun. And exhausting. And...whoof.

We got there at about 10 or so, had a bit of trouble getting in (I don't remember the exact problem) and then ON TO THE RIDES! And stuff.

Rowan's Review of Select Universal Rides:

The Backstage Tour: Awesome. I love seeing the sets. It was like going through deserted cities sometimes. And we got to see the clock tower from Back to the Future! Granted, they'd painted over it, but still...Oh! We saw one of the original DeLoreans too!

The Simpsons Ride: Same as last time I went on it. That is, fun! I'm not a fan of The Simpsons, but I enjoy the ride. Favorite line: "Maggie, spit those tourists out! You don't know where they've been!"

Jurassic Park: Never doing that again. The robots had the shakes and I hate hate HATE 84 foot drops. Alkira doesn't like that one either, but she had some fun. It's hard to be scared of robot dinosaurs when your friend is next to you going "He just wants a hug! But his arms are too short!"

Revenge of the Mummy: Loved this one. We went on it twice. Once again, it's hard to be scared of mummies when your best friend is reaching for the hands dangling from the ceiling and yelling "HIGH FIVE, MAN!" My only problem: It was way too short!

The Transformers: Visual. Overload. I had NO IDEA what was supposed to be going on. Stuff like that makes me dizzy, and I was just like, "Huh? Mission? Explosion? Whaa! Explosion! Again!" Seriously, there were WAY too many explosions on that ride. Izzy and I both had to sit down for a while afterwards.

I can't remember if we went on any rides besides that, but we did do other amazing stuff. The most awesome part of the day? The vampire. But since it's getting late, I'll save that for later.