I have to get up at about 5:30ish tomorrow. My brother was in a production of Cinderella a few months ago, and I was in the pit playing trumpet and second keyboard. Snippets of the production are going to be performed tomorrow at the OCTA (Ohio Community Theatre Association) competition, and I've been asked to play. The competition is in Columbus and we have to be there by 8, which means we have to leave the house by 6:30.
That evening, I'm driving both siblings to Huron (about an hour away) to see a production of Secret Garden. Then on Sunday I play piano for the VBS thing at church, and we leave on vacation.
So yeah . . . that should be fun.
-Matt
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
25 days before - The Hero
I'm gonna talk about Harry Potter again. Just to forewarn you. Oh, and there will be spoilers.
It's looking like this Hero's Journey analysis thing I've started is slightly more complicated than I originally thought. I've found that there are a number of different ways to apply it. I've been looking at the series as a whole, but that's not the only way I could look at it.
See the thing is, the whole process starts with a transforming moment: that is, the moment when the person realizes that his life as he knew it is about to completely change. Thing is, with Harry, that happens about four times: 1) when he learns that he's a wizard; 2) when Voldemort returns; 3) when he learns about the prophecy; and 4) when Dumbledore dies and Harry resolves to leave Hogwarts to find the Horcruxes. And the hero's journey could then proceed from any of those points, and could conceivably cover the entire series, the latter half of the series, the last two books, or just Deathly Hallows.
You see the dilemma.
But that's never stopped from ploughing on through before, right? So, here's what we're looking at for the first third of the hero's journey, analyzed all for ways. (Obviously, I'm still in the middle of book five, so the last couple are just my best guess.)
1. Call for adventure: see above.
2. Refusal of call: 1) Harry doubts his ability to be a wizard. 2) Not so much Harry's doubts here as those of the wizarding world, but Harry does spend a good chunk of time sulking in the months after Voldemort's return. 3) Harry has to adjust to the idea that he has to kill Voldemort, but it doesn't take long. 4) Harry returns to the Dursley's, because Dumbledore wanted him to.
3. Supernatural Aid: 1) Hogwarts itself, and Dumbledore. 2) Dumbledore's Army represents Harry finally doing something. 3) Dumbledore (surprise) giving Harry private lessons. 4) Dumbledore again, albeit retroactively.
4. Crossing the First Threshold: 1) Harry starting his adventures at Hogwarts. 2) Battle at the Ministry. 3) Going to the cave with Dumbledore and get the Horcrux. 4) Leaving the Dursley's for good and returning to the Wizarding world.
5. The Belly of the Whale: 1) Harry's first fight with Voldemort. 2) Learning the prophecy. 3) Dumbledore's death, and Harry's commitment to finding the Horcruxes. 4) The trio's escape from the wedding to being on the run.
So, yeah. This is becoming more fun by the day. (And no, that wasn't sarcasm, I actually mean it.)
-Matt
It's looking like this Hero's Journey analysis thing I've started is slightly more complicated than I originally thought. I've found that there are a number of different ways to apply it. I've been looking at the series as a whole, but that's not the only way I could look at it.
See the thing is, the whole process starts with a transforming moment: that is, the moment when the person realizes that his life as he knew it is about to completely change. Thing is, with Harry, that happens about four times: 1) when he learns that he's a wizard; 2) when Voldemort returns; 3) when he learns about the prophecy; and 4) when Dumbledore dies and Harry resolves to leave Hogwarts to find the Horcruxes. And the hero's journey could then proceed from any of those points, and could conceivably cover the entire series, the latter half of the series, the last two books, or just Deathly Hallows.
You see the dilemma.
But that's never stopped from ploughing on through before, right? So, here's what we're looking at for the first third of the hero's journey, analyzed all for ways. (Obviously, I'm still in the middle of book five, so the last couple are just my best guess.)
1. Call for adventure: see above.
2. Refusal of call: 1) Harry doubts his ability to be a wizard. 2) Not so much Harry's doubts here as those of the wizarding world, but Harry does spend a good chunk of time sulking in the months after Voldemort's return. 3) Harry has to adjust to the idea that he has to kill Voldemort, but it doesn't take long. 4) Harry returns to the Dursley's, because Dumbledore wanted him to.
3. Supernatural Aid: 1) Hogwarts itself, and Dumbledore. 2) Dumbledore's Army represents Harry finally doing something. 3) Dumbledore (surprise) giving Harry private lessons. 4) Dumbledore again, albeit retroactively.
4. Crossing the First Threshold: 1) Harry starting his adventures at Hogwarts. 2) Battle at the Ministry. 3) Going to the cave with Dumbledore and get the Horcrux. 4) Leaving the Dursley's for good and returning to the Wizarding world.
5. The Belly of the Whale: 1) Harry's first fight with Voldemort. 2) Learning the prophecy. 3) Dumbledore's death, and Harry's commitment to finding the Horcruxes. 4) The trio's escape from the wedding to being on the run.
So, yeah. This is becoming more fun by the day. (And no, that wasn't sarcasm, I actually mean it.)
-Matt
<26 days before - Yeah . . .
Yeah, didn't blog yesterday. I've been feeling more tired than usual, because for some reason, I haven't been sleeping well. So largely because of that, by the time I remembered to blog, I didn't feel like writing anything.
Meh. Oh, well.
-Matt
Meh. Oh, well.
-Matt
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
27 days before - Sigh . . .
My sister and I are the music leaders for my church's Vacation Bible School. We've selected the four songs out of the book that are the least objectionable and are teaching them to the kids. One of them is a Pachelbel song, or a song that has the same basic chord progression as Pachelbel's Canon in D. This song being typical of most contemporary Christian songs, it's also extremely repetitive. And we worked on it for all four groups today.
I'm doing piano for VBS, and I gotta tell you, I was getting a wee bit tired of this song by the end of the evening. (And by a "wee bit" what I mean is . . . well actually, this can pretty much sum up my feelings.)
And it's only been two days . . . Sigh . . .
-Matt
I'm doing piano for VBS, and I gotta tell you, I was getting a wee bit tired of this song by the end of the evening. (And by a "wee bit" what I mean is . . . well actually, this can pretty much sum up my feelings.)
And it's only been two days . . . Sigh . . .
-Matt
Monday, July 27, 2009
28 days before - A blog that isn't about Harry Potter . . . or really much of anything
I'm too tired to make any kind of quasi-philosophical insight today. ('Cause I totally always do that.) But I only ever said I had to blog every day before leaving for grad school. I never said anything about the blogs being long or interesting. So, yeah. There you go.
I will mention that my vacation starts next week and I still have a lot to get done before that happens. Oddly enough, most of it seems to involve my life on YouTube. It seems this vlogging thing has truly taken hold. Not that there was any doubt, you understand.
Hokay, that's all for today. 'Night all.
-Matt
I will mention that my vacation starts next week and I still have a lot to get done before that happens. Oddly enough, most of it seems to involve my life on YouTube. It seems this vlogging thing has truly taken hold. Not that there was any doubt, you understand.
Hokay, that's all for today. 'Night all.
-Matt
Sunday, July 26, 2009
29 days before - Children's Authors
We watched Matilda this evening, the movie based on the children's book by Roald Dahl, an excellent book that I haven't read for quite a while and should probably pick up again. It gets me thinking about how much inspiration J.K. Rowling must have gotten from children's authors like Dahl. We tend to believe, I think, that something like Harry Potter just sort appeared one day, but Dahl's influence is fairly obvious, particularly in the beginning of the series. It reads very much like the child-empowering sort of literature that a lot of good children's authors have written, which may have been one of the things that drew kids into it in the first place. And then suddenly BOOM!, in Goblet of Fire (the book I'm nearly finished with now) it becomes abruptly serious, somehow without losing that feel.
Okay, this is what, the fourth blog in a row I've done about Harry Potter? Maybe I'll write about something else tomorrow . . .
-Matt
Okay, this is what, the fourth blog in a row I've done about Harry Potter? Maybe I'll write about something else tomorrow . . .
-Matt
Saturday, July 25, 2009
30 days before - Another blog about Harry Potter
Cassie and I have been talking this evening about Harry Potter (as both of us are rereading the series at this time. I'm on book 4, she's finishing book 1.) We've been talking about things like character development and so on, and remembering how back before the series was finished, there were a bunch of essays being written about it, analyzing it from a literary point of view. But now that the series is over, relatively few have appeared.
The problem with that is that NOW is the time when we SHOULD be analyzing the series from a literary point of view. The series is finished, and we've got the whole thing laid out in front of us, we know what happens to all the characters, we can see all the parallels. We have the complete story to analyze now, and yet hardly anyone seems to be doing it. Last year, I analyzed the various parallels between the books. This year I'm looking at the hero's journey. I didn't try to do any analysis before the series was finished, because I had no way of knowing where the story was really going.
Maybe it's because, back before the series was finished, people were more interested in analyzing the thing for purpose of figuring out what was going to happen next, whereas now the story's done, so there's nothing to figure out. But that might just be the cynical side of me talking. In fact, it probably is. I hope I'm wrong.
-Matt
The problem with that is that NOW is the time when we SHOULD be analyzing the series from a literary point of view. The series is finished, and we've got the whole thing laid out in front of us, we know what happens to all the characters, we can see all the parallels. We have the complete story to analyze now, and yet hardly anyone seems to be doing it. Last year, I analyzed the various parallels between the books. This year I'm looking at the hero's journey. I didn't try to do any analysis before the series was finished, because I had no way of knowing where the story was really going.
Maybe it's because, back before the series was finished, people were more interested in analyzing the thing for purpose of figuring out what was going to happen next, whereas now the story's done, so there's nothing to figure out. But that might just be the cynical side of me talking. In fact, it probably is. I hope I'm wrong.
-Matt
Friday, July 24, 2009
31 days before - Singing
We went to see Tom Chapin and John McCutcheon perform. These are children's/folk songwriters, and they are very good. You know, the types of writers that make me wish my own songwriting abilities were, you know, better.
Anyway, these guys know how to perform. It's not so much performing as sharing a good time with the audience. They were up there, sometimes just kind of screwing around . . . when they messed up or forgot a lyric, they just went with it. They invited the audience to sing along. It was great fun. This is one of the many reasons why I love music; it can bring people together who don't know each other and allow them to share something.
Down to one more month before classes begin. I'd better start thinking about packing . . .
-Matt
Anyway, these guys know how to perform. It's not so much performing as sharing a good time with the audience. They were up there, sometimes just kind of screwing around . . . when they messed up or forgot a lyric, they just went with it. They invited the audience to sing along. It was great fun. This is one of the many reasons why I love music; it can bring people together who don't know each other and allow them to share something.
Down to one more month before classes begin. I'd better start thinking about packing . . .
-Matt
Thursday, July 23, 2009
32 days before - Another Open Letter? Really, Matt?
Dear YouTube,
I uploaded two videos to you today.
The first was for ShinyHappyVloggyPPL. It was three and a half minutes long and took roughly an hour to upload.
The second was for vlogdriver. It was only thirty seconds longer and took over two hours to upload.
How does that work, exactly?
Your friend,
-Matt
I uploaded two videos to you today.
The first was for ShinyHappyVloggyPPL. It was three and a half minutes long and took roughly an hour to upload.
The second was for vlogdriver. It was only thirty seconds longer and took over two hours to upload.
How does that work, exactly?
Your friend,
-Matt
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
33 days before - Another evening with the Guions
1. This is a nice pen. Okay, you can't actually see the pen, but take my word for it. Or rather, my sister's word for it. It's a nice pen.
2. The power went out for an hour and a half last night for no particular reason. I didn't wake up until it came back on, but both my siblings were up when it went off at about one in the morning.
3. My sister has love for Cliff Calley, who is a Republican character on West Wing. One of the good Republicans.
4. Jeffrey has big feet and claw-like toes. Both of which are extremely dirty. He also has a strange follicle pattern on his legs. And he's loving this conversation.
5. I've finished book 2 of the Harry Potter series. No further news on the hero's journey analysis as of yet.
6. Cassie has a copy of the Deathly Hallows which includes snarky annotations from Cassie, Cassie's friend Maggie, Jeffrey, and me.
7. It's a trap, Harry.
8. Spell check on my MacBook doesn't like the word snarky. It doesn't like my sister's name, either.
9. My siblings are quoting the Firefly and Serenity blooper reels, which is just about as nerdy as you can get.
10. Emily doesn't like potatoes. She's been told that's strange. Is that strange?
Wasn't that fun, kids? What shall we do now?
-Matt
2. The power went out for an hour and a half last night for no particular reason. I didn't wake up until it came back on, but both my siblings were up when it went off at about one in the morning.
3. My sister has love for Cliff Calley, who is a Republican character on West Wing. One of the good Republicans.
4. Jeffrey has big feet and claw-like toes. Both of which are extremely dirty. He also has a strange follicle pattern on his legs. And he's loving this conversation.
5. I've finished book 2 of the Harry Potter series. No further news on the hero's journey analysis as of yet.
6. Cassie has a copy of the Deathly Hallows which includes snarky annotations from Cassie, Cassie's friend Maggie, Jeffrey, and me.
7. It's a trap, Harry.
8. Spell check on my MacBook doesn't like the word snarky. It doesn't like my sister's name, either.
9. My siblings are quoting the Firefly and Serenity blooper reels, which is just about as nerdy as you can get.
10. Emily doesn't like potatoes. She's been told that's strange. Is that strange?
Wasn't that fun, kids? What shall we do now?
-Matt
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
34 days before - Our story so far . . .
I'm midway through the second book of the Harry Potter series and my analysis of the story based on the hero's journey is coming along nicely. Here's what I've got.
Altogether, there are seventeen parts to the hero's journey, but they're divided into three sections. The five parts in the first section all come to pass in the first book.
1. The Call to Adventure, where the hero is first given notice that everything in his life is changing. This is (obviously enough) the sequence between the arrival of the letters to the arrival of Hagrid.
2. Refusal of the Call, where the hero resists the notice. Harry doesn't resist, exactly, but he does have serious doubts about himself, and really right up until classes begin, he doesn't believe himself good enough to be a wizard and fears the dream will come crashing down around his ears.
3. Supernatural Aid, where the guide or magical helper shows up. The helper is often an old man, so obviously that's Dumbledore, but in this story it's really Hogwarts itself . . . of which Dumbledore, of course, is headmaster.
4. Crossing of the First Threshold, where the hero first ventures into the unknown adventure. Obviously, this happens throughout the book, and Harry's trip to Diagon Alley or his arrival on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters could both be seen as threshold crossing. But since Hogwarts is the place where everything happens in this book, the first real adventure comes when Harry begins attended classes and learning how to be a wizard.
5. The Belly of the Whale, where the hero is completely immersed in his new world and severed from his last one. There's a point in the novel where Harry truly gets what Voldemort is all about, and that's when he knows he has to fight him. At this point, there is no turning back for Harry. Also, although he returns to Dursley's every summer, he now sees Hogwarts as his true home.
The second section, from my brief skimming, seems to encompass the events of books 2 through 6, so we'll see how that bit goes.
-Matt
Altogether, there are seventeen parts to the hero's journey, but they're divided into three sections. The five parts in the first section all come to pass in the first book.
1. The Call to Adventure, where the hero is first given notice that everything in his life is changing. This is (obviously enough) the sequence between the arrival of the letters to the arrival of Hagrid.
2. Refusal of the Call, where the hero resists the notice. Harry doesn't resist, exactly, but he does have serious doubts about himself, and really right up until classes begin, he doesn't believe himself good enough to be a wizard and fears the dream will come crashing down around his ears.
3. Supernatural Aid, where the guide or magical helper shows up. The helper is often an old man, so obviously that's Dumbledore, but in this story it's really Hogwarts itself . . . of which Dumbledore, of course, is headmaster.
4. Crossing of the First Threshold, where the hero first ventures into the unknown adventure. Obviously, this happens throughout the book, and Harry's trip to Diagon Alley or his arrival on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters could both be seen as threshold crossing. But since Hogwarts is the place where everything happens in this book, the first real adventure comes when Harry begins attended classes and learning how to be a wizard.
5. The Belly of the Whale, where the hero is completely immersed in his new world and severed from his last one. There's a point in the novel where Harry truly gets what Voldemort is all about, and that's when he knows he has to fight him. At this point, there is no turning back for Harry. Also, although he returns to Dursley's every summer, he now sees Hogwarts as his true home.
The second section, from my brief skimming, seems to encompass the events of books 2 through 6, so we'll see how that bit goes.
-Matt
Monday, July 20, 2009
35 days before - An (Extremely) Random Thought
What do you suppose ever happened to Dick, Jane, and Sally after the events of their books?
Also, it seems that the Dick and Jane readers provide quite possibly the most hilarious "in your pants" results.
Consider:
Jump and Run . . . in your pants.
Go, Go, Go . . . in your pants.
We Play . . . in your pants.
Something Funny . . . in your pants.
Guess Who . . . in your pants.
And of course, when you're getting back to basics:
We Look . . . in your pants.
Do you now?
-Matt
Also, it seems that the Dick and Jane readers provide quite possibly the most hilarious "in your pants" results.
Consider:
Jump and Run . . . in your pants.
Go, Go, Go . . . in your pants.
We Play . . . in your pants.
Something Funny . . . in your pants.
Guess Who . . . in your pants.
And of course, when you're getting back to basics:
We Look . . . in your pants.
Do you now?
-Matt
Sunday, July 19, 2009
36 days before - The Hero's Journey
I've begun my annual reading of the Harry Potter series. Last year, I looked at the series in a bit of a different way. I wanted to look at the parallels between the books in the series. The series is built like a triangle, with parallels existing between books 1 and 7, books 2 and 6, and books 3 and 5, with 4 being the turning point of the series. So to analyze these more closely, I read the books in the following order: 4 first, and then 3 and 5, 2 and 6, and 1 and 7. I reviewed the series in this way on vlogdriver.
Since this is on my favorites list, I'm doing another review, and I wanted to look at the series from another direction. So I'm comparing Harry's journey to the hero's journey, as outlined by Joseph Campbell. So far, from my quick reading of the steps and what I remember of the series, it seems to match up pretty well. But I'm going to see what this year's rereading of the series turns up.
If you'd like to join me in this fun little endeavor, a summery of the steps in the hero's journey can be found here.
I know. I'm a nerd.
-Matt
Since this is on my favorites list, I'm doing another review, and I wanted to look at the series from another direction. So I'm comparing Harry's journey to the hero's journey, as outlined by Joseph Campbell. So far, from my quick reading of the steps and what I remember of the series, it seems to match up pretty well. But I'm going to see what this year's rereading of the series turns up.
If you'd like to join me in this fun little endeavor, a summery of the steps in the hero's journey can be found here.
I know. I'm a nerd.
-Matt
Saturday, July 18, 2009
37 days before - He still sucks
I saw the Harry Potter movie for the second time earlier today, and my conclusions on it haven't changed that much.
The directing was (mostly) fantastic.
The acting was the best I've ever seen in a Harry Potter film.
Up until the last half hour of the movie, I was thinking this was all pretty good (with one notable exception.)
But by the end of the movie I realized the three fundamental flaws of Steve Kloves' writing.
1) Bad characterization. The characters he writes have very little nuance or subtlety, as evidenced by Super Hermione, Sidekick Ron, "Why's it always me?" Neville, Interchangeable Fred and George, and Ladies Man Harry, though this isn't so much evidence of a lack of nuance as it is just a bad choice for the character.
2) Inability to write a series. Kloves seems to be unaware that this movie is a part of a series, ergo it would be nice if there was some connection between the story. Like, more than a passing reference to the rather traumatic events of movie five, and maybe something to set up the major climactic events of movie seven. But he doesn't write series, he writes individual movies, and tries to wrap everything up neatly at the end, which isn't the way this movie should end at all.
3) Inability to write subplots. Admittedly, he did better with subplots in this movie than in movie, when just kind of threw random bits from random subplots in with little or no connection between them. Again, for much of the movie, he was introducing subplots and weaving them together quite nicely. Then he just dropped most of them. Let me make this very clear, because people seem to misunderstand me when I criticize the movies: I DON'T CARE ABOUT CANON INACCURACIES. I really don't. Some of my favorite scenes in this movie were not canon. If things have to be cut, things have to be cut. If things have to be changed or added then, as long as they actually add something to the story (unlike a particular scene that we won't mention here), that's perfectly fine. HOWEVER, if you're going to cut a subplot, then just cut it. Don't introduce it and then drop it. That leads to a little something we call anticlimax, which is very bad.
So, while Steve Kloves did improve slightly in this movie . . . he still sucks.
-Matt
The directing was (mostly) fantastic.
The acting was the best I've ever seen in a Harry Potter film.
Up until the last half hour of the movie, I was thinking this was all pretty good (with one notable exception.)
But by the end of the movie I realized the three fundamental flaws of Steve Kloves' writing.
1) Bad characterization. The characters he writes have very little nuance or subtlety, as evidenced by Super Hermione, Sidekick Ron, "Why's it always me?" Neville, Interchangeable Fred and George, and Ladies Man Harry, though this isn't so much evidence of a lack of nuance as it is just a bad choice for the character.
2) Inability to write a series. Kloves seems to be unaware that this movie is a part of a series, ergo it would be nice if there was some connection between the story. Like, more than a passing reference to the rather traumatic events of movie five, and maybe something to set up the major climactic events of movie seven. But he doesn't write series, he writes individual movies, and tries to wrap everything up neatly at the end, which isn't the way this movie should end at all.
3) Inability to write subplots. Admittedly, he did better with subplots in this movie than in movie, when just kind of threw random bits from random subplots in with little or no connection between them. Again, for much of the movie, he was introducing subplots and weaving them together quite nicely. Then he just dropped most of them. Let me make this very clear, because people seem to misunderstand me when I criticize the movies: I DON'T CARE ABOUT CANON INACCURACIES. I really don't. Some of my favorite scenes in this movie were not canon. If things have to be cut, things have to be cut. If things have to be changed or added then, as long as they actually add something to the story (unlike a particular scene that we won't mention here), that's perfectly fine. HOWEVER, if you're going to cut a subplot, then just cut it. Don't introduce it and then drop it. That leads to a little something we call anticlimax, which is very bad.
So, while Steve Kloves did improve slightly in this movie . . . he still sucks.
-Matt
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
39 days before - I'm a bit creepy . . .
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
40 days before - When Irony Attacks . . .
So, the Bursar department of BGSU (the people that send out the bills) has announced that they are going green! They are no longer going to be sending out paper bills, but rather will be sending out all bills electronically in an effort to preserve the environment! This is news we've already received, by the way, by e-mail, but they decided to remind us today. How?
By sending three (count 'em, three) identical paper letters to each of the three BG students that live in this house.
Sigh . . . once again, Bursar . . . epic fail. Congratulations.
-Matt
By sending three (count 'em, three) identical paper letters to each of the three BG students that live in this house.
Sigh . . . once again, Bursar . . . epic fail. Congratulations.
-Matt
<41 days before - Harry Potter and the HBP
It's nearly 3:30 in the morning, and I've just come home from seeing the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. And as I haven't blogged yet today, I thought I'd share my thoughts and impressions now while they're fresh in my mind. Just to warn you, these thoughts might not be the most coherent in the world, and I'll probably leave a number of things out.
Let's start with things I liked. Surprisingly, there were quite a few.
(This format, by the way, was stolen from my sister.)
THINGS I LIKED
-The directing: I love David Yates' directing. He has a good feel for the story, for what needs to be emphasized, and how to call attention to things. There was also a fair amount of little symbolic things thrown in, which was nice. Also, I don’t think I saw a single instance where a scene was stuck in for the sake of showing off their way cool special effects. In fact, on the whole, the special effects were pretty simple, just what was needed to tell the story and nothing more.
-Alan Rickman and Tom Felton: These two were phenomenal. Their acting was absolutely superb in this film. You could see the anguish and the divided loyalties of both Snape and Draco. Snape, of course, continues to be morally grey professor you love to hate. And after years of being the snotty little git that you want to punch in the face, Tom Felton actually enables you to feel a little bit sorry for Draco in this film. No easy task, that.
-Young Voldemort: Incredibly creepy! Which is as it should be.
-Harry/Ginny moments: Okay, I'll admit it . . . I'm a bit of a sucker for these. There were a number of nice little moments between Harry and Ginny, and also Ron and Hermione, of course. I did enjoy the scene in the Room of Requirement, though it may not be strictly canon. (Hang on though . . . I have more to say about this in a later section.)
-Harry/Hermione moments: I am not a Harry/Hermione shipper and never have been, but I do like the moments that these two had. Considering that Harry and Hermione were both having their hearts broken at about the same time, I think moments like these might have been natural between the two. I like exploring Harry and Hermione's relationship, though I do not think they ever should have paired up.
-Harry/Ron awkward moments: Harry, Ron, and nice skin. That's all I'm gonna say.
-Dumbledore's death: The whole thing. I have never in my life sat in a theatre that crowded and had it be that silent. That alone speaks for this scene's impact. It was the shining moment in the ending scenes. (More on that later.)
Okay, now on to some things I didn't like so much
LITTLE THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
-Invisibility Cloak?: Throughout the movie, I found myself thinking, "Gee, if only Harry had some sort of article of clothing that would render him invisible . . ." I find it strange that they went to great lengths to find ways to hide Harry when the cloak is a perfect and non-complicated way to do this. Plus, in the book he uses the cloak ALL THE TIME! One of Dumbledore's instructions is that he keep it with him at all times. In the movie, he used it, like, once. Why didn't he have it with him? Your guess is as good as mine. (Also considering the prominent role it plays in the seventh book . . .)
-Harry and a waitress?: Really? I mean, it was cute and all, but not really conducive with Harry’s character. He’s not a lady’s man, or at least he doesn’t want to be. He has two crushes and two crushes only: Cho and Ginny. That’s it. No passing fancies with waitresses. No being tempted by Romilda Vane. No “but I AM the chosen one.” This isn’t Harry. Yeah, it’s funny, but I’m looking for more than funny.
-Dumbledore surprised: “I never imagined anything like this.” “I didn’t realize until just now.” Um . . . yes, he did. He knew, or at least suspected, what Voldemort had done. The final memory just confirmed it. Dumbledore knows everything, remember? And speaking of . . .
-”The locket, the cup, the snake, something Ravenclaw’s or Gryffindor’s . . .” Remember that mantra? Dumbledore fails to explain a number of key things about Voldemort, even though he has the opportunity to: he collects trophies, he’s fascinated by Hogwarts and the Founders . . . so how exactly is Harry going to know what he needs to be going after to find these Horcruxes? True, he had little to go on in the book . . . but in the movie he pretty much has NOTHING to go on.
-Advanced Potions: Would someone explain to me how it is that Neville, Seamus, Crabbe, and Goyle all managed to get into Advanced Potions? Okay, sure, they’re familiar faces, but c’mon. It is not necessary that all the kids be together all the time.
-Harry/Ginny, revisited: The bits they had in the movie were cute. It’s the bits they left out that bothers me. There was no closure to this particular story line. One of the things that speaks to the urgency of the end (more on that later) is when Harry breaks up with Ginny to keep her out of danger. First of all, Harry and Ginny never even STARTED dating in the movie, so couldn’t break it off. Also, the break up showed just how much he cared for Ginny. By not finishing it, Ginny just seems like another passing fancy of Harry’s . . . you know, like the waitress. (And on a brief side note, there had better be some serious snogging come movie seven! I want to see them get to first base, at least!)
-The return of Sidekick Ron: He’s not quite as obvious as he has been, but he is back. Ron’s role in the movie seems to be purely comic relief . . . and Hermione’s love interest. This movie was still very much about the Harry and Hermione . . . oh, and their good buddy Ron. To be fair, Super Hermione didn’t see a similar reemergence. But Ron has some serious character development in book seven that has roots here, and we never really see it. This is especially obvious in the last scene when Hermione is the one saying, “We’re with you Harry, we’ll help you find the Horcruxes, we’re behind you all the way!” . . . and Ron just sits there. No lines or anything, he just sits. Which kind of reflects Kloves’ attitude toward Ron in general . . . he’s just kind of there.
-”Why’s it always me?”: Neville’s character was reduced to comic relief again. Now admittedly, he doesn’t do a lot in book six, but he does fight in the Battle of Hogwarts . . . oh, wait . . . So yeah . . . after his kickass moments in movie five, it was kind of a letdown to see him pushing tarts at Slughorn’s Christmas party.
-Dumbledore in the cave: They didn’t really play up Dumbledore’s anguish upon drinking the potion, which is supposed to lead naturally into the things Harry discovers in book 7.
And then, there were these . . .
BIG THINGS I LOATHED AND DESPISED
-The Attack on the Burrow: I knew this was coming, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. I thought maybe with the rewriting, there’s a place for it in the plot. But my doubts, unfortunately, were justified here. There was no place, no purpose, no earthly reason for this scene to even exist. It didn’t forward the plot, it didn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know, and most importantly . . . IT WASN’T IN THE BOOK!!! I think it’s obvious just how little effect this had on the story in the fact once its over, Ron and Ginny seem to be showing absolutely no emotion over the fact that their HOUSE WAS JUST DESTROYED!!! Seriously, in the scene immediately after the destruction of the Burrow, we see Ron playing with Lavender as if nothing happened. And it’s never mentioned again. I can’t think of any reason why they felt the need to include this scene. None at all.
-The End: Everything from the cave onward needed to be done better (with the exception of Dumbledore’s death, which I mentioned earlier.) I didn’t get the feel like this was the point that the movie had been building toward. The above attack on the Burrow helped facilitate this, because that was their major battle scene. There was no Battle of Hogwarts at all, meaning that a number of things were lost, including some kickass Neville scenes (see above), but more importantly, a feeling like a major safe zone had been breached. Dumbledore’s death did this some, but there needed to be more . . . something that gave a sense of urgency, the sense that something now needed to be done, now that Hogwarts has been breached, there is a traitor among us, and our leader is dead. These last two things in particular were not played up enough. Books six and seven, more than any other books in the series, cannot be seen as separate stories. They go together. They are practically the same book. You can’t look at them as individuals. By the end of the movie, I should have been on the edge of my seat thinking “OMG, what happens next?!?” like I was with the book. I wasn’t. I felt like just another ending to just another movie, not a natural lead-in to the next movie, which is what it should have been. There was too much closure, in this case.
Overall, Steve Kloves deeply disappointed me. I was hoping that, now that he has the whole series laid out before him, he would write a better movie that reflected the spirit of the overall story. But he still writes his screenplays for Harry Potter as individual movies, chunk, chunk, chunk, with nothing really to indicate that this is part of a larger story. And he’s still falling back on his old bad habits of putting humor in just for the sake of it, reducing the importance of certain characters, and seeing the golden trio as Harry, Hermione, and that other guy with the red hair.
Also, Steve Kloves has not yet mastered the art of multiple subplots. Rowling's writing is made up of multiple strands that interweave and come to a conclusion together. At the same time as Voldemort's rise to power and the whole backstory with Draco, we also have trust issues, Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione intrigue, Quidditch, classes . . . a number of things that were introduced in the movie . . . and then just kind of dropped. The main strand and Draco's strand were the only ones that were carried through to the end, while everything else was left by the wayside. If you're going to introduce a subplot, you have to carry it through to the end. Otherwise, we're left with kind of this empty feeling. And I don't know whether Kloves did this because he's just incompetent, or because he felt movie audiences wouldn't be able to keep track of everything, but either way, it's annoying.
The redemption for this video was most definitely its directing. The screenwriting was what kept this movie from being as good as it could have been. I think what my sister said at the end of the film pretty much sums it up: it wasn’t as bad as it could have been . . . but it wasn’t as good as it could have been either. At the moment I’m ranking this somewhere toward the top, near one and five, though I can’t say exactly where yet.
So . . . what did you think?
-Matt
Let's start with things I liked. Surprisingly, there were quite a few.
(This format, by the way, was stolen from my sister.)
THINGS I LIKED
-The directing: I love David Yates' directing. He has a good feel for the story, for what needs to be emphasized, and how to call attention to things. There was also a fair amount of little symbolic things thrown in, which was nice. Also, I don’t think I saw a single instance where a scene was stuck in for the sake of showing off their way cool special effects. In fact, on the whole, the special effects were pretty simple, just what was needed to tell the story and nothing more.
-Alan Rickman and Tom Felton: These two were phenomenal. Their acting was absolutely superb in this film. You could see the anguish and the divided loyalties of both Snape and Draco. Snape, of course, continues to be morally grey professor you love to hate. And after years of being the snotty little git that you want to punch in the face, Tom Felton actually enables you to feel a little bit sorry for Draco in this film. No easy task, that.
-Young Voldemort: Incredibly creepy! Which is as it should be.
-Harry/Ginny moments: Okay, I'll admit it . . . I'm a bit of a sucker for these. There were a number of nice little moments between Harry and Ginny, and also Ron and Hermione, of course. I did enjoy the scene in the Room of Requirement, though it may not be strictly canon. (Hang on though . . . I have more to say about this in a later section.)
-Harry/Hermione moments: I am not a Harry/Hermione shipper and never have been, but I do like the moments that these two had. Considering that Harry and Hermione were both having their hearts broken at about the same time, I think moments like these might have been natural between the two. I like exploring Harry and Hermione's relationship, though I do not think they ever should have paired up.
-Harry/Ron awkward moments: Harry, Ron, and nice skin. That's all I'm gonna say.
-Dumbledore's death: The whole thing. I have never in my life sat in a theatre that crowded and had it be that silent. That alone speaks for this scene's impact. It was the shining moment in the ending scenes. (More on that later.)
Okay, now on to some things I didn't like so much
LITTLE THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
-Invisibility Cloak?: Throughout the movie, I found myself thinking, "Gee, if only Harry had some sort of article of clothing that would render him invisible . . ." I find it strange that they went to great lengths to find ways to hide Harry when the cloak is a perfect and non-complicated way to do this. Plus, in the book he uses the cloak ALL THE TIME! One of Dumbledore's instructions is that he keep it with him at all times. In the movie, he used it, like, once. Why didn't he have it with him? Your guess is as good as mine. (Also considering the prominent role it plays in the seventh book . . .)
-Harry and a waitress?: Really? I mean, it was cute and all, but not really conducive with Harry’s character. He’s not a lady’s man, or at least he doesn’t want to be. He has two crushes and two crushes only: Cho and Ginny. That’s it. No passing fancies with waitresses. No being tempted by Romilda Vane. No “but I AM the chosen one.” This isn’t Harry. Yeah, it’s funny, but I’m looking for more than funny.
-Dumbledore surprised: “I never imagined anything like this.” “I didn’t realize until just now.” Um . . . yes, he did. He knew, or at least suspected, what Voldemort had done. The final memory just confirmed it. Dumbledore knows everything, remember? And speaking of . . .
-”The locket, the cup, the snake, something Ravenclaw’s or Gryffindor’s . . .” Remember that mantra? Dumbledore fails to explain a number of key things about Voldemort, even though he has the opportunity to: he collects trophies, he’s fascinated by Hogwarts and the Founders . . . so how exactly is Harry going to know what he needs to be going after to find these Horcruxes? True, he had little to go on in the book . . . but in the movie he pretty much has NOTHING to go on.
-Advanced Potions: Would someone explain to me how it is that Neville, Seamus, Crabbe, and Goyle all managed to get into Advanced Potions? Okay, sure, they’re familiar faces, but c’mon. It is not necessary that all the kids be together all the time.
-Harry/Ginny, revisited: The bits they had in the movie were cute. It’s the bits they left out that bothers me. There was no closure to this particular story line. One of the things that speaks to the urgency of the end (more on that later) is when Harry breaks up with Ginny to keep her out of danger. First of all, Harry and Ginny never even STARTED dating in the movie, so couldn’t break it off. Also, the break up showed just how much he cared for Ginny. By not finishing it, Ginny just seems like another passing fancy of Harry’s . . . you know, like the waitress. (And on a brief side note, there had better be some serious snogging come movie seven! I want to see them get to first base, at least!)
-The return of Sidekick Ron: He’s not quite as obvious as he has been, but he is back. Ron’s role in the movie seems to be purely comic relief . . . and Hermione’s love interest. This movie was still very much about the Harry and Hermione . . . oh, and their good buddy Ron. To be fair, Super Hermione didn’t see a similar reemergence. But Ron has some serious character development in book seven that has roots here, and we never really see it. This is especially obvious in the last scene when Hermione is the one saying, “We’re with you Harry, we’ll help you find the Horcruxes, we’re behind you all the way!” . . . and Ron just sits there. No lines or anything, he just sits. Which kind of reflects Kloves’ attitude toward Ron in general . . . he’s just kind of there.
-”Why’s it always me?”: Neville’s character was reduced to comic relief again. Now admittedly, he doesn’t do a lot in book six, but he does fight in the Battle of Hogwarts . . . oh, wait . . . So yeah . . . after his kickass moments in movie five, it was kind of a letdown to see him pushing tarts at Slughorn’s Christmas party.
-Dumbledore in the cave: They didn’t really play up Dumbledore’s anguish upon drinking the potion, which is supposed to lead naturally into the things Harry discovers in book 7.
And then, there were these . . .
BIG THINGS I LOATHED AND DESPISED
-The Attack on the Burrow: I knew this was coming, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. I thought maybe with the rewriting, there’s a place for it in the plot. But my doubts, unfortunately, were justified here. There was no place, no purpose, no earthly reason for this scene to even exist. It didn’t forward the plot, it didn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know, and most importantly . . . IT WASN’T IN THE BOOK!!! I think it’s obvious just how little effect this had on the story in the fact once its over, Ron and Ginny seem to be showing absolutely no emotion over the fact that their HOUSE WAS JUST DESTROYED!!! Seriously, in the scene immediately after the destruction of the Burrow, we see Ron playing with Lavender as if nothing happened. And it’s never mentioned again. I can’t think of any reason why they felt the need to include this scene. None at all.
-The End: Everything from the cave onward needed to be done better (with the exception of Dumbledore’s death, which I mentioned earlier.) I didn’t get the feel like this was the point that the movie had been building toward. The above attack on the Burrow helped facilitate this, because that was their major battle scene. There was no Battle of Hogwarts at all, meaning that a number of things were lost, including some kickass Neville scenes (see above), but more importantly, a feeling like a major safe zone had been breached. Dumbledore’s death did this some, but there needed to be more . . . something that gave a sense of urgency, the sense that something now needed to be done, now that Hogwarts has been breached, there is a traitor among us, and our leader is dead. These last two things in particular were not played up enough. Books six and seven, more than any other books in the series, cannot be seen as separate stories. They go together. They are practically the same book. You can’t look at them as individuals. By the end of the movie, I should have been on the edge of my seat thinking “OMG, what happens next?!?” like I was with the book. I wasn’t. I felt like just another ending to just another movie, not a natural lead-in to the next movie, which is what it should have been. There was too much closure, in this case.
Overall, Steve Kloves deeply disappointed me. I was hoping that, now that he has the whole series laid out before him, he would write a better movie that reflected the spirit of the overall story. But he still writes his screenplays for Harry Potter as individual movies, chunk, chunk, chunk, with nothing really to indicate that this is part of a larger story. And he’s still falling back on his old bad habits of putting humor in just for the sake of it, reducing the importance of certain characters, and seeing the golden trio as Harry, Hermione, and that other guy with the red hair.
Also, Steve Kloves has not yet mastered the art of multiple subplots. Rowling's writing is made up of multiple strands that interweave and come to a conclusion together. At the same time as Voldemort's rise to power and the whole backstory with Draco, we also have trust issues, Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione intrigue, Quidditch, classes . . . a number of things that were introduced in the movie . . . and then just kind of dropped. The main strand and Draco's strand were the only ones that were carried through to the end, while everything else was left by the wayside. If you're going to introduce a subplot, you have to carry it through to the end. Otherwise, we're left with kind of this empty feeling. And I don't know whether Kloves did this because he's just incompetent, or because he felt movie audiences wouldn't be able to keep track of everything, but either way, it's annoying.
The redemption for this video was most definitely its directing. The screenwriting was what kept this movie from being as good as it could have been. I think what my sister said at the end of the film pretty much sums it up: it wasn’t as bad as it could have been . . . but it wasn’t as good as it could have been either. At the moment I’m ranking this somewhere toward the top, near one and five, though I can’t say exactly where yet.
So . . . what did you think?
-Matt
Monday, July 13, 2009
42 days before - The Answer
Point 1: My sister finished reading Rick Riordan's series today, meaning she read about 1800 pages in two days. Just sayin'.
Point 2: If you'd like to see my review of the series, then mosey on over here and check it out.
Point 3: I just finished recording the vocals for my love song to Miss Withakay. If you don't know what I'm talking about then . . . well, it's probably just as well.
Point 4: Christopher Moore is a hilarious man.
Point 5: It's very late and I should be getting on to bed.
Point 6: There is . . . no . . . point 6.
Point 7: Don't you know it's not polite to point?
Point 8: Yesterday's blog post got an unprecedented 2 comments yesterday. I know, crazy, right?
Point 9: The answer is 42. That is the answer is 42 if you ask how many days I have until I go to grad school. And that's only if you had asked me at any point during the previous day. Probably by the time you read this, it won't be the answer to that question anymore. But it was still, regardless, be the answer.
Point 10: Going to bed now. 'Night.
-Matt
Point 2: If you'd like to see my review of the series, then mosey on over here and check it out.
Point 3: I just finished recording the vocals for my love song to Miss Withakay. If you don't know what I'm talking about then . . . well, it's probably just as well.
Point 4: Christopher Moore is a hilarious man.
Point 5: It's very late and I should be getting on to bed.
Point 6: There is . . . no . . . point 6.
Point 7: Don't you know it's not polite to point?
Point 8: Yesterday's blog post got an unprecedented 2 comments yesterday. I know, crazy, right?
Point 9: The answer is 42. That is the answer is 42 if you ask how many days I have until I go to grad school. And that's only if you had asked me at any point during the previous day. Probably by the time you read this, it won't be the answer to that question anymore. But it was still, regardless, be the answer.
Point 10: Going to bed now. 'Night.
-Matt
Sunday, July 12, 2009
43 days before - My sister is a freak
My sister is working her way through Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of which I spoke a couple days ago. The book has five and a half books altogether, and she will likely finish the series sometime tomorrow. As I started this blog, she finished reading book 3. Earlier today, she finished 1 and 2.
Remember how I talked about how I'm able to read a bunch of books at once? So is Cassie. The difference is that she's able to read a bunch of books at once because she reads freakishly fast.
On the other hand, as far as books read this year, Cassie and I are about even. I think just those books she finished today pushed her past me. I've read 45, and I think Cassie just finished 47. So figure that one out.
-Matt
Remember how I talked about how I'm able to read a bunch of books at once? So is Cassie. The difference is that she's able to read a bunch of books at once because she reads freakishly fast.
On the other hand, as far as books read this year, Cassie and I are about even. I think just those books she finished today pushed her past me. I've read 45, and I think Cassie just finished 47. So figure that one out.
-Matt
Saturday, July 11, 2009
44 days before - Flies
There are flies in our house. More than a few of them. It's entirely possible that flies have bred in our living room. Cassie has an obsessive and quite possibly unhealthy vendetta against them. Well, not just the flies in our living room, but all flies everywhere. She's vowed not to rest until every last one is dead.
Yeah. And like that.
-Matt
Yeah. And like that.
-Matt
45 (except not really) days before - Books, revisited
Hey. I didn't post yesterday. That's because I became totally engrossed in the final chapters of The Last Olympian, which I finished close to two in the morning. It was incredible, by the way. If you've not picked up the series, you really should. Start with The Lightning Thief.
Kaitlyn asked how I can read so many books at once. I get this question a lot. Most sane people read one book at a time, but people like me (and my sister, for that matter) read three or four at once. Usually, I start several books and just read whichever one I'm in the mood for at any particular time, until one of them draws me in to the point where I can't put it down. (Much like The Last Olympian did last night.) And then once I've finished that one, I'll return to the others, until another one draws me in, and so on. People often ask me how I'm able to keep all the stories straight and not get them mixed up, and honestly . . . I really don't know. I just am.
Yay for books!
-Matt
Kaitlyn asked how I can read so many books at once. I get this question a lot. Most sane people read one book at a time, but people like me (and my sister, for that matter) read three or four at once. Usually, I start several books and just read whichever one I'm in the mood for at any particular time, until one of them draws me in to the point where I can't put it down. (Much like The Last Olympian did last night.) And then once I've finished that one, I'll return to the others, until another one draws me in, and so on. People often ask me how I'm able to keep all the stories straight and not get them mixed up, and honestly . . . I really don't know. I just am.
Yay for books!
-Matt
Thursday, July 9, 2009
46 days before - Books
Okay, so for today's blog, I'm gonna give you a run down of the books I'm reading right now.
Christopher Moore's Fool, which is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear from the point of view of Lear's fool, Pocket. Quite tongue-in-cheek, of course.
Clive Barker's Abarat, which I actually just finished this afternoon, so I'm moving to the sequel, Days of Magic, Nights of War. It's a story of a magical group of islands, one for each hour of the day. So on one island it's always three in the afternoon, and on one it's always six in the morning, and one it's always midnight . . . and like that. The creatures on these islands are quite imaginative. These books are reminding me of why I like fantasy.
Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian, the fifth (and I believe last) book in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which puts the Greek myth characters in the twenty-first century and follows Percy, a young demigod trying to save the world from the Titans.
Piers Anthony's Hope of Earth, third in the Geodyssey series, for the next favorite books review. It's about the history of mankind, told from the point of view of a family reborn throughout history.
Scott Westerfeld's Extras, fourth in his Uglies trilogy, about what happens to the world after the events of the first three books.
And . . . like that.
-Matt
Christopher Moore's Fool, which is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear from the point of view of Lear's fool, Pocket. Quite tongue-in-cheek, of course.
Clive Barker's Abarat, which I actually just finished this afternoon, so I'm moving to the sequel, Days of Magic, Nights of War. It's a story of a magical group of islands, one for each hour of the day. So on one island it's always three in the afternoon, and on one it's always six in the morning, and one it's always midnight . . . and like that. The creatures on these islands are quite imaginative. These books are reminding me of why I like fantasy.
Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian, the fifth (and I believe last) book in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which puts the Greek myth characters in the twenty-first century and follows Percy, a young demigod trying to save the world from the Titans.
Piers Anthony's Hope of Earth, third in the Geodyssey series, for the next favorite books review. It's about the history of mankind, told from the point of view of a family reborn throughout history.
Scott Westerfeld's Extras, fourth in his Uglies trilogy, about what happens to the world after the events of the first three books.
And . . . like that.
-Matt
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
47 days before - Firefly is Awesome
So, Cassie often comes home from college babbling about something that she discovered that year that we should all watch/read/experience. This summer, it was Firefly, this show created by Joss Whedon that was on Fox several years ago and has recently inspired a fervent following. Firefly is kind of a combination sci-fi/western about a band of space thieves in the twenty-sixth century. It's one of those smart shows that certain networks (like Fox) don't know how to handle. So basically, Fox ruined it while it was on, because . . . well, it's Fox. And the show was cancelled after something like half a season.
Once it came out on DVD, however, people rediscovered it, and now it's a thing. Cassie got the season DVD for her birthday, and is now introducing us to it. It's quite fun. If you've seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, it's the same intelligence in the dialogue. Also, Captain Hammer is the captain of the ship, so that's an adjustment.
Anyway, if you've not experienced Firefly, you should. Find the episodes and watch them. You will most likely enjoy it.
-Matt
Once it came out on DVD, however, people rediscovered it, and now it's a thing. Cassie got the season DVD for her birthday, and is now introducing us to it. It's quite fun. If you've seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, it's the same intelligence in the dialogue. Also, Captain Hammer is the captain of the ship, so that's an adjustment.
Anyway, if you've not experienced Firefly, you should. Find the episodes and watch them. You will most likely enjoy it.
-Matt
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
48 days before - I Need to Write Another Letter
Okay, so I'm in the process of catching up on the story in the letter game I mentioned in yesterday's blog, because of how long it's been since we started this thing. So . . .
Leigh Stanley (my character) is going to be a high school senior at Paradise High School in Paradise, California. (By the way, yes, it does exist.) His English teacher, Ms. Donaldson, is having her class participate in a penpal project with an English class in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. Enter Emily Donovan (my blood sister, Cassie's, character). Unfortunately, Leigh's class has one more student in it than Emily's class, and Emily is the lucky student who gets two penpals. So in addition to Leigh, he's also writing to Kat Gelhys (my not-blood sister, Anne's, character). The problem? Leigh and Kat hate each other.
That's the premise, anyway. Each of them kind of have their separate stories. Leigh gets dragged off to the remote town of Eden, Texas (another place that actually exists, though probably not in quite the way I describe it) and has to deal with a crazy society who thinks the written word is evil. Emily has some sort of something or other coming after her and has to be protected by a young man who will more than likely end up being her boyfriend, or something similar. And Kat is involved with something that involves magical forests and elf queens and something I don't completely understand. That's the thing: none of us really know where the other's story is going . . . just like in, you know, real life. Where there are actual book burning societies and elf queens, you know, that sort of thing.
Oh, and there's another fairly regular character in the story, also mine: Leigh's sister, Garrett (yes, it's a boy's name . . . long story) who tacks on a message on the end of one of Leigh's letters, and so Emily starts writing to her too.
Also, Leigh and Kat stop hating each other at some point in the story.
Confused yet?
-Matt
Leigh Stanley (my character) is going to be a high school senior at Paradise High School in Paradise, California. (By the way, yes, it does exist.) His English teacher, Ms. Donaldson, is having her class participate in a penpal project with an English class in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. Enter Emily Donovan (my blood sister, Cassie's, character). Unfortunately, Leigh's class has one more student in it than Emily's class, and Emily is the lucky student who gets two penpals. So in addition to Leigh, he's also writing to Kat Gelhys (my not-blood sister, Anne's, character). The problem? Leigh and Kat hate each other.
That's the premise, anyway. Each of them kind of have their separate stories. Leigh gets dragged off to the remote town of Eden, Texas (another place that actually exists, though probably not in quite the way I describe it) and has to deal with a crazy society who thinks the written word is evil. Emily has some sort of something or other coming after her and has to be protected by a young man who will more than likely end up being her boyfriend, or something similar. And Kat is involved with something that involves magical forests and elf queens and something I don't completely understand. That's the thing: none of us really know where the other's story is going . . . just like in, you know, real life. Where there are actual book burning societies and elf queens, you know, that sort of thing.
Oh, and there's another fairly regular character in the story, also mine: Leigh's sister, Garrett (yes, it's a boy's name . . . long story) who tacks on a message on the end of one of Leigh's letters, and so Emily starts writing to her too.
Also, Leigh and Kat stop hating each other at some point in the story.
Confused yet?
-Matt
Monday, July 6, 2009
49 days before - I Need to Write a Letter
So, two of my sisters (one related by blood, the other by everything but) and I are playing the Letter Game. Actually, we've been playing it for over a year. Basically, it's a game where you create a character, and then exchange letters with another character, and tell some sort of story through those letters. Normally, it's done with just two people, but because Cassie, Anne, and I are all a little bit crazy, we decided to try a three-way letter game. It's been going on for over a year because as work mounts, some of us don't always find time to write.
But it's summer now, and I have a letter to write. So I'm going to go do that now. Also, there's a fly in here. And it's getting on my nerves. That is all.
-Matt
But it's summer now, and I have a letter to write. So I'm going to go do that now. Also, there's a fly in here. And it's getting on my nerves. That is all.
-Matt
Sunday, July 5, 2009
50 days before - S P E L L Y O U R N A M E
I usually just put these things on facebook, but I don't really have much else to blog about today.
S P E L L Y O U R N A M E !
It’s harder than you think.
In songs:
Magnum Opus, by Kansas
Accio Deathly Hallows, by Hank Green
Time, by Pink Floyd
They Might Be Giants, by They Might Be Giants
Hello City, by Barenaked Ladies
Eff This, I'm Going to Hogwarts, by Lauren Fairweather
War Is A Science, from Pippin, by Stephen Schwartz
In Disney movies:
Mulan
Alice in Wonderland
Toy Story
That Darn Cat!
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Enchanted
WALL-E
In books:
Mary Called Magdalene, by Margaret George
An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Hope of Earth, by Piers Anthony
Extras, by Scott Westerfeld
When Christ and His Saints Slept, by Sharon Kay Penman
In authors:
Maureen Johnson
Audrey Niffenegger
Terry Pratchet
T.A. Barron
Harper Lee
E. Lockhart
Walter Dean Myers
In actors/actresses:
Maggie Smith
Amy Adams
Tom Hanks
Tom Felton
Hayden Panettiere
Emma Thompson
Wayne Rogers
In foods:
Meatballs
Apricot
Turnips
Tomatoes
Ham
Eggs
Water Chestnuts
In places:
Mansfield
Afghanistan
Texas
Tel Aviv
Holland
England
Wooster
N O W
Tag 10 friends.
They can’t use your answers.
The harder it’ll get for them!
I'll just tag whoever wants to do this. I'll be tagging specific people on facebook.
S P E L L Y O U R N A M E !
It’s harder than you think.
In songs:
Magnum Opus, by Kansas
Accio Deathly Hallows, by Hank Green
Time, by Pink Floyd
They Might Be Giants, by They Might Be Giants
Hello City, by Barenaked Ladies
Eff This, I'm Going to Hogwarts, by Lauren Fairweather
War Is A Science, from Pippin, by Stephen Schwartz
In Disney movies:
Mulan
Alice in Wonderland
Toy Story
That Darn Cat!
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Enchanted
WALL-E
In books:
Mary Called Magdalene, by Margaret George
An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Hope of Earth, by Piers Anthony
Extras, by Scott Westerfeld
When Christ and His Saints Slept, by Sharon Kay Penman
In authors:
Maureen Johnson
Audrey Niffenegger
Terry Pratchet
T.A. Barron
Harper Lee
E. Lockhart
Walter Dean Myers
In actors/actresses:
Maggie Smith
Amy Adams
Tom Hanks
Tom Felton
Hayden Panettiere
Emma Thompson
Wayne Rogers
In foods:
Meatballs
Apricot
Turnips
Tomatoes
Ham
Eggs
Water Chestnuts
In places:
Mansfield
Afghanistan
Texas
Tel Aviv
Holland
England
Wooster
N O W
Tag 10 friends.
They can’t use your answers.
The harder it’ll get for them!
I'll just tag whoever wants to do this. I'll be tagging specific people on facebook.
51ish days before - The Fourth
Hey all. Missed yesterday because I was gone for a lot of it. We went down to Lancaster to visit with my mom's side of the family and to watch the fireworks. We were pretty much right in front of where they were launching them, which is great if you've got a fear of loud noises like I do. The fireworks were great, though maybe a wee bit overkill. They were launching them from three different places (usually not at once) and their final hurrah was a little louder and lasted a little longer than I normally like.
Then we went back to the house (it was about 11 by this time) and had cake for my sister's 21st birthday, which was the day before. And then around midnight, we started our almost two hour drive home. So that was fun.
And that's why I didn't post yesterday. Because I was being patriotic and such. Happy Fourth!
-Matt
Then we went back to the house (it was about 11 by this time) and had cake for my sister's 21st birthday, which was the day before. And then around midnight, we started our almost two hour drive home. So that was fun.
And that's why I didn't post yesterday. Because I was being patriotic and such. Happy Fourth!
-Matt
Friday, July 3, 2009
52 days before - Fandom Meme
I got this from my sister, and she chose Harry Potter, West Wing, and Star Trek. Surprisingly, she didn't have to do any stalking at all!
Fandom meme: Comment and I'll find (up to) THREE FANDOMS you apparently love. And then you answer these questions about them!
01: What got you into this fandom in the first place?
02: Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?
03: Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.?
04: Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?
05: Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?
What got you into this fandom in the first place?
Harry Potter: My sister. Well, the whole family, really. I think I was the last one in the immediate family to actually read the books. My sister kept telling me "You've gotta read these books, you've gotta read this books!" So, I did. At that point, only the first three had been published, but by the time I got finished reading Prisoner of Azkaban, I was hooked.
West Wing: I didn't start watching this until mid-way through the second season. It was one of those shows that I had seen promoted, but didn't have much interest in seeing, mostly because it appeared to be a show about politics. But my aunt in Columbus and her family convinced us to watch an episode. ("Shibboleth," I believe.) And we realized that this was an intelligent show about politics with engaging characters and witty dialogue. Who would have thought?
Star Trek: My parents used to watch Next Generation when I was a kid, and sometimes I'd watch it with them. Some of the episodes freaked me out, but a lot of the ideas in the episodes intrigued me. By the fifth grade I was a complete Trekkie (or Trekker, depending on who you listen to) and wanted all Star Trek merchandise I could get my hands on. (Well, okay, mostly just the books, like the chronology and encyclopedia, but still.) I pretty much wanted to know everything about the fandom, even when I couldn't see all the episodes that were on for whatever reason.
Do you think you'll stay with this fandom or eventually move on?
Harry Potter: I think I'll stay with this fandom for as long as the fandom lasts. I've gotten into the habit of reading the series every year, and will most likely continue to do that. (I would love, if I ever have the opportunity, to buy the British editions of the books, just because.) Wizard rock has, thanks to my sister, become one of the main music genres I listen to, and as long as the music continues to be good, I'll keep listening to it. I've dabbled in fanfiction, but I haven't done any recently. I kind of drift in and out of that aspect of the fandom. And every so often I'll visit fansites. So I probably won't be as intensely into the fandom as I have been in the past, but I'll still be a part of the fandom. And at the very least, I still be discussing the movies and what sucks/doesn't suck about them. Also, I would love to go to an HP convention at least once.
West Wing: To be honest, I've already kind of drifted out of this fandom. I still watch the episodes . . . in fact, we're in the process of introducing my brother to the series. (We've made it to season 3.) And my sister and I continue to quote our favorite bits of the show to each other on a regular basis. But I don't write fanfiction and, now that the series is over, I don't really visit the fansites or forums. It's still a great series and I still love watching it and talking about it, but that's pretty much where it ends.
Star Trek: Up until the most recent movie, I was kind of on my way out of this fandom as well. But the new movie kind of rekindled my interest, and so now I'm watching a lot of the old episodes again. I think I may eventually drift away from the intense portion of the fandom, but I'll always be a Trekkie. Nothing will change that.
Favorite episodes/movies/books/whatever?
Harry Potter: My HP phone number is 367-1542. Basically, when pressed, I say that my favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban, but really, Azkaban, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows are pretty much in a three-way tie for first place. But obviously, I don't hate any of them. Movies are a little bit of a different story. I'm deeply frustrated with many aspects of the movies, mainly because in the eyes of many misguided fans, the movies ARE the books. (In other words, they believe Ron to be as big an idiot in the books as he's made out to be in the movies.) My favorite movie is still the first one, as it actually stayed true to the spirit of the book. The . . . zip code, I guess it would be, since only five are out . . . is 15234. And unlike the books, I pretty much loathe movies 3 and 4.
West Wing: Ah, geez . . . okay, here we go. Season 1: "Pilot," "Take This Sabbath Day," "Celestial Navigation," "20 Hours in LA," "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet," "Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics," "What Kind of Day Has It Been;" Season 2: "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen," Parts 1 and 2, "The Midterms," "And It's Surely To Their Credit . . ." "Portland Trip," "Shibboleth," "Galileo," "Noel," "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail," "Stackhouse Filibuster," "17 People," "Two Cathedrals;" Season 3: "Isaac and Ishmael," "Gone Quiet," "The Indians in the Lobby," "Bartlet for America," "Night Five," "Dead Irish Writers," "Stirred," "We Killed Yamamoto;" Season 4: "20 Hours in America," "Debate Camp," "Game On," "Election Night," "Process Stories," "Holy Night," "Long Goodbye," "Inauguration Day Part 1," "Inauguration Day Part 2: Over There," "California 47th," "Privateers," "Angel Maintenance," "Evidence of Things Not Seen," "Twenty-five;" Season 5: "Separation of Powers," "Shutdown," "Slow News Day," "The Supremes," "Access," "No Exit;" Season 6: "Liftoff," "A Change is Gonna Come," "In the Room," Impact Winter," "Faith-Based Initiative," "365 Days," "King Corn," "The Wake-Up Call," Freedonia," "A Good Day," "In God We Trust," "Things Fall Apart," "2162 Votes;" Season 7: "Here Today," "The Al Smith Dinner," "The Debate," "The Wedding," "Running Mates," "Duck and Cover," "The Cold," "Election Day" Parts 1 and 2, "Requiem," "The Last Hurrah," "Institutional Memory," and "Tomorrow." (Whew!)
Star Trek: Okay, I'm not even gonna try. I will say that my favorite series are Next Generation and Voyager. Some favorite Next Generation episodes include "Disaster," "Cause and Effect," "Parallels," and "All Good Things . . ." Some favorite Voyager episodes include, "Caretaker" Parts 1 and 2, "Deadlock," "Twisted," "Basics" Parts 1 and 2, "Future's End," Parts 1 and 2, " "Day of Honor," "Infinite Regress," "Timeless," "Shattered," "11:59," "Drone," and "Endgame." Favorite movies include Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek Generations, Star Trek First Contact, and Star Trek (the most recent one.)
Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?
Harry Potter: I have written some fanfiction. I've also written a few songs. I participate in discussions when they're not completely inane (eg someone explaining to me at length why Draco and Hermione should have gotten together.) I have a lot of HP discussions with my sister. I have made a few HP graphics with a collage maker on my computer. And as I said before, I listen to wizard rock, and would love to go to an HP convention some day.
West Wing: Not really anymore. Only in the sense that I watch the episodes and occasionally discuss them with my sister. I have also been known to use certain episodes for school assignments. But that's about it.
Star Trek: Occasionally. As I said, I still watch the episodes and occasionally will discuss the benefits of one series/movie over another. I've been doing that more lately with the release of the most recent Star Trek movie. But the last Star Trek book related thing that I bought was about seven years ago. I will occasionally browse the bookstore for anything new, or check out the Star Trek website . . . but that's about it.
Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?
Harry Potter: Yes, mainly because I think more people should be reading good literature. Harry Potter isn't really just a fad. The books became popular for a reason: they are good books, and people should read good books. I think there are people who would legitimately enjoy the series, but are reluctant to join because they believe--not unreasonably--that anything this popular can't possibly be any good, or at the very least that it won't live up to the hype. At the very least, more people should read the books. I recognize that the fandom isn't for everyone, but really the fandom has kind of become part of the Harry Potter experience. So while people don't necessarily have to jump into the fandom with both feet, I think more people should dabble in certain aspects, just a little.
West Wing: Again, I feel like more people should watch West Wing, because it is (for the most part) good television. Most of the episodes balance substance AND fluff very well, and I think it's wonderful that there is a TV series that is able to do that. Now whether they should be involved in the fandom or not is another story. Honestly, the fandom has kind of dwindled since the end of the series, so I think at this point, it's probably just enough to watch the episodes.
Star Trek: The trouble with the Star Trek fandom is that it's pretty widely fragmented. Star Trek is over forty years old, and so you've got fans in multiple generations, fans who grew up on Kirk and Spock and think it'll never get better than the original series, and fans that grew up on DS9 and Voyager and can't understand how people could not favor those over William Shatner's abominable acting. I do think more people should be involved in the fandom . . . but for the right reasons. The Original Series was incredibly innovative for its time, which is what attracted people to it, I think. But the recent series and movies have done a lot more with character development than the older stuff, which I think makes them better quality shows. Unfortunately, they kind of have this Star Trek stigma attached to them, so people are reluctant to watch them if they have, in fact, experienced Shatner's abominable acting. So if people are going to become involved in the fandom, I hope it's because they enjoy watching and discussing the complex character developments of Data or Seven of Nine, or discussing the implications of certain events in an episode of DS9 or Voyager, and not because those special effects are so freaking cool.
If you'd like participate, leave a comment, and I'll pick three fandoms that you appear to like. (Obviously, this won't work if you comment anonymously.) Hope you enjoyed my geeking out!
-Matt
Fandom meme: Comment and I'll find (up to) THREE FANDOMS you apparently love. And then you answer these questions about them!
01: What got you into this fandom in the first place?
02: Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?
03: Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.?
04: Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?
05: Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?
What got you into this fandom in the first place?
Harry Potter: My sister. Well, the whole family, really. I think I was the last one in the immediate family to actually read the books. My sister kept telling me "You've gotta read these books, you've gotta read this books!" So, I did. At that point, only the first three had been published, but by the time I got finished reading Prisoner of Azkaban, I was hooked.
West Wing: I didn't start watching this until mid-way through the second season. It was one of those shows that I had seen promoted, but didn't have much interest in seeing, mostly because it appeared to be a show about politics. But my aunt in Columbus and her family convinced us to watch an episode. ("Shibboleth," I believe.) And we realized that this was an intelligent show about politics with engaging characters and witty dialogue. Who would have thought?
Star Trek: My parents used to watch Next Generation when I was a kid, and sometimes I'd watch it with them. Some of the episodes freaked me out, but a lot of the ideas in the episodes intrigued me. By the fifth grade I was a complete Trekkie (or Trekker, depending on who you listen to) and wanted all Star Trek merchandise I could get my hands on. (Well, okay, mostly just the books, like the chronology and encyclopedia, but still.) I pretty much wanted to know everything about the fandom, even when I couldn't see all the episodes that were on for whatever reason.
Do you think you'll stay with this fandom or eventually move on?
Harry Potter: I think I'll stay with this fandom for as long as the fandom lasts. I've gotten into the habit of reading the series every year, and will most likely continue to do that. (I would love, if I ever have the opportunity, to buy the British editions of the books, just because.) Wizard rock has, thanks to my sister, become one of the main music genres I listen to, and as long as the music continues to be good, I'll keep listening to it. I've dabbled in fanfiction, but I haven't done any recently. I kind of drift in and out of that aspect of the fandom. And every so often I'll visit fansites. So I probably won't be as intensely into the fandom as I have been in the past, but I'll still be a part of the fandom. And at the very least, I still be discussing the movies and what sucks/doesn't suck about them. Also, I would love to go to an HP convention at least once.
West Wing: To be honest, I've already kind of drifted out of this fandom. I still watch the episodes . . . in fact, we're in the process of introducing my brother to the series. (We've made it to season 3.) And my sister and I continue to quote our favorite bits of the show to each other on a regular basis. But I don't write fanfiction and, now that the series is over, I don't really visit the fansites or forums. It's still a great series and I still love watching it and talking about it, but that's pretty much where it ends.
Star Trek: Up until the most recent movie, I was kind of on my way out of this fandom as well. But the new movie kind of rekindled my interest, and so now I'm watching a lot of the old episodes again. I think I may eventually drift away from the intense portion of the fandom, but I'll always be a Trekkie. Nothing will change that.
Favorite episodes/movies/books/whatever?
Harry Potter: My HP phone number is 367-1542. Basically, when pressed, I say that my favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban, but really, Azkaban, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows are pretty much in a three-way tie for first place. But obviously, I don't hate any of them. Movies are a little bit of a different story. I'm deeply frustrated with many aspects of the movies, mainly because in the eyes of many misguided fans, the movies ARE the books. (In other words, they believe Ron to be as big an idiot in the books as he's made out to be in the movies.) My favorite movie is still the first one, as it actually stayed true to the spirit of the book. The . . . zip code, I guess it would be, since only five are out . . . is 15234. And unlike the books, I pretty much loathe movies 3 and 4.
West Wing: Ah, geez . . . okay, here we go. Season 1: "Pilot," "Take This Sabbath Day," "Celestial Navigation," "20 Hours in LA," "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet," "Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics," "What Kind of Day Has It Been;" Season 2: "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen," Parts 1 and 2, "The Midterms," "And It's Surely To Their Credit . . ." "Portland Trip," "Shibboleth," "Galileo," "Noel," "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail," "Stackhouse Filibuster," "17 People," "Two Cathedrals;" Season 3: "Isaac and Ishmael," "Gone Quiet," "The Indians in the Lobby," "Bartlet for America," "Night Five," "Dead Irish Writers," "Stirred," "We Killed Yamamoto;" Season 4: "20 Hours in America," "Debate Camp," "Game On," "Election Night," "Process Stories," "Holy Night," "Long Goodbye," "Inauguration Day Part 1," "Inauguration Day Part 2: Over There," "California 47th," "Privateers," "Angel Maintenance," "Evidence of Things Not Seen," "Twenty-five;" Season 5: "Separation of Powers," "Shutdown," "Slow News Day," "The Supremes," "Access," "No Exit;" Season 6: "Liftoff," "A Change is Gonna Come," "In the Room," Impact Winter," "Faith-Based Initiative," "365 Days," "King Corn," "The Wake-Up Call," Freedonia," "A Good Day," "In God We Trust," "Things Fall Apart," "2162 Votes;" Season 7: "Here Today," "The Al Smith Dinner," "The Debate," "The Wedding," "Running Mates," "Duck and Cover," "The Cold," "Election Day" Parts 1 and 2, "Requiem," "The Last Hurrah," "Institutional Memory," and "Tomorrow." (Whew!)
Star Trek: Okay, I'm not even gonna try. I will say that my favorite series are Next Generation and Voyager. Some favorite Next Generation episodes include "Disaster," "Cause and Effect," "Parallels," and "All Good Things . . ." Some favorite Voyager episodes include, "Caretaker" Parts 1 and 2, "Deadlock," "Twisted," "Basics" Parts 1 and 2, "Future's End," Parts 1 and 2, " "Day of Honor," "Infinite Regress," "Timeless," "Shattered," "11:59," "Drone," and "Endgame." Favorite movies include Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek Generations, Star Trek First Contact, and Star Trek (the most recent one.)
Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?
Harry Potter: I have written some fanfiction. I've also written a few songs. I participate in discussions when they're not completely inane (eg someone explaining to me at length why Draco and Hermione should have gotten together.) I have a lot of HP discussions with my sister. I have made a few HP graphics with a collage maker on my computer. And as I said before, I listen to wizard rock, and would love to go to an HP convention some day.
West Wing: Not really anymore. Only in the sense that I watch the episodes and occasionally discuss them with my sister. I have also been known to use certain episodes for school assignments. But that's about it.
Star Trek: Occasionally. As I said, I still watch the episodes and occasionally will discuss the benefits of one series/movie over another. I've been doing that more lately with the release of the most recent Star Trek movie. But the last Star Trek book related thing that I bought was about seven years ago. I will occasionally browse the bookstore for anything new, or check out the Star Trek website . . . but that's about it.
Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?
Harry Potter: Yes, mainly because I think more people should be reading good literature. Harry Potter isn't really just a fad. The books became popular for a reason: they are good books, and people should read good books. I think there are people who would legitimately enjoy the series, but are reluctant to join because they believe--not unreasonably--that anything this popular can't possibly be any good, or at the very least that it won't live up to the hype. At the very least, more people should read the books. I recognize that the fandom isn't for everyone, but really the fandom has kind of become part of the Harry Potter experience. So while people don't necessarily have to jump into the fandom with both feet, I think more people should dabble in certain aspects, just a little.
West Wing: Again, I feel like more people should watch West Wing, because it is (for the most part) good television. Most of the episodes balance substance AND fluff very well, and I think it's wonderful that there is a TV series that is able to do that. Now whether they should be involved in the fandom or not is another story. Honestly, the fandom has kind of dwindled since the end of the series, so I think at this point, it's probably just enough to watch the episodes.
Star Trek: The trouble with the Star Trek fandom is that it's pretty widely fragmented. Star Trek is over forty years old, and so you've got fans in multiple generations, fans who grew up on Kirk and Spock and think it'll never get better than the original series, and fans that grew up on DS9 and Voyager and can't understand how people could not favor those over William Shatner's abominable acting. I do think more people should be involved in the fandom . . . but for the right reasons. The Original Series was incredibly innovative for its time, which is what attracted people to it, I think. But the recent series and movies have done a lot more with character development than the older stuff, which I think makes them better quality shows. Unfortunately, they kind of have this Star Trek stigma attached to them, so people are reluctant to watch them if they have, in fact, experienced Shatner's abominable acting. So if people are going to become involved in the fandom, I hope it's because they enjoy watching and discussing the complex character developments of Data or Seven of Nine, or discussing the implications of certain events in an episode of DS9 or Voyager, and not because those special effects are so freaking cool.
If you'd like participate, leave a comment, and I'll pick three fandoms that you appear to like. (Obviously, this won't work if you comment anonymously.) Hope you enjoyed my geeking out!
-Matt
Thursday, July 2, 2009
53 days before - Back to Open Letters
Dear Technology,
Anytime you'd want to stop sucking would be just fine with me.
Love,
-Matt
***
Dear Final Cut Express,
You're a great piece of software . . . but for the love of God, LIGHTEN UP!!!
Love,
-Matt
***
Dear KeepVid.com,
See above letter to technology.
Love,
Matt
***
Dear YouTube,
Okay, seriously? You say the video must not be more than two gigs or ten minutes. Mine is neither. So, could you see your way clear to stop being bloody bitch and just upload the damn thing? Thanks.
Love,
Matt
Anytime you'd want to stop sucking would be just fine with me.
Love,
-Matt
***
Dear Final Cut Express,
You're a great piece of software . . . but for the love of God, LIGHTEN UP!!!
Love,
-Matt
***
Dear KeepVid.com,
See above letter to technology.
Love,
Matt
***
Dear YouTube,
Okay, seriously? You say the video must not be more than two gigs or ten minutes. Mine is neither. So, could you see your way clear to stop being bloody bitch and just upload the damn thing? Thanks.
Love,
Matt
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
54 days before - Not an Open Letter This Time!
At my sister's behest, I've opened an account on LiveJournal.
I know, 'cause I don't enough social networking sites, right?
Anyway, here's the deal. A lot of writers give advice, and a lot of it kind of contradicts, because they're basically telling you what worked for them, and that might not work for everyone. However, two pieces of advice are pretty much consistent. 1) Read a lot, and 2) write every day.
I read a lot. No problem there.
It's the "write every day" thing where I kind of fail.
So, I've opened a LiveJournal account and launched WRED (WRite Every Day), which is kind of a combination of B/Vlog Every Day [insert month or event here]--oh, Maureen Johnson, what have you wrought?--and NaNoWriMo. But instead of blogging, I'll be writing stuff. Maybe a portion of a larger work, maybe fanfiction, or maybe just some fun story that occurred to me. Every day. Notice it's just write every day, so there's no ending point to it yet. We'll see how this goes.
If this interests you at all . . . you can go here and check out the kind of weird stuff that goes on in my head.
That's all. Just another shameless self-promotion.
-Matt
I know, 'cause I don't enough social networking sites, right?
Anyway, here's the deal. A lot of writers give advice, and a lot of it kind of contradicts, because they're basically telling you what worked for them, and that might not work for everyone. However, two pieces of advice are pretty much consistent. 1) Read a lot, and 2) write every day.
I read a lot. No problem there.
It's the "write every day" thing where I kind of fail.
So, I've opened a LiveJournal account and launched WRED (WRite Every Day), which is kind of a combination of B/Vlog Every Day [insert month or event here]--oh, Maureen Johnson, what have you wrought?--and NaNoWriMo. But instead of blogging, I'll be writing stuff. Maybe a portion of a larger work, maybe fanfiction, or maybe just some fun story that occurred to me. Every day. Notice it's just write every day, so there's no ending point to it yet. We'll see how this goes.
If this interests you at all . . . you can go here and check out the kind of weird stuff that goes on in my head.
That's all. Just another shameless self-promotion.
-Matt
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)