The Hobbit

I just watched this trailer for the first time, and seriously, part of me wanted to cry. . .kind of.  The magic isn't over!!!  Peter Jackson is doing what he does best; bringing to life the universe created by Tolkien.  Enjoy.

A Strange Time to Get the Writing Blues

Well, I've officially finished the book that I've been writing for the last two years.  It was kind of a weird experience, I was just typing along and then all of the sudden I realized that I had nothing to type any more, so I wrote "the end."

But now the fun begins.  Now that I've finished I can't help but dwell on how. . .flawed my rough draft is.  It isn't vivid enough, the main character's voice changes throughout, there are problems with some of the plot twists, some of the major situations don't ever get resolved, the story does a complete change-of-direction about halfway through, the magic system isn't fully developed and it's hard to write about. . .I could go on for quite some time along this vein, but I think I've adequately illustrated my point. There are many, many problems.

It's strange that I'm getting so discouraged now that I've actually finished a manuscript.

Maybe it's because life is knocking on the door and it's gotten to the point that I have to make a choice to open the door and become a responsible human being or start living the life of a hobo while I try to perfect my manuscript to the point where it might be publishable.

On the positive side, the process of editing and perfecting is much easier than the writing of a story, so maybe I can get this done in a reasonable amount of time. . .a month is what I am hoping for, max.  Of course, that's what I said about finishing the story, four months ago.  I'm not very good at keeping to my timelines.

The funny thing is that I've been trying to step away from my story for a few days--it really should be months but I don't have time for that--so I can be more objective when I edit it, but I can't.  I'm itching for something to do.  I still feel like I need to be writing, so I've dragged out my original epic fantasy novel, to see if I can read through it and get it moving again. 

Funny how life is, eh?  I procrastinate and procrastinate, but now that I have the opportunity to do so without any guilt I can't.

Denouement

So, it's come to the point that I'm starting to write THE VERY END of my book that I hope is going to launch my authorial career and I've come to the realization that I have no freaking clue how I'm going to end the story.  Good heavens!  Shouldn't I have had this figured out a long time ago?

No man is an island, but a writer. . . ?

The last several months have passed in a flurry of writing activity.  This is rather unusual for me, in the past--except for a few rare cases--I've struggled to string together much more than a few sentences at any given time.  But I've found that with a new attitude and determination I can produce enough literature to be able to make a career as a writer, depending on if I can produce writing that people will want to read.

However, I've discovered something about myself during this process that I sometimes find disturbing, and it feels weird to be blurting it out, in a public forum for anybody to read, but I have the blogging mask on, so I'll spit it out anyway.

I'm an introvert.  This is something that I've always known.  People drain me.  I like them, I like being around them, but they suck me dry.  Usually I can deal with this as long as I have time alone at the end of the day, a quiet evening to unwind by reading a book, watching a movie, or eating a casserole.  Don't even ask me to do something that requires a lot of interaction with people at the end of the day.  Parties?  If I don't know most of the people there, forget it.  Dance clubs?  Maybe with a bit of caffeine and the encouragement of an attractive lady, but that's it.  I can deal with people, and even like doing so, during the morning and early afternoon, but after that, leave me alone.  That's just how it goes, I like it that way, and I'm happy with it.  As a general rule, I am at peace when I am alone (I'll qualify this by saying that being at home with family, roommates, and/or close friends also brings me peace.  I'm not that much of a hermit).

But writing is changing things for me, and not necessarily in a good way.  Now, because writing is my work, I am spending the entire day alone, isolated in my dwelling, while I struggle to find the right words to tell the right story.  And as much as I love it, that can be a draining process.  When I put away the keyboard at the end of the day I feel tired, mentally.  Can you see the problem here?  Before, be it from work or school, I always had a social network that helped me, as an introvert, to feel connected with humanity during the day and then time alone to gather myself at night.  I don't have that anymore.  I'm alone all the time.

Writing is literally turning me into a recluse.

I feel like Frodo after Galadriel tells him that "to be a ring bearer is to be alone."  Writers seem to have the same curse.  Perhaps I'm overgeneralizing, I'm sure there are social, extroverted writers out there, probably in Hollywood.

For the first time in my life, I'm frustrated by being alone.  But I don't see any way to change this without destroying the system that has allowed me to be as productive as I have been.  Somehow I get the sense that I just can't deal with people in the midst of the writing process.  The pinnacle of this was yesterday at church when a really cute girl, a happy girl with an infectious smile, tried to engage me in conversation after church had ended and I found that I didn't want to talk with her at all.  The whole conversation seemed completely superficial and ridiculous--not that it was, I was just in a dark and melancholy mood--and I wanted to leave.  It was really weird, because I do find her attractive, and I do want to talk to girls, her included, but yesterday I just couldn't.  I don't think I've ever in my life been more crotchety and short tempered than I have been over the last few months.

Luckily, I'm nearing the end of my book; the journey is almost over.  Once finished I can break away from this endless spiral of isolation I've put myself in, though honestly I don't know how I'll do so.  Get a real job I suppose, maybe go on some dates.  That would be nice.

In short, writing is a two edged sword for me right now.  I like it, but it's removing me from the world, which is frustrating because I don't want to be an island.  The end.


Now, after writing all this, I think I've come to understand something.  It's not writing that's making me short tempered.  It's being single at almost thirty.  My focus on writing is just making me more single, that's what is frustrating.

An article for Single Womens

Ok, so my first post of December is kinda cheap because it's just an article I found on facebook.

Click here to read!

The article is entertaining, but as I read it I realized that I've been the victim of a plethora of women who directly applied to this.  It's true, even if it is blunt and a little vulgar at times.

In fairness, there's probably a corresponding column that could be written about the men.

Anyway, I just wish there were a few certain ladies out there who would read it a get a clue.  The End.

Stephen King, Are you Watching?

The seeds of a magnificent psychological thriller are contained within this fascinating article.  Combined with slight elements of the supernatural, this could basically be the next great Stephen King novel. . .written by me, of course.

Writing ideas are everywhere, literally.  Pay attention and brilliance will find you.

Basketball Season!

Finally!  It's the best season of the year.  Basketball season!  BYU is now four games into their schedule and here is my assessment so far.  We look pretty good, though a little inconsistent with so many freshmen.  Everybody is playing well, about as I predicted at the end of last year's season.  I will say that I think that a starting lineup of Winder, Rogers, Abouo, Hartsock, and Davies would solve the problem of the slow starts.  I like Zylstra, he's a good shooter, but I don't think he's a threat enough to be a starter.  He'd be better as a spark off the bench.

I stand by my prediction that we will be in the NCAA tournament this year, and we will win multiple games.

People who haven't been following BYU hoops probably don't understand a word that I just said.  It doesn't matter.  I just love basketball and I needed something to gush about.

Cold Blood

We're used to the idea of a man's blood running cold.  But when a woman does the same thing. . .well, it's a little shocking.

This story is horrifying!

It's events like this that make me realize that there are some people in the world who are just not fit to have children.  The woman in the previous story had a past that included prostitution and drugs and yet we let her be a mother.

I'm not one for the government controlling everything, but sometimes I think there should be some form of control over who is allowed to have children and who isn't.  There should be some sort of "parenting" test that married couples have to complete before they're allowed to make babies.  Of course, this brings up all sorts of moral issues because, in a way, regulating this would be basically a form of practicing Eugenics.

There isn't any comfortable solution to this problem.  But there are too many kids out there who are being abandoned and neglected by their parents.  It needs to stop.

Jekyll & Hyde

It's interesting to meet people in the college atmosphere and then watch them go out into the world and do really, really cool things.  Here's one of my friends, Garret Gibbons, who it turns out, is a remarkably talented cinematographer/director.  Check out his Steampunk themed music video that he directed for a band called Theoretics.

Cougar Fans

I've been reading some of the post BYU-TCU game write ups and am kind of blown away by how stupid and vindictive some Cougar fans can be.  How easily they can turn on the hand that has successfully fed them for the last six years.

No, Bronco does not need to be fired.

Writing Research

Today's random research topics:

History of Lingerie--Women's undergarments have undergone a complete revolution since the 1960's  (they've gotten a lot smaller, basically).  The idea that underwear should be sexually oriented is completely created by the current generation.  Before the 60's it was designed to be functional and/or comfortable.

Pocket Watches--They've been around much longer than lingerie (which kind of seems odd if you think about it).  Pocket watches are recorded as far back as 1462.  The original ones only had hour hands, the minute hand didn't come around for another couple hundred years.

Cities--Ancient Rome had a population of over 1,000,000 peoples. . . before Christ.  Basically, really huge cities have been around for a really long time.  This surprises me because I didn't think the ancient infrastructures could support that many people.  How did they supply all the food?

Climax

After what seems like years, probably because it has been, I am actually entering the final climactic scenes of the fantasy novel that I hope will launch my career as a full time author.  It's been a difficult labor of love from the beginning, and a good portion of the time I was writing blind.  But as things are coming to a close it's interesting to see how pieces are falling into place, how different segments of the story are matching up, and how the story is lending itself to a natural sequel. 

It's also quite interesting how the writing process is becoming easier and easier.  Most of my writing over the past couple years has come from writing a few sentences, or even words, after hours of staring blankly into a computer screen.  But now, it's crazy.  I got up this morning and in the process of getting ready to go to the gym I wrote almost 300 words.  Last night, right before I went to bed, I plucked out another 300 or so, without really trying.  Writing is much easier when you have a sense of purpose and a clear vision.  That's the fun part.  But nobody ever tells you about the points in between, when you are pulling out your hair trying to figure out how to develop character without being boring (I'm not saying that I've succeeded in that), or how to make a three day journey between two cities engaging (or that either). 

Writing is hard, it's work.  But you know what?  It is worth it.  Because when everything comes together, magic happens.

There's still a good portion of work to do.  I think these final scenes will expand beyond their allotted word count (25,000), and the editing process will be significant (though I think it will go much, much quicker than the actual writing process).  But here I am, staring at the writer's equivalent of the light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm quivering with excitement, because I can't wait to see what happens when things in my mind finally play themselves out on the page.

There has been a lot of self doubt, but right now I'm loving this choice that I've made.


Speaking of editing: After my initial editing process to fix continuity issues and clean up some scenes, I plan on distributing a few manuscripts for some reader feedback.  If anybody is interested in doing a serious critique, send me a message through facebook or comment on this post.  I'm only going to do five or six, and I've a few people in mind already, so not everybody is going to be able to do this.  But who knows, maybe you could be a proof-reader for the next great fantasy novel!

Manchild Syndrome

Look, I recognize that there is a problem with my generation of men.  Studies such as this one are numerous, and nobody is denying their credibility.  I myself happen to fall partially* into this category, which is probably why these articles get my goat enough to distract me from writing my epic fantasy to fire off a reply into the black hole of the blogosphere.

My main issue with these studies is that they are falsely attributing the blame for the epidemic of the "man-children" (thank you Onion) upon the men themselves.  I don't believe this is fair, or true.  Women are to blame!  Ok, so maybe that's a bit sensationalist, but I think there is a sliver of truth here.  No!  More than a sliver, half-the-freaking-pie!

It only stands to reason that as women become more dedicated to education and careers that less of them are going to make themselves available to marriage and raising children.  Oh, they say they want a man, but unless he is a Norse god, or some exotic looking model, he just isn't good enough to choose over a good career.  Without women to devote themselves too, men have nothing.  Seriously, men don't work because they love it more than anything else.  Men work because of duty, providing for a wife and family is what we do.  We're made for this, but without a devoted woman in our lives there's really no point.  Work ethic stems from devotion to a cause and, frankly, in our society the only cause worth a man's devotion is a family.  But as women become less interested in that ideal more and more men are being left out in the cold, and they're being blamed for it.

Yes, I kind of have a serious issue with the way Feminism (with a capital f) has undermined the male sex.  I've written about this before.  Sure, women can vote, own land, and get educated and stuff like that.  Women should be free to pursue their dreams, the same as men.  But until women place family first, over all their dreams, they shouldn't be blaming men for not doing the same thing.





* Technically, I am a manchild because I don't have a job, wife, or kids, I'm not going to school, I tend to stay at my residence, and yes, from time to time I play video games, and I'm approaching 30.  However, let me add this in my defense: I do not live with my parents, I work for the government during the summer, I'm writing a novel, I go to the gym every day, I'm cleaner than the average manchild, and I often live in the wilderness for weeks at a time.  Just sayin'.

Logic?

Does this article on climate change even make any sort of logical sense?  Somehow, looking back at my understanding of history, I always though that warmer temperatures enabled ridiculous growth in plants and animals.  Apparently not.  My bad.

The End of the Wheel of Time

Brandon Sanderson just posted on Facebook that he is sitting down to write the final 10% of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. . .in the next two weeks.  Now, I know for a fact that Brandon is shooting for around the average length of Robert Jordan's books which is around 300,000 words per book, which means that he plans on writing 30,000 words over the next 14 days.  He's crazy.

If I was writing consistently at my full production capabilities it would take me 6 weeks to hit the same mark.  And I'm quite sure that his writing will be a much better quality than mine. . .sometimes I feel like this choice that I've made to pursue a writing career is really, really stupid.  I don't know if I'm really capable of pulling it off.  What am I going to do if it doesn't work?  I have all my eggs in one basket, and it isn't a sturdy basket by any means.

Anyway, Brandon Sanderson makes me feel slightly jealous.  He's an excellent writer, he produces a new manuscript every time he sits down at a computer, and he's finishing what will probably be the greatest, most epic, fantasy series of all time.  Actually, slightly jealous is quite an understatement.

This wasn't where I was originally going with this, sorry.  Sometimes I sit down to type things and just end up lamenting my inadequacies as a writer, blech.  When this happens I tend to just gloss over my original point, which is now what I will proceed to do.

What I originally had in mind was something more along the lines of how sad I will be when this series is finally finished.  There isn't another fantasy series as grand or immersive as The Wheel of Time, though some will argue for George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones (which I quit reading after 3 books--I just got bored, it's much more gritty and much less magical.  The TV series looks awesome though). 

Robert Jordan's work wasn't flawless (there's some definite bogging down in the middle of the series, I personally get sick of reading about post-Faile Perrin, and post-Andor Elayne) but it does come the closest to matching the grandeur of Tolkien.  Jordan's world is rich and expansive, and he weaves together about a billion plotlines to tell his story, which is awesome (though it can be cumbersome).

So, I will be sad when the series is finished, I've been reading this series since I was in High School, way back in the 90's.  And it's been part of my life since because I read it almost yearly (which I will continue to do after it's finished).  Anyway it's weird, this will actually be the genuine last book for the series--most people thought it would go on forever.  Bittersweet?  Yes.

Pins and Needles

I think everybody that knows me well knows that I have a soft spot in my heart for Gothic Rock.  There's something uniquely powerful about crunchy electric guitar chords, and a pounding double-bass pedal, backed by ethereal female vocals.  If you are new to the genre, good bands to check out are Within Temptation, Sirenia, and The Birthday Massacre.  H.I.M. also represents the genre well, though with a male vocalist.

Album cover

Anyway, my purpose here is to talk about The Birthday Massacre's latest (not necessarily new anymore) album, Pins and Needles.

It is AWESOME!

I don't write music reviews, normally, but I feel compelled to share with the world how much I love this album.  I just finished listening straight through and I can safely say that I enjoyed every single minute.

The Birthday Massacre hasn't always been solidly in the Gothic Rock genre.  While their lyrics and style fit, their music has always had more of an electronic/synth quality that set them a little bit apart from the genre.  However, with this latest album they've become much more aggressive with the electric guitars, which seems a natural direction for them to go.  The electro/synth is still there, but with this new crunchier aspect, the entire sound of the band is lifted into a much more dynamic direction.

Cool look, eh?

I'm not going to go through the track list to name my favorites because they are all excellent, and I don't really want to waste my time doing so.  Suffice it to say that I give my heartfelt endorsement to this band, which has never recorded a song that I haven't liked.  And this album is their best yet.

Flight Records

It might surprise you to know that the world distance record in archery is 1222.01meters.  That's just over 4009 feet.  Yeah, 3/4 of a mile with a bow.  I have no idea what type of bow an "unlimited recurve" is, but it is a mighty weapon, worthy of a woodland elf.

Here's a link to the 2009 Flight Shooting world records.

http://www.usaarcheryrecords.org/FlightPages/2009/2009%20World%20Regular%20Flight%20Records.pdf
Anyway, I had no idea.

And what in the blue blazes!!!  Links are actually working again!

To be like Thor (or Chris Hemsworth)

 I watched Thor last week.  Fun movie, much better than the tepid Facebook comments I heard all summer.

However, Chris Hemsworth's pectorals made me want to shoot myself (Date Night reference).  The guy was incredibly fit for this movie.  Unbelievably so, which I guess makes sense, since he was playing, you know, a Norse god.

Luckily there are better solutions to shooting oneself if you don't feel that you actually have pectorals.  The best solution would be. . .drum roll please?. . .going to the gym!!!  Which I have been doing for a year now. . .minus a four month break to go make money in Alaska.  No I don't have pectorals like Chris Hemsworth, but I'm getting closer.  A year ago I weighed maybe 165 pounds.  Today I measured at 182.  Yay!  I have big(er) muscles now.  But, I want more.  I want to look like a Norse god.

So, how does one achieve such a goal?  According to Mr. Hemsworth, the trick (besides working out like an animal) is a proper diet.  A healthy diet.  And, a BIG diet.  Here is his formula (thank-you Men's Health):  Target Weight x (Workout Hours + 10) = Total Calories a day.  So, in my case the formula would look like this:    190 x 17.5 = 3325.  That's how many calories I need to be eating a day to get bigger.  On top of that I should be eating 1 gram of protein for every pound I want to weigh. . .190g.

Today I tried to measure my caloric intake, and the results are depressing.  I ate with as much effort as I possibly could, to the point where my stomach has been bloated since lunch.

Breakfast:  1 boiled Egg (65 calories, 6 grams protein).
                 1 cup sliced strawberries (50 calories, 0 protein).
                 Protein drink (140 calories, 27 grams protein).
                 Total: 255 calories, 33 grams protein.

Lunch:  3 helpings garlic chicken (almost half a Costco bag with added chicken and broccoli)
            Total: 1120 calories, 95 grams protein.

Dinner: Carl's Jr. Chicken Fillet + protein drink
            Total: 790 calories, 60 grams protein

Daily Total: 2175 calories, 190 grams protein.

So, I hit my protein goal for the day (but only by supreme effort), but I was over 1000 calories short!  I barely hit the 2000 calorie average American diet!  I still can't believe it.  That means on the average day I'm not eating enough for a normal person.  This probably has to do with my schedule because my first meal of the day comes after I work out, usually around 11am.  That puts a big lunch at 3-ish, and then I'm not really hungry until I'm about to go to bed.

Gah!  What sacrifices must I make to achieve this (see right)?  I think I might actually have to start getting up an hour earlier just to eat a pre-workout breakfast!

And on top of all this, the food I'm eating needs to be healthy food.  Which just adds a whole other dimension and level of difficulty to this process, because the food I am eating isn't.  Not at all.  I'm partaking in way too many carbs and sugars, and that equals bad.

I need a healthy food cook.  Any takers?

The really funny thing, though, is watching my sisters try to avoid calories.  Hahah!   

 =

The Embarassing Truth about BYU Football

I don't know at what point I really bought into all the preseason hype, but I've been very excited about this year for the BYU football team.  We have a lot of returning starters on the offense, and we have athletic ability that we have never had in the past.  Plus we revamped the coaching staff into a unit that was supposed to be much better.

Well, the blinders came off yesterday.  Our team was DESTROYED, OBLITERATED, and MANGLED BEYOND RECOGNITION by our hated rivals yesterday.  I have never seen a greater implosion in all of my sports watching history, and I've never been more embarrassed to be a Cougar fan. The whole second half of the game yesterday is just one hazy blur, I don't even remember the final score.  And, I feel like I have a hangover, a dashed expectations hangover (no drinking involved).

I will say this though, there is no way that Utah is 46 (or whatever it was) points better than us.  Utah isn't better than Texas, or maybe even Ole' Miss.  That was a very winnable game for us, until our team imploded on the first or second play of the game.

It isn't time to write off the season yet.  We have at least two more difficult (but theoretically winnable) games left on our schedule, and then a lot of patsies.  We can redeem ourselves.  But somehow Bronco and his coaching staff need to answer for this fiasco.  It's their responsibility to make sure our players are prepared mentally and physically for every game, and that certainly wasn't the case last night.  I'm not calling for their heads, because I trust Bronco as a coach, he's successful and I know that he has his priorities straight, but somehow an explanation needs to be made.  They owe it to all the fans who are still reeling from the constant barrage of metaphorical punches to the face last night.

Anyway, overwhelming sadness and despair.  The end:(

NEWSFLASH GIRLS: He's nice because he likes you!!!

A few events over the last several weeks keep bringing this subject back home to me so I'm going to grind my axe for a bit here.  Yes, some of this stems from personal experience, but it also comes from stuff I've observed.

Girls, you are a little too oblivious about your casual relationships with the opposite sex and it drives me up the wall (and I think this problem mostly happens with cute girly girls).  You CAN'T be just friends with a guy, because he CAN'T be "just friends" with you!  When a man approaches you in a friendly fashion, he isn't motivated by the idea of making a new "friend."  He wants a little action (in Utah, that usually means a few dates, leading to kissing, and maybe marriage.  Outside of Utah it means he wants to score, big time).  Somehow girls don't understand this.  They might go on a date, and then the girl will think "oh, he's a really nice guy" (but she isn't attracted to him because he's not a tool*) so she places him in the friend box.  Which is not where the man wants to be.  He never wanted to be there, and everything he does after that is an effort to get out.  Brings you flowers when you are down? Check.  Cake for a special event? Of course.  Chicken soup when you are sick?  Indeed. Offers dating advice?  Yup.  Calls/chats/texts/other Internet interaction?  Definitely.  Hangs out?  No question.  Anything where he is interacting with you in any way shape or form is done with the intention of building a relationship (not friendship) with you.  He will do this until he realizes that you have no intention of ever giving him what he wants (a bonafide girlfriend) and then he'll slowly fade into the ether.  BUT, the girl then thinks, "oh, I haven't seen such-and-such" so she calls, and suddenly the whole cycle starts over again.  Girls, the guys that you hang out with you are there because they want you as a relationship.  They aren't there because you are good friends.

Giants and Freya by Arthur Rackham

There are exceptions to this rule:  Gay men.  And married men (and that isn't even certain these days)^.

So why is this a problem?  Well it comes down to mismatched expectations where a girl gives a guy false expectations and hope, leading him around by the nose until it destroys his entire soul!  This is rude and should be avoided.  See the picture to the left?  When you are sitting there, looking all pretty, this is what the man wants to do with you...but in a nicer way.  Yes?  But the girl is thinking the guy is just like her girlfriends and treats him as such.  This is bad.  He is a Man; a bundle of testosterone, muscles, AND feelings!

Where am I going with this? I don't know.  I guess I just wish girls wouldn't be so cavalier about handing out the friend status left and right.  Give guys a chance, not false expectations.  If you want somebody to hang out with, hang out with your fellow women, otherwise you are just using a man for you own self gratification.  A Man is not made to just hang out and be friends with you.  So don't try it.

And stop wasting your time on that really hot guy who you like but only see once a week or so.  He's got six other women on the line and he's making out with all of them, including you*.

^I later thought of another reason where men can actually be friends with women, when there is no attraction on either side (which is very rare, but it does happen).




*Another axe I want to grind dealing with the fact that the good/nice guys don't actually score very high on a girl's attraction scale and tool-ish men do.  Girls SAY they want nice men, but their actions speak differently.  Don't even try to argue with me about this.

Writing is Cool (reason # 244)

Most people don't profess to like school.  I do.  Of course, I hate assignments and tests as much as the next person, but I do love the pursuit of knowledge.  I like learning random things.  I like history.  I like understanding how things work.  Lucky for me that I am pursuing a career as an author (since I finished up my eternal bachelors degree).

However, there is a certain disregard for the genre I choose to write in (fantasy).  People think it's just a whole lot of flights-of-fancy and other useless drivel; that everything that goes into the story is just made up on the spot.  They are so wrong!  I am constantly researching real information that I need to make my story work, and it is a very fun and enlightening process.  Here are some of the things that I can remember researching this year to feed the writing muse: alchemy, cannons, the human circulation system (focusing on heart rates), rubber (naturally produced by a tree), fire hoses (in use much, much longer than you think), ancient plumbing systems (lead pipes, etc. . .), magnetic fields (of the earth and moon and how they interact), rape trauma syndrome (along with PTSD), ship construction, and most recently, spiders (give a spider caffeine and then watch it spin its web, heheh), gliders, hang gliding, and Otto Lilenthal.

Anyway, it's a lot of fun.  Hopefully the end product is worth all the work I'm putting in.  And good luck trying to figure out how all those subjects fit together:).

For Those Who Were Lost

It's time for my first post of September.  And I think it will be appropriate if a take a moment to honor those who lost their lives ten years ago yesterday.  The11th of September, 2001 was a day seared into the memory of just about every American but myself.  At the time I was isolated in Alaska (preparing for an LDS mission), and my mom mentioned that she had heard something about it on the radio--without all the drastic video coverage of the event, the tragedy largely passed me by.  Since then I've seen a few photos, but that's about it.

It's strange to feel like the only person who doesn't have a 9/11 story to share.  Yesterday there was a trend on Facebook for everybody to post where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.  I can't do that.  All I can do is mourn the victims and honor the heroes.  God bless them and their surviving kin.  And God bless America.

Colbert Report: In your face Mormons!!!

Object Printing

Wanna see something that will blow your mind?



http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/92042-3d-printing-a-replicator-and-teleporter-in-every-home


This is technology that is available NOW.

Why there must be a God

So I want to tell you about a brainstorm I've been having lately. Something that I've been mulling over in my mind for the past couple of weeks. I'm sure other people have already tread this ground, but it has only recently struck home for me.

A lot of people don't believe in God because it isn't "logical" to do so; they don't understand the idea of faith. There isn't any direct evidence that He exists, therefore He must not. But it struck me the other day that NOT believing in God is even LESS logical. Here is why: it all has to do with the origin of life. The spark that began the so-called process of evolution that led the Earth to generate living beings. And as far as I understand my science, scientists DO believe it was a "spark." One of the leading theories for the origin of life deals with what scientists term a "cosmic soup," basically an environment rich with amino acids and the other things required for life to exist, this environment was barraged with lightning and SHAZZAM!!! there was a little one-celled organism complete with DNA, little tentacles to move around, with the ability to replicate itself, and in the future connect with other one-celled organisms to create life as we know it.

This, my friends, is a mathematical impossibility. I'm no mathematician, but it makes perfect sense to me. Life CANNOT spontaneously generate itself!

Can lightning strike silicon rich soil and generate a computer chip? No. And yet, even a single celled organism is infinitely more complex than a computer chip. Think about the complexity of the DNA strand found in every cell, something that the best supercomputers in the world have been mapping for decades. . .and it all generated with amino acids and electricity?

I can believe the theory of evolution, to me it makes a certain amount of sense. . .but the idea that it all began with a simple spark is preposterous. There had to be a guiding hand to set things in motion, a God.

Either there is a God, or life generated itself through a very complex set of events.

Both of these ideas are equally impossible. I guess people have to choose which impossibility they would rather believe, but in only one of these events will their faith be rewarded.

The Curious Eat Themselves

If any of you pay attention to my list of books that I keep on the side of this blog, you'll notice that this is the title of a book that I read last week while I was stationed in Slana, AK. While he's not the next Agatha Christie, the author, John Straley, spins a pretty good mystery yarn. What makes him unique (and gives me the impetus to mention him here on my blog) is that his mystery takes place entirely in Alaska. And it's pretty obvious that he knows what he's talking about when it comes to the coolest state in the union. Anyway, if you want to read a mystery novel that takes place in Alaska, this might be the book you are looking for.

Update

I've updated my progress count on my current project (The Raven) from 52% to 60%. That's right, over the last four months I've only written 8,000 words. Not much, but better than nothing I guess. In two weeks I quit my summer job, and after a 5-ish day drive through Canada, and a couple days acclimating my family to Utah, I should be able to start writing again full time. This time I'm really going to finish before Christmas! Go me!

Harry Potter

One of my friends posted a status on Facebook that gave me the overwhelming desire to fire off an acerbic reply. Instead of doing it on his Facebook wall, I'll do it here, safely in silence.

This is what he said: "I must be the only person who has NOT read a HARRY POTTER book, or watched ANY of the movies, and has no desire to."

Several other people agreed with this post, arguing how the movies are terrible, and that the books are just kids books. Here's another direct quote from this conversation: "While most people will say you are missing out on some of the best literature of our time, I say it's a kid's book, and you're not missing out on much." (This from someone who hasn't read any of them).

They are so WRONG!

First of all, I can understand not being able to get into the movies. The first few aren't that great (the good ones being 3,5,6, and 7 pt1. I haven't seen 7 pt2 yet, but I'm hearing that it's the best of the lot). But that's a ridiculous reason not to read the books. Everyone knows that a great book rarely transforms into a great movie. Bad movies are made from a lot of really brilliant books. So if the movie didn't work for you, give the book a chance.

But here's what really gets me. Why would you deliberately turn away from some of the greatest literature of our time because of a preconceived idea about genre? Stupid! That's a ridiculous attitude to have!

And, I'll point out that Harry Potter goes far beyond "kids" literature. I don't doubt that there will be college courses within the next 20 years that study Harry Potter from a serious literary standpoint.

So, in short, Harry Potter is awesome and everybody should read it. The End.

Country Feedback

So I bought myself a pretty cool recorder for doing. . .you know, recording. After letting it sit around for over half a year, I finally dusted it off and recorded a master track, a cover of REM's "Country Feedback." The mic sounds a bit muddy at times (while at the same time amplifying all the vocal mistakes), but overall, I think the recording sounds pretty good. It was fun to do, and it felt good to be feeding my art again.

My thoughts are limited

Keeping up a blog is hard work. There's a lot of pressure to keep producing posts to satisfy a group of (mostly imagined) readers. I can't come up with something interesting to say every week. . .or month. Actually that isn't true. Plenty of blog-worthy topics come up daily, it's just a matter of formulating a reasoned illumination of that topic. . .which I rarely desire to do. Most other people don't either, and that's ok. So, basically I've decided not to stress about keeping this blog active by the week (which is a "goal" that I've never achieved--though technically I think my yearly average is above that). Anyway, I don't plan on quitting, but perhaps I'll have less superficial posts along the lines of "blah, blah, blah, I'm still here, blah, blah, blah." On the other hand, I'll try to keep notes for the important topics that I do want to write about. Maybe my blog will be more thoughtful and meaningful from now on. Perhaps.

"Work"

Actually, I haven't done much real work yet. All I've done after three weeks of my summer job is training. Here is what I've been trained in so far:

Bear Safety
Internet Security
CPR/First Aid
Operational Leadership (essentially "safety first," but we are ALL leaders)
B3 Training (airplane and helicopter safety)
River Rafting 1 (Theory--Day 1)
River Rafting 2 (Application--Day 2)

And taking place this week:
Whitewater Rafting/Rescue (3 day course, 1 day classroom, 2 days practical application)

Anyway, that's been my job so far this summer. I can't complain. This is all just information that I can file away. Though I do wonder when we will start doing what my job actually entails. . .fixing the trails of WRST NP/P.

And, much to my surprise, the weather for the last two weeks has been. . .for lack of a better word, HOT (70's)! I am not complaining. Not at all.

Charly

So I have a confession to make. My mom was reading that Mormon love story called "Charly" by Jack Weyland and left it lying on the table. Like any curious writer I picked it up with the intention of analyzing the writing style and ended up reading the whole thing. Surprisingly, I think I actually enjoyed the book. Though I will confess that I don't see the whole reason that Charly married Sam in the first place. He was boring and idiotic. And insensitive. And kind of stupid. Why can a guy like that get married when I, being NONE of those things (and extremely humble), am not?

The Last Frontier

This is just an update post. I have nothing of significance to write, but I'd like to put something down just to change the way my blog looks, and to give myself a false sense of accomplishment.

So here I am, back in Alaska. The Last Frontier.

And it is a frontier. In both the good ways and bad ways. However, since I am a 29-year-old-single-male, I find the bad things far outweigh the good. Namely, there are no attractive single, marriageable/date-able women here.

In an effort to prepare for this, a kind-of did a dating marathon before I returned, but I think that only made things worse. Now the frustration from seeing nothing but hairy faced men all day feels much more acute. Alaska is a wild and lonely land, and I feel it in my bones. It's also really cold here, and I feel that in my bones too.

Still, it does feel good to be working again. There's a freshness about working with my fellow crew members, they're a rough lot but I enjoy their banter. And I suppose that watching my bank account fill up again will have a certain satisfaction of its own. All is not lost.

Still, I've been here a week, and I'm already trying to plan out my return to Utah. That's a bad sign. This summer could drag on forever.

This is why I'm Single

When I started working out at the gym last week there was a very attractive girl who was using one of the benches near mine. I'd seen her before, periodically, throughout the year, but never consistently, and never very close. But every time I have seen her, something about her makes me think that I have seen her somewhere before. Anyway, so I started working out; lifting heavy weights and admiring my bulging cords of muscle in the mirror, because that's what we do at the gym, yes? However, at one point I looked over at this girl (because that's also what we do, yes?) and discovered that I wasn't the only one who was admiring my newly acquired physique. But did I talk to the girl? No. Because I have a very hard time talking/flirting/breaking the ice with girls that I find attractive. I kept working out and eventually she left. She was there the next day as well, and once again we worked out near each other for a few minutes, discreetly admiring each other (at least that's what I hope was going on, otherwise it was probably just me ogling her). Did I talk to her this time? No. But some other jerk with muscles did, apparently they knew each other already. Anyway, since we were right near each other I heard some of their conversation and she talked about being in Florida for a recent competition. Once again she left. I haven't seen her since.

However, today I was reading the news and I discovered that the Cougarettes were just in Florida for their national dance competition (and they won, boo-yah! Congrats to them.) Now I realize why this girl looked familiar to me. She is my favorite Cougarette of all! The one whom I most enjoyed watching at basketball and football games for the last two years. I'd never seen her up close before which is why I didn't recognize her right away. So here I am, having blown two chances to talk to a girl that I've always wished to meet/date. Dumb, dumb, dumb!

But she WAS checking me out. Yeah, one of the most sought after girls on BYU campus was giving ME the roving eye! (Which I guess I should be used to by now because I'm pretty sought after myself!:)

(I will add a disclaimer that I'm not 100% positive that it's the same girl, but the odds are pretty good, like 95%)

A Real Dudley Dursley

So here's a story about an 8-year-old kid getting sprayed by the cops at school.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_child_pepper_sprayed



This kid was out of control. He deserved what he got. However, I am quite sure that the reason this kid acts this way was because of parents like Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. They need to be given the same treatment.

What's really sad is that the teachers had to take the other students and hide from this kid. Here's an argument for some form of corporal punishment in schools. For kids like this I would support it.



*And it REALLY ticks me off that I can't get links to work in my blog posts. When they're supposed to appear as a link they just disappear no matter how I try to post them. GRRRRRRRR!

Calling all Dream Interpreters

So there I was, smoking a ton of marijuana. Weird.

Un-Sigh

Thank-you Elder Holland for making me feel better about my current relationship status:)

Sigh

Oh, President Monson, I love the talk that you gave in Priesthood session, and I understand the need for it. But what about those of us single men, who are trying to do our duty (to get married), but who can't seem to find the right female? Or who's marriage success tends to be subject to the whims of the single sisters themselves? Some of us are not alone by choice. . . .

This conference, as a whole, seems to be hammering the single men of the church. And only one talk so far (that I recall) has mentioned the fact that it isn't always the men's fault that we're still single.

The talks have been great, but I can't say that I've survived day one of conference feeling very good about my current relationship status:(

Plowing

Writing is becoming more difficult lately. And I confess that I've been falling short of my daily writing goals. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though. The reason for this struggle is that I'm plowing into the unknown. I've now reached the point in my current story (The Raven) where I'm not sure what exactly is happening next. And I've developed a few more questions within the story for which I need to know the answers before I can move on. It may be time for a serious brainstorming session on my wall-sized marker board.

Uggghh. Writing is hard. How do the professionals make it sound so easy? It's going to be hard, once I get published, to convince my adoring fans that poetic and vivid writing just drips from my proverbial pen.

Anyway, progress is still happening. Today I crossed the 200 page mark, which isn't that big of a deal in the writing world, but it sounds cool. Professional writers won't really be impressed by my modest 57,000 words.

I've also been a bit discouraged by the content of my writing for the last 20,000 words or so. My descriptions seem to be lacking and my action scenes feel very flat. Which sucks. However, this is still a first draft, and I'm just trying to blaze through it to the end, so I haven't been focusing on vivid descriptions and tight action scenes. Once it's finished I can go back and make it intense, poetic and clear. It's just discouraging, because I know that I'm a much better writer than this rough draft is making me sound. Blech. I can't wait to be finished!

One Last BYU Hoops Post (until next Fall)

It's hard not to look back on BYU's Sweet Sixteen game and imagine how different things would have been with just a few different lucky breaks during the year (as in: what if Brandon Davies and Chris Collinsworth were still able to play?). What's amazing though is that BYU was still able to make the sweet sixteen without them. Usually, losing two of your best big men dooms your team. Not BYU.

But now we move on. . .without Jimmer Fredette, Jackson Emery, and Logan Magnusson (and Kyle Collinsworth for two years). Some people think we are going to suck without The Jimmer. Not me.

We're going to be good next year (top 25 good). We'll make the NCAA tournament. And we'll win games (yes, plural, more than one) there. That's my call, take it to the bank.

BYU has some good players coming in next year, who may not be able to equal the production of Jimmer and Jackson, but as a team we'll be just as strong. Our incoming freshman, DeMarcus Harrison, looks like a legit, athletic guard. He has a better shot than Kyle Collinsworth, and is just as athletic, if not more-so. Anson Winder, who reshirted this year, is also quick and athletic and he has the benefit of a year in the program. Last of all, UCLA transfer Matt Carlino, will replace The Jimmer at point guard in December (once NCAA transfer rules are met). He won't be Jimmer, but I believe he'll be much more dangerous than Nick Martineau. In short, I think BYU as a team will actually be faster and more athletic next year. And we'll have our front-court back.

So here's my wish list for the basketball team next year.

1) Stephen Rogers needs to hit the weight room and put on about 30 pounds of muscle. This will help him develop a legit back-to-the-basket game, as well as making him quicker when driving to the hoop. He would be a super dangerous player with those added dimensions to his game; a match-up nightmare.

2) Charles Abouo needs to step up consistently. I love his game when he brings it, but he seems to be really streaky. I'd like to see him average double digits next year (15 would be nice). It is time for him to be a leader and a constant threat on the floor. His defense is awesome.

3) Chris Collinsworth needs to get mission rust out of his system and stay healthy.

4) James Anderson could use some weight room time as well. He's a tall guy, and he's had some success on defense. Let's make him a scoring threat as well. And, he needs more fire.

5) I'd really love for both DeMarcus Harrison and Anson Winder to come in and average double digits as well. One of them will have to play off the bench, which would actually be really good for us. We didn't have a consistent off-the-bench scoring threat this year.

Here's what our starting line-up should look like next year:
PG-Matt Carlino
SG-Anson Winder (or Harrison, but I'm betting on Winder because of experience).
SF-Charles Abouo
PF-Noah Hartsock
C-Brandon Davies (who will come back. If he doesn't the BYU student body should overthrow the Honor Code office).

Anyway, I'm already excited for next year. Go Cougs!

Here's a DeMarcus Harrison highlight video:


And here's Anson Winder dunking a lot (he can shoot the 3 too):

Burlesque

As a whole, Burlesque isn't the best of movies. However, it does have a killer soundtrack in which Christina Aguilera is absolutely brilliant. This girl can really sing. Here's my favorite song (which I think would make an excellent ballroom Cabaret. . .if only I wasn't retired). Anyway, this song speaks to me on so many different levels. It's called Bound to You. Enjoy.



Bound to You--Christina Aguilera

Sweet love, sweet love
Trapped in your love
I've opened up, unsure I can trust
My heart and I were buried in dust
Free me, free us

You're all I need when I'm holding you tight
If you walk away I will suffer tonight

I found a man I can trust
And boy, I believe in us
I am terrified to love for the first time
Can you see that I'm bound in chains
I finally found my way
I am bound to you
I am bound to you

So much, so young
I've faced on my own
Walls I built up became my home
I'm strong and I'm sure there's a fire in us
Sweet love, so pure

I catch my breath with just one beating heart
And I brace myself, please don't tear this apart

I found a man I can trust

And boy, I believe in us
I am terrified to love for the first time
Can't you see that I'm bound in chains
I finally found my way
I am bound to you
I am bound to

Suddenly the moment's here
I embrace my fears
All that I have been carrying all these years
Do I risk it all
Come this far just to fall, fall

Oh, I can trust
And boy, I believe in us
I am terrified to love for the first time
Can you see that I'm bound in chains
And finally found my way
I am bound to you

I am,
Ooh, I am
I'm bound to you

March Madness

Most of my most recent posts have something to do with writing. Well, this one does too. In short, how can one get any writing done during the NCAA tournament (especially when all the games are broadcast online)? It isn't possible. Therefore I shall not even try.

Go COUGARS!!!

The Unexpected

Today I went to my Stake President's office for the purpose of renewing my temple recommend. In the middle of the interview he (the first counselor) kind of paused and then started a half-hour conversation on dating. He asked me what my dating method was, and when I told him about my current unsuccessful methods he told me that I needed to just have fun and focus more on establishing friendships with girls. He then proceeded to "hook me up" with a girl. So now I have the number for a girl written on the inside of my new temple recommend.

The amazing (and important) thing here is that he told me exactly what I needed to hear. Before I talked to him, I talked to my bishop, and he also told me many things that were exactly what I needed to hear. And before that, as I was set apart for my new calling by one of the counselors in my bishopric, I was given a blessing (by a man that I don't even know) that addressed a lot of my specific concerns and needs that I'm dealing with in my life right now.

In short, the Priesthood is real. God knows what we need, and He often speaks to us through His called servants. I have no doubt that all three of these men were following the promptings of the Spirit. I'll also add that no matter how much I want to be gloomy, after talking with these men I can't help but be positive. Their faith is annoyingly infectious.

Too bad I can't have them chilling with me all the time, eh? The hardest part about life is when we have to stand on our own (not that I haven't been doing that for a long time already. . .that's my problem).

Anyway, now I kind of have to call this girl. If a member of the stake presidency gives you the number of a girl you have to call her, right? It's probably one of those laws established in heaven.

*When I first posted this the Darth Vader quote at the bottom was eerily relevant:
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Seduction

(Ulyssus and the Sirens--Herbert James Draper)
Ladies, if you want to drive a man out of his mind here is the way to do it in an easy to follow step by step list.

1) Wear a slinky black dress. Indirectly, show him your figure by displaying a cool feature of said dress.

2) Talk a lot about your dreams of finding that "special someone" to travel the world with.

3) Use non-verbal communication: give him coy looks from underneath your lashes, caress the skin around your neck, play with your hair, and show some slender white leg.

4) Touch his hand, if it is cold, wrap it in your hands to warm it, then place his hand on the soft, succulent skin of your neck.

5) Express interest in his manly physique.

6) Talk about your voracious sexual appetite.

7) Now for the coup-de-grace! Tell him you have just "friendly" feelings for him; that you feel no spark.

Hopefully he'll be able to get the picture.

Alive

It seems that I had a sudden flurry of posts and then just petered out. Never fear, my adoring public, I am still here.

My time lately has been spent writing (woo-hoo!). So far my new writing method is working quite well (I've been consistently productive since I began, which is as good as I can ask for). How consistent have I been? Well, how does over 12,000 words and 40 pages (in a little over two weeks) sound? Yeah, be impressed, it's ok.

Let's see, what else can I blabber about right now? Oh yes, I said something pretty boastful the other day, but I think it's a good quote. Maybe I'll be remembered for it (if somebody else hasn't said something similar).

Here it is:

1000 words? I can paint a picture in 50. ~J. A. Devenport

I don't know that I really can, but that is what I try to accomplish when writing. Writing, even prose, should have a certain sense of poetry. Blogging isn't the best place to accomplish this, nor is academic writing I guess, but everything else should embrace the beauty found within language. Prose should paint a picture, and 1000 words is enough to go through several poetic images that capture far more than a single picture is able to do. So, anytime you here that cliche "a picture is worth 1000 words," smash it down. Prove them wrong. Language is powerful.

My Sister said my blog was ugly:(

Is this better?

The only way to Celebrate the Holiday of Valentines Day

No offense to all the happy couples that I know, but I think that this is the only event that would save Valentines Day as a holiday. As it is, it's just a punch in the face to the majority of the population.

Annual Valentine's Day Stoning Of Happy Couple Held

God holds a Cattle Prod?

Headache+Excedrin=Late Night. I'm not on the internet blogging at this hour because I want to be:) Rather, I've been forced into it, but for your sake I shall try to make the best of it.

My life, for the last several weeks, has been in a state of, shall we say, steady upheaval. I'm not going to go into details, because they don't matter. What I will say is that for some reason God decided to send yours truly into a severe state of system shock. That's not what I'm writing about though--I spent all last year sounding whiny, and I don't want to do that again this year. What I am writing about is how sometimes difficult/traumatic/confusing experiences redefine us; they can help us see the world in new ways (for better or worse), and sometimes they work as cattle prods, giving us an electric jolt to our hindquarters which motivates us to move forward.

As a writer, I've been severely lacking in motivation since April of last year. I don't know why. Part of it was dealing with some minor writer's block. But really, I could have worked through it with a little bit of effort. That's the problem with motivation though, if you don't have it, you can't put forth effort. So, for the last eight months or so, I've made very little effort to pursue my self proclaimed career path.

Somehow, recent events have shaken me from this state of apathy. I don't even know how it happened, one week I was not writing, and the next week I was. A lot. For a sense of comparison, in the past week, I have written more than I had in the previous NINE MONTHS. That's a pretty good turnaround.

It still eludes me, why I was able to convert events of the last few weeks into writing motivation. It doesn't make sense, really. I've had similar experiences in the past and none of them turned me into a productive writer. Why now?

I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this train of thought. Perhaps all I'm trying to say is that God moves in mysterious ways. Or maybe He moves in very simple ways, encouraging us until He's sure we're not responding, then giving us the cattle prod.

I don't like the cattle prod, but I am writing again. . . .

*the picture is from a Japanese Anime called Ah! My Goddess. In case you didn't catch the reason I added it to this post it's because. . .well, I just wanted to add a picture (and I like Belldandy, thankyouverymuch!).

On Writing

I started reading Stephen King's book On Writing, which is one of the best books about being a writer that I've ever read. I like to read it regularly. It's amazing to me how someone who is not known for elegant literature can have such a thorough understanding of language. Stephen King is an artist, and he understands the craft of writing as well as any of the great historical writers.

Anyway, here is a quote that struck me from my most recent read through:

Writing is a lonely job. Having somebody who believes in you makes a lot of difference. They don't have to make speeches. Just believing is usually enough. ~Stephen King

(I need me one of those peoples:)

Progress. Yay!

I think I've finally found some sort of formula to actually be a productive writer. Of course, it may be a little early to tell of it's going to work long term or not, because I've only been doing it for four days now.

In short, I've set a very modest goal for myself: to type 1000 words a day (that comes out to about 3 and 1/4 double spaced pages a day). I find that I can actually hit this in about three hours or less, generally. It helps that it's an easy goal, because it's easier to motivate yourself to accomplish a small thing than it is for a large thing. Once finished, I plot ahead for the next 1000 words. By doing this, I always have a general idea what is happening the next time I write, so I always have material to type.

Really, as simple as it sounds, this system seems to be working miracles for me. I haven't been this productive as a writer since I was a student, when writing was required for a grade. Even then I doubt I was really averaging 1000 words a day.

Just for the sake of comparison, when I was in Brandon Sanderson's writing class, he said that a writer could be a productive writer, and make a living, on 2000 words a week. Stephen King sits down in the morning and doesn't get up until he's written something like 10,000 words. Anyway, I'm kind of in the middle right now.

Hopefully this keeps going.

*Correction: I just checked and Stephen King writes at least 2000 words a day (around 10 pgs). That's his goal and he won't get up until he hits it.

The Maze Runner

I was ill last night and couldn't sleep. So between the hours of 2-6am I read James Dashner's "The Maze Runner."

It was good, Dashner's prose is quite strong throughout, and the story is interesting. In short a teenage boy, Thomas, wakes up in the middle of a huge maze, remembering nothing of his past. There are other boys there, all kids, but as soon as Thomas arrives the status-quo for survival that has existed in the past is upset. The goal is to get out of the maze. Naturally, there are bio-mechanical monsters called "Grievers" that roam the maze to make things interesting.

However, perhaps because it is a YA novel (directed at a younger audience), I found the story extremely predictable. I guessed every single plot twist before it happened, and I'm not exaggerating. I also think that Dashner struggles a little with accurate teenage dialogue, and sometimes character motivations seemed out of place. My last complaint might be unique to me, but I thought "The Maze Runner" had a similar feel to Susanne Collins's "Hunger Games."

Anyway, even with its flaws I found the book engrossing enough to read in one sitting. And, I'm intrigued enough that I will read the sequels when I get a chance.

BTW, Dashner is a local Provo, UT author. I have a link to his blog off to the side somewhere in my blogroll.

Book Reviews

I just finished two separate and very different trilogies. I shall now present to you my succinct reviews.

The Vampire Chronicles--Anne Rice
I've read a few Vampire books, and seen a few movies, but I don't claim to be an expert in Vampire literature. But it seems that Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" is one of the mainstays of the genre. Anyway, I enjoyed the series.

As a whole, the "Chronicles" are well written. The first book "Interview with the Vampire" does a fine job of introducing Anne Rice's world. If it has a weakness it's the fact that the narrator is vocally narrating the story to someone else in the book. In other words, the story is one long exposition through dialogue. The idea is good, but it works better in the form of a short story. Rice is methodical in the buildup of her story, focusing on details and history before delving into the action. "Interview with the Vampire" may lose a portion of readers through its slow and seemingly meandering story arc, but Rice ties everything together in the later books. So, in short, the first book is good, but it main purpose is just to build up the later two books.

The second book "The Vampire Lestat" introduces us to the main protagonist of the whole story, Lestat, a Vampire who awakes (in the mid-eighties) and decides to become the front-man of a goth-metal band (because it's the perfect disguise, hehe), and announce to the world the existence of vampires (in short). The story then backtracks two hundred years and introduces us to Lestat's past. "The Vampire Lestat" goes much deeper into Rice's universe which is good. Unfortunately, after the excellent hook in the beginning, we don't actually get to see much of Lestat being a rock star until the third book. Still, it's a well written and interesting book.

If the first two books are buildup and history, "The Queen of the Damned" is climax the whole way through. In short, Lestat's music is so good (or bad, as my parents would argue) that it wakes up what is essentially the Vampire "god" or goddess as the case goes here. She decides to make Lestat her new prince and consort, all the while intending to destroy the world. Yay! I love impending doom in books! While the first two books are told almost completely through the eyes of one character, the last one has multiple character viewpoints, which was a good choice because there were so many plot lines to tie up. Also, multiple characters introduced through the first two books return for the grand finale, and its interesting to see how their years of immortality have changed them (yes, Rice does a good job of character development). This is getting long. . .in short, "Queen of the Damned" is really good, the best of the three (if you are action oriented).

Note: If you like dark and creepy sounding rock music, the soundtrack for "The Queen of the Damned" movie is actually quite good.

Now, onto Philip Pullman's "Dark Materials" trilogy. Because I'm getting bored of typing this is going to be short.

The first book "The Golden Compass" is really good.

The second book, "The Subtle Knife" is not as good.

The third book "The Amber Spyglass" is less good than the previous two.

The reason for this is that Philip Pullman is a genius, and his overall story arc is very grand--As the story viewpoints start branching away from the main character of the first book, Lyra, the series gets harder to follow, and less interesting. "The Golden Compass" introduced some excellent characters, but we see less of them through the following books, which is a shame. While Pullman's writing style is very good and engaging, some people may not appreciate the fact that Pullman's story is a long allegory for casting down "god." In fact one of his character directly discovers that "physics" is superior to "god." Still, Pullman does interweave both physics and Christian mythology (academic use of word) into his story in a very interesting manner.

And now I am done. The end.

Terrorism

I found this video on the Onion the other day and I thought it was pretty funny:

Al Qaeda Populating U.S. With Peaceful 'Decoy Muslims'

However, not long after I found this video posted on Facebook:


Suddenly the Onion's satirical nature takes on a much more sinister aspect. I'm not a believer that every Muslim is a terrorist. But I do believe in the "few bad apples" idiom. The world is full of people with false intentions, people who hide behind a mask of friendship. Iago from "Othello" is a great example of this. Shakespeare knew humanity, and unfortunately there are a plethora of Iagos out there. . . The End.

Sundance

For the first time since I have been in Utah I was able to attend the Sundance film festival. Even though I went on a Monday night, and there wasn't that much happening, I thought it was pretty cool. I went with my roommate, who was volunteering there, and one of my good friends.

I saw a really CRAZY movie called Bellflower. It's hard to give a short synopsis of this movie, but I will do my best. Basically it's about a couple guys who like to sit around and think about how they would survive the Apocalypse. Eventually thought gives way to action, and they begin to build cool things like flamethrowers (you can see why I chose to watch this film, yes?). However, one of the guys falls in love with a girl, and she subsequently tears their world apart. And that is a very short, and inadequate synopsis. I do not recommend this movie. It was out of control and the story quickly descended into chaos. The cinematography tried too hard to be artistic, there were some really cool shots, but overall the style got old quickly (basically most of the shot blurry with only the main subject in focus. It was also really grainy (could have been 8mm film) which added a nice effect, but at times was distracting). There was also some sound issues, where a person speaking on one side of the screen sounded in the opposite speaker, which seems like a basic issue that should have been taken care of. The director shows talent, but hopefully his next project can be a little more. . .purposeful?

I saw one celebrity, Ed Helms, who acts in a few movies and TV shows.

And that's about it. I spent some time wandering around Park City, which seems like a pretty sweet place to live.

Anyway, it was fun, next year I'll have to spend more time there.

Stagnant

I've been perusing my blog for about half an hour now, and I've come to the conclusion that my blogging has become rather stagnant over the past year. Essentially all my blog posts come down to either funny/interesting internet videos, or me whining in some way about women.

What do I need to do to change?

PS. It's easier to blog when there is a quantifiable audience. In other words, I appreciate comments and feedback on my posts. Though, I do understand that a post should have a certain relevance in order to deserve this. . .most of mine from the last year haven't.

True Grit

True Grit = Awesome movie!

"Well," you ask, "which one? The original with John Wayne? Or the new one with Jeff Bridges?"

"Both," I answer.

And I can honestly say this, having just watched the original Sunday night, and the new version on Monday. Both are very good.

The original is excellent, the cast is strong, and the writing is absolutely brilliant, especially for a John Wayne western. There are several scenes of dialogue that have wit worthy of a Shakespeare play. And John Wayne is at his best.

The new adaptation is also excellent. It survives by staying very true to the original; many of the lines are still the same, and the plot is changed very little. It excels by its more artistic delivery. The cinematography is excellent, and the composition of some of the scenes is really quite beautiful. The cast in this one is also excellent. Jeff Bridges takes the role played by John Wayne and gives it a grittier feel.

In short, go watch True Grit. It doesn't matter which one.

Oh, I guess I should do a story synopsis. Here you go: The father of a 14-year-old girl is killed by the coward Tom Cheney. When she discovers that the law is doing little to pursue the killer, the girl, Maddy Ross, takes matters into her own hands by hiring a US marshal, Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne/Jeff Bridges), to track down the killer. She hires him because she is told that he has "true grit." Naturally she insists on accompanying the Marshal in the hunt. As the story progresses, we discover that the movie isn't about Rooster Cogburn's grit, it's about hers.

Sarah Palin and the Onion

I like Palin, but this was awesome.


Morbid Curiosity Leading Many Voters To Support Palin

Jake Heaps

Here's our star quarterback discussing the football off-season and BYU basketball. Watch till the end, because he demonstrates why he's so good.

Jimmer

This is why I love BYU basketball.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Jimmer is absolutely unconscious. He easily could have had more points in this game. He had 45 points when he was pulled from the game with almost 6 minutes to go (he was put back in for about a minute to stop a Utah run). Jimmer did make two mistakes. The first was a missed dunk that he took at a bad angle, and the second was a missed three, which was the only wide open shot he took all night. Go figure.

New Year!!!

I for one am not sorry to see 2010 go. It was a year that started with promise, but quickly plummeted into something much less wonderful. Not that it was horrible, it just didn't deliver according to my hopes and desires.

Highs and Lows of 2010:

High:Girls?

High: I graduated from college!

Low: Girls.

High: Working for the Park Service in Alaska.

Low: I did not finish a novel for publication.

High: Working out and gaining muscle. Being more healthy/fit than I have been in a long time.

Low: Girls.

Low: Entering my "adult" life (post-graduation) with no real long term career plan other than the wild hope that I can become successful as an author.

Low: Girls.

Low: Girls.

Low: Girls.

Low: Girls.

As you can see, there are a few more lows on this list than highs. That's why I'm looking forward to 2011.