SAT on Sat.

Yes, that's right. This Saturday (commonly abbreviated Sat.), I will be taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (commonly abbreviated SAT).

Getting up early on a Saturday + several hours of standardized testing = not a happy Becky.

Oh well. It must be done. I'm not too worried about it, really; I've done fine on the PSAT, and I don't think I'll have a problem getting into a college (I just have to figure out where I want to go and what I want to do, which is much easier said than done). I'm just not too thrilled about the getting up early on a Saturday part. Or the several hours of standardized testing part.

I think I need some sleep.

Song for tonight: "Drilled A Wire Through My Cheek" by Blue October. It's stuck in my head.

"And crying isn't secret, it's the art of how we grieve..."

If only it were always that simple.

I'm really tired, you guys. I think I should get some sleep. I think I've said that already, haven't I? Yeah, I guess I have...maybe I got zapped with Daniel Faraday's time machine or something. (@CH, AF, and any other LOST fans out there.)

Chelsey and Indi are never going to forgive me for how long I've left them alone...*sigh* I should write something.

Tomorrow.

For right now, I need to at least pretend I'm gonna get a decent amount of sleep tonight. G'night!

Love,
Bex

Living Dead Girl

I read a book today. Over the course of less than three and a half hours. Most of that time was not spent reading. In fact, I spent just a little over an hour reading it. It doesn't take long. It's a very quick read. And it was an excellent, if haunting, book.

The book I'm referring to is LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott, pictured below:

LIVING DEAD GIRL is about Alice. Once upon a time, her name wasn't Alice. But ever since Ray took her five years ago, she has been Alice. The once-upon-a-time girl is gone.

Ray is a pedophile. He took Alice from a class trip right before her tenth birthday, and since then he has claimed to be her father figure, but basically she's his sex toy. She's broken; she doesn't know how to be anything other than Ray's little girl. But Alice is fifteen now, and that's too old for Ray. Ray wants a new Alice. And this Alice is going to help him get her, because if she isn't good, the once-upon-a-time girl's family will be killed. Ray will kill them.

From the back of the book:

"The thing is, you can get used to anything. You think you can't, you want to die, but you don't. You won't. You just are."

This is Alice. She was taken by Ray five years ago. She thought she knew how her story would end. She was wrong.

Not gonna lie, it was a pretty creepy/disturbing story. My recommendation for this one comes with caution labels. It's not a lighthearted story that anyone who's just looking to kill some time should read. But if you're looking for a genuinely well-written (the writing style is great), haunting story that will make you think, I would recommend LIVING DEAD GIRL in a heartbeat. It's an excellent book. One of those ones that you can't really say "I enjoyed that," because you don't enjoy reading about abuse, but it is a gripping story that you can't put down, and I would give it five stars. 

You can find out more about the author, Elizabeth Scott, at her website. She's got some other books that I've also enjoyed (STEALING HEAVEN, LOVE YOU HATE YOU MISS YOU) and I'm reading another one right now (THE UNWRITTEN RULE, which I'm sure you'll hear more about when I'm done). You should check out her books, because her writing is amazing.

And now, I'm off to do something that my teachers would consider productive. No offense to any teachers in the audience, but sometimes -- okay, a lot of times -- I feel like I could be a lot more productive if I weren't doing homework.

Until next time, internet!

~Bex

Academic Sources

In my humble, uninformed, eleventh-grade opinion, the need for academic sources is highly overrated.

I may be biased, because I'm having a nearly impossible time finding any. But that's because I really do not think academic sources on this topic exist. I mean, sure, there are some; I have found one scholarly article about young adult film adaptations (even though it's from 16 years ago and it does not have current information and it's not exactly the ideal source, it's all I've got), and two or three others about adaptations in general. But I cannot find any current information on YA lit film adaptations that would be considered "academic sources."

There's plenty of stuff out there. Authors blog about it all the time (among them Ally Carter, Melissa Marr, Stephenie Meyer, John Green, etc etc etc), but I can't very well say "Well, see, on this author's blog, she said that she as the novelist has no control over the adaptation, and in this random non-academic website, there's an interview where this guy talks about writing the screenplay..." because that just doesn't fly with teachers.

So, my question is this: How am I supposed to write a decent, well-informed, thorough review of literature that is relevant to my topic (screenwriting of YA film adaptations) when there is no information about YA film adaptations?

I'm finding plenty about screenwriting, from Syd Field to James Ryan, but not much at all about adaptations of YA fiction. It's like the stuff doesn't exist. Which, as my father pointed out, it very well may not. If it's a recent trend, there isn't time for there to be academic sources out there.

I understand that having academic sources is important. I understand why it's important - anyone can post stuff on the web. Anyone at all. That's why we can't use Wikipedia as a source: anyone can post there, so the information could be completely illegit. (My ninth-grade history teacher found an error on Wikipedia while using it as lecture notes.) Blogs, commercial websites, and similar internet locations are not scholarly, nor are they guaranteed to be well-informed. They are just not good to use in research papers.

My only problem is that I don't know where else to find the information.

*sigh* Off to more hopefully-not-futile questing for valid, academic sources. Until next time, internetfolk.

Love,
Bex

Online TV-Watching Fail

So if you've read my blog at all - at all - you know I've been watching ABC's LOST on Hulu, and I was nearing the end of season 3. Well, I clicked on the link to the penultimate episode of season three, and watched it, and was immensely confused. And as the final credits rolled, I realized something.

Even though the link was labelled "Through the Looking Glass, Part 1," the episode it linked to was actually "Through the Looking Glass, Part 2." Source of confusion located. I skipped an episode. So of course, I went back and watched Part 1 after that, but, yeah. Bit of a fail.

I have a few things to say about this. Spoilers are mixed in, marked by arrows.

1. The season finale made me cry. -->Charlie died! It was sad already and then he wrote on his hand to warn Desmond (even if Des never got the message to Jack) and that just pushed it over the top, and Claire was asking about him, and I cried.<--

2. Some of the "flashback" sequences were very confusing, particularly when watched out of order. -->Yes, I did figure out that they were actually flashforwards. But when you see the finale before the one before it...it's confusing.<--

3. These people need to figure out their relationship issues. -->Because Sawyer is all "I love Kate" and then flirts with Juliet, and Jack is all kissy-face with Juliet and then tells Kate "I love you." Hello, love square that will dominate seasons 4, 5, and 6. At least, that's my guess.<--

4. If they don't properly explain what happened, I am going to be very frustrated indeed.

5. I wanna know whose funeral it is. CH says I have to wait until the season 4 finale. This displeases me.

So yes...I have now seen the first three seasons of LOST. Tomorrow I shall begin season 4. Somewhere amidst all of my homework.

Speaking of homework, I should probably be doing some. Ahh, the life of a Magnet student... *le sigh*

That's all for now, folks. Catch ya later!

~Bex

Random Observations, Statements, and Other Facts

I like lists. So, I have composed...a list!

1. Today is my friend MGC's birthday. He's 17. Happy birthday, M!

2. When I started watching LOST, I didn't realize it was gonna make me cry! I've got 2 episodes left of season 3, and the end of this last one had me tearing up. SPOILER!! -->Charlie's going to die! :'( He's all last-kiss-with-Claire, "I love you, man" to Hurley, and he gave his DS ring to Aaron, and he wrote that adorable note about how the best moment of his life was meeting Claire, and he won't let Desmond sacrifice himself for him, and ahhh it's so sweet and sad and everything. Charlie's my favorite character, in case you didn't know.<--

3. I think screenwriting is very interesting. I think writing research papers about screenwriting is less enjoyable. Stupid thesis homework.

4. On a related note, Script Frenzy starts in just over three weeks. I'm so ready to start planning.

5. There's a new episode of CASTLE tonight!!! I'm quite excited about this. Although judging by the trailer, it is probably not something my 12-year-old brother should be watching with us. (Like that has ever stopped him.)

6. I've been meaning to recommend the song "Take Me" by Hawk Nelson for ages:

"I need You more than ever. I need Your help to find where I've been going wrong so far. Take me under Your wing tonight, make me so perfect in Your eyes. Hold on 'cause it will be alright, you're not alone."

It's an excellent song. Like, amazingfully wonderful and fantastic and awesome and I love it. You should definitely go listen to it. I think you'll enjoy it.

7. This is item number seven in my list. There are seven books in the Harry Potter series. I need to reread those. I haven't read any since I finished book seven. That's the longest I've been without any Harry Potter since I started the series back in like....second grade, probably.

8. I have had "X Amount of Words" by Blue October stuck in my head all afternoon for no apparent reason.

"Relapse, prevent trigger intent, now drown, high strung, say X amount of words...[skip lots] Give me recipes for happy with the chemicals gone, drinking freedom from a bottle to the tune of belong..."

Another good song, although stylistically not at all what I normally listen to. You may or may not like it. Find out for yourself, I suppose...

9. If there is as much melodrama in college as there is in high school, I will scream. I am not kidding. I will scream loudly. It will hurt. My throat, and the ears of whoever is around to hear it.

10. Today's mathematical equation: Chelsey + Indi + Indi-story-revamp + creative writing assignment protagonist + thesis homework + CASTLE + LOST + good book to read + required school reading + melodrama + song lyric overload = BRAINSPLOSION.

That is all.

Love,
Bex

Scarlett Fever

So do you guys remember Scarlett and Spencer from Maureen Johnson's SUITE SCARLETT? I blogged about them/it a while ago. No shame in not remembering, although Spencer is possibly one of my favorite fictional characters ever.

Anyway, I have just finished reading the sequel, SCARLETT FEVER. And oh my goodness. Ohhmygoodness. Can I just say that I would absolutely love to have the third book, like, right now?

The cast of SUITE SCARLETT is back in another hilarious and sweet and just adorable book, now with the addition of 15-year-old Broadway star Chelsea Biggs and her apparently good-for-nothing brother Max. So, of course, Mrs. Amberson wants Scarlett to spy on befriend the Biggs children. Meanwhile, Scarlett can't get Eric out of her head, and Spencer has landed a role on Scarlett's favorite TV show, Crime and Punishment. I don't know that I can say much more than that without providing spoilers for either book (I don't want to tell you how the first one ends, if you haven't read it yet *cough*KD,CJ,SH*cough*). But eeek. It was absolutely wonderful and fantastic, and you should absolutely read it. After you read the first one, of course.

And because I need to vent somewhere about what I hope/predict for the third book, there will be a spoiler below. For goodness' sake, don't highlight it and read it if you haven't read the first one yet. Please.

--> So if Scarlett doesn't get together with Max, I am going to be seriously furious. Because Eric is a jerk. He and Chelsea should get together, and Scarlett just needs to end up with Max. Also, I'm betting that Chip is going to be furious once he finds out about Lola signing the post-nup. And Spencer...Spencer's going to get a good role in something or other. He's being kind of moody, though. Hopefully the David Frieze role doesn't permanently ruin his good-boy physical comedy career. Ack I REALLY want the next book NOW. <--

And with that, I leave you, so that I can watch LOST catch up on my APUSH homework and then watch LOST. As Tigger says, TTFN!

Love,
Bex

For the Amusement of the LOST Fans...

Season 3. I'm currently about 12 minutes into Episode 17, "Catch-22." For the amusement of the LOST fans among us (*cough*CH, this means you*cough*), I have a brief summary of recent events:

Ben: omg wheelchair. uh-oh. bad.
Kate: JACK!
Jack: go away.
Locke: Ben's in a wheelchair I'm not ha ha!
Ben: don't blow up that submarine.
submarine: *boom*
Locke: okay, I blew it up!
Ben: good boy.
Sawyer: you tricked me into being NICE?! laaame.
Hurley: didn't you like it?
Claire: *sick*
Locke's father: *appears*
Others + Locke: *vanish*
Kate: um, why am I handcuffed to you?
Juliet: because they left me. *haha I'm lying!*
Jack: JULIET IS ONE OF US.
Sawyer/Sayid: liar.
Juliet: Jack loves you.
Kate: liar.
Charlie: uhh....help Claire now. kthnx.
Juliet: I can save her.
Sawyer/Sayid: liar.
Juliet: I know everything about you. Let me go.
Claire: *better*
Jack: I trust Juliet.
Juliet: *you shouldn't trust me*
Jack: Oh, Juliet!
Juliet: Oh, Jack!
Kate: Sawyer...
Sawyer: Kate...
*intense hug*
Desmond: HELP THE FUTURE HAPPEN.
Hurley: Desmond is my friend!
Jack: ...k.

So, CH, still think I should write for LOST in 8:15?

This show is quite fun. I can't watch for too long, though, or Chelsey and Indi will get mad at me...but if I don't watch enough, ES will get quite annoyed at my lack of awareness of NCIS. *sigh* TV is so soul-sucking, and schizophrenia being a writer creates so many Murder Threats from Fictional Characters...

Of course I'm normal. Of course I'm not sleep-deprived even though it's Saturday.

Gonna go finish this episode now. Love,
Bex