Two and a Half Things

Thing 1: Technology is made of evil. I was unable to blog last night because I had internet for all of maybe half an hour and the connection was sloooow. And of course last night was the one night in the last several weeks that I have really and truly needed an internet connection because of schoolwork. Go figure. Thanks, technology. Love you too. I'm only able to blog tonight because I am not at home, which leads me nicely into...

Thing 2: I am currently in a room at the Sewanee Inn. First college visit this weekend. I don't have much of an opinion yet, since it got dark before we arrived, but tomorrow I will be able to tell you all about Sewanee (aka the University of the South). I have not seen anyone in jeans yet, and that's not a good sign, but we'll see.

Thing 2.5: I have a song that I really really really want to share with all of you but it's not on YouTube yet and there's only a 30-second clip on iTunes. I haven't been able to find it on Grooveshark either. This frustrates me immensely. But I have a very awesome song recommendation for you guys once I can find it.

And now I should sleep. Because I'm tired. (Or maybe I'll just stay on the internet for a while. Whatever.)

Love,
Bex

Victory

I would like you all to know that I am officially a Script Frenzy 2010 winner. I have the icons and everything:

Aren't they lovely? Yes, I thought you'd agree. But it took some work to get there.

My final screenplay document was 106 pages (plus one line). So, when you subtract out the title page, it was really 105 pages of text. However, in order to confirm that you've won, you have to convert the file to a pdf and it counts the pages for you.

The PDF Converter decided that I only had 96 pages of material.

Grr.

So, I added some stuff and messed around with it a bit until the pdf finally admitted that I had 104 pages. A page short, but whatever. I figure it counts.

Also I have finished another book. However, I have homework that I have put off to finish Screnzy, so I should do that. Remind me to tell you all about THE RECKONING tomorrow, when I really have time to do it justice. Kelley Armstrong's work deserves a blog post of its own.

TTFN, interwebs. Love,

Bex

On Endings

I hate writing endings.

I never know how to end anything. I've finished first drafts of three novels. One of them ends with "to be continued" and two of them have ridiculously lame conclusions. I know this is something that could/should be fixed with later drafts (and/or by adding a sequel), but honestly, the two lame-conclusions ones were NaNo stories that I don't plan to redraft anyway.

I just don't know where to stop, how to wrap things up nicely without providing too much information, what should happen at the end of a story. I love playing with new ideas and characters, but finishing them is hard. I keep getting sidetracked by new ideas.

Case in point: Script Frenzy. I've written up to the climax...and now, having absolutely no idea what to write there, I have turned back to Chelsey.

I am going to finish Screnzy. I am. Possibly tonight, more likely tomorrow. Promise.

And I'm going to finish Chelsey too. Eventually.

But I hate (loathe, despise, detest) writing endings. Because I never have any idea how. You'd think I'd have a better idea, given how much I read (since all books have endings). But I don't.

Guess I'll have to figure it out as I go.

Love,
Bex

Grrr.

I am thoroughly annoyed, people of the internets. I've read my copy of DEATHLY HALLOWS exactly once - the night it came out. Each of my parents has read it once, and then it sat on my bookshelf for two years, which is probably the longest my Harry Potter books have ever sat on a shelf untouched, and then I lent it to a friend. As far as I know, she and her brother each read it once.

It was in perfect condition when I lent it to her. And when I got it back, the pages were barely attached to the cover anymore because the binding had come undone. And MM is not someone who mistreats books. She's very nice to them. And it wasn't like there were any pages bent or anything - except for the fact that the binding had basically come completely undone, it was still in perfect condition.

Well, now I've sat down to reread it, and the binding problem has gotten even worse, and the pages are now coming apart as well, so if the one tiny strip of paper that's holding them together comes undone, I will have Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Deathly Hallows Part 2. Part 2 will still be shabbily attached to the cover. Part 1 I'm not so sure about.

"Well, Becky, it's a book," you say. "Easy enough to replace. There's a Barnes and Noble five minutes from your house. You're in there so often half the employees know you. Just go buy a new one."

Well, I would, only...the one I have is a hardcover first edition that I got at the midnight release. It's special because it's a first edition, yes, and also because - well - I got it at the last midnight release party for a Harry Potter book ever and it's kind of got some sentimental value.

It has not been mistreated. It's barely even been read. The library copies have been read loads more than this one and they're still fine. So why is my book falling apart?

If I write to Scholastic, they'll replace it. I do not want it replaced, I want it repaired. Maybe this is childish and impossible, but that's what it feels like. Is it stupid to feel like I'm losing a friend when one of my favorite/most treasured books is falling apart?

Here's to my copy of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, which I may not be able to finish reading again.

Love,
Bex

The Today List

Something that you should probably know about me, if you haven't figured it out yet, is that I make lists. A lot. I am a compulsive list-maker. (Also freakishly organized, although you'd never know it from looking at my closet, but that's beside the point.) So, as is fairly typical of me, I have made a list of things I have done today. Not all-inclusive, of course -- I'm sure you don't want me to tell you every single boring detail of my day -- but a reasonable sampler.

1. Finished reading HP6.

2. Went back over some more of HP5.

3. Started HP7.

4. Thought very hard about taking some Tylenol or Advil but decided to take a nap instead, because I don't like drugs and naps are nice.

5. Attempted to teach myself some Spanish grammar concepts. (Yes, I was reading snippets of a textbook for fun while my family watched a movie. I understand that I am weird. I accepted that a long time ago.)

6. Seriously considered dancing/singing like mad to my iPod but realized my family (who was watching a movie) might not appreciate the noise.

7. Fell asleep on my bedroom floor.

8. Ate ice cream.

9. Worked on Screnzy.

10. Typed this list and realized how genuinely uninteresting my day was, especially considering that AF and ES were having a blast at a Goo Goo Dolls concert. Oh well. Relaxation is good...right?

Love,
Bex

Live Music!

I just got home (as in, thirteen minutes ago) from the semi-local Performing Arts Center, where I was volunteering with World Vision at what was arguably the most amazing concert I have ever been to. Tenth Avenue North and Casting Crowns. (!!!!!) It was FABULOUS.

World Vision, if you don't know, is an organization that sponsors children in third-world countries so that they can have food, water, education, medical care, etc. They mostly work through the church, so they distribute Bibles and stuff like that to the sponsored kids, and you can write to the kids and everything, it's great. My family sponsors two children, one from Guatemala and one from Honduras, I think. Yuri and Jose, aged 10 and 2 respectively. You can (and should) check out the World Vision website here.

And Tenth Avenue North. Ohhhmygosh. I ADORE that band. They did some very awesome, very powerful songs that I can't post links to because they aren't on YouTube yet because they haven't officially been released yet because they're from the new album The Light Meets the Dark, which doesn't come out until May 11. But I will absolutely be getting some of those songs the second they come out. Especially "You Are More." New favorite song? Oh, yes. I think so. And I got to hear "Hold My Heart" live (squee!), which was kind of the most amazing thing EVER because I LOVELOVELOVE that song.

And then Casting Crowns. I've been a fan of Casting Crowns since as long as I can remember, and I'd recommend some specific songs but I wouldn't know which one(s) to choose because they are almost ALL just fabulous. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about some of these songs later. But Casting Crowns eeeek squeee YAY!!!!!!!

Suffice it to say that hanging out with KD and listening to two AMAZING bands and helping people help children worldwide made for one of the best evenings I have had in a VERY long time. The concert was AWESOME. If you ever get a chance to see either of those bands in concert...TAKE IT.

Love,
Bex

Talent

I spent three hours of my evening tonight at my school's talent show. There were a lot of very talented people. It was an excellent show. I'm gonna take this opportunity to call out KD and OC, who performed a fantastic rendition of Dashboard Confessional's "Stolen" (which is an excellent song; you should absolutely go listen to it. The band's video is pretty cool too).

And K and O weren't the only ones who were awesome. SK, AB, and OB had written what was absolutely the funniest song I have ever heard, which listed every teacher in the school. They won first place and they absolutely deserved it. LB, DJ, and OB did a very good job on Billy Joel's "Piano Man" as well, with an awesome piano/accordion/harmonica trio. And MB and JC sang the White Stripes' "We're Going to Be Friends," and of course there was MM singing Magnetic Fields' "The Book of Love," also very well done (placed fourth). And an all-freshmen band did an excellent job on the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Under the Bridge."

This is not to say it was all singing. An AP Lit class, including Mrs. L, did this skit-song-thing from Dr. Horrible's Awful Blog or something like that. Three underclassmen girls did some very impressive Irish dancing, which placed second. They were excellent. And then of course there was senior DA, who belly-danced. It definitely took skill to do it, but it was a little strange to see at a school performance. Still, she did well. And JJ and PH did a really awesome ukulele duet.

That's only a few of the acts that were out there, but they really were excellent. I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone who performed tonight, because you were all awesome! And now I'm going to sign off and attempt to get some Screnzying done and maybe that last APEX diagnostic (again). Have a lovely evening, all!

Love,
Bex