Love is the Movement!

Picture of the Day: 

Cinderella's Castle at Disney World!

Quote of the Day: 

"A baby is born with a need to be loved -- and never outgrows it."

-Frank Howard Clark

I don't know how many of my readers have personally dealt with suicidal thoughts or depression. It is my sincerest hope that none should have to suffer in such a way. I know what it is like to wake up in the morning, go to bed at night and wish that every moment you closed your eyes was the last time you would have to deal with everything around you. I know what it is like to feel that thoughts of suicide and death are normal, but more than this, that they are cherished. 

Today, my dear reader, is the day of the To Write Love on Her Arms movement.

As you go about your business today, whether it be school, work or otherwise, keep within your thoughts and prayers those who have succumbed to hopelessness and ended their lives prematurely. Suicide is, unfortunately, a real problem, and too many girls deal with it every year. 

And all because they forget that they are loved.

For some, it is too late. For others, we may just be in time. 

Today is about prevention and awareness.

Today, tell people that you love them. It is that simple, and that hard. In our day to day lives it is so easy to forget to tell people how much they are loved. Speak up today and maybe, just maybe, you could save somebody's life. 

Don't forget that you are loved either, on this special day.

You. Are. Loved.

In honor of this movement, I want to dedicate one of my favorite songs to all the girls out there (and the boys, too). 

Suicide is real, but so is love. 

Be strong.

Groban Revisited -- And A Transformer Owl

Picture of the Day: 

Cupcakes I made for the Super Bowl Party last year.

Quote of the Day:

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be."
-Douglas Pagels

On a list of things that make my heart melt, Josh Groban is somewhere at the top--if not the top. There is something about a guy that sings Italian that is absolutely liquifying to listen to. For those of you that do not know, he is actually coming out with a new album this month! So, on the road to my soundtrack, we shall take a step off to examine Josh Groban -- again.

My Confession - Josh Groban

All right -- this is not a great quality, but this is the song I wanted to share that skyrocketed to my inspiration list.

Yes, I am also aware that this is in English and not Italian. He sings in many different languages, thank you.

What people don't know is that he is also a comedian. That's right, ladies. He not only sings like an angel, but he can make you laugh! (He may be the first man-package I have come across!!) Don't believe me? How can the man that sings all those romantic songs be funny too? I will prove it.

He sat down to do an interview...with himself. The first one wasn't as good as the second one, so I am going to post the second one. They're short! Take a look at this!!

Josh Groban Table Talk- Part 2! - watch more funny videos

Maybe my sense of humor is really off--but I thought this was hysterical- especially since it counters everything I would have thought Josh Groban would have been. I pictured someone sexy, sleek, mysterious and romantic. Apparently not!!

As a side note--there is no way this man stays single forever. He's too amazing.

Okay. So there is also this that I stumbled across. I think Vampire Owl is pretty amazing, so I am sharing. Happy viewing! 

Transformer Owl - watch more funny videos

Vicarious

Picture of the Day: 

Bonfire at Sonshine State

Quote of the Day: 

"Life is like a movie; if you've sat through more than half of it and its sucked every second so far, it probably isn't gonna get great right at the end and make it all worthwhile. None should blame you for walking out early."

-Doug Stanhope

If my life were a movie, nobody would want to go see it. Maybe that is why when I write; I think about what people would want to see, and what I would want to happen in my own life. Is it wrong to live vicariously through your work? There are things I want to happen that may never come to pass, and there are things that I want to try that I may never have the courage or the luck to experience. So, I write. 

I feel a lot like Jodie Foster's character in Nim's Island. She is a writer, too, that cannot seem to go out and live her own life. (Not to mention she is struggling with writer's block, as am I.) I am aware that it is probably dangerous to only truly live through the characters I create, but the more I try to fight it, the more my life ends up in shambles, and I end up wishing I had never left my apartment. 

But, the more I think about how I live (or don't live) my life, I get a sinking feeling I am going to get to the end of it all and wonder why I put up with it for so long. I will look around and see all of my friends happily married with families and lives of their own, and I will be alone with my computer and the written words I have penned over the years. 

I am torn between thinking that writing is my escape and my curse. I cannot explain it adequately, and I doubt any that read this would understand even if I tried to put to words how writing has become my crutch; I can have all I desire if I put it to paper, unlike in life where everything is uncertain and nothing is truly promised other than that God loves you.

With my writer's block has come a great deal of turmoil and depression. No longer can I escape what I detest about my life, and no longer am I able to live through the people I have created on my own. No longer can I make a lonely girl feel happy that she finally found someone she deserved, and no longer can I fall into a happy delusion that it can happen for me, too.

I feel like I am wasting my time. I am going to school, coming home and sitting in the dark confines of my apartment, never actually getting out and doing anything. I stare at my computer screen for hours at a time trying to find the right words to put to use for the purposes of my creative spirit, and think of creative excuses to avoid actual human contact. 

This probably sounds utterly insane for some of you, but this is the life I believe I am destined to lead: a solitary force that lives without actually living. Maybe what has me so upset is that now my writing has been taken away, too. 

Everyone tells me not to panic, that it will come back someday. But I don't think they understand how much I need it to live. I physically never actually make any strides in my life, but in my writing I can live however I want--and I can plan an entire lifetime!

Not too terribly long ago a really great guy asked me out. I couldn't imagine what he saw, and I still don't quite understand what attracted him to me. I told him (and others that found out) that I simply did not like him that way. Want to know a little secret? I lied. I was terrified. Once he knew what I was really like, he would have hated me and walked out on me, and I would have been in worse shape than I already was. I turned down the only guy that has ever thought I was worth it, and I can say that I will have to deal with those consequences for the rest of my life. (Oh, and don't worry about him--he found someone so much better! He is happy now, and I will just say I think most people are just waiting on him to ask the question!)

I think it is why I write romance novels--because I am desperate for and phobic of human interaction on a level that is much deeper than "Hi, how are you?" 

Oh well. Like I said--nothing is promised other than God's love. I guess I just have to learn to deal.

Heavenly Hayley - Music for your Monday

Picture of the Day: 

The trees at my Church building.

Quote of the Day: 

"The most beautiful adventures are not those we go to seek." 

-Robert Louis Stevenson

I realize I have not been updating recently, and I implore you to forgive my forgetful state and grant me leave for a while as the semester gets tougher. I assure you it is not on purpose that I have galavanted off into the distance and left you with no updates on anything, but rather the result of great stress and anxiety that has taken me away for so long. My good readers, forgive me. 

I have very little time to write even this, so I am going to leave you with a great song as the next installment to Kathryn's Inspirational Soundtrack. I give you the impeccable Hayley Westenra. I love this girl's voice--and you will too! So sit back and relax, and be swept away by beautiful music! 

You Are Water - Hayley Westenra

Prayer - Hayley Westenra

May It Be - Hayley Westenra

Halloween 2010 : An Entry in Pictures

Picture of the Day:

One of these tigers does not belong!

Quote of the Day:

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."

-Judy Garland

Halloween 2010!

an entry in pictures.

Hermione!

The Autobots!

Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Ironhide

Cutest couple costume ever. Scientist and Lab Rat. 

 

Seven Little Secrets!

Picture of the Day:

Cocoa Beach, Sunrise and Rain

Quote of the Day:

"A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road." 

-Henry Ward Beecher

I was tagged by the lovely Cristina to reveal seven secrets about myself. And, I suppose that works well since I have not compiled an entry for the day. So, here it goes. Seven things you probably didn't want to know!

1. I collect costume pieces and therefore own four Harry Potter wands of various designs. This came in handy this Halloween when one of my friends decided to go to the party as Hermione and forgot her wand. I felt like Olivander's and even said, "Well, the wand chooses the wizard!" Apparently, I was chosen by four.
2. If I could move anywhere, it would be to Middle Earth. But I really doubt that is such a surprise to some who read my blog, like my best friend Kelly. She even caught me looking up the perfect hobbit hole one time when I was on the computer playing "Pick Your Five" on Facebook. Priceless.
3. In the battle between Star Wars and Stark Trek, I prefer Star Trek. This didn't use to be the case. If you want to know why I changed my mind, just watch Episodes 1-3 of Star Wars. When you're done puking, get back to me.
4. I am a lover of country music above all else. And today, I bought a song by Usher from iTunes. It may be one of the signs of the apocalypse. 
5. I do not like J.K. Rowling's style of writing. She is a great teller of stories, but almost everything in the novel Harry "said". There are other descriptors and she should use them. 
6. I have already picked out my Halloween costume for next year. It is November 2nd. Even better? It was picked out before this Halloween passed.
7. If I could marry any movie star, it would be Ben Barnes. Even over Gerard Butler--ladies, this is saying something. For those of you who are living under some rock and don't know who Mr. Barnes is, I shall put up a nice picture for you to oogle at. 

Oogle away.

Happy November!

Picture of the Day:

Pumpkins!

Quote of the Day:

"Books are the quietest and most constant of freinds; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers."

-Charles W. Eliot

Today is the first of the month! That means rent! That means bills! That means November's Book of the Month! 

The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Let me start by saying this is not a book I would have picked up on my own; my mother had to throw it at me and promise it would be worth my time. I had my doubts, but like a good daughter I read it. And am I glad that I did!

It is a fairly long tale, written from a first person point of view (which normally drives me batty) as New York is plagued by a serial killer. The year is 1896, and all hope rests on the alienist Lazslo Kreizler, as he is the only person in the city that believes that, using a psychological approach, the killer can be apprehended when no other clues are left behind. 

It's a book about the beginnings of profiling. Think Criminal Minds before all of the modern conveniences.

Let me start by explaining what an alienist is. A psychologist, plain and simple. The book avoids that area of explanation, though as you learn about Kreizler's character you understand what makes him an alienist. Still, it is a nice piece of information to have before venturing to pick up the book. (Which you all should so immediately following this review!)

The book was entrancingly dark; the fear of the characters was ripe, but so was their excitement and determination to catch the killer. Literally, as the book progressed, I began to tell people, "Sh. I am catching a serial killer." I was invested.

The beginning is a bit slow, of that I will admit. Still, if you make it through the beginning, the rest is nonstop action. It's also a bit bloody--though, that is to be expected when dealing with a novel about serial killers. Still, it is not a book to read for the faint of heart. When Carr wants to describe a death scene, he does it well.

You are John Moore, a reporter for the New York Times who was dragged into the investigation by two of his friends. He proves to be an invaluable member of the team, even without intimiate knowledge of police work. He is a crimes reporter, though, so he has some standing knowledge going in. But the choice was ingenious! To tell it from his point of view, the reader gets to learn along with him. When I finished the book, I felt certain I could help an investigation. It is that in depth, and that good.

Please, please, please go read this one. Remember that I didn't want to either!! A killer is on the loose in New York, and he is killing little boys. Go catch him! (If you can, that is. Muwahahaha.)

As another note altogether, Halloween was great. Pictures may or may not come, depending on if anybody's turned out cute or not. Mine sure didn't. Which is sad, because I spent a lot of time fretting about this costume that I wanted so badly to show you!

Here is a hint about what it was I was: