The Pygmy Pirate

Picture of the Day: 

Ca' D Zan, the home of the Wringling Brothers

Quote of the Day:

"Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made."

- Robert N. Rose

So, the semester is almost over, and it is time for the plans of what to do over break to be solidified; and slowly but surely such dreams are becoming reality. Friends, I tell you that I have a reading list worlds long, and plans to physically get myself active and try to go camping. But, the largest and most monumental feat of break shall be none other than the Pygmy Pirate!

That is right, my father and I are going to build a day sailer; 8 feet long, by 4 feet wide. I cannot be more excited! After all these years, I shall have my own boat to bring out and sail with him. It is going to be epic. 

Now, I personally have already named the boat, and am therefore readily designing aspects of it that I would like, which my father is adamantly declaring we shall not do. None the worse, though. Maybe I will just have to build two! 

It is going to be a PDRacer, and for those of you that have never heard of them and are slow on the boating world, I will link the name to the site for you to poke around. Basically, it is a shoebox that floats. But I am excited anyway--after all, what girl doesn't love shoes??

It is literally going to fit in the back of my truck and make me a little more eager for boating adventures. And I want it to look like a pirate ship! (I already bought a pirate flag for it. Dorky, I know. But hey--I have established and embraced the fact I am a little quirky.)

Once it is done, dad and I plan on taking it out to small boat meetings, where we will sail in minimal style to enjoy a day on the water! Life is good!

Now, by idea of my Pepa, I am going to keep y'all updated on this, and perhaps start a new blog just devoted to boating endeavors. Anyway--consider this post one on the birth of the Pygmy Pirate. Soon, we shall be acquiring the wood. 

I am so excited!

So, my good reader, SAIL ON!

The Final Countdown!

Picture of the Day: 

A room in the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg

Quote of the Day: 

"The real danger may be your stupidity."

-My fortune cookie last night.

So we are in the final push for my second to last semester of college. Can you say dreadful? I have much to do, and still not enough time. Nonetheless, I am pleased: for throughout all of this I am finally acquiring my muse back! (This is making concentrating on homework a tad difficult, but alas, such are the plights of a writer.) 

I have two papers to write by next Friday, and two finals left to take. Then, it is break time and I shall be happy to spend my days finding  fun things to do, and preparing a resume in anticipation of job searching!

I have not done much updating, so I would like to present you all with a fine excerpt from my novel The Legacy of Elysia. So here it is! Do make sure to last these last two weeks, and may your break come without much event!

“Again!”

            A great sweep of pleasant laughter circulated through the eighteen-year-olds who had gathered around the large sparring ring, providing a light underscore to the lovely day. The sun shone brilliantly in an azure sky; it was a cloudless and cool canopy to the sixth-year students of the Training School as they stood gathered around the fence of one of the training rings. But even brighter than the golden sun were the spirits of the two boys flecked with sand and sweat standing within the ring. “Have you not had your fill of defeat, Caelan?” The lilt was light and friendly, reflecting the dark-brown eyes that jeweled the handsome face of the speaking teen.

            “What? Are you afraid that I’ll beat you this time?” A boyish grin inched its way across the other’s face as he shifted himself to finish brushing the sand from his clothes.

            “Beat him?” A voice called from the sidelines, drawing both pairs of eyes outward to the wooden fencing about the arena. “Octavian has run rings about you.”

            “Well,” Caelan called in response, laughing good-naturedly. “He can’t beat me every time.” A sly glint crept into his green eyes as he turned his gaze back to the dark-haired teen beside him, eyebrows rising in a taunting manner. “Not even Octavian is perfect.”

            Octavian grinned himself, turning away as if he were uninterested. “Am I not? What was that? My fourth win over you today?”

            “Fifth!” Another student clarified, sending another wave of laughter through the spectators. It was no secret amongst the boys at the Training School that Octavian was the most gifted student when it came to combat with a blade. He was near unbeatable, and most of his classmates could not recall the last time he had lost to any of them. It did not deter challenges from his peers, though, nor their friendships. He was also recognized for his care and humble demeanor, a trait that led him to be one of the most well-known students at the academy. All spoke well of him behind his back, often saying he would make the best soldier out of the lot of them.

            A challenge, as young Caelan took it. “I figure if I can beat Octavian, I am ready for any opponent that could possibly come my way.” The green-eyed teen shifted his gaze away from the sidelines once more, and added with a boyish ambition, “And I know we’re best mates, but I do intend to beat you someday. And when I do, I shall feel no guilt in letting myself enjoy it fully.” 

            Octavian sighed in mock-boredom, swinging his sword about absently as he appeared to ponder the idea of what to do, though inwardly his mind had been made up upon the moment of the fist utterance of a rematch. “Then I guess this shall be a long day, won’t it?” The smile that crossed Caelan’s face in response was made up of utter accomplishment and excitement, as if he was a child that had won his way and gained some great reward.

            “Get ready to lose,” Caelan forewarned playfully.

            “That’s good advice. You should heed it.”

Updated!

Picture of the Day:

A sloth bear! Look at the tongue!

Quote of the Day: 

"Thank God for all I've missed, 'cause it led me here to this." 

-Darius Rucker

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and today I just want to make sure that I wish everyone a safe holiday! I know I am not updating this nearly enough, though I am hard-pressed to find time or content to put up. But today, I think I can throw something together.

Page count update for Legacy Of Elysia: 180! =] I am getting somewhere!

And, because I haven't let you guys see any more of my soundtrack, I am updating with one of those today! Here it is: Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson (weird mix, I know), singing "Don't You Wanna Stay".




I think that this is a great song to channel two lovers. Especially like Thea and Octavian, my two mains for the Legacy of Elysia series. Still, in book one, nothing this steamy actually happens. (They aren't married, after all. ;] ) Nonetheless, it came out not too long ago, and instantly, I thought of them--and actually set to work on Chapter 11 again! It was a nice change of pace, to be able to write anything. Not sure it is any good, but hey! That's what editing is for!
Another song that I would like to share is more for Thea than anything else. 
 

"If You're Reading This" by Tim McGraw

Now, this is more about what she fears. Octavian is a soldier, and the biggest fear she has is that he leaves for war and doesn't come home again. This song, therefore, is something she would hate to hear herself, and I think that by listening to this, I am better able to understand her. 
Be warned, this song makes me cry every time. 
Oh, and Octavian would probably completely do something this sweet for Thea should he happen to go off to war and know he isn't coming home. Just saying.
Happy Wednesday! 
Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

This

Picture of the Day: 

My little sister and I in the car in 1991,

Quote of the Day: 

"Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering." 

-Paulo Coelho

I feel like my entire life I have been doing things that aren't worth my effort. School means nothing, and it has pretty much consumed my entire life so far. I don't go out and do things that are loads of fun with friends, and the friends I have are more of the people that I will talk to on occasion when we happen to be in the same place together. So far, Friday and Saturday nights mean sitting at home with my dog in the dark, maybe wasting time watching a movie. That's it. Nothing special. 

I keep praying that everything will change, and that someday I will look forward to the long days I have ahead--but so far, nothing has gotten better.

Today, I have a song for you. It is one of my new favorites and it is off of Darius Rucker's new album Charleston, SC 1966. It is called "This", and literally seems to take everything I am yearning for and feeling and put it to lyrics and song, only it is told from the perspective of someone who has reached the other side. 

Someday, I want to get there, too.

This - Darius Rucker

Sometimes I just want to get an easy answer. Like when is it time to walk away from what you want, and understand God is saying "No" and not "Not now"?

Deathly Hallows -- The End is Here

Picture of the Day: 

Sundaes my friend Lauren and I made!

Quote of the Day: 

"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom."

-Robert Frost

So today, at midnight, I am being taken to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One. In light of the fact that this signals the beginning of the end, I would like to show my true horror, and the horror of the furry animals everywhere.

"HARRY POTTER IS OVER?"

Inception Animals - watch more funny videos

Okay. So I am not consumed with horror over the fact the movie series is ending soon. After all, I am looking forward to the Hobbit that comes out in 2012! Now, when the Lord of the Rings series ends completely, including the Hobbit, I may cry. Until then, my friends! Have a magical day.

I offer this blessing, in honor of the Boy Who Lived:

I pray that Voldemort leaves you alone, that your friends are magical and that 

the spiders don't force you to tap dance.

I am Quote Girl!

Picture of the Day:

Baby joey at Busch Gardens! 

Quote of the Day: 

"You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever said to someone, 'Hey, let's get a parfait." and they say 'No, I don't like no parfaits!'? Parfaits are delicious!" 

-Donkey, Shrek

So this weekend at my sister's family birthday party I was dubbed the "Quote Girl" of the family. Pretty much, if it is useless and has no real meaning in life...I remember it. Like a steel-trap hunter, I catch the goodness of quotes and carry them forever. Today, I am going to put up some of my favorites to throw around in conversation. 

"A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to." 

-Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings

"You already told me which way the boat went!"

"I did? Oh, no. See, I suffer from short term memory loss. It runs in my family, or....at least....I think it does....where are they?.....Can I help you?" 

-Marlin and Dory, Finding Nemo

"Don't make me smack you in front of all these people."

-Agent Derek Morgan, Criminal Minds

"The spiders! They want me to tap dance. I don't want to tap dance." 

"You tell those spiders, Ron."

"Yeah...yeah, I'll tell them."

-Ron and Harry, Harry Potter

"Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile." 

-Hiccup, How to Train Your Dragon

"It's gonna be biblical."

-Clyde, Law Abiding Citizen

"I get motion sickness."

"Lady, we're not moving yet."

"It's really the idea of motion that sickens me." 

-Alex Rover and taxi driver, Nim's Island

 "That's Scamper, one of my most successful inventions. I made him immortal; which is a kind of a hassle for him since he doesn't want to live."

"Will nothing end this vicious cycle?"

"I also made him talk, which is a hassle for me since he never shuts up." 

-Igor and Scamper, Igor

"Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!"

"You're a mouse!"

"I was hoping for something a little more original." 

-Reepicheep and Caspian, Prince Caspian

"I do not love the sword for its brightness, the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." 

-Faramir, The Lord of the Rings

Well--read and enjoy! I will probably do another quote page later with new ones. These just came up off the top of my head. This is Quote Girl, signing out!

Writer's Block vs. Author - Round 1

Picture of the Day: 

This is the house my cousin got married at. It is in Louisiana! 

Quote of the Day: 

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go."

- E. L. Doctorow

I haven't updated in a while, and I am sorry about that. It seems that finding any inspiration for anything is becoming increasingly hard, and sparing the time and motivation to work on this blog is becoming a rare occurrence. Once school is out, I am sure it will not be so slow (or at least that is what I am praying for). 

I have not done much of anything by way of writing, save for come up with a few new ideas for some stories that need to be fleshed out and worked with. Still, nothing has actually happened in penning it to paper; my writer's block has never been so bad before! 

I dug out all of my old stuff for my Legacy of Elysia series and re-read it, and tried my hardest to just put down a nice sentence, though could not do so. I am very discouraged--it has been over two and a half months since I have been able to work on that particular story, and it is the one that is going the best so far. 

Or, at least I hope it is! 

Lately, I have been worried about my style--and this was solidified as I reread the stuff I had already worked out and written. My greatest fear is that I turn out writing like Stephanie Meyer! If you don't know who she is, she wrote Twilight and there is nothing that I hate more than those books. The writing style sounds childish and plain, and her story line is bad, too. But I think this is an entry for another day. 

(If you disagree, I would like you to watch "Alex reads Twilight" on youtube. (If you can stand some mild language, this kid tells it like it is--and makes you laugh as he does so.) I will embed his Chapter One reading at the bottom of this entry.)

Anyway, what I am wanting desperately is for someone to read my work. I have given it to countless people and never get it back. I know people are busy, and I am not saying that reading my novel should be a priority. But I want help! And I am sick and tired of not being able to get any real feedback. I should have been a creative writing major--then people would be helping me out!

Basically: I am frustrated. I want so badly to keep writing, and I feel like it could get better if someone could tell me what I needed to fix in what I already have. I loathe my chapters ten and eleven--but I cannot figure out why. So I figure if someone can look at my stuff and then get back to me on what they think, maybe I will have some new spark of idea that could lead to inspiration. 

I'm desperate, people. I want to finish my work and not be defeated by writer's block. Sadly, at this point I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everything is pretty much mapped out for this novel, too! I don't know what is wrong with me. 

Anyway, I am done ranting for now. Please take a look at "Alex reads Twilight". Ignore the language--it is hysterical.

Maybe my next post will be about why I dislike this series.