Happy Halloween!

Unfortunately, I won't be able to celebrate it this year. Since it's on a Wednesday, I'll be in my astronomy class until at least 8:30. I'm pretty sad that I'll miss all the cute costumes, and seeing my neighbour's awesome decorations, and the fireworks... But oh well, maybe next year.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my costume from Sunday, when I was working at my mom's museum.

I had more photos, but these are the only two I look good in... Anyway, I have to get to class now. I hope everyone else will enjoy their Halloween, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my astronomy class will be cancelled at the last minute.

A Song of Ice and Fire Review *SPOILERS*

First of all, I have to say that this series is not called Game of Thrones. I hate it when people assume that the whole series is called this, just because it's the title of the first book, and the name of the show. No! Get it straight. It's A Song of Ice and Fire.

Anyway, I started reading this series some time in April. I admit that I only got half way through the third book by September, when I had to put it down to concentrate on school. I started reading it again recently because I've had fewer larger projects, and I'm now almost done the third book. However, I think this break has made me realize that this book is actually pretty poorly written.

Don't get me wrong, I love the book, and I have read far worse, but more often I come along parts when I could write better. I feel like I should be going along and editing the whole thing. I don't know why I only saw it now (I saw it before, just not as much). You would think after reading things such as Beowulf, Sir Gawain, Canterbury Tales and King Lear, that I would want someone easier to read, but maybe that's the problem now it's become too simple.

The thing is, I love the plot... Kind of. I love how it hooks me in, despite the fact that I want to scream and rip the book apart. After Robb died, and it seemed like Arya died, I was prepared to throw the book across the room. I applaud George R R Martin for going against the norm and killing off almost all the characters that anyone could love, but I suggest that he gets back into what the readers want, and at least keep a few of the good guys alive. (Although I was extremely happy when Theon and Joffrey died. I wished I had cut them to pieces myself) I must admit though, when I found out Arya was still alive, I nearly cried with joy... Which would have been awkward, because I was sitting in the middle of a very full cafeteria at school.

And it's the fact that a book nearly incited such emotions in me that I love it. It proves that, although it may not be the best written book ever, Martin knows how to play with the heart strings of the readers. Most readers will see no difference in writing between A Song of Ice and Fire and something such as Tolkien's or Robert Jordan's works. They will only know that they want to read more, even if they hate what is happening in the plot.

It's also the realism that captures me. Everyone wants to read a book about love, adventure and wars, where the good guys always win. But in real life, that rarely happens. You cannot depend on a supernatural force to prove who is guilty or not, and even that comes up in A Song of Ice and Fire. People die, whether natural or not, and Martin does not skirt around that with miraculous recoveries and perfectly planned rescues. Everything is what it seems, most of the time being the death of a character.

So I hate and love this book at the same time, but I think anyone who has read the book will have to agree that the show is pretty bad. The producers are playing to the wants of a younger male audience. There are far more nude and sex scenes than in the books, very few of which actually add to the plot. Then they take out important scenes, or even whole characters. I have no idea where they will go with Bran, Rickon, Hodor and Osha without the Reeds. It's impossible to work from what they have done, and I have a feeling that it will only get worse. They have to go in a straight line to keep the story making sense, but that straight line is at a different angle from the book, and it'll only get farther from the real plot.

Halloween Hype

I bought myself a sword today.

It's a little big...

But I'm pretty happy.

It was very hard to get the whole sword in the picture... I'll try to get a better picture on Sunday, when I'm dressed up for work. And I'll be dressed as Link, if your're curious. I was trying to find myself a Waldo outfit, but I kind of lost interest after I found the perfect Link outfit.

Anyway, I'm really excited for Halloween. It's a shame that I have class that night, but I'm hoping that it'll be cancelled. And no, I don't go trick or treating anymore. I'm more excited to jump out and scare the kids with my giant-ass sword. Honestly, I don't understand the cutesy little decorations that people use. The whole point of Halloween is to scare the kids away so that you'll have more candy left over for yourself. 

Pet Peeves Part Two

There are so many more things that annoy me, so I decided to make another list of ten of my pet peeves. For the record, these are not in order of greatest to least, simple what happens to come to my mind first.

1) When parents think that school is less tiring than working
     I completely understand if you have a very taxing job, but most of the time parents will work at a desk job, or at least will be sitting all day. Now kids pretty much do this at school too, the only difference is that kids are learning, while parents are earning. It gets much more annoying when you add homework into the mix. A parent will come home and relax, while a kid will come home and have to work for several hours on homework. I just don't understand while parents insist on giving us more work by making us do chores. Yes, of course they raised us, feed us, shelter us and all that, but you would think that would be out of love, and would not need to be paid back in labour. The only exception is when the kids gets paid. I, however, very rarely got an allowance. Probably for the best, as I now will help people out and offer assistance without expecting anything in return, so I am a better person for it. It just still kind of annoys me.

2) When a really good book series ends
     I know a lot of people complain when a book series starts to get really long and dragged out, but I love that. I wish that book series never ended, because then I will always be able to enjoy them. he best example is Wheel of Time, where the author, Robert Jordan, just kept adding plot twists and more characters and events. What's worse, is that he died. So, after eleven books, Brandon Sanderson had to take over. Don't get me wrong, Brandon Sanderson is an amazing author and he has mimicked Robert Jordan's works almost perfectly, but it's really sad to know that the books may not be what they were supposed to be.

3) Teachers who think their students are geniuses
     You've probably had at least one teacher like this, who just keeps going and going, not bothering to stop to make sure everyone knows what's going on. Then they go so fast you can't take notes, and expect you to have come to class reading the thirty page long chapter, despite the fact that you have other classes with other homework. It's like they forget that their students have a life outside their classroom.

4) When you're just about to beat the boss, and you have one heart left, then it suddenly comes back to life and kills you
     So obviously I'm making a video game reference here. I play Legend of Zelda, and anyone who has played it too knows that almost all the bosses have about three stages, somethimes three stages with stages within that. So once you stun it for the third time, you figure that it should be the final time you have to go bat-shit on it's weak spot, then all of a sudden it springs back to life and swings a massive sword at you, thereby killing you and making you re-do the whole boss battle.

5) When the spellchecker on Chome (or firefox/safari) cannot figure out the word you're trying to spell, despite the word being one letter off from what you have
     Happens way to often. I swear, the internet browser is just trolling me. It's all 'Oh, you want to spell paralyse? Well parallel is close enough, so is familiarize and realize. Try one of those.' (This just happened to me in the last pet peeve; I finally had to use the word stun instead, because I was too lazy to bring up dictionary.com) Then there is the autocorrect for ipods and ipads. After I had just won my ipad, I was trying to type something. I can't remember the word, but it was pretty basic, I was just unused to the keyboard and had tapped the wrong letter. Instead of changing it to something close (I think the word started with an m...) it changed it to iguana... The word didn't have a g or an i in it...

6) When my clothes come out of the wash smelling worse than before I put them in
     I'm pretty incapable of doing laundry. I now know how to work the washing machine and dryer, but I still forget about my clothes after I start a load, so they sit in the washing machine for several hours, therefore making them smell like dirty water. Then sometimes, when I actually remember, they still come out smelling off. It's always worst with the towels. I grabbed on today that smelled like dog pee. It really concerned me...

7) When people in my family cannot figure out that the garbage can is in the corner beside the counter, and not on the actual counter
     I swear, every time I have to do dishes, it includes clearing away garbage that people leave on the counter. I can't even say I understand leaving garbage in the sink to soak, since I have never had to soak anything before putting it in the garbage or recycling. It's just lazy people who find it easier to throw everything onto the counter and let someone else deal with it.

8) Looking on Craigslist for a job, and all the perfect jobs don't come with the establishment's name, location, phone number or anything else important
     It's always really sketchy when this happens. No matter how professional the rest of the ad is, if there is no name or location, I will never apply. I just don't see how an establishment could forget something as important as that. Maybe they really are looking for workers, but they're going to be very limited in who applies, because the smart people will stay away from ads like that, because of the risk that it's a scam.

9) Junk mail
     The worst part is, I only just started getting junk mail because of this blog. I was interested in looking at the links where people are directed to my blog from. One of them was a link from youtube, so I clicked on it. The video looked pretty harmless, though I can't remember what it was. Not long after that, I started getting dozens of junk mail a day. I have no idea how to make it stop, and out of everything I've mentioned, this has got to be the most annoying, simply because I trusted google to keep bad links and thinks like that off of blogger.

10) People who don't listen to reason
     As you probably read about a week ago, there was a girl who committed suicide because of bullying. There was a Facebook page set up in her memory, and although most people were sending good wishes, there were also some people who were being incredibly rude. No matter what was said to make them go away or to see how disgusting they were acting, they continued to act like complete asses. I cannot stand people who are so bull headed to think that they are always right, even if one hundred people are against them. It's even worse when they're being disrespectful at the same time.

Pet Peeves

I said I would post something about the party on Saturday, but to conserve the dignity of my friends, I decided instead of make a list, and considering the name of this blog is 'Rants of a Normal Norman', I figured I'd make it a list of my pet peeves.

1) Pessimistic people
     Honestly, I really hate it when people get sad or blue for the smallest things. I live my life just shrugging the bad things off. I may worry sometimes, mostly about school, but normally it all turns out well in the end. I wish more people could live like this. I really just want to hit some people over the back of the head when they're sad about something small, especially when they can easily fix it, or get over it. There are so many people in the world who have hit rock bottom, and some of them are still happy.

2) Anyone under the age of fourteen with a cell phone
     I got my first cell phone when I was in grade ten, and that was after having to use the pay phone at school several times. It was a hand me down from my sister, one of those flip phones. I was overjoyed to finally get a cell phone. And now I'm seeing kids in elementary school with iphones and other expensive devices. When I was in elementary school, I played on the playground or stayed in drawing and reading. I had no idea what a cell phone was, and the only way to listen to music was through a stereo or a walkman.

3) Summer
     I know that sounds stupid, but there is so much about the summer I hate. It's almost impossible to sleep at night because it's too hot for a blanket, but without it the monster under the bed will get you (I know I'm not the only one!). All the bugs suddenly come back in hoards, and every day I'm screaming and running from wasps and bees, not to mention the colonies of ants that invade the house. The sun is too bright and burns me too easily, so I stay inside as much as possible, but that annoys my parents so I have to get out of the house at least twice a week.

4) Winter
     Odd, since winter is actually my favourite month, but it's only because snow outweighs pretty much everything. But then it's so damned cold! No matter how many layers I put on, I will always be cold. Then of course, where I live, we're more likely to get slush or rain, not snow. I'm not looking forward to walking up the hill to my college when the ground is even a little slippery.

5) People who take photos of their food
     I understand if it's a special occasion, like Christmas or Thanksgiving and you're planning on documenting it. But honestly, if you're just going out to lunch, or sitting down for dinner by yourself, what is the point of taking a photo? Oh, you made it yourself, and it looks beautiful? You're just as special as everyone else who can cook.

6) People who claim to love a movie based off a book, even though they've never read the book
     I guess this can go both ways, but honestly, how often is a movie made into a book? The truth is that a good amount of movies are not original. They're based off a book, whether the book is good or not, and about 90% of the time, they completely butcher it. Maybe I'm just being bias, since I love books more than movies, but really, a book contains much more detail than a movie can, despite the fact that movies show everything. Read Inkheart for example, then watch the movie. Anyone who has seen only the movie will never know that there are two more books, which are even better than the first one. Whoever directed Inkheart did a terrible job. (Although I love their casting for Mo. I always envisioned Brendan Fraser playing him)

7) People who claim to hate something just because it's popular
     I'll admit it, I read Twilight. I believe I finished the final book before I even started the tenth grade. This was before I started reading Wheel of Time, and before my only interest in books turned to medieval fantasy. I liked the love story, but by the final book I just wanted to scream and toss it against the wall. However, I will also admit that I do, in a way, admire Stepheni Meyer. She may not have written a top quality series, but she made a ton of money off of it none the less. What is more, she was an amateur writer, who followed her dreams (quite literally...) and achieved a lot of fame, both good and bad. Now I don't ever want to write something that half the popular will hate and make fun of, but at least I know that if Stepheni Meyer can be so successful over Twilight, then I can hopefully become successful over something even better. The sad truth is, apparently now I need to have handsome and overly gentle vampires to please most of the female population... What I'm trying to say here that although I'm not particularly fond of the Twilight books, and I have no interest in the movies, I don't go around slamming them at every opportunity I get. I may make the occasional joke, but only at the parts that I truly hated. Same goes for Justin Beiber. I don't hate him, but neither do I like him. Instead of complaining all the time, I just don't listen to him. By complaining, I would be giving him more attention than I care to give. It would show that I do care about him and what he does.

8) Dragging feet
     Does it honestly take so much effort to pick up your feet? You know that by dragging your feet, you wear out the soles of your shoes much quicker, and therefore need to spend much more money to buy new shoes? I've had my pair of red converse since grade nine, so about five years now, and they only recently got a tiny little hole in the heel of one shoe. In fact, I have only worn out one pair of shoes since grade nine (not including soccer cleats) and those were a pair of boots, where the fabric was not stitched to the heel very well.

9) People who silently sing along to songs
     Hey, if you belt out the song at the top of your lungs, I don't care. I find it quite amusing, actually, and I'd probably applaud you after. And it has nothing to do with whether you're good at singing or not. What annoys me is that it keeps me from properly hearing the song. I hear the lyrics, but I also here something mumbling along with them. It's like being in class and trying to listen to the instructor, but there's a group of people at the back whispering.

10) People texting or calling me during class
     I know it's difficult to remember when I'm in class, but it would be really great if people could make an effort to not not make my phone go off. It's really embarrassing when the whole class is silent, and then suddenly my phone starts vibrating. And it always seems to happen during a test... The worst part is that I don't have caller ID, so I have no idea who called, and I cannot call them back to give them an ear-full. For some reason I keep getting calls from people asking for Devon. It's been going on for three years. Whoever Devon is really needs to get off their ass and tell everyone his new number, because the next person who calls me asking for him is not going to be greeted by a cheerful person.

I have so many more pet peeves (I love to rant, after all) but I think I'll leave them for some other time... When I can actually remember them.

Stained Paper

((I was going to wait to do my Friday post for after my friend's birthday party, but I think I'll update about that on Monday instead. For now, I don't have anything prepared, and I have to go to work soon... Hopefully. So here is, once again, so pre-written stuff.))

It’s a drug, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m addicted. 

I can’t bring myself to put it down, 
Not even when my eyes are lead or the clock flashes one a.m. 
It’s intoxicating, it’s enthralling. 
It’s my life. 

I share their breath, their fear, their thoughts, their worries. 
Their lives. 
I feel their pain when they get hurt, 
And the cold hand of the Reaper when they die. 
My stomach plummets and my heart soars 
To match their every feeling. 
These people are made of ink and paper, 
And the imagination of their creator. 
I drink in every word, 
And I’m left thirsty for more. 

One more page and I’ll put it down. 
Oh please, let me just finish this chapter. 
Give me a minute; I’m almost done the book. 
And with a sigh of remorse, I place it back on the bookshelf 
After the last page is turned. 
And reach to pick up another. 

These books are my drug. 
I crave the worlds someone has created, 
I need the escape from reality, 
I lust for the fantastic stories of knights, dragons and magic. 
And when it’s over, I know I must have more. 

Forever Flawed

((Ugh, school is once again getting in the way of writing. After tomorrow, though, I don't have any major assignments due until middle of November, so I should have more time then. As for now, here is a small paragraph I wrote a couple years ago.

I'm going to tell you a secret. I am terrified of what people think about my writing. I've made it my goal to become a writer, but the truth is that only about 1% of writers will make enough money to earn a living from their royalties. I look at the books by other authors, and I can never compare myself to them (Except George R. R. Martin. I love his work, but I sometimes question his choice in words...) Anyway, go ahead and read, but I must request that you don't comment to tell me that it's all lies. I understand that I may be over reacting, but once again, the chance of earning a living from writing is very slim.))




I am a failure, a fraud. The compliments ring mercilessly in my mind. The lies they hold kept my hopeless dream alive, and like a floodgate newly opened, the truth swept them away. I am no different than the millions. I will grow old and die, forgotten. These words I write, no one will remember, no one will care. Just the dreams of a silly girl. What is the point of them? We cling to them rather than accept the reality we live in. These dreams we are told to make, to strive for, is just mist in our mind, obscuring the truth of life. Dreams are pointless. They are the bullies of our mind. They knock us down, steal our confidence and leave a hollow shell of our former self. My dream is gone, just a memory now. I will never be known, nor remembered. These words will never leave this page, for they are my words. Forever flawed, never perfect.

Birthday

Once again I'm going to have to delay the new piece of work, since I haven't had time today, and I honestly just kind of forgot about it during the weekend. So instead I'll just ramble about how my birthday party was.

First off six of us were supposed to meet at the laser tag place, but Liliana never showed up... Actually, I haven't heard anything from her since she was supposed to get on the bus... I'm hoping that she just went back home.

Anyway, there were five of us for laser tag; myself, Brittney, Sianna, Vanessa and Kyra. We played three games, the first one being a free for all, and the last two being on teams. I wasn't too bad. During the free for all I actually did pretty well... Probably because I hit my friends on a few occasions. (Sorry guys) During the second game I came in 11th for my team, which wasn't great, but at least I didn't come eighteenth. *coughSiannacough* Unfortunately, during the third game my gun wasn't working properly and it wasn't shooting successive lasers, so I had to pull the trigger every time I wanted to shoot, which really slowed it down and messed with my aim.

After that there was a bit of a misunderstanding, and Sarah, who was planning on meeting us at the laser tag place, had no ride back to Red Robins and had to bus. Luckily the bus seemed to show up pretty quickly, but I still feel terrible. (Sorry Sarah!) I gave her a hug to make up for it, and anyone who read my previous blog post about love knows that my hugs are pretty rare.

During dinner I was allowed to have a grilled cheese off of the kids menu, and no it wasn't just for the price. I  love grilled cheese, and they make them really well at Red Robins. However, since it was my first day being 19, I ordered some sort of alcoholic beverage, of which I never actually got the name. It tasted like Sprite and kool-aid, and I could only barely taste the alcohol after I swallowed. Interestingly enough, I felt nothing from it. My parents suggested that there actually wasn't any alcohol in it. For someone who has avoided any alcohol her whole life, my first drink, although good, was rather anticlimactic  I think I'll need several more to just get a buzz... I guess that's a good thing though, since I don't like making a fool of myself, and I will no doubt do so if I'm drunk.

After my moment of being an adult and drinking alcohol, they brought out my cake. It had Pikachu and Squirtle on it. I had hoped to also have Charmander and Bulbasaur, but they couldn't fit it onto the cake. Pikachu's head tasted amazing.

I came home around 9:30, and opened up presents with my family. I'll leave a list below of what I got, since I know people will be curious. However, I'll probably also forget some smaller things, since there was more than I had expected. Heck, maybe the alcohol did mess with my mind, because I'm already finding it hard to remember who gave me what... Then again, that happens more often than I care to admit.

Brittney: Brave: The Wii video game
Sarah: A gift card to Tim Hortons for $15
Sianna: A box of cookies that looked like a scene from Super Mario Brothers, another box of cookies, a pair of snake earrings, a box in the shape of a book with candy inside and a small contain shaped like a mushroom from Mario with chocolate kisses inside
Shaina: A very beautiful photo of me edited to make it look like I'm a fairy, and a long video card
Kyra: My gift is apparently still in the mail...
Vanessa: Three bottles of lovely smelling perfume
Farmor (Dad's mom): Two Disney movies on DVD (Atlantis and Anastasia), a book (Elantris by Brandon Sanderson) and a pen/stylus to use with my ipad
Granny (Mom's mom): A gift card to Itunes for $15, a book (A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin) and a package of magnetic book marks
Mom and Dad: A book (Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson), a pair of grey skinny jeans and a T-shirt that has not yet come in the mail.

I know there must be at least something I have forgotten, so please tell me.

Amanda Todd

I promised you guys a new piece of writing, but something has come up that most of my readers are well aware of. Recently a fifteen year old girl who went to school close to where I live committed suicide because of bullying. Rather than describe everything, I`ll post her video at the end of this blog.

Unfortunately this is not an unusual event. The way I see it, bullying is a crime overlooked by the government, as if the fighting of the younger generation should be dealt by the younger generation. They deal with the adults that beat up other adults, but put too little effort into dealing with the youth that beat up youth. Why is it that bullying differs from assault? It's the exact same thing, but the consequences for the youth is a slap on the wrist and a day in detention. I know we cannot send all bullies to jail, just like we are unable to send all crime offenders to jail. We do not have the money, time or people to search out all the bullies in all the school in all of Canada, or even in one province. But the very fact that we must consider the effort and resources needed to do so is ridiculous. The act of bullying should not even be considered by the youth.

But of course, there will always be the violent, over reacting children who think that punching someone will solve their problems. I'd like to refer to the video now, specifically to the girlfriend who did so much damage. If your boyfriend is cheating on you, do not get angry at the girl he cheated with. Get angry at him, as he is the one who is supposed to be loyal. He made an unspoken agreement to not harm you physically or mentally when he agreed to be your boyfriend. The other girl did nothing of the sort. She has no ties to you, no bonds or promises. You do not know her story, why she did what she did. She did not break your trust or your heart. If anything, she is the one that revealed to you that your boyfriend is a cheating scum bag. If he is even considering being with another girl to begin with, then it's clear he is not completely devoted to you. And if you're the type to gang up on one girl for the deed she shared with your boyfriend, I understand why he would be considering other girls.

I understand that this is a violent and hate-filled response to an equally violent and hate-filled situation, and I a know that words do just as much damage as actions. But bullies need to know their place, even if it means dropping them down a notch using a bit of their own medicine. However, so as not to be bias, I also understand that there are two sides to a story. I do not know what the girlfriend was thinking, or if there is more to her story than what we are given. Either way, to react in the way she did is just wrong. Harming someone because you have felt harmed is not the answer, just as harming yourself is not the way out of problems.

This whole blog is not about bullies and their actions, but also about the victims and their responses. I cannot honestly say that I understand. I have never been bullied, and I have never felt alone enough to consider suicide. For this I consider myself lucky, and I wish that everyone else could feel the same. I wish that suicide victims could see what they started when they ended their lives. I wish that this was all fake, that she would come back and see all the sympathy she has gotten, that she has moved so many hearts and raised so many voices. But what I wish for most is that her death will not be in vein. I wish that her story will cause something to happen, that the adults will realize the fighting of children is more than that.

I know this one blog post will be insignificant compared to so many other blogs, articles, essays, videos and other media sources, but if I could change the mind of one victim, or change the ways of one bully, I will consider that a great victory.

Almost There

One of my midterms is done! (For British Literature: Restoration to WWII) I have an in-class essay tomorrow for my other British Literature class, which I assume will be the midterm, but I think I might have missed the class where we talked about it... Then I have a midterm for my World Societies class on Thursday, which I've barely even started planning for. It looks like I wont have a midterm for Canada before Confederation, however I do have a short presentation due on the 18th. As for Astronomy... I have no idea what is going on there. Either I missed something in the class I was away, or we don't have a midterm... I really hope I don't.

So as you can see, I'm rather busy this week. Not to mention my birthday party is on the 13th, but I guess that really won't interfere with the blog... Either way, I swear, once I finish with midterms and presentations and all that stuff, I will write something brand new! I have the idea in my head, and I've formed ideas for words and everything, I just haven't had the time or willingness. But if enough people show an interest, then I guess I will have to stick to my word. (That means posting, guys! Tell me to do it or I will get lazy! It woul.d also be great if you followed my blog... I like followers.)

Anyway, off to bed for me. I need to be awake for the essay tomorrow.

Happy Birth... Week?

My birthday is in a little under a week, on this coming Saturday. But since Thanksgiving (for Canadians) was this week, we had family over. That meant both of my aunt and uncles and my sister; the house was very busy, especially with three dogs. The good thing is, we now have a fridge jam-packed with extra food.

We had turkey dinner on Saturday, then a huge breakfast on Sunday morning. My aunt and uncles left Sunday after noon, but not before giving me a birthday present;

I received a ton of candy.

Anyone that knows me well knows that I love candy. I even have a candy chest which at the moment just barely closes. To be more specific, I got a box of Nerds (already eaten) a large box of Jelly Bellies (Half gone... Especially the black liquorish), a Pez-like Wii controller candy dispenser, a tin of Ghostbuster themed candy, and some chocolates that have been formed and coloured to look like shells or colourful rocks. They're so pretty, I don't want to eat them.

Today my sister is leaving, pretty soon, I think. She gave me a present too, and inside was a very pretty mug with a green and black design on it, two packages of hot chocolate, a small container of candy with a label that says 'Cray People Pills', and a mint case in the shape of Link's shield. I think I might just bring that to my next Zelda party...

(And yes, that is what I look like without make up)

Anyway, just a short post today, since I woke up with a headache and it's still here. I was actually going to write something new, but that might have to wait until after midterms and after birthday parties and the like.

My Body Hates Me

I'm finally starting to get over this cold, although I still have a head ache, a stuffy/runny nose and my cough is still pretty bad. I'm just hoping the bus to and from class today will not make it worse. However, this morning my body decided to torture me with some really bad cramps. As if being always tired and worn out form a cold wasn't bad enough.

And of course, I still have my essay due tomorrow and mi terms coming up, so I still don't have much time to post anything new, so here is some poetry I wrote last year.

Imagination of Childhood

Hanna! Hanna! Come out and Play!

We’ll run and laugh ‘till the end of day!

Ignore the rules, forget the laws,

Because with us, time will pause.

The sun is bright as the middle of May,

The flowers plentiful for a bouquet.

Brave the monster with the snapping jaws,

Then run away from his massive claws. 

Ignore the sky as it colours grey,

From the parents we run away.

Stand our ground as the sun withdraws,

Hide ourselves in shadow’s gauze

Back in home we cannot stray,

Until tomorrow, in our beds we lay.

We wake to the sound of a rooster caw,

In each other we see now flaw.

Hanna! Hanna! Come out and Play!

We’ll run and laugh ‘till the end of day!

Ignore the rules, forget the laws,

Because with us, time will pause.

Night Sight

Each night I look up,

And see the moon thrice the size it should be,

Pulsing as if it were the heart of the sky,

And each of the millions of stars

Are its limbs cradling the world.

I see the two guardian angels,

One on the door, one on the closet,

To keep the intruders out and the monsters in.

Only the light of day will make them fade,

Until the night arrives again.

In the corner is a cloaked figure,

Made of shadows, not darkness.

When the light of my angels shine,

It will be there to protect my treasures,

The hundreds of portals of the mind,

The imaginations of many,

The ink stained paper.

And in the morning when I awaken,

I will look around to see nothing.

No heart of the sky.

No guardian angels.

No protector of stained paper.

But I know, they will be there tonight.

Let The Sirens Pass

Oh please, please,

Let the Sirens pass.

Just move, move,

To let them go.

It comes closer,

The call of the reaper,

The song of the angels.

And stops.

Silent as death,

The last breath

That escapes the quivering lips,

And breathes again.

Oh please, please,

Silence the sirens.

Fall quiet, quiet,

As the sleeping babe.

Pounding steps,

The march of an army.

One by one,

They file by.

Go up, up,

To the resting man.

We wait, wait,

For word of hope.

Faceless, nameless,

Their army marches.

The beat of his heart.

Keep walking, keep beating.

Oh please.

Please.

Let the sirens pass.

Just move.

Move.

To let them go.


((And once again, copyright and that stuff. I wrote this, this is mine, don't use it without my permission.))

Character Sketch

((Okay, so I'm still sick, more so than on Saturday, so I'm just going to post a character sketch I did for one of my creative writing classes.))

Some children can boast about growing up in a mansion. Some on a farm, some in an

apartment, some in a house with a white picket fence. I, however, surpass them all. My one and only

home has been the circus.

 Yes. I, Linx Greyson, am a true carney. That is not to say I am a freak. I am not seven feet tall,  nor do I have an unnatural amount of muscles. While I can walk on a one inch ledge and clamber up a pole  in seconds, I am not a tight-rope climber or an acrobat. I have all my limbs, no less, no more, not like the bearded lady, who lost her finger to the tiger.

If I ever ventured away from the tents and colourful wagons, away from the walls that marked the boundary of my home, I might look like any average citizen. Sure, I may be skinny enough to look good in the outfit of a medieval court fool, but I don’t think the hat would flatter my face. Besides, I am a fortune teller, not a fool.

We had stopped on a night when the dark clouds were blocking out the setting sun. As I sat watching the strong man and lion tamer set up the banner to welcome guests to our humble circus, a beautiful young woman walked up to me. With a charming smile and a flourishing bow, I welcomed her into my home.

“I am looking for the main tent.” she said, hesitating near the door.

“In five minutes you can leave here knowing not only where the tent is, but where you will sit, when you will leave, and who will be the poor person volunteered for a trick.”

She smiled nervously, but my hints of the future lured her into my tent.

Now I am not a fortune teller with a wart on my nose, my hair long and scraggly and a dozen

shawls covering my body. In fact, I like to think I am quite fashionable. My hair is even custom cut by the

circus tailor. She claims that short, blonde spikes are very popular among the kids. So I can see no reason why this girl would be afraid of me. Maybe I was simply too confident. No matter the reason, I can understand why she left mortified after what I had to tell her.

“Ah, yes, a smart young woman. A good, healthy life so far.”

“I thought you said you were a fortune teller.” The girl frowned

“I am. I can see you will not die of sickness, nor do you walk in alleys alone at night. That shows you at least have some common sense.”

She glared at me as if I had insulted her.

“But moving on…” I took her hand and traced the lines. Short, faded… “Well now, Miss Abigale, it seems you may be healthy, but something will still go wrong.”

“I never told you my name.” She stated

 I nodded to her bag, where someone had scrawled her name in orange highlighter. I then brought out a small velvet bag and pulled out three stones, facing them down so that nothing showed. The first one I turned over was Elhaz, a rune looking like a Y with the centre line going up past the fork.

“How interesting.” I mused. It was upside down. “Vulnerability and sacrifice.” The next rune was Mannaz, a rune similar to the letter M.  “But there may be hope, if you accept it.”

 “And the last one?” She gazed worriedly down at the stones.

I flipped it over:  Lagaz, a simple line with a shorter line falling down to the right. Also upside down, a

very bad sign.

“If you do not take my advice, you may be in for a rough night.” I tore my gaze away from the stones to look at her.

“And your advice would be?”

“Run.”

((And once again, all that copyright stuff. Don't take credit for any of my work.))