JAEAGCWA

A Very Weird and Haunting Dream

2007-12-15T10:43:00.000-05:00

Last night, I had an intense “wake-up” dream. It was really weird--at least I thought so—but I don’t really understand it. I needed to write it down so I could stop thinking about it, so I figured I’d put it into my blog! I won’t be naming any names of people in the dream, for obvious reasons. I’ll only name family members. So, here it is. :o) Also, this dream was very realistic, so that’s why I am able to describe as much as I am.

In a very small church, I am walking up the aisle. Step after step I approached, and feel a foreboding doom. Everyone in the seats was happy, whispering, and I was near tears, out of my mind with sadness. “Oh, she is so lovely,” and “They go so well together,” whispered throughout the church. In my head I was thinking “NO! This is NOT how it is supposed to turn out! I’m supposed to marry a prince charming or something not a frog!” Yeah. I was pretty distraught. The guy I was about to be married to—in case you couldn’t figure out, this is my WEDDING—was at the end of the aisle, smiling at me. I swear I got the chills (and not in a good way) when he smiled at me. Darwin* was not handsome, or cute, or even remotely good looking. And when he smiled at me, I felt like he was just looking at me and appraising my looks. Pretty sad. (note: in real life, the guy I’m talking about is pretty, uh, not good looking, and he has a crude sense of humor. But he’s real.) I somehow got the “ceremony” without bawling or something. When we walked outside, me and Darwin, I realized that the whole freaking town must have came, because it was so tiny. There wasn’t even a limo waiting outside to take us the reception! The knot in my throat doubled in size.

Darwin walked me to a nearby house (I think the two-bedroom thing was supposed to be OURS). “Come on, let’s go inside,” he said. Yeah. Right. “Where’s the reception at?” I asked. In my dream, I could see him roll his eyes. “Um, there isn’t one. We’ll have a small dinner party at seven tonight with my family.” JEEZ. Talk about cheap. I must of looked upset, and I was, because then Darwin put his arms around me and repeated, “Let’s go inside.” Um, double no. Somehow, I disentangled his arms from around mine, and ran. Wow, I was being childish, but whatever.

While I ran, thoughts that had been at the back of my mind during the ceremony burst through and overtook me. I shook with disgust at what I had done. I had married a small-town, average, ugly guy, who I didn’t even LIKE. Sure, we got along every once in awhile, but the only reason I actually married him was because everyone in the small town pressured me to. [Note: Yeah, somehow all of this information came to me in the duration of the dream, but it made sense] I ran around the corner, and into a building with an open door. Truly, it was labeled “Band House”. Darwin wasn’t even in band. I don’t really know why or how it was there, but it was. I ran inside, and no one was there. Happiness. There were all sorts of different floors, with dozens of nooks and crannies, and steps and ladders. I ran randomly, trying to find a good spot to just think and relax. Finally, when I had reached the basement, I slid underneath a piece of woodwork, and just collapsed. Darwin came down and found me. “Mads!” He said. “Are you okay? Get up!” I just feigned sleep and he left in a hurry, probably calling the police. A few minutes later, my sister Grace came down. “Mads? Are you okay?” She was being really nice, and the voice soothed me. “Um, not really,” I said. I kept talking, because I knew I would be able to confide in Grace. “Do you think I’m a bad person? No, don’t answer. I am. I married a guy I hate, I’m stuck as a young freaking wife with no life, and I live in a little town where it’s big news when someone pulls a muscle. I should be with a guy who lives in the city, has an awesome job, and has, like, no family. Oh, and the kicker? If Darwin was the least bit attractive, I would probably be happy to stay here with him. I’m a bad person.”

Yeah, so that’s my dream. There was some more, but not really important. Like, I went upstairs afterwards; I don’t remember what I did. I really have no idea whatsoever what this dream is trying to tell me, but its kind of haunting me. I little while later, I had a dream where I met this really hot guy near the mall. Do I have some prejudice against bad looking guys? I don’t think I do. Maybe I read too much, and my expectation for the perfect guy is too high. :o) If anyone has any ideas about this dream, let me know. I need ideas!!!

*name changed

How Far We've Come

2007-10-06T22:36:00.000-04:00

...Then I can't remember caring for an hour or so

Started crying and I couldn't stop myself

I started running

but there's no where to run to...

--Matchbox Twenty.

Jacob Black

2007-10-02T21:28:00.000-04:00

I recently re-read Eclipse, and fell in love with Jacob Black. I love his personality, I love his looks... I love him. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Edward Cullen too. Just as much. But if you asked me which one I would rather date, I'd say Jacob. Jacob is right for me, while Edward is right for Bella. Bella and Edward are MADE for eachother! Anyway, I gathered a few of my favorite Jacob quotes. Some spoilers may lie ahead...

----------

"Did you seriously just stamp your foot? I thought girls only did that on TV."

-- A classic Jake saying. Love it!

----------

**SPOILER**

His hands were soft on my face and his warm lips were gentle, unexpectantly hesitant. It was brief, and very, very sweet.

His arms curled around mine, and he hugged me securely while he whispered in my ear. "That should have been our first kiss. Better late than never."

Against his chest, where he couldn't seem the tears welled up and spilled over.

-- Wow, loved this. The description... :o)

----------

His familiar husky voice sent a wave of wistfulness through me. A thousand memories spun in my head, tangling together --- a rocky beach strewn with driftwood trees, a garage made of plastic sheds, warm sodas in a paper bag, a tiny room with one too-small shabby loveseat. The laughter in his deep-set black eyes, the feverish heat of his hand around mine, the flash of his white teeth against his dark skin, his face stretching into the wide smile that had alwways been like a key to a secret door where only kindred spirits could enter.

-- My favorite Jacob quote. It's so perfect... this is when I realized I liked Jake. :o) I prefer dark, mysterious guys.

----------

"You look plenty human to me," I allowed. "At the moment."

"I feel human." He stared past me, his face far away. His lower lip trembled, and he bit down on it hard.

"Oh, Jake," I whispered, reaching for his hand.

This was why I was here. This is why I would take whatever reception waited for me when I got back. Because, underneath all of the anger and sarcasm, Jacob was in pain. Right now, it was very clear in his eyes. I didn't know how to help him, but I knew I had to try. It was more then I owed him. It was because his pain hurt me, too. Jacob had become a part of me, and there was no changing that now.

--Awww, poor Jake. How sad... :o(

My Awesome Dream

2007-09-25T22:58:00.000-04:00

My dream.

A dark enclosed swimming pool. Though it’s not really a swimming pool; it’s more like a pond. But a clean pond. The “walls” surrounding the pool/pond are something straight out of Rome, with big pillars and everything. It’s all quite gorgeous; I can see the stars glistening above my head, twinkling down on me. Weirdly, I am able to stay under water for an uncannily long time. For some reason, this really doesn’t seem to occur to me; the fact I really need to breathe. I emerge from the dark pool eventually, and there’s this glowing object sitting on the side of the pool, watching me. It’s a fairy small and dainty, and all that crap. Actually, it looked a lot like Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. Then, out of nowhere, Peter Pan appears, flying, above me. He’s glowing too. He lands on the side of the pool, and points to me. I look down, and I’m glowing too! Peter tells me that I have “pixie dust” in me (I know, I know, weird…) and that it (the Pixie Dust) is special, and I need to get away from my secluded swimming area because people think that if they kill me, they’ll then get the pixie dust in them. So I was all, “Okay, sure”, and I went along with the whole scheme, because, what the heck, why not. Peter can fly, and I can swim; awesome. I’m also not getting any older (a weird pixie dust thing); double awesome. So, just as Peter’s dragging me out of the pool, all of the people from my swim team in the summer emerge form the shadows of the Roman-structures. Woo. It’s a party. Kerri says “Mads! We need to go!” So we all leave, and we’re running through the forest (oh yeah, did I mention that the pool is in the middle of a forest?), and it’s so much fun. Even though I’m running for my life, I’m laughing and it’s awesome. Everyone is taller then me (remember, I’m not aging), but it’s still great fun.

Wow, so, can you say, what an awesome dream? Should I explain why I had this dream, maybe? Yeah. This is my conclusion: I just finished the “Peter and the Star Catchers” book series, and that’s why Peter and Tinker Bell are in the dream. I’m swimming because I haven’t swam in awhile, and it calms me. The open night sky also calms me, and makes me feel good. So that’s why that’s in there. I really have no idea where the idea of a swimming pool enclosed with Roman-structures came from, but hey, it looked cool. I have a feeling all of my swim team friends were there, because I miss them. They made me feel loved and protected in the dream, and I miss that from the summer. I loved this dream so much, no matter how weird it was. :o) The colors (dark blue) are what really stood out to me, and also the fact Peter Pan was in it. :o)

Bye-Bye Weekend

2007-09-23T21:05:00.000-04:00

Where did the weekend go? Seriously, it's already Sunday night, and I'm about to go to bed.

School tomorrow.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, that's gross to think about.

Okay, my weekend was okay. Friday was amazing, as Fridays always are. I did nothing except chill.

Then, Saturday was crazy. It went by so slowly. :o( I'm in the Nutcracker (snow and spanish--woo.) and I was at the studio for 5 hours yesterday! It dragged on and on.

Sunday I woke up late, after having the most amazing dream. (Yeah, I'm not gonna say anything about the dream, because it was so amazing that it's just going to stay in my head.) My dad made pancakes, go figure, and I did homework the rest of the day. I also did my laundry, cleaned a little bit, and played with my brother. :o)

I hate Sundays. They're depressing.

In a few days, I'll post another amazing dream I had. I loved this dream. It ties for the most amazing dreams I've ever had ever in my lifetime. :o)

Oh, yeah, just to let y'all know so you don't bug me, I'm not going to my dance. :o) To to let you know.

2007-09-17T15:24:00.000-04:00

Always, I wake up and feel like the day is never going to end.

Every. Day.

But I drag myself up and out of bed, and eventually I am on the bus, then in Homeroom, then at Lunch, and then POOF!, I'm done school for the day, chilling out listening to my MP3 player on the bus.

On the bus, I always feel elated. Another day, gone by. I didn't think I'd survive. Wow, maybe time really does fly. So I get home, finish my homework, and before I know it, I'm in bed and the alarm clock goes off again.

The cycle starts over.

How is it possible to feel so different emotions, in such a short amount of time? I go from being sad and depressed in the early hours of the day, to feel invincible and powerful when I am on the bus coming home from school. It's pretty amazing.

Alright, so school so far this year has been so much fun. I'm a sophomore, so I know the school pretty well. I love seeing everyone; it's pretty amazing how many people I know. This year, I am taking all honors courses; they are all freakishly-hard, but my English teacher is a good one.

Now, onto the big stuff. Last year, there was this boy in my homeroom, who annoyed the crap out of me. His name is Tom. Since my homeroom is the most boring place in the world, I would pull I book out and read. Tom would always say "Ooooh, look, Maddie [YES! HE CALLS ME MADDIE!] has a new book!" But, no one really likes him, so everyone ignores him. Last year, I only had to deal with him in homeroom. But this year, he is in all my classes except for two. And he sits next to me in ALL of them. Alright, so basicially, I hate this kid. End of story.

The next big thing is the Sophomore Dance. Woo. I need to find a date, and fast. I have one guy in mind, and I am hoping he'll say yes. :o) I'll keep y'all posted.

Thoughts on High School

2007-09-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

Tossing, turning
Not knowing up from down.

Spinning, swirling
Going round and round.

You find yourself tumbling down
Down
Down
Down

Not knowing where you’ll end up.

But the irony is
You jumped into this hole
This hole you know will end
Eventually.

Willing yourself into the hole,
You jumped
Holding your breath
And hoping for the best.

Even at the mouth of the hole
You can see the small light at the end
Where you’ll be safe
Safe
Safe
Safe

From confusion
From exhaustion
From thinking
From stress

And before you know it
The end of the hole is there
And you’ve reached rock-bottom.

But there’s a thing about rock-bottom
You know it will end
Eventually.

And slowly
Surely
It will become a soft cushion
A pillow to lay
Your weary and confused head.

There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel
But to see the light
You need to believe.

You need to straighten yourself
And keep yourself from tumbling down the hole
Because if catch rock-bottom on an angle
You’re bound to get hurt.

A Day At the Doctor's

2007-09-04T21:49:00.000-04:00

Today, my mom took my sister and I to the doctor's for our annual check-up. Everything was going fine-- we found a okay parking spot, and made it thorugh the scary revolving doors-- and except for a minor traffic jam on the way in (something about an old lady NOT wanting to get out of the elevator), we were making good time.

Just as we reached the Outpatient-Pavilion, and was getting on the elevator, a big black guy (he must of been a male nurse- a murse) comes wheeling an old lady up to it. The same old lady who made the traffic jam when we first got to the hospital.

So, like the kind person my she is, my sister Grace holds the elevator for the old lady and her big murse. The old lady wouldn't get IN the elevator this time.

"No!" She protests. As feeble as she looks in her wheelchair, she sure does have a strong grip.

"Ma'am," the murse says. 'We're not going to hurt you. We're here to help." One by one, he picks her fingers off of the elevator's side, and backs her in.

At this point in time, I'm pressed against the back of the elevator, holding my little brother's hand, with the wheelchair not anywhere near me. My mom is on the side, and Grace is right in the line of fire, pressing the buttons for the floors.

Once my sister has completed her task, the elevator's doors close, and Grace is standing right next to the old lady.

Now, Grace is a little leery of this lady. And with good reason too: 1) She just wrestled with the murse to get into the elevator and 2) She looks crazy; my first impression of her was mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter.

So, Grace presses as far back as she can, which isn't far enough, I guess. Because then the lady looks at her and says,

"What's the matter, dear? You're not afraid of me, are you? I won't hurt you. Here, hold my hand." She sticks out her hand.

Now, silently, I'm pleading with Grace. 'Don't take it, you idiot, didn't you see her wrestle with the murse???'

But I saw Grace's [brace] face. In a struggle between what's polite and what's right, she choose the what's polite choice.

The old bat squeezes Grace's hand, as though holding on to it for dear life. Grace looks petrified. The murse looks amused. I'm holding my brother back as far away as possible; willing him not to say anything to direct her attention at him.

The old lady whispers quickly and crazily: "Don't lie, ever, be truthful, always," but only I heard this, as Grace was focused on the lady's knuckles turning white as she grasps her hand tightly.

In a few seconds, it was time for the lady to get of at her floor. "Alright, ma'am," the murse says. "It's time to let go of the girl's hand."

He starts wheeling her out of the elevator. She won't let go of Grace. Her feet are sticking out of the elevator, and the elevator is closing on them. It keeps opening and closing, opening and closing.

She keeps talking furiously to Grace.

Grace looks pained as her arm is pulled farther and farther.

My mom is reaching over Grace and the lady, to press the "Hold Elevator" button.

The murse is trying to pry the old lady's hands off of my sister's.

I'm on the verge of tears, I'm laughing so hard, and holding my brother back.

Finally, after a few minutes, the murse frees my sister and pulls the lady out of the elevator. Before it can close, he pops his head back in, grabs my sister's shoulder, and asks "Are you alright," between peals of laughter.

My sister nods faintly, and he leaves. We reach our floor, and my mom and I are crying, we're laughing so hard. My sister is holding her hand out in front of her in disgust, and she swears she's never going to touch a old person again.

Not that I blame her. :o)

Tag

2007-09-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

I got this from Miss Erin (http://misserinmarie.blogspot.com/).

Last book I bought:
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Book I'm reading:
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley

Total number of books I own:
Too many to count.

Three books that mean a lot to me:
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Then Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Eclispe by Stephenie Meyer

Favorite Book:
Uh, it changes a lot, but right now it would be Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer.

Last film I saw:
Invincible

Three films that mean a lot to me:
The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Princess Bride.

Last CD I bought:
Mika, Life in Cartoon Motion

Song currently playing:
Who Knew by Pink

Songs that mean a lot to me:
Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie)
Who Knew (Pink)
Hold On (The Jonas Brothers)

Favorite Food:
I like a lot of foods, but right now I really like stromboli and pizza.

Favorite Drink:
Diet Coke and water

Favorite Vacation:
Rhode Island or anything in the New England area!

Favorite Vice:
Uhhh, I don't know... I'm gonna have to go with sarcasm too!

Victory for Mads!

2007-09-02T23:09:00.000-04:00

"You know, Mads," Sean says, reapprovingly, after I make a fool of myself in front of my (and his) friends.

"I know what, Sean?" I ask carefully, on my guard.

"Next year, you're going to miss me." He looks at me, trying to fathom my reaction to this piece of news. I play it cool.

"Why?" I ask, knowing he'll go for the bait, take this question and use it to talk about himself.

"Well, you know," he says, looking sad, yet still trying to look tough (failing at both, I might add), and puffing his chest up dramatically. "My family and I might not come back to the pool next year. I know you'll miss me." He looks at me again, trying to figure out my expression. I swear, if he were sitting next to me, he;d probably be on top of me, because Sean is very physical like that.

Now it's my turn.

"Noooo," I say, slowly. He looks worried for a minute. "I meant, why would I miss you?" Putting a lot of stress on the word "you", and adding a look of disgust on my face.

Everyone sitting around the table watching this exchange got really quiet, and all eyes were on me. Could the quiet bookworm actually make a good comeback? Then, the table burst into a round of laughter.

"Oooooh," all of his friends crow. "You just got burned. By a girl! Haha, props, Mads!"

A-MA-ZING.

Avatar

2007-09-02T22:41:00.001-04:00

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Books I've read this summmer

2007-09-02T21:01:00.000-04:00

Here is list of all the books I read this summer, and the dates I finished them. I know, I'm a freakazoid, but I went back and looked at my journal and wrote all of this down. :o)

June 7th- Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (a re-read)
June 8th- Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (out in September)
June 16th- Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey
June 21st- Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (a re-read)
June 30th- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (a re-read)
July 6th- Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson ( a re-read)
July 9th- The Secret Life of IT Girls (out in ???)
July 16th- The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (school)
July 18th- No Place for Magic by ED Baker
July 20- The Salamander Spell by ED Baker (out in August)
July 25th- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (Cried)
July 30th- Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire (school)
July 31st- Leaving Simplicity by Claire Carmicheal (out in August)
August 3rd- To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker (beach read)
August 5th- Izzy Willy-Nilly by Cythnia Voight (school)
August 6th- Blackbeard and the Sandstone Pillar by Audrey Penn (Blackbeard book)
August 7th- Blackbeard and the Gift of Silence by Audrey Penn (out in September) (BB book)
August 14th- Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Cried)
August 21st- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (classic)
August 23rd- The Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon (out in September)
August 28th- The Secret Life of Josephine by ???? (out in September)

Currently reading:
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley (out in Jan. 2008) and will read soon after Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (out in October)

Total book count for summer: 23
ARC's: 9
Classics: 1
School: 3
Re-reads: 4
"The Secret Life of": 3
Blackbeard books: 2
Beach reads: 1
Books that I cried at: 2

Wow, I read a lot this summer. It was nice to be able to read so much; I got to lose myself in different worlds. I also learned that there are a lot of secret lives out there waiting to be read. :o)

You know summer's ending...

2007-09-01T23:19:00.000-04:00

when:

The pool is closing Monday
It's September first, and you're thinkning of the song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. Also, you think that Hogwarts is offically starting school today. :o)
You walk outside, and see trees losing their leaves.
You don't have all the time in the world to read and read and read... instead, you have to do homework *shudder* and feel as though you have to stay online and talk to people. *double shudder*
The annual "Community Day" is tomorrow (ahh! No!! It's so pointless!). Along with this, the pool is having the annual "Boo-Hoo Barbecue" tomorrow.
You no longer are working-- your last day was yesterday.
You start thinking "Next week I'll be in school, instead of here, at the pool." or ""This is the last time I'll be going off the diving board in 2007."
Vacation's over. That trip to the beach is done. Time to move on with your life.
Taking pictures of everything, you know you'll look back on them in the dead of winter with hope and longing.
Shuddering at the thought of snow is a sure-fire way to know that summer's ending.
You pull out your winter clothes, and put away the summer ones. *sigh* no more bare feet, shorts, and bikins... onto long pants (sweats! YAY!), long sleeve tees, and school uniforms.
Your mom takes the screens out of the windows, and puts glass ones in.
Massive clean-up time; you clean everything and anything in your sight.

Song Lyrics

2007-08-31T10:24:00.000-04:00

If someone said three years from now

You'd be long gone

I'd stand up and punch them out

Cause they're all wrong and

That last kiss I'll cherish

Until we meet again

And time makes

It harder

I wish I could remember

But I keep

Your memory

You visit me in my sleep

Who Knew by Pink

I swear, this [part of the] song gets me every time. I always think of Bella in Eclipse, after Jacob (SPOILER!!!!) kisses her. I feel like crying every time. Here's a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpXFluYTdnQ but don't watch the music video. It's really bad, and doesn't fit the song at all.

Harry Potter Survey (spoilers!)

2007-08-29T21:43:00.000-04:00

The Books in Order from Favorite to Least Favorite:

1. Half-Blood Prince

2. Deathly Hallows

3. Order of the Phoenix

4. Goblet of Fire

5. Prisoner of Azakaban

6. Sorcerer's Stone

7. Chamber of Secrets

Number of Times You Have Read the Series:

Too many to count!

Favorite Chapter from Your Favorite Book:

The White Tomb

Five Favorite Characters:

Ginny, Fred, Harry, Ron, Hermione

Three Least Favorite Characters:

Umbridge, Mundungus, Bellatrix

Favorite Member of the Trio:

Hermione

Three Favorite Magical Creatures:

Owls, Leprechans (sp.?), and Dragons

Favorite Family:

The Lovegoods and Weasleys

Favorite Villain:

Umbridge

Favorite Death Eater:

Bellatrix

Favorite Non-Hogwarts Magical Building:

Honeydukes

Favorite Diagon Alley Location:

What's the name of the ice cream place? I forget... so, I'll go with Ron and George's joke shop.

Three Favorite Spells:

Expelliarmis, Nox, Expectro Patronum

Three Favorite Potions:

I don't know!

Favorite Unforgivable Curse:

Crucio!

Favorite Department of Mysteries Room:

The room w/ the brains

Biggest Surprise:

Fred dying. I cried. A lot. He was my 2nd favorite character.

Biggest Letdown:

Snape turns out good. Boo.

Favorite Mode of Transportation:

Broom, or the Knight Bus!

Favorite Weasley:

Ginny

Favorite Order Member:

Tonks

Favorite pet:

Neville's toad-- Trevor

One Character You’d Bring Back to Life:

FRED!!!

Moment That Will Always Make You Cry:

When Fred dies, and when Harry goes into the forest. He's thinking about deaht-- how can you not get a little teary-eyed?

Favorite Hogwarts Room:

Room of Requirement

Favorite Class:

DADA

Favorite Teacher:

McGonagall

Favorite DADA teacher:

Lupin!

Least Favorite Teacher:

Umbridge

Favorite Non-Human Hogwarts Resident:

Peeves

Favorite Hogsmeade Location:

Weasley's Wizard

Favorite Triwizard Champion:

Cedric

Favorite Triwizard Task:

The dragon one

Which Character You’d Ask to the Yule Ball:

Fred

Which Character You’d Like to Use a Love Potion On:

Fred

Which Character You’d Like to Use Veritaserum On:

Draco Malfoy

How Long You Have Been a HP Fan:

Hm, I have no idea. My mom read them to me when they first came out...

Favorite Wizard Rock Band:

What are the choices?

Number of Midnight Releases You Have Attended:

None

Favorite HP Website:

www.mugglenet.com

Most Ridiculous Potter Theory You’ve Heard:

Snape being GOOD! I mean, really... wait. He DID turn out good? Weird, much?

House You Think You’d Be Sorted Into:

Gryffindor or Ravenclaw

Your Patronus Would Be A:

A ladybug or peacock

To You, Amortentia Would Smell Like:

Mmmmmm, let's see. Banana bread, rain, the beach, campfires, chlorine...

You’d Use Felix Felicis To:

I'd save it for a really good time.

The Job You Would Most Like to Try:

Auror

Which You Would Rather See — a Sequel or a Prequel:

Sequel, duh.

The Movies in Order from Favorite to Least Favorite:

I don't really care for them, but I'd say they get worse as they go, so the order they're in works for me.

EITHER/OR...

Animagus or Metamorphmagus: Metamorphmagus, all the way!

Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans or Chocolate Frogs: Chocolate frogs. I love chocolate frogs, so....

Black or Lupin:

CAPSLOCK HARRY or Emo!Harry: CAPSLOCK HARRY

Death Eaters or Dumbledore’s Army: The DA!

Draco or Lucius: Draco

Durmstrang or Beaubaxtons: Beaubaxtons. It's French!

Floo Powder or Broom: Broom sounds more comfortable.

Fred or George: I've always liked Fred better.

Grimmauld Place or The Burrow: The Burrow

Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures: Both sound interesitng to me.

Hippogriffs or Thestrals: Thestrals

Invisibility cloak or Pensieve: I'd like both, but Pensieve. There have been numerous times when I want one!

Mermish or Parselmouth: Mermish

Occlumency or Legilimency: Uhhhh, both?

Peeves or Nearly Headless Nick: Peeves!

Peter Pettigrew or Mundungus Fletcher: Neither! But, I guess... Mundungus. He's interesting at least!

Professor Binns or Professor Umbridge: Umbridge! I want to fight her like Harry did.

S.P.E.W. or the Inquisitorial Squad: Spew.

The Ministry of Magic or Gringotts: Ministry of Magic

Three Broomsticks or The Leaky Cauldron: The 3 Broomsticks

Werewolf or Inferus: Werewolf!

Whomping Willow or Flying Ford Anglia: Anglia!

Yule Ball or Quidditch Championship: Quidditch Championship!

Did you know?

2007-08-29T10:32:00.000-04:00

That the average person laughs 15 times a day?

Did you know?

"Go," is the shortest complete sentence in the United States.

Did you know?

Pearls melt in vinegar.

Did you know?

Koalas are excellent swimmers.

Did you know?

The average person walks 3 miles a year making their bed.

Did you know?

A "jiffy" is a actual time; 1/100th of a second.

Fun facts are fun every once in awhile, huh? I'm about to go to work, and will use the first one for a fun fact of the day. :o)

It's to the point where...

2007-08-20T21:21:00.000-04:00

Alright. So, I' ve been reading a lot of Twilight reviews lately-- and I lot of them are bad. People go into the series and just talk about how bad they were. I read the reviews, get all worked up, think of all the things I could say to counter their problems with the books, and then...

GAH!

It's so annoying! Everyone has to state their opinions of the books, and it's just annoying. I feel as if I have to fight with them to make them see what I see, but I really don't feel like it. It's so annoying. I have decided that I will state my opinion of the series right now, and that's it. No more after this. I won't comment on someone else's blog, read any review and get mad, or do anything like that. From here on out I will play it safe, and not get involved. From here on out is my opinion of the series, and my opinion only. The reason I am doing this is so that I won't have to reiterate my opinion again and again-- I can just post this post's URL. So, here goes nothing.

I, personally, loved this series. I know this is what everyone says, but for me 9and everyone else, I'm sure) they were just plain amazing. Twilight was... well, it's hard to explain. In the beginning I didn't really like it. I actually started it back in October, and never finished. Then, I got it out of the library again in March, and read it in a week. The beginning was slow again, but I got into it. I hit the middle, and was still reading it slowly. After about 6 days, I had read two thirds of the book. I got to the last third of the book, and finshed it all in one sitting. I finished the book and walked around the house like a ghost, just thinking. It was like some Forks-spray had been sprayed in my face, and now I was breathing it in and out. Okay, so maybe that's not the best way of putting it. I read the book, and it felt as though there was a little haze around the edge of my brain, just there, carved. I could go and do something, but the Twilight haze was still there-- hovering.

So, I ordered New Moon from Amazon.com. It took about 2 weeks for it to come, and by that time the haze was kind of wearing off. I tried to read other books-- it didn't work too well though. New Moon came and the haze came back at full force. It was even stronger then before. I was amazed at the books, and how much Edward and Bella were mine, yet not mine. Now Jacob had been added to the equation, and that made it fun.

I got Eclipse the day after it came out. I ordered it from Amazon.com, and it came sooner then expected. I was in the middle of rereading New Moon-- and Bella's emotions (which you seem to feel, too) were really confused. She was moody, and angry. Of course when I got Eclipse, and dropped New Moon. I got kind of confused at how different Bella's moods were in Eclipse then they were in New Moon. When you read the books (as I have said), you can feel Bella's emotions. I went from being angry and confused to happy and loved. So it took a little bit longer to get into Eclipse with as much force as New Moon. But eventually I loved it. Once I hit the middle of the book, I couldn't stop. It was so addiciting-- the way you feel Bella's emotions, and the haze that settles in on your brain. The way Stephenie Meyer writes is like the way I think. Which is maybe the reason I love the books so much. It's made up of Bella's thoughts; and her thoughts become your thoughts.

A lot of people don't LOVE the Twilight books. I do. I don't think that the people who don't like them are weird, or crazy. I think that they just didn't get the "haze" that I got. The Twilight haze. I didn't get it at first, but once I let myself go completely... it was bliss. It probably helped also, that I was having a hard time at school. I shouldn't say a hard time, but more of a long time. School was never going to end; or so it seemed. It was easier to divert my mind to another world; let it spend some time away from my own world. It was nice. Some people say, "Why would you want to read about someone else's problems?" I don't. But it was nice to escape into this nice secluded world. I still read othe rbooks, and even classics. Right now I'm reading Wuthering Heights; you can't get any more classic then that.

So. There's my Twilight opinion. You can comment your opinion, if you'd like; but I'm just so sick and tired of hearing people's reviews. They all begin to sound the same. Can't you just leave the poor books alone, and let the people who love them love them, and the people who don't care for them not care for them? It really shouldn't be that big of a deal whether you read the books or not. Seriously. Let them be. I hate all the hype about them; it's just annoying.

Book By It's Cover

2007-08-17T22:26:00.000-04:00

Alright, so this made me laugh.

A few weeks ago, my mom and I were in our local Walmart, shopping. We were actually shopping for my birthday party. We had everything on our list-- except one thing. Rope. Yes, we needed rope. One of the activites for my party was a "rope relay", where someone swims one lap down to the other end of the pool, with a piece of rope, and upon arriving at the other end, they raise their hand, signal that they're ready, and their team mates pull them (by their rope, of course) back down the pool. It's super fun, and a big rush. Anyway, we needed rope to do this. It couldn't just be normal, non-heavy-duty rope, it needed to be strong enough to hold a [big] person.

And we couldn't find said rope. Actually we couldn't find any rope. It was pretty bad.

So my mom, sighing, hikes her purse higher up her arm, adjusts my brother on her hip, and walks up to the nearest sales person.

"Excuse me," my mom asked the lady. "Do you have any rope?"

The lady looked at my mom. "I'm sorry. I just started working here. I have no idea where anything is. You should ask the guy over there-- he's in charge of the outdoors department."

So we went to ask him. He was busy with a customer, and it took us 5 minutes to finally talk to him. The customer before us was a big, burly man (as was the sales-man himself) and they were discussing fishing strategies of some-sort.

My mother repeats her question. The sales-guy looked us up and down, from my mom's home maker look, to me, the typical teenage girl to my little brother, only two.

"Why do you need rope?" He asks, kind of rudely. He had a confused look on his face, and I could almsot see the wheels turning in his bug burly bushy head.

"Ummm..." my mom says.

"Oh," He says, and realization dawned on him. "You need rope for a clothesline, don't you?" He looked pretty relieved he figured it out himself.

"No." My mom said, annoyed. "We need heavy duty rope, very strong."

I swear, I thought I was going to burst up laughing, the looks on each of their faces was SO FREAKING HILARIOUS. :o)

He eventually pointed us in the direction of the clothesline, but we found the rope we needed around the area the clothesline was in. It was so funny. The sales-guy was so confused as to why my mother wouldn't need a clothesline, she would need heavy duty rope. *sighs* It just goes to show, you can't judge a book by it's cover.

Pictures!

2007-07-29T10:33:00.000-04:00

From my birthday party. :o) Only two, but they mean a lot to me. :o)

Here's the first one:

It's a picture of all th people at my party, about to sing Happy Birthday to me. I think it's pretty amazing how many people came-- I wasn't expecting it! Everyone was so nice and fantastic... it was truly perfect.

Here's the second one:

It's the birthday cake my mom made me! Isn't it AWESOME? I helped a little, but it was all her. We actually went out at 10 o'clock at night to get red food dye (for the wings). I swear, that was the only thing we bought. The cashier looked at us like we were CRAZY.... :o)

And there you have it! We also had a magician come in, his name is Chad. I have a picture of him too...

It was such a fun time. I am so grateful to have parents like I do, who gave me the party. :o)

What Animal Are You?

2007-07-23T09:27:00.001-04:00

You're a Ladybug!

Most people assume you're female upon seeing you, even though you
might very well be male. Don't let this gender-bending get you bent out of shape,
though... you just happen to exhibit the quiet dignity and soft demeanor that
people associate with the feminine side of things. Your favorite fruit is the
watermelon. For some reason, people think it's fun to sing about horrible things
happening to you and your family.

Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha..... :o)

What book are you?

2007-07-19T22:49:00.000-04:00

You're The Hobbit!

by J.R.R. Tolkien

All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man
came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you're
all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this
crazy person into the wild. While you're very short and a little furry, you seem to be
surrounded by an even greater quantity of short folks lately. Try not to lose your ring,
but keep its value in perspective!

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

At first it told me I was the dictionary... but, yeah, that didn't fit me at ALL, so I took it again and it said I was "The Giver". Again, it didn't suit me (I didn't like that book very much either), so I took it again, and BAM! I got this.

It's my birthday!

2007-07-13T23:40:00.001-04:00

It's my birthday!

Birthdays

2007-07-13T23:33:00.000-04:00

Quince* is the sunrise of a woman
Underneath the canopy of love.
In her again life's gift of youthful grace
New dawns across an old, familiar face,
Chanting in the wind through which we move,
Ecstatic at the joy of being human.

*Quince=15th birthday in Spanish (I'm not Spanish at all, but I really like this poem. Especially since it's my birthday!)

We Are the Swimmers

2007-07-12T14:48:00.000-04:00

We swim for the laughter
We swim for the tears
We swim for madness
We swim for fears
We swim for hopes
We swim for screams
For we are
the
swimmers
Who
create
the dreams

New Look, Same Great Product

2007-07-12T13:58:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I gave my blog a makeover. I'm working on getting a headboard picture up, to add some personalization. I really like this template-- it's much more clean and reminds me of Shannon Hale's blog.

Harry Potter tag

2007-06-30T16:45:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I wasn't tagged with this, but I thought it looked really cool, so I decided to do it. I'm not going to tag anyone, but I want everyone who sees it to do it, just for fun.

**WARNING** potential spoilers ahead!

1. Butterbeer or pumpkin juice? Pumpkin juice. For some reason, it sounds pretty good to me.

2. What House would you most likely (or want to) be in in Hogwarts? Gryffindor, duh. Any other house would be sooooooo weird.

3. If you were an animagus, what animal would you turn into? A Ladybug! Oh wait... that's not an animal... but Rita Skeeter turned into a beetle... well, if it had to be an animal, I would go with a rabbit. I don't ven really like rabbits, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

4. What character do you empathize with, or resemble best? According to the Which HP (http://pages.prodigy.net/hpdevo/quiz/), it said I was Harry Potter. But I like to think I'm like Ginny, but not as Harry's girlfriend, just as the younger Ginny.

5. What position do you play at Quidditch? Seeker!!! :o) Like Ginny!

6. Which teacher is your favorite? If someone was actually going to teach me something, it would have to be McGonagall. But if I was reading about them, it would be Dolores Umbridge. She makes me so mad, but she's just sooooooo funny!

7. Any Harry Potter 7 predictions? Yes. And you can quote me. I think that Harry is going to end up killing Voldemort, and then drop dead after Voldemort is dead. The prophecy goes "Neither can Live While the Other Survives" which means that once Voldemort is killed by Harry, then Harry can not live anymore and ends up dying. Or vice versa. Very tricky wording, JK Rowling! :o)

I'm Baaaaack!

2007-06-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

I just realized (mostly thanks to Janette Rallison, http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/) that I haven't posted in ages! I finished my high schoolyear very well,and I didn't fail any of my exams. :o) I don't know why I worry so much, but I do. Thanks for your support guys, I really appreciate it!

So, what have I been up to? Lots and lots. Basicially, since school has ended, I have been swimming and reading. I have read the book "Book of A Thousand Days" by Shannon Hale (I know! Review coming soon!!!), and "Before Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey. I reread "Princess Academy" by Shannon Hale (and got my sister Grace to read it), and now I'm working on reading Harry Potter 5. It's going slowly though-- Harry's temper is a little bit annoying. I have so much to read right now! I want to read Harry Potter 6 after HP5, and also I want to reread Twilight. Then I have the newbies, such as "How to Get the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend" by Janette Rallison, "To Catch a Pirate" by ???, "I am Rembrandt's Daughter" by ???, and many many more. I'm so swamped! :o) But I guess that's a good thing.

I had my first swim meet for summer last night. It was really fun! We did a lot of crazy things that were just so much fun, such as our new "War Chant". Here's how it goes:
Inhaler... *clap*
Inhaler... *clap*
CPR... *bring hand down dramatically*
CPR! *bring fist down hard*
Isn't that a great song? My friends and I made it up. I like it, and it can get stuck in your head for hours! Oh what? It's stuck in your head? Sorry! :o)

After note: We did end up losing power, for a little bit. It wasn't too bad though. Just a good thing we turned the computers off in time!!!!

Almost there...

2007-06-03T15:26:00.000-04:00

I am almost at the end of my school year! :o) I am taking a break from studying for finals right now, so I can write. Actually, I never really started studying... My dad's birthday is coming up, and we are celerating it tonight. I know I need to start studying, but I really don't feel like it! Oh well. It's kind of weird, last week I was so stressed, to the point where I actually got heartburn. (Yeah, I know, I thought heartburn was for old people too. It isn't.) Anywho, now I am past the point of stressing, where I am kind of in a daze. I am offically past the point of shock right now-- anything that would surprise me on a normal day just bounces off. I guess that's a good thing.... Ahh. I better start studying. I have a chemistry and history exam on Tuesday!!! Wish me luck.

I'm Back!

2007-05-24T20:45:00.000-04:00

Yay! I'm finally home. I got a lot of really awesome pictures. :o) Here they are!!

p.s. Please go to http://madsreads.blogspot.com, I put a special review in by my sister, Grace.

Car Ride

2007-05-16T23:38:00.000-04:00

Hey all! As I write, I am in the car. My family and I are going on a long car trip to a place I’m positive you know very well, but am not going to say for security issues. :o) I’ll show you pictures once I take them though, because the place I am going is highly photogenic, or so I hear. Almost everyone I know has been there, and so I am very excited I get to go. Wow, the humidity level just went up a lot. I can already feel my hair starting to curl…

These past few weeks have been absolutely crazy! It’s so annoying, school will be out soon, but the teachers take that as an excuse to give us more homework and projects. I have 3 projects due the day I get back from my trip, so guess what I’m doing right now…. I just decided to take a little break. Okay, so technically, I don’t have internet access right now. And I’m not typing it into blogger, but into a WORD document. Once I get to a place where there is internet access though, I will post, and it will be funny to look back and see what I was writing. (And here comes the rain… I swear my ears just popped and now since it’s so humid my keyboard is slightly dewy)

I’m currently reading this fantastic and slightly dorky book called “The Melting Season”. It’s really good. It’s about a ballet dancer, and all the problems she has and how she meets this guy named Will, and he shows her how to get over her problems. I haven’t finished it yet, but I fear that by the time this hour is over I’ll be done and then have nothing else to read on account of a book rut. :o) I sure hope not, but it is a very addicting read, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to not finish it quickly.

So, here is where I leave you, I’m in the car, the raining coming down in torrents, my ears keep popping, and it is very humid. I’ll post more soon, hopefully, but if I don’t, I will when I get home. TTYL! :o)

(I survived the car ride! YAY!)

Tag!

2007-05-05T22:42:00.000-04:00

Kinza the Koala tagged me with this...

I TAG... Miss Erin Marie, Janette Rallison, Green Gosling, Hwalk, and Sookie (I think I put too many, but am not sure...) on the following:

Five Of Your Favorite Hobbies:

Swimming
Reading
Writing
Walking/Bike Riding/ Excrcise in general
Drawing

Five Of Your Favorite Books (in order) ((In order??? NOOOO!!!)):

Enna Burning (Shannon Hale)
Hearts of Iron (Kathleen Benner-Duble)
Twilight (Stephenie Meyer)
Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine)
Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To-Do List (Janette Rallison

Five Things You Like About School (or liked):

You make loads of friends and get to see them everyday!!
Yummy yummy yummy cafeteria food
Awesomely awesome library
The teachers rock (most of the time)
You can have your nails painted any color you want (totally random, I know)

Five Things You Hate About School (or hated):

Homework
Small lockers
The bathrooms stink (literally and figuratively)
Hot in the summer, cold in the winter
You have to get up so early

Five Of Your Favorite Movies:

Pirates of the Caribbean (1 & 2)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (I just finished watching it for the first time today!)
The Princess Diaries 2 (not one, two)
Ever After
A Cinderella Story

Five of your favorite foods (I added this for fun):

Honey Mustard Flavored Pretzels
Rice w/ Cheese and Hot Sauce
Coffee Bars (Mint Condition flavor)
CHOCOLATE
Eggs w/ cheese, pepper, and salt

I hope someone responds to the tag!

STRESS: The Sequel

2007-04-19T21:32:00.000-04:00

The reason this post is called "Stress: The Sequel" is because I think that at an earlier time in my blogger history I wrote about stress. I think a good defination of stress is a t-shirt I once saw that said "Stess: What happens when your head says 'no', but your mouth says 'Sure, I'd be glad to.'"

All this week, things kept building up and building up. Just when you thought you were safe, a test was announced, or my brother would get sick or something bad would happen in general. I truly understand the saying "Just when you think things can't get any worse..." Yeah, well, they can. Just when you think you will drop from exhaustion, you realize you can't and have to push on. Slowly but surely the week drags on and one by one the obstacles that seemed impossible at first are managable. You begin to look to something at the end of the long road and it gets closer. Suddenly, the last day before the weekend is there! You made it! YAY! Then, you're done, nothing left to do. You can breath. Finally. It's such a relief, you could climb mountains and do whatever you want because YOU MADE IT! You pushed through the stress and exhaustion and MADE IT! I have been relaxing, with no homework, just my computer and a book to occupy my mind for the next 3 days.

All I have to say is:
TGIF!

New Blog!

2007-04-15T16:40:00.000-04:00

Yay! I have created a new blog ( a sub-blog, really) of JUST book reviews. I will still be posting regularly on this blog (it's still my favorite and my baby) but I wanted to try something new and exciting. I really like the way new blogger works. It's pretty neat and organized. But I refuse to switch this blog over because I don't really like the way the 'archive' thing looks. It bugs me. **shrug** Anyway. I have been way busy and haven't been able to write much, for which I am really sorry. Hopefully I'll be able to do a nice long post soon, talk to you later!

Oh my goodness. I almost forgot. :o) The new URL for the book review blog is http://madsreads.blogspot.com. Or you can go to my profile, and click on the 'Mads Reads' blog at the bottom. Feel free to comment!

Blond Vs. Brunettes = Unfair!!!

2007-03-24T21:13:00.000-04:00

The other day when my mom and I were watching TV together, the commercials came on (Wow, big surprise there, hehe). Usually, when this happens I have a book right next to me and start reading, but this time a certain one caught my eye. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1qHbM7fO24&NR is a commercial for Sunsilk, and I can't stand it. I am a blond, and it puts us down in a really bad way. In the commercial, it clearly states that blonds are party-loving, big-breasted, dumb, NON-READING idiots.

At first when I was watching it, I thought 'Oh, it's not that bad' but when they said that brunettes "at least read" I was fuming. Blonds don't read? Really? I didn't know that! I have two younger sisters, who are both blond. We all like to read. Just about half of my friends are blond, and they all like to read. Did I miss a memo or something?

I hate how people can be so hypocritic, saying how blonds are such idiots, so stupid, they don't do anything but act pretty, when just about half the population dye/want to dye their hair blond. Everyone sits there and says "Oh, look, another dumb blond," and then five weeks later, their own hair is blond. It just doesn't seem very fair, to be judged in this way. Yes, I'll admit, there are some people out there who are a little 'dumb', but not all of them are blond. There are plenty of dumb brunettes, too!!!!! Is it because of Barbie we are called dumb? Paris Hilton? Jessica Simpson? Maybe it's all of these people who are contributing to the dumb blond name all blonds seem to have, yet everyone wants to BE a blond. Jiminy Criminies, the world is going insane with sterotypes!!!

You'll also notice that all of the blonds in the commercial had extremely big chests, which isn't fair. When the fashion industry starts displaying blond (and brunette too, for this matter) girls in this one particular way, it sets a certains standard for all of them to look like the labeled 'blond' or 'brunette'. What this commercial is telling blond girls is that they need to have a perfect body with a big chest, anything besides this is wrong, and then you're not 'pretty'. It's telling brunnete girls they need ot be really tell and skinny, with hardly no chest..... anything besides this is out. And the country is concerned with anorexia and bulmia (sp.?), when just about every teenage girl is watching these commercials, praying to look like these models??? It's not right, and I wish I could do more about it.

One thing is for sure, I will NOT be buying Sunsilk's new product, and I urge all of you to do they same.

p.s. You can also go to http://www.colorshowdown.com and see more stuff about it....

Top 5

2007-03-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

I decided to make a list of my book (favorite) top fives. Enjoy reading, here they are!!

** these are not in order from least favorite to most favorite or vice versa **

Top 5 books

Hearts of Iron
Enna Burning
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
An Aquaintance With Darkness
The Pretties

Top 5 authors

Kathleen Benner-Duble
Janette Rallison
Shannon Hale
Ann Rinaldi
Gail Carson Levine

Top 5 heroines (from books)

Ani, The Goose Girl
Ella, Ella Enchanted
Lucy, Hearts of Iron
Tally, The Pretties
Bella, Twilight

Top 5 leading guys (from books. This is going to be really hard!!!)

Jesse, Hearts of Iron
Peder, Princess Academy
Char, Ella Enchanted
Edward, Twilight
Wesley, The Princess Bride

Top 5 Book Series

Boston Jane, by: Jennifer Holm
The Uglies, by: Scott Westerfeld
Peter and the Star-Catchers, by: Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Harry Potter, by: J.K. Rowling
The Bayern Books, by: Shannon Hale

Top 5 Ann Rinaldi books **these are descending order**

An Aquaintance With Darkness
Time Enough for Drums
The Last Silk Dress
The Fifth of March
Finishing Becca

Top 5 Shannon Hale Books **favorite to least order**

Enna Burning
Austenland
The Princess Academy
The Goose Girl
River Secrets

Now as a random random random list.....

Top 5 favorite (comfort, I guess you could say) foods

Honey Mustard Flavored pretzals
Coffee Bars ('mint condition' flavor)
Dark dark dark dark chocolate from Trader Joe's
Banana Split Cream flavored Italian Ice from Rita's
Rice with cheese and Old Bay flavoring sprinkled on top

I'm a freak, I know. :o)

Austenland Book Review

2007-03-17T18:49:00.000-04:00

I recently read Austenland by Shannon Hale, and enjoyed it very much. Here is my book review for it for my school newspaper:

Austenland, by Shannon Hale
A book review by Mads

Many people have seen the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice, and many people fall in love with the handsome Mr. Darcy. For some, it’s just a passing fancy. For others, Pride and Prejudice and all of Jane Austen’s books/movies become an obsession - something that makes one’s love life unbearable for a lack of Mr. Darcys in the world. Jane Hayes has this exact problem. No matter what she does, she can never find ‘the one’. Jane has undergone many boyfriends, each of which failed her miserably. Jane is ready to get over this obsession, when she gets an unexpected trip to a Jane Austen resort. Suddenly Jane is in England, wearing a full-sized ball gown, flirting with all of the Regency-era gentlemen placed there, and playing an act of a lady in the 1800’s England. Jane begins to fall for the gentlemen in Austenland, but she knows that it’s all a joke, a fake, played by actors for her entertainment… right? Can Jane survive 3 weeks in an Austenland paradise, and quit her bad habit for good? Or will she just make it worse, leaving her even more stranded then before? One can only guess.
Shannon Hale, writer of the young adult fantasy books The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Princess Academy, does an excellent job putting the reader in place of Jane Hayes. Shannon portrays the feelings and emotions in the book perfectly, while adding humor to it as well. I enjoyed this book immensely, it made me understand Jane Austen’s time period better, and was hilarious (especially since I have read Pride and Prejudice). Many people have read Pride and Prejudice, and I recommend this book to them. Even if you haven’t read it, Austenland is still a good read. As I said earlier, Shannon Hale did a fantastic job describing the world of Jane Hayes, and how the end of an obsession is possible. (Austenland is available online and in bookstores May 29, 2007)

p.s. Wow! A whole month since my last post! Shame on me, shame on me...

Sighs

2007-02-12T15:14:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, Monday and no homework. Phew. How was your weekend? Mine was chaos. Here's how it went:

Friday-
Go to bed early, after swim practice.

Saturday-
Get up at 7:15 am, go to swim team. There, we got team pictures done and had a swim meet. This was from 8:30 am-1:30 pm. Next, I stopped at home for a quick 15 minutes, and was off again. "To where?" You may ask. Well, I will tell you. Another swim meet! This one was longer then the first, and more stressful. At least in my opinion. A good 45 minutes away from my house, it was a nightmare to get to and from. I finally made it home at 7:45pm and watched the movie 'Flicka'. Horrible movie, I don't recommend it.

Sunday-
Slept in until about 8:30 am. Was awoken by the sound of a telephone ringing. I baby-sat all morning long, then finally ate a healthy swimmer's lunch of nachos. Yum! Then, at around 2:00 pm, I headed out for a continuation of the meet from yesterday. My swim coach wasn't there (she was the one calling so darn early; her grandmom had fallen and broken her hip.) so I had to navigate the huge pool on my own. Finally, I got home around 7:30 pm, and went right to sleep.

Monday-
Got up at 4:41 am for swim practice. It's a horrible horrible thing that early in the morning. I had to keep reminding myself of how much I loved swimming and I need to practice to improve. Practice started, and eventually I got to school. I was able to do all my homework at school, so none today! Right now, I have to go get ready for yet more swimming. Swim practice is in 1/2 an hour!!

You know, it's no wonder my skin is so dry. And now even drier than it was before, with all the time spent in the water this weekend. But alas; it will have to bear with me a little bit longer, Champs are coming and I need all the practice I can get.

Finished Harry Potter 1, what a book. I am now reading Finishing Becca by Ann Rinaldi. It's really good!

Dry Skin

2007-02-07T22:44:00.001-05:00

I hate it. End of post.

:o)

Books, Books, Books, and More Books

2007-01-27T14:59:00.000-05:00

I have way too many books!!!! I need to start reading them, but whenever I start one, I get half-way through and remember another one that I wanted to read and start reading that one. It's terribly annoying. Here is the list of books on my waiting list that I am going to finish. As I finish them, I'll take them off one by one.

Water Song
Beauty Sleep
Rebel Angels
The Pretties
Pirates!
Bridge To Terabithia
Peter and the Star-Catchers*
Princess Academy*
Ella Enchanted*
Fairest
No Place for Magic*
An Aquaintance With Darkness*
Fever*
Harry Potter 4*

Some of these, in fact almost of them, I have read before, and just want to read again. Ones with the star next to them (*) mean that I want to finish them before I turn 15. All of the main characters in these books are 14, and I want to read it when I am the same age as them. Weird, I know, but whatever.

Stress

2007-01-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

Stress-
What happens when your head says no, but your mouth says 'Sure, I'd be glad to'.

This is what is on my swim coachs' shirt. It pretty much says how I feel right now. Once Mid-Terms are over it will be a breath of freah air, but until then I just got to stay strong. :o)

I have been so busy! So many papers due lately, and so much homework!!! AHHH!!! I am about to crack!!! The one thing that is making me feel better is the fact that I am allowing myself to read one new book, straight through, at the end of mid-terms. I hold onto this like a lighthouse in a storm; a needle in a haystack; a new present on Christmas day... AHHHHH!!!!!!!! I am gonna crack soon. I know it. *Rocks back and forth*

One another subject, check out this site and Shannon Hale's blog entry Suess for the Teenage Mind (sounds like a book, Suess for the Teenager's Soul...). It is totally true what Shannon is saying. I believe that if teenagers don't want to read, then they shouldn't have to read. (This probably isn't what Shannon was talking about, but what ever) Children should be exposed to all types of books, and if they don't care for one type, don't force them to read it. What would be the point in that? If you force a teenager to read a classic, then they are going to hate it. And then they will form some pointless prejudice against it, and discourage their children from reading. And their children will do the same for their children etc etc. I don't know, but Shannon makes some excellent points. While teenagers should have to read the classics, there has to be some better way to get them to read them by not using force. Maybe we should just change the label 'classics' and use 'moderns' instead. Which brings up a new topic in my book. Why is it just the classics being taught in school? Why not Ella Enchanted, or Pirates!, or The Goose Girl? How about the Uglies Trilogy (which yes, it is being used as a summer reading book in some schools, but not as the mandatory reading requirement e.g. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Odessessy*sp*, etc.) which teaches you about peer-pressure and all of the stuff that teens can relate to? I could see if you were going into college for English and having to read Shakespeare. But why read that when a teen isn't going to take in the full meaning of the book? Instead, give us a book that tells a story of something we get and understand. Something we can relate to. I personally don't want to read about some lovesick girl and guy who end up dying for love with each other. Well, okay, I do, but not yet. Maybe in a few years. When I don't have to do a huge project on it so I 'understand' the book. High school is a very delicate age, and you can leave a big impact. So why not read something that we LIKE and that brings up commonly brought-up issues? I don't know. Again, it must be the stress talking. And I am now stepping down from the soap box and handing it off to the next person. This topic can really get me going!

Summer time

2007-01-07T16:34:00.000-05:00

It's already Sunday and I am so tired!!!!!!!! I don't know why. I also don't have anything to write about. :o) Oh well. Humph. We didn't do much this weekend, despite the FANTASTIC weather. Oh there is something I can talk about!!! The weather!!! Yesterday it was 72 degrees, and sunny, which is unusal for up North in January. We stopped at an outdoor grocery stand, and it made me feel very sentimental, as though summer will never come. I am a summer geek, and live for it. Still do. it seems that just yesterday I was in our beach house watching jet skiiers, and tubers flying by and being blown off a tube because we were going so fast and my cousins and I couldn't stop laughing and crying (with joy of course). I had looked up into the sky at that moment and felt so small and powerful at the same time, and it was so beautiful. It's hard to decribe a moment like that. I have gone to many places that make me feel like that, and the weather made me think of all that. I love summer, and staying up late, and reading books on my hammock, with the smell of grass and barbecue all around me and the trees green and perfect. I love hanging at the pool and talking the lifeguards into keeping it open a little longer and ending up staying until 12. Going to bed at 4 is fun, and friends are made for life during the summer. That's when my b-day is. Here all all of the reasons I love summer, and the weather made me think of that!!! :o)

Odd

2007-01-02T14:07:00.000-05:00

I switched over to the new blogger. It is much more easier. I am basically just testing it out now, so this is all I am going to write! :o) lulas

How Many?

2006-12-30T14:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought this was pretty cool. I got it off of Mary Pearson's blog. I think that it means to say there is one person (me) who has my name. It's pretty cool-- try it!!
**Note: go to http://www.howmanyofme.com to try your name, if it says its not working. These darn blogs sometimes just DON"T want to play nicely with the other children. End Note**

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
0
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

New Books...

2006-12-29T23:12:00.000-05:00

The other day I got 4 new books. Four. I am in HEAVEN!! Okay, that would be speaking figuratively of course. The books I got include:
Rebel Angels, by: Libba Bray (I have read this already, but had to get a copy)
Snowfall, by: K.M. Peyton (A Victorian romance)
Midnight Pearls, by: Debbie Viguie (A retelling of The Little Mermaid)
Water Song by: Suzanne Weyn (a retelling of The Frog Prince)

As of right now I am reading Snowfall, but have also started Midnight Pearls. It's hard to choose! Snowfall is really good, though hard to get into. I am enjoying it so far though. It is set in the Victorian time era, and about a girl whose engaged to be married and doesn't like the guy. At all. She goes away on a trip with her brother Ben and his friends, and escapes before she has to go home. It's really quite sad. But a BIG romance. I, personally think it's a little far-fetched, but every once in a while you need one of those books. Midnight Pearls is the other one I chose to read. Ever since I was a little girl I loved the story of the little mermaid. What a great story!!! This is retelling of the story, though a little older. I haven't gotten to far into it so it's hard to tell what's it really about. I'll keep ou posted though.

I will put in a quote as soon as I've finished one!!!!!

Christmas!!

2006-12-25T17:46:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! Wow, when I woke up this morning, I was so excited! Who knew that less then 12 hours later I woulod be writing on this new and improved LAPTOP?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Yes, no need to clean out your ears, I am have a new laptop! My parents gave it to me for Christmas. I am so excited. :o) I also got a new swim suit, some books, and other small things. it was a good Christmas! What did you get? I want to hear! Do you have a family tradition? What are you having for dinner? We are having shrimp. Yum. I smell it now!!! Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Sister Goose

2006-12-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

Hey all! Wowzers, I haven't written here in awhile!!! I feel proud of myself, I fiddled and fiddled with this blog, and eventually found out how to add a title! Let's see if will work... :o)

As you can see, the title of this blog is 'my sister Goose'. Please note that this doesn't say, 'My Sister A Goose', or 'My Sister The Goose', but 'My Sister Goose'. Yes, she is my sister, but, alas, she is not named Goose, and isn't a goose either. In fact, I would call her one, but she is sitting right next to me, reading over my shoulder. Goose (whose real name is Grace) is my sister, and a real terror at times. At others, she is an angel, but most of the time it is first. Goose-meister(as she likes to be called) is currently reading a Series of Unfortunate Events, and is finally on the Thirteenth Book 'the End'. It is her favorite of the series, or so she claims. I, personally, tried to read this series, but after getting half-way through them I had nightmares of Count Olaf chasing me as he did to the Baudelaires. *Shiver-shiver* Honest I did, the same way I did when I read 'Anne Frank'. I have a problem. Anyway, Grace is incredibly proud of herself, since she started the series at the beginning of December, and is almost done. Yea!!! She also has reason to be proud, on account of the fact that she beat a 14 year old boy in the series. (she's eleven) --> !!! Note: 102 1/2 pages left in the 13th book!!!<-- We are going to be opening presents together tomorrow, along with our other sister Frances, and brother Henry. Christmas is coming, Goose is getting, please put a penny in the old man's hat...

I myself am rereading A Great and Terrible Beauty which is so great. I will hopefully be putting in an excerpt soon.

Now, without further ado, Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night!

Christmas Card Pictures

2006-12-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

Christmas Card Pictures!

I decided to post our annual Christmas Card picture of 2006. For those of you who don't know, my mom collects plush Santa Clauses and, every year since I was one, we have taken a picture with us in them. I love that tradition. This is the second year with HB in the picture, and I was slightly taken aback when I realized he was, absentmindedly, giving everyone the 'finger'. Lol, enjoy!

Long Time

2006-12-04T21:54:00.000-05:00

Wow! It has been a LONG time since I posted last... whoops... well, many things have happened. Here has been my November:

Week One:
Swim team started along with NanoWrimo. I also got my Quarter Grade (which was very good!!!)

Week Two:
I swam in swim team some more, did a little writing. Next week HIGH SCHOOL swimming starts!!!!

Week three:
HIGH SCHOOL swim started!!! It is truly a blast and I love it. No matter how hard the coach is. And how early I have to get up.

Week Four:
Thanksgiving! We went to my aunt's house and my cousins and I played hide and go seek whikle tearing up the house and having a blast. (YES, I am in high school and still play Hide and Go Seek, you have a problem with that????)

Then, it was December. My final word count for NanoWrimo was 7,425. Pathetic. Oh well, I liked the story while it lasted. :o)

Over the course of November I tried reading many different books. So, in a quest to at least FINISH one, I started the DaVinci Code. It was fantastic. Seriously. Loved it. (and I finished it!!) Now I am reding my new avorite book called Ophelia by: Lisa Greene (this might be wrong...) It's about Hamlet's girl Ophelia, and her take on things. I love it! Soon I'll get a picture up. Yeah, Hamlet and Horatio (how cool of a name is that?) are my new leading men. Personally, I like Horatio a little better, but Hamlet has this sweet way with words...

Happy Halloween!!!!!!

2006-10-31T21:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! I love this holiday. It's so fun. And the weather has been perfect for it, too.

This is the last time I might blog for a week or so, because I am doing this thing called Nanowrimo. It's when you try and write a novel (50,000 words) in one month. A little crazy, but whatever. I can hardly wait! My novel is about Pirates. I love pirates. And not just because of the popualr movies that have come out lately either. :o)

So, goodf bye for now. I will write when I can, but who knows. You might not hear from me the whole month of November.

Motto: Life is Good.

Currently reading (or rereading): The Uglies, By Scott Westerfeld.

P.s. You can check my novel progress at Nanowrimo.com, and my screen name is just.mads. You go to the authors tab and search for just.mads. Pretty easy. Good by now. For real.

Flying Away...

2006-10-29T11:41:00.000-05:00

"My name is Molly Aster," the girl said to Peter. "What's your name?"

"Peter," He said.

"What's your last name?"

"I don't know," He said. It was true. Back at St. Norbert's, he'd once asked Mr. Grempkin what his last name was, and Grempkin had boxed his ear and told him it was a stupid question. Peter had never asked again.

"Well, Mr. Peter Nobody," said Molly, "do you know how old you are?"

"How old are you?" said Peter.

"I'm twelve," said Molly.

"I'm thirteen," said Peter.

"Wait," said Molly. "I just remembered. Today is my birthday. I'm fourteen."

Peter frowned. "Wait," He said. "If you were twelve and today's your birthday, you'd be thirteen."

"Not in my family," said Molly. "In my family, we only celebrate even-numbered birthdays."

Peter was impressed. He had never thought of that.

Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Star-Catchers, pg. 25

I love this book to death! This scene even more then the rest. It's so simple and plain, it's hilarious! Peter and the Star-Catchers (PATSC) is a prequel to Peter Pan. It gives the background info to the movie. Personally, I hated the movie. And after reading this book, I still hated it. But at least I understood what I was watching. This book was so much better then the movie, and it's a must read. After all, this IS where I found my first boyfriend. :o)

Near You

2006-10-27T06:33:00.000-04:00

With night fell a fresh winter cold. Light, airy flakes ofsnow like gray ashes fell on the fire and made sweet, soft hisses. Razo stood and stretched.

"Come on in the tent tonight Finn," He said. "It's cramped, but cozy, and I don't want to have to dig you out in the morning."

"You'd better," said Enna. "I shouldn't be the only one suffering through Razo's snoring. He sounds like an entire pen of angry piglets."

Razo shoved her shoulder, and crawled into the tent. Finn hesitated, glanced at Enna, and nodded.

Late in the night, Enna awoke. She was lying on her side facing Finn, though she could barely make him out in the blackness. She felt his breath touch his forehead in soft, rythmic sighs. What woke her though was his hand on her hair. He pulled back, and her head felt lighter for losing his touch. She had never imagined this before, what it might be like to lie beside him, to feel so warm and content. HEr heart beat againest her ribs, and she tried to peer through the darkness and see if he was awake, and if so, how he looked at her.

Suddenly, she realized she was holding her breath and quickly realeased it, a long moaning sound, so that he might think she was still asleep.

In a soft-hush voice, Finn said, "All I ever wanted was to be near you." Then he rolled onto his back and sighed into sleep.

-Shannon Hale, Enna Burning pgs. 142-143

Emotions High

2006-10-22T15:16:00.000-04:00

"Here is our answer," Sileph said.

Her eyes still burned from staring at campfires, and here it was dark. She focused on what stood before her until her eyes grew accustomed to the night. Slowly, the people's faces resolved into clarity.

Standing between the soldiers, their tied behind their backs, their faces swollen and bloodied, were Razo and Finn.

Their swords were gone. They breathed hard as if they had been fighting until moments ago. Razo had a scrap of cloth tied around his mouth- Enna didn't doubt that he had been cursing and shouting. And his hair of course stood straight up. A soldier beside him held a dagger at the point of his jaw as if prepared to slice his throat clean open.

Finn's mouth was uncovered, and his labored breath came rasping from his throat. In addition to his hands, his ankles were tied with rope, probably to stop him from kicking. Two men held his shoulders. Both Razo and Finn watched Enna, and their eyes were sad. They had come here, she knew, for her.

"No," Enna said softly.

"It is all right," said Sileph softly. "This is our chance, Enna."

"How dare you?" Finn spoke out with a rage that surprised Enna. "If you address her, you will call her 'maiden'; she's not Enna to you!"

Shannon Hale, Enna Burning pgs. 192-193

I think that's all I need to write today. This was one of the most powerful pages in the book, for reasons hard to describe. Just imagine if you were Enna, and your friends who had come to rescue you were hurting like that. I would die. And one of them being your one true love (Finn)? The feelings portrayed in this chapter were very powerful. Actually, the feelings in the whole book were fantastic. I will do another part from Enna Burning soon. Possibly next blog entry.

Choices

2006-10-18T16:34:00.000-04:00

Now it was my turn. Char knelt, holding the slipper. I extended my foot and he guided it in. The slipper fit perfectly, of course. What was I going to do?

His face was close to mine. He must have seen my terror. "You needn't be Ella if you don't want to be," he said softly.

He was so good.

"I'm not," I said. But in spite of myself, tears streamed down my cheeks.

I saw hope glimmer across his face. "That letter was rubblish. A trick." He glared at Hattie, then turned to me, his look probing. "Do you love me?" He still spoke softly. "Tell me."

An order. "I do." I was sobbing and smiling at once. How was I going to give him up again?

Char was jubilant. His voice rang out. "Then marry me!"

Another order.

-Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine, pgs. 223-224.

I was rereading my favorite parts from Ella Enchanted today, and this came up. It was my favorite part. The detail in the writing, just fantastic. Could you imagine? Being under a curse and not being able to marry the one you loved? That would be horrible. Just horrible. But those of you that have read the book know how it turns out... I read Ella ENchanted in 3rd grade, and read it about 3 times a year up until now. It was my all time favorite comfort book. Loved it. If you haven't read it yet, go out to your local bookstore and get it. NOW. Right now. WHy are you still here? I told you NOW!!!!!!!

2006-10-14T18:24:00.000-04:00

I am so excited! We are going to a Halloween Party tonight at our local pool. It should be a lot of fun, roasting marshmellows, eating candy, joking, laughing.... Yea! I am all dressed up in my halloween garb, which consits of my high school sweat pants, and sweat shirt. Ha-ha.

My mom FINALLY found time to take me to the library, where I scored a couple of REALLY good looking books. The one I was so happy to get is called, Writing Magic, By: Gail Carson Levine. The other was Loving Will Shakespeare, By: Caroline Meyer. These were such great finds.

Whoops, better go. My mom is threatening to leave without me... :o)

2006-10-13T15:54:00.000-04:00

Yes. I've now created my last and final blog. Hopefully. I have no idea just how long I'll keep this up. Here's where I've blogged so far-

http://www.geocities.com/
This didn't last long, because once I figured out that is the cheaper kind of blog, I was out of there like a coyote is to a fire! :o)

http://www.livejournal.com/
Again, it took me exactly one post to learn this wasn't the site for me. That's right. ONE POST. Shows how great of a blogger I am. LOL

Well, for introductions, my name is Mads. Yea. I am still in school, so my life is very hectic. I don't really know what I have to write about, but I know I'll find something. At the yahoo blog, I wrote exactly 5 (or was it 6?) posts. They all had to do with books. I love books. Inhale them really. It's like eating. A thing in life that you NEED to do. Without it, you feel as though you're drowning. Wow. That's pretty deep, isn't it?

So, I'll try to keep up woth this blog. I'll write a lot about books. And swimming. And don't forget dancing! But most importantly I'll write about life. Because life is most important. Right? :o)