Tron Legacy

It has been about a week since I've seen this movie but I am just getting around to writing the review now. The movie is at a semi-solid 8. It probably would have been a 7 if I hadn't seen the original. Let me explain.

Tron Legacy had a sense of nostalgia but it felt more like a premier than a sequel because of the many years that have passed since the original came out and the leaps in cinematography and special effects since then. This included not only the casting of Bridges as Flynn but also the references to Tron and, of course, the games.

I won't say that the special effects were fantastic, but they were fun to watch and the light cycles were pretty cool. I want one.....

I have heard a lot of complaints that people were bored during the movie. I could see how this could happen. The plot isn't necessarily slow, but I think the fact that they are in a virtual world slows it down because the viewer is unfamiliar with everything that shows up. I thought it was just fine.

The actor they chose to play Sam was great. He played his part well and I think he showed the corresponding emotion for the corresponding scene.

The largest failing of the movie was the end. I will not spoil it for anyone, but I think the "reintegration" of Flynn and the digital Flynn could have been less destructive, perhaps trapping Flynn in the grid forever or something like that.

If you liked Aeonflux then you would probably like this film.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I gave this movie an 8.

I have been waiting for the next installment in the Narnia series for quite a while and I was very excited to see it. These books (and movies) are very close to my heart and I thought the first two were very successful.

I wondered how the new studio would handle the series, but it seems like they did a fairly good job at keeping most things the same. Some stylistic differences here and there. A lot of the storyline was changed but hardly any of it was ignored completely. I was okay with the changes that were made.

The new character Eustace played his role well. I liked the boy they chose for Eustace but they are going to have to do a good job on the next movie in order for me to like him as much as a main character should be liked.

I was mad at the three people in front of me in the theater because they were mocking the touching scene at the end. Like I said, these stories are very close to my heart and I wish they hadn't been there but nobody could ruin it for me. There was too much positive and wistful emotion colliding all at once.

At first it was sad because I knew that this was the last time Edmund and Lucy would be able to visit Narnia. This also brought to a close the first three movies, since none of the original characters would continue from now on. Reep and Eustice were able to bond in the movie and though I was happy for Reep to visit Aslan's Country, Eustice started crying and it made it one of those bittersweet moments for me. Aslan was also there during this scene which just brought power and majesty to it. Overall I felt like they did very well and I will definitely be purchasing the dvd when it comes out.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The last movie promised that number seven would also be a decent movie and it did not disappoint. Though I liked Half-Blood Prince better, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 definitely makes it to the top half of my list of Harry Potter movies.

Although it was long, it was interesting the entire movie. I was wondering if they would end this first installment with Ron's return to the group but it went much farther than I anticipated. This means that the battle at Hogwarts in the next movie is going to take quite a while, which I am perfectly okay with.

Most all of the characters performed admirably. There are not any parts that I can think of that had an obvious lack of talent. The movie was hilarious all the way through. However there were some minor mistakes and two larger flaws which place Half-Blood Prince over this one.

Minor flaws: Bill's scar was not what I expected. I thought it would be much larger and/or cover a much larger area of his face. Though he played his part well, I did not particularly like the man chosen to play Xenophilia Lovegood. I think it could have been more violent. Of the unforgiveable curses I only saw the Avada Kedavra even used and that only indirectly.

Slightly bigger flaws: The camera work at some points was disorienting, specifically when the snatchers are chasing the trio through the woods towards the end of the film. The much talked about nudity scene I felt was interjected specifically so that the audience could see Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe naked and was not only completely unnecessary but out of place. The specific details of that scene do not even happen in the book at all and if they had wanted to put it in then they characters could have at least been clothed. Like I said, it was apparent that they put it in because they wanted to and I don't feel that it enhanced the emotion of that moment even a morsel. It actually somewhat bothers me that they would purposely insert such a scene in a movie that they know many children will watch (and that is probably precisely why they did it).

I loved the character they chose for Bathilda Bagshot.

I am convinced that the next movie will probably be the best of the lot because it will have all my favorite parts of the seventh book. Looking forward to it.

Iliad

Robert Fagles' translation of the Iliad deserves an A.

I began reading this book for my Greek History class but I have always wanted to read it anyway. I am glad that the teacher led me to this translation because rather than being stilted and archaic, it is pure poetry.

Every line and section is written as it might have been sung thousands of years ago. Several small sections have become my favorite poems and the book as a whole is one long poem.

A good book makes you look forward to reading more. Luckily, I have the Robert Fagles' translation of the Odyssey on order from Amazon and I can't wait to read it.

Characters

Trojans: I generally dislike many of the Trojans. The glaring exceptions are Andromache and Hector, both of whom I love. I love Andromache because she is the perfect example of a loving, faithful wife. Her emotions feel real and her scenes, though few, are captivating. Hector is not the best warrior, but he is the best Trojan. In modern days he is often seen as a family man, which of course he is. However, none of these are the reasons I respect and like Hector. I like Hector because he knows that the entire Trojan kingdom rests on his back and that responsibility drives him to be a hardened leader who knows that he can not possibly win, but fights for it anyway. Whether the gods are with him or not, Hector knows he must always press on.

Greeks: I like Achilles because he knows he is the best and so does everyone else. He does not disappoint. He has the love of the gods and his refusal to fight is justified because he is powerful enough to say that it is. Having said that, I think he is petty and this undercuts his heroism. Diomedes shines for me brighter than anyone else. Diomedes feels he needs to prove that he can be a good warrior and he succeeds. Athena is with Diomedes and the man is ambitious enough to attack the gods (he harms both Aphrodite and Ares, his own father). Diomedes steps in to fill the hole left by the absence of Achilles. Odysseus does not shine too much in this book but he does have his moments and I do like him. He is best friends with Diomedes and although he is more of a strategist that a warrior, he doesn't pass by opportunities to protect his friends and fight for the Greeks. Two examples of this are when he goes with Diomedes to attack the Trojan camp during the night and another example when Diomedes is wounded and Odysseus stands alone against a horde until Ajax comes to relieve him. I am also a big fan of Patroclus because he loves Achilles enough to know his duty and not fight, though he wants to badly. Yet at the same time he pushes those boundaries and helps the sick men in the camps despite Achilles' ban on giving aid. His spirit quickly leads to his death and I wish we could have gotten to know him better.

Olympians: On my hate list are Apollo and Aphrodite, who support the Trojans. I do not like Aphrodite because she just constantly whines. She is technically responsible for the entire war yet she does not assume this responsibility and kind of pops in and out of the battle to conveniently save people who deserve to die. When she is wounded by Diomedes she comes crying to Zeus. She is pathetic. Apollo is strong and wise and he also fights for the Trojans. What I do not like about Apollo is that he seems to fight for himself, not the Trojans. He aids Hector and others, but only when it suits him and at no risk to himself. This seems cowardly even though he has great power. The only god that I love is Athena. Hera is okay, especially towards the middle of the book, but Athena is constantly in good standing. Athena loves warriors and she only loves the best. From the beginning Athena is drawn to Diomedes which made me like both of them even more. Athena often fights with Diomedes and allows him godlike abilities such as seeing gods and harming gods. Athena does not back down from a fight. She has a confrontation with Apollo directly, later in the book, and Apollo backs down though he is stronger. Athena commands respect and divinity.

I would recommend this book to anybody. I promise they will love it. If they open their minds to the possibility that the gods are actually real and this is the true, perfectly accurate history of Greece then it becomes even more exhilarating. One warning is that many people die and it is often described in graphic terms.

Jonathan Stroud Book Signing

Last night I had the fantastic opportunity to meet Jonathan Stroud, a British children's fantasy author. I first picked up his most famous work, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, in high school and I have been a fan ever since. Since he lives in England, this was quite a rare treat.

Jonathan started off by talking about his early writing career and showing us pictures of covers from different areas of the world. This was very interesting. I wish I could have gotten pictures but I didn't. Before launching into the Q & A session he read to us from his newest book The Ring of Solomon. It promises to be just as entertaining as the original three.



Most of the fans there were able to ask at least one question. There were only about 20 or so of us. After that we got in line to get our books signed. I not only had a copy of the new book but the other three as well in hardback and paperback. Now they are all signed and I am happy :)

Way of Kings Review (Spoiler Free)

The Way of King's is author Brandon Sanderson's attempt at epic fantasy. Before I critique the novel, let me say that it well deserves its grade as an A- book and ranks above a few of the other novels he has put out (all of which are fantastic by the way). So don't let the 1001 pages or any negative feedback put you off.

I will not talk about the writing because it is similar to that of his other books and in no way exceeds or falls short of them. Therefore I will only focus on plot line and things of that nature.

Pace: In a book this large it is impossible to completely avoid the feeling that a particular section or chapter is dragging. This will always happen at one point or another with a book of this size. I actually had this problem less with Way of Kings than I have with other books with a comparable length. Most of the time Brandon is pretty good about decided when he needs to switch viewpoints again and visit a character he has neglected for a while. This book actually reminds me a lot of The Great Hunt (The second book of The Wheel of Time series) in which the author must juggle more than a few viewpoints.

Characterization: This is the bulk of my negative comments about the book. Although Dalinar and Kaladin are well-developed (as well as all the minor characters on the Shattered Plains), Jasnah, Shallan, and the other characters in the west are not. In Shallan's case we do know quite a bit about her past, but it is . . . well, boring. For me Shallan did not get interesting until her encounter towards the end of the novel. Although I love reading about Kaladin's past (especially his brother Tien) I felt like putting in SO MUCH of it was cheating the reader. I realize Brandon has a clear view of what he wants to do but I would rather he work those large chunks into the chapters as smaller chunks or comments or memories over a longer period of time to give the reader the sense that he is actually getting to know Kaladin better rather than just reading Kaladin's history.

Magic: As always, Brandon has an interesting magic system quite different than anything he has written before. I suppose that is his trademark: to invent a new and unique magic system for each of his books. Way of Kings is no exception. I felt like he handled it perfectly. A little over explanation of surgebindings in fight scenes, but overall well done.

Climax and Ending: The climax was perfectly placed and well developed and supported by what the reader has come to know. The ending was not rushed yet not dragged out either and it made for the perfect transition into the second book when it comes out. The mini-climax and ending for the Jasnah/Shallan story thread was much too rushed but it had to happen that way because of Brandon's neglect concerning that storyline.

Best/Worst: As far as characters go Dalinar, Kaladin, then Adolin top the list for me. Kasbal and Shallan are solidly at the bottom. The pace of unfurling the magic system with Kaladin and Dalinar was perfect. Elokhar, though he is meant to be a weak character, is too weak in my opinion. Hoid (explained below).

Things to look forward to: A Jasnah viewpoint in future books would be great because she comes across as a potentially interesting character but she didn't really get a chance to shine here. I would also like an ardent viewpoint at some point in the series so that the reader can more fully explore the Devotaries and the Vorin religion.

Hoid: Brandon has the tendency to talk down to his reader at times. He realizes that not all of his readers can figure out everything by themselves, but it still bothers me when he has to directly come out and say things. Hoid in this book is a great example of that. I would rather continue to read vague hints and clues at the cosmere and Hoid but this book gives him nearly two full chapters worth of material. I don't know how I feel about this. I would rather be forced to figure it out on my own at roughly the same pace as Brandon has been laying it out thus far. A pace increase was required eventually, but this was too far of a leap.

Salt

So I don't know why I have waited this long to see Salt because it was amazing. This is probably going to be an unpopular comment but I thought it was better than Inception. The action was hands down more active and violent and even Inception's interesting ideas could not defeat Salt's overall appeal. Angelina Jolie was perfect. She looked hot no matter what color her hair was or how long it was (In fact towards the end when she has really short hair I think it made her look really hot, which is unusual for me). Everyone and their dog has done the idea of Russian spies posing as Americans but I think this is the best way I've ever seen it done. Salt is a definite must see.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I avoided this movie while it was in theaters because I had heard too many bad reviews of it. The comment I heard most often was that the best parts were in the trailer (which I thought was hilarious and that is why I was interested in the movie). So I didn't ever see it. The other night I rented the movie to watch with a friend and loved it. It was not the most amazing movie ever, but it brought me back to that age again and it was full of humorous real-life experiences.

The only part about the movie that I disliked was the fixation on the moldy piece of cheese. I felt it was unnecessary and the director relied far too much on the cheese for poor scene transitions.

This One's For The Boys

I decided to do a blog post about the only major books in my life in which my favorite character is male rather than female. In order to qualify for this the book has to be fairly large and have more than one main character. Thus books like Artemis Fowl and Ender's Game don't count. I am doing this because generally my favorite characters are female and I think the boys are feeling a little left out.

Illiad
I am currently reading the Illiad for my Greek History class and this shout out goes to Diomedes. He has got to be one of the most amazing male characters ever written. Now you might try and say that the Illiad doesn't have many female characters in it (and you would be correct) BUT this was actually a pretty close contest. Athena is easily my second favorite character and it was a close call between the two.

Mistborn
Even though Vin is pretty sweet, Elend is my favorite character in the Mistborn series (particularly the first book). I guess I identified with Elend a lot in the first book and would like to think that if I was in his place I would have made similar decisions as he did. For many people he doesn't get awesome until the second and third books in the series but Elend book 1 is my favorite.

Way of Kings
The book I am currently trying to plow through is Way of Kings. I have not finished it yet but I am about 500 pages in and so I think I can say with some confidence that I know the characters well enough to make this kind of decision. Kaladin is easily my favorite character followed closely by Dalinar, then Adolin. This book is something of a rarity because usually if my first choice is male then my second choice will be female but in this book my top three characters are all male. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing that I don't really like any of the females in the book that much . . .

Alera Codex
Jim Butcher is not inept in writing female characters, but Tavi (the main) is just so well-written except for his age (see my review) and lovable that you can't help making him your favorite. Invidia and Isana are my favorite after Tavi though.

A special shout out goes to Brandon Sanderson for writing two of the only four books I could think of (given the aforementioned restrictions) where my favorite character is male. Perhaps he will turn in to the opposite of Robert Jordan for me (Jordan writes strong female characters that I absolutely love).

Honorable Mentions
Dragonlance (Tanis and Raistlin come close but they just don't beat Kitiara)
Harry Potter (Bellatrix takes the cake then Ginny but Harry, Ron, and Sirius are close behind)

Good Charlotte Mix Concert

So I went to the Good Charlotte concert at Jordan Commons last night. Unfortunately, most of the people there weren't even fans. Some of them didn't even know who Good Charlotte was. This made for a night filled with awesome music with a lame atmosphere since Trev and I were the only ones singing. Joel and Benji did all of their songs acoustic which was awesome, but it felt ridiculous sitting there with people who didn't even appreciate them. Also, they didn't have any shirts or merch at all. That was pretty lame too. We did get our picture with them though. :) They said they were coming to SLC in March so I can't wait till spring rolls around.

The guys are hilarious. You can see the full video of the concert on the Mix 107.9 website.

Set List:

The Motivation Proclamation

Girls & Boys

Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous

I Just Wanna Live

Dance Floor Anthem

Like it's Her Birthday

Freddie Highmore

I just finished watching August Rush which, as I highly suspected, I adored. If you have not seen it you are missing out on an splendid display of child acting. Freddie Highmore captures every emotion and conveys it to the viewer effortlessly and this is what made the movie come alive.

I have been fascinated with this kid ever since Finding Neverland, which was my first exposure to him. This was a brilliant film in and of itself and I do not feel that Freddie was integral to the movie as he was in August Rush, but he was still brilliant.

I typically worship Tim Burton, though there are more than a few of his projects that don't appeal to me. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of these and I feel that Freddie had the misfortune of being caught up in one of Burton's too-twisted projects. I saw the movie and thought nothing spectacular of it. Even Freddie's performance, though charming, was not unique and I think any young British boy could have made the same impression.

Freddie has had a run in with voice acting lately and is known for his role in the Spiderwick Chronicles movie but now that he is of age I expect and anticipate more adult roles. He is capable of greatness, August Rush has handily proven that. The question is whether decent directors will harness this potential in the future.

I hope they do.

Way of Kings Release Party

Okay, so most of you probably don't know this, but I was camping out at BYU for the last three days in order to get a low numbered copy of Brandon Sanderson's new book The Way of Kings. I had been hoping to get there first, but the two people in front of me went over there Friday night and I didn't show up until Saturday morning.

Saturday: On Saturday we found out that BYU was putting on a Freshman dance and we were actually required to moved until the dance was over. I just went home then came back around 11:00 as they were picking up. Nobody else joined us that night. It wasn't terribly cold, but the cement could have been comfier.

Sunday: Throughout the day Sunday we had three more people show up and then a lot of people from about 10:00 pm to 12:00 am. I mostly did homework (read over 200 pages of school stuff and leisure reading). I tried to nap too but that wasn't very successful.

Monday: Monday morning we got our numbered tickets and we were free to leave until 9:00 that night so I got to go to my classes after all. After school I had lunch with Natasha then headed back to BYU and helped Josh and Michelle (They run the official Brandon fan website and they were the two people in front of me) and their friends set up the activities for the signing. It kept the boredom away.

Once they let us in at 10:00 pm I tried to busy myself with participating in the activities so that the waiting didn't get to me like it did last year with The Gathering Storm.

The book is 1001 pages long, plus the index. It is a beast. Tor also published the maps in color (picture below) which they rarely do because it is so expensive and the cover art is done by a well-known fantasy cover artist named Michael Whelan. If you want to know more about The Way of Kings or any of Brandon's books go to his website brandonsanderson.com or the fansite 17thshard.com or the publisher's site Tor.com. I will be posting my review of the book once I finish but that probably won't be for a while because of school.

I am so excited to camp out again this November 2nd when the next Wheel of Time book comes out!

Academ's Fury

I have finally finished the second book in Jim Butcher's Alera Codex. Here is my official review.

Grade: B

Tavi still seems too old. In this book he is meant to be around 18 years old yet at school he is being bullied, his voice is changing, and he has a 16 year old's grasp on romance and love (which is how old I decided he is as I read it).

Much of the book takes place in Alera Impera, the capital city of Alera. There is one side story which takes place back in the Calderon Valley but although two of are favorite characters, Bernard and Amara, are located here, the story is flat and boring. While reading those parts the reader can't wait to get back to Alera Impera and Tavi.

The theme of the story was well-written but rather than building, the series is written in a more episodic fashion where there is a new bad guy each episode.

The Epilogue was not needed. I felt as if the book hinted enough at Tavi's heritage that the epilogue basically shouted "Hey all you slower people, looky here." That frustrates me because if someone was unable to pick up what it was trying to say from the hints already present in the book then they can figure it out in the next book as it unfolds farther.

I did not like it as much as the first one but it did help develop Tavi and Kitai as well as introduce the reader (finally) to the overarching theme of the series which is rooted in politics and the succession of the throne of Alera.

If you have read this book feel free to post a review and/or grade as well.

Class Party

Only Jedd, Preston, and Kaila were at the class party but I think they can attest that it was worth it. We played a lot of fun games and I have videos!

Pictionary: The first game we played was giant pictionary with sidewalk chalk in the driveway. Whoever guessed what was being drawn was given a point until we ran out of things to draw. Trevor was our wonderful artist. Jedd racked it up in this game, blowing the other two out of the water.

One-Legged Race: We duct taped the kids' feet together and their thighs and had them race across my yard and back. This was probably one of the most fun to watch because they looked ridiculous. Jedd won again, by a long ways. I have the video below.



Marble Drop: In this game the kids had to pick up marbles with their toes and drop them in a cup a little ways away. They had about two minutes to get as many as they could. Once again, Jedd destroyed the other two.



Paint the Clown: The point of this game was to make it awkward for the kids. They had to hold a tube of lipstick in their mouth and paint the face of one of the other kids. They had to paint a triangle on the forehead, a star on one cheek, a heart on the other cheek, a beard, and lipstick on the lips. They were timed on who could do this the fastest and got bonus points for how well the shapes were formed. Three different videos below. Preston won this one, but not by much.







After this game we went inside because it was starting to get too dark.

Whipped Cream Whistle: In this game a bowl with a whistle in it and whipped cream was given to all three kids. The first one to find the whistle with their mouth and blow it would win. This game was won a lot faster than I thought it would. Jedd won, video below.



Chocolate Marshmallows: Each kid was given four large marshmallows smothered in chocolate. They were given one minute (which I now realize was too long) to lick the marshmallows clean and whoever had the cleanest won. Preston beat this game.



My Quarter: This next game was one of memory. I blindfolded the kids and gave them thirty seconds to feel a quarter and try to memorize it. Then I removed the blindfold and handed them several quarters and gave them thirty seconds to try and find the one they had before. Only Kaila lost this game.

Pick Up Sticks: I duct taped the kids' hands together sticky side out. They had one minute to see how many Popsicle sticks they could get. Jedd won.







The last game we didn't film but I wish we had. I threw goldfish crackers at the three kids for one minute to see how many they could catch in their mouths. It was extremely close but Kaila beat the two boys. Jedd won the whole thing and Kaila and Preston were an exact tie.

The party was a blast and I'm glad they had fun. I know I had fun watching them.

Testimony Meeting 8-1-2010

Today's testimony meeting was fantastic. I felt like it was almost tailored for me. Speakers included my mother, a girl in my Sunday school class, as well as many people I admire. The spirit was pretty strong, at least with me.

There was one young deacon who got up and spoke about his feelings about passing the sacrament. He said how thankful he was that he was able to hold the priesthood and that he recognized how much of an opportunity it was for him. It really impressed me because it seems to me that most of the boys take this for granted like I did when I was that age. It took temporarily losing my priesthood responsibilities to figure out how much it meant to me. That boy is a good example to the boys and to me.

Inception

Let me start off by saying that Inception is a solid 10.

About a year ago when Inception was first announced I was uber excited. Very few others shared my enthusiasm for the movie, but now I think many of those people have changed their tune. The movie's high praise is well-deserved.

The problem I typically see in movies is pacing. This movie had none of those problems. Information was revealed with perfect timing and execution and the amount of information revealed at any given moment was not overkill. In short, the movie allowed for the viewer to figure things out for themselves without getting frustrated that they can't.

Casting was great, specifically Ellen Page and Joshua Gordon-Levitt.

My one and only complaint is two-fold: the casting of Michael Caine as the grandfather and the flatness of that character. He wasn't terrible or anything. I just think that an actor of his caliber deserves more than five minutes of flat acting. He simply served as a distraction. Also, though the grandfather is hardly in the movie, his responses seemed automated, lacking depth and character, and overall did not fit with the rest of the film.

Inception is a must see. I will definitely be buying it when it is released.

Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 was my second 10 for the year so far. It brought back all my childhood memories, was true to the character of the toys from the first two movies, and created a story so dramatic and engaging that I think it might even be better than the first one.

Every scene was hilarious and the way things fell in to place was perfect. Even though Andy is all grown up, he is still a lovable character.

I must admit, I got a little teary at the end but you will just have to see it for yourself to know why.

I would recommend this movie to anyone. This is the first year I have ever given a 10 to a cartoon movie.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I was actually pleasantly impressed with this movie. I was expecting it to be good, and it didn't let me down. It was definitely the best one so far.

I have officially decided that Kristin Stewart is a babe and the best possible Bella choice. She was perfect in this movie.

Even though I hate Robert Pattinson he actually had some decent moments in this movie.

Taylor Lautner was also good.

I have two favorite scenes from the movie. The first is when Edward and Victoria confront each other. All the players in this scene did fantastic including Seth, Riley, and Bella. The other scene is the tent scene with Jacob and Edward while Bella is sleeping. My only criticism of that scene is that I think it was too long and Edward should not have smiled. I liked that they bonded a little because that is my favorite part of book 4 but I think it was too buddy buddy too fast.

Jane was still perfect but unfortunately they ruined Alec. I always saw him more as a neutral kid who just did what Jane told him but wasn't evil. Eh, oh well. The new Victoria was okay I suppose.

Seth was perfect, I really hope they don't ruin him in the next movie. I didn't like the look of Leah but she acted her character well.

Excited for the next one, I will definitely watch this movie again.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Movie Review

For those of you who don’t want to read the entire review, it was beyond an epic fail. Terrible movie.

Transfer from tv show to movie:
Obviously trying to stuff 10 hours of content into a not even 2 hour movie has its struggles. I expected them to change some storyline in order to make that transfer. The only problem is that the dialogue was so terrible and choppy and the transitions were abrupt and rough. It jumped around too much and too fast. It would have been pretty difficult for a non-fan to follow I think.

Dialogue:
No character is exempt from the terrible dialogue in this show. I understand that they had to speed through the story, but much of the dialogue from the show could have been salvaged and used in the movie in many scenes.

Character Development:
None of the characters were developed enough and some barely at all. Zuko and Iroh probably had the most development in the movie. Sokka, of the main characters, probably had the least.

Bending:
The bending was not very quick. In the time it took Aang to airbend or Zuko to firebend I could have run up and punched them in the face. The bending looked okay except for the airbending, which I felt was very plain and not impressive.

Anti-climaxes:
I’m not sure there was really even a climax in the movie but there were definitely several anti-climactic moments. The largest one that I can think of right now is when Aang bends the ocean around the North Pole to scare off the Fire Nation ships. He doesn’t throw the water at them though, they just turn around and he lets the water go.

The Firelord and his family:
The Firelord should not have had a presence in the movie because he wasn’t really in the first season. He did not come across as an ultimate scary bad guy, just another soldier. Luckily M. Night only had about five minutes to ruin Azula so I can’t really be mad about that yet, but I don’t like the casting. Zuko was fine most of the time but I think the scar should have been more extensive. Iroh should have been fat. That wasn’t such a big deal but I missed it. He was really channeling the Iroh characters in a few scenes but most of the time he didn’t really seem like he was playing the fatherly, knowledgeable, badass Iroh we all know and love.

Mispronunciation:
The thing that pissed me off more than anything was the mispronunciation, especially because the tv show lays out a template for pronunciation. My only conclusion is that M. Night purposely wanted the actors to mispronounce the word Avatar, Sokka, and Aang.

Katara and Aang:
I hated the casting of Katara from the trailers but having seen the movie, she was one of the best. I was more pleased with her more than any other character. The same thing happened with Aang. I hated him before the movie but now I think he did a great job.

This movie was so bad that I have decided to put it on my list of movies I never want to see again. Now I have four: Transformers 2, Eragon, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp version), and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Book Reviews

I have decided that I will review every book I read from now on just in case someone cares. And it will be nice to have my initial thoughts down on paper if I want to look back on them sometime. Here is the grading scale I have invented for these reviews:

E: If I attach an E to any grade it means that the book was read for entertainment value mostly. This means that all recommendations might change a little from the scale because of one thing or another.

A: Stellar book, definitely a read again, definitely a must buy. A book of this caliber should be owned in both hardback and paperback.

A-: Great read, should read again, should buy. Just short of an A because of minor plot/character/pacing or various other flaws.

B+: Good read, should read again, probably a buy. This is not in the A bracket because of at least one more than minor mistake.

B: Good read, should read again, buying is up to debate. Better than average writing and story but with many mistakes or flaws.

B-: Decent read, maybe read again, probably not buy. Not a waste of time, but lacking soul.

C+: Decent read, probably not read again, not buy. Not a waste of time necessarily but the book was not of interest and/or was not well-written.

C: Poor read, probably not read again, not buy. Waste of time. It may not have been terrible but there were definitely better things to do with my time.

C-: Poor read, not read again, not buy. I would be surprised if I made it all of the way through the book because it was so terribly written.

F: Terrible read, do not read again, do not buy. Complete waste of time. Terrible literature.

Feel free to post a review or grade if you have also read the book I am reviewing.

Furies of Calderon

A few days ago I just finished the first book in Jim Butcher's Alera Codex. Here is my official review.

Grade: B

For all fantasy fans, this book has immediate appeal. The magic relates to control of the elements though it has a "Golden Compass" aspect to it in that the elements are conscious and the "Crafters" sort of become companions with the "Furies."

Unfortunately, the first couple hundred pages do not do enough to bond the reader to the characters. Tavi is liked right away, but he takes too long to develop and Amara remains only mildly interesting until Bernard comes into the picture. Luckily I continued to read because the book ended up actually being pretty good.

The magic system did not dominate the characters, which is a clear sign of good writing.

The character Tavi was written in a way that makes it seem as if he is younger than he really is. About halfway through the book it states that Tavi is fifteen, but I think it would have worked much better had he been around twelve or so. His voice seemed that way and I was honestly shocked when his age was revealed. This was one of the major character flaws in the book.

The overarching theme of the series introduced in the first few chapters does not see much resolution. I typically do not like books that start by basically saying "I am going to be a monster series." I guess it works out alright in the end. I suppose my opinion will change a little once I have read the other books in the series.

Overall, I give it a B because of its character flaws and lack of interesting beginning. Because it turned out to be a great book once it got going, it still passes and should be read again.

If you have read this book feel free to post a review and/or grade as well.

New Words

If Shakespeare can do it then so can everyone else. A returned missionary spoke in church today and accidentally combined the words dramatic and drastic. The result was dramastic. I hereby support using this word.

The Official Rules of Calling Shotgun

I saw a post on facebook regarding the rules of Shotgun and I decided to make a few modifications. This is how we do it in our family but I would appreciate comments/stories/notes on facebook regarding the way you do it. I copied the rules of the post I saw but I will modify them with angry red text wherever wrong.

1. The shotgunner must be in clear sight of the car, and shotgun can be called regardless of whether the driver is in sight of the car.

2. If you are the first to be picked up on a journey you are automatically given shotgun. You retain this position for the entire journey, unless you violate rules 11, 16, 22 or any other rules stipulating the loss of shotgun.

3. You cannot declare shotgun if someone has previously declared shotgun for that journey.

4 When simultaneous shotgun is called, there is then a foot race to the passenger side door from all the people who called.

5. Shotgun cannot be called whilst inside a building (unless you are in a multi-story or underground car park!) Disagreed. As long as you can see the car and you are the way toward it you may call shotgun, even if you are inside of a building.

6. Shotgun cannot be called in advance, only whilst on the way to the car for the journey.

7. Once shotgun has been called the driver has the option of a reload. The driver yells "reload" and this means that all previous calls of shotgun are void and the first person to call shotgun again gets the seat. This is helpful if the driver really doesn't like the person who first called shotgun. It is often used when there is a simultaneous call and the driver is unsure of the outcome. Note that a shotgun has only 2 barrels so a reload can only be called once. I have never heard of this before and it is completely ridiculous. If the driver doesn't like the person who called shotgun they have any and all power to change whenever and however many times they want to.

8. Once shotgun has been called for the front seat then back left and back right can be called. This effectively leaves the slowest person to travel in the middle. I suppose this is true but I have never run into this problem before.

9. Because everyone is created equal, men have he same right to the front seat of the car as women (ie women don't own the front seat!). Disagreed. If a woman wants the seat, they get it. If there are more than one woman whoever calls shotgun first gets it. If a man is already in the front seat when a woman is picked up then the man does not have to relinquish shotgun unless the woman and the driver are dating. If the woman and man are related then women do not get preference.

10. If the regular driver of the vehicle is drunk or otherwise unable to perform their duties as driver, then he/she is automatically given shotgun.

11. Once the journey has begun, the driver is the obvious controller of the tunes. However if they feel the road requires their full attention, or they simply cannot be arsed any more, the duty is passed to the shotgunner. However, putting on crap tunes or allowing for silence when the iPod finishes a song then the driver has the right to relegate the shotgunner to the back seat. (I modified the end of this one).

12. Anyone calling shotgun must have his or her shoes on. This is to stop people running outside and calling shotgun, then having to go back inside to put their shoes on and slowing the journey. This is known as the Shoe Rule. The person does not have to have their shoes on, but they must have them in their hand. If they must go back indoors for any reason then they lose shotgun.

13. Shotgun overrules Dibs, Baggsies and other girly calls! Shotgun is the only valid call. If any other call is made then it is void.

14. Despite the debate, shotgun CAN be used to shotgun things other than the front seat (eg back left, back right, women, not going to answer the door, etc). Never used it in any sense except riding in cars and therefore this rule does not affect me.

15. When traveling with a couple, one of the couple MUST shotgun the front. No one wants to chauffer two of their mates whilst they are in the back all over each other. Disagreed. If people don't want to sit in the front seat then they don't have to.

16. If someone has successfully called shotgun, they have the right to the front seat. They do not have the ight to correct the driver on their navigation skills ("take a left here you moron!) or driving ability ("I'd be in third gear if I was driving"). If the passenger does this, then they forfeit their position as shotgun holder. While annoying, shotgun driving is allowed unless the driver states otherwise.

17. If someone says, "what's shotgun?" after it has been called then they have to walk.

18. If the shotgunner attempts to open the door just as the driver is unlocking it and jams the lock half open so that the driver needs to lock it and unlock it again, the shotgunner forfeits their position. This is known as shotgun suicide. Never heard of this before and it is not valid in my car.

19. The holder of shotgun assumes the responsibility for all gate opening, off license nipping into, takeaway ordering and question asking. He/she is in essence the copilot and therefore the enforcer of behavior in the vehicle and exacter of slaps/punches/water spraying/ bag throwing at the passengers in the back.

20. Automatic "couple's rights act 1997". This law states that, if the driver is the boyfriend/girlfriend of a passenger in the car, this person has the right to the seat of their choice.

21. If one of the potential occupants of the vehicle is dressed (convincingly) as a pirate then they are given automatic shotgun. In the event of more than one pirate being present, a sword fight shall determine the successful shotgunner. This is known as The Pirate Rule. I have never heard of nor enforced this rule before but it is a good one and I am adopting it.

22. When driving past a woman walking a dog, everyone in the car must shout out the window, "who's walking who?" It is the shotgunner's responsibility to spot potential heckling. Deciding who to "SCIENCE!" is also the responsibility of the shotgunner.

23. When riding in a 2 or 3 door car, it is the responsibility of the shotgunner to allow rear passengers in and out of the back of the car, NOT THE DRIVERS!! Regardless of the weather conditions.

24. Obviously the previous rule on the subject didn't clarify things completely with everyone coming up with a new rule that overrules shotgun. NOTHING overrules shotgun. Shotgun is final and cannot be overruled!!!!

25. It is the successful shotgunner's responsibility to be on the lookout for any police and/or speed cameras. If the shotgunner doesn't spot a speed camera and this results in a speeding ticket it is immediately their fault and not the driver's.

26. The driver hold all power and can suspend, amend, violate, or change any rule of shotgun at any time for any reason however the driver who does this too often or on a regular basis will not gain and does not deserve the respect and/or obedience of their passengers.

Robin Hood

I was not expecting this movie to be great and it definitely was not. I gave it a solid 5. The casting was terrible except for a few minor characters and Lady Marion. I actually liked the way they played with the Robin story but the acting was not particularly good and the storyline was extremely flat. Even the action was rather less impressive that I expected. The best part of the movie, ironically, was the end; not because it was over, but because the end credits are creative in my opinion. Beginning and ending with text was also not a stroke of brilliance I thought.

Iron Man 2

Long-awaited. This movie was supposed to have come out in 2009 but was pushed back for more than one reason. I was hoping it would be better than the first since the first was an introduction to the Iron Man character, but this movie was a continuation of that. In addition, SHIELD hijacked the film and made it more of a set-up for the Avengers than an actual Iron Man film. Having said that, the action was amazing, it was nice to see War Machine. Scarlett Johansen did excellent in my opinion. Gweneth Paltrow also did an amazing job. After the first movie I was still unsure about her but she pulls it off in this second movie well. The largest complaints concern the villains in the show. Hammer was simply annoying and Rourke was good visually, but terrible in every other way. I gave this movie a seven out of ten and it only received that because of the action scenes.

New Artemis Fowl Covers

As you may or may not know, the covers for the books in the Artemis Fowl series have been redone. I am not a particular fan of either cover in general and I understand that the new covers probably have a greater appeal to young readers but I am upset that they did not make the decision to publish all of the books under the old covers. Below you can see an example of the old cover vs. the new cover.




Now, I would not normally be so upset, but the series was unfinished when they decided to make this decision. This means that the most recent release, Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, only has the old cover if you purchase the hardback copy. I collect paperbacks and therefore can't purchase this book to complete my set. The seventh book, tentatively set for release at the beginning of August this year, will not be released with the old cover either.

I could not let this travesty occur without comment.

How to Train Your Dragon

I finally broke down and went to see this movie. I had heard it was amazing from all sources so I decided to go, even though I thought it just looked alright. Well, that opinion shattered as one of the best animated movies of all time unfolded on the screen before me.

The humor is genuinely funny, was not forced, and continued throughout. You immediately fall in love with the main character and even though I typically don't like narration sequences to begin movies, it didn't matter because they did it so well that you didn't even notice. Pacing was perfect and each moment came at good times in the movie. Definitely a movie for all ages. The sole complaint I have is that I personally thought the dragons were ugly, especially Toothless. However the movie was so well-made that it didn't really matter that much. I have heard that it does not follow the book very well but I have not read it and probably wouldn't care even if I had. Great job. My first 10 of the year.

2010 Utah Senate Race

On Friday April 2nd I went to a debate between the candidates running for Utah senate in 2010. I will give you a brief summary of what I gleaned from the debate for anyone interested.

Bennett - Senator Bennett is the incumbent. He hates the Health Care bill, supports earmark spending as long as it is done out in the open and not behind closed doors. He encourages discussion and disagreement on understanding and interpreting the constitution.

Bradley - Constitution Party member. As expected he is a strict constitutionalist. He supports a return to a strict interpretation of the constitution and is completely against stretching the necessary and proper clause.

Bridgewater - Formerly worked in the treasury of the Reagan administration. He is for a fair tax. Against special interest earmark spending. Said that the necessary and proper clause was meant to limit not open it up for congress to do whatever it wants.

Chiu - It was hard to figure out what made Chiu unique because he spent the whole time talking about patriotism, freedom, values, and invoking God. But he didn't really come down on any issues except the ones that everybody agreed on.

Cook - Served as one of Utah's reps previously. Hates the Fed and is for either a flat tax or a fair tax. Hates the IRS. He is in favor of cutting government programs that don't belong there such as the department of eduation and department of commerce.

Eager - Lots of energy. Does not like globalism. Hates the federal government taking Utah's land. Against free trade, instead for something she calls fair trade. Wants a return to Reaganomics. Wants the states to decide individually how they want to raise federal funds.

Fabiano - In favor of term limits (as most of the candidates were). Will not accept wages if elected. Hates Obamacare. He reminds me a bit of Ron Paul.

Friedbaum - Admitted he was there just to provide a negative view of Senator Bennett. Pretty much just made jokes the whole time. The word that comes to mind is crackpot.

Lee - Similar to Eager and Cook though less animated and dedicated. Supports the balance budget ammendment. Supports a 1 year ban on all earmarks.

Stout - Democrat. Very focused on the national debt. He says limited the government alone can not reduce the debt. Thinks the Judiciary has too much power.

In my opinion Bennett, Cook, and Eager made the best impression on me personally. Stout, Friedbaum, and Chiu are at the bottom of the list and the others are somewhere in between.

Fat Boy Diary

So pretty much I'm sick of being fat. I'm not saying I liked it before (it irritated me) but I decided I hate myself whenever I think about my weight. I'm not enormous but the bottom line is that I am not happy.

I'm going to exercise every single day whether it's at night, the morning, afternoon, or whatever. I'm not putting any time limit on it or bounds of any sort. No limits on how to exercise, where to exercise, when to exercise, or how long. As long as I do it every day. I realize I have a long way to go, but my biggest problem with anything in my life that I have tried to change in consistency so that is what I am going to focus on. Hopefully this blog will be one tool that can hold me somewhat accountable and keep me going.

I would add a before picture....but my embarrassment won't let me.

DC Spring Break 2010

Alright, prepare for a long post. Here is my official journal post for my entire trip last week. Good luck getting through it all.

Wednesday, March 17:

Our flight left the SLC airport at about 7:00 am. The students were all told to be there by 6:00 am and my friends Aubrey, Talaina, and Jamie offered to drive me up there early in the morning. In fact, we just hung out Tuesday night and didn't go to sleep all night. It was a lot of fun and it helped me sleep on the plane.

Over Chicago was amazing. They have pools and lakes all over their land, even in their cities. Some were the size of an entire city block, just sitting there in the middle of the houses and businesses. The airport was large and we had a brief layover before heading on to D.C. which was so crowded that we had to remain airborne for a long time. That part made me kind of sick but I was doing well up until then.

Our hotel this year was on the red line instead of blue, which was annoying because that meant we had to transfer metro cars every time we went somewhere. In addition, the hotel was something like 7 or so blocks, maybe more, from the station whereas last year it was one block away. No wifi either.....hmmmm. In short, was not pleased with the hotel selection. But it was cheap so that's good.

We went out to Johnny Rockets for dinner, some burger joint close to the hotel, then explored the area a little. We were all pretty tired so we turned in at about 11. My roommate and I ended up staying awake till about 1:30 talking.

Thursday, March 18:

It was not terribly difficult to get up and be ready by 9 so we could go to the holocaust museum. Once there everything became extremely familiar and I fell right in where I was last year. We did not have long in the archives before everyone decided to go and see the permanent exhibit. That took about three hours or so and we went out for lunch afterward.

We did see a small rally that day (or maybe it was the next day, I forget) of people supporting the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy for homosexuals in the military.

It's odd, but I don't remember what we did for dinner that night.....

We did listen to the speech of a soviet army expert who talked about anti-semitism in the soviet army. It was an interesting speech and I feel bad because I was very tired and was having trouble staying awake. There was a dessert reception afterward.

After getting back to the hotel one of the girls wanted to organize a party thing but it appeared to fall through so we went to bed. A half-hour later brings a banging at our door and there she is with a small group of people. We talked and listened to music for a little while then went to sleep.

Friday, March 19:

I probably spent more time in the archives this day than I did any of the other days. I also got a chance to see some of the other, smaller exhibits in the holocaust museum.

Today was our memorials day. We started at the Washington Monument. Obama's car actually drove past right as we crossed the street but I didn't see him or anything.

Brooke and I made the long trek over to the Jefferson Memorial which I hadn't seen last year because of its distance from the rest of the memorials. We caught up with the rest of the group later. The group separated for dinner. Brooke, Alysse, Kevin, and I went to a pretty expensive restaurant called Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

The restaurant was amazing. The Caesar salad which made up my first course was huge, and the most delicious salad I have ever had in my life. Next came the potatoes and steak. I had a medium rare 16 0z ribeye. So. Good. The potatoes were also amazing. That was followed up with some raspberry sorbet. I'm still not sure if it was wise spending so much money on one meal but......man was it delicious.

Saturday, March 20:

This morning we went to the National Archives which I also didn't do last year. I got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. All of them were extremely faded but you could still read a lot of it.

After that Alysse and I separated from the group and went to Congress where the anti-health care bill rally was taking place. The next morning on the news I saw that 5 people had been arrested. We walked through the rally and heading up behind the Capitol building to the Library of Congress.

AMAZING. That building rocks my socks. I wasn't allowed in the reading room but I did see it and it was breathtaking. This was probably one of my favorite things I saw this year.

We walked about two miles to Union Station where the two of us ate lunch and talked before taking a metro over to the American History Smithsonian for the rest of the day.

For dinner Alysse and I had been planning to go to a Cheesesteak place in Georgetown I had seen last year but it was no longer there so we went with the rest of the group to the pizza place we went to last year. The Quattro Formagia pizza was delicious.

That night we went to Alysse and Brittany's room to play games for a while. (Actually, I lie. I'm pretty sure we did this last night).

Sunday, March 21:

So I was planning on going to church but it turns out it was stake conference for everyone in the region. Lame.

Instead Alysse, Brittany, and I went to Arlington then quickly over to the American History Smithsonian to finish up a few things and eat lunch.

On the way back to the hotel we were stuck in the metro for 45 minutes, which really stressed us out. By the time we got back to the hotel we were forced to take a taxi or be late for our flight....neither were happy options but we opted for the taxi.

Flying back was a beast because both flights were delayed making it past midnight when I got home....I just woke up a few hours ago.

And that was my happy trip. Pictures will be coming to facebook soon but I warn you that I don't have many this year.

The Princess and the Frog

So last night Aubrey Sorensen and I went to see The Princess and the Frog at the dollar theater. I had been told by several people that this is their favorite Disney movie or close to it so I was expecting it to be pretty good. If you wish to quit reading now I'll just give you a quick answer. It was a pretty good Disney movie.

It was funny and cheesy, true to Disney form. I felt as if it were much more romantic than any previous Disney animated film. There was way less focus on the adventure and the villain and more focus on the romance between Tiana and Naveen. This is new. In every other Disney movie I've seen with a romance, the adventure thread was the main part or at least on the same level with the romance thread. In this movie, the romance thread dominated.

I had also heard before going to see this movie that some people thought the villain was too scary. I think Ursula and Malefocent totally own this guy in scariness. Not to mention the evil king in The Black Cauldron (if that is even Disney....?).

All in all, definitely worth a see.

Taylor Swift

Alrighty, so I thought it was high time I did a post about Taylor Swift. When Teardrops on My Guitar came out I liked it instantly. I'm afraid to admit that I didn't listen to much else of her first album and still haven't because the country drives me crazy. Luckily for me, she released Fearless in both a pop version and a country one. It sort of makes me feel like a girl to admit it but she is amazing. I have loved every song I've ever heard from her. I guess being a hopeless romantic that connection seems pretty obvious but I thought I'd throw it out there anyways.

Alice in Wonderland

So I went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3-d last night. I wish it had been in 2-d though because I'm not a big fan of 3-d movies. The plot moved refreshingly fast and I was worried that many of the jokes would be geared towards little kids only but for the most part they weren't. All I can say is Tim Burton is a genius, but we already knew that. It is definitely his style and the randomness of it was perfectly calculated. The music was pretty good too. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

It's Here!

All I can say is woot. The cover art for Way of Kings has finally been released by Tor (actually a few days ago but I am just getting around to posting about it). This is the book I am going to camp out for just in case you wanted to see it. Also, if you think I'm excited now (and you can tell because there is an exclamation mark in the title of this post) then you just wait till they release the Towers of Midnight cover art (book 13 in the Wheel of Time series). The White Tower, the Black Tower, together on one 5 or so by 8 or so inch book covering. It's gonna be crazy.....just crazy.

Top 10 Disney Animated Movies of All Time

Ok, so a bunch of us were playing Disney Scene-it and I decided I needed to make a list of the top 10 Disney movies of all time. These are all ranked in order of awesomeness, number 1 being the best.

1. Beauty and the Beast (No. Contest.)

2. Hercules

3. Treasure Planet

4. The Emperor's New Groove

5. Aladdin

6. Toy Story (ONLY THE FIRST ONE THE SECOND ONE IS AWFUL!!!!)

7. Atlantis: The Lost Empire

8. Finding Nemo

9. Sleeping Beauty

10. Tarzan

Uneducators

This post is inspired by something I saw on Facebook the other day. There I was scrolling along when all of the sudden my heart jumped. Could it be? Had someone really become a FAN of my least favorite educator of all time? Indeed, unfortunately, it was true.

I thought about trying to come up with a term to describe this teacher accurately. Poor teacher didn't seem harsh enough and the devil seemed too cruel (although I have been known to refer to this teacher as the devil on more than one occasion). The best thing I could come up with was uneducator: one who not only stalls the education process but reverses it.

Creative writing 101 in Jr. High. That class had my name all over it so I decided to literally add my name to its roster. A few friends were taking it with me and we were young so of course chatting ensued, often during class since this teacher rarely taught but mostly spent time praising her own literary accomplishments and letting us know how many important people she had met. For this I earned a well deserved Unacceptable in my citizenship grade.

But on to writing. The thing I remember this teacher being most vocal about was adverbs that ended in ly. If we even used one we would be marked down. Examples of these are slowly, accurately, repetitively and so on and are usually followed by a verb ending in ed such as placed, jumped, pounded, laughed etc.... The reason ly adverbs should not be used profusely is because they sometimes weaken rather than enhance the verb and increase the passivity of the sentence. They are, however, meant to be used occasionally. I dare you to find me one full length novel without a single ly adverb in it. See, they aren't evil.

Other annoyances were when her personal opinion came out, completely infringing my right to "creative" writing. For example here follows a partial of a sentence I once created: A smile danced across her lips.... I was pretty damn proud of my personification of a smile however this teacher simply looked at me, irritated and asked "How can a smile dance? Change it."

I won't go in to how the teacher slighted me personally except to say that several of my assignments were conveniently "lost" several times so that even though I did every assignment and did them well, I ended up with a D in the class, my lowest grade to date.

This teacher has won the best educator in Utah award before, probably more due to the fact that she teaches the cream of the crop honors classes where students work hard rather than her actual teaching ability. Luckily I discarded her ly nonsense and continued writing creatively so I was not uneducated as hopefully not many of my classmates might have been. Therefore I dub her the best Uneducator in Utah.

Wheel of Time Hardcovers

Interesting Note:

After I purchased The Gathering Storm (Book 12 in the Wheel of Time Series) during its release party I decided I would collect the other books in hardcover as well since it is my favorite series. I didn't even own a paperback version of book 11 so I bought it in hardcover. It just so happens that I was in DI today and I saw book 10 and book 9 in hardcover. The world is obviously telling me that I am meant to purchase the Wheel of Time series hardcover books in descending order.

Snowboarding 101

Snowboarding was a lot of fun. The weather was pretty crappy and I knew I was gonna have a hard time convincing Tasha to go. Luckily my counting on her not wanting to disappoint me went a lot farther than I thought it would. I feel bad about it now....but only kinda so I'm going to have to find a way to pay her back for that.

The weather actually wasn't that bad up there and it was really only cold on the lift when we weren't moving. We started on the bunny hill to get the basics but it was terribly groomed so the boards wouldn't go very well and we just went up the lift.

I had been expecting to pick things up pretty quick because of the carry-over from skiing. Shifting the weight on a particular foot is pretty much the same for both so that part was fairly easy. I think I only fell down a few times doing that.

What really threw me for a loop was learning how to snowboard backwards, which by the way is vital because it gives your muscles a much needed rest. I don't think I could even make it down a single run without going backwards or resting at least a couple of times.

I'll tell you what. Catching back lip sucks but catching the front of the board is like a million times worse. I didn't quite break my wrists but just about. I know I'm not supposed to catch myself with my hands when I fall but it's a natural reaction. Of all the times I fell I only remembered not to use my hands 2 times.

The only pretty bad fall was when I tried to go really fast. I was going pretty good for a little run but I hit some light powder which moved my board a little and it scared me so I totally lost control of it and flipped over. I hit my head pretty good on that one (I think I'm going to rent a helmet next time).

All in all I did slightly better than I expected to. I can carve no problem and am pretty good at intermediate speeds. I can turn backwards on my left really well but on the right I fall about 40% of the time.

The biggest dislikes I have about snowboarding now having done it are the following: Your body is facing sideways instead of straight, on skiis you can stand still without it pulling your muscles but with snowboarding you have to sit down to rest, and it is a flipping pain to have to bind in and out and in and out every time you get on or off the lift.

I would definitely do it again though and would recommend it :)

Waiting for class to start

Waiting for class to start, computer about to die, snowboarding looming on the horizon in the next few hours......woot. I'll tell all about the new experience tomorrow morning after I get back.

Starting a new Blog

Hey world! I decided I am going to start a blog. I don't know why and I'm not sure how long this will last but its gonna be awesome I'm pretty sure.