I tend to get slightly overwhelmed/depressed when I go to Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I see a bunch of stuff--
-oh, I need to finish that scarf loom thing.
- i want to try Mod-Podging.
I need to finish that bracelet.
Ooh, look at these beads...
You get the picture.
I got watercolors for Christmas, and I tried them out a couple of weeks ago.
I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, and my mom knows it. Just prior to me trying these out she told me not to be (rather, expect) perfect and get frustrated. Which I do. Sometimes. So I was just playing around. Turns out with art, you don't have to be perfect. Elements of my drawing were good (I thought) and I liked it. Even mistakes can turn out to be something you end up liking.
So don't be that perfect, and try.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Monday, December 30, 2013
When Bad Guys... Stay Bad
This blog post comes somewhat close to the conclusion of the Breaking Bad marathon. And that got me thinking ...did 2 of TV's most recent bad guys try to redeem themselves? And at what cost?
I'm talking about Walter White and Nicholas Brody.
White:
He, a chemistry teacher, did what he did to support his family. He's dying of cancer, and he's worried about what will happen after his death. But he uses his skills in a bad way: he makes meth. He's untruthful to his family, and when he finally does come clean, his wife Skylar gets involved as well. Walt continues in the process, and he's responsible for more than one death, to say the least.
If you watch the series, there's a sort of an interesting "opposite" parallel concerning White and Jesse, his "assistant." While Walt goes deeper into this problem, Jesse, because of circumstances, grows tired of this lifestyle and tries to come clean at one point. He doesn't want to do it anymore. Things go from bad to worse for Walt. And, his family isn't doing good either. Also for Jesse, while we're at it.
Lastly, in the final episode, Walt is at a pretty low point. He's sick again, and alienated from his family. His one act for a last chance of redemption is saving Jesse, who's being held prisoner by worse "bad guys." And he succeeds. Jesse and Walt part on *somewhat* (by that I mean "barely") good terms. Walt accomplishes this at the cost of his life.
Nicholas Brody. One must concede, that he does have a harder time on his show than Walt. Captured by terrorists, held for eight years, and "turned" into a terrorist, for all intents and purposes. Brody has to keep this secret from his family, alienating himself from them. Long story short.
Carrie Matheson tries to see the good in him, with mixed results. But her plans for him don't go so great. She ends up having him work for the CIA. It's that or go to prison. Brody picks option A. At the end of season 2, he will need to prove to basically all of America that he didn't do... a certain thing. Carrie tries to do it for him, as he's MIA.
I remembered Brody saying to Carrie near the end of season 2, "I just want to be a good person again." We see this with Jesse, but not with Walt.
Finally he does this one thing. And it ends badly for him. Brody's family doesn't know. At least not yet.
Walt's image is tarnished, too. So, neither of their families know.
So... Just because you do something for a good reason, doesn't mean it's good itself.
Sent from my iPad 2
I'm talking about Walter White and Nicholas Brody.
White:
He, a chemistry teacher, did what he did to support his family. He's dying of cancer, and he's worried about what will happen after his death. But he uses his skills in a bad way: he makes meth. He's untruthful to his family, and when he finally does come clean, his wife Skylar gets involved as well. Walt continues in the process, and he's responsible for more than one death, to say the least.
If you watch the series, there's a sort of an interesting "opposite" parallel concerning White and Jesse, his "assistant." While Walt goes deeper into this problem, Jesse, because of circumstances, grows tired of this lifestyle and tries to come clean at one point. He doesn't want to do it anymore. Things go from bad to worse for Walt. And, his family isn't doing good either. Also for Jesse, while we're at it.
Lastly, in the final episode, Walt is at a pretty low point. He's sick again, and alienated from his family. His one act for a last chance of redemption is saving Jesse, who's being held prisoner by worse "bad guys." And he succeeds. Jesse and Walt part on *somewhat* (by that I mean "barely") good terms. Walt accomplishes this at the cost of his life.
Nicholas Brody. One must concede, that he does have a harder time on his show than Walt. Captured by terrorists, held for eight years, and "turned" into a terrorist, for all intents and purposes. Brody has to keep this secret from his family, alienating himself from them. Long story short.
Carrie Matheson tries to see the good in him, with mixed results. But her plans for him don't go so great. She ends up having him work for the CIA. It's that or go to prison. Brody picks option A. At the end of season 2, he will need to prove to basically all of America that he didn't do... a certain thing. Carrie tries to do it for him, as he's MIA.
I remembered Brody saying to Carrie near the end of season 2, "I just want to be a good person again." We see this with Jesse, but not with Walt.
Finally he does this one thing. And it ends badly for him. Brody's family doesn't know. At least not yet.
Walt's image is tarnished, too. So, neither of their families know.
So... Just because you do something for a good reason, doesn't mean it's good itself.
Sent from my iPad 2
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Catching Fire Review
Okay. I know. I'm finally getting around to it. Here it is:
I went to go see catching fire on opening day. I wasn't that bowled over by it. But I couldn't find much to complain about. I thought it was a very solid adaptation, and it is very faithful to the book. Maybe that's why; I knew what was going to happen.
(Unlike that little battle bit in BD2.)
Here's what I really liked...
The world of Panem. We see more of it. The various districts, etc.
Finnick. Sam C. was good. His character won't be more fully examined until Mockingjay. I just really liked his demeanor.
Johanna. I loved, loved, loved Johanna. Jena was perfect. A great mix of (slight) insanity and uncertainty.
I loved the ending sequence with Katniss being told about her district, her last scene. One unexpected surprise was the morphing of the mockingjay.
The only thing I missed from the book was Plutarch's watch dialogue with Katniss.
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Mockingjay.
PS: a special thanks to The Hob.org for the contest tickets!
I went to go see it again last week, so here are some additional observations:
-President Snow was very creepy.
-The "documentary" style still kept, in a way (I.e. Caesar's interview)
-same music cues from The Hunger Games were used.
-Haymitch, you can tell, is starting to care about Katniss.
A 2nd thanks to The Hob for the shirt from the contest. :-)
-The "documentary" style still kept, in a way (I.e. Caesar's interview)
-same music cues from The Hunger Games were used.
-Haymitch, you can tell, is starting to care about Katniss.
A 2nd thanks to The Hob for the shirt from the contest. :-)
Sunday, December 15, 2013
We Fandoms Don't Riot....
Tonight I learned that having two emotional season finales in a row cannot be easily handled. It's harder if you happen to belong to more than one.
Case in point: The Walking Dead. It had been rumored for at least a couple of weeks that one of the major characters from WD was going to depart, and some people had a pretty good idea who it was going to be. People have made these "Internet pictures" saying "If _____ dies, we riot." [Insert favorite character here]
I'd liked how the season had been going. The story lines, plenty of drama, etc. The suspense.
And then came the mid season finale. It was still shocking when it happened, and it was sad. But by the end of that episode we pretty much got what we wanted, albeit with a cliffhanger.
When Herschel died, we didn't riot, we pretty much got depressed. That sums it up.
Fast forward to tonight. Homeland. If you've been watching it this season, you know it's been a bit of a mixed bag. Slow starters. Cliff hangers. Twists. More slow moments. I ended up liking it. It came to a big cliffhanger tonight. But the viewer slowly came crashing down back to earth with 20 minutes to go.
I was just left staring at the screen. What just happened? Did that just happen?
Yeah. It did. Nicholas Brody died. With Carrie- and us- watching it all. No rioting. Pretty depressed. Again.
My Twitter feed seemed to consist of subdued disappointment. And the seemingly collective feeling that Homeland couldn't continue.
Apparently, it can. There'll be a fourth season. But we- the fandom - doesn't think it should be for long.
So... Damian... If you ever see this... Thanks for a great job.
Case in point: The Walking Dead. It had been rumored for at least a couple of weeks that one of the major characters from WD was going to depart, and some people had a pretty good idea who it was going to be. People have made these "Internet pictures" saying "If _____ dies, we riot." [Insert favorite character here]
I'd liked how the season had been going. The story lines, plenty of drama, etc. The suspense.
And then came the mid season finale. It was still shocking when it happened, and it was sad. But by the end of that episode we pretty much got what we wanted, albeit with a cliffhanger.
When Herschel died, we didn't riot, we pretty much got depressed. That sums it up.
Fast forward to tonight. Homeland. If you've been watching it this season, you know it's been a bit of a mixed bag. Slow starters. Cliff hangers. Twists. More slow moments. I ended up liking it. It came to a big cliffhanger tonight. But the viewer slowly came crashing down back to earth with 20 minutes to go.
I was just left staring at the screen. What just happened? Did that just happen?
Yeah. It did. Nicholas Brody died. With Carrie- and us- watching it all. No rioting. Pretty depressed. Again.
My Twitter feed seemed to consist of subdued disappointment. And the seemingly collective feeling that Homeland couldn't continue.
Apparently, it can. There'll be a fourth season. But we- the fandom - doesn't think it should be for long.
So... Damian... If you ever see this... Thanks for a great job.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Better Late than Never
Yes, I've been meaning to write more often. I really have. Honest.
I did get "Allegiant" when it was released, and I've been reading it here and there. Reluctantly. I've been having a hard time with it; namely, the two perspectives. If I had sat down one weekend and read it straight through, I probably would have had an easier time with it. Thanks to Amazon, (*sarcasm*) I know what happens at the end, but I'm still going to finish it. Maybe V. Roth should have just written it in "chunks," like Stephenie Meyer did with "Breaking Dawn." One character talks for several chapters, then the other takes over. Something like that.
I did start a fanfiction piece for "The Hunger Games." And I desperately need to finish my Twilight one.
I am absolutely STOKED for "Catching Fire." I've loved all the scenes and TV spots that have been released. Although, I must admit, I will have to start a self-imposed spot-fast starting now. I got my gear from Hot Topic.
And, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I'd won one of the contests that The Hob was conducting. Yay! Looking forward to getting the package.
I did get "Allegiant" when it was released, and I've been reading it here and there. Reluctantly. I've been having a hard time with it; namely, the two perspectives. If I had sat down one weekend and read it straight through, I probably would have had an easier time with it. Thanks to Amazon, (*sarcasm*) I know what happens at the end, but I'm still going to finish it. Maybe V. Roth should have just written it in "chunks," like Stephenie Meyer did with "Breaking Dawn." One character talks for several chapters, then the other takes over. Something like that.
I did start a fanfiction piece for "The Hunger Games." And I desperately need to finish my Twilight one.
I am absolutely STOKED for "Catching Fire." I've loved all the scenes and TV spots that have been released. Although, I must admit, I will have to start a self-imposed spot-fast starting now. I got my gear from Hot Topic.
And, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I'd won one of the contests that The Hob was conducting. Yay! Looking forward to getting the package.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Perspective and Gumbo
Last night was Walking Dead and Homeland. Walking Dead was good; the suspense and questions commence now. I still question whether or not animals are able to transmit the virus.
Best Tweet of the night: (not mine) "#ifDarylCoughsWeRiot"
After that was Homeland. I know the jury's been mostly split on how this season is going, given that Carrie and Brody have two separate story lines; at least for the time being. Saul is being very mean right now. There's a whole camp of Dana-haters, but she's interesting, at least. How else would a teen in this situation react?
We have another session of the mysterious "suits" following Carrie, and finally figuring out what they want. There's a very scary three minutes of thinking Carrie's going to be found guilty of espionage, but--- Oooh, what's this? Carrie's going to see Saul? Showdown!
Wait, what??? It was all a ----??
My twitter-wishes were granted, to say the least. And it reminded me that in film, tv, and books, we aren't always shown every perspective.
And that's what makes it good.
PS: Mom makes a good half-homemade gumbo. Take however many cans of Cambell's Chicken & Sausage Gumbo you need. Add frozen okra. Add some more frozen okra. If you like extra okra. Add some thawed cooked shrimp at the end, and heat it through. It's very good.
Also... Just finished reading "The Boy on the Wooden Box." It was very good; it tells the story of one of the survivors from Schindler's List. I interrupted "Dead Man Walking" for "Carrie's Run," so I need to finish that.
I do have books about the Mossad, and Queen Elizabeth II, that I need to start. But there's probably going to be another interruption for "Allegiant."
Best Tweet of the night: (not mine) "#ifDarylCoughsWeRiot"
After that was Homeland. I know the jury's been mostly split on how this season is going, given that Carrie and Brody have two separate story lines; at least for the time being. Saul is being very mean right now. There's a whole camp of Dana-haters, but she's interesting, at least. How else would a teen in this situation react?
We have another session of the mysterious "suits" following Carrie, and finally figuring out what they want. There's a very scary three minutes of thinking Carrie's going to be found guilty of espionage, but--- Oooh, what's this? Carrie's going to see Saul? Showdown!
Wait, what??? It was all a ----??
My twitter-wishes were granted, to say the least. And it reminded me that in film, tv, and books, we aren't always shown every perspective.
And that's what makes it good.
PS: Mom makes a good half-homemade gumbo. Take however many cans of Cambell's Chicken & Sausage Gumbo you need. Add frozen okra. Add some more frozen okra. If you like extra okra. Add some thawed cooked shrimp at the end, and heat it through. It's very good.
Also... Just finished reading "The Boy on the Wooden Box." It was very good; it tells the story of one of the survivors from Schindler's List. I interrupted "Dead Man Walking" for "Carrie's Run," so I need to finish that.
I do have books about the Mossad, and Queen Elizabeth II, that I need to start. But there's probably going to be another interruption for "Allegiant."
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