A Pinteresting Tumbl of a Day

Thus will I expire.

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A Pinteresting Tumbl of a Day

I think we all know this person. . .

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Confessions: I pronounce everything wrong.

This is really embarrassing to admit as an English major and a bookish person in general, but I really do butcher the art of the spoken word.

It's the reason I took Spanish instead of French.

French people should thank me for that, because they would have murdered me.

But I seriously am horrendously bad at pronunciation. 

Point en case:

Friend of mine lost her school ID a few months ago, and our decals expire every year.

She got her ID, but then couldn't get a decal for a while, because they moved the office or whatnot.

Well.

She ended up getting a parking ticket - hey, there are only so many "visitor" spots - and mentioned it to me.

I mentioned to her that someone had said that if you didn't pay it, they wouldn't send you a bill or anything.

Then I said, "I guess it makes sense; I mean, they're not city or munsiple police".

She just stopped and stared at me.

"Alyse. Do you mean municipal?"

"Yeah. . . yeah, that's it."

She looked at me and laughed.

"You know what you are? You're one of those people that read a lot but never say the words out loud."

Yes.

Yes, that is exactly what I am.

That, and a dummkopf.

And actually, I can pronounce that right.

Life vs. Death

Image credit to Jesschadlys (x).

There's a trend I've noticed building over the past few years.

I don't know what it started with, but I thought that - like all other trends - it would fade away quietly.

I don't think it will.

Here's the trend: death.

I mean, I understand that people die.

Acceptance of the fact is good.

Glorification of it is not.

What is with all this glorification of death, anyway? I can't walk into a clothing store without seeing skulls on shirts, undershirts, pants, leggings, accessories, basically everything. And it's not those 'cutesty' skulls: these are freaky, grinning skeletal fragments.

That really, really unnerves me.

And that's not all.

There's a growing literary fascination with vampires, werewolves, zombies, demons, and other undead creatures.

Don't get me wrong here: I'm reading Dracula. I've seen the black and white Dracula. For the record, I don't think there's anything wrong with Dracula.

The Twilight series is another story, and not just because I'm slightly a literature snob and I think - and have heard from reliable sources, namely college professors, peers, and Tumblr - that it's shoddily written and crafted.

That's my opinion. Sorry, not sorry.

I think you're completely entitled to yours.

And please understand, I'm not pointing the finger at anyone. If I am, I'm pointing it right back at me, examining what I'm filling my own mind with.

The difference for me, though, between Dracula and Twilight, for example, is the portrayal of evil and death.

In Dracula, it's clear who is evil and who is good.

Evil comes to kill and destroy.

Good stands in the path, seeking to save and redeem.

In Twilight?

Not so much.

Everything is blurred: oh, well, he drinks blood, and he really wants to drink mine, but he'll go and drink animal blood since he doesn't want to kill me. Awh, I think I'll marry this guy, since he's totally stable and trustworthy.

Or should I marry this other guy who's a wolf and has an amazing six-pack (c'mon, we all know that's most the reason most people saw the movie)?

. . . Yeah . . . Stellar choices.

As far as I know - and please do correct me if I'm mistaken - there is no clear cut model of good in the Twilight series.

There are plenty of evil models, but the evil tendencies are airbrushed over by a six-pack.

Believe me, I've heard the arguments made for Twilight:

"Oh, it teaches abstinence!"

Not really.

Bella and Edward aren't abstinent because they choose to be per se, but because he doesn't want to kill her.

Not really admirable.

I'll be honest when I say that I almost got into Twilight. But something nudged me and said "Hey, why don't you get a second opinion on that?"

I'm so, so glad I did.

And I think it's really the whole Twilight phenomenon that awakened me to the battle that's going on not only for young girls' souls, but also for their hearts and minds.

Yeah, there was Harry Potter mania when I was like, I dunno, seven, but I didn't care to read a 3-inch thick book at that time.

This is different.

And much more dangerous.

Not only are we getting this generation desensitized to death, but also disdainful of life.

Dead and undying creatures are glorified, made popular.

TV shows and movies about those who deal directly with demons are hits.

More and more teens and young adults don't take their lives - or the lives of others - seriously.

And the thing is . . . I don't think it's going to get better.

Not unless we can show them that there is more to life than death.

So much more.

Writing Well is Hard

I'm in a senior seminar this semester. We're all working on either fiction projects or poetry projects.

For those of you who have read my poetry, you've probably gathered that 1) I'm pretty good at free verse, and 2) anything not in free verse is not my cup of tea. 

Now fiction . . . fiction is my cup of tea.

You could say that I've had a bit of experience writing fiction.

I self-published a pretty short book about two years ago, and most of the people who left reviews liked it.

This semester I'm aiming for a full-length novel.

Oh my giddy aunt, y'all.

You have no idea how hard this is.

Keep in mind, this isn't necessarily for enjoyment, though I'm sure I will enjoy it for the most part.

This is for a grade.

And credits.

Mostly the credits.

But get this: there's a prospectus.

We've gotta outline it.

We've got to cover everything from beginning to end, no plot holes.

And we're likely going to get critiqued.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining -- I love critiques of my stories. Love them. It makes for a better, more coherent, more detailed story.

But gosh . . . it's hard.

But hard is good.

When the last final's done. . .

. . . we all like:

No, really.

That's what we do.

Oh, and by the way, I'm officially a senior now.

Confessions: I Could Have Been a Math Major

DISCLAIMER:

This is not a dig at people who enjoy math, who have degrees in math, or jobs related to math.

It's just me being snarky and slightly honest.

Sometimes people ask me why I'm an English major.

They're like "Oh, do you want to teach?"

I don't really, and I can't help but think that if I wanted to teach, I'd be an education major.

But English is just something I enjoy and that I'm good at, and I thought reading books and writing essays for four years would be alright.

Yep.

But I'm also good at math -- or at least I was about five years ago. 

Haven't taken it since then.

I'm taking it now.

And I love it.

But the thing is, I just couldn't do math for four years.

Well, maybe I could have, but I don't think I'd have liked it.

Mostly because of Geometry.

Just not my thing.

In high school, my math teacher begged me to be an engineer, but I hate Geometry, so that wasn't really something I wanted to do.

I finally got him to stop telling me that by saying that if I did become an engineer, all I'd make is roller coasters and he'd have to test ride all of them.

That worked.

But I used to be really good at it.

I could solve small-ish matrices in my head, I still can foil quite a bit mentally, and stuff like that.

I'm surprised my professor hasn't gotten on me yet for not showing a lot of my work.

I might take more math next year, just to fill up empty space in my schedule, but next year is pretty much anything I want to do, so maybe I'll take some math. . .

Maybe I won't.

Heck, maybe they'll offer an equestrian class.

That'd be fun.

But don't think I don't like math much because it's hard.

No, that's part of why I like math: you have to figure it out; it's not just memorization.

I mean, English is hard too.

You try remembering what the Great Vowel Shift was, or how Proto-Indo-European converts Greek and Latin to English and stuff.

I like a good challenge.

But I have to admit that math has a one-upper on English as far as I'm concerned.

In English, you can read things pretty much however you want, but in math, 2+2 always equals 4.

I like that.

Consistency and concreteness is cool.

(And that's ^ alliteration.)

There's just one thing I don't really understand about math.

I mean, English majors learn how to think critically, and that's a skill you can use anywhere.

Math majors learn how to think analytically, and that's a skill you can use anywhere.

But I just don't understand why we learn some of the stuff we do in math.

Isn't a lot of that more theoretical than applicational?

Theoretical's totally fine, really, but . . . isn't applicational more useful?

I mean, under what circumstances would somebody need to know this?

I'm not being snarky here, I swear.

This is an honest to God question.

Is this like a real thing?

I've got the concept down fine, I'm just curious.

Other than teaching my kids someday.

If I even remember it that long.

Ramblings of a Fangirl: Dumb People in Comics

Y'know, you've just gotta have a certain respect for people in comic books.

No, no, no, I don't mean the main characters; the heroes.

No, I mean the citizens. 

Yeah, them.

The people that can't distinguish between Clark Kent and Superman because of a pair of glasses.

. . . Really, people?

They're the same size.

Have the same hairstyle.

Seem to be nearby a whole lot.

And are never seen in the same room. . .

Granted, not everyone knows Clark that well.

But what about Lois???

She's Clark's reporter buddy and has only been rescued by Superman Lord knows how many times.

You'd think she - the brilliant Daily Planet reporter - would have pieced two and two together.

(On that note, why do we put two and two together? Why not one and one? Anyhoo. . .)

And then there's the people of Gotham.

They have a bit more of an excuse for not recognizing Bruce Wayne as Batman, especially in The Dark Knight, because Bruce you can easily understand. Batman just sounds like, "WGGG RRRR AYYYY?!"

Not exactly conducive to a  fruitful interrogation.

However!

Bruce randomly gets beat up - badly - the same night Batman disappears . . . 

And nobody makes that connection.

And he's a hermit for eight years. Batman is also MIA for eight years.

And nobody makes the connection.

Then Bruce comes out of hiding. Batman also comes out of hiding.

And nobody makes the connection.

. . .

The citizens of Metropolis have zero excuses, but the people of Gotham just might have one. . .

Just how much fear gas did Scarecrow pump into that city sewer?

Sleepy Saturday Link Up!

I love Saturdays.

Like, really.

I really love Saturdays. 

Way more than I used to.

It's the one day I can sleep in, though I find myself jolting awake at 8ish and thinking "OMIGOSH I NEED TO GET TO CLASS NOW!"

It's a rude awakening, but the realization that I don't have to get out of bed is a beautiful thing and almost makes up for it.

Almost.

So this Saturday, I'm doing boring stuffs, namely schoolwork.

I've got a paper to start.

A book to read in its entirety. 

Research a presentation.

Look into internships.

Apply for a job.

And . . . I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting, but oh well.

What are y'all up to this loverly Saturday?

BOSS STATUS: RE-ACHIEVED?

Last semester I signed up for six classes.

I dropped one at the last minute and only took five.

I lost "boss status".

However!

This semester I signed up for seven (only 19 hours, though).

I dropped one a few days ago - I didn't want half my course grade coming from volunteer hours at events. And it wasn't what I thought it was, anyway.

I added another, but it was only one credit - that put me at 17.

Then, last night, I checked over everything to make sure it was all set. And what do I see? One of my classes I had really wanted had been cancelled!

That put me down to 14, but it's okay.

But still . . . I really wanted that class! 

Anyhoo, I figure I'll just keep the "textbook" (it's more like a style book).

And, for those of you going into college or in college, you'd be robbing yourselves if you didn't join Amazon Student. 

Just sayin'.

Finals Week - Day 2 through le Fin . . .

So, I suppose that since I didn't post daily updates it can be safely assumed that I studied my butt off and did fantastically, right . . . ?

Oh . . . not?

Oh. Okay.

But I did study hard . . . and I did pretty well.

Field Trip!

Yesterday, one of my professors took us up to Columbia to go see Antony and Cleopatra performed by some players from Cambridge University.
It. Was. Fantastic!!
It was also a blast because our professor gave us a tour of Columbia - like where he lived and stuff like that.
We ended up going to a Mexican place afterwards (that play was 3 hours long!) and laughed about just about everything - not about the performance; the performance was impeccable.
If y'all ever have a chance to see the touring Cambridge University Players, you should.
And next time we go up there, we need to go to the zoo.
I haven't been to the zoo in ages. . .

Things I will (eventually) Re-create . . .

I've decided to make a list of all the things that I will eventually rewrite and gift to the world . . .
. . . for a small fee . . .
(By the way, this list is actually more for my benefit than yours, simply because I may 1. forget, 2. become distracted, and / or any combination of the two. But if you like what you see, shoot me an electronic smoke signal if there's something you really want in the story. Who knows? Might just end up there.)

- Romeo and Juliet
- Beauty and the Beast
- Lady and the Tramp
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
- Sleeping Beauty
- The Little Mermaid
- (a twist on) Peter Pan
and, of course, my personal pet:
- Phantom of the Opera

(Do I have an obsession with Disney? . . . Nope.)

I *really* want to write a post for Sparklife . . .

(For those of you who aren't aware of Sparklife, it's simply a branch of Sparknotes. [If you're not aware of Sparknotes, I pity you.])
Let's get this out of the way first:
- Yes, I am an English major.
- Yes, we read old books. (They smell the best; duh.)
- And, yes, I do occasionally use Sparknotes.
Not as a replacement to the books.
Never.
That is not a good idea.
More as a "this-is-what-I-think-I-read->reads-Sparknotes<-okay-yes-this-is-what-I-read" type thing.
It's quite helpful, except for when Ben Jonson's "Bartholomew Fair" isn't there . . .
Anyways.
I really, really, really want to write a post for Sparklife.
Their posts are quite hilarious.
I can be quite hilarious too.
And I love to write.
I'm thinking about doing a "How to Decode Your Professor" type thing.
What do you think?
Comment below!

Book Preview! Part III

Aaaaaaaaaaand the third one!


This is from "Ruminations", slightly inspired by the track of the same name from . . . um, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Uh, yeah . . . You can listen to it here . . . to make it less . . . erm . . . awkward.

As a young nun, Marya had been pious as a saint, quiet to a fault, and earnest in her duties. But then, during a mission of charity, she fell. Hers was not the sudden, obliterating demise made popular by cheap novellas. Her fall was an unbroken – though, at times, hesitant – descent from her once lofty standards.

A young parson, not even a year her senior, had been assisting the physicians with orphans who had contracted serious infections. His gentle kindness to the children others deemed worthless endeared him to her immediately. They did the Lord’s work side by side, sharing His peace and mercy with those suffering. He lauded and encouraged Marya from time to time, but she – raised with nigh a man in sight – found herself unable – or unwilling? – to reciprocate. 

Here's the link!

Book Preview! Part II

Time for the second sample!


This one is from "Infiltration", kind of a sci-fi thing. I definitely had the most fun writing this one.

Harpé felt herself separate from the transport chip. It was exhilarating. She was free to roam, free to explore. Binary information began to bombard her the moment of severance, and she absorbed it instantly, reveling as her knowledge expanded. The stream of raw information slowed and she began to sort and process it while appropriating controls to the systems Dante had outlined before the mission commenced.

            Security and surveillance systems: bugged – affirmative.

Motion and thermal sensors: bugged – affirmative.

            Life support: affirmative.

Chemical balance control systems: affirmative.

Temperature controls.

Harpé paused. That wasn’t on the list, but she knew Dante didn’t like to leave a job smelling sweaty, so she grudgingly appropriated it.

Temperature controls: unnecessary . . . but affirmative.

Harpé allowed herself a mental chuckle, but sobered quickly. This is too – 

Here's the link!

Book Preview! Part I

So I've decided to post three different excerpts of my book, "The Trio: A Collection of Completely Unrelated Short Stories". (I'm all for honesty; can you tell?)


As the title states, there's only three stories in the book. It was sort of a tester-type thing-y.


Here's a (selected) excerpt from the first one, "Wasted, Redeemed". It's pretty much the plot summary; a friend who read this asked if I found a poem, cut it up and wrote around it! (I didn't, by the way. =])

An hour – wasted.

A mind – wasted.

A soul – wasted.

A lifetime – wasted.

A love – wasted.

A life – redeemed.  

(I know this is a very short sample, but it's because it's a very short story.)

Here's the link!

"Scientifical"

So, with only a month (egads! - a MONTH!) until Finals, I'm really wishing this were possible . . .