![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Most of it was stuff you hear every time you hear about ways you can help - reduce, reuse, recycle, switch lightbulbs, etc. But there was one thing fact I found really interesting, and it's one that I promised myself to remember because it seemed like something I could do easily. I just remembered it today (not so great at the whole memory thing am I?) and it's that eating vegetarian one day a week (or maybe it was three, not sure which) for a year is the equivalent of taking your car off the road for a year.
This is due to the whole meat thing - it takes however so much gas to bring food to the animals, and then to ship them later, etc. So I think I'm going to try this, and maybe try to get my family to too.
(also, plugged in appliances do actually suck power, which I'd heard, but wasn't sure if it was a myth or a fact, so those are getting unplugged when not in use.)
- Location:Home
- Mood:
complacent - Music:AAR
I really am so bad at keeping up with journals and things like that. I mean, really, really, really bad. I can't say how many times I've started something like this, mainly because I've recently read some author talking about how writing every day helped them learn to write, or how they kept a journal when they were younger.
I'm going to try to be better at this. It can't take more than half an hour a day; I can manage that, right? Maybe.
I just got back from Camp Echo, the camp that I've gone to every summer since the summer before fifth grade - since the summer before we moved to Minnesota, in short. It was originally a way to stay connected with old friends from Evanston, but now I just go because I love it. It was great this year, as always, though I'm happy to be home, with clean clothes.
Before we left, I got to see Phantom of the Opera with the same friend I saw Rent with. It was amazing. Really. I liked it as a musical a lot more than as a movie - mainly because I feel like in the movie, there's more of a sense that Christine truly loves the phantom, whereas in the musical I got more of the sense she pitied him. I think this mainly had to do with the fact that in the musical, Raoul was much more masculine than the phantom - he was taller, larger in general, where the phantom looked wimpy in comparison. Meanwhile, in the movie, Raoul was the wimpy one. And at the end in the musical, the phantom really just looks old and pathetic. So, since the main thing that really bugged me about the movie was that Christine could never make up her mind about who she liked better, the musical satisfied me on that point.
Besides, the musical had FIRE. Or something that looked like it, and was very very bright, and it was AWESOME.
( Camp Flashback! )
Anyway. That's what's been going on in my life. Oh, and I got swine flu. It's not that bad people! It's just like normal flu, only more easily spread!
Also, I'm addicted to Lost now.
- Location:Home sweet home
- Mood: calm
- Music:The Wombats
Alas, spring break is now over, and I cannot wait until SUMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEER YAY! My goal is to read a TON over the summer. And maybe take driver's ed.
MEANWHILE the lifeguarding class that I've been taking has been going well, though they've recently started putting a dummy in the water to see if we'lll notice and save it...it's making me paranoid. Really, it is.
- Mood:Apathetic
- Music:Rent
Tonight, my friend, my mom and I were supposed to see Rent. I was super excited and everything - I mean, this is the Broadway tour (I believe? At the very least it has Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal) and it was a Saturday and spring break is starting, and everything was just perfect. Except the tickets I bought were for yesterday.
I don't know what went wrong. Maybe I clicked the wrong day on accident, who knows. But either way, we went to see what we could do about it, and thankfully, there is a semi-solution - we could try back the next day, 10 minutes before the show started, and if there were any extra tickets we could exchange them.
Since tomorrow is Sunday, and there's two showings (one at 1, the other at 6:30) we'll more than likely get to see it. This is Minneapolis, after all - there aren't THAT many people who're going to go to it. But while I know we'll get to watch it, there's still a large part of me that wants to cry right now.
I was so excited. Really. Going to a musical, with a friend, on a Saturday - I could almost imagine I was living in New York already, seeing it on Broadway, in college or not, just...free, i guess. And then there was the realization, that we wouldn't see it - and, I don't know, I just...don't want to have to go on Sunday. And since we'll try for both times, just in case the first is sold out, we'll probably end up seeing the 1:00 show - because it more than likely won't be sold out. There's somehting about Sunday shows I hate - I think it's the finality of it all, that this is ending, and it's over. It's even worse though that this is a matinee Sunday show before an evening Sunday show - it's not quite final, but it's close, and added to that, it's in the middle of the day, and when we get out the sun'll still be out, and then there's the knowledge that the real last show is still to come, but you're too lame to go to it, and it makes me feel like I'm an old woman already. I don't want to go on Sunday.
I'm not sure if my friend feels the same way. Maybe it's just that I was the one who bought the tickets, I was the one to screw up - but I think I'd feel this way even if I hadn't, even if it wasn't my fault.
- Location:home :(
- Mood:
sad - Music:Potemayo theme song
Aaaaanyway, another English book. MUCH easier than Ze Scarlett Letter, and much more interesting. I really don't want to summarize it though. I mean, we already have to do that in English class...but I guess I will. *sigh* The things I do for this...
So. We have Frederick Douglas. He's born a slave. He describes life as a slave. In detail. Sort of. (we'll just say it's graphic). He gets moved from master to master a lot, contrasts city slaves with plantation slaves, contrasts different masters, etc.
(That's a summary, right? Well, even if it's not, it's as much as I'll say right now.)
I enjoyed the book, like I said. It was interesting and ACTION-PACKED! (like, fast-paced, you know? I don't mean that in a bad way...), not P L O D D I N G and descriptive and sloooow like Hawthorne's (not that that's necessarily bad! I did say I liked it! It's just...kinda boring. A lot). Frederick Douglas can describe in a very vivid way, which is good.
So that's that. I do have one more little note however: I've recently discovered that LibraryThing, which I am a member of, has groups, and there's one called 75 books for 2009, which I am a part of, and in which I can keep track of books. It's really easy, since I don't have to write much, like do for this (I mean, I don't have to write a lot for this, but I feel like I should), which means it goes a lot faster...these entries always take me so long, by the time I'm done, I've read three more books. So, this'll just be a journal from now on, as it was intended, and I can count my books over there. (I'm fredanria, fyi, same as here)
- Location:Homesies
- Mood: calm
- Music:Seussical
So. Be prepared, because here they come:
(Oh, and by the way, though previously I've tried to keep these posts spoiler free, this one will probably contain many SPOILERS so I'll warn you now)
**SPOILERS** **SPOILERS** **SPOILERS** **ALERT** **ALERT** **ALERT**
( Crown and Court Duel )
( Rose Daughter )
( Another retelling... )
( Stardust )( The Wizard Heir )
( ANOTHER Robin McKinley book?! )
( Secret Societies and Basset Hounds )
( The Eternals )
It is also now officially 2009, which means that this will begin my book count! I've been wanting to do this for years, but never been able to since I always forget half-way through and lose count. Bu this year, with the help of lj, I shall prevail!
To start right off:
1. The Narrative of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
2. Sammy Keyes and the Cold, Hard Cash by Wendelin Van Draanen
I'm also going to try doing seperate reviews and summaries, since I don't like cramming this many books in one post (read: I don't like having to write this much at once, and now I'm feeling lazy, so this way I can just post these two later.)
ETA: After this entry, my reviews actually become more like reviews, and I start doing books in seperate entries, to makes finding things easier.
( *Crown and Court Duel...AGAIN... )
- Location:Home (where else?)
- Mood:
blank - Music:Don't Speak Liar
So I had a swim meet today. First one with my YWCA team in over...half a year. First meet in general in a month and a half. And I died.
( Yes, literally. )
In other news, I have finished three books: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Warrior Heir by Cinda Chima, and Rogue's Home by Hilari Bell.
( Ze Scarlet Letter: )
( Warrior Heir )
( Rogue's Home )
- Location:Hoooome
- Mood: mellow
- Music:You Can Leave Your Hat On
Because right now, the Minnesota-ness of Minnesota is killing me. Physically and mentally. And kinda emotionally too.
( And then I whine...you should skip this part. Really. You should. )
God I'm so pathetic.
But I really do want to go to a musical. Which, I mean, I am tonight (Grease), but it doesn't count as much because it's a school musical.
ETA: ( GREASE WAS AMAZING )
- Location:Home, with frozen toes
- Mood: sad
- Music:Summer Days from Grease
The Arm of the Starfish is by Madeleine L'engle, and I enjoyed it. I did have a little bit of a problem finishing it however...
See, in Starfish, there are a couple places where the book lulls, and unfortunately I got stuck in one of those places. I had just gotten to the part when Adam's getting off the plane with Joshua and they're having a conversation, and I put the book down. Big no-no. I did that with An Acceptable Time too, and I didn't end up finishing it for months. Luckily, it wasn't as long this time (probably because AoS is a library book and had to be returned), but I still had to force myself to go back.
( And then I ramble some... )
Anyway, moving on. Other than that problem, I enjoyed Starfish. It was fairly fast-paced, and a little creepy in some parts, which I liked. ( My issues with the O'Keefe family )
(and by the way, can someone tell me if Charles Wallace makes an appearance in any of the books outside of the Time Quartet, because I'm just wondering...it feels like he vanished off the face of the earth.)
( On to Beauty! ).
Moving past the books for now, and on to the more important things: Christmas and the holidays.
( Chrsitmas, how I love thee... )
- Location:Inside, away from the snow
- Mood:
Festive - Music:Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Yes, it's true that the effects were bad (Edward's sparkling looked more like sweating). And that some of the lines were horrible. However, in general, it was better. Edward gained some semblance of a personality that he lacked in the books, as did Bella. In fact, most of the characters gained something...extra. Maybe that happens with all books-turned-movies, but in most cases, I don't notice simply because I like the books better. Who knows? In any case, I don't know if I'll ever be able to read the books again - I'd rather just rewatch the movie.
I went to Chicago for five days and have come back convinced that I am going to have to live either there or New York to be happy when I'm old. I also bought myself new clothes and a book- City of Bones. Can I just say right now that I think Valentine is Clary's dad? (I'm at the part where Hodge has JUST told Clary when Valentine "died", so this is only a prediction based on the fact that he "died" when Clary was born.)
(Oh, I know what it is about Twilight! I don't have to hear everything through Bella's whiny, waaaay too descriptive voice. I don't have to listen to her inner dialogue with herself - I mean, she doesn't actually SAY much. She just thinks it.)
- Location:Home
- Mood: satisfied
- Music:Aladdin
Newest books finished: two multiple-story books, Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, and 21 Proms by a variety of authors.
First: ( Let It Snow )
- Location:Home
- Music:Cabaret
Author: Sherman Alexie
I liked this book; it was a fairly quick read, in equal parts funny and serious. Not necessarily the type of book that will change your life forever, but definitely worth reading.
ETA: ( So a better review... )
- Location:Home
- Mood:
sleepy - Music:Phantom
I recently (okay, like two weeks ago) found out that November is Write A Novel month. In honor of this, I'm going to attempt to write a novel (oooo, shocking!). I've come up with what I'd like to be the premise; now I just need to figure out what I want the main plot to be. Yes, I know. Kind of hard to write a story with only the beginning, so that's what I'll mainly be working on while writing this. That, and keeping it from being solipsistic (new vocabulary word courtesy of Cleolinda Jones).
( And then Twilight ate my soul. )
- Location:Home
- Mood: gleeful
- Music:I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy
So, in with this goal in mind, I'm going to try to start blogging about the different books I read. I'll try to summarize, and review.
First book: Papertowns by John Green
( Read more... )
- Location:Home
- Mood: calm
- Music:Rent
Syndicate
