A Tale of Two Cities V.S. A Tale of Two Cities

Guys, you will never guess what I did this week!

Guess.

Guess!

If you guess you get a cookie.


Do you give up? Alright, I suppose I will tell you then. This week I undertook the great, bold and slightly daunting quest of reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickons.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

*CAUTION!  There will be much fangirling and ranting in this post! There will be spoilers!

*It is also pretty long. 

Why did I choose to undertake this task? Well there were lots of reasons. First of all, I have wanted to read ATOTC for quite a few years, but every time I picked it up the first chapter was so hard I couldn't get through it. This drove me nuts because I pride myself on being able to read anything I open, regardless of writing style or feel. But Charles Dickons stumped me and I could NOT get through that first chapter. It was exhausting and boring and it did not grip me in any sort of way. What was the point in reading something that wasn't gripping?

There was no reason. I proceeded to hunt down a different, more enjoyable story to read.

So what was different this time?

My older sister owns the soundtrack for A Tale of Two Cities; The Musical. It is the Original Cast Recording (because we have a thing for *original recordings*) and every now and again she listens to it. I heard it for the first time a few years ago and I fell in love with the music, the story and - you guessed it - Sydney Carton. He was such a sad pitiful person and he quickly rose to the rank of fabulous. He was right next to Raoul as my favorite male character in Musical Theater. We listened to it a couple times over the next three years or so, but since Kat was the only one who owned it (and it wasn't on youtube at the time) I didn't hear it half as much as I wanted to.


Then my sisters hit their musical high, and we listened to all the musicals again - including, for the first time in ages, A Tale of Two Cities. And I found the soundtrack on youtube (the Original Soundtrack!!) and listened to it four times in the same week. I got teeny bit obsessed, and that obsession has not ENDED. It's still going! It's been over a month - As I am sure most of you know :) I can't help it. I love Sydney, and his story hit me even harder this time. He is such a sad mashed potato :( He breaks my heart. When I am not listening to Phantom I listen to ATOTC.* I am starting to memorize a lot of the songs and can now sing along with most of the musical. (I can sing along with ALL the songs that have Sydney in them 8-D )


*Let me just say, musical theater is the bomb-diggety. It is so fabulous. It makes everything better.

Basically, the more I listened to it, the more I wanted more Sydney. I was on such a  high that I decided now would be the perfect time to try ATOTC - The book - one more time.

And I did. I actually picked it up, started the first line and just kept reading.

Just reading...

I read the whole book in two days (give or take a few hours) and when I finished, at I wasn't sure if I had actually enjoyed it or not. I gave it some thought and finally come to a conclusion:

I liked the book. But I LOVED Sydney Carton, and I really read it for him. I would tell myself, "It's okay. Three Chapters and we get some Carton." So much of that book is just descriptive world building and excessive use of adjective and adverbs of every kind, repeated four or five times in a paragraph. That made the story hard to read - you really have to be in the mood and be committed. There were sentences nearly a page LONG in that book. I'm not even kidding! A Page. LONG. I have never seen so many semicolons and commas! It was kind of exhausting to read so much. There were so many words and just so much everything that it got overwhelming. The characters all tended to be too dramatic (especially Lucie) and the whole story was just a bit too emotional. And in this instance, I don't mean like a FEEEEEEEEEEEELZ! emotional. (though there was that kind too) More like "OH EVERYONE IS SO OVERWHELMED, WHATEVER SHALL WE DO???"

What. Even.

Whenever the story revolved around Sydney Carton, it was Brilliant. I loved all of Sydney's scenes. He is the saddest Mashed Potato. Reading his story made his character even more painful because you learn all this other stuff that you don't really see in the musical - at least not as much. Like, he and his boss had gone to school together, and his boss was obviously a huge bully and really used Sydney and made him feel useless and pathetic. Stryver (the boss) was a Slime-Bag and he treated Sydney like dirt. He had no self-esteem and no one in all the world cared about him. He made me so sad!!!!!!

SO! Back to the reason I started this post. LOL. I didn't stop at just listening to the musical. I bought a copy of it in CONCERT on DVD.* They were on a stage. And acting. And it was fabulous! Sydney was the saddest of mashed potatoes!!

*I wanted the stage production but there wasn't one. So I settled for the Concert edition. It was an abridged production, and it wasn't as good as it could have been on a real stage, but it was still good.

When I finished that (And then listened to the whole musical again,) I decided that I still like the musical better than the book. But there were elements in the book I liked better.

The musical is more from Sydney's point of view, and I LOVE that. There is more Sydney in the musical. In the book it is usually other people meeting Sydney and/or mentioning him in passing. You rarely get a chapter from his point of view, and when you do it seems too short. I think the whole story would have been ten times better if it had been Sydney's story and not Lucie's and Charles'.

In the book I really liked Charles. I liked him in the musical too, but I liked him more in the book. He had a lot of really sweet moments in the book that I don't believe were in the musical. (But then I haven't seen the full thing yet either.) I don't know why so many people think he is flat and silly ....  Well okay. When he was in love he was kind of a dope. But he was a sweet dope. And and he was nice to Sydney. Even when Sydney was drunk (and insulting!) he was nice to Sydney. He welcomed him into his home after his wedding to Lucy. He let Sydney act as a godfather toward his children. He called him his friend and never judged him too harshly, even though he had seen him at his worst. I really liked Charles for that.

In the musical, I really liked Lucie. She was sweet and cute and she was really good to Sydney. But in the book she drove me In.sane. I know she was nice to Sydney and that was all fine and good, but seriously that women was all over the place. She was constantly Over-flowing With Joy, or Completely Distraught about something or other. and usually it was just sooo overwhelming. 

Lucie! Stop falling to your knees! FOR REAL.

I think the Lucie in the musical was more what Charles Dickons was going for in the book, he just never quite made it. They did a good job of highlighting her kindness without making her too good and they filled her out with all these cute little quirks that made her likable. Unfortunately the book didn't do this.

She was annoying okay? Really annoying.

I liked that in the musical they built more with Sydney and Little Lucie's relationship.* I like that they drew that element out and actually showed Sydney with the little girl - and how gentle and different he was around her then with anyone else. Because that was adorable.

"God bless Mama and Papa and Grandpapa.... And Sydney. I don't think he'll ask You for himself.

*Little Lucie is Lucie's daughter.

This being said, I loved the scene in the book where Sydney talked to Lucie about his feelings for her, and how much she inspired him to do good and that for her, and for any dear to her, he would sacrifice anything; including his life. I love this moment, and sadly I don't know if it was in the stage production (Since I can't freakin' see it.) I think something similar must happen because at the end of the musical Sydney writes a letter to Lucie and it's exactly the same as the one he writes in the book, and it was in regard to that conversation.

I really love the scene in the musical where Carton comes over for Christmas (on Lucie's invitation) and receives a present from Lucie. And he is really touched and because he was not expecting a gift, especially not one from her, and he says thank you with this shy little kiss ... and it's so. freakin. sad. BECAUSE SHE IS IN LOVE WITH CHARLES AND HE WILL NEVER EVER BE HAPPY.

"There is something I would like to give you."

*Spoilers ahead*

So... There were a few elements from the book that I wish they could have kept in the musical. Like the bit near the end where Sydney is walking and praying.... "I am the Life and the Resurrection,.." That whole sequence was heartbreaking and I think it would have been cool to do something with it in the musical.

On the other hand though, I loved the song "Let Her Be A Child," which took the place of that. It was essentially the same thing. Sydney is all alone and he is faced with a frightening decision and he is scared and unsure ... and then it's like he hears Little Lucie saying her night prayers and he remembers why he has to follow through with his plans. And he prays with her for courage to do what he has to in order to keep the ones he loves safe. It is SAD. IT HURTS.

"Now, I lay me down to sleep..."

Overall, I enjoy listening to the musical rather than reading the book. It is a lot more fun to witness the story on stage then it is on paper - and I think this is the way with a lot of classics. They work better as a play or a movie. I was lucky because I heard the musical (many times) before reading the book and I was already familiar with the story, so it was easier for me to follow along.  But there were still moments where I got confused and had to re-read a few paragraphs. And there was one scene where this character suddenly appeared in the room and I had no idea when he had shown up or why  he was there - but at this point I was getting close to the sad Sydney parts so I decided it didn't matter and kept reading.

SO! What it all comes down to is this; I really liked the the book, I liked it a lot. It was a fantastic story and I would definitely read it again. But it helped that I had heard the musical and already loved the story. Otherwise I don't know if I would have enjoyed it so much. (Because the musical is the greatest thing ever. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!)

#reading the end of the book

I think it is a shame that not many people have read A Tale of Two Cities. And I think it is even a bigger shame that is closed on Broadway so fast. I firmly believe it deserves a second chance. It would be fabulous to see it return to Broadway and I would go see it in a heartbeat. ( But could we also please get James Barbour back as Sydney? Thank you.) .... Maybe I'll start a petition for the release of the Stage Version  on DVD.

Oh. That is a good Idea!

What are your thoughts on A Tale of Two Cities? Have you ever listened to it or read it? Do you know the story? What do you think of it?

With that I leave you with this FABULOUS trailer over which you can drool.....

And then you can watch this trailer (Which is the copy I have) and you will understand why I want to start a petition and get another DVD.

*Say... If I start a Petiton, would you help me??


PEACE OUT Y'ALL!!!!!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

Guess what?? MUSICALS!!!!!!!!!

You know those people who have a five-year plan? They're the type of people who know exactly what they're going to do and they have all the details planned out.


I've never thought of myself as that person. I know that I want to try a bit of acting, and that is about as far as I've planned. Thinking about the future freaks me out so I think about it as little as possible. But I do have a few things that I definitely want to do now that I've graduated. And since I will probably face a lot of change over the next few months I figured I'd share my PLAN with you.


1.) I want to audition for the Community Theatre that is just off the hill from where they live.  Theatre is my big dream, it's something that I want to do so badly. I want to at least get my foot in with bigger acting experiences. If I could actually go on Broadway that would be beyond brilliant - even if it is Highly Unlikely. But however hard it is, I have to try, otherwise I will never forgive myself.


2.) One day I want to play Christine Daae. She is one of my favorite females on Broadway and her character holds a very special place in my heart. If I could play her I would be so very happy.

There will never be a day when I wont think of you!

*I'd use the original lyrics though, if they would let me.


3.) I want to see a professional production of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Like,  in New York or London.


4.) I want to write a fantasy trilogy and (If at all possible) publish it.


5.) I want to write a musical. This is something I am working on but I am a tad stuck because of RESEARCH. *sigh* WWII.


6.) I want to explore Scotland.


7.) I want to go to Rome and visit all the Churches and the landmarks of Catholic History.


8.) I want to write a whole story in poetry.


It's not a huge list, but these are just some things I want to do over the next few years. It's hard to have plans because life could get in the way, but I don't think God wants me to live my life thinking "But what if?..." I think He wants me to plunge in and just take what it dishes out to me. I need to think of life like a baseball game and fight, no matter what the score. I have to be like, "Hey life! Try me! Just TRY ME!"


Haha! Easier said than done.


As for other news, I am still on a musical high. We watched The Phantom of the Opera again this week - I've actually lost count of how many times we've watched it since January. Don't judge me too harshly. It isn't all my fault. My sister is also on a musical kick and her obsession rubs off on me. We're both on a ridiculous Phantom high. I don't remember the last time I was this OBSESSED with Phantom of the Opera for so long! I've always loved it, it's always been my favorite, but I'm not usually listen-to-it-every-day-non-stop obsessive. I think I know why I am so nutty though. When I really love something and I hear lots of annoying hate about it, it just fuels my love for it even more and I get super defensive. And okay, tons of fans hate Raoul and it makes me mad. He is so brilliant! I honestly wonder how weird people are that they can read his character so wrong! It's annoying and I hate it. Then I get mad and listen to all I ask of you and Little Lotte, and Wandering Child, and the next thing I know I'm reciting the first lines of the Opera for the 100th Freakin' time.

SOLD! You're number sir? Thank you. *distant clapping*

Yeah, I have a problem. And my sister is just like. "Guess what I'm doing."

And I'm like "OOoooh, gee let me think. ANGEL OF MUSIC GUIDE AND GUARDIAN GRANT TO ME YOUR GLORY!"

.... and Treskie is like, "Yep, that's the one. Only more like "ANGEL OF MUSIC WHO DESERVES THIS???" And then we sing the whole final song over the phone.

The one upside to this is that I finally know all of Raoul's parts, and not just the lyrics. (I've known those for ages.) I know his notes and where he comes in and everything. It's great. The only song I still can't sing everyone's part in is Prima Donna. Mostly it's Carlotta. She is speaking so much Italian! I get confused okay?

When I am NOT obsessing over Raoul and Raoul/Christine, I am listening to A Tale of Two Cities, Secret Garden, Jekyll and Hyde or Jane Eyre, depending on the day. It's actually really nice. I get to sprawl outside with my notebook and scribble lyrics and plot devices for my different books, while I aggressively sing along with the different parts.


Prima donna, your song shall live again! Think of your public! - You took a snub, but there's a public who needs you. - Is this her angel of music...? - We get our opera - She gets her limelight!- Is this ghost-angel or a madman?!

I have lots of fun singing all five parts. I end up slurring the words though.


IHEARDSOMEONECRYINGIHEARDSOMEONECRYINGWHOTHOUGHCOULDITBEYESTHERE'SSOMEONECRYINGIHEARIHEARDSOMEONEIHEARDSOMEONE RCRINGMAYBEITWASMEOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooOOooooHHHH!!!!

I have a list of NEW musicals but I can't listen to any of them until I can find DVD and the pamphlet so I can read along with the story. West Side Story is the first one I need to tackle. Wish me luck with that!

hmmm. That's it folks. I have no more to say.

PEACE OUT Y'ALL!

*swings around cape and jumps off stage. *

Bella

Drumroll please!

In case you don't remember I have teamed up with my good friend Jim and the two of us have decided to write a book!!! *screams* This book is called "The Incredibly Unlikely and Practically Impossible Adventures Concerning Two Girls, A Ship of Pirates, A King and Jester, A traveling Musical Company and Butterflies." And with that title you should be able to tell a LOT about are book. First of all, it's a comedy. Jim and I called it a mix between Oscar and Gilbert and Sullivan. It's kind of ridiculous and pretty much impossible but it's fun and I'm going to post a chapter over on Till the end of the Line every time we get one written out. You can read our first draft AS IT'S BEING WRITTEN!! 

Fluttershy

So run along over there and see what there is to see. This should be fun :)

T.I.U.P.I.

I will be posting again soon. I have STUFF to tell you!!!

"Take me out to the ball game!"

Guess what I did yesterday!!

I went to my first EVER professional ball game!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

My big brother came up on Friday morning and he was talking about going to see this professional ball game. He had two tickets because originally he had someone going with him, but the other person had to cancel at the last minute so he had this extra ticket on his person. And he was like, "Hey, Bella, do you want to come to a game with me? The Giants are playing." And I was just like...

YES! YES I DO SO WANT THAT!

I am so glad I took up his offer. The game was in San Francisco so it was a pretty long drive,  but once we got there it was BRILLIANT. Well, Saturday was brilliant. Friday evening was pretty good too, it was just funny. We got to SF the night before the game so we'd have plenty of time to get to it, and we had a nice meal at a bar-and-grill. I even tried squid. (It was squishy.) Then we had fish and chips and went off to our hotel, The hotel was sort of not brilliant, It was hilarious. The room looked like it was frozen in the 70's or something. The beds were pretty comfortable but the colors were weird, and a couple of the lights didn't work, and two of them were kind of coming off the wall a little bit. And the light in the bathroom sort of rattled terribly and was blinding. Joey and I laughed almost all night because the room was so NOT four stars. (It had been rated with four stars!) It was fun anyway though. I slept well. The next day got off to a good start. We slept in late and we had this super yummy skillet (And eggs and mushroom skillet) and then we headed off for the park. THIS GETS TO THE BRILLIANT PART! Before the game started, my amazing brother (who is 300x better than your brother.) got me a baseball Jersey that I fell in love with. Look how cute it is!

I really like the Giants :-)

After I had my Jersey we went to our seats. We had really, really good seats and we got there early enough to see the workers set up the field. I got to see them hose down the dirt and lay out the chalk and everything. It was great and wonderful and it felt so BASEBALL! I got to see all the warm-ups and that was one of the best things ever, cause there were a bunch of guys in uniform running back and forth and catching and and hitting like it was a dance! Then we all stood for the performance of the Star Spangled Banner (which was great) and the game began.

It was like the ideal game to see your first time. It was intense and quick paced and the plays were really close. The two teams were practically neck-in-neck the whole game, and the opposing team, the Athletics, they were really good. They had excellent defense, (which was very annoying for us,) Our team had really excellent defence too though, and I got to see one of those epic home-run-catches, where the ball is going and going and it is almost gone but then a brave catcher tears across the field and leaps up in the air and catches the ball with his mitt and it's an OUT!!!!!!!!!!!

YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

I got to see both the home runs we hit too. The first one was the most exciting because it was two strikes (I believe) and it was the last hit and there was a swing and a tong and the ball was soaring and everyone started to scream and I jumped up and down like an idiot.

Baseball!

We didn't get very many pictures because we were too interested in actually watching the game, especially me, but we did get a couple which I will share with you.

this is them setting up!

 this is the view from our seats

 this is us in our seats. We are so happy to be at a Giants game!*

*my shirt kept sliding down and it was annoying.

this is the enormous stadium and our first(?) pitch.

I said there weren't many. The game got too exciting and we forgot to take pictures, Apologies all around.

My first baseball game experience was incredible. I am so thankful to my brother.We had these great seats, were were close the stadium, we were wearing Giants colors and we had so much fun! We got peanuts and drinks - whatever kind I wanted - and I threw peanut shell down on the floor like an animal and crunched them under my shoes. I felt guilty the first few times, but then it got fun. And we did a lot of cheering. We did so much cheering we worked up an appetite and during the fourth inning when the Athletics were up to bat, we got hot dogs.* Shortly after the Giants scored their first home run. And I jumped and waved my hot dog in the most Un-ladylike fashion.

*I am not much of a hot dog girl, but BASEBALL.

The best part was in the top of the ninth. We were ahead two to one, and the Athletics had runners on first on second. They had two strikes and three balls and we knew the next pitch would determine the outcome of the game. The whole stadium was standing and breathless, waiting for that final pitch. And then the ball flew across the field, and the batter swung, and the umpire called STRIKE! - and everyone started screaming and clamping and chanting "GIANTS!" at the top of their lungs and it was so, so cool! It was such a close game too, because the ball was low enough that if the batter hadn't swung, we would have had another ball.

Thank you for swinging, Batter, You made my first professional game experience wonderful.

My only regret is that I didn't go down and talk to the players. I have no idea if that is allowed, but I could have tried. I just didn't think about it until later. If I ever go again I will bring a mitt and have it signed, if at all possible. BECAUSE BASEBALL! I'm on a bit of a high. I wanna catch stuff and read some baseball books. Write a baseball story. Things like that. Yay baseball! God Bless America!




Now that I have shared this glorious adventure with you, I shall be going. It's late and I was too wired to sleep last night. PEACE OUT Y'ALL!

P.S. This is the song we sang during the 7th Inning stretch. Enjoy :-)

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

R is for Rain.

BOMB-DIGGITY-BOMB

Is it already the middle of July? O.o How is this a thing?? I am just like.....

screeeeeeeam

It's been a really, really wet summer so far. We've had rain practically every night since the end of June, maybe even before that. And it's not warm rain. We get this nice autumn breeze that blows in and big sloppy rain drops and it's COLD. Fuzzy socks cold! You shouldn't need fuzzy socks in July. You shouldn't need blankets in July either, but you know how that goes. God has been very good to us with the rain, because we sorely need it, I'm just a little irritated with all the cold we've been getting. I don't like cold. But hey, we're nuts so we even SWAM in the rain.

Oh, I mean, not like in the puddles or anything, in the beach. we're not quite that crazy.

Last week however, there was this one rainstorm. It was huge. I have never actually witness sheets of rain until this rainstorm. We were driving around town a bit and we had to do this clever car-trade-off with a sister, and in the time we got out of one car and into the other, Treskie and I were soaked to the skin. Which was so fun! That wasn't even the best part though! We had hail, giant hail, the size of those big marbles you can get. It was incredible. I thought they were going to break the windshield. But we said a prayer and Our Lady was very good. We weren't killed.

After said rain pounded our town we had this massive puddle outside our lawn. I was feeling especially wild that evening - (It had been a long day.) and I decided I need to run throw the puddle multiple times, as hard as I could. So I got out my MP3 player, put in my earphones, turned up Fight Song and did just that.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

PUDDLES!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

Then yesterday it as finally warm and sunny. I felt this needed a celebration, so Annie and I teamed up and made a few dozen cookies to devour. Annie is a good pal that way. I love her.

le me and the horrid double chin.

Le me cannot take selfies.

le Annie, 

BECAUSE SUGAR

This selfie should be burned. 

HA! le fabulous dough.

Le me is  very proud of said dough. 

Le me looks almost normal! AND COOKIES!

RANDOM FESTIVE SELFIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Le me approves. Le me shall probably frame. 

All in all it was a good day. As a bonus, I got a trip to the beach with my big sisters. Big sisters are deh best. that's all I'm saying.


Oh and hey, remember that musical I told you all about??? Yeah! me too! It is a work in progress and I even wrote a few songs. SONGS! *throws confetti.* I will share my plot the next time I pop in, since I think it deserves a post of it's own, but I will tell you a little something to help with the curiosity. READY???

DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!

It's a WWII musical.

Captain America approves

Alrighty, that's all for now. Y'all have a great weekend and eat lots of good food, and remember that life can still be good even if the world isn't. This is your fight song! PLAY IT LOUD!

Peace out y'all!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage.*

Bella

PICTURE GO FAST!

*waves*

I have been a truly terrible blogger. It's true. And I feel bad about it. Really bad. I would throw chocolate and promise to do better, but I have no chocolate to throw and I don't ever make promises I can't keep. But I am gonna try to make it up to you by giving you a nice long bloggy post.

I missed a couple really fun days that I'm just gonna breeze over a bit here.

First of all, I went to the Ren Fair. It was a brilliant experience for me. I got to dress up in this cute little outfit and wear a fun floppy hat and run around looking at hand-blown glass and homemade capes and crafts. I even got to handle a beautiful sword from the 1800's which had seen BATTLE. and it was EPIC. There were these cool old fashion guns too, and those were amazing to handle. They made me feel like some undercover steampunk assassin. It was great :)

Unfortunately I don't have many pictures but I did see the Doctor running around and the geek in me snuck to the surface. I went up and asked him if he'd take a picture with me and he was very nice and said yes. He even pulled out his sonic and did the eyebrow thing.

I love Geeks :D

I also HAD to take a picture in the TARDIS. Because it was the TARDIS

You almost can't see me because I am way in the back, but I am behind the sister in the Fez.

I was a little irritated that she got to wear the fez an not me but she called dibs. Oh well. At least I got to stand in the police box. That was fun!

I decided I really wanted to pursue this musical thing and I think it is going to be my big project for a long while. I borrowed a music theory book from my singing teacher and I've started working on lyrics and storyline. Once I have a more prominent plot I will post the general idea and you can all tell me what you think 8-)

As for the rest of my writing, it isn't going so well. My buddy Jim and I decided to write a goofy book together and that is going to be my primary focus in the month of July. We will be posting each chapter as they are written on our other blog Till The End of the Line.  Remember that!!!

We are also re-watching Monk and that has been very fun. It's been so long since I've seen Monk that I don't remember most of the episodes and its almost like seeing them again for the first time. Adrian still makes me super nervous and if I watch him for too long I start feeling pretty twitchy myself. He is so ridiculous and nutty, it stresses me out. But it's Monk, and there is something about him, ya' know? And Sharona is great. I love her.

Monk

As for other updates, there aren't many. My family went to the lake yesterday for a picnic and the sky decided to turn grey and angry and rain on us. But did that stop us?? No! We still went out and played in the (very cold) water and had a grand old time jumping waves, playing Marco-Polo and dunking each other like ridiculous nuts. And then we crawled up on to the rocky shoreline and did our best to dry off and eat in the wind. Luckily the sun snuck back out around five o'clock or so, and it warmed up considerably so we could play our picnic game in comfort. The picnic game was Blongo Ball, which is a LOT of fun. There are two teams and each play gets three Blongo Balls and you throw them a the goal and see if you can get them to wrap around.

I am not explaining very well so here is a picture to help with the visual:



source

See? It's really fun I promise. especially when you play with my family.

I read a really good book this past week called "The Mark of the Thief." It is by the same lady who writes the Ascendants trilogy, which means it had really good characters and a nice friendship and hateful bad guys and a cool griffin that is brilliant. (seriously. She is so cool! I love her!) I would definitely recommend it.

and... hm. That is about all. I am trying to find new musicals to listen to so if you have anything good to recommend I am all ears. Musicals are my everything!!!!!!

Well not really. But a little bit.

PEACE OUT Y'ALL!

 

*swings around cape and leaps from stage.*

 

 

 

 

Bella

In which I muse. (Hey. I'm trying.)

I bet you didn't think I would post today.

I almost didn't.

But I am.

Hai!

You may applaud me now.

How have you all been? I've been great! Well except for the getting sick and having a head-cold that keeps me feeling tired all day... yeah great! I am so excited! Summer is finally here and that means bare feet and reading and days by the lake and hikes and sitting in the shade with a notebook writing, writing, WRITING! I had a thought the other day. Kind of a thought that came to me around 3:20 A.M or so. When I was half-asleep and almost dreaming but not quite. My thought was this. What is I wrote a script over the summer?

The sane half of me yelled out in anguish but the actor side of me - the insane side of me - thought how cool would it be to write a musical?

I have been OBSESSED with musicals lately. Sometimes I get on these highs and all I want to do is listen to musicals. I think that is my favorite type of storytelling. I have always wanted to attempt writing a script, but I've never quite gotten up the courage to do so. However I have a sort of plot now and maybe I will try It. What could it hurt? I'll need help with the music writing itself though, and that is the down side.

I just really want to write a musical you guys!!!!!

In light of this idea, I want to try to start reading scripts too. I need to learn how they flow and (especially) how to break down characters. It is something that really excites me - learning about a character. I think I am a little odd though cause I don't do it the normal way. I just tackle the character head on and then start climbing up the learning peak and find out more and more what kind of person it is. I know I should take more time with character study of course - for an actress that is crucial - it just is something I don't do too much. It's a resolution. Hopefully I can live up to it.

But I know what you are thinking. You're wondering what else I have been up to during my (long?) absence. Well, I painted my room, which is nice because it has been the same color for a while now and it's fun to have a change every now and then. Tiny and I picked out this soft light purple and I love how it turned out. It made our whole room look warm and cozy with a touch of Spring to it. It also makes our room look a lot cleaner and I like that. We had to move around all the furniture and stuff so we took advantage of the situation and packaged up some of my sister's nick-knacks and books. I have to say the room looks much less cluttered now. I don't even know how there was that much in the room. It was shocking.

It was a lot of fun painting though. We listened to four musicals in a row one of the days and I was able to sing along with almost all of the songs - (With Phantom I can sing them ALL) That was a total blast! Musicals man. It's like I can't get enough of them right now. All of my younger sisters are starting to get a twitch because I have been listening to musicals not stop for about... two months. But I don't care because now I know almost all of Tale of Two Cities and I'm excited! I want to play in that musical. It is on of my dreams. That and being Christine. *that might actually be a possibility. 

I performed my second solo in singing class and got RAVE reviews. If Pandy will let me maybe I can sing The Climb on her channel. That would be kind of fun. I was happy. See, I had this awful head cold and for most the past few days I've been cracking every time I get too strong. So I was really afraid I'd crack during my performance. But I said a prayer and God was good to me. I did a brilliant job and it was crack free! I was even given compliments on my projection and emotion.

YOU DON'T KNOW HOW FUN IT IS TO BE COMPLIMENTED!

Besides those few things not much is going on. I am reading Brother's in Arms again and it hurts WAY worse this time because it's been picked to death and everything flows better and is tighter and just more full and brilliant and painful. Franz hurts! He hurt before but now he is even worse and I think he has made it to my top five favorite book characters ever! HE ISN'T A MONSTER HE IS A SAD DYSFUNCTIONAL PUPPY! I LOVE HIM.

Oh yeah, I'm also trying to finish up my LOTR review. I feel really bad that I haven't gotten that posted yet, but its a hard subject to approach. Because.... Lord of the Rings! I want to get it done soon though. It is almost finished.

Righto. I have a bed to climb into and music to listen to. PEACE OUT Y'ALL!

*swings around cape and leaps from stage.*

 

 

 

Bella

I'm a wee bit obsessive... if by a wee bit you mean completely.

*Warning: Long post ahead.

Today is Memorial Day.



Thank you, Veterans.

Today is also Geek Pride Day. I don't know why. But Geek days usually followed by some kind of tag. So I'm gonna do a tag 8-) 

That we do.

I got this really great idea about doing a huge long Geek Quiz from a pin off pinterest, but I tweaked the questions and made some of my own, so this is basically my own quiz. It is really long. Really long. Time to see how much of a geek you really are!!

THE ULTIMATE GEEK TEST!

Who directed the first Star Trek Movie?


The Star Trek movie from the 1970's was directed by Robert Wise.


Where did the Winchester's live before Mary's death?
Lawerence, Kansas.


What do the Druids call Merlin? 

"Don't be so quick to judge me."

 Emerys.


Who was originally casted for Hans Solo?

Al Pacino was originally casted, but due to conflicting schedules and shows he was replaced by this adorable rebel.

Hans Solo.

Aren't we glad he couldn't make it.



Who are Arwen's brothers?
 
BOOM!

Elladan and Elrohir

Who was the first goblin to guide Harry around Gringotts?




Le Confused Ron.

I don't even know. Harry Potter isn't really my fandom. *shrug*


In what Star Trek episode did the Tribbles FIRST appear? 

a.) Trials and Tribble-ations 
b.) Amok Time 
c.) Trouble with Tribbles. 

TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES!!!!!!!!!!!

"And... shut that door."

Who played the First Doctor?

Oh my gosh... uhm.... I know this one! William Hartnell!

What hits John on his way to see Sherlock in the streets in "The Reichenbach Fall"?

A MAN ON A BICYCLE!

Which of the following knights did not betray Arthur?

A.) Lancelot

B.) Gwaine

C.) Leon

D.) Mordred

E.) Elyan.

Leon. He was loyal till the end 8-(

Long live the Queen!

What was Bones' first name?

His name is Sylvester. Sylvester McCoy.  *dances*

Sylvester "Bones" McCoy.

The Tesseract is one of six powerful "Infinity Stones." What are the other five? 

Well, one is vision. I know that much. The others..... 

John Watson goes on a date with a girl in "The Blind Banker." What is her name?
Emily?
What does TARDIS stand for? 

Time And Relative Dimension In Space. 

Is it magic? Is it a machine?

Who killed Darth Vador? 

I haven't gotten that far yet. I've only seen the first two Star Wars Movies.

What does the inscription on the colt say?

Whosoever holds this colt, should they be worthy, shall posses the power to kill Azazzul. 

I don't actually know. I've never really looked that close. I was made by Samuel Colt? Maybe? something like that. Oh wait. I think it's...Guard against evil? Terror of Evil?

*Pokes sister who is a fellow fan.*

HA! Non timebo mala: I will Fear No Evil. 

Well I was close.

"Samuel Colt made a gun. He made it for a hunter."

What words did Moriarty carve into an apple as a message for Sherlock?

I owe you a fall, Sherlock.

What episode of TNG were the Borg originally introduced?

I don't know. I don't watch much of Next Generation. I like Kirk.

How does Sherlock Holmes like his coffee? 

Black, with one sugar.

Who finally kills Morgana? 

Merlin!!!!!!!!

Who is older, Fred or George?
I believe it is George. Which means that not only did George lose his twin, he also lost his little brother. Bu if it is Fred it still hurts because then George lost his OLDER brother and his protector. J.K Rowling is just evil and horrible! She didn't have to kill Fred! She had no right to split those brothers apart!

George hugging Ron for comfort.

What kind of plane does Hans Solo fly?
He flies a Millennium Falcon!

Where do Eowyn and Faramir settle (and rule) after the War of the Ring?
Emyn Arnen.

What does the T stand for in James T. Kirk?
Tiberius.

What is John Watson's middle name?



John H. Watson.



Who is the most famous Doctor? 

Tom Baker

The Fourth Doctor

What is Chewbacca?

I think Chewbacca is a wookie. 

What is the color of Gallifrey's sky?

Orange? Yes, I think it's orange. Cause it sounded like a really angry planet. 

What does SHIELD stand for? 

Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. 

In Iron Man 2 what element saved Tony Stark from blood poisoning?

I believe it's Vibranium

Name the seven horcrox's.

Alright let me see... I've only seen Harry Potter like, once guys. Bear with me here. 

So first is either the Sorcerers Stone or the Professor guy who had two heads. Then there is probably Tom Riddle's Diary. I know there was a ring and a goblet that Ron and Hermione destroyed and then there was a locket that I think belonged to Snape....Harry was one and then there was the pet snake.

I'm missing one but I don't know what I am missing.  A necklace or something, right? 

Name the movie that goes with this famous exchange: "I love you." "I know."

Star Waaaaaaaaaaaaars. 

In which episode did the sonic screwdriver first appear? 

I don't believe we had a sonic screwdriver until the Second Doctor's run. I know that Two had it pretty early on but I'm not sure what the episode name was. Fury in the Dark or something like that 

Where was the HOUND group located?

It's been too long since I've watched The HOUNDS of Baskerville. I don't remember.

What is the Secret Word that opened the Gates of Moria?
The Elvish word for friend, Mellon

Which college did Sam Winchester attend?

Stanford University. 

What does Lavender give Ron for Christmas?

A sweetheart Necklace.

In Doctor Who, who is Davros?

He is the angry Dalek leader. I believe he created the Daleks. 

In "The Blind Banker" which book does Sherlock use to crack the coded messages?

London A-Z altlas

A wild Sherlock!

What action made Thor worthy of Mjölnir?

He sacrificed himself to save Earth from Loki's wrath.

In what episode was Arthur crowned King?
4x03 The Wicked Day.

How many kids are in the Weasley family?
Seven!!! I used to know all their names but it's been so long! There is Percy, Fred George, Ginny, Ron, Charlie... William? I think there is a William

"All the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford

When did Bruce Banner "Hulk" for the first time?

I have never seen the Hulk movies so I don't actually know. *hangs head in shame*


What is Ron's boggart?

A spider

Why do we have to follow the spiders? Why can't we follow the butterflies?

What is the name of the remote and uninhabited planet that was destroyed by the first test
of the Death Star's laser cannon? 

Obviously I don't know much about Star Wars. But seriously guys I have only seen the first two once, and that was like ... months ago. i didn't have time to study names of every planet. And i was really tired when I watched them. Really tired.


Who saved Frodo from the barrow wights?

Tom Bombadil. 

What is the name of the Gentlemen's Club that Mycroft Holmes attends?

Who knows that?? I bet even Sherlock doesn't know that! Moreover, who cares? It's Mycroft. He's a pig. 

Mycroft Holmes.

What iconic word is the Ninth Doctor known by? 

Fantastic!

A character from Captain America: The First Avenger reappears in a later movie as a villain. Who is it?

this sad little man.

That man on the bridge. Who was he?

In which classic episode did Sarah Jane leave the TARDIS? 

In "The Hand of Fear" The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane part ways. 

What did Hagrid give Harry the first time they met?

A birthday Cake. *woooohoooo*

Who was the father of Legolas? 

Thanduil. And not this Thanduil. 

I'VE BEEN BUUUUUUUURNED

THIS Thanduil. He was cool.

The King of Mirkwood

Which three people does Moriarty have snipers set on in "The Reichenbach fall"?

John Watson, Mrs. Hudson and Greg Lestrade. 

 "Every life is a pile of good things and bad things...." complete this quote. 

"The good things don't always soften the bad things, but visa versa the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant. 

And we have definitely added to his pile of good things.

What kind of car does Dean Winchester drive? 

A '67 Chevrolet Impala. 

"No one puts Baby in a corner!"

What team played in the Quiddich World Cup that Harry attended?

Ireland and... Britain? 

*looks it up* 

Oh. Ireland and Bulgaria. I was close. 

When was Agent Phil Coulson first introduced? What were his first lines?

He was first introduced in the first Iron Man.

Back when he was still 'Agent.'

In Merlin, what is the name of the evil spirits that attack Camelot at the beginning of Season Four?
The Daroka.
The despised character Jar Jar Binks (who first appears in "The Phantom Menace"), hails from what underwater society found on planet Naboo?

Whohooooooa. Again my lack of Star Wars knowledge is shameful. I don't think I've seen the Phantom Menace!!! I demand a different question!

What political office did Pippin have in Gondor after the War of the Ring?

I believe he was the Guard of the Citadel and the Thain of the Shire. 

When was Lancelot first introduced?
Season 1 episode 4. He saved Merlin from a Griffin.



"I'm Lancelot."

What does Harry want to be after he Graduates from Hogwarts?
He wants to be a Dark Wizard catcher.

Which Avenger has no personalized/superhero weapon?

The Hulk.

That's my secret. I'm always angry.

Which Supernatural character shares Dean's birthday? (hint: it's a girl.)

"Wait, your brother Dean?"

What three items does Sherlock steal to impersonate a waiter for his clever surprise “reveal” to John Watson at the restaurant?

A.) A comb, a fountain pen, and a boutonniere
B.) A monocle, sharpie, and a silk cravat
C.) A bowtie, glasses, and eyebrow pencil

A Bow tie, Glasses and an eyebrow pencil (For his mustache.)

What are some other names used for Gandalf the Grey?
Mithrandir, StormCrow and.... Greyhame?

What is the the licence plate number on the Winchester's car currently? (NO LOOKING IT UP!)

CNK 80Q3

Which Avenger movie did Hawkeye first appear in? 

Thor: The God of Thunder. 

You'd better hurry, I'm starting to root for this guy.

What was the name of the waltz Sherlock played at John and Mary's wedding?

"A Waltz for John and Mary."

When was the One Ring destroyed?
The date? March 25th. (HA! See, I do know things.)

How many years had the Great Dragon been imprisoned when Merlin first entered Camelot?
Twenty years,
Where is the Stark tower located?

New York!!!! 

Who voiced the computer in the TNG?

I used to know this, but I guessed wrong and then I cheated and looked it up. Apparently it was this lady 

The voice of the Computer.

There are five ranks of Wizards. What are they?
White
Grey
Brown
Red
Blue

Maybe not in that exact order.
How did Mary accidentally reveal her true identity to John? (This is for Sherlock, BTW) 

She flipped a coin and shot a hole through it. In an abandoned building. With John watching. And then he knew she was an assassin.

Who is K-9? 

Affirmative!

K-9 is the metal dog The Fourth Doctor made and eventually gave to Sarah Jane. 


What is the Name of Aragorn's ring?
Barahir!

very pleased

What is inscribed upon each side of the sword Excalibur?
"Take me up." "Cast me aside."
What is Bucky Barnes' full name?

SHUT UP!

What was the gift given to Boromir in Lothlorien?
A golden-leaf belt.
"You were right, okay? I see light at the end of this tunnel..." Finish this quote.

"And I'm sorry you don't, I am, but if you come with me I can take you to it." 

Where did "The Last Battle for Camelot" take place?

Erm....THE BATTLE OF CAMLAMN


What were the names of the Eagles who rescued Sam and Frodo from Mount Doom?
A.) Orcrist, Sting and Glamdrin.
B.) Narsil Gladring and Hadhafang.C.) Sting, Anduil and the white Knife of Legolas.
D.) Aeglos, Orcrist and Sting.

I think it's Orcrist, Sting and Glamdrin.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

How did Sherlock fake his death?

Because there is none!

Apparently he jumped off the roof Mary Poppins-Style and floated down on an Umbrella while his decoy android was dropped in his place. 

I am mad at Moffat for ditching us on that answer. He promised for nearly three years that he would reveal what Sherlock did to fake his death and that we had all missed something BIG that was a dead giveaway and then he was just like....

I want to know why.

It is my firm belief that we were on hiatus all those years so that Moffat could stalk tumblr and steal their answer when they finally came up with one. They never did and he decided he couldn't use his own skills to figure it out and just threw us some fan-fiction, some lame ideas and an almost answer that didn't make sense cause it was a story for ANDERSON.

I was so not amused.

WOW. That took FOREVER.

Happy Geek Pride Day! Cheers and cookies if you actually read this whole big - and a giant canon of confetti if you answered all the questions correctly.

I TAG ALL MY FOLLOWERS. This tag is valid until the end of the month. Do it if you dare!

Stay Strong!

PEACE OUT Y'ALL!

*slides off car*

Bella