Books, Books, Books. (A Game of Plots and Kings)

     Hello everyone. Uh... A long, ramble-y post about books. Worth a read I think, but bear with me and it might be useful? I don't know. You might find humor, a new read, or something useful out of this. Just a warning before hand.
     So, after an extensive time reading, I just finished reading A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. A large, mammoth of a book sporting over 800 pages and words printed small enough to make me squint even with reading glasses on. To be frank though, it was really good. The main characters that the story was focused around had me very engaged and attached, the plot was dynamic and filled with some good twists and surprises, and the overall story was well composed and the continuity was spectacular for a novel of such length.
     The whole time I read it, I had felt attached to almost every character, and it was almost impossible for me to point at a House and claim "They are the bad guys!" because it felt like they all had perfectly good reasons for their actions, at least most of the time.
     Except this smug jerk. This guy, and most of the House Lannister can go find a nice deep dark hole to die in.
     Moving on...
     I overall extremely liked the book, and I can't wait to read the next one. I have to watch the series too, at least the first season, seeing how much of it won't exactly be spoiled as I already finished the first book. With all the characters in the book (I'm telling you, there were at least fifty) it was really hard to try to imagine what most of them would look like. The show should really help put a face to the names. One problem arises before I move on to the next novel though...
     I have a book problem. Some people are addicted to drugs, others to hugs, others to mugs and glugs, some weirdos like slugs. But me? I can't stop reading. I have visited the library several times in the past few weeks and every time I've gone, I have picked up two or three books that interest me. How can I even start new books when they keep piling up?! Oh well, I'll get to everything eventually!
     So far I got some easy books as well as a couple of harder books lined up. Two children novels; one from one of my favorite author(s) Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart. It's a short thing, illustrated and fun. Nothing too serious.
     Then I've got another kid's novel; it's a small science-fiction novel that I read many many moons ago. It's called When the Tripods Came. The concept was really interesting to me when I read it (basically these Tripod rulers come, brainwash the world, and enslaves the whole human race) who knows how many years ago, and I want to read it just to refresh what the book is about. You know, to figure out what the whole idea actually means, and since my brain has matured far more than it did when I was younger, it should be more interesting.
     Then I got another Ray Bradbury book, The Illustrated Man. One of my posts recently discussed how I felt about him as an author, and I have been meaning to read more of his works. I eventually want to get to re-reading The Martian Chronicles, which I read as a freshman. I want to tackle it again now that I have a better understanding of how Bradbury succeeds as a writer.
     Finally, I got a collection of short horror stories, just in time for Halloween. The collection is a bunch of writing that H.P. Lovecraft did in his years. If you aren't familiar with this author, he wrote a ton of horror/scary/terrifying things; but scary in a sort of psychosis, mind-numbing, "you're going insane because the ancient distorted beings from the furthest ring willed it" way. One example is his fictional universe in which he created The Elder Gods (such as Cthulhu) which gained notoriety for it's uniqueness, and blossomed to a large following, especially on the internet. The non-voters of 2012 even ran this Cthulhu guy as a satirical presidential candidate. The thing that sort of got me interested is a novel I read around two years ago? I was a sophomore I believe. It's called House of Leaves and it is written by Mark Z. Danielewski, which I think was inspired by Lovecraftian horror (this Lovecraft guy was so popular he even inspired an entire genre). There's even a pretty interesting podcast which is inspired by Lovecraft horror.
     Past that, I am reading the Book Thief for the Book Club at our school (which I guess is not about a magical world in which a mysterious wizard is stealing books and causing some sort of destruction by doing so... Oops.), and past that, I think I am going to try to read the next A Song of Ice and Fire book (aka Game of Thrones). Further down the line, I plan another re-read of The Martian Chronicles, as I said earlier; a re-read of the Edge Chronicles series, which I have a deep love for due to it's hardcore fantasy/steampunk setting; and possibly another re-read of A House of Leaves, which is one of my favorite "weird" novels. Antique. Whatever you wanna call it. And this is just the planned stuff, who knows what kind of treasures I will find down the road at my subsequent visits to the library. I'm not even going to start counting all the awesome stuff I manage to find at Grassroots and various thrift shops. I walked out last week with ten new books... You should really take a look at my now-overflowing bookshelf.
     Well, for those of you who stuck through my rambling about books, good job. I think I threw out a ton of good suggestions for anyone who is looking to read a new book, which is something I have been asked to do by several of my friends. Guess I can direct them here now! But if you have any other suggestions as well, let me know. I'm pretty open to just about everything.
     Thanks for sticking through with my ramblings.
     Good night viewers. Good night.

(Word Count: 1068 words)

Taking a Break

     You know, for the past few days I have been trying and trying to figure out what I want to do for this blog post. I had a couple of different approaches too. Do I write about how many scholarships I did or didn’t do? Do I write about where I went to prepare? Do I write about what homework I did?

     I finally settled for this approach. What did I do over this short one-week break to prepare for college? Well, I gave myself a break. Sure, I tried one or two scholarships and I went to some UNR Fall Preview thing, but I really didn’t even feel like doing those. School has been rough for me these past few weeks, and this quarter. I don’t feel like I am ready to tackle being a real adult, with a job and college and everything else that goes with it. If it was up to me, I would be a high school student forever…

     But that really can’t be the case. By the end of the week before we went off, I was so overwhelmed that I nearly gave up everything in frustration. The break we had? It soothed my nerves. It settled my anxiety. It made me calm enough to focus on what I needed, and what my responsibilities were.

     So a lot of other kids may say “Oh yeah I like totally signed up for like fifty scholarships and sent out like a hundred scholarships! [sic]” but I sat back, watched a little television and chilled out in my PJs for half a week. I went to Sacramento and got some materials for a couple projects I had been meaning to work on. I read a couple books and dived into the depths of my imagination. I did exactly what the break was intended for.

     Took a break.

     So now it’s time to push through until Winter Break. The extended three weeks is going to be really nice, and I have a trip to Pasadena that I am really looking forward to. But I gotta focus on my school work and other related responsibilities first.
     Hobey ho.

(Word Count: 363 words)

A Conflict of Interests: The Battle for Who Writes Better

     "WELCOME TO THE RING!" the announcer hollers. All around him, screaming fans hold signs that professes their love and admiration for their favorite competitor. Popcorn and drinks litter the floor of the stadium and the air conditioner hums loudly to cancel out the heat of the moment. The tension is like a fire.

     "IN THIS CORNER, WE HAVE THE RED COMPETITOR! HE LIKES TO HEAT THINGS UP, TOSSING BOOKS IN A FIRE AND SENDING PEOPLE TO MARS FOR FUN. WELCOME! RAY BRADBURY!"

     A middle aged man dressed in a leotard that seems a size too small for him steps from the shadows in the red corner and into the light. He adjusts his glasses and puts his fists up in a cliché "put-em-up" manner.

     "AND IN THIS CORNER, WE HAVE THE BLUE COMPETITOR. WHETHER IT'S SONNETS DISCREDITING PERFECTION OR TRAGEDIES TO GET TO YOUR HEART THIS MAN HAS YOU COVERED. WELCOME! WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE!"

     William runs towards the ring, dressed in some kind of silly bard's outfit and a majestic cape. A cameraman runs besides him recording the action, zooming in on the decorative knuckles he is accessorized with. On one hand, it spells "BILLY" and on the other, "SHAKE." His cape slinks off his shoulders and he hands his knuckles to an assistant. He jumps back and forth, pumped for the fight.

     "Welcome gentlemen. I want a clean fight from both of you. Whoever wins will decide WHO. IS. THE. BETTER. WRIIITTTEEERRRRR." The crowd goes wild, screaming as the tension grows larger and larger. The two competitors bump their gloves and nod at each other, backing up into their corners and start the fight.

(All events appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real events, is purely coincidental)

     Okay. As you can see by my large metaphorical hooplah, I am having a conflict of interests. This year, I have been more exposed to two authors whom I found I have a deep love for.
     Ray Bradbury, who wrote novels such as The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451. I read TMC back in Freshman year, and I loved it (although I am beginning to think I need to reread it). Everyone I know (save for a few) despised the book, and whenever they asked me why I disliked it, I didn't have a clear answer. But I still liked it a lot. This year, I have read both F451 and another called Marionettes Inc. which is slightly less known. What I have noticed about all his books is that he has a unique way of describing what is going on with so much detail that you can physically see what is happening. When reading his short stories and books, I saw it so vividly that I almost wished to create a movie about it. To those who don't know, I am planning to get some kind of degree in Videography/Broadcasting.
     William Shakespeare on the other hand, is unique in his own way. I've read his plays practically every year I have been in high school (Romeo and Juliet in Freshman year, MacBeth in Junior year, and Hamlet this year) and every time I read a play I realize how much of a genius Shakespeare really was. Despite the slight language barrier, and his clever wit which is buried in the pages of his text (things I have found many people can't stand), I still love him. Maybe it's cause I get him.
     So this is where my dilemna arises (spell check told me that I spelled that word wrong, and I googled it for so long it looks really funky now...). I believe it takes an advanced mind (or a lot of SparkNotes) to get either of these authors. Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting myself above any of you who may not like these authors and I am not saying you have a simple mind, I'm just stating my belief and what I have taken from the observations I have made these last few years. Usually if someone doesn't get something right away, they don't like it and they move on. Fahrenheit 451 is based around this idea. Our fast food society has watered things down so that we get the one thing so we can move on to the next idea without much thought.
     The question really is, who do I feel gives me the most complex thoughts? Is the imagery in Bradbury's books exceptional enough that I would root for him? Or is the wit and tragedy that Shakespeare so brilliantly expresses the reason I might like him better? 
     I can't decide. I'm the referee in the middle of the fight making sure that no one hurts each other in the end. I can't decide between who I think is going to win or who I think I like better. I like them equally the same I suppose.
     Two illustrious authors who I believe will always hold a place in my heart.

(Word Count: 828 words)

The Future Freaks Me Out (Oops. There's Life.)

     Hello friends, it's been a while.
     To Mr. Burge, who by the creeper page views bar I can tell has been checking my blog, I know I haven't updated in a while. Oops. There's life.
     To those who actually take time to read my blog because you feel an obligation to/enjoy my writing/whatever other insane reason you might have for being here, welcome back. I'm getting back into the flow hopefully and will keep writing.
     So this week has been busy, if you'd like to put it that way. My homework schedule was light. I didn't have any plans or obligations. I didn't contract swine flu and start the apocalypse. So... "How was my week busy?" you might ask me.
     In all honesty, it wasn't. I was apathetic all week. I didn't have to actually do anything, so what little work I did get (see: Blog, Calculus Homework, English Homework) I did not have the drive to do. I literally felt like sitting on the couch all day and watching TV (did I mention Season 3 of The Walking Dead came out on Netflix last week? And that Season 4 starts next Sunday?).
     I'm not going to lie to you, senior year has in a way (north by northwest) sucked. Don't get me wrong, I am trying to live it to the fullest; I've overhauled my wardrobe, I've made new friends, I've participated in as many opportunities as I possibly could. But The Future Freaks Me Out. If I could stay at this point infinitely as a senior in high school... trust me, I would.
     That's not the case though. This place that has been my home for four years will be torn down and tossed away. I will move on to other places, forming new connections and evolving as a person. It will never be the same. The carelessness I've had as a teenager will forever be lost. I will need to work hard to get what I want and even harder to actually get there.
     Burge told us in class today almost this same thing (I might have used it slightly as the basis of this post). He's right. I can't keep feeling apathetic like I did last week (I think the term is senioritis). These past four years I have been pushing a boulder up a hill, struggling to get it to the top of that mountain. When January rolls around, the ball is gonna drop (pardon the cliché). I'm gonna have to juggle scholarships and applications and a job and school and everything else that is thrown in there.
     I'm not ready.
     But I'm gonna have to be.
     So here goes. No more apathy. No more skipping homework cause it is more convenient at the time. No more playing video games until three in the morning on a school night cause I felt like it (no this only happened to a friend of mine, don't worry). I am gonna take the bull by the horns and make this year the best it can be, to make my life the best it can be.
     I'm on fire, and now I think I'm ready to bust a move.

(Word Count: 532 words)