escapades of a musical narniac

Impromptu post, but… as soon as I saw this, I had to blog it! (:

http://btemplates.com/2008/blogger-template-the-hobbit/

I was having a bit of a flashback moment, and decided last week to re-read some books that I haven’t in a while. Well, when I was finished this one, I thought of my dear blogging friends immediately. (: (I’ll warn you though, I’m not good at this whole reviewing thing, so bear with me on this one!)

The Two Princesses of Bamarre, by award-winning fantasy novelist Gail Carson Levine, is without a doubt one of the most fantastic books I have ever read, and I shall tell you why.

It follows the story of sisters Addie and Meryl (the girls for whom the book was named). Meryl, fair-haired and carefree, is brave and courageous, dreaming of slaying the monsters that plague their kingdom. Whereas Addie, quiet and intellectual, is timid, and would rather stay inside and do embroidery than face even a spider. She fears that if Meryl leaves the castle to fight monsters, Meryl will be slain herself. But it is not the gryphons, specters, or dragons that Bamarrians fear the most. The worst monster is the Gray Death, an incurable sickness of unknown origin that claims the lives of all of its victims. An age-old prophecy telling of when the cure will be discovered has been the only hope for the people of Bamarre for years. Meryl fantasizes of one day seeking it out, while Addie fears that either one of them might get it, and be unable to do anything about it.

The tables are turned, however, when Meryl falls ill. When it is revealed that she has contracted the Gray Death, Addie must summon the courage to go out and find the cure. Aided by a few tools (a magical cloak, a tablecloth that provides food for the bearer, boots that allow you to travel great distances with a single step, and Meryl’s sword), an apprentice sorcerer named Rhys, and a mysterious, invisible helper, Addie must brave ogres, gryphons, specters, and even a dragon to save the sister whom she loves.

The author conveys well the emotion of each sequence. The heartfelt, sisterly exchanges between Addie and Meryl, the fear of the unknown as Addie travels to and fro in her quest for the cure, the warmth of a secret love between Addie and Rhys, and even the comical image of a fearsome dragon sitting like a little dog are all portrayed wonderfully through the simple art of words. I believe the elements I most enjoyed were the unpredictable ending (I was waiting for a disappointing cliche, but it thankfully did not come), and the bond between Meryl and Addie. I enjoy being able to relate to it. It made me wonder if I would do the same for one of my sisters.

Well, that’s it on a literary note. I got sick-ish over the weekend, so I was unable to put the finishing touches on the things I’ve been trying to upload for a while. Paired with my procrastination, editing has been a nightmare lately, haha. But as soon as that’s done, it’ll be up here! (:

DBF out!

It’s hit me recently that everyone in my class (and below!) have gotten their permit or license, and I haven’t even gotten my permit yet, and it would be really nifty to be able to drive, so I’m taking the online quiz over and over to get myself completely confident. I’m hoping to go for my permit next week. Ahhh! Hopefully it’ll go well.

Anyways, as I was trying to remember which way is right and which way is left (>.<!!), I remembered that I promised to post the lyrics to the song I wrote just recently, soooo… here you are! Constructive criticism is always welcome. (:

What You Said

V.1:
Big eyes
Light hair
Still alive
But only half there
The sweetest smile
The most comforting laugh
Only knew her for a while
But I wish she was back

And I wish I knew
All the answers to
These questions I
Hide in my mind, like

CH:
Where were You when she decided to take her life?
How could You go and leave her side?
I don’t understand
Where were You?

V.2:
Second mother
Irreplaceable wife
Knows me unlike any other
Been around my whole life
The doctor says
She’ll be gone in two years
It’s out of my hands
But I’m never out of tears

And I wish I knew
All the answers to
These questions I
Hide in my mind, like

CH:
Where were You when she got the disease?
How could You let this happen to me?
I don’t understand
Where were You?

Where were You in the midst of my suffering?
Are You out there somewhere? Are You listening?
I don’t understand
Where were You

BRDG:
I’m aching
I’m hurting
I’m asking
Where are You?
I’m crying
I’m dying
I’m trying
Just to make it through
I’m crawling
I’m falling
I’m asking
Where are You?
I’m beat up
I’m messed up
I’m screaming
Just to make it through
Where are You?
Where are You?
Where are You?

And I wish I knew
All the answers to
The questions I
Hide in my mind

Then You said

CH:
I was right there when she took her life
I held her hand, I never left her side
She never left My Love
That’s where I was
I was right there when she got the disease
She was never out of my reach
She never left My Love
That’s where I was

I am with you in the midst of your suffering
I’ll hold you close, I’m always listening
When you fall on your knees
That’s where I’ll be

*guitar riff haha*

Then You said
I am with you in the midst of your suffering
I’ll hold you close, I’m always listening
When you fall to your knees
That’s where I’ll be

A bit of backstory on this song… the first verse is obviously dedicated to Miranda, who, though I only knew for a short time, managed to make a very large impact on my life. The second verse is dedicated to my Gran, who was diagnosed with ALS (a terminal disease) last January. She went to be with the Lord on September 23rd, and I will never ever forget her because she was such a huge impact on my life. She was literally my second mother; I grew up just down the street from her and Pop’s house. I wrote this song cause they were questions that I had myself, and I vent best through song. It’s sort of a testimony to the time in which my faith was most tested.

All of my songs have stories. If I were ever to be so blessed as to have them recorded, I’d set up a website JUST for the stories, haha.

Let me know what you guys think! Hope you’re having a Skantastic day! ;D

DBF out!

Today I found myself looking back on the blog that I kept through some of the hardest years of my life, and it got me thinking about the people who I left behind. Which, in turn, got me thinking about this…

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” –Proverbs 18:24

I had a lot of friends, yes, but now that I think back on it, it did bring me to ruin. I changed a lot, too, for worse instead of better.

The reason that I’m posting this in the first place is that, in the course of thinking all of these things, for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel sad. I felt happy that that part of my life is over. And, above all else, I’m thankful for the second part of that verse; for the amazing people God has placed in my life over the past year. 2010 was pretty rough, but 2011’s only getting better. I’ve never been so happy to have such wonderful people surrounding me. I’ve never been so happy to be alive.

And, of course, that most certainly includes my dear blogging friends! You guys have been nothing short of incredible. Thank you for your encouragement and entertainment. I love you!! ♥

“And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." –Ephesians 2:22

Looking forward to more progress over here on this construction site!

DBF out!

I’m not quite used to playing my guitar (what with it only having two strings on it and whatnot), but I ack-chellay managed to defy the odds and write a song on it this evening. There’s this songwriting class that I go to at my church every month, and our “homework” for this month was to write a song that asks a question (an amazing example of such a song would be What If by Nichole Nordeman). I’m very happy with how it turned out, and hope that when I share it next month, everyone else will enjoy it too! If you’d like I’ll post the lyrics so that you can be my first judges of how I did.

In editing news, I’m nearly finished the first quarter of the Skandar collage (I think I’m aiming for it to have around 50 different pictures in it, which is a LOT of resizing!), and hopefully getting at least half of TPP Part Two done tonight. Ahh, the life of an insomniac.

In other news, I believe my wisdom teeth are coming in, so if I disappear for a few days within the next few weeks, that is probably why. My little sister has bronchitis, so I’m praying that I don’t catch that too!

And, to conclude, I recall a while back coming across this interesting video on one of the Narnia fansites, which included a rather adorable shot of Skandar twirling around in a circle and laughing on the deck of the Dawn Treader, during the filming of the scene where Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace first get into Narnia. It’s been about three months and I have NO IDEA WHERE I SAW IT. It’s perplexing me as only a lost Skedmund video could.

Here’s to searching, editing, and doing biology till my head explodes with a nice can of Mountain Dew and sore fingers! Not to mention that my iTunes decided to go and delete three quarters of the album artwork out of my library for Lord only knows what reason, which is pretty pesky to retrieve when one has 1013 songs on their iPod. Oh well. At least I have stuff to do! Positive thinking is a virtue.

DBF out!

Mmhmm. WLW is pretty nifty.

SO. Only 16 days left till Voyage of the Dawn Treader is out on DVD and Blu-ray. HECK YES! My sister sent me a pic via cell phone of Wal*Mart’s ad for it in their store, even though I was standing right there. I hopped in one place for a bit and “SQUEEEEEE”ed some, but hey. That’s what Narniacs do.

I taught myself how to play There’s A Place For Us by accident yesterday while I was playing piano. I know that it’s not the legit thing, and it probably pales in comparison to the actual song, but at least I can jam a version of it out whenever I feel like it!

In other news, I am addicted to frozen yogurt. There’s this lovely little place called Sweet Frog about ten minutes from my house, and it is amazing fantastic out of this world EPIC. It’s a frozen yogurt buffet. You get a flavor of yogurt, then put whatever you want on top. The coolest thing though is that you could literally put ANYTHING as a topping, cause they’ve got everything from Kit Kats to marshmallows to fresh fruit to cake. CAKE. I am in love.

Also, though I’m not exactly an overwhelmingly huge fan of Twilight (in fact it really just bugs me), the soundtrack for New Moon is pretty awesome. If you, like me, enjoy random music that no one ever listened to before it was in the film, then it’s a paradise.

Lastly, it has come to my attention that the Skedmund collage that I had at the bottom of the posts on my blog has disappeared in the course of switching over so that comments could be posted. This is a depressing find, so I’m working on a new one. (Along with the next part of The Potter Plot, which I hope to have finished by the end of this week!) Oh heck, I’ll just toss a few avatars up here now to help sooth the Skedmund withdraw. Honestly, it won’t be that much trouble. (;

Later loves!

DBF out!