| Your Brain's Pattern |
 Your mind is a creative hotbed of artistic talent. You're always making pictures in your mind, especially when you're bored. You are easily inspired to think colorful, interesting thoughts. And although it may be hard to express these thoughts, it won't always be. |
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Some thoughts on The Sorcerer's Stone
A few weeks ago I finally finished "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling, much to my sister's delight. Having only skimmed the book when it first came to the states, I couldn't remember much of what had happened when the I went to see "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the theater. I really enjoyed that movie and the sequels I've seen so far (I haven't had the opportunity to see "The Goblet of Fire" yet!), but my sister kept insisting that I read the book. "You have to read the book," she said. "If nothing else, I'll have someone to talk to about it." So I did.
It was much better than when I'd skimmed through it the first time. There's something to be said for actually reading a book and not simply skipping through the pages to get a sense of it. *g* I was expecting to find in the book a lot of extra material that couldn't be in the movie; there's always more information in the book form of a story. I noticed two things (the most). First, I think they did a great job making the book into a movie. Most of the parts that were changed didn't differ greatly from the book; they were more of a summary of what was going on. That said, I have to mention the second thing I noticed. There was a fundamental change in the frequency that one character appeared in the movie as compared to the book. I was really surprised that Neville Longbottom had more of a role in the original story than we were led to believe in the movie. He was present when the students performed their detention in the woods with Hagrid, not Ron. My sister tells me that Neville plays a growing role of importance in the books that follow. I find this very interesting. Just what is the significance of Neville Longbottom? There must be a reason for it. Hm.
Soon I'll be adding the next book to my To-Read list.
A few weeks ago I finally finished "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling, much to my sister's delight. Having only skimmed the book when it first came to the states, I couldn't remember much of what had happened when the I went to see "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the theater. I really enjoyed that movie and the sequels I've seen so far (I haven't had the opportunity to see "The Goblet of Fire" yet!), but my sister kept insisting that I read the book. "You have to read the book," she said. "If nothing else, I'll have someone to talk to about it." So I did.
It was much better than when I'd skimmed through it the first time. There's something to be said for actually reading a book and not simply skipping through the pages to get a sense of it. *g* I was expecting to find in the book a lot of extra material that couldn't be in the movie; there's always more information in the book form of a story. I noticed two things (the most). First, I think they did a great job making the book into a movie. Most of the parts that were changed didn't differ greatly from the book; they were more of a summary of what was going on. That said, I have to mention the second thing I noticed. There was a fundamental change in the frequency that one character appeared in the movie as compared to the book. I was really surprised that Neville Longbottom had more of a role in the original story than we were led to believe in the movie. He was present when the students performed their detention in the woods with Hagrid, not Ron. My sister tells me that Neville plays a growing role of importance in the books that follow. I find this very interesting. Just what is the significance of Neville Longbottom? There must be a reason for it. Hm.
Soon I'll be adding the next book to my To-Read list.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Traveling the Silk Road
While surfing the net last night, I found a wonderful site called Riversleigh Manor. It's a collaboration of websites and blogs meant to inspire, and inspire they do. I really enjoyed looking at 2005 The Silk Road Advent Calendar; each numbered day is a link to a "map" of the silk road with creative projects, writings and a little bit of history.
Mentioned (and pictured) often were altered books. They looked really cool, and so I searched online for more on altered books. It turns out there's a whole society of Altered Book Artists, The International Society of Altered Book Artists (ISABA). There's a wonderful site showing how to make mini altered books. More on altered books can be found here. I want to make one now! :)
A sampling other sites connected to the ones above:
Soul Food Cafe
Cave of Enchantress
Hermitage Publications
Nina's Treehouse
Riversleigh and The Lemurian Faraway Tree
Have fun exploring!
*(I added the labyrinth pic to emphasize the way I see these sites interconnecting. The way they link up makes surfing through the sites an artistic journey of sorts. Too cool)
While surfing the net last night, I found a wonderful site called Riversleigh Manor. It's a collaboration of websites and blogs meant to inspire, and inspire they do. I really enjoyed looking at 2005 The Silk Road Advent Calendar; each numbered day is a link to a "map" of the silk road with creative projects, writings and a little bit of history.
Mentioned (and pictured) often were altered books. They looked really cool, and so I searched online for more on altered books. It turns out there's a whole society of Altered Book Artists, The International Society of Altered Book Artists (ISABA). There's a wonderful site showing how to make mini altered books. More on altered books can be found here. I want to make one now! :)
A sampling other sites connected to the ones above:
Soul Food Cafe
Cave of Enchantress
Hermitage Publications
Nina's Treehouse
Riversleigh and The Lemurian Faraway Tree
Have fun exploring!
*(I added the labyrinth pic to emphasize the way I see these sites interconnecting. The way they link up makes surfing through the sites an artistic journey of sorts. Too cool)
St. Valentine's Day
My little neice called earlier to wish us a happy Valentine's Day or, more precisely, "Happy Christmas Tree Valentine's Day"! *g*
I actually didn't remember it was Valentine's Day for most of the day except when others reminded me. I've never been involved with anyone on this holiday so I've never really celebrated it. My mom, however, gave me a box of chocolate. :) So yay for chocolate! :D
I thought I'd post a few links on the history of Valentine's Day for anyone who's ever wondered. The History Channel's site has fun trivia facts among other things. Did you know there were 192 million Valentine’s Day cards exchanged annually? Well, according to The History Channel's site, there were.
This site has interesting tidbits, too, including a section on Valentine traditions. For example, in Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. It doesn't say when this was a tradition so it might not be in practice anymore.
AmericanCatholic.org gives a little history as well.
Of course, Wikipedia has a section on St. Valentine's Day, too.
Happy Valentine's Day!
My little neice called earlier to wish us a happy Valentine's Day or, more precisely, "Happy Christmas Tree Valentine's Day"! *g*
I actually didn't remember it was Valentine's Day for most of the day except when others reminded me. I've never been involved with anyone on this holiday so I've never really celebrated it. My mom, however, gave me a box of chocolate. :) So yay for chocolate! :D
I thought I'd post a few links on the history of Valentine's Day for anyone who's ever wondered. The History Channel's site has fun trivia facts among other things. Did you know there were 192 million Valentine’s Day cards exchanged annually? Well, according to The History Channel's site, there were.
This site has interesting tidbits, too, including a section on Valentine traditions. For example, in Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. It doesn't say when this was a tradition so it might not be in practice anymore.
AmericanCatholic.org gives a little history as well.
Of course, Wikipedia has a section on St. Valentine's Day, too.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Booked by 3: Children's Books
from February's Booked by 3
Name your 3 favorite children's series.
1. Alice in Wonderland books
2. LeGuin's Earthsea books
3. The Chronicles of Narnia books
*runners up might be Mary Norton's Borrowers books and the Choose Your Own Adventure Series
Name your 3 favorite non-series children's books.
1. The Velveteen Rabbit (Margery Williams)
2. The Rocking Horse Secret (Rumer Godden)
3. Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak)
*"The Velveteen Rabbit" is a definite favorite. I love the other two as well, but since I can't think of any other books at the moment, I'm not sure if they're really favorites or just in the top 10-25 favorites. *g*
Name 3 favorite children's book characters.
1. Alice from Lewis Carroll's Wonderland books
2. Laura Ingalls
3. Nancy Drew
* runners up: Pippi Longstocking, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Gandalf (from "The Hobbit"), Winnie the Pooh, the pokey little puppy (hee!), and Anne of Green Gables!
****
"A good book is the best of friends, the same to-day and for ever." - Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810 - 1889)
quote from Book Quote of the Month
from February's Booked by 3
Name your 3 favorite children's series.
1. Alice in Wonderland books
2. LeGuin's Earthsea books
3. The Chronicles of Narnia books
*runners up might be Mary Norton's Borrowers books and the Choose Your Own Adventure Series
Name your 3 favorite non-series children's books.
1. The Velveteen Rabbit (Margery Williams)
2. The Rocking Horse Secret (Rumer Godden)
3. Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak)
*"The Velveteen Rabbit" is a definite favorite. I love the other two as well, but since I can't think of any other books at the moment, I'm not sure if they're really favorites or just in the top 10-25 favorites. *g*
Name 3 favorite children's book characters.
1. Alice from Lewis Carroll's Wonderland books
2. Laura Ingalls
3. Nancy Drew
* runners up: Pippi Longstocking, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Gandalf (from "The Hobbit"), Winnie the Pooh, the pokey little puppy (hee!), and Anne of Green Gables!
****
"A good book is the best of friends, the same to-day and for ever." - Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810 - 1889)
quote from Book Quote of the Month
Friday, February 10, 2006
Reason to Blog
from Question of the Day
Why did you start blogging in the first place?
It happened suddenly. I'd heard about blogging for awhile, and my sister kept telling me how cool it was. I didn't quite understand how it was different than any other website until one of my friends sent me a link to her blog. From there I followed a link to another (mutual) friend's blog (on Live Journal). So I was lurking at some friends' blogs and suddenly the blogging-bug hit me; I wanted a way to share online finds, thoughts that plague me during the day, fun tests & quotes, without bulk-mailing my friends. *g* I started my own blog (this one) and realized that weblogging is a bit addictive. lol Since then I've started other blogs as well. *g*
Somehow the world of web logs fascinates me. I might actually starting video-blogging soon. ;-)
from Question of the Day
Why did you start blogging in the first place?
It happened suddenly. I'd heard about blogging for awhile, and my sister kept telling me how cool it was. I didn't quite understand how it was different than any other website until one of my friends sent me a link to her blog. From there I followed a link to another (mutual) friend's blog (on Live Journal). So I was lurking at some friends' blogs and suddenly the blogging-bug hit me; I wanted a way to share online finds, thoughts that plague me during the day, fun tests & quotes, without bulk-mailing my friends. *g* I started my own blog (this one) and realized that weblogging is a bit addictive. lol Since then I've started other blogs as well. *g*
Somehow the world of web logs fascinates me. I might actually starting video-blogging soon. ;-)
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
"Interlopers" Audiobook and Paperback (signed by Ben Browder)
There are only three days left to place your bid in the special Farscape Webmasters Association auction.
From the website:
You may remember that Ben Browder did the reading on the Buzzy Multimedia
audio book of Alan Dean Foster's novel, Interlopers. Ben signed an audiobook
set for the Farscape Webmaster's Association to auction off as a fundraiser,
and to our surprise and delight, he included the paperback copy of the novel
which he read in preparation for doing the audiobook! Both items are signed by
Ben, and the book has a great note on the title page. The books are now up
on eBay in an auction that ends Feb-11-06 10:17:26 PST.
All proceeds of this auction go to the Farscape Webmaster's Association's "To
Be Continued...." Fund to support fan efforts to promote Farscape, including
fan tables at conventions this coming con season!
Check it out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6603060541_
There are only three days left to place your bid in the special Farscape Webmasters Association auction.
From the website:
You may remember that Ben Browder did the reading on the Buzzy Multimedia
audio book of Alan Dean Foster's novel, Interlopers. Ben signed an audiobook
set for the Farscape Webmaster's Association to auction off as a fundraiser,
and to our surprise and delight, he included the paperback copy of the novel
which he read in preparation for doing the audiobook! Both items are signed by
Ben, and the book has a great note on the title page. The books are now up
on eBay in an auction that ends Feb-11-06 10:17:26 PST.
All proceeds of this auction go to the Farscape Webmaster's Association's "To
Be Continued...." Fund to support fan efforts to promote Farscape, including
fan tables at conventions this coming con season!
Check it out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6603060541_
Genius Test
But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
-- Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
** I happen to like this quote a lot. (hee!)
But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
-- Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
** I happen to like this quote a lot. (hee!)
Oscar Nom for Dave Elsey!
Congratulations to Dave Elsey (Farscape alum!) and Nikki Gooley for their joint Achievement in Makeup nomination for “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith” (20th Century Fox)!
“Crash” (Lions Gate) got a nomination for Best Screenplay (Screenplay by Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco and Story by Paul Haggis), Film Editing, Directing (Paul Haggis) and Best Picture (Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman, Producers). I haven't seen this one, but Paul Haggis is the man who brought us "Due South"! *bg* I will forever love Paul Haggis, Paul Gross and Jay Semko in much the same way that I get warm and fuzzy over Chris Carter, David & Gillian, and Mark Snow. Just like I will forever adore David Kemper & Brian Henson, Ben & Claudia, and Guy Gross.
Yay for the Wallace and Gromit nomination! :D
I'm curious to see who ends up winning the Oscar for Visual Effects, too. The competition seems tough in that category:
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
“King Kong"
“War of the Worlds”
To see the complete list on nominations, click here.
* cross-posted from my live journal
Congratulations to Dave Elsey (Farscape alum!) and Nikki Gooley for their joint Achievement in Makeup nomination for “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith” (20th Century Fox)!
“Crash” (Lions Gate) got a nomination for Best Screenplay (Screenplay by Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco and Story by Paul Haggis), Film Editing, Directing (Paul Haggis) and Best Picture (Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman, Producers). I haven't seen this one, but Paul Haggis is the man who brought us "Due South"! *bg* I will forever love Paul Haggis, Paul Gross and Jay Semko in much the same way that I get warm and fuzzy over Chris Carter, David & Gillian, and Mark Snow. Just like I will forever adore David Kemper & Brian Henson, Ben & Claudia, and Guy Gross.
Yay for the Wallace and Gromit nomination! :D
I'm curious to see who ends up winning the Oscar for Visual Effects, too. The competition seems tough in that category:
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
“King Kong"
“War of the Worlds”
To see the complete list on nominations, click here.
* cross-posted from my live journal
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