.:reflections of twilight:.

Spring is just around the corner. For the first time in what seems like forever, I'm actually looking forward to it.

I never used to think much of Spring. For one thing, I lived in Florida for almost thirty years are there are really only two seasons there: hot and slightly less hot. OK, and maybe rain. There was a lot of pollen which aggravated my allergies, and that was what Spring in Florida was like for me.

Now that we moved to a place that has noticeable seasons, I think I'm going to see Spring the way it's meant to be seen. As green and flowery and new. I can already see the buds on the trees and the flowers that are just waiting for the time to pop open. And after the winter we've had, it'll be a nice change.

I'm trying not to be passive-aggressive toward our neighbors, but it's becoming very difficult. It's primarily a young couple in their twenties, I'd say. Every weekend they have people over to drink and listen to obnoxiously loud music and talk at high volume to anyone within earshot. Unfortunately, our houses are extremely close to each other, and my bedroom window is right above their porch, where a lot of noise is coming from. I'm trying to not go over there and tell them to knock it off or to at least be considerate of other people, but do I really want to become the crotchety young person who has to shake my cane and tell people to get off of my lawn? I'm afraid it might get worse as the weather gets warmer.

At present, they're cleaning out the garage/basement/condo of a bunch of stuff (which I PRAY means they're in the process of moving), and naturally they have to make it into a party. Maybe we should say something to the HOA about it due to noise violation or some such. I don't know. I've never dealt with an HOA before so I don't understand the protocol.

School is going pretty well. I never thought I'd be having to read children's books in order to analyze them for lesson content. I don't think every single book that is in a school library is for the purpose of 'learning something'. Sometimes you read just to read. For an escape into another world. Why does there have to be a lesson involved? Oh well...

Speaking of books, I went on a bit of a book binge the other day and bought a decent stack from the bookstore. I got a few manga as well as YA books (which I still enjoy even though I am not anywhere close to the target age group). I'm in the middle of (or actually almost finished with) a book called Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. It's been a good, engrossing read so far. It mentions a lot about being in a fandom and having an active role in it, in this case, fanfic. It's a Harry Potter expy, but it could be any kind of fandom that has a decent enough following to have tons of fanfic written about it.

I was never much for fanfic. I've read a bit, if I knew the author or if I liked the pairing or the fandom or the writing style. I only ever once wrote a fanfic myself, and it was for the Trigun fandom. It was a small fluff piece with the main paring I liked, and it wasn't too bad IMHO. Not a lot of people read it, and I was never inspired to write anything else, so that's the only one I ever wrote.

I also know officially have health insurance thanks to the ACA (i.e. Obamacare). A lot of people are totally against Obamacare because they think the government shouldn't have a hand in the health care industry. Like it or not, it's happening, and it does give people who don't have insurance, a chance to actually get coverage. I just wish that the health care issue wasn't such a big damn deal here in the US. I think everyone should have a chance to have health insurance if they need it.

Whatever...

I'm feeling sleepy, so I might take a nap for a little bit. That is, if I can sleep over the noise from next door...

I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving (those of you who celebrate with the rest of America. You Canadians had yours already).

I did. It was smaller than usual since a few family members were missing. One due to having to work and others due to illness. I think Christmas will have most of everyone back.

We went to my aunt's like we usually do and the food was good as always. Whenever we move to Tennessee (which, like I mentioned before, I hope to be next year at the least), I shall definitely miss the food and company, but maybe we can have our own traditions.

I was planning on putting up my small purple fiber optic tree in my bedroom this weekend, but I never got around to it. Mostly I was distracted by our new kitty! She's mostly for mom since our established cat, Moon, is glued to me most of the time. She said she wanted an older cat (not a kitten), female and that would get along well with other cats.

She called a lady who does cat rescues and fostering and she had the perfect cat! She's a three year old tortie and she's very quiet and gentle. She does have her front claws and so we have to make sure she uses her scratching post and not the couch. But she's spayed and had all of her shots and flea treatments.

Her name was originally Angel, but mom didn't like that name so she's renamed her Tor-T. My mom has a thing for unusual names. I myself was leaning more toward Tortle, but it is what it is.



So far, her and Moon have been guarded toward each other, but Tor-T seems to be making herself at home, so that's good. I told Moon that she can't keep hiding out in my room, so when we leave for work tomorrow, mom and I are cutting off all hiding places so that they'll be pretty much forced to be in the same room together. It may take time, but I think eventually they'll mellow toward each other.

Yesterday, mom and I went to the beach to take some pictures since the waves were numerous over the weekend. We got a couple of good shots of the waves rolling in, as well as a few of some surfers taking advantage of the opportunity.



I will say, that when we do move away from here, I will probably miss a few things about Florida, like the sound of the ocean and walking along the shore, but I think the mountains of Tennessee would more than make up for it!

In fandom related news, we went to the bookstore yesterday, and naturally I had to buy stuff. I bought the December issue of Vogue since it had an interview with Anne Hathaway and some pictures from Les Miz that I wanted. I also got a collectors issue of Star Wars Insider as well as a film magazine about The Hobbit. I got two volumes of manga Sailor Moon Volume 8 and Bakuman. Volume 16. I was also able to find the first two volumes of the color version of Scott Pilgrim, so that was a nice find to say the least. Thank God for Membership cards!

I saw Rise of the Guardians earlier today and I must say, it was well worth the hype. I have a feeling it's going on my 'Must Have' DVD list. And I will say I think Jack Frost is a cutie, but even though Chris Pine is pretty awesome, he doesn't sound like an 18 year old...

I've been rereading the High School Debut series and I almost forgot what a cute series it is. I think, even though I just finished rereading it, I may read it again I love it that much. I might read a few other things in between, like the stuff I just bought as well as another series I've been wanting to reread called Beauty Is The Beast.

And another reminder that I need your address for Christmas Cards. I'll be ordering them soon, so I want to get a count of how many I'll need, so be sure to reply to this post so that I can have your info. Even if you don't plan on sending out any cards yourself this year, I'd still like to send you one so I'd like your addresses. :D

I somehow forgot to add this when I originally got it many months ago.

EDIT: I finished reading this and I must say, I do like it. It was a nice, fun read and I found myself eager to find out what happened next.

I don't know if this is this authors first book, but if so I do hope she writes more. She has a nice, easy style that doesn't try to talk down to the reader of overdo it with a lot of flowery language. It felt very true to life of being a teenage girl.

In many ways I was expecting Ivony to start falling for her best friend Davin, but the ending was left ambiguous without them getting together. Generally I dislike open endings. I tend to like complete endings. But with this one, I wasn't bothered by it. It kinda left the reader to draw their own conclusions as to if Ivony and Davin do get together eventually. I kinda think they do, mostly because I'm a bit of a romantic that way and plus there were a few hints here and there that Davin likes Ivony more than he's willing to admit.

I originally heard of this book by a post written by the author on the MST3K community on LiveJournal promoting it. Normally I'm wary of new authors promoting stuff they wrote because it tends to be bad, but in this case I thought I'd give it a chance and I'm glad I did. Plus, the two or three MST mentions were a nice touch.

A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 by Kaoru Mori

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This series is by the same manga-ka as 'Emma' and has the same meticulous attention to detail and research as in the previous series. The artwork is outstanding. I have always been impressed by the amount of details that Mori-sensei put into her work.

Set in the 19th century along the Silk Road, the story is about a new bride in central Asia along the Caspian Sea. Her husband, interestingly enough, is a sweet 12 year old boy, the youngest in his family. She herself is 20 and considered too old to marry off by her family.

The story follows her as she adjusts to her new life with her new family and delves a little into the life of the peoples of the region during this time period.

I do suggest picking this up if you can.



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I really must thank secondlina for piquing my interest in this series.

Toradora! Volume 1 by Yuyuko Takemiya

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Based on a series of light novels published in Japan. I love this series. It's cute and charming and the art and story are both very well done. The chapters seem a little short, so it makes for a fast read which for me is a little disappointing since I want to savor the story.

Taiga is very adorable and the very definition of a Tsundere. However, she does mellow quite a bit (but never completely, you know) with the influence of Ryuuji.

And yeah, I do think Taiga and Ryuuji make for an adorable couple... if if they don't quite see it yet. I have been watching the anime as well which explore the story further. I never read the light novels so I have no idea how the series itself ends.



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I forget how I found out about this series. But, it is very cute and I do recommend it!

Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later by Francine Pascal

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ahhh, the Sweet Valley High books. I read them religiously as a preteen/teenager. Now we follow the Wakefield twins into adulthood and their distinctly different lives.



I think this series started me on my fondness for twins. Sure, the stories and characters were idealized and a little fanciful. But that's what makes good fiction. Best of all, the characters had identifiable flaws.



Personality-wise I identified more with Elizabeth (except the flawless beauty of course) than with her twin Jessica. But I was engrossed by their many adventures and day to day lives. The books were a nice escape.



ETA:



Well, it's strange to see how the truth is masked by nostalgia. I think my fondness for the series was tempered by the fact I was a teenager and teenagers tend to not have the greatest taste in literature (the Twilight series being a prime example).



Basically what I'm saying is the SVH series was the literary equivalent of Beverly Hills 90210. Your basic cheesy High School drama series.



In any case, in this particular book, we revisit the pretty, perfect California Wakefield twins ten years after they graduate High School. Elizabeth has moved away from Sweet valley, California and is a struggling writer in New York (is there any other kind?) writing for a small Off-Broadway review blog and living in a tiny apartment. Her once close relationship with her identical twin Jessica has been seemingly irreparably damaged after it was revealed that Jessica had been involved in a secret relationship with Elizabeth's fiance, the staid, stalwart Todd Wilkins.



This is the very same Todd Wilkins that Elizabeth has had a relationship with throughout almost the entire series and also with-whom she's had the warm fuzzies for since KINDERGARTEN. We find out later in flashback (and there are a LOT of flashbacks in this book), that Jessica and Todd had sex once during their senior year of college five years prior. Granted they had secret meetings with one another over a period of one month in a out of the way diner.



So Liz leaves the two in a fury and flees to New York, stewing in her hate and disgust. Meanwhile, Jessica and Todd have moved in together and are planning to wed. Jessica is feeling tremendous amounts of guilt, not only for her betrayal eight months before the start of the story (which led to Liz moving to New York), but also for the initial affair five years previous.



The story is told mostly in third person, but when we get to a particular plot point, the perspective shifts to first person narrative and it can be a little confusing as to who's talking at first since it's used for several different characters throughout the book.



Also, we find out that the twins' older brother Steven is gay (which came out of the blue. I think because in order to be relevant to the times, there needed to be at least one gay character).



I don't know if Ms. Pascal wrote this book herself or had one of her ghostwriters do it. But the style seems uneven from the previous series. Jessica's vocabulary is very off in that she uses 'teenage' slang frequently when she never did in the book. It seems especially odd since she's now in her late twenties.



Also, is no one physically flawed in this book. Everyone has perfect hair, perfect breasts (well, the women do) and perfect teeth. They all have interesting jobs and impeccable fashion sense.



There's also swearing in this book when there never was in the original series. It seems very out of place. I guess it's to show this is a more 'mature' story. That and the sex (which is always fabulous, btw).



In the end, after a major fiasco at the twins' grandmother's 80th birthday party, they eventually make up when Liz realizes she fell out of love with Todd a long time ago but due to her committed personality, she never thought of leaving. Then, Liz hooks up with Bruce Patman (rich, gorgeous and a former jerkass), and they have awesome sex and they go to the wedding and things are fine.



I know this series is far from realistic, but I may be a little cynical anymore. I just hoped to have a little more depth to it is all.







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I really need a twins icon...

Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later by Francine Pascal




Ahhh, the Sweet Valley High books. I read them religiously as a preteen/teenager. Now we follow the Wakefield twins into adulthood and their distinctly different lives.

I think this series started me on my fondness for twins. Sure, the stories and characters were idealized and a little fanciful. But that's what makes good fiction. Best of all, the characters had identifiable flaws.

Personality-wise I identified more with Elizabeth (except the flawless beauty of course) than with her twin Jessica. But I was engrossed by their many adventures and day to day lives. The books were a nice escape.



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InuYasha, Volume 56 by Rumiko Takahashi




Final volume of this series. My first serious foray into manga.

I shall remember you fondly, InuYasha...



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Vampire Knight, Volume 11 by Matsuri Hino




More adventures of Yuki "Mary Sue" Cross. Face it, I'm here for Zero...



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Barnes & Noble: When will be reunited, my love? We have been parted for far too long...

Me: I know my beloved. We have been torn asunder by forces beyond my control. Financial obstacles keep blocking our path! But we will be together again! I swear to thee!

B & N: But when? This long separation has been difficult to bear.

Me: I know, for me as well my darling. But our destinies are too intertwined to be torn asunder for too long. I live for the day when we shall meet once again!

B & N: As do I! As. Do. I.

Me: Until we shall be reunited, please do not forget me!

B & N: Never! Your frequent purchases sustain me in my hours of need! Fare thee well!!

Me: Fare thee well my love!!

I read an article earlier today and it really outraged me. It's a list of books that were banned by a number of libraries due to subject matter. Some... I kinda understand a little. Others, however, make no sense whatsoever or they're banned for stupid reasons.

I decided to list them all (at least the ones listed in the article) and you can see for yourselves.

( the list including author and year of publication... )

I know a lot of these have very intense subject matter and situations and language that one might not want younger kids to read until they are older, but to ban them entirely from adult and older teens reading them is pure censorship if there ever was one. almost all of them are classics and should be read at least once in a lifetime due to the history and the quality. They wouldn't have been around as long as they have if they didn't.

God forbid you have people actually THINK about certain things!! Society will burn in flames at the very idea!!!

Thoughts anyone?

Hello again everyone!

Things here are going pretty well. I'm in a good mood mostly because I got my time off approved for vacation this fall! Mom and I are planning on going to Tennessee for almost a week and a half (nine days, specifically). I'm really excited about this, because the two of us want to eventually make a permanent move up there somewhere in the near future. I'm sick of Florida...

I hope to get a small camcorder to record a video diary of our trip. if possible, I'll try and post my efforts here. I was able to replace my iPod, which should be arriving tomorrow. I gave mom my old one to mom since I couldn't get it to work, and she was able to get it to work for her, so I don't know if the problem I was having before is something else unrelated to the iPod itself. I guess we'll see.

Currently I'm reading the first book in the Millennium Trilogy, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It's very engrossing to say the least. I also watched the Swedish language film, which was also very good. And, I'm going to say this here and only this one time, but I kind of ship Lisbeth and Mikael a wee bit. I know that the ship gets sunk, as it were but sometimes we ship things we don't understand... -_-

I'm still trying to catch up with my posting at work. I think I get a little bit knocked away... but then more comes. *siiiiigh* Well, all I can do is keep trying to plug away at it.