Maria Meeps

TV - Bedlam

2011-11-08T12:13:00.001-05:00

I am a total sucker for ghost shows. I will watch any of them at least once. Maybe twice if nothing better is on. And I love British stuff. So a fictionalized account of actual deaths and ghosts in an historic British landmark is sort of exactly what I want out of life. Unfortunately, TV is created for the largest common denominator of any group, so my ghost shows get filled with quasi

Book Review: Beauty Queens

2011-11-02T14:16:00.001-04:00

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a new review post! Extended exposure to this cover has lessened its' appeal dramatically. Cool concept, but.... From Goodreads: The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in

Book Review: The Game

2011-07-28T00:59:00.002-04:00

Since the beginning of July up until two days ago, I had an 11 year old living with me. An 11 year old who wasn't too fond of reading. Eventually, we found common ground in museums, where she got to look at shiny things that used to belong to dead people, and I got my history mojo flowing and all was right in the world. We also went to the opening night of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

WAYR 7/23/11: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

2011-07-24T00:58:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've been wrestling with Michelle Hodkin's debut novel, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. And I mean wrestling in the best, most infuriating way ever. TAC 11 Book #3: Despite my known abhorrence of headless figures on covers, I'm actually okay with it. This cover fits the tone of the book very well so far. I'm not going to use the jacket description here, because it really doesn't describe

Event Review: Mirena e Floro

2011-07-22T15:30:00.002-04:00

Welcome back Armand O'Bryan, my pen-named pal, with yet another BVAF review! Nagged, cajoled and wheedled by my colleague Maria into attending yet another event offered by the fledgling Baltimore Vocal Arts Foundation, I found myself in Brown Center's Falvy Hall watching yet another unusual performance, which seems to be this organization's calling card. "Love Between Acts - A Program of

Event Review: Journeys - A Cabaret About the Places Life Takes You

2011-07-20T14:20:00.003-04:00

Please give a Meep-worthy welcome to Armand O'Bryan, a friend IRL who shares an appreciation with me for nom de plumes. Friday the 8th, we both attended Baltimore Vocal Arts Foundation's latest cabaret. Now, for a word from our guest blogger! Cabarets and dinner theater are not usually the places I expect to find innovative programming, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Baltimore Vocal

Still Kicking

2011-07-20T13:31:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, it's been a month - almost - since my last post. Amazingly enough, this is not completely because I'm a lazy slob. I've got a couple of books reviews I've been working on, two guest reviews of events, and my thoughts on the last Harry Potter movie to share with you. Unfortunately, my main man, my baby, my one true love, Edgar, got hacked a few weeks ago and has been out of

Book Review: The Color of Magic/The Light Fantastic

2011-06-22T20:33:00.001-04:00

From Goodreads: The Color of Magic - On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There's an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE of the planet... The Light Fantastic - In

Book Review: Five Women Wearing the Same Dress

2011-06-21T19:52:00.002-04:00

I used to have this cover. And then I read it so much, the cover fell off. As my Twitter followers are well aware, this play consumed much of my time from March to mid June - which is in no small way partly responsible for this blogs ongoing silence. Five Women Wearing the Same Dress is a play written by Alan Ball, the same writer behind the Kevin Spacey movie, American Beauty, and the HBO

Book Review: Shut Out

2011-06-20T10:40:00.002-04:00

TAC book 2 From Amazon: Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged

Book Review: After Obsession

2011-06-20T00:30:00.002-04:00

The first of the TAC11 books. From Goodreads: Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their

Teen Author Carnival 2011: Round 1

2011-06-18T19:41:00.000-04:00

Last month, I attended the 3rd annual Teen Author Carnival. Needless to say, it was pretty cool; I came home with all this swag! Note the ketchup stains. Further evidence that I can't have nice things. TAC - as it's referred to online -is run by Devyn Burton, Korianne Wey, and Mitali Dave, as part of my internet alma mater, the Five Awesome YA Fans. I attended last years' event as well

Book Review: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

2011-02-27T02:55:00.001-05:00

Feel the cuteness! Another BEA 2010 book (Someday, I will get through them all. Drat you college, cutting into my recreational reading time)! *Blogger Bragging Alert* I had the pleasure of meeting Maryrose Wood twice! once at the Teen Author Carnival and again at BEA, and let me tell you, she is as adorable as this cover. But let's face it, you're here for the book, not the author. Onwards!

Book Review: Reckless

2011-02-22T16:18:00.001-05:00

Spooky AND pretty! I like it! For years, Jacob Reckless has been secretly disappearing to another world, a world behind a mirror, a world for which his father abandoned his family. The mirror world is Jacob's escape from reality. It's a place for treasure hunts and magnificent quests. A world where witches haunt the forests and giants and dwarfs roam. A world locked in a deadly war.

Book Review: Machine of Death

2011-01-22T23:10:00.000-05:00

As I said in my last post, my numerous reviews in process were deleted before I could finish them. But I have short reviews for some of them on Goodreads and scribbled in journals, so I'm going to try post little blurbs for the things I've read and listened to since fall semester before I go back to school next week. I'd like to write more, of course, but - well, I'll do what I can when I can.

Hello 2011. Behave.

2011-01-22T22:55:00.000-05:00

Oy vey, 2010 was a good year for a lot of things, but not necessarily for reviewing. By the time my vacations rolled around, I had a ton of drafts in various states of completion. And when I tried to start finishing them, Blogger deleted them. This was probably a fluke, and I'm not mad at Blogger for the loss of my stuff, but it has made the thought of reviewing a bit of an annoyance. Also, I'm

Abuse of Friendship & A Poll

2010-11-22T18:14:00.000-05:00

Watch and vote please! The Most Photogenic Maria D. PS - Emma, please don't hit me for anything! I'm on cold medicine! I'm not thinking straight!

Jekyll and Hyde

2010-11-11T12:44:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, I went to see the Pasadena Theatre Company's production of Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical. As a whole, the production was largely what viewers might expect from all community theater. Confusing staging, uneven amplification, a mostly computer and synthesizer generated orchestra that overpowered the handful of acoustic instruments, and a vocally uneven cast. However, the production

Book Review: Black Bird

2010-11-03T20:42:00.002-04:00

This cover should've been my first warning. I've been seeing this manga, Black Bird by Kanoko Sakurakoji, advertised on the sidebars of a lot of webcomics I read. It was paired with Vampire Knight which I wholly acknowledge is junk, but is fairly well written and plot intensive junk filled with adorabe, emotionally scarred boys whose continued misery fills me with sadistic glee. But I digress.

School 33

2010-10-28T01:46:00.004-04:00

Last Friday, my schools' art club paid visits to some of Baltimore's art galleries. I shared my experience at Maryland Art Place yesterday. Today, spotlight on School 33. OMG COLOR School 33 is a community art gallery which not only exhibits individual artists, but allows the community to become involved in the gallery as well. None of the students knew this going in, so imagine our surprise

Maryland Art Place

2010-10-27T15:33:00.001-04:00

Friday of last week, my colleges art club visited two Baltimore art galleries: Maryland Art Place and School 33. Maryland Art Place is a small gallery on Market Street, hidden between Rams Head Live and Power Plant Live, two of the largest, most popular clubs in the downtown (though they're moving to a larger, more visible location in a few weeks. More on that next month). The gallery is small

Where Is October Going???

2010-10-19T14:37:00.001-04:00

I had PLANS for blogging this month. They were GLORIOUS plans! Things of BEAUTY and PERFECTION! They are obviously not to be. This semester midterms are not at the middle of term, but instead are terrible things that stretch from the 4th week of school to the week before finals start. The online writing lab won't send back ANY of my assignments with edits and one of my teachers is grading us in

Ethan Frome: Book Review

2010-09-25T01:13:00.000-04:00

"Classic" literature is my bread and butter and on occasion my jar of Chivers bitter marmalade. And some YA lit has the power to add to this culinary tour de force by acting as the slice of sharp cheddar that, when added to the rest, helps me gain ten pounds in the course of a morning. Om nom nom books. But even the classics can leave you with a bad case of diarrhea. Actually, a LOT of the

September Sleep

2010-09-10T15:52:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! Maria checking in. School has started up and I'm taking a larger load of classes than ever. In addition to that, Nevermore is chugging along at an exciting clip. What this means is that most of my reading time is going to be devoted to text books, and any time away from homework and papers is going straight into Nevermore. But I'm not abandoning you forever! First up, I'm

Mockingjay Release Party!

2010-08-23T12:55:00.000-04:00

Exciting things are happening at Casa Maria this week! Aside from the usual hustle and bustle of getting ready for the new school year - five classes this semester and I'm excited about each and every one of them - I'm also getting ready to spend some time with Cassandra Yorgey at the book release party of the year. That's right, I'm going to Books of Wonder for the release of Mockingjay.

TBR 8/18/10 - War of the Witches

2010-08-18T18:21:00.000-04:00

Outsider Anaíd leads a solitary life in a small village in the Pyrenees with her mother Selene. She does not suspect there is anything particularly s ...more Outsider Anaíd leads a solitary life in a small village in the Pyrenees with her mother Selene. She does not suspect there is anything particularly strange about her family, aside from her mother’s

Book Review: Zombies Vs Unicorns

2010-08-08T11:30:00.001-04:00

In February of 2007, the YA world was rocked when writing rock stars Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier got into the mother of all absurd arguments. Lines were drawn, sides were taken, the YA community was ripped in half as everyone rushed to proclaim which team they were on in the epic battle to decide which was cooler: zombies or unicorns. Since then, fans have eagerly awaited the release of

NYT Failed Interview Fails

2010-08-03T18:18:00.001-04:00

We interrupt this irregularly scheduled blog to bring you a review of this monstrosity: Mona Simpson Quietly Embraces Art (Go ahead, read that first. All of it. I'll wait.) (Done? Awesome.) What the HELL is this, New York Times? Okay, I don't read you often and this may be the standard of writing you publish. But if that's so, then my complaints are the least of what you deserve if you

On My iPod 7/25/10 - Crash Kings

2010-07-27T22:23:00.000-04:00

Brothers Tony and Mike Beliveau and Jason Morris make up the trio known as the Crash Kings, a high energy rock band...sans guitar. Keyboard, bass, and drums make up a kicky, aggressive, and potent sound. Their self-titled debut album was released over a year ago, but only started getting radio play in West Virginia* a few months ago. Which is why I'm talking about them now instead of sometime

What Are You Reading 7/26

2010-07-26T22:07:00.000-04:00

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (...more It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the

Book Review: Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

2010-07-24T13:41:00.003-04:00

After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah Beaudonte, with the help of the handsome Rhode, has been able to realize the dream of all vampires – to be human again. Now as a raven-haired, sixteen-year-old, Lenah believes her greatest challenge is fitting in at her new school. But the challenges have only begun. The vicious coven Lenah once ruled is threatening the new-found pleasures of her

Live Review: Cendrillon

2010-06-30T21:20:00.001-04:00

The Baltimore Vocal Arts Foundation debuted this past weekend with a little known operetta, Cendrillon by Pauline Viardot.Cendrillon is a French re-imaging of the classic Cinderella story. Written by Pauline Viardot and performed in Paris in 1904, Cendrillon has fallen by the wayside over a century. But recently, it's been enjoying a bit of a renaissance with productions on both coasts of the

On My iPod 6/17/10 - La Roux

2010-06-17T16:31:00.000-04:00

A new feature here on the Meep. I've actually been wanting to do this for a while but haven't had the time/internet connection to explore new music. Let's hear it for NOT living in the god forsaken mountains of West Virgina anymore! To Break in my new little featurette, I'm talking about my new nostalgia trip, La Roux. La Roux is an electropop and synthpop duo out of England, made up of singer

TBR 6/8/10 - The Emperor of All Maladies

2010-06-09T14:06:00.000-04:00

Among the books I go at BEA a few weeks ago (have I blogged about BEA yet? I haven't, have I? Bad Maria. I'll fix that. Promise) is The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Normally, I stay away from nonfiction. With some notable exceptions, I find most of the popular stuff dry and uninteresting. Give me ghosts and bloodshed with my internal turmoils, please and thank you. But The

WAYR 4/27 and TBR 4/28

2010-04-27T23:40:00.001-04:00

Back again with a new What Are You Reading. It's a day late thanks to raging storms in West Virginia yesterday, knocking out the internet connection in my Secret Lair. I miss DSL y'all.This week, I've been reading the Vampire Diaries. (Peer pressure, I cave to it.) I finished reading the first book, The Awakening, I'm working on the second, The Struggle, and skipping ahead to peek at various

The Path Less Trod

2010-04-23T00:27:00.000-04:00

The sky opens up before me An untrod path and pilgrimage Bring me the horizon in a cup. The stars trace roads and hignways No one has ever traveled And their stories go untold night after night. A million miles lay between me and destiny With only old songs for company And the challenge of an endless summer sky Stars spin and burn and shine rudely on sleepers They dance without a thought or

To Be Read 4/13

2010-04-13T14:07:00.002-04:00

Today on the To Be Read pile is In the Night Garden: Orphans Tales #1 by Catherynne M Valente.Goodreads description:Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of

WAYR and Other News in No Particular Order

2010-04-12T17:44:00.000-04:00

First, I am deeply chagrined that I have only NOW discovered Sigur Ros. How did I miss this awesomeness before? The mountains of West Virginia are currently alive with the sounds of Icelandic rock blaring out my open windows. Packing up my room for the move yesterday progressed to that unhappy place where everything is chaos, the movement has stirred up so much dust that I can't stop sneezing,

My "In-Process" Pile

2010-04-08T11:40:00.000-04:00

At the moment, I have several books which I've been able to read a little of, but haven't gotten to finish yet. Here they are.Going Bovine by Libba BrayEyes Like Stars by Lisa MantchevLeviathan by Scott WesterfeldVacations from Hell anthologyThe King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord DunsanyIn the Woods by Tara FrenchGone by Michael GrantThe Wastelands by Stephen KingCell by Stephen KingThe Picture

To Be Read 4/6

2010-04-06T10:57:00.005-04:00

To Be Read is a meme by Korianne Speak, which I pilfered from Emma.This week, I got a copy of Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments by Alex Boese.I have to thank Anna for lending me this. I'll try not to damage it by accident...or design.The Goodreads description:When Tusko the Elephant woke in his pen at the Lincoln Park Zoo on the morning of August 3, 1962, little did he know that

What Are You Reading 4/5

2010-04-05T23:49:00.001-04:00

It's Monday! Time to implement my schedule, starting with What Are You Reading, a meme hosted by One Person's Journey and which I found out about and filched from Emma. (I am the epitome of original.)This week I've been reading a couple of things. First, since I'm coming out of spring break, I've been reading Vacations from Hell, an anthology of horrific vacation tales, written by five young

Schedule? What's That?

2010-04-02T09:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday! In a valiant/vain attempt to add some structure to this blog, (and maybe, just maybe, make it more book and writing related) I'm going to start scheduling weekly posts. Mondays will be What Are You Reading (a meme hosted by the Story Siren) Tuesdays will be TBR (To Be Read) (a meme hosted by Korianne Speaks) Wednesday will be Wednesday Writing Prompts (someone else is probably

Romance: I Read It

2010-03-26T21:45:00.001-04:00

A year or two ago, I was one of those women who looked askance at romance novels. That wasn't real literature. But then, brain fried from studying for finals, I found myself wandering the aisles of my college library and stumbled upon a rack of donated novels. Among them were some Nora Roberts books. They were cute and funny and I didn't have to think too hard. It was what I needed when I needed

Review: Pet Sematary

2010-03-17T19:28:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I stumbled into a Starbucks with free books. After a moment of stunned ogling - and eyeing the suspicious old man 'sleeping' by the shelves - I squealed like some sort of silly young person and rushed over to see what they had. My attention was immediately caught by a collection of Stephen King paperbacks. 'Hey, I don't own Pet Sematary yet! I want to read that and the public

Book Review: Spirit

2010-03-16T20:44:00.001-04:00

Returning to the feelings of 'meh' induced by Wicked: Witch and Curse, I begin my review of Spirit by J. P. Hightman.*Spirit tells the story of teenage ghost hunters and husband and wife duo, Tobias and Tess, on their way to investigate claims of the paranormal in Salem Massachusetts in the Victorian Era.Things which endeared me to this book:Ghost Hunters- this is an immediate selling point

(Belated) February Horrorscopes

2010-03-04T17:25:00.001-05:00

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) You mistakenly thought that it would be fun to get snowed in with friends during the blizzard. None of those people will ever speak to you again. Pisces (February 19 – March 20) Because you work at Best Buy, you’ll still have to go into work, even though there’s two feet of snow on the ground. No the economy is still not good enough for you to quit this joke

College Events: The Harrowing

2010-03-04T16:28:00.004-05:00

This morning, I took Aurora Delacroix to In the Heights at the Hippodrome in Baltimore. My school was offering steeply discounted tickets for students to the show. As you know, I happen to be a student and Aurora happened to really want to see this show. Problem 1: Events involved with CCBC invariably skirt disaster and catastrophe. If they say a bus to an event will leave at 8, it will really

Fucking Movies Ruining My Narrative Flow

2009-11-26T00:46:00.003-05:00

This'll be uncharacteristically brief because it is late and I am lazy. I could probably make a much longer post out of what I'm about to say but, again, the lazy.I fucking hate the Matrix trilogy. Are we good? Are we clear? Excellent.If human kind degenerates to angry, arrogant, assholes, I vote that the machines should win. I mean, what is the fucking point if everyone in charge is less

December Horrorscopes

2009-11-25T16:39:00.002-05:00

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) The cosmos foretells that your ASL final is going to involve a song and dance routine. Pisces (February 19 – March 20) Though you constantly bemoan the job which you feel is sucking your soul dry, the stars see that your misery will increase exponentially if you quit said job before the holidays. We’re sure your family is going to have some choice words as

About Meme

2009-11-24T21:41:00.002-05:00

MEME TIME!(Stolen from the blog of Supernovakgirl<3<3<3) WHAT WAS YOUR:1. last beverage ✩ Coke Zero2. last phone call ✩ Mom3. last text message ✩ Johanna4. last song you listened to ✩ Life Is a Highway - Rascal Flatts cover5. last time you cried ✩ September I thinkHAVE YOU EVER:6. dated someone twice ✩ No7. been cheated on ✩ In a manner of speaking8. kissed someone & regretted it ✩ No9. lost

An Open Letter To Infinity Ward Re: Chat options in MW2

2009-11-13T18:57:00.002-05:00

An open letter, originated at All Things Fangirl and re-posted as a Geek Girl, Gamer and woman. If you feel so inclined, please repost this letter in your own blog and spread the word?Dear Infinity Ward:Please release a patch or fix that will allow users to utilize party chat in all modes of online gameplay, if only for the sake of your female fans. We shelled out the money for the game, we

Writing Tools: Synopsis

2009-11-04T10:20:00.000-05:00

For people who need to have everything laid out nice and organized before them, this may help. Not everything may be of use to you in your writing, but it's good to think about as many aspects as possible in the world you're writing about. This list is taken from an assignment for majors of the sequential arts department of the Savannah College of Art and Design.1. Medium: establish the medium in

Scientology Has the Worst Week Ever!

2009-10-27T22:59:00.003-04:00

It has been a very bad week for Scientology so far. And to think, it's only Tuesday!Scientologists convicted of FraudPaul Haggis Renounces Church of Scientology in Blistering LetterPersonally, I find Scientology a very fishy religion. But then again, I'm generally against all organized religion anyway, so my opinion really doesn't count for much. Talk amongst yourselves. I'll be sitting here,

President Obama and the Curious Case of the Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-26T22:57:00.005-04:00

There are moments in history which, upon remembering, you will be able to recall exactly where you were and what you were doing. The assassination of Kennedy, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and 9/11 are all embedded into the American consciousness. Now, for me, listed among those life changing and world altering events, is the moment I heard the news that President Obama had won the Nobel Peace

November Horrorscopes

2009-10-21T18:40:00.004-04:00

Come and read the horoscopes they didn't want you to know about.AquariusYour roommates say they love your new haircut, but you know they’re lying. However, the stars foretell that your plan to sneak into their rooms, cut off their hair, and make a wig will only end in tears.PiscesIn the wake of Balloon Boy, your planned flight across the American Midwest in a home-made dirigible will not go over

What's In a Name? Trouble

2009-10-17T13:00:00.001-04:00

Almost all creation myths feature women, with their roles and their natures, be they good, evil, or neutral, varying form myth to myth. However, one theme seems to be consistent through a variety of cultures. women in myths, if they have names, are trouble.Arguably, all women in myths, be they creation myths or otherwise, cause problems for the inevitably male character or protagonist. As these

Vampires for Adults: The Sookie Stackhouse Books

2009-10-14T19:40:00.013-04:00

Over at Casa D'Isidoro, 2008 was dubbed the Year of the Vampire. Last year, I finally read Interview with a Vampire, I caved to peer pressure and read the Twilight Saga, and I discovered The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris. Better known as the Sookie Stackhouse books and the inspiration for the HBO drama True Blood, the Southern Vampire Mysteries chronicle the

13 Movies to Watch for Halloween

2009-10-14T18:22:00.017-04:00

My staff at the Catonsville Bureau took a vote on what our favorite scary movies were. We think these movies really capture fear and should be a part of any Halloween movie marathon.13) Arachnophobia - Hate spiders? So do we. That’s why we’re starting off our list with Arachnophobia, a movie where the spiders are big, bad, and taking over small American towns. Our favorite scene: discovery of the

Wicked: Witch and Curse

2009-10-14T09:37:00.007-04:00

You know this type of book. Everyone encounters it eventually. It's in your favorite genre. The plot seems to be compelling. The characters, tragic and/or complicated. The cover is AWESOME. The book itself: FAIL. Such was my experience with Wicked: Witch and Curse.I love stories about witches. Absolutely adore them. So when I saw Wicked: Witch and Curse sitting in the YA section a few months ago,

Banned Book Poetry

2009-09-28T23:51:00.001-04:00

September 26-October 2 is Banned Book Week and the fabulous Jo Knowles is having a banned book haiku contest. Which, of course, I entered. "In honor of Banned Books Week, I challenge you to write a haiku about your feelings on censorship/banned books. I will post these all week and choose a winner on Friday. The winner will get a signed first edition of Lessons From A Dead Girl."Freedom in my

Woman on Woman Crime

2009-09-25T16:10:00.001-04:00

Women beware. I have seen the face of the enemy and she is us. Allow me to introduce you to the Queen Bee and the Female Chauvinist Pig. If you haven’t already met, trust me, you will.The Queen Bee: She’s the woman who has succeeded. She is queen of her domain. Man has no mastery over her. She stands as a testament to the ideals of feminism; that a woman can be boss and do it just as well if not

October Horrorscopes

2009-09-19T09:07:00.002-04:00

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)You’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness. We recommend moving to Libya. They seem to treat the dying very well.Pisces (February 19 – March 20)Your significant other is really a werewolf. Haven’t you noticed how much they like that new Shakira song?Aries (March 20 – April 19) The stars advise you to share that sandwich with me. Seriously.Taurus (April 20 –

Life Without A Lifemate

2009-09-07T23:27:00.002-04:00

I’m on a number of social networking sites, and on some of these, there are introduction threads. On one of these, they asked us state our long term goals and I wrote what I considered to be the basics. • graduate from college, • get a job I don’t hate, • write and publish books, • hold the leaders of the free world hostage and make them listen to Abba, • beat Stephenie Meyer with a hard back

Angels and Demons: Movie Review

2009-08-31T21:28:00.003-04:00

In Angels and Demons, the sequel to the 2006 hit The Da Vinci Code, Tom Hanks reprises his role as Dr. Robert Langdon, a symbologist who is no friend to the church. However, the Vatican turns to him for help after four cardinals are kidnapped. The kidnapper? Apparently a member of the Illuminati, a group of thinkers once persecuted by the Catholic Church and thought to have been long gone. Clues

September Horrorscopes

2009-08-19T20:20:00.003-04:00

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)Yes, your teachers are all conspiring against you. No, there’s nothing you can do about it.Pisces (February 19 – March 20)You are going to find a wonderful man, adopt 3 fabulous children from Third World countries, and live in wedded bliss for 20 years until you come home early one day to find him watching furry porno.Aries (March 21 – April 19)Heh heh

Bromance: Can I Haz IT?

2009-08-11T17:00:00.002-04:00

One would think that with the dominance of Yaoi and Slash fics on Fanfiction.net, publishers would realize that there is a rather sizable teen audience for gay and gender nonconforming literature. But if Justine Larbalestiers plight has taught us nothing else, it's that publishing housing are morons.Personally, I get a little annoyed at the omnipresence of romance in most YA anyway. I and many

Shadow March 17, 1993 - April 1, 2009

2009-04-04T22:31:00.000-04:00

Shadow was a bad cat. Absolutely awful. He teared up furniture. He got under everyone's feet. He climbed the table and stalked the kitchen whenever someone was in it. No food was safe. He even managed to drag the turkey off the table and onto the floor one sad Thanksgiving. And years after that, he still usually managed to take a bite or two out of it.He was fighty, he was bitey, his tale was

The Wizard Has No Heart for Inkheart

2009-03-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

Inkheart tells the tale of Mo and Meggie Folchart, a father and daughter team of bookbinders. Mo and Meggie’s lives are quiet ones until, on one of their travels for Mo’s job, the past catches up to them. Dustfinger, an acquaintance of Mo’s from years before, comes to pursued Mo to give him something – a book – before Capricorn finds Mo and collects the book and Mo himself. As these people with

Of Laptops and Other Toasty Things

2009-02-03T22:03:00.000-05:00

My laptop is toast. Crispy, deep fried toast. I mean no battery, no internet, sparks shoot up from the mother board toast. I need marshmellows for this. While this is a bit depressing, where there is toast, there is jam. And Stephen King and Libba Bray have gifted me with finest jam.Stephen King disses Stephenie Meyer. Like I need anymore reason to love Stephen King.Going Bovine cover art

Wait, I thought they were Chicken of the Sea?

2009-01-10T10:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome 2009. What do I greet you with? Craziness from PETA.Look, I support a lot of stuff. And saving the environment is pretty damn important. But sea kittens are not the way to do it and be taken seriously. I mean, really PETA. SEA KITTENS? Weren't you trying to get the world to accept you as a legitimate organization NOT made up of marijuana saturated neo-hippies? This is not the way.Saving

My Obituary

2008-12-19T11:07:00.000-05:00

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.comJust thought you should know.

I thought I was done, but

2008-12-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for boring you with this, but just when I've bitched out all the anger and frustration, it bubbles up again.The Red and Black, pinnacle of journalism that it is, has once again failed me. I'm saved solely by the fact that I take care of the Creative Musings pages myself. Otherwise, my work, writing, and my position as an Editor would be compromised by the complete and utter lack of

Pro-Choice is Pro-Freedom

2008-11-23T22:34:00.000-05:00

Abortion is a hot topic in every election. Even when there aren’t politicians using the issue as a platform for their campaign, there’s usually one state or another that’s trying to pass legislation for or against legal abortions. The controversy covers both moral and fiscal issues. Some say that making abortions illegal will minimize them, that abortions suck tax dollars from a morally divided

Inkdeath. I haz it.

2008-11-21T12:19:00.000-05:00

On the table sits a new book.It’s one I’ve waited for for months.Beside it is a half-empty mug of day-old coffeewhich I keep forgetting to put in the sink.The world outside the living room window is a depressing grayand I hope to find a brighter world waiting at the end of 663 pages. The story begins with a rustle of pagesand I’m pleased by the sound as the spine cracks in the book.Before me is

Unicorns and Obama

2008-11-19T22:49:00.000-05:00

Once again, the zombie vs. unicorn debate rages on in another corner of the blogosphere. The latest hub of derision finds its home on the FiveAwesomeFansofYA Community run by the fabulous Devyn of Faerie Drink fame. After being invited to the foray, I felt the need to put in my two cents. Here it is, devoid of sign ups and facebook. Enjoy.I'd never given much thought to the whole "unicorns vs.

The Twilight Saga

2008-11-07T11:56:00.000-05:00

The Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn) is the world wide, best selling series of books written by Stephenie Meyer. The series chronicle the life and death of teenager Bella Swan as she falls in love with a local vampire, Edward Cullen. Seventeen year-old Bella Swan has moved to the rainy town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, a self-sacrificing act meant to

V is for Victory

2008-11-05T12:42:00.000-05:00

"Remember, remember the 5th of November,The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.I can think of no reasonWhy the Gunpowder TreasonShould ever be forgot." Today is Guy Fawkes day, a holiday in Britian which remembers a man who died trying destroy a government which repressed his religion. It mocks him for his failure and praises God for it. I prefer to think of it instead as a day to remember a man

The War Against Cancer

2008-11-04T22:21:00.000-05:00

This morning, on my way to and from voting, NPR was talking about the War on Cancer. The topic is always prevalent, but it has some extra attention today asThe specialists they featured were talking about what cnacer is, how to fight, how much and how little they know about it, and the kind of lifestyle necessary to best prevent cancer.I understand how important it is to find a cure for cancer.

Storms

2008-10-03T15:11:00.000-04:00

I love storms. I love hearing the thunder echo as it rolls over the mountians. I love the sound of the rain pounding against the gravel outside. I love listening to it all with my window open. When the thunder comes, I have to stop what I'm doing and honor it. I have no choice. When it comes and goes, before the rain hits but the lightening is crashing in the distance and the clouds are