And The Winner Is....

Sorry we went a little AWOL!  But better late than never, right? ;) Anywho, hopefully we'll be back in the game during summer, and can chug along even later.

Without further ado, the winner of a copy of The Fairy Tale Trap is....

Rebecca!

Thanks to our wonderful contributor, and, of course, to Emily Casey for her donation!

Stay tuned, readers, for more lovely chic nerdiness coming your way!

Bloggiesta Wrap-Up

This is a list of stuff I've done for Bloggiesta (my first year--w00t!)

• Changed and fixed the design and banner (about three times, I think :P )
• Changed font colors to match said design and banner
• Posted The Penderwicks review
• Updated the Archives page
• Updated the "What's Next" widget
• Added the "Pledge to Read the Written Word" widget (see left sidebar, below)
• Changed colors of my WhosAmungUs widget to match said design and banner
• Changed colors of my StatCounter to match said design and banner
• Edited and updated the "Who I Am" page
• Changed my e-mail for my Ning networks (this counts for blogging! Ya know, networking and all...)
• Changed ownership/e-mail for all Google Docs, including forms on this blog
• Actually LOOKED through blog forms (GASP)
• Changed the About page to "About NftN"
• Fixed the page widget above, as well as the Directory page
• Wrote bloggy-related e-mails :)

I was planning on doing so much more, but oh well. I missed the first day...I guess I'll just have to make do with writing more posts during the week. And then I think there is another Bloggiesta in July...yay! So participating in that one, and PROMISING to do so much better.

Bloggiesta--OLE!

I've actually NEVER participated in Bloggiesta before, but this time, I'm DETERMINED to do it and actually get stuff done around here.

Here's my basic weekend plan (and yes, I am aware that Friday is almost already done with, but I'm going to do what I can!):

• Write reviews (duh)
• Figure out how to throw in some guest posts (which will require YOU to participate! E-mail me for more info)
• Fix up the design. It's pretty outdated, don't you think?
• Edit the pages
• Introduce and plan my super secret project!
• Keep my Google Reader nice and tidy :)

That's...mostly it! And though that seems like so little in comparison to what many Bloggiesta participants are doing, I'm planning on writing a TON of reviews (and you know how long my reviews are).

Who's doing Bloggiesta? Good luck to those doing it! :)

Um, 2011? Why Are You Here?

(It should be noted that, upon writing the title of this post, the author typed "2002" instead of 2011. And when she tried to type "2002", she instead wrote "2022". She really fails at numbers and years.)

Yeah, so...why is it that after one minute jumping from 11:59 to 12:00, we're suddenly in another day which then means we're in another month which then means we're in another year? I mean, say WHAAAATT?

I've already wasted two days of this year--which means three hundred sixty-four days to complete the following resolutions (I've decided for this year to split some of my resolutions into months):

• Read a TON (namely, finish my TBR pile; not sure how to make this a monthly resolution, but I am aiming to finish the classics I own by this summer)
• Write a TON (my main goal is to finish my WIP before the end of this month, but also to participate--and maybe even win--NaNo, Script Frenzy, and FAWM...and maybe NaBloPoMo, too)
• Blog a TON (that means updating this two to three times a week--maybe do more if this really takes off--and update my tumblr more instead of staring at pictures on my dashboard all the time! That...doesn't sound creepy. :P )

My other resolutions--and huge biggies for me this year--are:

• To do everything faster! Really, I'm super slow at everything--have you noticed?
• Work ahead of time and not procrastinate...which I guess goes along with the first
• And since I just noticed that the second goes with the first, I'm going to add another on a whim: be more patient with people, more accepting, and try not to get easily angered by others' actions. Basically, can I ask to be a saint? ;)

What are YOUR resolutions? Happy New Year, my lovelies!

~J

Red Flags: Why I Use It and What It Does

For those of you who have read many of my reviews, you will notice that no matter what I review--books, movies, music albums, whatever--I include "Red Flags".

As an elementary schooler, I was extremely sensitive. I was watching the first and second Harry Potter movies yesterday, and I recalled seeing them as a seven- and eight-year-old (respectively) and being rather frightened of the climax with the special effects and all. I'm seventeen now, and I can watch them without flinching. But even now, I don't really care for excessive violence, language, or sensuality. Honestly, what kind of person reads, watches, or listens to it and relishes it?

When I read reviews, I do like hearing about the writer's opinion. But I personally like reading blogs like Reading Teen, Reading Rocks, and Good Clean Reads, blogs that let readers know about any questionable content in books. I'd rather hear from an honest blogger about whether such content is in a book beforehand than accidentally stumbling upon it after paying money for the book and reading it.

Maybe you'll think, "That's just you. I don't think that way. Who even thinks like that anymore?" You'd be wrong. I've been told by readers that yes, they like when I tell them to watch out for something in a book, or if there's some content in a movie or album. And I want to be a blogger who listens to her readers. That's why I started and will keep on using Red Flags. Granted, I sometimes get lazy and like to rely on CSM, but when that site misses something (or exaggerates), I will by all means let my readers know.

If you think I'm odd, crazy, or just a plain prude, don't get ideas that I like to ban books. I don't. Censoring a work of art (yes, books are art--if you're a writer, don't you consider yourself an artist?) is absolutely wrong. I'm not one of those crazies who go off preaching that Harry Potter worships witchcraft and condones misbehavior; that The Lord of the Rings teaches evil magic and is satanic; that To Kill a Mockingbird should be out of high schools; that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is profane; that Shakespeare should be profoundly bowdlerized; that Grimm's fairytales should not be read to elementary school children; that Animal Farm praises communism. So what do all of these books have in common? Yeah, they've been on ALA’s Banned Books lists. But they're also, in my opinion, some of the greatest stories written of all time. I don’t believe in book banning. However, I think that at times, a line has to be drawn.

Here's what I don't understand though: if you have the freedom to speak your mind about whether readers should be informed about content, if you think no books should be censored, if you think artists have the right to utilize their talent in whatever way they wish to the fullest extent of creativity, why can't bloggers write what they want on their blog? I think we can speak our mind about readers being informed about content. I don't think books should be censored. I think artists have the right to utilize their talent. And I think bloggers can express their opinion on their blog. That's what a blog is for. That's what reviews are for. And if you think that not informing your readers about questionable content is a no-no, hey, maybe we should get rid of the MPAA system, too. Because the purpose of that system is exactly that of my blog's Red Flags.

I'm sorry if I offended any of my loyal readers. I mean no harm, but this is a blog--I express my opinions. You're free to have your own blog and express yours. That's my two cents.

~J

I Guess I Should Start with "Hi"...

With that said...

Hello. How are you? Merry Christmas.

I'm fine, thank you. Been busy...which is why I haven't been blogging lately.

So, er...yes, I did go AWOL. But I've been planning my comeback and, uh, here it is.

What have I been doing all this time? Well...

• STUDYING
• HOMEWORK
• Reading (a little)
• Watching movies (a lot)
• Writing (sporadically...hey, like my blogging!)
• Playing the piano and guitar (even less)

And since it IS Christmas...my comeback should be definite. With more:

• READING!
• MOVIES!
• WRITING!
• MUSIC!
• AND....REVIEWS!! (and tumblr...)

ALSO: I'm thinking of retiring "New Tunes" on this blog. I have way too many to do...I think I'm probably going to move it to my tumblr, where it will dwell very happily.

AND ONE LAST THING! Check out the poll to the left (if you can't tell your right from your left like me, it's your more dominant hand if you're a leftie and your less dominant hand if you're a rightie ;) ). Please vote! I'm trying to figure out what to review next. :)

This Is the Buzz...

I'm sitting here, typing this away, while busily munching (but not swallowing, of course) a piece of Trident gum. This fact is seemingly irrelevant, but nay, my friends, this is a change: I hardly ever chew gum. I'm chewing a piece now because first of all, it's relieving me from dehydration due to SoCal's ridiculous weather, but it's also a revolution. It's Bastille Day, and if you know a speck of history, that means that on July 14, 1789, a revolution took place in France. Two hundred twenty-one years later, I'm starting my revolution.

No, I won't be whacking off heads (geez). This doesn't have anything to do with the government, or even with politics. It's more of a resolution then a revolution. Today, I resolved to do the following:

• Twitter = no mas. Not for awhile, anyway.
• Facebook = no mas. Not that I've been doing anything with it for awhile, it's just more official now.
• Blogging = mas! I'm blogging more.
• Writing = mas! At the minute, my WIP is my favoritest thing in the world. (yes, excuse the writer for messing up her grammar on purpose) Writing also includes songwriting. I've had an urge for returning to it for awhile.
• Reading = mas! In case you're wondering, I'm reading Emma right now.

That's basically my resolution: more writing, reading, and no social networking aside from blogging. My resolution also includes replying to emails, so if you'd care to drop a line, go ahead and do so.

My resolution is also calling me to get busy on writing a new review as well as to fix my last album review...and to continue revising and writing my WIP.

And since I'll also be busily listening to music, I'll try to update my tumblr often with music quotes. :)

Wanted: A Blogger/Blogspot Genius

Hey, folks! It seems that not too many of you really looked at my album review for Play On, and that's okay. I kind of don't blame you--if you at least glanced at it, you might notice what a mess it looks right now. What's happening is that Blogger (or at least, my Blogger) is messing with the HTML as soon as I press the "post" button. I have no idea why this is happening, or if anyone else is having the same problem, but it seems even the folks at the Google Help Group won't help or have no idea at all.

So I'm in need of some assistance. Just let me know in the comments whether you have a Blogger blog, and check to see if you're having the same problem as well. It seems my whole posting option is screwed up, because I can't even edit old posts anymore without the screen getting messed up. PLEASE, please please help me if you're a wicked awesome genius with Blogger and with HTML. I need to know why my HTML is changing up on itself and how I can fix this. My one idea is because I use Century Gothic instead of the standard Blogger fonts, and if this is the case, then back to Georgia I go (not the state or the country, the font).

Thanks in advance! :D

Back!

I honestly don't know how many posts I've done with the same title above, but...here goes!

So I've been totally neglecting this blog, and only really got back around to writing and posting on it after being reinspired by Julie and Julia (not that I was about to give up blogging--I was just being lazy), and because I'm kind of bored right now.

Hopefully, I won't be so lazy to write up some posts and and reviews for you all!  And yes, I am on summer vacation...which should mean that I WOULD get more time to post on here but actually doesn't...it means I slack off a lot and attempt to study for the SAT.  (Yes, I'm asking for luck on the latter.) ;) Anywho, I feel like this summer vacation is going to be like some new year thing...hence, some resolutions.  That is, if I can keep them. ;)

• Try to figure out a good blogging schedule, and STICK with it!
• READ.  I have to finish all the books in my TBR pile before school starts. :P (In total, I have forty-seven books, two of which I've already finished only because I was almost done with them anyway.  I'm almost done with another two though...so wish me luck!  I may do a counter thing on my sidebar for it.  I would LOVE you if you told me where I can make the best widget where I can do a sort of countdown thing showing how many books I've finished for my mini challenge.)
• WRITE.  I'm absolutely determined to finish my book before summer ends.  I'm aiming for 2K a day, a common NaNoWriMo goal I think.  I'm hoping I can push myself to make this like NaNo, but more serious.  Plus, I have more time and I'm a good ways into my WIP.  (And yes, words cannot express how much I adore my book.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.)
• SAT prep, as stated before...
• Learn more guitar songs!  Master them!  (I really want to master "Goodbyes" by Savannah Outen, "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne, "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer, "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" by Jewel, among others, especially now that I have actual picks!  w00t!)
• Learn more piano songs...properly.  I'm absolutely determined to learn almost all of Regina Spektor's songs, and if I don't explode.  Or implode.  Maybe not really, but I'll be very, very frustrated.  I at least have to get "Samson", "On the Radio", "Fidelity", "Eet", "Laughing With", "Dance Anthem of the 80s", "Ne Me Quitte Pas", "Two Birds", among others, solid.  Okay, maybe at least a couple of those.
• Finally jot down some good songs. :P
• Exercise.  Yeah.  For some reason, putting that on here seems a bit of a TMI...oh well.
• Change up the layout a little.  I might change the background to make it less spring-y and more summer-y, but if you guys notice, the static pages have kind of shifted around.  See it?
• Chat with my pals on Skype and gmail!  Guys, e-mail me or something!!!

This isn't possibly a little too much for my summer plate, is it?  Just wish me luck on them all...especially the reading thing, and the writing thing, and the SAT thing. :P Oh, and I also have a tumblr, though I have no idea what to do with it.  It'll mostly be a thing throwing out shameless plugs and quotes and songs and random thoughts once in awhile, but maybe eventually I'll figure out some good use for it.

What are you all doing this summer? :D

Truth: May Folks Are Awesome

Note: the above picture WAS the same one I used last year for Priya. It's just so cute!

I'm not one to really believe in horoscopes--I just find the ones about people's personality based on their date of birth or what year they're born in funny. (And I also really, really hate daily horoscopes. Very vague, very retarded. A total waste of time.)

However, I've noticed something pretty darn amazing: many people born towards the end of May are AWESOME. They're just amazing. They do all sorts of different things, but they are so wicked cool. If you're not convinced, or you're angry at me because I didn't say that your birthday is awesome (which it probably is, but I'm just focusing on May here because, well, it IS May), just read on to find out.

Jackson Pearce (May 21, 1984)
So...our names are every-so-slightly similar (because if you call her Jackie and me Jackie, we would easily have the same name), but...c'mon. She's a YA author and a singer who totally pwned Ke$ha a few days ago with her hit single "Writers' Blok" (which, by the way, I'm currently playing on repeat on my iPod. Just so you know.). Not only did she debut last year (book-wise) with a novel that sounds eerily similar to one of my favorite TV shows, I Dream of Jeannie (As You Wish, which, I believe, is also somewhat based on a Shakespeare play), but also her second novel (a fairy-tale retelling, another favorite genre of mine), Sisters Red, is coming out very soon and can already be bought from various bookstores!

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859)
C'mon! It's the creator of Sherlock Holmes! And he was also a sort of sidekick helper-guy in Shanghai Knights. Though he isn't the author to first start writing the detective novel (that honor goes to Wilkie Collins with his novel The Moonstone, which I own and must read soon!), he established a classic book series that could be called Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys for Victorian era adults. In case you were wondering, my bucket list consists of reading the whole collection of Sherlock Holmes books--I've already read The Hound of the Baskervilles, one that I really enjoyed considering it was for summer reading freshman year.

spider (May 24)
Spider is awesome because: 1. I met her on LRRH back in the day, hence making her awesome. 2. She was on LRRH because she's a fan of Shannon Hale. 3. Her blog ROCKS. 4. She is freaking hilarious. 5. She's a constant blog reader of mine--that automatically gets sweet-and-awesome points in my book. ;) 6. She once helped me out with a project for Journalism/Yearbook. 7. We're both juniors born in the same year (though not all juniors born in the same year as us are awesome. Just saying. ;) ). 8. I think she tagged me before for a meme. Or I tagged her. 9. She could probably figure out I'm trying to come up with ten reasons why she's cool. 10. She is just cool. :)

Jewel (May 23, 1974)
Possibly one of the most talented singer-songwriter-guitarists out there. I simply adore songwriters who can weave poetry into music, a gift I wish I had, and Jewel can simply do it. I listened to "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" on Sunday, forgetting it was her birthday (and I hadn't listened to her in awhile--however, I randomly had gotten it stuck in my head one day and didn't get to listen to it until then). Oh, and speaking of poetry, did you know that she actually wrote and published a book of poetry (and not just the lyrics written down in a book, though she has done that too for charity)? So neat. :)

Queen Victoria (May 24, 1819)
Um, hello? This is THE QUEEN. The one who reigned for sixty-something years in England and conquered almost the whole world (hence the proverb, "The sun never sets on the British empire.") including Europe, though the latter was more through her children's marriages (which is why she is called the grandmother of Europe, I believe). And as a side note, I have watched the mini-series on her, which was okay (and which starred Colin Firth's younger brother as Prince Albert! OMG! There is practically no resemblance whatsoever!), and I really want to see the new movie of her. :)

Frank Oz (May 25, 1944)
We all know it was Jim Henson who started the Muppets, but without Frank Oz directing the Muppets movies, they might not be as popular as they are today. He made Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Grover, and Cookie Monster a voice (literally speaking) 'cause...c'mon, what would the Muppets be without a pearl-wearing blonde pig, or what would Sesame Street be without that sweet-toothed blue fellow?

Dorothea Lange (May 26, 1895)
To you, she may just be a name in a history book, but really, her work from the Great Depression (such as Migrant Mother, which I'm sure you've seen somewhere) strikes Americans to the core even today upon realization of the hardships and struggles that the poor had to endure during the thirties. So Ms. Lange's awesome factor? Very high, considering her impact and her photographs' impact--especially at a time when photos were a pretty new medium still--on the U.S.

Sally Ride (May 26, 1951)
First of all, I'd like to say that if we play the Degrees of Separation game (which I LOVE), I'm two degrees from this amazing astronaut. TWO degrees from the first American woman astronaut! So. Neat. Her story always fascinated me, especially due to the fact that even though I'm not a fan of science, astronomy (NOT astrology, again, mind) interested me a lot, especially when I was in elementary school. I think she also taught (or is teaching) at Stanford, which also adds to her awesome factor in my book (even though chances are slim that I would get into there).

Helena Bonham-Carter (May 26, 1966)
Lucy Honeychurch. Lady Jane. Ophelia. Mrs Bucket. Bellatrix Lestrange. Admit it: this actress has played so many of literature's most famous characters, and she plays them well to boot. Not only that, she's Mr Bingley's cousin! Well, a "distant" cousin of the actor who plays Bingley in the Pride and Prejudice mini-series (ever noticed how in the credits there was always some fellow with the last name Bonham-Carter? That's him).

Colbie Caillat (May 28, 1985)
Another favorite singer-songwriter-guitarist of mine born around this time (though she is also a pianist and ukuleleist). I simply love her music because it's one of those that you simply can't place in one single genre, because it's one all of its own. Well, I've written a review raving about her debut album, so you should know already how much I enjoy listening to her songs. :)

What do these people all have in common? Some love literature, others music, others history (or they are part of history) and me...wait, why am I mentioning me? Is it...possibly my birthday? Could it be that I joined the ranks of these amazing people seventeen years ago?

YES! It's true! I...I...I'm a cool May person! I have something in common with these people! Um...wow!
Wow, as in...that wasn't just so corny. Well, 'nuff about me.

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all of these folks, though for many of them it is either a belated or an early birthday wish. :P

**Nota Bene/Disclaimer: You could totally call this list biased, because upon research, the writer/blogger/birthday girl found that there were also some not-so-awesome folks born in the end of May as well. Such as Cambodian dictators and untalented singers. Just saying.**

Also, folks I didn't mention but whom I also wish a happy birthday to include (but are not limited to): Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803), Ian McKellan (May 25, 1939), Amelia Bloomer (May 27, 1818). There were also several others, but I'll probably include them and those just listed in a post...in exactly a year from now. :)

BTW, I so would have posted this earlier had not HTML been such a jerk to me last night. :P

The Buzz...(and goodbye until May 12!)

You might to able to tell, but I've been fiddling around with the nitty-gritty design aspects of this blog. Hope you all like it! I probably won't be able to do more until May 12.

Why May 12? Well...APs are coming up. Yep, Advanced Placement tests. I'm taking three this year (it will be my first time), and am I nervous. I have AP Lit this coming Thursday, APUSH the day after that, and AP Psych on Tuesday. May 12 is the day after my last AP test, so I'm hoping to finally relieve my stress on that day.

But when I come back, I pinky promise to...

• Read! A lot!
• Read and give feedback on Inkpop, a writing site that has been like heaven for me as of late (if you have an account and are a friend of mine, you'll see why)
• Play the guitar! And the piano! I'm abstaining from playing music (but not listening to it, of course) until my APs are over.
• Write and post a ton of reviews (and schedule them :P )
• Work on three projects I'm doing right now...I'm not going to reveal them at the moment, because I'm not sure how they'll go, but please wish me luck! Come to think of it, it's kind of four projects...Trust me, if this works out, I'll reveal it to you guys soon. :)
• Write my novel. Yes, this also has something to do with Inkpop.
• Possibly start writing a script. I'm not certain yet. I have two really good ideas, and I feel bad for not participating in Script Frenzy this year. :P
• Uh...I feel like I'm missing more...oh! Recruit more people to be featured here! And try to get you guys talking a bit more here (ie, I'm going to set up a post where you guys ask me questions and I put them up on the "Who I Am" page, or somewhere similar). So if you guys want to be featured, you can fill out the forms (or if you have a rec for me, you can fill out a form too), but most likely I won't be able to get back to you until May 12 or later. Sorry! Also, first come first serve, unless I wait for waaayyy too long (like a week. I'm going to make a policy for this soon).

And uh...that's it! Please, please, please wish me luck, and if you guys aren't on Inkpop, you should join and add my novel to your pick list! See y'all in a couple weeks! *tear tear*

~J