I believe the odds are in The Hunger Games' favor...

It was just a fantastic movie experience all around: the movie, the AH-mazing Regal Biltmore Grande, peanut m&ms and sierra mist, and even being dressed up as characters:

Katniss arena, Katniss reaping, and Effie Trinket. Yeah, you could say we're fans.

Right, so on to the movie.  I enjoyed it immensely.  The casting was pretty much perfect in my opinion.  I was very happy with Jennifer Lawrence's performance, as well as Liam Hemsworth's.  I honestly don't think Peeta could have been more perfect; Josh Hutcherson, you are amazing.  Adaptationwise, I feel like they covered the basics.  That being said, there were a lot of basics to cover, and so they were unable to get into all those delicious details.  They totally nailed the reaping scene in my opinion (way to go Willow Shields) but I was somewhat disappointed in the cave scene.  There was still some bonding going on, but it wasn't the three-day "vacation" of the book.  And I loved that part, so I was kind of sad.  But it was still good.  I missed Madge, Katniss drugging Peeta, the Avox girl, and the lamb stew.  Overall, it was not as emotionally and thematically complex as the book, but that's to be expected.  They did a great job.

And after I got home, I stayed up till 1:45 AM reading Catching Fire again.  November 2013 is when the movie is expected, I think.  I literally cannot wait to see who will play Finnick Odair.  Well, here's to more anticipation.  Happy Hunger Games!

A very happy 17th to a very dear blogging friend...

Of course, nothing can compare to Megan's genius birthday blunderkind from last year, but I thought I'd throw a little somethin' together.  Because Kellie is cool like that and deserves it. ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyUGNiO5qxA
(hmm, seems me video will only post via link. why is blogger being difficult?)
Kinda cheesy, quick put together (the song doesn't even fit, but it was the most fun birthday-pop-y sounding thing I had), but there you have it. :)  I hope you had a fantastic birthday Kellie!

In which I watched (heheh, that's kind of funny to say) LotR extras...

I was home alone most of the day, and this evening I decided to watch some of my super-special-extended-edition-lord-of-the-rings-movie-extras from The Fellowship of the Ring.  This stuff is from about eleven years ago, which is really weird because that seems like a very long time, and yet I remember when the movies were coming out.  Anyway, I learned some inspiring stuff about Tolkien and about making a ridiculously epic movie and that at the age of nineteen Elijah Wood was rather adorable.  I couldn't help but think of you guys, with all the movie and story and magic and music making; if we ever get together, I think some LotR extras may be in order.  Of course, some of the filming techniques are probably obsolete by now, but whatevs.  It's still cool.

The Three Musketeers will be released on dvd next week.  And The Hunger Games comes out the week after that.  Excited.  Very.  You probably already knew these things, but I felt the need to blog them.

In music, right now I am really enjoying Relient K's "Be My Escape," Joshua Radin and Ingrid Michaelson "Sky," Paramore "That's What You Get," and Owl City in general, even though Adam Young can write some pretty odd lyrics - I have yet to discover what an "alligator sky" and a "strawberry avalanche" are.  Yes, this is a rather random ensemble, but I have a bit of cabin fever so it is to be expected. (As a matter of fact, today I began wildly jumping on the floor and pacing back and forth when I grew tired of working on an application. But I'm okay now.)

Welp, that's all for this post.  I must try to calm my over-active brain with some Charles Dickens so I can go to sleep instead of howl at the beautifully full moon. 

Meant to post this sooner, but anyway...

So, I think Kellie already knows this, since she "liked" my facebook status about it, but last night I watched Hugo.  I loved it.  There was lots of gears and clocks and keys and the like...making it kind of, steampunk?...but whatever ya call it, it's the sort of thing I love.  It also involves a drawing automaton, trains, and early films, which I thought was pretty cool.  It's set in France in the 1930s, but practically everyone has British accents, which didn't really bother me because I prefer a British accent to a French anyway.  There wasn't any magic in it, but it felt magical, and it's a sweet story, with a just right amount of emotion, and interesting thoughts.

Hugo and Isabelle with the automaton Hugo repaired.

Oh and I saw Puss in Boots.  It was kind of cute.

Right now I am listening to samples of Ingrid Michaelson's newest album.  Pretty good so far; I think "Fire" is my favorite, but I haven't heard it all.

I should probably wrap this up now; I am in my room, but my dad is making us all sleep downstairs tonight because there is a tornado warning until 5 in the morning.  Hah.  A tornado, in the mountains!  Strange weather.  So I shall leave the comfort of me bed to avoid being potentially crushed in my sleep by a tornado-torn tree.

On that thought, nightie night!

Just quick before bed...

Another fantastic Eisley song, and a cool picture I came across on google today...

Infrared photography.  I am absolutely captivated.  When I grow up, I wanna be an infrared photographer.

And now I am praying that that cricket hiding under my dresser will come out so I can squash it mightily instead of lurking in the dark waiting to ninja-leap at my face in the middle of the night. -_o

~DBF Out~

Battling senioritis is definitely a balancing act...

So I'll spare you the details of all the essays and campus touring and high school work and scholarship applications and tea and essays and chocolate and essays.  I've been accepted to four colleges, and I'm waiting for responses from two.  The decision will be difficult, as it will effect pretty much the rest of my life.  I must proceed with caution.  Oh, and finish high school.  Can't forget that part.

And, unfortunately, this balance battle has caused a lull in my blogging and painting/drawing.  But I have FINALLY begun writing my secret cottage / magic candle novel (by begun I mean seven pages :/ ) and I have learned to finger pick "Safe and Sound" from The Hunger Games movie on my guitar.  And a local writer is helping me improve my poetry, so I have written a different style of poem that I shall perhaps post soon. I am currently working on a song likely to be called "Picture in the Locket."  Mum found our long lost video camera, so maybe Kellie could give me some music video making tips and I could work on a music video over the summer.

Oh, and speaking of music videos, here is one by a wonderful band I recently discovered.  Maybe you've heard of Eisley.  If you don't like them, don't click the play button.  If you do like them, enjoy!

I love how all the beautiful things, the beautiful memories, grow throughout.

Well, I can't really think of anything to say to sign off because I'm rather drowsy, so...

DBF Out!

z.z



As I devour my homemade banana split shloppy creation...

Ice cream and Pandora on a foggy Saturday afternoon.  Yep, I'm a happy camper.

So I thought this would be the opportune moment to do a blogger update.  Here's a picture of Isabelle's birthday cake.  She turned fourteen last Sunday, and since the cake we got at Walmart the night before was rather plain looking aside from a Mickey and Pluto in an airplane figurine, I secretly made some alterations of my own...

Yep, that's Percy Jackson inspired: Camp Half-Blood orange icing, the Poseidon trident-thingie, and my sister's name in Greek (thank you Google translate).  I am proud to say that Isabelle was quite pleased.

And speaking of Percy Jackson, I've recently read the two Heroes of Olympus books, and they were really fun.  The Son of Neptune was especially great.  Now I am quite impatient for this fall to bring me The Mark of Athena, book three in the series.  So I've started The Kane Chronicles, at the recommendation of my sisters, to tide me over.  Finished the Red Pyramid this morning, and shall shortly begin The Throne of Fire.  But in my opinion, there's no beating Percy Jackson when it comes to mythology.

I've been learning Spanish lately, which is quite fun, even though I'm not very fluent in conversation yet.  I had an lol moment the other day when the computer woman I was conversing with said, "Nuria es tonto" and then later, "Los hijos de mi vecino son feos."  That's "Nuria is stupid" and "My neighbor's children are ugly."  I guess my Spanish program doesn't teach manners.  I figured out on my own that right now, this is probably the best thing for me to say to a Spanish-speaking person: "Mi español es mal."  My Spanish is bad.  But hopefully, not for long.

And here I sign out.  Love to ya, mi amigas!