Nanowrimo

I just realized, I haven't posted on this blog in what, a month? Great. That makes one post a month. *Dramatic sigh* Oh well. I know I say this practically every post, but... I'll try to post more often from now on! Now, on to more important things. NONOWRIMO COMES IN FIFTEEN DAYS!!! I found this blogging meme on the internet, since I have absolutely no other ideas on what to write about... Enjoy.


When and how did you find out about NaNoWriMo? How did you go?

Last year, I believe. I (I think, I did, at least) was doing an internet search about something along the lines of "novel writing" because a had an idea for a story I wanted to write, and lo and behold, I found NaNoWriMo.


How many times have you done NaNoWriMo?


This is just my second time.


How many times have you won? If you haven’t won, what was your best result?


Last year, I only wrote 9,000 words. I hope to do much better this year.


How did you go last year?


I threw together the majority of my plot at the last minute (But don't we all?) but I think it went rather well, seeing as that was the first time I had even attempted to write over 1,000 words. It also helped boost my self confidence when it comes to writing.

Where do you write and with what do you write?

 I prefer to type (Mainly because my handwriting is awful) but when I'm in the car or someone else is on the computer I write it in a notebook and transfer it to the computer.

How do you find time to write?

Last year, I wrote after school every day. My teacher went pretty easy on us when it came to homework, so I had the time. This year, since I'm homeschooling, it will count for my writing grade.

Are your partners, friends and family allies or enemies?


My parents are super- supportive of my writing and I'm really thankful for that. My brother seems to think it's pretty cool to have a sister who wants to write a novel.


Do you plot/outline/plan or do you write by the seat of your pants? How much do you plot or how unprepared are you?

I hardly ever outline. I generally have a basic idea about the plot, but never that detailed. I tend to write along one main plot and add in little side plots as I go.

What are your writing aids? Special snacks, music, totems, rewards or punishments?

Last year, I used Write or Die, or Written Kitten if I was in the mood for something less stressful. I also saved my Halloween candy and ate a piece each time I got to a certain point.

Board Games

Recently, board games have begun to get more and more complex. Where you used to find Candyland or Monopoly, now you'll find The Settlers of Catan, Agricola, or 7 Wonders. With a whole sleuth of new games to choose from, they aren't just for kids anymore! Here's a list of some of me and my family's favorites.

1. Android: Netrunner This two person card game puts the players in a dystopian future, ruled by huge corporations. One player, the corporation, attempts to put their plans into motion with their secret agendas, while the other player takes the place of a hacker extraordinaire called a Runner and attempts to hack the corporation's computer systems.









 2. 7 Wonders In 7 Wonders, players compete to build the most successful civilization, focusing on several ways to expand their cities. Will they become a huge cultural center? Build architectural masterpieces? Make groundbreaking scientific discoveries? Or perhaps shove their way to dominance with a powerful military?










 3. Agricola Although this game takes a while to master and even longer to play, it's tons of fun (Plus, you can recreate all the items as tiny clay animals!) Players take the places of farmers and try to rake up the most points by breeding animals, expanding their farm, and planting crops.






4. The Settlers of Catan With numerous expansion packs, The Settlers of Catan is a fast paced (Not! The average game takes about two hours) game where players build settlements, cities, and roads to settle the untouched island of Catan.

Now, for a tried and true, not so new finale,

5. Magic

In this card game (OK, OK, maybe I did say this post was going to be about board games, but hey, card games are fun too!!), players become powerful wizards and summon magical creatures like powerful gryphons, elven warriors, and deranged hermits who summon massive squirrel armies, while casting spells, in a battle for supremacy.

So, what are your favorite board games? Comment below!

Lists

I've realized that my posts on here leave much to be desired. I created this blog intending it to be a place for me to share my thoughts, but I've realized that, when I post on here, it tends to be just a collection of Doctor Who/ Sherlock/ Harry Potter pics. Therefore, I've decided to make 3 changes to this blog, starting today.
1. I'll try to post at least once a week (Note the word try. I'll be homeschooled this year, so I'll be working much harder.)
2. My posts will (almost) always have some... substance? Is that the word for it? I won't just be posting random pics anymore.
3. I'll post for a wider audience. It won't all be Doctor Who/ Sherlock/ Harry Potter themed (Although you can expect quite a few of Doctor Who/ Sherlock/ Harry Potter themed posts, still)
Now, for today's post. :) I got this from Musing From Neville's Navel, and although I hope to do some better posts later on, here it is.

Top 5 Favorite Animated Movies

1. How to Train Your Dragon
2. Up
3. The Pirates
4. Finding Nemo
   
5. Brave

Top 5 Favorite Superhero Movies

1. Avengers
2. That's pretty much the only superhero movie I've seen...
3. So...
4. Same here.
5. And her

Top 5 Favorite Comedies

1. Elf
2. Muppets From Space
3. Anything Muppets, actually
4. The Princess Bride
5. I'm not sure what else to put here, actually.

Top 5 Favorite Movies as a Kid

1. Finding Nemo
2. Milo and Otis
3. Babe
4. The Aristocats
5. Anything with lots of talking animals

5 Worst Movies EVER

1. Alpha and Omega
2. Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
   
3. Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace
4. Star Wars II: The Clone Wars
5. The Lion King (Although I did like the music)

Top 5 Book-to-Movie Adaptations

1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I
4. The Return of the King
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Top 5 Movies You Were Most Excited to See in Theaters

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
2. Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II
5. Hmmm... I can't really think of any more.

Top 5 Cutest Animals in Movies/ TV Shows

1. The Ewoks from Star Wars
2. Adipose from Doctor Who
3. Doug from Up
4. Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon
5. Did I mention the Adipose?

Top 5 Favorite Actors/Actresses (in terms of acting)

1. Martin Freeman (The Hobbit/ Sherlock/ The Pirates)
2. David Tenant (Doctor Who/ The Pirates/ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
3. Catherine Tate (Doctor Who)
4. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)
5. Hmm... I can't think of anyone else. Maybe Billie Piper from Doctor Who?

Top 5 Favorite Actors That Bring Out Your Inner Fangirl

1. I don't fangirl.
2. I like actors for their skill, that's it.
3. Got it?
4. Same here
5. And here

Top 5 Favorite TV Shows

1. Doctor Who
2. Sherlock
3. Merlin
4. Wolverine and the X-Men
5. The Ultimate Spiderman

Top 5 Favorite Male TV Characters

1. The Doctor (Doctor Who)
2. John Watson (Sherlock)
3. Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)
4. Arthur (Merlin)
5. Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who)

Top 5 Favorite Female TV Characters

1. Morgana (Merlin)
2. Gwen Merlin)
3. Martha Jones (Doctor Who)
4. Donna Noble (Doctor Who)
5. Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Top 5 Favorite TV Animals

1. Animal (Muppets)
2. Kermit  (Muppets)
3. Gonzo (Muppets)
4. Fozzie Bear (Muppets)
5. K-9 (Doctor Who)

Kelpie

Inspired by the capaill uisce of The Scorpio Races

THE SCORPIO RACES!!!!

 

This book was recommended to me numerous times, but it was just now that I finally decided to read it. Based on the description from the back cover, I figured it would be yet another semi-hunger-games failed dystopian romance-  but it isn't.

In The Scorpio Races, water horses- based on kelpies from Celtic mythology- compete in a deadly race that truly puts the rider's skill to the test. Water horses (capaill uisce) are not your regular horses.True kelpies, from Irish and Scottish mythology, are faery horses that live in lakes and sometimes the ocean. They lure people- usually children- into their home and eat them. The Scorpio Races modifies this myth slightly to fit the story- they live in the ocean off the coast of a small island and occasionally come on land searching for food.

Puck is a feisty girl- and a brave one. The first girl to ride in the races, she even enters on her island pony instead of one of the capaill uisce, all to save her home.

Sean belongs to the sea and has a fierce connection with a capall uisce named Corr. In a desperate act, he vows to win the races and earn the money to buy Corr and save the horse from its owner's vengeful son.

Together, they win the races- and create a very memorable story that's hard to forget, with a wonderful ending.

Rating: 9/10

The CA Capitol Building

We went to visit our state capitol building today as a field trip and I thought it was pretty cool. Here were some of my favorite parts.

• I found out that the CA government is based on English parliament. The carpeting in the Senate is red, to show the British "House of Lords" and the carpet in the Assembly room is red because of the "House of Commons", because the commoners had to sit on the grass.
• The people who built the building wanted to be recognized, so they found secret ways to be recognized. One put a tile in the floor on backwards, and another one carved his wife's name (Rita) in the plaster.
• Both the Assembly and the Senate were dominated by Democrats (Which Assembly member Connie Conway, who we met on the trip, seemed pretty ticked about.) I found it interesting that the microphones they use have stickers on them to represent their political party- Republicans are red and Democrats are blue.
• The Senate is more traditional. They vote and do roll call by voice, while the Assembly uses technology.
• The Senate is half the size of the assembly.
• The Assembly members feel very strongly about wrestling.

The Hunger Games Word Cloud

I used this as part of a project my class did when we read the Hunger Games.