4.29.2011

Randomosity on Fridays

This always happens to me when I walk into a video store (soon to be obsolete): all the movies I've ever had interest in seeing just disappear from my head. Poof. Gone! Just like that. I'm left standing in a room full of movies and no idea what I want to rent.

So what I'm really talking about is I was going to do another Paper Hangover Friday Five about covers I'm enamored with, but I can't settle on individual ones. Wither's cover comes to mind, but that's sitting on my table right now. Basically, I think the art departments are doing some really lovely work these days for the YA section and it's too much for me to contemplate at this time.

Very RANDOM Randomosity it is!

1. I celebrated Easter with some buddies this past weekend. We had an Easter Egg Hunt, and it got pretty competitive. There were several rounds.

2. On Monday, I found out that my little niece hunted Easter eggs too but only went like 3 rounds before she had enough. My niece is 4. My friends and I are all at least 2 decades older than her, and we hunted Easter eggs most of the late afternoon.

3. I suspect the homeless cat from next door is sleeping on my car at night. My proof? The driveway light keeps flashing on (it's motion sensitive), and there are paw prints all over the hood of my car. There's a circular spot of concentrated paw prints where it probably settles.

4. My sister and I watched the Game of Thrones pilot together (well, she had to leave halfway through). It was entertaining because our commentary went thus:

[Man orders other man to keep searching for whoever in ominous wintery landscape]

Me: Hey, doesn't he look kind of like Matt Damon?

Sis: Yeah, mixed in with a little Josh Hartnett? He has a snobby-ish accent.

Me: Yeah, yeah! Like a Haldir-type accent!

[Creepy stuff happens, people start dying]

Me: Oh crap, what's happening?!

Sis: I think we missed a lot of important dialogue.

[Later in the show, when we meet the people of Winterfell...]

Sis: Oh my God, is that- is that a guy with long sideburns tied under his chin into a beard?!

Me: Um, yes.

Sis: *dies laughing* WHO DOES THAT?! I mean, when I was like 5, I thought about doing that, but he's like a grown man!

Me: *laughing because Sis is hysterical* Wait, I think we missed something important again! Hey, Robb Stark looks kinda familiar...

Sis: He looks like a young Guy Pierce.

[Later, when more characters are introduced...]

Sis: Augh, who's that creepy-lookin' kid?

Me: Uh, I think that's the prince?

[Ned Stark's oldest daughter seems interested in him.]

Sis: Nooo, is she into him?! But he's so weird looking! Her brother's way hotter!

Me: But HE'S HER BROTHER.

Sis: *flails*

[We meet the Queen and her twin brother]

Me: Wow, golden boy.

Sis: Yeah, seriously. He looks like someone too, like...

Me: Oh, like that guy in that TNT or FX or something show about a firefighter?

Sis: RESCUE ME!

Me: YES!

Sis: Yeah! Oh, and we just missed that part.

5. New Kids and Backstreet Boys performed as their new super-boyband NKOTBSB on Dancing with the Stars this week. I think it's the first time they've performed their admittedly catchy single "Don't Turn Out the Lights." It's pretty epic.



This weekend, a friend said he was waiting for this (our love of BSB) to become embarrassing, to which I replied, IT WILL NEVER BECOME EMBARRASSING.

Happy Friday, everyone! You ready for May?


What's your random this week?


P.S. The LA Times Book Festival is happening this weekend at USC. Anyone in the area going?

P.P.S. I think all this Royal Wedding coverage is a little crazy, but Anderson Cooper's coverage is pretty hilarious. I'm also going to sleep now (it being Thursday when I write this...well, technically Friday).

4.27.2011

Books to TV/Movie

I feel it has been a while since we have had a substance-y sort of post. Part of this is due to Real Life sneaking up on me and Alz with a vengeance, but we will persevere! Maybe!

In the mean time, please bear with us and our short and/or random posts, which brings me to today's topic.

BOOKS TO TV/MOVIE

I bring this topic up because I'm trying out HBO's TV series adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series, Game of Thrones. There's enough intrigue to keep me interested, and it's prompted me to want to check out the books (I've heard of the series before but never really knew what it was about).

This is a bit of a reverse in that usually, people talk about how they've read a book/book series and how they're excited to see the adaptation. In my case, there's been quite a few adaptations recently that have piqued my interest in the book(s).

I don't actually have anything insightful to say here, except that I think I generally enjoy TV/movie adaptations. It's fun to see worlds and characters really come alive, so to speak, and I think with the crazy advances we've had in movie-magic technology, it can be a real treat to see works of fantasy and sci-fi especially translated to the screen.

Of course, the ones I can immediately think of are the good ones, and we all know there are bad book adaptations. Oh goodness, how we know.

It's tough, after all, to satisfy everyone when book worlds and characters are so near and dear to their fans. And as anyone who has had to summarize a story knows, it's REALLY HARD to condense plots and characters and events and still get the same sort of punch originally delivered in the book.

It also matters how the people translating the book to other media view/treat the original work. I think when the people doing the adaptation have respect and love for the source text and aren't thinking about it in terms of the money-making (franchising) side, it shows through in the translation.

There's also that in-between place where the show/movie is really different from the book, but is somehow still good - just in a different way. Usually, it's because it still captures the spirit of the novel. I have a few of those on my list.

These are my somewhat random thoughts on the subject.

Here's what I'd like to ask you:

What do you think about book-to-whatever adaptations?

What are your favorite / least favorite show or film adaptations of books? Have any recommendations for me?

Anyone else watching Game of Thrones? If you've read the books, how does it compare so far?

See you all Friday either for Randomosity or Drooling over Book Covers. I've yet to decide. :)

4.22.2011

Randomosity: Five Things You Wish to See More of in Fiction

This week we're joining in on the Friday Fives hosted by Paper Hangover.  In our case, we're zeroing in on the YA dystopian/supernatural/scifi/fantasy scene since that's what we've been tearing through this year and last.  Below is a sampling of books we've read recently (as well as a few read less recently) and which springboarded these ideas.  Some books contain things we like and want more of, while others have problems/issues we've seen overdone.  Some books contain both.


FIVE things we'd like to see more of in these types of books:

1. Dystopian that's not all about bringing down the regime.   It's cool that dystopian is the name of the game nowadays in YA, but most of the ones we've read lately culminate in rebellion, revolution, and the downfall of the tyrannical government.  It'd be nice to read a story where the world is dystopian but the story doesn't hinge upon destroying the current world order.  The main character does not have to be the Mockingjay.

2. Female characters who are badass without necessarily literally kicking ass. E.g. Claudia in Incarceron, who goes for what she wants head-on by forging her own path through intelligence, political maneuvering, and manipulation.  Or Mae in Demon's Lexicon - normal teenage girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, who maintains badassity without actually busting out secret ninja moves or super powers. She does it all by being true to her character - stubborn, loving, and brave.  Don't just tack on "and she knows Thai kickboxing" as if marital arts are a necessary component of badassity.  (Incidentally, if you check out the top rankings for "badass" on Urban Dictionary, nowhere does it say one must physically kick ass to be badass.)

3. Love triangles where it's not immediately obvious who the heroine/hero is going to end up with.  You can be Team Jacob all you want, but admit it--you always knew Bella was going to end up with Edward.  Even if you hoped otherwise.  The same goes for most YA love triangles, wherein a hero(ine) is presented with two love interests, and you always know which one s/he's going to end up with.

4. More YA main characters who are dudes, and hopefully they actually sound like dudes.  90% of the YA we've read in recent years has featured female protagonists.  Granted, the target market for YA seems to be a mostly female audience, but it'd be nice for there to be some guy protagonists too, who sound like guys.  Not to stereotype what males "ought" to sound like or anything, but sometimes male protagonists written by female authors end up sounding forced, artificial, or (for lack of a better word) girly.

5. More family dynamics. Where are the parents?  Yes, parents can be an inconvenience when you want to go on an adventure or get involved in shady relationships, but part of being a teen is dealing with your parents.  You can love them or hate them, resent them or desire their approval, or all four, but your parents are never a non-issue.  We're not asking for wrenchingly deep emotional exploration of parent-child dynamics; we're just asking that the protagonists deal with and think of their parents in realistic terms, as opposed to not even thinking about them.

So, folks, that's our five!  Do you agree or disagree that there's a lack of the above?  Do you have any book recommendations to fill these empty spaces on our YA shelf?

4.20.2011

Wordless Wednesday: Other Stuff We Do

So, we do other stuff besides writing and reading.

KRISPY
Free-hand writing/calligraphy

Drawing


Chillaxing at the beach

Most recently, this was part of a Beloved Bears collab post at visual artist Jessica Gowling's blog Nature's my Friend. Check it out if you also love bears.



ALZ
Jewelry-making



See more of Alz's crafty skills at her jewelry/craft blog: Sparkling Rampage.

Manatee (and other creature)-making


Doodling/Drawing


Besides writing, what other fun things do you do? Curious minds want to know!

4.15.2011

Randomosity on Fridays: iPad 2 Version

While I love my PC with all my heart (of stone) and soul(lessness), I have to admit that occasionally I am, once a while, slightly and somewhat tempted by the shiny new gadgets and gizmos that Apple whips up.  It took me until last year to actually break down enough to buy an iPod nano.  I reasoned that the nano was a good choice since I just wanted something to play music and didn't want to waste the rest of my life downloading apps and playing with a touch-screen, which is why I didn't spring for the iTouch.

I have since wished, wistfully, that I had gotten an iTouch.  Internet at your fingertips is such a tantalizing prospect, you know?

But now I've set my sights on a new goal.  I want an iPad 2.

1. iPad 2: Why? Because it's a super-shiny awesome tablet, sleek and slim and sexy, it's 2nd gen so they've worked out those 1st gen kinks, and everyone else wants one and I want to be popular and want one too, okay?  And if all the other kids jumped off a cliff, I'd jump off too.  Plus it fulfills my nerdy Star Trek desire for a PADD.

2. This week I swung by Best Buy on a whim. I merely wanted to stare longingly at the iPad 2 display, knowing that they would be out of stock, and so I went and stared until a sales associate came up and told me that they were, in fact, in stock, all models of iPad 2, a shipment had come in 10 minutes ago, and did I need any help?  I was all HOLY CRAP YES I'LL TAKE ONE and he went to get the keys to the cupboard only to unlock it and find that all the wi-fi units had already sold out.  Even he was shocked and kept insisting that it had only been 10 minutes and the shelf had been full to here, really, seriously 10 minutes ago.  He was very apologetic and I cried tears of blood and went away in sorrow.

3. Some company in the UK is selling Swarovski-encrusted iPad 2s.  As Krispy can attest, Alz loves the Shiny, and accordingly I upgraded my desire from plain iPad 2 to CrystalRoc iPad 2.  At ~$5600 a pop, they are a tad on the pricey side, but for that much Swarovski-bling it's not unexpected.

Source: CrystalRoc

4. And then I found out that there's an even better iPad 2 out there.  A 24k diamond-studded-Apple-logo ammolite-and-T-rex-bone-framed iPad 2 featuring an additional flawless 8.5 carat diamond inlaid in platinum with even more diamonds surrounding it, courtesy of Stuart Hughes.  I'm sure I can scrounge enough change under the couch cushions to come up with the ~$8 million necessary to buy one.  There are only two in the world, mind you, so I'd better act snappy.

Source: MTV Geek

5. But since I do not foresee an iPad 2 (crystal-encrusted, 24k, or otherwise) in my immediate future, I decided to do the next best thing: I made myself a gold manatee with bejeweled eyes.



So that's my iPad 2 tale so far.  I don't want to order one because I have commitment issues combined with a desire for immediate gratification and the intellectual knowledge that all I want is a new toy to play with, so I'll just lie in wait for opportunity--and then I will strike!  For, as they say, opportunity knocks but once.

What do you think about the iPad 2?  Is it overhyped? Do you want one anyway?

4.13.2011

Library Week 2011

Wow, it's already that time of year again! No, I don't mean Tax time (though that is true too, eek).

It's LIBRARY APPRECIATION WEEK! Huzzah!

Well, we all know libraries are awesome. So, I'm going to take a slightly tangential approach to this expression of my library love. 3 words: Books and Beyond

At some time during my middle school years, the city library received a grant. That grant was used to create a "youth committee," which was responsible for creating a library newsletter every 3 months or so. That newsletter was called Books and Beyond.

The youth committee consisted of student volunteers, and the newsletter was filled with book reviews, fun literary facts and games, and author spotlights. Too bad the YA section was still rather lacking and that the blogsophere wasn't so buzzin' with blogging authors back then.

Not all of us were straight-up bookworms, but we did love to read and talk about books, and we were all, in some way or another, a type of nerd (holler!). So if it weren't for this thing the library set up, I wouldn't have had this fantabulous experience (or read A Separate Peace for the 4th and final time even though it's in my dislike pile). I also wouldn't have this EPIC thing to share with you.*

I give to you this very special advice column.

Disclaimer: Advice is not to be taken seriously. The following was written by high schoolers - worse, high school versions of me and my friends. We thought we were really funny. (I think we still do.) It was all written in jest. Seriously.



Need Help? G Dawg Gives Advice!

Q: Dear G Dawg,
I'm in love with Orlando Bloom and he's in love with me. He contacts me through secret codes in his movies and public appearances. His bodyguard even shoved me once at a premiere in a meaningful way. I contact him by writing him everyday and sending him presents on weekends. It's been two years and I'm ready to take our relationship to the next level. What's my next step?
Sincerely,
Bloomluvr

A: Dear *cough* Bloomluvr,
A girl's best weapon is jealousy. I suggest you start dating Brad Pitt to make Orlando jealous. But you'll have to make some sacrifices. For example, you must change all of your screen names to "Pittgurl" or "BradsAngel." It'll be worth it, trust me. Once you pierce Bloom's heart with your arrow, he'll be eating lembas bread out of your hands in no time.
Best of luck,
G Dawg
P.S. Invite me to your wedding. I'll bring my boyfriend, Tom Cruise.


Q: Dear G Dawg,
I can't stop drinking soda. Please help!
Sincerely,
Thirsty a.k.a. Soda-Jerk

A: Dear Thirsty a.k.a. Soda-Jerk,
OH MY GOD! Do you WANT to kill yourself? You've started down a dark path full of destruction. It will take great courage and will power to defeat this demon. You may have withdrawals and wake up from nightmares in a cold sweat. Heck, why are you still reading this? Find a doctor before it's too late!
Deeply concerned,
G Dawg
----

Q: Dear G Dawg,
When I graduate on June 18, it will be the last time I see my friends. I'm really worried. What will I do without them? What if I make no friends in college? What will I do?
Sincerely,
My-Best-Years-Are-Behind-Me

A: Dear My-Best-Years-Are-Behind-Me,
I've asked around and it seems like you don't have any friends. None of the people around you plan on talking to you after the hats fall. College can be a scary place. Too bad you'll have to live through it alone. Hopefully, your mom still likes you.
Love,
G Dawg
----

Q: Dear G Dawg,
I don't want to carry my books around because my homies will think I'm not down wit it. What should I do?
Confused,
P Unit

A: Dear P Unit,
I had the same problem with my homies and found the solution through personal experience. Get a boyfriend or a girlfriend and make him or her carry your books for you.
Love,
G Dawg


Sadly, G Dawg is no longer in the house for advising, but Loquacious Luce is equally up to the task. So if you have any pressing questions you would like answered, please do send them along to us by comment or email. Loquacious Luce is here to help you.

Q for YOU: What have libraries done to enrich your life?


*This mock-advice column was actually written for our high school newspaper, but we did it because we didn't want to write 2 Senior Goodbyes. We'd already done one for the library newsletter, so we wanted to have fun with the newspaper one.

4.08.2011

Randomosity on Fridays

Hello lovelies! It's the end of another week, and let me tell you, the day job is kicking my butt. So sorry for the lack of inspired postings from me. I'm lucky I have Alz to cover my slacking.

It was nice and hot last weekend, so I got to start wearing some of the cute spring clothes I bought, but alas, it turned all cold again yesterday and today. The weather needs to make up its freaking mind already. IS IT SPRING OR NOT, Weather?!

Tangents aside, here's the Friday 5.

1. The sister, in all her ubiquitous internet surfing, stumbled upon (somehow, I know not how) Justin Bieber's doppelganger - a 22 year old singer/songwriter on youtube. Oh, and she's a 22 year old young woman named Dani Shay.

But seriously, she and Biebs are like twins. I've never seen two random people look SO MUCH alike. It is truly UNCANNY. Take a looksie: What the...

2. So I found out today that there's a SEQUEL to The Adoration of Jenna Fox coming out this year. It's called The Fox Inheritance. Color me EXCITED!!!

3. We bought this fluff ball of delightfulness on Sunday from Target.
My name is Sheepy or possibly Baaa!
Isn't it so cute?! It's super soft too and squishy, and I am known to have a love of most things small and roundish! Also it was only $5.00. Look for his brethren in the Easter section.

4. The sister is STILL holding Liar Society by LiLa hostage. I'm supposed to finish writing my section before she'll hand the book over, but like I said, the whole day job thing has been kicking my butt lately. But I want to read it! The sister only has like 100pgs left to read!

5. Speaking of the sister and Liar Society, from looks and tidbits I've heard, she and Kate might totally be friends. For one, my sister now has pink hair (just the bangs and some on the sides). Like non-photoshopped actual pink in her hair (and blue and violet...). (The dye is sadly fading out now though.) She also has a great love for Starbucks. In fact, she got her Starbucks GOLD card this week.


And that my friends is all I have for you this week. What's your random?