Masterpiece Theatre

Teavana Tea Infused Chocolate Truffles

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:49:00 +0000

Forward: I've recently really gotten into truffles and chocolates. For Christmas, I received a chocolate making book, for instance. However, overall, I'd buy chocolates whenever I could, some Neuhaus when in D.C. or a lot of Godiva. I liked studying how they taste, for better and for worse, and what tasted the best. I finally entered the Teavana shop at the Westfield's Annapolis Mall the other day (always been afraid of store clerks jumping on me--I have a really high fear of that, especially in Godiva, yet I still have to brave that fear every month). Anyways, we were staring at this box of chocolates. Kiwii got pretty excited about these. She's been thinking about tea-flavoured chocolates for a while, and so I bought them. About 30% off. Frankly, I think they're a little expensive. At least until I started making my own chocolates. A pound of chocolate is about $10. Considering that this is tea-flavored, that's a lot more expensive ingredients. I love expensive hobbies. I like to pick them up. It's fun. It means I never have any money.

Anyways, without adieu...

First thing I've gotta say is that these things are BEAUTIFUL. LOOK.

Snow Geisha
Tea Type: Snow Geisha White Tea

Before tasting, I was pretty confused about what this would taste like. Frankly, this is my first Teavana product. I have no idea what any of these teas would taste against these. I have no idea what Snow Geisha White Tea is. So, what IS this? Well, apparently it's rose, cherry, and white tea. I've never had rose flavour before. Usually it seems to be paired with raspberry.

My first response was how strong the cherry taste was. It wasn't bad. One of the worst things for me was bad or strong tasting cherry. Bad cherry is really bad. However, this was really, really good. The cherry is strong, but... Yet not completely cherry. I believe whatever fruits are in it along with the rose calms it down. The tea flavor is hidden on first taste, but as the cherry fades, you get that tea flavour sneaking in. Very good. There is a bit of a grainy texture, but I don't mind that kind of thing.

You may not really be able to tell, but there are two layers. One jam and one... Er... I think ganache flavoured with tea. These are hand-dipped chocolates.

Raspberry Riot Lemon Mate
Tea Type: Raspberry Riot Lemon Mate Tea

Mate is a type of tea. Someone explained it to me, but, for the life of me, I cannot understand tea. I like it, a lot more than coffee, but I'm stupid in the tea department. That may be because it's not really my hobby. Although, obviously, it should have a raspberry and lemon taste.

My first impression? "Wow, that filling is very runny," then, "Wow, that is a deep flavour." What do I mean by that? I dunno. I guess that it's not at all light. With a combo like raspberry and lemon, you imagine this really strong fruit flavour. But it's more... Musky? It's quite enjoyable, but totally not what I was expecting, which was one of those über sweet and overly bearing herbal teas.

But boy jeewiz is it good. And it's a miracle that the white chocolate doesn't overpower everything--a major issue I have with white chocolates. They're always so damned sweet and painful. (Note, my teeth actually hurt from things too sweet. It's really, really painful.)

SO. This? It's good. Rock on.

Blueberry Bliss
Tea: Blueberry Bliss Rooibos

Rooibos is another type of tea.

Blueberry is supposed to be a pretty hard to work with filling. It's very watery, which means that it has a lesser shelf life. I've always wondered why I don't like blueberry chocolates. I think that's why--in order to make sure it's not moldy, you have to try strange methods to get the taste, which often seems to run in with failure. And frankly? This isn't a very good one either.

It's very beautiful. But it's gritty and not very blueberry-like. There's a tea taste, which is fine. But that makes it a little boring, actually. Especially when you're expecting a blueberry hint.

It's just bland, overall. And... Not really interesting, at all. Which is very disappointing.

[More later]

Product Info

Brisingr

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:29:00 +0000

Misha -- Sorry, this is the same as on my Facebook.

Paolini's writing has not changed, which thankfully does not disappoint. It's about as bad as ever. He never truly writes about the scenes, but merely summarizes them. Constantly he uses passive writing when active would be so much more appropriate. It feels more as though he doesn't want to take the time to write out the story then that the scene's dialogue is not very important. Just as he uses passive writing when he should use active, so does he as well use passive tense when it is not needed. At times I wonder if he knows where the delete button is, or how to erase. For example, in the prologue: 'It is into this tense political situation that Eragon finds himself thrust.' There is no need for passive, and while I do like passive tense, there are times when it should not be used.
As I'm on the topic, the prologue itself was, while useful, annoying. He did not seem to know what who was saying the prologue, whether it was a narrator or Eragon. For a recap, there should not be point of view changes. It is sloppy and why his editor or publisher did not push him to rewrite it is a mystery to me.
I never liked his series, however I find it a wonderful teaching tool. It is a wonderful example of what not to do when writing. It is always a good idea to read, bad or good books. As a writer, you can learn what is and is not a good idea. In Paolini's instance, it is to always think ahead. Plan your stories, otherwise you slip up, and you don't know what you're doing anymore. Also, there is always a delete button. Always look over what you have written and change what is necessary. Learn from your mistakes. Do not give in to what 'sounds cool'. His series has much posturing and posing, as though everyone is trying to look cool. What's worse is that the villain is much more respectable than the main character--who is alive merely because the story would end if he died. Eragon is a stupid, reckless boy.
It is always a good idea to make your story believable in some way, particularly if it is a fantasy. Within the first chapter, we are shown a cult of amputees. Every member is missing a limb. By the end of this scene, we find that it is because in order to show fealty, they hack off one of their limbs. The reasoning behind this, I do not know. I suppose it is to make Galbatorix's world seem more evil, vile, and horrifying. To me, it shows that his subjects are highly lacking in IQ. Yes, it sounds cool to have this evil cult of self-mutilators, but to actually cut off whole limbs, it goes too far. This goes the same when, later on, there is a trial for control over a tribe, and to do so is to slice open your wrist. The two contestants for leadership start at the elbow and cut until they are a few inches away from the hand. What Paolini does not understand about basic human anatomy, is that no matter where you cut on the underarm, there is an artery, two actually. If these people were giving themselves shallow cuts, there'd be blood, but they'd be fine. However by how much blood he describes them to lose, they should have bled out. What's worse is that they did it on both arms, and weren't allowed magical healing. And yet, they continue to move around as though they never lost a fatal amount of blood for weeks after the event. Paolini has no sense of how the world works. Real or his.
Besides unbelievability abound, the 748-so pages are a giant list of things to do for the Dragon Rider. It's actually even the subtitle: The Seven Promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular. There is no climax or exciting point of the story. It's Eragon running around the world completing everything he promised to do. It'd be best to just read a summary, as you would get the same information and in less time. Also, you wouldn't have to buy the book and save the $20-something for a different book. Maybe a real fantasy, like George R.R. Martin or The Wheel of Time series.
There were, as well, too many scenes that had no point, and never will. They may add to the world, but literally have nothing to do with the story. Eragon finds an old man, who we find out later that he knows a friend of Eragon's, and that's the end. There is no point whatsoever to the scene but wasted pages. Or wasted potential. There is large mystery behind Angela, or the werecats, or spirits, but the mystery is wasted; it's not exemplified upon. I have a feeling that Paolini does not know what to do with these things.
It's obvious that this all started out as a kid's fantasy, because that's still what it is. It doesn't deserve ththeree praise and popularity. It's just not well thought out. It has too many weak points, and most certainly not enough strong ones--and many of the strong points are not his original idea, as he has taken too much from D&D, Wheel of Time, Martin, Tolkien, Dragonheart, and much more I am unfamiliar with.

Currently Reading: Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert
Currently Watching: X-Files Season 3
Currently Listening: Mamma Mia! in the background (family is watching it)

The Gay Parade - Shadow Hearts: Covenant

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:02:00 +0000

This series wasn't entirely well-known, and doesn't have the god-like reputation that the FF series have, but, in a lot of ways, I'd say it was one of the best RPGs I've played (for the PS2). I wouldn't say that the story was the best thing written in the world, in fact it's a little strange, but it's very clear as to what's happening. It's set during WWI (if I remember correctly), and besides knowing that, forget any history you learned. The clothes, the people, the technology are ALL completely wrong. I would hazard a guess that the designers had no clue what Europe and its cities looked like.

It's weird to say how much I enjoyed this game, even though I didn't really care about any of the characters. The female lead is a German soldier named Karin (and she loses her nationality pretty quickly). She's relatively normal. There's nothing that really matters about her; she's just THERE. And I actually like the fact that she isn't another dumbass blond moron (as the FF series LOVE to have as their main character as of late). The male lead is a Japanese-Russian hybrid who turns into a demon (and eventually demons). His name is Yuri and he's a typical Japanese; brown hair, darker skin tone, brown eyes, etc. The two of them are interesting enough, I just didn't really care about them. I cared the most for a white wolf, Blanca, a freaky bad superhero wrestler, Joachim, and the ever enigmatic Russian princess, Anastasia. I hated Anastasia at first, as she's the typical whiny brat girl who's way too excited about everything and thinks she owns the world. However I quickly found that when placed with Joachim, they're hilariously weird. (Joachim, in general, is a large douse of strange.) I originally like Blanca the best (followed by the creepy puppet-master Gepetto), however as the story continued, he slowly lost his favour. Originally he was the only intelligent one and hated everyone, so he usually had interesting thoughts. But I figure it's hard to write for a wolf and he got a little boring (and it also probably had to do with the fact that he kept sucking in battle). The only character I completely hate is Roger Bacon, who is a very annoying old man.

The battle system uses something called the Judgment Ring. In order to attack, a hand spins in a clockwise circle and you must hit the orange sections correctly. Sometimes, for magic, there are green, which you MUST hit. If you don't hit any section, you wasted your turn. Also, there is a small (normally) sliver of red after orange sections and they produce criticals. For a normal physical attack, and you hit all the red slivers, you get a perfect. This system isn't at all complicated, just a little wordy to explain. I like using the rings, but if you don't like them, you can turn them off. The battles work well, and there is no such thing as leveling. You have levels, of course, but you don't need to worry as if you're playing, say, an FF. You never need grind. I found a hard spot at one of the dungeons, but it just took a little more strategy than the last. As well as to magic and physical attacks, every character has a specialty. Yuri has fusions, which let him to turn into a demon (there are three levels of each 7 elements and 10 levels in each of the three). Karin has sword arts. The only character I found extremely useless was Lucia, a fortuneteller of strange lineage, huge breasts, and a horribly bubbly, yet moronic personality. Her specialties are Tarot, which you choose a card at random (not knowing what it is, of couse), and Aromatherapy, a bunch of potions you mix together (in battle), but you don't know what characteristic you will get.

As with ultimate weapons, you can collect various items to enhance the specialties of each person. Yuri collects the souls of the monsters you kill in battle and you can level up the fusions with that. You collect the Nibelung opera for Karin's sword arts, tarot cards and oils for Lucia, battle a great wrestler named the Great Gama for Joachim, win wolf battles for Blanca, Kurando is just like Yuri, take and collect photographs of the monsters you battle for Anastasia, and collect gay porn for mannequin dresses for Gepetto. Yes, you read correctly. You give them to a gay shop-keeper, who makes the dresses for you. However, I found that what was weirdest of all, was how to get Joachim's last weapon. You participate in something called the Man Festival. It's a wrestling competition (don't worry, you fight normally, it's just against a bunch of weird guys). However the stakes are, apparently, whether to bugger or to BE buggered. If you lose, you're on the receiving end; if you win, you get to show your male dominance. Yea, it's weird.

There is a lot of collecting in this game. I like it, as I like collecting things. I'd suggest a walkthrough though, as for one of the collections, you can mess it up if you're not careful.

As far as the story goes, it's relatively straight-forward. It's also very lengthy. I don't even think I remember the beginning arc. There's a lot, and disc one is quite a long haul, but it's a plot that one can ignore easily, but still have fun. There are also two endings, a good and bad. Also, after you beat the game, you can rewatch the cut scenes except the ending you didn't choose. (Once you do both endings, you can have both at your disposal.)

All in all, this was one of the few RPGs that I enjoyed a lot, and while that's not saying much (I've only played FFVII and Legend of Dragoon), it's something that's quick and easy and very, very weird.

Currently Reading: Death Note: Another Note--The Lost Angeles BB Murder Cases by Niosisin
Currently Watching: Stargate Atlantis, Season 1
Currently Listening: Silence and the Sound of Crickets

Monthly Book Wants

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:50:00 +0000

I am, frankly, bored and as entertaining as American tellie is (and how I SHOULD be writing or at LEAST preparing myself for the new semester), I have decided to do a monthly list of books I want to read.

List: Choices from various monthly listings

1. House Lust: America's Obsession with Our Homes; non-fiction, by Daniel McGinn
2. The Dead Father's Club; fiction, by Matt Haig
3. Homecoming: A Novel; fiction, by Bernhard Schlink
4. Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home; non-fiction, by Kim Sunee
5. Brisingr; fiction, by Christopher Paolini
6. The Astoning Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Vol. 1: The Pox Party; fiction, M.T. Anderson

List: Snipits from my personal list that is ridiculously long

1. The Zen of Fish: The Story of Shushi, from Samurai to Supermarket; non-fiction, Trevor Corson
2. The McDonalization of Society; non-fiction, George Ritzer
3. Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew; non-fiction, Samuel Fromartz
4. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think; non-fiction, Brian Wansink
5. Food Fight; non-fiction, Kelly Bronwell

Currently Reading: Twinkies, Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger
Currently Watching: Misc TV, History Channel
Currently Listening: Kyrie, Death Note OST

Dangerously Disarming Dexter

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:29:00 +0000

There is a series about a serial killer forensic anthropologist named Dexter. It is a series of books, Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first of the series. It is also a TV series on Showtime (called Dexter). I am in the middle of the first season and am loving it.

Dexter first strikes me as a little too forceful of his non-feelings, however above all, I like him. He's enchanting, disarming really. Haha. He solves crimes during the day and at night, he kills those that deserve justice, people who got away with murder. He puts on a front so people are not suspicious. He has a personal charm in that way. There is only one man that is not fooled by his charm and that is Sgt Doakes, a policeman that works with Dexter.

I love the music for it. It is rather western with some Spanish variant and an eeriness to it (think Donnie Darko). The theme is relatively nice. I like the theme, Tonight's the Night and Blood Theme. I do not often comment about music and soundtracks but this one is one I must own. Along with the season DVDs.

The opening to Dexter is very weird. It's just... strange. It reminds me of House in that it doesn't show the characters so much but representations of what the show is about/like. There are things such as a blood lemon (which is a lemon that has red pulp and juice) that has been squeezed. It looks like gore. He ties his shoes and it reminds you of tying people up or choking someone. He eats breakfast and puts ketchup on his eggs, which then looks like blood splatters. Things such as that. It's weird and I relatively like it. Much so more than the opening with the characters and the actors' names.

It is a mystery/crime and probably some horror to it, but it is great. Disturbing but great. If you're not fond of a lot of crime, then I would still give it a try. I personally do not like a lot of crime/mystery/horror. There's a lot of it that repulses or bores me. Dexter is such an intriguing character. He kills those that deserves it, but not for justice. He kills because he needs to. He has this need or lust that has to be satiated and so he does that.

(Narcissistic Note: I am bemused by my alliterative title. It's a pun because Dexter is dangerous, Dexter is disarming AND he probably disarms people... physically.)

Stardust - What Do Stars Do?

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:27:00 +0000

They shine is a very good (and correct) answer. I have been apprehensive about watching Stardust, Neil's second movie (the first is Mirrormask for those who have forgotten). After all, I read the book. Stardust was not a favourite story of mine, I like his American Gods, Sandman and short stories more, but I was not going to pass up a chance to see a Neil movie. I feel a little bad, but I liked the movie better.

The prologue brought a lot of fun for me. Dunstan was, of course, very amusing. His 'It's a field.' bit seemed very Gaiman-esque. I love how it starts with a letter, too. But mostly it had Sir Ian (McKellen) as narrator. Some my know or remember, but I am a great fan of that man. He is wonderful. To hear his voice again in a movie is great.

The movie went on and I positively loved it when Yvaine fell. I love how her falling pulled the characters together. The King and his sons (Primus, Tertius, Septimus and Secundus) was wonderful and funny. I was rather fond of them in the book and they were great in the movie (my favourite being Septimus). I love their costumes, the number pertaining to their name being sewn into it. The brothers must kill each other for someone to succeed to the throne, leading to the accidental poisoning of others, such as the bishop. However I loved the scene when Septimus is asking a soothsayer questions (the soothsayer casts runes). I am rather fond of smart yet wittily amusing 'evil' characters.

Something I was very afraid for when I looked at the stills, was the costuming. In the stills, everything looks plain or cliche. During the movie, the costumes were great. Lamia's (the main witch) being the most intriguing. I would say I hate it, but it worked very well. I quite liked all of the costumes, even the one Tristan wears closer to the end. That one looked quite terrible in the stills, but it worked very well in the movie.

Along with the stills, the poster and trailer was not very helpful to the promoting of the movie. None of them were very good. I don't like the poster's colours (dark blue and orange). The trailer does not promote the feel as well but is better than the stills or poster. If you looked at them and thought 'not seeing this movie, rip-off of fantasy' then go see the movie. Much better than the promotions.

As with adaptions go, things need to change. The strangest I thought was of Tristran. In the movie, the main character's name is Tristan. In the book, it is Tristran. Apparently it is for the R impaired. The ending was a major change, and if you've read the book, it makes a lot of sense. They leave a few things out, like the Tori Amos tree or the leprechaun, but that I don't mind so much.

What did NOT change was the feel of the book. They got the feel very much spot on. The characters were the same, the feel was the same. Like Lord of the Rings, it is one of the more successful movie adaptions.

My dad, who knew nothing of the book and had no opinion of the movie before hand (he only saw it because of us), immensely enjoyed it. He prefers movies that are not over-ridiculous fantasy-wise. He said, and I agree, that once it started playing, you could get into it very easily. It began playing and that was it, you were listening. I believe that to be one of the greatest compliments, especially for Neil. One of the most important things for storytellers to do is to make their story easily listened to. If someone starts listening, reading or watching, and they cannot tear away, then that is marvellous. He said that even my step-mum would probably like it, and she is not a fantasy type at all.

I agree with my dad in that this is not what you would call fantasy so much as fanciful. You accept that some where in England there is a small town named Wall and that at some point, a boy crossed the wall into a land that was not England but Stormhold, a country filled with magic. Unlike a lot of fantasy, which tends to take place (with the exception of Lord of the Rings) on an Earth-like planet with dragons, fae and magic, Stardust takes place on Earth, sort of. Neil is not trying to convince but just stating that this could have happened.

See this movie. It is fun and amusing. Smart and witty. Enchanting and fanciful.

Other reviews:

VFXWorld on CGI
Stephen Bissette
Metacritic Collection
NPR - Audio
Thompson with Princess Bride
Pre-Thoughts on It
SFGate
Mike Caprio's Blog
BadMouth's Take
Denver Post's Article
Movie Cafe's View on Its Flaws
Daily Texan's Article
Tulsa World's
SFGate's 2nd

If you get a chance to, go check Rottentomatoes.com. I'm not able to connect right now. They tend to have a lot of nice reviews and I like their rating system. At the moment, I think, it's supposed to be at 73% (out of 100).

FINALLY:
Stardust's Official Site
One of the Better Posters I've Seen

...

Currently Reading: Twinkies, Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger and Showcase Presents: House of Mystery (comic)
Currently Watching: various episodes and seasons of House MD
Currently Listening: the soundtrack previews on Stardust's site

The Alchemyst {The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel}

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:02:00 +0000

It took a while to decide what I should review. After all, the latest and last Harry Potter came out. Despite that, I chose The Alchemyst {The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel} by Michael Scott. (Michael Scott's website and the book's website, both a little hard to read until it loads completely. Amazon's page.)

I entered my local, small book retailer in town and spotted a new young adult's book displayed titled The Alchemyst. What really caught my eye was the Nicholas Flamel bit. As a reader of Harry Potter (not truly a big FAN fan, but I read it when it first comes out) it caught my eye. My first though was 'Oh, it's a rip-off! Must read.' (Some may ask why but you must remember that I read a fair share of BAD books as well as good.) A rip-off is something that was a must-read, especially a strange angle to use Nicholas Flamel. I read the back and found it was about hetero-twins, about a girl and boy rather than two girls or two boys, who had some prophecy written about them (possibly at least but we all know how these things go) and end up caught up in this magical fiasco with an immortal and his wife against others immortals (and probably THEIR wives). The bookseller said it was pretty good and I travelled off home to set it on my pile of books.

A little while later, I read it. Finished it. What surprised me was that it was NOT a Harry Potter rip-off. What also surprised me was that it was apart of a series and now I'm stuck in yet another one (this keeps happening). I like how it starts off in a flurry yet some how slightly calm beginning. AS for two teens, Sophie and John Newman, thrown into the middle of something strange and very weird, they are believable. They follow Nicholas' advice yet at the same time, they don't entirely trust him or anybody else that comes around. It is a new, scary world and they're going to stick with the only ones they know best, themselves. I'm just a few years older than them and what small crumbs of life I've had, I'd say that would be a typical way for the two to act. People act differently, but these two are realistic. Scott does not throw ALL information about these two at you right away. We get their reaction to a magical fight, not a lengthy boring introduction of their past. As the book moves along, we get the information.

This book is not all about characterisation. It has plot, fast moving plot too, as it should be. The two enter into the start of a magical, mythological and alchemical war which does not allow for slow pace. Some authors have to sacrifice characterisation for plot or vice versa. Scott actually uses a good medium for this. He enters in little tidbits about the characters' past every so often during the downing point in the storyline (whenever the characters rest, etc). Scott does use a bit of the 'describe the character rather than let the reader imagine', which is very common in young adult and childrens' books. I didn't mind how he did it, being a lot more skillful than normal. He has a lot of books out with this being his newest for young adults.

While Nicholas Flamel's name is on the cover, my favourite character would have to be Dr John Dee. The reason being is that Scott seems most in tune with him. A look at the author's note and he states that Dr John Dee was created (or formed rather, as he IS a real person) and he wanted to write a story about him, but being a naturally villainous character, he ended up being an antagonist.

Michael Scott is well versed in mythology and the like. It's part of his specialty. Meaning that as someone who likes mythology and folklore, I find it fun and amusing to see references to things I know and, if I don't know them, a new thing to learn or study. When coming across a joke about a god or a hint of who one might be (and trying to guess), it adds to the fun. Scott, being the Irish 'King of Fantasy' uses a lot more Celtic gods then other authors I've found. Being a slightly confusing mythology, it's great.

Overall, if you want to read a young adult and not get something a bit raw (from a budding author), I would suggest this. While not what I would call a new and inspiring book, it is very enjoyable. That may just be due to it being a new series, of course. (It was the same thought I had when I started Harry Potter ever so long ago.) Despite my slightly irritated surprise that it was apart of a series, I was also happy. While something that I'm going to have to continue (I like completing series, even if it DOES mean something like the Inheritance Series by Christopher Paoilini), I will do so bemusedly.

Currently Reading: Twinkies, Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger
Currently Watching: Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles
Currently Listening: Annabel Lee (Spoken) by The Cruxshadows and I Want It All by Queen

(Note: It is NOT taking me this long to watch Citizen Kane, it is that I like this movie. I was watching it last time because I was in the middle of a film class and NOW we received it in the mail through Netflix. If you want to watch a good movie, it would be something to watch. However keep in mind that the first time you'll watch SHOULD NOT BE YOUR LAST. It is something that gets better the more you watch it.)

Unhiatus

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:28:00 +0000

I am OFF hiatus now and GASP, I bring things.

I deeply apologise however I will not be reviewing what I said oh so long ago I would do. However I may or may not review a few books I have read in my absence and, when I see it this Thursday, Stardust. I have, so far, refrained from reading reviews of this movie. According to Neil, it is number 4 in the box office in America and number 1 in Russia. According to Time's miniature one-paragraph reviews, it is not so great as Princess Bride. (Frankly I've always thought of Princess Bride like Monty Python's Holy Grail, fun to watch a few and far times but overly hyped. I love the swordsmanship in the scene on the cliff, but I never found the story about his father highly hilarious. Something every one has overlooked is that Monty Python has had much better movies AND a very good show on the telly, which is what I grew up on and missed the completely.) I did not really like the review for Time, which I read mostly because I forgot my no reviews rule. I have never liked the tiny reviews from Time. I'm more of a New Yorker fan in the review department.

I hate to say this, I really do.

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Tue, 08 May 2007 01:24:00 +0000

Sorry, but I am going to have to say that this Blog is now officially on haitus.

I figured that everything would blow over, be quick, nice and easy. But it won't. I will not be able to post for a while. It makes me terribly sad that this shiny and new and happy Blog will not be updated. I had an entry in motion, but I cannot finish it. I am incapable.

Not that anyone reads this.

Welcome and sit down.

neverwondernights@hotmail.com (~ L. K.) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:48:00 +0000

Ah, yes. A new blog, a new day. It has taken me a while to make an introductory post. The computer I have currently been using, a school computer, will not allow me to sign in here. Something about Blogger for I can use other websites. By the time I get home, I chill out on the couch and sleep.

This blog is for things such as reviews or discussions of such things like books, movies and music. It is pretty much a rip-off of the original Masterpiece Theatre without the masterpieces.

There is a list of books that I haven't had time to discuss about, but I am posting a list just in case I forget:

1. You Suck by Christopher Moore
2. Bloodline: The Reckoning by Kate Cary
3. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

They are all vampire novels, I know. It's a bit sad I suppose.

Currently Reading: The Vampire Lestat written by Anne Rice
Currently Watching: Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles
Currently Listening: Enter Sandman performed by Metallica