Online all the time

I can't decide if I've lost my mind, am looking for distractions (even though I know I don't need any right now), am preparing for the day when I won't have homework constantly hanging over my head, or any combination thereof, but I've officially gone online all the time. Online with Twitter, online with Facebook, and with this blog (plus the one strictly for family things) - I know I'm used to living in a virtual world thanks to my online degree program, but I can't help but wonder if we 've taken it a bit too far sometimes. Maybe, maybe not.

In my defense, the Twitter addition was thanks to my thesis, more of which you will be reading about here very shortly (if I ever stop distracting myself with blogs and Facebook). The FB thing was an addition around the new year, as was the blog. I've enjoyed the blogging, as sort of an online journal/rant session that allows me to spew any such nonsense that comes to mind. The FB thing is a bit trickier, but I have managed to reconnect with many high school friends and acquaintances with whom I haven't spoken in over a decade. The Twitter thing? That remains to be seen. I very well may end up deleting it after I finish my thesis. Then again, I may not...

Anyhoo, if anyone is interested, please check me out at either location!!

Movie Alert

So, if you've been paying attention to the news, various blogs, and the commercials, you'll know that the Twilight movie gets released on DVD at midnight tonight. I'm what my friends call a "superfan" but I'm not certain about a midnight release of a movie. A book event like that, I get. But a movie? And this movie? Don't get me wrong. I loved the movie and saw it twice during opening weekend. The soundtrack is amazing and one of my favorite albums ever. But is it something that I would leave my house, wait in line with screaming fans to get a movie? Am I missing something or have I lost my status as a superfan?

Speaking of superfandom, I had to share this picture of the "new" Taylor Lautner, a.k.a. Jacob. Yes, he was able to put on thirty, count them, thirty pounds of pure muscle. Underage eye candy, those are some impressive arms, aren't they? And news from Vancouver (where they start filming New Moon on Monday - WOOHOO!!!) is that his abs are just as fabulous. I'd say he has the Jacob growth spurt thing down.

Speaking of New Moon, I saw some pics of the latest makeup and hair tests from Vancouver. They've improved not only the makeup but also the contacts. You can finally tell that the "bad" vamps have red eyes, and that the Cullens' eye color is not ordinary. It looked amazing. If these improvements are any sign, I think there are great things to come out of Vancouver!

REVIEW - The Scarlet Pimpernel

I am supposed to be doing my homework, finalizing my problem statement for my thesis, checking into my classrooms. Instead, I realized that I owe you a review. I actually could have written one before I even (re)read this book, but I thought I would be good and actually read it first.

First, the synopsis, courtesy of Amazon.com:

"When Baroness Emmuska Orczy wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel (1905), little did she know she was creating the super hero genre.

Who is the elusive and mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel? A master of clever disguises, stealth and elegant escapes -- skills that he uses to rescue doomed French aristocrats from the guillotine during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. His signature -- a tiny scarlet flower.

The Pimpernel's true identity is unknown except to a small group of co-conspirators who work with him and together comprise the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Not even his wife, the beautiful Lady Marguerite Blakeney, knows that the man she is married to, an effete fop and dull-witted British dandy Sir Percy Blakeney, is a secret hero who risks his life on a daily basis in order to save countless others.

A vibrant adventure awaits the reader -- heart-pounding narrow escapes, clever repartee and dashing wit, true love thwarted and redeemed, a relentless agent of the French Republican Government who makes it his personal goal to capture and destroy the Scarlet Pimpernel, and of course Percy's immortal "bon mot" that makes the social rounds in England and France:

"We seek him here, we seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven? -- Is he in hell?
That demmed, elusive Pimpernel."

With that in mind, I love this book. Part of it is a huge nostalgia factor, as I grew up watching the mini-series with Jane Seymour, Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellan. I found out that it was a book several years later and immediately had to read it (of course!!). I recently reread it for my book club. Yes, the book has tremendous faults. The characters really don't develop; it is melodramatic and crosses the line into far-fetched many times. Still, I'm a sucker for a good love story, and that is what this is at heart. Part mystery (okay, a small part), part swash-buckling good time, it just makes me feel better to read it.

One thing I contemplated while I was reading it last month was the fact that typically, when reading about the French Revolution, the reader views it from the revolutionary point of view. As Americans who fought for our own freedoms, we are taught to sympathize with them. Equality, Fraternity, Liberty and all that. This is one of the few books who actually take the opposite viewpoint, to see how the guillotine actually terrorized an entire population, both poor and rich alike. It was an interesting viewpoint that I never before considered.

If you are looking for a very quick, easy and fun read, with no deep thinking required, then this is the book for you. Enjoy!

Weekly Geeks 2009-09: A Quote a Day #5

You didn't think I would go an entire week without quoting something from the Twilight series, did you? ;-)

"Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars, points of light and reason. ….And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything." ~ New Moon

More Adventures of Pocket Edward

Lauren of Lauren's Bite is back with the latest adventures of Pocket Edward. Today's adventure - Pocket Edward works on keeping his chiseled chest and abs. Enjoy!

P. S. My birthday is on May 8th and I STILL am waiting for my very own Pocket Edward....I'm just saying.

Weekly Geeks 2009-09: A Quote a Day #4

And yet another from our beloved Anne -

"Marilla, isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" ~ Anne of Green Gables

Let me just say, I love this quote. I use this quote ALL the time to remind myself that tomorrow is another day where we get to start fresh. When things get bad, this is what gets me through the day.

Weekly Geeks 2009-09: A Quote a Day #3

Quote #3:

"And people laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?" ~ Anne of Green Gables

Seriously, all these Anne quotes are making me want to dig the books out of Holly's closet and read them again.

To Meet RPattz or Not to Meet RPattz?

That is the question posed to us by Lauren in her latest blog entry. She mentions how she does not want to meet Rob Pattinson for reasons of embarrassment. As she presents her case, I can't say that I blame her line of reasoning. I imagine I would probably act the same way, although if he was all scuzzy and hairy like in days past, I probably wouldn't have that difficult a time carrying on a conversation. Yet again, if he was at his most Edward Cullenian - it wouldn't be a pretty site.

Ah, yes...the things we think of when we are procrastinating!!

Weekly Geeks 2009-09: A Quote a Day #2

Quote #2:

"Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing." ~ Anne of Green Gables

Another motivational quote from our beloved red-headed.

Weekly Geeks 2009-09: A Quote a Day

This week's task is as follows:

One of my favorite Weekly Geeks last year was: A Quote a Day. This will have you pulling books off your shelves and Googling for your favorites. It also means a post a day for the next week - or as many as you can do.

The last few Weekly Geeks have been too time-consuming for me to be able to accomplish. I barely have the energy to write my name let alone create an imaginary conversation with book characters. And I'm just not political enough to follow one particular cause. But, like all good bibliophiles, I do have my favorite quotes. So, without further ado, here's the first quote for the week.

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?" - Anne of Green Gables

From this full-time student in the throes of her Masters' thesis, it reminds me why I normally enjoy being a student...

Weekend Update

From the Free Online Dictionary:

pro·cras·ti·nate (pr-krst-nt, pr-)

v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates

v.intr.

To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.

v.tr.

To postpone or delay needlessly.

---

[Latin prcrstinre, prcrstint- : pr-, forward; see pro-¹ + crstinus, of tomorrow (from crs, tomorrow).]

---

pro·crasti·nation n.

pro·crasti·nator n.

Yep, that's me. I'll confess that I am suffering from procrastination BIG time these days. I suspect that the sheer volume of work I have to do over the next seven-and-a-half weeks, compounded with the fact that I can now see some light at the end of the tunnel has me dragging my feet on all things school-related. On a positive note, I am relieved to say that I believe I finally have a research problem for my Masters' thesis. Now, I need to get started on it.

The funny thing is that when thoughts of having free time do enter my brain, I'm a bit scared at the idea of not having homework constantly hanging over my head. I mean, after five years of ALWAYS having something to do, how am I going to handle not having anything to do? It's a scary prospect, but I am eagerly (maybe too eagerly) looking forward to dealing with it.

Not much else is new. My reading has definitely waned again. I've decided that the only way I am going to get through these next two courses is to become a hermit. I can't open myself up to any unnecessary socializing or else the temptation is too great to avoid all school.

Okay, that's enough procrastination...time to get back to finishing yet another paper. Anyone interested in accounting theory? Who would have thought that there would be an entire class devoted to accounting theory? Crazy...

REVIEW - The Fountainhead

Synopsis according to Barnes and Noble:

"Ayn Rand's classic novel has been inspiring readers for over half a century. Rand's hero is Howard Roark, a brilliant young architect whose revolutionary building designs lead him to wage a desperate battle against his colleagues, society, and even the woman he loves. Roark refuses to compromise. In defense of his selfish choices, Roark stuns his critics by developing a radical moral philosophy every bit as revolutionary as his buildings."

As a huge fan of Atlas Shrugged, I was anxious to read another Ayn Rand novel to see if I enjoyed all of her work. This one took me a bit longer to get into the story line. It didn't help that I kept falling asleep after one or two paragraphs, which may have been helped by exhaustion. Once I did get involved in the plot, it was difficult to put down. Unfortunately, the intensity of the emotions evoked by the book, some of Rand's mantras, and the general plot progression caused many a night of tossing and turning. This was definitely a book that was not easily forgotten. I'm still haunted by the fate of some of the characters, let alone the thoughts expressed by them at various times throughout the book.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with the book. I feel that Atlas Shrugged was inspirational because it helped empower the individual. Atlas made me want to go out and do something. The Fountainhead, to me, was more an intellectual inspiration. It makes me want to become the person I am meant to be, which starts with me. One is externally focused, while the other is internally focused.

I would highly recommend reading this one day. It's slow going at first but worth the effort in the end. Best of all, there is no sixty-page monologue to wade through... ;-) For me, as much as I enjoyed it, I'm going to take some time off from the heavy literature and am going to enjoy some purely pleasure books.

Someone please restart my heart!?

Seriously - does it get ANY better than that? The poster has me physically drooling. Whew. It's going to be a LONG wait until November.