For the last few weeks, I’ve been meaning to mark the one-year anniversary of Dawn Treader hitting theaters by re-watching the film. I actually meant to do it on the one-year anniversary of when I personally saw the film, but since that was back in November, I got caught up in NaNo and Thanksgiving and it completely passed me by. So today, I was in the car riding home with nothing to do, so I decided to finally make good on that digital copy of the film I’ve been carrying around on my iPhone and iPod for the better part of the year, and watch the movie.

This actually was the first time I’ve seen the film since I hosted the Chicago Lion Party this very night a year ago. I’m still not sure why I hadn’t watched again it since then. I bought the DVD/Blu Ray combo pack the day it came out, and like I said, had the digital copy on various media devices at all times. I always meant to watch it, but I never got around to it. But why?

Maybe it was because of the bad taste that was still in my mouth from the weeks following the film’s release last year. I hated that Narniaweb was so bitterly divided over the film. While there were only a handful of people who loved this movie wholeheartedly, there were quite a few, including myself, who were able to separate the good parts from the bad and still come out of the movie screening feeling fairly satisfied. But I’m not one for conflict, and I didn’t feel like diving into discussing the film with many people who were very, very vocal in their complete disdain for this movie. So even though I liked it myself, I felt like the good feeling that I did have about it was becoming tarnished by all the negativity. So I subconsciously distanced myself away from it as much as I could, and just didn’t get involved. And that included watching the movie.

But today, I finally took the time to see the movie again.

It was like I expected…the worst parts were worse, and it was harder to appreciate the parts that I did like. That’s not to say that I didn’t, of course. Will Poulter always has been, and always will be, the perfect Eustace to me. I think the saddest part about no more Narnia films (at least in this current incarnation) is that we will never get to see what Will could have done with Eustace’s character in the subsequent films. He was a real gem that was found, and a bright spot in a murky film.

This film wasn’t bad, but it suffered from a very heavy-handed script and a complete lack of vision and focus when it came to the overall structure of the film.

For the one thousandth time, I couldn’t help but hang my head and wonder just how better this film could have been if it had had someone with a clear goal and focus. The whole Green Mist mess is to me a glaring result of this.

Look, folks. I’ve SEEN the early draft script. Non-Narnian fans have probably not heard about this, so I’ll summarize it briefly. Shortly after Prince Caspian was released, about twenty pages of the Dawn Treader draft script was leaked online. Production instantly scrambled and shutting it down, swearing up and down that the script was very, very old and was nothing like what the finished product would be. They lied. :p The script contained all of the Green Mist elements and several other new additions, including Gale and Ramandu’s Daughter being a Blue Star.

The thing was, this draft script had been written with the plan to make both Dawn Treader and the Silver Chair back-to-back and connect their stories. It still had the Green Mist, but it was the work of the SC’s main adversary, the Lady of the Green Kirtle. She was the clear instigator, and the whole plot revolved around her kidnapping Narnians to raise up an army, and the Dawn Treader crew going after the Green Mist in order to get them back.

But when the whole Disney/Fox situation happened, the decision was made to cut all connections to the Silver Chair and instead keep Dawn Treader within it’s own parameters, in case they never made any more films. The problem was, they cut out the Lady of the Green Kirtle, but they didn’t cut out the Green Mist or the kidnappings, or “sacrifices.” THIS, in my opinion, was what sunk this film, not the concept itself. Without the Silver Chair’s villainess as the main driving force of the film, it left all the elements without any real purpose or meaning. It cheapened the whole plot and left a lot of people scratching their heads.

Sure, the leaked script was pretty blasphemous in how it strayed from the original book. But at least it had the making of a well-rounded, thought-out film. In my very humble opinion, it’s more of a disgrace to C.S. Lewis and the books to make a poor film that is sort of faithful and sort of not, then to make a really great film that’s more unfaithful but a good story. Just saying.

ANYWAY. All that aside. The whole Green Mist thing was harder to watch this time around just because I kept thinking, what if, what if, what if. It’s such a shame that Narnia didn’t get a production crew that was really dedicated to having the film’s best interests at heart. It, and we, deserved more than that.

But enough about what I didn’t like. There were still things that I did like! I already mentioned Eustace. Another thing that really stood out to me was the amazing production design and visuals. I still stand behind the Dawn Treader as being one of the most cinematically stunning films I’ve seen. All the camera work and set design was just amazing. Some shots really take your breath away, especially at the end. I think the scene where Edmund, Lucy and Eustace go through the water tunnel was one of the best bits of 3D cinematography I’ve ever seen.

Which brings us to the end of the film.

I was completely shocked when I found myself in tears during the scene where the Pevensies tell Aslan goodbye. I had misted up during this scene the first time I saw it, but this was the full-on waterworks display. I didn’t think that after all this time, I’d still find that scene emotional.

I don’t think it was just that particular scene, though. Because while Lucy and Edmund were saying good-bye to Narnia for the last time, so was I.

As most of you probably know, the Narnia film rights have been allowed to expire. I’m not exactly sure what the status on that is, but it will be some amount of time before the C.S. Lewis estate will have control of them again and will decide if they want to start shopping around for a new production company to re-start the franchise. I have complete faith that I’ll see more Narnia films in my lifetime; maybe as soon as five years or so. I mean, look how astonishingly fast the Spider-Man franchise was re-booted…it was barely three years. The C.S. Lewis estate has expressed their strong desire to see all seven of the Narnia books made into films, and they were already looking at possibly making and adaptation of the Magician’s Nephew before Fox and Walden Media pulled out. I think the Magician’s Nephew would be the perfect film to reboot the franchise on at some point, and even if they don’t want to do that particular book, you know how Hollywood is so remake happy these days. I KNOW I’ll see at least one more film version of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe someday…I just know it.

That being said, even though I have faith that I’ll see more Narnia films someday, Dawn Treader marked the end of this particular Narnia film venture. They will make more movies, but it won’t be the same. It will be with a new cast, new crew, new websites and people to share it with.

I don’t think I’d ever really gotten closure with the fact that these particular days were now over, and that’s why it sort of hit me a little hard when I watched Dawn Treader today. No matter what your opinions on the Narnia films are, they were a big part of my life for the last six years. They got me through some rough transitions in my life, and helped spark several hobbies and passions that I still enjoy today, namely graphic making, website design and management, and creative writing.

The Narnia films have been the source of some pretty amazing experiences for me. I got to go to Comic-Con in ’07, where I represented Narniaweb and participated in a FAQ session at the Prince Caspian panel in front of six thousand people. I got to attend the Prince Caspian Lion Party at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood, California, and met some of my fellow Narniawebbers for the first time. Thanks to my website, I was able to receive an advanced copy of the Prince Caspian DVD, and also a free download of the Dawn Treader book app. I was able to to attend an advance screening of Dawn Treader, again representing Narniaweb. And last December, I had the privilege of hosting the official Chicago Lion Party.

If there hadn’t been any Narnia movies, I probably would not have started a website. Spareoom.net has been one of the biggest unexpected successes in recent years. I often would sit back and go over my site stats, stunned at how such a tiny, thrown-together site could be getting such traffic. It garnered me quite a lot of attention in the Narnia world, and remains one of the top Narnia fan sites on the Internet today. I’m still not sure how that happened, but it did.

Thanks to these movies, I’ve been able to connect with and meet some of the most amazing people. These are my fellow members and moderators on Narniaweb, and they are the greatest bunch of people you could find. They always have been there to provide support during a rough time, and to cheer you on during a success. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of being able to meet many of the people that I’ve gotten to know well online these last six years, and I know that we’re going to remain in touch for years to come.

So, with all that in mind, tonight was the night that I finally made my peace and really felt like I said good-bye to the Narnia franchise in this particular incarnation. It was an amazing, amazing run. It produced three films, including a film that one of my favorite of all time, Prince Caspian. Now THAT was a great film…it ranks in my top-ten of favorite films I’ve seen, ever. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Dawn Treader were good too, but Prince Caspian just hit the right spot.

So, thank you, Narnia, for these last six years. I know I’ll see you again someday. And in the meantime, I still have the amazing books to read and enjoy, and all these remembrances to cherish.

Thanks for the memories!

So, have you ever had one of those days where you had a list as long as your arm of things that you needed to get done, but the day arrives and all you want to do is sit in front of the computer watching lame TV shows? I’m having one of those days.

Tuesdays are always my catch-up days, since it’s usually my first day off of the week after a long weekend. I always have stuff planned for Tuesday…do necessary shopping, clean room, organize closet, do laundry, answer important emails, etc.

But then Tuesday arrives, and I don’t get as much done as I should. Usually the day I am most productive is a day that I have to work, because I know I have limited time available and I just rush, rush, rush to get it all done.

Anyway, I’m not doing SO bad today. What I thought I’d do is type up a copy of my to-do list for the next few weeks, and hope that making it public for all the world to see will motivate me to actually get it done.

I forgot that I haven’t updated everyone on how NaNo went. It was the hardest NaNo yet, but I won! I reached 50k around the 15th, and actually finished my novel on the 29th clocking in at 78,224. It’s WAY more words than I wanted to write, but I finally finished the blasted trilogy and I’m happy. It’s all trash; the whole three books, but it’s *my* trash, and I’m glad I wrote it.

Ok, so on to the list. I had this list planned out back in November when I was putting off big projects till now because of NaNo, but progress to finishing this list has been severely hampered by the fact that my main computer more or less gave up the ghost two weeks ago. We thought it had a bad virus, and I think it did, but I don’t think that’s the only problem. Likely, I will be needing to budget in a new computer sometime next year. Anyway, we wiped my hard drive so essentially I’m starting over with a “new” computer, with none of my stuff in it’s regular place. That’s made certain things a little harder to do, but oh well…it’s got to get done anyway!

1. Finish NarniaWeb Mod Secret Santa gift and mail – This will be done by the end of the week. Took me forever to figure out what to do, but now it’s coming along nicely.

2. Fix website and put on hiatus – This is a tricky one. Back in September, I realized that my long-neglected website was in need of some coding upgrades (more for the benefit of this blog than anything) and I upgraded the PHP on my server. Problem is, none of my site’s pages is compatible with the new PHP and the site is essentially broken. I can fix it, but it’s going to take a little time and elbow grease. Also, I figured that since I’m working on it, I might as well get the site all cleaned up so I can officially put it on hiatus or “non-updating status” so that it’s still online, but not being actively updated. THEN, I’d like to try branching out to a new website that’s not Narnia-dependent. Oooh, you say. What will that be? I dunno, but I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

3. Organize closet – This is almost done. It already was organized, but I’m sharing the closet with Esther now and it’s required some reworking of the system that I’ve had in place for a few years. When Ruth and I shared a room, we always kept our clothes together and organized by type (skirts, pants, short sleeve shirts, etc). But Esther and I have no desire to mix our clothes up, so I’ve had to give her one side of the closet and keep my clothes to the other side. I’ve got a lot less space now, so it’s required some creative shuffling to keep everything in there, lol. But I’m almost done and I’m pleased with the results.

Pile of clothes on my bed waiting to go back into the closet.

4. Edit NaNo – Hahaha. Not going to happen anytime soon, especially since I’m probably not going to get a proof copy printed. :p CreateSpace changed their freebie for NaNo winners and it’s not really applicable to me anymore. I might pay to get a proof copy printed at some point, but I’m not on a time schedule any more which means it could be a verrrrry long time before I get this year’s monstrosity presentable, lol.

5. Finish Christmas shopping – Almost done! Just a few more people to get stuff for, and then I’m finished.

6. Figure out school. – BLEH. I DON’T WANNA. But I must. BUT I DON’T WANNA.

7. Shop for a car. ^^ Same as above. Anyone want to find a nice, cheap car for me, and then I’ll just buy it? :p Thanks.

8. Finish half-done craft projects. – I’ve got a cross-stitch that I’ve been working on on and off for about three years, and it’s still not done. Gotta finish that; I hate half done things.

9. Start making montages again! I miss them, and what with the Olympics being next year, it’s the perfect time to dive into montage-making again.

10. Last, but DEFINITELY not least, I need to get some alone time with God and get my personal relationship with Him back on track. This last year has been really difficult on me in that respect, and I know it’s nobody’s fault but mine…I’ve let too many distractions get in the way of what is really important.

So maybe, what I really need to do is not finish this endless lists of tasks, but instead just turn everything off, say no to distractions, and spend some time alone with the Lord.

Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in all the endless tasks, and you keep thinking, “As soon as I’m done with all this, then I’ll get my act together.” Problem is, you’re never done…there’s always more important things popping up.

I guess at some point, you just have to put your foot down and say no, right?

So here’s to December (and 2012!) being a year of taking the time to do what is really important…having a relationship with the One to whom I owe everything.

I was forced to split my Must-See movie list of 2012 into two posts, so here is the second half! You can find the first half here if you haven’t seen it.

Continuing from March 2012 onwards:

The Avengers

May 4th, 2012

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: I’m not THAT into superhero movies, although I’ll admit that most superhero movies I’ve seen, I like. But that aside. I liked the lead-up films to this particular movie, and I think it should be interesting to see many different superhero franchises all mashed together. And I mean, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr. AND Chris Evans all in the same film? Yes, please.

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Snow White and the Huntsman

June 1st, 2012

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because:I seem to be in the majority of people that want to see this movie in spite of Kristen Stewart. :p She does not strike me as the kind of person who could pull off Snow White at all, but I’ll reserve judgement as I actually haven’t really seen her act yet. Apart from her, I have to admit that this film looks preeety cool…nice visuals, very epic-looking, and Charlize Theron. She looks FANTASTIC. I’d go see this movie just to see her play the Queen.

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Brave

June 22nd, 2012

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: Three reasons: Pixar, red hair, Scotland. Pixar has never steered me wrong, so I have no reason to not put this film on my must-see list. And I have a soft spot for red-head heroines, so this Princess Merida looks right up my alley. I’m interested to see what Pixar’s take on a princess/fairy-tale will be like, and I’ve no doubt that it will be awesome.

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The Amazing Spider-Man

July 3rd, 2012

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: Ok, so Spiderman has to be my most favorite superhero ever. And I really liked the Tobey Maguire films (yes, even the last one). So when I heard that they were rebooting the franchise, with a British kid not less (although I just did find out that he actually was born in LA, if that counts for anything?), I was unsure. But then I saw this video, and my heart kind of melted. Not to mention, the film looks really interesting, too! I’m not that familair with Spidey’s comic book cannon, so I am interested in seeing a different take from the Spidey story that I am familiar with. Definitely cannot wait for this film.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

December 14th, 2012

I’m looking forward to this movie because: Of all the films that I absoloutely cannot WAIT to see in 2012, this ranks a just barely close second behind the Hunger Games. Why? Because The Hobbit is freakin’ awesome, that’s why! I love, love, love the Lord of the Rings films, and it looks like Peter Jackson is well on his way to recapturing magic once again. I’ve yet to see a single thing about this film that looks disappointing to me. The worst part about this movie is that I still have to wait over a year until I get to see it!

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So there you go, everyone! My top must-see films for 2012. Honorable mentions include, but are not limited to:

• The Bourne Legacy – I liked the first films because of Matt Damon so I don’t know if I’ll like this new reboot…we’ll see.
• The Dark Knight Rises – If I ever get around to seeing the other Batman films and if I like them enough to want to see this one.
• Whatever movies Disney has coming out that I can’t think of yet. :p Disney can be hit or miss for me, so I have to really be interested by a film to go see it.

I hope you all enjoyed my list of films. Comment and let me know what you think! Did I leave an important movie off this list that you think I should see next year? Let me know what it is, and why!

I’ve been saying this for months, but 2012 is going to be an AWESOME year for movies. There’s so many good films coming out that I want to see! My pocketbook is going to complain once everything is said and done, but yeah, I still can’t wait.

I thought I would share all the movies that I am looking forward to, and why.

So, technically these first three movies are not 2012 movies, but 2011, but I figured I’d post them anyway, just because I am looking forward to them!

2011:

The Muppets

November 23, 2011

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: I mean, it’s the Muppets. Who doesn’t love them?

Granted, I never really seen any Muppets shows/movies except for Muppets Take Manhattan which was decidedly underwhelming, but the trailers for this film look so cute and cuddly and very…cute, haha. And I mean, it has Amy Adams; how can you go wrong with Amy Adams? And you’ve to got admit, the marketing for this film was pretty genius. It made me want to watch it, so…

Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows

December 16th, 2011

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: I liked the first one, despite my reservations at them giving Sherlock Holmes a bit of an unusual twist. I thought the first movie was funny, and that Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law had a great rapport throughout the movie. I’m still slightly hesitant on this second installment, but I will check the reviews once the film comes out, and if it is satisfactory, I’ll be seeing it.

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The Adventures of Tintin

December 21st, 2011

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: Tintin is not all that popular here in the US, but back when I was a kid; maybe 13, 14, a friend was reading them and got me hooked. It had the greatest mix of weirdness and humor that I liked, and it’s the only comic book/graphic novel series that I’ve ever read. I’m interested to see how this will translate to the big screen, but with the names attached to the production team, I have high hopes. It makes me want to check out the books from the library, actually!

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2012:

The Iron Lady

January 13th, 2012

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: It’s Meryl Streep, ya’ll. And this film has been getting rave reviews from what I hear, and could be the next King’s Speech (which I loved), or The Queen. So I’m interested in seeing this because it looks like a real quality piece of cinema, and because it touches on a piece of history that I’m not all that familiar with, but am interested in learning more about.

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John Carter

March 9th, 2012

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: I admit that I don’t know much about the source material to this particular film, not do I know much about the film itself. All I do know is that it is directed by Andrew Stanton, who has made some of my most favorite movies of all time (Wall-E, Finding Nemo) and that the trailer look INCREDIBLE. I can’t describe it, but the visuals just look so slick and cool. I can’t wait to see this film; it looks so neat.

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Mirror, Mirror

March 16th, 2012

I’m looking forward to this movie because: Ah, the duel of the Snow Whites. This is the first of two Snow White adaptions to be released in 2012, and the most understated…although it releases in just four months, it only just received it’s official film title last week and has yet to release a trailer. Despite that, I’m more hopeful for this particular adaptation because it looks to be more of an artsy take on a fairytale. I’ve seen some stills from the film, and the costumes look incredible.

The only thing that I’m not liking about this film so far is Julia Robert’s as the Queen…I don’t like Julia Roberts. Oh well…

Edited to Add: Trailer is up! http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=84271

Wow…I don’t know what to think. That is NOTHING like what I thought this movie was going to be like, lol. Definitely more on the comedic side than the artsy side like I thought it’d be. Still want to see it, but I need to reshape my expectations somewhat.

The Hunger Games

March 23rd, 2012

View Trailer Here

I’m looking forward to this movie because: Um…need I even say?

I read the Hunger Games for the first time this summer, and I was absolutely blown away. It was by far the most riveting set of books I’ve ever read…Suzanne Collins has just a knack for drawing you into a story and commanding your attention. The premise is intriguing, and the payoff is huge. And the movie looks like it will deliver in the same way…it boasts of an all-star cast and an amazing production team. The trailer just came out, and if this franchise doesn’t scream “THE HEIR TO THE TWILIGHT CRAZE”, I don’t know what does. This is, by far, the movie that I am looking forward to the most in 2012.

Ok, well, I thought I would be able to get all my 2012 movie picks in one post, but as I’ve gone through the list, I realized that I’ve already made a large post and I’m only halfway done, lol! Look for Part 2 coming soon!

Sorry, you know I had to hop on the bandwagon. :p And I wanted to do one of these posts where I just talk about random stuff with no rhyme or reason to it, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity!

To the first of many, hopefully!

1. I love my new iPhone. Like really, really love. I don’t know what took me so long to get with it. :p Texting is amazing. As is being able to check my email and stuff while I’m at work. Sure, it’s costing me an arm and a leg and my firstborn child, but it’s all part of the sacrifice that we make for technology, right?

2. NaNo is going much better than I had anticipated. When I started out, I was very uninspired and I thought I would be lucky just to hit the minimum. Then I sort of got bit by that competitive bug that I can’t seem to shake, and now I’m on track to get my 50k today. I joined a challenge to write 11,111 words today, so that will easily put me over 50k and should hopefully get me pretty near the end of my story. I got a three-day weekend from work, so if I don’t get that thing finished now, I’ll be very upset with myself, lol!

3. I got my schedule for Black Friday at work. 12am  to 8am. YAY for getting no sleep!

4. Work has been going well, by the way. In case anyone didn’t know, I switched jobs within Target back in May…instead of cashiering, I now work at the Food Ave./Pizza Hut there. I never, ever thought I’d be working in food service, but oddly enough I really love it. It keeps me busy and I get a real sense of satisfaction in making sure that I perform my job to standard. And I’m NOT cashiering anymore, which is a huge hallelujah because that job was so boring, lol!

5. I happened to be walking by the recognition bulliten board at work (where they write nice things about people who get nominated for employee of the month, I guess?) and I noticed that my name was up there. Among other things (and I’m quoting verbatim here) it said, “we appreciate that you keep up with the other team members back in Food Ave to make sure that everything is being done correctly”, which I took to mean that I can be a real pain in the butt sometimes. :p It’s true…I try really hard not to be nit-picky and annoying about everything, but you KNOW that I probably am. So when it’s a case of someone just doing things a little differently, if it’s not a big deal, I’m going to try and keep my big mouth shut. :p

6. Someday, I am going to have a door that looks like this:

Credit to Flickr user Normal Jean

7. The 2011 World Gymnastics Championships were awesome. Sure, I got no sleep all week because all the events ran during the middle of the night, but it was still awesome. I’m going to be doing some gymnastics blog posts as soon as NaNo is done, so keep an eye out for that.

8. On the subject of gymnastics, I am desperately looking for a driving buddy who is interested in gymnastics to come with me to the 2011 Visa Championships in St. Louis next June. You don’t even have to really LIKE gymnastics all that much; you just have to like enough to buy the tickets and keep me from having to be alone, lol. How come I know dozens and dozens of people online that love gymnastics, but I can’t think of a single person in real life who would want to go with me? #sad Hit me up if you would be interested!

9. If I thought that gymnastics had a very slim following, my other newest sporting obsession, professional surfing, has even less. At least with gymnastics, I can go on various forums and talk shop with other fans; for surfing, that is pretty much nonexistant. Oh well. :p The only reason why I’ve stuck with surfing for so long is because they have the most awesome FREE live webcasts for all the big events! WITH COMMENTATORS! I can’t even get that for gymnastics!!!

10. I currently have a pile of laundry about two feet high that is supposed to get put on hangers, that has been sitting on my bookshelf for about two weeks now. Whoops.

11. Pixy Stix are da bomb. Enough said!

The Good Life

Until next time!

So, remember how I mentioned that the new toy that arrived the other day has wrecked such havoc on my NaNo? Well here it is!
I am typing this out using my new iPhone! Actually I’m using the new voice transcript software and it’s kind of cool. Never thought that I would be talking and typing out a blog post at the same time, but there you go. This transcription is actually surprisingly accurate. I’m very impressed. Not to mention, the spelling is much better than mine, haha!
Okay, enough fooling around. I’ll sign off now. I guess I have no excuse not to blog since I don’t even have to type!
(Oh my goodness, it even does emoticons!)
I can’t help it, this is way too much fun. I keep forgetting to add punctuation, though. It comes so naturally when you’re writing, but when you’re talking, it’s not as fluid. Let’s give this software something to try it out.
NaNoWriMo.
I am shocked that iPhone seems to recognize NaNoWriMo, I didn’t think that that was something they knew. It can type it out just fine, but when I asked Siri what it was, it didn’t seem to know. I guess it’s powers can only go so far, hee hee.

Okay, off to bed for me, finally. More fun tomorrow!

So NaNo has started, and it’s begun pretty much as I expected. Lots to do at work, no time to write. My word count is so pitiful, I won’t even bother recapping it here. Let’s just say, for someone who takes pride in writing lots and lots of words, I don’t even have the highest word count in my HOUSE, let alone Narniaweb or anywhere else. :p

Here’s the kicker, though. Not only have I been hampered by work, but guess what had the audacity to go and show up on my doorstep on October 31st? My new iPhone.

That’s right, MY NEW IPHONE. The one I’ve been waiting for, for what, three weeks? And it HAD to show up the very day that I was going crazy trying to do NaNo prep. Not the day before. Not even the week before. Not even TODAY, which might have even been preferable.

No, it had to go and show up ON OCTOBER THIRTY FIRST. So right when I’m supposed to be sitting down and doing some major prep work so I’m ready to go at midnight, I’m fiddling with my new toy and oohing and ahhing over all the shiny apps. Today, when I’m supposed to take advantage of being home from work early so I could write, was I writing? No, I was figuring out how to set up stupid messaging and contacts!!!

The universe is just not aligning in my favor, I’m afraid.

The good thing is, I finally get a respite in the fact that I don’t have to work tomorrow, so I can stay up as late as I want tonight and write all day tomorrow. That ought to help a bit.

But still, really world? Why do you have to make NaNo this year so freakin’ difficult!?!

Ok, panic is starting to set in…

NaNo is in TWO NIGHTS. I BARELY KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO WRITE!!!!!!!!

*deep breath*

Ok, this can’t be so hard, right? For someone who hasn’t written less than 65k in a NaNo, I should be able to scrape 50k even on an “off-year”, right? It’s not like this is a brand new story/characters. This is the third novel in a series, so I’m pretty familiar with my characters and the general storyline, plus I have a lot of great research material; my other two books! :p I think I shall be doing a speed-read of those books tomorrow and Monday; I don’t actually think I’ve ever read my second book straight through. It’s huge and awful but at least it has some character insights that I could use…

I mean, I have a basic plot, but I KNOW I’m going to sit down on Monday and just freak out. It doesn’t help that I have to be at work at 9:30 the following day, so I can’t stay up all hours to write. In fact I probably can’t stay up more than an hour or two, and I don’t know if that’s going to be a blessing or a curse. Ugh.

I also feel really…out of sorts, because the NaNo site is so different and unfamiliar, and I don’t know my way around it at all and I just don’t have the time or willpower to figure it out. Last year I had so much fun being the big team cheerleader and putting together word wars and pep talks and such. I wanted to be even bigger and better this year, while having less pressure with my word count (last year I did over 100k; this year I plan to write the BARE MINIMUM).  But I just can’t, right now, and it frustrates me!

Sorry for the rant; I just am starting to freak out a bit and I’m not sure why. This month has been CRAZY and it has not gotten me in the NaNo mood at all!

Wow…I’ve really neglected this blog, haven’t I?

While I love blogging in theory, it never seems to work out so well in practicality. Which is a shame, because I literally spend a lot of time just thinking up blog posts, but I never get motivated enough to post them.

Probably one part of that lack of motivation is because I realize that there is maybe one or two people who read this blog; if at that. It is a little discouraging to put so much time and effort into a blog post, knowing that you have no audience.

Not that it should really matter, though. I used to be an avid journalist…I would scribble away nearly every day. It didn’t matter if no one read my journal entries (in fact, I’d have died if anyone HAD!); I just enjoyed having a “vent” for my thoughts.

When I started going on forums, that provided a much-needed vent for my voice, and I stopped journaling so much. I kept it up on the side, though, and I did blog for awhile. But now, it seems like I don’t do anything of anything.

Maybe it’s because I feel like I have nothing to talk about? That my life isn’t interesting? Well, my life ISN’T interesting, but I DO have things I love to talk about…so it’s not for lack of content. Just lack of motivation, I guess.

I really want to start blogging again…get back in the groove of things. We shall see. This might be my only post for another year or so; you never know with me.

If anything, I’m maddeningly inconsistent and the world’s GREATEST procrastinator. :p

AHHHHHH!

So, granted what website this is, I don’t think it’s any question exactly which movie I’m geeking out about. Yes, I got to see the Voyage of the Dawn Treader…last night! Many, many thanks to David of Narniaweb.com, Walden Media, Fox and Grace Hill Media for putting this together and getting me in so I could see the film. Yeah, I had to drive up all the way to Grand Rapids to see it, but the sacrifices we make for our work…

Below is a little thoughts/impression post I put together for NWeb. I will post a fuller, more specific review as the movie comes closer, but for right now I’m going to be very vague and impossible.

Enjoy! I know I did!

———-

I laughed, I cried…it moved me, Bob!

That would accurately sum up my reaction after seeing the Voyage of the Dawn Treader last night at a preview screening. Going into the film, I honestly did not know how I would react to the film. The production process had been so confusing and full of conflicting information. Either this film was going to be the best thing that has ever happened to the Narnia franchise, or the final nail in the coffin of fiction done a disservice by Hollywood.

I’m very happy to say that for me, I found the film very satisfactory.
Note that I didn’t say that it met expectations. That’s a broad term that could be interpreted in a million different ways. If you went into this movie expecting it to be bad, then yes, I think you could find enough to justify your expectations. If you went into this movie expecting it to be amazing, I also think you could have your expectations met.
Listen. This film is not perfect. I’m not going to lie; some of it really shocked me. I can’t say that I’m one hundred percent pleased with the film, because I’m not…there’s some changes that I don’t like, and I never will like them.

But the parts that they got right…they really, really got right. It’s hard to explain this further without giving too much away, but the heart of Lewis’s book is there. And there are scenes where it’s like the words of C.S. Lewis’s book is just leaping off the page and becoming alive. And that alone nearly atones for any other sins that the filmmakers committed.

Wardrobe was iconic. Prince Caspian was epic. Dawn Treader is intimate. It takes you on a journey within the characters that no Narnia film has been able to grasp before. Despite being set on the vast uncharted waters of the Eastern Seas and having as epic and dramatic a plot line as any Hollywood studio could ask for, it’s the characters, not the drama, that drives this story. Perhaps even despite itself, because it seemed very clear that the filmmakers wanted to make this film as epic and dramatic as they come. But the heart of the story won out, and it will be the amazing characters and their relationships with each other, not any green mist, that will be what makes this film great.

Dawn Treader is perhaps the most relatable of all the Narnia films thus far. Unlike Prince Caspian, Dawn Treader does not require vast knowledge of the books or the previous films. Therefore, a casual moviegoer could go see this film, and still enjoy it on its own merit. That is something that the Narnia franchise has been lacking, and it could be the magic potion that gives this film series a second chance at life.

Overall, I think fans of the books, fans of the movies, and casual moviegoers will all enjoy this film. It contains aspects that reach out to each individual group, and draws them in into one.

The movie starts well, gets a little lost in the middle, but finds its way in the end. And I think perhaps Aslan’s lines at the end of the film sums up why we love Narnia so much…because by knowing him a little there, we might know Him better here.

- Gymfan15
Spareoom.net

Disclaimer: I was kindly offered the opportunity to review the film in advance, but this is not an official review and all my thoughts and opinions are my own. Ok, so maybe I’m just having fun pretending that I’m doing a full blogger’s disclosure and whatnot. But hey, it’s what professionals do!