The Hopeless Romantic Takes The Stage!!

So this week it is favorite fictional couples.

I am warning you now. I am probably one of the biggest hopeless romantics in the world. I'm that girl in the movie theater who freaks out at the littlest motions and actions on the screen and you roll your eyes and think "Jeeze could she just shut the F up?" I apologize now if you have ever been in a theater with me, and I have been that girl. Recently I have been able to control myself more, however the bruises on the arms of my friends from where I grab hold and squeeze or whack to emphasize that something was important.

I take everything and when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING over analyze it, break it down and somehow manage to warp whatever it was into some deeper meaning about the characters suppressed sexual feelings...I sound crazy right? Yes, I do I know and hat is okay because I came to terms with it long ago.

BTW I am usually right. Just sayin'.

Alright. Lets get going then shall we?

First up, my first true ship, one I did not realized existed until I understood what a ship was. (For those of you who do not speak 'Fandom', and ship is shortened from relationship it means that you want a pair to be together.)

So first up...Ron and Hermione.

Now I will not lie, when I first read the first book I wanted it to be Harry and Hermione. Now please bear in mind I had a best friend who I maybe had a crush on, and well I placed my group of friends into characters shoes. What kid doesn't? Anywho so when I saw the second movie there was this moment, right at the end where Ron goes to hug Hermione then hesitates. And BAM! That was the moment. I just got it. Now there is a beauty to the dynamic of these two, they are always at each others throats, bating each other and forming a friendship that lasts through traumatic events and death. I have had a bond like that before in my lifetime, and she is still my best friend to this day, I would do anything for her. Their bond is one of those that is built on a complete understanding of the other person the good, the bad, and the annoying.

Now though I will not discuss them, Harry and Ginny, hello they rock. Enough said.

Second up, Will and Lyra, from His Dark Materials. Okay I am a sucker for tortured souls (yes I am a Romeo and Juliet fan, thank you very much), so when these two kids, who had become best friends, and sacrificed parts of themselves for each other, had to say goodbye, a permanent unchangeable goodbye. I cried. I cried long and hard and well was just sad. Their stories had crossed universes to unite two children who had basically no one else and they became the world to each other. And then by choice for the greater good, let the other go. If that is not love I do not know what is.

Wesley and Buttercup, The Princess Bride, I had to have watched this movie a billion times when I was little, there was a time where I could quote it word for word. And when I read the book, I was just completely blown away, the writing was amazing captivating, and the couple who I thought were just soul mates became so much more. I saw their relationship and understood, it was more than just a pretty story it was a love tale for the ages.

Julie and Luke from Don't Die, My Love, I read this when I was just twelve in Florida, sitting out by the pool, I had just suffered a big loss and this book caught me. Yes the title is a tell for the ending. Do not judge me I was going through a phase. The point is it was just a story about how two people even in the face of death stuck by each other and did everything they could to help the other, to make life easier for the other, despite the fact that both were dying on the inside (physically and figuratively). Safe to say they won my heart and took my breath away. Also really pissed off my family because I ended up crying in my sleep after finishing so...

Now I am just going to list, because I can. Listing is fun, and then I also have to go to bed soon so...

Shane and Claire, Morganville Vampires.
Remy and Dexter, This Lullaby.
Zoe and Chard, Aimee.
Fiona and Reed, The Safe-Keepers Secret.
Annika and Steve, Just One Wish.
Morgead and Jez, Night World; Huntress.
Brittany and Alex, Perfect Chemistry.
Landon and Jamie, A Walk to Remember.
Noah and Allie, The Notebook.
Aislinn and Seth, Wicked Lovely.
Jordan and Courtney, Two-way Street.
Jessica and Jonathan, The Midnighters.
Simon and Zoe, The Silver Kiss.
Ian and Cassie, Wild Roses.
Vivian and Gabriel, Blood and Chocolate.

Uh yes, bedtime now, and I need to go to sleep, school tomorrow, unfortunately.

I will see you next week yeah? And look I posted on time too, whoo whoo!!

Wednesday Loves Odd Couples

When it comes to fictional couples I’m a sucker for a good odd couple, but not of the stereotypical uptight/ loose variety. I prefer something like…

Hannah, Norman, and Mike from the Hannah Swensen Mystery Series: I love how dynamic this relationship is. Hannah is a modern woman who owns and runs her own business and has two boyfriends, neither of whom she sleeps with. Mike is a buff detective who chooses to get his sex from other sources and thinks it’s cute when Hannah “plays detective.” Norman is a balding dentist who is by Hannah’s side though all of her crime solving escapades and built their dream home in hopes that she’d marry him and they could live there together. If there weren’t three of them they would make the perfect couple.

Agnes and Shane from Agnes and the Hitman: A cook and a hitman should be the ultimate odd couple, but they really aren’t. Shane is a government hitman who spent his childhood in military schools after his parents died, and Agnes is a food columnist with abandonment issues and a penchant for hitting men with frying pans.

Emily Pollifax and Jack Farrell from the Mrs. Pollifax Series: Since Mrs. Pollifax is about 20 years Farrell’s senior theirs isn’t a romantic relationship, but when it comes to these two spies when one of them gets into trouble the other isn’t far behind. Alternating between endearment and frustration they never cease to surprise each other.

John Crichton and Aeryn Sun from Farscape: They clashed from the moment they met, and even when they were getting along they drove each other crazy. They wanted to be together, but neither on of them wanted to be the one to admit it. They’d rather let the flip of a coin decide the fate of their relationship than actually admit that they want to be together.

Do you like unusual odd couples? Let me know in the comments.

-Aaron

February's Down and Dirty Book

If getting down and dirty is something you're looking to do Mud Works is definitely the book for you. Even though it was written for adults the recipes are designed to be able to be made and used with kids. However, since there’s just something about digging your hands into slimy, squishy, gooy blobs that never gets old it's a book adults can enjoy as well.

One night I was having friends over for dinner but hadn't had a chance to make dessert, so I whipped up a batch of edible peanut butter play-dough, which is one part peanut butter and one part dried milk. When I first put the bowl down on the coffee table everyone just stared at it, but everyone ended up having a blast making and eating dessert sculptures.

However, I prefer the recipes that can be used in model making because I can incorporate them into my writing processes. I like making models of my character and settings, and the recopies make it easy for me to whip up a model when I’m having problems visualizing something. Also each recipe comes with a little blurb about what it works best for, so I can easily find the perfect recipe for my intended purpose.

There’s also something to be said about the recipes I make for my students. After making “goo,” which is about three parts corn starch and one part water, I spent the better part of the day finding excuses to play with it. I had almost as much fun with it as my students did, and it was a great way for them to practice their spelling words. The Jell-O plastic, which is 1 packet of gelatin and 3 tablespoons of water, was also a fun one as it progressively changed from liquid to squishy solid to hard solid. The kids loved the way it felt when it was squishy and turning it into stained glass art using permanent markers once it was solid.

Even though it’s a book that’s designed to be experienced as opposed to just read I’d still recommend Mud Works to anyone who’s a kid at heart, regardless of whether or not you have kids.

-Aaron

My Confession

1. I could not think of a better title for this post than the one above...sad, I know.

2. Today, I found a little green man on my car in the parking lot. (He is plastic.) I think St. Patrick's Day is coming early this year.

3. I went to an awesome hockey game and now am dying to add something hockey related to some book I eventually write.

4. I really want to be on spring break right now so I don't have to worry about homework or class. Thank heavens it starts at 11a.m. today!!!

5. I have a reoccuring thing in a couple of my dreams. That thing may or...may not be a carrot vending machine.

That is all. What confessions do you need to voice? Let me know in the comments!

It has been too long since my last confessional.

The last time I did this post, was well way to long ago.

Here goes.

1. I have not been writing regularly.

2. I have been letting my senioritis take complete control of my life.

3. I'm job hunting because my current job is making me miserable.

4. I have been being a horrible blog poster. HORRIBLE. I have no idea why my Critique group is even still talking to me.

5. I hate school.

6. I haven't read a book for fun in over two months.

7. I haven't had a full week of school since before Christmas break, thank you Snow Days and my
"personal" days.

8. I miss Florida where I would have been last week if my vacation had not been taken away. I am saying this now, if my spring break is so much as looked at by the school board I make no guarantees about what I may do. I will revolt. I will put up a fight. I will not miss my vacation. NOT happening.

9. I am sick of picking up yearbook slack. Our editors are editors for a f***ing reason. And they're getting graded on this. They need to be pulling their own weight and not "altering" the superlatives.

10.Prom is two months away and I'm already thinking a lot about it, and about how I'm dateless. What does that say about me?

11. I haven't been doing my homework.

12. I really need to clean my room.

13. I cannot wait for my, eighty dollars worth of girl scout cookies to come in. Don't judge me! I buy enough to last a year, and this year I have to accommodate for an eventual college roommate! There is logic behind it!

So that should cover it for the February Confessional. Please do not think less of me...my mind is not in its right place at the moment.

Lazy February

It’s been a slow month for my personal life, so my confessions this month are pretty mundane.

1. The only reason I invite my brother and his wife over for diner every week is so I can spend three hours playing with my nephew.

2. Even though I’m single (and proud of it) I had the most amazing Valentine’s Day because I had forty pintsized Valentines who thought my multicolored Jell-O cookies were the coolest thing ever.

3. I learned the hard way that when square-dancing with partners below 4 feet tall it’s a good idea to wear kneepads because you’re going to end up dancing on your knees.

4. After taking individually decorated chocolate cupcakes to a staff potluck I was stopped in the hallway by another teacher who wanted to know if I was the one who’d made the decadent cupcakes. I had all of 20 seconds to be pleased and flatted before my students, who’d been lined up against the wall listening, indignantly wanted to know why I hadn’t made them cupcakes.

5. After four amazing months of 10:00 A.M. sunrises and 4:00 P.M. sunsets Alaska is finally gaining daylight, and it sucks. I’d forgotten how much of a pain it is having to cover up my skin every time I step out of the house.

Looking back on my month I have the sudden urge to take up hang gliding in March just so I’ll have more interesting things to confess in April.

- Aaron

It Has Been One Month Since My Last Confession...

1. Lately, I've become addicted to eating fruit. Seriously, I've been eating 1-3 pieces of fruit everyday, usually apples or oranges. Weird, I know, but so good!

2. I <3 Rolling in the Deep by Adele! And what's most shocking to me besides her killer voice...she's only 23!

3. I can't wait to see Red Riding Hood and Beastly! 2011 seems to be the year for retold fairytales! :)

4. Lately, whenever I run across a blog saying that someone has snagged a book deal or it's the day of their book release, I get a little teary-eyed. Why? I'm not sure, I think, even though it's something I want just as bad as any other writer working toward publication and I may feel a pang of jealousy, it also feels great to see that if they can do it, I can too. It feels amazing to know that this dream, however elusive it may seem at times, really is possible if you have passion and you work hard enough. And, most importantly, when you refuse to give up!

And, on that note, I want to give a HUGE congrats to Lisa and Laura Roecker, whose debut novel The Liar Society releases TODAY! YAY! I'm so happy for you both, girls, you deserve it! Now, go out and get yourself a copy! :)

~Ella