Small Announcement:

Last night, the 28th of December 2010, I officially finished my novel, proofreading and all. After I sat and stared at the last words of my novel, amazed at what I had accomplished, I decided to use that dreaded Word Count in which every writer must use at least once. Now, before I finished writing my novel and started proofreading, I had been reading up on how large a novel should be. I read that to make it technically a novel, it has to be at least 50,000 words or more. Average novels run anywhere from 70,000 to 90,000 words, and a good sized novel (such as the later Harry Potter novels) run anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 words. 200,000 words or more is a bit excessive, and very few publishers will even bother to read it. As the Word Count on my own writing program did it's thing, painstakingly counting my 262 page novel, I waited in worry. Earlier, before I was finished writing it, I was worried that I would have to fill it with too much nonsense to make my quota. Luckily it was in the 170,000 word range already, so I finished it how I wanted to, but then I had to worry if it was going to be too much, and would I have to downsize...I did not want to do that. Everything I wrote thus far fits in my mind, even the little things that seem insignificant mean something to me. They add something in there that helps tell the story, and without them something might not feel right. Might feel empty. So finally, the word count was in, and the end result: 176,723 words altogether, 14 chapters (not including Prologue and Epilogue), and 262 pages of novel-ly fun. Now all I have to do is write out a query letter, and send it to as many publishing companies as my little mind can think of! Wish me luck, and if you have any helpful hints please leave a comment! Thanks <3

-A.M. Burnshaw, Future Published Author

P.S. I posted this on my other blog too, so the deja vu you are feeling if you've read both blogs is not just in your head. Or maybe it is. What do I know? Teehee...

The One, the Amazing, the Awesome, the Legendary, the Coveted, and the Best, the Number Two Pencil!

Legend has been told that there is a one and only most wanted pencil, one that is not even one to begin with: It's the Number Two Pencil. Throughout the years this fabled pencil has gone down in history as the lucky pencil to pretty much everyone who wants a pencil. For some reason all who spot the pencil claim to love it, and then they must have it. Say there's a Number Two Pencil sitting in the middle of the street, for instance. Inevitably, one person will come along who spots the pencil, notices that it is indeed the great Number Two Pencil, and scream's "STOP! Don't move, it's a Number Two Pencil!!!" whilst running in the middle of the street. And if that person were to be asked why they ran in the middle of the street to grab a stupid pencil, they will again inevitably say, "it's my lucky pencil!" as way of explanation. 'Tis the curse of the Number Two Pencil, it seems...Everyone thinks that it is the best pencil in the world, and will do anything to get their hands on one. It's like a conspiracy! I mean, how else do you explain it? It's like the company who makes the pencils ingrained some kind of mind-control device inside the pencil, one that tells people that it's the best pencil ever, and that YOU WANT THIS PENCIL ONLY, IT IS A SPECIAL PENCIL. That way, people will always strive to get their pencils, no matter how great the competition is! It's like they want everyone in the world to carry around a Number Two Pencil, thinking that it's some kind of special talisman, so they can later activate the mind-control device inside the pencils and brainwash us into doing exactly as they say like giving them money and recruiting other countries and polishing their shoes and making more pencils and getting their coffee and giving them more money so they can TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!

Okay, so maybe that's just a wee bit improbable. But it could be possible! Heck, even I, the one sitting here typing away about conspiracies, will admit that I have a certain fondness of the dreaded Number Two Pencil. Why, you ask? Well, I don't know why! All I know is that I may have been brainwashed by the pencil company to love their pencils, but I still have my free will, and I will not carry around a pencil of theirs like a crazy person and get them their coffee! I will strike against the Number Two Pencil movement! If I see a Number Two Pencil in the middle of the street, I will not run and grab it for the sake of having it, I will leave it lying on the ground to get run over! And I advise all of you to follow my lead! Do not fall into the trap of the Number Two Pencil! If you see one, just stick your chin up in the air, and keep walking! And spread the word about the Anti-Number Two Pencil Act (ANTPA)!!! You can do it, I know you can. Just resist the temptation and allure of the Number Two Pencil!

Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

House: Massage Therapy

Okay, I just wanted to do a very brief overview of last night's House episode. First of all, might I just say, it was awesome as usual. Second, I liked it because this time they addressed the fact that House and Cuddy were still procrastinating over the whole moving-on-to-the-next-step thing. In this case, it was Cuddy letting House spend the night at her place, and House giving up his old massage therapist because she was a hooker. Literally. Plus, the whole thing with the patient was really cool because he totally made the connection and diagnosed her so easily without hardly any help. It was fun, because they were trying out a new female doctor on the team, and she was totally stupid, and she had just finished a residency in psychiatry, but she could not see that the patient was actually just Schizophrenic and that all her symptom's were caused by the medication she was taking to handle that. No, instead House, the one who was not all into psychology, figures it out himself in one brilliant light-bulb moment. Anyway, so in the end House gives up his massage therapist, and Cuddy lets him spend the night, and have dinner with her and her daughter Rachel and everything. Cuddy leaves the room for a brief moment at dinner, and Rachel grabs House's cane and puts it in her mouth, and he gets all worked up and gets it back and wipes it off, and then he's all, "aren't you just the cutest thing" even though he was clearly being sarcastic. It's kind of lame how bad he really is with kids, but next week supposedly he's going to babysit Rachel, so that should be interesting, and let's hope that he bonds with her and gets over his thing about kids. Yay! So all and all, it was still awesome, and I can hardly wait till next Monday as usual!
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

Happy Birthday, Big Bro!

Today my brother turns twenty-one. I know, right? It's really quite a big deal, and I can't believe it's happening! Today he has the right as an American citizen to drink a beer with his buddies, or like he wants to do today, with his parents. It's kind of cool, if you think about it, how one day you are not allowed to drink, and the next, poof, you can drink. Well, I wish only the very best to my brother today, and I hope he has a blast with his carne asada for dinner and his beer.

Happy 21st Birthday!!!

Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

House: Unwritten

Alright, so I was too tired to do this last night, but HOLY CRAP THIS EPISODE WAS SO BLOODY AWESOME IT WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE LAST ONES WERE AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, so I am so liking this new dynamic with House being happy with Cuddy and everything. It's actually really fun! This time he was trying to find something that he and Cuddy had in common, because he thinks that once the honeymoon stage of the relationship is over, she's going to realize that they have nothing in common and dump him. He took her go-cart racing, and that was fun til she lost to Wilson's girlfriend Sam and hurt her neck. The funniest part of those scenes was when House avenged his girlfriend by beating Sam's butt in the race. And how he beat her? He used his cane to unplug her go-cart. He totally cheated, but it was bloody hilarious! In the end Cuddy told House that they didn't need anything in common but each other, and that she liked their relationship the best because it was not common.
Also a really great thing about this episode was that the patient was a famous author, and House was totally obsessed with her books. He even went so far as to steal the lady's typewriter ribbon and send it through an MRI to see what was written on it, and then print it all out and put it together to read her latest book. And the best part? He mostly diagnosed her using nothing but her book, and how she wrote it for the characters. It was sweet. And not, "awe, isn't that sweet?" more like, "holy crap that was sweet!". I think the funniest part though was at the very end, he was talking to the patient that he had just healed, and he was all upset because she didn't answer anything for any of the characters in the end of her book, and she planned on not writing any more books for that series. So he was all, "you have to finish it better!" and she was all, "I think my ending was perfect because each person who reads it can come up with their own ending", and let me just tell you I agree with House, thank you very much! I hate it when an author ends it without answering any questions, because then you just wonder forever and ever and you never get an answer and it SUCKS! Anyway, so House was pissed because of what she said, and like he always does when someone hurts him, he was planning on hurting her back. He was going to tell her that her son (who she based her main character off of, and who died in a car crash and that's why she was sick) didn't have aneurysm like he originally told her, but then he saw Cuddy in the background watching, and he switched gears and said that her son was very luck to have a mother like her! It was so strange, really, that he completely stopped his track of evilness because he wanted to be a better man for Cuddy! Amazing...Anyways, as House left the patient's room, Cuddy said that he did a really good thing in there, and House just kept walking saying "shut up" as he went, causing Cuddy to smile fondly and me to friggin' laugh my fool butt off as I watched. It was truly epic, and if this season continues to go like this, I am going to be soooo sad when it finally ends...But at least if it ends good, I won't be pissed off that House is miserable and they ended it horribly. So anyway, I loved this episode. It might just be my favorite episode now.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

House: Selfish

Okay, I hate to sound a bit repetitive here, but House was AWESOME!!!
...Again...
Yeah, enough of that. Anyway, I really was happy with this episode! House and Cuddy told everybody about them being together, and that got a different and funny reaction out of everyone (Wilson didn't believe it at first, but then Cuddy kissed House, and that wasn't enough so in the end she had to put her hand somewhere private and the look on Wilson's face was priceless), and at first it was sketchy because House and Cuddy kept agreeing with each other over medical decisions even though they didn't really agree, but then they worked it out in the end by agreeing to be completely and brutally honest with each other about their opinions in the future. Which is good! They get to be happy about being a couple, and then they get to go to work and be exactly how they used to be with all the tricking each other and stuff to treat the patients! Which is fine with me because I always thought it was funny when House would come up with a crazy idea that Cuddy would turn down and then he would figure out a way to do it behind her back anyway. So...All and all, it was all good, and hilarious as usual, and I can't wait til next week!!!
So...That's all I got.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

Validation

Okay, so I found this video a few years ago, and I loved it so much I just thought I'd share it with y'all! It's kind of long, but I guarantee you will not be wasting your time if you watch the whole thing! It's really an inspiring short movie. Enjoy!
-M.E.

House: Now What

Alright, just as I thought, tonight's season premier was AWESOME! It had the usual sarcastic humor, and House actually said the L-word to Cuddy! The main points that worry me are that when James (Wilson) came in through House's window to check on him, and House tried to tell him that he was in there with Lisa (Cuddy), and brought him to his room to show him and everything, Lisa hid in the closet and House had to make up a lie to not sound crazy again. Which gives a nice opening for "House is hallucinating again", because logically speaking, if he were hallucinating, his mind would create a scenario in which to explain why House was the only one who could see her, in this case that Lisa hid in the closet because she "didn't think he was ready to make them public yet". Also I was having a bit of deja vu with the whole "this isn't going to work because I can't change and I'll be a jerk to you and you'll realize you hate me and we'll break up" thing House did with Stacey when she left Mark for him. But Cuddy handled it perfectly by saying that she didn't want him to change, that she loved him because he was an amazing guy and she wanted him to stay the same amazing guy. And she left for work with a kiss and a smile from the both of them, and they were all happy again, but the minute the door closed behind them, both Lisa and Greg's (House's) smiles disappeared. Also I'm a tad worried about Thirteen (Remy Hadley), because she lied that she was going to Rome for experimental treatment for her Huntington's, but then just disappeared instead. Which basically makes me think that she might be going somewhere to die, because her disease has worsened and she just doesn't want to be seen at her worst.
But despite my worries that they will completely ruin the last season, I'm trying to stay optimistic and just look forward to the next episode! Which I am, because I still currently love that show the best, even though it has the potential to go south. Because it also has the potential to be quite awesome!!!
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.
P.S. Maybe I'll post again next week after I watch House!

House is BACK!!!

Today is the season premier for House, my favorite TV show ever!!! I am so excited, I can hardly wait till later when our DVR records it and we can watch it! I just hope they don't totally ruin the whole show...'Cause the season finale from season six was great and all, but what if they mess with it? In case you didn't catch the season finale in question, House lost a very important patient, one he actually got real close to, and he was on the verge of going back to taking Vicodin because of it. You see, he quit his therapy because he tried doing everything the therapist said, but it didn't work. Everyone else in his life ended up happy, and with someone, but he was just as miserable. Wilson was moving in with Sam, and he kicked House out, and Cuddy was not only moving in with Lucas, but she had also become engaged with him, and she totally was a witch with a B to House saying that she didn't love him and that he needed to get over it. And then House's patient dies and the only thing he thinks that will make him feel better, is if he numbs himself with pain meds. So he was in his bathroom, about to take the pills, when Cuddy shows up and tells him that she broke it off with Lucas, and she wanted to take a chance and be with House. She also says the words, "I love you", and then House drops the pills on the ground and they kiss. It ends there, so they left us all thinking, "are they a couple now? Will they get married? What's next season going to be like with them together?". This worries me only because I have read that there are rumors that either House or Cuddy will die at the end of this last season, and that would greatly piss me off. And we're also not sure whether House is hallucinating again or not, so that's worrisome...I mean, House asked Cuddy if he was hallucinating, and she asked if he had taken the pills, and he said no, but does that really mean that it's real? It wouldn't be the first time they tricked us into thinking that Cuddy and House were together but then turned it around and said that House was hallucinating. But I don't know...Why would they go through the whole explanation that House didn't take the pills so therefore wasn't hallucinating if it wasn't true? I just don't want to watch this LAST season, and be completely peeved about it forever because they ruined it by saying that House was either dead or miserable in the end. But I also don't want them to change his whole character and make him all lovey-dovey with Cuddy twenty-four-seven, ya know?
*acain*
Well, I guess I'll just have to wait till tonight to see what happens, eh? I'll try to post something about it after I watch it, so expect another post from me!
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.
P.S. Cross your fingers that the episode is epically awesome!

The end of an era...

I just saw on the news today, that the New York Times newspaper is going out of print. No, you are not hallucinating, I really said that the New York Times is not going to be printed anymore. Not because they're going out of business, but because they're doing it all online now. Gone are the times when you could pick up a newspaper on your way to work, or outside your home in the morning, and actually read the news on paper. Now they expect you to log on to your computer and read it online! What has this country come to, when you can't even hold a newspaper in your hands anymore? This is just like what they're trying to do with books. They think if they provide us with electronic book readers, we'd rather buy that instead of buying an actual book. I have said it before, and I will say it again: I will never, ever give up my way of life, the way in which I read things on paper, not computerized screens. Where I go to an actual book store, pick a book I like, and bring it home with me, stashing it on one of many bookshelves. Where I can physically touch a book bound with paper, and glue, and printed in ink. Or regarding the newspaper, what will I do when we can no longer fight over who's turn it is to read the comics? Or do a crossword? Or read an article? What is happening to society to make them believe that words printed on paper should be obsolete? Are they just too lazy to do the printing, or is it the consumers who are too lazy to leave their computer-caves and get the paper? Or (and this one makes the most since in this day and age), is it because they think we're "wasting too much paper" and they want to "go green"? Personally I don't think that paper is our problem here when it comes to the environment. I think its bottled water companies who continue to manufacture plastic bottles that -when left in the sun for a period of time- cause Cancer, not to mention that no matter how many times they claim that the plastic is completely recyclable, they are lying, because they can only melt down and reuse a percentage of the plastic on their bottles, and the rest most likely goes to some dump somewhere to sit and pollute our air for several years. Or how about the so-called "green" cars they just love to push on us? They may be nice for our air, because they don't use gas, but they always forget to mention that the batteries they use in those cars have mercury in them, and mercury is the opposite of "environmentally safe". They can not dispose of mercury. They can only dump it in some landfill somewhere away from society (hopefully), because it literally will create dead-zones wherever they dump it. Do you know what mercury poisoning can do to you? Well, just in case you don't, here's a list of some of the symptoms, so you know just how dangerous it really is:

You can develop Psychological and Neurological problems such as: Short term memory loss, angry fits, suicidal tendencies, inability to sleep, low self esteem, Belle's Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Shingles, Epilepsy/convulsions, Nervous Tension, the shakes of hands, feet, head, etc, twitching of face or other muscles and more, headaches, vertigo, tinnitus, speech and visual impairment, Glaucoma, etc. You may also get Cardiovascular problems, like arrhythmia, high blood pressure, heart attack, weak pulse etc. Also you can get digestive tract problems, oral problems, respiratory problems including asthma, skin problems, certain blood diseases, allergies, and different Cancer's including Hodgkin's disease, Leukemia and more. The list goes on and on, but I think I'll stop here, since I've gotten my point across well enough.

My main point here is it would be stupid and hypocritical to stop printing newspapers and attempt to replace other paper products such as books just because it's not "green", when the use of mercury in batteries or plastic's that cause Cancer will most definitely kill us all much, much faster. So what is it? Why on earth would they stop printing newspapers? I mean, it may only be the New York Times now, but that will not be the end of it. Next it will be all newspapers, and then what? All books? All magazines? All paper products altogether? Next thing you know we'll be living in a world of technology, with no more human contact at all. It's bad enough that people rather text each other than talk on the phone. I mean, I will admit that it is fun to write messages to your friends and family on the computer, but if I had a choice, I would rather talk to them in person, or even on the phone!
I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that it seems like an end of an era to get rid of newspapers, and there is more of this crap to come. It saddens me to think that my children will not know what a newspaper actually printed on paper is, but I know I am right. And there's nothing I can do but stand by and watch, and maybe complain and plea about it on this here blog...
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

In loving memory of the ones we lost...

Today marks the ninth year that we have all managed to live through since the 9/11 tragedy. On this day, I'd like to send my thoughts and my prayers out there to the people who have lost their loved ones, and to the amazing people who survived, and who continue to feel the pain of that tragedy to this day. I send prayers also to the volunteers who risked their own lives to help after the Twin Tower's fell, and who also feel the effects of that day nine years later. They all deserve more than just a "thank you", but since that is the only way I know how to honor them, I would like to say, thank you very, very much for helping to take care of that part of our country in it's time of need. We are all forever in your gratitude.
Besides the men and women who risked their lives that day (and so long after) to help at the Twin Tower's wreckage, I would also like to thank the men and women who continue to fight for our freedom even today: Our soldiers, who die for us every day in a foreign land to help protect us from further terrorism. Many people hold grudges against those noble men and women, but may I remind those people that it is not the soldiers who declared war, it is not the soldiers who send more troops out there to fight, it is not the soldiers who decide what actions to take, and it is not the soldiers who are to blame for the war. It is our government, and the people who run it who decide on such things, and our soldiers are merely doing what is right and what is necessary to protect their loved ones' freedom back at home. And for that, I say they are brave, and noble, and deserve thanks as they return home, not protests and dishonor.
So again I must say, one more time, to our soldiers, volunteers, family, friends, and fellow human beings who have all suffered due to the 9/11 incident: Thank you.

-Miss Eccentric.

Inspiration

We all find it in very different things, don't we? I've known people to become inspired by many things that I may not find inspiring, yet at the same time the product that person comes out with in the end is quite inspiring despite me not really agreeing with them. For instance, I'm not a huge fan of abstract art. I'm a perfectionist, so anything I do must look like something from real life, or I believe it to be rubbish. But despite my feelings about abstract art, I still find it inspiring when I see someone create a work of art that is considered abstract. Not because it's necessarily my thing, but because it's their thing, and I can plainly see that they truly love it.
My Mum finds her passion in things like cooking, or carving wood, or even sculpting clay. She loves the ocean, and anything to do with it. She gasps at the magnificence of a giant wave, and cries when she hears bagpipes playing, with the beat of the music vibrating in her chest. She brags about her children's talents, and she will do anything for her family. She is a passionate person, and she inspires me.
My Dad finds his passion in working with computers, writing (much like me), and providing for his family. He loves old fashioned music (the good kind), and if you catch him in a good mood he'll sing along with the song. He turns green when my brother or I get hurt, and he tries to keep things light and humorous at all times. He is a passionate person, and he inspires me.
My Big Bro finds his passion in computer work as well as my dad, although his is more artful. He loves to design art in graphics, and if he can help someone at the same time, he'll do it in a second. He despises men who take advantage of young women, and he lights up if you sit and listen to him ramble on about his graphic work. He is also passionate, and don't tell him this, but he inspires me as well.
Most of all, my family as a whole inspires me. They keep me going even when I'm doubting myself. So much in life can be inspiring, it's hard to believe anyone can feel as if they don't have passion in their lives. I find my passion in everyday things, things like a really good book, a painting that takes your breath away (Monet does that to me to this day), a sunset that lights the sky with oranges and pinks and purples, shining brightly and colorfully. Music. Any kind really, as long as it's good. But the most inspiring music for me is piano music. My favorite song is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I also love bagpipes, and the feeling I get as the beat vibrates through my own chest. Just thinking of my ancestors, two very different, very Scottish men who found their passion in writing just like I do, makes me swell with pride. But the most inspiring thing of all for me, is witnessing someone enjoy something I've created. I get a rush like no other when people tell me they love my story, or a painting I've made. Just knowing that what I do is not all for nothing keeps me fueled and ready for more. Inspiration is funny like that. One minute you're living life as usual, and the next, your own inspiration trigger hits you, and you have to do something you're passionate about or you'll explode. I've learned what triggers my feelings of inspiration, and I suggest that everyone find their own trigger, and use it to create something beautiful!
-Miss Eccentric.
P.S. Okay, yeah this post was all romanticized and everything, but I'm in a really good mood today. And there's no way I'm going to apologize for that. So there. And yes, I know I've done a post similar to this before, but whatev. I wanted to do it again.

Translation from Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex

In the seventh installation of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, the made-up fairy language is Gnommish (as it is in the previous installations as well), and it is written on the bottom of every page, holding a secret message in the alphabetical characters. And like I said in my last post, this code is quite easy to crack, as it is basically no more than a replacement of our own alphabet. The grammar and spelling of words are the same. Which is why it was not hard for me to memorize the series of characters used in the Gnommish alphabet, thus making it super-duper easy for me to translate the code in the books, more specifically this latest one. So, without further ado, here is the translation:

Note: In the Gnommish code, a dot is used as a space, and an arrow is used as a period. However, other than that there is no punctuation. Which is why I have added the punctuation in myself, as I see fit. And just so you know what the Gnommish alphabet looks like, here's a chart I got from The Artemis Fowl Files:

Also, when I use parentheses during the translation, it means that I'm adding a note myself, and it is not part of the actual translation.

"From the V-diary (video diary) of Artemis Fowl II, commentary by Dr. J. Argon, LEP (Lower Elements Police) consultant and grand probemeister (not exactly sure what that means, but that's how it's spelled in the book) of the psych brotherhood.
Artemis Fowl appears on screen. He is disheveled and toys incessantly with a small coin. Both the untidiness and the fidgeting are most unusual. Artemis Fowl is known for his attention to detail, especially where his own grooming and presentation are concerned. His voice too is cause for worry. Stress readings are in the nineties, and his lower ranges are skewed a full third of an octave below the norm, based on comparisons with interview-room recordings.
Artemis holds the coin between his thumb and forefinger, and we see that there is a circular hole in the center. The coin obviously holds great significance for the boy. He slams it onto the desk, then picks it up again and spins it - unable, it would seem, to let it be. Early signs of compulsion. Worrying...
He speaks.
Artemis: 'People called me a boy genius. A wunderkind. Perhaps I was a prodigy. But I will be fifteen soon, and too old for that label. So what am I then? A teenage criminal mastermind, perhaps. Or just a common thief. Who can a thief trust? There were a few I thought. But could I have been wrong? Is that possible?' Artemis taps the coin against the surface of the desk precisely twenty times before speaking again. Perhaps there is no significance to the number twenty. Artemis Fowl frowns and rubs the deep line between his brows.
Artemis: 'I thought I knew everything. Now I think I know too much. This new knowledge: These compulsions are taking me over. Soon they will drive my very speech patterns.' He taps the coin on the desk. Twenty taps again. He seems not to want to do it, but is compelled. Oh dear. It is just as Captain Short said. I am worried now, very worried...
Note: Check legality of using Insulin Shock Therapy or possibly Psychosurgery on humans."

(Note that every-other sentence, Artemis counts his words in fives. Such sentences include: "Perhaps I was a prodigy", "So what am I then?", "A teenage criminal mastermind, perhaps", "Or just a common thief", "Who can a thief trust?" and "I thought I knew everything". This observation may seem insignificant to most people, however, I know that Artemis' compulsive behavior includes counting things -including his sentences- in fives, and any number that can be derived from five, such as ten, fifteen, twenty, and so-on and so-forth, thus making this small observation completely relevant to Dr. J. Argon's analysis of Artemis, and of course anyone reading this.)

It ends there, on page 91, and continues to repeat itself four times starting over on pages 92, 181, and 270, finally ending on the last page (page 357) with a cut-off "psyc-" at the end, making it 19 characters (including spaces and periods) missing from the last message-repeat. And don't hold it against me for being that specific. I am a very thorough person, and determined as well. So I didn't want to leave anything out, not even the amount of times it repeated and on what pages the repeats started on. So there. No judgment allowed, thank you.

Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.
P.S. Haha, my sign-off has five words in it=D

Artemis Fowl: I AM FINISHED!!!

Alright, so my last post was a bit on the crazy-stalker-fan side of things, but I was super excited and I have every right to be, because the book really was that cool.
Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex (the seventh in the series) arrived on the fourth, and I finished reading it yesterday. Which is a good omen (you would know what I'm talking about if you read it). Eoin Colfer really did knock himself out writing this one, and I simply did not want to put it down until I finished it. But I forced myself to slow down, pace myself, that way I didn't finish it in like, two days instead of five. 'Cause then I'd be disappointed that it was over already. But five days was as slow as I could go. And like I said, if you were to read the book, you would know that finishing it in five days was a perfect tribute to the story. Anyway, I immensely enjoyed this book, and I might even go as far as to say that it was the funniest in the series yet. You see, one of the main plot lines in the story is that Artemis has contracted a mental illness the fairies call Atlantis Complex, which usually only guilt-ridden fairies contract. But since Artemis has meddled in fairy magic so much, and he lived a life of crime for many of his younger years, he was vulnerable to the illness. This Complex is described to be sort of like OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), with a little paranoia mixed in. And in extreme cases, the patient may develop Multiple Personality Disorder.
In Master Fowl's case, he gets all the symptoms. At first it's just an obsession with straightening things, and counting (it's always fives, because five is a nice round number whereas four is the bad number because it means death. Literally for the Chinese community, since four sounds a lot like there word for death), and of course the paranoia, but then when he is electrocuted (I won't give away exactly how), his alter-ego, Orion, emerges. And Orion is nothing like Artemis. He may have all of his memories, but he is a completely different person: He is dumbed-down, innocent, fanciful, and loves to profess his love for a certain feisty LEPrecon Captain by the name of Holly Short. He drives his former friend Holly and Foaly crazy themselves with his delirious rants, and the fact that he calls them, "my fair maiden" and "goodly beast".
Now, while Artemis and friends are battling inner demons and a rogue space probe of Foaly's own design, a former enemy of Holly's, and her deceased Commander's (Julius Root) is planning a break from prison and a ghastly plan to kidnap yet another friend of young Master Fowl's to use for his own gain. From start to end, Artemis and friends must endure things like giant squids trying to crack Arty like a nut (and him exclaiming loudly, "I'm the nut! I'm the nut!"), explosive gas bubbles from a certain dwarf who now calls himself Tombstone, zombie wrestling fans who are under a bad fairy's mesmer, a dark-magic Rune called a Thrall, random spouts of number poetry from Artemis Fowl himself, and of course psychotic ramblings of an alter-ego named Orion. Really, this book truly made me laugh out loud the whole time, even to the very last page. And Mr. Colfer left the end on a great cliffhanger, so I am hoping and praying that this is not the end of the story for Artemis Fowl II. Honestly, he left it more open than a dwarf's cavernous mouth readying himself to tunnel. And in the end of this small evaluation of the story, I really only have five words left to say about the book: Bloody hilarious and ridiculously awesome.

On a related note, all previous Artemis Fowl books have a Gnommish code encrypted at the bottom of every page, and of course the new book has it too. The code is quite a simple one (it's just a series of symbols used to replace our own alphabet, nothing special), easy to learn and understand, and I happen to be fluent in both reading and writing it. Thus, I shall be translating the message in the book at my leisure, and will be posting it here when I'm done. I might take my time with it, as I have some writing to catch up on, but who knows, I also might just finish it in one day and be posting it tomorrow. Who knows. It depends on if I feel like straining my eyes to see it and writing it down at the same time. And yeah, I know this makes me sound like a total super-nerd, but at his point in life, I don't really care. I love the Artemis Fowl series, and if that makes me a nerd, fine. Bring on the pocket protectors.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE! COUNT TO FIVE, STAY ALIVE!!!

-Miss Eccentric.
P.S. I was totally kidding about the pocket protectors. I'm not that much of a nerd.

Arty countdown: ...I'm wait-ting...!

Alright, so if you happen to keep up with my Facebook page, or if you know me even a little, you will already know that the next book in my favorite series ever is being released in mere hours. In case you don't know, MY FAVORITE BOOK SERIES EVER HAS A SEVENTH BOOK COMING OUT IN MERE HOURS AND IT'S CALLED ARTEMIS FOWL: THE ATLANTIS COMPLEX AND OMG IT'S OF COURSE WRITTEN BY MY FAVORITEST AUTHOR EOIN COLFER AND IT'S GOING TO BE EPICALLY AWESOME AND I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL YEAR FOR THIS EVER SINCE I HEARD ABOUT THE RELEASE DATE AND I EVEN HAVE A TAB UP ON MY BROWSER THAT IS A COUNTDOWN TO THE RELEASE DATE AND IT'S BEEN UP FOR AT LEAST NINETY DAYS OR MORE AND NOW IT ONLY SAYS 4 HOURS AND SOME-ODD MINUTES AND HOLY CRAP I BETTER STOP BECAUSE I'M SO EXCITED I MIGHT HAVE A STROKE OR SOMETHING CRAPPY LIKE THAT OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I've added this later the same day, and right now the book is officially released and I can hardly wait 'cause it's going to most likely show up in the mail today or tomorrow aaaahhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...I'm contently happy...Even if that sounded a bit redundant...
Blog ya later (when I've finished reading Arty!!!), Miss Eccentric.

Happy Bloggiversary to Moi!

It has officially been a year since I have created this very blog, and posted for the very first time. I see this as a major milestone for me, and I thought it would be nice to go back and revisit my first month of blogging, the very beginning of a blogging era for me.
My journey with the written word over the past year has taken me far, starting out with a Blog about Vlogs, and going on to everything from mascara that vibrates, to venting out frustrations, my Nana not respecting my privacy, electronics hating me (and yes that's so true), people being illiterate and not writing letters anymore, news casters acting just like each other, idiotic people who think sanding my skin will help get rid of unwanted hair, to the makers of Harry Potter killing Fleur, and finally haunted records finding a dead mom's son. And all this in my first month of being a blogger-extraordinaire. I have learned so much in this past year, and I feel blessed to know that my writing skills have grown since I started this blog. Since I graduated high school and got my very own laptop, and got talked into making a blog account by my big brother. And not only have I learned how to write better, to express my feelings through words alone and live my greatest dream, but I have also gained responsibility, and confidence enough to not only share my thoughts but to also create another blog to share my heart, my soul, my stories. Which to me seemed an impossible feat before this blog.
I have grown. I am no longer just a young girl who likes to read and write, I am now a young woman who loves and appreciates everything about the written word and aspires to become a published author. I am not afraid. I have acknowledged some of my greatest fears and insecurities (the ones that prevented me from sharing my work for fear that I would be criticized), and I have overcome them. I am a bigger person. And, I am no longer electronically impaired. Well, okay, I'll admit that I'm still electronically impaired for the most part, but I've branched out and learned everything about blogs, and have even become a Facebooker. Whereas before I couldn't even type without hunting-and-pecking.
And now, after a years worth of blogging, I continue on, venting my thoughts and learning more and more as I go. And hey, maybe some day (sooner rather than later, I hope) I'll come to this blog and post about my first published book. So until then, I wish a very Happy Blogging to all (if any) of the people who have followed me from the beginning! I hope to never cease the paranoid rant that is this blog.

Au revoir!

-Miss Eccentric.
P.S. I wanted to make this Bloggiversary tribute a lot longer, but I said everything I needed to, and I didn't want to rant on and on boringly.

Mushy-deep-thoughty-thought-train-of-thoughts...

I don't know what got us on this subject, but today my parents and I were out in the back yard, in our bathing suits just chilling after a hot day, and we all got to thinking. Now, when we think like we were today, things can get a bit confusing and deep. You see, we were thinking and discussing what happens after you die. You know, one of the big questions in life and beyond. And this particular question has been asked so many times over the years that of course this train of thought is not very original, and we've even talked about this a few times in the past, but sometimes things like this just get stuck in our minds and we need to air it out. So anyway, one of the big questions we discussed was what happens to your husband/wife when they die? When we (and by "we" I mean humans in general since I've obviously never been married myself) take our vows to get married, we say "till death do we part". Does that mean that when you die, and you happen to make it to heaven, God gives you someone else to love while you're "up there"? Or if your spouse dies first, and you get remarried down on earth, what happens when you and that new spouse die and go to heaven? Do you get to stay with your old spouse, or the new one? Or since you're all dead, does that mean you're single, because death did you part? Do you have to choose between spouses? Because that would be insanely hard. But the Bible says that there will be no reason to be sad or upset, so obviously you won't have to go through heartache trying to decide. Which brings us back to: Do you get the first person you married, or the last person you married? Which love, if any, do you spend eternity with?
These are some very good questions, I think, and there are most likely a lot of answers for these questions, depending on your beliefs. I personally think that there are many great loves out there for each of us, but there is only one "soul mate" per person. Only one person that you are meant to spend eternity with. And if you don't meet that person on earth, you get to spend that eternity with that person when you die. And yeah, I know this is getting a bit on the mushy-deep-thoughty-thought-train-of-thoughts side of things, but hey. I can't help but sound a bit deep sometimes. I have a serious side, ya know. But, of course, my silly paranoid-rant side tends to come out more, which I have proven by writing "mushy-deep-thoughty-thought-train-of-thoughts" as a sentence. But whatever.
Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are so many things out there that I would love the answer to, but I guess I'll have to wait till I get old (hopefully) and die to get those answers. And maybe I'm okay with that. Maybe a little mystery in our lives adds excitement, because if you think about it, if we knew everything now, there would be no room for error. No room for excitement, or learning, or anything else that makes us human. We would no longer have a child-like fascination with anything, because we would know exactly how and why things do the things they do. If that even makes any sense. It does in my head, at least.

Just something to attempt to try to wrap your head around (and yes, that was a bit redundant)! Keeps us intelligent when we use our brains to actually think about things, ya know.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

Stuck in my own thoughtful thoughts...

Okay, so I was just ranting my thoughts on my Facebook page a moment ago, and for some reason, I caught myself ranting on and on about being thoughtful. But as I explained in a very crazy-woman-rant kind of way on my Facebook, not the kind of thoughtful that means I care about something, or I did something nice for someone, but more like the evil-genius-thinking-up-a-diabolical-plan-to-rule-the-world, kind of thoughtful. Well anyway, I was saying on my Status that earlier today, when I was standing next to my mum, I felt shorter than usual. Which is strange, given the fact that there is no way I could have shrunk over night. Which got me thinking how strange the human brain can be...I mean, one moment you feel normal, and the next, you perceive yourself as shorter, or taller, or whatever else. Yet you know that there is no way you changed so dramatically in one night, so why would you feel as if you had? My theory is that our brains play these tricks on us as a way of telling us, "oh, I know you haven't noticed because you live with me every day, but I've been changing through the years!" And then one day you wake up and you realize that your brain is right, that you have changed and simply haven't noticed because you see and feel yourself all day every day. Like, if you meet up with an old friend, and they say something along the lines of, "wow, you've changed so much!", and you can't figure out why they would think that, because you feel the same as you always did. When in reality, you've been changing and growing gradually through the years nonstop. Yet, even though I know all this, I can't help but asking myself: Has the process of shrinking as you get older already begun when technically, I should have more growing to do? I mean, what else would explain the feeling that I'm shorter than usual? Perhaps my mum just so happened to be standing straighter than usual, or perhaps I had a bad night's sleep and was slouching a bit more than usual, although both are unlikely because first, I stood real straight to make sure it wasn't that, and second, my mum always stands normally. Neither of us have ever really been slouchers. So what is it then? Whatever it is, it's quite strange indeed...

Moving on...Don't mind me, when I'm in thoughtful moods like this I tend to analyze and question everything. It's as if I get stuck in my own thoughts, and they can't help but think of strange things like feeling shorter when I know I'm not and then ranting on and on about it when I know I sound like a madwoman from a crazy-bin but really if you think about it I can't help but rant like this because I am a bit crazy at times and it's just in my nature to lock myself in my own strange thoughts sometimes and really confuse the people around me because I sit there staring off into space for a while and then all the sudden come out and say something completely random like "I feel kind of shorter today than I did yesterday" and then go on and compare my thoughtfulness to the inner workings of an evil genius who is thinking up a diabolical plan to rule the world and then clarify that my thoughtfulness is indeed not in the slightest like caring about something or doing something nice for someone when they didn't ask but instead more like the inner workings of an evil genius who is thinking up a diabolical plan to rule the world and then repeating myself just to get the point across or maybe just because I can and I somehow think it's amusing to act crazy and rant on and on about nothing in particular except for my own crazy thoughts in which I think thoughtful things that are not thoughtful but evil thoughts of taking over the world and oops I've already said that a whole lot but hey at least I said it slightly differently than last time and ooh look at the time I've been sitting here ranting for too long I should stop this before I sound too crazy and annoying but I don't know how to stop this oh my God I can't stop this is getting ridiculous but boy am I typing fast right now this reminds me of the episode of House when Dr. House thought that Wilson was taking antidepressants and he wanted to prove it so he slipped some speed in his coffee and then Wilson was so hyper he couldn't even put his gloves on to examine a patient and then when he confronted House he asked him for one of his Vicodin 's because he thought his heart was going to explode otherwise and oh great here I am still ranting I'm not even using periods or comma's holy crap I can't stop this is not good someone stop me hey this reminds me of a blog I did a while ago where I was ranting sort of like this and I got going like this and I couldn't stop like this and wow I'm saying like this a lot and anyway I said I wouldn't ever be able to stop unless I went cold turkey so maybe I should just-



(Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric)

Argh...This is really pissing me off right now.

Alright, so I'm sure you've all had this conversation at least once, and now it's my turn. The subject? Gay marriage. Now, I have nothing against gays, nothing whatsoever. My family and I have known many people who were gay, and all of them were very nice people. In fact, they weren't any different from you or I. The only difference is their sexual preference, which has nothing to do with me in my opinion. And yeah, it says that being gay is a sin in the Bible, but it also says that Jesus died for our sins, so anyone who asks for forgiveness will be forgiven. So why would the church or anyone for that matter have a problem with gays? It's none of our business what they do behind closed doors, and it's also none of our business to judge anyone, because it also says in the Bible to leave judgment to God. So what's the problem? Some say that by allowing gay marriage to become legal, we are allowing our government to dictate what is right and wrong. But I say too late, they've been doing that for years. Longer than that, even. What about when marrying outside your race was illegal? Now they allow people of all colors to marry whoever the hell they want, and I think that's the right thing to do. We have freewill, and if our government took that away, that would be an act against God. Gays and lesbians are people too, and it's not our place to say whether or not they can love each other, and seal that love with a marriage. I mean, they're not hurting us, are they? No. Murderers are hurting us, and we should keep them all locked-up, but gays aren't doing anything to hurt anyone, so why continue to allow their love to be illegal?
Now, I'm not saying that I'm gay and that I agree with what they're doing. But my main point here is that we shouldn't have any say on whether or not it's right, and condemn them to hell without even taking into account whether they believe in God and ask for forgiveness. I mean, my brother spends a lot of time online, and he comes across gays who are Christian all the time. They know what the Bible says, but they believe that God will forgive them for their sins and allow them into heaven. And I agree with them. And it doesn't mean I'm necessarily on the gay's "side", it just means I'm on the side of humanity. I'm all-for the rights of a human to love another human.

Okay, so now that I've got my word out, please do not bite my head off and spit it back out with your own opinions attached. What I've said is only one person's opinion on a very controversial subject, and it doesn't matter what I've said anyway because my one vote won't count anyway. And if you happen to be gay, please do not take any offense to what I may have said that can be construed as "hateful" or "judgmental". I meant it only to express my feelings, and if you don't agree with what I've said, then just ignore me.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

You just got brain ninja'd!

Okay, so my brother did the funniest thing last night, and I just had to share this.
So I just happened to walk by his computer, and noticed that he was watching Family Guy on it. I paused and looked, and then proceeded to tease him a bit. I don't know why we tease him when he watches Family Guy, but that's just how it is, and we don't question it. Anyway, I said something like, "you're watching Family Guy?" in a teasing tone, though we both knew it wasn't a question, instead more of a statement. And of course, he tries to hide a smile, and then denies it completely. This is not a surprise, 'cause he tries to deny things that we all know he can't deny all the time. Just like my mum taught us when we were little, if he got chocolate all over his face from eating it, he would just come out and say, "I didn't have any chocolate", when we all knew he was lying.
Anyway, after his denial, I continued to tease, "then what's that?" I asked, pointing at the screen where he had paused the video. He said it was an image, not a video. And, "oh, is that a Family Guy image? I wouldn't know, I never watched it before." He barely holds back his laughter then, and I burst out without even trying to hold it, and ask, "then how come I heard the Family Guy theme song through your earphones?" He starts giggling like we were little again, and I know I've got him there. I mean, there was no way he could deny that. But true to his nature, he tries anyway. "That's called 'brain image-sound matrixing'. It's when your brain sees an image it recognizes, and it makes you hear a sound to go with the image." He said, nodding his head knowingly and then bursting out into laughter. I of course laughed my fool butt off too, but that goes without saying. I mean, really. Wouldn't you laugh if someone said something so ridiculous to you and pretended it was real? And this isn't the first (or last, I hope) time that he's made something up like this just to tease me. In fact, now that I think of it, he probably got that from our dad, who makes crap up to tease us all the time. Like the other day, my bro made us all breakfast, and took it to us and everything, and then brought us all drinks. We found this unusual, to say the least. I mean, he's nice and he helps us with meals sometimes, but it's a true rarity to have him make us all a meal by himself. So naturally, we all thought that perhaps he wanted something. And we couldn't figure out what he wanted, and that's what scared us. And everything new he brought us, our worries intensified and then we started thinking that whatever it was must cost a fortune or something. So when he comes in and sits down with his own food, we all find ourselves staring at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He starts laughing and says, "what?" And we ask him what does he want. He denies wanting anything, just saying that he wanted to be nice and give us breakfast. That's when my dad chimes in and says that my bro was only being nice to confuse us, and that we just got brain ninja'd. And this is my point exactly: My dad and bro come up with the weirdest crap at the most random of moments. But of course, I shouldn't be talkin', 'cause I do the same darned thing, all the time. I can't even count how many strange accents I throw into conversations at random moments, or how many times I brain ninja my family, or come up with a dorky knew character, or run around the room screaming something completely random and acting like a total crazy person in one day. Hell, my bro was nice enough to serve me a piece of chocolate cream pie the other night (made using Jello chocolate pudding), and then he brought me a glass of milk with a straw, and again I turned that into a joke. Now, to give a little background, I have this ongoing joke where I tease that some day I'll be in an insane asylum, and that I'll be happy there as long as I have my padded walls and chocolate pudding. So naturally, when he brings me pudding pie and milk with a straw, I insert my crazy girl voice and say, "yay, I'm all ready to go! I got my pudding, and my milk with a straw, so I can drink it even if I'm wearing my straight jacket!"
Yeah...Okay so maybe some day I will be in a crazy joint, and then y'all will be reading a blog written by a crazy girl livin' in a crazy joint...And now I'm rambling about being a crazy girl in a crazy joint posting a crazy blog while still in the crazy joint where I and everyone around me are all crazy!
*acain*
At least I'll have my pudding.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.
P.S. In case you don't know what the heck "acain" means, it's the Gaelic (Scottish) equivalent of a sigh of annoyance. Random, yes. But funny, so it was worth it.

Stop those bastards from killing our whales!!!

Did you know that very soon the International Whaling Commission will be having their annual meeting, and are going to try and overturn the ban on commercial whaling? Yeah, they're trying to make a deal to allow Japan, Norway and Iceland to legally kill whales again. Does this not surprise anyone else besides me? Does this not horrify you? And to top it all off, the US Commerce Department representatives of the Obama Administration are backing this, and trying to make a deal with the whalers. This is ridiculously absurd in my eyes. I can't believe that our own government is even thinking of making such a deal with anyone. Do they not realize that the very existence of whales and dolphins is endangered even now, when it's supposedly "illegal" to kill them? And what about the proof that we have from that show Whale Wars that clearly shows the illegal killing of whales on video, yet we still do nothing about it? I mean, don't they ever think that maybe we want the next few generations (my future children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren) to know what a real whale looks like in the wild? Because at the rate we're going, they will never get to know what it's like to have a pod (or whatever they're called) of dolphins swim next to their boats, or witness a great big whale splash it's fin in the water so close that their boat rocks. I have not yet had that pleasure, but I pray that one day I will still have the chance to, and my fears are that that won't happen. That I will never see a whale in person unless it's in an aquarium. And that sickens me. So I have decided to leave a link here to a petition that you may sign on Facebook, if you happen to agree with me. Don't let them win. Don't let them slay those proud beasts of the sea.

Alright, all dramatic cause speech aside, I think I've got my point across here. So click here to sign the petition. But act quickly, because the petition closes June 22nd.
Blog ya later, Miss Number 6,460 On The Petition.

Random cats of grossness

Let's talk about gross things today. Now doesn't that sound fun?
Anyway, I'd like to start by saying: The other day, I realized how truly gross my cat is. I mean, when he showed up last October, he was dirty. He had grease from sitting underneath cars, he was always covered in dirt, and he would eat anything you gave him. But once he started getting used to eating regularly at our house, and we fixed him, he starting really cleaning. Post-fixing he became a very clean boy, with a shiny black coat and a routine-clean after every meal. He rarely leaves our back yard, and likes to think of himself as a house-cat, always taking naps on my bed. I thought he was a clean boy, with clean morals. I was wrong.
My first hint that he was truly quite nasty, was a few weeks ago when my mum dropped a piece of cheese on the ground for him to eat, and he left it there for a few days before actually eating it. I was like, "eww, he'll only eat three day old cheese, that's been left outside in the sun?" but I chocked it up to it being a normal cat-thing to do. Two weeks later, he's still licking at the cheese on the ground. Gross yes, but abnormally nasty? Hardly.
The day before yesterday I believe was the day he crossed the line from moderately gross to "eewww!!! Joseph, you are nasty!!!" (I call him Joseph when he's being a stinker, or when he's particularly gross)
It all started with a smashed snail. I had accidentally squished a snail with my chair earlier that day, and the guts were all gooey and stuff. Well, Joey sat in it. It was really not very sanitary, and it was all matted in the fur on his back and stuff, and I was totally grossed out. That wasn't so bad, but boy did it get worse. We let our other cat (we have three altogether, Daisy and Bosco being inside cats, and Joey being an outside cat) Daisy out, and she got all-up-in the grass. She loves to eat it, 'cause it helps with fur balls. So anyway, Joey is quite obsessed with her little tushy for some reason. Probably because she doesn't really clean it, being as fat as she is. Gross yes, but we've known she was gross for years. Well, Joey's obsession with following her around and sniffing her butt escalated, and he tried to lick it for her several times. And of course she would get pissed off and whip around and smack him. He didn't really back down, though. He just kept following her around, sniffing even the ground where her butt has sat. This was gross, and we all laughed about it. And then we got the idea that maybe it would be a good thing if Joey were to help her clean it, so we held her down and let him clean a little. And I know what you're going to say, "it's your own fault that he was being gross, you let him lick her butt!" but I swear we didn't think anything of it. Daisy was growling and carrying on, so we went ahead and let her down. Then we proceeded to watch as Joey stood above her, biting the back of her neck and trying to "mount" her, if you know what I mean. Now, all three of our cats are all spayed and neutered, so there is no reason for any of them to try and have babies, to put it politely. But he was totally trying to get comfortable on her, and she was letting him. We didn't want to watch that, so we pushed him off and let her run away to the grass again, where she proceeded to mow for us and he merely followed her to sniff where her butt had been again. Next thing we know, she coughing up a fur ball and he's trying to go smell it. We all get even more grossed out and wash the kitty-puke with the hose, so he can't get all-up-in-that and lick it or something. After a while we let Daisy in the house again, yet the grossness continues when Joey decides it would be wee-fun to scoot his butt in the grass like a dog. Now we're all thinking, "first he eats nasty old cheese, then he sits in snail guts and leaves it, then he licks our girl cat's butt, then he tries to mount her, and now he's scooting his butt across the yard? Eeeewwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
And he just puked in our kitchen yesterday, to top it all off. And it was like a projectile, landing in a nasty heap at least five inches away from where his face was. And now, we all look at him a bit differently...But I still love him, grossness and all.

Okay, so I just got bored and decided to talk about something completely random and unimportant. So sue me, I had fun.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.
P.S. Did I just happen to mention that Joey, after licking Daisy's butt, then licked my leg? No? Well, let's just say that I scrubbed the crappa out of my leg later that day in the shower.
Also, the picture of Joey at the top of this post is of him in a doggy-rain-coat. We saw it at the pet store and we couldn't resist the idea of him in the yellow rain coat with reflectors on the back. And it was worth it, 'cause although he played dead and wouldn't move, he was the most adorable little thing on the entire earth. And don't argue with me on this note, 'cause I will fight you to the death, and I guarantee I will not be the one dead in the end.

The English language: Say what?!?

They say that if English is not your first language, then it is the hardest language to learn out of any other language. That's because we have so many different meanings for the same word, and so many different words that mean the same thing. It's quite confusing, really, especially if you happen to be a foreigner just learning our language. Take the word "there", for instance. It can mean so many different things depending on the way you spell it: There, they're, their (there once was a girl who wrote a blog, she said, "they're trying to use their strange language to take over the world!"). And the funniest part about that word in particular, is that most of us who actually speak English as our first language don't even know how to use the correct spelling in the correct context. "Huh?", you say? Well that's not the only stupid thing we who speak English do. What about the word "lead"? Do you know that that word can be used and pronounced in two completely different ways, yet spelled the same?
Example: "My dad's mom has a lead foot" or "I like to lead people to strange conclusions".
See what I mean? Or how about words that if you add punctuation in the right spot it completely changes the word? For instance, you can change "its" (meaning "my cat likes turkey, it is its favorite food), by adding an apostrophe in between the T and S, making it "it's" (meaning "it's time for me to stop giving English lessons and get to the point already"), therefore giving it a whole other meaning than "its".
Or "ill" (as in "I am ill"), which can be changed with an apostrophe to "I'll" (meaning "I'll go to the doctor").

Are you keeping up with me, or are you falling asleep yet? Let's move on...

Also, we American's who speak English seem to have forgotten how to spell things as we used to, before we became "American's". I mean, have you not noticed that in Brittan and elsewhere (there's another one: Where, wear, ware) in Europe, they spell certain words differently than we do? Like "color". They spell it "colour" instead. Or "favorite", spelled "favourite" in Europe. Did we not get the memo on how to spell correctly? Because I do believe we American's are the only ones who spell words like that the way we do. I could be wrong, there could be people outside of the United States who spell color the way we do, but most people from Europe that I've ever seen do indeed spell it colour. Or how about how we greet each other?

Anonymous person: "Hey, what's up?"

Me: "Uh...The ceiling above my bed, currently."

Do you understand my point, here? My point being: Why do we say things like, "what's up?", when we clearly mean something other than the literal sense (sense, since, cents, all pronounced the same) of what is directly above us? It does not make any rational sense to me.
So, besides our language being the hardest to learn, I also find it to be the strangest of them all. Especially in the past few years that I have been writing, which has given me plenty of examples of how strange our language really is. Because although we all speak it on a daily basis, the strangeness of it can be hidden until we have to write it all the time. Then we notice, "hey, 'there', 'their', and 'they're' are all spelled differently, yet sound the same when spoken!". And it truly is amazing how many words we use in our daily lives that turn out, aren't even words at all (in the technical sense)!
But, I suppose there is nothing we can do but embrace our strangeness (funny, you can add a "ness" to just about anything and it's still a word) the best we can, by continuing to confuse innocent foreigners just by saying three simple words: Hey, what's up?

Just something to think about, everyone.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.
P.S. Long time no blog, eh? Here's hoping you'll get to see more of me after this here blog. We'll see though, 'cause I don't have all the free time I used to.

The Nothing conspiracy: Shall we continue to watch owls in a box, dancing dinosaurs and Shark Boys?

Not too long ago (when she was here), my Aunt (AKA BBB) left a link to Ustream on my Mum's Facebook. Well, when we clicked on it, it sent us to a live feed of an owl box, one with a mom (Molly), a dad (McGee), and four babies (Max, Pattison, Austin and Wesley). At the time, the babies were only wee little fellows, and they just sat around and bobbed their heads at the camera. Which for some reason was very endearing, and we just couldn't stop watching it. I mean, really. All we did was sit there by the computer together, and watch the owls sit there and do nothing. And it was during the day, so they really were just sitting there doing nothing (we even sat for at least five minutes waiting for one of them to cough up a seed). Now, I don't know about you, but don't ya think that would just be a big, boring waste of valuable time? You would think, wouldn't you? Well no, apparently people all over the world also like to sit around and watch owls do nothing as well. In fact, I have Ustream up in a tab now, and they are once again sitting around doing nothing but bob their cute little heads at the camera, and all the regulars are still watching. Granted, they're starting to get their feathers, and they're actually looking like owls now, and that's pretty neat to see, but really. It shouldn't be so damn interesting. It's like they're brain washing us, or something. You know, now that I think about it, it's kind of like those shows, or commercials, etc. that you really don't want to watch because it's really boring and really stupid, but you continue to sit there and watch it anyway. It melts your brain in a way that renders you immobile, and you just sit there staring at the TV and/or computer screen with a blank or disgusted look on your face. And there's nothing you can do about it, either! Even if someone comes in the room saying something like, "why are you watching that crap?", you still sit there and continue to watch. And do you know why you still sit there watching the brain melting program? Because the person who came to rescue you with the witty comment gets sucked in as well, rendering them useless in the "rescuing" department. In fact, a while back my mum and I got sucked into one of the Nothing shows (that's what I'll call them, 'cause they melt your brain until the only thoughts left are Nothing). My mum was flipping through the channels, and she happened to stop on the Hannah Montana show, and for some reason, we just could not stop watching it, no matter how much our brain tried to tell us that we really didn't like it. And one time, we sat for two hours or however long watching the movie Shark Boy and Lava Girl, which was even more stupid than Hannah Montana.
(Funny thing is, that was before the Twilight phenomenon, when the guy who plays Jacob was still dorky Shark Boy. And now girls everywhere think he's hot. Funny, huh?)
Ooh, or how about those commercials for Baskin-Robins? You know, the ones with all the ice cream cakes and the little dinosaurs and the super annoying jingle that just goes, "ice cream and cake, ice cream and cake, ICE CREAM AND CAKE, ICE CREAM AND CAKE, ICE CREAM AND CAKE!!!!!!!!!!" the whole bloody time (or something along those lines, I don't remember exactly how it goes, I just know it says ice cream and cake over and over)?? Yeah, that's a Nothing commercial, and it shares-the-joy at the same time. It's a two-fer. But not a win-win, that's for bloody-well sure.
It's almost like these people are all trying to brain wash us so we are oblivious to the happenings around us. So we don't stand and rise against them when they try to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!
(Come on, you had to know that one was coming.)
So anyway, do you have a Nothing show and/or commercial that sucks you in? Just curious. You know, 'cause I want to start cataloging which shows and commercials (or even songs and movies, for that matter) are Nothings, that way when they all try to take over the world, I'll have a list of Nothings that I know not to watch.
Or, I'm just being paranoid and in reality I just want to know so I either don't get stuck in it myself, or so I can use it against you when you least expect it, and then I can TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!
Just kidding. ...Sort of...
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.
P.S. I really do like to sit here and ramble on and on about Nothing. I should do it more often again.

Doctor Who. No, really, doctor who? What the heck is your name, damn it!!! No one's name is actually The Doctor, and you know it. So what is it!

Okay, so this is a bit belated (in two different instances), but the new Doctor Who season premiered this last Saturday, and I wanted to talk about it a bit.

Now, I'm not sure if I have blogged about this yet, but you should know (even if this is a refresher and nothing more), that when I heard about David Tennant (the last actor to play as The Doctor) leaving Doctor Who, I nearly had a serious tizzy-fit. It was bad. I mean, they say that everybody's first Doctor is always their favorite, and they're not kidding. The very first time I watched Doctor Who, it was the Titanic episode in God-only-knows-what-season, with David as the Doctor. I fell in love with the series then and there, and went back and watched every episode from the beginning, when Christopher Eccleston was The Doctor still. He only stayed on for the first season, and then came David Tennant again, and he remained my favorite despite all the time I watched Christopher. So when David regenerated into the new Doctor (Matt Smith), I was sure that Doctor Who would never ever be the same for me again, no matter what the next season was like. But as I watched the new Doctor in the season premier this Saturday, I found myself chewing my own words. I couldn't believe myself, that I liked this new guy almost just as much (emphasis on the almost) as Christopher and David!!! And his new companion, too! Amy Pond is like a strong mix of all the past companions, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, and Donna Noble, all of which had their own fiery personalities. She's a lot of fun: She's Scottish, she's redheaded (and therefore even more fiery), she tells it how it is, and she doesn't let The Doctor push her around. That's for sure. All-in-all, I really think I'll be enjoying this new season of Doctor Who, despite my favorite Doctor regenerating. Which is a huge shock to me.
I guess what I've learned here, is that if I really like a series, I should trust the creators to keep it just as good throughout, and stop having tizzy-fits when they make a big change that turns out to be okay in the end.
...Or...I can have another tizzy-fit when they change something again. Yep, that works for me.

In other news...A slightly belated Birthday shout-out to BBB!!! Luvs, and Happy Birthday!!!

Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.
P.S. To the TV peoples: Just because I can get used to having a new Doctor, don't go and think I'll forgive you for ending House! Because I will never forgive that, no matter how awesome the finale is!!! So there.

Amazing guitar prodigy

This kid is amazing. I found him a few years ago by accident, using my brothers computer at the time, and since then had forgotten about him. Until the other night, that is, when my mum showed me a video of some kid playing the guitar. Then I remembered when I found this kid that time, and I had to share this with you all. So check it out: This prodigy will truly amaze you, I guarantee it!



Doesn't this kid amaze you? I don't know, something about a child his size and age playing more beautifully than a grown man just gets me. Gives me goose bumps, that's what it does! I can't help it. I truly do love some good music, no matter who plays it.

So anyway, remembering this kid after, like, three years has me runnin' curious: What's your favorite song, band, singer, or orchestra (etc.)? There are so many different types of music, and so many people in this world who each like a different type than the last person, so it got me all curiosity-killed-the-cat (but satisfaction brought him back!) and stuff. So go ahead and leave a comment, and let me know what kind of music you like! Heck, you can even send me a link to a video of said music that you like!
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

Bitter-sweet...But sweet indeed

Long time, no blog, eh? Well, eight days isn't that long, but it's the longest I've ever gone without blogging. My reason for not blogging that long is a good one, though. Wanna hear it? Okay, are ya ready?
We had company over.
Well, okay maybe that's a stupid reason, 'cause I should have been able to blog anyway, but I didn't blog because they (BBB, that is) were here for a week and none of us wanted to just leave them sitting there alone, when they came to visit us in the first place. So we all had a blast together, without any blog-breaks. And yesterday, they left...But despite the bitter, I still managed to keep the day sweet!
My wonderful mum and dad took me to my very first book signing! It was awesome, too. My mum and dad and I went to Barnes and Noble, and bought Christopher Moore's new book (Bite Me: A Love Story), then proceeded to listen to him talk about it. Only he didn't really talk about it, in fact, he said himself, "what is there to talk about? It's a vampire book. That's it."
It was funny, 'cause it wasn't really what one might think of a book signing. It was more of a comedy routine about his life as an author, with some answers about his books thrown in at the end. Once he was done answering all the questions thrown at him by his fans, everyone was instructed into a line to get their books signed by him. The line moved quickly, and before I knew it, my dad and I were standing in front of him as he signed our books for us! We got two books personalized, which basically means that he signed them, and he wrote our names and a saying in them. One was his new book Bite Me, which he made out to my parents, saying "OMFG!" as the personal message in that book, and the second one (Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal) was made out to me, and it said, "blessings!" in it. Which was totally awesome. If I haven't said that enough yet.
But the best part yet? He was totally nice to us and totally funny. I mean, the funny part was not a surprise because his books always make me laugh out loud like a total idiot in public, but I didn't know what to expect in the "nice guy" department. But he was awesome. He even made a comment about my dad wearing the same type of hat as him, and that he liked it (he said that he could totally shop with my dad!). And he was totally jealous of my dad's IPhone cover. He liked that it was blue. He showed us his, and he said he wished he had the blue one instead of the gold one that he had. I personally liked the gold one, 'cause it was all, blingbling. I mean, that thing shined like no-tomorrow. It was like, "HIYA! I'M AN IPHONE, AND I AM SHINY!!!"
My mum even bragged at one point that I was going to be a writer, and he gave me some good advice (not going to tell you, teehee)!!! It, was, awesome! I can only pray that one day, if or when I become a semi-famous author myself, that I come off as cool and funny as he did to me. I can only pray that I can hang out with my fans like he did and not be so embarrassed that I turn as red as I did when talking to Mr. Moore yesterday. And I can only wish that a young, aspiring author will meet me and think that I'm really cool, just as I thought that Christopher Moore was cool.
And the part that's even better than the best part? We got to take some pictures with him! Which was really, really awesome. That's when he saw my dad's IPhone, 'cause one of the girls who worked at the book store took the picture with it. And you know what? It was (dare I say it yet again?) AWESOME!!!
Here's the photo taken by the girl who worked at the book store:
I'm the girl in the black shirt on the left, my dad is the Scottish looking guy in the blue and green striped shirt and the awesome hat on the right, and (obviously) Christopher Moore is the guy with the also-awesome hat and cocked head in the middle.

I can truly hardly wait to go to another book signing, and I don't even care who it is, really. Well, it had better be an author of a book I've read before, at least. Otherwise it wouldn't be very fun, now would it? I'm hoping that one day I'll have the chance to go to a book signing for Eoin Colfer (Christopher Moore: If you are reading, I am not cheating on you, if anything, I was cheating on Mr. Colfer by going to your book signing, since he does write my favoritest series ever, Artemis Fowl, thus making him my favorite author. Sorry).
And one more awesome thing: When Christopher was talking, he was saying how he developed the main character in his new book (a goth girl named Abby Normal), and he said that he went to a bunch of goth blogs to get the inspiration (because surprisingly, he said, a teenage goth girl's way of talking doesn't come naturally to him). He said that about three years or so ago when he was writing the first book, he found the voice of his character easily with the inspiration of these blogs, in which young people talked about their miserable lives in sort of elegant rants the approximate size of my own blogs. And then he said that when writing this third installment, he tried to go back to these blogs to get more inspiration, but they were gone, to be replaced by these short little things that only have two lines of illiterate crap. Which I find disturbing (but awesome that he noticed, and I'm not the only one that did). What is wrong with our young people today (people about my age) that they can't even string enough words together to actually sound like they're educated? It's not right, and if we keep this up, we will indeed become a bunch of illiterate idiots.
Anyway, I'll stop talking about our lack of writing skills these days now, just because if I continue, I'll ruin my awesome rant of happiness in going to my first book signing. Which was awesome.

By the way, did I mention that it was totally AWESOME?!!?!?!?!?! I'm not sure.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

P.S. Maybe in the future I should just hold off on blogging about book signings, because I have noticed a pattern of immaturity here that I'm not liking. I mean, how many times have I said "totally" or "awesome" or the two together in this blog? Too many to be properly educated. I swear, I never thought I'd be the type to get star-struck and all flustered and blushy (not a word, I know), but I guess I was wrong...Luckily for me, when my mum and the lady who worked there took the pictures, they happened to take them right before my embarrassingly bright-red Scottish-blood-blushing really got the chance to kick in. Which (again) is totally awesome.

Hoppy Easter!!!

Just stopping in to wish you all a very happy Easter!!! Today has been very interesting, seeing as not only is this the day that commemorates when Jesus rose from his grave after three days as promised, but there was also a big earthquake here today. Well, it didn't originate from here exactly (it came from Mexicali, right by San Diego), but we did feel it. It was a 7.2. Not bad, eh? My family and I were all kind of dizzy by the time it stopped rolling, but luckily for us, nothing got knocked over or broken. Which is good. And now I'm boring myself, so...

In other news, BBB is coming tomorrow!!! We're all quite excited about that, of course. It's always nice to see them (shout-out! Luvs to Aunt and Uncle in big-damn-bus-of-a-home!). Any-way...I may not be blogging as much for the week that they will be here, 'cause I'll be spending time with them, so...Just warnin' ya.

Alright, that's it. Hoppy Easter again!
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.

You can't spell "families" without "lies"

Should I even bother with this blog? Because I have to warn you, if I go through with this, things might get ugly...But I think I need to go for it anyway, so prepare yourself...

In the past two weeks or so, both my mum and dad have posted about our crazy families. I no longer can take it, therefore I feel the need to join them in posting my frustrations. I will however also post a link to my mum and dad's own blogs, that way you can read both of their opinions as well as mine:

Anal Seepage (my mum's blog)

Family, You Know It's Bad When...(my dad's blog)

Now, to get started, I think I'd like to explain a little about the two different sides of the family: My mum's side, and my dad's. Let's start with Fadda (my dad)...

Basically my dad was raised by wolves. Him and is older brother both agree on that point. Although his brother doesn't really know quite like my dad does, because he was the favorite out of the two. My dad, on the other hand, was the one who was left home alone at the age of twelve with a twenty dollar bill left on the counter as his parents and brother had the times-of-their-lives on a trip to Canada. And he was expected to live on just that for the several weeks they were gone. And when his parents were home, they tortured him. Especially his mother, who I must say is just about the Queen of all Nags. All the women in his family are like that, too. They drive all the men in the family so crazy they just all start dying-off. And of course the men in the family are not too great themselves, since they're all either drunk, high, or molesting another family member (or all three). My dad's family is so corrupt, so mean-spirited, so ungrateful, so creepy, whiny, and downright disgusting that my dad was actually relieved when his father finally passed away from cancer a while back. Now, that may sound harsh, because that was his father, but you have to put yourself in his shoes. His father was never a father to him, instead always favoring his other son. He was a complete creep and jerk. And yeah, my dad loved him in a very human way because he was his father, but he surly did not like him or love him as a person. And he feels the same about the rest of his family, including the crazy aunts and uncles and cousins and blah, blah, blah. And I truly do not blame him.

Moving on to Mum...

My mum is a whole other story, however. She grew up in a small family, just her, her grandparents, and her mother and stepfather. Her mother left her real father (whom my mum loved dearly, and whom loved her back just as much) when my mum was quite young, so she was stuck with her stepfather instead. My mum's grandparents were the only people in her life at that time who truly loved her and wanted the best for her, but unfortunately, she didn't get to stay with them for quite a large period in her life. Instead she had to live with her crazy mother who was in and out of the hospital all the time getting experimental surgeries, and her drunk and abusive stepfather. She always did her best to get through life unscathed, but unfortunately these people who call themselves her parents loved to play mind games, and beat their daughter for no reasons whatsoever, both physically and mentally. They even tried to convince my mum that she was crazy, taking her to a therapist and giving her meds that she never needed in the first place. They used to give her Valium when she was little just to shut her up when they didn't feel like raising a child. They also left her for dead several times, when she clearly needed to go to the hospital. For instance, my mum hit her head so hard one time that she blacked out, and didn't even remember how she got home. But her parents didn't take her to the doctor. And when her grandmother finally got a hold of her and took her to the doctor herself, they found out that my mum had been hemorrhaging in her brain, and was quite lucky indeed to even be alive. My mum also had to skip countless weeks of school to stay at home with her lovely (sarcasm) mother, who as I said, was in and out of the hospital all the time. My mum was like a slave. She cooked, she cleaned, she gave her own mother shots and medication, and she was expected to do her homework, even though she had to skip so many classes that she had no idea what was going on in school most of the time. Luckily, when she was at school, she was quite popular, so her friends would be kind enough to bring her homework and help her out. And did I mention that she (on top of everything else) also had to go to skating practice at the butt-crack-of-dawn, and cheerleading, and so much more? And to make it all seem even worse, every penny she made from her own jobs was handed directly to her ungrateful bastards of parents, including the money she received at the age of eighteen for getting hit by a two-ton truck when she was twelve. So to put it lightly, my mum's life sucked arse growing up.

You would think that after a lifetime of misery growing up, both my parents would have wonderful, normal lives of their own by now, wouldn't you? Well, you're wrong. Because to this day these lovely (more sarcasm) people continue to pester us all. My dad's mother now lives in Seizure- Excuse me, Leisure World by herself. She has Parkinson's Disease, so she can barely walk, she shakes uncontrollably, and has more recently started to hallucinate things like her dead husband in the middle of the street. And this woman thinks she can still drive, yet she wasn't even a good driver before the Parkinson's. Her doctor has even taken her driver's license away, and we took her car, but guess what? She called us up and insisted on picking up her precious car even after we offered to give up even more of our own lives just to help drive her around once a week. This, to say the least, was the last straw, and we no longer want anything to do with the backstabbing, ungrateful woman.
My mum's parents are both (unfortunately) alive. Her mum's completely bedridden now, addicted to Morphine, and has both cancer and diabetes, yet she refuses to do a thing about it. She was diagnosed with cancer about eight years ago now (give or take), yet she refuses to believe any of the doctors, instead ignoring it. She also threw a fit about being diagnosed with diabetes, and goes untreated today because she insists that she is "cured" of diabetes, which I can attest she is not (according to her blood sugar when we tested it for her). But there's nothing we can do about any of it, because my mum does not have the right to force her to do anything, seeing as her stepfather is still her caregiver, and has control over everything. These people continue to pester my mum, begging for money, food, help around the house, even a shower for her mother. Which is not fair to my mum, because not only do my parents have to take care of a house of eight (that being both my parents, two adult's including my brother and I, a handicapped and elderly woman that is our Nana, and three cats), but now they expect my mum and dad to shell out money in which we need for ourselves! Not to mention the helping-them-with-chores thing. I mean, come on. My mum is already taking care of her grandmother, but her mother expects her to come over and take care of her all the time as well? How is that fair in the slightest? It makes me want to shout at those people, "YOU HYPOCRITES!!! I DON'T SEE YOU TAKING CARE OF YOUR OWN MOTHER, SO HOW DO YOU EXPECT HELP FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CARING FOR HER IN RETURN?!?"

I guess what I'm really trying to get at, is yes, there are some people in our lives to which we love dearly (our Nana, and the lovely -not sarcasm this time- friends who we adopted as our real family), but the rest of our "family" is crazy, and hurtful, and greedy. And no matter how many "second chances" we give these people, they never change: They remain just as crazy, hurtful, and greedy as ever. And what I would just like to know is, "why?" Why do we continue to be walked all over by these people no matter how nice, or even how strict we are to them?
But I suppose everyone has at least one family member like that, a soul-sucking leech of a family member who literally sucks your heart, soul, and sanity just by existing. And there's nothing we could really do to change that. All we can do is wait for the day when their evil deeds catch up with them, and God punishes them accordingly for their crimes upon humanity.

And now I believe this is the perfect time to stop, seeing as my eye is twitching, my neck tensing up, and a headache is coming on. So farewell for now, and good luck with your own crazy families.
Blog ya later, Miss Eccentric.