What makes people like summer, anyway?

You know, I never did like summer vacation, or even winter break. While I already didn't fit in with my peers in the regular K-12 education system, I felt even more separate from everyone else when breaks were approaching because everyone except me was getting excited. If anything I tended to dread the coming break. My life revolved around school, and every activity (except church) had something to do with it, so during the breaks, suddenly I had nothing to do and no one to see. Everyone had their summer plans for fun things, but I never had anything to do. My family may or may not spend a week or two visiting grandparents, but there were still weeks of summer to try to fill with...something. Anything.

High school summers were better because I was a member of the marching band and that took up most of the summer. It was lovely because the band was good, so I could be proud of being part of it and what we were doing. Band was one of the best things in high school, and I'm sure that it helped keep me alive through high school, including the summers.

The summers now that I'm in college are rather...bad...*sigh*

Old Poems and Old Memories

So, I found a notebook floating around here that had some poems that I wrote in high school, as well as one or two that I tried to write but couldn't get to finish how I wanted them to. Aside from an experiment with haiku, all of them were rather dark. Looking back on my memories of high school after reading my old poems, it's nice to see that my dark moments didn't start recently (so in one way they're almost normal). The other side, of course, is that I was a very unhappy person growing up, which is kind of sad, really. I know that I absolutely hated high school and the years before it because I was so bored, but it appears I had emotional problems then too. I suppose it's just food for thought.

Head over to the Krystaline Star blog if you want to read the poems in question. I left out the poem that wasn't finished, so if you want that one in there as well, you'll have to ask for it. You can probably get to my blog by going through my profile...so...good luck!

Tony Stark vs Justin Hammer

I went to go see Iron Man 2 a few days ago with a couple of friends. Because I am a Theatre major and have been analyzing films and plays for a little bit my friends asked me after the movie why the audience connects with and likes the main character Tony Stark (Ironman!) and not with another character named Justin Hammer. I have been thinking about it for a long time and also talked with my parents about this (when I was feeling more awake, you see).

Be warned, there will probably be a few spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie, I suggest you go see it first. :)

As my friends pointed out, the characters of Stark and Hammer were very similar in personality. Both of them are narcissists, both are the owners and CEOs of weapons manufacturers, and both of them are not very respectful of people around them. They even both danced right before their speeches at the Expo (earning groans from me during both instances). In truth, I didn't like either one of their characters, though I liked Stark better than Hammer.

As similar as these two characters are, the reasons the audience likes Stark better than Hammer is because of the differences between the two characters. Mostly in the difference of motives and tactics to get what they want. Stark is a brilliant man who builds off of his father's work to make bigger and better things, and he is the one to make the discoveries of the arc reactor, the iron man suit, and the *spoiler* new element of super-power-ness. He did the work himself.

Hammer, on the other hand, tried to get the work done himself (incompetently, of course), but also he *more spoilers* went through great lengths to spring Ivan out of jail (killing a man in the process and exploding part of the jail), and tried to force him to build iron man suits for him. When things weren't going as he had hoped he started to treat Ivan more and more like a prisoner. This instance was just one of many that showed just how petty Hammer is. Hammer, throughout the whole movie, was just trying to upstage Stark, show him up, even going to criminal lengths to do so.

Mostly it was seeing just how petty Hammer was, I think, that would lead the audience to put Hammer in the "despicable character" box.

Must begin writing once more

To as I sit here on my laptop, I try to consider all the things that I could be doing at this point. Due to problems with my computer running certain videogames I have been shut out of one of my favorite pastimes. My boyfriend lies sleeping on the couch next to me as he works on recovering from an illness that has been plaguing him for a few days now. I feel compulsions to crochet, and yet the words of one of my friends rings in my ears.

"You must write so well, I really want to read something that you've written."

Guilt assaults my conscience! Though I love stories and love telling stories, I have yet to actually write anything. In fact, the last time I tried to write any of the story ideas in my head was back when I was in Jr. High. That was years ago!

So, therefore, I must begin writing again so that my friend will be able to read something of mine.

I suppose I should start where many good stories begin: the realm of dreams. Where else does great inspiration spring from?