A friend on Facebook posted this morning that Sunday mornings should always consist of tea and video games; in my case, however, I prefer to take my lazy Sunday mornings with a good helping of chocolate and a giant stack of Batman comics.
I just finished reading Batman: Long Shadows, and while I haven't actually gotten the chance to read the precursor events that lead up to it after R.I.P. and during Final Crisis (still trying to get my hands on a copy of these ones!), I've patched together a somewhat muddled grasp of the whole Batman-is-all-dead plot and what went down. Even not having read the material leading up to Long Shadows, it was still so good! And sad!
For the love of god, WILL SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ALFRED A HUG? D:} Watching Alfred Pennyworth mourn for the loss of Bruce Wayne is like having all of the happiness in the world shrivel up, blacken, and die. *Sobs hysterically* For anyone who is a West Wing fan, you know how your heart feels like it's been ripped out of your chest when you watch Donna get the news that Josh has been shot? That gut wrenching feeling when Jed hears that Mrs. Landingham has died? Or when you watch Buffy, how your heart flutters all sad and painful any time you see Willow crying? It's like that.
He's so sad! I just want to reach into the pages and hug the stuffing out of him until there's no more bad to possibly squeeze out anymore! ;_;
As for another of the Batman graphic novels I've read this week, Lovers and Madmen is also a fantastic Batman story, though less in the heart wrenching, soul crushing sort of way and much more in the insane sociopath with a gun way. L&M is another different take on the Joker's origin story, and it's awesome. The writing is top notch and the art style fits the story perfectly. I personally sort of like my Joker background-story-less because the ambiguity is part of what makes him interesting, but canon or not, this version of things fits him to a T.
Two five-star Batman tales in one week! EPIC GEEK WIN.
Oh dear, so behind on everything blog-related! D: Not enough time in my few free evening hours any more! Here's the rest of the book spam I never finished from a post or two ago:
This was a bit of a different twist compared to what Picoult usually writes, still with the courtroom drama but alongside elements very reminiscent of The Green Mile and with just a hint of Bridget Jones' Diary thrown in here and there. It sounds weird but I enjoyed this book. Admittedly, there were some holes in the storytelling which I found jarring and uncommon for Jodi Picoult. Also, Shay's character was a little all over the place; at times he seemed to completely change personalities from one chapter to the next which made it really hard to relate to him (maybe this was intentional? I don't know.) Religion is a big theme in this story, and to that end what it means to be religious and what exactly faith is. I consider myself spiritual by nature, though never strictly religious, so some of the arguments in this book really rang true for me. Overall the plot was very engaging and I liked it. (And BTW, totally called the surprise twist early on. \o/ ) 4/5
Okay, so here's the thing. There's really no way to summarize this book without it sounding ridiculous, but trust me, it's not. It's so good. This is probably my third or fourth time reading it and I enjoy it just as much now as I did the first time. I love Martel's storytelling, his heart, his humor, and the way he manages to have this kid survive on this lifeboat with an fully grown adult tiger for several months without becoming kitty kibble and he makes you believe it. Just a warning -- you need to make it through the first hundred pages or so of the book before the ship actually sinks and hijinks start to ensue, but even those hundred pages of Pi's backstory and his unusual practice of three vastly different religions simultaneously are well done, if you ask me. So if you haven't already read Life of Pi, go read it now and love it. LOVE IT. *Shakes fist* 5/5
The narrative is told completely from Jack's point of view which gives a unique, innocent impression of the events and truth as they unfold as only a five-year-old child who's never known anything else in his life could possibly deliver. This was a really great read with some interesting exploration of concepts like adaptation and how normalcy is only relative. 4/5
Verdict? It was... okay. Here's the thing about this book -- like many epic fantasies, it's a lengthy read. And, again just like many epic fantasies, there were waaaay too many characters and families and places that I just couldn't keep straight. Trying to keep track of who that is and who this is and who's fighting who and what army is invading where and who's up to what insidious scheme is just... exhausting. It didn't help that half of the time I found myself having to force myself to finish a chapter. Don't get me wrong, over all Martin has an engaging plot going here -- and when the story was good, it was really good (in a everyone-go-away-I'm-reading-so-you-don't-exist sort of way); but when it was bad it was really bad. There are certain chapters and character story lines in this book where I was bored to tears. Robb, Catelyn, Arya... omg so dull, I wanted to just skip every chapter with them in it. On the other hand, characters like Tyrion, Eddard, and Daenerys -- thoroughly enjoyable. (Sansa was another character I spent most of the book disliking, but was happily surprised when she finally started getting interesting toward the end.) Did I think Game of Thrones fantastic? No. Then again I'm one of those people who has tried in vain multiple times to slog through LotR without success. Was it worth the read? Well, parts of it were. I'm tempted to read the second book if only to follow the subplots of my favorite characters. 3/5
I remember enjoying the movie back when I first watched it, so when I came across it in the library I couldn't help but snatch it up (if only for visions of surly Hugh Grant staring all smoldery and sexy in my head.) It's a sweet and entertaining read, and most of the time Will's character is completely hilarious and obnoxiously arrogant at the same time, and Marcus is also often hilarious but in an entirely different way. I don't remember the movie details particularly well, but I believe the book goes into further detail regarding Marcus' mother's depression as well as his friendship with Ellie. A little slow in some parts, but Will and Marcus' whole awkward male bonding thing is very adorable. 3/5
I was instantly intrigued when I read the book jacket of this one on the new releases shelf. Very interesting premise, however I found the story lagging in places, especially nearer the end. It didn't really delve as much into the physical and emotional aspects of the character being born a hermaphrodite as I thought it would; it's much more a coming-of-age story then anything. I guess I sort of went in looking for more of a documentary-like account, to learn something, and that's not really what this book focuses on. Still a nice enough read though. 3/5
Some of those got overly rambly, I apologize. =_=;
And HEY, in between the smorgasbord of novels lately I've also been stuffing my face with Batman and Buffy comics! I polished off three more big Batman title story arcs and compilations: Batman and Son; Batman R.I.P.; and Serious House on Serious Earth, all three of which I made the mistake of reading in the complete reverse order that I really should have, and if I'd done so would have saved myself a significant amount of confusion. As for BtVS, I finally caught up to the seventh volume of the Buffy: Season Eight graphic novel, and FYI, season eight has become a little... weird... *Gives Joss Whedon a hesitant sidelong look that clearly says that she's a loyal fan but is becoming increasingly concerned about his most recent foray into crazy.* Magic world-creating cosmic space sex, indeed.
RestlessI'm an idiot. (Again.) Not for the same reason, but just as equally stupid.
Yesterday in an attempt to wake myself up and ease the restlessness that comes with sitting in a computer chair for 8+ hours a day, I went over to the mall on my lunch break to treat myself to some much-needed belated birthday shopping with the shiny Smart Set gift certificate my parents gave me.
So I walk into the store and just started piling clothes on my arm to try on. (I'm a glutton when it comes to free stuff.) I find several pieces I really love and fit me well so I come out of the changing room all excited and I'm waiting in the line to pay, just sort of looking around, and all of a sudden I realize I'M NOT IN SMART SET.
I'M IN SUZY SHIER. Which I most definitely do not have a big gift card for. D: I walked into the wrong effing store and I didn't even realize it while I was collecting all the sweet clothes and trying them on. (You would think all of the clothing tags and giant SUZY SHIER SALE signs would have tipped me off earlier. No such luck.)
So then I spend five minutes tortuously trying to decide whether to throw all the new pretties I found back *SOB*, or just suck it up and pay some splurge money which I really should be saving for house buying in the near future (more on this further down.) I ended up leaving feeling very guilty with $130 worth of new clothes.
*Shame cloud of guilt* It's the first splurge purchase I've made in a long time, Mason says I shouldn't feel guilty about it. *Love* At least I still have $75 more worth of actual free gift card money to spend frivolously. I'll be sure to actually walk in the right store this time.
More news, this time of the non-deprecating kind. We finished saving our down payment money early! We can start phoning around and looking at open houses! OMG!!! (Extra exclamation points illustrate my excitement~) I am so excited, I've been searching on mls.ca and I've found a dozen I want to make some phone calls to! HOUSES. ACTUAL HOUSES. Houses that could be MINE. X3 They're currently all in the North West-ish bit of Edmonton (yes, I caved and sectioned out a tiny quadrant of Edmonton in which I will actually live) but that's okay because the area is super close to St. Albert still. And it's cheaper. Sooooo much cheaper. More updates on house hunting as it develops~
Ugh, and a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer feature relaunch? Only you know, not with Joss Whedon... or any of Joss' characters... and therefor probably crap. Say it not so. D:
Killing time on the computronI technically just did a meme like this, so I tried to do 25 new things that weren't included in the last one. :P
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged.
Or in some cases, all of the above mixed into some crazy Molotov cocktail of creepy. It's especially strange since all these characteristics when displayed in real life piss me off and make me want to punch the owner in the face. Yet in books and shows, I can't get enough of them. They draw me in -- they're just always so much more interesting than the heroes or other protagonists! :B
HAPPY! (And sick. . .and poor. . .)You won't really understand the reference unless you have properly witnessed the Nintendo64 Kid in all his wonderfully spazzy glory; either way though, it gets the point across. I am now the proud owner of bright and shiny new silver 2003 Ford Focus! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!! XD Air conditioning, remote door-locks, anti-lock breaks, and some surprisingly expansive trunk space, my new car is very likely the sexiest/cutest thing I've ever owned. It feels like I'm driving a puffy little silver cloud of joy everywhere I go. I forgot to take some pictures of it with my digicam today, but I do have the one picture of it from the AutoTrader:
I'm going to ask a friend of my dad's who is an airbrusher to draw a little picture of a ninja on the side of it, because my car is simply that cool. While most of me is squealing over my new purchase, a little bit of me is feeling very sad and guilty when ever I drive up in it and see my old car sitting neglected and alone on the street. My poor Cavalier's little blinky red light that used to chirp hello to me so happily now seems very sad and depressed. . . :x You've served me well over the past four years, dear Binky. Now it's time to send you off to greener pastures. *Pat pat*
On the complete opposite side of the scale, however, I have fallen into a horrible, dingy sickness over the last few days of which I wish would very much go away and leave my nose and throat and other various sickly body parts alone. I was stupid and went to work on Monday where I nearly passed out at my till, had to be driven home, and spent the next twenty hours sleeping the not-so-much fun dizziness in my head away. -_-; I'm feeling better now, but my nose is still angry and my throat just started hurting again. *Sucks on a cherry Jolly Rancher because she despises the taste of actual throat drops*
OMGZ! Spike Joygasms. His own movie? I hope it's a lot of him being shirtless and crawling across a bed like a panther. *Salivates* I've said it once and I'll say it again, Joss Whedon is my god (and Spike is my naughty British sex kitten.)
Tomorrow Chelle and I are going shopping for a cute dress for me to wear to Rebecca's wedding~ Look at me, I've become such a horrible girlish girl. >_< *Ashamed* *Scrubs her skin with soap until it bleeds* Wash it off, wash it off! JK. I like my newfound femininity -- pink, floral, dresses, all of it.
Dirty quizzes I jacked from Seanathan's blog~
| As it turns out, Brenna is aroused by ...
Lime green shag carpets |
Who isn't? Rawr. *Paw paw* *Gets fingers stuck in tangles of green shag and all the little creatures living in it start to attack her*
| Your Pornstar Name is: B.J. Blue
|
I think I saw that slutty nighty at La Senza.
| Brenna's sexual nickname:
"Milk shop" |
That's not sexy! *Sweatdrop* :x
I'm going to go sleep some more, or maybe make some cucumber salad. . .because cucumber salad is amazing and I'm craving it right now for some reason. . .and then maybe I'll read some more. I have so much stuff to read, but that's probably a good thing because it's only a matter of days until my new depressing $9000 car debt starts to sink in fully and I get all angsty and will need something to distract myself with.
OkayHelped 'Manda and Lancedolf move on Saturday, engaging in much strenuous activity I haven't done in a long time and resulting in much pain the day after. You guys must get My Futon (I have coined it such) so we can amass at your crib ("yo yo" *hand thing*) for days at a time, muh HA HA HA HA. *Friends are still clumped in the living room a month later and are beginning to smell. Amanda and Lance have to force them out with cattle prods.* Remind me to do the cliche' housewarming thing and bring you a fruitbasket. . .or a fruitcake. . .I don't remember what is customary on these occasions. Maybe we'll just throw the whole fruit theme out the window and go with chocolate cake. That can be housewarming. And much tastier then fruit.
Also saw Onk Bak on Saturday, which while as ultimately awesome as it already was, would have been more so to the power of a billion if I hadn't been so tired that I was almost falling asleep in the theatre. Tony Jaa walking on your freaking head blew my mind. It makes me in a martial arts mood and craving to rent Jackie Chan: Drunken Master, which for some reason several completely different people have brought up conversation about over the past week. Coincidence? I THINK NOT. Obviously, A SIGN FROM GOD. (And by GOD, obviously I mean a drunk Chinese man.)
I want it to get warmer so I can ride my bike. I have no idea why, but for the last month I've had these incessant cravings to go bike riding, and then I remember that I can't, because I'll freeze, and that furthermore, my bike is still at my grandparents house. I want to start riding soon though before I lose the urge to and become a gelatin-like lump once more.
I also need to remember to book a doctors appointment to have someone take a look at my fingers. They're beginning to concern me, and I think my mom is about ready to launch into some maternal freakage every time she touches my fingers and they're frigid cold. T-T It's impossible not to look like a doofus when you have to walk around in measly 0 degree weather still wearing heavy snowboarding mitts.
*One hour break between that last paragraph and here to watch American Idol with Mom. Have to get my Simon fix. He was disappointingly complimentary tonight.*
WHOOOOOO, OMG, QUIZZES, EAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
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You scored as Tara Maclay. You're soft-hearted and soft-spoken. You do get nervous, especially when around new people, but it passes. You love your loved ones and would do anything to help them.
Which Buffy The Vampire Slayer Character Are You Most Like!? |
| You Are 22 Years Old |
Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
| Your Brain is 73.33% Female, 26.67% Male |
Your brain leans female You think with your heart, not your head Sweet and considerate, you are a giver But you're tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of you! |
| You Are A Romantic Realist |
You are more romantic than 30% of the population.![]() You tend to be grounded when it comes to romance. Sure, you can fall hard... but only for someone you've gotten to know. And once you're in love, you can be a total romantic goofball... But you'd never admit it to your friends! |
Day off tomorrow! How should I waste a day? Nobody knoooooOOOOOOoooooows. . .