Archive for April, 2006
Let’s Play: What’s the Title?
Posted by smokingpen in book reviews on April 30, 2006
So, let’s think about something….
In February of 1995 I was a missionary and we were doing service helping 12 years read. In that class we were reading a book that, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the title. I really liked the book.
As a result of a call this morning and the need to get into the journal from my mission I flipped open the binder and discovered two things.
First, I wrote some pretty stupid things in my missionary journal.
Second, the name of the book is: Dragonwings by Laurence Yep.
As a short side history to this search, I’ve asked bookstores, librarians, teachers, self-proclaimed experts in children’s books; I’ve spent inordinate amounts of time sorting through databases, all for this books.
Amazon sells it. Here’s the link to the book.
What American City am I?
Posted by smokingpen in Odds-n-Ends on April 29, 2006
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You Are Boston |
 Both modern and old school, you never forget your roots. Well educated and a little snobby, you demand the best. And quite frankly, you think you are the best. Famous people from the Boston area: Conan O’Brien, Ben Affleck, New Kids on the Block |
Dating Purity…
Posted by smokingpen in Odds-n-Ends on April 29, 2006
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Your Dating Purity Score: 80% |
 You are an innocent dater. You’re either lacking in dating experience or have had a long serious relationship. Either way, there’s still plenty of fish in the sea out there for you to sample! |
The Muppet that I am… it’s not Kermit
Posted by smokingpen in Odds-n-Ends on April 29, 2006
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You Are Rowlf the Dog |
 Mellow and serious, you enjoy time alone cultivating your talents. You’re a cool dog, and you always present a relaxed vibe. A talented pianist, you can play almost anything – especially songs by Beethoven. “My bark is worse than my bite, and my piano playing beats ‘em both.” |
I was hoping for Slytherin… .
Posted by smokingpen in Odds-n-Ends on April 29, 2006
I was hoping for Slytherin… can’t get what you don’t earn, I guess.
I’m from Gryffindor!
Hogwart’s Sorting Hat Quiz
made by The Genki Gang
Oh, and I must be pretty bored to be doing stupid quizzes like this today. Last one was a Serenity quiz… well, the last one I posted. I did a Strippers Song something or other and the song that came out for me was wicked funny… not gonna share it… but it was wicked funny.
Odds-n-Borders-n-things
Posted by smokingpen in Odds-n-Ends on April 29, 2006
I spent a big portion of the day, today, at Borders today.
The reason:
The house was being shown to six or seven or five different people and the realtor doesn’t like it when JD or I are around when it is being shown. It adds some psychological element to the sales that causes people to not want to purchase. So, I leave. Today, JD stayed.
Personally, I don’t want to be around. I don’t want to interact with these people. I don’t want to feel displaced, on this end, because someone decides to come and look and see. That, of course, is just me. I am picky about who I associate with. You can’t always choose who you associate with.
What I have decided is that being a realtor is not my dream job. It is not even a job I would think about dreaming about possibly wanting. You work weird hours. It seems that a lot of times I hear of people coming over in the evenings. When JD calls I get to pack up whatever I am working on and head out the door. I normally say something like, “My bedroom is a mess,” and he says, “I don’t care,” and then I grab my computer, or not, and whatever book(s) I am working on, the journals and sketchjournals, and I race out the door.
Yeah. That’s my life of late.
Oh, this morning I did purchase a book my J. Michael Straczynski. For those technophiles out there he is the creator of Babylon 5. A scifi show that was designed to run 100 episodes over five seasons. He started a second Babylon series, The Legend of the Rangers which was good but got cancelled before it really had a chance. Seems like there has been one or two made-for-T.V. movies about Babylon 5. What makes this guy interesting is that he was a writer for Murder, She Wrote, one of those shows my mother really liked and which I’ve seen almost every episode because mom liked the show.
The book is, the completele book of SCRIPTWRITING: The all-in-one guide to writing and selling screenplays, teleplayes, theatrical plays, and animation scripts. Mr. Straczynski might know a little something about scriptiwriting and it will, probably, nicely augment the books on script- and screenwriting I already own. This, jsyk, was purchased to augment the philosophy class I will be taking in the fall, Philosophy and Literature with the end-product being published book and finished movie script. Of course, the class takes two semesters so… I’ve got some time to get some lofty goals completed.
Stupid Comments and Conversations
Posted by smokingpen in General Essays on April 29, 2006
I was at work the other day. We have a girl, there, that is getting married. She is getting married in June and the closer it gets to the day the more I can hear myself screaming, Get it over with already.
As I am trying, hard, not to swear I find that I am not adding colorful metaphors into the frustration that is young adults getting married. But really, come on girl, get it over with already. I can see why engaged couples, in this church, are encouraged to have long courtships and short engagements. The long courtship is to verify whether or not you actually like each other; the short courtship is to spare friends and family the pain of dealing with wedding preparations and uncertainty.
Truth told, I just want to rant about all sorts of things. Today, though, were going to stick to the topic of that girl and marriage.
Tinker, Tailor….
Posted by smokingpen in Odds-n-Ends on April 27, 2006
Wish I could say there is a lot to write about. Im out of school for a week, and I still get to drive to campus and work every day until I start new classes. Should be loads and loads and loads of fun. I am doing summer school to well I am doing summer school. There is this aspect to me that is driven to get the degree thing done and school has become my job.
Of course, it would be nice to start seeing the financial returns from a job. I know, I know, those returns come later after Ive graduated and started down the, so far, elusive career path.
I guess one of the frustrations I deal with, personally, is what I will be doing for a career someday. Here I am in school. Working on a degree in English. Looking to put together what is necessary to get a minor in Art. And in the end, I look forward and I can tell you a lot of what I dont want to do.
I dont want to teach.
There are actually a lot of other things I dont want to do. I am sure I could list them all. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy err, well, I would be good at being a spy and I misquote the line anyway, using a novel title rather than the actual line: Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief.
Regardless, I just thought the time was ripe to sit down and write out an entry. Some people complain when I go too long to update the site. So, heres the update.
Oh, classes start Tuesday, next week, I have a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule, so I dont have class until Wednesday next week.