Hi Again, Also Bella, Also "Wasted Time"

Hi, all.

I can't believe I haven't posted since winning the writing contest.  (Late March, right?)  Stuff has happened and I'm sorry I haven't updated you on any of it.  Bullet list timeeeeeee:

• school is out and I'm a "rising junior"  (somebody told me that was the term)
• I took down the post about being in the newspaper and my editing Freshly Squeezed v2 because I gave it to the greatly capable and deserving Sarah Fosburg
• she did a great job and Freshly Squeezed v2 is out; I'm on pages 9 and 60-64 (my favorite piece though is on page 32)
• I have a new story to post!
• I have a cat, though that happened back in February.

Here is my cat, her name is Bella:

And here is a short story called "Wasted Time" that I wrote while fairly stressed:

Wasted Time

Um...so yeah, I think that sums it up.

Until next time,

-Allie H-S

P.S: I also started a cover band with a couple of friends, but it has no name.  I am the guitarist/ukulele-ist.  Root for me, 'cause I dunno how to play instruments, but I'LL TRY!

An Appreciation for Musical Stuff

Hello, all.  Happy Friday!

In this post, I would like to acknowledge something I particularly love: great movie soundtracks.

Now, I realize this is primarily a fiction blog, but I made my tagline vague, and besides, why pigeonhole myself?  This is my blog, I do what I want.

So!

Music post.

If you ever go to my Grooveshark, you will see I have a slightly obscene number of playlists.  Most of my friends have like, three?  Four?  Fun stuff, sad stuff, party stuff, etc.  I, however...I have eighty-nine.  Ye-aah.  I like to listen to most things in albums, and I like a lot of things, and this is a very simple way to access them.  And it's not like Grooveshark puts any limit on your stuff, right?  So...yup.  Currently eighty-nine.  Makes sense to me.

It looks a bit like this:

 

Exactly like that, actually.  Sometimes, you just need to show the internet your four-and-a-half pages of musical taste.  It's satisfying, somehow.  Like maybe you're a cool kid now.  (Not really, though.  Despite my 89 playlists, I still don't know anything about music.)

Now, those playlists are all lovely, but there are a few I'd like to focus on now, which are all in...

this part.  (minus "Night Visions."  sorry 'bout that.)

That's right.  Movie soundtracks.

I'm not sure movie soundtracks get the appreciation they deserve solely because, well, nobody seems to listen to them!  You'll be fully aware that a movie has an incredible musical score (that's what it's called, right?), but when you're done watching, you just...move on.  There's nothing wrong with that, but I just...I just want to...show you some things.

Fewest Words
Alice in Wonderland (2010) - suspenseful and mysterious, of course
Coraline - creepy and awesome, almost French-sounding, but not quite
Howl's Moving Castle - pretty and waltz-y and god I just love that movie oh gosh!
Inception - very intense, in case you didn't already know
(UPDATE) Ruby Sparks - this is mostly just fabulous instrumentals.  in the middle, there are a few songs with lyrics, but most are in a foreign language, so they don't really count.  a beautiful movie, and if you haven't seen it, I recommend you go find it wherever you can.  like, immediately.

Most Uplifting
Juno - various artists, like Kimya Dawson, just being cool and stuff
Meet the Robinsons - including "Another Believer" and "Little Wonders"
We Bought a Zoo - I haven't completely gone through this, but if you've ever seen the movie (which I fully recommend), you'll know what to expect.  happy and whimsical and a little music box-y and just...hopeful
(UPDATE) Happythankyoumoreplease - lots of cute, happy indie/folk-y songs.  this is one of my favorite movies because gosh, it's just so adorable and happy and uplifting!  watchitwatchitwatchit!

Some Wonderful Misc.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - storytelling and feels-y and adorable and Neil Patrick Harris + Nathan Fillion + Felicia Day = AWESOME and if you haven't seen that, spend 45 minutes on youtube.  Go.
The Great Gatsby - some rap and party music, and I'm not sure what genre "Young and Beautiful" is, but it's good.  I recommend it.

These are all lovely, and all make good writing music (for me, at least), and I just, I fully recommend the lot of them, even if you haven't seen the movies they're from.  I hope you can enjoy them!

That is all.
-Allie

The Louvre (and Scout Finch)

Hi, all.  In this post, I recommend to you two lovely things.  First, I give you...the Louvre!

The Louvre (loohv) is one of the most famous art museums in the world, located in the center of Paris.  Now, I'm in French III.  I love the language and the culture, but I try not to talk about Paris too much because, well, if you've ever been into any American shopping mall ever...

...I feel it's become a tad cliché.  I mean, gorgeous!  But cliché.

But this is something Parisian that I really just can't get over.  My teacher showed it to us in French today, and...and...welp.  o-o

You don't need to watch it with sound, but I recommend it, because the music's really pretty.

(I don't trust Blogger with videos, so here's a link to it on YouTube.)

When my teacher asked the class how many people had been to the Louvre, the anticipated answer was maybe two or three kids.  But no.  No!  Nearly half the class raised their hands.  Now, that's fine.  Good for them!  I'm glad!  So long as they don't take it for granted.  But when one girl was asked how she liked it, she only said, "eh, it was cool," and proceeded to stare at her laptop, vastly uninterested with the topic.

Are you kidding me?  It was cool?  I go to the Fine Arts and Natural History museums at the U and I freak out like a little kid.  I end up taking four minutes of video of snails for pete's sake!  (Which are actually pretty cool.  You should see them, really.)

Now, I have to be careful about calling people out on taking things for granted, because I live in a wealthy neighborhood in a very wealthy country.  But she got to go to Paris!  She got to test her broken, third-year French on actual people!  And she got to go to the Louvre.

Actually, maybe I should set something straight.  In science museums, I become like a little kid.  In art museums, I really become a sort of pretentious culture sponge.  I have to be careful not to get all faux-deep on those around me.  At least, that's true last I checked.  It's been too long: another reason I should be in the Louvre right now.

Okay, well right now it's actually like 3:30 AM there, but my point still stands.

Anyways.  One of my many adolescent dreams.

The other thing I wanted to point out in this post - just a small thing - was this:
In English, we recently read To Kill A Mockingbird, which many people may think is a pain-in-the-ass book to read.  If you're thinking that, and you have to read it like I did, just hold true 'till part two (heh, rhyme).  Pay close attention to the characters, because the farther you read, the more attached you get, and the more interesting and meaningful the book becomes.  (There will be fangirling, too.)  It's beautiful, if a little sad.  In my experience, most beautiful stories are pretty sad.  That's just how it works.

And also Scout is adorable.  (I might have to work on my transitions.)

(courtesy of: wikispaces)

Look at her!  Cutie!  Particularly if you know what scene that is.  My mom and I watched the movie last night.  :3

But so, anyways, read the book, then watch the movie, and then go to the Louvre.  I insist.

-Allie

Vital Vocab 21

Hey, guys.  So, I rotate between phases where I think a lot about Isaac in my free time, and phases where I think a lot about Anthony in my free time.  I'm currently in an Anthony phase, so this might not be very good.  

I apologize for whatever may follow.

In other news, if anyone wants to listen to the full "Coraline" soundtrack....

And does anybody know why The Shins sound so aggressively British?  I mean, they're from Albuquerque.... (update: apparently, the lead singer lived in England for five years.  so that's a thing.)

Prompt: --

Vocab: peruse, plausible, paradigm, palatable, penchant

Commonly Confused Words: where/wear/were

Grammar Focus: parallel structure

Isaac Bade-

     "Hey, are you okay?"  Ava glanced over at me.  I swallowed and nodded, forcing myself to relax.  God, I hated driving.  The rest of the world, however, seemed to have a penchant for driving everywhere.  Not that I didn't appreciate the ride, and Ava's driving was more than palatable; it was just everyone else that scared me.  I knew it just wasn't plausible that I could go my life without being in a car crash.  The more I thought about it, the more it seemed we were barreling down the road.  I imagined twisting, turning, tumbling, the crunch of metal, the squealing of breaks.  I sighed, feeling sick.  Why couldn't I just be normal about these things?

     And suddenly, we were in my driveway.  I blinked and looked around.  

     "Did I get it?" Ava asked, suddenly excited.  "I got the right house, didn't I?"  I grinned and nodded. "Yes!  Well damn, that really kills the paradigm.  I usually forget where everything is.  Hell, I can hardly find the same shoes to wear in the mornings."  She got out and we unloaded my bike.  "You'd think I spent my free time perusing street maps or something....Anyways...."  She smiled at me and hopped back in her car, and I walked my bike to the garage.  

     "See you on Monday, Isaac.  You owe me a prize!"  She pointed at me purposefully through the open window, and with that she was gone, disappeared in the rain.

Vital Vocab 20 | Vital Vocab 22

Vital Vocab Dictionary