Partially inspired by my friend's post about names, and partially inspired by videos I watch on youtube, I thought today's post could also be about names--in a slightly different way to my friend's. Like her, I also have a fascination with names. I've been following the Social Security Administration's name stats each year, and watch AnastasiaRuby's name videos on youtube semi-religiously.
My problem with names is that I love so many. For me, names inspire characters and characters become their names. There are a number of characters in my thesis I'd like to rename, because I named most of them when I was twelve when creating a "Lance" in a fantasy world didn't seem like so much of a cliche. But I've found I can't separate the character from the name. Not until I've found a better one.
Here is a list of my favorite girl and boy names for each letter of the alphabet. This was somewhat challenging, but I'd like to challenge you to do the same. What are your favorite names?
A: Audrey, Andrew
B: Bria, Bennett
C: Clara, Caledon
D: Daphne, Dashiell
E: Elena, Elliott
F: Freya, Finnian
G: Genevieve, Gareth
H: Hannah, Henry
I: Ilaria, Indigo
J: Julianne, Jude
K: Keira, Kian
L: Lyra, Liam
M: Matilda, Matteo
N: Niamh, Nathaniel
O: Odette, Ossian
P: Phaedra, Peter
Q: Quinn, Quinn
R: Rosalie, Rowan
S: Seraphina, Silas
T: Thea, Theodore
U: Uriela, Upton
V: Vienna, Valerian
W: Willow, Wesley
X: Xaria, Xadrian
Y: Yukia, Yarran
Z: Zoe, Zephyr
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Book Review: The Falconer's Knot by Mary Hoffman
This book is a tangled web of love stories with a dash of mystery and a healthy amount of history and religion thrown in.
Had a rough time keeping up with all the characters in the synopsis? You get used to it, but I had serious misgivings about the book when I first started. Each character gets a few paragraphs, or if they're lucky, a few pages per chapter. At the beginning, it makes it very hard to keep up with everyone, as you keep getting jolted out of one storyline and into the next. While I did get used to it, I still wish that it had been written with each character getting their own chapter. I find it much easier to keep track of them that way.
In my opinion, the main plotline was that of Silvano and Chiara, who were both in Giardinetto at the time of the various murders. Angelica and Gervasio (Silvano's friend), and Monna Isabella and Brother Anselmo were side-plots. All the characters' stories intertwined at the end which is why it became slightly less confusing. My advice: power through, and don't give up at the beginning if the constant switches in character perspective start irking you.
This was, first and foremost, a love story--almost Shakespearean, in a way (I mean his comedies, not Romeo and Juliet!). It was the kind of love story that was fun to read and isn't to be read for the seriousness of it all, or the mystery of who ends up with whom (it's pretty obvious once all the characters are introduced). But it was fun and light and the perfect way to spend a day without any electricity (really sets up the atmosphere for a medieval friary!).
As a mystery, it wasn't too tough to decipher either--I knew who the perpetrator in Perugia was as soon as they mentioned it was Silvano's blade. I admit to having been stumped by the Giardinetto murders for some time, and had the wrong person in mind most of the time, though I did figure it out before Silvano did. So again, if you're looking for a hardcore, impossible to solve, wowed by the author's brilliance at the end mystery, this isn't it--but if you want something fun and enjoyable, I recommend this.
I will say that the characters were fun to follow. Each one had his or her own personality, and while I hated Angelica, I adored Chiara and even grew to like Silvano, despite thinking him a bit dim at the start. The characters all managed to grow and change (well, maybe not Angelica...) and, of course, end up with the loves of their lives--which you can't help but root for from the start.
I also enjoyed the history, which wasn't heavy-handed but appeared to be well-researched, with a handy guide for the religious services in the back for those of us who are unfamiliar.
To anyone who likes historical romance and is between books, looking for something to read, I would recommend this one.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Travel Wishes: So many places to go, so many things to see.
With the impending arrival of two Hollins sisters in just over a week, my interest in traveling around Australia has been rekindled, and I've been researching various places to visit since internet was returned to me. Here is the list of places I've compiled that I desperately want to go:
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
- Uluru (aka: Ayers Rock)
- The Outback
- Whitsunday Islands
- Perth
- Tasmania
I'm sure there are others, but that is the list as it stands. I found a few interesting tours--one, take a train from Brisbane to the southwest where we'd spend seven days visiting various places in the Queensland outback. And another is a cruise which leaves from Brisbane, heading north to the Whitsundays first and continuing on to Cairns. Another seven-dayer, but I think it would be cheaper than plane tickets to Cairns, plus hotel and meals. And it goes to a few other places besides.
Plus, I've always wanted to go on a cruise. People have told me I'd hate it for the tiny rooms and the crowds, but people have a habit of being wrong. (And don't tell me what to do!)
Cruises are a great way to see a lot of places if you don't mind not being able to see them too in-depth. When I was studying abroad in London, we were considering a cruise for Spring Break--a Mediterranean one I think, stopping in Italy and Spain. I'm going to look into such cruises again for our Europe trip.
Speaking of Europe, we purchased a copy of Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" at Bookfest and instead of aiding me in planning our trip, all it's done is made me want to visit every place it lists. We need fewer places, not more! Will do an update on our Europe plans in a later post.
Travel Log: How to Survive an Ex-Cyclone
(aka: Why I Thought I was Going to Get Spatula-ed)
(aka: Why This Blog Post Almost Wasn't Posted On Time)
**Note! All ventures detailed below were done in pairs at least, touching no water except what was in the gutters, never getting near enough to the actual flooded areas to be a threat to anyone's life, etc.**
In January 2011, I was in Brisbane for my own personal travel-writing J-Term. Read: my university made it possible to hang out with my now-husband and get credit for it. One day, we were walking along the Brisbane River and I mentioned that it looked a bit higher than the last time I was there. He just shook his head and announced rather proudly, "The Brisbane River has never broken its banks in my lifetime."
A few days later, we were stuck on the Gold Coast because Brisbane was under water.
Let me just say that this time around, it has been raining for five days straight. Not a misty, drizzly sort of rain, but the kind of rain that could be lightly described as "pouring." "Lashing" might be a better term. It's been steadily beating at our windows, pounding our yard into mud, turning sidewalks into puddles, and absolutely decimating the mango population (which I guess is pretty okay for us since we're now six seven mangoes richer and know where to go if we run out of food).
I guess what I'm trying to say is, the power is out and I can't get to the library to access the internet. And that is my excuse for the Day 3 (almost) lateness. I blame Oswald. Cyclone Oswald, that is.
Cal and I went for a walk around 3pm on Sunday to play in the puddles (again. We like playing in puddles, we're two-two years old!). What we found was a rather sizable puddle at the bottom of the hill. Which covered the road. Which cars were struggling to get through. The usual stagnant puddles that made up a creek nearby had turned into a raging river. There was a storm drain by the bikeway that had turned into a proper spewing fountain, water was rushing at it so fast.
When we got back, housemates offered to drive us to Woolies to get some food. We were running extremely low, so we decided to go alone. Could barely see out the car windows, it was raining so hard. I already have a definite fear of driving and a slight fear of being in cars, which being carted around by the relative safety of public transportation for the past seven months has only worsened, so needless to say, I was pretty tense the whole time.
We bought loads of canned soup and such, things that are cheap and easy to make, and even edible in the case of no power to heat them up. One of the housemates had the foresight to buy a gas cooker, which helped out a lot since about five seconds after we got home the power went out. What do five internetless twenty-somethings do without electricity? Play in puddles, of course.
Five of us trooped out into the rain. Wind had picked up by that point, bending trees and uprooting a couple of them. I've never seen so much water rushing in gutters. It was over ankle deep in some places, and flowing so fast I couldn't have kept up with that frangipani I dropped in the whirling wet if I'd tried.
We went back to the "puddle" in the road first, only to find that it had turned into a proper, actual lake. We saw a bus turn around because it couldn't get through. The reason for the lake was soon made clear -- that creek that had turned into a river wasn't flowing under the road like it was supposed to, but over it instead. On either side, the Nudgee Junior College grounds were completely submerged, with bold ducks splashing happily in their new swimming hole.
Then we walked back to the bikeway, which couldn't described as a bikeway so much as an actual river, flowing halfway between my ankles and knees. That storm drain I talked about earlier was completely submerged. We walked through the tunnel beneath the motorway, which was dripping on the inside with a waterfall on either end (kind of cool, actually). On the other side half the road had been turned into a river too, flowing so fast it was going straight over the storm drains, which after some inspection didn't look to be blocked or anything. Then there's the lake that used to be a park, and another pond-creek-type thing that doesn't usually have much more than a few inches of water in it, about ready to flow over onto the road, too.
As we walked back home, the rain was like bullets in our faces, and we decided to settle in for the long haul.
TIPS ON HOW TO SURVIVE AN EX-CYCLONE:
1. Remember where you put the headlamps from the last time the power went out, so that you aren't searching for headlamps without a headlamp.
2. Make sure your scented candles complement each other.
3. Assign one person to "cat babysitting." This involves someone sacrificing their fingers for the sanity of others, while the cat does parkour on the walls. Cats will sometimes develop this ability after five days stranded indoors. If the cat's name is Thor, he will be especially confused about why it is raining without his permission.
4. Put plenty of towels around your fridge before it gets dark. You will slip.
5. Duct tape over all light switches and buttons. You will use them. You will flick them back and forth wondering why power isn't coming on. And then you will remember, and you will be sad.
6. Invest in tension rods. Install tension rods all the way down the hallway. When you come back inside after a few hours bouncing in the puddles, you will remember that you do not have access to a dryer, which requires electricity. You can then hang your sopping wet clothes in the hallway.
7. Do not play in the puddles too much. You will run out of clothes.
8. Hope that it does not rain in the living room. A dog named Gills would probably annoy the cat.
9. Play Trivial Pursuit. It might be the most frustrating of the games, but it takes up more time than Monopoly if you have the 1987 Australian edition, and a camp light can sit very neatly in the center circle, giving a clear view of the rest of the board.
We all went to bed a bit early last night, exhausted from our puddle-pouncing. Of course, sleep was tentative--there were tornado warnings for Brisbane, and the wind was howling, and the rain was still falling in sheets. Our house is so poorly insulated that despite the windows being closed, the blinds were still clanking against the windowsill in the breeze. But we fell asleep eventually with the hope of power in the morning.
No such luck. I woke up around 6 because it as bright outside and I didn't have a working clock handy. The cat, who we kept in the other room, seems to be in sync with people's breathing patterns or something, because he started crying soon after I decided I probably wasn't getting back to sleep. Fed him, checked time, groaned, flicked a few light switches, groaned again, started writing this in a notebook, became cat-babysitter and have the gouges in my hands to prove it.
Cal woke up soon after, probably wondering what the heck was happening as the cat tore off up and down the hall. Not knowing what else to do, we headed out to check on the various flooded areas. The rain still hadn't let up. I had the sense to wear my jean shorts this time, which soaked through in seconds, but they weren't nearly as heavy and clingy as the various pajama shorts I'd been wearing on my other ventures out. Everything had gone down, which was a good sign. We played poohsticks in the river at the bottom of the hill, which was now flowing under the hill. And by "stick" I mean "giant piece of bamboo that I couldn't fit both my hands around and was almost as tall as I was"). Also, walked along the creek for a bit and found the sign from the front of our yard that said "For Rent." A few days ago it had toppled over and Cal hauled it under a tree and put a brick on it. Alas, Oswald had other ideas.
I admit today has been a struggle. We were bored. After a few rounds of Uno, housemates all left to various other dwellings, and we were alone with a cat that was acting like he'd been into the nip again. The upside of this is that our house is very clean. Cal folded all the previously-done laundry, we went through some boxes in the garage and tossed a bunch of stuff, I organized the linen closet, we tided the kitchen, did some dishes, tidied our room, tidied the lounge room... the next project was going to be the bottom shelf in the pantry, but just as we were discussing plans for that, the power came back!
JOY OF ALL JOYS! Brb, must go check ALL THE THINGS!
(The rain is still coming down. The Brisbane River is set to peak around midnight. Flood warnings coming in for all over. Schools are closing. Apparently there were over 100,000 customers without power. But for now, power is back on. We are charging phones. And hopefully, my friends, this electricity crisis does not come back again...)
'Til next time.
(aka: Why This Blog Post Almost Wasn't Posted On Time)
**Note! All ventures detailed below were done in pairs at least, touching no water except what was in the gutters, never getting near enough to the actual flooded areas to be a threat to anyone's life, etc.**
In January 2011, I was in Brisbane for my own personal travel-writing J-Term. Read: my university made it possible to hang out with my now-husband and get credit for it. One day, we were walking along the Brisbane River and I mentioned that it looked a bit higher than the last time I was there. He just shook his head and announced rather proudly, "The Brisbane River has never broken its banks in my lifetime."
A few days later, we were stuck on the Gold Coast because Brisbane was under water.
Let me just say that this time around, it has been raining for five days straight. Not a misty, drizzly sort of rain, but the kind of rain that could be lightly described as "pouring." "Lashing" might be a better term. It's been steadily beating at our windows, pounding our yard into mud, turning sidewalks into puddles, and absolutely decimating the mango population (which I guess is pretty okay for us since we're now
I guess what I'm trying to say is, the power is out and I can't get to the library to access the internet. And that is my excuse for the Day 3 (almost) lateness. I blame Oswald. Cyclone Oswald, that is.
Cal and I went for a walk around 3pm on Sunday to play in the puddles (again. We like playing in puddles, we're two-two years old!). What we found was a rather sizable puddle at the bottom of the hill. Which covered the road. Which cars were struggling to get through. The usual stagnant puddles that made up a creek nearby had turned into a raging river. There was a storm drain by the bikeway that had turned into a proper spewing fountain, water was rushing at it so fast.
When we got back, housemates offered to drive us to Woolies to get some food. We were running extremely low, so we decided to go alone. Could barely see out the car windows, it was raining so hard. I already have a definite fear of driving and a slight fear of being in cars, which being carted around by the relative safety of public transportation for the past seven months has only worsened, so needless to say, I was pretty tense the whole time.
We bought loads of canned soup and such, things that are cheap and easy to make, and even edible in the case of no power to heat them up. One of the housemates had the foresight to buy a gas cooker, which helped out a lot since about five seconds after we got home the power went out. What do five internetless twenty-somethings do without electricity? Play in puddles, of course.
Five of us trooped out into the rain. Wind had picked up by that point, bending trees and uprooting a couple of them. I've never seen so much water rushing in gutters. It was over ankle deep in some places, and flowing so fast I couldn't have kept up with that frangipani I dropped in the whirling wet if I'd tried.
We went back to the "puddle" in the road first, only to find that it had turned into a proper, actual lake. We saw a bus turn around because it couldn't get through. The reason for the lake was soon made clear -- that creek that had turned into a river wasn't flowing under the road like it was supposed to, but over it instead. On either side, the Nudgee Junior College grounds were completely submerged, with bold ducks splashing happily in their new swimming hole.
Then we walked back to the bikeway, which couldn't described as a bikeway so much as an actual river, flowing halfway between my ankles and knees. That storm drain I talked about earlier was completely submerged. We walked through the tunnel beneath the motorway, which was dripping on the inside with a waterfall on either end (kind of cool, actually). On the other side half the road had been turned into a river too, flowing so fast it was going straight over the storm drains, which after some inspection didn't look to be blocked or anything. Then there's the lake that used to be a park, and another pond-creek-type thing that doesn't usually have much more than a few inches of water in it, about ready to flow over onto the road, too.
As we walked back home, the rain was like bullets in our faces, and we decided to settle in for the long haul.
TIPS ON HOW TO SURVIVE AN EX-CYCLONE:
1. Remember where you put the headlamps from the last time the power went out, so that you aren't searching for headlamps without a headlamp.
2. Make sure your scented candles complement each other.
3. Assign one person to "cat babysitting." This involves someone sacrificing their fingers for the sanity of others, while the cat does parkour on the walls. Cats will sometimes develop this ability after five days stranded indoors. If the cat's name is Thor, he will be especially confused about why it is raining without his permission.
4. Put plenty of towels around your fridge before it gets dark. You will slip.
5. Duct tape over all light switches and buttons. You will use them. You will flick them back and forth wondering why power isn't coming on. And then you will remember, and you will be sad.
6. Invest in tension rods. Install tension rods all the way down the hallway. When you come back inside after a few hours bouncing in the puddles, you will remember that you do not have access to a dryer, which requires electricity. You can then hang your sopping wet clothes in the hallway.
7. Do not play in the puddles too much. You will run out of clothes.
8. Hope that it does not rain in the living room. A dog named Gills would probably annoy the cat.
9. Play Trivial Pursuit. It might be the most frustrating of the games, but it takes up more time than Monopoly if you have the 1987 Australian edition, and a camp light can sit very neatly in the center circle, giving a clear view of the rest of the board.
We all went to bed a bit early last night, exhausted from our puddle-pouncing. Of course, sleep was tentative--there were tornado warnings for Brisbane, and the wind was howling, and the rain was still falling in sheets. Our house is so poorly insulated that despite the windows being closed, the blinds were still clanking against the windowsill in the breeze. But we fell asleep eventually with the hope of power in the morning.
No such luck. I woke up around 6 because it as bright outside and I didn't have a working clock handy. The cat, who we kept in the other room, seems to be in sync with people's breathing patterns or something, because he started crying soon after I decided I probably wasn't getting back to sleep. Fed him, checked time, groaned, flicked a few light switches, groaned again, started writing this in a notebook, became cat-babysitter and have the gouges in my hands to prove it.
Cal woke up soon after, probably wondering what the heck was happening as the cat tore off up and down the hall. Not knowing what else to do, we headed out to check on the various flooded areas. The rain still hadn't let up. I had the sense to wear my jean shorts this time, which soaked through in seconds, but they weren't nearly as heavy and clingy as the various pajama shorts I'd been wearing on my other ventures out. Everything had gone down, which was a good sign. We played poohsticks in the river at the bottom of the hill, which was now flowing under the hill. And by "stick" I mean "giant piece of bamboo that I couldn't fit both my hands around and was almost as tall as I was"). Also, walked along the creek for a bit and found the sign from the front of our yard that said "For Rent." A few days ago it had toppled over and Cal hauled it under a tree and put a brick on it. Alas, Oswald had other ideas.
I admit today has been a struggle. We were bored. After a few rounds of Uno, housemates all left to various other dwellings, and we were alone with a cat that was acting like he'd been into the nip again. The upside of this is that our house is very clean. Cal folded all the previously-done laundry, we went through some boxes in the garage and tossed a bunch of stuff, I organized the linen closet, we tided the kitchen, did some dishes, tidied our room, tidied the lounge room... the next project was going to be the bottom shelf in the pantry, but just as we were discussing plans for that, the power came back!
JOY OF ALL JOYS! Brb, must go check ALL THE THINGS!
(The rain is still coming down. The Brisbane River is set to peak around midnight. Flood warnings coming in for all over. Schools are closing. Apparently there were over 100,000 customers without power. But for now, power is back on. We are charging phones. And hopefully, my friends, this electricity crisis does not come back again...)
'Til next time.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Writing Prompt: The Most Amazing Room Anyone Could Ever Give You
A library.
A library gated by arched double-doors encompassed by a carved wooden dragon, its wings spread wide over the entrance.
Windows three stories tall, topped with an elaborate vine design and stained glass panes.
Lush, creamy rugs covering dark hardwood floors, colored by the stained glass as light streams through the windows.
Giant, poufy armchairs with footrests. Warm woolen blankets slung over the backs for chilly nights. Lamps in iron sconces placed overhead.
A giant chandelier, tinkling crystal, hanging above a circular area in the center piled with multicolored beanbags.
A house elf to clean the chandelier (sorry Hermione).
A glasshouse attached to the end opposite the door, where hardwood fades to blue and white tiles arranged in the pattern of a Celtic knot. The ceiling is made of glass, with an array of pillowy window seats lining the walls. On a clear day, it overlooks a meadow of wildflowers spotted with trees. In the distance, mountains fade into the sky. On rainy days, you can listen to the pitter-patter as drops fall against the glass and race down the sides. Clouds swirl around the mountains, and everything looks so much greener against the gray sky.
Secret passageways. Everywhere. Known passageways through the floor, undiscovered passageways through the fireplace--which, by the way, is a large stone affair topped with a homemade family crest, the mantel peppered with travel memorabilia. Passageways to rooms filled with special books, or chamber pots, or gowns from every era in which to dress up. Passageways to a room filled with crayons and playdough, or a quiet chamber with a notebook and pen that can be locked from the outside with a small hole in the center of the door just big enough for your best friend to sneak you Dove chocolates when you've proved to her you've made your word count goal.
A dumbwaiter big enough to sit in, for those times when you need to know exactly what it means to hide in a dumbwaiter. And perhaps more importantly, a number pad at the side to key in previously arranged codes for hot chocolate or tea or butterbeer or pumpkin juice or your very favorite food, which the house elves working in the kitchen will then prepare and send up to you, almost as quickly as food appears on the Hogwarts tables.
A grand staircase leading up to all three floors, the steps painted like my favorite books. They're linked up to a sound system and play like the keys on a piano when someone steps on them. On either side of the staircase are giant, twisting slides (one used for water in summer, with a splash-shield up to protect the books).
And the shelves--the shelves of books as tall as the three-story-high windows, a rainbow of spines peering over the edge. Fantasy books, fairy tales, historical fiction, books on travel--big books, thin books, books that make a magnifying glass necessary, picture books, kids books, adult books. Paperback books, hardcover books, leather bound books. Books overflowing from the shelves, holding the promise of new worlds into which anyone could escape.
And the empty shelves, holding the promise of a visit to the bookstore tomorrow.
A library gated by arched double-doors encompassed by a carved wooden dragon, its wings spread wide over the entrance.
Windows three stories tall, topped with an elaborate vine design and stained glass panes.
Lush, creamy rugs covering dark hardwood floors, colored by the stained glass as light streams through the windows.
Giant, poufy armchairs with footrests. Warm woolen blankets slung over the backs for chilly nights. Lamps in iron sconces placed overhead.
A giant chandelier, tinkling crystal, hanging above a circular area in the center piled with multicolored beanbags.
A house elf to clean the chandelier (sorry Hermione).
A glasshouse attached to the end opposite the door, where hardwood fades to blue and white tiles arranged in the pattern of a Celtic knot. The ceiling is made of glass, with an array of pillowy window seats lining the walls. On a clear day, it overlooks a meadow of wildflowers spotted with trees. In the distance, mountains fade into the sky. On rainy days, you can listen to the pitter-patter as drops fall against the glass and race down the sides. Clouds swirl around the mountains, and everything looks so much greener against the gray sky.
Secret passageways. Everywhere. Known passageways through the floor, undiscovered passageways through the fireplace--which, by the way, is a large stone affair topped with a homemade family crest, the mantel peppered with travel memorabilia. Passageways to rooms filled with special books, or chamber pots, or gowns from every era in which to dress up. Passageways to a room filled with crayons and playdough, or a quiet chamber with a notebook and pen that can be locked from the outside with a small hole in the center of the door just big enough for your best friend to sneak you Dove chocolates when you've proved to her you've made your word count goal.
A dumbwaiter big enough to sit in, for those times when you need to know exactly what it means to hide in a dumbwaiter. And perhaps more importantly, a number pad at the side to key in previously arranged codes for hot chocolate or tea or butterbeer or pumpkin juice or your very favorite food, which the house elves working in the kitchen will then prepare and send up to you, almost as quickly as food appears on the Hogwarts tables.
A grand staircase leading up to all three floors, the steps painted like my favorite books. They're linked up to a sound system and play like the keys on a piano when someone steps on them. On either side of the staircase are giant, twisting slides (one used for water in summer, with a splash-shield up to protect the books).
And the shelves--the shelves of books as tall as the three-story-high windows, a rainbow of spines peering over the edge. Fantasy books, fairy tales, historical fiction, books on travel--big books, thin books, books that make a magnifying glass necessary, picture books, kids books, adult books. Paperback books, hardcover books, leather bound books. Books overflowing from the shelves, holding the promise of new worlds into which anyone could escape.
And the empty shelves, holding the promise of a visit to the bookstore tomorrow.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Blog or be spatula-ed!
I started this year with several goals in mind. First, my book reading goal, which you can see below. Second, each day during my period of unemployment (length unknown, but still continuing) I would either post something on the blog or on the vlog Cal and I created.
So far, there are two posts on the vlog channel and nowhere near enough posts here to account for the other 24 days. The goal is still there, but my carry-through hasn't been very good. Yeah, I've been in Wellington for four of those days, and I've been working Thursdays, and I've been doing a frantic job-hunt. But then I think to myself: would I let any of those things get in the way of writing for NaNo?
Setting a goal that says "I'll do this, so long as I don't have this going on" is like saying "I'll do NaNo today, so long as I don't have to eat." Granted, I might have withheld food from myself in order to encourage word count a few times each November, but that's hardly the point. The point is, there's no sense to a goal that has an "unless." Be witness to my declaration: from this day forward, I don't have excuses. I'll post something on this blog every single day for the next week (and hopefully beyond), or else.
Luckily, I have some friends who will hold me accountable and carry through the "or else." With spatulas. And one of them has found some quite frightening spatulas, too.
So starts my seven-day blogging challenge. (And I'm in with nine hours to spare!)
So far, there are two posts on the vlog channel and nowhere near enough posts here to account for the other 24 days. The goal is still there, but my carry-through hasn't been very good. Yeah, I've been in Wellington for four of those days, and I've been working Thursdays, and I've been doing a frantic job-hunt. But then I think to myself: would I let any of those things get in the way of writing for NaNo?
Setting a goal that says "I'll do this, so long as I don't have this going on" is like saying "I'll do NaNo today, so long as I don't have to eat." Granted, I might have withheld food from myself in order to encourage word count a few times each November, but that's hardly the point. The point is, there's no sense to a goal that has an "unless." Be witness to my declaration: from this day forward, I don't have excuses. I'll post something on this blog every single day for the next week (and hopefully beyond), or else.
Luckily, I have some friends who will hold me accountable and carry through the "or else." With spatulas. And one of them has found some quite frightening spatulas, too.
So starts my seven-day blogging challenge. (And I'm in with nine hours to spare!)
Travel Review: Wellington, New Zealand
I've wanted to go to New Zealand since I first saw the Lord of the Rings. We almost had the chance in January 2011, except we were depending on me getting frequent flyer points from Qantas which never went through and using those (we had SO many built up!). Plus, the floods that year made travel a bit tedious. Finally, we were able to make the time and save up the money to head over for a few days. We spent our four-day vacation in Wellington. Kind of wish we had a few more days in order to travel around a bit more, but we were pretty happy with everything.
Review: Virgin Blue Holidays
http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/bookings/holidays/holiday-packages/
We booked our trip through Virgin Blue Holidays, which had some sort of sale on at the time. Virgin bundled airfare, hotel, and a tour for us, and it was much cheaper than it would have been otherwise. It was easy to book and we didn't run into any problems at our various check-in points. The only issue was just after we booked, the link that they e-mailed didn't work to get us to our itinerary. Their customer service was extremely quick to resolve that issue, and I plan on booking with Blue Holidays again in the future. I'm particularly intrigued by their "mystery holidays" -- but that is a blog post for another day.
Review: Travelodge Wellington
Keep in mind that we're a young couple without very high standards looking for the cheapest deal we can find. The Travelodge was one of the cheapest options for our travel deal and very centrally located--perfect. It was only about a fifteen minute taxi ride from the airport. We checked in no problem and went up to our room. We had a king room, very clean and stocked with toiletries, and that's all we felt we needed. Some of the negative reviews we read said "small, horrible view, overpriced minibar." Sure, it might have been on the small side, we had a view of a parking lot, and they wanted $6 for a bottle of water you could get for under $1 at the shops--but it wasn't a moldy hostel shared with six other girls (and then two boys when the hostel forgets you requested all female rooming... seriously, Belfast. Never again.)
Anyway, we were perfectly happy with the arrangements. We were tucked away in a quiet wing on the fourteenth floor, didn't have any problems with the neighbors, had clean towels and the bed made every day. We viewed the hotel as a place to sleep, since we wanted to get out and about in the city as much as we could while we were there.
Review: Wellington Rover Tour - Lord of the Rings
I read reviews for the tour we took on our first full day in Wellington and knew it was something I wanted to do early on. I think it's helpful to read both the positive and the negative reviews before you decide if it's best for you. The Lord of the Rings is very much a set of location movies--that means there isn't a lot left of the sets. If you're expecting to see sets, I suggest going up north to Hobbiton instead.
On the day of the tour, the rover bus picked us up at 8:35 a.m. right from our hotel, which was very convenient. They do pick-ups all over Wellington. Our group was so spread out that they had two buses pick up, then they met up and had us transfer into the bigger bus. And by bus I really mean van--our tour was full-up, but there were only ten people on it. The small size was very nice, as it meant less time waiting for people to get in and out of the vehicle (named "Aragorn") and more time getting to know the people we were traveling with.
That's one of the things I like best about travelling--being able to meet people from all over. On our tour there was a family of four from Sydney, a man from France, two women from Germany and Switzerland, and another man from Michigan. And the tour guide from New Zealand, of course. It was a lot of fun being able to talk to people--though it was a bit of a chore trying to explain how the guy from Brisbane and the girl from Michigan were married!
Anyway, we started off by driving to Rivendell through Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. Apparently this is usually saved for later in the tour, but it was a public holiday in New Zealand and the park where Rivendell is located was sure to get busy later in the day. We stopped in a few places along the way, seeing where they built Minas Tirith and Helm's Deep (the same location!) and one of the four rivers that make up scenes on the River Anduin. At Rivendell, we were given elf ears, a cape, and a replica of Sting and took photos under the tree where a lot of famous Legolas posters are set.
After, we were given the opportunity to have some morning tea and wander around the grounds. It was great being able to wander around beautiful New Zealand bush. We also crossed the swaying bridge at the same location. It was an area we wouldn't have been able to see otherwise, neither of us having access to a car, and we were thankful that we were able to have the opportunity while we were on the tour.
On the way back, we went through the Gardens of Isengard, where Sarumon says, "So the ring of power has returned." The guide presented lots of pictures of how the filmmakers changed the scenery and how they built things. He also had a lot of funny stories about "wizard golf." We were then given our very own wizard staffs and walked through the gardens in pairs, just like Gandalf and Sarumon.
We then hopped back in the van and went on our way back to Wellington. We might have stopped once more, but I can't remember what we saw. In the city we were served a fabulous lunch of sandwiches and pastries (seriously good sandwiches--the name of the cafe escapes me, unfortunately!). A market was on, so we had a little bit of time to look around before getting back in the van.
Then we drove all the way to the South Coast and had a great view--the coast is rough and rocky, and so gorgeous. This took us to the technical part of the movies--studios where sets were built and where the movies were edited, as well as Peter Jackson's house (we didn't go inside obviously, we just hovered stalkerishly outside). We learned about all that Peter Jackson has done for New Zealand's economy, before we were off to the Weta Cave.
The Weta Cave is where special effects were done for the movies--which, as you can imagine, played a massive role in the films. The actual part of the store we were in was a bit tiny and cramped, as a few tour groups arrived at once. The store had tons of stuff for purchase, all of which was a bit out of our budget-price range, but it was quite nice Lord of the Rings merchandise (along with merchandise from other films the Cave had worked on). We were able to see a short movie about what the workshop did. There was an optional workshop tour that cost extra.
After, we started heading up Mount Victoria, one of the first Lord of the Rings filming locations. This was my favorite part, because you could see exactly that this is where the Shortcut to Mushrooms scene was filmed. On the way we picked up a kitty travel pal--a young cat (probably 6 months or so) who must have wandered up from one of the surrounding houses. Again, the guide showed pictures and asked for people to reenact scenes filmed there, which was a lot of fun.
Running short on time, we hauled ourselves up to the Mount Victoria Lookout, where we were given a splendid view of the city. Again, I was really thankful for this tour. Despite not being able to see the now-destroyed sets, it was fun listening to stories behind the making of the films and seeing places we wouldn't have been able to see without our own car. The tour guide dropped us back at our hotels when the tour was finished, and we felt extremely accomplished that day!
Review: Wellington
Soon after checking into our hotel, we decided to grab fast food for dinner and hike down to the entertainment district to see the Hobbit. We hadn't seen it yet because we wanted to see it in 2D (we HATE 3D!) and the 2D showings in our neighborhood had been drastically reduced, so there was never a good time for us to go together. And really, where better to see the movie than in Wellington? We went to Reading Cinemas because that was the first one that we saw. It was a bit pricey--around $16 each--but well worth it. The chairs were comfortable, the popcorn was delicious, and the movie was excellent.
We emerged after 8 to find it was still light outside, which was a surprise for us. Here it sets before 7. We decided to walk down to the water while it was still bright and we were rewarded with a fantastic pastel sunset behind the mountains. Absolutely gorgeous. We didn't stay very long, as our Australian summer-attuned bodies were absolutely freezing in that Wellington breeze.
We learned the next day that we should have gone a bit further down the street to see the Hobbit at The Embassy Theatre, where Peter Jacskon grew up watching movies and where the premieres of Return of the King and the Hobbit took place. The cinema has a giant statue of Gandalf and a Hobbit door hanging over it, which was pretty impressive.
The second day was our full-day tour, so we were pretty beat at the end. We ended up heading back to the city after a brief rest at the hotel to have dinner. We ate at Molly Malone's, an Irish pub just down the road from the theatre. The food was delicious--we both ordered beef stew and a pint of Guinness (how could you not?) It was about $40 all up, but totally worth it. The stew came with bread, and starving and cold as we were, it really hit the spot. Great service, too. The pub was less occupied than others on the street, but it certainly wasn't because of quality or service. We also appreciated the quieter setting.
The third day we had nothing to do but tour the city. We started the morning by queuing for tickets to go on the New Zealand-famous Wellington Cable Car. It's an old cable car that goes up to the Botanic Gardens. Only $3.50 per person one-way, it was worth it just for the experience. It's only a five minute journey or so, but it saves the walk up the hill! At the top we headed into the Cable Car Museum, which was small but informative, with old cable cars you could climb on and pretend to be a passenger for the photo op.
From there we headed into the Botanic Gardens, which were very pretty. We wandered around up top for a while, then wound down through tunnels of trees, spotting some cool flowers and trees. Finishing in Lady Norwood's Rose Garden, we then continued on through the Bolton Cemetery and ended up going past Parliament. We ended up in the Reserve Bank Museum, which wasn't incredibly interesting to me in regards to displays, but they had an old movie going of the Queen's first visit to New Zealand, which was highly entertaining. Plus, they gave us lollipops.
Then it was on to Te Papa Museum. This is, from what I gather, Wellington's "big deal." As far as museums go, we weren't incredibly impressed. It was free, and they did have the three trolls from the Hobbit on display, life size, so that was cool to look at. They also had a "Game Masters" exhibition that cost something like $16 to see. It's something that would have interested Cal, but he didn't want to pay to see it. We saw the first three floors or so before we decided to head out. We ended up coming back the next day to see the remaining floors and were much more impressed by them. They had a cool music-mixer where you used your hands hovering over a projection to make different sounds play, and there was lots of information about immigrants in the 1800s, plus a game kind of like The Oregon Trail (but for New Zealand, obviously) that was fun to play. It's definitely worth going--don't get disappointed by the first few floors like we were and give up!
That night, we grabbed some food stuff at a grocery store to save some money and walked with it down the road to Oriental Bay to watch the sunset. Seeing as we started out at 4, we had a long wait, which Cal wasn't incredibly pleased about. But it was fun watching people. Despite the (relative) chill, I kind of wished I'd brought my swimsuit so I could have taken a dip.
Finally, wind whipping through my hair, the sun began to set after 8. We weren't even rewarded with the views we had the first day, but I liked how calm and peaceful it was.
For us personally, I don't think we needed that day in the city to see all that we wanted to see. We could easily have done it in the half day we had after landing, plus the half day we had before our flight on the fourth day. If I could do it again, I would book the Seal Coast Safari Tour that I wanted to go on, or something else. That one looked really fun, if a bit expensive. If we'd had a few more days in New Zealand, we probably would have taken the train up to Auckland and headed off to see the Hobbiton set, but that will be a trip for another time.
All in all, we had a pretty good time in Wellington. It was fun, beautiful, entertaining, and informational, and I'd recommend it to my friends. I'll get some pictures up soon!
Review: Virgin Blue Holidays
http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/bookings/holidays/holiday-packages/
We booked our trip through Virgin Blue Holidays, which had some sort of sale on at the time. Virgin bundled airfare, hotel, and a tour for us, and it was much cheaper than it would have been otherwise. It was easy to book and we didn't run into any problems at our various check-in points. The only issue was just after we booked, the link that they e-mailed didn't work to get us to our itinerary. Their customer service was extremely quick to resolve that issue, and I plan on booking with Blue Holidays again in the future. I'm particularly intrigued by their "mystery holidays" -- but that is a blog post for another day.
Review: Travelodge Wellington
Keep in mind that we're a young couple without very high standards looking for the cheapest deal we can find. The Travelodge was one of the cheapest options for our travel deal and very centrally located--perfect. It was only about a fifteen minute taxi ride from the airport. We checked in no problem and went up to our room. We had a king room, very clean and stocked with toiletries, and that's all we felt we needed. Some of the negative reviews we read said "small, horrible view, overpriced minibar." Sure, it might have been on the small side, we had a view of a parking lot, and they wanted $6 for a bottle of water you could get for under $1 at the shops--but it wasn't a moldy hostel shared with six other girls (and then two boys when the hostel forgets you requested all female rooming... seriously, Belfast. Never again.)
Anyway, we were perfectly happy with the arrangements. We were tucked away in a quiet wing on the fourteenth floor, didn't have any problems with the neighbors, had clean towels and the bed made every day. We viewed the hotel as a place to sleep, since we wanted to get out and about in the city as much as we could while we were there.
Review: Wellington Rover Tour - Lord of the Rings
I read reviews for the tour we took on our first full day in Wellington and knew it was something I wanted to do early on. I think it's helpful to read both the positive and the negative reviews before you decide if it's best for you. The Lord of the Rings is very much a set of location movies--that means there isn't a lot left of the sets. If you're expecting to see sets, I suggest going up north to Hobbiton instead.
On the day of the tour, the rover bus picked us up at 8:35 a.m. right from our hotel, which was very convenient. They do pick-ups all over Wellington. Our group was so spread out that they had two buses pick up, then they met up and had us transfer into the bigger bus. And by bus I really mean van--our tour was full-up, but there were only ten people on it. The small size was very nice, as it meant less time waiting for people to get in and out of the vehicle (named "Aragorn") and more time getting to know the people we were traveling with.
That's one of the things I like best about travelling--being able to meet people from all over. On our tour there was a family of four from Sydney, a man from France, two women from Germany and Switzerland, and another man from Michigan. And the tour guide from New Zealand, of course. It was a lot of fun being able to talk to people--though it was a bit of a chore trying to explain how the guy from Brisbane and the girl from Michigan were married!
Anyway, we started off by driving to Rivendell through Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. Apparently this is usually saved for later in the tour, but it was a public holiday in New Zealand and the park where Rivendell is located was sure to get busy later in the day. We stopped in a few places along the way, seeing where they built Minas Tirith and Helm's Deep (the same location!) and one of the four rivers that make up scenes on the River Anduin. At Rivendell, we were given elf ears, a cape, and a replica of Sting and took photos under the tree where a lot of famous Legolas posters are set.
After, we were given the opportunity to have some morning tea and wander around the grounds. It was great being able to wander around beautiful New Zealand bush. We also crossed the swaying bridge at the same location. It was an area we wouldn't have been able to see otherwise, neither of us having access to a car, and we were thankful that we were able to have the opportunity while we were on the tour.
On the way back, we went through the Gardens of Isengard, where Sarumon says, "So the ring of power has returned." The guide presented lots of pictures of how the filmmakers changed the scenery and how they built things. He also had a lot of funny stories about "wizard golf." We were then given our very own wizard staffs and walked through the gardens in pairs, just like Gandalf and Sarumon.
We then hopped back in the van and went on our way back to Wellington. We might have stopped once more, but I can't remember what we saw. In the city we were served a fabulous lunch of sandwiches and pastries (seriously good sandwiches--the name of the cafe escapes me, unfortunately!). A market was on, so we had a little bit of time to look around before getting back in the van.
Then we drove all the way to the South Coast and had a great view--the coast is rough and rocky, and so gorgeous. This took us to the technical part of the movies--studios where sets were built and where the movies were edited, as well as Peter Jackson's house (we didn't go inside obviously, we just hovered stalkerishly outside). We learned about all that Peter Jackson has done for New Zealand's economy, before we were off to the Weta Cave.
The Weta Cave is where special effects were done for the movies--which, as you can imagine, played a massive role in the films. The actual part of the store we were in was a bit tiny and cramped, as a few tour groups arrived at once. The store had tons of stuff for purchase, all of which was a bit out of our budget-price range, but it was quite nice Lord of the Rings merchandise (along with merchandise from other films the Cave had worked on). We were able to see a short movie about what the workshop did. There was an optional workshop tour that cost extra.
After, we started heading up Mount Victoria, one of the first Lord of the Rings filming locations. This was my favorite part, because you could see exactly that this is where the Shortcut to Mushrooms scene was filmed. On the way we picked up a kitty travel pal--a young cat (probably 6 months or so) who must have wandered up from one of the surrounding houses. Again, the guide showed pictures and asked for people to reenact scenes filmed there, which was a lot of fun.
Running short on time, we hauled ourselves up to the Mount Victoria Lookout, where we were given a splendid view of the city. Again, I was really thankful for this tour. Despite not being able to see the now-destroyed sets, it was fun listening to stories behind the making of the films and seeing places we wouldn't have been able to see without our own car. The tour guide dropped us back at our hotels when the tour was finished, and we felt extremely accomplished that day!
Review: Wellington
Soon after checking into our hotel, we decided to grab fast food for dinner and hike down to the entertainment district to see the Hobbit. We hadn't seen it yet because we wanted to see it in 2D (we HATE 3D!) and the 2D showings in our neighborhood had been drastically reduced, so there was never a good time for us to go together. And really, where better to see the movie than in Wellington? We went to Reading Cinemas because that was the first one that we saw. It was a bit pricey--around $16 each--but well worth it. The chairs were comfortable, the popcorn was delicious, and the movie was excellent.
We emerged after 8 to find it was still light outside, which was a surprise for us. Here it sets before 7. We decided to walk down to the water while it was still bright and we were rewarded with a fantastic pastel sunset behind the mountains. Absolutely gorgeous. We didn't stay very long, as our Australian summer-attuned bodies were absolutely freezing in that Wellington breeze.
We learned the next day that we should have gone a bit further down the street to see the Hobbit at The Embassy Theatre, where Peter Jacskon grew up watching movies and where the premieres of Return of the King and the Hobbit took place. The cinema has a giant statue of Gandalf and a Hobbit door hanging over it, which was pretty impressive.
The second day was our full-day tour, so we were pretty beat at the end. We ended up heading back to the city after a brief rest at the hotel to have dinner. We ate at Molly Malone's, an Irish pub just down the road from the theatre. The food was delicious--we both ordered beef stew and a pint of Guinness (how could you not?) It was about $40 all up, but totally worth it. The stew came with bread, and starving and cold as we were, it really hit the spot. Great service, too. The pub was less occupied than others on the street, but it certainly wasn't because of quality or service. We also appreciated the quieter setting.
The third day we had nothing to do but tour the city. We started the morning by queuing for tickets to go on the New Zealand-famous Wellington Cable Car. It's an old cable car that goes up to the Botanic Gardens. Only $3.50 per person one-way, it was worth it just for the experience. It's only a five minute journey or so, but it saves the walk up the hill! At the top we headed into the Cable Car Museum, which was small but informative, with old cable cars you could climb on and pretend to be a passenger for the photo op.
From there we headed into the Botanic Gardens, which were very pretty. We wandered around up top for a while, then wound down through tunnels of trees, spotting some cool flowers and trees. Finishing in Lady Norwood's Rose Garden, we then continued on through the Bolton Cemetery and ended up going past Parliament. We ended up in the Reserve Bank Museum, which wasn't incredibly interesting to me in regards to displays, but they had an old movie going of the Queen's first visit to New Zealand, which was highly entertaining. Plus, they gave us lollipops.
Then it was on to Te Papa Museum. This is, from what I gather, Wellington's "big deal." As far as museums go, we weren't incredibly impressed. It was free, and they did have the three trolls from the Hobbit on display, life size, so that was cool to look at. They also had a "Game Masters" exhibition that cost something like $16 to see. It's something that would have interested Cal, but he didn't want to pay to see it. We saw the first three floors or so before we decided to head out. We ended up coming back the next day to see the remaining floors and were much more impressed by them. They had a cool music-mixer where you used your hands hovering over a projection to make different sounds play, and there was lots of information about immigrants in the 1800s, plus a game kind of like The Oregon Trail (but for New Zealand, obviously) that was fun to play. It's definitely worth going--don't get disappointed by the first few floors like we were and give up!
That night, we grabbed some food stuff at a grocery store to save some money and walked with it down the road to Oriental Bay to watch the sunset. Seeing as we started out at 4, we had a long wait, which Cal wasn't incredibly pleased about. But it was fun watching people. Despite the (relative) chill, I kind of wished I'd brought my swimsuit so I could have taken a dip.
Finally, wind whipping through my hair, the sun began to set after 8. We weren't even rewarded with the views we had the first day, but I liked how calm and peaceful it was.
For us personally, I don't think we needed that day in the city to see all that we wanted to see. We could easily have done it in the half day we had after landing, plus the half day we had before our flight on the fourth day. If I could do it again, I would book the Seal Coast Safari Tour that I wanted to go on, or something else. That one looked really fun, if a bit expensive. If we'd had a few more days in New Zealand, we probably would have taken the train up to Auckland and headed off to see the Hobbiton set, but that will be a trip for another time.
All in all, we had a pretty good time in Wellington. It was fun, beautiful, entertaining, and informational, and I'd recommend it to my friends. I'll get some pictures up soon!
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