I highly suspect this will only be part one, as my trip is only half over. But already quite a few things that I find noteworthy have happened.
So I've gone to Cardiff for a few days, and so far the weather as been absolutely gorgeous. Cardiff really is a beautiful city.
My first little noteworthy thing isn't very exciting. I went out to dinner the other day, and I happened to sit near a person who I believe was a food critic. The only reason I payed him any attention was because, upon sitting down, the waiter came over to give each of us menus and joked "One and one - or we could make it two!" and the man at the other table joked in response with a comment about matchmakers. Then we talked for a minute. He told me about other Italian restaurants in the area he'd eaten at. And that was that. Later he took a picture of his meal.
The second event was a little . . . off-putting. As I walked about the shopping district, I noticed a pair of police officers going about. And they were carrying machine guns. Or some kind of large guns. I don't know anything about guns. Now, I don't find police walking around with such large guns comforting. And then as I was leaving, two black vans drove in the area and unloaded about a dozen or more of these police officers. I have no idea what it was about.
The last event still has left me with question. I started off my day going to Cardiff Castle, and I noticed while I was in the keep a small camera crew. Just two guys for the camera, and one man for the screen. I thought "oh, its some kind of documentary for the site. Neat." and moved on. Later I went to Bute Park and went to sit by the standing stone circle and read for a bit. When I looked up later, the same camera crew was there. Not only that, the one man was talking to a family of four. I wasn't close enough to hear what he was saying clearly, but I do know he was talking about investigations and Stonehenge.
My question about what the was doing grew because - Cardiff Castle and a stone circle. Those have nothing in common. Cardiff Castle's oldest remains are Roman; a stone circle dates to Neolithic or Bronze Age. Maybe I could buy Iron Age. But Roman? Don't make me laugh. So what were they doing? Was it a documentary on something specific, or just on Cardiff in general? Unfortunately, there wasn't a break that would let me go and ask.
I've of course done other things here in Cardiff. However those are the things I've found that make the best stories so far. I'm sure there's more in store.
Friday, 26 May 2017
Friday, 17 March 2017
Paree Holds the Key ...
... to your wallet.
As I was free of classes this past week, I decided to take a trip to Paris. All alone. Terrifying but fun.
Day one: the Louvre and the Eiffel tower. Not much outside of that. I don't think I can say any more on them that hasn't been said. Didn't go up the tower, though. I don't like heights.
Day two: Versailles and by the gods was it perfect for it. Super warm and sunny, which was ideal for roaming the gardens. I didn't quite get to see everything, as it was way to big for that to be possible, but I saw a lot. The palace itself is incredible, of course, and there are the extra estates that I visited to. The queen's hamlet has a farm, which features ginormous cute bunnies (one's fur looked like a guinea pig!), sheep with their adorable lambs, and some donkeys that were hoping a couple opening a packet of wet wipes were food. Super cute. I used up most of my memory card and I was seriously tired by the end of it all.
Day three: much more relaxing. Visited the catacombs of Paris, which took longer than expected (that LINE! It was over an hour!), then had lunch before visiting the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elyses. I didn't buy anything there, mind you. I'm not really a "fashion" person. Over all, it was more relaxing than the previous day.
Other little things about Paris - well, it's Paris. I used the metro to get around, which was convenient. Some of the stations were pretty cool! Louvre-rivoli (don't quote me on that being the station. I don't have a map, so its from memory and I don't actually remember it) had replicates and Egyptian, Roman, and Greek statues in it, which I thought was awesome. One time a guy brought an accordion on board and played his way down the car. Other time I passed a guy playing a sax down there, as well as a violin. If you stay in Paris, definitely use it to get around! Fair warning: it can be crowded at certain hours.
The restaurants are, of course, great, but I will definitely say I noticed a difference between their service and that of North America's. They're a lot . . . more relaxed. Often they expected me to just walk in and pick a seat, and the service was usually slow. Glad I packed the kobo in my purse! I read a fair bit during meals and over all it usually took well over an hour, or closer to two. I also recommend checking out the Passage du Grand Cerf. It has some neat shops, and I utterly loved some of the jewelry ones, though many things were more than I was willing to pay . . . they were pretty, but I'm not one to wearing a fairytale hairband.
I think that's enough for now. I feel refreshed and recharged for writing, so I think I'll hurry back to that!
As I was free of classes this past week, I decided to take a trip to Paris. All alone. Terrifying but fun.
Day one: the Louvre and the Eiffel tower. Not much outside of that. I don't think I can say any more on them that hasn't been said. Didn't go up the tower, though. I don't like heights.
Day two: Versailles and by the gods was it perfect for it. Super warm and sunny, which was ideal for roaming the gardens. I didn't quite get to see everything, as it was way to big for that to be possible, but I saw a lot. The palace itself is incredible, of course, and there are the extra estates that I visited to. The queen's hamlet has a farm, which features ginormous cute bunnies (one's fur looked like a guinea pig!), sheep with their adorable lambs, and some donkeys that were hoping a couple opening a packet of wet wipes were food. Super cute. I used up most of my memory card and I was seriously tired by the end of it all.
Day three: much more relaxing. Visited the catacombs of Paris, which took longer than expected (that LINE! It was over an hour!), then had lunch before visiting the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elyses. I didn't buy anything there, mind you. I'm not really a "fashion" person. Over all, it was more relaxing than the previous day.
Other little things about Paris - well, it's Paris. I used the metro to get around, which was convenient. Some of the stations were pretty cool! Louvre-rivoli (don't quote me on that being the station. I don't have a map, so its from memory and I don't actually remember it) had replicates and Egyptian, Roman, and Greek statues in it, which I thought was awesome. One time a guy brought an accordion on board and played his way down the car. Other time I passed a guy playing a sax down there, as well as a violin. If you stay in Paris, definitely use it to get around! Fair warning: it can be crowded at certain hours.
The restaurants are, of course, great, but I will definitely say I noticed a difference between their service and that of North America's. They're a lot . . . more relaxed. Often they expected me to just walk in and pick a seat, and the service was usually slow. Glad I packed the kobo in my purse! I read a fair bit during meals and over all it usually took well over an hour, or closer to two. I also recommend checking out the Passage du Grand Cerf. It has some neat shops, and I utterly loved some of the jewelry ones, though many things were more than I was willing to pay . . . they were pretty, but I'm not one to wearing a fairytale hairband.
I think that's enough for now. I feel refreshed and recharged for writing, so I think I'll hurry back to that!
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
How to Make Wings
This blog post is going to be in two parts: a movie review, and some news. First up, me raving about Kubo and the Two Strings.
Oh my gods. See it.
The movie is great. The stop motion animation is incredible. It's so flowing - and that ocean! How did they do it? And have you seen the model for the giant skeleton (does it have a proper name?)?! It's beautiful. And the characters are so colourful and wonderful and - I loved all of them. Plain and simple. As for the story . . . it's amazing. Such a lovely, heartfelt story, and the ending - oh, I love those types of endings and this one did it to perfection!
Long story short, go and see Kubo. It is great. I'm trying to keep this spoiler free, so all I can say is it is a fantastic experience that everyone should have.
Now for the news part of this post, and why I mention making wings in the title. Well first of all, Kubo makes wings TWICE just by playing music. Second of all, I will soon be on a plane.
This year I'm doing a year abroad, which means I'll be going to school in jolly old England. I leave in a couple days. I'm going to be studying in a country that's beautiful and full of so much history, and I'll be a stone's throw from even MORE history in Europe. Needless to say, I'm excited. And nervous.
That's about all I got for news. At the moment. Hopefully soon I will get off my butt and finish Nightvale #2, In The Shadows. My excuse, of course, is that I've been preparing for a nine month trip. That's all. In the meantime, you should go see Kubo!
Oh my gods. See it.
The movie is great. The stop motion animation is incredible. It's so flowing - and that ocean! How did they do it? And have you seen the model for the giant skeleton (does it have a proper name?)?! It's beautiful. And the characters are so colourful and wonderful and - I loved all of them. Plain and simple. As for the story . . . it's amazing. Such a lovely, heartfelt story, and the ending - oh, I love those types of endings and this one did it to perfection!
Long story short, go and see Kubo. It is great. I'm trying to keep this spoiler free, so all I can say is it is a fantastic experience that everyone should have.
Now for the news part of this post, and why I mention making wings in the title. Well first of all, Kubo makes wings TWICE just by playing music. Second of all, I will soon be on a plane.
This year I'm doing a year abroad, which means I'll be going to school in jolly old England. I leave in a couple days. I'm going to be studying in a country that's beautiful and full of so much history, and I'll be a stone's throw from even MORE history in Europe. Needless to say, I'm excited. And nervous.
That's about all I got for news. At the moment. Hopefully soon I will get off my butt and finish Nightvale #2, In The Shadows. My excuse, of course, is that I've been preparing for a nine month trip. That's all. In the meantime, you should go see Kubo!
Monday, 23 November 2015
Well, Ancient Greece was Fun. And Deadly.
Couple days late in announcing this, but I have now won NaNoWriMo for the third year in a row! Yay! I wrote 50,000 words for something that had zero plot going in, and it only took me 21 days! It was fun, and stressful, and now I can give a ton of support to my friend who is very far behind.
It was a ton of fun to write, seeing as I had people jumping all over the ancient Mediterranean and got to play around with the concept of ancient inventions! I'm essentially done the book now - only two or three more chapters left, which is a huge surprise. I finished writing my NaNo book from 2013, and its over 130K. Still not done my NaNo novel from last year. Yet here I am with this year's nearly done!
The down side is, I won't be able to finish it for weeks. I have several essays I have to write (I should really be doing those now . . .) and then it's exams. University can seriously be a nighmare. But after that I have nearly three weeks free, and I can most certainly finish in that amount of time. Then I can go back to my other projects.
Right. In other news, Nightvale is going pretty good - look for the second installment sometime in early spring or late winter. My other novel is doing pretty well. I still have mass amounts of editing for Epic. Oh, and once I finish tidying them up, The Lost Chronicles has to new stories coming! (www.writingworld.wix.com/lostchronicles - go check it out!)
There isn't much else in terms of news. I won NaNo. It finally snowed here. Now I have to try and return to university life. That kind of sucks. Can't really do much about it. Well, I should at least put in some effort. And I really need to do those essays!
It was a ton of fun to write, seeing as I had people jumping all over the ancient Mediterranean and got to play around with the concept of ancient inventions! I'm essentially done the book now - only two or three more chapters left, which is a huge surprise. I finished writing my NaNo book from 2013, and its over 130K. Still not done my NaNo novel from last year. Yet here I am with this year's nearly done!
The down side is, I won't be able to finish it for weeks. I have several essays I have to write (I should really be doing those now . . .) and then it's exams. University can seriously be a nighmare. But after that I have nearly three weeks free, and I can most certainly finish in that amount of time. Then I can go back to my other projects.
Right. In other news, Nightvale is going pretty good - look for the second installment sometime in early spring or late winter. My other novel is doing pretty well. I still have mass amounts of editing for Epic. Oh, and once I finish tidying them up, The Lost Chronicles has to new stories coming! (www.writingworld.wix.com/lostchronicles - go check it out!)
There isn't much else in terms of news. I won NaNo. It finally snowed here. Now I have to try and return to university life. That kind of sucks. Can't really do much about it. Well, I should at least put in some effort. And I really need to do those essays!
Saturday, 31 October 2015
Wormhole: Found
Well, after a day of dealing with the dead, I'd like to sleep like one of them. Not happening. I have an appointment to keep in the Trojan War.
That's right, as much as I love Halloween, I mainly think about one thing once the trick-or-treaters go home - and that thing is NaNoWriMo. So I spent the evening chatting with my writing buddy as we handed out candy and scared some preteens. That was fun. And good for ideas.
Now I get to say hi to some ancient Greeks! Tomorrow as I embark on the insanity of NaNo I begin the first book of a series I've wanted to write for a long time. After receiving much support and interest in the idea, I'm going to start Time Tumblers. A thirteen-book series involving a specially chosen duo that have to fix various problems in history and time.
This is definitely one of my favourite ideas. I love the characters, and the plot ideas are endless. A little too endless . . . I've a slight problem in that I don't know where the first book is going to go! I've got mini points, point A, and point D. Those in between are . . . lacking. This'll be a fun year! And there are so many assignment I have to do for university too.
Well, everyone should wish me luck! And I hope every one had a great Halloween! Hopefully no one summoned any nasty spirits are dealt with some supernatural creatures without the proper protection. Wouldn't that be a nightmare? Actually, I'd probably have a blast . . . So happy Halloween! And now I get to jump in the wormhole to 1600 BC or so!
That's right, as much as I love Halloween, I mainly think about one thing once the trick-or-treaters go home - and that thing is NaNoWriMo. So I spent the evening chatting with my writing buddy as we handed out candy and scared some preteens. That was fun. And good for ideas.
Now I get to say hi to some ancient Greeks! Tomorrow as I embark on the insanity of NaNo I begin the first book of a series I've wanted to write for a long time. After receiving much support and interest in the idea, I'm going to start Time Tumblers. A thirteen-book series involving a specially chosen duo that have to fix various problems in history and time.
This is definitely one of my favourite ideas. I love the characters, and the plot ideas are endless. A little too endless . . . I've a slight problem in that I don't know where the first book is going to go! I've got mini points, point A, and point D. Those in between are . . . lacking. This'll be a fun year! And there are so many assignment I have to do for university too.
Well, everyone should wish me luck! And I hope every one had a great Halloween! Hopefully no one summoned any nasty spirits are dealt with some supernatural creatures without the proper protection. Wouldn't that be a nightmare? Actually, I'd probably have a blast . . . So happy Halloween! And now I get to jump in the wormhole to 1600 BC or so!
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Enter Nightvale
Yesterday, the first installment of Nightvale became available for purchase. So what are all of you waiting for? Go and download your copy! Well, only if you want to read a quick and fun adventure about magic.
There's a nice trailer on YouTube for you to go and check out as well. I quite enjoy making book trailers, but this one took a few tries to get right. I won't bore you with the details, seeing as I'm happy with the final version.
If you're interested in learning more about the world I've created, you can always go to www.writingworld.wix.com/nightvale and check that website out. There's quite a bit I've put in there that might be useful . . . you never know. I like adding in hidden mysteries.
That's about all I can tell you. I've read some awesome books this summer, but it's mainly rereads. Though I HIGHLY recommend The Invasion of the Tearling. It was fantastic. I hope the rest of you enjoy the remainder of your summer and I hope you like exploring Nightvale. You'll be entering with about the best set of heroes you can find.
There's a nice trailer on YouTube for you to go and check out as well. I quite enjoy making book trailers, but this one took a few tries to get right. I won't bore you with the details, seeing as I'm happy with the final version.
If you're interested in learning more about the world I've created, you can always go to www.writingworld.wix.com/nightvale and check that website out. There's quite a bit I've put in there that might be useful . . . you never know. I like adding in hidden mysteries.
That's about all I can tell you. I've read some awesome books this summer, but it's mainly rereads. Though I HIGHLY recommend The Invasion of the Tearling. It was fantastic. I hope the rest of you enjoy the remainder of your summer and I hope you like exploring Nightvale. You'll be entering with about the best set of heroes you can find.
Saturday, 4 July 2015
Bugs Are the Bane of My Existence
Now that I've got your attention, here's a little update on what's going on. I'm currently signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo, and doing awesome. Why am I suddenly doing awesome? Because the project I chose is Nightvale.
This is mainly going to be about Nightvale. As you may or may not know, the first installment is to be released on August 5th! Who's looking forward to that? I am. I've got a little promo video up on youtube, so go and check that out! I've also recently finished writing the second installment.
So the first two installments are done, the first one is going out in about a month . . . you'd think my summer would be going great.
Yet I'm doing a terrible summer job that eats up my day, gets me scratched and covered in bug bites, and forces me to get up at a really early hour. Basically, I want school to start again. Badly. I miss my ancient history and anthropology . . .
But hey, I've read some great books. There's Shadow Scale and The Graveyard Book and others I can't remember at this exact moment. Just go look on goodreads. I have reviews up there.
That's all that's new. I'll be back in about a month (if the bug bites don't do me in).
This is mainly going to be about Nightvale. As you may or may not know, the first installment is to be released on August 5th! Who's looking forward to that? I am. I've got a little promo video up on youtube, so go and check that out! I've also recently finished writing the second installment.
So the first two installments are done, the first one is going out in about a month . . . you'd think my summer would be going great.
Yet I'm doing a terrible summer job that eats up my day, gets me scratched and covered in bug bites, and forces me to get up at a really early hour. Basically, I want school to start again. Badly. I miss my ancient history and anthropology . . .
But hey, I've read some great books. There's Shadow Scale and The Graveyard Book and others I can't remember at this exact moment. Just go look on goodreads. I have reviews up there.
That's all that's new. I'll be back in about a month (if the bug bites don't do me in).
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