Art - It's Not Just About Drawing (Part 1)

I love to browse artwork on Deviantart.com because I am reminded, again and again, that art is not just about drawing.  There are so many beautiful and breath-taking ways to create art that I never knew existed.  Below is a sampling of some of the unique styles of art that I have discovered on Deviantart.com that are far beyond paper and pen.  

Sculptures

Sculptures, poseable or not, are abundant on Deviantart.  Wood-Splitter-Lee is by far the most talented sculptress I have ever seen on Deviantart, period.  Her fantasy animals (shown above) are colorful and majestic.  If I had the money, I would buy one of her sculptures in a heartbeat.  *sigh*  Maybe one day...

Clay Miniatures

I never knew clay could look so delicious...  All of these miniature foods, made by the incredible Fairchildart, looks good enough to eat.  They are delicate pieces of art that would look wonderful in a dollhouse.

Origami

By Mangakasma

By Origamimodulowe

And I thought folding a paper crane was difficult enough.  @_@  Origami, specifically 3-D origami, is becoming an art sensation that is bright, complex, and requires tons of paper.

Furniture

By Erez-mor

By ColeHastings

I'm especially a big fan of the awesome monster seat.  :D  These unique pieces of furniture brings a dash of fantasy into anyone's home.

Jewelry

By Create-A-Pendant

By PeregrineStudios

By YelerCrakka

I'm such a sucker when it comes to jewelry, whether it's girly or totally nerdy (the flower is beautiful, but I'm a huge fan of the Zelda ocarina rings and Pokeball bracelet).  If I had it my way, I would order every single piece of custom jewelry on Deviantart.


This post is already huge, and I have many more categories to showcase!  Looks like I'm going to need to write a follow-up blog post about art that's not drawing.  :)  Be on the lookout for the sequel, which will contain more awesome art including:
- Crochet/Felting
- Photography
- Baking
- Face paint/Special effects
- Costumes/Cosplay
- Beading
- Stuffed animals

Swearing and Youtube

I love Youtube!  If I want to find old television shows, I can find it on Youtube.  If I want to see if a new video game is any good, I can find it on Youtube.  And there are so many creative and hilarious series, too.  There is just one big problem with Youtube...the swearing, in both the videos and the comments.

No matter what I'm looking for on Youtube, swearing seems to be everywhere.  I love watching people play video games on Youtube, especially scary video games, but they have the tendency to cuss a lot when they're scared.  Heck, even when they're not scared, they cuss a lot.  It's a shame, because there are quite a few people on the Internet that I've had to give up watching because of their language.  It's a painful severance every time...  I discover them, check out their funny videos, and become a hopeless fan girl.  If I ran into them on the street, I would scream and ask for their autographs.  After a while, however, their swearing gets to me.  As much as I try to ignore it, I have to unsubscribe from them and walk away forever.  Well, that's not exactly true.  My biggest guilty pleasure is to sneak back onto their channels and watch their videos (and get caught by my husband, haha!)  Nevertheless, I know I have to break the habit, because being exposed to that much swearing isn't good for me.  It's just not fair!  Why do they have to swear so much?  :'(

The people I had to give up...  From left: Markiplier, the Yogscast, Pewdiepie, and Yamimash.

There is, however, a ray of hope for me.  There is one Youtube user that only uses minor swearwords, is amazingly creative and talented, and is doggone cute: Tobuscus.

a.k.a. Toby Turner

Although he still swears, he is 95% cleaner than any of the Youtubers listed above.  And he creates all sorts of interesting videos: shorts, animated cartoons, music videos (with songs he writes and performs himself), literal music videos (hilarious!), video game walkthroughs and commentaries, rants, vlogs, and more!  He is so cool and nerdy and epic, I have officially added "meet Toby Turner" on my bucket list.  I still would not recommend his channel for kids under 12, but he is a clean alternative to all of the potty-mouths out there.

Of course, there is at least one person on Youtube who does not swear at all...me!  Inspired by those listed above, I have begun recording myself playing various video games and uploading them to my Youtube channel.  So far, I have videos of Minecraft, Slender, and Tokyo Jungle with many more to come.  I also have music videos, shorts, and frogs!  Check my channel often for new videos, and if you have a certain video game you want me to play or want to see a tutorial on how to make something, please let me know through my email or the comments below.  Youtube might be a breeding ground for swear words, but there are some clean people out there who want to entertain without bad language.  Keep trying to find those people, and long live Youtube!

Tokyo Jungle Guide - It's Finally Done!

I love working on big, extensive projects.  They bring on a rush of creativity and get me so excited.  I delve right into the project with a really strong beginning.  By the time I get halfway through the project, however, I start to fizzle out.  The project becomes more laborious than fun, and the end is still a long way off.  At this point, I am always sorely tempted to "take a break" from the project and start a new one.  This was the case with my Tokyo Jungle Guide.  Typically, if you want to get some tips about a video game, you can Google the title and find a lot of different fan-made guides to help you out.  When I typed in Tokyo Jungle, however, I could not find a single guide on the Internet.  I was all like:

"Now's my chance to do something no one else on the Internet has ever done before!"

So I got started on my Tokyo Jungle guide right away!  I love collecting data and organizing it, and plus, I got to play one of my favorite video games over and over.  It just didn't get any better!  But when I hit the halfway mark, I was sick and tired of Tokyo Jungle.  The thrill of the project had worn off, and since I was spending so much time playing a video game, I felt like a neglectful wife and a worthless bum.  But right-brainers are infamous for not finishing what they begin, so I was determined to complete my project before starting a new one.  I've been working on my Tokyo Jungle guide for over a month now...and it's finally done!  I'm sure only a few people will actually download and use it, but I'm proud of what I have accomplished.  Being able to finish this guide means I have what it takes to push through the pain and put out a finished project to the world, something that I've always had trouble with.  Who knows, maybe this success will be the catalyst that helps me finally finish my book.  Whatever the future may hold, behold!  My Tokyo Jungle guide!  Read it and be amazed!  :D

Oh, and the Tokyo Jungle guide will also be placed under the "Products/Services" menu, "Books & Pamphlets" sub-menu.  I hope to add more stuff there in the future!

Lip Art

I recently did a post about theatrical make-up and my first attempt at using it.  I'm still attending the make-up class with my brother, but since I help him a lot during the class, I only have time to do little make-up projects with my lips.  It might sound strange, but it's a lot of fun.  Below is some of the lip art I have done:

Week 1 - Crabby Lips

Week 2 - Old Panda Lips

Week 3 - Whale Lips

 The best part about lip art is making your creations talk (the crab was especially fun to watch).  I'm all out of lip ideas, so maybe I'll start another mini make-up project: eye art.  I've always been inspired by such creative geniuses such as the person who made the eye art below:

Art by PixieCold

Whether I do more lip art, eye art, or a complete face project, I'm sure you'll be seeing more make-up in future posts.  :)

Lucid Dreaming - Real Live "Inception"

I love the movie "Inception."  I think it's one of the best movies in the history of movies.  If you haven't seen it, go see it right now.  It's intense, complex, and deep.  Here's a synopsis:

"Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming."

(Taken from IMDb)

The best part about watching "Inception," however, is seeing the similarities between it and lucid dreaming.  The definition of a lucid dream is "any dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming" (Wikipedia).  In gaining self-awareness, the dreamer has the potential to change, control, or construct their dreams.  Sound like hogwash?  I can attest that lucid dreaming is possible, because I have done it.

My experiences with lucid dreaming is limited but very exciting.  It started when I picked up a book called "Lucid Dreams in 30 Days: The Creative Sleep Program."  It's part philosophical and part workbook.  It explains some fascinating concepts about dream awareness and manipulation.  I don't want to make this post too long, so I'll just share one concept today: awareness.  I believe this single concept is the key to all lucid dreaming and can change the way you sleep forever, once it has been developed enough.  The book describes it perfectly:

"We'd like you to think of dreaming in much the same way you think of driving a car.  Remember all the times you've driven along the highway seemingly not paying attention at all.  All of a sudden you've looked at the road and realized that someone has been exerting judgment and control - and that someone you've recognized in a flash is you.  Dreaming works in a similar way.  You usually aren't consciously aware of your ability to control the action; but of course, right down to the exact words spoken by your dream characters, the very last brick in your dream house, and the precise number of petals on a flower in your dream garden, you alone are the author and designer of your dreams.  Realizing this fact is much like suddenly realizing that you are driving the car.  Waking up in your dreams, in other words, requires a subtle shift in attention, so that you learn to be more completely aware of what you're doing."

Some techniques for gaining awareness in your dreams is to practice recalling and recording dreams right after waking up.  Another is to ask yourself throughout the day "Am I dreaming?"  By developing a habit of consciously checking to make sure you are not dreaming, you might find yourself asking the same question in a dream, and being able to answer, "Yes."  There is a lot of information and techniques in the book that I won't get into.  Instead, I'll share with you the most exciting lucid dreaming experience I have ever had.

Up till this experience, my lucid dreaming experiences were small.  In this dream, however, I truly experienced awareness.  My anxiety often haunts me in my dreams, and in this case, a human-like demon had captured several of my brothers and was tearing into them with its sharp teeth.  I closed my eyes and thought, "This is a horrible dream!"  As soon as I thought these words, awareness flooded my mind.  "Wait a minute," I gasped.  "I'm dreaming.  I can change this right now."  So I approached the demon and said, "I'm tired of you being here.  Go away now."  The demon resisted, but I willed it to go away, and it just disappeared.  Poof!  I found myself alone, so I thought, "What now?"  I grinned and said, "I want to fly."  And I did!  I just took off into the sky like a bird.  My stomach lurched in fear and joy as I soared over the clouds.  It felt so real.  Unfortantely, I began to wake up shortly after taking flight.  There are techniques to prolong lucid dreaming, but I hadn't learned them yet.  But what a dream!

Image from luciddreaming.net

I have a lot to learn about lucid dreaming, but I've made a great start.  If I keep practicing, I can learn to banish anxiety whenever it tries to haunt my dreams.  Maybe I can even meet the characters in my book.  The possibilities are endless!  Even though I haven't experienced any true lucid dreams in a while, I have gained a certain amount of general awareness that allows me to make little tweaks and changes to my day-to-day dreams.  I'm sure I'll share more lucid dreams as I have them.  I'm sure my lucid dreams will never be as vivid (or as dangerous) as the dreams in "Inception," but the idea of creating my own dream world keeps me dreaming.  

Slenderman = Modern-Day Bigfoot

Image by x-Tsuka-x

I hate horror movies with a passion.  I hate the suspense, I hate the gore, I hate the sad/bad endings, and I hate not being able to sleep at night after watching one.  So I'm more than a little surprised to find myself saying that my latest obsession right now is with a horror character.  He's not from a movie, though.  He's sort of an Internet myth, like a modern-day Bigfoot.  And his name is Slenderman.

Slenderman originated from an online paranormal Photoshop contest that took place on Something Awful forums in June 2009.  The point of the contest was to turn normal pictures into creepy pictures, complete with a background story.  Victor Surge, one of the forum users, posted two photos featuring a tall, thin figure dressed in a black suit (one of the photos is below).

Image by Victor Surge

The photos went viral, and soon enough, people began to pick out similar Slendermen in various photos, historical accounts, and even video games.  Slenderman was featured in fan art, short stories, Youtube videos, and conversations across the Internet.  Some people actually believe that Slenderman exists, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.  I learned about him from a computer game that someone created called "Slender" featuring you-know-who (for a full history of Slenderman, click here).

I think Slenderman exists as much as I think Bigfoot exists (i.e. not at all), but I was intrigued by the game "Slender."  I downloaded the game (it's free) and watched my husband play it.  It was so scary!  But contrary to how I usually feel about horror, I loved it!  I refused to play it for the longest time, but I enjoyed watching other people play.  Why?  Because I love watching people get the poo scared out of them!  There's just something funny about people (especially grown men) screaming like little girls and cowering in their chairs.  It's the same reason why I like watching scare pranks on "Just for Laughs" or the scare section of "America's Funniest Home Videos."  It's just funny (does that make me an evil person? haha).  To see what I mean, click on any of the links in the previous sentence, or check out the (clean) "Slender" reaction montage at the end of this blog, although I would recommend watching the video of me playing "Slender" first to get an idea of what the game is like.

It took me weeks for me to gather up the courage, but here's a video of me playing "Slender"!  After laughing at so many people getting scared by Slenderman, it's my turn.  *gulp*  My husband pointed out that I talked too much during this video, but I guess it was my way of dealing with the suspense.  Enjoy my fear!

Man, I was shaking for fifteen minutes after playing that round!  And I promise you, it will never happen again!  I did this all for you!  xD

Finally, here is a "Slender" reaction montage that I edited but did not compile.  I love watching people react to "Slender," but they all cuss like sailors, so I've censored this one.  Below this video are more links and information about the "Slender" games.  Enjoy!

Original video by elliottad

To download the original in-the-forest "Slender" game, click here.

To download the "Sanatorium" Slenderman game that I played, click here.

To download the awesome recording device I used to capture my "Slender" gameplay, click here.

The best thing about all three links is that they are all free and they are all safe. 

Have fun, and remember, Slendy is always watching!  ;)

Image by nick-tyrrell

I Love Frogs

Growing up, my favorite animal was the horse.  In terms of traditional pets, I like dogs and then cats.  But what is my favorite animal of all time?  The frog!  Specifically, the tree frog.

 Image by yourlilmunchie

It all started when I found tadpole eggs behind my house back in 2004.  I was fascinated by the delicate eggs, and horrified when I saw various water bugs eating them!  I tried to build a sort of barrier between the eggs and their attackers, but nothing worked.  In the end, I decided to just let nature run its course, and went home.  But to my surprise, one of the tadpole eggs had stuck to my wrist (due to the sticky, jelly-like substance surrounding them).  I put the egg in a cup of spring water, and 4 days later, a t-i-n-y tadpole hatched.  Days passed, my tiny tadpole grew into a tree frog, and I've been in love with them ever since. 

My darling Tasolen eating a tasty cricket.

With the ferocity of a lion and the personality of a human, these little guys are awesome!  They can be tamed and held, although it can take time and patience.  They don't carry dangerous diseases like reptiles do.  They are fairly easy to take care of, although they do require live insects for their meals, so you can't be afraid to handle crickets.  :)  My beloved Tasolen the gray tree frog died in 2009, but I now have two green tree frogs named Lemon and Lime, like this guy here:

 Image by boron

I'm currently raising gray tree frog tadpoles and hope to sell some of them to fellow frog lovers!  If you are interested in learning more about my interest of frogs, you can check out my frog blog at www.frogforum.net.  I also hope to create my own frog care pamphlet for those interested in owning a tree frog of their own.  This post is a little random, and totally all over the place, but I just want to tell the world that I love frogs!  :)

 Image by mdmayberry

Planeswalker Abigale

My husband introduced me to the popular card game "Magic the Gathering" shortly after we got married.  I grew up playing Yu-Gi-Oh, another card game, so it didn't take me long to get fairly good at Magic.  I'm far from professional, but I have a lot of fun with it, and I love the Dungeon and Dragons feel to the card artwork: beautiful images depicting amazing creatures.  It didn't take long before I wanted to make some Magic cards of my own.  I found an awesome and free program online called "Magic Set Editor."  Click here to learn more about it.  NOTE: even though I haven't had any trouble with downloading this program, there is always a risk when you download content off the Internet.  Do so with caution!

I like animals more than I like people, so I wanted to create a set based off of nature and its creatures.  I'm calling my homemade set "Nature's Revolt."  All of Magic's sets have a back story of some kind, so the story behind Nature's Revolt is basically this:

"The major races of Innistrad have battled each other for centuries.  Humans, vampires, zombies, and wandering spirits...  The forces of Nature have always kept to themselves, patiently waiting out the blood and fires of war that wage all around them.  However, Nature's patience has finally run out.  The creatures of the wilderness are now a part of the war with the intention of destroying anything that gets in their way.  Nature has revolted."

 

"Overrun" by Carl Critchlow - MTG Core Set 2012

The first step to creating a homemade set of cards was to figure out how many cards I should include and how to divide all the different types.  I actually had to use (le gasp!) math to figure it out.  Here's a small glimpse into what I mean:

On average, from each color group, 50% are common, 25% are uncommon, 20% are rare, and 8% are mythic.  If I have 15 cards per color group, 9 should be creatures and 6 should be spells, divided by their rarity, etc.

It was definitely a stretch to work with numbers and fractions, but I'm proud to say I did it, and my set is neatly balanced because of it.  Another factor I had to keep in mind was to keep the power of my cards balanced.  Rares are going to be more powerful by default, but there's no point in creating my own cards if they are all ridiculously powerful and unsuitable to ever be used in a real deck.  Like this card by rockvillepictures on Deviantart:

 

After many hours scouring Deviantart and many more hours creating and editing original creatures and their abilities, I finished "Nature's Revolt" with exactly 100 cards in the set.  And here they are!  I put them in Google documents according to their color.  Enjoy!  And please, if you have any thoughts or ideas on how to make these cards better, please let me know!

 White   #1-15

 Blue   #16-30

 Black   #31-45

 Red  #46-60

Green  #61-75 

 Mixed Creatures, Artifacts, Land, and Tokens  #76-100

Some random thoughts about my project:

1. Deviantart.com is the best place to find awesome, super-talented, ultra realistic pictures of just about anything!  I included the artist's name on the bottom of each card so you can check out the original picture as well as more of their artwork.
2. The official Magic the Gathering website was a great resource to get ideas on different card functions and proper ability descriptions.  Each set includes a complete card list and other great info.  If you want to know more about Magic the Gathering, you definitely need to check it out!
3. I made two brand new abilities that are completely my own!  Look for Rabid and Scorch.
4. My favorite creatures to find and create were frogs and spirits.
5. Finding good images for black cards was SCARY!  I had to search through a lot of skulls, demons, and other creepy things to get what I wanted.  But it was worth it!
6. I printed all of these cards off on photo paper and put into a collector's album along with the other real Magic the Gathering sets.  This project was a lot of fun, but a lot of work!  Nature's Revolt will probably be my only homemade set I make.  :)
7. There are some split cards in this set.  The front and back are right next to each other, but you might not notice they belong together until you read "transform" in the descriptions.  Be on the lookout!
8.  I tried to make my cards as similar to the real cards as I could, but there is one spoof card that I couldn't help but make.  See if you can spot it.  ;) 

The Adult Who Reads Comic Books

I am a grown adult, and I like to read comic books.  Well, to sound less conspicuous, I might call them 'graphic novels.'  I especially enjoy manga, which are Japanese graphic novels.  In fact, my favorite book series of all time is a manga called "Fruits Basket."  I have collected all twenty-three volumes and cherish them with all my heart.

But wait, aren't comic books just for kids?  Am I implying that I enjoy books that are below my reading level?  Have I failed to mature my literacy, and recognize the imminent importance of reading "Le Adult Literature?"  I should be spending my time studying books that are worthwhile, like "The Canterbury Tales" and "Moby Dick."  Then I can show off my literacy knowledge to my peers.

The truth is, I have read and enjoyed many classic literature, including "The Canterbury Tales."  I recently finished rereading "The Secret Garden," and I'm currently reading "Heidi."  However, my favorite kind of literature is still comic books, and there are several reasons why.

1. As a right-brainer, I am very visual.  I can imagine my own images when I read text-only books, but I especially connect with comics because of their picture-based story telling.  In "Fruits Basket," the author tells the story through amazing imagery sequences that often don't need dialogue at all.  I can just feel the emotions of the characters through the image without any words whatsoever.  After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Like this beautiful piece by dandonfuga on Deviantart.  Nothing is said; there isn't even an explanation of what's going on, but I can just feel the emotions from this beautiful image.
2. My sense of humor is revolved around visuals, too.  There are just some funny things that cannot be expressed except through images, especially things that have no dialogue.  For example, here is a short comic from one of my favorite comic series on the Internet, Lackadaisy by tracyjb (the last panel just cracks me up!)

The last (and perhaps most important) reason I like reading comics is because they are (usually) kid friendly.  I am an adult, but that doesn't mean I have to read books that have adult content, and I'm not just talking about sex scenes.  When books are 'realistic,' that usually translates to being 'depressing.'  Cheating/abusive spouses/parents, death and illness, commentary of human suffering...  I would rather indulge in comic books that, more often than not, are based on fantastical plots, whether it's cat gangsters or kids with wings.  Comics just make me feel happy, and there is no reason why they shouldn't be considered liable reading material.  It's just another style of it, and one that I enjoy to this day.

Amazon's Kindle Fire - A Review and a Story

My wonderful husband bought me a Kindle Fire for a (v-e-r-y) early birthday present.  I feel so modern!  And a little surprised, because there was a time that I was against tablets in general.  I'm technically young, but I find myself having a lot of "when I was a kid" moments.  My family was not technology up-to-date, so we got Internet, cellphones, and video games later than other people we knew.  Heck, I played the majority of my Game Boy games in good old fashioned black and white.  I never felt the pressure or desire to have the latest and greatest, which I have carried throughout my life.

So it's no surprise that I was leery when reading tablets first started coming out.  Books have been around for thousands of years.  Our society is built on books.  Instruction manuals, cookbooks, fiction, textbooks, photo albums, magazines, journals, picture books galore.  Libraries let you borrow then for free, and people are always giving them away.  They are easy to collect and easy to personalize with highlighters and notes.  I loved and took pride in the books I personally saved money for and bought.  Nothing is more satisfying than a bookshelf packed with lovely books.

Therefore, when I learned about electronic books that lacked all physical form, that threatened to change the way mankind interacted with and collected books, I was kind of like this...

I can be very stubborn when I want to be (just ask my mom and husband).  With time, however, reading tablets became more advanced, more user friendly, and (most importantly) more affordable.  More of my friends got tablets so I could (cautiously) observe how they worked from a distance.  Finally, I outright looked it up and research it.  I eventually learned enough to make me consider even (*le gasp*) buying one. 

Well, I'm glad I made that decision.  :)  The Kindle Fire was a very good purchase, and has many benefits.  First, I'll cover the basics:

• It has a super-responsive touch screen.  My iPod Shuffle's touch screen can be a little hard to manage, and Barnes and Noble's Nook can be downright frustrating, but Kindle Fire has been a real pleasure to use.  The screen is easy to clean, too.
• The battery life has been reliable, even with almost constant use. 
• The graphics are lovely and it's SO user friendly, which is a really big deal for a personal electronic like this.
• You can't beat Amazon's variety in books.  There are tons on free stuff (including many classics like Pride and Prejudice and Heidi) and lots of books under $3.
• I can upload PDF files and Word Documents.  I made a homemade comic book this way by pasting a bunch of online comic pages on a Word Document and sending it to my Kindle.

There are many more great things about the Kindle Fire, but the most important thing is that it changed my perspective on reading tablets and ebooks.  First of all, I literally have a library that can fit in my purse.  I can take a moment, anywhere and anytime, to access my books.  I often have anxiety on the job, so having access to "Shift Happens" is crucial to maintaining a optimistic day.  I can read a quick chapter during my break and feel worlds better.  I have also downloaded the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, and General Conference talks so I can also have small spiritual moments, too.  Of course, I also have access to pleasure reading.  I can actually read a book instead of grabbing whatever is nearby to read (i.e. a cereal box, coupons, magazines I don't care about, etc.).

Not only is the Kindle Fire a convenient way to carry books around with me, it also prevents my home from being overrun with books.  Just like I mentioned earlier, the sight of a crammed bookshelf makes me happy, but there must be moderation in all things.  My mom has over 15 bookshelves in various rooms throughout her house, and she still doesn't have enough room for all her books!  That being said, I am a firm believer in exposing children to real, physical, honest picture books.  So when my kids are young, I am bringing them over to my mom's house and letting them have fun with her massive library.  For me, however, I have embraced electronic books and all the benefits I get from them.

If you have specific questions about how the Kindle Fire works or my opinion on certain facets of it, please leave a comment.  :)

Books I'm Reading Right Now On Kindle Fire:

 

Whenever I read Holden's short and easy-to-read chapters,

my anxiety just melts away.  It's the best self-help book I have ever read

because it doesn't make me feel guilty!

As a fiction writer, I have learned so much from this book series,

and I love Orson Scott Card's contribution.  He doesn't tell you

how to write; he tells you how to discover how you write.

My mom read this to me and my brothers when I was little,

and I have many fond memories of it, so I want to rediscover a classic's charms.

This book was absolutely free.

Oh, and I'm playing the Fruit Ninja app, too.  :]