Everyone's talking about going back to school, which is kind of ironic as I'm going to be going home, on a week-and-three-days-long vacation, starting tomorrow.

Granted, this vacation comes after having continuously been studying school for about 7 months, with only a handful of four-day weekends for anything resembling a break.

Now, I love what I'm studying. But I really do think I need this vacation, as all this studying is messing with my head.

Case in point: on a recent mini-test, what I meant to put down was "her parents took her to France to attend [her sister's wedding]". What I put down instead was "her parents took her to French to attend [her sister's wedding]".

And that was nothing compared to the one question where I meant to put that the students felt "they were still strangers to China"... and ended up putting that they felt "they were still strangers to sweeper".

In all fairness, anyone would be a stranger to a sweeper arm, considering they will swat anyone into the water. But that's beside the point.

At any rate... yeah, I'm looking forward to the break.

*enters the square*

today was my last piano lesson with my old teacher . I'm upset I won't be taking lessons from her anymore, but we're still going to try and see each other every once in a while .

catchup!

Um, a bear, Ali? I would be scaredd..

call me weird but I really wasn't scared . I was the first one to go outside after that and the only one that's been outside in the dark by myself since . I always bring a camera now .

Yeah.. *is listening now * Probably September, if I don't forget.
Thanks.. I think?

I just want you to get to listen to his awesomness!

Ah okay, cool. Aww, why do you hate the phone?

it has to do with psychological problems . I don't know...I think it's because...well idk I just get nervous and can't talk or think of anything to say, which is funny because I like to talk to people in person (as long as it's not too many people ) so I don't know what the real difference is between that and the phone...yeah...

Still, I can't get over the high-ness.
Though from skimming through this thread I gathered that you are now somewhat huger of a fan than 2 weeks ago.. You were trying to find Justin Bieber in New York? Now that is going a bit too far..

twill get deeper...as he gets taller .

yeah I'm a bit ashamed but it was fun !

Well, thanks for doing it in a place that I can't find..

you could join! It's a very fun RK forum .

No such thing, my dear gehl; no such thing.

yeah, really believe you .

Anyway, I'm about halfway done with The Riddlemaster of Hed- I really like it alot but I haven't had alot of time for reading, that's why it's taking me so long. I'm a tad bit confused but I think that's normal for a McKillip novel, right?

Yeah, there were lots of spoilers for PC, because there were lots of changes...

I know, right? I'm not sure how they do her

Spoiler

death

at the end of season 2, but some people might think 'oh, she doesn't

Spoiler

die

, because she didn't

Spoiler

die

at the end of season 1!' It's so confusing what they did what they did. I'm thinking now I might not want to watch season 2.

Yeah, those are the main changes, and, to me, those are rather minor, and they wouldn't bother me too much.

that was unfortunate .

Exactly! Yeah...that might be a good idea actually. I kinda wish I didn't see it, but in other ways I'm glad I did.

They are rather minor, except for Caspian going to the end of the world.

Wow, what kind of bear was it, GtG? Supposedly there are still black bears left around where I live, but I've never heard of anyone seeing one.

a black bear. They're very common where I live so it's not something huge that we would see one. One of my mom's friends has one that visits her house every day to eat from her bird feeder- don't ask my why she keeps filling it . She actually carries a pan and spoon in her car to make noise when she gets home to scare it off- it's about 600 lbs .

I'm not exactly an expert on the HP scores, but I can tell you that the last two are my absolute favorites. Goblet of Fire had some absolutely lovely music mixed in with a ton of forgettable boring music. I've not heard Prisoner of Azkaban apart from the film. The first two are John Williams scores and sound like typical John Williams scores. There are a few really beautiful themes, but most of it is just generic John Williams. I used to like him a lot more, but I've grown bored with his music.

I don't know if I've heard any John Williams scores...I will listen to the last two though .

Oh, no doubt, 'Beauty and the Beast' still ranks in my top 10 favorite movies.

glad I'm not the only one .

Oh no...you're brave to admit this. Justin Bieber is like the equal to a....a deep fried Twinkie. Completely unwholesome.
Just kidding, I think it's fine if you like Justin Bieber, as long as you don't neglect Relient K.

I am so used to getting this reaction I'm quite numb to it now .
I am most DEFINITELY not neglecting RK . I'm kinda losing my fannism of JB though...I knew it was just a phase .

Wow I have not been in here for a while! I have been quite busy! Work, Friends, Family, Hiking, Camping ect...

It would take far too long to tell you about my life for there has been quite a bit going on! So I will just have to skip that for now and maybe fill you in later on

wow how much hiking and camping do you do? You're so lucky!

do tell if it was something interesting though .

Not never but rarely

not everyone thinks so apparently .

Oh I nearly forgot about that! Good thing before I started answering b/c's

Maybe...

alot of people try to, which is why I'm such a stalker .

*is very pleased to see because in there*
Oh yuck! My brother had something like that in India and he said it was soooooo grossss!

I knew you'd be . SO not fair you're making use because instead of b/c.

yeah it was nasty. Since they were so smal,l I didn't mind the guts and eyeballs, it was that they were sweet *blech*.

You are a very confusing person!

I know .

They are good movies! Even though they may be thought to be "girl" movies

glad you think so . Have you read the book?

;))

Haha! Maybe if you prove yourself

how?

;)) Very happy

yeah of course .

That's a hard question. Because, being single and only sixteen, I'm obviously not experienced in that area. But if some young man wanted to start a serious relationship with me, I would first pray about it and ask God if He wants me to pursue it, then go to my father and talk to him about it. If my father approves the man, then I would say it's an open door and that God is probably calling me to start a relationship with this young man.

so you think that the guy should come to you? The way my parents and my whole church think it should be is that the guy comes to your dad and your dad kinda interrogates him and makes sure that he's someone you would even consider marrying and that he fits your standards and then he lets you know and the rest of the courtship is just the two of you seeing for yourselves. I'm not completely sure if I think he should come to the dad first, but yeah.

Not all couples have Christian parents though. But God always gives us people who can help us make decisions like this, such as pastors, elders in the church, people who are older and more experienced than we are (preferably married people with families ). I guess what I'm trying to say is, before I started a relationship, I would seek and find out if this was my calling from God. It's easy to get caught on an emotional sky rocket.

exactly. It's very important to have friends to be accountable to whether you have Christian parents or not. I know marriage is in future because God has shown me, with the different desires He's given me, like loving and wanting kids, liking to cook and clean, and just being a hopeless romantic . But I would definitely pray alot before getting in to any relationship.

Sometimes God wants couples to wait before getting really serious about their relationship. Like I said, I'm not experienced, but this is just what I've learned from my parents, pastors, etc... what to do next as a couple once you've decided to start a relationship is a little more difficult. My parents started by getting to know each other really well. They wrote each other real letters, talked on the phone a lot. They didn't spend all that much time actually together, but they still learned more and more about each other and grew closer in a healthy way.

My mom says that a lot of times couples can "feel" close when they actually don't know each other very well. It's probably better to sit and have a long conversation than to take a walk holding hands and not say a thing. I'm not sure if this answers your question, but it's my two bits. I hope it was helpful.

that's very true. I pretty much agree with everything you said- yay!

I love how we read all the same books! I've read both books by the Ludys. They're very, very good.

that's great! Have you read any other books on the subject? I can think of anymore right now...

I'm not sure. It's very hard to tell. I know people who love the show who I never thought would watch it. Oh, by the way, the Doctor is an alien called a Time Lord but he looks just like a human. The only major difference is that he has two hearts whereas humans have only one. Oh, and he has an awesome British accent.

And the show never ends, because whenever the Doctor's about to die he just regenerates into a new Doctor. Awesomeness.

well it sounds cool, but still weird . I will try to watch it after I'm done with Avatar .

GtG, that's really something about the bear! I've seen a few wild bears in my day, but thankfully never too close. My sister, on the other hand, had a very scary experience with one whilst camping on the north shore of beautiful and wild Lake Superior a few years ago.

wow that could be scary . I hope I never get too close to a bear like that, but I still like seeing them around. I suppose it could be nerve-wracking to have danger so close but I like wild animals. I love it when deer come in our yard, even though they eat our flowers .

Good! being tired stinks. Especially when you know you have to do certain things whether you like it or not.

yeah, like getting up to early to do school . I'm ok now- it was mainly staying up late to watch movies, so, my fault .

TTFN

Wait, there's been Twue Wuv talk and I've been missing out on it? What has the world come to?!?

Anyways, I reckon it's a bit different for you girls than it is for us guys, who are generally expected to be the ones to initiate the relationship (and I'm soon approaching that stage of my life... what a scary thought that is!). Meanwhile, the girls... sit around and wait for the guys to ask them out.

Wait, that doesn't sound right.

If you ask me, I think there are plenty that girls can do if there happens to be a guy that she is interested in, and she feels that the time is ready to pursue a relationship. For starters, it's a good idea, if the girl hasn't already, to start getting into regular social contact with the guy, and become friends with him. This not only allows the guy some opportunity to notice her, but also gives her some room to check out the guy's personality and make sure she isn't just attracted to looks or something.

Past that, it seems that the biggest challenge for a Christian girl in love with a guy is somehow letting the guy know of her feelings and getting him to reciprocate without somehow undermining the extremely fragile and critically important aspect of Christian romance that is the concept of male leadership. Somehow.

(And yes, I'm being just a mite sarcastic there. )

At any rate, what many suggest are various back-door routes: drop hints here and there and hope the guy isn't so oblivious as to miss them (something guys have a somewhat bad track record for), or trying to get people who know the guy to suggest to him that he should ask you out. If going for the latter approach, my personal suggestion: ask his parents or whichever Christian guardian-figures you were already going to meet with should the relationship actually start going somewhere. Or, better yet, invite him to a "friendly family get-together" and let him meet your dad (or other suitable Christian guardian figure) right off the bat.

But that's just "back door" methods. The question often comes up whether more direct methods of letting the guy know of your feelings undermines the whole male-leadership concept. Unfortunately, I don't really have a solid answer to that. However, maybe it's okay if you let the guy know of your feelings, but leave the actual decision to start a relationship up to him? Maybe? (Although, I'd say get clearance from your parents first, which is where that "friendly family get-together" can come in handy... )

Anyways, those are just my thoughts. I now return everyone to the normal less-serious proceedings of the Town Square.

Well, that was an easy first week of school. I'm super tired right now though. Going back to maths and science and all those other things that require thinking is not easy after 2 months of having nothing more complicated to think about than: what am I going to do today?

Aslans Country: there are 5 books, each one better than the last! I promise you, you'll like them!

Thanks. I'll check them out. By the way, I love your avatar.. *immediately starts wanting more clips of VDT*

Somebody has to write and play the music I listen to while I draw. (Someday, I might even draw something that is as good as the music...)

Haha, I'm sure your art is just as good as the music, just in different ways.

I love that feeling of anticipation in the air as summer slowly gives way to autumn and the chill of the cold air creeps in. 'Tis wonderful!

*wishes this was happening here* I think Tokyo's going to be hot&humid until the middle of September or something..

AC! Good to see you on the Square! Yes, I'm very happy to be able to play all the TAN songs now, at least all the ones from their first album. Though I must say that Kat's versions of Love is Here and By Your Side are a lot more interesting than the ones in my folio.

You too. That's awesome! Haha.. yeah, sheet music can sometimes been unsatisfactory.. but then again so are my attempts to play most things by ear.
Oh hey, speaking of TAN, have you heard a new song by them? I noticed it by chance on Facebook.. *goes to find link* Here it is. Not really my style so much but..

On another subject, how are you doing?

I'm doing really well, thanks. Very relieved that school isn't making me stressed and generally in a bad mood, (yet ) seeing as that was what happened for a lot of last year.. but I'm satisfied that this year will be a good year, no matter what.
How are you doing?

*scratches head in confusion* I don't recall saying this. Perhaps I posted it ages ago and simply forgot? Because, in truth, I really don't have anything against Harry Potter. I just haven't had the time to read it, but it sounds really good.

Oh, that's strange. But great that you don't have anything against them. I don't mind it when people don't like books that I do because everyone has different tastes, but when they say that the books themselves are badly written or the plot is worthless, that annoys me. Then again.. I'm sort of guilty of that with Twilight.

Totally. Hard covers are just beautiful and so ... solid. For any old book I don't mind paperbacks (a lot less expensive), but for special books, it's hard-cover all the way. Btw, the cover for Mockingjay is just so cool!

Isn't it? I have the paperback covers for THG and CF, so I'm looking forward to getting this one. I suppose you have the book by now? *sighs again at Amazon's delay* Thanks for the info about The Overland Underland Chronicles as well. I enjoy children's books, so that's fine with me.

That's cool you know Japanese! Were you born in Japan?

Yes I was. I've spent a couple of years in the UK though, here and there.

Oh, it's fine. Alright, Kathy it is! Now, I see that your location is Japan - when does VDT release over there ?

Don't ask me this question it makes me cry. Just kidding, it's fine. But.. February 25th, really? Technically I can't go and see it until the 26th because I have this presentation night at school.. which is even sadder because it happens to be my brother's birthday. Also my friend keeps hinting that if I want to watch it so bad I should come to the US for Christmas with her. But if it comes to getting VDT a few months earlier and spending Christmas with my family.. I'll choose the latter.

Prince Caspian, as I always say, was not a bad film.

You too? A few weeks ago, I couldn't find anyone here that remotely liked the film. Now they're popping up everywhere!

Good mortereve, all. I am now officially the most exhausted person ever. The first week of school is always a huge adjustment--especially the minor fact that one's sleep amount is decreased dramatically.

Oh, I couldn't agree more.

Mmm! Out of curiosity, is there a proper way to cut up a mango? They're such odd shaped fruit.

They are, aren't they? Taste good though. I tend to just slice both sides and then cut both into smaller pieces and eat it out of the skin. And then my favourite part is sucking on the stone.

I just want you to get to listen to his awesomness!

Don't worry, I've had plenty of it on my favourite website Youtube. Okay, it's not really my favourite website. But it's the best place I have to listen to music free. *mutters nonsense about last.fm not being free in this country*

it has to do with psychological problems . I don't know...I think it's because...well idk I just get nervous and can't talk or think of anything to say, which is funny because I like to talk to people in person (as long as it's not too many people ) so I don't know what the real difference is between that and the phone...yeah...

That's the opposite of me - I talk more easily on the phone. Well, it depends on the person, but if I don't know someone that well I get really shy in real life, whereas I could probably have a full conversation if it was on the phone (or the internet for that matter )

you could join! It's a very fun RK forum .

I could.. *ponders* But (don't kill me ) I'm not hugely into RK at the moment.. I know, terrible.. but these things have phases. And I still like their music.

*goes off to welcome the weekend*

Ruby, on Andrew Peterson, yes, I adore The Far Country. I had the privilege of hearing that album ahead of time because Mr. Peterson attended an Inklings conference that I went to in Nashville. Douglas Gresham was a guest speaker, and I remember seeing him at the dinner where Mr. Gresham spoke, as well as a couple of other classes on various Inklings. He gave free copies of that album to everyone who attended and just instantly adored the lyrics. The amazing thing is that the more of all the Inklings (and G.K. Chesterton) I read, the more I spot nuggets of reference that I didn't know were there before. It's simply laden with them. I got a little hyper when I saw the cover of Counting the Stars since Voyage of the Dawn Treader is coming out this year. I couldn't help but wondering if they'd be tied together - but I can't really discover any clue to that in his lyrics. Still, a beautiful album! If you haven't already, you should go over to his site, The Rabbit Room and check out the other books and cd's there by artists he considers kindred spirits.

Stard, you're KILLING me. You definitely need a break.

Good Mortereve everyone!

I haven't been doing anything exciting, just enjoying my one week off. *searches for her last post* Page 11???

And now you've got the rumor weed song going through my head.

Well, you put it in my head first. Really? You were scared of the rumor weed? I suppose I really can't say anything though because when I was little I was scared of the fib in Larryboy and the Fib from Outer Space.

Dot, how is the first speech coming? And when do you present it? Btw, are you feeling any better? Hope so!

I have no idea when my first speech will be. I suppose I'll have to say something at the first meeting which is......oh my, a week from today! I have no idea how many people will show up since most of the members from last year graduated. Yes, I am feeling better. Just in time for the fall semester!

We'll keep placating him, all right, so it won't be quite as much of a shock when he finally realizes that we're actually all in the same Epic category as well.

All right. Hopefully it won't be too much of a shock for his Epicness.

I only take classes from 1-4 Monday through Thursday, but I'm carpooling with my dad so I get here early in the morning.

Sounds like me only in reverse. I have classes in the morning, but don't get picked up until Dad gets out of work. Oh well, more time to study!

What did you think of the new clips?

Well, that's an explosive question. To be completely honest, I wasn't impressed. I'm sure the movie will be better because these are just snippets of scenes and the editing will be much improved, but it's just not how I pictured VDT. And they changed the limerick! I think I will be quite put out if the Pevensies aren't orphans because otherwise there was no point in changing it (not that I would like it if they were). Anyhow, I'm sure you didn't want to hear all that. What did you think of them?

Hurrah for Winnie-ther-Pooh, Mel! Hm, you're the second person who's voted for reading LotR now. I could read through it this weekend before school starts, but I don't want to rush it. On the other hand, if I wait until after school starts I'll probably have no time whatsoever. Decisions, decisions......

Would there be something about the Madcap Madrigals on the old forum PA? And are rehearsals going well? I know you said you'd give us an update in the acting thread, but I figured since I was already here I might as well ask.

*is glad to hear that PrinceCor's first day went well and hopes Vern wasn't too bored while the Prince was gone*

A bear GTG?? I've never seen one, although I've seen plenty of deer, rabbits, squirrels, the neighbor's cats, and a woodchuck.

Jo wrote:*gawks in awe at GtG's monstrosity of a post* That may well be near a record, m'dear! .... but I see Dot's huge post later. You may well have a contender, GtG.

we shall have to see, I think I have bigger posts more often though- I'm dedicated to catchup!

This is true, you are more dedicated to catchup than me. But I'm also not on as often so when I do catchup it's often on the loooong side (or at least it feels like it when I'm typing ).

I will say that Nanny McPhee was CRACKERS!! And I mean that in a good, hey-ho-Gromit, hey-ho-Wallace, kind of way.

Hurrah for Wallace and Gromit! And for Nanny McPhee being crackers. I shall have to see it.

Aww, you don't like science?

Science can be fascinating, but I have very little interest in biology. There were parts that I found extremely interesting, such as genetics, but I couldn't care less what the inside of an earthworm looks like and I already knew most of the stuff about the human systems and the biosphere. I might have liked it better if I took a science other than biology, but chemistry and physics have the reputation of being hard courses here and I wouldn't have been able to take both geology courses this summer so I went with boring biology. Hope that doesn't ruin your day.

Oh, no doubt, 'Beauty and the Beast' still ranks in my top 10 favorite movies.

Did I hear the words Beauty and the Beast? *starts humming snatches of the music* I like that movie. To answer your questions, yes I am feeling much better, and yes I was sick for a ridiculously long time. I hope the rest of your summer school goes well!

Me: If I leave, there will be a void of semi-intelligent conversation!
Sister: I can fill it!
Me: Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I can't remember being introduced to you, but I'm pretty sure we were introduced at one point. Ah, well. How have things been going for you?

I am pretty sure we met at least once before, but I could be wrong. Anyway, life is going pretty good right now. I start school Monday (which would feel extremely late except I just got out of summer school last week). How about you?

*reads through the Twue Wuv discussion with interest* I haven't really thought about how I would approach a guy, for some reason I always thought it would happen the other way around.

Well, I have a scholarship letter that I do need to finish today so I'll be off. If I didn't mention you, considered yourself waved to!

comes in singing "Monster" by Skillet

Ruby: you are welcome!

Aslans Country: awesome! let me know what you think once you have read them
thanks I didn't make it though.....
yea, me too! I SO want new footage! or pictures! or posters! anything, anything at all!

I must dash!

Hey, ho! Here am I with Part II of Catchup Post. But first, how are you all? For those of you who began school this week, I hope it went well. I have certainly been busy--but I'm enjoying it. Up to this point, English is by far my favorite subject (it always has been, but I had a rotten teacher last year and he ruined the class for me). It looks like we'll be doing much more intensive writing and reading this time, so I'm excited.

Ooh! Isn't it such a fun movie. And yes, the soundtrack is great, as are #2 & 3. Will you be watching the other two films any time soon?

I watched the second one a week or so ago; it was all right. I didn't dislike it, but I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as the first. (And, as expected, the soundtrack was - once again - amazing.)

As for LotR, that never happened. The weekend went by, we kept saying we'd do it, nothing happened... yeah, that's life. Or at least, my life. I'm really going to try to read the first book though. I feel very out of place on NarniaWeb, not having seen/read LotR.

*eyes Edmund P's sandwich remark to Cor carefully* Hey now, I saw that. Keep in mind that you were once a sub, too--however long ago.

Hm, Mel, I was looking at your sig just now -- member of the James Herriot conspiracy? *ponders this with interest* Care to elaborate? I'm curious.

Glad college has been going well for you, Cor! Good luck with the math. (I have band-aids if you need them.)

That's so neat about seeing a bear, Glenstorm! I like bears. What kind was it? [EDIT: I see, in a later post, it was a black one. Cool!] I've seen both black and grizzlies in the wild, and a polar bear at a zoo (but I suspect the latter doesn't quite count).

Booky: Brat and BJ? *snorts* I don't know if you're supposed to rename cats, but we certainly did with ours. The youngest came with the name of.... Toothpaste. I mean, seriously. You can't leave a cat with a name like that. (I think the owners were running out of ideas; they had sixteen kittens as well as a handful of cats, dogs, and cows at the time.)

I am hardly hyper

Oh? I.... see....

*is delighted to come across another of Ruby's posts* I don't know if I told you this already, but I love reading them. They make me happy. And yes, I will try to see if I can find some more of Tenth Avenue North. The iTunes store -- on Sunday. Are there any particular pieces you'd suggest I'd look up first? Any personal favorites?

And I feel extremely pathetic because I started this catch up post yesterday and didn't have time to finish it. So here I am to complete this post.

I do that quite often. Not so much anymore, but I used to take anywhere between two and four days to type up one post. That was when I actually had long catch-up posts, though. And if I recall correctly, there was one instance where it even took me an entire week. That was my Famous Forty-Seven-Page Catchup Post. (It was not as amazing as it sounds.)

*is totally befuddled* Did I write this as well? I don't recall writing this! Perhaps I have a ghost on the forum?

I think I was the one who wrote that. (Tut tut tut, Nick!)
I don't mind watching a football game, Nick. I actually like watching sports, especially soccer and softball. Basketball and volleyball are really neat to watch live as well.

On a random side note, Ruby -- that was a HUGE post. Goodness!

*reads Stardf's most recent post with interest* Hmm. Those were good thoughts; thanks for sharing! It was helpful; I've always wondered what a guy's point of view is on such things.
Personally, I'm not the type to march up to a guy and say I like him. That's just not me. I suppose that would work for a girl who's brave, although (as you mentioned) we females seem to automatically assume guys should make the first move. We also assume that they are observant enough to catch our 'hints'.
Anyway. I've always had some pity for the male generation. Most of the time they seem to remain clueless.

You like Harry Potter, AC?
And hurray for Us Who Start School Early!

Oh, look at this. I'm done. Isn't it sad how much time goes into such a little catch-up post? Ah well, it's all definitely worth it.
And I smell something fabulous coming from the kitchen, so I'm off! Happy Friday to all, and to all a good night.

*waves, clicks submit, and departs* Cheers!

*comes in to finish a catch up post that she started this afternoon*

Well, I just got home from dance class plus a late evening at our county's fair. Fair's are always interesting. Not quite as exciting as I remembered as a small child. Though, I think anything big bright and shiny is fascinating when you're so small (it's certainly bigger). I think that in this life, the more I see of my Savior and of the work that goes on in His church, the less I'm impressed with everything that goes on in the world.

Well, it won't be long before I literally won't be able to keep my eyelids open...so I'll finish up this post and then be off to bed!

Ruby, yes, I mean the Wingfeather Saga. Valia and I were at the library and she's like, "Here! I haven't read these yet, but my sisters like them." I don't remember exactly, but someone else had recommended them to her sisters? And since you've read them, I infer it was you?

Actually, it was probably my sister Moon, since she read the books and bought them a while before I did. I still have yet to read the second book North! Or Be Eaten, but I've read the first one. And I believe the third one is coming out in stores soon.

I think I pulled up some tracks from The Far Country while looking up his music. Now I think I need to find a hard copy for myself.

Yay! Most people I know have never heard of Andrew Peterson, but when they actually do hear of him and look into his music a lot of them really enjoy it.

And I'm always surprised with how much I enjoy his music, because it's a bit diverse from a lot of the other stuff I listen to. I'm not into very much of the blue grass style of music. And I never think I'm in the mood for his music, but every time I turn any of his stuff on it's like a breath of fresh air!

I listened to his newest album this morning "Counting Stars" all the way through for the first time (my sister just gave it to me). He has this one song called "The Isle of Skye", written for his daughter Skye, and it's about this "emerald island" off of the Scottish coast. It's so pretty and sweet.

Everyone's talking about going back to school, which is kind of ironic as I'm going to be going home, on a week-and-three-days-long vacation, starting tomorrow.

Well, I'm home schooled, so technically I'm not going anywhere.

But that vacation sounds nice after seven weeks of grueling study hours and short breaks.

so you think that the guy should come to you? The way my parents and my whole church think it should be is that the guy comes to your dad and your dad kinda interrogates him and makes sure that he's someone you would even consider marrying and that he fits your standards and then he lets you know and the rest of the courtship is just the two of you seeing for yourselves. I'm not completely sure if I think he should come to the dad first, but yeah.

That is my family's policy too. But then, I would be really freaked out if my dad came and told me that a random guy was interested me, a guy I sort of knew, but wasn't good friends with. You know what I mean? I would at least have to be very good friends with him or received some sort of indication from him recently that he was interested in me and planned on talking to my father very soon on the subject.

exactly. It's very important to have friends to be accountable to whether you have Christian parents or not. I know marriage is in future because God has shown me, with the different desires He's given me, like loving and wanting kids, liking to cook and clean, and just being a hopeless romantic . But I would definitely pray alot before getting in to any relationship.

Haha!! Life's pretty much the same for me. I know that someday I want to get married. There are probably a few more years ahead of me before I actually meet someone. In the meantime, God has other things for me to do.

that's great! Have you read any other books on the subject? I can think of anymore right now...

I'm afraid I haven't found any other really good books. But if I do, I'll let you know!

well it sounds cool, but still weird . I will try to watch it after I'm done with Avatar .

Yes, it is weird. I try and watch one show at a time too.

*wishes this was happening here* I think Tokyo's going to be hot&humid until the middle of September or something..

Well, the weather can be weird here too. Some days it'll feel like summer, others like spring, sometimes it'll rain randomly, then there'll be weeks of no rain.

But I hope you get cooler weather soon!!

I'll have to listen to the new Tenth Avenue North song on my mom's computer later, because this computer doesn't have iTunes. It's a bit, erm, ancient.

I'm doing really well, thanks. Very relieved that school isn't making me stressed and generally in a bad mood, (yet ) seeing as that was what happened for a lot of last year.. but I'm satisfied that this year will be a good year, no matter what.

That's good to hear!! Last year school was really busy and hard for me and I would get grumpy a lot. Looking back on it, though, everything that happened was really good for me. And so I'm trying to keep a more positive attitude now with everything that comes my way, whether expected or unexpected.

I've been doing pretty good myself. School's going well. I have a lot less school than last year, that's the way home-schooling works. You can cram in a lot of subjects one year and then you can sort of relax a little more the next. Today I get to go to my four-hour dance practice which will be exciting!!

Oh, that's strange. But great that you don't have anything against them. I don't mind it when people don't like books that I do because everyone has different tastes, but when they say that the books themselves are badly written or the plot is worthless, that annoys me. Then again.. I'm sort of guilty of that with Twilight.

Haha!! Yes, I do the same thing! Ever since my Rhetoric class, I've tried not to judge books by their cover or by reviews that aren't wholly reliable or may be exaggerating.

Yeah, well, Twilight may be well written but it's still a bit...weird. And...weird...

They are, aren't they? Taste good though. I tend to just slice both sides and then cut both into smaller pieces and eat it out of the skin. And then my favourite part is sucking on the stone.

My method is more like dissecting it with trying to make as little mess as possible. Which usually is a big mess.

Have you ever seen a 7-month old baby suck on a mango? It's quite entertaining! We baby sit a friend of our's baby at our house a couple times a week. And one day, we fed her a mango. She couldn't eat it, because she doesn't have any teeth yet, but she sucked on it furiously. It was very cute.

Cymru, that's so cool that you got to see him play and get his album for free!! I know my sister checks out the Rabbit Room a lot, but I've never done it myself. We bought his first book On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness from the Wingfeather Saga and then my sister got a free copy of his North! Or Be Eaten because she wrote a review on his first book on her blog. I've yet to read the second, but I love the first!!

I am pretty sure we met at least once before, but I could be wrong. Anyway, life is going pretty good right now. I start school Monday (which would feel extremely late except I just got out of summer school last week). How about you?

I'm home schooled, so I started a couple weeks ago (really early, I know!!). But it's nice, because then we get done earlier as well. I always do a little schoolwork over the summer though. This summer, I did American History and am proud to say I finished the entire curriculum in two months! Whoot! The joys of home-school....

It's actually not all that spectacular. A lot of the times home schooling gets a tad boring, not just a tad, really boring. Especially since most of my older siblings are growing up and moving away and my life seems to be just me right now. Ah, well. I'm still grateful for the time I get to spend at home.

I hope you get a good start off with school!! I hate it when the school year starts on a down-hill course.

*reads through the Twue Wuv discussion with interest* I haven't really thought about how I would approach a guy, for some reason I always thought it would happen the other way around.

Well, that's how I've always thought of it as well. But the easy part is waiting for the right guy. The hard part is where to go next once the guy comes along? Of course, I'm not experienced in that area at all! I just know what my parents, pastors, friends, and such have advised me from the Bible.

I mean, it is a good subject to think about. You don't want to be taken totally aback when the right person comes along, especially if you know that marriage and having a family is something you want to do. At the same time, I don't want to fall into the rut of sitting at home and just waiting for the right guy.

I know that there's a lot of things God wants me to do and I've got a lot of years ahead of me. One thing at a time.

Good luck with the scholarship letter, dot!

The name "Dot" makes me think of two delightful twins I met this summer. They were both about two years old. Their names were Dorothy or "Dot" for short and Lucy. Dot had blond hair. Lucy had brown. Dot was the skiddish one, Lucy was the one who went after adventure. Both were the biggest sweet hearts ever! I could write a story about them some day...

My, you can tell it's getting late. I only ramble like this when I'm tired.

*is delighted to come across another of Ruby's posts* I don't know if I told you this already, but I love reading them. They make me happy. And yes, I will try to see if I can find some more of Tenth Avenue North. The iTunes store -- on Sunday. Are there any particular pieces you'd suggest I'd look up first? Any personal favorites?

Well, I'm glad people enjoy reading my posts. I'm afraid I make them far too long most of the times.

Hmm, personal Tenth Avenue North favorites? From their first album Over and Underneath, I really love the songs "Let It Go", "Times", and "Beloved". The two first songs were just extremely applicable to where I was in my spiritual walk at the moment. And then the song "Beloved" is beautiful, because it's about Christ's marriage to the church and is basically Christ making His vows to us as a church. I thought that was neat and I had never heard a song like that before by any Christian artist.

From the second album The Light Meets The Dark, my favorites would be "The Truth Is Who You Are", "Any Other Way", "All The Pretty Things", and "Empty My Hands". Though, I have to say, all the songs on the second album are rock-solid and I think they've gotten better in terms of music production too. Methinks they're getting a little more creative and fancy with their guitars.

I do that quite often. Not so much anymore, but I used to take anywhere between two and four days to type up one post. That was when I actually had long catch-up posts, though. And if I recall correctly, there was one instance where it even took me an entire week. That was my Famous Forty-Seven-Page Catchup Post. (It was not as amazing as it sounds.)

Wow! I can certainly see why the post was labeled as "Famous". Forty-Seven Pages worth of catch up? I usually give up after thirty pages or so and decide to just start from scratch.

On a random side note, Ruby -- that was a HUGE post. Goodness!

My entire post was huge? Or just my reply to Aiden (was it Aiden?) was huge? Because, I thought my post was pretty average-sized.

*decided to add a bit more color to her post...then after adding all of it, decided that it just might not be worth all the effort and perhaps she won't do it next time*

*does one final check to make sure all code is in place*

I believe that's all I have for now. Good night to all you lovely NarniaWebbers!! I'm off to go read some C.S. Lewis and John Bunyan before bed-time.

God bless!

*lops into the square*

Heydy Howdy! How is all of your Mortereve's?

I do not have time to catchup right now but I wanted to pop in and say "Heydy Howdy"

I am just about to go camping! Yes again I'm sure it will be a blast!

Okay I got to go, as I said I just wanted to say hey you all so you would know that I'm not deserting you I will try to catchup as soon as possible

--Benjamin

Hello, hello! How is everyone this fair Sabbath Eve ? I hope well.

Plans for NYC are coming together! I plan on going in early (though it's actually closer to mid) December. If Voyage has a premiere, signing, or interviews during my visit, I'll definitely be going! And I have strong feeling that there will be something there by the production. It makes a lot of sense, considering NYC is the largest city in the nation - and, of course, the previous two films have had a premiere there.

Well, I had not planned on being awake until 2:00am this morning...I wanted some decent rest! But it was around 9:10pm last night, and I was about to watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid (hilarious film, by the way) and my father said, "Hey let's watch Rocky I." So, with some bribery, I ended up watching it and enjoying it! Then I watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid . It did have some sketchy things in it, but overall it was good film and had a fairly decent storyline. Oh, and not to mention the new trailer for Voyage on it! It looks great on Blu-Ray! The music sounds great, the cinematography, everything!

Enough of that, though!

CATCHUP!

I was thinking of attending the LP in Ohio, Edmund P. I'm not entirely sure, though, as we may be gone that weekend (depending on the final date).

Cool! I would love to go, but I'll be going to NYC the week preceding it (the opening weekend) and my personal bank account will be rather spent and I don't feel like driving for 12 hours or paying for another plane ticket...

*sigh* A white chocolate mocha frappuccino sounds... heavenly. Mmm.
I want one now. Maybe I'll stop by and get an ice cream or something on the way home. Anything cold.

It is heavenly...I want one right now ! Yeah, I know what you mean! It's been terribly hot this summer, has it not? At least, in my area. I recall saying last winter, "You know, it's been an abnormally cold winter. I bet that summer is going to be abnormally hot!" And it turned out that I was correct. Unfortunately.

Haha!! That is too funny!! I would die after about one mile. Sad, I know, but I don't run regularly. And I don't have the best of endurance when it comes to running. Funny, because I could dance hard four minutes straight without a problem.

Well, you have to building yourself up over time in order to run like that. I myself am more fond of biking. During the spring I would run every day and until mid-June I would bike every day for 8 miles - nonstop. I remember at one point I think I biked either 10 or 12 miles in a day. It was intense! And I had some serious leg muscles built up by then! But after around the 20th or 22nd of June, I had to give it up. I was getting heat exhaustion every time I biked. It was so darn hot! But now that Autumn is moving in, I think I shall start again! At least with running, then biking. Now, what kind of dancing do you do? For some reason I'm thinking Irish, but maybe I'm just making that up.

yeah, like getting up to early to do school . I'm ok now- it was mainly staying up late to watch movies, so, my fault .

Haha. yes. Ah, I see. Were the films worth staying up for ?

Don't ask me this question it makes me cry. Just kidding, it's fine. But.. February 25th, really? Technically I can't go and see it until the 26th because I have this presentation night at school.. which is even sadder because it happens to be my brother's birthday. Also my friend keeps hinting that if I want to watch it so bad I should come to the US for Christmas with her. But if it comes to getting VDT a few months earlier and spending Christmas with my family.. I'll choose the latter.

I'm sorry . Oh, wow! That's reaaaallly late! Yes, you should certainly consider going home for Christmas, and then you'll be able to see VDT a lot sooner !

You too? A few weeks ago, I couldn't find anyone here that remotely liked the film. Now they're popping up everywhere!

YES! It really was not a bad film! I have no idea why people think it was .

What did you think of them?

I semi-sorta liked them. Eustace writing in his diary was great. Lucy looking into the mirror was okay, I do like how they are trying to flesh out her self-image problems in VDT. The limerick was pretty good...I wish they would have kept the original one, though. I like how the water starts gushing out of the painting - it would have been far too uncinematic for the painting to have grown and they fall in. The editing was heinous, but I'm sure it will not be like that in the film. The cinematography was good in the first and third clips. I loved the cinematography in Trailer #2 . Eustace's voice sounds rather strange in the first two clips though...

*eyes Edmund P's sandwich remark to Cor carefully* Hey now, I saw that. Keep in mind that you were once a sub, too--however long ago.

Hehehe . I can't remember...April? March? Something like that.

Have a great day, everyone !

*meanders into the Square on this beautiful Saturday afternoon*

Woke up this morning feeling like a limp rag like I usually feel the day after dance practice. I'm proud to say though that my legs weren't nearly as sore as they were last week. Yesterday we worked a lot more on the soft shoe (ghillie) dances than hard shoe. So, I was doing a lot of leaps, spins, etc. And, well, I've gotten extremely tight over the summer.

Not like I was ever all that flexible. But, pathetically enough, my legs were burning just from touching my toes!

Well, after a shower, some pancakes and ice cream, I'm feeling much, much better!

Ed, I have to say that I prefer biking over running as well, though I doubt I could bike an entire eight miles! I usually bike our entire neighborhood, which is a little over two miles with a variety of hills and such. Sad, though, because I don't have a proper bike anymore since I outgrew my old mountain bike and my family's only working road bike broke.

Ick, I get really bad heat exhaustion in the summer too. That's really no fun. I'm looking forward to cooler weather.

You guessed correctly! I Irish Dance. To be specific, Irish Step Dance. I have been for about six years now. Talk about muscle build up in the legs.

Well, I'll be off now!! I might stop back around here later today.

God bless!

comes in singing "A Place For Us" by Leigh Nash

wow, youtube has some awesome videos and some really awful ones as well. poorly made videos.....yeah that.
anyway, my mom found me a little metal statue of a lion that looks almost exactly like Aslan at the end of the VotDT trailer! I will post a picture of it as soon as I can!
I am listening to the Inkheart audio book and it's read by Lynn Redgrave. um, I am on the second disc and I am still trying to figure out if it's worth it to listen to all 14 discs on account of that fact that Lynn Redgrave really messed up Mo's voice. ladies shouldn't try to sound like Brendan Fraser.....
lol
Brendan Fraser read the Inkspell audio book and did an awesome job with it! he should have been the one to read Inkheart! oh well.

I must dash!

*takes a seat next to the fountain in the sunshine* What a lovely afternoon! Not too hot, not too cold -- plus, it's Saturday.

Today we're letting Sofie run around outside, all alone, for the first time. I can't help but worry, seeing how she has absolutely no fear whatsoever. *sigh* Ah well. I'll get over it.

Thanks, Ruby, for the songs you listed! My dad and I are planning to go on campus tonight. I'll look up those pieces, and hopefully buy a few of them off iTunes.

Hehe! The Forty-Seven-Page-Post was a feat I only performed once and, most likely, will never ever do again. It's nice being able to say I did it once upon a time, however.

My entire post was huge? Or just my reply to Aiden (was it Aiden?) was huge? Because, I thought my post was pretty average-sized.

Oh, I think I meant your post from the previous page. Sorry, I wasn't quite clear.
I thought it quite big, as mine are typically about a fourth that size.

*waves to Ben*

Edmund P: Yes, yes, yes---summer has been beastly! Michigan is always very humid as well, which certainly doesn't help a whole lot. Ah well. At least fall is almost here! I love that season.

*waves to Liberty!*

Mortereve, all!

College is looking to be a handful, but I think I'll survive, somehow.

*decides to sneak one quick catch up post in here* Just going over stuff addressed to me. Sorry I don't have time for everything.

Dot, pity about not having much of a break this summer. Are you going for both a AS (or some other variety of Associates?) and a BS, or just the AS?

*would like to hear Cor converse with his three headed self*

Alas, I think I will be finally tasting the world that Booky, LL and Lys live in now... Eh, at least I'm in good company.

Careful lumping there. I'm not sure anyone else lives in Booky's world, what with him locking them all away and then Ly's Epic alter ego doesn't allow for such trivial things as homework. Though, I have to agree the company on my part of the three of us is lovely. [/tongue in cheek]

;)) I know.. it's even more impressive considering my brother and I were probably the only ones that understood it (it was in English) and everyone remained attentive.

That is really funny.

Aiden, yep I'm back to the old grindstone which art college.

Don't think about it too hard. Your poor little un-epic mind might blow up.

*takes a needle and pops The Epic One's ego* As a student nurse, I found that the swelling was beginning to affect your brain functioning and immediate surgery was necessary to prevent further damage from occurring.

Wowser!!! And yes, I totally understand about the different kinds of craziness. *would love the Squiggles to send a greeting over to the Square, as well* (No pressure, though. )

Well, if I have the time, they may make a visit during one of my random Square visits during the school year. We'll see though.

L_L, that "Shoreline" by Deas Vail is so lovely! I love how the piano part sounds like waves rolling in.

So glad you liked it! I'm not sure if you've heard of Deas Vail around here before, but they are well worth looking into. Their music is half along the lines of "Shoreline" with the calming music and lovely lyrics and the other half is more of a, uh, sort of milder rock with more of an upbeat charge to the sound. Anyways, I found out about them from Kate.

"Lady_L-y-poo" doesn't work nearly as well as "Mel-y-poo" or "Rose-y-poo."

Oh my, this is getting serious. Just think, folks: he really thinks he actually is epic!!! We'll keep placating him, all right, so it won't be quite as much of a shock when he finally realizes that we're actually all in the same Epic category as well.

Hopefully my above surgery was effective.

Oh, I make costumes. I have special dispensation for those and only look at the pictures that have good views of the costumes in question. I do most solemnly vow to not listen to any soundtrack clips beforehand, and avoid cereal boxes with great fervor and much shuddering and... something else. But I forget what it was.

Oooh. Um, yeah, the pictures aren't spoilery in the least, right? I suppose you occasionally have to watch the videos, in order to see how the fabric flows and reacts to lighting, as well as measure the swish factor, right?

~LL~, you can find out about John Rutter, here. (FYI- As I said in my last post... don't worry, I'm not a vampire. )

Thank ye for the link. I'm sure of heard some of his work, judging from how much and what all he's done, but I don't know that I have. Ah, and I am indeed grateful that you are not a vampire.

Ali, yeah, I got Birds and Cages last, hmm, late fall? And then AtHLtS and White Lights (a really solid EP, if you're interested in it) came out of my birthday money in February.

Oh, it's well guarded. Crocodile infested moat, hovering death ray-wielding robots, reprogrammed Terminators patrolling the halls.

I thought Terminators were aliens? Can you reprogram them? It sounds like a fairly easy place to escape from though; you might want to bring in some orcs.

Eek, getting ready for college, aye? I hope that goes well.

It's going well, thanks! (Don't ask me after this week, though. It might not be as nice )

*likes Cymru's way of coloring names in her posts* I keep hearing about Andrew Peterson around various places. I wasn't going to look into him, as I'm not really into that bluegrass/folksy sound, but the Inkilngs linking you mentioned has gotten me curious.

Thanks, Liln! My sisters have been giving me similar advice. A new experience is always helpful and I think sometimes I'm a little too intimidated with unfamiliar surroundings/atmospheres. And the more I think about it, the more I see that there are a lot of random things I like doing other than music. Like, working with little kids for instance. And I like cooking and cleaning (when I have the time). For now, I'm just going to keep on praying and thinking about it. When the time comes, hopefully I'll be prepared.

I know what you mean about being intimitaded. Goodness, I still get that way walking into new classes each week college starts back up.

Enjoy your return to college, ~LL~, if that is possible.

Well, I'm enjoying parts of it.

Chico sounds like quite the interesting fellow. I like the fact that he has a stray friend.

Hah, no. You do not babble. Or if you think you do, take a look at my long rambling paragraph above.

Good try, but I do indeed babble—typically about things that are completely off topic, unrelated, and only interesting to me. And, no the Chico paragraph was interesting. Poor thing about the fight though.

And yay for being WC subs! I think I'll appreciate my position even more when VotD comes out. (Not that I'd mind greeting loads of people! I can just laugh at all those who do.) --Evil of me, I know.

Hey now! We can use you subs to help split the welcomes, you know.

Hope that's everything.

Sweet dreams, cozy blankies, and God bless to you all!