*enters the square humming "Taken Aback" by TRS*

that song is SO stuck in my head. I think I listened to it 20 times yesterday, no joke .

@ Ali. Thanks for the congrats!! Eh, one more year isn't so bad.... I guess.

to you. You're done. Imagine you found out somehow you didn't have enough credits and have to do another year! It would be bad. (of course that didn't happen to me but still... )

*waves to Glenstorm the Great*

*waves back* How are you?

[qyote="lys"]I posted in the Books! thread in lieu of finishing my review. In about a week I'll post again with a list of the books I've been reading recently and links to my LT reviews, once I've written them.... (*will not use blushing emoticon. will. not.*)

ok I'll use it for you . So, what have you been doing lately besides writing book reviews ?

hmm funny about you "being sick". My sister got the same thing. She vomited and felt sick for a few hours and then was fine .

Right. I get you.
I feel like we're in this constant conversation that isn't going anywhere. Wanna talk about something else? lol.

me too . What do you want to talk about?

*Comes back from further down the post to say..* That's too bad about you not getting into the musical. But cool that you get to go back in September.

yeah...hopefully I get a part this time . I think I need to work on my English accent .

*waves to PELS*

How can you slowly make your way through a book? especially the Lord of the Rings series?

idk...some books take me a while to read, even if I find them interesting. But I'm reading alot of other stuff right now too . So I'm only a few chapters into TTT. It took me a loooong time to finish TFotR. I hope it doesn't take me as long to finish TTT .

Wow! lol

yeah...

TTFN

Mortereve all!

I've been good. Been doing alot of reading. For school and not for school. Um, I actually do school through the summer, so for answer, never . How about you?

Reading's good! I've been reading some lately, too, and I'll be able to do a lot more during the summer.
Ah, you do school through the summer, huh? So, is the goal to finish highschool sooner, or do you less school per day than most people, but stretch it out through the whole year?
I'm finishing school at the end of this week.

Aiden, Orious probably won the prize for the longest posts ever. If I had the time, I'd try and find a link from the old forum.

Really? I don't recall that at all. Maybe that's when I was away. I would have said that Bart had the longest posts.

Aha, is that a challenge? If so, you're on.

It's a deal. But it's not quite fair since you be watching each episode, and we just leave it running.

I hope it gets uploaded soon so you can see it! From what I saw of Series 2 it was fairly enjoyable.

Thanks, it should be good!

Glad to hear that things are going well for you! Yes...this "end of school" time really does make everyone busier- sometimes I think that the summer will be a nice respite from the busy-ness and then it turns out summer is just as busy.

Thanks! Yes, it most certainly does! You're right, parts of summer can be very busy as well, but some days absolutely nothing is going on. Sometimes I wish all the busyness could be spread out equally, so that there'd be no extremely busy times, but no dull and boring times either.

*waves to Aunty Jo*

So is some of it?

Umm... *goes to check* Yeah, it looks like there are two or three episodes.

@ NN. Thanks! Well, my plan is to take a break from school until January. In the mean time, I'm hoping to get a job after the middle of July.

Yes and Legends is by far the superior score....

Ok, well I hope you can get a job! You're taking a break from school... does that mean you have plans for college?

I can imagine!

*waves to Pebbles*

I'm off! Mortereve all!

*enters melting*

It's 91F outside with a heat index of 98F. The air feels like you can cut it with a knife!

I know that may not be much heat for our Southern NarniaWebbers, but I'm a heat wimp. *Counts the days until the snow season begins again*
Oh, wait, there's still 4 days left in the current snow season! Don't think we're going to get any more this season though.

My head's still spinning after last night's Lost series finale. Though a rewatch earlier this morning did help me catch a number of things...

I must away, to catch up on other sections of the forum. Good mortereve to all our SquareOnions!

Reading's good! I've been reading some lately, too, and I'll be able to do a lot more during the summer.
Ah, you do school through the summer, huh? So, is the goal to finish highschool sooner, or do you less school per day than most people, but stretch it out through the whole year?
I'm finishing school at the end of this week.

what have you been reading?

yeah. Well both. I'm doing school at a higher level than most kids my age, so I'll be done sooner, and we sometimes do less in a day. And we take breaks during the regular school year. Like we usually take at least 3 weeks off in December.

Glenstorm: Hey! I'm doing well!! I need to sew later on today... Tomorrow my Mom is giving a sewing class--and I get some cavities filled. Fun, fun.

Mortereve, all! I hope you all have been doing well. I have, for the most part. The weather has been NASTY... hot, humid, and sticky... but I'm surviving. Today we went to a sports camp, though, and got to be outside all late morning/early afternoon... in the sun. Ick.

Well, I was gone pretty much all last week, so I definitely have a catch-up post in store.

Heh, I know how that goes Narnia Girl! I used to have loose wires sticking out here and there quite a bit.

And thank you very much! I hope you're able to have a family reunion as well, and that it will go fantastically.

Glad to hear your recital went well, by the way! I know how scary those can be.

Hehe, another hour of insanity with Ruby and Winter! You two always crack me up.

Maybe it was INSANELY easy because you studied, LOL. I'm glad it went so well, Louise!

Hehe, that's a possibility. And thank you so much! We got the scores back this afternoon, and I guess I was in the top eight out of.... sixty something? I don't know, somewhere around there. So yes, I was rather excited. Math is my hardest subject.

Oh, and---*poking my head into another conversation*--- I heard about that mod moot in Ohio! My sister was thinking of going again.

Wow. Is Japanese a really difficult language, Aslans Country? It seems so confusing, with all the symbols and all.

Well.... I have to say I like sauteed onions quite a bit as well. I don't eat them right out of the pan, but... it gets pretty close to that.

Oh, cilantro is... a green plant, with a pretty unique flavor, and... uhh... is mostly used for seasoning, I guess. It's in Mexican food quite a bit. (And that was a horrible explanation, but it's all I could think of.)

Ah, that makes sense. I didn't have any classes this year that I particularly hated, either, but I have in the past. Math is typically my hardest, too. As for science, biology would my least favorite part, but I love chemistry! Speaking of which, I'm down to only two classes, which I should finish up in a week or so. How long till you're done?

Oh? Heh, I hate chemistry! It gives me headaches. History and English are usually my favorite classes, and (as I said earlier) some areas of science.

Annnndd.... I have two more days of school left. I'm so excited! We finished our last final today, and just have a couple more things to finish up by Wednesday. Whoo-hoo!

Really? You sound like you're more serious about poetry than I am. I just sit around making little short lines and trying to rhyme the last word. If that doesn't work, I rhyme every other line.

Well... not really. I enjoy writing poems, but... the results are usually pretty bad.

My hand is doing well, thanks! I actually went to see the doctor today, and he said I can quit wearing the splint from now on (unless the pain worsens). So yes, I'm pretty excited! I had to miss out on the recital, but at least I can participate in the music camp.

t's an herb. I think it's used in Italian cuisine? And bread? I can't quite picture it... I'm getting it mixed up with basil and rosemary instead.

Yeah, pretty much. It grows as leaves, and looks kind of like parsley... except bigger.

A hearty conga-rats on finishing highschool, Cor!! Wow. No more homeschooling, eh?

Haha, thank you kindly. Yes, it does seem rather familiar... *squints* Oh yes, oh yes... it's coming back to me...

"Westley, what about the R.O.U.S.'s?"

"Rodents of unusual size? I don't think they exist."

*POUNCE*

Aw, thank you Fanny! I finished my last final today, so I'm pretty excited.

*waves to lysander* Ahhh, the Epic One is back. Good to see you again, and hope you get over that cold/flu soon!

Ben:I've been doing pretty well, too. School's almost out!

*experiments with tests this* Ahah! I feel smart now. Thanks!

Pebbles! It's good to see you again! How have you been of late? (And thank you for your random post. It's good to know you're still alive.)

And, that's it for now! Mortereve to you all.

*departs in a melted heap* [Grr, drat this weather!]

Mortereve, all!

Things are going pretty well over here. Nothing really special.

So, instead of boring you with details of my daily life, I shall now present: "stardf29's Guide to Classic (and Not-So-Classic) Romance Stories".

As a note, the following guide will in general, not include the very traditional, very "classic" set-up of "guy and girl meet and fall in love at first sight". While certainly appearing in far too many works to count (and arguably, far too many works), and while it does oftentimes capture the excitement of falling in love (at least, according to about 5 million fans of Twilight), there's nothing special about it. It's just falling in love. Any romance story involves falling in love. Rather, the following are more specific frameworks for that to happen.

There are, as of my current count, 12 basic setups for a romance story. These setups can occur individually, but more often than not, any given romance will involve multiple setups. And here they are:

1. Before they became a couple, the two involved had been good friends for a long time. This is the basic "childhood friend" setup, although it extends to any two people whose friendship, particularly a relatively lengthy one, is the basis of their romance. And, oftentimes, the biggest hurdle to actually starting said romance, since either one or both don't want to "ruin" the friendship, or one just sees the other as kind of like a sibling. However, once they are together, the friendship they previously had becomes a solid foundation for the volatile winds of romance, and these couples arguably have the best chance of not breaking up down the line in reality.
Why it is liked so much: A favorite of jaded romanticists everywhere who get sick of all the "love at first sight" stuff and know that real romance needs a foundation of friendship (whether said foundation is built before or after it begins). Also a general favorite of people as the story connects with a desire for a life-long relationship with someone who cares about us, which, when not viewed romantically, does sound an awful lot like a friend.

2. The couple previously met a long time ago, oftentimes as children. A long period of separation followed, but their reunion is the catalyst for the relationship. Sounds like #1, but distinct in that, in these stories, the focus isn't so much on the deep friendship built (which, in these stories, usually isn't there that much since they've been away from each other for a while), but rather on memories of the past. (That said, this one does co-exist with #1 a fair number of times.) In these stories, the theme of "change", and whether a person has changed or not from the last time the two knew each other, comes up a lot.
Why it is liked so much: Nostalgia for the past and for younger days, and desire for some things to never change, since change is oftentimes a stressful thing to deal with.

3. The popular guy, and the girl who sees through him for who he really is. (Can be gender-flipped too.) To say the least, girls going crazy for the coolest guy in school is nothing new. In these stories, though, there is oftentimes a theme that the popular guy/girl isn't all he/she is cracked up to be; he is actually a rather normal person underneath, or maybe he's even hiding some rather big insecurities with his mask of popularity. But never fear, for our plucky heroine will rise above the crowd and bring out his true self, and all will be good!
Why it is liked so much: Ignoring the obvious fantasy of being with the most popular guy/girl, oftentimes there is quite the connection with the popular guy himself, especially for those people who feel that they themselves have to hide their true selves in order to fit in an increasingly savage social world.

4. Guy and girl are forced into an arranged marriage. They manage to fall in love over time. A flip on the classic "fall-in-love-then-get-married" set-up but classic in its own way. The actual falling-in-love can happen in the marriage itself, or during the engagement period (if the latter, there's a decent chance the engagement itself will be called off as suddenly as it was set up).
Why it is liked so much: Everyone hates arranged marriages, but it's nice to see people make the most of being in a bad situation. Jaded romanticists like these stories to show how, really, commitment is more important than passion in romance. In general, it's popular as a unique view of romance with the order of events flipped and a fair amount of drama within.

5. Guy and girl are sworn enemies, or otherwise don't get along with each other that well. Or maybe, they do get along and are friends and all, but they nevertheless get into many fights and arguments. Can be called "Shasta and Aravis Syndrome", it later on becomes clear in this type of romance that reason they fight so much is because they care about each other so much that the other's less desirable aspects really get to them; otherwise, they wouldn't even bother with them. Oftentimes ends with the tough girl/guy showing a softer side to the other... when no one else is looking, of course.
Why it is liked so much: Various reasons. The character archetype of the "tough girl/guy with a softer side" is popular on its own, at least partially because we all know someone who is like that. Otherwise, with arguments and/or fights being relatively expected occurrences in relationships, it's nice to know that they are not indicative of loss of love in any way.

6. Either the guy or the girl (or both) defy their gender in some way. Girls in such romances will often be tomboyish and either feel they aren't girly enough to get a guy, or otherwise wants a guy who accepts her for who she is. To avoid truly morally ambiguous situations, for guys this involves being forced to dress as a girl for one or more reasons (against his will, generally), and the girl who finds out and nevertheless accepts him.
Why it is liked so much: Again, various reasons. For the girl, tomboys are fairly common enough that it's pretty easy to sympathize with her situation. For the guy's situation... well, usually, hilarity ensues. That's never a bad thing.

7. One or both of the couple is sick. Can be a general sickness or something life-threatening. The non-sick one, if there is one, can oftentimes be found taking care of the sick one or otherwise helping him/her enjoy life while he/she can, which is from where the romance oftentimes springs from. If the sickness is life-threatening, can oftentimes end in tragedy... but with the message of living life to the fullest while you can, because life can be short.
Why it is liked so much: If not particularly life threatening, it connects with our desire of having someone who takes care of us. If life-threatening, see aforementioned message.

8. Guy meets crazy girl who shakes up his life. Girl will oftentimes have magical powers of some sort and/or be from some alien world... or she'll just be plain crazy. Common in pseudo-fantastical stories in which the "normal world" gets a touch of abnormality infused into it. Can be gender-flipped.
Why it is liked so much: Mainly as fantastical wish-fulfillment of being able to escape boring, ordinary life.

9. One or both of the couple has a horrid, traumatic past, or some other sort of dark secret that has left them broken. Their wounds are healed by The Power of Love... one would hope. Depending on the nature of said past/secret, might not always be the case. They'll try, though. A common subset is the guy or girl whose previous experience with love has left them rather broken-hearted... but with this new girl/guy, maybe they'll find out what true love is. Or end up broken-hearted again.
Why it is liked so much: Oftentimes used in straight-up romances as a source of dramatic tension. In general, people like the idea that wounds can be healed with The Power of Love, especially those with their own wounds that need healing.

10. Girl meets "bad boy". Girl reforms "bad boy" with her love. Said "bad boy" may be a rebel, or maybe he's... pursued a fair number of girls before, but with this girl he will realize what love really is. Or maybe, the guy really isn't a "bad boy" and is actually a really nice guy, but appearances/circumstances make him look otherwise. Can be gender-flipped.
Why it is liked so much: Oftentimes, the "bad boy" is also the most popular (and good-looking) guy around, hence overlap with #3 and connecting with the same themes of feeling misunderstood. Other times, though, expect a lot of wish-fulfillment of the "I want my love to override the guy's bad qualities" sort.

11. The two involved are of rather disparate status in some form or another. One might be much older than another, or one might be the other's servant or employee (think master falling in love with his maid/her butler), or it could be social status (a princess falling in love with the farmer boy). In high-school romances, it can bear similarity with #3, with a popular girl dating a geeky guy or whatnot. Sometimes, the disparity is in appearance, and not necessarily of attractiveness; maybe the guy is much taller (or much shorter) than the girl. Whatever the case, this disparity will cause much drama and be a fairly big obstacle in the relationship.
Why it is liked so much: Aside from the source of drama, this type of romance is a symbol of overcoming outside circumstance and falling in love with who someone really is. Is oftentimes an inspiration to those who truly have fallen in love with someone outside their status.

12. Two people pursue a common goal or interest. Sometimes they are rivals that engage in friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition; sometimes they are teammates working together to defeat evil (or overcome some other challenge). Either way, this common goal/interest is what brings the two together. What is notable about this kind of romance is that it can commonly be found in stories where the romance isn't (or shouldn't be) the main focus of the story; for example, maybe the story is actually about a sport in which a character competes against many rivals, one of which happens to be the opposite gender and eventually a love interest. Or it can occur in a fantasy/sci-fi story where whatever the story's purpose is is the common goal of the love interests.
Why it is liked so much: Any psychologist can tell you that similarity is important in relationships, anyone in general can attest to how nice it is to have similar interests with a loved one, and any Biblical scholar can preach about how important it is to be yoked together and heading towards the same general goal. There is also the factor that this kind of romance is oftentimes the side story to a main story, so a strong main story oftentimes enhances the romantic side story while giving non-romance fans a reason to read said story.

And there you have it; my guide to different classic romances. Let me know if you think of any others, by the way.

Glenstorm: Hey! I'm doing well!! I need to sew later on today... Tomorrow my Mom is giving a sewing class--and I get some cavities filled. Fun, fun.

Ooh sewing- fun! Ooh cavities- not so fun. I've never had a cavity before actually, and I had braces for five years too! So, what did you sew?

TTFN

Many apologies for not getting in here sooner to write a catch up post!! Over the past two weeks, I have sat down several times with the intention of doing so. But something or someone has always interrupted me and thus I have never had time to write a complete catch up post until now (that is, granted I actually finish this one ).

Enough of that. If I keep rambling (which I'm bound to do so) I'll never finish this post!

Now, to catch you all up on myself. I am finished with school, or nearly finished. I have one more quiz to take and I'm done! Hurrah! Many exciting events have happened to me over the past few weeks. For all those wondering, my Irish Dance recital went very well. 'Twas a sad recital because our dear teacher's assistant is leaving. But it was also a very memorable recital, because we had tons of fun. And I only made one extreme goof. It was extreme, though. As in, everyone could notice I was messing up. But ah well.

Next year is going to be somewhat of a momentous change in the Irish Dance world. Because, I am going to be assuming the role of teacher's assistant next year since the other one is departing. My teacher told me that I will be teaching the newest students and catching them up on all the steps until they reach about intermediate level.

*waves to AC* I've decided I like the nickname AC! It suits you very well! And I definitely know what it's like to get weird nicknames. A friend of mine nicknamed me "Emerald" the other day. It was strange, because I've always thought of myself as Ruby as have all my other friends. Apparently, he had never heard of my nickname Ruby and I have yet to tell him about it.

As a child, I received the nickname "Mowgli". But that one was understandable, due to my appearance. I must confess, at a young age I closely resembled Mowgli from the Jungle Book, what with my thick dark hair cropped just above my neck and me running around the house in my diaper.

Queen Susan, I heard that you were leaving for vacation! How did that go? Illinois is a beautiful state. I'm still inclined to think it the most beautiful out of all of them, but I can't justifiably say that yet because I haven't been to all the states. I was born there and lived there for a few years. I hope your trip is going/went well!

johobbit, I think I confused you. My sister Moonie is still with my Grandmother. But my eldest sister is home from college for the summer. Moonie won't be home until July. And hopefully I'll get to go with her to church camp!

And my personal grade on the debate wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Also, I did fairly well on my final oral presentation. Not as well as I would have liked to have done, but that's the way it always works, isn't it?

I have to say Vern does have weird taste buds. But I'll promise not to tell him that since it will most likely hurt his feelings.

Narnia Girl, how did your piano recital turn out? I'm sure you played beautifully. And how has vacation been? I, for one, am looking forward to summer vacation. Unfortunately, all I'm doing for the month of June is sitting around home. But July is going to be crazily busy what with traveling and mission work with my church, so I guess I should just enjoy being lazy for as long as I can.

Mel! I haven't seen you in a looong time on the Square. How have you been?

Ali, I'm curious as to how the whole thing with the play turned out! Did you get a part? And if you did, what part?

Miss R, how did all the finals turn out? You're finished with all of them, right? If you're not, I'm going to be worried.

Hmm, apparently I missed Mod Day. School has just been too busy. But, I will let all the lovely mods out there know right now how much I appreciate this clean, friendly, and absolutely fun forum!!

Prince Cor, many congratulations on completing high school!! I'm sure that's a big weight off your mind. I have to say, I'm a little jealous. Do you have any future plans?

ForeverFan, I am happy to say that I am finally wrapping up this year of school! I still have American History and Literature to finish over the summer. Seems you always have something to finish when you're home schooled. But summer school should be a lot more relaxed (hopefully, not too relaxed).

How about you? How has your summer been thus far?

lysander!!! How kind of you to show your face around the Square! Actually, I really shouldn't be talking because I haven't been on the Square for weeks now. But how have you been?

I must say, I love your avatar. That version of Pride and Prejudice is still my favorite.

Benjamin! I'm so glad to hear that your trip has been going well, though it sounds like it's been busy. What have you been up to lately? I trust you're well?

*waves to Djaq, Pels, and stardf*

Well, that's all the catch-up I need to do for now! Hopefully, I'll be able to get on here more often.

God bless, all!

Mortereve all!

what have you been reading?

yeah. Well both. I'm doing school at a higher level than most kids my age, so I'll be done sooner, and we sometimes do less in a day. And we take breaks during the regular school year. Like we usually take at least 3 weeks off in December.

Well, I'm working my way through a huge book of Sherlock Holmes stories and novels. Plus I'm due for a re-read of VDT before the moving comes out... Oh, and I've also been reading LotR off and on.
That's cool! That's funny, we take three weeks off in December too, but I get out of school when everyone else does.

Oh? Heh, I hate chemistry! It gives me headaches. History and English are usually my favorite classes, and (as I said earlier) some areas of science.

Annnndd.... I have two more days of school left. I'm so excited! We finished our last final today, and just have a couple more things to finish up by Wednesday. Whoo-hoo!

Haha, well to each his own. Last time I said math was my worst subject, but I had forgotten about history. That's by far my worst/least favorite subject. I do love English, though!

Aw, no fair. I don't finish until Thursday.

*waves to Dani*

Mortereve all!

Good Mortereve all! I hope you all have been having a pleasant day, it has been so here, except for one thing: the heat. The highest it got today was 105 F, which is about 41 C, and that was in the sun...

lol I was beginning to wonder if you ever got it

Hehe, yeah. I'll try my best to reply to your latest PM tomorrow or so.

That's really great about what the Lord has been teaching you! I hope you learn more in Him . I love having conversations like this .

Thank you! Yes, I love discussing things like this as well, it's always so encouraging and uplifting to hear what the Lord has been teaching other people, what He's been showing them, and what He's been doing in their lives.

@ Fanny. I'm doing very, very well thanks. As I mentioned earlier, I had my graduation ceremony last night, so I've been on cloud 9 ever since. Today has been good, if extremely humid.

Also, I got an Amazon.com gift card from a friend of ours for graduation, so there are several soundtracks I've been eyeing lately...

Were there any other graduating students that were in the ceremony as well? Soundtracks are always a nice thing to buy...which ones have you been looking at?

FF: Hello!! Well, we got back from a week long trip (almost) to WI/IL... had a lot of fun there! We had a "Presbytery" meeting with our church/denomination. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. Like I said. We had "English Country Dancing" on one of the nights, and various other activities throughout the three days there. What have you been up to? Are you graduating this year, or have you already? I'm so bad at remembering. (Oh, and there's more below about the FEStudent that I wrote to Djaq that you can read as well if you wish. I like to write different things to people instead of the same thing over and over, yet I don't mind other people reading it or whatever either.)

Yay! I am so glad you had lots of fun on your trip, that is always nice, of course. English Country Dancing night sounds fun- was it sort of like the dances they had in Jane Austen film adaptations?

I graduate this year, yes. Well, I could suppose that I could say I've graduated this year already and it would be correct... we don't exactly have a set date for me graduating, and because of the way our school schedules were, we finished our regular lessons in April, but were still doing other classes even now...so, um, yeah. I just say that I've kind of graduated already. Don't feel bad about forgetting.

Let's see, what have I been up to? Well, I have been reading quite a bit lately, which is always lovely, and our uncle is up until tomorrow evening, which has been quite fun so far. And you, since you've gotten home from your trip?

*reads with interest about the FEStudent* Ah, okay! I think I can understand how you'd feel about something like that happening with a new person coming into your home and all... it would take a bit of adjusting.

Same one as last summer, and the summer before that. I'm beginning to be rather a fixture there.

Well, at least you don't have to go through the process of having to get a new job, learn the ropes, get to know the people and such, every year, right?

I can't remember what it was, but I'm sure it went well, thanks.
I'm doing well, thanks, and you?

Hehe! Oh well. Hopefully if it was urgent it will come back to you.

I am likewise doing well, thanks! Are you almost done with school for the summer?

It's a deal. But it's not quite fair since you be watching each episode, and we just leave it running.

True. But I don't mind if you don't mind. I should say (just for the record) we skipped one episode as it looked to be like on that wasn't the best. So we're on episode 6 now.

Thanks! Yes, it most certainly does! You're right, parts of summer can be very busy as well, but some days absolutely nothing is going on. Sometimes I wish all the busyness could be spread out equally, so that there'd be no extremely busy times, but no dull and boring times either.

Aye, yes! It is kind of odd how so much seems to be happening all at one time and then there's nothing for a while. Maybe we'll both have a good summer where that doesn't happen.

Aw, thank you Fanny! I finished my last final today, so I'm pretty excited.

Hurray! I hope that you get wonderful results on your finals! I'm also glad to hear that you don't have to wear the splint thingy on your hand anymore, that's great!

ForeverFan, I am happy to say that I am finally wrapping up this year of school! I still have American History and Literature to finish over the summer. Seems you always have something to finish when you're home schooled. But summer school should be a lot more relaxed (hopefully, not too relaxed).

How about you? How has your summer been thus far?

Hurray! Do you enjoy the two subjects you'll be finishing up over the summer? They sound like most interesting ones! I quite agree about the always seeming to be finishing up things when we're homeschooled... yes indeed. I'm pretty much done as well, something for which I'm grateful, although it has by no means been terrible. It's just nice to be done. In other areas, my summer thus far has been busy, and promises to be busy, but it's been pretty good. And you?

Well, I should be off for the evening, so, cheers all!

*waves cheerily to Ben and Pebbles (haven't seen you in ages *curtsies and *)*

Nice bookstore haul, Fanny! I hope you had such fun with you uncle. It seems to me he brings fun with him where he goes ... also, it looks like you're having the same heat as down here, 'though see my comment in response to stargazer below.

GtG, I see your sister rides horses: do you too?

After the ceremony, we went by my grandmothers before coming home and watching.... guess what?.... The Two Towers Extended Edition!!

I didn't realize you had watched this at your grandmother's. Does she, uh, enjoy The LotR films? I say that hesitantly because most older people I know don't ... mainly because of the battles and violence, not because of the heart of the story.

We were going to watch RotK as well, but wimped out when TTT ended at 2:00AM....

Tsk, tsk.

So, what soundtracks are you eye-balling with your Amazon gift card?

Oh, I see now, Vern: "marf" is "this". Gotcha. *Jo clues in* Btw, Vern, went fishing the other day, and found something just for you. Pardon the head in there, but it came with the body. Enjoy!

Queen Susan, it sounds like your week-long trip was fun! And I bet the English Country dancing was wonderful! But tell me, what is it that distinguishes this type of dancing? I do so like the name, itself!

Was your cavity-filling quite uneventful ... except for that nasssty needle(s) they have to put in to freeze at the the beginning.

By "favourites," do you mean highlights, or complete recordings of the operettas? If the latter, do you at all remember which operettas, whether they included dialog or not, and whether they were in mono or stereo? (And any of the casts?)

My parents had LPs of key songs from a few operettas, that's all. No dialog, just music, some of which was seared into my brain forever. The vocalists were all from a London cast, I believe. I so wish we could find those recordings ... if only for sentimental reasons. My favourites? H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, but the first I know the best, as we'd play that one, in particular, over and over and over again.

*takes a big breath after an in-depth study of the new VDT poster*

Yeah. I know what you mean. But I'm not panicking ... yet. Just really curious at this point. Actually, I'm thinking this will hopefully be a more faithful adaptation than was the infamous PC.

We're an orchestra that is sort of failing to be an orchestra due to the fact that we have around 15 people. I play the french horn, and that's the only brass instrument, so.. yeah.

I hope your orchestra can continue. Our daughter (Nellie of Narnia on here) played the French Horn for years. It is one of my 'favouritest' instruments, with it's rich, almost haunting at times, beautiful, and mellow, but powerful sound. When CSL talks about longing for something 'other', the French Horn's sound coincides with that to a "T". It's really hard to describe ... so pardons if that sounds rather odd: at least I know what I mean. Btw, on NWeb, there are two others I know for sure who play the French Horn: DiGoRyKiRkE and Aravanna.

Glenstorm, TTT is laid out so differently, because the journey is not linear anymore. Tolkien skips around to the various groups and what they're up to, joggles back and forth in time, so that just when you get attached to the tale of the Three Hunters, he's over to Frodo and Sam. Then the same thing happens there. It's a grand way—albeit sometimes frustrating—of keeping a reader's attention!

Woohoo, Aiden, school's out for summer at the end of this week, eh? That's great! And hurrah for Sherlock Holmes novels!

Okay, I'll try and find one of Orious' tomes in the old Square. Not sure which one yet, but let me see if I can track it down. Will post again (or edit this one) when I find an example.

It's 91F outside with a heat index of 98F. The air feels like you can cut it with a knife! I know that may not be much heat for our Southern NarniaWebbers, but I'm a heat wimp. *Counts the days until the snow season begins again*

Nice to see you in the Square again, 'gazer. And a hearty DITTO to your heat-wimp comment. Except I have one advantage where I am ... very near Lake Ontario: since the water hasn't heated up yet, it creates a moderating effect on our temperatures, so that we are 6-8° cooler than even a few miles north! If this was July, though, and the water was warm-ish already, we'd be feeling the heat along with the rest of the province. So, whilst I was rather dreading this early and sudden heat wave, I haven't felt it here nearly as much as I was expecting ... thankfully! It does portend of July, though, which does not thrill me in any way.

Oh, and---*poking my head into another conversation*--- I heard about that mod moot in Ohio! My sister was thinking of going again.

I am so looking forward to meeting her! And someday you too, dear Louise!

Oooh, you're finished school this week too! Our youngest son (grade 11) has another month yet, including a week of final exams.

I'm so thankful your hand is doing better. Pity about the recital, but excellent that you can still participate in the music camp.

Whoa, stardf, I think you summarized classic romance stories very well!

Ruby! Hello. What a cool name your sister has ... "Moonie". A nickname, I gather? Ah, okay, thanks for explaining. Btw, my sister's (nickname) is Poops or Poopsey. I began that when she was five and I was fifteen. (It actually began as Poopsey-Pie.) Now, at 42, she adamantly refuses ('though all in fun) that we call her by her real name, and conversely, asks that no one outside my family calls her Poopsey.

Glad you did all right on your debate mark! As well as your oral presentation.

lysander!!! How kind of you to show your face around the Square!

And, I do hope he is honoured, privileged, and besought with admiration to be back amongst us again, she concludes with all modesty, humbleness, and grace of spirit.

EDIT 1: Well, I found a huge post of Matette's. Still looking for Orious': she has lots, but I haven't run across her 'mammoth' stage yet.

EDIT 2: Okay, here is one of Orious'. Granted, this is a review of a concert, but still. Remember she used to post the funniest conversations between her and a younger sibling. Oh my, they were hilarious and so cute! And here's another one. I'm thinking her hugest posts were before fall/2007, which is as far back as I can get on the old forum now (in the Ditto Squares). Anywho, those are a couple of examples. She was an inspiration to us all.

It would be lovely to see Matette/StudyMate drop back in the Square again, for she has returned to NarniaWeb, hurrah! D

Mortereve all!

True. But I don't mind if you don't mind. I should say (just for the record) we skipped one episode as it looked to be like on that wasn't the best. So we're on episode 6 now.

Ok! We're partway through Disc 3 of Season 2.

Aye, yes! It is kind of odd how so much seems to be happening all at one time and then there's nothing for a while. Maybe we'll both have a good summer where that doesn't happen.

I doubt it, but we'll see.

Woohoo, Aiden, school's out for summer at the end of this week, eh? That's great! And hurrah for Sherlock Holmes novels!

Yup, that's right! Last class tomorrow! And, ditto about Sherlock Holmes. Did you read "The Speckled Band"?

Okay, I'll try and find one of Orious' tomes in the old Square. Not sure which one yet, but let me see if I can track it down. Will post again (or edit this one) when I find an example.

Thanks, I'm interested to see how long they were.

*sees a link to one of Orious's posts later on* Wow, those are rather long when it comes to content, but it only took a couple of scrolls to get through them. I remember some of Bart posts that you could just keep scrolling through forever, and it seemed like it would never end. Granted, it was not as much as far as content, because it was mostly quotes, and short replies.

Mortereve all!

Mortereve everyone!

Ali, I'm curious as to how the whole thing with the play turned out! Did you get a part? And if you did, what part?

No I didn't . And my sister didn't either. The director said they needed older women b/c the only parts for girls was wives to, um, older guys. But they said they'd love to have us both auditon for their next musical which is Scrooge! The auditions are in September .

btw, do you feel like having another discussion? Or a discussion, you and I haven't talked about anything controversial yet .

Well, I'm working my way through a huge book of Sherlock Holmes stories and novels. Plus I'm due for a re-read of VDT before the moving comes out... Oh, and I've also been reading LotR off and on.
That's cool! That's funny, we take three weeks off in December too, but I get out of school when everyone else does.

I'm doing the same thing with LOTR . I was reading it consistently but I want to read other things too .

Haha that's funny . Hmm, lucky. But are you ahead?

Hehe, yeah. I'll try my best to reply to your latest PM tomorrow or so.

ok

Thank you! Yes, I love discussing things like this as well, it's always so encouraging and uplifting to hear what the Lord has been teaching other people, what He's been showing them, and what He's been doing in their lives.

Yes it's very encouraging. Sometimes it helps to teach you as well .

GtG, I see your sister rides horses: do you too?

well I ride occasionaly. We have some friends who own horses so when we go over their house, sometimes I'll ride. I took lessons when I was younger but I stopped for two reasons 1) the lessons were for English riding and I like Western better and 2) b/c horses aren't really my thing and I took piano lessons instead. Why, do you ride?

TTFN

*Cor and Vern enter the Square slightly wet from the summer rains in Archenland*

Next time, we look at the weather forecast before we leave for the Square... *the Prince sits down and begins wringing out his lightweight cloak. Vern on the other hand merely stands in the middle of the Square and shakes off the water (think of a large, scaly dog after taking a bath)*

GAH!!!! Warn a guy before you start slinging water everywhere!!

*Oops, sorry.... *

I think we need some chocolate now.... *Cor and Vern acquire some chocolate via the chocolate tree before taking a seat at the fountain*

Mortereve all! I hope every is having a fine afternoon. As mentioned earlier, it's been raining here. It's nice though, since it's been rather hot the last few days.

Alright, time for catching-up:

-------------------------------------

@ QueenSusan. Hello. *awkward pause......* Sooo, what do we do now?
(Thanks! )

@ Lys, aka "Mr. Epic" . Don't let it get to your head now or we'll never hear the end of it...

Glad everything is going well for you now. Hope you're having a good vacation with your family! Eek! Glad he had not forgotten it, then!

BTW, great '95 P&P avvie!

@ AC. Thanks!

@ Pels. Well, this Onion is doing quite well, thank you. Glad to see you're still around!

@ Ali. I stand corrected..... That's bad. I hope that scenario doesn't happen to you...

@ NN. Thanks! I hope so too. Yes, I'm hoping to start our local Community College early next year.

Pretty much anything by Horner is better than Titanic. Well, besides Avatar.

@ Rose. Thank you, miss Rose! *humbly bows* Yep, no more homeschooling. I have mixed feelings: in a way I'm glad, but I'm also dreading having to do "public school" (or college in my case)....

Quite welcome! Ah yes! That Bride Princess, er, Princess Bride. Didn't that have Johnny Depp and Olivia Newton-John in it?

@ Stardf. Nice list there! I can think of at least one movie that would easily fit every one of your 12 categories.

@ Ruby. Thank you for the congrats! Heh, I'm sure you are... a little. Yes: get a job after July and then start the Jr. College early next year.

@ Fanny. Only one other: my cousin. It worked out that this year it was just em and my cousin graduating, so the ceremony was rather... short.

The Mission by Ennio Morricone
Predator 2 by Alan Silvestri
Jurassic Park by John Williams
and Glory by James Horner.

BTW, it won't hurt my feeling if you haven't heard of any of those.

@ Jo. Haha! No, no, we didn't watch them at my grandmothers house! We came back home to watch it. Eh, she puts up with the "crazy" movies I watch up there sometimes and she has actually gotten involved with the Indiana Jones films before.

Buuutttt, we did watch RotK on Saturday night and Monday night. Mom likes them as movies, but despises them as adaptations (which I agree with).

Instead of typing it over again, I'll just quote myself:

The Mission by Ennio Morricone
Predator 2 by Alan Silvestri
Jurassic Park by John Williams
and Glory by James Horner.

^ Sounds good, nu?

----------------------------------------

Alright, that gets everything I think. Hope everyone has a good Thursday!

Talk with ya'll later!

*Cor and Vern exit the Square*