NaNoWriMo!

Well, Friday is November 1, and that means National Novel Writing Month! I've participated every year since 2003, and managed to complete it every year except for 2007.

I had high hopes of plotting out my story this year in great depth and doing something I was really proud of, but... well, you've all seen how just a twice-a-week blog writing has been. Clearly I'm not in a place this year to do much of a novel. However, I didn't want to just give up.

So I'm speed writing it.

For those who aren't familiar with my speed stories, it's basically meant to just be a writing exercise or prompt to get you writing in the first place. The idea is that you type and type and type without stopping. The problem is, I type so fast that my hands get far ahead of my brain very quickly and the things I write come out pretty ridiculous. I have entire stories I've written through speed writing chunks, and they are absolutely nonsensical but had a minor following on the NaNoWriMo boards several years back. (After I finish Skye, I'm thinking I might post some of those. They're super fun.)

This will let me keep up the tradition of participating in NaNo, possibly inspire some ideas for a real piece of writing later, all while keeping away the burden of, ya know, making coherent sense.

So prepare for a November of awesome writing like this, taken from my first and favorite speed story:

She picked up a magazine that was lying on the floor and thumbed through it, reading a few of the fashion tips - like those would ever help her! she thought dourly - and reading a bit of the gossip columns of the celebrities. She really couldn't care less who so and so was dating and who they were interested in. She wished she were famous so people wouldn't write that stuff about her because she wouldn't let them.  

She tossed the magazine back onto the floor, without a glance at it. What should she do in the long hours? And the evening longer hours tomorrow, when she hadn't school again? She would have school on Monday, and that would fill up a long time of the day, but now what? She couldn't sleep, she couldn't watch TV, she couldn't read, she couldn't eat, and those were all her choices. 

Maybe the computer could work. She went to it, plugged it in, and turned it on, and it flashed an ERROR screen, like it almost always did. With a shriek of disgust, she threw it on the ground and walked home.

Happy NaNoing, friends!

The Quest for Skye: Chapter 16

Recap: Several months after their last contact with Skye, the Hamiltons are visited by a famous tennis player who is for some reason delivering messages from a law firm in Greece that gives them each a plane ticket and a $5,000 check with the condition that they need to be in Athens by 9:00 Monday morning. The tennis player won't tell them any more. MYSTERY.

The Hamiltons get to Greece Sunday afternoon, and spend the entire plane ride wondering what's going on (as would I).

Fortunately, a few of their questions were answered quickly when two skycaps picked up their luggage and took it to a waiting limo, then ushered them to the same vehicle.

Except, as you continue to read, none of their questions are answered, unless their major question was "Are there hotels in Athens and will we be able to stay in one?" All the driver says is that he's taking them to a hotel, and that he doesn't know anything more to tell them.

They pass a neighborhood where apparently everything has been set on fire. The driver explains that this is... the work of protesters who are mad that the government has been cutting back on government programs? It's all a little hazy in his explanation, and I don't know enough about the economic state of Greece to comment for sure, but surely there weren't that many instance of protesters setting entire neighborhoods on fire because they were upset with this...?

“Our country has problems, too,” Tammy responded with a combination of bitterness and sarcasm.

WHAT THE HECK KIND OF RESPONSE IS THAT, TAMMY?

The sentence by itself could be a sympathetic one, albeit condescending phrasing, but with "bitterness and sarcasm," it gets ridiculous and dismissive and awful and essentially says, "Stop talking about your problems! Let's talk about MINE! Which, as bad they are, do not consist of setting entire neighborhoods on fire in protest."

Gah, I hate the Hamiltons.

The driver's response is super entertaining, though:

“I suspect the entire world is on edge. All of us are going to have to sacrifice a little here and there to work this out. Trouble is most people don’t want to give up their things or wants. They feel they’re entitled to them.”

"Hint, hint. Take THAT, you awful American woman."

That does, however, shut her up for the rest of the drive until they get to the hotel.

As they entered the lobby, they immediately noticed the hi-tech features.

The "hi-tech features" are TVs with stock market and financial news on them. Also, a coffee shop. This completely overwhelms the Hamiltons:

 “Wow!” Tammy said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I feel out of place.”

They just got off a luxury cruise, for Pete's sake. They should not be completely blown away by a couple TVs, a coffee shop, and some people in business suits. They see a famous actor across the room, and for some reason his bodyguards glare at Morgan and Tammy. This leads to Morgan whining all the way to the elevator about how out-of-place he feels. Then he whines to the bellhop in the elevator, who gives him some weird consolation:

“A little overwhelming, isn’t it?” 

“To say the least,” Tammy agreed. 

“Put yourself in our shoes. We put up with this every day.” The man chuckled cynically.

...So he is overwhelmed every day? And this makes him cynical? Doesn't he ever get used to it? Shouldn't he be praising his hotel instead of deprecating it for some reason? And I'm STILL not sure what's so overwhelming about this hotel. Can the bellhop really not get used to the TVs, the coffee shop, and the occasional celebrity? If not, why is he cynical about it? Are we supposed to dislike and mistrust this place? I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

Morgan and Tammy get to their room, complain more about being overwhelmed, and then decide to go get food, where finally we get some answers. The waiter tells them that Doctor Layland Leontiou owns the hotel, and then Lance the Tennis Player shows up out of nowhere and tells them that they'll be taken to Doctor L. L.'s island the next morning because he needs their help.

Lance continued, “Everything you do here is paid in full, but please don’t ask questions.”

...Well, that's ominous. Doctor L. L. might be part of the mob. That would be a fun twist.

He tells them they're meeting the lawyer on the island because it's "safer," asks them not to talk to the reporters in the corner (who I'm SURE are there with the sole interest of asking a couple of random Minnesota doctors if they're overwhelmed by the hotel), and then asks Morgan to play a game of tennis with him sometime.

Lance the Tennis Player reveals that they are going to get to see Skye again:

Laskari grinned. “She’s looking forward to that more than anything. She has told me about her adventures with you. She’s very fond of both of you. Now, enjoy your dinner. Oh, another thing, Skye’s right.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Doctors are not hunks,” he chuckled. 

“Oh, great! I’ll never live that down.”

CALLBACK TO THE CREEPIEST JOKE IN THE BOOK, OH GOODY

The reporters do indeed approach them as soon as Lance the Tennis Player leaves, though I have no idea why:

“We know who you are, but we don’t know why you’re here. Could you shed some light on the subject?” 

Morgan shook the man’s hand, uncertain how to respond. Even he didn’t know why he was there.

1) These Greek reporters recognize by sight two random doctors from Minnesota whose only claim to fame is that one of them (maybe both, I can't remember) published a journal article once about why rare childhood diseases are bad?

2) They also suck at reporting. This approach is practically an interrogation. They're never going to get anywhere with celebrities if they ask them questions like that.

3) Morgan, you're an idiot. Lance TOLD you to just tell them you were on vacation. How about you go with the convenient excuse given to you? No? Too complicated? Well, you're right, awkward silence ought to be enough to convince them there's nothing weird going on here.

The reporters tell him that it's REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT that the Hamiltons confess why they're here, because there are rumors that a few weeks ago, the Leontious and Skye were all killed in an accident. Though, of course, that does affect the Hamiltons, the reporters have no way of knowing this, making me think they're just going around interrogating everyone they see in the Leontious' celebrity hotel and asking them if they know about the accident. Weeks and weeks after the fact.

Worst. Reporters. Ever.

Whoa. And then we get some sudden and bizarre moralizing, after the reporters say that if Doctor L. L. is dead, Greece will pretty much collapse because he's the only thing holding it together apparently.

Klitou’s eyes were coldly intense. “My job is to report the news, not to create it.” 

“I disagree with you,” Morgan said. “I don’t deal in politics, but I believe the problems of every country are politically motivated. Most newspapers are biased. They either lean toward the left, or the right. They’re not interested in the true news. They are interested in ‘their’ news. In other words, only the news that fits their beliefs, or supports their agenda. My wife and I are interested in one thing. Saving lives.”

Well. Okay. That was a really long speech full of principles when he could just be like, "I'm not talking to you. Bye." I wonder if this deeply-held belief that "the problems of every country are politically motivated" (um... duh) is going to come up in the future, or if J.L. Rothdiener was just writing this section and suddenly thought, "Ya know what I hate? NEWSPAPER BIAS!" and decided to rant about it for a bit.

Morgan and Tammy speculate as to whether Skye is alive (with very little emotional reaction, for some reason) and then decide to go to bed so tomorrow will be here faster.

All right, guys. Is Skye dead or alive? My money's on alive but her parents are dead. Or maybe just Malinda. SOMEONE has to be dead, and, unfortunately, I don't think it's Skye.

(Chapter 17.)

My Desert Island Discs

Quick blog update: For the time being, I will just be posting on Wednesdays and Fridays. It's just getting very difficult to keep up with my updates, as I'm sure you've noticed, and leaving my weekend free of having to write something for Monday will hopefully help me be more faithful on the other two days. I may eventually start writing on Mondays again in the future, but for now I'm a twice-a-week blogger.

I listen to a lot of British radio programs, and one of my favorites is Desert Island Discs, in which a celebrity guest goes on the show and shares the eight pieces of music they would choose to bring with them if they were stranded on a desert island. The reasons they choose this music vary all over the place - songs that remind them of people, songs that have meant a lot to them personally, songs they just simply love. It got me thinking about the eight pieces of music I would bring to a desert island, because it might not automatically be my eight favorite songs. So here's my list, in no particular order.

1. Shiksa Goddess from The Last 5 Years
Well, I'm certainly not going to go to a desert island and NOT bring my all-time favorite showtune. Though I could easily fill a desert island playlist with all things Jason Robert Brown, I've opted for just a couple, and this had to be one of them. It's cheerful, and, given my long-term love for it, it will bring back memories of better times.

2. Skullcrusher Mountain by Jonathan Coulton
I couldn't leave Coulton behind either. I knew I was going to take something by him, and this was the obvious choice, because not only do I just freaking love it, it also has personal meaning. I figure if I have to be on a desert island without my husband, I'll take the song that somehow became "our song" as a couple.

3. Smile by James Marsters
This song has the honor of being the only one I have ever played on repeat 10 times in a row. I became obsessed with this song back in 2009, and although I no longer play it over and over again, I still pay attention every time my iPod shuffles around to it. It's one of the most beautifully soothing songs I know, and a soothing song will probably come in handy if I'm stranded somewhere.

4. Take Away My Dreams by Groovelily
I'm trying to make sure I have a song for every mood, and much as I hate to plan for sad depression moods, this one is a great "crying out to God" kind of song for me. Most of my sad songs have to do with other people, but this one seemed more fitting to being trapped on a desert island, all about loss and not getting to do the things you wanted to do.

5. I Feel So Much Spring from A New Brain
When looking for a good happy song, I debated a couple songs but ultimately settled on this, despite its slower tempo. I figure I have an uber upbeat song in Shiksa Goddess, and I'd rather hold onto this song, which always makes me want to close my eyes and just weep with joy. It's the absolute perfect song for coming out of a dark period, and I need one of those.

6. A Little Longer by Brian and Jenn Johnson
7. Music of Heaven by Jason Robert Brown
These are grouped together because they are my God/worship songs. Both of these songs are incredible at bringing me to a place where I feel very close to God and can easily pray and connect with him without my overthinking getting in the way. I debated dropping Music of Heaven, but decided that it was appropriate for God to get two songs out of my eight, given the fact that he is the most important thing in my life.

8. My Freeze Ray from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
As I debated my final choice, I lamented that I hadn't chosen many to remind me of people. So what better song to remind me of... well, pretty much everyone I know than this? When I first discovered Dr. Horrible, I went around showing it to absolutely everybody I knew. I have memories of watching, listening to, and singing this song with so many of my friends and family members. If I have to hold all my memories of my friends and family into one song... this is probably the best choice.

What would be your must-have songs if you were stranded on a desert island?

The Quest for Skye: Chapter 15

Recap: Skye video chatted with Morgan, though nobody's really sure how or why since he didn't think he had any IMing or video chatting programs on his computer, and then there was an explosion which was probably her parents dying and so she signed off.

This is a super short chapter, but a fairly eventful one.

We pick up TWO MONTHS LATER. Morgan and Tammy haven't heard anything from Skye and their marriage continues to disintegrate.

Then, one day, a mysterious man shows up at the clinic.

The man stepped closer to Morgan’s wife. “Would you perhaps be Dr. Tammy Hamilton?”

WHOOOO SHE GETS TO BE A DOCTOR

The man represents Doctor Layland Leontiou (who, we the readers think, is dead). He asks them to be in Athens on Monday morning at nine. The man gives them an envelope that contains airfare and a $5000 check for each of them.

Morgan’s expression softened. “Lance Laskari? I recall a famous tennis player by that name. Would that be you?”

...What? I figured this guy was a lawyer. So either he's a famous-tennis-player-turned-lawyer or it's just a random famous tennis player delivering stuff for Doctor L. L. for no reason. We do learn that he broke his knee skiing and can't play tennis anymore, so maybe he's just decided to be the Leontious' personal messenger.

The guy hints that this involves their future and Skye's future but gets all sneaky and won't say any more than that. Then he leaves.

Morgan and Tammy try to call Doctor L. L. to find out what's going on, but they just get his voicemail. Morgan leaves a message asking what's up, and then a minute later they get a phone call from Doctor L. L.'s secretary, who is just as cryptic as Lance Laskari, and insists they be there Monday morning at nine. Then she hangs up.

Morgan immediately pushed redial, only to get a different recording. “I’m sorry. The number you dialed is no longer in service. If you feel this message is in error, please check the number and try again.”

That's right, they immediately disconnected that number. This is intense stuff.

“Morgan, we can’t just up and leave, we have jobs to do. Our clinic needs us!”

They can take off those two weeks to go sailing around and around the Panama Canal, but they freak out about taking a day or two off to go to Greece on what is apparently a legal matter? I think they can figure this out.

He picked up his check and ticket, examining them closely. “Who would send a couple two first-class round trip tickets to Greece, along with two checks for five thousand dollars? And why?”

Well, it seems Doctor Layland Leontiou would.

The questions now are: Are the Leontious actually dead? Because the first chapter hinted they were both still alive - maybe not Malinda, but Doctor L. L. was safely hidden behind a glass wall while everything was exploding. I'm currently kind of hoping that all the secrecy and awkwardness is because the Leontious got in major trouble for their unsafe scientific practices that killed a bunch of people, and now the Leontious are going to jail and because they killed all their friends, Morgan and Tammy are the only ones left to take care of Skye.

All right, now it's time for your theories.

(Chapter 16.)

Some Song Lyric Game Hints

I'm going to take the unguessed songs and give you guys some hints for them. I'll identify the genre it came from, and for the songs that have been partly guessed but the artist hasn't been identified yet, I'll give you a clue about the artist. For songs that haven't been guessed at all, I'll see if there's a more easily identifiable part of the song I can add to the original quote, like the chorus or something with the title in it. (But don't start leaving guesses like, "Well, that song is probably called [whatever] because that's what was in the quote." That's boring.)

Let's see if this helps any of you get a couple more.

So here goes:

2. A new life, what I wouldn't give to have a new life.
It's probably not going to get any easier than that. It's a showtune.

4. I'm a walking contradiction, my ambition, my addiction, it turns me on.
Quote 2: Unfiltered, unglued, yeah, I'm so uncensored, I'm right on target, just left of center.
This is an unreleased song by a pop singer.

GUESSED! 5. Well, the world is facin' problems, gettin' bigger every day, we got a greenhouse over Texas and recession's on the way.
Quote 2: We don't care whose a** we kick if we're ever all alone, we just stand in front of a mirror and try to kick our own.
This is... a song from a comedy TV show.

6. I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, where oxlips and the nodding violet grows.
I'm sure the rest of this won't be helpful... but the lyrics come from Shakespeare.

*7. You have to understand the way I am, mein herr.
Quote 2: Bye bye, mein leiber herr, farewell, mein leiber herr, it was a fine affair but now it's over.
Showtune.

*8. You'd never recognize the room. The pictures all have different frames now.
Quote 2: I've thrown out every souvenir. Yes, there've been changes made since you stayed here.
Showtune.

9. On that sunny day, didn't know I'd meet such a beautiful girl walking down the street.
Quote 2: Senorita, I feel for you, you deal with things that you don't have to.
This is pop stuff.

11. I spend most every day selling myself, calling people on the phone.
Quote 2: Girl, I got to let my mind run free with my jumpy bean, little jumpy bean, with my sweet little Columbian jumpy jumpy jumpy jumpy bean.
This is... nope, nobody's going to get this. It's a barely-known song by a barely-known band.

GUESSED! 12. All alone by the table of food in my wrinkled suit and my borrowed tie.
Quote 2: It's no fair, it's no fun if every time it's gonna end the same way, me zero, big bad world one.
This artist is most known for geek rock stuff.

PARTLY GUESSED! *13. For you, there'll be no more crying. For you, the sun will be shining.
The song is "Songbird." This is a pop cover from the past few years.

PARTLY GUESSED! *17. Macavity's a mystery cat, he's called the Hidden Paw.
The song is "Macavity" from Cats. It's a cover from a musical theater girl.

*19. One less bell to answer, one less egg to fry.
There's no better quote to give you than this one. Sorry.

21. We start the story when Mom met Dad and they danced all night and he took her home.
Quote 2: Each cell has a nucleus, each nucleus has chromosomes, and DNA, baby, that spells DNA.
Geek rock stuff.

22. This is the one situation I wanted most to avoid.
No better quote than this one, really. It's a showtune.

PARTLY GUESSED! *23. Sitting here, eating my heart out waiting, waiting for some lover to call.
Quote 2: I want some hot stuff, baby, this evening, I need some hot stuff, baby, tonight.
The song has been guessed ("Hot Stuff"), but not the artist. It's an American Idol singer.

24. I can't feel you, I can't feel you, I can't hear you, I can't speak 'cause love don't stink, love don't stink, love don't stink like that cottage cheese.
There's no better quote than this because the entire song is equally unlikely to be heard. It comes from a movie soundtrack.

PARTLY GUESSED! *25. Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light.
The song is, obviously, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." It's a Christian rock band cover.

26. I remember begging my mom for these Z. Cavarriccis, with a striped genera shirt just to rock with these brutinis.
Quote 2: Oh, we've made it this far and there's no turning back now with all of this joy deep inside.
It's a Christian song.

27. Usually in the morning, I'm filled with sweet belonging and everything is beautiful to see.
Quote 2: Sometimes I feel like a sad song, like I'm all alone without you.
Folky stuff.

*28. I guess I'm not too good at keeping love alive for long.
Quote 2: Next time you fall in love, it better be with me, the way it used to be.
Showtune.

29. Ich bin Dur und ich bin Moll, ich bin Akkord und ich bin Melodie.
Quote 2: Ich bin, Ich bin Musik.
German showtune. Heh.

31. Let's dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues.
Not sure there's a better quote for this one. This is... 1980s pop/rock.

GUESSED! *34. I don't know you, but I want you all the more for that.

PARTLY GUESSED! 35. To test this gold for its worth is the same as testing me, and the fire burns easily today.
The song title has been guessed as "Anything Genuine," but the original artist hasn't been guessed.

*36. Sooner or later you're gonna be mine, sooner or later you're gonna be fine.
There's no better quote than this. This is a song from a movie soundtrack.

PARTLY GUESSED! *37. Because the world is round, it turns me on.
The song is "Because." This version is a movie cover.

PARTLY GUESSED! 38. Alone in the valley, I cry for you to fill me with your peace.
The artist for this has been guessed - it's Rebecca St. James. But this is probably the best quote I could use.

42. What a gyp! This such a rip-off. Every time she sneers at me, I wanna rip her upper lip off.
Quote 2: The good news is I'm here in New York where solvency may await, the bad news is the good news ain't so great.
It's a showtune.

43. Forgive me, for I did not know, 'cause I was just a boy, you were so much more.
Quote 2: So when you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice through the dark turns and noise of this wicked little town.
Showtune.

GUESSED! 44. Shed no tears for me, there'll be rain enough today.
Quote 2: I won't say I've never felt the pain, but I am not a stranger to the rain.
Showtune.

46. Some of my old friends are here, the light isn't good but their outlines are clear.
There's really no better quote than this one. Not sure what the song itself is, but it's sung by a musical theater guy.

PARTLY GUESSED! 48. When the years have all come and gone, they'll find beneath the ground our two bodies joined as one, showing how we were bound.
Quote 2: Dance my Esmeralda, sing my Esmeralda. Dance just one more time for me. You know I'll die for love of you.
This is the English version of a French showtune. We've established it's from Notre-Dame de Paris, now all I need is the song title.

GUESSED! *50. Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless. Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless.
Quote 2: Angels have no thought of ever returning you, would they be angry if I thought of joining you, gloomy Sunday.
It's a cover version of an old song... and one of the most depressing songs in the entire world.

Search Keyword Answer Time!

I haven't done one of these in awhile and had a pile of unusual search keywords and queries piling up on my computer, so I figured it was time to pull them out and respond to them. These are some of the things people were searching for when they stumbled across my blog.

#41 great song
This led them to my Top 100 Showtunes series, in which my #41 was "A Summer In Ohio" from The Last 5 Years. Let's just assume this answers their question. Yes, searcher, that song is the 41st greatest song of all time.

my boyfriend loves beetlejuice
Cool! Mine too! Let's be friends!

worship songs about contentment
worship somgs with contentment theme
Off the top of my head, "Blessed Be Your Name" is a biggie. But the first song I thought of was "Gratitude" by Nichole Nordeman. Not quite a worship song, but still a fantastic one.

..to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause lyrics means
These are lyrics from the musical Man of La Mancha's great song "The Impossible Dream." Given the theme of the rest of the song, you'd think you'd be able to figure out these lyrics, but here goes: It's a metaphorical reference to being willing to undergo something awful and terrible (such as hell) to accomplish something good (such as a heavenly cause).

introverts at walmart
introvert going to walmart
We do go to Walmart. It's a nice place to go for introverts, I guess, because it's often pretty low on like... aggressive customer service, so nobody asks you if you need anything. That's cool.

introverts perceived as emotionally distant
introvert distance friends
I'm sure I've shared this story before on this blog, but I once had an acquaintance tell me, "You're an introvert because you're emotionally distant." I was a bit taken aback, and I said, "I'm not emotionally distant from people. I often like to be physically distant from people, but that's not the same." She responded, "But you're physically distant because you want to be emotionally distant." Sigh. Here's the thing. Introverts can be emotionally distant in the sense that they don't just like... spew their emotions all over everybody or open up easily to not-that-close acquaintances, but I'm often very open about my emotions with my friends or those who I feel actually want to listen. Like on this blog. Just because an introvert has not chosen to be emotionally close to you does not mean they are emotionally distant from everyone.

ghost and tbe darkness song dinodaur
I'm pretty sure The Ghost and the Darkness didn't have a song about a dinosaur, but the typo just made me think of the old home video we have where my then-3-year-old brother was marching around with his hand shaped into claws yelled, "I'M A BIG DINODAUR!"

introvert nightmare
People EVERYWHERE, all trying to talk small talk to you. Forever.

statuses about july
Apparently July is worthy enough to have a bunch of statuses of its own. I'm pretty sure I haven't written any, though.

introvert online
There are many. This seems to be our domain. So that's fun.

top 5 and bottom 5 moments in sweeney todd
That is really specific. I'm not going to answer this one, because it's been quite awhile since I last checked out any form of Sweeney, but if anyone wants to chime in with their favorites, go for it.

stonehenge movie
An entire movie all about Stonehenge? Stonehenge Apocalypse seems to be the best one. It's got Misha Collins in it, so that's nice.

shopping online is ideal for introverts
It really is.

lies about introverts "exhausted:
I'm not sure what this person is asking. Are they trying to find out whether people lie about introverts being exhausted? I'm sure that's an excuse I've used when I didn't want to socialize. "I'm exhausted" can mean either "I am very physically tired" or "I am very socially tired," and though I typically mean the second, it can be interpreted as the first. Though that's not a lie as much as it is just a convenient misunderstanding.

Speaking of being exhausted, my arthritic fingers are falling off and I am going to have to put the rest of these search keywords on hold for another day.

No Quest for Skye Snark Today... But I Do Have Something!

Guys, between arthritis and the wave of depression attacking me the second half of this week, I just couldn't get a full Skye post together.

However.

J. L. Rothdiener has a YouTube channel, where he has uploaded quite a few videos related to Skye. The only one I've managed to watch all the way through is this one, where he has cast a young girl as Skye and she recites a Bible verse.


I only wish he had gotten a bunch of butterflies to land on her.

See you back for more TQfS next week!

A Song Lyric Game. Just For Fun.

I haven't done one of these in awhile, and as I'm in a bit of a blogging slump, I figured it was an easy one to put up for today.

The rules are simple. I give you the opening line or two of a song, you guess what the song is. As people guess songs, I'll make a note to indicate they've been guessed (for those who like only going for the challenging ones), but I won't post the answers until later, so you can feel free to still guess what they are in the comments!

My music taste is... eclectic, to say the least, so while some of these should be easy, others are likely to be nearly impossible. If it's a cover version (as many of them will probably be), I'll mark it with a *, and you can get half-credit for guessing the song even if you're not sure what version I have... though, of course, I will be especially impressed if you can guess the right version.

Here goes:

GUESSED! 1. Never win first place, I don't support the team, I can't take direction and my socks are never clean.

2. A new life, what I wouldn't give to have a new life.

GUESSED! 3. Life could not better be, better be, better be, it could not possibly, no, sirrah, sirrah, sirree.

4. I'm a walking contradiction, my ambition, my addiction, it turns me on.

5. Well, the world is facin' problems, gettin' bigger every day, we got a greenhouse over Texas and recession's on the way.

6. I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, where oxlips and the nodding violet grows.

*7. You have to understand the way I am, mein herr.

*8. You'd never recognize the room. The pictures all have different frames now.

9. On that sunny day, didn't know I'd meet such a beautiful girl walking down the street.

GUESSED! 10. I feel like I would like to be somewhere else doing something that matters.

11. I spend most every day selling myself, calling people on the phone.

12. All alone by the table of food in my wrinkled suit and my borrowed tie.

PARTLY GUESSED! *13. For you, there'll be no more crying. For you, the sun will be shining.

GUESSED! 14. You were meant to live large, come on, take charge, let's go light the world up.

GUESSED! 15. You've been dreaming just one dream nearly all your life, hoping, scheming just one theme: Will you be a wife?

GUESSED! 16. He's a very smart prince, he's a prince who prepares.

PARTLY GUESSED! *17. Macavity's a mystery cat, he's called the Hidden Paw.

GUESSED! 18. We'll have an adventure and several long trips, we'll make some new friends and maybe get a bite to eat, all 'cause we say, "Whaddya know, handyman?"
(That is the entirety of the song.)

*19. One less bell to answer, one less egg to fry.

GUESSED! 20. Germany was having trouble, what a sad, sad story, needed a new leader to restore its former glory.

21. We start the story when Mom met Dad and they danced all night and he took her home.

22. This is the one situation I wanted most to avoid.

*23. Sitting here, eating my heart out waiting, waiting for some lover to call.

24. I can't feel you, I can't feel you, I can't hear you, I can't speak 'cause love don't stink, love don't stink, love don't stink like that cottage cheese.

PARTLY GUESSED! *25. Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light.

26. I remember begging my mom for these Z. Cavarriccis, with a striped genera shirt just to rock with these brutinis.
(I had to google the lyrics because I had no idea what these brand names were. Heh.)

27. Usually in the morning, I'm filled with sweet belonging and everything is beautiful to see.

*28. I guess I'm not too good at keeping love alive for long.

(OK, #29 is in German and I couldn't find the first verse on Google, so I'm starting from the first part they had, which is the chorus)
29. Ich bin Dur und ich bin Moll, ich bin Akkord und ich bin Melodie.

GUESSED! 30. God has given me a window and I can finally see the light.

31. Let's dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues.

GUESSED! 32. The Irish fear nothing and no one, they keep fighting till everyone's dead. I'm not sure where this metaphor's going, I just felt like it had to be said.

GUESSED! 33. How have I come to this? How did I slip and fall?

PARTLY GUESSED! *34. I don't know you, but I want you all the more for that.

PARTLY GUESSED! 35. To test this gold for its worth is the same as testing me, and the fire burns easily today.

*36. Sooner or later you're gonna be mine, sooner or later you're gonna be fine.

PARTLY GUESSED! *37. Because the world is round, it turns me on.

PARTLY GUESSED! 38. Alone in the valley, I cry for you to fill me with your peace.

GUESSED! 39. Everything Charlotte says is a lie, it's a lie, it's a lie, it's a lie.

GUESSED! 40. He's several hours late, the skyline's growing dim, while others deck the halls you dream of decking him.

GUESSED! 41. Welcome, monsieur, sit yourself down and meet the best innkeeper in town.

42. What a gyp! This such a rip-off. Every time she sneers at me, I wanna rip her upper lip off.
(I think this is one of the worst opening lines in the world, but the rest of the song goes on to be quite fun.)

43. Forgive me, for I did not know, 'cause I was just a boy, you were so much more.

44. Shed no tears for me, there'll be rain enough today.

GUESSED! 45. What are you gonna do on New Year's Eve?

46. Some of my old friends are here, the light isn't good but their outlines are clear.
(I suspect this is a cover version because this artist doesn't sing original material often, but I can't find any information about who the original artist might be.)

GUESSED! 47. Tommy used to work on the docks.

48. When the years have all come and gone, they'll find beneath the ground our two bodies joined as one, showing how we were bound.

GUESSED! 49. He's a very nice prince. (And?) And... it's a very nice ball.
(I find it amusing that both this and #16 are in here. They come from the same place.)

*50. Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless. Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless.

Good luck, gang. If you know any, post your answers in the comments!

Some Songs I've Been Listening To

Today is my birthday, and I don't feel like writing a long blog, so here are five songs I've been listening to a lot recently.

The Quest for Skye: Chapters 13-14

Recap: Skye can summon butterflies and play music perfectly. Really, just remember Skye is The Most Perfect Child Who Has Ever Existed and you've summed up the entire book thus far.

These chapters are both really short, so I'm combining them into a single blog post.

The next morning, Morgan and Tammy actually wake up on their own, rather than being woken up by a nine-year-old pounding on their door. However, then Skye doesn't show up and doesn't show up, so Morgan goes the Leontious' cabin, where their maid, Maya, informs them that Doctor Layland Leontiou had some important business to take care of, and that the whole family left for the airport as soon as the ship docked. Most of their luggage will be sent to them.

The Hamiltons are distraught and don't really enjoy the last few days of the cruise. Oh, but hey! Remember that tiny snippet of nothing where Skye wanted a dress in blue but they didn't have it? Turns out they did have it in blue! So Tammy buys it for her, figuring she can at least send it on to her.

The Hamiltons were invited to return and speak at the conference next year.

Now people will be able to ask them more irrelevant personal questions and get even MORE convinced that they should care about rare childhood diseases! They want Morgan to speak about clinic administration, but he doesn't want to make a decision on that yet.

As everybody disembarks from the ship at the end of the cruise:

Without Skye’s bubbly personality, things were dull, different. Sadness hung in the air.

It's called "peace and quiet" and "people minding their own business" and it is a beautiful thing.

Morgan sees Mrs. Scott, aka Wheelchair Teleport Woman, and thinks:

I wonder what her life will be like when she returns home. With the cruise over, and her husband gone, does she have anything to look forward to?

Holy crap, dude. Way to assume quality of life for the elderly and disabled. Mrs. Scott did mention on the cruise that she recently lost her husband, but she said nothing to imply she does not have family, close friends, a church community, or passionate hobbies to look forward to in her life. Assuming the cruise was The Last Great Thing that would ever happen to her is really condescending and awful.

Chapter 14 starts with the Hamiltons returning home to Minnesota. They are nicer and more compassionate at their clinic Because Skye. But then Tammy gets super depressed. Gee, do you think maybe constant contact with a child during their two attempted child-free weeks might have been unhelpful for the deep pain she's feeling about not being able to have kids?

As a result, their marriage problems deepened— each blaming the other for their unhappiness.

And this is why Skye's interference on the cruise just makes me sad. Morgan and Tammy had two weeks away from work, with no distractions, and their marriage needed it. They needed to use that cruise for themselves. Instead, they spent nearly the entire two weeks caring for someone else's child. They never got time to work things out on their own. That cruise could have been a great opportunity for the two of them to figure some stuff out, and Skye ruined all of it by being an obnoxious, noisy, constant, bouncy-haired distraction. (Admittedly, they were both only too willing to let her be one, but if she hadn't been quite so insistent on shoving her way into their lives, they would have at least had a chance to take some time for themselves.)

Six weeks later, Skye somehow manages to contact Morgan on his work computer via instant message. He is astounded by how this IMing thing works, so it clearly wasn't something he installed. He asks her how she got a hold of him:

“Hello? It’s called a computer! You know website... WWW... dot... your clinic name, and there you are, big as day. Hold on a minute.”

She then video chats with him, leaving me just as confused as Morgan as to how she found him. Does his clinic's website include a "video chat with Doctor Morgan Hamilton here!" button? Because that seems like a terrible idea.

Skye randomly reminisces about dolphins with him and then tells him her parents have been working in the lab all the time while she's been playing with the other kids.

“I just wish we had a nicer playground— where all my friends could play safely without getting hurt.”

This might be a reference to her friends being sick kids who are extra frail, but all I can imagine is a playground consisting of rusty equipment, with shards of broken glass and nails lying all over the place. Doctor Layland Leontiou is not doing a great job of keeping his lab rats... erm, I mean patients safe.

Skye's call is interrupted by "a muffled sound, which seemed to shake the camera, and then a siren". I'm pretty sure her parents just died in the kerfuffle from chapter one. Skye says she needs to go, and she signs off.

Tammy wanders into the room and Morgan tells her he just chatted with Skye. He brings up adoption, and Tammy gets angry, and then he brings up working at the Leontious' clinic, and she gets really angry and stalks out of the room.

And that is where we leave off this week. Tune in next week to find out (probably) that, yup, Skye's parents are dead and for some reason Morgan and Tammy are going to be the ones to adopt her because her parents, being the super responsible people they are, probably never made any provisions for her to be taken care of!

(Chapter 15.)

Movies I Saw In August/September

So remember when I missed a Monday a couple weeks ago? Yeah, I did that again. Sorry, crew. Blogging has been difficult this month, what with arthritis and minidepression both ganging up on me. Fortunately, every blog day is a chance to start over again and not miss any more entries. So here's an easy one for Wednesday.

In June and July I watched 18 new movies total. And then I don't know WHAT happened, because in August and September, I watched a grand total of seven. And all my September movies were watched in the last week of the month. I did fit a rewatch or two in there as well, but overall, I have been woefully lacking in my movie watching schedule. We shall see how October goes! In order from best to worst, here's what I watched the last two months.

New Movies (7)

Much Ado About Nothing (2012) - Oh, so much fun. Whedon should be directing more Shakespeare. Every actor in here does a great job; I can't single any of them out as a favorite.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) - An excellent adaptation of the story, and Leslie Howard is simply perfect as Percy.

3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom (2012) - This movie was trying to way too hard and it all falls apart pretty fast. Too bad, because I love Chris O'Dowd.

Man Hunt (1941) - It's a great concept, and I loved the beginning and the ending, but the entire romance section falls apart, mostly because the girl is so irritating.

Oblivion (2013) - This movie looks cool and works as long as you're willing to not try and think about the plot. Like, at all.

Admission (2013) - A cool concept for a movie, but it managed to do what I'd thought was impossible: It made me really hate Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. Such unlikable characters!

The Devil is a Woman (1935) - My problem with this was the same as with Admission: I loathed all the characters and could empathize with none of them. Yech.

Rewatches (4)

Catch Me If You Can (2002) - So much fun every time I see it. Leonardo DiCaprio is so charismatic in this role.

Love and Death (1975) - I went on a Woody Allen rewatch kick at the end of August/beginning of September. This one was just as over-the-top as I remembered, but also just as funny.

Bullets Over Broadway (1994) - I still think John Cusack is the best Woody Allen stand-in in all of his movies. He plays a pretentious character with a great deal of charisma. A very entertaining plot, one of Allen's best.

Hollywood Ending (2002) - Decidedly not one of Allen's best, but I still enjoy it nonetheless. This time around I got a huge kick out of Debra Messing's character and what an idiot she was.