Virtual Vacation

I may take a vacation from blogging , at least from "real" posts. I might still do some tags or awards, but I'm going to give blogging a rest. I still love it, and I'll come back soon, but I don't have a lot of fun stuff to say lately. I mean, I know I've had a couple of "good" posts, but for the most part it's been complaints or nothing. And like all moms say, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." XD

I guess this is just a heads up; don't expect anything great XD I'm going to say that I'll be back for Easter for sure.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Mostly Boring

Thanks so much for following, Katie G! You made my day (well, yesterday, but whatever XD).

Today was the get-together-with-cousins day. Garrett the Tall and Kathleen the College-Freshman are lots of fun, but more and more I'm finding that I'm closer to my friends than I am my own family. Is that bad? I can't decide if I feel guilty about that. I do have lots of fun with my cousins, though.

Oh, Kathleen was interested in Alias, so we watched the first episode :D Watching the first one made me realize something: they just get better as they go on XD

For lack of a Christmas Countdown, I'm left with not much to say. Haha, did some of you actually just cheer?? How rude :P Just kidding. I don't have any big revelations to post, but maybe you'd be interested in a few little revelations? :)

1. I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. So much, in fact, that I wouldn't know where to start even if I were going to. I'm a confusing person, sometimes so much that I even confuse myself. And that's REALLY bad, right? XD Doesn't it suck when you don't know what you want?

2. VOTE ON THE POLL TO THE RIGHT. YES, THAT ONE. DO THAT FEW PEOPLE REALLY READ THIS THING? JEEZ. Can't blame you. This is boring :P

3. I have (once AGAIN) started the "fire fairy story". How far will it go this time? You guess. The winner will be given a lifetime supply of virtual cookies.

Just so you don't decide that without Christmas, I am boring, let me tell you some things I plan to post about in the final days of 2009 :)

- Cultural Honor (I like this one. Some of you may have already read it on Carpe Noctem.)
- More Fortuna Kendrae
- Top Ten Blogger Pet Peeves
- "Sex" is Not a Bad Word (This was originally entitled, "Sex is Not a Dirty Word", but I decided that came across a bit differently than I intended XD)

Stick around and maybe you'll learn something, or at least get in a few laughs at my attempts to be philosophical ;)

Hey, if you have an preference to which of those topics I do first, let me know!

~Kendra

Haircuts and Anti-Fanpires!

Thank you, Christopher Kolmorgan for following!! W00T!

Guess what, you guys? This coming Wednesday is my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BLOGGING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O Whoa! How did I not notice that earlier?? What should I do? You tell me! I'd love some ideas of what you'd like to see :)

So, today I got a hair cut :D Y'all know how I looked before...and here's how I looked after!
:D I love having a photographer-computer-savvy sister :) <3 href="http://thoughtsofashieldmaiden.blogspot.com/">Thoughts of a Shieldmaiden. Earwen does not hold a very high opinion of the series (although she hasn't read it yet). I'd like to say a little about what I think.

Some common complaints about the Twilight series are:
1. It portrays vampires as the "good guys".
2. It contains sexuality.
3. It encourages girls to go for the "bad boys".
4. It portrays effeminate guys as being hot.
5. It is completely unchristian.

The "Twilight" series is not an incredibly complex story when one tries to explain it briefly. The entire plot line can be summed up in one sentence: "It's about a girl who falls in love with a vampire."

Whoo hoo.

It's actually much more complex and intriguing when you get into it, though. The main character, Bella, and her vampire "boyfriend", Edward, have to fight the constant battle of their two worlds. Edward and his family are "vegetarians", meaning they do not drink the blood of humans, but animals only. However, the call of Bella's blood to Edward is uncannily strong, making for an interesting relationship.

The first accusation to examined, that vampires are portrayed as "good guys" does have some merit. Yes, the vampires ARE portrayed as the good guys. Some of them are.

Oh, you mean how there are good and bad people?

Yes.

There are good and bad vampires in the story, just as there are good and bad humans. Being a vampire does not immediate classify someone as being "evil" or the "bad guy". What you are doesn't make you good or evil, it's your choices. The "good" vampires make good choices. They make the best with what they have. They were turned into vampires against their wills, and are now struggling to be the best they can be under the circumstances. The "bad" vampires make bad choices. They embrace their blood lust instead of fighting it, and think of humans as nothing but snacks.

I've heard the idea of a "good vampire" compared to a "good homosexual". (This post is not about homosexuality. If you want to see my thoughts on that, go to Carpe Noctem. I am just speaking about this subject from a Christian point of view because that's where most of the complaints are coming from.)

That comparison does not computer at all. Homosexuals CHOOSE to be what they are; vampires are "born" that way. Calling all vampires "evil" is like calling all Americans selfish, all African-Americans rude, or all Asians smart, for that matter!

The second complaint about the Twilight series, that the books are full of sexuality, is not true. There are a few pages in the third book, "Eclipse" that have some suggestive behavior, but Edward quickly puts a stop to it. While Bella has no problem giving herself away, Edward has firm principles governing abstinence and makes it clear to Bella that if they were ever to have a physical relationship, they would have to get married FIRST.

Another commonly-made accusation is that the books encourage girls to go for the "bad boys". Edward is not a "bad boy". In fact, at some points he is so good that I turned away in disgust. (Bella did, too, lol!) As I said before, Edward refuses to sleep with Bella (a good thing, not a bad thing), upholds his principles, tries to be the best he can be under the circumstances, respects parental authorities, and tries to do what's best for Bella.

If there is a bad boy in the series at all, it is Jacob Black (my favorite, of course :D). Jacob helps Bella to deceive her father, aids her in dangerous activity, swears (mildly), is the Innuendo King, and tries to break up Bella and Edward.

I don't know about you, but Jacob definitely seems to err on the side of "bad boy" MUCH more than Edward.

Accusation #4: The Twilight books portray effeminate guys as hot. It doesn't, really. I mean, I guess I can see how Robert Pattinson looks girly, but I think the casting of Twilight was TERRIBLE anyway. Edward is the picture of masculinity if you read the books; it's why I fell in love with him the first time through the books. I mean...wow, honestly, he is not girly. Not at all.

The complaint that Twilight is completely unchristian comes from people who have not read the books. For the record, the Bible says nothing about vampires or werewolves. Twilight mentions God several times and all in a positive light. Edward and his family are Christians. Edward's father's father was a medieval priest. The values of good and evil, right and wrong are clearly mapped out through the book in a most Christian manner. I mean, even abstinence is there, y'all! Like I said, complaints of the books being unchristian clearly come from people who have not read the book, or who are determined not to like it.

And that's my rant for the day :) Maybe I'll publish this to Carpe Noctem later...

Thoughts, questions, opinions, arguments welcome, as always! Oh, and don't forget to vote on the serial poll, and don't forget to give me ideas for my ONE YEAR BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY!!

~Kendra

Top 50 Ways to Annoy People Who Don't Like the Maximum Ride Books

This is great because you can change it up a little and make it work for ANYTHING.

1. Relate everything they say to the Maximum Ride books.

2. Say they look like a Maximum Ride character of the opposite gender.

3. Quote the Voice.

4. Rewrite their favorite song with Maximum Ride lyrics and sing it constantly.

5. Crowd their inbox with Maximum Ride related e-mail and make sure the subjects are misleading.

6. Start reciting Max's poem "White" at random moments, pretend to forget what comes next, and ask if they know in a very loud voice.

7. Make them play Erasers vs. Bird Kids with you.


8. Give all of their friends Maximum Ride related nicknames and act mortally offended when they don't know the history of their character.

9. Change your name to that of a Maximum Ride character and start screaming when they don't address you as such in public.

10. Draw wings and wrist-scars on every poster and picture you come across...in permanent marker.

11. Give long lectures about how the Voice's advice relates to every day life.

12. Constantly ask if they can see the Flyboys too.

13. ...refuse to explain what a Flyboy is.

14. Pretend you can fly, become invisible, or read minds..

15. Insist that NOTHING in your house be moved, for Iggy's sake.

16. Constantly compare them to Jeb.

17. ...laugh evilly if they ask who Jeb is.

18. Complain loudly about how you need at least 3000 calories a day to grow up big and strong like Max.

19. Tell a very long joke using a random Maximum Ride quote as the punchline and then laugh hysterically.

20. ...make sure the joke isn't funny.

21. Write letters to people (friends, neighbors...politicians) and ask them to join the fight to save the world.

22. ...hand fliers advertising it to random passerby.

23. Report Ari's death to your local authorities.

24. Call them repeatedly asking if Dr. Martinez is there and hang up before they can reply.

25. Walk past a wall over and over again, stopping randomly to bang on. When you receive weird stares, shout, "What?! I'm look for branches of Itex!"

26. Every time you see them, demand an explanation of why exactly they don't like Maximum Ride.

27. If anyone tells you you'll go to hell for reading Maximum Ride, either: a) jump and down and tell them that you can't wait; b) tell them you'll meet them there; or c) ask them to back up this claim with evidence, and laugh at them when they can't.

28. Play the book-on-tape while they're stuck in your car.

29. ...add commentary.

30. When it's the anniversary of one of the releases, call to remind them.

31. ...every five minutes.

32. Classify everyone you meet as a different mutant. (Example: "Ooh, he would make a great dog-whale!")

33. Follow them around while acting out a scene from the book doing very annoying voices for all the characters. Expect them to join in, and act offended when they don't.

34. Count down to some obscure Maximum Ride event, whether it's a random date mentioned in the books, or maybe a character's birthday. Keep saying: "87 (86, 85, etc.) more days!" in the middle of every conversation you have with your friend. Smile in a superior way when they ask what you're counting down to.

35. Start talking about a deceased Maximum Ride character and suddenly burst into hysterical tears.

36. Refuse to be comforted.

37. Send them numerous letters informing them that they have been selected for research, and you must bid them goodbye.

38. Print this out and use it as a checklist.

39. Insist that they subscribe for your new Maximum Ride newsletter and when they say no, act like you've been seriously offended.

40. If you go to a big city with them, loudly ask random people if they know where you can find the School.

41. Invite them to play "Mad Scientists" with you.

42. Tell them you're Fang, then hide.


43. Send out birthday party invitations for a Maximum Ride character. Be sure to call everyone who doesn't respond and ask them if they're coming.

45. Call your local news station and give them a tip on where to find the Bird Kids.

46. Whenever looks like it might rain, scream "Global-warming induced hurricane!!" and hide for days at a time.

47. When travelling long distances, tell them it would be so much faster if they had wings, too.

48. Tell them that they're almost as good a cook as Iggy.

49. ..refuse to tell them who Iggy is.

50. Speak in an androgenous voice at random moments and make predictions about people, give directions and advice. Then, use your normal voice again and pretend that you don't remember anything.

Haha, now that that's done with, I just have three quick "announcments" to make.

1. Since Word Day and Carpe Noctem Day are scheduled for replacement, I need something to replace them WITH. I have some ideas, but I'd really like to know what you guys want, since you're the ones who read my boring junk anyway ;)

2. Don't forget to vote on Name the Assasin girl poll. Pro to Kieran: very cool sound and cool meaning. Pro to Vega: very cool sound and fits with the meaning of her two brothers, whose names mean Sun and Mood. (Vega means falling STAR).

3. Also don't forget about Followers Say...at Carpe Noctem coming up on September 26! So far there are only three people "signed up" to do it. C'mom, you know you want to ;) Details here.

That's about it! Thanks, y'all! Talk to ya later!