The Texas Blog

Its been such a long t-imeee.......

2009-02-05T16:40:00.001-08:00

Hey, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

That's right: ITS TIME TO DO THE BRACES-OFF DANCE!!!

My joy cannot be described in words, but the sound goes kinda like "NEEAARRGAHHHFLUEOSFOURRAAAA!!!"

The world is a better place now.

2008: A Texas Oddity

2008-12-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

First, let me say that this blog post is dedicated to my Dad, the most avid reader of this blog and the man with the cattle prod that screams "WRITE, YOU FOOL!". Much love from me, and God bless us every one this merry Festivus.

As the title suggests, this uber-post is in regards to 2008. Ah, 2008. It was the year of the rat. In my favorite TokyoPop Shojo Manga (*mom's head explodes*) Fruit's Basket, the rat is named Yuki. I really don't like Yuki very much. Kind of reminds me of Richie Rich, whom I also hate. Shigure wins all. But unlike Yuki, 2008 was a year worth remembering, with many fond memories I hope will never be forgotten as I party wildly in celebration of my 15th birthday. (OWOWOWOW! FIVE-FOR-FIGHTING SUBJECT MATTER IN THE HIZZOUCE!)

Come, let us take a leisurely stroll down memory lane...

(while a-strolling, we come upon a large billboard.)
Brooke: Alas! What have we here?
Imaginary Snake Friend: Aye, it appears to be a billboard of great magnitude.
Brooke: Brilliant! Let us read it!
Imaginary Snake Friend: I concede!

THE TOP TEN MEMORABLE THINGS ABOUT 2008
By You Know Who.

(Imaginary Snake Friend: How very titillating!)

10:
2003 was defeated.

Anyone who is anyone in my life should know by now that I long believed 2003 was the most incredible thing to ever grace the new millenium and could not be beat for a myriad of reasons. Due largely in part to the great number of movies that it spawned (*cough*VANHELSINGUNDERWORLD*cough*), and Mrs. Graf, among the most epic in great educators, and the fact that ten is the coolest birthday you get until you turn sixteen. This facts are true. However, 2008 virtually fell screaming atop my head, bursting the bubble that was my strong belief in 03's infallibility. The movies owned (*squeal*IRONMANTWILIGHTDARKKNIGHT*screech*), and while I do not believe any teacher in Texas will ever be as awesome as my favorites back north, I do get to be fifteen. Which leads to 16. And we all know what that means...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFwcmU6Ql0A
*giggles delightedly*

9:
ENCORE!

One thing I will say for San Antonio: this place attracts brilliant entertainment like flies to a BugZapper. Phantom of the Opera brought me to tears, laughter, muffled wails of delight, and eventually a panic-attack when the flames went shooting across the stage. (I did not EXPECT that.) And as for Warped Tour...well, I feel that crazy, albeit unforgettable, experience is best represented in our sheer exhaustion.

(Those last two were taken ten seconds apart. Guess which one was last. No, guess.)

8:
Get Political

You know, I always swore I would never become a politician of any sort. This namely stems from a deep resentment that we elected Kelly Morones as class president in the good old Washing of Ton. But when the opportunity arose to run for student council at Johnson, I said hey, why not?

This would result in my election by default, to the post of Freshman Rep. I, alongside my painfully short and thick-as-a-brick counterpart Alec, strode across the football field for our homecoming game. Which we lost. And then I had the greatest non-strawberry milkshake I've ever tasted. It was a good night.

7:
Our Abbeford

Aw...
We got Abbey one morning when I was in full-force BROOKIE NEEDS A DOG mode. I'd done my research, but that ending up meaning next to nil, because Dad simply scanned the classifieds, found our little girl's listing, and off we went. Abbey was a name brought up in the car, amongst suggestions of Violet, Rosie, Bella (*only twilighter in the car at the time could not stop laughing about this*), and eventually (it was my idea!) Abbey. As in Abbey Road. As in the Beatles album.
She was ours from the moment we pulled in front of a shabby home to see her wiggling through the grates of the fence to come up and greet us. We were about to drive away to consider it and "maybe pick her up once we'd moved in...", but hey, we're Nowakowskis, and that dog was MIIIINE. So, *thump* goes Abbey into the backseat, and *vroom* goes the Axiom back to the accursed Monte Cristo.
She was far from potty trained. One nostril was decidedly misshapen. But what can we say? She's just a little Abby Normal.

6:
In Which I Become a Minor Celebrity

Its a scandal that continues to this day. I couldn't wait for Breaking Dawn. And as something of an internet informant to the more emotionally involved fans of my community, I had a duty to serve. So, armed with bottled water and an arsenal of rumors, I sought. And found some very big spoilers. And, like any good informant, I was the first to share them with the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly_n58jD3wo
Currently pushing 63,000 views and nearly 1500 comments, my video has become a hotbed for fans who need a place to vent and complete idiocy. To this day I receive comments claiming I have committed literary blaspheme. As this seemed a result of people thinking I'd posted this after the book was released, I even put up a message stating that these were predictions, not justified statements of fact.
But alas, the stupidity never ceases to amaze me. A few pearls from the long strand that has been left to me by the world. All spelling and grammatical errors left in place for comedic effect.

"Don't believe everything you hear on boards, its just people chatting and making stuff up. Stephenie Meyer has stated that Bella will NOT get pregnant more than once. And Nessie? thats a horrble name. I don't believe this for a second. The only thing I believe is the Rosalie thing as i've heard it before."

This, unfortunately, is the most intelligent response I received. Skeptics are okay. Brainless minions of evil are not. Oh look, here they come!

"I would like 2 believe this is real but I am not convensted. Sorry."
To answer the obvious question: yes, I did mock this commenter in a response. And I don't feel bad either!

"Well Robert Pattinson is my cousin, and when they were filming Twilight I would go with him everyday to the set, and Stephenie Meyer was there one day, and she gave everyone a copy of Breaking Dawn. So I got it in April."
This one made a lot of people very angry. Very, very angry.

"Im kinda scared to watch this. I paused at 3 seconds. The person in the video said that is all real but in the description, its says it might not be real. Which should i believe??? And about the Nessie thing Skyeeeeeee is talking about, im like "whoa!!!" cause i have a friend who's nickname is Nessie. She's actually my bestfriend. She made that nickname up for herself cause she thought it was cool... This is really weird. Should i continue watching???"
.....What?

"OMG!! JACOB I HATE YOU!!! FSJDfhlkgipskdlfgSGSDGSDfg that is how mad i am."

"ive read chapters 1114 of breaking dawn. THIS COULD BE FAKE! people have put things up all over the internet to freak us out and do you THINK Smeyer would make bella have a VAMPIRE BABY that sucks the life out of her and almost kills her!"
*snork*

And this had nothing to do with the book, but I found it kind of funny. The second is in response to the first.

"lovelykristenflog

but i think that jacob nevver will do that, i dont think so, really, i don´t think that jacob raped her, no no and well, i knew that the vampires can´t have childs, but now, i´m in doubt, u think the same?

nickjonasluvr6

why'd you spell never with a w? are you polish or something?"

Oh, the people I met when experiencing the everyday life of a tuber. There was JenniferTwilight, who cussed out everyone on the comment board, and spoke those immortal words:

"Well, I'll definitely be revisiting THIS video once the book is out. Can't wait. (:
You guys are going to look like complete idiots, lol."

Her and I had a nice little chat.

"...You don't have the book, seriously. I don't know why you would lie, I don't have your brain, but it's just pointless. Well, we'll see tomorrow who's going to look imbecilic.

TheAgentOfChaos

Ah, that we most certainly will..."

Suffice to say, Jennifer never came back.

5:
The Two Weeks of Terror

The equation for pure, unadulterated awesome was another discovery of this year. It happened in late June. It is as follows:

Batman + 4 (to the power of cool) = AWESOME.

I must say, whether it was the terrorist campaign launched on Mitchell's room and all who inhabited it, getting messed over by Six Flags, or perhaps writhing in the agony that comes from killer sun exposure and swimming at night like a moray eel, it resulted in what were possibly the best two weeks ever. (AND WE GOT WILLIAM BECKETT'S AUTOGRAPH FTW YES!)

4:
Jaguars are *clap, clap* ROWDY!

High school. Let me describe it in a form all can relate to. Haiku.

Nothing is finished
Upperclassmen drive, yell
"Lets murder some fish!"

Fish being us. Freshman. The "leetle cheeldren". And oh, the pain of being the youngest. No matter what you may do, say, accomplish or immortalize in graffiti, you will never attain the glory that is Seniordom. You have no one to pick on. The sophomores will simply scorn you and the juniors, mock you. But I like high school, very, very much. And if college is all its cracked up to be, I have a lot to look forward to.

Even still, there are some things that you only get to experience once; events exclusive to grades 9 through 12 in the North East Independent School District. Say, homecoming!

Ours coincided with Halloween, and given I was headed for the dance with my cluster of pre-spinsters, it only seemed appropriate to pose with tall, dark and green himself. So far, as the insider to my fellow frosh, we aren't really doing much until the talent show and prom. Which I get to go to FOR FREE. Because I am awesome. Student council=VIP, yo.

3:
Brava, brava bravissima!

Pirate, eh, it was alright. But another highlight of my year was one of sheer tragedy, plain and simple. Enter: The Trojan Women.

(That's me in the derelict old woman coat. Note the dingy car. It is mine. And car, thy Brooke is a jealous Brooke.)

As "Injured Woman", shown here at curtain call (the only point at which I could forget my injury and skip about like the joyful creature I am!), I would deliver a short monologue, get beat on by cast soldiers Yogi, Aaron, Nick and even Laura the Office Woman, and do a whole lot of pathetic groveling when Menelaus leered over me for a good two minutes. Now, the most memorable part of this production has a great deal to do with that particular part, so let me set the stage.
We, the women, are all on our lonesome because Menelaus keeled our men and sad violins are sad. He comes, and we say we want Helen keeled because we are not happy no sir. So Chris (Menalaus) goes around beating on us and then, after the verbal abuse of moi, faces the audience.
Then, "it" happened. The rental tux was an unwieldy fiend at best, and we knew that. But when his cummerbund literally flew off, it was too much. The entire cast fell into stifled hysterics, while Chris proceeded to kick the cummerbund into the audience in a sudden "fit of rage". Backstage, whispers of "NICE SAVE!" could be heard in multitudes.

2:
A Crazy Little Thing Called Fredericksburg.

I suppose I would be loathe to neglect Fredericksburg, the day that will remain in eternal memory as a brush with hellfire and death itself. The facts have been disputed. The weinerschnitzel has been consumed. (It was a very tasty weinershnitzel, as it happens.) Only the main points are clear, and motivations aside, it may still be too difficult to comprehend. As a wise man or frat boy once said, "you just had to be there, man." But this is Fredericksburg, as far as we know.
- Brooke is PMSing.
- The Nowakowskis are in Fredericksburg.
- Chocolate is overpriced.
- Samples are love.
- Streets are dangerous.
-Brooke is neglectful of others.
- Brooke is a catalyst for street-danger.
- Dad is not pleased.
- Brooke is PMSing.
- Dad is kicking.
- Brooke's shin is not pleased.
- Dad is, if it were possible, less pleased than aforementioned shin.
- Tourist stores are repetitive.
- Brooke nearly goes all emo on the locally grown canned salsa.
- Nowakowskis etc. are of mixed feeling.
- Antique stores are fun.
- Brooke is insidiously unrepentant.
- Did we mention Brooke is PMSing?
- German eateries are modestly priced and worth the drive.
- Weinerschnitzel does not heal all wounds. But it does stem the flow of tears.
- More antiques. Rrrrr.
- Drive home is awkward.
- Discussion is fervent.
- Fredericksburg becomes a meme, taboo, and catchphrase within the span of a single day.

As for the rest...well, we learned many things at Fredericksburg. And lets just say we haven't been back lately. I do miss the schnitzel, though.

1:
O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A! (and Arkansas)

Oklahoma was an experience indeed. Made an experience by three key things.

(Imaginary Snake Friend: Oh my! It is a list within a list!)
(Brooke: How very revolutionary a notion!)

1. Seeing my Uncle Wesley again was a blessing in itself. I believe there are concepts and ideas that cannot be understood by rote knowledge alone, and have to be experienced, but visiting his home was another thing entirely. When I look into the life I have lived, and see not only the comforts I have been surrounded by, but also see the difference in the world I am raised in, I have new levels of appreciation for all I consider normal.
2. Uncle Wes alone is truly a pleasure to meet. When you spend your time in the presence of people even as young as I that spend all their leisure time in careful calculation for the next move in business and society on any level, it is almost shocking to see a person who really has no malicious intent toward others. A pleasant surprise, though. A kinder, gentler individual than Uncle Wes would be unheard of amongst the people I usually find myself in the company of. It becomes clearer and clearer, the more time I spent in his presence, that what the world labels a disability is in fact the ability to do what few others can: see the world without the filter that makes so many of us cynical and cruel in the face of hardship.
3. Last, and probably least of all, was a series of frightening coincidences that ended up keeping me awake until late hours of night, listening to 30 Seconds to Mars and praying the ghost of the Judge didn't come for me in my sleep.

It is Nowakowski lore 101. Joseph Smith, who is not a mormon, is instead a murdering hothead sentenced to death by His Honor, Judge Isaac Parker. He is hung by the man known better at "the Hangin' Judge", and time goes one.
Enter NOW. We check into the Best Western. Up the elevator to our room.
The Isaac C. Parker Suite.
Panic ensues. Over the course of our time in Fort Smith/Nowheresville, OK, we visit Parker's courthouse. The gallows that hung great-great-great-great-granpappy Jo. Stand under the trapdoor. It's all fairly eerie.
Then the moon is a bright orange color, our last night in town. I decide insomnia isn't that bad after all. And by the time we get out of there, I'm too distracted by Oblivion to write the novel I'd sworn to write about my ancestral hiccup in fate. Someday, maybe.

Imaginary Snake Friend: Now, that was quite the large billboard, was it not?
Brooke: Oh my friend, you have yet to even see her playlist of 08!
Imaginary Snake Friend: *yearns for companionship*
Brooke: Fret not, scaley one. Someday he ought remember.
Imaginary Snake Friend: *sigh*
(they walk off...into the sunset...FIN)

From me and everybody who <3s you, Merry Christmas Dad!

FURSPLOSION COMETH!!!

2008-11-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

Twilight beats Bolt. 33 million so far. Looking to beat opening of "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone".

Summit just confirmed: New Moon is now "In Production".

Hugh Jackman is the sexiest man alive.

.....

I think I may weep with joy.

Twilight Movie says...

2008-11-21T18:24:00.001-08:00

Perfection. I haz it.

OH, where where where where WHERE do I begin?
Well, I suppose the beginning may be best.

We arrived at the theater three hours prior showtime- and were the first to do so. Way up in the front, we slowly watched the fans trickle in. T-shirts, pajama bottoms, and often copies of books being opened and shared between groups for review were a trend of the night.
By the time we entered the theater, the collective spirit of the Twilight fandom was in perfect form. Screaming through the previews (particularly during "the unborn", and when kristen stewart walked onscreen for a different movie), it seemed like this was going to be one very, very long night.

But something I love about Twilighters: they want to be there just as much as you do. By the time the Summit logo dawned over that ginormous screen, you could have heard a pin drop.
Better still, all Twilighters share a similar sense of irony, shock, and when things are just so awkward you know that only a true fan could register this for what it is: Meyer-humor. And that movie had it. Thankfully, it was backed up by fairly good special effects (if slightly awful makeup on a couple characters, some fantastic performances, and more wolfy-sparkly-sepia-washington-magic than you can shake a stick at. LET US BREAK IT DOWN!

Brooke Nowakowski's TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THAT MOVIE

10. Cameos, yo!
Stephenie Meyer is made of awesome. Why is this? Well, in the tradition of Stan Lee, she shows up in her movies. This time, writing away on her laptop whilst conversing with the friendly waitress. Next time- who can say? Either way, I do so love that woman.

9. Washington. I LOOOOOVE Washington.
You know, while I am the first to know that Twilight was- in fact- shot in Kalama, Oregon and NOT the Olympic Peninsula, it still tugs at the heartstrings to see my beloved west coast displayed with such camerawork as only Catherine Hardwicke can provide. Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

8. INCONVENIENT SLO-MO WINDS OF WOE
Any fan will immediately recognize the scene in which our unsuspecting Bella meanders in front of a "fan" (teheh), to the immediate discomfort of Mr. Masen-Cullen. However, our personal audience of le night laughs through the entire thing, with cries of gradually louder "ooooooooooooh!". Edward is fierce. Bella is frightened. And immediately, you can just see Melissa Rosenburg (our screenwriter, much love) just sitting at her desk, thinking "They are gonna diiiig this." And oh, we do. We made Twilight for them, now they are making Twilight for us.

7. Through the age-toned looking glass...
Another coolio write-in: we get to see Carlisle and his first two recruits to Camp Cullen at the all-important momento de decision. What follows looks painful, left us wincing with the memory, and is simply exactly how I imagined it. Soooo veeerrry perfeeeect. :D

6. HE LOOKS LIKE A CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT!
Was what I cried to my seatmates as Edward stepped into that convenient shaft of light. Since I know forests in Washington actually do have "shafts of light", I have not grappled with that concept like y Texan peers. Anyhoo. If you have ever seen those christmas ornaments: the ones that look like they've been rolled in sparkly coconut shavings: thats really all I can compare it to. Needless to say, the sight is magical, and shriek inducing for the group of Reaganites congregated below my seat.

5. Two words. Vampire. Baseball.
You know, there will be some people that hated this part. But I really felt as though they pulled off the effect here, and when you set pretty much anything to "Supermassive Black Hole", it becomes significantly awesome. Plus, when Victoria says she's got a wicked curveball, I believed it.

4. There was no small role, and DEFINITELY no small actors.
Jessica, Mike, Tyler, Eric- they were totally showstealers, and I loved it. You could have made a movie on that alone. Cleverly written, perfectly executed, and I bet you Twilight's midnight showing revenue (all seven milion of it, yo!) that these peeps are getting fanclubs as we speak.

3. THAT FUNKY MUSIC, WHITE BOY!
Having been listening to this soundtrack beforehand, I already knew I liked it. Still, while critics scorned it, I was elated to have the nearly perpetual music playing as the film progressed. n00bs won't get it, but for Smeyer, music WAS Twilight. She has a playlist for every book- sometimes specific songs for specific scenes. Once again, might I say that is the movie for the almighty fan. No way Joe the Plumber will understand a bit of it. However, this has not hurt numbers at all, as we will discuss later...

2. Heartstring #29: is pulled.
One scene that made me cry. Bella leaves Charlie. Made me cry in the book, but Billy Burke's AH-MAZAZING performance was absolutely heartbreaking. It moved me, Bob.

1. Jacob. Edward. O THE HATE!
RAAAAAA YES!!! I knew, the moment those two locked eyes, that this series is destined for EPIC AWESOME. They're perfectly cast, Taylor Lautner (aka Sharkboy, AKA JACOB!) is rather adorable even WITH his terrifying wig, and bound to absolutely MAKE New Moon. Which brings me to the part of the blog which excites me most...

BOX OFFICE WIN!!!
Let me quote the Associated Press. Oh yeah- this is legit.

"The film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's vampire-romance saga scored $7 million from shows at midnight on Thursday, and it's on pace to bank as much as $30 mil on Friday, Variety reports. That Harry Potter-esque sum would rank in the Top 20 of the biggest opening-day grosses in history. Moreover, the film is almost assured of exceeding its expected $60-mil-plus first-weekend haul -- by far."

In other words: Let the New Moon shooting, merchandising, and high-demand-sequel writing BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!

technobopWOOT!!!technobop

2008-11-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

OHYES!!!
After a series of lukewarm episodes, Heroes has taken a turn for the AWESOME. By this, I mean that the final for the Villians saga, AKA Transition From Writers Strike Which Sucked time to the new and improved Heroes we all know and love is forthcoming. In the preview: Heroes, Eclipse, POWERS BE LOST! ALAS!
I translate this into my new theory for that most awesome show on TV, may it be loved by all. By "Fugitives", the name of the new saga, we can know that EVERYBODY ELSE ON EARTH will have superpowers(!) and the Heroes will not! May I reference The Flight of the Concords: THE HUMANS ARE DEAD!!!
But no- these humans live, and how very human they are! This means awesome stuff for Heroes. New people can come in- because the slate is wiped clean! Normal people in a world of oddity! How will they survive? Will they be hunted to extinction? What about the powered people that help these outcasts?

The epic win has arrived.
Thank you, Tim Kring.

And I dedicate this entry to this catchy little dance tune, "Eurodancer", by some DJ nobody knows. Love you, MC Joe the Plumber.

Speak it, Maya

2008-11-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

In my poetic wanderings tonight, I happened upon something that really made me stop and reconsider an author I'd had little interest in prior today. Maya Angelou- a fantastic writer, as it happens, wrote some simple words that brought a light to my day.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"

I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I was just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

It makes me think about talking to people here, trying to share what I believe- even when its hard for them to see why some kids that go to church and do the bit down here can live as though Christ is no part of their life. A lot of these people think christians are playing some kind of better-than-you card, or that we think we are superior. I guess if I could say something outright to anybody here, it would just be that I want them to have the chance to feel the way I have felt with God in my life. I believe there are times when things happen that I could never bear alone. And sometimes I wasn't completely alone- I had my family, sometimes a friend- but when its a dark and quiet night, and all the company a troubled mind has is the troubled thoughts that haunt them and God, I know which I will come back to.

As difficult as it is to bring up, I now look back on a very dark time in my life when people ask that hard question: why do you believe in God? I'll never forget it- two years ago this winter season, when my alienation during school was at its worst. I got sick. I wouldn't know it- honestly, I felt somewhat numb to many things at the time, let alone the physical pains that ailed me- and left my room to find my mom. It wasn't smart to go downstairs, but I went down the first flight, flicking on a light as I headed toward the basement. I thought I heard a stir at the bottom when I turned the corner to the last set of steps, and called mom's name. Then, my legs seemed to vanish beneath me, and the warm electric light disappeared.

I remember hurt, everywhere at once- shriekingly painful, but foggy and far-off, even as it ached throughout my being, even though I couldn't make sense of any limbs or the ground beneath. I could hear Mom's voice, but the words seemed just as muddled, and my own response could not be made.

But worse than anything was the blackness. That sheer darkness that blanketed my senses and my soul. Beyond all the strange sensations of unconsciousness, I wondered if I had died; if this is what it felt like, being eternally seperated from everything that mattered. Away from God.
In the reawakening that occured shortly after, I had time to contemplate my experience- and rethink the life I'd begun to consider so worthless and unimportant.

Then again, I've been on the other side of the table as well. Feeling a golden light and warmth when I was submerged in the baptismal waters of Lake Padden, lasting what felt like minutes in what was only seconds.
Knowing, when Calvin Moehn died, how that little boy was safe. Even now, he was not just flickered out of existence; a soul gone like a candle blown out by one gust of wind.
Finding my supposedly-lost necklace of the cross after a day of sharp doubt and wondering if I was ever supposed to be in Texas at all, before collapsing into tears beside my bed, thanking God for speaking to me when I needed him the very most.

I cannot truly relay to the people I have come to love here how His presence in my life has inexorably changed it. But if Maya Angelou said anything, its that we do not boast, but we live our lives with him in focus. And for that ability, I pray frequently.
So thank you, God, for another year. I know I need not wonder how I survived a fall down a flight of stairs headfirst.

10 In a desert land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,

11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them on its pinions.

12 The LORD alone led him;
no foreign god was with him.

You caught me.

Oh, our poor, poor celebrities

2008-11-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

This is not sarcasm- I am truly starting to feel bad for the guy. As we speak, the Twilight cast (or parts of it) is visiting Hot Topic stores in malls across America for signings, meet/greets, the usual in what has been unofficially dubbed the "tour of terror". But nobody guessed exactly how crazy this would get: proven, as every mall thus far has had to call in police enforcement, helicopters- everything short of the national guard. A quick glimpse at the madness, via a press release from Hot Topic's own admin staff:
"On Monday at 6AM at the San Francisco event, the fans became disorderly and stormed the mall entrance. Mall security, numerous police, fire officials and our team from HT stepped in to calm the crowd and create a safe environment for the fans."

Notice: they leave out the helicopters. ;^D

And FYI- I haven't found my iPod yet. Gar.

And poor Rpattz, the man who cannot take this much longer. I think the fangirls may be driving him mad. A few instances:

"Five minutes in, he's trying to talk but no one can hear him. And then, six minutes in, someone throws him a scarf (which his enforcers quickly confiscate). It's not even Hufflepuff colors. I don't even know. The only thing he said that I was able to make out was "What?"

"One fan who got at least 10 seconds sported a neck tattoo inspired by the book Twilight: an apple with the word lamb next to it.

'Oh, [expletive], is that real?' asked the astonished actor after Alena Marsh displayed it."

Quote:
"But every single time, I get so nervous, and kind of cold sweats, and everything. Every single time. I started crying in Italy. Like, completely involuntarily. [...] Like, do you know when you have the wrong reaction to something? It was really embarrassing. I didn’t even know I was. Kristen, I think, turned around to me. And she’s like, 'Are you crying?' I just found out there’s a whole pile of stuff. So. Yeah. I started crying when people are screaming at me. I really didn’t think that would happen." - Robert Pattinson, following his involuntary *tear,tearing* at SanFran: the Disaster.

In the aftermath of what can only be described at sheer pandemonium across our nation, not only has New Moon gone "into production" and Eclipse begun the scriptwriting process, but the Twilight Soundtrack currently tops the Pop charts, and millions like myself steel ourselves for the imminent midnight release. This has spawned much hilarious commentary.

Some comment/quotes from fellow Twat/Twi/Notlighters:

sithwitch13: He's like a lobster in a tank or something, and you just want to rescue him from all the drooling people with their noses pressed to the glass and release him in a bay somewhere so he can have a fighting chance on his own.

msmanna: If the lobster were smart enough to know what was coming, and was hammering on the glass with its little nippers while screaming, "OH MY GOD, THEY'RE GOING TO BOIL ME AND EAT MY FLESH WITH MELTED BUTTER!"

kijikun: Hot Topic employees aren't even allowed to talk about what happened in SF or any thing else that is happening. I was talking to two of the girls working at Hot Topic yesterday before the Panic at the Disco signing (a very orderly affair, I must say) and the manager came over and was like "yeah we aren't allowed to talk about it. Corp said. So you need to drop it, now."

lyrangalia: I can just see the Hot Topic higher-ups sitting in a room with their heads in their hands while one of them shouts at the front of the room:
"You do not talk about Twilight.
You DO NOT talk about Twilight.
If someone says "sparkle" or goes crazy, cries, the signing is over.
Only 10 customers to a signing.
One signing at a time.
No glitter, no biting.
Signings will go on as long as RPattz doesn't cry.
If this is your first Twilight Event, you HAVE to work security."

From a fake online news site:
"A recent event in San Francisco was particularly disappointing, as only 3,000 fans showed up and all they did was shove each other and possibly give one girl a bloody nose," said Summit VP of marketing Lucas Ledbetter. "If you want a movie targeted at teen girls to be a hit, you need riots of at least 10,000 people and a few dozen of them ending up in the hospital. Our real goal was to to see one or two deaths."

Ledbetter said his company has also been disappointed that fewer than 80% of opening weekend tickets have been sold so far online and that the movie wasn't able to score a coveted spot on the cover of The Economist magazine."

And FYI- I haven't found my iPod yet. Gar.

silence

2008-11-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

That would be the current soundtrack for my life.

The setup: its opening night. I'm excited, nervous, and a little bit queasy, so I listen to my iPod in the hallway outside the auditorium with this girl who just moved from West Virginia. A short time later, its warmups: and crew is reminding us in the most anxiety-inducing manner possible. Thinking frantically, I lean in through the doorway, set said iPod atop a filing cabinet beside a small black binder, and pop into the black box for warmups.
Show goes great. I go home.
iPod stays.
And at approximately eleven 'o clock last night, I realize this.

But hey, easy job- I just pop into the room tomorrow morning, whisk away my mp3 player, and head off to biology.
Problem #1: iPod is not there.
Problem #2: No one seems to know if an iPod has been found.
Problem #3: I've searched my house, every inch of the theater facility, the car, the garage, the lawn: any place that little device could possibly be. Nothing.

So, as I sit here sobbing to myself, I face the revelation that my iPod has been stolen.

Plainly, I was being an idiot bringing the thing in the first place, but I thought "hey, everyone else does it, why not me?". Even an upperclassmen left his overnight the day before, picked it up the next day, and all's well that ends well.
Furthermore, I should have found a better place. Skipped warmups, gone to the dressing room, found my bag and shoved it to the very bottom, but there again: I thought it would be safe! Why oh why did I ever put an ounce of trust or faith in the human race?

Of these facts I am certain: there was most likely no janitorial presence that night. It was there during the time when we all entered the classroom after the show. It was on top of the filing cabinet, never moved by me. I have witnesses to prove each fact. But this brings to light an all the more painful piece of data: the thief ("fur", in latin: we're studying crime vocabulary this week!) is one of the cast or crew. One of these people that circles up for a group prayer each night before curtain, one that I link arms with each and every time, now knows they have taken something that belongs to me. And thus far, they have shown no remorse.

Its hilarious- the kids of the south have something of a reputation, for the most part. Like being born in the bible belt gives you automatic virtue and morals. For some, that may be true.

But when I stop and think about it, there are people everywhere that will do this without a second thought. And while I personally am going to the vice principal's office tomorrow morning to initiate the investigation process, I know there are some people that would never dare.
Why does this happen?

So excuse me while I beat myself up for being a retard in the highest degree. I have an iPod to find, and I will not get a night of restful sleep until I do.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AYAYAYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

AYEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TWWWWIIILIIIIIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Watch, and know my sheer elation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfKsCVIAbQE

That video is made of win. And Paramore?
Haley Williams- you are too legit to quit, as we say in News Staff.

As you all know- or really, as you sure as heck should know if you are even mildly acquainted with me- seventeen days from now, I will have but one goal and one destination: Northwoods 14, midnight (or two hours prior, so I can attract media attention as I mingle with other similarly neurotic teenagers), theater 7, most likely in or around the back row so I can jump up and scream without obstructing view of that fantastic reel of film which shall bring to life a novel I have dreamed of since July 2007. In Taylor's bedroom. When I uttered three important things that would alter the path of all things to follow.

1. Man..... Edward is kind of a creep, don't you think?
Taylor: NOOOEZ I LOVE EDWARD!
Kaitlyn: *shrug* I like Jasper.

2. Hey..... Jacob is a werewolf!
Taylor: *is scandalized*
Kaitlyn: Don't! I haven't got New Moon yet!
Brooke: WHATWHATWHAT??? ITS JUST A GUESS!

3. This is a weird book.
Taylor: Don't judge it till you read it!
Kaitlyn: You know what would be weird? If it turns out that Remus is really James and they got switched under the willow back when Sirius was trying to trick Snape and that would totally explain all the fatherly-sonly chemistry between Harry and his favvy teacher over the years--
Brooke: DON'T JUDGE TILL YOU READ IT, VAMPIRE!
Taylor: But I love vampires!
Brooke: Vampires suck! I'm siding with the werewolves.
Taylor: But Jacob is a freak!
Brooke: IS NOT!!!
Taylor: YOU HAVEN'T EVEN READ IT YET!!!
Kaitlyn: *sigh*

Its been over a year since my Twilight experience began. A book that accompanied me from north to south, a fond reminder of home in an unfamiliar place, and- while other aspects might not have rendered such merit- the novel with a special place in my heart even now.

So me and Meaghan Cantu, both having tickets to the same showing and being stuck in the same Theater Productions class where all we do is read monologues and discuss this guy from Law and Order who is doing a workshop at our school in a couple weeks (not nearly as interesting as it sounds), decided we need to do something cool. And so I prose a poll- which, I suggest, you vote on- since I cannot make up my own mind.

School has thus far continued to keep me up late, waking up early, and completely exhausted at the times in between- in fact, a few weeks ago, I labored under the impression that I had carried my makeup bag with me for two hours in the morning, lost it in the locker room, and then proceeded to tell all my friends I had been a victim of blatant thievery: only to discover I'd left it on the office desk before I ever left the house. Then there was the clock....waking up at five, thinking the clock said six, panicking and pulling all my stuff together and dressing, then noticing the clock read 5:59 and falling into an tired heap on my bed.

Dontcha just love high school?

But its been fun- and once teams are set and the Trojan Women is over, my schedule quiets down considerably. Which might be nice, lest I get bored. Boredom, however, is the least of my worries, having become part of an unnoficial blood-pact with the people I eat lunch with to write a novel spanning 50,000 words, as a part of National Write a Novel Month. Yes, it exists.

We have it all planned out: deadline, discussion days, and consequences ranging anywhere from sitting in the middle of the walkway and eating lunch alone to shaving Keely from West Virginia's eyebrows off. This looks to be fun.

So everybody- have a fantastic election day (if that is possible.) Watch out for the moose, Dad. And Momitch- much love.
-Me!

head explodes

2008-11-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

I am currently laughing so hard, tears are streaming from my eyes. And- for once- I must leech off another's writing, just to share this with everyone. The worst book ever has been found. And I am in hysterics. Enjoy, courtesy of Amazon.com:

"Trapped under a beam with the countdown ticking away, the monster just on the other side of the battered door, and my friends are trying to free me, I look up at them and yell, "Go on without me. I'll be alright. I'll hold him off while you escape!" And my friends, because they know my sacrifice won't be in vain, make their getaway and when the monster breaks through just as the explosives go off, I know I died saving the lives of my dearest friends."

That pretty much sums up my experience reading Aaron Rayburn's novel, THE SHADOW GOD. I took one for the team, so the rest of you would NEVER have to be subjected to this beast. I beg you, don't let my selflessness be for nothing. Heed my warning. This is the worst book ever written."

*endless snorkling*

The back cover copy reads "Craig Johnson had two best friends, two caring parents, a hot girlfriend, and a nice truck--not bad for a twenty-year-old." Already we're in trouble. The author photo shows Rayburn in all his mid-20s virginal glory. Manson contacts, a black cap turned backwards with a red 666 monogrammed on it, he's posing next to what looks like a rubber demon. His bio includes the line "He also says that he owes a great deal of gratitude to the Devil . . . for filling his mind with such horrific images."

If this book is the most horrific thing the devil can come up, I think humanity is safe from the threat of hell.

There are so many things wrong with this book, I decided to keep notes so I could present them in an orderly fashion, with quotes to back me up. I don't want you to take my word for this novel's horridness, I'm going to let Rayburn speak for himself. We'll start with the plot.

Craig Johnson was cursed at birth when his parents left the town church led by the possibly-evil Father Spiers. Spiers then tricked Craig's father Matt into strangling him, only in the end, Matt had killed, not Father Spiers, but one of the doctors. So Matt's been in jail Craig's entire life. Shortly after Craig's 20th birthday he begins to notice a blue light emanating from his bedroom closet. He calls for his mommy (I'm not making that up, it's on page 14), but she doesn't see any light, so he plays it off like he'd seen a rat, and asks her to check in his closet. After she leaves, Craig is compelled to enter the light, which takes him to the Dark World, which is sometimes like a vast black void, paved of course cuz you have to have something to walk on in a void, and sometimes is like Craig's own neighborhood, complete with the houses of his friends. Those friends, Todd and Mark, are also pulled into the Dark World, but they make their escape and then begins the action as the three try to solve the mystery of the blue light and the dark world. To sum up--this book is 454 pages, okay?--Craig is the reincarnation of Abel, the Shadow God is Cain, and Father Spiers is Cain's acolyte, sent to prepare for his return to the real world. In the midst of all this Mark is killed and resurrected by Ridley, a club owner/satanist (he runs The Satanist Group Association. Again, I wish I was making this up!) and servant to Spiers and the Shadow God.

Craig's girlfriend, his mother, his father, as well as Mark's sister Margie and Todd's parents, are all killed and the cops think Craig did it. One cop does, anyway, Detective Jim Underwood, son of the doctor Craig's father Matt strangled to death 20 years earlier. DUN-DUN-DUN!!! There's a showdown where Craig is sucked into another portal to face Cain, who then becomes a dragon, and Todd jumps in to help his friend, they all die--except Craig--and we live happily ever after.

Okay, I know it doesn't seem THAT bad from the plot. But I haven't begun quoting yet. Mark Twain said, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

Rayburn wasn't even close.

"Spiers's eyes popped extraneously from their sockets, as his face turned from a deep red to a sickly purple."

"Extraneous" means "irrelevant." I don't think that's what he meant. At least, I hope not.

Here's my favorite:

"The lamp's glow was very weak compared to the blue glow emancipating from the basement."

Emanating, Rayburn, EMANATING. When will people learn never to trust their SpellCheck without verifying it's the word they meant??? There are, in total, 11 instances of Rayburn using the wrong word, and believe me, each one is funnier than the last.

Okay, one more.

"It infiltrated his lungs, filling them with a kind of innovativeness he had never felt before."

To be honest, I don't know what word he meant, but I keep seeing Craig's lung filing patents for a dozen new inventions, getting promotions for discovering an even newer formula for Tide laundry detergent, or finding the cure for cancer.

Then there are the characters. Craig and his buddies are all 20, they're in college, and they have cars and money. Craig bribes the guard with hundred dollar bills when he's trying to get in to see his father in
prison. Yet never in the entire book do these men go to class, nor to a job. Where did Craig get his "nice truck"? His mother works "odd jobs", so I doubt she co-signed the loan.

And the dialogue. Oh dear, the dialogue.

"That's probably the fiercest dragon known to man," Craig tells Todd toward the end. Because, you know, we have so many different kinds of dragons in the world with which to compare.

Okay, so he uses the wrong word and his characters are morons. You can overlook a misused word here and LOTS of writers are horrible with characters. Hell, I'm guilty of this myself. But sometimes he just
plain gets his facts WRONG:

"The stranger was beastly in size with thick, bushy eyebrows, a prominent protruding forehead, and a thick, black coarse beard. His gait was that of a mammal--a Neanderthal."

I know I never went to college, but um . . . do you think Rayburn knows HUMAN BEINGS are mammals as well?

And later we learn that Cain and Abel were Neanderthals who lived in the stone age, feared dinosaurs, and that Cain was kicked out of the Garden of Eden for slaying his brother. Dude, Cain and Abel weren't born until a LONG time after Adam and Eve--the only two people who ever lived in the Garden of Eden--were kicked out.

And not only is this the worst book ever written, it's also the worst-written book ever.

Behold:

"Of all the things to think, he never thought he'd think that."

And:

"Already, he knew he wouldn't be able to do it. In fact, he KNEW he wouldn't."

???

Wasn't that already established in the previous sentence?

"Eubanks looked annoyed. He exhaled annoyingly and said..."

You know what? I could do this all night.

THE SHADOW GOD is the perfect example of everything that's wrong with publishing in today's world. Anyone with the notion--talent or not--can write a "book", then contact a place like AuthorHouse ("publisher" of this fine volume and, I'm sure, Rayburn's second novel which I don't care enough to look up the title to), and unleash this mess on an unsuspecting world. And then we wonder why no one reads anymore. Why should they? If this is the kind of stuff they're being subjected to.

Used to be a writer had to learn to WRITE before they could get published. Now, all you need is a couple thousand dollars and you got yourself a book. Talent? Who needs it? Skill? What for? Learning to write? Are you kidding me? Forget about it, I've got this here manyooscript and an address I can get it printed, I'mma be one of dem novelists. Riches, here I comes!!!

It's enough to make aspiring writers want to give up seeking legitimate publishing venues. Please don't. Just be sure to write better than this guy."

Since I know I'm going to be busy...

2008-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

...with journalism this weekend, just thought I ought to post a new entry.
*pleased sigh* I didn't have to go to practice eeeearrllly this morning.
Instead, I went to Student Council, where we discussed fundraisers and various other matters of trivial consideration. Tonight I look forward to berating my mother for giving me MITCHELL'S LUNCH after MITCHELL refused to open the door to let me get my cellphone! But *sigh*, I am okay now, albeit rather hungry and without a phone. But you can't blame me! Who eats go-gurts and sandwiches with nothing but ham on them?

Journalism continues to progress splendidly- although, for reasons yet to be determined, whenever you go to myspace video it immediately directs you to the NEISD home page. Like- oh, you wandering adolescent, read some Encyclopedia Britiannica!

The weather has more of a bite to it nowadays, but regardless, I continue to wear shorts and sweat profusely in the hot sunlight of Texas. I look forward to doing a fair bit of that this afternoon, as we rally for a hopeless game against Reagan. Its kind of hilarious- we made t-shirts saying "Blue In, Green Out". Problem being, "Green Out" was Reagan's idea of a clever pun based on A&M's "Maroon Out", and thus, we are suffering from an unfortunate case of pun-of-a-pun due to the fact that our cheerleaders cannot make a clever slogan to save their lives.

Aside from this, very little has gone on in the Johnson circuit these days. Aside from the idea of a "Mr. Johnson Beauty Pagaent" (do not ask), I have been rehearsing like crazy! And I gotta go. Now. So---byebye!

THE LULLABY, SHE COMES!!!

2008-10-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

A thing of perpetual pondering amongst Twilighters since the announcement of the movie has been made remains as such:
WHEN WILL THEY PUT IN THE LULLABY???

Well, I was just informed by my journalism teacher (long story) that Hot Topic will be "airing" the full soundtrack the evening of the 24th at all its chains nationwide, which means one of two things.

ONE- I will hear the soundtrack TWO HOURS before you west coast SUCKAAAAAS!!!!
and
TWO- I may be recruited to photojournal the event. *sigh* But its cool.

You heard it here first! And now I have to start working- so adios, and AYAYAYA!!!

*ps...still muuuuuuy feliz la maya es muerta, si?*

yay!

2008-10-15T18:20:00.001-07:00

AT LAST, MY DREAM IS REALIZED!!!
I would like to dedicate this moment in song. Enjoy.

Its a thing I've dreamt of since the day she raced onscreen with Alejandro- the man who time (and his own sister) forgot. For once, Mohinder did something right. (although I personally am enjoying his chaotic-justice complex right about now.)

And while it may be hard for some to swallow (if it is, I prose: WTH is wrong with you???), it is the truth: straight up from heroestheseries.com's correspondent with E!. And let me tell you- that chick is NEVER wrong.

So while we await the sure-to-be-clever return of Ando, the sheer awesomeness that will be Papa P, and the nightmares sure to follow once Claire and Co. butt heads with the puppetmaster- a few spoilers to hold you over. Think of them as appetizers for an inexplicably savory main course!

Well, you heard it here first: we are going to lose Adam. However, my delirious happiness will be obvious to anyone who fans with me on this series, since my three main issues with season 2 were as follows:
1. Maya.
2. Elle-ctric Slide (though she kind of grew on me once she quit trying to snatch peter from singledom)
3. THE GUY WHO TRIED KILLING HIRO, DARN HIM!!! Also known as: Adam Monroe, the psuedo-Claire from feudal Japan. Which, by the way, is not the type of place you wanna head to over thanksgiving break. At the very least, leave the kids at home.

With Elle permanently depressed and going loner on us- just the way I like it- my problems with Heroes are disappearing fast. Also, given the great thought I put into the viewing of each episode, I am rarely stalled by the confusion that plagues most viewers of this most spectacular show. But while I enjoy it so very much, I have to say- if they cancel it, I may just stop watching TV altogether. Office aside, Heroes is the best thing on the screen right now. Even better than the debates, if you ask me- and yes, I did watch the majority of these latest borefests, and yes, it was more and more of the same old thing. So as the government, economy and weather patterns of texas continue to baffle and disappoint, one thing can always be counted on: monday nights, and all the joys they bring.
And no, I don't mean football.

Other news...is brief, since this is a spoiler post and my mom is nagging me to sleep, although I will undoubtedly sleep at 10:30 and wake up at 6:27 as I do every night since my dreams have started coming back. Not sure why, but I have been having them like crazy lately. First time I'm in somebody's house off northshore by the silver beach grocery- listening to this guy talk about how he disposed of his brother's remains in the ocean and reading what claire ordered off on-demand in season 1- and in the second, taking a bus ride with this incompetent chick I know driving the thing, while people fly out the windows as we careen around Johnson. You know, I would kill for a MEANINGFUL dream once in a while. I mean, one where my classmates are NOT inexplicably milling around Britton road.

Argh, she nags again.
(sorry mom- i still love you)
ADIOS!!!
(AND VIVA SPIDERMO!!!)

Compare and Contrast

2008-10-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

I really should be doing my homework right now. But as of this afternoon, there are far more important things I would much rather be writing about.

Because that is, after all, my subject matter of choice: topics of importance. Say, for instance, Teen Team.

After receiving my mass-produced fail letter from the San Antonio express news, I decided to do a little undercover reporting of my own: analyzing LAST year's group. And oh, the things I learned.

Justine Cantu: A twin with no other distinguishing features, aside from her "proud achievement" of a 100 on a short story in fourth grade. Her first 100. Her mother must be so proud.

Dylan Elmore: Has dreads and paints. Journalism? Oh, he's just good at it.

Zahra Farah: Her father ran for president in Somalia. She's class president and "academic editor". Fancy. In my newspaper class, we call that "proofing"- its the busy work given to people with nothing better to do. Hey- I guess I'm an academic editor too!

Samuel Gomez: He's in band. And...that's it.

Andrea Marquise: I quote:

"Marquise has gained this new independent perspective on life after a wakeup call in February.

'Earlier this year I had to have surgery because I had a fibrotic cyst, and I was told that it might have been breast cancer,' Marquise said.

'I was always thinking, what if I did have cancer? My time would have been cut short, and from that point on I was always like, 'I've got to live it up!''

Because of the surgery Marquise missed school and soccer practice.

'It was really difficult because we were studying for AP tests,' she said. 'It was during the soccer season too, and I just wanted to practice.'

Now she appreciates what each day brings.

Marquise recalled feeding a family of four raccoons while working at the Hill Country Hyatt Regency Resort.

'There is a family of four raccoons that live in a bush that we throw graham crackers at,' Marquise said. 'The mom will only come near us only but not the babies. The first time I fed the momma raccoon she walked up to me and took the graham cracker out of my hand and ate it.

'I don't take anything for granted anymore,' Marquise said.

Yeah. Very, very moving.

The list goes on and on. Melissa Martin, the fashionista. Rachael McBride, of whom we seem to hear more about her Dad in the air force and the places she has lived than anything she ever accomplished in journalism. Lindsay Medina- she made a cake out of pop tarts! Brianna Roberts, Chris Rodgers, Valdamar Tejada, and the ubiquitous Kendra Taylor, pastor's daughter and "assistant business manager for the yearbook staff".

So, Express-News: where did I go wrong?

You know, I really could have gone about this the wrong way. Talked about overcoming two severely impacted molars and Osgood-Schlatter syndrome, my fight to sing in choir (any choir), my amazing ability to pick up little ditties on the piano, the time when I got a perfect report card in fourth grade, my months of living in hotels and "cramped apartments"- even that day when I spent four hours taking care of some dumb bird that stunned itself flying into our window.

But the facts were clear. I'm no San Antonio native. I don't march or fiddle or pirouette. And I'm way more Tony than Maria, if you get my drift. *snaps fingers rhythmically*

I'm not a senior, and I may hold little more than the position of staff writer as of today. Yet already I'm putting out more content than any editor on our team. And I know for a fact that I can write circles around any of these kids- a fact I intend to prove the weekend after next, at the Texas Association of Journalism Education.

So San Antonio Express-News: I know you "informed me" that I might feel free to contribute to your newspaper through online blogging and will be contacted when your writers need "a teenager's perspective".
Don't bother. I'll give all that to you, right now.

Teenagers aren't stupid. At the very least, not this one. We can see when you're desperate because no kid with HTML knowledge would actually waste time volunteering with your program. And we know when we're not wanted. But just because my last name isn't De La Fuente and I don't make gift baskets for the troops and play the trombone doesn't give you the right to choose what looks good over what journalism is all about: the writing. Call me, but I'm not going uncredited in your paper so some other snotnose kid from the high-risk school can have their fifteen minutes of fame. Because I've been there, and no one cared in that tiny little town that I was from Whatcom Middle School: they just said I was darn good at what I do.
And I know I am, to this day. Dozens of UIL judges can't be wrong.
So you keep picking whatever looks diverse enough for you. I'll keep writing.

And Officer Krupke- Krup you!

A Moment In Time - the Johnson Times

2008-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

We at the Johnson Newspaper are celebrating today. For over a delicious monster pizza, chatting of lame pep rallies and plans to make second page of the yearbook on the eve of our homecoming game, our newspaper is out of the press.
It smells good. Like ink and new paper and sweat and blood. Ink, for the thousands of words and many days we typed until our fingers twinged. Paper, for the smooth, modern layout and honest pictures that dot every page. Sweat, for that deadline day when we panicked over those idiots who don't allow their name in the school publications, but wanted to be interviewed anyway. And blood- for those many, painful papercuts.

Its a day etched in time- for as long as this school stands, and funding holds, this is Issue 1, Volume 1, of our brainchild. That which we carried from conception to today; surviving its tumultuous birth and now preparing to grow in a strange new world.

As many people that will follow, we are the first. Eight pages of art, advertising and great writing, our own to call "the original". And like those thirteen secret seasonings, we poured our efforts into giving it all the zest and flavor of our time and talent. Its a little greasy at times, and we may have forgotten a few drumsticks, but this is one fine product. From our table to yours.

We ponder if someday, when some young up-and-coming reporter makes a 10 Ideas list of their own, will "Johnson Pride Retrospective" be among them? Will that rookie be interviewing us, who once scrambled for the smallest quote from the biggest names on campus, on how this institution came to be?

I'm certain each of us, be it with a gentle smile or a malevolent chuckle, will have some pearl of wisdom to share. So, in Newspaper class fashion, I will end this entry with quotes.

RACHEL -
"I'm trying to think of something really deep and meaningful, but actually, I'm just really really excited right now."

MADISON-
"I'm so excited right now, like I'm totally going to send it to all my families. I mean, family members--wait!"

ASHLEY-
"I'm going to frame it. On my wall."

JEWETT-
"You all did an excellent job for this to be a new school with a new staff. There are accomplished schools out there right now that still don't have an issue printed...... well, maybe you shouldn't write that."

DOMINIC-
"I just called Mr. Wickerham a metro."

B.B.-
"YEAH STEP TEAM!!!"

EVAN-
"........"
(nothing. he's out for yom kippur right now. PSYCHE!)

Another week, another review

2008-10-07T18:06:00.001-07:00

In customary manner, I have been spurred to write on my blog for the one thing that drives me to theorize and jump about my room in glee like little else on this earth:
SEOREH!

Yes, that was backwards. But then, so are many things in the Heroverse these days. Let us begin with my typical play-by-play of characters:

PARKNE:
Ah yes. Having watched this episode with a friend from the hood, I, (along with her mother), totally called it, which we were not hesitant to rub in the face of aforementioned friend and her brother. While current Daphne continues to free agent in the biz of evil and Parkman grappels with his amphibian totem guide and possible future, these two are one big family in the not-so-distant future, united by wuv and their baby, Daniella. *cue collective "awwww"* Along with Molly, who is apparently stunted in her growth following the brutal murder of her parents, they live in a very mod-art apartment and (recurring theme) live in a world of Mr. Mom and the feminine provider. Looooonng story short, Daphne dies, and now present Matt is determine to seek out this future and prevent unbeknownst blonde from her fiery fate. I wish him well.

MOLLY:
Just had to do a rundown here, given this little un' has been through sooo many screwed up situations by this point in the series. Let me list the ways.
MOM AND POP: So very nice- of course, until padre froze over and madre got spiked to a wall.
THE COMPANY: And we ALL know what a great parent figure Angela is!
THE FBI: Somehow better; somehow much worse.
MOHINDER: Who, by the way, is not very good at explaining "how-babies-are-made-to-save-babies-who-are-superpowered-and-much-more-loved-by-their-daddies-oh-woe-is-me!"
MOMATT: Scary, scary times. As it turns out, TWO Mr. Moms made for a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.
MOMAYSY: Maya= all that sucks in this world, Mo= ?, Sylar= Apparently on far better terms with his own spawn than Mollywobbles.
MR./MRS. GONZALEZ: With Speedy and Matt busy building their happy (not) family, she enjoys dealing with heart-breaking regret over meddling with Claire and her Posse. and listening to a random mp3 player in her spare time. Lovely.

MYHINDER:
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
I admit: I cheered sufficiently when he pushed her away. GAR to Maya and all she stands for, as well as her lame "handicap". But with her happily out the door and out of the apartment, I admit- not sure what to make of Mohinder. He's roachman, fo shiz, but will he become that hoodie-wearing recluse of the future, or remain the wife-beater-beating object of awesome we now see? The future is cloudy. But so far, I dig Mo2.0, big time.

Future!PETER:
Is dead. *sigh*

Current!PETER:
Has...THE HUNGER!!!
*dun-dun-DUUUUUUN*
Which was both effective and frightening in its own right. (weeps for bad-hair Nathan) But with Peter back on his innocent turn with the intro of season 3, it will be interesting to see who is more inclined to "fight the power": Sylar, or my all time absolute favvy, Peterelli. Which brings me to...

SYLAR/MY NAME IS GABRIEL!!! PT 2:
He's very angsty about that.
In the future, Gabriel is a stay-at-home Daddy who enjoys raising his memoir-son Noah, frolicking with Mr. Muggles and churning out waffles. He also inexplicably lives in the Bennet house and consequently angers Future!Claire. And yes- I got considerably misty when the little fella died and poor rehabbin' Gabriel went boom. THAT was powerful storytelling right there. But more than anything I loved seeing him on the mend- surrounding himself with memories of his past, but denying himself what he truly desired. And that watch sequence? Pure. Awesome.
But current Sylar remains creepalicious. And I reeeeally wanna see some Petrelli battle action, prontozo.

HRG/ANGELA/EVERYONE WHO DOESN'T REALLY MATTER ANYMORE:
Angela: Going to die before the season ends.
Elle: Its her and Sylar, yo.
Arther Petrelli: Coming back next episode, runs pinehearst: check it.
http://www.pinehearstresearch.com/
HRG: He will die in the line of fire, possibly at Peter's hand. Sylar will feel bad, and it will inspire him to be good and name his son after him. Awesomeness will ensue.
Adam Monroe: Man, I really hope he dies, and soon. Next to Elle and Maya, nobody really annoyed me more in season 2.
Presiding Villians: All but Knox, who is apparently fairly durable, are dead meat. Go fig.
Nat and the Clone: Sounds like a show from the seventies. But they're perfect, I always liked the pairing, I am actually enjoying their storylines, and wish them the best. Here's hoping Tracy doesn't have the same thing for black guys that Nicki apparently fostered. Trox doesn't sound nearly as cool as....well, its just not as cool.
Muggles: How does this thing survive EACH and EVERY season?

HIRANDO:
LOOOVE!!! LOVE WILL TEAR THEM APART!!! AGAIN!!!
That vent scene was magical. But it was the last we may ever see of the Hiro/Ando heartwarming friendship. Heroes is all drama from here on out, and (having read some stuff on next episode, evil laugh), I can say to you now: he will take a different path than his headstrong but heroic friend. He's drunk with power, which was originally EVERYONE ELSE in the series, yet has now fallen on the shoulders of the man whom uttered "yatta!". I mourn his loss. But villain Hiro will be most intriguing.

Aside from my typical TV-watching pursuits (note: other than the office, this is literally the only time I ever watch the stuff, fyi), life continues to move along at an unexpectedly fast pace. I run- a lot. I rehearse- not enough, or so I'm told. I work on homework, sing in the choir, and still somehow find time to find every landmark in Oblivion and read weird comic books with names like "Fruit's Basket". Life is good, but I could sure use a break at times.
Regardless, the future is amazing- Halloween (woot!), Twilight movie (WOOT!), and the PSAT (woot?) are all closing in. Updates to follow, and Brooke out!

One of us, one of them, two weeks of pulling my hair out over the stressful plotline...

2008-10-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Which, consequently, is exactly what I will have been doing by the time I watch NEXT week's episode. Gr.
So, in this episode, we learned three very, very disturbing things.
1. Tracy... is a clone. *cue twilight zone theme*
2. Peter... has been hurled into the futuret. *cue "time warp"*
3. Sylar, aside from being something close to a zombie and having a strangely hilarious southern twang... will be friends with Mr. Muggles...in the future. *cue me, screaming, very loudly*

Not only that, but Niki is also dead (which I was surprisingly unemotional about, given I have no feelings toward clones. No, not like that, pyro.) And, Parkman realizes what we already found out two weeks before the season premier, given I read spoilers: Him! Speedy Gonzalez! Love! Death! Baaaaaybaaayy!!!!
Given, I want Parkman to be happy. I really do. But there are too many lose ends in that plotline already- IE, what the heck happened to his wife and her illegitimate child? Much like Nathan's family, they appeared to have parted ways and consequently slid off the face of the earth. Go figure.
But regardless...next week looks to be verrrry interesting. Especially considering the producer wasn't all too happy with this episode, and considering that the two characters I buried in my backyard (loooong story) will return. *eeep!*
In other news- I'm writing this blog from school! Specifically, from the journalism classroom, from an amazing mac which I have grown to know and love, much like an artificial limb or a parasite. Still, we've gotten over the little quirks in its system, and even started to appreciate them. I have a very deep, *cough* APPRECIATION *cough*, for the fact that the internet on THESE computers, as opposed to all other computers in the school, allow me to visit the twilight lexicon and my fav heroes website at my leisure. And of leisure there has been much, since our newspaper is virtually done, and only the photo/design people are at work as of now. This is not me- I write, therefore, I am inept at photoshop and indesign. I laud those who are, though- that stuff takes practice.
So here I sit, typing away, and I wonder- what more do I have to write about?
Answer: An. Awful. Lot.
Basketball continues to wear me down in a cruel and heartless fashion. While I enjoy scrimmaging and can endure the running, they appear to be planning on before and after school practice- five days a week, in addition to in-school practices- and it becomes eerily apparent why they have these giant metal vats a la Frankenstein sitting around the trainer's office for people to ice themselves in. I got a good, long look at the coach's office when I came in about my hip soreness. Doesn't seem like anything is actually wrong with it, but for reasons yet to be determined, this little number has caused aching and the unwarranted trembling of limbs over the past two weeks.
Gar. I. Hate. Running.
But it will be over in a few weeks, concluding with a cross country meet we MUST compete in. MUAHAH! *imagines face of the especially hated coach when I stroll leisurely past the finish line*
JK. But regardless, I'm taking this run SOOO easy. My teammates may loath me. But I really don't care at this point.
Well, I have to go to lunch now. Adios!

PB AND J, SHE LIVES!!!

2008-09-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

WOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In a move that was so full of awesome, it pwned heroes fo shiz to the hizzle (that was never meant to mean anything, just so you know) JIM PROPOSED TO JAM!!! IN THE RAIN!!! I SCREAMED MYSELF HOARSE!!! YAAAAAAY!!!!!!!
I've waited soooo long for this moment. And while the passion is fresh, I would like to dedicate this moment in time to the world's greatest shipping, ever. May September the 25th remain in living memory until the end of time.

The happy couple.

PS - I am having stress breakouts over the whole heroes fandango. Will someone just leak season 3 for me, before I get an ulcer? Kthanxbye.

Its Prediction Time! (again)

2008-09-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

As you all probably know or may as well guess from the other posts on my blog, in the wake of Breaking Dawn, I was a tiny bit lost. Okay, very very lost. When another book release blips in and out of existence like a vampiric vision of the future, and the movie is weeks (gar!) away, what is an aimlessly surfing fangirl to do?

Along came Heroes...

To be precise, along came the HEROES SEASON PREMIERE!!! And let me tell you, I don't think I've ever been so on edge about a piece of programming in my life.

First, I turned on NBC- exactly an hour prior the premier in order to watch the annoying little red carpet dealio and the random video clips that only serve to make me more anxious than before (if that was possible).
But what to my wondering eyes should appear, but the cable was screwed up, and I could barely determine the brand of car displayed in the current commercial!
So we called Time Warner Cable (may their name be forever scorned), who politely (and with an almost indecipherable accent) informed us the problem would be fixed in two hours.
*panic ensues*
So I call people with TVs (AKA 1313 Woodworthington Place), and halfway through my investigation, the picture begins to flicker into normality. I give my half screeching half sympathetic farewell and begin to watch.
Three hours, and it barely felt like five minutes!
As this was the first time I had ever seen Heroes on cable (cowers in born-again-heroes-fan-ness) I admit I found the commercial breaks slightly unnerving. But otherwise, season three appears to pwn season 2 in ways that cannot be described in words. (to the non-believer: shunnnnnuh!) And I am deliriously happy, to say the very least. But with a new season comes that which makes fandom so very fun...
PREDICTIONS!!!

Hero we go!
In reflection of the multi-character storyline Heroes follows, my predickies will be arranged in a person to person format. Enjoy!

SYLAR
AKA GABRIEL GRAY
AKA GABRIEL PETRELLI
BETTER KNOWN AS: He Who Must Eat Your Brain
Or does he?
I am not quite sure what to make of Sylar anymore. I don't think he will ever pair up with anyone....ever (not that Mylar really ended up happening in the first place). But with that weird and utterly inexplicable revelation that Gabe is, in fact, a PETRELLI (yes, it must be all caps), a thousand possibilites spring to mind. For one, there are all the allusions the recently revived Nathan has made to angels. Now, before you say "Brooke, you've been watching waaaay too much Van Awesome", think about it. Thiiiink about it.

CLAIRE BENNET
AKA THE CHEERLEADER
BETTER KNOWN AS: She Who Is Only A Brunette In The Eveeel Future
(Brunettes worldwide go: wth?)
She can't feel pain. The pain made her feel human. ANGST! ANGST! ANGST!
I would venture to say that Syler, in the process of playing his favvy game, "I Tinker wit ur Thinker", removed some little chunk or other that equates to a pain receptor. But the greatest question of all: why is this even important? Greater still: What happened to that bratty little brother with the name out of 1921?

MOHINDER SURESH
AKA MR. DUMB AS A BOX OF ROCKS
BETTER KNOWN AS: Fly Man!
Oh, Mohinder, Mohinder, Mohinder. What a plan I have for you!
Following Mohinder's to-be-expected injection with super soldier serum and rather unexpected transformation into a wall-crawling sex maniac, he spurred the two single most disturbing events in the premier. One: Him. Maya. *dry vomit*, and Two: Something is growing out of his back. While the first is far more disgusting than the second can or ever WILL BE, the producers obviously mean for us to see numero dos as terrifying, and thus, we will proceed as such.
Many fans have noted that this follows the plotline of "The Fly", a 1986 remake, to a q. As someone who ran around the room screaming "HE'S THE BEAST! HE'S THE BEAST!" with wild fervor, I will admit- I am slightly disappointed.
But a fly? Seriously? That would suck on ice. I'm going for lizard. Him staring at his veins, the scale-like growths, light sensitivity, going to wash his face in the middle of the night for no apparent reason (yes, I am overanalyzing this- I am aware). But more than anything, the one thing that convinced me.....

MOHINDER THE LIZARD AY AY AY!
It all makes sense. I am certain. And I will not be swayed!

MATT PARKMAN
AKA THE DONUT-LOVIN PSYCH-DETECTIVE WITH ABANDONMENT ISSUES
Mattaroonio has been stuck in the wilds of Africa (where, shockingly, Sprint's far-reaching grasp has already taken hold in the heart of native peoples), and after being rescued by the distant relative of Isaac Mendes, sits down for a chat. Shockingly little happens. Future!Peter is oh so very mysterious in his motives.
Either way...I'm pretty sure Matt sticks to the straight n' narrow. While there were hints that he might start abusing his power, come one people- this is Matty we're talking about. The guy wouldn't hurt a fly. Unless that fly was Mohinder. Then everyone's favorite nearly-common-law slash shipping may begin to dabble in the domestic violence that neeearly happened LAST season. *dingdingding* ROUND ONE!

NIKKI SANDERS
AKA JESSICA SANDERS
AKA TRACY STRAUSS
BETTER KNOWN AS: Who knows?
My Emma Frost ripoff detector, while a rusty and moody contraption on its best day, was going haywire all through the episode. Ice queen? The paleness? The ultra-red lipstick? DO THEY THINK WE'RE IDIOTS OR WHAT?
Actually, I really hope they know that WE know, since half the Heroes fanbase are Xmen people who need something more than a movie every three years to sate their unstoppable appetite.
Whats to predict? I'm assuming she ate Monica (yay!), promptly forgot her identity (grr.), then proceeded to run past Micah and make a Bobby-Drake-style pathway of ice to yet another politician's suite, lingerie in hand. (seriously, where does she get all this stuff? Is she a secret shopper? Seems like the type...) Regardless, the identity of Tracy Strauss really means nothing to me. A great-aunt once removed on her abusive father's side who aspired to marry the governor of New York but was disgraced when Nikki's troublesome house-elf caused a pudding to drop on Angela Petrelli's head and later died in a rock slide while running from a bear that was released by Matt Parkman and his Boy Scout buddies who forgave him for being the bastard son of Morzan and went on to steal Zar'roc in a high-stakes dragon war...

FUTURE!PETER
AKA SCARFACE
Much like Claire's inevitably brunette future, Peter is doomed to be cold, hardened to the world, and have the sickest scar in the universe. Future!Peter is no exception, and by taking history into his own hands, projected the world of our present Heroes into utter turmoil, or so Angela Petrelli is convinced. One also wonders if the guy ever rescued that irish wench he picked up in a pub off the coast, but like the recently devoured Monica and presumably turned street-urchin Micah, has been forgotten in the sands of season 2. Future!Peter is also mean and has mama problems, as per usual, but hey, what else is new? I predict he dies. Plain. And. Simple.

PETER PETRELLI
AKA "OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS I'M STUCK IN THE BODY OF AN OVERWEIGHT MEXICAN!"
BETTER KNOWN AS: Brooke's favorite. *contented smile*
I kept saying it. Again and again and again, I said "No, that convict really is Peter", and they said "No Brooke, he's just crazy" and I said "NO, YOU'RE JUST CRAZY!!!", and I WAS RIGHT! WOOT!!!
Ahem.
Either way, Peter had best not go evil whilst stuck inside ol Pedro. Nor do I allow him to get together with anyone presently on the show. None are worthy of my favvy. So there.

HIRO NAKAMURA AND ANDO *insert japanese-sounding surname*
AKA JOINED AT THE HIP
BETTER KNOWN AS: "Love Will Tear Them Apart"
Hiro is cruisin for a bruisin with this fella. First of all, I do not justify what he is doing. DOESN'T HE KNOW THAT BY ISOLATING ANDO HE IS CREATING THE FUTURE HE WISHED TO AVOID??? *pantpantpant* Either way, Hiro is saddening me. My cute little chibi guy is turning into a....well....a villian. *sobs into pillow* WHY OH WHY??? FIRST FUTURE!PETER, THEN PROBOSCIS MAN, NOW HIRO!!!
I weep for the future.

And then, the little people. HRG. Angela. Daphne Speedster, AKA Autobahn. Molly Walker. But who really cares about them? Lets go to the list of...

CHARACTERS BROOKE WOULD COMMISION SYLER TO BRAIN-DRAIN, WERE HE OPEN FOR HIRE AND A NON-FICTIONAL FIGURE

First, Elle. I. Hate. Elle. People with stupid powers who are all teary-teary because their daddies didn't love them irk me to no end. Plus, she zapped Peter. Her life was rendered null and void in my eyes at that exact moment in time.

Then, Maya. Following the logic of that feat of film and fx, "The Fly", she will become pregnant with Mohinder's crazy insect-baby, they will have a freaky birth sequence a la Breaking Dawn, and, Lord willing, Maya will finally BUG OFF. *snorkles at bad pun*

And finally, Mr. Muggles.
He means something. I know he does. You know he does. WE KNOW HE DOES.
And if Lizard!Mohinder taught us anything, its that no attention and no screen time make pet a crazy boy.
Mr. Muggles is the craziest.

Well, I'm off to do more research on the strange developments of HEROES!!! Love you Daddy- do a hula for me! Happy Birthday Mamasita- you are the Ando to my Hiro, and I promise not to hate you for killing me in the future!

...

JK, Mom. <3

Thank you, Nerdworld

2008-08-12T08:49:00.001-07:00

This guy has read my mind, written it down, and become Brooke Nowakowski's favorite person of the week.
http://time-blog.com/nerd_world/2008/08/twilight_of_the.html?xid=rss-nerdworld
Oh, how I loved Breaking Dawn! And I must admit- THAT is a movie I want to see. Support the franchise, just to see how that one comes out. It would be SO AWESOME!

Anyway, today has been a pleasantly nontypical day in our sun-baked state. Thunder, lightning, and torrents of rain accompanied my trip to the hated orthodontist's office, and continue to this moment. However, I couldn't be any happier. Why?
Well, in spite of the newly added rubber bands *grrrr* I am currently so ibueprofin influenced and happy with my quesadilla lunch that I am completely happy to sit in my chair, play sims, and watch Heroes.

Oooooh, Heroes. What a show, what a show. Let me say now, for a person such as myself- being challenged at explaining just about anything in a verbal format- it is complex beyond belief. This of course being a result of the writers attempting the multiple-story arc comic fans will recognize immediately. And, suffice to say, they pull it off. A fascinating combination of reality, fantasy, and the macabre make for a thrilling series. If only it weren't so ridiculously overpriced.....
For now, I use various Taiwanese-looking video posts and the occasional limewire to find the early episodes, which NBC has since taken off their site in the perpetual following of that almighty dollar. Fortunately, with the Office, I caught on relatively early, and the volumes weren't so darn expensive. The Office is an intriguing one- while I feel that it has lost a little of the simple hilarity I loved it for in the early days (much like Spongebob), I am so desperate for the PB&J shipping to fall into place, I could scarcely care if the series turned into a suspense thriller midway through. I need Jim, Pam, and a white wedding. Maybe a Dwight/Angela reunion as well. Runaway bride, anyone?
But now, in what has turned out to be a tv post after all (sigh), I must make one last statement for my guilty pleasure show that was never meant to be: Moonlight. The story about a vampire detective, his girlfriend-who-used-to-be-a-vampire-in-Underworld, his Seacrestianly metrosexual buddy Josef, and so many other characters that one begins to wonder whatever would have happened if it had gotten signed for a second season. I loved Moonlight like a fluffy sheep-patterned sock. And what wasn't to love? It won its time slot every week, had the desired audience- but alas, CBS would not listen to reason. Thus, I have since boycotted CBS, and am proud to say I am NBC all the way. Honestly, I never like Ghost Whisperer anyway.
And last but not least, the quote of the week!

"This quest. This need to solve life's mysteries. In the end, what does it matter when the human heart can only find meaning in the smallest of moments? They're here. Among us. In the shadows. In the light. Everywhere. Do they even know yet?"
- Mohinder Suresh, geneticist

squeals of delight

2008-08-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

I just read through the transcript of a Q&A with Smeyer following the release. Check this out.

Electra: Did James hunt a real Child of the Moon and is that what Victoria thought Seth was?

S: Yes, that’s exactly what happened. James was looking for a challenge and he did track down one of the few remaining Children of the Moon. So that was Victoria’s first instinctual thought, but if you really look at Seth closely, you would realize that was not really what was going on. I had fun putting that hint in Eclipse.

AYEEE!!!

Predictions for the next book:

I had a dream that a hamburger tried to eat me!

2008-08-05T07:58:00.001-07:00

Not really.
But I did have a dream that my youth group, Mrs. Youtsey and untold others got stuck in a campsite right out of Jurassic Park!
Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment- my nightmare.

It started with me and a large group of girls- some I knew, some I did not, but all from Texas if memory serves- inside a bus driving through a forested area. Random adults were present as well, such as my family, Mrs. Youtsey, and Jamie's mom.
Then the bus started going through these gates. (by now, there was only one straight road in this jungle-like forest.) At first it was the same driver going through the same gate, but then he got a cell phone call, and began to grow all uneasy. Then, when a gate opened, he would step out and another driver would come in. The old driver would be violently attacked by a dinosaur, and we would move along, leaving him or her presumably killed. I began to feel like this wasn't a youth camp, but some kind of isolated encampment.
Then we were in the camp, and it looked a lot like the lynden countryside in summer, except we had buildings for our dorms, an outdoor amphitheater made of wood, and a pool behind the stage. The stage, however, was large and wooden- highly resembling the one in the annex building of silver beach, right down to the cranberry curtains. Otherwise, this area was forested in a northwestern fashion, with the jungle surrounding on one side of the campus and a very rural wheat field on the other, beside the pool.
I was walking in the back of the amphitheater when I saw my Dad sitting on the back step, and my family appeared beside me. I think my mom asked what they were doing, and I said, matter-of-factly, "they're killing them." Onstage was Mrs. Youtsey, her arms spread to one side as though announcing an act. I remember looking at my Dad and wondering if it was hard for him to watch a woman he once had some kind of affection for die in such a way. But my mom was now confused, though not panicked in the way you would imagine. She wondered why they (the they was never exactly revealed) were murdering them. I remember having a strong sense of knowing that somehow these victims had "broken the rules". However, I do not recall what those rules were. Only a strange sense of heightened superiority in my knowledge that I had not been selected.
Suddenly I was in the dorm room, a room verging on cream colored white walls, with gray carpet and a layout like that I have drawn (see sketch).
Here, Jamie's mom was sitting in the desk chair, talking soberly to a highly placid Lois. She was saying at first how if this killer was simply commiting mass murder for the pleasure of it, we would be better served to wait in our escape, rather than leave and let the remainder of the camp group die at the hands of our nameless killer at an even faster rate.
Suddenly my mother was there. I pleaded her to get an airplane, such as the one with which they had been presumably visiting with, to rescue us by night or at some other inconspicuous time. But my mom said that Jamie's mom had a point, and seemed entirely reluctant to even consider this form of rescue, or any form, for that matter. Before long, my mother had disappeared, and I was now sitting on my cot facing the bathroom.
Jamie's mom then stated that Jamie and Mrs. Youtsey had died, seemingly in an ongoing conversation with Lois, that which I had not detected until that moment. (I was sitting on a cot facing the desk when this happened. Additionally, I began to wonder at this point if the woman's remarks were geared only toward a death wish for those of use who had not perished alongside Jamie.) I exclaimed "Mrs. Youtsey?", when Jamie's mom nodded and added "And the *name not remembered* family.
This really hit me hard. I have no recollection of the name of this family, but I somehow knew something about them, for I started repeating their name to myself and had a distinct image of the people in my head at the time. I curled up to the wall, pushing my head against it and sobbing to myself. Numerous ideas began to run through my head- ideas for escape as well as a strong desire to blog about it. For some reason, Pete Wentz and Perez Hilton came immediately to mind, and I was certain this was the right thing to do.
However, prior this Jamie's mom disappeared. Heather and Jessica had been brushing their teeth and chatting in the bathroom through the duration of the previous episode, and were now loudly singing the lyrics to "Sadie Hawkins Dance" to one another. I began to darkly tell them off, stating they would get us all killed; saying "shut up" or thinking about how I had no idea what the "rules" were, though I had a sinking feeling that Heather and Jessica were inadvertantly bringing us into a world of trouble.
A day passed, and began with me crouched over a laptop eerily similar to the very one I type this on. There was a blank screen with a URL bar, and I typed in some random blog server address, but it was the wrong one- as I realized when the home page popped up. I quickly slammed the screen down and went back out.
Then I was standing in the area between the pool and the wheat field, alongside one girl I didn't see clearly, another who I think was Lois, and another with black hair whom looked at me strangely with a small smile, and for whom I had a deep mistrust. . There was a wooden, western-style fence between us and the steep hill leading down to the field, and a very high, very warped chain-link fence between us and the pool. I noticed the fence curled around the pool (this was, by the way, one of those standup frame pools you see on tv, but like two combined, making an 8 shape) in such a way that it resembled a track. Jamie's mother stood on a lifeguard post-looking structure with a loudspeaker, and called forward Jessica and Heather. Suddenly, I noticed that there were two dinosaurs- one small and of a muddled color, the other brown and a little taller than me- like a well-proportioned, miniature T-rex. The two girls jumped the fence, ridiculously eager for the task ahead, and the black haired girl stood up on the fence as well, though stayed there to spectate. I followed suit almost simultaneously to her. A buzzer sounded, and the girls began running, chased by the dinosaurs at a blurringly fast pace. The crowd cheered, and every time the brown dinosaur came my way, I made a habit of swinging backward as to avoid being in the way or distracting it to my disadvantage. On the last lap, I suddenly noticed the dinosaur nearest me was now a boy, of a husky build with short, black hair; making some kind of informative gesture to Jamie's mom, thus ending the race. There were about three laps, when the girls slowed to a stop and a negative bell reminiscent of a game show sounded. Heather and Jessica's faces were clearly disappointed over their loss, but remained as such when Jamie's mom told them to stand on the sidelines- not with us, but inside the fence nonetheless.
I suddenly had an instinctual feeling that two more people were going to be put into today's festivities, possibly our entire group. The black-haired girl threw a malicious stare in my direction, as though saying "you first." I looked to the sky for some kind of rescue, but the air was completely clear- blue skies all the way through. I looked at the field and at Lois (for some reason, the entire dream I never actually thought about making a run for it on my own, but only what the "whole group" could accomplish.) and realized that it was our best route of escape. I doubted we would not be caught, but this was our only hope.
Then it ended.

All this from reading a manga book about a girl and her shape-shifting neighbors right before bedtime.
Ugh.

Heheheh....

2008-08-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure, via Twilight Lexicon, to read a couple reviews that have been released regarding Breaking Dawn. (which, by the way, pwned all others) However, one review in particular held great intrigue for me.

"It might seem redundant to dismiss the fourth and final Twilight novel as escapist fantasy—but how else could anyone look at a romance about an ordinary, even clumsy teenager torn between a vampire and a werewolf, both of whom are willing to sacrifice their happiness for hers? Flaws and all, however, Meyer’s first three novels touched on something powerful in their weird refraction of our culture’s paradoxical messages about sex and sexuality. The conclusion is much thinner, despite its interminable length. Everygirl Bella achieves her wishes quickly (marriage and sex, in that order, are two, and becoming an immortal is another), and once she becomes a vampire it’s almost impossible to identify with her. But that’s not the main problem. Essentially, everyone gets everything they want, even if their desires necessitate an about-face in characterization or the messy introduction of some back story. Nobody has to renounce anything or suffer more than temporarily—in other words, grandeur is out. This isn’t about happy endings; it’s about gratification. A sign of the times? Ages 12–up. (Aug.)"

And so, I responded in kind. This is on Publishersweekly.com right now.

"Are you really so desperate for publicity that you would just throw out such a plain, aimless review as the one I just had the displeasure to read? The crowning achievement of the series has been, in the tradition of authors such as David Eddings and Terry Brooks, breathing life into what most would consider sheer fantasies or monstrosities. The masterful way in which Meyer develops her fantasy world within our own is to be admired. But, as I said earlier, your motivations are anything but difficult to decipher. Short, so negative one would doubt the reviewer had ever touched a page in the first place, and lacking any depth whatsoever as to the multiple elements of storytelling and plot involved. Perhaps this is what you would have us think of "Breaking Dawn"? If so, you are doing a spectacular job of it. Please, return to your position when you can represent even a mediocre novel with some level of insight. "

And, following my given info, I am the "Director of Operations and Training, Sentax Pharmaceuticals".

XD

I put the haters in their place. This is why I am amazing.

Is it serious? I don't know what to think- is it all a lie?

2008-07-30T06:59:00.001-07:00

Little inside, I know.

But I'm blogging for a reason today, people. Because the fandom has been shaken, not stirred, thrown on it's side, and left to contemplate our disaster forthcoming. That is, if its all true.

If you have not heard the spoiler that started a series of violent hours on IMDB a day ago (and continuing to this very moment), watch my youtube video. This thing has not only gotten me 97 comments, 27 ratings, 21 favorites and (as of today) exactly 2828 hits- but I'm becoming an actualy force on youtube to this day.

I'm the 75th most discussed video in entertainment as of right now. This might not seem like a lot, but imagine the immense size of youtube- thousands of videos uploaded every second- and think about that title. Number 75.

It scares me, frequently.

Moreso, my other video- real pages of breaking dawn, showing (you guessed it) real pages of Breaking dawn, has scored 350 hits since last night, and only bound to grow in popularity.

Linksies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWzHUgQRX7o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly_n58jD3wo&feature=related

My secret name. TheAgentofChaos. I quote the great achievement to film that is The Dark Knight:
"Introduce a little anarchy, you upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I am an agent of chaos. And you know the thing about chaos, Harvey? It's fair."
- The Joker

Wise words for a deluded maniac! So anyway, now people are arguing feverishly about whether or not this is all just a big hoax by Stephenie. Any fan who has stuck around this long knows this wouldn't be beyond her- she can do some pretty twisted stuff when she wants to. And, if that weren't enough, her song on myspace (changed LAST NIGHT) was "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" by Vampire Weekend. Lyrics search if you aren't familiar with the band, but that and the aptly placed Carlisle quote started to make us think we really are getting punk'd.

Either way- I'm getting all the more famous for it- let em squabble it out.
But seriously- let me make an ultimatum here. Renesme? Ireland? NESSIE? HOW COULD THIS BE REAL???
If it is, I swear to this blog- the inevitable book burnings to follow will not bother me in the slightest. *shudder*

READ RIGHT NOW I KID YOU NOT!

2008-07-28T12:45:00.001-07:00

This was found on the IMDB boards, supposedly after someone bought the book from an El Paso Airport store.

EPILOGUE ENTITLED "HAPPILY EVER AFTER," PAGE 742

THE VOLTURI COME AND ARE FOUGHT BY THE CULLENS, THE WOLVES, AN AMAZONIAN TRIBE AND AN IRISH CLAN

JACOB IS ALIVE

TANYA LOSES A SISTER IN THE BATTLE

BELLA GIVES BIRTH TO A CHILD BEFORE BECOMING A VAMPIRE

HER SPECIAL POWER THAT SAVES ALL THE CULLENS FROM THE BATTLE IS A "LOVE SHIELD" (LILY POTTER ANYONE?)

THERE IS NO MENTION OF ROSALIE ANYWHERE IN THE EPILOGUE.

BELLA AND EDWARD'S CHILD IS NAMED "NESSIE." YES, LIKE THE LOCH NESS MONSTER. SHE IS HALF VAMPIRE AND HALF HUMAN. IDK, IDK.

SIGNIFICANCE OF HER NAME? "NESSIE" MEANS "CHASTE." IT IS ALSO THE NICKNAME FORM OF "AGYNESS," WHICH MEANS "LAMB."

JACOB IMPRINTS ON NESSIE.

CHARLIE AND SUE CLEARWATER ARE NOW AN ITEM.

BELLA AND EDWARD ARE MARRIED UNDER A "HAVEN OF FLOWERS," ARE DOOMED TO LIVE IN A COTTAGE IN THE WOODS BY THE CULLENS' HOUSE.

LAST SENTENCE: "AND WE HAVE FOREVER."

Alright.....some of this stuff is totally off, I know. But lets be certain. Checking Nessie.....

Omigosh. Its true.

.........

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!!!

Terror Strikes

2008-07-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

As I promised, my sworn job to bring you all the latest in Twilight- both in and out of the law- is my priority in this most desperate hour. Breaking Dawn is just days away. And the possible spoilers have popped up with that incoming time.

First, there was the Iowa incident. A walmart is confirmed to have sold copies of BD today. One comment I read-
" Wait- where? Never in my life have I been so excited to live in Iowa!"

But then came this, most terrifying notion. Its been on yahoo answers and wiki answers so far, all referencing this one spoiler.

"bella changes 45 pages into the start of the next book. she changes because another family threatens the cullen family. it does not go as planned, but i don't want to spoil everything for you. jacob dies before she changes, though, and he makes sure that the tribe will not seek revenge for her being bitten. hope i didn't give too much away. oh, also the person who "changes" her dies also because ****** kills them. oops, i shouldn't have said that much."

While its accuracy (and, in all honesty, intelligent merit) is questionable, this has made the rounds on the forums, and honestly- this is how spoilers come out. But I will continue to search for verification. In the meantime, I remain humbly yours...
MRADRZ4EVR

The Twit-lite Flashlight, "A Father's Perspective"

2008-07-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's a story as old as time. Girl meets vampire; Girl falls in love with vampire; Vampire gives girl the cold shoulder, (what other kind of shoulder could he give her?), Girl develops a hole in her heart that she seeks to fill with reckless living and werewolves. Is this a tired out story line or what? My issues with Twit-lite:

Edward is a pedophile - Lets face the facts; we are talking about a 100 year old man having the hots for a 17 year old girl. Everything else aside, this makes this a truly horrific story in and of itself
Belle has abandonment issues - Have you ever seen a kid with less involved parents than Belle? She decides to live with her Dad, (most likely to make up for 16 years of child support that he is in arrears for), and starts a life with the least amount of parental involvement that I can possibly imagine. Is Charlie also the father of Encyclopedia Brown? What else can explain how little he sees going on in his daughter's life? I think that he had better get a clue. His daughter is always black and blue, and seeks a father figure in her life, as she is never able to garner the attention of Chief Chuck. Dr. Phil could do a whole week's worth of shows starring Belle; Vampires and the girls who love them.
Jacob is the nice guy finishing last - Flaky Jake is tall, dark and handsome. He is good to Belle and would do anything for her. This means that he will never win her heart. Jake is too young to understand that dumbBelle likes the bad boy, and there is nothing that he can do to change that. He will probably end up giving his life for her. She will act like she is sad, but she will be so happy that Ednerd is with her that she will forget Jake's name before his body is cold.

I will write more as time allows. Understand this... more people will flock to Forks WA in search of the meadow than ever before. The Qillayute casino will do more business and the wilderness park will get a number of new carloads in search for the giant bears/werewolves. When everyone sees that it is not nearly as rainy as the author projects, there will be a public outcry for precipitation, and the local firefighters will be paid to spray high pressure water hoses into the air to satisfy tourists in goth clothing for the next few summers. Don't say that you weren't warned.

Brooke's DAD

The Saga Continues...

2008-07-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

As the influence of Twilight continues to seep through my household (even Mitch wants to read it now), I can't help but reflect on the disturbing nature of hearing the very thoughts I've been pondering on for so many months.
I mean, call me crazy- but I'm big on the internal dialogues. Consider the fact that I had no confidantes when I first plowed through these books- my cellphone was still something of a foreign tool to me, and Twilight Mania had yet to overtake the lone star state, leaving me in a hotel room with the novel I had heard so much about, yet knew so little of.

Things have changed dramatically.

Theories, more than anything, are a whole other discussion when your parents are involved. Weighing life experience versus a sense of "I know this book right side up, backwards, underwater and in another language", one can only come to the conclusion that, until the day we can hold Breaking Dawn in our hands, the future remains uncertain.

However, this does not stop us from theorizing. What else is being a literary fangirl about? (or, I suppose, fanboy)

My theory for Breaking Dawn stands as thus:
---SPOILER ALERT!!!--- ---SPOILER ALERT!!!---

The wedding will take place; however, on the honeymoon, the volturi and/or Denali clan be a-comin. Bella will not be changed by Edward, but by a vampire outside the Cullen family- possibly Tanya, Irina, a Volturi associate, or some vampire we haven't met yet. Bella's power will be that her venom- given her overall anti-vampiristic tendencies- reverses the usual effect, turning a vampire back to human form. This WILL end up with her using her ability against the volturi, possibly turning Rosalie back to human form (or at least giving her the opportunity to consider her existence as a vampire), and may create some conflict with Edward. Charlie will most likely find out about the vampires and werewolves, or he will be killed. Also, Jacob will return- and I have a very confusing but highly valid theory involving what happens when a vampire bites a werewolf. Mail me for details.

---SPOILERS END HERE---

Now, my father's current theory understandably shifts wih each passing hour, while my mom has none to speak of, although I will be posting it soon enough. Otherwise- this is a reference post for my own convenience! If you wanna talk twilight theorem- once again, mail me- I'll be happy to discuss on IM or yahoo mail. For now- adios and excelsior!

Fear is Realized.

2008-07-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

You may think that, given the state of the economy and a dozen other uncertainties that youth today seems simply unable to ignore, a teen such as myself might have some inkling of her greatest fear. And, to be clear, I do: getting stuck under clear ice with a shark and Neil Diamond blasting- now that scares me. Random. I am aware. But one fear has lingered in my mind now, for nearly a year. Not the kind that the media projects in every medium imaginable. Nor the type that strikes you when eating an orange mocha frappucino. No, my friends, this is the kind of fear that wakes you up at night, screaming from dreams of angry amish people and highly erratic celebrities. This is real. This is...

Yes. My Dad is reading Twilight.

Looking back, I really should have seen it coming. While the movement of Twilight guys has been in motion for only several months now, this one has been barreling toward me since the day I picked up that cursed book. See, in our family, inside jokes are as numerous as the hair my pathetically endearing bulldog scatters about the house. Anyone who cannot decipher the word "Tuna!!??" in such a context as we use it would find themselves very out of place in the Nowakowski home. So developed the quandry of Twilight. See, when you've been through hundreds of pages of the most idiotic heroine since volume one Sue Storm (and the other, far more interesting characters she associates with), you start finding certain things inexplicably funny. The name Edward. Switzerland. Silver volvos. You get the idea.

So a while back, he started to read it. That ended with the back cover. Which, consequently, had been the reason I didn't read it the first time around either. But if you read the newspaper, watch tv, or simply have an irritating acquantice with my level of interest in the series, you've probably noticed- Twilight has hit the radar, hard. It knocked Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows off the New York Times Bestseller's list. The first movie comes out in December. And honestly, its understandable that- even at risk of the romance this novel appears to be dripping with on every page- something's gotta give. You just can't be out of the loop forever. And who really wants to walk into the theater with all the suckers just catching a teenybopper flick? So my Dad is reading it. Now, the community of Twilight Guys online appears to be made up of two groups- boyfriends of Twilighters, and extreme exceptions who you would never expect to have any motivation to pick up a book about a girl and her supernatural BF and BFF. Never. A. Dad. So this could be a first, or at least, the first I've heard of.

But for a Dad, I must admit, I am impressed. Twilight falls into several categories that can really go either way; rarely settling in a middle ground. Romance.....sucks. Who needs it? Vampires.....well, after reading Interview with the Vampire, I can see that Twilight will never reach that mark. Yet, even as I feverishly proclaim my hate infinite for Edward (ultimate abusive boyfriend), Esme (why the heck is she even there?) and most of all, Bella (need i say anything?), something keeps us coming back to know what happens next. And until the day a nuclear bomb hits Forks and spares us all the misery of Izzy's pathetic narration, we are at the mercy of the sequels to come.
What do I mean by all this?
Well, hey- even Lois didn't beat him to this one. My DAD. Reading TWILIGHT. Before my teenage schoolmate.

And to my readers, a thousand rogue vampires and an ill-working pickup truck plague you, and may the good Lord save you!
-mradrz4evr-

I Do Dare!

2008-07-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Don't ask.
But here it is: the blog post we've all been so desperately waiting for! I know its been forever, but regardless, I have a fairly decent excuse. Yes, it is a good excuse- having the unabashed menace of Ben and Kaitlyn flying about for two weeks can leave a person incapacitated at best- at least, enough so that updating a blog becomes a distant dream, and all you can hope for is sunny weather, or maybe that the chicken burger supply might not dwindle precariously low. (Thank heaven, it did not.)
What was I doing that kept me so busy? To make matters simple and clean (more for myself than anyone else) I will present my answer in list format.

THE ANSWER.
1. I was desperately trying to catch a few z's. You see, if you ask any teenager (or 12 year old boy, as we learned on the legendary "prank night"), night is the prime time to do pretty much anything. Painting your nails? Do it.....at night. Watching a terrifying movie? Wait for.....darkness. And, in our case, talking about who exactly manufactures those delicious little sour patch candies? ONLY IN THE LIGHT OF THE WANING MOON! You see, this whole manuever makes us feel far more sophisticated than we are, for in any adolescent fantasy, night is the time when parents drop their universal remotes and sweater-vests to go party at some unnamed nightclub among the elite, then (depending on who you ask) engage in high speed car chases after criminal drug lords, or vice versa (a la Grand Theft Auto).
2. I do believe in swimming. *somewhere, a fairy dies* Now, most believe I simply loathe such recreation, but that would not be the case. More than anything, I need a reason. I can't just jump into a pool for naught! No, I need motivation. In this case, a Washingtonian who looked ready to fall over, and did, on the stairs, leading me to believe that acclimation is in fact a real phenomenon that I may have experienced at some point in the ten months I've lived here. Go figure.
3. And last of all, I was doing stuff. Lots and lots and LOTS of stuff. Theme parks, historical parks, and the entirely indescribable spectacle that is a teen-girl-plagued rock concert- this is what I was doing for two weeks straight.
And then, I just needed to start living again.
Its not such a crazy request. I'm entitled to it! Constitutionally bound to my right for a happy existence. At least, until the big 1-8 hits. But for now, I can get away with sleeping in til 10, assured in the knowledge that I need not worry about the bear-infested world outside my front door. Sweet ignorance.
But not for long, according to the NEISD School District, 2701 Tesoro Drive, Suite 8. I know, because this party in question seems to send my mother emails on a weekly basis, all reminding us of the one inevitable door at the end of the smore-littered-hallway that is summer.
High school is a-comin.
And oh man, is it a high school. The largest I have ever seen. Its a wonder I don't wake up screaming at night, thinking about the commute from theater to biology. But hey, one great thing about having a whole new school to yourself- no one can say they've been there. Even the seniors will step foot in the hallways of Johnson the same day as us lowly freshman, one as equally unknowing as the other. On level ground, you might say (though, standing next to any freshman guy I know, I'm guessing they'll blatantly swear that they're on the downhill side.)
And while I wouldn't say I'm terrifically excited for the experience of high school, I will say this much: I did sixth through eighth. It doesn't get any worse than that. And knowing how far I've come in this year alone, my fears are few. New legions of texan schoolchildren are no unfamiliar sight. I can safely say I have seen loony teachers at their very least level of mental function. But more than anything, I have no doubt that the challenges I may face will be nothing more than that- challenges. The building blocks with which experience is made. And as a wise fellow once said...
Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.
Aldous Huxley

So true.

Two Posts. One Day. Is this mission.....impossible?

2008-06-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Apparently not.
Well, to start off my more reflective half of today's posting, lets just say things are pretty awesome as of this moment, for three big reasons.
1. In less than 4 days, we will have a legion of fantastic proportions arriving in S.A.!
2. There will be thunderstorms all day, and lightning is tearing the sky in two as we speak!!
And last of all...
3. VIVA LA VIDA IS NUMBER ONE ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS!!!!! Shake It fell in at number 10, and if that wasn't awesome enough, With You is in LAST PLACE!!! Let me take this moment to make you all aware of my feelings for Chris Brown. *ahem* FURY. MALICE. ANGER. HATRED. LOATHING. UNADULTERATED LOATHING. (for everyone who just broke into a certain song from the Wicked musical, I applaud you.) So everyone can pretty much understand why June 21 is an awesome day in the living memory of all things Texas. Even if the rest of the Texan population is still hyperventilating over the fact that Rascall Flatts and Taylor Swift are performing this weekend. You know, I really don't get country. Its like listening to a gnat with a loud background of poorly orchestrated "rock" and the occasional banjo riff.
On a similar note, Neil Diamond is coming to Texas within the next four months. If anyone wishes to join me in my easily determined plans for the day he happens to roll in, please contact me ASAP.
But folks, what a time this has been so far. Having just watched every Rocky movie ever created, I can assure you that I know what it means to have the eye of the tiger. But that's the nice thing about summer. No need for inhuman levels of drive, determination, and tireless work ethic. Right?
PSYCHE! This is the household of NOWAKOWSKI, and we do not know the meaning of vacation. Nor do we know the meaning of pain (only a feeling and/or sensation), second place(AKA- first loser), or "chill out" (numerous choir directors and science teachers have tried, and failed, to change this.) So for the past few days, we've been in what Dad has dubbed "Spartan Training". Now, for all you people out there that don't understand the Spartan way- you are hopeless. Go join the Athenians, you pathetic losers. For those that do, you may have an inkling as to what this means for Mitchell and I. Most of it involves cardio exercise while in either the midday or afternoon hours, and in Texas, that means heat. But if it will help me achieve some semblance of the Spartan way of life, fine by me!
Shoutout to everyone in Washington- can't wait to see you guys!
-MR.BLUE4EVR

VICTORY IS MINE!!!

2008-06-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, HUGE NEWS!!! (for me, anyway)
Everybody who is anybody knows that Twilight Lexicon is THE site for all things twilight. With tens of thousands of visitors coming in on a daily basis, it is the most popular site for our genre, worldwide.
Now some of you may have seen how a few weeks back, they were asking for readers to email "I Love Edward Because..." statements, since his fictional birthday was up and coming. I mailed one in.
AND I GOT IT!!!!!!!!! #22

The Qualifying Phrase:
"I love Edward because hot vampires, like cheese, only get better with age" - mradrz4evr

Follow the link below to see the full list:
http://www.twilightlexicon.com/Happy107Edward.pdf

*victory dance*
YEAH ME!!!

It's Been A While...

2008-06-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

...since I updated my blog. But all that is about to change! Because here and now we have the extra special, jam-packed FRDIAY THE THIRTEENTH EDITION!!! And, allowing some characteristic bad luck doesn't do me in by the end of the day, there will be a weekly entry to follow this one for the remainder of the summer.

In current affairs, my life as of recent has been one overwhelming whirlwind of activity and the moments in between in which I do things such as this- and a bit of Sims in the middle, since I never entirely shook off that architecture kick. Right now there are seven people under our roof- the original fam, as well as my paternal grandparents and great-aunt. This means the former has been forced to scatter our typical sleeping patterns, though I have had the good fortune to stay in my own room for two out of three nights. For this I am eternally grateful- as you may know, when I am NOT writing or simming, I am usually doing activities which actually require relative silence. Extendies, love ya, but family reunions of any scale are never, EVER, quiet.

But more than anything else lately, I have been getting questions about high school. In case you entirely forgot who I am or don't know me in the slightest (stalkers, I will destroy you, FYI), I am going to be a freshman at the most ginormous school imaginable next year. So, for the benefit of all, here is the BROOKE HIGH-SCHOOL FAQ

Q: What classes are you taking?
A: GT English, Pre-AP Science/Math/History, Theater Productions, Journalism, PE and Mandarin Chinese.

Q: GT? Pre-AP?
A: GT translates as Gifted and Talented, meaning I had to take what is basically an IQ test to get in. Did that last year, qualified for all a kid my age can do, the end. Pre-AP stands for Pre-Advanced Placement, meaning I'm taking advanced classes now to enter college classes in my latter years of high school. The more credit I can accumulate while in the public education system, the better.

Q: Are you scared?
A: Um....let me answer your question with another question. "If a tree falls on a mime in the middle of the forest and no one is around, does anyone care?" Same. Exact. Answer.

Q: Any favorite class?
A: Well, I haven't exactly taken any of these classes yet, so I have yet to pick out favorites. But I'm looking forward to biology, english and productions most, I have to admit. Also, Mandarin Chinese, although I am still a bit intimidated by that language as a whole. Still, I pretty much figured out spanish- no use in taking the easy way out now!

Q: SPORTS!!!
A: I use all-caps there for a very good reason. Everyone from my relatives to my dentist to my youth pastor has had very strong feelings that Texas sports would suffer without my presence. *nervous laughter* Um, have they ever seen me play? But its true- I did want to do sports down here, especially field, in which I had shown a great deal of promise last season. But as it turns out, being in sports means giving up your PE class AND elective- for me, journalism. And once again, as you would obviously guess from my blogging in the first place, writing comes first. Always and without question. Plus, a school newspaper for a thousand-plus students? Bound to make any aspiring journalist drool at the mouth. Plus, the coveted position of editor in chief is just calling my name.....

More than anything, I am somewhat intrigued by high school as a whole- the wealth of opportunity, especially in a district as well-funded as our own, is exciting to any student. The only difficulty I anticipate is that of a social nature. No matter how much the curriculum matures, the majority of the student body has yet to grow up along with it. But if I can enjoy the experience, and leave freshman year feeling satisfied with all aspects of my development, my goal will have been achieved.

I know this post lacks pictures. However, I can assure you I will have no shortage of photos by the next time I alert you of a post, as we are heading down to the riverwalk in the evening hours. On Friday the Thirteenth. *facepalm*
But lets end this post with a list, as every other summer post will end with from here on out.

TOP TEN THINGS BROOKE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO....IN SUMMER!
1. The amazazingness of Pyro and Daniels gracing our Texan wilderness. Heaven help us all.
2. The Dark Knight. I mean, come on. What can equal it? Well....
3. ....actually, if the reviews were accurate, The Incredible Hulk. What a summer for film. Brings a tear to my eye. *sniffle* Its like 03 all over again.
4. Breaking Dawn. Yes, the final (most likely not, but its all I know so far.) installment in "Brooke's gay vampire love novels". I say, wait for the movie!!! IT WILL SHOW YOU ALL!!! MUAHA!!! (seriously, the movie is looking FAN-tastic.)
5. Writing the next great story of our time. I say this every summer. I figure, when it finally happens, the shock won't be nearly as horrifying for my sparse fandom.
6. Watching RERUNS!!! Because I can't stand this summer's lineup of reality tv, I watch old movies and shows instead. Mostly, this results in me being very sad that Moonlight got cancelled, and listening the the Axel Foley theme. A lot.
7. Being the Twilight Insider. Serving Bexar County and the Bellingham vicinity since 2008.
8. Looking up strange music. Some of which is in French. Good stuff, actually, though I still prefer German.
9. Slowly but surely teaching myself to play Clocks on the keyboard. This, even in addition to "Drops of Jupiter" and the riff at the end of "Epic" will most likely take me nowhere in life, but hey, its amusing while it lasts.
10. And last but not least, world domination.

Signing off for the day, I wish you all a black cat and at LEAST one broken mirror!
Brooke

A Quick Update.....

2008-06-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! To my Timberwolf Twilighters, scroll down for the latest info. Not incredibly up to date, but as for new stuff, it pretty much consists of the finished scene aired last night on MTV. Which was, I must say, amazing. Check it out here:

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1588451&vid=237340

Now, for my personal goings-on, not too much lately! I recently was co-winner to the "Most Outstanding Field Event Participant" at the athletics awards assembly a couple days back. Not an entirely exciting affair, but definitely a good reason to get out of reviewing material I know only too well for the math exams. Yes, thats right: exams. And you know what that means.....

SCHOOL YEAR IS ALMOST OVER!!!

*cue confetti, balloons, pink floyd*

In retrospect, quite the year. I mean, I moved from Washington to Texas, from the Drury Inn to the Resident's Inn, from the Resident's Inn to the Monte Cristo Apartment complex, from the Monte Cristo to my house, and in between then, from Bush Middle to Tejeda! Needless to say, after all that moving, my legs hurt. *badadah-ching!* But nonetheless, it has been a year of interesting times and personal growth, not only for myself, but for the rest of the Nowakowski clan. And, as the myserious "they" keep telling me, someday I will look back on all this and laugh until my sides burst. Yes, well, okay. Personal opinion there. But nonetheless, 07-08- very good year. The team I was rooting for actually won the superbowl. Nobody graffitied my binder. I saw Phantom of the Opera. I discovered Twilight. I rediscovered my passion for obsessive fanhood. And more than anything else....

Need I say any more?

All's Fair in Love, War, and Twilight Theories

2008-05-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

Goooood morning Vietnam!!! I come to you on the night before exams, when all through the house, everyone was watching TV, except for the eldest Nowakowski, who chooses to update her blog and fanfiction instead! Huzzah! Now, as I am halfway certain there are multiple people reading my blog- you have reached Brooke's site. Its me. Shocking, I know. But here is the TwiThought for the night:

We all see this picture, correctamundo? Now, hopefully by now we've all read the preface, along with that infamous quote:

"...when dawn breaks, an angel will fall."

Now, my personal Edward (brother, not bf, fyi) brought up an interesting theory today that has roots in Super Smash Bros and is quite confusing, so I will condense it. Basically, what if "fallen angel" means "evil", not "dead"? What if Edward, or another vampire that was goody-goody-gumdrops prior Breaking Dawn turns to the DARK SIDE!!!! *cue scary music*
Yeah, I know. "Don't jinx the luck" and all that, but seriously. Maybe he joins the Volturi under blackmail. Maybe he just kills at random. Who knows? But we have a HUGE hint through this picture. Who is it? Thats for you to decide. But in the meantime and in between time, you rock your thing and I'll rock mine, got it?
Have theories you want publicized? Send em to:
mradrz4evr@yahoo.com
Otherwise, SETHWARD FOREVER, and EXCELSIOR!!!
-MRADRZ4EVR

Its Raining Leaks, Hallelujah, its Raining Leaks!

2008-05-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

As if my last post was not amazing enough, mradrz4evr has gone one step further in her pursuit to bring you the latest and greatest in Twilight news. For all non-Twilighters out there, my sincerest apologies. For those who got my email, scroll down for exclusive pics.

But it was a typical day in the world of moi, when I decided to go on my typical fifteen minute hunt for Breaking Dawn goodies. So I search a bit, and search a little bit more. And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a webpage in Ukranian, and the first chapter, preface and quote of Breaking Dawn!!! Now, my blog has not been taken off the internet (yet....) but I haven't seen too many folks with this up yet, so please, be keepin it on the QT, got me? Now, without further ado....ENGAGEMENT!!!

FIRST CHAPTER OF BREAKING DAWN

(PS- thats the link, follow it)

Now, I do apologize for the grammatical errors- the girl is from Eastern Europe, give her a break. Don't believe this is legit? Take a look here:

http://twilighttheobsession.piczo.com/?g=33622656&cr=3

And what more can I say? EMAIL ME!!! What do you think of the quote, the preface, the writing itself? I don't know about you, but I am seriously hoping for a Potter-esque leaking of the data this time around. I know Twilight isn't nearly as high profile (yet) but if the fans have gone to these kind of lengths on the sneak peek....well, we can only imagine whats coming! Anyhooz, be emailing me with your reactions to this amazing new development. I remain humbly yours-
MRADRZ4EVR

LOOK.....AT.....THIS!!!!

2008-05-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

What you are about to see may shock you. I suggest a paper bag?

Oh yes, *pats back*, I found the leaked cover AND the unreleased promo! Now, I have some in-depth things to say about this....and given the freewebs site is dead, I might as well say them here. Well, lets do this!

WHAT BROOKE HAS TO SAY:
Now, I have been theorizing Twilight for some months now, and so far the musings I have made with Meagan, Lauren, Meaghan-with-an-H, Emily, other Emily, Lindsay, Catherine, etc. have all become held with some renown. I am confident in my logistics here, but as things have shifted considerably with the release of this cover art, I must confide in all you blog-readers a summary of the conversation Pyro and I had last night. For your consideration:
- We have a chess game going on here. But here's the kicker: its at a stalemate. No party can win. *mystery....*
- Obviously there is a red pawn and a white queen. The vampire references are there. But this could mean numerous things for numerous people. Lets take the obvious- Bella. Two wildly different pieces that cannot reach one another. One red, one white. Perhaps a choice she cannot go back on? *wink, wink* Or a place she can never be? *nudge, nudge*
- And the promo. Take your breath away- how very cliche. NOT!!! They're tempting us into thinking it...I don't want to believe it for fear that it's fake, but oh, how very sweet it is!
- But last of all, I must bring to your attention some very interesting things- the Pyro conversation. You may have heard by now that Stephenie Meyer wrote Breaking Dawn with the inspiration of two different stories: "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and one more we've yet to see. I think I might know about number two. You see, Pyro was reading the summary on wikipedia, and found some very strange parallels. I have highlighted parts of great importance in my own hard copy of the plot (see wikipedia for the full version) and any decent twilighter needs to know about this.

Three interlocking plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazonian queen Hippolyta, and set simultaneously in the woodland, and in the realm of Fairyland, under the light of the moon.
Hermia refuses to comply with her father Egeus's wish for her to marry his chosen man, Demetrius. In response, Egeus quotes before Theseus an ancient Athenian law whereby a daughter must marry the suitor chosen by her father, or else face death. Theseus does not want this young girl to die, and offers her another choice, lifelong chastity.
Hermia and her lover Lysander decide to elope by escaping through the forest at night. Hermia informs her best friend Helena, but Helena has recently been rejected by Demetrius and decides to win back his favour by revealing the plan to him. Demetrius, followed doggedly by Helena, chases Hermia. Hermia and Lysander, believing themselves safely out of reach, sleep in the woods.
Oberon, king of the fairies, and his queen, Titania, arrive in the forest outside Athens. Titania tells Oberon she plans to stay there until after attending Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding. Oberon and Titania are estranged because Titania refuses to give her Indian changeling to Oberon for use as his "knight" or "henchman," since the child's mother was one of Titania's worshippers.
Puck applies a magical juice from a flower called "love-in-idleness," (aka pansy) which makes the victim fall in love with the first living thing the person sees when they awaken. He instructs Puck to retrieve the flower, so that he can make Titania fall in love with some vile creature of the forest.
Having seen Demetrius act cruelly toward Helena, Oberon orders Puck to spread some of the elixir on the eyelids of the young Athenian man. Instead, Puck accidentally puts the juice on the eyes of Lysander, who then falls in love with Helena.
Due to Puck's errors, both lovers now fight over Helena instead of Hermia. Helena, however, is convinced that her two suitors are mocking her, as neither loved her originally. The four pursue and quarrel with each other most of the night, until they become so enraged that they seek a place to duel each other to the death to settle the quarrel. Oberon orders Puck to keep the lovers from catching up with one another in the forest and to re-charm Lysander for Hermia, to prevent them all from killing each other.
And one last detail...
The lovers decide that the night's events must have been a dream
----------------------------------------------------
Okay, a lot to digest, I know. But there is even more info I must get to the right people. Here is some other leaked info- judge validity for yourself- as we all know, nothing is set in stone. First, the potential "back o' the book" statements:

"As August 13th draws closer, Bella is more
sure than ever that she has made the right choice - {indecipherable}to spend eternity with Edward. But a new enemy stalks closer, seeking
to tear Bella and Edward apart forever, one
with ties to both Vampire and Werewolf.
Can the {indecipherable} treaty between the two hold?
Or will the new threat force both sides to settle their blood feud once and for all?
Because when the dawn breaks, an angel will fall…
Following the international bestsellers Twilight,
New Moon and Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, the
final book in the Twilight saga, promises to
take your breath away."
Again with the breath awayishness. This makes it much easier to believe. But now, a leaked preface that has gotten around quite a bit on the forums and boards.
"I'd had more than my fair share of near-death experiences; it wasn't something you ever really got used to.
It seemed oddly inevitable, though, facing death again.
Like I really was marked for disaster. I'd escaped time and time again, but it kept coming back to me. Still, this time was so different from the others. You could run from something you feared, you could try to fight something you hated. All my reactions were geared toward those kinds of killers- the monsters, the enemies. When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options.
How could you run, how could you fight..."

And thats all for now, folks! While I try to track down the fabled first chapter of Breaking Dawn (some have read it, no one can find it), please email me with any personal theories that I might address in my recently begun Theorem of Breaking Dawn. Love you all, and twilighters EXCELSIOR!!!

Pictures of Importance.

2008-05-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

*sigh* Wow, is this a landslide of unwarranted updating or what? In case you haven't noticed, I pretty much abandoned ship on the freewebs site, because the picture uploading system irritated me. However, that means you will still be getting the occasional Twilight-themed post- if it is of great importance. And lemme say right now, there is some awesome stuff coming!
Right here we have pictures of my school's recent musical, in which I was cast as a storyteller- think narrator, more singing and dancing. Also included are pictures of me hugging my beloved dolphin, Tony Stark, and enjoying life with highlights. Hope YOU enjoy it as well, and comment while you can! Thanx

April Showers.....

2008-04-04T05:18:00.001-07:00

.....don't really happen in Texas. Not lately, anyway- most of the time we have been facing strangely overcast, yet somehow oppressively humid, days. It makes shotput quite interesting, I can tell you that much!
Things have been relatively quiet in San Antonio, but, like most things down south, wait five minutes and that will almost certainly change! Our school musical has been announced as "Once On This Island", an obscure play that is kind of like a crossover between The Little Mermaid, Romeo and Juliet, with this guy that pretty much embodies the Volturi thrown in, minus all the mythological creatures. Confuzzling, I know, but once it's up and running you can be sure I will have pictures for the occasion! Tryouts are in the next two weeks...so wish me luck!
Mitchell's 12th b-day party was last week, and what a night! I pretty much kept to myself, save for several threats in Mitchell's general direction under the premise that he dare to prank me, but from a reliable source I heard they stayed up until three AM. Needless to say, when I walked in the rec room at 11 AM that morning, one boy was sprawled along the couch, yet another precariously lying on the edge, and the last had somehow fallen asleep UNDER the air mattress. It was rather funny, I have to say.
But my greatest amusement these past few days has been my mother, whom, as some of you may have already heard, is reading the Twilight Saga. And the things she says! Since monday I have been proclaiming "Blog-worthy!" at numerous quotes before recording them in a notebook, and here they are- the hilariously unknowing things mi madre says por TWILIGHT!
"Is Edward evil?"
"Is Bella evil? I want to know!"
"So let me get this straight. The Cullens are werewolves that camp out every other weekend?"
AND ON TO NEW MOON.....
"Is Edward making those boys sick? Mike and Jacob?? Telepathically!???"
Oh, mamasita. Love you!
But there are always great quotes to be found, which brings me to my next installment of the blog. My Favorite Quotes of FILM! Be watching for this in the side column, or on the post area, over the weekend- I have much more time in that window, typically. But for now, ADIOS!

Ode to Wikipedia

2008-03-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

Alright, we all hate it, but you gotta admit- Wikipedia is the website we ALL go to when we want to avoid skimming over 2,031,4539 1/2 websites on google. And it can tell you some interesting things! For example, did you know:
1. That guy cast as Charlie in the new Twilight movie? HES FROM BHAM!!! Yay. I now have proof that Bellingham Washington actually exist! (half the people in my school think I'm from D.C., fyi)
2. OOH! So is the lead singer from Death Cab for Cutie! (whose music I have never heard, but he's famous enough to have a picture on his wikiprofile. That has to count for something)OH!!! AND HE LEADS THE POSTAL SERVICE!!!! One of my favorite new bands. YAY HIM!!!
3. And from Mt. Vernon....Demi Moore and Jim Caviezel. Oh, that rainy land of my youth.
4. The inventor of Gatorade hails from S.A. A moment of silence for this electrolyte miracle-drink.
5. And the chairman of Valero *spits violently*
6. Hey! Patrick Swayze lives here! I wonder if my mother knows...
Okay, and now for a theory I've long meant to disprove. It had its roots waaay back in the day, when we were living in the Monte Cristo and my major hobby involved taking pictures of my stuffed llama, Loup-Garou. Lois was over and we were busy youtube-scouring, when I find this video that says, OH, THIS IS THE HUNGARIAN SUICIDE SONG THAT CAN DRIVE ANYONE OVER THE EDGE!!! We watched it. And, needless to say, it wasn't all that depressing. But maybe that was just us- how about you? Can YOU stand the horror and fright (jk) that is the HUNGARIAN SUICIDE SONG? Judge for yourself, and please, comment on your reactions. Thanx!
See the song here
And no, nothing will jump out at you, nor is that orchestrated part in the beginning the actual song. The maker of this video reaaaally wanted to draw the whole boring affair out as long as possible.
Anyways, enjoy!

PREMIERING NOW!!!

2008-03-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Lois came over Wednesday night, giving us the perfect opportunity to film the second part of what will hopefully end up a trilogy...THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES!!! Although our interpretation is a bit off, as anybody who witnessed part one will most likely know by now, we do actually keep to the storyline. Sort of :^)

In this latest segment, The Abseenth Files, Claudia joins the world's most dysfunctional family. I replaced the husky as Claudia, and Mitch replaced me as Louis. Everybody did a fantastic job though, and nobody fell in the pool! (except for our floatie raft/lestat, but thats a long story) My commentary as you watch...

OPENING SEQUENCE:
Alright, the blonde wig returns!!! And Lois had to eat dinner in that horrifying face makeup. Props, LoLo. Let me just say right now- my greatest inspiration in this role was Ashley King, curse her!
(oh, and the muffled tones of mitchell's unrestrained laughter will become a recurrent theme here.)
BALCONY:
You have no idea how many times we rehearsed that. And my diss was different each time!
PIANO LESSONS: Yes, I am really playing the keyboard here! Self-taught, y'all. *insert acknowledgement to Train, Drops of Jupiter here* And earlier Lois had said "beating a badger", but that made me laugh really hard, so we junked it.
NIGHTMARES: Okay, has anyone here seen Scary Movie 2? With that creepy guy that's always like "oh, come here, sweet child!" The fact that my wig was falling off here combined with the fact that everyone around me was stifling laughter led to us all semi-collapsing in hysterics once we'd stopped recording.
ACCORDIAN DREAMS: This is my favorite scene, hands down. It originated when I was screwing around with the accordian between shots and Lois is like "ARGH! I can't STAND that noise!" I was inspired. The accordian joined the cast.
SO WHERE IS HAGRID???: We improvised the entire thing, knowing only that Lois would at some point exclaim that I was a wizard and the scene would have to end with me storming off camera and screaming. Judge the results for yourself!
BRUNETTE?: Okay, we had some editing issues here, because I am relying completely on Windows Movie Maker. Kind of funny that the part about it growing back again and again replayed!
ARGUMENTS: Yeah Lois!! WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST BRUNETTES???
PIANO CHAT: NO! That is not Lois playing. THAT is Lestat's Piano Sonata, from the Interview with the Vampire Soundtrack, playing on my ipod speakers in a conveniently hidden locale! But it sure looks realistic, doesn't it?
*THE BRANDY WINE BLOOPER*
Okay, I can explain. Its my doll, Priscilla, that Lois is aiming to kill here. And I had a very hard time reciting how I'd found said doll in a drunken stupor on the streets. However, I recited the ballad of sweeney todd a couple of times, and felt as good as new!
LESTAT DEATH SCENE: Okay, Lois is incapable of saying the words Absinthe or Laudanum. No matter hooooowww much we rehearse! Note my finality: DONT DO IT, LOUIS! And I was bludeoning Lois in that scene- you might recall a certain TACKLING incident about two weeks back? Hehe. Thats me, the spirit of Vengeance!
MITCHELL'S RAW EMOTION- GRASP IT, SENSE IT, TREMULOUS AND TENDER:
You should have seen his face. It was HEE-LARIOUS!!!! I could barely talk after that. So I just turned on creepy mode and made faces at the camera! (PS- the swamp is our pool. Can you tell?)
THATS MAH SWAMP!!!: Mitchell actually did a great Louis-cry just then. STELLAAA!!!!! LESTAAAAT!!!! (think of Stanley Kowalski, but with vampires!)
And then the idiotic camera ran out of juice. But liking my beautiful montage? Lois picked the first song. But I PICKED THE NEXT ONE!!! HEHEHAAAA!!!!

SPECIAL FEATURES: The temptation to make a reel of our priceless moments in film was too great. So I spent about five minutes throwing THAT together!

Well, hope you liked our AHMAZAZING film!!! Part three...coming soon to a non-theater near you!

Vanquishing Evil since 2003

2008-03-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

YES!!!!!!!!!! IT IS REALLY HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!

I PUT MY VAN HELSING MOVIE POSTER ON THE WALL!!!!!

*insert triumphant orchestral surge, preferably Handel's Hallelujah Chorus*

It may have taken us weeks upon weeks, but today (with much help from madre y padre, muchas gracias)the poster of the greatest movie of all time has been placed upon my wall. Now, I know some people may be thinking otherwise (Ebert and Roeper, RottenTomatoes, Society as a whole, etc.), but for all those who only gave my all-time favorite film TWO STARS out of FOUR, sleep well with the knowledge that there is a silver bullet/holy water/stake combo awaiting you in San Antonio, Texas. You have been warned.

As for the other pictures posted today, I do have an explanation. Tuesday night I was bored (kind of an insomniac, fyi), so I decided to braid my hair. Then I fell asleep. And then I woke up to find that what was formerly my limp and lifeless hair had been evicted by an utterly fluffy neighbor. Lets call him Rico. Now, Rico only gets worse when I attack him with a fine tooth comb, as I unfortunately found out a bit too late. So I pretty much went out into the public with my crazy hair. Mitch kept making remarks about how Brooke has "brad pitt hair" today. (long story, see my video) But I managed to snap a couple pictures of Rico before he was murdered in a vicious showering accident that evening. Still under investigation.

And below we have the news article describing how Jason Mills, the Phantom of the show I saw earlier this month, gets into his makeup! Once again, let us remember the amazingness that was PotO. But hey- I got my freaking awesome poster up!!!! Here is a video for everybody who has never seen Van Helsing and needs to know of it's sheer greatness. Going to Six Flags tomorrow- be on the lookout for udpates! Adios

A LOT to catch up on!

2008-03-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally synched up the digital camera, so here are some pictures for your enjoyment! To put a caption on the pics, the ones of me and Lois are us before/after seeing PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!!! *moment of silence to remember how freaking awesome it was* Sigh. Great stuff. The ones with the rocket are us at the of the Houston Space Center, where we were YESTERDAY. We also nearly collided with a herd of runaway cattle. Long story. And last of all- Mitchell's entirely fantastic naruto sims! I just walked into the room and there they were. Who would of thought he had it in him? I've been doing quite a bit of simming myself lately- mostly recreating the plantation of Pointe Du Lac due to my little mini-contest with Pyro. I'll be posting a picture as soon as it's furnished and ready! Otherwise...SPRING BREAK!!! And nearly everyone I know is out of town...including Jeff and Tami Francis, who came to visit us this weekend- which has been really nice, by the way. Also took my first jump into the pool two days ago. Lots of screaming there. Still very, very, VERY cold. But it was about 96 that day too, so it's all good! Anyhoo, everybody enjoy their weekends, and soak up what little sunlight you might be having!
.

It's Movie Time!!!!

2008-03-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Alright everybody- this saturday was one which shall remain in the lasting memory of all who were involved. Why?
Two words. Sugar and Caffiene.
Well, maybe not so much caffiene, but there was definitely candy in the house when Lois and I decided to film a remake of the 1994 film Interview with the Vampire. We rented it at blockbuster, then filmed before actually watching it. I'd never actually seen it before, but we worked from a screenplay, and voila! Movie magic. In the early hours of evening, our casting pretty much consisted of this.
LOIS: So, who do you wanna be?
BROOKE: I dunno. Lets ask your mom.
LOIS: MOM!!! WHO SHOULD BE LOUIS AND LESTAT???
MRS. W: Hmmm. How about Brooke be Louis and Lois be Lestat?
BROOKE/LOIS: Okay!
However, for anybody who is familiar with that motley crew of angst-ridden, bloodthirsty undead, we managed to mess that one up pretty bad!!!
And as blogger-in-chief, I get my commentary, right? Read as you watch.
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v6383515WsTf2rK6?searchId=8959781778680929777&rank=1
BLOCKBUSTER: Basically, this was me with a fully charged camera and waaaay too much time on my hands!
MEET MALLOY: Okay, I got to give Lois five-o-clock shadow!!!! *laughs evilly* And managed to deliver my lines with a piece of tissue in my mouth. Long story.
LIGHT SWITCH: Hehehehe....Lois lurves her artificial facial hair.
MY MONOLOGUE: Okay, long story here. Basically, I look quite fearful here because of both costume makeup and the fact that I couldn't stop laughing. Behind the scenes...
BROOKE: It was 1791...
LOIS: The year the funk died. (Old greg joke, hence the subtitle)
---------------
BROOKE: But I was a man then.
LOIS: Brooke!!!???
Onward....
WAYS IN WHICH I TRY TO "END IT": Okay, given we had no card playing extras or bars at hand, we had to invent ways in which a despondent Louis would try to throw it all away. That involved scarfing down 8 nilla wafers (I only managed 7), unsuccessfully tying a noose out of Lois's fantastic sparkly scarf, and pretending to gouge the sadly blunt pasta implement we found on the counter into my neck. End long story!
OUTDOORS: First, when I walk down the street, yes, I am wearing basketball shorts. Not going to force Brad Pitt's character into a skirt, ya hear me?
Second, yes, we all know that Lois is going to be the most fabulous Lestat in existence. Needs no explanation.
And third: YES, SHE ACTUALLY TACKLED ME!!!! This is one of many violent acts Lois will commit in the next few minutes... (also- enjoying her killing noise? Lovin my first of many death scenes?)
DEATHBED PT. 1: Okay, those lipstick puncture wounds? I couldn't get them off in time for church the next morning. Lots of interesting questions resulted.
DOOR OPENING: I think she just really likes saying Louis. Don't we all? Also- lovin my delightful slurping noise?
DEATHBED PT. 2: We really screwed up here. I pretty tried to mask my laughter with pain and misery, while Lois forget her lines!!!! :^J
WE HAVE TO KILL SOMEONE, OF COURSE: DID YOU SEE THAT??? LOIS SLUGGED RACHEL!!! (her sister, fyi) That was so funny, I have to say.
ITS A RAT: That stuff that was meant to be blood but looks more like champagne is actually FUZE drink. Great stuff. I downed the whole thing once we were off camera.
FILLER SCENES: Again with the killing noise. Love it. Anyhow, here we get a much-needed glimpse into the personal lives of our fav vampires. Enjoy!
COFFIN: Okay, this scene will last for all living memory, mostly because (a) it is a toy bin, (b) it is freakishly small, even for a toy bin, and (c), I couldn't get out. It took ALL my upper body strength to escape, believe me.
ENTER THE HUSKY: Okay, we originally had a relatively large cast base, since Lois has multiple siblings, but Hannah and Rachel were both occupied with sleep or otherwise, so we had to improvise. So we dressed up a husky. And improvise we did!
MY DOG, CLAUDIA: Okay, our Claudia is actually named Julia and was at that late hour of night waaay past her bedtime as it was. So we got to reenact the attack of Claudia....with a husky. Words cannot describe how strange I felt sinking my nonexistnent fangs into a stuffed animal. Poor husky.
THE DUET MONOLOGUE: Yay, we actually memorized part of our lines! As this was the last scene of part one, we both worked on our lines to perfection, and delivered them! (try to not notice that, even with makeup on, Texans will always be ridiculously more tan than washingtonians. Gr.)
AND THE REST OF THE FILM IS PRETTY MUCH "SPECIAL FEATURES", so ENJOY!

Other than that, we got some interesting reactions from this whole affair, so I just though I ought to post those as well!
RACHEL (upon seeing Lois in Malloy outfit): So, did you break into the oreos or what?
----
(as we messed around with the camera)
BROOKE: This thing makes your eyes look black.
LOIS: It makes yours....hm....kind of stormy grey.
*pause*
BROOKE: *in strong british accent* AHM STORMY GREY!!!!
LOIS: *falls over*
(also old greg joke, don't try to comprehend that one)
----
BROOKE: (looking at Julia) She'd be the perfect Claudia.
LOIS: Lets test. Julia, bite my wrist, okay? (Julia....complies) NOT REALLY!!!!!!
BROOKE: Perfect Claudia!
----
JULIA: (to brooke) I think you're good cause you're the strongest and you've got vampire teeth!
----
FOLLOWING COMMENTS MADE WHILE WATCHING MOVIE
LOIS: (seeing Brad Pitt) He really does have your hair.
BROOKE: I KNOW, RIGHT???
----
LOIS: (following Armand scene) And you thought Lestat was flamboyant.

So, thats that, and have a wonderful week!
(ps- shoutout to Dad in Hawaii- do a hula for me!)

The February Vidblog

2008-02-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hi again! I just got the webcam to work, so as soon as youtube is finished processing, you can check out my new video. Just search "mradrz4evr". Enjoy! Oh, and be sure to check my freewebs site, www.freewebs.com/mradrz4evr, for Twilight Movie updates, all the fans out there. I run a tight ship with that thing lately, and no update/cast member/interview escapes my penetrating search abilities! Comments help, FYI.

We've Done the Impossible!!!

2008-02-10T18:37:00.001-08:00

Thats right- we got all three books in the TWILIGHT SERIES!!! Thats Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, for the uninformed. With the sequel coming out in August and the movie(!!!) in December, this series is looking to be the next Harry Potter. If you like vampires, werewolves, romance and/or just want to jump on the bandwagon before it hits BIG, read these books! But on to our latest in texan experiences.
Here in the lone star state we love to compete, and that means in EVERYTHING. One thing led to another for Mitch and I, and last weekend we went on to win two firsts, one third and a fourth in Academic UIL!!!!! This is pretty huge stuff, considering the hundreds of kids that are competing in these subject-based competitions, but what can we say? Nowakowski DOES mean work, after all.
Our church league basketball tells a similar story, with my own team moving to playoffs within the next couple weeks! Our sweat, blood and tears are finally paying off- in the form of a shiny gold trophy. Oh, the glory and glamour that is the "Transformers", girls 7-8 bball. (we all took nicknames accordingly. I got stuck with megatron.)
So when we're not kicking butt and taking names, how do we manage to keep busy? Two words.
ROCK BAND!!!!
Our virtual band, Juxtapose, has now reached medium difficulty on all songs and are currently working to master the song Detroit Rock City. Much harder than it sounds. But with Dani California up and ready, hopefully once I get the hang of my video camera, you can get a sneak peek of one of our many jam sessions. With Mitch on drums and myself on guitar and vocals, we make quite the racket between the hours of four and five.
In between the writing comps, I enjoy writing numerous Twilight fanfictions, ranging anywhere from parody screenplays to my recent "what if" drama, so just check fanfiction.net on the mradrz4evr account for updated chapters. Review if you love me!
In other news, nobody has broken any bones, contracted rabies or impaled themselves on a saguaro cactus, so things have been pretty good! Mom is now up for any substitution job in the NEISD district, and Dad continues to enjoy work at corporate headquarters. Not to mention the rising temperature down here...the pool looks better every day!
As for that last pic- just a little blast from the past. Mitchell squeezing a pug to the point of suffocation. Ah, memories...

Update - Finally!

2008-01-21T07:17:00.000-08:00

Alright everybody- now you get a much longed for update to the blog!
School goes on as per usual, and everyone will be glad to hear Mitch and I will be passing with flying colors this semester. Save for my completely out-to-lunch choir director, who, among MANY things, has suggested on two occasions now that we save time in class by placing tissues in our unmentionables. This is not a joke.
But for the rest of the time, things have been going swimmingly for the Nowakowski household. We recently watched Dragon Wars (good for a laugh) and Blades of Glory (VERY good for a laugh), and obtained the game Rock Band. I now love rock band to no end, and if you have not played it or (to a lesser extent) Guitar Hero, your love of that burst-your-eardrums genre cannot be developed fully. Run to your BestBuy and try it TODAY!! (plus, on a side note, I have to tell you it can be very funny to get a bunch of friends together to play. Never have I found myself genuinely enjoying yelling the lyrics of Black Hole Sun into a very small microphone. But alas, it was.)
You may not have known (aka you couldn't have known), but I recently posted my second video on youtube, this time deriving from my Sims game. To view it, since I haven't posted the link yet, just search "mradrz4evr" in the search engine and view Cullens, my latest creation set to Blue Oyster Cult. Some others may realize that I accidentally killed off the Rosalie-esque character via a fallen satellite. As I have been forced to mention each time this comes up, Mitch had warned me just minutes before, and I didn't listen. However, let ME mention that on Mitchell's advice, I would probably have spent my life savings to fly to Japan and test-drive Super Smash Bros Brawl (jk buddy!).
Also, in response to my recent discovery of the guerrila-warefare tactic my buddy ol pal Pyro used over the trip to Washington (check my profile. its still there.) I have a link for both Bella AND Pyro, so enjoy!!! (ps- this is somewhat good for a laugh, and I think anyone who reads it will understand automatically where those two stand, eh?)
Well, now off to update all the rest of this site with some fresh content, so adios once more, and keep checking, because I do this every once in a while!
*HAPPY MLK DAY*

The Conspiracy Blog is up!

2007-12-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody. I'm still learning to work the digital camera, so in the meantime, enjoy the conspiracy theory blog I raked together today. Link: http://mradrz4evr-fireandice.blogspot.com
Also, here are some interesting pics, courtesy of funnyjunk.com. (PS- anybody watched that thriller video lately? those are some awfully coordinated zombies.)

Family Member #5

2007-12-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

Well, today the family made another big move in Texas- we got a puppy! At five months, Abbey Bella Nowakowski is about calf-high in height and very cute, as you can see above. We just called from an ad in the paper, and a few hours later, we were driving back from the rural town of Castroville with an English Bulldog! I took the pictures at the end of the day, and as you can see, she was fairly exhausted from jetting between her home to our house and then to the apartment. We had a nice long swim in the pool before heading back for the night, and as it happens, Abbey really wants to swim as well, though that probably isn't going to happen anytime soon. More pictures to come- adios!

MORE PICS BELOW...

2007-11-24T16:59:00.001-08:00

Scroll down for more shots from Seaworld...

Pics from Seaworld!

2007-11-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

Just got back to posting, and yay, new pictures! We got a few good shots from the Shamu show and some of other animals around the park. Also, that is me and Mitchell atop the roller coaster, front row. (I'm the one with my arms straight up!) I also put a few up of the house, which we will be getting into a week from today! We are beyond excited for that day, I assure you, and once we are moved in, more thorough pictures shall follow. It looks huge to us now, but once all the stuff is in, it might get a little bit smaller :)

Big Website Update!!

2007-11-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hi! I just finished doing a big one-two on the website, so be sure to check it out! I can put a lot more stuff on there, so it's got most of the media I've recently put up. There should be more pictures, as we are going to seaworld this week, and Mom is FINALLY bringing the camera! I'll be sure to let you all know how that goes- and hopefully Mitch won't pass out yet again. For the unaware, the url is:
www.mradrz4evr.weebly.com
Look it up! And be sure to check out the banner. I worked LONG AND HARD on that thing! Any q's about it? Email me!

WE GOT OUR HOUSE!!!!

2007-11-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have SO much to write! And a whole lot of pictures too. Above you will see.....OUR HOUSE!!!! we bought it today- the whole offering ordeal took under 48 hours, to our disbelief. We definitely like the pool. How about you, eh? Also, our Halloween pictures, along with character inspiration pics. Mitchell was Neo from the Matrix, I was Victoria/Domino. Domino was the face makeup inspiration- very yin, yang, or so we thought. As for the house, we'll be moving in on December 1, and cannot wait. We hope you all can come see it sometime! Now, I also have a new website off the weebly server- it's on the links page, so look it up! Thanks again, and remember to drop me a line- mradrz4evr@yahoo.com is the address.

Viva la Media!

2007-10-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

And I don't mean "up with half"! As of recent, I've found a little spare time, and in my boredom, I created a video on youtube and a wallpaper which is on my screen right now! You can see it above. As for the video, I hope that shows up too-- this would also be the first video I've ever posted on blogger, unlike Bella, who is quite enviably tech-savvy (grrr...). If you want to see it on the site too for some random reason, just search "loup garou files" and it oughta come up! (PS- mine is the one not entirely in french!)
Oh darn- my video's on the other computer. Just try youtube, okay? Other than that, not much to report. Love y'all back home, and adios!

Gone with the Old-Tyme Photos...

2007-10-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's what you've all been waiting for- the old-tyme photo we took by the alamo. No, that is not me in the hoop skirt with the fan, it is my clone that swiftly takes my place in these sort of events. Comments welcome as always but.....please oh please.......

Avatars Aplenty

2007-10-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hi! Well, I'm finally updating the blog again, and let me say- this week has been crazier than ever. School takes up time, that's for sure. But in what little spare time I've scrounged up, I discovered a few things. One, classical music. Two, my youtube account(!). And three, AVATARS! So I decided to show you a few I really like- tell me how you like em! If you do- there's more where that came from!

Rain Man!

2007-09-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

HI everyone! Well, we are all moved into the condo now, and currently watching Rain Man, hence the title. Great movie, by the way. School has gotten smoother with each passing week, though it's always great to have the weekend. And....
As a not-so-sequel-ish installment of my Twilight (Zone) series, I now have Lun(atics) posted on The Forest at Midnight! Check it out whenever you like. And be sure to leave your basilisk fang marks on the guestbook. (With self control, Pyro.)
Other than that, not much to report, so until next time...

~~~~~~~~~

2007-09-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

How does the squiggly line look? I couldn't think of a title, so there you go!
First of all, miss you Mom! Lots of hugs and kisses from the fam. We can't wait to see you on Thursday. For everybody uninformed, Mom is back in the home state, so drop her a line during her stay if you can! As for us...well, we've been watching the all-new season 3 dvd of The Office (greatest show OF ALL TIME!) and reading plenty. I made another quiz on this book I read- Bella and Pyro will know it is Twilight, so take it if you dare! Things are finally cooling down, and I can wear long pants at last! That's probably a good thing, as I'm going to a retreat this weekend overnight. Wish me luck! And in the new poll, write in what you think is the best Halloween costume. AH...I can smell the hairspray already...

The Cold, Hard Facts

2007-09-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

The other day while in the elevator on the way back up to our room, I realized what can only be described as an unavoidable truth. I have been at the Residence Inn way too long. How can you tell? To help, I made a list called *drumroll please*
YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN AT THE RI TOO LONG WHEN...
1. When you begin experimenting with the continental breakfast- i.e. a toasted english muffin with sausage, scrambled eggs, seasoned potatoes and cheese sauce. Putting coffee flavorings in the waffle batter.
2. When you know every housekeeper and staff member's name.
3. When you KNOW who the noisy neighbor next door is, and see them every day at social hour.
4. When the receptionist asks you, on a daily basis, how your school day was.
5. When a majority of your meals are from the lobby area, costco or walmart.
6. When you start writing lists about all the weird stuff that comes from living here.
7. When you've been here over thirteen days and know there's only thirteen more to look forward to.
8. When you race around the elevator like a crazy person just for the heck of it.
9. When you realize the housekeeping lady must get very irritated at your habit of leaving layers of clothing on your side of the room. (I alone have this problem)
10. When there is not only a neighbor dog, but you know it's name and breed.
Some of these things haven't happened to me. Sad to say, many have. And, number 7 being very true indeed, I will have many more things to write about our stay at residence inn. Wish us luck, and good luck to all the schoolgoing viewers back home!

A Cornucopia of Internet

2007-09-02T16:32:00.001-07:00

First here, I would like to publicly thank all who participated in my quizzes- as of right now, 79 people took the Marvel one, and 33 the Van Helsing one!. And yes, Taylor Jeanne is Bella. (But call me Edward and you will regret it dearly!)
Having completed our first week of classes, we are now enjoying a long stretch of dull days. And how wonderful dull can be! I'm writing from a brand new laptop, so any little quirks that pop up are probably a result of the new keyboard. I'm getting better though! Above you will find some pictures of us relaxing around the room. Note that everybody appears to be in one piece, Mitchell is still a hard-core gamer, and I appear to be lacking arms! (What I was actually lacking was a photographer, as it happens.) During our free time, the Nowakowskis typically cruise the countryside to get a better feel for the area, watch The Office and fine films such as The Avengers:Dr. Strange. Mitch and I sometimes watch The Next Greatest Superhero, but that's another story. However, with homework starting to pile up already, it gets harder and harder to relax. But, whether it takes a swim in the pool or run on the exercise bike, we all find ways to destress. I wish everybody back home a great start of school, and an excellent labor day weekend!

Technology- any texan's best friend

2007-08-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well, things are finally starting to feel a little normal around here. With school, homework, real estate and all the little things in between that pop up, it's nice to sit back and enjoy the wonders of the internet once I'm back in the room. As you've seen, I recently made a quiz- it had a couple short-lived posts of it's own, as I think this site is a little late to update viewers. I'll soon be making others and adding more links- just keep your eyes on the link list! In the meantime, I just wanted to let everyone know that we are really enjoying school down here. Now, I know it's no Whatcom (snickers at Bella/Pyro), but honestly, we really do like it! Choir is starting to make sense as well- it's meant learning sheet music, but hey, there's a first time for everything. Mitch is also loving school- a lot more than I could say when I was in sixth grade! Above is a picture of one of the entrances to the school- and let me say, it is no understatement that this is one big building!

But, as the title suggests, I very much hope to take full advantage of the technology that is available to keep in touch. Wish me luck, and talk to you later!

Sorry about that!

2007-08-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

HI- mradrz4evr again. Apparently my quiz link has been a bit hard to track down, so here's the hyperlink. If there are any other problems, just send me a shoutout and I will fix them promptly.

http://quizfarm.com/quiz_repository/new/180009/

My Quiz!!! Take it!!!

2007-08-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! This is just a short update to let everyone know I made a quiz on quizfarm.com! It's called Your Marvel Alter Ego, and I would be much obliged if you took it and told me how you like it! Check it out when you can, and thanks.

House Hunters - Texas Style!

2007-08-26T08:05:00.001-07:00

As of yesterday, our family began a process that is renowned only in it's tedious, complex nature. Yes, the house hunt is begun!
Now, as a person who has experienced this process twice now in my lifetime, let me just say that it is WAY harder than it looks! Bear in mind that you are talking to the girl that, at the tender age of four, said frequently "NO MORE HOUSES!". I, of course, remember no such thing being interjected- just a whole lot of driving. Those memories came back to me before long as we spent seven hours in the car with our real estate agent, roving about the more peaceful parts of the city to look for houses. Keep in mind that San Antonio looks nothing like Seattle, so this is a bit different than you might imagine. Above is a picture of Stone Oak, where we are currnetly living. A few more trees than you may have thought, eh? But it is also very, very big, being among the top ten largest cities in this country of ours. This means much time spent in an air conditioned car, and what feels like an equally long time span outside in the steamy SA air. But we enjoy it, looking at all the different homes around the hill country. Our search has only just begun, so wish us luck!

Blast from the Past...last summer anyway

2007-08-23T19:38:00.001-07:00

For everybody who was and wasn't acquainted with Cinder's litter last year, I discovered a couple of pictures of the puppies! They were Gabby, Ruffles, Miley, Bailey, Ray (yay Ray!), Turner....and I can't remember the last puppy's name! If anyone can jog my memory, please do! And please comment on their cutiness- they are cute, aren't they? We made believers out of multiple pugs-are-ugly sympathizers.

Memorable Summer Pictures...

2007-08-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures taken by the photomaster (my Mom), of our Oregon Trip and other candid moments. You will notice a picture of our family in front of the Alamo- before we moved, we took a trip down here to see the town a bit.
Next, here we are in front of Mount Baker- our last visit for a while at least!
Here is one of many sea lions we saw on the coast!
And here's the whole big family in Texas- you'll see my cousins Eddie with his fiance, Freddy, Eric, Sara with her boyfriend and my Aunt Jenny.
Well, there's the first round of pictures- I hope you enjoyed them!

On the Verge of School Days...

2007-08-23T19:04:00.001-07:00

Well everyone, it is almost time for us to begin attending school. Much earlier than all you back home, but it looks to be a pretty good year! Mitch and I both joined choir, and hope to have a successful time at middle school. Wish us luck!

I'm starting to add some new features, so read and enjoy- I apologize that there is so little. As I wrote earlier- just wait and see! Tomorrow we move into the other hotel for a good 23 days- thankfully, we don't have too much to move quite yet! In the meantime, we have begun to enjoy all that San Antonio has to offer- from it's hundreds of restaraunts to the myriad supermalls. I swear- you could get lost in one of those things! But with school coming, we'll probably have a lot less time for sightseeing. Still, there is a whole lot to see- Six Flags and Seaworld or the Riverwalk! Anytime you folks want to sojourn down south, just ask us- by that time, we'll probably have the navigation down. And believe me when I say that that is a huge challenge in itself- this place is enormous!

The Blog has Begun!

2007-08-22T18:24:00.001-07:00

We finally made it to San Antonio- and what an adventure it was! Along the way, we passed through Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Utah. The scenery was a sight to behold; and one which we won't soon forget. We hope all our family and friends back in Washington will enjoy this blog, as well as seeing a little bit of our new home.

Just right now our internet is a little bit off- we hope to add pictures once we get settled in a bit more. After all, it's only been several hours since we got off the freeway! Within a few days there will hopefully be a lot more to see on our site. Thanks a bunch, and goodnight from Texas!