The Shins and Dune Review!

I don't know why I missed last week. I think just because I was busy with cleaning the house. I'm realizing that although this is good, it's definitely not priority over housework and applying for jobs, things like that.
Lately, I've been listening to The Shins. They're really good! I'm really only familiar with Wincing the Night Away, but I definitely want to hear their other albums. I've started listening to a few tracks from their latest album Port of Morrow on YouTube as I write this post.
Speaking of James Mercer (lead singer, lead guitarist, composer and lyricist for The Shins), I'm excited to see what his second Broken Bells album sounds like.
Speaking of albums that I'm excited about! I'm way excited to hear Supermodel by Foster the People. I already love the sound on Coming of Age.

I still need to review Dune by Frank Herbert! I finished it a few weeks ago. I have so much to say about it. First off, it's a great story and plot. I don't really want to say much about it though, because I don't want to give anything away. I will say that it's a story set in the distant future about betrayal and vengeance, but that is a very watered down synopsis. It doesn't really even do it justice to say that it's a science fiction novel, although true, it's so much more than that.
Originally, Frank Herbert was asked to write an article on sand dunes. He never wrote that article. 6 years of research, and finally, Frank Herbert wrote Dune. The thing that sets Dune apart from other books is the exhaustive detail of everything. Normally, that can be boring, but every detail contributes to the story, propelling it forward. Each chapter is opened with a quote by one of the characters, or a paragraph from a history book from the planet of Arrakis, or a verse from a song or poem. It's details like these that almost convince you that Mr. Herbert was there.
Furthermore, there's the way he creates various cultures, languages, philosophies, economies, governments, religions, ecologies, agricultures, and shows how all of these things interact simultaneously to affect society, and how people in their various cultures and standings in society have varying viewpoints on issues. That probably sounds boring, but it's actually a very fascinating read the way that he does it. It's an exciting story that never lets up, although I would also warn people that it is not an easy read. Many deep philosophies and complex woven plots and sub-plots are the building blocks for this story.
The character development is superb. Every character is well-rounded and complex. There are so many alterior motives. Another thing that makes this story unique is the way Frank Herbert is able to show how each character is right in their thinking despite the fact that they may be making themselves enemies.
Dune is an exciting story with layers upon layers of plot-lines, themes, and characters.

© 2014 Ihaveadryfish.blogspot.com

I love you so much sweet heart!  

Profile update

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Writing...Motivation...

I'm finding that it's hard to be very motivated when I'm tired. I think part of the problem are my contacts. They seem to be floating out of my eye, and it's making it hard to stare at a computer screen despite the fact that that's what I've done for most of the night.
I still find more and more that this blog really is a way for me to write. I guess it serves two purposes: it really was designed in the first place with my wife in mind. Knowing that I'm leaving some piece of me with her when I post really does motivate me to continue posting.
As far as what I post, this really is about writing. Writing. Reading good writing. Sharing those things. I wasn't really feeling like writing, but I was staying true to my promise to my wife to post something for her each week. So, I opened up my blog, but what to write? I was stuck. I decided to turn on some music. Immediately, I wrote everything that you have just read, and within only about 10 minutes time. I'm listening to Empire of the Sun. Something about their sound is so magical and free. It seems to be good for my writing.

Well, I'm falling asleep, so I'm gonna go read now. Good night everyone!

© 2014 Ihaveadryfish.blogspot.com

I love you dear!

Be a Kid!

I have no idea what I'm writing about tonight. I've been watching ridiculous action scenes from Bollywood movies. They made me laugh, and I kind of wish that movies were like that in the good ol' U.S. of A. They were very over-the-top, and they all defied basic laws of physics in one way or another. I guess that I kind of felt like a kid when I was watching them. The action scenes weren't overly violent, minus a couple, and were almost cartoon-like. You find yourself wondering if this is supposed to be serious or if it's a tongue-in-cheek homage to American action movies. In the end though, it doesn't really matter, because the scenes were genuinely entertaining. The tastes of all of those movies made me want to see the whole thing. I decided that if all of those ridiculous scenes were put into one epic movie, and then titled "A Day in the Life of Chuck Norris", that it would make perfect sense.
As stated previously, I felt like a kid, carefree and excited. I think that's why two of my other favorite things right now is the cartoon Adventure Time and the band Empire of the Sun! Empire of the Sun is endlessly positive and happy. The music and lyrics are upbeat and energizing. They have created characters in a sci-fi/fantasy world. Their live shows are an incredible escape from reality. In one of their interviews, they stated that they "wanted to give kids something to believe in". And they do. Their music breaks whatever chains you have binding you, and frees you to be yourself.
Adventure Time is a child's imagination in cartoon form. The stories are strange and magical, funny and adventurous. Finn the human and Jake the dog go to different lands helping various characters, and battling monsters. The characters only add to the enchantment. Who can't appreciate a dog that can change his size and form at will? Or a land filled with candy people? Or a rainicorn? (That's a rainbow unicorn hybrid!) I could fill the page with all of the strange and wonderful characters, lands, and jokes.
Oh to be a kid again! Back when magic was real! Back when "pretend" was the only game you needed, and your backyard was whatever world you created. Back when the hardest parts of life were doing chores and going to bed!
We all have to grow old, but growing up is optional. I think sometimes we forget that...but then we have experiences that remind us of our childhood, whether it's a place we visit, or a song we hear, or a book we used to read, or a cartoon or movie we used to watch, or a game or toy we used to play with, or even a food that we haven't eaten since we were kids. We need to proactively seek those experiences...the ones that fill us with wonder, and excite us. The ones that stimulate our imaginations, the ones that make us glad that we're alive and happy to be ourselves. Choose to be a kid!

 ©  2014 Ihaveadryfish.blogspot.com 

I love you so much dear!

My Honey

I missed last week, but to be fair...those evenings that I would've been up while my honey was in bed she actually spent with me since she had some time off of work. It was wonderful being able to spend that time with her. She really is my best friend, and I love her so much! I'm so blessed to have her!
I'm trying to start writing Part VI of my story. I have an idea where I'm headed, but I don't see the transition yet. That's the problem with my hiatuses between writing. I lose that flow that I had going through, although, sometimes I can spend an hour or two on a single paragraph. Meaning that sometimes it ends up being a self-induced hiatus.
I'm not writing much tonight. I'm pretty darn tired. It's almost 4:30 in the morning, and I'm fighting to stay awake.

Good night!

I love you dear!

Coraline review, Story ideas

Last night, I finished Coraline by Neil Gaiman. It was a good book. I think that I was a little disappointed with the ending. There were definitely some discrepancies between the book and the movie. For example, there wasn't a friend Coraline's age in the book, and there wasn't a doll that the other mother sent into Coraline's world to spy on her. I think the ending may have been a little more climactic in the movie, but I can't remember. Overall, it is a good book. Although, it didn't actually pass my first page test. Despite that, I kept reading, because I really wanted to see how the story played out in the book. Coraline is such a wonderfully strange and eerie story. I struggled to embrace the deceptively simple narration in the book, but it is a children's short novel. That said, I do think that the simple narrative ends up being a powerful asset to telling the story. The narration is simple and innocent, which ultimately, allows for the story to be so strange and eerie.
More ideas for my story...they came to me while I was shaving before work one afternoon. The king and queen wear porcelain masks. It is rumored that they are even more beautiful than their daughter, and that people would be driven mad by their beauty. The dragon first, then the witch. This'll build up the tension more. I think I mentioned this: witches abhor beauty.

 © 2013 Ihaveadryfish.blogspot.com

I love you dear!

The Princess and the Nocturnal Enuresis: Part V1/2

I'm getting very close to actually writing something on my story. I'm realizing that I may need to tweak Part V a little bit, maybe a lot. Before long, there just might be a part VI! Here goes:

Everything changed when I reached the age of twelve, just a year ago. My eldest sister was fifteen and still had not been married. Of course, I wasn't either. It's not really surprising since we were peasants, but still! All little girls dream of falling in love with a gorgeous, rich, kind, gentle prince. Oh well, I guess it's for the best. Not that I'm married now, but if I had married as a peasant it would have been more out of necessity than anything. It would have been some older man, only slightly rich, and he would've married me as a means to relieve my mother and father of the burden of caring for me. And not to mention, the fact that I'm fertile.
My mother and father, and I had been hiking through the woods, probably to find food, or to bargain with a witch. It takes great foolishness or great desperation to bargain with a witch. My parents were victims of both. Witches dwell deep in the darkest regions of the forest, where thieves and murderers hide, where strange creatures lurk, where evil comes to play. The legend is that the witches know the forest. It is their child, and everything in it belongs to them. Everyone in it belongs to them. They see your heart, your desires, and however unjust or cruel they choose to be, they determine your fate. They determine whether you fall to the thieves and murderers or whether you pass unnoticed, whether or not you fall prey to the menacing beasts of the Dark Forest, or whether or not you escape the forest unscathed. But those with dark hearts...The witches are intrigued by those with dark hearts. Those are the ones that they keep for themselves.

------------------------------------To Be Continued----------------------------------------------------

Okay, so no Part VI yet. I'm still working out whether they come across the witch first or the dragon. I need to work out more details on that.

Good night everyone!


© 2013 Ihaveadryfish.blogspot.com

I love you sweetheart!