I'm writing this post the morning of my last final. Yep. After today I'm done. So many people I know and started college with are graduating at the end of the week, and then there's me preparing for another semester. So, there's that... Really, I'm sadder about certain people being gone than I am about having to complete an extra semester at this point.
Actually, it's a bit hard to be annoyed that I have to go another semester when that semester is student teaching. I'm just focused on preparing for student teaching itself. Yep, I'm preparing already. Yesterday I went to the school for the first time and met some people, including my mentor teacher. I got the curriculum we'll be using. And, guys, it was awesome. I don't want to speak too soon, but I feel pretty confident that I'm going to enjoy it there. (We're going to read To Kill a Mockingbird, guys. If I could have chosen one book to teach during student teaching, that would have been it.)
Needless to say, it's feeling difficult to focus on my last final. My other finals are out of the way and seemed to go well. I'm feeling good about them. I'm also feeling good about this one. The test isn't something I'm stressed out about, which is good when I'm far more interested in brainstorming lesson ideas for next semester than studying for long periods of time. (But I promise that I have, in fact, studied for this test.)
What I'm really not looking forward to is moving out of my dorm and then the long trip home afterward. Knowing I have to do that today has me far more stressed out than the test. I'm sure it will go well though. At the very least, it'll be over by the end of today, so there's that.
Over on my writing blog, I've posted a piece of flash fiction about fanfiction. Over on Youtube, I posted a vlog.
While it's not on my own Youtube channel, I have to mention Shadowhunters Positivity, a channel that was created to talk about all of the wonderful things about the Shadowhunters TV show. It was pretty much made in response to the negative response the show got from a lot of big Booktubers. Other fans wanted to share what they love about the show instead of letting the negative talk permeate.
I think the idea is brilliant, so of course, I made a video for the channel. You can find my Shadowhunters TV tag over there. I hope you don't just check out my video though. The channel as a whole really is an incredible idea, so I hope people subscribe and watch it all. Plus, you can totally submit your own videos if you want to talk about Shadowhunters. There's more information about how to do that over there and on the Tumblr.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Reign Review: 3x11 "No Way Out"
My biggest disappointment with this episode is that we didn't get to see Mary at the Vatican. That could have been at least one episode on its own, and instead we just heard about it summarized. I get not wanting (or possibly not being able to) get entirely new sets and cast entirely new people, but I still feel disappointed. It definitely felt strange to only have a summary of what had happened. Admittedly, I was disappointed enough that I think I enjoyed the rest of the episode slightly less because of it, but it wasn't like it was bad enough that I hated the episode. There was definitely quite a bit of good stuff in it.
I quite enjoy the friendship that seems to be developing between Lola and Elizabeth. Of course, I always want Lola to be Mary's friend before Elizabeth's, but it's still nice to see them getting along with each other.
We also saw Greer, even if it was only for a moment. I really hope she gets more to do soon because I miss her so much. She's definitely one of my favorite characters (probably second after Catherine), and considering that we had the break as well, it just feels like far too long since we've gotten to see much of her.
You know who else I really want to see more? Claude. I never would have thought I'd be saying that not too long ago, but she's grown to be one of my favorite characters. She also got to be in this episode a bit, but like Greer, it wasn't much. I'd really love for both of them to get some focus again. If that could happen through some sort of storyline that involved both of them, that would be even better.
Elizabeth demanding that Dudley marry Mary wasn't exactly surprising once the possibility of Mary marrying an Englishman was raised. Still, I think this storyline has the potential to be interesting mostly because Dudley and Mary will get to know each other. With all of the conflict between Mary and Elizabeth and then Dudley and Elizabeth's relationship, that should be very interesting.
I don't think they'll actually get married though. I'm not sure how everything will play out, but I don't see a marriage happening in the end. Mary will get out of it so that she's not a pawn. I'd love if Mary could convince Dudley that she wants to work with Elizabeth to prevent her from being assassinated and Dudley helped her convince Elizabeth that she was genuine. That would be pretty great, and I think it was a good chance of being what happens.
The last small thing that I have to comment on is that Mary went to Catherine when she needed advice and not anyone else. I love it. Their relationship continues to be one of my favorite things about the show, and I love how Catherine genuinely helps Mary each time too.
Despite not getting to see the Vatican, I'm holding out hope that we will get to see Mary go to Scotland. Even if I'm not sure what that means about all of the characters in France. I just think it would be really awesome to see her finally return to the country that she's queen of. But who knows when that will happen. (I feel like it has to happen eventually.)
I quite enjoy the friendship that seems to be developing between Lola and Elizabeth. Of course, I always want Lola to be Mary's friend before Elizabeth's, but it's still nice to see them getting along with each other.
We also saw Greer, even if it was only for a moment. I really hope she gets more to do soon because I miss her so much. She's definitely one of my favorite characters (probably second after Catherine), and considering that we had the break as well, it just feels like far too long since we've gotten to see much of her.
You know who else I really want to see more? Claude. I never would have thought I'd be saying that not too long ago, but she's grown to be one of my favorite characters. She also got to be in this episode a bit, but like Greer, it wasn't much. I'd really love for both of them to get some focus again. If that could happen through some sort of storyline that involved both of them, that would be even better.
Elizabeth demanding that Dudley marry Mary wasn't exactly surprising once the possibility of Mary marrying an Englishman was raised. Still, I think this storyline has the potential to be interesting mostly because Dudley and Mary will get to know each other. With all of the conflict between Mary and Elizabeth and then Dudley and Elizabeth's relationship, that should be very interesting.
I don't think they'll actually get married though. I'm not sure how everything will play out, but I don't see a marriage happening in the end. Mary will get out of it so that she's not a pawn. I'd love if Mary could convince Dudley that she wants to work with Elizabeth to prevent her from being assassinated and Dudley helped her convince Elizabeth that she was genuine. That would be pretty great, and I think it was a good chance of being what happens.
The last small thing that I have to comment on is that Mary went to Catherine when she needed advice and not anyone else. I love it. Their relationship continues to be one of my favorite things about the show, and I love how Catherine genuinely helps Mary each time too.
Despite not getting to see the Vatican, I'm holding out hope that we will get to see Mary go to Scotland. Even if I'm not sure what that means about all of the characters in France. I just think it would be really awesome to see her finally return to the country that she's queen of. But who knows when that will happen. (I feel like it has to happen eventually.)
Monday, May 2, 2016
Naruto Shippuden Review: Episdoes 321-325
Oh, wow, it's been a while. Two months ago I posted a Naruto review for episodes 301-305, and then, for the next two months, I proceeded to post all of my Naruto reviews as videos (which is strange for me). Now I've gone a span of twenty episodes without doing a review here on the blog. I think it's time to change that.
And this seems like a good set of episodes for it. I really have been enjoying all of the episodes I've been watching lately, even the ones that err more towards filler than anything else. There hasn't been anything close to ninja ostriches, so that helps up my enjoyment of any particular episode a bit.
These five episodes in particular were great though. How could they not be? Naruto and "Madara" (who they finally learn isn't the "real" Madara) finally meet face-to-face. I loved the build up of that and how it was used as a cliffhanger as well. Really, even though some other stuff happened in these episodes, that's the thing that's primarily on my mind because everything else just felt like buildup for it.
That being said, I do have some other things to say: First of all, seeing the Kage all fight together was exciting. Almost as exciting as Bee and Naruto reaching Madara. In that small scene where so many people died and the guy saved Naruto even though he was only a clone, I loved Naruto's reaction and just everything about that scene. And this was also only a small, tiny bit, but I just have to take a moment to say, yet again, how much I love Gaara and Naruto's dynamics.
As for the fight with Madara, I don't actually want to say much since I'm only at the beginning of it all. I'm excited that Kakashi and Guy showed up, and I'm excited to see what happens next. For now, I think that's all that I have to say.
And this seems like a good set of episodes for it. I really have been enjoying all of the episodes I've been watching lately, even the ones that err more towards filler than anything else. There hasn't been anything close to ninja ostriches, so that helps up my enjoyment of any particular episode a bit.
These five episodes in particular were great though. How could they not be? Naruto and "Madara" (who they finally learn isn't the "real" Madara) finally meet face-to-face. I loved the build up of that and how it was used as a cliffhanger as well. Really, even though some other stuff happened in these episodes, that's the thing that's primarily on my mind because everything else just felt like buildup for it.
That being said, I do have some other things to say: First of all, seeing the Kage all fight together was exciting. Almost as exciting as Bee and Naruto reaching Madara. In that small scene where so many people died and the guy saved Naruto even though he was only a clone, I loved Naruto's reaction and just everything about that scene. And this was also only a small, tiny bit, but I just have to take a moment to say, yet again, how much I love Gaara and Naruto's dynamics.
As for the fight with Madara, I don't actually want to say much since I'm only at the beginning of it all. I'm excited that Kakashi and Guy showed up, and I'm excited to see what happens next. For now, I think that's all that I have to say.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Life Post: Be the Leaf
This marks the last day before finals, and while I feel prepared, it's still finals week. I know that it will feel long, especially since I have to move out of the dorm immediately after finishing.
Of course, it's not like it will be a new level of busy-ness. This past week might have actually been busier now that I've stopped to think about it. I had a big meeting about my clinical internship that will happen next week, and while that's really only the significant thing to mention about last week, there was plenty of school work in addition to that. I think about half of my big "end of the year" stuff was due last week and the rest of it is this week.
I can't write this post and not talk about the fact that I now have Janet Varney's autograph (i.e. the voice of Korra in the Legend of Korra). My sister volunteered at Indiana Comic Con and got it for me. Honestly, I get excited all over again whenever I think about it. Plus, it happening right before finals was a nice bit of excitement in between studying and writing papers. (And she wrote "be the leaf" and "wish you were here" on it. It's just the best...)
Over on my writing blog, I wound up posting the letter of reflection that I wrote as part of my senior portfolio, so if you're interested in reading some introspection on my part, that's there. Over on Youtube, I thought a bit about why I read, and I posted my monthy wrap-up and TBR.
Of course, it's not like it will be a new level of busy-ness. This past week might have actually been busier now that I've stopped to think about it. I had a big meeting about my clinical internship that will happen next week, and while that's really only the significant thing to mention about last week, there was plenty of school work in addition to that. I think about half of my big "end of the year" stuff was due last week and the rest of it is this week.
I can't write this post and not talk about the fact that I now have Janet Varney's autograph (i.e. the voice of Korra in the Legend of Korra). My sister volunteered at Indiana Comic Con and got it for me. Honestly, I get excited all over again whenever I think about it. Plus, it happening right before finals was a nice bit of excitement in between studying and writing papers. (And she wrote "be the leaf" and "wish you were here" on it. It's just the best...)
Over on my writing blog, I wound up posting the letter of reflection that I wrote as part of my senior portfolio, so if you're interested in reading some introspection on my part, that's there. Over on Youtube, I thought a bit about why I read, and I posted my monthy wrap-up and TBR.
Why Do I Feel Like I Never Read Fantasy?
I feel like I'm having a bit of a problem. One that's not a new problem for me, but one that continues to kind of annoy me.
Earlier today (Okay. Technically yesterday because it's now after midnight.) I posted a video where I made one small comment about fantasy being my favorite genre. It is, and I've said that many times in the past. My love for fantasy probably isn't surprising to anyone who knows of my massive love for Harry Potter either.
The problem is, for the last...I don't even know how long, but for a while now, I don't feel like I've been reading much fantasy at all. I have read some. The last book review I posted was for a fantasy book actually, so maybe this isn't the best time to be bringing this up. And about a month earlier I read a complete fantasy series in a short span of time, which felt amazing to do.
The thing is, when I go back to look at Goodreads, I've been reading at least one fantasy book every couple of months, but I don't feel like I've even managed that. For a year or more now this sort of feeling has been bothering me. Technically, I was reading fantasy (even if it was still not that frequent), but I didn't feel like I was at all.
And I think I finally figured out why I feel like that. That fantasy series that I read completely through really quickly, called the War of Princes series (which I highly recommend), was the first fantasy series (and fantasy books always seem to be series) that I'd finished (not counting my Harry Potter re-read) in more than a year.
That's the problem. By and large, those fantasy books I'm reading are the first books in series, and I have yet to finish any of those series. So, I am reading fantasy, but I'm not actually finishing the fantasy stories.
I was determined going into this year that I would finish at least some of the series I was in the middle of, and I haven't been that great at that. I think I've only finished one (if we don't count the War of Princes series that I managed to start and finish).
Who knows how many series I'll wind up finishing by the end of this year, but I can say that this realization has made me even more determined. After all, one of my favorite fantasy series has had two new books (the last in the series) come out since I last read one in that series, and I read this one fantasy book a couple of years ago that still stands out in my mind as one of the greatest things I've read. I have yet to pick up the second book.
Clearly, something needs to happen, so I'm making it a priority over this summer especially to at least make progress in some series that I've started. If I tell myself that and not that I have to finish them, then maybe something will happen.
Earlier today (Okay. Technically yesterday because it's now after midnight.) I posted a video where I made one small comment about fantasy being my favorite genre. It is, and I've said that many times in the past. My love for fantasy probably isn't surprising to anyone who knows of my massive love for Harry Potter either.
The problem is, for the last...I don't even know how long, but for a while now, I don't feel like I've been reading much fantasy at all. I have read some. The last book review I posted was for a fantasy book actually, so maybe this isn't the best time to be bringing this up. And about a month earlier I read a complete fantasy series in a short span of time, which felt amazing to do.
The thing is, when I go back to look at Goodreads, I've been reading at least one fantasy book every couple of months, but I don't feel like I've even managed that. For a year or more now this sort of feeling has been bothering me. Technically, I was reading fantasy (even if it was still not that frequent), but I didn't feel like I was at all.
And I think I finally figured out why I feel like that. That fantasy series that I read completely through really quickly, called the War of Princes series (which I highly recommend), was the first fantasy series (and fantasy books always seem to be series) that I'd finished (not counting my Harry Potter re-read) in more than a year.
That's the problem. By and large, those fantasy books I'm reading are the first books in series, and I have yet to finish any of those series. So, I am reading fantasy, but I'm not actually finishing the fantasy stories.
I was determined going into this year that I would finish at least some of the series I was in the middle of, and I haven't been that great at that. I think I've only finished one (if we don't count the War of Princes series that I managed to start and finish).
Who knows how many series I'll wind up finishing by the end of this year, but I can say that this realization has made me even more determined. After all, one of my favorite fantasy series has had two new books (the last in the series) come out since I last read one in that series, and I read this one fantasy book a couple of years ago that still stands out in my mind as one of the greatest things I've read. I have yet to pick up the second book.
Clearly, something needs to happen, so I'm making it a priority over this summer especially to at least make progress in some series that I've started. If I tell myself that and not that I have to finish them, then maybe something will happen.
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