Rest Now~A writing thing

I'm not entirely sure what this is. Part eulogy for Matt Smith and Eleven, part allegory, and all feels. 

"Well , then," I swallow the lump in my throat. It's just my cold, just the slimy, disgusting leftovers of everything that doesn't clear up in two weeks. "I guess...it's just that...it's not fair!"  No one ever said life was fair--but if anyone brings up the truism, I'll punch him. Okay, glare sullenly. As a scrawny English major, I'm not much of a physical threat to anyone.
"I'll still be around. Stop by every now and then."
"It won't be the same. " No more late nights munching jammie dodgers or arguing if bow ties are cool. No more terrifying stores or amazing adventures. I grab the fleece throw off the couch and throw it around my shoulders. "I wish Amy and Rory were still around. Have you heard from River yet?"
"She'll turn up when she turns up."
"Spoilers!" we chime together.
"Clara will be there," he remarks.
"I'm not really fond of her yet."
"Give her time. Any of your friends coming?"
"No, just me." I sink onto the couch. He sits next to me, letting me lean on his shoulder.  "It...it just seems like more than three and a half years. All the places I've been, things I've learned, books I've read. Even with homework, stress, colds and roommates, college beats high school hollow. And now..."
I'm sniffling now, soon to slip into full-blown crying: ugly crying, with red eyes and drippy nose and a headache. "I'll have to be an adult. Get a full time job and pay rent and find new friends and buy $20 pots with lids and everything. I'm not ready."
"There's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes," he quotes himself. "It's not all bad. There are some good points too."
"Like what?"
"Fezzes?"
I make a noise. "Not helping. Can you wait a few months? Just until I find a real job. Not five days after graduation."
"It's all lined up, I can't change it."
"Not coming." I drape the throw over my head and curl up into a ball.  The light filters through the red material, giving only vague outlines.  But the air is stuffy. "I was lying."

----------------------
"It's time."
I can barely breath around the lump in my throat. And this time, I will admit that it's tears.  I want to beg him to stay, there's so much more we could see, but I can't speak. Would I? There's no turning back now--move into the future or embrace empty memories.
He smiles and is gone.

No Cape Required

As a fan of sci-fi, fantasy and graphic novels, this devotional caught my eye. Although it was a quick, easy read with a few good questions, I was disappointed by the superficial lessons and simplified story lines.   For example, Robin Hood is provided as an example of charity, while ignoring that Robin’s charity came from criminal gains.  Jake Sully is listed as “protecting others”, which is similar to the listed trait for Katniss. 

Another problem I have is some of the author’s sources. His chapter on Eustace is drawn entirely from the film adaptation, including quotes.  And for the Hunchback of Notre Dame, he refers to an old film very few people will have access too.

 While I can admire the author’s intentions, I did not find this book useful.  It might be useful for upper elementary children, but older kids would benefit more from reading the books or watching the movies mentioned for themselves.   Parents might  use this book to movies to watch, but the oversimplification annoyed me. Stories, while they may have good lessons, should not be boiled down to those lessons; students should be allowed to explore stories for themselves. Perhaps they’ll find something new that no one else did.

autumn thoughts

I need space. I need somewhere I can go, shut the door, and not have to worry about someone coming in to take a nap or wash dishes or practice a dubstep routine.  Instead, I'm sitting at the table in the end lounge, with people loudly walking by every five minutes and talking over my BBC Radio 4 extra streaming.

Why did I volunteer to work tonight? That makes every night from Weds to Sunday working, four hours each. Right, I wanted the money. Stupid fiscal motivations. It would be a bit better if I had a chance to get to Barnes and Noble to buy the latest Doctor Who magazine, but I don't have a car and I'm not even sure they have it at all.  Anyway, I'm tired and fed up with being stashed in a dorm like sardines.

Dig /Overlooking the Troops / Trenzalore (a music tag)

I decided to play with some things. Plain text is my general shuffle, orange is my audiobook tracks, and blue is for soundtracks.

Are you male or female?
Cassabrie’s Song 

 Stone Cold Killer

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship/Pterodactyls

What do people feel when they are around you?

Christ in Me 

More than Meets the Eye

Merry Gejelh

Describe your current relationship
Oh Come all Ye Faithful

Last of the Nephilim Prolouge

Dr. Who, TV series theme

Where would you like to be right now?
March to the Scaffold

Epilogue (Luke Reports)

The Ring Goes South

What do you feel about love?
All about love

The TARDIS arrives

First Attack

What's your life like?

Bring it On 

The Underborn Reborn

The Chemical Castle

What would you wish for if you only had one wish?

One Toy Soldier 

The Prophetic Woe

Adrift in the TARDIS

Say something wise:
Hello to Goodbye 

And so, Sally, my brief career as a pirate queen was over

Blink (Suite)

If someone says "Is this okay. . ." You say?
Awaken

Silver Lining

Welcome to Mercy

How would you describe yourself?

Getting Even 

It's a Repeating Pattern
A very unusual melody

How do you feel today?

Days of Elijah 

You're Awake
Together or Not at All

What is your life's purpose?

Silent Night

Pilgrim's Progress Revisted
Anduril

What is your motto?

No Matter What 

Walter kicked at the snow.

Airthir the Ranger

What do your friends think of you?

Gotta Move 

You shouldn't be here, Lucie

Forth Eorlingas

What do you think of your parents?
You’ve Got Me 

Scouring in Glastonbury

Finale "Wicked"

What is 2+2?
Praise the Father, Praise the Son

The Price of Betrayal

Battle in the Sky

What is your life story?
His Great Love

A Tale of Two Daughters

Corridors and Fire Escapes

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Run in the Night
As we walked, the landscape slowly changed

Athelas and the Evenstar

What will you dance to at your wedding?

I heard the Bells on Christmas Day
The Huge Boat

Beneath Stonehenge

What will they play at your funeral?
Night 

Charred Bones

Cirith Ungol

What is your hobby/interest?
It’s been a long time 

Where is this Map?

Father's Day

What is your biggest fear?
Ne’oul Aih 

The two continued across the silent mountain.

Friends and Neighbors

What is your biggest secret?

Facedown 

The Spectral Promise

Fragrance

What do you think of your friends?
Watching Over You 

I'm Rather Busy Counting Blades

Ancient Bloodline of Kings

What will you re-post this as

Dig 

Overlooking the Troops

Trenzalore

Merlin's Blade

While Merlin is one of the most famous wizards of all time, few series focus on his childhood:  only T.A. Barron’s Young Merlin and Mary Stewart’s Crystal Cave come to mind. The Merlin’s Spiral series by Robert Treskillard attempts to take a new approach to Merlin’s youth by combining the historical and fantasy elements of Merlin’s tale. 

Merlin is a young man growing up in post-Roman Britain, half-blind after a wolf attack several years ago.  Christianity has come to the isles, but the druids still linger.  When the druids come to his town, they bring a strange stone that has the power to turn copper coins into gold and blind people.  The stakes are further increased when the High King and many of his warriors are enthralled by the stone.

The characters were distinctive and interesting, with flaws that lead to realistic conflict. The struggle between druids and Christians was shown through the characters and their actions, instead of just debates. The story also had a good plot flow, following characters and providing a balance between intense fights and quieter scenes. I’m looking forward to reading the next one.

I was given a free print copy of this book by Thomas Nelson’s booksneeze program but was not obligated to write a positive review.

Goddess Tithe

The latest work by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Goddess Tithe takes readers back to events portrayed in Veiled Rose. Instead of merely expanding the story, the novella is told from a minor character's point of view, providing a greater insight into the world..
Although i haven't reread Veiled Rose for a long time, I found the novella to be fresh and invigorating. Another cool feature is the illustrations. It contains eight full page sketches. There's a perfect symmetry of text and illustrations. 
I was given a free copy in exchange for a review.

Change: How to Remain a Strong Leader during your Church’s Transition

I don’t like change, especially at church. Over the past two years, my home church has had both the senior and youth pastors resign; currently, we have an interim senior pastor and the youth pastor has returned on an interim basis at 80%.  So, when I saw Change: How to Remain a Strong Leader during your Church’s Transition by Janice Eliane Stinnett, I thought it might be worth reading.

As the title indicates, this book is aimed at church leaders, not lay people.  “Church leaders” includes positions other than pastors or elders—some of these lessons are also applicable to Sunday school teachers and other ministry volunteers. Therefore, this book also contains lessons on spiritual leadership in general, with certain principles of greater significance.

The author used many Scriptural references, but the formatting (at least in the ebook) was inconsistent.  Most passages were set off in quotation marks, but some were left as ordinary paragraphs. In the latter case, it sometimes felt that the author was merely providing passages without any insight or commentary.  While there were some good personal insights, the train of thought was difficult to follow in some places.  

Worth borrowing, but not buying

I received this book from Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.