Reborn City Chapter Twelve

Posted: March 22, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report
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I finally got around to editing the twelth chapter of Reborn City (and for those of you just tuning in, Reborn City is the novel I’ve been working on for the past couple of years). This puts me officially at the halfway point in the editing process. I’m glad I finally got to work on it and that it’s done. In the story, we’re steadily speeding along to the events that will lead to the climax of the novel and set up for the two sequels I have planned.

You know, I really hope that I am able to find an agent once I’m done with the current edit I’m going through. If I can’t find an agent immediately, maybe I’ll try a writing contest. Anyway, I’ll keep trying, and hopefully I’ll get it published someday.

All for now, bye.

Winter Quarter Wrap-Up

Posted: March 20, 2012 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, short story
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I know, that title sounds like something after a NCAA basketball game, but I’ve already used “update” twice in relation to winter quarter, and I don’t want to be redundant.

Now on to the news. Well, I had a slightly lower GPA this quarter, a 3.1, but I’ve got less classes next quarter and despite the reviews of some of them, they don’t seem too difficult or terrifying to me, so hopefully I’ll have a higher GPA than this quarter. I’ll even be taking a class on the search for extraterrestrial life and ways of going about it (yes, my school offers a class on that, you can take it to fulfill a science requirement). Although I don’t believe in alien visitations, I still think the class will be interesting to take. Though if we’re going by what our book teaches, it’ll mostly be what allows life on Earth and how we go about looking for that on other planets.

And as for writing, I’m still working on the final edit for Reborn City, but I hope to get some more of that done. I also wrote a new short story based on the Kony 2012 video I mentioned in my last post. I hope, after that story’s been edited, that a certain magazine I know might want to take it. Fingers crossed, right?

I’m looking forward to spring quarter. More flexible schedule, more time at work, what could go wrong? Wait, don’t answer that.

See ya next post, when it strikes my fancy to write one. Have a good spring break.

Kony 2012: I’m In

Posted: March 13, 2012 in Living and Life, Politics and Leadership, Social Activism
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I just saw the Kony 2012 video on YouTube. You know, it’s one thing to hear about kids being put into armies like that. It’s another thing entirely to be confronted by the evidence like that, all in your face, and want to do something about that. And you know, I do want to do something about that. Heck, I’m now writing for The Pulse, I start my first assignment this week, I’m all about the social activism now.

So, I’m in.

SPREAD THE WORD. TAKE HIM DOWN

Joseph Kony has kidnapped nearly 30,000 children and forced them to become soldiers and sex slaves for his private army, the LRA. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court, the Ugandan army, and human rights groups for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

 

I’ll do what I can to help spread the word and bring Kony to justice, because no child should be abducted from their parents and forced to be a soldier or slave, and no parent should have to suffer their child going through that. On April 20, 2012, I’ll even go out and do the Cover The Night, an event happening in nearly every major city where we put up posters, stickers, you name it, to spread the word. I don’t care if it’s the Jewish Sabbath, God would want me helping people.

Finally, I’d like you to check out the website and the video (I’ll be putting them down below at the bottom of this post). If you don’t like what you see, spread the word. You may be an individual, but when an individual is motivated to do something big, all they need is to find others who feel the same way, and they can change the world.

So let’s change the world together, and nab Kony by the end of the year.

Thank you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

http://www.kony2012.com/

Review: Jonah Hill on Saturday Night Live

Posted: March 11, 2012 in Review
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As last week I wrote a rather scathing review of Lindsay Lohan’s performance on SNL, I thought I’d follow up with Jonah Hill’s performance on last night’s episode. I’m happy to say, the man did not disappoint. Indeed, he fulfilled all my expectations and then some. From his hilarious impression of an annoying, fast-talking six-year-old wise guy to his performance of a Coolio song near the end of the show, he was hitting all the right notes. Heck, he even made the J-Pop sketch look good when he played a samurai who was out of breath and holding his sword wrong, and as a fan of manga and anime I usually get incensed when they do the J-Pop sketch.

Other highlights include the Weekend Update, featuring guest appearances by Kristen Wiig as Paula Deen, Andy Sandberg trying on the Sarah Palin persona because of an apparently sick Tina Fey, and Bill Hader as Stefon (and if SNL has any shippers obsessed with the Seth Meyers/Stefon relationship, I highly reccommend they watch this episode!).

All told, a very good show, even if the musical guests weren’t my type of music. I give this week’s episode, a 5 out of 5 (I’d feel guilty just taking off points for the musical guest).

The Pulse: A New Oppurtunity

Posted: March 6, 2012 in Journalism, Politics and Leadership, Progress Report
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Good news, ladies and gents: today, just barely two hours ago, I met with the Pulse, a social action magazine for students here on campus. According to their website, the Pulse “gives a voice to Ohio State Progressives, enhancing the intellectual and political consciousness of Ohio State students, and changing the culture from one of apathy to one of activism. With accurate coverage of current events in news and politics, as well as campus life, The Pulse will provide thoughtful analysis of important contemporary issues. We, the youth, speak for ourselves.” Yes, that is a long statement, but it gets me pumped just reading about it!

I learned about the Pulse through an email from the English department, where the Pulse was asking if anyone was interested in doing some writing for them. I thought to myself, “Why not? It sounds like the kind of stuff I’d be into, and besides, it’d be something I could add to my resume of publications.” I sent a reply listing what little I’ve already written, and got an email back. Today we met at the Union and discussed the section I’d be working in, The_______Generation, which is meant to talk about the many facets of the generation of today.

I’m super-excited to be working with the Pulse, and I hope to have an article out soon. I’m hoping to do something involving social media, it is pretty pervasive in our society today. I’ll write a new post soon when I get my first article out.

To visit the Pulse’s website, follow the link below.

http://thepulse-mag.org/

All for now. See ya next time!

Review: Lindsay Lohan on Saturday Night Live

Posted: March 4, 2012 in Review
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I love Saturday Night Live. Every time there’s a new episodes, you can know that’s how I spend my Saturday nights. I love that show…when they’re funny. Sometimes they miss the mark on that. Last night on SNL, well…first, I was really surprised that Lindsay Lohan, who somehow got to be host last night, was not drunk or high or anything else while on stage. It’s almost disappointing. There were funny moments though, such as the Mysterious Phone Calls skit, the Real Housewives of Disney skit (by the way, none of those shows have real housewives), and of course, the Weekend Update.

However on other skits it could be better. The skit that parodied 50’s rebel films just seemed like Fred Armisen getting hit by cars repeatedly while wearing drag, and the MacIntosh skit–usually funny as hell–was undermined by Lohan’s inability to show emotion. And the early morning radio skit just didn’t reach my funny bone.

Still, the show’s funny parts are always well worth it. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this episode a 3.4.

Tune in next week, when Jonah Hill of Superbad fame hosts, with musical guest the Shins (I have no idea who they are either).

Update: The Birth Control Debate

Posted: March 1, 2012 in Politics and Leadership
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Just saw on AOL News that the Blunt Amendment, which would’ve allowed institutions or their insurers the rights to not cover any form of health-care due to “moral reasons”, failed in the Senate by a close vote. Can’t say I’m sad it didn’t pass; not only is the amendment really just an effort to ghet rid of Obama’s birth control policy, it just sounds like it’s giving too much power to religious organizations over their employees. It would be bad if you worked for a Christian Scientist organization and you weren’t a Christian Scientist.

And I’m glad women still have access to birth control. Not only does it stop women from getting pregnant when it’d be difficult or unfeasible for them to have children, birth control has other benefits, including stopping ovarian cysts and other reproductive problems in women. Perhaps religious institutions–some of which can be very patriarchal in nature, and therefore unable to make proper decisions when it comes to matters related to the females of their group–should consider that!

Oh, and Mr. Limbaugh, you are not funny! Calling women sluts, saying that Georgetown students want birth control just to have sex, and then using the aspirin bit?! Where do you get off saying all that on the radio?! Shame on you!

Reborn City Update 2-27-12

Posted: February 28, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report
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Sound the trumpets, I’m officially a third of the way through editing Reborn City. I just finished Chapter Eight, and although it’s a short chapter, it’s what I’d call a transitional chapter. With this chapter we really start to get into the thick of the plot and to the events that lead to the climax of the novel. I’m looking forward to seeing where I go from here in terms of editing. A lot in the first eight or so chapters has really changed from even the draft before it, so I wonder how much more will change.

Hope to have more for you soon.

Oh, and a huge congratulations to Octavia Spencer for winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her role of Minny Jackson in The Help. Honestly, you brought the character to life, and endeared her so much to me. I wish you continued success in your future and perhaps, if God blesses me and I’m lucky enough, we could work together sometime (there’s a character in a series I plan to write someday that’s even more cantankerous-yet-hilarious than Minny, and I can’t imagine anyone but Ms. Spencer playing her).

The Birth Control Debate: Why Are Men Dominating The Talk?

Posted: February 23, 2012 in Politics and Leadership
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Okay, I’m a little confused. Why, in the name of God, are men the ones who seem to be the only ones we’re listening to on television about this? Men?! Just a reminder folks, men can’t have babies. I know it’s hard to believe, but men can’t have babies. So should they really be telling women how they should use their bodies or whether or not they can prevent themselves from getting pregnant? My answer: no! (And I’m saying all this as a guy. Then again, I’m a feminist and I grew up in a house full of women and girls, so I guess I’m an exception).

Also, the Catholic Church is making a huge fuss about the birth control option in Obama’s policy. Once again, the people getting upset are the male policy-makers of the Catholic Church, who cannot get pregnant, even if they wear gowns while praying at the altar. And apparently ninety-eight percent of Catholic women use birth control and feel guilty about it. Ladies, don’t feel guilty; feel enraged! I mean, you can’t get birth control but apparently guys can get Viagra. There’s something wrong about all that!

And to all those religious institutions who feel threatened by the birth control policy of the Obama administration, please stop using Nazi Germany references for your plight. The Obama administration is not preventing you from going to school, to public areas, taking away your property or forcing you to wear humiliating yellow patches on your clothes. They’re requiring your insurers to pay for birth control. When all the other stuff I listed starts happening, then you can start complaining about the government barring your religious liberties in a fashion similar to Hitler! The people who should really be complaining about having their religious liberties barred in front of Congress are the Muslims living in France. Have you seen the situation over there?!

Finally, I’d just like to mention that although you object to paying for women’s birth control, you should know that when you pay your employees, they can use that money for whatever they want, even condoms or strip clubs or stuff you guys find abhorrent. Just something to think about.

That’s it for my rant, talk to you later.

Prediction: Alcatraz

Posted: February 21, 2012 in Predictions
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I haven’t seen the latest two episodes, but I am totally hooked on the new FOX show Alcatraz. I love the concept, its X-Files-meets-crime-drama feel, and the characters are so much fun. And let me tell you, I’ve had a ball trying to predict where this show is going to go. I’d like to give you my predictions for who originally took the ’63s, if nobody objects.

(silence around the computer. the sound of typing resumes.)

So, we know (or at least I know; you may know more if you’ve watched the latest two episodes) that the ’63s are coming back at various rates, all as young as the day they disappeared, and all with what appears to be memory modification. This argues either for a temporal rift in the space-time continuum, or some form of suspended animation (I think it’s more likely the latter). Also, some of these 63s have been given missions, though they can’t remember who has given them these missions. This rules out government conspiracy, as there’s no self-respecting government in the world that’ll let former-convicts-turned-operatives out of their sight to cause havoc, they prefer to control their operatives. So maybe aliens took them; however aliens would also give all the 63s missions pertaining to some ultimate goal, not just a few. So who does that leave? Someone or something that doesn’t mind letting loose all the 63s to cause a little chaos before moving onto the big plan.

I’m thinking demons and devils. They’re using the 63s in order to prepare for a non-Mayan end of the world, and the 63s are some kind of scout group. That would be why the 63s are being left mostly to their own devices (oh, you horrible devils!). We can also back up this idea with references from Detective Madsen’s grandfather about something below Alcatraz, and a shot from a previous episode involving an underground door with a “subterranean visitant”. It may also explain why the medical doctor and the psychologist were returned earlier than the other 63s.

Anyway, I can’t wait to see if I’m right.

Well, I’m done ranting. How about we close up this entry, huh? Okay then, see you later.

Oh, before I forget, still doing another edit of Reborn City, but it’s taking a heck of a time, seeing as I’ve still got homework and classes and whatever. I’ll get it done eventually, though!

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