Update: October

So I realize that it has been several months since I have posted anything to my blog, for that I am sorry, things have been kinda busy and keeping it updated wasn't a priority. But I have found the time to start updating once again, but it may not be as often as it was in the past. So here is a bit of whats been going on over the past couple of months.

Well first, Sean will be getting out of the Army in the upcoming months and things are a little stressed over what is going to happen when he gets out. We are both praying that he gets the job he wants, which will take him back over seas for almost two years. I'm not thrilled about how long he'll be gone, but it's what he wants and I'm actually kinda ready for him to go back too.

Second, I have been spending more time focusing on my school to improve my grades, but you wouldn't be able to tell at the moment with my current grade in Economics, I'm just not that great of a test taker. But my skills have been improving in Photoshop and Illustrator, along with the grades of my assignments and projects. I have also been self teaching myself how to digital paint and draw on my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, which I recently got and lot.

Third, I have been spending more time as a housewife, wanting to limit as much stress as possible with everything that's going on and wanting to focus more on myself and my health, which you can never do too much of.

There have also been other things mixed into the bunch but these are the main reasons or excuses, but whatever the reason its time to get things back on track.

Ice Skating Line Sketch

This is a line sketch I did for class last week. Didn't think it came out too bad. 

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Starring:  Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron

"In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen." IMDB

I wanted to see this for two reasons: One, it looked better then Mirror Mirror. And two, I'm a  sucker for the dark side of the princess' tales. I have to say for the most part I was pleased with the film.

The biggest disappointment was Kristen Stewart's acting, she being the main character was upstaged by the evil queen, Thor and even her seven little dwarves. Having been injured and on the verge of death in her previous flims one would think that she would have learned to make it convincing by now. If she had been a bit better or they had found a better actress to play Snow White this film would have been one of my favorites of the year. 

Everyone knows the story of Snow White so there wasn't much suspense to the story line, but the changes that were made created a whole new tale. And the adding of the underline love story was the prefect touch, who says every princess has to end up with a prince.

If you can block out the fail acting in this film it could be one of your favorites of the year. 

Cherry Blossoms Sketch

I pretty much just got bored the other day and started doodling. This is what came out. 

Batman: Arkham Asylum

So I've had this game for years now but because of Warcraft never got around to playing it. A couple of weeks ago I sat down and started playing. I'm a picky player, as my husband says, which means the games I play are carefully chosen. I don't mind fighting games, as long as it's versus and not story mode, they always want you to beat the guy with the character's special or something like that,  and playing against my husband isn't fun. I like games that have a great storyline along with rememberable characters. 

So as I said I started playing Arkham Asylum  a couple of weeks ago. I played it on easy so I could rush through it and start Arkham City. And also because Batman is my favorite superhero. 

I loved the story that was put in the game, always did love any and all of the storylines that had to deal with the Joker. Even though I didn't go through all of the Riddler's quest or the challenge mode, I still enjoyed every minuete of the story. What I enjoyed the most was collecting the tapes and hearing more of bad guys storyline. 

I have to say though the boss fights were a little disappointing, giving it was on easy. They seemed to lack any real machinics, pretty much all you did on all of them was run and throw a batrang or something to that nature instead of actually beating the hell out of them like you did all the thugs. But even with that little disappointment it was still a fun game and I can't wait to start playing Arkham City. 

Fable 3 Review

Ok, I know Fable 3 has been around for a couple of years now, and most of the hype is gone. But for a WoW addict that is looking for something new I picked it up. I’ve never really been a big fan of multi player games; I much prefer a solo game so I don’t have to depend on anyone but myself.  Fable 3 gave me the option to either play online with others or by myself.  The only thing that I didn’t like was that I had to sign up for an Xbox Live account to play, probably wouldn’t have been so annoying if we actually owned an Xbox, but we don’t.

The first play through of the game I tried to do everything right, and not kill too many people. In the end I made some good decisions and some bad decisions. The second time I said screw it with being nice and did everything wrong. I have to say it was more fun being bad then it was being good, especially since by the end of it was sitting on 20 million gold.

This game has a thrilling storyline, that stays the same but also changes with each decision you make. And don’t let the trailer fool you, in the beginning you get to choose between being the prince or the princess. I of course chose the princess, since I don’t care for playing a male character if I can help it. The graphics aren’t cartoony like Warcraft but more realistic like the Final Fantasy games, and pretty much any computer would be able to handle them, as long as they were updated in the last 2 years.

Overall I really enjoyed this game, but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone under the age of 17, since it contains horrible language, sex, and prostitution.  I do think this will be my in-between game to play, which will have to wait to be played again til I am done with Diablo 3 and decided on the next game to play.  

Why There Have Been No Post This Week

Sorry about not posting lately. Things have gotten really heavy around my place.

We found out Monday that Bird has heartworms, and right now I'm out of work and we do not have the money to pay for it. So we are making some huge sacrifices to get her treated and Kiba and Lil'Bit tested and treated. Along with getting them the prevention so we do not have to worry about this anymore for all six of our pets.

We are currently selling off two of my skateboards (yes, I collect skateboards) for $50 each, my Vivitar camera and all its effects for $150, along with all our DvD's for $2 each and BluRays for $5 each. I am also willing to sell off some of my manga collection and my Shonen Jump collection.

Also as I said I'm currently looking for work. I am currently putting in applications at fast food places near my home, as much as I would prefer to do graphics or web design I'll take any job right now.

On a lighter note, post will be picking back up, but I will no longer be posting everyday or on the weekends, post will be made on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for now on. Fable 3, Batman: Arkham Aslyum, and The Darkest Hour reviews will be posted over the next two weeks. Along with the MoP:Beta Pandarian starter area videos on YouTube.

Axel (Kingdom Hearts) Sketch

This is a old sketch I did of Axel from Kingdom Hearts. 

The Avengers (2012)

Starring:Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson

"Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army." IMDB

Ever since it was announced Sean has been waiting to see the Avengers, but I was if'y. Because lets face it the Hulk movies were complete trash, the Captain America moves was horrible and the Thor movie was just as bad. The Iron man movies were the only ones actually worth watching.

So I wasn't as giddy about the Avengers as most people were, but I have to say it was one the best films of the year.

Having never liked the Hulk comics, Tv show, or movies it was hard to believe that I enjoyed watching him "SMASH"  everything including Thor. The story line was thrilling but a kind of a let down with it being a continuous from the Thor story line. But my favorite parts were of Loki and the Hulk or Thor and the Hulk. And it was extremely surprising that it was the Hulk that stole the show instead of Ironman. The fight scene don't disappointing either, the flow together as if watching a dance.

For having been a Batman/ Justice League girl my entire life I loved this movie, and I'm tell you that it is a must see, if you miss it you'll regret not seeing it in theaters. And as Sean pointed out the age old question of "What would happen to Captian America's shield if it was hit by Thor's hammer?" is finally answered.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg

"The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name." IMDB

This was another one that we didn't get to see in theaters but wanted to watch, so I bough the Blu Ray for Sean.

I have always enjoyed the Mission Impossible movies, not because I am a huge fan of Tom Cruise but because when you see his name associated with a film you know it's going to have a thrilling story line and fight scenes that have you have on the edge of you seat.

Pretty much Ghost Protocol was everything everyone expected of Haywire and more.

The story is exactly what you expect of the Mission Impossible series, except it had a bit of comedy in it and it wasn't hard to follow. I was a kid when the first one came out and the story went straight over my head, but the fight scene kept me entertained enough that I watched it over and over again. And the fight scene in Ghost Protocol DID NOT disappoint.

Overall Ghost Protocol was an excellent addition to the MI series and it was great to see that Tom Cruise is still at the top of his game. 

Anime Sketch

I don't remember where or who this is, but I found it in a magazine and thought she was cute.

Nintendo 3Ds Thoughts

I just upgraded my Nintendo Dsi to a Nintendo 3Ds a couple of weeks ago. There are defiantly somethings I don't like about it and some that I love.

I never really had a issue with my Dsi, it was way better then the original Ds that I had for years, but I wanted to play that new Kid Icarus game. The 3Ds setup is similar to the Dsi, a bit faster but just as sleek. The menu is nicer, with being able to change it from a single line of addons to two rolls or addons, so no more long hunts for the one app I'm looking for. 

Also the actual 3D feature is a bit annoying and starts to give me a headache after a while, so I normally just leave it off. The graphics are great, better then the Dsi but not as great as the PsP Vita. And  the Ds games don't fit the 3Ds's screen, which is a little wider then the Dsi's screen. But I still kinda miss being able to play my Game Boy Advance games on it, and kinda glad I still have the original for them. 

I don't really play it that much but then I didn't really play the others, Warcraft kinda took up all my time. With out it I think I'll finally find more time to play it.

Proper Shading Sketch

This was one of my first final pieces for a class. It was for proper shading usage. It was inspired by my Warcraft character.

Haywire (2011) Review

"A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission." IMDB

Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, and Michael Fassbender

Sean has been wanting to see this movie but didn't go watch it in theaters for some reason or another. But i bought the Blu-Ray as a gift for him. 

It might have been a little better in theaters but we both had a really hard time watching it, but like I've said before there are very few Channing Tatum films that I actually enjoy. This film was very boring, not even the fight scene could really keep our attentions. Plus there was pretty much no story line. It started off with a fight then she's telling some guy about what happen and then there's a ton more fighting, but I never truly figured out why they set her up in the first place. There was more fighting then talking so the story was very lacking.

And really the fight scenes were really lame, they lacked, for lack of a better word, passion. Good fight scenes are like a dance, they just flow together. The fighting in the film were more like punch punch kick with no flow and defiantly didn't fit together like a dance.

Overall this film was a flop from start to finish.

Full Body Portrait Sketch #3

This is a full body pencil sketch of a male, originally sketched for a assignment for proper body part size, at this point I had yet to perfect the proper size of the lower legs and feet. 

Review of My Kindle Fire

This is a long time coming since I've had my Kindle Fire since they hit the shelves.

At first I hated it because I had a Nook Color that I had to send back for reasons I could not stop, thanks to Amazon and my husband. I didn't like it for several reasons:

One, I had to re-convert my entire library and crack my B&N book so I didn't have to re-buy them.

Two, it took forever trying to figure out why they showed under documents instead of books.

Three, I had to buy a usb cable to transfer the books on my computer to the Kindle Fire.

And four, you can't change the screen image!

But I have actually learned to love my Kindle Fire over the months. I no longer had to jump through hoops to transfer movies over from my computer, and i can watch Netflix on my Fire with ease. The volume still sucks, but at least I don't have to take the Fire out of it's case to hear anything. I can't extend the storage space but I can expend the storage I have in the cloud. And it's wonderful that I can email my documents and books directly to the cloud and transfer to my Fire. 

But one of the things I love the most about my Kindle Fire is that organization of it. I can find all my books easier by searching for the title or author without having  to fight through my documents for them.

Full Body Portrait #2

This is a full body pencil sketch of a male. It was drawn as a class assignment to practice proper body part placement and size.

A Poem for My Husband

What Would You Say?

What would you say if I told you,

That I still find you funny even when annoying,

Or that I still get butterflies,

When you walk into the room.

What would you say if I told you,

That I still find myself starring at you for no reason,

Or that I still blush,

When you catch me looking at you.

What would you say if I told you,

That your sometimes right and I'm sometimes wrong,

Or that when your away I sleep on your side of the bed,

Just to feel closer to you. 

Full Body Portrait #1

Waring Content Is Not Nice and Has Bad Language, But Someone Has to Say It

I believe I have mention this before, about my baby sister's train wreck of a marriage to a PFC Tom McCreary. And in truth this post is mainly for them, which I know I'll get some ugly emails and messages  but, hey, the truth hurts, doesn't it. Now they'll see what they look like when they act like high schoolers instead of adults.

Within the year he cheated on her with an ex. But his family, who they were living with because she was the one working to support them while he collected a $400 check a month for being a weekend warrior, treated her as if she was the one that cheated.

She got over it and worked things out while doing her best to ignore his pathetic family, all because she loved him. Before he left for his deployment, he started sending the ex money, while Steph was recovering from a medical conditon and couldn't work. Then told her that he was done, but then changed his mind and got his act together enough to finish the paper work so that the military saw her as his wife. (Which he never turned in instead Steph did later.) But before his plane took off his mother did this whole pathetic bit about how Steph would spend every last dime of his pay check and demanded that he take his debit card with him and not add Steph to his back account, instead add her. (She must not know that it's her son's responsibility to support his wife.)

Here's the part most don't know. At this point she was living with me in N.C. and he is listed at Active Duty, but he wasn't supporting her, which the military really looks down on those that don't support their family. He is receiving an Active Duty pay check and BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing), and she was looking for a job to support herself and and trying to save the money to file for divorce. Now it gets a little fuzzy whether they were together or not, since it changed every five minutes. But she was fighting with him and his SGT to setup an allotment to support her, and she wasn't asking for much, but he decided to give her enough to show off that he was supporting her. Now Army regulations say that a soldier must support their spouse and family unless the spouse makes more then they do or the marriage ends.

By the time Tom returned home on R&R Steph had received two payments, and they had decided to stick it out and make things work. Now this whole time his family has been making her life a living hell and starting fights with my mother and other sisters, and Steph was back in T.X. living with my mother. Tom's first day back he picked her up and took her to a hotel, then dropped her back off at my mother's house the next, to not be heard from for days. When she did finally hear from him, he was at the ex's and told her that he had filed the divorce papers and she would be receiving them to sign soon and that he stopped the allotment. She couldn't wait to sign them, she was tired of his crap and didn't deserve to be treated that way any longer.

A few weeks of her waiting to sign the papers his family decided that the divorce wasn't enough and that they wanted more. His family doesn't live far from my mother, they actually live up the road from them. So one day when Steph was coming home with my PREGANENT sister, Sam, one of them decided to try and run them off the road. The cops were not called. A few days later, Sam was in a car accident, no one was hurt, when her tires came off the car. Sometime during the night SOMEONE had removed and loosen the bolts on her tires. Since there is no evidence to point fingers at anyone the cops were not called again. But come on, it's not that hard to put two and two together. It wasn't enough for them to get what they wanted or to torture Steph, they had to go and endanger both her and Sam's life along with a innocent unborn child.

Now, a few days ago Steph received a call from Tom, who admitted that he never filed the divorce papers. Mind you that he has not supported Steph for a couple of months now with the claim they were getting a divorce, and his SGT allowed him to stop the allotment, instead of following regulations. If you don't know the regulation or understand it then read this and this.

Now after the little car accident case his family realized it was time to grow up, or so we thought. But apparently they have grown bored with torturing and stealing from their own family (from what the rumors say). And really my family should be flattered that we can hold their attention without doing anything.

On Thursday Steph received a message from Tom's mother, Lisa, and these are her words exactly as my sister received them: “Stephanie I tell u one thing u tell ur mom anytime she wants to stomp my ass I am ready because I read ur blog so tell unless she can back her shit up don't run her fucking mouth about me.” And I am sorry for the language, but that shows how this woman acts. Now as far as her comment about my mother's blog, I have to laugh at the woman. My mother's blog is not linked to her Twitter or Facebook and someone would either have to get the address from her or actually Google my mother's name to find the blog. To have to actually go and Google my mother's name to find her blog and then go through years of post to find one that even mentions her son or the name “Lisa” is really pathetic. On top of that my mother never mentions anyone's full name and her post about Tom are true, and are way nicer then mine, I read my mother's blog and not once does she mention anything about his mother or that she wants to kick her ass. The posts that mention Lisa are about my uncle's ex, so to take a post that just mentions the name “Lisa” and turn it into something it's not is just really sad.

Once again this post is for the McCreary family, and I have to apologize to my loyal readers, not his family, that it had to come to this, but sometimes things have to be said in order to feel better and ignore the idiots.

And to the McCreary family, it really is flattering that you will pay this much attention to my family that you can just ignore your own. But it's pathetic that you have to stoop this low and endanger an innocent unborn child. Or that you still have yet to find something new to do other then make yourself look like the worst people on the plantet. Now if you will please grow up you might actually find the time to fix that spelling of yours or help your adult and married children create their own life and move out. And we will go back to being the bigger ones and ignore your pathetic attempts to flatter us. Oh, one more thing, I hope you have a wonderful day because I will.  

Portrait #1

My First Thoughts on Mist of Pandaria

I received my BETA key for World of Warcraft's new expansion, Mist of Pandaria, a couple of weeks ago. I logged in long enough to create two premade characters and transfer two of my characters over. But according to my mother, I haven't really given the BETA a fair shot. So yesterday I made a fresh female panda hunter and ran through the starter area. 

I've said it once and I'll say it many more times, PANDAS HAVE NO BUSINESS IN WOW!! You can argue with me all you want, but the facts are facts. Fact: Blizzard used them as April Fool's pranks. Fact: THERE IS NO LORE ABOUT PANDAS. 

I was a dedicate WoW player up 'til a couple of months ago when I got screwed over by my guild of two years and then the new guild I joined two months before, and let's face it, if your not raiding your not having fun. I started playing in 2007 at the start of Burning Crusade, and within the year Sean was playing and we both were in a hardcore raiding guild. I'm getting a little bit off topic here, but I'm just pointing out I'm not some noob that thinks they know everything about WoW having only played only a couple of months.

From the moment  I logged on and started creating this .. panda all I could thing about was "I'M NOT FIVE YEARS OLD!!" Every bit of it, from creating the character to playing through the starter area I was annoyed, bored, and angry with how childish it all was. The whole area is nothing but Kung Fu Panda and I can't stand Jack Black. The story line was like it was started out of one of the movies, which made it even more disappointing to play. 

I will do as my mother ask me and save my decision to either continue or stop playing after I play through the new starter areas and reach 90.

Worgen Rogue

This sketch was done a couple of months ago during a break in the raid. It was done in 10 minutes so I didn't spend that much time on getting details in or perfecting them.

Diablo 3 BETA

The Diablo 3 BETA came to a end yesterday and I realized I have yet to do a review over the game.

I hear a lot of people who are diehard Diablo 1 & 2 players hate Diablo 3, for what ever reason. But just as many can't wait for it hit on May 15. I'm one of the ones that can't wait, and it's not because I'm not a diehard Diablo 1 & 2 player, it's because we have waited so long for it to hit the shelves.

Diablo 3 isn't not like the others and it's far better then the first two. One- the graphics are far better. Two- the talent system is far easy to understand and is not set to "You Have To Have This Talent". Three- it's awesome that we get to craft our own armor. And four- the story we love continues! And that's not to mention the real money auction house feature.

Even though the BETA did limit the Acts and Quest we were allowed to see and do, but from what I saw they are very similar to the other two games, with Act one being the shortest time to play. And there were consent changes to the talent system but no matter what they changed it too the talents themselves were just as great, like the Witch Doctor's spider jar throwing talent.

I played both the first and second game but I never finished the first, since my sisters and I were always fighting over who's turn it was to play and I was knocking at final door in the second when I went off to basic training. I love these games and no matter what people say about them and why their horrible compared to the first two, I'm still going to be online as soon as it's live and not stop playing 'till I have finished it at least once.

Character Concept #2

Feed by Mira Grant (Newsflash Trilogy)

'"Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. My name is Georgia Mason, and I am begging you. Rise up while can."

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we had created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over buddies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the  trail of the biggest story of their lives- the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.'

Feed

I have been reading this book for some time now. It took me so long to read not because it was boring and hard to get through it just has a lot of politics in it. The story was really interesting and all about zombies but at the same time not about them at all. Feed is just the first book in the zombie politics series, where book three (Blackout) won't be release til May 2012. The main characters are really hard not to like. Some readers  would probably say that the ending is really shocking, but there are so many shocking parts to say that the end was shocking is not quite right, Buffy was the most shocking, the ending could be seen coming from the moment Georgia ran out of the van. 

I was hesitant to pick up this book, but I can't wait to pick up the second and buy the third. I'm extremely curious about what the next book is like without Buffy or Georgia. 

Character Concept #1

Saeko (from Highschool of the Dead)

Simca (from Air Gear)

An Old Troll's Heart (Part 1)

Below is a part 1 of a short story I've been working on, it's really just some fan fiction of my character in World of Warcraft. If you have any suggestions or see any errors feel free to email me just make sure you put "An Old Troll's Heart" as the subject, or I might over look it.

__________________________________


A young human woman sat at the base of the old tree waiting on him. She didn't know if he would actually show, since he said the last time was the last time. She waited in silence, not wanting to draw attention to herself. The tree she sat at was  on top the remains of Dire Maul, which was now home to the orges of Feralas. She was the one that choice this place. It had a special meaning to her, her father, now deceased, had taken her here several times on hunting trips when they had stayed at Feathermoon Stronghold. She had lived at Feathermoon Stronghold for a couple of years after her mother's death, while her father returned to his adventuring. And now she sat with her pet, a young black male lion, laying in her lap sleeping waiting on him. Her hippogryph laid a few yards away sleeping, she was a gift from her father when she joined him on her first adventure. 
He landed a few yards away, as to not disturb the sleeping lion or the hippogryph, but not far enough that the human woman couldn't see him.He wanted her to see him to let her know that he did show after all.  Wut am I doin' here, he thought to himself. He lead his wyvern to the tree to let sit up in the branches while he met with the human, she was now gently moving the lion off her lap and trying not to wake him too much. They both knew the young lion was over protective of his master, and normally wouldn't let anyone near her. And he knew the bond between hunter and their pet was a strong one that only death could break, he knew because he was a shadow hunter and left his pet raptor back in Sin'jin Villige in Durotar. He wished she hadn't brought the lion but knew with him still being a cub leaving him at home was not a option. The woman was now standing looking at him as he moved closer, she was beautiful, he thought, but it was not what kept him returning to this place to see her.
“Displace it's for da orges. I have no clue why you keep askin' me ta met ya here,” the old troll said in his rough voice. 
“You couldn't help but come, just like I couldn't help but ask to see you again” she returned smiling at him. “Anyway how was your trip?And how long do you have before returning to your people?”
“Da same as it always is, and I don't have long, only a few hours before I have ta return, ya know,” he replied walking up to her. 
He reached out his hand for her's but instead of letting him take it she flung herself into he's arms and kissed him passionately. Catching him by surprise he resisted for a few seconds before allowing her to kiss him, and then kissed her back. He  wrapped his arms tightly around her, feeling very inch of her back as he did so. He knew even now that this couldn't last, the world wouldn't let it. Continuing to hold her in his arms he wished that he could just spend the rest of his life with her in his arms.
“This will be the last time, right?” she asked as he released her from his grip. “Ya know dis is how it must end. If it continued any further I fear dat my people will figure it out and I do not want you ta get hurt.” He replied while gently gliding his hand down the side of her face.
She knew he was right but didn't want him to be. If only I had been born a troll like him, she thought as she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. It would hurt when he would leave and she knew she would promise herself not to send for him again, but she also knew that she was willing to fight to keep what they had. As she leans on him, she starts to think of how they came be here right now.

Angry Ninja

The Cabin In The Woods (2012) Review

Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, & Anna Hutchinson

"Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, they get more then they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods." IMDB.com
This was another one of Sean's picks, it was interesting, but I wouldn't call it a horror film, thriller yes, but not horror. The story was unique and very interesting. Every time the film started to build to suspense up  a comedic part will pop in there and ruin everything. When I see a film that is advertise as horror I'm expecting to go home and be terrified to turn off the lights or be alone, but instead I ended up laughing instead of screaming. The film was great with building suspense but horrible at delivering the final scream. So if your going to see this film and expecting to be scared like any true horror film, don't bother, instead go watch it because it had a interesting and unique story line. 

Ballet Slipper

Jalapeno Peppers

Ninja Island

21 Jump Street (2012) Review

Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, & Ice Cube

"A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring" IMDB.com
I never watched the original Television series, and if I did I don't remember it. Sean was the one that wanted to see this film, and it took me a couple of weeks to give in. I like about 85% of Jonah Hill's films and even less of Channing Tatum's films. But I have to agree with Sean on this one, it was extremely funny and will be one of the best comedy's of the year. Hill and Tatum are a perfect duo for this style of comedy, each one complements the others. 

We Failed but Didn't Give Up

A couple of weeks back I decided to grab the stuff to make home made salsa, along with some canning stuff to make it all last. I got it home and Sean went to work with the cutting and slicing, while I hunted down the food processor and recipe. I had gotten enough for two batches, since Sean wanted to try a recipe that he found that was a little different then the one I had used. Even after boiling it and letting it stand both batches were the most disgusting salsa we had ever tasted.

But we didn't give up. The other day we went and grab some more ingredients and went to work again. This time using different canned tomatoes, next batch will be whole tomatoes, and no Cilantro. After boiling it, we thought it tasted way better then the pervious batches, and set is aside to let it cool. While it cooled we made homemade chips out of corn tortilla, and some chicken quesadillas for lunch. (You can find the recipe we used at the bottom of the page. Don't forget to boil it for 10-15 min and let it cool.)

Sean really enjoyed it, which is kinda surprizing. Some of the things I grew up eating he can't stand but then I did change some of them and added ingredients to others that he doen't like. Like green bell peppers and onions, or anything with rice.

Homemade Salsa Recipe:

1x can of Diced Tomatoes

2x can of Rotel Tomatoes

1x Jalapeno Pepper

1x Lime (for juice)

1/4 tsp of Cumin

1/4 tsp of Salt

1. Mix ingredients together in food processor and blend to your liking.
2. Boil for 10-15 min.
3. Let site til cool.

Hand N Hand

The Forest of Hands and Teeth Series by Carrie Ryan

Carrie Ryan

Book One -  The Forest of Hands and Teeth"

"In Mary's world, there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?"

I don't really care for books written for teen's, but this one had zombies, so I'd figured I'll give it a shot. Normally when I read or watch anything dealing with zombies it's all centered around the outbreak, where this book is based several generations after the first outbreak, putting a new spin on the classic horror versions. Some parts were actually really boring and the actions parts were few and very vague. It was a interesting point of view but I wasn't expecting much from a teeny.

Book Two - The Dead-Tossed Waves

"Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's ever known, and all she needs for happiness.

But life after the Return is never safe, and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back.

Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.

One night beyond the Barrier...

One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery...

One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. 

Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must fave the forest of her mother's past."

In the second book the main character is no longer Mary but her adopted daughter Gabry. This has a bit more action but Gabry comes off as a bit of a wimp and I didn't really connect with her as I did with Mary. The most interesting part about this book is the idea of there might being a immunity to becoming a zombie after being bite. This books was not as bad as the first but wasn't good enough to make me want to rush to pick up the third.

Book Three - The Dark and Hollow Places

"There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.

Except, Catcher has his own secrets - dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to the future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah - can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?"

The third book of the series could be said as the best book between the three. In this one we follow Annah as she tries to survive a horde of zombies that have breached the city. Annah is a character that I could really get behind and wanted to cheer her on. Unlike the first two there are very few parts that don't have anything going on, it's unfortunate that the best was saved for last. 

Egg & Shadow Sketch

Inspiration Poster

The Hunger Games (2012)

 Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

"Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match." IMDB.com

The Hunger Games is a film based on the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. And just like every book that turned into a film there are little differences between the two and it's always better to read the book first. But if you've read them or not this movie will have you on the edge of your seat and cheering Katniss and Peeta on. 

I do believe the film is extremely violent, not because of the blood or the killing, but because of the fact that it's children killing children, and it is the only down fall for both the movie and the book.

(And for some reason 99.5% of the trailers have disabled embedding.) 

Red Riding Hood Movie Cover

Vegetarian Cookbook Cover

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Book One- The Hunger Games

"In a dark vision of the near future, twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to  appear in a live TV show called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed.

When sixteen-year-old Katness Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature."

I've seen this book around but was never interested in it 'til I saw the trailer for the movie and didn't understand what it was about. After picking it up I was unable to put it down. Once I had finished it I started reading the second book of the series. The only issue I see with this book is the violence, it's all about children killing children. 

Book Two- Catching Fire

"Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable."

Catching Fire had me sitting on the edge of my seat as I cheered on Katniss and Peeta and I became fascinated with the new characters that were introduced. I was in complete shock over the ending but didn't have an issue since this one was not kid on kid violence.

Book Three- Mockingjay

"Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But she's still not safe. A revolution is unfolding, and everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans - everyone except Katniss.

And yet she must play the most vital part in the final battle. Katniss must become their Mockingjay -  the symbol of the rebellion -  no matter what the personal cost."

For the most part I found this one boring, and the way the Capitol's children and Katniss's sister where murder to be way over the top. Everyone likes a little violence but no one likes seeing or reading about it being done to children. Of all three books this one was the most depressing and the most let down of them all. 

Anime Website Design

Silent House (2011) Review

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese & Eric Sheffer Stevens

"Trapped inside her family's lakeside retreat, a young woman finds she is unable to contact the outside world as events become increasingly ominous in and around the house."

www.imdb.com

Silent House was meant to be a horror film shot in real time. The story line was flawed in some places and the parts that were meant to scare the audience didn't deliver. But the worst part about this film was the constant shaking of the camera and the blurriness every time she moved away from the camera. At first the story line has you believing that there are intruders in the house, and then have you believing it might be paranormal in some way. It leaves you guessing up until the last 10-15 minutes of the film just to find out the girl herself is crazy and is doing everything herself, which ruins the whole shot in real time idea. 

Illustrator Book Cover Project

Sketch of a Foot

Sketch of Girls on the Floor

One Piece Sketch

Ville Valo Charcoal Sketch

Ville Valo Charcoal Sketch