Happy Generic Annual Celebration!

The Best Part of Today #53:

Watching James play Pokemon.

Well we also made pumpkin cookies (and photographically documented it, much to James' chagrin.) And Bob aka. Cookie aka Alexandra Snavely was there too. And now we're watching Hot Fuzz. FASCIST!

In the Belly of the Beast...

The Best Part of Today #52:

Being eaten by a Dinosaur!

That's right folks, after entering through the mouth and going through the throat at a slow crawl, I spent a considerable amount of time in the belly of a stegosaurus today. One made of snow that is. This prehistoric ice monster is longer than and about half as high, with several tunnels through its cavernous belly. It's one my family's better achievements over the holidays.

Take a look!

SNOW! (there's some in Speed Racer too)

The Best Part of Today #51:

Playing in the Snow!!!

Even though some more shoveling was still involved, today's other snow related activities were for the most part extremely fun. For one thing, the piles of snow that we shoveled turned into a mini sledding hill and the body of a huge stegosaurus. We went sledding at a golf course, which was perfectly hilly, and then engaged in the building of snow forts with our sleds. We utilized those forts in an fantastic snowball fight, followed by some more sledding.

And then we watched Speed Racer. SO it was pretty much the best day ever.

READ BOOKS

The Best Part of Today #50 Part 2:

So much reading.

I began two new books today, and realized how much I have been reading since I got home for the holidays. With no school or work or other obligations to tend to besides social ones, I have been able to read books of my choosing to my hearts content. I had finished Mockingjay, the last book of the The Hunger Games Trilogy, in the wee hours of yesterday morning. I kept telling myself I would stop and go to bed when I finished the next chapter but they were always cliffhangers! I had to keep going, and before I knew it, it was 4am and I had finished the book. Then when Greg gave me the Halo novels yesterday, I started one this morning, after we got back from the "Halo Hang" that went past midnight (earlier than the one over the summer). Then I had a hankering for my new Artemis Fowl novel, The Atlantis Complex, which I have been reading for the latter half of the day, only stopping to post this.

In honor of the Fiftieth Post, celebrating (more or less) 50 great things, I have decided to include another great thing: a list of 10 fantastic books (or book series; Like the Lay's potato chip slogan "Betcha can't eat just one," I can't imagine that you wouldn't continue to read the rest of the installments after only tasting the first.) This is also continuing the trend of providing things for you to do over your break ^_^

• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I recommend this with some hesitation, but not at all because of the quality (which is more than remarkable.) Rather, it is more of a warning. Maybe it's just me and my weakness for superbly crafted novels, but I became so entwined in the fictional lives of the characters that I was sobbing at the end of the series.
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: Many of you may be fans of the popular film series, but regardless of if you are or not, you should read the original books. This whimsical, fun, and yet poignant and piercing tales are written eloquently and accessibly, a wonderful addition to anyone's enjoyment of fantasy.
• Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde: As a lover of color, I adored this book about a surreal world that is regulated by what colors you can see. The levels in the spectrum make up the strata of the aristocracy, with the regal purple perceivers holding sway of society, and the lowly greys skirting the bottom edge of the population. This cleverly wrought piece of work creates a mysterious, fantastical, yet almost disturbingly realistic world that is of the utmost pleasure to experience. (Because, after all, it is in fiction where the truths of reality disguised by the cloak of fantasy can stare you unashamedly in the eyes.)
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: This beautifully crafted novel, much along the same vein of Mockingjay, is a very emotional experience, given even more power and authority by being set in the very real Molching, Germany, at the height of the Third Reich. The narrative is given a unique flavor from the viewpoint of Death, personified, a bluntly honest narrator who follows a young girl's hunger for reading. One of my favorite books,The Eyre Affair, was once described as "a love letter to books" which I think is a most apt description for this novel as well. If you have a passion for books, you will love this one.
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: This veritable work of art is like a picture book for grownups. It's composed of more or less half text and half pencil drawings of such beautiful detail it makes you want to cry. The story is bold and surprising, driven by a historical background given color by artistic license.
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow: A fun read for all the gamers and conspiracy theorists out there. It always amazes me how much fiction can do with a setting like reality, but Doctorow doesn't disappoint. It's sort of like 1984 updated for teenagers and the blossoming youth culture therein. Fast-paced and fun but with a continuous thread of mystery, this modern adventure will question your loyalties and force you to question your beliefs.
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman: I love many books, and this is not my all time favorite, but I have never enjoyed myself more over the course of a single novel. I absolutely adored every word this light-hearted read, but it is not to be taken lightly. This novel is one of the most finely crafted, stand-alone fantasies I have read in a long time. I have always loved the slightly cheesy movie, but to say that the novel far surpasses the movie (even more than in Harry Potter's case) is an unforgivably gross understatement.
• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: This thrilling adventure is primarily set in not so much an alternate reality as an additional one. Like the muggle world and the magical world of Harry Potter, this novel creates a world that exists beneath modern, real-life London, unbeknownst to the average citizen. It plucks one of the most average specimens possible ("Richard") and plops him directly into a world he is utterly unprepared to survive in. Gaiman shares Fforde's talent to take ordinary places and things and give them new meaning.
• The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud: I like this series because it serves as a reminder that Harry Potter isn't the only good quality book series with magic at its core. Far from being at all similar to the Rowling's, Stroud's brand of magic is refreshingly idiosyncratic. The powers of the warlocks in the Bartimaeus Trilogy rests in their ability to summon and control all manners of demons from an elusive, intangible otherworld. The story is told through the perspective of bitingly funny djinn, Bartimaeus, who periodically interrupts his own narration with additional footnotes directed right at the reader in an enjoyable breaking-the-fourth-wall sort of way. An extremely engaging read for magic lovers with a sense of humor.
• Airman by Eoin Colfer: Though I enjoy the Artemis Fowl series (as I implied earlier, having started the newest installment today) I might actually like this standalone work better than any one of Fowl books. It is set in a sort of quasi-realistic victorian world with steampunky elements on the Saltee Islands, off the coast from the Irish town of Kilmore. Focusing on the era's obssession with gaining the power of flight, this book is unlike any I have read and well-worth the chance.

Fiftieth Post Extravaganza!

Seeing as I posted on both Saturday AND Sunday, when I normally do neither, I think I could be excused for missing yesterday. Even if it would have been the special fiftieth post, but that just means combining yesterdays with todays will make special number 50 even beefier. So beefy, in fact, I'm putting it in two posts. Let's begin with:

The Best Part of Today [Monday] #50:

So much Halo.

Yesterday was fun because my sister Sara's boyfriend Greg came to stay at our house for the night for a special Halo-playing extravaganza organized by himself and some friends. We also exchanged our post-Christmas gifts: I gave him a remote control Warthog (a jeep-like vehicle from the Halo games) and he gave me a trilogy of Halo novels. Then we all had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings before going to play Halo: Reach on two huge screens with 8+ people (and some Call of Duty, which I like less than Halo but am inexplicably better at). We shoveled snow before this, which was less fun, but we made a little sledding hill out of all the snow we shoveled, which was fun.

Perfect laziness

The Best Part of Today #49:

Doing Nothing.

Not entirely true. I did lots of things like play Epic Mickey, do a puzzle, read a book, watch all four hours of the extended Return of The King. All in my pj's. Perfect.

Not so much Peace, but oodles of Joy

The Best Part of Today #48:

Being woken by jingle bells.

Those jingle bells were start of a wonderful day. We got an early start with some very wonderful presents (a 1920 warco typewriter and purse made from a book, for instance) then a very wonderful breakfast. Then the day was flurry of activity preparing for a family meal, ending with Sara and I playing our new games before bed (Epic Mickey for me, and Sims 3 for Sara). I came in here more than an hour ago expressly to post before I went to bed, but was caught up in replying to christmas wishes, which, in itself was a nice blessing.

Merry Christmas everyone, and good wishes to everyone else!

<3

A great day in anticipation of an even better day

The Best Part of Today #47:

Preliminary presents.

It's Christmas freakin' eve everybody! Tomorrow's the big day, the one we've all been waiting for. But today did a pretty good job to ease the anticipation. We made 200+ cookies and exchanged some early Christmas presents with the cousins. All manner of fun preparations took place for tomorrow. Happy Holidays everyone!

Also, this is really cool.

A Happy Mistake

The Best Part of Today #46:

Ordering one item and getting two by accident.

Today was going to be "ordering last minute presents and receiving them in time for Christmas," which did indeed happen today. But then I got another package, with a duplicate of the things I ordered for a friend, Lightsaber Chopsticks. Now as it happens, I wanted these for myself, but I only got one pair for my friend. I checked the tracking information, which clearly states that I was only charged for one pair, and that only package was delivered, but here I am holding 2 pairs of Yoda-stye utensils. What a happy Christmas surprise.

You have ONLY One Choice...

The Best Part of Today #45:

Watching the Fellowship with the family.

This may not sound at all holiday related, but watching all three Lord of the Rings movies is a cherished Christmas tradition in my family. If the Fellowship is on and my whole family is present, it must mean that it's close to Christmas.

Mmm...

The Best Part of Today #44:

Actually making the first Christmas cookies.

We didn't get around to it yesterday, somehow. But today was a never ending streaming of fattening foods with buttery sugar cookie production sandwiched right in between curly fries and croque monsieurs. Also, greg bought sara and me coldstone. Let the stream of fattening holiday foods begin.

What a coincidence.

Special Surprise

The Best Part of Today #43:

Getting a special surprise while decorating my mini Christmas tree.

Our advent calendar is a thin, flat piece of wood cut and painted in the shape of a Christmas tree. It has little pegs all over it and 24 little boxes beneath, each with a little wooden charms to decorate the tree with until Christmas. Over the years, we've lost two of the mini ornaments. But today when, I was decorate my mini Christmas tree I found two ornaments that were perfect for the advent calendar!

Also, today my sister and I are going to make the first Christmas cookies.

DFTBA

Wow.

The Best Part of Today [Thursday/Friday] #42:

Awesomeness.

So much of it that it will spill over to Friday's entry too. I kept wanting to post today (meaning Thursday) but too many awesome things kept happening. I aced my last exam, had a good time hanging out with friends in the yearbook office watching funny videos and going to the coop. Then finally got home for winter break! I finally figured out the perfect gift for my sister, and decorated the christmas tree. Then I had S'mores milkshakes with with Carly, one of my favorite people, always. Then I saw Tron at midnight, with another one of my favorite people ever, Pawel, who gave me the best hug ever and the best present ever.

But enough about me, the most important part of this post is promoting the awesomeness of selflessness: charity, specifically Mikey's Way foundation.

You see, (before the Tron event) Carly and I made a video for PROJECT FOR AWESOME. This concerns one of my other favorite people ever, Caity, whose family is at the heart of what Carly and I vlogged about. We talked about how the wonderful foundation Mikey's Way is really important to us, and are going to add it to an collection of people all doing the same thing for charities they love. Show your support by going on youtube tomorrow and searching for all the P4A videos, or click here, to have the awesome Hank Green describe it all to you.

Now listen up people, this part is actually important. LIKE and/or COMMENT on all the the p4a videos that you can so they will be youtube's featured videos instead videos about salsa dancing cats and the current "Rob's new haircut." This is a great way to both promote the numerous causes in people's videos and raise money for them, as they will receive one penny per comment, which can end up to make a huge difference.

go to http://www.projectforawesome.com/ for more information.

DFTBA

The gift-giving begins

The Best Part of Today #41:

Giving my first Christmas present of the season.

I gave one my friends at school her Christmas present today, my first exchange of holiday happiness of the year. I also ordered my parents Christmas presents online, thinking 10 days in advance would be enough, but apparently there's a chance they might not come in time. Not psyched about that, but it's the thought that counts, not the timeliness of delivery.

1 day until break. The end is near....

Expecto Patronum to you, exams! I need chocolate...

There is always a reason when I don't post and this time it's exams. I was studying for my Chaucer exam all day yesterday (with two brief interruptions) and did not get to post.

The Best Part of Today [Monday] #40:

Taking two naps.

Technically it's three, if you count the two hours of sleep I got between 3:45 and

5:45 am on Monday morning, followed by an exam, another nap, studying, another nap, and more studying. Sorry this is not very Christmasy. Actually, I have an idea.

The Best Part of Today [Monday] #40.5:

Doing the advent calendar at home, and knowing I'd be home again for good in about 79 hours.

Ok, that's better. Today, I did not fall prey to such nappy foolishness. I took my exam, went to buy more black ink for my printer and finished my entire creative writing portfolio due tomorrow at 6pm. (My formerly new ink cartridge is now half empty.) This is very good, except now I'm trying to make myself do my celtic essay and study for the corresponding final, which also happens to be my last one, and I'm finding i very difficult. I kind of wish the essay was due tomorrow so I'd have a reason to force myself to do it right now. My portfolio is due tomorrow at 6pm, which means I do not have to wake up early tomorrow, which severely cuts down the time during which I will have to study for celtic tomorrow, so I really should do my essay tonight, but I'm procrastinating. That might account for part of the reason why I haven't even gotten the real part of today' post yet...

The Best Part of Today #41:

Peeling my red and green post its from all of my textbooks.

Okay so technically they're neon pink and green, but it still made me excited for break because it means I'm selling my books, which means it's almost the end of the semester when I don't my books anymore. Only two days, folks, two short days...

Christmas preparations abound!

The Best Part of Today #39:

A tree, a nutcracker, and an ugly sweater.

Today I finally got a start on my Christmas shopping, and we got all of our christmas decorations out at home. Tonight I will be seeing a Christmas opera and then going to an christmas themed ugly sweater party. Tomorrow I will be picking out a tree with my family. Christmastime is now in full swing for me, folks.

The sweet smell of free

The Best Part of Today #38:

Free christmas cookies.

Not just one cookie, and not just one place. It started with lunch at Whitney. By the door there was a huge rectangular bin filled with nothing but cookies. Beside it was a bowl with Christmas colored Kisses. Then after my last publishing class, the professor brought out two boxes of cookies with all different kinds: sugar, and chocolate, and chocolate-covered, and wafer, and pirouette. It would have started with a party in my Chaucer class, but I awoke feeling very ill and didn't feel like eating. In fact, I still haven't eaten the cookies I took from Whitney. But it was still a good day. Plus I'm going home tomorrow to pick out a christmas tree.

7 days till break!

Culture! Here's how to get some....

Greetings everyone. I'm doing something a little different today. I don't want to break my record of 37 straight posts, so we will begin with:

The Best Part of Today #37:

Realizing I was wearing Christmas colors without even planning it.

It's true. I dressed in a green shirt and red shirt completely unintentionally (towards Christmas that is. It was done with the intention of providing optimal warmth on this freezing day.) But it just goes to show how ready for break I am, that I'm preparing for it subconsciously.

With only eight days until break, I wonder if any of us have considered what we are going to do with the time that, unlike Thanksgiving Break, is undisturbed by work. This brings us around to what's different about this post. It's going to be a little longer than usual, so click Read More to find out why...

Single-Digit Day

The Best Part of Today #36:

Eating red and green M&M's and realizing I only have 6 more school days left.

Technically there are nine days until break, but either way, it's down to the single digits today. I'm not counting the weekend (during which I will be home getting a christmas tree) and Wednesday, on which I do not have an exam. So really there are only 3 more days of classes, and 3 more exams. A rather fitting entry for #36, I think.

Ps. For nerds: The water pipes in my dorm make noises like Valoo roaring. That is all.

Christmas at the Beach

The Best Part of Today #35:

Seeing a white speck flit past my window. Then another.

Wait...is that? It is! Snowflakes! Billions of white flecks slowly grew into a veritable snowstorm, except that it didn't stick to the ground. But walking through it was like walking inside a microscope zoomed in on a gas, molecules zipping every which way.

As the lovely Sara pointed out, we're on two hands for the break countdown. 10 DAYS PEOPLE!

On another note, I made a friend in New Zealand today, also thanks to the lovely Sara. 19 days till Christmas, and they can go to the beach. Crazy stuff.

Soon, so soon

Apologies for not posting Friday, I'll attempt to make up for it now with two awesome parts of the day (and keep it in the holiday spirit, as per the December theme ^_^)

The Best Part of Today #34:

The grass crunching from the frost, I close my eyes and pretend it's snow.

I was walking across the lawn at some point on Friday night and it had the exact same feel as walking through a light, crisp layer of snow. It was certainly cold enough to imagine, so I closed my eyes and keep walking, pretending snow had finally come. It was a nice moment, and I didn't even accidentally walk into the street and get run over.

The actual best part of today, Saturday, was realizing that this is my last Saturday in my dorm room before Christmas break! (Of which there are 12 days until) Technically there is one more weekend separating me from the last week before break, but I will be going to pick out a christmas tree with me family. I can't wait!

A new theme! Limited time only!

As a way to count down to the big day, all posts in December (up until the 25th) shall be countdowns to the big day. Each post will have something to remind you that the holiday is upon us. Today's post has two such reminders.

The Best Part of Today #33:

Hearing Christmas music in Wilbur Cross as I hung out there waiting for my next class.

A passionate rendition of Silent Night or Jingle Bells might get a little annoying the 37th in December that you'e heard it, but the first time is always nice. That's why it was a pleasant surprise to find that today's Awesome Thing was #361: The first snowfall of the season. These things are all little red flags (and green) signifying that the time in which we will have a short respite from class and work obligations is soon approaching. Keep an eye out for them and it will be here before you know it.

Only 15 days until break!

Let the Christmas Countdown Commence!

The Best Part of Today #32:

Trimming my computer dashboard with Christmas widgets.

Nothing like some computerized decorations to get you into a festive spirit. I don't have any real decorations to adorn my dorm room with, so I settled for my laptop. First, I found some customizable christmas lights that wrap around the edge of the screen. Even though they had a special white and green set with mistletoe, I chose a classic colored strand that twinkles cheerfully. After browsing through many different Christmas countdowns, I settled on a tree that would decorate itself more each day leading up to Christmas, with a little sign telling how many days are left till the grand event. I wanted one that counted down right to the second, but the one I tried before settling on my tree told me that that today, December first, there were 22 days until Christmas. Wishful thinking, but no.

16 days until Break!