Wow, it has been quite awhile since my last post, and for that I deeply apologize (as I am sure my blogging skills may have began to deteriorate due to my lack of practice in the last month). Regardless of my skills, or lack thereof, this particular post comes to you, my devastatingly good-looking readers, in three moderately intertwined parts: John Green, Literature, and Vlogging.
Let us start with the most specific of the three portions of my rant, shall we? John Green: nerdfighting guru, (Printz award-winning) author, brother, vlogger, father, among a multitude of other attributes of which I could write an entire novel. This past month, a personal dream came true. I met John Green (well, technically, I listened to him give a speech on the positive aspects of blogging, and got my books signed, but still, pretty exciting). It all started with a very exciting trip during which a few of my friends were gathered, and we were off for our Indianapolis adventure! It was probably one of the best days ever, definitely the best day (personally) this semester; I will never forget it. I got to spend a day with my friends, see other nerdfighters, and to put the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae, meet one of my favorite living authors (if not my absolute favorite). *shameless plug* John Green's new novel, co-written with David Levithan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is currently on pre-order on Amazon, and will be available in bookstores on April 6, 2010.
John Green signing one of my books!
On to literature! If any of you have a strong opposition to the discussion of literary works (other than Twilight), I suggest that you skip this portion of this entry in lieu of something that you may find more interesting+, but I can't imagine ANYONE who would be willing to give up even one moment of the blog-gold that I am practically giving away (way to sound conceited, Cody). Right, novels, here we go. Lately, I have been doing more reading at one time than I ever thought could be possible for a human being, and each novel seems to heighten my ability to notice the subtle things, rather than just the big picture.
First off, Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. Not going to lie, almost exactly what I expected from a Hemingway novel, but an amazing experience nonetheless. This novel taught me important lessons concerning many aspects of life: alcoholism, unrequited love, bullfighting, you know, the important things that affect everyone. All jokes aside, the story itself was very good, and often led me to think things like "wow, this guy was crazy...brilliant, but effing crazy," which is one of the qualities I think is necessary in order for me to personally enjoy a novel.
I have also been reading (almost done) Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Not entirely sure how I feel about this novel, but I absolutely LOVE the use of language. Honestly, not much more to say about it as of yet: the way the words flow together on the pages, the imagery, the subtle humor...epic.
And to take a little jaunt over to the opposite end of the literary spectrum, Maureen Johnson's new novel, Scarlett Fever, her sequel to Suite Scarlett. I love Maureen, and this book has not changed this love; the story has glided smoothly between the two novels, and this one is taking the characters I grew to love to new places, with new goals, while still showing the connections with the first novel. I really like that quality in a sequel (that is, building onto an existing story, rather than creating an entirely new story with the original characters). This book has me waiting to see what happens next, and I absolutely cannot wait to finish it, but at the same time I don't want it to end (at least not before her next book comes out).
+If you are still reading, I congratulate you (I wouldn't still be reading). Y'know what, just take a moment and give yourself a nice pat on the back...right now...go ahead...I can wait...done? Good, now let's talk about vlogging. I am, or was, an avid vlogger, that is, one who records video blogs and posts them on YouTube on a regular basis. Generally I only vlog when I have a really important event to discuss, or I need to vent, or sometimes, just to catch up with my online friends. Regardless of the reason, vlogging has become a part of my life, but unfortunately, I have been neglecting this facet of my life for some time (primarily due to the busy life of a college student). I hope to turn this around, starting this month. Last time this year, an event occurred on YouTube, Vlog Every Day in April (VEDA), which I did not participate in, nor will I partake this year. However, I have set a goal for myself, and I encourage any of you interested in vlogging to do the same: Vlog At Least Twice in April (VALTA), I like to think that because this acronym is longer, it is better. So if you have ideas and/or suggestions for a video blog you would like to see yours truly attempt, feel free to let me know.
My dear readers, my incredibly intelligent and (if you are still reading) dedicated readers, I do believe I have rambled on long enough and devoured enough of your time. And I also believe I have run out of interesting, if that is what you'd call this drivel, things to say, and so I will now leave you to your thoughts, hoping that you at least tried to enjoy yourself while reading this.
Best Wishes!
Cody
Let us start with the most specific of the three portions of my rant, shall we? John Green: nerdfighting guru, (Printz award-winning) author, brother, vlogger, father, among a multitude of other attributes of which I could write an entire novel. This past month, a personal dream came true. I met John Green (well, technically, I listened to him give a speech on the positive aspects of blogging, and got my books signed, but still, pretty exciting). It all started with a very exciting trip during which a few of my friends were gathered, and we were off for our Indianapolis adventure! It was probably one of the best days ever, definitely the best day (personally) this semester; I will never forget it. I got to spend a day with my friends, see other nerdfighters, and to put the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae, meet one of my favorite living authors (if not my absolute favorite). *shameless plug* John Green's new novel, co-written with David Levithan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is currently on pre-order on Amazon, and will be available in bookstores on April 6, 2010.
John Green signing one of my books!On to literature! If any of you have a strong opposition to the discussion of literary works (other than Twilight), I suggest that you skip this portion of this entry in lieu of something that you may find more interesting+, but I can't imagine ANYONE who would be willing to give up even one moment of the blog-gold that I am practically giving away (way to sound conceited, Cody). Right, novels, here we go. Lately, I have been doing more reading at one time than I ever thought could be possible for a human being, and each novel seems to heighten my ability to notice the subtle things, rather than just the big picture.
First off, Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. Not going to lie, almost exactly what I expected from a Hemingway novel, but an amazing experience nonetheless. This novel taught me important lessons concerning many aspects of life: alcoholism, unrequited love, bullfighting, you know, the important things that affect everyone. All jokes aside, the story itself was very good, and often led me to think things like "wow, this guy was crazy...brilliant, but effing crazy," which is one of the qualities I think is necessary in order for me to personally enjoy a novel.
I have also been reading (almost done) Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Not entirely sure how I feel about this novel, but I absolutely LOVE the use of language. Honestly, not much more to say about it as of yet: the way the words flow together on the pages, the imagery, the subtle humor...epic.
And to take a little jaunt over to the opposite end of the literary spectrum, Maureen Johnson's new novel, Scarlett Fever, her sequel to Suite Scarlett. I love Maureen, and this book has not changed this love; the story has glided smoothly between the two novels, and this one is taking the characters I grew to love to new places, with new goals, while still showing the connections with the first novel. I really like that quality in a sequel (that is, building onto an existing story, rather than creating an entirely new story with the original characters). This book has me waiting to see what happens next, and I absolutely cannot wait to finish it, but at the same time I don't want it to end (at least not before her next book comes out).
+If you are still reading, I congratulate you (I wouldn't still be reading). Y'know what, just take a moment and give yourself a nice pat on the back...right now...go ahead...I can wait...done? Good, now let's talk about vlogging. I am, or was, an avid vlogger, that is, one who records video blogs and posts them on YouTube on a regular basis. Generally I only vlog when I have a really important event to discuss, or I need to vent, or sometimes, just to catch up with my online friends. Regardless of the reason, vlogging has become a part of my life, but unfortunately, I have been neglecting this facet of my life for some time (primarily due to the busy life of a college student). I hope to turn this around, starting this month. Last time this year, an event occurred on YouTube, Vlog Every Day in April (VEDA), which I did not participate in, nor will I partake this year. However, I have set a goal for myself, and I encourage any of you interested in vlogging to do the same: Vlog At Least Twice in April (VALTA), I like to think that because this acronym is longer, it is better. So if you have ideas and/or suggestions for a video blog you would like to see yours truly attempt, feel free to let me know.
My dear readers, my incredibly intelligent and (if you are still reading) dedicated readers, I do believe I have rambled on long enough and devoured enough of your time. And I also believe I have run out of interesting, if that is what you'd call this drivel, things to say, and so I will now leave you to your thoughts, hoping that you at least tried to enjoy yourself while reading this.
Best Wishes!
Cody
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