I have a stack on my nightstand, five books high (counting the one on the e-book library app on my iPad). Then I have a mental list of books that I need to read in my head, and it's about twelve books long. That's a bookworm's predicament-there's always so many books to read and reread, and not enough time to read them all! Unless I want no sleep. And sleep is important when one is a growing high school student whose homework must unfortunately come first. So what's a girl to do? I suppose I'm going to cut some less important things from my schedule so I can make more time for reading. I remember when I was younger. I was almost always reading. Oh, how things have changed.
In case you're curious, here are the books in the stack and on the list. :)
The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson
On the Runway six-book series by Melody Carlson
Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
King Lear, The Tempest, and Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Not to mention I have 1984 (George Orwell) on request at the library... I have to read it for a scholarship contest.
But yes. So much time and so few books to read. Wait. Strike that. Reverse it.
March 20, 2013
March 13, 2013
Happy. Free. Confused. Lonely. At the Same Time
I'm asking everyone to go watch Taylor's new video for her song, "22." :) Please? It's fun, and it's back to the Taylor I adore. Plus, she got to hang out with her RL friends to shoot the video. How cool is that? I love everything from the scenes in Taylor's actual kitchen to the beach to the cat stuff.
http://youtu.be/AgFeZr5ptV8
http://youtu.be/AgFeZr5ptV8
March 8, 2013
My Day In 5 Words
"Mary, the cows are eating Pa!"
That was what happened in chapel (well, high school student body meeting), English class, lunch, and algebra class.
That was what happened in chapel (well, high school student body meeting), English class, lunch, and algebra class.
March 3, 2013
2013 Oscars Worst Dressed
There was a comment on the best dressed post, asking me to do worst dressed. Let's get started, shall we?
Worst Dressed of the Night
Kristen Stewart in Naeem Khan.
My goodness, this is just a hot mess. It's not even hot. Her hair=ugh. That dress=horrific. And that same old frown.
Runner-up for Worst Dressed
Melissa McCarthy in David Meister
My main problem with this is that it does NOTHING for Melissa. The dress is boxy and makes her look like a box. It's not about her weight; there are dresses that she could look much better in. And don't even get me started on her hair. (I think she and Kristen Stewart had the same stylist.)
Fan Bingbing in Marchesa
My eyes. I like pink as much as the next girl, but that dress is just hideous. This is not a 1980s prom, my dear.
Kelly Rowland in Donna Karan Atelier
Hot mess. This time, Kelly looks pretty (her hair and make-up, and shoes, too), but that dress. My goodness, I'm practically dying just looking at it.
Jennifer Aniston in Valentino
I'm sorry, but was bad hair a theme at the Oscars? It's like the worst dressed actresses got together and said, "Let's go with lackluster locks to compliment our looks!" And I can't say I like the dress, either. It doesn't help that it clashes with the red carpet.
Kristen Chenoweth in Tony Ward
Baby, that's too much dress for someone so short. Plus, baby, you need to lay off the self-tanner (or whatever you use).
Anne Hathaway in Prada
So Anne switched dresses to this mess? I don't know what she was thinking. *sigh* At least she has an Oscar now; maybe she'll stop acting like she's a gift to humanity and the greatest actress ever just because she unnecessarily cut her hair and starved herself to play Fantine.
Kelly Osbourne in Tony Ward Couture
I'm so over her purple hair. And there are way too many straps and sashes on that dress.
Charlize Theron in Christian Dior
Beautiful woman. Ugly dress. It's much too plain, and so blah.
Sandra Bullock in Elie Saab
I think Sandra was part of that boring hair get-together. And what's sad is that Elie Saab is one of my favorite designers. This looks like something to wear to a party with the Addams Family.
Halle Berry in Versace
Too metallic and robotic. She looks like a game show girl from the future.
Aparna Danna in ???
I love a good sari, especially in purple and silver. But one does not wear a sari - especially with a cut-out at the stomach - to the Oscars. It just isn't done.
So there you have it: my worst dressed list from the 2013 Academy Awards. Here's hoping that, next year, there are a lot more best dressed women!
(Oh, and Jeremy Renner was at the Oscars in a Givenchy tux. HAWKEYE NEEDS TO WEAR A TUX IN THE AVENGERS 2, BY DIRECT ORDER OF EMMA.)
February 27, 2013
Fashion Spotlight
So today, I'm working on my world history project (fashion in the 1900s) and I'm Googling pictures of different styles. I was at the point where I was searching for vintage cocktail dresses, and I find this dress:
Pretty, right? But my guess is you're thinking, Where is Emma going with this?
Well, I see the dress and it automatically reminds me of one a friend wore to a party last fall. I went on Facebook to check, and I was right! Kate wore a dress very similar to the one above, and neither of us even realized she was emulating the style of a 1950s-1960s cocktail dress.
Here's Kate's dress, so you can compare:
Different sashes, and the skirts fall differently, but there's definitely a similarity in the halter neck style and the overall look is reminiscent of the vintage cocktail dress.
Pretty, right? But my guess is you're thinking, Where is Emma going with this?
Well, I see the dress and it automatically reminds me of one a friend wore to a party last fall. I went on Facebook to check, and I was right! Kate wore a dress very similar to the one above, and neither of us even realized she was emulating the style of a 1950s-1960s cocktail dress.
Here's Kate's dress, so you can compare:
Different sashes, and the skirts fall differently, but there's definitely a similarity in the halter neck style and the overall look is reminiscent of the vintage cocktail dress.
February 25, 2013
2013 Academy Awards Red Carpet
About twelve hours ago, the Oscars were running over as usual. As I watched the ceremony, I was busy collecting pictures of the best dressed. I've compiled a list of 12 stars with 13 different looks that I deem the best. There were a lot of fails on the red carpet, but I'm still trying to burn the images of Kristen Stewart and Fan Bingbing from my mind, so we're going to ignore those.
Let's start, shall we?
Best-Dressed of the Night
Norah Jones in Tadeshi Shoji
Absolutely stunning. She's a jazz singer who performed last night (great voice, too), and the Art Deco look of this dress is parfait for a jazz singer.
Runner-up for Best Dressed
Catherine Zeta-Jones in Zuhair Murad
I'll admit this may just be because I love gold and sparkly dresses (thanks, Taylor Swift) but Catherine truly looks stunning.
Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta
A ballgown must be two things: dramatic and awesome. Amy's dress is both of those things. This is a much better color for her than her Golden Globes dress, to boot.
Jessica Chastain in Armani Prive
Jessica said she was influenced by old Hollywood glamour, and did she ever bring it! I love the intricate pattern on the dress, and it's a surprisingly good color for her. Plus it's a good compliment to the red carpet.
Amanda Seyfried in Alexander McQueen
I have practically no words to describe how beautiful she looks. Except that she looks beautiful.
Jennifer Garner in Gucci
She and Taylor Swift should have a purple party because they both look fabulous in plum and eggplant. I also like Jennifer's hair and jewelry.
Quvenzhane Wallis in Armani Junior
She's the youngest Best Actress nominee ever. Crazy, huh? She's adorable and dressed just like a 9-year-old at a big event should. Beautiful dress and her signature doggy purse is dressed in a tutu and tiara. Points for that.
Rashida Jones in Vivienne Westwood at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
It sparkles. It has a draped neckline. She looks awesome. That is all.
Stacy Keibler in Naeem Khan
Ah, much better than that mess of a look at the Golden Globes. Her whole look is practically making me drool. I want that dress. Except it would probably look terrible on me, haha.
Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta (again) at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Amy Adams in so awesome, she made it into this list twice. This is a bad picture but one awesome dress. It reminds me of the 1920s and '30s and a bit of the Delphos style dress that Mariano Fortuny created.
Jennifer Hudson in Roberto Cavalli
Ooh, yes, a beautiful dress. Oh, great, I just rhymed. Jennifer just needs different shoes. Not loving the color of those.
Now these last two are a bit sub-par, but with a few changes, I think they would garner A+'s.
Zoe Saldana in Alexis Mabille
I love every bit of this dress except for that giant bow on her hip and that basically ruins the whole thing. Oh, yeah, and she needs brighter lipstick. Maybe a deep maroon or burgundy, or red.
Gloria Reuben in ???
She's officially invited to Jennifer Garner and Taylor Swift's pleasant purple party. I'm just not sure how I feel about her hair, or the two different shades of purple. Stick with the darker one, my dear.
And that's it! Another Academy Awards has come and gone. Do you agree with my top 13? Did you have other favorites? Who tops your best dressed list? Sound off in the comments!
February 20, 2013
A Moment to Go Down in History
Let this date be forever remembered! On February 20, 2013 at 10:30 PM (Central Standard Time), I officially finished the first draft of my NaNo book. I'm really proud with how it's turned out so far, and the next step is editing. Thankfully, I don't have to completely self-edit because I have a writer as one of my best friends, and I've asked her to help me out. She'll give me feedback on content and help me catch grammatical, spelling, and continuity errors. I'm super excited about finishing it. It's ended up at 50,186 words so far, and that's smack in the middle of the right length for a young adult novel (40,000-60,000 words).
If you pray, please keep the editing process in your prayers. :) I'd like it to go smoothly and quickly and to help my novel to become even better. You can also start praying that I'll be able to find an agent soon-ish.
Now I'm off to start my English paper (finally decided on a topic) and to get some sleep. I've got a busy day tomorrow. Bonne nuit! (Good night.)
If you pray, please keep the editing process in your prayers. :) I'd like it to go smoothly and quickly and to help my novel to become even better. You can also start praying that I'll be able to find an agent soon-ish.
Now I'm off to start my English paper (finally decided on a topic) and to get some sleep. I've got a busy day tomorrow. Bonne nuit! (Good night.)
February 10, 2013
Reader Appreciation Award
Woo, another award! This one is courtesy of Hilda, so thank you to her. :)
1) Link back to the person who nominated you. Done.
2) Attach the icon to your site. To be done shortly.
3) Answer the attached questions. Below.
4) Nominate six bloggers who you feel deserve this award, and notify them of their nomination. Well this'll be fun...
1) Link back to the person who nominated you. Done.
2) Attach the icon to your site. To be done shortly.
3) Answer the attached questions. Below.
4) Nominate six bloggers who you feel deserve this award, and notify them of their nomination. Well this'll be fun...
1: What is your favorite color?
Purple. Or gray. Or teal. Or chocolate brown. Or all four.
2: What is your favorite animal?
Probably cats.
3: What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Coke, specifically cherry Coke.
4: What is your favorite number?
13 and 74.
5: What is your favorite day of the week?
Friday.
6: What is your favorite flower?
White roses.
7: What is your passion?
God, writing, and reading.
8: Do you watch television?
Yup.
9: Who is your favorite author?
Jane Austen
Heather Vogel Frederick
Shannon Hale
Ally Carter
Melanie Dickerson
Maud Hart Lovelace
Robin Jones Gunn
10: Do you like 80′s movies?
Not particularly.
11: How do you like your eggs?
Scrambled.
12: When did you discover blogging?
About a year and a half ago. I mean, I knew of it before then, but that's when I started blogging.
13: Why do you like to blog?
I feel like it's a great way to prepare to be a writer, and I like sharing my thoughts with random people.
Nominations
2) Gabby
6) Grace
February 8, 2013
The Homeschooling Reality
I'm using this post to clear up some myths about homeschooling, based on questions I get in public.
1) Do you actually do school, or is homeschooling just an excuse to play hooky?
Oh, I do schoolwork. I'm taking a tough algebra II class at our co-op that could certainly prove this. I spend less of my day doing schoolwork than the average public school student, but that's only because I can finish more quickly.
2) I bet you get all A's since your mom grades your stuff.
My mom doesn't grade all my assignments. I have teachers at the co-op who grade about 75% of my assignments and tests. As for the all A's...I have good grades because I'm a good student, but I have a pop quiz from Shakespeare, a couple of algebra II tests, and some Old Testament Survey assignments that prove I don't get all A's.
3) I'll bet your only friends are your siblings.
I'm an only child, so that automatically cancels out that possibility...
4) Well then, I'll bet you have no friends.
I have friends. Not many, but I do have friends. I don't need tons of people to hang out with, just people that who are true friends. And then I know lots of people through my co-op.
5) You're probably some weird religious freak. That's why you're homeschooled.
Um, I'm homeschooled only partially for religious reasons. And not all homeschoolers are religious. I am, but that's always been a part of my life, even when I went to public and private schools.
6) What do you do for gym class? Run around in your backyard?
Nope. Last year, I did a fitness course through Switched on Schoolhouse, and now we have a Wii Fit, so I use that. I'm not a very athletic person (and I'm quite uncoordinated), so sports are out of the question.
7) What grade are you in? Do you even know the answer to that?
Yes, I know what grade I'm in. I'm not going to say for privacy purposes, though. ;)
8) Why do you dress so fashionably, if you're a homeschooler?
Why thank you for that indirect compliment! Maybe I dress fashionably because that's my style and homeschoolers know how to be fashionably cool? We're not all nerds, you know.
9) Why don't you go to regular school?
Because, my parents and I feel I wouldn't get the best education possible at a public school. With homeschooling, we can tailor my education to my needs (emphasis on English and history classes and just the science and math courses I need to graduate and get into college).
10) You must be really sheltered.
Well, yeah, I have less exposure to bad language, drugs, and inappropriate stuff, but I'm not sheltered. I know what the real world is like. I'm interested in news and the political realm (not as a career, though). I know that bad things can happen. But as I grow older, my parents expect me to make good choices and choose appropriate music, books, TV shows, movies, etc. And I kinda wish I was more sheltered, so I could miss out on things like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Twilight, and more.
11) Homeschoolers are really shy and antisocial.
Welp. I don't help that stereotype any... yeah, I'm shy, but I can also be outgoing and vivacious and crazy. I'm just shy around strangers and people I don't know so well. I've been like that since elementary school. And, no, I'm actually not antisocial. Maybe occasionally, but I do like to hang out with friends and go places, like the mall, and Starbucks, and the library (just to name three).
12) You have no life.
And you base this claim on what? The fact that I'm a homeschooler? I go to a co-op. This co-op has events that I go to. I have friends. We hang out. I blog. I go to church and volunteer in the Mothers Of PreSchoolers nursery on Thursdays. I have a math study group. I can go shopping or to a movie or bake or whatever pretty much whenever I want. Whereas people who attend public and private schools are stuck in classrooms for about 8 hours and then go home and do homework for several more hours.
13) How awesome is it to do school in your pajamas?
Okay, this is one myth that is completely true. It is very awesome to do school in my PJs. I can wake up at, say, 8 AM, grab my laptop, and write an English paper, all from the comfort of my bed. Pajamas=comfort. The more comfortable I am, the better I can focus.
Lastly, watch this awesome video by BlimeyCow. It is 100% true.
1) Do you actually do school, or is homeschooling just an excuse to play hooky?
Oh, I do schoolwork. I'm taking a tough algebra II class at our co-op that could certainly prove this. I spend less of my day doing schoolwork than the average public school student, but that's only because I can finish more quickly.
2) I bet you get all A's since your mom grades your stuff.
My mom doesn't grade all my assignments. I have teachers at the co-op who grade about 75% of my assignments and tests. As for the all A's...I have good grades because I'm a good student, but I have a pop quiz from Shakespeare, a couple of algebra II tests, and some Old Testament Survey assignments that prove I don't get all A's.
3) I'll bet your only friends are your siblings.
I'm an only child, so that automatically cancels out that possibility...
4) Well then, I'll bet you have no friends.
I have friends. Not many, but I do have friends. I don't need tons of people to hang out with, just people that who are true friends. And then I know lots of people through my co-op.
5) You're probably some weird religious freak. That's why you're homeschooled.
Um, I'm homeschooled only partially for religious reasons. And not all homeschoolers are religious. I am, but that's always been a part of my life, even when I went to public and private schools.
6) What do you do for gym class? Run around in your backyard?
Nope. Last year, I did a fitness course through Switched on Schoolhouse, and now we have a Wii Fit, so I use that. I'm not a very athletic person (and I'm quite uncoordinated), so sports are out of the question.
7) What grade are you in? Do you even know the answer to that?
Yes, I know what grade I'm in. I'm not going to say for privacy purposes, though. ;)
8) Why do you dress so fashionably, if you're a homeschooler?
Why thank you for that indirect compliment! Maybe I dress fashionably because that's my style and homeschoolers know how to be fashionably cool? We're not all nerds, you know.
9) Why don't you go to regular school?
Because, my parents and I feel I wouldn't get the best education possible at a public school. With homeschooling, we can tailor my education to my needs (emphasis on English and history classes and just the science and math courses I need to graduate and get into college).
10) You must be really sheltered.
Well, yeah, I have less exposure to bad language, drugs, and inappropriate stuff, but I'm not sheltered. I know what the real world is like. I'm interested in news and the political realm (not as a career, though). I know that bad things can happen. But as I grow older, my parents expect me to make good choices and choose appropriate music, books, TV shows, movies, etc. And I kinda wish I was more sheltered, so I could miss out on things like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Twilight, and more.
11) Homeschoolers are really shy and antisocial.
Welp. I don't help that stereotype any... yeah, I'm shy, but I can also be outgoing and vivacious and crazy. I'm just shy around strangers and people I don't know so well. I've been like that since elementary school. And, no, I'm actually not antisocial. Maybe occasionally, but I do like to hang out with friends and go places, like the mall, and Starbucks, and the library (just to name three).
12) You have no life.
And you base this claim on what? The fact that I'm a homeschooler? I go to a co-op. This co-op has events that I go to. I have friends. We hang out. I blog. I go to church and volunteer in the Mothers Of PreSchoolers nursery on Thursdays. I have a math study group. I can go shopping or to a movie or bake or whatever pretty much whenever I want. Whereas people who attend public and private schools are stuck in classrooms for about 8 hours and then go home and do homework for several more hours.
13) How awesome is it to do school in your pajamas?
Okay, this is one myth that is completely true. It is very awesome to do school in my PJs. I can wake up at, say, 8 AM, grab my laptop, and write an English paper, all from the comfort of my bed. Pajamas=comfort. The more comfortable I am, the better I can focus.
Lastly, watch this awesome video by BlimeyCow. It is 100% true.
February 6, 2013
Four Exciting Moments
Throughout my life, I've had several exciting moments. But as a writer and book lover here are four that stand out to me.
1) When Heather Vogel Frederick replied to my e-mail. First of all, it's cool to have one of your favorite authors reply to an e-mail. Secondly, she let me know that the MDBC series wasn't ending with five books, that she was writing a sixth. That made for a very happy Emma.
2) When Heather Vogel Frederick commented on my blog (I posted about it here: http://bookworm716.blogspot.com/2011/11/oh-my-mdbc.html). This coupled with the last exciting moment created an over-the-moon Emma.
3) Yesterday, Shannon Hale Tweeted that she was going to be MIA on Twitter for awhile, so she had a Q&A session, and someone asked if she was starting a new project. Shannon said a super secret one, and she was currently wearing a trench coat and fedora. I decided to ask what color trench and fedora. She replied to my Tweet and said "A nice inconspicuous purple." One of my favorite authors has replied to me on Twitter. O_O
4) Today, Ally Carter, author of the awesome Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series, replied to my Twitter question (I asked what her favorite classic novel is). She said Pride and Prejudice and To Kill a Mockingbird. Not only did she reply to my Tweet, but those are my two favorite classic novels.
And now this very happy, excited Emma is going to channel this energy to write a ton in her novel.
1) When Heather Vogel Frederick replied to my e-mail. First of all, it's cool to have one of your favorite authors reply to an e-mail. Secondly, she let me know that the MDBC series wasn't ending with five books, that she was writing a sixth. That made for a very happy Emma.
2) When Heather Vogel Frederick commented on my blog (I posted about it here: http://bookworm716.blogspot.com/2011/11/oh-my-mdbc.html). This coupled with the last exciting moment created an over-the-moon Emma.
3) Yesterday, Shannon Hale Tweeted that she was going to be MIA on Twitter for awhile, so she had a Q&A session, and someone asked if she was starting a new project. Shannon said a super secret one, and she was currently wearing a trench coat and fedora. I decided to ask what color trench and fedora. She replied to my Tweet and said "A nice inconspicuous purple." One of my favorite authors has replied to me on Twitter. O_O
4) Today, Ally Carter, author of the awesome Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series, replied to my Twitter question (I asked what her favorite classic novel is). She said Pride and Prejudice and To Kill a Mockingbird. Not only did she reply to my Tweet, but those are my two favorite classic novels.
And now this very happy, excited Emma is going to channel this energy to write a ton in her novel.
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