...but I have been plugging away on two various stories. One is a twist on the Grimm fairy tale "The Frog Prince" which can be read here (I assume it's readable to the general public). The other is a story that came from writing the following "drabble"; I'm planning on having the complete first draft done by the end of the summer or Aug 31. (I've got four-six more chapters so I'm doing pretty well considering.)

In other news...I'm a bit at a loss of where I'm spending my next school/college year. I originally was planning on sharing a suite with my roomate from last year and two friends of hers who I am vaugely aquainted with. But Michelle (my old roommate) didn't have enough money to pay for the room and other two girls dropped out. So I'm stuck with 3 strangers I don't know. While I'm sure that would be an interesting life experience, I never wanted a roommate in the first place. I only got one because I was kicked out of my original single room and didn't have a enough priority to pick a single in the dorm I wanted. It ended up turning out nicely considering how awful some roommates apparently could be, but I'm not keen on having to deal with three strangers at once...

I am still out of date in discussing the wonder that is WALL*E (I love that movie- I've already seen in twice and would definately see in again).

On a loosely related note, I've been trying to watch Disney's "Cinderella" and I find (after a talk with my sister about it), that Cinderella has, from a feminist perspective, almost less control of her situation than Snow White. That is, even though Snow White is sweet, domestic, and gentle, she gets people do what she whats; she beguiles them you might say and makes the situation fit what she expects by being nice about it. (It was a deleted scene that really made me notice it, but I do feel it's in the movie.)
As for Cinderella, so far she's shown an agressive malcontent (is that a word?) toward her situation, yet all she seems to do is tell everyone to get along, put up with it, and hopefully someday her dreams will come true. At least Snow White was willing to make her situation fit to some requirements she had (making the dwarves wash for one and cleaning up a filthy house she entered without permission).

Only other thing I can think of is I'm reading a newly purchased book call Eve: The History of an Idea and it's fascinating (for me), mostly from a feminine perspective. I've always been rather interested in that aspect of Genesis (one of the points of Pullman's His Dark Materials that appealed to me).

Another excellent book I read recently was The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down by Colin Woodard, which I believe I mentioned in my last entry. It discussed three main pirates and Woodes Rogers, who had a hand in waylaying the high piracy age. It was very engaging with many parts that made me think of "One Piece" (which also made me midly suspicious), though the author used very good sources from what I could tell. Now I need to start doing more extensive research into pirates of different periods (anicent Rome) and other geographical areas (China) and the opposite sex (Irish pirate). (It also made me realize that I like the 18th century, especially the beginning and the end.)

And that is all for now. 

This is probably not the most useful thing to be updating on, nor is it really revelant to many other things, but the story got me worked up enough to yell vocally in outrage and amusement so I think I'll throw out a few of my thoughts. (No pictures; I'm taking it simple.) (though that doesn't mean I won't throw in links!!)

( see below )

A Pirate Raider You scored 3 Honor, 4 Justice, 10 Adventure, and 7 Individuality!

More than just the usual swabbie, you demand not only the life at sea, free from landlubbers and their rules, but also you require adventure and excitement. You're happiest when the guns are blazing, the risk high, the outcome uncertain, but the chance for reward substansial. Your kind are welcomed as allies and feared as enemies. Put on your wooden leg and hook. You'll do just fine!

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 2% on Ninjinuity You scored higher than 34% on Knightlyness You scored higher than 94% on Cowboiosity You scored higher than 70% on Piratical Bent

Link: The Cowboy-Ninja-Pirate-Knight Test written by fluffy71 on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Somehow, even though I have more "cowboy"-ness I'm a pirate. Cool! :D

( Here's another one that I found on my own. )

William Dampier You are 69 %Treasurer, have 60% Seafairability, crave 40% Bloodlusting, and lust 38% in Wenchwanting!

Naturalist, Scientist, and Buccaneer, Captain Dampier you are the gentleman of pirates! Circumnavigating the globe three times whilst collecting treasure and anthropological data has made you a pirate of substance and class which doesn't happen very often! You're in a league of your own here, and while I don't neccessarily condone the lack of wenching and bloodletting, your great passion and scientific inquisition are well noted!

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 86% on Treasurer You scored higher than 39% on Seafairability You scored higher than 38% on Bloodlusting You scored higher than 25% on Wenchwanting

Link: The What Kind of PIRATE Are You Test written by JosephineGreen on Ok Cupid

SCORE!! I rock!! Yes!!

CaptainBlood be wantin' to keel haul off o' CalicoJackRackham

What's Your Pirate OTP?
Shiver My Timber--A Pirate RPG

LOLOLOL!!!

CaptainHook sings shanteys about DreadPirateRoberts

What's Your Pirate OTP?
Shiver My Timber--A Pirate RPG

*snort*

JackSparrow sings shanteys about Jesus

What's Your Pirate OTP?
Shiver My Timber--A Pirate RPG

hehe...

LOllonais wants to Long John Silver FrancisDrake

What's Your Pirate OTP?
Shiver My Timber--A Pirate RPG

Oh look its that guy...

Jesus be swabbin' the decks wit' LongJohnSilver

What's Your Pirate OTP?
Shiver My Timber--A Pirate RPG

This has got to be my favorite...

I thought I might as well put this up: I gotta go a schooner!! It was a small sailing ship. It was so much fun! (despite how I was acting afterwards ^^;) It was *really* fun or at least interesting to watch the two other hired crew-members on the ship do all the rigging et. al as we got closer to the wharf or farther away depending on if we were going back or going out. :p

It was something my mom was doing with a group of hers but I though that since it was a ship and you know...pirates...well, *there's* a connection, so I thought why not? ^^;

It started with a lot of waiting. Then when it was finally time to get on, it was cool because once you got down to the area of the wharf (?) where the schooner was docked you could see underneath. The reflections of the water danced on the dark wet surface of the wood, and seaweed and pale-white barnacles were decked all along it. It looked so dangerous and mysterious. It was awesome!! I know I'm not describing it well but it was really cool. ^^;

The sailing bit itself was fun. I definately think it gave me a good view on the kind of the life pirates might have. Or at least in regard to One Piece. Once it had got off for awhile and really starting sailing, I got more comfortable (Luckier I didn't suffer from sea-sickness until I got off. O.o) Then I wanted to lay down or read or do what I would normally because it was so comfortable. I wasn't sure it that was right or if someone would want to know if I wasn't having a good time cause I wasn't watching the sea. I didn't do either, though I read some but then I got distracted again by watching the sea. It was fun...mostly because it was so relaxing. It wasn't stressful and I didn't have to say or do or be anyone or anything except what I felt. Maybe it was a kind of freedom. Dunno.

Saw a few seals too. ^_^. Oh, also saw a ship that had a pirate flag on the back. W00t!! ^^;

If anything it was definately an *experience* to remember. I've never been very good at describing events well...but the memories stay with me and will usually make its way into my writing. ^^; It may not have been the best use of my time--oh, hell it was! Definately worth it. Yay!! ^___^.

Do you suppose dogs like the my scent? Completely beside the point, but dogs like to lick me. Actually animals generally do...but moving on...

Aah. Who knew there was so much piracy right in my "back yard" so to speak? I took a trip to Salem, Mass. today and whooweee!! There was this cool pirate museum right by the wharf. Heh. I got some great stuff there. 3 books about different pirate histories. One was written by some alleged Captain-somebody. Another was a more historical view on what the other Captain-guy had written. Then a third just on New England pirates. (That's the northeast end of the US those who don't know the states well. ^^;) I also got a beanie baby kind of thing - a bear with a eye-patch, red bandana on on ear, an earring (it was really a kind of key-chain) with a jolly roger on his tummy. Heeee. :D Score, right!! >D I think I'm going to call him Captain Roger Oreo. (Don't ask)
Um yes.
I also got a treasure map that told about all the treasure and such in the northeast US area. Those that had been found and those that hadn't. HAHA!! I think there were some nearby, relatively that hadn't been found. Hm...
Then there was this small chest that opened on another, even smaller one. That was fun. I kind of got that on a whim. I've noticed that when I like something I seem to go on buying sprees. For example, I have TONS of wolf...*stuff*. (Keychains, shirts, blankets, stuffed animals, wallet, mailbox ^^;, statues, books, bedsheets, and other stuff I can't think of.) Also got a bottle of jelly beans. Duh...I don't know why I did that.

The museum itself was fun. It wasn't anything great, but I had a lot of fun. There was this guy, dressed up vaguely like a pirate who took you on a tour through this building, telling you all this interesting stuff. There were pictures and descriptions of things on the walls, too, with statues all around, representing different pirates. ^_^. They weren't the best quality, but some of them were cool.
My favorite part was at the end, when the tour bit is over and you go down to this "cave" area. There were all the exhibits about lost treasure, and one of the last was about some hideout (can't remember the name) and there was a pool of falling water. Near the end of that one, there was a large hole, completely black inside. I stuck my head in, to see where it when. It looked like it when off somewhere. I didn't follow it 'cause, well, honestly I didn't fancy crawling with a bent back through a pitch black tunnel-hole thing if it wasn't a part of the "tour". :P I feel so cheap saying it like that. But it was still my favorite part.

Later when we were walking to the Peabody museum (which I have yet to "official" go to - aren't I sad? Mwhahaha! Not really!) I saw this really lovely dog. He was so friendly too. Licking my face and everything. Heee. Then it was like he wanted to play, getting down kind of. When I was leaving, he kind of came after me, so I petted him some more and then when on my way. YAY!! Love meeting dogs. It's more fun than people most times. ^_-.

I also found a really cool cloak covered with a buncha small jolly rogers. (Aren't I crazy?! Maybe but at least I'm happy at the same time. :P) The color flucuates from silver-black to a purplish color. It made me think of Shanks so...I *had* to get it. :P

And you know what else!!! The BEST **the ABSOLUTE BEST*** Part of all this weird piracy stuff is!!!??? That it's all on the east cost of the US and West Indies!! ROCK ON! I had never realized that so many of the famous pirates were in this area, or southerenly. *shrug* And the part that really makes it the *BEST* is that in my sub-creative world, Tashughr, there is a piracy (edge??) and it's in the same area! I mean, Tashughr is suppose to represent the North American continent to some degree, so that the piracy of Tashguhr should develop on the eastern end is really COOL to me!! HAHAHAHA!!! >D >D >D

Ah yes! Creativity is over-flowing! WHooopee! (I think reading about Native American stories and such helped...)

Who thinks cats would make good pirates?? >D