Opera and The Gospel....and a quick blurb about a smart phone app

First of all, I'd like to talk about a smart phone app that I really find to be underrated.  It's kinda like Foursquare, the "places" feature on Facebook mobile, and Yelp.  I am hopelessly addicted to this app called GetGlue that I have on my Android.  It's really cool.  Unlike Foursquare and FB mobile, you don't check into places but you check into stuff you're doing at the moment; e.g. reading a book or watching a cool movie.  It's free and you earn stickers while checking into things, like Foursquare.

Now that I've got that off my chest, here's a topic I've wanted to share for awhile now.  For those who know me really, really well, I'm into opera.  No, not the software, the OTHER opera, y'know, the art form where singing is the only form of dialogue?  I saw my first opera as a senior in high school but truly didn't get into it until about 4 years ago.  Anyhoo, the specific opera I want to talk about is Richard Wagner's Tannhaüser  (pronounced TANN-HOIZHER).  I have a DVD of a 1980s performance of it.  I even had a ticket to see the closing performance of it at my local opera house but I decided not to go because it was on Super Bowl Sunday (God forbid I miss the Super Bowl; I didn't even know about DVR at the time).

The opera itself takes place in 13th century Germany (well, in a principality, since Germany was not united at the time) and based upon the legend of a minnesänger (kind of like a roving troubador, if you will) named Tannhaüser who is torn between lust and Godly purity.  He lusts after the goddess Venus and loves his on-again-off-again virginal (and seemingly perfect) girlfriend Elisabeth.  The story deals with how Tannhaüser deals with his sins and desires and in one part of the opera, he goes off with a group of pilgrims to Rome to see the pope for absolution of his sins.  Unfortunately the pope says his chances of salvation are slim because of his blasphemous actions (worship of Venus rather than God) and that leaves will sprout from his papal staff before Tannhaüser gets admitted into Heaven.  Eventually, his sins are absolved, but only after the death of someone he loves.

The reason why I bring this up is because I see parallels with this opera and the Gospel.  In my opinion (and this is how I "interpret" art, if you will), Tannhaüser represents every man and woman's struggle to remain pure, sinless, etc. etc.  He tries to fight off his desires but they keep coming back.  He tries to atone for his sins by hanging out with pilgrims going to Rome probably wearing sackcloth and/or rags and doing the self-flaegellation thing.  Once Tannhaüser goes to Rome, the pope tells him that he cannot obtain salvation because of the sins he committed.  First of all, no man, not even the pope, has ANY say in who gets to go to Heaven with God.  That's God's judgement call, but the pope is right in that our sins keep us apart from God. 

Unfortunately, someone Tannhaüser loves has passed away and he prays for that person to pray for his salvation and he is finally forgiven of his sins.  Some people might dismiss this as Medieval Catholic doctrine and it is, in a way.  However, I see it in another way: the person who died represents a Christ figure, someone who is perfect and pure to carry on the transgressions of a sinner in death.  In a way, the opera represents mankind's struggle against sin toward perfection and that we, as a sinful human species, cannot obtain perfection and that salvation is through Jesus Christ, God's only Son, Who is perfect.  I don't think that this was Richard Wagner's interpretation but, then again, art is objective and people can see different sides to it.

If this is confusing, I can totally understand.

Off to bed.  Gotta get up early for work.  Fin.

Seriously, this has got to stop!

I hate it when I buy pants and they have about 45 different stickers and tags all over the stinkin' place.  Case in point: yesterday, I bought a new pair of black, boot cut jeans at Macy's (on sale, 25% off) and, in order for me to take them to the dry cleaners to have them tailored, I have to remove at least THREE stickers, one tag, and one stapled-on label that reads "tummy slimmer" or something to that effect.  Can't clothing companies have one label that says the size, type, and whether or not it's a "tummy slimmer?"  Reminds me of all the times that I got new clothes and each article of clothing had a sticker that said "inspected by #27" or something like that.  Seriously, this has got to stop. 

On an unrelated note, I personally believe that parody vocalist Jonathan Coulton (a.k.a "JoCo") should do a duet with Sir Mix-a-Lot with the latter's song Baby Got Back (JoCo did a parody cover of the same song as a love ballad rather than a rap song)  Kinda like the collaboration with B.o.B and Bruno Mars in Nothin' On You except with more nerdiness. 

On another unrelated note, I saw the film version of Water for Elephants yesterday.  While I liked the performances of Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz, Reese Witherspoon seems miscast as the abused wife of Waltz's character.  She looked a bit stiff and unemotional.  Actresses like Natalie Portman or Anne Hathaway would've been a better choice.  The movie was pretty much true to the book with some minor omissions. 

I am desparately trying to finish up Vanity Fair before the library due date (May 1st) and I don't know how many renewals I have left or if I have any left.  I'm not even halfway into the book, but the details are getting juicer and juicer.

Just recently, I've discovered the music of Mumford and Sons, a British folk band.  While I wasn't fond of their top song (on Amazon) Little Lion Man, I did like The Cave and it's been stuck on my head on repeat all day, despite my attempts at getting it out of my head.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great tune but not the kind I want stuck in my head.  I tried listening to Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved, Billy Joel's Piano Man and We Didn't Start the Fire, and Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes but to no avail. 

Also, for those of you in a friendly mood, I would like to share a playlist I created called "Songs About Friendship."  If you have any songs that relate to friendship one way or another, feel free to add it and I might add it to my own playlist.  Bear in mind that my playlist is kinda short:

* Why Can't We Be Friends - War
* We Need Each Other - Sanctus Real
* You're My Best Friend - Queen
* How to Save a Life - The Fray (I kinda see this as a song about friendship because it's about helping out a friend)
* We're Going to Be Friends - The White Stripes

Before I end this blog entry, here's a funny "music video" featuring Jerry Reed's song Amos Moses using the game, World of Warcraft.  Enjoy.

Fin.

He is Risen

Some 2,000 years ago, a simple Jewish Carpenter was tried and found innocent of crimes that He was accused of.  Still, He was whipped, spat on, beaten, and a crown of thorns was thrust onto His head.  He was cursed, mocked, and yelled at and yet, He remained compliant.  Eventually, He was nailed to a cross and crucified.  He died on that cross; his body was then taken down and placed in a tomb.  Three days later, the tomb was empty...

He appeared to a crowd of 500 people, completely alive and well.  Everyone cheered and praised Him.  Then, He ascended into Heaven in fulfillment of His Promise to the world. 

On this day, I give thanks to Jesus for dying in my place so that I might inherit the Kingdom of God and that I might have Eternal Life in Heaven with Him.  For those who are curious about Jesus and want to know more about the Gospel and Eternal life, here's a 4-5 minute clip:

If you haven't asked Christ into your life and would like to, pray this simple prayer:

"Dear Heavenly Father, I admit that I am a sinner and I ask You to forgive me of my sins and my sinful nature.  I accept Jesus into my heart as my Savior.  I ask You to save me and make me the kind of person that You would have me to be."

If you've prayed that prayer for the first time, I would love to congratulate you and welcome you into God's Family.  Find a Bible-believing church where Christ is proclaimed as Lord and get involved and grow more into your faith as you read The Bible (NIV is a good translation). 

In the meantime, here's a funny take on Handel's Messiah:

God bless and have a Happy Easter.

The smell of fresh banana bread is intoxicating...

For my co-workers on Easter, I baked my "world famous" banana bread.  Not just any banana bread but my delicious, sweet, tasty blueberry banana bread.  And yes, I have a recipe.

Shannon’s Very Blueberry Banana Bread
(adapted from a Bisquick recipe)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 and ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
2 and 1/3 cups Bisquick baking mix (preferrably the heart healthy brand)
½ cup sugar
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 mini container of applesauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease bottom of loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches. Stir all ingredients (except brown sugar) in pan with fork until moistened; beat vigorously 1 minute. Sprinkle on brown sugar but do not stir it in. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife or metal spatula around sides of loaf to loosen; remove from pan. If loaf sticks to pan, press gently on sides of loaf with knife or spatula. This recipe makes one loaf.

High altitude:  Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Decrease baking mix to 2 cups and sugar to 2/3 cup. Add 1/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour. Pour batter into pan. Bake 60 minutes.

A quick FYI about the bananas: make sure that they are super duper ripe or it will be hard to mash them.


On an unrelated note, Holy Week draws to a close as we observe the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For those who are Christian, Jesus' death and ressurection is a form of life insurance.  Jesus paid our premiums with His Life so that we are insured with God in Heaven. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16

Blessed is the name of the Lord :)

I was giving this some thought and I was wondering if any of my blog friends would take me up on this.  Once my blog starts to "pick up steam," so to speak, I was thinking about doing a little "caption contest" type thing on Wednesdays.  It's not a real contest or anything; it's just something fun to do.  I would take a picture and have blog readers make captions.  Let me know if you're up for something like that.

My mind is running a complete blank at the moment so here are two clips of some of the funniest bits in the history of entertainment (in my opinion anyway):

And this one:

Now I remember what I wanted to say in today's blog but I think I will save it for another day because it's something that would take me forever to dive into. 

I have just added more characters to my character sketch list and I intend to add more as time goes on.  Writing a novel is fun; outlining it is frustrating.

Fin.

The virginity stigma, rapping hamsters, and more!

First of all, I was going to post a YouTube video of the Kia commerical featuring rapping hamsters.  I saw it on TV this evening after Survivor and I was annoyed by it and wanted to mock it but the more I played the commercial on YouTube, the more I thought it was kind of cute.

Anyhoo, I'd like to talk about a certain subject that is important when it comes to dating and it happened to come to my mind earlier this evening.  In our current dating culture, it seems as if there's some sort of social stigma toward those who are virgins.  I'm not saying everyone discriminates against the "untouched" and I'm not going to preach abstinence or anything.  It's just that I feel that those who are "untouched" seem to be looked down upon as socially awkard, even more so for the guy who is expected to be "macho" and "masculine."

Those who are virgins do have their reasons for holding out on sex.  Some aren't ready for it and some have no desire to be intimate at all.  I have mine; I'm 29 years old and I still haven't done the deed.  My choice is based upon my Christian faith and I prefer to stay that way until I marry.  In my opinion, I have more respect for a guy who still has the big "V."  Just because those who haven't had sex doesn't make them less of a person, socially or physically.  I don't rag on those who have done it since it's none of my business.  I just feel that sexual abstinence has helped to respect my body and my soul and I don't think I deserve the social stigma and I don't think anyone else does, regardless of sexual activity or lack thereof.  I'm happy with my purity and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  It's God's gift to me.

On an unrelated note, I enjoy listening to classical music as some people might now.  I find that listening to Johann Pachebel's Canon in D gives me great ideas for my book.  It helps me to imagine the scenes, the characters, and the general ambiance of the whole story.  It sounds like a soundtrack to a made-for-TV period piece film.  And since my novel will take place in the Victorian era, the tune matches the scenery even though the novel takes place in 19th century England and Canon in D was composed a century earlier.  It sounds so romantic and so lulling.  I also added more characters to my character sketch list.  It keeps growing and I'm so excited to be writing my book.  I keep picturing it as a film, which makes it easier for me.  Someone once suggested that I write a screenplay instead.  I prefer to write a book because it's so much more fun to use one's imagination to imagine the story instead of seeing it on the big screen.  However, I would have no problem if someone chooses to adapt my book to the big screen, should my novel be published.

A funny story for you: a few years back, I wanted to visit the new library in La Mesa, CA (located in East San Diego County for those who are not familiar with San Diego, CA).  Prior to the construction of the new building, it looked so out of date and the bathrooms were incredibly tiny.  With its new facility, it's nice and has a great atmosphere to it.  Anyhoo, I think it was either my first or second time visiting the library and I was in a hurry to use the bathroom and leave.  I immediately make a beeline for the first bathroom I see.  The first thing I notice is that the bathroom I enter is slightly different than the one I'm normally used to using.  Let's put it this way: I normally don't see urinals in a woman's restroom.  After I realized that I have mistakenly entered the wrong bathroom (thankfully, no men were using the facilities), I hurried out of there, only to find a woman entering the RIGHT bathroom across from me, who got a glimpse of me leaving the little boys' room.  She saw me blush and the two of us just laughed it off. 

I'm off to shower and then to bed to get up early for work.  Fin.

Fashion, writing, biking......oh my!

I just saw Coco Before Chanel; it's a good movie but it has a small problem with continuity.  Still, it's interesting to see how Coco got to be where she was; the woman was pretty much a self-made individual, who did have a little financial help from a couple of boyfriends here and there.  This woman literally went from rags to riches and, according to the DVD commentary, she was a feminist of sorts; working in a field that was dominated by men. 

I have decided on a way to get started on my novel; little baby steps.  I am going to do one character sketch a day until I've got everyone written down and then I'll go back and add other minor details.  Not sure how to do character sketches for novels but I'll figure out how to do it. 

Today, I went back to Mission Beach to rent a bike.  This time, I rode for a little longer.  I almost quit going up the second leg up to Law St. in Pacific Beach but I had more time on my rental agreement thingy (I had rented the bike for 2 hours) so I pushed myself to go up to Law St.  I finished my ride in 90 minutes and the lady at the bike rental place wanted to know if I was interested in finishing out the remainder of the 2 hr. rental and I told her that I was simply too tired and worn out, which is true.  However, I felt incredibly energized that I decided to walk home from the trolley station instead of taking the bus.  I was about five minutes into the walk when my neighbor saw me walking and offered me a ride home.  I usually don't decline generosity so I accepted the offer and got a free ride home.  Maybe it was God's way of telling me that I've had enough exercise for one day.  During the 90 min. bike ride, I kept myself pumped up by listening to "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas on repeat on my Android phone.

I also found out today that flexing my big right toe hurts.  I'm not in agony or anything and I can walk okay but the pain, which is very mild, has been around for at least a week.  When I was riding the rental bike, there were times that I had to stop using my tippy toes and putting pressure on my big toe stung a little.  When the pain started, I chalked it up to just being sore and not drinking enough water.  Turns out, it might be due to the shoes I'm wearing.  My right shoe seems to press against my toe.  It's not bad that I have to forsake any physical activity but if it goes on for another week, I might see a doctor about it.

That's it for now.  I've got to wake up early for work.  Fin.

Sometimes I don't understand fashion.

This morning, I spent some time watching QVC out of sheer boredom; I NEVER watch home shopping channels so that tells you how bored I really was.  I ended up watching a segment featuring fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi.  You would think that being a fashion designer would mean dressing like one.  Well, Isaac was on TV wearing what looked like a windbreaker, jeans, and a pair of soccer flip-flops.  I would assume that a fashion designer would dress a little more "dressy," but then again, if he feels comfortable in what he wears on live television, then that's fine. 

Later, he and his female host got into describing his newest line of creations.  The apparel featured was designed specifically to be springtime wear because of the look and feel of the clothing.  Buzz words like "classic" and "look" were thrown around like unwanted toys.  To me, I wear whatever feels comfortable and stylish.  I don't see any neccessity in wearing clothing that "matches" the current season by color.  I don't even see the point of it.  Clothing is clothing, no matter if it's below zero at a Green Bay Packers game in December or if it's 110 degrees in the middle of an Arizona summer.  You just wear more of it in colder climate and less of it in hot weather, that's all.  It's not like the Fashion Police will stop and arrest me because my blouse doesn't mesh well with the current season.

Still, I did like some of the stuff that Isaac designed (a purse that has a magnetic buckle) but I didn't feel like dragging my debit card out of my wallet to buy his overpriced stuff; besides, some of his designer clothing is at Target anyway. 

I rented a couple of films today.  The one I saw this evening was Due Date featuring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.  Needless to say, it seems to be a cross between The Hangover and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  I didn't laugh and some of the lines felt forced, if you will.  What I did like about it was that Robert Downey Jr.'s character was willing to drive for five days and nights to witness the birth of his child.  Tomorrow, I might see the other film I rented titled Coco Before Chanel with French actress Audrey Tautou.  I saw her in A Very Long Engagement (a film recommended to me by my college history professor) and The DaVinci Code and I was impressed with both performances.  I should rent the film Amelie sometime (the movie she is known for).

Right now, I'm listening to Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D.  It is a seemingly relaxing piece of classical music and it helps me to get good ideas for writing (big classical music fan here).  In fact, any music that sounds good to me just rips open my imagination for ideas and stories. 

Well, I shall hie to bed; tomorrow, I will probably be out on another Mission Beach bike ride.  Fin.

I miss "Mystery Science Theater."

One of my favorite shows as a teenager was Mystery Science Theater 3000, a two-hour long program featuring a guy and his two friends who happen to be robots.  These individuals mock (or "riff") bad sci-fi movies.  It's been slightly over ten years since the series ended for good in 1999, running from 1989 to 1999. 

My reason for commenting on it was that I happened upon some YouTube clips of Star Wars movies being mercifully torn to pieces by the voices of MST3K via RiffTrax (the guys from MST3K riff popular films). 

There are so many films out there that I would love to see torn to bits not just by Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, but as Mike (and maybe Joel Hodges), Crow T. Robot, and Tom Servo.  It would be nice if Comedy Central picked up MST3K reruns considering that it used to show MST3K several years ago.  Even several years back, the Sci-Fi channel aired the show and I still have dreams about watching it on Saturday mornings from 8-10 am.  Oh well; one can dream, right?

On an unrelated note, I kept telling myself this evening to work on my character sketches for my novel but once I got to the computer, I just wasn't in the mood to do anything except blog.

On an even more unrelated note, here's an interesting story from my childhood (brace yourselves, folks...there are plenty more in future blog entries) that emerged into my subconscious at work today.  I remember it as a vivid blur (oxymoron, I know).  I was four years old and attending Sunday School and I remember that it had just ended.  I had one of my fingers in the doorway, or door jamb or whatever.  A kid who was slightly younger than me then slammed the door on my little, four-year-old finger, thus breaking off my fingernail (gross, I know).  Immediately after the accident, one word emerged forth from my vocal cords: "DAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYY!"  In a split second, my dad then scooped me up into his arms, away from the situation at hand.  I can't remember how long it took for my finger to heal, though.

Well, off to bed.  Gotta get up early tomorrow.  Fin.

It just keeps getting weirder and weirder...and other misc.

I'm still at the beginning of William M. Thackeray's Vanity Fair and it is not your average Regency novel; it just keeps getting weirder and weirder....and funny, too, especially the part where Becky Sharp is forced to share a bed with one of Sir Pitt Crawley's female servants; the same bed where Crawley's wife had passed away.  Lt. George Osborne is another story altogether.  I also seem to notice a trend in Regency and Victorian literature; most men are named John, James, Thomas, Henry, George, Charles, Edward, Edmund, Robert, Roger, or William.  For women, it's Jane, Emma, Emily, Anne, Elizabeth, Mary, Molly, Louisa, Julia, Susan, Charlotte, Catherine, Isabella, etc.

On an unrelated note, I was reminded this evening about a particular song in Sunday School that I had to sing.  It was this song in particular:

If I listened to this song/video as a kid right now, it would've driven me insane (as an adult, I could only tolerate about 30 seconds of it).  As we did the Father Abraham "dance," I had but one thought in my little elementary school age mind: since when was Abraham Lincoln in the Bible?  For those reading this blog entry and grew up in Sunday School singing the "Father Abraham" song, what were your first impressions of it?  Did you get the Biblical Abraham confused with our 16th president like I did?  In a way, Father Abraham is the Christian version of the Hokey Pokey dance: right arm, left arm, chin up, spin around, shake it all about, turn yourself about, etc.  Also, there was one song titled Fishers of Men and as a kid, I had no idea what being a "fisher of men" was.

I would love to continue the blog but I've got to be up early tomorrow for work.  Fin.

Writer's block, historical fiction, classic literature, and separation anxiety

I can't find much to write in this blog entry; maybe something will come to me while I'm writing it.  Meanwhile, I have finished Jane and the Ghosts of Netley by Stephanie Barron and have moved on to William Makepeace Thackeray's novel, Vanity Fair.  I never thought Victorian literature was this interesting and fun to read.  I'm in the beginning of the novel, up to the point where Becky Sharp is sent to be a governess to Sir Pitt Crawley's daughters.  Joseph Sedley's drunken antics at Vauxhall seem sad and funny at the same time and I truly feel sorry for him. 

My stomach is grumbling at the moment but I really don't feel like eating anything.  I might snack on some strawberries later on. 

Okay, I'm going to share a memory or two of my childhood, which helps to break the writer's block.  One of them was when I was four years old.  My grandma took me and my pregnant aunt to Toys R Us because my aunt needed some baby stuff.  I remember the three of us being in one aisle and I seemed to continue to linger in that aisle for a moment or two until I had discovered that my grandma and aunt were no longer in that same aisle.  Panicking, I remember running from aisle to aisle with tears in my eyes, looking for my aunt and my grandma, only to find them in a few aisles down from where I was.  I also got lost twice in a hardware store at that same age.  I was with my dad and I remember him yelling at me to stop crying because I had separated from him.  These pivotal moments had given me a form of separation anxiety that stuck with me for years as a kid.  Not only does blogging this stuff clear my mind but I guess it serves as a form of therapy.

I keep imagining my novel in my head over and over again like if it was a hallucination.  The plot and its characters seem to never change.  Once I thought I had the story all figured out, I noticed a plot hole near the end and I want to fix it but that would mean eliminating one of my characters from the story.  I am trying to figure out how to fix this problem.

I also had previously bought two books that I had intended to read for the purpose of getting used to the Regency/Victorian mindset of my Victorian-era book that I'd like to write sometime.  One of them was God is an Englishman by R.F. Delderfield and the other one was The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman.  I have read the beginning of both books and just couldn't get into them.  God is an Englishman seems too long and dreary and lost interest after about 134 pages.  The Dress Lodger seemed hopeful as some of the critics described the novel as Dickensonian in nature.  I got into the first few chapters and was surprised at the crudeness of language used in it.  The book itself has adult themes which I read from the back cover of it but I didn't expect the author to use vulgarities to describe what goes on, something I never saw in Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  Sadly, I don't think I will continue to read these books.  A book I had bought several months back titled Lady's Maid by Margaret Forster, which detailed the life of poet Elizabeth Barrett and her maid, has some valuable insight into Victorian domestic life but I still cannot get myself to read through it because it seems so horribly paced.  I need to find Victorian era literature that's not necessarily easy to read but quickly paced, if you will.  I previously read The Silent Governess by Christian author Julie Klassen, which was set during the Regency period but it was actually a quick and good read.  I am going to make my novel easy to read and between 250-300 pages.  Honest to goodness, I don't have a tolerance for reading literature longer than 450 pages.  Some people have patience for that but I don't; I'm the type that itches for it to all end on page 350.  Vanity Fair is a challenge for me but I promised myself I'd get through it.

I guess I had something to say after all.  So much for writer's block.  Fin.

Civil War geneology and a beachside bike ride

Tomorrow will be the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, a conflict that lasted about four years but has so much history and background on it.  It is significant because we, as a nation, could have possibly been divided into two different nations.  It is significant to me because, about a few years back, some of my dad's relatives had mailed us some geneology information.  Apparently, one of our ancestors on the side of my paternal grandmother had fought in the Civil War for the Union.  His name was Joseph McCracken, the son of an Irish immigrant, Solomon, and his American-born wife, Esther.  He was the youngest of Solomon and Esther's children.  Unfortunately, Solomon died in 1850, shortly after sailing to California for the gold rush from the East Coast (they sailed around South America and up along the Pacific shoreline).  Anyway, Joseph enlisted in the Union army in 1864 when he was about 20 or so.  According to the information that was sent to me, my ancestor was in the Iowa Infantry, Co. E, 15th.  I did a little research on the Internet and I was able to find out more information about where he was stationed: GAR POST 80, Red Cloud, Webster County Nebraska.  Now this is some interesting stuff.  It's really cool to know what your relatives did a century and a half ago.  I really wish I had pictures of Joseph McCracken in his uniform; that would've been interesting. 

Today, I went on a 90 minute bike ride along the Mission Beach boardwalk.  It was a lot of fun and I wish I had the time and the money to do it all day.  I rented a bike, rode up from Mission Beach to the start of Pacific Beach, past the Crystal Pier and the lifeguard tower, turned around, and rode back to the end of Mission Beach.  I contemplated riding the bike to nearby Ocean Beach but it was too far and I'd have to ride on city streets.  I then turned around and made a grueling bike ride back to the lifeguard tower near PB because going that way is the "uphill" part.  The downhill part is fun and riding back "down" makes me feel as if I were flying.  With the wind in my face, a beautiful blue sky with small patches of clouds, pelicans flying in formation, I thanked the Lord for this beautiful day that He had made. 

Well, it's almost 10 after 11 p.m. this evening.  Time to retire.  Fin.

Jane Austen: Detective.....and other stuff.

I'm now a fan of this awesome book series by author Stephanie Barron.  Basically, the series features Jane Austen as a detective!  Well, not in the Sherlock Holmes sense, but more as an amateur sleuth, per se.  I've read three books in the series and I'm currently reading a fourth Jane Austen mystery book (not in any particular order).  It's really neat to see how Jane would've acted as a detective/writer.  In the series, the reader is introduced to Jane Austen's family, namely her brother Henry and his wife, Eliza de Feuillude and her other brother Frank Austen, a naval captain.  I haven't read further into the series yet so I haven't "met" Jane's other siblings.  Jane's own mother seems to be similar to that of Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet's mother in Pride and Prejudice.  If you loved Jane Austen's books, I highly recommend this mystery/detective series.  Right now, I'm reading Jane and the Ghosts of Netley.  After I'm finished, I will move from Regency to Victorian literature with Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.

I'm still thinking about my ideas for my own Victorian era novel.  I still haven't drafted an outline just yet.  I usually like to write a short story version of the novel first and then compose an outline from that.  I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  I may not be on the New York Times bestseller list but it doesn't hurt to dream.

On an unrelated note, I started to gain some of the weight that I had lost years ago.  So, I've been exercising again and changing my habits...again.  It's frustrating but I think I might consider getting help from a nutritionist or dietician.  If I have a strict, structured diet, I can stick with it and lose more weight.  After church, I spent my afternoon going on a 5 mile walk.  At the four mile mark, I contemplated going seven or eight more miles but at the five mile mark, I was tired and I didn't want to push myself.

Tomorrow, I may go for a bike ride along the boardwalk of Mission Beach to Pacific Beach and back.  It's a lot quicker than simply walking from MB to PB and back and a lot more fun.

Fin.

Writing historical fiction

The plot for my historical, "period piece" novel keeps unraveling every day.  After reading tons of Regency and a few Victorian era fiction books, I want to tackle my own Victorian era novel.  Half of the plot makes sense and half of it doesn't. 

And no, I don't have this on paper, though it will be pretty soon.  I'm itching to write the darn thing even though I still have tons of research to do.  If I don't write something, my brain will probably explode from all the information retained in it.

What I have considered doing was to do an outline, character sketches, and a short story version while doing my research simultaneously.  I am not sure if this is a good idea or not.  I have a story in my head that's just dying to be on the New York Times bestseller list.

For those that are curious, I won't divulge the entire plot because I like to keep my ideas rather than have someone steal them.  Basically, it's a love story, though not the mushy type because I hate mushy romances.  It's also Christian themed, however, I'd like to make it appeal to secular as well as Christian audiences.  Any advice or criticism is welcome by me as I am learning and growing in this kind of thing.

Sorry this blog entry is short.  1,000 Ways to Die is on.  Fin.

P.S. If you have any questions or comments about the blog, visit theshannifesto@gmail.com.

Clever and dumb commercials - just a rant

I know this is a rant but I need to get this off my chest.  Lately, I've found myself scratching my head at some of the dumbest commercials I've seen on television.  One of them has to be the financial company known as J.G. Wentworth, specializing in annuities and settlements.  Every time this hits the TV screen, I hit the mute button. 

Now if that kind of stuff is your cup of tea, then that's cool.  I just don't happen to like cheesy commercials; it makes my skin crawl.  In 0:36 into the commercial, there's a viking dude on the bus...WHAT THE HECK?  I just don't see the comedy in it.

Okay, explain to me how playing basketball and a penguin spinning a ball on his flipper has to do with getting a quote from an automobile insurance company. 

The automobile insurance giant, Geico, has had its fair share of crappy tv ads and really good ones.  Here's one that I could probably watch over and over again for days.

A dog and a cat chasing each other in a pair of Trans Ams.  Comedy. Gold.

Here's a couple of my personal favorites from Allstate Insurance:

JG Wentworth and The General should take notes.  That is all.  Fin.


PS: If you like what you see or if you have any comments or questions, email me at theshannifesto@gmail.com

Breakfast, mayonnaise, and picky eating

This morning, my dad and I decided to stop at IHOP for breakfast before we went to work.  I really like IHOP because you can order anything from the menu at any time (like Denny's).  So, I ordered from the lunch menu because nothing from the breakfast menu really excites me (except maybe oatmeal or whole grain blueberry pancakes, but I wasn't in the mood for either).

I ordered the half-club sandwich with a cup of fruit (approx. 290 calories, according to the menu) and it wasn't the second time I've ordered this dish; I had ordered it on a previous visit and I liked the sandwich but there was no cheese in it.  This time around, there was cheese in my sandwich.  It was really good after one bite and then I realized that someone had put mayo in my sandwich.  Now, I know some people wouldn't think this would be a big deal because some people normally like mayo in their sandwiches, but I do not like mayo, except in making tuna salad or if it's some specialty sandwich that includes pesto mayo. 

However, I thought that, with the addtion of a touch of mayo, my sandwich tasted good.  Still, I would not be ordering mayo with my sandwiches at Subway anytime soon because of the added caloric value.  I can't remember how long ago my hatred of mayonnaise had started but, for some reason, as a child, I developed a distate for the stuff as well as balongna.  But I am a picky eater.  I don't like eggs, salad dressing in my salad (preferably in a sandwich with lots of veggies and lunch meat to "absorb" it), beef stroganoff, fettucine alfredo (the last time I had it, it made me gag), potato salad, and other things.  According to my dad, I used to love eggs as a little kid but for some reason, stopped liking them all of a sudden.  I don't know; maybe my taste buds are weird.

Fin.


P.S. If you'd like to drop me a line about this blog, email me at theshannifesto@gmail.com.

Hooray, my first blog post!

Hello, I'm Shannon and this is The Shannifesto, a blog on things from my personal viewpoint.  It will be mostly mini-essays about various topics and things that I find interesting, uninteresting, or somewhere in between.  Be sure to bookmark my blog as there will be updates coming soon!