Simple Saturday

Didn't do too much today. It was nice for a change, a bit weird, but nice. I did go bowling with a friend, that was fun. We played two games and not once did I break 100. The first game I hit 99 and the second was too low to even mention. lol. My friend kept rolling 7 /, it was amusing.

Having my license and car back is like this new found freedom. It's very nice, plus everyone else in the house is out of town for the 4th of July, so it's just me and my kitties. So very nice it is to not have to worry about every little thing. I can take a shower no matter what time it is, get home as late as I want, and do my laundry without having to wait for the washer and dryer. This alone time was simply heaven sent.

I am rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the very beginning on my down time, so I can catch up on the comics and remember everything that happened, and it's the most amazing 90's show ever. Plus, the best thing.... in season 6, episode 1 there is a vampire wearing a Hanson t-shirt. And ironicly it was the one that I was never able to find for my collection. LOL. I just love it! Yes, that's right, I was a Hansonite. :-) I still rather enjoy their new music as well. Go ahead, judge me. :-P

Well, I am off to go watch some more Buffy and play some more Skyrim, still have yet to get the DLC for that. I wonder if it is as epic as I hope....or maybe even more epic than I hope. Tootles!


,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

Details....Details

License renewed .... check
Car insurance .... check
Place to live .... still no luck

Those places I called, not a single one of them called back. Those people I emailed, not a single email reply. *heavy sigh* This is turning out to be quite the tedious process. I am at a loss. Do I wait even longer, do I call and email again? I've heard that persistence is key, but it could just be annoying and drive people away. I did get one email today from someone replying to my craigslist add... not too much information was provided though. I emailed back answering their questions and asking some of my own, so hopefully all goes well.

,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

Just How The Sodding Cookie Crumbled

Ladies and gentlemen, I do believe I might have gotten stood up today. Granted there are a number of things that could have happened, I do know this. But, I haven't heard a single word since yesterday. I do hope that all is alright, it's not like I am just so angry that I'm wishing evil things and foaming at the mouth...In fact, I'm not angry at all. A wee bit of concern touches my brain. I mean I haven't seen this friend of mine in a long while and last I checked, they were eager to see me as well.

We were suppose to go have lunch today, sometime around 1:00. But, no phone call, no txt, no email, not even a FB message. I hadn't heard what the entire plan was even. If we were suppose to meet somewhere, or if they were coming to get me? I never knew. So, I waited....and still wait. But...silence is all that is here with me; aside from my extremely loud thoughts.

I really do hope that all is okay. And if all is okay, I am sort of wondering why there has been nothing on the other end of this line. I texted, briefly and that was it, I mean...if they are busy I do not wish to bother them. How do you suppose one is suppose to feel when something like this happens? What do you suppose is the correct response? It is not like it was a date, and nothing was truly set in stone, just lunch at 1:00.

Well, bloody hell. I guess I'll just go about my day. What happens...happens.

Stupid cookie, always in crumbles, you are. But at least there is still cookie to be had.


,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

Attention Studio Ghibli Fans!

I found a website that is pretty amazing for Studio Ghibli fans out there!

Online Ghibili

It includes new and updates, a film list and much more! Check it out! And for those of you who want a quick review of the film list (just titles & dates, no links) here ya go:


1 Laputa: Castle in the Sky         August 2, 1986
2 Grave of the Fireflies         April 16, 1988
3 My Neighbor Totoro         April 16, 1988
4 Kiki's Delivery Service         July 29, 1989
5 Only Yesterday                 July 20, 1991
6 Porco Rosso                         July 18, 1992
7 Ocean Waves                         May 3, 1993
8 Pom Poko                         July 16, 1994
9 Whisper of the Heart         July 15, 1995
10 Princess Mononoke                 July 12, 1997
11 My Neighbors the Yamadas July 17, 1999
12 Spirited Away                         July 27, 2001
13 The Cat Returns                 July 19, 2002
14 Howl's Moving Castle         November 20, 2004
15 Tales from Earthsea                 July 29, 2006
16 Ponyo                                 July 19, 2008
17 The Secret World of Arrietty July 17, 2010
18 From Up on Poppy Hill         July 16, 2011


,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

Living in Games

I have still had no luck with finding a place to call my own, not even any luck with finding a good roommate. Needless to say my mood is still a bit sour. The places that I can afford are rat's nests and druggy type places. No such luck in finding apartments that cater to the college goers either. The hard core truth of the matter is that it looks like it might not be until August or September until I find a place. That puts me at my family's for another term of college, which is no good at all. I love my family, but at 27 years old I need space. It is extremely difficult to get back on your feet when you have fallen as far as I have. But, I'll make it through and hopefully in due time things will work themselves out. I called up to 15 different apartment complexes today and left messages, now I am just playing the waiting game. So, hopefully at least one of them will have something that I can take a gander at.

On a side note, well completely different topic actually, I have had time to catch up on my gaming as of late. It has been pretty epic. I finally got a chance to play a bit more Skyrim. I am up to level 56 on my wood elf rogue character and the head of almost every faction in the game, which is awesome! I am having a bit of trouble with a few things, but nothing that I can't figure out eventually. I am loving the update they did for slow motion, up close battle scenes for the archers. I am also really looking forward to playing the DLC for it as well, which will come in due time; I want to get as much of the game played as possible before I play the DLC for it. I know, I know, BIG goal there.

XBox360 games I am currently playing through:

Skyrim - Epic of epicness. Has a few bugs, (such as a horse raining from the sky and shooting invisible arrows.) but nothing that is too bad so far.

Dragon's Dogma - Pretty cool, nice battles and graphics aren't bad. Lots of running and walking though.   


Kingdom's of Amalur - Also pretty cool. The DLC weapons pack is sweet and the scenery is pretty. Story line is a bit here and there, but it's worth it for the most part.


Witcher 2 - Triss is amazing, so wish there was more of her and I sort of wish you had the option to play as her. Story is interesting, scenes are pretty, and gameplay can be a bit funky at times, but nothing you can't get use to.


However, with work and going to school I still have yet to finish any of them. I am looking forward to furthering my gameplay of all of them and am interested to see where they are going to take each story. From what I here though, Elder Scrolls may be taking a turn towards MMO, which, if you ask me, is a stupid idea that just frustrates me to even think of. If you want to know more, Gameinformer had there front cover article (pp. 46-57) in last month's issue.


,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

There's No Place Like Home

Please excuse me, this is going to be a tiny bit of a rant. This process of finding a place to live is a lot harder than it seems; there are application fees of sometimes up to $50 per person, credit checks, background checks, and so on. A lot of places don't except pets, there are a tone of rude people you have to deal with and you can't even find a studio apartment for under $350 a month nowadays. This is ridiculous. I just want my own little place to call home where me and my two old cats can live peacefully and quietly. I want to be able to focus on going to college and doing homework and reading and enjoying my 20 hours a week job at the college library. That's not too much to ask. I am 27 years old and stuck living with my parents after a divorce. That is no place to be. I want to get up on my feet again, society does not make that easy.

,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

A Thought Found Among Cobwebs of 2010

When writing now, I have often found myself forcing to write the way I speak; due to the way people would react when reading something of mine. So I conformed. I used to write much differently then I spoke, more elaquant and slightly old fashioned. I was under the impression that we all did such things, however, to my suprise and dissatisfaction, I found I was wrong. Most people write how they speak and most people do not speak well at all. So I gave it some more thought; and I soon realized that I actually use to speak just as I wrote, elegantly and old fashioned, and sometimes very proper. It was my speaking that I had changed first, not my writing. I found that I had conformed to everyone's way of speaking and writing; and sometimes even their way of thinking, such a sad truth, a very long time ago. Also due to peoples reactions. That is when I had realized that I have to find who I truly am, not who they want me to be.

,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

Sometimes Bleh Explains It

I am in a pretty poor mood to be honest. I have not had the best of luck in my apartment hunting adventures. I even tried cheering myself up by killing some zombies with a blingged out girly chainsaw  wielded by a cute blonde girl in a cheerleading outfit, and that didn't even help much. So I am afraid you are not going to get too much out of me tonight as far as being creative is concerned. However, on a side note, I guess there might be something; I was talking (well rather texting) with a really good friend of mine earlier tonight (which did make me feel a bit better) about the joy of summer nights, and I rather liked my explanation so I guess I can leave you with that in mind. It went as follows:

I love summer nights, especially when you can hear the songs of crickets and beetles. Feeling the warm, soft breeze against sun kissed skin and watching stars twinkle and fireflies dance.


,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

A Simple Memory

Found this in my phone notes, I wrote it back in April 2010. I like it, so I thought I'd share it.

---------------------

A flood of memories cross my mind and stop at one I like to relive often. Just one of my cherished memories out of so many.

She applied her lipstick much like an artist painting the perfect pair of lips. Every movement she made was elagant and graceful. Her delicate body, a perfect masterpiece. She smiles to herself on the other side, making sure there was no color that tarnished her pearly whites. There was nothing that could ruin her warm smile. Her deep sea eyes, enhanched by makeup that seems as though should be in a vogue magazine, glow as she trails off into her own world of thoughts. She has no idea just how magnificent of a creature she really is and that, to me, makes her all the more beautiful.

I haven't seen or heard from her in months now. We just suddenly lost touch, caught up in other things. But there is not a day goes by where I don't think of her fondly. Only tonight is differnt and for awhile I hadn't the slightest clue as to why, until I went to brush my hair behind my ear. As my hand passed my cheek, a faiint, yet noticable smell jogged my memory. The sweet smell of honeysuckle and roses; the smell of her. I shall always remember the way she smelled, looked, moved and lived. Everything about her was unforgettable like a classic movie you want to watch over and over again, lip syncing the words and actions to.

For she is the embodiment of a true and happy woman. She is what I want to be, she is my friend, sister, mother and lover. And that is something that can never be taken away.

,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

To Live In The Moment

What I wouldn't give it to simply devote my entire life to art. Sculpting, writing, crafting, creating. I dislike that society puts a strain on us to make us feel like we have to make money in order to survive. Why do we have to spend so much time worrying about our future? Worrying about what is going to happen tomorrow or next week?Why can't we just focus on the here and now, live in the present and relish in the reality of all things beautiful? Is it not in our nature to want to share, create and learn? Do we always have to worry about prospering as far as money-wise? Why can't we strive to prosper for knowledge? Why can't we see that true happiness lies in sharing, giving and being true to oneself and others around? We spend so much time and energy being focused on who we have to be and who we should be, not being focused enough on who we want to be or who we think we are. Why can't life be made out of learning, teaching, sharing and gaining knowledge? Out of writing, sculpting, and crafting? Why do we have to worry about when we can get paid or how much we make? Why are we worried about what we're going to do next? Let's live in the moment.

,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

A Few Thoughts I Had Last Day of World Religions Class

Thought One:

A heart is filled with black ink and just like ink, it can often be washed clean. But sometimes a bit can still be left behind, trailing on the inside corners, lurking, waiting until the worst possible moment to show its darker ways.

Thought Two:

Live within the cave of your heart, but visit often the universe of your mind.


,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

A Writer's Wishlist of Books

Hello to all,
This evening I am going to post a small list of a few books that I would recommend to any aspiring writer. If you know of any others that you feel should be added that I didn't cover, feel free to let me know and I will be sure to add it on here.

Writer's Wishlist:

1. If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland <--- A fav of mine, recommended by Felicia Day via The Flog

2. The Pocket Muse Series by Monica Wood
        -The Pocket Muse
        -The Pocket Muse 2: Endless Inspiration for Writers
        -The Pocket Muse Endless Inspiration: New Ideas for Writing (No.2)

3. The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

4. Writing Down Your Soul by Janet Conner

5. Crafting Novel & Short Stories by Charles Atkins

6. The Classic Guide to Better Writing by Rudolf Flesch, Ph.D., and A.H. Lass

7. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

All of these can be found on Amazon and Barnes N Noble at the moment. However, if you prefer to peruse through the book before commenting to a purchase, don't forget to check your local library.
,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-Whhoo, What-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn

A note to all readers and writers

A few weeks ago I wrote a reply to a fellow writer on writerscafe.org who had thanked me for the kind review I had left on one of his poems. It had occured to me that maybe I should share this with the writing community. I believe it is important for all of us to take notice to as both reader and writers. It went as follows:

Thanks goes to you as well for your kind reviews. It means quite a lot to me to hear what others think, especially if the comments are a motivation to keep writing. I believe it is very important for writers of all genre to recieve feedback, but too often people can be overly critical and overlook the fact that they aren't the aurthors, their the readers. Both of which have signifigant importance in the writing community, of course; however there are ways to say things and help others grow to become better at their craft. Many times though in a writers life they have had to endure more negative critriziams then helpful tips.

Also, I am currently reading an amazing book that I think anyone could get helpful tips, uplifting advice and a good laugh from. If you are in the market for a book to read, my recommendation to you all is a wonderfully written must read by Brenda Ueland called "If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit". It can be found on Amazon.com, Barnes N Noble, or if your not looking to buy, try your local library.
,___,
{O.o} "Whhoo-whhoo, what-what?"
/)__) Sincerely,
-"--"- Ashley Lynn