It's Okay, It's Not the End of the World.

If you see something that resembles a mushroom cloud, don't be alarmed, that is just my brain exploding from the extreme amount of knowledge being haphazardly shoved into it.

Oh boy.. :/

I'm so frustrated.

I'm sorry I haven't had anything book-related for a while, but I haven't had time to read becuase of exams coming up. But I wanted to touch on another issue today.

Boys.

Any boy, if you are reading this, I ask you this simple question, "Why do you feel the need to be a perpetual asshole?" Its a very easy question to a very complicated matter. I have two brothers and they aren't like the boys I know! One, the 16 year old, is mature and caring. He has a girlfriend. My little brother is a wise ass and a show-off. He, on the other hand, does not have a girlfriend. Older bro is smart and actually cares about his schoolwork, while little bro is forgetful and never reads or does his homework. Hmm, I see a pattern. 

Why do boys feel like they need to act like they are the best thing ever to happen on this planet? Because, obivously they aren't. And they never will be. So whats the huge fuss? The womanly world may never know..

So here is a chart explaining the situations of some of the men of my life. *These are all fake names.*

Situation: Eddie- Funny guy that shows off all the time. Gets straight D's. Treats girls like crap.

Hence: He gets no girls. He has a ton of guy friends! But no girls..

Situation: Frank- Sweet guy. At least respects and is friends with girls. Friendly. Smart. Athletic.

Hence: He gets girls. He could have anyone he wanted.

Wow. How hard is it to understand that? Really? Its simple.

Headache

Exams are a bitch.

Nuff said.

If You Are Reading This...

Okay, so this is going to be a quick little post, but I just wanted to say something. We all need to be thankful for what we have. If you are reading this, then you either have a computer, or have access to a computer. That, in itself is a huge blessing. There are people out there that don't even have water. WATER. You know, that stuff that you have half a glass of and then pour down the drain?

If you are reading this, then you have shelter. If you are reading this you probably have family. If you are reading this, I'm guessing you have access to some sort of health care. 

Think about all the good things in your life. Do you have food everyday? Do you go to school? Can you hug your friends? Your mom and dad? Can you pick up the telephone and call 911 when you are in trouble? Millions of people can't. Think about that.

I'm absolutely SICK of people taking for granted what they have. You are spoiled compared to a third of the world's population. Absolutely smothered in niceties. And not once, do I hear people just sit back and say, "Thank you." The only sounds I hear are, "more more more more more more." And that makes me so terribly incapacitated with grief and absolute rage.

If you are reading this, I hope you think about the good things in your life and be grateful for them. If you are reading this, I wish that you take some time out of your day and call up a friend, just to talk. If you are reading this, I have faith in you. If you are reading this, just be happy. It is the greatest gift of all.

Ahh.. the classics (:

I had no idea how much I missed the old Disney movies. I saw Mulan on Disney today and started bawling. Like, all out, runny nose-blubbering-shaking bawling. That is my childhood right there. Is there a better movie out there? Great songs, hilarious characters, amazing hunky captains (; and just a fantastic storyline. So my question is,

WHAT HAPPENED DISNEY!?!?!

Now we have crap like Phineas and Ferb. What the heck!? I need something good. I'm freaking sick of Hannah Montana and High School Musical. And did you notice, they use the same 10 actors in every movie. Like I saw the commercial for Dadnapped, a new Disney Channel movie, and I swear, every. single. actor. is a star on one of the current shows. UGH! BE CREATIVE. PLEASE.

I just watched a ton of videos on Youtube. God, I miss Disney :( My fave movies are (these are kind of in order but kind of not. Mulan is my fave though :))

1. Mulan

2. The Little Mermaid

3. Hercules

4. Beauty and the Beast

5. Pocahontas

6. Anastasia (which really isn't Disney, but i love it so its on the list)

7. Alladin

8. Alice in Wonderland

9. Peter Pan

10. The Lion King

God I LOVE CLASSIC DISNEY. Jesus. (:

What is your favorite Disney movie. Pleaseeee don't say like HSM or a movie like that. CLASSIC Disney. Not Fake crap Disney.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, enjoy this video of the best song ever made for a Disney movie.

Presenting!: Stefan Petrucha

As you all know, this is my first author bio! I have a few lined up but I thought I would start them off by introducing this wonderful writer. Stefan Petrucha is the author of another series called Wicked Dead, but his fame lies in his up-and-coming book, The Rule of Won. So may I present, Stefan Petrucha!

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: SPLIT, my third hardcover from Walker Books for Young Readers. It's a little tough to describe. It's actually two novels, each about the same person, Wade, if he'd made different choices with his life. In one, he's a wild child - he quit school and plays guitar at a coffee dive. In the other he's incredibly responsible and working on a project he believes will save the world. When he's awake in one life, he's asleep and dreaming the other - but one world begins to intrude on the other and the two Wades have to switch to help each other out. I'm very excited about it - it may be my best yet! It'll be out in late 2009.

Q: What are some of the things you like to do (other than writing)?

A: Spend time with the family (I have two daughters Maia and Margo) hand with my fellow writers at sundry coffee houses, make music (I kind of play piano and guitar) and sometimes waste a day or two playing Sid Meir's Civilizaion, though I really should spend more time reading :).

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: Not personally, but my daughters have a guinea pig (Mercury), a hermit crab (Plankton), and a puffer fish (Bubbles) *reviewer comment: awwe! i was not that creative when I was a child*. Until recently we had a Bearded Dragon (Lizzie) but she didn't adapt well to our move to Western Mass. and passed away recently. I am allergic to most everything else, buy would probably have a dog if I could.

Q: What is on you iPod/music player right now?

A: I just spent a lot of time ripping old CDz to MP3, so the list is a little skewed toward older stuff, but right now, among assorted eclectic stuff, there's Teenagers (My Chemical Romance), Smooth (Santana), Round Here (Counting Crows), All for the Best (Godspell), Passing Afternoon (Iron & Wine), and Ashes to Ashes (Bowie). I'm also a big Beatles fan. *reviewers comment: who isn't?! Gotta love the Beatles.*

Q:What do you love most about writing?

A: It makes me think about how life works, how people work and how I work, and gives me a chance to try and put all that together in some coherent fashion. It's also wonderful when readers appreciate and understand what I'm trying to get at. At its best, for me, writing's like a meditation/prayer. At it's worst it's more a mechanical process, like doing a crossword puzzle, but I enjoy that too.

Rapid Fire Session! (for all you lazy people who skip the long writing and read the short blips about the author. Yes I know you are doing it, becuase I'm the same way :))

Favorites:

Color? Purple or a deep royal blue

Food? Varies. Right now chocolate. I also love breakfast home fries

TV Show? House and Dexter - would love to meet them sometime. *reviewer comment: Oh my god, I worship House. Love. that. show.*

Movie? So many! Loved Heath Ledger in Dark Knight recently. Galaxy Quest comes to mind.

Season? Spring or Fall - the in-between temperatures suit me best.

Memory? My daughters being born, meeting my wife, Sarah, a big party my mother threw for me when I graduated, a cast party for a video I made in college. During that last memory, the cork from the first bottle of champagne we opened hit a light in the ceiling and knocked it out. The cork from the last bottle we opened hit the same light and brought it back on. Nothing like synchronicity to put you in a good mood!

Weather? 60's with a slight breeze and white billowy clouds in a blue sky. Thunderstorms are cool, too, as long as the power stays on

Animal? The Australian Frilled Lizard. When irritated he rises up on his hind legs and this sort of fan surrounds his face. It's very cool-looking.

Clothing Item? Any over-shirt and my bathrobe. I really like being comfortable and don't particularly care what its looks like, much to the chagrin of people looking at me (:

The Rule of Won by Stefan Petrucha

Title: The Rule of Won

Author: Stefan Petrucha

Pages: 227

Rating: 4/5

Summary (from author website): 

The secret of The Rule of Won is simple, yet its power has been suppressed for generations. The universe is one of infinite abundance—ask, and you shall receive. Umm, yeah right. Meet Caleb Dunne, slacker extraordinaire. Caleb prefers to glide through life with the minimal amount of effort, so he isn't too jazzed when his overachieving girlfriend, Vicky, convinces him to join a new school club based on a controversial book, The Rule of Won. Slackers don't join school clubs, do they? As The Rule gains popularity, though, the club members start to gain power within the school. From dark posts on the club's online message board to all-out threats in the hallways, it becomes apparent that the group is getting out of control. For slacker Caleb, though, the only thing worse than doing something is not doing something.

Review: This book made me think. And to be honest, not many books can do that. I kept trying to figure out the puzzle. Could this actually work? Could I just picture something to make it happen? Stefan Petrucha makes you delve deep into the inner workings of our world and makes you ask, "What is my full potential?" With hidden clues and brainwashed teens, The Rule of Won takes an average high school and flips it upside down.

What really made this book hit home for me, was that around page 100, I was trying to imanifest things for myself. I would be reading and then just think, "Hey, I'd really like to get an A on my French exam. If I wish hard enough, I won't have to study!" Yeah. Crazy right. I actually was getting sucked into the ideas in the book. I still have no idea if it is true or not.

So seriously, I'm still shaken up a bit by the ideas presented in The Rule of Won, but I don't regret reading it at all. Actually, I loved it! There could have been a little bit more action, but other than that, this book was solid. It makes you think, which is the best thing a book can do. I highly highly recommend it to high school students. Anyone younger might not be able to grasp it as well.

Look for my interview with Stefan, coming tomorrow (: