thanks so much! i'll listen/read them as soon as i have some time. my temporary job assignment started yesterday, so a lot of my time is going to taken up by it. you are the best!
In case you don't see my AG post, which has disappeared from the Klaine comment page, I'll post it here xD.
I think my favorite story is Samantha's, so definitely read that one, but I also like Addy's a lot. Felicity, Kirsten and Molly are also really good, Josefina's and Kaya's stories are nice enough but I guess my least favorite.. Julie is fairly new right, I haven't read hers. haven't read Rebecca yet, but my mom says it's really good. Jewish girl, first World War.
I've had the books for like 18 years except for Kaya and Rebecca's books which I got for Christmas from my mom LOL. Total surprise, I had to laugh when I unwrapped them xD.
Also I have Addy's Samantha's and Felicity's cook books as well as the dools Felicity Addy and Josefina. :D and some other AG books about slumber parties and stuff like that.. xD I just love this stuff. Saving it for my daughter(s). :D
I wish I had the opportunity to read Samantha's story. I am interested in the victorian times and the fact that she was raised by her aunt and not parents.
but i really love the Julie books. She is a 12 year old girl whose parents just got divorced and she and her sister live with mom and dad lives close by. The best part of the story is that it's set in the 1970s–1974 to be exact. It is one of the most interesting period of US history (the 1960s were the number one best historical time period). i always felt like i could relate to her, strange huh? if i could, i'd let you borrow my books so you can read the Julie series. i'd also like to read the Molly series :)
thanks for posting your answer here. i did miss it, because for the last 4 hours, i've stayed off this page so i wouldn't spoil GP.
You could check the library.. They're certainly worth buying though. :) Samantha's books have such great characters and I love the storylines, same goes for Addy's, those two just make you tear up :D.
I checked the website a few months ago, I can't believe how many girls they added.. I'm going to have to buy a few more, I haven't read Kit, for instance, and I think her books are really good too.
Oh btw, you can watch Felicity's, Samantha's, Kit's and Molly's movies on youtube. The first three are pretty good and faithful to the books (books are better, of course, but still well made), as for Molly' movie, they changed a lot of stuff so I was a little disappointed. But if you want to watch them.. just type American Girl and the name into the search bar.. :)
thank you so much darling! when i change my profile picture, in june it will be this one :)
there's just something about b&w images…they're stripped down to their basic, truthful, and raw and honest emotions. but then again, color images contain vibrancy and life.
i am an amature photographer and i tend to focus on b&w images for the reasons that i list above. color images cam sometimes mask the message or emotions that the artist is trying to convey. with b&w, the image is stripped down to its bare bones, and the message or emotions can't "hide" behind the color. b&w is pure, naked truth :)
Hi Lovely, I just wanted to drop by and say hope you're feeling better. I can totally empathise with you re: the migraines as I get them too. and know how horrible they are :(
In case I don't speak to you again, hope you had a fabulous Christmas and have a very happy new year. Let's hope 2013 brings some really happy Klaine feels for all of us. God only knows we need them...:) I'm going to Italy with my family for New Years but "Father Christmas" (!) put a new iPad in my Christmas stocking so even if I can't be on here as much as usual, I should be able to drop by and say hi to everyone.
thanks bella. i think i am now feeling almost normal. at least the nausea has gone away and my head only hurts a little. the thing that made this one so different the ones that i've had in the past is how quickly and suddenly this one hit. one second i was fine and could see just fine and then the next second, head pain, nausea, and i was essentially blind–couldn't see a thing because of the blind spots. i'm just grateful that it's over :)
so...what kind of iPad did father christmas put under your christmas tree? my brother gave my mom the iPad 2 with retnia display, 16GB, in black. needless to say, i am amazingly jealous! but i have a plan. i'm gonna use the money my grandparents left when they died to buy one for myself, in white though. but i can't do it till the end of january. but you'd better believe that the first app i put on my iPad is going to be the glee app! and of course i'm going to visit this site all the time on my iPad :)
i don't know how to say happy new year's in italian, so i'll say it in english and spanish: HAPPY NEW YEAR'S! and ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! hope you have a good time in italy :)
Thanks Lovely! My iPad was the new Retina Display 64GB Cellular one in black. SO blessed but I think it might have had something to do with "Father Christmas" feeling like he was spending so much time and money on my three nephews (my brother's children) that I was perhaps being neglected. I absolutely wasn't and I'm as bad as "Father Christmas" when it comes to my adorable nephews but I wasn't going to complain. It's also a lot easier to transport an iPad discreetly around London (fingers crossed!) than it is a laptop so it will make things a lot easier when I'm travelling across London for Uni etc.
I haven't downloaded it yet but the Glee app is first on my list! There's also this piano app that featured heavily in iPad advertising in the run up to Christmas that's making me think, "if only i had an iPad with "that" app, I could become an amazing musician just like that. Of course it's all rubbish but it won't stop me annoying the hell out of Nick and my family trying!
Thanks for the good wishes and "Buon capodanno" (Happy New Year in Italian) :)
next gen was the series that i grew up with as a young teenager, so it will always hold a place in my heart. but honestly, it will always be enterprise (2001-2005).
the question should also be: favorite characters? for me, lt cmdr data, ensign crusher, dr crusher, cptn archer, cmdr tucker, t'pol, and ensign sato.
I know, it's like, the MOST important question in the world! ;)
Really? But you're older than me! :D and I used to watch the reruns of the original series all the time as a child. So I totally have to say OS FTW!! :D there's actually a really good fan-made series that continues the OS, I've been watching that lately, too. :D
Favorite character.. in the OS I can't decide between Spock, Bones and Scotty, and NG hmm I don't know, it's difficult because I wasn't as invested in the characters, but what I can say is: was always a little annoyed with Kirk, but loved Picard (and thanks to my bf, our living room is graced with a life-sized poster of Kirk xD). As for the latest Star Trek series you're referring too - shocker! - I haven't really seen much of it.. Should I? :D
What did you think of the 2009 film btw? The new one's out soon, I didn't think it was too bad.. but only on second thought did I think that xD.
For some reason I can picture Chris Colfer as Spock and Darren Chris as Captain Kirk.. xD
i've seen maybe two or three partial OS episodes. i guess that because the technology (sets, props, special effects, costumes, etc) has improved exponentially since the 60s, i find the OS to be so amazingly boring. and besides i loathe william shattner. but spock, bones, and scotty (uhara and sulu too) are special–they are the platinum standard of characters.
i LOVE enterprise because i love scott bakula (quantum leap) as an actor. so i was automatically enthralled by the show. as i watched the show, i started crushing on conner trinner (cmdr trip tucker) :) as the series progressed, the writers started a 'trip and t'pol' love story relationship SL in s3 and carried through s4. i emphatically encourage giving it a try! if you do, keep a few things in mind:
1. enterprise took place 150 years before the OS.
2. s1 and s2 episodes are structured as episodic–the issue in each show is resolved by the end of episode. but there is continuity through out the episodes and seasons. for example: in s1, t'pol is forced against her will (raped you could say) to partake in a mind meld in order to experience emotions. later in s3, she becomes addicted to "a drug" in order to experience emotions. ...also, in the first two seasons, there is quite a lot of anomosity and distrust between the humans and vulcans, especially captain archer-t'pol and commander tucker-t'pol.
3. s3 contained a full season arc. over the course of the 24-26 episodes, there is one goal that the crew must achieve. but the episodes are episodic. best season of the 4. the arc actually starts in the last episode in s2.
4. s4 has a few episodic episodes, but is mostly composed of 2-3 episode arcs–the vulcan arc, the eugenics arc, the klingon arc, etc. my second favorite season. also, s4 came about because when enterprise was cancelled effective the end of s3, the fans rallied, campaigned, and protested so much that s4 was granted!
so please take a chance on this series! i say it's totally worth it :)
the 2009 movie. i remember thinking that it was created more for pulling the male audience by making it an action movie. i think, as a woman, i enjoyed star trek because of the conflicts, the comeraderie among the crew, the interactions between the species, the problem solving, etc–it's not all about the shoot 'em up, blow 'em up of action films. so, meh, it was 3 stars...i'm not interested in seeing it again. and i'm probably not going to see the new one until it comes to netflix.
in terms of next gen...i can picture chris as picard (maturity, poise, intelligence, humbleness, ambition, etc) and darren as wesley crusher (youthful enthusiasum, wide-eyed wonder, eager to please, confidence, intelligence, etc).
btw, did you notice you spelled darren's last name wrong? ;) or maybe you did that intentionally? ...sorry for the novel-sized reply :)
Haha no I hadnt noticed :D. First time that's happened though.. xD
Oh that's precisely what appeals to me - just the amateur quality of the series :D. It's just so old school and I find that extremely charming and also hilarious xD. That aside, it's actually extremely interesting historically because it touches on so many contemporary issues and is so provocative in doing so.. I think all of the new technology and computer graphics and stuff can be really effective, but sometimes I actually think that that can also be boring, because a lot of movies and series focus too much on it rather than on storylines and plots and round characters..
Yeah the new movies.. like I say, at first I thought, bleah, but then I reconsidered, and you have to keep in mind that it's not trying to be Star Trek in its original form or any other Star Trek series or movie that preceded it.. For what it is I think it's entertaining at least.. And well, young Spock was hot. :D
Thanks for the info. Hmm sounds interesting, I will watch it, although I probably shouldn't in the next few months because I'm already following too many television series. :D but I will tell you what I thought once I've watched a few eps.
Chris as Picard.. hmm yeah I can see that. But I can also imagine him somewhat aloof with pointy ears xD. And I suggest Darren as Kirk because then I would actually LIKE Kirk :D:D.
well, you fit chris and darren into the OS context and i fit them into the next gen context, so it's all good cuz it works :)
i guess i was so focused on the superficial stuff, that i never really picked up on the social commentary of the time. interesting perspective...i might have to watch an episode or two and focus on that context. what episodes would you recommend?
i'll also put together a short list of enterprise episodes that you should watch if you decide to give it a try. just off the top of my mind, episode 2.26 "the expanse" i'm hoping to get you hooked to the s3 arc. and i really love s3 because it is very trip-centric (cmdr tucker)–my favorite character).
You should definitely watch The City on the Edge of Forever and The Doomsday Machine. Also This Side of Paradise, Mirror Mirror, and Space Seed are really good. Trouble with Tribbles is a fun episode, but I'm not sure it's that deep :D.
If you're really interested, I'm sure there's a LOT online on historical references and background, or you might be able to get some free articles on jstor. Star Trek OS is a very popular topic in cultural and historical studies. I have a professor who deals a lot with it, and my bf is giving a seminar on it right now in fact. :D
BTW, the remastered DVDs don't look quite as amateurish ;).
hell yes! and i'll betcha they'll do both if we ask really, really nicely :)
for you, i recommend:
(1.05) unexpected there is an event that occurs for the first time in star trek history (any of the franchises).
(1.16) shuttlepod one this episode only utilized a few sets as, at the time, the budget was stretched to the limit and they had to film a money saving episode. also, they build a lot of characterization for two of the senior officers.
(2.02) carbon creek i love this one for its historical ties. hello...sputnik?
(2.26) the expanse as i said before, this episode launches the s3 arc which lasts the whole length of s3. don't forget to offer your condolences to commander tucker :'(
(4.11) observer effect i like this one because, well, trip's in it :) and hoshi (ensign sato, the communications officer–think uhara). over the 3+ seasons of enterprise, hoshi grew from a timid and scared officer to a strong and confident one. plus in this one, we learn that she's not opposed to breaking some star fleet academy regulations...not to mention other things :) (and yes, i'm foreshadowing here!)
(4.17) bound i don't know if the orions and the orion syndicate were part of the OS, but they appear here a few times. man those orion women had me drooling a bit :)
i left out s3 because it really is most effective and necessary to watch the whole season in order. if you watch just one out of order, it really won't make sense. ...one last thought: the enterprise writers really did a great job with continuity–things you see in a season will pop up in other seasons.
mirror, mirror sounds like an interesting episode so i'm gonna watch it. interestingly, enterprise also did a 2 episode arc going into the mirror universe that is titled in a mirror darkly (s4). if you want to watch this arc, i highly suggest watching some of the other suggested eps first, so that you can understand how the AU compares to the normal universe–the normal universe needs to be the benchmark for the comparison.