Early Morning

If you have been reading my blog regularly, you may remember a post I wrote sometime ago about my 'security item' ... an empty ice cream bucket. This is because whenever my body freaks out - I just throw up. I don't know how throwing up became my coping mechanism, but somehow it did. I have had the flu the past couple days, though I think I'm on the upswing, I still feel like garbage and my head isn't 100% clear. I was trying to work on my storyboard for 'Scorpion's Reach' when I realized that I wasn't well. I couldn't wrap my mind around my own concepts - usually a sign of illness. Then my back started to hurt and a little after that I started to throw up, because that's what I do in any given situation - unless I can kick something's ass. Anyway, this morning I ran post haste into the bathroom. Luckily, this time I didn't have to throw up, but my little daughter (who barely walks) ran immediately after me into the bathroom with an empty ice cream bucket. I was so charmed by her; I can hardly describe. With that said, a long time ago I dedicated this song to her.

Early Morning by A-ha

Early morning
Eight o'clock precise
I see the lonely August sun arise

Say you know
You will
Move me like you do

Out on the fields...
I'm waiting the whole night through
Early morning, early morning, yeah

Ran the whole way
Down to the tracks
Through the doorway, then a last look back

Say you know
You will
Save me like you do

Out on the fields...
I've waited the whole night through
Early morning, early morning, yeah

I climbed all the stairways
To find the rooftop clear
Got the shotgun lying with me here
Say you know
You will
Move me like you do

Out on the fields...
You know how it feels, yeah
Early morning, early morning, yeah

Early morning
Eight o'clock precise

Unless you're me, you probably won't understand why I picked such a song for an infant. Also I have to say that the best part of this song is the music and not necessarily the lyrics, though the lyrics have a charm of their own. This song is definitely for her.

V for Vendetta

Like I've said before, I don't watch very many movies and zero T.V. Actually, I rarely watch anything that wasn't filmed or made in Chinese or Japanese (usually Japanese), so I get to write reviews on all the English movies I watch. Tonight, it's V for Vendetta.

Everyone told me it was really good. I can't recall another film that so many people have praised. And I'll have to chip my own two cents in and say that I liked it a lot too. There were a lot of places that made me really uncomfortable though. It's because of my recent past. In one of my past lives (not a real past life, but more like a chapter in my life that is now over) I could endure watching all kinds of horrible things. Lately, it seems that my senses have been put through a tenderizer and I have become ... sensitive.

It seems that this film was based on a comic or a 'graphic novel'. That didn't surprise me at all. I've been reading a lot of manga lately and the way the film was put together seemed a lot more like a comic than like a novel. I'll have to watch it again to analyze it further.

When watching something like this the thing that always impresses me is the threat that the creator presents. Killing children is always high on the list of autocities that manage to play on a person's emotions. It doesn't seem to matter how many times they use it. So, I suppose there are a few tried and true ways to endear the audience to a hero that isn't pure as lily white snow. You see, it's hard to convince a desensitized viewer of the evilness of an antagonist these days without going to extremes. Yet, how do you top the previous conflict? That's a problem with serials and part of the reason why serials go stale. Yet, I've found that it's a problem that doesn't just hit a single series or a single concept. Almost all movies are boring or ridiculous to me these days. Only so much can be told in two hours and since everything has to appeal to everyone, it's hard to hit that magic number.

I was having a hard time coming up with a conflict for 'Scorpion's Reach' (the fourth book of my Escaflowne series) because I couldn't think of what could justify Hitomi to take action (I write action). Well, I think it depends on how willing you are to enter into the head of the antagonist.

Did you know that Daniel Day-Lewis was offered the role of Louis in Interview with the Vampire? He turned down the part because he didn't like what the role would do to him. I feel like that sometimes.

Anyway, I enjoyed this film a lot. It was really thought provoking.

St. Lucy

I stole most of this from a website that I can no longer find. Then I edited the crap out of it. This is probably just me testing my editing skills, or maybe it's something else entirely. Wouldn't be impossible. Anyway, I just thought some of you might enjoy this. Isn't it always good to learn new things. **I didn't write this** I only edited it**

Sweden

St. Lucia Day

St. Lucia's Day is the first day of the Christmas Celebration in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. On the morning of December 13th, a young girl previously elected is dressed up as Lucia in a white gown with a red sash, and with a crown of lingenberry and lit candles on her head. Followed by all her handmaids and some boys called star lads, all carrying lit candles in their hands, she goes from house to house (or just into her parent's bedroom with her younger siblings as star lads and handmaids) singing songs dedicated to Lucia, and offering coffee or wine (glögg) mulled with almonds and raisins, saffron buns, and ginger bread cookies.

Over a thousand years ago, King Canute of the Norsemen declared that Christmas would begin with her feast, and last for a month.

Lucy was born in Syracuse, Sicily in 283 A.D., the daughter of wealthy parents; her father Roman, her mother Greek. Traditions say she was raised as a Christian, but sadly her father died when she was young. It was said that Lucy was quite beautiful, and had many admirers, but she had decided to give her life to serving the Christian God and refused all suitors. Lucy made a secret vow of virginity, but her mother was pressing her to marry a rich unbeliever.

For three years Lucy resisted being forced into that marriage unwillingly. At the same time, according to the legends she bought food which she smuggled to the Christians who where hiding from the Roman persecutors in dark underground tunnels. To light her way, and free her hands to carry bread, Lucy wore a wreath of candles on her head. It was the times of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who severely persecuted the church.

It is said that her mother, Eutychia, suffering a severe sickness, had been healed as she prayed with her daughter beside the grave of St. Agatha (who had been killed by the Romans 52 years previously). As a result, Lucy was allowed to break her engagement and Lucia gave her dowry of money and jewels to the poor instead. When her former fiancée heard about this, he cruelly reported her to the Roman authorities.

It is here that the blood red sash of Lucia's costume is explained. We do not know the details of her suffering and death. Some legends tell of several deliverances from torture and execution attempts. Lucy may have been abused, burned, beheaded, or stabbed through the heart. Regardless of how she died, judging by the impact her trials had upon later Christians, it is clear she demonstrated a strong faith and much courage both in living and in dying for the Lord Jesus she loved.

Today Lucia is celebrated by a beauty pageant originally arranged by a Swedish newspaper in the twenties. Each year, a national Lucia is proclaimed, while every town and village chooses its own Lucia. Many a Miss Sweden has started out as the local Lucia. On Lucia Day, the winner is announced and is then driven around town, preferably in a horse-drawn vehicle of some kind, to spread light and song in food stores, factories, old-age homes and medical centres.

Goat-fish

That's right. I'm a goat-fish. Now when I say I'm a goat-fish I mean that I'm a capricorn. I always thought that it had to be the most boring sign on the chart. Other people were gemini (a great excuse for a teenager to have unruly mood swings) or Leo (you could convince people to call you 'Red Lion' and get a tattoo) or Scorpio (a great excuse not to shave your legs ... don't ask). Anyway, I thought mine was the most boring. Apparently, no one else had graphics this cool back when I cared what my fortune was. Personally, I've always wanted to make up my own group of signs and see if I could pigeon hole people's personalities with it. So, with that said, I'm going to make up my own zodiac. Yeah, I know it's not going to align with the constellations ... HOWEVER - it's fun to make up dumb stuff.

January - The Vampire

(That's right - I like to suck blood). We like the dark. We're creative and beautiful beyond all natural reason. Members of the opposite sex find us exciting and alluring. However, we don't do well under the harsh light of day (don't deal well with criticism) and would prefer to sit in the quiet of night of our dreams and remain perfect.

February - The Goth

You want to be the vampire. However, you're only a mere mortal and you must powder down your flesh to try to immitate us, but unfortunately you end up being more like a groupy than a creature of the night. Fight hard for your individuality and perhaps one day, you'll get to date one us. ^_^!

March - The Werewolf

In like a lion out like the lamb. You're both. A terrifying beast and a humble human. This is the month that makes allowances for hardcore mood swings. For you, I recommend joining a gang so you can fight like a pro when you're having your 'bad night' of the month and your gang members will admire you for it. It's not called P.M.S. anymore.

April - The Black Pegasus

Somehow I've always reserved this month and this symbol for men that are hotter than hell. All hot guys are born in April, right? Anyway, since women's relationships and feelings for men can sometimes be explained by their feelings towards horses - we have the most magical of ponies for this month's symbol. If you're a chick - just think of yourself as the kind of woman who can't be easily caught. You always fly away.

May - The Witch

It's always a good time for a witch hunt. You are the essense of ass-kicking when it comes to being the 'go to girl'. If there's an important project, you eat it up like it's candy and even have the nerve to lick your lips after annilating your enemy (project). If it wasn't for you - no one would get any work done around the office.

June - The Bride

You are the ultimate pushover as you seem to fall in love with everything and anyone who wears pants. You're planning the wedding after the first date and you've made sure that your tooth brush is beside his in his bathroom before you've even stayed the night. If you ever do stay over, you'll need a toothbrush in the morning, ne? But you have cuter accessories than anyone. ^_^

July - The Mermaid

You are the tease. You never want to settle down with a man. Playing is so much more fun! So, this makes you a maneater to the tenth power. But don't worry - playing the field will give you a perfect idea of the kind of guy who's really worth your trouble. Then you won't be disappointed.

August - The Butterfly

You can't keep your mind on your business for a whole ten seconds. Your attention is so easily lost that you keep swearing up and down that you have A.D.D. It causes trouble with everything and everyone ... until the last page of the book - when everything turns out fine - because, let's face it - your whole life is a situational comedy.

September - The Demon

Maybe it's the return to the grind after a lovely summer holiday and the bad weather that's coming, but you're one that doesn't easily settle into a routine. You're all about pleasure, and having to pay for it isn't your style. But try not to get so cranky - September still has fairly good weather, right? Try not to max out your credit card, or you'll end up working at an escort service like Hitomi in 'Whenever You Want'.

October - The Lone Wolf

You're the angsty type that actually hates people and chooses to be alone, but you can never seem to manage it. You're just so dang gorgeous and your aloof mannerisms only draw people closer to you no matter how hard you try to repel them. But, you're a deep thinker and fast on your feet, so you'll be able to make a clean gettaway when it really matters.

November - The Princess

You're the little girl type who's lived every day of her life perfectly. Normally, a princess type would be a brat, but not you. You're a door mat who never gets her own way. You serve the people, pick up extra shifts at work, deliver your friends' homework, pick up after yourself (and the person next to you) in the cafeteria, and always remember to be self sacrificing. Don't hurt yourself, Kid.

December - The Ghost

Already given up on life. Can't really help it since you're an 'end of the year' girl. Oh well, try to be enthusiastic - someone will give you a good gift for Christmas, and if you're a good girl you might be reincarnated as a vampire and then you'll truly reach happiness.

Ha ha! That was WAY more fun than I thought it was going to be. Maybe I'll do something like this again. Too fun!

Garnets are a Girl's Best Friend

My last image was an orange sapphire. This one is a blue tiger eye. Mmmmm ... blue tiger eye. Might as well start out that way.

Tiger Eye
For a long time they thought that tiger eye only came in orange/yellow and then they found some blue tiger eye in Romania. Cool eh? Anyway, I was desperately looking for a way to give Naria or Eriya a tiger eye as their gem stone, but shoot - the mythology was all wrong and it didn't matter how I wrapped my brain around it. It just didn't suit my purposes.

Citrine
One time I had a woman in a jewerly store tell me that topaz and citrine were the same gem, and those were just different names for them. NOT TRUE. I didn't tell her she didn't know what the heck she was talking about because I wasn't 100% sure that they weren't closely related. So, I just let her talk. I mean, she did work there. They aren't the same thing at all. Citrine is cheap compared to topaz. However, most of the citrine I've seen is a lighter colour of yellow and therefore - more beautiful to me. Yellow topaz has always seemed darker to me and more like the colour of ... something unpleasant. Anyway - topaz has a hardness of 8 whereas citrine has a hardness of 7.

Amber
As you all know - amber is not a gem stone, but actually petrified tree sap. If you touch it - it feels weird - like rubber. It's also not cold to the touch, but warm. The mythology is killer interesting on it, but I won't get to explain it as much as I want to for 'Mark of a Goddess' *cry*. Anyway, if anyone is interested, it's actually not impossible to get amber with bugs trapped inside (like in 'Jurassic Park'). You can easily get your hot little hands on one if you're interested.

Garnets
Dark red, like blood, like the colour of my heart, my soul, my love. I hate the colour red, so naturally, garnets are my birth stone. I think I own four of them, and they're not very interesting because they're so small. If anyone tries to sell you an 'Arizona Ruby' or a 'Montana Ruby' - they actually mean a garnet, so it's okay to go for the cheaper price.

Peridot
I don't really have anything interesting to say about peridots except that their colour is far more to my liking than emeralds. I really hate emeralds. I don't know where it came from, but ew - I really hate emeralds. These guys are closer to green khaki, and they're not as precious, so you can buy massive ones.

Moonstones
I think that moonstones and tiger eye look similar in the way that they reflect light. If you have a circular or an oval shaped stone than it either looks like a crescent moon or an eye whose pupil follows you wherever you go. But they're not actually very alike. Rainbow moonstones don't usually have the crescent in the same way as the grey, green, and coral coloured stones. But I have found that a moonstone is a really unreliable stone. If whoever is selling it says it's a moonstone, you'll just have to take their word for it - I can't tell the difference. And usually it's hard to tell anyway - there are often variants in the colours and textures of stones.

Pearls
I always thought that pearls were worn on massive ropes down an older woman's chest. Seriously. That's what I thought until I got the chance to wear an actual pearl necklace. I don't think I'd ever seen pearls worn by a real person in my life before. Wow! Real pearls are gorgeous! They're cold to the touch (even though they're made of oyster spit ... sort of) and feel like beads of non-melting ice on your skin.

Loads of Love,
Sapphirefly

With a Beauty like That

What's this you ask? It's the most beautiful gem stone in the world. Well, I guess that's a matter of opinion. However, this is my post about gem stones - which ones I'm interested in and which ones I'm not. Here we go!

Diamonds
BORING! Yeah - that's right, I think diamonds are BORING! Here's why. Every friggin' woman in the world who has an engagement ring owns a diamond. What's special about that? Nothing. Also, in my opinion diamonds are over-priced these days. They're small and are generally flawless - meaning that the only interesting thing about them is that they're sparkly. Also, they're usually white, so they exibit no personality whatever. Woohoo ... However, even though I'm trashing them - they are the hardest of gem stones so they're durable and can cut glass. Except - remember girls - diamonds are not forever. They will eventual revert back into coal. Sure, it'll take a really long time - all I'm asking is that you don't get all sentimental when it comes to comercials for them.

Rubies
Rubies are also one of our more expensive stones. Remember - they are red sapphires so they have a hardness of 8, which is also killer durable (anything that's this durable works well in ring form). They are also a lighter shade of red than a garnet, so you can really see the red lights. But they're also considered one of the more precious stones on the planet - thus $$$. But I hate the colour red, so I'm not particularly interested.

Emeralds
To me, an emerald is so blue that it hardly qualifies as a green stone. I dislike the colour emeralds come in - honestly. They are also one of our more expensive stones and softer than a sapphire or a diamond. With emeralds - the problem is size. It's hard to get big ones without flaws, so they cut them down.

Opals
Opals are soft as dust, and generally only have a hardness of two or three. I think opals are so killer beautiful that it's mind boggling - they have so many different colours and lights. They come in white, black, green, fire - hot! Anyway, it's my opinion that an opal should be worn as a necklace and not as any other piece. It should be the necklace you wear all the time and never take off. The reason? They are usually about 2% water, and so if you wear it next to your skin - its likelihood of breaking drops (your skin hydrates it), but wearing it as a ring is out of the question. You'll bump your hand accidentally, and then where will you be? It'll shatter.

Amethyst
Amethysts are great. They have fabulous colour and are almost semi-precious, so you can easily get HUGE stones.

Tanzanite
This is one of my precious stones. Tanzanite is found in only one part of the world - Tanzania in Africa. This is a light purple stone that almost appears grey. It's hard and fantastic.

Alexandrite
I think they used to mine this stuff outside my home town, but I'm not sure. I heard it from a questionable source, so ... Anyway, this stone is amazing. When you hold it out in sunlight it's green and when you take it inside and shine it under artificial light it's pink. Cool eh?

Basically, there are a whole bunch more that I want to talk about, but I'm tired now. So next time, I'll probably do citrine, peridot, moonstones, tigereye, amber, pearls and garnets.