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Raney Simmon

Book Review: In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1)

In the Woods Book Cover

Rating: 3 stars

A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new voice in psychological suspense.

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children. He is gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox (his partner and closest friend) find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

As a crime scene novel, this book perfectly depicted how investigators solve crimes. There was just enough mystery and suspense to keep me interested in finding out what Ryan and his partner Cassie discovered. The writing was the perfect tone, adding to the suspense when needed, and describing the setting of the world around Ryan in perfect detail. It made me engaged, wanting to know more about what happened. Also enjoyed that the setting took place in Ireland because I haven’t read too many novels that take place in other countries. So it’s always interesting reading books like this where the setting isn’t somewhere I’m familiar with.

I also enjoyed hearing more about Ryan’s past. While he’s definitely not my favorite detective in this book, I loved learning more about the trauma he went through and understanding how that shaped him into the character read about in the book. I also enjoyed his friendship with Cassie, my favorite character in the book. I found both of them together as partners to be very amusing when solving crimes because they had amazing chemistry.

But while I enjoyed these aspects of In the Woods, there were so many things with this novel too that left me criticizing it. For one, Ryan’s character wasn’t great. When I first started reading this book, I didn’t mind him all that much. But the more I read, the less I liked him. I think my disdain for him is because of the way he acts with Cassie and the way he talks about his past. After everything they’ve been through together and Ryan saying Cassie is his best friend, he lets their friendship go without a fight over the dumbest thing. He ruins his friendship with her instead of trying to talk things out like responsible adults are supposed to do. And she tries to set things right, but he wants nothing more to do with her until it’s too late. That really bothers me because she was his best friend, yet he doesn’t act like it after what happened. I also don’t like the way he talks about his past because he’s never let go of the one mystery surrounding his childhood, the one he has the opportunity of solving only to let it slip through his fingers. I get his memory of events is skewered, but when he’s given the chance to solve the crime that has literally changed his life, he doesn’t put his best effort into it. He starts remembering some of the events that came before, but doesn’t even push himself to figure out what happened.

I also don’t like how the main case in this story was solved. There were so many mistakes made during the investigation that it took a lot longer for them to solve the crime if they’d looked in certain places at the very beginning. I also didn’t like who they chose as the scapegoat for the crimes because the person who actually came up with the idea got away with it completely.

To be honest, I was completely disappointed by the end of the story. There was so much buildup that I was expecting things to end differently. But that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, things change for the worse and the mysterious crime that occurred during the narrator’s childhood is never solved, despite the flashbacks in the past he experienced.

So while I enjoyed reading In the Woods, there were a lot of things in the story that left me disappointed, wanting more than what was given. Nonetheless, I plan on reading the second book in this series The Likeness in hopes that it’ll be a better read.

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If We Were Having Coffee: Traveling to Nashville, Returning Home

If We Were Having Coffee Image Seven

Good day everyone! Wow, it feels good to be back home again. Hope you all are doing well and had a good week so far.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you this week for me has been quite a busy one. I’ve been in Nashville for most of it, helping my sister move into her new apartment complex. I enjoyed all of my time up there because I not only spent some quality time with my sister, but my grandmother too. I enjoyed getting to help move my sister into her first new big girl place, getting to meet her two new roommates and getting to see what the city of Nashville, Tennessee has to offer. It’s a beautiful city, very bustling with life and many different places a person can go to explore. I enjoyed every minute I spent there with my family.

When we weren’t helping my sister unpack her things, we were exploring the city. We walked past the Frist Art Museum as well as some of the country music places that Nashville is very well-known for. We even went to the Grand Ole Opry, even though we only went inside to the gift shop because none of our family is big country music fans so we didn’t think it’d be worthwhile to spend money to get a full tour of the place. We also went to the Opryland Hotel, which is very beautiful inside with a riverboat tour that allows you to get even more acquainted with the place.

But before all of that, we celebrated our fourth of July in Nashville at a pizza place in the city. One of my sister’s new friends recommended the place and it was the perfect setting for us to enjoy some good pizza and see the fireworks we’d come into the city to see. We didn’t go deeper into the city because it kept raining so we wanted to be somewhere with shelter from the stormy weather. So we hung out at this pizza place instead where we listened to Sheryl Crow perform and then listened to the Nashville Symphony when the fireworks were in the sky. We had a great time despite all of the bad weather, making the most of our time in Nashville.

Our time in Nashville was a lot of fun and exhausting, all at once. We did a lot of unpacking to help my sister move into her new place while also getting to explore Nashville. It was a great time, full of fun and laughter. I took a lot of pictures in Nashville during my trip and have them posted on my Instagram for those interested in seeing what all I’ve gotten to see while there. I look forward to going there again in the future whenever we go to visit my sister. I really enjoy exploring whenever I go to a new place, especially cities because they have a whole lot to offer. I also feel like I’m going on an adventure, which makes me even more eager to explore new places.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I’ve had a busy week at home too. The two days I had at home after returning weren’t too productive for me, but a lot of things did happen in the world that caused me some concern. This week, there have been shootings of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police and in Dallas, five police officers were killed during a protest of these two deaths. This has caused a lot of unrest for me for many reasons. I don’t have issues with black people or police just trying to do their job and protect their citizens. I do however, have problems with police who use excessive force that results in the loss of life. And in both of the shootings before the protest in Dallas, I feel like there was too much force used against these two men which resulted in their deaths. Now I understand the need for police to protect themselves whenever they feel like they’ve been threatened. But neither of these men were hurting anyone when they were shot and I feel like the police officers decided to shoot first, ask questions later. While I understand being a police officer is a difficult and dangerous job, I also don’t think they should be pulling out their guns unless absolutely necessary. And in both of these instances, I don’t think it was necessary. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel sad for the police offers killed in Dallas.

I feel sad and outraged by all of the lives lost during these three incidents. I don’t think race should be an issue in our country, but I do believe racism is still alive in the world today. While I know being white I’ll never experience the racism that exists in our world, I want to do whatever I can to help those who do experience it and let them know they aren’t alone. I know I’m not perfect, but I want to do whatever I can to help because we are all human and deserve to be treated equally no matter our skin color. Along with that, I’d also like to say I’m sorry to the police officers who’ve lost their lives during the Dallas shooting. I have full respect for police officers who act to protect all of their citizens and am sorry you lost your lives because of a few bad apples. Just know I thank you for upholding the law and doing everything you can to protect innocent civilians during this difficult time. I don’t really think there’s too much more I can say because I know there’s a problem in our country that needs to be fixed, but don’t know of any way to fix it.

If we were having coffee, I’d also tell you that Pokémon Go came out earlier this week. It is a real world adventure game where you as a Pokémon trainer can catch virtual Pokémon in your own backyard as you move in real time. I’m really excited about this game because I played Pokémon quite a bit during my childhood. It was one of many of my favorite video games growing up. So having a video game like this one where you as the player can travel as an actual trainer makes me really excited to see what this game is like. And so far, I’ve enjoyed my experience playing it. When I first started playing, there were a lot of times the server went down so I wasn’t able to do too much in it. But now, I feel like I’m finally getting a handle on how the game is to be played. While I haven’t progressed too far into it just yet to do a first impressions post, I’m looking forward to continue playing it to see how far I get.

Pokemon Go Video Game

Along with playing video games, I’ve also finished reading Armada and written my review for it on my blog along with started reading In the Woods. So far, it’s a pretty interesting read and am interested in seeing where the story continues to go.

Other than that, I don’t really have too much else to say. The weather here has been very hot recently so I haven’t been out and about too much lately.  Mom and I went swimming at a friend of hers house yesterday in order to cool off which really helped me feel cooled off. Hope you all are doing well and are enjoying your weekend too.

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Book Review: Armada

Armada Book Cover

Rating: 4 stars

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and video games he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. 

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.

Wow, I really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed reading it a whole lot more than I did Ready Player One.

For one, I felt like the plot of Armada was developed a whole lot better. I felt like the whole story made more sense and Ernest Cline didn’t make too many overwhelming science fiction references to the reader. I also could relate to Zack’s character on a more personal level. Like Zack, my father also hasn’t been a part of my life. While some people are fortunate and have both parents in their life, not everyone is quite so lucky and not having that figure around can impact a child’s life. For Zack, it caused him to question the world around him and made him obsessed with video games and the stuff his father left behind. But it also resulted in anger issues that could’ve developed into something more serious if it weren’t for what happened in Armada.

Besides being able to relate to Zack, I also enjoyed reading this book because I felt like the other characters were a little more developed. The reader can see this in the story with Zack’s interactions with the other recruits and the close knit relationship he has with his mother. I also appreciated that the small amount of romance in this novel wasn’t pushed. Whenever I read books with a main focus in one particular genre, I sometimes get fed up when romance is constantly forced into the story whenever it’s not really needed to make the plot move forward. While I do love reading romantic scenes, it’s not always needed. Especially in a novel like this with heavy emphasis on science fiction. So I appreciated that Cline didn’t force Zack and his love interest together and that she was more of a minor character who helped save Zack whenever he needed it.

I really enjoyed reading Armada because the story felt real. I felt like I could imagine everything that was happening to Zack in his world as he tries everything he can to save humanity. He remained focused on what he needed to do, even when things got really tough and lives were lost in the process. I also enjoyed it because I felt like I could relate to Zack’s struggle. Before the events on Armada unfold, Zack always dreamed of being whisked away on an adventure, of something happening that would take him away from his ordinary life. So he lived in his own fantasy world, spending his free time playing video games whenever he could. I often had this type of experience myself too where I wished something extraordinary would happen to me and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has. In many ways, his struggles in the world are something everyone faces, which makes him even more relatable to anyone picking up this book.

The one issue with Armada I have, however, is the ending. To me, it was very emotional and I was upset at the direction Cline decided to take the story. I knew we were going to get an explanation for why these alien beings were attacking Earth, but I found the reasoning for it to be filled with so many holes that it made me really mad. I didn’t like the way Cline decided to take it because it felt like he killed off characters that I didn’t need to be killed. I was pretty upset because he killed off one of my favorite characters in Armada and it made it difficult for me to be happy with how the story ended. I also just expected there to be a bigger explanation for why everything happened and was disappointed because I didn’t get one.

Despite this one problem though, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was just the right story for me to read and had characters I could easily relate to that I’ll definitely be rereading Armada in the years to come. I look forward to see what other works Ernest Cline will create in the years to come since I enjoyed the two novels he’s written so far.

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Flash Fiction Challenge: The Power of Words

Flash Ficiton Challenge the Power of Words Image

Inspired by Chuck Wendig’s blog post on Terrible Minds, I’ve decided to write a fictional story based on the third writing seed mentioned.

Hello. My name is Kayla. I am a really young girl, elementary school age to be exact. Today has been a really strange day, but in the most exciting way possible. I don’t know how to explain it other than for the first time in my life, I feel hopeful. I believe that anything is possible, that miracles do happen.

It all started when I left school. My family, though very poor, is rich in all of the ways that matter. Even though we don’t have much, my family believes in the value of education. Of reading and learning as much as we can. Since I was born, I was raised on the foundation of a love of literature. My family had me reading the most sophisticated of children’s literature and even went so far as to get me a library card so as to continue expanding my reading knowledge.

Loving literature as much as I did, Mom knew to bring me to the library every day. Otherwise, my mind was a growing black hole filled with curious questions about the world outside of my human perspective. Mom knew she couldn’t maintain my growing curiosity so she gave in to my book needs, making sure I get some reading material each day. Once at home, I immediately set out to read the new books I obtained.

But reading wasn’t my only interest. As much reading as I did, I also discovered the power of words. I discovered my love in writing around the same time I found my love in literature. When I’m not reading books from the library, I’m writing short stories of my own, opening my imagination to the possibilities literature offers. That’s part of the reason I’m here too. Not only to get some more books, but the library here also offers young children who are passionate about the written word journals to express their thoughts and feelings. They are free, available at the front desk in a nice display case that only the librarians have access to.

I’ve been interested in getting one for a long time now. I usually write the stories I’ve created in a notebook, but I also want to write about myself too. Not in a notebook like the one I keep all of my stories, but something more durable, something I can keep more private to myself. But my family wasn’t too keen on the idea at first. Not because they don’t support my growing mind and imagination, but because we can’t afford a whole lot right now as it is. That was before they realized the library had journals for kids and anyone who wanted one, that they realized they wouldn’t have to pay to buy me one with the small amount of money we have for food, the clothing on our backs, and our home.

We weren’t always poor like we are now. It didn’t start until a year after I was born. Dad had gotten into a car accident that left him paralyzed to the point where he needed to get new medication almost every week, causing our expenses to build up until we had very little money left. It didn’t help Dad would have to travel in order to visit some of his doctors because none of the doctors close to here knew what to do, causing us to spend even more money when we couldn’t afford to. Because of these expenses, Mother was always working, supporting both us at home, trying to make as much money as she could. Since Mom was always working, I had to fend for myself, had to learn how to cook food, clean and took care of Dad as best I could. But I wasn’t left just to fend for myself. Mom had taught me to clean and cook as soon as I could walk and talk so I could help Dad if he needed anything. So I grew up early on, realizing how unfair life could be to the best of people. I accepted this philosophy early in life because of my own experiences and seeing how hard Mom worked all for naught. I just wished there was something I could do to help ease Dad and Mom’s pain, make life easier for all of us here.

What I didn’t realize was how soon that wish would come true. It started when I got to the library. Mom and I walked together through the double swinging doors of the library into this big open space filled to the brim with books everywhere. I looked around in awe like I always did every time I came to the library. I’m never going to get used to how big this library is, probably the biggest library I’ll ever see in my life. Shelves upon shelves of books were stacked on each shelf with wooden ladders on display for visitors to climb to access more books.

I separated from Mom to look at the books on the shelves before going to inquire about getting a journal. Yes, I was excited about getting a new journal, but also wanted to look at more books to read first. So I weaved in between shelves, looking at all of the different books my hands glided across. I headed directly towards the children’s section where all of the books I read could be found. But as I touched one of the books on the shelves on the way there, my hand accidentally plucked a leather bound brown book off the shelf, which resulted on me tripping and falling flat on my face, the book on the ground inches from my feet.

Disoriented from the fall, I got up to find the source of my clumsy falter. The leather bound book lay right beside my feet where I could see it from the corner of my eye. The brown cover looked very wear and tear, as if it survived many storms to make it here. It looked smaller than the notebook that carried most of my writings at home, but like the size of the journals the librarians kept at the front desk. Intrigued by this leather bound book on the floor, I quickly picked it up and observed its empty pages. Lines upon lines were found on each of the pages of the book like the type you normally find in a journal. Despite its small size, this book felt heavy as if all of the troubles in the world could be found within its pages.

Upon picking up this book, I was immediately interested in it. I could tell from what I’d seen of it so far that it is in fact a journal. But why was this journal so old looking and not with the other journals at the front desk? And why was it left here on this shelf with these other books?

No longer interested in getting any more books from the library, I held onto this book and went to the front desk to check it out before Mom and I headed home.

Later tonight, I inspected the book in my room. I had to make dinner as soon as we got home because my stomach growled and Dad also wanted something to eat. Just made some hot dogs with macaroni & cheese, something quick and easy so I could then go in my room and better inspect my new journal.

Once dinner was eaten and dishes done, I went into my room, closing the door slowly behind me, the leather bound book in my hands. Excited, I laid across my bed, taking a pen off of the small bookshelf I had in my room to begin writing in my new journal.

Today, I wrote, I just acquired this new journal. I found it on a bookshelf at the local library I go to, of all places. It literally fell onto my lap as I was going to look at some of the children’s books I read.

Hello, by the way. My name is Kayla. I live in this little town where most of the people who live here can barely afford the food on the table and the clothes on their back. We’ve lived here since right after I was born. My father got into a car accident when I was a year old, which paralyzed him to the point where we need to get him new medication almost every week and make expensive travels to get him to the right doctors who can help him.

The words flooded out of me like a river. It felt good to write about myself, to share my personal story somewhere so private only I was the only one able to see it. To share my feelings and fears without having someone judge me for it. The whole experience felt magical, like I was telling another person’s story even though I was the one who lived through it all. It felt very natural, almost like I was confiding in a friend. A friend I couldn’t personally speak to, but someone I felt comfortable being around.

Despite how thankful I should be about what I do have now, I continued to write, I do wish things had turned out differently. What I mean is that I wish Dad wasn’t paralyzed, that he could be himself and our family could live in peace. Dad hasn’t been himself since the accident. He’s more prone to frustration and anger because he feels helpless that he can’t do anything like he used to. He feels guilty that Mother has to do everything to make sure we stay afloat and that we don’t run out of money and that I have to be the one to take care of everything at home. He wants to help, but can’t and feels betrayed by his own body. I want to help him. I want to take away his pain and stop him from feeling this type of pain anymore. I love Mom and Dad and want them both to be happy.

As I finish writing this next paragraph, I hear this light bell-like sound tingling through the air. Then as quickly as the sound comes, its gone. As I put my pen down, I hear a happy yell coming from our small living room.

I leave my room to investigate, cautiously wondering what’s going on in our house. And what I see in our living room catches me completely off guard. My Dad is off the couch, completely walking around in the living room without the use of his cane. He looks completely at ease, as if each and every one of his leg muscles aren’t hurting him anymore. And he’s smiling. He’s actually smiling, like a child taking his big step for the first time.

Mom watches as Dad walks around the living room, her mouth open in awe.

“Dad?” I question as I continue to watch him from where I stand upon entering the living room as he walks around without the use of his cane. He looks as if he doesn’t have a care in the world, as if he’s the happiest he’s ever been since I was born.

“Honey,” Dad addresses to both of us as he turns first to look at Mom then at me. “Look, I can walk again! I can walk again!”

He can’t seem to stop smiling, the grin on his face getting wider and wider. We all laugh, happy to see him doing so well.

But at the same time, I’m still in shock.

How’d this happen? I think to myself. Just this morning, he was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine unable to get up without his cane. Now, he can move again, as if he’s not in any pain. So what happened? What changed between this morning and now?

I watch as my Mom and Dad are laughing, giggling in excitement at Dad’s miraculous recovery. Not to say I’m not excited too. I definitely am. But I also want to know what’s up too. So I go in my room and turn to the page in my journal where I began to write all of my thoughts down. Only to discover everything I’d written just a few short minutes ago has been completely erased from existence.     

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Reliving Memories: Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage

Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage 1

Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, the second game in the Spyro series, is my favorite Spyro video game. Released in 1999, it is a platform, item collecting video game developed by Insomniac Games. The plot of this Spyro video game centers around the world of Avalar, where Spyro accidently travels while entering a portal for Dragon Shores. He was summoned there by some of the inhabitants of Avalar in order to defeat Ripto, an evil tyrant who’s using his minions Crush and Gulp to take over the world. As you travel the worlds in Avalar, you collect talismans which can be used to defeat Ripto as well as orbs which you need to open a portal back home.

This Spyro video game is my favorite from my childhood for a number of reasons. For one, I found Ripto and his lackeys Crush and Gulp to be my favorite villains in the series. I enjoy fighting against them and find their interactions in the series to be entertaining.

Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage Ripto Crush Gulp

Another aspect of Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage I love is the amount of abilities this game gives you that wasn’t in the first Spyro game. In the first game, you weren’t able to climb walls, hover when flying, and swim. However, in this game, Spyro gains all three of these abilities throughout that become useful to you in all of the levels. Having these abilities is nice because they allow you to better get through the worlds to collect gems, orbs and talismans.

Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage Aquaria Tower

I also love this game because of the story behind each of the worlds you visit. Each world you go into for talisman, orbs and gems has a unique story with characters you have to help in order to obtain that world’s talisman. This is refreshing to me because each of these worlds have their own challenges you have to overcome. It makes the game that much more enjoyable because it feels like you have an objective you have to complete. But at the same time, it allows Spyro to use some of his new abilities to make it through these worlds.

Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage Crystal Glacier

I remember as a child the amount of times I played this game. I love it so much because of the characters and story that I couldn’t help it. I also loved the different things you did in order to get orbs such as playing hockey and returning the snow leopard in the picture above to his owner. Playing this Spyro game gives me so much nostalgia that I enjoy every minute I play it, making sure I do everything I can to complete each world. This game is one of my favorites from my childhood and I hope others who’ve played it feel exactly the same.

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If We Were Having Coffee: A New Style

If We Were Having Coffee Image Six

Good morning everyone! I hope you all have had a lovely week and are having a wonderful weekend. My week has been pretty good so I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I’ve been busy playing video games lately. I saw one of my favorite YouTubers playing Spyro Year of the Dragon, which really made me interested in replaying the first three games in the Spyro series. So on Sunday last weekend, I started playing Spyro the Dragon and even wrote a post about it, which can be seen here. I played it so much that I’ve beaten it now and am continuing with the Spyro series by playing Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, my favorite in the series. I plan on doing a blog post about this Spyro game too in the near future whenever I get the chance. As for now though, I’m deeply enjoying reliving my childhood and can’t wait to see how much progress I make in these games.

Speaking of games, I’ve been listening to these Dungeons & Dragons podcasts by Geek & Sundry called Critical Role. Each one of these podcasts are about two to three hours in length, and is a game of D&D done by a wonderful group of voice actors. So far, their gameplay of D&D has been wonderful to watch, seeing them struggle to overcome enemies while also watching the Dungeon Master weave a wonderful story that captivates the audience to see what’s going to happen next. I look forward to listening to each episode posted on YouTube because it reminds me of when I played Dungeons & Dragons for the first time and makes me really happy to listen to. I plan on listening to more podcasts in the future, just need to find some more soon.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I have some good news! After recovering from strep throat and talking to my mom, I finally got the hair cut I’ve been wanting for some time now. And it turned out really good, better than I expected.

Raney Photo New Hair

I love it! I love the way it looks from the front and back, and the way my new bangs hang across my forehead. I have a rather large forehead so these bangs hang across just right in a way that I feel works for me. This hair cut just works for me way better than all of the other haircuts I’ve had in the past. I like having short hair because of the way it looks on me and this just works because I feel like it fits me. I feel like it makes me feel younger, but also more mature at the same time. Makes me feel more ready to take on the world and whatever obstacles are heading my way. I feel more confident in myself than ever before, like I’m seeing my true self for the first time. I’m just so happy with this hair cut that I can’t see my hair looking any other way.

Then after getting my hair cut, Mom and I went to Panera for dinner because I’ve been wanting to eat their soup for some time. Since before I’d gotten sick with strep throat. So I felt like it was about time we went there to get some food before heading home from my hair appointment. And it was just as good as my taste buds hoped it would be. Both the bread and soup were just right and it was a nice treat to have their delicious broccoli and cheese soup with bread the perfect size to dip it in.

If we were having coffee, I would just like to quickly let you know we won’t be having coffee next weekend. We are moving my older sister into her new place in Nashville next weekend and will be spending our 4th of July there so I will be so busy with family that I won’t be able to make coffee. Before she’d gotten the job in Nashville, we were originally supposed to go to Pennsylvania for a friend’s wedding. Once there, we were going to spend time with my grandmother, visiting Philadelphia and spending a day in New York as well as enjoy our 4th of July Pennsylvania style. But now that my sister has her new job and will be moving into her new place that weekend, our plans have had to change. Mom isn’t exactly pleased about this because it was her friend’s wedding we were going to and we’d already made a commitment to go months ago. So now, we’ll be spending our weekend in Nashville instead and our grandmother will be flying down so we’ll still get to see her. While we still don’t have everything planned out, I’m hoping it’ll still be an enjoyable weekend and that our 4th of July will still turn out fine.

Other than that, I haven’t been up to much. I’m happy because I was able to post one of the fictional pieces I’ve been wanting to write for a little while now. I still have other works I want to post onto my blog. But will just have to wait and see how all of that goes and whether I’ll actually post those on my blog soon. I promise though that if they don’t end up on my blog this upcoming week, they’ll be up as soon as I feel like writing them.

Now that I’ve talked about my week, what all have you been up to?

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Reliving Memories: Spyro the Dragon

Spyro the Dragon PS1

Spyro the Dragon is one of many favorite video games from my childhood. A platform, item collecting video game, Spyro the Dragon was released in 1998 by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. While this game was initially released to be played on PlayStation, I didn’t get this game until PlayStation 2, which allows video gamers to play games released on the original PlayStation. Along with this video game, I acquired Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage and Spyro Year of the Dragon with it in a Spyro Collectors’ Edition case.

Spyro the Dragon is the first game in the series, which introduces you to the character Spyro, a small purple dragon. He must save his dragon elders from Gnasty Gnorc, who turned all of the dragon elders in the land into stone along with collect all the gems and eggs in the various worlds you travel to defeat this nasty villain. As Spyro, you fly from platform to platform, charge and flame your enemies as you travel across all of these worlds.

As a child, this video game made me fall in love with the Spyro series. It was one of many video games from my childhood that introduced me to platforming in video games. I remember many moments as a child traversing through the different worlds, flaming and charging enemies while releasing the elder dragons from their statue prisons.

Spyro the Dragon PS1 Peace Keepers World

I enjoy Spyro the Dragon because of its unique charm. As a child, most aspects in the game didn’t catch my eye as being cheesy. However, now that I’m older, they catch my attention and cause me to giggle in childish glee. One good example has to do with the enemies in the image above. Whenever these enemies go to hide from Spyro in these tents, they either cower in fear or moon you when you flame their hiding spot. As a child, I didn’t see the humor in this, but now that I’m older, I find it funny.

I also enjoy playing this game from my childhood because I love playing as Spyro and the challenges each world brings. I love getting to play as a small dragon who can flame as well as charge at his enemies. He is also able to fly, which allows you as the player to get to platforms you couldn’t otherwise reach. I also enjoy the worlds you get to go through because each one of them is unique and presents their own different challenges to the game. Some levels in the game have really high platforms that if you aren’t able to fly across will cause Spyro to fall into the abyss while others have water or some other obstacle that if you land in will cause Spyro’s health to deplete. And other worlds have super charge boosts, which are usually useful when getting to difficult platforms that flying won’t help you reach.

Spyro the Dragon PS1 Tree Tops

Images from one of the most difficult levels in the game Tree Tops.

Spyro the Dragon is also enjoyable because of the challenge it presents to the player. Some of the platforms you have to get onto are really high up or very difficult to reach to where you have to use other platforms to get onto them. This presents a challenge for the player especially if you are trying to clear the game by getting all of the gems, dragons, and eggs. Part of this challenge can be seen in the timed flying levels where you have to go through obstacles before the timer runs out. While you don’t gain anything unique from completing these levels, by doing so you collect all the gems in those levels and get closer to completing the game.

Spyro the Dragon PS1 Flying Level

Now that I’m older and playing Spyro the Dragon, I remember a lot of my recent experiences playing this game. I remember playing it last summer the amount of fun I had and now try the best I can to completely clear the game and having fun doing so, which is why I’m playing it again. I look forward to continue playing this series and continue reliving memories from my childhood.

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The Knock on the Other End of the Door

The Knock on the Other End of the Door Image

“Knock, knock.”

A little girl heard a knock from the front door on the other side of her parent’s house. It was an insistent knock that caused her to jump out of her bed in fright.

It was dark out, almost midnight. The lights in her room weren’t on so she immediately ran out of her room into the darkened hallway. She ran past various rooms in her house until she got to her parent’s bedroom where she could see both her mother and father asleep peacefully.

“Knock, knock.”

She jumped because the knock continued persistently. It didn’t go away and she knew she wasn’t dreaming.

She was scared and wanted mommy and daddy. She wanted them to hold her, tell her everything would be okay.

It was dark out. Why was someone knocking on our door close to midnight? We never have visitors late this night. It must be a mistake, a misdirection.

Maybe if I answered the door, the person on the other end would go away? Maybe.

“Knock, knock.”

I really wanted mommy and daddy to comfort me. So I awoke mommy first to see if she heard the knock too.

“Ughhhhh,” Mom mumbled as I attempted to wake her up, still half asleep. But she did open her eyes and looked around in their dark room for the source disturbing her slumber.

“Oh, honey,” Mom said to me. “What’s wrong? Why did you wake me up? It’s really dark outside right now. Did you have a really bad dream or something?”

“Mommy,” I responded. “I keep hearing a knock at our front door. Could you please go and see what it is?”

At that moment, however, the knocks ceased to stop. Almost as if mentioning the sound caused it to end.

Mom strained her ears, trying the best she could to hear the knocks I was hearing since I’d woken up. But since the knocks stopped, there was no sound. Only silence. As if the person at the other end of the door were mocking me.

Instead, however, I felt hope. Maybe the person went away, realizing how late of an hour they were knocking on our door and decided to leave us be and come back later?

But as Mom was telling me she couldn’t hear the knocks, they started back up once more. But they were even louder, more insistent this time.

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

I jumped again, shaking in fear, holding onto Mom with dear life.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” She asked me again. “Are you sure you just didn’t have a bad dream? I’m telling you I don’t hear this knock your talking about.”

I whimpered and continued shaking in response, continuing to hold onto her. The knocks continued and there was nothing I could do about it. I knew this wasn’t a dream and that I wouldn’t be waken up from it anytime soon. I just had to hope these scary knocks would seize and I’d be able to go back to sleep once more.

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“Mommy,” I whimpered, hoping I could convince her to stop the source of the knocking because it was getting so loud I could feel the ground underneath me shaking.

“Are you sure you can’t go to the door and see who it is?” I asked, completely scared out of my mind.

Mother looked at my scared form with a sigh.

“Okay, fine honey,” Mom said. “I’ll go check the door then to see whose knocking. But once I do that and come back, promise me you’ll go back to sleep.”

I nodded my head in understanding, finding myself more comforted by Mom’s words of concern.

“Okay. Good girl honey,” Mom said as she patted my head. “I’ll be right back in a minute then and let you know if I see anything.”

I watched as Mother got out of bed and unattached herself out of my grip as she left the room. I still heard the knocks but was also able to hear Mom’s footfalls as she went to the other side of our house to answer the front door.

As she went towards the door, I heard the knocks stop and let out a breath of relief as I heard our front door swing open. The silence continued enough to where I could hear Mom’s voice from the room.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” I heard my mother say as she opened the front door.

But I didn’t hear anything more as I heard footsteps coming back to the room. I held my breath, not sure whether it was Mom coming back or something else.

However, Mom was fine. She came back and got into bed next to Dad. She then turned and looked at me in the darkened room.

“Honey,” Mom said with a sigh. “I checked outside and there was nobody there. I think you were just dreaming so just go back to sleep okay?”

I nodded my head in understanding because once Mom opened the front door all of the knocking stopped as if it never happened. As if the repetitive loud noise I kept hearing was all just a part of a dark dream.

“Okay, well goodnight honey,” Mother said to me in the silence as she got back into bed. She immediately settled herself comfortably in bed and went back to sleep, snoring very softly as if she were in a deep dream.

The knocking really is gone, isn’t it? I thought to myself as I slowly walked back to my room. Finding comfort that Mom had checked the front door and found nobody there, I settled back into bed. But just as I was getting comfortable, the knocking came back in full force. Just like it was when I first heard it.

“Knock, knock.”

“Knock, knock.”

I immediately sat back up in my bed. It definitely wasn’t my imagination at all. The knock was still there, no matter what Mom said.

I don’t know why the knock stopped when I mentioned it to Mom nor why nobody was there when she checked. But the knock was still there, just as persistent as last time.

I needed to find out what was making that loud noise. Nothing could stop me from investigating this noise.

“Knock, knock.”

“Knock, knock.”

The knocking continued as if daring me to adventure towards the source of the noise. It was dark out, but I was no longer afraid. I knew where I was going. I knew this knocking wasn’t all in my head. It was real and I wanted to know where it was coming from. So I’d do the best I could to find out.

I left my bed, treading carefully around the house so as not to arouse my sleeping parents. The darkness was growing more intense with each step I took, the knocks growing even louder the closer I got to the door.

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

I got more nervous with each step I took towards the door. I wanted so badly to turn around and go back to sleep in my room. To wake up the next day not remembering what happened and find comfort in the morning rays of the sunlight.

But I can’t. I’ve already made my decision and there’s no going back. As I head towards the front door, I nervously look around me one last time before I go to the door. The knocks as I go to the door are so loud I can feel the door shaking as I grab the handle.

But as I grab the front door, I notice something different about its appearance. Our front door is actually white in nature, recently painted. But the door standing before me is of a wooden hue, with black patterns decorating its frame. However, I still grab the door anyway because I want the knocks to cease.

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

“KNOCK, KNOCK!”

I slowly open the door as the shaking continues. And as I open the door, I find myself in a place far away from home where there’s no way for me to turn back.

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If We Were Having Coffee: Three Days at Work

If We Were Having Coffee Image Five

Hello everyone! I hope you all have been doing well and are enjoying your weekend.

If we were having coffee, I’d apologize for not having any recent posts published. I found out last week from my doctor that I have strep throat so I figured posting last weekend wouldn’t be a good idea. I decided to rest instead, taking my antibiotics and doing everything I could to make sure I was getting better.

Last weekend was a sad one. My older sister left to head to Nashville because of her new job. She was starting it this Thursday so she wanted to get there ahead of time to adjust to her new surroundings. I was still sick so I was bummed that she was leaving and that we weren’t able to go up to Nashville with her like we’d planned. But we did say goodbye, waving to her as she left. We were sad to see her go. However, she was planning on coming back home this weekend to continue packing more of her belongings. So I knew I was going to see her again soon.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you this week has been a somewhat productive one. It started off slow due to being sick and having to take my antibiotics. But I spent my free time watching more YouTube videos and just taking things easy. However, I had gotten something in the mail from my job at school last week. Summer Orientation at my school was coming up this Wednesday through Friday and they needed me to work it.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to work it. I’d just found out the previous week why I had been feeling unwell and didn’t know if it’d be wise for me to go in. But because of the antibiotics, I was starting to feel better so I went to work those three days. It went pretty well, for the most part. There wasn’t too much to do when I clocked in due to everything was already set up and ready to go. Once we opened, things weren’t too much better. Still pretty slow once everyone from orientation made it through. But I obtained some hours and worked for a couple days so I had nothing to really complain about. I also spent time with a friend on Thursday and Friday before going into work, walking around at a park and downtown, just talking and spending time together. Overall, I’m glad I was able to go and get some hours so I could get some extra money during the summer.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you other than work, I haven’t been up to too much this week. I didn’t continue reading Armada, though I’m planning on reading it some more soon since I’ve been feeling better. I’ve been watching more YouTube videos than anything else and recently discovered one of the YouTubers I enjoy is playing a video game from my childhood. I’m so excited about this discovery that I feel inspired to play that game myself along with the other games in the series. So much so that I’ll probably even write one blog post about the games once I’ve completed them. During this time, I’ve also discovered a Dungeons & Dragons podcast I really enjoy. Each episode is roughly three hours in length, however, so I haven’t been listening to them all too much yet. I just finished the first episode yesterday and plan on continuing watching it in the future.

I also have plans on doing more writing, both blog posts and in my personal journal. I haven’t been writing as much lately because of recovering from strep throat so I want to do all I can to remedy it. I have a couple fictional stories in mind that came to me while I was recovering so I’m hoping to work on those and post them on my blog in the near future. I won’t say anything more about them because I want to see what you think of them once they’ve been completed. Just know I’m planning on working on those to get on here as soon as I possibly can. But I also need to continue job searching. Mom has been on my case lately about job applications so I’m hoping to get that going some this week so I can find somewhere to work so I don’t have to return to my current position.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you this weekend with my sister home has been going pretty well. She spent most of yesterday packing her stuff, getting it organized and ready to take with her to Nashville. But we also had a good friend of ours come over for a dinner my sister made, which turned out to be really good. Today she’s continuing packing her belongings and taking her things to the car. Mom is helping her because she wants to make sure she has everything she needs. I’m doing the best I can to stay out of the way because I know there’s not too much I can do to help.

And that’s pretty much it. After my sister leaves today, Mom wants to do some cleaning up in our backyard. We had a storm come through Friday afternoon so we have a little bit of a mess going on in our backyard because one of our neighbor’s trees fell into it. But Mom wants to get some of the stuff she’s able to while the neighbors get someone to come over and get their tree out of our yard.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and look forward to hearing all about it.

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