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Life As a Night Owl

Mornings are not my forte. Any time earlier than 8 a.m., I struggle to get out of bed and make any coherent sound. I hate waking up early, but can stay up really late each night. That is, if I’m not too tired from whatever I’ve been doing during the day. 

This is called being a night owl. Being a person who prefers the hours of the night versus hours of the early morning.

I love night time. There’s something inherintingly beautiful about the night; a peaceful silence that encompasses the whole world. It’s the best time for me because the rest of the world is silent, and I can look upon it without judgment.  My thoughts come more alive with ideas that I can write down. My best ideas come to me during the night so going to sleep early is a struggle for me anyway. Because if I do manage to go to sleep early, I spend those hours in bed tossing and turning. I feel more alive, like I can conquer the world even though it’s 12 a.m. and most people are in bed. There’s something magical about seeing the days change that I can’t describe. But I love it either way. 

Whereas waking up early is a nightmare for me. I feel out of my element, like a fish out of water. I become irritable, moody, and all I can think about is getting more sleep. Getting up early involves me fighting to keep my eyes open with each second that passes until I get something into my system that can keep me awake. But once I’m up early and ready, I feel a rush. I try to do everything too fast, almost like I hope I can get the day over with. Then around lunchtime, I feel this exhausting crash and a strong desire to sleep again. 

But going to bed late and waking up later, I never feel that way. Yes, I might feel the desire to nap on those days, but I’m usually more well-rested. I feel ready to conquer the world and my thoughts aren’t quite as scatter brained. I’m also not as irritable or cranky to those around me. I find my imagination quite more alive, find it much easier to write all my thoughts down. I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s something magical about the night to me. I don’t know if it’s due to the beauty of the moon or because it’s so peaceful and quiet outside. What I do know though is that I love it and that I’ll probably always be a night owl.

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New Exciting Blog Changes

ideas

Hello everyone! If this is one of your first times seeing my blog, welcome! But for those who follow my blog, I have some new exciting blog changes I want to briefly share with you.

After some much needed thinking, I’ve made the decision to change the name of my blog as a whole along with the domain name. The reason for these changes is that I was starting to feel like the name I originally had wasn’t going to cut it. It was an idea I came up with when I first started blogging that I thought was original and unique. I thought coming up with a name that combined books and video games would be cool, since that’s what the entirety of my blog was going to be focused on. I unfortunately regret having that name for my blog and have been for some time trying to rack my brain around a new name.

I decided on Rainy Day’s Books, Video Games and Other Writings because Rainy Day is a childhood nickname that was given to me at one of the day cares I went to when I was little. It’s a nickname that’s stuck with me ever since and I found it fitting because people associate reading with rainy days. I added books, video games and other writings along with it because I write book and video game reviews, but I also write about other topics too and will be continuing to do so. I think this name will suit my blog much better than Vook: Books + Video Games ever did.

I also made these changes because I wanted to make my blog name sound more professional looking. Now that I’m out of work for awhile, I’ll be updating my resume, searching for jobs in my field. I figured the name I originally had wouldn’t cut it for the job market so I decided to make this change not only to reflect me more personally but in order to sound more professional and hopefully to be taken more seriously.

However, the biggest reason for the blog name change is that I wanted to change my blog in some way. In almost three months, I’ll have been blogging here for two years. This is something I’m still finding hard to believe because I never imagined myself getting this far with my blog and loving it as much as I do. I love blogging and want to do everything I can to improve my blog in any way I see fit. I figured changing my name is one of many things I can do here to make this a better place for people to come and check out.

I hope as these months turn into years to continue improving my blog so that you all will continue enjoying my writing. This is one of the many ways I hope to do that so thank you for your continued support and I look forward to continue writing here with this new blog name and domain.

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Forgiveness (Poem) 

When I think of forgiveness,

The saying, “forgive, but never forget”

Comes to mind.

 

But for me,

It’s easier said than done.

 

When people hurt you,

It’s hard to let go,

And begin anew.

 

But sometimes,

That’s all you need to do.

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Movie Review: Beauty and the Beast

I know I generally don’t write about movies on my blog, but the original Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney films from my childhood. So I found it only fitting to write a review of this new adaptation that’s hit the big screen. 

Released in 2017, Beauty and the Beast is centered around a young eccentric girl named Belle and the habitants of an enchanted castle. When the Beast in the castle takes Belle’s father as his prisoner, Belle takes her father’s place to live out the rest of her days in the castle. At first she finds the Beast unruly but as time continues on, she begins to see the Beast for the human he really is. 

This adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is equal parts fantasy and musical, which is one of the things I love about this adaptation of the original fairy tale. The fantasy elements are especially brought to life with the spell the Enchantress put on the castle and it’s inhabitants. All of the characters who live in the castle have been transformed into different household objects that can be found in a castle while the Prince is changed into a hideous Beast due to his horrible treatment of a woman whose appearance was very deceiving. The rose also held a special significance to this because if the Beast didn’t learn to love and be loved in return by the time the last rose petal fell, he and the other inhabitants would be stuck the way they are forever. Of course, you already know this if you’ve seen the original film, but I really find it to be a good example of how fantasy comes to life in this story. 

Another element I’ve enjoyed from this adaptation is all of the musical numbers, both familiar and new. The songs that they included from the original made me feel nostalgic, like I was traveling back to my childhood. It was nice because it made the movie that much more enjoyable for me to watch. But I also appreciated that they included some new songs too. I felt like it was a good way to remind the audience that this isn’t the original animated movie, that this adaptation of Beauty and the Beast was unique in its own way. I also found these new songs made the overall story that much more enjoyable to me. 

What I enjoyed the most about this film is the back story they give you about Belle and what happened to her mother. As a part of the audience, your never told exactly what happened to her mother, but are shown throughout the movie what happened as if you are right there when the chain of events unfold. They also do this in the beginning of the film too when the Beast is still the Prince. They show him not accepting the Enchantress into his castle and you watch as he and the rest of the crew transform. But they also tell you a little bit about what happened to the Beast’s mother too to give you an understanding of his character. I love that they added this background information for the characters because this information was never given in the animated film. 

One of my favorite things about this movie is seeing the Beast and Belle fall in love. The reason I love their romance is the overall message the story tells about love and appearances. It’s the message not to judge by appearances, that looks aren’t the best to look for in a life partner and that you never know who you’ll fall in love with. This message is important because it’s the truth. You don’t know who you’ll end up falling in love with or what the person you’ll fall in love with will look like. So when looking for a partner, don’t look for appearances, see who they are as a person. 

The one small criticism I have for Beauty and the Beast is that there are some awkward pauses in the film, both in the dialogue and songs. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed them when watching but I did and they bothered me, for some reason. 

But other than that, I really enjoyed this movie so much. Seeing the Beast and Belle’s love story come to life on the big screen in real life filming was a nice breath of fresh air. I was not at all disappointed to see one of my favorite movies from my childhood brought to life and can’t wait to see it again soon. I really enjoyed every minute of it and was sad to see it all end. 

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If We Were Having Coffee: End of 2017 Spring Semester, Let Summer Begin! 

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all doing alright wherever you are. Right now, I’m doing really well. The Spring Semester at my Alma Mater has almost ended for the students. They just have exams next week, then they are officially done. But for me, I’m done working there for the semester. Just finished working a cookout they were having today a couple hours ago, and that’s it for now. I won’t be there next week because I’m not on the schedule so I’m officially done for the semester. Hopefully it’ll be my last semester there if I’m able to get a job this summer. Will just have to wait and see if that happens for now. 

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you for these posts, I want to use more interesting coffee pictures. Pictures like the one I have above that have a lot of color and can catch your attention. I think these pictures would really make my blog stand out, and would look nice with my background. I won’t know exactly what that’ll look like until I’m looking, So you’ll just have to wait and see. 

I know this is a #weekendcoffeepost, but I felt like briefly bringing up the infamous Unicorn Frappuccino everyone seems to be talking about. I don’t know how it’s made, because I don’t work at a Starbucks (though I know how to make Starbucks drinks because at work in our café, we have Starbucks products), but I felt like talking about it. I don’t know if it’s any good because honestly it looks like a heart attack. I’m not saying it doesn’t look good (because it kind of does), but pink isn’t my color. It’s definitely an interesting looking drink and I’m actually curious about how they make it more than anything else along with what it tastes like. Though I’m not curious enough to spend my money on one if I’m ever given the chance to do so. 

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I have some bad news. It looks like I will have to buy myself a new laptop. Originally, I was going to get one, but decided to have it looked at to see if the part could be fixed so that I could save my money. But it looks like I’ll have to get a new one because the part I’ll need fixed will cost just as much as getting a new laptop. So that’s kind of a bummer. But at the same time, it’s kind of exciting too because it’ll be brand new and there are so many different ones out there I can check out. 

Speaking of which, I’m also thinking about changing my blog name this summer. I have an idea of what I might change it to, but I still haven’t decided yet if that’s what I’m going to do. I figure I should though because my blog name isn’t actually that good. Kind of silly, honestly, though at the time I really thought it was a good idea. Just thought I’d let you all know before I do, even though when I do I’m going to write a blog post about it so you know. And since I’m not working right now, I’ll definitely be writing more posts again. I know my 2 year blog anniversary will be coming up within the next couple months so I’ll be writing about that along with whatever other fresh ideas decide to pop into my head this summer. 

I think that’s really all I have to say now. Oh yeah, I’ve also been coloring more often too. I find it to be very comforting to do before bed and it’s just such an enjoyable hobby that I can’t help it. I’ve also started reading All the Rage and Mum and I are planning on going to see Hidden Figures tonight and the new Beauty & the Beast movie tomorrow. I’ll probably do a movie review of a tale as old as time too because it’s one of my favorite Disney movies from my childhood so I definitely want to talk about the new adaptation after I’ve seen it. 

Okay, now I’m done. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week and continue to have a good weekend. 

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If We Were Having Coffee: It Feels Like I’m Playing Catch Up 

Hello everyone and Happy Easter! It feels like I’m playing catch up with these #weekendcoffeeshare posts because it’s been awhile since my last one. I would say this is accidental if it weren’t that I honestly just didn’t feel like doing one of these posts these last couple weeks. I don’t think making excuses for myself will change that truth for me so I figure I might as well be honest about it. But I’m back with this post and hopefully I’ll continue to do more of them in the months to come. But for now, I’ll try and see if I can catch you up to speed with what’s been going on in my life. 

If we were having coffee, the first thing I’d probably tell you is we’ve been watching friends of ours pets lately. We watched someone my Mom knows dog and cat a couple weekends ago and are now cat sitting for another friend. So far, we’ve gotten along with all of them and there haven’t been too many problems. I just recently spent the night with the two cats, one of which slept on top of me and was demanding my affections. 

Look at that sweet boy. How could you say no to that face? 

The other cat is more guarded around people, but he’s just as sweet. But it was nice spending the night with them so that they could have someone around to take care of them. It was also very quiet and peaceful in their house, which was also nice because it allowed me to finish one of my coloring pages and start on another. 

I really love the way this page turned out for me.

I really love coloring. It’s very peaceful, a nice way for me to relax and do something stress free. It also makes me feel like I’ve really accomplished something, even if it’s just filling another blank page to life. 

Speaking of which, if we were having coffee, I’d tell you I’ve been working on writing more in my journal. Right now, I’m trying to write in it once or twice a week, whenever the need calls for it. I think this is pretty realistic because I know there are going to be times I want to write, but not want to post on here. But right now, we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. I know I’m currently optimistic about it because I really believe I can do it. I’ve also been working on a poem too, which is currently called “Forgiveness.” I’m not sure if I’m done with it yet, but once I am, I’ll be publishing it here for you all to read. 

I’ve also recently watched Thirteen Reasons Why on Netflix, which was released March 31st and wrote a review about it. I’ve actually watched it twice since it’s release, because I enjoyed it so much I had to see it again. I even got my best friend to watch it and am letting her borrow my copy of the book now that she’s watched the show. I’ve also recently finished reading Wintergirls and am now planning on reading All the Rage, which I’m hoping will be a much better read. After finishing Thirteen Reasons Why, I’m now watching American Horror Story to see what it’s like. So far, it’s interesting, to say the least. But I haven’t made an overall opinion of it just yet. 

If we were having coffee, I’d briefly talk about work. I’d tell you it’s gotten somewhat better for me. Knowing I only have one week, then it’s summer makes me happy. It means I’ll be able to work on improving my resume and hopefully get a job in my field very soon. I’ll also have more free time to write and doing other things I love. So knowing after this week I’ll get a little bit of a break makes me feel good about what’s left of work. Also, the job I was interested in at work, someone else was interested in it and talked about it before I could so the position has already been filled. But I’m actually glad someone else is doing it because I would still be at this place. 

Other than that, nothing else has been going on. Tomorrow is Easter. I’ll be celebrating by going to Sunrise Service with a friend at 7, then later going to dinner at a friend’s house. I hope you all have a good Easter with your loved ones. 

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TV Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

After reading Thirteen Reasons Why, I found out it was becoming a Netflix show and decided to watch it once it was released. While I normally don’t do television reviews of any kind, I figured I could make an exception for this, considering I enjoyed the book so much that I was interested to see how it would look on TV. 

I wasn’t at all disappointed. It was everything I expected and more. The story transformed on television much better than I anticipated, bringing to life serious topics young adults need to discuss, such as bullying, rape and suicide. This is one of the things I enjoy about the book, but enjoyed more when I saw my imaginings come to life.  The directors made sure not to shy away from any of the issues Hannah brought to light in her tapes, even if it meant that the show was graphic with its content. These are all issues that need to be openly talked about so I was very pleased to see the directors highlight them. It showed that they really cared about bringing awareness to really heavy subject matter and making the show represent the books as close as they could. 

Hearing Hannah’s voice narrating her story really sucked me into wanting to see how these events unfolded. When reading Thirteen Reasons Why, it’s much harder to imagine what Hannah’s voice sounds like. But now, I find I’m not disappointed by what I hear not only because the audio is authentic, but because the actress who played as Hannah did a really good job at portraying her character. She made her much more sympathetic as a character because you could clearly see she was struggling and needed help. You can see as she continues telling her story how disappointed she becomes when the people she trusts continue letting her down. You can see Hannah falling apart leading up to the point where she can’t take it anymore and ends her life. All of these things make Hannah such a sympathetic character that you can’t help but follow along to hear what she has to say. 

Since we are already on the topic of character, I’d like to add I actually like the way all of the characters and the story is portrayed on the Netflix series much better than the book. When reading the book, I felt like all of the characters were flat since the whole story centered on Clay spending all night listening to Hannah’s tapes. You didn’t meet most of them besides being introduced to them with regards to how Hannah talked about them. In the TV original, however, you get to see and meet the characters Hannah’s story focuses on. You get to see how they all interact with each other and how Hannah’s tapes effected their lives. You also actually get introduced to both Hannah and Clay’s parents, both of which play a crucial role in the overall story arch in the show. In the book, these characters didn’t have much of an appearance other than Hannah’s parents no longer being at their house since her death. In the show, they are investigating the school with regards to Hannah’s death, trying to find out why their daughter committed suicide. The same can be said with the characters mentioned on Hannah’s tapes. In the show, they are all in a panic when Clay is listening to the tapes because he’s reacting to what he hears Hannah say about them. They’re worried he’s not going to pass the tapes on or turn them in to the school. 

I love that the show went off script from the books for a couple reasons. For one, it makes the story more interesting and continues to show how one person’s actions results in many different consequences. It also makes you as the viewer more interested in seeing what’s going to happen next as Clay continues listening to the tapes and reacting to them. Seeing Hannah’s parents invested interest in getting justice for their daughter plays a role in this too because they along with the tapes become Hannah’s voice since she can no longer speak. This all shows how suicide impacts everyone’s life, which is a very strong message that I appreciate the directors taking the time to portray in the script for the show. 

For all of these reasons, I find myself enjoying Thirteen Reasons Why as a television show more than a book. I find the show does a good job of bringing the words from the text to life in a way that every viewer can relate to. It also has more of an emotional impact on me because of my own personal traumas, some of which can be seen in my “Truer Than Fiction” blog post  I also highly recommend those going through personal problems of their own to watch it so that you can know you are not alone and that you can always get help.

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My Personal Experience With Writer’s Block

As a writer, one of the things I struggle with the most is ideas. Finding different subjects to write about that will interest my readers and get people wanting to come back to my blog. Yes, I have my book and video game reviews I write whenever I finish reading a book or play a video game long enough to grasp the basic gameplay and style. But those aren’t the only forms of writing I want on my blog. So I post poems and short fictional pieces whenever I haven’t finished a book or spent time playing video games. 

One of the biggest struggles a writer has to overcome on a daily basis is writer’s block. It’s where your trying to write, but you just can’t. No words come to you and your mind feels like a confusing puzzle you’re trying to solve. You want to write, but you just can’t. 

As a writer, I’ve had many experiences with writer’s block. I remember having many moments where I knew I wanted to write, but just couldn’t. I’d sit in my writing space with all the tools needed, but everything I tried to write was complete garbage. So I’d call it a day and come back to writing later. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn’t. 

When I experience writer’s block, I feel like my brain is overwhelmed with all these ideas, but I just can’t focus on which one I want to write about. Or sometimes, I literally have nothing to write about because I can’t focus on writing at all. Both these forms of writer’s block for me result in me not writing anything down, even though I know I want to write. 

There are many ways I overcome my own struggles with writer’s block. Sometimes, I make the decision to come back to writing later after getting a good night’s sleep or when I feel like I can write again. Sometimes, I decide to use writing prompts to get my mind focused on a topic to write about. And sometimes, I just think “screw it,” and try to write anyway. 

There is no one exact way for a writer to overcome writer’s block. What works for me isn’t going to work for everyone else just like what works for everyone else isn’t guaranteed to work for me. 

Writer’s block is a problem all writer’s experience at some point during their writing journey. There is no one solution for overcoming it just like there’s no guarantee you won’t experience writer’s block again. The best thing you can do as a writer is come up with your own plan for overcoming writer’s block when it decides to strike. And just maybe, you’ll be able to write once more. 

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Welcome Home (Poem) 

He seeks warmth and comfort,

In a loving home.

 

He waits outside,

Hoping one day to be welcomed in with a loving embrace.

 

He sits patiently,

Day and night,

For some solace from the rain.

 

He’s silent and affectionate,

Yet loved by the humans who feed him.

 

But they’ve yet,

To let him come in.

 

Two cats watch him by the back door,

Silently questioning his motives.

 

But yet,

They too want to welcome him in.

 

He’s family,

That looks so much like them.

 

They know,

They can see it in his eyes.

 

And in the way he tilts his head,

When the humans come by to pet him.

 

They hear it in his meow,

When they hear him calling for them.

 

The two cats,

Are just as curious about him,

As he is about them.

 

Yet they say nothing,

Knowing the humans make the final decision.

 

But they know,

One day, he’ll be brought in.

 

And they’ll be there,

To welcome him home.

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