Day Six, No Observable Change in Behaviour

I've been hermiting. I think the last time I left the house was... last Tuesday. Don't get me wrong, as I've said before, I do enjoy being at home, but I do sometimes enjoy, y'know... other things.

I did have a lot of fun last Tuesday. Sort of. I went to Trinidad on the Ferry, which wasn't fun, so that I could go to the dentist, which was even less fun, but then I spent the afternoon with my Mom which was very fun indeed. We went down to the Port and hit up the Hyatt and I got a Mojito that was just delightful. Minty minty goodness.

We even got to watch Dad come in on the boat! Boats really aren't that exciting.

And so yeah, since then I've... pretty much just sat here. I read 1984, pondered that for a few days, completed the main story for Arkham Origins, cleaned some stuff. It's certainly been relaxing. Too relaxing?

My brother also surprised me with The Amazing Spiderman on steam, which is surprisingly really good! I think the last Spiderman game I played was Spiderman 2 for the gamecube, or possibly PS2- rest assured that you can still attach web to clouds and swing through central park! But I should be fair, that does happen far less frequently and most of the time there is an effort to attach the webbing to buildings, which actually makes you swing at a weird angle that kind of makes it really easy to get turned around and confused. My theory is that maybe that's more realistic, because when you think about it, from Spiderman's perspective he is just constantly flipping and going upside down and what have you. Either way I'm quite liking the game. The fighting mechanics are enjoyable, but repetitive, and I am comparing the game to the Arkham series in that regard. Spiderman always seems to use the same move to slam enemies heads into the pavement, 'knocking them out'. The other thing I noticed is the weird difficulty settings. I set my game mode in the beginning to "superhero" which is their version of hard mode, because I'm hardcore like that and they presented it like a challenge. But instead of the enemies being more skilled or tougher to take down, it feels like Spiderman is just incredibly weak. He takes a few hits and bam, he's dead. There is a kind of silly health regeneration to balance that out, but I can't help wondering if this is their version of higher difficulty. But, on the plus side, the game looks great, feels very expansive and the story seems cool so far. There also seems to be a lot of different ways that you can go about using Spiderman's powers, which I really like.  The most impressive thing to me is that it really doesn't feel like a video game based on a movie. The story actually takes place I think a few months after the movie and many of the characters are in very different situations than before. Overall I'm enjoying what I've seen so far, which is I think around two hours of gameplay.Impromptu first impressions review!

YOW to YYZ to POZ to TAB - An Experience

I'm in Tobago! Still sort of trying to figure things out here. My parents moved (again), but not out of the same area just to a different condo...thing. Basically we're on the second floor now, but the floorplan is basically the same. It's kind of weird because it feels like the same place... but it's slightly different. The best part is that the ceiling fans in this place work really well so we don't really need to use the AC! This is preferable not only for power consumption, but also because air conditioners make me sneeze. I don't know if this is an allergy thing or if we've just had poor AC units for the past five and a half years (what is time??), but where air is conditioned, I will sneeze drastically more than usual. Truth. I'm pretty sure everyone in my high school must have thought me incredibly diseased. Maybe that's why I had no friends! Ha... Ha...

We did find a comfy spot in YOW. Plus coffee.

The flight down was pretty alright. I actually really like travelling and flying. Something about going up into the sky using nothing but the POWER OF HUMAN INVENTION always seems magical. Although for the six hour overnight leg of our flight I did have an empty seat next to me. Bonus! Although being short, I actually don't really have a problem with leg-room. Oh! A secret comfort tip I have for long plane rides is to lay on the foldy tray thing in front of you. It seems weird, but it really helps, especially if your back is getting stiff and you need to be in some sort of a position that isn't sitting in an airplane seat. And if you usually sleep on your stomach then it's kinda nice laying your head down in your arms. The only problem is that it can sometimes be kind of a tight squeeze depending on the type of airplane, and obviously having a smaller torso helps, I guess. Try it out! Don't worry about the fact that it kind of looks weird to those around you.

I didn't really sleep on the plane for more than an hour maybe? That was unusual, but I got caught up reading Animal Farm, and then they were showing The Desolation of Smaug. Who would sleep? It did leave me pretty dead on Wednesday, though. Ah, overnight flights...

So now I'm just relaxing for a bit before getting into the heavy work ethic mode where things are actually accomplished. I've been loving just sitting outside and reading or playing video games. I guess I haven't really been doing very much, but that was sort of the plan, at least for a few days. Overall I'm feeling good, and things are going pretty darn swell.

Summer Vacation Begins with a BANG!

Finished, friends! My third year of University is now complete.

I never know when to consider myself belonging to another year of studies. Certainly by September, I shall be "FOURTH YEAR". But for now, what am I? Third Year still? Entering Fourth Year? Just straight up Fourth Year? These are the questions.

So I'm back in Ottawa and headed down to Tobago on Tuesday. Hurrah! I'm excited to see what the future of this summer will bring, and I'm extra-excited to share it with you, internet. It's gonna be a great one, I can feel it!

So not too much has happened. Apart from moving out of Guelph and moving into Ottawa (which I'm still not entirely finished doing...) Easter is really the only thing that happened. It was a lot of fun! I'm happy that Easter was so late this year, because I got to spend it with my family, I think for the first time since I started uni. Dad wasn't here, but everyone else was. Big dinner, big stomach aches... big happiness.

At one point Colin started shooting me with a Nerf gun and I may have taken it and gotten carried away. It was actually super fun and my aim was pretty good. I decided to make things a little more Terminator and brought out the aviators. Clearly, we look pretty badass. And I have no selfie shame, unfortunately. Future Ronnie, please, develop some selfie shame.

So now I think I had better get back to that "moving back in" thing. The clothes are taken care of, but I still have a suitcase full of crap to find a place for...

On that note, I really wish that I could live with fewer things. That modern minimalist lifestyle, y'know? Clean cut, with everything fitting into one bag. Magic. In saying that, Mom and I went to a few thrift stores today and had the best time ever. I just love digging through piles of clothing. I love it so much. I found so many wonderful things! Today's theme was apparently loud tropical print shirts and slightly worn 90s GOLD. Not literal gold. Not even gold-colored fabric. Just golden finds. Golden finds.

And now I have to pack. And also finish un-packing.

Privileged Girl Rants About Stuff and Possibly Sounds Insensitive (and Slightly Flighty).

Guys, the summer is coming and I want to go shopping.

Once this week of final essays and exams is over, I only have four days in Ottawa before I'm hitting up the Caribbean. I never buy anything down there. Maybe because Tobago doesn't have a ton of clothing stores, maybe because I'm cheap, and mostly because I really, really don't like sequins/gems on my clothing. Truth.

So I have four days in which to find the time to get a pair of high-waisted denim shorts. It's a stable that I do not have. Must fix. I was actually thinking that I might head on down to the thrift store and maybe just cut a pair of high-waisted jeans, but typically frayed ends drive me mad, so I'm not sure I could handle it. But we'll see how much the real stores want for them.

In that four days I also have plans to go see the new Captain America movie with my brother, renew my German passport, and organize/store all of my stuff that I'm bringing up from Guelph. Plus packing. I'm not sure how long we'll be in Tobago before coming back to Ottawa so I'll just have to pack wisely. Ooooh maybe I'll do a blog post about that!

Side note: apparently some people, perhaps even most people (not quite sure), don't always have a valid passport? As in, if they aren't planning to travel at all they just let them expire. This is extremely weird to me, obviously because of my family's vagabond-esque style of living but also because it seems crazy to let your passport expire and take away your ability to leave a country. Most of the time travelling trips are planned well in advance but what about spontaneity? The freedom to know that at any time you could hit the road (or the airport) when the opportunity strikes is huge! This is sounding slightly fugitive-like, but there are plenty of reasons to travel unexpectedly apart from avoiding the Fuzz. What about a family emergency that calls you yonder? The only reason I could possibly see for letting your passport expire is if you can't afford the extra expense. I get that. I hate how much passports cost to keep updated. The ability to travel shouldn't be restricted by how much cash you've got in your pocket. It's like there's a monopoly on adventure and personal growth. But if you have the money, keep your damn passport up to date!

And another thing- if you have the ability to get dual citizenship- then do so! That paperwork takes time and effort, don't leave it until you actually need it! Part of my life's philosophy is to be ready for anything. What if you get a sudden job offer in Budapest for the summer? Wouldn't you like to go? Then make it so, number one! Don't twaddle with visas if you don't have to. We live in an incredibly inter-connected world, don't leave yourself out of it.

Another thing I have to do in Ottawa is organize my Dad's socks. He specifically asked me to do this because he says he can tell that they're different, but his eyesight isn't good enough to match them up properly. Apparently he would have asked Mom to help, but she wouldn't have cared. Evidently, he assumed that I would be sympathetic to his non-matching sock plight. I am. No one should have to live with two different socks on their feet. No one. I'm coming to help you, Dad!

How-To: Write a Balling Essay For Sure

Say "hello" to 14 pages of GREATNESS.

Finishing off my third year of university, I like to think that I know what's what when it comes to writing essays, and I've always wanted to start doing some 'Guide to Life' type of posts on this blog, so I thought now would be a great time!

Here are a few of my best tips for how to write an essay that you're proud of. These are just a few things that work for me personally, but who knows- maybe they'll work for you, too! I'm leaving out most of the obvious tricks, like reading it out loud to make sure it flows, and framing your quotations properly.  These are some things that I either know a lot of people don't do, or that I think should be appreciated more.

TIP #1: ON PICKING A TOPIC...
This is the only one of my tips that really depends on your situation. You don't always get to pick your topic, and the worst essays are always going to be the one's that give you no freedom to create. Even a strict outline can be killer when it comes to figuring out what you want to write about.

But, sometimes you get a wonderful class, and all you have to do is write an essay. Cherish these moments, and don't squander them! Don't just pick any old topic, really think about it! I usually sit myself down and have a serious brainstorming session. Generally I've found the perfect topic to be something that you know just enough about to know that you're interested in learning more. Avoid topics that you've done before. It may seem easier but it's going to feel like you're writing the same essay as the last time, and unless that's what you're going for, the repetition is going to kill you creatively. It's the discovery of new information and new points of view inspiring your own ideas that make essay writing fun. No, I'm serious. Essays can be fun. Say it with me. They can!

And obviously, don't worry about specificity. General topics are the best topics. Start with one theme of one book and see what small aspect you want to focus on later. Even when classes make you hand in a proposal, remember that those aren't contracts, things will change once you start writing.

TIP #2: ON TAKING NOTES...
The more you read, the better your essay will be. Again, this goes without saying. But I do have a few tips on how to make the transition from research to fabulous essay as smooth and possible.

Make sure that whatever you read- you're taking notes on it. Not only does this help when it comes time to referencing and figuring out where these ideas came from, but your essay is going to be born from your research notes. When I say that, I mean two things. First, if you write six pages of research, then that's effectively six pages of your essay already written, and you haven't even started it yet. Second, and my most important trick, is to write down and explain everything. Don't just take notes about what the author is saying in the article, write down what you think. Interpret. Criticize. Relate it to the work your studying right there in the notes. This is where your notes become your essay, and this is where those interesting ideas are forming in your head. Write down every thought process exactly where it happened, and under what article.

If you're feeling brave, multi-task with Elementary! I'm sure you'll get TONS of work done! I know I did!

TIP #3: ON 'DAT THESIS...
Is a continuation of TIP #2, because that's where it happens. When you're reading an article and the author says something that sparks an idea that you fall in love with. That's the golden moment, my friends. You've found your essay. Try not to worry too much about how everything is going to fit into your thesis. If you're worried about going off track then continue and adjust your thesis to match the new direction you've taken. Like the proposal, a thesis is not a promise, it's an idea. Ain't nobody holding you to it. Once you've got all your research in front of you arrange it until it looks like that great idea you had in your head, then boom. Essay.



TIP #4: ON STYLIN'...
Never underestimate the importance of style! Writing style, that is. Not only do a lot of professors (yes, outside of English) include some aspect of writing style or clarity (not to mention grammar) in their marking scheme, but bullshit inherently looks more valuable when you add a little flair. Now, I said I was going to leave out the most obvious tips, but one of the more off-kilter ways I ensure a certain quality of writing is by always making full use of the 'Ctrl + F' function. One of the easiest ways (aside from grammar) to distract from an otherwise great essay is repetition. If you know you've been using a word or a term way too much then use Ctrl + F to find out exactly where and rephrase a few of your sentences.

Also use Ctrl + F as an instant fix for your bad writing habits. We all have them. If you always use the wrong form of 'there', then use  Ctrl + F to find every single 'there', 'their' and 'they're' and make sure that they are used correctly! I use this for contractions. I'm inescapably informal in my writing, especially when it comes to contractions. It makes it easier for me to get my thoughts out and that makes my writing much clearer. But, obviously contractions are not appropriate for an academic essay, so before I hand anything in I do a quick 'Ctrl + F' for apostrophes just in case. For science reports I'll sometimes use that to find any uses of 'we' or 'our' as well. The little things count!

TIP #5: ON CUTTING-IT-CLOSE...
Always finish your essays early and give yourself at least a day to read things over and make the final edits that will take your writing from good to remarkably clear. Hello, 90. Up until this exact moment in front of your computer screen, you have not had the time or the willpower to do a single fucking thing on your essay. It might be due tomorrow. It might be due in a few hours. Either way, despite following all of my above tips, you've reached crunch time, your writing method needs to change a little.

First things first, format your entire essay (whatever you may have written) so that it is good to hand in. Make your title pages, format your text, add in those page numbers. Also make your 'Works Cited' page and put in all of your references, even the ones that you haven't used yet. If you haven't done this already it gives you a huge confidence boost to be looking at something that actually looks like a final product, even if it's only three pages of rough notes. It also makes the essay "ready to hand in" even if its still shit on a page. So if you're literally working with two hours left before the deadline, you can keep writing for as long as possible and know that at least you won't be losing any marks for incorrect formatting. It sounds kinda desperate, but at this point that is exactly what you are, so... deal.

So there you have it! Hopefully this helps someone write an amazing essay that not only gets them a good mark, but a feeling of contentedness as well. And hopefully my first How-To post went alright!

This is how confident I am in all of you! Yeah!

Now, I better get back to writing my essay...

I wish I were cool enough to say "werk", but... I'm just not there... yet.

I finished classes today! I'm just a few final projects/essays shy of finishing off my third year. I remember writing a blog post after finishing second year pretty damn clearly, so this post is kind of incredible to me. But, as with all time-flying situations, while it seems like it's been no time at all, when I think back to the beginning of the year, it was a long time ago. I'm a different person now! Third-year me is somehow very distinctive from second-year me and certainly (thankfully) we are all very different from first-year me. Sorry first year me.

Guys, I feel like I finally got my groove back. I've been working hard, handing in some quality essays, and in general I have been in de Zone. We're not counting writing this blog post as procrastinating. But I shouldn't say that, because it's not that I haven't been procrastinating, but that I've gotten a real handle on it. I think at least part of it is that I've been doing work that I genuinely want to do. I've been doing some really cool work lately, some really ballin' essays that are entirely up my alley. From how Wells handled concepts of race in The Time Machine to what we can learn about communicating environmental issues from analyzing John Evelyn's Sylva. Sci-Fi and 17th Century forestry writings! Two of my most favorite things! That wasn't sarcasm, just... nerdgasm (I'm so sorry).I think that a combination of that, and the knowledge that I am so close to finishing this semester off that's really given me a worker-bee kinda mojo.

I can't wait to go home! I keep thinking back to last summer. I mean things weren't perfect, things never are (darn things), but man they were hella tight. I just liked the vibe of last summer. I liked the way I lived last summer. I mean yes, it would have been good to have gotten a job and made some money over the break, but that just didn't happen. So I'm embracing another summer of freeloading with my parents and having some hardcore down time with ye olde self. And like last summer I won't have nothing going on. I've still got work with my student organization, and some training for a job in September. And again, I've got some personal work lined up like researching grad schools, prepping my applications, and I've been starting to develop a summer reading list for my undergraduate research course.

No, I'm serious.

All I have to do is keep at it! Keep going! Home stretch! So c'mon guys- let's GO GO GO!

Routine Booking Procedure. Move Along.

I either started at the beginning of this year or the end of the last, but I've been reading before bed every night and it's honestly one of the smartest decisions I've ever made; for a couple of reasons:

First of all, as an English student, but also as an adult, I struggle on a daily basis to find the time to read 'for fun' and I know I'm not alone in that annoying guilty feeling you get when you know you haven't been reading as much as you want to and you feel bad for doing yourself such a disservice.

Second of all, it's been going around the internet for a long while that you should avoid screens, specifically LED light, before going to bed. Supposedly this light suppresses some chemical or something that makes you tired, so you it's harder to get to sleep coming straight off of a computer screen and/or you don't get the best rest that you could. But no! Stop right there! This is hearsay! Don't trust what's going around on the internet! Be a responsible individual! That's right, guys- let's hit the literature.

*Funky 80's Montage Music*

The literature agrees! I read a few studies and they all seemed to concur that blue light suppresses the production of melatonin, which makes you tired. I'll reference a couple of the articles I read at the bottom of the post if you want to check them out. So there you have it! My second reason was sound. The blue light coming off of your computer, phone, and I would imagine handheld gaming devices is bad news for sleep cycles.

I don't think reading before bed will make a huge difference, but I think I enjoy it even if it isn't helping me sleep. I just like spending time with these cool cats-

I like to have a couple of options when I snuggle under the covers. Mostly I'm reading Don Quixote, but for those nights when all you want is Shakespeare, I have William Shakespeare's Star Wars to provide my fix. Occasionally I'm in a weird mood and I just want to read something really simple, so I like to keep a kind of 'dumb' book ready. Right now my stupid book is shockingly not Star Wars but A Princess of Mars on my Kobo. Oh, Edgar Rice Boroughs. Finally, because it's the end of the semester and sometimes I go to bed panicking about how much work I have to do, I keep a 'work book' next to my bed so that I can go to sleep researching if I need to. Right now I'm working on an essay about The Time Machine, so I'm reading the critical essays in this edition I borrowed off of a friend. Normally I wouldn't read things for classes before bed (the idea is not to think about school) but sometimes it can't be helped.

I also keep a mechanical pencil by my bed because academia has ruined me and I can't read without making notes in the margins anymore...

The moral of the story is, if you're not reading as much as you'd like to be, try giving it a go before bed! Some nights I can barely make it through one page before I'm off to snooze-land, but others I'm up for ages just reading. I even found, once I get really into a book, that I've started to go to bed sooner and earlier so that I can read longer before going to sleep. I don't know if its helping me get to sleep faster or get a better sleep than if I jumped off the computer and under the covers, but I do know that I'm finally finding the time for books I have been waiting years to pick off the shelf.

REFERENCES:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2005.00463.x/full

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7450_supp/full/497S13a.html?goback=.gde_3084791_member_244253435

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945711001651

I miss you, babe. Like Pig in the City.

I broke my favorite mug, and a part of my soul chipped away with it.

R.I.P Beauty and the Beast Mug, 2003 - 2014

Everyone has a mug that is their mug, and this one was mine. It was perfect! Everything from the size to the thickness to the curvature of the rim... And then I dropped it.

I guess it just never occurred to me that I would ever be in a situation without that mug. It's one of the reminders of my past that I really thought would always be there. Only now it isn't. It was like drinking out of memories. I like my other mugs but they aren't steeped in the memories of my past the way that this one is. Not yet, anyway. It may seem silly, and in fact it may be silly to feel so strongly about the loss of a mug, but it really meant a lot to me. When I dropped it I sat on the floor and cried for a while. This blog is quickly turning into TMI with seasonings of regret for Older Ronnie. But isn't that what blogs are for? Yeah!

I decided that I couldn't throw away my mug. So I didn't.

YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL. NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY.

I would give you a life update, but breaking my beloved Disney mug is a pretty good representation of what it's been like lately. Very hard, lots of work, but unlike my mug, I'm getting through it alright. One thing that did happen was that my organization ran an event about one of the upper year ASCI courses at Guelph, and it was fantastic! More than ever, I know I can't wait to take that course. It's called the Honours Research Seminar and you essentially make this huge 40+ page paper about a research topic that combines your minors. It's meant to be like a lead-up to graduate school, which is of course, perfect! We'll see how this changes in the next year, but right now I want to write about how the environment has impacted the work of science fiction authors. Specifically I'd like to look at how their portrayal of the environment has changed over time to suit societal perceptions. Obviously that's just a rough idea right now, and I'm sure it'll get more specific and/or change entirely by the time winter 2015 rolls around (like maybe the environment on alien worlds vs. our own or something? Or how it's specifically handled by women writers, or those from a scientific background?), but for now I just can't wait!

Loser Tries to Explain Herself, Comes Across Even Sadder

This winter (and last fall) I've been wearing the heck out of my Stark toque, and while I've worn it I've been asked a lot of questions about Game of Thrones. Now, I don't mean like once or twice, I mean like all of the time. Sometimes the people asking me are friends, sometimes complete strangers in line at the grocery store. The most common question is "when's the new season starting?", but I've also had gems like "Is Tyrion (or the funny dwarf guy) still on there?", "What's the name of that cool chick with the dragons?", "How many seasons are there so far?", and "Didn't all those guys die (lol)?".

Kind of an old picture from last September but I didn't want to take a new one. Focus on the hat. The hat. Ignore awkward pose. I was studying. Ignore it. The hat. The hat. 

When I bought the hat, I never would have imagined this result. It's not that weird, but it's unexpected. I thought the hat would be no different from the likes of a STARWARS t-shirt, which seems to go through society without bringing up any questions, but it's not. Maybe just the fact that the word 'Stark' is written across my forehead rather than my chest is enough to call more attention to it, and maybe this speaks to the universal acknowledgement of Game of Thrones that everyone knows about it, and, apparently, has questions. To my credit, I've accepted my role as a compendium of knowledge about the show, and I answer questions about the new season like a walking advertisement, but I still think it's really fucking weird.

Anyway, back to blogging!

Oh, I miss blog time. Did you guys know that I blogged more in 2013 than I have all of the years since I started this blog? I was wondering why that was the case, and I don't think it's just because I was particularly interested in blogging last year, I think it's because my life is more exciting these days. No wait, that makes me sound like a loser. My life just has more happenings. I'm doing more things. This isn't helping, is it?

Reading week has gone away, and I miss it terribly. It's not so much the free time that I miss, but (loser time again) having people around.  Being back in Guelph I keep wanting to tell people arbitrary things about my day, like the other night I swear I felt the ground shake in my kitchen. I know it didn't, but I felt it. It was weird, but not at all important or significant. If I lived with friends/family I would have told them about it. But I don't. It would have made for a really odd and hard to understand text. So I didn't say anything. To anybody. And I miss banal conversations with people around me!

Doughnuts and Buffy. Man, it was a good week.

We also found a T-Rex in the living room. I'm telling you, it was a fucking exciting week.

(Loser time) I'm just  not around people that much anymore... Which sounds... bad? I see people in class, and I talk to them, but... that's it? Kind of. Sometimes. This semester has been reminding me a lot of first year, actually. I guess the main change is that one of my closest friends is away on exchange this semester (it's so cool- she's in England- she's so cool- it sounds amazing). She was my go-to pal for... actually pretty much everything so her absence has impacted my life quite a bit. She also reads this blog. I MISS YOU, MAN.

I'm making this sound really sad and awful, but it's not that bad. I have a lot of experience as a hermit and that is at least partially because I don't mind the lifestyle. I'm not huge on socializing, especially unexpectedly. Not unexpectedly in the "oh no, surprise encounter!" sense but more of a if I'm not in the mood to talk to people and I come across people I'm not very good at people. I am a homebody and I do appreciate time spent by myself, but over the holidays I spoil myself with a constant availability of companionship that I miss when I'm in Guelph. Hopefully that explains my situation a little bit better. I'm not drowning in the loneliness, a lot of the time I'm pretty fond of lone-ness, but I miss my best pal and my fam, which wouldn't be bad if they weren't all gone at the same time. Make sense?

Reading it over I still sound like I'm either crying myself to sleep every night or am in fact a weird sociopath that hates people. I guess I can't express this morning. I'm happy, internet! I swear!

I swear!

Oh, I just remembered that I sat down to write this to update you on my job search. I got one job (for next school year) and didn't get the other. So overall I'm thinking yay! Employment!

This is where I currently sit in the banquet hall of life.

Guys. Guys. I CAN MAKE FRIED RICE. I'm serious. It's so easy. First, cook some rice. Easy. Next, or possibly during, chop up some veggies. Toss them in a pan with some oil. Shove that shit around until it feels right. Toss in the rice. Continue to shove. Add eggs. Pat yourself on the back- at this point, you're balling. Finish it off with some soy sauce and when your starving stomach can't take the smell any longer, dump it onto a plate. Cram it into your face hole. Fried rice. I'm serious. At this point I'm basically Wonder Chef.

And I realize that I haven't blogged in a while. I wanted to, but nothing was really happening. This semester hasn't been very easy, and I've also been doing a lot of extra stuff that's making time management sort of insane. To give a general overview of the semester thus far, there's been the usual barrage of assignments, readings, midterms, events, and planning, but also conferences, some interviews for jobs (real life jobs! Sort of. ), first aid qualifications and that's all that I can think of off the top of my head. I am busy. But I don't mean to complain. Being busy is just another way of saying that I've had a lot of really cool opportunities this year. And kudos to me, I have not let them pass me by!

For the interviews, which I feel I should mention, I'm playing the awkward waiting game. Or it would be awkward if I weren't so busy with other stuff that I've mostly been forgetting that I'm still waiting to hear back from them. I don't typically worry over the future. I'm really good at focusing on what's happening now, for the most part. I dream about the future, but it doesn't stress me out. I trust that the future will turn out swell. I don't mean that in terms of fate or destiny, but I trust that no matter what happens I'll be able to deal with it and make the best. As John Connor so wisely put it," there's no fate but what we make for ourselves".  In conclusion, I might be employed soon!

So cross your fingers, internet!

How to Spend All of New Years Day on the Computer

I have a weird New Years tradition that I thought I'd share with you all! 

Every year since 2009, I've done a kind of year-reflection to keep track of how my life is going, specifically how it's changed, and my goals for the future. I do this reflection using a serious of questions that I answer each year. I keep the questions in a onenote notebook (because back in 2009, I used onenote), and I don't look at any of the questions or any of the answers at all during the year, except at New Years. This makes it so that I don't remember any of the questions or any of the answers I gave before it's time to fill it all out again. 

There are four categories of questions, and I add at least one question to each category each year, which is part of the reason why I have no idea how many questions there are and part of the reason why answering them all takes me a very long time - we're talking hours. Though to be fair I do tend to be a bit long-winded in my answers.

The four categories are:

Life, or General - These have to do with the current state of things. Age. Currently reading. That sort of thing.

Favorites - Self explanatory. Favorite books, video games, youtubers, etc.

Dreams - My hopes and dreams regarding university, love, life, etc. This is also a place to reflect on my literal dreaming, and try desperately to remember some of the dreams I've had that year.

Questions - These are specific questions I want my future self to answer every year, next year, in twenty years, etc. Did I ever post that fanfic? Are people still going on about 2012? Did you get into University? Did The Hobbit come out like it's supposed to, how was it, how did you see it, what was it like? Ordinary stuff.

There's also a section for what playthrough of Tales of Symphonia I'm currently on. When I started in 2009 I was at 3. I'm now at 6. Balling.

After I fill everything out and make new questions, I go back and read over the previous years. I love reading how I've changed over the years, with what I thought was important and what I wanted in my life. I always find it's a really great way to start a year, because you have to look back on your whole life (since 2009, anyway) and that inevitably gets you thinking about the future, and the changes and opportunities that await. I also really like seeing things come to fruition through this. In 2009 a lot of my focus was on what university would be like, because it was still just a dream. Now it's a reality! You can see your dreams come true or change as time goes by. Since 2010 I started asking frantic questions about The Hobbit movies and last year I finally got to answer them. This reflection reminds me that the things I'm excited for now will happen one day, and that anything can happen. One day I'll be using this to reflect on graduate school, getting a job, and starting a family. The future is bright!

X-MAS 2013 - A LOW DOWN.

BOOM. Christmas 2013! It happened. I made cookies. In response to my last post, I think I rose to the challenge pretty darn well and have officially regained my mojo.

THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL. Bonus points if you can name them all. I got carried away once I mastered the Star fleet uniform.

Overall Christmas was a success! Like last year we ended up hosting the Christmas party thing for my Dad's work. That's always kinda fun and kinda boring. It was better than last year in that there were fewer people and it was less party hardy and more relaxed in atmosphere. I actually quite enjoy entertaining because I like preparing for things and I can (rarely and when the occasion requires it) cook, so it's always fun helping out Mom with this sort of thing. The fact that Mom really loves doing it is also a huge plus. Whatever makes my mother happy inevitably makes the rest of us happy as well, even just to see her enjoying herself. WE LOVE YOU MOM.

I also spent most of Christmas playing Batman: Arkham Origins, which was a truly fantastic early Christmas present. Those games are just so wonderful. From start to finish- pure joy. This is the first game in the series where I've been taking my time with completion of the story, mainly because whenever I'm home I always worry that I'm not spending enough time with the family, and while I don't mind playing games in the living room with everyone, sometimes it can be a little distracting. It affects my immersion, man! Escapism! Anyway I might talk more about the game once I've completed the main story, until then I'm officially reserving judgement (unlike the Knight... badum-tiss).

So after all that Mom and I flew out on Boxing Day and headed up to Ottawa to break-in the new year with the boys. Here are some shots of the skies over Ottawa and two very sleepy travelers about 16 hours into their journey.

Blurry because I haven't mastered the focus on my phone camera yet. Lolz! It was very cold when we arrived. I kept warm via selfies.

The boys actually had lots of presents waiting for me under the tree, which was a lovely surprise! I'd been utterly content with Origins, but I feel that Yoshi slippers are always a plus. And more selfies!

Hilariously a lot of those presents are actually wrapped up empty boxes because Colin likes to fill up the tree with presents. But that's cool, right? If it works for the stores it works for the home! We've also started the tradition of wrapping everything. Everything. If you ask someone to pick up some coffee that's on sale it'll go under the tree for Christmas. Unwrapping things is fun!

It's been nice seeing my brothers again. Kevin's actually moving out soon, so he's been busy getting ready for that. It's strange. Until now I feel like every change that's happened has done so because it had to. We all moved out to go to university, and when both of my brothers came to Ottawa they got an apartment. It's different this time. Tensions are high. Adult life is odd.

I got my marks back from last semester! My best yet, I'm very very very pleased to say. One thing that's always fun about Dad's work gatherings is that I get to hear how he talks about me to his coworkers, and a little parental gushing is always a nice treat. All evidence indicates pride in their daughter, so it would appear that I'm doing my job there. And I finished a short story! Wild, I know. I finished my most recently started story, too. But don't get too excited, it's not really done done, just technically done in that all of the bits are written, but I'm not nearly convinced that they're written WELL yet. You'll never guess what it's about. It may involve androids, space travel, genetic engineering and discussion on the concept of humanity. Like I said, it's really rough around the edges right now but if I can finagle it into saying what I want it to say then I think it'll be something for me to be proud of. Accomplishment!

Overall: a successful Christmas.

As for New Years I have no photos and not really any stories to tell? Not a bad thing! I had a night in with the fam (or most of it). We played Catan, ate lots of food, played Animal Crossing and watched Ace Ventura. It was great! It's possible I'll have more to say about New Year's Day as it continues, but I'm hoping it'll shape up to be just as blissfully uneventful.

Life Continues Gloriously and I Play Video Games. Fantastically.

Well now, blogging kind of escaped me for a while there. I had nothing to talk about. Lots of lovely nothings to fascinate and enthrall you all, as usual, and I'm sorry you've missed them. Should I do another run down about what happened in the last month and a bit? Stuff happened. I finished my first semester of third year, and I think it went really well. Possibly my best semester yet, not because I worked especially hard, which I certainly did not, but because I didn't have any courses that were impossible to do well in. Not only were all my professors good (or goodish, anyway) but I actually liked all of my courses. This semester was important for me partially because it was the first semester where I didn't have to take any of the courses I chose, and by that I mean that they weren't prerequisites for either my degree or another course I wanted to take. All five of my courses were chosen by me, for me. And it actually turned out really well! This was especially significant for my science course, because I'd previously been very disappointed with my grades and lack of enjoyment in my bio courses, and this semester I got to take a course that I didn't have to take and in a specialization that high school Ronnie would have never, ever, in a million million years, have taken. Turns out not only do I enjoy botany, but I'm actually pretty good at it as well.

But now that's all over, and as sad as it sounds I am still a child and I cannot wait to get back to school with a fresh attitude and work ethic in January. I know. Where is my slacker student spirit? Lost forever, I can only hope.

Not to say that I'm not looking forward to my holidays! Oh, I so am. I'm back home now, in Tobago, and it's been lovely. I feel like I haven't done very much at all, but it's early days. I have a few plans and of course, some work to get done, but all work that I enjoy and am generally looking forward to. Can this be life forever? Fingers crossed, because I don't see why not. Also can you see that picture??? Google figured out it was a Christmas tree and so naturally IT MADE THE LIGHTS TWINKLE. What is this brave new world that has such programs in't???

If there is one thing I could complain about, it would, so ironically, be the weather. It's been so windy lately! I mean yeah, it's warm and all, and to be honest I like a nice breeze more than anything down here. Hot weather and I don't generally get along without one. But this is gale force winds! And that was an exaggeration! Still, it's been too windy to sit outside and read a book so that means too windy for me. Mainly I've been sitting inside, playing Animal Crossing, doing some baking, and showering a lot. Is that weird? I've been showering a lot. I swear I'm not dirty, I'm just really loving cleanliness? Maybe this is an indication that I want to hit the pool. We shall see. I was going to take some pictures of my baking, because I was so excited, but it was actually a monumental failure. I hadn't realized how out of practice I was, and it did take me a couple of trays to get back into the swing of things. Naturally my ego and I had been playing up the occasion of Christmas baking quite a bit, so the ol' pride took a bit of a hit, but I'll make up for it. The next seven days are going to be so fucking festive, I'll make this family cry. Cry for more cookies, that is. I'll keep you updated.

I also made an alt character in Animal Crossing! I know. God, I know. I have been playing too much. I wouldn't even mind if I'd been playing some other games too, but I haven't. I haven't been playing anything. Just AC...

This is my new character. I'd tell you his name, but I'm assuming I don't have to. When I told my mom I was making a male character, she didn't even need to ask... I did love that he was already wearing a red shirt, though. And that hair style. Suddenly my town looks like the setting for a perfect self insert. I'm okay with that? I needed the storage!

What even happened this October?

So I carved my very first pumpkin this Halloween! As you can see I went for the traditional look, and I think it came out pretty well! Kind of want to make this a new tradition but I haven’t roasted the seeds yet (that’s tonight’s adventure!) so I think we’ll have to wait and see how they turn out. Naturally, I’ll let you know.

Other things that have happened since I last posted were Thanksgiving 2013, which was lovely. The nice thing about living away is that it makes family gatherings extra extra special. Mom and Dad both flew up to Ottawa for the weekend so it was kinda perfect. It was also a little bit sad though because Christmas this year is officially messed up. Now that Kevin has a full time job (rollin’ in the cash- the jerk) he isn’t swimming in free time, even around the holidays, and since Dad’s working Christmas (again) it doesn’t look like we’re going to have a Kratz family reunion. Alas, growing up. Luckily I’m still fun and fancy free come mid-December onwards so it’s not getting me down too much. But enough of that holiday cheer! Let’s get back to the real world! School!

School has been weird. I haven’t been feeling like myself at all lately. For one thing, I keep sleeping in. I’m actually late to class on a regular basis now, which is bizarre. I’ve always been the kind of person who needs to be early for things. I like to be wherever I need to be before anyone else, especially when it comes to classes. For some reason this year I can’t seem to get moving in the morning, and even when I know I’m going to be late, it just doesn’t bother me. Generally I have a harder time getting things done in the fall semester anyways (never been sure why, but the winter semester is always my most productive time of year) so I’m trying not to worry myself, but I really hope this isn’t going to be a permanent change! I miss super-keen me.

I also think I’m spending too much money. This kind of relates to the above because, in general, I’ve never had a problem with getting my thrift on and being the cheapest student I could be. While that hasn’t changed I keep finding myself splurging for no real reason, and with Christmas coming up there’s no foreseeable end to this guilt trip. I have a feeling it’ll all be okay in the end, though. It’s just the right now that I’m worried about.

Oh, and I’ve also chosen my courses for next semester. It’s looking like I’ll only have class Tuesdays and Thursdays, which I have very mixed feelings about, so we’ll see how it all works out.

I think that’s a pretty good update on my life lately! Crunch time is coming up with regards to the semesters assignments, so wish me luck with that!

Young Girl Smacked in the Face with Adulthood at 9:05 Yesterday Morning

So I'm twenty now.

Despite this impressive age I've managed to attain, I got excited like a five year old on my birthday. The night before I was giddy, and I spent pretty much all of Friday with a big, stupid grin plastered all over my face. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I started my day with a google hangout with my Mom before leaving for class. And that Spiderman present I've been holding on to? Nailed it. Totally a book.



But I didn't have a clue that it was Hyrule Historia!!! The best part about this present is that not only will it look fantastic on my shelf/beside me forever, but it came at the perfect time. I've been listening to the 25th Anniversary Legend of Zelda Symphony Orchestra CD all month and I've been dying to dive back into Majora's Mask. In summary, I have been in such a Zelda lately, and now I have this. Joy.

What I didn't know was that there was another little surprise in that bag, these lovely, lovely sterling silver (right? I think that's right.) celtic earings. So pretty. If I didn't mention it, I trained my ears to wear earings again this summer. After around six years of never really wearing them this was very exciting and totally worth the pain. Since the summer I've been wearing earrings almost every day, so this was, once again, the perfect gift. All of my gifts were perfect, I guess, because I don't think that something purchased with love for you could ever be less than perfection. Gift giving trumps all.



My whole family, but especially my mother has kind of a thing for anything celtic, so I like that these earrings make me think of her. Also Charmed. But that also makes me think of comfy afternoons couching-it with Mom and plowing through a few seasons of our favorite witch-y show.

As you might imagine, with all this excitement, I was late to my 10:30 class. To my credit, I was only around ten minutes late, but still. Eventually I ran into the two best friends in all the world, and more gifts were given. I'm just going to put pictures of all of them here because let's face it, you can show off on your birthday. It's not my birthday anymore but let's pretend that the rules still apply.

I got some German coffee that I am rather excited to enjoy. Another addition of the summer was a kind of addiction to caffine, which I'm pretty much over now but I do still really enjoy a good cup of Joe. Plus isn't this just the perfect present for a student? The answer is yes- yes it is.



Along with this I got a glorious Clinique Chubby Stick. It's in the shade 'Whopping Willow', which is really (I imagine) just a typo for 'Whomping Willow'. But you guys. This colour. You guys. Let's go full beauty blog on this and swatch it. Oh yes.



I feel I should offer some form of explanation here. Remember last winter when I got crazy into vlogs on youtube? This summer that subscription sphere grew to absorb beauty channels, and now... yeah. Make-up. I cannot wait to get this shit all over my face. It may seem kind of weird for a twenty year old woman to only now be delving into the world of make-up, but just shush. It's not weird at all. I've been busy. Point is, perfect present, because I would never have bought something like this for myself.

But that's not all! I feel like my friends really upped the game on birthday presents this year, to which all I can say is challenge accepted. I got this Star Trek Earl Grey tea (it smells out of this fucking world). I have to say that the tea itself is a ridiculous bonus to the prettiness of the actual tin it comes in. I also got the Teatanic, which is a tea infuser SHAPED LIKE THE TITANIC. I know, right? This gift was perfection because I have this weird thing. I'm not sure how to explain it. Essentially I consider time in relation to the day the Titanic sank. For instance, WWII started in 1939, right? So to give myself some perspective on the world at this time, I just automatically think to myself, 'oh, that's 27 years after the Titanic sank'. It honestly does help me picture the time period even though I wouldn't say that I have a crystal clear picture of 1912 or anything, it's just... this thing that I do. Teatanic!



As for my actual day, after classes I went shopping with friends and had the best time considering that I have no money, and then I actually had to go to a student involvement training thing on campus for like two and half hours. Not my favorite birthday activity, but hey. We got free dinner. After that it was off to finish The Hobbit with tea and my personal favorite, cake. My friend baked this for me last night. It's true. She baked it for me.

The only thing better than how pretty it looks is how delicious it tasted. And it was full of apples. Guys, I love apples. She baked this. We ate it while we watched The Hobbit. It was like a dream come true.

As a side note about that movie, does anyone else feel like it's sort of a dream when they watch it? I feel that I was waiting for this movie to be made and to come out for so many years that sometimes I still can't believe that it's actually a thing that exists now. Every time I watch it I'm struck by this happiness that this is a thing that exists in real life, not just in my head. It's like when I was little and I got a Buffy the Vampire Slayer advent calendar in the shops. That was a thing that existed, and I was there when it did. Happiness!

After the movie I caught a bus home and played Majora's Mask for about fourty minutes before going to sleep. It may sound like a boring way to end a birthday, but to be honest I think I've done something exciting every Friday night since school started and it was euphoric to be able to spent this Friday scarfing down an amazing cake with some friends and enjoy my favorite story ever happen on the screen in front of me. Ending that magic with going to sleep in my own bed was icing on a fabulous birthday cake.

Birthday #20: Successful.

Pain and Suffering had a lovechild called Disease, and it's currently residing in my sinuses.

                Life happened this weekend, and it was just too hardcore for me. On Friday night, what was supposed to be a quiet night in with friends turned into alcohol, straight up. The strangest thing is, it wasn't even like our usually get togethers with all of us sitting around slurring a hilarious commentary on the Lord of the Rings films. I'm not going to lie, we didn't even finish The Hobbit.

                This isn't to say that it wasn't still a fun night. From what I can remember wonderful times were had, and that's a certainty. If I'm honest, I'm not sure if I've ever been to that state of inebriation before, but I could be wrong. It's more from the description of the events afterward that lead me to this conclusion, rather than my memories of the night itself. I do remember that we unfortunately went on twitter.

Luckily my more sober friends didn't let me tweet this little gem. But I kid, this picture actually wasn't taken with twitter in mind, it was taken for this blog! Yup. I wanted to make sure that I got evidence of last Friday night for all the internet (and mostly me, a few years down the road) to see. Forever. What a treat. The picture actually makes it look like I was drinking alone (never a good thing to do), so I'll include another one: 

See? I had Bilbo! Bilbo was there! But seriously, I wasn't alone.

... I WAS WITH A CAT! No but really, I'm only joshing you. That's my friend's cat. Ain't she adorable? I'm a dog person but that cat is cute. Seriously though it wasn't just me the cat and Bilbo.

There you go. I don't have three hands. This could not have been faked. I was going to put a few more up with some faces, but I feel like I should ask permission before doing that. Also I feel I should mention that my hair was wet, and that's why it looks all funny. What else do you do when drunk during a t-storm but go outside for a Natalie Portman moment in the rain?

                But enough about that. I haven't even come to the main event yet. On Saturday morning, not only did I awaken with a lovely aching of the head, but I was downright sick as a dog. You should understand, because I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, that I do not get sick. Ever. It's just not a thing  that happens to me with any sort of frequency. I feel like maybe once a year is a good estimate. But right now, as I type this, I am SO FUCKING ILL. My throat is on fire with every breath that I take and my sinuses are congested to bursting. From the constant tissues, the whole area around my nose is burning, along with some of my upper lip. In short I am miserable. And short. Saturday night I even had a fever. This is really not funny. This is not a pretty picture. This, future me, is the time when you got so drunk that your immune system took a night off during back-to-school sickness season. I hope that I remember this occasion of suffering for all time.

                But here, ladies and gentlemen, is the rub- next Friday night is my birthday, which either means that I'm going to (and I sincerely, desperately hope that I won't) do this all over again, or that I'm going to spend my twentieth nursing my sinuses and conserving my speech, because it hurts so much to talk. At least I'll finally know what's in that goddamn Spider-man bag. I think it's a book. Oh, and the other rub is that I have to go through a three hour botany lab today in a forest. Considering how weak and fumbling my person currently is, I will honestly be amazing if I can survive this, and I'll be gobsmacked if I can then return home and finish this English assignment for tomorrow.

                 There's a few lessons to be learned here, I do believe. The first is that you should never, ever drink when there's even a chance that you're fighting back some godawful disease. The second is more something for me to keep in mind for the future, I think my idea of a good time does not involve copious amounts of booze. If there's one thing I do remember from the night it's an extreme annoyance that we were all too drunk to finish watching The Hobbit. Moderation is key, because otherwise sitting down becomes more amusing than actually watching a film, and that's just a waste of time.

Optimism Parameters in OVERDRIVE.

First week of third year happened! How exciting is that? I know that at the time, I thought high school went flying by but I guess the fact that university is something I dreamed of for so long before actually coming here that I just sort of assumed that it would take up a greater portion of my life. Really, though, your undergrad is only four years long, which is... not very long at all...

But I'm sure you're all wondering just how my first week of classes actually went, so I'll give you the lovely scoop on my activities. : )

Overall, it actually went fantastic. Being in third year, I feel like I really have this whole university thing down. Guelph is my main city. Profs are my peeps. Various other like expressions. I love that every year I come back to Guelph I can't go on campus without running into familiar faces. At least, I love this now, come exam time when I'm plowing through campus to get a book from the library despite having not showered for three days I'll be significantly less happy about running into friends who want to 'chat'. But it's the beginning of the semester, so let's not go there just yet! Let's enjoy the fact that I have lots of friends and people to say hello to on campus. I know that this must be at least a semi-new concept for me, because I think I have a really over the top reaction of surprise when I run into someone I'm not expecting. Maybe it's because I'm a scientist- I find order in the world, and when that order get's disturbed and my housemate comes home early while I'm still cooking dinner and I flip the fuck out. You'd think a scientist would be more composed, but again, maybe that's the issue. New hypothesis: I've developed a careful exterior persona to be used when in the company of others, with slight variations depending on whether I'm with friends or acquaintances. When people surprise me they're effectively shattering this persona, or my 'cool' which takes me an inordinate amount of time to regain. That, or I just get surprised really easily. But it's always good to go more in-depth when it comes to self-reflection.

One person I ran into was actually a... I suppose' role model' of mine. It was wonderful getting the chance to catch up with her and hear about what she's been up to lately. I don't think she knows this, but she's kind of living my dream, and ever since meeting her in my first year I've really looked up to her. It was a lovely surprise seeing her again and I think it's given the whole semester a really inspiring atmosphere. I feel like great things are going to happen this season. I think I told you that second year was the year of 'what the hell am I doing with this degree', yes? Well, third year is looking more and more like the year where I finally figured my life out and just went for it. 

Speaking of old friends, this past week has been a whirlwind of socialization and I'm loving it. My two bestest friends in the world are always the best thing about coming back to Guelph and I feel like we've already had a mountain of good times. Sometimes I'm just happy.

Also, 13 more days until my birthday. Whaaaaaat?!

Summer's End, New Beginnings, and Fancy-Looking Temptations.

I finally managed to find a place where the AC works, and I'm freezing cold now. Life.

So I'm not unaware that there was a distinct gap in my posts recently. The truth is very dull- nothing really happened to post about. I did find a place to live, which means that I did get to go back to Guelph to continue my education. Sometimes it seems like the world is conspiring to not get me my undergraduate degree, but if that's so then it's also true that I'm winning this battle of wills, and that's not so bad. When I think about how much my staying here at university is chance, luck, government loans and a totally modest iron will to stay, I get a little worried, and then I get very angry that this country is set up in such a way that I have to worry about being able to stay in school.

But anyway, the important thing is, my greatest and most unforgettable fuck-up has finally been corrected and I have a place to sleep! Not to worry, though, the summer has taught me that I'll never be able to live it down and escape those off-shoulder comments about my irresponsibility, and the cosmos has told that if it had an opinion, it would be that it's not forgetting any time soon because I'm living next to one of the people who put me in this position, besides myself.

I swear, this wasn't meant to be a poor-Ronnie post, that just sort of happened when my fingers hit the keyboard.

Life isn't all bad, though. Orientation Week started up at my school, and my student organization did really well! Lot's of people came to our events, a good number actually seemed interested in getting involved, and overall I'm thinking I might turn out to be a pretty swell prez. I do, however, need to work on my ability to delegate. This summer was crazy and if actual schoolwork is going to happen next week and beyond, I have to start sharing some responsibilities.

Oh yeah, and here's a little shot of what I guess is now a Kratz family tradition, the really early birthday present that I get to hold on to until September 27th. My Mom wrapped it this year. Can you tell? It's bursting with spider power.

Man O' Steel Review - Superman is a super man.

Either superhero movies are getting better and better or my standards for them are crumbling to the point where spandex is all I need for contentment. For the sake of my pride I'll go with the former explanation and say that with so many of these movies zipping out of the box office lately, filmmakers everywhere have really gotten it down to an art.

 

As far as my personal background on the topic goes, I do need to make a few things clear. First of all I am in no way an expert on comics, especially on the Superman canon. Only in the past three years or so have I been inching my way into the land of comic books, so while I do like to think that I know significantly more than the average Joe, this is likely the pinnacle of my achievements in the field. Give me time! For right now understand that this review comes from a comic book novice, essentially.

For what it's worth, and without further ado, I give you my very own impression of Man of Steel...

I enjoyed Man of Steel. Part of the reason has to be my feelings walking into it, which is a factor I believe to be massively important in terms of determining movie enjoyment. Prior to my seeing the film, the rumor mill seemed to be communicating a very negative vibe for the movie, so my expectations upon seeing it were very low, which is the best mindset with which to see a movie (provided that your expectations aren't stubborn enough to discourage enjoyment). I do think this made it easy for the Man of Steel to soar above my expectations. I can understand how people may have been let down by this movie, but I was expecting, for whatever reason, garbage. I never even liked Superman. I didn't know enough about him to base an opinion.

So, in a long winded fashion, I enjoyed the film. But why?

Well, I really liked what this movie did with a character that everybody knows. Despite my having just explained that I know nothing about Superman, general public knowledge includes a lot of information regarding the character and his world. He's iconic, which is a hard, hard thing to represent effectively, and I think that Henry Cavil deserves all of the props for this one. He was inspiring and believable as Superman, which is quite an accomplishment. I liked that Henry Cavil played a very mature and grown up Clark Kent who was trying to figure out what was going on. The story jumps in at a very nice point in his life where he is still trying to understand himself but also gleefully past the emotional turmoil of whiney puberty. He was also beautiful and enormous, but that's not really significant to the artsy, filmy quality of the picture.

That artsy, filmy stuff was part of the next thing I was impressed by, and what first turned me on to the idea of a good Superman movie - the look of the movie. Man of Steel looks really, really good. Krypton looks fantastic, and in particular, the Kryptonian armor was really neat, but number one has to be the environments. Being able to fly made it so that this movie sort of seemed to go everywhere very fast, but at the moments where it paused the visuals were astounding, especially in space. It was a visual delight to see this film.

I also discovered two things that really attached me to Superman as a character. The first was a wonderful little irony that I can only hope is present in the comics; I got the impression that almost all things associated with Krypton are detrimental to Superman. It's like his home and his people that he's been longing for are his Kryptonite. As I said earlier, I don't know very much about Superman at all, and I don't know what Kryptonite actually is other than a green rock, but if it turns out to just be anything from Krypton, then that is just a beautiful, tragic, and almost Shakespearean kind of plot device. His home is poison to him. I get tingles just thinking about it. Imagine what that must do to him? Storytelling delight!

The second was that because he can do anything and has essentially no weaknesses (while on Earth), the movie turns their greatest dilemmas away from whether or not Superman can do something - he's Superman, of course he can - to whether or not he should. To be honest after some reflection I think this was my imagination a little bit. The movie does focus heavily on whether or not he can accomplish this or that mighty feat, but there are definite moments peaking through where they put their mind to what I think is always the more interesting avenue - the moral dilemma. It's the best part of Star Trek, and I think it may be the best part of Superman. It was wonderful. They presented our hero with a choice that had no good outcome, and in the end he made a choice that was a little bit good and a little bit horrible which he now has to live with. I didn't get the feeling that this was hugely what they were going for in the movie, rather I think their intention was to justify the actions of the villains, but I think it was possibly the best part of the plot, or at the very least the most pleasantly disconcerting. Again, storytelling tingles of delight.

One last thing that I have to mention is the really interestingly significant role that Superman's biological father (played by Russell Crowe - me loves Russell Crowe) had in the movie. They had to bring him in for introductions, explanations, and the only hope of anyone understanding what was going on with the alien technologies. All in all, it sounds like an awkward, all-knowing, convenient plot device sort of role, but they nailed it. Russell Crowe does a lovely job and they take advantage of his super-acting to explain everything from Superman's weird Kryptonian name to the things that are usually the most difficult for super hero movies to explain without becoming childish, the suit. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

There were downsides, of course. In particular what bothered me is a continuation of the annoying habit these movies have for really atrocious one-liners. Thor was bad for this, and Superman is no better. The line between funny, witty, and just plain painful is apparently difficult to grasp. I imagine these lines are designed to show a "real-world" reaction to men in suits flying around, but they just feel very unnecessary and I consider them to be a very cheap shot at humor. I think the best way to show the difference between nice, classy, witty lines and these atrocious assaults to the ears is to compare the "I think he's hot" line (which I may not be quoting accurately, but you'll spot it in the film as the point where I sincerely hope you cringe a few undesirables snicker) compared to Lois' "welcome to The Planet," line. One is terrible. The other is not. It may seem as though I'm making a lot of fuss for a very small thing but I can't help it, because these lines really will ruin, perhaps not a whole movie, but certainly a scene. As evidence I invite you to think back to the embarrassingly painful "oh my god" moment of Thor. That is not good writing.

On the whole I hope this review gives you reason to check out the movie, because if you do enjoy super movies I think you'll enjoy this one. Particularly if you've never been fond of or just generally ignorant regarding the Man of Steel, this movie may do for you as it has done for me, and open up the character in a new and interesting light which I look forward to seeing again.