Writing 101 Day 1 - 20 Minute Free Write.

So I know I am behind on starting this and I am doing my best to catch up. Here is my 20 minute free write I did when I had absolutely nothing to do at work/my lunch break.

Sometimes the days go by pretty quickly, while other days drag on and on at a glacially slow pace with no end in sight. Some days I just stare at the walls that are as empty as I feel. I really hate days like these. They allow boredom and depression to overwhelm me in an onslaught of emotions and chronic emptiness that seeps to well up inside my stomach. Growing and growing until it completely consumes me.

How are some people so interesting? How are some people so fun and care free? Why can’t I be like that and not this crappy shell I call home to my soul. I hate thinking about how truly boring of a person I am. It is so pathetic that I hate the realization being brought anywhere close to the forefront. The voices in my head just love chiming in too, as if they make it any easier…their stupid little comments ring in my ears and taut and tease me. Little shits.

All my life I have wanted so badly to be this idea of normal. Or at least just fun. I hate the fact that all I do is get up, go to work, work my day then come home, be boring, go to sleep and press repeat. It’s as though the enthusiasm I once had has been sucked out of me by some big cosmic vacuum. Why can’t I be fun and care free and exciting and full of life rather than this pathetic little shell…

Summer for College Students and Incoming Freshman

School years have to a close, the weather has been getting warmer, people are going to the beach and it certainly feels like summer is finally in full swing. I want to say congratulations to all the high school graduates this year. Four years of hard work has finally paid off. By now you have already picked the college you plan to attend, probably ordered some gear and are on your way.

But how do you prepare for that much anticipated fall?

1. Start narrowing down what you would want to take and put together a packing list. Remember that dorm rooms aren’t that big.

2. Remember that being homesick is perfectly normal. Some people get hit more than others but don't feel bad if the waterworks turn on every now and again.

3. Don't expect college to be like the movies. The way college life is portrayed in movies is so ridiculously over-dramatized and glorified and just flat out unrealistic. News flash: despite what Hollywood wants you to think, college is not one big party. I have a whole post planned on this so stay tuned!

4. Start checking things off the list. Bed, Bath and Beyond has a pretty good dorm checklist, as well as an apartment checklist, for what to bring and what not to bring to college. While not everything on that list is necessary it is definitely a good outline and hits all the major points of things you do need. Don't wait to the last minute to buy your items!

5. Enjoy your summer! Even though you should be preparing for fall there, one of the most important things to do this summer is to enjoy yourself, spend time with your friends before you all go different directions and make memories that will last.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer and wish everyone luck in the fall! <3 Kimmie

Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon Review

I think it is safe to say that anyone who is even remotely familiar with the horror genera has heard of the iconic character “Hannibal Lecter,” more commonly known as “Hannibal the Cannibal.”

But, what you may have not known is that the movie that made this character so iconic and forever instilled Anthony Hopkins in the thriller hall of fame, is actually the middle in a trilogy. The movies in chronological (timeline) order are: Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs and finally, Hannibal. Side note: these are only the films with Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal. There are several other films about the character of Hannibal including “Hannibal Rising” in 2007. And another side note: I have yet to watch Hannibal yet, so I will most likely post a second half to this review after I watch Hannibal. As my usual MO this will go: brief overview of the movie and main points, the villains, high and low points and my overall opinion. So sit back and relax as we dive into the world of the chilling Hannibal.

 Red Dragon, was released in 2002 and was actually the third movie to be released, 11 years after Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and one year after Hannibal in 2001. Red Dragon features Edward Norton as the hero, former FBI agent Will Graham and Ralph Fiennes (more commonly known as Voldemort) as the villain Francis Dolarhyde a.k.a. the “Tooth Fairy” as he is referred to by the FBI. The summary on IMDB says “A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.” The movie opens with a short sequence of how Hannibal got caught, arrested and imprisoned after being found out by Graham and almost killing each other and then the fun ensues. You also get to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a nosey paparazzi who gets set on fire.

Moving onto a brief overview of Silence of the Lambs. The official summery says “A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.” This movie shows a young Jodie Foster as F.B.I. cadet Clarice Starling who tries to get Hannibal to help them catch killer “Buffalo Bill” before he can kill a senetor’s daughter and use her skin to finish making his, ahem, skin suit. As disgusting as it sounds, you actually see very little gore. As the case progresses Clarice finds out that Hannibal actually knows the killer and Buffalo Bill used to be one of his clients DUN DUN DUUUUUN.

Let’s talk about the villains. One, Francis Dolarhyde is obsessed with this painting of a dragon and is convinced that by killing these married women that they are being “reborn” and he becomes more a part of this dragon. Did I mention he has some serious issues after being verbally and mentally abused by his mean grandma? No? Well that explains a large portion of his issues I’d say. Anyone who says that Voldemort is Fiennes best roll needs to sit their bum down and watch Red Dragon because I beg to differ. Don’t like thrillers but just like Ralph Fiennes? Well you get to see his completely naked, aside from tattoos, backside…TWICE! So hey there is fun for everyone!

Second, Buffalo Bill. Personally I feel like Buffalo Bill isn’t as present in the story line as Dolarhyde is in Red Dragon. You don’t see as much of his backstory and I feel like there isn’t as much depth to his character as there could be. However, that does not mean there is no insight whatsoever. You do wind up finding out more reasoning behind why he is hunting the women, but I won’t spoil that for you.

Finally, Hannibal. Hopkins transforms into a cold and calculated killer flawlessly and his performance is absolutely chilling how well he did this role. I now understand why he received so much recognition over these films. What I like is that Hannibal isn’t the kind of villain who is going to run up and shoot you in the face, he gets inside your head and toys with your mind.

My final opinion: The only downside is the length of the movies for me. At a 118 and 124 minutes they are not short by any means and for some it may be difficult to sit through a movie that long. Also, the movie isn’t anything like a Michael Bay film with crap blowing up every two seconds, you have to commit to watching the movie because it is a slow build up. Overall, these movies are amazing psychological thrillers that are worth the watch. If nothing else, check out the main of the three: Silence of the Lambs. The characters are so complex and Hopkins shines, in a sense, and I can’t believe I hadn’t seen any of the movies until a few months ago (I must have been living under a freaking rock!) Two thumbs up in my book.

Dark Hunter Series Review

Imagine entering a world where all the demons, beasties and gods and goddesses that we learned about in mythology were real. In Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, she develops the most incredible world of myth’s, magic and fantasy. In her world the Greek God, Apollo developed a race, which he called “Apollites”, which he felt were superior to humans. However, when a couple Apollites killed his pregnant mistress, Apollo, in a fit of rage, cursed all the Apollites to die a slow, agonizing death at the age of 27 (the age of his mistress). Eventually the race discovered how to steal human souls to prolong their lives.

In response to this new threat on humanity, Apollo’s sister Artemis, created a group of warriors called “Dark Hunters”. Dark Hunters were created when someone died and their soul cried out for revenge, Artemis would grant them that revenge and immortality in exchange for their soul and becoming an eternal warrior.

The Dark Hunter series is one of my favorite books series of all time. Sherrilyn Kenyon is a brilliant writer who can make you laugh out loud, cry and truly become invested in the characters and their journey. The world that Sherrilyn has created within the pages of her books is incredible to say the least! The extensive amount of research she must have done to blend so many different myths and cultural lore is mind boggling.

If you like myth, fantasy, suspense, mystery, action or romance, or all of the above, you will definitely love this series! For all those out there reading this review, keep in mind these books are romance novels, meaning they do have sex scenes. If you don’t like those kinds of books then I am sorry, or you could just skim over those parts. Unlike a lot of romance novels I have seen out there, the ones I read are focused more on the story line and plot. I love the fact that the scenes that she does put in actually kinda further the plot a bit and they don’t consume it or take it over.

I honestly cannot say enough good things about this series; I just truly love it so much. I own all the books, even the companion. The only downside for some people could be the fact that it is a romance novel, I know a lot of guys who tease me and call them chick novels or smut novels, but whatever.

All in all, if you are looking for an amazing mystery, paranormal, fantasy novel and are willing to put up with a few sex scenes then you should definitely check out this series.

Chain Story Part #3

Here is the beginning of the story with a link to each blog, my addition is at the end. Hope you enjoy :)



My Author Within
http://myauthorwithin.wordpress.com/

Ahh. I should remember to eat before class from now on. My stomach is killing me. Ten more minutes before I get to go home, I can last that long. Several minutes of more lecture time, questions and answer, finally class was over. Living close to campus was worth it, even if it cost too much. Katherine, or Katie as everyone called her, rushed home to eat something before she had to go to work. As a college student, there was not much that Katy had time for during the day. She was lucky to find a job at the local campus bar as a bartender. Sometimes some of the customers would get too clingy or touchy, and this is when Lu would come and straighten them out. Lu was tall, over six foot two of muscle and height. He was even intimidating to look at, but he was a sweetheart underneath. He would often refer to Katie as a “walking disaster.” According to him, he had to be on his guard whenever Katie was working, because she caused commotion with her waist long curly black hair, and deep green eyes. Katie knew that she was gifted with good genetics, but far preferred to be complemented or coveted for something she herself achieved, rather than been born with.
Katie’s shift starts at eight thirty. She had about fifty minutes to get home, eat, get ready and go to work. In her rush to get home and eat, Katie almost did not hear her neighbor calling her. Finally she realized that Ms. Reynold was calling her name.
“Katie, dear, you didn’t tell me about your young man. I thought I told you to entertain this old lady with your stories  of love and passion.” Ms. Reynold was a dear soul who loved to gossip and ask a lot of questions. She loved Katie like she was her own granddaughter.
“Ms. Reynold, I told you I don’t have time for boyfriends now. I have  not been on a date for over a year now.”
“Well, then I guess the flowers that arrived for you today are from a secret admirer! Oh, how exciting is this!” She went into her apartment and brought back a big bouquet of beautiful red roses. Katie loved red roses. After thanking Ms. Reynold, Katie took the flowers inside her apartment and put them in the water. Katie was slightly concerned about the identity of the person who sent the roses, but her hunger did not leave much room for thinking clearly. Soon, the roses were forgotten, and Katie was on her way to work, after having eaten something.

Tamzen Temple
tamzentemple.com.au

She walked her usual route, down Abbey Lane through Cheltenham Road, a short street most avoided because of its greyness, and up the stairs of the park.  She stopped feeling uneasy for a moment and turned certain there was someone following her.
There was no one but a teenage girl with her head down absorbed in her phone.  She shook her hands trying to release the fear that still plagued her and reminded herself to just breathe.  He was locked away and had been for two years, yet the shadow he cast stayed with her.
Katie entered through the back door of the bar and headed into the staff room. She put her bag in a locker, switched her phone to silent and placed it into the black waist apron that wrapped her tiny frame.  They were told not to have their phones on them, but Lu made an exception for her, he always made exceptions for Katie.
Elise ran in, she always ran in, forever late and with a myriad of excuses.  “Oh my goodness, would you believe the bus just passed me, totally passed my stop.  Luckily a friend was driving past,  I waved them down and I got here just in time.”
“Wow,” Katie pretended to believe her.  “You were lucky they came by.”  She didn’t wait for a reply but left quickly and entered the bar.  There was no one there so she went through to the table area and started collecting glasses.
“Katie.”  She turned to the voice at the entrance.  It was him.  She froze then opened her mouth to call out for Lu but nothing came out but a silent terror.
“I just wanted to give you this.”  He pointed to the table and ran out the entrance as he spotted Lu approaching.
This is the second part of the chain story by Tamara Zito see below to first part and happy writing. I’ve included at bottom a list in order of writers with links also.

This is the beginning of the chain story #1. I picked suspense as the theme to go forward with. I have clear ideas where I want this story to go, but I won’t tell you. I want to see you continue from where I left off however you want to. Write no more than 2-3 paragraphs, and try to move the plot along. Provide a link to my blog and copy paste the beginning into your post before you continue (note somehow the parts where others worked on-you can either just write the name of the person/blog who did it, or link). After doing your part, select another person to continue the story, that new person has to provide a link to your site. So on and so forth. Remember, there should be no more than 12 people working on the story. So the 12th person has to wrap it up.  Happy writing my friends! 

And here is my part:

Katie couldn’t breathe as her chest seized up, throat tightened, tears stung her eyes and that ever familiar wave of terror swept over. In her mind Katie just kept thinking, “What the hell was that…he isn't supposed to know where I am...what the HELL was that…why was he here... AND WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!” Questions swirled through her mind, followed quickly by confusion. He was supposed to be locked up and even if they had released him she had made damn sure there was a restraining order.

A hand landed on her shoulder making Katie almost jump out of her skin and scream…well at this point it was more of a startled squeak. However, relief swept over her as she turned to see the comforting chocolate colored eyes of Lu. He looked down on her with concern and placed a hand on her cheek, “are you alright? Who was that?” Have his hands always been this soft? His eyes really are beautiful. It took a few moments for Katie to register what he had asked her, and moreover what she had just thought. Shaking her head as if to clear out all the fog in her mind, Katie took a deep breath before responding, “Can we talk about this outside? I – I need some air.” He simply nodded, dropping his hand from her cheek and following her out through the back door and out to the alleyway.

Katie took a deep breath and mentally braced herself as she relived something she had long locked away. “He’s my ex. He went psycho a few years ago and tried attacking me. The doctors discovered he had schizophrenia and as part of it had become obsessively possessive. They institutionalized him in a kind of prison for the mentally ill. I thought he was still there, he is never again supposed to be within 100 yards of me again and he definitely was no supposed to know anything about where I am.” Lu’s face was a mask of concern as he unexpectedly walked forward and pulled Katie into his arms. For some reason his embrace was so comforting and Katie felt like she could almost forget what had just happened. But then a realization hit her, “what was he pointing at on the table?”

To read the next chapter head on over to visit Michelle at http://hopethehappyhugger.wordpress.com/
My Author Within
Tamzen Temple
Lost in Wonderland. 
Hope* the Happy Hugger You're Next!

My Birthday

I can’t believe that I am 19 years old now. It seems as though this year has gone by so fast. Time in general just seems to be moving faster now a days. Often I feel like if I turn away I will miss everything. I feel like I hardly have enough time for anything. I guess it is just a constant reminder to make the most out of life, to relish every moment and never forget to spend time with those you love, because it could be gone in the blink of an eye. (Seriously not trying to be depressing, just reflective.)

In all honesty, I don’t really feel any different being 19, but now I have to go through that yearly occurrence of remembering how old I am now and that I have to say “19” and not “18.” Lol.

Overall, I had a pretty good birthday. My work day felt like it moved pretty quickly and I was pleasantly surprised when my manager and coworkers surprised me with cupcakes and a birthday card.

After work, me, Johnny and three of our friends went and got this huge to-go dinner platter and pie from Marie Calendars and went back to my room to pig out on BBQ tri-tip, shrimp, loaded mash potatoes, mac and cheese and, the pies de resistance, chocolate satin pie!!! All while watching random and goofy movies, as per our usual MO.

And I got two pretty fun birthday wishes, one from Google and the other from Ipsy, my monthly glam-bag was waiting for me when I got home from work.

I am truly thankful for all the people who wished me happy birthday and the people who got to spend my birthday with me. Thank you so much for making it a special day for me and keeping me in mind. All in all, a wonderful day.

My Top 5 Mobile Gaming Addictions

We all have our little addictions when it comes to the apps on our phones. It could be checking Facebook, browsing Pinterest for hours, Instagraming pictures of your food or what have you. For me, it is the games on my phone… So I wanted to share with you a little bit about my android gaming addictions 

1. Clash of Clans. Clash of Clans is a MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) game. You build a camp, train troops, develop defenses, join a clan, participate in wars and attack other player’s camps. It is a lot of fun to try and level up and earn trophies. So if you are into MMO’s or RPG’s this might be a fun one to check out.

2. Zombie Café. This is a quirky little game to give you something to do again when you are bored. You build up a restaurant with zombie workers earning points, raiding cafes, unlocking new recipes.

3. Family Guy. I guess the full title is “Family Guy: the Quest for Stuff.” Either way it is a pretty fun game for when you are bored. The basis of the game is that Fox canceled Family Guy and Peter gets into a fight with the head of Fox, which for some reason is a giant chicken…, and then they destroy Quahog in their fight and so as the player you have to rebuild Quahog. They just added a new update where there is this pyramid in the game and you have to create “Adventurer Peter” and you can earn all these idols.

4. Plague Inc. This game definitely has an interesting premise. The whole point of the game is to build a virus/disease and wipe out the world before the cure can be developed to eradicate the disease you created. It is a little strange but it really does make you think and strategize the best way to destroy the world on the varying levels of difficulty. So if you love strategy games you should give this a try.

5. Plants vs. Zombies. I have played PVZ 1 and 2, I like both of them very much and have been addicted to both at one point or another. The only fault I find with PVZ 2 is that they have put several of the plants that were unlockable in the first one, only available for purchase with real money. I really love the new time travel concept of PVZ 2 and think it is a lot of fun with hours of game play.

A couple other games I have been addicted to in the past that are worth checking out: Hungry Shark (literally the whole point is to play as a shark and eat things!), Angry Birds (of course), Happy Jump and Cut the Rope.

What are some of your favorite mobile games? Let me know in the comments :)

Enjoy gaming <3 Kimmie

WPC and an Update

Hey everyone out there in the blogsphere, hope your weekends are going well! Sorry I haven't been posting for the past couple days/been awol, been insanely busy.

Over the past two weeks my sister and I switched rooms so we had to clean her room (which looked like a tornado went through it) and all of my stuff out of my room, this whole process took all week! And then we had to move all of our stuff into our new rooms.

And then yesterday we took the kittens to the vet for the first time, got  them de-flea'd, de-wormed, got their first set of vaccinations and now they are much happier kittens to say the least. Also, we are all enjoying my new room :)

Plus, yesterday my aunt and I had kind of a duel birthday celebration since here birthday was the 4th and mine is the 11th. We went to go see Maleficent, which was AWESOME!!! Review coming soon!

Here are some update pictures on the two little cuties:

Hope you all have a good weekend <3 Kimmie

If I Could Fall in Love with 5 Fictional (Animated) Characters

Hey everyone, so I decided to make this 2nd half to this prompt because I figured it would be easier to separate by live action vs. animate. Plus I will be posting about one of the characters I forgot to add in the last post and who I think is my favorite out of all of the ones I have talked about. So lets get started! (these aren't in any order)

P.s. a really awesome post that relates to this: click me.

1. Hiei - Yu Yu Hakusho. Sailor Moon, Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho were my favorite anime's growing up. My favorite character from Yu Yu Hakusho was always Hiei. Like I said in my last post, I have always had a weekness for the "misunderstood, bad boy" archetype. However, even though Hiei's character starts out as the heartless demon who only cares about himself, he truly grows to care about his friends and become a loyal friend.

2. Jim Hawkins - Treasure Planet. Oh Jim, I love you! I have loved this movie ever since I first saw it. I guess I just really connected with Jim and how he felt along and the need to find where he belonged. Jim is awesome in general, but he even saves the villain of the movie because he knows what it feels like to chase after your dreams. He is caring In the words of Ben the Robot, "I just wanna hug ya, and squeeze ya and hold ya close to me!"

3. Tuxedo Mask - Sailor Moon. Ok, lets face the facts: pretty much every girl who ever watched Sailor Moon, at one point or another, crushed on Tuxedo Mask. As Darien he was kind of a butthead but, as Tuxedo Mask, he was always there for the scouts when they needed him. As the episodes rolled on he opened up more and became closer with Serena and all the scouts. Plus....he just runs away with your heart.....oh childhood memories

4. Prince Zuko - Avatar the Last Air Bender. Again with my theme, I love Zuko because he was never truly evil. He just had a lot of daddy issues and he was basically desperate to be accepted. Zuko was such a crucial character to the story line, he just brings so much more dimension to an anime character than is usually expected. Plus he is voiced by Dante Basco, aka Rufio from Hook, another childhood crush.

5. Inuyasha. I fell in love with this series when I first started watching it and I have always loved the main character of Inuyasha. Much like Zuko, Inuyasha fights to be accepted because he is a half-demon and he faces the constant need to prove himself. He is overly aggressive and edgy when we first meet him, but underneath it all he is really kind of quirky and sweet. Over the series he learns to accept what he is and that he is fine just how he is.

One question....WHY THE HECK TO ANIMATED CHARACTERS, DRAWINGS, HAVE TO BE SO HOT!!?!?!?!?!? Lol the hardest part was narrowing down the list to 5. I thought of

And finally, the character I have fallen in love with, hands down.......*drumroll please*
Spencer Reid - Criminal Minds.

Gah, I have loved Spencer since the very first episode I ever saw of Criminal Minds. He is so real and caring and truly an amazing friend and person. I have loved watching his character grow over the seasons and seeing him come out of his shell. Plus, he is gorgeous and, as the picture states, I have a very difficult time dealing with the face that Spencer is fictional....or that Matthew Grey Gubler will never know I exist....*heave longing sigh*

The Nitty-Gritty of Internships

The benefit of internships is that you get to work for a company and gain valuable experience and contacts that could really help you in the future. So make friends with your boss.
When it comes down to internships and deciding whether or not to take up one there are several factors you need to consider:

Keep in mind whether or not it is a paid internship. A lot of internships have you doing full time work without getting paid. There are both ups and downs to this yes you get work experience but you are working 8 hours a day with no pay off. If you are looking at an unpaid internship then you have to decide if the benefits are worth it to you.

However, one of the pluses is that there are paid internships, like the one I am at.
The reason why I advocate for internships is because it is like having a job that normally there is no way you would be in. So not only do you get job experience and a paycheck (depending) but you can also learn an incredible amount from the experienced people around you.

One of the biggest parts of an internship is networking and gaining contacts for later. Make friends with your managers and the people you work with because this could be a tremendous resource in the future when you need a job or are looking for a letter or recommendation.

Since it is summer now is the time to start brushing off those resumes and looking into applying, will you be?

Good luck<3 Kimmie

If No One Read My Blog...

Wanted to do a short little post from the prompt "If no one ever read your blog would you continue to post? Why or why not?"

If no one ever read my blog I feel like I would still keep writing it. I wrote this blog for a long time before I had any real significant traffic and I imagine that I would keep writing even if my traffic were to dip again.

This blog is more than just a blog to me; it is an emotional and personal outlet. I can write whatever is on my mind or I can be random and goofy. Plus, I like to imagine that anyone who does read my blog, by just being myself, I can bring them a little piece of joy if it is a smile, a chuckle or whatever.

For those of you out there who do read my blog or just stumble across it, I hope you enjoy what I have put up here and I hope that in some small way maybe I make your day a little bit brighter.

Hugs from my computer to yours! <3 Kimmie