To all of my fellow singletons out there, I wish you a very pleasant Singles Awareness Day.

To all of you with a significant other - Happy Valentine's Day.

Question - Anyone wanna tell me who St. Valentine is?

(I know, the question is, do you?)

I'm twenty-two (almost twenty-three) and I'm going back to high school.  Of course this time I'm going to watching instead of sweating out exams and the like.  Should be interesting.

This does mean that I have to dig out my "professional wardrobe" (no Legend of Zelda tees allowed) and hopefully have a few days that are warm enough for skirts and the like.  I do have a few dresses that are cute and not over the top nice that I would wear as well...but that might be stretching it a bit.  Let me see, I have two cute black skirts, a denim skirt, a teal peasant skirt, nice jeans, slacks, a couple of button downs and sweaters, so I think I'll be good.  I just have to make sure that I make the effort to look older that the students, which might be a problem seeing as most of them are are as tall as or taller than me.  (I had to stop growing at 5'4"!!!)  I also need to make sure that my shoes are too over the top (I have those nice Italian leather wedge heels, as well as some nice black strappy pumps and black boots), but I think I'll stick my tennis shoes if I can.  Some teachers can get away with wearing jeans and tee-shirts (dare me to wear my senior class shirt on Friday?).  I may not be one of them.

At any rate, just plugging along in life here.  Things are going.  Not well, persay, but they are going versus not going, and that's what I need to consider.

The Colts won!  The Colts won!  The Colts won!

*does a stupid little happy dance*

Whew.  Now that that's out of my system, have I mentioned that the Colt's won?  To every person who said that Peyton Manning ultimately chokes in the big games, I say to you, "HA!"  Not only did Manning lead his team to a 12 point victory, he also did it without letting the turnovers get to him.  Peyton, I salute you.

I feel bad for my brother, who probably spent most of the week avoiding the chaos around Miami.  Of course, given my father's line of work (not to mention what my brother does) that's not very likely.  Prince's halftime show was okay, but I'm inclined to agree with my parents in saying that they should get a band to play those classic rock songs of the 70s that they play at every sporting event, that people love.  I don't think that they can miss with those.

Mmm, other than that, nadda.  I just felt like sharing my elation with everyone here.

Oh, and let's not forget, Tony Dungy became the third person every to win a Super Bowl as not only a coach, but as a player as well.  Way to go, Tony!

While I'm not really going to be watching the Super Bowl for the game (more for the commercials this go 'round), I will hope that the Colts win it 'cuz the Bears don't deserve it.  About damn time that the Colts showed a backbone.  Let's just hope that they beat the Bears with it, eh? 

I should have called my brother, as I'm sure it's been a crazy week down in Miami this week.  I don't know how anyone has been able to function down there. 

Anyway, other than that, not much to note.  My family now has a Wii, which I think my parents play more than my siblings and myself.  The only game we have is Wii Sports (since it came with the system), but at some point, maybe a year down the road (or when it becomes a player's choice) I'll get Twilight Princess and be all confused because I'm so used to the Gamecube version that the mere idea of Link being right handed (not to mention all of the maps mirrored) makes me ill.  Link has been and will always be left handed.  (Well, except for the TV series, but that was just a fluke.  Let's overlook that little piece of childhood memory, shall we?)

And now, some random musings on Patricia  Briggs' latest novel, Blood Bound.

Really, it was good.  Very good.  Better than Moon Called, I think.  As always, good to have a book that set in my home town so when she mention's a location I can say, ya know what, I know what she's talking about!  Holy crap!

There were some typos but those were minor and usually confusing but then I worked around them.  However there was one glaring problem, and that was the car wreck that puts Samuel in a state.  An accident that occurs on northbound 240 would not go to Kennewick General Hospital.  It's too far, esepcially if the victims were in critical condition.  They would continue northbound on 240 up to Kadlec Hospitial, because it would only be about 3 1/2 miles from the accident instead of the 6 1/2 to KGH.  I know that it happened that way beacuse Samuel is an ER doctor at KGH, but logically the correct hospital to go to would be Kadlec, regardless of where the people were from.

Yeah, that was my only complaint.  I can't blame Mrs. Briggs, because it sounds like she's been living out of the Tri-Cities for a while.  I know I haven't seen her son (by far my favorite minion) around lately, and they did live within walking distance of my place of employment (actually, they lived within walking distance of my house, about half a mile, actually, in old Richland).  Come to think of it, I miss the little blighter.  Collin, I miss you darling!  Come home to your princess!!!!  (And I miss my Tickle-Me-Collin...)

I've decided that I'm going to share a little bit about my on-going writing project.  It's something that I started in high school, and despite some rather kid-like qualities, I've been writing a level beyond my age for years.  Anyway, I'm going to share a little bit about the plot and figure out if anyone thinks that the idea is good enough that I should keep writing or if I should just hit delete and find some better way to pass my time.

WARNING: This story contains elements of same-sex love (love in all definitions here, people), fantasy, made up mythology, and a really cruel world.

YEAR - World Centuy 1500.  A new world exists.  It is a world deeply divided by how peope look.  Those with pure blood are prized while those with mixed blood are persecuted. 

In this world live two girls, Isold and Ariana, who simply try to live as much as they can each day.  Isold and Ariana are of mixed blood and treated accordingly - they have little money and no home.  Though not related they think of each other as sisters, as the only family that the other has.  However each girl hides a deep secret.  Within them lies the power of particular elements, and they hold a power over these elements in a way that is not natural to humans.  Hiding from the world that hates them, they exist in the shadows, looking for a place to call home.

Aric O'Bannon and Phillipe de Boulonge are two pure-blood aristocrats from different backgrounds.  Aric was born into the world of high society while Phillipe's father is nuevo riche as a merchant.  The two met as children and found a common bond in that they had similar birthmarks, the symbols of their destiny.  Their attachment grew into affection and the affection to love - but not without a price.  Facing persecution from their families and the people they led, they ended their affair for the sake of their people.

One a fateful night the four are thrown together and shown their destinies.  Now Isold, Ariana, Aric and Phillipe must determine if they should follow their fates or live their lives the way they want to - consequences be damned.

"You will learn the meaning of true love and loss with these marks.  Those you are destined to protect will show you the only real love you'll ever know, and leave you when your love comes to full bloom."

Why, oh why, great makers of TV.com, am I still at level 1?  I was a level nine not a week ago - so why am I a victim of this sudden drop in status?  I blog, I've written reviews, made episodes submissions (a total of 36, and we get points even if it is not accepted), posted in the forums (totalling 263 and counting), and overall consider myself active in the community.  I don't have time to participate in every little thing (nor do I feel a particular need to) but I participate where I care. 

So why am I back at level 1?  I was at level 1 a year ago.  I've moved past that, thank you.  Can I please get this fixed?  Check my states when I noted my one year anniversary of being active.  (And tack on some extra percentage because I made a couple of submissions after that, as noted in my blog.)

Will someone please explain this to me?  I certainly don't understand.

Why the heck am I back at level 1?  I was halfway to leven ten and now I'm back at level 1?  WTF?!

Stupid tv.com...

I decided that it was time to do a little sprucing up on my Gamespot account (nevermind the fact that I spend way more time on TV.com).  I went searching for Legend of Zelda icons because (gasp!) Gamespot has none.  I found some I liked, formated them for the 36x36 requirement, and now my new icon is of Link from Twilight Princess, holding an iPod.

Well, I thought it was funny.  This is the full sized image where you can actually see the iPod:

Cool.

Hello to any and all who read my blog.  I've been quite the little shutter bug over the last few days and I invite you to check it out at my deviantART webpage.  The link is listed as "my webpage" here on my profile page.  There are other works in my gallery, but I've been getting compliments on my photos recently.  So I invite everyone to check them out and tell me what you think.

Other than that, not much.  I'm mad as hell that due to sheer luck and a complete lack of skill the Bears are going to Super Bowl.  I figured that if I watched the Colts/Patriots game that I'd jinx it and the Colts wouldn't get in.  So, Payton, I pin my hopes on the fact that you're going to do your best to deny the Pats yet another trip to the Super Bowl with Tom Brady at the helm.  We'll just see how that turns out, shall we?