+ I took my SATs and I’m terrified of what my results are going to be. Not that I think I did really bad. I’m just afraid I wasn’t exceptional.

+ Almost done with my space science course. I have finals next week, and this is a real final test. None of that fake, open-book stuff. This means more studying. Great.

+ Got two new chess sets. They are both really nice and one is made of glass.

+ Purchased three new dresses and a fedora (I’ve been waiting forever to get a fedora. I’ve learned three tricks on it already).

+ I really want to get a digital camera for summer camp. Need more money.

+ I got a laptop. Tried naming it but I’m not a naming type.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Right now I’m reading The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis. It is one of his harder books to read. Nothing like the easiness of Mere Christianity. This book is so theological but inspiring at the same time. I will be writing a review on it and I’m going to have to restrain myself from simply quoting passages from the book.
When I started reading C.S. Lewis I had the opinion that he was the scholar and I was the student. I was sure that I should take this time to dampen any impulsiveness to ‘find’ mistakes in his theology. But then I realized, I have been a Christian for quite some years myself. I have had my own experiences. Yes, I should give a great deal of respect to C.S. Lewis, learn from him and not be so apt to point out what I think are mistakes even if they are indeed mistakes. But all in all, there may be some things I don’t agree with. And I think that is a good approach. To look up at someone, put them on a high pedestal with no hope of getting down, just doesn’t seem very mature. Not only does everyone make mistakes but we are all different.

So, I may only post two times a month and I may be really slow to reply to comments, but seriously, it is worth it to see 110% on my progress report with a 3.94 GPA to boot.
I give God the credit for my good grades and anything else that will come from this.
Look for a new layout soon! Like?

I need some help from any video gamers. I have this spacewalk simulator that my science course wants me to try out but I can’t get out of the air lock. Any help would be so appreciated. You go to this link and after clicking to play the game it will ask to download a plugin and then the simulation will load. Thanks for reading, Cami

In this timeless tale of two mortal princesses – one beautiful and one unattractive – C.S. Lewis reworks the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche into an enduring piece of contemporary fiction. This is the story of Orual, Psyche’s embittered and ugly older sister, who possessively and harmfully loves Psyche. Much to Orual’s frustration, Psyche is loved by Cupid, the god of love himself, setting the troubled Orual on a path of moral development. Set against the backdrop of Glome, a barbaric, pre-Christian world, the struggles between sacred and profane love are illuminated as Orual learns that we cannot understand the intent of the gods “till we have faces” and sincerity in our souls and selves.

I began reading this book having previously read one other of Lewis’ books. So, I knew a little bit about how he wrote and how he thought. I had the impression this would be a great book when I read the summary and C.S. Lewis sure doesn’t know how to disappoint.

There is a quality of drama in this book that I’ve only seen a few times; where you don’t dare put the book down in fear of hurting the book’s feelings. I was drawn in awe of the text and characters and I also felt they could teach me something. The caliber of this book has to do with where the focal point lies and how the conflict was resolved. I would like to think that this id due to C.S. Lewis and the way he re-crafted this old legend.

Orual is bitter but that doesn’t mean that bitter is all she can be. This story doesn’t end with Orual forever in poverty of spirit and love, to be ridiculed by all mankind. Instead, we see her start to think and process her situation instead of burying it out of her sight. And it is this that leads her to knowing that sometimes our pain is unspeakable, even though speaking would bring our healing. She learns that we say what we think is the problem but, ‘till we have faces’ we cannot understand what we are really feeling.

If I ever I would have wanted a story reworked it would have been this one. And I’m so glad the world was given a revision by the great author C.S. Lewis. Who could ask for more? He is sensitive to both sides, the bitter and the loved, but more importantly he understands both sides. If I had been writing this book I don’t know that I would have arrived at the same conclusion that Lewis did. His understanding of the characters and what they symbolize makes for a very compelling and satisfying read. And it is my opinion, that it is the conclusion that makes this book profound. C.S. Lewis mastered the art of writing there is no doubt in that, but besides writing he has an art for understanding the mind and heart.

The story is so much better than its back-cover summary. And I have to say, I did not completely understand what the book was about before I actually read it. But, you won’t find me asking for or writing a better summary. There are some books that you should read for yourself and I believe this is one of them. You had to know C.S. Lewis wasn’t just writing a fictional piece to write a fictional piece, he’s always making you think about the world you live in.

Also joining me on this challenge:
Andy
Tiff K

Hooray!!!! I have successfully finished my 12 Month Challenge! I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to finish typing up this review. But I think I’m off my mini-hiatus (found a better way to manage my workload) and I’m ready to get back in the game. I’ve put all the books from my 12 Month Challenge below please read as you please and feel free (absolutely free) to comment.

For my 11 entry in my 12 Month Challenge I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:

Pride and Prejudice is a story is about Elizabeth Bennet and her family. They live near the town of Meryton and are very prominent in their village but, they are considered to be on the lesser side of high society. Elizabeth has four sisters and no brothers which means, by law, when her father dies the land passes on to a cousin (Mr. Collins). Because of this, it is very important for the girls to marry well. Meaning, they should marry rich men if their family is to stay afloat when their father is gone.

So enters Mr. Bingley, who is new to the town and buys an estate called Netherfield. When Elizabeth’s mother, Mrs. Bennet, hears of this she is set immediately on having him marry one of her girls. At a local dance they all meet Bingley along with his sisters and one of his friends, a Mr. Darcy. When it became obvious that Mr. Darcy was unfriendly and standoffish everyone disliked him, including Mrs. Bennet, who was sometimes indiscrete with her disapproval of him. However, Bingley takes an interest in Elizabeth’s older sister, Jane.

Another character that plays a large part in this story is Mr. Wickham. He and Mr. Darcy grew up together but then there was a falling out between them. When Mr. Wickham comes to Meryton he tells his version of the circumstances between them which, coincidentally of course, sets him in a positive light and everyone even more against Mr. Darcy. Wickham befriends Elizabeth and shows a great interest in her and Elizabeth showed interest in him.

Pride and Prejudice is arguably one of the most well-known and weathered English novel. It has survived for over 200 years and is still going strong. There are multiple layers and surprising twists and it’s also the Jane Austen fashion to include humor and some lessons on decorum in her books. While this book isn’t necessarily a page turner I wouldn’t dismiss the book that easily. Yes, it is literature; it’s what you read to learn about good writing, reading comprehension and words in the English vocabulary that you don’t usually use. There are even words that you can’t even guess the meaning of. For example, ‘shire’ which was an administrative district of England, in which Wickham served as a military officer. And there are some other reading difficulties that come from the different punctuation standards in the 1800’s. But, amongst all this learning you get to have romance and humor along for the ride which makes the trip much more pleasant.

The story of Pride and Prejudice is really enjoyable. I was very pleased to find that once I was able to read Jane Austen, I did understand her characters. It’s not like they talk of virtues and traditions that mean nothing to you and nothing to anybody. They want to be accepted, want to be loved and want to be secure.

If reading Shakespeare is painful to you but you still want some quality reading, pick this book up. And if you are into the romance genre I totally encourage this read, you will not be disappointed. Some people call Jane Austen ‘too conservative’ but I think she caught onto polite individuals exactly right. There are no flying passions and insurmountable stresses in this story but that doesn’t mean Austen isn’t moving her audience. Filled with beautiful writing and an amazing quality that allows readers to relate to 200 year old characters, it’s no wonder that this book is able to endure the test of time.

And you know, I really thought I was going to a lake with a tiny drop off but, then my eyes widened when I saw what I saw. It was several different drop-offs, not just one, and to the right there was a rock with a rainbow over it. It was gourrrrgeous!

My favorite part of falls wasn’t the actual water falling down but the sound. It was such a deep and inviting roar, I know now that my dream house is probably going to be by a waterfall.

I’m glad with the way the pictures came out. I thought about my shots carefully. No, I’m not okay with the quality of the photo but they were taken with a cell phone that obviously needs a megapixel upgrade.

I did, but not really on purpose. I was resigned to go to bed when I got home from church because I didn’t feel like watching silly people bounce up and down on my tv screen. About the time the new year rolled in I think I was fishing for my cell phone. I had heard the T-Mobile ringer go off in church and was wondering if I could download it to my phone.

My attitude towards resolutions is even worse. If I’m going to do something I don’t need a list to tell me to do it. Plus for me, my ‘New Years’ is at my birthday, not January 1st. And I can definitely say I had some thoughts about what I wanted to change as a 17 year old then.

But, in this next year I do hope that the world can stop crashing and burning. I hope we can learn from all the bumps in the road from last year and not make the same mistakes. I hope people can be more tolerant of each other and that the truth gets a long run in future newscasts. I hope my report card sees all A’s and my website keeps growing.

Thanks to all who commented on my layout, I’m so glad that you all liked it so much.
For the record though, I did not code the slidedeck up there. I wish I had, that would be some kudos but it’s a WordPress plugin.

I served at church Christmas Eve as a traffic director. It has been over a year since I started directing traffic. My mom likes to say, “She can’t drive but she can direct traffic.” That embarrasses me a bit. Anyway, I go to a big church and with everyone coming out of the woodwork for this service there was a ton of people. We also aren’t in the most parking convenient location. The parking lot was full like fifteen minutes after we got out there.
And then when night fell we had these lights to direct with. People like to debate with me which way they should go. They will point and hold up traffic and I’m like, “Okaaaay.” But when night came I couldn’t see them behind their windshield so I didn’t know what they were saying so, they went my way. (Evil laugh) Not that it was bad, the way I directed them gets them out much faster. Somehow people forget that all streets connect and you can just turn the corner to get to the street you want.

My town had been hoping for snow this Christmas. For some reason it has been really dry over here, though it is cold. I live by a ski lift and they had to truck their snow in! We finally got snow two days after Christmas. It is mostly gone now, I think it started raining. And now we might have to go through a whole snow season, which, if it had started on time, we might already be halfway through. Weather!

On a final note: I have changed my layout. I hope you guys like it. It is a first in many things. I actually drew this layout up on an image before I started coding it. Making that teaser, from a couple of blogs ago, was a bad decision. It was so hard to recreate it. I ended up making a layout, before this one, that I basically just trashed because it wasn’t what I wanted. I’m also using percentages for the first time in years but I think it makes the reading a little harder for bigger screens. One line of text is so much longer. My favorite feature on this layout is the footer. When trying to find inspiration for this layout I looked at some footer examples and saw one where they had the ‘hill’ at the bottom of the footer. I am happy I was able to recreate it. It turned out to be easier than I thought it would be.