My Name is Allison and Sometimes My Twin Sister Really Does Seem To Be The One Who Was Born With All The Common Sense. (Just occasionally.)

OK, so this post is mainly in reply to Tora's last two blog posts...


Ciao is hello, too. I think. So you're OK.

OH, WOW!

I'D LIKE TO THANK-

On second thoughts, I'm not going to bother with the whole acceptance speech. I mean, yeah, Gwyneth Paltrow eat your heart out, but I seriously do not have the energy to type out ten minutes' worth of thank-yous right now.

I know I'm technically published, in a way, but I mean a book, that people can buy in shops. Or on Amazon. Or wherever. (Personally, I must promote LIBRARIES and BOOKSHOPS. Especially the ones with the comfy chairs and the muffins.)

However, I will settle for being published online. Which - technically - means I have been published may, many times.

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

*does jig*

Onto the next post...

They use upside down exclamation marks in Spanish. They're very cool.

*laughs* Thanks for posting that, Tora. Makes me laugh every time.

(There's a lot of inside jokes there. If you want to know what they are - well, I'm not telling you. But if anyone does know, COMMENT! *highfives non existent people*)

And, just for the record, I share Tora's sentiments about the CV. I could rant about being indivual and everything, but I don't have time. So I shall leave you with this: Tora is...amaxzing. And so much more than a CV could ever describe.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to rescue a kitten.

Allie.

Oh, and hi, Anon/Annon/Rhiannon.

Music Monday 12

Meme originally by Zakiya at Walking Butterfly Feet.

The Coronas - Addicted to Progress

I have seriously had this song stuck in my head...ever since I heard it on the radio, but didn't manage to catch the tile. And now I've found it again and can't stop listening to it. What can I say/ It's...addictive.

Allie

Look, Insanity Even Comes With Up-Side Down Exclamation Marks!

Except Blogger doesn't allow that kind of non-sense. (If you want to know how to create them, the it's ALT/CNTRL/SHIFT/!. It works in Word, e.c.t!)

Now the time has come to choose my Work Experiance placement, I thought I'd share with you a bit of my CV!


Ok, it's really blurry, but I think you can read it! It's good, right?

Seriously, I've had to write a CV. And listing all of the things that's I've done in my lifetime that may count towards something is really stupid. Because it all counts. Everything I've done made me who I am today, and whether or not I would be suitable for such a job. Not just the things I've passed with recognized boards of exams or organization. *sighs*

Whaddaya think, Allie?

Reader (s)?

Tora, XXX

My Name Is Victoria And I Love My Sister A Lot.

Ciao.

No, wait, that's goodbye, isn't it?

I am sure you're all very grateful that I've not posted in such a while, and I've appeared to say you're very welcome. I've also appeared to knock the Stupid out of Allison.

Because publish means to 'share with'. If my dear reader (more bout that later) would care to reach back in her memory, we did post something earlier on this blog.

CONGRATULATIONS, ALLISON CLAY, YOU'RE A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

I love you a lot, even if you're an idiot sometimes. There, tell the world, and all your pet brackets.

Why don't you publish something else for us?

In the meantime, I think it's time for us to throw a party, to celebrate our first reader! Ladies, and Gentleghosts, please welcome, Anon!

*applause*

*coughs* The pun is, Anon is not short for anonymous, which little miss really is, but Rhiannon.

And Allie, though I love you, did you know we havn't been getting any comments because someone set the settings to not allow any comments? Hmmmn?

ARG! Now I've stuck the thing on italics again... Ohhhhhh. Darn me.

Tora, XXX

Quotes of the Day

I'll edit this when I hear more, I promise. It's just a nonsense-post-about-nothing-in-particular.

WHAT AM I SAYING?

Of course every post on this blog has a purpose. They're not just an excuse to rant and spout whatever is on ours minds. Not at all. No way.

Anyway, the quote(s).

Heard in a musical a few nights ago:

Guy in musical: <name censored> I never married Tiffany, in the end.

Girl in audience: I'LL MARRY YOU, <CENSORED>

*cue entire crowd in tears with laughter*

Allie

Right. I claim to be a writer. Ummm....not so sure of that....

I mean, an aspiring writer. But that makes me sound like one of the many millions of people around the world who say they're going to write a book but never do.

Believe me, I am going to be doing my utmost to write a full-length novel worthy of publishing. I have tried already, but I have time (unless I get caught in a hit and run or something tomorrow. Which would not be good. But let's not tempt fate.) and apparently I should be focusing on getting smaller stuff finished (which, I have to admit is very good advice. HEED IT! The satisfaction of finishing something smaller helps in the long run. Or so I'm told.)

(I may repeat again; neither Tora nor I are published authors, except if you count via the internet or competitions. We are in-progress writers, we are artists, we are supernovas (or at least she is. Me, on the other hand...) and everything in between (that's more like it! I must remember to add that to my 'About Me' section) but we are also learning, and we will get there. Or at least she will. Probably before me.Because Tora is too amazing to not do something utterly brilliant...possibly by this time next week. If she hasn't already.)

(Wow, the twinsisterly love is really flowing here today.)

(As is the use of brackets.)

The poor, understated, underused, humble bracket. Remember when you first learn how to use them, and they are...simply addictive? And then they gradually fall into disuse...but never fear, BRACKETS OF THE WORLD! YOU ARE SAFE HERE!

Just in case they can't hear lowercase letters.

I'd put in a picture of a bracket but that would be going overboard.

(Read: No I am not obsessed, just bored, and trying to sound vaguely interesting. Even if that means sounding slightly hyper and very, very insane. More so than usual.)

*breathes sigh of relief*

I needed that. Rant over, readers.

Back to the world of sandpaper, apple tarts, wrong ingredients, door stoppers, strange songs, sleep deprivation, and doing whatever else we students are supposed to do. Studenting?

I mean, studying!

LOOK! A RAINBOW! *points*

*runs*

Allie

Random blog post, because it's a better use of my time than making homemade bunny ears.

Don't ask. Just. Don't.

So, I should have something to say, shouldn't I?

Ummmm...

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Well, I'm sitting here with my laptop in front of me trying to write, and failing, because MY CREATIVITY HAS BEEN SQUASHED OUT OF ME BY THE MONSTER THEY CALL ENDLESS STUDYING, and blogging seemed like the only other reasonable thing to do with the little time online I have right now.

I wish I had something exciting to write about. L;ike the awesome Kiersten White over at her blog Kiersten Writes (see what she did there?! LOVE IT). Where she is not afraid to post pictures of herself  posing with fishes or self-deprecating posts comparing herself to the other writers she has met on her book tour (Bad Kiersten!!) or even having very public conversations with her Laptop. Where the laptop actually answers for itself.

Oh, how I wish I was like that.

Or even like Tahereh Mafi over at Grab A Pen/Stir Your Tea (the latter's the bit that shows up on the URL. Decided I'd just slap it onto the link there in case it's the actual name of the blog instead of Grab a Pen which comes up on my favourites list.) who has just received copies of her book Shatter Me (Which I did a Waiting-On Wednesday post about, if you remember, loyal readers who may not exist) and is feeling a little bit weepy....well, I would be too, wouldn't you?! Weepy in a good way, I mean. Not weepy as in cry your heart out over The Notebook or My Sister's Keeper because you feel like doing nothing else with your life. 9I'm sure they're great movies. But just not my style. (Point of interest about me: I don't cry at books, or movies. Ever. Never have, probably never will. I HAVE A HEART OF STONE. *wails*)

Or maybe even Veronica Roth....(SORRY SORRY SORRY I haven't read Divergent yet, but I will be soon. Promise.) over at her website and blog, where she's just moved to ROMANIA (Not on the blog. Like, seriously, actually MOVED TO ROMANIA.) among many other exciting things.

< - A version of the Divergent cover. Isn't it jaw-droppingly, amazingly, absolutely stunning?! If I sdee this anywhere, I'm buying it. Immediately.

I think that's enough links for now. Slash-things-I'm-pointing-out-because-they-point-out-exactly-what-a terrible-and-boring-blogger-I-am.

I think I've self-indulged for long enough now. Hopefully karma won't kill me because I've just accidently-on=purpose promoted some of my favourite blogs by some people who are truly brilliant (at least, this is what I'm led to believe. I've never met any of them. Either THEIR BLOGS LIE!

or:

If any of the authors I have mentioned want to come over and oh...my...lord... I'mgoingtohyperventilateatthethoughofitsoI'dbetterstopnow.

Allie

Wow. I sure did use capital letters to their full effect in that post.

Hey, the reason I listen to the radio while doing homework is to make sure WW3 doesn't break out while I'm busy concentrating on chemistry calculations.

I hope you all enjoyed Tora's appearance during the week - and yes, I know her posts are more interesting than mine.

(I'm thinking it was a good idea for my twinsister to not talk about manga. Because if she did she would publicly berate me for not reading as many of them as I should be. For anyone who's interested, I'm currently trying to get through the utterly fluffy and my-guilty-pleasure-of-the-manga-world, Mars. But don't ask me to give you detailed information about it. I just like the drawings.)

By the way, while she's been away, Tora married Matthew, as in Matthew of the Gospels in the Bible, and had two sons. Mark, who became one of the other Gospel writers, and James, who I have to say is clearly underachieving compared to the rest of his prolific family.

Anyway, neither of us have been able to blog lately because of school and many, many other commitments, but I'll try to schedule some posts soon just to keep you going. And, by the way, it would be great if anyone who's been reading this could comment, so we could know for sure you're here!

Today, I finally got to the library for the first time in nearly three weeks. It was like a light in the darkness. An exodus to the Promised Land. Autumns leaves swept through the door and swirled in the air around me before being laid carefully on the ground before me to comfort my tired feet. Books and fellow book-readers cried my name in praise and choirs of angels swung down from heaven-

OK. So it wasn't exactly like that.

It was more like me noticing - hallelujah! - that there were new books on the shelves (I can literally tell if there's a single book out of place by now.) and that there were just waiting for me to pick them up and take them home...I could turn it into an In My Mailbox post, but I can't be bothered to take all the (undoubtedly pretty) pictures and upload them. So, in a brief summary; Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (a series which Tora despises for certain unmentionable - no, not that! - reasons, but which I can't seem to help but love), Passion, by Lauren Kate (OK, so I've cheated myself out owning the third book as well as the first two with this one. But I couldn't wait any longer!), TimeRiders Day of the Predator and The Doomsday Code by Alex Scarrow 9isn't that just the best name ever?), Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend, by Cora Harrison (I own I was Jane Austen's Best Friend. I was given an uncorrected book proof actually, so I got to read it before a lot of other people, but I had to wait forever to get the sequel...) and several others I now do not have time to mention.

Au rev- well, actually, I can't spell that version of goodbye, so you're going to have to puit up with me sticking to plain old English. Until next time, citizens of the blogosphere!

Allie

You know I've been trying to read Skullduggery Pleasant, Tora...

Did I Last Sign In Before or After WW3?

Tricky one. Huh.

Wait a moment.

World War 3 hasn't happened yet, has it?

Hey-ho, people-who-have-ghost-complex-who-read-this-blog-but-who-might-actually-not-exsist, Tora remembered you do exsist! I'm not going to blab about my life. I'm not going to tell you how much work I've had ( a lot), how Iannoyed I have been at Allie for not reading certain books ( A lot), how surprised I've been by the books she has read which I've read but she didn't tell me and I didn't give to her... (wait, what was the question?), or how different Yr 10 is (a lot), and I'm not even going to mention manga.

All of which leaves me with nothing to say.

Sorry about that.

*fidgets*

Alright! Since you don't want to know, I will also just breifly (not) mention how abseloutely amazing the musical Jesus Christ Superstar is. Though, of course, our school's production beats annnnnnnyyy of the films so far... *coughhintcough*

Tir Na Og! Woot. Love that story.

I may talk a little about the Guants House Summer Gathering, the most beautiful event each year. The music is spectacular, the workshops are brilliant, and the setting's just so full of love. I have great, great friends there, from all around the country, drawn together, and now I sound like a real hippie. Before you lose interest, I would just like to say I'm running out of synonyms for amazing, but you get the picture. Guants is my second home.

Tora, XXX.

Still almost mad. Still almost sane. Still that shade of grey region inbetween.

War of The Images...(but really it should be called something nicer.)

Yes, we do a Compulsion-To-Get-The-Last-Word Syndrome, both of us. But who cares, when that last word should technically be called the last picture, and those pictures are gorgeous?

I think the mood to my pictures today is soft. They're so beautiful...

Allie

Any vampires that sparkle are clearly fairies.

(Well? Did that sound more like a Tora-titled post?)

I've been watching a lot of movies lately. Too many. Although, really there isn't such a thing...Especially musicals. And now I can't get the songs out of my head. Even when I'm supposed to be working through my mountains of work. When I'm online, there should be an advantage to being a fast typer (aside from the fact that any keyboard I use protests vehemently to my incessant hammering) but I never seem to have enough time, ever.

Time. Healer of all wounds my- Well, never mind that. But needless to say it's tendency to run away with itself gets on my nerves. But you know how it is...the show must go on. You don't need to hear my complaining about how little time I have to do stuff. (Although, mentioning it does give me a chance to tell you about one of my favourite books ever - The New Policeman by Kate Thompson. Awesome, awesome book. Vivid, funny, and full of Irish mythical people and legends Tír na n'Óg here I come! Hey, I might even do a review of it next time I get around to re-reading it...)

Not sure how many of you will be reading this, but I haven't posted in a while, so I decided I'd better do something to show y'all I'm still alive....

Current Book: Specials, by Scott Westerfield - this author was recommended to me by a friend, but since I couldn't get my hands on Leviathan (Don't worry, I know it's supposed to be brilliant, and I'm in the process of tracking it down!) I found The Uglies series to get me through while I wait. So far it looks good - it's pure dystopian, which I can only read in small doses (Needless to say it took me a long time to build myself up to read Catching Fire, and - I know, I know, everyone shall shun me for this - I haven't read Mockingjay yet...sorry fellow Hunger Games fans!) though I do love it. Something to do with my constant state of pessimsim and depression, apparently. Too many apocalyptic thoughts are bad for the system. 

Current Playlist: Joni Mitchell, Joni Mitchell, Joni Mitchell, and, er, did I mention Joni Mitchell? I am a self-confessed folk and alternative rock addict, and I've sort of been raised on old music like this, so it only seems natural that I've got one of her albums on constant repeat right now. I'll move onto something else for a while soon, but her songs are so inspiring I doubt I'll be back to stay away for long. My current favourite is definitely Woodstock...so ethereal...

Current Colour: Probably the same as usual. I don't spend so much time thinking about my favourite colours...although colours around me, now that's a different story. There was something bright, bright green I saw recently that I loved...but now I can't think what it was. 

Current Favourite TV Show: The Big Bang Theory! Thank the Lord for boxsets! Several straight hours of Sheldon have cheered me right up about my own state of geekiness. (Who says I don't do anything constructive on weekends?)

Current Book Wishlist: Still so many. To finish reading Matched by Ally Condie (to cut a long story short, I treated the bookshop rather like a library that day, but I did, unfortunately, have to go eventually. Though I was not kicked out, no matter what anyone tells you!), to get some of the fantastic YA books that everyone's talking about at the moment, and also to get a few of those less publicised novels that I haven't seen anywhere yet...including Joe Craig's Lifters! (edit- which I have just been informed isn't even out yet...the publication date was moved back to the end of September? GASPETH! What am I going to do now??)

Current Needs: to find twinsister dearest, wherever she has disappeared off to, to make the pile of work waiting for me as soon as the weekend's over vanish, and to find something sweet to eat...

Current Bane of My Existence: my internet connection, which is being decidedly dodgy at this moment. 

Current Objects Around Me: several CDs, random sheets of paper, random pens, game and DVD boxes, the night sky out the window. 

Currently Thinking: I better schedule some posts just in case I disappear for a while again...

Allie

And, by the way, Tora, I do read books for myself. I also just like to write reviews about those books. (Read: I write reviews when I've got writer's block for my normal form of writing. Just in case any of you readers didn't figure that out already...and as you can see I get writer's block often. Not a good sign. But what else can I do?) 

Waiting On Wednesday #4 - Crossed, by Ally Condie

'Waiting On' Wednesday is a meme borrowed from Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Today's Book: Crossed, by Ally Condie
Publication Date: November 24th, 2011 (Or November 1st, if you're lucky enough to be in the US...)

OK, so technically I haven't finished Matched yet. But what I did read of it was good enough to tell me that, as soon as I heard there would be a sequel, I'd want to read it...so here I am, telling the world about HOW IMPATIENT I AM FOR CROSSED TO BE PUBLISHED.

Ally Condie is a brilliant writer, and if this book lives up to expectations...it shall be awesome!

(Summary from Goodreads.com) In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake. Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever. 


Allie