"Of all the souls I have encountered ..."

It's strange, how you can become so attached to, and so influenced by, someone whom you have never met,
never will meet, and with whom you have practically nothing in common. Someone who doesn't share your religion, your morals, your worldview, or your life mission. All you share is some small insight on the world, some moment or point of agreement; and from that point, they change the rest of your life.

Such was Leonard Nimoy to me.

Leonard Nimoy reminded me of my dad, my philosophy professor, and the other wonderful, wise Jewish men I have been blessed to know. It wasn't just his wonderful work in film and television that made me respect and admire him, but also his off-screen intelligence, love of learning, and graceful humor.

I never met him. But I'm going to miss him.

From my very first Star Trek TOS episode, it was the character of Spock, the stoic half-Vulcan second-in-command, who captured my imagination and respect the most. Spock was wise, patient, intelligent, loyal, and, somewhat paradoxically, very often unsure of himself and his identity. Perhaps because I saw "Amok Time" very early in my episode explorations, or perhaps because I paid more attention and careful thought to his character than to the others at first, I quickly realized that the common belief that Spock had no emotion was completely inaccurate. On the contrary; Spock felt more deeply than any other member of the Enterprise crew. It was only his "otherness," his lack of belonging, that made him afraid to show weakness or his deep emotion in front of his human crewmates. I understood this well.

Later, I branched out from Star Trek to explore Nimoy's work in other TV shows of the 60's and 70's, such as Mission: Impossible, Get Smart, Columbo, Bonanza, and The Twilight Zone. I wept while I watched Spock die in Star Trek II, and reveled in Nimoy's masterful directing in Star Trek III. I sighed for joy when I watched him in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Unification." And later, I enjoyed watching some of his interviews and following his funny, poignant Twitter feed. I considered him my adopted grandfather, after he offered to adopt anyone who wanted to belong to his family.

I miss him already.

***

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock sacrifices his life to save Captain Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew. At his funeral, through his tears, Captain Kirk says quietly:

"Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most ..."

*pause*

"Human."

And that was what Mr. Leonard Nimoy was. The most human.

Goodbye, Mr. Nimoy. Farewell, my dear Mr. Spock. Thank you for teaching us humans to be a bit more patient, a bit more self-controlled, and a bit more logical.

Celebrating Jane Porter

Okay, since I just finished watching Tarzan on this lovely Friday night, I'm going to geek out a bit.

I think that, out of all of the Disney heroines available to those of us who have by virtue of age found ourselves in mentorship and parenting roles, we do not pay nearly enough attention to Jane Porter from Tarzan. 

- Jane has no nasty rebellious attitudes. Jane and her father are probably one of the most adorable parent-child pairings in all Disney. They not only mutually depend on each other, but they have a great deal of friendship and respect for each other, too. When Jane first meets Tarzan and she is overcome with shock and curiosity, she doesn't sit on a rock and sing a solo about how her restrictive world has just burst open; she runs straight to her father and pours out her whole story, with all the enthusiasm of a trusting little girl. And speaking of trust, when Jane begins to feel attracted to Tarzan, she doesn't get all mopey and withdrawn like other Disney princesses do. She trusts her father enough to talk with him about it and seek his advice. He may not be the wisest or most sagely father in the world, but he loves her very much and does his best to encourage her and give what advice he can. Their relationship is definitely one that I wouldn't hesitate to let my daughters (or sons!) watch.

- Jane is content to let the protecting men in her life ... well, protect her. Jane never tries to evade her father's authority or strike out on her own. He is the one who is leading the research team, and she follows him. When he gives advice, she listens to it. Later, during the ending music sequence after she and Tarzan are (married? It's a bit ambiguous because they're living in a jungle devoid of any other humans besides her father), she lets Tarzan lead the way through the vine and branch pathways because he knows them much better than she does. She possesses a submissive spirit - she cheerfully accepts that her father and husband are bigger, stronger, and more experienced than she is, and she is willing to place herself under their protection.

- Nevertheless, Jane is courageous and energetically pursues her dreams. Jane is an artist and scientist, brave enough to travel alone with her father and another man to uncharted Victorian-era Africa. She doesn't mope around about how she doesn't fit in with the other girls or how she's never found true love - she doesn't have time! Until she meets Tarzan, her energy is focused on discovering wildlife, experiencing a new country, and enjoying and drawing the beautiful things she sees. She actually has much bigger goals than most of the other Disney princesses do - and by cheerfully accepting her role as a woman under the protection of her father and husband, she goes much farther in her life than the princesses who rebel and fight against their authority.

- Jane is mature, open-minded, and willing to learn about what's important to others. How many girls would be willing to take the time to get to know a dirty feral man in a loincloth and teach him, not things like to dance or to eat oatmeal correctly, but to speak? To walk upright? And not just to teach him concepts, which could be done with self-righteous condescension; but to take time to actually talk to him, learn from him, and explore his culture and lifestyle, which would be horrific to a proper Victorian lady but vitally important to him? It's easy to fall in love with a gorgeous Prince Eric or a brilliant Flynn Rider; but it takes a thoughtful, mature woman to fall in love with a Tarzan.

***

I know she's not a Disney princess, and Tarzan will never get as much attention as the more lucrative girl-oriented princess movies; but you can take Frozen and stick it in your icebox - if I had to choose one of the Disney women to be a model for my hypothetical daughters, she would be my choice any day!

***

Your geeky friend,
Vicki

Dream Casting: Return of the Native

It recently came to my attention that there is only one movie version ever of Thomas Hardy's novel Return of the Native. Why in the world is that? I had to read it for the first time this semester as part of an English literature class, and while I approached it with some trepidation due to its reputation as an immoral book, I came to thoroughly enjoy it and love the characters.

Probably the most important theme that I took away from the book was how fragile the marriage relationship can be, and how many people it can affect when a marriage breaks down. Both of the young couples in the book married against the advice of their parents and peers, and the eventual breakdowns of their relationships not only destroyed their own lives, but harmed and even killed other members of their families and communities. The key, though, was not that the characters were horrible people who were wantonly looking for affairs outside of their marriages (with the exception of the wicked Wildeve). Most of them were victims of emotional decisions, not being careful whom they spent time with, and seeking satisfaction from their spouses that they could not provide. This book was a great example of how good people can make poor choices that lead them to situations they never thought they would be in.

And soooo, because this was such a good book, I was very disappointed to discover that its only movie adaptation was made back in the 90's and is generally agreed to be pretty lousy.  :-P  So a couple of weeks ago, while I was bored in another class, I put together my own casting for a new version. If you're familiar with the book, let me know what you think!

***

Clementine "Clym" Yeobright

Tom Hiddleston

idealistic, thoughtful, altruistic, self-sacrificing, attached to his mother

Eustacia Vye Yeobright

Keira Knightley

beautiful, mysterious, fiery, depressive, frustrated

Damon Wildeve

Richard Armitage

handsome, indolent, selfish, passionate, amoral 

Thomasin Yeobright Wildeve

Carey Mulligan

innocent, optimistic, loyal, gentle, domestic

Diggory Venn

Jeremy Renner

mysterious, intelligent, loyal, manly, courageous

Mrs. Yeobright

Emma Thompson

genteel, educated, philosophical, stubborn, dramatic

*** 

Now, casting Jeremy Renner as Diggory Venn would be a bit of a risk, because casting him in a period drama would be severely against type; but I picked him for two reasons - firstly, because he looks fairly close to the way I envision Diggory in the book, and secondly, because Diggory's character has some similarities to Hawkeye in Avengers. Diggory is a loner who lives at the edges of society, watching the other characters and quietly interfering in their lives to guide them toward doing the right thing (or, at least, the best choice at the time). He has a sort of magical quality about him, and he is definitely a strong, silent type like Hawkeye. So I think this choice might work.

Also, Carey Mulligan doesn't typically play "good girl" roles, but with her babyface and high voice, I think she could portray Thomasin if she put her mind to it.  :-)  And can you imagine the universe imploding when Emma Thompson and Tom Hiddleston played mother and son??

Have you read the book? What did you think of it? What do you think of my casting?

~ Vicki

Exemplary Manhood in Film: Luke Skywalker

If I had to choose one film example of a man who exemplifies what it means to be a strong and honorable gentleman, I would most likely choose Luke Skywalker.

Just in case you aren't familiar with Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is a restless farm boy who gets caught up in an intergalactic civil war; and while training to become a Jedi (a peaceful warrior and practitioner of a forbidden religion), Luke learns from his mysterious master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, that he is not just a farm boy, but the son of the evil Empire's most powerful warrior, Darth Vader - and he is also the one who is destined to break the Empire's power and rescue the galaxy. The original Star Wars trilogy follows Luke's journey as he teams up with the reckless smuggler Han Solo and the courageous Princess Leia to confront his identity, choose his destiny and fight to save and protect the people he loves.

I believe that Luke Skywalker is one of the best men and best examples of honor, loyalty, virtue, and chivalry that I have found in the modern movie era.

***

Luke's character is built on his complete, sacrificial devotion to doing what is right. He is constantly under attack by the dark side, facing trials ranging from the murder of his adoptive parents, to being forced to stand prisoner and watch his friends attacked, to being handed a lightsaber and told to kill his own father to save his sister. Yet even when everything around him is crashing down (literally) and there seems to be no hope, Luke casts away the lightsaber and offers himself to die rather than break one rule of his conscience. He is a man of honor.

He is also a man of chivalry. There are many differences between Luke and his daredevil friend/partner, the space smuggler Han Solo; but one of the most marked is the difference in their treatment of the beautiful, intelligent and headstrong Princess Leia. In the beginning, both men are attracted to Leia, but where Han goads Leia with arguments, makes crude comments and tries to dominate her, Luke protects her and treats her with respect and kindness. Leia is a much stronger person than Luke is, and he isn't afraid to let her step up and use her strengths, even to protect him; but he always puts her needs first - whenever there's a chasm to be crossed, Luke holds the rope while Leia holds on for the ride; whenever there's a fight, even if Leia finishes it, Luke always pushes her to safety and does his best to fight it first.

At the beginning of Return of the Jedi, the final Star Wars movie (for now), Leia is trying to rescue Han from the repulsive Jabba the Hutt when she is caught and enslaved. At no point does Luke's chivalry shine clearer than here. Despite Leia's famously scanty attire, not once does Luke think of humiliating her further or doing anything other than rescuing her and continuing to treat her with dignity. He is a true gentleman.

In the end, it turns out that Leia is Luke's twin sister who was separated from him at birth, to keep them both safe from their father, the evil Darth Vader. But because he has protected and respected her all along, the only thing he changes after finding out is to make sure to give her affectionate hugs more often.  :-)

***

I will never endorse the people who claim that you can preach the Gospel from Star Wars, because that is completely untrue and in fact very blasphemous. However, that being said, Luke does have some character qualities that have inspired me in my Christian walk.

For one thing, as a man who was chosen before birth to fulfill a noble purpose, Luke is constantly being targeted for destruction by the forces of evil. Does that sound familiar to you? As Christians, we have been chosen by God to serve Him, rescue others and fulfill His purposes here on earth; and we, too, are constantly being targeted by Satan and the world. Luke is tempted both blatantly and subtly to turn to the dark side, yet he never gives in. I am a daughter and a warrior of God, equipped with His power and protection to stay squarely on His side - with so many more resources at my disposal than Luke has, do I fight as hard as he does to steer clear of sin?

For another thing, Luke is true to his character and dreams even when others tell him how he should live his life. From the moment that Luke begins training as a Jedi, he is surrounded by people telling him what to do; yet while he does help his friends pursue their goals, he doesn't sacrifice his convictions - he goes to rescue his friends when Obi-Wan and Yoda urge him to complete his training first; he puts himself in danger to save his father when his friends tell him to stay away; and when everyone around him declares that it is his destiny to kill Vader, either to save the galaxy or to rule it, Luke declares that he will not. Nor does he give up his personality - even when he's busy keeping up with the fast-paced, no-nonsense Han and Leia, Luke doesn't hide his more thoughtful and idealistic personality. I would love to learn to use my God-given personality to minister to others, instead of trying so hard to talk, act and be like my friends.

***

In this series on exemplary manhood in film, Luke Skywalker stands out, and not just because he's the only sci-fi/fantasy character I will be honoring. Luke stands out because, despite being younger and weaker than most of the people around him, when it comes to his heart, he is the purest and most courageous of them all. When my sons are old enough to handle and ignore the Eastern-religion influences of the Star Wars films, I will definitely be introducing them to Luke Skywalker and encouraging them to grow up as good, kind, and strong as he is!

Exemplary Manhood in Film Series

I love movies.

The first "adult" movie I remember watching was Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robin Hood, which I watched when I was about 9 years old. I instantly fell in love with Errol Flynn and remained that way for about four years - I can still quote The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood, They Died With Their Boots On, and Robin Hood almost entirely from memory.

I love good movies in the same way that I love good books - not only do they allow me to escape to another world and rest my mind for a little while, but frequently, while I'm there, I find new ways to think about things and themes in my life.

One theme that I have searched for in movies and books ever since I was a young girl is the theme of exemplary manhood - which is a philosophical way of saying that I look for male characters who exemplify qualities that I will be looking for in my future husband, and that I want to nurture in my future sons. Men who are courageous, honorable, upright, chivalrous, loyal, and committed to doing what is right.

Just like in real life, these good examples are not easy to find. Movies are full of slimy villains - but even worse, they are also full of "heroes" who are devious, liars, selfish, or immoral. That is why I've decided to do a short blog post series honoring my favorite characters who are truly and indisputably good - not perfect, and certainly not flawless; but men who do what's right (when possible, men who love and follow the Lord), who love and protect their families and friends, and who live intentionally for what they believe.

The characters I will be honoring are:

Luke Skywalker

(Star Wars)

 

Captain America

(Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers)

Gilbert Blythe

(Anne of Green Gables book/TV series)

 

Father Barry

(On The Waterfront)

Colonel Brandon

(Sense and Sensibility)

 

Colonel Joshua Chamberlain

(Gettysburg)

This list is certainly not comprehensive - I know there are many more heroes out there who are just as thoroughly good as these, but this will get us started, and if I think of more as I go along, I'll add them in too. And of course, suggestions are welcome - just keep in mind that I'm not as well-versed in movies as many of you are.  ;-)

I hope this will prove to be an enjoyable and thought-provoking series!

Hugs,
Vicki

Movie Review: Frozen (2013)

So, I went with my brother John to see "Frozen" in the theaters today, and had so many thoughts about it that I thought I'd do a rare movie review. I've tried not to include any spoilers!

(Plus, I just really wanted an excuse to post some pictures of the characters, because they were so cute!!)

Plot: Elsa and Anna are the two princesses of Arendelle, a mythical northern land of beautiful countryside, warm summers and delightfully frosty winters. They are normal, happy girls in every way - except that Elsa was born with the ability to create snow and ice and to freeze everything she touches. When she almost kills Anna with an ice blast, a healing troll warns that she must learn to control her growing powers, or one day she will hurt someone. Elsa's parents decide to shut both girls up in the castle and keep them away from anyone or anything that might cause Elsa's secret to come out.

But when Elsa's turn comes to take the throne, she gets into an argument with the feisty and vivacious Anna, and accidentally unleashes her powers on the kingdom, plunging the entire world into the depths of an eternal winter. Horrified, she flees into the mountains to hide herself forever alone. It's up to Anna and her accidentally acquired companions (Prince Hans, Kristoff the ice seller and his reindeer Sven) to track down her sister and ask her to return, to save the kingdom and bring back summer.

----------

High Points:
- The ANIMATION. Disney has truly surpassed itself with the animation in this movie. The scenery in particular is breathtakingly colorful and lifelike, with some of the best ice, snowstorms, and roiling oceans that I've ever seen in any film.
- The costumes. Frozen is set sometime in the late 1800's in a land much like Norway, and the costumes reflect period clothing fairly well. Their clothing is detailed and beautiful, from the embroidery on Anna's dresses, to Elsa's velvet and tulle gowns, to Kristoff's fur parkas and boots. I also fell in love with both Anna and Elsa's hair, which worn in soft, flowing braids for much of the movie.
- The characters. Some of the characters in this movie were stronger than others, but on the whole, I really liked them. They reminded me of people that I know, especially the confident, extroverted, warm-hearted but ridiculously klutzy Anna. Just be aware that one of the characters is not exactly the way they seem on the outside ...

Could Be Better:
- The storyline. This movie is slow to get started, choosing to cover the backstory more extensively than most Disney films do; and it almost feels like there are two or three climaxes, rather than one clear goal point that the story is aiming for.
- The music. Disney has sometimes gotten away with mixing musical genres in the past, but this movie's odd combination of traditional Norwegian folk songs, choral singing, Broadway-style songs, and jazz does not feel quite right. The "best" song in the movie, musically, is Elsa's powerful Broadway-esque solo; while Anna's songs, while mostly lighthearted and sympathetic, are almost identical to Rapunzel's "When Will My Life Begin" song from Tangled.

Possible Concerns:
- Elsa's magic is basically sorcery, more in the style of a Disney villain than Belle's rose or Rapunzel's hair. It was a little disturbing to me when she used her hands to conjure up snow and ice and create things out of thin air. This power is an integral part of her character, and not treated as something dark or bad, except when she uses it to hurt others.
- Parts of this movie are a little more violent than recent Disney movies. No one is killed, but it could be upsetting for younger viewers.
- Frozen is an agenda-driven movie, which I will cover in more detail in my review below. The men are inept and far less intelligent than the women they follow around, and the lesson of the movie is accepting inborn differences in others which may seem scary to the people around them. The themes of shaming the family, being forced to live alone, and **SPOILER** Elsa finally exploding into a rebellious and flamboyant acceptance of who she is, strongly suggest to me that Frozen is promoting the acceptance and inclusion of people who are homosexual.

Vicki's Vote: 3/5

----------


I saw the trailer for this movie several months ago and immediately fell in love with the Nordic setting and sweet-faced characters. Frozen is loosely based on the fairytale The Snow Queen; but while the original fairytale was based on Christian themes of faith and good triumphing over evil, this movie is operating for the most part on a very different set of morals. Let's start with the bad things about this film, so we can end on a happy note.

I can't lay my finger on any one thing in particular that gave me the impression that this movie's object of sympathy was gay people, but that was my strong impression leaving the theater. Part of it may have been the portrayal of Elsa's magic as something she was born with and couldn't help, but was being forced to hide; another musical event (which I can't describe due to spoilers) occurs later in the film and also reinforces the idea of throwing off society's expectations and being yourself, even if you have to do it alone. Elsa's musical mantra for the beginning portion of the movie is "conceal, don't feel", her father's advice that if she hides and controls her magical powers, she will not feel them and perhaps they will go away. She is then made to live alone in her room - a physical closet, if you will. These themes are very similar to the themes of Mulan: repressing one's true identity, shaming the family if this identity came out, and ultimately proving society wrong when the identity is finally openly embraced without negative repercussions. However, Mulan's tomboyishness is a different matter than Elsa's sorcery.

I really didn't like Elsa's magic powers. I'm used to magic in Disney movies, but this magic felt more sinister. Without giving too much away, Elsa's capabilities do get stronger as the movie goes on, and she does use them as a weapon at times. Her character is painted in a sympathetic light and I did like her and feel sorry for her, but to put it simply, she is an undisguised witch - much more in the line of Jadis the White Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia. Whom I didn't like either.

John and I were also disappointed with the portrayal of men in this movie. Both of the main male characters, Hans and Kristoff, are always playing catch-up with Anna and clearly can't match her strength and intelligence. She really doesn't need either of them at all. They're certainly sweet and lovable for most of the movie, but none of the women rely on them or even respect them. I think the movie really could have benefited from showing some teamwork between the men and women, rather than solely showing strong women dragging confused men around. Just my opinion.

However, if you'd still like to see the movie, take heart, because there were a lot of good things about it too.

Firstly, as I mentioned, the characters and animation are ridiculously wonderful. I'll try not to give out spoilers, but the turning point of the movie involves a lot of ice; and this ice is so beautifully animated that you could believe it was real. Definitely the same with the richly colored and detailed costumes as well. And the characters, although they had some character flaws, were all rather lovable and well written - frightened, guilt-ridden Elsa; feisty, adventurous Anna; intelligent, handsome Hans; and kind, practical Kristoff. Even the comic relief characters, Sven the moose and Olaf the talking snowman, are much less annoying than many Disney foils of the past (read: gargoyles) and even made me laugh.

Additionally, the secondary theme of the movie is the one that is explicitly stated by the characters; and that is "True love sacrifices." The characters explain to each other that true love is giving up your own needs and wants for those of the other person - obviously, this is the most Biblical of statements, and it is a lesson that all of us need to be reminded of. The focus of the love in this movie is less on romantic love and more on general love, too, which is interesting and unusual for a Disney film. (As a bonus, though, there is a song about romantic love in the middle of the movie that is rather profound and actually gave me some things to think about ... definitely didn't expect that!)

So in short, I felt a little bit gypped by the rough storyline and disappointing themes, but at the same time, I got far more than I paid for in gorgeous visuals and fascinating character interactions. I would say to take this movie with a grain of salt; but if you're old enough to know what's right and wrong and would like to see a movie with strong themes of love and sacrifice, then by all means, go ahead and check it out!

11-12-13

Hello friends! Wow, it's been a long while since I posted on here! The time surely slips away when you're busy - and I'll bet the readership does, too!!  :-}

Life has been good but amazingly busy ... last night was the first night in two weeks that I've gone to bed before 1AM! But it's been a good semester for me, all around - part of the reason I haven't been writing is because I've made a lot more real-life connections this year, both with Christian girls who are active in their churches and community-minded girls who are active in their organizations; and they've kind of swept my shy self along with them. Which has been really different, and really neat! In the last couple of weeks I've helped to plan a university-wide conference and rally, and this month I've been invited to be a student representative at a leadership conference. I'm very excited to see how they all turn out!

Daily life, though, has not been quite so exalted. It usually isn't.  :-) Today was my day off, so I walked around the campus gardens in a steady snowstorm, taking pictures of (dead) flowers:

It only took about 20 minutes for my hands to be so blue and frozen that I had to give up, but I got a few pretty good pictures and enjoyed feeling creative for a little while ... even if people did stare at me as they walked by ...  :-P  Dead flowers in the snow are pretty, people!!

Oh yes, speaking of creative:

Isn't he the cutest thing?? I got my pattern from http://overthebifrost.tumblr.com/, which has all kinds of adorable photos and ideas for crocheted Loki and Thor toys (from the Marvel Comics Thor movies, for those of you who live a more normal life than I do). This one is going to be a Christmas present for a dear friend of mine, as soon as I finish his helmet!

Hmm, and what else have I been doing besides indulging in oddities? ... Getting fairly good grades, doing some exciting things in my classes, and getting some confirmation that I'm on the right track with my major - which is always a good thing! I actually have been keeping up with everyone here on Blogger, too, even though I haven't commented much, and I'm so glad to see that you're all doing so well!!

The Lord has been working on a bunch of different things with me lately ... mostly showing me how narrow and selfish my view of the world is, and how obligated I am to open my eyes and look around me at the needs and hurts of others. I've also been working hard to establish the habit of reading a short devotion every morning when I wake up, in addition to my longer devotion in the evening, with the goal of directing my thoughts to God very first thing in the day. It has really been making a difference in my thoughts during the day - I'm really motivated to make this habit last for the rest of my life!

And that's about it! Here's a closing song for you, one that's been really encouraging and thought-provoking to me lately:



I love you all very much!! Feel free to drop me a line and say hello, if you haven't forgotten me!!

Hugs,
Vicki

Addicted?

Have any of you ever wondered if you might be actually addicted to the Internet? I don't mean in the casual use of the word; I mean like an actual addiction, something that messes up your life and takes away the best of your energy and time. Have any of you ever experienced anything like that?

I'm asking because it's 1:30AM on Sunday night - I should have been in bed long ago, getting rested and refreshed so I can get up early and be prepared for class tomorrow. Instead, I'm still up, cramming for an exam and trying to catch up on the huge pile of things I didn't do this weekend because I spent literal hours on Pinterest, watching YouTube videos, and playing on Facebook.

I have struggled with spending too much time on the Internet almost since I got my own laptop, five or six years ago. But this year in particular, I've noticed it getting much worse. I'm starting to miss assignments, turn in shoddy work, and spend late nights like this one, cramming, all because I've eaten up my best time on Facebook or watching yet another music video about the Reichenbach Fall.

I'm worried.

My first impulse when pondering the problem is to have my sister change all of my passwords and keep me off of everything for a couple of months until I learn to control myself; but I can't do that for my biggest black hole, Facebook, because one of my duties as an officer in my student organizations is to update the Facebook pages and communicate with other officers. I've tried to set time limits for myself, but they typically last about three hours (until my morning's classes are done and I have a half-hour break for lunch).

The other thing that worries me, and I'm going to confess this very humbly and honestly, is that I don't just
spend hours on Pinterest looking at crafty things and recipes. I'm looking at Josh Groban and Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. Now, I'm a very prudish person, and I doubt that any of my starstruck fantasizings would ever meet anyone's standards for inappropriate; but it doesn't matter, because I'm still dedicating huge amounts of time and brainpower to unsaved men who have no idea I exist. My devotions typically last about 5-10 minutes in the evening. My YouTube reveries last hours.

So I'm really not sure what to do at this point. Ask someone to help me stay accountable on my time limits? Write out a schedule for my day and force myself to stick to it? I do pray for help, but when my mind is so full of fluff, my prayers usually come out pretty fluffy too. I feel like I spend every day nagging myself to get to work, get off the Internet, quit listening to that song, listen to something besides Josh Groban, don't daydream during exams, get off Pinterest during lecture ... it's very frustrating.

Father, I'm so sorry for how I've been wasting and abusing the time You've given me, such a precious gift. Please forgive me and show me how to break these bad habits so I can come back to full, intentional fellowship with You and be attuned to the world around me!

Confusedly,
Vicki

Hello from Crazyland!

A little sketch I did a while back ...  :-)

Well, hello there, everybody (read: the 1.3 people who still check this blog occasionally)! I see that it's been several months since I've posted a real update on what's going on with my life ... I have no idea if you even care after this long, but just in case there's someone out there who does, I thought I'd drop in and tell you about some of the things that I'm up to!

Firstly, I want to say THANK YOU for all of the sweet comments I've received over the last couple of months - some of you I've thanked personally, some I haven't, some I've meant to thank and forgotten ... but I want you to know that I've read each and every one of them, and I'm going to try to do better at responding from here on out.

Today I'm on fall break, yay ... although it's been weird to have a day in which I didn't have to do anything, because the first six weeks of classes have been so full! I'm taking a full-time class load, still working several jobs, and being an officer in several student organizations. I'm preparing to give a speech completely in Spanish, give some crafting lessons to my friends, and organize a lecture series on campus; I've done late-night dissection labs in between thunderstorms, played in concerts, babysat, and learned a bunch of new and encouraging things by going to Bible studies with friends.

Yet, for all that, I will humbly confess that I have been much less productive and much more Internet-addicted than I have been in semesters past. Facebook in particular has been a huge black hole for me. I never believed in Internet addiction until I was woken up at 3AM by a thunderstorm a few weeks ago and automatically reached over to check Facebook - and stayed on it for half an hour. I've been working on trying to set up controls for myself, to only spend a certain amount of time online each day, but so far it hasn't been working well.  :-P

What has been working well is that I've been trying to take time to "reconnect" each day with things that I really love to do, things besides the Internet, like taking walks and sketching. This weekend my family and I took our first drive in many weeks, and I took some beautiful pictures and spent almost two hours writing in my journal. Here are a few of the photos I took:

Hmm, let's see, what else ... I read a lot of incredible books during the last few weeks before school started, including The Phantom of the Opera, Silas Marner, and Wuthering Heights. All of them were incredible, and I can't wait for Christmas break so I can go back and read some of them again! I've also been branching out a bit in my TV consumption, having watched the original Thor movie for the first time lately (didn't like it), and being wheedled, tempted, and encouraged by both real-life and online friends into checking out Doctor Who and the BBC Sherlock shows (do like those).

And I would say that that's pretty much all I can come up with at this hour of the night ... but it probably gives you an idea of why I haven't been blogging lately! I have probably seven or eight half-posts that I'm going to try to finish as soon as I can, but they're just more musings on stuff.  :-}

I hope you're all doing well! Please feel free to drop me a line and tell me what you've been up to - I've missed your sweet fellowship a lot over the last few weeks!!

Have a wonderful night and a great rest of the week! Sending big cyberhugs your way!

Lots of love,
Vicki

For love of Star Trek

I love Star Trek.


I've sampled other sci-fi fandoms - I very much enjoy Star Wars, am interested in the BBC Sherlock and don't mind all the wild-eyed pictures of David Tennant as the Doctor. But no show, no fandom will ever be to me what Star Trek's original series is.

I already eloquently declared my love for Star Trek in an earlier post, which I would encourage you to read. There are a lot of good things going on in Star Trek, and it always leaves me feeling inspired, warm and fuzzy.

So today, I would like to share a few of those warm fuzzies with you, by inviting you to partake of my favorite fan tributes to Star Trek TOS. Please enjoy.

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(This video is set to a song by the singer P!nk, whom I definitely do not endorse; but this song is clean and it fits Bones and Spock very well.)



This one is one of my favorites - too awesome!!






*Happy tears* :'-}



Dear Scotty ... :'-}



The great Captain Kirk, in all of his ... *ahem* ... glory.



Bones' most epic moment!!



One of the most painful moments in motion picture history. Still makes me cry every time I watch it. :-(



And to close, my favorite part of my favorite episode. Because they are all selfless, courageous, and committed to each other's friendship. And that is why I love the show.

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I hope you enjoy!!! Have a wonderful Thursday, my friends!

Love, Vicki

Name That Movie! Answers

Hey everyone! So, here are the grossly overdue answers to the Name That Movie! quiz that I posted up a few weeks ago ... you all did great!!

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#1:
Saboteur (1942)

#2:
Stalag 17 (1953)

#3:
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

#4:
Stagecoach (1939)

#5:
Wuthering Heights (1939)

#6:
Gaslight (1944)

#7:
Key Largo (1948)

#8:
My Darling Clementine (1946)

#9:
Captain Blood (1935)

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Here's the movies that each of you guessed correctly:

Alex - #2, #7
Erica - #5
Jessica - #9

Good job on your victory, Alex, and thanks to all three of you for taking a shot at such a tough quiz!!

Would you like me to do it again sometime?  :-)

~ Vicki