My Life and Times

16 Things

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:53:13 GMT

A friend of mine passed this to me on Facebook. I modified it for lj.

16 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me

Rules: You are supposed to write an entry with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.

1. I am totally phobic about driving. I can eventually get less freaked driving a well known route but it never completely goes away.

2. I still own most of my favorite stuffed animals from childhood. I am particularly proud of my Littlefoot from the original Land Before Time release.

3. Instead of listening to the radio while driving, I retell stories of my childhood like someone is listening in the passenger seat.

4. When I was a kid I would often accept blame for things I didn't do as a way of getting others to like me

5. The smell of hospitals makes me cry.

6. I am an obsessive list maker.

7. I love to dance even though I'm not good at it.

8. When getting blood drawn, I freak out if I can't watch it being done.

9. My favorite cheese is Dutch Havarti

10. I prefer grey cats to any other color.

11. I can't sleep before midnight most days no matter how early I get up or how tired out I am.

12. I truly despise both It's A Wonderful Life and The Wizard of Oz.

13. I still buy the occaisional coloring book or set of paper dolls for myself

14. I am more afraid of fire then anything else.

15. My favorite holiday is Halloween

16. I like to do latch hook projects.

The Thanksgiving Comedy of Errors

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:19:20 GMT

As the title might suggest my Thanksgiving did not go as well as it could have. I've rarely had an event that so closely resembled the plot of a holiday comedy. The day really started the day before. Due to an emergency, Casey had no time to do the usual payday ritual of coming to get me so I could get cash and do the laundry. This meant I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving to run to the one laundromat in the area with holiday hours. Not amusing, especially when the manager was twenty minutes late opening the place up and it was 29 degrees. After two hours the laundry was done and the rest of the morning and early afternoon went fine. I was really looking forward to leaving for dinner. We'd made a reservation at one of the best restaurants in town. The drive was about a half hour from the house and we were having fun singing along to the Christmas songs on the radio. We were happily discussing driving to a local light display later in the evening as we pulled into the restaurant's drive. That was when steam began to shoot from under the hood. The water pump had cracked. Annoyed we parked the care and walked into the restaurant debating whether to attempt driving home after or calling the tow truck after dinner. After finding out that they were behind schedule in the seating we were handed a pager and decided to look around the gift shop while we waited. I turned to answer a question that Casey asked and didn't notice that a draft from the overhead vent had blown the corner of my long flowing sleeve into a lit candle! Casey noticed the smoke and figured it out before any serious damaged was caused. A part of the sleeve melted onto my arm and caused a couple small second degree burns and the blouse was trashed. You would have thought I'd turned into the Human Torch the way the gift shop manager and ladies room attendent freaked out. Luckily nothing else went wrong and dinner was wonderful. We were even able to drive the car home. I only had to deal with my arm stinging all night and even that is gone now. I suppose the thanks I should give after all this, is thanks that we managed to survive.

First Star Trek Pictures! Squee!

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:24:25 GMT

I am totally geeking out right now. I just found a link on Digg to the first official pictures from the new Star Trek movie!

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/15/star-trek-reveals-galore-kirk-spock-nero-full-cast-and-more/

I must say the new Kirk is HOT!

Joe the Plumber

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:04:26 GMT

I'm fairly sure most of you have at least a passing aquaintance with Joe the Plumber from Ohio. He's been mentioned at least once a day somewhere since Obama's swing through Ohio last weekend. If you haven't heard the story by now, this guy named Joe who is a plumber asked Obama if his proposed tax plan would hurt him since he plans to buy a business that will make more than $250,000 per year. John McCain has used this exchange to try and show that Obama's policies are going to hurt Joe and others like him. Joe got some serious air time during the debate tonight courtesy of McCain who promptly beat the whole Joe exchange farther into the ground than it already has been. He addressed Joe directly a few times throughout the night as well as refrencing him indirectly. I'm sure he thought it would be a nice touch, but to be honest it just made him sound sort of wacky. Joe was also mentioned a couple times by Obama. I actually can't wait for the interview with Joe that is now almost a certainty. I'd like to hear what he thinks of his sudden role as the face of the everyman. Enjoy your moment in the spotlight Joe.

This was fun!

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:00:02 GMT

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now (even if we don't speak often or ever) please post a comment with a completely made up, fictional memory of you and me.

It can be anything you want - good or bad - but it has to be fake.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph in your LJ and see what your friends come up with.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #1

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:36:31 GMT

Hey everyone :) Today's the day I'm revealing my number one literary character! I don't think she'll come as a surprise for most of you who know me. My all-time favorite literary character is....Elizabeth Bennet

1. Elizabeth Bennet
AKA: Lizzie
Featured In: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Biography:

Elizabeth Bennet was born at Longbourn Estate in Herfortdshire, England. She was the second of five daughters born to Mr Bennet, a gentleman, and Mrs. Bennet. Elizabeth's family has neither the great fortune nor the societal connections that will enable the girls to marry particularly well without a great deal of luck. Elizabeth is her father's favorite. She loves her mother but has developed a perpetual attitude of resigned exasperation to her efforts to connect the girls with rich men. When Elizabeth is twenty, Mr. Charles Bingley, a very wealthy young man, moves into Netherfield, an estate close by, with his two sisters, his brother-in-law, and his best friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Elizabeth is insulted by Darcy at a local ball and the two settle into a mutual dislike. As her sister, Jane's, relationship with Mr. Bingley grows, Darcy begin to appreciate Elizabeth's many charms. Elizabeth herself develops an attraction to George Wickham, a soldier stationed in a nearby village. He tells her that Mr. Darcy cheated him out of a living as a parson that he was to inherit from Darcy's father. She believes the story and dislikes Darcy even more than before. While this is going on, Mr Collins (Mr. Bennet's nephew who will inherit Longbourn) comes for a visit. Elizabeth finds him absurd and refuses his proposal of marriage. Elizabeth's best friend Charlotte eventually accepts him. During the visit, a ball is held at Netherfield in which Elizabeth watches as her family, with the exception of herself and Jane, make fools of themselves. Soon after Bingley and his party depart suddenly and apparently have no intention of coming back. In the spring, Elizabeth leaves to visit Charlotte in her new home and encounters Darcy, who is visiting his aunt. By coincidence Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine de Burgh, is Mr. Collins's patroness so the two are thrown together often. Elizabeth also meets Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy's cousin. The Colonel accidentally reveals that Darcy was responsible for seperating Bingley from Jane as he believed that her family made her an unsuitable bride. Later, Darcy visits Elizabeth and professes his love for her in spite of his reservations about her fortune and connections. She refuses his proposal, throws her knowledge of his interference with Jane and Wickham's story in his face, and derides him for his rude manner. He leaves but the next morning, he delivers a letter to Elizabeth that takes credit for keeping Bingley away from Jane and gives her the real story about Wickham. He asked for money in place of the living, which he did not want and then tried to run off with Darcy's fourteen-year-old sister, Georgiana. Elizabeth goes home and after thinking on it decides that since Wickham will be leaving soon for summer quarters in Brighton that it isn't necessary to reveal his character to the neighborhood. In the summer, Lydia, the youngest Bennet girl, leaves to visit with Colonel Forester's wife in Brighton and Elizabeth leaves on a tour of Derbyshire with her beloved Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. By another coincidence, the village where they intend to visit is near Darcy's estate of Pemberly and Elizabeth encounters him again. By this point, her feelings toward Darcy are undergoing a change and Elizabeth enjoys his company and that of his sister. The situation is complicated by a letter Elizabeth receives announcing that Lydia has run off with Wickham. She leaves, knowing that she is in love with Darcy and that Lydia's situation has destroyed all hope of a match. Lydia is eventually found and her honor restored by a quick marriage. The couple visits Longbourn on the way to Wickham's new post and Lydia reveals Darcy was in attendence at her wedding. Elizabeth pursues the matter and finds that Darcy was responsible for finding Lydia and bringing about her marriage. On the heels of this surprise, news reaches the family that Bingley is returning. All is soon resolved between Jane and Bingley and Elizabeth rejoices in her sister's happiness. A day or two later Elizabeth receives a visit from Lady Catherine. She rudely attempts to warn Elizabeth off of her nephew, but Elizabeth will not bow to demands that she forever seperate herself from Darcy. Darcy, who is still in love with Elizabeth as ever, returns soon after and Elizabeth finally accepts his proposal. She is married to Darcy in a double ceremony with Jane and Bingley.

Why She is On the List:

Elizabeth was the first literary heroine I ever had. I was seven years old and my mother ordered me a set of illustrated classics. I read Pride and Predjudice until the cover was so faded you could barely read the title. I read the actual book in fifth grade. Elizabeth was my guide into a world that has captivated me ever since. I loved the way she managed to be independent in a time that valued conformity. She got everything she wanted and never had to comprimise. No other character has ever given quite the same sense of wonder.

Quotes: (Obviously these are all from the same book, lol)
"Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in your life."
"I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think."
"I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder. With your good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! - Conversation between Jane and Elizabeth
"I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies (if such young ladies there are) who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time. I am perfectly serious in my refusal. You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so." - Elizabeth's refusal of Mr. Collins
"I certainly have not the talent which some people possess," said Darcy, "of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done."
"My fingers," said Elizabeth, "do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women's do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault- because I would not take the trouble of practising..." - A conversation between Elizabeth and Darcy at Rosings (the De Burgh estate)
Elizabeth felt herself growing more angry every moment; yet she tried to the utmost to speak with composure when she said: "You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner."
She saw him start at this, but he said nothing, and she continued: "You could not have made the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it."
Again his astonishment was obvious; and he looked at her with an expression of mingled incredulity and mortification. She went on: "From the very beginning— from the first moment, I may almost say— of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry." - Elizabeth's refusal of Darcy
"You are then resolved to have him?"
"I have said no such thing. I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me."
"It is well. You refuse, then, to oblige me. You refuse to obey the claims of duty, honour, and gratitude. You are determined to ruin him in the opinion of all his friends, and make him the contempt of the world."
"Neither duty, nor honour, nor gratitude," replied Elizabeth, "have any possible claim on me, in the present instance. No principle of either would be violated by my marriage with Mr. Darcy. And with regard to the resentment of his family, or the indignation of the world, if the former were excited by his marrying me, it would not give me one moment's concern— and the world in general would have too much sense to join in the scorn." - A conversation between Elizabeth and Lady Catherine.
Fascinating Fact: If you are interested in a continuation of Elizabeth's story, there are many sequels to Pride and Prejudice by other authors. My personal favorites are Mr Darcy Takes a Wife and Elizabeth and Darcy: Nights and Days at Pemberly by Linda Berdoll.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #2

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:23:58 GMT

Good morning! Thanks to a power and electrical outage I've been offline. Today, I'll be resuming the countdown with ny number 2, Hermione Granger.

2. Hermione Granger
AKA: Hermie
Featured In: The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Biography:

Hermione Jean Granger was born on September 19, 1979. She is the only child of two muggle dentists. Nothing much is written of Hermione's early childhood except that she was very bright. At age eleven, Hermione received her acceptance letter to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is on the Hogwart's Express that Hermione first meets Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. At school Hermione is assigned to Gryffindor House and quickly becomes known as the brightest witch of her age due to the fact that she gets higher marks then anyone else in every subject. Though Ron and Harry intially dislike her because of her know-it-all attitude, the three become friends after they defeat a mountain troll in a school bathroom. Hermione is instrumental in finding the identity of Nicholas Flamel and helping Harry to figure out that The Sorcerer's Stone is hidden at Hogwarts. During the final battle to protect the Stone from falling into Voldemort's hands, Hermione is the one who defeats both Professor Sprout's devil's snare and Professor Snape's potions riddle to help Harry reach the Stone. In her second year at the school, Hermione assembles the Polyjuice Potion that enables Harry and Ron to find out if Draco Malfoy is responsible for the attacks on muggle born students. She mistakenly uses a cat hair in hers and is briefly confined to the medical wing while the effects are sorted out. It is also Hermione who first realizes that a basilisk is responsible for the attacks and figures out that it is using the pipes to travel around the school. Unfortunately, she is paralyzed by the monster before she can reveal it to anyone. However, she was carrying the page with her findings in her hand and Harry and Ron manage to get it and use it to defeat the basilisk and its controller. At the end of her second year, Hermione chooses to take all of the extra subjects offered to the third year students and is given a time-turner to make it possible. Her stress increases due to her kneazle/cat hybrid, Crookshanks's, repeated attempts to attack Ron's rat, Scabbers. When it looks like he finally manages to do so, Hermione becomes estranged from Ron and by extension, Harry. Hermione then takes on the defense of Hagrid's hippogriff, Buckbeak, after it is accused of being a dangerous and out-of-control animal by Lucius Malfoy. She is the first to figure out the the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, is a werewolf. She chooses to keep it to herself until the trio's confrontation with Sirius Black, the escaped convict they all believe to be Voldemort's right hand man. Though she doesn't believe Sirus is innocent at first, she helps to subdue Snape and allows him to prove that he is. Later, she and Harry use the time turner to rescue both Sirius and Buckbeak. She also makes the choice to drop a class so that her day will be normal and she will not have to use the time turner anymore. In the summer between her third and fourth year, Hermione attends the Quidditch World Cup with Harry, Ron, and Ron's family. She is witness to the riot caused by death-eaters after the match. When the three return to school, Harry is chosen to become a tri-wizard champion by mistake and Hermione helps him prepare for the first task when Ron's anger and jealousy briefly seperate the two boys. Hermione really begins to grow up in her fourth year and her feelings for Ron begin to emerge. She is also persued by the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krumm. She accepts his invitation to the Yule Ball and is also the hostage he must rescue during the second task. Her social conscience emerges as well after she witnesses the plight of Winky the House Elf and she founds S.P.E.W. (Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare). She does not understand that most elves really are happy to work for their families. After Harry's return from his confrontation with a returned Voldemort she is one of the people that believes he is telling the truth. The following summer, Hermione is invited to stay at 12 Grimmauld Place, the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix and Sirus's home. She is there when Harry arrives and reveals to him that the Minister of Magic is directing a campaign to discredit both Harry and Dumbledore so that the story of Voldemort coming back will not be believed. After Harry is cleared of a bogus charge that nearly leads to his expulsion, the Hogwart's letters arrive and reveal that Hermione and Ron have been chosen as prefects. During the year that follows, Hermione does her best to help Harry in the hostile envronment that Hogwart's has become. Her essence of murtlap salve heals his hand after Professor Umbridge, the new DADA professor and the newly appointed High Inquisitor, tortures him. Her dissatisfaction with the DADA curriculum also leads to her encouraging Harry to teach a secret class in the subject with a practical approach. She then arranges for him to give an interview about his experience in the graveyard which rallies support. When Harry receives a vision that Sirus is in danger, she is one of the group that accompanies him to London. She aquits herself well in the battle against Voldemort's Death-Eaters, receiving serious wounds. Hermione's sixth year starts with an invitation to join the newly arrived Professor Slughorn's, Slug Club and a small rivalry with Harry in Potions when he begins to do better than she by following the handwritten instructions in the book he has to borrow. Her feelings for Ron also become more pronounced. She even hexes another classmate to make sure Ron remains Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Her jealousy when he begins dating Lavender Brown causes her to invite Ron's rival to a christmas party of Slughorn's. She makes up with him when he nearly dies due to poisoned mead. After Dumbledore's death, Hermione decides to go with Harry and Ron to hunt up the remaining horcruxes instead of returning to school for her seventh year. In order to protect her family from reprisals that might occur as a result, she modifies their memories so that they do not know they are her parents and sends them to Australia under the names Wendell and Monica Wilkins The hunt is difficult, but due to Hermione's planning and research it is easier than it would have been. After finding and destroying one Horcrux, The three are captured and Hermione is tortured by Belletrix Lestrange before being rescued by Dobby. Afterwards, she again uses polyjuice potion to become Belletrix and retrieve another horcrux from her vault. She destroys it when the three return to Hogwarts for the final battle. Just before the real battle starts, Hermione and Ron share their first kiss when Ron agrees that they can't order the house elves to die for them. During the final battle Hermione has a last confrontation with Belletrix Lestrange before Molly Weasley kills her. Hermione returns to Hogwart's after Voldemort's defeat to take her N.E.W.Ts and graduate properly. After graduation, she first works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to help disenfranchised creatures such as house elves. She later marries Ron and gives birth to two children, Rose and Hugo. She currently works for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Why She is On the List:

Hermione is just about the most awesome character in literary history. I loved her from the minute she entered the stage in Sorcerer's Stone. We know-it-alls have to stick together, you see. She is never trivialized or reduced to a cheerleader as many supporting female characters usually are. Ron and Harry are often more dependent on her than she is on them. She never hesitates to admit she's wrong and she never backs down when she's in the right. If I had my wish, I'd ask J.K. Rowling to do the series over again from Hermione's perspective. Who's with me?
Quotes: (I have one quote taken from each book in order)
"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled."
"Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world."
"Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy but Hermione got there first. SMACK! She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Harry, Ron, Crabbe and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again."
"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?
Her hair was coming down out of its elegant bun now, and her face was screwed up in anger.
Oh yeah? What's that
Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"
"Ron, just because you have the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all do."
"You've said to us once before that there was a time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?"
"Mudblood, and proud of it!"
Fascinating Fact: J.K. Rowling has stated in an interview that Hermione's drive to be the best at everything comes from a deep seated lack of self-esteem.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #3

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:56:27 GMT

Hi all! Enjoy my number three, Anita Blake. She and my number five were created by the same author.

3. Anita Blake

AKA: The Executioner, Ma Petite, My Little Animator

Featured In: The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Biography:

Anita was born in the American Midwest. Her heritage is Anglo/Germanic and Mexican. Her mother died in a car accident when Anita was a child. Her father later remarried and through this relationship Anita has a half-brother and sister. In her early teens, Anita accidently raised her recently deceased dog from the dead. Anita's father sent Anita to her maternal grandmother to learn a modicum of control over her abilities. Grandmother Flores soon realized that Anita was a necromancer as opposed to a regular animator. After teaching Anita what she needed to know, her grandmother encouraged Anita's Roman Catholic faith and voluntarily cut herself and her voodoo practices off from her granddaughter. Her motivation for doing so was a deep seated belief that to practice voodoo and be a necromancer would eventually turn a person to evil. Anita attended college and was briefly engaged during that time. After graduating with a degree in preternatural biology, Anita was recruited by Bert Vaughn. Vaughn owned a small company called Animators Inc., which was located in St. Louis and specialized in raising zombies for various legal and personal reasons. Because of Anita's talents and Bert's financial know-how, the company became a success very quickly. Anita also showed a talent for dealing with vampires and was trained to be a vampire slayer. When the Supreme Court decision, Addison v. Clark, declared vampires were considered human under the law, she was licensed as a vampire executioner. She is also put on retainer to the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team (RPIT) of the St. Louis P.D. Anita has few friends due to the fact that people tend to become casualties in her line of work. The humans she is closest to include Edward (a bounty hunter who specializes in the supernatural), Veronica "Ronnie" Simms (a P.I.), and Catherine Maison-Gillette (a lawyer). A case Anita is hired to investigate leads to her meeting Jean-Claude who eventually becomes Master of St. Louis. He also attempts to make Anita his willing human servant, going so far as to give her three of four metaphysical "marks". Anita resfuses him often at first, even dating Richard Zeeman, a local teacher and also a werewolf. Jean-Claude forces her to date both of them before she makes a choice. With each adventure Anita's powers as a necromancer increase as do her ties to St Louis's monsters. Eventually she forms the first of two triumvirutes of power which enhance her talents further. The first, with Jean-Claude and Richard, causes her to manifest traits common to both vampires and werewolves without actually becoming one. It also leads to the "marks" being restored after Anita had managed to get rid of them. Richard makes her his lupa (mate to the leader of a wolfpack) and she remains in the position despite their eventual break-up. She also assumes the title of Nimir-Ra (leader and protector) to the local were-leopard pard despite the fact she is human. This leads to a relationship with a man called Marcus, who Anita invited to town to take the burden of leading the leopards. Instead he became her lover. He helped her discover that she is somehow prevented from being fully infected with lycanthropy though she has often been bitten by various shifters and acts as a carrier for several different strains. Currently Anita is involved with protecting the vampires of St. Louis and herself from an old and powerful vampire called The Mother of Darkness.
Why She is On the List:

Anita is one of the most original female characters ever written. She enjoys many things that women are made to feel guilty for liking. She has no problem killing when she has to. I was fascinated from the moment I first picked up Bloody Bones from a library shelf. The blend of action, romance, and the supernatural in Anita's life make for a great read. I especially enjoy the way everything is written in first person from Anita's point of view. It's like she is sitting down and telling you her story. I am actually re-reading the series again as a refresher course before reading the newest book.

Quotes: (These quotes are taken from Guilty Pleasures, Narcissus in Chains, Incubus Dreams, and Bloody Bones)
"What are you planning?" he asked.
"I'm going to set the shed on fire." I splashed gasoline on the door. The smell was sharp and tugged at the back of my throat.
"With us inside?" he asked.
"Yes."
"I'd rather shoot myself, if it's all the same to you."
"I stepped out of the car on the rat king's arm, like a trophy wife--exept for the wrist sheaths and the two folding knives hidden in my clothing. Somehow I think trophy wives wear more makeup and less cutlery. But, Hey, I haven't met a trophy wife, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they know what I know, that the true way to a man's heart is six inches of metal between his ribs. Sometimes four inches will do the job, but to be really sure, I like to have six. Funny how phallic objects are always more useful the bigger they are. Anyone who tells you size doesn't matter has been seeing too many small knives."
"My life works for me right now, but it wouldn't work for a child.
Why, because you don't have a husband?
No, because people try to kill me on a semiregular basis."
"There's no one so self-righteous as someone policing someone else's morality."

Bayard had gotten us a black Jeep with black-tinted windows and more bells and whistles than I could even guess at.
"Some of these roads are not even paved. I thought you might need something more substantial than just a car."
I resisted the urge to pat him on the head and say 'Good flunkie'.
Fascinating Fact: Being a licensed Vampire Hunter gives Anita the same status as a U.S. Marshal.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #4

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:46:30 GMT

Good Evening and welcome to today's entry. My number four is Her Royal Highness, Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Crown Princess of Genovia.

4. Her Royal Highness, Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Crown Princess of Genovia

AKA: Mia, Princess Mia, Thermopolis, Freak

Featured In: The Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot

Biography: Mia was born and raised in New York City's Greenwich Village. Her mother is Helen Thermopolis, an artist, and her father is Phillipe Renaldo, whom she has always been told is a Genovian politician. In elementary school Mia met Lily Moscovitz,her brother Michael, and Lana Weinberger, her worst enemy. She also gets her beloved cat, Fat Louie, around that same time. Her father visits her fairly often and she spent every summer of her childhood in France with her father and Grandmother Clarice at Clarice's French chateau, Miragnac. By the time Mia starts high school at fourteen, she is a very socially concious vegetarian who helps Lily with her cable access show, hates the way she looks, fixates on becoming self actualized, and has obsessive crushes on both Josh Richtor (a popular senior) and Michael. Her life begins to change dramatically before her first month as a Freshman is complete. First her mother begins dating her Algebra teacher, Mr. Gianni (whose class she is already flunking). Then her father finds out that the chemotherapy and radiation treatments he received for testicular cancer have left him sterile.He reveals to Mia that he is the reigning Prince of Genovia and because he can have no more children that makes Mia his sole heir. In order to help her transition to this alteration in her lifestyle, Mia is allowed to remain a student at Albert Einestein High School provided she attend princess lessons with her grandmother,whom she dislikes. When Mia complains about the way the lessons interfere with her efforts to help Lily stage a boycott of a local deli, her father bribes her by donating a hundred dollars a day to Greenpeace. After Mia receives a new haircut and fake nails (so she'll stop biting hers) she and Lily have an arguement that results in the two not speaking. Instead of moping Mia makes friends with Tina Hakim Baba, a girl she always viewed as a freak because Tina had to have a bodyguard. When Mia's royal position is revealed to the press, Mia must attend school with a bodyguard of her own. Lily treats her horribly but Michael defends her and helps tutor her in Algebra. Then, to her delight, Josh Richtor dumps his girlfriend and invites Mia to the school's Cultural Diversity Dance. The date is a gigantic disaster, but it results in Mia making up with Lily. A short time later Mia is scheduled to do a television interview with a leading journalist and begins receiving e-mails from a secret admirer. During the interview she accidentally reveals that her mother is pregnant by Mr. Gianni. Clarice plans a fancy wedding, but the couple elopes. Mia then finds out that her admirer is not the one she really wants. As Christmas approaches, Mia dreads her presentation to the Genovian people during the holidays and trys to think of ways to dump her boyfriend Kenny so she can be with Michael. Due to a misunderstanding, Kenny dumps Mia, thinking she's in love with Lily's boyfriend Boris. Michael and Mia finally declare their feelings for each other at the school's Non-Denominational Winter Dance. After a less than stellar debut in Genovia, Mia returns home terrified that Michael might break up with her for someone who is better looking and more talented than she is. Her fears grow when she has to cancel a date to attend a function. Michael lays her fears to rest and she figures out that she is a talented writer. A spring break spent building houses in Appalachia, allows Mia to face the second semester of her freshman year in a good frame of mind, but everything goes downhill from there. At Mia's fifeteenth birthday dinner a handsome busboy is fired due to an accident that is the fault of Clarice's poodle. This prompts Lily to take up his cause and mastermind a protest. Michael adds to Mia's distress by telling her that even though is he a senior, he doesn't want to go to the Prom. When the protest balloons into a city-wide strike that threatens the Prom, Clarice helps Mia out by getting the Empire State Building for the night. Mia then blackmails Lana into letting Michael's band be the entertainment and allowing her and her friends to attend. During the dance, Mia's baby brother, Rocky is born. During Mia's summer in Genovia, she causes a diplomatic incident by releasing snails into the harbor as a form of biological control. When she returns to school, Lily pushes her to run for student body president. Much to Mia's chagrin, she wins. Mia is also scared that now that Michael is in college he will expect her to sleep with him. When the second semester of her sophomore year begins, Mia discovers that, due to the student body treasurer's mathmatical mistakes and the new school recycling program she started, the student government is short $5000. To earn the money, Mia is forced to play the lead in a theatrical production written by Clarice. Through her involvment in the musical Mia makes friends with J.P, a boy that she branded weird because she only ever saw him in the cafeteria picking corn out of his chili. Later, Mia gets slightly drunk and "sexy dances" with him during a party. Afterwards Michael is cold to her and Mia thinks that dancing with J.P. was the cause though she later discovers it wasn't. Mia's junior year starts out pretty well but then Michael tells her that a project he was working on attracted the attention of some important people who want him to move to Japan for a year or more to develop it. Mia fixates on the idea that he might stay if she sleeps with him, but when she finally tries, she finds out that he isn't a virgin and flips out. In her emotionally confused state, Mia kisses J.P. (who just broke up with Lilly). Michael sees this and Lily hears about it. In retaliation Lily steals the election from Mia while Mia goes to the airport to find Michael and apologize. She misses him and sends him an email instead. He replies that he would rather just be friends with Mia. The stresses of the past three years catch up to Mia in the form of severe depression for which she must attend therapy. She also begins to eat meat. This causes her to gain a few curves at last. As a result of her rift with Lily, Mia unexpectedly makes friends with Lana, who extends an invitation for Mia to address Domina Rei, an important women's society. While preparing for the speech Mia discovers that a previous Princess of Genovia had legally changed the country from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one to prevent it falling into the hands of her incompetent successor. Mia finds the document that Amelie hid in her portrait, but is prevented from making it public by her father. She asks Lily to help but Lily humilates her by yelling at her in the school cafeteria. Lili also admits to authorship of a website that Mia has discovered, ihatemiathermopolis.com. As a result Mia makes the decision to reveal the document during her speech. The act of standing up for what she believes is right allows her depression to begin to lift.

Why She is On the List: Very simply, Mia was me in high school. Therefore I really identify with her. I can totally remember that everybody popular thought I was a freak. I even had the bout with depression. The first time I opened the book I was amazed at how well Meg Cabot wrote this character. I was expecting something a lot less sophisticated, considering the target audience. The other thing that impressed me was the way Cabot used Mia to illustrate the many issues facing teenagers and young adults. No book I've read does that in such a truthful and witty manner. Mia is teh awesome!

Quotes: (These quotes are taken from The Princess Diaries, Princess in Waiting, Princess on the Brink, and Princess in Pink)

"My mom thinks I'm repressing my feelings about this. I say to her "No Mom, I'm not. I think it's really neat. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."
Mom says "I don't think you're being honest with me."
Then she hands me this book. She tells me she wants me to write down my feelings in this book, since, she says, I obviously feel like I can't talk about them with her.
She wants me to write down my feelings? Okay, I'll write down my feelings:
I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE'S DOING THIS TO ME!

So what I want to know is, if my dad's a prince, how come I have to learn algebra?

Arrived in Genovia. Due to large bagful of Skittles consumed on the flight over, almost barfed on official Genovian welcoming committee who came to airport to greet me as I disembarked from the plane.

Oh, she has got to be kidding. Describe a room? That, is our first assignment? DESCRIBE A ROOM? Does she have any idea how long I've been describing rooms creatively? I mean, I've described rooms in SPACE - for instance, in my Battlestar Galactica fanfic about Starbuck and Apollo finally Doing It.

"I sort of feel bad about lying to Tina, but it was only to make her feel better. And someday I really will get Prince William's real e-mail address for her. I just have to wait until somebody important dies, and I see him at a state funeral. It probably won't be long - Elizabeth Taylor is looking pretty shaky."

Fascinating Fact: Mia actually references the theatrical movies based on these books. She dismisses them as totally false versions of her life.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #5

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:16:20 GMT

Heya! Today we enter the top five with the first of two characters by the same author. Number five is Meredith Gentry. Enjoy!

5. Meredith Gentry
AKA: Merry, Princess Meredith NicEssus, Child of Peace, Besaba's Bane, Princess of Flesh and Blood
Featured In: The Merry Gentry Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Biography: Princess Meredith NicEssus was born at the Unseelie faerie sitheen in Illinois to Prince Essus, brother to the Queen of the Unseelie Court, and Besaba, niece to the King of the Seelie Court. Her heritage also includes human and some lesser fey. The human heritage unfortunatly made her mortal and kept her magic from developing as quickly as other sidhe.She was raised away from the Sitheen by her father to keep her safe from the sometimes lethal political manuevers in the court. When Meredith was seventeen, her father was assassinated and the perpetrators of the crime were never caught. Due to issues surrounding a broken enagement as well as several attempts on her life, Meredith secretly fled to Los Angeles. Her limited magic earned her a position with Grey Detective Agency (a firm specializing in magical solutions). She also enjoyed an intimate relationship with fellow detective and former selkie, Roane Finn. Meredith experiences the first growth of her magical abilities during sex with Roane when she accidently restores his stolen seal skin and gives him back the ability to shape shift. As a result Sholto, King of the Slugh, finds her. He claims he has been sent to bring Merry back to the sitheen, willing or not, but his actual purpose is to propose a marriage alliance so that both will be protected from the Queen's supposed wrath. Unable to deal with the thought of sharing Sholto, his lover and guard Nerys (a Night Hag) attacks Merry. This causes her to manifest true sidhe magic for the first time and develop a "hand of power", specifically the "Hand of Flesh" like her father. She reduces Nerys to a ball of flesh and escapes to encounter Doyle, a Raven (Queen's Guard) known as "The Queen's Darkness", with a real summons home. Once she arrives, the Queen, Andais, informs her that she is to be declared a possible heir to the throne alongside Andais's son Prince Cel. Andais's heir will be whoever manages to conceive a child first. Merry returns to LA with several men selected from among the Ravens to both guard her and get her pregnant. These men include Doyle, Frost (known as Killing Frost), Galen (a childhood friend) and several others. Meredith's way is cleared somewhat when Cel is sentenced to six months imprisonment for his part in several crimes committed in the mortal world. Meredith is then asked to participate in fertility ritual by a famous actress, Maeve Reed, who is an exile from the Seelie court. This is complicated when the Nameless, a magical creature made of all the fairy magic that was discarded so the fey could live in America, is released and sent after Maeve to keep her from revealing that, Taranis, King of the Seelie Court is sterile and as such should be deposed. Merry manifests the "Hand of Blood" and defeats it. Merry and her Guard end up absorbing the magic of the Nameless which increases their magical abilities. Taranis also begins to take a sudden interest in Merry. After several occurences in which she exhibits power far beyond even the most powerful fey, Merry discovers that she is a vessel for the Goddess and she is meant to restore Faerie back to its former grandeur. While returning to the Unseelie sitheen for a visit, Merry is gifted with the Queen's Ring. The ring's purpose is to select couples who are perfect mates to one another and should procreate. Merry agrees to sleep with any man the ring recognizes for her. During the visit, Merry saves her The Queen from an enchanment designed to make her so bloodthirsty that she will have to be killed and escapes another attempt on her own life. Then to add another level of difficulty a human reporter is found dead in the sitheen. Merry uses ordinary forensics to discover the killer when magic can't. All the while Merry's connection with the Goddess is bringing the sitheen back to life, though Andais does not like the fact that the new alterations make it more like the Seelie sitheen and asks Meredith to go back to LA. Meredith is allowed to take any member of the court who wishes to go, including Mistral (the Master of Storms). Maeve Reed offers to let them stay on her estate and during the fulfilment of a magical agreement with some of Merry's allies, it is turned into a third sitheen. All is well until Taranis accuses three of Merry's Guard of raping a Seelie woman. Merry meets him to discuss things and discovers that he has bewitched the U.S. Ambassador to the Faerie Courts to side with him. Taranis goes crazy and injures several of the Guard, including Frost and Doyle. After Frost chooses to sacrifice his lifeforce to the new sitheen, Merry discovers she is pregnant at last. The wild magic involved in the sitheen's creation has caused her to conceive twins fathered by six of her Guard(Rhys, Frost, Galen, Doyle, Mistral, and Sholto). While still dealing with this, Merry is kidnapped and raped by a completely insane Taranis. Merry is quickly rescued and holds a press conference to inform the world of his deeds.
Why She is On the List: Merry is simply a heck of a lot of fun to read about. What girl hasn't wanted to be a fairy princess? Not to mention the fact Merry gets to be adored by a ton of handsome men. It's like getting to actually be a part of every fantasy I've ever had. I will admit that the plot can get pretty thin at times, but I can deal with that. Not every book has to be War and Peace.

Quotes: (I am not sure of the particular book these quotes were in)
"Some choices you make with your heart, some with your head, but when in doubt choose heads over hearts, it will keep you alive."
"Never sleeping with someone who's mean or stupid and ugly is a judgement call because all three may breed true."
"Silence is not a lie, a sin of omission, but not a lie. Our cultures allow you to omit as much as you can get away with."
"A girl could never have too much jewelry or too much weaponry."
"I tried talking, when in doubt, talk, you never know what the enemy might let slip."
Fascinating Fact: Merry has alliances with several races of lesser fey including the Goblins, the Demi-Fey, and the Sluagh.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #6

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:58:50 GMT

Hey all :) Hope you've been enjoying the list so far. Number six is John Ross

6. John Ross

AKA: Knight of the Word

Featured In: The Word and Void Trilogy by Terry Brooks

Biography: Nothing is written of John Ross's childhood. His story begins in his days as a post graduate who is unsure of what to do with himself. During his travels through Great Britain he discovers a place in Betwys-y-Coed, Wales called the Fairy Glen. There he meets The Lady. The Lady is a representative of the Word (the collective forces of good) and she recruits John to fight to keep the balance between the Word and the Void (the collective forces of evil). She names him a Knight of the Word, one of the Word's most elite soldiers. After he returns home, he regrets agreeing to become a Knight and attempts to turn down the staff which represents his office when it is presented to him by a Sinnissippi indian called O'olish Amaneh. When John finally accepts, O'olish Amaneh cripples him so that he will always have to keep the staff near him. The staff is a magical weapon as well as a symbol, allowing John to fight the agents of the Void he encounters. However, its magic is not limitless and every time he uses it in the present there will be a point in the future that it will not work. Along with the staff John also receives prophetic dreams of a Void controlled future which provide him with clues to what mission the Word needs him to undertake and the consequences should he fail. During early July of 1997 John is drawn to Hopewell, Ilinois and a fourteen year old girl with magical powers named Nest Freemark. His dreams have shown him that her father is a demon and he is coming to claim her so that she will serve the Void. John must prevent him from doing so or kill Nest before she can become the powerful demon he sees in his dreams. During his time in Hopewell, John also attempts a relationship with a local woman named Josie. On July 4th, John and Nest confront the demon who releases an evil monster called a maentrog from an old tree. The battle saps John's strength and he cannot help Nest in her final battle with her father. Her spirit guardian, Wraith, kills the demon even though it was his creation. The change was due to the magical interference of her grandmother. John leaves on a bus the next day. Five years later, John botches a mission which results in the deaths of several children and attempts to forsake his service to the Word. He moves to Seattle, works for a man named Simon Lawrence (a local philanthropist), and begins dating a woman named Stephanie. His dreams are still present but now they are infrequent, including one in which a horrific part of the future occurs because he kills his boss. Around Halloween of 2002, the Word recruits Nest, now a nineteen-year-old college student and Olympic bound track runner, to convince him to return to his duties before he falls to the Void. If she can't, the Word has also sent O'olish Amaneh to kill him. John is framed for embezzlement and fired by "Simon" who then morphs into a demon and flees. John repents, takes back his office as Knight of the Word, and goes to kill him. Nest intercepts him with the information that the demon he saw is actually Stephanie. She used her shapeshifting abilities to forge the checks that were the evidence against John and to convince him that Simon was the demon. She hoped he would unwittingly kill Simon, an innocent, and complete his turn to the Void. Together, Nest (with the help of Wraith) and John destroy her. Ten years later, during the summer of 2012, John has a vision which instructs him to prepare for the coming of a Gypsy morph. The morph is a powerful construct formed from a rare magical conversion. John is instructed to capture it when it appears and help it to assume a final form before it dissipates in a month. The Lady tells him that if he succeeds, his service to the Word will be finished. In late November, the Morph matierializes and John captures it. After assuming many forms in quick succesion it stays in form of a young boy who speaks only the word, "Nest". Findo Gask, the powerful demon tracking John, hears this and realizes that they will be headed back to Hopewell. He beats them there and trys to warn Nest (now a twenty-nine-year-old, divorced woman and a retired Olympic gold medal winning track star) off, but she welcomes John and the strange little boy anyway. Gask does not realize at first that the child is the morph so he tries many tricks, including the forced suicide of Nest's childhood friend to discourage her and flush John and the morph out. He finally resorts to kidnapping both the morph and Harper, the child of Nest's friend. When John goes to rescue them he is poisoned by Gask and his accomplices. He manages to help Nest and Wraith defeat the Gask's henchmen as Gask himself realizes that he has had the morph all along. Ross distracts him long enough for Nest to figure out that the morph wants to take the form of an unborn child with her as his mother and complete the transformation. Gask assumes the morph dissipated and leaves. John dies of the poison while having a final vision of The Lady, who welcomes him home.

Why He is On the List: Most other fantasy heroes get showered in gold and glory. My attraction to John was that he didn't. He got a lifetime of hard work and there was a good chance that nothing he did would do any good in the long run. It was the first time I'd ever picked up a story with that kind of hero and it hooked me instantly. It hooked me so much that I kept reading when I found out that these books were prequels to the many Shannara series, which I dislike. It even got me to think about giving the Shannara books another chance. That's the mark of a truly great piece of work. I would tell any fantasy fan to read all three Word and Void books so they could fall just as in love with John Ross as I did.

Quotes: (The first and last quotes come from A Knight of the Word. The second is from Running With the Demon. The third and fourth are from Angel Fire East)

"Was he still, in the ways that mattered, a Knight of the Word? Did he possess courage and strength of will in sufficient measure that they would sustain him in the battle that lay ahead? He could not tell, could not know without putting it to the test. By placing himself in harm's way he would discover how much remained to him of the power that was once his. He did not think that it would be enough to save his life, but he hoped that it might be enough to destroy the enemy who had undone him."

"Who are you?" he asked impulsively
The man didn't move. "Owain. And you?"
"John Ross. I'm, uh, traveling about, seeing a little of the world. I was in graduate studies for a number of years, English and Ancient Civilizations, but I, uh,...I needed..."
"To come here," the man said quickly. "To come to the Fairy Glen. To see if the fairies were real. That is what you needed. Still need, for that matter. So, will you come, then? As I suggested? Come at night and see them for yourself?"
Ross stared at him, groping for an answer. "Yes," he said finally, the word spoken before he could think better of it.

"Fifeteen years later, and she still made him feel like this. A sweet ache filled him, then a small whisper of despair. No matter how she made him feel, it would still end in the same way."

"Bereft of family and friends, of loved ones, of relationships, of an existence of the sort other people enjoyed, he was one of the homeless he had worked with years before in Seattle. It was only natural, he supposed, the he should want those things that others had and he did not."

"I don't mean to argue with you on this, but you can't know what it's like if you're not me. You don't have to live with the dreams. You don't have to live with the responsibility for what happens if they come true." He shook his head. "It's a special kind of hell."

Fascinating Fact: Being a Knight of the Word runs in John's family. His ancestor, Owain Glyndwyr, was also chosen to become one.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #7

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:48:56 GMT

Good morning and welcome back! Number seven on my list is Ruby Landry Dumas Tate Andreas. Hope you enjoy this and I'll see everyone tomorrow for number six.

7. Ruby Landry Dumas Tate Andreas

AKA: La Ruby, Giselle

Featured In: The Landry Series by V.C. Andrews

Biography: Ruby was born in the bayou town of Houma, Louisiana. Her mother, Gabrielle, died in childbirth and Ruby was raised by her Grandmere Catherine, a well respected Cajun traiteur (healer). Many secrets swirled around Ruby's birth including the identity of her father and the reason Grandmere Catherine threw Ruby's Grandmere Jack out of the house on the night of her birth. Ruby grows to be a teenager, loving her life in the bayou despite its difficulties. Her two greatest pleasures are painting (she's very talented) and her budding relationship with Paul Tate, the son of the wealthy local businessman. Her world is soon changed dramatically by two revelations. First, she finds out from Grandmere Catherine that Paul is her half-brother. He was born as a result of her mother's rape by his father Octavious and then adopted by he and his wife Gladys. The second, which comes a few months later, is that Ruby's father was not a stranger who passed through town as she had always been told. He was, in fact, a wealthy Creole business man named Pierre Dumas. He fell in love with her mother on a hunting trip and they carried on a long-term affair. Grandpere Jack arranged for the sale of the baby to its father as he had with Paul. When Grandmere realized Gabrielle was having twins she surrendered one and then knocked Grandpere Jack out with a cast iron frying pan to prevent him from taking Ruby. After he awoke, she threw him out. Revealing this final secret, weakens Grandmere Catherine and she dies a few weeks later after making Ruby promise to seek her father in New Orleans. Ruby is pushed into doing so after Grandpere Jack attempts to sell her to one of his low-life friends as a wife. She arrives in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and meets her father, his wife Daphne, and her sister Giselle. Pierre welcomes her with open arms but Giselle and Daphne scheme to make her live miserable. She also meets Beau Andreas,Giselle's boyfriend. The two become romantically and physically involved which culminates in Ruby doing a nude portrait of him. After Giselle is crippled in a car accident, Daphne finds the painting and attempts to have Ruby secretly committed to a mental institution. Ruby escapes and her father decides to send both girls to Greenwood, a girls-only boarding school in Baton Rouge, to get them away from Daphne. Ruby fits in and makes friends with Abby (a girl hiding the fact that she is part black), Miss Stevens (her art teacher), and Louis (a blind man who is a member of the school's founding family). Giselle hates the school and attempts to make Ruby miserable enough to leave. Tragedy strikes again when Pierre dies a few weeks before the holidays. Giselle (who has secretly re-taught herself to walk) then attempts her final scheme to get them out of Greenwood by framing Ruby for sleeping with the school's handyman when it was actually Giselle who did so. Ruby's expulsion is prevented by Miss Stevens and Louis. Giselle retaliates by having Miss Stevens dismissed for improper conduct with her students. During the spring semester, Ruby discovers she is pregnant with Beau's child and narrowly avoids a forced back-alley abortion. She runs back to the bayou and gives birth to Pearl. Everyone is convinced Pearl is Paul's daughter. Nearly a year later she agrees to marry Paul, now a rich oil man, for security with the understanding that they can't live like husband and wife. Beau (who was whisked off to school in France by his parents after they found out Ruby was pregnant) marries Giselle, but rekindles his relationship with Ruby whom he truly loves. In a bizarre turn Giselle contracts a deadly disease and Beau convinces Ruby to take her place. Paul reluctantly agrees, brings the comatose Giselle back to Houma, and tells everyone she is Ruby. Giselle dies and a distraught Paul drowns in the swamp, prompting his mother (to whom he has told everything) to get revenge by sueing for custody of Pearl. She loses, Ruby reestablishes her identity, marries Beau, becomes a famous artist, and later gives birth to twin sons, Pierre and Jean. Jean later dies of a snakebite just after Pearl graduates from high school. Ruby temporarily leaves her family to finally bury some of the demons of her past and returns just in time to help Pierre recover from a coma brought on by the trauma of losing his brother.

Why She is On the List: To be honest this one falls securely under the heading of guilty pleasure. V.C. Andrews (or more precisely the ghostwriter writing under her name) writes pure schlok, but it is engaging schlok nonetheless. Ruby is a favorite character because I honestly just couldn't wait to see what peril she was going to have thrown at her next. I've lost and rebought the books three times and I reread them every couple years. I even read them while on a family vacation to New Orleans when I was sixteen. She captivated me so much I forced my mom and Nancy to drive me through the entire Garden District until I found a mansion that exactly fit the description of the Dumas mansion so I could take a picture. I've read most of Andrew's work but no other character of hers ever excited my imagination quite like Ruby does. She is definitely the literary equivalent to crack.

Quotes: (These quotes are from Ruby, Pearl in the Mist, and All That Glitters)

"If there is a heaven or a hell, I thought, it's right here on earth. We don't have to die to enter one or the other."

"Don't you want to read it first?" Mrs Ironwood asked.
"What for?" I said. "This is all a well rehearsed play, with the outcome predetermined."
"Then why continue it?" she demanded quickly.
Yes I wondered why continue it? Then I thought about Grandmere Catherine and about all the times she was called to face the hardest of challenges, the unknown, the dark; and how she always went willingly to do battle for what was right and what was good, no matter how terrible the odds against her success were.
"I will continue it so that all those who are part of this conspiracy can face me and have me lay heavy on their consciences," I replied.
Mrs. Randle's eyes widened with surprise and a little appreciation, appreciation she was sure Mrs. Ironwood did not see.

"I was just thinking of how small we are under the stars."

"Nina Jackson used to tell me there were far more devils and that was why we needed all the powders and the chants, the bones and good luck charms. Even Grandmere Catherine gazed into the darkness with the belief that evil lurked in every shadow and she had to be vigilant and prepared to do battle. Was that my fate too...to always do battle?"

Fascinating Fact: Ruby had recurring dreams about her baby months before she actually became pregnant.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #8

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:24:34 GMT

It's been a busy few days so I haven't had time to post the daily entry for this top ten list. Today is number eight, Stuart Redman.

8. Stuart Redman

AKA: Stu, East Texas

Featured In: The Stand by Stephen King

Biography: Stewart Redman was born in Arnette, Texas. The novel contains very little about his pre-virus life. His father died when he was seven, his youngest brother died a few years later, and his mother died of cancer just before he graduated high school. He gave up an athletic scholarship to stay home and support his other brother. He was happily married for a short time before his wife was diagnosed with uterine cancer. They had been married for eighteen months when she died. Stewart was at Hapscomb's Texaco station when Charles Campion (the first superflu carrier) crashed into the gas pumps. After being sent to the Atlanta Center for Disease Control with the rest of his friends and neighbors, he is found to be the first person that is immune to the virus. After the superflu breaches Atlanta he is sent to a secondary facility in Stovington, Vermont, He barely escapes with his life and meets up with Glen Bateman, Harold Lauder, and Fran Goldsmith. After figuring out that the dreams they have all been having are leading them to Hemmingford Home, Nebraska, he becomes the reluctant leader of a group which grows steadily larger as they travel first to Nebraska and then to Boulder, Colorado. On the way Stu becomes involved with Fran, even accepting the baby she is pregnant with by her pre-superflu boyfriend. In Boulder, he becomes part of the governing council backed by Mother Abigail. After the council is decimated by a bomb planted by a jealous Harold Lauder and his accomplice Nadine Cross, he is one of the four men chosen by a dying Mother Abigail to journey to Las Vegas for a final confrontation with Randall Flagg. Along the way, he breaks his leg and must be left behind according to the instructions they were given. This accident makes him the only one of the four to survive even though he nearly dies of exposure and pneumonia before being rescued by Tom Cullen. Once he and Fran are sure her newborn son will survive the two make plans to move back to Fran's home state of Maine.

Why He is On the List: Stu is just one of those characters you can't help but like. The way King writes him, he's the perfect example of person shaped for the better by tragic circumstances. Without the superflu, he would have lived out his days being nothing special. Because of it he reaches his full potential as a leader of men. I also like the fact that he isn't the smartest or the bravest or the most talented person in the book. He just happens to be the one who can make the hard decisions and make others see why it's the right one. I found him fascinating to read about and I wish King would write a sequel so I could see what happened to him.

Quotes: (As Stu is a man of few words these quotes are all short and to the point)

"Better turn off your pumps, Hap."

"Want to share my rock and watch the sun go down?"

"Don't worry about the gun. I ain't seen enough people to start shootin' em."

"I didn't get wise near soon enough, looks like, " Stu said. "Next time I will." He stood up, went to the window, and looked out. "You know, thats a half of what scares me, he said. "How wise we're all getting."

Fascinating Fact: One of Stuart's favorite books is Watership Down.

The Olympics: The Good, The Bad, and the Eye Opening

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:39:39 GMT

Okay, so I'm going to take a day of from the top ten list and blog about the Olympics. I watched a good bit pf the coverage. I DVRed at least a little from most stations showing the games. An impressive nine stations showed events this time through. I watched eveything from Gymnastics to BMX and here are the things I thought to be the best, the worst, and most enlightening moments of the games.

The Good (Things I Liked)

Michael Phelps: Damn, just damn. Eight gold medals in one of the most physically challenging sports on the program. For each medal he had to compete in two (400m or longer) to three (200m or shorter) races. For eight events that's twenty races and he often had less than half an hour between each. He also broke the record for most gold medals won by any athlete ever. To top it all off he was a genuinely nice guy. He gave his bouquets to his sister, always looked in the stands to find his mom, and never forgot to thank his teammates for relay wins.

USA Men's Gymnastics Team: These guys weren't supposed to medal without Paul and Morgan Hamm. Someone forgot to tell them that. They picked up a team bronze after having to use two alternates. Even the one alternate that didn't get to compete was cool. He was in the stands for every competition cheering at the top of his lungs. This was what the Olympic games is supposed to be.

Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin: They not only helped the Women's Team to a silver, they each walked away with a slew of individual medals. Liukin took the throne as reigning queen of Artistic Gymnastics with her win in the all-around. Johnson worked her butt off and finally got the gold medal she'd been hoping for in Balance Beam. China may have been dominant, but these girls proved that the U.S. still deserves its place at the top of the sport.

Chinese Women's Gymanastics Team: Despite the question of eligibility hovering around some of the athletes I have to say these ladies put on a heck of a show.

Chinese Athletes in the Games: I think the Chinese just put us all on notice. Coming in at the top of the gold medal chart and only ten medals behind in the total count, China emerged as a sports powerhouse this Olympics.

The Olympic Venues: For these games China erected venues that were not only state-of-art but stunningly beautiful as well. Who didn't think that both the Bird's Nest and Water Cube were among the world's modern archetecturial marvels?

Usain Bolt: Despite a tendancy to showboat and a really unoriginal nickname this guy was pretty darn cool. He shattered two seperate world records and claimed the title of World's Fastest Man for his victory in the 100m race.

Human Drama: This games was full of little known athletes pulling off impressive wins. Abhinav Bindra took home India's first gold medal since 1980. Samy Wanjiru won Kenya's first marathon gold. These and other stories like them are the reason we have the Olympics in the first place. My personal favorite of these lesser knowns was Oksana Chusovitina of Germany, the silver medal winner in Women's Vault. She competed for the gold medal winning Unified Team in '92 and for her native Uzbekistan later on. This is her fith Olympics and she is twice the age of most of the other competitors. She continues to compete to finance her son's leukemia treatments and had to move to Germany in order to secure those treatments.

The Bad (Things I Did Not Like)

Cheating China: It seems like the more of a front the Chinese Government tried to put up the more they allowed themselves to be seen for exactly what they are. First the opening ceremonies. These should be a no brainer with nothing that causes the slightest bit of controversy. Not with China apparently. We got fake fireworks and a lip-syncing scandal. Seriously, I keep wondering how they told poor little Yang Peiyi that they were going with someone prettier "for the good of the country". Yeah I bet that explanation totally prevented her from crying herself to sleep. The sound you hear is my eyes rolling at about a hundred miles an hour. Then of course is the age controversy with the Chinese female gymnasts. At first three and now possibly five girls might be under 16, the minimum age to legally compete in an international competition according to the International Federation of Gymnastics. An investigation is underway finally but I doubt anything will happen. China's known this has been coming for most of the games and I'll bet that all the paperwork will check out. As for my own personal opinion, I just don't know. They look too young but long term elite sports training (as these girls have had from age three in some cases) has been known to stunt growth and development. Whatever the case I doubt any evidence will ever be found that says they are too young. China's had enough time to falsify anything that might prove it.

Too Many Stars: In this Olympics especially I think that too much time went to promoting certain athletes. If your name wasn't Michael Phelps or Dara Torres than you might as well not even have competed in swimming. Not that I don't like both of these athletes, but Natalie Coughlin was a world record holder going in and she was barely mentioned despite an impressive run. Alicia Sacramone only got her moment of fame because her screw ups cost the US a team gold in Women's Gymnastics. We never heard the stories of Chellsie Memmel, Bridgett Sloan, or Samantha Peszek, all of whom were USA team members and world class gymnasts in their own right. Hundreds of athletes competed in these games. They deserve the same recognition as the superstars.

Equestrian Doping: Four of the athletes competing in the equestrain jumping competitions got busted for doping. Not themselves but their horses. Now I'm not a member of PETA or anything, but that is WRONG!!!! I could give two tenths of a crap if an athlete chooses to dope him or herself. Enjoy those mustaches girls and those breasts guys, you deserve them. But how, in any circumstance, can a person justify doping a defenseless animal? These douchebags deserve to get covered in the super sensitizing lotion they put on their horses and rolled in broken glass.

The Eye-Opening (Things I Learned)

Synchronized Swimming: I stumbled across this on Oxygen. I sort of made fun of this sport in the past until I learned a few facts. Did you know it takes ten hours a day in a pool to learn how to hold your breath and swim correctly in order to be competitive. Not only that, but a simple move takes two years to master. None of what these people did can be called simple in the broadest sense of the word.

Rhythmic Gymnastics: This event is also surprisingly complicated. These girls do things with their bodies that put contortionists to shame and they do it with a hoop, clubs, rope, or twenty feet of ribbon. Give me twenty feet of ribbon and I'll end up in a tangled mess inside of a minute. The team competition is especially impressive. The girls must form at least six complete formations and do at least eight exchanges (all the gymansts throw their props in the air and then they have to be caught by a different member of the team).

Table Tennis: For a long time this event was squarely in the "what the hell is this doing in the Olympics" category for me. Then I saw a story about it this year. Apparently table tennis was responsible for China reestablishing diplomatic relations with the U.S. after the communist takeover. Who knew?

Okay, so that's my take on the Olympics. See you all tomorrow with a continuation of my latest top ten.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #9

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:56:07 GMT

Hello everyone and welcome to my corner of the web. Number nine on the countdown is Kahlan Amnell Rahl. Hope you enjoy it.

9. Kahlan Amnell Rahl

AKA: Mistress, Mother Confessor

Featured In: The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind

Biography: Kahlan was born in Aydindril, the capital city of the Midlands (a loose confederation of kingdoms in the New World). She was born a Confessor, a magical being able to use her power to magnify even the tiniest spark of love in a person into a complete devotion centered around the Confesser who "touched" them. Confessors must hold their power in at all times. It is similar to the way a person might hold in their stomach to look thinner. Any relaxation of control including sex results in a release. Kahlan's father was the king of one of the kingdoms in the Midlands before being taken as her mother's mate. As a child, Kahlan had no friends except for the other Confessors. She was also encouraged to be strong and as such received very little comfort. She was still young when her mother died of a wasting disease. Her father died soon before and Kahlan was looked after by another Confessor and her daughter Denee, who became like a sister to Kahlan. Kahlan's powers were much stronger than most Confessors and because of this she was named Mother Confessor. Kahlan was an adult when D'Hara, another of the lands in the New World began an insidious campaign to control the Midlands. Once the boundary seperating the two lands failed, Darken Rahl (D'Hara's leader) began to kill all users of magic in the Midlands including the Confessors. His specialized quads succeeded in killing all but Kahlan. Realizing the gravity of the situation, most of the the wizards in the Midlands gave their lives to send Kahlan over a second boundary to Westland to search for the legendary First Wizard, once the most powerful wizard alive. Upon reaching Westland, Kahlan meets Richard Cypher, a woods guide. He saves her from a pursuing quad and takes her to his friend Zedd, who turns out to be the very wizard Kahlan seeks. Richard is appointed The Seeker of Truth shortly after. He and Kahlan devote themselves to defeating Darken Rahl and fall in love in the process even though both realize that her powers mean they can't be together. Richard's capture and supposed death cause Kahlan to spontaneously learn to invoke the Con Dar (Blood Rage). This is another testament to her vast powers as it should be impossible since her mother died before teaching her daughter how to call it. At the end of the first novel Kahlan and Richard learn that due to their unselfish and unshakeable love that her power cannot affect him, meaning they can be together after all. Kahlan later marries Richard and becomes pregnant with his child, though she loses it after being brutally attacked. She becomes a leader in the war against the Old World's Imperial Order in the later books and in the final trilogy becomes the subject of a chainfire spell that nearly wipes her from existence

Why She is On the List: I love Kahlan. She captured my attention from her first introduction and held it throughout the series. I hate to sound sexist, but most male fantasy authors can't write decent original female characters to save their lives. Most come off as sycophantic, clingy, bedwarmers for the hero. Kahlan is never marginalized and thus is always interesting to read about. In the beginning, she has more rank then Richard and quite often pulls it with him. She often talks him out of foolhardy decisions, serving as both lover and counselor. I also love the way Goodkind uses her to highlight the way society deals with a truly independent woman. She is often feared and disliked by "normal" women because she can't be controlled or made to conform to a man's wishes. She's simply one of the best female fantasy characters of all time.

Quotes: (To the best of my recollection, these quotes are from Wizard's First Rule, Stone of Tears, and Blood of the Fold)

"We all can be only who we are, no more, no less."

"I am dead. Only vengence can restore me! Only victory can return my life to me!"

"I will give you war; a real war, not a slaughter of women and children but a war lead by me, the Mother Confessor, a woman! War without quarter!"

"I'm going to cut these off. When I do, I don't want you to make a sound." (I can't find the complete quote on this. Suffice it to say she totally solidifies her bad ass status by next ordering him to eat them. And yes "them" is exactly what you think they are)

"But if you ever meet him, don't you dare tell him about this...pretending to be a spirit business. He has rather fussy views about such things. If you told him you let me run around naked with a thousand of your men, he would probably take your head off."

Fascinating Fact: Kahlan can speak all major and most minor languages of the Midlands.

My Top Ten Literary Characters #10

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:41:56 GMT

Hey! I'm back with an all new top ten list. This time around it's my top ten literary characters. Each entry will be broken down into sections as follows:

AKA: Nicknames held by the character

Featured In: Book or series in which he/she appears.

Biography: A chronological view of the character's life. The size of this section depends on my memory and the number of storylines they are involved in.

Why He/She is On the List: My personal reasons for the choice.

Quotes: Between four and seven quotes per character.

Fascinating Fact: A final tidbit about the character.

I will warn you that the biographies contain significant spoilers. To be nice I am putting these behind lj cuts. So without further gilding of the lily I present My tenth favorite character Tanis Half-Elven.

10. Tanis Half-Elven

AKA: Tanis, Tanthalas Kanan

Featured In: Dragonlance: Chronicles Trilogy by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. He is also a character various other Dragonlance subseries and novels including the Meetings Sextet, Dragons of Summer Flame, and the Preludes Series.

Biography: Tanis is the half-elven, half human hero of the Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy. His mother is sister-in-law to the Speaker of the Suns (the leader of the Qualinesti elves). According to the original Chronicles (whose information is considered more correct than other accounst by different authors), she is raped by human bandits who also kill her husband. She dies soon after Tanis's birth and he is never truly accepted by most of the elves. After passing his youth in Qualinost, the capital of Qualinesti, Tanis leaves and travels with Flint Fireforge, a well respected Dwarven smith who became a friend and father figure. During the intervening years, Tanis befriends Caramon and Raistlin Majere, their half-sister Kitiara Uth-Matar, the kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot, and Sturm Brightblade. Tanis also adopts the town of Solace at his home. A few years later Tanis and his friends seperate and search for evidence that the old gods have not abandoned Krynn. They promise to meet again in Solace in five years. The meeting is less than joyous and leads to Tanis and his friends going on the run with new aquaintences, Goldmoon (who holds a staff that is proof of the old gods) and Riverwind. Tanis becomes a widely worshipped hero due to his part in the War of the Lance that follows. He eventually marries his childhood sweetheart, Laurana Kanan and fathers a son, Gilthas, before dying tragically in the Chaos War

Why He is On the List: Quite simply Tanis is someone you can enjoy reading about time after time. I have read every book in which he appears at least once and the Chronicles themselves several dozen times. I love following his struggle between the two sides of his nature. I can relate to it because who hasn't had trouble figuring out who they really are. When he finally figures out that he doesn't have to define himself as being either human or elven I practically cheered. I also really got into his struggles with leadership. He was a natural leader, but he was never comfortable with having that kind of authority. He was just so different from any other hero I'd read about up to that point and that's what has kept me coming back.

Quotes: (The first, second, fourth, and fifth quotes are from The Chronicles Trilogy. The third is from the Legends Trilogy)

"It’s the sensible, logical thing to do, of course, which is why we don’t do it."

"The darkenss might conquer, but it could never extinguish hope, and though one candle, or many, may flicker and die, new candles would be lit from the old. Thus hopes flame always burns, lighting the darkness until the coming of day."

"The last war, I could afford bravery. I had nothing, so i had nothing to lose. But I have never wanted so much to live as i do now. I am like a miser, coveting the joy and happiness we have found, loath to give it up. I think of our plans, the children we hope for. I think of you, my beloved, and what grief my death must bring, and I cannot see this page for the tears of sorrow and fury that I cry. I can only ask you to let this consolation be yours as it is mine-this parting will be our last. The world can never seperate us again. I will wait for you, Laurana, in that realm where time itself dies. And one evening, in that realm of eternal spring, eternal twilight, I will look down the path and see you walking toward me. I can see you so clearly, My beloved. The last rays of the setting sun shining upon your golden hair, your eyes bright with the love that fills my own heart. You will come to me. I will fold you in my arms. We will close our eyes and begin to dream our eternal dream..."

"Don't judge Raistlin, Laurana,' Tanis said harshly, thrusting a torch into a bucket of water. The light vanished with a hiss. 'Things aren't always black and white, as you elves are inclined to believe. The mage has saved our lives more than once. I have come to rely upon his thinking- which, I admit, I find easier to rely on than blind faith!"

"Only the dead are without fear"

Fascinating Fact: Despite his mixed heritage, Tanis is the only one who can wield the ancient blade of Kith Kanan, founder of Qualinesti.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:01:56 GMT

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Genealogy search - Free genealogy

I'm thinking it should bother me that one of these is a man.

My Top Ten TV Moments #1

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:27:17 GMT

Okay folks, we've arrived at #1. Thanks to everyone whose been reading this. I know I said there were only two ties in the countdown, but I know you'll probably be okay with it if i add one more :)

1. Laura Roslin Comes Back From the Brink - Battlestar Galactica

Characters: President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell)
                   Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis)
                   Elosha (Lorena Gale)
                   Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos)

Scene Summary: During the battle to destroy the Resurrection Hub Baltar is injured. Laura, in an act of comapssion dresses his wound. When the pain medication takes effect he reveals his part in the destruction of the twelve colonies. In response Laura takes of the bandage and proceeds to let him bleed to death as he begs for his life. As he comes close to death and she prays, she is thrust back into the visons she's been having throughout the episode whenever the ship jumps. In this particular one, Elosha explains that she has to forgive and love in order to prove that the human race deserves to survive.

Thoughts: This scene is easily one of the best written for television ever. I'd loved the character of Laura Roslin from the start and I really hated where they had been taking her character prior to this scene. I understood it, I just didn't like it. Mary McDonnell, a hell of an actress in any circumstance, absolutly outdid her self here. I was getting chills as she prayed while Baltar bled out. I even felt honest to god relief when she made the right choice because I was so completely into the whole thing. Just an excellent, excellent scene.

Quotes: (These characters belong to NBC Universal. The dialogue was written by Jane Espenson. For the final time, I swear I'm not making money off this.)

(The battle continues as the Heavy Raiders and Vipers rush back to the Rebel Basestar. There's an explosion; the Centurion and Gaius fall. He discovers that he's bleeding and begins to cry, terrified. The battle begins to wind down; Marines bring Gaius back inside.)

Roslin: Put him over there. Wait. Easy, easy. Easy slim, easy. Okay. Find out what's going on!

Marine: Yes sir.

Roslin (bandaging him) Okay.

Baltar: Thank you, thank you.

Roslin: Good.

Baltar: Thank you, thank you. Thank you...

Roslin: Okay, wait. (She injects him with morpha and he yelps.) Okay. Sorry. You have this, uh... You have this big hole in your hide, as Cottle would say. Okay. All right. I'm gonna do this again.

Baltar: Thank you.

Roslin: It's the least I can do. I think you're gonna live. As usual.

Baltar: You know something?

Roslin: What?

Baltar: You're very pretty.

Roslin: Man, that morpha worked fast.

Baltar: Still... Do you know why I'm so serene right now?

Roslin (indulging and funny) You're doped out of your mind?

Baltar: Because I know God. You need God, Laura. Really, you'd be a different woman. I know God, therefore I know myself. Truth is... I was harboring the most awful, desperate guilt. A heavy, dark... Unimaginable, soul-breaking guilt. Now it's gone. Now it's gone, it's been transformed. Into ... I have been transformed.

Roslin: What was your guilt about?

Baltar: I have no guilt.

Roslin: What was your guilt about?

Baltar: I gave the access codes to the Cylons. They wiped out most of humanity. Of course, I didn't know that's what I was doing at the time, exactly, but that's what I did. And when I realized what I had done, the magnitude... In that moment, I was saved. I was loved. By God. Looking back... I think I was rewarded.

Roslin: Rewarded.

Baltar: Pythia talks about the flood that wiped out most of humanity. Nobody blames the flood, a flood is a force of nature. Through the flood, mankind is rejuvenated, born again. I was another flood, you see. I blamed myself. I blamed myself. But God made the man who made that choice. God made us all perfect. And in that thought, all my guilt flies away... Flies away, like a bird. I can give you that peace, Laura, that freedom. Pray with me. Pray with me.

Roslin: Okay.

Baltar: Thank you.

Roslin: Okay...

(She sits down to think, having nearly fainted during all that. She watches his blood drip down onto the floor, and makes her way back to him, tenderly removing the bandage from his abdomen.)

Baltar: What are you doing?

Roslin: Shh.

Baltar: What are you doing?

Roslin: It's all right. You're fine. Shh! You're fine.

Baltar: Don't do this to me. Don't do this to me, please.

(His blood pours out in a flood.)

Baltar: Don't do this to me, don't... Don't do this to me. Don't do this to me, please. Please. No.

(Roslin's hands are folded in prayer as he dies) No...

(Jump.)

Jump

Elosha (over Laura's deathbed) I'm not saying Baltar's done more good than harm in the universe. He hasn't. The thing is, the harder it is to recognize someone's right to draw breath, the more crucial it is. If humanity is going to prove itself worthy of surviving, it can't do it on a case-by-case basis. A bad man feels his death just as keenly as a good man.

Roslin: What do you want from me here?

Adama: Laura.

Elosha: Just love someone.

Roslin: Love. Huh.

(Dying Roslin flatlines. Bill begins to weep, and kisses her lips. He falls beside her.)

Adama: You go. You go. You go to your rest now. I'm not gonna be selfish anymore. You go. Rest.

(He takes off his wedding ring and puts in on her finger. Laura is moved. Jump.)

Basestar/Corridor

(The bandage is still on the floor. She puts on her glasses, panicking.)

Roslin (taking Baltar's pulse) No. No. Please, no. Stop bleeding. Stop the bleeding, stop the bleeding... Oh! (He stirs.) Okay, good. Don't go...

(Laura talks herself through setting up a saline drip.)

Roslin: Please don't go, Gaius. Please. I don't know how... All right, put it in...

Roslin: No more. No more, don't go. Please don't ... die, live. Please, live. Don't go.

1. Cally's Death - Battlestar Galactica

Characters:Cally Henderson Tyrol (Nicki Clyne)
Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma)

Scene Summary: After finding finding out that her husband, Chief Tyrol, is a Cylon Cally goes completely around the bend. She attacks him, steals his access keys, and flees with Nicky. She goes to the airlock intent on killing both herself and her son. Tory arrives and makes what seems to be a sincere bid to talk her out of it. Once Cally has calmed and handed Nicky to Tory to hold for a moment, Tory knocks her out. When Cally awakes, she realizes that she is alone and locked in the airlock. She looks up through the glass of the control room to see Tory holding Nicky. Tory meets Cally's eyes and pushes the button to open the airlock.

Thought: Okay, I will admit that this is is in my top ten for less exalted reasons then the rest. The acting is admittedly top notch. Sharma, in particular, is awesome. I love the way she plays out Tory's whole hearted embrace of her Cylon nature. But that's not the reason I love this scene. I love this scene because I hated the character of Cally. She was possibly the most insipid and annoying role to ever grace a television screen. I felt extremely sorry for Nicki Clyne, who I could always tell was struggling to get above the matierial she was handed. It has to be really hard to play a doormat whose only flash of spine was attempting to kill herself and murder her child. Here's hoping Clyne is handed a role worthy of her talent in her next venture. Meanwhile I will admit I rewound this on my DVR about ten times just to enjoy the character's look of utter shock as she blows out an airlock.

Quotes: (See above disclaimer. The dialogue was written by Michael Taylor)

Galactica: Tyrol Quarters

(Cally enters, shoves the note back where it went, and begins to freak out.)

Cally: No, no, no, no. Frak! Frak!

(She hears the hatch open behind her and tries to compose herself, not turning around.)

Chief (softly) Hey. How you doing?

Cally: Fine.

Chief: You feeling okay?

Cally: Yeah, I'm fine.

Chief: You sure?

Cally: Yeah, actually, I am. Thought I was coming down with something, so I slept in.

Chief: Did you go see Cottle?

Cally: No, I'm feeling better.

Chief: Good. Look, I know it's been a rough couple of weeks. I know what you're thinking. It's not true.

Cally (terrified) It isn't?

(As he speaks, she remembers their life together.)

Chief: No. I'm not having an affair. I figured it out. I know what's important. You're important. Nicky's important. We're important. Us. That's really what it's all about, isn't it? Family, a future. Building that future together. I promise you from now on I will be here for us. The three of us. Maybe the four of us. You know, maybe someday we, we'll have another baby. What do you think? Another baby? A brother, a sister for little Nick? What do you think, buddy? Hey? Would you like a little brother or sister?

(Cally beats him mercilessly with a large wrench, grabs a launch key from his pocket and the baby, and leaves him for dead.)

(Cally ignores everybody as she walks through the corridors, holding onto the baby. She crosses the Hangar Bay and enters a launch tube airlock.)

Galactica: Launch Tube

(Cally stares out a porthole, into space, and then activates the lock panel with Nicky in her arms.)

Tory (appearing) Cally.

Cally: Stay the frak away from me! I know what you are. I know what all of you are. How could you?

Tory: We don't even know what we are.

Cally: I heard you. You're Cylons! A bunch of frakkin' skinjobs.

Tory (sighing) I wish it were that simple.

Cally (turning the key and closing the airlock behind Tory) I told you to stay away from me. Guess you better hope there's a spare body waiting for you.

Tory (holding her arms wide) You want to kill me? Go ahead. Don't do this to yourself or to your child. To Nicky.

Cally: Get the frak away! You're not getting your hands on my son! Not you, not Galen! He frakkin' used me!

Tory: He didn't know. None of us did. We didn't find out until we entered that Nebula.

Cally: Oh, shut the frak up, traitor! Frak!

Tory: All we know is that we're Cylons. But in every other way, we're still the same people.

Cally: You're frakkin' machines!

Tory (looking at her hands) I don't know. But I do know that we're not evil. We're not inhuman. And we're just as scared and confused as you are.

Cally (as Tory comes closer) I can't live like this! It's a frakkin' nightmare.

Tory (nearly weeping) You don't want to do this, Cally. He's your son.

Cally (falling to her knees) What have I done? I'm so sorry. Oh, Gods.

(Tory touches her shoulder as she comforts Nicky.)

Cally: It's okay. It's okay, Nicky. It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay.

Tory: Let's just get out of here. It's okay. We'll work this out together. It's okay.

Cally: Okay.

(Cally stands and Tory takes the boy. Cally weeps, and Tory knocks her across the tube. When she comes to, she notices first that Nicky is gone, then that the launch key is gone from the panel, and that she's locked in. She looks up and Tory is holding Nicky on the other side of the glass. Tory soothes the baby, and turns the key. She meets Cally's eyes for a moment, and then looks away and pushes the button. Cally is pulled out into space.)

So that's the whole shbang. See you all next time :)

My Top Ten TV Moments #2

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:50:13 GMT

Heya :) Today we have our #2 Moment. I hope you enjoy it!

2. The Death of Roy Fokker - Robotech

Characters: Roy Fokker (Dan Woren)
Claudia Grant (Iona Morris)

Scene Summary: Roy Fokker is wounded in a dog fight with a Zentraedi ace. It doesn't appear serious at first, but certain clues let the audience know that it's pretty bad. He receives treatment but as soon as the doctors leave him he disconnects the machine that is giving him a blood transfusion and goes to his girlfriend's quarters to keep the dinner plans they made. As Claudia is cooking she complains a little about his seeming non-chalance in combat situations. He responds my telling her he doesn't think of it as a game. Her back is turned as she responds to him and when she turns around it looks as if he's fallen asleep. She says his name trying to wake him, but he groans and falls face first onto the floor of the apartment. The scene fades to Roy covered on bed and medical personnel explaining to Claudia that he bled to death internally. The scene ends with a distraught Claudia falling beside the bed and sobbing over his dead body.

Thoughts: I can still remember the shock I felt when I first saw this scene. Cartoon heroes don't die, they just don't. It doesn't matter if they get shot at every day,they always come through and vanquish the enemy. The Japenese (Macross) version of this was even more raw. He actually bled to death. It was pouring out his back when he hit the floor. After rewatching the scene a few times I realized that this was an excellent commentary on the unpredictable nature of war. I also realized how brave it was to present. Truly killing a lead character in a cartoon was nearly unheard of in America at the time. The writing, voice acting, and animation in this scene were truly top notch as well. Robotech has many scenes of this caliber, but this was the one that's always stuck with me.

Quote: No quote or video today. I couldn't find a clip in either a dubbed or subbed format and transcripts are pretty non-existant.

See you tomorrow for the grand finale!

My Top Ten TV Moments #4 and #3

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:57:50 GMT

Okay, apparently weekends are bad for me to try to a daily anything. So, here are #4 and #3.

4. Dean Sells His Soul to Save the Life of His Brother - Supernatural

Characters: Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles)
Deal-Making Demon (Ona Grauer)

Scene Summary: Sam Winchester and his brother Dean are "hunters" who find and destroy supernatural creatures. Sam has been killed in a contest run by the yellow-eyed demon who has been attempting to corrupt Sam and his power of premonition since the demon murdered his mother when Sam was a baby. Dean decides to save Sam by returning to a crossroads where he once met a demon who offered him to let him sell his soul to her in order to save his father. He asks for the same deal in order to save Sam, but the demon has different terms. Dean gets one year before the demon collects and can make no attempts to weasel out.

Thoughts: This show is one of the few on the CW not entirely devoted to upper class snobs being assholes to one another. I decided to try watching because the guy who plays Sam was the guy who played Rory's boyfriend, Dean and I really liked the actor. From the first minute I was totally enthralled by the relationship between the brothers Winchester. It totally culminates with this scene. Ackles was awesome as a person willing to give everything up for the person who mattered most to him. I mean the guy didn't even hestitate to turn down the deal for his father and then showed the same lack of hesitation in taking a worse deal for Sam. Just awesome!

Quote: (These characters belong to Warner Brothers Television.The dialogue was written by Eric Kripke & Michael T. Moore.I don't own or make money of them.)

[CUT TO: Impala engine revving. Headlights turn on and DEAN drives recklessly. He stops on a dirt road and inserts several items into a box, including a photo ID of himself. He begins to bury the box in the middle of a crossroads. Several seconds pass in silence, as DEAN looks left and right.]

DEAN: Oh come on already. Show your face, you bitch! [Suddenly, a beautiful woman in a black dress appears.]

DEMON: Easy sugar, you'll wake the neighbors. Dean. It's so, so good to see you. [Inhales sharply] I mean it. Look at you. Gone and got your family killed. All alone in the world. It's too sweet. Excuse me, you're gonna have to give me a moment. Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the roses.

DEAN: I should send you straight back to hell.

DEMON: Oh, you should. But you won't. And I know why.

DEAN: Oh yeah?

DEMON: Yeah. Following in Daddy's footsteps. You wanna make a deal. Little Sammy back from the dead, and--let me guess-- you're offering up your own soul?

DEAN: There are a hundred other demons who'd love to get their hands on it. And it's all yours. And all you got to do is bring Sam back. And give me ten years-- ten years, and then you come for me.

DEMON: You must be joking.

DEAN: That's the same deal you give everybody else.

DEMON: You're not everybody else.[Whispering in Dean's ear] Why would I want to give you anything? Just keep your gutter soul. It's too tarnished, anyway.

DEAN: Nine years.

DEMON: No.

DEAN: Eight.

DEMON: You keep going, I'll keep saying no.

DEAN: Okay, five years. Five years, and my bill comes due. That's my last offer-- five years or no deal.

DEMON: [Leaning in for a kiss] Then no deal.

DEAN: Fine.

DEMON: Fine. [Walking away] Make sure you bury Sam before he starts stinking up the joint.

DEAN: Wait.

DEMON: [Softly] It's a fire sale, and everything must go.

DEAN: What do I have to do?

DEMON: First of all, quit groveling. Needy guys are such a turnoff. [Sighs] Look...Look, I shouldn't be doing this. I could get in a lot of trouble. But what can I say? I got a blind spot for you, Dean. You're like a... puppy. You're just too fun to play with. [Sighs] I'll do it.

DEAN: You'll bring him back?

DEMON: I will. And because I'm such a saint, I'll give you one year. And one year only. But here's the thing. If you try and welch or weasel your way out, then the deal is off. Sam drops dead. He's back to rotten meat in no time. So...it's a better deal than your dad ever got. What do you say? [DEAN grabs the demon and kisses her to seal the deal.]

[CUT TO: SAM's eyes open wide and he sits up on the mattress, looking around, confused, and breathing heavily.]

3. Richard in the Hospital - Gilmore Girls

Characters: Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop)
Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann)

Scene Summary: After he collapsed at the family Christmas party, Richard and Emily speak in his hospital room.

Thoughts: This was one powerful scene. Coming as it did about midway through the first season the scene was an absolute revalation to me. I was convinced from what I'd seen that Emily and Richard were a typical arranged marriage of the ultra rich. In this scene everything I thought was totally turned on its ear. Bishop and Herrman portrayed such a deep and abiding affection that I was just riveted to the screen. This scene defined how I thought about the characters for the rest of the series.

Quote: (These characters are owned by Amy Sherman Palladino and Warner Bros Televison. The dialogue is written by John Stephens. I just love them.)

EMILY: Well I finally found you some decent pillows, they’re not down but at least they give a little.

RICHARD: Emily, we need to talk.

EMILY: Can you life your head at all?

RICHARD: This is serious.

EMILY: Just a little.

RICHARD: There is a key in my top desk drawer.

EMILY: Better yes?

RICHARD: It is to the safe.

EMILY: One more time.

RICHARD: All of our stock information is in there, plus all of the insurance information.

EMILY: Now if I could just find you some different sheets.

RICHARD: Our will is in my lower left drawer, Denis has a copy in case there’s a problem.

EMILY: Maybe I could get Dava to bring some from home -

RICHARD: Emily, this is serious. We have to be practical.

EMILY: I’m gonna have Dava get those -

RICHARD: Emily listen to me, if I die -

EMILY: No!

RICHARD: Emily.

EMILY: Richard Gilmore, there may be many things happening in this hospital tonight but your dying is not one of them.

RICHARD: But -

EMILY: No! I did not sign on to your dying. And it is not going to happen. Not tonight, not for a very long time. In fact, I demand to go first. Do I make myself clear?

RICHARD: Yes Emily. You may go first.

EMILY: Good. I’m gonna get you those sheets. [picks up the phone as Richard takes her hand and holds it.]

Hope you readers enjoy these. Tomorrow I'll have #2 out for barring any emergencies :)

My Top Ten TV Moments #6 and #5

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:00:13 GMT

Hey all. It's a two for one day because I was too busy yesterday to get an entry done. Here's #6 and #5

6. Angelique Curses Barnabas - Dark Shadows (1966)

Characters: Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid)
Angelique (Lara Parker)

Scene Summary: After having been coerced into marriage by Angelique, Barnabas figures out that she is the witch that has caused such problems for his family. To end her reign of terror and get rid of her so he can be with his true love Josette, he shoots her. Certain that she is dying, Angelique curses Barnabas with vampirism.

Thoughts: Well hell, it's only one of the most well known storylines in both soap opera and sci-fi history. Frid and Parker were magnificent as one of the strangest couples to grace the small screen. Both were trained stage actors which is why their scenes remain awesome more than forty years later despite dated special effects and some pretty chessetastic situations. You'll see what I mean.

Quote: (These characters are owned by Dan Curtis. The dialogue was written by Gorden Russell and Art Wallace created the 1795 storyline in which this scene takes place. I'm not making money off this I promise.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAUFOWE8J_A

5. Radar Reports the Death of Colonol Henry Blake - M*A*S*H

Characters: Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff)
Rest of the M*A*S*H Cast

Scene Summary: The doctors of the 4077 are in the OR working after giving a rousing send off for the departing Colonel Blake. In the last minutes of the episode Radar enters and delivers the shocking and unexpected news of Blake's death.

Thoughts: Though I really love the final scene of M*A*S*H, it is this scene that I always think of when I think of the series. Its powerful statement about the total unfairness of war was absolutely heart rending. Burghoff and the rest of the regular cast acted their asses off portraying the shock of losing someone who should have been safe. Rumour has it that the reason this scene was shot was the fact that McLean Stevenson's wish to leave the series ticked off the producers who then inserted this scene as payback. I have to say that if that's true they screwed up big time and probably guaranteed that the character of Henry Blake will be remembered for a very long time.

Quote: (These characters are owned by 20th Century Fox. This episode was written by Everett Greenbaum, James Fritzell, Gary Markowitz, and John Regier. See above disclaimer for the rest)

Frank Burns: [a shocked Radar enters OR] Radar, put a mask on!
Hawkeye: If that's my discharge, give it to me straight, I can take it.
Radar: I have a message... Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake's plane
[starts breaking up]
Radar: was shot down over the sea of Japan... it spun in...
[starts crying]
Radar: there were no survivors.

See you all tomorrow with #4

My Top Ten TV Moments #6

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:44:52 GMT

Good Morning! For all of you reading this, here's #6

6. Odo and Kira Finally Get it Together - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Characters: Odo (Rene Auberjonois)
Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor)

Summary: After a disastrous "date" in the holosuite where Odo believed Kira was a hologram, Kira has finally come to the conclusion that she feels the same way for Odo that he always has for her. She seeks him out to invite him to discuss what happened, but an embarrased Odo picks a fight. The two egg each other on until they kiss on the promenade.

Thoughts: I'm pretty sure I was one of several hundred DS9 fans who jumped from the sofa and yelled "It's about damned time!" at their screen when this scene came on. For six seasons Auberjonois and Vistor's obvious chemistry had kept me on the edge of my seat. And this scene was perfect. I was so glad they decided to have an argument lead into the kiss. It was right on par with the sometimes volitile relationship between the two characters. It would have been all wrong for it to be overly mushy. Kudos to Auberjonois and Visitor for an amazing job with these characters.

Quote: (Paramount and Majel Barret Rodenberry own these characters and Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler wrote the dialogue. I'm just a rabid fan. Thanks again to Twiztv.com for the transcripts)

KIRA
You can pick the restaurant --
anywhere except a holosuite.

ODO
What about Shakaar? You think he
would approve?

KIRA
I don't care if he approves or
not. Shakaar and I are
friends -- that's all. Friends.

That stops Odo in his tracks.

KIRA
The First Minister wanted me to
update him on the war with the
Dominion. My visit was strictly
business.
(a beat)
So... are we going to have dinner
together or not?

The chemistry between these two is volatile, and the
rest of this scene is loud and accusatory.

ODO
And if we do, then what?

KIRA
I don't know... maybe we could go
dancing.

ODO
And after that, I suppose you'll
expect me to kiss you.

KIRA
It's possible.

ODO
Then who needs dinner? Why don't
I get it over with and kiss you
right now?

KIRA
Why don't you?

Odo takes hold of Kira and gives her a firm, strong
kiss.

as everyone on the Promenade watches Odo and Kira
kissing.

63 ANGLE ON DAX

her surprise breaks into a smile.

64 ON ODO AND KIRA

as they break off the kiss, Odo holds her by the arms.
Both of them are oblivious to the eyes bearing down
upon them.

KIRA
You're right -- who needs dinner?

They kiss again, but this time it's a softer, more
passionate kiss. And as WE PULL BACK, we get the
feeling that this kiss may never end.

My Top Ten TV Moments #7

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:03:27 GMT

Welcome back fans and friends for #7 in my countdown. Surprise! Today it's a tie, the first of two on this countdown. Hope you've been enjoying it so far. I had to go a new direction with quotes today because I couldn't find text for either of these scenes. So here we go with #7

7. Baby Bray is Baptized - The Tribe

Characters: Amber (Beth Allen)
                      Trudy (Antonia Prebble)
                      Baby Bray (Lucas Hill)
                      Brady (Georgia Taylor-Woods)

Scene Summary: With the help of Trudy, Amber has very recently given birth to the baby she conceived with her long time love, Bray. Despite being Amber's occaisional romantic rival (albeit one that's never had a chance) Trudy has helped Amber escape from the barn where she gave birth and avoid capture by a new tribe that has arrived. Stopping to rest and decide their next move Amber takes advantage of a nearby stream to baptize and name her baby in the presence of Trudy and her daughter Brady.

Thoughts: This is another series I'm convinced everyone must see. The concept of a generation of children who must rebuild society after all the adults succumb to a mysterious virus isn't a new one, but its still compelling. Unfortunatly without a large chunk of disposable change and a region free DVD player the chance that you'll get to ever see it from start to finish is pretty slim. I can't rave enough about it although most of you have heard me at length. Amber was one of my favorite characters from the beginning. Allen's characterization of a girl who must become a leader and provider when she is only a child herself was nothing shy of awesome. Prebble, whose character, Trudy swung wildly between hero and villan, was just as amazing. In the words Amber speaks to her newborn son, the sense of loss at Bray's almost certain death is magnificently coupled with her hope for the future.

Quote: (These character's belong to Cloud 9 Productions as well as creators Harry Duffin and Raymond Chandler. The dialogue is written by Tony Osborn. The music in video is Mariah Carrey. Unless you have a fondness for her or a like of cute babies feel free to quit watching after the opening dialogue is finished. Oh and I don't own these characters, words, or music. I just love them enough to blog about them)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eg5y0KV8Ns

7. Bray and Trudy Hold a Short Funeral for Bray - The Tribe

Characters: Amber (Beth Allen)
                      Trudy (Antonia Prebble)

Scene Summary: After making the decision to rejoin the Ecos (the tribe Amber lead in her guise as Eagle while everyone thought she was dead) instead of returning to the embattled city, Trudy and Amber decide to hold a short service to honor the man who meant so much to both of them.

Thoughts: Though this scene is just slightly over a minute in length it is more moving than entire episodes of some series. Few words are spoken and Allen and Prebble must rely on body language (and a couple of clips) to convey the depth of the loss they feel. In Allen's case she beautifully portrays a love that has lasted even through Amber's supposed death. Prebble's portrayal of the loss of a friend who has stood by her and her daughter (who happen's to be Bray's niece) through her darkest moments (even when they involved her betrayal of him) is just as heart rending.

Quote: (Read disclaimer above except for the Mariah Carrey part)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo-eRCbfbhk

My Top Ten TV Moments #8

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:43:20 GMT

Okay, welcome back for #8 in my personal countdown. My husband pointed out to be that the two previous entrys both seemed to be be farewell scenes and he was right. Well this one is going to change the trend.

8. Dolores Herbig Makes An Unexpected Admission - Dead Like Me

Characters: George Lass (Ellen Muth)
Dolores Herbig (Christine Willes)

Scene Summary: Grim Reaper George Lass, in her alter ego of Millie, has been strong armed into joining the scrapbooking group at Happy Time. She tends to look down on her co-workers and especially her boss Dolores Herbig (as in her big brown eyes). To avoid having to go to a new stationary store with her over lunch, "Millie" claims that she is one month sober and has plans with her sponser. She hopes that this will drive Dolores off but instead Dolores makes an admission of her own.

Thoughts: If you haven't checked this series out do so immediately. This scene is my favorite out of the first season. I laughed so hard when I first saw it I started to choke. Ellen Muth has such an awesome dry delivery style and Christime Willes plays the part of the eternally perky Dolores to perfection. I love any scene with the two because they make such perfect foils.

Quote: (Much thanks and credit to J.J. Philbin for writing this, MGM for producing it, and Showtime for airing it. I am making absolutly no money off this I just like the show. Also thanks to the Twiz TV site where i found the transcript.)

DELORES: Hi. Michael and I were thinking about driving to the outlets at
lunch. I hear there’s a stationary store you have to see to believe.
GEORGE: Ohh, that sounds like fun.
DELORES: You’re welcome to come with.
GEORGE: Ohhhhh, I would, but I’m one month sober today, so my sponsor is
taking me to the park to fly kites.
DELORES: Ohhhhh.....

Delores looks shocked.

MICHAEL: I used to have a kite. Shaped like a dragon.
DELORES: (To Michael) I’ll meet you at the elevators on P2.

Michael leaves

DELORES: I am...so proud of you. I look at you, and my heart swells with
such pride.

Delores goes over and pulls George in for a hug.

DELORES: I know I act like I have it all together, but I am no stranger to
adversity. I went through a rough patch when I was your age. It was the 80's
and everyone was doing so much...cocaine. We called it...blow.

The frame freezes on Delores’s face

(VO) I prayed for something...

Frame unfreezes.

(VO)......Anything to prevent more words coming out of Delores’s mouth.

Meet me here tomorrow for #7 :) Hope you like things so far.

My Top Ten TV Moments #9

sharikahrcns@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:51:56 GMT

Okay folks, back again with my #9 top tv moment. Hope you like :)

9. Sheridan and Delenn's Final Goodbyes - Babylon 5

Characters: John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner)
Delenn (Mira Furlan)

Scene Summary: John Sheridan is coming to the end of the twenty year extension given to him by Lorien after his "death" on Z'ha'dum. After having a dinner party with all of his old friends he has decided to leave Minbar and go into space. He knows that if he does this there will be a chance for Delenn to preserve the mythology surrounding him and this will make it easier for her to run the Interstellar Alliance after he is gone. Though he had not asked her to, Delenn arises early to see him off and say farewell.

Thoughts: This is one of those scenes that still has the power to make me cry every time I see it and I've seen it at least a dozen times. Actually even reading the dialogue makes me well up. It's so heartbreaking to see these two people who should have had at least fifty years together having to say goodbye after only twenty. Boxleitner and Furlan were absolute masters at portraying this amazing relationship that was always on the thinnest line between triumph and tragedy. They managed to pour the love and loss of years into a handful of sentences to create what I think is one of the greatest scenes in science fiction television.

Quote: (This passage is taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. It's not in traditional transcript form because J. Michael Straczynski, to whom I give full credit for the dialogue, seems to have managed to have all of the transcript sites shut down. I also give credit to Warner Brothers for producing this fine show. I'm only doing this for fun so please don't sue should you stumble upon it)

In the morning, Sheridan dresses in his old Army of Light uniform, and prepares to leave before sunrise. Delenn, dressed up in white, greets him in the corridor. After all, it's Sunday, and one dresses up on Sundays. It's a perfect day for a drive. But if he really wants to go, he must leave now; the others will awake soon.

"Good night, my love," Sheridan tells her as they embrace for the last time, "the brightest star in my sky." "Good night," answers Delenn, a tear running down her cheek. "You were my sky, and my sun, and my moon." Tears in his eyes, Sheridan lets go, and slowly leaves, not looking back

See you tomorrow for #8