Brave, Pixar, and a Wider Lens

Not to brag, but I seem to have a talent for predicting how well a movie is going to go over. Don't ask me how. I knew WALL-E was going to be the most amazing thing I've ever seen, even going as far as to buy memorabilia before I stepped foot in the theater. I knew Cars 2 was going to be 'completely ridiculous... but it looks really fun,' and maybe part of the reason I enjoyed the film so much is I didn't have to deal with the shell shock many others got about it not being... Pixar-ish enough. With this strange ability, I've managed to never regret seeing a film in theaters.

No, really. Not to brag. Not. To. Brag. Because not every feeling I have is positive. Sometimes, I look at a film I really want to like and something just doesn't connect. Something feels off, but I don't want to be right. If you follow my Tumblr, you saw me struggle with this a few days ago:

Transformers Prime: Episode 36 Preview

So, normally my geeking out over a new trailer for Transformers: Prime isn't elaborate enough to make it beyond the confines of my Tumblr, but this week's trailer is pretty amazing and I have a few more thoughts that normal.

Spoilers for past episodes as well as the above trailer/episode summary after the jump:

Poem: The Garden Behind the Library

Read it here.

Chocolate Cake!

Other than mentioning my obsession with tea over and over, I don't talk much about the food on any of my blogs. I'm not sure why, because the fact of the matter is that I have a love of the culinary arts that spans most of my life.

Maybe the reason cooking doesn't come up as often as technology, books, and animation is because when I bring up those other things, I believe I actually know what I'm talking about. When it comes to cooking, not so much.

But recently, I won a gift basket full of baking supplies from Whole Foods and - thanks to My Little Pony's catchy songs - I decided I was going to attempt to bake a chocolate cake from scratch.

You're sick of my storytelling and want to see the darn thing, right? Right.

Doodling with the Dress Up Meme: Bonus Sketch

It's been a while since I really drew anything, hasn't it? But today, I subdued my fear of the pencil and did a meme.

And as promised, I have a bonus sketch:

First Tired Thoughts on Oscar Nominations

I just got woken up by my film loving family for Oscar nominations, and while it's hard to be very eloquent before a cup of tea (who am I kidding? I'm going back to bed after this. I was up late reading.), I do have some thoughts to share.

Best Animated Feature

A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Announcement about Advertising

Hey, readers! :D

As you may have noticed, I have a few adverts on the site. Recently, I decided to switch one from Adsense to Project Wonderful, probably best known for being the main advertiser of mspaintadventures.

PW works with a lot of webcomics, artisan crafts, and online literature to give them cheap advertising and help them expand their range. It doesn't mean much of a change in income for me (this blog only makes a few cents on a good month), but it does mean that more independent artists get some spotlight.

I'm a fan of a good webcomic, as I'm sure many of you are, so I highly recommend giving the creative works that wind up on top of this page a look.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog. :)

New Video: My Collection: Figurines: Top Shelf

I've acquired quite a few figurines over the years of stuff I love...

I always forget names of people who make cool stuff for me. ;_;

Book Review: Arisa Volumes 1-4

A few years back, Natsumi Ando created a delightful little shoujo manga called Kitchen Princess. One day, hungry for some more cute manga, I decided to check out her newest series Arisa. Awww, look at the sweet twin sisters on the front cover! This is going to be adorable!

Except it wasn't.

In fact, instead of getting a light romcom to sink my teeth into, I found myself thrust into a comparatively dark high school mystery.

Book Review: First Steps Out of Depression

 While depression manifests itself in many ways, there is one thing I've seen over and over and have experienced myself when it comes to the illness: being absolutely bone tired. So, naturally, when somebody with depression goes into a bookstore looking for a guide to help them, the throng of thick psychological books that clutter the shelves can be overwhelming to even look at.

First Steps Out of Depression by Sue Atkinson aims to be a release from this; the book looks like more of a cute little gift book than a huge self-help guide, and is written from the point of view of somebody who has been there instead of a rhetorically inflated psychologist. Add that the book is broken into devotional-like sections that can be read one at a time, and the book is a much needed quick read for the reader struggling to keep their focus.

The book isn't perfect, though. 

Ask a Writer: OCs: Introduction

Sorry for the quality of the sound in this one; I tried saving the sound in a new format and it didn't work. 

At all.

So yeah, for the next several weeks I'm going to be talking about original characters in fan fiction. In the mean time, keep sending in your questions, so by the end I'll have a ton of questions to answer and I won't need a break to collect more as I previously feared.

Question brought to you by http://www.youtube.com/user/ZeldaWolf2000

Comment and rate, please!

When my Brokenness and Your Strength Collide: A WV/PM Fanmix

Listen here. Lyric notes after the cut.

Book Review: There, I Fixed It! (No You Didn't)

There, I Fixed It! (No You Didn't) is a small book of really horrific repair jobs from a supposedly popular blog I've never heard of before, made by the same folks who bring us adorable kittens with wacky captions... Except, several parts of the book are the same repair issue over and over with mildly witty captions attached.

Ask a Writer: Burn Out, Personal Favorites, and Weird Inspiration

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you like this edition of Ask a Writer! :D

Burn out... my eternal foe.

Today's questions are brought to you by the following people:

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