In which I wonder.

When I was little, I used to think I was the only one with a brain. Who thought. It took me until around Grade 2 or Grade 3 to realize other people thought. Ever since then, the strange idea that other people feel has been stuck in my brain and has wiggled its way into my thoughts, rather like how now, when I read, I automatically categorize what type of sentence it is. Anyway.

So recently, Wednesday the 13th, in fact, I found myself wondering what Sufjan Stevens was thinking as he sang, danced, and was amazing as we saw him live. Yes. LIVE. I always wondered if he, or any performer, still felt self-conscious in front of all those people. How do you summon up the courage to dance (strangely; kind of like a robot dance) in front of all those people? What about those back-up singers? 

These are the type of things I think about. 

On the topic of Sufjan Stevens (and music), yes, my family and I saw him and his band live. It was spectacular. Despite the fact he played new stuff, stuff we didn't know, he was amazing, and he played three of his old songs, which were simply amazing live. 

Bookwise, I've been reading Specials by Scott Westerfeld. Have I posted about this series already? Or the author? He's amazing, by the way. I've read the Uglies Trilogy, and am about to read Extras after I finish the series I'm reading. Also, I've read Leviathan, from another series by him, which is also superb. 

Tally. Tally is... annoying. She's not my favourite character. I'm thoroughly convinced she has something wrong in the decision-making part of her head. I mean, do you really have to betray Shay every book? and the subject of the betrayal, in Pretties and Specials, is over someone who flipping (SPOILER!!!) dies. Seriously! You should smarten up, Tally-wa.

Shay-la, though... I love her. She's like Rosalie in the Twilight books. Not the nicest person, not someone I would typically be friends with--in fact, I'd probably hate her--but in a book, as a character, she is the best. Scott Westerfeld is a most brilliant author to think of someone like her. 

David and Zane... Bleh. They're not worthy of this book. Neither of them are particularly strong male protagonsists to keep up with the strength of Tally and Shay. They're... not as good as I would have wished.

Speaking of Tally and Shay, I have a friend, Shai, whose best friend is Talli. Funny, right? Ironic! Tihi... You know what they say about small minds...

I've also been reading the books by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevemer, named Sorcery and Cecelia, The Grand Tour, and Ten Years after. They're written using "The Letter Game"; a game which mostly actors use to stay in character, when you write letters, as a fictional character (or, I suppose, you could do a real one, try to get their head; just not yours) to a friend, or someone, and basically, make a story. No consultation about plot allowed; that's the brilliancy of it. At least Sorcery and Cecelia and The Grand Tour, the ones I've read so far, have an amazing plot. And no planning was done.

Love it.

I'd love to do that with someone. Or, I guess, me. It'd be cooler if I could do it with someone that was necessary you mail it; that way, not only are you making a story, but you're getting letters. 

On a different note, Fox is playing a re-run of Glee. :( Although I think it's the one where they play Imagine, by John Lennon, and I love that song. Oh well, there's seven minutes left. 

Also, a kid I went to kindergarten with, then he moved away, goes to Gifted (a program for smarter kids who need harder material to learn/do to exercise their brain), which I go to, and he's going to the module (a termly trip for those in Grade 7-8, who have passed the weekly Grade 4-6 Gifted days) on Friday, which I am also going to. Coinkidink, much?

Well, I mostly likely lost all chances of someone reading this. It's long. But long is good, right?

In which I talk more.

I am so tired. I woke up at 4:15 am yesterday morning, so I could be in Toronto by 9:30. For 'We Day', the day where kids from all over Ontario come to Toronto to listen to Craig Keihlburger (sp?). And his brother, Marc. It was awesomely amazing, or amazingly awesome. Whichever you want.

There were tons of awesome people there, like someone with no legs, or a magician, or the dude from Hedley (who has a terrible, terrible mustache; shave it off!). And there were 18,00 kids/teachers there. It was insane. Kinda surreal.

But, I lost my camera. My teacher's going to send out e-mails to other teachers, in case someone accidentally put it in their bag, or I put it in someone else's bag (we all got cloth bags), but it probably slipped down under the seat in front of me, which really, really, sucks. Really.

I've been reading lots, lately, including Diana Wynne Jones, Patricia C. Wrede, and Scott Westerfeld. Gotta love all of them. From Diana Wynne Jones, you have your magicians; from Patricia C. Wrede, pretty much the same, but set in 1876!; and from Scott Westerfeld, sci-fi/fantasy/science. In his companion to the Uglies series, Bogus to Bubbly, you can see how much detail he put into Tally's world, 300 years in the future, and it's mind-wrecking. Insane.

Currently, I'm reading both The Time of the Ghost, by Diana Wynne Jones, and The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede and another person whose name escapes me. In the former, it's kind of creepy, and, personally, I think it's not her best book. At all. The latter is amazing, and I knew that, because I read it about a year ago. Surprisingly, it is the second book of a trilogy (or cycle?), and I also have the third book from the library, but not the first. So I'll try to track it down, somehow.

Right now, I'm watching Departures with Scott and Justin, whose last names I don't know/can't remember. Watch it. It's on OLN, and, sadly, after three seasons, it's over. It's about the two of them (and Andre, their camera man) traveling the world. For three years. It's amazing.