My Mind Just Exploded

WHAT?

I'm sorry, but...WHAT????

WHY DOES THIS LOOK SO AWESOME????????????

No, seriously. Why?

And also...GUILLIMERO DEL TORO AND WILLIAM JOYCE ARE IN ON THIS.

I just, I can't even. I CAN'T EVEN.

Ahem. I'm going to see this movie. There is no question. That is all.

Over & Out,
Rachel

Hello! Rachel Here

With some pretty exciting news!

Besides me actually WRITING something after being gone for a month.

*hears the crickets chirp*

I was busy. And unmotivated. This is no excuse, but there it is. Alas.

So, my news!

My church's youth group always does a big trip during the summer. We call it an "X-Tour," and I've been going on them since 2007. That was my first ever X-Tour, and it was a pretty awesome one. We got to walk fifteen miles in Death Valley, whitewater raft on the Colorado River, horseback ride in Red Rock Canyon, Utah, hike the Narrows in Zion National Park, and a whole host of other awesome activities.

This year, 2012, marks the ten-year anniversary of the very first X-Tour. So this year is is X-Tour X, where not only current youth group members can come, but also alumni, namely my brothers and I! We're looking forward to it like nobody's business, let me tell you.

For more information about our tour (which begins June 20), click here. That will tell you everything you need to know about where we're going, what we're doing, and who we're doing it for.

And now, MY NEWS.

Our pastor, Ron Hunt, knows that my brothers and I are really looking forward to going on this X-Tour X, and us being older and wiser (well, marginally) we would also be in capacity of chaperons. But for yours truly, Ron had a different task in mind. He is, in fact, a follower of this little blog right here, and asked me if I would consent to be their resident blogger for this trip. This would be the first time there has ever been someone actually recording the impressions and day-to-day experiences while on the trip itself. So I won't be writing just for my own personal journalistic pleasure, I'll be writing for everyone, what they think and how they're feeling and how they're doing.

All in all, somewhat intimidating for a girl whose main pleasure is writing for herself.  To be perfectly honest with all, I am not accustomed to receiving compliments on my writing, unless they're from my own family who knows me and is honest with me. If some random Joe off the street says, "Hey, I read your blog and I like it!" I tend to get nervous. Very nervous. And somewhat unnerved. So this whole resident blogger thing will be putting me out of my comfort zone, and I await it with considerable trepidation.

But the thing that makes me feel like hiding under the bed is that those as-of-yet unwritten blogs of mine will be shared on other social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter. They will be read by seven hundred other youth group leaders and pastors, looking for ideas and inspiration on what to do with their own youth ministry. Aaron tells me my writing it acceptable (his words are "brilliant," but he is deeply biased), but to have my pastor tell me my writing is good, good enough to be read by seven hundred followers, well, it's a bit of daunting prospect. As I said before, I wanted to hide under the nearest convenient bed when Ron mentioned that little piece of information. This might come as a shock to you all, but I am not used to other people reading my writing.  Unless it's something like this, then I'm okay with it. But this newest venture scares me, and I hate being scared. But I've been scared before and I will not let that deter me.

We of the Flores Family do not flinch.

 So now, all that remains is for me to write it out, send it out and hope it works. Strangely, this tactic has worked plenty of times before in the past, so I have hopes for it.

Be on the lookout, all of you, for my posts from the Wild Lands! I send them out with hope and fear and something like joy.

Over & Out,
Rachel

Fairy-Tale Retold: Snow White as an Warrior Princess

Some of you already know I'm a sucker for retold fairy tales. That I love to see how different authors, artists, actors and directors put their stamp on such well-known stories. One of my favorite movies of all time is Ever After with Drew Barrymore (the movie all my girlfriends and I have memorized).

So whenever the movie industry decides to take a stab at retelling a famous fable, I'm always eager to see how it turns out. There hasn't been much of that lately, but I keep my eye out.

This is the year that out of all the fairy tale princesses, Snow White gets to be revamped and finally be made cool. She's got a starring role in ABC's drama Once Upon A Time, got retold in this year's earlier release Mirror, Mirror and now she's looking at a brand new tale, Snow White and the Huntsman, as the trailer above shows you.

Personally, I wasn't too crazy about the concept of Mirror, Mirror, but I absolutely love Mary Margaret/Snow White's character in Once Upon A Time, and as you might guess, I am super excited for the vision in this movie. I think I would watch for the sets and costumes alone, Charlize Theron looks beautiful, deadly and ferociously evil as Ravenna, the Evil Queen. She has bones on her royal gown! How more wonderfully evilly foreboding can you get? The whole "mirror, mirror on the wall" is excellently re-imagined. Kirsten Stewart's finally got the chance to kick butt and save herself this time around (though as far as I'm concerned, she's brilliant as Bella Swan; I can't imagine anyone else but her), riding into battle with armor, wielding a sword and leading the charge against Ravenna. Plus, they have flaming ballistas. You can't go wrong with that.

Another thing you can't go wrong with, Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman (I hope they're going to give him a name; we just can't call him "Huntsman" the whole movie)! I am not adverse to more Chris Hemsworth in the world, let me tell you. I am loving the world they're introducing here; Snow White's no warbly-voiced servant girl with a bob; she's trapped in the dudgeon ready to fight for her life when she gets the chance. The Huntsman is no mindless, softhearted Queen's lackey, he's a rough and ready brawler with an ax! And the Evil Queen...shiver-inducing and maybe a little unhinged. The only thing as scary as her is Disney's original version of the Evil Queen, tall crown, flowing purple cape and all.

Since I'm a swords-and-charges girl at heart, I am completely looking forward to the battle/fight scenes. I shall be in line to watch it first chance I get!

Over & Out,
Rachel

More Pinning

Sometimes I see the stuff and Pinterest and I go, "Oh look, INSPIRATION!"

For what, I'm really not sure. But it's still there and super pretty. Here's some my favorite stuff.

This is just the stuff that I like. I'm not following any kind of theme here! 

I think the next time I go on a pinning rampage on here, I will. Follow a theme, I mean.

Over & Out,

Rachel 

Songs of District 12--Daughter's Lament

I am a liar. Of immense proportions. Here I am, all, "This is going to be my LAST Hunger Games post. I don't have anything more to say on the subject."

Well, it turns out I do. Mainly:
I love this song. I think this fits District 12 perfectly. I love it so much that I think this is how The Hanging Tree song in the book might've sounded, if we had been given a tune. And I won't make anymore wild claims, like "This is last Hunger Games post! I promise." Well, now I make no such promises. I can't help when inspiration and enjoyment strike.

Over & Out,
Rachel

Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder

...for eleven days, that is.  I thought I'd pen down some thoughts before I, for all intents and purposes, disappear into the wild blue yonder.

I also promise that this will be my last Hunger Games themed post, because now that I've read the books and seen the movie, I can offer some insight on both.

Thoughts on the movie:
1) Jennifer Lawrence was flipping perfect as Katniss. She wasn't wooden, she wasn't a hard-core warrior maid, she was a young woman with remarkable talents put in extraordinary circumstances. She nailed Katniss's fierce survival instincts and love for her sister Prim.
2) On Prim, Willow Shields was also perfect--delicate and young and gentle enough so that we too, would volunteer in her place.
3) I want to marry Josh Hutcherson for being the perfect Peeta. No, really, he was amazing. Earnest, sincere and had the just the right touch of devotion to Katniss.
4) Amandla Stenburg as Rue was adorable and made me cry. I wept bitter tears in the theater during the lullaby scene and the riot in District 11.
5) "That is MA-HOG-ANY!" Oh, Effie, your cluelessness was pitch perfect. Thank you for creating memetatic mutation.

On another note, Gary Ross also did a brilliant job with one of the things I was most concerned about, the violence featured in the story. Thankfully, there were no drawn-out close ups of the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Quick flashes of violence and then the image of the bodies laying about was much more effective and wrenching. The curly-headed boy...gah, in way, that was even more traumatizing than Rue's death, because it only sinks in later...that little boy had no chance of survival.

Now, onto something that's been bothering me for the last couple of weeks, as the hype for the movie got more and more widespread. There seems to be a kind of schism between those who like The Hunger Games and those who like The Twilight Saga. Well, I'm going to put in my two cents and then I won't talk about it anymore, because I'll have said my piece.

STOP COMPARING HUNGER GAMES TO TWILIGHT. STOP TALKING TRASH ABOUT STEPHENIE MEYER.  For that matter, STOP TALKING TRASH ABOUT TWILIGHT. THE PEOPLE WHO DO THIS ARE NOT BEING FAIR.


Okay, I'm done yelling for now. But, seriously people. It simply isn't fair to compare the two stories, despite the similarities on the surface, because THEY ARE NOT THE SAME STORY.  I read both series and you know what? I liked them both, for different reasons.  Yes, the Hunger Games deals with important themes like love, war, violence, devotion and loyalty. Yes, the Hunger Games is an excellently written story. We all know that. No one is denying it. But for crying out loud, what call is there to be mean about the supposed superiorities to The Twilight Saga? What call is there to be mean to Stephenie Meyer who, just like Suzanne Collins, was fortunate enough to create and write a world that's become so huge? So what if you don't like Stephenie Meyer and her characters and world she created? So what if you don't like the flipping Twilight movies? No one is asking you to watch them! No one is yelling, "Hunger Games suck, Twilight rules." Rather, the opposite is happening and I, for one, am tired of it.


Enough with the madness, people. Suzanne Collins and Stephenie Meyer let us live in their fantasy worlds and are kind enough the share them with us. Let's thank them for that, shall we? And move on.

Okay, then, I'm done with my rant. I promise you all, this my last Hunger Games themed post and until something truly earth-shattering happens (like the casting for Finnick Odair is released), I'll refrain from bending your ears until then.

Getting Off My Soapbox I Am Over & Out,
Rachel

The Perils of Pinterest

Yes, I'm an addict. No, I am not ashamed.

Since I'm still on a Hunger Games kick, here some of the images from the site that I especially love, and what give (to me at least) better images for the story.

This song has officially taken over my life.

This scene made me break out in goosebumps.

I volunteer as tribute!

How I imagine Katniss in her armor and mockingjay bow.

Here's what SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED when Peeta was rescued.

How I think Katniss looked at the very end of it all.

More to come, stay tuned!

Over & Out,

Rachel