I Love Hannibal Lecter!

Thanksgiving Break has been a wonderful chance for me to catch up on some much-needed reading time, and so far, I've been able to polish off nearly two books this week! (more than I expected, seeing as I only really read one or two books a semester during school!)

For those of you who follow my movie blog, Cinema Sweetheart's Film Reviews, you'll know that I recently watched the amazing Jonathan Demme movie The Silence of the Lambs. I loved it!!! So, over the Thanksgiving Break, I curled up on the couch with two Thomas Harris novels: The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal Rising. Mostly, my desire to read these books comes from my fascination with the creepy psychopath Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

I have favored movies and books that have interesting characters verses those with 2D characters and a really fast-paced plot. For me as a reader and amateur writer, the whole story really is about the characters. A plot is nothing without characters. While watching Silence, I found myself totally fascinated by the characters of Hannibal and even, to a lesser extent, Buffalo Bill. Basically, its not that I would want to hang out with these guys, ask them over for dinner (especially not Hannibal, lol), or really ever have any real interaction with them, but the character of them, the essence of these characters really intrigues me. I love to think about what makes these people tick, and for Hannibal at least, an answer is given in Hannibal Rising, where the reader literally sees what makes the infamous cannibalistic psychiatrist exactly what he is later in life.

So, far, I've finished The Silence of the Lambs, and I'm almost finished with Hannibal Rising. True, I'm reading the books out of order (the proper order being Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising), but this is one series when that works out. Silence can be read on its own or in the context of the other books, and chronologically, Hannibal Rising takes place before the first book. I plan on reading the others as soon as I can acquire a copy ;)

N.B. Picture credit goes to Zzoi-Goi @ Deviant Art. You can find a link to her profile HERE.

Lackadaisy

This is one of the most interesting online comics I've seen! Lackadaisy is a 1920s story about an "underground" bar during Prohibition. All of the characters are portrayed as anthropomorphic cats who not only dress accordingly for the time period, but also have the slang down perfectly. It's a wonderful treat that I strongly recommend. You can check out the comic HERE, or browse Tracy's Deviantart site HERE.

Alice is Dead

Just wanted to post a little something for those of you who are fans of both Alice in Wonderland, and point and click Internet games. This is a wonderful gem of a series that I've been playing for the past six months or so: ever since game 1 came out. I was thinking about it today, and decided it might be enjoyable if I were to post them online for all of you guys to find right here on the site! Hope you like them!

Also, I would like to quickly state that these games aren't for everyone. First, they are very dark, and sometimes, disturbing. THESE GAMES CONTAIN GRAPHIC CONTENT THAT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER VIEWERS. If you're a fan of the classic Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and don't really care for the newer adaptations like The Looking Glass Wars, then I would say to just stay away from this. It turns Wonderland totally on its head and gives you a very different version of the story.

A quick teaser: You wake up in a dark pit of sorts in Wonderland with no idea how you got there, or for that matter, who you are. All you have to work with, for a start, is the skeletal remains of Alice lying in front of you, and a note in her pocket that says "Kill the Rabbit". Quest onward my dear friend; discover your identity and find out what happened to Alice!

And if you liked the music from Alice is Dead 3, you can find the downloadable version at Newgrounds HERE.

Alice Is Dead Episode 1 - Get out of Wonderland and figure out who you are

Alice Is Dead Episode 2 - Things aren't getting any easier for rabbit

Alice Is Dead Episode 3 - Find the answers you've been looking for

The Date

Thank you all for waiting so patiently for this post! I know it has been a long time in coming :P

Okay, so the date went very well. He was a sweet, pleasant gentleman, who paid for my sandwich and let me give him a tour around the campus. There's actually not a ton to say about what we did, but I will say that he was very sweet, has an adorable smile, is short like me (which I actually kind of loved) and was pleasant to talk to, even if he was a little quiet. Before he left, he told me we should meet up again, and so it looks like there's going to be a second date in the works :) My only issue was that he was awfully quiet, and usually, when I pursue someone, they're a little more outgoing, so this was a real change from what I was used to. I think he's just shy, so I'm going to cut him some slack ;)

So, will this lead to anything? I can't say. And what is his name? Sadly, I have yet to find a literary character who matches his personality, so I'll have to withhold that information for just a tiny bit longer :P

My Apologies.........

....to those of you who were hoping for an update on my dating scene this weekend. I'm afraid I have to postpone it until later. You see, we didn't actually meet up today. Last night, I got a text from him saying that he had gotten food poisoning, and this morning, he was still not feeling much better. So................We're meeting up on TUESDAY. And this time, I promise I'll have gossip for all of you; good or bad.

What Do You Get...

when you set off a fire alarm in a college dorm, bring three friends together, and add about $20 between them?

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is something wonderful about Ben and Jerry's Phish Food at 11:00 at night..... :")

Monty

So, Monty is a friend of The Roomie's who I've had a crush on for a few months now. Its sort of an on-and-off thing, mostly because well....Monty can be somewhat creepy. Not going to lie; he's very cute, and looks good in all his quirky outfits, but he's pretty strange most of the time, which I guess is what I liked about him-- he was different. (Although, I don't really see myself dating someone who orders chicken and rice as "Can I have some rice and a piece of animal?")

Today, I caught him staring at me from across the dining hall. It was very strange, since he barely talks to me, and really has no reason to be paying me any attention at all. So, I look over, and he's staring at me. I look away. I look back, and he's still staring at me. This time, he squawks "Hello" just like one of the Pepper Pot ladies in Monty Python's Flying Circus. I kinda jump, and turn beet red; he really startled me!

The best part is that Kiity and I were very aware of the awkward interjection (to the conversation over at our table), but the Roomie kept on talking, not realizing what had happened. :P Perhaps she's just used to him by now. haha

(For the record, he sounds more like Graham Chapman's character Marge--the one in the tan coat on the right.)

Galileo

Galileo from Ghislain Avrillon on Vimeo.

Lumberjack

A random memory comes to mind:

I was walking with Odysseus after class one day, and he decided to deviate from our normal path, and go through the residential areas beside our campus. There are rows of thick bushes that surround camps, and instead of looking for one of the path breaks between them, he decided it would just be easier to walk through the bushes. (Yeah, easier for him, but I was carrying a heavy bag of books, and my purse!) So, he pushes through, and asks me if I need any help. I didn't, so holding aside the branches, I climb through the hedges, too.

And he turns to me and says, "That was awesome! You're like my little lumberjack!"

Um.... o.O