Nothing to Blog About

Except Doctor Who. So, I guess I'll post more soundtrack--and maybe a clip or two. If you don't think you'll like Doctor Who, still, listen to the soundtrack. 'Tis amazing.

First off, we'll start with The Doctor's Theme. Once you've seen certain episodes, this song becomes rather sad...

*sighs* So sad... We've watched all of the seasons, including half of six. The next episode in Season Six will be coming out in two days...

When Tennant (the Doctor with the trench coat, the picture in the theme song video is of him) regenerated (new actor came in, but since the Doctor's body was 'dying' he regenerated into a new body) it was extremely sad... he didn't want to go, for one, but he had to regenerate. I really liked him as the Doctor because he had a lot of emotion (well, not a LOT, but a good amount), and he was extremely thoughtful. One of his favorite phrases was, 'Allons-Y!' Meaning 'let's go' in French. He also liked to call things 'brilliant.' I still miss Tennant as the Doctor a lot.

We're now on Matt Smith, who we've been on for one and a half seasons now... He's funny and all, and good as the Doctor, but not amazing. He doesn't have quite as much emotion, and seems to like to joke about serious situations.

Matt Smith quotes:

"Bow-ties are cool."

"I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool." *is wearing a fez*

A few episodes later, *leans on the hood of a car* "I wear a Stetson now." *tips hat* "Stetsons are cool."

Just a few interesting quotes from Matt Smith. :) In the next video/music I'm going to post, he's the picture in it, though he looks a little weird... not like himself. His cheekbone seems more defined and... well, its hard to explain. I'll post a picture of him...

Okay, yeah, that IS a bit of a silly picture... but I couldn't resist. :) Here's a better one. Hope it looks a bit better...

Matt Smith isn't too bad, though...

Second video/music! This one, like I said, has Smith on it, even though he looks a bit weird... hopefully you see waht I mean. :)

Okay, and one more thing--sonic screwdrivers. I was looking over my shoulder when Manny and Jake were looking at Doctor Who things on Amazon for amusement. Well, apparently, they have a Doctor Who sonic screwdriveder--well, two, actually. One from the ninth and tenth Doctors (Tennant and Eccleston) which is blue, and a green one from Matt Smith. Here ya go, then I'll leave you alone with no more Doctor Who overload. :)

(Tennant's and Eccleston's blue screwdriver)

And here's one with Tennant in the picture. :)

And here's Matt Smith's screwdriver, green.

And another

Okay! I'll leave ya'll alone now. :)

--Vrenith

Doctor Who Theme Song 2005 through 2007, by Murray Gold

This is my favorite of the theme songs--they're all the same tune, but there are differences between the theme songs. This one was used 2005 through 2007, and I think its the best of the three I've heard because its got both techno and orchestra, perfectly balanced. The newer one doesn't have enough orchestra, and the newest one doesn't have barely any. :P  It begins with the first part, until the tune changes a bit, when the techno goes away... after you listen you should know. It stops when that starts. That is what it ends the movie with. :)

So there you have it! I couldn't help but post it. :)

--Vrenith

Doctor Who and Wood Polish/Cleaner

Let's start with the Wood Polish/Cleaner. Yes, I listed that second, but that's just me. Not organized at all. ;)

So, wood cleaner. Well, Jake was standing in front of me, I was on the couch in the dining room, which was there temporarily because of shampooing the carpets. Well, Jake was going to clean/polish the sidetable, and he asked if it was supposed to be oily like that. Well, he was spraying it at his cloth, but it spurted everywhere--and landed in my wide-open eye.

What happened next I hardly remember. I remember a fierce burning and rubbing (bad old me, couldn't help it) and somehow someone took my glasses and I stuck my face right under the stream of water coming from the sink faucet, and literally said, "MOM!! A CLOTH, I NEED A CLOTH, MOM!!!" over and over. Embarrassing, I admit, but really, I couldn't help it. The glob of cleaner had landed on my naked eye. O_o And as I tell it my eyes are watering...

It took fifteen/twenty minutes to get it all out, and then there was an occasional twinge every once in awhile. But I can see just fine, and my eye is no worse that it was before. :)

And Doctor Who? What about it? Ah, yes, EPIC!!!

Doctor who is like a Science Fiction series of a man called the Doctor who travels through time and space, A Time Lord who's whole planet had been destroyed, rescuing planets and attempting to crack ancient secrets, usually with the help of a companion. He's a brilliant, fantastic person who can sometimes talk too fast.

What sometimes throws people off is that its about aliens and such--but some of these aliens are more human than we are--except that they want to destroy or get something. As Jake said, Doctor Who is to Science Fiction as Lord of the Rings is to fantasy. If you're insane and have lost your mind, this movie is for you. ;)

If you ever watch this, START FROM SEASON ONE. There are a lot of things that happen in Season One that are vital for the rest. You MUST start at the beginning.

I am currently on Season Four, and loving it. :) Here are the companions, listed from best to worst.

Rose Tyler. Played by Billie Piper, I really liked her. She was there for... what, three seasons? Maybe just two... but she was my favorite, and I forever miss her. But there have been a few glimpses of her since then: **SPOILER** Donna (a companion) told her to tell someone, "That bin," because she was leaving car keys there. Well, when the girl turned around so we could see her face, it was Rose! Of course Donna didn't know that. Well, Rose watched her walk away, and then walked away herself, and disappeared into thin air. **SPOILER** **SPOILER** and also she was seen briefly on a screen when Donna was trying to get it to work. **SPOILER**

(Rose as well below)

Donna Noble. She's my second favorite, played by Catherine Tate. She is the companion that I'm on right now. Quite a spit-fire, bossy, and a bit loud, she has a hilarious personality. She also was in the Runaway Bride formerly, and came back as a companion later.

(Also Donna below)

Martha Jones. Played by Freema Agyeman, I really didn't like her. I don't know why. She was an African/British. She also sort of liked the Doctor, but she was just a friend to him. She eventually left voluntarily so that she could be with her family. I don't know why, but I really didn't like her.

(Martha below as well)

There's also Amy Pond, but I can't judge her since I haven't seen any episodes with her yet. Here's a picture of her anyways. :)

(Amy below as well)

And now for the Doctors! There are three different actors, but so far I've only seen two of them.

My favorite, Christopher Eccleston! He was the ninth doctor, counting the old doctors from the old versions of the movies.He is the first Doctor in these seasons. He was only there for one season, but he is still my favorite.

(Eccleston below too)

(Because he's my favorite, he gets a third picture. ^_^)

David Tennant. Brilliant, as he would say. :) He's hilarious and I love it when he figures things out and starts talking too fast to understand, like Eccleston did sometimes. :) He's got this way of looking at you, brows low, mouth partially open. And when he smiled, it was a full-toothed smile. XD He sometimes wears glasses, too. Here's a picture of that 'look':

(Tennant below as well)

And Matt Smith. He's the youngest of the actors for the Doctors, but I haven't seen any episodes with him yet, either. So here are a few pictures with him and his bow-tie. :)

(Smith below as well)

(Dunno who's in the background)

So! I have many favorite episodes--Blink, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, etc. Blink was epically fast and, as the Doctor said, "Don't even blink. Good luck." And then he blinked. 'Twas quite creepy, as if you blinked or turned your back, the weeping angels would go lightning fast. If they touched you, you went back in time and eventually died. :P It was mostly about Sally Sparrow.

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances are truly creepy episodes... they're a two-parter. Manny joined Jake when he was at the Empty Child, and she got so freaked out that they stopped. Even Jake was scared. At this time, I hadn't seen any Doctor Who. Well, when Jake was gone, Manny and I decided to try it. We started it where she left off and watched on through the second part, The Doctor Dances. So I never did see the first half/three quarters of The Empty Child.

The Girl in the Fireplace was just... EPIC. There are far more that I can't remember the names of.

All in all, I love Doctor Who. If you like Science Fiction, there's a pretty big chance that you will like this. Its both grim and serious with hilarious things stuck in there. Not cheesy hilarious, but truly funny.

Notice, each Doctor had they're own coat and style. :) Eccleston with his leather coat, Tennant with his brown trench-coat with the split coat-tails, and Matt Smith with his (is it tweed?) coat and bow-tie.

There are a few inappropriate references, but only mentions, and nothing truly bad, and not very often. That is one thing to watch out for.

And now I feel like drawing them all... >_>

--Vrenith

The Wedding of Josh and Meredith and the Rest of my Lessons

Ah! I shall explain the wedding first. :) So, we did the flowers for the wedding, and that took quite awhile, unfortunately. But this morning, at eleven, we drove to where the wedding was going to be. It turned out to be an extremely beautiful, airy, huge building that looked old. It was EPIC. It was completely air-conditioned, better than our own house. O_o I wandered upstairs and such, helped around, and looked out over the balcony. Ry got ornery and dropped her shoes from the balcony (flip-flops). I wore Manny's purple (my least favorite color O_o) African, one-piece dress. Really nice and comfortable.

So, later the people started arriving.  While they were being wed, in the middle of it my mom disappeared. Well, when I looked, she was behind all of the seats, playing with a little toddler boy  Really cute. Then NEXT time I looked, he was fast asleep and she was carrying him around. XD We ate after a little while, and the food was good.

The cupcakes they had were pretty good. On top was red frosting, the middle was ice-cream, and the bottom cake. YUM.

Then came dancing. *gulp* The bride and groom danced, then the bride with the groom's father, and the groom with the bride's mother, and then the bride with her 'spiritual' father because her father was not living, and the groom with his mother. :) Then, everyone else was forced onto the dance floor. >_> Jake and I escaped up the stairs and watched from the balcony, so that was nice... but the  kids were irresistible. I HATE dancing, and stink at it, but I have to admit, they were having so much fun I could help but dance with them. XD Not that my dancing had anything going for it... >_>

So we danced for a long while. A very long while. Then people began to leave to say goodbye to the bride and groom and send them off, so I handed out bubbles for the people to blow at them as they walked by. Guess where they're going for their honeymoon? New Zealand. :D (it says I didn't spell it right... >_>) TO THE SHIRE!!

Well, after that we cleaned up and Ry and I stuck our hands in a plastic box of water gems, if you know what those are... they come in a small pack and when put in water grow, until they're marble-sized balls of squishy jelly stuff. :)

Picture (not ours, but was the best I could find):

These ones look pink, but ours weren't... ours were plain clear. :)

And art classes? THEY WENT OUT WITH A BANG!! Not really. XD Well, one morning, day before the last, I finished my picture of Moby and it worked out REALLY well. Wanna see it? Of course you do. ;)

DON'T YOU LOVE IT?!!?! It looks like him, too!! So sweet... Lee showed me how to give him a shadow and then blend it out so that it looks like he really is lying on something, not suspended in midair. :) He's adorable... >_>

And you know what else? That day I started TWO more projects!! A full-body horse, and a picture of Beatrice. Well, that night I took them home to work on them some more, and I did all of the shading on the horse (still needed to be fixed, of course) and a lot on Beatrice. I ended up finishing the horse the last day, and I'm still working on Beatrice. :) I really like the horse one... >_> It has a lot of contrast, which Lee really likes. She showed me how to do the grass.

So, Beatrice is still in process. :)

Sadness when I had to say goodbye to all of those wonderful art class students and the teacher. :) I went to a gallery that night with her, and looked at the paintings and art and watch for the five elements of shading and patterns in the art.

The next day (Saturday) she was having a book signing--realistic crayon drawings. :) Amazing. She has a book out, and she does really well. It was at the Crayola store from 12:00 to 5:00, but we had the flowers for the wedding come that day and only got going at 4:30 and it takes thirty minutes to get there... So, we missed her by ten minutes. :P Sadness, but at least I'll probably get to see her again. Here's the book cover:

(taken from Amazon)

An as you can see, its a Kindle edition... >_> XD

So, my art is going pretty well. I miss Lee already... >_> Fare thee all well!!

--Vrenith

Update

Hey, hey, hey, this is my sixtieth post. O_o

Updates! Yes. On art lessons. Well, yesterday, like the day before, I got up at 6:45, 7:00 (I don't know why we got up two hours before we were supposed to be there. O_o) And got ready and everything. Once we got there, the dogs and one of the cats (the 21 year old one that acts like its just older than a kitten) came to greet me warmly. After a long hello to them that consisted of petting their fur and plopping a kiss on each of their heads, I stood and took my Bristol paper sketchbook and opened to my horse.

The others were already there. Okay, so an introduction:

The oldest guy there was a wood-carver and painter, and he was from Iowa and EXTREMELY nice. :) He paints in acrylics on wood, and in my opinion, does very well... >_> His name is Kent.

Then there's Terry, who looks more like a run-down sort of guy, plain button-up shirt, jeans, scraggly beard--that sort of thing. He's pretty talented as well and finished a face today.

Lee Hammond you already know, and she sat beside me.

Tim, a boy of about maybe sixteen or seventeen, older than me, sat beside me on the other side. He'd been there the year before, and had just been in Australia and a motley group of other places. He lives four states over, so it was a long flight because they had to avoid where the floodwaters were...

Then, there was a man who was already an extremely good artist when he came in and only needed some teaching in colored pencil and blending. He did really well... O_O He seemed real distant when I first met him, sort of like he didn't like being around too many people, but later he told Lee that if he seemed that way, he had a mild case of autism. After that, he seemed more open, and learned more and did excellently. But here's the catch--his name. His name was Ry. RY!! XD Spelled that way, too. :)

Then there was--oh, wait, me. :)

So this morning I finished the mane on my horse and touched it up, signed it, and sprayed it. Lee took it outside and sprayed it for me. Now I have a horse that can be framed!! Here it is (and yes, I got a picture--from my dad's iPhone):

It's actually a bit darker on that neck muscle, but the light I used to work with was turned on, so it glared a bit right there. DOESN'T IT LOOK A LOT BETTER THAN USUAL?!

So yeah. There's my horsey! Leauphaun provided the beautiful picture I worked from. We put it on the projector to do it, traced the dark lines and everything (harder than you think) and then took it off to do the shading. I didn't free-hand it because I wanted a new experience, and it made the picture bigger for me, so I used that and it worked pretty well, though its almost like free-handing because it takes some skill, and when you're working the shading from the photo, there's a lot you have to fix and tweak. Its not a perfect process, but it turned out pretty well! :D

The second day I didn't work much on it, because that day was mostly demonstrations. She did more than one colored pencil demonstration, a painting demonstration, and still worked on her own art. LEE HAMMOND IS AMAZING.

The reason why she is so effective is because she doesn't schedule what she'll do during the week of the art lessons before it starts because she wants to do things that everybody wants to do. She works with each of us on whatever project we are doing--she lets us do it, but then helps us fix mistakes and work on things. She is really nice, and talkative.

She likes telling stories... there are all kinds. O_o Yesterday she looked up, on her computer, people who had gotten 'face lifts' and plastic surgery. She was DISGUSTED. People who'd gotten those things now were falling apart and were no longer even good-looking. They messed up their profile. People who used to be pretty and handsome were now ugly... she is very passionate about such things. She hates it when people mess themselves up like that. I mean, she's in her sixties or older, and she looks like she's thirty and only wears make-up!

So, she's an interesting conversationalist. :) Very interesting, and treats everyone like family. We all squeeze into one or two cars and go to lunch together, everyone paying for their own. I love it. She's nice and helps whenever someone calls, and her dogs are always there in the studio to greet you and beg to be stroked.

Third day is now over! Today I finished the horse above, and now I'm working on one of Moby and nearly finished it today. Tomorrow all I have is the neck fur and the shadow--its just a picture of his head when he's sleeping. Sweet dog, and it even looks like him! That's a first. ;) But its coming along real well. :D No demos today.

Tomorrow she's promised crayon demos! We each give our opinion on what we want demonstrated. :) And what's more, she's doing professional pictures with crayola. EPIC! She did a realistic tiger (looks like a painting or pastel from afar) and it is really good. Can't wait for that... that's one medium that isn't expensive at all.

Colored pencils that are good and work correctly for art are going up to a dollar something EACH! Terry had a twenty-four pack that cost him forty dollars, and Tim, who's working on a colored pencil drawing, bought a seventy-five pack thingy. It was EXPENSIVE. He bought it from Lee, so it didn't cost as much as it might've in a store.

I sort of want to try colored pencil, but its so expensive...

Tim is nearly finished with his piece, and its looking really good. Its a butterfly on a flower (top view) with leaves and stems in the background and some sky. Its really quite beautiful, and he's getting close to maybe two thirds done, or three fourths of the way...

So, that's about it! Moby shall be finished by maybe tomorrow, and I hope you like the horse. THANK YOU LEAUPHAUN FOR THE PICTURES!!!

--Vrenith

Art lessons!!

SO HAPPY!!! Art lessons started today--I went there at 9:00 A.M. this morning, and just got back at five. O_o Eight hours! But it didn't feel like it.

We started with the sphere--the sphere that she had in her book that showed all of the shades, where to put them. 'Twas EPIC. Lee didn't have any particular schedule, because she wanted to do what would work for everyone, because we were bound to be different. :) She did a demonstration with a child portrait, but I missed the last half of it because she started me on another project. ^_^

Thanks to Leauphaun, I had plenty of reference photos. She picked out a few for me to pick from. Most were horses. ;) I picked one of the chestnuts... 'twas a beautiful picture.

So, she gave me Bristol paper to use, and we put the photograph in a projector because it needed to be larger. Then, I would trace on all of the lines--wherever there was dark, or lines, or outlines, and such. Then, I began the shading.

I would've done it free-hand, but since it was a new experience to use the projector, I continued with it. :) Then, going back to my desk/thingy, I began. She started me with the eye, and then helped me fix it. Then, I was alone. O_o Completely, utterly alone... ;)

There were... four other people in the class. All were boys... XD The only woman couldn't make it, and so I was the only girl, and the youngest, in the class. Two of the men were more elderly--one was a farmer from Iowa (love that state--used to live there) and the other... well, I don't really know what he was. The farm brought carvings with him--two of them. They were flat carvings, done on a slab of wood. They were actually quite good, and Lee gave him some tips on it, and everyone drew.

Then there was one on the far side of the room, and all I remember of him was that he had black hair, a large nose, and a deep voice.

The one who was closest to my age (older than me)  had actually been there the year before, even though he lives four states over. He was just in Australia and London and such... he travels a bunch.

So! I shaded my horse all alone, today, and then afterwards, I only had the mane to do, and I need to touch up the shading and such, and Lee will help me with that tomorrow. :D

G'bye, all followers!

--Vrenith

Chalk

I like chalk. Do you? Don't answer. ^_^

Chalk art. Don't you love it? You don't have to answer that question either.

Chalk. I like it. But didn't I already mention that? Well, why do I like it? Because I figured out that I was okay at using it. Five or so days ago, on my grandma's driveway, I drew a rose. Okay, not usually my thing, but that's one of the few things that I've drawn in chalk before. Well, anyways, I used blue and purple and some other colors--a bit of yellow and some green--and it turned out really well.

What did I get out of it? A blister. ^_^ On my finger.

But I did rather like it. 'Twas pretty and looked pretty epic. Well, sadly, on that day my grandma's best friend--who she'd known for twenty-six years--had died. :/ From cancer.

A few days later I went to my other grandparents' house, and the heat was roasting. Up to a hundred and eight degrees. OW. So, I went outside. Not the best thing to do in that weather, eh? But I did.

And I took the chalk. And my grandparents' chalk. I was wearing capris. Bad. Idea. Because you know what? I had to sit on the ground. With my legs pressed against the cement that literally could fry and egg.

I endured it for half and hour as I drew a horse with a greenish blue for the dark areas, and yellow for the rest. Worked out amazingly, actually. Unfortunately, the next morning the sprinklers got turned on and it washed away... and my grandpa's camera wasn't working and made it too dim, so it looks as if it was really a blue and white horse.

I went swimming once while I was there, and my two-year old cousin stayed with us one night. :) He's cute. Sometimes silly.

The day before we left, I went back out into the blazing heat and drew a dragon. I used the same colors as the horse, and then took white and drew scales on him, smudging the lines with my fingers. :) Worked really well, but I don't have a picture of that drawing. :P

While at my grandparents', we went to work with them two days. They work at a store--a small second-hand grocery store, and the people there are really nice. There are only three checkout counters, and both times we were there only one was being used. The place is run by Holderman Mennonites--which I must say are extremely nice and hospitable people.

Ry and I--for we were the ones staying with grandparents--worked as well. We bagged people's groceries. 'Twas fun, actually. We carried out for a few people. Well, one man came along, looking rather bedraggled. He was talking to my grandma. Turns out, he'd been working since four A.M. and when he'd gotten to work, the inside of the building had been one hundred and five degrees. Well, before he went out, he handed me a few coins as a tip. :) The only person who gave me a tip.

With it, he said, "Don't spend it all on one thing." I was surprised at how much he'd given me--not a quarter or seventy five cents, but a dollar coin plus a dime. :D That may not seem like much, but for a tip it is.
The second day we worked there we brought gluten-free brownies along and set them in the break room for anyone to take from.

Grandma introduced me to a man who was deaf, and who's wife worked there. He was mute as well because he just didn't speak. His wife spoke to him in sign language, and he spoke back that way. Ry gave him a hug straight off.

I usually hug people after I know them. Well, this seemed like a really nice person. But I didn't have to go over there and hug him--he hugged me! He was a real sweet (not quite old) man. His wife was nice, too. Then we mentioned something about brownies in the back...

and he took his hand from behind his back. He held a brownie. XD He took a big bite out of it. Turns out, it was his second. :)

Well, I was going to eat supper around six--a sandwich in the back room--but I told Ry I had to finish this line of people first. Well, turns out, the line didn't stop. So, I eventually did go back and eat.

After eating, grandma wanted me to pick out things I wanted to buy--she'd pay for a bit of things because we'd worked for her. Well, she gave us a dollar an hour, and since we worked six hours in those two days, we got six dollars. I picked out things that were made by the wife of the deaf man because they were the best things--bagged candies. Smooth melts, or known as melty mints. They're like different colored chocolate chips that taste a bit like peppermint chocolate with some sort of sprinkle on the bottom. MM... those ones were always my favorite. Then, I also got spice drops, which are pretty much like gumdrops, except more on the spice side--one tasted to me like Thanksgiving. ;)

I also got taffy--two kinds. Key lime and orange. Both taste epic. I also got a chocolate bar for my mom, seeing as she loves chocolate as much as I do...

All in all, 'twas a great time. While I was at my grandparents', my dad came home from Africa where he'd been for the last week, and he brought back a necklace for me and my sisters (we each got one) and a lady in Africa had sent my mom a dress--except that it was too small. The waist was pretty much elastic, and its really comfortable--I've tried it on. The only thing is that i don't really like the color--'tis purple. :) But that can be looked over. The waist, does, of course, start at your waist. Then it turns into a really comfortable, airy skirt, which is maneuverable in, and goes down to my ankles. :) 'Tis Manny's dress, for now, since it doesn't fit my mom.

And today we got yet another surprise! In the mail we received, from a Liberian, African we know, another dress. This one is a two-piece and was sent for whoever it could fit. Well, it fits me... :D Normally, I hate wearing dresses and skirts. Jeans are my favorite, and T-shirts are my friends. But African dresses, I don't mind if its not all I ever wear. I mean, they're comfortable. Epic.

Anyways, this one is a brown and dark mustard color design. I'll have to post a picture of the pattern on here sometime. The top piece is really nice--its a shirt until three inches above my belly-button (XD) and then its like a long ruffle and goes down over the skirt. The skirt is a lot wider at the bottom than it is from the knee up. 'Tis comfortable, and that's what counts. :) In fact, I'm wearing it right now.

I am currently reading The Horn of Moran, and after that, Isle of Fire. :) I read Isle of Swords this week.

Six days until my lessons start!! :D

--Vrenith

EDIT: Oh, yes, and I forgot to tell you. At my grandmother's friend's funeral, my parents met a man who lived across the street from my grandparents. He'd seen the rose and wanted me to do something on his driveway--something that was already there in paint, but needed to be re-painted because it was fading. 'Tis a Jayhawk. Not sure if I'll be able to do it or not, but I thought it was interesting. ^_^