Monday, November 30, 2009

Why Fantasy?

As I discussed my nano project with people, I got to enjoy my share of “you are writing fantasy?” Why?” “What’s the appeal?” “So you are writing for teenage boys?” I associate online with enough fantasy writer’s to know that this is a required right of passage for every speculative fiction write (if you answer that you write speculative fiction, you get to confuse the stupider of your naysayer’s, which is always fun). Though to be honest, I think speculative fiction is a better description of the genre. Somehow, in our society we have reached this place where speculative fiction is bad fiction. Novels that should be placed in this genre are considered mainstream if they are good enough. By removing the best selling, most meaningful works of speculative fiction (1984, Brave New World, Handmaid’s Tale) are taken away, it is no wonder that the genre is considered trash. With the great works not counting, it is difficult for the good to balance out the bad in the genre.
The mostly minor, unintentional slams to my chosen genre left me thinking a lot about the works of literature that have most affected my life. As I considered books that have meant something to, have helped me grow as a person, most of them are speculative fiction. And so, as my defense of fantasy, I am going to give short descriptions of the fantasy that has impacted my life. Next time: Chronicles of Narnia.


More in line with this blog, new pics on snapfish. Old pics will be moved soon, so if you want copies of pics, I would suggest you get them soon, before the next time I load pics. Though since nothing interesting is coming up, that may be for a while. Or she may do something super cute tomorrow. :)

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Hello! Goodbye!

As I immerse myself in NaNoWriMo, I have pretty much abandoned this blog for November. Also, I have been lazy about putting up pics, videos, etc. We had a good camping trip, where we took a canoe on the lake, with the dogs in the boat. I have pics and video from tumbling (watch bin not do as she was told :)). And I have lots of random musings and stories. And yet none of it is getting posted or discussed. Instead thousands and thousands of words are being written about a warrior and a pacificst monk, traveling across a fantasy country, attacked by demons at every turn. Their lofty quest is to find the holy scriptures and return them to their country, so that their countrymen's hearts and minds will be elevated to goodness and all will find enlightenment. As they travel, they are joined by a disgraced courtier, an aspiring monk who is not sure that is truly her path, and a demon searching for redemption.

So, while I briefly popped my head out of my fantasy world, don't expect more until November is over. And then you can enjoy my first planned blog series- A defense of speculative fiction: Fantasy and Sci Fi that has influenced me. Along those lines, no the book I am writing does not have teenage boys as its target audience. The target audience is (as it is for all my writing) me.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy Halloween!



Not the best pic, but the best we could get. :)

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Boo at Zoo



We went to the zoo yesterday. Bin is not that big a fan of zoos. Outside of the zoo is a train and she spent much of her time asking when we were going on the train (there is a video of her on the train in facebook). She did like the pumpkin patch, but she is a little obsessed with pumpkins right now. She liked that random people gave her candy, but I wish they had had a few more trick or treat stations (they had 5, each one giving 3 pieces- mostly the small size tootsie rolls). She also liked the fountains and the splash park at the zoo. Of the animals, she ignored most. She did like the elephants a lot. She wanted to stay there a long time and she kept saying "Mommy, take a picture! " She wanted to ride an elephant and didn't get why the zoo wouldn't let her. This is probably my fault. At Ren Fest last year she rode an elephant and when they have ads for this year's festival, they show elephant rides, which I have told her we will do that when we go. Lately she has been playing with her stuffed elephants a lot (Kai-lan has an elephant friend so that might be the origin of her interest). They complement each other on their ears, which I think is so funny. We did get her a small stuffed elephant, so now she has two baby elephants and three big stuffed elephants.

She also liked the giraffes. Giraffes must be easy to breed, because they have lots of baby giraffes. Bin likes baby things. Tangent: we were doing some basic maintenance on the deck and hammering things. Cutie helped her hammer and she asked to do it herself. Cutie told her it was too big for her. "Can I have a baby hammer?"



We are watching Pride and Prejudice as I blog and Bin was mostly ignoring the movie, until we get the scene with colin firth in the bath tub. Suddenly she is all attention. Other times we have watched this movie, she has behaved in the same manner. I guess I should be glad she has good taste atleast. I let a friend borrow Sense and Sensibility. Bin was very upset that we could not watch "mommy's orange movie." Now, she has found some soda cans and they are going to the park.

Another story: She found a bunch of her old teething rings. She asked me- which one do you like? I said the blue one. She said "No, that's for daddy." So, then I answered "the purple and orange one". She said- no it's orange just like me! (she was wearing an orange outfit.) She then put it on her head and said "Now I'm king!".


Bin has been in tumbling classes. I took one pic and then the camera ran out of batteries. She does not like the little gym outfit, but I do. She laughs and giggles throughout the class and then comes out and tells me she hates it. She also doesn't really listen- like they were doing some little routines (2 steps, jump, 2 steps, jump) and she just does her own thing. She also won't do a saumersault. She wants people to flip her around, not her to do it. But she does great with the bars and tumbling and decent on the balance beam. :) I really like her in tumbling though and am planning on keeping her in the class. If I can't get in through the Parks and Rec, I'll have to pay the higher amount and go through the gym. But atleast for now, that is a priority. I liked the idea of karate, but she most places want 5 year olds at least and right now bin says she doesn't want to do that (of course, that doesn't mean much).

One of Bin's teachers pointed out that Bin seems to recognize her name when written. On one of her crafts, her name was written (as Elizabeth- even though I told the school she prefers Bin Bin, they still call her Elizabeth). I pointed to it and asked her what it says. She shouted "BIN BIN YIP!!" So, not at all what it says, but similar meaning. :) Cutie was shocked that she knows her last name.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I have shirts!



Bin is now dressing herself. Sometimes, she comes up with interesting outfits- like five shirts. :)

And here is her sick and miserable, sleeping on the messy coffee table. She put her nap mat on the table and then slept there.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Bin's Birthday

For people who will be in phx while I am in phx, any feelings about birthday celebration? I plan to celebrate in Houston on the actual day, but not sure if others would like to have a party for her. Let me know your thoughts! The current schedule, two posts down, does not have a party, but if people want one it can be added.

I want snow!


Bin put socks on her feet, then socks on her hands, calling them mittens, found a jacket and then asked to go play in the snow. The news that we have no snow did not go over well, as you can see :(

Monday, September 28, 2009

Possible Christmas plans

Here is a very tentative schedule for our Christmas trip. Input is welcome. :) And we haven't consulted with anyone yet, so if you see you name and go, hmm, I haven't heard anything about this, I know. :)

18
Peter Work
19
drive to El paso
20
drive to phx- possibly Steve's b-day (might be too tired, they might not be in town, etc)
21
peter family
22
Friends?
23
Nat-gingerbread
24
my fam/lutheran/temple lights
25
peter family
26
dim sum/zoo lights
27
Martin's Birthday Celebration
28
stay in flag/play in snow- Lowell Observatory at 5:30pm
29
play in snow

30
drive to abq
31
stay in wichita falls

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Now in Chinese!




Today is a big day for uploading. New snapfish pics and new videos on youtube. Most of these were taken on the same day, but it's the thought that counts.

One of my friends says that letting Bin watch Kai-lan because I want her to learn some Chinese is never going to work. Today, Bin was counting and after counting in English, she shouted "Now in Chinese." And then counted to three in Chinese. So, she may not learn enough to be fluent, but its a definite start.

Today she did not want to go to school. She clung and cried and when I dropped her off, she clung to her teacher. I hope her day gets better.

I am working on a cross stitch for Bin- a Christmas tree with buttons. She keeps asking to help, so I got her yarn and plastic stars with holes in them and told her she needs to make the star for the tree. It helps a little. Now she plays with the yarn and shouts "I'm making a Christmas tree with buttons!" over and over.

She has also started using the word because. While very cute, I am not sure she understands what because means. "I am sad because I am mad!" "I used daddy's scissors because I did!"

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

First day of school



Today was Bin's first day of school. She is going Wed and Friday at Epiphany Lutheran. After the meet the teacher day, she realized that school did not mean playing with her friend. She told me this morning that she didn't want to go to school and she was going to be bad at school. When I dropped her off, she cried pitifully at the door. I went down the hall, realized I had left my forms in the car and by that time she had stopped crying and was playing happily with some toys. At the end of the day they said she was very good- no time outs. She did keep taking off her shoes and barely ate any lunch.

The other funny thing was their surprise at her climbing ability. I told them to watch her cause she is a great climber and can get into things you would never expect. And yet, when I picked her up, they said, omigosh, she is a climber. She got on top of all the playground toys and would wave down happily. We couldn't figure out how she did it and we would only turn our back on her for one second. I wonder if there are other parents who claim their kids are climbers who aren't as skilled as her and that is why they seemed so surprised.

An interesting conversation when I picked Bin up. Tomorrow is her playmate's birthday (he's two). I told her we should get him a present. She sadly told me that she can't play with him because she had to go to school. I guess she used to think his house was school, so now that she knows school isn't his house, she thinks she can't play with him. A weird logic, but for a two year old might make sense.