Poem for the Triduum: "Two Trees"

Short blog post today.  I wrote this poem on Good Friday two years ago, and I thought it was fitting for the Triduum we enter into tonight.

Two Trees

The tree that brought man death

Stood in the garden lush and beautiful,

Untainted by any breath of sorrow,

Risen from the sweet earth

Bursting with the life of God's creation.

And Adam, as yet unfallen,

Master of that garden, having been given

Authority over all other creatures,

A proud lord saw himself

And wished to have the greatness of his God.

So he took the fruit.

And instead of greatness he was given death.

The tree that brought man life

Stood on a bare hill devoid of beauty

And on it hung a Man

Racked with torments, despised by all,

Yet He was in truth the Lord of all creation.

Road to Avonlea: A Fun, Family Friendly TV Show

Recently my family started watching a TV show called Road to Avonlea.  It's done by Sullivan Entertainment (which put out the Anne of Green Gables movie trilogy), and it's based on stories from the Anne of Green Gables books and from other works of L.M. Montgomery such as The Story Girl.  

If you took Anne of Green Gables and crossed it with the Little House on the Prairie TV show, this show would be the result.  The story centers around the King family, a family of farmers in Avonlea, and Sara Stanley, a cousin who comes from Montreal to stay with them.  As the series goes on, the cast of characters grows as more and more of the Avonlea townspeople take on important roles.  Marilla Cuthbert and Mrs. Lynde appear multiple times, played by the same actresses that played those roles in Anne of Green Gables. 

The stories themselves are light-hearted.  Unlike Little House on the Prairie, in which a major tragedy strikes about every other episode, Road to Avonlea seldom features tragic events.  Instead, it focuses on ordinary life and the relationships of the people in the village.  (By the way, I don't mean to bash Little House on the Prairie...I do love that series...but I advise reading episode synopses first if you don't want to be traumatized while watching it!)

Without further ado, I'm going to introduce the main characters of Road to Avonlea.

Sara Stanley

 

Sara comes to the Island for the summer because her father has been framed for embezzlement and is on trial.  She's a town girl and isn't used to the way things are done in Avonlea.  She struggles to fit into the community and to get along with various members of the King family (her cousins, aunts, and uncle).  Sara has a tender heart and will stand up for anyone who is being treated badly.  She's also a dreamer, a player of practical jokes, and a storyteller.  

Hetty King

 

Hetty King is Sara's aunt (her mother's sister).  Hetty is the oldest of the Kings since her parents died, and she never lets her siblings forget it!  She is the Avonlea schoolteacher.  She is crabby, strict, rule-bound, and in many ways unsympathetic to the feelings of others...but occasionally those around her can glimpse the deep-seated love she has for her family.  Hetty takes in Sara when she comes to the King farm, even though she's reluctant to take care of her at first.  (You may recognize the actress, Jackie Burroughs, as the woman who recited that "Ho! Ho! the breakers roared" poem in Anne of Green Gables.)

Olivia King

 

Olivia King is Hetty's younger sister who lives with her in Rose Cottage.  She is sweet and optimistic and is delighted to have Sara stay with her and Hetty.  Olivia has a passion for poetry and journalism and really wants a job with the Avonlea newspaper.  (You may recognize the actress, Mag Ruffman, as Alice Lawson, the storekeeper's daughter, in Anne of Green Gables.)

Alec King

Alec King is Hetty and Olivia's brother.  He runs the farm that his house and his sisters' house are on.  Alec is married and has three children.  He's a good father with a sense of humor (and a little bit of mischief)!  He tends to play peacemaker within his family, although he and Hetty butt heads sometimes.  (The actor, Cedric Smith, was in Anne of Green Gables as Reverend Allan.)

Janet King

Janet King is Alec's wife.  She's a kind mother to their three children and a capable homemaker.  Sometimes she doesn't realize how much mischief her children are getting into, though!  Janet always seems to have her hands full with a million different projects around the busy farm.

Felicity King

Felicity is Alec and Janet's oldest daughter.  When Sara Stanley arrives in Avonlea, Felicity sees her as a threat with her expensive town clothes and her town ways.  She ignores her and plays mean pranks on her (often with the help of her brother, Felix).  However, Felicity soon learns that it's better being friends with Sara than being at odds with her! Felicity likes to cook and do crafts.  She likes being put in charge of her siblings, although when she actually does get put in charge of them there's always trouble!

Felix King

Felix King is mischief personified....and cuteness personified!  He's forever getting into scrapes and playing pranks.  But he loves his family dearly and is sorry whenever he realizes that one of his pranks has really hurt someone.  Felix has a strong sense of justice and gets outraged when he feels things aren't fair (which is about every five minutes)!

Cecily King

Cecily is the youngest King child, and the best behaved.  She is kind to Sara when she first arrives and Felicity and Felix can't stand her.   Cecily is truthful, logical, and never afraid to speak her mind.

Andrew King

Andrew King is a cousin both of Sara Stanley and of Felicity, Felix, and Cecily.  He's been sent to Avonlea while his father, a famous geologist, is doing mining work in Brazil.  Andrew often sides with Sara against Felicity and Felix in arguments.  In his free time, he's nearly always got his nose in a book. 

Peter Craig

Peter Craig is Aunt Hetty's hired boy.  He's kind to Sara when she comes to Avonlea.  He often gets involved in the pranks and arguments going on among the other children.  Peter is a plucky kid who isn't afraid of much of anything, even the so-called "Witch of Avonlea," Peg Bowen.

 If you're looking for a light-hearted, family friendly TV show, you should check out Road to Avonlea!  If you've seen it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments!

Three More Terrific YouTube Music Channels

I don't have much time to write a blog post today (because today has been crazily busy), so I thought I would do a Part 2 to my post from two weeks ago:Three Terrific Music Channels On YouTube.   So, without further ado, here are three more of my favorite music channels on YouTube!

Home Free

Home Free is an a capella group that sings country music.  The very first time I was introduced to this group, I was totally blown away by their incredible voices.  They're always right on the correct pitch and right in time with each other.  One of the members of the group, Adam Rupp, makes every drum sound imaginable (and many other sound effects) with only his mouth! Home Free specializes in covers of other people's country songs (like this cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire"), but they have many original songs as well.

Owl City

One might assume that Owl City was the name of a band made up of several people, but in fact all its music is done by one man: Adam Young. He does the lead vocals, the backup vocals, and all the instrumental tracks.  His music is God-centered, fun, and kind of weird (in a good way).  Fun fact: Owl City has done credits music for a number of movies, including "Wreck-it Ralph."  Another fun fact: Adam Young's Twitter account is hilarious!  (And no, I don't have Twitter.  I've seen his tweets on Pinterest.)

The Hound + The Fox

This young married couple is just adorable...and their singing is lovely too! They do covers of folk songs and songs from musicals and movies. Listening to their voices is just so relaxing! They play their own accompaniments, especially on harmonica and ukelele (I haven't been paying enough attention to the instruments to remember exactly which ones they play, but it always sounds great)!

 Well, that wraps it up!  I'd love to hear about your favorite YouTube music channels in the comments!

On Living One Day At A Time

"Be not therefore solicitous for to morrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." ~ Matthew 6:34

If there's one thing that makes me stressed, it's trying to live in the future.  There's this little voice in my head that constantly reminds me about all the things I have to do this week, this month, and this year.  It goes something like this: Ursi, don't forget you have six commitments this weekend.  You'd better worry about all of them right now.  And you know you wanted to get a book published before you were 25 and you're almost 24.  And you have to go to the dentist this month.  And tax day is coming up. 

I often try to rationalize this little voice by telling myself that I need to think about all my plans and deadlines.  After all, if I don't plan anything, I'll miss deadlines and not get anything done!  But there's a difference between planning for the future and worrying about the future.  And I think I can safely say that 80% of the time I spend thinking about the future is worrying, not planning.

C.S. Lewis warns about the dangers of focusing too much on the future in The Screwtape Letters.  Screwtape, a senior devil, tells his nephew Wormwood that one way to tempt men away from God is to get them to live in the future.  “The Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most temporal part of time--for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.” When we concentrate on the future, we miss opportunities to do good in the present.  We can also be led into sin.  Lewis warns, “Nearly all vices are rooted in the future. Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear, avarice, lust and ambition look ahead.”

And then there's that verse from Matthew I quoted at the top of this post.  God doesn't want us to worry about the future.  He wants us to focus on pleasing Him in the present day.

So I'm resolving to stop worrying about the future and start living one day at a time.  I'm still going to write down deadlines and make to-do lists, but apart from that I'm going to make an effort to focus on the present day and trust God to take care of the future.  If you share my problem of worrying too much about the future, please join me!

 

 

Three Terrific Music Channels on YouTube

I listen to a lot of music on YouTube, and today it occurred to me to write a blog post sharing music from some of the terrific musicians that can be found there!  And yes, I'll admit that my taste in music is eclectic. (And apparently I only listen to male singers???) 

Peter Hollens

Peter Hollens uses modern technology to his advantage.  He records himself singing multiple voice parts and combines the parts to make videos that sound like whole choirs.  He also does sound effects that I can hardly believe aren't done with musical instruments.  Peter specializes in doing song covers; he's done all the songs from Lord of the Rings, a lot of songs from Disney movies, and a lot of traditional songs like "Shenandoah."  He does duets with his wife, Evynne (who has her own YouTube channel), too!

Il Volo

Il Volo is a trio of men from Italy that my sister, some friends, and I were privileged to see in concert last March during their "Notte Magica" tour (a tribute to the Three Tenors, They started out doing a cross between opera and pop music, then transitioned to doing more pure opera and Italian folk songs.  Although Gianluca, Ignazio, and Piero are only in their early twenties, their vocal control is a classical singer's dream!  And that's Plácido Domingo conducting them in this video.  

Simon Khorolskiy

My mom introduced me to this artist.  (To be fair, she dragged me kicking and screaming to listen to this artist.)  Simon is a Russian man living in Washington State who does videos of assorted songs (almost entirely in Russian) with his six sisters.  There's an old-world feel about the music that I really like, even though I can't understand any Russian!  Simon is Christian, and the intent in his music is to give glory to God.
 

For some reason this post won't let me embed more than three videos.  When I try to add a fourth, one of the ones I've already posted disappears.  I'm not sure what's going on with that...maybe the files are too big?  I have several favorite music channels left, so I'm thinking of doing a "Part 2" to this post sometime soon. Meanwhile, I would love to hear about your favorite YouTube music channels in the comments!

5 Frustrating Things About Writing

I'm having one of those days where I try to write and the right words just don't come.  Maybe I've got too many writing projects going at once? (I'm working on a novel and a short story at the same time, and I've got my weekly blog post on top of that!)  Anyway, because regular topics just aren't working for me today, here's a post about five frustrating things about writing. 

Plot Bunnies

"Plot bunny" is a term used among writers to mean an idea that distracts you from the thing you're currently writing.  For instance, you're writing medieval fantasy when you get what seems like a really good idea for a story set in 20th century America.  It's really tempting to drop the story you're currently working on and start one based on the new idea.  Don't do it.  Write down the idea and forget about it for now.  If you hop from story to story following plot bunnies, you'll never finish anything. (I need to follow this advice better myself.  I have started countless stories based on plot bunnies, and hardly any of them got beyond five pages.)

Forgetting Details In Your Own Story

 

 I thought this one just happened to me, but I've heard from a few other people who say the same thing.  You're writing along, and you have to invent a name for a minor character, or the name of a town, or something like that.  You put it in and promptly forget all about it.  When the minor character comes up again three chapters later, you can't remember his name.  So you have to search painstakingly through the first part of your book to find him.  I can only think of two ways to avoid this problem...have a perfect memory or make lists of all the details you might possibly have to remember later.

Plots That Don't Work

You've left your character pining away in a tower from which there is no escape, and now you have no idea how to get him out.  The only option seems to be supernatural aid (or a giant eagle, if you're Tolkien).  And supernatural aid (and eagles) seem unsatisfying, at least to me. You want the characters to be able to solve their own problems without the writer dragging in outside help. 

 I think whoever wrote Brigadoon had this problem.  They left poor Tommy Albright stranded in the modern day with no way to get back to Brigadoon.  The conclusion, where Tommy goes back to the spot where Brigadoon used to be and finds it still there, feels like cheating on the writers' part.  The only explanation for why Brigadoon is still there is "if you love someone deeply enough, anything is possible".  Cute, maybe, but it still feels like a deus ex machina to me.  (This is not to say that I dislike Brigadoon.  On the contrary, it's one of my favorite old movies.)

 Characters That Don't Do What You Want

You know exactly what you want your character to do, but he won't do it.  Instead of being a bold outlaw, he's a wishy-washy outlaw with scruples.  (This example is from a character that appeared in a novel I wrote a few years ago.  He was the main character, and the story didn't work well with him being wishy-washy and scrupulous.)  Anne in Anne of Avonlea complains about the same thing when she's writing her short story, "Averil's Atonement." I have no idea why this happens.  I've heard people saying it's all in the writer's mind.  Maybe it is, and if so, I wish I could figure out what to do about it!  

Distraction

Distracted writing isn't dangerous like distracted driving...but it's still frustrating!  There are an indefinite number of ways to get distracted while you're trying to write.  People in the room, music, the Internet, to-do lists, and just ordinary daydreaming are only a few of the things that make it so difficult to concentrate on the project at hand.  It's impossible to completely eliminate distraction, but you can definitely avoid it.  For me, the best place to work and avoid distractions is a quiet room (with no music, not even instrumental).  I often write my stories longhand on paper, because the computer distracts me too!

Do you relate to any of these frustrating things?  Or have others to add?  I'd love to hear them!

 

 

10 Show-Stealing Movie Sidekicks

While figuring out characters for my current work-in-progress, I've been thinking a lot about the importance of some underrated characters: sidekicks.  They support the main characters or try to show them where they're going wrong.  They're often funny without even trying.  There's also a disarming humility about a lot of sidekicks; they're focused on everyone but themselves. 

After thinking about this for a while, I decided to do a post on it.  (Yes, I'm a college grad and this is the way I choose to spend my free time.  You may judge me.)  Here are ten of my favorite movie sidekicks and supporting characters!  I picked movies because I could show pictures of the characters.  Maybe at some point I'll do a post on sidekicks from books too.

Bartok, Anastasia

Bartok is on the bad side.  He's helping the villain, Rasputin, find the escaped Princess Anastasia.  But Bartok is continually dismayed by Rasputin's evil plans.  He tells him to "forget the girl and get a life!"  Finally he decides it's gone too far: "You're on your own, sir!  This can only end in tears."  Bartok's voice is hilarious (not surprising, since he's voiced by uber-talented Hank Azaria).  This is a sidekick who deserved his own movie...and got it, with Bartok the Magnificent (which is a really fun movie, by the way)!

The Captain of the Guard, Cinderella

The Captain of the Guard in Disney's live-action Cinderella is so great.  He's the best friend Prince Kit seems to have at the palace (besides his father).  When the Grand Duke schemes to bring more power to the kingdom at the expense of Kit's happiness, the Captain is always there to remind everyone that Kit is a person too.  He's also really funny!  I love when Kit is telling him all about the girl he's fallen head over heels for, and the Captain says, "Do you think she has a sister?"  The Captain also gets to put Lady Tremaine in her place at the end.  "Who are you to stop an officer of the king? Are you an empress? A saint? A deity?"

 Kronk, The Emperor's New Groove

 

  Like Bartok, Kronk is the villain's sidekick; Yzma is using him to help her track down the escaped emperor-turned-llama.  (This sounds really weird if you haven't seen the movie.)  Kronk is not the brightest bulb in the box, but when Yzma gets deeply entrenched in ridiculous schemes to kill the emperor, Kronk turns out to be the one who uses common sense!  He's friendly, hilarious, and a great cook.  (In fact, the point where he turns against Yzma is when she tells him she never liked his spinach puffs!)  He also talks to squirrels.

Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

I would be remiss if I didn't include one of the most iconic movie sidekicks ever: Inigo Montoya.  Although I don't hold with revenge or dueling, I appreciate the terrific love Inigo has for his father that makes him chase the six-fingered man for so many years.  I also love his interactions with the other characters.  He's incredibly forthright and will tell you just what he's thinking.  

To Vizzini: "You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."  

To the Man in Black: "I do not think you would accept my help, since I am only waiting around to kill you!"  

Cogsworth and Lumiere, Beauty and the Beast

I had to mention both of these because they're so hilarious together!  Cogsworth is a mother-hen type and the straight man to Lumiere's funny man.  (Incidentally, my siblings have informed me that he is the Beauty and the Beast character most like me.)  He wants to make sure nobody's breaking rules or making the Beast mad.  Lumiere, on the other hand, thinks that rules are more like guidelines than actual rules.  He wants to show Belle just how hospitable the castle can be!  Their interactions with each other and the Beast are just golden.  

Cogsworth (to the Beast): "Who?  Oh!  The girl. Yes,  the, ah, girl.  Well, actually, she's in the process of, ah, um, circumstances being what they are, ah... she's not coming."

Lumiere (to the Beast): "Master, I could be wrong, but that might not be the best way to win the girl's affections." 

Cosmo, Singin' In the Rain

Cosmo Brown and Don Lockwood started out as good friends who did second-rate vaudeville together.  Then Don Lockwood became a movie star, and Cosmo...well, he played the piano on the set.  All through Singin' In the Rain, while Don's in the spotlight, Cosmo is cheering him up behind the scenes and helping him figure out his problems.  He comes up with terrific ideas, like dubbing Kathy's voice over Lina's in "The Dancing Cavalier."  And he's not looking for fame or recognition, just helping his friends and making people laugh!

Sir Hiss, Disney's Robin Hood

Sir Hiss, evil Prince John's sidekick, always makes me laugh.  On the one hand, he goes around flattering Prince John and even spying for him.  On the other hand, Prince John makes him incredibly crabby...and Sir Hiss is hilarious when he's crabby!  He can see Prince John for what he is: a whiny, cowardly character who's not fit to lead anything, let alone a whole kingdom.  

Prince John: "One more hiss out of you, Hiss, and you are walking to Nottingham"

  Hiss [aside]: "Snakes don't walk, they slither. Hmph. So there."

Hiss: "How nobly King Richard's crown sits on your royal brow."

Prince John [not paying attention]: "Doesn't it?" [realizing, furious] "King Richard?  I told you never to mention my brother's name!" 

Hiss: "A mere slip of the forked tongue, Sire."

 Truman, October Baby

October Baby is a pretty serious movie for the most part.  After all, it deals with a serious theme: the right to life of unborn babies.  But it has some great comedic moments, and a lot of them involve Truman.  

Truman is one of Hannah and Jason's college classmates.  We first see him trying to make a little extra money by "upgrading" people's tickets as they come to a school play.  Next, we see him catching an iron on fire.  No matter what ridiculous thing Truman is doing, he maintains a dignified and gloomy composure that is hilarious in contrast.  And he's nerdy--the kind of socially awkward nerdy that most of us nerds hope we're not.  I love it!

Canoe, That Darn Cat

Canoe is a boy who hangs out at Patti Randall's house, raiding the fridge and taking Patti to surfer movies that make her feel seasick.  But when he suspects that something fishy is going on at the Randall house, he's determined to help Patti out by getting to the bottom of it...and jealous, because he thinks there's a young man involved.  Canoe's bumbling detective attempts are one of the best things about this movie!  

 

Sam Gamgee, Lord of the Rings

Sam Gamgee is an unusual sidekick because he's also the hero of the story!  Sam starts out as Frodo's bumbling, comedic gardener, always needing his master's help and guidance.  But throughout the story, Sam gets wiser and stronger.  As the Ring becomes harder and harder for Frodo to bear, Sam supports him.  He risks his life over and over for Frodo.  Without Sam, the whole quest would have failed.  He's my favorite LOTR character.

These are only a few of my favorite movie sidekicks.  I'd love to see your favorites in the comments!