Favorite Teachers/Mentors/ Top 5 Wednesday

Favorite Teachers/Mentors/ Top 5 Wednesday

March 28th, 2018

This week's topic was on our favorite teachers/ mentors. Below, I have listed my favorites from books and movies. I cheated and made one of the answers three different people but I could not pick between the three. All of these favorites are in no particular order. 

Top 5 Wednesday is a group created by Lainey of Ginger Reads Lainey on Booktube. It is now hosted by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes on Booktube. Here is a link to the group on Goodreads if you are interested in joining.

5. Ford Prefect from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

- Ford is an unconventional teacher for Arthur. He helps Arthur learn about hitchhiking through experience and then will explain what is going on along the way. I have always enjoyed Ford as a character, he's one of my favorites out of the books. Him and his interactions, especially with Arthur are some of the best scenes in the book.

4. Obi-Wan/ Yoda/ Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars Series (this contains some minor spoilers for the series including from Episode 8: The Last Jedi)
- I wanted to put each of these Jedi masters into a category together because they are all favorites of mine. Each has a specific way of teaching their Padawan's/ pupils that fit their personalities perfectly.

- When he is younger and older, Obi-Wan tries to impart the wisdom of the Force and tries to help his apprentices to mature and grow in knowledge and wisdom. We see Obi-Wan teach at two different times in his life and both of his teaching methods are based on what he has experienced. This is also true with Luke and Yoda.

- Yoda's teaching methods, especially in The Empire Strikes Back are some of my favorite scenes in any of the movies. Yoda is not at all what Luke is expecting from a Jedi master but over time he learns a great deal from him. A lot of how he teaches Luke is through aphorisms and philosophy. Luke similar to his future mentee is expecting something else entirely from his mentor. Luke does not only learn how to use his Jedi powers as a way of defense but also as a way of meditation. Yoda challenges Luke and also tries to show him what he has to work on through strengths and weaknesses.

-Luke is an interesting teacher/ mentor for Rey. We have seen a change in Luke from the end of Return of the Jedi to The Last Jedi, from the farm boy turned Jedi. His optimism is gone and this is a change that many including Rey were not expecting to see. He has dealt with a lot in the thirty or so years and has become disillusioned because of a mistake he made with Ben Solo. Rey goes to Luke expecting something completely different than what she actually got. This sort of mirrors Yoda's first appearance in Empire. Luke has become a legend in our world but also in his own galaxy. His lessons for Rey deal with not only himself but also of the mistakes of the Jedi of the past. The problem of hubris with the Jedi is one of these lessons.

3. Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings Series
- There is an archetype that is well known called "the wise old man". Gandalf has always been one of the characters that I first think of when I hear this phrase (the other is number one on this list). He is first introduced in the books as an old man riding in a cloak with a long white beard. Characteristics of the archetype themselves but also not all of it. Gandalf is a wise man who teaches Frodo and also many others in the Fellowship. I remember really loving his character as a child and I still do to this day. He's a teacher/ mentor that I would have enjoyed to have myself.

2. Morrie Swartz from Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
-The only real person on this list. I first read Tuesdays with Morrie in high school and loved it. Morrie was Mitch's college professor but also his teacher in his adulthood. The lessons that Mitch learns in the book are life lessons that each of us could use. Morrie was a man who imparted valuable information onto his students. This wonderful man's last months left a lasting impact on Mitch but also on so many other's. I still remember this memoir to this day and think about it often.

1. Merlin from the King Arthur tales
- I was first introduced to Merlin with the Disney movie The Sword in the Stone
(I later read the wonderful book). Merlin has had so many iterations over the years and I have enjoyed the ones that I have come across. The one from the Disney movie has always stuck in my head though.

Carrie Fisher Post

In Memory of Carrie Fisher

10/21/56- 12/27/16

I remember when I first saw Carrie Fisher, it was when I was a little girl watching Star Wars for the very first time. Her with her hair in buns on the side of her head, long white dress, and snapping at her rescuers.  For most of my life I knew Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, as many others have. My brother and I became obssessed with the Star Wars movies and she became one of the people I looked up to. Princess Leia was a hero to me from that age on because she wasn't like many I had seen before. I remember when I first found out Carrie's name and realized that someone that I looked up to so much had the same name as me (well at least the actress playing her did). Little eight year old me (I'm not sure of my exact age at the time) was so excited when I read that in the credits. 

So it took me many years to actually get really into Carrie as a person and not just as the character of Leia. I had seen her many other movies but she'd always be Princess Leia to me. I believe that I was nineteen when I first watched her HBO documentary Wishful Drinking based on her memoir of the same name. This is also when I picked up the memoir and became totally obsessed with her type of humor. I love snarkness and she was one of the best at it. The memoir is about her life as a child of famous A-List celebrities, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. It's funny I loved Debbie from Disney Channel's Halloweentown movies and Carrie from Star Wars and it took me until I was probably thirteen or fourteen to even realize that they were mother and daughter. 

Last year, I remember first hearing about Carrie's death on the tv. For about a week she was not doing too well and I remember saying I hope that she'll be okay. I never actually got to meet Carrie and I wish that I could have. From an early age, she was one of the people that I always looked up to as a character but also then as a person. Carrie was not perfect and admitted to her every fault with such sincerity. She was someone who was always able to speak her mind and that's something that I admire so much. I didn't know at the time of her death how to react. People will say why do you care so much, it's not like you actually knew her. No, I didn't but I really felt like I did. I grew up with her as a person that admired for a majority of my life. Then as I grew older I learned of some of the things she had done in her past that were not always the best. This all made her more human and not any less of someone that I looked up to. Her pressence and effect will always be missed. 

It was hard watching her as Leia again in The Last Jedi but also so great. She was just as incredible to me in that movie as she was in all those previously. Her own humor and loving nature showed through and I was very pleased that I got to see her final performance. She was wonderful. I have loved watching Carrie perform as the many characters that she portrayed but also talk about her life. And today one a year later, I'm sad to know that she's not alive but am also happy to know that I got to know this famous actress, even if that was only from movies, books, and shows. She is truly missed. 

Friday Reviews Week 7

🍂 Friday Reviews Week 7: 

October 14th- 20th, 2017 🍂

This has been the week of graphic novels. I have started other books but here are the ones that I finished. 

🍁 Book 1: Star Wars- Tag & Bink Were Here 🍁

by Kevin Rubio and Lucas Marrangon

Read October 16th, 2017

📚📚📚📚

A parody of the first six Star Wars movies. We follow along Tag and Bink as they traverse the galaxy. It starts with them minding their own business on Princess Leia's ship until the ship gets boarded by Darth Vader and the stormtroopers. Instead of dying they choose to borrow the armor of a pair of dead stormtroopers and their adventures really begin.

This book chronicles their adventures as we see many of the scenes from the Star Wars movies 4-6 and then 1-3. I enjoyed how this book basically makes Tag and Bink the reason why many of the events happen. For instance, Anakin's horrible love dialogue in Attack of the Clones, that's their fault.

This bind-up is a humorous take on the Star Wars movies that I enjoyed. I have heard of Tag and Bink previously and I was glad to have the chance to read their stories. 

🍁 Book 2: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales 🍁
by Joss Whedon, Amber Benson, Jane Espenson,
Sam Loeb, Doug Petrie, etc.

Read October 18th-19th, 2017
📚📚📚



I went into this volume expecting it to have more tales about Buffy and her gang. There were a couple but most were on other slayers from the past and also vampires. Many of the tales in this book were interesting and each had their own specific art style. Some of the art styles were great and then others were not as great for me.

My favorite tales from this bind-up are

"Numb"- which dealt with some of Angel's struggles as a vampire with a soul.

"Spot the Vampire"- this shows an image and then shows each person and you are meant to pick out who the vampire is. It was cute with the rhymes which made it feel like a Dr. Seuss story. Also, the illustrations were beautiful.

Tales of the Slayers: "Broken Bottle of Djinn"- This was a story set in Buffy's time period and had very cute illustrations. It's just a classic Buffy style mission. Buffy is trying to live through a normal day in high school, in this case, a Chem lab, and then she has to save the day from a demon attacking the school. It's cute short read that I loved.


I did like some of the other stories but they were not as good as the ones that I mentioned above. I did like that we got to learn about many of the previous slayers back from the first slayer. Altogether this is a good collection of short graphic stories set in the Buffy universe.

🍁 Book 3: Lumberjanes Volume 1: 🍁
Beware the Kitten Holy

Issues 1-4

by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, 

Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen

Read October 19-20th, 2017

📚📚📚📚

Lumberjanes is about a group of five girls that go to Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for hard-core lady-types. This camp is not what it seems though. In this first volume, we see yetis, three-eyed foxes, talking statues, secret caves, and anagrams that the girls have to figure out. Our main characters are young teen girls, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley, who share a cabin together. These four issues chronicle the adventures of the girls as they try to enjoy camp together but also explore what is going on around them.

This graphic novel deals with a lot of supernatural creatures that the girls keep witnessing. The mystery that keeps expanding as the issues continue is intriguing to read about. The girls make a point of saying that the camp is more than they expected. I really love how the girls have to use what they have learned to get out of their troubles. Their friendship is the best part of this series and how they actually work together. It will be great to see how their friendship evolves more over the course of the series. My favorite issue so far has been issue three.

Issue 1: 📚📚📚📚

Issue 2: 📚📚📚📚

Issue 3: 📚📚📚📚📚

Issue 4: 📚📚📚📚

I will be continuing on with the series and I cannot wait to see what will happen next. 

Movie Monday

Movie Monday: October 8th, 2017

🍂 Review of  Halloweentown 🍂

Watched October 7th, 2017

🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️

"Being normal is vastly overrated." 

I have watched this movie too many times to count. This was one of the many Halloween movies that I grew up with and that I still enjoy to the fullest. 

The Plot

The movie is about a thirteen year old girl named Marnie, her mother Gwen, her younger siblings Dylan and Sophie, and their grandmother Aggie. It starts with Marnie arguing with her mother about why she cannot go to a costume party on Halloween. She does not understand why she and her siblings has never been able to do any of the things many children do for Halloween. Her mother does not explain this. Later on in the night her grandmother Aggie comes for her annual Halloween visit.

Marnie over hears her mother and grandmother talking later on and finds out that her grandmother and mother are witches. Also, that she and her siblings are too.  After their argument, Aggie tells Gwen that people have disappearing in Halloweentown (where she lives) Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie follow their grandmother back to Halloweentown to try and help her with the "bad thing."

My Love for this Movie

The characters have always made this movie for me. Debbie Reynolds, who played Aggie and Kimberly J. Brown, who played Marnie, were my favorites in the movie. This was the first movie that got me into stories with witches and I have never went back. Also, it used to really creep me out as a kid, though it doesn't anymore I can still remember that fear. 

Besides Marnie and Aggie, the other cast of characters are also great parts of the movie. The eclectic group of citizens from Halloweentown are great. We get vampires, other witches, ghosts, werewolves, pumpkin headed people, and so many more. The setting of Halloweentown is just an enjoyable place and is creative. 

This is one of the best Disney Channel original movies that I watch every year because of my love for it. I will never get enough of this movie. 

🍂 Mini Review of TV show
Buffy the Vampire Slayer🍂
Episode 16: Storyteller
Watched October 8th, 2017
🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️

This is one of my favorite episodes and this was the second time that I have watched it.  It's interesting to see Andrew's perspective of what has happened in Buffy.  Andrew has a very active imagination and it plays into the overall episode. I really love the lesson that Buffy teaches him in this episode. This is one of the funniest episodes, but also is quite devastating in parts. Overall it's an awesome episode. This is one of the final episodes though so I can't say much and not spoil the show.  

It was about Andrew making a video about Buffy and how she slays. Buffy and many of the other characters do not really understand why he is making the videos. As the episode goes on, we realize as Buffy does why Andrew is always making up these stories. It's quite a touching episode at the end. 

🍂Mini Review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer 🍂
Watched October 9th, 2017

This poster is amazing!

I'll just make a couple comments about the trailer. First of all, the way that they have edited the clips together is interesting. I'm sure what we see here will be different in the movie but this really is making me wonder how dark it's all going to be. This definitely is looking like it's going to be a surprising movie. I really like the quotes from Luke and Poe in the trailer. And the Finn scene looks awesome also. There is just so much in this short two minutes. 

The Leia scenes hit me hard. 

That ending was the most interesting to me. What is going to happen with Rey and Kylo? That's what I want to know. So yeah the excitement is at full force right now. 

December 15th cannot come quick enough.

Movie Monday- Star Wars Tag Questions

🌟 Movie Monday: The Star Wars Tag Questions 🌌

  September 11th, 2017

1.) What is your favorite Star Wars Movie?
     -The Empire Strikes Back

2.) What is the coolest planet in Star Wars?
     - Coruscant, just the idea of a planet being just one city is cool.

3. ) Would you be a Jedi or Sith?
     -Jedi

4.) Who is your favorite character in Star Wars?                                
     -Han Solo

5.) What is your favorite musical theme in Star Wars?
    - Han and Leia's theme


6.) What is the coolest battle in Star Wars?
    -Darth Vader and Luke's battle in Return of the Jedi

7.) What is your favorite ship?
     -Millennium Falcon

8.) What is your favorite line of dialogue?
     -"Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes" - Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker- Return of the Jedi
       This whole scene makes me cry every single time. It's so beautiful.


9.) What do you think of the prequel trilogy?
     - I don't hate them or really like them. There are some good scenes in at least Revenge of the Sith. I do love Obi Wan in most of these movies so I cannot say that I hate them. They are so flawed though.

10.) Lightsaber or Blaster?
     -Lightsaber, they are so cool. Just saying.

11.) Do you own any Star Wars video games?
      -Technically the Lego Star Wars games but they are also my brother's. I love these games so much.

12.) Favorite Star Wars scene?

I cannot choose between these:

This is because he is so menacing even in his introduction. 

13.) Which outfit do you wish you had in your closet?
      -Leia's outfit, in the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back

14.) Character you would want to marry?
      -I would have probably always said Han Solo but I do not know if he would be a good decision. I don't know if he could have ever settled down. So I'll say, Poe Dameron. I love him a lot too.

  

   

15.) Character you would want as your sidekick?
       -BB-8, he's so cute.


16.) Favorite villain?
       -Darth Vader duh! He's my favorite villain ever out of anything.

17.) What would your lightsaber color be?
        -Blue

18.) Padme or Leia?
       -Leia all the way.

19.) What are your thoughts on episode seven?
        -I love it so much. I cannot wait until The Last Jedi.