The Liebster Award

Well, it's certainly been a while...hopefully nobody declared me dead and auctioned off my belongings.

Anyways, it's now been...um, a long time...since Taisia Tinuviel nominated me for the Nobel Prize Liebster Award.  Technically, I'm supposed to link back to her, answer the questions she gave me, nominate ten other bloggers, and let them know they've been tagged.  But since it's been so long, I'll just do those first two.  First:  Everybody go look at Taisia's awesome blog, A Blog of Music, Stories, and Art.  You will enjoy it greatly, I promise. :)  And second:

1.  How many languages can you speak?  One.  English.  But I'm learning two more (Latin and ancient Greek).

2.  What is your favourite genre to write (and if you don't write, to read...or both)?  Hmm... I'd probably have to say fantasy (the kind with more evil tyrants and less dragons and magic).

3.  How many books do you think you've read?  I honestly have no idea.  Multi libri.

4.  Do you like reading (don't say no...)?  No.  I LOVE it! ;)

5.  Who are your top five favourite authors?  Hmm, hard question...I'm not going to put them in order, but C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Howard Pyle, Madeline L'Engle, and George MacDonald.

6.  When do you get your best ideas for stories?  Often when I'm doing the dishes.  There's something about staring into space while soapy water runs over your hands that really sparks the imagination.

7.  What kind of music do you like to listen to most when you read?  Usually something quietish and imaginative (LotR soundtracks, Enya, Nightnoise, etc.).  A touch of Celtic influence is welcome.

8.  Are you excited for The Desolation of Smaug?  ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!  *Ahem*  Yes.

9.  What is you favourite TV show?  I have many, but I really really like Sherlock.  And Doctor Who.  And Foyle's War.  And Once Upon a Time.  And...okay, I'll stop now.

10.  What is the strangest book you've ever read?  Well, The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket is very weird (weird enough that I never read the rest of the series).  But so is That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis, though in a different way.  And The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White is also rather quirky.

Okay, looks like I'm done!  I might post something in the next few lightyears, but I'm not promising anything.

Here endeth this post.

Hoedown

     I recently came across this awesome piece and had to share it!  I know the Emerson, Lake and Palmer (they're an awesome band from the 70s) cover of "Hoedown" (a piece by Aaron Copland, from his ballet "Rodeo"), which is also really cool, and was very excited to find another awesome cover of the piece.  Anyway, enjoy! :)
   

     

I recommend looking up the original "Hoedown," as well as the Emerson, Lake and Palmer cover, too!

Anúna

     The music I listen to most often is my Pandora Internet Radio station based on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack by Howard Shore.  I like listening to a wide variety of music, so the station's gotten pretty eclectic.  (E.g., there'll be some LOTR music, and then some Enya or Lisa Gerrard will come up, followed by the Thor soundtrack, and finished up with music from the Bourne movies.  You get the idea.)  Anyway, the other day I realized that I really liked one song that kept on playing: "St. Nicholas," by Anúna.  As usual, I decided that rather than buy an album, I'd just start a new Pandora station based on Anúna.  I did so, and the music is so awesome that I felt I just had to share it!
     For those of you who don't know what Anúna is, it is a choir.  It is not, however, just any choir.  Anúna was formed in 1987 by composer Michael McGlynn, with the intention that the discipline of choral music and the free sound of traditional Irish folk singing would be united in the choir.  The resulting sound is so beautiful and amazing!  I could probably listen to their music all day long.  
     Most of Anúna's music is new to me, but there are a couple songs they do that I've heard other artists perform.  One is "Siuil A Ruin," which has been performed by Celtic Woman.  Celtic Woman's version (like most of their songs) was . . . meh.  Not my favourite.  But Anúna's version, while still not my favourite song ever, was quite beautiful.  Another familiar piece was "Fionnguala" (and no, I haven't the faintest idea how to pronounce that); I know and love Nightnoise's performance of the song.  Anúna's version, while quite different, is also very beautiful.  
     In conclusion, I am very glad to have discovered Anúna, and I highly recommend their music!  I also really, really, really want to sing with them.  Hmm . . . does anybody know how to join a highly talented professional chamber choir . . . ? ;)

Words of Wisdom

Yup...

A Thought-provoking Quote

     It's been awhile since I posted a quote, so I suppose it's time I did so.  I'm doing an essay on communism in Russia for school, and as I was doing so, I came across this quote by Vladimir Lenin.

"A lie told often enough becomes the truth."

I think this is really a very frightening quote, because of the truth in it. And yet, it's not entirely true; the lie seems to become the truth, and yet it remains a lie. It is believed to be a truth, but that will never change the fact that it is a lie, and cannot be otherwise. This, I think, is one of the sad truths of communism. The people are told lies over and over again, until the lies become truths in their minds. And then they keep on blindly believing in the lies that have been masked as truths. It's a sinister, and grim, and contemptible thing.

Guess the Function Winner

     And now, ladies and gentlemen . . . the winner . . . of Guess the Function . . .

*Trumpet fanfare*

Noreen!

Here's her function for the examples I gave:

Here's what I came up with

If the last name contains double letters assign to Green

If the last name ends with "e" then assign to Red

If the last name follows neither function then assign to Orange

The only problem with this is where she says: "follows neither function."  Actually, Noreen, this is all just one function. :)  I think a better way to put that would be: "follows neither rule."  And now, as the band strikes up "The Throne Room" from Star Wars, I present Noreen with an imaginary laurel wreath.

You may have noticed that she received a laurel wreath, not a trophy; the reason being that her function was not the same one I was thinking of.  Here's my own function for these examples:  If the person's last name has five letters, assign them to Red.  If their last name has six letters, assign them to Orange.  And if their last name has a different number of letters than five or six, assign them to Green. :)

I apologize that it's taken me so long to post the winner of Guess the Function.  I'll try to do better next time!