Monday, February 28, 2011

Alcatraz

OK, I've mentioned him before. A couple of times, actually. But I just cannot get over how good of an author Brandon Sanderson is. Last night, I came home for about a week to babysit my little siblings while my parents are off frolicking in San Diego (well, maybe Dad's not actually frolicking the whole time; he is at a conference). In conjunction with that, I finally had an opportunity to read the latest in the Alcatraz series by Brandon Sanderson. My little brother Thomas got it for Christmas, but it didn't finish cycling through the rest of the family before I returned to college. Reading this book was an experience I was looking forward to immensely. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, an altogether too large a portion of the world, the Alcatraz series is an urban fantasy series kind of like Harry Potter in overall plot structure: Teenage boy, struggles growing up with his powers and not realizing it for what it was, comes of age and is suddenly faced with the prospect of saving the world. Only Brandon Sanderson does it about 10 times better. One thing you need to understand, though, is he approaches it through comedy. DO NOT attempt to read any of these books while drinking or eating. It isn't safe. About the only books I've laughed out loud more while reading are Dave Barry ones, and probably not even all of those. Honestly, these books are just good to have around for those days when you just need to have a good laugh. Sanderson knows how to write comedy. Admittedly, though, many of the subtler jokes rely on being a well-read individual, but not terribly so.

Besides the humor, Sanderson writes amazing books. While I enjoy them for the comedy, I love them for what he is able to do with the writing. The deeper meanings in his works, hidden behind the facade of the wit, are what truly set these books apart. I could not put any of them down while I read them the first time. Brandon Sanderson does an excellent job at tapping into the human psyche, in a way I hadn't seen since Orson Scott Card's Ender and Shadow series. I quite honestly think that he is the best author currently writing. Period. I don't care if you like fantasy or not, at least give his Alcatraz series a try. If you do like fantasy, and you haven't picked up a Sanderson novel yet, do so soon. It's probably best to start with Mistborn, although I personally favor Elantris.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Toy Story 3

Sorry it's been so long. I've actually had a post ready for a while now, but I need to wait for the right time to publish it. I thought the moment would have come a lot sooner, but it hasn't, and the few of you that actually enjoy reading this blog for whatever reason deserve something.

But first, a message from my good friend and roommate Taylor Abegg-Lawerence: "Dear world: Barf barf barf barf. Love Taylor."

Yesterday, I finally watched Toy Story 3 for the first time. Mock and ridicule me all you want for going this long without seeing it; I know I deserve it. When my family watched it over Christmas break, however, I was off doing something with friends, and, although they watched How to Train Your Dragon three times, they didn't want to watch Toy Story 3 again. Yesterday I saw it, though, and my top 25 movies list needs some adjustment.

Toy Story 3 got me in a different way than Up did. With Up, I was most impressed with the first 15 minutes or so and spent the rest of the movie thinking it was a good movie. With Toy Story 3, I spent the large majority of the movie thinking it was a good movie and that Pixar had managed to avoid the "we have no story, but we'll still make a lot of money off this movie just because it's part of a great series" problem so many films have today, but I didn't think it was something all that special. Then I got to the last five minutes of the movie. It may just be a reflection of some stuff I'm going through right now, but in the last five minutes, when we really get to see Andy as something more than just a static character, I felt that Pixar had modeled him off of me.

Let's do a comparison, shall we? The whole premise of the movie is Andy moving out to college. They mention in the movie that Andy is 17 years old. Well, when I came to college, I was 17 years old. Check one. The opening scene of the movie is a depiction of a typical Andy playtime scenario. While I used sticks and completely imaginary characters as opposed to action figures, I used to create similar scenes. Check two. Andy has kept these old toys, hinting that though he might not play with them anymore, the stories he used to create with them still had a place in his imagination. The sticks I used to play out mock battle scenes fell by the wayside, but the stories I imagined proliferated. Check three. Andy has a great time revisiting those old games when he donates his old toys to Bonnie. Whenever I spend time with a small child, I immerse myself in their games and am able to play their games as fully as they do. Check four. All in all, the ending of that movie hit me like a brick. I was able to see myself as Andy (something that I think is not uncommon for most people). What a great ending to a great saga. Pixar did it yet again.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Sometimes, You Just Have to Dance

There are just those times in life when stuff is just going well. And then something really exciting happens. And then your favorite song comes on. Those are the times when you just have to dance. Just get up and bust a move or two. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Okay, no, no, not really. I've never just had to dance in my life. But hey, it was a title for a post, and it certainly got your attention didn't it? Who wouldn't want to read about the sudden transformation of David Sorensen to a dancer? That would be breaking news. Almost like the rumor that spread without prejudice about me having a girlfriend. Let me just clear that matter up right now: David Sorensen does not have, and has never had, a girlfriend. The world has not yet ended. You don't need to worry.

Yeah, basically I have nothing to write about and so I'm kind of just going with any life updates you might possibly want to know about. Except I don't really have a life, so I don't have any updates to tell you about. Too bad. Well, I guess...nope, nothing at all remotely even close to interesting. Sorry. Welcome to my life. It's really quite boring, but I like it. I don't do very exciting things, but it doesn't matter to me because what I do is enjoyable.