Book Review: Dorothy Through the Looking Glass

Hello everyone! I can’t believe how long winter is lasting.  I was fortunate enough to escape for a couple days, to sunny and warm Oregon.  No joke, it was 50 degrees warmer than home, and sunny 90% of the time.  Then my welcoming party back home involved a blizzard and negative temperatures.  Ahhh, the “last best place.”

To make this harsh winter more bearable, I had the opportunity to read the latest installment of local author Ron Glick’s crossover series between Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz.  This one, titled “Dorothy Through the Looking Glass,” is a delightful second installment to the first one, “The Wizard in Wonderland” (read my review here: http://heartandsoulcosplay.blogspot.com/2013/08/book-review-wizard-in-wonderland.html)

I have to say, I was hooked from the get-go.  Take into consideration the cliffhanger in the last book, and I was eager to devour this one.  Touching on a point I made in my last review, where I felt a little hesitant starting off, I was much more comfortable in this second book.  I felt much more familiar with this world, so I able to enjoy the novel right from the start without having to spend any time orienting my self.  

Something I’ve enjoyed about this series is the multiple points of views offered.  This was expanded further in “Dorothy Through the Looking Glass” by means of having a chapter in Toto’s point of view. I’ll admit I was disappointed that only one chapter was devoted to Toto’s view point, because it was so well-written, humorous, and with just the right dose of canine candidness.  It was a great way to draw in the readers attention, as this took place right in the first chapter.  It really set a nice pace for the rest of the novel.  And looking back now, it set up some interesting character development that clicks into the place throughout the rest of the novel.  

Now, I can’t really talk about some of my favorite parts without spoiling some pretty key parts, so I will be vague in my description.  This crossover holds so much potential, and I am not disappointed by the scenarios that Glick incorporates.  And with the introduction of a couple characters, including a crafty cat, the plot not only thickens but becomes even more perilous for our two protagonists and the worlds they want to save.  Again with a cliffhanger though! Right as I was intensely reading and all the puzzle pieces began clicking into place, I was once more led right off the edge of the cliff.  Now, it is all I can do to hang on until the next part of the series.

I was lucky enough to receive a signed copy of “Dorothy Through the Looking Glass” from Ron himself (thank you so much, again!) but if you are interested in owning a copy for yourself, go ahead and follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/Dorothy-Through-Looking-Oz-Wonderland-Series/dp/1494861208/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1393558724&sr=8-3&keywords=ron+glick

Alrighty everyone, thanks for stopping by! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my blog posts and follow along with my thought process, haha.  Stay warm out there!

Stay tuned for some cosplay updates!

-Alycia

Video: Unboxing and Repair of Final Fantasy 7 Wigs

Hi everyone!

At the end of January, I figured it was about time to face the reality of what 10 months of storage did to the wigs Justin and I used for our Final Fantasy VII cosplays.  The ride back from Sakura-Con last year was a little bumpy, and out of fear of what the wigs may have looked like, I just stored them for a year instead of checking them out.

I decided to film the whole process, putting my potential woe and misery out on the Internet for all to see.  (Spoiler alert: it wasn't as bad I was worried it might be.) Go ahead and watch the video below, and let me know what you think!

-Alycia

Arts and Crafts: Date Night Jar

Hello again, everyone!

As we shake off the latest cold snap, it's hard to believe that Valentine's Day is just a few days away.  It may be because I am hopelessly in love with my husband, but Valentine's Day remains my favorite commercialized holiday.  Honestly, we don't need a special day to celebrate our love, but all the hearts, pink stuff, stuffed animals, flowers, and all the mushy stuff in the stores just gets to me.  And while I'm pretty mushy and lovey-dovey on a daily basis, having a time of year where I can get away with it in excess is pretty fun.

This year, Brenton and I agreed not to exchange gifts, but I couldn't just let the day pass without commemorating it somehow.  And what could be more ridiculously lovey-dovey than planning dates for the rest of the year?  Thats right, I made a "date night jar"! While we usually don't have any issue planning dates together, sometimes its fun to leave it up to chance.  Plus, the more pink, girly, glittery things I have in my possession, the better.

Need a last minute Valentine's day gift? Something that is heartfelt, sincere, and only requires one stop and some simple steps to put together?  Well, you better read on!

All materials were purchased from Joann's craft store.

What you will need:

• Pink and red scrapbook paper or card stock of choice (glitter is always good)
• Mason jar or hooked storage jar
• Ribbon and lace
• 2 sheets of alphabet stickers (I reiterate, glitter is good)
• Fine point Sharpie
• Scissors
• Date ideas (the hardest part, honestly)

Step 1:  Make the jar pretty!
             a) Add ribbon and lace around the top of the jar.  While I do like Mason jars or Bell jars, I just think they are a little over-used.  Just as classic and cute is the hooking jar, plus you don't risk losing the lid to the jar.  Tie your selection of ribbon and lace in a bow, or however you so choose.

              b) Add your alphabet stickers to spell out whatever you want on the jar.  With my red, glittery, cursive letters, I spelled out "Date Night Jar," "Love," and "Fun."  Most of the time, you will need two or more sheets of stickers to get enough letters of the proper case in order to spell out what you want.

Step 2: Cut out hearts!

      Using the scrapbook paper, draw out as many hearts as you have date ideas for.  I always start with a stencil, then I traced and cut out 12 red hearts and 12 pink hearts.

Step 3: Write down the date ideas!
     I said this earlier, but this was the hardest part for me.  I asked Brenton to throw in a couple ideas, and we finally came up with twenty four ideas to draw from.  Use a sharpie or whatever you want to write out your date ideas.  Then fold them in half, toss them in the jar, and thats it! After these last couple photos, I will show you the list of some of the date ideas that are in our jar.

Date Ideas:

Most of these our relevant to our interests and local restaurants, parks, etc.  But there are great generic ideas online if you search for "date night jar."  I tried to come up with a good balance of dates out and dates at home.  

1. Two hours of foreign language study
2. Program LED heart with Arduino
3. Sushi at Midori's
4. Install classic Mario Bro's emulator on Raspberry Pi
5. Eat Frugal's in car at a park
6. Action movie with mini pizzas
7. Walk to Sweet Peak's ice cream
8. Dinner at Brannigan's Pub
9. Watch anime and eat chicken wings
10. Quest together on WoW
11. Movie at theater and Frozen Yogurt
12. Cuddling and YouTube fail videos
13. Dressy dinner at Mambo's
14. Stroll around Lawrence or Woodland Park
15. Warhammer skirmish
16. Buy and play new board game
17. Ice skating or sledding
18. Skiing
19. Comedy movie and Chinese takeout 
20. Eat dessert first

Obviously, some of these are seasonal, like skiing for winter, and walking outside in summer.  So just throw the heart back in the jar, shake it up, and draw another date!

Until next time, 

-Alycia