Author Archives: Marianya Klis

Entertainment: Michael Phelps at the London 2012 Olympics

Just as a fair warning the below is just a quick post about Michael Phelps’ individual events in the Olympics thus far, there will be another post that would focus on the relays that he has participated in the past as well as which he is expected to participate in the upcoming Olympics.

With Michael Phelps choosing to drop the 200m freestyle from his swimming card for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, I thought it would be interesting to go back in time and watch his progression from the first Olympic Trials that he participated in: the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia:

During the 2000 US Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Michael competed in three events and how he fared:

EVENT PRELIM SEMIS FINALS
200 Meter Butterfly 1:58.61 (Q) 1:58.24 (Q) 1:57.48 (Q)
200 Meter Individual Medley 2:06.91
400 Meter Individual Medley 4:25.97

So way back when, Michael only qualified for one events in the Olympics, but considering he was only 15 at the time… well what would you expect? He was making his mark on the scene and the world wasn’t going to forget Michael in the years to come.

Since then Michael has expanded his swimming dance card to the point that he was able to compete up to eight events per Olympics. Below is a table of all the events (individual only) he has competed in during the past three Olympic Trials (2000, 2004 and 2008) broken down by event.

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Entertainment: The Avengers – Sailor Moon style!

Since The Avengers opened in theatres a several weeks ago there’s been a plethora of fan art throughout internet. Heck even the Hulk flinging Loki like a ragdoll was recreated in some capacity or another in various YouTube videos.

So when going through Fashionably Geek, I geeked out on the following image.

Yes, you’re seeing that right, it’s The Avengers redrawn into the image of a Sailor Soldiers. Looking more into detail it turns out that the above was drawn by Ann Marcellino, which prints are available.

Reflection: Pottermore Wand and House Selection(s)

So almost a year ago I was lucky enough to be able to test Pottermore and play around with the website. As it was for everyone that has read the Harry Potter books, any fan of the series would be interested to find out what their wand would be and which house they would be placed in. I was no different…

THE WAND CHOOSES THE WIZARD
So when I went through the questions that would lead towards the wand that would choose me I was kind of curious to know what the individuals pieces of the wand signified.

What I really enjoy about Pottermore is that it goes into more detail of the significance of the wood used, the three cores used in Ollivander’s wands, how is length of wand determined, and the flexibility of the wand.

For my wand I was given:
Wood: Fir
Length: 10-3/4 inches
Core: Unicorn hair
Flexibility: unbending

Based on what was explained on Pottermore:
WAND WOOD – Fir
My august grandfather, Gerbold Octavius Ollivander, always called wands of this wood ‘the survivor’s wand,’ because he had sold it to three wizards who subsequently passed through mortal peril unscathed. There is no doubt that this wood, coming as it does from the most resilient of trees, produces wands that demand staying power and strength of purpose in their true owners, and that they are poor tools in the hands of the changeable and indecisive. Fir wands are particularly suited to Transfiguration, and favour owners of focused, strong-minded and, occasionally, intimidating demeanour.

WAND CORE – Unicorn Hair
Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard.

Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may ‘die’ and need replacing.

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Entertainment: US Gymnastics Olympic Team 2012

Late last night the final places for the Gymnastics Team has been assigned as well as the alternates should something happened to the members of the US Mens and Womens Gymnastics Olympic Team.

A couple of nights ago (after the US Men’s Gymnastics Olympics Final) I attempted to figure out who would inevitably be chosen for the Mens and Womens Gymnastics Teams for the US. Well, when it came to the actual Olympic teams I would able to figure out who would be placed onto the team as well as what would have happened should Jonathan Horton be chosen over Chris Brooks.

As for the alternates, I didn’t really do as well… I was better with the women as opposed to the men, but still that was a crapshoot in comparison to the actual team. Well now that we know who is a part of the Olympic team let’s see how they might be used during the Olympics in London.

US MENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TEAM
Below is the break down of the members of the US Mens Gymnastics Olympic Team and alternates as well as their overall placements during the Olympic Trials.
– FE: Floor Exercise; PH: Pommel Horse; SR: Still Rings; V: Vault; PB: Parallel Bars; HB: High Bars; FINAL: All Around

NAME FE PH SR V PB HB FINAL
MENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TEAM
Danell Leyva 8th 2nd 7th 6th 1st 1st 1st
John Orozco 4th 3rd 3rd 6th 3rd 2nd 2nd
Jonathan Horton 7th 8th 1st 8th 2nd 5th 3rd
Jake Dalton 1st 13th 6th 1st 4th 8th 4th
Sam Mikulak *7th 5th *9th *2nd *2nd *5th *3rd
* Sam Mikulak was injured towards the end of Prelims, so he opted to only compete on Pommel Horse, placements indicated were where he was placed at the end of Prelims.
MENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC ALTERNATES
Chris Brooks 5th 9th 5th 5th 5th 7th 4th
Steven Legendre 2nd 7th 9th 3rd 12th 13th 8th
Alexander Naddour 11th 1st 8th 14th 13th 12th 11th

US WOMENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TEAM
Below is the break down of the members of the US Womens Gymnastics Olympic Team and alternates as well as their overall placements during the Olympic Trials.
– V: Vault; UB: Uneven Bars; BB: Balance Beam; FE: Floor Exercise; FINAL: All Around

NAME V UB BB FE FINAL
WOMENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TEAM
Gabrielle Douglas 2nd 1st 6th 3rd 1st
Jordyn Wieber 4th 4th 3rd 2nd 2nd
Alexandra Raisman 6th 8th 1st 1st 3rd
Kyla Ross 8th 1st 3rd 9th 5th
McKayla Maroney 1st 11th 10th 5th 7th
WOMENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC ALTERNATES
Sarah Finnegan 7th 6th 5th 6th 6th
Anna Li 3rd 12th
Elizabeth Price 3rd 5th 9th 4th 4th

Before we move on, below is a schedule of the Artistic Gymnastics in London:
– Saturday July 28th: Mens Qualifying
– Sunday July 29th: Womens Qualifying
– Monday July 30th: Mens Team Final
– Tuesday July 31st: Womens Team Final
– Wednesday August 1st: Mens Individual All-Around
– Thursday August 2nd: Womens Individual All-Around
– Sunday August 5th: Mens Floor Exercise, Mens Pommel Horse, Womens Vault
– Monday August 6th: Mens Vault, Mens Rings, Womens Uneven Bars
– Tuesday August 7th: Mens Parallel Bars, Mens Horizontal/High Bar, Womens Floor Exercise, Womens Balance Beam

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Entertainment: US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2012

From June 28th through July 1st, San Jose has played host to the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials, it is here that 30 of the top gymnasts in artistic gymnastics will compete to prove and earn their place on the five-member US Gymnastics team squad for the London Olympics a month later.

In an earlier post I have touched upon some of the front runners for a spot on the gymnastics squad for both men and women teams, I also went in a little more detail as to the possibility of the veterans from last year’s squad making a return appearance for these Olympics.

US MENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TRIALS RESULTS
Today the Men’s Gymnastics competition went into full swing. If you remember from the previous post the top two guys after the Olympic Trials in San Jose will be guaranteed spots on the team:
Danell Leyva: Placed 1st
John Orozco: Placed 2nd

Not only does the selection committee need to decide who would fill in the last three spots, but as we saw in the 2008 Olympics, they would also need to figure in the alternates. In the 2008 Olympics the two alternates: Alexander Artemev and Raj Bhavsar ended up being a part of the Olympics team after the withdrawal of the Hamm brothers, and in the end became a major factor in the US Men’s Olympic Gymnastics team capturing the bronze medal.

Since only the top three scores will be counted during the Olympics, it comes down to who could bring in the top scores or has the potential to bring in the top scores in an effort to get the gold medal at the Olympics.

Based on the numbers this is one possible way for the Mens Gymnastics Olympic team with alternates would pan out:
– FE: Floor Exercise; PH: Pommel Horse; SR: Still Rings; V: Vault; PB: Parallel Bars; HB: High Bars; FINAL: All Around

NAME FE PH SR V PB HB FINAL
POSSIBLE OLYMPIC TEAM
Chris Brooks 5th 5th 5th 5th 7th 4th
Jake Dalton 1st 6th 1st 4th 5th
Sam Mikulak *7th 5th *2nd *2nd *5th *4th
* Sam Mikulak was injured towards the end of Prelims, so he opted to only compete on Pommel Horse
POSSIBLE ALTERNATES
Jonathan Horton 1st 2nd 5th 3rd
Paul Ruggeri 3rd 7th 7th 6th
CJ Maestas 6th 4th 7th

But one thing that Jonathan Horton would bring onto the table that most other athletes do not have: experience… and leadership, but would that be enough? It’s hard to say, if they choose to bring in Jonathan onto the Olympic team then I believe that Chris Brooks would be the one to become an alternate over Sam Mikulak due to Chris’ scores being lower than that of Sam’s in most apparati and Sam having a stronger score in the US Mens Gymnastics Team’s weakest event: pommel horse. All speculation to be sure, but still very difficult to decpiher what would win out the day.

US WOMENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TRIALS RESULTS
Sunday, July 1st will be the finals for the US Women Gymnastics Olympic Trials and right now the top gymnast is Jordyn Wieber. But how would the other women fit it? Well let’s find out:
– V: Vault; UB: Uneven Bars; BB: Balance Beam; FE: Floor Exercise; FINAL: All Around

NAME V UB BB FE FINAL
POSSIBLE OLYMPIC TEAM
Gabrielle Douglas 3rd 5th 5th 2nd 2nd
Alexandra Raisman 4th 4th 1st 3rd
Kyla Ross 1st 5th 5th
McKayla Maroney 2nd 4th 7th
POSSIBLE ALTERNATES
Elizabeth Price 1st 6th 5th 4th
Alicia Sacremone 5th 3rd
Anna Li 1st
OTHER POSSIBILITIES
Sarah Finnegan 7th 1st 7th 6th
Rebecca Bross 4th
Nastia Liukin 7th

Since there are only four apparatus that is included in womens gymnastics and with one slot already tied up, trying to put the pieces together has proven to be a rather difficult process. Since the top three scores from each team will be counted in the team events out of either four or five possible gymnasts it would be ideal to have at least four gymnasts with strong scores in any apparatus. The same idea stands for the men as well, but in my opinion that was easier to put together. For the women, not so much. However, without knowing would happen during the womens gymnastics finals on Sunday there is no way to know how the final team will stack up.

It is rather unfortunate that the darling of the Womens Gymnastics Team of the Beijing Olympics 2008: Nastia Liukin, might not make it onto the team not placing as high as she could have in the prelims. Alicia would have a strong chance to at least be an alternate, but it would be rather difficult to see her any higher than that.

Knowing that the full Mens Gymnastics Olympic Team will be announced on Sunday and the Womens Gymnastics should be soon to follow, it will be rather interesting to see what happens. Well also to see how close or far I am with my predictions.

Literary Review: Dark Lover (Book 1) by J R Ward

Title: Dark Lover
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book One
Format: Audiobook

So, I have been listening to another paranormal romance novel, well series really… in this case it is the start of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J R Ward. Currently in its 10th novel / 11th book, it was introduced to me by a friend of mine not long ago due to our love of paranormal romance / fantasy.

Since traditional romance novels tend to be very stale and bland for me nowadays I was needing something with a little bit of spice. Did I ever… with a well thought out mythology and background this series had so much that I could totally sink my teeth into (pun totally intended). The first six books in the series revolves around the six “Brothers” of a race of vampires, whose primary goal is to protect their race from prying eyes and extinction.

The first book in the series focuses on the point of view of Wrath, the leader of the “Brothers” and the reluctant king. He has long ignored his birthright in favor of being a warrior and had always felt comfortable in that role. Also nicknamed “The Blind King”, Wrath is a male vampire completely ill at ease with his birthright and has a lot of male pride.

When his friend’s (Darius) death wish was for Wrath to watch over Darius’ half-breed daughter Beth and ease her into the possible transition of becoming a vampire, Wrath does so reluctantly only for the wheels to turn him towards his destiny. Then again Beth was very reluctant when it came to Wrath:

Perfect date material. A vampire with the social equivalent of road rage.

Available Summary:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There also exists a secret band of brothers like no other – six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Among them, none relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood…

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed- orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate – Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead…

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both…

I could go on and on about the series and the mythology, but why repeat through the motions when others have already done so. You could find the links at my “Literary” page under “Entertainment“. I would suggest going to Book Thingo where they have actually supplied details about each of the individual books in the series as well as extra information from the rest of the series:

Book Thingo: Black Dagger Brotherhood Cheat Sheet Part 1
– The Scribe Virgin and her single act of creation
– What is the Black Dagger Brotherhood?
– Black Dagger Brotherhood: Wrath, son of Wrath
– Class Structure and Civil Unrest
– Wrath the Fair

There are nine Cheat Sheets at the moment, one for each novel in the series (minus the Dossier). What was really nice about the cheat sheets is that they tend to follow the series in order for the most part. Giving the reader a chance to follow along and understand the absolute necessary pieces from each Cheat Sheet and building them as you read through the series.

Since the cheat sheets do a really good job of not only talking about the individual novels but the storylines of the primary characters throughout the series… the most I’ll do is introduce my own thoughts and opinions of the book in question:

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Review and SPOILERS: Love Never Dies (Australian Cast)

If The Phantom of the Opera was considered a project of the composer’s love to his muse at the time, then Love Never Dies could be the composer’s desire to return to those glory days knowing full well it could never happen.

For over two decades, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber (he was knighted in 1992 and became a life peer in 1997 with the title of Baron Lloyd-Webber, of Sydmonton in the County of Hampshire and sits in the House of Lords) had mentioned the possibility of creating a sequel for the beloved musical Phantom of the Opera that he created in 1986. He started working on the sequel as early as 1990 but did not start composing until over a decade and half later, but lost the score in an announced cat-astrophe, convenient and suspect to be sure.

Three years later the production, Love Never Dies, opened in the West End in London to mixed/negative reviews. During the previews the production was tooled and retooled and retooled again in hopes to garner positive reviews from critics and/or audiences but closed in 2011 after a mere eighteen month run.

The production team, taking what they learned from the West End, redesigned the musical and opened in Melbourne, Australia in May 2011. This time the musical garnered much more positive reviews, it was at Melbourne that they taped the show for DVD and eventually the production moved to Sydney for a limited engagement.

Over the course of the past couple of years there was much hype leading into the opening production with Katherine Jenkins singing her rendition of the title track:

Ramin Karimloo also created a music video of the Phantom’s opening solo of the production featuring the original Christine of Love Never Dies Sierra Boggess:

The original intent of opening Love Never Dies simultaneously at the West End, New York, Shanghai never really materialized with the production in New York to be delayed indefinitely and the Shanghai development ending in favor of opening an Australian production. However, some of us Phantom Phanatics wanted to see the production: Love Never Dies, and were granted a reprieve when a DVD version of the show was to be aired on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) just a day or two after the DVD officially released in the U.S.

A week or two ago I finally found the time to sit down and watch this DVD… after having heard the soundtrack within months after the initial released I was curious enough to see what the production entailed. Curious to see why it worked in some places and not in others.
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Entertainment: Viet Nam Gymnastics at the London 2012 Olympics

Viet Nam’s gymnasts have been making a strong splash in the past couple of years. During the Beijing 2008 Olympics the only gymnast from Viet Nam was Đỗ Thị Ngân Thương (names are reversed in Viet Nam as opposed to English so her family name is Đỗ while her given name is Thương) who was invited via the Tripartite Invitation. This invitation is a collective effort between the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations to develop systems that would allow the best athletes to compete but also adhere to the principle of universal representation. She did not pass the preliminary round and ended up being disqualified due to a banned substance found in her system. After a year or two she came back to competition stronger and wiser, as thus she was granted a place in the London 2012 Olympics via the Olympic Test Event (placing 72nd overall) in January due to injuries to many of the world’s top gymnasts.

The other female gymnast that qualified for the London 2012 Olympics is Phan Thị Hà Thanh (again Phan being the family name while Thanh is the given name) earned her ticket to the London 2012 Olympics via her vault score at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She received the bronze medal for the following vaults:

The final gymnast that qualified from Viet Nam is Phạm Phước Hưng (Phạm being the family name and Hưng being his given name). Much like Thương in the female gymnastics competition, Hưng also qualified via the Olympic Test Event. Not only that, a rising star in Vietnamese gymnastics, Hung showed his prowess by winning the gold medal in men’s parallel bars at the Challengers Cup 2012 International Gymnastics Tournament in Belgium (placing 43rd overall).

With only two medals total in the Summer Olympic games, both silver in Taekwondo (Trần Hiếu Ngân for the Women’s 57kg event at Sydney 2000) and Weightlifting (Hoàng Anh Tuấn for the Men’s 56kg event at Beijing 2008) it is difficult to say how the gymnasts would ultimately place… but I am fairly confident that as the gymnastics program in Viet Nam strengthens so will the talent pool and I would not be surprised to see their gymnasts stand on the podium in future Olympics if not for the upcoming one.

Circumstance: Conclusion

Title: Circumstance
Rating: PG-13
Part: Conclusion
Date develop: 14 March 2002
Date revised: 14 March 2002

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Conclusion – Final Farewell

“Goodbye you witch! And may Satan save your wretched soul!!!!”

Rachel looked down at the townspeople that she had long since forgiven, the gruesome sight from the night before was too much to handle. How they were killed so quickly and quietly she could never comprehend, not to mention find out. Now she would be paid a sentence that she was originally given before the hysteria finally came full swing.

Tears silently fell from her dark eyes as she remembered her friends and husbands, hanging from a sturdy tree. All of them were sentenced to hanging. Her husband was there at the end of the branch a hook pierced his tongue as he died being hung by his tongue. The mere sight caused her stomach to quench in pain, oh my friends and my love perhaps it would be better this way.

Rachel looked proudly into the abyss of faces that chant the death of the witch, for a moment she was sure that she saw Susannah’s face in the crowds. Her maroon colored eyes, her serious demeanor, it has to be her, but what is she doing here? It was only then that she noticed the younger child that was with Susannah, my goodness what is Hailey doing here, they have to run disappear before anyone sees them.

Rachel felt the flames burning through her legs, but she willed to push the pain aside as she watched the two remaining people alive of her friends. For mere moments her eyes met those of Susannah’s and a wave of calm washed over her… everything would be alright she thought she heard her say. Things are not as they are suppose to be…

As the flames finally engulfed Rachel’s body she felt the blessed release of her mortal life. For the first time she felt hope for the people that condemned her to her death. Perhaps circumstance would bring her and her friends together once more, not as witches, but perhaps as something more…

Entertainment: US Gymnastics at the London 2012 Olympics

The 2008 U.S. Olympics Gymnastics Team had a very strong showing in Beijing 2008 with the Women’s team getting the silver medal and the Men’s team (largely considered underdogs at the time) sneaking in for the bronze.

For 2012, the only veterans from the 2008 team that have returned for the 2012 Olympic trials include:
Jonathan Horton
Nastia Liukin
Alicia Sacramone
Bridget Sloan

Of the four… going into the Olympic trials in San Jose, Jonathan Horton appears to be the most likely to return with Alicia Sacramone as a possibility.

But what happened to the rest of the 2008 team?
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UPDATES: New Pages Added at PureDWTS and PureSYTYCD

Over the past few weeks I have been beefing up various reference pages over at PureDWTS (Pure Dancing with the Stars) and PureSYTYCD (Pure So You Think You Can Dance) blog sites. More will come over time, but the below is what has been completed thus far, original they were posted on my personal blog, but some have been transferred over to the blogs mentioned above.

Pure So You Think You Can Dance Reference Pages
“All Star” Choreographers
Before the “All Stars” came into being, past contestants of So You Think You Can Dance have been asked to come back and choreograph routines for a pair of dancers. Here you can find who has been asked to come back to choreograph a piece for the dancers on the show

“All Star” Dancers
When the “All Star” Dancers were first announced in Season 7 there was rampant speculation as to who would be chosen as the “All Star” Dancers. What was originally a pool of ten dancers grew to move due to availability for the show in Season 8. Here you could find out who was brought back as an “All Star” and when they were on the show as an “All Star” Dancer

Audition Cities
This is a table of all the cities that So You Think You Can Dance has visited before “Vegas Callbacks” (originally called “Hollywood Weekend” in Season One). This table is broken down by season.

Crossover with Dancing with the Stars
Several ballroom dancers that have been on SYTYCD have crossed over to the other major television dancing show: Dancing with the Stars. How those dancers have fared on the other major dance show are found here along with whom they were partnered with.

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Circumstance: Epilogue

Title: Circumstance
Rating: PG-13
Part: Epilogue
Date develop: 3 November 2001
Date revised: 14 March 2002

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Epilogue – Remembrance

Since that day many of our friends began to disappear. Poor Michael watching his wife burning amongst the flames pulled him over the edge of despair. Soon after her last screams faded away with the embers, he fled the town and was not heard from until just a few days ago. As it turns out he was living close by the shore of the Pacific deep in depression. When he was finally found by some of our friends all they found was his corpse sitting upon a wooden chair staring into the sea. No one could figure out how he died…

Hailey and Susannah fled to their cabin at the edge of the woods, soon after Hailey found out that her father had died by the hands of pneumonia in Boston. They are still alive and doing alright, Hailey refused to talk to any of the other girls in the Salem area because of their antics with witchcraft. Hailey had soon began to develop a grudge against the majority of the children especially Abigail Williams for the death of her surrogate mother’s friends.

Which brings me to Honor and Millicent, their growing attraction to beyond the point of simply friends caused a great uproar in the village. Even though Honor could pass as a man and could fight with the best of them, the fact that she is in fact a woman and in love with another woman was enough to call them as Satan’s children. Just mere weeks after the death of Rose Chayne, the two were captured and sentenced to burn at the stakes without a trial. The sight was saddening because at the last few moments before thier souls were taken from their bodies did the two finally free one of their hands and touched one another ever so slightly. That small gesture proved to me that no matter what happens they would be together.

Thinking about the past few months has been heart breaking to me, but at the same time I never knew that feelings of fear would pierce the heart of this village. Alas, sometimes it is only through fear that we find the weakness of the village.

The cause of this turmoil in our growing smaller circle of friends lies in the wretched hands of Baterich Reeve and her gossip friend Margarete. If it hadn’t been for those two then perhaps… just perhaps things would have been different. Rose needn’t have to sacrifice herself for my sake and perhaps the village would be peaceful once again.

The last of us are around the small fireplace in our new home far from the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. In hopes that we could live the rest of our lives in peace and as normal as possible. Who knows, any of the townsfolk could come knocking on this door and call us witches by association. If that is the case… well… I do not wish to think of the circumstances.

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Rachel closed her journal and looked at it solemnly, “Perhaps I should put you someplace safer than here.” She whispered. She looked up to her husband, Jeffrey and the two nodded in unison as knowing what to do is best. Leaning towards the fireplace she tossed the small journal into the flames destroying everything that may cause a later uproar.

“I’m going to find the others, it shouldn’t have taken them this long to do the laundry and find firewood.” Rachel smiled as Jeffrey leaned down and placed a lingering kiss upon her soft lips. “I shall return soon.”

Rachel smiled as she watched her husband leave the home. Taking a look around she cleaned up the pots and pans from the friends supper and waited for the others to return. Looking towards the fire she realized that there wasn’t much wood left, I should go outside and see what is wrong.

She reached for her shawl and opened the door outside, and what had met her deep raven colored eyes was more than she could possibly bare to see…

Circumstance: Prologue

Title: Circumstance
Rating: PG-13
Part: Prologue
Date develop: 3 November 2001
Date revised: 3 November 2001

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Prologue – From the Beginning

As I look around my home now, it seem to me, much more emptier than in the past. The ones that used be with the remaining ones are gone now, whether it was being accused of witches, shunning themselves from the community because of losing loved ones, fleeing from the town from accusations.

Thinking about this more, perhaps it would be wise if I write this all from the beginning…

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Several months ago

Embers dwindled down in the fireplace as the warmth dissipated from the air throughout the home. The cold air from the lingering winter breeze blew throughout the house causing the lone occupant to hold her arms and warm herself slightly.

“How did it turn so cold?” The woman whispered to herself.

Walking outside she grabbed pieces of firewood and headed back into the house, feeling someone’s eyes watching her she turned and looked all around her. Her eyes scrutinized the countryside as she attempted to find something out of the ordinary.

Down the countryside she saw a flash of burgundy red hair, looking at the figure she realized it was just Baterich one of the more prominent females in the community. Baterich Reeve was one of those persons that would watch everyone else and gossip about him or her later. She tended to keep to herself than to go out into the open. Before her husband, Hughes Reeve, death, he had often bragged about his wife’s beauty at the local salon after a few drinks. Hughes died suddenly in his home not so long ago, probably an infection, and the child that the two were expecting also died.

Everyone pitied the poor woman, but the death of her child had also coincided with the unexpected circumstances of the children in the community. The children were walking around the community and their homes in trance-like states; their behavior was strange to say the least.

Amongst these young girls, was a child of ten years of age, her hair was of a dark black hue, some would have sworn to see purple highlights in the child’s hair; it was cut short to straight just above the shoulder. Hailey Tothyll’s father, was the prominent physician in Salem has it not been for his recent calling to Boston a few months ago. Now young Hailey resided in the home of the physician’s close assistant Susannah Mereworth.

Hailey, too, began to exhibit symptoms of reminiscent of the other girls. Somehow, Susannah was able to bring the child about and now young Hailey was about to run around like a child again. Susannah kept to herself for the most part, she was a part of the circle of friends that nothing seemed to be able to break their chain of friendship.

The female smiled at the friendships, and walked into her home with the firewood. Carefully she placed the wood onto the dying embers hoping the embers would catch the new fuel, however the embers died away at the hearth. Puzzled, the young woman carefully crouched to the fireplace and attempted to start the fire again. Seeing the sparks and the embers catching on again she stood up, took off her coif and brushed her long black hair from her eyes. She looked at her reflection in the window and noticed the faint violet highlights in her hair, she straightened out her hair and replaced the coif.

Looking to the small cooking area she sat down and readied herself with supper when a commotion outside grew in pitch and in sound. Curious to the commotion she walked towards the door and reached to turn the knob.

Before she may open the door, the door flew open and she faced an angry red haired woman. The female at the door pointed an accusing finger towards the other’s direction and screamed, “You, you were the one that bewitched my husband to death and killed our child!”

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Review: The Jersey Boys Tour – Chicago Stop

Jersey Boys came to Chicago in early April for a two month stay. I finally found the time to go and watch this production with a friend. Though I generally enjoyed the music from the Four Seasons, I wasn’t really a huge fan, so when a musical based on the rise and fall of the Four Seasons came out I was skeptical. To me it seemed to fall into the world of the “Jukebox Musical”.

What is a “Jukebox Musical”? Well I suppose the most basic definition would be a stage or film musical that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score.

Some of the more known / popular jukebox musicals include:
– Mamma Mia
– American Idiot
– Million Dollar Quartet
– Rock of Ages

But we’re talking about The Jersey Boys and as apprehensive as I was coming in, I enjoyed this show more than I thought I would. The cast, the staging, the music… and I heard the music soundtrack ahead of time and enjoyed that. When looking at The Jersey Boys Tour website, I noticed that there were two tours going on simultaneously. Of the two tours, Chicago got the “Tour 1” cast which included:
Preston Truman Boyd as Bob Gaudio
Joseph Leo Bwarie as Frankie Valli
John Gardiner as Tommy DeVito
Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi
And man… don’t they look pretty. 😛

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Circumstance: Introduction

Title: Circumstance
Rating: PG-13
Part: Introduction
Date develop: 7 October 2001
Date revised: 23 October 2001

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Introduction – Better Left Forgotten

I do not know why I am writing this. I do not know how I managed to continue to live this long. Things seem so different now; we used to be a part of such a close-knit town where everyone knew everyone else. People could walk by one another with a smile on their face and a gesture of a greeting and such. The children would work in the farms with young Hailey, and later would spend time on their own.

Everyone did their part to keep our little town alive. John Proctor would go out hunting with several of the other men in town, including my husband and his friends. The women would tend to the children with Rebecca Nurse. Everything seemed to be in place, and there wasn’t anything that could possibly throw our lives off course… or so we believed.

At first I thought that it was terrible that the children might have made contact with Satan. I prayed for the children day after day, night after night. But when they accused those poor souls of practicing witchcraft I was shocked. I knew that young Hailey was a part of the girls that were supposedly possessed by these witches, but since then she stayed at home with her foster mother Susannah. What am I saying… I shouldn’t even be talking about such things, after all, anyone could be eavesdropping and an accusation of being – being – well let us just keep it at that. It is strange, how everything seemed to have started with an accusation.

I have often wondered that if I had not allowed my friend to defend their friendship with me, justify why I was able to do things that others could not… then perhaps, perhaps, they would still be with me and everyone left today.

Now I would sleep with the screams echoing through my head, the voice of my friend talking while I attempt to continue with my life. Most night falls, some of our friends would come by and we would talk about what could have been. Since my friend’s death nothing was the same anymore, no more laugher, no more freedom. It is as if everything we had come here for was in vain.

I look back and I wonder, I knew whom it was that accused me of taking part in witchcraft, it was she – which I later found out – that influenced young Abigail Parris to accuse the Proctors of witchcraft as well. What others close to me and myself, do not understand is whom was it that sealed the fate of my friend. What puzzles us more was what the accusation was based upon, for we were not permitted to attend my friend’s trial. Alas, perhaps that is one thing we shall never have the chance to learn…