It's all in the presentation

There are times when one spends an entire hour writing heartfelt blog posts. And then there are times when one stares at the computer screen for an hour trying to figure out what to say. In that second case, squid videos are always a good copout. *shifty eyes*


Actually, I want to talk about this video. Yes, all of the deep sea critters are nifty and fabulous . . . but the real question lies behind the editing. What's up with the shaky cam and the floaty letters? I don't know about you guys, but it reminds me of the title sequence to some a vaguely creepy, sci-fi-eqsue tv show, like Fringe or X-Files.

So, a little challenge, if you're interested: let's pretend this really is the title sequence of a TV show. What's the show about? Are all of the deep sea creatures the "characters" of the show? Or is there some kind of paranormal exploration going on underwater? Tell me your thoughts in the comments!

The requisite crafty!squid post

You know what, I haven't posted anything squid-related in a while.

. . . and Keito is eating the hammock. Yessiree.

And that would be my giant squid pillow, Keito. Don't we all need random crafty squid creatures in our lives? Why yes, yes we do. So if you're feeling the need to sate that urge, why not take a look at some of these great squid projects:

• 8-foot giant squid pillow. Yes, this is the pattern I followed to make Keito. It's a bit nightmarish at times (especially if you overstuff your squid and have to hand-sew large sections), but definitely worth it. A playful pillow and a great conversation starter.
• Adult knitted squid hat. Knitting is the bane of my existence, but this hat is nice and silly. And with a little modification could be easily transformed into a blooper. :D
• Deep sea diver and squid amigurumi. This one's pretty cute. I imagine that it would make a good centerpiece if you wanted to put together a fake fishbowl . . . you know, with all of the rocks and plants, but no actual fish. just the diver and the squid. Yeah?
• Realistic crochet squid. For those who are looking to make a hardcore squid. I haven't made this one yet, but I really love the accuracy put into it. Definitely looks like it would be quick to whip up, and there's a companionable octopus pattern!

Now weren't those adorable? There are a ton of squid patterns out there (including a spectacular mitten one that you can only see with a Ravelry account), but I tried to pick out some of my favorites. Either way, I really need to get my hands on that realistic squid pattern . . .

So how do you guys feel about crafty squid projects? Have any desire to sew your own 8-foot squid pillow? Or are you working on something a little more, uhh, normal? Tell me what crafty endeavors you're up to in the comments!

2011

I don't really make New Year Resolutions. Partly because I can never come up with specific things I think would make for good resolutions, and partly because I don't see the point of waiting until a new year to make yourself goals. Not that there's a problem with resolutions--they kinda rock--I'm just too wishy-washy.

Despite this, I made a resolution for this year. Do you remember it?

The idea was to blog every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this year. Technically I've succeeded, despite some lame posts. I've also subjected you the depths of my geekiness, everything I've crocheted, and, of course, my trials with writing. But the best part? I made some rocking new friends! *double thumbs up*

Now, on the matter of 2012 . . . well, I guess I just want 2012 to be better than 2011. And maybe to survive the apocalypse and crochet a cute squid-lett and finish my freaking book. You know, the important things.

But what about you guys? What kind of things are you looking forward to next year? Have you made any concrete New Year Resolutions? If so, what kind of things do you resolve to do or, uhh, not do? And, of course, how do you think I did on completing my resolution? Tell me in the comments!

Search term madness!

We have all googled something at some point. And really, most of the search terms that people use to get to this blog are boring. Things like "mac vs pc," "do writers play video games," and "sailor moon." However, there is also a plethora of entertaining search terms, and that is what we are going to look at today.

brown blob slug bottom squid ink
. . . what does that even mean?

cliphunt sexy videos
You were disappointed, weren't you?

cool things to do with binder clips
You know, I could totally do a post on this topic. Anyone interested? My obsession with binder clips has provided me with an unnatural well of knowledge on the subject. Hmm, maybe in a few weeks.

freakishly creepy trees
Bahahahahahaha! My life is complete now.

got bit by something at yellowstone
That's a bit concerning. However, I think it might help to be more specific. Were you bitten by a bug or a bear? 'Cause, uhh, I think there will be different symptoms involved . . . you know, itching vs. bleeding out? Yeah.

i also want you
Umm, well, err, okay. That's nice. Especially, since I apparently wanted you first?

i live in scrivener
This is a good thing. A very good thing. Scrivener is pretty much the best program ever.

is friday an adverb?
No. It's not. It's a noun.

is loving an adverb?
Also no. "Loving" would be a verb. Or a gerund in special cases . . . which is a noun.

narrative point of view squidd
I'm pretty sure that would be a boring book:

Today I battled with a with a sperm whale, but alas, our eternal feud must continue on for another day. However, I did get a nice, meaty chunk out of its side . . . though since consumption three of my tentacles have been twitching sporadically. I cannot imagine why.

picture of invading army
I'm so glad that you stumbled onto this blog in your search for suitably epic imagery. More people need to know about the impending threat on our soils.

stylish squid blog
Yessssssss. That's right. :D

what can i do with my dead llama
What can you do? WHAT CAN YOU DO?! What a silly question. Why, you can pay attention. :D

where do the keep squidzilla
Squidzilla? Why would you think that they keep Squidzilla somewhere? *shifty eyes* You don't think that they're training Squidzilla to attack, do you? That Squidzilla is, as we speak, cultivating a taste for human flesh and buildings in Tokyo? That would be silly! *high-pitched laugh*

See, wasn't that fun? So have you guys gotten any particularly exciting search term hits on your blogs/websites? Google Analytics is the easiest way to keep track of that kind of information, if you were wondering. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

The weakness of trilogies (also, pirates!)

I want to talk about trilogies. And I'm going to use the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy as my example, because there's a good chance that most of you've seen those movies.

Yes, I'm ignoring that On Stranger Tides even exists, because it's different.

Now, everyone can probably all agree that the first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, was awesome. We were introduced to a new world with drunken pirates and people that could become undead skeletons without dying. No one expected that movie to be what it was, and that's one of the things that made it great. Not to mention Jack Sparrow.

Let's skip ahead a bit. The third movie, At World's End, was also pretty exciting. All of the quirkiness and drama in the previous Pirates of the Caribbean movies was amplified and brought the trilogy to a satisfactory conclusion. There was also an epic pirate battle and a giant crab woman. It's kind of difficult to beat that.

So you might be wondering why I skipped the second movie. First, let me be clear: Dead Man's Chest wasn't a bad movie. There was a kraken, and you guys know how I feel about squid. The things is, I don't think Dead Man's Chest was as good of a movie as the other two.

This isn't an uncommon thing. In trilogies one of the installments always seems to suffer and it's usually the second. Why? Because of exposition. Think about it--most of Dead Man's Chest was spent on exposition. We learned about a lot of crazy new stuff, like Davy Jones and Will's dad. Things were further complicated by the love triangle and the British navy and Jack's schemes. But none of the loose ends were tied up. Instead they were all saved for At World's End.

Which is probably a good thing, because if Dead Man's Chest hadn't been the weakest link, then At World's End would have suffered as a movie. And you can't end a trilogy on a dull note.

So what do you think? Is it just in the nature of a trilogy to have a not-so-great second installment? Is there any way to keep a three-part storyline from sagging, or is it inevitable? And why do you think trilogies suffer from this issue, but not extended series like Harry Potter? Tell me your thoughts in the comments.

On the matter of squid brains

Hee hee, get it? Ahem. Anyway, I haven't talked about squid for a while now. My inner marine biologist screams at this betrayal, and thus, it is time to remedy the problem. Because my birthday is tomorrow. And squid are cool. Just look at this picture:

And you can thank HURL for this awesomeness.

Awesome, right? Well get this, a squid's brain is shaped like a doughnut. Yes, really. With a hole in the middle and everything. Also, their esophagus goes through that hole in the center of their brain. This is a big deal because they have beaks, so they can't chew their food, they have to rip it off in bite-sized chunks. Therefore, if a squid tries to eat something too big, it can give itself brain damage. Yeah. That's right. BRAIN DAMAGE.

Mmmhmm. The more you know.

So, that's your fun fact of the day. Share it with the people, so that everyone, young and old, can savor this supreme knowledge. But what about you guys? Any cocktail-party worthy factoids for me? Do they dare compete with the splendor that is the squid brain? Gimme your best shot in the comments!

Yay to unforseen circumstances

This post is brought to you via a cellphone. Late last night, before I had a chance to write up a blog post, my internet connection died. It was also snowing. I'm not sure these two things are related, but still. As such, there will not be a post today, as typing out something longer than this paragraph on a phone seemed kind of nightmarish. I apologize, especially since I couldn't find you guys a cool squid video. Go google nudibranchs or something. They're pretty cool. Anyway, I'll see you guys on Monday (hopefully)!

Squid-zilla's revenge!

Hey, long time no see guys. Did you enjoy my guest posts? Hope so! Unfortunately, I'm about to rain on our parade. This post is not the awesome-sauce picture dump that I had planned, as I far overestimated my ability to compose a post of such excellence after a 13-hour car drive.

Instead, I present to you a video of the previously featured Hawaiian bobtail squid and some other cool stuff like a mimic octopus, crustaceans, and a group of random people I don't know. If you need any incentive to actually watch this video: the bobtail squid burrows with its tiny, adorable legs. TINY, ADORABLE LEGS. Enough said.


Next time, I promise you, creepy trees and invading electrical pole armies. Look forward to the goodness.

YA lit and first person narrative

I've noticed a trend lately. There's a good chance you've noticed it too if you read YA literature. It doesn't matter the genre really, this trend seems to fit any category. And no, it's not vampires.

It's first person narrative.

I suppose I should back up for the possibility that some of you have no idea what I'm talking about. Quick rundown time! First person, second person, and third person are the three basic types of point-of-view narration in writing. Here are the differences:

First Person: I like squid because they are cute.
Second Person: You like squid because they are cute.
Third Person: Sarah likes squid because they are cute.

I dare you to say Mr. Bobtail Squid isn't cute.

Now for some real life application: First person takes place in the head of a character. Second person is generally limited to Choose Your Own Adventure novels and instruction pamphlets. Third person is outside of a character's head and can take the form of a narrator. Ultimately, first person is really intimate, second person pulls the reader into the action, and third person can zoom in and out of narrative focus.

Now let's get back to what I was saying.

I don't have anything against first person narrative, but it's starting to feel like whenever I pick up a new YA book, it's always in first person! Maybe it's because it's so easy for people to relate to something written in first person, or maybe it's because all of the current writers happen to really like first person. Either way, first person narratives are really popular right now and I'm curious about the whys of the matter.

Personally, I've always felt that third person has a delightful flexibility. First person is fun to read and write too, but I usually stick to third. Which is maybe why this whole first person narrative explosion is confusing to me. I'm biased. So I'm turning the question to you guys.

Are you partial to the first, second, or third person narrative? Is one better than the other? Why? Do you like to write in one and read in another? Or doesn't it make a difference? Please tell me in the comments.

Attack of squidzilla

I don't have a good post for you today. Usually I write them the night before, but things really didn't work out that well, so I apologize. However, I've realized that despite this blog being called Squidink, I have yet to regale you guys with anything squid-ish. Thus, friends, I bring you the glory that is deep sea squid. If nothing else, you should find them pretty darn nifty: