You know, I've never been a big Summer Olympics watcher.  I'm much more a fan of winter sports, like ice skating, skiing, etc.  But it was hard to stay away from Michael Phelps-mania this year, and sure enough, I found myself getting caught up in it like everyone else.  But in the course of watching Phelps shatter record after record, I also got into a lot of the other sports, and began cheering for a lot of the other athletes.  And the one overwhelming theme that I found in every competition that I watched was the absolute heart and determination that these athletes have.  Yes, they have some of the most strongly built, streamlined bodies in the world -- there's no doubt about that.  But they also have a determination -- a will to succeed no matter what it takes -- that sets them apart from all the rest.  Michael Phelps is perhaps the most extraordinary example of what it takes to be a champion.  He took the simple concept of setting a goal and achieving it to the greatest heights that it could go -- by setting a goal that seemed unattainable and reaching it nonetheless.  Some call it magic, and there's no denying that there might have been some luck involved, especially in that 100m Butterfly photo finish.  But above all, it was the unwavering faith he had that it could be done, that he could win eight gold medals in a single Olympic games.  And he showed the world that the single most important way to achieve your dreams is to never lose that faith in yourself, even when others doubt you and say it just simply can't be done.  I'm no athlete -- far from it, in fact -- but watching Michael Phelps and Dara Torres and other Olympic athletes this week made me realize the sheer potential of our lives that most of us let go to waste.  We all have the ability to be extraordinary, to do something that can change the world, but there's only a handful of us, like these Olympian athletes, that actually do something about it.  That's not to say that we all should go out there and start training in the gym -- we all have our strengths in life, and not all of us are born athletes.  But I, for one, feel like I can be doing more, that I can be more, in this life that I've been given.  I have the Olympics and Michael Phelps to thank for that.  And this is coming from the girl who's never even really watched the Summer Olympics before -- go figure.  Guess inspiration really can come from anywhere and anything and anyone.

Three days and counting!  Three days until the X-Files: I Want to Believe movie is released, based on a TV show that was perhaps one of the best ever to grace the small screen.  There's been a lot of talk as to whether the franchise still has enough fans left to bring in enough money at the box office, whether this movie will do justice to the characters that were once so beloved.  I, for one, have faith in the creators, the directors, the writers, and most importantly, the actors who brought these characters to life.  Mulder and Scully aren't just FBI agents fighting the good fight, they are people who have embarked on a quest which has required great sacrifices, great pain, great suffering, with very few triumphs to show for it.  But in the course of that search for the truth, they found something equally important, equally elusive: their one in five billion.  And really, does television get any better than that?  So come Friday, I will be at the movie theater, standing in line eagerly awaiting entry, ready to revisit characters that are like old friends, ready to once again be awed and thrilled by a universe that is truly brilliant and unique.  And I hope that I will be joined by others who also once loved this show, to make the statement loud and clear: Once an X-Phile, always an X-Phile!!  :)

The amazingly talented author and video creator Lady Emily created a fan vid that was inspired by "Tearing Lace"!  It uses scenes from the "Arson and Old Lace" episode from the Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys 70s TV show, which is the episode that inspired "Tearing Lace" in the first place.  The vid is awesome -- please check it out and comment to let her know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be3R6VyGNQs

Hi everyone!

Just recently, I learned more about the UFO Awards.  I had heard of them before, but I had never really looked into how they worked.  Essentially, they're an online voting site for fanfiction that is not specific to any fandom.  Each year, you're allowed to nominate stories from any fandom (even crossovers) and then go back and vote for your favorites.  I thought this would be a great way to get word out about the Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys fandom, especially to those older, nostalgic readers who may not even realize that there's an active fanfiction fandom out there for their beloved old characters!

If you get a moment, be sure to check the site out, and nominate and vote for your favorites!

http://dotmoon.net/awards/index.php

Hi everyone!

I've just finished a new story titled "Tearing Lace", based on the episode "Arson and Old Lace" from the 70s Nancy Drew/ Hardy Boys TV series.  It's posted in the entry below this one.  But before you read the story, I wanted to give you a little bit of background.  This post does contain spoilers, so if you've yet to watch the episode and don't want to be spoiled, stop reading here!!

******BEGIN SPOILERS******

For those of you who haven't seen the episode but don't mind being spoiled, here's a little bit of background.  On one of her cases, while investigating, Nancy is kidnapped and goes missing for six months.  Her father has tried searching for her everywhere, pleading for her safe return on television, but no leads have ever turned up.  The police have essentially given up on the case at this point.  Then the Hardy men find out that she's been missing (how they've missed this fact for six months, I'm not quite sure), and Frank and Joe offer to help.  Meanwhile, Nancy has been held captive by a man named Rathbone, who looks to be in his 70s, and believes that Nancy resembles his late wife Greta, who was a beautiful movie star.  So he makes Nancy dress up in old outfits and old hairstyles to look like Greta, and makes her watch Greta's old films with him all day.  There's no way for Nancy to escape, because they're in a penthouse suite, and Rathbone has sealed all of the exits.  Eventually, Frank finds her, but the building is on fire, so they have to escape through the elevator shaft to the roof.  Rathbone is captured, Nancy has a happy reunion with everyone, the end.

My thoughts on this?  There was a lot more they could have done with this.  Nancy was held captive for six months by a madman -- surely that took some sort of mental toll on her.  And I doubt Rathbone's intentions were as innocent as just wanting someone to watch his wife's old movies with him.  So, that's where this story came from.

A couple of things to note about the story, because I've tweaked with canon (or manon) slightly: it's set in the current day and age, not in the 70s.  Nancy and Frank are married, and Frank and Joe have been involved in the investigation since the beginning.

Okay, I think that's all you need to know.  :)  Now on to the story!

Poll #1192519
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Which book series do you think has been converted to the silver screen most successfully?

Watching Narnia this weekend got me thinking...

Holy cow, I've started a blog! :) You know, for someone who works in the Technology field, it's amazing that I've resisted as long as I have. But, after seeing some of the awesome things my friends have done with their blogs, I figured what the heck, it's worth a shot! I'm not entirely sure what I'll be putting on here exactly, but I thought it would be great to have a place to share thoughts about writing: fanfiction, original stories, characterizations, plots, grammar, etc. So here goes nothing! :)

Quote that inspired the title of my blog:

"But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."
--William Butler Yeats