A New Year to Live

     With 2014 over the time to welcome 2015 has arrived. Two things I regretted not doing much of last year include reading and writing. As a cinematic arts major in college watching movies has become a big part of my life, so I plan to continue my new habit of movie watching. This year as I endeavor to read more, explore more creative writing, and educate myself with good movies I have chosen to start a blog to chronicle what I learn this year, and hopefully for years to come.
     Today I got two exciting packages, my textbooks for classes next semester, and Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. I am still waiting on a one textbook, a couple of pleasure reading books, and some movies to show up, but am excited about the two shipments that came today.
     I admit that I went to see the movie The Imitation Game before even ordering the book it is based on. I usually don't read biographies, but the film sparked my interest. When I got the package I excitedly opened it up, and to my surprise the book is much bigger than I thought. Even though I am slightly overwhelmed by its size, I am excited to read about Alan Turing.
    The most exciting of my textbooks, The Visual Story by Bruce Block for Intro to Cinematography class, and The Essence of the New Testament: A Survey by Elmer L. Towns and Ben Gutierrez are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the workload I have scheduled for this upcoming spring semester. I also have The Norton Anthology English Literature, Western Civilization, How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth, Go! with Microsoft Office 2013, and my Biblical Worldview II book that hasn't come in yet. The English book scared me a little bit when I first opened it because of its size. By the looks of things that will probably end up proving itself to be my hardest class. The history book actually looks really fun, which was a surprise to me, I was not expecting to like that one. I am dreading the Microsoft class. Computers and I never seem to get along very well, though I suppose that will be a problem worth solving considering my degree path.
     To start off the new year right, I have already started reading quite a few books. Most of them are devotionals, but there is a novel in there too. My morning devotionals include, My Utmost for His Highest Grad Edition by Oswald Chambers, I Fall to My Knees by Laura Freudig, and Breaking Free Day by Day by Beth Moore. Chamber's book was a graduation present from a dear friend last year, but since it was a full year devotional, I decided to wait and start it with the new year. I have read the Beth Moore one before, but love it, so I wanted to read it again since it has been years since my last perusal of its pages. Lastly I Fall to My Knees is a little book I found on sale at Lifeway last year when I was Christmas shopping, so my step-mom and I are going through it at the same time.
     My nighttime devotionals include A Jane Austen Devotional by Steffany Woolsey, and the Blackaby Encounters with God Matthew  Small Group Study. Lastly, the novel I am delving into currently, James Dashner's The Scorch Trials. I read The Maze Runner during my exam week and the beginning of my Christmas break, and fell in love with Dashner's suspenseful writing style so much that I went and bought a second copy of the book to give to my brother for Christmas. I honestly can't believe it took me so long to pick up book two, but now that I have, it proves a struggle to put down.
     Besides all this reading, I have also been watching a lot of movies. Today, my dad, step-mom and I went to the theatre to see Into the Woods, as my first official movie of the year. I did a big movie marathon on new year's eve with my mom, as a new tradition we have been starting, but our last movie that night ended before midnight, so tonight's movie was the first of the new year. I actually already saw this film with my mom last week, but since it is my favorite stage production I didn't pass up the opportunity to see it again with my dad. I liked the movie a lot, however, as such an enthusiastic admirer of the stage musical, I was highly disappointed at the omissions made in the film version, particularly the reprise of "Agony" and the death of the narrator. My favorite performance in the movie was Emily Blunt as the baker's wife. Ever since I first saw Into the Woods, I fell in love with the story and the music, so I am very happy to see a film version of it that explores the visuals of the story in such a new and unique way!
     With the new year there comes a long reading list, a never-ending list of movies to see,  a new semester of schoolwork and classes, an opportunity to grow closer to God, and lost of ideas filling my head begging to be written into stories! I can't wait to see what this new year brings!