Ah, Lise is just misunderstood is all. It's perfectly O.K. to not join in the merriment of these winter festivities. :)

Lise, I wonder if you would enjoy classical music instead? Like the very soft kinds that would lull someone to sleep. :)

*stands in front of Lise, acting as a carol-guard*

Oh, how eager I am to sing a Nightmare Before Christmas song to Lise... but alas, my singing voice is horrendous. I think I will opt to play a little holiday tune on the sax in tribute to a wickedly beautiful NPC (other than Abel, of course) ;)

Hey guys, what's up?

Is Lise ever on? x3

Yes I am, Esmme...

I extend my gratitude for the silence and ill-wishes, Menewshans... I chose to duck out of the main area of town until the cheer had died down some. It would appear that everyone is mellowing and I might be able to stand to be around you all now... *chuckles darkly*

Holidays are just bleh. Bah humbug, eh Lise?

*bows head* Silence is golden, so I suppose it is the greatest gift we can give you.

Roxxxy:
Bah humbug, indeed... I enjoy celebrations and festivities, but I often feel the happiness of this time of year is contrived and forced.

Esmme:
Yes... Although I would rather be spoken to at the moment. So long as no one attempts to sing at me, I should like to enjoy the company of my fellow Menewshans before I retire to bed.

Hello, Lise! It is a pleasure to speak with you this late night. :) I was meaning to ask you how you feel about classical music? Or rather, which genres of music to you prefer?

Classical is enjoyable... Although I am not versed enough in it to speak elegantly of it with others who are fond of it. I have lived the majority of my life in a caravan, you must remember, there were not CD players. I am much more fond of reading.

Ah, that is alright. I thought Caravans had at least A-track players or something similar to that. But even still, I'd imagine it to be hard to attain Classical music A-tracks, right?
I love reading too. I have been reading manga lately, but I will be delving into more non-fiction type books soon. Are there any books you would recommend to me?

Rather than a book, I might suggest a practice. Being an adamant devourer of books, I have long given up the habit of only reading books that seemed intensely interesting from the start. I will go into a library and read the first book that catches my eye. It matters not if it is a children's book, a text book, romance, mystery, or non-fiction. Through doing this I exhausted Menewsha's library and I must now visit the nearby islands in order to obtain books...

That is a good idea. Thank you for suggesting that. I think this is what I need to start doing. I know the only thing that will motivate me to read a book is if it is interesting to me. I guess limiting myself to one particular genre would hinder me from finding interesting books in other genres.

How are the other islands? Are they similar to menewsha in relation to the friendliness of its citizens?

Another suggestion would be that if a book is not interesting you and you cannot bear to pick it up and continue reading it, simply abandon it and move on, do not let it keep you from reading altogether. While in the middle of some particularly horrid works, I found they caused me to stop reading completely, which is rather ridiculous...

The other islands are entirely their own spaces... That is not to say that the citizens are not friendly, but rather that they are simply incomparable. I would recommend visiting some of them the next time you are on vacation. It may be a product of my upbringing, but I always find new places exciting in their exotic ways.

pardon me for butting in, but i just wanted to comment on your suggestion about the books you can't make it through... so i have been out of college for a few years now and i remember in a woman's literature class we had to read pride and prejudice and i just couldn't make it through... so of course i didn't read it... every eight months or so i'd try to pick it up and read it again cause i knew it was this wonderful piece of writing, but i just got lost in the words and the way things just dragged on, but i'd just pick up a different book and not worry too much about it... so it wasn't until this past summer i made myself read it and i actually really liked it... i wish i had made it through it years ago... *shrugs* but so is life i guess :)

*takes a breath*
and nice to see you, lise and esmereina!

Linnea:
Yes, it simply depends on how you are feeling at the time, I believe. I have completed books that I had previously found to be unreadable. I believe it is best not to worry about it too much... if you find you do not want to read it, cease, it can always be picked back up later. If you attempt to push through it when you do not want to, it often becomes a tedious chore and can taint any enjoyment you might otherwise gain from the experience. It is fortunate that you were able to later find the book to be readable.

This is very true. I think in the past this is how I got discouraged from reading. I love learning about new things. This always holds my interest if the book is teaching me something in particular; whether it be a moral of the story or how to do things.
I do agree with Linnea as well, but I think it is mostly because I feel sometimes we aren't ready to read a particular book and we can move on from it until we feel ready to read it in the future. I guess it can work in both ways sometimes depending on the book itself.

Oh wow! I should definitely plan a vacation on one of the other islands. Which island do you think is beginner's travel friendly?

@Linnea: Hello! Lovely to see you too! :)

oh yes, i completely agree that if it becomes a chore, where's the fun? it just makes it harder to push through it... i am really happy that i was able to read it all the way through... although... i can't say i'll pick it up again anytime soon, maybe sometime in the future :sweat:

*gives esmereina piggy bank for vacation saving* XD

I certainly would not recommend abandoning the book indefinitely, I was not attempting to suggest that. Unless, of course, the book seems to be completely horrid regardless of the mood you are in, but even then it should be kept in the back of your mind to consider returning to.

Linnea:
Yes, that one was quite a bit slow in places... Enjoyable, but perhaps not so fitting for frequent revisiting.

Esmereina:
I should think all of the islands are just find for general tourism. I believe there are some information pamphlets for them in the Menewshan Library. I would suggest looking through the brochures and picking the one that suits your mood, I do not believe you could pick an island that you would not find some enjoyment in.

@Linnea: *giggles at Linnea's gesture* I appreciate your kindness. Don't worry, gold isn't the issue for me. I would love company though. :) Maybe we can travel together. Would be fun to go as a pair, yes?

@Lise: You are right. The library is the best way to start research on where I'd like to travel as well. I will make sure to pick up some pamphlets. Maybe I can travel after New Years. hmm...

I have learned much from this conversation. Thank you. I am sorry to bombard you with all these questions. I have more too. I will try to tone it down though since I know it might annoy you. Forgive me.

I do not mind... I am not talented in creating new topics to discuss, so I appreciate the assistance in keeping the conversation from growing stagnant. I do not often find myself asking others of themselves... In the sake of fairness, however, I suppose I shall inquire as to how your holiday season has been.

i am rereading the harry potter series now! and that's a series i can get through quickly cause i just love the whole story and really get into it and i feel like the characters are real people :lol: i got motivated again after i saw movie number seven (well the first part anyways)... but i am reading a manga series, a book about past life regression, and still trying to work my way through 'love in the time of cholera'... i really know how to pick'em it seems :P

@esmereina: sure! traveling with others is more fun!

Thanks for the fantastic Gingerbread man Lise! I like your spin on the cookie quite a bit :)

Thank you Lise for my gingerbread man