The Last Goodbye / The Murphy's Thanksgiving / Catching Fire Review

Dearest Friends,
I've come to say farewell to you. It's come time - been time for a very long while - for me to say goodbye. Yanns died a long time ago ago, I think, and it was up to me to bury it. As Donny said, it became a legend (I think he's crazy, Yanns was never legendary) and therefore it is better to let it have died a legend. So farewell to you, farewell to Yannsbury, and farewell to my nonexistent devoted fans. Well, we should have some sort of blog post to go along with it. That will be to describe the Murphy's Thanksgiving. I saw Jack and Teresa recently - as well as several other cross-country members - and I was given some insider details and told to write about it (since my Turkey Day was good, but nothing to talk about). So basically, they went somewhere that was not in Brunswick to may or may not visit family. Also, they had a relatively traditional Thanksgiving meal, the core of which was the turkey. I only know the turkey part because Jack thrust the wishbone into my hand... It was weird and uncomfortable. So that's about the extent of what I know. I guess that wasn't that much to talk about either. So, to make up for that, let's review Catching Fire, which I went to go see! And I realize not everyone's seen it, so no real spoilers. It was really good - god bless Francis Lawrence (the director). I would actually say that the movie is a bit better than the book. It has a nice subplot, whereas the book's subplot was rather unfinished. Also, I realized that President Snow is played by Donald Sutherland, who ALSO played Bill Bowerman in Without Limits. What a coincidence! Not really, actors take up different roles all the time. I was just really excited to see him in it. Okay, that's enough. The time has come to run different roads and say goodbye. So goodbye to you all! I had a really nice time writing to everybody, and having people read about my boring life. I love you all so very much, and I appreciate you beyond all measure.
Au revoir to the Yannsberries,
Cleo & Alex Yannsbury

Thanks Vosotros

I love how concerned people are about when I update. It makes me feel so special (probably an unwarranted feeling). Well, I'm updating now (well, technically Alex is updating) and gosh, what we've missed! I could probably count it on one hand – just kidding. First off, school started. It's pretty good – I have a very scary teacher that actually isn't that scary but god she is so intimidating! We'll call her Kelzilla. Those of you who were sophomores in past years will undoubtedly know what I'm talking about. But enough about school! Let's talk about the things I advertise up in that little quote bar thingie. In case you are too lazy to remember them, they are yams, berries, art and running. We're not going to talk about yams or berries (though I did have a very good blueberry compote earlier, it was delicious) but we are going to talk about both really quick because I insist upon it. We have had soooo many meets since I talked to you last, and they're going really well, if I may speak for the entirety of the cross country team. We're also kind of becoming Mean Girls...even the guys. It's pretty great. And I feel I have to mention the last pasta party because the jammin' session was great and the giant Apples to Apples game was great and even the knee tickling was kind of...oh wait, I forgot, that was terrible. Also the boys had a weird little gossip circle, but we don't talk about that. And Jack was just weird. As usual. And then in art news, I'm making a graphic novel! For realz this time, it's actually happening. It's great, I'm so happy, especially with my co-creator and writer...Emma vK! She's awesome and super cool even though I suck at being good at stuff and drawing on deadlines. But she's super cool. I adore her. So that's me!

      ~ Love all you silly Berries, Yanns
P.S. Looking for someone to help take over the role of Alex Yannsbury? If you're interested, please comment.

So Bowling Reviews

Guess who went bowling for the first time probably ever today? That's right, me! It was fun. I got a spare a couple times and one strike – and a lot of gutter balls, because I'm terrible at bowling. But I ended up with an 84, I believe, which I understand is relatively good for a first-time bowler. But honestly, my favorite part was the black lights, because those are just really funny, for some reason. The only downside to it was that we missed the Sea Dog's game (due to the fact that it was raining and thundering and the weather was just being a meanie in generally) so we missed Teresa's beautiful singing. Too bad, she wore out her voice for nothing. But it was fun. Also, we did speed workouts today in practice. Not so fun.

                            Bye, my Yannsberries!

P.S. We had the Laliberte Invitational Meet last Friday. It was fun, I got 8^th place!

SO YEAH

Hey. So we had our first speed workout yesterday.

It was okay.

I guess.

But no, seriously – I'm actually really pumped about this season. I did okay with the speed workouts, I did okay with Rossmore (ahem, excuse me, Hossmore) and I'm making new friends! Yay! I'm telling you guys, this year will be my year. But I also have to think about colleges and stuff, and it does seem strange because I'm only a sophomore; but at the same time, it seems too late because I'm already a sophomore, and maybe I should have had all this planned out a long time ago. I have to visit colleges and look at scholarships and talk to teachers and all that good stuff. It seems like it shouldn't be this weird – it's only three years away – but then again, seventh grade is “only three years away” in the past, not the future. And those are entirely different worlds. But I have my colleges that I want to go to, and I have colleges that I don't. And I'm a sophomore. Take that! I'm becoming mature. Finally. Oh wait, never mind. I'm just kidding. I will always be immature. Don't worry.

Also, for those of you who were actually wondering *cough nobody cough* I chose a name for my series – it's The Celesti Chronicles, and it sounds SO fantasy-genre and ridiculous but oh well.

Thanks for reading, my Yannsberries!

Partay it up

Hey, I'm back, yet again, and everything is going rather well for me, I guess. We had the Alumni meet today. I did okay – but more importantly *drumroll* we had a pasta party today! And it was awesome, as per usual; we played games and ate food and played more games and ate more food. It was great. We played Adjective Vegetables, and I won against Callie with 'Petrified Potato'. I have to admit, my favorite one was, I think, 'Narcissistic Eggplant'? Won by TMurph against Tessa. It was pretty fabulous. Some of the boys played with horseshoes. It was ridiculous – a couple of them almost hit me, and I kind of overreacted? Basically, I started screaming. It was way too intense. Also, Jack, Donny and Ben stole my bike lock and tried to change the code – luckily, they didn't figure it out, even with the intellectual skill levels of the three of them. Silly juniors/seniors, not even I know how to change the code for my bike lock. So they just locked it around Jamie's bike (sorry, Jamie) except it wasn't actually Jamie's bike, so they locked it around Brooke's car and she got really upset at me. Brooke, it wasn't even me! You gotta believe me! Anyway, I'm out. Thanks for reading! Leave me some comments!

Courtesy of MC Liam.

Wow I suck

I'm telling you, I'm so sorry I haven't been updating. If I were to tell either Jack or Donny, however, it would be more like a page of I'M SO SORRYs and PLEASE FORGIVE ME. Because I don't know if they ever will forgive me. I hope so. Anyway...I realize that I have not updated for a long while, so I will attempt to make a valiant offering for you all. I've been very busy with summer homework and whatnot, so my Biology and Geometry is taking up quite a bit of my time. Anyway, cross-country preseason has just started (exciting!) and I made a new friend...her name is Emma and she's a sophomore too! She's very nice, and she also likes Martin Freeman, which is pretty cool, because he's such a sassmaster. Also (another cross-country alert), this goes out to the seniors of last year – you guys did a terrible job of getting us our t-shirts. I was really looking forward to getting an “Alex Yannsbury”-emblazoned shirt, but guess what? I never got one, because the real Alex and Jamie were terribly disorganized. So yes, I'm still upset about that. If you're reading this, Alex/Jamie, you are terrible people and I can no longer trust you. So there.

Again, I am terribly sorry about the lateness of this post! It's ridiculous, but I have an excuse – I'm starting work on a new graphic novel series (which who knows if it'll work out) but I don't have a name or anything for it yet, so sorry!

And to Jason, yes I looked up Matt Bomer, and yes, he is quite handsome – perhaps enough to warrant the nickname you've given him?

Like 'Yannsbury Designs' on Facebook and feel welcome to leave me some comments!

Oregon?

Hey everybody! It's nice to be back. Well, if you're a friend of mine, (or acquaintance, that works too and is more probable than 'friend') you may or may not know that I went to Portland, Oregon this summer! I got back yesterday, and now I'm totally sick. Just like last year. Don't know how that happened, but it did. Maybe I'm allergic to planes? It's a possibility. Anyway, I had a great time with my family and all that; I guess I should go over some highlights from that trip. Well, first off (and what actually has nothing to do with Portland, really) I am now a huge Sherlock fan! If you guys haven't watched Sherlock yet, I highly recommend it. The third season comes out soon, and I can't wait! Okay, getting over the fangirl-ness, I did a lot of fun stuff. I got to go to Neskowin (which I believe should be renamed Nesquick) that is absolutely gorgeous! Proposal Rock, which is basically just a huge rock with trees on it, is really cool. If my future husband is reading this, you should definitely propose to me there. It is so so so pretty, and really interesting. We also saw a sea otter, which was awesome, and we grilled some sardines. I also rode a tandem bike for the first time. So, for Neskowin, thank you to the Paesler people, who let us co-inhabit their beach house for a couple days. Oh right! Also, there is this place called Tea Chai Te, which has the most AMAZING bubble tea ever! It's absolutely incredible, especially the Lavender, which is super delicious. I also made a little magazine with my cousins, which was fun. So yeah. I don't really recall anything else that's super important...yeah, nothing else is coming to mind. But anyway, it's great to be back, and I'm so happy to have been there.  

Inspirations: Japan

Sorry for being away for so long, everyone! This is a post I wrote a while ago, but I'll let you read it anyway. Should I just jump right in? Okay. Oh. My. God. I just love Japan. I love Japanese culture, I love its anime, I love its fashion, I love everything about it. It is fun and funky, and just really, really cool. Kooan Kosuke comes from Japan, and he is super awesome. My favorite manga, Yotsuba (よつば), and anime, Spirited Away (神隠し) come from Japan, and it is the source of a lot of great books that I encourage you to check out (Twin Spica, Fruits Basket, Azumanga Daioh, and so many more). Japan is such a great inspiration to me! So I have gathered together all my Japanese stuff together and made a little shrine to Japan. I have my Happy Noodle bento box, my sushi and sashimi earbuds, my Iwako erasers...everything from Japan and/or about Japan is down in the photo below!! The picture is of Totoro and the concept version of the little girl, the original Satsuki / Mei. For those of you who do not know who Totoro is, I strongly encourage you to watch My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. It is the cutest movie ever; and funnily enough, perfect for everyone and anyone. I challenge anyone not to watch Totoro and not think that it is the most adorable thing they have ever seen. Anyway, the book with the little green-haired girl on the cover is Yotsuba&! #3 by Kiyohiko Azuma. Yotsuba is a manga must that should be on anybody's bookshelf. And then, to the right, the cultural Japan (Kyoto); Lord Buddha is a popular cultural figure, as well as the geisha/maiko and maneki neko, the lucky cat. The book in the back is a tokaido, a book of prints and poetry. There is a lot of things from Japan, especially food items, that I love; in particular, mochi, onigiri, udon, sushi rolls (which I included a picture of anyway). I love Japanese food!!! Sushi is literally the best thing ever. The picture below of sushi was handmade by my dad, everything but the soy sauce. Thank you, Dad (and Japan for making sushi in the first place)! Anyway, I love Japan, so this is just a kind of tribute post.

 

Thanks for the fanbase everybody! Hope you're all having such a great summer and hopefully I will be posting more.

Back for the Summer

Hey! This is Cleo, and since summer has begun, so has Yannsbury! And my pathetic, one sided, lonely conversation with myself. I'm watching Devil Wears Prada right now, so blogging is slow going. I'm also with Lily, who is technically too cool to hang out with me, but shhh! She doesn't know that yet, and I won't tell her if you don't. So so so much has happened since we visited last...I've been to New York and I'm a very a new person. Okay, now Lily's going to talk a little.
 Cleo and I are having the time of our life and we made amazing smoothies and milkshakes tonight. I seriously love this girl and I hope I can spend SO much more time with her. I can't wait to spend my summer with her. She is so COOL <3 
Okay, so she does think I'm at least a little bit cool. Or she's at least pretending. I don't care at the current moment. Also, totally off topic, please. Please. Please stop with the inappropriate comments; we do have some younger readers; I can't imagine too many, but they do exist, and you should acknowledge that they're there. Actually, I don't care, but you should probably do...something...like that. So yeah. Just do that. I guess. So um, school is over, and I'm a sophomore; that's great. Also, I'm super excited; I'm going to Oregon again this summer. Where Yannsbury all began. Anyway, I know this was short, but hopefully it will satisfy; I have to go watch Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. See you!
                                                                          -Cleo

WE'RE BACK!!!!

You guys! It's so good to be back. I am very happy, and I am really really glad, so I want to tell you everything that's been happening. So, back at the beginning of March, there were New Englands, which were super fun. I went to visit the Taj Mall, which is like the Taj Mahal, but a market instead! I bough green chai tea and incense. It was really cool and there was an adorable little preschool there. All those little kids! So cute! In case you can't tell, I love children. But Alex went to Nationals in...the...300? Is that right? Well, everyone did well. Bethanie Brown (super fast runner) was there, and she was super fast as usual in the 2 mile, except there was a freshman, whose name was Hannah DeBalsi, who beat Bethanie Brown, even though Bethanie is really fast. Which everyone was super pissed at the freshman, who I felt kind of bad for; but I felt more bad for Bethanie, so the feelings were kind of conflicting. ANYWAY.Wow, I am looking back at this, and Google is finding so many typos that I meant to say. Bethanies, chai, Englands, Taj...jeezus. Anyway, after the whole running stuff, the team celebrated at a really cool place that has totally delicious yet non-nutritious food. We went to a place and in the place there was a mall, and in the mall there was the Cheesecake Factory! I imagined it as more of a factory. That makes cheesecakes. Instead, it just sold a lot of cheesecake. So I ordered a slice, as expected of me, but I also ordered some onion rings, which weren't very good. I can see why they call it the Cheesecake Factory, not the Onion Ring Factory. But anyway, I had the most delicious cheesecake. Except it wasn't the one that I had ordered, which was red velvet and pretty yummilicious. But I'm pretty sure it was...Alex's cake, dulce de leche? I think? I'll have to check with him. But seriously, it was so cakelicious, I ate more of that than I did of my red velvet. However, that is entirely inconsequential. As for my life, I've been doing a lot more art since I left, working on my comics. I now have six pages filled in my doodle book, which will soon be transferred to my Bananime series. Now, just a warning about the Bananime series. They aren't actually anime. The word 'Bananime' is a made up word (courtesy of one of my friends) just referring to the doodles I do in class when I'm really bored. I'm going to be making comics out of them, though. I also have ideas for a comic written with my favorite pens; the Pilot G-2 and a pink Pilot Precise. If you have any ideas for a name for the comic, contact me at the usual place, my email. Or don't, whichever you prefer. Let's see, what else happened? Outdoor track went well, I can't remember if you caught any of that. Yeah, I talked about New Englands. We can just pretend I went for running, even though I didn't. Augh! I can't even express anything. I missed you guys so much. I have so many comics and stories and everythings for you. But Donny and Jack are right. Not that I'm a tarp and a sack of potatoes (what does that even mean???) but that I've been delaying this post. Not my fault however! I literally couldn't. But I've got a lot of good material for you guys, and it all starts now. With my new comic, the Schoolyard, featuring my Ancient Medieval class with guest star: Mr. Stewie. I can't actually technically use his actual name, but for those who know him, you can guess, and for those who don't – well, I'm assuming you don't care. So...yeah. Outdoor track has started! That's good, especially that I'm starting high jump. Oh wait – no. I'm probably going to die once I mangle my spine by falling on the high jump bar. Can you live with a mangled spine? I'm not sure of this...next time I go on Google, I'll check it out. Oh, what the hey! We can do it now. Let's take an intermission, get up and stretch, chill out...good? Okay, so according Google it says you can...That was a nice little interruption from our normal programming, eh? Wow, I feel so Canadian. 'Eh.' Heh, silly Canadians. Probably shouldn't say that, I have quite a few Canadian readers. Um, awkward. Well, that was ADHD of me. Sorry about that, Canadia. And yes, that was not a typo. It's not Canada, it's Canadia. Canadia doesn't need your oppression! God, what is wrong with me? It's my inauguration back into Yannsbury and all I can do is babble about Canadia and spines. So, anyway, promoting my comic which isn't really promoting because it's on my own blog, view Schoolyard Comics! (Yay! Please! Do it!) Whoops, sorry, let my promoter out. Totally accidental. Yep. Anyway, running has started, crazy running. I'm doing the 2 mile, 400 meter and triple jump, so between the mangling of my spine, I'll be crying about my slow and painful death. And getting sand in my spikes. It's not like I'm even a good runner or jumper. Not that I'm bitter about not being in Varsity or anything...Just go away. Just kidding, love me! You know what? I'm getting really freaky right now, and so I'm just going to step away from the computer. Is that okay? I missed you a lot. But for now, goodbye. Oh, and I also 'hired' (not really, I'm not paying them money) someone to help me with Yannsbury. Their code name is Alex Yannsbury, and you'll be able to tell when I'm posting versus when Alex is posting! If you look down at who wrote the post. So. Yeah. Anyway, it's been real, and you are all the most fabulous people ever, but I have to go. So, as always, you can contact me at our Facebook here, or, if you so choose, email me at yannsburydesigns@gmail.com.

Update: Yannsbury Website!!!

Hey, you guys! One thing before the rest of the post...KVACs were canceled. Which sucks, because I am sooo close to States in triple jump! Just kidding, I'm still four feet away. So, today is a very busy day for me...I have a lot of stuff to do...but listen up, for some general announcements. I am designing my own logo currently (it's a kitten in a teacup). I have to say, it's pretty adorable so far. Also, I'll be starting several sections on this blog, hopefully by the time outdoor track season starts. There is no '100% guaranteed. More like 50% guaranteed. Some of the samplings will be The Schoolyard - a comic about Ancient Medieval class; Bananime - some random watercolor doodles; and Cruising Altitude, about a cat named Agent Mittens who does some random stuff. If you have a better idea for one of the names, feel free to contact me, I need some inspiration and where better to get it than my friends? You know where to contact me (Facebook and email). I love you for being here! 

Review: Remodeling!

Hey! So, a lot a lot a lot of information today! So many technological changes in these next coming (months? weeks? years?). Yannsbury might be down for a couple of days. First and foremost, Yannsbury is getting a background change to something a little less pink. More like blue and cloudy! The cloud logo I'm using is really pretty....I didn't do it though, all credit goes to Javier Ocasio (his name is a link). He's a super cool artist, I recommend that you check him out. Also, I'm starting on the journey of preparing a couple of new comics (mainly Schoolyard Comics, whose website will be deleted). The reason for the deletion is the third technological change.... Yannsbury is getting a website!!!!!! Super exciting right? I know, not really. It won't be soon, probably in a couple of months. I have to design it and rack up some comic material. Maybe gather some more fans. But don't worry! (you weren't) Yannsbury's blog is still going to be here as a blog, where I just talk about stuff. Anyway, I love you all! Thanks so much for reading. And maybe you guys can help me gather some more people? Direct people here? Or direct them away if it's going to be torture to read. I'm just trying to force my blog on people. I'm so lonely. So thanks, and I'll see you soon! 

Review: The Best of 2013

So, we had a track meet today, yeah, stuff happened. But what was really the star of the day was that damn bus ride. That poor turkey...okay, I guess I'll give you some background information on this. We were just driving along, minding our own business, when all of a sudden, we were listening to some song on Mack's iPod when the bus driver slams on the brakes and the bus just goes skidding to the side of the road. We look up and the windshield is completely busted. WHAT?

The windshield and rearview mirror. 

Turns out, a full grown, male turkey was flying along, slammed into our windshield, slid over the top of the bus, and died on the highway. If the mirror hadn't been there, the turkey would have come through the windshield and maybe killed some of us. Mirror, mirror on the wall, thanks for SAVING MY LIFE! Yeah, seems pretty random until you realize it was a bird trained by the Mafia. Yep. No, I'm just kidding, we are not affiliated with the Mafia in any way (of course! That would be weird). Then, while the bus is stopped, a car swerves around us and does a 360 almost in to the Cowan's car. Then, they just drive away. Basically, we yelled about pterodactyls coming to the future and spontaneous combustion of windows for an hour until the replacement bus came. Indoor track, everybody...it's just that weird. On an unrelated note, I got my nails painted to match my hat. Thoughts on turkeys, windshields and indoor track and other stuff? Post in the comment section below. So, as always, you can contact me at our Facebook here, or, if you so choose, email me at yannsburydesigns@gmail.com.

Bye! Going to go eat a turkey sandwich. Like a bad ass.
UPDATE!

Music Review: Tadaloora

Hey! So, you're probably wondering, what is Tadaloora? Well, Tadaloora is an album by the Phantom Buffalo and it is wonderful and perfect and so good. I don't know if this is for everybody, but it's pretty good. There's a game (that's a link) that you can play online that's kind of a promotional game for Tadaloora, but it's pretty good. I like it. If you don't have time to play the game, I guess my favorites would be Gilded Gate, Amateur Florist, The Sea Lion and the Librarian, Oldest Man, Stark Glass Man, and Foghorn. I would relate them to something else I've heard before, but they're not really like anything else. You have to listen to them. The lead singer has this exquisite falsetto that just rings so beautifully in whatever song it's showcased in. I also really like the unconventional use of the duet with guitar and trumpet in Gilded Gate. Also in Gilded Gate is the sense of telling a story, in which the narrator, or "the spirit of the secret isle" is describing to you the island of Tadaloora, telling you to say 'How do you do?' to the golden gate to unlock the latch. The simile "Your signal's like a sound from heaven/ Weaving lovely gowns" from the song Foghorn  is one of my favorite similes in the entire album. Amateur Florist and The Sea Lion songs are kind of silly fun songs. Amateur Florist is about a rabbit who dresses his best so he can go to an island to pick grass and flowers. The Sea Lion is about a sea lion who has a bunch of "feline friends" and he works with them to save a librarian who fell. Yeah, those are kind of silly. But if silly isn't your thing, then Stark Glass Man is. The sadness conveyed in that song is one of the most sadly beautiful things I've heard in months. It almost makes me want to cry when I hear it. It reminds me of a swan, which is so beautiful, but can be so sad. I just love everything in Tadaloora.

The album cover for Tadaloora

Also, we had a track meet yesterday! I did okay, I think. . . but that doesn't matter, because girls scored 1st, with 133 points, and boys scored second to Edward Little with 93 points. I was freaking out and so I probably didn't do as well as I could have, but other people did well. Alex scored first in the boys 800 meter, and Chris scored second. Lily H., Brooke T. and Brooke E. all scored in pole vault.  The girls took almost all the points in the 2 mile, and the boys took a lot of 2 mile points too. Same with one mile. Both girls and boys did relatively well in the relays, as well as everything else because Brunswick Dragons are awesome! Coolness!

Anyway, you guys are great, but I have to go.

So, as always, you can contact me at our Facebook here, or, if you so choose, email me at yannsburydesigns@gmail.com.

Artwork: 2013

HEY!!! It's a very special time (I think you know). So, if this is done right...we should be posting at exactly 12:00! Which is exactly the New Year! Which means . . . it's 2013! Hahaha! We made it another year! So I promised you guys a drawing, here it is... (it's actually only a preview, you get the whole drawing this afternoon. Sorry, but I just didn't have it done in time. Well, it's done...just not inked all the way and colored and stuff). If you can't read anything, just say in the comments.

You have to tilt your head, I'm afraid nothing was working. 

So! Anyway, we had a track meet recently, and I did. . . okay, I guess. I got a 15:17 on the 2 mile, and (I did awful on the triple jump, just a heads up) a 24' sumthing" for the triple jump. Bleh, badness. But I went sledding yesterday. It was fun and my jeans got all wet, and then I got hot chocolate and gelato. It was delicious. So, how was your December 31st? And do you have any New Years Resolutions???? O.o? Also, I had to leave the New Year's party early (WAH! I'm so upset!) and so if you're reading this at the party, I wish I could of stayed. I'm glad to miss the friendship game though. Awkward.

It's mysterious cat (he's CELEBRATING).

So, as always, you can contact me at our Facebook here, or, if you so choose, email me at yannsburydesigns@gmail.com.

AND!!!!

I forgot to say this thing before, but....

HAPPY NEW YEARS! 

~ Yannsbury Designs and CleOlivia
Love you all, thank you for supporting us (or not)!