This will be my last post of the year! I'm also at my grandma's and being distracted by my cousins, so it'll be pretty short. I'm getting ready to upload a video that talks more about what happened in 2011 and what I hope to accomplish in 2012, so I'm not doing that here. I just want to wish everyone a happy new year.
As I said, I'm at my grandma's with a bunch of my cousins and my brother. We've celebrated the New Year's together for years now although it kind of went from just me, my sister, and my grandma when I was younger to including all of my cousins. Right now they're blowing up ballons and batting them around. We'll probably turn on the New Year's Eve stuff on TV soon (if my cousin Ben stops playing Guitar Hero). And we're going to drink sparkling grape juice. I love sparkling grape juice!
This would probably be longer, but I keep getting distracted and can't think of more to write. I can't believe my next post will be in 2012! Happy New Year, guys!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
The End of 2011 and My First Hunger Games Fanfiction
Can you believe Sunday is the start of 2012? I can't. I filmed a video earlier today that will be up on my channel tomorrow. I talked in there about some of the awesome things that happened this year, and things I want to try and do in 2012. Like I said, that'll be up tomorrow if you want to watch it. I may do a similar blog post here tomorrow, but I'm not sure yet. I'll be at my grandma's for New Year's Eve tomorrow, so I'll probably blog about what we're doing there instead (which is why I filmed the video today).
I haven't done much today. I did manage to get a small part of the essay for AP U.S. history done, but then my mom called me down for dinner. I'll probably finish it Monday, since I couldn't think of what to write anyway. I think I'll be able to focus better on Monday.
As I mentioned earlier in a blog post, I finished writing the first draft of the story I was working on, and I put it away for a while before editing it. For the past week or so I've been writing Hunger Games fanfiction. I talked more about this in the video that'll be posted tomorrow because finishing the fanfic is one thing I mention as wanting to do in 2012. I'm having a lot of fun with it so far, since it's my first Hunger Games fanfiction.
It's going to be a series of one-shots that are in chronological order and have a similar theme. I'll talk more about it when I start posting it online. They definitely have a lighter tone than the actual Hunger Games books because I'm focusing on Katniss and Peeta's kids who have much happier lives. The story I just finished was also a bit dark. It wasn't incredibly depressing or anything, but I wanted to write something a lot lighter and more positive now. There is some darkness to it though, especially when the kids kind of think about their parents' pasts. Actually, I just discovered this but both the story I just finished and this Hunger Games fanfiction are heavily centered around growing up. Other than that though, they're completely different.
Anyway, I'm going to quite ranting about the fanfiction and go work on it some more!
I haven't done much today. I did manage to get a small part of the essay for AP U.S. history done, but then my mom called me down for dinner. I'll probably finish it Monday, since I couldn't think of what to write anyway. I think I'll be able to focus better on Monday.
As I mentioned earlier in a blog post, I finished writing the first draft of the story I was working on, and I put it away for a while before editing it. For the past week or so I've been writing Hunger Games fanfiction. I talked more about this in the video that'll be posted tomorrow because finishing the fanfic is one thing I mention as wanting to do in 2012. I'm having a lot of fun with it so far, since it's my first Hunger Games fanfiction.
It's going to be a series of one-shots that are in chronological order and have a similar theme. I'll talk more about it when I start posting it online. They definitely have a lighter tone than the actual Hunger Games books because I'm focusing on Katniss and Peeta's kids who have much happier lives. The story I just finished was also a bit dark. It wasn't incredibly depressing or anything, but I wanted to write something a lot lighter and more positive now. There is some darkness to it though, especially when the kids kind of think about their parents' pasts. Actually, I just discovered this but both the story I just finished and this Hunger Games fanfiction are heavily centered around growing up. Other than that though, they're completely different.
Anyway, I'm going to quite ranting about the fanfiction and go work on it some more!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Babysitting
I'm currently sitting in my little brother Matthew's room and he and my cousin Michael play on the computer. I've been watching TV and reading in here for about an hour now. Michael doesn't want me out of his sight. His grandma, my Aunt Debbie, says he's been doing that lately. He constantly wants and adult or someone older in his sight. As soon as I leave the room, he comes after me and watches me until I come back, so I guess I'm going to be here until he's picked up in a little less than an hour.
I watched a very interesting show about architecture in Tokyo on National Geographic earlier. Usually, I don't care much about architecture, but I'm really into learning about different cultures, especially Japan. I have to say, Japanese architecture is a lot more interesting then American architecture. At least it is in Tokyo. It's amazing the things they cram into small spaces. They've learned to use a very limited space the same way Americans would use a much larger space.
I had to jump out of bed when my aunt showed up with Michael earlier, and I still don't think I'm fully awake. I've been really tired most mornings over break. Going back to school and waking up early in the morning will be interesting.
My laptop is going dead, so I'm going to end this post here. Let's see if I can get away long enough to get back to my room to plug it in.
I watched a very interesting show about architecture in Tokyo on National Geographic earlier. Usually, I don't care much about architecture, but I'm really into learning about different cultures, especially Japan. I have to say, Japanese architecture is a lot more interesting then American architecture. At least it is in Tokyo. It's amazing the things they cram into small spaces. They've learned to use a very limited space the same way Americans would use a much larger space.
I had to jump out of bed when my aunt showed up with Michael earlier, and I still don't think I'm fully awake. I've been really tired most mornings over break. Going back to school and waking up early in the morning will be interesting.
My laptop is going dead, so I'm going to end this post here. Let's see if I can get away long enough to get back to my room to plug it in.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
A Sweat Pants Day
Today is the seventh day of Christmas break, and I'm wearing sweat pants during the day for the first time in years. Normally, I only wear sweat pants to sleep in because I feel lazy when I wear them otherwise. However, I got senior sweat pants about a month ago and another pair for Christmas, so I decided to wear a pair today. Actually, I'm wearing senior sweat pants, a senior shirt, and a senior hoodie. It's a bit rediculous, but I'm not leaving the house anyway.
Tomorrow my cousin is coming over to play with my brother. Although it's techinically a playdate, it means my sister and I are essentially going to be babysitting him, which means at least one of us has to be up at eight thirty in the morning when he gets here. I'll have completely good intentions of getting up, but then I'll just stay in bed completely forgetting about it. One of us (probably Regina, not gonna lie) will probably jump out of bed and run down there when we here someone knocking at the door.
I can't believe it's already past five. Today went by fast even though I just sat around in my sweat pants all day. I've actually been reading fanfiction most of the day... I also edited a video, which will be up in a few minutes. As soon as that's up I'm going to finish working on the my last college application that I didn't get to work on yesterday thanks to our Internet problems.
Tomorrow my cousin is coming over to play with my brother. Although it's techinically a playdate, it means my sister and I are essentially going to be babysitting him, which means at least one of us has to be up at eight thirty in the morning when he gets here. I'll have completely good intentions of getting up, but then I'll just stay in bed completely forgetting about it. One of us (probably Regina, not gonna lie) will probably jump out of bed and run down there when we here someone knocking at the door.
I can't believe it's already past five. Today went by fast even though I just sat around in my sweat pants all day. I've actually been reading fanfiction most of the day... I also edited a video, which will be up in a few minutes. As soon as that's up I'm going to finish working on the my last college application that I didn't get to work on yesterday thanks to our Internet problems.
Cartoon Songs
This is going to be the first post of something new I'm going to be doing. I'm going to start writing blog posts and making videos about cartoons I watched as a kid. They may be kind of similar to the Disney posts and videos except with old (mostly Nickelodeon) cartoons.
This first post is going to be about music in old cartoons, and I feel there's no better way to start off than by mentioning theme songs. It's probably because I'm biased, but I feel like the cartoons I watched as a kid had way better theme songs than the cartoons on now. Even though there are cartoons I haven't seen in years, I still find the theme songs getting stuck in my head just out of the blue. However, this never happens with cartoons I see nowadays. This could be because I watched cartoons a million times as a kid, but I've only seen newer cartoons a few times. I don't have their theme songs memorized, so I don't find them as catchy. I honestly can't think of a theme song to a newer cartoon that I even remember at all though.
It's been a long time since I've watched Dora the Explorer or Barney, but both theme songs still get stuck in my head occasionally. (I don't know if I should have admitted that...) Granted those aren't great examples since (as far as I'm aware) both of those shows are still airing. (Are they? Do they have the same theme songs?)
Some of the cartoons didn't even need to have theme songs with words for them to be catchy. My almost life-long obsession with Rugrats is no secret. The Rugrats theme song has no words, but I still know the music. (I should considering how many times I've heard it.) There's so many more awesome theme songs I would love to mention, but I don't want this to become a list of awesome theme songs. (Mostly because I'd end up listing every single cartoon I watched as a kid.)
Then we have songs that were in cartoons but not the theme song. I hate Spongebob. I just find the show annoying. But my brother watches it nonstop, so I've seen every episode at least once and the older ones many, many times. I hate to admit it, but there are several songs from Spongebob that I consistently find myself singing: the F.U.N. song, Campfire Song Song, and the song Sandy sings about wanting to go home. I hate when those get stuck in my head, but I can never get them out when they do.
Although I haven't seen it in forever, I still remember this episode of Rugrats where all of the babies sing songs to Dill. The songs they're singing are real songs, but they each end up changing the words. Even though I can remember the episode, I can only actually remember one of the songs. It's the one Phil and Lil sing about a "tricycle not for you." I find that getting stuck in my head often, but I can't even remember what the other babies sing. (I'm going to look that up after this.)
I know there had to be other occasional songs in cartoons I watched, but those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. Are there any songs that were in cartoons you watched as a kid that you still find yourself singing? What was/is your favorite cartoon theme song?
This first post is going to be about music in old cartoons, and I feel there's no better way to start off than by mentioning theme songs. It's probably because I'm biased, but I feel like the cartoons I watched as a kid had way better theme songs than the cartoons on now. Even though there are cartoons I haven't seen in years, I still find the theme songs getting stuck in my head just out of the blue. However, this never happens with cartoons I see nowadays. This could be because I watched cartoons a million times as a kid, but I've only seen newer cartoons a few times. I don't have their theme songs memorized, so I don't find them as catchy. I honestly can't think of a theme song to a newer cartoon that I even remember at all though.
It's been a long time since I've watched Dora the Explorer or Barney, but both theme songs still get stuck in my head occasionally. (I don't know if I should have admitted that...) Granted those aren't great examples since (as far as I'm aware) both of those shows are still airing. (Are they? Do they have the same theme songs?)
Some of the cartoons didn't even need to have theme songs with words for them to be catchy. My almost life-long obsession with Rugrats is no secret. The Rugrats theme song has no words, but I still know the music. (I should considering how many times I've heard it.) There's so many more awesome theme songs I would love to mention, but I don't want this to become a list of awesome theme songs. (Mostly because I'd end up listing every single cartoon I watched as a kid.)
Then we have songs that were in cartoons but not the theme song. I hate Spongebob. I just find the show annoying. But my brother watches it nonstop, so I've seen every episode at least once and the older ones many, many times. I hate to admit it, but there are several songs from Spongebob that I consistently find myself singing: the F.U.N. song, Campfire Song Song, and the song Sandy sings about wanting to go home. I hate when those get stuck in my head, but I can never get them out when they do.
Although I haven't seen it in forever, I still remember this episode of Rugrats where all of the babies sing songs to Dill. The songs they're singing are real songs, but they each end up changing the words. Even though I can remember the episode, I can only actually remember one of the songs. It's the one Phil and Lil sing about a "tricycle not for you." I find that getting stuck in my head often, but I can't even remember what the other babies sing. (I'm going to look that up after this.)
I know there had to be other occasional songs in cartoons I watched, but those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. Are there any songs that were in cartoons you watched as a kid that you still find yourself singing? What was/is your favorite cartoon theme song?
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Avatar Shipping: Introduction
This is going to be a sort of introduction post to something new I'm going to be doing both here on the blog and over on my Youtube channel. I'm going to be writing a series of blog posts and filming a series of videos on Avatar: The Last Airbender ships. If you don't know what ships are, ship is short of relationship. A ship is a couple, and shipping is wanting that couple to be together.
Each blog post or video is going to center around a different Avatar ship. Some of them will be canon, some fanon, and some crack ships. (Canon happened in the show. Fanon didn't happen on the show, but people wish it did and some probably believed it would happen. And crack ships are ships that are just odd and completely unbelievable, even compared to fanon ships.) Sometimes I may even throw two random characters together and just talk about what they would be like as a couple.
I may also mention some fanfiction, fanart, or fan videos that I like that feature the couple. There are several problems with this though. 1. I only read fanfiction for couples I ship, so I don't really have any for any other couples. 2. I've looked through fanart some, but not much. I don't really have any to show for any couple. 3. I used to watch fan videos but haven't in a while. The ones I do know of her kind of old. This means I'll need to search for stuff in order to show you guys. That may take a while, so I'm not sure if I'll do this part or not. If I do, it probably won't be for every ship.
I will probably do this for other fandoms in the future as well, but I'm just sticking with Avatar for the moment. If you have any Avatar ships you want me to talk about, just let me know, and I'll add them to the list if they aren't already there. Feel free to let me know of your favorite shipping related fanfic, fanart, or fan videos as well because I'll probably use it later.
As I said, some of these will be posted here on the blog, and some I'll make Youtube videos for. I'm not sure how often I'll do these. I think I'll do the first in a week or so.
I'll go ahead and tell you that I'm doing Zutara first. (Yes, I am a die-hard Kataang shipper. I randomly selected one and Zutara one out of all the ships on my list. I'm still slightly bitter about it.) So, let me know of any Zutara fan-made content you'd like me to mention. And definitely throw out some couples I may not have thought about. Even ships that seem strange since they could probably be even funner to talk about.
Edited:
I just thought of something fun. Since I don't ship Zutara, getting a Zutara shippers point of view would be fun. If you ship Zutara, and want to write something up, I could post it as part of the blog post or, if I make a video, read it in the video. If you want to film a video, I could even edit that in. I doubt anyone will take me up on the offer, but I thought it was a cool idea...
Completed Posts/Videos
Zutara (blog post)
Kataang (blog post)
Tokka (blog post)
Teoph (blog post)
Ty Lokka (blog post)
Sukka (blog post)
Yuokka (blog post)
Jinko (video)
Taang (video)
Maiko (video)
Each blog post or video is going to center around a different Avatar ship. Some of them will be canon, some fanon, and some crack ships. (Canon happened in the show. Fanon didn't happen on the show, but people wish it did and some probably believed it would happen. And crack ships are ships that are just odd and completely unbelievable, even compared to fanon ships.) Sometimes I may even throw two random characters together and just talk about what they would be like as a couple.
I may also mention some fanfiction, fanart, or fan videos that I like that feature the couple. There are several problems with this though. 1. I only read fanfiction for couples I ship, so I don't really have any for any other couples. 2. I've looked through fanart some, but not much. I don't really have any to show for any couple. 3. I used to watch fan videos but haven't in a while. The ones I do know of her kind of old. This means I'll need to search for stuff in order to show you guys. That may take a while, so I'm not sure if I'll do this part or not. If I do, it probably won't be for every ship.
I will probably do this for other fandoms in the future as well, but I'm just sticking with Avatar for the moment. If you have any Avatar ships you want me to talk about, just let me know, and I'll add them to the list if they aren't already there. Feel free to let me know of your favorite shipping related fanfic, fanart, or fan videos as well because I'll probably use it later.
As I said, some of these will be posted here on the blog, and some I'll make Youtube videos for. I'm not sure how often I'll do these. I think I'll do the first in a week or so.
I'll go ahead and tell you that I'm doing Zutara first. (Yes, I am a die-hard Kataang shipper. I randomly selected one and Zutara one out of all the ships on my list. I'm still slightly bitter about it.) So, let me know of any Zutara fan-made content you'd like me to mention. And definitely throw out some couples I may not have thought about. Even ships that seem strange since they could probably be even funner to talk about.
Edited:
I just thought of something fun. Since I don't ship Zutara, getting a Zutara shippers point of view would be fun. If you ship Zutara, and want to write something up, I could post it as part of the blog post or, if I make a video, read it in the video. If you want to film a video, I could even edit that in. I doubt anyone will take me up on the offer, but I thought it was a cool idea...
Completed Posts/Videos
Zutara (blog post)
Kataang (blog post)
Tokka (blog post)
Teoph (blog post)
Ty Lokka (blog post)
Sukka (blog post)
Yuokka (blog post)
Jinko (video)
Taang (video)
Maiko (video)
Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas and Writing
There's just a little over half an hour left of this Christmas! I filmed a video earlier that will be up tomorrow that talked a bit about how this Christmas went. Basically, we woke up extremely early with just a few hours sleep to open some awesome presents, and then over half of the house, including me, went straight back to bed. It was a great Christmas, but even after waking up for the second time I was extremely tired. I spent half the day half asleep.
I got some great presents! I've only been able to use a few so far. My new Ravenclaw iPhone case got put on my phone immediately, and I've already written in my new Harry Potter planner that's extremely similar to the one I've been using this year. We also watched Up in the Air, which I got on DVD. I also got The Princess and the Frog and the Beauty and the Beast DVDs. If you know of my obsession with Beauty and the Beast, then you'll know I'm extremely happy with that gift. I also got several other DVDs and some books among various other things.
By far the most exciting part of my Christmas was finishing the first draft of my currently untitled story that I've been working on for months. I've posted teasers of it over on my writing blog. It'll be a while before that's posted anywhere though. I'm going to forget about it for a while and work on some Hunger Games fanfiction. Then, when that's done, I'll get the story out again and edit the first draft. I'm so excited to have it finished! Plus, I've had so many ideas for these Hunger Games one-shots that I'm going to be writing. I can't wait to get started!
I got some great presents! I've only been able to use a few so far. My new Ravenclaw iPhone case got put on my phone immediately, and I've already written in my new Harry Potter planner that's extremely similar to the one I've been using this year. We also watched Up in the Air, which I got on DVD. I also got The Princess and the Frog and the Beauty and the Beast DVDs. If you know of my obsession with Beauty and the Beast, then you'll know I'm extremely happy with that gift. I also got several other DVDs and some books among various other things.
By far the most exciting part of my Christmas was finishing the first draft of my currently untitled story that I've been working on for months. I've posted teasers of it over on my writing blog. It'll be a while before that's posted anywhere though. I'm going to forget about it for a while and work on some Hunger Games fanfiction. Then, when that's done, I'll get the story out again and edit the first draft. I'm so excited to have it finished! Plus, I've had so many ideas for these Hunger Games one-shots that I'm going to be writing. I can't wait to get started!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Daily Websites
There are quite a few website that I enjoy visiting. Some of them, such as Twitter and Tumblr, are obvious is you follow me on them. There are some sites that I try to visit every day, but they're not social networking sites. In this post, I'm going to list some sites I go to regularly. Most of them are news sites that I visit to keep up to date on different things I'm interested in.
Mugglenet. Mugglenet was the first Harry Potter site I started visiting, and I still visit it everyday. I also love Leaky, and visit it sometimes, but Mugglenet is typically my go-to place for Harry Potter news.
TwilightSource. I sometimes visit other Twilight fansites, but TwilightSource is the only one I check regularly. It's all powered by Hypable now, but I still check the site rather than just looking for Twilight news on Hypable.
Mockingjay.net. I've gone here for Hunger Games news since the site was started. It's part of the Page to Premiere Network, and I also visit the main site. It's news about any book to movie adaptations. For some reason the main site hasn't been working for me lately, so I haven't visited in a while. I always get a white screen. I have no idea what that's about.
Dongbu Feng. I've been going here for Avatar: The Last Airbender news for several years now. Even though Avatar news is somewhat rare these days, I still check the site regularly. I also sometimes check AvatarSpirit.
Disneylicious. This site posts Disney stuff. It's not typically news really, but I still check it regularly.
MiceChat. This is a great site for theme park news. A lot of it is Disney, but they also post stuff about other theme parks, such as Universal. It always makes me wish I was there.
Disney Parks Blog. This is the official blog for the Disney parks. I usually check it every day just to see what's going on. (Can you tell that I wish I was at Disney World all of the time?)
Broadway.com. I always check this site to look at Broadway news. (I always daydream about seeing shows on Broadway too.)
Comingsoon.net. This is the site that I check for movie news. It posts trailers, release dates, and any other type of news pertaining to movies.
There are other sites that I check every day, but they're mainly social networking sites or blogs, and it would take me forever to go through all of those. Plus, there are lots of awesome sites that I like visiting but don't have time for every day. The ones I listed here are just the ones I visit almost every day.
Mugglenet. Mugglenet was the first Harry Potter site I started visiting, and I still visit it everyday. I also love Leaky, and visit it sometimes, but Mugglenet is typically my go-to place for Harry Potter news.
TwilightSource. I sometimes visit other Twilight fansites, but TwilightSource is the only one I check regularly. It's all powered by Hypable now, but I still check the site rather than just looking for Twilight news on Hypable.
Mockingjay.net. I've gone here for Hunger Games news since the site was started. It's part of the Page to Premiere Network, and I also visit the main site. It's news about any book to movie adaptations. For some reason the main site hasn't been working for me lately, so I haven't visited in a while. I always get a white screen. I have no idea what that's about.
Dongbu Feng. I've been going here for Avatar: The Last Airbender news for several years now. Even though Avatar news is somewhat rare these days, I still check the site regularly. I also sometimes check AvatarSpirit.
Disneylicious. This site posts Disney stuff. It's not typically news really, but I still check it regularly.
MiceChat. This is a great site for theme park news. A lot of it is Disney, but they also post stuff about other theme parks, such as Universal. It always makes me wish I was there.
Disney Parks Blog. This is the official blog for the Disney parks. I usually check it every day just to see what's going on. (Can you tell that I wish I was at Disney World all of the time?)
Broadway.com. I always check this site to look at Broadway news. (I always daydream about seeing shows on Broadway too.)
Comingsoon.net. This is the site that I check for movie news. It posts trailers, release dates, and any other type of news pertaining to movies.
There are other sites that I check every day, but they're mainly social networking sites or blogs, and it would take me forever to go through all of those. Plus, there are lots of awesome sites that I like visiting but don't have time for every day. The ones I listed here are just the ones I visit almost every day.
We Have Less Than an Hour!
I wanted to write a post about my Christmas Eve, but this is going to have to be quick. I've had a very busy day, and it's not quite finished yet.
This afternoon we headed over to my Uncle Chris and Aunt Vicky's house. It wasn't a large get together. My mom's the youngest of ten kids, so her side of the family is quite large. There's only one time of year that the whole (or most at least) family gets together: 4th of July up at my uncle's lake. I think this is because we can't all fit in a house, so we can only get together when it's warm and we can stay outdoors. Only a small portion of my mom's family was there today. More might have come later, but we had to leave early. Still, it was nice getting to see the family members that were there. My cousin Cassie's baby Valory is now four months old and absolutely adorable. I wish you guys could see her. I spent most of my time either holding her or smiling at her while someone else held her. She is so cute. My cousin Heather's daughter Rebekah was also there. She's probably about four right now, and she's also adorable. She's really shy, and yet she's also quite loud at times. That's not that surprising when it comes to our family...
After that we came back home for an hour or so before leaving again. We decided to open the presents that my sister Regina had gotten us. I already knew what she had gotten me, but it's nice to finally have it. She got me a new purse. It's purple, my favorite color, and large enough for me to carry several books in. My sister knows me well. My family also opened my present for them. I got the whole family a print of a brussel griffon that looks like one of our dogs, and it says, "Surprisingly, I don't enjoy being compared to science fiction characters." It's so fitting because we're always saying Poppy looks like either an ewok or a gremlin.
Before long we were off to my Aunt Linda and Uncle Ken's for Christmas with my dad's side of the family. Unlike the gathering of part of my mom's side, all of my dad's side was there except for one aunt, one uncle, and three cousins, who all live in Georgia. (Of course, my dad's side is also much smaller. He only has three siblings.) We ate, talked, and played around for a while. Then, we did a Christmas prayer for my papaw who passed away on Christmas Eve three years ago. After that it was time to open presents. My grandma, aunts, and uncles all played Dirty Santa first. My mom got a Charlie Brown Christmas tree that I put together as soon as we got home. It looks pretty cool. After that my cousins and I got to open our presents from Secret Santa. My cousin Ben (or, in actuality, my Aunt Linda) got me a book about college and some money. Then, we all opened presents from our grandma. She got me Condoleezza Rice's memoir. My family knows me so well. None of these were things I asked for, but I will definitely enjoy them. Both of the books look so interesting. I'm excited to read them.
After presents we sat around and talked a little longer before heading home. I took a really quick shower before getting on the computer really quickly to write this. It's just after eleven, and we have to be at church in half an hour. My sister is playing the drums in our church's youth band tonight before mass, so we have to get there early. I've actually never been to midnight mass before. We usually go to Christmas Vigil mass at four. I hope I'll be able to stay awake. The shower helped me wake up a bit, but I'm absolutely worn out. I'm probably only going to be getting a few hours of sleep in the morning before I'm woken up to go open presents. This may be the only time of the year that that won't bother me.
Right before we left for Uncle Ken and Aunt Linda's it finally completely hit me that Christmas is tomorrow. I'm so excited! Even though I'm incredibly tired, I've been hyper since then. I can't wait! I'm also excited for mass in an hour! It's my fourth favorite mass of the year! (After Easter, Good Friday, and Holy Thursday. Is it okay to have a ranking of favorite masses?)
I hope you all are having a great Christmas Eve or a great Christmas. I can't believe it's already Christmas for most of the world as I write this! Let's see, it's just after five in the morning in Britain, so they're probably all up or getting up soon. Exciting! I could ramble about Christmas forever, but I really need to go finish getting ready for mass. Again, merry Christmas everyone! If you don't celebrate Christmas, then happy Hannukah, any other holiday you celebrate, or just have an awesome day! (I really need to calm done before mass. I'm going crazy right now...)
This afternoon we headed over to my Uncle Chris and Aunt Vicky's house. It wasn't a large get together. My mom's the youngest of ten kids, so her side of the family is quite large. There's only one time of year that the whole (or most at least) family gets together: 4th of July up at my uncle's lake. I think this is because we can't all fit in a house, so we can only get together when it's warm and we can stay outdoors. Only a small portion of my mom's family was there today. More might have come later, but we had to leave early. Still, it was nice getting to see the family members that were there. My cousin Cassie's baby Valory is now four months old and absolutely adorable. I wish you guys could see her. I spent most of my time either holding her or smiling at her while someone else held her. She is so cute. My cousin Heather's daughter Rebekah was also there. She's probably about four right now, and she's also adorable. She's really shy, and yet she's also quite loud at times. That's not that surprising when it comes to our family...
After that we came back home for an hour or so before leaving again. We decided to open the presents that my sister Regina had gotten us. I already knew what she had gotten me, but it's nice to finally have it. She got me a new purse. It's purple, my favorite color, and large enough for me to carry several books in. My sister knows me well. My family also opened my present for them. I got the whole family a print of a brussel griffon that looks like one of our dogs, and it says, "Surprisingly, I don't enjoy being compared to science fiction characters." It's so fitting because we're always saying Poppy looks like either an ewok or a gremlin.
Before long we were off to my Aunt Linda and Uncle Ken's for Christmas with my dad's side of the family. Unlike the gathering of part of my mom's side, all of my dad's side was there except for one aunt, one uncle, and three cousins, who all live in Georgia. (Of course, my dad's side is also much smaller. He only has three siblings.) We ate, talked, and played around for a while. Then, we did a Christmas prayer for my papaw who passed away on Christmas Eve three years ago. After that it was time to open presents. My grandma, aunts, and uncles all played Dirty Santa first. My mom got a Charlie Brown Christmas tree that I put together as soon as we got home. It looks pretty cool. After that my cousins and I got to open our presents from Secret Santa. My cousin Ben (or, in actuality, my Aunt Linda) got me a book about college and some money. Then, we all opened presents from our grandma. She got me Condoleezza Rice's memoir. My family knows me so well. None of these were things I asked for, but I will definitely enjoy them. Both of the books look so interesting. I'm excited to read them.
After presents we sat around and talked a little longer before heading home. I took a really quick shower before getting on the computer really quickly to write this. It's just after eleven, and we have to be at church in half an hour. My sister is playing the drums in our church's youth band tonight before mass, so we have to get there early. I've actually never been to midnight mass before. We usually go to Christmas Vigil mass at four. I hope I'll be able to stay awake. The shower helped me wake up a bit, but I'm absolutely worn out. I'm probably only going to be getting a few hours of sleep in the morning before I'm woken up to go open presents. This may be the only time of the year that that won't bother me.
Right before we left for Uncle Ken and Aunt Linda's it finally completely hit me that Christmas is tomorrow. I'm so excited! Even though I'm incredibly tired, I've been hyper since then. I can't wait! I'm also excited for mass in an hour! It's my fourth favorite mass of the year! (After Easter, Good Friday, and Holy Thursday. Is it okay to have a ranking of favorite masses?)
I hope you all are having a great Christmas Eve or a great Christmas. I can't believe it's already Christmas for most of the world as I write this! Let's see, it's just after five in the morning in Britain, so they're probably all up or getting up soon. Exciting! I could ramble about Christmas forever, but I really need to go finish getting ready for mass. Again, merry Christmas everyone! If you don't celebrate Christmas, then happy Hannukah, any other holiday you celebrate, or just have an awesome day! (I really need to calm done before mass. I'm going crazy right now...)
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Books I Own and Can't Wait to Read
I'm writing this post early and setting it to post automatically. When this posts, I'll probably still be at my aunt and uncle's celebrating Christmas Eve with my family.
I have a several stacks of books in my room just waiting to be read. Christmas is tomorrow, and guess what I asked for even more of: books! Since my to-read pile is sure to grow even more tomorrow, I decided to post some of the books in my to-read pile right now. This is by no means all of them. These are just the ones I'm most anxious to read.
Living Abroad in Spain by Nikki Weinstein
Guys Are Waffles, Girls Are Spaghetti by Chad Eastham, Bill Farrel, and Pam Farrel
Lights! Camera! Fiction!: The Movie Lover's Guide to Writing a Novel by Alfie Thompson
Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 6 by Bisco Hatori
Beastly by Alex Flinn
I have a several stacks of books in my room just waiting to be read. Christmas is tomorrow, and guess what I asked for even more of: books! Since my to-read pile is sure to grow even more tomorrow, I decided to post some of the books in my to-read pile right now. This is by no means all of them. These are just the ones I'm most anxious to read.
Living Abroad in Spain by Nikki Weinstein
Imagine yourself living in Spain. You head home after a fiesta, eating churros and chocolate and celebrating with your neighbors. You know the locals and speak Spanish with ease. You show visiting friends around with the confidence of one who belongs. Author Nikki Weinstein shows you how to make your dream take shape. She left her life as a magazine writer in New York to make a home abroad in Spain. While some give up—daunted by the financial, bureaucratic, and decision-making issues that accompany a move so extraordinary—you'll be led step-by-step through the information you need on visas, money, jobs, housing, safety, language, culture, and history. Nikki has done the research and made the mistakes—so you don't have to. There's a place that matches your budget, needs, and dreams: perhaps it's an apartment in the vibrant city of Barcelona, a villa in sun-drenched Andalusia, or a beach house on the dramatic Galician coast. You can make it happen. With Living Abroad in Spain, it's easier than you think.I'm not planning to go to Spain anytime soon, but I'll definitely be day-dreaming about it while I'm reading this.
Guys Are Waffles, Girls Are Spaghetti by Chad Eastham, Bill Farrel, and Pam Farrel
Boy meets Girl; Boy wonders what in the world Girl is talking about and how he will ever keep up. Girl wonders what is wrong with Boy. Enter, Waffles and Spaghetti-every teen's guide to figuring out the opposite sex and understanding and valuing our unique differences.I just like the title of this one.
In a pivotal time of their development and social lives, teens are left to try and understand one another without much guidance. The purpose of this book is to help better understand themselves as well those from the "alien gender".
Guys' brains are like waffles-they keep their lives compartmentalized in boxes. Girls' brains are like spaghetti-everything in their life is connected to everything else. This book for teens includes brain development, social habits, differences in emotions, and relationship building skills for teens to develop early in their life. Loaded with humor and fun examples, this is a great way for teens to learn about healthy relationships with the opposite sex.
Lights! Camera! Fiction!: The Movie Lover's Guide to Writing a Novel by Alfie Thompson
How many times have you watched a popular movie and thought, "I'd like to write something like that," or "Even I can write better dialogue!" Here's your chance to learn how to write a novel...by watching movies like "Speed," "The Sixth Sense," "Clueless," "Die Hard," "While You Were Sleeping," and more! For the first time, a professional writing instructor and movie buff will take you through the steps necessary to craft your own commercial novel using techniques found in your favorite films. What can Hollywood's biggest features teach you about writing? How to watch movies with a writer's eye. Infusing character traits into scenes and plots. Using material goals to show internal motivation. Techniques for making scenes do double duty, including foreshadowing and flashback. What is a credibility gap, and how you should bridge it.City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Plus: Three 'tricks' for fixing holes in your plot, characters or anything else in your story. Thompson guides you frame by frame through the ins and outs of writing a hit, in a text that is packed with "Quick Tips" and "Quick Fixes." This is an indispensable reference work that will have you polishing your prose--and preparing it for publication--in no time!
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?I've heard so much about this series. I really need to get around to reading it.
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.
Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 6 by Bisco Hatori
In this sharp-witted romantic comedy about the clash of the classes (of all kinds), a poor girl at a rich kids' school ends up working at the school's toniest club-and gets mistaken for a boy!I have several volumes of Ouran that I need to read.
In this high anticipated title, a kind of cross between HANA-KIMI and BOYS OVER FLOWERS, Haruhi is a scholarship student at an exclusive private school: Ouran High School, where it turns out the bespectacled, short-haired Haruhi is the only student from a lower-middle class family in attendance!
Then, to make matters worse, one day she breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to one of the campus clubs-a mysterious outfit called the "Host Club," consisting of six superrich (and gorgeous) guys. Haruhi can't afford to pay back the cost of the vase, of course, so she's forced to work for the Host Club! And it's there that she discovers just how rich all the boys are and how different the rich are from you and me...And meanwhile, the eccentric but good-hearted rich boys are shocked to find out how life is on the other side...
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Now a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex PettyferMatched by Ally Condie
I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.
When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.
The blacksmith would marry her.The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.
Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.
After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.
It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.
Based on a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson.
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.Can you believe that this is just part of the stacks of to-be-read books in my room? I need more time to read! All of these sound fantastic, so hopefully I get around to them soon.
Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Two Days Before Christmas!
Tomorrow's Christmas Eve! I'm so excited! I think it might finally be sinking in for me that Christmas is in two days. I think it's all because of Christmas break from school. Being off of school in winter can only mean two things: Christmas or snow days. There's no snow, so it must be Christmas. (I wish it would snow for Christmas, but it's not looking like it will...)
I've done basically nothing today except reading, but I think we'll make up for that tomorrrow. We have to go to two different aunt and uncle's houses tomorrow, and then we're going to midnight mass. And of course we'll be waking up early (or as early as we can get our parents up) on Christmas morning! I can't wait!
I've done basically nothing today except reading, but I think we'll make up for that tomorrrow. We have to go to two different aunt and uncle's houses tomorrow, and then we're going to midnight mass. And of course we'll be waking up early (or as early as we can get our parents up) on Christmas morning! I can't wait!
TV Shows I Watch Over and Over
I think everyone has those TV shows that they've seen every single episode of countless times. When I was younger, I constantly had Nickelodeon or Disney on, and I'm sure I saw every episode of all of their shows a million times. The shows that I watch over and over have changed a little over the years (I haven't watched one of my Barney tapes in quite a long time), but there are a lot of shows that I've grown up watching, and I still watch all of the time.
Friends. My parents always watched Friends when it first aired, so I grew up watching it. I had to watch it every single week, and I now own almost all of the seasons on DVD (my sister owns the ones I don't). My whole family loves the show. In fact, my brother and sister watch it even more often than I do. Ji's currently borrowing half of the seasons, so we can't watch any of the later seasons at the moment. It's worth it though because Ji hadn't seen Friends much before, and it's nice that she can watch all of the awesomeness. I've heard every joke in every episode a million time, and I still find them insanely funny each time I watch them.
Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar, of course, is my favorite TV show of all time. I've been watching it since the first episode aired back when I was eleven. (I remember watching the first two episodes for the first time and laughing at all of the jokes...) I gathered all of the DVDs as they came out, and I rewatch the series all of the time. I have several things I do when I feel sad: read Harry Potter, watch Friends, or watch Avatar. Those are the things that never fail to make me happy. Avatar's a great show, and the episodes never get old.
Little House on the Prairie. Even though I've been reading the books since I was ten or so, it took me a bit longer to get into the TV series. I think I started watching it a year or two after reading the books. I rented some of the episodes, and then I started watching it on TVLand until they stopped showing re-runs, which made me really upset. I also watched them on Hallmark for a while, but I think they quit showing them too I'm in the process of collecting the DVDs, but there are some episodes I haven't seen in quite a long time, since I can't find a TV station that shows them anymore. (It's been a while since I checked. Maybe I should look for them again.) I've been watching the seasons that I do have on DVD though. I just love how happy this show is. Even during the sad times there's a happiness there. It's a somewhat cheesy show, but I love it. (Although I do enjoy the books even more, and for anyone who doesn't know, the books and TV show aren't really alike at all.)
Rugrats. This was one of the Nickelodeon shows that I watched over and over on TV as a kid, but I (or my family rather) also own tons of Rugrats tapes that I watched a million times. (I think our Rugrats tape collection is second only to our Barney tape collection.) I was so insanely happy when they started showing Rugrats on the 90's Are All That, and I've been recording and watching them all. (I've been recording most of the shows on there. It's like reliving my childhood. Do you know how long it had been since I'd seen Hey Arnold? It brings back so many memories.) So recently I've seen a ton of Rugrats episodes that I'd basically forgotten about. It's amazing. The 90's Are All That is one of the best decisions Nickelodeon ever made. It's amazing. Occassionally I'd go on these nostalgic kicks were I look up old cartoons online. Rugrats was always one of the first I'd search for. Now I just have to go to my DVR! (I was also a fan of All Grown Up. I've never understood why so many people seemed to have hated it.)
I want to add Dawson's Creek to this list, but it wouldn't really fit since I haven't watched it in forever. I used to watch reruns all the time, but they quit showing them. (Why must all of the reruns of good shows end?) Now I can't find reruns of it, and I don't own the DVDs (yet). If I could I would watch it all of the time though. I got really into watching the reruns back in middle school, but I never actually watched it when it aired. I think I was a bit young for it then.
Friends. My parents always watched Friends when it first aired, so I grew up watching it. I had to watch it every single week, and I now own almost all of the seasons on DVD (my sister owns the ones I don't). My whole family loves the show. In fact, my brother and sister watch it even more often than I do. Ji's currently borrowing half of the seasons, so we can't watch any of the later seasons at the moment. It's worth it though because Ji hadn't seen Friends much before, and it's nice that she can watch all of the awesomeness. I've heard every joke in every episode a million time, and I still find them insanely funny each time I watch them.
Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar, of course, is my favorite TV show of all time. I've been watching it since the first episode aired back when I was eleven. (I remember watching the first two episodes for the first time and laughing at all of the jokes...) I gathered all of the DVDs as they came out, and I rewatch the series all of the time. I have several things I do when I feel sad: read Harry Potter, watch Friends, or watch Avatar. Those are the things that never fail to make me happy. Avatar's a great show, and the episodes never get old.
Little House on the Prairie. Even though I've been reading the books since I was ten or so, it took me a bit longer to get into the TV series. I think I started watching it a year or two after reading the books. I rented some of the episodes, and then I started watching it on TVLand until they stopped showing re-runs, which made me really upset. I also watched them on Hallmark for a while, but I think they quit showing them too I'm in the process of collecting the DVDs, but there are some episodes I haven't seen in quite a long time, since I can't find a TV station that shows them anymore. (It's been a while since I checked. Maybe I should look for them again.) I've been watching the seasons that I do have on DVD though. I just love how happy this show is. Even during the sad times there's a happiness there. It's a somewhat cheesy show, but I love it. (Although I do enjoy the books even more, and for anyone who doesn't know, the books and TV show aren't really alike at all.)
Rugrats. This was one of the Nickelodeon shows that I watched over and over on TV as a kid, but I (or my family rather) also own tons of Rugrats tapes that I watched a million times. (I think our Rugrats tape collection is second only to our Barney tape collection.) I was so insanely happy when they started showing Rugrats on the 90's Are All That, and I've been recording and watching them all. (I've been recording most of the shows on there. It's like reliving my childhood. Do you know how long it had been since I'd seen Hey Arnold? It brings back so many memories.) So recently I've seen a ton of Rugrats episodes that I'd basically forgotten about. It's amazing. The 90's Are All That is one of the best decisions Nickelodeon ever made. It's amazing. Occassionally I'd go on these nostalgic kicks were I look up old cartoons online. Rugrats was always one of the first I'd search for. Now I just have to go to my DVR! (I was also a fan of All Grown Up. I've never understood why so many people seemed to have hated it.)
I want to add Dawson's Creek to this list, but it wouldn't really fit since I haven't watched it in forever. I used to watch reruns all the time, but they quit showing them. (Why must all of the reruns of good shows end?) Now I can't find reruns of it, and I don't own the DVDs (yet). If I could I would watch it all of the time though. I got really into watching the reruns back in middle school, but I never actually watched it when it aired. I think I was a bit young for it then.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Less Homework, More Writing Time
It's so strange being on Christmas break and not having homework I need to work on. I have one essay that I have to write for AP U.S. history. However, it's practice for the AP exam, so we're supposed to write it in forty minutes. I'm going to wait until after Christmas to do that. I also have some college stuff to do, but this isn't anywhere near the amount of things I had to do before break. I am so happy to get a break from all of that and relax for a little bit.
I got so much writing done last night and today. It was great. It had been months since I'd been able to sit down and get that much written without having to stop and do homework or something. I'm getting so excited about everything because I'm close to finishing the first draft too. I'm hoping I'll get it done by the end of the year since I have more time to write now, but if I get caught up in holiday and family stuff it probably won't happen. Still, I can hope.
Only three more days until Christmas!
I got so much writing done last night and today. It was great. It had been months since I'd been able to sit down and get that much written without having to stop and do homework or something. I'm getting so excited about everything because I'm close to finishing the first draft too. I'm hoping I'll get it done by the end of the year since I have more time to write now, but if I get caught up in holiday and family stuff it probably won't happen. Still, I can hope.
Only three more days until Christmas!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
I Hate Blood More Than Ever
After tomorrow I'll be on Christmas break! And there are only five days until Christmas! Yay!
I had something interesting happen today... This is a somewhat weird story though. At the very end of AP U.S. History I scratched my nose, and it started bleeding. At first I thought it was just a little blood, and it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Almost right after this the bell rang, which meant I had three minutes to get to AP English. Around this time I realized my nose was bleeding pretty badly, and I had quite a lot of blood on my hands. (I'm terrified of blood, so this was particularly worrying for me.) I rushed down the hall as quickly as possible (one of the many times I've hated how slow people seem to walk in school hallways and randomly stop in the middle of them).
As soon as I got to English I sat my books on my desk and hurriedly told the teacher that I needed to go to the bathroom. I'm sure everyone noticed, but no one said anything. I'm so embarassed by it though. I passed Ji in the hallway on my way to the bathroom, and she noticed and tried to ask what happened, but I rushed by her. I spent almost half of English class in the bathroom trying to stop the blood. It sucked. When I finally got back to class I felt like everyone was staring (not helped by the fact the door was locked and the teacher had to come open it for me), and my teacher asked if I was all right. My face was probably bright red. That's an experience I never want to go through again.
As for the rest of my day it was pretty average. I had two finals today in computer applications and economics. (I guess it's a good thing I didn't have one in AP English.) Tomorrow I have one in AP U.S. history. I'm lucky that I don't have one in AP English or yearbook. I technically don't in peer tutoring either, but I have to be evaluated, and I'm a bit worried since that's most of my grade.
Hopefully tomorrow will go by quickly, and it will be Christmas break!
I had something interesting happen today... This is a somewhat weird story though. At the very end of AP U.S. History I scratched my nose, and it started bleeding. At first I thought it was just a little blood, and it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Almost right after this the bell rang, which meant I had three minutes to get to AP English. Around this time I realized my nose was bleeding pretty badly, and I had quite a lot of blood on my hands. (I'm terrified of blood, so this was particularly worrying for me.) I rushed down the hall as quickly as possible (one of the many times I've hated how slow people seem to walk in school hallways and randomly stop in the middle of them).
As soon as I got to English I sat my books on my desk and hurriedly told the teacher that I needed to go to the bathroom. I'm sure everyone noticed, but no one said anything. I'm so embarassed by it though. I passed Ji in the hallway on my way to the bathroom, and she noticed and tried to ask what happened, but I rushed by her. I spent almost half of English class in the bathroom trying to stop the blood. It sucked. When I finally got back to class I felt like everyone was staring (not helped by the fact the door was locked and the teacher had to come open it for me), and my teacher asked if I was all right. My face was probably bright red. That's an experience I never want to go through again.
As for the rest of my day it was pretty average. I had two finals today in computer applications and economics. (I guess it's a good thing I didn't have one in AP English.) Tomorrow I have one in AP U.S. history. I'm lucky that I don't have one in AP English or yearbook. I technically don't in peer tutoring either, but I have to be evaluated, and I'm a bit worried since that's most of my grade.
Hopefully tomorrow will go by quickly, and it will be Christmas break!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
The Saddest Moments in Harry Potter
This post is going to be what I feel are some of the saddest scenes in Harry Potter. It's not an all inclusive list, and there are other scenes that I also found sad. In fact, there are quite a few, so it would take a while to include all of them. Most of these are from Deathly Hallows as I find that to be the saddest of the books. These are kind of in order from saddest (for me) to least saddest, but not entirely. That's just kind of how they ended up since the saddest came to me first.
Into the Forest Again. This has to be the saddest chapter in the entire Harry Potter series. I can't remember ever being as emotional about a book as I was when I read this the first time. I didn't know what was going to happen to Harry, and after he discovered that he had to die, I was slightly terrified that he would in fact die. Once he gets to the forest and uses the resurrection stone I was a complete mess. For me that is the most beautiful and heart-breaking scene in Harry Potter and quite possibly any book I've ever read.
Harry seeing the dead in the Great Hall. There's something about seeing the Weasleys sobbing around Fred's body that just kills me. For me that was worse than reading about Fred's death although that also deserves it's place on this list. Then, we (and Harry) find out that Remus and Tonks, two of my favorite characters, are dead as well, and Teddy is now an orphan. I think this is a really simple moment in the book, but it really affected me when I read it.
Dobby's death. I'll admit I might have a slight obsession with house elves. I love Dobby, Winky, and even Kreacher (more so after he tracks down Mundungus). I was so happy when Dobby appeared to help Harry and the others, but I was in shock when he suddenly died. I don't think anyone expected Dobby to die, and that just made it more emotional to me.
Hedwig's death. Yes, I am aware she's just an owl. However, she is an amazing owl! In all seriousness, Hedwig's death came as a huge shock to me. Other tan Charity Burbage, who we had never seen before, this was the first death we saw in Deathly Hallows, and it was an innocent owl! It kind of brought home the fact that there's a war, and if an owl is murdered, than everyone is open game (although Dobby's death was still shocking). The fact that I adore Hedwig, and she's the reason snowy owls are my favorite animal may have made it slightly more emotional for me.
Snape killing Dumbledore. Looking back on it, it seems slightly obvious that Dumbledore would die, but I was only eleven when Half-Blood Prince came out, and for me, it was entirely unexpected. I think this was the first time I cried while reading a Harry Potter book. (No I didn't cry when Sirius died... I almost feel bad.)
Sirius' death. Speaking of Sirius... Although I didn't cry when he died, I did find it sad. It's just that I was about nine or ten when I first read it, and it doesn't have quite the same impact after the first time. It wasn't until I was older that I was really affected when I read that scene. Harry trying to run into the veil after Sirius, Remus holding him back and saying he's gone, and Harry chasing after Bellatrix is all incredibly emotional.
Bellatrix torturing Hermione. Ron's reaction to Hermione being tortured absolutely kills me. It's heart-breaking. Should we count how many of the things on this list Bellatrix is responsible for? I bet it's quite a few of them... (It's really only three, but that's still more than any other character I'm sure. Actually, it's four if we count her killing Tonks... I'm going to say four.)
Into the Forest Again. This has to be the saddest chapter in the entire Harry Potter series. I can't remember ever being as emotional about a book as I was when I read this the first time. I didn't know what was going to happen to Harry, and after he discovered that he had to die, I was slightly terrified that he would in fact die. Once he gets to the forest and uses the resurrection stone I was a complete mess. For me that is the most beautiful and heart-breaking scene in Harry Potter and quite possibly any book I've ever read.
Harry seeing the dead in the Great Hall. There's something about seeing the Weasleys sobbing around Fred's body that just kills me. For me that was worse than reading about Fred's death although that also deserves it's place on this list. Then, we (and Harry) find out that Remus and Tonks, two of my favorite characters, are dead as well, and Teddy is now an orphan. I think this is a really simple moment in the book, but it really affected me when I read it.
Dobby's death. I'll admit I might have a slight obsession with house elves. I love Dobby, Winky, and even Kreacher (more so after he tracks down Mundungus). I was so happy when Dobby appeared to help Harry and the others, but I was in shock when he suddenly died. I don't think anyone expected Dobby to die, and that just made it more emotional to me.
Hedwig's death. Yes, I am aware she's just an owl. However, she is an amazing owl! In all seriousness, Hedwig's death came as a huge shock to me. Other tan Charity Burbage, who we had never seen before, this was the first death we saw in Deathly Hallows, and it was an innocent owl! It kind of brought home the fact that there's a war, and if an owl is murdered, than everyone is open game (although Dobby's death was still shocking). The fact that I adore Hedwig, and she's the reason snowy owls are my favorite animal may have made it slightly more emotional for me.
Snape killing Dumbledore. Looking back on it, it seems slightly obvious that Dumbledore would die, but I was only eleven when Half-Blood Prince came out, and for me, it was entirely unexpected. I think this was the first time I cried while reading a Harry Potter book. (No I didn't cry when Sirius died... I almost feel bad.)
Sirius' death. Speaking of Sirius... Although I didn't cry when he died, I did find it sad. It's just that I was about nine or ten when I first read it, and it doesn't have quite the same impact after the first time. It wasn't until I was older that I was really affected when I read that scene. Harry trying to run into the veil after Sirius, Remus holding him back and saying he's gone, and Harry chasing after Bellatrix is all incredibly emotional.
Bellatrix torturing Hermione. Ron's reaction to Hermione being tortured absolutely kills me. It's heart-breaking. Should we count how many of the things on this list Bellatrix is responsible for? I bet it's quite a few of them... (It's really only three, but that's still more than any other character I'm sure. Actually, it's four if we count her killing Tonks... I'm going to say four.)
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Book Review: Now You See Her by Jacquelyn Mitchard
ISBN: 0061116831Published: March 1st, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Read from December 5th to 14th, 2011
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Review:Hope has it all: brains, beauty, and acceptance at Starwood, a prestigious arts prep school. A mere sophomore, she has won the lead in Romeo and Juliet, beating out seniors for the role—seniors who have been in movies and on Broadway! And with handsome Logan as her Romeo onstage and off, her life couldn't be more perfect.
So why would this talented teen throw everything away? Why would she fake her own abduction? Hope wants to explain what really happened, and gradually the truth comes out: Maybe her life wasn't that perfect after all.
In her first novel for young adults, national bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard takes us into a world where appearance is everything, and nothing is exactly as it seems.
My initial reaction upon finishing this book was that it was insane. I started off really hating the main character Hope. She's an actress and basically thinks she is the greatest person to ever live. For the first few chapters all I could think about was how much I didn't like her. I was slightly tempted to stop reading, but I saw that other people seemed to have liked the book, so I kept reading.
A few chapters in I started getting into it. It's one of those books where you realize you're not getting the entire story. Throughout the entire book I was trying to figure out what exactly was going on. I'd say by about halfway through I had a general idea of what was happening, but I could figure out any specifics. I won't give anything away because I think it's important to read the book and figure out things for yourself.
I still wasn't a huge fan of Hope at the end. I was more tolerant of her because I understood why she was like that more, but she still isn't very pleasant. I felt bad for her, but she definitely isn't someone I would want to be friends with.
I enjoyed this book but I didn't love it. It's really short and easy to read. I'd recommend reading it if you just happen to find it and have nothing else to read, but it's probably not a book I would seek out to read if I knew more about it beforehand. The most interesting part of me was trying to figure out what was happening. I feel like the subject matter the book deals with could have had such a larger emotional impact, but it just wasn't there for me.
Also, I think the synopsis about the book is kind of misleading. It's true..kind of, but it doesn't really tell you much about the book. There are reasons for that as I'm assuming the publisher wanted the plot of kind of be a surprise, but it doesn't really help you understand what the book is about.
A Long Day with Awesome People
It's late, and I'm extremely tired. However, there are a few things I want to blog about before I forget. This post will probably be a little disjointed and jumpy. I'm just trying to get things down before I fall asleep.
I love when Harry Potter comes up somehow in everyday life. Yesterday my yearbook teacher's daughter was there, and she played The Mysterious Ticking Noise for those of us in the classroom (a lot of the class was over in the computer lab). No one had seen it before. I got so excited when I realized what she was playing.
Today Jordan and Haley started writing A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel quotes on the dry erase board in AP English. Everyone kept asking what AVPM and AVPS stood for, and no one really knew what the quotes were.
We had a fire drill during econ today. Those are always fun during the winter. We also finished watching a movie called Madison. I may do a post on it later...
This evening my grandma, Aunt Kate, Aunt Linda, mom, sister Regina, cousin Danielle, and I all went to Red Lobster. It's my grandma, Aunt Kate, and mom's birthdays soon, so it was their birthday dinner. It was a whole lot of fun. We also went by my Uncle Ken and Aunt Linda's before and after. Four of the male cousins and my brother where there while we were at Red Lobster. I'm always guaranteed to have a good time when I'm with my cousins. They're always doing something interesting.
After all of that, my mom, sister, and I went to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. It was late and I don't like shopping, so I really just wanted to go home. Then I remembered that Summer works in the mall and had told me earlier she was working tonight. I have seen her since July! (I need a car and more time...) I wasn't sure if she was still there or not, but when we entered the store she works at, sure enough she was there. She looked up at me and Regina, looked back at what she was doing, and then looked back up and realized it was us. She immediately started talking loud enough that the whole store could hear. She hugged me and started telling everyone, "This is my best friend since first grade." She got so excited. Haha. We couldn't stay long, and she had to work. Still, it was awesome to get to see her. I don't get to see her nearly enough anymore, and talking using a phone or computer just isn't the same.
I love when Harry Potter comes up somehow in everyday life. Yesterday my yearbook teacher's daughter was there, and she played The Mysterious Ticking Noise for those of us in the classroom (a lot of the class was over in the computer lab). No one had seen it before. I got so excited when I realized what she was playing.
Today Jordan and Haley started writing A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel quotes on the dry erase board in AP English. Everyone kept asking what AVPM and AVPS stood for, and no one really knew what the quotes were.
We had a fire drill during econ today. Those are always fun during the winter. We also finished watching a movie called Madison. I may do a post on it later...
This evening my grandma, Aunt Kate, Aunt Linda, mom, sister Regina, cousin Danielle, and I all went to Red Lobster. It's my grandma, Aunt Kate, and mom's birthdays soon, so it was their birthday dinner. It was a whole lot of fun. We also went by my Uncle Ken and Aunt Linda's before and after. Four of the male cousins and my brother where there while we were at Red Lobster. I'm always guaranteed to have a good time when I'm with my cousins. They're always doing something interesting.
After all of that, my mom, sister, and I went to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. It was late and I don't like shopping, so I really just wanted to go home. Then I remembered that Summer works in the mall and had told me earlier she was working tonight. I have seen her since July! (I need a car and more time...) I wasn't sure if she was still there or not, but when we entered the store she works at, sure enough she was there. She looked up at me and Regina, looked back at what she was doing, and then looked back up and realized it was us. She immediately started talking loud enough that the whole store could hear. She hugged me and started telling everyone, "This is my best friend since first grade." She got so excited. Haha. We couldn't stay long, and she had to work. Still, it was awesome to get to see her. I don't get to see her nearly enough anymore, and talking using a phone or computer just isn't the same.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Short Writings
I haven't posted much here lately. I kept meaning to, but I couldn't be bothered to do much the whole weekend. It's a wonder I got the post about being sick up. I think that's only because I like the outlet to complain. Luckily I'm feeling much better now, so I'm finally getting a post up.
Way back towards the beginning to the semester (probably September or October), I wrote a few journal entries in the point of view of the main character of the story I'm writing. These journal entries aren't part of the actual story. I just wrote them for the fun of it. There's no mention of the main characer even having a journal in the story. However, the entries are supposedly written while the story is taking place. There are two of them, and neither one really reveals much about the story. There just normal things a fourteen year old could potentially write in a diary. I mean, they incorporate events in the story into them, but it's nothing particularly big or spoilery.
In attention to those, I also wrote an incredibly short scene that includes several of the main characters. This scene involves a field trip they went on several years before the story takes place. (I never actually specified how old they were, but I picture it as being fifth grade or so. They're in eighth grade in the actual story.) This scene is absolutely pointless. I just wrote it in school because I wanted to write, but the actual story is saved on my computer.
I've tossed around the idea of posting them online. It could kind of be an extra thing. I could post them before the story to kind of meet the main character, guess what happens, kind of thing, and then I could post the actual story after. I don't know. They're incredibly short (probably less than 500 words each) and basically pointless. I'm not sure if I should do something with them or not. Does anyone have any ideas?
Way back towards the beginning to the semester (probably September or October), I wrote a few journal entries in the point of view of the main character of the story I'm writing. These journal entries aren't part of the actual story. I just wrote them for the fun of it. There's no mention of the main characer even having a journal in the story. However, the entries are supposedly written while the story is taking place. There are two of them, and neither one really reveals much about the story. There just normal things a fourteen year old could potentially write in a diary. I mean, they incorporate events in the story into them, but it's nothing particularly big or spoilery.
In attention to those, I also wrote an incredibly short scene that includes several of the main characters. This scene involves a field trip they went on several years before the story takes place. (I never actually specified how old they were, but I picture it as being fifth grade or so. They're in eighth grade in the actual story.) This scene is absolutely pointless. I just wrote it in school because I wanted to write, but the actual story is saved on my computer.
I've tossed around the idea of posting them online. It could kind of be an extra thing. I could post them before the story to kind of meet the main character, guess what happens, kind of thing, and then I could post the actual story after. I don't know. They're incredibly short (probably less than 500 words each) and basically pointless. I'm not sure if I should do something with them or not. Does anyone have any ideas?
Friday, December 9, 2011
A Sick Rant
Remember how I posted about getting sick yesterday? Well, about an hour after posting that, I got a fever. I still didn't feel that bad, and I took some Tylenol and it immediately went down. Last night was miserable. I hardly slept at all. I couldn't breath when laying down, and my throat was on fire. By the time I woke up in the morning, I'd almost completely lost my voice, and it's stayed that way all day. Everytime I say something the pain in my throat multiplies by ten.
I ended up going to school after consulting both my mom and friend Ji over whether I should go or not. I would have stayed at home if it weren't for several reasons: my fever had been down all night (I checked several times.), I didn't feel that bad this morning, I had a test in economics and an outline due in AP English, and I've had perfect attendance for three years and I'd hate to screw that up now. Most of the school day was fine. I felt a little weak, my nose was a little runny, and my throat was killing me, but I honestly didn't feel that sick.
Things started going down hill during my last class of the day: economics. By the time I had finished my test, I was shivering pretty badly, and I knew I was starting to get a fever. I would have gone home except school was almost over anyway. By the time I got home, I was shaking, and my fever was over a hundred. Things have only gotten worse since then. I'm currently huddled under the covers of my bed because I start violently shivering if I get out from under them. I've tried everything I can thing of to soothe my throat, but it's all stopped working. And none of the medicine I've taken since getting home seems to have worked. I'm about five time more miserable than yesterday or during school today.
I still haven't decided if I'm going to attempt to sleep tonight. I know sleep is good and should help be get better faster, but tonight was so miserable. I don't even want to think what tonight will be like. I'm hoping I'll fall asleep easily, stay asleep all night, and wake up magically feeling better. The odds of that are basically zero however, so I'm not sure if going through a miserable night is worth it. And this is coming from someone who loves sleep.
I'm gonna go watch How I Met Your Mother and try to get my mind off of how horrible I feel. I hope everyone's feeling better than I am! If you're feeling sick to thanks to this wonderful time of year, then I hope we both get better soon.
(I feel like I'm going to sound crazy if I go back and read this once I get better. Oh well.)
I ended up going to school after consulting both my mom and friend Ji over whether I should go or not. I would have stayed at home if it weren't for several reasons: my fever had been down all night (I checked several times.), I didn't feel that bad this morning, I had a test in economics and an outline due in AP English, and I've had perfect attendance for three years and I'd hate to screw that up now. Most of the school day was fine. I felt a little weak, my nose was a little runny, and my throat was killing me, but I honestly didn't feel that sick.
Things started going down hill during my last class of the day: economics. By the time I had finished my test, I was shivering pretty badly, and I knew I was starting to get a fever. I would have gone home except school was almost over anyway. By the time I got home, I was shaking, and my fever was over a hundred. Things have only gotten worse since then. I'm currently huddled under the covers of my bed because I start violently shivering if I get out from under them. I've tried everything I can thing of to soothe my throat, but it's all stopped working. And none of the medicine I've taken since getting home seems to have worked. I'm about five time more miserable than yesterday or during school today.
I still haven't decided if I'm going to attempt to sleep tonight. I know sleep is good and should help be get better faster, but tonight was so miserable. I don't even want to think what tonight will be like. I'm hoping I'll fall asleep easily, stay asleep all night, and wake up magically feeling better. The odds of that are basically zero however, so I'm not sure if going through a miserable night is worth it. And this is coming from someone who loves sleep.
I'm gonna go watch How I Met Your Mother and try to get my mind off of how horrible I feel. I hope everyone's feeling better than I am! If you're feeling sick to thanks to this wonderful time of year, then I hope we both get better soon.
(I feel like I'm going to sound crazy if I go back and read this once I get better. Oh well.)
Writing Takes Time
I've been writing a story for over a year now. It takes me forever to finish longer stories. I wish I had more time to write, but on a good day I usually only get about half an hour to spend writing. I do manage to write almost every day except when I'm not home (or sick and unable to focus on anything like yesterday and today). I've been lucky enough to get a bit more time lately. Not because I actually have more time, but just because I've learned to quit doing other things to write instead.
I'm so happy to almost be done with the first draft of this story. I know a year is an insanely long time to be working on just the first draft, but I would like to point out that I was working on Avatar: The Next Generation as well for about half of that time. (That makes it sound a little better.) I wish I had more time to write, but school and homework just takes up a majority of my time (plus actually leaving my house which has happened more recently).
Once the first draft is done I plan on working on a Hunger Games fanfiction (which I am incredibly excited about) before going back to edit this story. It'll probably be posted online at some point in the future, but I wouldn't count on that for maybe a year or more. It'll all just depend on how much time I get to write.
I'm so happy to almost be done with the first draft of this story. I know a year is an insanely long time to be working on just the first draft, but I would like to point out that I was working on Avatar: The Next Generation as well for about half of that time. (That makes it sound a little better.) I wish I had more time to write, but school and homework just takes up a majority of my time (plus actually leaving my house which has happened more recently).
Once the first draft is done I plan on working on a Hunger Games fanfiction (which I am incredibly excited about) before going back to edit this story. It'll probably be posted online at some point in the future, but I wouldn't count on that for maybe a year or more. It'll all just depend on how much time I get to write.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Horcruxes or Hallows
Harry has to make an important decision in Deathly Hallows. He has to decide whether to search for the horcruxes or the hallows. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were split on which they should go after, but of course, they finally chose to continue searching for the horcruxes. And everyone who's read the book or watched the movies knows this turns out to be the right choice. I can't help but wonder which I would have chosen to look for. Would I have continued looking for horcruxes, knowing Voldemort needed to be destroyed, or would I have been too tempted to go after the hallows?
The honest answer is I have no idea. I like to think I would have continued searching for horcruxes, but I have to admit that the hallows sound incredibly cool. I'll never know which I would have chosen of course.
One thing I can tell you: if I was forced to choose between one of the three hallows, I'd choose the invisibility cloak. I'm not saying that because it's supposed to be the wisest choice. I've just always wanted to become invisible. It's always my answer to what superpower I'd like to have. (And it was one of my answers during the sorting quiz on Pottermore.) I'm probably one of the few who wouldn't be that interested in having an undefeatable want. That just screams trouble. I don't want anything to do with that. I would pass on the resurrection stone. I've lost loved ones, but I'm happy to let them stay in peace. I know nothing good could come from bringing them back. As it says in Deathly Hallows, they no longer belong in this world. The cloak though, I'd definitely want to try it out. It's the only hallow I'd have the slightest trouble resisting.
The honest answer is I have no idea. I like to think I would have continued searching for horcruxes, but I have to admit that the hallows sound incredibly cool. I'll never know which I would have chosen of course.
One thing I can tell you: if I was forced to choose between one of the three hallows, I'd choose the invisibility cloak. I'm not saying that because it's supposed to be the wisest choice. I've just always wanted to become invisible. It's always my answer to what superpower I'd like to have. (And it was one of my answers during the sorting quiz on Pottermore.) I'm probably one of the few who wouldn't be that interested in having an undefeatable want. That just screams trouble. I don't want anything to do with that. I would pass on the resurrection stone. I've lost loved ones, but I'm happy to let them stay in peace. I know nothing good could come from bringing them back. As it says in Deathly Hallows, they no longer belong in this world. The cloak though, I'd definitely want to try it out. It's the only hallow I'd have the slightest trouble resisting.
It's the Time of Year for... Colds
I am officially sick. I've got a horrible cold, which means I'm going to be miserable for about a week. The only positive I can think of is that it should be gone by Christmas. I always get at least one cold during the winter, so I'm not that surprised. Tons of people at school have been getting colds the past week or so. I'm pretty sure we're all going to be sick soon.
I had a much longer post written out, but I ended up losing all of it. Instead of rewriting the whole thing. I'll just let you know that my day was pretty average. It actually kind of sucked, but that was just the cold. If I didn't feel miserable today would have been fine.
Since getting home from school I've done nothing but lay on my bed feeling sick. The Sudafed I took early has done nothing. I really hope this cold doesn't last long...
I had a much longer post written out, but I ended up losing all of it. Instead of rewriting the whole thing. I'll just let you know that my day was pretty average. It actually kind of sucked, but that was just the cold. If I didn't feel miserable today would have been fine.
Since getting home from school I've done nothing but lay on my bed feeling sick. The Sudafed I took early has done nothing. I really hope this cold doesn't last long...
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Avatar Leaks (The Promise and Korra)
If you're an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan, you're probably aware of all of the leaks going on recently. For those who don't know, there are currently two exciting things in the works that are Avatar related: a comic book called The Promise that is set right after the TV series ended and a new TV series set in the future. Pages from the new comic books AND clips from the new TV show were leaked recently.
I have only seen some of what was leaked. The first things to be leaked were a couple of pages from The Promise. I looked at them because the curiousity overwhelmed me. Now even more pages have been leaked, and I refuse to look at them. I don't want to see the entire book before I even have the book! From what I did see, it looks like I'm really going to enjoy the book. I'm shocked by some of it, but that just means it will be an interesting story!
As for the Korra leaks, I've seen the opening and that's it. I am going to talk about it a bit now, so if you don't want to know about it, don't read this. First of all, we got to hear Tenzin's voice! When he said "my father Avatar Aang" I freaked out. I still haven't completely gotten over the fact that Aang and Katara have kids and we actually get to see at least one of them. That was really the greatest part of the opening for me. I love Aang and Katara so much. I will be so dissapointed if Tenzin isn't an amazing character. There's no way Aang and Katara could have an unawesome kid (who is no longer a kid).
I didn't watch whatever else was leaked of Korra. (I don't know if it was one clip or multiple clips.) I want to be able to watch the whole episode for the first time as one whole episode. I don't want to see bits and pieces. Plus, the quality of those clips probably aren't so great. It'll be so much more satisfying to wait until the show airs. Speaking of an airdate, I hope we get one soon! These leaks have done nothing but make me want new Avatar stuff even more. We know The Promise is coming in January. (Mine's pre-ordered!) Now we just need a Korra release date...
I have only seen some of what was leaked. The first things to be leaked were a couple of pages from The Promise. I looked at them because the curiousity overwhelmed me. Now even more pages have been leaked, and I refuse to look at them. I don't want to see the entire book before I even have the book! From what I did see, it looks like I'm really going to enjoy the book. I'm shocked by some of it, but that just means it will be an interesting story!
As for the Korra leaks, I've seen the opening and that's it. I am going to talk about it a bit now, so if you don't want to know about it, don't read this. First of all, we got to hear Tenzin's voice! When he said "my father Avatar Aang" I freaked out. I still haven't completely gotten over the fact that Aang and Katara have kids and we actually get to see at least one of them. That was really the greatest part of the opening for me. I love Aang and Katara so much. I will be so dissapointed if Tenzin isn't an amazing character. There's no way Aang and Katara could have an unawesome kid (who is no longer a kid).
I didn't watch whatever else was leaked of Korra. (I don't know if it was one clip or multiple clips.) I want to be able to watch the whole episode for the first time as one whole episode. I don't want to see bits and pieces. Plus, the quality of those clips probably aren't so great. It'll be so much more satisfying to wait until the show airs. Speaking of an airdate, I hope we get one soon! These leaks have done nothing but make me want new Avatar stuff even more. We know The Promise is coming in January. (Mine's pre-ordered!) Now we just need a Korra release date...
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Favorite Disney Non-Animal Sidekicks
About two months ago I wrote a blog post on my favorite Disney animal sidekicks. This time I'm doing my favorite non-animal sidekicks. (I've also realized that I didn't put Timon and Pumba on the animal sidekick llist. How did that happen!?) I didn't come up with many, so it's a rather short list.
The Genie from Aladdin. It's true that he's not human, but he's also not an animal. Never Had a Friend Like Me is probably my favorite song from Aladdin.
The various toys in Toy Story. Again, not human, but also not animals (although some are animal toys). I was never the biggest Toy Story fan until the third one. (I think it was because it made me sentimental about how I grew up with the other Toy Story movies.
Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh. I'll be honest, he was never my favorite character, but I feel like he needs to be on this list.
Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, etc. from Beauty and the Beast. It's no secret that this is my favorite Disney movie ever. I love all of the various humans turned objects in the movie.
The Lost Boys in Peter Pan. I think they're all cute, but they (and Peter) tend to get on my nerves a bit whenever I watch the movie. I can't blame them, since it makes sense that they'd be immature, but it does annoy me a little. Still, they act like cute little kids in certain parts of the movie. (I've just realized it's been years since I've seen Peter Pan. I should watch it. I've been seeing things about this new mini-series that's supposed to be about Peter Pan discovering Neverland or something. I want to look into that...)
Dopey and the other seven dwarves from Snow White. Snow White has always been one of my least favorite Disney movies. Still, I remember Dopey and the other dwarves being one of the only things I even remotely liked as a kid. (And Dopey was always my favorite.)
I'm sure there are some other awesome non-animal sidekicks, but those were all I could think of.
The Genie from Aladdin. It's true that he's not human, but he's also not an animal. Never Had a Friend Like Me is probably my favorite song from Aladdin.
The various toys in Toy Story. Again, not human, but also not animals (although some are animal toys). I was never the biggest Toy Story fan until the third one. (I think it was because it made me sentimental about how I grew up with the other Toy Story movies.
Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh. I'll be honest, he was never my favorite character, but I feel like he needs to be on this list.
Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, etc. from Beauty and the Beast. It's no secret that this is my favorite Disney movie ever. I love all of the various humans turned objects in the movie.
The Lost Boys in Peter Pan. I think they're all cute, but they (and Peter) tend to get on my nerves a bit whenever I watch the movie. I can't blame them, since it makes sense that they'd be immature, but it does annoy me a little. Still, they act like cute little kids in certain parts of the movie. (I've just realized it's been years since I've seen Peter Pan. I should watch it. I've been seeing things about this new mini-series that's supposed to be about Peter Pan discovering Neverland or something. I want to look into that...)
Dopey and the other seven dwarves from Snow White. Snow White has always been one of my least favorite Disney movies. Still, I remember Dopey and the other dwarves being one of the only things I even remotely liked as a kid. (And Dopey was always my favorite.)
I'm sure there are some other awesome non-animal sidekicks, but those were all I could think of.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Favorite Genres
Everyone has a certain genre or two that they enjoy reading more than others. I don't think I can narrow down one particular genre as being my favorite. Most of what I read is young adult, but I wouldn't really say that's a genre. If I look through all of the books I own I find a lot of contemporary romance, historical (usually but not always romance), fantasy, and dystopian. I think it's safe to say that those are my favorite genres to read.
It's not much different when it comes to writing. What I'm currently working on is a contemporary (but not a romance). Most of the ideas I have floating around in my head right now are historical. I have a couple of fantasy ideas, but they're not on my mind as much. It's no secret that I write fanfiction. Once I finish my current project, I plan to work on a series of Hunger Games one-shots. I guess that counts as writing dystopian, although (SLIGHT SPOILERS) I plan on all of them being post-Mockingjay, which means it won't be very dystopian and I'm not making up the dystopian aspect myself so I don't really count that.
What types of genres are your favorite to read and/or write?
It's not much different when it comes to writing. What I'm currently working on is a contemporary (but not a romance). Most of the ideas I have floating around in my head right now are historical. I have a couple of fantasy ideas, but they're not on my mind as much. It's no secret that I write fanfiction. Once I finish my current project, I plan to work on a series of Hunger Games one-shots. I guess that counts as writing dystopian, although (SLIGHT SPOILERS) I plan on all of them being post-Mockingjay, which means it won't be very dystopian and I'm not making up the dystopian aspect myself so I don't really count that.
What types of genres are your favorite to read and/or write?
The (Fake) Stock Market
Mondays: my least favorite day of the week. They're even less pleasant when they're accompanied by a downpour of rain (and you have to walk through it multiple times during the day).
I finished up my second article for the local paper today during yearbook. This article is all about my school's Christmas dance that was this weekend. There really wasn't all that much to say about the dance, so it's a little on the short side. The paper also asked for some pictures, so I asked Jordan if she could send some of the ones she took. (I would have asked more people, but I didn't know of anyone else I could ask who took pictures!)
Remember when my pencil got stolen in the bathroom? Well, the exact same thing happened again today. I'm never letting my pencils out of my sight at school again. I'm running out of pencils.
Remember that rain I mentioned earlier in the post? If it wasn't bad enough having to walk to and from the bus stop today, I also had to walk through it to and from peer tutoring over at the middle school (when I think it was raining the hardest). The wind was also blowing really strongly one way each time. By the time I got to peer tutoring, my front was soaked, but my back was almost completely dry, and by the time I got back to school, it was the complete opposite. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't freezing and the rain didn't feel like ice water.
We started doing a stock simulation in economics. We started with $100,000, and we have to invest at least half of it in stocks under five dollars. I had no idea it was so hard to find stocks for under five dollars! I think we managed to find three or four. If anyone knows of any cheap stocks we can invest in, please let me know. Otherwise we may end up buying a thousand more shares of the few we did find. Our group has also lost $73.99, but that's a smaller negative number than when I checked earlier. We still have more than $97,000 left to invest, so I'm not too worried about the negative right now. In fact, I think I'm going to go try and find some under $5 stocks now. The cool think about this simulator app is I can "buy" stocks now, and when the market opens it'll automatically buy them. (I know nothing about the stock market, so maybe the real stock market works like that too. I don't know.)
I finished up my second article for the local paper today during yearbook. This article is all about my school's Christmas dance that was this weekend. There really wasn't all that much to say about the dance, so it's a little on the short side. The paper also asked for some pictures, so I asked Jordan if she could send some of the ones she took. (I would have asked more people, but I didn't know of anyone else I could ask who took pictures!)
Remember when my pencil got stolen in the bathroom? Well, the exact same thing happened again today. I'm never letting my pencils out of my sight at school again. I'm running out of pencils.
Remember that rain I mentioned earlier in the post? If it wasn't bad enough having to walk to and from the bus stop today, I also had to walk through it to and from peer tutoring over at the middle school (when I think it was raining the hardest). The wind was also blowing really strongly one way each time. By the time I got to peer tutoring, my front was soaked, but my back was almost completely dry, and by the time I got back to school, it was the complete opposite. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't freezing and the rain didn't feel like ice water.
We started doing a stock simulation in economics. We started with $100,000, and we have to invest at least half of it in stocks under five dollars. I had no idea it was so hard to find stocks for under five dollars! I think we managed to find three or four. If anyone knows of any cheap stocks we can invest in, please let me know. Otherwise we may end up buying a thousand more shares of the few we did find. Our group has also lost $73.99, but that's a smaller negative number than when I checked earlier. We still have more than $97,000 left to invest, so I'm not too worried about the negative right now. In fact, I think I'm going to go try and find some under $5 stocks now. The cool think about this simulator app is I can "buy" stocks now, and when the market opens it'll automatically buy them. (I know nothing about the stock market, so maybe the real stock market works like that too. I don't know.)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Hogwarts Classes
I don't believe I've mentioned on here yet that I'll be one of the astronomy professors over on myHogwarts. I'm really looking forward to it, and I can't wait to get started! How I ended up applying as an astronomy professor as opposed to another subject is kind of interesting. When I applied to be a professor, there were only a few subjects on the list to apply for. I think it was just astronomy, herbology, and (maybe) potions (although when I went back later the list was longer, but oh well). I chose astronomy because it is something that I'm actually interested in in real life.
If I were to really attend Hogwarts, I think astronomy would be one of my favorite subjects. I took an astronomy class in school last year and loved it. When my family went to Kennedy Space Center last year (which was actually for my brother who also loves space), I had so much fun. I think it would be extremely cool to become an astronomer if it didn't require so much math. Luckily, the astronomy class I took didn't involve much math, and from what we see of Hogwarts, their astronomy class doesn't seem to either, so I think I'd enjoy it a lot.
It's hard to judge how much I'd enjoy the other classes of Hogwarts. I've never done magic. Maybe I'd hate performing spells in charms and transfiguration. I'm a huge history nerd, so I'd probably be one of the very few to get enjoyment out of history of magic (although Binns teaching wouldn't be so great). I'd probably enjoy care of magical creatures as I love animals, but I can't see myself being that into herbology.
One thing I do know for sure: I'd hate potions. Potions require getting too many things exactly right. I'd hate potions for the same reason I hate doing crafts. I feel like everything has to be perfect (and in potions it really does have to be), and I'd just get frustrated when I am unable to get it perfect. Potions would probably drive me mad.
What do you think your favorite and least favorite Hogwarts class would be?
If I were to really attend Hogwarts, I think astronomy would be one of my favorite subjects. I took an astronomy class in school last year and loved it. When my family went to Kennedy Space Center last year (which was actually for my brother who also loves space), I had so much fun. I think it would be extremely cool to become an astronomer if it didn't require so much math. Luckily, the astronomy class I took didn't involve much math, and from what we see of Hogwarts, their astronomy class doesn't seem to either, so I think I'd enjoy it a lot.
It's hard to judge how much I'd enjoy the other classes of Hogwarts. I've never done magic. Maybe I'd hate performing spells in charms and transfiguration. I'm a huge history nerd, so I'd probably be one of the very few to get enjoyment out of history of magic (although Binns teaching wouldn't be so great). I'd probably enjoy care of magical creatures as I love animals, but I can't see myself being that into herbology.
One thing I do know for sure: I'd hate potions. Potions require getting too many things exactly right. I'd hate potions for the same reason I hate doing crafts. I feel like everything has to be perfect (and in potions it really does have to be), and I'd just get frustrated when I am unable to get it perfect. Potions would probably drive me mad.
What do you think your favorite and least favorite Hogwarts class would be?
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