How I Met Your Mother Season 3 Review

This is going to be a review for the entire season three of How I Met Your Mother.  Since that's quite a few episodes, I'm not sure how in-depth this will be.  Overall, I did enjoy the season.

I made a few notes on each episode from the fourth of this season on (I hadn't decided to review the season before the fourth episode of season three).  I'm going to comment on some things through-out the season, but it's kind of hard to remember earlier episodes even though I made notes, so I'm not sure how this will turn out.

First of all I want to talk about guest stars.  I was excited to see the woman who plays Janice in Friends (I have no idea what her name is) in the seventh episode of the season.  I'd never seen her in anything other than Friends, so it was weird to hear her talking in a normal voice...  I was also excited when James Van Der Beek guest starred, since I'm a Dawson's Creek fan.  (I also enjoyed the return of the Robin Sparkles story-line.)

I was definitely not expecting Brittany Spears to be in any episodes.  I think the only reason that worked at all was because her character was strange and anytime her acting was off you could kind of attribute it to that.  Still, I definitely wasn't excited anytime she showed up.

Oh!  And I almost forgot.  The actor that plays Mr. Moseby in the Suite Life of Zack and Cody was in the same episode as the actor who plays Janice.  I used to know his name, but I've forgotten it.  I used to be a huge Suite Life fan...

I thought it was weird that Robin and Ted began feeling awkward around each other in episode nine when they'd seemed fine in earlier episodes.  It kind of came out of nowhere.

This season seemed to have a lot of things that I knew were going to happen in the show before I got to them, such as Stella's appearance, the yellow umbrella, and the stuff between Barney and Robin.  I'm glad to finally reach that stuff since I knew they were coming a long time ago, especially the Barney and Robin stuff.

I really enjoyed this season, and I'm excited to start watching season four!

The Doctor and One Direction DVD

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday.  It was the first time I'd been in at least a couple of years.  I had to get a vaccine for college and be tested for TB.  I'm so glad it's over with.  I can't stand needles, and my arm's still a little sore where I got the vaccine.  I have a little bruise where they did the TB test too.  I'm going back Friday for them to read it, but it's flat and nothing's there except the little bruise, so I think I'm good.

Jordan, Haley, and I also went walking around town and hung out at the park last night.  I was going to blog about the doctor appointment yesterday, but completely forgot when I got home after that.  It was fun, but for some reason I was freezing the whole time even though Haley and Jordan weren't cold at all.  I've always gotten colder more than others though, and there are also a lot of times where everyone else is hot and I feel fine.

I didn't really do anything today other than go to work.  I'm excited for tomorrow though!  One Direction is doing this live Twitter party thing with their DVD.  They'll be on their Twitter, and everyone will press play at the same time.  Haley's coming over, and we're watching it together.  The only problem is neither one of us have gotten our DVDs yet.  (We both pre-ordered them.)  I got an email saying it had shipped and they expected it to arrive tomorrow.  Our mail comes before the live thing is supposed to start, so I really, really hope mine (or at least Haley's) comes tomorrow.  I don't know what we'll do if neither of us get ours.

Ouran High School Host Club Live Action Drama Review

Yesterday I finally finished watching the Ouran High School Host Club live action drama.  I'd been meaning to watch it for a really long time before I actually got around to it.  I love Ouran.  It was the first anime where I watched the entire series and the first manga I ever read, although I'm behind on the manga.

I loved the live action drama.  At first it seemed as if it was going to be exactly like the anime, but it didn't take very long to prove that that wasn't the case.  Parts of it were different from the anime and manga, but the whole thing was definitely Ouran.  When I first started watching it, I was unsure about the actors, but the grew on me, and by the time I was done watching, I loved every single one of them in their roles.  The whole series was just amazing.  I don't think it's possible to have done a better job at adapting the series.

I know there's a movie that's either coming out or has already come out in Japan, and hopefully I'll watch that some day.  I'd love to see what they did for the movie since I loved the series so much.

Honestly, I can't express how much I love Ouran: the manga, anime, and live action drama.  It's all amazing.  I just love this series so much.

Graduation

Today I graduated from high school.  I can actually say that now.  It's a strange feeling.  Maybe now I'll actually stop ranting about it everywhere online.  It's been a long and exhausting day, but it was also a really good day.

I had to get to the school at ten this morning, which was an hour before the ceremony started.  We stood around talking until we had to line up for the procession, and time seemed to move so slowly.  Every ten minutes felt as if they were really half an hour.  But we were finally able to line up.  Then we had to stand in line for what also felt like an hour before we processed in.

The ceremony went really great.  I was a little nervous through the whole ceremony, but I was a bit surprised at how calm I managed to be.  Even when I had to walk up and get my diploma I managed to only be a tiny bit nervous.  I just focused on walking up there and getting it instead of the tons of people watching, which I'm not usually able to do.  The only bad part about the ceremony was the fact that there's no air-conditioning in the gym, so I was sweating like crazy by the time the ceremony was over.  Also, my class decided to throw our caps even though our principal wasn't too thrilled about it.  She didn't think we'd be able to get our own caps back.  I was determined though.  It helps that I'm not exactly great at throwing things.  My cap went maybe five feet in front of me, and I immediately went for it.

I had about an hour at home before my family started coming for my party.  Haley was the only person from school who came since I only invited my closest friends but everyone was running around doing various things.  There were people at my house for hours, and don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my family, but I was already tired at this point.  I spent most of the time on Tumblr even though I was in the room with everyone and half-heartily participating in the conversations.  It only got worse when Haley got there.  We were obsessing over One Direction the entire time.  My family thinks I'm insane now, guys.  (Not that they didn't before.)  Haley and I would be fangirling over something only to look up and see my family staring at us as if we'd lost our minds.  They're going to tease me about One Direction every time I see them now.

Haley's party was later in the day, and I stayed there for a while as well.  We were outside with no computers in sight, so we managed to stay off Tumblr for the most part.  (The app on my phone is just too annoying to deal with for more than a few minutes.)  The two off us did end up talking about One Direction for quite a while though once Jordan and Rachel went off to the gas station to get stuff.

After leaving Haley's party I was finally able to come home and rest.  It's been a really long day.  I haven't felt this worn out since school started winding down and I had less to do.  I am definitely going to sleep well tonight.  I wouldn't be surprised if I just suddenly passed out without meaning to.

It was a really good day though.  And I can now say that I'm a high school graduate!  I still have to get through the senior mass at church in the morning though.  I have to wear the gown again and everything.  Still, for the most part everything is over.

Book Review: Crushed by K.C. Blake

ISBN: 0011426179
Published: July 13th, 2011
Publisher: self-published via Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Read from April 11th to May 24th, 2012
Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Noah sisters rule Titan High with their beauty, brains, and magical powers. 
Each year they play a secret game: Crushed. The girls pick their targets carefully and blow enchanted dust into the boy’s faces, charming them, but this year Kristen makes a grave mistake. She chooses the wrong boy and almost dies that same day. Coincidence? Maybe.
But something isn’t quite right about Zach Bevian. He doesn’t behave like a boy who’s been Crushed. He goes from hot to cold, from looking at her with contempt to asking her out on a date. She doesn’t know what to think. Does he hate her or is he truly falling for her? Is he trying to kill her, or is he trying to save her?

Review:


This is going to be a difficult review to write because I'm not really sure what I want to say.  I really enjoyed Crushed.  The story was incredibly entertaining, and I never wanted to stop reading.  But I had one major problem that started bothering me towards the end of the book.  Just a warning: the nexy paragraph has spoilers about the end of the book, so don't read on if you don't want to know...

At the beginning of the book Kristen isn't able to crush Zach because he's also a witch and therefore can't be crushed, but later on Morgan is able to successfully crush Brittany even though Brittany is also a witch.  This shouldn't have been possible unless there was some loophole that I missed, and it kept bothering me from the time that we learn that Brittany was crushed. 

Even though that kind of bothered me, it didn't stop me from enjoying the book.  I really enjoyed Crushed, and hopefully I'll get around to reading Witch Hunt, the next in the series, at some point.  Crushed had a great plot and was unlike anything I'd ever read before.

A Kiwanis Meeting

Our local Kiwanis Club gave three scholarships to members of my school's Key Club (the high school version of Kiwanis basically) this year, and Ji, Chrissy, and I got the three scholarships.  Today the three of us had to go to their meeting at this local restaurant to personally thank the members and receive the money.  I was worrying about it for quite a while because I knew I'd have to stand up in front of everyone and thank them and share my college plans, and public speaking is never easy for me.

Ji picked me up, and when we got to the restaurant, Chrissy and our teacher who's the Key Club advisor were both already there.  The four of us sat at a table together in the restaurant and talked while we waited for the meeting to start.  Something really awesome about the meeting was that Kiwanis paid for our lunch, which was really nice of them.  Apparently they pay for everyone at every meeting, which I think is awesome (as long as you don't get people who take advantage of it).

They started off the meeting by having us tell everyone how long we'd been involved with Key Club (and, in my case, Builder's Club, the middle school version) and what we planned to study and things.  After we got our checks, we sat back down and ate while listening to the rest of the meeting.  Once the meeting was over, we finished up eating, and the four of us at our table talked for a while.  A few Kiwanis members came over to talk to us some more as well.  What was kind of strange was that Ji, Chrissy, and I are all done with school since we're seniors, so we didn't have school at all today.  However, today is everyone else's last day, so our teacher had to go back to school after the meeting.

We're actually having an awards ceremony at school tomorrow for Key Club, but I know several people aren't going to make it.  I don't think a lot of people want to go back to school the day after it's over, even if it's only for an hour or so.

I haven't done anything else today, although my grandma did come over for a little while earlier with two of my cousins.  My brother is over at her house now spending the night.  So I got to talk to her for a little while, which was nice.

Book Review: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Great Depression by H. Paul Jeffers

ISBN:  0028642899
Published December 1st, 2001
Publisher: Alpha
Synopsis from Goodreads:

You’re no idiot, of course.  You’re aware that Wall Street crashed in 1929, leading to a financial disaster that lasted more than a decade.  But despite what you’ve heard about “Black Tuesday,” the Great Depression didn’t happen overnight or because of one bad day on Wall Street. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Great Depression will show you exactly how the economy collapsed – and how the United States survived it.  In this Complete Idiot’s Guide, you get: The causes in the 1920s that led to the Black Tuesday market crash on October 29, 1929 How the administration under President Herbert Hoover attempted to manage the nationwide crisis. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s election, his formation of the Brain Trust, and his reassuring fireside chats. Soup kitchens, bread lines, homelessness, and other hardships Americans faced during the Depression. How Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor brought the country’s economic woes and the Great Depression to an end. 

Review:


This book is great for anyone who wants to learn more about the Great Depression.  It focuses on almost everything about the Great Depression, from what caused it to what daily life was like during it.  It's a great book for anyone interested in learning about that time period.  I really enjoyed reading it, and it was definitely a lot more in depth than anything I studied in school about the Great Depression considering it was an entire book as opposed to one or two chapters in a history book.

Favorite Fictional Couples

Yesterday I posted the last video in the Avatar Shipping "series" that I've been doing for months now.  At the end of the last video, I mentioned the fact that I may or may not be doing something similar with Harry Potter and/or Hunger Games.  I still haven't decided whether I will be or not, but I decided to do a post on fictional couples that I ship that aren't from Harry Potter, Hunger Games, or Avatar.  I'm sure there will be some I miss, but here are a few of my favorites:

Ross/Rachel from Friends.  I was watching Friends since I can even remember.  It basically became a part of my childhood.  And it's incredibly possible that Ross and Rachel was one of the first couples that I very passionately wanted together other than Ron/Hermione.

Monica/Chandler from Friends.  I wasn't as obsessed with their relationship as Ross and Rachel's, but I still love them together.

Haruhi/Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club manga by Bisco Hatori, anime, and live drama.  This probably isn't a couple I would have immediately thought of if I hadn't just watched an episode of the live drama this morning.  I don't even know what it is about them as a couple that I like.  Normally I don't think they'd be a couple I'd support, but for some reason I totally support them together.  Haruhi/Hikaru grew on me a bit more in the live drama than it did in the anime or manga too, but even in the live drama, I ship Haruhi/Tamaki more.

Belle/Beast from Beauty and the Beast.  How can I leave the couple from the favorite Disney movie of all time out?  I've always loved Belle because she's so unlike the other Disney princesses, and her relationship with the Beast isn't like the relationships in most other princess movies.

Mulan/Li Shang from Mulan.  Another of my favorite Disney movies, and this one is on the list because, like Belle and the Beast, it's different from a lot of other Disney relationships.

Hazel/Augustus from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  If you've read this book, then I don't think I should have to explain.  If you haven't, then you should go read it immediately.

Remy/Dexter from This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen.  Remy and Dexter may be my favorite couple in any Sarah Dessen novel.  I large reason for this is because I absolutely adore Dexter.  He is an amazing character.

Annabel/Owen from Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.  I think a large reason for them being on this list is because they're from the first novel by Sarah Dessen that I ever read.  I love them together though, and the whole novel is great.

Macy/Wes from The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.  Another one of my favorite Sarah Dessen couples.

(I could go on and list almost every couple from all of Sarah Dessen's novels (except What Happens to Goodbye, which I have yet to read), but I'll just stop there.)

Laura/Almanzo from the Little House on the Prairie series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and the TV show.  I was iffy about adding them since they're a real life couple too, but I decided to go for it since the TV show especially is definitely a fictionalized version of their relationship.

Mimi/Roger from Rent.  For some reason they were always my favorite couple from Rent.  Probably because Mimi is my favorite character.

Kit/Nat from The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.  We read this book in eighth grade, and I fell in love with it.  Being a book set in the 1600s and in a Puritan community, Kit and Nat don't have much of what we'd consider a relationship today (which disappointed some kids in my class), but I loved them together.

I could probably go on forever, but I think I'll end it here.  There are so many great couples in literature, movies, and television, and these are definitely only a few of those.

Legend of Korra Episode 6: And the Winner Is... Review

I'm finally getting around to reviewing episode six the day before episode seven airs.

I loved the little shout-out to the cabbage man through the Cabbage Corp. ad on the radio.  I think a lot of people were waiting for some reference to the cabbage man to be made, and there finally was one!  It'll be interesting to see if Cabbage Corp. is mentioned anymore in the show.

I loved Korra, Mako, and Bolin just charging into city hall and into the meeting room.  You'd think there'd be other people there too, especially other pro-benders who are worried about the tournament.

The Tenzin/Lin back story is really interesting.  I've seen some people who seem to ship Tenzin/Lin somewhat now, but I have to say I'm quite happy with Tenzin/Pema.  Don't get me wrong, I love the interaction between Tenzin and Lin.  They can be quite hilarious, but I think they're better off as friends anyway.  Can you imagine Lin with small children, especially if they were like Meelo?  And Tenzin kind of has to have kids to create more airbenders.  I definitely think he is/was better off with Pema.  However, this new back story is really interesting, and I wonder if it will have any effect on the story later.

One quote I loved from the episode was Lin saying, "I'll try to be less abrasive than usual."

I much preferred the Fire Ferrets entrance with cute little Pabu than the Wolf Bats one.  The Wolf Bats were just creepy.  Which I guess is better than cute when it's a competition, but it wouldn't make me want to cheer for them.

The whole end of the episode was just amazing, but I don't know what to even talk about.  The pro-bending match was done amazingly.  I love that the Fire Ferrets didn't win, not just because it means they kept their bending, but also because it wasn't a cliche thing where the main characters win because they're the main characters.

The Equalists and Amon all revealing themselves was great, and I loved how all of the fights were done.  Lin and Korra working together was amazing, and I really hope we see their relationship develop in the coming episodes.

Another quote that I just have to mention:  "I'm currently wetting my pants."  It was a great comedic moment in between all of the fighting.

And there were more flashbacks in this episode!  I wonder how long we're going to have to wait until there's an explanation about them.  Until then, I'll keep freaking out and over analyzing each flashback we get.

I had a somewhat random thought during the episode that probably means nothing, but it's made me curious.  Amon and the Equalists seem to make a big deal about technology and use it a lot.  I wonder if the way Amon takes away bending uses technology instead of it being the way Aang does it.  It would be a great way to add technology into the show, which they've been doing really well so far.  I have no idea if that's how Amon's doing it, but I thought it was an interesting idea.

I can't wait for the next episode tomorrow morning!  I've avoided watching the clip that was released, but I know that Mako and Bolin move in with Asami, which should be interesting.  I also think we see more of Tahno, who I'm not really a fan of, but maybe he'll grow on me.

So Many Cute Animals

Today was the first day I didn't have anything school-related to do.  It felt extremely weird, since my brother and sister both left early this morning, and I spent the whole day alone at home.  I'm used to at least one of my siblings being here during the summer.

I spent the entire morning reading, and now I've spent the past hour or so attempting to read some more, but I keep getting distracted.  My brother just came into my room to tell me that a rabbit had a litter of bunnies on the school playground, and now he and my sister are going to go check it out.  I turned down going with them because I want to get some reading done (after sitting here all day, I'm insane).  I may go down there later by myself, but there's also a part of me that things disturbing them probably isn't a great idea anyway, even if they're incredibly adorable.

Anyway, I'm going to go read some more about communism in Hollywood during the Great Depression...  (And maybe go check some bunnies out after supper.)

As I was getting ready to post this, my friend Katrina sent me a picture or her new puppy.  It's adorable as well!  So many cute animals today...

AP English Exam is Now Over!

This morning was the AP English exam, and I'm not completely done with high school!  Now I just have to wait for graduation next Saturday...  Also, Katy brought in cookie cake that we ate after the test, which was awesome!

It's so weird because I'm incredibly excited to be done with high school, yet I don't think I actually, fully believe that I'm done.  A part of me expects to go back to school tomorrow and especially next year.  I think it will be fall before I finally accept I'm never going back.  Until then it will just feel like any other summer break.

After the AP English exam, I spent a few hours at home before I had to go to work, where I spent the rest of my day.  I was so excited earlier because finishing the exam meant finishing school basically, but in reality, my day wasn't exciting at all: woke up earlier than I do for school on a normal basis, took a difficult test for three and a half hours, and went to work for six hours.  Yeah, definitely not exciting...

Book Review: The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan

ISBN: 0545422906
Published February 7th, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The New York Times bestseller by Suzanne Collins is now a major motion picture -- and this is your guide to all of the movie's excitement, both in front of the camera and behind it.
Go behind the scenes of the making of The Hunger Games with exclusive images and interviews. From the screenwriting process to the casting decisions to the elaborate sets and costumes to the actors' performances and directors' vision, this is the definitive companion to the breathtaking film.

Review:

This book is great for any Hunger Games fan or just anyone interested in learning more about how movies are made.  I always love these books because it's so interesting to see how the movies are made.  I particularly loved the chapter about finding the cast, but there was a ton of interesting information all throughout the book.  I definitely think this is a book most Hunger Games fans would enjoy reading, especially if you want to know how the did certain things in the movie.  They talked to a lot of the people involved with the movie, and it describes a lot of the different things done to pull of things in the movie.  I really enjoyed reading it.

Feelings on Leaving High School

Today was my last day of high school, which I have to document here, of course.

We watched more of Forrest Gump in AP U.S. history, but not a whole lot happened.

Tomorrow is our AP English test, and our teacher gave us this ten commandments for taking the AP English exam to us.  It was pretty hilarious.  She also gave us this baggy with some stuff in it that's supposedly for the AP test.  I wanted to make a video showing it, but I don't think that's going to happen.  I'll just describe what's in the bag for you guys.  First there's a mechanical pencil that we can use on the multiple choice questions on the test.  I'm really happy because mine's a slightly sparkly purple, and purple is by far my favorite color.  She also gave us two pens (one with black ink and one with blue) since the essays have to be written in pen.  We each got two peppermints "for alertness" even though I'm pretty sure that qualifies as food and isn't actually allowed in the testing room.  A pen "that is mightier than the sword," which is a pen in the shape of a sword.  They're actually pretty cool looking, but I feel as if the shape would make writing feel awkward.  We got one of those rubber bracelets  that have things like krash, kapow, and boom written on it.  Mine's green, another of my favorite colors.  They're supposed to remind us to be tough.  We also got a silly pencil "just for fun."  I don't know if ours are all the same, but mine's got colorful gloves on it and sayings like "You're awesome!" and "Great job!"  We got two sticks of Take 5 gum.  They're supposed to remind us that our goal is to get a five on the AP test (the highest score you can get).  We also got another of those rubber bracelets that's blue and says class of 2012 on it.  Finally, the paper ends with "Go and conquer that test like and Avenger!" and each one of us got a sticker with a different Avenger on it.  I got Iron Man.  I just thought the whole thing was cute and a really neat idea.  I'll probably use the pencil and pens she gave us tomorrow.

I finished with yearbook forever!  Honestly, I had some great times in that class, but I'm glad to be done with all of the stress of making everything perfect and making all of the goals.  I've also become absolutely positive that I never want to be a journalist.  It would be far too stressful for me.  I'm proud of what we accomplished, but I'm glad to be finished as well.

I spent all of computer applications on the Internet since I was finished with everything.  My teacher also congratulated me on finishing high school as I left, which felt really weird.  My probability and statistics teacher said the same thing when we left that class.  It's all so surreal that it's actually over...

Most of the psychology class took notes today, while the three of us seniors who don't have to come back for finals just sat and listened.  After we ate lunch, Haley, Jordan, and I went back to that teachers room, like we sometimes do, and spent time in there.  Hannah and Elizabeth were both in there when we showed up, so we just talked and stuff.  Haley and I are the only Directioners in the group, but we asked them to play the One Thing music video (although Elizabeth knew the song which surprised me).  Haley started dancing and freaking out about how big they were, which was hilarious.  (We were watching it on YouTube, but the computer was hooked up to the projector and it was playing on there.)

We finished playing our current events game in current events for the last time.  Our team went from first place at the beginning of class to third (out of four teams) by the end of class.  We just didn't have too great of luck, I guess.

We played cards for most of probability and statistics.  The teacher let six of us use his poker chips to play poker.  It's crazy thinking about how I didn't know how to play poker before that class, and now I feel as if I've played it a ton because of that class, and I'm amazingly not incredibly horrible at it (although I'm definitely not good enough to really gamble).  There was also a conversation about our future class reunions right before we got dismissed (for the last time).  I think that conversation was the only time I felt as if I might cry if I wasn't careful.  (I didn't though, thankfully.)

It's funny because I didn't really have any social media accounts when I was in eighth grade, but if I had, I would have been ranting on about how horribly sad I was to be graduating from the school I attended then.  I was horrified of leaving and starting at a public high school that seemed huge to me at the time.  (The fact that I considered the school large back then is laughable now.  There aren't even 500 students.)  As much as I like my high school, I'm no where near as emotionally attached as I was to the school I went to from preschool to eighth grade (to be fair I was there longer).  (When I graduated from there, there were a lot of tears and wishing I could go back.  Even though I'm somewhat sad to leave, I'm more excited than anything else.)  I'm still going to miss it a bit though, and I wouldn't be surprised if I do shed some tears at some point in time.  I honestly have no idea how to describe my feelings today.  I still need time to process everything.

Nearing the End

Since our AP U.S. history test was Friday, we spent about half of the class period talking until the teacher put Forrest Gump in.  We only watched about fifteen minutes or so, and I don't know if we're watching it again tomorrow.  Even if we were, we wouldn't finish it, and tomorrow is my last day.  Anyway, I've never actually seen that movie all the way through.  I've only seen bits and pieces of it, but it actually seemed more familiar than I thought it would.  I guess it's possible I've seen the whole thing and only remember parts of it.

AP English was spent going over satire in preparation for that AP test, which is on Wednesday.  My teacher also asked me today if I could keep her updated every so often while I'm in college.  She said she'd like to know how our school's English department did at preparing me to be an English major in college.  I guess she hasn't had many students who've decided to study English.  She seemed pretty happy about it when I told her the other day that that was what I planned to study.

There are still a few minor things Ji and I have to do with our assigned yearbook pages tomorrow, and then we'll be done!  It feels great to be so close to being finished on something you've worked on all year.  To be completely honest, I'll be so glad it's done.  This yearbook has put me through a done of stress, but I'm happy to have accomplished it.  It's crazy thinking back to the workshop last summer and all of the ideas the yearbook teacher and I had (since no one else showed up) and then thinking about how many of those ideas we used, how we expanded them, and how we got the yearbook we ended up with.  The yearbook won't be perfect by any means, and I know hardly anyone will really appreciate it, but I know how much hard work went into it to make it.  I'm just glad to get it over with as well.

As I've completely finished all of my work for computer applications, I spent that entire class just writing random things.  In psychology, everyone was taking notes on the next chapter, but three of the four seniors (including me) don't have to take the next test since we'll be gone.  Haley, Jordan, and I just kind of listened and did everything we normally do during lessons without taking notes.

We started playing our last current events game in current events today.  I won't really be sad to be done with that, but it's strange that it'll be over considering it also means I'm done with high school.  Our team is winning though!  We'll find out tomorrow if we can stay in the lead and win the last game of the school year!

We had our debate in probability and statistics today, and it went rather well.  My nerves caused me to stumble over my words a bit, particularly in the beginning, but overall I think I did a pretty good job at arguing our viewpoint: pros of technology in schools.  It went really well.

Work was quite stressful today as it seemed everyone wanted to complain about something, which ruined my mood that had been so great earlier in the day.  Tomorrow's my last day of high school ever though, and I'm not letting anything get me down.  I'm going to enjoy it.  Wow, I can't believe I've finally reached this point.  I wonder how tomorrow will go.

A Confirmation and More About Finishing High School

My Saturday has been very lazy.  Other than watching the newest episode of Korra, the only notable thing I did today was attend my sister's confirmation, which was a big deal, but it didn't take up too much of the day.  For some reason I got really worn out after Regina's confirmation, and now I just don't want to do anything, including writing this post.  I can't really think of anything to write even though I'm sure I could if I wasn't this tired.  I slept in this morning, so I really have no idea why I'm so worn out now.

This is the last weekend I have before I'm done with high school forever, since Tuesday is our last day (but the AP English exam is Wednesday).  I also only have a tiny bit of what I think will be my last homework in high school ever to do tomorrow.  I can't believe how close I am to being finished with high school.

Book Review: The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

ISBN: 0316134112
Published: December 13th, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Synopsis from Goodreads:

A companion to the film, illustrated with full color photos.

Review:

Even More End of High School Ramblings

The senioritis did nothing but worsen today.  I honestly cannot believe I'm this close to graduating.  I don't think you ever think this day will really come when you're little, and then it just sneaks up on you kind of.  Even though I know I'm graduating two weeks from now, I don't think I'll fully comprehend what that means until the graduation ceremony or maybe even after.  I definitely know that my mind hasn't fully processed that I'm going to college in the fall.  (I have a feeling I'm going to be repeating this in posts a lot for the next two weeks.)

I completed all of the work I have to do for computer applications today, and I'm more or less done with most of my classes other than yearbook, since the yearbook isn't finished yet (and won't even be once we're gone because of graduation pictures and all of that).  We also have to get ready for AP tests too of course, but AP U.S. history is tomorrow, so then we'll be completely done with that.  It's all a bit weird since seniors get out about a week before everyone else, all of my classes seem to be almost over while most of the other classes are still doing work.  In my psychology class, most of the class is doing worksheets and are going to have another test, while us seniors are basically done.  It's just all so crazy now.  It's going to be so strange when it's all over for good.

Senioritis

Senioritis reached an all-time high for me today.  Even though I still have two AP exams to get through, I just want to be done.  Most of the day went by in a haze because I was so unable to focus on anything around me. I can't believe there are only three more days for the seniors, and then we're done forever!  (I still have an AP English exam to take after that, but still...)

Also, I kept getting incredibly excited at random points in the day whenever I thought about the fact that we got One Direction tickets, even though it's more than a year from now.  I really need to calm down about it.  (Oh, and I got told that I should be embarrassed for liking One Direction.  It was a girl I get along with, and she wasn't trying to be mean, she just hates them for some reason, but still.  It kind of annoyed me.)

If it weren't so late, I hadn't spent the day so distracted, and there weren't several other things I wanted to do before sleeping, this might have actually been a decent post, but unfortunately, I'm going to leave it at this.

Review of Naruto Third Great Beast Arc

This arc was only two episodes long, and I really don't have all that much to say about it.  It was just as uneventful as all of the filler arcs of Naruto are.  Also, I feel as if Lee has been in a lot of episodes lately, but maybe I'm just remembering wrong...

Those training post things in these two episodes were strange.  They just looked so weird, and it kind of weirded me out.

Other than that I really have nothing to say.  This was probably one of the most uneventful of the filler arcs, and that's saying something.  I just can't think of anything else in this arc that's worthy of mentioning.

Book Review: The World of the Hunger Games by Kate Egan

ISBN: 0545425123
Published: March 23rd, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Read May 5th, 2012
Synopsis from Goodreads:

The definitive, richly illustrated, full-color guide to all the districts of Panem, all the participants in "The Hunger Games," and the life and home of Katniss Everdeen.

Review:

I'm Going to See One Direction in Concert!

Today didn't turn out anyway I expected it to...  Let's skip all of the boring school stuff, and I'll quickly mention that I voted in the primaries today since that is important. (It's not as amazingly awesome as the next part, but it's very, very important.)  Now for the so amazingly awesome that I still haven't fully processed it part:

First, let me preface by saying that a few months ago I started hearing about One Direction, and I payed them no attention at all.  In all honestly, I thought they would be an annoying band.  Then I heard What Makes You Beautiful and like the song.  I decided they weren't that bad, but I still didn't pay them much attention other than enjoying the song whenever it came on the radio.  Then, last week my friend Haley (Yep, one of my best friends shares my name.  It can get confusing sometimes.) started talking about how much she loved them.  So, last Thursday I decided to learn more about them...  It was a bad idea, guys.

I spent all of my three-day weekend obsessing over One Direction.  It's insane.  I haven't been this obsessed with a band before in my life.  Saturday and Sunday weren't so bad, but by Monday I did almost nothing that wasn't related to One Direction.

Then, I get home from voting today to see that Haley was tweeting about wanting to go see One Direction in concert when they come to Louisville or Nashville in 2013.  2013!  This concert isn't until next year, and they're already selling tickets!  So, after a very excited conversation over Twitter, Haley and I somewhat spontaneously decided that we were going to buy One Direction tickets today.  Keep in mind that we've been obsessed with this band for about a week, and the concert isn't until June 2013, over a year away.  But she came over, and we bought the tickets.  (And floor tickets were already sold out.)  I think my family (and know in the case of my sister) thinks we're crazy, but I am beyond excited.  Yeah, I've only liked the band for about a week, but even if I was to get over them in the next year (which I honestly don't see happening, I tend to stay obsessed with things for years at least) we'll still have an awesome time at that concert.

After buying the tickets Haley stayed over for a while, and we spent hours doing nothing but watching One Direction videos.  That's how obsessed we are!  This is insane!  The really sad thing is the only thing I want to do know is still watch One Direction videos.  It's a good thing I hardly have any homework tonight because I haven't even started yet.  I am so beyond excited!  Now I have something to look forward to over the course of the next year (other than getting through my first year of college, of course).

Book Review: The Hunger Games Tribute Guide by Emily Seife

ISBN: 0545457823
Published: February 7th, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Read from May 2nd to 5th, 2012
Synopsis from Goodreads:

The New York Times bestselling Hunger Games is now a major motion picture -- and here is the ultimate guide to the all the tributes in the 74th annual Hunger Games!Here is the ultimate guide to the twenty-four Tributes participating in Panem's 74th annual Hunger Games. Follow the Tributes' journey from the Reaping to the Games, with a look at all the highlights along the way--the Tribute Parade, the stations of the Training Center, the interviews, and more. Get exclusive information about the Tributes' strengths and weaknesses, their weapons of choice, and their experience in the Capitol before entering the arena.

Review:

Why Three Day Weekends are Awesome

Three day weekends are amazing.  Usually Sundays are kind of hectic for me because I'm trying to get things done before school the next day, but on three day weekends the extra day I have to do stuff lets me enjoy Sundays so much more.  I'm actually on Tumblr today for the first time in ages because there's actually time today.  It's amazing.

That being said, there's still quite a bit I need to finish up today.  I've still got homework and some college stuff I need to get done.  Plus, I need to preread a chapter and get it back to the author because that's been taking me way too long to do with all the craziness of last weekend that went into last week.  If it takes me any longer, some people may start to get annoyed, so that's getting finished up today for sure.  Since there's no school tomorrow though, I feel as if I have plenty of time to do all of that plus just do whatever else I want today.

I watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother earlier for what felt like the first time in ages, and I plan on watching an episode of the Ouran live drama in a little bit, after I get some homework done.  It is just a great weekend.

Korra Episode 5: The Spirit of Competition Review

I have to say that I was expecting an episode so focused on romance at any point in the series, especially not this early into the series.  (I never thought this kiss would come this soon!) The entire time I was watching I couldn't decide whether I liked where the episode was going or not.  I'm still not really sure.

I'm not usually a big fan of love triangles.  Sometimes there are exceptions if I feel it was done well, but I'd still rather there not be one.  From the beginning I was scared that there would be a love triangle in Korra, so when I saw it becoming a love "square" type of deal I wouldn't say I was very excited about it.

I was expecting Bolin to be better at wooing (for lack of a better word) girls after I heard him described as a lady's man.  He was definitely cute though, and I think there are plenty of girls who would have loved to be Korra in this episode.  I felt so bad for Bolin in this episode.  I can't imagine how much it must suck for the girl you like to have feelings for your brother instead.  That was what I was most dreading about this storyline: the fact that it involved two brothers.  I'm glad that Bolin seems to more or less accept things at the end though.  Hopefully, he'll be all right with anything that may happen with Korra and Mako in the future, as I'm sure more will happen there.  I suppose there's still a chance Korra and Bolin could be together at some point, but I just don't see it since there aren't mutual feelings at this point.  Mako and Korra each have feelings for each other, Asami's just in the way.  I have a feeling something will happen that will lead to Asami and Mako being over, which will allow Mako and Korra to be together at some point even if not right then.

I loved hearing a bit about how Pema and Tenzin got together.  That made me far more happy then it probably should have.  It just sounds so cute!  I wish we could get the whole story.  (I feel sorry for the other girl though...  Pema didn't describe her as a bad person, so it might have been really sad for whoever that was.)

The guy from the other pro-bending team who threatened Korra and everything.  I can't remember his name, but I find him creepy.  And he has the weirdest hair I've ever seen.  I just do not like him at all.

I'm really glad they made it through the tournament game, but I'm a bit sad they didn't do it by coming together and using team work before the match was over.  Instead Korra just kind of did it all on her own.  At least they made up though.  It would have sucked if everyone was still upset with each other at the end of the episode.

I also feel a bit bad for Asami since she's completely clueless about everything, even though I feel something a bit off about her.  According to what I've seen around the Internet, I'm not the only person who thinks something's up with Asami, but even if there is, I wish Mako would tell her what happened with Korra...  If anything, it could be interesting to see how she reacts.

I guess it will be interesting to see how everyone acts around each other in the next episode after everything that happened.  I'm looking forward to episode six!

Book Review: U Chic by Christie Garton

ISBN: 1402215088
Published: April 1st, 2009
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Read from April 23rd to May 1st, 2012
Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Complete Guide to a Fabulous College LifeFrom the day you set foot on campus until the day you wear a cap and gown, get advice from a source you can trust: the expert team of all-star college students and recent grads behind U Chic. This indispensible college resource has everything you need to know, including: Getting Started: First week advice and tuning out the homesick blues Sharing Space: A fashionista's tips for fitting it all in Healthy and Happy: Common campus ailments, staying fit on dorm food, and Sex Ed 101 Sorority Chic: The ins and outs of going Greek Love Life: Love vs. hookups and surviving long-distance relationships Head of the Class: Picking the right major, getting ready for finals, and studying tips and tricks.

Review:

Why I Read Non-Fiction

I don't think many people read non-fiction for fun.  I know there are people out there who do, but I'm pretty sure they don't make up near the number of people who read fiction for fun.  I've never understood why that is.  Then again, I'm the person who tried to read the entire dictionary when I was younger, and I have a set of Childcraft encyclopedias that I read the entire way through.  I'll read practically anything if I find it remotely interesting, and I seem to find a lot of things interesting that others don't.  (One time, my friend Summer and I were talking on the phone when bees were somehow mentioned.  I wound up on the bee Wikipedia page, and I became so interested that I spent at least the next half hour informing Summer of many awesome bee facts while she tried to change the subject.  My definition of interesting is definitely different from most people.)

For me, learning things is fun.  It doesn't even really matter to me what it is.  If it's new information, I'll probably find it interesting.  (I hate bees, but I still spent at least half an hour on that Wikipedia page.)  That doesn't necessarily mean I always enjoy school.  (Homework isn't the same as discovering information at your own pace.)  I do love being able to read a book full of amazing information that I would never discover otherwise, and I've never really understood why other people don't get that same enjoyment.  I have so many non-fiction books sitting around that others wouldn't ever dare read because they'd find them boring but just thinking of all the information in those books and the new things I could learn from them makes me excited.

I think school makes people associate learning with boredom, which is just really too bad.  There's so much knowledge out there that you can get from books (and that applies to fiction as well as non-fiction), and so many non-fiction books are well-written and incredibly interesting.  I think non-fiction in general is greatly under-appreciated.  It really is too bad that more people don't read it just for the pleasure of it.

Leaving My Room Behind

One of the things I think will be incredibly strange and sad about going to college is the fact that I won't have access to my own private room anymore.  To be completely honest the idea of having a roommate scares me a little bit.  I'm not exactly a people-person, and I could see things going horribly wrong.  I'm sure I'll get along with them fine, but inside I'll be really stressed out by the fact that I don't have a place to go to get away from absolutely everybody.  Maybe I'll realize that I don't actually need that space, but I'm not sure that will happen. Being my introverted self, if I go a day without alone time I feel as if I'm losing my mind a little bit, and dorms with communal bathrooms aren't exactly great places for alone time.  I'm sure I'll have some amount of alone time, but will it be enough to keep me from going crazy?  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Then, we also have the sentimental factor.  I'm not entirely sure when my grandmother's old room became mine.  I'm pretty sure it was roughly about a year before her death which means I was about thirteen years old.  (My grandma could no longer climb the stairs, so she was moved downstairs and it was decided my sister would keep our old room and I'd take grandma's old one.)  My sister and I had shared my previous bedroom for about nine years before that, and I cried about moving out of that room.  (As in I literally went crying to my parents because of my distress and then I cried myself to sleep that night.)  Now, I've been in this room for about five years, which a little more than half of the time I spent in the last room, but I feel no less attached to it.  Plus, I'll be leaving the rest of the house behind for most of the year as well.  (In addition to family, friends, etc.)  Yeah, this fall is going to be tough...

It Really is Close to the End

I think my cold is finally getting better! I was actually able to get a good night's sleep last night, so that's definitely a good sign.

We had our last test in AP U.S. History today that won't be an open book test. (We're running short on time, so we're having two open book tests for the last two chapters later this week.) It's hard to believe we're that close to the end of the school year. We're also going over the last lesson we're doing in probability and statistics tomorrow.

Speaking over being bear the end of the year, our yearbook deadline for all of our pages (except graduation and a very few others) is Friday. I'm excited to get it done, but it's going to be hectic getting it done. We're having a bit of a problem with several pages for various reasons, and I just hope we can get it done.

I almost forgot that we're basically done in psychology too! It really is the end if the year... The fact that I'm graduating hasn't fully sunk in yet.

Another clue it's the end of the year: we had a meeting of all the AP students today to fill out our AP student packets and things. I have to say, that's one thing I won't miss after doing it for three years. I'm just not a fan of filling in all of those bubbles. And while I'd never say I'm excited about the AP tests per se, I am excited to take them and never have to take an AP test again.

LoK Episode 4 The Voice in the Night Review

It's been a while since I wrote a post on my phone. Let's see how this goes...

Tarrlock is annoying. I really hope he isn't in too many episodes because that might drive me a little insane. Also, sending a ton of expensive presents to a 16-year-old could be seen as creepy...

I felt so bad for Korra when she was basically pressured into joining the task force because they made her feel guilty. She definitely does need to work on airbending, and she shouldn't have joined the task force. It really frustrates me that everyone in the city seems to overlook how young she is, but I suppose there are many similar instances in the "real world."

I'm not sure how I feel about Asami yet. For some reason I have very negative feelings towards her, yet I don't see anything wrong with her. I think most of it has to do with the fact I'm already kind of shipping Makkora (even though I keep telling myself it's too early), and I only dislike her because of her relationship with Mako. Asami and Mako's relationship just further complicates the whole romance part of the show though. This episodes had hints that Bolin likes Korra; we know Korra likes Mako; and now Mako and Asami are in a relationship. I have a feeling this is going to get complicated... (Especially when you factor in that Mako and Bolin are brothers.) I'm not sure I like where all that's going.

I'm glad that the Fire Ferrets are going to be able to compete in the championship (even though I knew they'd be able to). Also, random little comment: I keep comparing Mr. Sato to Henry Ford even though there's no reason for it other than a really shallow one. It's just that when Asami told Mako she was taking him to meet her dad, I kind of mentally went, "He's meeting that universe's Henry Ford." I have a feeling that shows how big of a history nerd I am.

I don't even know where to begin talking about the end of the episode. I'm incredibly sure that all three of the people shown in those quick flashes were Sokka, Toph, and Aang (Sokka's the only one I have a bit of doubt about and even that doubt is basically nonexistent), and I'm so happy about that brief scene that it's ridiculous. I just don't understand what it means! Did Amon show it to her? Did Korra see it on her own and it was related to vein the Avatar? I don't know, and it's driving me insane! I have a feeling this question will be bothering me for a ling time...

Next week's episode can't come quickly enough!