Life Post: The One Direction Concert!

I haven't posted here in four days because my weekend was absolutely crazy, as I talked about it being before it actually happened. My friend Haley came up on Thursday night in order to get here before we had to leave for Chicago, which we did on Friday.

We got to Chicago early, which was probably good because it meant we had plenty of time to worry about parking and all of that. We also got to see the Bean which was fun and something I'd wanted to do for a while. Unfortunately, we ended up parking a long way from the stadium, and there was an insane amount of walking. Just getting to the stadium wore us out, and that was really just the beginning of everything.

Still, after the Bean and all of that, we still managed to get to the stadium quite a bit before the doors opened (which was already two hours before the concert). We were just walking around unsure where to go, and we ended up walking past the stage doors where fans were gathered. We were walking along a path that had a fence thing up so we could barely see and the fans across the street started screaming. The security guards kept moving us along, but we could tell someone was out there. We went over across the street, and some girl had a picture of Harry from when he had come out. I can't believe we were that close to commotion yet could only make out figures through the screen. We stood across the street for a while, but nothing significant happened.

We went into the stadium right when it opened, so we sat around in there for two hours, which honestly didn't feel anywhere near as long as it could have. I think I was so anxious for it to start that time actually flew by instead of dragged on.

Five Seconds of Summer had a great performance. It was really awesome to get to see them.

One Direction were absolutely amazing. It was one of the best nights of my life definitely. I can't believe I've seen them twice now. I love them so much, and I'm still beyond honored that I got to go to the concert that was on Liam's birthday. The boy's kept referring to it as Liam's birthday party, so that's what I plan to refer to the concert as from now on in my head. I just can't believe I got to sing happy birthday to both Jesy Nelson and Liam Payne this year. It's been unbelievable, and it makes me so happy.

Also, all the boys had some really cute speeches, but Harry had a really cute one that included thanking Liam's parents for him. Liam also had a really adorable speech about what how lucky he was. It was just all so nice and amazing.

Since this is me we're talking about, I have to at least mention how incredible Niall is. Wow, did I enjoy watching him. I was probably looking between him and Liam most of the time. (Except when Harry got really cute and distracted me.) Liam held my attention because it was his birthday (and he was being cute), but Niall just manages to capture my attention all of the time. It sounds so cheesy to say I'm drawn to him, but I am. My eyes just naturally drifted towards where he was on stage, especially when he was playing guitar. I haven't publicly went on about my love for Niall in a while, but after that concert, I feel like it's necessary. He's just wonderful.

After the concert we had an insane walk back to the car, which definitely wasn't fun. It was worth it to see One Direction, but my body still hurts two days later.

The rest of my weekend involved driving Haley home and then spending a night at home. My mom drove me back up to school today. I've definitely been in cars enough for quite a while this past weekend. I'm looking forward to resting tomorrow, although I have home to do as well. I have managed to stay pretty on top of the papers I have due on Tuesday though, so that's impressive. I didn't work on them at all on Friday, but how I managed to work on them yesterday and today is beyond me. I also slept a full nine hours last night, but I still feel sleep deprived, so I'm looking forward to bedtime tonight.

All in all, this weekend was pretty amazing. I'm so thankful for that concert and the experience, even if walking around Chicago was a struggle.

Book Review: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

ISBN: 0553296981
Published: June 1st, 1993 (first published in 1947)
Publisher: Bantam
Read from August 5th to 13th, 2014
Synopsis from Goodreads:

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annexe" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.
In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Review:

This is one of those books where I don't feel like I have much to say because everyone knows what it is and what it's about. I really enjoyed this book because it provides such a unique look at the war. I love that it's not fictional and presents someone's real experience, but I appreciate even more that it's in a child's prospective. To my knowledge, there's nothing else out there that's really similar. Yes, there are Holocaust survivors who have talked about it after the fact, but there's something special about having a first-hand account that a young girl wrote as it was all happening. The worst parts of Anne's experience weren't documented of course, but that doesn't mean that what we do have isn't valuable.

This wasn't one of those books that gripped me and pulled me in from start to finish because it's not a fictional story with some sort of overarching plot. It's just a diary that a young girl wrote in the middle of a war. I don't think it's something you really read for entertainment's sake, but it does help give you a real account of a real girl's experiences of war, and I think that makes it valuable in an entirely different way.

There's a bit at the end, in the afterward, that talks about how Anne got her wish to be remembered after she was gone because of the publication of her diary, and I love that. It's unfortunate that more Holocaust victims didn't get the chance to be heard, but I also think that's part of the reason why the voices we have gotten are so important, including Anne Frank's.

Life Post: Preparing for This Weekend

This week has started off pretty crazy because this coming weekend is going to be so busy with the One Direction concert and everything. I've been making sure everything's set in stone and ready, and it's kind of been driving me insane. I think everything's good now though, so all there really is to do is wait for Thursday night when the craziness really begins. I'm excited!

I got a bit lucky because we spent all of our Spanish class today working on our work, and since I was already caught up, I just worked ahead. That means I have no Spanish homework due immediately after Labor Day weekend, which means nothing to worry about during the craziness of all the concert stuff. I'm trying to do the same with all my other classes as well, so I'm not worried about too much this weekend. I'll still have a lot of time in the car this weekend to do work, but I don't want to lug around too many books. Plus, I won't have a computer if it's needed for anything. I think I'll be good though. I won't have anything too big due at the beginning of next week.

Yesterday, I didn't finish my homework until late, but I'm doing better today. I still have some reading to do, but it's not much at all. I'll be done earlier than yesterday at any rate. Mondays and Tuesdays always seem the most loaded homework wise, but I think that's just because I have to get back in the swing of things after the weekend. Tomorrow I hope I finish up even earlier in the day.

Life Post: My Little Sister is Now at College

After I wrote yesterday's post, I got to go over to my sister's new dorm. Guys, it's crazy. It's actually a hotel room. Half of the building is the hotel and the other half they let my sister's school use as dorms. That means that her entire room feels like a hotel. It has the hotel furniture and even the standard hotel paintings on all the walls. However, it's a nice hotel room and actually a suite, so they have two bedrooms (for three girls), a living room, and a kitchen. The kitchen's tiny, but I'm still jealous she has one. Her living room is massive when you consider that it's a dorm though. I wouldn't be surprised if it was twice the size of the one in my dorm. It's crazy. It's definitely a nice dorm. I really like my dorm this year, but I'm beyond jealous that she has a kitchen. (Technically, I do too, but it's shared with the whole floor and just not the same.

Anyway, there was a lot of commotion. I got there once everything had been moved into their room, but they were still scrambling around organizing everything in it. It was pretty well put together by the second time I was there yesterday. I'm interested in learning later how much they actually bother to use that kitchen.

It was nice seeing my parents and sister yesterday and eating dinner with them. I'll be seeing them a lot during the beginning of the semester. To the point that it's kind of odd since I'll be home next weekend as well. It's also incredibly weird knowing that my sister is in the same city as me right now and will be for the rest of the year. I'm not used to that at all. I really wonder how much we're actually going to see each other as the year goes on. This should be very interesting.

Life Post: One Week in the New Dorm

I've now been back at school for a week, and I think I've settled back in quite nicely. I've gotten pretty used to this dorm even though I sometimes still think I'm in the other dorm building or specifically in my old dorm, which causes me some confusion for a few moments before I remember. For the most part though, I've adjusted to being in here now, and I really do like this dorm. In most ways it's a lot better than the one I had last year.

Today is also the day that my little sister is moving into college. Her and my parents are doing that as I write this actually. She's going to school in Indianapolis like I am but at a different school, so we'll be in the same city. I'm going to see them all tonight after they finish moving her in before my parents go back home. It'll be interesting having her close this year as opposed to hours away with the rest of my family. Her school is seriously only about five minutes away from mine. It's almost straight down the street.

It's also extremely weird to know that my little sister is in college. I'm trying not to think about it because it's just too hard to comprehend.

I've spent most of my Saturday so far working on some homework, and I'm mostly done. I just have a small bit of Spanish to do, and that will be it, which is good since I'm going to be spending time with my family later. I'm going to go finish up that Spanish now though to get it entirely out of the way.

Life Post: The First Week of Classes is Over

I can now say that the first week of this semester is over. I only had one class today though, so it kind of felt like yesterday was Friday, especially when you factor in that I slept in an extra two hours this morning. Going to one class (which was even shorter than it was supposed to be) really wasn't that big of a deal.

I've also managed to get all of my homework done for the day already, which is a huge plus. I think that's the earliest I've got it done all week, but that makes sense considering I only had one class.

The Korra Book 3 finale is already online, but I haven't been able to watch it yet. I'm so anxious to! I'm avoiding Twitter and Tumblr because I don't want to see any spoilers. I'm so scared that something huge happened in it and that I'll find out about it before I watch. I'm trying to get some writing done before I watch it though since I've only been able to write a little bit this entire week. I'm almost done with that too though, so hopefully I'll get to watch Korra soon!

Life Post: I Just Want to Sleep

We're coming towards the end of the first week of classes. I think I've blogged every day so far, so I'm going to try and keep that up the next couple of days. I'm definitely exhausted today. I've been taking naps after my eight am class every single day, which I think has helped, but last night was just weird. At about 4:30 in the morning, I pretty much jolted awake and thought my alarm had gone off and I'd fallen back asleep and was now late. I started freaking out and then the alarm clock said it was around 4:30. I was confused for a bit and then went back to bed. That would have been weird enough except I did it several more times after that. Then, when I took a nap after my first class, I did it several times over the course of that hour. I have no idea why. Here's hoping I can actually sleep tonight.

As far as actual classes go though, today has been good. We had our first quiz in Spanish, which I was nervous about since those were always so difficult for me in high school. I feel really confident about it though. I was actually surprised at how easy it looked when she sat it down in front of me, so that's good.

Both of my English classes today also went well. We had some good discussions. I was having a bit of trouble staying awake, especially by the last class, but I still enjoyed them both. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the semester in each of those classes.

Anyway, I only have a bit of reading to do before I'm done with my homework, so I really want to get to that. I should be able to get done even earlier than I did yesterday, which is awesome after how late it took me on Tuesday.

Life Post: The First Week Continues

I don't have much time to write this before I have to go to my last class of the day, but I'm going to try and squeeze it in anyway. We'll see how much I can write.

I have to say that waking up early every morning to go to Spanish is getting more difficult every morning. I don't even want to think about the fact that I have to do it the entire rest of the semester. The amount of thinking and talking involved in Spanish class each day really helps wake me up though, so I guess that's a positive. It definitely jump starts my brain, which would probably start working much slower each morning if it wasn't trying to remember all of that Spanish.

My sociology class went really well today as well. We got our first homework assignment today, which is a sociology experiment, but I'm not so sure that I'll be doing this one. The way the assignments are set up is that we have to do a certain amount during the semester, not all of them. I can't remember the exact number we have to do or the exact number that will be assigned, but we only have to do so many. This particular assignment is utterly terrifying to me. I won't go into detail but let's just say that it involves doing one of my biggest fears, and I don't think it's worth doing an assignment that could result in a panic attack for myself when I don't necessarily have to. I tried to think about it rationally and if maybe the experiment would be a good "get out of your comfort zone" thing, but I just don't think it's worth it. I don't think I'd get enough out of it in order to benefit, so I don't want to put myself through it. Plus, we have to present our findings and whatnot, and I think I'd benefit from seeing another group do that before I have to.

Like I said though, the class itself today was great, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester in there. I find it all so fascinating still, and I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone else's experiments on Friday.

Yesterday, I was doing homework until really close to going to bed, so I'm really hoping to not have that happen today. I've already completed more homework today than I had at this point yesterday, so I'm off to a good start. I did some reading for a class as well as write about half of a paper for another class. I still have a good bit to do, but I'm hopeful that it won't be like yesterday.

Now, it's getting really close to time for my last class, so I really need to get going.

On Forgetting That Celebrities Are Human

One of my biggest pet peeves over the last year or so has become watching people who think it's okay to touch celebrities without their permission. This has largely become something I've noticed because of One Direction and watching it happen to the boys. There are so many fans who treat them like objects and do things they'd never do to "normal" people because they know it's wrong, yet because the boys are celebrities, they never seem to internalize that this behavior towards them is also wrong. This isn't just confined to One Direction either. I've become really aware of it recently, and it doesn't just end with inappropriately touching people without their permission. There are so many ways people tend of objectify celebrities that I don't think I could go into them all without being here forever.

I don't really have anything profound to say on the subject. I've just become so frustrated with it that I started to feel the need to express it somehow, and it led to this post. I think it all began to really bubble over recently when One Direction fans really started freaking out over Harry's hair. For anyone reading this who doesn't know, Harry Styles has been growing out his hair lately. It's gotten pretty long as of late, and fans are either really gung ho about this or really angered by it. Strangely angered by it when you think about the fact that the length of Harry's hair has nothing to do with them.

What's most interesting to me is the fact that most people (at least I think) would realize that demanding someone cut their hair wouldn't exactly be a polite thing to do. (Although, there are still people who do it and still people who talk condemningly about people's appearances they don't like.) Yet some fans almost seem like they need to gang up with each other and pressure Harry into cutting his hair.

Obviously, hair isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things (which makes it almost amusing to me that it seems to have become this huge thing in the One Direction fandom), but to me it's just become the latest example of people not seeming to recognize celebrities as actual people who have the right to do whatever they want. Another thing that happened recently was this blow up over Harry being "rude" to fans which jump started a discussion over whether or not he "owed" anything to the fans. In my opinion, it's good for a celebrity to be thankful for what they have, but I also think people need to remember that they're human. They're not a robot who can just spend 24 hours of their day signing autographs and taking pictures, which seems to be what a lot of fans want them to do when they're on tour. They have to rest and have time to themselves. Imagine if you had to work around the clock with people screaming at you and you got no breaks. That's basically what stopping for every single fan would turn into for them. I know it sucks, but sometimes they have to think about themselves. Everyone does. We're taught that selflessness is a good thing, but selfishness is necessary to a certain degree. Celebrities have to place themselves over fans sometimes and doing so doesn't automatically make them rude.

This is turning into a bit of a ramble with no real point, and I have a lot of things to get done at the moment, so I'll just wrap this up now. Basically, it just really frustrates me when fans of a celebrity seem more concerned with celebrities doing what they want instead of thinking about the celebrities themselves. That isn't just limited to One Direction, but since I'm in the One Direction fandom, those are the instances I'm exposed to the most. I think the entire idea of this has become really ingrained in our culture, so I'm not actually expecting anything to change (not any time soon at least), but I felt the need to get my frustration out a bit. Now, I'm off to go do some reading for class.

Life Post: Second Day of Classes is Complete

I've now been to all of my classes for the semester except for the arranged one, which I've already set a meeting for next week. I really think this is going to be a pretty great semester. At first I was pretty sure I'd prefer my previous dorm building over this one, but I'm not so sure that's true. We'll see how I feel at the end of the year, but so far I'm really liking being in here a lot.

As for the classes, I had Spanish again today since that's a four day a week class. I'm really excited about the idea of actually picking up Spanish better than I did in my three years of high school Spanish. I already feel like stuff I'd forgotten I knew is coming back to me. So far we haven't had a vocab word that I didn't already know, even if I wouldn't have been able to draw any of them up from my memory a week ago. I really like how the professor teaches us. At first the times when she went on little rambles in Spanish were scary, but just two days in I already figured out that I can already almost always get the idea of what she's saying even if I don't recognize all of the words. Obviously, my Spanish is still at an absolute beginner's level, but I'm determined to really work on it this year. (I'm required to take two semesters, so I'll continue after this semester.) I'm already in the process of learning Japanese, so I'm a bit nervous about the two languages at once thing. Still, I want to really work on Spanish on my own as well as in class. I've learned a lot recently about the best ways I learn language (through teaching myself Japanese), and I want to try all of that with the Spanish as well.

I also had the other two (out of three) English classes today, and I had one of those moments where I remembered just how much I love English. I think that's why I've suddenly become so determined to learn more languages too. (Well, not "suddenly" per se, but I've become more determined lately.) I've always loved reading and writing followed after that, and I've really started realizing that my love for all of that is a love for language in general and how it helps people express themselves. That really is all it is: a way for people to express themselves and connect to others, and all languages do that. I didn't mean for that to turn into a cheesy little rant, but I'm really excited for this semester because of the three literature classes and the Spanish class because I just love words in general. (Plus, my other class is sociology, which is definitely another subject I find fascinating and would probably be studying if it weren't for my love of English.)

Both English classes seem like they'll be great. I know the professor (same one in both classes) from a previous class, and I even know a lot of the people in both classes. They're both focused on American literature (one being a survey course and one being focused just on Modernism), so it'll be interesting to have them back to back. I really look forward to it though.

What's also nice is that most of the reading for both courses will be online. The professor said she didn't want us to have to pay for textbooks, and most of it (especially the first class) is available online easily because the copyright has expired. It's pretty nice to have fewer textbooks, and the books we do have are just normal books as opposed to incredibly expensive textbooks.

The only downside to my day is the fact that I still haven't managed to get the bulk of my homework done. I finally finished my Spanish after working on it between every single class. (It was so few questions. I have no idea why it took so long.) I have no idea why I haven't managed to get anything else done. Actually, that's a lie. I know why. I've been doing other stuff. Right after classes, I took a break, and I just haven't gotten back to my homework yet. Right after this I want to do Blogilates for the day too, so there's that. I will get to it though. It's not too late yet. I'm definitely remembering what the typical workload feels like again though. Don't become an English major unless you're fine with spending the majority of your days reading. You will be miserable. I also already have a paper to write, but it's nothing big (only two pages). I really do need to get to it all though, so I'm off to actually get things done.

Life Post: First Day of Classes

As I'm writing this, we're in the middle of the first day of classes for this year. I have three today, and I've been to two. Both went pretty well, and I'm excited for the rest of this semester.

My first class today was Spanish, which is difficult just because it's at eight in the morning for days a week. I know I'm going to be absolutely exhausted. We also used almost no English the entirety of class, which is new for me. We never did that in my high school Spanish classes, but I actually liked it. I realized too that I think I remember more Spanish than I'd thought. My biggest struggle was always conjugating verbs, but as far as vocab goes, I think I retained a good deal of it, which is always good. I'm hoping that I manage to become at least somewhat proficient with Spanish this semester.

I've also already been to my sociology class, which I'm really looking forward to. If I had to study something other than English and education, I'd probably be studying sociology because it really fascinates me. I'm really looking forward to that class and what we learn in there. Most of our classes seem like they're going to be discussions, and while I usually struggle with speaking a lot in class, I also love discussions in a lot of ways. I just hope the class dynamics are good because that can make or break class discussions.

I still have on class today, and that will be the first English class I have for this semester. Then I have two more tomorrow (in addition to Spanish again). I have a third class that's really one-on-one with a professor that's an English class specifically for education double majors, and I'm still in the process of scheduling that with the professor. Since I love English though, I'm already looking forward to those classes. Plus, I've already had both professors that I'll have for those three classes (as well as the one I'll have for the arranged class), so I already know what they're like in class and all of that. I even know most of the people that will be in the classes with me already. I've finally reached the point where there's a particular group of us who are in all of our major classes together all of the time. I love it. It's so weird being a junior.

I've also managed to already complete my Spanish and sociology homework I was assigned for today, so let's hope I can stay this on top of it all semester. I think I can, but I also haven't gotten a good idea of the full scope of my work load yet. I'll have an even better idea after my next class in a bit. I'm going to go try and get some more stuff done before I need to go to that though.

Legend of Korra Review: Book 3 Episode 11: "The Ultimatum"

This might be a bit of a weird review because I moved back to school today, which means a timezone switch, very little sleep, and a new room to write this in. But yesterday's episode was amazing, and I'm incredibly excited to talk (or rant) about it. (Plus, I currently have pineapple and chocolate milk, which is a somewhat odd combination but is putting me in a better mood after fighting with my blinds.)

Mako and Bolin were great in this episode. I loved seeing the two of them commandeer the airship. Both of them attempting to fly it was great. I particularly loved the bit when Mako tried to clear the ship and everyone just went back to stealing. Moments like that are my favorite type of Mako moments.

I'm also really happy that the two of them saved their family. I look forward to hopefully seeing more of them in the future, especially their grandmother. I'm wondering if her loyalty to the Earth Queen will be important to the story in any way. My favorite bit with her was when she asked Mako why he wasn't dating a girl like "one of these fine ladies" (i.e. Korra and Asami). I love how much the girls' former relationships with Mako are being handled this season. It's great. That was one of my favorite parts of the episode, and probably would have been my favorite part if we hadn't gotten Iroh and Zuko.

Which, speaking of Iroh and Zuko! I was not expecting Iroh at all, and I'm so excited for him to have another appearance. I was screaming and crying when he was talking about Aang and Zuko's friendship to Korra. Guys, he called Aang and Zuko best friends. Best. Friends. Not just friends. Best friends. That's one of my favorite moments in the entire show so far, and I'm not even embarrassed. I honestly want nothing more than Aang and Zuko BFF fanfiction right now, but I've been too busy to actually look for any yet. Even more, I want to write Aang and Zuko BFF fanfiction right now (and have planned to for such a long time), but again, too much going on at the moment. It's also made me want to go back and watching the first season of Last Airbender for nostalgia's sake, but that's another thing that has yet to happen.

Anyway, I haven't even gotten to Zuko's conversation with Korra, which wasn't quite as amazing (just because it happened to lack the phrase "best friends") but was still amazing. I did love Korra's line about Zuko knowing Aang better than anyone else, but I'm a bit confused over why it seems to have created such a stir in the fandom. Guys, I ship Kataang more than anyone and I love Aang and Zuko's friendship more than anyone. I think everyone needs to come in mind that this was coming from Korra. Someone who never actually saw Aang and Zuko interact. She just knew they were good friends, and obviously she's probably heard more about them together (important figures) than things about Aang's family life with Katara and all of that. I think that's just the kind of thing you say to someone when you're asking about someone else. I don't think it actually means Zuko knew more about Aang than anyone else in the entire world. If I could hazard a guess, I imagine all of the gaang members knew each other so well that differences in that would have been miniscule. Korra's line was coming from her point of view though, and she's not the most accurate source for information on Aang's relationships of all things.

That being said, the line still made me fangirl like a crazy person. I just love the idea of it after Zuko spent so long trying to capture Aang. Wow. It's the best.

A few other things about Zuko (since I clearly can't talk about him enough). I loved his reaction to learning that Korra talked to Iroh. It was adorable and somewhat heart-breaking. Also, I loved his line about going to protect his daughter. I got so excited. I do wonder about his grandson though because you'd think he'd be in danger too. I'd love to see Zuko's daughter, especially actually with Zuko, but I think we're more likely to not see Zuko or the rest of the Fire Nation royal family at all in the season finale, which makes me sad. I desperately want to meet her. (I also want to actually find out for sure who Zuko married, but I realize I'm only going to get so much here.)

Oh, oh. I can't forget Bolin's reaction to meeting Zuko!! Guys, that was such a gpoy moment for me. I can't even believe it happened. That would have been me except more tears. I have never felt more connected to Bolin than that moment (which is funny since I already probably relate to Bolin than any of the rest of the main cast).

As for the rest of the episode, the Korra and Mako hug was adorable! I feel like you can't really tell how much of a Makorra shipper I am from my reviews this season because their relationship is kind of on a back burner and I've been busy screaming about Zuko. I do love them though, and I love little moments like that between them.

The ending of this episode was also insanely intense, which isn't surprising since it's only the season finale left. I'm so excited for that this coming Friday! It's going to be amazing!

Life Post: I'm Back at School

I moved back to school today! I'm in a different dorm building this year with a different layout and all of that, so it feels a little weird. Plus, I have to adjust to just being back to school as well. I thought the summer flew by, but now that I'm back, it feels like it's been ages since I was last here. That may go away quickly once classes start though.

This year I have more of a suite-style dorm. Last year I just had one room and then a bathroom I shared with someone else. This year, I have a bedroom and then I share a living room and bathroom with someone else. That will take getting used to since I've been used to just one room dorm rooms for the past two years. The view from my room is pretty good for watching planes land though, so that's pretty neat.

Last year we moved in on a Sunday and then we had classes the very next day. This year I have all day tomorrow to do whatever before classes start on Monday. I like this a lot better, but I also feel like I'm supposed to be starting classes tomorrow. I can't convince myself that it's actually not until the day after tomorrow. I feel really unprepared for it too, which might have something to do with my realizing at the last minute that my notebooks weren't here. I have some now, so that's all good. But now I can't shake the feeling that I should go get my textbooks immediately even though I always wait until after I go to the class first before I get them.

I have a lot I want to get done tonight though, and I'm also absolutely exhausted, which means I want to get it done as quickly as possible. I'm hoping I can get some rest tomorrow before classes start.

Life Post: Preparing to Move Again

I leave to go back to school tomorrow, and I can't believe it at all. This summer really flew by, but at the same time I feel like I've been gone from school forever. It's a weird set of feelings to have at the same time. Knowing I'll be in a different dorm building this year makes it even weirder because I'll have to adjust to that and a new suitemate and all of that sort of stuff. We'll also have a nice new building on campus this year, and there are going to be several new restaurants inside that building to eat at. I'm looking forward to this year.

I think I've pretty much packed everything that I don't have to use in between now and when I leave. I just hope I'm not forgetting anything important. I feel like I might be, but I think that's just because I get used to having everything I own around me on school breaks, and I forget what I really need to get by when I'm up at school crammed in a tiny dorm room. I shouldn't forget anything too major, if I forget anything at all, and if it's really dire, my parents move my sister up the next week, which means I wouldn't need to go without it for too long.

I just get really anxious about moving all my stuff because I tend to forget at least one thing and it's a lot of work and there's so much to do. It just gets a bit overwhelming, but by tomorrow night I'll be all moved in and it'll be good. I just have to get through the next 36 hours or so.

Summertime Madness Book Tag

This is going to be another one of those posts where I tag a Youtube tag and answer the questions in a blog post instead of a video. I'd originally planned to film a video for this, but since I'm moving back to school tomorrow, I just don't want to take up the time that would require. Anyway, this tag was originally created by JackEatsBooks, but I learned about it (unless I watched someone earlier and then forgot) from malarayofsunshine. (Warning: I linked directly to both of their tag videos, so those will play automatically if you click those links.)

I think it's pretty fitting to do this tag on the day before I move back to school and only a few days before classes start. I'm really getting a bit nostalgic for summer now that it's almost over. Anyway, on to the questions...

1. Show a book with a Summery cover! i.e Sun, Beach etc.
When I think summery book covers, Sarah Dessen immediately comes to mind. I know I'm not the only one either because I've watched other people who showed one of her books for this challenge. She's one of my favorite authors, and a big reason for that is because she really introduced me to the world of young adult. I don't actually know how many of her books I read during the summer, but there are several that take place during summers. In fact, I'm having trouble deciding just which ones to show. There are beaches on several, and I'm leaning towards one of those. How about...

That Summer. I think I settled on this one in the end because it also has "summer" in the title. It's definitely a summery cover though.

2. Pick one fictional place that would be the perfect destination for your Summer Vacation!
You have no idea how tempted I am to say Hogwarts (always my go-to fictional place), and the only thing that's stopping me is that everyone would be on break during the summer. Sure, it would be fun to just explore by myself, but it's not completely Hogwarts if there isn't the fun magical classes and all of that happening. I'm trying, instead, to think about a fictional place that would be relaxing, but that's hard when most books tend to involve drama more than relaxation. Oh! Oh! The Burrow is my answer! How did I not think of that before? I was too wrapped up in Hogwarts, but going to spend time at the Weasley house would be perfect during the summer.

3. You're about to go on a flight to your Summer Vacation. But you want to read a book that lasts for the whole flight so what novella do you choose? 
If we're sticking with novellas, I'm not sure because, while I might have some novellas on my "want to read" list, I don't remember what they are. I'm going to choose a volume of Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori. It might not last the whole flight depending on how long the flight is, but I get so into Ouran that I would probably read it over several times without getting bored. (I could even choose one of the volumes where they're on summer break to fit with the mood and get me more excited.)

4. You have a case of Summertime Sadness what happy book do you pick up to shine a smile on your face? 
This isn't going to be a summery answer, but my go to books when I'm sad are Harry Potter. Sometimes I'll read one of my other favorites, but I'm more likely to go to Harry Potter than anything else.

 5. You're sitting at the beach all alone...which fictional character would be your beach babe? 
My ultimate crush is Peeta from the Hunger Games, so he's definitely my answer. He can't swim, but I'd prefer to stay in the shallower water anyway. I'm sure we'd have a great time.

6. To match your ice cream you want an icy cool sidekick! Which fictional sidekick do you pick?
I feel like every time I do these sorts of tags even I get frustrated by how often I bring up Harry Potter, but there's really no answer to this other than Hermione Granger. I can just see us grabbing ice cream and chatting about the books we managed to read this summer. She could also catch me up on what all her friends are up to. I'd try not to fangirl. It would be one of the best days of my life.

7. Share the Summertime Happiness! Who do you TAG? 
I'm not going to tag anyone specific, but if you want to give this a go, then feel free. Be sure to let me know if you do, and I'll check it out.

That was a lot of fun. I was already starting to prepare myself for autumn though, and now I'm right back into summer. Someone come remind me that school starts on Monday and I need to pack.

Naruto Shippuden Review: Episodes 186-190

I could be wrong, but it looks like I haven't posted a Naruto review here in more than two months. I'm now twenty episodes ahead of where I was then. I'm actually a bit confused because, while I know I went back to posting Naruto review on my Youtube channel the past couple of times, I didn't think I'd posted three there, only two. Looking back on it though, I was wrong and did more there than I had though, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've been watching a ton of Naruto lately though, and I'm really happy with how quickly I'm getting through episodes. I only posted my last review on Youtube a week ago, and I already have five more episodes to review. That's definitely going to stop being the case as soon as classes start back up next week, but I've enjoyed it while it lasted.

Anyway, on to the actual episodes...

I'm definitely tired of all of this filler, but I do think it got marginally better in this set of episodes than it was in the previous ones. I like how we're getting to focus on different characters because I always enjoy seeing characters that we only get to see every once in a while. I also like how all of the stories tie back to Naruto somehow. He is the main character after all, and while I like seeing more of all of the characters, it's also really nice to see how Naruto has affected their lives.

The episode with the flashback to when Lee was injured and Naruto made it his mission to get the special flower to help him wasn't the greatest episode overall, but I did enjoy the sentiment behind it. It was so nice to see Naruto so determined to help his friend, and Lee's reaction to finding out that Naruto, Sakura, and Ino had gotten the flowers was nice. That's the kind of thing that makes these filler episodes tolerable. If they're showing some nice, fuzzy bits between the characters, I can live with them.

We also got a filler episode with Jiraiya in here, which is another way to make me a bit emotional. I enjoyed that though. I feel like he keeps coming back up, and I wonder how long he'll be such a prevalent source of flashbacks. I particularly like that now we know the full connection between Jiraiya, Minato, and Naruto. The scene where Jiraiya is thinking about how Naruto is basically his grandson was such a cute one, and I really loved it.

There was also a great line in that episode: "It I went against my word, I wouldn't be who I am." I really enjoyed that line.

Another flashback we get involves all of Team 7, which is another flashback that I really love. These flashbacks jump around so much that sometimes I have a bit of difficulty keeping track of where they are timeline wise, and you never actually know where you're going to be when you start an episode, which is interesting. Anyway, I enjoy every time we get to see Team 7 together again, and showing anything about Sasuke and Itachi's relationship is another way to get me a bit emotional.

That was definitely an interesting storyline with all of the cats, but since I enjoyed seeing all of Team 7 and the bits about Sasuke and Itachi being close, I would be willing to say that it was more enjoyable than anything else. I think I just really need to learn to look at the good points of this filler from now on because it feels never ending, and I don't want to be miserable watching it all.

The last episode in this set of five is one that I really don't have much to say. Naruto's paired with three ninja we've never met before in it, which was interesting in its own way. Generally speaking, if we know the characters, we'll know their dynamic throughout the episode, but in this case it was a mystery. We don't typically see Naruto paired with ninja that we haven't met at least once before. If it happens, it's usually only one foreign member to the group and then we get to know them and they'll show up again. I can't say for certain that these guys won't show up again, but I don't really see it happening. I did enjoy the story of the old man, and if one of the characters was to show up again, I'd imagine it would be him.

Overall, I am ready to get through these filler episodes, but they could have been a lot worse. I did find them at least more enjoyable than not.

Life Post: Getting Ready for Summer Break to End

I only have three days until I move back up to Indianapolis, and I keep forgetting that I still have packing to do. To be honest though, I really don't feel like I have much left to pack except for stuff that I have to use over the next few days. I imagine most of it will be last minute packing, which is what I typically end up doing anyway. Still, I get a bit anxious when I think about how soon I'm moving and how little I seem to have packed.

Other than all of that, I'm still just trying to get as much writing in as I can before classes start again. The first draft of this story is going really well so far, so I'm hoping that will keep up for a while, especially when I'm at school and it's harder to get time to write.

It's not even noon and I'm already behind on everything I planned to do today though, so I think I'm going to have to get back to all of that. I need to finish up beta reading a story today and send it back to the author as well as write some more of my own story, pack, and several other things. There's still so much to do before the summer's over! It's a little overwhelming when I think about it.

Life Post: Seeing a Friend and Feeling More Comfortable Driving

I got to see my friend Ji today, which was really nice. It'll be the first time I see her at least until the next school break since I move back to school on Saturday. We ate lunch together and got frozen yogurt together afterwards. It was fun, and we had a good time catching up just like we always do. It's always really great to get to talk to her.

Also, I drove there and back, and it hit me on the way home that I really have become much more comfortable driving. I'm not perfect, but I don't freak out like I used to, which is really nice. I just wish I'd managed to get enough driving hours by now that I could get my license. I feel like I should have, but I actually haven't. My permit expires in January though, so I'm really going to have to work on it during school breaks and at least get my license over winter break. I should be able to since I really don't have that many hours left. If summer break was just a little bit longer, I'd probably be set.

I need to get to writing though because I'm obviously behind after spending time with Ji. I still want to get as much done as I can before school starts again and I'm busy with classes and clubs and all of that. I'm working on the first draft of something, and as much as I want to, I don't think it'll be done within this week. (Actually, I know it won't be.) So here's hoping I can make a decent amount of time to write once school starts too. I don't necessarily need to write it super quickly, but I don't want it to take months and months just to get the first draft.

Book Review: Unrequited by Emma Grey

ISBN: 9781483529592
Published: May 26th, 2014
Publisher: self-published
Read from July 9th to August 4th, 2014
Synopsis from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Kat Hartland loathes Unrequited, the world's biggest boy band. Is she the only girl in Sydney who can't be bothered with perfect-looking Angus Marsden?
Give her 5 Seconds of Summer. Now.
Or maybe the seriously-hot med student who rescued her on a train—and who could be Douglas Booth's twin! Perfect formal partner, much?
But when Kat comes face to face with Angus Marsden himself, things start to get complicated. Very. Throw in a deranged female popstar, final exams, a part in the musical and a mum who just doesn't get it—and where is her best friend?
When did life get so crazy? Kat's just an ordinary schoolgirl.
Isn't she?

Review:

I did not like this book at all. I didn't expect it to be that much when I picked it up. I just thought it would be light-hearted and possibly fun, but there were so many problems with the book that I just couldn't get passed. I don't want to go through every single one of them, but I will mention a few.

The story itself was just unbelievable to me. Obviously, in this sort of book I'm going to allow some suspension of disbelief over certain things, but this book just had too much. I couldn't believe any of the things that were happening. None of the romance was realistic to me either, which led to me not caring about it at all, and it jumped around far too much and happened far too quickly.

The characters were all very shallow as well, and I didn't care for them at all. One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer seemed to be name dropped all the time, and that only made it more obvious that this band in the book was basically One Direction. Technically, it wasn't, but there was nothing original about them. Kat starts the book talking about them being One Direction rip-offs, and that's honestly how I left the book feeling. Kat may have had a change of heart, but there was nothing in there for me. Angus was the only band member really in the book at all, and even he didn't have a personality. (However, I still know exactly which One Direction boy he's supposed to correlate to.) It would have been fine if they'd actually been fleshed out and whatnot, but I left the book feeling like I'd read a book about some girl who had no personality and a boy band that was basically a flat sort of One Direction in a book. (Oh, and the female celebrity "villain" in the book definitely seemed like she was at least inspired by Taylor Swift, especially with the whole Harry/Taylor thing in the past, and I couldn't get passed that while reading either.)

That pretty much wraps up my biggest problem with the book, and I don't think I'm going to waste time going into everything else. When it comes down to it, this book was just over the top unbelievable and had no interesting characters at all. It read a lot like all of the One Direction fanfiction that I know is out there, and you can read all of that for free.

Book Review: Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean

ISBN: 0061852066
Published: October 26th, 2010
Publisher: Avon
Read from July 24th to 31st, 2014
Synopsis from Goodreads:

“Lord Nicholas is a paragon of manhood. And his eyes, Dear Reader! So blue!” Pearls & Pelisses, June 1823
Since being named on of London’s “Lords to Land” by a popular ladies’ magazine, Nicholas St. John has been relentlessly pursued by every matrimony-minded female in the ton. So when an opportunity to escape fashionable society presents itself, he eagerly jumps—only to land in the path of the most determined, damnably delicious woman he’s ever met!
The daughter of a titled wastrel, Lady Isabel Townsend has too many secrets and too little money. Though used to taking care of herself quite handily, her father’s recent passing has left Isabel at sea and in need of outside help to protect her young brother’s birthright. The sinfully handsome, eminently eligible Lord Nicholas could be the very salvation she seeks.
But the lady must be wary and not do anything reckless…like falling madly, passionately in love.

Review:

I don't typically read adult romance books at all. (I tend to read young adult than adult period, not just with romance though.) The only ones I can really remember reading at all is some Nicholas Sparks, so this was new territory for me. I'd heard really good things about the author's books in the past, which is how I happened to wind up with this book. I wasn't sure whether or not I'd like it, but I'm happy to say that I loved it.

It was one of the most entertaining books I've read in a while, and it's one of those things where it feels like it was exactly what I needed to read at that point in time. I enjoyed every single character in this book so much. They were all fantastic and wonderfully entertaining. I was sad to leave them at the end of the book. I also love the romance between Isabel and Nicholas. The relationship between them was so fun and amazing. I really liked how it developed over time.

It's hard to right this review without just gushing on and on about everything because I really do think I loved everything about this book. I highly recommend it. It's actually the second in a series (although each book follows different characters with small appearances from the characters in the other books from what I can tell), so I really want to get the others. This book definitely made me want to read more books by this author, and I really think I want to start reading more adult romance as well. I loved it.

Life Post: Starting to Pack and Rewatching Favorites

I'm really counting down the days until I go back to school now. There are six days left, and I've actually made some sort of progress on packing now. I put the DVDs and books I want to take with me into a suitcase. Although I'm not sure I can say they're really packed since there are somethings I want to take that I can't pack yet, and some of those books may be coming out to be read before I leave. Still, it's progress.

What really annoys me about packing is a lot of the stuff I need to pack, I'm also going to need up until the last minutes like bathroom/hygiene stuff. Clothes, in particular, are something I really need to pack, but I also need them for the next week. It's true that I only need six outfits, so theoretically I could pick six out and just pack everything else. For some reason I just can't get myself to do that though. Still, I'll start packing at least some of the clothes away tomorrow I think. Packing's just one of those things where figuring out where to start is so daunting. It'll take me a few days to pack some stuff, but then I'll reach a point where I'll get motivated and just start throwing stuff in bags and have myself completely packed in under an hour.

Anyway, I spent my morning making my family sit through two episodes of Ouran High School Host Club, i.e. one of the greatest shows in the universe. I always forget how happy that show makes me until I'm actually watching it again. It's always guaranteed to put me in a good mood. I love it so much, and I never actually bother to go back and rewatch it. I never really bother to go back and rewatch anything anymore.

I rewatched the first Harry Potter movie the other day for the first time in I don't know how long, and I'd really missed it. I really need to get better at rewatching certain things every so often. Now I plan to take the first three Harry Potter movies with me to school and do just that. (I took Sorcerer's Stone my freshmen year but never actually watched it while there.)

Life Post: One Week of Summer Left

One week from today I'll be moving back to campus. This summer has flown by. I can't believe it's ending. I'm looking forward to being at school again, but I'm also unable to actually believe that I'll be a junior. It doesn't feel like I've been in college that long. It's crazy.

I'm going to try and get as much writing done this week as I can since I don't know what things will be like once classes start. I also need to start packing because I haven't done that at all yet. I just got my suitcases down from the top shelf in my closet and almost killed myself in the process. Filling them up will be the easy part. It's after I run out of that room and have to decide where else to put stuff that it gets complicated. I got everything there the past two years though, and theoretically it should be easier now. Here's hoping packing doesn't prove too complicated.

Legend of Korra Review: Book 3 Episode 10: "Long Live the Queen"

Wow. This was an intense episode, which seems to be how I'm describing almost every episode this season. I love it. We're getting so close to the finale now, and I'm really excited to see how this all concludes. I seriously just watched the episode, so I feel like everything should be fresh on my mind and this should be easy. However, I'm actually struggling to decide where to start.

First of all, Asami is incredible. I feel like I don't talk about that enough, and I really want to right now. She was amazing in this episode. From getting herself out and helping Korra and then fixing the airship and then building a raft thing. She was all over it this episode, and it was awesome.

I was really hoping Bolin would metal bend in this episode, but it didn't happen. I still think he's going to. There's too much build up at this point for it not to actually happen by the end of the season. I particularly loved all of the prisoners chanting Bolin's name. I pretty much love anything that's an ego boost to Bolin.

That huge sand fish was unexpected. I mean, there's a giant fish that swims around in sand. That's awesome.

Zaheer not only kills the Earth Queen, but he does it in such an intense way that, if the show didn't cut off right as she dies, there's no way Nick would have gone for it. That was crazy. It's definitely an airbending move that I've seen fans talk about before as being possible, but I don't think anyone expected to see it happen on the show because of the pacifism of Air Nomads. That's one of the great things about finally getting an airbender villain.

It'll be very interesting to see what happens to the Earth Kingdom from here on out. I see thing devolving into chaos since Zaheer killed the queen and didn't manage to actually put some sort of government into place. Things aren't looking so good, and I'm not entirely sure why Zaheer thought that was a good idea. I'm feeling like we're going to get some wisdom about why anarchy is a bad idea in the next few episodes, but I'm wondering if this storyline is going to lead to democracy in the Avatar world (even just in the Earth Kingdom) or if things are going to go back to a monarchy.

I've come to the conclusion that I love every single interaction between Lin and Naga ever.

And the thing that I have to freak out about the most: ZUKO WAS IN THIS EPISODE! Yes, I did use all caps. I had to. I was hoping he'd come back, but I wasn't holding my breath for it. As soon as Tonraq was mentioned, I was like, "Last time we saw him, he was with Zuko. (slight pause as I thought about it) Wait. ARE WE GOING TO SEE ZUKO!?" So, yeah, I was a bit excited. I may have been yelling at my computer screen. Korra and Zuko interacted, guys. Not only that, but Lin and Zuko were in the same scene as well. That makes me far more excited than I can even convey in this post. I'm so excited about what this means about the future episodes. (Also, Zuko's dragon antagonizing the other animals was the absolute best. I'm looking forward to some dragon/Naga/Pabu interaction.)

I'm hoping all of the Krew are reunited next episode, and I'm fairly confident they will be. I don't see them being apart that much longer. That and seeing more Zuko are definitely the two things I'm most excited for in the coming episode. I also wonder when we'll see the airbenders again. I feel like things are going to be really intense from here on out, and I'm so excited for it. The rest of this season should be incredible.

Life Post: My Sleeping Has Gotten Weird

I'm still not really doing all that much that's note-worthy for a blog post, so I debated not even writing this. Then I decided that I wanted to briefly talk about how weird sleeping's been for me lately. Typically, I toss and turn a bit and night which can cause the covers to pull and all that, but lately I've been waking up with the covers yanked all around me like a cocoon, which is really weird in the middle of summer when it's hot in my room. In addition to that, when I woke up yesterday, there was a pillow halfway across the room, and I'm not entirely sure how that happened.

Last night things got even weirder. At first I couldn't fall asleep at all, but once I did, I was waking up every couple of hours or so. I couldn't seem to stay asleep at all even though (after the initial time) I didn't have trouble falling back asleep at all. What really makes it weird though is the dreams. I'm not someone who usually remembers my dreams. It's a rare occurrence. The past couple of nights though, I've been remembering dreams. Last night I had at least ten that I could remember when I woke up, but most of them have faded now. I can only remember a few of the most vivid ones. (One where I moved back to school and hadn't packed at all which had disastrous consequence and is probably a sign I should pack. One where I went to think insanely rich person's house, felt incredibly out of place, and proceeded to eat nachos the entire time instead of talk to people, which was probably the weirdest one. And my personal favorite: meeting Little Mix and getting to talk to them for the entirety of the dream. That was a fun one.)

I have no idea what's happening with me and why my sleeping has suddenly gotten so weird. I'm not opposed to remembering my dreams. In fact, I usually wish I could. I just don't understand why I seem to be having fits in my sleep and keep waking up. It's really pretty odd. It'll be interesting to see what happens tonight.

Life Post: A Lazier End to Summer Break

After what was a pretty busy summer, I feel like these next couple of weeks are shaping up to be my really stereotypical summer experience where I sit around the house and do basically nothing. I've been writing a lot kind of like I was at the beginning of summer break. I just finished the first draft of the Hunger Games fanfiction I've been working on. In addition to that, I'm finally going to post the How I Met Your Mother fanfiction I started working on back when the finale first aired and I was angry with it. I also started outlining the next story in the original series I've been working on for years now.

That's pretty much the gist of what I've been up to. The only other thing is driving around in order to get driving hours towards my license. We don't really do anything note-worthy on those trips though. It's mostly just shopping so far for school supplies and clothes and that sort of thing. We haven't done much else.

It's crazy thinking that school starts back in just a week and a half, but I also think I'm ready for it. I'm excited to be a junior, but I also can't believe I'm that far along in school now. It's actually insane. There's still a bit of summer break left to enjoy before I start thinking about that too much though.

Life Post: I'm 21!

Well, today's my twenty-first birthday. It feels so weird to say that. Just like every birthday before it, I don't actually feel a year older. The weirdest thing I knowing that I can now go out and buy alcohol if I want. I still don't usually remember that I can even buy cigarettes (probably because I never have), and it's been three years since I turned eighteen. It's just so weird knowing I'm an adult because I don't feel like one the majority of the time.

Anyway, I'm not doing much on my actual birthday since I already went out with my family last night and got my present from them. Today is mostly me just sitting around at home trying to process my new age. Other than that, I'm using the day to get a good deal of work done on this fanfiction I'm beta reading for someone. It's a Jane Eyre fanfiction, which is interesting since I've never actually read Jane Eyre. It's supposed to be like a retelling of it though, so it's a bit different.

Other than all of that, I'm not doing much today. I decided to take a break from writing for my birthday even though I'm incredibly close to getting the first draft of my Hunger Games fanfiction done. I think I may even manage it tomorrow (if not, then hopefully on Wednesday). Right now though, I think I should probably go update my bio here on the blog in order to reflect my actual age now...

Life Post: My Last Post as a Twenty-Year-Old

In less than twelve hours I'll be twenty-one. That's such a weird thought to try and process. I definitely don't feel like I'm that old, and this is pretty much the last huge milestone birthday. The next ID I get won't have that "under 21 until 08/04/2014" thing on it. It was weird enough when the under 18 one was taken off. I can't believe it's been three years since that. Wow.

I got my birthday present from my parents early, which was their idea and not mine. (Maybe that's what growing up feels like?) It was mostly clothes for when I begin teaching, which is definitely a grown up sort of gift. I got a new hoodie though that I absolutely love even though I can't wear it yet, and a new pair of Converse that are the prettiest blue color. I also got a Mockingjay pin bracelet that I've wanted for years and am really excited to finally have.

We're also going out to dinner tonight a day early, so that's exciting. All of that also means that I'm not actually doing anything on my actual birthday though, so that day will be free for my to have an existential crisis over how old I am, which is probably what I'll be doing.

So, yeah... This is going to be my last post here as a twenty-year-old. That's weird. Nothing's really going to be changing much obviously, but that's still incredibly weird for me to think about.

Legend of Korra Review: Book 3 Episode 9: "The Stakeout"

I thought this episode wasn't quite as intense as other ones we've gotten this season, but it was still absolutely fantastic. I loved pretty much everything about it.

I've really liked the couple of bits we've gotten with Naga so far this season, and her being very unhappy with Korra for not giving her a treat was definitely one of those great moments.

Also, who would have thought that Misty Palms Oasis would be a spot we'd return to from the original series? I definitely wasn't expecting that, and it was a nice sort of hint towards the original series.

Bolin's comment about loving when Mako acts like a cop probably voiced a good deal of the fandom's thoughts (except most likely in a different way). I know that I really love when Mako acts like a cop. I don't even know what it is, but cop Mako and awkward Mako are definitely my favorite Makos. (I also love Bolin's attempts at both disguises and a backstory for himself. One of my favorite things about Bolin is how enthusiastic he gets about things. I think that's a trait that the two of us share.)

Lin finding out that Suyin let the Krew go didn't result in quite as big of a blowup as I had feared, and I'm really thankful for that. I really want them to be able to maintain a good relationship with each other. I will not be happy if they go back to hating each other.

What I really love about the Krew in this episode is how well the four of them work together and how each of them are constantly working to help out the group. Bolin and Mako were the ones who went into the town to track down Aiwei, and Korra and Asami could have done absolutely nothing other than stand around waiting to see if he showed up. Instead, they want to be useful, and they end up finding important information, even it they can't find the place on the map. I love that.

As a truth see-er (or whatever it is that they call Aiwei) I would expect him to be able to sense the presence of others as well a lot like Toph did. That's why I find it very interesting that he didn't pick up on the Krew discovering him. You'd think that would be something he'd be watching out for enough that he could have sensed they were there, especially when they had Naga with them.

I also loved that Bolin stumbled across two fans of his, and I loved how they acted. The fan giving him the doll she'd made was amazing. He's always so excited about being a "mover star," and he's always shot down about, like when he saw his wanted poster and thought it was because he was a star. Then he actually finds people who are fans. I love it. I love pretty much anything that helps boost Bolin's self-esteem. I also love how Bolin being a celebrity is the only thing that manages to get them a room at the inn, even though Korra's the Avatar.

The stakeout itself was fantastic just because of the addition of Pai Sho, which actually might have been my favorite scene of the entire episode. My favorite part might be that Asami would rather play a million games of Pai Sho than just give up a few games in order to appease Bolin, yet she's also not at all bothered when he seems to be winning.  Bolin's comment about how Korra needed to standardize the Pai Sho rules and Korra's response was also probably my favorite exchange in this episode.

Korra getting impatient and breaking down Aiwei's door was such a Korra thing to do, and I loved it. I also loved how climactic the ending of this episode was. The incorporation of the spirit world was nice, and I especially loved how easily Korra went into the spirit world after she struggled with it for so long.

We finally have a name for the villains! I've been waiting for it and waiting for it because I knew their group had to have one. I wasn't expecting them to be the Red Lotus, but I do like it. I also love that Unalaq was a part of it, and I love that they fully believe in what they're doing. Villains who think that their vision is the right way and not ones who just don't care about being terrible are the absolute best villains. That's one thing I've loved about Korra so far. Pretty much every villain the show's had has thought that what they were doing was the right thing to do. That makes them much better villains than many others that are just straight up evil in my opinion.

We also got a much better idea of what exactly they're after, which is what I was waiting for as well. I'm really happy that we now have a reason for why they want to take out the White Lotus, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this conflict plays out in the next episodes.

The fight scene in this episode was also amazing just like always, and I loved every second of it. They're always so impressive.

I'm really sad that the Krew is not only captured but captured by different sets of people, but I'm also really excited to see how this plays out. It's looking like we're going to be back in Ba Sing Se, and I'm really excited about that. I'm wondering what it's going to be like having all the villains of this season together in one place. I would wonder if they'd team up, but since Zaheer has expressed disdain for all the nation's governments, I imagine he hates the Earth Queen even more than he hates Korra. That should prove really interesting, and I can't wait to see what happens next week.

Life Post: The Babysitting Comes to an End

Today is my last day of babysitting, which feels somewhat odd. I think most of it is because it's a reminder that summer break is almost over. There are only about two weeks left at this point which feels very odd. This summer has really flown by just like all of the summers in the past. I am excited for school to start again though.

Other than babysitting, I went to Owensboro with my mom and brother last night to get some art supplies for my brother. If I hate driving during the day, I really hate driving after dark. That was terrible. I have to have at least ten driving hours past dark in order to get my license though, so I have to do that at some point.

A new episode of Korra also aired online today! I still hate Nick's video player on their website. It's terrible, and I had multiple problems with it. I'm also still really mad about the lack of advertising. Still, the episode was amazing. I'll review it in more detail later (tomorrow here on the blog, I think), so I'll wait to talk about all of that then.

I'm also closer than ever to finishing this first draft of the Hunger Games fanfiction I've been working on. I've written about 2/3rds of my word count goal for the day, and I only have a few chapters left to write. I'm definitely going to finish it sometime next week (if I don't somehow manage to finish it this weekend). I'm really excited and happy about that.