I believe it is time for another installment of Things That Annoy The Crap Out Of Me: War on Women Edition!
But first - a couple of hot topics I've been meaning to blog about but forgot. The Egyptian revolution! Oh man, how exciting has this been? I've been sort of loosely following it, and I am pleased that Mubarak stepped down and all, and I'm very excited to see how things go from here. And now there are all these other things happening in other places, so it's a very interesting and exciting time.
Also, all that crap about "redefining rape?" Yeah, WHAT THE EFF IS THAT. If it's sex with an individual who does not want to have sex with you, IT IS RAPE. And it is NOT OKAY. And if you get pregnant, you should not be FORCED to have the baby. Grr. >_< Which actually leads right into my TTATCOOM rant! Yaaayyy segues.
So, as some of you may have heard, the House of Representatives just voted on whether or not to remove federal funding from Planned Parenthood, which is the largest provider of abortions, sure, but ALSO provides much-needed and often hard-to-obtain health services for countless women, men, and children. It is much more than abortions. It is birth control, which would eliminate the need for so many abortions, you geniuses; it is health care for poorer women and children, which they can't get any other way; they provide screenings for several serious diseases, sexual and not, for men and women; and they are often the only resource for teen mothers or single mothers. So obviously, it's a bigger deal than abortions. And now they're trying to cut the funding for it, which just doesn't make any sense to me at all. I understand that you don't want people to ever have sex ever, conservative Christian Republicans, but newsflash - THEY'RE GONNA. And when they do, they should have access to birth control, STD tests and medication, screening for reproductive diseases and cancers, and general health care for pregnant women and infants. Good to know you're trying to take that all away.
On a similar note, JUSTIN FREAKING BIEBER. Have you guys heard about this? He was interviewed for Rolling Stone and asked, for some ungodly reason, about abortion. And he said he didn't believe in it, which is all fine and dandy, whatever Justin Bieber, UNTIL they pressed him about it and asked "What about in cases of rape?" and HE REPLIED THUSLY: "Well, I think that’s really sad, but everything happens for a reason." ... SERIOUSLY, JUSTIN BIEBER? I mean, okay, if you're saying that you shouldn't abort the baby because the pregnancy resulting from the rape happened for a reason, that's slightly better, but STILL. It could have been worded better. BUT THEN. (Disclaimer: I don't know if this is actually true, but I saw it on the internet, so it probably is, right?) Apparently he tweeted, "To all of my fans who are getting mad over my views on abortion: if you were true beliebers (what he calls his fans, I know, right) you would agree with me." Yes. If you were truly FANS OF MY POP MUSIC, you would AGREE WITH EVERYTHING I SAY. This is how cults happen, people. He's got 7 million followers on Twitter, most of them teen girls who will soon be voting, and he's feeding them this crap. Awesome. Screw you, Justin Bieber.
Third, Lara Logan, the reporter who was sexually assaulted in Egypt last week, and the comments surrounding her attack. Specifically, the ones who are saying she SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED IT, or that she is SOMEHOW TO BLAME. Victim-blaming is never cool, okay? EVER. No one should EXPECT to get raped - people shouldn't have to assume that if they do something, they will get raped. It should not be like this in our world. And the people saying that it's because she's an attractive female who was in a Muslim/Arab area? NO. Just NO. So many things wrong here - first, not all Muslims or Arabs are rapists, you idiots; second, because she was in this area, she deserved to get raped? I don't think so; third, we don't even know who the attackers were - for all we know, it could have been a white Christian man; and fourth, SHE WAS RESCUED BY MUSLIM/ARAB WOMEN AND SOLDIERS. So eff that theory right there. I can't even believe that these things are being said. A woman is BRUTALLY ASSAULTED and people are making it about her looks, her being in the area, the attackers' presumed religion? I cannot even believe this.
What kind of world are we living in where these things have to be issues? It is TWO THOUSAND AND ELEVEN, PEOPLE. This is NOT the fifties. This is NOT the 1800s. Women are PEOPLE, and we have RIGHTS, and people shouldn't be able to just take them away like this. We're living in a country that doesn't want to allow abortion because SOME of our citizens believe in a God who thinks it's wrong (though they don't follow all of the rules that God laid down), but they don't want women to be able to access birth control or health services. We're living in a country that thinks it's the victim's fault if he or she gets raped or attacked, but allowing gay marriage would destroy our morals. We're living in a world where ONE IN SIX WOMEN has been sexually assaulted or raped, and somehow that's all right? Somehow, we're focusing on redefining the terms of terminating pregnancies caused by rape, instead of focusing on, I don't know, STOPPING RAPE FROM HAPPENING? We are more concerned with the "lives" of these parasitic, clump-of-cells fetuses, than we are with the ACTUAL LIVES AND SAFETY OF THE WOMEN CARRYING THEM.
What is wrong with this picture? What is wrong with the world?
I can't even think about this anymore.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
How I Spent My New Year's Eve
Once upon a time, last night I went to a party! I don't usually go to New Year's Eve parties, being that I'm not a drinker or a partier in any way, but last night a bunch of people got together specifically because none of us wanted to drink, so it was okay. We were hanging out, playing games and just talking and having a good time. My friend Jamie was telling everyone that it was now 1990 instead of 2011, just 'cause he's weird like that and the 90s were awesome. ^_^ So we were playing Spin the Bottle and Truth or Dare, your basic 90s movie party games, and one of my friends dared me to eat a spoonful of cinnamon.
Apparently this is a thing, the Cinnamon Challenge. I didn't know it was a trend. But I agreed to do it, thinking it would be a small spoonful - but no, it was a heaping tablespoon of cinnamon. And though I was aware it would be hot, and thought I could handle that, I didn't take into account the fact that it's a super-fine powder. =/ You guys probably see where I'm going with this.
So I put the spoonful into my mouth, holding my breath for some reason. I realize I can't swallow it all at once, and I exhale, preparing to swallow it bit by bit. I just exhaled. I didn't choke, cough, anything like that - I just breathed out.
Aaaand a cloud of cinnamon goes *poof*ing out of my nose, which makes everyone else laugh, but BURNS. And I try to breathe back in, which causes a bunch of cinnamon to be inhaled into my lungs and the back of my throat, which makes me choke. Choking with a mouthful of cinnamon, by the way, is a terrible, horrible plan. Don't do it if you can avoid it. =/
So now people have noticed that I'm legit choking, and I'm freaking the eff out. I can't swallow, I can barely breathe, my nose and throat are burning, my eyes are streaming. I'm trying to wash the cinnamon out of my mouth because I can't actually swallow any water. Eventually, I do get enough out so I can swallow a little water, and I'm breathing, though I can barely talk. By the time it was over, everyone was laughing again because we were all so relieved that I didn't die. And apparently if you almost die in a game of Truth or Dare, you win and that gets you exempt from the rest of the game. So yay for me!
But seriously, it nearly killed me. There was a moment or two when I was actually honest-to-God afraid that I was going to die, right there at my sort-of friend's house with a bunch of people I didn't know and a couple of boys I thought were cute. What a way to ring in the new year, huh?
I blew my nose about thirty thousand times, and it was really gross for the first ten or so. It got steadily less gross all night, and by the time I woke up today, almost all of the cinnamon was out of my nose. :D But last night was freaking TORTURE. I had to drive my friends home, and I was burning and sniffling and choking the whole time. The first thing I did when I got home was chug a glass of water and take a Tylenol Extra Strength dude because my head was killing me, probably from the lack of oxygen and pressure from blowing my nose so much. I couldn't fall asleep for a long time because of the pressure in my head, behind my eyeball, and the clogged-ness of my nose. I was having trouble breathing because the left side of my nose was clogged, and then I finally cleared it but my nose was so chapped and my throat was so irritated that breathing hurt. And to top it all off, I felt like I was going to puke for the whole five hours after I did it to the time I fell asleep. It was awful.
Other than the whole nearly-dying thing, though, it was a terrific party and I had a great time. :D
Moral of the story: No matter how much someone offers to pay you, no matter who dares you, or who you're trying to impress, it is NOT WORTH IT to do the Cinnamon Challenge. Seriously, it is dangerous - I could have actually died. And it was unpleasant enough without dying, thank you. So don't let anyone you know do this, and please don't be the one suggesting it. It is not fun, nor is it funny to watch someone almost choke to death. So don't do it. :D
Apparently this is a thing, the Cinnamon Challenge. I didn't know it was a trend. But I agreed to do it, thinking it would be a small spoonful - but no, it was a heaping tablespoon of cinnamon. And though I was aware it would be hot, and thought I could handle that, I didn't take into account the fact that it's a super-fine powder. =/ You guys probably see where I'm going with this.
So I put the spoonful into my mouth, holding my breath for some reason. I realize I can't swallow it all at once, and I exhale, preparing to swallow it bit by bit. I just exhaled. I didn't choke, cough, anything like that - I just breathed out.
Aaaand a cloud of cinnamon goes *poof*ing out of my nose, which makes everyone else laugh, but BURNS. And I try to breathe back in, which causes a bunch of cinnamon to be inhaled into my lungs and the back of my throat, which makes me choke. Choking with a mouthful of cinnamon, by the way, is a terrible, horrible plan. Don't do it if you can avoid it. =/
So now people have noticed that I'm legit choking, and I'm freaking the eff out. I can't swallow, I can barely breathe, my nose and throat are burning, my eyes are streaming. I'm trying to wash the cinnamon out of my mouth because I can't actually swallow any water. Eventually, I do get enough out so I can swallow a little water, and I'm breathing, though I can barely talk. By the time it was over, everyone was laughing again because we were all so relieved that I didn't die. And apparently if you almost die in a game of Truth or Dare, you win and that gets you exempt from the rest of the game. So yay for me!
But seriously, it nearly killed me. There was a moment or two when I was actually honest-to-God afraid that I was going to die, right there at my sort-of friend's house with a bunch of people I didn't know and a couple of boys I thought were cute. What a way to ring in the new year, huh?
I blew my nose about thirty thousand times, and it was really gross for the first ten or so. It got steadily less gross all night, and by the time I woke up today, almost all of the cinnamon was out of my nose. :D But last night was freaking TORTURE. I had to drive my friends home, and I was burning and sniffling and choking the whole time. The first thing I did when I got home was chug a glass of water and take a Tylenol Extra Strength dude because my head was killing me, probably from the lack of oxygen and pressure from blowing my nose so much. I couldn't fall asleep for a long time because of the pressure in my head, behind my eyeball, and the clogged-ness of my nose. I was having trouble breathing because the left side of my nose was clogged, and then I finally cleared it but my nose was so chapped and my throat was so irritated that breathing hurt. And to top it all off, I felt like I was going to puke for the whole five hours after I did it to the time I fell asleep. It was awful.
Other than the whole nearly-dying thing, though, it was a terrific party and I had a great time. :D
Moral of the story: No matter how much someone offers to pay you, no matter who dares you, or who you're trying to impress, it is NOT WORTH IT to do the Cinnamon Challenge. Seriously, it is dangerous - I could have actually died. And it was unpleasant enough without dying, thank you. So don't let anyone you know do this, and please don't be the one suggesting it. It is not fun, nor is it funny to watch someone almost choke to death. So don't do it. :D
Friday, December 31, 2010
Top 5 Records Presents - Obligatory End of the Year Post!
Wow, where did December go? It feels like finals week has just ended, but somehow it's the last day of the year and all. When school is out, it just feels like time has no meaning. I make the same to-do list for days and days, but just end up sleeping forever and then staying up all night on the internet. XD But one thing on my to-do list has a deadline, and here we are at the end of the year, so I can actually check this one off: End of the Year Blog Post. :D
Top Five Movies of 2010
I haven't actually seen a lot of the ones people keep raving about, so these are the top 5 of the ones I saw.
5. How To Train Your Dragon - release date: March 26, 2010
This was such an awesome movie, and not just for little kids, either. It was well-done, hilarious, and heart-warming. Overall it was a great movie, and a good time for everybody. :D
4. The Lovely Bones - release date: January 15, 2010
I went into this one expecting the worst, since I loved the book on which it was based, but it did an incredible job telling the story. The acting was pretty amazing - Stanley Tucci, has he ever been anything than amazing in anything he's done? - and the special effects and camera work were breathtaking. It was such a beautiful movie.
3. Kick-A** - release date: April 16, 2010
This was a freakin' awesome movie - kids being irl superheroes, a little girl just generally being a bamf, THIS GUY:
Yeah. Look at him. :D I was pretty decently pleased with this movie. Apparently they're making a sequel, though, and I don't know how I feel about that. =/
2. Scott Pilgrim VS The World - release date: August 13, 2010
Um, how freaking awesome is this movie? Answer: the most. :D It was so funny, and so sweet, and RIDICULOUSLY RIDICULOUS, and nerdtastic, and beautifully put together... I'm definitely buying this movie at some point. And also, Michael Cera! Come on! It's MICHAEL CERA.
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 - release date: November 19, 2010
You guys knew I'd pick Harry Potter for number one, didn't you? XD But seriously, this movie was the best movie of the whole series. They're all crap, especially the sixth one, but this one was... nearly perfect. It was heart-wrenching in all the right places, they got most of the story correct, the acting was even decent in parts. There was a scene, guys - there was a scene where I didn't hate DanRad. I KNOW. But it happened. There were even a couple of moments when EmWat was all right. And yes, there were a few things I would change, because they can never just get the freaking movies right, I mean come on, the book is RIGHT THERE, just READ IT and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS, you don't even need to write a SCRIPT, but overall, it was a fantastic movie, and I cried forever and ever. But I would have even if it was horrible, so that's not really relevant. XD
RUNNERS-UP:
1. Easy A - oh, man, this movie was fantastic. It's seriously almost tied with HTTYD. I laughed, I was invested in the storyline, the acting was great... it was such a creative premise, too. I enjoyed it immensely.
2. The Social Network - this was a pretty funtimes movie, and it has Michael Cera's older dark-haired brother, Jesse Eisenberg. It was entertaining and well done, but I don't know if I would buy this movie. I might, though. I do love Facebook. :D
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - THIS WAS SUCH AN EPIC MOVIE. I haven't read the books yet, but I intend to because this movie was so awesome. Plus, sexy-Zac-Efron-lookin'-kid, Logan Lerman:
4. Youth In Revolt - not the best movie ever, but entertaining and sweet, plus, you know, Michael Cera. Even better, TWO Michael Ceras and one has a mustache:
Best terrible horror movie of the year - Splice. I don't even.
Runner-up - The Crazies. It was just ridiculous and irritating after a while.
Top 5 Best Albums and/or Bands I Discovered in 2010
I don't really keep up with music like I used to, so I don't pay a whole lot of attention when new albums come out, unless it's a band I'm really into at that moment. And most of those have been wizard rock or internet musicians for the last few months. XD I could probably do a better list if I paid more attention to the music of 2010 and had more time, but if you want to read that kind of post, I'll link you to my friend's blog when he posts it. XD
5. The Bird and the Bee - I don't know a whole lot about this band, other than they are ADORABLE. They came on my last.fm one time, and I was intrigued, so I downloaded their self-titled album, and I kind of love them a lot. :D Her voice is just freaking awesome, and I love how bouncy and adorable their songs are. GOOD TIMES.
4. Portugal. The Man - Their album Church Mouth is the one I'm most familiar with, and it. Is. AWESOME. A couple of friends introduced them to me on a road trip this summer, and I liked what I heard so I got a couple of their albums. They pretty much rock. That is all. :D
3. The Gregory Brothers - The Autotune The News guys! They're a real band, and they're REALLY AWESOME. Their voices are all just amazing, and their EP is five songs of awesomeness. I quite like them. They're a little folksy-bluesy-poppy-rockish, and it's a good time.
2. The Mountain Goats - Thanks, John Green, for turning me on to this band. They are just... basically, if Endless Mike and the Beagle Club and the Decemberists had a baby, it would be the Mountain Goats. Lyics and music like Colin Meloy, voice and style of song like Endless Mike. Oh man, this band is great. :3
1. Ministry of Magic's new album Magic is Might is the best album I have heard all year, probably. I cannot stop listening to it. It's amazing. Not only because I love Harry Potter and I love the Ministry of Magic, but also - the songs are just amazingly written, the music is so good, and it's just a fantastic album. Gah, I love them.
RUNNERS-UP
1. The Black Keys - I was introduced to them at a party this summer, and man, they are cool. The album Brothers is a pretty good album. I really like their voices, as well.
2. Freelance Whales - Darren Criss's brother is in this band, and while that's not the ONLY reason I got their album, it was a little of the reason. ^_^ But seriously, they're SO CUTE. And their music is REALLY good. They also sort of remind me of the Decemberists, maybe if they weren't so depressing and stuck in the 1700s in England (or on ships, as they often are). XD Really good, solid indie rock band.
3. Weezer's new album Hurley, though I haven't listened to it much... I listened to it all the way through a couple of times when I first got it, but haven't really since. But it was very good, and a lot of people have agreed, so I'm putting it on the list. ^_^
Top 5 TV Shows I Watched in 2010
5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Oh, Joss. I know I'm like, seven years late or something, but STILL. I wish I'd been a fan when it was on. It's so good - even though I hate half the characters, it's still so funny, so interesting, so well-crafted, so unique... it's definitely one of the best shows that has ever been on television.
4. How I Met Your Mother - Ahhh, this show is soooo gooood. I don't even care what other people say, this show has been consistently awesome since the first season. It's had some not-so-great episodes, but even those were better than most shows' best episodes. I love this show, and I want it to go on forever. :3
3. Dexter - Oh man, Dexter is a great show. It's SO GOOD. I could have lived without season 3, but whatevs, all the rest of it is so brilliant it makes up for it.
2. Doctor Who - I AM SO GLAD I STARTED WATCHING DOCTOR WHOOOO. Oh my god, this SHOW. It is so AWESOME. IT'S RIDICULOUS HOW AWESOME DOCTOR WHO IS. And I'll leave it at that.
1. Community - Probably my favorite show right now, for reals. Even more than Glee or HIMYM, even more than Buffy or Doctor Who. It's SO FUNNY. You guys. SOOO FUUUNNNNYYYY. And so clever and well-written, too, it's not just stupid jokes. All the actors are fantastic, it never feels forced, it's always ridiculous but somehow seems plausible for these people, and it's still got the right amount of drama and romance and all that other stuff. :D It's truly a terrific show, and I hope it stays on the air forever and ever, as well. ^_^
RUNNERS-UP:
1. Glee - I'm not so impressed with the first part of season 2, but there were some excellent episodes, so I'm not going to write it off yet. :D Besides, it still makes me really happy, so. Yeah.
2. The Big Bang Theory - Funny, smart, nerdy, at times irritating, but mostly adorable and hilarious. This is a GREAT show.
3. Pushing Daisies - Awww, this show was so adorable. :3 I wish there had been more of it - Kristen Chenoweth was brilliant on it, and it was just such a cute premise. I really really liked this show. ^_^
Top 5 Books Read In 2010
5. Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - This was such a cute book! Maureen Johnson is hilarious and a little crazy, but her books are so well-written, and her characters are so fleshed out, it's awesome. This is a really good sort of coming-of-age quest-type book, one of those teens-on-a-soul-searching-road-trip type books, and it's amazing.
4. Looking For Alaska by John Green - John Green's book are all sort of along the same vein, the teen-taking-a-life-changing-road-trip vein. This one in particular doesn't have a road trip, per se, but it's a kid going away to school and all, so same diff. XD But it so fully embodies the kind of memories and feelings that I want to have from this time in my life, and it's so sad and poignant and John Green is such a good writer... it touched me, okay? It might not be your favorite, but it's mine. ^_^
3. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - I just finished this a couple of nights ago, and holy crap. It takes a while to get into, but boy howdy, does it keep you turning pages once you do. SO GOOD. It's such an interesting premise, and you get so attached to the characters and so affected by what's going on in the book, you just can't put it down. I'm excited to start the next one.
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Man, this series. THIS SERIES. Definitely the best series I've read in the last year, though really sad and kind of horrible. But it's so fast-paced and thrilling! It's like a quest but without the questing. It's AWESOME.
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - The sequel to The Hunger Games, I think I liked it better than the first. It was just so much more intense.
Okay, I can't think of much else to do a list of, and this has gotten really long, and it's 6:15 in the morning, SO... I will leave you with a few of my goals for 2011.
* Edit my NaNo novel and get the free copy from CreateSpace
* Get all As and Bs this semester (a C is okay for Math XD)
* Blog more!
* Finish our Twilight musical and film it
* Stop drinking soda
* Stop eating so much fast food/junk food
* Learn to actually play an instrument
* Start doing yoga and/or dance classes or something active
Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you have a safe and joyous New Year's Eve, and hope 2011 is better than 2010. What are some of your resolutions or goals?
Top Five Movies of 2010
I haven't actually seen a lot of the ones people keep raving about, so these are the top 5 of the ones I saw.
5. How To Train Your Dragon - release date: March 26, 2010
This was such an awesome movie, and not just for little kids, either. It was well-done, hilarious, and heart-warming. Overall it was a great movie, and a good time for everybody. :D
4. The Lovely Bones - release date: January 15, 2010
I went into this one expecting the worst, since I loved the book on which it was based, but it did an incredible job telling the story. The acting was pretty amazing - Stanley Tucci, has he ever been anything than amazing in anything he's done? - and the special effects and camera work were breathtaking. It was such a beautiful movie.
3. Kick-A** - release date: April 16, 2010
This was a freakin' awesome movie - kids being irl superheroes, a little girl just generally being a bamf, THIS GUY:
Yeah. Look at him. :D I was pretty decently pleased with this movie. Apparently they're making a sequel, though, and I don't know how I feel about that. =/
2. Scott Pilgrim VS The World - release date: August 13, 2010
Um, how freaking awesome is this movie? Answer: the most. :D It was so funny, and so sweet, and RIDICULOUSLY RIDICULOUS, and nerdtastic, and beautifully put together... I'm definitely buying this movie at some point. And also, Michael Cera! Come on! It's MICHAEL CERA.
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 - release date: November 19, 2010
You guys knew I'd pick Harry Potter for number one, didn't you? XD But seriously, this movie was the best movie of the whole series. They're all crap, especially the sixth one, but this one was... nearly perfect. It was heart-wrenching in all the right places, they got most of the story correct, the acting was even decent in parts. There was a scene, guys - there was a scene where I didn't hate DanRad. I KNOW. But it happened. There were even a couple of moments when EmWat was all right. And yes, there were a few things I would change, because they can never just get the freaking movies right, I mean come on, the book is RIGHT THERE, just READ IT and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS, you don't even need to write a SCRIPT, but overall, it was a fantastic movie, and I cried forever and ever. But I would have even if it was horrible, so that's not really relevant. XD
RUNNERS-UP:
1. Easy A - oh, man, this movie was fantastic. It's seriously almost tied with HTTYD. I laughed, I was invested in the storyline, the acting was great... it was such a creative premise, too. I enjoyed it immensely.
2. The Social Network - this was a pretty funtimes movie, and it has Michael Cera's older dark-haired brother, Jesse Eisenberg. It was entertaining and well done, but I don't know if I would buy this movie. I might, though. I do love Facebook. :D
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - THIS WAS SUCH AN EPIC MOVIE. I haven't read the books yet, but I intend to because this movie was so awesome. Plus, sexy-Zac-Efron-lookin'-kid, Logan Lerman:
4. Youth In Revolt - not the best movie ever, but entertaining and sweet, plus, you know, Michael Cera. Even better, TWO Michael Ceras and one has a mustache:
Best terrible horror movie of the year - Splice. I don't even.
Runner-up - The Crazies. It was just ridiculous and irritating after a while.
Top 5 Best Albums and/or Bands I Discovered in 2010
I don't really keep up with music like I used to, so I don't pay a whole lot of attention when new albums come out, unless it's a band I'm really into at that moment. And most of those have been wizard rock or internet musicians for the last few months. XD I could probably do a better list if I paid more attention to the music of 2010 and had more time, but if you want to read that kind of post, I'll link you to my friend's blog when he posts it. XD
5. The Bird and the Bee - I don't know a whole lot about this band, other than they are ADORABLE. They came on my last.fm one time, and I was intrigued, so I downloaded their self-titled album, and I kind of love them a lot. :D Her voice is just freaking awesome, and I love how bouncy and adorable their songs are. GOOD TIMES.
4. Portugal. The Man - Their album Church Mouth is the one I'm most familiar with, and it. Is. AWESOME. A couple of friends introduced them to me on a road trip this summer, and I liked what I heard so I got a couple of their albums. They pretty much rock. That is all. :D
3. The Gregory Brothers - The Autotune The News guys! They're a real band, and they're REALLY AWESOME. Their voices are all just amazing, and their EP is five songs of awesomeness. I quite like them. They're a little folksy-bluesy-poppy-rockish, and it's a good time.
2. The Mountain Goats - Thanks, John Green, for turning me on to this band. They are just... basically, if Endless Mike and the Beagle Club and the Decemberists had a baby, it would be the Mountain Goats. Lyics and music like Colin Meloy, voice and style of song like Endless Mike. Oh man, this band is great. :3
1. Ministry of Magic's new album Magic is Might is the best album I have heard all year, probably. I cannot stop listening to it. It's amazing. Not only because I love Harry Potter and I love the Ministry of Magic, but also - the songs are just amazingly written, the music is so good, and it's just a fantastic album. Gah, I love them.
RUNNERS-UP
1. The Black Keys - I was introduced to them at a party this summer, and man, they are cool. The album Brothers is a pretty good album. I really like their voices, as well.
2. Freelance Whales - Darren Criss's brother is in this band, and while that's not the ONLY reason I got their album, it was a little of the reason. ^_^ But seriously, they're SO CUTE. And their music is REALLY good. They also sort of remind me of the Decemberists, maybe if they weren't so depressing and stuck in the 1700s in England (or on ships, as they often are). XD Really good, solid indie rock band.
3. Weezer's new album Hurley, though I haven't listened to it much... I listened to it all the way through a couple of times when I first got it, but haven't really since. But it was very good, and a lot of people have agreed, so I'm putting it on the list. ^_^
Top 5 TV Shows I Watched in 2010
5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Oh, Joss. I know I'm like, seven years late or something, but STILL. I wish I'd been a fan when it was on. It's so good - even though I hate half the characters, it's still so funny, so interesting, so well-crafted, so unique... it's definitely one of the best shows that has ever been on television.
4. How I Met Your Mother - Ahhh, this show is soooo gooood. I don't even care what other people say, this show has been consistently awesome since the first season. It's had some not-so-great episodes, but even those were better than most shows' best episodes. I love this show, and I want it to go on forever. :3
3. Dexter - Oh man, Dexter is a great show. It's SO GOOD. I could have lived without season 3, but whatevs, all the rest of it is so brilliant it makes up for it.
2. Doctor Who - I AM SO GLAD I STARTED WATCHING DOCTOR WHOOOO. Oh my god, this SHOW. It is so AWESOME. IT'S RIDICULOUS HOW AWESOME DOCTOR WHO IS. And I'll leave it at that.
1. Community - Probably my favorite show right now, for reals. Even more than Glee or HIMYM, even more than Buffy or Doctor Who. It's SO FUNNY. You guys. SOOO FUUUNNNNYYYY. And so clever and well-written, too, it's not just stupid jokes. All the actors are fantastic, it never feels forced, it's always ridiculous but somehow seems plausible for these people, and it's still got the right amount of drama and romance and all that other stuff. :D It's truly a terrific show, and I hope it stays on the air forever and ever, as well. ^_^
RUNNERS-UP:
1. Glee - I'm not so impressed with the first part of season 2, but there were some excellent episodes, so I'm not going to write it off yet. :D Besides, it still makes me really happy, so. Yeah.
2. The Big Bang Theory - Funny, smart, nerdy, at times irritating, but mostly adorable and hilarious. This is a GREAT show.
3. Pushing Daisies - Awww, this show was so adorable. :3 I wish there had been more of it - Kristen Chenoweth was brilliant on it, and it was just such a cute premise. I really really liked this show. ^_^
Top 5 Books Read In 2010
5. Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - This was such a cute book! Maureen Johnson is hilarious and a little crazy, but her books are so well-written, and her characters are so fleshed out, it's awesome. This is a really good sort of coming-of-age quest-type book, one of those teens-on-a-soul-searching-road-trip type books, and it's amazing.
4. Looking For Alaska by John Green - John Green's book are all sort of along the same vein, the teen-taking-a-life-changing-road-trip vein. This one in particular doesn't have a road trip, per se, but it's a kid going away to school and all, so same diff. XD But it so fully embodies the kind of memories and feelings that I want to have from this time in my life, and it's so sad and poignant and John Green is such a good writer... it touched me, okay? It might not be your favorite, but it's mine. ^_^
3. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - I just finished this a couple of nights ago, and holy crap. It takes a while to get into, but boy howdy, does it keep you turning pages once you do. SO GOOD. It's such an interesting premise, and you get so attached to the characters and so affected by what's going on in the book, you just can't put it down. I'm excited to start the next one.
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Man, this series. THIS SERIES. Definitely the best series I've read in the last year, though really sad and kind of horrible. But it's so fast-paced and thrilling! It's like a quest but without the questing. It's AWESOME.
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - The sequel to The Hunger Games, I think I liked it better than the first. It was just so much more intense.
Okay, I can't think of much else to do a list of, and this has gotten really long, and it's 6:15 in the morning, SO... I will leave you with a few of my goals for 2011.
* Edit my NaNo novel and get the free copy from CreateSpace
* Get all As and Bs this semester (a C is okay for Math XD)
* Blog more!
* Finish our Twilight musical and film it
* Stop drinking soda
* Stop eating so much fast food/junk food
* Learn to actually play an instrument
* Start doing yoga and/or dance classes or something active
Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you have a safe and joyous New Year's Eve, and hope 2011 is better than 2010. What are some of your resolutions or goals?
Saturday, December 4, 2010
None of this makes sense or has a point. :D
Oh hey, blog. 'Sup? What's new with you? Oh, that's cool. Me? Ah, you know, schoolwork, hangin' out, wrote a book...
Yeah that's right. I WON NANOWRIMO 2010! :D! I finished on Tuesday, the last day, with 50,025 words. YEAAAHHHHHH! ^_^ This is my second time winning, out of four attempts. I'm glad I won this year 'cause 1 out of 4 is a terrible ratio of win. =/ BUT YAY I DID IT. :D I WROTE A BOOK!
Other than that, not a whole lot has been happening. Thanksgiving was good, excited for Christmas now... got like, a week left of school, so yay. :D I'm planning my garden for next year, so that'll be fun to blog about. I AM SURE YOU GUYS CAN'T WAIT.
I have a couple of things I want to make posts about, but if you guys have any suggestions I would be open to them. I feel like this blog is all over the place - personal stuff, political stuff, ridiculous stuff. XD I can't decide what I want to do with it. Ah, well. It's completely random and insane, just like me! :D
One thing that has been on my mind lately - those Facebook things where people post stuff in their statuses or change their profile pictures to "raise awareness" or whatever for different causes? What is up with that? How does putting your bra color in your status, without explaining what it means, do anything to raise awareness of breast cancer? Furthermore, who in this day and age is NOT aware of breast cancer? What does raising awareness DO? I mean, I could understand if it was like, a new thing or something people don't usually think about, or something happening in a different country, maybe... but I still don't see why people think changing their profile picture is going to make a difference.
Currently there's a trend going around where everyone is changing their photo to a picture of their favorite childhood cartoon character. It's supposed to raise awareness of child abuse, somehow. I don't really understand how, exactly. But it's happening. =/ Child abuse is a problem that there really isn't a good solution to. I mean, we as a country or a planet cannot police child abuse because it goes on in the home, and often there's no way of knowing for sure. The only thing we can do is what we have been doing - if you know someone is abusing a child, report it. Then get the child away from that person. And that's really all we can do to fix the problem. But we all know it happens, and it's really sad and everything, but what is Facebook going to do about it? How does this help?
I don't know. I just get kind of annoyed sometimes at the silly things people do. =/ But whatever - if you want to participate, that is fine. Good for you. If you really think it does some good, that's good, too. I hope it does. This is just my cynical grouchy old lady opinion. :D
Also: I really love the character Giles on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but I really hate the actor, Anthony Stewart Head. I think he's gross and dumb and irritating, but Giles is sexy and awesome and adorable. Does anyone else feel this way? O_o
Yeah that's right. I WON NANOWRIMO 2010! :D! I finished on Tuesday, the last day, with 50,025 words. YEAAAHHHHHH! ^_^ This is my second time winning, out of four attempts. I'm glad I won this year 'cause 1 out of 4 is a terrible ratio of win. =/ BUT YAY I DID IT. :D I WROTE A BOOK!
Other than that, not a whole lot has been happening. Thanksgiving was good, excited for Christmas now... got like, a week left of school, so yay. :D I'm planning my garden for next year, so that'll be fun to blog about. I AM SURE YOU GUYS CAN'T WAIT.
I have a couple of things I want to make posts about, but if you guys have any suggestions I would be open to them. I feel like this blog is all over the place - personal stuff, political stuff, ridiculous stuff. XD I can't decide what I want to do with it. Ah, well. It's completely random and insane, just like me! :D
One thing that has been on my mind lately - those Facebook things where people post stuff in their statuses or change their profile pictures to "raise awareness" or whatever for different causes? What is up with that? How does putting your bra color in your status, without explaining what it means, do anything to raise awareness of breast cancer? Furthermore, who in this day and age is NOT aware of breast cancer? What does raising awareness DO? I mean, I could understand if it was like, a new thing or something people don't usually think about, or something happening in a different country, maybe... but I still don't see why people think changing their profile picture is going to make a difference.
Currently there's a trend going around where everyone is changing their photo to a picture of their favorite childhood cartoon character. It's supposed to raise awareness of child abuse, somehow. I don't really understand how, exactly. But it's happening. =/ Child abuse is a problem that there really isn't a good solution to. I mean, we as a country or a planet cannot police child abuse because it goes on in the home, and often there's no way of knowing for sure. The only thing we can do is what we have been doing - if you know someone is abusing a child, report it. Then get the child away from that person. And that's really all we can do to fix the problem. But we all know it happens, and it's really sad and everything, but what is Facebook going to do about it? How does this help?
I don't know. I just get kind of annoyed sometimes at the silly things people do. =/ But whatever - if you want to participate, that is fine. Good for you. If you really think it does some good, that's good, too. I hope it does. This is just my cynical grouchy old lady opinion. :D
Also: I really love the character Giles on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but I really hate the actor, Anthony Stewart Head. I think he's gross and dumb and irritating, but Giles is sexy and awesome and adorable. Does anyone else feel this way? O_o
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Procrastination Station, indeed.
This is me not working on my NaNo novel! :D YAY.
You guys, I am so far behind, it's not even funny anymore. O_o I don't know if I can make it, but failure is NOT AN OPTION THIS YEAR. I HAVE to do it. I don't even know how I got so far behind!
The first week of November, I had a lot of stuff that I had to do for school. It was pretty hectic. But the very first day, I wrote nearly 2,000 words. I was like "I totally gots this, whatevs" and then I did my schoolwork and didn't touch the document until a week later. =/
That week, I added another 3,000ish words, a few hundred here and there, a thousand that night, and so on. It was progress, slowly and somewhat steadily. But I was still very behind. -_-
And then this past week! Miracles! I finally broke 10,000, even 11,000, and all it took was actually sitting down and writing! Who knew? I hit 11,100 and thought "Well, this was a good night! I'll take a break!" And then I didn't touch it again for four days.
Now I am up to 13,783, when I SHOULD be at 35,000. It is a huge, staggering gap, and I am determined to close it in the next couple of days. I have school tomorrow, but then I have a week off - yes, the holiday and family and working Black Friday, but STILL. SIX WHOLE DAYS in which I can close this gap. AND I SHALL. I am determined.
I can take some solace in knowing a few of my friends have given up, and a few of the people who ALWAYS win are behind, as well. I look to Kristina Horner (of the Parselmouths and ALL CAPS), four time winner, who is currently behind schedule at around 27,000, as my biggest inspiration - she's behind, but she never loses. And there's not so many words between us. I could easily catch up to her in a couple of days. And from there, I could easily catch up to NaNo's suggested word count. And from THERE, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to finishing!
When I look at it like that, it seems easy. But then I think "I'm writing all these words in a blog post when I should be writing my novel!" and I get all discouraged again. XD
Share your NaNo stories! Inspire me! Tell me how awesome I am for trying! Give me comments to read when I should be writing! :D
PS - also, would you guys be interested in a post about my Harry Potter experience? 'Cause I'll probably do it anyway, so just figured I'd ask. XD Do I even still have any readers?
You guys, I am so far behind, it's not even funny anymore. O_o I don't know if I can make it, but failure is NOT AN OPTION THIS YEAR. I HAVE to do it. I don't even know how I got so far behind!
The first week of November, I had a lot of stuff that I had to do for school. It was pretty hectic. But the very first day, I wrote nearly 2,000 words. I was like "I totally gots this, whatevs" and then I did my schoolwork and didn't touch the document until a week later. =/
That week, I added another 3,000ish words, a few hundred here and there, a thousand that night, and so on. It was progress, slowly and somewhat steadily. But I was still very behind. -_-
And then this past week! Miracles! I finally broke 10,000, even 11,000, and all it took was actually sitting down and writing! Who knew? I hit 11,100 and thought "Well, this was a good night! I'll take a break!" And then I didn't touch it again for four days.
Now I am up to 13,783, when I SHOULD be at 35,000. It is a huge, staggering gap, and I am determined to close it in the next couple of days. I have school tomorrow, but then I have a week off - yes, the holiday and family and working Black Friday, but STILL. SIX WHOLE DAYS in which I can close this gap. AND I SHALL. I am determined.
I can take some solace in knowing a few of my friends have given up, and a few of the people who ALWAYS win are behind, as well. I look to Kristina Horner (of the Parselmouths and ALL CAPS), four time winner, who is currently behind schedule at around 27,000, as my biggest inspiration - she's behind, but she never loses. And there's not so many words between us. I could easily catch up to her in a couple of days. And from there, I could easily catch up to NaNo's suggested word count. And from THERE, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to finishing!
When I look at it like that, it seems easy. But then I think "I'm writing all these words in a blog post when I should be writing my novel!" and I get all discouraged again. XD
Share your NaNo stories! Inspire me! Tell me how awesome I am for trying! Give me comments to read when I should be writing! :D
PS - also, would you guys be interested in a post about my Harry Potter experience? 'Cause I'll probably do it anyway, so just figured I'd ask. XD Do I even still have any readers?
Saturday, November 13, 2010
NANOWRIMOOOOO.
So I haven't posted in a bit. =/ Sorry. November is a busy month - midterms and papers and whatnot, plus we are right in the middle of NaNoWriMo, so I'm a bit stressed.
This is the fourth year I've done NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, which is a month-long sprint to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It's pretty awesome. :D I've only won once, but this year I intend to finish, even though right now I'm horribly behind. =/ If you're interested, their website is http://www.nanowrimo.org, and you can follow my progress or friend me at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/221272.
That's basically all I wanted to say. Life is going pretty well, but I've been busy, so I haven't had a lot of time for things. Hopefully when the semester is over and I've written my novel (IT'S GONNA HAPPEN I SWEAR) I'll be back with some interesting things to talk about. :D And who knows, maybe for Christmas I'll get a camcorder so I can fully pursue my dream of being internet famous! :D HOW EXCITING.
So I'll probably be back in a couple of weeks. :D Be good while I'm gone.
This is the fourth year I've done NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, which is a month-long sprint to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It's pretty awesome. :D I've only won once, but this year I intend to finish, even though right now I'm horribly behind. =/ If you're interested, their website is http://www.nanowrimo.org, and you can follow my progress or friend me at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/221272.
That's basically all I wanted to say. Life is going pretty well, but I've been busy, so I haven't had a lot of time for things. Hopefully when the semester is over and I've written my novel (IT'S GONNA HAPPEN I SWEAR) I'll be back with some interesting things to talk about. :D And who knows, maybe for Christmas I'll get a camcorder so I can fully pursue my dream of being internet famous! :D HOW EXCITING.
So I'll probably be back in a couple of weeks. :D Be good while I'm gone.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Attention, today's LGBT youth - It Gets Better.
If you have a Facebook or a Twitter, I'm sure you noticed that yesterday was the Spirit Day thing, where (according to Facebook) 27,990 people wore purple in honor of all the gay teens who committed suicide recently, as well as just to show support to the LGBTetc community. There have been several suicides recently, cases in which these kids were being bullied and picked on for being gay.
There's also a project on YouTube that's been going on since September, the It Gets Better Project, where dozens of celebrities have made videos telling LBGT youth that life gets better, that getting bullied right now sucks, but it's not worth killing yourself because as you get older, as the world becomes more accepting, and as you come into who you are and become proud of it, life does get better. I think it's part of or associated with The Trevor Project (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trevor_Project), which is also just amazing.
These projects are beautiful and awesome, and some of the videos in the It Gets Better project made me choke up a little, but the fact that they have to exist is sickening. The fact that children are killing themselves because their peers are so close-minded is just awful.
This subject makes me so angry. The people who say being gay is a choice, the people who don't want gays in the military or to be able to marry or adopt children, it's all just so frustrating. There are some things I'd like to say to those people:
First of all, IT IS NOT A CHOICE, YOU IDIOTS. Did you ever CHOOSE to be straight? When were you offered this choice? Birth? How can a baby make such an important decision? And I was never offered the choice - maybe I would have liked to be gay. God knows there are some things I would have liked to change, had I known we got a CHOICE. Were you also offered a choice on skin color, religion, gender? And why in the WORLD, with people like you walking around passing judgment on others for things they can't help, WHY would ANYONE choose to be gay? Or black? Or speak any other language besides English? With people like you making everyone who isn't JUST LIKE YOU feel like an abomination that doesn't deserve to be alive, WHY would anyone choose anything else? Also, sidebar - someone explain to me where the "God doesn't make mistakes" line of thought comes in.
Secondly, SHUT THE EFF UP ABOUT GAYS IN THE MILITARY, OH MY GOD. Seriously, there are people willing to go and die for their country, and you're going to tell them they can't? WHY? What could you POSSIBLY have to lose? I thought being in the military was just about the best thing an American could do, and here you guys are not letting everyone play. That's not fair. Women are allowed. Blacks are allowed. Asians are allowed. People not even from this COUNTRY are allowed, so why not gays? Woman isn't catching, and as far as I know neither are black, Asian, or foreign, so why are you so afraid that people will "turn" gay? Furthermore, what does being gay have to do with your ability to hold a gun, fly a plane, and drive a tank? The more people willingly signing up for war, the less likely your perfect straight-as-an-arrow sons will be drafted. Isn't this a good thing? Or do you just want to keep the glory of being in the military away from the gays? That's pretty selfish. =/
Third, Neil Patrick Harris and his boyfriend of like, five years, David Burtka, just adopted twins:
Look at these two. Just LOOK at them, and tell me that they shouldn't be allowed to be married, to be parents, to be IN LOVE. Look. Look at all the cute:
How can they possibly be wrong? :D <3 And there is just no argument about the babies turning out gay - I'm pretty sure NPH's parents aren't a gay couple. I don't think David's are either, actually. Hmm. How strange. I don't think Ellen DeGeneres was raised by two gay parents either, nor was her wife, Portia De Rossi. This is so weird! It's almost like the parents' sexualities make no difference on a child's sexuality! So, if we assume this is true, just, you know, based on all the evidence around us as seen in just about every single family in the world, then it simply CAN'T be true that gay parents would make a gay child! Wow. Learn something new every day, huh?
Seriously, though, it's just disgusting that there are people out there who treat their fellow human beings like this. In Sarah Silverman's It Gets Better video, she says that adults go around banning gay marriage and protesting adoption by gay couples and talking about gay people like they're the scum of the earth, and then they're all surprised when their children start bullying their gay peers. You're all shocked at the hatred and anger your children are expressing - WHERE DO YOU THINK THEY LEARNED IT? Why is it so bad to just let people be happy? Just let people love, whoever or whatever they want to love. How can it POSSIBLY hurt you if two men you don't know get married? What harm could POSSIBLY come to you and yours if two women decide to raise a child together? Do you really think that child will turn out any worse than your 14-year-old-daughter's kid?
I am so tired of hearing about these idiots. Listen, if there are any gay kids out there who happened upon this blog (thanks for reading, btw :D), pay attention: THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT HERE WHO LOVE YOU. There are people ON YOUR SIDE. There are people willing to fight for you, who've never met you but want you to be happy anyway, who never want to see you go through this pain. There are people you can talk to. Please, please, if you're a gay kid or teen being bullied at school, please don't hurt yourself. There are so many things out here to live for. And there's so much you could do. Please don't give up.
Personally, I am not homosexual, but inside, I am as close to a gay man as a woman can get. XD Many, many of my friends are LGBTs (is that a term? I guess it is now.), including one of my very best friends in the world. He is amazing and beautiful, and being gay is only a part of who he is, but without that part, he just wouldn't be the same glorious person. :D And neither would you. One of my other gay friends in high school once wore a dress to a football game, no joke. It was hilarious, and amazing, and he's just that kind of person. He actually dated my bff, and they were one of the only (possibly THE only) openly gay couples, and no one seemed to have an issue with it. And I live in South Carolina, y'all. =/
My point here is this: a) gay people are people, plain and simple; b) people who hate gays are stupid jerks and they make me sad and angry; c) The Trevor Project and It Gets Better are terrific projects and it makes me feel a little better seeing all the people who DO care; and d) if you are a gay teen being bullied, or, actually, ANYONE of ANY AGE being bullied and hurt, don't stand for it! And don't let them get you down! Talk to someone, tell on them, call the effing cops if you have to. Show them how much stronger you are than their close-minded words, and if they hurt you physically, I'm serious - go to the principal or even the police and get some help. And please, before you think about hurting yourself or someone else, please talk to someone. There are people who will listen, and people who care. Don't let the bullies win - if they keep winning, this world will never accept peoples' differences and we will all lose. =/
Go check out some of the It Gets Better videos on YouTube - Neil Patrick Harris's, Ellen's, and Sarah Silverman's are all good. Darren Hayes's (from Savage Garden) is good too, and YouTube's own Sassy Gay Friend made one as well. They are all pretty touching and emotional.
And here's the Trevor Project's site, where you can donate money, find helpful resources on suicide, and also find their suicide hotline number: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
There's also a project on YouTube that's been going on since September, the It Gets Better Project, where dozens of celebrities have made videos telling LBGT youth that life gets better, that getting bullied right now sucks, but it's not worth killing yourself because as you get older, as the world becomes more accepting, and as you come into who you are and become proud of it, life does get better. I think it's part of or associated with The Trevor Project (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trevor_Project), which is also just amazing.
These projects are beautiful and awesome, and some of the videos in the It Gets Better project made me choke up a little, but the fact that they have to exist is sickening. The fact that children are killing themselves because their peers are so close-minded is just awful.
This subject makes me so angry. The people who say being gay is a choice, the people who don't want gays in the military or to be able to marry or adopt children, it's all just so frustrating. There are some things I'd like to say to those people:
First of all, IT IS NOT A CHOICE, YOU IDIOTS. Did you ever CHOOSE to be straight? When were you offered this choice? Birth? How can a baby make such an important decision? And I was never offered the choice - maybe I would have liked to be gay. God knows there are some things I would have liked to change, had I known we got a CHOICE. Were you also offered a choice on skin color, religion, gender? And why in the WORLD, with people like you walking around passing judgment on others for things they can't help, WHY would ANYONE choose to be gay? Or black? Or speak any other language besides English? With people like you making everyone who isn't JUST LIKE YOU feel like an abomination that doesn't deserve to be alive, WHY would anyone choose anything else? Also, sidebar - someone explain to me where the "God doesn't make mistakes" line of thought comes in.
Secondly, SHUT THE EFF UP ABOUT GAYS IN THE MILITARY, OH MY GOD. Seriously, there are people willing to go and die for their country, and you're going to tell them they can't? WHY? What could you POSSIBLY have to lose? I thought being in the military was just about the best thing an American could do, and here you guys are not letting everyone play. That's not fair. Women are allowed. Blacks are allowed. Asians are allowed. People not even from this COUNTRY are allowed, so why not gays? Woman isn't catching, and as far as I know neither are black, Asian, or foreign, so why are you so afraid that people will "turn" gay? Furthermore, what does being gay have to do with your ability to hold a gun, fly a plane, and drive a tank? The more people willingly signing up for war, the less likely your perfect straight-as-an-arrow sons will be drafted. Isn't this a good thing? Or do you just want to keep the glory of being in the military away from the gays? That's pretty selfish. =/
Third, Neil Patrick Harris and his boyfriend of like, five years, David Burtka, just adopted twins:
Look at these two. Just LOOK at them, and tell me that they shouldn't be allowed to be married, to be parents, to be IN LOVE. Look. Look at all the cute:
How can they possibly be wrong? :D <3 And there is just no argument about the babies turning out gay - I'm pretty sure NPH's parents aren't a gay couple. I don't think David's are either, actually. Hmm. How strange. I don't think Ellen DeGeneres was raised by two gay parents either, nor was her wife, Portia De Rossi. This is so weird! It's almost like the parents' sexualities make no difference on a child's sexuality! So, if we assume this is true, just, you know, based on all the evidence around us as seen in just about every single family in the world, then it simply CAN'T be true that gay parents would make a gay child! Wow. Learn something new every day, huh?
Seriously, though, it's just disgusting that there are people out there who treat their fellow human beings like this. In Sarah Silverman's It Gets Better video, she says that adults go around banning gay marriage and protesting adoption by gay couples and talking about gay people like they're the scum of the earth, and then they're all surprised when their children start bullying their gay peers. You're all shocked at the hatred and anger your children are expressing - WHERE DO YOU THINK THEY LEARNED IT? Why is it so bad to just let people be happy? Just let people love, whoever or whatever they want to love. How can it POSSIBLY hurt you if two men you don't know get married? What harm could POSSIBLY come to you and yours if two women decide to raise a child together? Do you really think that child will turn out any worse than your 14-year-old-daughter's kid?
I am so tired of hearing about these idiots. Listen, if there are any gay kids out there who happened upon this blog (thanks for reading, btw :D), pay attention: THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT HERE WHO LOVE YOU. There are people ON YOUR SIDE. There are people willing to fight for you, who've never met you but want you to be happy anyway, who never want to see you go through this pain. There are people you can talk to. Please, please, if you're a gay kid or teen being bullied at school, please don't hurt yourself. There are so many things out here to live for. And there's so much you could do. Please don't give up.
Personally, I am not homosexual, but inside, I am as close to a gay man as a woman can get. XD Many, many of my friends are LGBTs (is that a term? I guess it is now.), including one of my very best friends in the world. He is amazing and beautiful, and being gay is only a part of who he is, but without that part, he just wouldn't be the same glorious person. :D And neither would you. One of my other gay friends in high school once wore a dress to a football game, no joke. It was hilarious, and amazing, and he's just that kind of person. He actually dated my bff, and they were one of the only (possibly THE only) openly gay couples, and no one seemed to have an issue with it. And I live in South Carolina, y'all. =/
My point here is this: a) gay people are people, plain and simple; b) people who hate gays are stupid jerks and they make me sad and angry; c) The Trevor Project and It Gets Better are terrific projects and it makes me feel a little better seeing all the people who DO care; and d) if you are a gay teen being bullied, or, actually, ANYONE of ANY AGE being bullied and hurt, don't stand for it! And don't let them get you down! Talk to someone, tell on them, call the effing cops if you have to. Show them how much stronger you are than their close-minded words, and if they hurt you physically, I'm serious - go to the principal or even the police and get some help. And please, before you think about hurting yourself or someone else, please talk to someone. There are people who will listen, and people who care. Don't let the bullies win - if they keep winning, this world will never accept peoples' differences and we will all lose. =/
Go check out some of the It Gets Better videos on YouTube - Neil Patrick Harris's, Ellen's, and Sarah Silverman's are all good. Darren Hayes's (from Savage Garden) is good too, and YouTube's own Sassy Gay Friend made one as well. They are all pretty touching and emotional.
And here's the Trevor Project's site, where you can donate money, find helpful resources on suicide, and also find their suicide hotline number: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
TRIPLE RAINBOW AWESOME TOUR
Hey, remember that time when I used to update this? Let's bring that back. :D
Once upon a time, around 3:30 Monday morning, my friend Carmen and I set off for Washington DC for the Triple Rainbow Awesome Tour! :D It was a long drive. A loooong drive. =/
We get to DC around 12:30ish, having stopped to eat and getting lost once or twice. :D Then we still have to find parking, which is just ridiculous, because it was Columbus Day so forty thousand people decided to go to DC and just take up all the parking spaces. =/ A nice meter maid lady told us it was free because it was a holiday, but thanks to stupid jerkfaces who can't park, we just ended up paying $10 to park in a garage. We figured it was less frustrating, and thus worth the money and the walking. It wasn't far to the park, anyway, but then we decided to eat. It was around 2 (yes, it took us THAT LONG to park) and we had seen a Subway somewhere while circling looking for parking, and a security dude in an art museum directed us to Pennsylvania and 7th, which was really close! Yay! So we set off!
And then we got to PA and 7th and didn't see a Subway or ANY restaurants, in fact. =/ I asked a lady, but she thought I meant a real subway, not the food Subway, so that was useless. Then I got attacked by a bug. Then we found a Starbucks, rested, and decided to try a place called Au Bon Pain, I think. I was deeply unimpressed. It was $8 for a crappy little ham sandwich and a Pepsi, and I didn't even get refills, and they didn't even get it right. =/ Not a fan. Oh well. There isn't one here, so it's not a problem. :D
ALSO: walking back and forth between this place and Starbucks, there was a LEGIT CRAZY LADY. On the way past the first time, we thought she was talking on a bluetooth thing. She didn't look crazy. She wasn't dressed horribly, and she had a roll-y suitcase guy with her, but she was just sitting on this wall thingy talking to herself. It was kind of terrifying. =/
Then we hung out in Starbucks charging our phones for an hour or so, waiting for 4:00 to happen. We were sleepy, but by the time we made it to the park, I was pretty excited again. ^_^ And guys - I've never been to a YouTube gathering or a Nerdfighter meetup, and the other two wrock concerts I went to were kind of small, so it was freaking AWESOME to see like, 70 people in HP, Doctor Who, wizard rock, Nerdfighter, YouTube people, and generally nerdy t-shirts, all hanging out together and being awesome. There were two groups when we came up, and then by the power of the Sons of Admirals and Doctor Who, we joined together (two girls in one group were wearing those shirts and I went to compliment them and said they should come join the other group). :D WOOT. It was fairly awesome. Everyone introduced themselves, even though there were far too many people to remember names... it was fun.
AND THEN. The stars showed up! :D Luke Conard, Kristina Horner, Mike Lombardo, Alex Carpenter, and Jason Munday. Weeeee! :D We relocated to another bit of the park, and then the concert started. Highlights:
* I am TOTALLY IN LOVE with Mike Lombardo. Seriously guys, go look him up on YouTube. :D SOOOO CUUUUTE. :3
* ALEX CARPENTER WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE. Why didn't I love the Remus Lupins before now?! Everyone was right - he's pretty much a god. :D <3
* Jason Munday is frickin' adorable and played two songs I love, but unfortunately not California Dorks, which has been stuck in my head for about a squillion years.
* ALL CAPS acoustic was pretty good, and even though I was sad I didn't get to hear them/MoM in all their glory, it was a really cozy familiar setting, and it was really nice. :D
* Mike Lombardo solved my Rubik's Cube, which sounds like an innuendo, but it's just a fact. XD In one of his songs he says he can solve it in 2 minutes, and I wanted to see if it was true, and he didn't do it in 2 minutes so I felt bad, but he did eventually solve it so it was okay. :D
* Nerdfighters will clap at anything - parrots, fire trucks, some guy shaving in the park...
* Did I mention how cute they all are? 'Cause they are. SO CUTE.
I talked to Mike Lombardo, and guys, he is just so sweet. He's one of the sweetest guys ever. :D He was so nice to me even though I'm a crazy fangirl who was like "HELLO MIKE I LOVE YOU YOU'RE CUTE AND I LOVE YOU SERIOUSLY I LOVE YOU AND YOU'RE CUTE. I LOVE YOU. :DDD" And they were all pretty impressed that we drove so far to see them. ^_^ So that made us feel special.
Then we napped for about three hours in the rest area right outside DC on the way back to Richmond. Totally didn't even die. :D And then we drove home, and it was mostly okay, but the last 3 hours were just torturous. We were hallucinating and cranky and just wanted to teleport home. And we saw a weresheep. D: For reals. It followed us. ;-;
Anyway, so that was my adventure to DC for one day! :D It was a good time. People who performed:
Mike Lombardo - http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLombardoMusic
ALL CAPS - http://www.youtube.com/user/ALLCAPSBAND
Ministry of Magic - http://www.youtube.com/user/ministryofmagicmusic
Luke Conard (ALL CAPS, Ministry of Magic)- http://www.youtube.com/user/LukeConard
Kristina Horner (ALL CAPS)- http://www.youtube.com/user/italktosnakes
Jason Munday (Skyway Flyer, Ministry of Magic)- http://www.youtube.com/user/JasonMundayMusic
Alex Carpenter (The Remus Lupins)- http://www.youtube.com/user/AlexanderCarpenter
Check them all out, they're all amazing musicians and really great people. :D
Once upon a time, around 3:30 Monday morning, my friend Carmen and I set off for Washington DC for the Triple Rainbow Awesome Tour! :D It was a long drive. A loooong drive. =/
We get to DC around 12:30ish, having stopped to eat and getting lost once or twice. :D Then we still have to find parking, which is just ridiculous, because it was Columbus Day so forty thousand people decided to go to DC and just take up all the parking spaces. =/ A nice meter maid lady told us it was free because it was a holiday, but thanks to stupid jerkfaces who can't park, we just ended up paying $10 to park in a garage. We figured it was less frustrating, and thus worth the money and the walking. It wasn't far to the park, anyway, but then we decided to eat. It was around 2 (yes, it took us THAT LONG to park) and we had seen a Subway somewhere while circling looking for parking, and a security dude in an art museum directed us to Pennsylvania and 7th, which was really close! Yay! So we set off!
And then we got to PA and 7th and didn't see a Subway or ANY restaurants, in fact. =/ I asked a lady, but she thought I meant a real subway, not the food Subway, so that was useless. Then I got attacked by a bug. Then we found a Starbucks, rested, and decided to try a place called Au Bon Pain, I think. I was deeply unimpressed. It was $8 for a crappy little ham sandwich and a Pepsi, and I didn't even get refills, and they didn't even get it right. =/ Not a fan. Oh well. There isn't one here, so it's not a problem. :D
ALSO: walking back and forth between this place and Starbucks, there was a LEGIT CRAZY LADY. On the way past the first time, we thought she was talking on a bluetooth thing. She didn't look crazy. She wasn't dressed horribly, and she had a roll-y suitcase guy with her, but she was just sitting on this wall thingy talking to herself. It was kind of terrifying. =/
Then we hung out in Starbucks charging our phones for an hour or so, waiting for 4:00 to happen. We were sleepy, but by the time we made it to the park, I was pretty excited again. ^_^ And guys - I've never been to a YouTube gathering or a Nerdfighter meetup, and the other two wrock concerts I went to were kind of small, so it was freaking AWESOME to see like, 70 people in HP, Doctor Who, wizard rock, Nerdfighter, YouTube people, and generally nerdy t-shirts, all hanging out together and being awesome. There were two groups when we came up, and then by the power of the Sons of Admirals and Doctor Who, we joined together (two girls in one group were wearing those shirts and I went to compliment them and said they should come join the other group). :D WOOT. It was fairly awesome. Everyone introduced themselves, even though there were far too many people to remember names... it was fun.
AND THEN. The stars showed up! :D Luke Conard, Kristina Horner, Mike Lombardo, Alex Carpenter, and Jason Munday. Weeeee! :D We relocated to another bit of the park, and then the concert started. Highlights:
* I am TOTALLY IN LOVE with Mike Lombardo. Seriously guys, go look him up on YouTube. :D SOOOO CUUUUTE. :3
* ALEX CARPENTER WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE. Why didn't I love the Remus Lupins before now?! Everyone was right - he's pretty much a god. :D <3
* Jason Munday is frickin' adorable and played two songs I love, but unfortunately not California Dorks, which has been stuck in my head for about a squillion years.
* ALL CAPS acoustic was pretty good, and even though I was sad I didn't get to hear them/MoM in all their glory, it was a really cozy familiar setting, and it was really nice. :D
* Mike Lombardo solved my Rubik's Cube, which sounds like an innuendo, but it's just a fact. XD In one of his songs he says he can solve it in 2 minutes, and I wanted to see if it was true, and he didn't do it in 2 minutes so I felt bad, but he did eventually solve it so it was okay. :D
* Nerdfighters will clap at anything - parrots, fire trucks, some guy shaving in the park...
* Did I mention how cute they all are? 'Cause they are. SO CUTE.
I talked to Mike Lombardo, and guys, he is just so sweet. He's one of the sweetest guys ever. :D He was so nice to me even though I'm a crazy fangirl who was like "HELLO MIKE I LOVE YOU YOU'RE CUTE AND I LOVE YOU SERIOUSLY I LOVE YOU AND YOU'RE CUTE. I LOVE YOU. :DDD" And they were all pretty impressed that we drove so far to see them. ^_^ So that made us feel special.
Then we napped for about three hours in the rest area right outside DC on the way back to Richmond. Totally didn't even die. :D And then we drove home, and it was mostly okay, but the last 3 hours were just torturous. We were hallucinating and cranky and just wanted to teleport home. And we saw a weresheep. D: For reals. It followed us. ;-;
Anyway, so that was my adventure to DC for one day! :D It was a good time. People who performed:
Mike Lombardo - http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLombardoMusic
ALL CAPS - http://www.youtube.com/user/ALLCAPSBAND
Ministry of Magic - http://www.youtube.com/user/ministryofmagicmusic
Luke Conard (ALL CAPS, Ministry of Magic)- http://www.youtube.com/user/LukeConard
Kristina Horner (ALL CAPS)- http://www.youtube.com/user/italktosnakes
Jason Munday (Skyway Flyer, Ministry of Magic)- http://www.youtube.com/user/JasonMundayMusic
Alex Carpenter (The Remus Lupins)- http://www.youtube.com/user/AlexanderCarpenter
Check them all out, they're all amazing musicians and really great people. :D
Sunday, September 26, 2010
I like the internet.
I have totally failed at blogging this week, huh? -_- Oh well. What can you do?
I've been thinking a bit about social media stuff, partly because of my last blog and partly because everyone makes such a huge freaking deal when any part of the internet is broken. Of course, I'm just as angry when Facebook goes away or something, but people are always saying stuff about how my generation can't do anything because we're so wired up and always have our phones and iPods and whatnot, and honestly, I don't think that's true.
For the most part, yes, we're constantly texting or tweeting, checking Facebook or IMing, blogging or emailing (yeah, like anyone emails anymore! [that's a joke, I still email]). But that doesn't mean we don't know how to interact with people. It doesn't mean we sit inside all day and do nothing but stare at a screen. A lot of our time may be spent that way, but why does that have to be a bad thing? I spend a LOT of time online, but I still have irl (in real life) friends and hang out with them often. We do things that don't involve screens at all, sometimes, and occasionally we even go to that place without walls or ceilings, where it's all hot and bright and there's plants and stuff. But yes, I do text and tweet sometimes, and I have been known to check Facebook more than a few times a day (more than that, if I'm trying to do homework), and even sometimes remember to post on my blog.
And the internet, aside from being an amazing time-waster and source of "knowledge" and useful tool for pirating, is also a fantastic way to meet people and make friends. I have several friends I've met online, who I feel I know pretty well, from all around the country, and even around the world. Someone I would consider a very close friend lives in Wisconsin, and I've never met her. We've talked on the phone, as well as various places on the internet. In fact, I've made more online friends than I have friends at college, and I consider them to be just as important as my real life friends. So it's not all bad. It's not all posting pictures of drunk friends or updating everyone we know about what we're eating at the moment. There are some legitimate uses for the internet. And the internet is the only way I can communicate with most of my online friends, so yes, I do spend a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter, but it's not like I can't function without them.
That's what I feel a lot of people think about my age group - that we literally cannot do anything without our phones or laptops. And it's a little insulting, because not all of us are like that. A small percentage, yes, but not all of us. It just really bothers me. I'm a pretty well-rounded person, I think, and I read, I write, I like to play games, I do a lot of things that don't involve a screen or wires of any sort. And I don't think it's a bad thing to like video games, movies, or hanging out online. Honestly, I think as long as you can go without it, as long as you can function without it in your life, as long as it isn't your entire life, anything you like to do is okay.
I don't know. I probably shouldn't blog at 7 AM when I haven't been asleep yet. =/
I've been thinking a bit about social media stuff, partly because of my last blog and partly because everyone makes such a huge freaking deal when any part of the internet is broken. Of course, I'm just as angry when Facebook goes away or something, but people are always saying stuff about how my generation can't do anything because we're so wired up and always have our phones and iPods and whatnot, and honestly, I don't think that's true.
For the most part, yes, we're constantly texting or tweeting, checking Facebook or IMing, blogging or emailing (yeah, like anyone emails anymore! [that's a joke, I still email]). But that doesn't mean we don't know how to interact with people. It doesn't mean we sit inside all day and do nothing but stare at a screen. A lot of our time may be spent that way, but why does that have to be a bad thing? I spend a LOT of time online, but I still have irl (in real life) friends and hang out with them often. We do things that don't involve screens at all, sometimes, and occasionally we even go to that place without walls or ceilings, where it's all hot and bright and there's plants and stuff. But yes, I do text and tweet sometimes, and I have been known to check Facebook more than a few times a day (more than that, if I'm trying to do homework), and even sometimes remember to post on my blog.
And the internet, aside from being an amazing time-waster and source of "knowledge" and useful tool for pirating, is also a fantastic way to meet people and make friends. I have several friends I've met online, who I feel I know pretty well, from all around the country, and even around the world. Someone I would consider a very close friend lives in Wisconsin, and I've never met her. We've talked on the phone, as well as various places on the internet. In fact, I've made more online friends than I have friends at college, and I consider them to be just as important as my real life friends. So it's not all bad. It's not all posting pictures of drunk friends or updating everyone we know about what we're eating at the moment. There are some legitimate uses for the internet. And the internet is the only way I can communicate with most of my online friends, so yes, I do spend a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter, but it's not like I can't function without them.
That's what I feel a lot of people think about my age group - that we literally cannot do anything without our phones or laptops. And it's a little insulting, because not all of us are like that. A small percentage, yes, but not all of us. It just really bothers me. I'm a pretty well-rounded person, I think, and I read, I write, I like to play games, I do a lot of things that don't involve a screen or wires of any sort. And I don't think it's a bad thing to like video games, movies, or hanging out online. Honestly, I think as long as you can go without it, as long as you can function without it in your life, as long as it isn't your entire life, anything you like to do is okay.
I don't know. I probably shouldn't blog at 7 AM when I haven't been asleep yet. =/
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Internet rights?
I failed at blogging yesterday 'cause I was busy with Real Life Things. O_o I know. It happens sometimes.
However, today I come to you with A Story. :D Apparently some kid brought a gun to my old high school and shot the security officer dude, and then I think made a bomb threat or something. The officer is fine, and the kid was taken away, but several schools had to be locked down because of the bomb threat. This whole story has circulated around Facebook today, and now people are passing links to his Twitter around, too. And this kid... let me tell you, he's a real winner.
I'm not going to post a name or a Twitter account, or quote him directly, but there were at least 15 tweets involving guns, bombs, and death of some sort. I just glanced over the first page, all the tweets before the shooting occurred, and as one of my friends put it: this probably could have been prevented. But that's where I find issues.
On the one hand, if the authorities had access to this kid's tweets, they might have been able to keep the shooting from happening. They would have had to have access to his location, full name, and school information, but they could have prevented it theoretically.
On the other hand, would it have been an invasion of his privacy? It's a public place, his tweets aren't protected, so anyone can see them. But his information, unless he makes it public, should be protected by Twitter, right? And he should be allowed to say whatever he wants on his own Twitter, right?
So what should be done about these kinds of situations? Everyone's always saying that the world has become obsessed with social media and the internet and instant everything, and it's true. I'm part of it, of course, and I love Facebook and Twitter, but even though they're on the internet I still consider it sort of private and personal. It's my own corner of the internet. And no one can tell me what to post, or not to post, and if I don't want you to have access, I don't think you should be able to see it, police, government, or not.
In a case where monitoring social media could potentially save lives, is it better to protect our freedom of speech, or to violate those rights but keep more situations like this from happening?
However, today I come to you with A Story. :D Apparently some kid brought a gun to my old high school and shot the security officer dude, and then I think made a bomb threat or something. The officer is fine, and the kid was taken away, but several schools had to be locked down because of the bomb threat. This whole story has circulated around Facebook today, and now people are passing links to his Twitter around, too. And this kid... let me tell you, he's a real winner.
I'm not going to post a name or a Twitter account, or quote him directly, but there were at least 15 tweets involving guns, bombs, and death of some sort. I just glanced over the first page, all the tweets before the shooting occurred, and as one of my friends put it: this probably could have been prevented. But that's where I find issues.
On the one hand, if the authorities had access to this kid's tweets, they might have been able to keep the shooting from happening. They would have had to have access to his location, full name, and school information, but they could have prevented it theoretically.
On the other hand, would it have been an invasion of his privacy? It's a public place, his tweets aren't protected, so anyone can see them. But his information, unless he makes it public, should be protected by Twitter, right? And he should be allowed to say whatever he wants on his own Twitter, right?
So what should be done about these kinds of situations? Everyone's always saying that the world has become obsessed with social media and the internet and instant everything, and it's true. I'm part of it, of course, and I love Facebook and Twitter, but even though they're on the internet I still consider it sort of private and personal. It's my own corner of the internet. And no one can tell me what to post, or not to post, and if I don't want you to have access, I don't think you should be able to see it, police, government, or not.
In a case where monitoring social media could potentially save lives, is it better to protect our freedom of speech, or to violate those rights but keep more situations like this from happening?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Pointless post is pointless. :D
I think I've decided I'm not going to blog every day in October. I was considering it, but it's very difficult sometimes to come up with stuff to talk about. And I don't want this blog to be just random nonsense, I want to plan out some really cool posts. Also, in November, I'll be doing NaNoWriMo, and I don't think I'll have time to keep up the blogging every day thing. So I'll take a break in October and get a routine going for blogging. :D
I know you guys care so much about that. ^_^
Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I AM EXCITED THIS YEAR. I sucked last year, so I'm really excited to win again. Somehow I can't make myself do it any other month than November. =/ But I've got an idea for a plot already! I'm stoked. :D Are any of you guys doing NaNoWriMo? You should.
http://www.nanowrimo.org
So that's what I've been thinking about today, figuring out a schedule for my life. I need to have time for homework, blogging, writing, and the internet, as well as school, a job, and sleep. Then there's family times, hanging out times, helping around the house, and hobby type stuffs. Lately I'm having a terrible time managing my time, hard as I try, so I really need to just sit down and schedule it out. I like making schedules and stuff. ^_^ So yay.
ANYWAY, that concludes today's episode of Erin Babbles About Nothing In Particular. Whooo! Hopefully I will have something more important to babble about tomorrow. By the way, fall TV premiere week starts tomorrow! I am excited! :D
I know you guys care so much about that. ^_^
Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I AM EXCITED THIS YEAR. I sucked last year, so I'm really excited to win again. Somehow I can't make myself do it any other month than November. =/ But I've got an idea for a plot already! I'm stoked. :D Are any of you guys doing NaNoWriMo? You should.
http://www.nanowrimo.org
So that's what I've been thinking about today, figuring out a schedule for my life. I need to have time for homework, blogging, writing, and the internet, as well as school, a job, and sleep. Then there's family times, hanging out times, helping around the house, and hobby type stuffs. Lately I'm having a terrible time managing my time, hard as I try, so I really need to just sit down and schedule it out. I like making schedules and stuff. ^_^ So yay.
ANYWAY, that concludes today's episode of Erin Babbles About Nothing In Particular. Whooo! Hopefully I will have something more important to babble about tomorrow. By the way, fall TV premiere week starts tomorrow! I am excited! :D
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Today's post is made possible by SCHOOL. Where you LEARN.
I should probably start a segment called "Things That Annoy the Crap Out of Me." Or at least make it a tag or something. =/
Today's TTAtCOoM is college students who a) don't try, b) don't listen, or c) think that the classes should be really easy and they shouldn't actually have to write papers or do homework or, you know, learn anything. I mean, you're PAYING FOR THE CLASS. Why not actually do the work and learn the stuff?
My Spanish class is extremely annoying, for many reasons. It's a 101 class, which means that very few people have actually taken Spanish. That's to be expected - I don't have an issue with people not knowing Spanish right off the bat. BUT. When we do "Como te llama?" and "Me llamo ____" for THIRTY STUDENTS, by the time you get to the 30th, they should have some idea of what's going on. I mean, hearing the teacher ask every person before you "Como te llama?" and hearing EVERY PERSON reply with "Me llamo" and THEIR NAME should kind of give you a clue as to what you're expected to say. You don't even have to know what it means! It's repetition!
There's this girl in my class who was talking about how she wanted to switch out to a different teacher, because OUR teacher had the CRAZY IDEA that actually SPEAKING SPANISH TO US would help us learn. She was like "I hear that the 155 class is taught in English. I mean, she comes in here and starts speaking Spanish and I don't know what she's saying! We don't speak Spanish yet, jeez!" (Not an actual quote.) Apparently the 155 class spends the first few weeks just learning the alphabet. Yes. WEEKS. On the ALPHABET. I would die of boredom in that class. And seriously, what could you possibly learn in a class that spends so long on the basics? If you don't want to learn Spanish, DON'T TAKE SPANISH.
I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't be calling people out like this, but seriously. It really bugs me when I hear students complain about stuff like this. You're paying to learn, okay? So what if the paper due date gets pushed back after you've already finished it? You're done with it, who cares if you have to wait a week to turn it in? Don't complain about stuff like that. And don't be surprised if the teacher expects you to actually take something away from all the hours you spend in class. Why are you even here if you're not expecting to learn? There are lots of people out there who can't afford to go to college, and here you are wasting it. Why even bother going?
It makes me mad. =/ Unfortunately, not everyone in our country is able to get an education, and when I see people BS-ing their way through classes or not doing the work, complaining about the homework or tests or whatever (unless it's actually unfair, like the prof makes really crappy tests), it just upsets me. It's the same for teachers, too - teachers who don't teach right annoy me because I've paid to be here, and you're BEING paid to be here, so why don't we actually get something done in class, eh? I don't want to sit here for an hour and hear you talk about your life when you were a kid, or read in class for an hour, or have you try to trick us on the tests instead of just seeing what we actually know. It's stupid. It cannot be that hard to be a good teacher, really.
Bah. Anyway. That's today's blog post, the first official installment of Things That Annoy the Crap Out of Me. I'm totally making it a thing. XD
Today's TTAtCOoM is college students who a) don't try, b) don't listen, or c) think that the classes should be really easy and they shouldn't actually have to write papers or do homework or, you know, learn anything. I mean, you're PAYING FOR THE CLASS. Why not actually do the work and learn the stuff?
My Spanish class is extremely annoying, for many reasons. It's a 101 class, which means that very few people have actually taken Spanish. That's to be expected - I don't have an issue with people not knowing Spanish right off the bat. BUT. When we do "Como te llama?" and "Me llamo ____" for THIRTY STUDENTS, by the time you get to the 30th, they should have some idea of what's going on. I mean, hearing the teacher ask every person before you "Como te llama?" and hearing EVERY PERSON reply with "Me llamo" and THEIR NAME should kind of give you a clue as to what you're expected to say. You don't even have to know what it means! It's repetition!
There's this girl in my class who was talking about how she wanted to switch out to a different teacher, because OUR teacher had the CRAZY IDEA that actually SPEAKING SPANISH TO US would help us learn. She was like "I hear that the 155 class is taught in English. I mean, she comes in here and starts speaking Spanish and I don't know what she's saying! We don't speak Spanish yet, jeez!" (Not an actual quote.) Apparently the 155 class spends the first few weeks just learning the alphabet. Yes. WEEKS. On the ALPHABET. I would die of boredom in that class. And seriously, what could you possibly learn in a class that spends so long on the basics? If you don't want to learn Spanish, DON'T TAKE SPANISH.
I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't be calling people out like this, but seriously. It really bugs me when I hear students complain about stuff like this. You're paying to learn, okay? So what if the paper due date gets pushed back after you've already finished it? You're done with it, who cares if you have to wait a week to turn it in? Don't complain about stuff like that. And don't be surprised if the teacher expects you to actually take something away from all the hours you spend in class. Why are you even here if you're not expecting to learn? There are lots of people out there who can't afford to go to college, and here you are wasting it. Why even bother going?
It makes me mad. =/ Unfortunately, not everyone in our country is able to get an education, and when I see people BS-ing their way through classes or not doing the work, complaining about the homework or tests or whatever (unless it's actually unfair, like the prof makes really crappy tests), it just upsets me. It's the same for teachers, too - teachers who don't teach right annoy me because I've paid to be here, and you're BEING paid to be here, so why don't we actually get something done in class, eh? I don't want to sit here for an hour and hear you talk about your life when you were a kid, or read in class for an hour, or have you try to trick us on the tests instead of just seeing what we actually know. It's stupid. It cannot be that hard to be a good teacher, really.
Bah. Anyway. That's today's blog post, the first official installment of Things That Annoy the Crap Out of Me. I'm totally making it a thing. XD
Friday, September 17, 2010
Boooo.
I'm extremely tired so this post will probably be very short. =/
I spent most of the day "working" on Twilight, then came and did my math homework, which took entirely too long. Then I applied for a job at Best Buy! Wouldn't that be a funtime? Fingers crossed, guys!
My sleeping is all out of whack again, quel surprise. But I'm about to go to bed and it's only 11:30, so maybe I'll turn it around again yet! :D My life is so utterly fascinating.
I really don't have anything to talk about, I'm sorry. Lame blog post is lame. =/ But hey, at least I didn't forget to do it! :D?
Bedtime internets. Goodnight.
I spent most of the day "working" on Twilight, then came and did my math homework, which took entirely too long. Then I applied for a job at Best Buy! Wouldn't that be a funtime? Fingers crossed, guys!
My sleeping is all out of whack again, quel surprise. But I'm about to go to bed and it's only 11:30, so maybe I'll turn it around again yet! :D My life is so utterly fascinating.
I really don't have anything to talk about, I'm sorry. Lame blog post is lame. =/ But hey, at least I didn't forget to do it! :D?
Bedtime internets. Goodnight.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
I have nothing else to talk about. Besides, I love Doctor Who.
I got my Doctor Who shirt in the mail the other day, which made me do a happy dance of happy, and I wore it to school yesterday hoping I would make all the friends. Unfortunately, only like, two people commented on it, and one was already my friend. =/ BUT it doesn't matter because I love Doctor Who and wearing the shirt made me really happy. It has David Tennant's face on it.
David Tennant is the best Doctor, imo, of the three I've seen. I liked Christopher Eccleston too, but he was there so briefly I didn't get a chance to love him properly. Matt Smith is okay so far, but David owns my heart. ^_^ He's so cute and weird and his eyebrows are magnificent. Also "allons-y" is the best catchphrase, and he's so cute when he says it. I LOVE DAVID TENNANT.
As far as the companions go, Rose irritated me at first and then grew on me; Martha was freakin' awesome; I HATED DONNA FOREVER AND EVER; and Amy so far is all right, kind of annoying and slutty, but mostly okay. Donna set the bar pretty high for me hating characters on that show. I thought Rose was annoying, then Donna showed up. After that I was like, "Hey, as long as you're not Donna, you're welcome to be the companion!" UGH DONNA. She's just so whiny and nasally, and she's always bugging the Doctor about stuff that he can't do anything about.
One time they went to Pompeii, and Donna was all like "OMG Doctor we should totally save all these people from the volcano!" and the Doctor was like "We can't actually do that, much as I'd like to, because it's a fixed point in time and we can't go messing about with history 'cause it could totally destroy the world." And Donna was like "YOU'RE SUCH A JERK I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D LET ALL THESE PEOPLE WE DON'T KNOW DIE EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DIE AND IT'S A MILLION YEARS AGO ANYWAY OMG YOU'RE SO MEEEAAANN." And the Doctor is like, "Look, I'm the Time Lord here, I know the rules, and it's my responsibility to make sure everything goes the right way. MAYBE I know a little bit more about it than you. So MAYBE YOU SHOULD LET ME DO MY JOB." And then Donna was all, "Whatevs, if he's gonna be like that, I'll save the people my own darn self." And the Doctor had to go and correct all her stupid mistakes and save the world from exploding. And that is why I hate Donna.
I'll give her that it's refreshing to have a companion NOT be totally in love with the Doctor, 'cause that's a little annoying. But Donna herself is MUCH more annoying than the others pining away for the Doctor - at least that has a vague sense of plot about it. Donna just irritates me to no end. =/
As far as season 5 goes, so far I like Matt Smith, though not as much as David Tennant, but he's doing a pretty good job. I kind of like Amy, whore-y as she can be. My favorite, though, is Rory, Amy's fiance guy. He's adorable and funny and I feel really sad for him, but he's a good guy. And I love him. And I want him to go travel around with the Doctor, too, because he's awesome. ^_^
I need to get a job so I can spend all my money on DVDs and shirts. I have a serious addiction to buying t-shirts and TV-on-DVD. XD
David Tennant is the best Doctor, imo, of the three I've seen. I liked Christopher Eccleston too, but he was there so briefly I didn't get a chance to love him properly. Matt Smith is okay so far, but David owns my heart. ^_^ He's so cute and weird and his eyebrows are magnificent. Also "allons-y" is the best catchphrase, and he's so cute when he says it. I LOVE DAVID TENNANT.
As far as the companions go, Rose irritated me at first and then grew on me; Martha was freakin' awesome; I HATED DONNA FOREVER AND EVER; and Amy so far is all right, kind of annoying and slutty, but mostly okay. Donna set the bar pretty high for me hating characters on that show. I thought Rose was annoying, then Donna showed up. After that I was like, "Hey, as long as you're not Donna, you're welcome to be the companion!" UGH DONNA. She's just so whiny and nasally, and she's always bugging the Doctor about stuff that he can't do anything about.
One time they went to Pompeii, and Donna was all like "OMG Doctor we should totally save all these people from the volcano!" and the Doctor was like "We can't actually do that, much as I'd like to, because it's a fixed point in time and we can't go messing about with history 'cause it could totally destroy the world." And Donna was like "YOU'RE SUCH A JERK I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D LET ALL THESE PEOPLE WE DON'T KNOW DIE EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DIE AND IT'S A MILLION YEARS AGO ANYWAY OMG YOU'RE SO MEEEAAANN." And the Doctor is like, "Look, I'm the Time Lord here, I know the rules, and it's my responsibility to make sure everything goes the right way. MAYBE I know a little bit more about it than you. So MAYBE YOU SHOULD LET ME DO MY JOB." And then Donna was all, "Whatevs, if he's gonna be like that, I'll save the people my own darn self." And the Doctor had to go and correct all her stupid mistakes and save the world from exploding. And that is why I hate Donna.
I'll give her that it's refreshing to have a companion NOT be totally in love with the Doctor, 'cause that's a little annoying. But Donna herself is MUCH more annoying than the others pining away for the Doctor - at least that has a vague sense of plot about it. Donna just irritates me to no end. =/
As far as season 5 goes, so far I like Matt Smith, though not as much as David Tennant, but he's doing a pretty good job. I kind of like Amy, whore-y as she can be. My favorite, though, is Rory, Amy's fiance guy. He's adorable and funny and I feel really sad for him, but he's a good guy. And I love him. And I want him to go travel around with the Doctor, too, because he's awesome. ^_^
I need to get a job so I can spend all my money on DVDs and shirts. I have a serious addiction to buying t-shirts and TV-on-DVD. XD
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
I'm from the future.
Another suggestion from my blog muse was to write a letter to the Erin of the Future. :D So here's my letter to me in ten years.
Dear 32-year-old Erin,
Hello! It's 22-year-old Erin, remember me? I'm just writing to see how you're doing, how life's going and all. I hope it's going pretty well. For Pete's sake, I hope you're done with college. If you're still in school, punch yourself in the face RIGHT NOW. I'm gonna know if you did it or not. =/
Am I married yet? I guess I hope I am - I mean, it doesn't matter if you're still single, I'm sure life is still awesome. But it'd be nice to be married by now. What's our hypothetical husband like? I hope he's handsome and funny, smart but not too much smarter than me, sweet and caring, with interests similar to mine. I'm not even going to ask if he likes Harry Potter, because if you married him, I'm sure he does. Did we have a Harry Potter themed wedding?! Oh, I hope so. If you didn't have a HP-themed wedding, punch yourself in the face again. SERIOUSLY. That's just messed up. (I'm pretty sure we had a Harry Potter themed wedding, or at LEAST some references here and there. Like the bride and groom figurines were in Gryffindor colors or something. Or maybe we served butterbeer. I'm sure we figured something out.)
Are you a famous author yet? Were you famous before your 10-year high school reunion rolled around? If you weren't, I guess it's okay. I was just looking forward to rubbing it in the faces of everyone who was mean to me. XD But hey, as long as we're a famous best-selling author now, I'm cool. And with pronouns like these, how could we/you/I not be?!
I hope we've had a lot of adventures and fun in our lifetime. When the time comes to write a memoir, I hope future-future-me has a LOT to write about. And I hope our life has been full of joy and happiness, love and friendship. I sincerely hope my parents are still around, and my sisters are close and doing well in their future lives. Let me know how things are going with you, 32-year-old self! I look forward to finding out all about you. :D
Love,
22-year-old Erin
Dear 32-year-old Erin,
Hello! It's 22-year-old Erin, remember me? I'm just writing to see how you're doing, how life's going and all. I hope it's going pretty well. For Pete's sake, I hope you're done with college. If you're still in school, punch yourself in the face RIGHT NOW. I'm gonna know if you did it or not. =/
Am I married yet? I guess I hope I am - I mean, it doesn't matter if you're still single, I'm sure life is still awesome. But it'd be nice to be married by now. What's our hypothetical husband like? I hope he's handsome and funny, smart but not too much smarter than me, sweet and caring, with interests similar to mine. I'm not even going to ask if he likes Harry Potter, because if you married him, I'm sure he does. Did we have a Harry Potter themed wedding?! Oh, I hope so. If you didn't have a HP-themed wedding, punch yourself in the face again. SERIOUSLY. That's just messed up. (I'm pretty sure we had a Harry Potter themed wedding, or at LEAST some references here and there. Like the bride and groom figurines were in Gryffindor colors or something. Or maybe we served butterbeer. I'm sure we figured something out.)
Are you a famous author yet? Were you famous before your 10-year high school reunion rolled around? If you weren't, I guess it's okay. I was just looking forward to rubbing it in the faces of everyone who was mean to me. XD But hey, as long as we're a famous best-selling author now, I'm cool. And with pronouns like these, how could we/you/I not be?!
I hope we've had a lot of adventures and fun in our lifetime. When the time comes to write a memoir, I hope future-future-me has a LOT to write about. And I hope our life has been full of joy and happiness, love and friendship. I sincerely hope my parents are still around, and my sisters are close and doing well in their future lives. Let me know how things are going with you, 32-year-old self! I look forward to finding out all about you. :D
Love,
22-year-old Erin
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
I dream about sharks an awful lot.
I'm wearing fake glasses as I write this. You know, those glasses with clear plastic lenses that they sell in like, Claire's? I totally have a pair, and they have rhinestones on the corners, and they're awesome, and I'm wearing them.
Anyway. My blog muse suggested I write about dreams I've had, which is a terrific topic because I have the MOST CRACKED OUT DREAMS EVER. Seriously. My subconscious is a crazy person.
When I was little, I used to have a lot of recurring dreams. There were three or four dreams I'd have over and over - not for several nights in a row, but for years, with months in between them. It was weird. And they didn't seem to mean anything, either. There was one dream I always had where I was a little fish, just swimming around being a fish, and then suddenly I looked down ('cause fish can do that) and there were like, fifteen sharks in a circle directly beneath me. I'd race for the surface and they'd chase me and just as I was either about to break free or be eaten, I'd wake up. That sounds like it'd mean something, like being trapped in a situation or being afraid of something, I don't know. But I was little, like eight or so. There wasn't much going on in my life.
Another recurring dream from my childhood, which actually became something of an inside joke for me and my sisters: I'm hanging out in my backyard with my little sister, and we're running around playing or whatever. We get to the back corner of our yard, which is fenced in, and we look back towards the house - and somehow, the entire yard is made of ice. Like, not ice over the grass, it's MADE of ice. There's water underneath us, and we're standing on maybe a foot of solid ice. I'm trying to get my sister to go back to the house, when all of a sudden there's a whipcrack in the air and we look to the other side of the yard, which seems to go on and on at this point, and there's a freaking ESKIMO on a DOGSLED rushing towards us. He looks scary, so I start freaking out. Then my sister points out that underneath the ice, in the water, there are sharks. Apparently I was secretly scared of sharks, I don't know. But as soon as we see the sharks, the ice starts to crack. The Eskimo is getting closer, the sharks are right under us, and the ice cracks. Just before we were about to either fall or get caught, I'd wake up.
Pretty sure I had some other recurring nightmares as a child, but I've also had some amazing one-time dreams. XD They're usually funny and weird. This one time I dreamt about pirates, and I was hanging out with this ridiculously gay pirate, just eating mashed potatoes on his pirate ship. It was weird. I don't even like mashed potatoes that much. O_o
I also had a dream about ice skating with Neil Patrick Harris, then stumbling upon a human sacrifice, escaping it, and returning home to find that a bunch of wizard rock people had mailed me cookies and cupcakes.
I've had nightmares about Doctor Who (the Weeping Angels, need I say more?), Harry Potter (literally, one time I had the dream that's just flashes of green light, a woman screaming, and high cold laughter), and Buffy (the Gentlemen freaked me the eff out). I have dreams about famous people and people I know.
My dreams usually happen like movies - they're vivid, there's music and sound effects and crazy visual effects, and there's usually some sort of either completely insane or intensely epic plot. Like traveling from planet to planet via magic doors, being chased by terrifying Police who look like monks and want to kill you. Or delivering some magic musical instrument to someone in a school run by people I know irl, running up and down staircases that only go in one direction, mourning the loss of a girl I dislike in a Spanish class taught by one of my friends, all the while trying to get this made-up musical instrument to the right person so they can save us all.
My dreams are often the inspiration for stories, sometimes poems, and most recently a book. The ones with good plots, at least. Some of them are just insanity. XD So I kind of like having such an intense imagination, because as long as I dream, I'll have plots for books and stories. And being a writer is what I want, so I guess as long as I dream, I have a shot at my dreams?
... No. Let's just pretend I never said that. :D
Anyway. My blog muse suggested I write about dreams I've had, which is a terrific topic because I have the MOST CRACKED OUT DREAMS EVER. Seriously. My subconscious is a crazy person.
When I was little, I used to have a lot of recurring dreams. There were three or four dreams I'd have over and over - not for several nights in a row, but for years, with months in between them. It was weird. And they didn't seem to mean anything, either. There was one dream I always had where I was a little fish, just swimming around being a fish, and then suddenly I looked down ('cause fish can do that) and there were like, fifteen sharks in a circle directly beneath me. I'd race for the surface and they'd chase me and just as I was either about to break free or be eaten, I'd wake up. That sounds like it'd mean something, like being trapped in a situation or being afraid of something, I don't know. But I was little, like eight or so. There wasn't much going on in my life.
Another recurring dream from my childhood, which actually became something of an inside joke for me and my sisters: I'm hanging out in my backyard with my little sister, and we're running around playing or whatever. We get to the back corner of our yard, which is fenced in, and we look back towards the house - and somehow, the entire yard is made of ice. Like, not ice over the grass, it's MADE of ice. There's water underneath us, and we're standing on maybe a foot of solid ice. I'm trying to get my sister to go back to the house, when all of a sudden there's a whipcrack in the air and we look to the other side of the yard, which seems to go on and on at this point, and there's a freaking ESKIMO on a DOGSLED rushing towards us. He looks scary, so I start freaking out. Then my sister points out that underneath the ice, in the water, there are sharks. Apparently I was secretly scared of sharks, I don't know. But as soon as we see the sharks, the ice starts to crack. The Eskimo is getting closer, the sharks are right under us, and the ice cracks. Just before we were about to either fall or get caught, I'd wake up.
Pretty sure I had some other recurring nightmares as a child, but I've also had some amazing one-time dreams. XD They're usually funny and weird. This one time I dreamt about pirates, and I was hanging out with this ridiculously gay pirate, just eating mashed potatoes on his pirate ship. It was weird. I don't even like mashed potatoes that much. O_o
I also had a dream about ice skating with Neil Patrick Harris, then stumbling upon a human sacrifice, escaping it, and returning home to find that a bunch of wizard rock people had mailed me cookies and cupcakes.
I've had nightmares about Doctor Who (the Weeping Angels, need I say more?), Harry Potter (literally, one time I had the dream that's just flashes of green light, a woman screaming, and high cold laughter), and Buffy (the Gentlemen freaked me the eff out). I have dreams about famous people and people I know.
My dreams usually happen like movies - they're vivid, there's music and sound effects and crazy visual effects, and there's usually some sort of either completely insane or intensely epic plot. Like traveling from planet to planet via magic doors, being chased by terrifying Police who look like monks and want to kill you. Or delivering some magic musical instrument to someone in a school run by people I know irl, running up and down staircases that only go in one direction, mourning the loss of a girl I dislike in a Spanish class taught by one of my friends, all the while trying to get this made-up musical instrument to the right person so they can save us all.
My dreams are often the inspiration for stories, sometimes poems, and most recently a book. The ones with good plots, at least. Some of them are just insanity. XD So I kind of like having such an intense imagination, because as long as I dream, I'll have plots for books and stories. And being a writer is what I want, so I guess as long as I dream, I have a shot at my dreams?
... No. Let's just pretend I never said that. :D
Monday, September 13, 2010
Musings about the seasons and holidays and stuff.
I STARTED THIS BEFORE MIDNIGHT IT TOTALLY COUNTS :D
The weather today was fan-freakin'-tastic, so even though I slept through my first class (whoops) and did my Spanish homework wrong (I did it too well, actually), it was a pretty great day. I had lunch with some friends I don't see nearly enough, then hung out with my sisters, and it was just delightful.
I'm so excited that fall is nearing. Everyone loves the change from summer to fall, the arrival of the pumpkin-spice-everything, hoodie weather, apple picking if you're lucky enough to live somewhere where that's available, and most of all - the holiday season.
I don't care what religion or nationality you are, there is something for everyone to celebrate in the last few months of the year (Author's Note: this may or may not be true of all religions or nationalities). Thanksgiving is my personal favorite, mostly because it's got the best food. Seriously, it's not about the whole Pilgrims vs the Indians thing, at least not anymore. It may have started that way, but that's not what we think about these days. It's about being thankful for what we have, namely the delicious food we're about to eat. :D But seriously, it's a time for thinking of the less fortunate and being glad for what we have, and I think that's nice. It's a good holiday.
I'm excited for many things this coming fall/winter season. There are a few concerts coming up that I want to go to, there are some movies, specifically HARRY POTTER, the holidays, the weather... I'm mostly just ready for change. I'm excited for a few certain events, but really, I just love the changing of the seasons. It makes me happy. :D
Especially because here in Myrtle Beach, we really only have three seasons: semiwinter, OMGSOHOTOMG, and comfortable. Comfortable is my favorite part of the year. It happens twice - sometime in April and sometime in September or October. It really only lasts a couple of months, if we're lucky, but it's delightful. Leaving the doors and windows open, the crisp coolness of the air with the warmth of the sun... it's awesome. :D
Someone better start suggesting blog post ideas, or this Blogging Most Days in September thing is going to fail. XD
The weather today was fan-freakin'-tastic, so even though I slept through my first class (whoops) and did my Spanish homework wrong (I did it too well, actually), it was a pretty great day. I had lunch with some friends I don't see nearly enough, then hung out with my sisters, and it was just delightful.
I'm so excited that fall is nearing. Everyone loves the change from summer to fall, the arrival of the pumpkin-spice-everything, hoodie weather, apple picking if you're lucky enough to live somewhere where that's available, and most of all - the holiday season.
I don't care what religion or nationality you are, there is something for everyone to celebrate in the last few months of the year (Author's Note: this may or may not be true of all religions or nationalities). Thanksgiving is my personal favorite, mostly because it's got the best food. Seriously, it's not about the whole Pilgrims vs the Indians thing, at least not anymore. It may have started that way, but that's not what we think about these days. It's about being thankful for what we have, namely the delicious food we're about to eat. :D But seriously, it's a time for thinking of the less fortunate and being glad for what we have, and I think that's nice. It's a good holiday.
I'm excited for many things this coming fall/winter season. There are a few concerts coming up that I want to go to, there are some movies, specifically HARRY POTTER, the holidays, the weather... I'm mostly just ready for change. I'm excited for a few certain events, but really, I just love the changing of the seasons. It makes me happy. :D
Especially because here in Myrtle Beach, we really only have three seasons: semiwinter, OMGSOHOTOMG, and comfortable. Comfortable is my favorite part of the year. It happens twice - sometime in April and sometime in September or October. It really only lasts a couple of months, if we're lucky, but it's delightful. Leaving the doors and windows open, the crisp coolness of the air with the warmth of the sun... it's awesome. :D
Someone better start suggesting blog post ideas, or this Blogging Most Days in September thing is going to fail. XD
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Don't make fun of me.
This Sunday evening, I find myself trying to read the rest of Huck Finn, study for a Music Appreciate quiz (I use "study" lightly because it's really not that hard a class), study Spanish, and apply for jobs, and then I remember I have to do a blog post! So move over homework and employment, I have STUFF TO DO ON THE INTERNET.
The hardest part of blogging every day is finding stuff to talk about. Especially since this isn't a personal blog, per se, so I don't want to talk too much about my life. I already have a blog for that. XD
So I'm watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which I will admit is something of a guilty pleasure, but I couldn't tell you why. All of these people are awful to each other, to other people, just in general. The girls are so disrespectful to their parents, who in turn are immature and annoying. They're all just... ugh. Whiny, obnoxious, idiotic, spoiled, pick your favorite.
But despite all of that, I find myself watching them for hours at a time. Why? What is it about them that is so fascinating? I mean, yeah, Kim Kardashian is really pretty, and they have, um, interesting fashion sense, and it's kind of fun to see all the fights they get into and stuff... but there's no real substance to the show. To be honest, there's no real substance to E! in general, but this show in particular is just ridiculous. I don't know why I watch it. =/
So that's one of my guilty pleasures, nonsensical as it is. What are some of yours? I have to go do homework now, and hopefully find a job before my unemployment runs out. :D See you tomorrow!
The hardest part of blogging every day is finding stuff to talk about. Especially since this isn't a personal blog, per se, so I don't want to talk too much about my life. I already have a blog for that. XD
So I'm watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which I will admit is something of a guilty pleasure, but I couldn't tell you why. All of these people are awful to each other, to other people, just in general. The girls are so disrespectful to their parents, who in turn are immature and annoying. They're all just... ugh. Whiny, obnoxious, idiotic, spoiled, pick your favorite.
But despite all of that, I find myself watching them for hours at a time. Why? What is it about them that is so fascinating? I mean, yeah, Kim Kardashian is really pretty, and they have, um, interesting fashion sense, and it's kind of fun to see all the fights they get into and stuff... but there's no real substance to the show. To be honest, there's no real substance to E! in general, but this show in particular is just ridiculous. I don't know why I watch it. =/
So that's one of my guilty pleasures, nonsensical as it is. What are some of yours? I have to go do homework now, and hopefully find a job before my unemployment runs out. :D See you tomorrow!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Short post today, sorry. =/
FIRST, an addition to yesterday's post - "I'S" DOES NOT EXIST IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. There is no instance where that's okay. It's Sarah's and MY birthday. This is Lisa's and MY new kitten. Pictures from my sister's and MY vacation. AAHHHH IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY. It's like the I/me rule - take out the other person and see if it makes sense. Or you could just use your brain and realize that "I's" makes no sense and sounds ridiculous and is not a real word.
Anyway.
I don't really have much to talk about today. I don't want to talk about 9/11, but I would like repost a formspring response from Ed Blann, also known as Eddplant on YouTube/the rest of the internet:
What's your opinion on the 9/11 attack on America? I've always wondered what an English dude thought about it.
The events of September the 11th, 2001 were a tragic loss of human life, but I think worse than that is the response it received and the actions which followed it. The events encouraged a minority of Muslims to be more outspoken about their hateful beliefs, most of which are largely unfounded and have little basis in the Qu'ran, and worse than that led the governments of the world on a wild goose chase that has so far ignited more hatred and violence than it has abated.
By all means, remember those who lost their lives in the attacks on that day, but spare a thought for the tragic deaths since that could easily have been avoided.
I would agree, Eddplant. I am very sad for the families who lost someone, and of course I think we should honor the memories of the victims and the soldiers, but I also think that the following war and prejudice and everything else is just as bad, if not worse, and could have been avoided. Remember those who lost their lives for this country, but think about why.
Anyway.
I don't really have much to talk about today. I don't want to talk about 9/11, but I would like repost a formspring response from Ed Blann, also known as Eddplant on YouTube/the rest of the internet:
What's your opinion on the 9/11 attack on America? I've always wondered what an English dude thought about it.
The events of September the 11th, 2001 were a tragic loss of human life, but I think worse than that is the response it received and the actions which followed it. The events encouraged a minority of Muslims to be more outspoken about their hateful beliefs, most of which are largely unfounded and have little basis in the Qu'ran, and worse than that led the governments of the world on a wild goose chase that has so far ignited more hatred and violence than it has abated.
By all means, remember those who lost their lives in the attacks on that day, but spare a thought for the tragic deaths since that could easily have been avoided.
I would agree, Eddplant. I am very sad for the families who lost someone, and of course I think we should honor the memories of the victims and the soldiers, but I also think that the following war and prejudice and everything else is just as bad, if not worse, and could have been avoided. Remember those who lost their lives for this country, but think about why.
Friday, September 10, 2010
GRAMMAR NAZI ALERT
I feel a rant coming on. No one's going to read all of this, and I probably won't have any friends anymore, but I can't stop it.
You know what really freaking irritates me? When I see things that are for sale, like t-shirts or posters or whatever, with SPELLING ERRORS ON THEM. Especially handmade things, because then it's like, what, you just didn't check before you printed up the t-shirt? Just assumed you were right and went ahead and made it? I mean, really, if you're trying to SELL SOMETHING to people, you'd think you'd want to get it right. =/
Also really annoying - when people misuse apostrophes. I'm not talking about not doing contractions wrong, which is ALSO also really annoying; no, I mean when someone shortens a word and puts an apostrophe at the end of it for no reason. Example:
"You" to "ya" is a new word entirely, not half a word or two words smashed together.
"Want to" to "wanna" is a new word entirely. It's slang, not a contraction.
NEITHER OF THESE NEED APOSTROPHES.
And it's annoying enough to see "When are ya' coming over?" but when I see "When are ya' comin over?" my vision fades to red and I just start banging my head against the desk. APOSTROPHES AREN'T THAT HARD. Seriously, here are the basic rules of apostrophes:
1) Contractions, which are SPECIFICALLY these formats: "can not" to "can't," "will not" to "won't," "you are" to "you're," "she is" to "she's." Obviously there are more contractions than these, but these are examples of the format. We all know the contractions, but we don't all know how to use them, apparently.
2) To show possession. This is admittedly a little tricky, especially with names that end in s. "Erin's book." "Kelly's room." "Chris' problems," SINGULAR. NOW, if it's a name that ends in s and there are TWO of them, it would be "That's the Chris's problem now." Some grammarians say that it doesn't matter which you use, as long as you're consistent.
3) To shorten words. 'Cause. Goin'. These are the proper ways of shortening words - if you are simply taking off a letter or two and not adding any more, you can tack on an apostrophe.
Chris' comment shows he doesn't understand what I'm sayin'. SEE. It's EASY.
And another thing, just because it irritates me to no end:
YOUR = POSSESSIVE. Your book. Your shoe.
YOU'RE = CONTRACTION FOR "YOU ARE." You're crazy. You're wrong.
If YOU'RE not saying "you are," leave the apostrophe out of YOUR word.
There = a place. Over there. There it is.
Their = possessive, belonging to people who are not you or me. It's theirs.
They're = a contraction for "they are." They're going. They're with me.
THEY'RE going to get THEIR books from over THERE. "The" is always first no matter which one it is.
THESE ARE NOT THAT HARD, WHY DO PEOPLE GET THEM WRONG?
I'm not trying to be stuck up here or anything, but SERIOUSLY. This is our NATIVE LANGUAGE. We've all been speaking it since we were like, two or three, at least. There is no excuse, short of a mental handicap, for not knowing the basic rules of spelling and grammar. I mean, really, they haven't changed for a while. And I'm not talking about hard stuff, I'm talking about CONTRACTIONS and HOMOPHONES.
I find it particularly delicious and hilarious when I see something like this on Facebook:
"i shouldnt have to press 1 for englihs, your in AMERICA, learn the language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Oh, I love it when people do things like this. XD Except for the blatant disregard for all rules of capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. Three exclamation points, MAX, guys. But really, the fact that they're saying "learn the language" in English that is ENTIRELY WRONG, oh, it just makes the evil part of me laugh and laugh. And then I get really scared because what if one of these people is in charge of something important? They can't even spell the name of our language, how are they going to do anything else? Then my brain and my heart huddle together and have a good cry, while the evil part of me is still snickering away.
tl;dr version: LEARN ENGLISH AND USE IT PROPERLY. There's no excuse not to, and people won't make fun of you and call you an idiot if you can speak your OWN FREAKING LANGUAGE. Well, they might, but it'll probably happen less.
You know what really freaking irritates me? When I see things that are for sale, like t-shirts or posters or whatever, with SPELLING ERRORS ON THEM. Especially handmade things, because then it's like, what, you just didn't check before you printed up the t-shirt? Just assumed you were right and went ahead and made it? I mean, really, if you're trying to SELL SOMETHING to people, you'd think you'd want to get it right. =/
Also really annoying - when people misuse apostrophes. I'm not talking about not doing contractions wrong, which is ALSO also really annoying; no, I mean when someone shortens a word and puts an apostrophe at the end of it for no reason. Example:
"You" to "ya" is a new word entirely, not half a word or two words smashed together.
"Want to" to "wanna" is a new word entirely. It's slang, not a contraction.
NEITHER OF THESE NEED APOSTROPHES.
And it's annoying enough to see "When are ya' coming over?" but when I see "When are ya' comin over?" my vision fades to red and I just start banging my head against the desk. APOSTROPHES AREN'T THAT HARD. Seriously, here are the basic rules of apostrophes:
1) Contractions, which are SPECIFICALLY these formats: "can not" to "can't," "will not" to "won't," "you are" to "you're," "she is" to "she's." Obviously there are more contractions than these, but these are examples of the format. We all know the contractions, but we don't all know how to use them, apparently.
2) To show possession. This is admittedly a little tricky, especially with names that end in s. "Erin's book." "Kelly's room." "Chris' problems," SINGULAR. NOW, if it's a name that ends in s and there are TWO of them, it would be "That's the Chris's problem now." Some grammarians say that it doesn't matter which you use, as long as you're consistent.
3) To shorten words. 'Cause. Goin'. These are the proper ways of shortening words - if you are simply taking off a letter or two and not adding any more, you can tack on an apostrophe.
Chris' comment shows he doesn't understand what I'm sayin'. SEE. It's EASY.
And another thing, just because it irritates me to no end:
YOUR = POSSESSIVE. Your book. Your shoe.
YOU'RE = CONTRACTION FOR "YOU ARE." You're crazy. You're wrong.
If YOU'RE not saying "you are," leave the apostrophe out of YOUR word.
There = a place. Over there. There it is.
Their = possessive, belonging to people who are not you or me. It's theirs.
They're = a contraction for "they are." They're going. They're with me.
THEY'RE going to get THEIR books from over THERE. "The" is always first no matter which one it is.
THESE ARE NOT THAT HARD, WHY DO PEOPLE GET THEM WRONG?
I'm not trying to be stuck up here or anything, but SERIOUSLY. This is our NATIVE LANGUAGE. We've all been speaking it since we were like, two or three, at least. There is no excuse, short of a mental handicap, for not knowing the basic rules of spelling and grammar. I mean, really, they haven't changed for a while. And I'm not talking about hard stuff, I'm talking about CONTRACTIONS and HOMOPHONES.
I find it particularly delicious and hilarious when I see something like this on Facebook:
"i shouldnt have to press 1 for englihs, your in AMERICA, learn the language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Oh, I love it when people do things like this. XD Except for the blatant disregard for all rules of capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. Three exclamation points, MAX, guys. But really, the fact that they're saying "learn the language" in English that is ENTIRELY WRONG, oh, it just makes the evil part of me laugh and laugh. And then I get really scared because what if one of these people is in charge of something important? They can't even spell the name of our language, how are they going to do anything else? Then my brain and my heart huddle together and have a good cry, while the evil part of me is still snickering away.
tl;dr version: LEARN ENGLISH AND USE IT PROPERLY. There's no excuse not to, and people won't make fun of you and call you an idiot if you can speak your OWN FREAKING LANGUAGE. Well, they might, but it'll probably happen less.
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