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?

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 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

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!

In which I prove just exactly how lame I am, in multiple ways!

Once upon a time, Doctor Who is an awesome show of awesomeness that is awesome. It's basically about an alien, a 900-year-old Time Lord called the Doctor, who can move around time and space in his spaceship which looks like one of those old fashioned Police Call Boxes in England. ANYWAY. So Doctor Who is awesome, but it is oftentimes TERRIFYING. For real, it's about every tenth episode or so where I'm like "OKAY, CAN'T SLEEP NOW, THANKS A LOT DOCTOR WHO." And then I have to watch another episode or read or something and then I'm up till 7AM and it's ALL DOCTOR WHO'S FAULT.

So there are some enemies that keep showing up, most notably the Daleks (ancient enemies of the Time Lords, they're little R2D2 lookin' guys with creepy squishy aliens inside, and their sole purpose in life is to take over everything and exterminate everything that isn't a Dalek) and the Cybermen (human brains minus the whole emotions thing, encased in a robot body, with the sole purpose to upgrade all other humans to Cybermen, and if they resist they get deleted), and they're fairly freaksome, but eventually you just get tired of them, so they're not so scary. BUT. Some of these episodes are just HORRIFYING.

There's an episode where they investigate a planet orbiting a black hole, and underneath they find Satan (yes, THAT Satan). That was scary. The one where the little girl was possessed by some crazy alien spore or something and was capturing people in her drawings - literally. There's one with a giant spider alien, so, you know, I LOVED THAT ONE.

This one episode called "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances" where the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston - every so often the Doctor will get hurt and instead of dying he regenerates and comes back in a new body, which is how the show has been on for like, thirty years) and his companion Rose (ugh, Rose. I used to hate her until DONNA showed up, and then she didn't seem so bad. I FREAKING HATE DONNA, just so you know.) are in the middle of WWII London, where they encounter this horrible little kid with a gas mask on, who the other little kids call The Empty Child. He's just walking around everywhere with his terrifying gas-mask-face, going "Are you my mummy? Mummy? I want my mummy." AND IT IS SO SCARY OMG WHAT EVEN. It ends happily and everything, but for the most part, I watched the episode peeking out between my fingers. =/

But that wasn't as scary as "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead," where the 10th Doctor (DAVID TENNANT HE IS MY FAVORITE I LOOOVE HIIIM) and his companion Donna (I HATE DONNA) go to this library planet (the whole planet is a library - I know, I want to go there too) and discover that all of the people there are gone. There are some explorer people who are there too, and together they try to solve the mystery. TURNS OUT, these shadow creatures, the Vashta Nerada, are devouring people in like, seconds. Yeah. SHADOWS. As in, you can't see them until it's too late, and you have to stay in the light all the time, which of course is impossible because the ceiling is a glass dome and the sun is going down. So YAY. They are scary, too, because they make a sort of electronic ghost in the explorers' walkie-talkies, so after they kill people you can still talk to them and stuff. It's creeepy. O_o

But THAT isn't even CLOSE to how freaking terrifying the Weeping Angels are. Sure, I was careful around shadows and afraid to turn out the lights after the Vashta Nerada. But the Weeping Angels... I was legitimately too scared to sleep after I saw the first episode with them, which is called "Blink" and is in the 10th Doctor's time. And that episode even ends happily. BUT THEN THEY COME BACK.

First, let me explain what a Weeping Angel is and why it is so incredibly scary. They're statues of angels, usually with their hands over their faces like they're crying, but they're actually alive. And they're only stone when you look at them. When you turn around or close your eyes, even to blink, they move. And they move FAST. Like, if they're ten feet away and you blink, they'll be RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. And their faces get all angry looking, with huge gaping mouths and sharp fangs and angry frowny foreheads... they're scary bananas.

"The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone" (I guess the two-parters are really what freak me out the most, huh) is in season 5, the 11th Doctor's (Matt Smith) first season. The Doctor and his new companion, Amy, end up on this planet where these soldier guys are trying to catch this one Weeping Angel in some catacombs. They're all wandering around and some are getting killed and there's all these eroded statues in there, and then it turns out that they're all Angels too. The Doctor figures this out by TURNING OFF THE FLASHLIGHTS and then turning them back on. O_O And also, Amy's in this trailer watching security camera footage of the Angel, and then it starts COMING THE EFF OUT OF THE TV. Turns out whatever captures the image of an Angel turns into an Angel itself, so any pictures or videos will eventually COME ALIVE AND KILL YOU. And Amy looks into its eyes, so I guess her brain made an image of the Angel or something, so she starts turning into one... it's weird. BUT! The Doctor tells her to keep her eyes shut so she won't turn into an Angel. KEEP HER EYES SHUT. WITH 50,000 ANGELS WALKIN' AROUND.

And then he decides it'd be a good idea to go traipsing around in a FOREST, and it's just generally terrifying. I guess it's mostly scary because they keep doing stupid things, but the Angels freak me the eff out. I can't look at statues anymore, but I also can't NOT look, just in case. Oh, Doctor Who, you have ruined me. =/ It's a scary show sometimes, but it is also too awesome for me not to watch it. :D

So yeah! That's my story about how Doctor Who is trying to kill me via heart attack. Right after I watched the 2-part Weeping Angels episodes, my mom nearly scared me to death by simply walking down the hallway. Her shoes were making scary noises and it was dark and I wasn't expecting her... gah, I'm a wimp. ^_^ But still. It's all Doctor Who's fault.

I am human and I need to be loved, just like anyone else.

Good morning, everyone! Nothing like some Morrissey lyrics to start off the day.

Yes, I am human, and I do need to be loved, just like everyone else in this world. This is something I feel we do not acknowledge enough in our day-to-day lives. Every person on this planet has the same rights, the same needs, as everyone else. And we forget that. We judge people, we get angry with each other, we punish others - when really, it could so easily be any of us on the receiving end.

I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not just as guilty of these things. We ALL are. The murderer on Death Row is angry with the guy in the cell next to his. The morbidly obese woman in leopard print Spandex leggings and a tube top is judging the man in front of her at the grocery store. We're all guilty, and we all need to remember that most basic of human needs - the need to be loved, to be wanted, to be needed.

Fun fact - I watch a LOT of kids' shows on TV. I regularly watch The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, iCarly, and True Jackson VP. It ASTOUNDS me the amount of mindless violence, insults, and truly horrific situations that occur on these shows. Nickelodeon is the worst. Disney is usually pretty good about solving all problems and everyone being BFFs again at the end of the 30 minutes, but Nick (specifically iCarly) makes me uneasy. The characters are mean to each other, get in fights or do awful non-violent things, like destroying personal property or some such, and are constantly leaving characters in dangerous or scary situations, like being locked in a cage or treehouse for a weekend alone with no food or water, being tortured by an 8-year-old, or getting in car crashes set up on purpose. And never do any of the others see if they're okay, put a stop to whatever it is, or help anyone in any way.

Now, I realize that this is pretty true to life, and why feed kids lies about how the world is, yadda yadda. But doesn't that scare you? That we're teaching our kids to accept violence, anger, and torture as the norm? I grew up on a healthy diet of fairy tales and pretend, where things were always happy and everyone always got what they wanted, and bad people were easily recognized and always got what was coming to them. I still watch kids' shows because I ache for that to be true. I've seen what the world really is, and I long to run back to the Disney princesses and hide behind their skirts where it's safe. But I can't. The world is a bad place full of scary people and horrible things, and the only thing I can do is make my small corner of it better. I do my best, but sometimes the weight of it all is too much and it gets me down. Sometimes I fail and it gets me down. But I still try. I'm still intent on changing it all.

The biggest change of all would be for people to just be nice to each other. That is what all religion is about - compassion. Treating others nicely. Helping out your fellow man. Unfortunately, people have made this almost impossible, what with homeless people spending their money on drugs, hitchhikers killing the people who pick them up, and generally everyone in the world being out to help themselves and no one else. But we can still do it. Be careful and be smart, and it's possible to help people out without endangering yourself. And at the very freaking least, BE NICE TO EACH OTHER. Don't snicker when someone weighing more than you walks by. Don't bite off the head of someone trying to teach you something (I'm working on it, Mom! <3). Don't make assumptions about someone based on appearance when you don't know who they are or where they're coming from. Ask someone if they're all right if they look sad, offer them a hug, listen to their stories. Smile at people as you walk past them. Give compliments. Just... be nice.

A very wise puppet once said, "When you help others, you can't help helping yourself," and he knew what he was talking about. When you do a nice thing, it makes you feel good, and it inspires other people to do nice things as well. Like those commercials where everyone sees someone else do something nice and they do something too, and then the whole world is happy and they want you to buy a car or get insurance or something. But without that last part. The point is, there's a reason why it's the Golden Rule, and why it's the basis of pretty much every religion in the world. Treat others with respect, do good things, be a nice person, and it'll all come back to you - threefold.

(Yeah, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, AND Wicca all in one go! :D)