For the longest time I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to do NaNoWriMo this year. There were several reasons why this was, not the least of which was the fact that my semester is literally insane, therefore I was anticipating no time, I had no story ideas (or no new ones anyway, and as far as I know, you're not allowed to work on the same story two years in a row), I wanted to win and didn't know if I could commit to it this year, etc. However, after having watched this video, I realized that these were all superficial, stupid reasons. Kristina is right, there is no excuse to not do NaNoWriMo this year.
Honestly, aside from the video, the main reason I got excited about NaNoWriMo was the fact that a lot of Youtubers were telling their Twitter followers to add them as writing buddies if they were participating this year. When I saw that Luke Conard was attempting this year, I was like, Done. Finished. Of course I'm gonna do it now.
The big worry of mine, however, was the fact that I was still lacking another original story idea. I love the one that I attempted last year, but I failed so miserably last year, I just didn't want to force the issue with that one. I want to go back and work on it when I feel inspired to. Better to start fresh with a new idea. Luckily, one came to me last night in the shower.
I'm... not going to tell you what it's about, but it was based on a conversation I had with my mother. I will give you a hint: it's hopefully going to have a very John Green/Maureen Johnson/Cassondra Clare/Cinda Williams Chima feel to it. And if you've read books by any of these authors, you'll know exactly what I'm shooting for. Especially Cinda Williams Chima and Cassondra Clare. Those women are wonderful.
So we'll see. Here's my list of Wills and Won'ts for this year.
I WILL plan enough over the next couple days before it starts that I'll have a decent idea of where I want my story to go. In tandem with this:
I WILL finish watching Buffy this weekend so that I can pour my Buffy-withdrawal symptoms into writing. And so that I don't feel tempted to get distracted by watching it. xD
I WON'T fall into the trap that I fell into last year of continuously re-writing what I'd already written until it got so tedious and so late in the game that I gave up.
I WILL just write to write, just get something down on the page and not care about whether or not it's good. Re-writes can come later.
I WON'T write too much in one day.
I WILL stick to the 1,667 words a day limit.
I WON'T deny myself the ability to go over the limit if I'm feeling especially inspired.
I WILL write during the day.
I WON'T postpone it until the night. I'm far too tired this semester and I'll start falling behind.
There are probably more, but these are the ones I can come up with at the moment. I think it's a pretty good list, considering I'm no longer a rookie at this. I'm a veteran. Not a seasoned one, but one nonetheless.
Here's wishing you all a wonderful NaNoWriMo, fall season and November!
P.S. Mockingjay review blog post will be up soon. When I have time.
HPRT: Today in rep class, we were learning the choreography for our mini-pops next month, and one of the moves caused my friend Garrett to quote the part of AVPS when Lucius Malfoy comes in and does the leap across the floor. I then commenced doing that move myself. It made my day =]
Current Book: None. No time. Damn.
Current Song: Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
SETC Madness
I've been ridiculously exhausted lately, and it's really no wonder why. Some pretty stressful things have been happening back to back in a matter of days.
First thing was SETC. Last Saturday, I did my SETC screening audition for the State of Alabama. I was horribly nervous and I kind of felt left out up until I arrived on the campus of Montevallo because no one had asked me if I needed a place to stay up there or a way to get there. I ended up going with my mom, and we made it a good experience. I was ultimately really glad that she was there. She calmed me down when I was nervous and about to go up there. She was the last person I saw aside from my fellow group members when I went up to the auditorium. That really helped. She also warmed me up in the car before my group was called. I think my audition went really well too. I felt totally solid on my first song and my monologue. The second song was really strong too, but I felt that my high G could have been a bit better, but you know, there are always things we wish we could change. IN the long run, I was feeling pretty confident in my chances to get passed on to go to the conference itself, or at least make it onto the alternate list.
So that was one thing. The second thing was my second Japanese test. Which ended up being a breeze. My upcoming Oral Interview on the other hand....... I'm scared. Let's just say that.
Third thing: SETC got totally effed up. Let me explain from the beginning of this whole fiasco. They decided to do the results differently this year. Traditionally they would post the numbers of who got passed on and who was an alternate at the end of the Saturday auditions, and people would find out that way. This year they decided to automate things and make a database on their server that they would enter the information into and then it would send us the emails. Well.
Basically, they told us before the Saturday auditions started that we should expect the results on possibly Monday, more likely Tuesday. So. We waited patiently through Sunday and Monday. We waited impatiently through Tuesday. Still no word. One of the seniors called them on Tuesday asking about results, and they said that they had been locked out of their program and that they were trying to break back into it, so they hoped to have the results up by that night or early the next day.
So we wait really impatiently through Tuesday. Still nothing. It gets to be Wednesday and they are now a day late. We wait through the day and... can you guess?? Still no word!! People are getting pissed off by this point. So Thursday, yesterday, comes and there's still nothing. We finally get an email in the middle of the day saying that the database had switched up people's numbers and their scores, so they now had to sort that out and make sense of it all from the audition sheets. Ok. They might be dysfunctional and complete dumbasses, but at least we know what's going on. Or so we thought.
Apparently they have UTTERLY NO CONTROL over their own system, because at about 3:30 this morning, a whole slew of false emails were sent out to the auditioners, saying that they had or hadn't passed. Literally everyone from Auburn except for 3 people got a "not pass" email, including myself, those who got passed on last year and some of the most talented people in the department. We knew something was wrong when Bridget and Chris didn't get passed on. Completely preposterous, especially since not only was Chris's audition completely solid and hilarious, but he's already Equity and therefore has priority. So after our 8am class, Dan, the head of the department, emailed the head of the entire Theatre Conference program and asked what was going on. We then received an email forwarded by Dan saying that they're looking into it and that hopefully it will be rectified soon.
But seriously. How effed up is this place?
Now I just have to worry about my two tests and my interview next week. Ew.
But, there was one really awesome thing about this week.
I went to my second ever Wizard Rock show yesterday!! Originally it was going to be me and Kelly C, then I told Elizabeth about it and she was totally down with it, so we were all set. Then Kelly's grandpa started having serious health problems, so she pulled out. Completely understandable, but it was still sad. I know it meant a lot to her, so I agree with her choice.
But Elizabeth and I ended up leaving Auburn at 1 yesterday, only because I managed to take my Piano Skills test early, and we spent the entire ride talking HP and listening to MoM and awesome music. We totally nerded out. When we got to Decatur, I was really happy to see that the show was on the same street as the ROFLCOPTOUR stop this summer! What was not happy about it was how few people were there! In the summer (probably because it was the summer xD) there was a line out the freaking door to get in. There were probably at most at one time 20 people there to see them. But honestly, I didn't care.
I got to see The Whomping Willows, Lauren Fairweather and JFF and the Sugar Quills again!! The whole first hour or so of the show, we just stood at the merch tables talking to all of them. I got posters for Kelly and Jennie, who both gave me money to buy them posters, and bought posters for myself. We all donated to the Friends of Esther fund to raise money to help her parents pay for Esther's hospital bills. I couldn't decide what to do with the rest of my money, so I waited to decide until after the show was over.
Armoured Bearcub, Lauren and Matt's band, opened with some my favorites, "In Which Buffy Slays Edward," "We're On Fire," and "Peeing in a Bottle" among them. Then JFF played a fabulous show, as always. What I love about JFF is that even though his songs are repetitive, he's so into what he's doing, so invested in each story he tells that you can't not love him! He's so funny and energetic, and he's just a great performer. That's what really impressed me about him this summer when I saw him. It was really great to see someone so involved with the character. As an actor, that always makes me really happy =]
Lauren played next, and there was a really beautiful moment when she talked about Esther and their donation jar and then played her slower song "Art Class." I was really blown away by the emotion and the sincerity. I recorded it on my new video camera (which is beautiful btw!). Too great a moment not to capture.
Matt closed as the Whomping Willow. He was totally hysterical, as always, and the audience really got into his songs. What I was really happy about was the fact that I got to go up on "stage" with him and a couple other people and teach the crowd the dance to the Neville song!! Elizabeth, being the best friend ever that she is, recorded it for me on my camera!! He high-fived me afterward!! YAY!
Afterward, I eventually decided on Matt's Whomping Willows t-shirt, the Armoured Bearcub digital download CD, and JFF's CD with all my favorite songs on it, as well as two JFF buttons. The rest went to the donation jar. Of course.
I had some really awesome conversations with Matt and Lauren, and I gave them my Mix CD contest entry. No word yet on if they like it... I think there are only 3 entries including mine at the moment, so we'll see.
Overall, Elizabeth and I had a blast. I think she was really psyched to be at her first Wizard Rock show, even if they were bands she hadn't really listened to ever. I asked her if she enjoyed the show and she said she really liked everyone. That made me happy =]
That's all for now!
HPRT: I wore my Whomping Willows shirt today to school =]
Current Book: None, but I finished Mockingjay two weeks ago. I'll write a blog post about that later. Because I sure have a lot to say about it.
Current Song: "In Which Buffy Slays Edward" by Armoured Bearcub
First thing was SETC. Last Saturday, I did my SETC screening audition for the State of Alabama. I was horribly nervous and I kind of felt left out up until I arrived on the campus of Montevallo because no one had asked me if I needed a place to stay up there or a way to get there. I ended up going with my mom, and we made it a good experience. I was ultimately really glad that she was there. She calmed me down when I was nervous and about to go up there. She was the last person I saw aside from my fellow group members when I went up to the auditorium. That really helped. She also warmed me up in the car before my group was called. I think my audition went really well too. I felt totally solid on my first song and my monologue. The second song was really strong too, but I felt that my high G could have been a bit better, but you know, there are always things we wish we could change. IN the long run, I was feeling pretty confident in my chances to get passed on to go to the conference itself, or at least make it onto the alternate list.
So that was one thing. The second thing was my second Japanese test. Which ended up being a breeze. My upcoming Oral Interview on the other hand....... I'm scared. Let's just say that.
Third thing: SETC got totally effed up. Let me explain from the beginning of this whole fiasco. They decided to do the results differently this year. Traditionally they would post the numbers of who got passed on and who was an alternate at the end of the Saturday auditions, and people would find out that way. This year they decided to automate things and make a database on their server that they would enter the information into and then it would send us the emails. Well.
Basically, they told us before the Saturday auditions started that we should expect the results on possibly Monday, more likely Tuesday. So. We waited patiently through Sunday and Monday. We waited impatiently through Tuesday. Still no word. One of the seniors called them on Tuesday asking about results, and they said that they had been locked out of their program and that they were trying to break back into it, so they hoped to have the results up by that night or early the next day.
So we wait really impatiently through Tuesday. Still nothing. It gets to be Wednesday and they are now a day late. We wait through the day and... can you guess?? Still no word!! People are getting pissed off by this point. So Thursday, yesterday, comes and there's still nothing. We finally get an email in the middle of the day saying that the database had switched up people's numbers and their scores, so they now had to sort that out and make sense of it all from the audition sheets. Ok. They might be dysfunctional and complete dumbasses, but at least we know what's going on. Or so we thought.
Apparently they have UTTERLY NO CONTROL over their own system, because at about 3:30 this morning, a whole slew of false emails were sent out to the auditioners, saying that they had or hadn't passed. Literally everyone from Auburn except for 3 people got a "not pass" email, including myself, those who got passed on last year and some of the most talented people in the department. We knew something was wrong when Bridget and Chris didn't get passed on. Completely preposterous, especially since not only was Chris's audition completely solid and hilarious, but he's already Equity and therefore has priority. So after our 8am class, Dan, the head of the department, emailed the head of the entire Theatre Conference program and asked what was going on. We then received an email forwarded by Dan saying that they're looking into it and that hopefully it will be rectified soon.
But seriously. How effed up is this place?
Now I just have to worry about my two tests and my interview next week. Ew.
But, there was one really awesome thing about this week.
I went to my second ever Wizard Rock show yesterday!! Originally it was going to be me and Kelly C, then I told Elizabeth about it and she was totally down with it, so we were all set. Then Kelly's grandpa started having serious health problems, so she pulled out. Completely understandable, but it was still sad. I know it meant a lot to her, so I agree with her choice.
But Elizabeth and I ended up leaving Auburn at 1 yesterday, only because I managed to take my Piano Skills test early, and we spent the entire ride talking HP and listening to MoM and awesome music. We totally nerded out. When we got to Decatur, I was really happy to see that the show was on the same street as the ROFLCOPTOUR stop this summer! What was not happy about it was how few people were there! In the summer (probably because it was the summer xD) there was a line out the freaking door to get in. There were probably at most at one time 20 people there to see them. But honestly, I didn't care.
I got to see The Whomping Willows, Lauren Fairweather and JFF and the Sugar Quills again!! The whole first hour or so of the show, we just stood at the merch tables talking to all of them. I got posters for Kelly and Jennie, who both gave me money to buy them posters, and bought posters for myself. We all donated to the Friends of Esther fund to raise money to help her parents pay for Esther's hospital bills. I couldn't decide what to do with the rest of my money, so I waited to decide until after the show was over.
Armoured Bearcub, Lauren and Matt's band, opened with some my favorites, "In Which Buffy Slays Edward," "We're On Fire," and "Peeing in a Bottle" among them. Then JFF played a fabulous show, as always. What I love about JFF is that even though his songs are repetitive, he's so into what he's doing, so invested in each story he tells that you can't not love him! He's so funny and energetic, and he's just a great performer. That's what really impressed me about him this summer when I saw him. It was really great to see someone so involved with the character. As an actor, that always makes me really happy =]
Lauren played next, and there was a really beautiful moment when she talked about Esther and their donation jar and then played her slower song "Art Class." I was really blown away by the emotion and the sincerity. I recorded it on my new video camera (which is beautiful btw!). Too great a moment not to capture.
Matt closed as the Whomping Willow. He was totally hysterical, as always, and the audience really got into his songs. What I was really happy about was the fact that I got to go up on "stage" with him and a couple other people and teach the crowd the dance to the Neville song!! Elizabeth, being the best friend ever that she is, recorded it for me on my camera!! He high-fived me afterward!! YAY!
Afterward, I eventually decided on Matt's Whomping Willows t-shirt, the Armoured Bearcub digital download CD, and JFF's CD with all my favorite songs on it, as well as two JFF buttons. The rest went to the donation jar. Of course.
I had some really awesome conversations with Matt and Lauren, and I gave them my Mix CD contest entry. No word yet on if they like it... I think there are only 3 entries including mine at the moment, so we'll see.
Overall, Elizabeth and I had a blast. I think she was really psyched to be at her first Wizard Rock show, even if they were bands she hadn't really listened to ever. I asked her if she enjoyed the show and she said she really liked everyone. That made me happy =]
That's all for now!
HPRT: I wore my Whomping Willows shirt today to school =]
Current Book: None, but I finished Mockingjay two weeks ago. I'll write a blog post about that later. Because I sure have a lot to say about it.
Current Song: "In Which Buffy Slays Edward" by Armoured Bearcub
Monday, September 27, 2010
Epic Week of Awesome.
So I'm sitting in the green room in the theatre right now, having just skipped my Concepts of Science class (honestly, could that class BE any more ridiculous?) and I pulled up my facebook page. I saw that one of my notifications was my friend Kelly having written on my wall. I clicked on it. She said:
"ho.ly. crap!!!! jason, kayley, AND alex?! you're a beast!!!!!!"
So I just thought I'd address what that means in this here blog of mine. Because it's pretty damn awesome.
So, probably the first place to start is explaining who these people are. You might remember Alex Carpenter and Jason Munday from my Awesome Summer of Awesome posts. They're the ones that look like this:
Alex
Jason
SO. Onto the real information. Let's start with Jason.
So about two weekends ago, Jason posted a vlog on his Youtube channel asking for people to ask him questions, because he wanted to do a Q&A video. I just came up with a random question, posted it as a comment on that video, and forgot about it for a while.
So last Thursday, I'm hanging out with Kelly C. in her dorm, and we're watching Youtube, when we notice a Q&A video from Jason from 2 days prior, and we were both like, why didn't this show up in our subscription boxes?? So we started watching it, but her internet connection was screwy so we didn't finish. When I got home, I had time to kill before the Bones and Fringe premiers, so I went back and finished Jason's video, and moved on to the second part.
This is when things got awesome.
It was halfway through the video. (Go to 2:08) He had just answered a question about when he started playing guitar, when he then says, "TheNevilleFangirl asks..."
And as soon as he said that my heart stopped. I paused the video before he'd even finished saying what my question was, called Kelly and freaked out to her. I was like, "YOU NEED TO WATCH JASON'S SECOND VIDEO AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME!" I was crazed I was so excited.
So, I came down from that first awesome thing, settled down to watch my two favorite shows ever, and then it occurred to me that Kayley from the Five Awesome Girls loves Fringe, which I had just watched. I decided to @reply her on Twitter to ask her what she'd thought about it. She then @replied me back!! I was stupid to think that she'd already seen it because she lives on the West coast, so it hadn't aired yet, but I was still pretty excited that she'd replied to my question.
Then, Hayley from the Five Awesome Girls asked her Twitter at large for advice questions for her to answer for her 5AG video. I randomly just decided to ask her if I should do my math homework, because I was really not wanting to do it. Her video was late, so I didn't see it until the next day, but she ended up answering it in her video too! (Go to 3:22. She even pronounced my name right!)
So the weekend passes, and I was super happy about all of it. Then, Saturday, Alex posted on his Twitter that he was gonna do a Q&A video, so he wanted people to ask him questions. I thought about it for a moment, and then sent my question. I was hoping that it was unique enough for him to take notice, so I had my fingers crossed all through Sunday.
That's when I got Kelly's wall post this afternoon.
I immediately go to Youtube and watch his video. (Go to 4:25) Even though he didn't pronounce my name right (T_T), I was touched not only that he answered my question with such genuine feeling behind it, but that it was also the last question he answered. *sigh* It just makes me love him even more =]
So, yeah. That's my epic story. I am just so happy right now!!
HPRT: Darren Criss is gonna be on Glee. HOLY CRAP YES!!
Current Book: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Lean On Me- Cover by Darren Criss for his Glee Audition =]
"ho.ly. crap!!!! jason, kayley, AND alex?! you're a beast!!!!!!"
So I just thought I'd address what that means in this here blog of mine. Because it's pretty damn awesome.
So, probably the first place to start is explaining who these people are. You might remember Alex Carpenter and Jason Munday from my Awesome Summer of Awesome posts. They're the ones that look like this:
Alex
Jason
SO. Onto the real information. Let's start with Jason.
So about two weekends ago, Jason posted a vlog on his Youtube channel asking for people to ask him questions, because he wanted to do a Q&A video. I just came up with a random question, posted it as a comment on that video, and forgot about it for a while.
So last Thursday, I'm hanging out with Kelly C. in her dorm, and we're watching Youtube, when we notice a Q&A video from Jason from 2 days prior, and we were both like, why didn't this show up in our subscription boxes?? So we started watching it, but her internet connection was screwy so we didn't finish. When I got home, I had time to kill before the Bones and Fringe premiers, so I went back and finished Jason's video, and moved on to the second part.
This is when things got awesome.
It was halfway through the video. (Go to 2:08) He had just answered a question about when he started playing guitar, when he then says, "TheNevilleFangirl asks..."
And as soon as he said that my heart stopped. I paused the video before he'd even finished saying what my question was, called Kelly and freaked out to her. I was like, "YOU NEED TO WATCH JASON'S SECOND VIDEO AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME!" I was crazed I was so excited.
So, I came down from that first awesome thing, settled down to watch my two favorite shows ever, and then it occurred to me that Kayley from the Five Awesome Girls loves Fringe, which I had just watched. I decided to @reply her on Twitter to ask her what she'd thought about it. She then @replied me back!! I was stupid to think that she'd already seen it because she lives on the West coast, so it hadn't aired yet, but I was still pretty excited that she'd replied to my question.
Then, Hayley from the Five Awesome Girls asked her Twitter at large for advice questions for her to answer for her 5AG video. I randomly just decided to ask her if I should do my math homework, because I was really not wanting to do it. Her video was late, so I didn't see it until the next day, but she ended up answering it in her video too! (Go to 3:22. She even pronounced my name right!)
So the weekend passes, and I was super happy about all of it. Then, Saturday, Alex posted on his Twitter that he was gonna do a Q&A video, so he wanted people to ask him questions. I thought about it for a moment, and then sent my question. I was hoping that it was unique enough for him to take notice, so I had my fingers crossed all through Sunday.
That's when I got Kelly's wall post this afternoon.
I immediately go to Youtube and watch his video. (Go to 4:25) Even though he didn't pronounce my name right (T_T), I was touched not only that he answered my question with such genuine feeling behind it, but that it was also the last question he answered. *sigh* It just makes me love him even more =]
So, yeah. That's my epic story. I am just so happy right now!!
HPRT: Darren Criss is gonna be on Glee. HOLY CRAP YES!!
Current Book: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Lean On Me- Cover by Darren Criss for his Glee Audition =]
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Super Secret Awesome Birthday Party =]
After my family birthday, I got to hang out with a lot of my friends and we just had the best fun ever =P
Kelly D. and Jennie picked me up at little before 6, and they brought me flowers! I put them in a vase and they're currently sitting on the table. I was touched that Kelly would think of that <3 So we then headed over to the Mexican restaurant that was to be my birthday meal. We got there and the place was basically deserted because everyone was watching the Alabama v. Penn State game and I guess they were at home or somewhere else... But anyway, we almost had the entire room to ourselves. Elizabeth showed up shortly after and we showed her the Harry Potter silly bandz that Jennie had found in Atlanta two weekends ago. They were so epically awesome!! I ended up only taking the sword of Gryffindor home, but I did want the red Hedwig and Harry's glasses =] I ordered a quesadilla, and Kelly D. insisted on paying for my dinner, but I didn't order anything was super expensive sooo yeah.
After a lengthy conversation regarding the Hunger Games paraphernalia at Hot Topic with Elizabeth, I decided that we had to check it out because I'm obsessed with the Mockingjay pins/necklaces that people have. So I rode with Elizabeth over to the mall and we completely fangirled and rocked out to Ministry of Magic songs. Halfway through my favorite, Only Power Remains, I got a call from my friend Mark from New York. He called to personally wish me a Happy Birthday, and I thought that was very touching. We talked all the way until we got to the mall, whereupon entering the call was disconnected because the mall is stupid and doesn't have service. I unfortunately forgot about that so the line went dead and I was like, crap.
Hot Topic had a lot of really awesome Hunger Games stuff, including 3 tshirts, pins and necklaces, and it also had the Harry Potter 7 shirt that Elizabeth was wearing. I was like, *must have*!!! I didn't buy anything there because I was like, I don't feel like spending any more money than is absolutely necessary. I've already decided to save all my paychecks to go toward a cheap video camera for Sarah Jean, Kelly D, Kelly C and my secret project ;P
We left the mall, I texted mark to apologize, and then we headed over to the Exchange to pick up Sarah-Jean. We got into the complex and legit couldn't find any parking. There was a parking lot that had Guest written under each spot, but it was kind of confusing because they were blacked out, but you could still see the word in the light, so we decided to chance it and park there. More on that later.
We got out and walked over to Sarah-Jean's building, and as soon as we walked in, Sarah-Jean came out and was like, "SURPRISE! IT'S A PARTY!" It was pretty adorable. They had gotten me two cakes and Sarah-Jean made me a wonderful card that had drawings of Bones and Harry Potter and an ambiguous nerdfighter, all wishing me a Happy Birthday. We watched She's the Man after I met Sarah-Jean's boyfriend (FINALLY) and Elizabeth became new best friends with SJ and Emily Becker. It was hilarious to watch her talk to my friends. She found something to connect with all of them over.
After the movie was over, Sarah-Jean was like, I need to go to bed because she had rehearsal today, so we moved the party over to Jennie's apartment. Tanner joined us as soon as he got off work, and he and Elizabeth literally hit it off right away. They had the MOST ridiculous conversation about their mutual love of Zac Efron. It was... scary at times, but overall incredibly hilarious. KDav and I just sat laughing together. We then commenced a crazy intense conversation about all things Harry Potter. We talked about everything from Snape to Dumbledore's Army to Harry using Crucio... it was awesome and it reminded me why I have the friends I have. I love them all so much.
Eventually it got to be 1am and we were like, we should have left hours ago, so we disbanded. Tanner went to his truck and we headed over to the "guest" parking lot. Or so we thought. We got to the parking lot where we left the cars and, guess what? They weren't there. We went up to the Security car that was parked there and asked the old guy for the number of the towing company. Elizabeth was so pissed off when she called them and found out it would be $100 to get her car back that she had a bit of an attitude with them, and felt bad about it when she hung up. We ended up calling Jennie to ask her to drive us over to the towing company over on Opelika Rd. She's such a good friend. When we told her that she was like, "What did you expect me to do, leave you stranded in the Exchange all night??"
So we had a bit of an adventure at the towing company. Elizabeth was able to get her car back immediately because the guy with her ticket was there, but the guy with Kelly's ticket was still out making his rounds, so we literally sat there for 30 minutes waiting for him. By the time she got her car back it was almost 3 am. RIDICULOUS. But we had yet another Harry Potter conversation in Jennie's car. It was lovely. We finally all had our cars and headed home. Jennie dropped me off at home, and I went to bed at 3:30am.
Today, the Kellys came over to give me their joint present for me. It was a HUGE TUB of Red Vines, a Hershey's bar and a Mr. Goodbar. The Red Vines tub is 4 lbs. FOUR POUNDS OF THE BEST CANDY EVER MADE! I loved all the many AVPM/AVPS references the candy made. The Hershey's bar just reminded me of Ron in AVPM: "Every time I look at her I get these pains in my stomach, and I just know it's her fault, that BITCH!" xD
That's all for now =]
HPRT: Dude, there are too many to count right now.
Current Book: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Freedom in Panem by Alex Carpenter
Kelly D. and Jennie picked me up at little before 6, and they brought me flowers! I put them in a vase and they're currently sitting on the table. I was touched that Kelly would think of that <3 So we then headed over to the Mexican restaurant that was to be my birthday meal. We got there and the place was basically deserted because everyone was watching the Alabama v. Penn State game and I guess they were at home or somewhere else... But anyway, we almost had the entire room to ourselves. Elizabeth showed up shortly after and we showed her the Harry Potter silly bandz that Jennie had found in Atlanta two weekends ago. They were so epically awesome!! I ended up only taking the sword of Gryffindor home, but I did want the red Hedwig and Harry's glasses =] I ordered a quesadilla, and Kelly D. insisted on paying for my dinner, but I didn't order anything was super expensive sooo yeah.
After a lengthy conversation regarding the Hunger Games paraphernalia at Hot Topic with Elizabeth, I decided that we had to check it out because I'm obsessed with the Mockingjay pins/necklaces that people have. So I rode with Elizabeth over to the mall and we completely fangirled and rocked out to Ministry of Magic songs. Halfway through my favorite, Only Power Remains, I got a call from my friend Mark from New York. He called to personally wish me a Happy Birthday, and I thought that was very touching. We talked all the way until we got to the mall, whereupon entering the call was disconnected because the mall is stupid and doesn't have service. I unfortunately forgot about that so the line went dead and I was like, crap.
Hot Topic had a lot of really awesome Hunger Games stuff, including 3 tshirts, pins and necklaces, and it also had the Harry Potter 7 shirt that Elizabeth was wearing. I was like, *must have*!!! I didn't buy anything there because I was like, I don't feel like spending any more money than is absolutely necessary. I've already decided to save all my paychecks to go toward a cheap video camera for Sarah Jean, Kelly D, Kelly C and my secret project ;P
We left the mall, I texted mark to apologize, and then we headed over to the Exchange to pick up Sarah-Jean. We got into the complex and legit couldn't find any parking. There was a parking lot that had Guest written under each spot, but it was kind of confusing because they were blacked out, but you could still see the word in the light, so we decided to chance it and park there. More on that later.
We got out and walked over to Sarah-Jean's building, and as soon as we walked in, Sarah-Jean came out and was like, "SURPRISE! IT'S A PARTY!" It was pretty adorable. They had gotten me two cakes and Sarah-Jean made me a wonderful card that had drawings of Bones and Harry Potter and an ambiguous nerdfighter, all wishing me a Happy Birthday. We watched She's the Man after I met Sarah-Jean's boyfriend (FINALLY) and Elizabeth became new best friends with SJ and Emily Becker. It was hilarious to watch her talk to my friends. She found something to connect with all of them over.
After the movie was over, Sarah-Jean was like, I need to go to bed because she had rehearsal today, so we moved the party over to Jennie's apartment. Tanner joined us as soon as he got off work, and he and Elizabeth literally hit it off right away. They had the MOST ridiculous conversation about their mutual love of Zac Efron. It was... scary at times, but overall incredibly hilarious. KDav and I just sat laughing together. We then commenced a crazy intense conversation about all things Harry Potter. We talked about everything from Snape to Dumbledore's Army to Harry using Crucio... it was awesome and it reminded me why I have the friends I have. I love them all so much.
Eventually it got to be 1am and we were like, we should have left hours ago, so we disbanded. Tanner went to his truck and we headed over to the "guest" parking lot. Or so we thought. We got to the parking lot where we left the cars and, guess what? They weren't there. We went up to the Security car that was parked there and asked the old guy for the number of the towing company. Elizabeth was so pissed off when she called them and found out it would be $100 to get her car back that she had a bit of an attitude with them, and felt bad about it when she hung up. We ended up calling Jennie to ask her to drive us over to the towing company over on Opelika Rd. She's such a good friend. When we told her that she was like, "What did you expect me to do, leave you stranded in the Exchange all night??"
So we had a bit of an adventure at the towing company. Elizabeth was able to get her car back immediately because the guy with her ticket was there, but the guy with Kelly's ticket was still out making his rounds, so we literally sat there for 30 minutes waiting for him. By the time she got her car back it was almost 3 am. RIDICULOUS. But we had yet another Harry Potter conversation in Jennie's car. It was lovely. We finally all had our cars and headed home. Jennie dropped me off at home, and I went to bed at 3:30am.
Today, the Kellys came over to give me their joint present for me. It was a HUGE TUB of Red Vines, a Hershey's bar and a Mr. Goodbar. The Red Vines tub is 4 lbs. FOUR POUNDS OF THE BEST CANDY EVER MADE! I loved all the many AVPM/AVPS references the candy made. The Hershey's bar just reminded me of Ron in AVPM: "Every time I look at her I get these pains in my stomach, and I just know it's her fault, that BITCH!" xD
That's all for now =]
HPRT: Dude, there are too many to count right now.
Current Book: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Freedom in Panem by Alex Carpenter
Saturday, September 11, 2010
9/11 vs. My Birthday
Today is a tricky day. It's the 9th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade centers and the Pentagon, and the news on every station and on every website is all about the tragedy and how we're healing as a country.
I have to agree, I think we've all coped pretty well with the fall out, despite the fact that airport security is much stricter and we've all become ridiculously paranoid of anyone who looks like they're of Arab decent and we've started protesting construction of Islamic community centers and insane pastors have threatened to burn Qu'rans all over the place and... well, I think you see my point.
The truth is, we've become ridiculous. We're unnecessarily blaming an entire, ancient religion (one that worships the same God as Christianity does, has been around for longer, and is built on peace) for the actions of extremists that do not (I repeat, DO NOT) represent the beliefs of the religion as a whole. We've spent billions of dollars invading two countries, one of which did hold the responsible parties, and one of which did not in any way have anything to do with it. We've let our fear cloud our judgment.
I have several friends who are Muslim, and I can't even begin to imagine how they felt when they heard that someone was going to burn their holy book to "send a message." Who was he supposedly sending the message to? Because it sure looked like he was sending it to everyone who lives in our country, who loves it and fights for it and believes in justice and democracy, who just happens to be Muslim. That is a crime above all crimes. He successfully alienated an entire faction of our population in his attempt to let the radicals know that we won't tolerate their behavior. Well, guess what pastor dude? We don't tolerate yours.
I've always had an issue with these problems cropping up around 9/11, because it wasn't just the day that the twin towers were destroyed, it was my 10th birthday.
Up until that year, I had always lived to look forward to the day of my birth. For me, it meant presents. And presents meant fun. And fun meant happiness. Not grief, despair, and years, perhaps centuries, of national paranoia. In that one day, all my pre-conceived notions of my natal day were smashed to little bits. It would never just be a day of happiness anymore.
This is my 9th birthday after the tragedy, and it's still happening, all over the place. I don't claim that my problems are the worst ones out there, because there are thousands of people who lost a loved one that day, and I will never, ever think that their pain is less than mine. I'm not selfish enough to think that the day is just for me. But I do think that I have a right to be happy on this day, while keeping in mind the sacrifice that those people made. Their heroism will always be with me.
What I don't like about this day is that so many people go out of their way to consistently remind us that this country has become a clusterf**k of fear mongering and powerhungry media folks just looking to cash in on the pain of others. People like Glenn Beck and that Pastor Terry Jones who incite fear in others for their own personal profit make me sick, and I hate that they use this day as a golden opportunity to do just that.
I guess I just have to learn to balance how much of this I pay attention to and how much I ignore on my birthday. I think I deserve to be a little selfish and not want to be constantly bombarded with reminders about what happened. Its not like it just goes away. I remember every other day of the year. I just want to be happy again. Like the birthdays I had before this all happened. Is that too much to ask for?
HPRT: I bought Darren Criss's EP, Human with my birthday iTunes =]
Current Book: MOCKINGJAY!!! FINALLY!!! by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Art Class by Lauren Fairweather
I have to agree, I think we've all coped pretty well with the fall out, despite the fact that airport security is much stricter and we've all become ridiculously paranoid of anyone who looks like they're of Arab decent and we've started protesting construction of Islamic community centers and insane pastors have threatened to burn Qu'rans all over the place and... well, I think you see my point.
The truth is, we've become ridiculous. We're unnecessarily blaming an entire, ancient religion (one that worships the same God as Christianity does, has been around for longer, and is built on peace) for the actions of extremists that do not (I repeat, DO NOT) represent the beliefs of the religion as a whole. We've spent billions of dollars invading two countries, one of which did hold the responsible parties, and one of which did not in any way have anything to do with it. We've let our fear cloud our judgment.
I have several friends who are Muslim, and I can't even begin to imagine how they felt when they heard that someone was going to burn their holy book to "send a message." Who was he supposedly sending the message to? Because it sure looked like he was sending it to everyone who lives in our country, who loves it and fights for it and believes in justice and democracy, who just happens to be Muslim. That is a crime above all crimes. He successfully alienated an entire faction of our population in his attempt to let the radicals know that we won't tolerate their behavior. Well, guess what pastor dude? We don't tolerate yours.
I've always had an issue with these problems cropping up around 9/11, because it wasn't just the day that the twin towers were destroyed, it was my 10th birthday.
Up until that year, I had always lived to look forward to the day of my birth. For me, it meant presents. And presents meant fun. And fun meant happiness. Not grief, despair, and years, perhaps centuries, of national paranoia. In that one day, all my pre-conceived notions of my natal day were smashed to little bits. It would never just be a day of happiness anymore.
This is my 9th birthday after the tragedy, and it's still happening, all over the place. I don't claim that my problems are the worst ones out there, because there are thousands of people who lost a loved one that day, and I will never, ever think that their pain is less than mine. I'm not selfish enough to think that the day is just for me. But I do think that I have a right to be happy on this day, while keeping in mind the sacrifice that those people made. Their heroism will always be with me.
What I don't like about this day is that so many people go out of their way to consistently remind us that this country has become a clusterf**k of fear mongering and powerhungry media folks just looking to cash in on the pain of others. People like Glenn Beck and that Pastor Terry Jones who incite fear in others for their own personal profit make me sick, and I hate that they use this day as a golden opportunity to do just that.
I guess I just have to learn to balance how much of this I pay attention to and how much I ignore on my birthday. I think I deserve to be a little selfish and not want to be constantly bombarded with reminders about what happened. Its not like it just goes away. I remember every other day of the year. I just want to be happy again. Like the birthdays I had before this all happened. Is that too much to ask for?
HPRT: I bought Darren Criss's EP, Human with my birthday iTunes =]
Current Book: MOCKINGJAY!!! FINALLY!!! by Suzanne Collins
Current Song: Art Class by Lauren Fairweather
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Disappointments and ramblings.
It feels so weird not to be be blogging every day anymore. I felt like writing the first two days after BEDA ended, but resisted since I deserved a break.
In the couple days since BEDA ended, I've learned a few things. The cast lists came out for the rest of the shows this semester, and I didn't receive a part in either. I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, my semester so far has been so stressful that I'm horribly sick right now. On the other... I really want to be in a show. It's why I'm in school, it's why I'm here. I'm paying to learn how to develop my craft and I want to be able to use what I've learned so far. I need a chance.
The summerstage show was very good for that. I think I proved to the professors that I can do this, and that I'm really dedicated to it. I honestly can't imagine myself doing anything else in the future, and I haven't been able to since I was 13 years old. I'm very passionate about what I do, and I felt very, very prepared for this audition season. I think I understand why it is that I wasn't cast, but I would still like a chance to do what I love.
Anyway, I'm sitting on my couch at home, trying not to cough, and I'm watching the first Auburn football game of the season, rooting for my fellow Theatre major, who's playing. Go #63!
I had to stay home from school yesterday because of how sick I am, and Monday is Labor day, so I effectively had a 4 day weekend. Thank goodness. I needed it.
I watched so much Buffy yesterday that I finished Season 4 today. I'll start Season 5 tonight, I think, if I don't watch AVPS, which I started over again this week =P
I just felt like checking in. I'm fairly certain that I'll be writing more often on this blog in the coming months. I have a lot going on, and I'm sure that as the semester goes on I'll be needing more and more to vent/explain/ponder/just write in general.
Countdowns:
Harry Potter DH Pt 1: 76 days.
NYC Wizard Rock Festival: 77 days.
HPRT: I played "The Coolest Girl" for my mom today. I think she and I both agreed that it's fairly applicable to my life right now.
Current Book: Nothing. Still. I'm too glued to my computer.
Current Song: Only Power Remains by Ministry of Magic
In the couple days since BEDA ended, I've learned a few things. The cast lists came out for the rest of the shows this semester, and I didn't receive a part in either. I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, my semester so far has been so stressful that I'm horribly sick right now. On the other... I really want to be in a show. It's why I'm in school, it's why I'm here. I'm paying to learn how to develop my craft and I want to be able to use what I've learned so far. I need a chance.
The summerstage show was very good for that. I think I proved to the professors that I can do this, and that I'm really dedicated to it. I honestly can't imagine myself doing anything else in the future, and I haven't been able to since I was 13 years old. I'm very passionate about what I do, and I felt very, very prepared for this audition season. I think I understand why it is that I wasn't cast, but I would still like a chance to do what I love.
Anyway, I'm sitting on my couch at home, trying not to cough, and I'm watching the first Auburn football game of the season, rooting for my fellow Theatre major, who's playing. Go #63!
I had to stay home from school yesterday because of how sick I am, and Monday is Labor day, so I effectively had a 4 day weekend. Thank goodness. I needed it.
I watched so much Buffy yesterday that I finished Season 4 today. I'll start Season 5 tonight, I think, if I don't watch AVPS, which I started over again this week =P
I just felt like checking in. I'm fairly certain that I'll be writing more often on this blog in the coming months. I have a lot going on, and I'm sure that as the semester goes on I'll be needing more and more to vent/explain/ponder/just write in general.
Countdowns:
Harry Potter DH Pt 1: 76 days.
NYC Wizard Rock Festival: 77 days.
HPRT: I played "The Coolest Girl" for my mom today. I think she and I both agreed that it's fairly applicable to my life right now.
Current Book: Nothing. Still. I'm too glued to my computer.
Current Song: Only Power Remains by Ministry of Magic
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