Gennie 1998-2012

There are moments in life that mark the end of something really huge, something major, and remind you that no matter how young you think you should still be, time marches on whether or not you're ready for it to. I've been having a lot of those moments lately, that kind of started with turning 20 and entering the BFA program, having my first professional auditions and moving out of my parents house. But nothing is hitting me as hard, or breaking my heart as much, as my dog.

My dog Gennie has been with me and my parents since I was 6 years old when my aunt's dog Windy had puppies. Gennie was the second of the litter, and was the definite ring-leader of her brothers and sisters. Always the most spirited, my cousin, who was about the same age as me, named her Star for the white patch on her forehead that resembled a star. When my aunt asked us if we wanted a puppy (free of charge, for a pure-bred golden retriever, almost unheard of!), we went over to her house and chose Gennie. I remember very vividly holding her in my lap at 6 years old when she had probably only been alive for a few days. Her eyes were still shut and she could fit in my tiny hands like she belonged there.

Ever since then she's been an integral part of my family. Through her rambunctious stages where she'd chew up my mom's slippers and rip my shirt when jumping up and down on me, to throwing the ball down the green belt we lived next to, to her accidentally licking a wall socket and getting electrocuted and running into our glass door, through the years and years of steroid pills we gave her for her allergies and the time she ran across four-lane traffic and we thought she was going to die. But mostly I just remember taking her on camping trips and cuddling next to her in the tent, how she'd always come right up to me and put her head on my lap when I was crying, her chasing her own tail and never getting tired of it, how she'd just endure my dumb cat swatting at her nose when she wasn't doing anything to him, her getting in our faces whenever we had food demanding that she get some too, how her ears would perk up when she heard a word she understood, her enormous bellow of a bark whenever someone walked in the door, how she always took up far too much room in the back seat with me on car trips, and even though I complained vociferously, I was just glad she was coming with us.

This is my dog. Her full name is Gianetta della Casa Querchia Bella. Jennifer of the House of Beautiful Oaks. Gennie is what we call her, after my mom's childhood dog of the same name (the short, regular name, not the Italian one). She is 14 years and 2 months old as of March 12, 2012. She is the only sibling I've ever had, and my very best friend in the world. And today was the day that we had to put her to sleep.

So I will leave you, and myself, with all the pictures I've ever taken of her to commemorate the fantastic 14 years of her life. She was the greatest dog in the universe, and we frequently told her she was better than people. Because in all honesty, she was.

 So that was Gennie over the last couple years. And this was her today.

Goodbye Gennie. You were the best dog a girl could ever ask for. I hope you have the best time ever in Doggy Heaven.


Thanks for reading. <3


"The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes." - Julius Caesar (Shakespeare).

A New Year!

I am pathetic at blogging. Really. It's rather sad. I believe the last time I blogged I was in the middle of NaNoWriMo (which I won for the second year in a row!) and tragically busy with school. But now it is a new year, and I'm ready to get back on the blogging bandwagon!

I made a reflection video and put it on my personal channel, highlighting all the great things that happened to me over 2011. You can see it below if you like.

I've been rereading the Hunger Games trilogy in preparation for the film release in March, and I have swiftly been sucked back into the world of Panem just as quickly as I was the first time I read those books. But now it seems lots of my friends are finally reading them, like Diana and Kelly, which makes me happy! Now I have someone here to talk about them with!

Similarly, I have friends starting Doctor Who, which has become my full-blown obsession. I've had several Skype dates with TFB friends, like Lena, Richie, JP, Fiona and Bobby, watching various episodes as Lena watches the series for the first time. It's been loads of fun seeing people's reactions to the different parts and I honestly can't think of anyone else I'd rather watch that show with. We all sat down on Christmas day on Skype to watch the Christmas special and it was fantastic. I just love that show so much!

2011 was a really fantastic year for me. I don't think I quite realized just how many firsts and new things happened for me this year. I got my first lead in a college production. I got into the BFA program here at Auburn. I went to the best HP con that's probably ever happened, met the greatest cast in the world and made irreplaceable friends, had Emily come down to visit me for the first time in 2 years, signed my first lease on an apartment, got passed on to go to SETC in the Spring, won NaNoWriMo AND finished the novel I was working on, saw another one of my cousins married and survived the worst semester I've ever had in college. I really honestly wouldn't trade a single second of this past year, and I hope to learn from all the mistakes I've made to make me into the best person I can be.

I'm about to start a few days of true fun before I have to plunge back into school, though. My twin, my wife, my best friend and other half is coming down to visit me, if only for 4 days. Meredith and I have been best friends since we were in the 4th grade, so that makes 11 years, with 7 of them apart. Since I moved from Wisconsin in 2004, Meredith and I have traded off who goes to visit whom, so it's her turn to come to me. It's a miracle we got it done before next summer, at which we would have been apart for 2 whole years, and we just couldn't allow that to happen for the second time in a row! So we plan on hanging out, watching Sherlock Holmes, and... well, who knows? It's us. It'll probably have something to do with anime. But no promises.

Anyway, I should leave you now. I have to rest up to go to the airport to pick Meredith up tomorrow! I can't tell you how excited I am. It's been too long!

I hope that your Christmases/New Years/Holidays were wonderful, and hears to a smashing 2012!

HPRT: My parents and I have been marathoning the films. We watched Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix tonight!
Current Book: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Current Song: Forever Yours by Alex Day

Fate

It's kind of funny how things fall into your lap all at once. And I don't just mean bad, sucky things like research papers and BFA outcomes and Wardrobe Mistressing for a show and auditions to prepare for and NaNoWriMo to finish/win. I also mean the good things. the unexpected things that help you with your stress. Things that quite literally come right out of the blue and you had no way to anticipate them or prepare for them. The generosity of other people and opportunities you never thought would come your way. Even if nothing comes from it, at least you realize the people who really were your friends all along, and you appreciate them so much more because of it.

It's been one of those crazy up-and-down days you guys. It's just been one of those days. And I truly am thankful for my friends.

HPRT: Listening to Warlock's Hairy Heart again. Man, that opera gives me chills, in both the good and the bad ways.
Current Book: Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving (for my World Lit class)
Current Song: "Even Though" from I Love You, Because... 

NaNoWriMo and Halloween

Sorry it's been so freaking long since I last posted! This semester has literally killed me more than once socially and mentally, and I've just been incredibly busy, and continue to be such.

La Bete was fantastic, and was a lot of fun. We had a great run, and a couple really amazing audiences, so it was a great way to end September. I went to my cousin's wedding earlier this month, which was beautiful and so worth the 14 hour drive my mother and I had to take to get there and back. It was so wonderful to see my family again, how I've missed them.

Lately I've been drowning in school work, however, and I'm gearing up for a highly busy and hectic November. I plan on doing NaNoWriMo again this year, and while I do NOT expect to win, I thought I'd give my 2009 story idea another go, starting all from scratch. It's an idea that I really like, and even if it might have been done before or might be cliche, I don't care, I'm gonna attempt anyway.


Before then, though, I have Halloween, which is going to be a lot of fun, I reckon. I decided to make my own costume this year, literally from scratch, by buying the fabric and accessories and completely constructing a pirate coat. A whole group of my friends and I are going to the theatre party as characters from Peter Pan, and I'm Captain Hook, which I am highly looking forward to. I just started my coat tonight, and unfortunately the party is tomorrow night (yikes!) but I'm starting to think that I might be in a place by then where the coat is wearable, which is very exciting. Pictures will come, I promise!


After this weekend I have a book report, a research paper, 2 scenes for BFA, a TV show performance and a show to be the wardrobe mistress for, so hopefully I'll have time to eat, sleep and breathe between everything I have going on. I hope your lives are truly wonderful right now, as mine is stressful and chaotic, but happy nonetheless.


Night everyone!


HPRT: I listened to End of an Era today, a couple times actually, and thought immediately of my LeakyCon family, and how much I miss everything still.
Current Book: Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving
Current Song: "A New World" from Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown

And the Sorting hat says...

SLYTHERIN.

Yeah, I had no idea that was coming xD

Pottermore is incredible so far. No spoilers (10 points to your house if you read that in River Song's voice =P), but I really am just blown away by the detail and the sheer brilliance that Jo Rowling possesses. The information on the wand woods, hatstalls and MINERVA FREAKING MCGONAGALL have so far made the entire website worth it for me, and I'm not done with book 1. Not even close.

The real joy was getting my wand and getting Sorted, of course. I totally agree with my wand based on all the information given about the cores and woods, and I'm even okay with being a Slytherin after a lifetime of believing I was in Gryffindor. Go figure, huh? Maybe being Pansy in TFB rubbed off on me a little bit =P

Anyway, I just thought I'd check in briefly. School started this week, and I'm already drowning in work load and stress, but it's a good stress that I think, for once, I'm excited for. I'm not particularly dead on my feet (I've only had 3 days, after all), and I'm so pumped for La Bete and BFA and even Rep class. You heard me. I'm even excited for Rep class again.

Anyway, it's my BFF Emily's last night in town so we're gonna sleep and then hang out ALL TOMORROW before taking her back to the airport in the evening. I'm gonna miss that girl far more than she knows.

Night all <3

HPRT: Emily and Jennie and I went to see DH2 after rehearsal last night. It was my fifth time. I have now officially broken my record for most number of times seeing a film in theatres, and I can't think of a better film to hold the #1 spot!
Current Book: Trojan Women (the Greek play, I can't recall the playwright).
Current Song: Girls and Boys by Good Charlotte (It's random, I know, but it's been stuck in my head all day!)

My Cleverbot Experience

Everyone has one, right? And if you don't, go now!!

Anyway, two nights ago I went to the Cleverbot website, after having seen a couple screen shots of people's conversations on tumblr, and I wanted to try it out myself.

So I typed in "After all this time?" I was trying to get it to say "Always," like in the Prince's Tale, but it wasn't picking up on the reference, because it gave me this response: "Yeah I think it is time to sleep for you." It was around 3am when this happened, so that was valid xD

But anyway, I decided on my third try to just keep having a conversation with it, and I asked it if it'd read Harry Potter. It said some of them, so I asked which ones. It said the first four. So I told it to read Deathly Hallows and it asked me how. I said there were probably audiobooks on iTunes or something. So then it said, and I quote. "Thanks! What does this have to do with Pepsi, though?"

And I was like... "I didn't mention Pepsi." And it said, "Neither did I." And... well...

Let's just say I had a childish argument with an AI. Yup.

HPRT: Pottermore is SO CLOSE I CAN TASTE IT.
Current Book: I guess I'll read another play today. TBD.
Current Song: Get Back to Hogwarts from AVPM

LeakyCon Day 5 - ALL WAS WELL

Here it is. Sorry it's been a long time coming, but I couldn't bring myself to finish this series of blog posts. LeakyCon was one of the best things of my life and finishing my posts is kind of like having to go through leaving all over again, but I think it's time I sucked it up and just wrote it.

LeakyCon Day 5:

I was so happy to be able to sleep in even a little bit Sunday Morning. TFB people were all to meet at 10am to eat brunch together, so I got there at 9:30 to go through the Vendor room before the closing feast started.

When I got to the Royal Pacific at 9:30, it turned out the Vendor room wasn't even open until 10, and I hadn't eaten ANYTHING (and we all know Madeleine turns into a demon when she doesn't eat breakfast), so Gwen and I just decided to get food then and find a table, hoping the other TFB people would find us.

Cereal, sausage links, fruit and a small muffin later, a few Final Battle people had congregated at our table, including Fiona and her mother. She and I discovered that we both wanted to make one last trip to the Vendor room, so at 10 we left our stuff at the table, asking the others to guard it for us, and went across the hall with only our wallets.

I hadn't anticipated buying as much as I did, but honestly, I don't regret any of my purchases. I am now the proud owner of a legit, metal Privet Drive street sign, two bumperstickers professing my love for both Neville and Snape, an owl watch necklace, a Gryffindor prefect badge, Dear Mr. Potter and much more. I believe I also bought two temporary lightning scar tattoos, which I will save for a later date.

I also had possibly my biggest fangirl moment of the entire convention that morning as well. I was headed over to the Whimsic Alley side of the Vendor room to buy the Privet Drive sign when I saw Melissa Anelli headed toward me. I hadn't had the opportunity during TFB to ask her to sign my book since basically I stayed backstage the entire time, so I knew that this was my one chance to do so! Someone behind her called out to her asking her to sign their yearbook, and I'm assuming it was someone she knew because she told them she'd get to it later. Even though she rejected the first person, I didn't think it was likely that I was going to see her this close in person again, so I sucked up all my courage and asked if she'd sign my book. I held out my copy of Harry, A History to her, she paused, looked at it for a second, and then said, "I can't not sign a copy of my book. Hand it over."

I just about died.

So I am now the proud owner of a signed copy of Harry, A History, a book which I love and will probably always cherish, because it truly is an incredible read.



So after that beautiful con moment, Fiona and I hauled our loot back into the ballroom right in time for the closing ceremony to start. I took my stuff from the TFB table and went to find where Kelly, Sarah and Shauna were sitting, and joined them.

The closing was... Ugh, it was just so emotional. I hadn't intended to cry, but when Team Starkid came out and sang Days of Summer and Melissa launched into her closing words, saying how LeakyCon was always going to be a part of us, that we would never forget our time here, and that we could always come back to Hogwarts, I just lost it, and I know Kelly and Sarah did the same.

When the ceremony ended, I went around to the various Final Battle tables and got everyone who hadn't already to sign my yearbook. It was a glorious last few moments of the con, just hanging out, laughing about memories from the last four days and signing every yearbook that we came across. I could live in those last moments forever. (Not like that's sappy or anything... =P )

So it finally came time to leave the ballroom. I didn't want to hang around too long because I knew if I didn't I'd never want to leave because I'd just want to find everyone and hug them all again. Shauna and I just stood at the exit to the ballroom for a minute or so, scanning the room, soaking in as much of the atmosphere as we could. We just stood there together, trying not to cry, and finally turned and left the room.

My goodbye to Fiona was first and very difficult for me to come to terms with. BUT IT ISN'T GOODBYE. NOT REALLY. T_T

Girl, you better come visit me.

So Kelly requested that she take a nap before we headed over to Wizarding World, so Shauna, Gard and I made a run to Kelly's car to drop off some of my things so I wouldn't carry them around all day and then to pick some stuff up for her. That took about 30 minutes, and then we headed back to the Royal Pacific, where we'd left Kelly sleeping in Shauna's room. Which turned out to be a difficult situation because Kelly sleeps like a rock (not a bad thing) but we were locked out of Shauna's room for a while xD

Gard and I passed the time by singing Tribute by Tenacious D until the wall of exhaustion from the past week finally hit me all at once and I fell over on the floor of the hotel hallway and nearly passed out myself. That's when Kelly finally heard Shauna's knocking and let us in.

I crawled into bed and had a bit of a nap myself, so we didn't actually leave Shauna's room until around 2, but we were going to at least spend a couple hours in Wizarding World, so we wasn't in any rush to get there. When we got to the lobby of the hotel we ran into Sequoia, who was about to leave herself, so it was great to get one last hug from her. Sarah, who had gone to Wizarding World with her mom and who we'd planned to meet there, came up to us then and told us that she and her mom were leaving too! So we were really sad that we didn't get to hang out in Hogsmeade with her, but we understood. EVEN THOUGH IT STILL HURTS.

After saying our goodbyes to the final LeakyCon people we came across, we headed on the hot, sticky walk over to Islands of Adventure. I'd never actually walked into Wizarding World from the front gates, because I'd always wanted to go to Jurassic Park before hand, just to get it out of the way, so walking through the gates to Hogsmeade with Kelly, Shauna and Gard was just... It was breathtaking. I don't think I'll ever not get chills when I walk in that place.

We went on all the rides, ran into Mitchell and got to say a proper goodbye to him, and so much else. I'd decided to go around the park that day talking in a British accent, just to practice, and Shauna said it was very convincing. I was quite proud of the fact that all the workers at the park believed I was from England and didn't think twice about it. In fact, we had a right chat with this lovely woman in Owl Post where all the wands were sold. She's the one who explained my birthday wand to me, which I ended up buying (I now own 3 wands. Not gonna stop any time soon xD), and then we just talked about everything with her. She totally thought I was British. It was wonderful.

So somewhere in there we went to Honeydukes where I bought myself a Chocolate Frog (I got the Godric Gryffindor card) and some Fizzing Whizbees. We then went over to the Three Broomsticks to buy a frozen Butterbeer in our new commemorative mugs and snapped this super cute picture!



Definitely the best part of going through the park with Kelly, Shauna and Gard was just knowing that we were all there, in Hogsmeade, in our own magical world, brought together by the love of the fandom and of the books, and I honestly just wished all the LeakyGirls could have been there with us, but the bond we had, the four of us, that day was just huge. I wish I could just go back to that moment in the Three Broomsticks. I really do.

Anyway, we had basically accomplished everything we wanted to by the time 7 rolled around, so we left the park, albeit a little sorrowfully, and piled in Kelly's car. My hips. My ankles. They were just so dead.

We decided to make a quick grocery store run for Shauna, since she promised a friend of hers that she'd buy him some boxes of Lucky Charms (do they not have them in Ireland??). When we were in Wal-mart, Gard and Shauna just were astounded at the size (it was a Super Wal-mart, after all) and how ridiculously packed it was, even for a Sunday night. And then they saw the giant marshmallows. Apparently they don't have those in Europe either xD

Kelly and I couldn't stop cracking up over their reactions to everything we had that was just... not available where they lived. I will honestly never forget that. I can't wait to go to Ireland or Norway and experience that for myself!

After Wal-mart we headed over to Downtown Disney for dinner, and walked our way all the way around Marketplace, I believe it was, to eat at Earl of Sandwich. I WAS SO HUNGRY I DEVOURED MY SANDWICH. Seriously though, that place was fairly cheap and really good.

It was nice to rest our feet, since mine were falling off my legs, but it was over far too soon. After exploring the Lego store and the biggest store on Disney property, we took Shauna and Gard back to the Royal Pacific.

I just... I can't even talk about my goodbye to Shauna. I JUST HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS <3

Literally though, ask Kelly, I was crying in the car as we drove away back to my hotel.

And that's all I'll say about that.

The next day my parents and I packed up the car (finding a place for my Privet Drive sign was tricky xD) and headed over to Denny's for a wonderful, all-American breakfast of pancakes and pork products, and then we hit the road back to Auburn. I tried to sleep pretty much the entire way home because I was almost dead from lack of sleep. A week without sleeping is just... not a good idea. My parents were kind of worried about me, actually. They'd never seen me so intent on something and so dedicated to getting up at ungodly hours to go hang out with other crazed Harry Potter fans, so focused on everything that was happening. I think it was kind of an eye-opening experience for them. Like, you can ty to explain the atmosphere and the friendships formed at cons, but nothing, no amount of eloquent speech is going to make anyone understand what it's really like unless they take part in it. And I think my parents saw that that weekend. That in itself was such a relief for me, that they saw it and understood. Besides, they're intelligent and open-minded people, I wasn't too worried about them =P

Arrival in Auburn was bittersweet. Sleep awaited me, but so was the horrible, isolating sickness that is Post-Potter Depression, and the knowledge that I wasn't going to see probably any of those people again for a long, long time. AND I CAN'T EVEN TEXT SHAUNA. STUPID INTERNATIONAL FEES.

Anyway, I'll leave you all with this last picture. It's the cast picture of The Final Battle after the show. You guys are all my family. I love you all. <3



See you all on the other side!

HPRT: I've seen Deathly Hallows 4 times now. Still gotta fit in my 5th time with Emily when she gets in town!
Current Book: I read Uncle Vanya by Chekov today.
Current Song: Sonorous Love by Ministry of Magic