Catch-Up

So now that I've made my birthday post, it's time for some catching up. I know I didn't write for a long time until recently. Therefore, this post is dedicated to telling you all the things you missed. This should be fun.

Other than it being summer, there are two main things that have happened that I think that my blog has missed. Both of which I have written about before: Jennifer Jareau and Harry Potter.

First, JJ. You may recall my post, The Imminent Return of JJ, in which I discuss my issue with CBS cutting Jennifer Jareau's character on Criminal Minds. At the end, I believe I said something like..."if you somehow happen to be an executive at CBS or in any position of power to bring JJ back to Criminal Minds, please consider my rock solid reasoning. I know thousands of fans would absolutely love you."
Well, I am pleased to announce, an executive must have been reading my post because they have officially brought JJ back to Criminal Minds for good! That's awesome news, right?! I knew that post would make a difference. ;)

So my character will be reunited with her BFF, Spence, and everything will be awesome this next season. :)
That's it for JJ, though.

On to Harry.

If you've not been keeping up with my blog, you may not know that I blogged my way through reading Harry Potter for the first time this past winter. Naturally, I fell in love, became obsessed, etc., etc... An accomplishment that had no public outlet until just recently, with the release of the eighth and final Harry Potter movie!
I decided to go all out, wearing full Hufflepuff costume and brandishing a homemade (but seriously legit) wand. I told people I was Hannah Abbott. And that I marry Neville.
[I know I was against the Hannah-Neville relationship before, but my selfishness won out. I want Neville for myself, and I think I'm Hannah Abbott. There is nothing wrong with me.]
Here is a picture of me (Hannah Abbott) and Kelsey (Hermione) at the midnight showing!!

The movie was wonderful, more than I could have hoped for. Someone freaked me out before the movie started, saying something about how they might not have the part where Neville kills the snake (then I started wondering if they maybe had someone else do it instead), and so I spent a good majority of the film all tensed up just waiting to see Neville in his moment of glory.

They threw me for a loop, too, though. They gave Neville this whole bridge scene where he's being chased by an army and the bridge is collapsing, and he falls off the edge, but still manages to hold on! And as soon as that part was over I was like this is not good, they only gave him that whole heroic part because they're going to have someone else kill the snake, I just know it.

And so later, Harry tells Hermione that she needs to kill the snake, and I honestly whispered No! in the middle of the theater. If Hermione was going to kill the snake, someone was going to pay after the movie. Probably someone dressed up as Hermione in close proximity. Not boding well for Kelsey.

So THEN, when it comes time to kill the snake, seriously EVERYONE attempts to kill her. Hermione's out there with a basilisk fang, taking stabs at the snake, and Ron's right there with her. It's like, the quest to kill the snake, and everyone but Neville gets to try. I was about to cry.

BUT THEN THE MOMENT OF TRUTH! NEVILLE KILLS THE SNAKE IN ALL HIS GLORY!! IT WAS EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE EVER WANTED.

I love that man. I love him so much.

So enough gushing about Neville. God knows there's enough of that all over this blog. But the movie was brilliant, despite some itty bitty things I would have enjoyed seeing.

1. Hagrid being more distraught over Harry's death. I know it's nit-picky, but in the book, Hagrid's reaction is heart-breaking. In the movie, he's just like "No! 'Arry!" And then he's all stone-faced as he carries him to Hogwarts. Shed a tear or two, Hagrid. You cry over dead spiders.
2. Harry creating his old wand using the Elder wand. He just snaps the Elder wand in two. Like...didn't you want to do something with that before destroying it? You really want to be left with Draco's wand? Okay...
3. Kreacher fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts. I honestly consider Kreacher one of my favorite characters now, and the fact that he wasn't even included in this movie was depressing. I love how he changes and how he ends up fighting with the house elves.

So that's it for my complaints. I told you there were few. I may think of more, but I won't post them when I do; I'll just complain to whomever's around. :)

But that wraps it up for Harry Potter! And this post. So I hope that was enough to make me feel like I can blog about current things now. And not everything all at once. And I promise, I won't write about Harry Potter all the time. Although I will have a Pottermore post for sure. :)

Til later!

Goodbye, Teenage Years

I realize I have plenty that I could write about right now, seeing as I haven't posted anything in months. But my birthday was yesterday, so that seems a convenient thing to write about.

I'm twenty now. Dang it. But let's not dwell on that.

Yesterday was a good day. :) I got to go to Champaign with my two best friends from home (Kelsey and Hillary) and see some of my best friends from school (Betsy and Minyona)! We went bowling, and I scored a 109 on my second game. Not too shabby. And then we went to Cocomero and had nummy frogurt and drinks!

Hillary, Kelsey, and me!

Me, Betsy, and Minyona!

Anyway, that was the fun part of my birthday.

Now for the sad part. You may know that Borders, the bookstore, is closing nationwide. You may also know that the Borders in Bloomington was the choice hangout of the Phalanx (me, Kelsey, and Hillary) until it closed in the winter. You may even know that yesterday, my birthday, was the last day that Borders was going to be open normally before putting everything on a liquidation sale.

I could try to explain to you how much Borders meant to me and my friends. 

How we started going there just to do math homework during our senior year in high school, and one Saturday we spent 8 hours there catching up on all the homework we had put off until then. 

How we had the menu memorized, how we filled out our punch cards to get free drinks until they did away with those and started keeping track electronically.

How every time we ordered drinks, we used different names and tried to pass them off as our own until the workers realized that we were different people every time.

How we had our own special table with our own usual spots, and if anyone was at our table when we got there, we would wait and take over it as soon as they got out of their seats.

How we went there to celebrate good times, like the beginning of summer, or someone's birthday, and how we went there during the worst times.

Borders was our home.

But nothing I say can fully explain how important Borders was to us.

Point being, yesterday was our last day getting drinks at a real Borders cafe. Having said goodbye to our own local Borders months ago, we had to go to the one in Champaign.

We really only wanted to get drinks, sit there for a while, and maybe buy one last thing with a few remaining gift cards.

So this is what happened. We walked in, saw a sign on the cafe and freaked out that it was already closed. It was a false alarm, but still terrible because the sign actually said they were out of the bonding powder to make Javakulas, which are our usual drinks. So we were really mad about that.

We also needed to come up with weird names. We decided on our recognizable but sufficiently strange Star Wars names (Kelsey is Princess Leia, Hillary is Yoda, and I am Obi-Wan).

But then, the best part of the Borders experience for the day, we met the cafe worker. I don't know his name; he didn't have a nametag. But he was super nice. He offered to make us iced Javakulas instead of the less-desirable alternative drinks we had chosen. And when we said our names, he called them loud and clear with pride for Star Wars. He even said "Master Yoda." And then he spoke in a Yoda voice. He was kind of weird. But we thoroughly appreciated it.

Anyway, Kelsey told him it was my birthday, so he only charged me for a latte, even though I was getting something more expensive, and said the rest was on him. And he gave us whatever toppings we wanted on our drinks because they needed to get rid of them anyway.

I know this is a long and pointless post about Borders, but despite it being our last day going there ever, it was about the best day I could have asked for.

So Borders closing was the end of an era for us. The end of my teenage years, as well.

All of it is bittersweet.

But there are different, yet equally as exciting things ahead. We may never find another "Borders." I'll never be a teenager again. But I still have my amazing friends and a super-privileged life, and I could not be more thankful. :)
Happy birthday to me!

The Imminent Return of JJ

If you do not watch Criminal Minds and don't care about it, now is the time to stop reading this post. That means most people. Yet, if you are still reading and you are interested in what my ominous title and half-hearted forewarning might mean, do read on.

Jennifer Jareau aka JJ

JJ, or Agent Jennifer Jareau, is a character on Criminal Minds, which airs on CBS every Wednesday at 9/8c.  It is an appropriately named crime show which follows a team of FBI agents as they attempt to solve murders, abductions, etc. which involve a psychological aspect. They use the art of "profiling," which means using cues found in the case to create a stereotype, if you will, of the potential killer. It's a real method that is still in use today, as I have read books about it. :)
Anyways, an example of real-life profiling is: we have a woman who was stabbed in the face and killed. Profilers would look at that and instantly use data collected on this type of crime to determine that the perpetrator was most likely a male (who would favor using a knife as well as would prey on women) who knew the woman personally (because violence to the face indicates a personal relationship).
Ta-da!
So that's what this show is. And I love it. But JJ, or rather, A.J. Cook (the actor), has been taken off of the show, and that's not cool because JJ is my character.

There was a lot of backlash regarding JJ's departure, including a petition, Twitter posts from cast members, and just a lot of general grumbling from fans. Because of all the complaints, the network agreed to allow JJ's character to appear in the first two episodes of the new season to provide closure. Then she left. And I cried, not gonna lie.
But now they are bringing her back for one more episode, which is airing this week! I'm more than a little excited, but I wonder how much CBS is going to toy with us...bringing her back and taking her away again, over and over. So here are my reasons for why JJ should return as a regular character on Criminal Minds:

1) She is the only one with her specific job. I need to give a quick run-down of the members of the team:
Profilers - Aaron Hotchner, Dr. Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, and David Rossi
Tech Genius - Penelope Garcia

Team Liaison - Jennifer Jareau

Hotch         Spence             Prentiss         Morgan           Rossi              Garcia

Do you notice that there are five profilers and only one team liaison? Well, it's true. The profilers get to sit in their little board room and listen to JJ detail the crime they are investigating, then they throw around possibilities and stuff. A very important job, but five of them are doing the same thing. And JJ even helps.

JJ's job is to choose the cases the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) takes on, present them to the team, and then serve as liaison between the FBI and other jurisdictions or the media. She also makes arrangements for grieving families to have their funerals, holds press conferences about how the investigation is going, and helps to decide which information to disclose and which must still be confidential.
She has a very, very important job.
Nobody else does this job. Why would you take out a character that plays a unique role in every episode? I do not know.

2) She is a strong female character. Did you also notice that there are three women and four men on the team? Taking away JJ leaves you with two women and four men. And Garcia already has a kind of behind-the-scenes job. Not to mention they are talking about doing away with Prentiss. Don't even get me started.
Also, JJ is one of the few characters with an incredibly well-developed back story. We get some with Hotch and Spence, but JJ recently had a baby and is getting married. There is kind of a lot going on with her character that we would like to keep following, you know.

Ugh

3) They've replaced her with a freaky look-a-like who has no depth. Look at this girl. That is "Ashley Seaver," some stupid new addition to the BAU. I don't know what was going on in the minds of the producers of Criminal Minds when they were like, "La di dah, let's cast a boring girl who looks a whole lot like JJ to anger our fans even more that we fired A.J. Cook. And then every time they watch the show, they will first think that the pretty blond girl is JJ, but then they will realize it's this useless new girl, and they'll hate us, and it will be so funny! Hahaha!" And then they talk some more about getting rid of Prentiss because they don't even want anyone to watch the show anymore.
I can't even look at her.

4) She is Spence's best friend. Honestly, JJ and Spence are BFFs. And not just because JJ is my character and my best friend's character is Spencer. For one, I refer to Dr. Reid as Spence throughout this blog because JJ is the only one that calls him Spence. Except the freaking STUPID NEW GIRL CALLED HIM SPENCE ONCE AND I WAS ABOUT TO SHOOT THE TV.
But yeah, they are for real best friends. Don't believe me? Here's an awkward picture of Spence feeling JJ's baby kick:

JJ made Spence her baby's godfather. How cute is that? How is Spence supposed to carry out his godfather duties without JJ on the show? This is so depressing.

JJ can't be gone. Now that they are bringing her back again, it's rehashing all the pain I fought back the first time she left. If they are going to have her back for one episode, why not keep her? Ahhh.
Well, congratulations on getting this far if you have never heard of Criminal Minds. I applaud you. And even if you do like Criminal Minds, I blabbered on and on with this post, so thank you for reading. And if you somehow happen to be an executive at CBS or in any position of power to bring JJ back to Criminal Minds, please consider my rock solid reasoning. I know thousands of fans would absolutely love you.

How to Power Nap

I honestly think one of the greatest skills to acquire in college is mastering the art of the "power nap." It takes practice, and if you go too long without one, you have to get back into the routine, but it's so worth it.
The power nap is useful because once you're really good, you can take ten to twenty minute long, refreshing naps at almost any time. Just think about it: you're exhausted after a day of classes, but you have a meeting in less than an hour. What to do? Take a nap! And still have time left to get some stuff done.

The art of power napping is often lost because of people's misconceptions about the length of time necessary for a refreshing nap. People think that a good three hour nap in the afternoon is what you need to recharge after a long day. Wrong! Based on experience and studies that I have read but don't remember exactly, those naps only make you lethargic and make you lose sleep the following night.

Now, sites like this one explain the benefits of naps in detail as well as outlines the specific different kinds of naps. I'm not going to read that whole thing because I'm lazy. Look what I'm doing. Blogging about naps! How much lazier can you get?!
But, if you feel like educating yourself, there are plenty of sites about power naps. This idea is hardly original. This other site looks promising, based on my first impression. And it's not as long as that other one, which is always a plus.

So, how do you get to be a pro napper, according to me? Follow these simple steps:

1. Always Set an Alarm.  I usually fit my naps in between classes or other things I have to do. This means an alarm is a must. Figure out how long you want to nap (twenty to thirty minutes is usual), and set your alarm to go off ten to fifteen minutes after that time. Ex: I want to sleep for twenty minutes, and it is 3:00. I will set my alarm to 3:35.
You will know best how long it takes you to fall asleep, so always keep that in mind when setting your alarm. You don't want to set it for twenty minutes and wake up only to find that you were able to sleep for five.

2. Self-Control.  When your alarm goes off, GET UP. The temptation to just lay in bed for another few hours will be overwhelming. Do not listen to it. If you sleep any longer, your whole sleep schedule will get messed up and then you will probably die. Interesting fact: Did you know that you can die if you don't sleep for 10 days? However, the world record for going without sleep is 11 days. Doesn't that just sound terrible? Think about that when you are feeling selfish and wanting to sleep an extra hour and ruin your nap schedule. Just think about it.

3. Create an Environment.
   a. Location: Your nap is not the same thing as a night's sleep. It should not feel like it. If you have another place to lay down where you can sleep other than the bed you sleep in at night, nap there. If you don't, use a different blanket or something. I use my bed for naps, so I usually only sleep under one blanket during a nap, but I use all my covers for bedtime.
   b. Lighting: Don't turn off all the lights. It is not night time yet! I always keep one light on in my room so I don't get tempted into thinking I can sleep forever. Too many times have I woken up from a nap and realized it is completely dark outside. Then I never want to get up. It's a problem.
   c. Clothing: It's also probably a good idea to sleep in the clothes you are wearing so you don't get too comfortable. If you are in really restricting clothes, you can change, but jeans and a tshirt are perfectly effective for napping.
   d. Position: Finally, I sleep in a different position when napping versus when I sleep at night. To get to sleep at night, I lay on my back, but during naps, I always lay on my side. If you are able to do this, I highly recommend it as well. Anything to help your body distinguish between naps and actual sleep.

And once you've done all this, you have to gradually get yourself used to sleeping like this. The first time you try, it will be pretty difficult. You'll want to keep sleeping or you won't have really slept at all by the time your alarm goes off. Do not fret. You will get better. And the biggest benefit of a power nap is that you don't get that horrendous groggy feeling like you get from a three-hour nap.

I hope these guidelines sort of helped, and best of luck with your napping endeavors!

Forever and Ever and Everandeverandever

I just posted this video on Facebook, so posting it here might be a little redundant, but my heart is so rooted in this song that I don't care. If you've never heard this song (or even if you have a million times), you should listen to it right now. Stop what you are doing, and give eight minutes of your life to just listen.
Holy, by Matt Gilman (live, just how I like it):

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!"

Revelation 4:8

I first heard this song when I went to Onething, a conference in Kansas City with the International House of Prayer, during the winter of 2008. Actually, we spent the tail-end of 2008 there, and along with thousands of people, we rang in the new year worshiping and celebrating. It was such an amazing experience, and I would love to go again. 

It was during this particular song that God laid it on my heart that He wanted me to sing for Him. Not the biggest revelation in the world, but He really showed me that I can connect to Him through singing and that it gives Him joy.

I grew to love the kind of prophetic music that we sang at Onething. The lyrics are so simple and extremely repetitive, but they are rooted in scripture and carry such power. And because the songs were so repetitive, you usually never wanted them to end. That's exactly how I feel about this song. I have listened to this song on a loop so many times, it's almost embarrassing. Once, I listened to it over and over again during an entire bus ride back from Chicago. That's two and a half hours.

In this busy day and age, it's overwhelming to think of doing something forever. When I used to read that verse in Revelation about the four creatures saying the same thing over and over again, I thought that sounded like the most boring job ever.

Now I beg to differ. I often find myself longing for more worship, more music, by the end of a song at church or Large Group. When it's time to sit or leave, I feel like I could have kept singing for another hour. The thought of singing "holy, holy, holy" day and night, night and day, is the most comforting thing I can think of right now.

God has placed this desire in our hearts, to seek Him always and to worship Him for all time. I have just one other video, and this one is ten minutes, but it is just so beautiful and powerful that I can't not post it. It's Matt Gilman again, and this time, this song is from the conference I attended. I remember exactly where I was standing during this time. It was right after "Holy," when God had told me how He loved to hear me sing. So I sang my heart out with everyone else. I almost cried with every word. God is that amazing.

Tonight is All-Campus Worship at the University of Illinois. It's like a mini-Onething with all the campus ministries coming together just to worship for one night a semester. Unfortunately, it won't last forever. But Heaven will, and I will get to sing forever and ever and never stop. Because that's exactly what my soul is made for.

Can I Be In A Musical?

Please? Right now?
I miss musicals. I got to participate in three of them during high school, and musical season was always the best part of the year. I played violin in the pit orchestra for our production of Aida, and I fell in love with it. Also became uncontrollably obsessed with it. It's an amazing Romeo & Juliet type story set in ancient Egypt. With breathtaking music by Tim Rice and Elton John (same people who did The Lion King).
The next year, I wanted to be part of the cast, and we were performing Seussical.
I was a Butter Battle Cadet:

Ohh, yeah. Then, we did Cinderella the following year (our choir directors went through a kiddie musical phase in which they wanted to cater to everyone's little siblings for some reason). I was a "maiden," so nothing special, but still musicals were some of the best times of my life in high school.
I'm the girl in the green skirt with only one shoe who looks like I'm about to bring the terror:

Point being, I love musicals. And, I spent a good amount of my weekend watching and becoming obsessed with A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel on youtube. And wishing I could be a part of the cast and relive my glory days.

First, I will say that if you are a Harry Potter fan and are not afraid of a little parody, A Very Potter Musical and its Sequel are for you. I highly recommend both because they are incredibly hilarious.
Draco is my favorite character, followed by Voldemort. They're all really awesome though.
Darren Criss, who now plays a strong supporting character (Blaine!) on Glee, plays Harry and also wrote all of the music and lyrics for both musicals (along with A.J. Holmes on the first one).
Seriously, guys. These musicals made my weekend.

But my point for this post is just to reiterate how much I want to be in a musical right now. We have productions here in college, but I don't have time nor do I have the talent to compete with theatre and music majors in auditions.
So I don't know how to remedy this dilemma. That's why I'm complaining I guess.
Honestly, I can't come up with a single solution other than to just get over it.
I can't get over it! I want to sing! Ahh. Nostalgia attack.

This post is getting embarrassing now. I feel like more and more of my posts are ending up like this. I promise I'll have some better ones soon. This is just the result of poorly planned procrastination. Ahaha, is there such a thing? Yes, in my opinion. And that's what I'm blaming for this sub-par post.
Now I'm going to watch Criminal Minds.

The Reason for the Name

Most of you know why my blog is named what it is: "Like sinking ships," but I thought I would give a brief overview of exactly what that came from and why I love it so much.

The exact quote comes from my very favorite song by The Killers, called A Dustland Fairytale. And if you know anything about me, you know that The Killers is my all-time favorite band.  The lyrics for A Dustland Fairytale are as follows:

A dustland fairytale beginning,
Just another white trash county kiss
In sixty-one, long brown hair, and foolish eyes.
He looked just like you'd want him to,
Some kind of slick, chrome, American prince.
Blue jean serenade, and moon river, what'd you do to me?
I don't believe you.


Saw Cinderella in a party dress,
But she was lookin' for a nightgown.
I saw the devil wrappin' up his hands.
He's gettin' ready for the showdown.
I saw the minute that I turned away,
I got my money on a palm tonight.

Change came in disguise of revelation,
Set his soul on fire.
She said she always knew
He'd come around.
And the decades disappear like sinking ships,
But we persevere.
God gives us hope, but we still fear
What we don't know.
The mind is poison.
Castles in the sky sit stranded, vandalized.
The drawbridge is closin'.


Saw Cinderella in a party dress,
But she was lookin' for a nightgown.
I saw the devil wrappin' up his hands.
He's gettin' ready for the showdown.
I saw the ending when they turned the page.
I took my money and I ran away
Straight to the valley of the great divine.


Out where the dreams are high,
Out where the wind don't blow,
Out here the good girls die,
And the sky won't snow.
Out here the bird don't sing,
Out here the field don't grow,
Out here the bell don't ring.
Out here the bell don't ring.
Out here the good girls die.


Now, Cinderella, don't you go to sleep.
It's such a bitter form of refuge.
Why don't you know the kingdom's under siege,
And everybody needs you?
Is there still magic in the midnight sun?
Or did you leave it back in sixty-one
In the cadence of a young man's eyes?
Out where the dreams are high.


I don't expect you to read all of that. But at least listen to the song, if you are interested. It's a live version, so it's flawed, but there's more reality to it that way.

The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale on David Letterman

Album Covers!

So a few weeks ago, my procrastination of choice was to make pretend album covers on picnik.com following these instructions I found on Facebook:

1. Go to Wikipedia and hit random. The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2. Go to quotationspage.com and hit random. The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3. Go to flickr and click on "explore the last seven days." Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4. Use picnik.com to put it all together.

 So this is what resulted:

Hello, February...

I didn't write a post about January because I was blissfully at home and was otherwise entertained by Harry Potter. The only reason I am writing a February post right now is because I am, of course, procrastinating. But, I figure I should continue my monthly preview things for the sake of routine, so here we are.

January was fine, and so was December. Both were half spent at home and half at school. The home parts were so comfortably lazy that I have no words. I love being lazy. I love doing nothing. If I had to choose between being bored or being stressed for the rest of my life, I would choose bored. Is that even really a choice? I bet some people would choose stressed. Anyway, that has nothing to do with February. I'm getting off track.
February promises to be a bleak month. Once all the early excitement is over, there is nothing to look forward to. Just school and class and homework and tests and cold, cold, cold.
Yesterday was Groundhog Day. Apparently, he predicted an early spring, but that doesn't mean anything.

Wow, I'm sorry. This post is super depressing. I have a talent at being able to take happy things and see the down side in all of them. Want to see my talent in action? Sure you do.

Happy thing #1: We had a snow day yesterday! That meant my quiz in my Abnormal Psych class got postponed and I didn't have to go to my two scheduled classes!
But: I didn't do anything yesterday. I watched movies. You know what that means? I have to do all of that crap today. And, now I have my Psych quiz tomorrow. So I have to study tonight along with do all my other homework I did not do yesterday during all my free time. Blehh.

Happy thing #2: Winter Retreat is this weekend! I've been looking forward to this for months, and it's finally here! I just have to get through the rest of today and classes tomorrow, and then it's off to a great weekend!
But: I have a quiz on Monday morning. I'm not going to get anything done over this weekend at all. And, I'll probably spend the weekend complaining about the cold, and potentially not feeling good.

Happy thing #3: The Super Bowl is on Sunday!! And the Green Bay Packers are in it!!! And, I get to celebrate it with my family at a real Super Bowl party at my house! Ahh, I am almost more excited about this than about Winter Retreat!!
But: I'm afraid we're going to lose. And I will be at my house for the majority of the evening, which means I won't get any work done and I'll get back to campus fairly late at night, and you know I won't do any studying for my quiz on Monday then. But mostly I'm afraid we're going to lose.

And all of these happy things only pertain to this week. The weeks to come have nothing for me.
I'm too schizophrenic right now to focus on a February post. I have a recommendation for you folks. (Who am I kidding, I don't have folks! Whatever.) This blog I found is the reason I was up so late last night and now I feel like crap and don't want to do any work. You should check it out. It's just this girl who posts things that make her happy, like pictures, songs, and quotes: http://jussulentnatalie.tumblr.com/

I kind of want to steal her idea. The end.

Just Call Me the Master Accomplisher

I'm revamping the purpose of this blog a little bit. Not a lot, but just in the spirit of it actually being a new school semester and I should probably do other things than watch sports and read Harry Potter. And I find that blogging about any experience makes it more exciting, thus, I plan to blog about this school year and my struggle to be productive.
You see, now that I am getting into my major(s), I have stuff that is actually somewhat important to do. And being the Super Procrastinator that I am, and seeing that I would rather spend my time in a fantasy world, I find these real world tasks difficult to accomplish. Tasks such as:

• doing homework
• writing papers
• doing projects
• studying for quizzes, tests, etc.
• doing the readings for classes
• applying for Study Abroad and scholarships
• declaring a second major
• getting my butt out of bed and going to class
• buying necessities when I don't want to go outside
• going to meetings for organizations
• doing laundry
• cleaning my room
• working out
• basically being responsible in any form

Being lazy is kind of my thing, but the problem with that is that I also strive to be great. Even if I know that I did not put enough effort into my classes, I still feel entitled to straight A's. Do you see where I run into problems? It's a difficult life to lead.

Anyway, I can't do anything productive for responsibility's sake. That is why I am writing this post, and probably the posts to come. Because if I feel like I have to blog about it, I will actually do it. That's the point to which my procrastination has progressed.

So far, I would say my blog-inspired motivation has been a success! I didn't say in my title to call me the "Master Accomplisher" for nothing. I did tons of stuff today that I would normally never want to do if it wasn't the day before the deadline or there was threat of fine or expulsion.

I accomplished three main things today:

1. finished the Study Abroad application process
2. began the first 2 out of 3 steps to declare a double major in Spanish and Psychology
3. and went to a meeting about volunteering in an elementary school for my Spanish class

On top of all that, I went to both of my classes for the day. Now, this may be a normal day in the life of a college student for you, but for me, this is a day full of dangers and physical and mental exertion.

Let's not forget that I am not only an established procrastinator, but I am an extreme introvert. I am really shy, basically. If I can avoid talking to people, I will. Doing these things...that requires a lot of human contact. Also, keep in mind that I did all of these things by myself, with no supportive friends by my side. All me. And strangers. And grueling tasks.

Number 1: I had to drop off my photocopy of my passport receipt to the Study Abroad Office. I did this after my first Psychology class today. I overshot where the International Studies building is, so I walked around an entire block unnecessarily so I wouldn't have to awkwardly turn around right where I stood, even though I realized I had walked too far. Then, no one was in the Reception Office, so I waited in there with another girl for somebody to show up. A minute later, a lady comes in, and it takes me two seconds to give her my sheet and walk out of there. But still. Emotionally taxing.

Number 2: I went straight from there to a building way north called the Computing Applications building. I walked through shady-ville and wondered what the risk of me getting jumped at 11:15 in the morning would be. Finally reached my destination, and after asking around a bit I found out where I was supposed to get my Second Major Declaration sheet (I just made up what it is called). Once I had that, I just had to go back to the Psychology building and get an advisor to sign it. Then on a later date, I must return to the far-away land called the Computing Applications building and my major will be officially double!

But that whole advisor thing...not my forte. It required a lot of talking and acting normal and happy, all the while hiding that I probably have a psychological disorder that prevents me from being able to carry on normal conversations without having my heart beat a foot out of my chest. Mission accomplished, though.

Then, I sat around and waited until class started. Went to class, actually talked to someone briefly afterwards (gasp!) (and it was a boy!), went to lunch, then did nothing until 2:40.

Number 3: That's the time that I had to start walking to the Education Building to go to my orientation for tutoring elementary school kids in Spanish. It was mostly filling out paperwork, but the supervisor lady seemed to take to me and the other girl that were there for our Spanish in the Community class. I figure that's a good sign. Mostly because I was still trying to be normal and outgoing at this point. We played a short version of a game that we would play with the kids (which is throwing a ball with questions on it, and you have to answer the question that your right thumb lands on when you catch it), and the lady for some reason chose to throw me the ball first.
The question was "If you could change places with one person in the world for a day, who would you switch with?" And of course I didn't answer because that's a ridiculous question. Introverts need time to let those questions marinate before declaring an answer to a room full of people we don't know.

But anyway, the orientation was a good experience and it wasn't scary. And I met a girl that is in the same course as me and she studied abroad in Granada last year, which is where I'll be going in the fall. And she has a car and offered to drive me to the school when we have to volunteer. So basically it was a winning situation.

And that is why my name for the day is Master Accomplisher. Because although I have not completed a lick of homework today, I did a whole bunch of responsible crap. So I'm telling the world, and you should be proud of me.

And now, every time I do something responsible and good that defies my procrastinate-y and introverted nature, I will blog about it. Or else I will share my concerns before doing something new and strange, like when I actually have to go and tutor these kids. Or return to give my double major sheet to that guy.

Point being, there will be more posts on my exciting and adventurous life to come. I hope you're ready.

Why I Like the Teams I Like

I've gotten a lot of crap from people about my choices in which sports teams to support. Particularly, yesterday, when the Packers played the Bears for the NFC title and advancement to the Super Bowl, people were baffled as to why I would be rooting against the Bears.
For the record, and for those of you who don't know me as well, I choose to root for the St. Louis Cardinals when it comes to baseball, and the Green Bay Packers when it comes to football. Any other sport, I could really care less, and I don't follow minor league or college sports very much at all.
This is not an "anger" post. But I feel like I should give my reasons for why I love these teams and not those that would be expected (namely, my teams' rivals: the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears).
And finally, before we get into everything, I would like to say that despite all my reasoning, what it really comes down to is that I root for these teams because I grew up rooting for them with my dad. It's because of him that I started loving these teams. But I will still defend my right to like them.
So, these are the two complaints I get most often, and I will rebuke them as best I can.


Complaint #1: But you are from Illinois! You are a traitor not to root for Illinois teams.

Yes, I am from Illinois. But I am not from Chicago. If I were from Chicago, I would be just plain stupid not to root for Chicago teams. Not only stupid, but I must have a death wish. Contrary to popular belief, there is a difference between Chicago and Illinois. My hometown is the exact same travelling time away from Chicago as it is from St. Louis. I feel I should get free choice between at least the teams within that distance. That would include (for baseball) the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals. I don't feel that a border should prevent me from rooting for whichever team I choose.

The distance reasoning works out all fine and dandy with baseball, but not so much with football, since Green Bay is further north from Chicago, so it would take more travel time. So my reasoning for that is this: a large portion of my dad's side of his family lives in Wisconsin. I go there at least once a year to visit them, and of course, they are all huge Packers fans. I have no family in Chicago. Or in Illinois, outside of my hometown. So, according to family ties, I have every reason to root for the Packers.

All in all, I don't believe that a person should be condemned to root for a team just because of the place in which he was born. Similarly, people should not be forced into fan-dom simply because of the choices of their fathers or husbands. Everyone deserves the right to decide which team to root for on his or her own terms. If your terms are that you want to like the team that your friend likes, then go for it. But if you feel compelled to support a team simply because of the preferences (and pressure) of a person, family, town, or state, then I say you have the right to make your own informed decision. And if people don't like it, they can deal.


Complaint #2: But your teams suck!

Ohhhh, this is my favorite complaint. Okay, so it might be a knee-jerk reaction to put down your teams' rivals, which I can understand. But if you really want to dig out evidence and put it to the test, let's.
Note that I am only providing evidence on the teams as a whole and their successes. I do not want to start on individual players and their legacies, because players change teams and fans don't.

How about baseball first, eh?

• The Cubs have won 2 World Series titles, their last win being in 1908.
• The White Sox have won 3, their last in 2005.
• And the Cardinals have won 10, their last in 2006.

• The Cubs have 16 NL Pennants, their last in 1945.
• The White Sox have 7 AL Pennants, their last in 2005.
• And the Cardinals have 17 NL Pennants, their last in 2006.

• The Cardinals have the most World Series wins in the National League, and they are only second in all of baseball, following the Yankee's killer lead of 27.

Good enough? Okay. Now football.

• The Bears have won 8 NFL Championships (that was before the Super Bowl started), and they have won 1 Super Bowl in 1985.
• The Packers have won 9 NFL Championships, and 3 Super Bowls, the last being in 1996.

Point being, my teams don't suck. I believe my dad put a lot of thought and effort into choosing the franchises that he wanted to support (because his dad is a Chicago fan, so he made his decisions on his own), and I respect that enough to follow in his footsteps.

Like I said, this post isn't a rant, but merely a validation for my sports preferences. So, root for your teams and I'll root for mine. And I'll respect your decision as best I can while we beat you. ;)

Note: I now realize that my facts are outdated! Make that:

• The Packers have won 9 NFL Championships, and 4 Super Bowls, the last being in 2011.

There we are. :)

It's Over: Book Seven Has Been Completed

It hasn't really completely sunk in yet that I'm finally done. I'm not going to go to bed tonight and read eagerly for an hour or so before I go to sleep. I'm not going to get to the climax of a book at the most inconvenient time so that I'm up until 4am because I can't tear myself away. And I'm not going to write another blog post following the completion of such a compelling story. It's all come to an end. No more predictions, no more shielding myself from any extra knowledge that I may not have read yet. I know it all.


Now, I must start off by saying I remembered a whole lot from the seventh movie. Despite my attempts to sleep or space out during the film, I came away with a good amount of information that I did not know before. I hoped that time would steal away some of these memories, but unfortunately, they pretty much stayed put. I find it incredible that I can see a movie like Tron at midnight in December, actually pay attention to the whole thing, and still when I go back and try to recount it, I can remember more from seeing Harry Potter at midnight in November while trying to block everything out.


Anyway, the first half of the book was surprisingly like the movie. When I realized they were in a certain place or were talking to a person, I could picture that very scene in the movie quite clearly. It was a little disappointing that I knew a lot of what would happen in the first half, but I dealt with it.


So, if you recall, I had produced a list of people that were absolutely not allowed to die in the seventh book. Just a refresher, here it is:
Neville, Professor McGonagall, Lupin, Gilderoy, Fang, and Luna.
I regret to say that my request was not completely heeded. Lupin, as I feared, died. Everyone else was spared, although I had some close calls with Neville and Professor McGonagall that had me quite worried.
That said, I think it's time to go into further detail about the things that stood out to/bothered/interested me most about this book.

Lupin and Tonks. What were you guys thinking? Why get married so fast? I was counting on my predictions being wrong because I didn't think you would have time to get married and have a baby! But, no, page ten, freaking page ten of the seventh book informs me of your marriage. Then, you both start acting all weird and I know you must be having a freaking baby.
Do you realize that your baby is now an orphan? Huh? If you're gonna have a baby, stay alive to take care of it. Children benefit from having proper parents, otherwise they start snogging people all over the place. Rock solid evidence right there.

Speaking of dying parents. I was struck while reading the last couple of books with an insane amount of sadness about Harry's parents' deaths. I was almost angry that they had to die and not see how great their son grew up to be. The story of James and Lily intrigued me, and I found myself craving more and more information about their lives before they died.
In fact, the only time that I cried in these books was—not Dumbledore's, Sirius's, Dobby's, Fred's, or anyone's death—but when Harry uses the Resurrection Stone to talk to his parents and Sirius and Lupin. I cried then because it was so touching.


Now, let's talk about Snape. Oh, old tricky Severus. You were really good the whole time! You remember all those things that I said about you before, you know, how you were mean and you broke my trust? All is forgiven.
Not! Ugh. I still don't like you. You are still mean. And you're still shady. And creepy. And you toyed with my trust too often; I tired of it. So I don't care about you anymore.
You were in love with Lily?! That's unsettling. She was happily married with a child and you still held on. Your Patronus is a doe?! A doe?? A freaking female deer??? I'm sorry, but that's like the wimpiest Patronus you could possibly think of. A goat is better than that. A doe is rather effeminate, Snape, and I don't want to get into accusations or analyses or anything, but it's just weird. Your Patronus is Bambi's mom.
Anyway, I think I made my point clear. My trust...you still don't have it. And now you're dead. And I did not cry.


Okay, I would like to point out that I had a third of R.A.B.'s identity pegged. Black. Yeah I got that right. What.


I was not quite so lucky with my relationship prediction. Yeah, I knew that Harry and Ginny got married and had kids at the end and so did Ron and Hermione. But my hope that Neville and Luna would get together never came to fruition. Granted, the book does not explicitly say that they didn't get married or that they married other people, but it gives no indication as to whether they did marry each other.
So I'm using my right as a reader to make up stuff and believe it to be true of the story. Neville and Luna get married. It happens.
My friend told me that Rowling gave an interview in which she says that Neville marries Hannah Abbott and Luna marries someone else, but she didn't put that in the book. While this thought is tempting for me to believe, seeing that I identify with Hannah Abbott and I love Neville, I refuse. Neville and Luna forever. That's how it is.


But oh how I do love Neville. You've probably gotten tired of me gushing about him during every post, but I love him so so much and I'm so proud of him! My opinion of him went from "he doesn't even do anything super special" to "HE IS A HERO AND SAVES EVERYONE!" Okay, so he just destroyed one Horcrux, but it was incredibly brave and oh my gosh I love him, Luna is such a lucky woman.
When Neville stepped forward out of the crowd at the end and started talking smack to Voldemort, I freaked out. I was convinced that Voldemort would smite him where he stood at any second, so I had my hand over my mouth and I was whispering "no no no no no no" without stop because I was so afraid for his life. I am so glad he is alive. I definitely, definitely would have cried if he had died.


Another character that I grew to love over the course of this book was Kreacher. I can't really explain why I like him, but the thought of him caring about Harry and Ron and Hermione and cooking for them and then fighting Death Eaters in the end makes me feel all warm and happy. I like him so much better than Dobby. I'm sorry, but I really could care less about Dobby. If anything, he is just annoying. It was sad he had to die, but not nearly as sad as other deaths. Some of you probably hate me right now. I'm sorry.


Well, I think I've wasted enough space with my worthless opinions. I can now take Harry Potter quizzes on Facebook without being paranoid of spoilers, and I can look forward to the second part of the seventh movie just like the rest of the planet! Hooray! Mission accomplished.
But did I meet my goals?

1. Do not get obsessed. Um...to be honest, I actually did a pretty good job keeping things under wraps while reading these books. My family and close friends can attest to the fact that I'm downright annoying once I latch on to something. I relate every single thing to my obsession and won't let it go until a new one comes along. I didn't really do that this time around. Not to say that everything didn't remind me of Harry Potter, but I kept my mouth shut when it did. Only during the last two books did I lose some of my self control. But I'd give myself a pat on the back even though this goal was nowhere near accomplished.
2. Finish before the very last movie. Success. I reached this goal with flying colors.
3. No buying shirts, dressing up, or anything of the like. Okay, so I won't buy a shirt or like a wand or anything. So far. The opportunity has not really presented itself yet. But I find myself looking forward to dressing up for the final movie, so this goal won't really have been accomplished either. Oh well.

My, my. Well, it's been a thrilling journey. Thank you, if you are still reading this, for following me through this and giving me your feedback and helping push me further and further into obsession. I really do appreciate that people have taken the time to read these things.

All right. I think all has been said. This is farewell.

I daresay I will be revisiting these books in my future, like any good Harry Potter fan.

So, on to the next book! Now that it's begun, it will never end.

Want to see my other posts about the series? Right here.