who knew I cared so much?

Right now, as I'm blogging, I'm watching the final two minutes of the Kentucky versus Princeton game. I'm rooting for Kentucky and at the moment the odds are very slim and I think I might cry after this is finished because it could go either way really.  This is really mind blowing...especially just now when a Tucky player (as I call them for short) just missed a three point shot.

And now it's to commercial so I'll actually get on with....

Nevermind, game is back on.

I have a feeling this will end in a ranting blog about college basketball...NO it will.  Because that's exactly what I'm doing now... Anyway, Princeton has the ball...50 seconds left....Now we're tied 57 to 57 with less than 30 seconds left.

And we're back to commerical.

I was going to actually get on with the topic of this blog when the game came back on...but I seriously never thought I would be so into March Madness this year. I mean the last couple of years was bad...

Game is back..

I hope there's no over time...'cause I get crazy loud when that happens...Waiting the clock out....YES. tHEY MADE A SHOT WITH 2 SECONDS LEFT, and then Princeton calls timeout. How classy...

What the hell do you mean that didn't count? I'm so confused.

Tucky won though, so that's all I care for.  59 to 57 Kentucky Wildcats.

Now back to my blog topic...

The last couple years of March Madness has been bad, but this year is probably going to be twice as badly because I'm being home schooled now I get to spend all this time at home. And though the thing is, I have never really cared for college sports, or sports in general really. I mean, I have a couple teams that I'll support, just because most people have a team to support.  But I seem to care more about the statics about the games than the actual game itself.

But I'll be honest, I'm seriously getting into the games this year.  Although, I still prefer to watch the last half of the game just because I find the beginning to be boring and redundant, so I catch on at the end when it's all exciting and stuff.

Pause.

Just checked Facebook, and a friend of mine just updated their status to "Kuck Fentucky", I replied simply, " That was intense. I was rooting for Kentucky though...no major reason."

Which leads me to another point to talk about.  Actually, I did have a reason for rooting for Kentucky, but I'm too lazy to explain that for now...but I tend to watch a game that I don't know the teams playing, so I'll make a random decision within a minute or two that I start watching the game and chose who I'm rooting for.

See, there's so many flaws in my March Madness Scheme.


This actually, is probably the most useless blog yet.


And for the few people who are from the UK, because I know there are a few of you that are probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about...anyway, March Madness is just this whole crazy frenzy around the NCAA basketball realm.  If you're any way interested in universities around here or into sports, generally you're into March Madness in some way.  Basically it's just a bunch of basketball games during the month of March leading up to the all mighty final two game.  It gets rather intense. I mean look at my play-by-play blog of the last two minutes of the game...and March Madness just started two days ago...


If you don't know what I'm talking about, I've probably failed to explain it. Just give it a Google search, or BING, if you're into that BINGing sort of thing, and I'm sure there's places out there that do a better job at explaining March Madness than I can.

this didn't happen...

Yesterday our internet was out, well, actually I guess all I had to do was reset the router, but usually when I'm the that does that I tend to either push the wrong button and cause more problems. So, I just hung around waiting for my mom to come home at 3:30 to take me to my afternoon physical therapy visit.

I decided, since I couldn't get online to do my school lessons, that I'd watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince because, well, it's been a very long time since I had seen it.

As I watched the first, maybe hour, I was shocked to have not remembered half the stuff that happened. I mean, I knew the stuff happened because I've read the book. But I didn't remember seeing it before, like it was my first time seeing it.

And then I got to thinking, I had gotten the DVD for Christmas but I hadn't opened it because I had already seen it. But I can't for the life of me think back to when I saw it.  I'm thinking I probably saw it with my cousin, whom also went with me to watch Order of the Phoenix when it came out in theatres, but it still seemed so weird to me.

Let's just say, my mind was boggled yesterday.  I was slightly confused, and of course worried. Because, let's be honest, I love Harry Potter so much that I shouldn't forget stuff like this.

most listened to

I decided, in order to keep procrastinating my history essay I'm supposed to be doing, I would list my top 23 songs that I've been listening to recently (in no particular order).

1. Hard Workin' Man by Brooks & Dunn
2. Jolene by Dolly Parton
3. The Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks
4. Touch by Natasha Bedingfield
5. Love Like Woe by The Ready Set
6. When by Shania Twain
7. She's Not Just a Pretty Face by Shania Twain
8. White Lies by Stacy Clark
9. I'm a Ramblin' Man by Waylon Jennings
10. Tennessee River by Alabama
11. Say It Now by The Afters
12. You Are Holy by Peder Eide there are sooo many versions of this song, but I only have the LIVE version from Peder Eide
13. Wolves by Steady Your Pace they don't have a video for this, Check it out on iTunes!
14. Pam Pam Pam by Madame Recamier
15. Jesus Freak by Newsboys
16. I Am the Champion by B.o.B.
17. If I Die Young by The Band Perry
18. Crushcrushcrush by Paramore
19. Manic Monday by Relient K
20. Wild at Heart by Gloriana
21. Still in Saigon by Charlie Daniels Band
22. Harper Valley P.T.A. by Jeannie C. Riley
23. Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson

So yeah. I tried to get the music videos for all of them, but you can at least hear the song. Maybe give you a new reason to procrastinate something you're supposed to be working on...

under the radar

So, I'm addicted to music. It's a simple fact to grasp.  But the one thing I absolutely hate about music, although it really isn't music itself, but radios who do it...is when the new cool "hip" songs get repeated every single hour.  I mean, why can't we listen to some older music that once used to be new and cool and "hip"? Huh, why?

Well, I found this awesome site a few days ago through a link on Facebook from a band I'm friends with a few of their members, (Bread of Stone) and they had gotten the opportunity to guest on this radio show. Of course, I had only followed to the link because it was Bread of Stone, I hadn't known anything about the radio show or site, I just simply wanted me some Bread of Stone to listen to even though I own two of their three cds....

BUT. this wasn't just any ole radio show.  They play songs that are under the radar, songs on popular albums that haven't been given the chance of the spotlight.

I fell in love with this show, and not just because they had Bread of Stone guest on one of their recent shows, but because I love the simple reasoning behind it.  Most of my music on my i-pod that isn't classic country because, I love love love LOVE classic country... is made up of random songs that I found through different outlets that are actually quite good but have never got the recognition they deserve.

I love this show so much, I found the first show and I've begun the process of listening to each and every show they've done. Over a 100 of them.  They last around an hour, so I'll have some good music to listen to while I sit around folding laundry and procrastinating my school lessons.

So, grab a pencil and paper and head on over to Under the Radar and listen to a few radio episodes, you might even find some new music that you've never heard of.

update

I thought I'd make a small update on my hip and everything.

I'm sure my physical therapists would have crapped their pants if they saw me just a while ago. I flopped down on the floor and crawled under my bed and cleaned. I got up alright, way better than before my replacement.

And to think, this Monday, will be exactly a month.

re-discovery!

If you know me, you're probably wondering along the same lines that I am right now...how have I not mentioned Harry Potter in my blog...well, I don't know to be honest...

It's been a few years since I last sat down and reread the series from the beginning to the end.  Within the past seven days, among other things I've been doing, I've been rereading the series. Today I started Prisoner of Azkaban, and I couldn't help but think about how much of the stuff I kind of forgot about or in general how I felt like it was almost like I had never read the books.

For a moment, it felt like I had just discovered the books and was kicking myself for not reading them sooner.  I just adore how Jo writes.  I used to kind of skim reads certain parts of the books when I would reread them because I knew what happened, but I've really made myself slow down and read closely. And there's a lot of things I've really forgotten about that I loved every time I read the books.

For example, in Sorcerer's Stone, there's a short passage that I absolutely love between Molly Weasley and her twin sons, Fred and George:

"Now, you two -- this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've -- blown up a toilet or --"

"Blown up a toliet? We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."

"It's not funny. And look after Ron."

"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."

United States paperback version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, chapter 6: The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters ; page 96

I've always enjoyed reading that part, and I had kind of forgotten about it over the last couple of years. It made me laugh so hard that my dad stuck his head into my room to see what was wrong.

It just goes to show that sometimes re-reading and even re-watching your favorite books and movies will remind how much you love them and in some cases point out new things you hadn't noticed before.

Now then...off to read some more Harry Potter. :) instead of doing my school lessons... 

it's a choice

I thought I'd first start this blog post out by saying that this topic has really had me thinking over the last couple of days, and I've put off writing this blog about it because I wanted to give it a great deal of thought. I had to stop in the middle of cleaning to write this, I couldn't stand it any longer.

Recently I have been kind of obsessed with Youtube, and I've been subscribed to Kathy's channel, jsutkissmyfrog. I've found her to be a great person to just watch and she's so beautiful and has a wonderful voice.  A few days ago, she posted a new video up titled, In Defence Of Make Up - Beauty Ethics for the Unconvinced.


I watched the video, and it dawned on me, that it's completely true.


You, yourself has the choice of how you act and how you are perceived to others.  If you come off as a very serious and uptight person, you are the one to blame for that.  You have let yourself become that person.  I agree, that it is also up to you to change.  There isn't another person who can make you change, you have to have the will power and say, "Hey, this needs to stop and change." You've got to be the one to get the ball rolling so to speak.


Watching that video definitely gave me a lot to think about.  And, it's definitely helped me personally.  I've recently been looking at life in a different way since I undergone my hip replacement surgery and how that in it's self was and has changed my life.  I've let myself become a loving person who bites of more than she can chew. I've been a messy person for...forever, my room is a mess, like a tornado has gone through it cross your fingers, that just because I used this as a literary example, we won't have tornadoes tonight.... I'm a procrastinator. Probably the world's LARGEST procrastinator.  I've had the new push in my mind to make myself change, or at least work on some things. For example, I'm cleaning my room today, and since I've been spending so much time in here since my surgery, I feel that it will also help in my journey to make myself a bit better of a person.


I know I'm going to have difficulties with this personal quest I've given myself, but I know I can do it.  I remember a bit over a year ago, I went to a youth convention type thing for church.  I was a bit apprehensive to go because I had no idea where I stood with my faith. I knew there was something, but I just wasn't for sure what I felt. I felt that I was an outsider at first that weekend, because I didn't know the Bible like some of the other kids, I felt like I didn't know God.  Saturday night a pastor who had come to guest speak changed my life, helped me see what I wanted to be apart of, God's family.  I learned that weekend, that even if you weren't a Christian by birth, it didn't mean you couldn't be a Christian, it was a choice that you had decide. I had already labeled myself a Christian by that weekend, but that weekend onward, it made me feel like I really wanted to put in the effort and really be a Christian.


I highly suggest, if you're still reading this, that you check out that video, and even the rest of Kathy's channel.  There's a chance that she could get you thinking and maybe give you the urge to change some things around in your life. Hard habits are hard to break, but it doesn't hurt to give it a shot.

change of pace

I have just recently decided that I'm changing up my blog, and broadening my topics of my blog posts.  I have a feeling that there will be a lot of blogging about Harry Potter going on.  Book and movie reactions possibly and just a bunch of random stuff...stuff that will actually make this seem a little more...blog-ish...and not so downing.

new found annoyance

First off, I'd like to start this blog entry saying that this is the first blog post in like a month, and the first post with a new hip...

_______________

I've already figured out, in the two weeks and counting of having a new hip, a hip that is...well not deformed and crappy like my previous natural this sounds weird, I know, but it makes total sense to me.... hip that I have to do things differently than I did before my hip replacement.  And I know that some of the stuff is just due to lack of mobility I have because I'm still learning and training my muscles to do things all over again, but there is stuff that I have to do differently than before in order to help protect my hip so that it will last the some odd 25 years that it's supposed to last... And of course, things feel different.  For instance, before my hip replacement, I walked with a limp because my right leg was slightly shorter by a couple of inches.  Now, I feel like my legs are the same length and that my hips are finally leveled.  And a plus with this is, my back no longer hurts as badly as it had...

The one thing that has me slightly worried, and very annoyed, is that I still do have a bit of a limp.  Granted, it is no where NEAR as bad as it was before.  I'm trying to keep it positive, telling myself that it's just because I'm not used to putting weight on that leg, and that in time I will evenutally be able to walk without a limp, but there is always that small part of me that argues and disagrees I am a debater, so that doesn't work in favor of myself in anyway...

I've decided though, tonight, that even if my limp never goes away, as long as it's not causing me the pain that I experienced before, and that I can live a productive life; I won't care about the slight limp.  It'll make me unique.

...and for those haters out there, just be warned, I might be using a walker right now, but I can move pretty damn fast. So watch out...

something to look forward to

First off, I'd like to mention the fact that I lack the ability to keep a blog up to date.

________

I'll just begin with recent affairs in my life, because I don't feel the need to dig into my memory and pull out the already blocked memories of the trip to St. Louis to get the second opinion on my hip.

Friday, we went to see my surgeon, Dr. Cusick.  We briefly discussed what the surgeon in St. Louis at Shriner's had said and then he sent in his scheduler to get me on the schedule for surgery.  We're down on the calendar to go for surgery on February 14th, Valentine's day.  I'm more than excited for the 14th to get here.  I've been waiting for so long to finally get a definite date to look forward to and countdown to.  It's different when you're counting down to the day when you see a surgeon to ask their opinion on something, versus taking care of the problem.

The surgeon said that the surgery will take roughly a hour to do, and that he could have me up and walking by the end of that day.  I'll be in the hospital for three or so days and out of school for around four weeks.  The timing of everything is just perfect, even if it wasn't, I'd still go through with it, but it's just a plus.  Meaning that there will still be time to put the lasting touches on the spring show, get ready for prom and even maybe get in a forensics tournament here or there.

Valentine's Day should hurry up for once, and get here.