zen moment of the day: reading again

It's amazing how two weeks ago I was in full reading mode and enjoying every single page as I went.  Then last week came along and reading became obsolete compared to everything that had to get done in order for the big moving day on Friday.  It was one thing after another that needed to be done, whether it was going to the Post Office for change of address forms, packing and cleaning, or dealing with the internet guy who seemed like he didn't want to be doing anything or the plumber. I was on my feet the entire week and I just didn't have a chance to breathe let alone pick up a book and read for twenty minutes; at bed time there was no possible moment for me to attempt reading because once my head hit the pillow I was out like a light.

Tonight though, I found one of two of my library books in one of the boxes that I have yet to unpack yet and sat down and finished it.  Though I didn't really care for the book that I was reading it was a great feeling to be reading nonetheless.  I got so captured in the writing to the point where I forgot I was sitting on the couch reading while my dad watched Nitro Circus a bit too loudly on MTV, it was like I was there with the characters in the book.  For the hour or so that it took me to finish that book, I was content and calm, I wasn't worrying about anything but just reading. It felt amazing.

resolutions and things

Happy New Year! I had been wondering what to do for New Year's Eve since I had been invited by two friends to their parties, each on seperate ends of town.  I ended up going out to dinner with my parents at this fancy restaruant at 8:45, which was a bit after when both parties had started. I decided that I was going to have a nice quiet evening with my parents since it's probably the last one that I know I'll be home for 100%.  Dinner was great, I'm still stuffed from it; we watched Sister Act when we got home and drank a glass of sparking grape juice a bit after eleven so my parents could retire to bed early. Not too late later I too headed to bed.

A new year usually comes with the list of things we promise ourselves to do or not to do for the year.  I have to admit that I normally don't stick to mine, but this year, I think that all of mine are attainable if I can get started off right and push myself to keep with it.  Most of these go hand in hand, most of which I should still be practicing since recovery from surgery...

• Exercise more: need to strengthen my hip muscles and it's good for arthritic joints.
• Take my medicine when it's supposed to be taken.
• Cut back on carbonated beverages.
• Recycle and conserve energy and other environmentally friendly things.
• Drink more water.
• Cut back on salt intake.
• Commit to committing: don't pull out at the last minute.
• Fish more than 2011.
• Read 50 books.
• Start a collab blog.
• Write more often.
• Connect with old friends.
• Go on more walks.

Link of the day: EcoGeek I just generally enjoy this place. Makes me happy to see a place where people love earth.

days until Senior Year Part 2 begins: 3

days until I become an adult: 6

days until graduation: 138

BEDD 26: favorite books of 2011

I used to be an avid reader when I was a child. My mom was always buying me books to read and we would spend a small portion every night reading together.  I continued to read quite often all throughout grade school and middle school, but high school changed that.  I'm sure it was the busy schedule of homework and rehearsals and all the other things I've done that made me put reading on the back burner to everything else. When I had my hip replaced in the months following during recovery I slowly picked up the habit of reading a little every night.  Back in May when I joined GoodReads.com I made a goal to read twenty books before the end of the year; I've already completed that goal and I hadn't really even begun to think about my favorite books I've read until someone asked me on Tumblr.

"Because memories fall apart, too. And then you're left with noting, left not even with a ghost but with its shadow." - Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green wasn't what I expected it to be; I think the hype around it made me think about it differently than what I should have been thinking to begin with.  To be honest, now months later, I can't remember what I had initially thought when I first started reading this novel.  I enjoyed this book because in a way it talked me through a friendship gone wrong, one that happened two years ago that I'm still having trouble getting my brain around.  I give mad props to John for his writing style, one that I'm actually a bit jealous of.

"There is a relationship between the mind and the body that can both create a physical condition and enable us to recover from it." - Nothing is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life by Christopher Reeve

I'm happy that I read this book when I did, because it was a time during recovery that I was feeling really down and didn't know what to do with myself.  I had this feeling that I might never fully recover, or that I wouldn't be able to go on and do the things that I had been dreaming about all year, like travel the nation and go to Europe.  Reading this book gave me something that my parents and my friends weren't able to give me; Christopher Reeve shared the reality he went through with such a massive change in his life, and though mine was no where near as great as his, the writing spoke to me and told me that things would be okay in the end, that if he could go on with life and do things he never would have thought he could do, then I can surely go on too.  There just isn't enough praise for this book; I admit, I cried through a large part of reading it, but it was worth it.

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I honestly don't even know why I enjoy this book so much.  I've read it twice this year, once for my junior English class and then again sometime after surgery.  There's a way in the writing that makes this book a good read for me.  I can also say that I enjoy the content of the book, though I haven't been able to actually closely examine it like I would like to.  But that's alright, because I get to read it again for class this semester for my junior English credit that I missed last year due to surgery.  I'm hoping that I can get something even more out of this book; I'm sure though that I'm still going to enjoy reading it once again.

Link of the day: 365 more days to go.

days until Senior Year Part 2 begins: 9

days until I become an adult: 12

days until graduation: 144

BEDD 19: where are the layers?

I would have never thought, a year ago, that I'd be making this type of blog post. It just blows my mind away in a way, mainly because it means that I'm growing up and stuff and things like that.

My senior English class (labeled English IV at our school) is pretty intense, by far my most difficult subject we're throwing maths out of the equation for now.  It's taken a lot of work to keep up, and even now with how much I've missed this term, I'm still behind; but dear God, I never would have thought that I would have learned so much about literature in general.  My teacher, Mrs. Perkins; SHE'S AWESOME.

Every time I read a book I can't help but think about things like motif, theme, symbolism and a bunch of other things that I've been working with for the last several months.  It just goes to show that those things have been pounded into my brain left to stay for forever, or at least until May 19th, 2012.  No I haven't been taking notes on the books I've been reading outside of class, but when I think about a book after I've finished it, all of it just appears in my brain.

The last couple of books that I've read, The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan and Where I Want To Be by Adele Griffin haven't been up to par with my reading standards that I suddenly complied over the last few months.  On the surface these two books are good in their own individual and unique ways, but when I look deeper for a layer or two into what the book was supposed to say, I came up pretty empty handed and a bit confused in the end.

I wonder if I'm just overlooking books too much, or if I'm just a crazy loon who reads a lot of books for fun and analyzes them for funsies.  But then again, what if I was a lit major? Is that what lit majors do? Study books and analyze them?

I brought this up to my mom, how I wasn't finding many books that really interested me (also that I really don't care for series).  She told me quite bluntly that I needed to make the jump into adult novels and read some of her favorite authors that I've often questioned her about.  Which makes complete sense, since I often find that YA books are too simple for my reading tastes and don't have enough layers to them.  I've started a couple of David Baldacci books in the past year, but never finished them, but I enjoyed them immensely because of the level of reading the material was.

I don't know what I'm trying to say; but it just goes to show that even after all these years, I still love to read.

Link of the day: Best Fishing Bloopers I found this last week when I was surfing StumbleUpon when I was ill with the flu. My dad was here at the apartment and we watched it together and laughed so hard we were crying. Definitely a bonding moment since we both love fishing. I'm sure though, even if you don't care for fishing you'd find this at least a small bit entertaining.

days until winter break: > 1
days until Christmas: 5
days until I become an adult: 19
days until graduation: 151

BEDD 12: not the time

Today's blog comes in many parts.

PART 1

The lack of blogging the past week has been due to the fact that my mom, dad and I all ended up getting really ill with the flu. It was so bad. I can't even begin to tell you, in fact, I'm not ever going there because I want to spare you from the horribleness.  I can't remember the last time I was this ill where I couldn't do much of anything just because my entire body just ached.

PART 2

And of course, I had to fall really ill at the middle of a semi-important week that lead up to the ACT on Saturday, of which I did not attend because I knew I wouldn't be able to focus or not get sick for four.  Also, thought I was in the clear to go back to school today because I was feeling a lot better yesterday afternoon, GUESS NOT. And that's all we'll say on that matter.

PART 3

I'll still complete BEDD, but not with the structure I've outlined myself, because this month I actually have a lot on my mind that I want to blog about specifically.  I will however keep Wednesdays and Sundays the same, I kind of like those days.

PART 4

Also, this is irrelevant to everything else that I've mentioned, but for my (really lousy) goal that I set for myself this year on GoodReads, I'm two books away.  I finished the book I had been reading today, because of the whole still being ill and not ready to go back to school thing.  I was holding off on re-reading the Harry Potter series until the New Year, but I decided I'd go ahead and read the first two to finish off my goal, plus things have been rough lately (not just being ill) and I've always reverted back to reading the Harry Potter books when I get in a major funk, they always seem to help.

PART 5

Also irrelevant, I still haven't even started Christmas shopping yet.

Link of the day: Christmas Doodles just made me smile quite a lot and just uplifted my day. Plus it got me back into the holiday spirit.

days until winter break: 9

days until I become an adult: 26

days until graduation: 158

10DYC: nine loves

Preface: these are in no specific order.

1. family: I have absolutely no idea what I would do without my family, and by family I mean my parents, brother, and all extended family including the uncountable cousins and aunts and uncles.

2. fishing: my biggest stress reliever and an activity/hobby that I really enjoy.

3. books: they offer so much but yet so many people don't give books and reading enough credit.

4. writing: I've never really been into keeping a steady writing project going, with the exception of BEDA which surprised me, but there's something about writing in general that makes me calm.

5. nature: If I hadn't gotten so adjusted to living with so much technology I would love to live in a basic house structure out in the country and just take in everything that nature has to offer.  It's so beautiful but yet it gets such harsh treatment.

6. traveling: I haven't been to too many places, but then when I stop and think about the opportunities I've had and really consider myself lucky.  I've been all over my home state of Kansas (which I love so dearly) and several of the states in the mid-west, plus several parts of California.  There's something about traveling and seeing new places that really makes life interesting and fun.

7. Harry Potter: as nerdy as this is, it is indeed on my list.  Having grown up with the Harry Potter series for the majority of my life, the series has helped me through so many things.

8.  Theatre: there's something about being apart of a show that I really enjoy. I love seeing everyone's hard work be put together and show cased on show nights. Some of my most memorable experiences are from my work in theatre.

9. YouTube: there's just so much to YouTube that makes it awesome, and so lovable.  I specifically love how different everyone is and how much inspiration is spread around.

Today was awesome because: my dad took Marcella and I fishing.

days until the fall musical: 42

days until I become an adult: 124

days until graduation: 257

BEDA 12: 50 random facts about me

Today was actually really eventful, but considering that one of my best friends who I basically call my little sister is staying over for the night...after she helped me clean my room.  But the reason why I'm not blogging about my day, because I actually had a nice blog planned out, is because my brain really can't function to write all of it out. So you're getting a cliche Facebook type note for a blog post to read today.

1. I'm ginger.
2. For people my age around here, I seem to be pretty tall.
3. I love to go fishing.
4. My family means everything to me.
5. I'm a Lutheran.
6. I love drinking hot tea, especially in the morning.
7. I can't stand coffee.
8. I love coloring in coloring books.
9. Being outdoors always wins over being indoors.
10. I love going on walks.
11. Back in 6th and 7th grade I used to play volleyball.
12. I had my first hip surgery when I was eight.
13. My brother and I are fifteen years apart.
14. If I wasn't disabled, I would probably go into the Marine Corp.
15. I enjoy writing, but can never stick to a specific project for long.
16. I love watching Doctor Who even though half the time I don't understand hardly anything.  There's just something I love about Doctor Who.
17. I can't decide on my favorite Doctor...
18. I named my car Carson so I could call it Car for short.
19. I name inanimate objects that either I work with a lot or mean a lot to me.
20. I get really touchy when it comes to the word crippled.
21. Harry Potter was a major part of my childhood, it got me through a lot of rough times that I don't think would have ended up the same if it weren't for J.K. Rowling and her amazing writing.
22. My favorite colors bounce between orange, yellow, green and teal. I guess it depends on my mood.
23. I have a feeling I might end up living in L.A. in the future for a while, or California in general.
24. I want to get my doctorate in history.
25. I'm okay with the thought that I may never get married.
26. I tend to get along better with men than women.
27. My favorite food dish is fish and chips.
28. One of my role models is my mother, she's an incredibly tough woman.
29. I actually really really enjoy blogging...I just need to pretend every day is BEDA so I'll actually post at a regular schedule.
30. I'm a second year (policy) debater.
31. I freaking love sticky notes.
32. My mantra is: You can never have too many books or fishing lures.
33. I tend to use quite a few British phrases/words...it throws my friends off.
34. I just recently with in the last year completely stopped spelling things with an ou on school assignements: favorite instead of favourite.
35. I once wanted to be in the film industry...but not acting.
36. There was also one time when I wanted to be a stage actor.
37. Thanks to John Green's, An Abundance of Katherines, I really like the name Katherine.
38. I have a maroon BlackBerry Curve that I named Agnes, but call Aggie for short. All because of my random love of Texas A&M University.
39. I love music, it's in my opinion the best communication.
40. I over think things far too much.
41. I read TIME magazine faithfully.
42. I'm really excited for this project that my "sister" and I are working on. Details should be up some what soon...I hope.
43. I'm a proud nerdfighter. :)
44. I refer to my hair as The Mane.
45. Over 75% of my music on my ipod is classic country.
46. If I could live any where in the world besides the United States, I would live in Scotland or Denmark.
47. I love the idea of coming back to my high school in the future and teaching.
48. I don't mind peeing outside.
49. I love to travel.
50. If asked, I'll give my brutal honest opinion.

So there you have it, 50 random facts about me...some of them might be a bit obvious, but I tried to share things that you wouldn't necessarily know.  I guess this pretty much sums up today. RANDOM.

Today was awesome because: 1) I got to help decorate the senior hallway today AND 2) I now have a clean and organized room.

days until senior year starts: 4

days until I become an adult: 147

days until graduation: 280

steps taken today: 6,819

the story of my nerdiness

Hello internet! Long time no blog, eh? Sorry 'bout that. I've been in one of those funks again, or maybe it's just the fact that it's summer now and I can do whatever I want...regardless, I feel guilty for not blogging as often as I know I should be.  But today we're going to be discussing the history of my nerdiness, this mostly pertains to the Harry Potter series. You have been warned.

I have always loved reading, I just always have.  I remember when I really started reading though, more than just the occasional book outside of class.  It was fifth grade when I really got into the Harry Potter series.  I kept a stack of books on the corner of my desk in home room.  The stack always had a Harry Potter book in it some where, I remember it took me a long time to read them, but I loved them regardless; and then there would be three or four other books stacked as well.  I remember I got a Star Student certificate for being, and I quote, "A lean mean reading machine."

Out of all my friends, I would venture to say that I am probably the nerdiest out of all of them.  Don't get me wrong, I think EVERYONE is nerdy about something or another, but I'm really the only one that doesn't care if my nerdiness shows.

In middle school, I went through a hard core Harry Potter craze, it got to the point where my best friend just nodded her head and listened to me talk and talk for hours. There were several occasions when in English we'd have to write certain things, and nearly all of them can be traced back to my Harry Potter crazed stage.  Even now, as a senior in high school, I still have a very deep love for Harry Potter.

I've had a rough child hood, and I could always remember having the Harry Potter books to read and to help me escape whatever it was that was going on.  I felt like I was in a new place and I could be anyone who I wanted to be.  It was a nice feeling to just to let go and let my imagination roam.  I think, had I not discovered the Harry Potter series, that I wouldn't be the person I am today; I'm a friendly and open minded person.  There aren't enough words to express how much J.K. Rowling's writing means to me, she developed something so magnificent that I think even the fans don't even know how much it really affects us all.

On to other nerdy stuff, I absolutely love to write, although writing is one of my weaker points when it comes to keeping up with it.  I tend to start a project and get side tracked, never end up coming back to it.

I have however, have become obsessed with Doctor Who over the last couple of months, and though I just recently started Season 3, I freaking love it.  My goal is to get caught up with the series by the time school starts.  And since I'm talking television shows, I've also become addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I plan that I'll have Buffy finished by school starts as well.

What's your nerd history?

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... 

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.