Social Media Killed My Blog

Hear that sound? You can hear it if you really listen. That's the sound of my poor little blog reminding me that it's dead. If by dead, I mean, hasn't had a post in months. The last time I posted was...*checks blog* June 18. Almost exactly a year ago. Poor dead blog. It may sound cliche, but a ton can happen in a year, and a ton has happened.

• For starters, I went to Kenya. Me, the shy kid. I got on a plane with eighty other people and flew halfway around the world. I walked through the slums of the Mathare Valley, just outside Nairobi, Kenya. I held hands and danced with children, talked with people who had lost family to AIDS and other diseases, drank tea and talked about God, "died" in a drama presentation and saw God. I had fun. I felt left out. I cried. I spilled my guts. It was amazing. My only regret is that it took so long for me to get outside of her comfort zone. I'm hoping to go again next summer (2012). Talk about an amazing senior trip!

• I dropped the insane class I'd been taking. There are three classes. Last year, I took the first. This year I skipped the next one. Next year, I'm going back to the program, and doing a Shakespeare class with the same people. No more procrastinating, no more all-nighters to finish papers. I'm excited.

• I wrote a novel for NaNoWriMo. 50,000 words. It's by no means my best work, but I did it. The words are on the page. I also wrote a script for ScriptFrenzy and decided I like novels much, much more.

• I turned 17. It's not a huge thing to me, but it is to everyone else.

• Possibly the most important, I got involved in social media. (No, I'm not telling you which sites. Stalker.) It took up a ton of time, and killed my already-dead blog.

  See, social media is awesome. I want to share a video? I put it on my Facebook page or post it anywhere else. Copy-paste the link, share it with one click. I know the hundred plus people I'm friends with will see it. But my blog? Not so much. Part of that is my fault; I tend to keep my internet life and real life separate. If you're one of the what, four? people who actually read this...hi. :) I promise to try to not have my blog die again.

Wait, it's June? Already? Time for dancing animals...

So, class has been over for a few weeks (thank you, God!) and exactly a month from today, I'll be leaving to go on a trip with my church. I'll most likely post all my deep, reflective, smart-sounding posts over here . But where's the fun in that? Presenting, for your enjoyment, this. (You'll want your sound on, promise).

Now, you'll go around singing "Where can you see lions? Only in Kenya!" as my family does. And, come to think of it, some friends, too. But seriously, thirty days from now, I'm going to Kenya! Wow!

For bonus fun, another Kenya song! In Swahili! (That uses the phrase "Hakuna Matata"!)

Now, my evil plot to get these songs stuck in your head is complete. *insert evil laughter here*

Life strikes again...

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. With that in mind, here are two thousand words to tide you over until I am sane again. Or have more free time. Or better time management skills. My to do list is a million miles long at this point. Poor, neglected blog. Life just gets in the way sometimes, ya know?

This is me. Staring at the computer, as I have been doing every week. Not the best picture of me, but one that summarizes the past few months well.

And while attempting to organize my notebook...with all the papers on the couch, Perry...fuzzy little monster...decided to get in on the fun. Which of course means sleeping. Something I haven't done much of in these past few months. Drama queen that she is, she opened one eye long enough to be photographed. Then went back to sleep. So, there you go. Two thousand plus words. Going to bed now...up for class in a matter of hours.

No, I haven't vanished from the face of the earth…yet.

Has it really been six months since I posted? I've been so busy that it went by quickly, I suppose. For your enjoyment, here is a list of reasons that I've neglected my poor blog. (For snark, please press 1. For academic-sounding-gibberish, please go elsewhere.)

• School. Well, I am homeschooled, but I'm taking a class that requires a lot of work. If there's one thing I learn this year, it will be to stop procrastinating. I've been up all night to finish an assignment a few times. It's horrible for me, I know.
• Band. After three years in band, I made it to the advanced band. I was really nervous at first, but I love it. Although, having rehearsal once a week and a commitment to practice for two hours every week suck up my time.
• In December, I auditioned for, and was in a Christmas production. That was another huge time chunk.
• I honestly haven't known what to write. I don't want this just to become a diary of sorts, where I vent and complain about boys and drama. What do I want? I don't know. Hence, the blog hiatus.

Hopefully, I'll resume blogging soon. (In the meantime, you can check out my new book blog)

Bits of Randomness-45 Things About Me

And now, 45 things about me, that you don't care about. (found the original list on a friend's blog) I haven't posted in a long time, due to summer camp, being sick and a million other things. So, enjoy the randomness and the intelligence will be back soon.





• 1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? NO. That stuff is disgusting. My brother calls it toe jam. Ten-year-old humor.

• 2. Favorite late night snack? Practically anything chocolate.
• 3. Do you own a gun? Um...no. Why would I?
• 4. What’s your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee shop? Anything non-coffee, and chocolatey.
• 5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Extremely. I have a phobia of needles. I also don't like dentist or orthodontic appointments. Orthodontists are evil. So says me.

• 6. What do you think of hot dogs? The food? Depends on the brand, and how they're cooked, but they're not my favorite.
• 7. Favorite Christmas song? Hrm... I'm not sure. Ask me again in December.


• 8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water. Anything with too much sugar makes me feel horrible.
• 9. Can you do push-ups? Can I? Sort of...Will I? No.
• 10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? The necklace that I got for my birthday. It has a starfish (from this story) on it and a puzzle piece (for autism research)
• 11. Favorite hobby? Reading. Or maybe writing. Or maybe playing piano.
• 12. Do you have A.D.D.? No, whatever makes you think that...ooh, look, a squirrel doing pull ups!
• 13. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? My introverted self. You can't change the world when you're standing in a corner.
• 14. The last disease you contracted? Some kind of weird cold/flu thing at summer camp, nicknamed 'hecka epic disease'. It's a long story.
• 15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. These are really random questions. I should probably be doing something more productive. I have a million other things to do right now.
• 16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, water, lemonade (or some other kind of fruitish juice)
• 17. Current worry right now? That I'll crash and burn in my class, which starts the third week of September. The class is actually three classes: English, History, and Bible. There are a lot of huge writing assignments, and it will actually be a challenge for me. And, that I won't finish my other schoolwork, because I'm too busy with my class. I worry a lot. Can you tell?
• 18. Current hate right now? The show my siblings are watching Wow, Wow, Wubzy. I want it to go away. Now. I can feel my brain cells dying.
• 19. Favorite place to be? Library, curled up with a book. It's quiet, small and peaceful. Or somewhere nature-y.
• 20. How did you ring in the New Year? Um...I think I went to bed.
• 21. Like to travel? Not really, but I haven't been on a plane since before first grade, so all I know are church trips with a million of us piled into a van. Fun, fun.
• 22. Name three people who will complete this: I don't know. Me, the friend who posted this originally, and someone else?
• 23. Do you own slippers? Nope. At least, not during the summer.
• 24. What color shirt are you wearing? Deep purple. Polo. It's comfy.
• 25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I'm actually not sure about this one, having never slept on satin sheets before. I like cotton, though...
• 26. Can you whistle? No. I used to be able to, but now, with braces, I can't.
• 27. Favorite singer/band? I love Tenth Avenue North, and have been listening to a lot of Remedy Drive lately. (both amazing Christian bands)
• 28. Could you ever make it 39 days on the show Survivor? No. Probably not even 39 seconds.
• 29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Hey! That's a loaded question. For your information, I don't sing in the shower...honest! I hum. And maybe sing. A little.
• 30. Favorite girl’s names? I don't know.
• 31. Favorite boy’s name? Repeat: I don't know. Why the single name in this question? Are you trying to get me to disclose a crush?
• 32. What’s in your pocket right now? Don't have pockets in the skirt I'm wearing.
• 33. Last thing that made you laugh? The cartoon on Disney Channel, Phineas and Ferb. We watch it as a family. Anything with a secret agent platypus is worth watching.
• 34. Like your job? It's definitely a challenge. Student, daughter, older sister, friend, Rebelutionary, the list goes on. But yeah, I do.
• 36. Do you love where you live? Yes. Except the sharing a room with my seven-year-old sister. I could do without that.
• 37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Two.
• 38. Who is your loudest friend? That's a tough one, I really don't know.
• 39. Do you drive the speed limit or speed? I don't drive. Yet. But I would definitely drive the speed limit.
• 40. Does someone have a crush on you? Why on earth would I tell you that?

• 41. What is your favorite book? That's a tough one. Favorite fiction book is probably The Princess and the Hound.
• 42. What is your favorite candy? Almond Joy. Yum. And, it's not manufactured by Mars Candy Co, who I'm boycotting, so double yum.



• 43. Favorite Sports Team? Really don't care about sports. I've gone to see the U.S Womans Soccer Team with my grandparents...
• 44. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping! Whoever wrote this is a creepy stalker. And better not be Edward Cullen. Who is just weird.
• 45. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up today? "I wanna go back to sleep."




















 









The Verdict is In...And I'm a Loon!

Take a theater full of excited people, a highly anticipated fantasy movie, add in some "magic" and what is the result? The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince midnight premiere. Scheduled to start Wednesday morning at 12:01, there were already over thirty people in line when we (this loon, who happens to be the one who gave me my geeky DNA, and I) arrived at 6:30. Once settled in line, the only thing to do was wait.

And wait we did. We waited while people walked in, wearing full Hogwarts robes. Others took the "cool teen look" wearing distressed t-shirts proclaiming Slytherin and Gryffindor. Still others came dressed as Muggles, the non-magic population, us included. As we waited through the same five songs, (some Miley Cyrus song, some other Miley Cyrus song, something inaudible and a push for the Harry Potter soundtrack, complete with one song), we buried ourselves in books. Me: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince( not quite sure why I brought the book to the movie, but it was nice and thick, and took me a while to read), Over Sea, Under Stone and Sense and Sensibility. Him: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

Around 9:15, we were ushered into the theater, where the captive audience was shown the same seven trivia slides over and over and over again, and some advertisements. But, of course, that was much too boring. So, some extremely devoted fans decided to provide entertainment. Pulling out their wands, they proceeded to duel, even using the words from the books. When one of the duelers "died", the whole theater burst into applause. Ahh, opening night.

As the minutes ticked by, the excitement was rising. When the previews came on, the sound of ecstatic screams and applause were deafening. As the captive audience watched the Twilight: New Moon preview, showing Robert Pattinson (Edward) more screaming filled the theater (along with a hearty "boooo" from the male portion of the audience). When a shirtless Taylor Lautner (Jacob, the other heartthrob) came onscreen, the goofy person next to me (yes, Him) yelled "Sharkboy!". Next time I see that preview, I'm going to get everyone around me to yell "Cedric! You're alive!" when Pattinson comes onscreen.

Warning, potential spoilers ahead...

As the color palette seen in the previews for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince warns, this is a dark movie. The series has gone from cute supposed-to-be-eleven-year-olds-but-actually-nine-year-olds being cute, to a tense, who's-going-to-die-can't-trust-anyone-nowhere-is-safe atmosphere. Still, mixed in with that is some very sweet, humorous scenes. One of my favorites was the "Chosen One" scene with Harry and Hermione:

Hermione(seeing Romilda Vane looking at Harry):

Hey! She's only looking at you because she thinks you're the "Chosen One"

Harry: But I am the chosen one.

Hermione whacks Harry in the head with a rolled up parchment(or something similar)

Harry: Sorry...kidding.

The scene between Lavender Brown and Hermione, after Ron's been poisoned is really good too, summing up that triangle well.

Lavender, seeing Hermione by Ron's bed in the hospital: What is she doing here!?

Hermione: I might ask you the same question.

Lavender, indignantly: I happen to be his girlfriend!

Hermione: I happen to be his...friend.

The filmmakers did an excellent job adapting the book. They made changes, but mostly they were done well. But the great big battle at the end was cut, and I hated the part with the Muggle waitress. The opening scene is unnerving, showing the bad bad bad guys collapsing a bridge which kills Muggles (non-magic people), but again, it contributes to the tense, who's-going-to-die-can't-trust-anyone-nowhere-is-safe atmosphere.

All in all, it was a magical couple of hours, setting the scene for the last two movies (they're doing two, 'cause the book is too long). Now I have to go and see it in IMAX3D.

Attention Germs/Viruses/Other Obnoxious Organisms: I Hate You. That is All.

Yes, that's right. The flu has invaded our house. Fun. First, it was my mom, then dad, then both siblings. I refuse to get sick, until Wednesday, late afternoon. Then I don't care. Why Tuesday?

Despite my initial annoyance, I will be going to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at midnight on Tuesday,

(*begin note that nobody will read* Technically, my annoyance was at the fact that WB made a non-kids movie a PG rating. Being fifteen, I would've gone to see it even if it had been PG-13. In fact, I've been longing to see it (read: obsessing over it) since last July, thinking that November couldn't come soon enough. I was really mad at WB for a while, after they pushed it till July 2009. *end note*)

with this guy. (Yes, he's my father. I won't deny it, my geekiness has got to come from somewhere. Right? Of course right).

(You can click to enlarge the picture to read the text, and if you're too non-geeky, the quote is from Bone. The protagonist (Bone) jumps on a little branch, commenting "Those rat creatures would have to be really stupid to jump on this little branch." The next panel shows the creatures jumping, and the protagonist yells "Stupid, stupid rat creatures!" as they fall. These are the same rat creatures who proclaim that quiche is an old-lady food, not monster food. It's a really cute graphic novel, and worth a read. Aren't they adorable? And don't get me started on Bartleby, the baby rat creature. Say it with me...Squee!)

amazing picture of petri dish, creative commons, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, via flickr