Tuesday, December 29, 2009

20 years

I'm back.

Instead of posting a plethora of excuses as to where I have been, I'll let you wonder at the mystery of it.

On to more important matters... my birthday! I'm twenty years old today. Strange. I don't feel twenty, although how twenty is supposed to feel I'm not really sure. I've been alive for two decades. Wow. It is funny (not funny ha ha, but funny interesting,) to think of all the things I have done in my life, but also all the things I haven't done. Along that vein, here are some things I'd like to do in the next twenty years:

Go to Europe:
-sit at a cafe in Paris
-tour a castle in Ireland or Scotland
-spend the night in an English cottage
-swim in the ocean in Greece
-eat Italian food in Italy

Go skydiving (yes, really)
Go to Disney World
Get married
Have some kids
Publish a novel
Learn to play guitar
Pull a bank job

Ok, so the last one was a joke.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Submersion

I am now officially submerged into the oceanic world that is finals week. I should be writing a paper this very minute.

And so, it is with regret that I announce to the world that I will have no time to update my blog in the next week or so. You are all heartbroken, I'm sure.

In addition to finals, I have to pack, because yes, in just one short week I am leaving these tropical shores on the proverbial jet plane, back to the frozen mountainous regions of Alaska.

And so I say "so long, farewell" to my blog for the next week.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Yay!

I have a new, beautiful niece! Yay!!!!!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

In a fight with my boyfriend...(the ocean.)

I haven't written in so long! I have been very busy. For those of you (if anyone) who regularly read my blog, please accept my apologies.

Today, I am mad at the ocean. That's right. You read it right. My beloved ocean, whom I professed to be in love with, has picked a fight with me today.

As I was laying peacefully on the beach, nearly asleep, a huge, freakish, rogue wave washed up, and tried to kidnap my beach bag (containing my school id, debit card, cell phone, and digital camera) !!!!! I rescued the bag, but I'm pretty sure the camera and phone are dead, though. BOO! Ocean, that really hurt. You are currently on my bad side.

So now, for the last two weeks of school, I get to be cell phone-less. Arg! AND camera-less!! WHY?! I am trying to be zen about this, and say "Beth, it is too late. Don't stress. They are just 'things.'" But then I remember, oh yea, I have no money! And also, that camera was your mom's camera!

So, Ocean, today I am mad at you. Don't even try to make up with me.

And I am NEVER EVER taking electronics to the beach again.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Creative Essay

I have to write a creative essay for my creative writing class.

We can basically write it in any format, about anything. So why is it so hard? I have no idea what to write about. Its like trying to pick between Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Honey Bunches of Oats.

Now I really want cereal...I think cereal would help me figure out what to write about. Maybe I should write about cereal? I'm confused. And my brain is overloaded with all the other homework I have to be doing... I just don't know.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Realization

Well, my weekend of fun in Honolulu is over, and with its ending has come this lovely realization: I am basically going to have no life for the next three weeks outside of classes, homework, and more homework!

Depressing. I'm determined to fit some beach time in there, but I have no idea when! I have a huge research paper due, a creative essay, a lit presentation, my choir concert, and final exams to study for. Not to mention packing and finishing my Christmas shopping. ACK!

My decision to not do any homework Wednesday night was not the best one... ah well, I'll get it done somehow. But I am STRESSED! In fact, I think my brain might explode!

*Sniff*

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Confession...

I need to admit something. I'm homesick.

I guess it is allowed, seeing as how it is Thanksgiving. I'm sitting here in my little dorm room, listenening to Christmas music and looking at pictures of my family. Recipe for disaster, I know. But sometimes it is nice to just let yourself be sad. Its like watching "Its a Wonderful Life." You know you are going to cry, but you watch it anyway.

And yes, I did cry. But just a little.

This is my first Thanksgiving away from my family, and it (sadly) doesn't feel like Thanksgiving at all. Not the least reason for that being that it is 75 degrees outside.

I think that in addition to the whole homesick thing, I'm sad because things are changing. Every day. Every second. People get older, people move, people get married... and things can never go back to the way they were. I can never be six years old, helping make the pies for Thanksgiving, or decorating Christmas cookies. I guess I sound a little like an old woman in a nursing home.

But I just can't help thinking that I won't have another Thanksgiving for a whole year, and by then I will be a year older, and who knows what other changes will have happened. I think the holidays are a sort of way to stop the world for 24 hours, so families can just enjoy being together exactly how they are at that moment. Like a snap shot. And I guess I'm just sad that I'm missing one of those snap shots.

My Christmas playlist just switched to "Blue Christmas" by Elvis. Well family, if you read this, know that I'll have a blue Thanksgiving without you!

Well, to avoid ending on that depressing note, at least I have fun plans for Thanksgiving. It won't feel like Thanksgiving, but at least I'll be distracted.

I'm so grateful for my family.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

What is this, Valentine's day?

There is a "couple" epidemic on campus... and it is making me sick. I'm all for people dating, coupling off, and getting married. But when they get all mushy in public... not okay with me.

I guess there is no way that they could know it is my pet peeve as they make out in my general direction, but really folks, have some self awareness! I'm pretty sure nobody likes that except the ones participating in it.

I think that so many people are coupling off right now for mainly two reasons. 1, We are far enough into the semester for them to be past the initial flirting stage. 2, Because it is crunch time before everyone goes home for the holidays, and they want to be able to a) tell their families about their amazing significant others, and/or b) make their ex boyfriends/girlfriends jealous.

Harsh, you say? Cynical? Well, fine. Maybe I am. I can live with that.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

New Moon

Yes, I saw it.

And yes, I like Twilight. Especially the first two books. And let me just say, I loved this movie. It makes me sad that they didn't do the first movie right... because this one was GREAT!

Also... I think I may have turned over to Team Jacob. ... Sorry, Edward.

I mean, I never realized how incredibly hot it is for a big, muscley Native American to turn into a wolf! I've always been a sucker for big, beastial guys. (Hence my crush as a little girl on the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Before he turns back into a man, obviously.)

Also, I'm sorry, but the movie Edward is NOT equal to the book Edward. Rob Pattinson does an okay job, but he portrays Edward as such a moody, depressed, brooding character.

I think I'm all for Edward in the books, but Jacob in the movies. That is not entirely based on Jacob's abs. (Only partially.) So does this make me a team Edward or a team Jacob? Well, the rational part of my brain is saying, "Who cares? Why don't you go to bed already and stop blogging about Twilight like a sixteen year old." but my other side... (irrational?) says giddily "Wow that was a GREAT movie! Lets go see it five more times in the theaters!" (Apparently my rational side is kind of mean, and my irrational side is kind of thinking I have more money than I actually do.)

Okay, I really am going to bed now.

But one last thing.... *sigh*

Friday, November 20, 2009

....and pie

So last night, I was really hungry. REALLY REALLY HUNGRY! So me and two of my friends walked to the grocery store to get some food. Once there, we decided to get taco bell, then go buy a pie to share. A third of a pie isn't that much, right? That is what we thought...

We happily munched on our taco bell, (Baha chicken chalupa, no tomatos, one order of chips and cheese, and a medium baha blast) then got our pie. It was a Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cream Pie. And for the record, yes, it was as good as it sounds.

However, we soon realized there was no way we were going to finish this pie. After eating about two-thirds of it between the three of us, we all felt so sick we wanted to die.

Now, some of you may think... "Well, duh! You just ate taco bell and a ton of freaking chocolate pie! How do you think you are going to feel?!"

I guess the siren call of the pie clouded my judgement. Ah well, I know not to do that again any time soon.

Of course... there is still that one-third of the pie left...

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Pre-Homework

Yes, that's right. I'm putting off homework right now in order to write this blog entry. If you are shocked by my extreme unselfishness, well, all I can say is, you should be.

I realized something tonight. I am an expert at procrastinating. I had this realization while I was procrastinating. Coincidental! Or is it ironic? I'm too tired to tell. Maybe it is both.

Any way, as I was sitting at the computer, I decided to put some new music into my playlist, to make the essay-writing experience more pleasurable. The 120 or so songs I had on there have already been listened too many times. So I started looking up songs and adding them. I did this for almost an hour, with intermittent facebook chatting. (As a side note, facebook is the procrastinator's best friend. Or worst enemy, depending on how you look at it. Probably the latter, actually.)

At almost ten o' clock, I finally realized that I need to get down to business, or perish in the attempt.

Here is what I found: my procrastinating acts as a sort of pre-homework warm up. After I had spent all this time on seemingly unnecessary activites (homework-wise... my playlist was getting stale, after all,) I was actually better able to think of my essay topic, and get to work! Amazing.

I also figured out that I like to take breaks while I do homework... such as now.

I'll end with this cheery little tidbit: Not only have I written a good portion of my essay, I also expanded my playlist to 168! I think that calls for a huzzah!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sports Talk Show

At lunch today I was watching the tv because I was sitting by myself. It was a show called "Around the Horn," on ESPN, which is, near as I can tell, a show where a bunch of older guys talk about sports. Their heads are in little screens, Brady Bunch style, and they discuss recent events or "plays" or whatever they say for significant happenings in the sports world.


I found this show fascinating, not only because it was so loud in the cafeteria that I couldn't hear what they were saying, and it was amusing to think of my own dialogue for them, (Tony, you are so much hotter than the rest of us, what's your skin care regimen?) but also because I got to wondering who would watch this show. If you like sports, can't you sit around with your own friends and talk about it instead of watching other random old guys talk about it?

Ok, so Tony wasn't that old, but still! What is the point?

To be fair, I know that many guys, (probably the ones who watch this show) would ask me what the point is of watching Jane Austen movies over and over again, but at least then there is a plot!

Another fascinating thing about this show is the name itself. Is this some sort of sports metaphor that I don't understand? Around the Horn... is that just the most manly name they could think of? What does it mean?

Ah hah! I just looked it up on Wikipedia (the source of all knowledge) and the first thing it said was "Around the Horn, not to be confused with the baseball term around the horn. I can see how that would be confusing. I know I'm confused. Confused at why any one would waste time watching this show! Maybe it is more enlightening if you can actually hear what they are saying... but somehow, I doubt it.

I read on in the Wikipedia article, in order to see what this show is all about, but I got bored.

Now, I like a good football game as much as the next guy (ok, that is a blatant lie. I don't like football games. Except outdoor ones where you get to wear cute scarves, make fun of the cheerleaders, and buy junk food,) but this whole genre of Sports Talk shows mystifies me.

No offense to any one who likes these shows... or to you Tony. You are cuter than the other guys.
This criticism should be taken with a grain of salt, because it is coming from the girl who shouted "home run" and a football game. Tony would be ashamed.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Unexpected Visitor

I looked down at around midnight to see a toad blinking up at me from the floor of my room.
Initially, I was rather startled, as is expected upon suddenly seeing a normally outdoor creature indoors. He (for the purposes of this entry, I will refer to the toad as a male. But it could have been a female. I'm really not sure) hopped into my nightstand, and eyed me warily.

I took a couple pictures of him, for purposes of facebook and my blog, and the flash moved him into action. He hopped out of my bookcase, and across the floor, settling under my roommate's bed.

It is a funny thing... whenever there is some sort of unwanted creature in my room, it is always when I'm there by myself, with my roommate nowhere to be found. I texted her: Just fyi, there is a toad under your bed. Her reply: Hahahahahahah My reply: Do you want me to try and shoo it out? Her: Duh, lol. (As an side note, my roommate is a chronic LOL'er.)

I suppose I thought she would come home to get the thing out herself, but I had nothing important to do, so I went with my flip flop (just in case) to get it out. I kicked around the bed, and heard it hopping around under there. I then spotted it in the corner, and found myself whistling at it as I would a dog, and saying "come on, little buddy! The door is right here! Come on!" I then realized that toads do not respond to whistling from humans, nor do they speak English. (As far as I know.) So I repositioned the door, and he finally made a flying leap through the door crack, turning himself sideways to get out.

To my dismay, he did NOT hop right outside as any smart toad would, but hopped down the hallway towards the bathroom. I heard someone showering, and considered just letting it go... but I felt too bad. Suppose he hopped in the shower? Not only would that probably startle whoever was showering, it would most likely make her scream, which would potentially wake up several people, and I would be responsible. No, my conscience would not let me leave it be. So I followed it down the hallway, and into the bathroom.

He hopped right outside the stall of the girl showering. I quickly circled around the other side of the bathroom to head him back from whence he came. Thankfully it worked, and he was soon out in the hall again. But the stupid thing refused to hop outside! I think it must have been the thunder and lightening. Any way, I finally herded it outside, and noticed it still had a trail of dust on its back leg from when he was under the bed.

I went back to my room, and closed the door. I didn't want any other visitors.

There he is, in my nightstand. He's really kind of cute, and I'd much rather have him than the other visitor I had in September, aka the huge cane spider. I even prefer toads to El Torro, the cockroach of August.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Faith, trust, and a little compliment from my teacher

Ok, so I know that doesn't rhyme. But it (hopefully) gets the point across of how simply "magical" compliments can be. For me, at least.

I was having an okay day today. Essentially i was suffering from the usualy tiredness, combined with the wish to be at the beach (it was cloudless today) combined with the average stresses of a college student. I took a short nap before my creative writing class, and then went, sleepy and wishing I could have just slept longer.

My teacher stopped me before class and gave me an amazing compliment on the short story I had previously agonized over. Most importantly, she told me to "keep at it." (Referring to writing.) Now, for someone who hopes to be a published novelist, this was high praise. Especially because my teacher is generally very cynical, not shy about putting people's writing down, and has taught countless English and writing classes, and has had a lot of her own work published. I was scared to death about what she would say about my story.

While she gave suggestions for improvements, she said my story was "actually quite good." She thought I had grown up in the South, where my story takes place, when in actuality I have never been there, that it read like a "Southern folk tale," and that she was "very surprised, this is not the usual type of story that students turn in."

Let me tell you, I was elated! It makes me want to write even more.

It is really amazing how delicious compliments are. I'll be tasting this one for months.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

I want...

I want a newfoundland puppy. Just look at that face!!!


Saturday, November 7, 2009

Day at the beach



Here are some pictures of my amazing day at the beach yesterday. I needed a break, and I had taken my final midterm, so I decided to spend the day at the beach!









Thursday, November 5, 2009

School VS Beachbum

As I was studying my brains out for my Psychology midterm tonight, and thinking happily to myself that soon I could go to sleep, I had the horrible rememberence that I have to finish reading Heart of Darkness by tomorrow morning.

How did I forget this?! I almost cried. I'm so tired, and sick of studying, and the thought of staying up for another hour and a half to read that book makes me a little sick.

So this got me thinking. What about becoming a beach bum? I mean, it is right there! So close. I could just drop out of my classes (or just stop going. Why bother with formalities?) and go lay out every day until I go home for Christmas! Not only would I get a killer tan, I would probably meet a lot of interesting people while laying there doing nothing.

*Sigh* Time to start reading, or I will be up even later. Because yes, I am kidding. Mostly.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Heart of Darkness bums me out.

Despite its cheerful and uplifting title, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad really gets me down. What is even worse is that I already had to read this stupid novel in high school. Maybe the fact that I read the first chapter and spark-noted the rest has caused this novel to come back to haunt me. As a punishment for my laziness and despicible short-cutting.

Arrrrgh! I suppose I understand why this book is "high" literature, but it gets on my nerves. Not only is it horribly depressing, it is also CONFUSING! The paragraphs and sentences are unforgivably long. But the time you get to the end of the sentence, you have to go back to the beginning to remember what the sentence was even about to begin with.

I have been trying various methods to attempt to stay focused on the text, including giving Marlow different accents, chewing gum (I've gone through four peices so far), listening to piano music, and listening to Christmas music (rather comical, but I stopped because I don't want to associate Christmas music with this confounded book.)

Not only that, this book is downright offensive, racially speaking. Now that I'm actually reading it, I'm realizing this.

Uhg. I remember now why I spark-noted it. Before cracking it open tonight, I thought to myself, "Now that I'm more mature, and have more literary experience, having dealt with Kafka, Faulkner, and Mann, surely I can handle Conrad." But no. Turns out this book is like green beans. I hate it just as much this year as I did two years ago as a senior in high school.

Well, back to Marlow and his racist adventures. I think I need a new peice of gum.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all of you! Yes, even you!

I hope you get some candy. I spent this Halloween day on the beach!

Sorry this is short, but I have to get to work.

That's right, I have to work tonight. But I think there are plans for ice cream after! I also watched "Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" yesterday, so I'm good.


Any way, enjoy the night!

BOO!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Christmas in October??

The stress of midterms has obviously gotten to me. Not only did I go to bed at 9:30 pm last night (what am I, 80 years old?) but I am listening to Christmas music while I do my homework.

Ok, so this is a little early, even for me, a hard core Christmas Music enthusiast.

As I created my Christmas station on Pandora, looking guiltily and figuratively over my shoulder for the Christmas police, I realized, "Hey, if it makes me happy to listen to Christmas music before Halloween is over, who cares?"

I mean, it is uplifting, cheerful, and positive. (Yes, I realize that using uplifting and positive is kind of redundant. I don't care. I'm burned out from tests and papers, and at this point, I feel like saying the same thing over and over and over and over and over again.)

So Merry October!

PS... I had to snicker a bit when I heard the line, "Oh the weather outside is frightful," 75 degrees is hardly frightful! Unless you are a snowman.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Peanut Butter and Carrots

I love peanut butter and carrots. Lately, I eat it every day with lunch.

What is strange is all the weird looks I get. I mean, has no one else heard of this before?! The Asians all seem particularly repulsed, but several Americans have questioned me as well. Didn't anyone else eat this when they were growing up?



What is funny is that most of them have heard celery and peanut butter, but not carrots. Celery and penaut butter is weirder if you ask me.




My obsession with this snack is like my applesauce phase of 2007.

If you haven't had it, you should try it. It is ama-zi-zing.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Pressure

I have to write a short story for my creative writing class. Easy, right? For someone who loves to write, and loves writing short stories, this should be a piece of cake... right?

WRONG!

It is much harder than I anticipated, and while procrastinating actually writing the story, I have analyzed why I am having such difficulty.

Pressure. Creative writing is something that I have only ever done for the fun of it. I mean, there were occassional assignments, but it wasn't like they really had to be good. Besides, for much of my highschool life, kids in my class didn't like writing or English, so I had a pretty good feeling that my work would be one of the better things turned in. Now that it is college, and several students in my class are English majors, and seniors no less, the pressure is much greater.

What makes the pressure even worse is that we have just spend the past month and a half talking about creative writing, and how to improve our writing, and I have realized oh-how-many mistakes I make in my writing. Plethoras. That's how many. So now instead of just allowing myself to write, I get all weird and second guess myself. For instance, you may have noticed my use of the cliche "piece of cake." That is unnacceptable!! We are supposed to think of fresh metaphors and expressions. Like if I said, "Writing this short story should be a walk in the park." Wait... that's already taken. Hmm. "Easy as pie?" Nope. That one is taken too. Why are there so many cliches about something easy?

At any rate, now that there is pressure, I feel completely stuck. I've started FOUR different short stories, gotten about a page and a half, abandoned them as crap, and moved on. And now what do I have? Four false starts but nothing concrete. Nothing I can turn in to impress my teacher and classmates.

I don't want to turn a story in to my less-than-tactful teacher and have it come back with CRAP written over it in red marker. (Notice that "crap" is all caps, bolded, and italicized.) And I don't want to go in and have to read my story outloud to random students! The fact that I know the story will be read out loud makes it ten times harder. Ugh.

Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Failed Experiment

So the Psychology Seniors posted flyers that interested students could come from 7 to 9pm to take some surveys to help them with their project, and that free pizza would be provided.

We showed up at 7:05, filled out four surveys, smelling the pizza the whole time, and got in line to get our pizza.

The people in front of us took the last few pieces. It was then 7:20, and they had already run out of pizza. What is that?!

I realized then that perhaps it was a side psychology study of how mobs of angry students react to being told there is no free pizza after all. I for one, was very upset. I mean, you don't throw a term like "free pizza" around lightly, especially not around starving college students with limited exposure to decent pizza. At least they should have put a disclaimer, like "first come, first serve." But no. The flyer even went so far as to say that students could stop by any time between 7 and 9, inferring that the pizza would be there from 7 to 9.

Maybe the Psych seniors have a death wish? I'm not sure.

 I get extra credit in my Psychology class for attending, so I guess it wasn't a total loss. But in all honesty, between the two, I would have preferred the pizza.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

One of those days...

Today is one of those just-wanna-stay-in-bed-all-day-and-do-nothing type of days.

Enough said.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Pie


I want pie. For breakfast. Or lunch... or even dinner. Or hey, why not be conventional and have it for dessert?



Sometimes the overwhelming craving for pie comes, and today is one of those times. It doesn't really matter what kind of pie, as long as it isn't apple.





Maybe it is because Thanksgiving is coming, and I know that I probably won't get much good pie like I usually do. (Oh for the maple pumpkin, Raspberry cream cheese, and creme brulee pies that I made last year. Or perhaps "created" is a better word.)




I've heard that sometimes we crave things that our body needs, but I doubt my body needs pie. Need or no, I think I'll have to find some today, somehow.


I'll end with the immortal words of Jack Handey, "When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmm, boy."


PS: Looking at all of these pie pictures did not help at all.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Why I was up until 2am.

So as you may have guessed from the title of this post, I was up until 2am last night. You may think that there is some long, complicated explanation for this, but you're wrong.

I was watching Gilmore Girls until 12:45, then I headed back to my room with good intentions to hit the hay, but once I got to my room, I realized that not only was I wide awake, my eyebrows needed plucking.

My eyebrows don't grow back in gradually, but rather sprout up all at once. On Thursday the brows looked ok, but suddenly yesterday the plucked hairs decided to come back, leaving me with a nigh untamable thicket. When they get to that point, or rather, when I notice that they are at that point, I have to pluck them... because it drives me crazy.

"Blessed" with such plentiful brows, it takes me forever to pluck them. Especially when I watch the new episode of Community while I do it.

Hence, the 2am. I guess this was a rather long and complicated story, but it can be summed up to simply eyebrows.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Devoid of Inspiration...

I cannot think of anything good to write about, so I'm going to follow the example of Faulkner.

We just read his book "As I Lay Dying," and let me tell you, I was disturbed! But I digress. The novel is written in the stream of consciousness style, meaning that the various narrators don't actually say anything, but we view the events in the novel from the inner workings of their minds.

I've also heard that creative writers, when they can't think of anything to write about, should try the stream of consciousness method, and just kind of let themselves go and write a string of whatever they are thinking about, with no concern about grammar, sentence structure, or coherency.

Ok, here goes.

Wait, I just wrote a blog entry without having to resort to the stream of consciousness! Amazing... it really works!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Pre-midterm burnout

Is it normal to be burned out this early in the semester? I'm TIRED!

I have good intentions to get up early (like before 8am... early is relative,) and get things accomplished... like homework and showering...

But I end up sleeping in, and then lots of times I take naps later, too! And this week in classes I've found my mind wandering and my eyes closing in spite of myself.

I have pre-midterm burnout. This does not bode well for my condition come finals time!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

New Discovery

I recently discovered a pet peeve that I did not know I had. Unlike discovering five dollars you didn't know you had, or a package of unopened pop tarts under your bed that you didn't know you had, discovering a pet peeve is not a pleasant experience.

Luckily this one is not likely to happen again. If it does, I may just explode or something. Yes, it bothered me that much.

I was sitting in the school's auditorium waiting for the show to start. It was a campus-wide singing competition, and I was quite excited for it. However, much of this experience was ruined for me due to the girl sitting in front of me.

Said girl was in possession of a plethora of annoyingly perfect blonde wavy hair. It was long and very full. I should first acknowledge that the auditorium seats are the type that are scrunched in together quite tightly, so if the person in front of you leans back at all, their head is pretty much in your lap. Can you see where this is going? I didn't.

All throughout the first half of the show, the blonde girl flipped her hair up and down again and again, so it was basically rubbing all over my knees. No matter which way I moved, her hair was flopping all over my legs. Not a pleasant sensation. Along with this, as if it weren't enough, gusts of her strong-smelling shampoo repeatedly blew in my face as she flipped said hair.

ARGGH! After about two seconds of this I wanted to grab any type of cutting insturment and chop all her hair off. That may sound harsh, but it was seriously so annoying. And as Jane Austen said, "angry people are not always wise."

By some mercy, she put her hair up in a bun for most of the second half of the show. I thought my troubles were over. But NO... blonde girl decided to lean back so her chair rammed into my knees. I mean really?? Have some self-awareness, girl! Finally realizing she was bumping into me, she turns around, smiles, says "Hi" and puts her hand on my knee.... ok, like that helps at all. In fact it made her even more annoying and slightly creepy. No "sorry I'm flipping my hair all over you and ramming into you legs!' Or even just ceasing the behavior would be enough, but did she do any of this? No!

After the knee bumping, her hair came out of the bun, and I was again accosted by her hair. I have never been so annoyed with a perfect stranger.

So what is the pet peeve? I guess it is the girl herself.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Beauty and the Beast

I just re-watched the Disney "Beauty and the Beast." I LOVE this movie... it is definitely one of my fav Disney animated movies. That being said, it left me with some questions.


1. How did Belle get the Beast onto her horse after he fought the wolves? He must weigh like, at least 600lbs, and of course, Belle is like 89lbs... 5 of those pounds being her freaking huge eyes... maybe she has some hidden arm strength??

2. How can Lafou wait outside in the snow for days without freezing to death? He turns into a snowman, but that is no protection against frost bite and hypothermia, unless of course Lafou has some sort of strange ability to morph into a snowman, and if so, why does he hang out with Gaston?

3. How does Mrs. Potts, who is obviously rather old, as you can see at the end of the movie, have Chip, who is like, four years old?? Is he adopted??? Also, how many children does this woman have? Because there are like, fifty tea cups in the cupboard. Also, did she name her son Chip initially, or just after they got morphed into inatimate objects, and he happened to turn into a teacup with a chip in it?

4. Why does Gaston go after the Beast with a bow and arrow when he has that huge gun? Is he just stupid? It can't be because he's a good sportsman, because he totally cheap shots the Beast twice.

5. How does Chip get the log cutting maching going? He has no hands, or legs! It shows him looking at the machine, then cuts to him blowing up the fire inside of the machine. Where did he get the log? How did he start the fire?

Ok, so I realize that this is an animated movie, and I'm probably over-thinking it, but still... it makes you wonder.

Some other thoughts about the movie... I have always loved the Beast waaay better than the prince he turns into... I cried about it when I was little... and I have to admit, I got a little teary when the Beast is laying there dying, and he's like "At least I got to see you.... one more time..." I think this is one of the reasons behind my love for German shepherds... the beast kinda looks like one.

I also wish he would have retained his manly voice, because his voice isn't nearly as hot after he turns back into a man. Too bad the Beast couldn't have been able to morph in and out of Beast form at will after the curse is broken. It would be handy, seeing as the castle is apparently surrounded by rabid wolves. Plus I bet Belle, in her secret heart, found the Beast pretty hot. And I think the public attitude about the Prince after he's out of Beast form is rather negative, despite the message of the movie that appearances don't matter... because when I googled Beauty and the Beast, all the pictures that came up were of Belle and the Beast when he's in Beast form...

After he turned into a man, I found myself wishing he could have a fist fight with Gaston, man to man. But then I thought that maybe he wouldn't have won, because Gaston is pretty freaking ripped. He eats five dozen eggs daily, after all. And he can break a belt with his neck.

Any way, I just love this movie. The soundtrack is beautiful, and I hope that the new animated Disney movie is good like these old classic Disney movies! It made me feel very nostalgic. Oh, and I thought it would be so cool for someone to make a really good live action version of Beauty and the Beast. All the ones I've seen have been weird... although the black and white one in French is pretty cool.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Have you ever...

Have you ever had one of those moments where you feel like a cartoon character?

I had one in the cafeteria the other day, and I wish that someone had been there to video tape it. No, my feet didn't start running away before me, nor did I put my hand on a burner and not get burned til I realized my hand was on a burner, and I also didn't get sliced in half. (Good thing...)

However, I did get ran into. Full on. This guy apparently didn't see me, or it was one of those "he thought I was going to move, I thought he was going to move" situations. At any rate, we smacked into eachother rather hard. It didn't hurt, or if it did I was trying too hard not to laugh to notice the pain. The guy got bright red with embarrassment, and mumbled an apology before hastily fleeing the scene.

After he left I laughed harder than I have in a long time. Unfortunately, no one else even saw the incident! What a waste! Maybe the cafeteria has security cameras, and they saw it... one can hope. It was just too good to go unseen.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

The Ocean

The ocean here is the most beautiful ocean in the world. Ok, so I haven't seen every ocean in the world, but the ocean here is absolutely amazing. That's my point.

Every time I get view of the ocean, it makes me catch my breath, and just stare. I think I might be in love with it. It makes me giddy.




Certainly, compared to the gray and silty ocean of Alaska, (though pretty in its own way,) this ocean seems a completely different being. Friendlier. The ocean in Alaska is cold and dark and mysterious. This ocean, on sunny days at least, is friendly, inviting, calling you to "come in, the water's fine!"




Every time I leave the beach, I want to go back again.





In Pride and Prejudice, Mary Bennet says "What are men compared to rocks and mountains?" I ask this in a different form. "What are men compared to the ocean?" (The Hawaiian one, anyway!) But perhaps that is an unfair comparison... 


In any case, I'm going to miss this ocean when I go home! Its Alaskan counterpart probably won't even be glad to see me. At least my family will be.

(And yes, I did take these pictures.)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Life would be easier....

Sometimes I can't help but think that life would be easier if I looked like Amy Adams.


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Excuse me... would you like a chicken?

Saturday on the bus I saw a guy who looked like Napoleon Dynamite but about thirty pounds heavier. He had a goofy looking t-shirt, tan shorts, and socks with sandals. (Oh dear.) He had glasses, and I will say they were slightly smaller than Napoleon's, but the resemblance was such that me and my friend both noticed it.
Any way, later that day I was walking out of the campus post office with my friend, and there he was, sitting, eating something. (No it wasn't a quesadilla.) We walked down the hall, and he got up and followed us partway. We turned around and he said,

"Excuse me, would you like a chicken?" His expression was grave, his tone polite but monotone.

We both looked at him a little blankly.

"Do you have a spare chicken?" I asked. My friend laughed.

"Yes." He held a white grocery bag out to me.

"Um, sorry we just ate lunch." I told him.

"Oh." He said, his voice not really registering dissapointment, but still he stood, holding the bag. The moment was  awkward.

My friend thought one of her off-campus friends with a kitchen might want it, so she texted him, but we didn't get any response.

"Um, so how did you obtain this chicken?" I asked, grinning. My friend laughed again. It was a funny situation. Apparently he didn't think so, because his expression never changed.

"I bought it for lunch and I don't want it." He said.

My friend and I then went on in converstional banter about the chicken situation, and I was making a joke a second. Still, this guys expression remained grave, and he merely stood, watching us.

"Well, sorry." We said finally and started walking away.

With one final attempt to break his severity, I called "Good luck with your chicken!"  He didn't laugh. Guess some people don't like jokes. Or laughter. Or maybe he was really very concerned about getting rid of this chicken... it was hard to tell.

Monday, October 5, 2009

I miss autumn...

I love Hawaii, I love the beaches, the ocean, the palm trees, the humidity, the warmth... ahh it is wonderful.

But I miss autumn. I miss the changing colors, the crisp air, the crunch of leaves underfoot. I miss picking out pumpkins and sipping apple cider and the bite of the wind.

I can't even tell it is October here.

Going to school here has shown me that I enjoy the different seasons. I love going to school here, but I wouldn't want to settle down here. This is the first year of my life that I haven't had an autumn. It is making me homesick.

We don't get a very long autumn in Alaska, but for those few weeks, it is beautiful. Here are a few pictures I took last fall.










If I was going to pick one of the fairies to be from Fantasia, I think I would want to be the autumn fairy. It would be fun to change all the colors of the leaves.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Why I Love English

This semester has helped me realize how much I truly love English and literature.

I love that any given poem, merely a few words put together into stanzas, can have significant meaning that is entirely different for countless amounts of people.

I love that each book or poem or essay is a little peice of the writer.

I love that novels and poems and stories from all over the world can have similar themes and archetypes. It sort of connects us all as humans, I think.

I love that I can absolutely hate a book or poem, but still see its value as literature, and appreciate the writing. It creates these strange relationships with words.

And I love the complexity and diversity and possibilites... as much as people say there is no more originality left, each thing we write is original in some respect. I love it.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Mermaid

I wanted to be a mermaid today.  It was cloudy, and the water was chilly and mysterious, and the water tasted extra salty. The waves were rolling softly, and I wanted to sprout fins and swim away into the ocean. It even rained a little, and I think it would be so amazing to be under the water and look up at the rain falling on the waves.

It was a beautiful day, despite the lack of sun.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Top Five Fave Movies

I thought I would try to narrow down what my very favorite five movies are and why. This has previously been something that I take by genre, as in, these are my five favorite action movies. I've never actually narrowed down what my actual favorite five movies are. It is a hard and grueling process... but here it goes.

Please note that number one is not my favorite movie. All five are all my favorites. That is as much as I could narrow it down, without quibbling about order.

1. Dear Frankie: This movie is simply beautiful. I love the acting,
the story, the location, the script, the filming, the accents...
I love watching it, and it gives me a lovely, achy, sad/happy kind
of feeling. Also, Gerard Butler, wherever you are,
 I'm pretty sure I love you.








2. Return to Me: Ah, such a great movie! I adore
this movie, due mainly to the fact that it feels so real to me. The relationships
between the characters, and the amazing chemistry is SO fun to watch. And of
course, I'm a Bonnie Hunt fan, so there you go.










3. That Thing You Do!: Yay! This is one of my most watched
movies of all time. The 60s-ness of it, the great music, not to
mention the fact that it is hilarious! I seriously want to have
"My Only Dreams" as my wedding song! I just adore this movie,
and can watch it at any time. I'm always in the mood for it.






4. Spiderman: I love the first Spiderman movie! Cheesy it certainly is, but so loveable. And so much fun to watch! I used to watch it all the time with my nephew. And in my opinion, it blows the other Spiderman movies out of the water. Its got Green Goblin! This is my favorite of all the superhero movies. Scoff if you wish, I love it!








5. Emma: While going by the Austen books, P&P is my favorite,
(or favourite,) and I love almost all the movie versions of Austen
books, the version of Emma with Gwenyth Paltrow is probably my
most watched movie. When I was 13 I watched it once a week.
I could probably quote most of the movie
along with it. This is my "having a bad day" or "feeling sick"
or "lazy afternoon" movie.

W

Since it is Wednesday, (I know that it says this was posted on Thursday, but it is still Wednesday in Hawaii!) I was thinking about some things that I love that start with the letter W. I have listed and explained ten of my top favorite W things. If you think that is weird, I don't care. Its my blog. Also, weird starts with W! Wow. That's wonderful.

1. Wonderland (as in Alice in.) I just love how wacky wonderland is. I originally loved the Disney version, but I've come to love the book as well. Also I can't wait for the new version directed by Tim Burton! Finally, a version of Alice in Wonderland that would weird out Lewis Carrol.




2. Willy Wonka- As much as I love the new Willy Wonka, you just can't beat the original with Gene Wilder. And his last name starts with a W! I love everything about Willy Wonka, from his crazy hair to his purple suit. (But I don't like the scary tunnel part...)





3. Wizards- Not so much the Harry Potter wizards, but more specifically Gandalf. He's rad. Check the hat!



4. Will Smith- I love Will Smith! How can you not? He just makes me happy. And he's hot.



5. Words- I LOVE the English language. I love Words! Its how we speak, write, (another great w word,) and communicate in general.


6. Watermelon- so yummy and delicious! Sweet, refreshing, and so indicative of summer.




7. Waffles- Who doesn't love waffles? With peaches, syrup, strawberries, or whatever, waffles are wonderful.




8. Wallpaper- I love the trendy wallpaper designs coming out now, especially the ones in the home section of Anthropolie.com.



9. Windows- They let in the light, and let us have the outdoors indoors. Or vice versa if you are a street urchin.



10. Whipped Cream- Oh heavenly creamyness! I love whipped cream so much. On the aforementioned waffles, on cake, on applesauce (try it, love it, crave it,) on brownies, on yogurt, or on anything! Or just plain!




Well, that was enlightening! Wild how many wacky and wonderful w words there are! Speaking of how wonderful W is, check out this vintage Sesame Street video, all about the wonderful sound of W.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFhqghww9sM

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Ice Cream

So. Ice Cream. I dig it. (Or rather, I scoop it.) It is a large and important part of my life. Not only does it provide a break from the many stresses of my life, it is a mood-lifter. Like a sweet and creamy Prozac.

The many flavors and combinations available make it impossible to pick an all time favorite flavor... this may also have to do with the diverse range of my pallete, but my current flavor of choice is Dreyer's Strawberry Cheesecake Chunk. Whoever originally thought of combining cheesecake and ice cream should be given an award... like a giant golden ice cream cone.




My dad is an avid ice cream lover, so you might say I have ice cream running through my veins. I also worked at Cold Stone Creamery for awhile in High School, and let me tell you folks, you haven't tasted Cold Stone until you have had it straight from the ice cream machine, soft serve. It is probably the best ice cream I have ever tasted. Unfortunately, it is not redily available to the general public, and I may have to resort to mission impossible measures to get my hands on it. Or make friends with an owner of a Cold Stone. Or steal some somehow. That may sound extreme, but this stuff is worth breaking the law for.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Music Monday: Marie Digby

I recently discovered Marie Digby thanks to Pandora.com, and I can't get her stuff out of my head. She's a sort of pop/indie singer, with a mellow voice and killer guitar and piano skills. According to her bio on Pandora, she got her big break due to the video on youtube of her acoustic cover of Rihanna's song, "Umbrella."  I like Marie's version much better than Rihanna's.




When I finally exert my energies to learning the guitar, which I'm determined to someday do, I will look to Marie for inspiration. Maybe I'll post myself singing on youtube and get a big break. But I digress. Check out the link to her video of Umbrella, posted below. A "high quality" version of this song is available on iTunes.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=589Mvlz6LWE

Also, if you dig Digby like I do, she just came out with a CD this month, "Breathing Underwater"






Sunday, September 27, 2009

TV Show Shoutout: The Dick Van Dyke Show

I love The Dick Van Dyke Show. It is by far my favorite old tv show, having knocked I Love Lucy out of number one a few years ago. The comedic timing is amazing, and I'll admit, I've had a crush on Dick Van Dyke since Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins.




Not only is this tv show great for its comedy, it is also a killer look at the culture of the 60s, which is one of my favorite fashion and hairstyle eras.




So many great episodes... like the one where Alan Brady tests that hidden camera show, or the one where Rob thinks he sees a UFO.

What's also cool is that Laura, aka Mary Tyler Moore, actually has a personality. (Compared to say, June Cleaver or Donna Reed.) And Sally... a career woman! This show is a great example of how women's status was changing in America.

Cultural significance aside, I just love to watch this show. It's hilarious.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Random Rants: TV Surgery

Could someone please explain why anyone in their right mind would want to watch a surgery on television? I mean what, do people come home from work and think, "You know, I could really go for a good carotid endarectomy right about now." The only people who could justify that, in my mind, would be doctors. But after actually seeing surgury live, why would you want to watch it on tv?

My dorms have Discovery Health channel, a fact that I often forget, and as I'm flipping channels, BAM! open heart surgery! It is disgusting.




I also wonder, do the patients volunteer for this? And if so, does the doctor approach the patient about it?
"Let's see, so you'll be under for about two hours. It is a very routine procedure. Oh, also, would you mind if we filmed it and showed it on National television?"

Why WHY would people want to watch this? There are a plethora of hospital TV shows, if you are intersted in that, and at least then there is a plot and generally some hot actors.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Corellation dos NOT imply Causation

Did you know that in Hawaii, it is a proven statistic that as the rate of ice cream sales rise, so do the rate of shark attacks? I didn't.

This is what we learn in my Psychology class. My teacher presented several causes for this statistic. Perhaps, for instance, sharks are very fond of ice cream but have trouble obtaining it. Therefore, they eat humans who have consumed ice cream recently.

I was thinking, man, now I have a great fact to pull out at parties when things get dull, or maybe an ice breaker for talking to a guy at the library, or perhaps an interesting potential research paper.

No such luck.

Turns out, as my Psych professor reiterated about five hundred times, Correlation does NOT imply Causation. Or in other words, just because two statistics go together, we can't assume one causes the other.
The simple answer to the ice cream shark attack correlation is, of course, that when it is hot more people buy ice cream, and similarly more people go swimming. Hence, a rise in ice cream sales and shark attacks.

I have to admit that despite my loss of an interesting conversation starter, this was somewhat of a relief... because I like ice cream, and as Hawaii is my current place of residence... well, I wouldn't want to take any chances.