So, once again, I didn’t really know what to write about today…so I searched only for “good questions to ask people.” Guess what I came up with? (Okay, don’t actually guess, because there are too many options.) Anyway, I’ve decided to make the topic of this blog entry a list of some of my pet peeves.
1. School computers
Okay, this one is just because I am currently typing this during study hall on one of the school computers, and they’re…awful. First of all, the ning is blocked, so I can’t go on there during study hall. But mostly, they have the most annoying keyboards where you have to press down really hard for the computer to register that you typed that letter. So it takes a while to type anything…and I’m a really fast typer!
Okay, sorry….on to some more interesting ones, maybe?
2. Spelling/grammar mistakes.
Yes, I admit it. I’m a grammar freak. I’m the sort of person who if you say, “It’s the funnest…” I’ll interrupt you and say, “most fun.” Or if you say I did good, I’ll say, “No, you did well.” Also, having been in the Colorado State Spelling Bee, it really bugs me when people spell things wrong. If a teacher spells a word wrong on the board, I have to go fix it. But it especially bugs me when someone uses improper grammar or bad spelling when they have access to the spell check on the computer. Because then it’s not even a matter of knowing how to spell/use grammar. It’s a matter of pressing a button and letting the computer do it all for you. I just really don’t see why people find it fun to use bad grammar/spelling…I mean, it’s really not even faster. Honestly, how long does it take for you to type that one apostrophe or spell out the word “you”? Come on people. ENGLISH. Use it, and use it right.
3. When someone either says “I’m starving” or “That’s retarded.”
Both of these will include some very long ranting. First of all, I hate it when someone says they’re starving. Because unless you literally don’t have any food, you live in a third-world country, or you’re neglected/abused, you’re probably not actually starving. Unless you haven’t eaten in a few days, you can’t legitimately say you’re starving. You’re just really hungry, okay? Merriam-Webster says: a: to perish from lack of food b: to suffer extreme hunger OR to deprive of nourishment. And those most likely do not apply to the everyday person who says, “I’m starving.” Now, onto the second one….this one is for a relatively personal reason. My dad’s friend’s son actually is mentally retarded, which of course doesn’t mean he’s really a lesser person or anything. He’s really nice. But it just bugs the heck out of me when someone says the word “retarded” because…it’s just really impolite. I mean, if I put my dad’s friend’s son with them and told them to say the words, “that’s retarded” to his face, they probably wouldn’t. It’s…derogatory, in a way. So, please, find another way to say that something is stupid!
4. People who don’t apply themselves.
I’m sorry, but I really hate people who have no ambition. I firmly believe that anyone, no matter their intelligence, can do almost anything they want if they really want it and if they apply themselves to achieving it. It just seems like it’s “cool” to not do your homework and skip class and not try…and…really, these so-called popular people in high school? They’re probably not going to get much of anywhere in life…I mean, I know it’s hard. But no one ever said life was going to be easy. So it really bugs the heck out of me when people don’t apply themselves because they think it will make them popular. Maybe in high school, but, honey, you’re going to have a harsh wake-up call when you decide to enter the real world!
5. People who use religion as an excuse for EVERYTHING.
Now, I’m not trying to be offensive here. Even though I’m not Christian, I respect people whose faith is a large part of their everyday life. I think it does make them a stronger person, and if it helps them get through crises and all, props to them. So I’m not saying I hate Christians. No, I’m saying that I dislike people who use their faith as an argument for things that have no business being “religion-icized.” Especially politics, and especially when it’s high schoolers who are just using their parent’s arguments and don’t really know what they’re saying. If you have a valid reason for being opposed to gay unions that does not involve the lie that “the bible says marriage is between a man and a woman,” then I’ll listen to you and respect you. But, really, don’t try to preach your religion onto me, okay? I respect your choices and your faith, but not if it gets in the way of people’s freedom of choice and privacy…(Once again, I hope this wasn’t offensive. I don’t hate religious people who are simply faithful!!! This is just something I had to rant about)
Random HP connection...Do you think it would be fun to have Peeves as your pet? I think it would definitely allow for entertainment, but...he'd probably play pranks on you, too, right? Peeves as a pet???
Anyway…as I’m running out of ideas, I think y’all should leave me questions to answer. Please?
Well….I don’t really know what else to say, except thank goodness it’s almost the weekend. Oh, and I’m really loving The Great Gatsby! Have a good afternoon/evening/day, everyone!
Cheers! DFTBA! Until tomorrooooooooow………..
09 April 2009
08 April 2009
Summer Camp stories?
I didn’t really know what to blog about today, because my day was sincerely boring…and I didn’t have anything planned. So, I guess, I’m going to go ahead and share some camp stories with y’all, if you don’t mind. Every summer I go to this Girl Scout Camp called Sky High Ranch and ride/take care of the horses. Last summer I was a Wrangler-In-Training, meaning that I was working in the barn (taking care of the horses) and also learning how to run a unit of younger campers. Anyway, as you can probably imagine, some pretty crazy things go on there….
Well, my first one is actually from another year….but I’ve mentioned it briefly before: MATTRESS SLIDING!!! We decided one night to take some of the mattress off the bunks and slide down the cabin stairs on them…which, actually, not only were the counselors okay with, THEY JOINED IN!!! It’s so much fun—like a water slide without any water!! We also had some pretty epic water fights that year….
But on to my most recent memories….The first two weeks were boring at times because we had to go through the handbook. But we also got to do all of the activities! Though, there was one afternoon when our counselors were really tired and didn’t feel like doing equipment with us. So, Squirt, one of the counselors (yeah, we all have aliases. Mine was Luna) set up her laptop and put on Finding Nemo. We were told to have paper out and write about Nemo’s mentor or something in case the directors came, but really….we didn’t do anything. That same evening, the “All Camp” activity was CIT Hunt, so all of us dressed up really funny and hid for the other campers to find us…unfortunately, I don’t have the picture because one of the other counselors took it and hasn’t sent it yet….
We spent one morning playing Capture the Flag for an hour and a half, which was loads and loads of fun. But since I'm pretty fast, I was kind of a target of the other team I cut my leg on the log their bandana was hidden behind. And then I totally biffed it--I cut my arm, shoulder, knee, and bruised my knees pretty bad too. The sad thing was that NEITHER team won!!! We were left with a few people from my team trying to get the bandana and a few people from the other team trying to guard it, and everyone else in jail….so we ended up surrendering! Wow….most fun I’ve EVER had playing capture the flag! Okay, and….well, this is a long story, and you kind of had to be there. But during training, one of my fellow CITs said that if you see a bear, “you take your shirt off.” Really, she meant you take off your jacket or something to make yourself bigger, but she made it sound like you were supposed to flash the bear, which became a running joke…
Also, we were there on the 4th of July, after our 4 day break, and we had to help with the carnival. I was at the water balloons station, and mostly it wasn’t that exciting. But, then all of the CIT/WITs and counselors started throwing water balloons and eggs and pudding at each other, and also we got to throw pies at the program staff. We all got pretty soaking wet, and one of my friends got hit right on the top of the head with over 6 water balloons. It was fun when it started….but then it started to get cold, because that’s what happens in the mountains of Colorado….So we were really freezing, and had to go up and take showers…..
I have a bunch of stories, but I’ll end with one that isn’t particularly funny, but was just really crazy. Us WITS had to go on a horse overnight with one of the older groups of campers so that we could help with their tack and the feeding and everything. We had to walk there, which was annoying since everyone else got to ride. It was also really cold that night for some reason. Anyway………TWO OF THE HORSES GOT OUT!!!!!!! Granted, it’s a really old pasture, and the two horses were the really stubborn and kind of crazy ones. We started to run after them, but then the counselors told us to stay because they couldn’t let us get lost or injured or anything. The riding staff caught them eventually, but then they got out AGAIN that night!!! Luckily, they just went down to the barn, so it worked out fine in the end, and now kind of is something to laugh about, though it was really quite a traumatic experience at the time. Well….I guess, let me know if you enjoyed that, because I have a lot more funny camp stories!
Hi Kat!
My Name is Eric,i'm from Rwanda and i live in Sweden.I just want to thank u for ur initiative,it means a lot to the people of Rwanda.The most amazing thing about ur project is that u managed to mobilise people as young as 14 years. Yourself were 1 year hen the genocide took place.Ur project brings hope that u may succedd were ur parents failed.
May god bless u Kate,and once again thank u,deeply thank,we mean it.
So....until tomorrow! Cheers! DFTBA!
Well, my first one is actually from another year….but I’ve mentioned it briefly before: MATTRESS SLIDING!!! We decided one night to take some of the mattress off the bunks and slide down the cabin stairs on them…which, actually, not only were the counselors okay with, THEY JOINED IN!!! It’s so much fun—like a water slide without any water!! We also had some pretty epic water fights that year….
But on to my most recent memories….The first two weeks were boring at times because we had to go through the handbook. But we also got to do all of the activities! Though, there was one afternoon when our counselors were really tired and didn’t feel like doing equipment with us. So, Squirt, one of the counselors (yeah, we all have aliases. Mine was Luna) set up her laptop and put on Finding Nemo. We were told to have paper out and write about Nemo’s mentor or something in case the directors came, but really….we didn’t do anything. That same evening, the “All Camp” activity was CIT Hunt, so all of us dressed up really funny and hid for the other campers to find us…unfortunately, I don’t have the picture because one of the other counselors took it and hasn’t sent it yet….
We spent one morning playing Capture the Flag for an hour and a half, which was loads and loads of fun. But since I'm pretty fast, I was kind of a target of the other team I cut my leg on the log their bandana was hidden behind. And then I totally biffed it--I cut my arm, shoulder, knee, and bruised my knees pretty bad too. The sad thing was that NEITHER team won!!! We were left with a few people from my team trying to get the bandana and a few people from the other team trying to guard it, and everyone else in jail….so we ended up surrendering! Wow….most fun I’ve EVER had playing capture the flag! Okay, and….well, this is a long story, and you kind of had to be there. But during training, one of my fellow CITs said that if you see a bear, “you take your shirt off.” Really, she meant you take off your jacket or something to make yourself bigger, but she made it sound like you were supposed to flash the bear, which became a running joke…
Also, we were there on the 4th of July, after our 4 day break, and we had to help with the carnival. I was at the water balloons station, and mostly it wasn’t that exciting. But, then all of the CIT/WITs and counselors started throwing water balloons and eggs and pudding at each other, and also we got to throw pies at the program staff. We all got pretty soaking wet, and one of my friends got hit right on the top of the head with over 6 water balloons. It was fun when it started….but then it started to get cold, because that’s what happens in the mountains of Colorado….So we were really freezing, and had to go up and take showers…..
I have a bunch of stories, but I’ll end with one that isn’t particularly funny, but was just really crazy. Us WITS had to go on a horse overnight with one of the older groups of campers so that we could help with their tack and the feeding and everything. We had to walk there, which was annoying since everyone else got to ride. It was also really cold that night for some reason. Anyway………TWO OF THE HORSES GOT OUT!!!!!!! Granted, it’s a really old pasture, and the two horses were the really stubborn and kind of crazy ones. We started to run after them, but then the counselors told us to stay because they couldn’t let us get lost or injured or anything. The riding staff caught them eventually, but then they got out AGAIN that night!!! Luckily, they just went down to the barn, so it worked out fine in the end, and now kind of is something to laugh about, though it was really quite a traumatic experience at the time. Well….I guess, let me know if you enjoyed that, because I have a lot more funny camp stories!
Hi Kat!
My Name is Eric,i'm from Rwanda and i live in Sweden.I just want to thank u for ur initiative,it means a lot to the people of Rwanda.The most amazing thing about ur project is that u managed to mobilise people as young as 14 years. Yourself were 1 year hen the genocide took place.Ur project brings hope that u may succedd were ur parents failed.
May god bless u Kate,and once again thank u,deeply thank,we mean it.
So....until tomorrow! Cheers! DFTBA!
07 April 2009
15th Anniversary for Rwanda....NEVER FORGET
Okay, I’m sorry…but this will not be a fun or particularly exciting blog entry today. Because, today is an important day. ACTUALLY…technically it was yesterday that everything started, but….I decide to blog about it today. Because it’s important, all right?
Yesterday marks the 15th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. On April 6th, 1994, a small jet carrying Rwandan President Habyalimana and Burundi's new President, Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down by missiles. This sparked the beginning of a genocide by Hutu extremists (many of whom had been ordinary citizens not long before, who attacked their neighbors and friends) of Tutsi leaders and Hutu politicians. It is obvious that the genocide was no accident. Well, no mass killing is an accident; they all have been planned. But all you have to do is listen to the speeches and radio broadcasts to hear the careful planning. If you want more proof, then you can read the newspapers or look at the odd number of machetes and guns imported into Rwanda just before the genocide to be used as killing machines. Suddenly, these weapons were available cheap, for the everyday person. For the everyday killer. Yes, it is true that this silent planning by the Hutus was genius. But that just makes the whole thing scarier. To think that somewhere else in the world, some other government could be planning something similar…it just makes me shudder.
There was a small UN peacekeeping force there, led by General Dallaire. But no matter how awful the reports he sent in asking for more troops, for more help, describing the atrocities…The UN and the US refused to label it as genocide. After April 21, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to abandon Rwanda, pulling out the remaining peacekeepers…leaving only about 200 troops. This left the Hutu free to continue their rampage of killings…helped along by propaganda spewed out by the Rwandan state radio. Many Tutsis took refuge in churches and schools, which only became the locations of some of the worst massacres. For women, often, it was the worst. After watching Hutus killing their husband, children, and neighbors, they would often be raped and left alone…or have certain parts of their bodies cut off. Some militiamen forced Hutus to kill their neighbors…or Tutsis to kill their families.
The most well known story, probably, is of Paul Rusesabagina, who helped hide many Tutsis in his hotel in Kigali…the events of this are described in his book, An Ordinary Man, and the movie Hotel Rwanda. (So I won’t go into it too much.)
The UN Security Council, after international coverage, voted to send 5,000 soldiers, but did not set a timetable therefore did not send them in time. The killings ended after Tutsi rebels, invading from the countries they had gone to for refuge back in 1959, including current Rwandan president Paul Kagame. By this time, July 1994, an estimated 800,00 persons had been killed. Although, in truth, not everything stopped there. The killings, both by the Tutsis and the Hutus continued into the 90s. Now, under leadership of Paul Kagame, the nation is trying to heal, rebuild, find some peace, and law and order. History says they will fail…but our faith and their faith is the only thing that can keep it going.
Do your work,” is what the RTLM told the Hutu. “Kill the cockroaches.” The Hutu were obedient. Too obedient. 800,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans died during the time period. It seems that the genocide in Rwanda gets so much less attention than say, the Holocaust…and, it was almost more cruel. And a LOT quicker. . Perhaps this is because the countries in the United Nations see the genocide as their fault, and hope to cover it up. Most people use the word decimated wrongly. It means to kill 1 of 10 people, and to most minds, this thought is unimaginable. But this is the word needed to describe Rwanda. Every 10th person was killed within the space of one hundred days. In Kibuye, there were 250,000 Tutsis just before the genocide. Afterwards, only 8,000 were left.
“Never again,” we say. But what about what’s happening in Darfur right now? How are we ignoring these things…has history taught us nothing about what ignoring a genocide can mean? Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills, and during the genocide those hills were filled with screams and cries. They were covered with the blood and bodies of innocent people. A person got used to things they should never have to get used to: The smells of rotting bodies used as roadblocks by the Hutu. The sight of hundreds of bodies piled on top of each other on the side of the road. Seeing machetes being used as killing machines instead of farming tools. Nobody deserves to have that happen to them. Nobody.
Please, please, watch the following videos. And, if possible, write a letter to your state congressmen asking them to do something in Darfur. Because we just CAN’T let this happen again. www.candlesforrwanda.org
maureenjohnson: "lunasnargle: you've gotten us addicted. We can't stop talking on the ning!" *looks around knowingly*11 minutes ago from web
Also…today’s Tuesday….so, later today I’ll be posting a video on my collab channel! Go check it out, maybe? WE NEED SUBSCRIBERS!!!! http://www.youtube.com/user/GenerationofAwesome
All right…well, I’ve got to go to school, unfortunately….UNTIL TOMORROW!
Cheers! DFTBA!
Yesterday marks the 15th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. On April 6th, 1994, a small jet carrying Rwandan President Habyalimana and Burundi's new President, Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down by missiles. This sparked the beginning of a genocide by Hutu extremists (many of whom had been ordinary citizens not long before, who attacked their neighbors and friends) of Tutsi leaders and Hutu politicians. It is obvious that the genocide was no accident. Well, no mass killing is an accident; they all have been planned. But all you have to do is listen to the speeches and radio broadcasts to hear the careful planning. If you want more proof, then you can read the newspapers or look at the odd number of machetes and guns imported into Rwanda just before the genocide to be used as killing machines. Suddenly, these weapons were available cheap, for the everyday person. For the everyday killer. Yes, it is true that this silent planning by the Hutus was genius. But that just makes the whole thing scarier. To think that somewhere else in the world, some other government could be planning something similar…it just makes me shudder.
There was a small UN peacekeeping force there, led by General Dallaire. But no matter how awful the reports he sent in asking for more troops, for more help, describing the atrocities…The UN and the US refused to label it as genocide. After April 21, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to abandon Rwanda, pulling out the remaining peacekeepers…leaving only about 200 troops. This left the Hutu free to continue their rampage of killings…helped along by propaganda spewed out by the Rwandan state radio. Many Tutsis took refuge in churches and schools, which only became the locations of some of the worst massacres. For women, often, it was the worst. After watching Hutus killing their husband, children, and neighbors, they would often be raped and left alone…or have certain parts of their bodies cut off. Some militiamen forced Hutus to kill their neighbors…or Tutsis to kill their families.
The most well known story, probably, is of Paul Rusesabagina, who helped hide many Tutsis in his hotel in Kigali…the events of this are described in his book, An Ordinary Man, and the movie Hotel Rwanda. (So I won’t go into it too much.)
The UN Security Council, after international coverage, voted to send 5,000 soldiers, but did not set a timetable therefore did not send them in time. The killings ended after Tutsi rebels, invading from the countries they had gone to for refuge back in 1959, including current Rwandan president Paul Kagame. By this time, July 1994, an estimated 800,00 persons had been killed. Although, in truth, not everything stopped there. The killings, both by the Tutsis and the Hutus continued into the 90s. Now, under leadership of Paul Kagame, the nation is trying to heal, rebuild, find some peace, and law and order. History says they will fail…but our faith and their faith is the only thing that can keep it going.
Do your work,” is what the RTLM told the Hutu. “Kill the cockroaches.” The Hutu were obedient. Too obedient. 800,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans died during the time period. It seems that the genocide in Rwanda gets so much less attention than say, the Holocaust…and, it was almost more cruel. And a LOT quicker. . Perhaps this is because the countries in the United Nations see the genocide as their fault, and hope to cover it up. Most people use the word decimated wrongly. It means to kill 1 of 10 people, and to most minds, this thought is unimaginable. But this is the word needed to describe Rwanda. Every 10th person was killed within the space of one hundred days. In Kibuye, there were 250,000 Tutsis just before the genocide. Afterwards, only 8,000 were left.
“Never again,” we say. But what about what’s happening in Darfur right now? How are we ignoring these things…has history taught us nothing about what ignoring a genocide can mean? Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills, and during the genocide those hills were filled with screams and cries. They were covered with the blood and bodies of innocent people. A person got used to things they should never have to get used to: The smells of rotting bodies used as roadblocks by the Hutu. The sight of hundreds of bodies piled on top of each other on the side of the road. Seeing machetes being used as killing machines instead of farming tools. Nobody deserves to have that happen to them. Nobody.
Please, please, watch the following videos. And, if possible, write a letter to your state congressmen asking them to do something in Darfur. Because we just CAN’T let this happen again. www.candlesforrwanda.org
maureenjohnson: "lunasnargle: you've gotten us addicted. We can't stop talking on the ning!" *looks around knowingly*11 minutes ago from web
Also…today’s Tuesday….so, later today I’ll be posting a video on my collab channel! Go check it out, maybe? WE NEED SUBSCRIBERS!!!! http://www.youtube.com/user/GenerationofAwesome
All right…well, I’ve got to go to school, unfortunately….UNTIL TOMORROW!
Cheers! DFTBA!
06 April 2009
In which Kat reveals her Harry Potter obsession!
NING: Need...It...Now...GIMME!!!!
Hello, fellow bloggers. You know, I think I have a problem. I'm addicted to the ning...See, I had school today. You might be thinking, but, you had school the first three days of BEDA, too! And, yes. That is true. However, those were the days BEFORE. BEFORE I had a whole weekend to get attached to the ning and the chat and reading other peoples blogs. I'M OBSESSED!!!! How do I know this?
1. I say things at school like, "so, on the ning....." and my friends look at me blankly and go, "What the HECK is a ning?" and I am reminded of how much I miss the awesome people on here.
2. I bang my head on the keyboard when the ning is blocked on our school computers (okay, not literally, because our scary totalitarian librarians would kill me. but I wanted to.)
3. I make a twitter update with my phone about how much I need the ning.
4. The first thing I do when I go home is get on the ning and read some blogs! =]
5. I am much happier once I am home (AKA...THE NING.)
Anyway...I'm afraid I may have run out of ideas for the moment...6 days in and I'm empty? That's sad. No. I REFUSE TO LET THIS HAPPEN!!!!!!!!! I could rant about school, but I'm sure that's just quite boring.
Alas! In desperation, I asked my friend Shoshana for a question that I could answer in this blog. The result: if you went to hogwarts, what extra curricular activites would you be in?
And herein lies the introduction to my insane, incurable, obsession with Harry Potter. Thank you, Shoshana!
Now, I regret to inform you that I do not have one of those cute stories where I refused to read Harry Potter, then stole it from my sister and read it and loved it. My story begins differently. We had just moved from Texas to Colorado, and returned from our trip to Yellowstone, and we were trying to actually MOVE INTO our house on the Air Force Academy (paint it, put in furniture, you know, make it a home....) Anyway, I was 7. My dad, who was working in on painting and all that, desperately wanted to give us something to do. I mean, we'd just moved into the neighborhood, and anyway, I was an incredibly shy, nerdy, awkward kid who preferred reading to socializing (hmm...not much has changed). Basically, he wanted us out of his hair. I don't actually remember where we bought the books (shame), but we bought all four (this was probably two weeks after the 4th one came out! Such luck!) Anyway, I found the first chapter quite boring....but I pushed on since I didn't...you know....have much else to do! And, needless to say, after finishing the last chapter, I was IN LOVE. And I proceeded to read all four books....
So follows a lot of the funny, cute little kid things I did with my obsession. My first friend I made in Colorado was because we both loved Harry Potter (well, actually, our dads were friends, but that's the reason we became so close). We played Harry Potter with him. I also played Harry Potter on the playground in 3rd grade, in which I played Parvati and had to dance with a guy named Chris, who was Harry. I also wrote to Jo Rowling and got back the usual letter...=( And, as a 10-year-old, I stayed up until midnight to read the 5th book, although I didn't read it all night (I'd just gotten back from camp and my dad wanted it). I also, unfortunately, was not able to get HBP at midnight..but I did read it in 12 hours once I finally got it!
Well, I found the online fandom just before Deathly Hallows, which was unfortunate...and also left me feeling kind of stupid, that I didn't know how long it had been out there! I came up with some pretty random theories....including something random about how Peeves was there because he was the "essense" of all the pent up energy or whatever of all the students (if I can find it, I'll post the full theory). But, anyway, I found PotterCast and Leaky and the Leaky Lounge and Wrock and..........the rest is history, sort of.
I stayed up all night to read Deathly Hallows, and I've never cried harder at a book....I became part of SEVERAL reading groups on the lounge, became absolutely obsessed with Wrock, dressed as Luna for Halloween, bought a bunch of merchandise, went to Terminus in August...And I'm going to LeakyCon in May and hopefully Wrockstock in November.
Basically, Harry Potter has given me some of my only true friends. I mean, yes, I've gotten friends through this Nerdfighter community as well, but I only found this because of Hank's Accio Deathly Hallows video. =] I know it's cliche, but Harry Potter really, honestly has changed my life. As Harry grew up, I grew up and matured, too. They're a huge part of my childhood and my life, and nothing else allows me to be myself so completely without any judgment at all.
LINKS:
Harry Potter poem
Thoughts on Deathly Hallows
So, how about I answer the question now?
I like to think that I'd be involved with the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a Chaser...I mean, I love to run, so I don't think I could live without doing a sport if I went to Hogwarts. I'd also be a member of Dumbledore's Army, because they're so AWESOME!!! I'm all for going against the stupid ministry (at the time, of course) and working to show that kids can make a difference too! Also, knowing me, I'd be involved in Charms Club or some other funny academic group similar to Knowledge Bowl (Wizard Bowl????) since I'm such a nerd and I LOVE that sort of thing.
Oh, and just FYI....NEVILLE IS A BAMF. AND I WANT TO MARRY HIM.
Cheers! DFTBA! UNTIL TOMORROOOOOOOOOOOOOW.................
Hello, fellow bloggers. You know, I think I have a problem. I'm addicted to the ning...See, I had school today. You might be thinking, but, you had school the first three days of BEDA, too! And, yes. That is true. However, those were the days BEFORE. BEFORE I had a whole weekend to get attached to the ning and the chat and reading other peoples blogs. I'M OBSESSED!!!! How do I know this?
1. I say things at school like, "so, on the ning....." and my friends look at me blankly and go, "What the HECK is a ning?" and I am reminded of how much I miss the awesome people on here.
2. I bang my head on the keyboard when the ning is blocked on our school computers (okay, not literally, because our scary totalitarian librarians would kill me. but I wanted to.)
3. I make a twitter update with my phone about how much I need the ning.
4. The first thing I do when I go home is get on the ning and read some blogs! =]
5. I am much happier once I am home (AKA...THE NING.)
Anyway...I'm afraid I may have run out of ideas for the moment...6 days in and I'm empty? That's sad. No. I REFUSE TO LET THIS HAPPEN!!!!!!!!! I could rant about school, but I'm sure that's just quite boring.
Alas! In desperation, I asked my friend Shoshana for a question that I could answer in this blog. The result: if you went to hogwarts, what extra curricular activites would you be in?
And herein lies the introduction to my insane, incurable, obsession with Harry Potter. Thank you, Shoshana!
Now, I regret to inform you that I do not have one of those cute stories where I refused to read Harry Potter, then stole it from my sister and read it and loved it. My story begins differently. We had just moved from Texas to Colorado, and returned from our trip to Yellowstone, and we were trying to actually MOVE INTO our house on the Air Force Academy (paint it, put in furniture, you know, make it a home....) Anyway, I was 7. My dad, who was working in on painting and all that, desperately wanted to give us something to do. I mean, we'd just moved into the neighborhood, and anyway, I was an incredibly shy, nerdy, awkward kid who preferred reading to socializing (hmm...not much has changed). Basically, he wanted us out of his hair. I don't actually remember where we bought the books (shame), but we bought all four (this was probably two weeks after the 4th one came out! Such luck!) Anyway, I found the first chapter quite boring....but I pushed on since I didn't...you know....have much else to do! And, needless to say, after finishing the last chapter, I was IN LOVE. And I proceeded to read all four books....
So follows a lot of the funny, cute little kid things I did with my obsession. My first friend I made in Colorado was because we both loved Harry Potter (well, actually, our dads were friends, but that's the reason we became so close). We played Harry Potter with him. I also played Harry Potter on the playground in 3rd grade, in which I played Parvati and had to dance with a guy named Chris, who was Harry. I also wrote to Jo Rowling and got back the usual letter...=( And, as a 10-year-old, I stayed up until midnight to read the 5th book, although I didn't read it all night (I'd just gotten back from camp and my dad wanted it). I also, unfortunately, was not able to get HBP at midnight..but I did read it in 12 hours once I finally got it!
Well, I found the online fandom just before Deathly Hallows, which was unfortunate...and also left me feeling kind of stupid, that I didn't know how long it had been out there! I came up with some pretty random theories....including something random about how Peeves was there because he was the "essense" of all the pent up energy or whatever of all the students (if I can find it, I'll post the full theory). But, anyway, I found PotterCast and Leaky and the Leaky Lounge and Wrock and..........the rest is history, sort of.
I stayed up all night to read Deathly Hallows, and I've never cried harder at a book....I became part of SEVERAL reading groups on the lounge, became absolutely obsessed with Wrock, dressed as Luna for Halloween, bought a bunch of merchandise, went to Terminus in August...And I'm going to LeakyCon in May and hopefully Wrockstock in November.
Basically, Harry Potter has given me some of my only true friends. I mean, yes, I've gotten friends through this Nerdfighter community as well, but I only found this because of Hank's Accio Deathly Hallows video. =] I know it's cliche, but Harry Potter really, honestly has changed my life. As Harry grew up, I grew up and matured, too. They're a huge part of my childhood and my life, and nothing else allows me to be myself so completely without any judgment at all.
LINKS:
Harry Potter poem
Thoughts on Deathly Hallows
So, how about I answer the question now?
I like to think that I'd be involved with the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a Chaser...I mean, I love to run, so I don't think I could live without doing a sport if I went to Hogwarts. I'd also be a member of Dumbledore's Army, because they're so AWESOME!!! I'm all for going against the stupid ministry (at the time, of course) and working to show that kids can make a difference too! Also, knowing me, I'd be involved in Charms Club or some other funny academic group similar to Knowledge Bowl (Wizard Bowl????) since I'm such a nerd and I LOVE that sort of thing.
Oh, and just FYI....NEVILLE IS A BAMF. AND I WANT TO MARRY HIM.
Cheers! DFTBA! UNTIL TOMORROOOOOOOOOOOOOW.................
05 April 2009
Even nerds need to do stupid things
Yesterday, I went and saw Fast & Furious with three of my friends (don't judge). It was hilariously awful....we kept wondering when the movie would be over. And when it was, all we did was laugh at how completely awful the movie was. So, why, you may be asking yourself, did we waste five dollars on a movie we knew was going to be awful. Well, (1) all the other movies available would have probably been just as awful, (2) it's fun to make fun of movies, and (3) why would you go see a movie you actually think might be good with your friends?! Then you'd actually watch it instead of making fun of it! In the end, it wasn't a "wasted" 5 dollars. Sure, the movie was horrible. But the experience of making fun of it and laughing and...just having experienced such a horrible movie together is what made it such a great time
We may be nerds, but we need to do stupid things, okay? Even if they're "nerdy" stupid things. And I don't mean unintentionally stupid things liking running into a tree branch or your locker door (I have experienced both of these things. I'm kind of clumsy.) I mean intentionally deciding, "Today we're going to go see a stupid movie," or "Today I'm going to see if I can fall down the stairs and land on my feet.
I present you with: Kat's top 10 reasons to do stupid things (a lot of them will focus on seeing dumb movies, since that's what I did yesterday) 1. You can laugh about it afterwards!
See, what will ultimately be so fun about having seen such a stupid movie is that we'll be able to laugh about it on Monday! And it will be our secret! Our inside joke!!!! People will ask us, "Why in the world did you go see that movie? Did something fall on your head?" And we'll just laugh, because there are actually some pretty funny things about that movie....again, hilariously awful. But, let's say you dared one of your friends to jump out a window in French class (actually happened in my sister's class. and he DID jump). Pretty stupid. But, this happened in...oh, December or November. And we're all still laughing about it! Basically, doing stupid things gives you a conversation piece.
2. You can make nerdy jokes about it.
For example, in the movie yesterday, when they shot the car tires, the car went way up, like doing a wheelie, standing on its back wheels, before it fell over and crashed. Now, non-nerds just think that's stupid. However, being a nerd, I sit there thinking, "That's not proper physics!" Actually, honestly, I had an image of my physics teacher watching it, twitching saying, "That's not physics! Cars don't do that! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" But let's say you're trying to melt a record in your friend's broiler (yet another true story). You can joke about all the toxic chemicals you've probably just released and how now you're going to get cancer.
3. You might get a better grade on a project.
This goes back to the whole melting a record thing. See, for English we had to do a project for The Road where we took an artifact from current times (okay, relatively current) and pretended we were discovering it as new inhabitants of Earth in like....2600 or something. Anyway, we decided it would make sense that if we were discovering something, it would probably look really old and dirty and warped. So, what did we do? Well, first we scratched up the record, a CD, and a DVD on the road. Then we tried burning it with a lighter. That didn't work, so we put them in my friend Melissa's broiler for 5 minutes....in the process releasing toxic fumes and probably permanently messing with the structure of our lungs. It wasn't the smartest idea, but our English teacher loved it! Full credit!! YES!!!!
4. It messes up the nerd stereotype!!!
See, when nerds do stupid things, it makes the world stop turning for a second. Everyone stands still, aghast. Nerds are supposed to be the smart ones!!! Why are they riding mattresses down staircases (yet another thing I have done) and burning records and seeing dumb movies? NO!!! Someone fix this!!! And isn't it always fun to confuse everyone? Mess with the social structure...or just teach society that nerds can have fun, too!
5. You can make new friends.
Now, this applies to doing something stupid like walking up to someone and asking them what the capital of Bulgaria is....in Bulgarian. (Now, this, I have not done. For one thing, I don't know Bulgarian. For another, no one has every dared me to do it. But if I get enough comments telling me to, maybe I will...and I'll take a video and post it on YouTube!) Okay, so you might not make friends. You might get escorted away my security. Or they might stare at you blankly. Or they might run away. OR, YOU MIGHT MAKE A FRIEND. Granted, a friend who thinks you're Bulgarian, but what's wrong with that, really? Also, just doing anything stupid in front of other people might make them want to be your friend! Score!
6. You have really good material for stories.
Let's say you're at a party and no one's talking. Everyone's just staring around the room, drinking from their glasses, trying not to make eye contact. It's getting really awkward, isn't it? Now, you could just leave. Or, you could start into a long-winded story of that time you crammed 7 people into the cab of a truck because it was raining and lightning and you were in the middle of a parking lot, the tallest things around. (Another true story) Suddenly, you're the interesting person. Suddenly, the party isn't boring anymore. Suddenly, the host is coming up to you afterwards, hugging you and thanking you and worshipping you for getting everyone to have some fun, because they hadn't planned anything! You SAVED THE PARTY!
7. You can teach other people.
Usually, the only reason you'd be telling someone not to burn a record (it smells awful, it's dangerous, don't do it) would be that you'd done it before. Or, you could be telling someone that they SHOULD mattress surf down stairs because it's a ton of fun and you feel like you're flying. Either way, you are informing the masses. Either saving their lives or saving them from boredom.
8. You have endless ways to amuse yourself.
Let's say it's blizzarding, and you're stuck in your house. So why don't you see what happens when you slide across your wood floor in your socks and run into your wall? Or how many times you have to fall down the stairs until you can land on your feet? Or see what it looks like when you mix toothpaste and shampoo with orange juice? Endless amusement from stupid things!
9. Let's face it. Even nerds need to have some FUN!
Sure, we may be nerds. Who love reading and writing and daydreaming and all that. But every once in a while, we need to get out and do something stupid. That could be going roller skating when you KNOW you're going to fall on your butt every other minute. It could be daring someone to jump out a window (a low one, okay? DO NOT HURT YOURSELF!!!) Or perhaps you decide to sit in the mall all day, asking everyone who walks by what planet you're on. Or, maybe, you just go to see a stupid, awful movie and make fun of it. Whatever it is, you need to have fun, my nerdy friend. Don't just sit back and watch everyone else do it.
10. YOU HAVE GREAT BLOG/NOVEL MATERIAL!
I mean, if you do something stupid, you have something to blog about, right? Something original, something hilarious, something fun! Or, you could write the next best novel about a character who does everything stupid that you've ever done. I mean, come on. I don't think John Green could've written those novels with the characters doing stupid things if he'd never done anything stupid and just stayed holed up in his room his entire life.
NOTE: I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING STUPID THINGS THAT COULD RESULT IN DEATH OR INJURY!!!!
Umm...I hope you enjoyed that. In other news, Michigan State made it to the finals! YES!!!!!! Oh, and the blizzard warning was a dud. We probably got about 2 inches of snow...
Cheers! DFTBA!
We may be nerds, but we need to do stupid things, okay? Even if they're "nerdy" stupid things. And I don't mean unintentionally stupid things liking running into a tree branch or your locker door (I have experienced both of these things. I'm kind of clumsy.) I mean intentionally deciding, "Today we're going to go see a stupid movie," or "Today I'm going to see if I can fall down the stairs and land on my feet.
I present you with: Kat's top 10 reasons to do stupid things (a lot of them will focus on seeing dumb movies, since that's what I did yesterday) 1. You can laugh about it afterwards!
See, what will ultimately be so fun about having seen such a stupid movie is that we'll be able to laugh about it on Monday! And it will be our secret! Our inside joke!!!! People will ask us, "Why in the world did you go see that movie? Did something fall on your head?" And we'll just laugh, because there are actually some pretty funny things about that movie....again, hilariously awful. But, let's say you dared one of your friends to jump out a window in French class (actually happened in my sister's class. and he DID jump). Pretty stupid. But, this happened in...oh, December or November. And we're all still laughing about it! Basically, doing stupid things gives you a conversation piece.
2. You can make nerdy jokes about it.
For example, in the movie yesterday, when they shot the car tires, the car went way up, like doing a wheelie, standing on its back wheels, before it fell over and crashed. Now, non-nerds just think that's stupid. However, being a nerd, I sit there thinking, "That's not proper physics!" Actually, honestly, I had an image of my physics teacher watching it, twitching saying, "That's not physics! Cars don't do that! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" But let's say you're trying to melt a record in your friend's broiler (yet another true story). You can joke about all the toxic chemicals you've probably just released and how now you're going to get cancer.
3. You might get a better grade on a project.
This goes back to the whole melting a record thing. See, for English we had to do a project for The Road where we took an artifact from current times (okay, relatively current) and pretended we were discovering it as new inhabitants of Earth in like....2600 or something. Anyway, we decided it would make sense that if we were discovering something, it would probably look really old and dirty and warped. So, what did we do? Well, first we scratched up the record, a CD, and a DVD on the road. Then we tried burning it with a lighter. That didn't work, so we put them in my friend Melissa's broiler for 5 minutes....in the process releasing toxic fumes and probably permanently messing with the structure of our lungs. It wasn't the smartest idea, but our English teacher loved it! Full credit!! YES!!!!
4. It messes up the nerd stereotype!!!
See, when nerds do stupid things, it makes the world stop turning for a second. Everyone stands still, aghast. Nerds are supposed to be the smart ones!!! Why are they riding mattresses down staircases (yet another thing I have done) and burning records and seeing dumb movies? NO!!! Someone fix this!!! And isn't it always fun to confuse everyone? Mess with the social structure...or just teach society that nerds can have fun, too!
5. You can make new friends.
Now, this applies to doing something stupid like walking up to someone and asking them what the capital of Bulgaria is....in Bulgarian. (Now, this, I have not done. For one thing, I don't know Bulgarian. For another, no one has every dared me to do it. But if I get enough comments telling me to, maybe I will...and I'll take a video and post it on YouTube!) Okay, so you might not make friends. You might get escorted away my security. Or they might stare at you blankly. Or they might run away. OR, YOU MIGHT MAKE A FRIEND. Granted, a friend who thinks you're Bulgarian, but what's wrong with that, really? Also, just doing anything stupid in front of other people might make them want to be your friend! Score!
6. You have really good material for stories.
Let's say you're at a party and no one's talking. Everyone's just staring around the room, drinking from their glasses, trying not to make eye contact. It's getting really awkward, isn't it? Now, you could just leave. Or, you could start into a long-winded story of that time you crammed 7 people into the cab of a truck because it was raining and lightning and you were in the middle of a parking lot, the tallest things around. (Another true story) Suddenly, you're the interesting person. Suddenly, the party isn't boring anymore. Suddenly, the host is coming up to you afterwards, hugging you and thanking you and worshipping you for getting everyone to have some fun, because they hadn't planned anything! You SAVED THE PARTY!
7. You can teach other people.
Usually, the only reason you'd be telling someone not to burn a record (it smells awful, it's dangerous, don't do it) would be that you'd done it before. Or, you could be telling someone that they SHOULD mattress surf down stairs because it's a ton of fun and you feel like you're flying. Either way, you are informing the masses. Either saving their lives or saving them from boredom.
8. You have endless ways to amuse yourself.
Let's say it's blizzarding, and you're stuck in your house. So why don't you see what happens when you slide across your wood floor in your socks and run into your wall? Or how many times you have to fall down the stairs until you can land on your feet? Or see what it looks like when you mix toothpaste and shampoo with orange juice? Endless amusement from stupid things!
9. Let's face it. Even nerds need to have some FUN!
Sure, we may be nerds. Who love reading and writing and daydreaming and all that. But every once in a while, we need to get out and do something stupid. That could be going roller skating when you KNOW you're going to fall on your butt every other minute. It could be daring someone to jump out a window (a low one, okay? DO NOT HURT YOURSELF!!!) Or perhaps you decide to sit in the mall all day, asking everyone who walks by what planet you're on. Or, maybe, you just go to see a stupid, awful movie and make fun of it. Whatever it is, you need to have fun, my nerdy friend. Don't just sit back and watch everyone else do it.
10. YOU HAVE GREAT BLOG/NOVEL MATERIAL!
I mean, if you do something stupid, you have something to blog about, right? Something original, something hilarious, something fun! Or, you could write the next best novel about a character who does everything stupid that you've ever done. I mean, come on. I don't think John Green could've written those novels with the characters doing stupid things if he'd never done anything stupid and just stayed holed up in his room his entire life.
NOTE: I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING STUPID THINGS THAT COULD RESULT IN DEATH OR INJURY!!!!
Umm...I hope you enjoyed that. In other news, Michigan State made it to the finals! YES!!!!!! Oh, and the blizzard warning was a dud. We probably got about 2 inches of snow...
Cheers! DFTBA!
04 April 2009
Confessions....of a Teenage Nerd
You know, I think I have decided that every Saturday I will make several "confessions." Well...confessions at least that the people of BEDA/YouTube/Nerdfighters/online friends might not know. Some of them will be shameless, some will be embarrassing, and some will be...odd. Theme days FTW!!!!
1. I am completely obsessed with politics.
Okay, in all honesty, pretty much all of my friends already know this. You know those little "Tag which one your friend is" pictures on Facebook? Well, I'm almost ALWAYS tagged as "The Political Guru." If I'm not, it's just because there isn't that option on that picture. But anway, YOU, the people of BEDA, do not know how obsessed I am with politics yet. Teehee. Now, for us nerds, this probably is not all that unusual. But....well.....some of the things are quite funny.
For example, do most 13 year olds stay up until 10:30 during the 2006 Congress elections to see if the Democrats will become the majority? NO. Do most 13 year olds then go to school the next day and talk to their friend about how amazing Obama is and how we hope he runs for president in 2008? NO. (remember, this is 2006. When a lot of people didn't know much about Obama. I, Kat, was "wooed" by him.) My dad had a few friends over, and we literally cheered whenever a Democrat won a seat. Seriously. Walking by, you would've thought there was some huge, exciting sporting event on. And, I guess, to us, the 2006 elections WERE a huge, exciting sporting event.
I proceed to cheer when Obama announces his candidacy, watch all of the debates....and make a lot of fun of Hillary Clinton's laugh. And I mean EVERY SINGLE debate. The ones when every single candidate was present, including Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich and Joe Biden. And then I would endlessly discuss them. I have a feeling most of my friends got incredibly annoyed with me. But that's their issue.
Last year, my birthday was on Super Tuesday. And both my parents were gone being precinct captains. So what did I do? I watched MSNBC from about 3:30 to 10:30, doing homework, and writing, and cheering when Obama won a state.....Dorky much? MSNBC is my friend. It's ALL I watched during election season, bascially. Rachel Maddow? Yeah, my hero.
Hmmm....well, I was incredibly disappointed that we couldn't go to the DNC, because it was in Denver...and we live only 60 minutes away. But, alas, no invites =[ Anyway, you know who I was after the DNC? One of those annoying people who walked door to door asking people who they were voting for. And not just Presidential wise. US Congress and State Congress as well. My dad and I had a few people almost slam the door in our faces...but they were actually more polite, usually, when they saw that a 15-year-old was campaigning for Obama. I DID get to see him speak in Denver in October (at the end of this confession, I will post pictures). Then, we got to go to the Antler's Hilton on Election night. That ballroom was so charged. I got a bunch of free stickers and signs and posters. And I have video...and sound files...and pictures....I don't think I've ever screamed so loud IN MY LIFE as I did on that night. And, I then proceeded to stay up until about 1 or 2 in the morning because I was too happy and excited to go to sleep.
To accentuate my point, my English teacher used to joke that one of my classmates, Sean, and I shouldn't talk during October and November lest we kill each other. He's a complete Conservative Republican Palin supporter....and....yeah. We were the two extremes, luckily on opposite sides of the classroom!!
PICTURES: Obama in Denver Colorado for Obama
2. I LOVE OLD DISNEY MOVIES/TV SHOWS.
This one is inspired by a conversation in the ning chat last night. But basically, I still love all the old Disney Movies and TV shows.
TV shows: So Weird, Smart Guy, Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire (guilty pleasures much?), The Jersey, Bug Juice...
Movies: I could name a ton, but I'll stick with a few favorites. Zenon (the first two, but NOT the last one), Brink, Johnny Tsunami, The Color of Friendship (beautiful movie), Halloweentown, Smart House, Phantom of the Megaplex, The Ultimate Christmas Present, Motocrossed, Gotta Kick it Up, A Ring of Endless Light (beautiful book, too).
Unfortunately, now, Disney Channel sucks. In my opinion. Though, if you ask my sister, you'll get a different answer. Also inspired by the chat last night, I have to reflect on what Walt Disney's vision has come to. It's so sad, really. I can almost hear the poor guy pounding his fists on the top of his coffin or hitting his head on the gates of heaven or whatever screaming, "NOOOOOOOOO!!! This isn't what I meant!!!!!!!!!!!" (Refering to things like High School Musical and Hannah Montana.) I mean, it feels like all of the original magic that came with disney has been lost. It's simply a franchise now, seeking money, not with the goal to supply young kids everywhere with a magical experience and a chance to gasp and smile and laugh and applaud. The Poor Guy. =[ When I was a kid, in the 90s, Disney was still pretty awesome. Now, however....I don't get a thrill out of it anymore. There's A REASON they do fewer and fewer original movies...because they've run out of good ideas. It's awful, depressing, and I wish I could send a note of apology and sympathy to poor Walt, even though it isn't my fault. His dream, his vision, has all but faded away...UNLESS WE TRY TO BRING IT BACK! US, THE NERDFIGHTERS, WE CAN DO THIS!!!! (MAYBE)
"I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained." ~Walt Disney
"Think beyond your lifetime, if you want to do something truly great." ~Walt Disney
3. I'm actually a huge sports fan.
This, in truth, is something not many people know about me. But it's true. The Spurs are my main team, the one I pay the most attention to. Ginobli's my man. =] I stay up until the end of games during April through June (or earlier, if the Spurs lose). But, I also watch a LOT of College basketball (Michigan vs. Connecticut...go Michigan). I'm not really into football, but soccer is one of my guilty pleasures...that is unfortunately very hard to watch because the cable company in Colorado Springs evidently is not a fan of soccer. And, I love watching Olymic swimming
I don't actually PLAY either of these sports anymore. I used to play both baskeball and soccer. At one point, I was actually quite good at both. Then I stopped playing, and now the soccer players at my school scare me too much. But, I do still swim, though not competitively anymore. I was one of the best swimmers on my team in Texas, though! I also run (cross country). But...my love for watching sports is kind of a secret. Shhhhhh.....
So, you definitely know a few more random facts about me now! Yes! Please don't laugh too hard.
Quick word about my day. It's snowing here, and about 10 degrees with windchill. And me, being completely insane sometimes, I went for a walk. Cold. Stinging, sharp snow. Oh, how those cars thought I was crazy. I THINK I'm going to a movie later, provided it doesn't snow too much in the next 2 hours!
CHEERS! DFTBA!!!!
1. I am completely obsessed with politics.
Okay, in all honesty, pretty much all of my friends already know this. You know those little "Tag which one your friend is" pictures on Facebook? Well, I'm almost ALWAYS tagged as "The Political Guru." If I'm not, it's just because there isn't that option on that picture. But anway, YOU, the people of BEDA, do not know how obsessed I am with politics yet. Teehee. Now, for us nerds, this probably is not all that unusual. But....well.....some of the things are quite funny.
For example, do most 13 year olds stay up until 10:30 during the 2006 Congress elections to see if the Democrats will become the majority? NO. Do most 13 year olds then go to school the next day and talk to their friend about how amazing Obama is and how we hope he runs for president in 2008? NO. (remember, this is 2006. When a lot of people didn't know much about Obama. I, Kat, was "wooed" by him.) My dad had a few friends over, and we literally cheered whenever a Democrat won a seat. Seriously. Walking by, you would've thought there was some huge, exciting sporting event on. And, I guess, to us, the 2006 elections WERE a huge, exciting sporting event.
I proceed to cheer when Obama announces his candidacy, watch all of the debates....and make a lot of fun of Hillary Clinton's laugh. And I mean EVERY SINGLE debate. The ones when every single candidate was present, including Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich and Joe Biden. And then I would endlessly discuss them. I have a feeling most of my friends got incredibly annoyed with me. But that's their issue.
Last year, my birthday was on Super Tuesday. And both my parents were gone being precinct captains. So what did I do? I watched MSNBC from about 3:30 to 10:30, doing homework, and writing, and cheering when Obama won a state.....Dorky much? MSNBC is my friend. It's ALL I watched during election season, bascially. Rachel Maddow? Yeah, my hero.
Hmmm....well, I was incredibly disappointed that we couldn't go to the DNC, because it was in Denver...and we live only 60 minutes away. But, alas, no invites =[ Anyway, you know who I was after the DNC? One of those annoying people who walked door to door asking people who they were voting for. And not just Presidential wise. US Congress and State Congress as well. My dad and I had a few people almost slam the door in our faces...but they were actually more polite, usually, when they saw that a 15-year-old was campaigning for Obama. I DID get to see him speak in Denver in October (at the end of this confession, I will post pictures). Then, we got to go to the Antler's Hilton on Election night. That ballroom was so charged. I got a bunch of free stickers and signs and posters. And I have video...and sound files...and pictures....I don't think I've ever screamed so loud IN MY LIFE as I did on that night. And, I then proceeded to stay up until about 1 or 2 in the morning because I was too happy and excited to go to sleep.
To accentuate my point, my English teacher used to joke that one of my classmates, Sean, and I shouldn't talk during October and November lest we kill each other. He's a complete Conservative Republican Palin supporter....and....yeah. We were the two extremes, luckily on opposite sides of the classroom!!
PICTURES: Obama in Denver Colorado for Obama
2. I LOVE OLD DISNEY MOVIES/TV SHOWS.
This one is inspired by a conversation in the ning chat last night. But basically, I still love all the old Disney Movies and TV shows.
TV shows: So Weird, Smart Guy, Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire (guilty pleasures much?), The Jersey, Bug Juice...
Movies: I could name a ton, but I'll stick with a few favorites. Zenon (the first two, but NOT the last one), Brink, Johnny Tsunami, The Color of Friendship (beautiful movie), Halloweentown, Smart House, Phantom of the Megaplex, The Ultimate Christmas Present, Motocrossed, Gotta Kick it Up, A Ring of Endless Light (beautiful book, too).
Unfortunately, now, Disney Channel sucks. In my opinion. Though, if you ask my sister, you'll get a different answer. Also inspired by the chat last night, I have to reflect on what Walt Disney's vision has come to. It's so sad, really. I can almost hear the poor guy pounding his fists on the top of his coffin or hitting his head on the gates of heaven or whatever screaming, "NOOOOOOOOO!!! This isn't what I meant!!!!!!!!!!!" (Refering to things like High School Musical and Hannah Montana.) I mean, it feels like all of the original magic that came with disney has been lost. It's simply a franchise now, seeking money, not with the goal to supply young kids everywhere with a magical experience and a chance to gasp and smile and laugh and applaud. The Poor Guy. =[ When I was a kid, in the 90s, Disney was still pretty awesome. Now, however....I don't get a thrill out of it anymore. There's A REASON they do fewer and fewer original movies...because they've run out of good ideas. It's awful, depressing, and I wish I could send a note of apology and sympathy to poor Walt, even though it isn't my fault. His dream, his vision, has all but faded away...UNLESS WE TRY TO BRING IT BACK! US, THE NERDFIGHTERS, WE CAN DO THIS!!!! (MAYBE)
"I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained." ~Walt Disney
"Think beyond your lifetime, if you want to do something truly great." ~Walt Disney
3. I'm actually a huge sports fan.
This, in truth, is something not many people know about me. But it's true. The Spurs are my main team, the one I pay the most attention to. Ginobli's my man. =] I stay up until the end of games during April through June (or earlier, if the Spurs lose). But, I also watch a LOT of College basketball (Michigan vs. Connecticut...go Michigan). I'm not really into football, but soccer is one of my guilty pleasures...that is unfortunately very hard to watch because the cable company in Colorado Springs evidently is not a fan of soccer. And, I love watching Olymic swimming
I don't actually PLAY either of these sports anymore. I used to play both baskeball and soccer. At one point, I was actually quite good at both. Then I stopped playing, and now the soccer players at my school scare me too much. But, I do still swim, though not competitively anymore. I was one of the best swimmers on my team in Texas, though! I also run (cross country). But...my love for watching sports is kind of a secret. Shhhhhh.....
So, you definitely know a few more random facts about me now! Yes! Please don't laugh too hard.
Quick word about my day. It's snowing here, and about 10 degrees with windchill. And me, being completely insane sometimes, I went for a walk. Cold. Stinging, sharp snow. Oh, how those cars thought I was crazy. I THINK I'm going to a movie later, provided it doesn't snow too much in the next 2 hours!
CHEERS! DFTBA!!!!
03 April 2009
How to Write a Journal Entry: The IB Way...and the Kat way
Today my French teacher was going over the way that IB wants you to write your diary entries, because supposedly for the SL/HL test a prompt can often be to write a diary entry. Of course, one of my classmates, who wasn't listening asked, "Why would IB be reading my diary? What, do they come to my house or something?" But, no, there's a "specific" way to write it. *rolls eyes* AHEM.
Cher journal,
Comme tu sais, mon journal, je n'aime pas Lundi. (blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, address your diary blah blah blah have an emotional tone blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah)
À demain,
Votre nom
SHEESH!!! Really, who does IB think they are? Telling ME how to write a journal entry?!?! I mean...I'm not exactly talking to my diary here, am I? NO! I'm talking to whoever actually takes the time to read this thing (anyone?) Anyway, who says, "As you know, my diary, I don't like Mondays." REALLY?!?! Gah!!!
Anyway, this brought to mind the fact that really, you can do things however you want. Granted, not on the IB test or I'll lose...about 10 points. But, you don't have to follow the rules. Screw rules!!! (Wow did it feel good to say that) Everyone has their own way they like to do things. And if you're creative about the way you do something, more props to you! Sure, sometimes there are penalties and punishments for creativity...but really...why? What's wrong with doing something or writing something in a different way? Setting strict rules makes sure that humanity will all eventually become the same and people who are creative will be....oh, I don't know. Put in jail or a mental hospital or something. Anyway....umm....well, I mean, obviously I have to remember the "rules" for writing a proper French diary entry, but that doesn't mean I'm actually going to write it like that....
Kat's rules for writing a blog/journal/diary (who even calls it that anymore?!):
1. HAVE FUN AND AMUSE YOURSELF!!!! Writing a blog should never be tedious, boring, or a chore.
2. Make sure you remain true to yourself!!! Don't try to be a different person just because you are writing a blog!
3. Do WHATEVER you want to that makes sure you meet rules number one and two. I don't care how you write it, what you say, how many jokes you make, how much sense you make, or how "proper" you are (though, as a grammar/spelling freak, I do prefer that you at least try to use proper grammar and spell things right....)
THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EASY, right?
Erm...anyway....
So, during English class we were doing research on what different colors "mean" to start our reading of The Great Gatsby. My group did red. A few interesting (?) facts about red:
Your Actual Problem
"Feeling anxious and restless frustration toward current situation or unfulfilled emotional requirements. Tries to escape into a fantasy-type environment full of sympathy, understanding and artistic beauty."
Harry Potter???? =]
All right, this entry is super long already, so 2 more things.
First, Maureen's 18 THINGS TO DO WHENEVER:
1. Blog every day in April. Check
2. Make some soup. Check. I LOVE soup. Especially during our cold winters.
3. Get a hat. Check. I love my newsies hat =] And my mini top hat
4. Read a book. Check...I read a different book almost daily. I'm obsessed.
5. Make a friend...on Beda. Check!!!! (I think)
6. Say something nice to someone. Check!!!! Just this morning, my friend was saying that her painting was awful, and I reassured her that she had an amazing technique and it looked pretty dang amazing.
7. Work on your moves. Not check. I'll have to get back to you on that one.
8. Speak for an entire day in a fake accent. Half-check. I spoke for an entire day in my southern accent here in Colorado, but I lived in Texas, so that's not really fake for me. Just....not used in daily life anymore. So I'll get back to you on that one.
9. Cultivate a completely imaginary relationship with someone famous. Check!!! Oh, wow...my imaginary relationships could go on and on and on....but they include friendships with Lauren Fairweather, Melissa Anelli, and John Green. And Jo Rowling.
10. Do something completely sekrit. Check =]
11. Go into a store and pretend not to know how something works. Not check. But it sounds so fun, so maybe I'll do it soon.
12. Spend one week completely offline. Check. Try FOUR weeks away from the computer while at Girl Scout camp.
13. Plan to go somewhere. Check!!! Europe, New England, Boston....=] =] I'm huge on traveling.
14. Hit the shiny red button. Check. Except it was a shiny pink button...and I ran.
15. Write to me. Check. But...will you answer?
16. Learn to sew on a button. Not check...Oops?
17. Admit it. Check. I admit it.
18. Try again tomorrow. CHECK!!!!!!!!
(Thank you Maureen)
And second, apparently we are getting a huge blizzard tomorrow...."The roads may be impassable." They are warning is might be like the blizzard of March 2003 when we got 34 inches and my family was in the middle of moving and we were stuck in a stupid Temporary Living Facility and it took the moving company several days to get our stuff to our new house. Crazy. It could also be a dud. But these clouds look pretty threatening!!!
Cheers! DFTBA!!!
Oops...one more thing. Is this really our dear Emma Watson?!?! She's so...grown up! http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2009/4/3/emma-watson-designes-jacket-for-charity-new-images-from-vs-magazine
Date (3 avril 2009)
Cher journal,
Comme tu sais, mon journal, je n'aime pas Lundi. (blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, address your diary blah blah blah have an emotional tone blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah)
À demain,
Votre nom
SHEESH!!! Really, who does IB think they are? Telling ME how to write a journal entry?!?! I mean...I'm not exactly talking to my diary here, am I? NO! I'm talking to whoever actually takes the time to read this thing (anyone?) Anyway, who says, "As you know, my diary, I don't like Mondays." REALLY?!?! Gah!!!
Anyway, this brought to mind the fact that really, you can do things however you want. Granted, not on the IB test or I'll lose...about 10 points. But, you don't have to follow the rules. Screw rules!!! (Wow did it feel good to say that) Everyone has their own way they like to do things. And if you're creative about the way you do something, more props to you! Sure, sometimes there are penalties and punishments for creativity...but really...why? What's wrong with doing something or writing something in a different way? Setting strict rules makes sure that humanity will all eventually become the same and people who are creative will be....oh, I don't know. Put in jail or a mental hospital or something. Anyway....umm....well, I mean, obviously I have to remember the "rules" for writing a proper French diary entry, but that doesn't mean I'm actually going to write it like that....
Kat's rules for writing a blog/journal/diary (who even calls it that anymore?!):
1. HAVE FUN AND AMUSE YOURSELF!!!! Writing a blog should never be tedious, boring, or a chore.
2. Make sure you remain true to yourself!!! Don't try to be a different person just because you are writing a blog!
3. Do WHATEVER you want to that makes sure you meet rules number one and two. I don't care how you write it, what you say, how many jokes you make, how much sense you make, or how "proper" you are (though, as a grammar/spelling freak, I do prefer that you at least try to use proper grammar and spell things right....)
THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EASY, right?
Erm...anyway....
So, during English class we were doing research on what different colors "mean" to start our reading of The Great Gatsby. My group did red. A few interesting (?) facts about red:
- red makes you hungry and thirsty, especially when paired with yellow
- red improves your performance in competition
- people are more likely to gamble/risk money under red light (think casinos with red light)
Your Actual Problem
"Feeling anxious and restless frustration toward current situation or unfulfilled emotional requirements. Tries to escape into a fantasy-type environment full of sympathy, understanding and artistic beauty."
Harry Potter???? =]
All right, this entry is super long already, so 2 more things.
First, Maureen's 18 THINGS TO DO WHENEVER:
1. Blog every day in April. Check
2. Make some soup. Check. I LOVE soup. Especially during our cold winters.
3. Get a hat. Check. I love my newsies hat =] And my mini top hat
4. Read a book. Check...I read a different book almost daily. I'm obsessed.
5. Make a friend...on Beda. Check!!!! (I think)
6. Say something nice to someone. Check!!!! Just this morning, my friend was saying that her painting was awful, and I reassured her that she had an amazing technique and it looked pretty dang amazing.
7. Work on your moves. Not check. I'll have to get back to you on that one.
8. Speak for an entire day in a fake accent. Half-check. I spoke for an entire day in my southern accent here in Colorado, but I lived in Texas, so that's not really fake for me. Just....not used in daily life anymore. So I'll get back to you on that one.
9. Cultivate a completely imaginary relationship with someone famous. Check!!! Oh, wow...my imaginary relationships could go on and on and on....but they include friendships with Lauren Fairweather, Melissa Anelli, and John Green. And Jo Rowling.
10. Do something completely sekrit. Check =]
11. Go into a store and pretend not to know how something works. Not check. But it sounds so fun, so maybe I'll do it soon.
12. Spend one week completely offline. Check. Try FOUR weeks away from the computer while at Girl Scout camp.
13. Plan to go somewhere. Check!!! Europe, New England, Boston....=] =] I'm huge on traveling.
14. Hit the shiny red button. Check. Except it was a shiny pink button...and I ran.
15. Write to me. Check. But...will you answer?
16. Learn to sew on a button. Not check...Oops?
17. Admit it. Check. I admit it.
18. Try again tomorrow. CHECK!!!!!!!!
(Thank you Maureen)
And second, apparently we are getting a huge blizzard tomorrow...."The roads may be impassable." They are warning is might be like the blizzard of March 2003 when we got 34 inches and my family was in the middle of moving and we were stuck in a stupid Temporary Living Facility and it took the moving company several days to get our stuff to our new house. Crazy. It could also be a dud. But these clouds look pretty threatening!!!
Cheers! DFTBA!!!
Oops...one more thing. Is this really our dear Emma Watson?!?! She's so...grown up! http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2009/4/3/emma-watson-designes-jacket-for-charity-new-images-from-vs-magazine
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