Goodbye to BEDA

Guys, it’s over. It’s time to move on.  I won’t say that it’s the end but… I need some space.  Yes, you guessed it, today is the last day of BEDA!!!!

YES!!!! I made it! It doesn’t quite make up for my failure at NaNoWriMo, but it comes close.

In other news,  I was wondering how you guys deal with conflict (best defined as “fight or contend; do battle.”) I have quite a bit of it in my life, and frankly, I’m not sure what to do. I don’t want to aggravate the problem, but I don’t want to just sit back and watch either. Grrrr!

Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts. Ok, I’m back! 🙂  I have a pile of homework the size of Kilimanjaro, so I’m not going to blog much more. Plus, I want to celebrate the success of BEDA. See you…soon!

Songs, Cinema, and Sarcasm*

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We’re in the final stretch for BEDA. I think I might miss blogging everyday. Maybe. Like I’ve said in previous blogs,  I have mixed feelings about blogging everyday.  BEDA in August might happen, though. Depends on how busy I am! I tend to do A LOT in summertime.

Today I want to talk about music and movies. * Or, at least, the movies and music that interest me. It is my blog! Specifically, I want to talk about the music and movies I’ve watched, talked about, or researched today.

For music, I’m really into a kind of folk/anti-folk/pop blend. I’m a fan of Regina Spektor, Yael Naim, Lenka…stuff like that. I like some things by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles, but I’m not a huge fan.  I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because they’re “mainstream”. I don’t know.  I also like a lot of YouTube artists, some techno, and a little hard rock.

When it comes to movies, I’m not a fan of one particular genre. I’m not a huge fan of romance or romantic comedies. Actually, I am more of a fan of specific movies. Here are a few examples.

• Inception
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• Doctor Zhivago
• LoTR
• Toy Story(s)
• Serenity
• The Princess Bride
• Casablanca
• Star Wars
• Beauty and the Beast

Drat! Now I have to go watch that Darren Criss cover from Beauty and the Beast…again. See you tomorrow.

*I’m not actually that sarcastic today, but I needed another “SSS” sounding word.

*If I had titled my blog movies and music, I could have said “Movies, Music, and Merriment” or something like that!

Things that are awesome today

Ok, I’ve got this! Ten Awesome Things.

Ready…Set….GO!!!!

1.  According to Harvard’s financial aid website, “…parents of families with incomes below $60,000 are not expected to contribute at all to college costs.” That is incredible!

2. This book

It isn’t perfect, and I have some issues with the author’s moral viewpoint, but if you’re into teen romance books with realistic characters, give it a try.  It does address things like teen drinking etc. from a realistic viewpoint, but for the most part, it is done in a classy way…without encouraging it. I hope to post a review this weekend.

3.  This song

I have been listening to this over and over. I’m even listening to it while I write this! I like Darren Driss anyway (No, I don’t like him on Glee. I don’t like Glee. Thanks for asking!), and this is such a cool rendition of a song from one of my favorite Disney movies.  I used to dream I was Belle when I was little.  Actually, I still do sometimes!

4. I went to an orientation for college tonight! I’m thrilled beyond words! I’m also freaking out, but it’s a good freaking out. Maybe.

5.  This post

http://hayleyghoover.blogspot.com/2011/04/haiku-4-u.html

because writing an entire post in haiku is so incredibly awesome.

6.7.

My Little Pony mock-ups like this one from “Mulan”. (Aren’t the ponies manly?)

8.

9. ‘m not sure which LoTR I like better.

This one:

or this one:

10. My absolute favorite pony video is this:

Yep. Dr. Horrible + Ponies = Awesome.

So….those are my ten awesome things. See ya tomorrow!

Wazup?

Today is just a hello and a good-bye.  I have to eat. Plus, do homework.

Today in Spanish, we painted weather pictures, and I had paint everywhere! Literally. I had paint on my neck, ankle, elbow, wrist, face, and more.  We also read a story about pirates. Arrrrgggghhh! 😛 It’s really fun to read, actually.

I’ve been singing all day. One of the things I’ve been belting out (despite a really sore throat. My family must love the sound of that!) is this:

“I’m the smartest person

that I’ve ever met.

So why do I allow myself to

possibly forget:

There’s so much I know how to do,

so much more than all of you.

The only thing I wish I knew

was how to make them see

the girl that I can be….

I am

the coolest girl in the whole wide world

I know it

but can’t show it at all.

I am

sick and tired

of low, not higher

places, where I should belong.

It’s about time I proved them wrong…”

…because it’s  true! Not really but it’s sooo fun to sing! See ya tomorrow!

The Impossible Astronaut

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This post would be so much more fun to write if I had 12 jammy dodgers and a fez.  Oh well!

“Whirling past through time and space

Trying to save the human race

That special mile upon his face

The Doctor’s back again.”*

Hi there! Since we last spoke, I have read a book that I will probably review later, listened to an incredible amount of music, and started writing (or prewriting) my research paper.

I also watched Dr. Who S6E1: The Impossible Astronaut. It was really, really good.  You open with some of the questions from Season 5. Who is River Song? When will the Doctor contact his friends? Is Amy pregnant?  Then the adventure starts, and you finding yourself facing a possibility you never considered about the Doctor. What about the villains? Are they any good? Yes. The Silence are terrifying. It isn’t their appearance, which is slightly cheesy, it’s…well, just watch the episode!

I am so blessed to live in a community (both virtual and real) made up of people who “get” my quirkiness about Doctor Who. I have friends who have Doctor Who marathons and who understand my random quotes. They are willing to argue companions, or Doctors, or seasons. And since I have limited “Who” access, they let me crash at their homes in order to play catch-up. Heck, they even make me smoothies! I love them so much! Who knew that a British sy-fy show revival from the 1960’s could bring a bunch of American kids together?

*Yes, I wrote that. Not my best work, but it cracks me up! Yes, there’s more, but I’m still working on it.

The Hobbit

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“In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort. “

Despite the fact that I (still!) haven’t read Return of the King (it’s on my list, I swear!), I am a huge LoTR fan.  I love the books and the movies. I have to say that I think Peter Jackson did a fantastic job transferring Tolkien’s words into images. So, I was completely excited when I found out that he was going to direct a movie version of  The Hobbit. And it’s going to be two parts!!!!!

I can’t wait! I’m really happy with the casting too! Some characters like Frodo and Legolas are returning, which is something I didn’t expect. Martin Freeman is going to play Bilbo and Ian McKellen is returning as Gandalf, but I’m more excited about rumors. It is rumored that David Tennant will be playing Thranduil ans that Leonard Nimoy will be the voice of Smaug! How amazing would that be? 

If those rumors are true, then it will be  LoTR with a (small) sprinkling of Star Trek and Doctor Who. And since Christopher Lee, who plays Saruman, was also Count Dooku, I guess you could say it has a bit of Star Wars too! My inner fangirl can’t take much more! Oh wait! The movie is going to be in two parts! Two! *Swoon.

Happy Easter!

Today was full of food, family, chocolate, plush bunnies, no chocolate bunnies, egg hunts, vlogging, learning how to play cribbage, piano rock, teaching catechism, watching Count of Monte Cristo,  and more.

 I hope that your Easter was as wonderful as mine.

If not,

Serendipity

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Today, I want to talk about the importance of serendipity, or “an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.”  A good example of this is the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming.

“When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn’t plan to revolutionise all medicine by discovering the world’s first antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But I suppose that was exactly what I did.”  The story behind penicillin is simple, but it is still scarcely creditable.  Fleming was a brilliant scientist in the 1940s. He only had one problem: He was anything but a neat freak. But this little problem, or set back, turned out to be incredibly useful when he forgot some of his cultures before leaving on a month long vacation. When he returned, he noticed that a certain mold had developed. This mold had killed off all the bacteria it came in contact with. As you’ve probably guessed, this mold was penicillin.

Another example is the famous story of Archimedes and the theory of displacement. Archimedes stepped into the bath one morning, without the least clue about how that bath would affect science forever.The water the went over the brim of the tub equaled in volume the submerged part of his body. The volume of his body and the volume of the dispersed water were the same. According to legend, he was so excited that he hopped from the tub and ran into the streets (naked!) shouting, “Eureka!”, or “I have found it!”

Serendipity, also known as the black swan theory, is all about the way the accidental influences the incredible. It’s also about seeing the extraordinary in everyday life.

I’m not not the first person to blog  about this, nor am I the most eloquent. But it amazes me when I look around and see the glory of creation, and I find myself wondering about all the possibilities the world holds. That’s my Hallmark moment of the week! Have a happy Easter!

I tried on so many dresses today. Easter’s consumerism strikes again! I wanted to get something with a peasant feel that reminds you of prairies or cotton. Instead, I got something silky that has a more classic feel.  Se la vie.

On a different topic, I was thinking about how I will actually miss blogging everyday when April ends. I’m conflicted. I like having a reason to blog everyday, but it is hard to make time in my schedule. I’m thinking about doing BEDA 2 (Blog Everyday in August). We’ll see.

I’m so excited for Easter! There’s church, and then an amazing get together with my family! Chocolate bunnies and money-filled eggs for everyone!

I have stuff tomorrow, but to get you ready for the holiday…

Good night!

“LYLSCYBT” Day

Today is officially “Let Your Little Sisters Choose Your Blog Topic(s)” day, or “LYLSCYBT” for short. At least it is at my house. The first topic they suggested was ostriches. I don’t know much about ostriches. They have long legs, big eyes, small brains, and, in dire situations, they bury their heads in the sand. That is the sum of my ostrich knowledge.

The second was Easter. I know a lot more about Easter than I do about ostriches. Easter was originally called “Aster” and was a pagan holiday celebrating the rebirth of the goddess, Spring. Supposedly, this goddess was represented by a bunny- born out of an egg.  Yep. When Christianity took off, believers began a process of combining pagan holidays with Christian ones. Christmas was combined with Winter Solstice, and Aster became Easter, a celebration of both spring and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I love Easter in some ways and hate in others. I love celebrating Christ’s sacrifice for my sin. I love spending time with family and friends. I just hate how commercialized it is. Actually, I feel the same way about other holidays as well.

I just hate it when something that is supposed to be about truth, family, and faith gets turned into a way for people to make massive amounts of money selling chocolate bunnies. Granted I love chocolate bunnies, but it just seems wrong to turn Easter into a day that means nothing more than that. I don’t know if that makes sense.