Oh Hey There

I haven't been especially motivated to blog these last couple of weeks. Some of it has been just plain busyness; I had to write a ten-page paper in French for one of my classes, and I was filling out summer internship applications at the same time, so most of my writerly energies were focused elsewhere. This past week I've been putting last-minute details on a loose itinerary for my mom's visit. She arrives early Saturday morning, and we'll be spending eight days together in Paris, London, and the Netherlands. I'm very excited, but it is a little stressful to plan things out like this. Still, I imagine we'll have a great time, and I'm bringing my laptop, so hopefully I'll be able to give plenty of blog updates on our travels!

Other things:

• So I've lost a lot of weight lately. Last time I checked, I was eight pounds away from my ultimate target. I'm happy about this, but I'm not used to how different my body seems. It's sharp in odd places, where I can actually feel the angles of my bones. Is this how skinny people feel all the time? There's also the small problem that none of my clothes fit anymore. I have a pair of jeans that never fit spectacularly well to begin with, but now can't even be worn with a belt; I threw them on yesterday to go grocery shopping and ended up spending the entire time holding them up with one hand. My appetite has been weird, too; I'm constantly hungry, but when I actually eat, I get full very quickly.
• Went to see Mirror, Mirror in French with Eva on Tuesday. It was a very pretty movie, but a little light on substance. I haven't been able to get that final Bollywoodesque number out of my head, though, which is slightly frustrating. Interestingly enough, the dialogue was dubbed, but the song was still in English. Most songs in movies here are in English, actually. Most songs in general are in English, really.
• Korra continues to be my latest obsession, as anyone who follows my Tumblr can attest. New episode on Saturday! I hope iTunes has it up quickly, so I can take it in in all its HD glory.
• Not sure if I've mentioned this, but I'm going to Scotland in May! Along with the south of France and Ireland. Eva and I are greatly looking forward to it!
• The weather has been rainy and cold as of late. This is making me quite envious of my American friends and their 80+ degree temperatures. Speaking of which, I still think in Fahrenheit after nearly four months in France. Wish Celsius came easier to me!
• Fair-trade salted plantain chips from the Carrefour market across the street have become my latest crack. I've always loved plantain chips - they're widely available in Puerto Rico - but I've discovered they're the perfect snack for France in springtime. It's too cold for ice cream, I don't particularly care for potato chips, and they remind me of home. 
• The dryer downstairs is broken, so I've had to hang up all my wet clothes around my room and hope they're not still damp when I pack my suitcase tomorrow. I wish they didn't smell so weird.
• Jackie linked me to this blog yesterday. Glad there are others out there who understand my plight.

Dimanche

Since I have been terrible at blogging consistently, I thought I would tell you what a typical Sunday in Lille is like, in case I happen to miss a bunch of Sundays and you're fraught with the desire to know what I do with them.

So back in Virginia, I have a job in addition to taking classes that actually require some effort. This means that while I am something of a night owl while I am at UVa, I'm still usually asleep by 1:30 in the morning. Here in France, I have neither a job nor classes that start before 10, with the result that I stay up until 3 in the morning or later rather more often than is really wise. Weekends make this problem much worse (or better, depending on your point of view). Last night, I was watching Kim Possible on YouTube and didn't go to sleep until four in the morning. Part of this I blame on residual rubbish from being sick, and the other part I blame on me for not having common sense. This is particularly relevant because I had to get up with enough time to shower before church. Church is at 10; I got up at 8:30. 4.5 hours of sleep for the lose!

I leave my place about ten minutes before worship is scheduled to begin, which means I usually arrive about five minutes late, but since nothing starts when it is supposed to, I get there just on time! Today I was very slightly late; I shall take this as a sign that my timing skills need a little honing. I go to a French Baptist church that reminds me a lot of Primera in Mexicali, except there's obviously a different language that's still difficult for me to understand and harder to speak. If I'm paying attention, though, I get the gist of what everyone is saying. There's a lot of praying and singing (and praying while singing); I'm not so great at the praying out loud in French part (to be fair, I'm not great at the praying out loud in English part either; my faith is a quieter one). Then there's a long sermon (I have my English Bible to follow along with, and also if the sermon is boring there are always good stories to read somewhere in the Bible), followed by more praying, then communion.

Communion here is done by passing around a bowl full of bread and then a cup. Some people eat their bread first and then take a sip from the cup, using a little cloth to wipe the brim afterward; others take communion by intinction, which is when you dip the bread into the cup and have both elements at once. I find intinction slightly more sanitary, so I've been doing that. I think we might be drinking wine instead of grape juice, which explains why I don't really enjoy the communion bread here that much (I know that's not the point, but I am nothing if not brutally honest). Then more praying, offering, and we're done, which means a lot of "bon dimanche"-ing and doing that French thing where you kiss first one cheek, then the other as a way of saying good-bye.

Eva and I usually go to the street market directly after worship. The vegetables are quite cheap and generally tasty, so I usually come with a shopping bag, spend two or three Euro, and am set for the week in the fresh food department. Sometimes we then go to the Carrefour City closer to where she lives if I need to pick something up that can't wait until Monday; the Carrefour by my place closes at 12:30 on Sundays, which means it's pretty much impossible to get there after church. If it's cold out, I'll Metro back up to my part of Lille; if it's nice, like it was today, I'll walk.

I then proceed to veg out for a few hours, sometimes Skyping, sometimes reading, almost always Interneting in some capacity (I am just a veritable fountain of made-up verbs today, aren't I?), occasionally with a nap along the way if I'm lucky. Lately I've been making plans with Lille friends for Sunday evenings. Today Eva and I went to see The Artist and get some crepes in the nice part of Lille. (One-sentence film review: It was my first experience with a silent film, and I enjoyed it for what it was, but I'm not sure if it was worthy of Best Picture.) Then I Metroed back home, talked to Sara and my parents, and watched many, many charlieissocoollike videos on YouTube. I am starting to think I am secretly British, and just happened to be born an American by mistake, because every time I become obsessed with a new British thing, it feels completely natural and right, and also I am so ready to go actually spend some time there, you have no idea. But then I would have David Cameron in charge of my government instead of Barack Obama, and I am so not on board with that (though then again, I am completely on board with living in a country with a healthcare system as awesome as the NHS, and also Harry Potter). Consensus? Clearly, none.

Top ten literary crushes tomorrow? I am thinking yes.

Art

Today I bought groceries, slept, and tried but mostly failed to work on my Batten application. Thus, I have nothing interesting to report. It was a recovery from Paris day, I guess. In lieu of an actual interesting post, have the rest of the Avatar art I've drawn over the past two weeks:

 

These are main characters from Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I realize this show has not yet been released, but since I am still ridiculously excited for it, I decided to try my hand at drawing the trio of Korra, Mako, and Bolin. I also drew a picture of Aang and Katara's granddaughters Jinora and Ikki, but I'm not especially happy with it, so I don't think I'll put it online. By the way, is it strange that I really don't like the Aang/Katara pairing but am fangirling like crazy over pictures of their son and his adorable airbending family? Something to ponder, anyway.

 

This is Katara. She's not my favorite ATLA character, but she's still awesome and probably the most like me. She can waterbend, and since that is my preferred element in the Avatar world, I feel that I am obligated to like her. Anyway. Yes, Katara. She's fun to draw. I'm especially proud of the lower lefthand image. I think I did a good job with her face and her hair. Also, hands are really hard to draw, but I did it!

 

I drew this today. It's Katara and Zuko who should have ended up together from the finale. The background is a little iffy, but I think I did a reasonably good job with the characters.

Also, who wants some tl;dr about Avatar shipping? Here, have this exchange from my Tumblr from a few months ago:

Tumblr user beeftony:

I hate when people try and justify Zutara by saying that “opposites attract.” Zuko and Katara are not opposites. They bend opposing elements, yes, but let’s consider the facts. They both:

• Have a distant father figure
• Lost their mothers at a young age
• Have a sibling who is more eager to fight than they are
• Had to grow up before they should have
• Have serious anger issues

All of which paints a picture of two people who can relate to each other on an emotional level because they are so goddamn similar. The main thing that separates them is how they reacted to their circumstances, and their relationship with what remains of their families. What keeps them apart is largely circumstantial, and if things had gone differently they may very well have ended up together.
Zuko and Aang had parallel journeys, but Zuko and Katara reflect one another. That’s different from being opposites, and it’s better for a long term relationship if they have things in common.
That’s why I ship it, anyway.

Me from the past (as Tumblr user secondhermione):

This actually makes a lot of sense. When I started watching Avatar during my first semester of college, well after the series had ended, I had no expectations for shipping (although I had certainly heard of the shipping wars). During books one and two, I thought Kataang was sort of blandly cute, even if it bothered me that Katara didn’t really seem to reciprocate Aang’s feelings (“The Cave of Two Lovers” being a notable exception). I was intrigued by Zuko and Katara’s dynamic, but I’m decidedly not one of those shippers that enjoys the “I’ll save you from the pirates” scene. Sorry, I’m not really into foe-yay.

I became a Zutara shipper after “The Crossroads of Destiny.” By that point, I knew Kataang was going to be endgame, so I didn’t actually expect anything to happen between Zuko and Katara. But I still think that post-series, they became very close friends at the very least, precisely because they have this shared connection. She’s water and he’s fire, but they’re really very similar, and they’ve both lost their mothers. I think they understand each other quite well, perhaps more than they care to admit.
Which leads me to the end of book three. I honestly believe that the writers made a few significant fumbles here, if they wanted us to support the Aang/Katara pairing. Katara needed to forgive and accept Zuko, but the way it was done created the problem of making them very close emotionally. Look at the way they interact with each other, post-“The Southern Raiders.” Zuko turns to Katara for reassurance and understanding, and she to him. When Aang is missing, when Zuko is afraid to face his uncle, when they’re preparing for the showdown with Azula, they find comfort in one another. While this certainly can be applied to their budding friendship, the way their relationship arc was progressing, it seems like the next natural step would have been to start a romance, particularly with Katara pushing Aang away and telling him that she was confused.

Basically, here’s how I see it:

1. Zuko and Katara connect over the mutual loss of their mothers in Ba Sing Se. He then sides with Azula, which Katara takes quite personally.

2. Zuko joins the Gaang, but Katara isn’t quite ready to forgive him yet. Their interactions, especially on Katara’s part, are highly charged. (This is important.)

3. Zuko desperately wants to gain Katara’s acceptance, to the point where he waits outside her tent all night just to talk to her. He then uses their shared bond - the loss of their mothers - to restart their connection. While Katara ultimately doesn’t take revenge, she comes to forgive Zuko, and they work well together as a team.

4. Aang wants to know why he and Katara haven’t progressed as a couple since their kiss at the invasion. Katara tells him she’s confused, and is justifiably upset when he tries to kiss her again anyway. They have basically no direct interaction after this until the coda of the finale.

5. In the lead up to the showdown with the Fire Lord, Zuko and Katara are often paired up. They’re a team during the battle with Melon Lord, they take charge of the Gaang when Aang disappears (although most of the leadership does go to Zuko, to be fair), and they go to face Azula together. Along the way, Zuko calms Katara, Katara reassures Zuko, and he looks to her when he needs help. Also, June provides some Ship Tease, although this was probably just the writers’ nod to their fanbase.

6. Then there’s the fight with Azula. I challenge you to find a sequence that’s more blatantly Zutara. He freaking takes a bolt of lightning for her. And while, yes, it is thematically significant that Zuko and Katara are working together to take down an enemy instead of being enemies during a finale, I maintain that if the writers had let the story take a natural course, this would have been the time for a Relationship Upgrade. The part where she heals him and they thank each other, Katara with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, is just begging for romantic resolution.

7. My biggest problem with the Kataang relationship is that it feels too one-sided. There have been moments where I believed Katara returned Aang’s feelings (“The Cave of Two Lovers,” “The Headband”), but they’re few and far between. Now, after Katara has told Aang she’s confused, she suddenly decides she wants him as soon as he’s defeated the Fire Lord. I do like that she’s the one who makes the move, but I can’t buy it. It makes Katara look like Aang’s reward, and I think that’s a disservice to both their characters. Aang saved the world, and that’s great, but Katara doesn’t owe him anything for that. I don’t really see Katara making a choice, here. I see pride in a good friend, I see affection. What I don’t see (or buy, at least) is romantic attraction.

Also, I would have been fine with a peck on the cheek or even a quick kiss on the lips. But it honestly kind of squicks me out - Aang is 12 (for all intents and purposes), and he and Katara share a very adult sort of kiss. He just doesn’t feel grown up enough for something like that, not least because I felt his character didn’t do enough growing up in the finale. This is a problem I consistently had with Aang’s development; I rolled my eyes when 12-year-old Aang said he loved Katara in “The Crossroads of Destiny,” too.

8. Thematically, at least in my eyes, a Katara/Zuko relationship would have been a better choice. They have a great connection, especially because they’re similar enough to understand each other really well. Their interactions are charged - Katara seems to respond far more to Zuko than she ever did to Aang, and she never treated him like she was his mother. By the end of the series, Katara and Zuko seemed closer than Katara and Aang. And, well, if you want me to support Kataang, I think that’s a problem.

So I echo everything in this post, and add that this is something Mike and Bryan should keep in mind (or, at least, I hope they had in mind) when they were developing Legend of Korra. I’m not a Zutara fangirl who liked them because they’d be ~omg so hawt~ together (although I do think they look better together than Aang and Katara do, mostly because Aang is still prepubescent). I liked them together because it seemed like a natural conclusion for their characters and their development, and I know I’m not the only one that feels that way. To me, they are the great relationship that could have been. That they didn’t happen, and that (to me) the Kataang relationship feels forced, are some of Avatar’s very few flaws.

Me in the present: Wow, that was long. I just have a lot of feelings about Zutara, guys.

Anyway, happy Monday, and happy Day Before the State of the Union Day!

Under the Weather

Or, the past five days in GIFs:

Saturday:
Blue Hole trip


Avatar marathon with Matt and Andi


Sunday:
Wake up

By which I mean that I was miserably sick, so I felt like I was being punched in the face. Being punched in the face by Henry Green, the world's most adorable baby, is probably considerably more enjoyable than waking up with a terrible cold (and possible low-grade fever), but I do not have a more relevant GIF.

Skype conversation with Jackie


Monday:
OMG, I actually have to go to class because I can't afford to miss it


Tuesday:
AHH so much to do


Wednesday:
Actually, I might have this thing under control. Well, I still have two papers to write before Monday, but at least my cold is (mostly) gone.


I probably won't surface again until my papers are done, so I hope you enjoyed this little update!

It's Probably a Good Thing I Go Back to School Soon

After being awoken entirely too early by loud construction outside my apartment, I sorted my mail, went through all my textbooks, and watched a couple episodes of Veronica Mars. Then I got online and defended the Harry and Ginny relationship from complete strangers for about four hours. I really need to learn to step away from the computer, especially as the Internet is so spotty in my sublet.

Oh, and I found it what happens if you forget to take care of cooked rice and leave it on the stove for a week and a half. Ewww.

Laundry and cleaning all day tomorrow!

The Life of a Social Recluse

I spent my entire day either on the Internet, writing, cooking, or doing random exercises. My legs will never forgive me. I have a headache from staring at screens for hours on end. My right hand is cramping from writing so much. Decision-making at its finest, folks! I have nothing else to report. I really need to go outside and enjoy the sun more often.

Batman: The Animated Series (with commentary by yours truly!)

I am a nerd. This should come as no surprise to anyone who claims to know me even a little. It is just one of those things. Is the sky blue? Does winter follow autumn? Do fish live in the ocean? Is Aida a nerd?

Now that we have established my nerdiness, I feel I should mention my desire to imbibe as many nerdy things as possible. Discoveries of sites like TV Tropes only serve to make this dream more realistic. One of my particular realms of nerdiness is Western animation. Another is the superhero genre. If you happen to be a big fan of either of these things, and especially of you’re a fan of both, you hear a lot about Batman: The Animated Series. Supposedly it is a touchstone of American television animation. It has a reputation for being edgy, revolutionary even. Some of this is overblown fanboy adoration, but a show doesn’t get that kind of buzz without at least some merit. Bearing that in mind, I added Batman: The Animated Series to my Netflix queue ages ago with the intention of being a good nerd and watching it. Well, I’ve finally gotten around to doing so. I have to say, I’m a little underwhelmed. It was fine. I loved the music. The animation was so-so. Disliked the character design, felt the storytelling was inconsistent. However, I have only seen the first seven episodes and am willing to give the next seven a chance, whenever Netflix gets around to sending me another disk.

I decided to record my impressions in note form while I watched the episodes. I have transcribed them in their entirety below. Most of my notes will only make sense if you’ve actually seen the episodes, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless. Keep in mind that most of these were written between midnight and two in the morning. I’ve never had a drink in my life before, but I imagine that how I act in the wee hours of the morning is similar to how the typical intoxicated person would. Now that you know this, here are my reactions to the first seven episodes of Batman: The Animated Series.

Howl's Moving Castle (and This Week's Miscellany)

Last night I watched Miyazaki's adaptation of Howl's Moving Castle. On the one hand, it was absolutely beautiful and really enjoyable to watch. On the other, it was basically nothing like the book. Considering I still haven't entirely made up my mind on the book, maybe this is a good thing, but a lot of the changes the movie made just didn't make sense. There was no reason to make the Witch of the Waste into a senile old lady. Why was Michael a little boy (who apparently goes by Markl)? What was the point in making the scarecrow-prince in love with Sophie? If you're going to introduce Lettie, why put her in just the one scene and then not bring her up again the entire movie? I'm thinking that if I hadn't read the book, I would be able to appreciate Miyazaki's film for what it is. Certainly it is a very pretty fairy tale. Jones's book is a deconstruction and affectionate parody of the fairy tale genre, though, so I'm thinking Miyazaki either missed the point or liked some elements of the story enough to produce his own wildly different variation of it. I just missed seeing Sophie be really awesome at the end, I guess. So ... yeah. I've now seen my fourth Miyazaki. Spirited Away is still my favorite. Which one should I watch next? I've seen Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Ponyo.

Here are this week's other happenings:

• Today was Myers-Briggs day at work. I'm an INFJ, which actually made a lot of sense when I read the description. Apparently Eleanor Roosevelt was also an INFJ, and she's one of my favorite historical figures ever, so hells yeah.
• Boy Meets Girl is so darn predictable and has every Cabot quirk I don't like. I shall prevail, though, because this woman's writing is like my crack. I wish I could quit you, Meg Cabot! Except no, I don't.
• My knees hurt from too many lunges. Ouch.
• I am enjoying my Very Potter Musical soundtrack way too much. My neighbors haven't knocked on my door and asked me to stop singing along yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do.
• Inconsistent Internet is inconsistent. At least I'll be back in the dorms soon, where I rarely have any Internet problems.
• Ahh last week in the apartment. I shall be a laundry and cleaning fiend next weekend. This weekend, though, I plan on being a lazy bum. No one can stop me!
• The weather is so gorgeous right now. Other than the mosquitoes, I would love it if every day was like today.

Flawless weekend, here I come!

Summer's End

Today was my last day of paid work at Noah's. While I'm sure I'll be back soon on a volunteer basis, it was a little sad saying good-bye to the kids this afternoon, knowing I'm not going to be around for a while. I got a nice hug from Noah, who really is very sweet once you get to know him. Asher, always high energy, kept jumping on the little trampoline the boys have in their playroom and then trying to leap into my arms, which was cute. It'll be nice to have more free time, especially as I'm moving back to the dorms very soon, but I'll miss seeing the boys on a regular basis. Kids are so much fun.

Other than my farewell to the boys, I spent my morning trying to get the Internet in the kitchen to work consistently and then helping Jackie get Pottermore access. She's in, thank goodness. I'm debating whether or not I should blog my Pottermore experiences once the beta site opens. Would you be receptive to that, readers? I don't really know what to expect, but I am anticipating awesome things, since this is the brainchild of Jo Rowling. More on that front when I have something to report.

Nothing else of note is happening. I had a nice walk around Barracks this evening, since I had to bring back a RedBox DVD anyway. Netflix just sent me Howl's Moving Castle and the first volume of Batman: The Animated Series, both of which I'm very much looking forward to. Happy almost-Friday, everyone!

Observations

As I once again betake myself to the South Lawn to get my Internet fix.

• Apparently eight o'clock is a popular time for dog walking. I've seen two women out running with their dogs in the half-hour I've been sitting outside.
• Goodness gracious, I have so many mosquito bites I can't even count them.
• Why can't the weather be like this all the time?
• Since I no longer have the Internet to occupy all my time at the apartment, I've started re-watching season two of The Office. Michael was such a jerk back then! Jim and Pam were also really, really cute. They're still cute now, but in season two they were flippin' adorable. Incidentally, now that Jenna Fischer is expecting her first child, Jim and Pam will have another baby on the way when season eight starts in September. I'm thinking this one will probably be a boy, since their first was a girl.
• Having finished Howl's Moving Castle last night, I notice that Diana Wynne Jones is a fan of alternate worlds, predictable endings, and bickering couples. I am also a fan of one and three, so I will forgive her for two.
• I am quite easily amused. The first time I went to go return a book at the Gordon Library, I used their drive-through drop box. As I was leaving, I noticed there was a big painted "NI" at the end of the drive-through. All I could think of was the Knights Who Say "Ni!" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and I wondered why, even in the People's Republic of Charlottesville, where there are certainly a great many aficionados of quirky British humor, anyone would be compelled to paint an homage to Monty Python next to the library. Then I realized it said "IN," not "NI," whereupon I proceeded to burst out laughing in the middle of the sidewalk. I must have looked very odd indeed to passersby. Anyway, whenever I pass by the NI/IN, I start giggling again. God, I am so weird.
• Pottermore is actually surprisingly easy to register for, provided you're on the site at the right time. The usernames are kind of ridiculous, though. I realize it's for child safety reasons, but I can think of quite a few more names that are more suited to my personality than FeatherRune49. Nevertheless, that is what I shall be going by, so if you're also a beta tester, look me up!
• I really want to be moved into my dorm already. Hurry up and get here, mid-August!

The Pigeon Hole and Akage no Anne

Things really do get better. Everything about today was lovely; I had a nice morning, spent my afternoon playing games and listening to music with the boys (I won at chess, which considering my opponent is saying something!), talked on the phone with my mother, went to dinner at The Pigeon Hole with some Brown friends, and am now watching Akage no Anne, a Japanese anime from 1979, which so far is pretty much word-faithful to Anne of Green Gables. Admittedly I'm not a huge anime fan, but I almost like it as much as the Kevin Sullivan TV movie from the 80s, which is a really high compliment coming from me. I do wish it was in English instead of Japanese with subtitles, though. And yeah, there are some weird anime moments; the title sequence features Anne driving a pony cart through the sky, surrounded by apple blossoms. Don't get me wrong, that's totally something I could see Anne imagining, but it's just a little strange to actually see it on screen. Anyway, I think I've found my evening entertainment for the rest of the summer!

My Day

• 7:36 AM: Wake up. Pull pillow over head because it's too early to be conscious on a Sunday morning, and suddenly realize you feel awful. Listen to NPR and watch the Legend of Korra trailer a few times, then fall asleep again.
• 10:42 AM: Open one eye. Look at clock. So much for church today. :/ Go back to sleep.
• 11:28 AM: Finally force self from bed. Decide you won't subject anyone to your presence today, because you look like hell and pretty much feel like it, too.
• 11:31 AM: Spend fifteen minutes looking for strawberry pancake recipes before you realize you have no baking powder/soda. Eat strawberries and graham crackers for breakfast instead.
• 11:57 AM: Read Facebook news feed and go through one of your ~forever alone~ moods, because it seems like everyone you know is in a relationship and you're still the perpetually single (not by choice) one.
• 12:13 PM: Stop wallowing. Update Tumblr with all your Korra excitement.
• 12:29 PM: Make toast and spread hummus on it for lunch. Win.
• 12:41 PM: Think you should probably get started on your laundry, but mostly just look at your dirty clothes for a while as you listen to Made of Fail podcast.
• 1:03 PM: Have some ice cream, because it's hot in your room, and why not?
• 1:45 PM: Get off Tumblr. Clean kitchen.
• 2:32 PM: Play Sims 2. Get one more family in line for rotation. Shudder when you realize you still have to do the same for at least five more households.
• 5:32 PM: Skype parentals.
• 6:48 PM: Start laundry.
• 7:11 PM: Make quiche and Skype brother.
• 7:26 PM: Spill about a fourth of the quiche mix on the floor/inside the oven as you try to put it to bake. Still successfully manage to keep most of it in the pie pan.
• 7:55 PM: Down two glasses of pineapple-orange-banana juice in a row, despite the fact that you've had enough sugar today to feed a small army.
• 8:24 PM: Finish laundry, but leave it in suitcase (your hamper for the summer) instead of folding it right away, because you just don't feel like doing it.
• 8:37 PM: Moar internet. Always moar internet.
• 9:16 PM: Think about updating blog/finishing The Great Gatsby/playing more Sims 2.
• 9:25 PM: Start writing blog post. Hope you can be at least halfway presentable tomorrow, although you are feeling slightly better.
• 9:49 PM: Finish blog post.

Thinky Thoughts About Deathly Hallows [SPOILERS, Natch] and a Blogiversary

As I have discovered with Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows: Part 1, a person does not recover from a midnight showing in a day. Staying up until 4:30 in the morning really does take a lot out of you (who'd've thunk?). However, I'm basically back to normal now, other than a bit of residual sleepiness. First off, I loved it. Deathly Hallows is my favorite book in the history of ever, and I truly believe the films did it justice. Great job, David Yates and Co. That being said, I should note I purposely did not reread the book before seeing the movie. Most of the novel is pretty much seared into my memory anyway, but I find that having it fresh in mind just before seeing the film ruins my experience. I get annoyed enough about things the filmmakers do wrong without recently rereading. The books are always going to be better than the movies, but I do want to give the films the benefit of the doubt.
So, bearing in mind some of the finer points have escaped my memory since my last reread, here are my bullet points (below the cut, SPOILER ALERT):

Jo Rowling, The Things You Do to Me

Technically I am an adult, but I'm still not sure it's a good idea to foist me and my decision-making skills upon the world. Maybe this is why I still have at least two years of college to go. Case in point? Last night, I was seriously considering not sleeping at all, despite the fact that I live on the East Coast, so I could have had plenty of rest if I had gone to bed at my usual time, and I have to look after small children at work today, so it's probably a good idea to have had a decent amount of sleep. Instead? I Skyped with one of my best friends for about three hours and finally decided I was tired enough to try to sleep just before four in the morning. Responsibility, I has it.

My Potter obsession being what it is, I was still up well before my 6:45 alarm, but thankfully the half an hour before the announcement seemed to fly by. The countdown ticked away, reminding me of book-release days and entire stores full of people eagerly chanting with the last ten seconds. I waited for the video to load (the Internet in my apartment makes YouTube work like molasses), took a deep breath, and hit play.

I have to admit, at first blush I was a little underwhelmed. Jo (who is my hero forever and always, don't get me wrong) was incredibly vague, and the second she said the word "October" I headdesked (or headpillowed, as the case may be). I'm still not sure it was worth all the buildup of the past week. BUT, once I resigned myself to the fact that I'm not getting Pottermore until the fall, and got over the impression I had that the site seems geared toward a younger audience than my generation, I really did start to feel excited. I don't really care about getting Sorted and going to Diagon Alley, to be perfectly honest, but I am so thrilled that we're getting new backstory. Jo is now saying a physical encyclopedia may not happen, which leads me to believe she'll be putting much of that material on Pottermore. In which case, be still my heart. In particular, apparently we're going to hear about young McGonagall, which is incredibly exciting to me for reasons I don't quite understand. Then again, McGonagall is one of my favorite characters, especially among the adults, so perhaps it's not that surprising that I'd love to find out where her awesome came from.

Anyway, here, I think, are the takeaways from this morning's experience. 1) Aida, seriously, stop losing your mind over J. K. Rowling announcements. 1A) Except they're J. K. Rowling announcements. That's asking rather a lot. 1B) Okay, but sleep is important, too. Even if you don't have to be at work until one. 1C) Sleep or Harry Potter? Come on, we all know the answer to that one. 1D) Harry Potter, OBVS. But next time, go to sleep before three in the morning, yeah? 1E) Yeah, I'm basically going to be a zombie today. No big. OMNOMNOM BRAINS. 2) Expectations versus reality. Expectations versus reality. Expectations versus reality. 3) Think of the children! Don't forget that, as much as it drives you crazy when anyone dismisses HP as a series of "kids' books," you were a kid when you fell in love with them. There are worse things than Pottermore being skewed to a slightly younger audience. 4) Wow, this entire paragraph is full of stream-of-consciousness rambling. Oops.

Okay, time to either try to go back to bed or wake myself up with a shower.

Tumblr and Pottermore

First and foremost, I would like to spam my shiny new Tumblr! My username is secondhermione, and I'll basically be using it to post random gifs and follow Reasoning with Vampires more effectively. Still, it's a whole other bit of Aida to brighten your day if you so desire!

Secondly, Pottermore will be revealed in less than twelve hours! I've heard all sorts of speculation in the past week. I'll just reiterate my own thoughts: I would be disappointed if it turned out to be an MMORPG, because that's really not my thing, and I really want some new canon from Jo. I would love an online encyclopedia in some form but I'm not holding my breath. There was a leak in various British newspapers today, but from what I've read it sounds like a) whatever they got from Jo's people was no longer up to date, and b) the description they posted is very similar to the Secret Street View Jo set up on the fansites to announce Pottermore in the first place.

Well, see you on the other side. I hope it was worth the hype!

Where I Waste My Time These Days

Other than on a bench in the park near Mira's house, reading Diana Wynne Jones books, and offline, with my Sims 2 game, here are some of my current Internet distractions:

• Sporcle.com, especially the Harry Potter, geography, and baby names sections.
• Netflix, where I am currently watching the third season of Veronica Mars and plan to watch either Doctor Who or Firefly next. Also Blade Runner, which I have heard is a must-see for all nerds (I think I am losing nerd points for every minute I've not watched it yet, actually), but I am hesitant about, because it's a sci-fi movie that was made in the '80s. You know what else was a sci-fi movie from the '80s? Tremors (well, okay, it was made in 1990, but close enough). Although I love Star Wars, so I probably shouldn't knock sci-fi from the '80s too much.
• Mark Watches Avatar. He's about to start Book Three tomorrow. I can't wait to see what he thinks of SPOILER! Or when SPOILER tells SPOILER to SPOILER, and SPOILERS the Gaang. Basically, everything about my favorite adorkable SPOILER, SPOILER! If you've seen the series, you know what I'm talking about.
• YouTube, for Vlogbrothers, Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated, and, as of today, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Shut up, it's kind of adorable and it helps me relive my childhood, because five-year-old me would have been on it in two seconds flat. Well, I've seen the first four episodes, anyway. Not sure if I'll be quite as focused on it as some of the bronies in my dorm. (Term first heard on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, but I knew the answer to this week's "Bluff the Listener" game almost immediately because I practically live on the Internet).
• TV Tropes, because duh.
• Leaky and MuggleNet, as always.
• NPR.org. I'm searching for a good liberal political blog, as I'm in the process of breaking up with the Huffington Post. They are pretty up-to-date, but I loathe their screaming headlines and sensationalism. I like Salon all right, but I do get fed up with them sometimes, I guess because I still really like President Obama. DailyKos is okay, but I want something that's a little more respectful to religious people. I know there are Christians that make everyone else look bad, but I promise there are sane, non-bigoted Christians who try to practice their faith in a way that emulates the example of Jesus Christ. You know, loving your neighbor as yourself, looking after the needy, all that jazz.
• Pottermore, even though there are still only two owls and a signature there. I like going to the countdown and watching it tick down when I'm really bored. Gah. Get here more quickly, Thursday.
• For the lulz, Reasoning with Vampires, anything by Cleolinda, Hyperbole and a Half, and the "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.

That's about it. If you have a site you think I've neglected to mention that I should be wasting time on, let me know. I have no homework until August. :D
 

"Breathtaking"

For those that don't know, I am a Harry Potter fanatic. My grandparents gave me a boxed set of the first four books as an early Christmas present during my family's Thanksgiving visit in 2000, before we moved to Costa Rica. I had read the first three chapters of Philosopher's Stone (the proper title) back in third grade, but I wasn't interested in reading a book with a boy as the main character. Yuck. However, ten-year-old Aida rationalized that that boxed set had probably been rather expensive, and her grandparents would probably appreciate it if she gave the books another try, since it was a special gift and all. Chapter Four is when Harry finds out he's a wizard. I was crazy about magic and witches and anything to do with the fantasy genre when I was in fourth grade (and I was a voracious reader, even then). Needless to say, I was hooked almost instantly. I just didn't know that ten years later, I would be equally, if not even more, obsessed.

The Harry Potter books are important to me. Looking back, I don't know if I can adequately explain how I grew to love them so dearly. J. K. Rowling is not Shakespeare, but when I was ten years old her weaknesses as a writer (of which there are very, very few, though I will grudgingly admit they do exist) didn't matter to me. I think, whatever you may say about her writing, Jo Rowling is a master storyteller. She knows innately what readers will find gripping. She takes care with her planning and her details. She does foreshadowing better than any other author I've read. Most of all, she creates characters that feel real, that you love and you worry about. I know that there are several legitimate criticisms one can make about the series, but obviously it struck a deep chord with readers worldwide, especially (though certainly not exclusively) those of my generation. Nearly everyone I know has read and enjoyed the books, or at the very least has seen the movies (I am judging you right now if that is the case. Not acceptable. You needed to be reading the books yesterday). Clearly I'm not the only one that feels this way, although I probably feel more strongly about it than most people do.

I'm rambling, I know. I guess I want to explain myself so you don't think I'm crazy for basically imploding with anticipation at this new website: Pottermore.com. I've been involved with Harry Potter fandom for years (when there aren't enough obsessed dedicated people around you, you search them out yourself). Part of the reason I'm dying to meet Jo someday is that she maintains this fantastic relationship with the online fan community. She understands our devotion to the series and genuinely seems to care about us and what we want (and yet she still sounds incredibly nice and down-to-earth). Her official site, jkrowling.com, became a great source of speculation in those pre-Half-Blood Prince and pre-Deathly Hallows days. She provided background information on beloved characters, gave us hints about what might happen, and made both hilarious and insightful comments on the occasional madness that is Harry Potter fandom. There was a mysterious locked door on her site (now locked again for the first time in years!) that would open every so often, with a fun, if sometimes frustrating, series of puzzles to solve. A particularly interesting tidbit of info or news would be revealed at the end once you made it through. It was all done in a thoroughly British and Jo-like manner. Her site has been largely defunct since December of 2007, however (everything is still there, but she hasn't updated it properly in years), and while the general consensus in fandom was that she was taking a well-deserved break and working on other projects, we missed the days when new things were posted every month or so. Jo did promise to release a Harry Potter encyclopedia at some point, but there was no reason to believe she would be finishing it soon.

Then, yesterday afternoon, my favorite fansite, The Leaky Cauldron, announced that Jo had a surprise to unveil. There was some fun business with coordinates and clues on various fansites, all organized by Jo, and then a cryptic Twitter account, YouTube page, and webpage were launched. The result? Pottermore.com. I still have no idea what it's about, and neither does the rest of fandom. Leaky has a particularly good relationship with Jo, and their webmistress, Melissa, posted that she was given a sneak peek and Pottermore is apparently "breathtaking."Of course, the rest of us don't get to find out what it is for SIX ENTIRE DAYS. I am not a patient person. I know I will survive, but the suspense is maddening. Everything about Pottermore has Jo written all over it, which invariably means that my expectations are sky high. There's a lot of speculation going on at the moment. Some people think Jo might be releasing on online version of the encyclopedia (which I would be thrilled about). Others think she might be introducing an HP-themed social networking site (I guess that would be cool). Still others think she's going to create an HP online role-playing game, or MMORPG. Which ... no, just no. I mean, I get that some people dig that sort of thing, which is fine, but I would be massively disappointed if that's what she has planned, as I suspect is the case for a lot of people. There's just too much hype for it to be something with as limited appeal as an MMORPG.

So, yeah. tl;dr, I know. But this is basically defining my life for the next few days. I'm burning with excitement and need to express it somehow, so blog it is. This is the Harry Potter nerd I am. Learn to love it - or at least live with it. :)

We're Marchin' On

The day's distractions:

(All images found from a Google search.)

And a little something I enjoyed:

A Few Good Days

Other than the stream of job rejections that have been flowing in. Oh real life, why must you be so infused with the power of the dark side?

Monday was incredibly nice outside (80+ degrees), with tastier than usual vegan options at the dining halls for my Lent challenge and interesting lectures in all my classes. Work and training for the Latino Peer Mentorship Program also went well. I watched Gilmore Girls (and forgot to update my blog, oops) and finished all my homework well before bedtime. I believe this can be counted as a day of win.

Today French was bearable, there was a great discussion in African-American Political Thought, and Mark posted his first Avatar: The Last Airbender review. It did rain, but there was definitely some lightning along with it, which is completely acceptable anytime but three in the morning. Also, I have discovered the site Reasoning with Vampires, which eviscerates Twilight in such a glorious and satisfying manner. Example: When exposing Bella Swan for the whiny, manipulative brat she is, the site's owner gives us this little gem: "Deceiver, dissembler, your trousers are alight." Ahahaha.

On that note, I think I shall post my discussion question on Collab and enjoy a luxurious night of sleep which will NOT be interrupted by the blaring of my alarm clock at 8:30 in the morning. And to think that I used to be a morning person! College, what have you done to me?

It's Friday, Friday

Yes, I just quoted a Rebecca Black song. This will never happen in a non-mocking sense, I assure you. Moving on.

Went to see True Grit with Andi tonight ($3 at the Newcomb Theatre, why not?). I have some thoughts, but I'm too tired to organize them properly at the moment. So I shall say this: I enjoyed it for what it was, I thought the epilogue was weak, and Hailee Steinfeld is a great actress, but she wasn't right for Katniss. My heart mourns for Little Blackie. That's about it.

The royal wedding is a big conversation topic at work. Today we continued discussing some of the more outlandish merchandise (you want a William and Kate commemorative toilet seat? You got it!) and scoped out all the eligible five-year-old princes in Europe so Leslie's daughter Zoe can decide which one will make her a princess when she grows up.

I really, really hate running. I really, really love Gilmore Girls. Astronomy homework and Farmer's Market tomorrow!