Grey Skies Are Gonna Clear Up

When I woke up this morning, I hadn't gotten enough sleep and I was anxious about how the day would go. As it turns out, however, today was excellent. Sarah and I had a nice prayer partner breakfast, calculus was fairly straightforward, and I enjoyed my shift at work. When I got back to the dorm, Sara (my roommate; I know many, many Sara(h)s here at UVa, which is probably confusing for any of my readers at home - sorry about that!) and I went to Runk for dinner, where we had some truly wonderful cupcakes for dessert. Pooja and I hung out for about an hour, talking about Pottermore and dorm life. Then I watched some old 2008 election videos (yes, that is the sort of thing I enjoy doing in my spare time) and a couple Mad Men episodes. I'm going to have a busy weekend ahead of me, but it looks like things are getting off to a good start.

Observations on a Tuesday

• Apparently the peanut butter, jelly, and apple sandwich from the Pav is over 800 calories. How is that even possible? I'm definitely eating only one half in a sitting from now on.
• Kabob Palace's brown rice is even better than its white rice.
• Once again, I went to the gym and overworked myself to the point where I felt sick. My stomach still hasn't fully recovered. What am I thinking about? Food. Brain, what is wrong with you?
• Sporcle minefield quizzes are so addictive. Yes, I can get all the state postal abbreviations within a minute if I just try one more time. Wait, fingers, why do you keep pressing the K instead of the R when responding to "Arkansas." (This happened twice. What the hell? I definitely know my state abbreviations, I just have to think about them for a few seconds sometimes.)
• Just when I think I'm done with my homework, more pops up. It's like Whack-a-Mole. Just stay down, goshdarnit!
• I may or may not have spent more time thinking about how to draw a turtle-duck than reviewing my history homework. The history homework will get done before bed, however, because there's a section assignment due tomorrow and I intend to rock it.
• Mad Men is weird. By the way, I will never like it more than The West Wing, for the simple reason that so few of the characters are even remotely sympathetic. Peggy, Sally, and Hollis the elevator guy are cool. Harry Crane is relatively likable. The priest played by Colin Hanks, Betty, and Trudy Campbell have their moments. Everyone else I just want to slap, especially Don.
• Rain is overrated.

Monday Night, As I Listen to the Rain

is a phrase I never used when I lived in El Centro. The phrase "Monday night, as I listen to the severe thunderstorm that may or may not continue until 11 PM, according to the National Weather Service" applies doubly. Yet here I sit in Charlottesville, recovering from a particularly strenuous gym visit by lying on my bed, listening to the steady downpour outside my window and battling my way through Plato's Republic. I think I worked myself too hard tonight; I ran for nine minutes straight, then alternated jogging and walking on the treadmill for the remaining eleven. When I finished, I felt sick to my stomach and had to sit on a bench outside the cardio room for a while before I could go back in and finish my workout. That's probably not a good sign. On the other hand, I've lost half a pound since Wednesday, so maybe I need to just tell my body to deal with it and soldier on.

Today was fairly nice, if not as productive as yesterday. I went to class, ran some errands on the Corner, watched some Mad Men, and had dinner with some PMP mentors and mentees. Only two classes tomorrow, so hopefully things will be more restful then. So far, September is off to a good start.

Weekend of Win

This is a momentous occasion. I have finished all my reading for my Monday classes before Monday has actually arrived. I'm still wrapping up a written assignment, but I'm pleasantly surprised about my own hidden ability to be productive when I make it a priority. Let's see if I can keep it up!

Andi, Kathryn, and Matt came over on Friday night to watch some Avatar: The Last Airbender (specifically, all the desert and traveling to Ba Sing Se episodes), which was a lot of fun. I went to UDems breakfast on Saturday morning, where I chatted briefly with Tim Kaine and saw Brian Moran speak. Saturday was also the first football game, which we won decisively. Football does nothing for me, though, so after hanging out at a tailgate with some friends, I had dinner at a nearly-empty Runk with Kathryn, and then we headed back to my dorm room to study and watch Tangled (yes, again. Kathryn hadn't seen it, okay?). Today I had an impromptu brunch with Matt, spent a lot of time in Study Camp, hosted Hillary at informal worship (so she could see what a Christian service was like), ate Chinese food, and read like nobody's business. All in all, a pretty great weekend.

Top Tens: Favorite Fictional Pairings, Or, Everything I Touch Turns to Shipping!

Note: Shipping, for those of you not in the know, is internet lingo for supporting a romantic relationship between two characters. It is derived from the word relationship. A shipper is a fan of a certain pairing, a ship is the couple in question, and the adjective shippy might describe the interactions of a romantic or a perceived romantic nature that this couple have. Having practically lived on the internet for much of the past ten years, I will use this terminology from time to time.

For someone who has always been single, I am surprisingly enthusiastic about romantic relationships between fictional couples. Maybe I like to live vicariously through my favorite characters, or it enables me to continue to hopelessly idealize future partners and set unreasonable expectations for them (heh). Whatever the case, I love shipping. I love it to the point that whenever I pick up a new work of fiction, I almost immediately start pairing off the characters. I look for signs of who will be paired off with who, and why, and how, and whether it will be a long, drawn-out process (it usually is, and if it isn't it often means something bad will happen to the couple in question). There are certain romantic tropes that are especially appealing to me. Bickering couples, longtime friendship that blossoms into love, opposites attract, and Unrequited Love Switcheroos are all storytelling devices almost guaranteed to keep me interested. If they're accompanied by a few longing gazes and some witty banter, that's just icing on the cake. Here are my top ten fictional couples. It was very hard to narrow down my list, so I will also mention some couples that I was thisclose to including.

 

10. Logan Echolls and Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

Logan and Veronica are a special case for me. They aren't the kind of characters I normally put together, and honestly I didn't even like Logan until his feelings for Veronica were in full bloom. I'm not impressed by bad boys at all; Logan isn't exactly a bad boy exactly, but he's certainly edgier than all of Veronica's other romantic interests. There are also some problematic elements to their relationship; in the pilot, Logan was smashing Veronica's headlights and calling her nasty names. It could just be that the writers didn't know where they were going with his character at that point, but it's something that ought to be discussed nonetheless. Veronica, however, is not a meek or submissive kind of girl, and it quickly becomes apparent that she and Logan are attracted to one another, stemming from their one-time friendship, and continuing throughout Veronica's time as Neptune High's social outcast. By the middle of the first season, they're friendlier to one another, and the UST quotient is through the roof. They begin displaying the traits that make me like them as a couple so much; Logan is incredibly protective of Veronica, and will go out of his way to keep her from harm, while Veronica is Logan's emotional rock, helping him process his mother's death. It all comes to a head in the most glorious way, and while I wasn't happy that the writers chose to go the on-again, off-again route with them, I was thrilled that they got together. They have an undeniable chemistry, and their relationship is one of my favorite parts of Veronica Mars.

 

9. Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation) 

Ah, the first of my two political couples. Leslie and Ben represent the geekier, more comedic side of the political romance coin. I love how they gradually come to accept one another, and then let acceptance blossom into something more. They're sweet, funny (oh my goodness, the butt-dialing reveal was hilarious), and just generally perfect for each other. There's not much more too it to that, but they make me happy and I can't wait to see how things go in season four! 

 

8. Michael Moscovitz and Mia Thermopolis (The Princess Diaries)

When I was in junior high and high school, I was obsessed with The Princess Diaries (the books by Meg Cabot, not the Disney adaptation, which is cute but not nearly as good). The first three books especially are centered on the development of the Michael/Mia relationship. Michael was pretty much my ideal fictional boyfriend; he was sweet, mature, kind-hearted, funny, attractive, and very, very nerdy. Mia's growing feelings for Michael were adorable and relatable. They worked very well together, too; is there anything cuter than a first date spent watching Star Wars and quoting Han and Leia (see below) back at one another? I think not. The picture, by the way, is taken from a piece of fanart drawn by an artist who calls herself burdge_bug on the internet.

Other Cabot-verse couples I enjoy: Jenny Greenley and Scott Bennett (Teen Idol), Samantha Madison and David (All-American Girl), Ellie Harrison and Will Wagner (Avalon High).

 

7. Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert (The Office)

Seriously, who doesn't love them? I've said it before, but it bears repeating: they were so flippin' adorable in the early years, before they got together. They're still cute now. I've really enjoyed seeing their relationship progress, from friends longing for something more, to a married couple with one child and another on the way. In many ways the heart and soul of The Office, Jim and Pam will always be a favorite pairing of mine.

Other Office couples I enjoy: Michael and Holly, Erin and Andy.

 

6. Zuko and Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Zuko and Katara are the one couple on my list that never happened in canon. Zuko ended up with Mai and Katara ended up with Aang. I can accept the former gracefully enough, and while I'm still not thrilled about Kataang, I'll live with it. However, even after having seen the entire series at least twice, I persist in believing that Zuko and Katara would have made a more compelling pairing. They had a great dynamic, at once opposites-attract (fire and water) and brought together through similar experience (each losing their mother through the Fire Nation). Their connection was utterly fascinating. Watching them evolve from enemies to (on Katara's part) reluctant allies to close friends, a romantic relationship seemed like the next natural step. 

I know Mike and Bryan had planned an Aang-Katara romance from the very beginning, and any Zutara tension stemmed from Ship Tease and not any serious hints, but I think the teasing worked a little too well. When Zuko and Katara had their moment of understanding in Ba Sing Se, I saw chemistry. When Katara was furious with Zuko for his initial betrayal, her hurt seemed like that of a spurned lover. When Zuko tried desperately to get Katara to forgive him, including waiting outside her tent all night and asking Sokka for advice, it played like a boyfriend or love interest wanting his significant other back more than anything. When they worked together, when she finally accepted him into the Gaang, when she hugged him (see picture), I couldn't help but root for them as a couple. And oh Lord, the finale. Katara turns to Zuko in a crisis. She's the one he looks to for reassurance when he's afraid to see Uncle Iroh again. It's Katara Zuko chooses to help him take Azula down, and it's Katara he freaking takes a bolt of lightning for when Azula uses underhanded tactics. Their interaction in the aftermath of the Agni Kai is just screaming for romantic resolution, and instead Katara goes and makes out with a twelve-year-old. Ugh. Like I said, I'll live with it. Maybe Katara and Aang went one to make a lovely couple, despite the fact that she acted like his mother for the entire series, and any romantic attraction was 95% on Aang's side (sorry, Katara ending up with Aang was such wish fulfillment it makes me want to roll my eyes). They have cute grandkids in Legend of Korra, at any rate. But I'll always wonder about what could have (and should have) been, and I know I'm not alone.

Other Avatar couples I enjoy: Suki and Sokka; I like the idea of Korra and Mako in Legend of Korra, but reserve the right to change my mind, since all I have to go on at this point is one trailer, the Comic Con presentation, and their character designs.

 

5. Josh Lyman and Donna Moss (The West Wing)

I am so glad I didn't have to wait seven years to see this relationship play out (having watched the entire series roughly over the course of my freshman year in high school). Josh and Donna weren't originally intended to be together, but Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney had such great chemistry Aaron Sorkin decided to abandon the Mandy character and ramp up the UST. They bantered and sometimes made fun of each other, but beneath it all there was a fierce loyalty and a deep devotion. Even when they dated other people, their mutual attraction was clear. It was a joy and sometimes a frustration to see their love develop (and develop and develop) and finally come to fruition in the final season. While I would have liked to see how Sorkin would have handled Josh and Donna as a couple, I'm nevertheless very pleased with the moments we do have. There is so much I love about this pairing; Josh's note to Donna in "In Excelsis Deo," their hug, and him watching her read it, Donna's utter heartbreak when she thinks Josh might die, their not-anniversary in "Seventeen People," the cute snowball scene in "Inauguration: Over There," their wonderful first kiss in "The Cold," and the way they help each other through Leo's passing in "Election Day, Part Two" are just a few of the many moments that make Josh and Donna my favorite political couple.

Other West Wing couples I enjoy: CJ and Danny, Charlie and Zoey, Jed and Abbey, and (unfortunately never realized) Sam and Ainsley.

 

4. Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo (Star Wars)

Pretty much my all-time favorite movie couple. They bicker and they're sidekicks who fall in love, so obviously I ship them. No matter what I'm doing, every time The Empire Strikes Back is on, I have to watch the scene where they kiss for the first time. Their chemistry is amazing, and after all the tension that has been building up throughout the movie, it is thrilling to see them come together. Han is a roguish Jerk with a Heart of Gold, and Leia is a passionate, no-nonsense kind of woman; when you put them together, the sparks just fly. Yet they work remarkably well as a couple, too; notice Han's transformation from a devil-may-care mercenary in A New Hope to a lovable rogue with a Leia-sized soft spot in Return of the Jedi. Not to mention Leia's fluster in The Empire Strikes Back; normally she's so collected, but Han can make her lose control. Plus, they have some of the best exchanges of any characters in the series. Observe:

Leia: Into the garbage chute, flyboy!
Han: Wonderful girl! Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her!

Leia: Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerfherder!
Han: Who's scruffy-looking?

Han: You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There aren't enough scoundrels in your life.
Leia: I happen to like nice men.
Han: I'm a nice man.
Leia: No, you're not, you're - (They kiss.)

And of course, the perennial favorite (and its reversal in Return of the Jedi):
Leia: I love you!
Han: I know.

How on earth does anyone not like these two together?

 

3. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

"In vain I have struggled! It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

A great example of dynamic characterization and relationship building, Darcy and Lizzy represent one of the best-loved romances in all of literature. From "She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me!" to "dearest, loveliest Elizabeth," we see our protagonists overcome the eponymous pride and prejudice and become better people for it. I love watching their feelings change over the course of the book; just compare the first and second proposals and see how far they've come in just a matter of months. Oh so satisfying. Plus, Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth bring the characters to life so perfectly that I always picture them as I read. Basically, they go from this to this, and that is why I love them.

Other Austenverse couples I enjoy: Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey), Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley (Emma)

 

2. Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables)

If you've been reading my blog over the summer, you know how much I love Anne of Green Gables. Naturally, I love Gilbert and his relationship with Anne right along with it. In Anne of the Island, Gilbert tells Anne he's loved her since the day she broke her slate over his head. Well, that says everything right there, doesn't it? I will say I was furious with Anne when she refused him the first time around, but she needed to learn a valuable lesson about what love really is, and if she'd said yes right away, we wouldn't have gotten the beautiful and very sad scene where she keeps vigil all night because she thinks Gilbert is dying. Nor did their story get less interesting after they got married. I've always thought Anne's House of Dreams would make a compelling film, not least because of the heart-wrenching chapter where their first baby dies almost immediately after she's born. They go on to have six more children (!), and by the end of Rilla of Ingleside are still just as in love as ever. One of my favorite things about this relationship is how much Gilbert loves Anne; he's described as "worship[ing] the ground she walks on" at one point, and he tells her he couldn't make himself give up on her even after she turned down his first proposal. Aww. I love how they challenge each other in the early books, and how they never lose their spark even after they put aside their differences. They're a fantastic couple; I read their scenes over and over again.

 

1. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)

My favorite couple in the history of everything ever. Anyone who knows me knows I love Harry Potter (understatement of the century). When I was obsessively waiting for all the books to come out, the storyline I was most invested in was Harry's and how he came to defeat Voldemort. The storyline I was second most invested in was Ron and Hermione's romance. Ever since I read a J.K. Rowling interview back in 2001 explaining that there was "something going on" between them, I couldn't wait for them to get together. They are the reason I like bickering couples and sidekick romances so much. I love everything about them: their wonderful, UST-laden dynamic, the symbolism inherent in their being a pureblood and a Muggle-born in love, that Hermione makes the first move and it's because of the house-elves, that they affect one another in ways no one else can, that they argue because they enjoy it, everything. I had to wait over six years between when I read Goblet of Fire to when they finally got together in Deathly Hallows, but once they did, I wouldn't have it any other way. Ron and Hermione make me happy.

I used a drawing by fanartist Marta Tieves because her Ron and Hermione are almost exactly how I picture them. While I'm sure Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are lovely people, they're just not Ron and Hermione to me.

Other Potter couples I enjoy: Harry and Ginny, Molly and Arthur, Remus and Tonks, Lily and James, and a somewhat fleeting affection for Neville and Luna, although I'm perfectly fine with them marrying other people eventually, as JKR said they did.

That's the list! Here are my honorable mentions:
- Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable (Kim Possible)
- Vicky Austin and Adam Eddington (A Ring of Endless Light); I also love Meg Murry and Calvin O'Keefe from A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels.
- Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)
- Rapunzel and Flynn Rider Eugene Fitzherbert (Tangled)
- Alfredo Linguini and Colette Tatou (Ratatouille)
- Carl and Ellie Fredricksen (Up)

Entertainment 2011: August 1 - August 31

Movies:
The Kids Are All Right (1st viewing)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (7th viewing)
Howl's Moving Castle (1st viewing)
Fiddler on the Roof (1st viewing)
Tangled (10th viewing)
Anne of Green Gables (1934) (1st viewing)
Anne of Avonlea (1975 BBC miniseries)

Books:
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1st read)
Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot (1st read)

Making Lemonade

I am mathematically challenged. Humanities? Fine. Social sciences? I'm a government major; half of all my classes are within the realm of social science. I'm even halfway decent at biology. Math is my downfall. I can do well in it if I really have the time and energy to study, but I'm taking eighteen credits this semester. Still, on Monday, I thought I was following my calculus lecture pretty well. This morning, however, we had our first weekly quiz. There were only two problems, thank goodness, but I was lost on both of them. I think I was able to figure the second one out eventually; the first one distressed me almost to tears. I will have plenty of opportunity to earn higher quiz grades throughout the semester, but I felt really down as I left class. I wanted to do well in calculus despite being my difficulties with math, and now I'm not so sure I will.

Well, life had handed me some lemons this morning. I went up to my dorm and vented to Sara for a few minutes, then ended up having to power walk to my history class because I spent too much time reading political blogs. Oops. Suffice to say, this was not turning out to be a particularly good day.

Surprisingly, my afternoon went fairly well. I delivered some goodie bags to my PMP mentees, and ended up getting a nice look at the inside of Watson-Webb, one of the new dormitories out on Alderman Road. Let me tell you, as much as I am a Brownie through and through, I was slightly envious of the firsties and their gorgeous new building. I am particularly envious of their lounges, complete with stylish, brand-new furniture and flat-screen televisions. The rooms in Brown still have way more space, though. Oh, and obviously the people are cooler, haha.

Then I had a good history discussion. We had to write discussion questions based on this week's reading, and my T.A. sent me an email complimenting me on mine. It was also one of the most active discussion sections I've been in, and now Matt is in it, too. I hope it continues to be this good!

Dinner was actually decent tonight; I had an egg salad sandwich and an interesting salad comprised of lettuce, potatoes, onions, and Dijon mustard. I went to PMP training, hung out with Sara, and went to the gym, where the TVs were tuned to a Red Sox game on ESPN. I'm a casual baseball fan, but I love the Red Sox. They are, always have been, and always will be my team. Red Sox love is a family legacy; my great-grandfather passed it to my grandmother, who passed it to my dad, who passed it to me (and ostensibly Josh). I notice a male-female pattern here, which means of course that I am destined to have a son who will be a diehard Red Sox fan (though any self-respecting daughter of mine will also love the Sox, no ifs, ands, or buts). I digress; anyway, there was a game on TV, I watched it as I ran on the treadmill, and then when I was recovering from my run, I intently took in the top of the ninth - and savored a Red Sox victory. Against the Yankees. Yeah, even an absolutely terrible day would be pretty darn good after that.

Prayer partner breakfast and study abroad meeting tomorrow! Let's see if I can get a great week out of the deal.