iTouch!!!!!

Wow... I didn't see that one coming!

I had just come home from babysitting when my parents said they wanted to 'talk to me' and sat down on the couch. I thought i was in trouble or something, although I can't imagine what for... (halo appears over head)

It turns out i wasn't in trouble after all! My parents decided that, as a reward for my decent grades last year/incentive to not screw up in high school they woul give me an iPod touch!!

Actually, I just typed this post on the iPod, which is harder than it looks! I keep hitting the 'v' button instead of the space key. -_-

Oh well... I'll be sure to get lots of practice!

In other news- my only summer homework is to read a fiction book that's either scifi, fantasy, western or mystery. Unfortunatly, all I've been reading this summer is realistic fiction books. So I looked around my house and finally found one of my dads old books called A Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy. I'm about 1/3 of the way thru and it hasn't even been 24 hours yet! It's about a man named Arthur Dent, and he lives on earth. Unfortunatly, some aliens decide that earth is in the way, so they blow it up- killing the enire human race. Lucky for Arthur, his best friend is an alien visiting earth, and he manages to save Arthur from being blown to bits! It's also very funny, an has random passages giving advice about how to survive while hitchhiking through the universe (it's highly recomended to always carry a towl.)

The End

It's that time of year again.  There's just the right amount of days until school starts to make you realize that what seemed like an eternity of freedom is finally coming to an end.  Remember how, in the middle of July, we were all sick of sitting around in the heat all day with nothing to do?  Now all of a sudden everyone's running around and trying to cram as much fun as they can into what's left of summer.  No one can explain why that is, but we all know it happens every year.  It feels as if someone took a giant remote and pressed 'fast forward' on our lives and the past few weeks have just flown by.  Like that movie they sell in the check out line at giant about the guy who can put his wife on mute with that funny looking blue remote (Click)  -_- You know what?  I bet Mike Myers is in that, I have a gut feeling... (googles) Dang!  It was Adam Sandler.  Oh well, same thing right?

I don't know about you, but I'm having mixed feelings about it.  No, no, not the creepy Adam Sandler movie, we're past that now! I mean about starting school and everything.  On one hand, it's really nice not to have to worry about tests, homework and school related stuff.  On the other hand, it's really nice to see all my friends every day at school.  Plus it'll get me out of the house and I know my parents are secretly looking forward to that.  On another hand (octopus!!) with school comes all the school related social drama such as dating, cliques, gossip, guys who ask you to a dance and then refuse to talk to you but the next day in school have the nerve to chat you up in math class like nothing ever happened... I could go on.

It's not like I've had a particularly terrible summer or anything, but it wasn't all that great either.  I have my reasons.  There have been days where I wish with all my heart that I could just get up the next morning and go to school.  But there have also been days where I just think to myself at night lying in bed, "I wish every day could be as perfect as this one was."  I guess thats all part of growing up, or something. :P

I'm going to be starting high school next year, and that makes starting school all the more intimidating.  I'm really excited about it actually.  It's just that I'm not sure if I'll like it.  I'm going into it with a positive outlook, but if one person tries to stuff me in a locker I think I'll have an emotional breakdown.  You hear this all the time, but people say that high school will either be the best or worst 4 years of your life.  You hear people reminiscing about how they wish they could be young again and back in high school, but  you also hear horror stories of kids getting bullied and having no friends and lots of terrible things.  I'm not saying I'm afraid I'll get beat up every day, but I just hope I'll have a good group of friends and no one that particularly bothers me.

Just one more thing- don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened :) (unless it's an Adam Sandler movie, then you do the opposite)

SPOILER ALERT: INCEPTION

Just a warning, I would really not recommend you read this if you haven't seen Inception.  Obviously I can't stop you but this would defiantly ruin the movie for you.

If you have seen the movie, after reading comment and tell me what you thought!

But 1st... the quote :)

Arthur: Quick, give me a kiss! 
[She kisses him and then looks around] 
Ariadne: They're still looking at us. 
Arthur: Yeah, it was worth a shot. 


First off you should know, I have seen this movie twice.  What kind of surprises me is that everyone I know who has seen it once has said that they don't understand it.  That surprises me because (and I'm not bragging- I'm just telling it like it is) for the most part I understood it.  I left the theater in what I can only describe as a state of awe.  Basically, what was running through my head was the average teen girl reaction: "I'm not dreaming, am I?" and "Joseph Gordon-Levitt is SOOOOOO cute!!" 


Then I thought about it some more.  Mainly I thought about Mal (the wife), and why she was convinced that 'reality' was just another level of limbo.  Also, how was Cobb so sure of what was reality and what was a dream?  Well, think of it this way.  Are you dreaming right now?  Are you sure?  There's your answer.  Have you ever asked yourself that in a dream?  I'm thinking the answer is no.  You see, Mal was just as sure of reality as Cob was when they both lived in it.  Her grasp on reality only changed because Cob preformed inception on her while they were in limbo together.

Another thing I realized the second time through was the elevators, which were a visual metaphor for the levels of dreams.  (I know I know, over-analyzation much?  But I'm really proud of that one!)  I realized this when, in the fourth level of the dream that Cobb and Ariadne entered, they went up an elevator to get to Mel.  There's also the elevator in the zero-gravity hotel in level two, and the one in Cobb's dream about Mel.  The elevators were illustrating the minds of the dreamers as they descended into the different levels of the dreams the created.  Impressed, Christopher Nolan?

Remember Cobb's two kids, James and Phillipa?  I recently read an interview with the costume designer from the movie, and he said that the kids outfits are different than the in the beginning of the movie and the last scene.  Does that change anything?  Since I just found that out I'm still trying to figure it out. Any ideas?

I've decided to end this post sort of the same way Inception ended- giving you something kind of deep to think about.  Think back to the scene where Cobb takes Ariadne into a dream for the first time.  They're sitting in a cafe and Cobb explains to her that they're in a dream, and they know this because they can't remember how they got there.  Now I throw you this curveball: how did you get here?  By that I don't mean, how did you get in front of the computer where your reading this now. But think back to your earliest memory of life.  How did you get there?  Since it's your earliest memory, you don't remember...

My Favorite Things (and Some Less-Desirable Ones Too)

You know that song from The Sound Of Music? 

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

Silver white winters that melt into springs

These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites

When the bee stings

When I'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don't feel so bad

Thats the cutest song in the world!! <3 Yes, there is a reason why I just typed all that out.  This blog today is going to be about all of my favorite things! And to throw in a little variety, I'm also going to tell you about my least favorite things too.  Here I go!  I'll do my least favorites first because if I do them second it will become a major buzz kill.

My Least Favorite Things In The Whole Wide World (in no particular order)

1) Old Bay Seasoning

2) Scary Movies

3) Math Tests

4) When people talk about me behind my back

5) Braces

6) Seafood

7) Parents who are mean to their children

8) People who are mean to Obama

9) Taking the ornaments off the Christmas tree

10) Funky smelling sunscreen

11) Going shopping, finding the perfect dress, then finding it's $180 and no one is going to get it for you

My Favorite Things In The Whole Wide World! (in no particular order)

1) Walking barefoot on the beach in the squishy sand by the water

2) Pesto Scrambled Eggs (as of 2 minutes ago- yum!)

3) Broadway musicals

4) The dancing scene from Napoleon Dynamite

5) Listening to someone play acoustic guitar

6) My friends

7) The tilt-a-whirl ride at the carnival

8) When someone playfully puts my hair behind my ears

9) The chimney sweep scene in Mary Poppins

10) Getting a funny fortune in a fortune cookie

11) Music that moves me to tears

12) The wedding scene in the 2010 season finale of Dr Who

13) The feeling you get when you've been shopping for ages and finally find the perfect dress

14) Jukeboxes

15) Wishing on a shooting star

16) Snow days

17) Holding hands and skipping

18) Decorating the Christmas Tree

19) When people give you their french fries at lunch

20) Happy endings in real life

What are your favorite or least favorite things?  Comment and let me know! :)

More Advice from Fiction!

An 80s love song plays in my headphones.  I sit on my bed and open my laptop, wondering at what great literal work I'll crank out this time.


So I think...
... and think
... and think some more


And then I say to myself- hey I know!


Sue: High school is a caste system. Kids fall into certain slots. Your jocks and your popular kids up in the penthouse. The invisibles and the kids playing live-action out in the forest: bottom floor. 
Will: And... where do the Glee kids lie? 
Sue: Subbasement. 


So in case you couldn't tell... this blog is going to be another 'fiction list' (see "They're Better In Fiction") only this time- about HIGH SCHOOL!  But I guess I should clarify something- this list isn't going to have any books in it because I find in most cases there are more people that have seen a specific movie/TV show than read a specific book.


So here I go!


1) If you are in your school's glee club, and there is a slushee machine somewhere on campus, always wear a raincoat. (Glee)


2) If your an egotistical jock, people will like you even more than usual if whenever you say your name you put your fists in the air and shout your name to the world.  "STEVE HOLT!" (Arrested Development)

3) "Live every day as if you might suddenly be hit by a school bus" (from Roger Eberts review of Mean Girls)

4) Rooftop gardens, though completely unheard of in most high schools, are very romantic. (High School Musical)

5) When running for class president, always promise the student body that you will make their wildest dreams come true (Napoleon Dynamite)

6) If Tina Fey is your physics teacher and you have Justin Bieber hair she will probably be attracted to you (SNL)


7) A few well deserved prank calls to your mean principal in senior year never hurt anyone! (Ferris Buhler's Day Off)


8) If you don't feel like going to school, just tell your dad that you have the day off because it's "Help Your Daddy Follow His Dreams Day" (Arrested Development)


9) If you are a teenage film executive, some intern will happily write your english report for you. (Arrested Development)


10) Moon boots are the coolest thing you can wear (Napoleon Dynamite)


Coming soon... how to ask a girl out: The Fiction List 3!

Don't Be So Sure...

A few weeks ago while I was at the library loading up on my usual rom-com books, I decided to go over to the non-fiction area. I told myself I had to get at least 1 book from there and actually read it.  And guess what? I succeeded!  Aren't you proud of me?

Well don't hold your breath... the book I chose was called "I'm With Stupid" and it was written by a guy and a girl who didn't know each other (they were set up by their publisher) sending emails back and forth discussing the phycological differences between men and women.  The girl was a PhD with an undergraduate in feminism (thats possible?) and the guy was a humor columnist.  Interesting.

Anyway, in chapter 3 there was a quiz titled "Are You Male or Female? Don't Be So Sure..." A multiple choice quiz to determine whether you are male or female.  I've decided to put the quiz on my blog for you to take yourself!  I'll tell you later what I scored... (note: I made a few adjustments and I don't own this book or their intellectual property at all... blah blah blah please don't sure me!)

Be sure to write down your answers!  And you can't choose more than one per question or it doesn't work.

1) You might drive your car 100 mph if...
a) A passenger was bleeding to death and had to get to the hospital
b) You were being pursued by a serial killer
c) You were drunk
d) It was a rental car

2) You are at a dinner party, and after using the toilet, you discover that there is no toilet paper to be found.  You...
a) Use a tissue and mention this to the hostess so no one else will be inconvenienced
b) Use a tissue then go and search the house for TP
c) Leave as though nothing happened and waddle to another bathroom
d) What's toilet paper?

3) Someone tells you that you are fat. This makes you feel...
a) Suicidal
b) Awful
c) Fat
d) Feel?

4) You are set up on a blind date with someone your friend describes as having a "terrific sense of humor". What goes through your head?
a) "I hope I'll understand all their jokes!"
b) "Perfect!"
c) "Uh oh!"
d) A bullet

5) You are given $5,000 to spend on a single item for your house. You pick:
a) An eighteenth century French armoire
b) A big fancy 6-burner stove
c) A sofa made of Corinthian leather
d) A TV the size of a UPS truck

6) How do you remove a coffee stain from a nice silk shirt?
a) Sodium bicarbonate and club soda
b) The dry cleaners
c) A soapy sponge
d) Windex

7) What is the best tool to clear snow off of your car?
a) Some guy
b) One of those ice-scraper brush thingies
c) Your sleeve
d) Wind

8) When filled, a cup holds a volume of 9 cubic inches. How much is that in cubic centimeters?
a) I don't know
b) I don't care
c) 148 cubic cm
d) Less than a handful

9) The Wizard of Oz would have been an even better movie if...
a) The flying monkeys were less scary
b) How dare you? It could not have been a better movie!
c) Toto was a rotweiler
d) Dorothy was played by Meagan Fox

10) Your favorite TV show has been canceled, so you...
a) Lock yourself in your room and cry
b) Feel sad about all the poor people who lost their jobs working on the show
c) I don't have a favorite TV show
d) What?!?! They canceled football????

Now give yourself 1 point for every A, two for every B, three for every C, and four for every D. The maximum is 40, and the minimum is 10.  The lower the number, the more feminine you are.

Please comment and let me know what you scored! I'm curious! :)

PS My score: 16

Fail

This is going to be a quick post... I just need to tell you about my recent failure of epic proportions.

A little while ago my dad kicked me off the computer so he could look up videos on youtube about how to grill corn.  >.<

So I went into my room and made my bed, straightened up a little, etc.  About 10 minutes later I come out and my dad is no longer at the computer.  Therefore, I assume he is outside grilling his corn with his newfound knowledge, like he said he was going to be doing after he finished with the computer.  I look out the window and think to myself "hey, it's really nice looking out!" So I decide to go outside and watch my dad grill some corn for a while.

(Yes thats how bored I've been... don't judge.)

I slip on a pair of my moms shoes because I'm too lazy to go and get mine.   So I go out the back door and shut it a little behind me, but then remember that mom is always yelling at me for letting bugs in by not shutting the door all the way.  I shut the door completely.

I then walk out and around the corner of the porch to where the grill and my dad are.  But when I get there, there is no father, and the grill isn't on or anything.  'Well that was dumb of me.' I think.  I turn and go back inside, but the door is locked.  So I go around to the front door.  That one's locked too.

Naturally, I knock.  And wait.
And wait some more.
Then I knock again.
And wait.
And notice a large poisonous looking spider sitting on the door.
And knock again, far away from Mr. Spider.
And wait.
I begin to wonder why my father would have the urge to grill corn at 10:00 on a Sunday morning in the first place.
And then I wait some more.
I realize that since mom thinks I'm in my room, she is probably assuming that the person knocking on the door is a telemarketer.
Then I realize that telemarketers are the people who call you and try to get you to buy stuff- but instead of walking around in the sunlight and fresh air they sit in an office and eat fast food while they call you and try to get your money.
I also realize that the mobile telemarketers need a name
I knock again
I wait
I decided to name them pedimarketers.

By now about 10 or 15 minutes have gone by.

Then the door opens.  It's my mother.  She looks surprised to see me, as she thought I was in my room.  She probably thought the knocking was a pedimarketer.  

"..."
"I was outside- I wanted to go see if dad was grilling."
"He's on the porch shucking corn."
"Oh."
"How long were you out there?"
"A while.  These flip flops are really comfy.  Where'd you get them?"
"(names store where they came from which I can't remember)"
"Neat."
"Ok"
"Ok"
"Come with me"

Mom proceeded to demonstrate to me how the lock on the door worked.  30 minutes of my summer vacation down the toilet.