Friday, Friday, gotta write a blog on Friday

Nerdfightin', nerdfightin', yeah...

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, onto more important matters!

What’s one habit you can never seem to break? Oh gosh... this is a close call between biting my nails and procrastination. Procrastination would have to win though... just take a look at the time all of my posts have so far been posted to know why. I'm being good tonight though, I started working on this post at around 9:30- crazy! I have always been a chronic procrastinator. I can count on one hand the number of papers that I didn't start on the day before they were due. My procrastination keeps being rewarded with good grades, so I've never really had any reason to stop except for the extreme stress it causes the night before an assignment's due. For the past four years of college, I was convinced that the procrastination would catch up with me at some point, but it never did. Well... maybe in grad school? I surprisingly didn't procrastinate that much on my thesis though, so maybe I'm getting better about it as I get older? Only time will tell I suppose!

Now to answer my own question: what Hogwart's house am I? That would

probably be Ravenclaw. Whenever I take tests I always get either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, but if I'm being honest with myself I'm more of a Ravenclaw than a Gryffindor. If we're allowed mixtures, I'd say I'm a Gryffinclaw/Ravendor, but if we're choosing just one then I'm a Ravenclaw. (And proud of it! I don't want my ambivalent house characteristics to come off as being unenthusiastic about my house.)

If money were no object... I would spend all my time learning foreign languages and travelling to the areas where they're spoken. Once I became happy with my proficiency in one language, I would move to another country and learn a new language. It would be wonderful. After learning a good amount of languages, I would probably want to settle down again, but I don't think that would be for a while. This hypothetical life sounds so appealing to me- yes, please.

So... what's up with me? I would be hard pressed to think of a better week to have been our free week because I have some really exciting things to share! Well, first, which you guys already know, my thesis is over so I got to have a fun weekend of post-thesis/late birthday celebration with some of my best friends who came to visit and others who live here.

The first piece of exciting news (I'm saving the best for last) is that I have an official summer job now! I knew that I'd be working in my psychology lab this summer, but nothing was official and I didn't know how much I'd be working and for how much. I talked with my lab advisor today and I'm going to be working 40-hour weeks this summer.... whoa. My first full-time job. Even if it is just for a summer, I'm starting to actually feel... like an adult? Besides working in a lab doing studies that I'm really interested in, the good thing about this is that I'll be making good money. And that money will come in really handy for my second piece of exciting news...

I should actually preface this by explaining that in December I applied to be an English assistant in France. I don't think I told you guys about this yet (or maybe I did, it's one of those things that I've shared with so many people that I've lost track...) and it's pretty integral to the whole excitement portion of this story. So. I applied to help teach English in a French school. Short explanation: it's a program through the French government where they take Americans under 30 and place them in French schools to help teach English to the students. It entails helping with American pronunciation, teaching American culture, just helping cross-cultural ties in general. Okay, back to the present, I just found out on Monday... that I got in!!!!! I'm going to be living in France next year, guys!! I'll be moving in mid-September and I'll be there for 7-9 months. I'm going to be living in Lille. I took the liberty of drawing you all this lovely, explanatory picture:

That's where I'm going to be living next year! And you lucky people get to read all about my move in *counts on fingers* five month's time! Notice the proximity to Paris, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany- that's why I requested Lille! Strasbourg was my first choice, but Lille was my second and I'm really happy with it. I was technically placed in the Académie de Lille, which is an academic district. I don't yet know what town I'll actually be in, so I could end up being placed in the middle of the country. I'm hoping that I get placed within 45 minutes of the actually city of Lille so that I can just commute to my school. We only work 12-15 hours a week in the program, so I'll have to find ways to fill my copious free time. I'm hoping to find good German classes (which I think is very realistic, I mean look at the map!) so that I can continue learning and I don't forget all the German I learned this semester. (Oh, it would help to know that I started taking German this semester, just for fun. Und es macht viel Spaß!)

So that's what's up with me! I've been riding pretty high this week on the news about France. I'm still in the extremely-excited phase, which will probably give way to the really-terrified phase in a few months, but right now I'm happpyyyy.

I also have to go back to when I mentioned that I wasn't procrastinating on this post and had started working on it at 9:30 tonight- that was entirely true. You may be wondering, then, why this was not posted until around 11:45. That would be due to my bff who entertained me tonight with three drunk dials in the span of about 1.5 hours. The funny thing is that each time he called me back, he made absolutely no mention of that fact that he'd already talked to me. I also wanted to share with you guys this fact that makes me very proud. When my friend drunk dialed me, what did he rant about for twenty straight minutes? Doctor Who. The main message that he relayed to me over and over was that I really, really need to rewatch season 5 because it's so different once you watch it knowing what happens in the finale. It's practically a different season!

Cassie, I'll see you on Monday and Carlyn, I'm looking forward to your punishment! Mwuahaha.

(I also agree with Casey that more readers would be wonderful! I'll head over right now to your pants and bump up our thread with my new post.)

Rebecca Black should have made a song called "Thursday"

Alright, let's get right into this. Questions, I shall answer ye! Hogwarts House: I am a Hufflepuff. It's true that I'm probably smart enough to be a Ravenclaw (the kids in my class pick on me by calling a sponge because I can sleep in class and still do well), and I'm fairly cunning, so I could be a Slytherin. I'm not very brave, so Gryffindor's out of the question. So, while I could be Slytherin or Ravenclaw, I really wouldn't want to pinhole myself into those areas. Hufflepuff seems like it's a house of the most diverse people. Really, the only thing we share in common with each other is that we are loyal to our friends, and will fight for what we believe (witness: Battle of Hogwarts). Also, I'm sorta lazy (i.e. very lazy) so Hufflepuff seems like a good house to be in. Also, they have the best parties :). Internet: My favorite thing about the internet is the Rick Roll. No, seriously. The guy looks like a total dweeb (how long since you've heard that word?) but has the voice of an angel (a rugged manly angel). Although really, I'm in love with just about any internet meme. I love Peanut Butter Jelly, The Llama Song, Badger Badger, and Numa Numa, plus all the others. I picture myself as a budding pop-culturist and internet culture is one of my favorite subdivision of pop culture. Not only do you have Vlogbrothers, Rhett and Link, Tobuscus, and sxephil, but you've also got the anonymous people who make videos that go viral because they are so annoying. I love that. I think that if Charlie Bit My Finger can get big, so can the video of my spasming finger that I filmed after a really late night (though I have yet to actually post this anywhere). And now, for the main event! Because I've been given license to talk about anything, I think I might rant for a little bit. Really, government, you're not going to pay your workers? You have senators making hundreds of thousands of dollars, but you can't figure out a budget to pay your military and DoD employees? I'm in the Army (well, National Guard), so I'm going to feel this lack of pay come April 15th. What about those soldiers overseas who have husbands and wives back home who live off of that government paycheck? I know that I'm going to have problems paying my bills, and all I have is rent, car, insurance, and phone bill. I don't have to support a spouse or children, just my lazy self. And without a budget, the first people to not get paid are going to be the civilians who work for the DoD, and they will likely not come to work without their pay, and believe me when I tell you that it's going to be really hard to work any sort of Army base without civilians. Even something as simple as getting food from the dining facility or going to class for either Advanced Individual Training (AIT) or language training like I'm currently receiving will become a big issue. Would you go to work if you weren't getting paid? Truth is, I'm really worried about the future and this issue is not helping it out. I don't want to worry about not being able to pay my bills when I'd rather worry about whether Apple is going to eventually make a Squib and soon pull a Ken Castle from Gamer and remove free will through the use of nanobots. Also, one of the things that pisses me off like none other is people who protest funerals. Especially the funerals of those who died serving their country. I was at AIT when I heard about the Marine whose funeral was disturbed by picketing bigots from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, and the only word I can use to describe my reaction is outraged. It was only after doing some research (like, five minutes on Google to be completely honest with you) that I found out that the group protesting that funeral also hounds other military funerals because they believe God is punishing them for belonging to a military that allows gay people entry under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Really? It's not enought to be protesting a funeral, one of the most sacred rites humans perform dating to the cave man era, but you're protesting it because you don't like gay people? Please tell me that you want to drive down to Kansas right now and slap the leader of this group silly, because I know I do. Everything I read about this just makes my blood boil more, and pretty soon I'm going to be mad enough to punch a baby. These people are the reason I don't follow believe in Christianity (or any other religion for that matter) anymore. I believe in God, but I don't believe in people doing completely horrible things to their fellow man in order to please him, because if I were him (and in a way I am, after all, my God is based on my personal beliefs) I'd judge people on whether they were worthy of heaven or not based on how they treat their fellow humans (oh wait, isn't that already a Christian doctrine? Judge not, lest ye be judged?). But yeah, not only is this group from Kansas giving God a bad name, but they are trying to demean gay rights and the rights of human beings to be properly interned. So, Westboro Baptist Church, I promised myself I wouldn't swear on this blog so as to make it family-friendly, but I shall tell you that I hope there is a very special place in Hell for you (with the pedophiles and people who talk at the theater). Okay, rants over. Can't wait to see you next week. Christina, can't wait to see you tomorrow. Peace and Penguins. We really need to find a way to get the word out about this blog, because while 9 followers are great, we'd like to find more Nerdfighters who like to read what we are thinking :).

It's Wednesday Somewhere!

::drops to knees in despair:: I have let procrastination get the better of me!! Forgive me, friends. I submit myself to your punishment.

In the meantime, though, here’s a post for you : )

Casey, your tattoo sounds. AWESOME. Mine are all pretty (read: really) nerdy and awesome, but not quite as bad-ass as yours.

Christina, CONGRATS on the thesis-turning-in!!

As for my Hogwarts house, I’m a bit of a Ravenclaw. Not as drastically as Cassie, but the fact remains. I’m a student through and through (though I also hold our current education system in pretty high disdain).

What’s up, you ask? A few things. Right now, I’m doing my first-ever acting with my university’s directing classes (the students need someone to practice directing!), and I’m having a really super good time with it. My co-actor is really easy to work with, and my director is energetic and enthusiastic and a very good communicator. It’s sheer joy so far.

This next bit will sound repetitive, but I assure you, it is really quite unprecedented. More guy things. Seriously, mere hours after this collaboration project started, I started accumulating all this middle-school-ish drama. Anyway… In my town, there’s a very special Dairy Queen lovingly dubbed “Dirty Dairy Queen” because it’s almost never cleaned. The small Blizzard is big enough to keep you full for hours. Ok, enough advertisement… Long story short, one of the ice cream guys flirts with me outrageously every time I go in, and has for some time. Last week, in a completely uncharacteristic display of ballsiness, I left him my number. He texted me shortly, with more winky faces than should really ever be included in text messages. And then he dropped the “girlfriend bomb.” I was a bit dumbfounded, but more annoyed than anything. Don’t send a girl winky faces unless you mean it!

Academics-wise, all my classes have been quickly gaining momentum into the Final Projects Phase of My Undergraduate Career. My professional editing class has an enormous portfolio due before the end of things. I’m in two psychology lab courses, each of which has a gigantic final project and poster presentation, and I’m also a research assistant for two more psych labs (run by graduate students and faculty). Those have been pretty quiet lately, but I fear that they’ll liven up as soon as I think I have free time.

When I’m not acting, flirting unwittingly with taken men, and conducting research, I’m trying to catch up on my Netflix. I’m halfway through season 4 of Futurama, which I think may be one of the best shows of all time. After watching the whole season of Firefly, I’m forcing myself to wait a looong time to watch Serenity, so as to prolong my high level of Browncoat delight. And tonight, I discovered Shaun the Sheep! It’s a claymation series (by the creators of Wallace and Gromit, if that rings a bell) about a sheep named Shaun. It sounds really stupid, but I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Season 1 is streaming; watch it if you get a chance!

Also, today I got to do something that I've always wanted to do: I played in a bell choir! I've always admired bell choirs, but never thought I'd get a chance. But a certain member of our collaboration (gestures inconspicuously at Cassie) invited me to join hers for an evening, and it was SO COOL. It's just as much fun as I always thought it'd be. (Thanks, Cassie!!)

And the last question! What would I do with my life if money were no object… I’d learn everything I could about things I don’t even know exist yet. I’d learn to fix cars, mine coal, play the theremin, program computers, ride horses, breed guppies, style hair, conduct surgery, fence, operate factory machinery, design perfume… anything I could get my hands on. I’d be a Renaissance woman. And it would be awesome.

Now, my question for everyone: What’s one habit you can never seem to break? Mine is nail biting. I “quit for good” about twice a year, and I’ve just fallen off the wagon again. I guess that means it's April : )

See ya tomorrow (today!), Casey!

Týr's Day

Hope you are all having a nice April. Prepare for showers.

My favorite thing about the internet is just the ability to communicate with people over huge spans of distances on, really, anything. I am not overly social in real life, and those friends I do have don't have all the same interests as me. There's a band, Týr, named for the Norse God, that only one of my friends likes. They are Viking metal, and awesome. You should go listen to them. Point is, craving some Týr, I can easily find a chat about them on a metal forum, maybe even a forum just for bands like those. And I can have eight of these conversations at once, in different tabs. I can be talking about my love of Cormac McCarthy in one window and my hatred of Cassandra Clare in another. It's a wonderful thing, and honestly, I consider some of the people I know only as puppygirl0x0x0 or whatever as friends.

And I am indeed a Slytherin. Though, really, I have traits of every house near equally. From Slytherin, I am cunning, ambitious, and I have a strong sense of self-preservation. From Ravenclaw, I value intelligence, wisdom, and wit. From Gryffindor, I am brave and forward with my thoughts. I don't keep silent if I think there is injustice. From Hufflepuff... well, I am loyal. Probably not much of a Hufflepuff, honestly. Still, I consider myself a Slytherin for a few reasons. The first is because I don't consider myself anything else. I am not reckless, like many a Gryffindor, and I don't value chivalry. I dropped out of university and bring to question the value of our education system, something I don't think a Ravenclaw would do - even if they didn't like their education. Slytherin, though, I don't really disagree with. I don't care for the prejudices, obviously. Mudbloods FTW! But that is not a house trait so much as one of many house members. The second is just my connection to the house. I always wanted to read the story from a pureblood's point of view. What is Wizarding culture really like? We get bits of it from the Weasleys, but they've assimilated heavily with muggle culture and we never really see as much as I'd like. My favorite characters were usually Slytherins. Lucius, Bellatrix, Voldemort, Snape, Regulus. And my inner fangirl insists that I be a Slytherin because there's not been a Malfoy out of the house, and I couldn't marry Lucius if I weren't a Slytherin, could I?

If I had to never worry about money, I don't think my life would be much different than it is now. I am a housewife and a novelist, and aside from doing some odd catering and editing jobs for extra cash, I don't do any work outside of cleaning and cooking. I might hire a maid to do the cleaning (not the cooking; I am a picky eater), but otherwise, I would still be doing very much the same as I am now. I'd probably go to Europe, too. I've been to England a fair few times (my father is British), and I've been to a few nearby nations once or twice in my life, but I'd love to go back and appreciate it more fully than I did when I was young. In particular, the art of Madrid, the bridges (and pot) of Amsterdam, and the landmarks of Germany.

So, my life right now. My life right now is wedding planning. I am getting married on August 15th (a Monday, thankfully), and so far we've only got a wedding hall and someone to marry us. Catering? Eh. Cake? We've got a couple of places? Rings, dresses, suits? Hahaha, no. Invitations? Yeah, not happening anytime soon. It's right maddening. It's mostly because Alexander (my fiance) is on medical leave with a bad back, and cannot travel. I accept this, but it can be strenuous. Still, even if I have to cook everything myself (which I wouldn't mind - I love to cook and it'd save money), as long as I am married to him, I will be happy.

I spend a great deal of my time reading and writing, as well. I write because, well, I hope to publish a novel. I have been drafting and editing this novel since I was in high school, and I feel I am near completion. I would like to see this in an agent's hand before the "end of the world" (or, in sensible terms, the end of 2012). I haven't bought many new books recently, save for Patrick Rothfuss's "Wise Man's Fear" and "Name of the Wind", because I had heard good things (they were not unwarranted - these are great books). Been getting back into the South American authors I used to really love, namely Jorge Luis Borges. "House of Asterion" is my favorite. It is the story of Theseus and the Minotaur (of the labyrinth) told from the Minotaur's POV. All of his stories are rather short, but beautifully complex. Highly recommended, particularly his collection "Ficciones". On a similar note, I keep up a fantasy/writing tumblr, Ophiucha ex Machina.

I've been cooking for my fiance and his mother a lot, since he's slowly getting back on his feet and back to work. His mother is trying (and already failing) at Weight Watchers, an endeavor I've always considered pointless, so I've been making chicken soup, mushroom-stuffed chicken breast, pear and blue cheese salad, and veggie-stuffed potatoes. I make a lot of things, and I don't eat many of them. Often, I just have a PBJ sandwich. I love to cook, but I just don't like most of what I make. Those I make it for do, and I can tell from a bite if the food is of quality, but I just don't care for it. Still, it's been fun trying new things and seeing what works. Expanding on recipes and adding different things to see how it works, or taking influence from a different culture and cuisine entirely. It helps me think about my writing as well. Even in my fantasy worlds, I can't escape my undying love of cheese. Even if it is from the breast of a dragon or fae.

Can't wait for Wednesday. <3

Monday the Fourth (In more ways than one!)

Okay, so remember what I said last week about walking? Completely negated if one of two things is true: 1 - it is colder than 25 degrees outside. 2 - it is raining and colder than, we’re gonna say, 50 degrees. Then somebody get me a ride as fast as humanly possible, please and thank you.

The above paragraph is prompted by the current weather in Ohio and the trip I just had to make from campus back to my apartment in pouring rain and leaky boots.

But now on to happier things. Questions!

My favorite thing about the internet? The communities that have formed, communities that wouldn’t have had a chance to form if this virtual place of existence wasn’t available. Nerdfighteria is a great example, of course, but it wasn’t my first online community. My first was a Harry/Ginny forum called Requiem that I was heavily involved in pre-HBP. And once I started writing fanfiction, I found a comfortable fandom niche on LiveJournal, to the point where, when I went to London two years ago, I was able to meet one of my online friends in person and spend a day with her. That’s my favorite part about the internet.

My Hogwarts house? Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw. I mean, when your reaction to getting into Ravenclaw Tower is “Oh my god, that’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever read!!!”, there’s no other real place for you to go, you know? But yes, I am exceedingly Ravenclaw, no doubt or question about it.

And now for this week’s question: So, what’s up?

Well, my world since graduating has basically boiled down to teaching my classes, prepping for my summer musical, and trying not to think about the fact that I have no idea what I’ll be doing in, oh, about four months. So, I’ll talk about those first two and go on to ignoring the last.

I work for Horizon Youth Theatre, a youth theatre production company that, up until about two years ago, was directly associated with the university. It branched off on its own, however, once its founding professor retired, and that’s when I got involved. End of spring semester 2009, my directing teacher mentioned that this group was accepting proposals for their fall show, and I was very interested, so I asked for more information.

Apart from that beginning directing class, I’d never directed anything, but I’d been involved in youth theatre pretty much my whole life, first as a performer, then as a stage manager, and I knew of a play that I’d done with my dad that I thought would work really well for Horizon. It was called Cinderella, the World’s Favorite Fairy Tale, which is essentially three one-act Cinderella stories (from China, Russia, and the Algonquin Native Americans) tied together with a series of monologues from the traditional, French, glass slipper Cinderella. It was my show against one other, and eventually, they decided I would direct mine in October, and the other girl’s would go up in February.

So I prepped and prepared and brainstormed about how to overcome the challenges in front of me (like the facts that I had no set budget, was working with a group who had only ever worked with one director before, and didn’t have an actual stage or, therefore, set), and in early September, I held my first ever actual auditions. I had 30 roles available, and I had 31 kids audition, so I squeezed the extra in. The show was a hit, and I really enjoyed working with the students, but I left the experience thinking it was probably the most I’d do with the group, since I knew they wanted to keep bringing in new directors.

But then the university went and pretty much screwed me out of graduation by failing to offer one of my required youth theatre classes my senior year. In a show of assertiveness fairly uncommon to me, I marched into the office and demanded something be done (okay, I sat down with my advisor, explained the situation and why it was the department’s fault, and together we demanded that something be done, but close enough). I and the others similarly affected were allowed to take other classes as equivalency, which is how I ended up taking an independent study in which I would be teaching a theatre class in story adaptation to 10-12-year-olds.

Which meant I had to find some. And where else would I turn but to Horizon? I ended up with a class of ten, nine of whom had done Cinderella with me. They chose to adapt Sideways Stories from Wayside School, and it was in the middle of this project that I realized it was March, and there had been no show in February. I asked one of the board members about it and was told that the other girl had pulled out, so they weren’t going to have a spring show apart from my class’s showcase, and it didn’t seem like a summer show would be happening either.

Not wanting to seem like I was offering myself a job, but wanting to give these kids the opportunity for theatre, I hesitantly told her that I’d be willing to put together a proposal for a summer show. The board agreed, and I was hired to direct The Phantom Tollbooth that June.

Now, if you’re looking for proof that I’m crazy, read this next sentence: The Phantom Tollbooth had a cast of 47 and a crew of four, so a total of 51 students participating, ages 6 to 18. Also? That was my choice. That’s how many kids auditioned, and I wanted them all to have the chance to be involved.

I stepped down a little for the show that happened during my last semester, only serving as assistant director while a friend of mine took the reigns for The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood. It was during that show that I found myself getting very possessive of Horizon. Not that I begrudge others the opportunity to step in, but I really want to make sure that when I leave, I leave them in good hands, with a new director who will care about the kids and the program as much as I do.

This year, I agreed to teach four theatre classes for them – two literary adaptation classes and two original playwriting classes (I apologize if I’m repeating myself – I’ve typed this information in so many places recently that I’m beginning to forget who I have and haven’t told). My story theatre classes are performing adaptations of The Tale of Despereaux and The Name of This Book is Secret. Of my original classes, I’ve got one play about the mystery-solving adventures of an imaginative twelve-year-old, and one about an evil scientist trying to take over the world while an elf attempts to stop her. I have 30 students altogether, about ten of whom are new to Horizon and new to theatre itself. It’s a wonderful experience, knowing that I’m helping introduce these kids to this activity. Most of them probably won’t continue much past high school, but a few might, and I like to think I might hold the place for one or two of them that my first youth theatre director holds for me.

And next week, I hold auditions for my first ever musical. We’re going an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. I’m a little nervous about it, but I know I’ve got an incredible production team working behind me, so that lightens the load a bit. I’m also really excited to cast this, so that helps, too, although I will be turning people away this time, which is hard. But this show has 36 roles and no more, and I have to adhere to that if I want to keep my sanity.

So that’s what’s up. You can safely expect to hear more about Horizon in the near future, but for now, that’s all I’ll bore you with.

As for a question: what would you do with your life if money was no object?

Alexandra, I’ll see you tomorrow!

Week 4 Central Question

Week four central question:

So, what's up?

Basically, a free blog week. Talk about your life, your philosophies, anything that you'd like to get off your chest. Just talk.

It's Friday and I'm FREEEEEE!!

Hi Girls! It's Friday, April 1st and I turned in my thesis today!! I feel so relieved and also just... odd. I spent so much time working on it and now it's just done. I won't find out what honors designation I get until April 28, the day before honors graduation. (I could get either honors, high honors, or highest honors.) I'm hoping for high honors, but I'll be very happy with just honors too! I would be extremely surprised if I got highest honors because only a couple people in the department get that every year.

And now onto the main part of the post! I've been trying to come up with stuff that surprises people about me all week and it's been surprisingly hard. I had to resort to asking my friends and they also had difficulty coming up with an answer. I think this shows that I'm a very straightforward person; I don't try to hide stuff and I generally keep stuff out there for people to see. Casey's post yesterday did help me think of a few things though! Like Casey, I have a hidden affinity for the Jonas Brothers... and really all the current Disney Channel stars. I've actually been to three of their concerts and one when Nick was touring with his solo album. It's not a big secret with my friends that I love me some Nick Jonas. It was a bit of a joke when he was still under 18, but now that he's of age they've lost at least that one thing to tease me about! I actually have a few embarrassing music secrets. It's funny that you mentioned Justin Bieber, Casey, because while I wouldn't say I'm a fan of his, I don't mind him. In fact, I actually kind of like him. Well, I'm at least willing to admit that I really like the song "Baby," I don't care what you think- it's a good song! I can feel the judgement already. Last year during finals time I needed some mindless music to just have playing in the background while I studied and wrote papers and it ended up being his two CDs. So I guess it would definitely be surprising for someone to find out that I know many of the lyrics to Justin Bieber's songs... I wasn't planning on sharing my most embarrassing secrets so early, but you guys are already getting them out of me! I don't know how you guys feel about Taylor Swift, but depending on whom you talk to, she could also be counted among my embarrassing musical tastes.

I think people are definitely surprised to hear about the musicians I secretly enjoy. At the risk of boasting, I think I generally have pretty good musical taste, so it comes as a surprise to people when they find out I also like the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, etc. Oh, I also like Demi Lovato, but I don't consider her a guilty pleasure because her music, I think, is legitimately good. She doesn't belong in the Disney label at all.

My roommate Han said that people might be surprised to find out that I'm half Jewish. My dad's side of the family is all Jewish, but I'm technically not since in Judaism religion is passed on through the mother. In some reform synagogues, though, I could be considered Jewish. She also mentioned that it might be surprising to find out I'm an only child. I don't think this is too surprising. If you meet me and then find out I'm an only child I really don't think you'd be too surprised. I'm pretty reserved when I first meet someone and not too outgoing. The outgoingness comes out when I really get to know you.

Now onto my friend Heather. She said that my morbid, sinister sense of humor is surprising. I agree that I can have a very dark sense of humor and it's a characteristic of mine that probably isn't initially apparent. Sarcasm, of course, is part of this dark sense of humor. This is probably the best answer to the question of what surprises people to find out about me. I may look like an innocent, 20-something girl, but once you get to know me I'm very sarcastic and that sinister humor really comes out.

Oh, I just thought of something that is very surprising about me nerd-wise: I am not a Star Wars fan. Even I'm confused about this! By all rights I should love Star Wars. I love nerdy things, I love Star Trek, I love Doctor Who... I didn't even see the very first Star Wars movie until my freshman year of college and when I did watch it, I fell asleep halfway through. My boyfriend at the time and I watched it again a few months later and I stayed conscious throughout the whole thing, but I still wasn't pulled in like I thought I would be. I saw the second one last year, but I really don't remember much about it... the movies just haven't left an impression on me. I'm actually quite distressed by this because I really want to love Star Wars! I've been meaning to give it another chance. I'm going to try watching the first one alone and see what I think of it. Maybe it was the pressure to love it that I felt when watching it with my friends that got to me. I'll let you guys know.

Thank you for the birthday wishes everyone! My birthday was on the 27th and I spent most of the time working on my thesis. It was a good day though. My parents came up for dinner and my friend Kyle actually surprised me and gave me my birthday card. He goes to school about 1.5 hours away from U of M (University of Michigan, I don't know if I've mentioned exactly where I go to school yet), but he was in town to have dinner with his family so he stopped by. I was completely surprised and it made it a really nice birthday. Tomorrow will be my actual birthday/thesis-is-done celebration. Some of my best friends are visiting and we're all going to go out. I'm really looking forward to it.

Okay, onto the questions!

What is my favorite thing about the internet.... this is an unbelievably hard question. I love youtube, I love the memes, I love all the cats. I think that, overall, I'd have to say that I love meeting new people. Ever since the internet really became a household thing, around fourth or fifth grade, I think, I've loved it. I used to frequent those good ole AOL chat rooms when I was younger, though I stayed away from the predators. Once I became obsessed with Harry Potter, I was really drawn into the internet. I ran a Harry Potter rp with an online friend named Crystal, she was probably my first online friend. That's the thing I love about the internet, you can know people in other states and countries, people that could be on the other side of the world. I used to have my own personal website and there was a little social group of some girls who also ran sites that I knew. I sometimes still wonder what those girls are up to now. There was also livejournal and my livejournal friends. I actually still have my livejournal, but I haven't updated it in over a year. I had friends in Sweden, France, Massachusetts. Nerdfighteria is quite possibly the best example of this; people from all over the world come together and create an amazing community through the internet. This blog is the newest example of creating relationships online. So, yes, that is my favorite part of the internet- all the people I've met thanks to that initial dial-up connection (remember those dodooododoooeeeeee sounds?)

And now I have a question for all of you and I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner: what's your Hogwart's house? (Well, we know that Alexandra's in Slytherin, but what about the rest of you guys?)