MTV Visits the Set of "Perks"

And there is a video. And interviews. And behind the scenes of graduation and a dance (homecoming?). Sam and Patrick? Amazing. I haven't seen the actor who plays Patrick in anything, but from just seeing this little bit as well as the interview, I love him as Patrick already. "Come On Eileen". And LOGAN FREAKIN' LERMAN. The cast so far seems so perfect. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE.

Many, many warm fuzzies. And excitement. And love. It's going to be incredible. <3

(Thanks to The Leaky Cauldron for the heads up!)

Banned Books Week Goodness

Happy Banned Books Week! I always look forward to BBW; I get warm fuzzies around this time of year, not only because of our freedom to read but in the sheer amount of books and stories that we have at our fingertips. It's such a wonderful thing, to have the right to choose. And really, that's what this week is about. We can make the decision for ourselves.

First, FYA continues to promote awesome by poking fun at censorship. I love them so much. They are amazing. Also, this from The Literary Snob (who also reblogged this amazing post earlier this week).

Throughout the week, there have been readings and panels and other such awesomeness celebrating reading. I read from The Perks of Being a Wallflower at the Union earlier this week (the scene when Sam is up in the truck bed as they're going through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, my favorite part).

The ALA has posted many lists of challenged and banned books, including those most frequently challenged in the '90s, the 2000s, as well as by year (here's the list for 2010). If you're interested, poke around a bit. They have some really great resources and bits of information.

My Top Five Favorite Banned/Challenged Books

1. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: This was one of the first books I fell for once I came to the realization of how awesome reading was (and more than just a means to get A.R. points). 
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: <3
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison: ...and the rest of the series that followed this amazing and hilarious novel.

There are more, as always. Reading is wonderful. <3 What are your favorites?

Brittany's New Duds

So this picture, along with a couple other new images from next week's episode, popped up on Glee Fans Live yesterday, if I remember correctly. 

Oh. My. Word. DYING. I have no idea what the context of this scene is, but I CANNOT WAIT to find out. (I'll have the Yay/Nay up for this weeks episode as soon as I can; I just need to sit down to write it. It was amazing though...season 3 is going to RULE.) <3

[Image Source]

Glee Season 3 Wishlist

So, Glee starts back up tomorrow. Hooray! I was going to do a normal post on this (i.e. with regular paragraphs and some sort of overall flow), but realized there was just too much I wanted to say about a LOT of different things, so I opted instead for bullet points.

So yeah. Here is a collection of thoughts regarding Glee's upcoming third season. Plus a few other related things--some of which I'm merely wishing for.

The Song Wishlist (Or, Songs I Wish They'd Do At Some Point. Please. Because, seriously.)

• "Don't Speak" by No Doubt. I have mixed feelings about this one; it is one of my all-time favorites, and I think it could be done so very well on the show (and, if it fits with what they want to do with the plot/characters, it could be really powerful). I don't know who I'd want to sing it. I don't know how I'd feel about someone other than Gwen Stefani singing it. But I'm hoping. 
• "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran. Though I really want them to do this particular song, I'd be okay with anything from Duran Duran. And wasn't it Kurt who suggested "Rio" at one point? 
• "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" by Eurythmics. I only have one request with this: either Tina or Kurt (OR BOTH) should be the one to sing it. Either them or the GP's Samuel as his character. 
• "Uncharted" by Sara Bareilles. They haven't done anything of hers yet on the show, and I'd really be interested to see how they pull it off. Plus, it's an inspirational masterpiece. 
• "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. I don't think ANY remake of this one will ever live up to the original...but I think Glee could produce a decent--an interesting--take on it. 
• Any song by The Beach Boys. I want to see the Glee guys in five-part harmony. Stat. 
• "Wonderwall" by Oasis. (Related: More '80s and '90s music in general. Like much of Season 1. You know?)
• Anything by the Goo Goo Dolls. Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease. With a cherry on top.

There are more, but I'm truly more interested to see what they choose and how it relates to the story. After all, the heart of the show lies within the story. The music just enhances it.

Everything Else


I know that there have been a lot of rumors and spoilers that have been floating around (most of which I am aware) but I am going to try not to address them because we will find out soon enough whether they're true or not. The following, therefore, is a list of things I hope they'll at least address based off of my thoughts concerns the previous two seasons....especially Season 2. If any spoilers appear below, I will let you know.

• If Crazy Mr. Schue--you know, the one that was present for the first third of Season 2--reappears with more crazy, I will seriously slushie my television. It is such an exaggeration of his character. It didn't feel right to me. Honestly, I have gotten to point in which I'm not that interested in what's happening with him BECAUSE of his stint on said Crazy Train.
• More voiceovers, because I felt that Season 2 didn't have it enough--and I adore the voiceovers. Specifically: Blaine, Mercedes, Artie, and Brittany. Also? Please more flashbacks. My feelings are almost identical. 
• Quinn needs another strong (or stable, at least) storyline. She felt all over the place in s2, bouncing from football player to football player, angry only over prom (or SEEMINGLY, anyway). 
• Mercedes. Needs. Storylines. Good ones that go beyond the mostly positive storyline she had in 1x16, "Home." In my opinion, she was unfairly forgotten in Season 2 (though there were a few nice moments she was able to claim her own, "few" being the key word, here). 
• Lauren Zizes needs to stick around. She's too brilliant of a character to get rid of entirely. Please, Glee writers, keep her in any way you can.
• (Slight) Spoiler #1: I'm super, super stoked that they're focusing more on character development and story in Season 3. I think Season 2 struggled with this here and there throughout--though once they'd found a plot trajectory, they really pulled out all the stops and rocked it. One thing I really appreciate more and more about the finale of s2 is the hanging question/realization of graduation. I  cannot wait to see this played out; there is so much possibility suggested with the episode's musings on the future for the writers to explore. 
• Slight Spoiler #2: I want the GP winners' roles to be worth it. I have a feeling that Damian's is going to rule (SOOOOO EXCITED TO SEE HIM ON THE SHOW). I am curious as to Samuel's role; I'm still not sure how I feel about him, but I'm really intrigued to see what the writers do, and most especially because of my current feelings concerning him. I hope that Alex's and Lindsay's roles are good as well. While I'm not the greatest fan of Lindsay, I do hope that she does well. As for Alex, I'm just so happy he will be able to have a role, however small it it (and I'm interested to see if it involves drag). He is such and incredible performer. 
• Please no crazy antics/side plots like premature promise rings and inappropriate/uncomfortable encounters in the library (see most of Jacob's purpose for being in "Britney/Brittany") and getting married in Vegas on a whim. *headdesk* We've dealt with the terrible twos, so let's move on to bigger, better, and more believable sub-plots. And in the process, we'll hopefully avoid any train wrecks like that of 2x9 "Special Education."
• I'm really excited to see what happens with Santana and Karofsky this season. I am also very interested in the possibility of Blaine dealing with being a part of a glee club other than the Warblers (and whatever "complications" may ensue).
• More "Fondue for Two." Especially since we've lost our chance for any more Sam impersonations (I pine, Reality. I pine for those impersonations.)

There will always be more. But now, sleep.  

More Star Wars Goodness

Heidi sent me a link to this amazing thing that happened in conjunction with the release of Star Wars on Blu-ray. Severe geeking out ensued (and not just because it took place in London, which in itself is enough to make me all warm and fuzzy inside). Be sure to keep an eye out for Boba Fett and R2. Because, you know, they're awesome. 

There is a very special place in my heart that is reserved for Star Wars. It's one of the first things I fell passionately in love with. 

Hoarding #1, Additions

I am an incredible pack rat, but (I hope) not entirely of useless things. When I shop--which, honestly, is not that often--it's typically for books, movies, or music; shopping for clothes usually depresses me beyond words and I'm not much of a have-a-lot-of-shoes kind of gal. I buy music (on CD) like it's candy, and I have been known to scour discount bins for gold nuggets whenever I get the chance. My bookshelves are seriously overflowing, as are the shelving units that are currently stuffed with my movies.

Some of what I've acquired recently:

Alisha and I went to Wal-Mart today just to look around. We roamed through the toy aisles, pushing buttons and picking stuff up. At one point, we even had the cliche lightsaber battle in one of the aisles. And I found this. 

I bought Season 2 on Tuesday (hooray!). Alisha found the folders and gave me a couple. School supplies are always welcome. As is Glee, one of the best pick-me-ups out there. 

These are the last books I will ever buy from Borders/Waldenbooks. When we walked in the local Waldenbooks a week ago, it was incredibly barren. They'd roped off half the store, and there were few books left in most of the genres. I walked around the store twice scouring their limited selection before I decided on these. It was much more emotional than I thought it would be; I am devastated Borders is closing, and I can't even begin to imagine what the future will bring to bookstores themselves. 

There is a Hastings in town, and I really like scouring what they have overall to see if there's anything that catches my eye. Cue these used books, which I was able to pick up for a decent price. I really like the different kind of selection Hastings provides; it gives a nice balance to the kind of selection the Dusty Bookshelf (our local used book store) and Waldenbooks had, at least until the recent going-out-of-business sale. I absolutely adore Maureen Johnson (her book, The Bermudez Triangle, is one I highly recommend), and I've read a book or two by Carolyn Mackler in high school and enjoyed them. I can't remember for sure if Vegan Virgin Valentine was one of them or not, but I know I at least knew about it, so I thought it would be worth it. 

On the same day as our lightsaber-wielding Wal-Mart trip, I found this Snoopy coloring book. It called to me. Thus, I bought a box of crayons for the first time in years.

"Growing Up With Harry Potter"

The Leaky Cauldron has posted a link to a clip from the Ultimate Edition of Deathly Hallows Part 1.

And it is beautiful. The realization of both how much they've all grown and how long it has been--ten years, or just over--is overwhelming. It's fascinating seeing the three of them talking about that first press conference juxtaposed with clips from the actual press conference. (And they're all so adorable! I couldn't stop giggling over Rupert Grint's response to the question about spending money.)

This part of the "Creating the World of Harry Potter" is going to be amazing. I can't wait. <3

(Slightly related: I'm still waiting for my Pottermore Welcome email. I have a feeling I won't actually get it until right before the start of October....Alisha's been on for about a week, and I have to restrain myself from asking her question after question about it. I'm so excited for it, though. Amazing.)

It Was a Tuesday

At least, I think it was a Tuesday. I was in eighth grade, and was sitting in second hour, Advanced English.

Mrs. Bower, the gifted teacher, was in the room preparing things for the days' lesson; she came every Tuesday in class to do different activities with us. Sometimes we did projects, sometimes stories with holes, sometimes different writing assignments aside from what Mrs. Anderson was having us do. I don't remember what she had planned for that day.

Shortly after class had started, Mr. Young, the American History teacher for in the high school (the junior high was connected to the high school) popped his head into the room.

"Some idiot just ran a plane into the World Trade Center," he told Mrs. Bower and Mrs. Anderson.

Channel One, a news program we watched every day at the beginning of second hour, didn't have any news that day about the WTC. I knew it was because it was taped before anything actually happened in New York City. It wasn't until the next day that we saw anything related to the tragedy.

We watched the news in almost every class for the rest of the day. Mr. Thexton, my Earth Science teacher, snapped at our class when some of us weren't paying attention to what we were seeing on screen. Some people in my classes joked a little about it. I remember being horrified when I saw images of people running away from a train of billowing smoke down the street. And it continued to get worse, and I wondered this real thing that was actually happening would never end. That kind of thing only happened in movies.

At lunch, the teachers had set up a television on a rolling cart in the cafeteria and had turned on the news.   I sat at a round table close to where the t.v. set was, watching and trying to process what was happening as I waited for the rest of the group I sat with to arrive. Tessa and Leanne came, talking.

Bethany, one girl who I used to call my best friend (and I seemed to go through a lot of them), was one of the last of us to sit down. She walked up to the table in a mild rage, her feet attached to some invisible engine propelling her forward. She slammed her tray down, and looked at us all before taking her seat.

"I can't believe it," she said, her tone serious and tinged with snark. "I was going to visit the World Trade Center some day and now I can't even go because someone knocked it down."

I sat there, shocked. Was she really going to make this all about her? Did she not realize what had happened? How many lives were lost, from the employees inside the building to the people on the planes and then those who tried to save them? How many families were affected, including, as I would find out later that day, a distant cousin on my mom's side and his two daughters, who were much to young to fully grasp what had happened, who had lost a wife and mother that morning?

This was much bigger than that. It affected all of us.

A Two-Parter Ramble

I'm going to borrow a segue technique from John and Hank Green, the Vlogbrothers, who happen to be my favorite YouTube people (and the only ones I regularly watch). So, without further ado, this post comes in two parts.

Part One: Being Home


Last weekend was the first weekend since June that I was able to spend more than just 24 hours with my family. Heidi and I coordinated our visit so we'd have a weekend where all four of us (Heidi, Mom, Dad, and I) were in the same house. It was far too short of a weekend.

I'll be honest: I did not get a lot of homework done when I was home. For some reason, my motivation shuts off whenever I'm there, as if every visit is a vacation for me. The only thing I actually accomplished was watching online lectures for Art History, which I made my sister watch with me. She spent the entirety of them playing with Naomi, one of our cats, and playing on the Facebook Sims.

Regardless, the weekend was wonderful. Heidi and I watched a TON of movies:

• Wild Target, with Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, and Rupert Grint. This movie is HILARIOUS. There's just something magical about British comedy that American comedy has a hard time living up to for me. Perhaps that's too cruel for me to say, but I really believe that. Now I just need to hunt down a copy for myself....
• Take Me Home Tonight with Topher Grace, Anna Faris, and Teresa Palmer. The movie was pretty funny, and I liked the touches of '80s culture included. Two things, though: first, I'm not a big fan of Dan Fogler (see above for a watered-down version of my thoughts on American comedy). Second, while I really appreciate what the movie's simple plot was trying to accomplish, I felt that Adventureland, which focuses on a similar kind of post-college state of wandering, was much more successful--and thorough in the journey of the protagonist--in conveying it. The holes in characters and the plot irritated me to no end. Overall, though, it was fun. I thought Topher Grace and Anna Faris topped themselves. 
• Jane Eyre, with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. LOVE. I would cross oceans for this movie. No joke. 
• Crazy, Stupid, Love., with Steve Carrell and Julianne Moore. There were plenty of romantic comedy cliches, cheesy writing, and an almost completely predictable outcome for the characters. It was, however, very funny, and surprising at times. I loved Robbie, the son ("I love you. Please."); Jessica, the babysitter (her characterization/subplot was amazing); Hannah and Jacob's relationship (so funny and so tender, and it helps that I love both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling). Little surprises all around. Plus, Josh Groban makes an appearance. 

The four of us took a mini-daytrip to Beatrice, where we scoured the $5 bin at Wal-Mart and returned with a large stack of bargain CDs between us. I met up with Maggie on Sunday for dinner to catch up with her and Emi, who's eyes are still as big and happy as they were when I saw her last at the end of May. She is adorable and I feel incredibly proud to be her godmother. Meanwhile, I joked around and talked music with Dad, spent time with Mom, filling her in on classes and such. Heidi and I cruised twice around town, blaring music from our iPods and pouring out our hearts about the things in our lives that were simultaneously important and heartbreaking in some form or another. There's something incredibly therapeutic about sharing this with my sister. I remember when Dad and his brother Rod would go cruising when we were little; there was a reason we were never allowed to join them--that was their time to share. Nothing but music, conversation, and honest heart-pouring. Those moments are special to me, more than I can put into words.

Part Two: Two Concerns and Many Feelings


First, I grow more and more wary of the future each day. I have no idea where I'll be at this time next year (and I feel the time swiftly slipping away from me). I do want to go to graduate school, but call it laziness or being too busy, I haven't looked into anything yet. There are so many feelings that I can't yet articulate, and I know I just have to push them and the worry aside and get the ball rolling so I don't waste any time. I know it will work out in the end. I mean, I do have time, and there are a few other things I've put on my educational bucket list (more travel, a writing fellowship, etc.) that are also on the timeline. I just need to sit down, make lists, prepare applications, take the GRE, and write.


Second, I noticed something when I was at dinner with Maggie on Sunday, and it's been hanging over my head since then, amplified from what it was before. I don't remember the exact train of our conversation or what prompted me to say it, but at one point, I made an off-hand comment that was along the lines of, "Well, if and when I ever get married and have kids..." Maggie, who was in the process of trying to keep Emi occupied (she was being fussy), laughed a little and looked up at me.

"You never know; if [so-and-so] got married, anyone can." Or something like that.

I feel like sometimes I let my cynicism about marriage get out of hand. No matter how hard I try to remain neutral concerning me and marriage, I feel like I always sound so bitter about it, as if I bring it up just so I can beat it to death over and over again, which is not my intention at all. It's not that I don't believe in it--because I really, really do--but part of me honestly feels like I won't ever get married, that God does not mean me to be.

Amanda gets really mad at me when I start talking like this. "God meant for you to be a mother," she says, speaking with a firm tone and looking me directly in the eye. "You have to have confidence in yourself. He has someone for you." My argument (which I feel is just as sound) is that maybe God does not have this planned for me, that I'm meant for something different. So, shouldn't I have trust that He knows what's best for me? Everything happens for a reason.

Thing is, I haven't dated in over four years. Most people my age are at a point where they are settling down. Facebook seems to magnify a pressure that doesn't really exist that I am desperately behind the times. I'm not socially comfortable enough to be able to use whatever "flirting protocol" is required to date, and of the two guys I had some sort of more-than-friends-type feelings for, one flat-out told me he'd never date me because I reminded him too much of his ex, and the other was only at K-State for a semester and I never understood what was going on with my relationship with him, anyway. When I go out to the bars with friends, I'm the one who stands just off to the side watching as my friends get hit on and the guys in question giving me that "Who are you?" look in the few times they break eye-contact with the object of their affection.

The last time I talked with Nate about dating, he suggested online dating sites. I shot down that idea almost immediately.

My ex-boyfriend (the only one I've had) told me four years ago that I was "too perfect." I'm still not sure what that had to do with our relationship and why we ended up in the mess we did.

My heart is much too invested in this complicated thing I've found myself in. And I have to understand that in no way am I supposed to find someone at this very moment; I have all the time in the world, if that is indeed what I'm meant to have in my life. Brandi, bless her heart, encourages me to embrace my single status (as, we joke, Jason Derulo does in the song). And I try. As I try to gain and maintain the confidence Amanda has urged me to find. Sometimes, though, the feelings get too heavy. I just wish things made more sense, sometimes. I can't spend the rest of my life dwelling on these things, you know?

So when my bitterness seemed to creep into my conversation with Maggie on Sunday, I felt awful that I ruined the mood of the conversation. I did not want her to think I was rude, or against anything related to it. It was just me, feeling too much, getting caught up in them and letting some slip away, becoming entangled in it.

How My Weekend Went*

On Saturday I woke up at 4:45am with an excruciating pain on my right side. At first I thought it would pass (like a brief, random stomach pain), and so I took some Motrin and tried going to the bathroom. Two hours and many attempts to go to the bathroom later, I was still in pain, and it felt like it was spreading.

My first thought (and dreaded fear) was that it was appendicitis. I looked it up on the internet--I can never remember what side the appendix is on--and my fear intensified as I read each symptom. I kept thinking of that episode of Sister, Sister where Tia and Tamera both wake up in the middle of the night with intense pains and thus are carted off to the hospital, where they both have their appendixes removed and fight the temptation to look up their birth parents.

I finally went down to wake Emma up at 6:30, when I was convinced I was going to die if I didn't get looked at. I had to knock twice before she came to the door, bleary-eyed and clearly not completely awake.

"Can you take me the E.R.?" I asked. Pippin, Emma's cat, slipped past her feet and ran into the nearby bathroom. He jumped up on the seat and started drinking out of the toilet. "I have a huge pain in my side and I don't know if it's appendicitis and I'd rather go in and find out for sure rather than wait and possibly have it get worse."

"Where is the pain?" Emma asked as she rubbed her eyes, her brow furrowed.

I told her that it had started somewhere in the back right, and had moved around the side of my torso and was making its way down. "I'm so sorry to wake you, but I am really worried, and in pain, and I'm sorry to ask you to do this, but..."

Emma didn't say anything, and I started to worry that she was going to say no. I stood there for a few minutes, unsure what to say, and then ran back upstairs. I pulled on some semblance of clothes, grabbed my purse and all necessary accoutrements and tried going to the bathroom once more to no avail. When I came out, Emma was waiting in the threshold dividing the kitchen and the dining room, her purse over her shoulder and still bleary-eyed.

"I'll be in the waiting room," Emma told me once we had arrived at the hospital and I was giving them my information. I told the man behind the desk about my situation, and he gave me an armband and directed me to talk to a nurse in a room just off the main entryway.

Finally, I ended up in an examination room. They took the samples they needed for tests. The woman who took a blood sample was really nice. She had beautiful dark hair that had been braided and curled, and she asked me about my New Moon shirt. We talked briefly about the Twilight movies, and I told her that the shirt was my pajama top and that I was deathly afraid of needles and that I was sorry if I reacted immaturely. Another nurse hooked me up to an IV, informing me that the medicine might make me a little nauseous and drowsy, and to be aware. The doctor came in to talk with me; she said my symptoms fit that of a kidney stone. I had a CAT scan, and was brought back to the examination room.

As I waited, I sang "Teenage Dream" under my breath to distract myself from the needle that was in my arm and the strange feeling in response to the medicine.

The doctor came in about ten minutes later to let me know that the tests had confirmed that I had a kidney stone. Needless to say, I was relieved. As long as it wasn't appendicitis I was happy. She gave me a prescription, and I was released shortly after 8:45.

Emma had fallen asleep in a little ball--she's a hobbit--on two waiting room chairs that she had pushed together. I poked her to wake her up and we left to pick up my meds on the way home. I called my parents as I was waiting for the prescription to be filled to let them know what happened. I started the conversation with "Don't freak out, but I was in the E.R."--which will always cause some sort of freak-out, regardless of the reason for which you were in the E.R.

I can't swallow pills. It's a psychological thing and I know it's immature, but I can't help it; if I know the pill is in my mouth I can't force myself to swallow it for fear that I am going to choke. The pills I was told to take could be crushed and put into food. I bought a pill-crusher and it has been a bit of a hassle to crush them up and take them with applesauce, but at least I'm taking them. As of today, I have been able to successfully swallow the pill in two pieces. Crushing it to a powder makes it taste awful; the least amount of powder left over, the more the applesauce remains tasting like applesauce.

I spent the majority of Saturday sleeping. I threw up twice, as it's imperative to take the pills with food, which didn't register then in my medicated mind. I ate soup and crackers on Sunday, hoping that I wouldn't throw up again.

Since Sunday, I've been feeling progressively more like my normal self. Today has been the best, I think; I haven't felt dizzy and though I'm still tired, I feel much better. I passed the kidney stone on Sunday, and have been working through the rest of my medication. I was behind on homework from not being able to do any on Saturday, and stayed up late on Sunday night to try to catch up.

Monday was probably the worst day post-stone. I was tired from the limited amount of sleep the night before, and with the combined side-effect of fatigue from the medication and two work shifts, I felt miserable. I sent a text to my sister.

Me: My meds make me drowsy...
Heidi: That sucks. Is it for your kidney stone? Also can I name your kidney stone?
Me: HAHAHAHAHA Yes. And yes, you may.
Heidi (later): Your kidney stone should be named Iago. Either that or it should be named Bartholomue (sp?)
Me: I like Bartholemew. (sp?)
Heidi: Hee hee. Bartholomew(sp?) it is. :)

This conversation sent me into a fit of giggles for the rest of the day. It isn't the first time we've named our ailments, and I don't think it'll be the last. Oh the cleverness of us.

*I'm sorry if it's borderline TMI; I tried to keep the details as limited as possible.