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]

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.

A Few More Bits of Klaine-y Goodness

First, this outtake that's been floating around the internet, which makes me laugh a LOT:

And then there is this version Glee Live skit from the 26 June show in London, seriously one of the best Klaine skits I've seen on YouTube thus far. Chris Colfer, as I think I've said before, is a GENIUS, and Darren Criss, as always, plays off him so well. 

Kurt and Blaine are seriously the best. THE. BEST. I can't get over it. 

[Image found via Facebook.]

"Torpedoed again, eh?"

It's days like this I feel I need to remind myself that there is such a thing as sanity, and so I immerse myself in things like this. I'll let the clip speak for itself.

"Simon's Cat"

Heidi and I are both cat freaks. We grew up with cats in the house, and as soon as I have the power to, I will have a cat living with me. It's very important to both of us.

Soon after discovering the Sunday Funnies, both of us fell in love with the Garfield comic strip because it was one of the funniest things we'd ever seen and it featured a snarky cat who did as he pleased (and whose favorite food was lasagna). So when Heidi showed this to me, years later, I went kind of nuts. Simple, but highly effective. My favorite part is when the cat points at the fly and meows.

The best part? This is exactly what Naomi, my cat back home, does. Hilarious. Thank you, guy who makes "Simon's Cat". I needed this in my life.

Your Daily Dose of Potter...

...comes to you from Prisoner of Azkaban, perhaps the coolest of the seven, as it has an awesome yet unexpected plot twist that involves being in two places at once.

Happy Monday.

Under Pressure

I recently purchased a movie called It's Kind of a Funny Story, a film that came out last fall; I had not seen it previous because it never made it to the theater in town. Despite this, I figured I had good reason to buy it because: a) it's a Focus Features film, and I have never yet been disappointed with any of their films, and b) the movie is based on the excellent book of the same name by Ned Vizzini, and I couldn't fathom it being a bad movie (even if it ended up not being a good one, either).

Much to my excitement, the film is wonderful. It captures Craig's spirit in so many awesome ways, and really does justice to the original source material. I feel that they really tried to get creative with the way they filmed it, unafraid to try something a little different or be a little silly. There is an incredible amount of humor in the film--and it's not in any way disrespectful to the setting or the issues addressed in the story. It was the book brought to life, and boy, is it good.

I could go on about the movie all day because I love it so much, but I just wanted to talk about one particular part that surprised and pleased me to no end. During one of the sessions Craig attends as part of his stay in the psychiatric ward, he is encouraged to get up and take on the main singing part in the group's effort to play Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure". It is--pardon the language--Kick. Ass. Not only is it pleasantly unexpected and delightfully entertaining, but it also reflects Craig's journey as he finds his way through his problems. It may seem strange out of context of the film, but rest assured, it fits perfectly with the rest of the story.

Granted, Craig connects more directly to the brainmaps he returns to later, but I feel that this is one of those defining moments for his character in the film. It's a small step toward conquering his issues.

Plus, as Olive Pendergast of Easy A would put it, it doesn't hurt to have an awesome musical number for no apparent reason.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

I am a firm believer in Pick-Me-Ups. I don't think I would be able to function without them. They are the kind of things that are both freeing and stable enough for me to keep a hold of as things swing a little off-course. Harry Potter, a good book, anything by Sarah Dessen, Glee, old-school Disney, 80s movies...anything that will distract me from real-life for awhile.

This past weekend was one of those pick-me-ups. Brandi and Traci came to visit, and for two days, I was able to forget the fact I haven't had much sleep, or that I'm behind in Prints, or that emotional stresses are proving to test my motivation. 

Last night, before going to the bars, we hung out at a friend of Traci's house. We sat on the screen porch overlooking their backyard, just talking and drinking, playing Washers and that frisbee-and-bottle-on-a-pole game. Brandi, Traci, and their friend Morgan shared stories from old roommates, strange acquaintances, and past drinking experiences. Brandi and I reminisced about our favorite memories from the Little Apple, and talked about everything that had been going on since the last time we'd seen each other. I can't seem to explain the feeling of peace I felt, sitting there relaxing with friends, and later, dancing the night away with the three of them, without a care in the world, even if only for a few hours. 

Exciting things always happen when Brandi and Traci are here. Perhaps it's because I didn't get out much in high school...but I genuinely love hanging out with them. There are no set plans, we always have a good time, and it's always a little different than the last. Mostly, though, and more importantly, is that they are good people, and it doesn't matter what we do, because they are some of my best friends. Just being is enough to forget about a lousy day, to talk through the things that are getting us down, or to immerse ourselves in the stories we tell. These are the moments I look forward to, and I cherish every one of them.