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Welcome to my Random Weirdness Page! I created this page to write random thoughts and things. None of this will make very much sense, I'm sure. I jump around a lot, because that's how my thinking is, kind of jumpy. Although, when I write these things, there are actually connections in my mind, but anyone who reads this (besides me) can't see them, so don't try to. But there is a sort of sequence to the things I write, even if it's just in my mind.
Also, do not expect any events of my life that I write about to be exciting (to you), because my life isn't usually exciting. Unfortunately, this is not a Harry Potter book, where strange things occur and adventures take place.
July 14, 2007
6:31 p.m., EDT
So, I went to see THE movie last night. Personally, I thought it was the best so far, but there were definite disappointments. If you don't want it spoiled, don't read any further.
I thought the way they condensed the beginning worked fairly well, although there were bad points.
1. That crazy storm. Um, WHAT? Dementors don't cause storms!! I kind of understand the swirling clouds, and then the lamps in the tunnel frosting over was a nice touch (although I think they should have flickered out), but when it started to actually rain... that was just too much.
2. The dementors themselves. I'm sorry, but where does it say that they slam Harry against a wall? I was also a little peeved when Dudley went flying, THEN the dementor appeared. I figured they would have done it in such a way that the audience understood that Dudley couldn't see the dementor and Harry could. Like, show Dudley trying to fight something invisible, and then flash to Harry looking at Dudley being attacked by the dementor.
3. The way Harry fought it off. YOU CAN'T STAB A DEMENTOR IN THE EYE!!!! WHAT WAS THAT?!?!? I did think it was a nice effect when Harry directed the patronus with his wand (although I don't think it looked corporeal enough. It was a little to wispy for my taste) but I have to admit that it just doesn't make sense to have to physically direct something like that. If you're being attacked by dementors, there's a good chance you won't have the ability to direct a patronus, it'll have to do all the fighting on its own.
4. I don't really like the way they make all the letters talk. How hard would it really be to show a portion of a letter for the audience to read? And then they could have included more letters, and really gotten the part about Aunt Petunia actually knowing about the wizarding world, which would have really helped show the dynamic of Harry and the Dursleys, with Vernon wanting to toss Harry out but Petunia overruling him.
5. Also, it was a little silly of the Order to be all paranoid about being seen and then fly RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF LONDON! If you don't want anyone to see you, WHY would you fly where all the muggles could easily see you? It just doesn't make sense!
Okay, so next part: Grimmauld Place.
1. The way they did the appearance of the building was nice, but it made it seem like anybody could just walk up, tap their wand, and the house would appear. Which would be dumb.
2. The extendable ears were okay, but I never imagined them with actual ear shapes on the end. Those are a little bit obvious, you know?
3. I thought they did a pretty nice job with the kitchen scene, and Sirius wanting to tell Harry what was going on and Mrs. Weasley wanting to protect Harry.
4. I thought there should have been a little more tension between the trio because they kept Harry in the dark. It was more like Harry yelled for about 5 seconds, Ron & Hermione were like, "Sorry! ;~;" and then Harry was like, "Oh well! We're friends again! ^_^"
The twins were absolutely fantastic!! :-D
Harry's Trial
1. I thought the Ministry looked really good, although I'm disappointed that they didn't have the visitor badges, because those were pretty cool, especially when they put "Rescue Mission" on.
2. I'm glad they included the bit about the time change of the hearing, and managed to work in Lucius Malfoy talking to Fudge, even if they didn't explain either of those very well.
3. Also, it wasn't very clear that Mrs. Figg was indeed a squib. For all that they explained her in the movie, she could have been just a crazy old muggle that Dumbledore randomly asked to watch over Harry.
Returning to Hogwarts
I admit it. I adored the Thestrals. I thought they looked absolutely perfect.
The introduction to Luna, however, could have been better. For example, if Ginny introduced her instead of Hermione, seeing as Ginny and Luna are in the same year.
Evanna Lynch was Luna. She was so perfect! It was amazing. She managed to carry off the air of slight dottiness without seeming too ditzy or goofy.
Umbridge's character was played well, although I'm really not sure about their casting choice appearance-wise. I just don't think she looked toad-like enough. But Imelda Staunton did a great job.
I think Harry's detention scene was put together well. However, when McGonagall confronts Umbridge about that sort of punishment, I didn't like the way McGonagall ended up stepping down from Umbridge. Because I don't think McGonagall would do that. She's too kick-ass. I really wish they'd put in the scene where Umbridge reviews McGonagall, too, because that's seriously one of her best scenes ever. That and the career advising session.
The way they showed all the "Educational Decrees" was pretty good, but I think they spent too much camera time on it, when it would have been just as easy to show Filch hammering less and just show the proliferation of decrees as the movie went on. And then they'd have had more time for other stuff.
I thought Grawp looked okay, but I kind of figured he'd be balder. And I dunno what all that stuff with the bicycle bell was about. That was just random.
I was MUCH happier with the way they spoke by floo powder this time. Instead of suffocating in ashes, it was closer to the book's description of a person's head literally sitting in the fire. Even though they didn't explain WHY Sirius was using the fire instead of writing a letter.
The DA scenes were pretty good, although I wish they'd had the Room of Requirement in its proper location (across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching Trolls Ballet Dancing) instead of in some random hallway, and it would've been nice if Neville had had to walk by 3 times before discovering it. They never really went over how the DA got its name, either. And I would have been fine with Hermione's jinx on the paper happening. I think that would have been an easy little thing to do. Also, it'd be nice if they stopped messing up the spells that are actually in the books. Making up spells to use for the movie is one thing, but altering spells from the books is another. Levicorpus is definitely nonverbal. And it makes the victim hang upside down by their ankles.
The Occlumency lessons seemed really forcefully shoved in there. And I didn't like the way they did Snape's worst memory either. Entirely apart from the techniques for that, I think the casting, of James Potter, in particular, was all wrong. The kid didn't even look like he had dark hair, and his hair wasn't at all messy. I really wanted to give young Snape a hug, though. Poor kid!
I was pretty excited when they put in my favorite line ever, about Ron having the emotional range of a teaspoon. ^__^
Fred and George's fireworks were nicely done, especially the dragon. I do wish they'd kept in the ones that wrote naughty words. It wouldn't be that hard to keep them PG-13! JKR does that perfectly well in the book, just saying that they spell things like, "POO", which is certainly not vulgar enough to not be in a PG-13 movie.
I'm also glad they kept Harry's coded message to Snape about Sirius being in danger. And Hermione's supposed submission. I kind of wish they'd shown Umbridge later, after the centaurs, when she freaks out just from someone making horse hoof noises.
I don't think they explained very well why they were flying on Thestrals to London, considering it should have been just as easy for them to get brooms. Also, I wish they'd demonstrated the difference between Harry, Neville, and Luna, who can see the Thestrals, and Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who can't. The ones who can't see them would, obviously, look absolutely terrified at not being able to see what they're sitting on miles above the ground.
I also wish they'd shown more of the Department of Mysteries than just the Hall of Prophecy and the Veil Room. Because that place is pretty cool. And the veil was all wrong. It's supposed to be a tattered piece of black fabric, not some weird swirly fog. Also, Sirius' (non)death was all wrong. For one thing, I'm 95% certain that the book says he gets hit by a jet of red light and then falls through the veil, not that he gets hit with an AK and the veil practically reaches out and sucks him in. And in the book, Harry doesn't immediately know that Sirius is gone. He just thinks he can go around the arch and Sirius will be there.
BUT OMGRACIOUS I GOT SO EXCITED AT LUNA'S LINE NEAR THE END!!!!
First, the fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort. I thought that was well done. Lots of nice special effects with all the magic and everything. And I thought Voldemort's possession of Harry was done well, too.
However, I did get annoyed with the battle before that, in the Hall of Prophecy and all that. I'm sorry, but I don't remember Apparating being equal to flying as some weird smoke-cloud-thing. That bothered me. A lot.
Well, anyway, the end was... meh. I about jumped out my seat with happiness when Luna said her line about things coming back, if not in the way you expect. I was so close to squeeing and flailing for the entire rest of the movie. SIRIUS IS SO NOT DEAD!!!! At the very end, though... Apart from Harry's line being a little too "Ugh, gag me, this is way too sappy!" for my tastes, I just don't think they did a good job of leaving you with any expectation. The end of the book is kind of like, "Ah, it's finished," and yet you get this expectant feeling, you know that something much bigger is coming. The end of the movie was just like, "Okay, it's over now." I wasn't left with any real feeling that something huge is just over the horizon.
And then the credits were boring. (Not that I was paying attention. I was too busy squeeing about Sirius not being dead. ^_~)
So... overall, really different from the books. And in many ways disappointing.
They've finally got the right dynamic between Ron and Hermione!!! :-D They started it okay in movie 2, although that was a bit heavy-handed, and movie 4 wasn't terrible about it, but movie 3, I think, really messed it up. Movie 3 made it seem like there was more potential between Harry and Hermione instead of Ron and Hermione. I seriously blame movie 3 for a lot of the rabid Harry/Hermione shippers out there, who think that even JKR has it wrong putting Ron and Hermione together. But they got it right this time!! It made me so happy!! ^__^
Okay, I think that's about all. I'll probably have a little more when I see it again. Unless I fall asleep, which is possible, considering I'll be seeing it next Sunday, right after Book 7(!!!!!!) comes out.
July 5, 2007
8:53 p.m., EDT
Wow, um, it's been a while. And I feel bad about that. Anyway, I really want a Yaris. Also, a Tiger Salamander, because they're really cool. And a snake would be nice, but I should definitely wait until I get my own place, where I can keep it in secret without telling my mom.
In other news, I totally love my job. Even though I got bit by a snake.
November 29, 2005
1:09 p.m., EST
What, me? Neglect my website? Nevaaarrr! Okay, seriously, I've had mondo crazy amounts of stuff to do, what with band and school and homework and grad project (which I so totally PASSED! With ALL HCS!!!!! (that means I'm "Highly Competent", for those of you who aren't cool enough to know) Not that I was really worried about not passing. I was just kinda scared of getting Mr. Wheeler as a judge. That would've been scary.) Anyway, my Christmas list so far is:
- Wire Crochet book
- Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet book
- The Crochet Stitch Bible
- maybe some CDs... like one of Transiberian Orchestra! ...the "Alive at Last" Train CD... I dunno...
- yarn (or at least moneys for yarn) is always nice
- books are cool, too. Like Terry Pratchett books. Not that I'll have time to read them until June X-D
That's all I can really think of right now. Yeah. Maybe I'll think of more later.
July 16, 2005
9:59 p.m., EDT
Wow, it's been a seriously long time since I wrote anything on here. But, nobody's emailed me to complain, so I guess people just don't care. ::sigh:: I really should be working on my AP English essays... Or memorizing music. Or I could be rereading book 6 which OMGRACIOUS FINALLY CAME OUT!!!!!!! ^___^ I spent about 9 hours reading it. Some seriously shocking stuff in there. Won't say anything here, now, since I don't want to spoil it. I want to know my AP test scores!!! I can't take this waiting any more!!! Agh! My neck hurts. I think it's from the positions I was reading in last night. I'm kind of hungry, too. I should also probably be paying more attention to the laundry. ::sigh:: But I feel like being a lazy bum. Or maybe, when I finish this, I'll start those essays. Yeah, I think I'll do that now. Sounds good.
June 14, 2004
9:57 p.m., EDT
Huzzah! My daddy fixed the computer!!! Anyway, I would have put this up yesterday, but I wrote it all down instead, as the computer was not working. So, this was about... 9 last night (the 13th).
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w00t w00t! I finally saw THAT movie (aka HP3)! Yay! And my pretty cape was finished just in time! (ie - I was tying the knot when we pulled into the parking lot at the movie theater)
Anyway, about the movie. I liked the music. It was more different from the privious movies, but all in all very cool. I want the soundtrack.
I think the screenplay and final editing could have used a lot of work. There were these little talking heads throughout that had nothing to do with the books or the plot in any way. There were tons of loose ends, as well. Like, they never really explained the patronus or about the healing powers of chocolate (mmm....). The explanation of the Hogsmeade form was skipped as well at the very beginning. Plus, in the opening scene, Harry's doing magic. He's not allowed to do any magic outside school!! The Knight Bus scene was too long and overdone, considering the length of the movie (only 2 1/2 hrs!). I still have issues with Professor Lupin (David Thewlis?! please! not that he's a bad actor, he's just wrong for the part). And Hary found out Pettigrew was alive too early on.
But Fred & George were great! For the few scenes they were in, they were brilliant. Especially where they gave Harry the map.
And when Lupin confiscates the map, Harry doesn't even question how Lupin knows it's a map & how to work it.
Another thing: the Wolfsbane Potion. It's mentioned once, near the end of the movie, but nothing else is said about it.
Another thing: the Dementors fly. I never pictured them flying. Gliding, yes. Seeming to hover along above the ground, sure. Fly? no. I thought they'd be a bit more like the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in the muppet version of A Christmas Carol.
They never really say the Firebolt is from Sirius, either. When Harry gets it (at the end of the movie. grr.), it has one of Buckbeak's feathers with it, but nothing else. And Harry never gets Sirius's note saying he can go to Hogsmeade, so Ron doesn't have Pigwidgeon.
And Snape doesn't take the Wolfsbane to the Shrieking Shack! And they don't use the knot to freeze the willow at all! And they don't make the announcement about Sirius on the Muggle news!
They never explain very thoroughly the relationship between the Marauders, either. My mom said she read a review where the reviewer (obviously hasn't read the books or watched very closely) says they spent too much time introducing a minor character (Pettigrew).
Goyle wasn't there either. He was in, like, one scene at the beginning, but after that it was this skinny, weird-looking guy. Obviously not Goyle.
But Dumbledore was good! And Chris Rankin (Percy) did great being a pompous git of a Head Boy. (Not sure if that should count as a compliment, but...)
Oh! And there were lots of Ron/Hermione moments. ^__^ It makes me happy. Aww! They're so cute! Can't wait to see Ron jealous of Viktor & Hermione jealous of Fleur in the next one. Cute!
And Hermione punching Malfoy was funny. I laughed.
Still, it was a bit disappointing. Hopefully they'll have lots of extras on the DVD, including all the good, necessary scenes that got cut.
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That's pretty much it about the movie. I have a pretty cape now! Hmm... should I wear it to the Imax showing? Yes! ^_^ What fun! Oh! Cool stuff! They played Moosebutter's Harry Potter song on WKNC during the a capella show! ^_^ It was great! I want their CD. The computer was totally screwed up for the past few days. The browsers wouldn't work, first, then everything else started freezing, too. But my lovely daddy fixed it! Yay!! ^_^ He says it was spyware. Eeeeeeeeeevil spyware. I have almost finished my AP English book! Yay! Then, after I do the first "affective response" (ie - did I like it?) I can take my time doing the other things, and read different books. Fantasy books. Not-so-depressing books. And finish rereading the HP series so I can do my fanfics in (mostly) canon.
May 26, 2004
12:21 p.m., EDT
I don't want to come to school tomorrow!! Durn A/B schedule... ick. And know what else isn't cool? My mom says I can't go to a midnight showing of the third movie (that would be midnight of June 4, BEFORE we leave. She didn't seem to understand that. She seemed to think I meant AFTER we got to Toronto...) and we can't go in Toronto. Why? I honestly can't remember why she told me we can't go while we're in Toronto. Anyway... I have nothing to say! :-O
May 1, 2004
11:17 p.m., EDT
I feel so insulted!! My sister tried to insinuate that I don't make real cream puffs!! :-O Not cool!! Know what else isn't cool? I have a science project due Monday!! Eep! And I only started gathering data today. And my sisters digital camera isn't working, so I have to get pictures developed tomorrow... somehow. Oh, dear. I'm going to die... Fortunately, the project is only 10% of my grade. (ha! ONLY, says I.) And lucky me, that teacher automatically gives everyone 3 points at the end of the quarter, plus I'll (most likely) get 2 more for having to take those stupid comprehensive tests, possibly more than two because we had to take the math one twice, as they didn't tell us to clear our calculators. Now, really, if clearing the calculator is that important, put it in the directions!! The test administrators have to read off exactly what's in their little book, so just put it in there if it's so gosh-darn important!! Don't make me suffer the horrors of standardized math tests more than once!! Especially when they have that much geometry!! I didn't really like geometry. It wasn't hard, it was just too much to remember. All those postulates and theorems... ::shudders:: And of course, you finish early and then get to sit around for 45 minutes doing absolutely nothing! Ick. At least I won't have to take... wait. Nevermind. I do have to take more standardized tests. Ew. But only one in chemistry this semester, I think. I'll survive. Might not survive the science project, but I'll survive the standardized tests. Hopefully. Maybe I'll just go crazy from having my brain rot from not being used on tests enough.
April 26, 2004
6:13 p.m., EDT
Oh, my poor neglected web site!! I feel terrible for neglecting you!! Poor, poor website!! Anyway, much more to say, but I have a Girl Scout meeting to get ready for and homework to finish, so I must run!! More later!
10:49 p.m., EDT
Well, I had fun at my meeting. We ate pie!! :-d It was kind of a strawberry cream pie. We made, like, four this weekend when we went camping at the speedway (it was Jamboree. fun stuff), but we had 5 less people than we planned, so there was a lot left over. Jamboree was great. Very relaxing. I just forgot about school and homework and this stupid science project due next week that I haven't started yet (oh, dear) and relaxed all weekend. I just hung out. Chilled. Attempted to get rid of my icky sock tan, but it didn't work. I also attempted to climb the hard level of the rock wall (they only had ONE, can you believe it?!?!), but I failed. :'-( Oh well. Better luck next year. Unless it's the same weekend as prom again, in which case, since I'll be old enough to go, I'll go to prom, most likely. Might not have a date, ::sigh:: but... wait. Must get back on track. Anyway, I drew on the track. I ::gasp::horrors! went ABOVE the white line (how dreadful!) to write "Padfoot Lives; Katherine is in denial" and a big, pink paw print. I don't think he's really dead. I refuse to admit it. I will continue to refuse until after book 7, where he will NOT have remained "dead" the whole time! Emily told me to move on. Ha! Like that's gonna happen!! Someone commented on his paw being hot pink, but I think Sirius would be man enough (and probably in touch with fashion enough) to be okay with a pink paw. Besides, it contrasted so nicely with the black pavement! Anyway, we decided all the staff people driving in golf carts were on power trips because they were very rude and uppity and "I'm better than you"-ish. So, we wrote that on the track. "Golf carts = Power Trip." JUST above the white line, too, to spite them, ha! And then Clayre and Katrina decided that PMSing was one of the requirements to drive a golf cart, so the wrote "The golf cart people are PMSing." It was really quite funny. The messages, that is. The golf cart people were often rude. Like, this one woman yelled at us twice in the space of 10 minutes to move our 2nd van out of the site (it's one of the rules, but no one told us where to park it) in a very rude, demanding fashion. First, it was, "You need to move that van right now!!!" in a very crabby, superior sort of voice. Then, while Mrs. Betty and some of the girls were taking everything they needed out (and Mrs. Betty is really tall), she comes back to my mom and says in the same crabby voice, "That van needs to be moved now!!!" So my mom is all, "She's getting things out right now to move it!" (referring to Mrs. Betty), and the woman's response? "Oh. I didn't see her." Ha! A likely story! And then, she apparantly followed Mrs. Betty to a parking space. Really now! How mad do you have a right to be at people when they don't do something you don't give them instructions on how to do it? (not sure how much sense that made, as I'm mondo tired, but it'll have to do.) Not very. And then they kept yelling at people to put shoes on. Understandable at a speedway where it's possible to step on broken glass or metal or some other such vile thing, but could we at least be polite about it? Not "Where are your shoes?! Go put them on now!!" but more of "You should really wear shoes..." and explain why. So it was fairly relaxing, but still not fun in parts. And they really do need to bring back REAL archery. This shooting flat-tipped arrows at paper targets less than 20 feet away really doesn't cut it for me. And bring back the scrap exchange, for gosh sakes!! That was really popular with lots of the girls, and they took it away!!! Grr. And if you don't want people to wear tank tops or spaghetti straps or bathing suits while they walk around, tell them that BEFORE they get to the event! I mean, DUH!!! Some of it just irked me. And I want to know who voted for that theme!! "Girls Rule"?? Please!! Somebody, kill me now!! That is the lamest thing I've ever heard. The choices for next year (who comes up with those? I wanted pirates...): Under the Sea (which I voted for), Rockin for 25 years (or something like that. It'll be the 25th Jamboree, at the Rockingham speedway. Get it? Ha ha! NO.), or (ick ick ick ick ick!!!) Go, Girl, Go! (EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Save me!! Please, Lord, NO!!! That's gotta be the worst one EVER!!!!!) If it's that last one, I might just have to kill someone. It sounds WAY too much like the kids' book by PD Eastman, "Go, Dog, Go!" You know the one. "Go, dog, go! The light is green now! Stop, dog, stop! The light is red now!" That sort of thing. We made many critical comments. Mwahahahahaaa! And we got jobbed in the banner contest. Ours was the best and they knew it!!! But no! We don't even get THIRD!!! We paint a HAND-DRAWN (from a reference picture) picture of Rosie the Riveter on ours, and some troop that PRINTED THIER PICS OFF A COMPUTER wins!!!! How unfair is that?? Grrrrrrr. Eeeee-vil. Anyway, I should go to bed. It's after 11. I have to get up at 5. Ick.
March 13, 2004
6:18 p.m., EST
Oh. My. Lord. WHO the hey chose those refs? And the stupid officials, too!! Durn... frigging... BIASED people!!! WHY it is SO hard to get UNBIASED referees for a tournament is BEYOND me!! Maryland just "beat" NC State. Why? The stupid refs were biased. They called about 10 fouls against State that weren't even CLOSE to being fouls!!!! And after half-time, they called a technical against State for "delaying the game," because, supposedly, at the end of the time out, they had too many people on the court. I want to know WHO ON EARTH chose those refs. Then I can write angry letters and get them fired, because they did a horrible job!! The commentators needed to be changed, too. They were just as biased against State today as they were yesterday. Personally, I think they might have come from UNC, which would explain a lot. You really shouldn't let people from UNC commentate for games in which State is playing. Especially when they're probably bitter over UNC getting beat and not even getting into the tournament. ::smug smirk:: I am having great diffuculty controlling my anger at these people. It's lucky I have as much control as I do, though, because otherwise this entry would be full of Uncharacteristic words. My frustration is beyond describing. I know no words to tell the full scope of my ire. Except maybe ineffable, which simply means indescribable. Stupid... evil... durn... erggg... biased... refs and commentators!!! WHAT do these people have against State? Just because State's team is better than UNC's this year is no reason to hire refs who won't call the game fairly!! I mean, in college, you would think the refs would be better than those used by rec leagues. Those refs were just as bad, if not worse than, some of the refs I had to endure in rec league!! Arrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!! And of course, the little internet indicator light is being all stupid and blinky again... Why is nothing working out right? FIRST, the stupid refs are obviously biased. NOW, our internet connection is being all weird again. It's really not funny. And not nice. And just... evil!
March 11, 2004
9:41 p.m., EST
Here are my thoughts from earlier, which I couldn't post, as my sister was using the computer. Basically, this was what I thought when my wisdom-tooth extraction was scheduled for Wednesday.
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Wonderful. Just peachy. I have to have my wisdom teeth pulled. Okay, fine. At least I'm getting it done over break so I'll have the reccomended full week to recover. Or so I thought. But, just my luck, the first open day for me to get it done is next Wednesday, the 17th. Break ends the 22nd. Whoopee! I always wanted to go to school while recovering from surgery! I can't even imagine how fun it will be to be at school with puffy cheeks, in pain, and only able to eat mushy foods! I am absolutely ecstatic! Especially since I have said repeatedly that Monday (the 15th) would be the last day I would want to have surgery! I just can't believe I get the wonderful opportunity to have it and hope to recover in 4 1/2 days!
I could cry, I'm so upset with this thing. I'd say something (see extremely sarcastic rant above), but then I'd just get snapped at for being rude and disrespectful to my parents. But is it not disrespectful to me to not even consult me on when I want my oral surgery to be performed on me? It would seem that I am the key in this equation, yet I get almost no say in the matter. Would it be so hard for a parent to take me into Raleigh tomorrow or next Tuesday so I won't be recovering and at school? Possibly unfortunately for me, I am too smart/cautious to say any of these things aloud. I am very glad I can pour out my frustrations onto this page (originally, it said book, meaning my journal), so I don't end up exploding or acting like a bloody stupid PMS-ing prat, as Harry acts in book 5. He really should get a journal or something. This happens in school all the time (and is currently happening at my church). Some "authority" makes a decision, and the teens, who contrary to popular belief do have opinions and aren't always rebellious, just get pushed aside as children. They expect us to act like adults, why don't they treat us that way? Of course, we won't say anything because we know if we do, we'll be punished, or our opinions will just be completely disregarded. And while it's usual in schools and almost nothing can be done except to turn to parents for help, with places like church or decisions that greatly affect our lives, you might think someone would consult us. The saddest part is that when they don't, about the most we can do is not go.
Let's look at my church for a bit. [some background: High House is a house on property connected to ours that we bought a couple years ago. It is in the process of serious renovations, and houses the main office and was supposed to have a room for the youth originally.] Suddenly, 3/4 of the way through the school year, an arbitrary decision is made to put all the adult classes in High House so the sanctuary will be open before the service. Also, all classes will start exactly at 9:15 [it's like these people don't like NC time, or something. - North Carolina time basically means you run 5-15 minutes behind on meetings and things (not school, of course. or other things of uber-importance)]. And the high schoolers, who at the moment meet at High House (which has a sofa and comfy chairs), are being displaced to the one room in the church building (apart from the nursery) that doesn't have adult-size chairs. There are several problems with this decision.
- High House is not handicap accessible. At the moment, only the high schoolers and one adult class meet there. There are no disabled high schoolers. Disabled adults are able to join one of the two classes that meet in the sanctuary.
- Is it really so necessary to start on time? Everyone spends all week looking at the clock, racing around to stay on schedule. Can we not have one day to rest from the grueling pace of life today?
- Do we think the high schoolers are just objects?!? Furniture, to be moved where adults please when they please? We're all confirmed members, which means we can all vote at church. Why do we get no say in this? We won't say anything on our own, except maybe to grumble among ourselves, because it's been programmed into us over the years that we can't stop the higher-ups from pushing us around. It's so ingrained in us, I don't think we realize much (I only just did) that as members, we are EQUAL with the adults. We [are supposed to] have a say in what happens to our church, which is good, as we will be the ones running it in the future. Why aren't we modeling the UCC organization, where 1/5 or 1/6 of the delegates must be under 30, and half of those under 18? I could go on about this forever, but I have more issues with the decision.
- All the choir members will now be at High House, meaning classes will need to end at least 10 minutes earlier to accomodate the time to walk back to the church. The strangest thing is, they're moving a class into the old pastor's office, but they're also moving the choir warm-up room to that room, so the choir can continue barging in on classes. (Not that they really want to, but it can't be helped.)
- I think the adult classes now in the sanctuary are too big to fit at High House. One would be in the kitchen, which is cluttered, unfinished, and the main thoroughfare through the house, and the second would be in the living room, which only has seats for 7 adults. The rest would have to use folding chairs, unless they're willing to squeeze 3 on a loveseat meant for 2 and 4 or 5 on a sofa meant for 3.
- There is nowhere near enough parking at High House. Supposedly, transportation would be provided in poor weather conditions, but you can turn an ankle by walking on gravel in heels if you step wrong, no matter what the weather's like.
- What's the rush? Why does this have to be done in 2 weeks all of a sudden? Is it impossible to wait 3 months for school to let out before making this decision?
I distinctly recall it being said the big room at High House wuold be for the youth. Why are we being kicked out, again? To a room with baby chairs, no less?
- All the parents who are in a class will be a heck of a lot farther from their kids if there's an emergency. What happens when the kids' classes get out early and there's no one to supervise them?
To sum up, this is a stupid thing to do because: 1) High House is not accessible to handicapped persons, 2) the clock shouldn't rule us as much on Sundays, 3) Teens are people, too!, 4) the choir will be too far away, 5) the adult classes are too big, or rather, High House is too small, 6) parking/transportation issues, 7) why are we rushing?, 8) the big room was promised to the youth, and now we're being kicked out, and 9) parents will be too far from their kids.
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Just thought I'd share my feelings. It really helps quite a bit.
February 26, 2004
6:45 p.m., EST
Hey y'all! Hurrah for snow! It is very nice to get out of school early. Very, very nice. Anyway, I wanted to address an issue that has been bugging me for a while.
This "marriage amendment" is just plain stupid. If people want to protect the "sanctity" of marriage, just outlaw divorce! I mean, really, how is a homosexual couple going to harm my marriage? (Unless they seduce myself or my future husband, which I'm not too worried about... at least, not for myself. Of course, if my future husband happens to be bi, then I might worry, but it wouldn't be any worse than a wife being worried about husband's secretary seducing him.) Besides, if we can decree that men can only marry women (and vice-versa), what's next? No inter-racial marriages? No inter-religious marriages? No inter-political party marriages? Are we going to end up with laws where only blond-haired blue-eyed Aryans can marry blond-haired blue-eyed Aryans? (I saw those examples in a really good letter to the editor the other day. If I could remember who wrote it, I'd thank them by name, but since I can't, thanks to them for their good points.) I thought our country was supposed to be moving forward, not backward. These same arguments that people are now using against homosexual marriages were used decades ago to try and prevent inter-racial marriages. (I saw a show on it on PBS.) They thought that inter-racial marriages would cause society to completely disintegrate. It would be the end of the world as we know it. People were calling for multi-racial children to be sterilized. At least with homosexual marriages, we don't have to worry about that!! And it's not like gays or lesbians choose to fall in love with a member of the same sex. Not allowing them to adopt children is stupid, too. Are people afraid they'll teach their foster kids to be gay? It's not a learned behavior! Sexual orientation is something nobody can control. We can't control our gender (usually), our natural hair and eye color, who our biological family is, or who we're attracted to. It just doesn't work. I see no reason whatsoever to ban gay marriages, as they pose no threat to my parents' marriage, my grandparents' marriage, my aunts and uncles' marriages, or future marriages of anyone I know. The "sanctity" of marriage supporters of this ridiculous amendment are shouting about is compromised daily by divorces. Their fatuous arguments for passing such an amendment are unreasonable, except perhaps where a religion is concerned, but religion should not enter into the actions of the government. That's why we have the First Amendment, which states that Congress can neither establish a religion nor make a law preventing the free exercise of a religion, and the separation of Church and State. You could also try citing STDs like HIV and AIDS as good reasons not to have homosexual marriages, but straight people get them just as much.
Just thought I'd share my views. You can disagree with me, call it "a sin" if you wish, but you do have to admit that the "safety" of marriage between men and women is not compromised by men marrying men or women marrying women. It's not like gay married couples are going to force heterosexual married couples to divorce, so there's no real problem with homosexual marriages being detrimental to anyone. They aren't.
Anyway, if people end up reading this, I expect I'll get some pretty mean comments, but it's what I believe and I'll stand up for it.
ps- If anyone's wondering about my religion, I am a Christian, but I'm a member of a pretty open denomination. My friends from Youth Group agree that this proposed amendment is a stupid idea.
February 17, 2004
1:08 p.m., EST
Hurrah! Out of school early due to bad weather! And I have my license now. Got it Feb. 4th. And yesterday I had a most brilliant idea for a story. Here it is: the trashcans are tired of being overlooked and unappreciated and used as dumpsters for geeks, so they rebel!! Don't ask me where it came from. It just popped into my head during lunch. Kind of scary, the things my mind creates when it's bored... Really evil thing: my girl scout trip starts the day the third movie comes out!! Of course Umly and I are the ones in the troop who REEEAAALLY want to see it, and oddly enough, our own mothers are the ones who decided to go that weekend!!! Hmph. Anyway, I have a blog on Xanga now because everyone said I should get one.
January 16, 2004
4:25 p.m., EST
Happy Birthday to me!! Joy. I'm finally able to get my license, the ONE thing I REALLY wanted for my birthday, and I can't because of a stupid new law. ::fumes:: Grrrrr... The durn state legislature passed a law to help prevent illegal aliens from getting licenses by requiring more forms of ID, or different types or something, but then they decided that the law wouldn't go into effect until February, so everyone who wouldn't be able to get a license is able to rush in during January and get one. I mean, really, if you're trying to prevent people from "sneaking in" to the country by having stricter ID laws, why not put them into effect immediately? Or on January 1st? You know, a "new year, new law" kind of thing. BUT NO. We have to make SURE that ANYONE who wants their license because it's their birthday in January CAN'T GET ONE! The DMV offices are only open on weekdays, and most parents aren't going to pull their kids out of school just to get a license. At least, not for a full day. Geez! I feel like writing an angy letter. A VERY angry letter expressing my outrage at our state assembly's complete lack of thought in this matter. If they want to make laws so it's tougher for people to come here illegally, fine! Go ahead! Just don't do something so STUPID as to delay it's start so people can edge in before it begins!! Duh! That completely undermines the whole idea!! Not to mention it inconveniences the DMV workers and those of us who should be able to get tests WITHOUT having to miss whole days of school. The one thing I really want, and they rip it away from me! FORTUNATELY, my mom made me an appointment for Feb. 4. (Not that I'm exactly thrilled with waiting THREE WEEKS to get my license.) This is, officially, the worst day of my week, and the worst birthday experience I can remember. I mean, I've been waiting to turn this age for years because I knew I'd get my license, and now I can't!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?!?!?!?! I've been even more excited than usual about today for the last couple months because I figured I'd be able to drive myself where I wanted, and now I can't! MAN, this sucks!!! You're not supposed to cry on your birthday, but guess what I did when I got home? Yep. That's it. I know lawmakers have to make some tough decisions, but this one is just plain stupid! This law is supposedly going to help decrease the number of illegal aliens living here, yet they completely thwart their own efforts by saying, Hey, don't worry! All you non-citizens still have a month to get licenses! Well, at least this day can only get better (I hope). After all, how much worse could it get in the next 7 1/4 hours? I need a hug. ::goes off to huggle her Eeyore::
January 4, 2004
4:55 p.m., EST
Happy New Year everybody!! Sorry I didn't write earlier, but I was on vacation. In Florida. At Disney World. Fun stuff! And guess what?!?!?!?!?!?! I got Eeyore's autograph!!!!!! Eeeeeeeeee!!! ^_____^ Yay!!!! That was the best part of the whole trip. And only 12 days until my __th birthday!! When I can get my driver's license!! Yay!! And I found the PERFECT Eeyore sweatshirt in Florida. It has Eeyore on it, and most importantly, it has a pocket!! Yay!! And I saw the new Peter Pan movie, which has Jason Isaacs as both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. It kind of threw me when I recognized that he actually WAS Mr. Darling because I've only ever seen him play evil/bad people (well, only in two movies - three now - but it still counts). I kinda wonder if there was supposed to be irony in the fact that the father and Peter's enemy were basically the same person or if I'm reading too much into it because of all my English classes. ("Find the symbolism of..." "What is the irony in..." etc) I was watching The Lion King with my sis before we went on the trip, and I kept calling everyone's attention to the symbolism of the rain. ::hides face in hands:: I think I've spent too much time in English class. Ah! I also recognized (eventually) that the girl who played Wendy was Sarah in A Little Princess. Am I good or what? Go Katherine! Well, my internet connection has decided to be evil and blink at me, so I must go now.
December 7, 2003
8:31 p.m., EST
Well, I would've added to Friday's on Friday, but my dad stole the comp after dinner. ::glares:: grrrr. Anyway, that's really about it for my Christmas list. But I was going to put up more, like about how my grandparents are visiting, and my grandpa likes to try and yank my sister's and my chain. He tried to tell us that camels were horses designed by a committee. ::rolls eyes:: Honestly. But that's what makes him fun. Earlier, I had to play at my band concert, except it went about an hour over because the durn chorus sang too many songs!! And they always go before us, so we're the ones who end up being late for other things! Rrrrrggghh. And then the chorus parents have the audacity to (almost) all leave after the chorus is done, which is completely rude! The BAND parents don't do that! They have to sit through every single group just to hear their own kids! It's just not right! At the concert last spring, which was on a Thursday or something (a school night), my family left at 9:30 p.m. The thing thing started at, like, 6, and when we left, the Symphonic Band hadn't even gone yet!! It was absolutely insane! Grrrr. So tonight, I ended up missing most of my church potluck, which I really wanted to go to. ::grumbles to self:: I'm very tired. I had two (count them, TWO) parades yesterday, and then the concert tonight. Very tiring. I think I shall go to bed.
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