Camp is Over!

As much fun as this job was, I am exhausted. I was sleeping in the car on my way home. Many of the things I tried to say to my parents were slightly incoherent because I was too tired to care. Tonight...I get to sleep!

Also, I'm aware I missed posting yesterday. I had to pack during my free period, and the camp dance went late so lights out was later than usual. I just didn't have the time. I promise to do an extra post one day before the end of the month. For now though...sleep.

TV I've Been Watching

Lately I started watching two new (to me) series. I started watching Roswell and Parks and Recreation. I'm about midway through the first season of Roswell. I like it, but I don't love it. It's fun but I haven't clicked with it in that "I have to see what happens next/I need to have watched so I'm in on all the jokes" kind of way.

Parks and Recreation on the other hand...I'm midway through season 4. I started season 1 forever ago, and didn't like it. Then I heard season 2 was better, so I powered through season 1 to get to it. Now I love this show.

So yeah, that's wat I've been watching lately.

Oh and Cupcake Wars but I mean, c'mon. Cupcakes.

Quidditch Pictures

So about two weeks after I joined the Quidditch team at my school, we played a tournament against other local schools. Here are some pictures from that weekend. In case you were wondering, we were seeded 6th out of 8 teams, and came in second.

Common Questions People Ask When They Learn You Play Quidditch

I joined my school's Quidditch team in April. Since then I've learned that there are some questions you just get used to answering.

1. How do you play Quidditch?

It's basically the same as wizard Quidditch.
The chaser and keeper play are basically the same, except they use a partially deflated volleyball as a quaffle.
For beaters, obviously the bludgers don't fly around, we use dodgeballs. If we hit someone on the other team, they have to run back to their hoops.
The snitch is a person, rather than a tiny flying ball. They have a sock with a tennis ball in it tucked into their pants and the seeker has to grab the sock. The snitch is also worth 30 points, not 150. For the first 20 minutes the snitch doesn't have to be on the field. He or she can climb a tree, grab a drink at a nearby drink stand, sit in a parked car, you name it, they can do it. After 20 minutes the snitch has to return to the field.

2. But you don't actually fly around, do you?

Well obviously not. You have to keep a broom (or PVC pipe, or bamboo stick) between your legs the whole time. If you dismount, you have to run back to your hoops.

3. What position do you play?

I am a subbing beater. I'm new to the team, so I only go in if one of the starting beaters gets tired and needs a break. Sometimes I start if we don't have enough girls though.

4. What does the number of girls have to do with it?

Not counting the seeker, Muggle Quidditch requires there to be at least two boys and two girls on the field at all times as players. Equality! (The actual rule is a little different, but in most cases this is what it ends up meaning)

5. Have you seen The Internship? They play Quidditch in that movie.

No I have not seen it. Nor do I plan to.

The Twelfth Doctor

So yesterday the actor playing the twelfth doctor was announced, Peter Capaldi. I don't know much about him, but going by his interview, I'm excited to see what's to come.

Personally, I'm excited that they're going back to an older Doctor. I think it will change up the dynamic beteween him and the companion from what it's been since Rose and Nine. I'm hoping we can go back to some of what we had with Donna and Ten honestly.

So yeah, I'm excited, though I won't really know how I feel until I see him in action.

Sleep Schedules

I don't know how it happened but somehow I got on a nice regular sleep schedule during spring quarter at school. I went to sleep around midnight and woke up around 7:30. This kept happening until I finally learned to accept it. Once I accepted it, it was fabulous. I woke up refreshed, not cranky. Although I set an alarm, I never needed it, so the alarm ended up being a "okay, you should start thinking about leaving for class in about 15 minutes" alarm, rather than a "wake-up" alarm.

I kept it up for a while after I got home for the summer, but after about a week I left for my current job as a camp counselor. My sleep schedule has been ruined. I have no consistant sleep time, or wake up time. It's all dependant on when I want to shower, or if I have a staff meeting, or how much sugar I had before bed.

That being said, when the other counselors and I hang out after lights out, I'm the one who falls asleep on the couch in the lounge. Regularly.

Hopefully this means I'll be able to readjust back to my sleep schedule once I finish this job.

Six Flags, more flags more exhaustion

I'm already regretting making myself do this.

Let's see...

I went to Six Flags New England today with the camp I'm working at. I got to go on Bizarro (formerly Superman) pretty much right away, becaue the weather was sort of icky, so there was no line.

I fell asleep on the bus ride back to camp. That part was nice. The part where I had to be awake after that was less nice. But once I post this I can go to sleep so yay!

First Line Challenge

So there's this writing magazine called "The First Line" and they hold a competition where they provide the first line of a story and you write the rest. They do one for each season. I wrote a story for their Fall competition. The deadline to submit was August first. Guess who forgot to submit it? So I'm going to post it here instead.

First Line Challenge (There must have been thousands standing in the rain that day.)"

There must have been thousands standing in the rain that day. Of course, it started as a nice day. A few clouds in the sky, then, gradually, as more and more clouds began to gather strange things started to occur.

Mary Lockwood, the pastor's wife, was in the library, scanning the shelves for the latest AJ Tennent novel when she straightened up and went outside. Robbie Brown was biking to the baseball diamond when he dismounted and walked the opposite direction towards town hall, leaving his shiny, blue bicycle lying on the sidewalk. Drew Edwards, the mayor's assistant stood up in the middle of a budget meeting and walked outside.

If you'd been standing just past the town border, say on Williams Hill, looking through a pair of binoculars you would have thought the whole town was affected. Up close it was easy to tell the difference between those who were compelled to go and those who were just following along, out of concern or curiosity.

Those in the first group were walking slowly but purposefully towards town hall, not stopping for anything including oncoming traffic, reacting only to obstacles like doors or stairs. Their eyes were dull and once outside they traveled like salmon swimming upstream, relying on instinct to get them to town hall.

Those in the second group were noisy, some people calling out to their loved ones with fear, others asking each other what they thought was happening. They moved in starts and fits, attempting to stop those who walked on.

They stopped trying after what happened to Becky Lurna. At first she tried to stop him by blocking his path, but he walked around her with no reaction. She became more determined, stepping into his path once more. When he started to move to the right, slowly and deliberately, she shifted to her left, blocking his path. He paused, then started moving left. Again, she mirrored him. It was when he tried going right again only to be blocked by her once more, that he picked her up and threw her to the side.

Word spread quickly through the crowd, the rumbling voices mimicking the thunder in the distance. People made a point to stop trying to physically block the walkers. Instead they walked alongside, making passionate pleas to their families and friends.

Gradually the crowd flowed onto the lawn in front of town hall, arriving as the last of the clouds gathered, filling any gaps the sun had tried to peek through. Horace Spector, the mayor, had his staff direct onlookers off to the side, separating them from the mob.

Everyone was holding their breath, some eager, some nervous, wondering what would happen next.

That was when the skies opened, drenching the crowd in an ongoing sheet of rain. The bystanders huddled togther, some shrieking, others swearing while the others simply looked up to the sky.

Dottie Marsh was the first to notice the blood. At first it merely trickled out the noses of those who stood still as a statue. As it began to gush more heavily the townspeople began to approach their loved ones, pressing clothes to their faces to staunch the bleeding.

Their hands were pushed away. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as they began to bleed more heavily, blood gushing out of not only their noses, but also their ears and eyes. Mothers continued to try and push through to their children, but were held back by the other onlookers, who ignored their wails and protests, muttering things like "you can't help them" and "you'll only make it worse".

The dark sky lit up as a bolt of lightning hit town hall, followed immediately by a deafening boom.

All of the bloodied townspeople fell to the ground, along with several of the onlookers. Only the onlookers stood back up a few moments later.

All told, the town's population went down by about three percent, just a few hundred people. Yet there must have been thousands standing in the rain that day.

BEDA's Back!

So it's been a while, huh? The weird thing is I did have posts planned, I just never got around to writing them. So, I'm going to do BEDA again to get back in the habit of writing blog posts about things. Yeah. This is happening. I'm working 16 hour days until August 10, but yeah, I'm doing BEDA again. This is insanity.

In case you were wondering what you can expect this month I will be writing:
-Reviews of the remaining Doctor Who episodes from this last season
-What it's like being on crutches for a week
-What it's like being a sleepaway camp counselor
-Knitting Updates
-Cross Stitch updates
-And More!

No BEDA This Time

So as you may have figured out, I'm not doing BEDA (Blog Every Day in August). Umm, not just because I've already missed some days, but also because I know I'll be missing more days later. I'm leaving the country in about a week and a half, for a week and a half. But then I'll be back! Anyway, I won't have much internet access while I'm away. I'm already dreading what my inbox will look like when I get back. Anyway, no internet = no blogging. But I'll try and do some extra posting about my trip when I get back.

The End of BEDA

Last day of BEDA!!!!! It could not have come at a better time. This week brings 3 midterms and a performance, so I am ready to get through it. It has mostly been fun doing this though. Once again I learned some new skills. I finally learned how to take a screenshot. I got better at cropping pictures. I learned that I can usually think of something to write.

I'm glad I stuck through BEDA this April. It was a great experience, especially since I (hopefully) will be unable to do BEDA in August. Not because of anything bad. I applied to a trip that takes place in August, so if I get to go (crossing fingers) I will be traveling internationally, and won't always have reliable internet, and thus would be unable to do BEDA for all of August. So, let's hope that this is my last BEDA for a year.

I'm going back to my old schedule of blogging Tuesdays and Saturdays. See you... oh come on tomorrow? Really? Can I please wait until Saturday to restart my schedule? Please? Especially since April started on a Sunday, so I posted March 31, then April 1 already. Yeah, I'm skipping tomorrow. See you Saturday.

Crafts and Chemistry

Today there was an event at my school where various clubs had arts and crafts activities for kids. I was there volunteering with the chemistry club. Unfortunately, not that many kids showed up. My guess as for why? It was an outdoor event on a very windy day. We had to weight almost everything down, and were just generally cold throughout.

Then again, it's possible that the goal was to attract few children. I honestly can't think of another reason for the person in charge of creating the playlist for the event to put "I'm Sexy and I Know it" on the playlist, much less for who ever was in charge to let it play in full.

Anyway, here are some pictures.

Coffee Filter Chromatography:

Draw on a coffee filter with marker, and then brush with water.
Black marker is especially cool.

Stained Glass Glue:

Mix glue with a little water. Add a drop or two of food coloring. Touch  a toothpick into some dish detergent, then touch that toothpick to the food coloring in the glue.

Tomorrow is the last day of BEDA! Whoo!

3 Wishes

If a genie popped into my room this instant and offered me three wishes, here's what I'd wish for.

1. A complete understanding of C++

2. To not be sick.

3. More hours in the day.

Ah to be done with midterms.

Ravenclaw Scarf-DONE!

So a little while ago I posted about a knitting project I was working on. I was working on a Ravenclaw scarf. Then I stopped after a while, partially because I was yet to get into Pottermore and didn't want to waste more time on a scarf for what might be the wrong house. Then I got sorted into Ravenclaw, so I finished the scarf.

Picture time!

I was going to retake this picture so you could see my face, but then I decided to make my mom happy and leave my face out.

I still have a skein of each color left. I'm trying to think of a project for them. Socks maybe. I'll see what I can find.

A Busy TV Year

So I was just about to take a study break to watch an episode of Alias, when I realized something. Alias is one of many shows that a year ago I had never seen an episode of. And, at the rate I'm going it will soon be one of many shows that a year ago I'd never seen an episode of, but that I've now seen in it's entirety.

What other shows are on this list you ask?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel
Dollhouse
Wonderfalls
Sherlock

By the way, on a related note, I have never seen an episode of Law and Order (or any of it's incarnations). The closest I've come is catching the last minute or so while waiting for a different show to come on, which I don't think counts as watching it. I think it's especially impressive/weird given how frequently it's on TV. I'm probably not going to get tonight's episode of Community.

A Notsome Start

So today it was raining when I left for class. I assumed that the reason the back of my legs were wet was because of the rain. It turns out that my water bottle lid wasn't fully screwed on. As I walked, it was spilling on me. I then got to sit on what quickly turned into a wet chair for two hours.

The rest of the day was better, but it wasn't a great start.

This post has a title

So I keep trying to do work. But then I remember that I could be watching this:



or this(NSFW):



Both are songs from Holy Musical B@man! the new Starkid musical, available in it's entirety on youtube. All their musicals are great.

Also, for people who like Pride and Prejudice there's another video project you should check out:


Happy viewing!

Enjoying it While I Can

Next week I have 2-3 midterms and have to perform a short story. This week however, I have no midterms. So I'm trying to enjoy this week, while also trying to get ahead for next week...which isn't enjoyable. Sigh.

11 O'Clock

11 O'Clock (A Poem)
It's eleven o'clock.
I almost forgot
to do BEDA.

But now I'm here.
So you see my dear
I'll do a real post later.

Based on or Inspired by?

I don't always react well to movie adaptations (coughharrypottercough). However, I love what I'll call "alternate stories", things like modern day retellings, stories from minor characters points of view, things like that. Obviously, there are going to be differences, sometimes dramatic ones but I don't mind them as much in these cases.

I think the main difference is whether I go in expecting it to be dramatically different, or if I go in expecting it to be faithful.

For example, when I watch Once Upon a Time on TV, I expect the fairy tales to be different from what I know. In fact, I'd be disappointed if they didn't change the story. As long as there are familiar elements though, I'm happy. This is because (as I define it) Once Upon a Time is inspired by fairy tales. The Harry Potter movies on the other hand are based on the Harry Potter books and therefore should have a greater level of fidelity.

To be clear, I understand that when some thing is based on another work, changes will occur between mediums. These things I don't mind. As long as the information is given to the audience, the exact method may change.

 For example, if The Hunger Games had been completely faithful to the book (and on the most part it was actually), most of the movie would be voice over, as the book is narrated by Katniss. While voice overs can be done effectively, the movie would be less interesting if most of it was Katniss walking and explaining something. However, there was still vital information that needed to be told to the audience. As an example, in the book Katniss explains what tracker jackers are when she encounters them. In the movie, Ceasar Flickman and Claudius Templesmith who are acting as commentators for the viewers at home, explain them as part of the commentary. This is a change that makes sense within the context of the medium, but still keeps the story the same.

I also don't really have a problem with movies condensing events, or removing characters that don't have much to do with the story. Examples of this would be Bill and Fleur's wedding happening on Harry's birthday in the movie, even though it's not the same day in the book. In Hunger Games, the character of Madge is removed and the story is only slightly affected.

What annoys me in adapations that at based on, rather than inspired by, is when important subplots are removed, especially when the filmmakers add in sequences that make no difference to the story in their stead (I'm looking at you Harry/Hermione dance scene but no mention of Tonks being pregnant except for a mention of son in the next movie!).

By the way, I've been focusing on book/movie adaptations, but I know there are other adaptions. I remember seeing Little Shop of Horrors get turned into a musical. That was weird. Also, movies get video game adaptations, though I views those as inspired by, rather than based on.

I just wanted to touch on this, mainly to work through my own hypocrisy of complaining about changes in some adaptations, but loving things like Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Sherlock and others. Also, I hope this makes up for yesterday's lame post.