Salesman

Does anyone actually buy anything from Billy Mays? Personally, I find him the most abrasive and annoying man in the infomercial world.

I mean, for real, who wants to be screamed at for 10 minutes?

Who would you buy from?
Billy Mays?

or “Vince”?

Leave your answers in the comments please, I really want to know!

Things that make me feel famous part something

When John Green posted my video of Hank Green singing “The List” here in St. Paul in November on the last stop of the Tour de Nerdfighting, a video which has jumped from about 45-ish views to 804, which for me is pretty amazing and awesome. You can read John’s post here, you can read my post about the Tour de Nerdfighting here.

I mean, even though he probably only posted my video featuring the song (out of all the versions available on youtube) was probably only because it was the last night of the tour, it’s still really exciting because there’s always the slight possibility that someone will be like, “Hey, who posted this quality video of Hank singing? I’m going to read her blog!” Slight, but you never know.

Gosh, I haven’ t been this excited since Liam Lynch answered my question on Lynchland.  

Also, I just finished my first book of 2009, so check it out on the list!

New Stuff

I’ve posted a few essays that I wrote last year in the Stories/Essays section. Hopefully I’ll be able to post some new short stories soon.

In other news, I need a haircut…

2009 Approaches

It is New Year’s Eve, my lovelies and so I thought I would share what I accomplished from last year’s list and my list for 2009.

2008:
Goal: Learn to play and sing “So do I love you”
Pseudo achieved! I didn’t learn “So do I love you” but I did learn how to play “Dakota” (but I can’t quite sing it yet).
Goal: Go to a lot of shows
I’m sorry to say that I really didn’t go to as many shows as I would have liked  in 2008,  but I still went to quite a few.
Goal: Write a lot
I did write a lot, but it was mostly poetry. However, I am currently working on a story.
Goal: Send said writings to publishers
Epic fail, I am sorry to say
Goal: Write a song
Another epic fail.
Goal: Travel
I traveled a little, poked around Iowa looking for the Matchstick Museum and giant ears of corn with my mom, but that was about it.

The New Shiny List for 2009!

Write short stories/a book
Send something out (for goodness sake)
Read 100 books (I like to aim for the absurdly impossible goals)
Drink 0 Pepsi after graduation
Travel
Write more blogs!

 

Ps. What is everyone doing for New Year’s Eve?

Harry, A History

Last night I read Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli and I don’t think that it is possible for me to express just how awesome it was. I seriously could not put it down, and I haven’t stayed up all night to read a book since the night Deathly Hallows was released. Melissa made me remember why I fell in love with the Potter books and their surrounding fandom. She made me remember why I dressed up as wizard with my mom for an all night book release party, why I squealed when the cover art for Deathly Hallows was unveiled and why I drove four hours to Iowa to see Harry and the Potters.

I had forgotton how much I loved being part of the madness that is the Harry Potter fandom. I feel the need to go to a wizard rock show now and dance with reckless abandon.

This book made me realize that just because the Harry Potter series is now over, the fandom is not dead.

If you don’t already know, Melissa is webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron and co-hosts the podcast, Pottercast. You should also check out Melissa’s blog.
 

Ps. And to Melissa, in case you ever read this:
I couldn’t thank you enough.

Surprise, surprise Blagojevich is an ass

Does this mean we finally get to get rid of him? I mean, seriously, every time the guy gets mentioned I can’t help but say “He’s still in office? Why?!” What’s the deal, Illinios, we can put a decent guy in the White House, but we can’t get a decent governor?

For those who hadn’t heard yet, Illinois’ goveror Rod Blagojevich was arrested for trying to sell Obama’s recently vacated Senate seat (among other things). Here’s a link to one of the many articles that provide the details.

Oh, and by the way, he’s back at work today.
He’s like a cockroach, he just won’t die.

On Atheism

I honestly don’t understand how someone can see all the beauty in the world, the intricacy of nature, and not believe that there is something behind that.

This isn’t some angry rant or anything, I just truly, honestly, do not understand how that is possible.

Edit:
I just think that not believing in any kind of deity seems like a rather bleak view on life. I’ve heard atheists descibe believing in God (or god[s]) as being a delusion, but even if it was some kind of delusion, I think that history has shown us that it is important for us as humans to believe in something beyond us. Every culture has some religious belief and I think that says something about us. We need that assurance that there is something else out there. (Besides the aliens)

Twilight Angst

I like romance. I’ve read Twilight, I’ll probably watch the movie. I like the feeling of affirmation I get from a fluffy movie where the guy gets the girl and vice versa, but there is something about this new “romantic” francise that chills me to my very bones. Even when I was reading Twilight, there was something that kept bugging me.

All Bella and Edward ever seem to talk about is each other. Doesn’t Bella have any other interests other than Edward? Apparently not, since when he leaves she collapses into a formless lump of putty until he comes back. The feminist in me doesn’t know whether to cry or find something to hit. Then today I saw this article on yahoo. Here is a quote:

It’s the most insanely romantic film since ‘ The Notebook ,’” said Harry Medved, a spokesman for Fandango.com, who described Pattinson’s Edward Cullen as “the ideal boyfriend. … He’s incredibly strong, superfast, impossibly handsome, he plays the piano and all he cares about is what’s on her mind.

Ahh! No! That is nowhere near my ideal! I understand that there is a big chunk of the female (possibly male?) population that considers this their ideal, but he is not the ideal. I do not consider “all he cares about is what’s on her mind” to be ideal. A guy should be able to have his own passions and interests. I do not want to be worshiped. I do not want someone who will agree with everything I say. I want someone who challenges me and considers me his equal.

To be honest, I find Edward to be a bit annoying and smothering. Surely there must be some non-fangirls out there who agree.

Anyone?

No?

Oh well. I’ll live.

BMI is Bullshit

BMI or Body Mass Index is widely used to determine if someone is underweight, normal, obese, etc. Basically, BMI takes your weight and your height and nothing else and uses that to determine how fat you are as a basis of how “healthy” you are. The thing is, it doesn’t take into consideration muscle mass (which weighs much more than fat), or the plethora of other risk factors that have to do with health issues like heart problems or high cholesterol.* 

When I was a kid, BMI was always the first order of business in school. Throughout junior high and high school, I was always stuck in the “obese” category, despite being on the volleyball team and walking home from school every day. As a pseudo-shy kid who already had to endure endless jokes about being short, I definitely didn’t need another reason to be dissatisfied with my body. I don’t care what all those scary news items say about how “morbid obesity is rampant among today’s youth” no kid should have to feel like their “too fat” to do what they want to do or be what they want to be. If you’re oh-so-concerned about your kid being unhealthy or lazy, take them to the park, get involved with them, make a vegetarian quesadilla or something, but don’t you dare call your kid fat as some twisted incentive to get them to go on a diet. Change your family’s diet, sure, include a couple more veggies in tonights soup. Make sure your family is healthy by all means, but if your kid is healthy and still fat, it’s not the end of the world.

Don’t try to guilt-trip them into thinking they are somehow lesser than the “thinner” kid down the street. 

Tell your girls that they are beautiful, tell your boys that they are quite handsome young lads, and really mean it. Then go and look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are beautiful or quite handsome and really mean it, because the way that you look at yourself is going to be reflected in the way that your kids look at themselves as they grow.

 

*Go here to see an interesting slideshow about BMI.

Ps: I just found this link.

Last Stop

Some pictures and video from the Tour de Nerdfighting event last night at Metropolitan State U. in St. Paul. I don’t have as much as I would usually have because my memory card was almost full and about midway through I ran out of battery,  but I’m sure someone taped the whole thing and will post it on youtube(*cough* John and Hank *cough*).