So, I pre-ordered John Greens' new book, The Fault in Our Stars quite some time back after having slaved away at my mom's office for the sole intention of me gaining an income that would insure me a signed copy of this new book in my mailbox/on my porch on January 10.

Let me back up a few paces here. John Green is an (AMAZING) author/vlogger. His mind is a land of brilliancy and corn-eating-zombies. He has written such masterpieces as Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines, and Looking for Alaska. He has also been co-author of Let it Snow and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He is a truly gifted young adult author. His books give a voice to teenagers that is rarely found in books of the same genre. It is a voice of intelligence, wit, creativity, and realness. I think it's safe to say that he is my favorite modern-day author (I have a soft spot in my heart for eighteenth century literature, but he comes close even to those).

The lovely ladies at iEatWords are hosting John Green Week (January 3 through January 10) in honor of John Green's newest creation, The Fault in Our Stars, being released on the 10th of this month. I actually found out about this on the first day, but I could not for the life of me decide what I wanted to do with this wonderful idea of a week dedicated to this amazing writer and human being. Should I reread? Should I spend some Christmas gift cards on Will Grayson, Will Grayson or Let it Snow? But I'm reading Little Women...But I have too much school work! Such were my thoughts for three days. Then, on Thursday, I put thought to action and made Adam drive me to my beloved Barnes and Noble so that I could purchase Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I have yet to start reading it, but rest assured that it will be read before Tuesday.

Along with this treasure, I also purchased The Help. Well, it was actually quite a long process of getting it down to that...

I was ecstatic about the eight books that I was holding close to my heart, then came to the rational conclusion that I needed to stop being a crazy book lady and narrow my massive (and quite heavy) load of books down. After going back and forth about what to do, I called my buddy, Adam,* over to unclench my tight grip from those beautiful books that I had been dreaming about.**  After calculating and realizing I was holding $80 worth of fiction, half an hour of narrowing downness took place and we resolved to the old I'll-put-two-behind-my-back-and-you-pick-one trick. The two behind the back were The Book Thief and The Help. I picked The Help, but then I started whining because I've REALLY been wanting to read The Book Thief. Plus, that's probably my favorite time period for reading (besides 18th century, again***). After patiently watching me crumble and break down (well, maybe it wasn't that dramatic), Adam told me I needed a happy book, and that The Help seemed like the happiest of the two. As we were deciding all of this, though, I saw It's Kind of a Funny Story...I'll spare you the minor details and just say that ten minutes later, I was finally checking out with my comrades, Green, Levithan, and Stockett.

I have a problem, reader.  I'm way too indecisive.

----

I had to call him over because he was finishing reading Mockingjay in the cafe.*

It's been way too long since I've been able to purchase anything not for school at Barnes and Noble.**

Well, I've actually recently started loving medieval-esque books like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones (even though I only read the beginning of it).***

Lists and Such

So, for the entire span of my seventeen years and (almost) four months of existence, I have always scoffed or turned away from people who cherish making lists or detailed time schedules.  As I have gotten older, I have just come to the conclusion that that works for some people, but that's not my thing.  Now that I have gotten even a little more older (great grammar, I know), it's time I suck it up and get to listing.

My reasoning for the sudden change of heart is not because I'm way behind on homework due to the stupid flu I've had all this week.  It's not due to the last two Doctor Who episodes awaiting my sight.  It is the same reason that it has always been: my books.  I am currently borrowing three books (On the Road, Game of Thrones, and Spencer W. Kimball) and I haven't even finished the one I was reading before they were all loned to me (I Capture the Castle).  The only reading time I've allowed myself is what little time I have at school to read school assigned books, which is fine and dandy, but reading is a little more difficult for me when it has been assigned and it's not a book that's been on my To Read list.  (Yes, that is the only sort of list exception I have ever made.)

This complaint has been on my blog too many times to remain stagnant.  I am making myself and schedule, and no one (not even myself) is going to stop me, reader!

Aspire

So, I'm sitting here, finally opening the AP Language and Composition book that I got at the beginning of the year (it's the day before the exam, people), and one of the first examples I stumble upon read:

People who knew American novelist Thomas Wolfe recall that he habitually roamed down the long aisles of the library stacks, grabbing one book after the other from the shelves and devouring its contents as if he were a starving man suddenly let loose in an immense storehouse of food.  He wrote with abandon, turning out incredible quantities of manuscript, filling whole packing cases with the product of his frenzied pen.

This may just be my thoughts being used to procrastinating, but I thought I'd write a blog post about this little diddy of an example.

I hope some day -- decades, even centuries from now -- when people stumble upon my name in a book store, they are enthralled to the point that they want to know what kind of person could have written such a thing.  I hope my imagination and my heart don't die with me, but live and thrive through my passion -- writing.

I hope I am remembered as the girl who reprimanded when someone said they had not read a certain book she loved.  I hope I am remembered as the girl who had a sparkle in her eyes when she spoke of those books and the many others that held a place on her shelf, her dresser, scattered all along her desk.  I hope I am remembered for the days I spent -- not wasted -- just reading or writing.  I hope I am remembered for my ability to go beyond this world, into one my mind created.  I hope I am remembered for my ability to make others see that same world and be affected by it in the same way I was.  I hope that once my last breath is taken from this world, those worlds in my heart and soul will not be taken with it.

I hope people remember me as the girl who was not only devoted to her faith, but devoted to imagining.

This is what I aspire to be remembered for, reader.

This Just In

-Grandma walks into room-
Grandma: That was really sweet.
Me: -confusion-
Grandma:  It was a really sweet invitation.
Me:  Oh, thanks.
Grandma:  You're so good.  Good use of words.  ALL THAT READING'S PAID OFF!
Me:  -hysterical laughter- thanks.

So, there you have it, folks.  All of my reading has boiled down to that one invitation card.  I can stop reading now.  Haha.  I love you, grandma.

"I always have fun..."

Last song heard: The Only Exception by Paramore
(Yes, Paramore is a guilty pleasure of mine.  JUDGE ME.)

I love the moments when I get my mommy to myself.  Don't get me wrong, I love how we can have the same friends and acquaintances, and how we can have fun with the same people together, but I still love those simple moments when we make fun of corny songs and are baffled at how everyone in the world does not come anywhere near our level of perfection. [/sarcasm]

I love how our sweet-tooths (teeth?) coincide with each other. I love how we can moan and groan, or even not say anything to each other, and still know that life is being cruel to the other.

I can honestly say my mom is one of my best friends.  Even if she already has to accept and love me as I am, she somehow goes the extra mile.  She doesn't just love me from a distance.  She loves me in an up close and personal way, and she's always been that way.  I remember coming home from an American history lesson at school, and wanting to tell the whole world what I had learned, and she just sat and listened.  She was engaged and interested in my childish thoughts and the things I was passionate about, even then.  Even if she already knew the things I was telling her, she still kept a facial composure of interest and attentiveness.

I love her so much.

Today was okay.  Not my most stressful of days, but my APUSH teacher was driving me insane.  I have about three or four teachers who have no idea what they are doing, and she is one of the lucky four.  It just irritates me when people cannot fess up to their flaws.

We had a test in that class last week, and basically everyone failed miserably.  She gave us a study guide, and maybe used two of the questions from it on the test, but played them up to be trick questions.  One would think that the logical thought process after seeing that so many had failed your test, that the problem might just be you.  In her eyes, that's, apparently, impossible.  She went on this ramble that made little to no sense about how to study.  So now we'll be taking notes in class.  Now we'll be given even more homework to the already jam-packed load.  Thank you, -insert teacher's name here-.  Thank you so much.

My mom bought Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins about three weeks ago when it was released, and I just started it today.  I missed my fictional worlds.  It has been truly agonizing without them.


I'm on about chapter four, I believe.  It's the part where she finds her prep team.


Every.  Sentence.  Gives.  Me.  Chills.  I want to cry.  I want to scream.  I want to strangle President Snow.  I want Katniss to stop being so naive and gullible about her feelings towards the two males in her life.  I WANT TO READ.  Of course, that's not going to happen, considering the fact that AP Statistics work and AP Lang worksheets on Ethan Frome are waiting for my answer to their obnoxious calls.


I guess I really haven't mentioned Seminary since it started.  I'm trying to have a better attitude about it this year.  I'm trying to be more understanding and humble.  Though, it is a bit difficult when the rest of your class is grumbling.  It's actually not that bad with a positive outlook.  Sister Gevara does a great job, and I'm grateful for that.  It's just hard to be perky and understanding so early in the morning:/.


Well, reader, I'm off to melt in a pot of frustration and woe.  I hope your days have been more relaxed than mine.

A Chocolate Milkshake, Not Sleep, Is Beckoning Me

Hey!  Long time, no see!

See that?  I used a cliche to lure you into this blog entry because I had no other witty anecdote to persuade you into reading this super magnificent post.

Well, actually, it won't be super magnificent (that's a bit of a double-negative).  I'm just bored.  It is approximately an hour and a half post-first-blog-entry, and all I can think to do right now is make a milkshake.  Obviously, I'd have to mix it by hand in an effort not to disturb my family members in their slumber, but I'm frankly to lazy.

I guess I'll just post my movies and books now, considering it is my next post and it is, technically, the second day of me having this blog.

Books/Novels:

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Started: 7/7 (not sure what time) Finished: 7/8 6:33pm

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Started: 7/9 between 12:30pm and 1:30pm

House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Started: 7/16 1:27pm never finished (This was a book for book club, and I started it the day of our meeting, so I wasn't able to finish it, and I don't think I'm going to.)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Started: 7/26 6:16pm  Finished: I'm still reading it...
Now, before you all get too excited, I'm not a big Jane Austen fan.  Throughout my entire life Pride and Prejudice was so overplayed and overmentioned in my household, that it became a nuisance in my eyes to the point that I felt it was my duty to rebel against taking any interest in it.  However, as of late, I have given it another chance and I now look at it with new, more open eyes.  I actually like it now, but I'm not gaga over it.  So, don't raise your blood pressure too high.

I've always loved the Sense and Sensibility with half of the cast of Harry Potter and I remember being very confused during my watching Persuasion at Girls Camp, but, overall, enjoying it.  So, I decided if I just had to read one Jane Austen novel in my lifetime, I'd choose Sense and Sensibility. 

So, there's that.

Movies:
I can't really remember the first couple in order, so you'll have to be patient, young grasshopper.

The Importance of Being Earnest
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Annie (I watched this a couple of times within the past week, actually)
Anastasia
The Musketeer (I watched this last night)
Up (I watched this yesterday, and it's one of my new favorite movies)

I think that's everything.  I can't decide whether or not to pull an all-nighter.  I usually just pass out near the end.  I think that staying up all night and day will help in the improvement of my sleeping pattern.  I had been going to bed earlier and earlier for some reason, but I kind of screwed that up tonight.  Maybe staying up will give me the chance to get everything back in order.  I'm leaving for Alabama at 5am on Wednesday, so I'll need to be getting to bed pretty earlier tomorrow/today.

I'm getting a million mosquito bites at the moment, and I'm not liking it.

Well, bye, I suppose.

P.S.  I didn't do much of anything today.  I meant to be productive and get started with my packing, and, possibly, doing an assignment for my online Driver's Ed class, but that didn't happen OF COURSE.