It's That Time of Year...

Students all over the world are losing there minds this month. Why? It's time for finals. This is that one time of the year where you basically forget everything you've ever learned and are stressing over nearly everything because the entire term depends on this one little test. And, I really do applaud everyone who is staying sane during this month because heaven knows I'm not one of you. I've already decided that, if worse comes to worse, I could always move out west and become an assistant to some snobby actress with a little purse rat. But, seriously, that is my ultimate last resort, right after being homeless.
It's also the holiday season. I didn't do a Thanksgiving post and I should have. To bee honest, I was too busy eating to think of doing anything else. And, now, it's almost Christmas and it doesn't feel right. I don't know. Last year I counted down days, marked off calenders, baked cookies and cupcakes. Christmas is next week and I feel nothing. I think it's because I know Christmas will be ruined by the loss of Matt Smith as the Doctor. Although, I am pretty excited about Peter Capaldi...

And Now For The Weather...

Okay, let my first say that the title is supposed to be ironic and funny, but because not many people outside of tumblr would understand the reference, it's therefore pointless on this platform. There's this podcast called Welcome To Nightvale about this desert town that's got a lot of weird things going on and, at the strangest parts, the broadcaster always cuts out for the weather (which is usually some ridiculous song that has pretty much nothing to do with the weather). I'll probably be talking about that a lot more from now on 'cause I really like it.
Anyway, it's December. In most normal parts of the Northern Hemisphere, that means cold weather, snow, sleet, etc. etc. Not in Memphis. It's like 80 degrees outside (by the slight chance anyone doesn't understand, it's Fahrenheit, not Celsius. The world is not ending, I swear). It went from 30 degrees to 80 in one night and it's ridiculous that one city can shift that quickly. Plus, it's supposed to rain/sleet/freeze tonight/tomorrow. Now, I wouldn't mind very much because we'd get out of school, but this means the play might be cancelled and I did not stay after school until 6 every day this week to reschedule the thing. That's not okay.Anyway, I'm hoping that the weather isn't too bad because Memphis is dangerous enough when it rains. People here cannot drive whatsoever.

The 50th, Catching Fire, and Mix Tapes

Alright, so I am extremely excited this week! Yes, I'm not going on the Model UN trip to Arkansas and, yes, I still (might) have insomnia, but this week is going to be glorious! Before I explain why, I feel like I should mention a new development in my story.

Not only have I started to listen to classic rock (I blame Dean Winchester), but I've also become really interested in mix tapes. There's not even a real reason, I just really like them! And, the internet is only enabling my new love because there is a actual website (8tracks.com) that lets you make mixes and find ones based on music you like. In the past like four months, I've made four of the things and they make me really happy. I think the interest started during my Perks of Being a Wallflower period (which still isn't entirely over).

Now, moving on to this week! On Friday Catching Fire comes out and I am sooo ready. Finnick's gonna be there and then there's the character development in Effie and Haymitch and just wow. Plus, the graphics and cinematography (which, if you know me at all, are both very important) are going to be amazing. My body is ready.y

Also, this Saturda is the 50th anniversary of "Doctor Who", my all time favorite BBC program along with "Sherlock". To celebrate the 50th, BBC created an episode that not only brings back my favorite companions, but also has both Matt Smith and David Tennant, who are my Doctors. I've seen previews and I am dying to see it so, on Friday, I will be on tumblr with my cup of tea and big bowl of popcorn, crying over  watching Doctor Who. Then I'll have to wait another month before I can watch the Christmas special where they kill regenerate the Doctor. BBC has no holiday spirit, I mean honestly. In 2011, they killed Sherlock. In 2012, they killed King Arthur. Now, they're killing the Doctor! Christmas is supposed to be happy!

Needless to say, I will be spending my weekend in a big ball of tears on tumblr whining about both of those things and will probably end up putting my feelings into a cliche mix CD. Heaven help me.

Update!

I'm not entirely sure if this can qualify as being stressed or being lazy, but I've been feeling extremely drained at even the mere mention of attending school. I don't ever feel like getting up in the mornings and maybe it's because I'm developing insomnia. (Can one develop insomnia? Is that a thing?) Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what the point of this post was. I just felt extremely guilty for not having posted in a while. So, I guess, the logical thing to do would be fill you in on things.
All of my shows have recently either gone on or come off of hiatus and it is an extremely emotional time for me, especially season 9 of Supernatural. Just no. Also, I'm waiting very patiently for the beginning of Series 3 of Sherlock (I mean Harry Potter even came back before Sherlock did and that was supposed to be over!) and the 50th anniversary episode/winter premiere of Doctor Who. I'm also trying to finish multiple book series', which is a challenge with the amount of homework I have to do. I have, however, checked out a bunch of classics from the library, which I haven't even started on yet...Whoops.
I'm entering a poetry contest for one of the colleges I want to apply to, so that should be fun. Except for the fact that I have immense writer's block and haven't been able to write anything for over a month. It's a troubling life. Anywho. I've checked with Sherrod and apparently it is possible to develop insomnia, so that's interesting. Not entirely healthy or pleasant, but interesting...Also, small note, cutting vines is a terrible past time. 0/10 would recommend. I'm convinced the Japanese transferred vines to the states as a way of destroying us during the war. I don't care what anyone else says, that's why those things are here.
I suppose that's really it, aside from the fact that it's almost that time of year, my favorite time! I love Halloween with a passion! So, Happy All Hallows Eve and don't forget to watch a few Tim Burton movies! Or Hocus Pocus. Or...Ya know what? Just make sure to watch a lot of Halloween movies and enjoy an extra candy bar for me.

RE: The Great Gatsby

So, like I said in the prequel to this post, I have been reading The Great Gatsby. I've recently finished and, well, I still think Gatsby is pretty crazy, but now that I've finished I can understand him slightly better. Jay Gatsby, or James Gatz as he was born, came from a somewhat poor family and ended up running away from home and enlisting in the army for World War I. He met Daisy and almost immediately fell in love with her because of how extraordinary she was. He left for New York and they never spoke again, but he still loved her and she loved him.

Now, here's my thing with Gatsby. He can't deal with not having Daisy. He'd do pretty much anything for her (including taking the blame for a hit and run/manslaughter) and while people may find this romantic, it's extremely unhealthy. I already talked about how he dedicated a greater part of his life to finding her, but that's not all. Honestly, I don't think Gatsby ever really loved Daisy. It's possible that he liked her or was infatuated with her, but he didn't love her. When he moved the New York, he was pretty much alone, his only company the people who came to his parties (majority of whom didn't even know Gatsby). It's possible that he missed having her around because she was his company, because she 'understood" him. But Gatsby is irrational. He's so hung up on getting back to this old life and better version of himself that just so happened to include Daisy, that he nearly tears her family apart. And, while it's partially Daisy's fault too, he should have known that his reappearing wasn't going to make Daisy leave her husband, even if she "never really loved him." And Gatsby's forceful. He refused to leave the hotel room everyone was in until Daisy said she didn't love her husband and, even after she said it, he wouldn't leave without her. His obsession with Daisy may actually be part of the reason he was alone and no one attended his funeral. He almost never left home and was never very social. All he cared about was Daisy.

I feel like Daisy knew that Gatsby was a little off because, even though she says she loved him, she still stays with her husband. I assume it's because she knows Gatsby is unstable. And I don't like that people call Daisy stupid because she's not. She understands the world in many ways and that's why she's always so sad or anxious or whatever you want to call it. When she said she wanted her daughter to be a "beautiful little fool", it was because she didn't want her daughter to know how ugly the world really is, she doesn't want her daughter to hurt the way she did. And, I feel bad for Daisy. She was making a life for herself, she was somewhat happy with friends and a family, a child, but Gatsby comes back into town and that entire life is shifted in a matter of days.

This is the last thing I'm going to say about this book. I did not like the narrator. Nick Carraway was extremely indecisive and entirely too attached to Gatsby, even though they'd only known each other for a few months. He made impressing and being around Gatsby a large part of his life, and honestly, I just didn't like his character. I felt like he had no real grounding. The only definite parts of his life were Jordan barely, Gatsby and Daisy.

It was a good book and I'll probably end up reading it again in the next few months. I need time to recuperate. One can only handle so much of James Gatz (who wasn't actually and Oxford man, big surprise there).

An Open Letter To Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines"

It's been brought to my attention that this is becoming one of the most popular songs ever. Like, it's surpassing even some of Michael Jackson's most famous hits. This frustrates me for multiple reasons and I"m going to create a list for you all, just so you can understand my frustration.

• I understand that the song is catchy, I do. But, the music isn't even originally his. The melody was taken from some older song that I can't remember the name of but my mom loves. And, yes, I understand that he is not the first person to use other people's mixes for his songs. That's been done millions of times. It's just annoying that almost everyone is acting like he's some producing genius when it's not even his music.
• Then there's the lyrics. The words are just down right rude and degrading to women and, if he used these actual lines on actual women, there's like a 99.9% chance he'd get slapped or have a drink tossed in his face. Also, some of these lines are words that rapists have said to their victims. If one more person tells me it's "just a song" they will probably get smacked.
• Now, let's talk about the video. The video for the song is full of women parading around naked. All of them look absolutely miserable, for one thing. Then, they're being followed around and touched by these men who are all fully clothed. It's not even the fact that they're wearing clothes. It's the fact that they're wearing suits, a form of clothing usually associated with power. When people say they are "naked" metaphorically, it means they are vulnerable. So we have all of these "vulnerable" women being followed around by "powerful" or "dominant" men. 
• The "Blurred Lines", in this case, are the lines between saying "No" and saying "Yes". By constantly saying "I know you want it", Robin is basically saying "You don't mean no. You mean yes." But I'm saying that there are no 'blurred' lines. No means no.

This song is rape culture in its purest form and I despise it with all my heart. I don't care if I'm "overreacting" because a song like this should not be as popular as it is. It's disgusting, to be honest.
But, hey, maybe I am overreacting and maybe it is "just as song". I'll be able to sleep so much better at night knowing "it's just a song."

An Open Letter To Hollywood

There are plenty of places I can go with this, but I want to talk about the accuracy of book-to-movie productions. Sometimes you get really close and that's great. I applaud you. But, sometimes it seems like you just throw the book in the blender and do what you want with the pieces that survive.

I understand that it may be difficult to find talented actors that perfectly match descriptions in the books, but if that detail is vital to the plot or is brought up constantly (i.e. Harry Potter having his mother's eyes) then maybe you could try just a little harder to at least edit it to match the description. It's not that hard to get colored contacts.

Also, I really hate what you did with the City of Bones movie because there are so many things wrong with it. The Nephilim are European, yes, but European does not equate to British. Based on the book, Idris, the Nephilim nation, is closer to Germany than the UK. Plus, an accent wasn't even necessary considering that the three main Nephilim characters grew up in America.


***SPOILER ALERT*** 
hopeful movie viewers/book readers DO NOT PROCEED!








Then there's the fact that you completely ruined the concept of the second movie! When they went to see Madame Dorothea, no one but Clary knew where the Mortal Cup was, so having Jace point it out immediately was ridiculous. Also, when Valentine was finally physically present, he didn't know that Clary was in the room. Oh, and, at the end? Yeah, Valentine was supposed to have the cup, not Clary. The main point of City of Ashes is that Valentine obtained the Mortal Instruments. If Clary still has it, how is that going to work? Oh, yeah. It's not! Valentine's whole entire plot has basically fallen apart in your incapable hands!

Please refrain from making movies based on books if you are not going to do it properly. It would save every book lover a lot of grief.

Michelle

The Great Gasby

Recently, on one of my many book hunting expeditions, I picked up a used copy of The Great Gatsby. I am slightly ticked off that the copy in best condition still had loads of extremely bad writing in it, however it's not worn or anything like that, so I'll ignore that. What I wanted to talk about, though, was Gatsby himself.

Now, if you've seen the movie (original or modern, it doesn't matter) or read the book, you understand that Gatsby is a very extravagant man. He's wealthy, throws parties almost every night (we'll talk about why later), and is supposedly Oxford educated (a lot of their characters have their own opinions on the validity of that).

Here's my problem with Gatsby. He's very odd. Let's back up to the parties. He threw these parties in hopes of seeing an old flame, Daisy, yet he never actually invites her to these parties. He bought a mansion so he could live across the bay from this same woman. Who is married. He hasn't spoken to this woman at all and is getting all of her friends to set up a meeting between the two of them. I just found the whole "I read the Chicago paper in hopes to see her name" creepy. It's almost an obsession for him.

I'll admit that I am only halfway through the book, so maybe my disliking of him might change by the end. Maybe not. We'll just wait and see.

Michelle

An open letter to everyone who sags

I really don't understand the purpose of sagging. I mean, really. For those of you who don't know, sagging originated in prison to show everyone that you belonged to someone. Now, it's one of the most popular fashion trends among men and some girls. I honestly don't see why people find that appealing in any way. 

I do not want to walk down the hallways and catch a glimpse of your Ninja Turtle boxers. I just don't. And, the people who try to justify it by wearing basketball shorts underneath, you're still doing it. There are even people who manage to sag while wearing a belt. What is the purpose of even wearing the belt?! You're not using it! If you haven't realized by now, belts were created to hold pants up at your hips or waist or wherever pants are meant to sit. They are not meant to keep the fabric clinging around your knees.

That's another thing! At first, it was just a little sag, maybe just a bit of boxer. Now, there are guys walking around having to hold their pants up because they're almost below their knees. How about, instead of holding them up, you pull them up. Jezzum Crow, just pull your pants up and spare everyone the sight of your underwear. Please. It's not that hard. 

Introducing: Me

My name's Michelle. I am a proud Whovian and Sherlockian. Why? Because British television is just better. My favorite song changes faster than the Memphis weather, and this is not an exaggeration. Okay, so what if it is? I've been told I'm rude but, if you're offended by my honesty, then maybe you deserve it. My list of "Books To Read" is longer than Dumbledore's beard. Currently in the process of aspiring to be a writer, I am also in IB, which means any social life I had beforehand (hahah what social life?) is pretty much over. I am pretty open to most things, however, I despise reality TV more than anything else. I'll be here for Creativity hours with two other IBers, so... 

I'll see *you* later.