The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a nonfiction work by Rebecca Skloot that tells the story of Ms. Lacks, her battle with cancer, the borrowing-kidnap of her cells, the magic those cells created, and her family. There's a lot going on.

Let me start off by saying that nonfiction is hard for me--it's just tough. Whenever I read something that I know is true, when I read about people and events that actually took place I go at it with reverence. With much more reverence than I read fiction with, anyway. Because fiction is made for imagination, it's made for dreaming and making up your own ending and wondering and fanfiction and mixing up the events and times and character names and just having fun with it. But nonfiction...that's a whole different story, now isn't it? When I read nonfiction I feel like I owe it to the subject to focus on their life, to read everything and really try and imbed every bit of information I can about this person or event into my brain. I need to remember the exact day she lost her first tooth, and what her mother's sister's husband's cousin's aunt's maiden name was. Because I have this need to honor the subject by studying their life, it takes me a lot longer to read nonfiction than fiction. And that is true of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, it did take me a while. But at the same time, it doesn't read like nonfiction--it's a story, not all about the learning and the science and the dates, but about the people and the story too.

 It's the people that drew me in. I'm going to be honest, I received this book as a Christmas present last year, if I remember rightly, and promptly put it away on the sciency section of my bookshelf and forgot about it. Because I don't do science. I'm an English major. I took Astronomy and Biology in the News and forgot all about cells and atoms and chlorine and the respiratory system as soon as I got handed my high school diploma. I remember unwrapping this book and thinking, "Jesus, Mom, why the hell do you think I would read this?"

But I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. Skloot (that is such a funny name) doesn't overwhelm the book with science. Of course you still learn, because learning about Henrietta and her family would be impossible without also learning about he cells. The HeLa cells, I mean. These little cells, taken unknowingly from Ms. Lacks when she went in for treatment, have uncomprehendingly kept on surviving outside of her body where thousands of other cells have failed. They have reproduced and done all sorts of things--you know, important things. Like helping to create medicines like the polio vaccine, make advancements in cloning, and assist in cancer research. These little cells have done so much for the world, and have lived so long, giving their donor the illusion of immortality.

So Skloot does tell you about the cells, but instead of overwhelming you with dry sciency umbo-jumbo, she chooses to focus on the people--the characters. And they are characters! Henrietta's progeny have an unreal kind of craziness about them, but crazy in a good way. All the best people are mad (Alice in Wonderland, anybody? No? Okay, moving on) Skloot makes you really care about the characters, telling their faults and failings right along with their triumphs. The Lacks family had no idea how important their mother's cells were to the world until long after her death, and this book tells the story of their struggle to understand what the HeLa cells are, come to grips with the fact that they were taken without consent, and search for who their mother really was.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post the 'magic' of the cells. Magic isn't often a word connected with science, but I chose it specifically. I chose it because this story truly is magical. The cells do amazing things against odds, Henrietta shows a strength of character that can only be described as magical, and, after you've started reading, you'll realize that it was a miracle this book even got written. The story is unbelievable. My friend's boyfriend picked it up and read the back the other day. After he was done he turned to me and said, "Sounds good. It's fiction though, right?" That's how unbelievable it is--It sounds like fiction!

I'm doing a really bad job of this. I'm trying not to give spoilers away (wow, I usually don't think about spoilers in nonfiction) but at the same time tell you a bit about the book. Let me just say that it is good. It will take up a large chunk of time, but you will enjoy it. Probably. If anything, it'll make you look smart reading it.

If you're interested, you should go to the Henrietta Lacks Foundation.
I am listening to Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader

Old People Are The Cutest

Recently, I have become obsessed with the utter balls of cuteness that are old people. It may seem a little weird to some of you. And it's true: old people are a little gross. They have lost most of their teeth and hair, their clothes smell like mothballs, they can't hear a thing you say, sometimes they can't talk much themselves, sometimes they're crazy, and they move pretty slowly. But...who cares? My roommate recently introduced me to the glory of old people, and I've procrastinated 4 days away googling them. Seriously, they are cuuuteee!! Who could resist or deny this face?

It's impossible. So, since I'm a bit pressed for time today, I decided to share some of the cutest old people with you. Enjoy!

This grandpa is so adorable! I want to adopt him and take him away form his current granddaughter who can't seem to stop poking his dangling ears. She obviously doesn't appreciate him as much as I would! I just love the fact that the grandpa is such a good sport for his granddaughters, So Cute!

And then there's this sweet little grandma! She's too cute! A fair warning though, inhaling helium can be dangerous, so watch out, peeps!

There are LOTS of cute old people on Betty White's Off Their Rockers. It's a show about old people pranking the younger generation. It's amazing what you can get away with when you're old! I will admit that I've only watched one episode and didn't bother continuing as it couldn't hold my interest too much, but the old people were so gosh-darned cute!

Now this couple is soooo adorable! I can only hope that someday I meet a man who plays piano and we can rock out little duets in our old age that will become Youtube Famous.

It just hurts, doesn't it? The cuteness, I mean. I think they old man shopping for a valentines day card is my favorite :)

And who could forget the King and Queen of Adorable Old People?

As the saying goes, Disney and Pixar told a better love story in 8 minutes without dialogue than Stephanie Meyer did in 500,000 words.

In other news, here's a quick, bulleted update on my life:

• Dance Marathon is next Friday....Nervous and Excited at the same time!
• Roomies and I meet a possible subleaser for next year tomorrow!
• I went home this weekend and it was lovely.
• My Italian is so awful I'm getting worried about studying in Italy next year.
• Rice Crispies were buy-one-get-one-free at the grocery store today! Oh, the little joys.

J.K. Rowling Makes Me Nervous

Okay, so J.K. Rowling is Made of Awesome. There is no denying it. Harry Potter is beautiful and Real For Me and one of the things that has truly touched and shaped my life in so many ways. That being said, I'm nervous, because she's...writing! Yes, writing! I am so incredibly excited but also really, really nervous. I'm nervous simply because it's Not Harry Potter. Whatever she's writing, it's completely different--it's for adults, for one thing. And she's already said that if she were to write again it wouldn't be anything involving witches and wizards or anything because she'd be worried about drawing too much from the Harry Potter Universe. It's going to be completely different.

This makes me nervous for two reasons. First of all, I am so in love with the Harry Potter series, the way she wrote it, her plot, her characters, the world--everything. BUT...but what if it's not so much her that I love as Harry Potter? What if she can't write anything besides HP to save her life and everything else is crap? That would be so depressing. I mean, the book is guaranteed to be a bestseller so it'll be a success for her no matter what, but I would hate to stop loving her writing like I do now.

My second concern is that even if the next book is fantastic, what if it just isn't good enough? A tweet from Nathalie Summers in this article sums it up best when she says, "J.K. Rowling announcing a new book is almost like God announcing a follow-up to the Bible." And it's true. How can anything compare, no matter how good? I guess overall I'm just worried that I'll be disappointed, which is completely irrational and a little bit selfish of me because I should be optimistically supporting her no matter what, but that's how I feel.

Either way, whatever book J.K. Rowling comes out with, I will buy it and probably read it in one night. I am extremely interested in seeing her write something completely different from Harry Potter and am crossing my fingers for the best.

On a side note, if Pottermore doesn't open up soon I'm going to drown in a pool of my own tears and sweat.

Keeping with the Harry Potter vein, there is some great artwork y'all should go check out. The artist, Viria, has some amazing artwork for Harry Potter but also for a couple different fandoms as well. I think I saw some for Dr. Who and one for Bones. I love her style and she captured the Ginny in my head perfectly. She also draws a lot of the Marauders time period, which I love, because we just need to see more of the marauders!

Lent

It's that time of year again...you guessed it, LENT! Woohoo!

For those of you who don't know, Lent is the 40(ish) days between Ash Wednesday (hint, today) and Easter Sunday. It is a time of prayer, reflection, sacrifice, and fasting. As a Catholic, I have been participating in Lent my entire life. Up until recently, all that meant was giving up chocolate for 40(ish) days and then pigging out Easter Sunday. But now I feel like I'm ready for the Big Kid Lent--you know, the adult kind that actually means something. Basically what that means is that I will be following through with the fasting, prayer, and reflection portions of Lent that I have neglected in the past. By taking a more grown-up view of Lent this year, I am hoping to contribute to my goal of Doing Something.

You are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday during Lent between the ages of 18 and 59. This is actually pretty awesome, because up until yesterday I thought you had to fast every day, and I wasn't sure how I was going to handle that. I can do two days. Fasting involves eating one normal sized meal and two small meals that cannot equal your normal meal combined. You also can't snack in between. So you won't really go hungry, but it would be slightly uncomfortable for someone like me who enjoys snacking throughout the day. You are also not allowed to eat meat on fridays during Lent. My dad usually 'forgets' and has a meatball sub for lunch at work, but I've been pretty good about this rule for a few years now.

The prayer and reflection portions of Lent are pretty self explanatory. We are called to pray all the time, but maybe make extra effort during Lent. We are also called to reflect on our lives and our faith, which often leads to people flooding the confessional to cleanse themselves of their sins. Lent is such a happy time.

The most interesting part of Lent is the sacrifice portion. And no, I don't mean goats and chickens. Sacrifice during Lent is about giving up something you enjoy, or giving up a bad habit that holds you back, so that you can reflect on Jesus' suffering on the cross, the suffering in the world as a whole, and the changes needed within yourself. In the past, I have always given up chocolate. I'm still giving up chocolate this year, but I've decided to add negativity to the list--it seems like a pretty grown-up thing to give up. This means no cursing, no complaining, no gossiping, no whining, no making fun of my friend Whitney (hardest one, I swear), and no bad song lyrics. I have a propensity to get in a bad mood and then tell everyone about it, which isn't good. I feel like this Lent will be a good opportunity for me to decrease the amount of negativity in the world, the little bit of Worldsuck I'm contributing to. Phoebe Buffay from Friends would tell me I was 'cleansing my aura' or something. I think it's a good thing.

Lots of people give up chocolate for Lent. It's like, the thing to do. Partly because it's so easy and partly because it makes people feel a little healthier. Other popular things to give up for Lent are: junk food, soda, Facebook, meat, tv, cursing, or, my brother's favorite, homework. My dad gives up Lent. The men in my family are truly gems.

A really fun thing to do to the people who give up Facebook for Lent is to rally your friends together and do everything you can to give them as many notifications as possible by Easter. Poke them. Write on their wall. Tag them in every photo you can find. Tag them in all your statuses. I saw one girl post a paragraph from her history textbook on her friends wall one word at a time. Do that. They get pissed on Easter, but it makes them feel kind of loved too. And you can have really embarrassing photos of them up all Lent that they won't even know about. Fun times.

Another way I'm going to make this Lent an official grown-up event is by not skipping the Sundays. Technically, Lent is 40 days if you take out the Sundays, meaning that I could technically eat chocolate and bitch to my hearts content on the sabbath...but that kinda feels like cheating, doesn't it? So I'm not doing it this year! It will truly be a chocolate-free Lent!

If you have any questions about Lent you can go here, it's pretty legit and does a way better job of explaining things than I ever could.

Annndd in case you were wondering, I have drawn my second face! It is only marginally better than the first.

Her name is Edith Walters and she is a 12-year-old girl at her first Clemson Football Game. Don't judge me, please. It's Lent, so say nice things.

I am listening to I Like it Like That by Hot Chelle Rae. It's so catchy!

This Means War

No Spoilers! I saw This Means War this weekend. It was...all right. The premise is that two spy friends both fall in like with the same girl and thus compete to woo her. They use every resource they have at the agency to spy on the other and sabotage dates. There is also the peripheral story of a bad guy (who knows what he did? Not me) that the two spies are supposed to be dealing with. They kind of put him on the back burner though, after all, the girl is much more important than our nation's safety. 

The three main characters were Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Tom Hardy. I love Reese and Chris, so seeing them was lovely, as Chris rocks my socks off. This is the first film I've seen with Tom Hardy, and he wasn't my favorite character, but it was a romantic comedy so I wasn't really looking for stellar acting anyway. 

This is a good movie for high schoolers. It's not very sophisticated, has some low level humor (a predictable paintball-to-crotch shot, for example), but has a make-out scene that'll still make them feel like they're seeing a grown up movie.

The comedy part of the 'romantic comedy' wasn't present. I hardly laughed out loud at all, instead finding myself more smiling and bouncing. And when I did laugh it wasn't a compliment to the movie. There is a scene towards the end that endangers Chelsea Handler's life that just cracked me up. I just saw it last night, but the details are already starting to get fuzzy--there was nothing gripping about the film. I really didn't care who Reese ended up with, or whether the bad guy got caught, or whether the guys were still friends. 

I feel like I would have enjoyed this movie more if at least one of its aspects was done better. The plot was just all over the place so that no part was fully developed. Like the spy bit, for instance. I was at least looking forward to a bit of action in the beginning, but I found it badly edited, not comedic, and definitely not thrilling. Or they could have made me care about the romance more, but they didn't.

Overall, I wasn't expecting much going in, but I was expecting better than I got. This Means War does not have my recommendation. If someone wants to go see it, you should sneak out and see The Chronicle instead.

These pictures of Reese With Her Spoon are ten times more hilarious than This Means War. You're welcome.

In other news, I get to go home next weekend! Free laundry, here I come!!

In preparation for Lent, my friends and I are baking a disgusting amount of sweets to eat before Wednesday. I have to eat a whole Family Size bag of York Peppermint Patties by myself--wish me luck!

By the way, just in case you are in any way interested in my love life, K has texted me 5 times since Friday. He's determined.

I am listening to Foundations by Kate Nash. There is an awesome dance to the song, choreographed by Kate Jablonski, that you should go watch. It is amazing, unique, and refreshing. I've been watching and rewatching all her videos for weeks because I can't get enough of her choreography. So good!

I Want Yerr Booty!

I overheard the best conversation last night. My roommates and I were sitting in our living room, me writing a paper, Whitney watching videos on Youtube, and Julia studying. Apparently some drunk fellas decided to camp outside our door for a bit of a heart to heart. Two words, people: Thin. Walls. We could hear every word. Most of it was the usual stuff you'd expect: girls they'd bang, their gym routines, how they never called their parents (lookout, badasses) and how much they'd drunk that night. But then, oh but then.

Guy #1: "I really wanna get with this girl, but she keeps playing hard to get. I can tell she likes me though-"

Guy #2: "Duuudde, I totally know what you should do! Text her like a pirate!"

Guy #1: "What?"

Guy #2: "Yeah! It works, trust me. Just be all like, 'Ahoy there matey, I want yerr booty' and then they're all like, 'Aye Aye, Captain' and you're totally in. And then if she get's offended just say you meant treasure, not her ass. Works every time."

Guy #1: "Really? It works?"

Guy #2: "Yup. That's how Meghan and I started hooking up. Pirate talk totally turns her on."

Guy #1: "Dude..."

So there you go. If a guy starts texting you like a pirate, be wary, cause apparently it's a trap. If you want to text like a pirate, here's a link. I must say, pirates are kind of dirty! If a guy texts WTTMM? Just say no.

In other news, I have a Boy Problem. There is a boy in my english class, let's call him K. K and I sit next to each other and partner up whenever we have pair exercises. He is friendly and has a twang and is not attractive in the slightest. We happened to walk to class together on Wednesday and chatted about Philosophy and God (Yeah, I have deep conversations, what of it?) on the way. Now, today he waited for me and walked me to class. The awkwardness that ensued went something like this:

Me: So...how'd you do on that prompt? I'm not sure I used passive voice like she wanted.
K: Yeah, it was hard.

Silence. I bite my tongue and look around desperately for something to talk about.

Me: Do you have any fun plans this weekend?
K: I'll probably go to a party tonight. What about you?
Me: No plans yet. I have a paper due so I'll have to devote at least a day to that. I haven't done any of the readings yet, the teacher is so boring! He...

I tell an anecdote about my weird teacher. K laughs.

K: Well, if you don't have any plans you should come to the party. Do you know where The Reserve is?
Me: *OH-SHIT eyes* Uh, yeah, I know where it is.
K: It'll be fun, you should come. It probably won't start til later.
Me: Haha yeah it's only 10 am now so I would assume it would start later haha
K: You should come.
Me: Haha yeah I'll see what we're doing.

Walk up stairs in silence.

Me: I have to pick up a package from the post office after this.
K: Oh, yeah. Can I ask you something?
Me: ...sure.
K: We should exchange numbers.
Me: ...okay. Was that your question?
K: *Pulls out phone* What's your number?

Does anyone else see that this is awkward? That it's weird? I don't mind him having my number, but...we've only talked twice! This being the second time! He is sweet but sooo not my type, but I don't want to hurt his feelings. This is starting to sound like a bad YA novel, but I'm just so confused. I didn't send any signals! I didn't flirt or go out of my way to talk to him or do anything other than be nice! Is that all it takes? Being nice? If so then I should have a hell of a lot more suiters than I do. Cute suiters, who play sports and drive motorcycles. Why? He hasn't texted me yet. I'm unsettlingly anxious for it, like in a scary movie when you just know something is going to pop out at you. This is not how love feels.

Other than that, we had workshop today in my Structure of Fiction class where we all got into groups of four and critiqued each other's scenes. Everyone seemed to like mine for the most part, which made me happy. One of my biggest faults is that I don't take criticism well, so this class is going to force me to get over that. I'm going to polish the story up a bit and then would like to post it on here sometime soon. Beware, there be cursing, matey!

I am listening to a cover of When I Grow Up by Mayday Parade.

The Imperfectionists

I recently finished The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. This was an interesting novel, as Rachman took an approach to storytelling that I hadn't encountered before. The Imperfectionists is a story about a floundering international newspaper based in Italy with a whole host of motley, lost little characters.

What is interesting about the book is that each chapter is dedicated to a different character. This allows the reader (or at least me) to get so involved with each character as we are able to hear their thoughts and learn a bit about their pasts and lives firsthand rather than relying on one narrator. Each of these characters are incredibly engaging. I got so involved with each one that even the characters who frustrated me (Why the hell are you with him? Stop! He's a douche!) were still interesting and entertaining. The downside is that with each new chapter I had to say goodbye to a character I had grown to love. Normally I get a whole book before I have to say goodbye. But because they all worked at the same newspaper, the characters did make cameos into each other's stories, which was always a happy surprise and tied the whole novel together as a whole. In the last chapter Rachman does make sure to tie things up, giving just a sentence or two about each character so I did get some kind of closure. I was so grateful for that, cause some of the chapters ended on cliffhangers that had me throwing the book across the room.

The Imperfectionists is a great book to read when you're busy. Because each chapter is devoted to a new character--a new story--it is easy to pick up a long while later and not feel completely lost. That fit well into my schedule right now, busy college life and all.

I will warn you that this isn't a happy book. As in real life, the characters don't get everything they want. Some of the characters get nothing they want--or at least nothing they thought they wanted. While this is an accurate reflection on the disappointments of life it doesn't leave you with warm fuzzy feelings. But sometimes that's okay, because even though they don't get everything they want and the ends aren't all tied up with a bow they characters are still okay. They're fine, maybe even happy. There's some hope for ourselves in that, I think.

In other news, I HATE WEDNESDAYS.

I am listening to the lovely song Permafrost by Laurena Sagura, which you should listen to and then buy. She's a Nerdfighter, so she is obviously made of Awesome, and who doesn't want to support Awesome?

Top 10 Disney Heroes

I'm a Disney Fanatic, capital D and capital F. I honestly did not watch anything but Disney movies between kindergarten and 7th grade. This made high school a little awkward as I hadn't seen, you know, TV shows, or Titanic, or Die Hard, Star Wars, and The Breakfast Club or really anything that wasn't animated. But I was perfectly satisfied with my Disney movies. Who needs real people anyway (says the introvert)? Animated guys can be hot; Disney just makes them so good, you know? They're cute and smart and funny and noble and sometimes have castles--my chances of finding a Real Life man with a castle are pretty damn slim. So, in honor of my love for these fictional men who can never love me back, I have made this list of the top 10 Disney Heroes.

10) Prince Philip/Prince Charming/The Prince

"Now, Father, you're living in the past. This is the 14th century!"

"So this is love."

He doesn't speak...

Movies: Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

I've combined these three because they are So.Freaking.Similar! They're all princes, all attractive, they all have castles, and none play a particularly important role in the films (with the exception of Philip as he slays the dragon and all). The Prince from Snow White was so unimportant that they didn't even bother to give him a name, for goodness sakes! So, nothing really stands out about these fellas, but their looks and castles were enough to earn them a spot on The List--even if it's the last spot.
Superlatives: Psh, yeah right

9) John Smith

"Pocahontas, that tree is talking to me."

Movie: Pocahontas
Age: ??
Personality: John is adventurous, brave, independent, and determined. He is prejudiced in the beginning (a bit of an asshole to be honest) but he changes his ways and actually is the first Disney Hero to get with a Princess who was of a different race. I would critique him by saying he doesn't out enough importance and value in his friends. He kinda leaves Thomas hanging to go off and do his own thing, which isn't necessarily bad, but Thomas is a pansy and he could have used some advice/guidance.
Looks: He's got great hair! John's got lovely eyes too, but we don't really get to see much of his body. Also, I abhor that hat he wears.
Occupation/Hobbies: He is a sailer and a settler. Not a glamorous job, and he's away a lot of the time, but it's something.
Castle: No
Superlatives: Best Hair

8) Tarzan

"GORRRRILLLA!"

Movie: Tarzan
Age: 20
Personality: Tarzan is kind and romantic. He places a strong importance on family, willing to anything to protect and help those he loves. He's also quite curious, and an extraordinarily fast learner. I think Tarzan's most shining character feature is his ability to love so deeply. He cares so much for his mother, family, friends, and Jane.
Looks: He's got a nice body, which is blatantly evident since all he wears is that ridiculously small loin cloth. I'm not a huge fan of his face (as mean as that sounds) and the way his toes can move about independently freaks me out too. But his body is just sooo good.
Occupation/Hobbies: No occupation to be found. Enjoys learning about humans, surfing around the treetops, and monkeying about (I'm so punny) with his animal family.
Castle: Hah, no, he's in the jungle for pete's sake!
Superlatives: Best Body

7) Jim Hawkins

"Look, I'm kind of in a hurry, ok? I've gotta find a place to hide 

and there's pirates chasing me..."

Movie: Treasure Planet
Age: 15 (Alas, a bit too young)
Personality:  Jim's a bit of a bad boy, and he's got some daddy issues. But he's a good guy underneath just looking for a bit of adventure. He loves his mom, which is a point in his favor. No dog, but he does get pretty close to the little floating blubber thing, Morph.
Looks:  Jim has an undeniable boyish charm. He's not sexy, per se, but he is attractive. He's got kind eyes and a happy, innocent smile. His scowl is pretty sexy though, if you can get past the whole 'he's only fifteen' thing.
Occupation/Hobbies:  After leaving home he is a deckhand. Not exactly a glamorous job, but he works hard. That's a good character trait. At the end of the movie he is a military cadet, which is excellent. This shows dedication and hard work, and a uniform. There's something about a man in uniform! His hobbies include treasure hunting, and riding around on his light-up-mini-sunfish-flying-sailboat/surfboard-looking thing. It's a dangerous hobby, but that just adds to the whole bad boy image.
Castle:  No castle, just an inn. The inn is by the water, which is nice, and I suppose I could live humbly...but it's no castle.
Superlatives: Best Hobbies

6) Captain Phoebus

"Candlelight, privacy, music. 

Can't think of a better place for hand-to-hand combat."

Movie: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Age: ??
Personality: He's pretty funny! Not the funniest, but up there. He is a man of principle and integrity, and very noble, which is a plus. Other than that though, he doesn't stand out to much personality wise in the lineup. He's friendly with his horse, Achilles, which is a point in his favor. I love a guy who loves animals!
Looks: If I'm right, Phoebus is the first one with a beard, and it works for him. He's not classically handsome like Prince Eric, but he's got a ruggedness about him that is very attractive. Not a huge fan of his nose though.
Occupation/Hobbies: Both Phoebus and Shang are Captains, which I like. It's more of an actual career than Prince. I also like the whole military aspect of it, partly because my father was in the military, giving me a great deal of respect for military men, but also because it shows perseverance and dedication to work yourself up through the ranks.
Castle: No, and no chance of getting one.
Superlatives: Best Occupation Tie, Most Noble/Honorable


5) Captain Li Shang

"Um...You...You fight good."

Movie: Mulan
Age: Approx. 23
Personality: Shang isn't my favorite character, personality wise. He's tough, ambitious, prejudiced, and a bit too shy for his own good. He shows the determination and drive needed in a war, which is admirable in a military leader.
Looks: He's got a very nice body and strong jaw. I'm not the biggest fan of his hairdo, or his cape thing, but what're you gonna do. His body is smokin though!
Occupation/Hobbies: Captain, but someone told me that once he gets promoted to General that he's pretty much as close to Prince as he can get in China. I'm not sure how much they were exaggerating, but they know more about Chinese politics than I so I'll go with it. His hobbies include training his beautiful, beautiful body, martial arts, and riding horses.
Castle: No, but once he gets promoted to General they might give him some sort of fancy abode.
Superlatives: Best Occupation Tie


4) Aladdin

"Trouble? No way. You're only in trouble if you get caught."

Movie: Aladdin

Age: 18

Personality: Aladdin is smart, inventive, and hilarious. Plus, he's got a monkey friend--who doesn't love a guy who hangs with animals? He's got dreams and isn't afraid to reach for them. He is also manipulative and a liar. I understand that he is a product of his environment, he had to do whatever he could to survive on the streets and all, but there is no denying that he seems to be a pathological liar. So his personality isn't the best, but Aladdin is charming! That is, if his name is REALLY Aladdin.

Looks: Attractive, CHECK. I'm a sucker for his smile, and his abs. His clothes aren't the best--I don't care for his purple vest thing--but I can look past all that as long as he's smiling.

Occupation/Hobbies: He is a thief turned prince. To be honest, I liked him better as a thief. He was just so crafty! His hobbies are stealing and hanging around with Abu. He also likes to ride around on carpet. He's got a busy life, so I guess I can't blame him for not having very many hobbies.

Castle: Sort of? He moves in with Jasmine, so he gets a castle, but it's not really his. Plus, if he were to marry me, he wouldn't get the castle in the divorce, so we'd be back on the streets. His shack sure had a nice view though!
Superlatives: Craftiest

3) The Beast

"At-at least... I got to see you... one last time."

Movie:  Beauty and the Beast
Age: 21
Personality: In the beginning he's a bit rough around the edges. But with a little TLC, Beast bloomed! He's a bit shy and reserved, but he is very, very caring. His willingness to let Belle go, even though he loves her and she is his only chance of returning to normal, shows a true strength, love, and strength of moral character that many other Disney Heroes haven't had the opportunity to prove. And the way he tries so hard to woo Belle is just freaking adorable.
Looks: He's not the best looking Disney Hero, but he's unique. His eyes are really his best feature, be him beast or man. I think it's his nose that I'm not too crazy about. He's got a nice body though, as pervy as that sounds. And I like his flowing locks, shows there's still a bit of the beast left in him!
Occupation/Hobbies: He is a prince. As for hobbies, his library is HUGE, so you would think he likes to read, but the new version of the movie has a scene that reveals he doesn't know how to read, so perhaps not. The movie doesn't really say much about Beast's hobbies. From just what we know in the movie, it looks like he spends all his time sulking and wooing Belle. Perhaps kidnapping old men.
Castle: Yes! Scary at first, but happy at the end. I'm not a huge fan of the angel statues plastered all over it or the stained glass windows though--reminds me too much of a church. Still, IMO, any castle is better than no castle.
Superlatives: Most Growth as a Character, Best Eyes

2) Prince Eric

"Believe me, Grim, when I find the right girl, I'll know. 

Without a doubt, it'll just-BAM-hit me. Like lightning."

Movie: The Little Mermaid

Age: 18

Personality:  I think we can all agree that Eric is pretty friendly. He's willing to take in a random stranger from the beach, house her, clothe her, feed her, give her a tour of the town--all without even knowing her name. He's a good guy. AND he's got a dog (Max) who, while a slobbery mess, is still a point in his favor. However, he's also a bit clueless. He's so obsessed with finding the girl of his dreams in the beginning that he doesn't give Ariel a chance, but he eventually comes around and decides to forget about the mystery girl and get with Ariel. A pivotal decision that is ruined by Ursula, but whatever he still decided it. Also, he risked his life to save Ariel at the end, so that kind of makes up for it!

Looks:  Eric is a sexy beast. Good hair. Good eyes. Good smile. Good body. He's got it all. Very classic features. My only complaint would be that he is too classically handsome, there isn't really anything distinctive or special about him--other than being drop dead gorgeous, of course.

Occupation/Hobbies:  He is a prince, so I'm sure he has lots of princely duties. His hobbies appear to be sailing, playing the flute, and playing with his dog, Max. Music is very important to Eric. He's artistic!

Castle:  Yes! And it is lovely, if I do say so myself.  It's by the sea, very picturesque. I would totally live there.
Superlatives:  Best Castle, Best All Around

1) Flynn Rider (Eugene Fitzherbert)

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice.

 Here comes the smolder."

Movie: Tangled
Age: 26
Personality: Flynn is HILARIOUS. He is the funniest Disney hero by far; he's got this little sarcastic sense of humor that has a direct line to my funny bone. He's a little bit cocky (hence the smolder), but it works for him, and he can be sweet too. He's not the most open guy, and puts on a bit of bravado, but once you get to know him he opens up and shows his True Self--cue the singing birds. His willingness to die so that Rapunzel can be free from both the burden of her mother and of her hair is a testament to his good character.
Looks: Flynn is attractive and he has the bit of uniqueness that heroes like Prince Eric, Prince Philip, Prince Charming, and The Prince lack. IMO, he is the most attractive Disney Hero.
Occupation/Hobbies: Flynn is a thief. He...steals things. Then he helps Rapunzel and becomes a Prince, so it doesn't look like he has a real job. His hobbies are...stealing things. Whatever, he's still hilarious.
Castle: No castle. After he marries Rapunzel he gets to live in her castle with her parents, but he doesn't have one in his own right. In fact, I'm pretty sure before Rapunzel he probably just freeloaded at friends' places and was basically homeless.
Superlatives: Best Looks, Best Personality, Best Sense of Humor


So there you have it! My list of the Top 10 Disney Heroes! Keeping with the Disney theme, there is some amazing Disney artwork of the Princesses that you should definitely check out. It is beautiful!

Meet Amanda

In the spirit of Doing Something I have decided to stop doing nothing. Or at least spend less time doing nothing. This means less time on the internet (Pinterest is my new addiction) and less time re-reading books I've already memorized (*cough*Harry Potter*cough*) and less time watching Friends. It makes me sound kind of pathetic to admit how much of my life that takes away. I spend a disgusting amount of time looking up Big Bang Theory clips on Youtube.

So, I'm doing things to stop the nothing and start the something, even if the something I'm doing that day isn't groundbreaking. It can be simple. For instance, yesterday I sat down and drew. Just to get this out there, I am no artist--by any means. I do quite a bit of doodling (which is largely why I almost failed AP Chemistry in high school) but even that isn't exactly artistic. My doodles mostly consist of pirate ships, smiley faces, hearts, palm trees, the occasional rocket ship, and snails. But I've always admired people who draw and wanted to try even if I couldn't do it well. So here is my FIRST EVER attempt at a human face. Please don't laugh.

For a first attempt, I don't think she's so bad. I think the main problem is her eyes... and bangs...and jawline...okay, so she's not very good. I love her anyway. I've decided to name her Amanda, doesn't she look like an Amanda? Maybe Amanda Finkle. I'm going to keep practicing my drawing until I am able to make something that, while not necessarily good, is at least something I can feel proud of. Although I do like Amanda's lips, they're so voluptuous! Again, please don't laugh. All my drawings before Amanda looked like this:

So I think you can understand why I'm so happy with Amanda.

In other news, I just got back from seeing The Chronicle. Two of my friends went to see The Vow, but my friend Julia and I weren't really into that. Channing Tatum is sexy like none other, but I didn't really need to see the movie. I pretty much could make up the plot myself.

Opening Scene: Couple is happy. Channing is sexy. Rachel McAdams is charming. They are the perfect couple. There is probably a scene of them undressing and getting ready for their 'special hug' time.

Conflict!: Rachel McAdams is hit by a car or something (as I gathered from the preview). She wakes up after accident and UH-OH doesn't remember who Channing, her new husband, is. Sadness ensues.

Filler: Rachel doesn't want to move back in with a man she doesn't know, so she ignores Channing's blatant sexiness and says, "No thanks, I'd rather move back home to my parent's house, thanks." Finally, she agrees to let the sexy and lovable man woo her all over again. Channing is thrilled! We begin to feel hope that the two shall one day be reunited!

Wooing: Channing most likely tries to recreate their past. Their second first date at the same place where their first first date was. Maybe he talks about how he first saw her and the utter fool he made out of himself because he thought she was so lovely. The wooing works. Sort of.

Climax!: Rachel has a panic moment. Can she really love Channing? Who knows! There is yelling. But the sad kind of yelling, with tears and lots of hand gestures.

Resolution: Against all odds, the couple makes up. Maybe they kiss in the rain, or the snow, or they ride off into the sunset, or there is fireworks--either way there is some kind of scenery going down. My guess is rain, cause then Channing's shirt will stick to his body and that is half the appeal of the movie anyway.

Do you see why I didn't watch it? The Chronicle, however, was awesome. I wasn't expecting much going into the film, but was pleasantly surprised. The storyline was excellent. The writers weren't afraid to leave things open; all the ends weren't nicely tied up and there was real tragedy and sadness in the film. It had layers. Did The Vow have layers? No. I don't want to give any spoilers, so the trailer for the film is here. I REALLY recommend that you go see it. I would say if anything it was similar to Super 8, which was also good, but this was better. So. Much. Better.

In other news, I'm watching my roommates make fools of themselves playing wii Just Dance. And one of them is wearing pink, fuzzy pajama pants with happy penguins on them. Can you picture it?

I am listening to Celebrity Status by Marianas Trench.

Do Something

I've been having a lot of feelings lately. That sounds like a stupid thing to say, because when don't you feel things? I guess I just mean bigger feelings than usual. I normally have three major emotions: Happy, Less Happy, and Insanely Stressed Out. I'm not one to get sad; I don't even remember the last time I cried in a non-Toy Story related incident. And I don't get angry often either, people just don't upset me. I get embarrassed very easily, but that generally just makes me Less Happy rather than actually upset. Being Insanely Stressed Out just comes with college life.

But now. Oh now. I'm pretty young, and I haven't done much yet. But now. Now I feel like my life is starting, taking off and I don't know where the hell it's going. I'm all of a sudden having to make big decisions that could affect my entire future. I signed a lease for an apartment next year, an agreement to fork over $400 bucks every month, and if I don't I'm homeless. I also agreed to do weirdly grown-up things like change air filters and clean the carpets. How strange is that? A lease, for chrissakes!

I'm also applying for internships. I normally have a nannying job over the summer where I am grossly underpaid but get to watch Disney movies and go to the pool all day. I love this job, but it's not getting me anywhere. I'm not moving forward, you know? So I'm applying for internships. It's especially nerve-wracking because I have to tell my old boss I can't nanny for her in March but I won't find out if I even got the internships until April or later, so who knows if I'll even get one. I could be stuck jobless for the summer, which is so scary. I need the cash. I signed a lease, remember? And why else do I need the cash? I'm studying abroad in Italy next semester.

Do you see what I mean now? Everything is happening at once! I go from having an abundance of time in which I can watch all 10 seasons of Friends and read copious amounts of really bad fiction to no time whatsoever. I'm signing leases and buying summer storage units and getting reading to go to Italy where I barely speak the language and writing an ass-ton of fiction for school and applying for internships and trying to save money and being inducted into societies and just...doing. Doing is harder than it looks.

Normally this wouldn't bother me too much. My friends will tell you that I spend quite a bit of time on the Insanely Stressed Out side of the emotional scale. I randomly freak out about EVERYTHING. I plan and replan my 'life' and my 'future' to the point where I have no clue where I'm going. Most of the time I'm freaking out about things that I don't even need to worry about yet, like life insurance and whether or not I'll have time to knit my children Christmas sweaters like Mrs. Weasley. So, I'm pretty used to freaking out. But this is different because my life is starting, and shouldn't it have started already? Aren't I a little behind?

Recently I've either read about or watched on Youtube or met a bunch of people around my age who have already done so much. They have so much under their belt and are productive members of society. What does that make me? I'm only 19 and I already feel like a slacker! One of the people I have grown to admire over the past year is a Youtuber named Kristina Horner. She's just done so much with her life already (I don't even know how much) and she's only 23 (I think). She is both inspiring and disheartening. She has written (although I don't think published) several books, produced music in multiple bands, is publishing a book of short stories in collaboration with a few others, is writing, producing, and acting in a webseries named Job Hunters, and in general just rocks at life. See what I mean? It makes me feel like a drain on society. And it is inspiring, can't forget that. Disheartening AND inspiring.

It is the inspiring bit that I would like to focus on. I'm a bit late as far as New Year's Resolutions go, but this is more serious than a simple NYR anyway. I just want to put it out there on the internet (which is almost as good as paper nowadays) so that I can have it written down. It's binding!

Here it goes:

I solemnly swear to DO SOMETHING this year. By 11:59 on December 31st 2012 I promise to have contributed something to the world, something good.

I'm not going to specify what the something I will contribute will be, mostly because I don't know yet. Why limit it? Whether the something be a novel I hope to publish or some significant work I do at an internship or some form of special charity work or a contest I win I will do something.

If you are looking for some inspiration or if you just want to see someone awesome do awesome things, Kristina Horner can be found here

I am listening to Light & Day/ Reach for the Sun by The Polyphonic Spree. It is the song from the Lorax trailer, and I highly recommend you check it out here

Peace out, y'all