Initialisms Are Not Acronyms

I am a little late starting this, but I just heard about Blog Every Day in April (BEDA) and I thought it sounded like a cool project. To make up for missing Friday and yesterday, you get three blog posts today (or you'll get two today and two tomorrow depending on how well my brain comes up with stuff). Isn't that exciting?

And since the reason I heard about this was Nerdfighteria and the Vlog Brothers, I've decided this post will be about that. Because they are awesome. And hilarious. And are obsessed with Harry Potter and making the world suck less.

Okay, so for the people who don't know who or what I'm talking about, Vlogbrothers is a YouTube channel created by John Green (who wrote An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns and looking for Alaska and co-wrote Will Grayson, Will Grayson (which is reviewed here if you just go back far enough. I promise, my next project is getting some proper tags on this stuff)) and his brother Hank Green (who writes awesome songs. Like Accio Deathly Hallows). And they send each other vlogs, back and forth, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Nerdfighteria is the awesome community that's been built with the people who watch their videos and who want to decrease World Suck. To learn more about Nerdfighters and Nerdfighteria (such as, what the heck it is) watch this video:

(I agree that puppy-sized elephants would be adorable.)

I've spent a lot of time watching this guys in the past couple of days (and posting their videos to Facebook because someone won't just watch stuff on YouTube). So I have a collection of their videos to show and talk about. So here we go!

Don't you wish you could learn all of your history this way? I mean, that's all very interesting and at the same time is told in a very entertaining way. "Never be a Russian and named Anastasia." It's true. Anastasias in Russia just meet very bad ends generally. Also "I get very upset when people screw around with libraries!" So do I John. So do I. The destruction of the Library at Alexandria is one of the worst crimes in history in my mind. Maybe not worse than the Holocaust but it's up there.

For every space nerd out there (and even the not space nerds) this is pretty freakin' cool. Plus it's fun to see how excited Hank gets about the space telescope. So think about the awesome people! (and also, I have no idea why his points are all out of order. There is no explanation).

This video isn't actually particularly hilarious, but it makes a good point. The truth resists simplicity. There is no black and white in our world for the most part. Because there's no easy or correct answer 100% of the time. Seriously, ask me a question and I will find you an answer that is correct and yet makes your answer wrong. (Challenge accepted!) The sooner we accept that there is always a margin of error, the sooner we can make the world more awesome. And be more open-minded.

So many of these things get on my nerves as well. Especially "I could care less." That is not what you are trying to convey. Listen to your words. Although I have no place to throw stones at mispronunciation. Because the first time I ever saw the word phlegm actually printed as opposed to simply hearing it audibly was in the sixth Harry Potter book. And it looked like nothing I thought it should have been spelled (I always imagined it would look like this: Flem. Doesn't that make more sense?) So I pronounced it f-leg-um. All I can say is that English is confusing.

I love just getting answers to random questions (some of which are actually real questions that I may have wondered about at one point. or random facts like the Clue thing. And Queue (which has a freakish amount of vowels for such a short word)). And yes, we all need Ester Bracelets. Because they are awesome ways of boosting your self-esteem. And I too am with the bakers.

I would totally go see The Dandy Lions. They could open for Scurvy Wench (aaaaaand only like three people will get this. If you really want to know, all you have to do is ask). I feel John's pain on the whole coming up with a title thing. Because I had to ask the NaNoWriMo community for help with my novel titles. Oh, and because John said he couldn't say the alphabet backwards, I made a video response in which I prove that I can say both the French and English backwards.

I think I can do this because I see words as letter patterns rather than seeing letters as their own entity. They're pattern blocks. Really you can put them in any order you want.

Hank writes many awesome songs (quite a few that actually deal with Harry Potter, which of course makes me grin). I think that it would be awesome if JK Rowling just wrote any of the ideas suggested. Marauders, Harry's kids, Voldemort's son (how big a twist would that be?) Dumbledore and Grindelwald. I really just want more Harry Potter.

Okay, I promise, this is the last video. Because I agree with all these rules. Especially rule 6, because I have come to love my name, but every time someone asks me what my name is and goes to write it down I have to wave my hands and say "Wait, wait wait, it's not spelled how you think." And then they start trying to guess how it's spelled and most people don't guess there is a g and two hs in it. On the plus side, I have become very proficient at spelling my name for people so that they understand what I'm saying. And anyone associated with Hollywood should never be allowed to name children. Here's a moment of silence for Quathyryn, Hi-ho Silva, and Apple. I love you Gwyneth Paltrow, but seriously? Apple?

So yes, being a nerdfighter is awesome because a) you help make the world suck less b) you get to watch John and Hank being hilarious and c) you get to know awesome people who also want to make the world suck less. And give you ideas on how to do so. And if you want to get more involved than just watching the videos, you can join the site Your Pants. Have fun!

College PE (Or The Only Place a Klutz Can Be A Dancer)

Most everyone has horror stories of PE in middle school and high school (unless you are a freak who likes running. In which case, my condolences. You have a whole other set of issues). Tales of being forced to run the dreaded Pacer, hit with tennis rackets, and bludgeoned by volleyballs (all of which have happened to me). The gym is only a fun place if you are an athlete (or have some margin of hand-eye coordination).

But when you get to college, the options for PE become diverse and actually interesting. You can take yoga, Frisbee, Scottish Dance, kick-boxing, the options are dizzying. The one downfall of this cornucopia of classes is that if you can get in, you get to participate. That means that sometimes people who are crazy and have no idea the limits of their body (i.e: Me) can take classes far, far outside their ability range.

Which is how I ended up in both a Martial Arts course and a Ballet class. In the same quarter. On the same day. Because I have no sense of limitations apparently. Oh, and I am a crazy person. But only when it comes to common sense.

Let's start with Martial Arts. There is a very good reason that you sign a waiver before you start class. Remember how in high school you couldn't do cool stuff because they were afraid students would get hurt and then the school would get sued? Well here all you have to do is sign a waiver and you get to hit people. In the name of learning.

Okay, so it's not exactly like that. You're practicing a specific defense and attack. So you have to attack someone in a specific way. But right now I'm sitting with a raised lump of a bruise about the size of a Pink Pearl eraser on my right arm. From twenty-thirty minutes of practice.

Oh, and for anyone who writes fight scenes? I think everyone who does this needs to take a martial arts class. So they know what it's like to get hit repeatedly and keep going. They know the stamina it takes to not give up and the way your body reacts to certain hits. You don't know what it's like to not drop your weapon when you get hit until you know how dead your arm gets when hit repeatedly in the same spot.

Now, for ballet. I will admit here and now that I am not a dancer in the least. I am actually probably about as far from dancer you can get. The only reason i could learn choreography is that I am stubborn and memorize things quickly. It won't ever look as fluid and effortless as an actual dancer can make it, but it works for my purposes.

I chose ballet because I thought "Hey, it's pretty and there's not a ton of complex moves (step-ball-change kills me every time). This'll be great." And yes, it is slower, there's not a ton of complexity to the moves I've learned (though bear in mind I am in a basic ballet class).

However, it takes a lot of stamina and control. Um, I am the girl with low blood pressure and practically no endurance to speak of. Stamina and control aren't exactly my strong points. By the end of that class, my head was spinning a little and my legs had turned to jelly. But I didn't trip over my own feet, so score one for the klutz.

Again, if you are writing about a dancer, take a beginning class just to get an appreciation for it. Actually, for anything you want to write about you should try and find a way to experience a version of it, participating yourself (except for drugs, because that just seems like a bad idea). It helps to have experience of what your characters are dealing with. Of course, this isn't going to work for everything, but for what you can get to, it gives you a better grasp of the experience. At least, it has for me.

And if you can't actually experience it (like being an astronaut or living through WWII) you can always find someone with firsthand experience to talk to. Yes, terrifying I know, but we all do what we must for our art :)

Book Blog: Romance, Vampires, Demons, and A Road Trip

Wow, it's been a very long time since I made a post with book reviews. But I have six (between two videos) to give today. And hopefully when I get back to school and routine I'll post more often. Happy Reading :)

Getting Into Character

Did you know that apparently the odds of getting on the New York Times Bestseller List are 1 in 220? Doesn't that seem kind of insane? But it does give hope to aspiring writers such as myself. It tells us that our chances of getting published, while not amazing, are not as dire as some might have us believe. I have 244 Facebook friends who are not writers I've friended. Which means that odds are, out of those people, one of us will someday be on the New York Times Bestseller List.

This fact maybe why I was catapulted into finishing a scene and conversation I've been having trouble with writing for a while. Now, I am going to let you in on a secret that may or may not make you think I'm crazy. Just know that I am not alone. The way I write is I can hear the voices of the characters in my head.

They talk to me, dictate what the story sounds like (especially in the first draft). For the most part, in that first run through, I let them control the story. They tell me what they know and where the story goes. I've tried to fight them on things before and I only win about half the time. And sometimes they pout and won't tell me their story for a while.

Some characters have a better idea of who they are than others. Some will throw hidden talents or emotional crisis at you from absolutely nowhere. And some simply say "Hey, we don't know how it happened, but we hated each other and then liked each other and then stuff happened. Good luck with that". Then I have to wheedle the story out of them (because they always know far more than they let on).

Authors commune with their characters in a variety of ways. Sometimes they get lucky with someone who desperately just wants to spill their story and the writer just has to try and keep up with the thoughts being provided. Others build complex character profiles, answering questions as the character to get a feel for their voice and thought process (this is especially helpful with first person narratives so you can hear what the voice sounds like before you start writing in it).

One tactic that many readers know of but don't know the reasoning for is writing with a playlist. You may think that this is just because the writer wants some sound while writing. And sometimes the music matches the story. Well the truth is that music is like booze for the people in your head. It loosens them up, mellows them out, and makes them a right bit more forthcoming about the vital plot points you're missing.

Not every tactic works for everyone. Personally if I'm having trouble concentrating on writing music is just distracting unless it is very very quiet. I'm sure my subconscious loves playing around with it when it's too low for me to actually hear. And I ask questions, but sometimes all that greets me is a cricket filled silence.

One of the best ways for me to pry the story out of my character is actually embodying them. This is actually how my trilogy began. The first book began just as me telling myself a story to try and get to sleep at night since I often have trouble drifting off. So I would play each character, have a basic template and then let them take me wherever they wanted.

I have terrible problems with confrontation (arguments, talking to strangers, etc.) which means conflict can be difficult for me to write. But I love acting, even if I just do it for myself. So when I get stuck there I sometimes actually get up and play the scene out, take the positions of both characters and embody the mood, talking through what they feel and how they act, even using dialogue. It's actually great for visualizing what's happening.

These are just a couple of things that help me when writing. Anyone have others? Oh and remember, if you know 220 unpublished people, any one of you could be a published author.

Pure Amid Merit

Wow, haven't done any posting in a long time. For which I apologize. I've been busy with finals and the end of winter quarter. I've had to write a 3500 word on Philip K Dick (who is a nut by the way) and prepare two separate portfolios, plus finish perfecting and then perform at the Glee Showcase (video of this to come later). What blogging time I had went into a blog project for one of my classes. Yes, English kids get the cool projects. You can be jealous now.

So what that all boils down to is no time for blogging. Plus I haven't really had a topic I wanted to blog about. But as I am getting closer and closer to the close of my education (at least the kind where I actually attend classes and do homework) I began thinking more about graduation. Graduation for some is just a chance to say "Finally I am finished with this." That's all some people need.

But others choose to walk, to have a ceremony that says "Hell yeah I graduated. I kicked ass and got my degree." And considering how many people drop out of school before accomplishing this (especially the higher up in education you get) this is a chance to be justifiably proud of your accomplishment.

I personally intend to walk when I graduate in the spring. Partly so that I get that recognition of doing something not everyone has the determination to see through. And I get the added bonus of only being twenty when I get my Bachelor's. There won't be anything in ceremony that signifies this, but I'll know.

There's another reason I plan to walk though, one that has nothing to do with accomplishment. I want the black robe so that I can finally have a decent Harry Potter robe. Yes that's right, I am participating in a time honored tradition of accomplishment so that I can satisfy my nerd needs. But come on, those robes are the perfect cut for Harry Potter. It's what they used in A Very Potter Musical.

For me, the other important part of graduation is the acknowledgement of my academic achievements. That instead of sliding by on a C, I work to get mostly As and some Bs (although the Bs irk me. But I haven't gotten lower than a B+ so far at Western). So I strive for graduation with honors. I want the cords dang it.

Only problem with trying for this at Western is that what honors and highest honors are depends on the GPAs of the other students in your "college" (Like I'm in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences). So you're shooting blind most of the time. I discovered today that I need a 3.76 to graduate with honors. This means I need two As and a B+ this quarter. Or higher, but if either of those As becomes an A-, I'm not going to make it.

Oh well, whatever happens happens. I know that my family at least will just be proud I'm graduating. And my GPA will be high, whatever it ends up being. Now, onto the educational part of this post, which the word nerd in my is just absolutely thrilled about.

At the university level, graduating with honors is called graduating "cum laude" (coom la-day). Graduating with highest honors is magna cum laude. As with much traditional university language, these phrases are Latin (this is why students have no idea what's going on with the university choices and budget cuts. Well that and sometimes it seems like the university just makes stupid decisions).

Anyway, back to words. I went and looked up what these words actually mean, since of course sometimes we don't actually know the real translation of what we're saying. And the nerd in me can't resist knowing things about words.

So, the word cum is used as an adverb or preposition. It means with, when, amid, on each occasion, in the situation that, and supporting. I'm sure the exact translation depends on the instance you use it in.

The word magna is an adjective. It means large/great/vast, powerful, distinguished, skilled, pure, powerful, and notable. This word was probably applied a lot to generals or leaders of Ancient Rome.

And the word laude is our noun. It means approval, praise, merit, renown, and even glory. So if you graduate cum laude, you've graduated amid praise and glory, with merit, and in the situation that you've earned praise and renown. If you graduate magna cum laude you graduate vastly powerful and skilled in your glory, pure amid merit, and notable on each occasion of praise. Does that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?

And even if you don't graduate cum laude, everyone graduates magna in my book.

Chapter 7.5: Book Blog: Druggies, Immortal Assassins and The Maybe Dead

Okay, wow. I am so embarrassed that I haven't updated this blog for two weeks. This is not going to become a habit I promise. Sadly, all I have at this point is a book video. But it's a long one since I had five books to talk about. I swear, I will try to think of something to talk about in the next few days. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to shout them out in the comments.

Chapter 7.4: Saint Valentine and A Message of Hope

So it's that time of year again, the day filled with groans, cheers, and chocolate. No, not Halloween. It's Valentine's Day. Or Singles Awareness Day if you feel kind of bitter about Valentine's Day. A hopeless romantic at heart, I like Valentine's Day and do not feel the need to rename it. I may not have a significant other, but I still love giving and getting Valentines from my friends and family. Plus I love hearing stories of sweet Valentine's that others have had.

And of course, I love to research things and so I went to look up the history behind Valentine's Day. The origins of the day aren't actually very well-known and the accepted story may be completely fabricated. But the most popularly believed story is that Saint Valentine was a priest under the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius declared that young men in the army were forbidden to marry. Of course, many of the men still had sweethearts they wished to wed so Saint Valentine continued to marry couples in secret. At least two Valentines were martyred by Claudius on February 14th in different years of the 3rd century.

In Rome, during the same time, there was a pagan festival celebrating Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and fertility. This festival was called Lupercalia and was held for three days, between February 13 and 15. During this festival, men slaughtered goats, dipped the hides in the animal's blood and then slapped women with the hides for fertility. Oh those wacky pagans.

Of course, when Christianity took over Rome, they had to rework the pagan holidays to fit in with their religion (goodbye solstice, hello Christmas). So to honor Valentine (supposedly) they created Saint Valentine's Day, the name of which was shortened over time. But how was romance tied to the day? Well in Lupercalia, the men would choose the name of a woman to be paired with for the festival (and maybe longer if they hit it off) for...fertility.

Today of course, this is really a holiday for the flower companies and candy people, as well as Hallmark. But it's also a day to just show you care. You don't have to have a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/lover to show that you care. You can offer to walk your neighbor's dog, give your babysitting services to your aunt (or parents depending on how young your siblings are), or baking cupcakes for your classmates (or study group or co-workers (but only the ones you like ;) )).

So along those lines, I would like to recognize an organization that is showing the world it cares and does it every day. The It Gets Better Project is an organization working to show gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth that life will get better. People can be cruel, especially high schoolers and middle schoolers. Now, imagine you have something different about you that makes you stand out when all you want is to be treated like everyone else. Having a sexuality different than heterosexual is akin to being the most stereotypical geek. Basically, anyone feels the slightest inclination to make your life hell (maybe they're afraid because you're different, maybe they fear their own sexuality, maybe they're just homophobic) will probably do so.

The It Gets Better Project lets those youth know they are not alone. They give encouragement to let them know that this time of your life will not last forever. It was created in response to the suicides of so many gay teens in 2010. And many celebrities and even normal people have lent their stories as encouragement.

I fully support this project. I am straight and avoided most teasing in school since I simply didn't let potential bullies think I cared (even when I did). And I got out early through the Running Start program. But my heart goes out to every teen who has every been bullied. Every teen who dreaded school because of being tormented, who ever thought that suicide was the only way they could leave that pain behind. High school seems like it will last forever and that even after school, there's no guarantee that things will improve.

I can't guarantee things will improve, no one can promise that 100%. But once you leave the narrow slice of humanity that occupies your high school, you'll find there are more people who care, more good people in the world than bad. There'll always be people who suck, who try to bring you down. But remember that you have amazing gifts. You are an individual with so much to offer the world and we need you. The world needs you so hold your head high and remember that It Gets Better.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Chapter 7.3: The End is Nigh

We love our technology, and believe me, I love my laptop far far more that I should love any inanimate object. I can understand wanting things to run more efficiently, more smoothly. But I think at some point we need to step back from our drive towards making something better and worry about whether or not we've given it the ability to kill us in our sleep.

For my PK Dick class, we recently read the short story "Second Variety" which talks about these robots called claws that have developed to the point where they imitate people to get close enough to chop you to pieces. At the end you see that one variety of robot even has weapons to use against the other varieties, which sometime in the near future will mean all out robot war. But all the humans will be dead by that time. Oh, and the robots are made in automated factories buried beneath the surface. To quote Will Smith "Robots making robots? Now that's just stupid."

Anyone who has seen a movie about robots or the uprising of the machines knows just what a bad idea this production of robots is. In I, Robot you get the master robot overpowering the three laws that keep people safe from rogue robots and turn them against humanity. Now who wants to own a robot? In Eagle Eye you have a program meant to identify threats using all kind of technology that is against our basic rights to privacy. It hacks in to any technology (traffic cams, cell phones, digital ticker tape, the TVs that play in storefronts) to gather information and make sure that it's dastardly plan comes to fruition, via blackmail of Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. And who's been living under a rock so long they've never heard of Skynet?

Well sure, you say, anyone can write a story or make a movie about robots and machines taking over the world. But it's fiction; that'll never actually happen. We're smarter than the people in books and movies. We can learn from their fictional mistakes.

Yeah, sadly, this is kind of not true. Exhibit A: the Pentagon commissioned a robotics company to develop robots who are able to exist by eating organic matter. Doesn't sound so terrifying right? Well organic matter includes grass, broken wood, and dead bodies. Yes, that's right, our own government has asked for a a robot that can live off of the fallen in the field. I ask you, what special programming makes sure that your robot only eats corpses, as opposed to eating people while they sleep? Don't believe me? You can read about the robots here, here and here

Still not convinced that humans just don't know how to quit when they're ahead? Check out the newest incarnation of Monopoly:

This coming fall, you can purchase Monopoly Live, a version that has an omnipotent tower in the middle of the board. The board watches your game piece, automatically adding money to your bank card when you pass go, calculating rent prices, and always remembering exactly how much money you have. When the designers were asked what's missing from the game, one responded "The disputes. The tower never makes a mistake."

You know what else is missing? The common sense that tells you not to make a machine who remembers your every move. Also, doesn't that thing look like it could coordinate an attack between your appliances and cell phone? I think I'd be installing a lock on my door if this game ever entered my house.

Chapter 7.2: Book Blog: Drugs, Dogs, and Vampires

I feel terrible about how little I've updated recently. I do have an idea for a post that I will hopefully get written this weekend. In the meantime, here is the book post for this past week. Plus last week, since I didn't actually get a post up for last week. Enjoy.

Chapter 7.1: Book Blog: Mockingjays and Angels

Wow, I can't believe we are already in February. As of January 31st, I have read 14 books this year. Can you tell I have a lot of time on my hands? I actually recorded this yesterday but didn't get a chance to upload it. And I'm sorry that I got off schedule with posting it. I was busy on Friday working on homework and attending a poetry reading. Anyway, enjoy the video.