Keep Calm and FIND THE QUILL

Hello.

Today is July 31st, which is a day to be celebrated across the world! First of all, it's my boyfriend's birthday (happy birthday!). Second of all, it's J. K. Rowling's birthday (!!!). Third of all, it's Harry Potter's birthday (zomg). AND today was the first of seven days on which clues [that can lead no-lifer nerds users to access Pottermore early] are released! Zomg so many exciting things!!!

I spent the past week waking up obscenely early, slaving away from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, which means this week I'll be waking up obscenely early,  slaving away from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, which means this is the week before tryouts! Ahhh! (My personal favorite portion of tryout day is when we're told to run laps around the field infinitely until the coach tells us to stop. As we're dying running, the coach will blow a whistle periodically, signaling to us to start [and then stop] sprinting.)

So, yeah. Besides soccer and muddling through summer homework and Tumblr, I haven't been up to much. Just sorta melting away in the heat. (I got a very pretty watch today, which I'm quite happy about. It's shiny; I think Lynda would definitely approve. [It also didn't cost very much, which she would also defo approve of ^.^])

*sighs* and now it is my bedtime. Have a good week, guys.

With all due respect,
House.

Hiiii. I like Harry Potter. And getting no sleep.

Hi!
Sooo... Um, today I'm having a HP movie marathon (of only movies 2, 4, and 6) with one of my non-6LCF friends. It is much fun. ^.^ We started out with Avatar actually, and then we're gonna watch what we have of HP tonight. I am quite excited. Then tomorrow, we're going to see the 2nd part of HP7. :D 

Guess who's working off of 5 1/2 hours of sleep!!!!!! :D Definitely not Carrie. *Looks around guiltily.* I am soooo fidgety right now it's ridiculous. I cannot type for my life. *dies of hyperness* 

OMG IM SO HYPERERRRRERERERERERRRR!!! XD Yeah, never have 6 hour phone conversations. :P It does not always lead to enough sleep. -.- 

Okay. well, Imma go and post this on my actual blog (www.youmeandtheentireuniverse.blogspot.com) and go take a walk. 

GAAAAAHHHHHH HYYYPERRRRR NESSSSSSJFKAHRBAIB HILFGVB! (handspasm.nbd) 

DFTBA!♥ 

Smiles, hugs, and lots of love,
Carrie

So I made another banner yesterday because I was bored and making stuff in Gimp is apparently what I do when I'm bored (that and because it was really humid and sticky and gross out yesterday and there were no really good places to sit and read without getting one's skin stuck to the surface one was trying to relax on and read). It is hanging quite beautifully up on the top of the blog now. I do realize that the last one wasn't up for very long, but the fact that it wasn't quite centered always annoyed me, which is one of the reasons why I made this new banner. But if you prefer, I could put up the other one. :)

Sunday will be Harry Potter's birthday! He's going to be, what, thirty-two years old now (please correct me if I'm wrong)?

Aaaaaaand there's not really much else (my posts are getting shorter and shorter, aren't they?) to say. I'm reading I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, which is a very good book. I recommend you read it.

Oh, and I drew a picture, though I think I went overboard with the textures; it looks a bit funny and kind of too lens-flare-y and bright. 

Tock, Rhyme, Reason, Milo, and the Humbug, in that order.

 Yeah. I hope you had a nice Friday.

xiy

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 Review - Part 2

This post is a continuation of last week's post. If you didn't read it, please go here.

SO. I saw the film for a third time since I wrote Part One (the people running the mission trip decided to give us a break from the boiling hot sun & hard labor & sweat, so they took us to the only movie theater in the county where the water bottles cost like seven dollars) and this time it was in 3D.

Now, I should start off by saying that I don't like 3D movies in general. The 3D-ness always seems to pull me away from the movie itself, because there are certain bits that are more noticeably 3D than others. This was exactly the problem that I had with the 3D version of Harry Potter - it just takes away from the *escaping* aspect of watching the movie. There were also green-screen effect bits that seemed to be much more obvious because of the way the 3D had been shot. Also, those glasses are annoying, especially when you have to put them over actual glasses. 

Overall, the 3D was pretty well-done, but I liked the 2D version better.

Moving on with the actual review.... I left off in Gringotts. The escape scene was cool (great music!) and I loved the shots of the expressions on the goblins' faces as the dragon crashed straight through the lobby. The thing with the chandelier shaking right before all hell breaks loose - what a classic Harry Potter scene! That scene gets an A+ :)


The flash-vision Voldemort/Horcruxes bit while Harry was in the water - that was nice put together. It gave all of the necessary information without over-explaining things. It was weird how after they jumped in the water and swam to shore, they felt the need to walk all the way up the hill before they started changing clothes. That whole scene was so awkward! Shirtless!Rupert was a nice treat, but he and Dan spent ages struggling with those sweaters, and it was awkward how Hermione didn't put on dry clothes. I realize that nudity isn't allowed in PG-13 movies, but she could have at least put on a dry jumper or something. OR they could have just used that Air-dry charm that Dumbledore does to dry off Harry's clothes in the sixth book.  










The Caterwauling Charm when they Apparate into Hogsmeade was well-done. I liked the way Aberforth was first introduced - you could hardly see him there in the doorway - and then you find out who he is, and he goes into his "don't trust Albus" rant. It kind of bothered me how resiliently trustful of Dumbledore Harry seemed throughout both movies. He has serious doubt in the book, but I guess they just didn't have time to insert the entire subplot into the movie. Still, there was a short time on July 21, 2007 when I think every Harry Potter fan doubted his or her own trust in Albus Dumbledore, and that feeling just wasn't replicated on screen.

They didn't go into as much detail with the Dumbledores' story as I would have liked, but Ariana's portrait was nicely done. Then... NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM! This is the part when the movie starts being amazing: the moment Matthew Lewis walks on screen. HE'S MY HERO. I love how he leads them up to the Room of Requirement, says a little something, and then just steps aside with a smug look on his face to reveal Harry Potter. Lightning has struck! I repeat, lightning has struck! That line made me laugh.


I'm SO SORRY I couldn't finish this review in two parts, because I have to hop on a plane soon. This will automatically post tomorrow, and then I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a post next week, but I'll definitely finish my review when I get back. 


Love,
Virgil

I'M BACK! DID YOU MISS ME?

I'M BACK I'M BACK I'M BACK!!! OH MY GOODNESS, I'M SO HAPPY, I'M BACK!!!! *kisses the computer* YES!!!!!!!! LYNDA IS BACK IN THE LAND OF TECHNOLOGY! WOOHOO!


*cough*


ah, yes....


Anyways, so, I've been gone for about...2 and a half weeks? idk. MISSED ME? CUZ I SURE AS HECK MISSED Y'ALL!!!


Speaking of missing:


MOMO IS BACK! SHE'S BACK FROM GERMANLAND!!! WELCOME BACK TO THE LAND OF THE CURLY FRIES!


AND THAAAAAAAAANKKKKK YOU FOR MY LOVELY PRESENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Please excuse me while I go and squeal....


Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


They're soooooooooo sparkly!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM!!!!


And...nomnomnomnom...if  when I gain 10  20 pounds from these DELICIOUS foodstuffs....I blame you :) Thassokay, cuz I love you anyways :)


In other news:


I'm currently more than halfway through my APUSH textbook. I anticipate that by the next time I post, I shall be done with it. And perhaps halfway through Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. *sigh* I'm lurnin' in the summer....


My edification is glorious.


Also in other news:


Today I read the name "Colonel Robert Gould Shaw" in chapter 24 (or was it 25?) of the APUSH textbook. For those of you don't know, Colonel Shaw and I, *cough* we have some history between us. (read: I LOVED YOU, COLONEL SHAW!!! WHY DID YOU DIE???? WHY????) So naturally, I started freaking out. Picture me, sitting in a laboratory, and hyperventilating. Now add in a couple of staring people... *sigh* Now my dad's lab thinks I'm more deranged than before....(that time I started sobbing from seeing a HPDH Part 2 video)


OTHER NEWS:


OH MY GOODNESS I SAW THE LAST HARRY POTTER MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!


SKDGJHADLKSJHFGLHWESLITUH aeskltHGLSGDRHLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


OHHHHHH, how I CRIED....SNAPE! He was...he was... *sob* holding *wail* her *weep* in *cry* his *sniffle* armmmmmmmmsssss!!!! *WAIL SOB WAIL WEEP WAILLLLLL*




That was emotional.


Anyways, hope this made your night a bit nicer!


Until next time,
Lynda

Woof. I am a potato.

Hai! Today was incredibly eventful. :)

My daddy came to visit me at my grandparents' house and we went to our legendary mall from when I was little. That was a lot of fun. I think Father-Daughter bonding time is the best. :3 Then, after that I went to Sonic for the first time!!!! It was amazing. That was the best cheeseburger I have ever digested. :)

After that we came home and then went next door to visit the neighbor's family who was up from Florida. And ended up staying for 3 hours. :P My grandma had to come and bring us home. Teehee.

It rained a lot today. AND LAST NIGHT WAS THE FIRST NIGHT THAT I ACTUALLY GOT 12 HOURS OF SLEEP!!!!! :D I'm soooo happpyyyy. I haven't been able to sleep in allllll summer. It was horrible. D: But then I did, and it was amazing!

okay. bai!
DFTBA!♥

Smiles, hugs, and lots of love,
Carrie

aggggh I nearly forgot to post

So how's life? Lovely, I hope.

(Today's post is going to be rather short and rambly, because I didn't plan it in the least.) 

I volunteered today in the children's garden of the Curly Fries' botanical garden as per usual, and it was pretty fun. I got to spend most of the time indoors in the blessed AC dumping soil into flowerpots (apparently it's for tomorrow's "fairy workshop," which I think involves small children [mostly girls] dressed in fairy-like costumes and planting cute little plants in the pots I worked so hard to fill up), and although that was a rather messy task, it was indoors, which basically makes up for everything. Today wasn't as hot as yesterday, but the sun was still rather terrible. It did rain, though, so at the moment it's quite cool (and humid) out. :)


Um. And then I started on a Phantom-Tollbooth-inspired bit of art that I haven't started coloring yet, though I will sometime soon.


Speaking of art, THIS is my entry for the Splashlife/HP Alliance Imagine Better art contest (it has my real-life first name it it, gasp). I guess voting on it opens tomorrow (?), and so if you want me to win lots of money (why would you? :|a), please go vote or like it or something. I dunno.


Okay, that's all for today.


xiy

Nothing Really...

Only 3 more days until I come home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a little sad to be leaving [especially since I'll miss the last week of school (a.k.a. field trips)] and probably won't see my friends here again, but I'm also excited to come home.

When I get back, Virgil is leaving for Scotland (which stinks for me) and we're going to have breakfast together. Does anyone else want to come? It'll be early, so I think we can assume House won't come. :P

I also bought all of y'all presents, so we have to gather at some point so I can give thems to you. 

How's the whether over there? It's still rainy and cold here. Blech.

Guess what we did in school today? In first period we did these number puzzles that are sort of like soduku (sudoko? soduku? sudidhfivbu ofhbuig) and are really fun. Then we had some 11th graders talk to us about trash (which was definitely not as exciting) and I ended up making a mosaic with my dried up white out. Then we had two periods of art and I arted a pretty picture. Then we had the option of watching people crash cars or watching Harry Potter. I chose Harry Potter. And then we went home.

I wish school was always like that. 

I am going to go read now!! BYE.

moMo

bfruig bruigrhbgvijgb vfjvifbrigvböcv aöipüä+ß i0 gr7t9p qob jcmf

OMG! Also, there is this boy in my class, Tobi, and he was humming songs from AVPM and I was like "OHMYGOSHILOVEYOUDOYOUWANTTOMARRYME?!?!?!" and he was like "?" and then we were talking about how awesome AVPM is and I asked him if he'd seen AVPS and he hadn't and I told him that he just had to watch it and now he will. I changed a life.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 Review - Part 1

I didn't have time to write a full review, so I'm splitting it into parts. 

;) 

I'm going to talk about the soundtrack first, since I listened to it before seeing the film (it was released two days previously).

It was phenomenal. I was a bit worried because Desplat's score for Pt. 1 received merely an Exceeds Expectations from me, but this score was much better. Naturally, it's tough to fill the shoes of great wizards like John Williams, Patrick Doyle, and Nicholas Hooper. There were quite a few parts of the movie that were completely silent, and I think they were well-chosen, although I wish there had been some music during the conversion with Ollivander, because the absence of any music at all made it seem rather dry to those of us who already know the information.

More specifically - I think that Desplat's strong suite is in huge, epic battle-songs rather than the subtle romantic stuff of Hooper fame. Tracks like "Dragon Flight" and "Broomsticks and Fire" and "Showdown" were much more musically impressive than the slow background music during less violent scenes. I didn’t like the over-usage of that female vocalist – the theme with that vocal at the beginning (“Lily’s Theme”) was really good for a start, and I understand that he wanted to re-introduce it when Sev/Lily cropped up, but I just don’t like solo vocals in movie scores.

The music in the Epilogue was its only redeeming factor. I think they took it straight from the John Williams score of the first movie. What a great way to bring the series full circle.

The opening shots were good choices. A quick recap of the last scene from Part 1, but not too long as to seem like a “What you missed in the last episode of Harry Potter!” type feel. Then Snape’s regime at Hogwarts, then Dobby’s grave, and Shell Cottage! Already, the pace is going well. I was disappointed when a couple key scenes from Shell Cottage were left out, most importantly Dobby’s funeral, which was implied to have already happened seeing as the gravestone was already carved. The other scene that I wished were there, even though I understand why they saw fit to cut it, was the announcement of Teddy Lupin’s birth. I just wanted to see the look on Harry’s face when Lupin tells him that he’s the godfather.

Ollivander and Griphook were both good. They changed the things that Ollivander knew (in the book, he doesn’t know what the Deathly Hallows are, only the Elder Wand) but that wasn’t a big deal because the Hallows needed to be re-explained for those annoying people who don’t read the books. Warwick Davis was an excellent Griphook, just like before.

The moment when Hermione holds up Bellatrix’s hair and says “positive” – that really got to me. Remember that shot in Part 1 when the hair fell upon her freshly-carved arm? Then, of course, Helena Bonham Carter did a fantastic job showing Hermione’s mannerisms. The awkward high-heels walk was a nice touch. The dialogue when Travers points out that Bellatrix’s wand was stolen – it isn’t there. I think we’re meant to assume that the whispering goblins also knew this.

The idea of “the wandless” – beggars roaming the streets, no longer accepted in society – was completely glossed over! I think that part was very important in the book, because it showed how terrible Voldemort’s bigotry really was, and it reinforced a belief in why they should be fighting against him. The line that should have been in the film: “How did it offend you?” – spoken by Travers in the chapter “Gringotts” – because he’s referring to an injured beggar as “it.” 

The way they shot the Gringotts lobby at first kind of made me seasick, and the lighting made it all seem a bit surreal. Either I’m going crazy, or it looked different from the Gringotts in the first film. But then the roller-coaster cart ride was epic, epic filming and epic music, and the way they did the Thief’s Downfall was just how I had imagined it in the book! Oh, and that poor, poor dragon. The paleness and the scars and the chains and those wretched clankers! It was all illustrated so tragically.

And then the scene inside the vault – it was all quite good; although I don’t think they portrayed that the multiplying treasure was also scorching hot! Maybe they decided that the Golden Trio wouldn’t look attractive enough for battle when they were all covered in burns. 

Now I'm off to Harlan! I'll set this to post itself on Tuesday. See ya! 

<3

Virgil

(this is not lynda)

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond her control, Lynda is going to be (involuntarily) away from the Internet and thus this blog for an unspecified amount of time.

So I'm just here to tell you that Lynda told me to notify you guys; it's not her fault she hasn't been posting.

Now go back to doing whatever you've been doing with your summer. ♥

soccer soccer soccer and flute

Hey, guys.

Apparently, I'm supposed to take some time off from obsessing over Alan Rickman's excessive amounts of awesome [and how hot Matthew Lewis has gotten] to write this post. Idk how well this is going to go, then...

Japan won!  Yay for them! The game was mental, which I'm assuming those of you that knew the World Cup was going on already are aware of, since you had to have watched. Gahhhhahhahahhhhh.


Anyway, yeah. I've been keeping busy, mostly with soccer training/camp/practice (for the oh-so-soon pre-season!). I've been running my butt off between band rehearsals, sips of Gadorade, and quick showers, pretty much :P (Also, I've been doing a teeny bit of summer homework... not enough to, like, exert myself, but I've done a little. I took the final for this online health course thingy, so I'm officially done with listening to this lady from BYU lecture me on abstinence, hooray!!)


That's about it. Sorry about the short post... I kinda need to go to bed, you know, since soccer training doesn't go very well with being ~totally nocturnal >.<


With all due respect,
House.

Hi!

Lolololol. Almost picked the wrong font color. :P Silly Carrie! ^.^ 

IT'S SATURDAY! :D 

Guess what I did today? I helped with a campaign for the upcoming presidential election! It was fun! (kind of...) I didn't really do anything, but it was still nice. I met a lot of people, and in case you were wondering it is for the Obama campaign. It's amazing to see how dedicated people will be when they want change. I'm not a real political person, but the experience of working with the campaign was cool. I really was only there because my mother is a dedicated volunteer. I think the only real work I did was decorate a window and eat cupcakes. :3 teehee. And then Eggr stopped by since he lives right near the campaign office, and this is the last time I'll see him for a week. But I'm pretty sure I'll survive. ^.^ 

If you cannot tell, I am in a pretty cheerful mood right now, even though I'm incredibly sleep deprived. 

Soooo... How was Harry Potter? I haven't seen it yet. Don't spoil the ending. >:( Carrie will be upset with you. I want it to be a supwise! :D I realized that there's a reason I've only seen the movies and have not yet read the books; it's because I have such a small attention span. I could begin reading the book, put it down for a little while, and not pick it up for a whole nother month. The movies are a lot easier for me to follow and concentrate on. Plus, the information given in the HP movies isn't too much different from the book so I'm not missing too much. :) 

I think I'm gonna go edit pictures and take a nap. 
BYE!
DFTBA! ♥

Smiles, hugs, and lots of love, 
Carrie

IT'S NOT OVER YET (various musings on Harry Potter, and how July 15 is not the end)

Hi there. I'm actually starting this post tonight (Thursday night), because tomorrow is HOLY CRAP JULY 15 and I don't know if I'll actually have time to write out the post then, what with volunteering at the botanical garden all morning and then being stranded at my dad's work with no proper computer/Internet and then going to see HPDH part II (!!!) later in the evening and stuff.

But anyway. The subject of my post today is that, despite all of Virgil's doubts, Harry Potter will never have an ending. Just because the movies are finished does not mean that we should be all moaning over the loss of the franchise entire, because that will never happen.

There will continue to be fanfiction and fanart and new fans and whatever the heck Pottermore is and the theme park and eight-movie all-nighter Harry Potter marathons and countless re-readings and fan conventions and merchandise and witty quotes and, seriously, the list could go on for ages.

It's not like the ending of the movies is going to change anything. Harry Potter was a huge part of people's childhoods, but why can't it be part of adulthood too? It's not like the memories are all suddenly going to vanish. And you really can't stay innocent if you've stuck with Harry for all seven books and all seven-so-far movies from the beginning to the nineteen-years-later end. Just because you can't go see another midnight premiere doesn't mean that everything's suddenly fallen to pieces. You don't have to curl up in a corner and cry your eyes out, Virgil.

Anyway, just think of all the new fans to come. They're not going to let Harry Potter end. The Lord of the Rings movies were over and done with years ago, but there's still plenty of fans out there who'll keep reading the books and introducing hapless victims new people into the fandom. It's the same thing with good old HP, except on an approximately 1000000000x larger scale.

We'll be alright, I'll bet. The future with no more movies really isn't so bleak after all, is it? I should hope not.

But it's not like you're not allowed to be excited for the movies or anything. Squee away, please.

(And guess what? I will be seeing HPDH part II in approximately two hours as of right now. YES.)

So look alive, and don't forget
that's it's not over,
It's not over;
No, it's not over yet!

♥

Not even gonna say it...

I'm not going to mention that You Know What is coming out in a couple of hours because we all know who might just die of excitement. 

I actually can picture Virgil sitting in her room with her wand and cloak on, waiting for midnight. Just, like, staring at the clock and every few seconds jumping because it's a little sooner.

I can also picture xiy planning an amazing post for tomorrow about how it's not over yet and House screaming "And now it's even closer! AND CLOSER!!!! AND NOW IT'S EVEN CLOSER!!!!!!!!!!". I can picture Lynda being mad because she still hasn't found her replacement horcrux (cough, cough). And Carrie, well, I don't know how she is handling all this.

I really need to see you people.

I bought y'all lots of candies (I really hope chocolate is acceptable [except I can't remember if Lynda doesn't like all chocolate or not and I'm freaking out)] and I already bought some other gifts, in addition to the candies. 

I come home in 10 days!!!

It's a little sad to go, but I like being home as well.

Being home is nice.

You know what else is nice?

Soccer/football/Fußball.

The US women made it to the world cup finals--which is on Sunday btw--along with Japan. The Amuricans played against Brazil in the quarter-finals and it was really close. In fact, due to a stupid call by the ref, it ended up being tied and needing to go into overtime. The Amuricans ended up beating Brazil and going on to the semi-finals. Then, yesterday, they played France. At the beginning, they did really well and scored a goal. Then France got mad and they started being all good but couldn't make any goals (well, I mean, one). The US won.

Also, Japan played against Sweden and beat them. 

WHICH MEANS the Amuricans have to beat the Japanese on Sunday and they'll be the WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!! 

Germany be sawdy.

They have a TV magazine with all the programs for the week and for the soccer finals it says something like, "If everything went according to plan, Germany will be playing against Brazil probably". The magazines are printed, like, 2 weeks in advance. 

They are false.

Alrighty then. I've finished rambling for today. :)

Momo

I realized yesterday that it would be really funny if I made a piece of art and called it Mo's Art. Get it? No? Ok.

It all ends here.

I can't describe this feeling right now.

It's like... this is something that I've been anticipating for ages, but now it's finally here. You know how there are some things that seem so indefinitely far into the future that it's like they're not even real?

"Someday I'll go to college."

"Someday I'll be a published author."

"Someday I'll have children."

It was always that sort of thing for me. "Someday, there will be no more new Harry Potter movies. The last one will come out, and we'll all have to make the decision whether or not we should move on with our lives." I knew this to be a fact, but I never actually accepted that it was true in the real-life sort of sense.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 will be released to the public within a matter of hours. (At the moment, 56 hours.) It's not "someday." It's the day after tomorrow. And... I just don't know what to say. 

One half of me is really excited to see this film. It's going to be an epic movie, and I have confidence that it will do justice to the book, although of course nothing can truly match the book's impact on my imagination and emotions. I look forward to seeing these scenes - scenes that previously existed only on paper and in the minds of millions - come to life on a screen.

But the other half of me wants to curl up in a corner and cry, just refuse to see it altogether, because it's the last one and seeing it would be like an irreversible milestone that I just can't hurdle. Of course, there are rereads and there are re-viewings, but there's nothing like reading a Harry Potter book for the first time or seeing a Harry Potter movie for the first time at a midnight premiere.

I kind of hope that they decide to remake the movies in 50 years with a different set of actors. I wonder what that would be like. 


The soundtrack to Part 2 came out yesterday, and I've already listened to it twice. I'll post a full review of the soundtrack along with my review of the movie (which may or may not appear next Tuesday... I'll be out of town, so it's possible that it'll have to wait another week) but let me just say that I was not disappointed. Nothing beats John Williams, but Desplat did a solid good job, and I think it's a lot better than the score for Part One, which was just okay.



So I suppose I could freak out in all-caps right now, and that would seem appropriate, but I feel like the time for that has passed. This is a solemn ending to the series that changed my life. Although the franchise lives on, this really feels like the end. Four years ago, in July 07, we could at least say "well at least we have the rest of the movies to look forward to." Now what do we have? The promise of Pottermore? Visits to the Wizarding World? More fanfiction? Periodic fan conventions that will continue for decades to come? It's just not the same. 


I must go work on my re-read of Deathly Hallows. I've read it maybe 6 or 7 times, but I want to be able to accurately point out every single difference between the book and the movie. It's my job. 
Ta-ta! 


Mischief managed,
 Virgil

What Not To Do (Or Say) When Trying To Project The Image Of A Mature Person

HI!

Due to some problems, I have not had access to the internet for a whole week. Buuuut...I'm BACK!

So today's Monday. And on Mondays, Lynda (me) is usually sort of grouchy, because, dude, it's Monday. But this Monday, Lynda (me) feels unusually chipper. No idea why. But that's good for you readers, because Lynda (me) will be writing a post that isn't 1 sentence long going "hup, it's summer alright..."

So! This hur seque starts ma list o' stuff. If y'all need some clarification, please read this hur title.

What Not To Do (Or Say) When Trying To Project The Image Of A Mature Person

DO NOT:

1. Make eye contact with a person on the street for more than 10 seconds straight, pretending that it is a staring contest, and you must win.

2. If  you win that contest (which you shouldn't have been doing in the first place), do not yell "I WON! IN YO FACE!" to the other person.

3. Read the countdown clock  to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and then start screaming "YES! YES! YES!"

4. After reading said clock and then screaming, start muttering to oneself, using words such as "it all ends..." and "oh my goodness what will I do with my life now???"

5. Watch a video posted by a friend (Virgil) on a social networking site (Facebook) that has a pretty song, and little clips of previous Harry Potter movies, and then start wailing.

6. Stare at the little 11 and 12 year olds from your little sibling's summer camp and exclaim, "you're so small!!!"

7. Stare at said little munchkins the very next day and mumble to yourself about how you cannot believe you thought they were large and muscley freaks 'back in the day'.

8. Embarrass your sibling, yourself, and everyone around you by saying, "NO BOYS. NO CRUSHES. NO LIKE-LIKES. NO TRU WUV. DEFINITELY, NO TRU WUV"

 

9. Go up to a random guy with sideburns and stare at the sideburns for a bit. (But seriously, are sideburns back in style now? I swear I've seen like, 5 people with them...*shudder* Oh, I hope not...)

10. FREAK OUT WHENEVER ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING HARRY POTTER RELATED. THIS INCLUDES SCREECHING WHEN YOU HEAR SOMEONE SAY "HARRY".

                                              !

                                                    !!! 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow

 Okay, so that image, is supposed to be the DEATHLY HALLOWS SIGN. IT's not working. Grrr... Use your imagination.

Luv,

Lynda

omg this is the end.

Hello.

I'm back home! Yay :) Though I do miss the coast a ton already... but being back here is nice.

And my cousin got married yesterday! Yayyy for the happy couple. I had a lot of fun with the family and food [omg baclava]  and all. But I guess I'm really unfamiliar with wedding customs...? Before a couple months ago, I didn't know that there was a matron of honor. I mean, that makes sense, but I'd never really heard of it. And ushers leading women down the isle to be seated? What? >.< Maybe I should get out of the house more...

*segue* lol xiy taught me spelling!

And I will be getting out of the house for sure tomorrow, bright and early (nince o'clock a.m.) for the kicking off of soccer training! Yayayayay soccer! I'll be sweating off half my body weight on the same field for the next short ever.
Ohmigoodness...
I really hope I survive this training session >.<

So... yeah. I guess I should warn you guys that for the next while, my posts will be mostly about soccer and training and things ^.^"

Oooh, also, HP7 is coming out ridiculously soon.
Like, Virgil's-about-to-burst-into-tears soon.
Like, the entire fandom world is about to blow up July 15th.
Holy cow.
Okay. I shouldn't think about it too much. Or else I might get all emotional.

*sighs* I should go run before it gets too dark.

With all due respect,
House.

Please, DISPERSE!

Hewwo.

Well, today I went to the pool with a couple friends. It was quite fun. 

...I feel terrible now, my mind completely blanked. 

uhhhh... so yeah, the pool. Um, it was Eggr (the boyfriend), and my other friend and her boyfriend, and I. Running into your ex's who happen to be lifeguards at the pool you went to, I have learned, is not fun. The ex boyfriend wasn't being very nice. :( He collapsed my lawn chair from underneath my head and poured water on me. -.- 

Lololol. My other friend and her boyfriend kept being yelled at for PDA. :P Lifeguards don't like that apparently. And to be perfectly honest, neither do I. :(  It's really rude. D: Like, Eggr and I were merely holding hands. Only twice did he have his hands around my waist. But nooooo, my other friend and her boyfriend HAVE to be all up on each other the entire time. The were literally watched after being told to not share lawn chairs. :P It was quite amusing. 

Yeah, that's really all I did today. 

Moral of the story: PUBLIC INDECENCY IS ANNOYING AND YOU CAN BE ARRESTED. Okay, it probably wouldn't have been considered public indecency, but still, save the physical relationships for the bedroom. I really don't want to see them. And actually, I'm not being a hypocrite. ^_^ So yeah, no, I don't want to see that. Save it. Thanks. 

okay,bai. 
DFTBA♥

Smiles, hugs, and lots of love,
Carrie

my Asian supermarket is really rather sketchy.

I will be explaining the title (i.e., the sketchiness of my [and probably some other] Asian supermarkets) in more detail today, but first of all, I would like to joyously mention that MEDICAL CAMP IS OVER!

Medical camp wasn't event that bad, really, though I think it's more because the people there were really funny and nice and not so much the fact that I was really interested in any of the health careers (although dentistry or perhaps ophthalmology or even being a physician's assistant might be a choice for my future in case editing doesn't, like, turn out well [which it probably won't, as my mother is always quick to tell me]). Also, the food was pretty good, though we kind of degenerated into eating (relatively very good) sandwiches/boxed lunches for pretty much all of this week, since we were on field trips every day. And I managed to make one or two friends, which is nice.

So now I will move on from the subject of medical camp onto the subject of the sketchiness of Asian supermarket(s).

You see, my family gets most of its weekly food from, like, Costco/Giant Eagle/other American grocery stores, but every week, my parents will go to the Asian supermarket* to top up their supply of mysterious green Chinese vegetables (and also broccoli and bell peppers and things) and the like. At the particular Asian supermarket that they enjoy frequenting, there are quite a lot of strange things, e.g.:


-prawn chip things (not shrimp crackers; there is a vital difference, the difference being that shrimp crackers are actually tasty whereas these prawn crackers look suspiciously similar to brightly colored round bits of plastic and one could probably break one's teeth on them**)


-random flies flitting about the produce (sketchyyyyyy [and also unsanitary]!)


-weird packets of herbs/spices/soup seasonings labeled in about four different languages that are supposed to have some sort of beneficial effect but I have no idea what, given the fact that I only know English (and the English is nearly always translated badly) and a tiny, tiny bit of Chinese


-giant things called jackfruit (holy crap)


-two (admittedly rather short, but two) aisles full of junk food, which really isn't very sketchy, per se, but I thought I'd include this, because my eighth-grade cooking teacher was apparently under the delusion that Asian people had no such thing as snacks or junk food


Also, today I went with my mother to look for a house available for my mother's friend (who's coming to the US for two months) to rent; she apparently noted down the wrong address and so we started off in completely the wrong direction before finally finding the darn house. (Which is why this post is so late.)


Oh, and I also got myself a tumblr.


Bye.


xiy


EDIT: Oops, I forgot the footnotes.


*It's technically an Asian supermarket even though we call it a Chinese store, since half the stuff they sell is labeled in Japanese/Korean/what-I-think-might-be-Vietnamese/etc.


**They are, in that respect, very similar to Hagrid's cooking. :)

Oh dear...

Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?! Goodness. This blog seems dead.

It seems as if we have fallen back into the summer phase.You know, saying hello and then goodbye with a little story in the middle for posts. A comments-per-post decrease of an average of 60% per post. You know. Summer phase.

I'm not saying our posts have gotten horrible, but maybe we should do something to get some excitement up in hur. Theme week maybe? We haven't had a very successful theme week in a while. Hm...

ANYWAY.

In other news: 

• Yesterday I attended the first school musical of my life in which champagne was served.
• My mother's 30th* birthday is tomorrow. 
• In gym today, I set a personal record when I threw a ball 12 meters. That's right. 12 meters. 36 feet. Bam. [This is, for normal people standards, very pathetic]
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out for you in 8 days.
• Wait what?!?!
• 8 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
• Unfortunately, it isn't showing here until later. I don't knows when. There isn't even a movie theater for, like, 20 km.
• Who wants to have a HPDH pt. 2 watching party with me when I return?!
• I need to buy gifts for all of yous alls. 
• I've finished 5 chapters of APUSH. 
• And guess what? Chapter 6 is super short. WOOHOO!
• I'm playing in a concert tonight!!! :D The band at the school isn't actually that great (even though the school I go to is music-based). It's just, we're playing really easy songs and there's no balance or dynamics and a lot of important instruments are missing (like all percussion except for maraccas and cymbals). But it's still fun.
• That would be all for today's news.

I miss you all so much!! I hope you are all having nice summers!!!!!

There have already been secret messages. Goodness.

Love,

Momo

*She may or may not be a few years older...

DON'T TALK TO ME. I'M NOT EMOTIONALLY STABLE.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS AHHH

I'm just trying to prepare myself. I mean, in the basic sense of the word, I'm prepared. I got my ticket, I got a ride, I got a T-shirt that says "IT ALL ENDS HERE." 

BUT I'M JUST NOT EMOTIONALLY PREPARED FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. 

I was going to just end the post here, but I decided to do one of these 30-day Harry Potter challenges... except I plan to do this whole thing right now. Here it goes!!

Note: I didn't write these questions, I found them on the internet. 

Day 1: Your fave book.

That's really, really hard. I think I'll have to say the seventh book, just because all of the awesome plot intricacies come together in a way that blows my mind. But to be honest, I could make an argument for any of the books and why they're each my favorite. I just love them all so much :'(

Day 2: Your fave movie.

That's difficult too. For my favorite in terms of how good the movie itself is on its own, I would have to say Prisoner of Azkaban. However, if I'm judging in terms of how good the adaptation was, definitely DH pt 1. And of course, overall most-awesome-movie-ever, Deathly Hallows Part 2. I don't care that it hasn't come out yet... IT'S MY FAVORITE. 

Day 3: Is there any of the films adaptations that have made you angry because they’ve ignored important parts of the book.

The fifth and sixth one both left out a ton of important plot details (even though I must say that the large injection of humor into Film 6 was very entertaining). There are two specific scenes that bother me the most - Snape's Worst Memory (it was in there, but only like five seconds. I think there's a full version on the deleted scenes, but still) and the omission of Kreacher's Tale - which was the only thing that I hated about DH pt. 1 with the exception of the Harmony dance scene. 

Day 4: Least fave female character and why.

Least favorite in terms of dislike? Dolores Umbridge, of course. I want to strangle her. However, she IS very well characterized for her purpose, and in that sense, she is not my least favorite.
Least favorite in terms of the characterization? Ginny, definitely. She's got a huge role in the plot, and yet she's given absolutely no depth of character in my opinion. 

Day 5: Fave male character and why.

Severus Snape!!! :) He's my hero. His story just breaks my heart. :'(

I also really love Neville. <3 If I had to marry one of the characters from Harry Potter, I would choose him. 

Day 6: What house would you want to be in.
"Would you want to be in"? Uhh, this isn't hypothetical at all. I AM A RAVENCLAW!!

Day 7: Fave female character and why.
Difficult. Probably Luna Lovegood. I feel like I can really relate to her. But I also love Tonks, and McGonagall is a beast, and of course Mollywobbles Weasley, "Not my daughter, you [w]itch!" ;)

Day 8: What do you think would be your fave lesson.
This one is easy - Ancient Runes! I love Latin and Ancient Greek, so Runes would be my favorite lesson at Hogwarts.

Day 9: Least fave male character.
Peter Pettigrew really pisses me off because he's such a coward. Also, I can't stand Lockhart.
That Potter boy gets on my nerves too.
Day 10: Horcruxes or Hallows.
Badly-worded question. Which would I rather possess? Hallows, of course. Which should Harry have been focusing on during the seventh book? Probably Horcruxes.

Day 11: What character would you say you are most like.
I don't know. I feel like I'm a cross between Luna and Hermione (even though JKR herself describes Luna as the anti-Hermione) because I'm very book!smart (depends on who you ask, though) and sometimes a bit harsh on people of lower intelligence - but I'm also quite strange, I don't really give a crap about conforming to what people think I should act/look like, and I'm sometimes socially awkward unless I'm around people who I know really well.

Day 12: Fave ship.
I really love Sev/Lily, even though it wasn't meant to be. Also Harry/Luna is really fun to write.
As for canon ships, I'd have to say Ron/Hermione. Oh, come on. They're meant for each other.

Day 13: Least fave movie.
Order of the Phoenix.

Day 14: Team Voldermort or Team Harry.
Hey that's funny, you spelled Voldemort wrong just like on our Latin Club T-shirts.
Um... Team Harry. As much as I like the idea of being a Death Eater and getting that sweet tat, Voldemort's ideals are, quite frankly, really bigoted. Muggle-borns should be allowed the same rights as any other wizards, and I would never support a dictatorship in which Ron and Hermione cannot legally get married. Team Harry is the obvious Good Side.

Day 15: Who would be your best friends at hogwarts. (three only)
Probably some random "Ravenclaw girls" who aren't even important enough in the books to get names. Perhaps one of them would be Luna.

Day 16: Fave professor
McGonagall, of course. She's such a beast. And by beast, I mean kitty cat!

Day 17: Are you excited about The Deathly Hallows movie or scared it won’t do the book justice.
I'm excited - I genuinely think it'll be really good and do the book justice. I'm just scared that I won't be able to hold myself together and end up leaving the theater in an ambulance.

Day 18: Least fave book.
Not a fair question. No, I have no least favorite.

Day 19: Do you prefer the books or films.
Books, duh.

Day 20: If you had to meet one member of the cast, who would it be.
Does J.K. Rowling count as a member of the cast??
Hmmm.... probably Rupert Grint. <3

Day 21: Out of all the characters that died, if you could bring one back, who would it be.
DOBBY!!!!

Day 22: Harry Potter or Twilight
**chokes** wait, what?!? Who wrote this thing?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Day 23: Any part of the books/movies that makes you cry.
In the books, I cried when Dumbledore dies and when Dobby dies and also at the end of Deathly Hallows, just because it was over. In the movies, all those parts plus when Cedric dies - it's more emotional in the film adaption, I think.

Day 24: Any particular scene you wished would have been put in the movie but it wasn’t.
Oh, I think I already said that. Snape's Worst Memory and Kreacher's Tale.

Day 25: Nineteen years later. Are you happy how it turned out, or do you wish something was different, ie Neville married Luna.
Uh... I don't know. I kind of wish it had been presented in a different way. And I also kind of wanted Harry to die at the end of the battle. The epilogue was okay. Meh.

Day 26: If you could be able to work one spell without a wand what would it be.
Reparo! Now that would make my life easier.

Day 27: Would you rather own The Invisibility Cloak, The Resurrection Stone or The Elder Wand.
Probably the Cloak. It's the most useful - plus, it's doesn't give you grief and people don't try to kill you for it. Those are nice bonuses.

Day 28: Do you listen to Wrock, what do you think about it.
I listen to a bit of Wrock, but of course - as with any genre - it depends on the artist. I really like The Butterbeer Experience and The Ministry of Magic.

Day 29: Did you enjoy A Very Potter Musical.
YESYESYESYESYESYES!!! It's even better than the WB films!! :)

Day 30: What affect has Harry Potter made on your life and how much does it mean to you.
Oh god.
*starts to sob* 
Harry Potter saved my life, let's just leave it at that.


The sun is like BLAZING at me through the window right now. I've got to get off of the computer.
This exercise has been so emotionally draining. Please leave a comment if you want to discuss any of the questions.

Ta-ta for now & DFTBA

Virgil

FIRE

Hello :D

I'm still on vacation, chilling on the East Coast. Today we celebrated my aunt's fiftieth birthday (yayy), which was fun. And then we went down to see a bonfire at a beach that's really close by. There has been a lot of fire this week... two firework shows that we saw (and lots of smaller ones going on around us) and the bonfire and the candles on the cake and sparklers kids were twirling about dangerously close to rather tall grass.

Not much headway has been made on the homework front... *ignores*

We went to a minor league baseball game. The mascot was really scary; he brought back rather recent bad memories of being trapped against my will in that blasted costume. And our team lost, sigh. But it was still really fun :) There was lots of fried dough and frozen lemonade and pizza.

Also, there is much cake here.
And cookies.
And quite a lot of potato chips.

Oooh ooh ooh and today we went down to the beach. I like the beach, just not the jellyfish. But I'm a seaglass collector extraordinaire :P

Anyway, I should get back to the family etc.
And (tomorrow) happy Fourth of July :D America! Yay!

With all due respect,
House.

Oh, hai dere.

So, uh, it's Saturday.

I wasn't quite sure when else I would be able to post today, since I guess I'm gonna be out all day, so I decided to post right now! :D

Um, I guess my aunt is gonna pick me up later so I can go hang with at her house with my cousins? It should be fun. They have a pool and puppies. :) and if it's still today when I get back, I'll definitely update this post with what I actually did. ^_^

Btw, ummmm... Carrie has decided to take the initiative and write her own blog! :D
(yeah, no idea how this is gonna turn out whatsoever... but we shall soon find out!)

sooo... HP DH PT.2. 12 days, eh? who's excited?

k. bye.
DFTBA!♥

Smiles, hugs, and lots of love,
Carrie

Addition: Okay, so I saw Super 8. and just a heads-up: Carrie. strongly dislikes. Science fiction movies. She dislikes the trailers even more. It was a good movie nonetheless, it just scared the crap outta me!!!!!!! D:
Extra addition: THE HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS PART 2 TRAILER IS AMAZING!!!!!  I legit almost fell out of my chair. At the trailer. Just imagine the movie.... oh, my cheez-its.
Extra Extra addition: New blog is up and running. :) Go check it out. http://www.youmeandtheentireuniverse.blogspot.com/ woot. woot.

happy first of july!

Today concluded my first day of medical-camp-thing, and I guess overall it was okay. The people are nice; the food is surprisingly delicious; the counselors are all a lot more fun than I expected. The field trips mostly involved getting lectured at for one-and-a-half hour sessions, which isn't so fun, but it's not horrible or anything (just a bit boring).

At the Chinese/Asian store today, my mother bought Pocky for me. It is very good (♥), though she doesn't see the appeal and now is lamenting her decision to buy it. I am not. (She also bought quails' eggs, which really don't taste at all different from chicken eggs, so it was kind of pointless.)

In three days, it will be American Independence Day. Hooray for fireworks, lots of food, and a day off from work (and medical-camp-thing)! :D And today also marks two weeks until HPDH part II, which is EVEN MOAR EXCITING.


Um. And I also drew a new banner, though I guess I won't be putting it up until after July 15.


I think that's it. Sorry for writing such a fail of a short post.