You're feeling strange...

I do realize that it's morning of the 22nd which means I didn't actually post anything on the 21st, but I have decided that this post will do for yesterday's post and then I'll post something again tonight. In theory. Most likely.

Anyway, yesterday was nice because it was the kind of productivity that was definitely useful but it wasn't really productive in a school way. I did go to school early yesterday so I could do some studying in the library before my one class yesterday, but when I came home I worked out, vacuumed, did tons of dishes, cleaned other areas, etc. Which, honestly, all needed to be done so it was productive in that way, but it didn't really make any dent in the mountain of homework that needs to be completed this weekend/the coming week. I still need to finish reading Inkheart, locate and read about five other books (although most of those five are picture books), read a good chunk of Gravity's Rainbow and write a blog on it, study for Japanese because we have a quiz/test thing on Monday, in addition to the studying and researching I've been attempting to do all quarter for all of my classes. And that's just for this weekend. Needless to say I will not be attempting to get through an entire season of Buffy like I did last weekend no matter how much I'd rather watch Buffy and crochet a new hat.

And I haven't even touched Dragon Age in over two weeks. Which is annoying because I wanted to finish this play through so I can have the exact ending I want in order to import it into Dragon Age 2. All very important stuff you know.

But last night wasn't for homework. Last night I went to a friend's apartment (same friends as last Saturday) to meet up with this D&D group that we're starting. Which, by the way, is SUPER exciting for me because it was my nerd-related goal for last quarter to learn how to play. We didn't actually play yesterday. Mostly we made characters and then we played this zombie apocalypse game where I totally OWNED the first game while playing the high school quarterback because I killed tons of zombies as I was becoming a zombie myself. The game is supposed to be hard for humans (one person plays the zombie while everyone else plays as humans) but somehow the humans managed to win both games we played. It got pretty close though.

And now I need to go do other homework and figure out how I'm getting to a book store. Which, in theory, should be all that hard except that the bus schedule sucks on the weekends and it's kind of hard to get anywhere.

Oh Snap!

I feel like there's some law in the universe that prevents me from reading Gravity's Rainbow before 9:00 at night. I got home around 5 PM, which honestly should have given me plenty of time to start the reading I have to have done by tomorrow. Yet, like the past two times, I found excellent ways to waste four hours of my life before finally starting on it. I realize that doing something three times in a row doesn't necessarily mean it's a law, but I definitely think it's at least a pattern.

But I was tired! I slept horribly last night AND I went to a pilates class today. So I ended up watching youtube videos for an hour, then I took an hour long nap, then I attempted to get Pokemon Snap to work on an emulator for another hour, then the fourth hour was taken up by people getting home and me trying very hard to (not) start my homework.

And you know the worst part? I didn't get Pokemon Snap to work. Fail.

Seriously though, I have so many good childhood memories about that game. I just thought it was the most BRILLIANT IDEA EVER for you to get points for taking pictures of pokemon. Then it had that awesome level at the end where (spoilers! haha, no not really) you take ten million pictures of Mew for the boss level. Except you can't get to the boss level at all on emulators, and you have to do a lot of special modifications to get other parts of the game to work. So, my current plan is to see if my old N64 works next time I go home. That or, you know, play games that came out in the recent decade.

WTWA: While Pokemon Snap didn't work, I did play a Japanese version of Green on an emulator for a while. Due to the fact there's like no kanji (since the reading level is aimed at kids) it was pretty easy to understand. Especially since I've started about a million Pokemon games and the intro is more or less the same in all of them. Still, Japanese comprehension for the win!

Why Today is Awesome

So Kayley Hyde of fiveawesomegirls (owlssayhoot is her personal challenge) posted a video today showing her "Why Today is Awesome" journal. For those of you who don't know what fiveawesomegirls (FAG) is, or what that has to do with FAG, it was a channel on youtube where five girls for three years posted (mostly) daily videos talking about their lives, doing challenges, and saying why their day was awesome. Sadly, they decided that they wouldn't carry on with daily videos anymore, basically ending the project, many people have decided to start daily journals to say why their day was awesome (including Kayley). I thought this might be a fun addition to my daily blog to state why my day was awesome. Sometimes I think I forget in the midst of all the craziness and stress and constant busy-ness the little things that do make my day awesome. Like yesterday when I showed up to the class my roommate and I are taking together she handed me a nonfat vanilla latte, explaining that she knew I'd had a rough night the day before and that today was going to be difficult so she bought me coffee to hopefully make it easier/better. So, you know, things like that make my day awesome.

If you want to view the video that I mention, you can view it HERE. As for now, I'm going to sleep because I have to getu p at 6:30AM on a Saturday in order to take a test (in order to be a teacher) that's more of an insult to my intelligence than an actual test.

Why Today Was Awesome (WTWA): My friend Chris came over so we could study for this test we're taking tomorrow (him, my roommate Emily, and I are all taking it) but mostly we ended up eating pizza, making fun of the test, and playing Halo: Reach so I could show him how the grunts explode with confetti and children cheer when you kill them with head shots. He was MUCH more appreciative of this than my roommates were. Which, honestly, is the correct way to react to enemies exploding into bursts of confetti when you kill them.

Woah, Where Did November Go?

It has been about a month since I last posted, but in my defense it has been a ridiculously crazy month. First of all, it was Nanowrimo so every time I thought about posting here I would feel guilty because that writing time really should go to that. Nano, by the way, went pretty well. And when I say pretty well I mean that I managed to finish by writing 30,000 words in the last 3 days of November. I just barely managed to finish by hitting 50,000 words at 11PM on November 30th, but hey! I still finished :D Then, my classes went into insane mode (despite the fact I had my midterms in October) because I had a bunch of projects and just... insanity. The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 premiered (although, really, that's more of a reason to blog than not to blog) and I've just been attempting to keep up with my life. I also seriously considered switching my major, but now I think I'm back to sticking with my major but perhaps switching an endorsement or two.

Which reminds me, they make it way to difficult for people to become teachers (in my opinion). Don't they want more teachers? Or is this some failed attempt to try and get smarter people as teachers? Admittedly, I had some really amazing and really intelligent teachers throughout my compulsory public school career. Then again, I also had some really under qualified and not very intelligent teachers. However, I really don't think the number of loopholes you have to jump through in order to become a teacher makes it so you get smarter people as teachers. I think the ones who are smart will jump ship, and then you just get the ones who aren't smart enough to realize they should leave and the ones who are smart but crazy enough to stay. I'm hoping I fit in the latter category, because for some reason elementary/middle school teaching still seems to be the path I'm choosing. I did pay $85 to register to take some state required test in order to get into the teaching program at my school, so that right there shows some decisiveness. $85 though XD

So now, I'm currently hanging out in my apartment that has been very excellently decorated for Christmas (complete with lights, fake fireplace made out of paper with stockings hung by it, Christmas tree, two mini trees, nativity scene, and more tinsel than someone should own) on a Friday night, trying to decide what project I should work on or what final I should study for. Mostly this is because it seems like everyone I know already has plans or has to work, so I'm just hanging out here like a lemon.

Oh! Speaking of being lame and hanging out by myself I bought World of Warcraft the other day as a "Yay! You finished Nanowrimo!" present. In my defense, it was purchased because I told a friend I would play it with him over break (so, see, I'm using it to be social with people I know) and because they had a crazy deal to buy $90 worth of World of Warcraft for $20. So, I was already planning on buying it, AND THEN they made it super cheap. Sign from the universe. I haven't bought a subscription for it yet, though. That's going to be my, "Yay! You're done with finals and fall quarter!" present to myself. And I fully realize that's probably why they made the game so cheap, because then you'd be roped into paying them your soul $15 a month for the rest of your life when you wanted to play it.

On that note, I'm going to end it here. I've posted quite a few videos on WeThreeChallengirls this month (including one HERE at the Harry Potter movie premier) and I also posted a video on my personal channel today that I meant to edit and post a month ago where I show you the part of my yarn stash that I have at college. That video is HERE. Watch those if you have the inclination, and I will see you in a month next time :D

Achieve Able

I am currently sitting at home/my parent's house while dressed in my college sweats and my giant high school senior sweatshirt that I ordered a size too big. I had considered waiting another week or so before coming home, but school and my college town was getting a little overwhelming and I just needed to get out for the weekend. If you are one of my awesome, awesome friends who lives in Bellingham, know that you are the part I missed. Anyway, in addition to the lazing about and watching my brother play Halo, I'm eating tons of junk food because I don't buy soda or potato chips at school, and now I have access to way too much of it. Although, in the long run I figure a bowl or two of potato chips and a can of coke won't completely ruin my goal to be a healthier person. In theory.

Anyway, I've been thinking lately about goals and feelings of achievement. My life has gotten a little crazy in terms of the goals I'm making and the things I need to do to get there. The road to these goals is turning out to be a long one (and getting longer the more research I do), and it's beginning to feel aggravating and the achievements and grades I earn in school don't feel the way it used to. Getting a good grade on a paper? I always find more things I could have done, or better ways to do something. Do well on a Japanese test? No time to think about that because I've got to start studying for the next one while making sure I maintain the knowledge of the last one. I used to get so excited over good grades and discovering that I really was learning new things, but now homework and even getting good grades feels more akin to doing the dishes than say, climbing a mountain. Sure, you can finish the dishes and you can do a really good job on them, but in all likelihood seconds after you finish there will be another dirty dish in the sink. It's the same with any school related ridiculousness. There is always more homework, more tests, and more classes.

Then, there's that thing you always hear about video games, how there's a "false sense of achievement." What makes it "false"? What makes it less "real" than getting a grade in a class or completing anything else? Today I finally finished Halo: Reach on Legendary difficulty, which is as hard as it sounds. False sense of achievement? Maybe. Was it awesome? Definitely. And since at least last June/July I've been making a super conscious effort to eat a lot healthier and continue to exercise (as I got in a pretty good habit of exercising last year). I feel like I achieved something when I made it to the gym a day or two more than I usually managed to, include lots of vegetables in my food, or (yes) when I see on the scale that I've managed not to gain weight or even lose a pound or two since I last checked. So, where does that fall?

What's the point of "achievement" anyway? When you achieve something, it means you did something. Is it the completion of something that matters? Or really, just that you did something? Do I have an answer? No. I'm really just thinking out loud.

Anyway, my point is that I like video games, and in this time of my life where I'm getting fed up with how ridiculous and confusing school is, sometimes I feel more like I actually did something when I complete a level of Halo or increase my gamerscore. Do I feel like video games produce a "false" sense of achievement then? No, I don't.

Despite my complaining about homework and my dislike of the monotony of doing yet another linguistics exercise or read another billion pages for my 8:30 AM English class where my teacher is way to intense for that early in the morning, I still must do it. So... that's what I'm going to do. Right now. Yes.

Side Note: Just because I feel like I wasn't excited enough about it in the midst of my reflective think-y post, I'm going to insert it here. I just want to geek out on the internet because I am so excited. I FINISHED HALO: REACH ON LEGENDARY BY MYSELF. OH MY GAH!!!!! That was ridiculous, and hard, and was at least 18-20 hours of my life where I died at least 200 times.

Side note #2: My posts are long when I think too much.

Walmart mirrors make you look fat and Halo makes you swear

So, I just typed up a post, but the internet ate it. Yay internet. In other news, I've gone... six days without posting. I'm sorry, internet. Oh but look! BEDA made me feel guilty about missing six days when before the average length of time between posting was a month. I'm not sure whether this is good or bad, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.

Now, I could say the reason I haven't posted is because I've been super busy getting ready to move back to my wonderful and amazing college town (which I'm doing this Sunday). This is partially true. I've bought some new clothes, like new jeans, leggings, a nice sweater so I don't swear a zip-up hoodie every day of my life, and a pretty blue and plaid dress because I've been wanting a dress. Although, through some weird, cosmic event I managed to lose enough weight this summer to just barely not be the size I used to be. So, much of my shopping trip was going back and forth to the dressing room to figure out what size actually fit. Which is good, but slightly annoying. I also bought some kitchen things (like a crockpot, silverware, pots/pans) because they were super on sale. I was going to go to IKEA today to look for more super cheap kitchen things, except for the real reason I've been a busy hermit:

Halo Reach.

Yes, I'm one of those people. Although, really, you should have figured that out by now. If you hadn't, well, here it is tipping its hat and introducing itself to you.

We got the game at midnight. Well, attempted to get the game at midnight. There was some issue with how the pre-order receipt was printed for my brother's limited edition Halo Reach fancy-schmancy console he got for his birthday, so he had to wait for the manager to straighten some things out. However, we did finally get both the console AND the exceedingly expensive legendary edition (although the super-nerd in my says the legendary edition may have been worth it). Then my brother felt it was necessary to very slowly and very ceremoniously open the giant legendary box. When we finally did start playing (and when I say we I mean my brother played while I watched and yelled at him to do things like watch the grenade and look out for the elite that's about to shank him with a beam sword) it was so freaking awesome. Seriously, this game is ridiculous in its awesome. Yes, there are problems, but they are definitely made up for by the positives. I'm normally more of an (alert! Nerd Acronyms!) RPG fan than an FPS fan, but this game it amazing. Plus, I'm a sucker for games where you can choose to play a female main character who kicks ass while not having to be a sex symbol. It's the little things in life, I know.

Now, I should really be getting back to the packing I mentioned somewhere near the beginning of the post. I can't quite remember due to the Reach block that's currently inhabiting my brain. Yes, I could go pack, or I could go play Reach especially since I finally got an Xbox Live Gold Account so I can play online multiplayer. Yes, maybe I will do that.

Yay for procrastination.