Harry vs. Twilight

Before I begin this post you should know a couple of things:

1) I have read each and every one of the Harry Potter books multiple times -- Books 1-4 probably 4-5 times each. Books 5-7 two times each. I have read all four Twlight books twice.

2) I obviously enjoyed both series or I would not commit to reading them multiple times. I plan to read them all again.

3) I am not promising a spoiler free post. If you are afraid you may be spoiled about either series, don't read any further. You have been warned.

So, with that said, here they are:

Thirteen Reasons why Harry Potter kicks Twilight's Tail

(in no particular order)

1) Quidditch vs. Thunderstorm Baseball. No contest. Baseball is still baseball even if the players are ridiculously fast, strong, and bang into each other loudly. Quidditch -- flying brooms, bludgers trying to kill you, quaffles soaring through hoops, the golden snitch fluttering all around the pitch -- seriously good stuff!! Plus Joanne Rowling developed it all herself. Impressive. (sidenote: have you seen these people trying to play quidditch on broomsticks on the ground? Seriously hilarious and a bit ridiculous to me. But you gotta admire their committment. Check out this link: Vassar Quidditch Team

2) Immortal life would suck. Seriously. Who would want to just roam earth forever, leading the same basic section of life over and over and over and over... Wizards have a normal life expectancy (unless you get a hold of a sorceror's stone of course...) and don't have to live high school forever. Blech. And knowing the only way you will ever die is to be ripped apart and burned... yikes. Give me Avada Kedavra any day.

3) Wizards eat and sleep! I think Lee put it best when she said something to the effect of "Sleeping and eating are two of my favorite things to do. I don't want to live a life where I don't get to do either!" Amen Sister!

4) The good guys are the majority. Sure you have that pesky Death Eater thing going on at times, but all in all, wizards are happy just living their life and letting muggles live theirs. But vampires -- we know that Dr. Cullen and his family of "vegetarians" are the minority. No peaceful coexistence for vampires and humans.

5) The Ministry of Magic beats the Volturi anyday. Sure, they are not perfect and turn a blind eye to evil, but still much better than an underground group of blood thirsty vampires who pretend to govern by certain rules and guidelines for vampire living.

6) Beloved characters die. Yes, this is reason why I think Harry wins. After all the conflicts and dangerous situations those Cullens get themselves into, you would think SOMEONE would bite it. Or really leave the family. But no. Happy little family. And if you've read even as far as book 4 you know that in HP, good guys die. And if you've read up through 5 you know that really good guys die. And if you've read 6 you know that REALLY good guys die... you get the picture. This is just more realistic. It sucks, but it's real.

7) No one is impossibly handsome. We've got some studs in Harry Potter, but no one so breathtakingly perfect that it has to be discussed every other page. Again, real.

8) Sparkly skin? Really? I do enjoy the books, but this is one stupid detail. As if leading a vampire vegetarian life isn't secluded enough, let's just add "you can't go out in the sunlight" to the mix. And why can't you? Because your skin would blister? No. Because you are concerned about skin cancer? No. Because your skin looks like diamonds? Oh of course.

I feel the need to stop here and reiterate, I really do like Twilight! But stack it up beside Harry... and you get this list... continuing now...

9) Harry Potter isn't girl porn. Yeah, I said it. Twilight is the girl equivalent to porn. It's chock full of all that mushy emotional romantic crap that we girls go ga-ga over. Edward makes 40 year old housewives swoon as well as 12 year old girls. Women and girls alike completely lose themselves in this fantasy world and begin building up these ridiculous standards in their head of how they want their boyfriends/husbands/various men in their lives to be. I don't know about you, but this is my main argument against tweens and even most teens reading the books -- relationships are already hard, why do we need to complicate it further for girls by muddling up their minds with unrealistic mush?

10) Love develops. You get to watch romance develop between beloved characters in a very real (there's that darn word again!) way. None of this "unconditionally and irrevocably in love" nonsense.

11) Wizards are born wizards. No one has to be bitten. Heck, you don't even have to be born to wizard parents. It just happens and everyday I wish it had "just happened" to me. :)

12) Hogwarts or Forks High. Again, really? Undoubtedly, Hogwarts is the place to be! Classes like Potions, Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts OR Biology, English, and PE. Tough one!

13) Magic vs Vampire abilities. So vampires are strong and fast. And some of them have one additional power like mind reading or future telling. But with a wand and some potions, wizards can do freakin' magic! Endless possibilities!!

I could probably go on... but I think my point is made. I think I'll go read another chapter from Order of the Phoenix...

"Reasons to Wed"

As a girl who loves order and organization, I also love list making. I love making shopping lists, to-do lists, top 5 lists, lists of rules, lists of facts... hee hee! See what I did there? I just made a list!

Anyway, sometime in college I started a list called "Reasons to Wed". I kept this list (bulleted, of course, because I love me some bullets) on a post it pad in a little post it pad travel box that I kept in my purse so tht I could add to it when inspiration hit.

Now, this isn't a serious list by any stretch. You won't find spiritual reasons, fiscal reasons, or any remotely practical or reasonable reasons. To give you an idea about the content of this list, I actually remembered the list today as I was waiting to have my oil changed and inspection done. This is something I am completely capable of doing, but I would much, MUCH rather someone else do it. Someone who is a man. Someone who is married to me. Ah ha! A reason to wed!

I kept the post its with this ever growing list in my desk for a long time. But I looked for it today and couldn't find it. (Remember that organization thing I mentioned earlier? Yeah, that also causes me to throw away a lot of stuff...) But I think I remember most of the little tidbits. So, sit back and enjoy a bulleted list, chock full of "Amanda's (nonsensical) Reasons to Wed". :)

I need a husband to:

* Have the oil changed/inspection done/gas pumped/anything car related done (I really really hate doing this stuff. Aside from the gas, my dad always took care of it and I miss him for better reasons than that, but I do miss this!!)

* Eat the gross food (i.e. black jellybeans, mushrooms, etc.)

* Empty the dishwasher. (I don't mind loading, but unloading... ugh

* Push the baby stroller (this one I came up with while visiting Alcatraz... there were some hills I would not want to have to push a baby stroller up!)

* Kill the bugs (like the praying mantis that tried to kill Melanie and me back at Turtle Creek or the millipede I had to chase down my stairs on the 4th of July)

* Warm up my cold feet (because, let's face it, my feet are cold 90% of the time)

* Have someone to do the vacuuming. (Another chore I despise. Seems manly enough... almost like pushing a lawn mower, right?)

I am sure there are more I am forgetting, but that gives you a pretty good idea. So, I know I'm not alone in this: do you have any silly "Reasons to Wed" or "Reasons You are Glad You Wed" to share?

Embracing my inner Dolly...

... Dollywood that is!

A few months ago, the Simmons family took a trip to Dollywood with Lee's mom and sister. I, of course, found this really amusing and made fun of them (if not to their face, at least behind their back... :) When they returned home, I found out that not only did they have a blast, but they also purchased season passes. Season passes?? For Dollywood?

Then pretty soon after this I find out that Dawn and her little family had also been to Dollywood and emerged with season passes!! Now, I consider Dawn to be one of the most reasonable people I know. (It's probably because we're both Js.) And she's pretty darn cheap! (How long did you have that tiny little TV because you refused to spend money on one that you can actually see?)

How was this happening? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

But then I considered that I like cheese as much as the next guy... so really who am I to judge? Plus, I really don't like to be left out of things, especially fun things, so if one by one my friends were becoming members of the Dollywood Season Pass Holders Cult, I needed to check this out for myself...

So, Lee, Joy, Cecilia, Gareth, Dawn and Anna K and I headed to Pigeon Forge so I could take in the Dollywood splendor for myself. (Obviously you know where this is going...)

My Season Pass in all it's glory.

Here are some pictures of our day! (courtesy of Dawn)

On the shuttle from the parking lot.

On the shuttle -- I think this is the last time Anna smiled for the camera that day...

First ride of the day -- Cecilia was so happy that she and I got a pink car!

Lee and Gareth in his Lightning McQueen red car.

The redheads looking awesome in a teal car!

Probably the best picture of the day!! The kids looking like drowned rats after the River Rampage Ride.

Waiting in line for the Scrambler, one of Anna's faves! (Mine too! I think I'm mostly just fascinated by the fact that it doesn't make me sick!)

Anna, Cecilia, and Dawn on the Scrambler.

Deda and Gareth on the Scrambler. I promise you, he was screaming "GO! GO! GO! FAST! FAST!" at the beginning. By the end... he was looking a little green. :)

We also saw a show, ate some really yummy food, and just had an all around great time! So, yeah. I'm sold! Got my season pass and my $.99 refillable cup ready to use ALL SEASON LONG! (Did I mention that Dollywood is all Coke? Could this place be more perfect??)

Okay, so who's up for a trip?

Things I Love Thursday!

I have come to the conclusion that I have an addictive personality. Not scary addictive, but addictive just the same. There are a couple of things that I honestly cannot imagine giving up for any period of time and one of them is LOTION. I LOVE LOTION! I cannot stand the way my hands feel when they are dry -- after washing dishes is the worst! I have shared this before, but when I was little, if I woke up in the night and my hands felt "funny" (I have since realized they were dry...), I would lick my palms and go back to sleep. Gross, but effective enough to allow me to go back to sleep without thinking about the feeling anymore. Now, I often wake up and night and roll over to squirt on some lotion before going back to sleep.

It will come as no surprise that I have certain favorites. My main all over after a shower lotion is Olay Quench. It has to be the kind that has deep indigo writing on the bottle... Ultra something or another. I LOVE the smell and the texture of it. The only slight issue I have is it's a little sparkly. Not quite middle school dance makeup sparkly, but a little sparkly just the same.

Recently two more lotions have come into my life that I honestly will never live without again. I stumbled upon these one day at Bed Bath and Beyond when a cashier suggested I buy the travel sizes so I could boost my total to qualify for a coupon. Best decision ever! I tried Miracle Foot Repair and Miracle Hand Repair that night and within two days, my feet were no longer cracked and scaly as they often are throughout flipflop season. I went to get a pedi a couple of weeks ago and the lady didn't even put on the heavy duty heel cream that she normally has to use! And as for my hands -- I have seriously had like 4 people comment on how soft my hands are! How often does this happen? (Unfortunately none of them were hot single men, but whatever... :)

Okay, so those are three things I love -- seriously love -- and highly recommend to EVERYONE. If you're skeptical, try mine or get a trial size. I guarantee you will be buying the big stuff before you know it!

My Last "My" Post

When I started this blog, I decided to follow in the tradition of Scrubs and title every post "My _____". For a while, I enjoyed the challenge, but I have decided that I feel strangled by this attempt to keep it up. (Coincidentally, this is similar to the way I feel about ABC choosing to continue with Scrubs, a show that I LOVE, but which I feel needs to be allowed to die with dignity. But that's a post for another time...) So, no more.

Part of the catalyst behind the decision (beside intense frustration in trying to come up with clever ways to title my posts "My something") is that I would like to start some regular segments that I've seen others do such as Things I Love Thursday and Earworm Wednesday (I haven't actually seen anyone with this one, but Stephen King mentioned earworms in Entertainment Weekly a while back and I've been thinking about the number of songs in my head each day and it's quite the motley crew!). Maybe More than you need to know about Me Monday or Flashback Friday. The possibilities (and alliterative delights!) are endless! These won't be EVERY week, but used on those days when I think that I'd like to write something but have nothing exciting to say.

Stay tuned! I can feel your excitement. :)

My ADD Brain - writing a paper

Today I am really going to finish this stupid paper for Program Evaluation. Let's see.. okay, I finished up with the context and input analysis yesterday so I should probably... check on my facebook status. Oh I don't want deep fried pickles anymore, but pickles do sound good. Why didn't I stop at the store and get some? Oh right, I'll probably eat a whole jar and my sodium intake would be off the charts. So my status should now say I'm working on a paper. Now to go work on the paper. So, I need to tally up all the results from my teacher surveys. Ooh! I could color code! Where are those highlighters that I used the other day? I really need those because they match what I've already used. They aren't in this drawer, but there is that pen I've been looking for. It's the right color for my calendar (which is also color coded) so I will pull it out and mark off the days until the end of school... thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven. Woo! I can do anything for thirty-seven days, right? Okay, back to highlighters. What did I need them for? Oh yeah, color coding my survey. So, these questions go together and these questions go together so they should be green... did I ever find that other green earring I lost? I bet it might be in the kitchen in my bag of shopping bags. I'll go check. Nope, it's not in there. I guess I'll empty the dishwasher. These cups aren't fitting right in this cabinet. What's behind there? Oh, it's my colander. Maybe I should put it somewhere else so the cups have plenty of room. Which cabinet will it fit in? Okay that works. Now back upstairs. Color coding complete. Now how do I put these in sentences? Hmmm... I'm not sure how specific I'm supposed to be. Well Shanti finished hers already so I'll send her a Facebook message. Dear Shanti... what do I do? Send. Ooh, four new notifications! Michelle joined PolBuckingham? What does that even mean? Oh it's a page for his music. I should listen to one of his songs. Nice! I like that one. How is Dawn surrounded by such musical people? I wonder if she's updated her blog lately. Anna Kirby is SO CUTE! I just love to hear her talk! Cute video! Who else has updated their blogs lately? More cute pics of Annie! Things I Love Thursday with Brooke! Love it! Would give me a reason to post. I may have to start that on Thursday... Okay, back to the paper. Blackberry is flashing! New notification on Facebook! Wait, I don't know this person. Oh they commented on something I commented on... Facebook, bringing strangers together. PAPER! I still don't know how to write up this data analysis... I'll just write something and change it when Shanti gets back to me. Or maybe I should edit what I have so far? This chair is getting uncomfortable. To the futon! Much better... wait...stiches are itching... I wonder what it's looking like back there. To the mirror! Hmm. Not too bad, but still has some sticky residue from bandaids. Can't have that. How can I get it off without really hurting myself... let's see... qtip with alcohol? qtip with goo gone? Oh well. It will just have to wear off. Back to writing. Oh wait, I was editing, right? Wow, I'm really ADD today. Maybe I should blog about it...

*Note: Although the order of events may be inaccurate, the content is all me!*

I think this just about sums it up:

My Pop Culture Brain

I do a lot of thinking in the shower. Sometimes it's very serious thinking... prayer, solving world hunger, ways to create peace. Sometimes it's crazy thinking... What would I do if someone broke through the door right now while I was in the shower? What song would I use to audition for American Idol? Sometimes it's just random... like tonight.

Tonight in the shower I was thinking about how so many songs that I hear connect me back to some pop culture reference -- usually a movie or TV show. For example, I was recently talking with Lee about the songs she had chosen for Audrey's 1st birthday party CD and the song "Let My Love Open the Door" came up. When I heard it, I said "Now I'm imagining all these little swimming sperm." She looked at me like I had three heads -- understandably so. She said something to the effect of "or you could picture that scene in "Dan in Real Life". What are you talking about?" And yes, the "Dan in Real Life" scene is there too, but unfortunately, I jumped straight to the sperm. Anyone know what movie I'm referring to, with the sperm? Probably not. It's the end of "Look Who's Talking" when Kirstie Alley and John Travolta finally get together and obviously make a baby -- this is the song that is playing as the spermies make their move.

Then I started thinking of other songs that make me think of movies, but couldn't seem to tear away from "Look Who's Talking". I immediately jumped to "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys. Why this song? Well, because at the beginning of the movie when Kirstie Alley is still sleeping with her married boss, this is the song his little swimmers boogie down to as they approach her awaiting egg. Then I remembered that scene where she's feeding toddler Mikey his dinner while singing "Town Without Pity". She replaces a line at some point with "Now we'll eat our pudding now". Not poetry, but whatever. Then she does this little pole dance with the refrigerator door as John Travolta looks on from a crack in the apartment door. Then he busts up in the kitchen just in time to sing "How can we keep love alive? How can anything survive, when these little minds tear you in two... what a town without pity can do..." while doing some of his own dirty dancing with her.

Then I realized I watched this movie way too often growing up.