Best Of 2014

Instead of using Think Kit’s prompt for Day 21, mostly because the only thing I can think of that really shocked me is very inappropriate for this blog, I’m using a lifeline.

“Everyone’s a critic! Share your yearly “Best Of” list – it could be movies or music, moments in time…anything you can rank!”

So here we go.

Best Album: Taylor Swift’s “1989”

 

Best Book: “Isla and the Happily Ever After” by Stephanie Perkins

 

Best Movie: “The Fault in Our Stars.” This one was harder, because “Mockingjay” also came out this year, and I’ve seen Mockingjay more times, but I can’t bring myself to watch TFIOS again because….tears.

 

Best TV episode: The winter finale of “How To Get Away With Murder.” Two words: “Don’t be.” *shivers*

 

Let’s Get Physical, Physical

Think Kit, Day 17:

“Time to go through your (actual) desktop, junk drawer, or coat pockets and share an artifact from your past. A half-torn ticket stub, once-washed receipt, coffee-stained map, anything in a frame: it’s all fair game. What springs to mind from your artifact? The smells, sights, and sounds? A specific feeling? Hold it in your hand, close your eyes, and go back in time to a moment.”

Hidden in the depths of my wallet is a ticket stub for the show Trail to Oregon.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually look for it, but I’m pretty sure it’s there. Either way, I wore my Trail to Oregon shirt today, so I have something in my apartment to take me back.

I went to Chicago by myself. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but my only friend who loves Team Starkid as much as I do was getting married in a month, so her schedule was crazy busy.

It was a Saturday. July 5. I was at my parents’ house that weekend, so I took the South Shore train into the city and the CTA to Stage 773. I remember being especially excited because this is the show with some of my absolute favorites from Starkid: Joey Richter, Lauren Lopez, and Jaime Lyn Beatty. It also starred two more people who I’ve quickly grown to love: Jeff Blim and Rachael Soglin. (Correy Dorris also starred.)

I think Trail to Oregon is the funniest show I’ve ever seen. It involves the audience. Every show, the characters had different names, chosen by the audience members.

When I went, their names were Dickweed (dad), Lilly Pad (mom), Dysentery (daughter), Chlamydia (son), and Master Roshi (Grandpa).

I can’t wait til it’s on YouTube (hopefully next month, maybe the month after) so I can harass you all with the links.

Put down your blog

Think Kit, Day 13:

“Put down your blog…And pick up a pen! Or pencil. Heck – we’d settle for a crayon.

You don’t have to stay in-between ruled lines, but we do want you to write something by hand. Sure, a letter comes to mind. But so does a recipe you discovered this year. A poem. A series of tweets that is a poem. A contract with yourself – or someone else. Whatever you get on paper – write it, then photograph & blog it. Cursive or manuscript, we promise not to grade on penmanship.”

I’ve been scribbling this for a few days now. It’s a proverb that I’ve been in love with in the past, and recently have fallen in love with again.

When I’m struggling to see the bigger picture, to see what my purpose is in life, I just remember this. When I feel like I am failing, I remember this.

God will make His plan known to me, at some point. I just need to remember to be patient, and that I do have a purpose, even on days when it feels like I don’t.

This is my favorite quote from the Bible… Proverbs 3:5-6.

(Side note: It also makes it extremely clear how exactly I am a Hufflepuff. My favorite quote is about trusting, and Hufflepuffs are notorious for their trusting and loyal personalities.)

The Wackiest Thing I Heard This Year

Think Kit, Day 10:

“Time to get weird. We want to hear your strangest story from the last year (or more). Will it make us raise an eyebrow or three? That’s what we want. Whether it’s a tale of colliding coincidences, a strange Saturday you just can’t shake, or if it makes you squirm just to remember: get weird.”

It’s actually a good thing that I’m super behind on posting these, because when I originally received this prompt, I had no clue what to write about.

Until I heard this story yesterday.

Someone I know was telling me about a show he had seen while in New York City at Radio City Music Hall. I know that he saw a Martha Stewart Christmas show… but I can’t remember if the Martha Stewart show was the weird one, or whether it was another show… Anyway…

We all know the story of the origin of Christmas. The Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, the Savior, in Christian history.

Christmas has since become a highly commercialized holiday, celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike. Santa Claus, a jolly fat man in a red suit, comes down your chimney to give good boys and girls presents each year. If you were bad, you got coal. But no one forgets that the original Christmas story came from the (alleged, to some) birth of Christ.

Well, except for this show.

Apparently, this show also told the origin of Christmas. But instead of being about The Virgin Mary and her baby son, Jesus, guess who the baby was in this story?

That’s right. Santa Claus.

What I’m Looking Forward To In 2015

I like today’s Think Kit prompt:

“The calendar still says 2014, but let’s push forward. What are you looking forward to in 2015? Is there an event, special occasion, or reunion that you’re counting down the days until? Planning a trip? A life change? A move? Or maybe it’s the simple pleasures – the release of a movie, something or someone hitting a stage near you.”

There are a few things I’m really excited about in 2015. And then I realized when they were all happening. So I’m going to say that I’m looking forward to July.

First, there’s something really awesome happening in July that I can’t tell you all about yet. Sorry. It’s not my secret to tell. But I’m very excited about it.

Second…TAYLOR. SWIFT. My sister and I are going to see Taylor Swift in Chicago on July 19. I can’t wait. And as if I wasn’t excited enough, I found out that our good friends — our dads have been best friends since high school, so these girls are two people we’ve grown up with — are also going to the same concert. Marleys and Belakoviches take on Chicago. See? I’m so excited I already named it. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22!” (Even though we’ll be 20, 21, 23 and 24…Skipping right over 22, ironically enough, but you get the point.)

Third, the college graduation present I’ve been promised is finally coming to fruition…I’m going to Vegas! I actually graduated in December 2012, so it’s only two-and-a-half years late. 😉  (Just kidding, mom.) It’s going to be well worth the wait, though. My sister is actually going also, since she’ll turn 21 in April, as an early college graduation present. Now fingers crossed she actually graduates!

Now, fingers crossed Team Starkid decides to do another show or concert or something in July 2015 like they did this year…. Then it would literally be the perfect month.

Soapbox time!

Think Kit, Day 8:

“Get on your soapbox. What issue, idea, or stance were you vocal about this year? Or did you let it internally build up? Was there an event, person, or time that triggered your strong reaction? Or was it a slow-burn? Why do you feel so strongly – is it personal? Emotional? Strictly reasonable?”

There are plenty of things I could rant about. I love complaining. And there are lots of issues that came up this year. But I’m going to stress this one a little bit more:

What makes you different makes you beautiful.

I’m a very, very quirky person. And I like things that many people consider childish. (Well, “for teenagers.”) Why do I love these things? I don’t know. Maybe because I had a sheltered childhood. Maybe because I just love the first love feeling that you get in the teenager shows and books.

Either way, I love them.

And I don’t see why that’s a problem. It’s not like I only watch shows or read books made for teenagers. I still have my healthy, more mature interests.

But then I just have weird quirks…like the fact that I’m watching The Addams Family Musical on YouTube right now…

I don’t want to completely repeat myself now, so if you want more on this soapbox, I wrote this blog post a few months ago.

I don’t know what to write about.

My friend is pushing me to continue my blog, to keep writing, because she says I can write. Normally, I push back when I’m pushed. But this is exactly what I need.

The trouble is, I don’t know what to write about.

I think the goal of continuing the blog is that once I continue the blog, maybe I’ll keep going. Maybe I’ll finally write the novel I’ve been saying my whole life I’ll write.

I’ve been writing since I was a child. Even in elementary school, we had young authors’ conferences in the city, and participation was option. I always participated.

One year, I wrote a story about a pet horse–or was it a pet unicorn?–that went missing then was found. Another year, I wrote about girls going into a haunted house and became trapped there forever.

Since high school, I’ve had the same idea for a novel. It’s begging to be written. But I still haven’t written it. And why not? I don’t know.

In college, our professor would bring in writers. One of them, I can’t remember which at the moment–and heck, it might have been my professor himself–said that they’d had a similar situation to where they finally had to write it. And it turned out to be complete crap. But finally, they’d written it, so they could turn away and move on.

Am I afraid that’s what will happen to me? That the story that’s played in my head for more than six years now–well, the gist, at least, because obviously through six years there’s been some development–will turn out to be complete crap? And all this time spend thinking about this story will have been a waste? Probably. But all I’m doing right now is delaying the inevitable. Eventually, this story will make its way out. And it may be crap, but I’ll never know until I do it.

Now, someone, make me do it.