Let The Storm Rage On

Bridesmaid Boxes

serrendipity — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 06:18:24 GMT

I honestly don't know how people planned things before Pinterest. Well, let me rephrase. I don't know how they planned things so creatively and so efficiently. I may have had one or two "good" ideas for my wedding vision, but through the power of Pinterest, I feel like it's just better overall.

So, one of the things I wanted to make sure I did was to ask my bridesmaids to be a part of the bridal party. (You might think that this was a given, but...some people tend to just assume and don't formally ask you. You only really know for sure when they tell you THIS is the bridesmaid dress; go figure out your size and order it by X date.) I impulsively asked my best friend to be my maid of honor when I told her about the engagement, but how to handle the others? It seemed odd to just ask someone over coffee -- plus, I'm incredibly shy and especially so in important situations, so I'd probably get really incoherent and start babbling.

So I turned to Pinterest. After some searching, I narrowed it down, using these two pins as inspiration: I wanted to create a box like this and also incorporate this card somehow.

1. Most of the raw materials came from Michaels. I bought Martha Stewart Satin Finish, Craft Smart Acrylic Paint in Fuschia & Navy, Martha Stewart Gesso Primer, Glue Dots, Pink Glitter Letters (with adhesive backs), and an assortment of paint brushes. I think I got a 20-pack for $3.99. (I wanted the boxes to look nice, but not to cost too much. And the 40% coupons Michaels offers helped A LOT.)

The box itself also came from Michaels. The original idea used a cigar box, but I wasn't too keen on that so I went with a more cube-like box for about $4. Just a matter of personal preference. The screwdriver was essential for taking off the hinges and the lock. (Thank you, fiance, for cluing me in to this!)

2. Prime the box -- about 2-3 coats. Obviously, the box wasn't of the highest quality, so it definitely needed to be primed first. I left only the bottom of the box (this will be covered later) as well as the sides unprimed. In hindsight, I would probably prime the entire box, but I wanted to try to use only one bottle.

3. Paint the box -- again, about 2-3 coats -- in colors of your choice. My wedding colors are fuschia pink and navy, so that's what I went with. The lid of the box is slightly recessed, so I painted the recessed part navy (on both sides) and everything else pink. Finish with the satin finish, if desired. (This comes in both paint and a spray, and I'm not sure which one would work better.)

4. Attach the letter, indicating the initial of the bridesmaid's first name. These are adhesive, but I used super-glue as well, just to make sure they were firmly attached. Also, you can now reattach the hinges and lock.

5. The Text. For the lid, I spelled out "I Can't Say I Do Without You!" in white scrapbooking stickers. It took me a long time to find the right sticker-letters. They were either the wrong color, too big, too small, too "Times New Roman." I wanted them to be white (for the contrast against the navy) and to also look fun and "swoopy." For the bottom, I adapted the Pinterest Card from above. I measured the bottom of the box and created a box in Microsoft word an inch smaller (on all four sides) so I could mat it on a piece of pink cardstock. Sizing the text to fit in the box with even edges was probably the hardest part. Then, I printed it off at Office Max on pearlescent paper -- I was really impressed with Office Max. Very helpful. About 7-8 glue dots on the bottom of the cardstock, and it stuck to the bottom of the box just fine.

6. Lastly, I filled the box with "goodies." I got paint chips from Home Depot in my wedding colors; Lindt chocolates -- again in wedding colors; I think those are Raspberry and Dark Chocolate truffles; more Pinterest inspiration (navy dresses with pink shoes and pink bouquets!) as well as sample dresses from Alfred Sung/Dessy; and details about the wedding.

And voila! I gave each bridesmaid a pink bag (from Hallmark) with navy tissue paper and the box inside. I think they all really liked the idea, too. And, more importantly, they all said yes! :D

100 Books in 365 Days

serrendipity — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:42:01 GMT

♥ Books Read in 2012 ♥

TOTAL BOOKS READ: 16
TOTAL PAGES READ: 6,201

*100 BOOKS IN 365 DAYS*. *is determined* One year, I *will* get it...

16 / 100 books. 16% done!

January 2012
01. *CLOCKWORK ANGEL* by Cassandra Clare ~ 476 pages

February 2012
02. *CLOCKWORK PRINCE* by Cassandra Clare ~ 498 pages
03. *TWICE UPON A TIME: WOMEN WRITERS AND THE HISTORY OF THE FAIRY TALE* by Elizabeth W. Harries ~ 209 pages
04. *BORN WICKED (THE CAHILL WITCH CHRONICLES #1)* by Jessica Spotswood ~ 330 pages
05. *NOMANSLAND* by Lesley Hauge ~ 272 pages

March 2012
06. *THE HUNGER GAMES* by Suzanne Collins ~ 374 pages

May 2012
07. *CITY OF BONES* by Cassandra Clare ~ 485 pages
08. *FLASH AND BONES* by Kathy Reichs ~ 271 pages
09. edited by Elizabeth & Lynda Haas ~ 253 pages
10. *CITY OF ASHES* by Cassandra Clare ~ 496 pages
11. *THE EMPEROR'S OLD GROOVE: DECOLONIZING DISNEY'S MAGIC KINGDOM* edited by Brenda Ayres ~ 200 pages

June 2012
12. *CITY OF GLASS* by Cassandra Clare ~ 576 pages
13. *CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS* by Cassandra Clare ~ 432 pages
14. *CITY OF LOST SOULS* by Cassandra Clare ~ 534 pages

July 2012
15. *THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ* by L. Frank Baum ~ 315 pages
16. *GRACELING* by Kristin Cashore ~ 480 pages

O hai, Manila

serrendipity — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:42:20 GMT

McDreamy and I are in the Philippines! It feels so weird to write that, and even weirder to believe it. We keep commenting that everything is so surreal...it actually reminds me a lot of Singapore. Kind of. The weather is the same (hot and ridiculously humid) as is the fact that blond-haired, blue-eyed Caucasians are in the minority and get stared at a lot. The people are generally nice and friendly though...but Singapore was much smaller and much wealthier. As we drive through some areas, I'm reminded of South Africa a lot - there are shanty towns and areas of extreme poverty.

Some of the highlights:
--We're staying in a five-star hotel. It's amazing, and not something I'm at all used to.
--Yesterday we took a tour through Intramuros, the old, walled city of Manila, with this amazing tour guide. I learned so much - and also that my perception of the Philippines was very narrow.
--Today we were allowed to tour the presidential palace complex - the bride's family is very wealthy and connected, and this tour is not something that most tourists get to see.
--I met McDreamy's friends and I like them. More importantly, they like me, I think!
--I have never had better mangoes than the ones I've eaten here.
--We got massages yesterday - professional ones at a spa. A. Ma. Zing.
--McDreamy. He's off learning a dance routine the bridal party has to perform at the wedding so I have some time to take advantage of the hotel's free wifi, which is the first time we've been apart since we left Raleigh Monday morning. And I haven't been cranky, haven't been snappish, haven't been irritated - he mellows and calms me in the most unbelievable way. We haven't fought or disagreed or argued about anything. He also won't let me pay for anything - which is a welcome change from having to pay for everything.

But the best part? We keep having these conversations before bed...our first night here, we went out right after arriving. We went to this bar with his friends, did some Jaegerbombs, played in a beer pong tournament, stayed out until 4 and topped off the evening with greasy Filipino food at a diner type place. McDreamy got a little drunker than me, but when we got back to our hotel room and were about to fall asleep, he got a little flustered. I can tell when he's thinking about things and has something on his mind, so when I asked him, it took a while but he eventually asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend. It sounds kind of silly, but it was the sweetest thing - I can't really describe how he explained it. I've thought of him as my boyfriend before, but it's one thing to think it, and another to say it, to put that label on, to define the relationship and agree on it. But the best part is that now, whenever we get silly (or cute!) and say things like, "well, it's a good thing you have a girlfriend!" - kind of like newlyweds will say things like, "would you like some X, Mrs. Smith?" and emphasize their new names - he gives me the giddy grin and tells me that his heart flutters and he gets butterflies. :)

And last night's before-sleep-conversation? He told me that he was falling in love with me. :)

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

serrendipity — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:33:06 GMT

I'm disappointed in humanity right now. Celebrating one's death, even your enemy's, is reprehensible. Acknowledge it, then move on. Death is a part of war; I understand. And to be perfectly frank, I really have no problem with that, as war is part of who we are as human beings. But celebrating a death is what a terrorist would do, and if we lower ourselves to that level, we're doomed to lose much more than any war.
--My friend Joe

This is the only place I feel comfortable discussing this. (And the irony that "this" refers to an internet blog doesn't escape me.) But I have so few active friends these days, and the ones who are active, I know and trust, so...Facebook, IMHO, is not an appropriate forum for this. Hence my not commenting on it.

And I'll be honest. I couldn't be bothered to turn off Game of Thrones last night (it was DVRed) to watch the news coverage. I have my priorities, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. That I prefer fictional worlds and fantasy (politics) to the real world and current events is nothing new. I can tell you everything about the primetime TV schedule and the worlds of Harry Potter and Twilight but don't ask me to comment on the current state of affairs.

That being said...I am glad he's dead. Or rather, I'm not sorry he's dead. I may be a Tarheel bred, but I'm a Yankee born. New York is my birthplace, my home, and I do still consider myself a Northerner.

He was an evil man, and I'm glad he can no longer hurt anyone else -- whether it's Americans or the woman he threw in front of himself and used as a shield before he was captured.

But to hear some people talk about it? It's...awful. Some people are taking the religious/spiritual side of it, and to each his own. And I like the sentiments above. No one should ever -- EVER -- revel in the death of another or find joy in it.

Satisfaction? Perhaps. Justice? Okay. But never joy. Or pride. And I'll refrain from commenting on the issues of fervid nationalistic pride which I find problematic. I'm not saying we shouldn't be grateful for or proud of the troops, just...this isn't "just another example of why America's the greatest." Maybe I get this more in the South, but still.

Best. Advice. EVAR. Available now, free of charge.

serrendipity — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 02:52:25 GMT

If ever you start to feel yourself getting a cold, immediately go to your nearest Vitamin Shoppe and purchase *BOIRON'S COLDCALM*. You will not regret it.

Normally, I am NOT a fan of any tablet/medication that has to dissolve in your mouth and that you can't swallow quickly and painlessly. (Cough syrup is the notable exception to this because of that horrid aftertaste.) But these? Are amazing. And completely homeopathic. Which, I know, the FDA and AMA are all frowny-face about, but my mother swears by her homeopathic remedies -- something which can be attributed to her German/European heritage, I think. I love going to pharmacies in Europe and even in South Africa because the herbal/homeopathic sections are always double the size of the "drugs." Exactly the opposite of the way it is here. *eyeroll*

Friday morning I woke up with a sore throat. Was initially convinced that it was allergies. Nope. Sore throat, nasal congestion, fatigue, the whole nine yards. (And if you know me, you know that I HATE nasal congestion more than anything.) Didn't start taking the Boiron until Sunday, and as of today, I am virtually symptom free. It's A-MAH-ZING.

epic fangirl moment

serrendipity — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:17:45 GMT

I only found this about an hour ago, and I think I've already watched it about 80 times. And that's not a hyperbolic exaggeration either. :)

Boy Biffle and I were actually just talking about (on Sunday) how there wasn't a trailer out yet and wondering when it would appear.

There are no words to describe how excited I am. I love that there's shots of the Ravenclaw Diadem & mini-Lily and mini-Petunia & Snape & deadFred & the dragon @ Gringotts & Snape & Narcissa & Lupin and Tonks before they die (on-screen apparently, which is a nice departure from the books -- and I don't say that often) and Mrs. Weasley in her epic duel with Bellatrix and did I mention SEVERUS SNAPE?!?!

Boy Biffle said he was going to try and come down to NC to watch with me -- I couldn't be happier. We've never actually seen a movie together, but after every single midnight showing, he always calls so we can dissect/rant/rave about the movie. :)

I am such a Harry Potter fangirl. I am determined that, in my Columbia apartment, I'm going to hang my Harry Potter posters on the hallway walls. My Xmas present to myself this year was the 7th movie poster that looks like my icon -- it complements my poster from the 1st film. That one I ordered from the UK because I wanted it to say "Philosopher's Stone" instead of "Sorcerer's Stone" and is the one where you get almost the exact same shot of Hogwarts with the first-years crossing the lake in the boats.

Also: *THIS. Just THIS.*

The Things I Overhear

serrendipity — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:20:30 GMT

Went to Starbucks yesterday to do some grading. Now, when I work, I take the table by the window, spread out my things, put in my earbuds, and toil away. When I grade, there's cookies and no music involved -- and a lot more people-watching & eavesdropping goes on.

Yesterday, these two Southern moms sat next to me and had the most god-awful conversation. I couldn't stop listening -- it was like a train-wreck. They were CLEARLY "desperate housewives" -- private school moms who had nothing to do on a weekday afternoon in the hour before school let out than sit and gossip. (They actually admitted this; it's not just color commentary on my part. They were talking about how overly invested in their kids' lives they were -- failing to mention how WILDLY unhealthy that is and everything.)

ANYWAY. They start "discussing" the new principal of their kids' private school -- and how, horror of all horrors, the principal is from "THE NORTH." (They might as well have said that the principal was FROM HELL or SERVED TIME IN PRISON or SOLD CRACK COCAINE TO TODDLERS AND KILLS KITTENS AND PUPPIES in his spare time.) They then went on to say that this new principal was just not elegant or classy enough to be the principal of a fine, Southern establishment like the private school. After all, Cary/Raleigh is not Charlotte -- it's not filled with Yankees. Now, if the principal had been from the Midwest, that would have been fine. But the North? No. It's too awful to contemplate. The principal came to the school at a time when a take-charge attitude was needed and the principal fixed whatever needed to be fixed but now? Time to go. They needed a classy, tasteful Southerner to step in and not ruin the school with coarse and unrefined Northern ways. My favorite part? Was when the Southern moms started insisting that good manners and breeding were dying out EVERYWHERE else in the world and that their elegance is what makes Southerners the "cream of the crop of the WORLD." Yes, of the world.

Now. I do NOT have a problem with Southerners as a general rule. But this attitude? Annoys the hell out of me. Just because you are Southern does NOT mean you are better than me -- or classier, or more elegant. That's regionalist. Also, it rather annoyed me that this principal seems to have done what nobody else had the chutzpah to do and that the school just used him/her -- they got what they wanted and now they're trying to kick him/her out. Which seems the exact opposite of "refined" if you ask me...

I know that the fine people of Jersey Shore are not the best example of Yankee breeding, but really, that's MTV's point. And the Real Housewives of Atlanta aren't much better.

Also? Pretty sure that Cary has a nickname acronym of "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees" so to say that the area isn't densely populated with them is just ridiculous.

Grrr. Arrrgh. I wanted to say something to them -- very sweetly Southern passive-aggressive -- but figured that would just prove their point.

Oscar Rambles.

serrendipity — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:55:13 GMT

Well, kudos to you ABC. I think you definitely made the Oscars more "hip" and enjoyable than they have been in years past.

--Anne Hathaway -- is there nothing that girl can't do? She is so genuine and infectious. Every time she laughed, you really couldn't help but laugh with her. When she belted out "On My Own" and when she swished her fringey dress -- two of my favorite moments.

--James Franco. What the hell did you take before the show? Yes, you deadpan really well, but where was your ethusiasm? Meh.

--Loved the opening -- o hai, Morgan Freeman! -- and the "music videos," especially for HP and Twilight.

--Kirk Douglas. So adorable. That is all.

--Loved Eli Wallach being honored: it totally made me think of The Holiday and it being a presentiment of things to come.

--Chris Nolan was robbed. ROBBED. As much as I loved The King's Speech there is no way that script should have beaten out the mind-blowing awesomeness that was Inception.

--Am very glad that Colin Firth did win, and am also very disappointed that we did not get to see the result of his "stirrings" on stage. Love him. So much.

--Natalie, Natalie, Natalie. You deserved to win so much, and I loved that you thanked all the little, unacknowledged people of your film.

--Got 15/24 awards right. Not my best, but not my worst. Also, so glad The King's Speech won Best Picture. Really could not handle The Social Network winning. As it is, I think Mark Zuckerberg paid some people off.

--In terms of fashion...not really sure what a lot of people were thinking. Helen Mirren, as always, was stunning, as was every single one of Anne Hathaway's dresses. (Except for that indigo one...I'd have to see the fabric to make a final judgment; it looked plastic-y, but it could have just been the shine. Still, the color was gorgeous.) Did NOT like Jennifer Hudson's dress (very unflattering for her chest area), Nicole Kidman's dress (very unflattering for her waist-hip area), or ScarJo's dress (again, very unflattering for her chest AND waist-hip area; not really meant for a girl with curves I think...). Also, Gwyneth's red-carpet dress was just weird. I did really like little Hailee Steinfeld's dress -- so elegant, yet so age-appropriate. Very princessy. :D

Oh god. I have to get up in 5.5 hours. *facepalm*

WTF, El-Jay?!

serrendipity — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:52:35 GMT

Why has the color scheme of my LJ suddenly gone all wonky? It's now...bland. All the pretty colors are AWOL and there's no contrast or definition.

And like I remember the HTML codes for the colors I used.

BOLLOCKS.

EDIT: Is fixed now. *phew* So much better. Perhaps I should make note of the colors though, in case this happens again.

100 Books in 365 Days

serrendipity — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 06:09:49 GMT

♥ Books Read in 2011 ♥

TOTAL BOOKS READ: 46
TOTAL PAGES READ: 15,971

*100 BOOKS IN 365 DAYS*. *is determined* One year, I *will* get it...

46 / 100 books. 46% done!

January 2011
01. *VAMPIRE ACADEMY* by Richelle Mead ~ 332 pages
02. *FROSTBITE - VAMPIRE ACADEMY #2* by Richelle Mead ~ 327 pages
03. *SHADOW KISS - VAMPIRE ACADEMY #3* by Richelle Mead ~ 443 pages
04. *THE WATER WARS* by Cameron Stracher ~ 240 pages

February 2011
05. *ACROSS THE UNIVERSE* by Beth Revis ~ 398 pages
06. *BLOOD PROMISE - VAMPIRE ACADEMY #4* by Richelle Mead ~ 503 pages

March 2011
07. *SPIRIT BOUND - VAMPIRE ACADEMY #5* by Richelle Mead ~ 489 pages

April 2011
08. *THE LAST SACRIFICE - VAMPIRE ACADEMY #6* by Richelle Mead ~ 594 pages
09. *DELIRIUM* by Lauren Oliver ~ 441 pages

May 2011
10. *BEFORE I FALL* by Lauren Oliver ~ 470 pages
11. *DANIEL DERONDA* by George Eliot ~ 710 pages
12. *ZOFLOYA: OR, THE MOOR -- VOLUME 1* by Charlotte Dacre ~ 283 pages
13. *ZOFLOYA: OR, THE MOOR -- VOLUME 2* by Charlotte Dacre ~ 283 pages
14. *ZOFLOYA: OR, THE MOOR -- VOLUME 3* by Charlotte Dacre ~ 236 pages
15. *THE RED PYRAMID* by Rick Riordan ~ 516 pages
16. *206 BONES* by Kathy Reichs ~ 303 pages

June 2011
17. *FRANKENSTEIN; OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS* by Mary Shelley ~ 244 pages
18. *THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE* by Robert Louis Stevenson ~ 75 pages
19. *THE LIBERTINE -- VOLUME I* by Charlotte Dacre ~ 268 pages
20. *THE THRONE OF FIRE* by Rick Riordan ~ 447 pages
21. *THE LIBERTINE -- VOLUME II* by Charlotte Dacre ~ 260 pages

July 2011
22. *THE LIBERTINE -- VOLUME III* by Charlotte Dacre ~ 245 pages
23. *THE LIBERTINE -- VOLUME IV* by Charlotte Dacre ~ 224 pages
24. *BUMPED* by Megan McCafferty ~ 323 pages
25. *PERSUASION* by Jane Austen ~ 236 pages

August 2011
26. *AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES* by John Green ~ 272 pages
27. *DAVID COPPERFIELD* by Charles Dickens ~ 974 pages
28. *A NEW ENGLAND GIRLHOOD* by Lucy Larcom ~ 130 pages
29. *OUR NIG: OR, SKETCHES FROM THE LIFE OF A FREE BLACK* by Harriet E. Wilson ~ 90 pages

September 2011
30. *VANITY FAIR* by William Makepeace Thackeray ~ 688 pages
31. *LITTLE WOMEN* by Louisa May Alcott ~ 665 pages
32. *WHAT KATY DID* by Susan Coolidge ~ 211 pages
33. *DAISY MILLER* by Henry James ~ 75 pages

October & November 2011
34. *DADDY LONG LEGS* by Jean Webster ~ 208 pages
35. *HOW YOUNG LADIES BECAME GIRLS* by Jane Hunter ~ 406 pages
36. *BRONX PRIMITIVE* by Kate Simon ~ 192 pages
37. *WARRIORS DON'T CRY* by Melba Pattillo Beals ~ 240 pages
38. *FREEDOM'S CHILDREN* by Ellen Levine ~ 192 pages
39. *NANCY DREW & THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK (1930)* by Carolyn Keene ~ 210 pages
40. *NANCY DREW & THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK (1959)* by Carolyn Keene ~ 192 pages
41. *ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET* by Judy Blume ~ 160 pages
42. THE BODY PROJECT: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF AMERICAN GIRLS* by Joan Jacobs Brumberg ~ 336 pages
43. *MAKE LEMONADE* by Virginia Euwer Wolff ~ 208 pages
44. *HUCK'S RAFT: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN CHILDHOOD* by Steven Mintz ~ 464 pages
45. *THE WOMAN IN WHITE* by Wilkie Collins ~ 672 pages
46. *DIVERGENT* by Veronica Roth ~ 496 pages
47. *WAIT FOR ME* by An Na ~ 171 pages

To tweet, or not to tweet?

serrendipity — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 02:11:31 GMT

So...I like to think that, technologically-speaking, I'm pretty "with it." I've got my "blog," my Facebook account, my Flickr account; I shop on Ebay & Amazon & Etsy; I have an e-Reader in my iPad; I'm a Powerpoint ACE and I'm mastering Prezi. And the only reason I don't have a SmartPhone is because I am desperately holding on the hope that Verizon & Apple will become Biffles and release an iPhone sometime soon. Because I love Verizon and am never leaving it, despite my completely inexplicable desire for an iPhone. (My mother is continually amazed at my desire for, and mastery of, The Latest Gadget. Although, she does concede that the iPad makes traveling wonderful.)

The one thing I've not fully gotten behind is Twitter. Not sure why. Maybe because I'm wary of pop-culture phenom things that blow up overnight -- it took me 4 years to even acknowledge Harry Potter existed. (Yeah. Look how THAT ended.)

But now...I'm thinking about it. Facebook's popularity is slowly dwindling, I've noticed. My friends don't update nearly as much as they used to and I actually cut back on my FB updates because I don't want to be THAT kid. But Twitter (as I'm sure it was designed to be) would be an excellent platform for that.

Do any of you Twitter? Do you like it? Would you recommend it?

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part I

serrendipity — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 04:55:55 GMT

Wow. I haven't written a fangirl post -- on anything -- in such a long time. It takes me waaaay back. :) But, for some reason, to write one on Harry Potter just feels right. Which I know sounds incredibly cheesy, but for me, Harry Potter was my gateway fandom drug. My first LJ post was 09/01/2003, and I picked up a Harry Potter book for the first time almost two years before that. (I vividly remember it, because it was at my aunt's house over Thanksgiving in 2001. My parents were insisting we drive into Manhattan from Long Island to see Ground Zero, and I didn't want to go and needed a book to absorb my attention. I think I was 3/4 of the way through Philosopher's Stone after the trip and then spent the rest of the afternoon voraciously finishing it.)

But. I did go see the movie last night, and I did re-read the book before seeing it. Which...still not sure whether I like going in blind (I didn't re-read HBP before the movie since I was at Hollins and overwhelmed with school) or being the nitpicky fan girl. I think it's the latter. :)

I have to say three things straight off:
(1) I thought it was a good adaptation. No adaptation is EVER going to be perfect, and for the most part, David Yates & Steve Kloves did an excellent job.
(2) Watching DH Part I is like watching the first half of Gone With the Wind. It can't be done. Or at least it shouldn't. Both parts need the second half -- particularly, I think, because they were adapted from books. You can have two-part movies (Kill Bill, I think?) that can stand alone, but the first part of an adaptation will usually need it's second half. Especially in the case of DH, when so much of the first half is a set-up for the 2nd half.
(3) A lot of the reviews I've read have attached the movie -- or at least found fault with it -- for not filling in enough gaps - for making it extremely difficult for casual moviegoers to come in, sit down, and understand what's going on. (i.e., what a Horcrux is wasn't explained, and neither was the Taboo on Voldemort's name.) Now, as a dedicated, avid fan, you can quibble over those things. But at the same time -- and I realized this as I was explaining it to my dad whose HP knowledge is 0.00001% -- DH is a film that made $24mil at a midnight showing. Not opening weekend, not even opening day. The whole ad campaign of DH being "the movie event of a generation" is true. There are very few people in those theaters who have NOT read the books, or at least seen all the movies. And the greatest thing about DH -- how almost everything and everyone from the previous 6 books comes back and has a meaning (the Room of Requirement, the Snitch, Bathilda Bagshot, Snape) - can't be translated into film. Just as you have to take the 7 books collectively, you almost have to take the 7 films collectively.

Okay. :) The film itself.

--I have to say: Emma Watson & RupertG carried the film for me. I have never been a HUGE DanRad fan, and I think it's more of a DanRad-as-Harry fan. There's something about the way he plays Harry that tweaks me just a little, because I thought he was phenom in Equus.
--Very disappointed that there was no Dursley Redemption scene. Am hoping that it just got cut, because really, Fiona Shaw and Richard Griffiths are veteran British actors, and I can't imagine that Fiona Shaw's only job for this film was to sit in the car with pursed lips.
--Very disappointed that they cut Remus/Tonks's storyline -- and yes, I know they alluded to Tonks's pregnancy, but that doesn't count. Lupin never shows up at Grimmauld Place, and Harry never yells at him for being a deadbeat. Although, as I'm not the greatest Lupin/Tonks fan, I can live with that.
--I did like the way they handled Hedwig's death. Surprisingly. I've always felt that killing Hedwig was needless act on JKR's part, especially since she was in the cage in the motorcar in the book, but having Hedwig flying free and essentially dying to save Harry at least made her death meaningful. And it saved Stan Shunpike from being Imperiused, I think, since I think we were meant to assume that Harry's grief at Hedwig's death is what betrayed him. I'm assuming. Not the easiest of shots to read.
--Fred and George need their own spin-off. That is all. Mad-Eye can come too.
--Saddened about the abbreviated Grimmauld Place time, especially about the redemption of Kreacher. And Harry discovering his mother's letter.
--Runcorn? Creepy. Didn't get what was going on there. And not in like an evil-creepy way. More like a, what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-his-walk way.
--Also creepy? Bathilda Bagshot. Nicely done, though, I thought. And also that they didn't focus too closely on the whole Nagini-coming-out-of-her thing. (Am also assuming that they encountered Bathilda in the Potter's house, otherwise the baby boy's nursery makes no sense.)
--Upset that Xeno's story was cut short somewhat (i.e. the Erumpet Horn and his grief over losing Luna) -- but loved -- LOVED -- the animated tale of The Three Brothers. I thought that was amazing and unexpected and that Emma Watson actually reading it was brilliant.

**Things that upset me the most:
(1) The Harry/Hermione dance scene. Even though I knew it was coming, I still hated it. When I read about it, I thought it was going to happen at the wedding, and that it would be used as a pretense for Ron's jealousy. That made sense to me, especially since I have never shipped H/Hr, and have no idea where those shippers get their ideas from, because there's certainly nothing in the books. I kind of get where Kloves/Yates were going -- the whole one friend tries to cheer the other up thing -- but...just no. It was awkward and awful and needed to be cut.
(2) WHY DID PETER PETTIGREW NOT DIE?!? We kept all the other deaths -- Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Dobby -- but the one person who DESERVES to die for his cowardice and betrayal gets to live? No. NOT OKAY. By any means.

**What I loved the most: ALAN RICKMAN. Even though he was on screen for all of two seconds, he OWNED it. When he walks into Malfoy Manor, cloak billowing, and see Charity Burbage revolving in the air above -- amazing acting. There's such an excellent mixture of sympathy, horror, confusion, helplessness there, and all of it hidden under a desperate mask of disdain and approval that just blew me away. Cannot wait for him in Part II.

Kids' Books Are All Right

serrendipity — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 04:41:32 GMT

“A lot of adult literature is all art and no heart,” Foreman, who is currently working on a book about British involvement in the American Civil War, said. “But good Y.A. is like good television. There’s a freshness there; it’s engaging. Y.A. authors aren’t writing about middle-aged anomie or disappointed people.”

I came across *THIS ARTICLE* today.

I love it, I agree with it, but it also kinda irks me. I suppose the issue lies with the idea that reading "Kids Books" needs to be justified or validated. As in, if the NY Times says its okay, then its okay. (Which...sidebar: most of the books they discuss are YA, so the title is a little misleading. Although they do mention Oz, which is for younger readers.)

Overall, I guess its a good thing. If people start to view reading MG/YA books as something positive, maybe it will help the attitude toward scholarship. Because, let's face it, there's a hierarchy within literary criticism. Those who study canonical literature (Shakespeare & Dickens & Hemingway), those who study lesser literature (e.g., Children's Literature, world literatures) and those who study...well, comic books. And anime/manga. And fanfiction. I'm not studying that those latter categories can't yield good scholarship -- they can, and do -- it's just that it's usually very rare and buried within a lot of crap. And I love studying Shakespeare and Dickens and, okay, not so much with the Hemingway, but it is VERY difficult to find anything new to write about Shakespeare that hasn't already been written. Which is the great thing about my field -- its new and developing and will pretty much always be around.

Also, I realized I have no "Children's Literature" icon. This is the best I could do. Hmm. A problem which needs to be remedied.

Real Quick

serrendipity — Sun, 16 May 2010 04:30:37 GMT

Quick post while the iPad updates with some movies -- Seasons 1 & 2 of Merlin, and Valentine's Day, UP, and A Single Man. The latter of which is probably not the best plane movie, but just in case.

I did end up going to graduation today, and I did enjoy myself. Both my brother and my best friend showed up, the horrible girl I was dreading sitting next to was actually disturbingly nice to me, and I got to introduce my mom to two of my favorite professors.

Plus, I looked amazing in my Master's hood, and felt so proud to have earned my Master's degree!!! :)

The day was crazy hectic though -- I'm probably going to the airport on about 2 hours of sleep! -- and it ended with a stop at my ex-neighbor's daughter's wedding reception. The dad of the family started his own business -- something to do with getting jobs for military vets -- and it was a touch-and-go financially for awhile. But then they sold the business, and are literally multi-millionaires. As in, this family had to build a house because the taxes on their income would have been ridic. I can't even begin to describe the house -- its more like a mini-palace. The children -- who have all graduated college; so they don't really live at home -- don't have bedrooms -- they have suites. So the reception was at their house, and they had VALET PARKING and people who magically opened the doors as you approached. I felt like I was at a swanky Hollywood cocktail party.

But tomorrow: my first official act as a Master of English -- GOING TO SINGAPORE. Family Vacay, hurray!! (If we don't kill each other first.)

fangirl squee

serrendipity — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:16:23 GMT

*AUSIELLO'S NEW GLEE SPOILERS*

I don't even care if this sounds ridiculous -- but sometimes, Glee is the highlight of my week. It never fails to make me smile.

So, the idea of Matt Morrison (+) Neil Patrick Harris (+) Singing a Billy Joel song (+) in a Joss-Whedon directed episode = a very happy fangirl. :D

Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland

serrendipity — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:32:49 GMT

Just got back from seeing Burton's Alice in 3D @ IMAX.

Have realized that am not a big 3D fan---gives one a bit of a headache, I find.

Also realized that need more Alice icons-ASAP. Both Disney versions.

I tried not to come at it as a scholar, but I think that's almost impossible. And I loved the parallels I could draw and the jokes I could find (like Alice's father being named Charles Kingsley - author of The Water Babies, who, I think, urged Carroll to publish AiW. I don't know if there's any other connection.)

I loved that Burton didn't aim to just "retell" Alice. He made it new--he viewed it as a kind of sequel -- what Alice did next, in a way. Apparently, I like adaptations in which grown-up Alice returns to Wonderland. It plays really nicely with ideas of "what-is-dream-what-is-reality" and besides, Wonderland is an adult world. Its populated by adults, deals with adult concepts, and is created by an adult. No wonder 7 year old Alice can't make sense of it, or even gain something useful from her time there. She grows -- literally grows and shrinks -- and changes (from demure & quiet to aggressive & violent) but she doesn't "Grow" metaphorically. After she returns from Wonderland, she skips off to tea. But when grown-up Alice's return to Wonderland -- eventually realizing that its not a dream world, but a valid, other world -- they're able to utilize it much more and actually grow.

Yes, the feminist slant really hits you over the head. Pre-Wonderland-Return, Alice refuses to wear corsets and stockings and she dreams -- uses her imagination in a way that her mother (and the rest of Victorian society) just doesn't. Post-Wonderland--she doesn't get engaged, threatens her brother-in-law, tells off her would-have-been-future-mother-in-law, and then goes off to be a business woman. Which is a bit of a stretch for a Victorian woman, but I like that its not a typical Victorian marriage-plot-ending. I like that she retains the individualism and spirit and confidence she gains in Wonderland and runs with it.

I do have some issues with "crazy" Aunt Imogen though...I can't decide what to make of her. On the one hand, she is an accurate portrayal of Victorian spinsters. But on the other hand, I was sure that Imogen had gone to Wonderland herself there, fallen in love, and had ended up back in the real world, and was waiting for her Wonderland prince to rescue her. So when Alice tells Imogen to basically quit dreaming and live -- I was a little put off. But then I realized that that was the choice Alice made. 1, she realized that Wonderland wasn't a dream and was a real world (worlds which can overlap) and 2, Alice is living her life. Her journey through Wonderland was never about falling love (Hatter/Alice shippers, beware!) --it was about a journey to find herself. And I like that journey. Maybe Alice is telling Imogen to go find Wonderland herself.

100 Books in 365 Days

serrendipity — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:07:48 GMT

♥ Books Read in 2010 ♥

TOTAL BOOKS READ: 68
TOTAL PAGES READ: 21,174

*100 BOOKS IN 365 DAYS*. *is determined* Because it looks like 100 in 2009 isn't going to happen. *sigh* One year, I *will* get it.

68 / 100 books. 68% done!

January 2010
01. *CITY OF ASHES* by Cassandra Clare ~ 453 pages
02. *CITY OF GLASS* by Cassandra Clare ~ 541 pages

February 2010
03. *GOOD OMENS* by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett ~ 370 pages
04. *PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTENING THIEF* by Rick Riordan ~ 375 pages
05. *PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE SEA OF MONSTERS* by Rick Riordan ~ 280 pages
06. *PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE TITAN'S CURSE* by Rick Riordan ~ 312 pages

March 2010
07. *THE SCARLET LETTER* by Nathaniel Hawthorne ~ 166 pages
08. *NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE'S TALES* by Nathaniel Hawthorne ~ 200 pages
09. *EMERSON'S POETRY & PROSE* by Ralph Waldo Emerson ~ 150 pages
10. *PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH* by Rick Riordan ~ 361 pages
11. *THE BYRONIC HERO IN FILM, FICTION, AND TELEVISION* by Atara Stein ~ 245 pages
12. *PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LAST OLYMPIAN* by Rick Riordan ~ 381 pages
13. *DISNEY'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND* by T. T. Sutherland ~ 236 pages
14. *THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY* by Trenton Lee Stewart ~ 486 pages

April 2010
15. *MOBY DICK* by Herman Melville ~ 427 pages
16. *THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PERILOUS JOURNEY* by Trenton Lee Stewart ~ 440 pages
17. *THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PRISONER'S DILEMMA* by Trenton Lee Stewart ~ 391 pages
18. *DEAD UNTIL DARK* by Charlaine Harris ~ 309 pages

May 2010
19. *LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS* by Charlaine Harris ~ 291 pages
20. *TREASURE ISLAND* by Robert Louis Stevenson ~ 237 pages
21. *WALDEN, CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, & OTHER WRITINGS* by Henry David Thoreau ~ 250 pages
22. *CLUB DEAD* by Charlaine Harris ~ 292 pages

June 2010
23. *THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER* by Mark Twain ~ 190 pages
24. *THE RED PYRAMID (KANE CHRONICLES #1)* by Rick Riordan ~ 516 pages
25. *PINOCCHIO* by Carlo Collodi ~ 192 pages

July 2010
26. *THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS* by Kenneth Grahame ~ 259 pages
27. *SPUD* by John van de Ruit ~ 352 pages
28. *THE SECRET OF THE OLD MILL* by Franklin W. Dixon ~ 192 pages
29. *ECLIPSE* by Stephenie Meyer ~ 629 pages
30. *OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! FAIRY TALES & THE CULTURE OF CHILDHOOD* by Maria Tatar ~ 295 pages
31. *THE MABINOGION* by Gwyn Jones & Thomas Jones ~ 272 pages
32. *THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, 1963* by Christopher Paul Curtis ~ 210 pages
33. *THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER: AN ECLIPSE NOVEL* by Stephenie Meyer ~ 192 pages
34. *THE BOOK OF THREE* by Lloyd Alexander ~ 186 pages
35. *THE BLACK CAULDRON* by Lloyd Alexander ~ 178 pages
36. *THE CASTLE OF LLYR* by Lloyd Alexander ~ 170 pages
37. *TARAN WANDERER* by Lloyd Alexander ~ 218 pages
38. *THE HIGH KING* by Lloyd Alexander ~ 248 pages
39. *FAIRY TALES: A NEW HISTORY* by Ruth Bottigheimer ~ 115 pages
40. *THE BOOK OF THE THREE DRAGONS* by Kenneth Morris ~ 200 pages
41. *WHY FAIRY TALES STICK* by Jack Zipes ~ 332 pages

August 2010
42. *THE BFG* by Roald Dahl ~ 208 pages
43. *HATCHET* by Gary Paulsen ~ 189 pages
44. *THE TOUCHSTONE* by Andrew Norriss ~ 171 pages
45. *THE GRAVEYARD BOOK* by Neil Gaiman ~ 312 pages
46. *THE SNOW SPIDER* by Jenny Nimmo ~ 128 pages
47. *CLOCKWORK ANGEL* by Cassandra Clare ~ 476 pages
48. *DEAD TO THE WORLD* by Charlaine Harris ~ 291 pages
49. *EMLYN'S MOON* by Jenny Nimmo ~ 152 pages
50. *THE CHESTNUT SOLDIER* by Jenny Nimmo ~ 203 pages
51. *DEVIL BONES* by Kathy Reichs ~ 303 pages
52. *CORALINE* by Neil Gaiman ~ 162 pages
53. *SHIVER* by Maggie Stiefvater ~ 390 pages
54.*WELSH CELTIC MYTH IN MODERN FANTASY* by Chip Sullivan ~ 202 pages
55. *LINGER* by Maggie Stiefvater ~ 360 pages

September 2010
56. *THE HUNGER GAMES* by Suzanne Collins ~ 374 pages

October 2010
57. *THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (MILLENIUM #1) by Stieg Larsson ~ 590 pages
58. *CATCHING FIRE* by Suzanne Collins ~ 391 pages
59. *MOCKINGJAY* by Suzanne Collins ~ 390 pages

November 2010
60. *THE LOST HERO* by Rick Riordan ~ 553 pages
61. *THE RADLEYS* by Matt Haig ~ 343 pages
62. *JANE* by April Lindner ~ 365 pages
63. *FALLEN* by Lauren Kate ~ 452 pages

December 2010
64. *TORMENT* by Lauren Kate ~ 452 pages
65. *MATCHED* by Ally Condie ~ 366 pages
66. *RECKLESS* by Cornelia Funke ~ 394 pages
67. *HUSH, HUSH* by Becca Fitzpatrick ~ 391 pages
68. *CRESCENDO* by Becca Fitzpatrick ~ 427 pages

FALL! ♥

serrendipity — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:43:10 GMT

Pumpkin Spice is back at Starbucks -- both lattes and frappucinos. Could my life get any more complete?

Let's not answer that...

...I'm particularly plagued at the moment by this web-post I want to make for my British Romanticism class. Grrr. I have these related ideas swirling in my head regrading Mary Wollstonecraft & her "A Vindication of the Rights of Women", Stephenie Meyer & her Twilight series, gender roles and (anti-)feminism. But I can't connect them properly and articulate what I want to say.

GRR. ARGH.

fangirl squee

serrendipity — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:47:15 GMT

WHY did I not know about *THIS?!?!?* Wicked to become a movie?

*dances*

Supa, supa-exciting news. Who cares that its at least 2 years away. Who cares that there is an incredibly small likelihood of Idina and teh Cheno being cast as Elphie & G(a)linda. (Although, really, this isn't like Mamma Mia or Chicago where the OBC couldn't reprise their roles...and Idina & teh Cheno's popularity is on the rise...*crosses fingers*)

I suppose only time will tell.

EDIT: Ugh. People on fandom boards annoy me. Why do I read them? People are pushing for Anne Hathaway as Elphie and Kristen Bell as Glinda. Which...no. I mean, I love me some Kristen Bell, but as Glinda? No.

ABBA Makes Me Happy

serrendipity — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:04:12 GMT

"I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you can see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail

I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness, still another mile

I have a dream, a song to sing..."

ABBA makes me happy. And smile. Which is rare.

In other news, I think Michael Phelps is endeavoring to take over the world: the kid's on Entourage, as well as the season premieres of Oprah and SNL, he's hanging out with Kobe and Tiger, and Linsday Lohan is apparently desperate to get a date with him.

...

Oh, Michael. Enjoy your celebrity -- I'll take Aaron Peirsol plzthnx.

serrendipity — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:10:14 GMT

~Dear Swimming-&-Michael-Phelps Bandwagon Fans,

Please to stop thinking that because you follow swimming for one week out of every 4 years -- if you've ever followed it at all before -- that you know everything there is to know about my sport and/or Michael Phelps.

Yes, he is amazing. Yes, he just won 8 gold medals and set 7 World Records at ONE Olympics. Yes, he surpassed every other athlete in achievement -- including Mark Spitz. Yes, he changed the face of Sport.

But guess what? I knew he was going to do this long before you did. I was there, at the Naval Academy Aquatic Center, when he won the 200 Fly and kicked the ass of the best butterflyer I knew. I was there, at the Charlotte Latin pool, when he swept his events and shattered meet records. I was there, snapping the pictures of my fangirly friends posing with him. I've talked to him and he's held the door open for me.

So please to tone down the bandwagon superiority. Because in about a week, or a month, you'll forget him. But swimmers will keep on swimming under the radar until the next Michael Phelps comes along.

Thanks.
L

I mean, TONY BLAIR was there. KOBE BRYANT was there. To watch Michael Phelps make history. A swimmer. Not a basketball player or a football player or a soccer player. A swimmer. Because real athletes don't win Superbowls or NBA championships. They win gold medals.

Apparently all of Australia shut down to watch Grant Hackett attempt to win the gold in the 1500m Free. Now THAT is a country which has its sport priorities straight.

Yay Me. :)

serrendipity — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:20:18 GMT

While I haven't gotten my final paper back for my History & Criticism today, I did receive a little bit of academic validation. (Which is always a nice thing and never tiresome.)

Chip (the prof.) was talking about how most of us would be pleased with our papers and that when commenting on them, he made suggestions about the content and how to maybe make it better and what to do with it in the future.

My paper was on Twilight, and kinda springboarded off a paper by a girl in the class who basically said the novel was nothing more than a harlequin romance novel. Which, romance, yes; harlequin, no; so I defended it and said that the vampires were there for a reason and validated the love Bella and Edward have for each other by putting an obstacle in their way -- making their love an epic literary love.

ANYWAY. For an example of his comments, Chip suggested that Brittany and I submit our papers jointly to the *IAFA* conference, so we could do a panel on Stephenie Meyer together. Which...do you know how awesome that would be? To go to Orlando for a weekend in March and get academic accreditation for it?

It makes the entire 6 weeks worth it. :)

serrendipity — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:19:05 GMT

There's not much I'm going to miss about Hollins & Roanoke. Aside from my roomies, Hollywood's, and the fantastic Barnes & Noble.

And the thunderstorms. I will definitely miss the thunderstorms. The way the clouds roll in over the mountains, and all the cloud-to-ground lightning....

...I love thunderstorms waaaay too much.

Groan

serrendipity — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:40:51 GMT

Am dying. Or, at the very least, am apparently being mummified. Because my insides feel like they are being liquefied.

Lovely, I know.

But 'tis true. Roanoke has NOT been good for my eating habits. Red meat -- and protein in general -- has been sorely lacking. When they said that there was a kitchen in the apartment, they did not indicated how poorly it would be stocked nor that it wouldn't have a microwave or a toaster. Really the toaster I can live without, but the microwave? *sigh*

And today, was restless all day. As in, could not sit still and kept fidgeting. Why? Because of stupid peer-editing in front of the entire class. Where the goal is highlight the flaws of your paper in front of everyone. UGH. Am (99%) sure that negative comments are meant constructively, but still. No one likes to have their flaws paraded.

And after class? Restlessness gone. Also hit by wall of fatigue, but still.

Also, innards are being wreaked havoc upon. Not. Fun. Suspect it has something to do with herbal remedy that it is supposed to help detox the system. A.k.a. clean out all the icky stuff that's accumulated in my system. Also suspect that at one point today, when I was doubled over in pain, pain was really hunger as there was probably literally nothing in my intestines.

That's what it felt like at least. Bleargh.

You Can't Make This S**T Up.

serrendipity — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:36:54 GMT

So.....today. I have my phone on vibrate, no? As it is the morning and I am not too fond of being woken up by stupid useless calls, but am now quite used to my morning text from Roo. Its a nice way to have my sleep interrupted.

But I digress. Wake up, its around noon. I am sleep-deprived, so, clearly this is okay.

Phone is still on vibrate, go to take a shower. Take shower. Come back -- go to check phone for any messages/missed calls.

Phone is not on dresser, where it was left. Where is phone? Ahhhh.

Phone has vibrated off dresser, and plummeted into glass of water on floor. Glass of water which was put on floor so that in middle of night, did not knock it over onto phone.

You really can't make this up. So now, phone is quite dead. Sort of. Phone can receive calls, but not dial calls. So, as phone, is quite useless. As are people who work at Verizon Wireless Stores in VA. Most unhelpful.

Also, am currently plagued by Headache of Doom. Want nothing more than to be in London with Roo. Nothing more. Why is my departure date so far away, and my time there so short. :(

Let The Storm Rage On

Bridesmaid Boxes

*100 Books in 365 Days*

O hai, Manila

Best. Advice. EVAR. Available now, free of charge.

*epic fangirl moment*

The Things I Overhear

Oscar Rambles.

WTF, El-Jay?!

*100 Books in 365 Days*

To tweet, or not to tweet?

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part I

Kids' Books Are All Right

Real Quick

*fangirl squee*

Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland

*100 Books in 365 Days*

FALL! ♥

*fangirl squee*

ABBA Makes Me Happy

Yay Me. :)

*Groan*

You Can't Make This S**T Up.

100 Books in 365 Days

epic fangirl moment

100 Books in 365 Days

fangirl squee

100 Books in 365 Days

fangirl squee

Groan