BEDA Blog #30 - The End

The end is near...in about 55 minutes exactly. This has been a lot of fun. I definitely will keep blogging and I think frequenting this blog even more. I think it was an awesome idea to do this project because in the past month so much has changed just like how so much is going to change in August, when I totally plan on doing this again. Tomorrow I am essentially moving out of my house for the next month, which is probably the most surreal thing that is going to happen soon. I'm officially registered for college and have a roommate. I'm super excited for my senior project, even though I will miss my friends, I'll still get to see them on the weekend and at prom next week. Overall I would say that BEDA 2011 has been a success. It's been a fun time. Later days!

BEDA Blog #29 - E

I am officially a college student! Ah that's completely crazy!

Elephants, Eyes, England, Emma Watson, Elves, Eclipses, Ecology, Eggs, Expedia, Eiffel Tower, English, Elijah Wood, Email, Etymology, Eagles, Earth, Echos, Emeralds, Education, Egypt, Elections, Electricity.

BEDA Blog #28 - A bitter sweet ending

All things in life come to an end. Tomorrow is my final day of high school. I've mentioned this in a lot of blogs this month, but now that it is here, I am completely torn. I've been waiting for this for 4 years. And now as I'm going through it, I'm noticing I'm paying for attention to small aspects of life that have been mundane for those 4 years. Today, was my final school bus ride ever. For some reason, I got weirdly reflective while on my 20 minute ride home. Tomorrow, I know that I will miss certain classes and feel very little towards others. I know that I will miss certain people and just feel the same thing towards others. I know I'll think of good times and the bad, but I guess that's high school. I'm excited for tomorrow. I'm excited for the next month. I'm not as excited for the actual graduation ceremony, other because it's gonna be 500 hours. I'm excited for this summer. But mostly, I'm excited for the future and in 24 hours, I'll have finally made that jump.

BEDA Blog #27 - University!

I am so excited for uni in the fall! I just found my roommate and it's so cool, she really awesome and we're a lot alike so I'm really looking forward to meeting her and getting to hang out with her. I'm excited that we have school much in common and I hope that we become really good friends. I'm excited that I only have two days of school left (I'm still really freaked out though).

Now I can start thinking about fun things like buy new stuff to bring with me to college. My roommate and I have started coordinating or bedding and stuff; since we both like black and white patterns, we're doing that as a base and using both of our favorite colors as accents. I can't wait to schedule classes, I really hope to take an intro to Italian class. I want to be able to study abroad and meet never more new people and travel to even more awesome places on the weekends.

I'm just excited overall, even though I had a crappy day. The small things, like going to get ice cream with a friend and finding a new friend, picked up my mood a lot.

BEDA Blog #26 - Photography

I really wish I was into photography. I've been thinking a lot about this lately, mostly because of Tumblr, and it has inspired me. Because I have no other artistic abilities, I feel like photography would be a good use of time for me. Having been enrolled in a photography class when I was a freshman only to drop out at the last minute is coming back to haunt me. The only problem with photography is that in order to take good quality photos, you need a nice camera. And nice camera cost lots of money. And if you know me, you know I hate spending money. I'm kind of hoping that I can get a high quality camera over the summer then take a class in school so I can learn to use it. For now, I guess I'll just have to admire the photos I see on Tumblr.

BEDA Blog #25 - D

So, so, so tired. Spent 12 hours in my living room, being epic. And it was defiantly epic. I think I deserve my "I'm a super nerd" badge now.

Disney, Doughnuts, Dogs, Dance Parties, Down Time, Disney World, Dancing, Disco Balls, Dark Colors, Draco Malfoy, Day, Disco music, Dinosaurs, Dresses.

BEDA Blog #24 - Easter/LotR Marathon

I'm sorry, but I dislike holidays. My family doesn't do well under pressure and everyone just freaks out for at least 2 days before the event that is coming up. Also, while some people can relax and really enjoy times with their family that's not how mine is. It's almost like my extended family is just a group of co-workers. I only see them around holidays and don't really know anything about them. I guess that is just my family, but when I hear about people who go and visit their cousins randomly and talk to them often it just confuses me. Which is kind of sad, but that's how its been my whole life.

On a happier note, tomorrow I'm having a day long Lord of the Rings extended edition movie marathon with my friend. I'm pretty pumped because I've never seen the extended editions and I've only seen Return of the King once and I was working on a paper so I was hardly watching. My friend Sarah, who I'm watching them with, is a HUGE LotRs fan. She is a LotR fan like I'm a Harry Potter fan. Needless to say, it's gonna be freaking awesome watching them with her. We're taking over my living room for the whole 11 hours and we're gonna eat food and be nerdy. I really like days where I can just hang out and people who judge me for being a freak. Later Days!

PS: Totally didn't steal that from the Weekenders.

BEDA Blog #23 - Movies 2011

Here is a list of movies I want to see this year. Ideally, I'd like to see them all in theaters, ticket prices are pretty insane so, we'll have to see.

1. Water For Elephants - Such a beautiful book
2. Thor
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
4. X-Men: First Class
5. The Green Lantern
6. Cars 2 - Even tho it looks kind of lame, I love Pixar
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II - Hmmm do you think I want to see this? I don't know, I'm pretty on the fence about it
8. Captain America: The First Avenger
9. The Three Musketeers
10. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
11. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

BEDA Blog #22 - Most influential books I've read

I'm a big reader. I honestly never realize how many books I owned until I had to carry all of the down to my new room. There are a few books that have really stuck with me and influenced a lot of my personality.

1. Harry Potter - This is pretty obvious. I've been a fan since 2001 when my third grade teacher read us SS. That was also when the movies came out so I've been there pretty much since the beginning. These books inspired me to read, because previously I hated reasons. The opened up my world to reading and the brilliance of writing and creating new worlds. They also gave me friends in those characters. I love Harry Potter and that entire world that J. K. Rowling created.
2. Pride and Prejudice - I love this book. It was the first classic I read on my own and it is so beautiful. Elizabeth Bennett is so strong and went against what her society expected of her, which I really admire.
3. The Hunger Games - If you haven't read this trilogy I highly suggest it. It is beautifully written and so awe inspiring. I can't peg a reason these books have stuck with me but they are just brilliant.
4. 13 Little Blue Envelopes - Every time I read this book it inspires me to travel without a plan (which is something differently against my nature) it's funny and smart and I can not wait for the sequel (comes out in 4 days!).
5. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - This book can inspire all different types of people. It has a character that everybody can relate to. For me Jane and Will Grayson (the John Green one) were such honest characters and while they were flawed they were perfect because of that. Their relationship is very similar to the way I think so I could feel for and with them at the end of the book. Another must read!

BEDA Blog #21 - Changes

I changed rooms. I'm changing schools. This are changing. It's weird. Today while I was at school my parents moved all of my stuff into the basement room previously occupied by my brother. I had known that I was gonna move down into the basement but I didn't know it was going to be so soon. I mean, I would have appreciated my last night in my room if I had known they were going to move me. It's the same place I've been living for the past 5 years and all of sudden it's filled with is a bed, TV, Xbox, and boy scent. I'm not sure I'm OK with that. I'm not going to complain because my brother wanted to move and I'm going to be moving in two weeks to my grandmas house for the month and then again in August when I move into Uni. It's just weird, I had always pictured coming home from college and staying in that room. Now this big, slightly empty, with a navy blue wall behind me (not something I'm liking) is rather imposing.

I'm not afraid of change but I like to be prepared when things are going to change. I'm prepared to leave school and go work on my senior project. I'm prepared to move into Uni in the Fall. I wasn't prepared for this and I'm confused.

BEDA Blog #20 - C

Creativity, Castles, Cassandra Clare, Cheez-its, Christmas, Cardigans, Carrot Cake, Classical Studies, Candles, Ceres, Cheesecake, Cars, Cafes, Canada, Cupcakes, Cruises, Cobb...Jayne Cobb, Classics, Cake, Cerulean, Chocolate, Cashews.

BEDA Blog #19 - A Leather Bound Classic

I was losing her. Day after day I could see it in her eyes. She was scared. She longed for adventures and she had become too stable. I couldn’t keep her here, it would just be a cage. I would be her cage. I would rather lose her than have her resent me.

And I knew, how could I be so stupid? I knew what to except. It was why I loved her. So uncomplicated. But then it happened and I couldn't control it. I fell harder and further until it was like I couldn’t breathe when she wasn’t around. And the funny part is, I tried to hide it. I didn’t want her to leave so I concealed my feelings. She isn’t stupid, of course she would find out. You know what is even more funny, she had done it herself too. Fallen for me.

Now, don’t misunderstand me, she isn’t a hypocrite. Neither of us could help it. Last time I check, we were both humans and capable of emotions. Morrie Schwartz said “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” We both failed at that. I would have rather swam with sharks than admit it. But I’m being hyperbolic. Of course I wouldn’t swim with sharks. I would man up and tell her. And that’s what I did.

And two months later she was scared. We had become too comfortable. Everyday I would come home expecting to see all of her stuff gone and a hand written letter on the counter. Because that is what she did, hand wrote things. I never knew why. Maybe she liked to pretend she was Lizzie Bennett writing to Darcy. I should have asked her. Yet everyday I came home and her things were still there. So I thought, she’s gonna stay. I bought us plane tickets to Alaska. We could see the Northern lights I said. Like you’ve always wanted. She put on a smile and kissed my forehead. That sounds great, she whispered. She could have her adventure and be here too.

Her masquerade was flawless.

It finally happened. We were to leave for Alaska in three days. I walked through the door and stopped in my tracks. A single envelope was on the counter. The heavy cream parchment paper. My name scribbled on the front. For some one who hand wrote things, she did not have great penmanship. In a daze, I picked up the envelope. Going through each room and mentally categorized everything that had been hers. A leather bound copy of Pride and Prejudice she had bought at a flee market. Her tea cup from London. The vanilla and peppermint candles in the living room. Her hairspray in the bathroom. All the little things I had never thought of were like frozen bullet to my chest.

Finally, I came to the bedroom. She was sitting on the bed, her suit case full but opened. In her hand she played with the silver chair she always wore with the small silver locket I’d given her. Saddness was knotted in the back of my throat. Even knowing it was coming didn’t prepare me for the actually moment. It also didn’t help that I thought she would just leave not stay to chat.

Pushing her hair behind her ear, she looked up at me. Small tears, like freshly polished diamonds were on her cheeks. And with that I realized; she didn’t want to leave but she had to. Only because fear of hurting later. I walked over to the bed and zipped her suitcase. I took her hand and stood her up, wrapping my arms around her. I took her face in my hands and kissed her forehead. She handed me the silver chain with the silver locket, picked up her suit case and walked out of the room.

I always kept the letter and locket in a draw in my house, but I never read it. My wife once or twice asked me about it but I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. I had accepted it. A few months after she left I saw her when I was away on business. Same intense look on her face when she read her beat up leather bound copy of Pride and Prejudice. Steam coming off her cup of tea. Feet tapping to a phantom beat. I did not say anything to her. This is what she had always wanted; the freedom to do as she pleased.

BEDA Blog #18 - Movies

I am unoriginal. Since yesterday I talked about TV, today I will talk about movies. Now, I'm not as much of a movie buff as some people, I like movies that are generally not Oscar award winning movies but they're fun and not total crap so I like them. My ultimate favorite movie is Jurassic Park. Because my family is weird, we used to watch this a lot when I was a kid and to this day I never get tired of it. Dr. Alan Grant is probably one of my favorite fictional characters. I really should buy that on DVD. And read the book. Another movie I love is Jumanji. I learned how to work our VHS player when I was like two, so I could watch this movie on repeat. I hate to admit but one movie I've seen a million times is Bring it On. I don't even like cheerleading but that movie is so funny and Eliza Dushku is pretty awesome. I also really love super hero type movies. Spider Man and X-Men are my favorites, and I'm so pumped because a bunch of new hero movies come out this year and my brother and I are going to go see as many as possible in theater. Because I am a nerd and Firefly fan, Serenity is a must on this list. I also love The Outsiders, it is my favorite 80s movie and one of my very favorite books since I was 12. I has such a crush on Johnny Cade. I love nearly everything created my Pixar and Disney, I'm a bit of a kid at heart, I'm not above seeing animated movies in theaters. Of course I love the Lord of the Rings, I can't believe it took me nearly 10 years to see those movies. I can't believe they are 10 years old! Probably the most obvious of my favorite movies are the Harry Potter movies. No matter how irritated I get at the huge plots that they leave out of the movies, I realize they are a different entity than the books and I need to separate them. I can not believe that the last movies comes out in less than 100 days. I think I'll talk about that another time.

BEDA Blog #17 - TV

A lot of people really hate TV. They think it's a waste of time and it rots children's brain. But like most things, I don't really see a problem with it as long as it's in moderation. And because of this, I really like TV. It's another form of creative expression, just like movies, writing, art, or dancing, the people who create TV shows are doing what they enjoy and are good at, so I can appreciate that. There are three parts of this blog: what I watched as a kid, what I currently watch, and what I wish was still on TV.

Part 1 - What I watched as a kid

I was a 90s kid, who I watched pretty much all the typical shows. As a really young kid, I liked Barney. As I got older I moved onto Nick shows; Hey Arnold, Doug, The Wild Thornberrys, Rugrats (I still watch this on Netflix when I'm bored), Are you Afraid of the Dark (which scared the crap out of me!), The Weekenders, Pokemon, and Power Rangers ( the original).

Part 2 - What I currently watch

I don't actually watch a lot of TV on the actually TV. I mostly watch stuff on my computer through Netflix/DVDs. Shows that are currently on TV that I watch are: Glee, Pretty Little Liars, Modern Family, NCIS ( but I don't watched the new eps, just reruns), Cougar Town, and Off the Map. But things that I also watch that don't air new shows are: Gilmore Girls, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and Firefly.

Part 3 - Shows I wish were still on TV

Most of the shows I already mentioned I wish still aired shows but specifically Lost, Battlestar Galactica and Firefly. Firefly was such a good show and the fact that it has such a hugh fandom over 14 eps. and 1 movie just show what an amazing show it was.

If I had to pick a top 3 favorite shows in no particular order they would be Lost, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica. Which is weird cause I never pegged myself as a Sci-fi person, but those are all Sci-fi shows. I mean I've never even seen Star Wars, I should get on that.

BEDA Blog #16 - B

Frak Battlestar Galactica! Ahh It's so good! Speaking of B's today is B day, which means, all the things I like that start with the letter B.

Books, Battlestar Galactica, Blogging, Bread, Bohemia, Boots, Bakery, Bookshelves, Bacchus, Bracelets, Black, Boats, Bagels, Brown, Beds, Barefoot, Backpacking, Baking, Bay Windows, Beads, Beanie Babies, Blue, Broccoli, Beverages.

BEDA Blog #15 - Summer Plans

So my high school days are coming to an end, only 8 more days. That is both scary as hell and horribly exciting. I'm really kind of upset that I don't have anything awesome planned for the summer. Last summer all I could think about for months was going to Europe and then getting home and going to Florida a few weeks later. I wish I was going somewhere fun, we don't have any vacations planned because of all my random college orientation things and baseball for my brothers and it's difficult to work around that. I'm going to try to go to New York with my mom this summer because I really want to visit the Harry Potter exhibit and I don't know how much longer it is going to be in the US. I was so ticked that that exhibit wasn't going anywhere close by and while New York it still kind of far, it gives me an excuse to go to NY when it is not freezing and I think It'll have more of an affect on me when I'm not freezing. Or wearing a fanny pack.

BEDA Blog #14 - Lord of the Rings

Mehhhh migraines suck. Anyway, I'm gonna talk about a recent obsession of mine. That is Lord of the Rings. I've been a Harry Potter fan since 2001. Since then I've loved almost every fantasy book I've ever picked up. But there was a glaring hole in my fantasy book repertoire. Lord of the Rings. I had never seen the movies (which came out the same time I became obsessed with HP) or picked up the books. I think the reason I had never been exposed to LotR was because my parents thought I would be too afraid of the movies and I knew the books were kind of hard to read. This past Christmas I asked for the box set and got it. Now I was a little weary to start the books and once I did start FotR I knew why, they're difficult to read. A friend told me to watch the movie first so I could understand the books better and once I did that I became engrossed. Tolkien created an entire new world. Often fantasy stories and integrated with the real world but there is nothing mundane about Middle Earth. I love this series so much and I'm only half way through TT. I love the characters who are so real and the different races that are in these books. And as I read and watched the movies I was so sad that I wasn't apart of the movie franchise more. I've been with HP since the beginning and I didn't have the opportunity with LotR to go to midnight showings with other huge fans. But, when I found out they were making The Hobbit was so excited. I get to be apart of that! I get to go to the theater and watch that movie on the big screen with other huge fans of the series and I'm just so happy. I watched the new video that came out today about Peter Jackson on the set and I'm so happy I get to be there from the beginning.

BEDA Blog #13 - Careers

I realized today that I was a weird kid. Well, I already knew this but when I put it in perspective I was really weird. I never had those generic kid "what I want to do when I grow up" dreams. By this I mean vet, firefighter, teacher, police officer. Clearly, all of these jobs are important but I feel like kids pick them because they are what they are exposed to most often. But I never had one of those "normal" aspirations. And even more odd, I almost always had jobs that were in some way related to science. If you know me, you know I'm very right brained, english and history are my forte, I've always been OK at science. Not every job was about science but nearly.

When I was in 3rd grade I decided I wanted to be a paleontologist. What 8 year old I whated to go into paleontology? That probably explains why my favorite movie is Jurassic Park. But I was dead set on paleontology. I got just about every book from our school library out and read them cover to cover. I've since forgotten a majority of the information. That lasted for about two years.

When I was in 5th grade, I decided meteorology was my thing. I know the reason for this new career choice was because I liked watching the weather channel. Which is just weird in general. But I wanted to go into meteorology. That stopped in the beginning of 7th grade when I took "weather" in my science class and decided there was a lot more to it that I actually didn't enjoy.

After that for about two years I wanted to be a writer. I mean I read a lot right? How hard could it be to do that? Well that was just dumb, and I soon realized that I wasn't that great of a writer and the technicalities of writing bored me to tears. Also, I think if I was forced to read books, I would stop enjoying reading them in general. And I realized that wasn't a lucrative career and I'm not even big into money issues.

So in about 9th grade I did some research and found anthropology. Technically it is a science, a social science. I think this just works for me. It has all the best parts of history and culture and travel mixed into something I can spend my whole life doing. I'm so excited to start actually taking classes in this subject because I've taken a similar class (sociology) and I really enjoyed it.

BEDA Blog #12 - Life

Ah why does blogger say my post yesterday was posted today!? It wasn't! What the heck Blogger trying to mess up my BEDA. Lame. Anyway, today was a good day, well at least it was after I got home from school. I'm just no long a fan of school, it has gotten monotonous and boring and I feel like I'm just too stir crazy for it any more. So happy yet sad that I only have 12 more days. It's one of those bitter sweet moments because although I crave change and adventure, there is always something scary about starting something new and unfamiliar. Mostly I just think about some of my closest friends who are probably the only things that I will completely miss about high school. Having spent the evening with my best friend and another close friend, I realize that that is what I'll miss about my life as it has been. And tomorrow I'll probably feel completely different because that is just in my nature, but for now I know for years to come I'll think about the good times, regardless of the stress they cause me now, and be happy that those memories are what I have to show for my teenage years. I wish I could remember that all the time.

BEDA Blog #11 - Lazy

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

- Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

-Robert Frost

BEDA Blog #10 - A

Things I like that start with the letter A, I won't do this everyday but I'll make it through the alphabet.

Anthropology, Adventures, Air, Apples, Athens, Aragon son of Arathorn, Almonds, Archaeology, Artemis, Airports, Astronomy, Airports, Athena, Apple cider, A and W Cream soda, Airplanes, Alex Day, Art, Accents, Alexandre Desplat, Angelica Pickels.

BEDA Blog #9 - Disney

I love Disney. I've grown up with all of the movies and they will forever be my favorites. As I've grown up and become more analytical about things (thanks honors English) I've noticed an interesting growth from the early princesses and the newest ones. If you watch the original three princess (Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty) you will notice that the main reason that their prince falls in love with them is because they are beautiful. These three and lovely, feminine and passive. They enjoy cleaning and singing and need to be taking care of. The idea of the perfect women, right? Wrong, these three show young girls that having ideas and opinions isn't necessary as long as you are pretty. Snow white never even speaks to her prince, he just loves her by seeing her apparently dead. Everyone regardless of gender should be valued for their ideas not just their looks. After these three the princesses became a little more bold. Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine are all opinionated and adventurous. Belle reads and Ariel collects little trinkets. They have hobbies because cleaning. However, when the princes come along, they back track slightly. The other reason Eric falls for Ariel is because she is lovely. They never even have a conversation so her can know how interesting she actually is. Jasmine is rebellious but she doesn't need too much. Aladdin still needs to rescue her, she is still a damsel in distress with an incredibly skimpy outfit, which is something we defiantly do not want little girls to emulate and glorify. In the end, they all still need a man to free them. This is where Disney shaped up. The next generations of Princesses are strong willed and feisty. Pocahontas, Mulan, Tatiana, and Rapunzel. While also being gutsy and independent, these characters also are proud of their heritage and family. They don't lose themselves because of a man. Pocahontas did not even leave with John Smith, a shocker for Disney with no real "and they lived happily ever after" Shang had to go after Mulan she didn't fall at his feet. Tatiana worked all her life to reach her dreams and Rapunzel fought off a bunch of thugs by herself. With a frying pan, beat that female stereotypes. These princesses can fend for themselves if necessary while also appreciating the men in their lives. This is what young girls should see, they can function alone but don't have to be alone. They should love and be strong, find that happy medium for them. I'm not saying the early princesses were bad, but they shouldn't be idolized as the perfect women. They should be seen as one type of women who has the ability to sing and clean and frolic with woodland creatures. They should be valued just as much as women to crave adventure.

BEDA Blog #8 - Fantasy worlds I wished I lived in

There are a lot of places I wish I could live. My post yesterday was about places I wish I could visit and if given the choice I would live there for even just a few months. But there are some places that I can never visit that I wished I could live in. Yes, I mean fictional universes that I want to live in. This may sound weird but when stories affect you as much as they affect me you think about this kind of stuff.

The first world is probably the most obvious, Harry Potter's world. Hogwarts is that place where even misfits can be heroes which I think is something everybody thinks about. If I went to Hogwarts I think I'd be a Ravenclaw. However, I do have some Hufflepuff qualities about me. People make fun of the Hufflepuffs but they are loyal and just friends, that is just as Nobel as bravery. Maybe I'd be a Ravenpuff.

Secondly, I'd live in Middle Earth. If I lived there, I think I would be a shieldmadien of Rohan. They are so bad ass, just look at Eowyn, she is no man (ha), just because she is a women she doesn't let people push her around. The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them, look at me dropping quotes. The people of Rohan are so strong and determined, I love them as a whole. Just saying though, being an Elf would be pretty cool too, but they are so serious, and living forever would be kind of boring.

Next, I think I'd live in the world of Battlestar Galactica. I'm not sure which colony I would be from, maybe Caprica. But that is lame because it is like the main colony in the show. I think if I was in the fleet (hopefully I would be or else I'd be dead or a Cylon) I would work for Laura Rosalind. I don't think I could be in the army, even though I love Adama.

Those are just some that I think I would like to live in. Some honorable mentions go to Pokemon world, The Mortal Instruments world, and Camp Half-blood. Maybe this topic is kind of weird, but I honestly wonder about it sometimes. Woo I'm a nerd!

Best Wishes!

BEDA Blog #7 - Places I want to visit

Travel is one of the most important parts of my life. I would do anything to just have a year and an unlimited supply of money to travel around the world. If only. But I can still fantasize about places I want to go.

• Europe - England (again), France (Paris, Nice, Marseille, Versailles, Lyon), Italy (the entire country), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Greece ( whole country), Germany (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg), Ireland (Dublin), Scotland, Turkey (Istanbul), and all the places I've already been again


• Africa - Egypt (Cario, Giza), Morocco (Fez, Casablanca, Marrakech), South Africa


• South America - Peru (Lima, Machu Picchu), Brazil (Brasilia), Argentina (Buenos Aires)


• Asia - China (All major cities), Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul)


• Australia (All major cities, plus some Aboriginal areas)


• New Zealand (come on LotR was filmed there, that is happening)

So clearly, that is a long list and honestly, that's just off the top of my head. There are probably more places that I want to see. But if I had to pick the most important to me they would for sure be United Kingdom (yes that is cheating cause I could visit more than one country), Italy, Greece, Australia, and New Zealand. I really need a job so I can afford this. Ha just kidding.

BEDA Blog #6 - Things I wish I was good at

There are a lot of things in life that you can choose to spend your time doing and excelling in. However, with limited amounts of time in a day there are things that you just can't fit in. For me there is a myriad of different activities I wish I could do

1. Piano - being a singer I wish that I could also just look at a piece of music and play it. It was be helpful if I could even look at a piece of music and know where the note was on the piano, I know where it is on the flute, but that is just not helpful.
2. Archery - This is probably stemmed from all the books I read where people arch. I just think it would be a cool skill to have, if they offer it at Uni I am so taking it.
3. Dance - This is more of a thing that I wish I wouldn't have quit. I'm not a natural quitter unless something is really off about the subject and when I started dance, my teacher was insane so I didn't want to go back and never found a new school, I really regret that.
4. Drawing - I have no ability what so ever in the field of visual arts. I wish I did because I enjoy art and wish I could see something in my head and put it on paper.
5. Fencing - Again, this has probably caused from the books I read where people sword fight. I almost took a fencing class once and I don't know what I back out.

I realize that if I had spent my childhood doing all these things I probably would have missed out on a real childhood, but if I could have done maybe two of them, I would have been happy. Also, I really like blogging lists, it makes it look very neat and organized.

BEDA Blog #5 - In my life time...

In my life time I want...

1. A whole room dedicated to books that is just for me
2. Live in a foreign country
3. Get my PhD
4. Visit as many places as possible on my travel list
5. Live in another state
6. Go on a road trip with my friends
7. Have my name in a magazine or journal about research I have helped work on
8. Meet J K Rowling, so I can be one of the millions of people who have told her how much she changed my life
9. Do volunteer work in an under-developed country
10. Become fluent in a second language

BEDA Blog #4 - Poems

I have a migraine and no time to actually blog so I'm going to cheat and just post a poem from Lord of the Rings that I really love.

I sit beside the fire and think
of all that I have seen,
of meadow-flowers and butterflies
In summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
in autumns that there were,
with morning mist and silver sun
and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think
of how the world will be
when winter comes without a spring
that I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things
that I have never seen:
in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think
of times there were before,
I listen for returning feet
and voices at the door.

- J. R. R. Tolkien

This is just beautiful.

BEDA Blog #3 - Quotes

I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit of a quote whore. I love quotes. I have tons in little places all over my room that I've printed out and hung or hand written when I didn't have time to print it. The reason I love quotes is because they are little pieces of someones work that have such intense meaning and when you find one that you can relate to, you feel this connection to the author and you realize that other people feel the same way you do. Some of my favorites range from Horace to John Green to Galileo. It doesn't matter who said it, just what they said.

Horace - "Pulvis et umbra sumus" -We are shadows and dust

John Green in Will Grayson, Will Grayson - "...all the words we use are stripped bare, so that no one ever knows what anyone else is saying, so that all kindness is cruelty, all selfishness generous, all care callous."

Mark Twain - "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Galileo - "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."

J. R. R. Tolkien in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - "'Not all those who wander are lost"

J. K. Rowling - "We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already; we have to power to imagine better."

BEDA Blog #2 - College

I've been dreaming about college since I started high school. Some might say I've had senioritis since I was a sophomore. High school hasn't been this terrible experience that I've block out of my memory, that was middle school. The problem with high school for me was that I always felt like I was more advanced than the people around me. When I say advanced I don't mean academically, I mean in my personality. I've always felt that I view things in a more rational way than most high schoolers because I tend to see the big picture of things rather than the immediate consequences. I've always hoped that when I got to college I'd find people who saw things more like me. Now that college is approaching I've been hoping this more and more. The issue is, I think I'm putting college on this pedestal and it will not live up to my expectations. If that is the case, I'm in for a terrible 7-10 years seeing as how I plan on getting my PhD. The other thing that worries me is the fact that I've known my major since I was 14. It has always seemed like a perfect fit for me but maybe things will change. Maybe I will end up being a weird hippie nomad with no money and a bachelors in something useless. Honestly, I don't see that happening but there is always that fear. I guess I just worry about things too much. I can't see the future, no matter how hard I try and I have to go with what life throws at me and deal with it as it comes. Que sera sera.