Grammar Is Love

I've realized I only ever really use my livejournal to enter authors' contests :) I do not regret this.

Well..... Hello there!

( Random facts I wanted to keep for fun )

So It is Banned Books Week across the country and I am constantly surprised by how many people DO NOT KNOW about this. I was substituting at a high school this week and as I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the principal of the school asked if I was reading for fun or for school. I explained to him that this week I was making it my goal to read only books that have been contended or banned. Fahrenheit 451, despite being published in 1953, is about the burning of books in a world where literature is outlawed. The irony that this is a continually contended book should not escape you. Any of the teachers around me at the time were a bit surprised that One, I was reading for fun (I'm 22... shouldn't I read?), and Two, there is a national week devoted to raising awareness to banned books.

There are librarians, school board members, and teachers who lose their jobs because they believe in keeping controversial books on the shelves (usually because they have actually READ the books and know there is very little that is even truly controversial). Authors like Ray Bradbury, Aldus Huxley, Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, and even William Shakespeare are still being removed from shelves because of their content (even though they were originally published decades or centuries ago - you'd think people would evolve a bit). Modern writers like John Green, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman, Holly Black, and Toni Morrison are in the same boat as the "classics." Some parents have such a close mind about what is "appropriate" that they will attack schools and libraries for making certain books available. A kiss is often seen as "teenage sexuality," two women holding hands is seen as "the promotion of homosexuality," and true events that constantly happen to people around the world (like death, rape, and underage drinking) are censored because, heaven forbid, the truth is given to "sensitive" children.

The majority of the time, the people who want to read the books (generally the young adult generation) are unable to voice their concerns. If they could speak, I'm sure many would say (as is evident in emails sent to authors) that the books helped them through difficult times rather than "corrupted" them.

If those wishing to ban books ("The Pink Jackets," as Maureen Johnson tends to refer to them as) are such true-blooded Americans who so deeply believe in the constitution, then they need to stop being such hypocrites. The first amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

So if you want to be a part of the movement, read a banned book - they're generally the more interesting ones anyway.

Doing a lot better since a few weeks ago (still can't sometimes believe she's gone ♥), but with the help of all the people in my life than know how to make me laugh, I've been able to deal with it all.

I've been working a lot at Dairy Queen and the Renaissance Faire, so hopefully I'll be getting some pretty nice paychecks soon. I went to the city on August 22 to see Cassandra Clare at a book signing - there she announced more-to-come books and the MOVIE deal! Despite the fact that I got fired (or, really, not re-hired) for next year at the Ren Faire, it was completely worth it. I needed it - to get away from the stress and just be excited about something.

There have been some amazing photography opportunities as well. It's really become one of my more confident ventures - people have been telling me to submit photos into competitions or exhibitions and stuff. I'll think about it...

Other than that, life is boring without school. I miss it so ridiculously much that it isn't even funny. I miss reading books and having actual intellectual discussions about the themes and characters. I miss just doing work. Hopefully I'll be a teacher soon.

At 2:55 AM, Courtney got out of Stephanie's car, walked across the highway, laid herself down, and waited. After so many years of her personal pain and struggles, she gave up. It wasn't long until a tractor-trailer came and ended her life. Or, really, she ended her life, with help. She was my friend and my sister and now to much of the world she is "a 23 year-old Totowa woman who was struck and killed on Rt. 3." She was, and is, my Phi Sigma Sigma sister, forever and always. I was thinking of her the other day. Thinking about texting her. Then I decided the always ironic, "I'll do it later."

It hurts. It hurts to see her brother post a facebook update about missing his sister. It hurts for me to try and call her, before I really know the news, to see if she is okay. It hurts to slide off my chair and burst into tears while another of my sisters has to explain to me that she killed herself, while Stephanie had to watch from the side of the road as the truck hit her. It hurts to think of all the times that we've laughed together, and the times that I've pushed her just a bit further to reach her goal of becoming a sister just a few years ago, and the times I calmed her down from one of her many over-reactions.

Today at work (I left early, couldn't take it) the store got a call. I said hello, no one answered and I heard clicking in the background. It happens a lot, random messengers calling whatever store. But this time, before I hung up on the Nothing, a robotic woman's voice simply said "Goodbye" and it hung up. I started crying.

She was my friend and it hurts to know that I must think of her in past-tense. She was. She was. She was. She is dead.

and yet life goes on for me, for us. I still laughed at my brother's jokes today. I still checked my email. I'll get through this. But fuck I wish I didn't have to get through it. I wish it didn't happen. I wish she could be here.

A couple months back, probably sometime in May, I was looking at the FMyLife.com site. The entire time it was like some horrible car crash - you hate looking, but somehow you're mesmorized by the absolute horror of it all. Some of the things, I feel, got pretty upsetting. So I started wondering if there was like... an... I don't know... "anti-FML" site? I'm pretty sure all hyper-Potter fans are somehow on the same wave-length because the next day, Emerson from Mugglenet posted that he had created the exact site I was thinking of! GivesMeHope.com! Basically, it is short explanations of events that have occured to people that give hope in every day life. Some of these stories are absolutely extraoridinary! It's one of those sites just just gives you chills and makes you smile.

( continue to the sun )

Last week I went to the Garden State Plaza with Little (run_devil) and we hung out for several hours waiting to see Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy). While we weren't able to get wristbands for an autograph, we did get to the Q&A forum. This was actually pretty fun! Scarey Jones from Z100 was there, and also Melissa from LeakyCauldron.com and Andrew from Mugglenet.com were doing trivia. Both Little and I were able to get posters :) Then Tom came out for like ten minutes at most, answered a few questions, looked adorably overwhelmed, and left. It was totally worth it! And I got to spend time with my little <3

Then of course Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released! I donned a beautiful Slytherin shirt (there weren't any Ravenclaw shirts my size, so I went for the second best house) and had my Hogwarts crest bag and I waited in line :) It was ridiculous how many people were there! It was as I expected, but I still like feeling excited with how many people still are in love with HP. As for the movie itself, well:

( SPOILERS! )

overall grade: A- (the humor made the lack of depth tolerable)

After the movie, my friends and I went to the bathroom and there were these two girls there too. They asked me all these questions about the movie that they didn't understand. Basically, they've never read the books so they don't know a lot of the background plot that can't be shown in the movies... Which made me realize that if you don't know the books, you are completely missing out on some of the most important information. Sucks to be them.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Harry Potter Musical? I've had the songs stuck in my head for weeks! lol
and if you know what I'm talking about, check out GrandLittle's QUIRRELLMORT GUY LOVE video!!!

Today at 12:34:56 P.M. the numbers of both time and date were 123456789. This only happens once every HUNDRED years. When I told people this, more than half of them said, "Yeah, you would find that interesting." lol - glad to know I'm so predictable.

But seriously, think about it. in 1909, when this last happened, there wasn't the technology that we have today. Even for the people who would have recognized the number sequence occuring, they wouldn't have been able to precisely pinpoint the time it occured. We have GPS clocks on all of our phones and most computers and even the most regular people could have noticed when this occured. It is the first time in history that this has been able to be widely ackowledged! THAT is why I find it so interesting.

Well, anyway, I hope you at least appreciate the once-in-a-lifetime event!

~Amy

I've wanted to write several times in the past... month? wow... seriously? Where was I?

Oh, that's right - I was here. Mostly, anyhow. Working, reading, writing.
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I finished reading Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson... AMAZING! Since you are all of the average public population, you must wait until February 2010 to read it - but the wait will be completely worth it! I still have yet to start 13 Little Blue Envelopes, though. You see, I have been catching up on my Harry Potter in preparation for the movie! I just finished (again) the Half-Blood Prince and (again) I cried when Dumbledore died. I bought my ticket for the movie last week :) I never wait until the last minute when it comes to Harry Potter.
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I've finally started writing my maybe-somewhat-kind-of-a-future-book. I wrote... well, technically, over 10,000 words. But most of it was crap, so maybe only like 6,000 in the past week that I haven't deleted recently. I've always been strong at short stories, but this whole drawn-out thing is tough.
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Fourth of July is always fun - by far my favorite holiday of the year! When/If I move to England, I swear I will still celebrate it full throttle! Every year I go to my aunt and uncle's house in Ridgefield Park and I usually just bring my best friend Brittany - this year I also brought my newest biffer, Tara. I think my family likes her more than they like me... lol Best part about the holiday weekend was the great photos I was able to take. After my friends and I got home we had an all-out photoshoot. Yes, alcohol was involved, but only after we had taken most of the photos.
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It's incredible the types of things you can do when it isn't RAINING. I love the rain but, seriously, this is getting ridiculous. It just started again while I'm finishing this.

DFTBA, Nerdfighters!

~Amy

p.s. Someone just tweeted me... and while explaining himself said, "I'm Canadian." ...Is that really important to tell me? lol I'm not going to follow you anyway!