The Spaghetti Fiasco

Man, it's so hot today! I am not sure what the temperature was outside. It was twice as hot inside, because the green house effect turns my home in to an oven, and for whatever reason my grandparents (who usually have issues with the temperature) always decide to never turn the air conditioning on. It's really annoying. I'm so used to living at my apartment in Morgantown, which either has the heat on all the time if it's winter, or the air on when it's summer. And if it's in between, I at least have the fan running to keep the air flowing, you know? Anyway, enough of this nonsense. 

What did I do today, you ask? Well, I woke up at Matt's, as usual. For whatever reason I've been staying there a lot more lately. Actually, the reason I stay there so often can best be explained in the following situation that occurred the very instant I walked in to my house for the first time this morning. Here's how it went:

Scene: my grandmother, my cousin Aurora who is 3, and me

Grandmother: "Oh look Aurora, there's Johnny! She's eating spaghetti Johnny!"

Me: "Awesome, that's what I made for dinner last night!" [smiles]

Grandmother: [not looking at me] "Yeah, and Johnny doesn't know how to clean up after himself, and tell Johnny that you do a better job of cleaning up after yourself than he does, Aurora!" [still not looking at me].

Me: [rolls eyes and sighs] [exeunt]

End scene.

Like what the hell? First of all, let it be known that I cleaned my damn spaghetti situation up. I dirtied one plate, one fork, and a pan...all of which were rinsed and put in the sink. Sometimes, I think that my family just thinks of things that aren't big deals, to bitch at me about because I do nothing wrong. I'm not just saying that. I mind my business, and I live a normal life.

Excuse the hell out of me for making spaghetti and then cleaning up after myself.

Anyway, summer is closing, and here is how much I have finished for my upcoming 4th of college: 0.

Enough said.

Tribute to Friends: Brittney Tyler

So I know I've done this before...I think back around Christmas or New Year's maybe, whenever I was feeling sentimental.

I was checking out Rachel's MySpace blog, and she had a very nice piece about her friends that helped her come out of her shell and make her who she is, and I was really inspired to write about my friends again.

Because, it's very true that my friends are my family. I don't think to separate the two at all. I love them both with my whole heart and would do anything for any of them. 

Brittney, in particular has been one of the most stabilizing forces in my life, if not the most stabilizing. The picture added to this entry was the first picture (as far as either of us know) of the two of us. We believe it was taken at our 7th grade Washington Middle School music concert. Brittney plays the flute and I play the cello and were in band and orchestra respectively.

I met Brittney in gym class in 6th grade. We sat next to each other on the floor because our last names were near each other (Thrasher, Tyler naturally). I didn't particularly like gym class. I mean I loved being athletic, I just didn't enjoy being sweaty and then having to go to other classes and such that day. But, I had a huge crush on Brittney, so she made going to gym class rather nice.

I would try to impress Brittney with my humor (what else?). I thought that by talking to a fictional character that was a ghost named Duke, would make her laugh. She would turn around and look at me, and I would be in mid conversation with something that was not there. She didn't think it was funny at the time, and in fact thought that I was really creepy and probably schizophrenic. In retrospect, it is one of the funniest things we've ever heard.

So apparently she got over it because in 8th grade, we held hands at a football game. Apparently we did it to make other people talk because everyone thought we were dating at the time anyway. We were basically like Brangelina, so...in your face.

Then we thought the other was disgusting by 9th grade, and went to a Blink-182 concert at the 9:30 Club, which was awesome! 

Anyway, Brittney and I have been through so much together. There is just something about being friends with someone so long that really makes you appreciate life. I have been so blessed to have met her, because she has completely been the single biggest influence in my life. She motivates me, and surprises me every time I talk to her, still. Our story never ends, and I know it never will, so Brittney, if you are reading this, I love you so much and thank you for everything that we have shared together.

A Giant Monkey

What the hell is this and why is it at a car lot?

Flat Canday!

Well, I went to Pittsburgh two nights ago with Matt. He knew some friends up there and so we had nothing better to do, and went.

It was a lot of fun. We stayed at Corey's apartment which was right across the street from this place called Tobacco Outlet which apparently sells cigars and "Canday." I thought it was absolutely hilarious, so enjoy that.

We ended up at some trashy strip club, where I got bitched at because Matt and his friend Bryce didn't tip. All I remember were a bunch of vaginas and nasty old men. I decided to go out to my car and see if I could get a wireless signal on my laptop. It was that bad.

So the ride home the next day was eventful. We drove to Morgantown which was half-way and had lunch. Then, I was about 20 minutes from Cumberland and I hear a really loud grinding noise. Then suddenly, I knew that it was my tire. Keep in mind that before this happened, when my car would hit 60m.p.h. my steering wheel would shake...to the point that it would hurt my arm. But what do I know! It'll be fine right!?

Wrong!

I pulled over to see my tired completely flat. I know how to change a tire, but as it turns out Honda makes it impossible for one to change one's tire. We got the spare out and realized that we didn't have a jack. So, I'm on the phone with my grandfather (ironically, his name is Jack...) and I'm like, "We don't have a jack! Should I call the police!?" I'm also screaming because I'm 3 feet from tractor trailers off of I-68. As I'm on the phone with him, we find the jack...which is BOLTED to the car apparently. So anyway we ended up getting it unstuck, 20 minutes later. 

Then, after we had the damn thing jacked up (haha) we couldn't get the damn wheel cover off! So, we spent another 20 minutes trying to find something that would pry the wheel cover off and eventually did. The last 20 minutes of the experience was happening in mild rain, I mind you.

Needless to say it has been a very interesting last couple of days. But, you know it's all in good fun! Yeah it sucks that my tire blew out but at least it didn't happen on some highway in Pittsburgh. Oh yeah, Pittsburgh...could you get some signs please? Thanks that would be great.

Blogger sucks, so check out the picture of Matt and my flat here!

Deathly Hallows Can GO TO HELL! !

I'm sad to announce that I absolutely hated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. For those of you that haven't read it yet, don't read on because there are MAJOR SPOILERS in this post.

For those that have, read on.

Could J.K. Rowling not think of anything better to do with Harry, Ron, and Hermione than put them in a tent for like 10 chapters? What the hell! They were doing nothing. Harry would even get bored with his own adventure and like walk outside of the tent and be like, "God this sucks" and then his scar would explode. Like give me a break.

Secondly, Molly Weasely should NOT have killed Bellatrix. That's Neville's job. Also, why were there NO major deaths, or revelations. There's like nothing to talk about!

What about all of the pointless deaths? Charity whats her face, in the begining. HEDWIG!? So dumb! 

The only part of the entire book that I even liked was "The Silver Doe" chapter. I really liked that and it brought me back to old school Harry Potter which was exciting and mysterious. 

I hate that I didn't have a fantastic experience. I actually fell asleep reading the book that's how bad it was! Why did they apparate 5000 times before chapter 10? I just wasn't very pleased.

Finally, the epilogue. I actually started to read this epilogue online BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS FAN FICTION! I haven't met anyone yet that liked this epilogue. Ew. 

I think we deserve at the very least, an 8th book to redeem this book. 

Don't buy it.

Eyes Wide Shut

I've been dragging with my posts as of late, and I am sorry for that. I've been living up what will possibly be my last summer as a free soul. I expect that next year by this time, I will hopefully have a decent paying job and have just graduated. It's unlikely. Not because I can't do it, but because I don't see myself cramming 17 hours in to each semester. 

I've been on a weird sleeping pattern lately. It seems that when I drink Bailey's Irish Cream for dinner that I wake up much more easily. Is this a sign of alcoholism? I believe so, sir.

Anyway just a few days until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released. I thought I was going to dress up as Hagrid (because I expect he died in this book) but, I just couldn't get the costume together in time. Instead, I think I'm just laying low. I'm gonna get my book on Friday night and then read all through the night, and the next day. I won't have my phone turned on, for obvious reasons but leave a message for when I'm done reading.

Um, so what are you doing right now? Is everyone happy? How does this summer rank among the others thus far? For me, this has been a great summer. I mean, I went through a tragedy in April with my uncle passing away, but in all, I would say that I am a happy person. Things like that never go away, and you live with it every day, but it definitely has made me open my eyes a lot more. It has made me see what it is in my life that I actually appreciate. I'm not going to get all sappy, but if you're reading this and you have grudges with someone in your family...go talk to whoever it is. You only have one family, and one life.

Close your eyes, take a breath, and relax!

The Chamber of Secrets Is In Martin's Supermarket

Why is it that every time I go to Martin's (a supermarket for those that don't know) I can't find those dwarf shopping carts!? It's so annoying. I never go to Martin's for more than like 10 things, and the regular sized shopping carts are annoying for that. So, I go to look for the dwarf ones and I can never find them. 

I believe they are locked away in the Chamber of Secrets, which obviously is in Martin's. Furthermore, I would assume that it is probably in the bakery (because all of those people are kind of shady). Or maybe it is in the deli, and the basilisk that lies within is regurgitating the food and being served as lunch meat? Either way, I want Harry or the heir of Martin's to open the Chamber of Secrets so that I can get those damn dwarf shopping carts that I love so much.

The most annoying part is that when I am in the store I actually see people using them. I want to be like, "Where did you get that?" but by now I already have one and am well on my way to the chocolate milk. I mean, I guess I could just ask for future reference, but I am sure they will all just say, "Oh, I unlocked the Chamber of Secrets to get this here buggy."

Rereading this post is giving me a great idea for a new short film! John Thrasher and the Chamber of Buggies! Okay, I'm retarded. See you later.

Experiencing "Order of the Phoenix"

Okay, so as most of you know, Harry Potter is and probably always will be a large part of my life. Naturally, I went out to the midnight release of the fifth movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and I have to say that I was actually really blown away by how great it was. 

I have been expecting this movie for a long time, so it would be fair to say that I may have been caught up in the hype and am not ready to criticize it badly yet. Here are some pros and cons, less than 24 hours after the viewing.

PROS: 

1. Telling the story - For being such a large book, the producers and director did a fantastic job of getting the story of what happens in the book to come across on the big screen. Yeah, they changed a few things, but the overall importance of the story has been told and has been told well.

2. Special Effects - This is the third movie in a row that I have been extremely blown away by the special effects. However, even compared to the other movies in the franchise, this movie stands out. If you go back and look at the special effects, especially the lights that are blasted when spells are cast, it is such a huge difference. Which brings me to the next pro...

3. The Battle in the Ministry of Magic - Special effects and excitement at its very best! ! A lot of people had issues with this scene because it was very different from the book. In the book, the statues are fighting along Dumbledore and are animated. In the movie it's just Dumbledore and Voldemort going at it. However, it's very well done, and is definitely the most exciting part of the movie, for me.

4. Luna and Umbridge - I don't think they could have done better casting for these parts. These characters are PERFECT in every way. I could not find one bad thing to say about these characters. I also like how they brought Luna to the front. She is an awesome character and we see her just enough to enjoy her very well. Not too much not too little.

5. Ginny! - Ginny f*cks up some Death Eaters in this movie and I love it! "Reducto!" in the Ministry of Magic is pretty awesome. The fact that they are showcasing her talent in this movie is really exciting to me because she definitely has some important scenes in the next book, and I'm sure the final book.

6. Harry seeing sunsets! - So, when Snape uses Legilimens on Harry he sees Harry's thoughts. Each time that Harry goes through his memories, the very last shot is of a sun setting! This is huge in my opinion. The cover of Deathly Hallows includes an orange sky which can be seen as a sunset or a sunrise. A sunset is also shown on the deluxe edition of the American cover, which the editor says is "very pivotal and climactic." The fact that Harry has seen sunsets is very interesting to me. 

CONS:

1. Jumpy - The movie definitely feels a bit jumpy. As soon as you're situated in one scene you're somewhere else. It's not terribly noticeable, but something that sort of annoyed me.

2. Kreacher - Recently, the director or producer of the movie, I can't remember exactly who said it, mentioned that Jo said that if they didn't incorporate Kreacher in to this movie, that they would have their hands tied when they made the seventh and final movie. So, obviously he has made it in to the movie. However, I hate his part. Kreacher basically does nothing more than look at Harry Potter and get yelled at by Sirius. It's almost better to just leave him out because if you aren't a fan, it makes no sense that this ugly elf is just walking around. But, I guess maybe it will be easier to assess his importance next weekend when the final book comes out. Did I really just say the last book comes out next weekend!?

3. Where are Ron & Hermione? - This movie REALLY focusses on Harry. Given that throughout the book Ron & Hermione are sort of distant from Harry, there still doesn't seem to be enough. The previous 4 movies work with Harry as part of the trio, but still give him the light. This movie is ALL ABOUT Harry. 

4. Dudley's Nike Ad - I don't like product placement in movies that don't need it. When we first see Dudley he's wearing a Nike shirt and they almost zoom in on the Nike swoosh. Lame.

In conclusion, this movie was really exciting and amazing in so many ways. It's VERY different from the first four movies, so if you are expecting the same kind of thing, try to prepare yourself. Harry is a lot more emotional and the movie in general is much darker. Sorry for such a long post, but I love this stuff.

I'll be back tomorrow to post my final thoughts on the last book which will be released next weekend. Who I think dies, lives, and some minor things I would like to see happen!

Manhattan Memories

I have just spent another day doing absolutely nothing. Isn't that sad? I bet you're wondering why I am blogging so much, and the reason is I have nothing else to do with my time.

All I do is go to eat with Matt and complain about the disgusting french onion soup I had at The Manhattan two days ago, which has somehow managed to make it to the foreground of an otherwise amazing picture. I guess it has its place somewhere, right? Do you like the picture of Matt? I took it with my phone believe it or not, and did some photoshopping, but otherwise it's an awesome picture. I don't think he even knew I took it, so that makes it even more awesome. I feel like it should be entered in a photo contest or something. Or not.

Today I will be going to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which has my body tingling just writing about it. As most of you know, I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I am a nerd to the point that I actually Photoshopped my face on to the cover of the next book. I am going to post it on here in a few days, but if you're a curious little cat you can check it out right here for the next couple of days. Matt and I talked about Harry Potter at The Manhattan the other day but he just makes fun of me, and says "Yeah the only wizard I know is Dumbleydorf." Needless to say those conversations are short lived.

After lunch today, Matt and I hung out and then went to the Draft Zone with Jordan, Rachel, Shea, Mallory, Erin, Another Matt, and Jackie. I had heard nothing but good things about it but it was one of the lamest places I have been in a while. I mean given it was a Monday night, but I was still expecting a little more excitement. The food indeed was good, but I found myself looking for entertainment a little more than I was expecting.

After the Draft Zone, Matt and I went back to his place and watched 4 or 5 episodes of The Office. He loves it and I had never actually watched and entire episode. Turns out it's probably one of my favorite shows already! I really love it. 

As you can see this post is extremely early (or late) and it's all because of Matt. Since befriending him, I have been living a rather unhealthy lifestyle. I am compensating by eating better. Instead of cookies and milk like it had been for a while, I am eating tuna sandwiches (minus the bread that I left at Rachel's) and water. I actually can feel such a huge difference when I am actually eating well. I just have such a sweet tooth. Anyway, I need to get my ass to bed. I have a long day of doing nothing again. Peace out ya'll.

Like A Black Fly In Your Miller Lite

Isn't it ironic? Ugh, I hate that song but I'm not gonna lie I used to jam out to that song in like middle school. I just hate when people use lyrics as part of their vocabulary and stuff. It's kind of weird.

So anyway, Matt and I were sitting at The Manhattan this afternoon for lunch. Of course we were eating outside, because no Laguna Beach rip off would actually eat inside. We were just talking and of course Matt got a Miller Lite. He goes to drink it and there's a HUGE fly in it. I mean, this fly must have just eaten a baby or something because it was fat as hell. You can see it in the picture but the picture doesn't do it justice. 

On the other hand, the fly was iridescent, and somewhat beautiful...to the point that I wanted to like save it so it could go make fly rainbows or whatever.

Onwards, I went to Lyndsay's house last night for a mini-party. It was fun, and there should be pics up soon. After that, I went back to Dan's Rock to shoot off more fireworks with Matt and Lacy. Matt was shooting them at us, and it was really scary. Lacy said it felt like Vietnam because we were running and dodging huge shells. Nevertheless, it was great fun. I think Lacy took some video, so expect that in the near future as well. 

I didn't end up coming in until 6a.m. due to some unsaid situations, but I slept late, and did nothing today. I hate that. Anyway, peace out for now.