Friday Five – Awesome End of Week Things!

The Renaissance Festival

What could be more fun than an enchanting trip through time-ish at a festival devoted to the English Renaissance…ish.  Huzzah!  It’s like a strange combination of Shakespeare, Middle Earth, Hogwarts, Robin Hood, and Star Trek?  But it’s TOTALLY AMAZING and it works!  There’s awesome food, and shopping, costumes and chain mail, and JOUSTING!  The people watching is even better than at the state fair.  This is what I will be doing this weekend in celebration of my birthday.

Last year was the first year I’ve ever gone to Ren-Fest, but I’ve wanted to go for many many years, at least since the Renaissance wedding episode of the Gilmore Girls:

                       

Here’s another awesome pop culture example of Ren-Fest:

iPhones

Today the iPhone 5 is released, and in celebration I went out and got an IPHONE 4!!!!  LOL!  They are now free with a contract renewal, and I figured I don’t need the fanciest, I just wanted an iPhone.  I didn’t know how I would feel about it.  I kinda wanted one for the last couple of years?  I had an android phone for the last two years, and it was ok.  I liked it because it had a slide out keyboard with actual buttons, and I was a little hesitant to move to a phone that is completely touch.  Let me tell you, I was wrong to be hesitant, this phone is awesome and I’m obsessed and I love it.  I’ve had it for about a week now, and I don’t care that it’s the old-old iPhone, it’s mine and it’s lovely, and in a few years when iPhone 7 comes out, maybe I’ll upgrade to the 5 then J

PS – I got the white one!

The Hobbit

I’ve read The Lord of the Rings 4 times.  Four.  Times.  It’s a long book!  A super huge commitment.  But can you believe I’ve never read it’s prequel, The Hobbit?  Not even once!  Yesterday I watched the new trailer for the new Hobbit movie, and it looks SUPER AWESOME TIMES A MILLION (link below), and it inspired me to read the book before it comes out.  So I grabbed it at Target yesterday on my way home.  I can’t wait to read it, and I can’t wait to see the movie!  I am breathless with anticipation!

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYz0JWJioOM&feature=my_liked_videos&list=LL5TTqZMnx6AYYgpbnm4hSLA

One Direction

When I was 10 I was OBSESSED with the New Kids on the Block.  I was about 10 years old at the time, and I had all their cassette tapes, and every poster on my wall, and I drew little hearts around their faces, and my parents had to have a serious conversation about how they were going to react when I would eventually tell them I am a homosexual…sigh.  Later boyband obsessions followed…N’Sync…Backstreet Boys…and now we have One Direction.  They are utterly adorable and their songs are like pop-crack.  They are my new guilty pleasure, replacing my last guilty pleasure – a little angry country/pop crossover teen named Taylor Swift.

Birthdays

Sunday is my Birthday!  I love birthdays, because it’s the only time of the year when it’s ok for me to be a raging narcissistic center of attention!  YAY!  In celebration I will be Ren-Fest-ing and friendship-having and many other super awesome things!

How do I put videos on my page?

So…If you look at my last post, I was trying to put a video in it, and all that came up was the link to the video.  Does anyone know how to make it so that the video shows?  I would appreciate any advice 🙂

Thanks!

SAS! Sherlock Blue’s Clues!

Blue’s Clues Sherlock

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6822676/sherlock-blues-clues

When I was a teenager, my hero was Steve, the adorable, nerdy, two-toned-green-polo-shirt wearing original host of Blues clues. His job was my dream job…singing and playing with a cartoon dog on a cartoon set where you get to act like a kid all day. Fun, right?

Today, one of my favorite shows is Sherlock, the British modern update of Sherlock Holmes from the BBC starring super awesome Benedict Cumberbatch.

I would never have thought to combine them. This video made my whole week.

SUPER AWESOME! It Gets Better Project wins an Emmy!

SUPER AWESOME! It Gets Better Project wins an Emmy!

Oh how I wish the It Gets Better Project existed when I was in high school!  What an amazingly simple idea!  Having people who suffered the same way you are suffering now tell you what it’s like on the other side, that the dark tunnel you are in has an endpoint, a light.  Growing up in rural Iowa as a gay teen in the 90’s was difficult for me.  I was bullied and suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts, and mostly I just wanted out.  I was lucky enough to find a way out that saved my life: music.  Music saved my life and took me places outside of my hometown and introduced me to other young people who were like me.  Not just gay, but other kids who loved musical theater, who played the clarinet, who loved to dance.  Other kids who “got” me.  And the teachers and adults who came with it, who told me that things GET BETTER.  Without that, I may have never made it through the dark times into adulthood, where, guess what, things got better 🙂

Back in 2010 when all that attention was being focused on gay teens committing suicide, those stories ripped open those old wounds and feelings inside me.  I knew exactly what those kids felt like, but I had been lucky enough to have supportive people to help me through the situation.  I was so grateful that Dan Savage and his partner Terry started the It Gets Better project for exactly that reason.  Thousands of people, including celebrities, athletes, even President Obama, made videos telling kids to hang in there because things will get better.  It was definitely one of the most inspirational things that have happened in my lifetime.

It was super awesome.  Squared.

Super Awesome: Bucket List

I was inspired by lesleycarter and http://lalasworldblog.wordpress.com/ to make a bucket list today, since they both have bucket lists on their blogs.

Actually, last May my boyfriend and I were in a novelty store and flipped through a book called What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? by a group of friends who made their own bucket list and set out to do everything on it.

They chose awesome and strange things, like go to a party at the Playboy mansion, and dance with Ellen, and get arrested, streak a sporting event, etc.  It was awesome, and they even made a TV show on MTV about doing these things.  It inspired my boyfriend and I to make out own list of things we would like to do together, and inspired me to make my own individual list as well.

I consider myself to be a pretty adventurous person, and I have accomplished many things that would have appeared on my bucket list had a made it 10 years ago.  The biggest thing I already did on my list was live overseas.  I lived in Korea during 2010 and taught English, and it was an amazing experience.

Most of the things on my current list involve extensive travel, so I’ll leave those off for now and make a different list another day with those locations.  But here are some things on my current bucket list:

1) Get a tattoo.  I’m scared of needles and pain, but it’s still an experience I would like to have, and not just in a peer-pressure, everyone else is doing it kind of way.  I want to know the feeling of choosing something permanant for my body, having a constant visual reminder of something I care about or that has shaped my life inked onto my body.  Plus, I’ve been recently really into L.A. Ink 🙂  Anyways, I’m thinking about the symbol of the Deathly Hallows from Harry Potter.  Thoughts?  (PS – obviously since this is still on my list, the photo below is not me, just an example)

2) Swim with a dolphin.  Dolphins have been my favorite animal ever since I watched SeaQuest as a child, and observed the interactions between Jonathan Brandis and his dolphin, Darwin.  Such sleek, elegant animals.  Plus, I really love to swim.

3) Learn how to surf.  Inspired by watching The O.C.  And again, I love swimming and I love the ocean.  But I am also fairly uncoordinated and clumsy, so it would be good for me.

4) See a Night-Blooming Cereus.  It’s a flower that only blooms one night a year, and it apparently has a very distinctive odor.  From what I understand, people will gather to watch this event.  I would like to be one of those people someday.  I love witnessing once in a lifetime moments.  Unique events.  Inspired by the book Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

5) Go skydiving.  The most terrifying thing on my list.  I don’t even know if I can explain why I want to do it, except to say that every fiber of my being is scared to do it, so it would be like overcoming the scariest thing I can imagine.  Like slaying a dragon, right?  🙂

What’s on your list?

Super Awesome! Girl with acne makes YouTube video about covering up acne, becomes model at Fashion Week!

Super Awesome! Girl with acne makes YouTube video about covering up acne, becomes model at Fashion Week!

This story is really touching.  I had terrible acne as a teenager, and was also mocked and bullied because of it.  Children used to ask me if I had the chicken pox.  I endured many painful dermatologist appointments, slathered every medication ever made all over my face, ingested every antibiotic known to man, and still, nothing helped.  Until Accutane.  Even though it gets a bad wrap for causing birth defects and suicide, it was a miracle for me.  After years and years, a dermatologist finally prescribed it to me, and although it had horrible side effects (such as lips so dry that they crack and peel and bleed), it cleared up my acne, and I have lived a relatively acne free adulthood, aside from normal here and there pimples that flair up from time to time.  These give me horrible flashbacks, like a bad acid trip or PTSD, but I take deep breaths, remember all the therapy I’ve had to develop self-esteem, and move on, secure in the fact that I am adorable.  This girl gives me hope, I just want to give her a big hug.  CYBER HUGS!!!!

She’s definitely SUPER AWESOME SQUARED 🙂

Super Awesome! New Colorful Monkey Species Discovered

Super Awesome! New Colorful Monkey Species Discovered

SAS!  Look at the picture of the new monkey!  It’s so adorable!  I wonder when they will be available as pets…I MEAN, I wonder how we can protect them in their natural habitat so that they thrive and aren’t murdered or imprisoned by humans who want to make them pets…so adorable.   What a fun discovery!

5 Super Awesome Monday Things

Sometimes I need a little boost to my Monday, so I’ll make a list of 5 awesome things that I love, to start my Monday off with a smile.  Here are 5 things for today’s Monday:

1. Chocolate Silk

I’m in love with chocolate Silk, and let me tell you why.  It tastes like melted chocolate ice cream.  That’s right!  How can you beat a milk that tastes like melted ice cream!  It’s healthy for your heart, high in calcium, vitamin D, protein, and it doesn’t taste like milk.  Instead of tasting healthy, it tastes…naughty?

2. Purple Shoes

There was a time when I didn’t have the confidence to wear such brightly colored shoes in public.  Clothes-wise, I was a bit of a wallflower, clad in drab, safe, earth tones.  But no longer.  Now I own these super awesome purple Pumas, and I love to wear them, especially on Mondays!  Not only is purple my favorite color, but this shade is bright, eye catching, and always makes me smile.  So when I need a little bump in mood, I merely need to look down at my feet, and then, smile.

3. Dirty Chai

A chai tea latte with espresso shots in it.  Ultra caffeinated, smooth, and dirty.  I’m happy the instant the beverage hits my tongue.  I usually get mine with soy milk, with lends it a light vanilla flavor as well.  It’s intense and exciting in a way other coffee beverages just aren’t.  Too much for daily consumption, but perfect for a Monday.

4. Random facts

Trivial knowledge gives me a boost.  Sharing that trivial knowledge with all my friends, acquaintances, and people I don’t know gives me an even bigger boost.  Sharing knowledge is awesome, but sharing completely unnecessary knowledge, for some reason, is even better.  Plus, it’s a solid time waster at work, because since you’re learning something, even if you’ll never use the knowledge except to annoy other people or win Trivial Pursuit, it still feels productive.  My favorite random knowledge website is www.omg-facts.com.

5.  Swimming

I’ve recently, as an adult, started swimming again as a form of exercise, and it has been super awesome.  The cool feeling of the water is invigorating, and splashing around makes me feel like a kid again.  It’s good for you, easy on the joints, and fun way to make a hotter bod.  Plus, it’s super fun to watch!  Did you see all the Olympic hotties?!?  😉