Chaos Is What Killed The Dinosaurs, Darling

   So much is going on that I just want to put my life on pause. With one full week left of middle school and the summer approaching, the only thing I can be bothered to do is watch "Heathers" over and over agin on Netflix and listen to a whole lot of The Kooks. My feelings on my middle school life ending tend to contradict each other. One day, I can't wait to move on and others, I have a need to go back to sixth grade and do it all over again. My thoughts haven't been as racing and messy as they are usually and I thank Prozac for that yet I can't seem to get a hold of myself and really care or realize what is going on. Though my mind doesn't speed anymore, I still get strange thoughts that I can't get out my head such as J.D with a bomb around his stomach and Winona Rider in that awesome trench coat in the first scene of "Heathers". These images don't frighten me or anything like that- they just seem to have stuck with me. I come up with thoughts of adventures and things I will never do for I know that my anxiety will get the best of me. Finals approaching. The dinner dance is approaching. Graduation is approaching. Yet as these events come closer and closer, I just push them away and pretend as though I have all the time in the world because I'm fourteen and I truly do. So if I just stay here with the pause button on everything as chaos and change swirl around me, I think I'll be fine.

Last Week Of School Playlist

This week's playlist is made up of the songs I have been listening to as we get so close to Summer including:
Naive: The Kooks
Girls: The 1975
Jesus Of Suburbia: Green Day
Mardy Bum: Arctic Monkeys
What's My Age Again?: Blink 182 (8tracks only had a cover of it)
Canals: All Time Low
She Moves In Her Own Way: The Kooks
Sheezus: Lilly Allen
Ready To Go: Panic! At The Disco
Anklebiters: Paramore
Riptide: Vance Joy
Buddy Holly: Weezer

Last Week Of School from annlouise11 on 8tracks Radio.

Camp Nanowrimo 2014

 

   It's almost here! Finally, Camp Nanowrimo has been opened up for their 2014 July writing spree and I am more than excited to get started. I know I discussed this last year (here) but for those who aren't familiar with Camp Nanowrimo, it is in which thousands of writers come to together and spend their July writing a 50,000 word novel with only 31 days to complete it (so basically regular Nanowrimo just not in November). Though I loved participating in November, I believe Camp Nanowrimo is a much better experience. For starters, it's in the summer therefor I have so much more time to write and getting 1,650 words into my novel a day is much more pleasurable since there isn't much more responsibility to get to during the day. The cabins are also rad. Every year, writers are put into a "cabin" of eleven other writers that they get to chat and share tips with. Last year was a bit disappointing since only three of us actually participated but I was super lucky to have them in my cabin since they were such cool guys! We had some awesome discussions throughout the month and I loved getting to know them since they were such interesting people. 

   Now onto the part that I'm not so excited about. Writing. For 2013 Camp Nanowrimo, I was so prepped and ready that this year, I seem almost unprepared. My novel follows a teenager named Charlie and the complex relationship he falls into with a girl he met on the internet who calls herself Cobain Riley. I'm thinking about writing a dual point of view kind of thing so readers can get a view of what Cobain is like. In addition, I want to add bits and pieces of the conversations they have through text. I'm a little afraid to get to writing since this entire thing seems a little thrown together but I'll just go with it.

    All in all, with eighteen days until the real writing begins and six days before I get to meet all my lovely cabin mates, I am beyond excited for yet another great year of Camp Nanowrimo!

"Consent" by Jack and Dean

    I have been a huge fan girl of British YouTube duo, Jack and Dean (aka omfgit'sjackanddean), for years now. I mean how could you not love them? They are funny, witty, and smart guys who create awesome content and this weekend, they made me a million times more proud to be their fan with a song based off of what we need to talk more about in the music industry- consent. Before I go into the awesomeness of this said video, I believe it would be helpful to give a background for those who are unaware of not only Jack and Dean are but also the events that happened not so long ago with the YouTube community. Consent and sexual abuse have been very popular topics on YouTube right now with thousands and creators and vloggers discussing their point of view not only on Alex Day and that group of douches (if you want more detail on that, click here) but what the word means and how we as a community need to end sexism and make not only the website a safer place, but everywhere. Jack and Dean have both talked about sexual abuse in previous videos but only touched on the subject and barely got in depth or discussed the popular topic which I at first was disappointed in especially since Jack Howard was so close to Alex Day and felt as though they could really move their large audience.
   Moving onto the actual video, there is so many things perfect with it. First, it's fun. Having a serious talking video would not have been them. Not to say that Jack and Dean aren't smart people or don't know when to stop joking, but the way they brought up such an important topic was in their style and you could tell they put tons of effort into it (they'd been working on it since January). Also, though it was a very fun and upbeat song, they discussed some vital things we need to change and how consent actually works. The topic of sexual abuse is extremely heavy stuff and like a lot of other YouTubers in Jack and Dean's genre, their audience ranges from twelve years olds to older teenagers therefor it must have been harder to create something with such a serious and significant message. The guys approached the it in a fun, witty, and creative way. I mean they wrote a pop song about consent, like how cool is that!
   Overall the video was entertaining and informational with hilarious dancing, a guitar solo, and great lyrics such as
"turn a new page from the sexist rage. It just shouldn't happen in this day and age."
"One of them decided to change their mind and just to clarify that's completely fine."
that really explains what consent is, how it works, and why it is essential. Let's also not forget the catchy chorus ("This guy wants you but only with your consent!"). The entire video really showed that Jack Howard and Dean Dobbs aren't just the silly guys who make sketches but people who can really bring a message across in a creative and lively way.

We're Gonna Make Such Fools Of Ourselves

Sunday
♥Peasant top: consignment
♥Shorts: Hand me down

Monday

♥Top: consignment

♥Shorts: thrift

Wednesday

♥Tank: thrift

♥Shorts: Forever21

♥Flannel: my grandpa

♥Necklace: Nordstrom BP

Thursday

♥Overalls: Forever21

♥Dan and Phil tee: District Lines

♥Bird cage necklace: Pier One

♥"Therapy" necklace: Etsy

♥Bow: given to me by Maggie

Friday

♥Sweater: My granddad 

♥Bird cage necklace: Pier One

♥Skirt: H&M

Saturday

♥Tank: thrift

♥Shorts: Forever21

Change Part 2

   Last week, I discussed change and my issues with it (here). Over these past seven days, things have oddly become different on my issue with things not staying the same. I wouldn't say that I was stuck in a rut for the reason that that is overly dramatic, but I think it is appropriate to say I have been bored. My daily schedule excludes anything out of the ordinary and I mainly do the same thing every day. My hair has been the same since October (OK maybe it grew a bit...) and my wardrobe is filled with only one color (In other words, I own too much black!). I've grown to this stability but sometimes, I do need change. And so I acted on it. This weekend, not only did leave I the red streaks for dark brown hair with blonde, but How Fitting has changed in appearance!

(new hair!)

   I guess what I'm trying to say that maybe change isn't as bad as I psych my brain out to be. That doesn't mean I'm not still anxious or worried about the future because believe me, I am. I don't want my friend group and I to grow apart and I'm still extraordinarily nervous about what and where I will be next year but that doesn't mean that I have to close myself out to hating all change that happens. Change is something essential in life and though I am usually uneasy about transformation and development, I can't live with fingers crossed that everything will stay the same.

Big Screen

A playlist made up of my favorite songs from movie soundtracks.
Mix includes:
-Black Sheep: Metric ("Scott Pilgrim vs The World")
-Over At The Frankenstein Place: The Rocky Horror Picture Show cast
-Decode: Paramore ("Twilight")
-Anyone Else But You (originally by The Moldy Peaches): Ellen Page and Michael Cera ("Juno")
-Toucha Toucha Touch Me: Susan Sarandon ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show")
-There Are Worse Things I Could Do: Stockard Channing ("Grease")
-Painting Flowers:All Time Low ("Alice In Wonderland")
-Come On Eileen: Dexy's Midnight Runners ("The Perks Of Being A Wallflower")
-Do Wah Do: Kate Nash ("Bridesmaids")
-The Only Hope For Me Is You: My Chemical Romance ("Transformers")
-Tire Swing: Kimya Dawson ("Juno")

Movie Night from annlouise11 on 8tracks Radio.

Let's Talk "Hannibal"

*This post contains spoilers!

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 I'm not usually the type of person to get into horror/thriller genre of television (this is coming from a person who had to turn off "Vampires Suck" because she got too scared) but over the past few weeks "Hannibal" has become one of my favorite shows. Before I go into everything that makes this modern day recreation of the famous cannibal perfect, I think it's necessary to describe the plot. "Hannibal" follows teacher, Will Graham, as he is recruited into the FBI as a profiler by chief Jack Crawford due to the combination of mental disorders he has that enables him to see through the perspective of an unsub. Though in the beginning Will seems to be emotionally stable, he is haunted by hallucinations and nightmares from the crimes he has worked on and also because of his empathy disorder so Jack enlists the help of psychiatrist, Hannibal Lector, to support Will. As the show progresses, not only does Will change drastically, so does the relationship between the two leading characters.

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   To start off, the show is beautifully put together and all the sets have the same continuous feel and creepy/dark vibe. Everything put into this NBC program is gorgeous in it's own way, including the crime scenes. Unlike a lot of other crime shows dealing with the BAU, (for example: "Criminal Minds") this one has the same set up of one repetitive killer (The Chesapeake Ripper aka Hannibal Lector-though no one knows) and Hannibal is always creative and artful within his murders making messages out of his victims including my favorites such as the angels (above) and the human tree (below).

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   Talking about the people in the show,Will is easily my favorite character and no it isn't because Hugh Dancy is one of the most adorable people to exist but for the reason that he is actually an extraordinarily well written character. There is so much to this man's personality from his love for dogs to the way he can walk into a crime scene and immediately tell you exactly how someone was murdered that makes him interesting. You can easily see that Will is pretty on edge with his job in the first season since he tends to not trust himself since he has a past of breaking down and not being able to handle such heavy and graphic images inside his mind. I also appreciate NBC loads for not making Will Graham out to be sexy or the hot one of the show and instead focus on the actual traits and personality of this man.

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   Oh and don't get me started on Hannibal Lector. For starters, Mads Mikkelson couldn't be better at providing the creepy aura the Chesapeake Ripper has. The way Hannibal talks and and interacts with others is A+ and I can almost feel how uncomfortable most characters are around him. The character is also extremely well thought out and I would like to give a big thumbs up to the writers of "Hannibal" for not making the ripper too overdone and typical horror movie villain. Doctor Lector seems like the kind of guy who could very easily kill someone (and consume them) yet you would never guess it was him.

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   Moving onto talking about season two (the most recent one), I don't think I could ever describe how fantastic an actor Hugh Dancy is. For those of you who haven't seen the show, Will is convicted of murdering multiple women and sent to a hospital for the criminally insane. During his stay, he is visited by psychiatrist Alana Bloom and former coworker, Beverly Katz, as he tries to prove that he is in fact, innocent. There is obviously quite a lot of pressure put on him which leads Will to go insane having extensive hallucinations as he recovers memories of Hannibal encouraging seizures on him. To be honest, I don't think I have ever seen someone capture insanity that well. From the way Will's body movement changes to his tone of voice, Dancy captures everything to create a large turning point in Will Graham's life. Not once was it overdone or cheesy and I can't appreciate that enough. 

   For anyone unsure about watching "Hannibal", let me tell you it is not nearly as disturbing as NBC makes it out to be and most of the horror is psychological (which I love). I will have to warn you they're are many bloody and gory scenes, but it is all made up of people who are already dead and when Will goes through a walk through of the crime, nothing is extremely violent. I am mainly afraid of anything with supernatural beings in it (which is weird since "Supernatural" is my favorite show) which "Hannibal" has none if you don't count a really non scary stag man that follows Will around in his head. I'm also going to remind everyone that I can be terrified from things such as previews for Lifetime movies so trust me when I tell you something really isn't that scary!

 

Inside Ann's Box (Vol. 3)

   This post has been done twice already- once in what used to be my room  and for the second time when I first moved up to the attic of my house. Since then, I continue to live on the third floor but my bedroom has gone through some changes to make it look slightly cooler and I wanted to show that off to you guys. I realize these pictures suck and I really wish they could do my room better justice because to be honest, this space is on the top five things I am proud of and in real life, it looks pretty awesome.

   I guess we'll start off with the corner-y part of my room where there are two bungee chairs, an air conditioner with a painting of a park on top (wow! So exciting!), my magazine shelf, and drawer thing.

I usually have the chairs folded up but on the rare occasion that I have friends over, they come out.

I used to have a box that held my rather obsessive collection of magazines but I have moved them all to the set of shelves and organized them by type, topic, and size. 

My drawers are on top of the magazine shelf and basically hold all the random shit in my room including stickers, weird pencils, and some other stuff I really don't need but refuse to throw out. On top, I have my box collection (yet another thing I refuse to throw out), a Justin Bieber clock that was a birthday present in sixth grade but now own ironically, and some figurines. 

I have titled this as "the Gubler wall" in which I basically took all the pictures from Matthew Gray Gubler's spread in Glamour and made a shrine. It provides me a great deal of happiness.

The top of my bookshelf is dedicated to my Rookie shrine with my Yearbook One, a candle, a flower crown, a really pretty shoe, my ukulele speaker (I didn't know where else to put it), and the tickets I saw Tavi with. 

 Next to the corner space, I have my bookshelf and Ikea boxes. Inside the book shelf, I have five compartments dedicated to actual books along with my cassette player (and basket of cassettes), shimmery heels I wore to my bat mitzvah party and will never wear again, and my toolbox full of hair appliances. 

On the top white box to the right, I have all my collaging stuff and under it, holds my stuffed animals (another thing I really don't need in here but refuse to get rid of). The boxes to the left contain accessories (top) and art supplies (bottom). On top of both boxes are trophies Vivi got from thrift stores then gave to me along with flower crowns I made and on the left, there is a picture me and my friends took at a bar mitzvah because it's really cute and I love them loads.

Next to the boxes and bookshelf is my dresser. I have two containers to hold clothing in but this one is the main one that holds all the stuff I wear on a regular basis (shirts, bottoms, the usual)

On top of my dresser is two mirrors, my jewelry box, a cat ceramic I made last year in art (I have a problem with throwing things away, OK?), and a broken camera that I have for some reason.

This is the door to my closet. On it, I have four pieces I made and a couple things I cut out from magazines. 

On top of my closet door is the still in progress Hayley Williams shrine. 

Here's the door to my bedroom which I have decorated with band posters, my ukulele case, a backpack, and my cardigan and purse hanging on a hook next to it. 

Here's the right wall space. I have my vanity, shoe collection, second dresser, and flower crown making stuff and extra cosmetics (below the vanity) here 

My vanity is perfectly organized for how I need it with all my hair bottles, daily cosmetics in a bag to the right, and about everything else I need to get ready. I do my makeup in the full length mirror that is located to the right. 

Here's my band shrine made out of an Adventure Time poster and clippings of Alternative Press. I wish I could do this wall better justice in the picture because it looks pretty freaking cool in person.

My second dresser is mainly for the purpose of things I don't wear that often (skirts, dresses, cardigans, a drawer made up of flannels...) with the exception of my band shirt drawer. There's also dinosaurs on it. DINOSAURS.

The top drawer of the dresser is also made up of my hair vitamins and accessories.

The top of my dresser is complete with the Cody Simpson doll Maggie bought me, a DIY Ouija board, my two collage books, scented candles, and some flower crowns I didn't know where to put.

Here is the corner where all my ukuleles are next to my bed because I never bothered to get ukulele stands like I said I would however many months ago. I have my concert, soprano, and baritone all here.

Aaand there's the bed. Since my room is rather small, I could only fit a tiny bed here but kept the huge blanket from my old room downstairs.

Next to my bed is my small nightstand.

The top is complete with a painting of ducks, an A made out of old books my friend gave me, a jar, a scented candle, a wind up piano, and a mini tea pot. 

Here's the wall next to my window and nightstand- I'm considering redoing the collage here because it isn't all that well done since I was in a rush to finish it last summer.

Wow!!! It's a window!!! I basically have two fake flowers in bottles here and three candles because I wanted the sill to look pretty while still being able to open the window.

I couldn't find a way to capture the beauty of the back wall so I put in a picture from like September (top) and then just to show you guys the minor changes I made including adding a banner that says "Feliz Cumpleanos" and a paper chain, here's a picture.