"If you wish for something hard enough, it happens!"

With a few more corrections to my online application, a lot of luck, a bit of faith, and generous financial aid, I just might be going to graduate school in England! *crosses fingers* University of Exeter to be exact. *squee*This is pretty much my statement of faith post. I'm hoping that if I announce my plans to the whole world, God or Fate or whichever higher being that deals with this kind of thing will realize that I'm serious about this unlikely dream of mine, and conspire to make it happen. pleasepleasepleaseprettypleasewithsugarontopohpleaaaaase! I've nearly finished my FAFSA, just waiting for one small thing. My online application to UOE only lacks reference letters, which I am going to go beg for tomorrow at my old University (while simultaneously heading to Wal-Mart to pick up RETURN OF THE KING YAY!). To save money (and to appease my sister, who I think is getting sick of having her little sister live in the same house, cramping her style and all that) I have decided to move back in with my parents, a circumstance that will have its good and bad points, as all decisions tend to have. If the end result is that I am in England by this October, I am willing to do anything. So there, world. I'm off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of England . . .

Things that made my day today

1. J. K. Rowling's new official website. My comments (and much squeeing) under the cut. Woohoo! More and more I adore this woman. She's answered lots of questions, yet didn't give away one jot more than she wanted to. Reminds me of Jane Austen, JKR, with her clever evasions and sense of humor. And YAY! Ginny's name isn't Virginia (not that that's a bad name, it's just one I've never liked). It's Ginevra, and Ginevra Molly Weasley sounds a hell of a lot better than Virginia Molly. Too bad about Bilius, though. Ooh, and too bad about Mafalda as well . . . the Weasley cousin. She sounds like a fun character. But the cut scenes broke my heart (scene of Malfoy and not at Malfoy Mansion--WANT) and now we know why Nearly Headless Nick is nearly headless. *grin* Most fun, and sure to generate a whole new crop of fanfic. *rubs hands together evilly* Good to know there's a clever Slytherin, too. (see Nott) I still dispute the assertion that Draco isn't smart, however. *is stubborn* And 2. Spending the day with my mother and going to see Van Helsing. My thoughts during the movie, in order:No Harry preview. BAH. Oooh, black and white. Angry villagers. KILL THE BEAST! KILL THE BEAST!! I guess the white-haired guy is Gaston. Is that Sam West as Dr. Frankenstein? Ooh, vampire is cute. GAAAH! Until he did that! Eek. Scary winged white things. AWW. Poor Frankenstein monster. Yummy! Love Hugh Jackman with long hair. NEAT!! Dr. Jekyll! Wow, Kate Beckinsale looks pretty. (gets lost in movie) DAVID WENHAM!!! Looking quite hot in spite of some serious hat hair. Eek! Winged vampires. Eek! Werewolves. Eek! Undead babies. Eek! Viscous substances! *grin* Loved the movie, all in all. Managed to keep my attention, which I swear had nothing to do with Hugh or David. Laughed quite a lot, but probably in places I shouldn't (like in the beginning, but the "Beauty and the Beast" flashback was very strong). I don't think I've ever seen an action movie in which the two main adversaries change into gigantic beasts for the final battle. One thing I hated was when Van Helsing killed Anna. I thought for a moment when Frank turned around on his boat as he rowed away that he would come back and give his life to Anna so there could be a happy ending, but no one asked me to write the script, did they? *glowers* And number 3 is the fact that I just spent 3 hours in the bathtub reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Am wrinkly, waterlogged, and very very content. I should spend Saturdays with my mother more often.

About Everwood

I missed the first 40 minutes of it, but I gather from several sources that Madison is pregnant, and that Dr. Brown made her promise not to tell Ephram. First of all, poor Ephram. His very first sexual encounter results in a baby. BAAAD luck. Second of all, poor Madison. She is in NO way ready to raise a child. I see Madison as very scatterbrained, very flighty. She doesn't know exactly what she wants, so she just sort of goes along making decisions only when forced to, governed by her feelings and not her sense. Give an insecure 20-year-old and a 16-year-old a newborn child to worry about, and there goes the neighborhood. One more thing: what a smug git you are, Andy! And this is only if I'm right and she is pregnant, which I'm not sure about since I missed most of it. *pants* That being said, it is 3 in the morning and again I cannot sleep. This is getting to be a pattern . . . bad bad bad. Need a JOB like yesterday . . . especially if I'm going to make that idea I've been toying with happen in a sooner rather than later fashion.

GAH I CAN'T SLEEP!

Therefore, 1. What books are your comfort reading--the ones you slink back to in times of stress? The Harrys, mostly. Pride and Prejudice. I think "A Great and Terrible Beauty" is going to become a comfort book also.What was your favorite book as a child, and why? I don't remember why, but I really loved "Danny and the Dinosaur" by Sid Hoff when I was very young. What was your favorite book as an adolescent, and why? "The Silver Kiss" by Annette Curtis Klause, because I love vampires, especially blond ones. Read it when I was 14 and I still love it.What is the most unread category of books gathering dust on your bookshelf--the books you've bought but just never get around to reading? Hmmm . . . well, I don't usually buy a book unless I'm racking up insane charges at the library on it, but one book I bought and haven't read yet is "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander. I'll get around to it someday.What kind of books would you like to say you read, but never do? Books by people like Herman Wouk and Thomas Wolfe, and also Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath. Again, I'll get around to them someday.What's the oddest book you've ever read? Almost all of the postmodern books I read for my Postmodern Novel class two years ago. I just don't get postmodernism.What book were you never able to get through,despite the recommendations of people you respect? Oh God . . . several. Um . . . Jude the Obscure, Catcher in the Rye, The Mill on the Floss, Watership Down, Frankenstein (I could go on).What's the book it took you a couple of tries to get into, but was as good as promised once you finally made it? The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I started The Hobbit four or five times, but kept getting hung up at the troll scene. The sixth time I kept at it, and loved it. Then I read Fellowship pretty easily, got stuck in the middle of Two Towers, then waited a long time before reading Return of the King (and oh was I glad I did).What's your favorite short story--or do you even have one? I have one. It's called "Argentine", it's by Ellen Steiber, and it's in "The Essential Bordertown: A Traveller's Guide to the Edge of Faerie", edited by Terri Windling and Delia Sherman. LOVE LOVE LOVEThe desert island. Three books (and collected works don't count. If you want the Lord of the Rings it'll cost you all three slots). Go:1. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen3. Rose Daughter, Robin McKinleyYay, that was fun. And helpful . . . I'm actually tired now. Goodnight!

Recent shopping, idleness, and a contribution from my rich dream life

Spent way too much money recently on the Chamber of Secrets soundtrack, a Best of Bowie compilation album which ROCKS, and a Love Actually DVD. So YAY for graduation money. Still no jobs on the horizon yet, but I'm turning in an application tomorrow, and no newspaper is safe from my pawing little hands. I've been spending my days cleaning the house out of boredom, watching Dark Shadows videos and HGTV intermittently, and cooking strange and unusual things which I then eat sitting cross-legged in front of the TV. Tea is being consumed at an alarming rate, I've had lovely milk baths each week for the last three weeks, and my legs actually got shaved today.In other words, I am bored.I've been dreaming a lot, though, since I'm sleeping longer than usual. The other night I had a fucking fantabulous dream about Viggo Mortensen which I am going to share with you all because I'm nice like that. I think I'll use an LJ cut, though, to spare all those who don't really give a crap about my nocturnal fantasies. . . here you go.I was dreaming that I was climbing up a ladder for some odd reason with a friend of mine, and we were carrying an unconscious Viggo dressed up as Aragorn (like in TT), a circumstance about which we were oddly calm. We were discussing religion, of all things, and when we got to the top of the ladder, we laid Viggo down and went to sit in some armchairs. Viggo (having lost his Aragorn outfit on the way) followed and we sat down. Conversation:Me: Isn't is sad how people hate Christmas?Friend: You hate Christmas?Me: Not at all, I love Christmas, but some people don't.Viggo: I don't.Me: See?Friend: But it brings people from other religions together . . .(Viggo and I look at each other, confused)Friend: It's like a tri-religion holiday, there's something for everyone.Me: Not necessarily for everyone . . .(Viggo leans forward, trying to reach something behind me. I try to give him his space, but he stops, very close to me)Viggo: Red hair . . .Me: (surprised) Yes.Viggo: It's nice to meet you.Then he leans forward as if to kiss my cheek, so I turn my cheek so he can and close my eyes. He does kiss my cheek, but then he presses his lips very softly to my lips so quickly that the only way I know he did it is that I can still feel it when I open my eyes, and he's smiling crookedly at me. At which point I wake up from the shock of it.Eee. So yeah. I'll be back in if anything interesting happens in my life (not likely). Toodles!

Death by Orlando Bloom

o_O(found on eiluned 's LJ)I don't much like the straight hair, but those black and white photos are beautiful. *drool* I'm all about the facial hair, though. *stares**drools**fantasizes*Oh yes, I forgot . . . *dies*

Penny and me like to roll the window down . . .

WAAH . . . I can't sleep, so I figure I should come and gush about the new Hanson CD Underneath, as you do.*gushes*I'm so proud of them for forming their own label and releasing their music on their own terms . . . eat that, Island Def Jam! *makes rude gesture at Hanson's old label* Favorite songs: "Lost Without Each Other" and "Believe"SOOO beautiful . . . I've waited four years for new Hanson, and their new album came out the week after I graduated from college. Best present ever, IMHO.I really should go to sleep now. *dawdles*