Weddings are Ruining My Nerdiness

I have a small confession to make.  It's not major, and it's probably not a secret, but (looks around furtively) I am a nerd.  Yeah, I said it.  And you know what?  I'm darn proud of my nerdiness, and the fact that I know that David Tennant is actually Scottish and grew up watching Doctor Who and married the girl who played his daughter, who is actually also the actor who played the 5th Doctor's daughter. And that I know that Benedict Cumberbatch is playing Smaug in the Hobbit, which stars his Sherlock costar Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, and that I know that Han shot first.  I'm quite proud of this nerdiness.  But only recently have I become the kind of nerd who actually looks for conventions of her favorite shows to go to.  Yes, I admit it.  I looked up if there was a Doctor Who convention and a Supernatural convention in my town.  And you know what?  THERE ARE!!

So because I've been a closet nerd until the last year or so (a shorter amount in some cases) (*cough* Supernatural fan in less than a month *cough*), I've acquired quite normal friends, who do indulge my nerdiness and embrace it along with all my other quirky qualities.  Along with these friends come normal activities, such as weddings, and events that go along with weddings, like bachelorette parties and the like.  Now I'm quite excited to be involved in the weddings I am this year.  Don't get me wrong.  But I will admit that it broke my heart a little to see that the Doctor Who convention takes place the same weekend as my bestie since first grade's wedding.  Not hugely, but a small bit of me sighed a deep bitter sigh.  This was quite a few weeks ago, and I didn't think anything of it until yesterday, when I went searching for the Supernatural convention in my town.  Guess when it takes place.  That's right, the same weekend as my other friend's bachelorette party in New Orleans.  I think there's some sort of conspiracy going around to not let me be as completely fangirl as I truly wish to be.  This one broke my heart quite a bit more, mainly because well, have you SEEN Supernatural?  Do you KNOW how hot Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are?  Yeah.  That's why.  *Bitter Sigh*

Why can't I be a complete nerd fangirl?  Why?

Startin' Something

This was yesterday's NaBloPoMo prompt, but I'm going to write about it today.  It's all about 'Starting Something'.  And I'm usually pretty good about starting things, it's the follow-through  I have an issue with.  But I'm starting something new here in my own life.  I'm branching out, trying new things, taking control of my own destiny.  I'm starting small with auditions for shows, like I did a few weeks ago, and like I will be doing soon for a musical (eek!), and moving up to bigger things like losing weight, which I am starting today by downloading awesome inspiring rock music (that yes I did pull from Supernatural, shut up) and going for a walk around my local lake, which is right down the street from my apartment.  I'm going to get up, and I am going to do things, and I am going to try my best to fly high, even if I fall miserably.  What can it hurt?

Screw you Daylight Savings Time

Whoever came up with Daylight Savings Time is a mean mean mean person.  I understand that it means that it's lighter in the evening, and therefore it's like the days are longer, and trust me I like that in the summer.  But the whole being dark when I wake up (at 7AM, mind you) I totally am not a fan of.  Just like I'm not a fan of not being able to fall asleep until midnight because my body thinks it's 11 pm.  Totally and completely not a fan.  Now I'm exhausted and cranky, and I wish I would adjust to this better. Otherwise the next few days are going to be a huge pain in the ass.

Owning vs Renting

The first thing people notice when they walk into my apartment is how clean it is (because I spent the last day and a half cleaning it knowing full well that people would be coming over) (please don't surprise visit me with at least a text or phone call.  You don't know what you'll be walking into!).  The second thing they notice is my DVD collection.  It's quite expansive and people always seem surprised that I have so many movies and TV shows in this day and age where you can rent movies for a dollar, or have them on demand, or watching Netflix and Hulu at the click of a remote.  Don't get me wrong, I love my Netflix, and I'm a big fan of Hulu as well.  Anything that lets me watch TV continuously I have no issue with.  However, I love to own DVDs of my favorite shows and movies, because there's so much more you can learn when you watch them over and over again.  Plus have you SEEN blooper reels?  They're hilarious!  And interviews, and commentary and extras.  I'm a big fan of the extras.  For example, did you know that Alex O'Loughlin is Australian?  I didn't until I watched the first season of Hawaii 5-O with commentary.  And now, as some of you who have read my other posts or know me know, I am newly (sorta) obsessed with three shows: Doctor Who, Sherlock, and most recently Supernatural.  However, I don't own any of the seasons.  Like at all.  It's been purely Netflix for these bad boys, and I think that's a shame.  Because I want to hear Christopher Eccleston's thoughts on his time as the doctor, and I want to listen to Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman talk about their bromance, and I NEED to see Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki with their bloopers because frankly, those two are just flipping hilarious.  This is why I need to own, not for the shows themselves, but for the extras. I neeeeeed the extras.    

The Who Premonition

I used to be very simple in my TV choices.  I liked shows that made me laugh, or reminded me of myself.  I was not really a fan of suspenseful shows that gave me chills, the same way I am not a fan of movies that are scary.  If I'm going to watch TV, I'm going to watch something I enjoy.  Well, that changed a great deal, and I can't quite put my finger on when or why, but it did.  While I still very much enjoy shows that make me laugh (The Big Bang Theory? Pure comedy genius) and shows that remind me of myself (the only one that really comes to mind is Gilmore Girls, which I know isn't on the air anymore), I've become a huge fan of shows that challenge my beliefs and my scaredy-cat nature.  Now these shows fall into a couple of different categories: the Could be Real, and the Definitely Not Real.  Of course several shows fall into the Dear God I hope it's not real, but wouldn't it be awesome if it were? category.  But this isn't about those.  This is about the sinking feeling you get when you're watching an episode of a show at the beginning of the season and something happens and all you can think is "Oh shit that is not going to end well."  I call it the Who Premonition, mainly because I first noticed it when I was watching David Tennant as the Doctor on Doctor Who.  I knew that he left after a certain amount of time, because the show is still on, and now Matt Smith is the Doctor, but I didn't know exactly when.  Then I met Donna for the second time, and I thought "Oh no.  This is going to end with my Doctor leaving, and I'm going to be so sad!"  The Who Premonition.  I was struck with this premonition quite strongly last night as I sat watching Season Two of Supernatural (a show that falls firmly in the Not Real but wouldn't it be cool if it were? category).  Dean and Sam had just stolen a couple of SWAT guys uniforms and snuck out of a surrounded bank.  As they sat in the car, and Renegade started playing, all I could think was "Shit dudes.  This is going to end so terribly badly for you." Now I haven't gotten to the end of Season Two, mainly because I do work, and I enjoy going to bed at a decent hour, but I have all of Saturday to watch to the end and possibly some of Season Three as well.  I'll revisit this and let you know if my premonition was correct or not!        

Writing about Risks

Writing about risks is hard for me.  I tend to talk all big about things and then chicken out at the last minute.  Which is how I ended up at a dive bar in Lago Vista listening to a (crappy) local country artist rather than at Moma's hanging out with an awesome band I had met the night before during SXSW 2007. Or I take the risk and it turns out badly.  Which is how I fractured my ankle freshman year (I fell off a rock wall which I had been dared to climb in my bare feet).  Risks haven't really worked out all that well for me either way. So this month's NaBloMo theme is a tough one for me.  Like today's topic, a risk that paid off.  Well I don't really know any risks that I've taken that have paid off.  At least not major ones.  I suppose that going to a college where I didn't know a soul was a risk, and that paid off big time.  I met so many amazing people in my life that I would never have met had I gone to the other school I was considering.  I suppose moving out of my former living residence three months before the (unofficial) lease was up was a risk, and it paid off, in that I now live (happily) on my own and there was no back splash from my former landlord.  I suppose those things are risks.  But I guess what holds me up is that I tend to think of risks as something that has either a good major consequence or a bad major consequence.  Not little things that have mediocre good or bad endings.

Risks and Rewards

Risks and Rewards.  It's an interesting topic to write about for my first post of March, because I'm not a risk-taker.  I tend to shy away from major scary risks, which means I probably miss out on a bunch of cool rewards.  However in my more mature age, I have come to the realization that everything is a risk.  Everything we do or don't do is taking a risk of some sort, and while some of the risks come with consequences, some come with benefits or rewards.  Why would we not strive for those benefits?  Personally, I'm making strides to overcome my naturally shy and scared personality to branch out and do things that I've been too timid to do in the past.  For example, I've always been too embarrassed to go out to eat by myself or go to the movies alone.  My oversocialized nature told me that it was bad that I didn't have anyone to go do that stuff with, and therefore I shouldn't do it.  However, I really thought about it, and came to the conclusion that that reasoning was RIDICULOUS.  Utterly and completely ridiculous.  Now I go to the movies by myself all the time.  I in fact enjoy it more, because people aren't trying to talk to me during and I can really pay attention to it!  The eating out thing I do as well, but with less positive results.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind eating alone, especially when I have a book to read, but there are times when I feel funny sitting at a table all by myself.  However, it is a risk I have taken, and I'm glad I have!  Branching out can be fun!