Greetings for the new blog and a lot of rambling about books and t.v.

Note: This is from a new blog, on ning.com, but since I can never let go of things and because people still read this blog (hopefully), I'm going to post whatever I post there on here. The beginning part doesn't make sense on here, since this isn't a new blog, but whatever, the rest will! - Katie 

Yay, new school year, new blog! This is quite exciting, although I'm not sure that I know how to work ning yet or if this post will even show up in the right place, but whatever, it's my first blog! So, I'm not sure what to write about. I mean, I have ideas, I always have ideas, but I don't know if I should do the typical "Hi-my-name-is-Katie-and-this-is-my-blog-read-it-it'll-be-great!" post or if I should just jump right in and start writing something about a topic that isn't me. Hmmm, decisions, decisions. Oh, I guess I'll do somewhat of both. I'm just going to write a few little blurbs about stuff, which I guess will somehow tell you a little bit about me. Yes! This is an excellent plan! Let's go...

Okay, so first off, I feel the need to talk about last night's television shows. Because they were AWESOME. The first episode of Glee was on last night. Well, I guess it would be the second episode, since technically, the pilot premiered back in May, but like, the first of the weekly episodes. Yes, no longer having to wait months for a new episode. Oh my goodness, so very excited about this show. I mean, anything vaguely related musical theatre usually would receive a similar response but this show is just so smart and witty. I cannot wait to see more! Oh, I almost forgot, the music is fabulous. Click here for an example. Like super duper fabulous. And the characters are all great, except for the wife of the Glee Club's leader. She's incredibly annoying, but otherwise, they are amazing. I think "House" may have some competition as my favorite show on Fox... Okay, this now concludes the crazed fan type rant about Glee.

Hello, my name is Katie and I am a Gleek.
Now, So You Think You Can Dance also premiered last night. And it was good, like all the past seasons, but it looks like there is going to be more tap dancers than ever before. There was a tap battle (actually, I learned last night that tappers don't battle, they trade) and it was probably definitely one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Okay, I'm sure I have more to write about... This is odd, usually I can think of all sorts of stuff to write about. I kind of feel like I should write something more serious, to balance out all the t.v. chatter, but I can't think of anything. Ugh ugh ugh, I blame it on the fact that I think I am getting sick. I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a bit of a stuffy nose. And I'm tired... which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, considering I got plenty of sleep last night, my full 8 hours. Getting sick, getting a cold, reminded me that it's almost Autumn! I like the word Autumn better than Fall, I don't really know why, I just think it sounds better. I think it's kind of starting to cool off, or maybe I'm sicker than I realize and have a high fever, complete with hallucinations. Maybe It's just that feeling, like you can smell Autumn in the air. This is my favorite time of the year, when it's not too cold or hot and everything is all crisp and earth tone-y. And Halloween and Thanksgiving are my two favorite holidays of the year. Halloween, in particular, is great. I love the chance to dress up and wear a fabulous costume. I don't care what anyone says, I will never ever be too old to wear a Halloween costume. All this talk of Halloween has reminded me of my favorite Halloween book ever written... THE HALLO-WEINER! This book is fun stuff. It's about a dog, a dachshund, who's mom makes him dress up like a hot dog and all of his friends tease him about it. But do not worry, it is a children's book, so it does have a happy ending! You can click here for more about it.

Awwwwww! Can you see why I love this book? Isn't he super cute?
My other favorite children's book is called Lyle Lyle Crocodile and it's about a crocodile that lives in New York City. What's not to love? You can actually read almost the entire book here.

Hey, Lyle and Oscar look kind of similar... I never realized that!
Well, I guess that concludes blog #1! It turned out just a bit longer than I thought it was going to, but oh well, it was loads of fun to write. And, I bet you guys did learn some new things about me. Let's recall what we learn...

New thing learned about Katie:
- She likes Glee, So You Think You Can Dance, and House. All of which happen to be on Fox. But, she still thinks NBC is the best network. (I'm adding things in now...)
- Likes Autumn, not Fall, the best
- Likes Halloween and Costumes.
- Enjoys children's books with long, close to the ground main characters
- Currently doesn't feel well
- And, really really really loves to make lists, like this one. (That's not exactly breaking news. ha. ha. ha.)

So, that's it! And now, I get to read a science article and do some more writing.

BUT, if you are looking for something else to read. Read this.

- Katie

About Me!

Okay, I realize that I already wrote an "About Me" entry right when I began this blog, but I think it's time for another one. I went back and read what I wrote before, and it didn't really give that much insight into who I am. So, here's take two. I'm going to do what I do best, and make a list. Here we go...

Katie's List of Things That She Thinks You Should Know About Her:

1. I was born on December 20, 1993 and I have lived in Winter Park for my entire life.

2. I have a lot of hair and it frustrates me to no end. Sometimes I love my hair, sometimes I hate it. Straightening my hair, depending on how thorough a job I do, takes about an hour.

3. I have two piercings in each ear. I kind of want more, but I don't really know. When I got my first hole, I tried to escape from the doctor's office. It didn't really work.

4. I watch a bunch of t.v. and read a great deal of magazines. Ask me a current pop culture question and I can probably answer it. I also watch a lot of t.v. shows, like on the History Channel and the Discovery Health Channel, and I will attempt to spout random facts at any given time. So, watch out. But, about the Discovery Health Channel. It is seriously the best television channel ever. I mean, sometimes it freaks me out and I convince myself that I have some sort of bizarre disease, but for the most part, I really like it. Especially the shows about sextuplets and other multiple births. Those are fascinating.

5. I'm prone to losing things, such as my mind. But really, I lose all sorts of stuff, like cell phones and i-pods and cameras and their power cords. Actually, maybe technology just doesn't like me. Yeah, that must be it.

6. My favorite color is green. Like, a really awful, bright, screaming chartreuse kind of green.

7. I am obsessive about most things and I worry almost constantly. Like with this list, I am going to stop at number 10. Because 10 is a nice, even, and round number. It's something I'm trying to work on.

8. I am really, really shy around people my age. Adults, I can usually talk to them without a problem, but in all other cases, I freeze. I'm afraid I'm reinforcing the idea that home-schoolers are unsocialized, despite the fact that I am not technically home schooled, an idea that I continue to attempt to explain to people all the time. Being so shy really makes performing difficult. I wish I could just get over it.

9. I cannot sing. People try to tell me that I can, but it's not true. I think I have almost successfully convinced everyone I know that I cannot sing. So now, people, like my Mom and my dance teacher, will make jokes. While I know that they are probably right, I still don't like it.

10. The last thing I think you should know about me. I'm going to do something great. I don't know what it is and I don't know how great it will be. But it will be something significant. So, look for me in the near future. How, that sounds kind of egotistical and pompous. Yay for big words!

Speak your mind.

I have a question. About speaking your mind. I've been wondering about this for a very long time. I like to consider myself a very open and understanding person. And yet, I am often the first person to get on their soapbox and start rambling about my thoughts and beliefs. So, that's my question. We hear about how it's the right thing to do. Stand up for what you believe in. Don't be afraid to have differing viewpoints. I just wonder if standing up for what you believe in can turn into attacking another group. This sounds kind of bizarre and I know it doesn't really make a lot of sense, but bear with me while I try and figure this out.

So, about me. Like I said before, I consider myself to be pretty open and accepting of most ideas. But then, the double standard comes in. There are certain things that I really, really disagree with and they can set me off. I guess that's normal, we can't all agree on everything. I just start feeling guilty when I say that I respect everyone's viewpoints, but then I get kind of angry when people disagree with me. Ah, I don't know, I don't think there is one easy answer. I just wish I could wrap my head around this idea a little bit more.

It's hard. I can't isolate myself in a world where there are people who only agree with me. Even in a group of the most open-minded people, without other people with different views, those people can become narrow minded. So, I may feel like screaming when I hear people talk about certain things, like I want to pull my hair out. I know that it's still important to be exposed to other things. And when I make assumptions about the people who have those different views, I'm no better than anyone who says that they believe in the one and only right idea.

But back to where I started, about how standing up for what you can believe can turn into an attack on other people. I don't really know what I am talking about with that statement. All I know is that it's something I feel like I've seen before. Okay, I think I may have figured it out. Maybe it's not that standing up for or expressing your beliefs can turn into attacking another group. Maybe that's a cover that people use. They can say a statement that is totally unfair and hurtful to another group's views, after they have expressed their beliefs, and then just say they were doing the same thing. I think that is the root of most of the stuff I was talking about. It's a tricky topic and there's no way I can begin to unravel how I feel about it or what the truth is in a couple of paragraphs. All I know is that there is a positive way to stand up for what you believe in, and that is what we should all keep doing.

- Katie

Haiku

#5 doesn't follow the rules... :P

#1: Blogging in Haiku's
This could be very tricky
Could this ever work?

#2: Rain is annoying
I do not like getting soaked
drip drop drip drop drip

#3: Last week of braces
Need to wear my rubber bands
I want some taffy

#4: Katie is sleepy
Goodnight moon, goodnight dear stars
I love children's books

#5: Writing is very odd
So many different rules
Like capitalization

#6: Sounds like secret code
When I write in this format
This is difficult

#7: Going out for breakfast
Makes me really quite happy
A simple pleasure

#8: Facebook stole my life
Seriously, I cannot stop
Where's the support group?

#9: Tights are very tight
I am not too fond of them
One syllable words

#10: Serious blogs, oy
They are very hard to write
Still need to do it

#11: Number eleven
7 months 'til I'm sixteen
Such an old lady

#12: Not on the topic
These poems, they should be about
Nature and the likes

#13: Wiggle lil' earthworm
Into the soft, warm, brown earth
dig down, nice and deep

#14: Carrots are crunchy
Like the bunny rabbit eats
Twitch your nose and blink

#15: Enough of nature
I am city type of girl
A cab is wildlife

#16: Interesting blog
If I do say so myself
Tell me what you think

- Katie

Music.

So, I'm trying to write more serious blogs. About stuff that I find actually important. Well, I guess I should ease my way into more serious topics. Maybe there is something in the middle of blogs about cookies and my thoughts on other things. So, I guess I'm going to start with a blog about music. Er, this is still kind of on the not so serious side of blog topics, but I'm getting there.


Okay, so music. Sometimes it really, really annoys me. I mean, I like, I love, music, but some of the music these days, the lyrics, they frustrate me. I know that I sound like such an old lady, but really, some of the music these days? What got me thinking about this was that I saw Jersey Boys yesterday. For those of you who don't know, Jersey Boys is a show about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The show was amazing, and one of the best songs in the show is "Oh What a Night." Well, this got me thinking about how far music has come, it terms of what has become socially acceptable to sing about. Some of the songs you hear on the radio these days, songs I hear 12-year-olds singing along to, they make me cringe. If you compare"Oh What a Night" to some of the popular stuff today, in a 40 year span, things have really changed. I guess that's the case with everything.

It's madness. Again, I sound like such an old person, I just can't seem to help myself. It's not that I don't like the songs that are out there today. They are really catchy. Maybe that's why I don't like them. The beat pulls you in, and pretty soon you are singing along, and then you realize what the song is actually about and you turn a lovely shade of pink. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway. While "Oh What a Night" and many of the songs out there are basically about the same things, everything that comes out today is much more graphic. And at least back then, you at least could figure out what the song was about, and then decide if you want to sing along.

Ahhh, I don't know. I think my argument is running out of steam. I just get frustrated with the stuff that is considered "cool music." I guess there is a balance, and it's all about who is listening to the music. Okay, now I feel kind of guilty, because I'm realizing that most of the stuff I just complained about can be found in some, if not a lot, of the music I listen to. I think I will need to ponder this some more. I'll think it over. Actually, I'll sleep on it. At any rate, it felt good to get this off my chest.

- Katie

Fluffy Fiction

Blah. I had a corn dog today. I didn't realize how good corn dogs are, until I had dinner today. I also had strawberry-lemon Italian ice, which is amazing. But, I don't I should write another blog about food. I mean, I know that the entry about meringue cookies was riveting, but I want to write about something different tonight. Books. I know I already made a list about my very favorite books, but in the spirit of continuing to write paragraphs instead of just lists (oh, how I love my lists), I'm going to right something different. So, since I'm 15-years-old, I usually buy books from the young adults section. While I know there are many gems to be found in this section, I often find loads and loads of books that seem to be printed with lemonade ink on paper woven from cotton candy with skittles being using for punctuation, you know what I'm talking about, fluff. Sugary books that don't really have any substance, no nutritional value. Wow, that was a bizarre sentence I just wrote, about lemonade ink and such. I think I may be but hungry right now. Well, actually, I'm not really, truly hungry. You know that feeling, where you are still full but you kind of want to eat again? That's kind of what I have going on right now. Alright, back to my opinion on teen literature. I feel that there are different levels of fluff. There's the stuff that's just plain stupid, with unbelievable plots and characters. I'm not going to add an example for two reasons, #1) I can't think of any right now, and #2) I don't want to offend anybody. There are certain levels of fluff that I can tolerate. There are books that are just for fun, cute and simple that you can read in a day. These are not the type of books that you take seriously. I'm reading a book, and I can't really tell if it's fluff or not. I don't think it is. At least, on my very scientific scale rating the fluff factor,it would get a 5.7, with 10 being "Quick, I need an insulin shot," and 1 being "Serious Squared." Anywho, I prefer books that have a bit more weight. Not to say that I won't read those fluffy, fluffy books. In fact, the short story I wrote is a teeny-weeny bit fluffy. I just wish that there was a bit of a better balance of fluff to other books at places like Borders. Now that I think about it, Barnes and Noble and the library have a lot less fluff than Borders. I wonder why that is? It's just, books don't have to be so sugary sweet and fluffy to get teens to read them. And, there are authors who have managed to blend the cutesy stuff with the real stuff. Well, I think I'm started to ramble a little bit, I'm sure this blog doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. I seriously need to blog earlier in the day. I think I'm just going to get a cheese stick, my book, and go to bed. Maybe I'll finish my book tonight, if I can find it. I don't remember where I put it down... I guess I should go look for it...

- Katie :)

More Random Musings

Seriously, I need to stop blogging so late at night. It's making me seem like a total night owl. Really, I'm not. Usually, I'm asleep by now. In fact, I was in bed. But then I realized that it was time to blog! So, what to write about... I think it's time for another twitter style post. I don't think I have the attention span right now to focus on one topic for more than a few sentences. Let's see, what do I have to say...

I went to the library today. It was a lot of fun, I hadn't been there in a while. I tend to avoid the library since I usually have large fines that need to be payed. I'm pretty rough with books, they fall into the bath tub, get lost in the car, so in the long run, it ends up being less expensive to just buy them from the store. But today, Carrie and I needed books for school assignments, so we went. Oh, I just thought of the reason why we have gone to the library the last few times, to eat. They have a cafe inside the library. And oh my goodness, they have the best lemon bars. I do realize that lemon bars are probably not the best reason to go to the library, but hey, if you tried one, you would totally understand. And, they also have the best chicken salad.

Today is my Mama's birthday! we didn't do anything really exciting, just had cake and watched Jeopardy. We may do something later in the week, but there are no set plans yet. Gosh, I'm such slack as a daughter, I didn't even get her a present. But, in my defence, she said she didn't need anything. I was extra nice to her today, and we had a bunch of fun, so I think it was a successful celebration. :)

I'm supposed to be writing a sermon-ette for church on Sunday. I'm kind of freaking out, since I have no idea what I want to say. I mean, I have a basic idea, but still nothing is really finished. I'll post it on here when it's done. it's not so much the actual writing of it that scares me, but the reading aloud in front opf people. And singing a duet. And dancing. This should be an interesting service, since it may involve be having a panic attack and/or nervous breakdown.

I'm watching The Real Housewifes of New York City right now. It's one of my new favorite shows. The ladies on it are a bit scary, but it's kind of like I can't look away. So much botox and catfights. It's crazy. They fight about the oddest stuff. My mom started watching it with me, and even she got sucked in. I just changed the channel, since Will & Grace is on now, which might rank as my favorite show of all time.

Nothing else really exciting happened this week. Oh, wait, I lied. we went to the ballet, Romeo and Juliet, on Sunday. We left like 13 minutes before it started, and got to the theater like 5 minutes after the ballet started. So, we bought our tickets, for only $20.00 for both my Mom and me, thankyouverymuch, and went in. I lterally ran through the lobby, I could hear the music playing already. So, I got to my seat, and by some sort of miracle, the curtain hadn't risen yet. So, I didn't miss a thing! And also, we were sitting in row B of the orcastra. It was beautiful, and even better, since I had just finished reading the play.

Okay, it's 11:15 now. Time for me to hit the hay. And by hit the hay, I mean go lay down and read for awhile. Hmmm, maybe I should actually go to sleep, or else I'll be really, really sleepy tomorrow. But I'm really into this book. I guess falling asleep during tennis tomorrow morning is a sacrifice I am willing to make...

- Katie :)