Boredom leads to surveys

Surveys lead to anger. Anger leads to hate.  Hate leads to suffering.

Not really. I just felt like quoting Yoda today. :P


1- Have you been asked out?
Um... once or twice.  I dodged them both, with varying degrees of smoothness.

3 - What's your middle name?
Gregory

4 - Your current relationship status?
Single

5 - What's the first thing you do when you wake up from a nap?
Go check my computer for new emails, blog comments, facebook notices, etc.

6 - What is your current mood?
Worried about school.

7 - What color shirt are you wearing?
Black under a gray zip-up jacket dealie ting.

8 - Missing something?
No?

9 - Current Favorite Quote?

12:50:45 AM Angela: I worked my ass off cooking and cleaning. 

12:51:09 AM Aaron Ross: be sure to find it before it runs away

12:51:47 AM Angela: Are you kidding?  My ass is so stupid, it wouldn't be able to find it's way out of a box.

12:51:55 AM Angela: Though, sitting is kind of complex, now.

12:52:14 AM Aaron Ross: how are your legs still connected to your torso?

12:54:45 AM Angela: I'm like Rayman.  My legs and body are connected by... magnets... or something. 

12:54:51 AM Aaron Ross: ah

12:54:52 AM Angela: My ass is purely for aesthetics.

10 - If you could go back in time and change something what would be?
Eeeesh.  I'd not say a bunch of things that I said.

11 - If you must be an animal for one day, what would you be?
Dolphin, maybe.  Or a tiger. :D

12 - Ever had a near death experience?
I think I've probably had several dozen and not known it.  Driving is dangerous when you're flipping through songs on your iPod at the same time. o_o

13 - Something you do a lot?
Procrastinate.

14 - The song stuck in your head?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSN6et9eze8

15 - Least favorite household chore?
I'm kind of at the point where I don't really "hate" any of them.  But laundry is definitely up there; it's just annoying because it needs to be done all the time. -_-

16 - Name someone with the same birthday as you?
KATE BECKINSALE. O_O (sorry for the caps; I just found that out)

17 - When was the last time you cried?
It's been a while.

18- Have you ever sung in front of a large audience?
o_O  Clearly you do not know me if you need this question answered.

19 - If you could have one super power what would it be?
Flying.  No question about it.  :)

20 - What's the first thing you notice about the opposite gender?
Approximately how closely they resemble an Elven princess. (scale of one to ten)

21 - What do you usually order from Starbucks?
I don't drink coffee, you mindless caffeine-drone!

22 - What's your biggest secret?
Um... well, I kind of [REMOVED] [REMOVED] for this [REMOVED]. I feel bad about it, because it's not my place to [REMOVED] [REMOVED] [REMOVED], and [REMOVED] not even anywhere near here.  I really need to [REMOVED] [REMOVED] [REMOVED], but I can't seem to be able to. =/

23- What's your favorite color?
Blue.

24 - Do you still watch kiddie shows or TV shows?
I watch animated series that are made for multiple age demographics, but nothing specifically aimed at children.

25 - What's on your walls?
Superman poster and... nothing else.  I like to keep a clean-looking room.

26 - What are you?
The last survivor of a distant planet, sent here to aid mankind with my amazing powers.  I'm also heir to the throne of Gondor and the Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. (starship, not aircraft carrier)

27 - Do you speak any other language?
Little bit of Sindarin.  I can also read a few other fictional alphabets, like Kryptonian and Aurebesh.

28 - What's your favorite smell?
Her perfume.

29 - Describe your life in one word!
Imaginary.

30 - Have you ever kissed in the rain?
=/

31 - What are you thinking about right now?
The last question.

32 - What should you be doing?
Not thinking about the last question.

33 - Who was the last person that made you upset/angry?
Myself.

34 - How often do you talk to God?
Not as often as I should.

35 - Do you like working in the yard?
Mowing the lawn is kinda fun.

36 - If you could have any last name in the world, what would you want?
My own last name has certain... uses.  If all goes well, I'll be able to explain that on June 3rd, 2017.

37 - What is your natural hair color?
Dark brown.

38 - Do you have many friends?
Um... I'm really not sure anymore.

39 - Who is your role-model?
Superman?  Uh... my dad?  (Jesus is too obvious an answer)

I've been TAGGED!! O_O

TAG:

Do you like to write?
Absolutely.

Favorite books?
Eeesh. Ultimate Spider-Man, Tolkien's entire Legendarium, the Star Wars expanded universe, The Zombie Survival Guide, The Harry Potter series, etc. I don't read nearly as much as I'd like to, so most of the books I read are related to movies that I like.

Do you compose music/write songs?
Erm, no.

Do you like poetry?
A little bit. I once wrote an entire short story in rhyme.

Love someone so much who made you cry?
Honestly, I can't cry when I'm alone. Don't know why. Often it's felt like I should, but I can't.

Broken a bone?
Nay!

Been in a police car?
Nope.

Been on a boat?
Yup. :)

Fallen asleep in school?
Well.... I am homeschooled, and I have definitely fallen asleep while "reading my textbook."

Did you sing today?
I actually did quietly sing the first two lines of "Go Go Power Rangers," and I hummed the Star Trek theme very loudly.

KFC, Popeyes or Church's?
KFC! Duh. :P

Chick-fil-a or What-a-burger?
Chick-Fil-A, all the way.

Starbucks or McCafe?
Um... I don't drink coffee.

What's your favorite time of year?
Late Spring/Early Summer.

Do you ever talk to yourself?
Uh. Do imaginary people count? o_o


Do you have a favorite treat you like to buy on occasion?
Plenty. I'm sure it's not healthy. :P

Do you believe the Bible is the literal Word of God and is infallible?
Aye, Captain.

What's your favorite sport?
Uhhhh... Kung Fu?

What color is your iPod?
Black.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
New York. I think it'd be awesome to live there, actually. :D

If you could go to any fictional place, where would you go?
I'd take a tour of Middle-Earth. Lothlorien, Minas Tirith, Hobbiton, the Grey Havens, etc. (if you recognized all those names, I congratulate you.)

Do you love to write or do you just like writing?
Love it, when it works correctly. :P

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Writer/Master Martial Artist/Swordmaster/Husband/Father

Favorite animal?
Wolf, maybe? No! TIGER. ^-^

Favorite song?
Evanescence - Bring Me To Life.
Though "Arise" by Flyleaf is really awesome for me right now. Especially at 2:57.

Do you like school?
Only sometimes. My priorities are totally out of whack, so I view school as a distraction. I desperately need to change that.

Are you a people person?
Um; sorta?

Do you like to talk?
Depends on the subject. I normally stay quiet, but if it's a subject that I have an opinion on, I will be very forceful with my words. If it's something that I have a moral issue with, there's nothing that can stop me from arguing to the death over it.

Favorite food?
Anything involving bread, cheese, meat, or salt. (Pizza, Burgers, Steak, Chicken, etc.)

Hobbies?
Writing, geek-subject-researching, DAYDREAMING, swordplay, podcast-listening.

Favorite author?
Erm... I don't have one anymore. =/

Favorite weapon?
The sword. Always and forever. It's more than a weapon: it's a symbol, its master's every emotion and thought metal-wrought, gleaming with passion.

Is this a fun tag, or are you getting bored?
I liked that last question. ^-^

Do you like Hannah Montana and all those girly people and movies like High school Musical?
I like Glee. That's it.

What are you scared of?
Oh, god... Uh...
Being left alone, like a social leper.
Becoming one of those fat, disgusting people who live alone and do nothing but read comic books and argue with their equally-disgusting friends about which superhero would win in a fight. I'm dangerously close to that one.
Being rejected by the one who should be my love.
Not being honorable or willful enough to live up to my potential.

Favorite flowers?
Daisies. They're the friendliest flower. (watch You've Got Mail)

What is the expression on your face?
Thoughtful, yet slightly annoyed.

Color of your eyes?
Dark brown.

Who are you going to tag and why?
Well, I don't really have anyone else to tag. :/



By the way, Kendra, I thought you might like this:
Abstractions
It's my "deep writing" blog. Where I post my non-joking, serious stuff. I don't normally link people to it (hence why it's not on my profile page), but I'd really like for you to see it. :)
My best ones (I think) are The Metal and its Master, My Desire, She Runs, Androgynous Boys Are Dangerous, and A Lonely Walk.

Lois Lane

So I've never really understood the character of Lois Lane in the past.  She's brusque, often unkind, and not always likable.  She's entertaining as a character, but I've never understood why Superman would want to be with her.

Recently, I was thinking about a certain girl, and why I like her.  See, most people talk to me with a certain level of respect or deference.  It's kind of nice.  This girl, however, doesn't.  She can be very sweet when the occasion calls for it, but she will also treat me as an equal, and humorously call me out on things when I'm wrong.  In a weird way, I really love that about her.  I love that there's someone who can prove me wrong about something, yet still remain lovable.
As I was thinking about this, it hit me:
This is why Superman likes Lois Lane.

Superman has the odd privilege of seeing two sides of Lois: the sometimes-berating Lois who works with Clark Kent, and the weak-in-the-knees Lois that loves Superman.  In this way, Lois is both an equal and a lover.  In the best Superman stories, Clark Kent is not the bumbling character seen in the Christopher Reeve films (great as they are), but a very intelligent character who uses cleverness to hide his identity, not deception.  (Watch the video below)



Lois and Clark are equals.  Clark doesn't really get that from anyone else.  Everyone else in the world literally looks up to Superman in awe; Lois is the only woman in the world who treats him like a real person.  This makes perfect sense, since Clark is a generally humble person who wouldn't want a girl that just fawned over him all the time.  And, in addition, he still gets to see her more vulnerable, ultra-feminine side every time he saves her from something.

So yeah; I finally get it.  After all these years, Lois Lane's place in the Superman mythos finally makes sense to me.

Granted, the girl that inspired this revelation is nowhere near as rough as Lois, but maybe that's a good thing.  Still, I do have the dilemma of being romantically invisible, so I've got the Clark Kent side of things down pretty well.  Now I just need to figure out the Superman angle...

Memory

So I'm going to attempt to start something among my blogger-friends.
I want you all to post photos of objects that have great sentimental value for you.  Maybe throw in a few family/friends photos as well.

I'll start.

If you've been paying attention to recent posts, you'll recognize my desk.

Way down at the bottom of the picture is Kira, the first computer I ever built from scratch.  I actually bought the parts and put them together, with no prior knowledge of how to build a computer.  I never quite got her to run perfectly (the motherboard I got was really cheap), but she's my baby.  One day I'll rebuild her, better and faster.

To the immediate left of my desk is my bookshelf.  On it, you can see the three pillars of DC Comics: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.  Below, I've got shelves of book-geekery, including such titles as The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future, Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, and four hardcover volumes of Ultimate Spider-Man.
You might also notice a pile of swords and lightsabers stashed in the space between my shelf and my desk.

Yet another step to the left, a Superman shield poster adorns the back of my bedroom door.  There's a gash in it from when a couple friends of mine accidentally slashed it with a plastic sword, but I don't really care.

This is my Master Replicas Force FX Luke Skywalker Lightsaber.  I named her Shelley.  =D

This is an assortment of random little objects that mean something to me.

Going in chronological order...

This was a wallet that I got as a "toy" in a kids' meal at Wendy's when I was seven.  It was actually a really good wallet that served me well for many years.

This is a bouncy/flashy ball that I got when I was ten.  I took it on my first-ever family road trip (to California), and I always get a really weird sense of warmth and comfort when I look at it.

This is perhaps the one that means the most to me.  It's a note that my friend Emily wrote to me after my dad died in 2004.

Basically, she wrote that she was praying for me, and that she was always there if I needed encouragement.  It was the first time that I think I understood that I had friends who really loved me.  (Even if she didn't explicitly say it)  Emily and I had a kind of silent caring friendship afterward that I really treasured.

This was the CPU to my first PC. (not Kira, but the one that my dad had given me before I'd built Kira.)  I guess there's nothing special about it; I just like the idea of still owning the "heart" of my first PC.

Yet another thing that Emily gave me; a souvenir from when she and her family went to Disneyland.  It's a personalized "passport" from the Star Tours ride.  It's pretty cool, since it's basically a physical link between me and the Star Wars universe. (yes, I am a geek. I know.)

This is a keychain from the driving school that I went to while on Summer vacation in Wisconsin.

This is a broken penny. It was fired through a machine down at NASA's visitor center in Houston.  That was a fun trip; it was basically a field trip / road trip for my homeschool co-op.

BWAHAHA! I have now posted pictures of my former peers on the internet! The stalkers will come for them soon. o_o

This is a page that was added to my co-op's comedic version of Macbeth.  What was funny about it was that it was completely false.  While the rest of the cast were going to follow this page, a buddy and I had conspired with our teacher to actually throw in a super-climactic lightsaber battle.  For no other reason than I wanted to have an awesome lightsaber battle. (if I could find the pictures of it, I'd upload them)

Lastly, this is a photo from my senior prom. (Yes, homeschoolers have proms.)
It wasn't exactly my favorite event, but I'm still really glad that I went.  It's hard to explain.

Well, that's it.  I've probably got more, but that's it for tonight.
Feel free to leave many personal and normally-intruding question-comments; I'm in the mood for nostalgia anyway.

Intolerance, hypocrisy, and other stuff

On a forum that I frequent, this post came up:

I had to remove a couple people from Facebook. I don't care if you are a Christian or not, but if all you are going to do is quote scripture goodbye. I don't care about your politics either, and if all you are going to do is post one sided "news stories", then goodbye.

I friend people because I:

A. know them in real life

B. want to know what's going on in heir lives

not because I wanted to be preached at. F**k anybody who does that.

This is very representative of what I feel is mass hypocrisy on the part of many secular Americans.  They get offended at mere quoting of scripture (not even specifically at anyone, no less), yet call Christians "intolerant."

It's like the whole "you're so hateful, I hope you burn and die" argument.  It's hypocritical, intolerant, and ignorant.  More than that, it's hateful.  It's one thing to disagree; it's another to react viciously to the mere mention of something other than your own belief (or lack thereof).

Stupid, stupid, stupid people.
Ugh.

Legend of the Seeker

Legend of the Seeker is the TV series adaptation of the Sword of Truth fantasy novel series.  When it premiered, it had an EXTREMELY cheesy pilot episode that had literally the most derivative plotline I have ever seen.  Seriously.
Despite its relative terribleness, the show had potential.  At the very least, it could be described as "a bunch of hot people fighting with swords."  Which is cool.
Since the entire first season was put up on Hulu last Summer (and no, it's not still there. =( ), I decided to watch more of the show.
At episode #8, something odd happened: the show got good.  Despite the fact that the plot revolved around leather-clad female dominatrixes (is that redundant?)—which should be the first indication that the show is cheap and pandering—the underlying themes of pain, loyalty, and self-sacrifice were surprisingly well-expressed.
From that point, the entire show kept a certain level of depth that was comforting.  Nothing too mind-blowing, but a little bit above average.  Definitely enough for my swordfight-loving mind to be satisfied.

Season 2's premiere just aired tonight.
At this point, I feel like I should get on my knees and thank God.
This show is seriously amazing.
This season is practically dripping with depth, has the best action seen yet, and appears to have production values that rival the most expensive shows on television.

Y'see, there was always a part of me that wanted to love Legend of the Seeker.  The main character, Richard Cypher, is pretty much the archetypal hero.  He's a young man whose home was burned down by evil forces, then discovered that he was the fabled hero who would defeat an evil dark lord and bring peace to the land. (see what I mean about the derivativeness?)  What I really like about Richard, though, is that he's got a good heart.  He can instinctively seek out the truth, and is driven by his compassion for others.  You don't see too many heroes like that on TV these days, so it's refreshing.  On top of that, his swordfighting style is exactly like mine (as I imagine it would be).
For those who don't know, I spend quite a bit of my free time choreographing swordfights in my head.  When I daydream, a sword is almost always involved.  When I listen to music, I often judge it by how well it would work as background music for a swordfight. (overly emotional alternative rock and metal work best)  And when I watch Richard fight, it's like I'm actually in the show, guiding his movements.  It's weird, but also really fun.

So yeah. I love this show now. :D

Desk

I am a genius.

Let me explain.


So I have this computer desk. It's a tower corner desk. It looks something like this one below:

It doesn't look anywhere near as nice as that one, but it's the same basic design.  The main difference is that on my desk, there's another smaller shelf above the one you see the monitor sitting on in that picture.   It's supposed to hold the monitor up at eye level, but it only creates problems for me.  Here's why:

I got a new Macbook for Christmas last year.  I love it.
The problem is that it's longer than the distance between the end of the monitor shelf and the end of the main "desk" shelf.  So essentially, my desktop was too short for my Macbook to fit.  As anyone who's ever used a laptop will know, it's always easier to use a desk than your actual lap.

So today I had an idea.  "Why not just take the monitor shelf out entirely?!"
So that's what I did.
=D

I now have enough room for both my Macbook and my PC monitor.  As an added bonus, I can now hook up my PC's sound system to my Macbook, and have awesome sound.  W00T!

Hero

People often ask me why I have such an interest in stories of heroism. Superman has long been a fictional idol of mine, and my favorite fantasy characters are always the ones with innate traits of heroism.

In part, it's because they portray ideals that I believe in: selflessness, compassion, and strength through fear.
In truth, however, it all comes down to one simple fact:
The hero gets the girl.

That's all I've ever wanted.