Hello from a jar of Nutella and a giant wooden spoon. Do you guys ever think about what to blog about early in the week, come up with something sort of profound or deep or at least worth thinking about...and then it gets to your blog day and you either forget or you're just kind of "oh naw?" I think that's what happened to me today. I was going to take off on this whole philosophical rant about hypocrisy and indecision, but then I was like, "Hmm, maybe I'll do funny quotes from my professors instead." So, without further ado, here are a few quotes from the professors I've had over the years that I have found very entertaining. (Oh, and even if you know who said these or what class it was, please don't comment. I wouldn't want any of my professors to be identified by saying these things, even if they are hilarious and awesome.)

Things You Hear in Film/English Classes:
“[Mumblecore films] are just movies made by twenty-something hipsters who are too busy shopping at Urban Outfitters to write a script.”

“Crocodile Dundee would punch you in the face.”

“Colonial ambivalence is like when you’re dating a person and you realize it’s not working out, but it’s so easy to stay in the relationship, but it’s kinda meh.”

“Hardee’s: Nutritional Terrorism. Get it before it gets you.”

“The second act is like the desert where screenplays go to die.”

“Lonesome Rhodes is like a wiser Justin Bieber.”

“That’s what happens when you write articles on torture porn.”

“Brundlefly uses his newfound hypermasculinity to neuter Beard Guy.”

“He tells his problems to the monkeys. If you go to grad school, you’ll probably be like this, too.”

“This was explanatory but not satisfactory...we’re all going to die from Redneck Torture Zombies.”

“Mary Poppins could magically get the dead children out of the chimneys.”

“Now your iPod is made by a nine-year-old Oliver in China.”

“I’m sure [Queen] Victoria was guzzling vodka behind the scenes after she got out of her corset.”

“Why are we killing people?!? This is not the Hunger Games!”

“People love stories about creepy people.”

“Maybe your Google is racist.”

“If [Bill Sikes from Oliver Twist] had grown up in the country and listened to a lot of Alan Jackson, he would have turned out fine.”

“I’m actually really glad that guy got eaten by a bear.”

“The baby ones, if you throw them in the fire, they crackle more.”

Professor: “What’s going on today?”
Student: “It’s Friday.”
Professor: “Thank you, Rebecca Black.”

“Sorry we exterminated you. Can we buy this dreamcatcher?”

On getting older: “I think it’s fine until you’re Jesus’ age. Then you start thinking you could’ve done more with your life.”

“Nobody wears an orange jumpsuit for fun.”

“What is reality, and who wants to see Kennedy get shot?”

And then there's the most infamous:
“It’s a good idea not to marry too young in the creative writing business. You’ve gotta sleep your way to the top. It works the same way with film.”

Yay for taking things out of context! I really do like all of these professors, though. I'm not making fun of them, just sharing what you guys missed by not taking their classes. Do you have any funny professor quotes? Share them in the comments!
And now for other random things...

Blogging about Jennifer Lawrence because Rachael suggested it!
This is a story about Jennifer Lawrence...

In other news...

• I've decided to continue with the CE/T (thesis) track in the Honors College. Yay...? I hope it won't be awful. I'm either going to write a screenplay or a...some kind of fiction-y goodness that's not a screenplay. Or make a movie. Or something. I have two ideas for stories, but they're like novel-y ideas. I don't really see either one as a screenplay at this point. I could write a novella...People have done that for a thesis before.

Look what I just learned on Wikipedia:
Novel = over 40,000 words
Novella =  17,500 to 40,000 words
Novelette = 7,500 to 17,500 words
Short story = under 7,500 words

• The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was so EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! today. I just felt the need to tell you. lol. I just kind of flailed and squeed for a while. Ahg! The end! :)
• Speaking of ALL THE FEELINGS, I finished reading The Madness Underneath. And. I just. I can't even.  I can't talk to you guys about it yet, either, but LAJFD;LAJSD;FAHS;DOFIAJ;F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jill's reading it now. Sara, you could be next IF you watch Serenity! Yay bribery!
• Buried treasure, guys!!!!!! If you watch SourceFed, you probably already know about this. But Jill alerted me to it today, and YOU GUYS THIS IS THE QUEST WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! And by "we" I guess I mean "me." Actually, back in high school, I used to frequent this online treasure hunting forum and I learned about all kinds of lost treasures. I tried to get my friends and family in on it. I wanted to actually go to these places and hunt for the hidden riches, not for the sake of getting rich, necessarily, but for the adventure of it all. But nothing I learned about has been as legit as this! This is a guy living now, saying "I buried a treasure." It's real! Well...I mean, he has been under investigation for grave robbing and stuff, but this treasure must be legit. Really. Let's go. Let's find it! Here, have some more information. Read the poem. What do you think the clues point to? Leave your theories in the comments

Movies of the Month
It's March tomorrow! And in honor of a new month, here are my recommendations for March's new releases:

Oz The Great and Powerful (March 8)
As you can probably tell from the title, it's a Wizard of Oz spin-off type thing, revolving around a magician (James Franco) who travels to a magical land and gets the chance to become a powerful wizard. Or something. It's a Disney film from the producers of the recent live action Alice in Wonderland, which was really good, in my opinion. From the trailer, Oz looks to be intriguing and whimsical. It's going to be offered in 3D, of course, but even in 2D it seems to be a movie that's worth seeing on the big screen. 
Also starring: Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, Zach Braff, Michelle Williams

Upside Down (March 15)
Dystopian world? Check. Cool sci-fi other planet stuff ? Check. Forbidden love affair between pretty people? Check. Said pretty people on another planet defying the big, bad government that's trying to keep them apart? Double check.
Basically, this movie has a lot of elements that are right up my alley. Plus it looks visually stunning and well produced. It's also really interesting that the main characters are named Adam (Jim Sturgess) and Eden (Kirsten Dunst), and they're separated. And there's falling. Just saying, it could be interesting to see what they do with that. 

The Host (March 29)
But...but...It's based on a novel by the same author as Twilight....It's about aliens inhabiting human bodies....It's got a cheesy looking love triangle. Say it isn't so!
Yeah, okay, BUT the trailer actually makes it look really exciting and interesting. And there are aliens, and car chases, and Diane Kruger, and fighting for freedom! It's obviously a big budget film with a high production value. So it will at least look cool. And it seems like the story could go either way. It could be awesome, or it could be kinda meh. But in a hypothetical world where I'm not too cheap to go to the movies, I'd give it a chance.

Honorable Mention (or, It Makes Me Sad When Movies I Don't Want to See are Full of Actors I Love): 
Jack the Giant Slayer (March 1): Okay, it looks kinda dumb, really. But it has such a good cast! I mean, Ewan McGregor is almost reason enough to see it. But also Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, Nicholas Hoult....And maybe "dumb" is a harsh descriptor. I'm sure it's a fun movie.
Stoker (March 1): This looks creepy and disturbing, and I'm not even really recommending it. I just want the world to know that Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Mia Washikowska, and Dermot Mulroney are in a movie together and it should be awesome, but it's this instead. :/  I mean, it looks unique, and possibly interesting, just not for me.

Speaking of which, do you guys ever just want to watch a movie because it has an amazing cast? Is it just me?  Like, there's this movie coming out in November called August: Osage County. Who knows if it will be any good? It doesn't sound all that fascinating. But, you guys...the cast! Benedict Cumberbatch. Ewan McGregor. Julia Roberts. Meryl Streep (who will probably have an affair in the movie because she does that just about as often as Sean Bean dies). Abigail Breslin. And Dermot Mulroney (Okay, I don't even know anything about him, but I know my mom really likes him, and that's why I keep mentioning him).
Hey, what about you? Who's your dream movie cast? Tell me in the comments!

Okay, one last thing about movies....This looks really good:

Unfortunately, I have no idea when it's coming to theaters. Aaaaand, neither do the filmmakers from what I gather.

Now it's time for Song of the Week! (Sorry Amber, I stole your feature!)
Yes, it's One Direction. But come on, it's for charity. And the PRIME MINISTER is in the video! Actually, that's really why I like it so much. Not a huge fan of their cover of the song. But the Prime Minister! That's just kind of funny.

Aaaand here's a better song: George Blagden's cover of Ed Sheeran's "This."

Can I just marry him, please? <3

Okay, long blog ends here. Gotta grab a sandwich before fencing!
Love,
A.B.

Hello from Let's try this again.
So Oscar night is over, and we already know who rocked the red carpet *coughJenniferLawrencecough* but who failed to?
If I sound harsh, just remember that these people planned for MONTHS what they were going to wear and how they were going to do their hair, etc.
My Worst Dressed list (1 being the worst):

7) Helen Hunt: HH's inexpensive (for Hollywood) dress would have fit in at prom instead of the red carpet and it was WRINKLED!

6) Melissa McCarthy: The gathering detail just hit her in the wrong place--at her hips instead of the smallest part of her body (the waist). But I do like the sparkly detail at her shoulder and cuffs.

5) Brandi Gransville: This dress would have been SOOO much better if you had covered your boobs!!

4) Noami Harris: whoa,whoa,whoa...we don't want to see that---your slit is WAY to long. In fashion, you're only suppose to emphasis one part of your body at a time to avoid looking like a street walker. i.e. if you want to showcase your legs with a slit, have a more modest neckline.

3) Mark Ruffalo's wife Sunrise Coigney: .....ummm...yeah. Maybe it could have been saved if the bodice was tighter and shorter, but I don't think it would have been red carpet suitable.

2) Kristen Stewert: The only reason why this dress is not my worst dressed pick is because the dress itself is really pretty; K Stew just wore it really badly. It didn't fit right and her hair is just...bad.
MONTHS!!!

1) My worst dressed pick....Anne Hathaway: Sorry AH, but it's because you had SOOO much potential and THIS is what we get? Your dress is boxy,  has messed up darts (the things that are pointing at your boobs), your bow is super messy, and your necklace doesn't go exactly with the outfit (from the back look). Plus, the whole dress looks like it's trying to hard to have all these nice details that don't go together.....bleh, sorry about the rant, I had to get it out.

On the upside Anne, your performance dress was SUPER pretty.

The end.
*sigh*

Hello from weebly killed my beautiful blog...twice. I was almost finished both times too...you might get a real blog tomo---I mean eventually. No promises.

Hello from Amy’s birthday! Yay Amy!!! And so in honor of Amy, and certainly because I can’t think of anything else to talk about, today’s topic is pandas! Yay pandas! So after extensive research (also known as Wikipedia), welcome to the Wonderful World of Pandas!

What is a panda?

Apparently, at least in the Western world, panda was originally used to refer to the adorable little red panda, even though it is much less well known now. That’s why people will often refer to the black and white panda as a giant panda or panda bear- to differentiate between the two species. Both animals are native to Asia, mostly China, and they actually have a lot in common, which I’ll talk about later, even though it has been determined that they are not very closely related. And they’re just so super adorable!

Biology

Most of you know the basics of what a panda bear looks like- big, black and white fur, fluffy. More specifically, the panda bear can grow to be four to six feet tall and weigh several hundred pounds. It has distinctive black patches over its eyes, ears, and body that contrast with its otherwise white fur, although a certain subspecies has been known to be dark and light brown instead. It has been conclusively determined that the panda bear is, in fact a bear, though very different from most other bears.

The red panda, in contrast, is pretty small, typically growing only to a couple feet in length. It has red fur with black stripes on its tail and elsewhere. The red panda was originally considered to be a bear like the giant panda, but advances in biology have since changed its classification. Basically, scientists had trouble figuring out what exactly the red panda was for quite a while. it exhibits a lot of catlike qualities, being only slightly larger than the typical house cat and displaying certain catlike behaviors, such as licking itself clean when it wakes up. It also looks a bit like a red raccoon, but genetic testing has shown that the red panda is not really close to any of these animals. It eventually ended up getting its own family, Ailuridae, distinguishing it from any of these other animals, though it is most closely related to such mammals as weasels, skunks, and raccoons.

Food

Both kinds of pandas are fairly similar when it comes to food, in that their diets tend to consist mostly of bamboo. Giant pandas almost literally only eat bamboo- it comprises about 99% of their diets- while red pandas eat about 2/3s bamboo. Accordingly, both animals are mostly herbivorous, also eating smaller quantities of other plants. They are, however, also known to eat small animals and eggs when they get the chance. It is actually the giant panda’s diet that causes its distinct round appearance. Neither species is very good at digesting cellulose, meaning that they don’t get very much energy from the bamboo they eat. Because of this, eating is basically all they do (aside from sleeping). Giant pandas especially have to keep their stomachs full in order to have enough energy to live. Their large, round shapes are an adaptation to minimize energy usage, typical of a slow metabolism. Neither animal does much aside from eating and sleeping, as I said. Though they have to move around to get to new bamboo shoots, giant pandas will avoid slopes that are too steep in order to conserve energy. Basically, Amy would make the perfect panda.

Babies!

Both of these species also share a fairly low natural birthrate, with the giant panda’s being the lower of the two. Because of this, the giant panda is considered an endangered species, and even the red panda is considered vulnerable. Part of the reason for their low birth rates is the fact that both species live fairly solitary lives, with individual animals defending their own territories from others of the same species. Members of either species only really come together to mate once a year.

Giant pandas have been especially worrisome in efforts to raise their population, because their already low birth rate is often even lower in captivity, with the animals showing almost no interest in mating in zoos. Many captive pandas are therefore born through artificial insemination, though specialists are now starting to better understand mating habits and encourage natural reproduction more, which can occur at a rate of one baby every two or so years.

The red panda actually adapted pretty well to zoo life, and so it hasn’t given the same difficulties with reproduction. Red panda mothers can give birth to up to four babies at a time, though one or two is more common, every year and a half or so. Both species, due to their solitary nature, tend to have only the mother caring for the young.

After being born, wild panda bears can be expected to live around 20 years and captive animals will live more like 30, while wild red pandas live up to ten years in the wild and closer to fifteen in a zoo.

Zoos

I was pretty sad to find out that, although red pandas are fairly common in zoos across the world, giant pandas are far rarer. This is because, though China used to give gifts of pandas as a form of diplomacy, they now mostly restrict this practice to temporary loans. Through this process, a zoo has to pay the country around a million dollars a year to borrow a panda, usually for about ten years, and the zoo has to recognize Chinese ownership of any offspring produced, meaning they get sent back to China, too. The closest panda bear listed is at the Memphis Zoo, and it’s supposed to go back to China this year :/

Adorbs

So this has been my panda essay. Disclaimer, there’s no
  guarantee that any of this is accurate, being from Wikipedia and all, but one
  thing is certainly true: they’re soooo adorable! Have a good week, everybody,
  and happy birthday again to Amy! (not that she’ll actually read this
:P)


Love,


Sara

        Hello from Oscars night! Where Jennifer Lawrence is an adorable derp, dead Frenchmen come back to sing, and Ben Affleck has all the jobs.
        As you all know, this weekend was quite fun what with the surprising Shelby and the sort of practicing for the roadtrip.

    Since I am idealess for blogs at the moment, I thought I may as well use this week to explain the question I gave Anna Beth for her question Thursday: "What's your favorite level of reality/which do you spend the most time with?"
    One summer during High School Anna Beth and I were at The Balloons Tunes and Barbeque with several friends and we got to talking about daydreams. We found out we daydreamed and made up stories quite frequently in our heads. We ended up trying to classify the different types of daydreams we had, and several years later this was born:

Question of the week (probably shouldn't actually expect this to be a weekly thing): What do you think 'Levels of Reality' should more aptly be titled. I like the sound of it, but I have this feeling there's a more accurate title out there.

Love,
Jill

P.S.
And this week in Words Weebly Doesn't Think are Words: Roadtrip, Reality
And we have a special segement this week as well: Words Weebly Can't Decide are Words since the Red Squiggly Line Keeps Appearing and then Disappearing: Derp

Hello from a surprisingly blessed day. I thought today would be horrible, because I had a million things to do, including waking up early to go edit a project that was due at 11 this morning. And when I got there, what I had edited the previous night had disappeared-ish. So I had to start all over! But I got it finished in 2 hours and had an hour to spare before class. Then, the class I had after that got out after like 10 minutes. After that, it was off to the assisted living center, where I interviewed several really fun ladies for the documentary I'm directing. Seriously, these ladies are amazing!
Oh, and I don't know if you guys remember me complaining about a test that I probably did horribly on in my field production class, but I got a B on it. And I got an A+ on my group project, which means that by some miracle I have an A in that class. :)
In other news, the Oscars are this Sunday and the cast of Les Mis is performing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D I'm so excited. I love the Oscars! Any predictions? Let me know in the comments!
Now, on to questions:

Rachael:
What are you not looking forward to on the road trip?
Scorpions. Definitely the scorpions. You know they have those in the desert, right? And what if they get in our tent???!

Are you dreading anything [about the road trip]?
I’d like to think that the long car rides will be fun...but maybe not the entire time. Pshh, whatever. It’ll be a constant partaaay! Whaaaat!

What's the most recent book you've read?
Pretty sure I read one of the really short books of the Bible semi-recently. Like 2nd or 3rd John. Does that count? It’s a book within a book. Inception! And umm...I probably read something for mythology. Just not all of it. I should...I should do some reading. Yeah...

Any books you want to read?
Les Miserables, The Fault in Our Stars, Divergent, The Selection, Sense and Sensibility, Revolution, Londoners, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Harry Potter, For Darkness Shows the Stars, Nine Stories, A Million Suns, Splintered, Shatter Me, Just One Day. And that’s just a small sampling of my to-read list. Also, The Madness Underneath!!!! It comes out in FIVE DAYS, guys!!!!

Favorite breakfast food?
Cheerios with strawberries. But also BACON!

Would you rather sleep on the floor with thin carpet or on a bed frame with no mattress?
Floor. Definitely the floor. Those bed frames are super uncomfortable.

Would you rather die by the world's temperature getting too hot or the temperature getting too cold?
Oooh, tough one. I’d prefer neither. But...hot seems just extra bad. It would definitely smell worse.  And at least when you freeze to death, you eventually fall asleep. You just don’t wake up....Okay, yeah, I’ll take cold.

When will you be free enough to watch some Last Airbender?
I don’t know...Usually when I have free time, I just do other stuff. I mean, um, soon.

If you could only keep one of your hats, which would it be?
Oh, that’s just mean. You know how I love my hats! Either my British hat--you know, the gray one with the bill?--or my black beret or my black riding hat. Oh, you’re just evil to make me choose. Maybe the beret? Because black goes with more stuff than gray does, and it’s easier to wear with different hairstyles than the other black one is.


Jill:
 Can I have that DSLR you used for your project?
No.

What's your favorite level of reality/which do you spend the most time with?
Hmm...Level 5 (Complete Fiction) is definitely one I spend a lot of time thinking about, but I also prefer to more mindlessly daydream in Level 2 (You + Realistic Fiction) because it’s always nice to think about how I might meet and fall in love with my celebrity crushes.

If you could see in shades of only one color, which would you choose?
Red: the blood of angry men! No, just kidding. I wouldn’t want to see red all the time. And then I thought maybe blue, but that would be weird, too. Any color would be super weird, so--despite the lack of better phrasing--I’m going to go with shades of gray. Because seeing the world in black and white would be like watching old movies. Our eyes are more accustomed to think that’s normal, because we have a bit of experience seeing like that, even if it is removed from reality. Plus, dogs see in black and white, and I’ve always kind of wondered what that would be like.

What would you want to be be hunted by the FBI for?
Something cool. But...I mean...it would probably be something illegal if the FBI is hunting me, and I don't want to do something illegal. Then again, just because the government says something is illegal doesn't mean it's morally wrong. But I wouldn't want it to be like stealing or something. Because that is wrong. What kind of criminals does the FBI go for anyway? I just think of fraud and things...
Okay, update: I just googled it. Check out the FBI website. It made me laugh that this exists. Just the headline on the page. It is hilarious, right?
So what's my final answer? Spy! Duh. Just like someone I know...Oh, wait, I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. ;)

No really, can I have that camera? pretty please?
:/

Favorite phrase you don't know the meaning of?
Je ne sais quoi: a quality not easily described or expressed (a French phrase that means literally “I know not what”)
That's what I thought of after reading the question. Then I found that definition on this cool website. Check it out and let me know your favorite word for "that certain something."

Would you rather have a camel or an oxen and why?
Camel. Because...they’re cooler. And taller. They have humps, and there are songs about them. And “oxen” is the plural of “ox,” you know, just to nitpick. I’ve never really had the desire to have an ox.

Favorite type of Art?
Hipster/schoolboy Art. =) 

Unless you know about our comic series about Art and Science, you don't get it. But maybe someday you will...Hey guys, we should work on that...

Favorite Science?
Astronomy is pretty cool. Except when it tells me the stars aren’t really close together. EXCEPT FOR THE STARS THAT LOOK LIKE ONE STAR BECAUSE THE TWO OF THEM ORBIT AROUND EACH OTHER AND IT’S SO ROMANTIC!!!!! See, that’s the one thing I learned from a science class. Worth it.

Why is your butt?
Why don’t you ask it yourself?

Anna Beth’s Bum:
Why do you guys talk about me all the time?
You’re just so popular! Everyone loves you.

Whelp, here I am. That's all I've got to say about that. And the favorite this week iiiiissssss.....MY BUM! But since I'm sitting on it and it can't be here to accept the award, my favorite is Jill. Her questions led me to learn new things about foreign words and what crimes the FBI investigates. Yay for learning!

Also, update: I found our Munchkin! Turns out the Munchkin thought blogging ended at the end of 2012. Now that she knows better, she said she'd be back. Ha! It's in writing! Don't prove me wrong, Munchkin.

And speaking of truant bloggers, I miss Amber's song of the week. So I'm going to post TWO SONGS this week.

1. Philip Phillips--"Gone, Gone, Gone." I heard this on the radio for the first time this afternoon. I really like it! And just look at this adorable video:

P.S. Philip Phillips is coming to perform at WKU April 8th. Just so you're aware. Tickets are on sale now. Anyone going?

2. "Leave" from the movie/musical Once. Cover by George Blagden. 
I just...he sings...so pretty... <3

Okay, so that's really the end of this super long blog now. Don't forget to comment with your Oscar predictions and favorite "certain something" words! Yay, interaction!

Love,
A.B.

Hello from Wednesday...the one day out of the week that I always have homework. At least I have free time in class to write this blog out. By "free time" I mean we've been given work time to work on our projects and I decided to do other stuff. Not that I'm being a bad student, but I'm pretty much done.
Here:

This is my cotton board that I've been working on for the past couple of classes. It's suppose to show the upcoming trends that use cotton. Let me know if you have any comments! In this class we're also suppose to choose a skirt that we're going to make at some point, but make some change to it: that will be fun.
Here's what I'm thinking:

It'll be gray, with an extended waistband with added buttons. At least that's what I want to do, I'm not sure yet if my teacher will approve.
After a crazy week at work last week, I got to take a nap on Monday and it felt amazing! But other than that, my week has been uninteresting. Ummm...we're hoping to move to McLean Hall next semester?
yeah..stuff..
now to write a boring discussion post about my imaginary credit card co

Hello from another Tuesday topic provided by Anna Beth :). Have I told you lately how wonderful you are for giving me stuff to talk about? So basically, I mentioned last week about how people are just naturally inclined to try and organize the world around them, and this week I’ll be discussing why that is.

First of all, it’s basically necessary- it’s been built into our genes as a way to help us survive. Because if you think about it, not being able to recognize patterns and organize experiences and objects into categories would make it pretty hard to live at all, even at the most basic
levels. Take food for example. Without the ability to categorize, you can’t even determine what is and is not edible. You’ll just go around putting random things into your mouth and hoping that you don’t drop dead. So, in order to find food, you have to be able to recognize that, hey, that shiny red thing on this tree looks similar to that other shiny red thing I ate yesterday. You know, it tasted pretty good. I think I’ll try that again. And then you have energy, and you get to keep on living!

Conversely, you also have to be able to recognize what to avoid. So if you eat a few bright purple berries from a bush and spend the next week expelling the entire contents of your digestive tract, you need to be able to put two and two together and recognize that berry again so you can avoid another week of misery and possibly death. To do this requires the ability to put the things around you into at least two categories: “tiny purple berries of death” and “not tiny purple berries of death.”

Of course food isn’t the only thing important to survival. We also need to recognize other things, such as animals, that can help or hurt us. If we see a crocodile, for example, we have to be able to remember our last crocodile encounter so we can make the wise decision to stay far away. Organizing also helps us when it comes to something that we haven’t seen before. Accordingly, we may later run across an alligator and note that, although different from the crocodile, this particular animal is similar enough that extreme caution should be used until more specific information can be obtained.

Just like animals can be helpful or dangerous, so can members of our own species. Accordingly, we make these same judgments and categories when we encounter people. Meeting a person for the first time, you may think, wow, that big, tall, muscular guy could probably snap my neck without even trying. Maybe I should be careful around him. Or, you may think, wow, look how scrawny and bony that guy is. I don’t think he could hurt me. And so you do the same thing with other readily observable characteristics. What a person is wearing, what they’re doing, who they’re around, what kind of facial expressions they’re making, all contribute to that initial impression that helps you to decide whether this person is dangerous or approachable.

Now, these initial observations are completely natural and can be really helpful when you’re trying to decide whether the fat, balding man in the van really has candy. Problems come about, however, when we fail to allow room for error and alteration of our categories. If you see a girl in your class with multiple piercings, wearing all black, and sitting alone in the corner, for example, you may initially think that she’s scary and up to no good. Maybe you get partnered together for an assignment, however, and discover that she’s actually really funny, volunteers at an orphanage, and is basically not scary at all. If you don’t take the time to test your categories and allow things to move around from “possibly scary” to “really friendly” or “definitely deadly,” then your organization method is flawed and not doing anyone any good.

Flawed or rigid categories, then, are what lead to really big problems, particularly when it comes to our thoughts on other people. Racism, sexism, ageism, and basically any form of prejudice or stereotype against a certain kind of person is a direct result of forming an initial
opinion and both refusing to alter that category based on actual information and also generalizing so that anyone even a little bit like that initial impression gets forced into the same category.

So, in summary, categorizing and looking for patterns are the basic skills that allow us to organize and therefore interact successfully with the world around us. We take a previous experience and use the knowledge we gain from it to help us make decisions when we come across similar situations in the future. Because these categories are mental constructs and not inherent to the world around us, there are certainly flaws to this system, which can lead to misjudgments and bad decisions, but on the whole we really couldn’t do without it, so all we can do is try to be aware of these limitations and watch out for times when life is more complicated than our categories and patterns will allow for.

Love,
Sara

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Anna Beth and I just watched the latest episode of Downton Abbey. Rachael ran into the room because we were kind of screaming. Yeah.

So, Question Sunday!

Sara
Why can't I think of any good questions to ask?
Because you aren’t trying hard enough.

If you could decorate the inside of the TARDIS, what would you want it to look like?
I kinda liked what I saw of the latest TARDIS redesign actually. I think I’d pick that.

Why is there always so much to do on Sundays?
Because procrastination is a thing.

Do you have any theories on what's up with Oswin?
Nope. I eagerly await further exploring her story.

What's your favorite vlogbrothers satellite project (LBD, crashcourse, brainscoop, scishow, etc.) and why?
Well, it was crashcourse, but then the brainscoop was a thing and I just can’t say no to that after the wolf dissection. It’s so cool! And Emily is hilarious.

Anna Beth
Explain your interpretation of the scale from "crush" to "love." Where do "feelings" come in? What do you think are the qualifications for being "in love" with a person?
Well, “crush” and “love” are pretty far from each other on the scale. I think “feelings” come somewhere between crush and love (yay vague answers). To me, a “crush” is different from any other classification in that with a crush you don’t really know the person very much and you fill in the gaps with an idealized version of what you do know about that person. Feelings can start to develop once you start to get to know the person more, and eventually love can develop. Like you can’t say you have anything more than a crush on Benedict Cumberbatch (and you certainly don’t “love” him in the way you keep going on about) because you’ve never even met the guy.  :P
And to clarify (because I think I missed something), if you were to have a crush on a friend you’ve known for years that you think you know quite well, perhaps that would be better classified as having developed feelings for that person (in a vain effort to make my last definition work, lol).
And I have no idea what the qualifications for being in love with a person are as I have never been in love. Sorry.

When are you going to open your Christmas present from Kelsey?
I already did on like Friday (when you weren’t looking :P)

Have you opened it yet?
Yes, weren’t you listening just now? Tsk tsk.

What about now?
Do you need to see someone about a hearing problem…or seeing problem…or reading problem…or patience problem?

Do you ever have just random flashes of memories in your head? And if so, is there anything in particular that you find yourself flashing back to more often than other things? Is it normal to have brief flashbacks?
Yes, yes, and yes.

If you were Ursula, whose voice would you steal?
If I were literally Ursula, I would steal Ariel’s voice because that is the plot of the movie. I don’t know whose voice I would steal if I had the power to. Someone with a nice voice that can sing but isn’t too soft.

What's your favorite page of your calendar that your mom made?
Either February or June. Probably June I guess.

If you could have any prop from Farscape, what would it be?
Hard question, and after thinking it over I’ve realized that all of the top four things I’d want either haven’t appeared prominently or haven’t appeared at all in the episodes you’ve seen (woohoo only 2 more episodes of season one for you and Amy). The top 4 includes John’s pulse pistol which he starts calling “Winona”, a certain coin (anyone who has finished season 3 will know exactly what I’m talking about here), DRD 1812 (season 4), and John’s journal. Um, I think John’s journal would be my top choice.

And if you could have any movie/tv prop that's not from Farscape, what would it be?
Also a tough choice, but I think I’d go with a pair of coconut halves from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Runners-up include Peter’s sword from The Chronicles of Narnia or the 10th Doctor’s sonic screwdriver.

Would you rather never leave the US or never eat bread again?
You are an evil person. Ugh. Well, bread features too prominently in my diet to go without, and the US is pretty and has quite a bit of variety.

What's in your present from Kelsey?
A bracelet.

Do you think it's irrational for people to hate Valentine's Day?
Yeah sorta. I can understand not liking it for a number of reasons or just not seeing the point in the Day, but hating it seems to be taking it too far. People just want to have a little fun sometimes, no need to be a complete grouch about it (unless it’s funny).

How's life without iphone games?
Not that bad. I’ve had books to distract me recently.

What is the percentage of thoughts that you actually verbalize, if 100% is saying literally everything you think?
Probably somewhere around 10%.
Though at times it’s been closer to 20% and I desperately felt the desire to keep my mouth shut because I felt like I was talking too much.

What is the worst way someone could insult you?
Maybe to outright say that I am incapable of something, particularly something I think I can do. Idk, its not something I’ve thought about much.

What do you consider the best compliment someone could give you?
Uummmmm. I don’t know. To me, I think it’s less about what the compliment is and more about how sincere I believe them to be. That being said, being praised about something I’ve made is usually quite nice.

Would you rather have a wolf or a horse?
Wolf. I think it’d be easier to take care of.

How do you like sleeping on the top bunk?
It’s pretty good. I’m enjoying  it.

If you had to be famous, would you rather be famous for something you did or for being married to someone famous?
It depends on what it is that made me or my husband famous, but I suppose I’d rather be famous for something I did.

If you could only date guys from one major, which major would you choose?
I’m tempted to say Canadian Studies only because I’ve just looked at the list of Majors offered here and it’s there. I don’t really know. My random selection off the Majors website will be…Computer Science. Why not?

What's the weirdest compliment you've ever received?
I can’t recall any weird compliments at the moment.
Well, there was that one time you said I looked like a sleek mountain explorer/fuzzy goat.

Today at church, Pastor Jason defined romance as "making a person feel as valuable as God says they are." What is your opinion of that definition and how does it line up with your own definition of romance?
Sounds pretty good to me. I guess maybe add in ‘always being there for each other’ but that’s kinda implied already.

Hamlet
Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel?
No

Zhaan
Am I the only species in creation that doesn't thrive on conflict?
1) You are not the only species that doesn’t thrive on conflict.
2) Get off your high horse Zhaan. You aren’t perfect either.

John Crichton
One thing, just to be absolutely certain, you are the female of your species, right?
John, you realize I’m human as well, right? It may have been awhile since you’ve seen another earthling, but things haven’t really changed that much since you left.

Sherlock Holmes
What is it like in your funny little brains? It must be so boring.
Hey, it’s QUESTION Sunday, not Comment Sunday. That last sentence was uncalled for. And no it’s not boring, I entertain myself just fine in my own mind thank you very much.

Christine Daae
Who was that shape in the shadows? Whose is the face in the mask?
That would be Erik, or as you’ll better know him, The Phantom. Don’t worry, it’s normal for him to creep around on Question days. He’s hoping for another romp as blogger probably.

The Phantom
Stranger than you dreamt it, can you even bear to look, or dare to think of me?
Dude, you’re not even that scarred under the mask. It’s ok.

Enjolras
With all the anger in the land, how long before the judgment day, before we cut the fat ones down to size? Before the barricades arise?
If you’re talking about the Paris Uprising of 1832, well, it happens in 1832. So not long now. Good Luck! Well, err….nevermind.

Marius
Do I follow where she goes? Shall I join my brothers there? Do I stay, do I dare?
Considering you’ve only just met this girl, I’d lean towards…well actually. Maybe you should go with her. But maybe take the time to say goodbye to your friends.

Pippin
What about second breakfast? What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
Pippin, you’re going to need to clarify your questions if you expect them to be understood by all the readers. Who is ‘he’?


And that's Question Sunday. Eh, I suppose I could have gone into more detail at times, but whatever. The winner this week is Anna Beth.

Love,
Jill

Hello from Valentine's Day! Also known as the day customers are going to devour Rachael because she works at a chocolate shop! Yaaaaay! Rachael, if you're reading this, I'm glad you're still alive. Remember, just keep swimming! And ship #racharanda.
Anyway, I was going to talk about last weekend and my birthday until I realized...oh yeah...you were all there...Because we're the only ones left. All the other barricades have fallen. No, wait, I mean all the other bloggers have deserted us. Yeah, that's it. Anyway, on to questions!

RACHAEL:
If you were dating the guy you've always dreamed of, would you still be with him if you felt like something was missing?
No. Even Taylor Swift agrees with me on this one.  If something’s missing, if there’s no spark, if the magic’s not there...He must not really be the one. He may meet all your criteria for the “perfect” guy, but I think what’s most important is how you feel about someone, not what’s on their resume, so to speak. It’s both comforting and disconcerting to think that someone who seems so perfect for you might be all wrong, but that’s what makes falling in love so exciting, I suppose. The mystery of it all, the riddles. Not that I’d know...But still, I like to offer my unwarranted opinion.

As of right now, what do you think is going to happen to Wickham?
I don’t know, man! I DON’T think he and Lydia are going to end up together. They just CAN’T! They won’t. I bet Darcy will either pay him to take the site down, or he’ll have some really good blackmail on him so Wickham will take it down without a bribe. I just really want to see a Darcy/Wickham smackdown. Maybe not literally. But I want everybody to tell him off and I want him to get what’s coming to him. You know, kind of like that episode of Downton Abbey where Mary’s fiance gets told off twice and then punched? I want that to happen to Wickham.

If you were Ursula, whose voice would you want to steal?
Samantha Barks.

Whose life would you want to live for 3 months (real people)?
Carrie Fletcher, maybe? She seems to have a really fun and interesting life; she’s friends with other cool youtubers; and she appears to be a great person. Plus, she gets to be British every day of her life! My dream! Oh, and she can SING!!!! Yeah, I’d totally be her!

Why does Jill ask so many questions?
Because she wants to win? Or because she has lots of thoughts? Or because she’s curious...but also not.

How many days until the warm weather comes back consistently?
I’d like to say 34, but we live in Bowling Green, so consistency doesn’t exist here.

Do you get tired of eating a certain kind of food?
Yes. Part of the reason I abandoned my meal plans was that I got so tired of campus food that I had to force myself to eat it. The desire definitely wasn’t there.

Favorite old Hollywood actor/tress?
Well, my first instinct was to say Vincent Price. And there’s Audrey Hepburn, of course. And Katherine Hepburn is really good. And Bette Davis! She is such a creepy lady. And then there’s Cary Grant--I love him! And Jimmy Stewart!

Favorite song at this moment?
Ughh, Rachael, why do you do this to me??? I mean, you did say “at this moment,” which makes it a little easier, but noooo. Ummmm.... “A Little Fall of Rain” from Les Mis. That’s it. I’d put a link to it, but SPOILERS! So don’t even listen to it if you haven’t seen the movie. Just don’t do it.
But I’ve also REALLY been enjoying Aaron Tveit’s voice lately, so I’ve listened to a lot of delightful musical theater songs featuring his fantasticalness. Like this.  And this.   And this!

Fav song to dance to?
I know I have a favorite...Well, Rachael, I really like to dance to “Don’t Stop Believing” and “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” when we dance like we’re on Glee. lol

How bout to sing along to?
Hmm...Either “One Day More” from Les Mis or “Elephant Love Medley” from Moulin Rouge, because I like to sing ALL the parts!

Would you date a guy who has the Beatles haircut?
Yeah. Yeah, I think I would if he was an attractive guy (not just physically, I mean all-around attractiveness).


JILL:
Why does the Navy keep sending me things?
They want YOU!

If you were to join one branch of the military, which would you pick and why?
Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy, so that’s cool. And boats. Mostly boats.

If you were given a safety lecture for a class similar to what I described in my last blog, what would your reaction be?
I would seriously consider dropping the class. Also, I’d be really worried if I got a lecture like that one of my classes, considering that I’m studying film. lol

Least favorite sound?
Um...vomiting? Especially if it’s coming from me. Also, I wonder why you ask this. Now I’m self-conscious that I was making some terrible sound...

Spiderpig or goatfairy?
Oooh. Tough one. I think I have to go with goatfairy, though.

Who's my favorite president and why?
I told you. It’s Nixon. I mean, he had that little dog named Checkers. What’s not to like?

What does Leadership mean to you?
It means...Where’s Dr. Baker when you need him?

What aspect of school would you most like to do away with?
The part with the homework and the tests and the assigned reading and the projects. Oh, and the getting up before 9 or 10 a.m. for class.

Favorite prank that you've pulled, you've seen pulled, or has been pulled on you?
In high school, my parents and I put a lifesize doll I had on a float in our pool, then lured Victoria out there in the dark. When she saw the “body” floating in the water, she screamed. Then she stopped when the flashlight wasn’t directed at it. But when my mom shined the light on the pool again, she screamed again. She did that like 3 or 4 times. It was an actual reaction, and it was hilarious! And it turns out that the “dead girl” in the pool prompted us to make our very first film, “Mad Cow.” Thus, Random Moments Productions was born!

How does it feel to be owed $369.60?
I feel like a loan shark...and I like it.

What do you look for in a good TV show?
So many things. Obviously I want an interesting story, but I think characters are more important than plot. If you love the characters, they can almost just do whatever. And, like Jill and I have talked about a lot, that feeling of community is something I’ve noticed I really like in a show. Like, the feeling that the characters all mesh together as part of something bigger than themselves. Firefly is a great example of this: there are 9 members of Serenity’s crew, and they’re like a family, and watching it, I just want to be part of that. You know? I love those shows that really suck you in, and make you want to be best friends with the characters. Like I said, Firefly is one of those, but also Doctor Who, Sherlock, Downton Abbey. They all feature groups of people who are either family or make their own sort of family together. I also like the shows that are like that in a different way, involving small towns. Examples would be Gilmore Girls and Once Upon a Time. Oh, and then there’s 7th Heaven. I was thinking about all the shows I like or used to like a lot, and that was another one, as well as Boy Meets World. Do all tv shows have that community/family dynamic, or just the ones I watch? Because it seems like everything I watch has that to an extent. I guess that’s one of my top criteria for a good show, then.
But like I said, I also like really interesting plots, usually ones that are interconnected. That’s why I usually prefer the season-long story arcs rather than miscellaneous stand-alone episodes.
Another thing: I like shows with a good deal of drama, but in a classy way. Like Downton Abbey has all kinds of exciting scandals and spats between characters, but it’s done well. It’s not overdramatized or immature. And it’s not repetitive. I used to really enjoy watching Glee, but eventually the excessive on-again-off-again drama got annoying. I still like it okay, but I’ve quit actually following it. Sometimes I get the urge to watch a few episodes on Hulu, but mostly for the musical numbers. After the original cast became less prominent, I cared significantly less about the new characters. Although I did find Rachel’s new life in New York really fun to watch there for a while. Ooops, I just went off on a really long tangent about all the shows I like. The end.

Favorite idiom?
Hotter than a pepper sprout? Crooked as a rainbow? No, I guess those would be colloquialisms more than idioms. I’m not really sure...Colder than a well digger’s backside? Dang it, colloquialisms!

What does the phrase "have your cake and eat it too" mean to you (in the context of our conversation yesterday about "fine lines")?
It means having both of the things you want without giving up either. Hence, it is usually preceded by “You can’t.” Because if you think about it logically, you either get to have the cake (as in keep it) or eat it (it’s gone to your tummy). Although, you could eat part of the cake, I guess. But that defeats the purpose, because then you’re compromising.

What do you think of the 'Harlem Shake' youtube trend?
I’m not too familiar with it, but from what you showed me earlier on Toby’s video, it doesn’t seem pleasant...

You gonna survive without tumblr during lent?
ermm...mehhh...what is airrrrrrrr??? *whimpers*

If you could make your own Chinese zodiac, what animals would you put on it?
Monkey, dog, cat, wallaby, mouse, wolf, unicorn, dragon, ood, otter, zedonk, hedgehog...or maybe a fox. Or a bearcoon.

Fight or flight?
Flight.

Who?
You.

What?
Your butt.

When?
Right now, punk.

Where?
Let’s take this outside.

Why?
Because I said so.

If you could have one prop from any TV show or movie, what would you pick?
Probably Jack’s compass from Pirates of the Caribbean. I mean, especially if it points to the thing you want most. lol. And I already have a sonic screwdriver, but of course I’d love to have THE sonic screwdriver. Or Sherlock’s violin...Or the red flag from Les Mis.


“ANNA BETH”:
Why do you think people are, as you say, "innately driven to organize the world, other people included, into categories and try to make sense of their surroundings?"
Oh, self, that is so not cool! You can’t just barge in here and get all philosophical in the middle of my Question Thursday. This is for Sara, you hear me?
Ugh, I guess I’ll answer, though. Wouldn’t want to slight myself. Hmm. So, I think people try to categorize themselves and each other, as Sara said, to make sense of things. But also to feel better about themselves, probably. Like, “Well, I’m this kind of person, so that makes me better than that girl over there” and whatnot.

JAKE SULLY:
So who's this Eywa?
“Who's Eywa? Only their deity! Their goddess, everything they know! You'd know this if you've had any training whatsoever.” So basically, Grandmother Willow of the Avatar world...No wait, that’s the Tree of Souls. You know, I’ve only seen this movie once. I get confused.

LAUREN COOPER:
Can I just ox you a question?
Go for it.

Are you talkin' Scottish now?
I wish!

Do you fancy Billie Piper?
Absolutely!

Is this the bothered face that sits before thee?
Right, I’m calling your parents.

Are you disrespecting the house of Cooper?
Enough, Lauren.

Art thou calling my mother a pox-ridden wench?
Lauren!

Art thou calling my father a goodly rotten apple?
*uses sonic screwdriver to turn her into an action figure*

HAMLET:
How is it with you, lady?
Alas, how is ’t with you, that you do bend your eye on vacancy and with th' incorporal air do hold discourse?
...But yeah, I’m doing pretty good.

What is this quintessence of dust?
Oh Hamlet, you’re so emo...It's gonna be okay...Well, not really...

MACBETH:
Who could refrain that had a heart to love and in that heart courage to make love known?
That’s actually a really romantic thing to say...I think. I mean, no offense, but you’re Macbeth. I don’t remember you saying anything too appealing. I just remember you killed that dude. Probably lots of dudes...

POCAHONTAS:
Have you ever asked the grinning bobcat why he grins?
Because he’s taxidermed that way? With a cool steampunk outfit?
And also...just because: this!

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?
Not like you can, gurrrrl.

SARA:
What do you think are the merits and drawbacks of a zombie chick flick?
Well...zombies. Depending on your preferences, this could go either way. I'm guessing you've either seen or (more likely) you are contemplating seeing Warm Bodies. I haven't seen it, but the trailer does look funny, so there's a merit. But a drawback is...I don't know...I can't think of anything particularly negative about such a film, but it just doesn't appeal to me so much.

Do you find any similarities between watch Monty Python and being Rick Rolled?
What?...Sorry...What? They’re both...unexpected...and funny? Maybe? What? What is this question?

Why didn't you and Jill go to fencing on Tuesday?
Homework :p

How do you think your life would be different if you just went by "Anna"?
People wouldn’t get so confused about what my middle name is. I’d be more easily mixed up with other Annas. And old ladies probably wouldn’t compliment me on my name as often. Anna’s okay, but I prefer Anna Beth. :)

Which of the British countries, in your opinion, is best, and why?
I’m partial to England. I did live there, after all. And it’s just wonderful, and London is there, and Harlaxton, and all the things! I mean, I’m kind of biased; I did travel around England a lot, whereas I was only in Scotland and Ireland for a few days, and I was only in Wales for a few hours.

How long can you wear a pair of heels before your feet start to hurt?
I don’t know. I’ve never really timed myself. lol. I can usually stay in heels for quite a while, though. Unless I’m dancing. Then maybe only a couple of hours, at most, before the bare feet come out.

Why do heels make your feet hurt?
Because they’re pretty. Fashion isn’t supposed to be comfortable. ;)

Favorite kind of accent?
English, and Irish, and Scottish, and Hugh Jackman--I mean...Australian.

Favorite American accent?
My great-aunt Evelyn has a really beautiful voice. Just the way she speaks is so crisp and enunciated. I'm not sure if you'd call it an accent, but...

How's it feel to be 21?
Suspicious of Rachael... :P

Whelp, here we are. That's the end of REVENGE OF QUESTION THURSDAY! And my favorite iiiiiiissssssss...............
ME! Just kidding, it's Jill. So ask Jill lots of questions for next week!
Also, have a happy Valentine's Day, eat lots of chocolate, and...Yeah, that's about it.

The End. This is America.


Love,
Anna Beth