Hello from campus living! (Sadly I did not meet any new Youtubers this week) As I write this, Anna Beth, Amy, Rachael, and I are relaxing after a long week of class by having some family TV time.
    My classes have been ok thus far. I wonder if/how long it will be until the 19 hours start to overwhelm. Oh well, campus adventures are a great way to relieve stress. Speaking of, I think we might venture off for some nighttime escapades soon. Maybe walk to Arby's to try to find the supposedly British employee. Or climb trees. Climbing trees is fun.
Ummm.....things and stuff and words. Not much of extreme interest has really happened this week. I did get to chant in my Latin class today. Well, sort of. We were going over some declensions of Latin nouns and repeating how to pronounce the various endings. My professors says he's eager to start creeping out the neighboring classes with future practice chanting.
   I made a pretty cool collage on the wall above my desk. It's not quite done yet, but I like it. 

        Also, I drew Anna Beth an Ood and a wolf in a tie. I don't really have a reason for sharing this other than that I'm kinda proud of how they turned out.

Hello from indescribable terror. You guys, this is worse than, like, the Pandorica opening or something. This is worse than getting chosen to be in the Hunger Games. Okay...slight exaggeration. But I have to give a movie pitch tomorrow in front of my entire class, probably most of the film students at Western, and the film faculty. Instead of embarrassing myself in front of just my Production Workshop teacher/adviser, I get to be humiliated in front of four of the six professors I have this semester. 
On top of all that, I have never pitched a movie idea before. Like, ever. And before yesterday or the day before, I didn't even have an idea to pitch at all. Luckily, there is that horror movie we tried to make (starring Sara) last year, which I also turned into a short story. I suppose I'll pitch that idea. Which is fairly good. BUT YOU GUYS!!!!!
These people I'm up against--and yes, it's a competition where only some of the pitches get to be produced--these people are...experienced. They make films and know how to do stuff. They're competent. I'm...not. I'm despicably inferior. And even though the movie pitch is optional and I inflicted this torture on myself for the sake of gaining experience and making an impression, the crew pitch on Wednesday is not. It's a mandatory pitch in which I try to sell not my idea, but myself. I'm basically standing in front of my class--just them this time--and telling them my skills and trying to get a decent job on some of the films that were voted to get produced. And everybody does get a job, but the better pitchers obviously get the better jobs--which are worth more points. And if I get a lower ranking job, I have to do more jobs to accumulate more points and blah blah blah blah dislike dislike dis-bloody-like! Excuse my language, British people.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAKSDFHASODIFJ;ASLFJASLFJA;SLDKFJSA;LKDFJA;SDKLJ!
:P
But the day this was assigned, I was thinking, "There's no way I'm doing this. It's optional, so I won't. But I should. It would be a good experience. I should. But I can't."
And then I noticed a striking abundance of people wearing different Nike shirts (okay, there were like 3...but in a very short period of time). And all the shirts had one message for me: JUST DO IT.
So I will. I'll just do it.
What's the worst that could happen? I could humiliate myself. It could be like the Christmas musical all over again: my incompetence glaring in comparison to my classmates' brilliance. Or my pitch could get the vote, and I'd be forced to be the producer and be in charge of a crew of my classmates who know infinitely more than I do about everything IN THE WORLD!
The only thing I'm remotely good at is writing.  Yay me. :p
Oh well. I'm going to do it anyway. Just do it. Keep Calm and Carry On.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." --Philippians 4:13

Wish me luck,
Anna Beth

Hello from day 3 of WKU's first week of class. Boy, I'm just super tired. I have 8am classes all week and been going to bed late-ish. Like 11-ish late. I just feel like I need to seriously catch up on some sleep--but what college student doesn't feel like that?
Marching band practice seemed particularly torturous this week. It's been hot and it's even hotter on the AstroTurf. I just can't wait to wear my woolen marching uniform this Saturday at our first football game! And we were also told to plan to sit in the rain during the game because of the hurricane that's moving up the coast might hit us that day.
I do have other news! I found a gym buddy! I think you all know a certain Nayab...:) yes, I'm going to try to start/keep a schedule where I go to the gym about 3 times a week to powerwalk/jog on the treadmill. I like to think of it as training for the zombie apocalypse.
From the first few classes I've attended, I feel like I'm going to really like this semester (aside from English, but alas, it is a required course). My favorite so far is Perspectives of Dress" --it's just so...awesome. It doesn't feel like a class and whenever I'm in there, I never look at the clock.
Ah! I also stole--I mean borrowed-- Jill's book a couple of days ago. I read through "One Day" and was "meh" at the end. I think it's because I couldn't picture Emma in my head and hated most of Dexter's decisions. I may also may not have liked it that much because it paints a scary story for us. (the book tells us what happens to 2 people right after graduating college--where we'll be in 2 years--only 1 more for Shelby and Amber!)
So yeah, the second book I "borrowed" (this time from AB) is a lot more interesting to me. After reading the description I was scepticle on how the author would connect the 2 ideas, but so far it's really good. The book is called "Revolution" by the way by Jennifer Donnelly.
That it for this week's Creeper Wednesday'a blog!
Rachael

Ps My room has a very nice creeped window ;)

Hello from the new school year! I think Western was the last to start, so most of you have already been back for a week or so. My first day of classes was yesterday, and things went pretty well. I tend to read my class syllabi and get a little nervous about how strict my professors sound on paper, but they usually turn out to be much nicer in person. So far
that’s been the case. My first class was Kentucky Geography, and the professor seemed really friendly and funny. Then I had PE (those two classes are about as far apart as classes on campus can get, but at least it’s a downhill journey, so I made it on time), and found out my professor is English! I was probably more excited than necessary about that, but oh well. She seems really nice as well. My last class of the day was English, and I found out my professor is Señora Poole’s husband! If you didn’t go to the same high school as me (coughannabethcough), Señora Poole was my high school Spanish teacher. She was pretty great, and her husband seems really nice too. I also started my online class yesterday, and that professor seems really friendly and helpful. So, just going off first impressions, it seems like I have some pretty good professors. I don’t have any Tuesday/Thursday classes during the day, which is why I’m sitting leisurely at my desk at home and writing this. It’s kind of a perfect schedule for Tuesday blogging, don’t you think? I do have a night class tonight, though. My 5-hour art class starts at 5, and it’s the only class for which I haven’t heard from my professor or received a syllabus. Plus I stink at art, as you should all know by now, so I’m not sure how this class is going to go. But I’ll be finding out in a little while, so wish me luck! 

On to a non-school-related topic, Shelby (who once again forgot to post her blog on Sunday…) and Jessica came to visit this weekend! Because my mom is like most moms in this area, that meant that the first half of Friday was spent scrubbing the whole house down until it was deemed suitable for visitors. Everyone else was in the process of moving into the dorms, so they stayed at my house. It was a fun weekend- we ate at Applebee’s, went to Flea Land, hung out at the dorms when everyone was mostly moved in, and generally had a lot of fun. Their visit is also part of the reason why I have no books to tell you I’ve read this week… Clearly I didn’t have much time to read once they got here, but I also didn’t get anything finished during the week before that. It was probably partly from reading all those books last week- I kind of burned myself out. Plus, the book I chose to read next wasn’t interesting me as much as the ones I’ve been reading, so I wasn’t really excited about reading it, and I mostly haven’t. I’ll have to try and make up for it next week, but until then, have some Question Tuesday:

Anna Beth:
Why is 7 your favorite number?
Idk, I just like the number 7. It may have to do with School House Rock. I remember watching their multiplication videos over and over and over in school- they had a song for every number 1-12 or something. 7 had a bunny rabbit and talked about how 7 is a lucky number. I also like 3 for the same reason- 3 is a magic number J I might actually like 3 better… but whatever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4tNQ0Y7SFQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU4pyiB-kq0
Are you smarter than a 5th grader?
Hopefully, since I might be teaching them one day…
Is it really only you who can prevent forest fires?
If so, then I appear to be failing at my job :/
Do you feel like it’s Fall yet?
It’s not quite Fall weather yet, but it certainly feels nicer than typical summer weather. I hope it stays like this :D
Note: I wrote that before the school year started yesterday, leaving me sweaty and hot before I even got to my first class. I officially retract my praise of the nice weather- I want Fall!
What’s your favorite season?
I really like Fall. The weather’s starting to cool down, and the trees turn the most beautiful colors. Then the leaves fall off and are lots of fun to crunch under your feet :) Campus especially looks really pretty this time of year. Of course, my answer may be a little biased from the fact that I’m ready for the weather to start cooling down, but I do still really like Autumn.
What’s your favorite thing about each season?
Winter- Snow!!!! I would be perfectly content to have a layer of snow on the ground from December through March. 
 Spring- everything starting to come back to life and looking vibrant and green after being dormant for the winter (my least favorite part is the appalling increase in road kill, though…)
Summer- getting to go swimming
Fall- the leaves changing color :)
When reading a book, do you prefer 1st or 3rd person narration? Also, do you prefer past or present tense?
I generally don’t really think about the style books are written in. As long as it doesn’t
interfere with my ability to understand what’s going on, I’m not especially picky. Sometimes it’s nice to have 3rd person narration, just because you can get a feel for what’s going on beyond the main character’s perspective. At the same time, though, 1st person is also nice, because you can really get into that one character’s head, and oftentimes their commentary about what’s going on can be really funny. Obviously, both have their advantages. It just depends on how the author wants to tell the story and what would make it come across the
best.
As far as past or present tense, I feel like most of what I read is past tense, just because it makes more sense. I mean, you don’t typically tell a story as it happens- stories are about things that have already happened. Plus, whenever I write things, I always find it harder to stay in present tense- like, I’ll look back at the past couple of pages and realize that I’ve slipped back into past tense and have to go back through and fix all my verbs. So, I feel like past tense works best for most books and stories, but present tense can also be good, depending on the story. It helps to put the reader in the action more, and I think it can have more of an impact on the reader, saying things like they’re currently happening as opposed to describing something that’s already taken place. It can also add to that element of surprise- since the narrator is telling things as they happen, even he/she doesn’t know what’s coming next.
So, in summary, as long as they’re used appropriately, I like all different ways of telling stories :)
Have I asked that before? Because I can never decide…
Not that I’m aware of :P
Why is it supposedly wrong to wear white after Labor Day?
You’re asking me a question about fashion? I think I’ll have to defer to Rachael for this one- any ideas?
Would you rather be locked in a room with Hitler or Jack the Ripper?
Hitler. Both are psychopaths responsible for the deaths of many innocent people, but Hitler at least wasn’t directly responsible for the lives he ended- he had an army to do his dirty work for him. I’d feel slightly safer in a room with him than Jack the Ripper. But only slightly. Can he be tied up and unconscious? Say, in a cupboard? (Jill might be the only one who gets that reference)
If you could be one of the Doctor’s companions, which one would you want to be (Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, etc)? *But no spoilers in your answer por favor*
Can’t I be my own companion? I mean, I like all the companions, some more than others, but I’d still rather just be myself travelling with the Doctor. Being someone else isn’t all that appealing to me, even if that someone else is the Doctor’s companion.
Did you ever get an account on goodreads.com?
Nah, I just made a list of books I want to read on my computer.
Does absence really make the heart grow fonder?
I think so. When you’re not around people you care about, you start to miss them. In missing them, you start to think about them more often, and since you’re thinking about them while missing them, the thoughts you have about them tend to be positive ones regarding traits you like about them. Even if you do think about things you don’t like about the people, you think of them in a positive way, because you would rather be around them while they’re being annoying than not have them near as you currently do. So people you like being gone, in my opinion, just makes you like them that much more- because you focus on the positive as opposed to the negative, and you almost end up romanticizing your friends/family members/significant others because they aren’t around to demonstrate the other, less pleasant side of their company.
Do bees have knees?
Apparently they do. Lots of knees.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/latest-questions/question/1988/
Do you like clichés?
I have nothing against them. I feel like they particularly come in handy for use in sarcastic remarks and snarky comments, of which I am a fan :D
What are your views on “said is dead,” …especially as a future teacher?
…what? I have no idea what you’re talking about.
K, I just looked it up. I guess you’re talking about how you’re not supposed to use the word “said” anymore? I certainly think that “said” is one of those words that can be overused really easily in a heavily-dialogued story, but it’s probably still ok used in small amounts, with lots of “declared” and “proclaimed” and “exclaimed” and things like that in between. I just glanced at the Google search page, so if there’s more to this thing that I’m not addressing, let me know and I’ll talk some more about it next week.
As a country and/or as a world, do you think our best days are behind us or that the future will be better? (And I’m talking about before Jesus comes back, because obviously everything will be awesome when that happens.)
Maybe I’m being too optimistic, but I feel like things, on average, are going to keep getting better. Particularly with medical and technological advances, people are now able to live longer, healthier lives than they did even just 50 years ago. I’d like to think that this trend will continue as time passes, and we’ll be able to work toward solving problems we have like hunger and disenfranchisement and persecution instead of making things worse. After all, as we get more history behind us, we have more and more examples of how things should and shouldn’t be done, and more evidence of the repercussions of certain actions. Hopefully we’ll be able to learn from our ever-increasing past and make things better in the future :)
What kinds of arts and crafts things are you best at?
I’ve done a lot of jewelry and bead stuff in the past. Mostly I’m good at stuff that doesn’t require me to be able to draw…
Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Wars for the most part, though I really, really liked the new Star Trek movie :D
Do you have a favorite key on your computer’s keyboard?
Umm… the ‘S’ key?
Is there any smell that most people think stinks but you actually like?
I used to like the smell of gasoline whenever we stopped at the gas station when I was a kid. I still don’t mind it.
Would you rather have the power to fly for a month or be able to turn invisible whenever you want for the rest of your life?
Invisible. I like the idea of being unobservable to those around me whenever I want, so I can see what’s going on around me without worrying about others paying attention to me. Plus I could have that one forever.
What are your feelings on lace?
Not a big fan. It’s itchy and unpleasant, and not really all that pretty. Where lace is concerned, I am definitely on the “less is more” side.
What was your most embarrassing habit as a kid?
I don’t know? I used to chew my nails, but I stopped that when someone told me about all the germs growing on them. Other than that, I can’t really think of any habits I had, embarrassing or not.
What are your thoughts/feelings on this conversation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqanNlzgwz4
Lol, I should’ve guessed it would have to do with Pirates of the Caribbean :P I disagree with Captain Jack’s statement though. If anything, there’s more in the world. Perhaps what he means is that the more stuff in the world makes it seem smaller, and thus less adventurous and interesting. Mostly, the writers were probably just looking for a dramatic, supposedly profound way to end the movie.
Do you like Walmart or Target more?
I am pretty apathetic on this argument. Both have their uses, depending on your purpose for going to the store. Walmart is helpful if you have a lot of varied items on your shopping list and would like to save time and get everything in one place. Target, on the other hand, is easier if you’re just picking up a couple of things and don’t want to have to deal with the long lines at Walmart.
Who is the most brilliant human being you can think of?
King Solomon.
If you could have any item from dftba.com, what would you want?
Do they still have 2D glasses? Cause those are pretty cool.
What are you going to be for Halloween?
No idea.
Would you rather be kissed at midnight on New Year’s Eve or have a super-romantic date on Valentine’s Day? And would you want to be proposed to on either of those days?
I think Valentine’s Day would be cuter, especially since it’s a date instead of just a kiss. As far as a proposal goes, I don’t really think it matters what day it happens- whether it’s some sort of holiday or just a regular day. Because it won’t be just a regular day after you get proposed to <3 Assuming you say yes, of course. Though, I guess if you say no it still wouldn’t be a regular day… just in the opposite direction on the spectrum of happiness.
Do you hope someday one of your descendants will be named after you?
I don’t especially care? It’d probably make me feel good, but I’m going to love my descendents no matter what their names are.
 What is the ideal day/time for you to receive Question Tuesday questions?
Lol, posting them at a certain time of day isn’t going to raise your chances of winning :P Not that I’m aware of, at least. Generally, any time before Tuesday is fine. I check right before I post, but at that point I probably won’t put much time or effort into answering. Sooner is also better. It makes me kind of sad going through the whole week and not having Questions yet, even if someone does swoop in at the last second and give me some.
Imagine you have to completely wipe one series out of existence, meaning it never existed for anyone and it never will. Doctor Who or Harry Potter? If you don’t erase one, the world will end. Which do you save and which goes away? (bom bom bom!)
I’d wipe out Doctor Who. He’s faced similar situations before, so I feel like he could handle it. Plus, Harry Potter has done a lot of good, making it cool for kids to read and giving a lot to charity through little extras like Beedle the Bard and Quidditch Through the Ages. Doctor Who does Comic Relief stuff every year, but I still feel like Harry Potter’s influence has been greater, especially on an international scale.
Which of the characters you’ve played in our productions seems more like you: Brielle, Willow, or Cheerful (from Soot Grey, lol)?...Or the girl from our horror movie…oh, and then there’s that terrible musical to consider. No, don’t even consider that…
Well, I’m definitely not the horror movie girl. Or cheerful- I am not a one-dimensional personality. Between Brielle and Willow…I’m tempted to say Brielle, because she tends to be so focused on school, but again, that’s only one aspect of me. Then there’s Willow, whose character and scenes I actually helped write, so I feel like that might mean there’s more of me in her. Though she still does things that I never would. Of course, if you consider your fan fiction to be cannon, Anna Beth, then Brielle and Willow are the same person, and there’s really no reason for me to choose :P I guess I’d have to pick Willow, since I did contribute to her character, so part of me really is in her.
Which is worse, bananas or bacon?
Eh… bacon. Although it’s possible that that bacon-flavored crouton I tried at Rachael’s is clouding my judgment…
Anna Beth/Jill:
Can you have too much Doctor Who?
Well, we’ll find out if that marathon on Saturday gets to happen… :P
Jill:
Billy has 3 apples. He gives away 2 apples. CALCULATE THE MASS OF THE SUN
>:-O
This is, in fact, not a question Jill. But it does make me glad not to be majoring in science :)

So that’s all for this week! I’m sure you’ll all be shocked to hear that Anna Beth wins this week! Yay for her! I feel like she’s won a lot recently… the rest of you should really step it up if you want to win.

Love,
Sara

Hello from the wonderful world of the first week back at Vandy! *sighs* I ALREADY HAVE SO MUCH WORK! It’s not fair. At all. Unfortunately, that means that this blog will be fairly short. However, there is wonderful goodness to share with you all! :)

• I’m really enjoying my classes! Some of them (cough, AI, cough) may be drowning me in homework, but I am very happy with my course choices this semester! Here’s to hoping that classes are just giving a lot at the beginning and not in the middle and end of the semester…

• Mark is wonderful. =D

• Victory is amazing! We performed at Spotlight on Friday, which is where all of Vandy’s performing arts groups put on a show for all underclassmen to see, hear, and watch us at our best. We sang Baba Yetu… and it went well! Yay!

• I love my apartment! It is the perfect place to relax/study/eat/do-everything! My roommates are wonderful too- Emily’s especially great because even if she’s sleeping already, I can come in, and she won’t hear me. Thank goodness.

• I also love that feeling when you’re walking down the sidewalk and you run into someone that you haven’t seen since before the summer. It’s awesome catching up with amazing people.

• I learned a new swing dancing move! I can now be spun in a circle quickly and then go down to the floor, rotate in a circle, and come back up. It’s pretty awesome. I still need practice (my legs started cramping afterwards- it’s pretty intense), but it is a lot of fun. :)

• I had coffee for the first time in weeks this morning. Yes, this counts as important. ;)

I love you all!!!!! I also miss you terribly! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3!

Oh! To make up for this being a short blog, this is an incredible song inspired by John Green’s book The Fault in Our Stars that I randomly found on Youtube after John Green mentioned it starting to climb in iTunes sales. It’s actually a really good song (you don't need to have read the book to like it) and definitely worth a listen. Enjoy! Have a great week, guys! <3

Meghan Tonjes- "The Fault is in Our Stars"

        Hello from the last night I will be spending in my house this semester before moving into my new dorm room! (that feels a lot bigger than I expected!)
    Also, this blog comes to you a bit later than expected due to my spazzy internet at the moment.
    So...I got back from Florida today. I have a few interesting stories to tell.
My family and I spent 5 days at Cocoa Beach then drove to Orlando for a day at Universal Islands of Adventure. It rained a lot of our first day by the ocean, but it cleared up enough to take a long stroll on the beach where we came across not 1, but 3 weddings taking place within like 50 yards of each other.
     I ended up amusing myself on the beach by trying to walk in other peoples footprints for as long as possible before they became indistinguishable. I thought about how John Green could probably think up some profound idea based on this walkinginothersfootprintsthing if it were a thoughts-from-places video, but alas you all are stuck with me and no interesting thoughts to go along with it. Other than a few rainy bits throughout the rest of the week, the weather was really nice. Nice enough to give me a bit of a sunburn anyway. There's actually this random strip on my arm that didn't get any burn. It's surrounded by reddened skin and I still have no idea how it remained unaffected. I mean, I wasn't half-shaded or anything. I was under the sun the whole time. Either the ocean didn't wash off that section of sunscreen or the part of my arm just decided, "oh naw, I don't feel like getting burned this year" Strange but kinda funny.
    My brother and I spent a fair amount of our time playing around in the ocean. I was curious what things you all like to do in the sea because Cameron and I enjoy (I suppose you could call it a game?) jumping waves. You swim out until you're about chest or waist deep in water then jump and/or ride the waves as they come in over your head while trying not to get a face full of saltwater.
    And I've decided that sand is somewhat akin to cigarrettes (to me anyway). It's annoying (it gets everywhere!), hard to get rid of (no matter how much you try to wash it off, there's always some hiding away and still sticking to you) and yet its so addicting to play in (not that I personally am addicted to ciggarettes - I find them disgusting as you all know). Half the time I was on the beach I was trying to convince myself not to mess around with the sand too much because I knew I'd regret it later, but I just couldn't stay away. Here are a few results of the "addiction".

    Also I wanted you all to know that this dessert was absolutely fantastic. Big rice krispie treat with white chocolate fudge on top. We should try making it sometime.

    We also came across an interesting nature trail with a mini-boardwalk through the undergrowth. It was pretty cool. Random: It kinda made me think of that butterfly effect short story (A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury). Didn't the characters walk on some kind of raised platform as they hunted dinosaurs? Sort of similar, right?

        And now we take a step closer to what I'm sure you all are more interested in: our excursion to Universal Islands of Adventure (our primary intention was Harry Potter World, but the rest of the park was really fun too)
        I just have to mention how international the whole day was. I don't think I've ever heard that much variety of languages and accents spoken around me in my life. It was so awesome! Our whole vaction (the people around us anyway) was actually a lot more diverse than I was expecting. It started off with the British family I mentioned in my last blog at the car rental place. And then it just kept coming. While at Cocoa Beach I heard Chinese (I'm assuming it was Chinese of course. I think the family was Chinese, but I could easily be wrong) Russian, and what I think was Dutch (but once again, I was assuming. My ear for languages is nowhere near good enough to distinguish alot of the different European languages). And then in Orlando, the family eating breakfast next to us was definitley speaking French (somehow, little kids speaking French is just really cool to me) and at the park there was German, French, and Spanish; and lots and lots of English accents.  It's possible I heard more British people talking than American (Though only one Scottish women who I'm not sure was Scottish since I only heard a bit of her sentence as she walked quickly past me.) On the whitewater raft ride, we shared our raft(boat?) with a Brit family and their hilarious kids (there was much screaming made by the children and my mom as they proceeded to get absolutley soaked on the ride, lol). I wound up spending quite a bit of the day wishing you all were there with me (particularly Anna Beth) since you all probably would have enjoyed it immesely.
    But I've hardly even mentioned The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! It was Awesome! Fantastic! Brilliant! The main ride in that part of the park was totally awesome! and the Butterbeer is delicious! Everything was way overpriced, but it was totally fun experience and you all should go if you haven't already (especially Sara).
    And now I suppose I should talk about the thing which you may mainly want to hear about that Anna Beth eluded to in her blog yesterday.
    I met Alex Day and Carrie Fletcher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GAH,cannotexpressinwordsallthefeelingsmustusegifsinstead
dumbstruck
feels
spit-take
flail

    It was just so unexpected. My brother and I were standing in line for the main Harry Potter ride, and I was kinda remembering that Carrie had mentioned in a recent video that she was going to Disney World and how cool it would be if she came to Universal too and maybe we were in the park at the same time. And about 5-10 minutes later who do I see walking in the distance to the back of the line I'm in? Carrie and Alex. And my mind was like "what?" "no way" 'dude" They were too far away to say anything without yelling and calling all kinds of attention to myself. And I wasn't sure if I would be bugging them (despite the TONS of videos of youtubers saying they don't mind being approached to say Hello and that they generally really like meeting people that watch their videos - I couldn't help the thought ok? It was just kinda instinctual) So, in tiny bit of a daze, I continued waiting in line with my brother, and we rode the ride and thoroughly enjoyed it.
    Luckily, right outside the exit to the ride is a place to buy wands and other souvenirs, which my brother wanted to stop at to get stuff for his friends. So I was just kinda waiting for  my brother to finish and sort of for Carrie and Alex to come out of the ride. And my mom found us (having not ridden the ride herself) so I was telling her about how I'd seen these two youtubers I liked and wouldn't mind saying hello to and to please tell me if she saw a guy wearing zebra print pants. And she's like "you mean like that?" and I'm like "KLSLKFJNLSJFLSJ"
I look over, see them walking past, and kinda spaz and call out "Alex!" (I have no ideo why I didn't call out "Alex!Carrie!" I blame the zebra pants. lol.) Anyway, they turn around and take a few steps toward me. I walk over and this is where I kinda blank memory-wise, but I shall do my best to recall everything that happened because Anna Beth asked me to (or was it Rachael? idk).
I said something like "Hi"
They said something like "Hi"
I said something like "I like your videos" or "I watch your videos. They're cool"
And He said something like "Yeah? Thanks. You just come off the ride, too?"
I said something like "Yeah, it was awesome, wasn't it?"
[I think something else ride related was said here, but I can't really remember what. something along the lines of we all liked the ride]
then I said something like "Would it be really weird if I asked to have a picture with you?"
He said something like "No, of course not!"
I then give my camera to my mom who has been standing a little back. Then Carrie, who I only then realize I haven't really addressed properly starts to step out of frame probably thinking I just want a picture with Alex. And I have another mini-spaz-attack (can't really control them :/ [oh and btw, you all know these are purely internal spazzes, right? I wasn't actually flailing around, at least I really hope I wasn't :P])  and say something like "No, wait. Will you be in the picture too, Carrie? I love your Disney Princess Song!"
I think she said "Sure, and Thanks" (I can't remember specifically because of the tiny guilt trip I was having at not saying much to her. She's awesome! Why didn't my surprised brain talk to both of them? I once again blame the zebra pants. They're quite distinguishable, aren't they? lol)
Then Alex says something like "Here, do you want to stand in the middle?" (When we had turned to face the camera I had ended up next to Alex with Carrie on the other side)
I said "Yeah sure"
Picture gets taken
I say Thanks
He says something like "no problem" followed by some version  of "Have a fun day at the park"
and I say thanks and some version of "You all have a nice day too"
then some sort of good bye
we go our separate ways
and my brother proceeds to tease me the rest of the day by recreating my spastic "Alex!" with quite a bit more drama and high pitched voices than I sure actually happened.

Anyway, I gotta say that they were super nice. I think 'chipper' is a very fitting word at describing my first impression of IRL Alex. He just had a very happy demeanor. And why not reinterate: they were quite amiable.

Now I can just talk about how kinda surreal it was. It was strange. Not like Strange Strange. It was just...different.. seeing someone in real life that you're only used to seeing in video format. The surprise factor may have also had something to do with it. There's just a pleasant weirdness that went with seeing them in person. It's hard to describe. And it kinda made my day, haha.
Also, I was both more and less fangirly than I thought I would be. I think I passed as a perfectly normal human being while internally I josseled between stomach-butterfly-somersaults and the more reasonable: "they're just people like you. but they are pretty awesome people nonetheless."  

Man, this has turned into a pretty long blog, for me anyway. And I haven't even got to mention that Shelby's in town! I got back from having dinner with her, Jessica, Anna Beth, Sara, and Amy. I could go on writing about how nice it was to see her again and about how I'm looking foreward to hanging out with everyone this weekend and finally moving into my new dorm room that I'm kinda in love with at the moment. But all that can wait. I'm tired. I've been up since 4:30 in the morning to catch a flight back to Kentucky. And I still have to get the rest of my stuff in order so that I can move tomorrow. Sigh. I'm tired. I'm going to bed now.

Goodnight,
Jill

P.S. - Something random I learned this week:
The word decimate (the beginning being 'deci' = 10) basically means to take away 10 percent of something. So, slightly less destructive than what I always thought

P.P.S
Question of the Blog: How do you think you would react upon seeing a youtuber or celebrity you really like?

Hello from 11:11...at least when I started this post. But then I went to Facebook and looked through Jill's vacation pictures and my brain is broken (in a good way) because...well, I'll let her tell you about it tomorrow. ;)
So, what did I do this week? It mostly consisted of preparing for the impending school year and hanging out with my family, which has been fun. Oh, and watching Doctor Who...there was quite a bit of that.
But TODAY...I moved some stuff into my NEW ROOM IN BATES!!! It's so much better than Minton, you guys...and I genuinely liked Minton. But Bates has private bathrooms and windows that lift and have screens instead of the kind that just open out to nothingness (by the way, Jill, there's a tracker jacker nest on our window). And real walls! It has real drywall walls, not concrete blocks. That means no more Tacky; we can use thumbtacks and our bazillion posters won't fall down as easily. We get to stab the walls, guys! Bates is awesome! Also, my (and Jill's) room is right across the hall from Rachael and Amy, and at the end of the hall is the RA room, or something, but on the other side, there are mechanical rooms...meaning fewer neighbors to disturb. PARRRRTAAY! (kidding...or am I?) And you know what's going to be weird? Boys. We have boys for hall mates. Weird, right?
And now, most of the fencing club lives in Bates. I went to help with the fencing table at the club fair today and like 58 people signed up. Sara insists it was because she's so cute, but it probably had more to do with the fact that Chris and Cameron were dueling on the lawn. Also, Sara and Rachael dueled for like a minute and Sara drew blood! Watch out, she's a killer.
So yeah...that's my life. That, and my mom and I had a fun time making up a bedtime story about a planet of goat-rabbit people whose worst enemies were made of shrubbery with hedge trimmers for teeth. And then Charlie Sheen was there...and Kirk Douglas...and Sean Connery...in a yellow speed boat. You know, never mind. Long story. The End.

-Anna Beth


P.S. In honor of the time at which I began writing this--and just because it's cute--here's a song.

Hello from room 301!
Band camp started last Saturday and because of that, I got move in early! Unfortunately, this also means that I have to deal with all the freshmen doing Master Plan. They crowd the only food places that are open and make a lot of noise when you're trying to nap during your lunch break. Right now, there's something going on I the stadium that's really noisy. It's going to become quite annoying if it doesn't end soon because I'll be wanting to get some sleep...
Anyway, it's not that bad. More food places will be open once school starts and there will still be some sort of line because of all the returning students.
Band camp is...well, it's band camp. We practice in the hot and get all sweaty. Some of us get sunburns and others just get really bad tan lines (cough cough). I've tried to even out my tan, but I'm about to give up. Let's just say that people would stare if I wear a bathing suit any time soon.
Yes, band is very repetitive and my muscles are sore, but at least I'm getting my muscle back and my fellow band members are pretty awesome people to hang out with. Like today, I borrowed a baritone's hat that looked like Ash's (from pokemon) and wore it part of practice. And yesterday we randomly went to Taco Bell way night and sat in the parking lot because the lobby was closed. Have I mentioned that the "Copy Paste" game has started going around the band? There have been some.....interesting ones.
I'll be getting my fridge here on Friday, Bates Runner doesn't have an elevator, and I've temporarily replaced Amy with a dragon for a roommate because I was feeling lonely. I'm thinking of naming him either Gerald or Jarvis. He uses his magical powers to guard aganist evil.
Good night guys!
Rachael

Hello from our last week of freedom. That’s right-this time next week I’ll be coming to you from the first week of a new semester. It’ll be good to get back to school and everything, but I’m happy to say that I do at least feel like I’ve spent my summer fairly productively. Between babysitting and camp and working on our web series (which hopefully we can get back to work on soon?) and everything else that’s been going on, this has undisputedly been my busiest summer yet. Which isn’t really saying much, I guess. Usually I spend most of it sleeping in super late and hanging out on the Internet. I thought I might get a little bored after I finished babysitting, but then Jill issued her challenge, so the last couple of weeks have been spent
cramming in as much reading as I could manage. And I am happy to say these efforts have not been for naught (heehee)- in the past week I’ve read, not 1, not 2, but 6 books! That’s right, nearly 1 a day! That puts me up to 8 total, and I’ll be posting review-y things over in the Etc. section once I’m done here. I should be able to get at least to 10 before the semester starts, but I’m hoping to make it to 15- that’d put me at the halfway point, which would be really helpful, considering how limited my reading time will be with classes and homework and stuff to work on. The past week hasn’t just been about reading, though- Anna Beth and I also got to have dinner with Shelby on Saturday, when she passed through on her way back to Asbury! We went to Pizza Hut (surprised?) and got to catch up and hang out for a little while before she had to head back to school. I can’t really think of much else to tell you guys. Enjoy the last of your summer! Unless you’re back already (I can’t remember whether anyone’s classes have started yet…), in which case, good luck with the new semester! And now it’s time to have some Questions:

Dwain:
What is your favorite word in the English language (and why)? (could be because of meaning or pronunciation)
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
What is your favorite word from any language other than English (or sign)? Since you said you know at least one word from 10-ish languages.
I like the sign for sweetheart- it’s adorable :) But I don’t know if it’s my favorite ever- there are probably millions of words. Why do people keep making me pick just one? 

Jill
Is there anything you might maybe want me to get you from Harry Potter World? (yes I’m thinking about maybe being nice to you for a change :P)
Lol. Well, I’ve never been to Harry Potter World, so I don’t really know what to ask for. Though, if you come upon any yummy (particularly chocolaty) sweets, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed :P
Would you have a diet of only bananas for a week if you could spend a day with the doctor?
A whole week for just one day? I feel like I might die before I ever got to have my Doctor Day :/ Seriously, can you live off of just bananas? Or is this another of your let’s-kill-off-Sara
Questions?
Are there any foods you enjoy the smell of but not the taste (bacon, coffee, crab
legs?)?
I don’t know about crab legs, but I do like the way bacon and coffee smell, despite how disgusting they taste.
If you had to be on a reality show (not including big brother since I know you like that one) what would you choose?
Aw, you totally just excluded the only one I wouldn’t have minded picking! By reality show, though, are we talking about only the Big Brother type things where a bunch of people are in a confined space together and compete or something? Or do, like, game shows and things factor in? I’d be happy to go on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? or Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? or something like that, but I have a feeling those don’t count. Which means I’m kind of stuck. The only other thing I can think of is Survivor, and I definitely don’t want to be on that show! I’d probably be dead within a week…
Also, have you seen Bananajamana’s latest video where she paints PJ? Isn’t it awesome? Also I have the song stuck in my head. Help?
Yes! Wow, she’s brilliant. As for the song, you’re on your own. Though I’ve been singing “Onward Christian Soldiers” since Sunday-you want that one?
What’s worse: sunburn or poison ivy?
I don’t know if I’ve ever had poison ivy, but from what I’ve heard it’s pretty nasty. Sunburn is painful, but it’s at least confined to the area that got too much sun, and it usually heals pretty quickly, depending on how severe it is. Poison ivy, on the other hand, can spread to other places really easily, and I feel like it lasts for awhile too. So I think I’ll stick with my sunburns- poison ivy is probably way worse.
Clowns: terrifying or fun for children’s parties?
Neither, in my opinion. They’re just kind of boring.
P.S.- I actually just watched KickThePJ’s video about hating birthday parties, and one thing he mentioned was how awful clowns are, and how 0% of kids like them (a statistic he found on the internet). Just thought I’d throw that in there :)

Jill’s brother:
What’s the cube root of your favorite number (to the nearest thousandth if need be)?
Blech. I was tempted just to say my favorite number was 8 so I could have an easy answer… In fact, though, the cubed root of my favorite number is 1.913. Now- what’s my favorite number?
Out of a random sample of 5 strands, what is the average length of your hair?
Strand 1- 16 in
Strand 2- 13 in
Strand 3- 9 in
Strand 4- 18 in
Strand 5- 16 in
Resulting average- 14.4 in

Jill’s mom:
Can you watch too much YouTube? (I have no idea what that question stems from… *cough*)
Absolutely! Exhibit A- Jill. It’s kinda fun getting Questions from your family, Jill :D

And those are all the Questions we have this week! Winner? Jill…’s brother! The hair question was random and amusing. And I’m sure he will be extremely proud of this honorable honor I have bestowed upon him. Have a good week, everybody! And, you know, if you want to beat Jill’s brother, you could spend part of that week coming up with Questions for me! Just a thought.

Love,
Sara

Hello from the wonderful world of Vandyland, where I get to move in Freshies at 6am tomorrow! Woot, woot! Seriously, though, I am really excited to be a part of Move Crew this year- If you haven't heard of it (though, seriously: we famous), Move Crew is where upperclassmen volunteer to carry in everything that freshmen bring in their cars, trucks, vans, moving trucks, etc directly to their new dorm room. Plus we're super excited and hyper, and it just makes a great combination to welcome the new incoming class. I remember that it was the best thing EVER not to have to carry my stuff across the lawn and up several flights of stairs into my new room (yes, they have Move Crew for transfers too :), and being able to do the same thing for the new class this morning was wonderful! =D

Besides that, hello from Mark's suite (Mark says hallo as well)! I've temporarily hijacked his computer--cause that's what I do--while he's distracted with his phone. Anyway, I'm really excited to be back at Vandy for my second (final?) year. I absolutely love my apartment- you all should come see it with cute furniture and plates and cups and silverware! It looks normal!  Lol :)

Of other awesome importance: I got to see Shelby today!!!! =D I was so excited to hang out with her and hear more about her time in Haiti. A lot of what she said I was able to understand and relate to other missions stories that I've heard about this summer, which was pretty neat. Plus she talked about the kids! XD I am so happy I got to see you, Shelby!!! Thanks for driving over! <3 you!!!

Oh! Important update: I took the GRE! And it went well! The math section was surprisingly hard (weird, right?!), but I still scored on pace with where I was aiming/expecting. :) I get my writing score back in a few weeks... Hopefully that part went well too. :)

Otherwise, today is pretty much a day to prepare for the awesomeness that is another year at Vandy! I have a Protestant worship service tonight, a religious org fair to man a booth at tomorrow, and Victory retreat from tomorrow afternoon through Monday afternoon. XD The best part? Getting to see all of my Vandy friends again :) They're wonderful to me... just like you guys! Miss you!!!!! <3

The song of the week is yet another one from NBC's music list... Yes, seriously. ;) Aaaaand I don't really have a specific reason for why I picked it lol. I just like it :) Plus I keep wondering whether or not they used a green screen (I think? Maybe? lol :). Have a great week you guys!