Sweet on the Outside

So recently, like the rest of the world, I have been experiencing a heat wave that makes life very uncomfortable. And, I currently have no air conditioning--which means that my room? About 80 degrees (Fahrenheit) and higher on hot days with little to no wind. With this being the case, especially without a good cooling down at night (making it really hard to get a good night's sleep, combined with the sounds of the outside world coming through the window that must be constantly open in order to get a nice breeze), it seems no surprise that there are adverse effects on the people. I am no exception. I have recently discovered that being constantly overheated makes me very irritable, and while I can often be irritable during normal, non-heat wave times, I usually have the good sense to keep what's in my head from coming out of my mouth without a thought.

The Finer Points of Friendship

Have you ever heard of Neville Longbottom? Luna Lovegood? Seamus Finnigan?

I'm Not Sorry

Let's pose a hypothetical, now. Imagine you're sitting with a friend who has had a particularly bad day (or week, or month, or...well, you understand) and you have been listening to them as they detail in length how absolutely awful their (previous time period here) has been. At the end of everything, perhaps you have advice for them, perhaps nothing but someone to gripe to, but whatever you have, you tell them, "I'm sorry about (insert something here)." And they reply, "It's okay, it's not your fault."

Let's Talk Disney

So if you know me, you know this one thing. I am a fan, down to the core, of the monolith that is Disney Animation. I specify, of course, because while I love a good Disney film such as Pirates of the Caribbean (Jonny Depp!) or some other along those live-action lines, I will always continue to return to Disney Animation.

Dearly Beloved, We're Gathered...

To say our goodbyes. Today we bid farewell, auf wiedersehen, adios, masalaama, and good riddance to DOMA, or, the Defense of Marriage Act, section 3. And please, please, let this mean that someday in the future, our fair country (or my fair country) will have fully equal rights for same-sex couples in all states.

What Does That Mean?

There is a movie, called Mona Lisa Smile, that is a particular favorite of mine. I can't stop myself from watching it anytime it's on, or seeking it out (it's on Netflix, by the way). If you've never heard of it, here's a little background: Mona Lisa Smile is set at Wellesley College (one of the Seven Sisters) during the 1953-1954 school year, as Katherine Watson becomes a professor teaching Art History in a time when women are trying to figure out where their place is. The women of the college are mostly there for their MRS degrees, but Katherine seeks to change their minds about what they could do with their lives, and the movie mostly centers around this idea of what feminism really is. Which, of course, got me thinking. What is "feminism"? What does it mean?

Rules for Truth

Honesty is the best policy, right? Sure. But what constitutes honesty; do white lies count, if we're trying to spare someone's feelings? And are all girls liars? Are all guys? Is everyone, simply, a liar?

It is a truth that...

It is a truth universally acknowledged that life is made up of lessons for us to learn, new heights for us to explore, new depths for us to fall to, new people for us to meet, new classes for us to take.

Crossing the Bridge

In Shrek, there is a moment when Donkey and Shrek are about to cross a rickety rope bridge over a boiling lake of lava. Donkey is scared, but Shrek convinces him to cross (you know the moment I'm thinking of, right?). Halfway across the bridge, Donkey changes his mind and tries to go back, but can't. The past is closed to him, and even if it's kicking and screaming, he has to move on with his life.