Ma Petite Belle

My Note To New Nerdfighter

2012-01-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

Or A Note To Those Who Like Books By John Green

To Whom It May Concern,

First, I hope you like this book; I like this book. If you didn't like this book well that is ok, I hope you like other books, the only thing is that this message isn't for you. If you did like this book, you should know that the author of this novel has a video blog-or vlog- with his brother atyoutube.com/vlogbrothers. I am a supporter of this vlog, known as a Nerdfighter (we fight for nerds, not against them), and I want to share this enjoyable enterprise with you.

There are some videos that you should watch and I will add links here: a Nerdfighter FAQ:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyQi79aYfxU and a playlist of Vlogbrothers' videos to watch:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFiApf_m4H0&list=PL747F0A378BC181C7&feature=plcp&context=C3587c44FDOEgsToPDskJ2vqGRxj5G9-cT-00Gkn-M

But really, I know you don't want to have to type these out, so I will be posting this entire note on my blog ma-petite-belle.blogspot.com and on my tumblr mapetitebelle.tumblr.com. Now I am not asking you to follow me or anything like that, that would be self-indulgent, and I am not striving for that. I just want you to watch the Vlogbrothers' videos with as much ease as possible. I hope you find something that you like, because Nerdfighters make up an awesome community and I hope you become a part of it. I would appreciate it if you would in some way let me know that you have received this message, so just add a comment or something. I just want to know this book, and my note as well, made it into good hands

Don't Forget To Be Awesome and Best wishes! (You will get why these phrases are important if you watch the videos)

Michelle

Ma Petite Belle for YouTube

2011-12-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so recently I have posted nothing, which means now I give you stupid excuses like I have been really busy with life and school, which is true, but the reason I have barely posted anything in months is that I have been getting really into the idea of vlogging rather than blogging. Vlogging is making videos that are just like blogs posts but videos. I am working on some of these so they should be up soon and I will let you know when they are up, and where to find them as they come out.

I Need Your Help

2011-11-29T18:39:00.000-08:00

I am taking part of a contest and need your help. Please vote for me here. You can vote three times so please do. Share with your friends and family and anyone else, even if you don't really like them, you can even share them with your fellows in the geeky fan group of your choice. Really, just share. I could use your help so I am counting on you! Thank you all.

Four Eyes And Bowties

2011-11-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am sorry for not getting to World Cup Day 2 but I have been kinda busy with a new project I am starting. It is called Four Eyes And Bowties and it is a vlog attached to a blog that I am doing with three of my friends. It will even more geeky than this. The vlog/blog is going to be mainly me, and my friends Lola (Lorm) and Maxine, with help from Odelia (Fabrizio of You're A Tulle) who will be doing the fashion aspects of geekyness. I will be making vlogs on Mondays so look out for that.
The YouTube channel is foureyesandbowties.
And our blog is Four Eyes And Bowties.
Check it out, it is really cool.
I am sorry if this takes up a large portion of my time but I will still do this.

Quidditch World Cup (Day One)

2011-11-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING! I had an awesome time. All of the people I met were incredibly nice (mostly Potterheads, as well as some Whovians and Nerdfighters, which was so awesome).

They were really disorganized, which I suppose is to be expected, given the fact that this was the largest World Cup by a large margine. And because of the disorganization the teams competing knew more about what to do and where to go, and thus the position of Team Liaison (which had been my job) was scrapped and those volunteers were sent elsewhere. That ended up being pretty ok, because I was sent to ticketing, where I met a bunch of super nice girls, two of whom were Whovians and one had flown in all the way from England to attend. We all discussed Hedwig's Theme and Chameleon Circuit, which was awesome.

After ticketing, I was sent to do some odd errands which was cool. I got to see parts of a bunch of matches. I did that for a while, but was then sent to Pitch 5, because they were in desperate need of a Runner (someone who gets things, and occasionally people, for the Field Director, and after matches, delivers the score cards to HQ). That was really fun, because I ended up watching the matches played there, and in between games running the scorecards. It was pretty cool, and I saw some amazing matches. After a while of Running, the Field Director at my Pitch decided to leave in the middle of her shift, and passed the job on to me. That was really stressful, as I had no idea what I was supposed to do, as I had never been trained or properly shown what to do. Luckily all of the people at my field were super nice and very helpful.

While doing those jobs, I saw some amazing Snitching. I got to see Rainey Johnson, the original Snitch, at work. He was great! He did a cartwheel into a one handed cartwheel into a handspring, all while avoiding the Seekers. Now THAT is talent. I also saw quite a few Snitches steal things from players. I saw so many Snitches take headbands, which are required to distinguish positions, and without which one cannot play. I also saw a Snitch take a broom and the Quaffle during a break in a game. Later on I saw a different Snitch steal a Seeker's broom and throw it over a hill and then run off laughing. I also noticed that Snitches like to hang out in packs, so as to confuse the Seekers, and protect each other.

I also injuries left and right. I saw at least three bloody noses, and a bloody Quaffle. I know that at the Pitch one over someone dislocated their shoulder. There was also at least one concussion, and I believe someone taken out on a stretcher.

On a lighter note, the performances were amazing. There were so many of the greatest Wrock bands. Some of the people there included: Snidget, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Lauren Fairweather, The Whomping Willows, Lily and James, and many others. However my personal favorite was the Potion Master's Corner with Snape and Bellatrix (aka Joe Moses and Britney Coleman) from A Very Potter Musical! IT WAS AMAZING! They were hilarious, and really nice, and really great! I hope they come back next year.

I would just like to note that all of the IQA staff were super nice, as were the volunteers. It was so nice to help out with something like this. The community that Quidditch has gathered is incredible.

My Version Of A World Cup (Quidditch World Cup Part 1)

2011-11-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend will be the fifth annual Quidditch World Cup and I will be volunteering there. I am so excited!
Here is some background on the World Cup and the IQA in general

The Quidditch World Cup is organized by the IQA or International Quidditch Association (here is a link to there website)
"Muggle Quidditch" was invented by Xander Manshel while he was attending Middlebury
The IQA was created in 2010
It is now run mainly by Alex Benepe, a board of directors and a group of volunteers
More history here
The IQA's mission is to foster Creativity, Community and Competition

The IQA has a full series of rules which I won't cover, but if you are interested here is the rulebook
Just so you know, Quidditch is BRUTAL, it is no game for the faint of heart or the weak of constitution

Tickets are still on sale if you think you can come. If not, come next year. There will be more during (possibly) and after (definitely) the World Cup, because I will be working both Saturday and Sunday as a team liaison.

If you can't attend the World Cup you can watch the live stream here (I am 90% sure).

You can also follow World Cup updates at @QuiddWorldCup and the IQA at @MuggleQuidditch.

I am super excited, and will try to have pictures but I am really bad at this type of stuff.

The Man Behind The Tollbooth

2011-11-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday I went to an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of my favorite books, The Phantom Tollbooth. At the event Norton Juster, the author of the wonderful book, spoke to us about his life and his writing.
HE IS INCREDIBLE
HE IS LIKE SANTA CLAUS EXCEPT FROM OLD JEWISH BROOKLYN
Here is a picture of him (I didn't take it)

He was so jolly and hilarious and really clever. He signed my book and it was AMAZING. He was really clever, and told us all about how he started out as an architect (yes that is your fact for the day). It was INCREDIBLE

I promise that the next post will be Halloween (or I will push that one back again). Ok, well more later.

Let me know which authors you would like to meet! Also do you have any questions? Let me know

I Will Post

2011-11-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I will post soon, but I have been busy.
There will be a (horrible) pic of my Halloween.
Also I want to let you all know that yesterday was Lorm's birthday. I gave her a wand and an inflatable light up lightsaber.
Happy Birthday Lorm
More to come soon.

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is just a tiny bit on my Halloween, there is a full post to come, but for now I will write a little on that.
Originally I was going to dress up as Ginny Weasley, but I hate wigs, so then I was going to dress up as Hermione Granger, but I really wanted to wear my Quidditch goggles, so I decided to go as Katie Bell, complete with broom and cursed opal necklace.

My friends, Fabrizio and Lorm, dressed up as Tonks and Luna. We had a great time. There is more to come at a later date, but not right now, because I am really tired and I have work to do.

Down With The Dark Lord

2011-10-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate the first time You-Know-Who was sent away but a little boy that saved us all. And for that we all cheer.

That is why I wore my robes out in public.

Muggles be damned, today is a day to celebrate. Just like on that day all those years ago, witches and wizards everywhere wore their cloaks and robes into the streets of Muggle cities. And I was among them. I wore my Slytherin tie and my robes. I, however, was respectful and wore my black robes in respect for Lily and James.

Rest In Peace James And Lily

2011-10-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

October 31st will be covered in many parts. We will be starting off sad. Today we remember the brave sacrifice that James and Lily made, a sacrifice that saved not just the Wizard Community, but the whole planet.

We will never forget how you gave your lives to save Harry. And there is no one who thinks your sacrifice was in vain. Your house in Godric's Hallow stands in ruins to remind us of what you did. You two made a choice that no one will ever forget.

Your deaths led to the toppling of one of the worst wizards the world has ever seen.

And your son has become the most well know wizard since Merlin himself. But even that has not gone to his head. Every day he inspires witches and wizards to fight the dark side in your honor.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOLLY WEASLEY

2011-10-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

I need to post this before it officially becomes tomorrow in NYC so I am writing this now. Today is Molly Weasley's birthday. I made this my status on Facebook and tweeted it but still, I need to post it.

Everyone knows Molly is amazing. She is the mother of some of the best people and the mother-in-law for quite a few other awesome people.

We often forget how powerful a mother's love is, and how important a mother can be in our lives. Molly, you are one of the best mothers out there. We raise a bottle of butterbeer to you! Happy birthday from the whole wizarding community.

And to quote your most quoted (for good reason) line: "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

You are truly a show of how great a mother can be.

Tea Is Company

2011-10-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know that the title of this post is lame, but it is what I would have or will call my tea shop.

I love tea. Tea is one of my favorite things. My favorite teas are in this order: chamomile, english breakfast and peppermint. I know it is strange and a little ridiculous to write an entire post on tea, but I love it and I don;t have much else to write about as of now (next will be Halloween). There will be some posts coming soon about NYCC but not right now.

So back to tea. My record for most cups of tea in a day was 6 or 7 cups of chamomile tea from the time I got home from school to the time I went to bed. Like I said, I love tea. I started drinking a crazy amount of tea after the Doctor Who episode "The God Complex". It started out as a way to cope with the events of that episode (I won't spoil for all of you who haven't seen it) and then it spiraled into a full blown addiction (in the best way possible).

As I said to my friend Marcie yesterday, tea is the drink of life. So have a cup. I am in fact making some tea right now. Actually I have to go because my tea is almost ready.

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE WEATHER?

2011-10-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

This is just INSANE! Earlier this week kids in my class were wearing shorts, I mean that isn't saying much because teenage boys have no sense of temperature, but still. And now it is SNOWING! This is just messed up. That isn't to say I am complaining, because as kid born on Christmas Eve I love winter and especially snow, it reminds me of my birthday and Hanukkah (yes, I was born on Christmas Eve and I am Jewish, you would be surprised how often this comes up).

I am pretty excited about the snow, because Winter is one of my favorite seasons and I am pretty excited to wear my new coat, but I feel a little like we skipped over Autumn, which is a season that I adore in terms of fashion. I love jackets, and now we have skipped straight to coats, but I am ok with that because my coat is super cool. The only problem is that now I can't wear my Hogwarts robes when I wander around the city.

As insane as this weather switch is, I am pretty sure that it will switch back at some point, but who knows. I am really sorry this post is about weather. I will try not to do too many more of these. I was just looking out my window and I saw this, so I had to write about it.

Pre-Halloween Post

2011-10-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so there will be more about my Halloween this year soon, but first I want to tell you about Halloween in my life in general.

First off, I LOVE Halloween. Not just for the candy, I mean candy is great and all, but my favorite part is dressing up. If I could I would always wear my Hogwarts robes and Slytherin tie but Muggles get suspicious (I actually do wear my robes quite a bit, because Lorm and I wear our robes when we walk around our neighborhood on Saturdays).

Let us go over some of the costumes I have worn in the past, they won't be in any order, but if I remember when I wore it I will let you know. The ones I have made myself will be marked HM for home made.

Wonder Woman (yes, as a dedicated Marvel fan I regret this but I was in preschool or something)
A paige (yes, tis right, I chose not to go as a knight, I am just so hipster that I could never go as something as main stream as a knight) HM
A dalmatian (this costume was worn by my sister as well but at a different time)
A pirate (two times, I am not all that proud of this because it was a bit of a cheap and cliche costume, but I guess I was following my sister and she dressed up as a pirate before me so what was I to do)
Bubbles the Power Puff Girl (both my mom and I think this happened but I was in preschool so I am not entirely sure)
Pebbles (yeah I was super awesome with the bone in my hair) HM
The devil (I joked around with my friends that it wasn't much of costume because I am already just too evil) HM
A soccer player (I wore this to a school fair because I had soccer practice after, I am actually quite proud of this clever solution)
Jedi (yes, I was one of the two female Jedi in existence ever. That was really fun, quite a few of my friends wore costumes just like mine. I still use my two blue lightsabers)
Shadowcat (SO PROUD of this one, I even had a Lockheed on my shoulder and one claw as Kitty can be seen with in X-Men Forever. And three of my friends wore Magma, Pixie and Magik costumes, we looked really snazzy) HM
Hermione (this just shows me what a cool child I was. Be sure to keep this one in mind it will be important later, hint: this has to do with me and Lorm and Fabrizio)

There are definitely more but I just can't remember them right now, I am sure I can think of more at some point. If I remember any there will be a mini post about them.

I Really Hate Doing This

2011-10-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

I really don't want to do this, but I am going to do the whole self promotion thing. If you read my blog please subscribe, I promise it is not about wanting a lot of subscribers, it is more that I would like to know who you are. I know that some of you I know in person, but I think that some of you are from outside of the U.S.A. and so I doubt I know you. And even if you are in the U.S.A. it is quite possible that I don't know you. If you have found my blog because you were googling pictures of Marvel characters you may be turned off from reading this because of all the Harry Potter stuff I am posting now, but I promise there will be more Marvel stuff to come (hint: I will be talking a little about what I heard at the X-Men: Regenesis panel I heard at NYCC). And for those of you who like Doctor Who or music or anything else, there will be a lot more random stuff to come. And if you are here from You're A Tulle this isn't really fashion-y but feel free to see if you like this. So follow me or at least let me know what you want to hear about.
I also have a twitter account, BatBogeyQueen, so feel free to check on that! I don't use it a huge amount, but it does give some insight in to me, and sometimes some cool stuff.
I will really try not to do any more self promotion any time soon. This is honestly so I know who you are and what you want hear about. Please comment. And as a last act of self indulgence, share this with people you think will be interested!

What I Bought

2011-10-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

I would like to state that I turn 15 in under two months. The reason I am saying this is because after nearly two years I have finally spent the Amazon gift card I got for my Bat Mitzvah. This post will be about what I bought. And yes, even though you probably don't care, this will be keeping with the Harry Potter theme.
I bought three things (well one of them was for my friend Lorm as a birthday present and didn't actually come out of the gift card but it was still part of the same order so it counts).
The first thing I got was a pair of Quidditch goggles as seen below:

These are super comfy and just amazing. I really really like wearing them. They are a great purchase. I told Lorm that whenever I put them on I feel like I should swoop around and snatch the Snitch. The little Snitches on the side are cute little replicas that look exactly like the real Snitches used in the movie. I mostly wear them around my neck or on my head because I find eye ware weird.

The next thing I got was Lorm's birthday gift (it was a REALLY early gift as I gave it to her in early October and her birthday is November 4th). She is a massive Luna Lovegood fan and is actually JUST like her which is amazing. For her birthday I got her Luna's wand. This wand is amazingly beautiful. It is swooshy and really nicely carved. Lorm likes it a lot. It is resin so it is heavier then one would first think, but it is perfect for dueling (at least for her). Here is a picture of what the wand looks like:

The wand is amazing. It is not my type of wand, it is too swishy and little too short for me, but Lorm really loves it.

The last thing I got, which is my personal favorite, is my wand. It is an exact replica of Ginny's wand and it is beautiful. When I first picked it up I thought it was too heavy when I first picked it up but after a day I realized it is PERFECT. I love it. It is the right length, about 14 inches, and is the perfect wand for martial dueling. I don't like swishing wands, they feel weak to me. My wand is tough, unbending and unyielding. It has started to feel absolutely perfect, almost like an extension of my arm. The grip is perfect, it has a handle that fits my fist exactly. Here is a picture:

It is black so it is the exact opposite in terms of color of my wand on Pottermore which is Aspen (Aspen wood is white). But still, I love it beyond belief! I will be posting about how it is for dueling soon, because dueling is awesome (a lot more about that because I know it sounds a little ridiculous.

Tell me about your wand. Or if you could have the wand of any Harry Potter character which one would it be? Also, what Harry Potter prop or replica do you really want?

House Pride

2011-10-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

I am going to be posting about Harry Potter for a while (a lot of Potter has happened). First we are going to talk about Pottermore. After a long wait for my letter, and then an even longer wait so that I could actually play, my lovely account HexSword126 was accepted. POTTERMORE IS AMAZING. As I was going through I got my super lovely wand which is Aspen 12 3/4 inches Phoenix feather core. That only left one more quiz, Sorting. After a long and very stressful quiz I was Sorted. And the Hat said...

SLYTHERIN!

Perfect!

Here is a few lines from the welcome letter Slytherin prefect Gemma Farley shared with us blessed Serpents

Let's talk about what we are, which is the coolest and edgiest house in this school. We play to win, because we care about the honour and traditions of Slytherin... We're like our emblem, the snake: sleek, powerful, and frequently misunderstood...you'll be glad you've got the Serpents on your side... As far as we're concerned, once you've become a snake, you're one of ours - one of the elite... Because you know what Salazar Slytherin looked for in his chosen students? The seeds of greatness. You've been chosen by this house because you've got the potential to be great, in the true sense of the word.

SLYTHERIN PRIDE!

There will be more Potter to come.

Feel free to send me a friend request and tell me about your House and why you love it!

I Haven't Posted In Forever

2011-10-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

I am really sorry about that, well actually I am sure no one really cares and this is more a matter of writing from time to time but still... Well I have been very preoccupied. It has been school, homework, guitar lessons, weekends are spent practicing dueling with Lorm (there will be more on this later), and a week ago last Thursday to Sunday was NYCC (New York Comic Con) so I was super busy, and next week is All Hallow's Eve so that will be hectic as well but I will be trying to post about all of that (well, not homework and probably not school) and more (I am partaking in NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month which starts in November so that will be posted about but will be massively time consuming) but I will be sure to try to start posting again.
Thanks for putting up with this!
also check out my friend Fabrizio and vote for her in the Club Monaco contest (details on her blog)
I will post more soon (I hope)
I also want to point out that I will probably be abusing (these) even more, they are a mini obsesion

DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY!!!!!!!!

2011-07-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, look, I know I haven't posted in a while and I know that it is super late to be talking about Harry Potter (Well, that is according to anyone who is a part time HP fan, aka someone who is only obsessed with this wonderful story when a knew book or movie comes out, when it is declared "hip") but to me, someone who takes the classifications "Superfan" as an understatement, it is never too late to talk about The Boy Who Lived. Because I feel that superfan is a tad offensive, as it doesn't do justice to my Potter obsession I decided to look up some possible names for the fan base of one of the best stories ever. Here are some I found (they are in no real order):

Wiznerds
Potterphiles
Harry Heads
Pot-Heads (Stupid Twi-Hards use it because they think it insults us, but really I just find it amusing)
And of course Muggles

Let me know your favorite.
But on we go. I'm sure that you all have seen the latest and final installment of the most epic series ever. And of course I saw it as soon as possible aka at 12:01 on the day it came out. And I dressed up. It will be rare for me to show you all pictures of me but here is a rare pic of me, I'm the one on your right. The one on the left is my friend who I always call Fabrizio, but her more common nickname is Dellye.

And as the most obsessed of you should know, the Pottermore challenge is coming up. On July 31st, Harry's birthday and in fact my friend Fabrizio's as well, J.K. Rowling is offering the first 1 million people to complete the challenge the opportunity to gain early access to the Pottermore website, while all the rest of the fans have to wait until October. The website will include audio tapes and e-books, but most importantly it will include new info on the world of the wonderful wizards. And unfortunately the only clue she gave us is "Follow the owl."
If I am lucky enough to get a chance to see the site I will be happy to tell you all about it. And if you have any insight into the clue left for us let me know.

Summers With The X-Men

2011-07-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today, what with summer here and all, about the X-Men from Marvel Comics that I would most like to spend my summer with. Yeah, I know its sounds silly, but this is just the type of thing that goes through my head. So here goes, a list of the top five powers or characteristics possessed by X-Men that would most benefit my summer:

5) At number five we have the ability to fly. With flight I could generate a welcome breeze whenever I felt like it which is something I really need when I was in Spain, but more on that later. The perfect example of this is the super flyer (Arch)Angel.

4) As every New Yorker knows, the subway in the summer is not fun. It is a blob of people who just spent half an hour waiting on a hot airless platform. That is why for number four I have chosen teleportation. No need to try and cram yourself in between the fat guy that clearly doesn't know what deodorant is and the woman who is all elbows, yet still yells at you when you try to keep that pointy joint out of your rib. Because of all of that I have chosen Nightcrawler.

3) I know that during my summer I really just like to collapse on my couch, and getting up do do anything is just a chore I'm not up to which is why I have chosen telekinesis for number three. And the perfect example of telekinesis is the lovely Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/Phoenix/Dark Phoenix. She doesn't need to roll out of bed to turn off the light or turn up the AC. Plus having telekinesis would be quite useful in moving furniture to block my door in an effort to keep my family from entering my room, especially now that my sister is home from college.

2) Lets not forget about Iceman. I mean no one can cool down a hot day like an omega level mutant whose ability is to freeze anything. If I had his abilities I would save SO much on electric bills because I would have absolutely no need for fans or air conditioning. Plus I HATE heat. My room is always super cold, so if I could turn myself into organic ice I would never have to be warm.

1) And the power I would choose first is... weather manipulation, just like Storm. With her your day at the beach would never be ruined. If it is too cloudy she can just focus and clear up the sky, or if it is too hot she can just create a cool breeze. And you can always have the perfect weather, no matter what. I really really need her powers. I mean in a way she combines the cooling power of Iceman (number 2) and the flying powers of Angel (number 5) as well as adding the ability to bring out the sun. No wonder she is considered a goddess in the deserts of Africa.

Let me know what your choice list of powers to use in summer would be.

P.S. I know that the title implies that at least one of the energy blasting boys (Cyclops, Havoc or Vulcan) would be featured on my list, but their powers just don't scream useful in summer.

Sorry For Nothing In Two Weeks

2011-07-03T03:15:00.000-07:00

I was in Spain for two weeks, and unfortunately, I was without my lovely computer Rose (me and my friends all name our computers, and mine is named after the super awesome amazing perfect companion to the Ninth and Tenth Doctors). I traveled around Spain starting in Barcelona then Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Ronda and ending in Madrid. I will later give much longer much more detailed writings on my trip but right now it is six in the morning and I am only posting because I was looking at my friend Fabrizio's (like I said before, that is nowhere even close to her name) blog You're A Tulle, and saw that she had posted A LOT when I hadn't posted anything. So I posted this to ease my guilt. More to come soon.

It's All Greek To Me

2011-06-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday me and my super-awesome-spectacularific besties Lorm (not her real name) and Fabrizio (not even close to her real name, also she has an awesome blog called You're A Tulle) went thrift store hopping. We went to Housing Works, Angel Street Thrift Shop and Pippin (technically a vintage jewelry store). While my friends got clothing like sweaters and jeans, I decided to buy a book on how to learn ancient Greek. Well I should explain. Ever since I was little I have been in love with Greek mythology. My mom used to read me stories from our copy of d'Aulaires' Book Of Greek Myths all the time when I was little.

d'Aulaires' Book Of Greek Myths

Seeing a book on ancient Greek for three bucks brought back all those lovely bonding memories of learning to read with my mom and I thought "What the hell" or rather "What the realm of Hades" (yeah I know, that was a horrible joke, but I couldn't resist). So far, the writing is pretty easy, but I have no idea how my pronunciation is. My dad has been making fun of me because my choice of dead languages is not in fact Latin, which is helpful on the SATs and if you want to be a doctor or a lawyer, but instead Greek. But part of the appeal is that fewer people know it. Bragging rights really don't go with Latin, but I think it will be really fun to tell people that I speak Ancient Greek. WHAT NOW! I just hope that Athena doesn't decide to turn me into a spider for boasting (that makes sense to all of you avid mythology fans, but if you don't get it click this link for more on the myth of Arachne). Well thats all I've got. I think two bad puns make a successful day. Lets see if any of you can come up with bad mythology jokes. If you have any put them in the comments section.

Good-Night(crawler)

2011-06-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been thinking about Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler of the X-Men. I know that he has been dead for a little over a year now, but I don't think that is any reason to forget about him. And because I love him so much I refuse to except that he is dead and instead will talk about him in the present tense.

So here goes. He is one of my favorite X-Men, because he is one of the characters that feels the most real to me. He has that little bit of self loathing that sneaks up, and it hits him in a way that, especially as a teenage girl, makes him a character that one can empathize with all too much. He is seen on many occasions to be the type of character to not only need an image inducer to blend in, but to somtimes desire one as well.

Nightcrawler wearing the image inducer Tony Stark invented for him at a bar with Wolverine.

The wonderful thing about Kurt is that on so many occasions he can be seen treating each mission as though it was an adventure. He jokes around and doesn't take it too seriously like many other members of the team, and just embraces being an X-Man for what it is, an adventure. I mean how many X-Men get cutlasses and galavant around acting a bit like pirates. He is know to act in a bit of a dramatic fashion, which, coupled with his wonderful sense of humor, and love of a good joke, makes him a perfect character.

But that is not to say he lacks depth. And because he was an aspiring priest he has the full example of being torn between religion and the world he sees. He is forced to face the fact that religion is all to often used as an excuse to kill when he sees Reverend William Stryker and his crusade against the mutant race. In the "God Loves, Man Kills" series Kurt is forced in a way to once again face the same prejudice he faced as a child when mobs chased him for being a mutant. Kurt is placed in a position where he once again has to face the fact that people don't see him as human, but instead as a demonic creature that is even below the rest of mutant kind in the eyes of the Purifiers.

And whats more, he has to deal with the fact Reverend Stryker is willing to point a gun at Kitty Pryde, who is something close to a little sister for most of the X-Men (the exception being the Rasputins, because Illyana is younger, and it would be incredibly creepy if Piotr thought of Kitty as a little sister). Kurt has to come to grips with the fact that religion can lead people so far astray, and that his friends aren't nearly as willing to accept God as he is, most significantly Logan, who find any use for the imaginary, which is what he considers God to be.
But Kurt manages to power through that, as well as anything else thrown his way. For instance the guilt he faces for not being there to keep Kitty from having to sacrifice herself to save the world from the bullet shot at Earth. He feels as though he could have saved her, and that he let down a girl he had considered a close friend and a little sister, especially after their time together with Excalibur. To help him get passed pain he is feeling, he programs the Danger Room to create a hologram of Kitty, to whom he can apologize.

Kurt programs the Danger Room to allow him to apologize to Kitty, and to say goodbye.

The series "Manifest Destiny" shows Kurt facing the problem, what do you do when your friends have someone who is better than you in what you pride yourself in. Kurt struggles with where he fits in all over again because Pixie is a better teleporter than he is. A trip home and a little perspective bring him back to his rightful place alongside the X-Men.
But in a way half of me wishes that Kurt had stayed away so that he was still alive, and my other half is telling me that it is better to die a hero than live a coward. The second half should be told to shut up because Kurt was far too good a man to die.
At his funeral Logan said something that says a lot about Kurts character, because for a man of religion he was far from judgmental.

And to quote what Logan said to Hope as he was leaving Kurts funeral "You better be worth this, I swear to God."

and he was right, Hope sure as hell better live up to her nickname as "The Mutant Messiah".

The Arctic Monkeys Concert

2011-05-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

My favorite band has to be the Arctic Monkeys, and the other day I was lucky enough to be able to see them with my best friends. The Arctic Monkeys played a sold out show at SummerStage in Central Park.

And they were great, as were the Vaccines who opened for them, but you can hear more on that in a later post. But as spectacular as the Vaccines were it was quite clear to everyone there that the vast majority of the people at the concert were there for the Arctic Monkeys. And for good reason, I mean they were amazing. They played all of their best songs spectacularly. Alex Turner, the lead singer for those of you who don't know, has the most amazing voice.

Just listening to him you can really hear the difference from the first concerts they did to now. Wow I am so excited to get my hands on the new album, which comes out June 6th. From what I have heard so far Alex and the rest of the boys (Jamie, Matt and Nick) have something amazing prepared for us.

To take a look at the setlist for their concert, check out this link and scroll down

http://www.nme.com/news/the-vaccines/56881