Today in History... March 31st

1980: President Jimmy Carter deregulates the banking industry

1949: Winston Churchill declares that the A-bomb was the only that kepy the soviet Union from taking over Europe

1940: La Guardia airport in New York officially opens to the public

1939: Britain and France agree to support Poland if Germany threatens to invade

1918: Daylight Savings Time goes into effect throughout the United States for the first time

1889: The Eiffel Tower in Paris officially opens on the Left Bank as part of the Exhibition of 1889

1836: The first monthly installment of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens is published in London

1809: Nikolai V. Gogol born (Russian Writer, The Inspector General, Dead Souls)

1776: Abigail Adams writes to husband John that women are "determind to foment a rebellion" if the new Declaration of Independence fails to guarantee their rights

1596: Rene Descartes born (French philosopher and scientist)

Pinterest for Dummies

A popular new site among college students, Pinterest has become one of my most frequently visited sites.  Pinterest's popularity comes from its' wide variety of subject material - fashion, beauty, humor, animals, food, home decor, and more.

For those of you unfamiliar with Pinterest, the site is fairly simple once you've gotten the hang of it.  Each user has a "profile page" containing "pinboards" or collections of "pins" or posts that they have personally saved.  Users choose the names of their pinboards and the number of pinboards they have.  Once a user has their desired pinboards created, they can begin searching the sites' material by topic, popularity, or by what the people you follow have pinned recently.  When you find something that you would like to re-pin, simply hit the "repin" button and select the pinboard that you would like it to be placed into.  And that's it!

As I said, Pinterest is a very simple site to learn.  But the small amount of effort needed to master the site is completely worth it.

Wrock

Wrock, or Wizard Rock (and yes, I did just say wizard rock) is a popular phenomenon within the Harry Potter extremists.  As if you haven't already guessed it, Wrock bands write songs about Harry Potter, but also about the effect that it has made on an entire generation.  Ministry of Magic, my personal favorite of the Wrock bands, also happens to be how I discovered Luke Conard.

Some of my favorite Ministy of Magic songs include:

"Don't Leave"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMsjWSLZL7U&feature=related

"House Song"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7XfxbvclG8

"Lily"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxjwI5e_Uac&feature=related

"More than Enough"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDYfM7fjcJk

Some other Wrock bands to consider... (HP fans- don't you just love these names??)

- The Remus Lupins

- The Curse Breakers

- Siriusly Grim

- The Sneakoscopes

Random Facts #4

The Human eye detects sound.  University research studies show that mild and incidental noises cause the pupils of the eyes to dilate.  It is believed that is why surgeons, watchmakers and others who perform delicate manual operations are so bothered by uninvited noise: the sounds cause the pupils to change focus and blur their vision.

The opening breakup scene in the movie “The Social Network” with Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara ran eight script pages and took 99 takes.

The United States has 2.3 million people behind bars, making it the world leader in the number and percentage of residents we incarcerated.  More than one in 100 Americans are incarcerated.  China is a distance second.

During famines that ravaged North Korea from 1955 to 1997, starving people commonly dug up bodies from fresh graves to eat the meat.

Despite having so many flavors of ice cream, Baskin Robbins plain vanilla ice cream is the number one selling flavor and accounts for a quarter of their sales.

1 in 5,000 North Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue.

By law, a pregnant woman can urinate anywhere she wants to in Britain, even, it she so chooses, in a police officer’s helmet.

My Favorite Quotes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.”

"Which way did they go Peeves?" "Quick, tell me."

"Say 'please'"

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please."

"All right - please."

"NOTHING! Ha Haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha! Ha! Haaaaaa!"                                

- Filch and Peeves

"But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend.  There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."

"Peeves," he said in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible." Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock.

- Harry

Alas! Ear wax!"                                             

- Dumbledore

Update!

Hey Everyone!  I hope you all are having fabulous days!  I have been extremely busy lately with school and life in general, but I’ve come up with a system for how I post on my blog, so I how you’ve found that it’s been updated enough for you!

This weekend, with two of my roommates, I made a new wall decoration for my room.  In the picture below, it's the series of letters on the wall to to the right.

For anyone who doesn’t know what this is, it’s a series of spells from Harry Potter that are used to create a shield around the castle to protect it and the people inside it from Voldemort and the Death Eaters in the final battle. 

SPOILER ALERT!!

I also went to see the Hunger Game at midnight last week!  It was so much fun and the movie was fantastic!  There were some things they left out, like I wish Rue was in a bit more, and I wish the post-Game interview was longer, but other than that I can’t think of anything that really bugged me.  However, in regards to the Mockingjay pin, the trailer made me believe that Katniss gave Prim the pin before she left for the Games, not before the Reaping.  So I’m glad that in actuality, Prim gave the pin back to Katniss when they say good-bye, because her having that pin in the arena is so important.  I just really hope that we eventually get to meet Madge and get the story of her Aunt.  Overall though, I absolutely loved the movie and can’t wait to see it again this weekend!

Switching gears, my classes have been kicking my ass lately, and I’m pretty much just dangling by a thread at this point.  I cannot wait until this semester is over, but we still have a month to go.  This week I have a Shakespeare test, and next week I have 2 quizzes for that class, I have a poem due on Thursday, I have a Film paper due on the 5^th and I haven’t started watching the films for it yet, and a quiz for that class on the 3^rd, not to mention I need to start working on my next 10 page short story for my fiction class.  And that’s not even all of my work.  I didn’t even include all of readings.  And all of my UPB work that I have going on now too.  SO STRESSED!!!!!!

Before I say good-bye, I’d like to say WELCOME!!! to any and all new readers that I’ve acquired since my last personal post.  It’s a pleasure to have you!  And, I would also like to remind everyone to please share this blog with your friends and family members.  It may not seem like a big thing, but I really helps me out.  And don’t be afraid to leave comments or questions on my blog posts.  I love seeing what readers have to think about what I’m writing, but unfortunately it doesn’t happen as often as I’d like it to.  And if you have a blog topic you’d like to see, don’t forget to let me know!!!

And… don’t forget to follow me on Twitter! @allisoncomments

Happy Monday!

Allison

Pretty Little Liars Finale Talk

I’ve been a huge fan of the ABC Family t.v. show Pretty Little Liars for quite a long time now, and this past week was the season two finale.  So, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, this post may not make a whole lot of sense to you, but I will say this – go watch the show!  It’s great and highly addicting.  And to those who are familiar with the show, what did you think of the finale??? SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!

Ezra going public was something that I was not expecting at all.  I did think that he would show up briefly despite everything that had gone on with Aria’s parents.  As much as I loved this moment, being the big Aria/Ezra fan that I am, I couldn’t help but wonder, shouldn’t he have been arrested for kissing a minor?  It just seems strange to me that he was run out of town by Byron’s threats of going to the police but a public scene like that doesn’t faze him.

Finally after weeks of waiting for the ‘Big A Reveal,’ we find that Mona is A.  Because I’ve been reading the books slowly (I read one every once in awhile in between other books), I wasn’t surprised to find out Mona was A because she is the first A to be revealed as A in the books.  I was, however, surprised to find that she survives the fall and then the twist regarding the personality disorder.  Was anyone else not surprised that Mona was A?  Who was surprised? 

Another highlight of the episode for me was when Spencer discovers A’s lair.  I was definitely not expecting to see the room where A does their dirty work in the finale at all, so I was extremely glad that we were able to see it, and it ended up being really cool to see it, despite it being a creepy setting.  I really appreciate the fact that now we have a clear visual for what we’ve been seeing tiny snippets of at the end of each episode since the pilot.

And the conclusion of the episode: the discovery of Maya’s body and Emily’s breakdown.  I don’t know that this was necessarily intentional since the show is not over, but I almost felt like the show came full circle in the finale.  The discovery of Maya’s body was setup almost exactly like it was when the girls looked on at the discovery of Alison’s body in the pilot.  Content wise, I personally never liked Maya as a character, so I wasn’t all that upset when she turned up dead, but Emily’s reaction is what got to me emotionally.  It definitely says something about Shay Mitchell’s acting ability that she was able to make me care even though I never have before.

So for all of you who watched the finale, what did you think??? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Random Facts #3

Abba got their name by taking the first letter from each of their first names – Agentha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-frid.

A donkey will sink in quick sand, while a mule will not.

Google uses an estimated 15 billion kwh of electricity per year, more than most countries.  However, Google generates a lot of their own power with their solar panels.

It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen’s image upside-down.

A shrimp’s heart is in their head.

The longer the finger, the faster the fingernail grows.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.

At age 35, Harrison Ford was fitting a door for Francis Ford Coppala when a studio executive asked the handyman to take a break and read lines with actresses who were testing for a new film.  The film was Star Wars.

One of every eight boxes of cereal sold in the U.S. is Cheerios.

The average dog has 200-250 million scent receptors in their nose.  Humans have approximately 5 million scent receptors.

In the Bible, David is mentioned more times than Jesus.  David is mentioned 1118 times.  The second most commonly occurring name in the Bible is “Jesus,” which occurs 973 times.

Americans eat bananas more than any other fruit.  The average person consumes 27 pounds of bananas every year, eating more bananas apples and oranges combined.

About Me Survey #2

1.    Do you have any “rules” about food? I don’t like it when my food touches on my plate, but on holidays when there’s a lot of food on the table, like Thanksgiving, I don’t mind it for some reason.  And when I eat M&Ms, I can only eat 2 at a time, and can only eat the same color together or if I eat two different colors at the same time, then only certain colors can be matched together.  And there’s a certain order the colors have to be eaten in, i.e. browns, reds, etc. (yup I’m crazy!)


2.    Where are you from? I used to live in North Haven, Connecticut, but now I live right outside Baltimore, Maryland. 


3.    Are you a bad person? I don’t think I’m a bad person.  I’ve definitely done bad things, but I think everyone has done bad things, but that doesn’t make them a bad person. 


4.    Do you sleep with a stuffed toy? My pillow pet!  I have a panda pillow pet named Pandee, because I am so original when it comes to names, and also named after Ingrid’s (Miss Glamorazzi on YouTube) panda pillow pet.


5.    What do you think about the most? I think about what I have going on in my life, my friends and family, my blog, food, schoolwork,  Harry Potter (insert eye roll/grin here), tv shows/movies, and books.


6.    What do you want to be when you “get older?” I keep rethinking this, but I do have an interest in writing and working in publishing.


7.    Is your life anything like it was 2 years ago? Not at all!


8.    Do you replay things that have happened in your head? All the time!  Doesn’t everyone?


9.    Say 10 facts about your room: (this is about my room at my apartment at school) I have a crayon melt that I made hanging above my dresser, I have a London shower curtain in my bathroom, I have a blue butterfly chair, my bedspread is patterned with a Tiffany’s blue color, above my tv I have 3 framed prints that I got in London and Paris, I have a silver GameCube, Charlie’s crate is at the foot of my bed, on my bathroom door I have a “toilet” sign that I got on Portobello Road in London, I currently have a Green Grass Bath and Body works candle on top of my dresser, and…. to the right of my tv cart I have my 3 shelf unit that I got from Target that holds my nail polish collection, my Lush products, and my extra random stuff.


10.  Do you have any phobias? I’m definitely afraid of spiders, but in general all types of bugs and critters.  I’m afraid of heights/getting your perspective shown off.  Meaning, I can stand on a bridge and I’m fine, but if I stand on the edge and look straight down, I would flip out and feel sick


11.  Are you allergic to anything? I’m not allergic to any foods that I know of, but my Mom is allergic to bee stings so I’m really afraid of getting stung.  I’ve never been stung before, because when I see a bee I run in the opposite direction so I have no way of knowing if I’m allergic or not.


12.  Ever broken any bones?  I broke my arm in 10^th grade in cheerleading.  Long story short, I broke both bones in my right arm and had to have surgery so I now have 2 plates and screws in my arm.


13.  Do you have a facebook? Yes. 


14.  Weird things you do when you’re alone: put on music and dance around (but is that really ‘weird?’ I mean I’m sure my ‘moves’ are weird but I don’t think dancing around is weird), watch tv non-stop…


15.  Someone you’d like to be for a day and why: Emma Watson because I admire her grace and poise so much as well as the person that she has turned out to be.  I think that growing up on movie sets and around the big-named stars that she has and being as wealthy as she now is, she could be living the ‘high-life’ and instead she is hard at work in a University earning a degree.  I just think that as a role model for young girls, she is one of the best celebrities out there and that she lives such an amazing life and it would be incredible to see life through her eyes.

Film Class Movies

As I’ve mentioned before, this semester I’m taking a film class.  At the beginning of the semester we mainly focused on Western films.  Here are films we watched and my thoughts on them!

“Stagecoach”

When I first found out that we were going to be watching Western films, and not to mention this one was a black and white film, I was not exactly open-minded.  But, I did enjoy this film although I did not initially think that I would.  It was a bit slow and confusing in the beginning, but it eventually picked up and was enjoyable.  While not my favorite of the Western films that we watched, it is definitely worth watching.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031971/

“Shane”

As much as I enjoyed watching the movie the week before, this movie brought about my fears of Western movies.  The movie was much longer than it needed to be, and I couldn’t help but finding many of the actors really annoying.  If you’re well-acquainted with Western films, I wouldn’t choose this film to start. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046303/

“High Noon”

This was one of the most enjoyable films that we’ve seen in class so far.  From the opening ballad (which I proceeded to have stuck in my head for days afterwards), I was hooked.  The film never lost my attention, and the pacing never bored me.  This is definitely a great film to start with if you’re looking for a way to get into watching Western films.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044706/

“The Searchers”

My personal favorite by far in genre that we watched in the class.  It was a bit long, but the plot moved quickly and there were enough plot twists that I felt like it didn’t drag on.  I would recommend this film to anyone, even if you’re not looking for a western film, or even if you don’t like westerns. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049730/

“The Wild Bunch”

Unfortunately, I don’t have much to say about this film because I fell asleep 15 minutes into it and slept for an hour.  When I eventually woke up, I was completely lost and remained lost for the remaining hour of the movie.  People seemed to enjoy it, though it did have a pretty violent ending, but it is known for being one of the most violent movies.  Would you watch it?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065214/

Today in History… March 20th

1987 The United States approves AZT, a drug that is proved to slow the progress of AIDS

1982 U.S. Scientists return from Antarctica with the first land mammal fossils found there

1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin  is published

1815 Napoleon Bonaparte enters Paris and begins his 100 day rule

1792 In Paris, the Legislative Assembly approves the use of the guillotine

1760 The Great Fire of Boston destroys 349 buildings

1413 Henry IV of England is succeeded by his son Henry V

I want to quickly apologize for the funky formatting that is appearing on some of the posts recently in word formatting and design.  I am aware of the issues and have been attempting to change them, but the program has been very fickle and uncooperative and it's been a slow process.  Please bear with me!  I hope this doesn't affect your interest in the content of my blog!

Hope you have a great day!
Allison

Product Review: Zumba Fitness for Wii

As I’ve mentioned on Twitter, I recently moved into a new apartment due to roommate issues in my previous apartment.  Although moving was such a hassle and was a pain to do, I’m much happier in my new apartment, and my new roommates are so much more relaxed and are just a better fit for me overall.

One of my new roommates has both of the Zumba Fitness games for the Wii, and she absolutely loves them.  And while I’ve never taken a Zumba class in my life, and haven’t worked out in quite some time, I have been playing the game quite a lot with her because it is so much fun to do.  I haven’t played the second game yet, mostly because my roommate prefers the first game to the second.

For those who haven’t played the game before, it’s quite simple.  You wear a band around your hips that holds a Wii controller on your right hip that allows your movements to be tracked by the game.  Once you begin dancing, you follow the figures on the screen that take you through a series of routines.  The longer you keep the figure the color green, the more successful you are in the game and the higher your overall score will be in the game.

While I’ve only played a few times, each time I’ve had a blast dancing around.  The game is a great workout, and even if you’ve never taken a formal Zumba class before (like me), you will quickly catch on to the Zumba craze and enjoy it.  Overall, I highly recommend the game to anyone who is interested in getting a fun fitness game for the wii that can be used as an at-home workout.

About Me Survey #1

Hey Everyone! I hope you all are having fabulous weekends!

1.    How old are you? 20

      2.    Do you ever wish you were someone else? On occasion I have, but not consistently.

      3.    Your zodiac sign? Libra

      4.    What did you do on your last birthday? When I turned 20 I had nothing to do weekend, I spent the day hanging around, watching movies and relaxing, and got a pedicure with one of my old roommates before my family came to visit and take me out to dinner.
     5.    What is one thing you would like to accomplish before you next birthday? I would like to have

      6.    What is your hair color? A very dark brown – almost black.

      7.    Have you ever dyed your hair? I’ve never completely dyed my hair, but I’ve gotten it highlighted several times before.

      8.   What is your eye color? Brown.

      9.   If you could change your eye color, would you?  Hmmm…. I’ve never really thought about it… I don’t know what I would want to.  My eye color doesn’t really bother me – it’s not something that I’ve ever loved or hated particularly.

      10. Do you wear contacts/glasses? Not currently.  But, when I was younger, I did wear glasses, which I still have today.  Though when I put them on, they are so small and they are extremely blurry.

      11.  Do you have any tattoos? No, but I have been going back and forth for awhile now whether or not I want one.  If I were to get one, I do know what I would want, and I think I know where I would want it.

      12.  Do you have any piercings?  Both of my ears are pierced.

      13.  Left or right handed? Righty!

      14.  Where do you work? When I’m at home, I work at Target as a sales floor team member, fitting room attendant, or cashier, depending on where they need me to work, but for the most part I’m at the fitting room.  I also frequently babysit my cousins.  When I’m at school, I work as an office assistant in the Judicial Affairs office.

      15.  Something you are working on right now: To answer this, I’m just going to say things that I have going on in my life right now.  I’m taking 4 classes in school (Shakespeare’s  comedies and histories, Advanced Fiction Writing, Intro to Poetry Writing, and Film Genres) which comes with its own set of issues with homework and reading and papers, I am the Administrative Chair for my committee on University Program Board, I’m training for my future Exec position with UPB, trying to figure out my summer plans, caring for my dog Charlie, working at Judicial, dealing with several medical issues, and running my blog!

Today in History… March 15th

1991 - 4 LA police are charged with beating Rodney King

1982 - Nicaragua suspends their citizens rights for 30 days

1964 - Liz Taylor's 5th marriage (Richard Burton)

1917 - Nicholas II, the last Russian Tsar abdicates

1913 - 1st presidential press conference (Woodrow Wilson)

1820 - Maine admitted as 23rd state

44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus and several other Roman senators on the Ides of March.

Nail Polish Haul!

As part of my Spring Break shopping adventures, I picked up several new nail polishes during my visit to Ulta, as well as ordered several of the new colors from China Glaze’s Hunger Games collection.  Here is what I purchased!  And, I would like to apologize upfront for any poor quality in pictures – my camera decided to be uncooperative as I was swatching the polishes on my nails for this post.  And for those of you who didn’t know, the Hunger Games polishes were created first to represent each of the Districts in the film, but there were legal issues causing the names to be changed.  But, I’ll include the original intended names for you.

Here are all of my colors left to right starting with my two Ulta brand colors, and then the four China Glaze Polishes: Indigo-go-girl; Tink-her-bell; Hook and Line; Stone Cold; Smoke and Ashes; and Harvest Moon.

Indigo-go-girl is an Ulta glitter nail polish that is a clear polish with blue glitter.  In my swatched nails pictured here, I do not have any color under the polish, just the glitter on my nail.  With two coats, the polish actually didn’t look bad on its own, but if I were to wear solely the glitter, I would probably wear three coats of it.  Overall, I’m excited about this glitter polish and the fact that it gives me so many more options with my current polishes now that I can layer it over my other colors for a glitter effect.

Tink-her-bell, the other Ulta glitter polish I purchased, is also another one that I’m excited about.  Pink glitter polishes are such an “in” thing right now, but I don’t have any.  This one is the same consistency as the Indigo-go-girl, which I think makes it a bit more unique than the typical pink glitter polish floating around that everyone seems to have.

Hook and Line, which was originally created to represent District 4 (Fishing).  When I first saw the collection I overlooked this color, but once I looked at the polishes more seriously I really came to love this color.  And Finnick, a character who I grew to love in the books came from District 4, so that influenced my decision a bit (ok a lot!).

The next color, Stone cold, was originally named for District 2 (Masonry).  This color I was immediately interested in, because not only is it a very unique color, you get two looks for the price of one.  The ‘normal’ look for this polish is a glitter with a matte finish, giving it a very asphalt look.  However, if you are not a fan of the matte look, or just choose to change up your look, adding a top coat gives the polish a graphite look.  I know I will definitely be using this polish both ways!

Smoke and Ashes or District 12 (Mining) was my number one must have when it came to this collection from day one of learning that this collection existed, and for most people this is the same case.  I haven’t really worn straight black nail polish before, most blacks I wear are more for accents on a design or part of look as opposed to a straight polish, but the inky base and the blue-green glitter in this polish don’t make me feel foolish wearing a black polish.

And finally, Harvest Moon was originally named District 9 (Grain).  This polish is a glitter copper color that has an autumn feel to it and would definitely make a great Thanksgiving holiday color.  This was a color that I originally like when the collection came out, but I wasn't quite sure if it was something that I liked enough to buy.  But, after seeing a haul video on Amarixe’s YouTube channel, I was convinced on this polish.

And those are my polishes!  I hope you enjoyed reading this and that it helped you, especially if you are considering getting any of the Hunger Games polishes.  A little tip from me to you – because China Glaze is a salon brand of nail polish, it can be super expensive at normal retailers.  But, to get polishes cheaper (like salons do) check out www.transdesigns.com.  Keep in mind though, that because shipping can be expensive, it may not be worth it depending on how many polishes you choose to buy.

Random Facts #2

Here are some more random facts for your brain’s enjoyment!

·         You burn 11 calories every hour you chew gum.

·         The creator of the Segway, the mall cop vehicle died by backing one off a cliff .

·         The term 'bug', when referring to computers or software, dates back to when computers were huge, hulking machines that took up entire rooms. Moths and other flying insects would wander into the machinery and get caught in sensitive parts, causing errors.

·         Play Doh was originally used to clean wallpaper.

·         Hippo's are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other animal.

·         The last Disney movie that was more hand drawn than computer animated was "Beauty and the Beast."

·         If you counted from 1 to 1 billion 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it would take you 95 years to finish.

·         A Boeing 747's wingspan is longer than the wright brother's first flight.

·         The first kiss in a movie was between May Irwin and John Rice in "The Widow Jones," in 1896.

·         Real diamonds can be made from peanut butter.

·         If you eat lots of carrots, you'll start to turn orange.

·         Cherophobia is a fear of fun.

For more random facts go to http://www.allrandomfacts.com