Saturday, October 23, 2010

Toxic

Words of sugar
Like sweet honey, drips from your lips
And I eat up every word
I believe every bit

My mind knows the truth
But the rest of me doesn't care
I love it when it's just me and you
With the rest of the world, that I will never share

You words are toxic waste
They burn to the touch
I know I should stay away
But you control me too much

Every word is a lie
It breaks me a little more inside
It isn't healthy to stick around
Constantly pushing my head to hide

Words of sweetness
Addicting as can be
No matter how wrong it is
You lies will always have me

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Liking Statuses on Facebook

This may just be me. Strike that, this probably is just me.

Raise your hand if you check it when someone likes your status.

Now, this may just be me assuming, but I am going to go out on a limb and assume that zero hands went up. Partly because no one really does, but mostly because you are sitting at a computer, and if you raised your hand that would just be weird.

Anyway, I hate it when people like my status on Facebook. With a passion.

Why, you ask?

Well, it's plain annoying. It's like, you log into Facebook and have 25,000,000,000 new noticfications, and 84.3258732 % of them are so-and-so liked this random status, and you don't know which status because it doesn't magically tell you. So you click on it. And then it turns out you really don't care about the status, and apparently they don't either because then they would have actually said something of substance rather than just clicking a word.

I mean, if you have nothing to say about something, then just read it and MOVE ON. That, or Facebook needs to stop updating when people like your status.

This was my rant of the day! What do you think?

Best Karaoke Music Video Ever.

"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper, done by Amanda Palmer

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

It's NaNoWriMo Time!

NaNoWriMo!

That's right, it's that time of year again!

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, a charity called The Office of Letters and Light host a national event that last the entire month. It's simple, really. All you have to do is write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days! Easy, right?

Now, after that last statement I am almost positive some of you think I am crazy. A 50,000 word novel? In just 30 days? Who does that?! The answer? Not many. Only about 165,000 people. Yeah. In case that HUGE number didn't quite make an impact in numerical form, I said that one hundred and sixty-five thousand people. Of course, not everyone hits the 50,000 mark, but the whole point is to have fun! It doesn't even have to be quality work! In fact, you could write the crappiest 50,000 words you've ever written in your life, but as long as you hit the goal, you're a winner!

And I use the term "winner" loosely. Technically, anyone who hits the 50,000 mark is the winner. And the prize? A PDF certificate and a web badge! And the pride of a job well-done. I mean, come on, you wrote a whole novel in a month! And so what if it isn't your best work? Now, you have as much time as you want to edit it!

I did the math, and if you are one of those people who have to set aside time or set word goals for yourself (like me), to reach the 50,000 mark by midnight on November 30, you only have to write 1,666(.666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666) words a day! Which isn't that many when you really think about it. And what if you are on a role and write like, 3,000 words? Well, you're another day ahead!

So, basically, I encourage all of you to join me in NaNoWriMo! And if you're even a teeny, tiny, itsie bitsie bit unsure, you can get your friends to join you! Just go to http://www.nanowrimo.org/, create an account, and then add your friends as buddies!

Don't have any friends who are willing to participate, but still want a buddy? Well...I have an account! "Buddy" me at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/679599/.

NaNoWriMo really is a great oppoutunity to write for the fun of it! I really hope you all give it a shot! But for those of you who really would rather write a script for something over a novel...welll keep your eye out for Script Frenzy in April! 30 days, 100 pages...not that hard! Check that out at http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/. Thanks for reading!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Thank You!

So, I've barely had this blog for a week, and I already have 5 comments! Which is waaay more than I had expected. So I would just like to thank those 5 people! You're awesome! And thanks for reading everyone and anyone who sees this!

-Brit

The Blame Game exerpt

Kate walked through the bushes until she reached the small circle of stumps that were just big enough to sit on. In the middle were remnants of old, charred firewood. Kate looked around for Noelle but saw no sign of her friend. She turned around to address her companion, but once again saw no one. She heard a faint crunch of twigs behind her and she spun around. To her relief, it was no stranger. Kate laughed awkwardly at her own fear.
            “Hey you scared me there for a second! I wonder why Noelle isn’t here yet…” Kate wondered aloud, her voice trailing off as her eyes glanced down at the hands of the person standing in front of her. “What is that for?” she asked cautiously.
            “I would say I’m sorry, but…” they started, a strange glint in their eyes. Kate’s eyes widened in fear at her friend’s sudden change in attitude. She began to back away. “Now, now, will running really help this situation, Katie? You know you can’t stop the inevitable. But,” they paused, and glanced at the object in their hands, “you can speed up the process.” Kate laughed weakly.
            “That’s funny.” Kate looked back down at the rock as the person took a couple steps forward. “You’re crazy,” Kate said, her voice shaking with shock and alarm at the realization of the current turn of events.
            “I am not crazy,” they said forcefully, eyes flashing with fury.
“Yes, actually, I believe you are. You know we aren’t that far from everyone else. They’ll hear me if I scream.”
“Between the loud music, and the yelling, and, can’t you hear? There are girls screaming left and right over there. No one will think anything of it if you scream. Which you won’t. Because that won’t do you or I any good anyway.”
“Why does your voice sound weird? Like you don’t even sound like you.” Kate’s eyes widened. “Are you possessed? Because my uncle is a priest and he can perform an exorcism!”
“I’m not possessed, I just want revenge!”
“Revenge on what?” Kate asked, bewildered.
“My life!”
“Okay, now I know you’re crazy. I’m going to leave now.” Kate turned around to leave the person standing there, fuming. Before she even had time to react, a blunt object smashed into her head. Her body crashed to the ground, and her world succumbed to darkness. Her attacker dropped the blood-stained rock that she had been holding and stepped around Kate. They smirked at her unmoving body and let out a low laugh.
“Now, Kate,” they said with mock hurt coating their voice. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you any manners? I must say your rudeness stings.” With that, the attacker bent down and grabbed Kate’s ankles. They dragged Kate’s body to a tree a few yards from the edge of the road. They positioned her body so that she was sitting up against a tree, her almost black hair falling over her bloody face. The attacker began to walk away when suddenly, they froze. They turned around and looked at Kate thoughtfully.
“Now how are we to be sure that you don’t ever let a word of what happened at this little event gets out?” they asked. “Oh! I know!” They picked up a rock that was about the size of their hand. Without so much as a glance at the projectile in their hand, they threw the rock in Kate’s direction with all their might. It struck Kate in the heard once more, causing her body to slump over in a lifeless heap next to the tree. The attacker just knew that Kate would never be able to tell anything to anyone again.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Twitter: The Newest Drug on the Block

People love talking about themselves.

That's not me criticizing, that's just me being real. Even if someone is shy, if you keep asking them questions they will [eventually] open up about themselves. And sometimes after that you can't get them to shut up [juuust kidding!]! The problem with Facebook and MySpace is that after awhile, if you update your status too frequently with little things such as if you're having a bad day, why you're having bad day, what type of Subway sandwhich is your favorite...Well, let's just say people get annoyed when you clog up their homepages with that nonsense. People just don't want to hear it. Or at least they didn't.

Times are changing.

They aren't the same as they were when your parents were kids (although if you're parents are anything like mine, you will already know this as your parents just adore telling you about how different things are). Now, we have this new-fangled thing called the Internet! And on this so called "Internet" is the so called "Twitter." The whole point of Twitter is to post about your life! On Twitter, you can post what you are getting from Subway and still be considered normal. You can tweet that you're going to "brb" after you get a "sammich" and people will still be like "awesome, dude."

I know from experience (and I do have other opinions to back this up) that once you start using Twitter, you don't stop. Well, you might, but there is a good chance that you will start tweeting everything you do. Chealsea Handler, comedian and host of Chealsea Lately, even said that she herself has gotten addicted to the Twitter.

But Twitter also has a bad side. It is my fear that Twitter is a gateway drug into procrastination (much luck Facebook, and moreso than MySpace ever was).

I guess the moral of the story (if you can somehow manage to dig up a point in this) is that just because you can tell people everything you do, does not mean you should. Unless you are on Twitter.

You can follow me at www.twitter.com/futurebroadcast.

What do you like to tweet about?

Friday, October 15, 2010

Nerd Centrallll!

You read it! NERD. CENTRAL. And I love it!

Have you ever gottne really sad about a book series ending? Ever wanted another character to have a longer story line? What would happen if so-and-so fell in love with so-and-so instead? It's like...you want more! You don't want this whole other world to end! Well, I have a solution which you've probably already heard of and absolutely LOVE or have never tried or you just don't even know what I'm talking about.

Have I said it yet?

FANFICTION!

That's right! Although I've had an account on http://www.fanfiction.net/ for YEARS, only recently have I gotten addicted to the absolute most adorable pairing ever for Harry Potter fanfics (Sorry Dramione! I still love you!). I'm talking about the Katie Bell/Oliver Wood pairing! Two characters...two very minor characters, that is...and you wonder, what ever happened to them? While we know Oliver is with Puddlemere United, what happened to Katie? And did they have a "thing" in Hogwarts? Seriously, some of the cutest fanfictions ever. I recommend wholly.

SIDE BAR!

Okay, I'm sure Twilight is like this too, but since I am not a fan of that I haven't checked. There is like a whole entire Twitter community of HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS! This literally and figuratively made my day! So go check 'em all out! I dare you. It's Nerd Central!

So this was a pointless post! Much love =]

-Brit

School Dress Code: The Double Standard

At my school, we have a very strict dress code. Skirts and shorts may be no shorter than three inches above the knee, sweatpants can not be rolled at the waste. No holes in jeans unless some type of covering i.e. leggins or underarmor are underneath (this does in fact include holes around the ankle area, trust me, I know). People should not be able to see bras or undershirts through the shirt, no part of a girl's midriff should show, and guys are not allowed to wear excessively baggy pants. Any and all of these things will result in a dress code violation, which means that the student has to change the offending article of clothing with "school appropriate" apparel lent out by the office (if a violation for your pants, it's usual a pair of gym shorts, which are basketball shorts that are literally all holes so people see your underwear anyway!). Dress code violations come with detention and, depending on how many other violations you have, a Saturday School.

Now, although I am not one to encourage sluttly dressing, I think this code is a bit unreasonable. Not just because that limits everyone to sweatpants (without the waist rolled down, mind you) and a turtle neck, but because there are teachers and administrators who do not always abide by this code. The most prominent example of this would have to be our Dean of Disciplinary Actions, who is not only a female (which means PMS, people! Mood swings? Yes. All. The. Time.) but also is currantly pregnant. Her mood swings are at an all time high, which means she will get a student for almost anything. The worst part is, you can argue it's school appropriate, but you will not win so it is basically no contest.

Just this year, I have witnessed this dean walking about to a girl, unzipped her sweat shirt to reveal a spaghetti-strap tank top, and then giving her a dress code violation and sending her to the office.

I don't know about you, but to me that seems a little radical. Isn't it an invasion of out privacy and personal space for a teacher or administrator to walk up and basically remove a piece of clothing making it a code violation and then giving a punishment for it? I think yes. And I also think it is wrong. Partly because this administrator herself wheres skirts that are without a doubt higher than three inches above the knee and revealing shirts.

What I want to know is, why is it okay for teachers to break school policy, but when it comes to students they crack down?

Agree? Disagree? Does your school handle the dress code differently, or do they not even have one at all? Do you think it would be better to have a strict dress code or just wear uniforms? Tell me your thoughts!

Strange Things Are Happening

This is my entry for the Haunted Halloween story contest being held by TotalBookaholic (www.totalbookaholic.blogspot.com) and BoundByBooks (www.alifeboundbybooks.blogspot.com). It's called Strange Things Are Happening because I was inspired to write it by this really creepy song my friend showed me. I don't remember what it's called, but they repeat "strange things are happeing" a few times. I hope you like it! 


Emily walked towards the sound of the music. Her friend, Mel, and she were on their way home from school when they first heard it, and they had followed it all the way until they came to the source: Shay Manor. Shay Manor had been abandoned for so long that no one could even remember when someone had lived in it last or why they left. The only people who went in the supposedly haunted mansion now were teenagers looking for a scare on the weekends.
“Emily! What the—” Mel started, coming up behind Emily.
“Shh!” Emily hissed. “Do you hear that?”
“This sounds like that crap my grandma listens to,” Mel said. Emily nodded in agreement. The music was light sounded like it would be a happy tune if the notes were not so off-key. To be honest, it sounded more creepy than anything else.
“It’s coming from inside.” Emily started walking towards the window. She wiped the dust off and peered inside.
“Oh my God,” Mel exclaimed. “Who is that?” Emily did not reply, but instead continued to watch the mysterious girl dancing in the room. The girl looked about their age. She was wearing a white dress that fell just above her knees, the edge ripped and tattered like the bottom half of the skirt had been torn. One of the straps was tanned with age and what looked like mud. Her long, blonde hair was ratty and unkempt, and her bluish-white skin brought out the dark purplish-blue circles under her eyes. Her arms were spread out like wings and she was spinning around like a toddler.
It was almost like she was gliding across the floor. She would start out slow and then gradually spin fast and fast, taking huge steps across the wooden floor. It was captivating to watch. The girls stood at the window, transfixed by the odd beauty of the scene. The girl was spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning—
And then she stopped.
Her back was turned towards the girls, unmoving, the music still playing in the background. Her arms were still stretched out. Mel’s hand snapped to Emily’s wrist. The girls watched in anticipation, both holding their breath, to see what the girl would do next. Suddenly, the strange girl’s arms dropped to her sides. Slowly, she turned around, her eyes locked on the floor. Mel’s death grip on Emily’s wrist was getting worse and worse. Somehow, the music sounded like it had sped up, but Emily wrote it off as nerves. The girl’s head lifted until she locked eyes with the two girls. A slow smile spread across her face. Suddenly, she snapped her head to one side. Red splattered across the window. The girls screamed and stumbled backwards.
“Oh my God, is that blood on the window?” Mel screeched. She was wide-eyed and practically in hysterics. “That’s it; I am getting the hell out of here.” She spun around and began running back down the hill towards the road. Emily glanced back at the window and did a double-take. The blood was gone. Emily ran back up to the window. She could hardly see through the dust and mud that was caked to the window. From what she could see, all that was in the room was old furniture left behind from the previous owners, covered in bed sheets. Her eyes widened. The only sign that the strange girl had been there was a single muddy footprint in the middle of the room.