When things go a little wonky...

Teaching is stressful. It is emotionally draining. It is tiring. And, just sometimes, it is not a good place to be. That is the reason that I did not post on Monday.

Instead, today I decided to focus on me and the things that really make me feel more like me.

I've mentioned before that I am quirky and I have some rather...um...odd idiosyncrasies but, the main thing is, that I enjoy those little things that make up for me. So I have decided to write a small list of things that make me, well, me!

1. I sometimes love to wear my hair in pigtails or plaits. I don't care that I am 29 and it may make me look 12. I do it because it makes me smile. I do it because I like the feeling of whimsy.
2. I like to dance around to showtunes and songs from the 80s. I don't care if I look like someone in the midst of a fit or someone standing on an electric fence.
3. Following on from the last point - I love to sing showtunes and Disney songs. Especially when I'm driving and I don't care if people look at me strange because it's my choice to want to do a rendition of Wicked while driving.*
4. I like to paint my toenails in winter, even though no one will see them.
5. I like My Little Ponies AND Transformers. (Though I liked Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors more!)
6. I love Penelope Garcia's style from Criminal Minds just as much as I love her personality. She likes to surround herself with things that bring her joy and I need to do more of that. Plus, she doesn't conform to those around her. Why should she?
7. I love to collect badges. Especially if they are quirky and make me giggle because I'm allowed to smile, damn it. I'm allow to be happy or amused! Adding to this, I also like to buy books because I know I'll read them more than once! Or, if I don't, I'll give them to a good home!
8. I love using large words that trickle from my tongue. I love to manipulate language until I have said the same thing three different ways. I love the sounds that words make and how they can change a scene from seriousness to comedic in a split second. (Or by the removal of key grammar points! Remember that grammar can save lives!)
9. I love making other people smile or laugh because I can. I don't care if I look like an idiotic. If I can make you feel better about being you why wouldn't I?
10. And, finally, I love expressing myself in my own way. I don't want to be a sheep. I don't care if my shoes are so '2008'. Like I give a frak. I was never put here to appease anyone but myself! If you don't like me that's your problem because, for today, I'm feeling pretty darn awesome.

Have a frakking wicked (no pun intended) day guys!

*Singing "Popular" from Wicked is so much fun.

On knowing my own address...and X Men

I technically* started work yesterday. Let's just say that it hasn't really changed in five years. (Just to let you know I haven't been unemployed for five years, I've been travelling and studying and writing...so not unemployed just not employed consistently...)

The day dragged as only a day can when working retail and re-training but it was after work that I was waiting for. X Men First Class came out in New Zealand yesterday and I dragged my dad along to see it. So, after a mediorce feed we got our tickets, popcorn and sweets and meandered our way up into the cinema. Firstly, I do have to say that our home town cinema has really let itself go, which is sad because it used to be rather pretty.

Anyway, we settled down into our seats and tried to ignore all the tweens and teenagers** who were talking obnoxiously loud, playing on their phones etc. We also ignored the guy who came in with his ipad or tablet or whatever and seemed intent on checking it every five minutes therefore creating a brilliant burst of light in the front row. Finally the lights went down and they chucked on one trailer after the other before the goodness that is X Men started to roll.

I'm not going to spoil the movie because that's not my job but I will say that I thought it was bloody well done. I'm now going to list five points that I thought were done brilliantly:

1. The actors who were playing Russians, Germans etc actually spoke their native language - there was none of that awful fake accent and no language. 
2. The actors playing Xavier and Erik did a really great job at portraying their differing points of view on the same problem. 
3. Nicholas Hoult, as beast, was amazing. He really seemed genuinely confused and tormented by his small 'disfiguring' mutation which led to 'bad' things. 
4. The attention to detail was excellent. Right down to costumes and everything. The 60s is my new favourite era...for now. 
5. There are a couple of squee points for those of you who know the universe - it's kind of like guess the character/guess the mutant. 

Oh and Kevin Bacon was pretty awesome. But then again, it's Kevin Bacon so...

It was the drive home that nearly ruined the night. For the first time ever, I got pulled over my the police and asked to do a breath test. Now, I know I hadn't been drinking, but the moment the cop asked me to state my name and address into the little machine thing my brain farted and I forgot my address (which is ridiculously simple). Luckily there was some recess of my mind that was still active enough for me to spew out the first line and that was when the cop said, "that's fine, you can go..."

That's all for today, folks, since I have to work in the shop and maybe try and scrounge a couple moments of sleep...

*It's still not official but they needed me in to rip covers off magazines...totally thrilling work, I know.
**Parents, do you know what your kids get up to in the theatre? I swear I'm getting old because some of this kids were right little...well you know...

In which I am like Garfield and detest Monday mornings...

Like that famous orange cat that we love so much I sometimes have issues with Mondays and I find myself wondering whether this is something that is psychologically programmed into us from a young age. Almost everything starts on a Monday. Work starts back, if you happen to be in one of those 9-5 Monday to Friday gigs. I was in one of those once. Loved the fact that I had the weekend off then realised that I liked having days off in the middle of the week cause I could go see a movie by myself and not be surrounded by people.*

People go back to school on a Monday and I hated school. Let me rephrase that, I abhorred High School. If there was a hell on earth it would be High School. Who was the genius who decided that it would be a great idea to have teens all localised in one place? They must have known that the hormones oozing out of the very pores of these kids was a recipe for disaster, right? I mean, I can't think of anything worse than being put back into high school unless I had the knowledge I have now.** My memories of high school, which I have tried very hard to repress, always began on a Monday, which meant there were five long days for me to have gum thrown in my hair, have my uniform cut or drawn on and other lovely things that kids do to each other.

And we all know the song by the Boomtown Rats, right? I Don't Like Mondays. And we know the story behind it? Click Me

Anyway, I woke this morning in one of those moods that you can attribute to it being Monday and all I could think of was Garfield being all tucked up in his, outrageously small, cat bed peering out and saying how much he hates Monday.

So, to get me out of this funk I have been playing this song on endless repeat just to make me move and feel less like a sloth and more like the energiser bunny. I hope it brings you a little joy on this Monday morning (or whatever time it is for you at the moment you read this.)

Have a great Monday, y'all. 



*I'm not ashamed to admit that I go to the movies by myself. Sometimes I prefer it because I choose the film, I choose where to sit and I don't have to worry about getting hurt while watching a film. Trust me, it has happened.

**Actually I can think of quite a few worse things - one being stuck in a movie theatre filled with clowns...I just shuddered at the thought.

In which I talk about DVDs, writing and the benefits of caffeine

I've been writing like a person possessed. I've also been reading like a person possessed. True to my being a workaholic I have set myself a new deadline as I find the only way I can get things done is to trick my mind into thinking that if it isn't done by this date the world will do one of three things. It will either self destruct, turn inside out or slip into a time paradox where we will all be stuck watching endless repeats of the worst show ever to be invented.*

Anyway, my deadline is this - I have forty days to write, at the very least, 80 000 words. Now, from doing NaNoWriMo I know that this is possible, I also know that it has the potential for disaster, least of which is me running around like someone who has lost their marbles proclaiming myself to be the Queen of the Dorks. To insure that I don't go to bonkers I have created my own little office space and am now devoting most of my day to writing. I give myself plenty of toilet breaks and food breaks - I have even scheduled in Wii breaks. (In my mind that is funny on so many levels...I'm seriously still only thirteen in my brain so fart, poo and wee jokes still have me giggling...)

This morning, however, I was possessed my another form of madness - I had to alphabetise my DVD collection. Which, normally, wouldn't be so bad but since I have well over 300 of the suckers (insert lame 300 Sparta joke here.) it took a little more time than it should of. In the midst of doing this I realised that I need more shelves or less DVDs but the second option isn't really an option. What I am most amused/proud of is the fact that I have actually separated them into their own categories so I can go straight to this shelf for TV shows and that one for Studio Ghibli films and so on.

Anyway, I've covered the first two parts of my title which just leaves the benefits of caffeine. Oh sweet, sweet caffeine. Basically replaced the word Sugar in the song Sugar High with Caffeine and you understand.
In fact - here is the song from Empire Records for your enjoyment:

I will leave you now because it is my scheduled Wii time...

*I am not going to name the show because I have friends who enjoy it and I don't feel like being dreadfully mean today. Maybe tomorrow?