Obligatory Christmas post (I hate this holiday, btw)

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amyelizabeth
on 1,December 2008
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This is a definitive list of what I want for Christmas for my friends and family who keep freaking asking. I hate Christmas, I have since I went to college and associated it with final exams. I still hate it because I associate it with final exams.

I do however, like buying presents. Most of mine, will come from Etsy.com I need suggestions for boy presents, so leave me a comment if you have any ideas.

 From my Etsy Favorites Page

 

1. The Porter Bag in Gun Metal Grey by Moop

I want this bag soooo badly.  It’s the perfect size for bumming around a Con (particularly when you’re going from room to room) or going somewhere for the weekend. 

2. Green and Black Union Jack Pillow  by Karen Hilton Designs

I doubt anyone in my family would ever buy me this pillow, but it’s so pretty. And my apartment is decorated with cool European things that I’ve picked up while travelling or from random places.

3. Nerd and Dork Tea cup set by Trixie Delicious

Come on, I need this. Really.

4.  Reusable Produce Bags by LUXELuther

I go to the Farmer’s Market at least once a month and never like using the old plastic bags, it just feels weird. These are washable and pretty!

5. Knitted Makeup Removal Pads by EcoKate  Handknitted Potscrubbers by Adornwithandm

I go through a lot of these on a monthly basis, a prettier alternative to wasting paper.

Other stuff I wouldn’t turn down:

Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin

A suscription to the New York Times, The Economist or Dwell Magazine.

Snow

Published
by
amyelizabeth
on 1,December 2008
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

I wish for snow in Atlanta.

Thank you.

Twilight Review

Published
by
amyelizabeth
on 24,November 2008
in fannish
. 5 Comments

Where are all the teenagers? They’re in the bookstore or the movie theater with vampires on the brain. A girlfriend first introduced me to the Twilight franchise at a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows midnight release party. I was instantly addicted. Who isn’t going to love a clumsy, self-deprecating high school girl? If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we were all Bella Swan in high school.

Sometime last year, Twilight became a hit amongst my teen hipster students, and then slowly trickled through the cliques until it became a full-blown phenonenon. There are t-shirts, necklaces and just about every kind of trinket possible to imagine. All of this hype started even before the damn movie came out. So now, the weekend after Twilight’s premiere, the critics are starting to talk about the film’s quality and direction.. blah blah.

As a survivor of high school and as a current high school teacher, I see Bella Swans every day at school and find myself continually frustrated with the “teen movie” genre. Most directors seem to want to glamorize the frustration, angst and discontent that comes with the latter teen years.  They just don’t get it. At all. Catherine Hardewick’s Twilight is probably my favorite high school movie to come out since 10 Things I Hate About You (Heath Ledger, I miss you). Everything about current teenagers was nailed down perfectly - the clothes, language, facial expressions and the general feeling of discontent that surged throughout the film was perfect.  There were so many perfectly adolesent moments in the movie that had all the “adults” in the theater cracking up.

In the books, Meyer uses incredibly florid language and sometimes made me feel like I was slogging through a modernization of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. I also have to admit that Edward annoyed the hell out of me in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Most of the time I wanted to just smack him. However, in the movie, I found Edward to be a charming teenage boy who was genuinely bewildered with the behavior of the girl that he liked. How awful it must be to be able to read minds of everyone around you except for the ONE person you really want to know. His frustration and concern for Bella, rather than being annoying or controlling, became endearing to me.  Not to mention film!Edward is pretty damn funny, his facial expressions, witty retorts were brillantly done. He’s a wonderful mix of humor, danger and good looks. A bit too pale, but Edward Cullen is pretty much the perfect boyfriend for any high school girl.  

Twilight isn’t going to win any Oscars or anything more highbrow than a Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award but is a great snapshot at teenage life, reminding us “old folks” what it used to be like and how it’s changed over the years.

I’ll probably get suckered into seeing it again. Heh.

Why I like Merlin Mann

Published
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amyelizabeth
on 21,November 2008
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Merlin Mann is a fantastic blogger who writes about productivity, GTD, Apple and technology. Pretty much everything that gets my little geeky heart beating faster with glee. I’m such a fan girl that I even follow his Twitter.

This morning while Elly was finishing her coffee and I my forbidden Diet Coke, talked about weddings. She once thought about getting married at Zoo Atlanta near the gorilla exhibit (I wish I thought of that) and picked out a cool freaking dress.

When it gets down it it and I think about the cost, mess and fuss of a wedding, I really can’t justify it. It sounds like a pain in the ass.

Merlin Mann, king of simplicity and functionality, got his wedding totally right:
Madeline and Merlin.com

Hahaha. I’m a nerd.

Tumblr

Published
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amyelizabeth
on 19,November 2008
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

During the day, people that I know say smart things and I keep track of them with my Tumblr. Visit it at AmyElizabeth.tumblr.com

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Published
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amyelizabeth
on 19,November 2008
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Sometimes, that’s how life just works.

I’m supposed to go somewhere for Thanksgiving but I don’t know if he still wants me there or not. I should ask in a day or two. Thankfully, he doesn’t read this blog.

Depression and mental health

Published
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amyelizabeth
on 18,November 2008
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I’ve been depressed. I don’t know if the internet and a public blog is the right place to admit this fact, but I have been and was treated for it with counseling. I spent my teenage years and early twenties a depressed mess. I finally got help and talked to someone my fourth year of college. Up until that first appointment with Emily, I felt disconnected from everyone.

My clearest memory was at a party and I was leaning against a wall, spinning my keys on my finger, waiting to drive some girls home. I was watching everyone else having a good time and looking happy. I realized that’s how I felt all the time, like I was watching life happen for everyone else.

Eventually, with enough good conversations with therapists, I worked through my depression. It was work. It wasn’t “I’m going to wake up one day and be happier than a Disney Princess on her wedding day to Prince Charming.” It took years. I’m still working on it.

Real honest change takes work and the desire to do it. Earlier this year, I hit the couch again after going through a really rough time and again, realized that the only person in my way was me.

When I meet other people that have been depressed or are currently depressed, there’s an immediate connection. Only someone that’s ever been there or is there can understand the depth of your anger, self-loathing and sadness. Think of it as sitting on the bottom of an old, dried up well, staring at the sky. I hated myself for a long, long time. I look back and realized that I did the majority of awful things that have happened to me on purpose (in a subconcious way). Our egoes love to be right, particularly when we’re depressed.

I came to the startling realization at the end of last month that a good friend of mine is really, really depressed. She’s swimming in a sea of self-hatred that probably looks a lot like a tar pit. It’s heartbreaking to realize something like that about a friend.

I keep a Pages document on my Mac that has a running list of idea topics for posts and this topic keeps waving red flags at me. So, here’s a list of places for you to go if you are depressed or if someone you know is depressed.

What is depression? What kinds are there?
What are the symptoms?

If it’s someone you know…
What to do when depression enters a relationship

If you know someone that’s depressed, don’t run away. Please. They need you desperately, just don’t let yourself be pulled down into the tar pit too. Get them to talk to a counselor or someone trained to help with mental illness. Just like you wouldn’t try to preform open heart surgery, you shouldn’t try to treat someone’s depression.

Be there to greet them when it’s over and done with, because there is an end.
I promise.

Weekend recap: cooking, Dad’s Garage

Published
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amyelizabeth
on 17,November 2008
in real life
. 1 Comment

This weekend was pretty much made of awesome. No, seriously. If you were there, you would have agreed. 

Friday was pretty average, I worked at the retail job and drove home through this Stephen Kingesque mist that had enveloped the city. It was strange, sort of like being in a horror movie, and I was the dumb girl that was about to be murdered. Lots of fun living alone in the countryburbs, let me tell you.

I spent most of Saturday actually working on my blog, transferring old Live Journal posts to here and laughing at where I was five years ago when I started blogging. If you think that I am pretentious and emo now, you should have met me at twenty. So embarrassing. 

Besides transferring the entries and doing some code clean up, I also made an omelette after I walked to the library Saturday morning. It’s a huuuge accomplishment for me since I pretty much have no cooking skills ever. 

Below is a photo of the actual cooking process (note that my iPhone really does take nice pictures). 

 

This is the finished product with my peanut butter toast. It took me like, fifteen minutes to make the darn thing and then like, five minutes to actually it it. I’m kind of bitter about that. I should eat more slowly. Also, I should probably get different silverware now that I have dishes that aren’t black. Hmm. 

  

After my fascinating day of working on my blog (I’ll spare you the details) I went out with a group of friends to Dad’s Garage for Theater Sports and drinks at The Albert after the show. It was a really good time. I got to see Juliana for the first time in about three weeks, and Greg for the first time since Dragon*Con. I ended up staying over at Deborah’s house since driving back to banjo country wasn’t too appealing at one  o’clock in the morning. 

I had a meeting at the store early and spent the rest of my day grading essays before going to Jessica’s baby shower.  For the record, most of my girlfriends that are  getting married or having kids have not doing the traditional shower route. Traditional showers really just make me wish that I was taking a standardized test instead. Jessica’s shower was a lot of fun, we mostly ate good food, watched movies with a pregnancy theme (Baby Mama, Juno and Knocked Up). Even though I am twenty-five, I’m still stunned when another friend gets married or pregnant. I feel like I have aaages to do that stuff.

 

That’s pretty much it. Oh, I’ll give you a nerdy tip for taking photos with your iPhone. Hit the button that shows the screen first, keep your finger on it and count to three. That way, you get a chance to steady your arm and get a really clear shot. I just need to learn the secret of taking photos in darker areas.

Wow, this relationship sucks.

Published
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amyelizabeth
on 16,November 2008
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Made this after I was told that all my music was depressing. It is. Oh well!

Foundations - Kate Nash
Mercy - Duffy
Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams
Creep - Radiohead
Hunter - Dido
Human Remains - Tom McRae
Run for Your Life - The Beatles
Apologies - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Lonely Night in Georgia - Marc Broussard 
They Can’t Take That Away from Me - Lisa Stansfield
Like Eating Glass - Bloc Party
Get Gone - Fiona Apple
If I Had Eyes - Jack Johnson
Talk - Coldplay
9 Crimes - Damien Rice
Crooked Teeth - Death Cab for Cutie
Burning Down - Juliana Finch (she’s my good friend! And my favorite singer)
Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley
Stay - Michelle Featherstone
Northern Lad - Tori Amos
I’ll Find Another You - John Mayer

Your Ex-Lover Is Dead - Stars (this would be the ending that you want)

Procrastination, bad relationships and Jamie Oliver

Published
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amyelizabeth
on 10,November 2008
in Uncategorized
. 3 Comments

I’ve been putting off going to the post office to pay my car insurance and to send a package to a friend. Naturally, I haven’t been wanting to part with that much money and I’ve been loathe to part with this package for my friend. I think it’s because it’s the one piece of business between us and I don’t want to let it go. If I send it, we’ll have no reason to talk. It’s so lame. It’s just sitting here on my desk and it’s mocking me. Okay. I’m an idiot and I’m just sending it today after school. I need to just tear the band-aid off already. Witness me and my lameness.

The other thing that’s been bothering me lately is my tendency to cling to bad relationships. All week long I’ve been fighting the urge to call an old boyfriend of mine. I’ve had an unusual amount of drama lately and I miss him looking at me and going, “Potato, don’t let people that aren’t important kick your cat.”

He and I had an awful, terrible break up which lasted months because he’d email me and I’d email him back..You know the story because most of us have told this story. All have us have been in this story many times before. But I really miss him being able to help me put things in perspective.

Anyway, I have this tendency to just cling to awful relationships because I’m just tired of being wrong about people. I think of every friendship and romantic relationship gone awry is this sort of confirmation that I’m a really awful person. I beat myself up time and time again over it. It’s pretty lame, but I still do it.

Like I said earlier, I need to tear the darn band-aid off already and get over it.

So, after my doctor totally ripped me last week about my poor eating habits (they’re seriously heinous) I decided to learn to cook. I know, it’s kind of a big deal because I’m the least domestic girl ever. I can barely pour wine.

During college, my roommate Carol and I used to watch Jamie Oliver on the Food Network and just stare at him while he cooked. Since I’m not really into Rachel Ray, I decided to pick up a few Jamie Oliver cookbooks at the library. I picked up “Jamie at Home” and “Cook with Jamie” which look pretty promising.

Between the two books, I think “Cook with Jamie” is going to be the more helpful, it actually has stuff like, lists of cooking supplies that I need for my kitchen. I own about two pots and three pans that I never use. I just make sandwiches. So, I’m totally starting over, which should be interesting for the next few months. I really fear cooking chicken because with chicken you never know if you’ve grilled it enough.

Since I have to buy so much stuff to cook with, I’ve started using Don’t Forget the Milk to start compiling my uber list of cooking supplies. The best part about the site is that it emails you a little list of everything, so it all comes straight to my iPhone, no fuss, no muss. I gotta love anything that keeps my life simple and paper-free.

I should probably try to buy nice stuff, from Williams Sonoma or something. Does anyone know of any good websites for cooking tips and whatnot?