Hi fandomeers, and happy Christmas! I hope you've all had a great day!!!
Even with all the ish going on, the past month I've still been able to feel the Christmas hype. Christmas is great: as a musician, me and my choir are singing all over town all the time, and there's a lot of other musical things going on; it's so great. My friends are home from college, and my family all comes together and it's awesome. These all get me super hyped about Christmas.
But guys, I gotta tell you about something that totally upped my Christmas hype.
One Sunday morning I was watching this video about Christmas, and it totally changed my life. You have to watch it, Why We Need a Savior.
I had always understood that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world, and that because of Him, we were all able to live again. But I didn't think about the depth of it. Literally nothing would be able to heal. Like, for example, I start to write something here for all of you, and then I don't like it, I wouldn't be able to go back and revise what I wrote. It would just be stuck there in imperfectness. And us, as imperfect beings that make a lot of awful mistakes, would be destined to live forever in sorrow. Every time we made a mistake, that's it.
Because I have learned from my mistakes and have been able to grow, this is very important for me. Because of Jesus Christ, I am able to be forgiven.
I have a friend who is very dear to me that I used to hate. Because of Jesus Christ, the burden of anger has been taken from me. I am able to forgive.
Because of Jesus Christ, I can make my own choices. I can be a writer, friend, sister, daughter, section leader, musician, and so much more; God made a plan for us to come to the world and live and make choices and mistakes and learn so we could live with Him again, and to pay for all our sins and to feel all our pain, He sent His Son so that everything I want to do is now possible.
So all that before-mentioned Christmas hype, it still exists, and I still believe in it, but it's a lot deeper than that. When I'm caroling at the mall, it's more than just singing; I see people's faces light up and make their day way brighter, helping make someone feel love, something Christ would want me to do. Spending time with my family, something Christ would want me to do. My choir teacher said at our winter concert, he always sees bad things happening in the world, but he sees good in the world every time he looks at us. And that's what Christmas is about too, being the light in a dark world.
Basically, all those things, and the fact that everything is just happy all the time, that's what Christmas is. They call it the Christmas spirit. The spirit of happiness. Just remember that this time of the year really is that magical, and it really is that happy, and that special, and the Christmas spirit is very real, because it is the spirit of Christ, His spirit of love and joy in the world.
I love you all very much, and here is one more awesome Christmas video because I'm obsessed with this one too.
Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
Friday, December 25, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
To Ms. Groberg
Hey fandomeers, I got something very important to share with you. Many of you know I'm in choir at my school. We recently got a student teacher; her name is Ms. Groberg. Tomorrow is Ms. Groberg's last day with us. She is seriously the coolest, and before she left I intended to write a note for her, but then I realized a lot of the things I needed to tell her I also needed to tell you guys. So I'mma print a copy of this post for her and give it to her; this post is for her.
Ms. Groberg, I am so glad you came to Basic for your student teaching! You have become a really good friend of mine; you are so fun, we both love Phantom of the Opera, and we have matching boots. I'm genuinely super heartbroken that you are leaving. For some reason I've gotten it into my head that you're going to be staying here forever. You just seem like so much a part of the choir family.
I overheard Mr. Duff (our choir director for those of you who don't know) talking to you in your earlier days with us. He told you that the feeling you get when a student finally understands a concept is indescribable. It's indescirbable for me too; when I get a concept I am so excited. I've also seen some of the girls I am section leader for finally understand something, and seeing their happiness at grasping something is so amazing. I know that is the kind of teacher you'll be. I've seen you take joy in out triumphs. You are going to be a great teacher.
I hope the biggest lesson you learned from us is to bring your students together. There's no questioning the family connection in our choir program. Ms. Groberg, when you teach at your own school, I just want you to know that building your program to be like a family can make a big difference for the music. There is nothing better than singing with the people you love. But not only that. I hope you know it makes a big difference for the kids too. Being in Mr. Duff's choir program has changed my life.
When I was in sixth grade I made the definite decision to be a writer. Looking back on it, my understanding of writing was much less. I only knew that I wanted writing to be the rest of my life, I wanted to make a career of it, and I was writing all the time. I auditioned for the Basic High School Chamber Singers at the end of my eighth grade year, to go into it my freahman year. I was one of three freshmen who made it, and the only girl freshman. I loved choir; I had done it all three years in junior high. But being in this choir, this changed my life. Why? It taught me about the two things that make writing, make stories, the center of every story ever written: love and people. Love and people are all writing is about. Everything that happens in a story, is based on a person's emotion. And almost all emotion is based on love. This is not a concept I understood. But Mr. Duff, Mr. Duff teaches people. Mr. Duff always says that the most important thing is making sure the people in our lives know how we feel about them. He says we need to make each other feel loved. That blew me away when I finally understood it. I saw everyone take care of each other. I got amazing friends, that without our choir program I would not have been able to have. I became friends with Mr. Duff and his classroom is now a home to me. I learned a lot of things from this program. One, how to become a better singer; my musicianship has improved in unbelievable ways. Two, I have learned how to be a true friend and how to love people; I am way happier because of this. I learned how to write; I've watched my writing quality, my character quality, my story quality, all vastly improve. This program has been life-changing.
Sadly, I realized not every teacher is like this. Mr. Duff is an amazing teacher who uses music to teach me about life. Some students do not get the same fantastic choir experience I am getting because they are not being taught properly. Ms. Groberg, I've seen you teach. I know you will teach amazing things. I've seen you make connections with us. So I know you will take this first piece of advice: become friends with your students. Kids love feeling connected to their teacher. You are great at this already! The only other piece of advice I can give you is to try to make your students friends with each other. Obviously not everyone is going to like each other. But do your best at teaching the kids that the people they sing with can become their family. Teach them that love is the best thing to put into their music. Make your choir a family. To be honest, I think that it is the willingness to accept people into our choir family that made me so get so close to you in such a short amount of time. You became part of our family. It makes me sad to think that you won't be a part of it anymore.
Ms. Groberg, that is the kind of teacher you will be, a teacher that teaches more than just how to sing well, a teacher that teaches how to be a great person and how to completely change your sound. You have taught me new things in your time with us and I'm so thankful for your knowledge, your personality, your style of education. I have watched you grow so much learning to become a better teacher. You will get a job! Don't doubt it for a second, because anyone would be crazy not to hire you. It breaks my heart to see you go. I can't wait for you to come back and sub for us, and to see you with your own choir in the near future. Don't get discouraged if you can't figure something out right away; it will take time to build your choir. Mr. Duff learns more every year, you will learn as you teach too. I hope that your teaching career is as beautiful and awesome as you are. We will never, ever, ever forget you. I hope I see you around and we stay friends, because you have become a very good friend of mine. I love you!!!
--Lizzo
Ms. Groberg, I am so glad you came to Basic for your student teaching! You have become a really good friend of mine; you are so fun, we both love Phantom of the Opera, and we have matching boots. I'm genuinely super heartbroken that you are leaving. For some reason I've gotten it into my head that you're going to be staying here forever. You just seem like so much a part of the choir family.
I overheard Mr. Duff (our choir director for those of you who don't know) talking to you in your earlier days with us. He told you that the feeling you get when a student finally understands a concept is indescribable. It's indescirbable for me too; when I get a concept I am so excited. I've also seen some of the girls I am section leader for finally understand something, and seeing their happiness at grasping something is so amazing. I know that is the kind of teacher you'll be. I've seen you take joy in out triumphs. You are going to be a great teacher.
I hope the biggest lesson you learned from us is to bring your students together. There's no questioning the family connection in our choir program. Ms. Groberg, when you teach at your own school, I just want you to know that building your program to be like a family can make a big difference for the music. There is nothing better than singing with the people you love. But not only that. I hope you know it makes a big difference for the kids too. Being in Mr. Duff's choir program has changed my life.
When I was in sixth grade I made the definite decision to be a writer. Looking back on it, my understanding of writing was much less. I only knew that I wanted writing to be the rest of my life, I wanted to make a career of it, and I was writing all the time. I auditioned for the Basic High School Chamber Singers at the end of my eighth grade year, to go into it my freahman year. I was one of three freshmen who made it, and the only girl freshman. I loved choir; I had done it all three years in junior high. But being in this choir, this changed my life. Why? It taught me about the two things that make writing, make stories, the center of every story ever written: love and people. Love and people are all writing is about. Everything that happens in a story, is based on a person's emotion. And almost all emotion is based on love. This is not a concept I understood. But Mr. Duff, Mr. Duff teaches people. Mr. Duff always says that the most important thing is making sure the people in our lives know how we feel about them. He says we need to make each other feel loved. That blew me away when I finally understood it. I saw everyone take care of each other. I got amazing friends, that without our choir program I would not have been able to have. I became friends with Mr. Duff and his classroom is now a home to me. I learned a lot of things from this program. One, how to become a better singer; my musicianship has improved in unbelievable ways. Two, I have learned how to be a true friend and how to love people; I am way happier because of this. I learned how to write; I've watched my writing quality, my character quality, my story quality, all vastly improve. This program has been life-changing.
Sadly, I realized not every teacher is like this. Mr. Duff is an amazing teacher who uses music to teach me about life. Some students do not get the same fantastic choir experience I am getting because they are not being taught properly. Ms. Groberg, I've seen you teach. I know you will teach amazing things. I've seen you make connections with us. So I know you will take this first piece of advice: become friends with your students. Kids love feeling connected to their teacher. You are great at this already! The only other piece of advice I can give you is to try to make your students friends with each other. Obviously not everyone is going to like each other. But do your best at teaching the kids that the people they sing with can become their family. Teach them that love is the best thing to put into their music. Make your choir a family. To be honest, I think that it is the willingness to accept people into our choir family that made me so get so close to you in such a short amount of time. You became part of our family. It makes me sad to think that you won't be a part of it anymore.
Ms. Groberg, that is the kind of teacher you will be, a teacher that teaches more than just how to sing well, a teacher that teaches how to be a great person and how to completely change your sound. You have taught me new things in your time with us and I'm so thankful for your knowledge, your personality, your style of education. I have watched you grow so much learning to become a better teacher. You will get a job! Don't doubt it for a second, because anyone would be crazy not to hire you. It breaks my heart to see you go. I can't wait for you to come back and sub for us, and to see you with your own choir in the near future. Don't get discouraged if you can't figure something out right away; it will take time to build your choir. Mr. Duff learns more every year, you will learn as you teach too. I hope that your teaching career is as beautiful and awesome as you are. We will never, ever, ever forget you. I hope I see you around and we stay friends, because you have become a very good friend of mine. I love you!!!
--Lizzo
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Disney Princess Series: Snow White
Hey fam! I'm finally getting to the next post in our Disney Princess series! This one's about the first Disney Princess whose movie came out 1937, originally voiced by Disney Legend Adriana Caselotti, the princess I watched every day when I was a child, my princess, Snow White.
Okay, so let's start at the very beginning of Snow White, how she was the princess and her mother died. And then her father remarried and then her father died. And then after her father died her stepmother, well, I would say that her stepmother abused her. But that is not the right word for it. She treated her as less than she was. Dang, that kind of blows me away. She wasn't just forced to do chores and wear worn-out clothes and take care of everything. She was a princess being forced to do all those things. Her stepmother would have her believe that she is less than she is.
First reason Snow White is a hecka strong princess: no matter what people would have her believe, or no matter the lack of people caring about her, she still thought highly enough of herself to carry on. Too many people don't have this attitude. Everyone has natural insecurity, but dang, if you're going to have insecurities about yourself, make them based off of what you think of yourself, not what other people think of you. Carry yourself no matter what people will have you do.
And that's not all, friends. What's even better than that is the fact that she probably had an incredible life, the life of a princess no less, then is thrown into this chaos without love and still found a way to remain sweet and innocent. Beauty and innocence was a choice she made; she could've easily given in to being treated like a peasant but she remained beautiful. Choosing innocence is the strongest thing you can do. Ever.
Alright, so that happens, she meets the prince, and he's in love with her and he's cute but Snow White ain't about that life, she's too shy. The queen, her stepmother, desperately wants to be the most beautiful person in the kingdom but the Magic Mirror constantly informs her that Snow White is the most beautiful. This makes the queen crazy jealous and so she tells the huntsman to go kill Snow White. The huntsman goes to do it but he can't, because Snow White is that beautiful of a person. But get this, he tells her that it was the queen's idea. And Snow White is surprised.
Guys, that is so fantastic! This woman that never loved her, that forced her to have less than she was worth, that mistreated her as soon as no one was in her way anymore, wanted to kill her. And she is surprised about this. No matter how horribly that person treated her, she still chose to believe the best about them. I wonder if she was even so pure and beautiful that she was oblivious to the queen's evil personality, but when I think on it there is no way you can be blind to someone mistreating you like that. She just decided that she was going to think good things about her stepmother no matter how bad she was. Holding grudges isn't the stuff, guys. You feel so much better when you don't do that. And to be honest, the strong decision is to choose to forgive and let yourself heal, because if you think that there are some people that have never had a hard time forgiving someone, you are dead wrong. They just know it's the better choice.
The huntsman tells Snow White to run, so she runs. This is where things start to get real. Snow White shows us that strong people are human.
We thought Snow White's life fell apart when her parents died. Now, she can't go back home, or she will surely die, as well as the huntsman. She has nowhere to go. She runs into the woods, and when people get upset, everything seems a million times worse. Snow White was terrified, and so being alone in the woods was terrifying. Snow White completely breaks down.
But this is why I love this. Because Snow White breaks down and all the animals in the woods gather around and are like "Oh my gosh, what's going on?" And Snow White realizes all these animals are watching her sob her face off and what does she say? "I'm sorry. I'm so ashamed."
Call me crazy, but I think that is the strongest thing in the world. Everyone has moments of weakness, needs them even, but when you completely lose control of life and realize it later, it's okay to realize you were weak. And the strong thing is realizing it and being ashamed about it and deciding to be better. Strength is not being perfect all the time. It is knowing who you are and acknowledging that you are a human being that is weak and being sorry about that and choosing to move on from that and forgive yourself and make it better.
Because Snow White does make it better. She picks herself up and makes herself happy and she and the animals go into the woods and they find a house. Snow White is choosing to be strong yet again by taking control of her own life and deciding that she is going to rebuild her life and take shelter in this cottage! I guess she didn't figure that someone probably lived in a cottage that was just chilling there, but that's okay.
She uses her skills to clean the house that's a total mess. Judging by the things around her in the house she figures the house belongs to children. Which she finds very nice, but she then wonders where their mother is. She realizes, they probably don't have one. That saddens her terribly.
Most people feel bad for orphans. Considering Snow White has lost both of her parents and her stepmother turned out to be evil, naturally she would feel this way even more. But with no thought of herself, or her situation, or anything at all that has been going on in her life, Snow White laments about that then decides to help them with their housework. Is that not the sweetest thing?!
So Snow White is tired so she goes to sleep and the dwarves, the residents of the cottage, come home. They can clearly see that someone has cleaned their house. They go upstairs and Snow White is sleeping in their beds. She wakes up and is surprised. She begs them to let her stay, and they do once they find out she'll cook and clean for them. Guys, self-reliance is just the coolest thing to me. Working to get what you need and taking care of yourself. Dang, that's awesome.
Snow White took joy in her new life. Meanwhile, the queen was still trying to ruin it, because she found out Snow White was still alive. She made a poisoned apple that would kill Snow White.
As anyone would, the dwarves grow to love Snow White and after all the time she is living with them, they finally find out why she's there. They say she's not allowed to talk to anyone while the dwarves are at work. Well, one day while the dwarves are at work, an old woman comes to the door and is let into the cottage because Snow White is willing to help anyone who is hurting; the old woman was attacked by the animals who knew she was the evil queen. Once she is inside, the queen convinces Snow White that if she takes a bite of the apple any wish she has will come true. So Snow White takes the apple and dies.
After all of that, the dwarves chase the queen off a cliff, they mourn the loss of Snow White, but her true love the prince wakes her with true love's kiss and they live happily ever after.
Taylor Swift once said, "To me, fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death." I feel like that perfectly represents Snow White's story. No matter what hardship she was facing, she just continued to be her beautiful self. That is real strength. It is doing you and not letting anyone break you. Not letting anyone break YOU. Not letting anyone take who you are.
I'll have the next one for you all soon! Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
Okay, so let's start at the very beginning of Snow White, how she was the princess and her mother died. And then her father remarried and then her father died. And then after her father died her stepmother, well, I would say that her stepmother abused her. But that is not the right word for it. She treated her as less than she was. Dang, that kind of blows me away. She wasn't just forced to do chores and wear worn-out clothes and take care of everything. She was a princess being forced to do all those things. Her stepmother would have her believe that she is less than she is.
First reason Snow White is a hecka strong princess: no matter what people would have her believe, or no matter the lack of people caring about her, she still thought highly enough of herself to carry on. Too many people don't have this attitude. Everyone has natural insecurity, but dang, if you're going to have insecurities about yourself, make them based off of what you think of yourself, not what other people think of you. Carry yourself no matter what people will have you do.
And that's not all, friends. What's even better than that is the fact that she probably had an incredible life, the life of a princess no less, then is thrown into this chaos without love and still found a way to remain sweet and innocent. Beauty and innocence was a choice she made; she could've easily given in to being treated like a peasant but she remained beautiful. Choosing innocence is the strongest thing you can do. Ever.
Alright, so that happens, she meets the prince, and he's in love with her and he's cute but Snow White ain't about that life, she's too shy. The queen, her stepmother, desperately wants to be the most beautiful person in the kingdom but the Magic Mirror constantly informs her that Snow White is the most beautiful. This makes the queen crazy jealous and so she tells the huntsman to go kill Snow White. The huntsman goes to do it but he can't, because Snow White is that beautiful of a person. But get this, he tells her that it was the queen's idea. And Snow White is surprised.
Guys, that is so fantastic! This woman that never loved her, that forced her to have less than she was worth, that mistreated her as soon as no one was in her way anymore, wanted to kill her. And she is surprised about this. No matter how horribly that person treated her, she still chose to believe the best about them. I wonder if she was even so pure and beautiful that she was oblivious to the queen's evil personality, but when I think on it there is no way you can be blind to someone mistreating you like that. She just decided that she was going to think good things about her stepmother no matter how bad she was. Holding grudges isn't the stuff, guys. You feel so much better when you don't do that. And to be honest, the strong decision is to choose to forgive and let yourself heal, because if you think that there are some people that have never had a hard time forgiving someone, you are dead wrong. They just know it's the better choice.
The huntsman tells Snow White to run, so she runs. This is where things start to get real. Snow White shows us that strong people are human.
We thought Snow White's life fell apart when her parents died. Now, she can't go back home, or she will surely die, as well as the huntsman. She has nowhere to go. She runs into the woods, and when people get upset, everything seems a million times worse. Snow White was terrified, and so being alone in the woods was terrifying. Snow White completely breaks down.
But this is why I love this. Because Snow White breaks down and all the animals in the woods gather around and are like "Oh my gosh, what's going on?" And Snow White realizes all these animals are watching her sob her face off and what does she say? "I'm sorry. I'm so ashamed."
Call me crazy, but I think that is the strongest thing in the world. Everyone has moments of weakness, needs them even, but when you completely lose control of life and realize it later, it's okay to realize you were weak. And the strong thing is realizing it and being ashamed about it and deciding to be better. Strength is not being perfect all the time. It is knowing who you are and acknowledging that you are a human being that is weak and being sorry about that and choosing to move on from that and forgive yourself and make it better.
Because Snow White does make it better. She picks herself up and makes herself happy and she and the animals go into the woods and they find a house. Snow White is choosing to be strong yet again by taking control of her own life and deciding that she is going to rebuild her life and take shelter in this cottage! I guess she didn't figure that someone probably lived in a cottage that was just chilling there, but that's okay.
She uses her skills to clean the house that's a total mess. Judging by the things around her in the house she figures the house belongs to children. Which she finds very nice, but she then wonders where their mother is. She realizes, they probably don't have one. That saddens her terribly.
Most people feel bad for orphans. Considering Snow White has lost both of her parents and her stepmother turned out to be evil, naturally she would feel this way even more. But with no thought of herself, or her situation, or anything at all that has been going on in her life, Snow White laments about that then decides to help them with their housework. Is that not the sweetest thing?!
So Snow White is tired so she goes to sleep and the dwarves, the residents of the cottage, come home. They can clearly see that someone has cleaned their house. They go upstairs and Snow White is sleeping in their beds. She wakes up and is surprised. She begs them to let her stay, and they do once they find out she'll cook and clean for them. Guys, self-reliance is just the coolest thing to me. Working to get what you need and taking care of yourself. Dang, that's awesome.
Snow White took joy in her new life. Meanwhile, the queen was still trying to ruin it, because she found out Snow White was still alive. She made a poisoned apple that would kill Snow White.
As anyone would, the dwarves grow to love Snow White and after all the time she is living with them, they finally find out why she's there. They say she's not allowed to talk to anyone while the dwarves are at work. Well, one day while the dwarves are at work, an old woman comes to the door and is let into the cottage because Snow White is willing to help anyone who is hurting; the old woman was attacked by the animals who knew she was the evil queen. Once she is inside, the queen convinces Snow White that if she takes a bite of the apple any wish she has will come true. So Snow White takes the apple and dies.
After all of that, the dwarves chase the queen off a cliff, they mourn the loss of Snow White, but her true love the prince wakes her with true love's kiss and they live happily ever after.
Taylor Swift once said, "To me, fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death." I feel like that perfectly represents Snow White's story. No matter what hardship she was facing, she just continued to be her beautiful self. That is real strength. It is doing you and not letting anyone break you. Not letting anyone break YOU. Not letting anyone take who you are.
I'll have the next one for you all soon! Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
Friday, October 30, 2015
Christmas at Harrington's and Sherlock Holmes
GUYS. If you will please forgive me for not writing anything for a million years because my life has been absolutely insane. Here I am!
Alright, so I've done a lot of reading since I last talked to you. I quite awhile ago finished The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum, and thus the whole Hourglass Door trilogy. Dang, that is some good stuff! Congratulations on an excellent debut trilogy. I'll be honest, the story is so complicated and confusing sometimes that it's super hard to connect all the books together. It might take some work to keep the story straight. But it was waaaaay bomb. Here are my reviews for The Hourglass Door, The Golden Spiral, and The Forgotten Locket.
So after that, I read Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson and did a school book project on it. This book was published in 2010 and my mom bought for me when I got my Kindle a million years ago because there was some great deal on it. It's about Lena Markham, who was just released from prison and lost friends and faith (which gave me hope because that meant the book had some substance) and moves to New Haven for a new beginning, where she meets a lot of people and gets a new opportunity that reawakens hope in her. It was a book I was totally ashamed to read (I mean, really, a Christmas book?) and my friend totally mocked me for reading it (He wants me to read Fablehaven so bad) but I can tell you that it was good enough. I can tell you that it was like a Hallmark movie: cute and slow and entertaining enough and low-quality but like in a cute way. The full review for Christmas at Harrington's here.
And now that that is over, I am reading the Sherlock Holmes series! And by the series I mean whatever Sherlock Holmes books I have on hand, because it is a never-ending series a million years long. So I'm really only going to read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (the third one) because that is the one I have on my Kindle. Sadly I cannot find an original publication date because it is a classic but we all know about Sherlock because he is so popular in today's culture. Narrated by his colleague Dr. Watson, these are the stories of the observant Sherlock Holmes and how he solves everyone's problems. Bro, it's really fun to read. He is a genius. Since Sherlock is so popular a person would think they know everything about his character, but I think it's a different and super awesome experience to read about the original Sherlock. I love it!
Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
Alright, so I've done a lot of reading since I last talked to you. I quite awhile ago finished The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum, and thus the whole Hourglass Door trilogy. Dang, that is some good stuff! Congratulations on an excellent debut trilogy. I'll be honest, the story is so complicated and confusing sometimes that it's super hard to connect all the books together. It might take some work to keep the story straight. But it was waaaaay bomb. Here are my reviews for The Hourglass Door, The Golden Spiral, and The Forgotten Locket.
So after that, I read Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson and did a school book project on it. This book was published in 2010 and my mom bought for me when I got my Kindle a million years ago because there was some great deal on it. It's about Lena Markham, who was just released from prison and lost friends and faith (which gave me hope because that meant the book had some substance) and moves to New Haven for a new beginning, where she meets a lot of people and gets a new opportunity that reawakens hope in her. It was a book I was totally ashamed to read (I mean, really, a Christmas book?) and my friend totally mocked me for reading it (He wants me to read Fablehaven so bad) but I can tell you that it was good enough. I can tell you that it was like a Hallmark movie: cute and slow and entertaining enough and low-quality but like in a cute way. The full review for Christmas at Harrington's here.
And now that that is over, I am reading the Sherlock Holmes series! And by the series I mean whatever Sherlock Holmes books I have on hand, because it is a never-ending series a million years long. So I'm really only going to read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (the third one) because that is the one I have on my Kindle. Sadly I cannot find an original publication date because it is a classic but we all know about Sherlock because he is so popular in today's culture. Narrated by his colleague Dr. Watson, these are the stories of the observant Sherlock Holmes and how he solves everyone's problems. Bro, it's really fun to read. He is a genius. Since Sherlock is so popular a person would think they know everything about his character, but I think it's a different and super awesome experience to read about the original Sherlock. I love it!
Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
A Statement on Depression
I was inspired to write this post yesterday when my friend casually told us that she suffered from depression. I had no idea. And I just thought it was really unfair, call me silly but I was really upset about it because I didn't think it fair (even though I like to believe that life is fair) that someone so beautiful and amazing suffered from such a terrible disease.
I for a long time was a person who thought depression was a disease that was caused by something. I mean, it can be. But depression is not necessarily caused by an event. This is what I understand about depression. Depression is when your body sends chemicals flowing through your body that make you sad or anxious or other things like that when you don't want to. It's your body literally making your emotions out of your control. A person with depression can have a million reasons to be happy and even be completely aware of that and still not feel happy. Their body is giving out chemicals that make them feel sad for absolutely no reason. That's why depression is indeed a literal disease; it's your body doing something that makes it unable to function properly.
Luckily, a lot of people have learned how to deal with this disease. It's not easy, but they've found a way to get through every day. I'm really proud of my friend, and all my other friends who have this disease.
And another reason I wanted to write this post, is I was just thinking about all the things I wasn't sure she was aware of, or people who suffer from mental illnesses such as this one may not know. Things that people may have never been told. I know that these statements cannot cure a disease. But maybe they can do something.
Did you know that God loves you? I don't know, I just feel like a lot of people aren't aware of that. Because He does. And you were given this illness. I don't know why, but God does. God gave you that disease for you. He has something planned for you, I don't know what, but I know that it's not all lost because you suffer from an illness, and a lot of other people know that too. There are people that are surviving every day like that. You can too.
My dear friends, you are a light in my life. It's something I don't say out loud, but I wish you knew that because it's so true. I would be nothing without you, and a lot of people can say the same.
Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
I for a long time was a person who thought depression was a disease that was caused by something. I mean, it can be. But depression is not necessarily caused by an event. This is what I understand about depression. Depression is when your body sends chemicals flowing through your body that make you sad or anxious or other things like that when you don't want to. It's your body literally making your emotions out of your control. A person with depression can have a million reasons to be happy and even be completely aware of that and still not feel happy. Their body is giving out chemicals that make them feel sad for absolutely no reason. That's why depression is indeed a literal disease; it's your body doing something that makes it unable to function properly.
Luckily, a lot of people have learned how to deal with this disease. It's not easy, but they've found a way to get through every day. I'm really proud of my friend, and all my other friends who have this disease.
And another reason I wanted to write this post, is I was just thinking about all the things I wasn't sure she was aware of, or people who suffer from mental illnesses such as this one may not know. Things that people may have never been told. I know that these statements cannot cure a disease. But maybe they can do something.
Did you know that God loves you? I don't know, I just feel like a lot of people aren't aware of that. Because He does. And you were given this illness. I don't know why, but God does. God gave you that disease for you. He has something planned for you, I don't know what, but I know that it's not all lost because you suffer from an illness, and a lot of other people know that too. There are people that are surviving every day like that. You can too.
My dear friends, you are a light in my life. It's something I don't say out loud, but I wish you knew that because it's so true. I would be nothing without you, and a lot of people can say the same.
Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
Monday, August 31, 2015
Disney Princess Series
Okay guys, so although I write about books, now is the time for us to open our minds to all other fandoms. :)
So as many of you know and for those of you that don't, I really, really, really really really love the Disney fandom. The movies are great and as a musician the music is bomb and for really really lengthy reasons that I will not explain right now Walt Disney is pretty much my hero. And when people say that Disney is for kids I just think about how much I feel I love Disney more now that I'm a teenager rather than a young child. (Bro, I just had a birthday and my mom did this Disneyland party for me oh my gosh it was so cool.)
Well anyway, now I will tell you the stories of what so inspired this post. I kind of have a feminist spirit, like when I was in fourth grade we had to do a research paper on an inventor and the inventor I chose was the inventor of the windshield wiper who just so happened to be a woman. I was in Girl Scouts and all that good stuff. And so sometimes I have a problem with women being portrayed as weak if they make an effort to be pretty all the time or if they like to do traditional women jobs like cooking or sewing or if they don't have a paying job themselves and relying on a husband and stuff like that. Like, that bothers me. Is there something wrong with a woman being like that? You know, I think it's okay for women to have jobs but then I also think it's okay for them to not. If we're really about women's rights then we should be okay with women making choices like that. You know?
Okay, cool. But what does that have to do with the Disney princesses? Well, I'll tell a story as an example. Many of you also know that I am in color guard. My freshman year at band camp, we were working on a piece of flag work. And one of my favorite things even to this day to say about color guard is that we're like Disney princesses: we're strong and beautiful at the same time. Well I said that to the group I was working with and they were all like "That's so awesome" and whatnot. Right? And then one of my friends says, "Especially Mulan."
Okay, what?! Heck no! If y'all are thinking I don't like Mulan, you're wrong. I love Mulan; she's a great character and that's a great movie. But that is not the point I was trying to make.
Again, at this year's band camp, I said the same thing to a group of mostly new girls that I was leading in their flag work. They all loved that comparison too. And then another one of my friends said that we were all being like Mulan.
No. No. Did I say we were being like Mulan? No, I said we were being like the Disney princesses. Just because Mulan is the only Disney princess who fought in a war does not mean she is the only one who is strong and beautiful at the same time. That is my problem. I feel as if the Disney princesses are very misjudged. I have a problem with Mulan being the only one portrayed as strong. They are all strong, every single one of them.
So yeah, that's what inspired me to write this post-- or rather, this series of posts. Every post in this will feature one of the thirteen official Disney princesses in the Disney Princess franchise-- Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, and Elsa. I just feel a strong desire to write about why each of these princesses is super awesome and strong in their own way. Just because you aren't rough and hard and untouchable doesn't mean you are weak.
I'll get started soon! Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
So as many of you know and for those of you that don't, I really, really, really really really love the Disney fandom. The movies are great and as a musician the music is bomb and for really really lengthy reasons that I will not explain right now Walt Disney is pretty much my hero. And when people say that Disney is for kids I just think about how much I feel I love Disney more now that I'm a teenager rather than a young child. (Bro, I just had a birthday and my mom did this Disneyland party for me oh my gosh it was so cool.)
Well anyway, now I will tell you the stories of what so inspired this post. I kind of have a feminist spirit, like when I was in fourth grade we had to do a research paper on an inventor and the inventor I chose was the inventor of the windshield wiper who just so happened to be a woman. I was in Girl Scouts and all that good stuff. And so sometimes I have a problem with women being portrayed as weak if they make an effort to be pretty all the time or if they like to do traditional women jobs like cooking or sewing or if they don't have a paying job themselves and relying on a husband and stuff like that. Like, that bothers me. Is there something wrong with a woman being like that? You know, I think it's okay for women to have jobs but then I also think it's okay for them to not. If we're really about women's rights then we should be okay with women making choices like that. You know?
Okay, cool. But what does that have to do with the Disney princesses? Well, I'll tell a story as an example. Many of you also know that I am in color guard. My freshman year at band camp, we were working on a piece of flag work. And one of my favorite things even to this day to say about color guard is that we're like Disney princesses: we're strong and beautiful at the same time. Well I said that to the group I was working with and they were all like "That's so awesome" and whatnot. Right? And then one of my friends says, "Especially Mulan."
Okay, what?! Heck no! If y'all are thinking I don't like Mulan, you're wrong. I love Mulan; she's a great character and that's a great movie. But that is not the point I was trying to make.
Again, at this year's band camp, I said the same thing to a group of mostly new girls that I was leading in their flag work. They all loved that comparison too. And then another one of my friends said that we were all being like Mulan.
No. No. Did I say we were being like Mulan? No, I said we were being like the Disney princesses. Just because Mulan is the only Disney princess who fought in a war does not mean she is the only one who is strong and beautiful at the same time. That is my problem. I feel as if the Disney princesses are very misjudged. I have a problem with Mulan being the only one portrayed as strong. They are all strong, every single one of them.
So yeah, that's what inspired me to write this post-- or rather, this series of posts. Every post in this will feature one of the thirteen official Disney princesses in the Disney Princess franchise-- Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, and Elsa. I just feel a strong desire to write about why each of these princesses is super awesome and strong in their own way. Just because you aren't rough and hard and untouchable doesn't mean you are weak.
I'll get started soon! Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
Monday, August 3, 2015
The Best Paragraphs Ever Written
(Spoilers for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Roar)
Okay, so we just really need to talk about these real fast.
I have these two paragraphs that I read and when I read them I just wanted to be dead because they are so darn beautiful and so well-written. #WritingGoals So here they are:
"Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened-- he closed his eyes as tightly as he could, but he could not block the scream that pierced the night, that went through Harry as though he had been stabbed with the dagger too. He heard something fall to the ground, heard Wormtail's anguished panting, then a sickening splash, as something was dropped into the cauldron. Harry couldn't stand to look... but the potion had turned a burning red; the light of it shone through Harry's closed eyelids...."
--Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
Is that not perfection?! You know exactly what's happening without being told it directly. You are standing right next to Harry in that graveyard. It's stuff like that that makes Goblet of Fire my second favorite Harry Potter book.
"Awen stayed on the bed and watched Mika get up. Mika pressed his ear against the cupboard door and listened. The noise didn't sound like a Telly Head. It was gentle and purposeful, as if something was being made. Feeling reassured, he carefully opened the door and his lungs filled with air that was so cold and fresh, he felt as if he had eaten a whole packet of mints in one go. The cupboard was filled, floor to ceiling, with a plant that was growing before his eyes. It reached out, waving soft green tips, leaves unfurling and arching back like moth wings. Awen jumped down from the bed and walked into its midst, and as Mika tried to follow, something amazing happened-- as he took a step forward, his body folded over and suddenly he was walking on his hands as well as his feet, and when he looked down, he saw in the dim light that they had transformed into paws just like Awen's. He had become a dog. Awen's head reappeared among the foliage and he yapped playfully, as if this was a "chase me" game, and then he disappeared again. Laughing, Mika made to follow but woke up instead."
--The Roar, Emma Clayton
You can feel it! You can see it! Can't you just imagine exactly what that's like? She uses familiar things, "moth wings", "a whole packet of mints", so that we can feel and see exactly what Mika sees. That is so excellent! This book got terrible reviews and I have no idea why. It got excellent reviews and is absolutely beautiful and a super fun and creative story. You all should definitely check it out!
Any favorite paragraphs? Feel free to comment!
Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
Okay, so we just really need to talk about these real fast.
I have these two paragraphs that I read and when I read them I just wanted to be dead because they are so darn beautiful and so well-written. #WritingGoals So here they are:
"Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened-- he closed his eyes as tightly as he could, but he could not block the scream that pierced the night, that went through Harry as though he had been stabbed with the dagger too. He heard something fall to the ground, heard Wormtail's anguished panting, then a sickening splash, as something was dropped into the cauldron. Harry couldn't stand to look... but the potion had turned a burning red; the light of it shone through Harry's closed eyelids...."
--Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
Is that not perfection?! You know exactly what's happening without being told it directly. You are standing right next to Harry in that graveyard. It's stuff like that that makes Goblet of Fire my second favorite Harry Potter book.
"Awen stayed on the bed and watched Mika get up. Mika pressed his ear against the cupboard door and listened. The noise didn't sound like a Telly Head. It was gentle and purposeful, as if something was being made. Feeling reassured, he carefully opened the door and his lungs filled with air that was so cold and fresh, he felt as if he had eaten a whole packet of mints in one go. The cupboard was filled, floor to ceiling, with a plant that was growing before his eyes. It reached out, waving soft green tips, leaves unfurling and arching back like moth wings. Awen jumped down from the bed and walked into its midst, and as Mika tried to follow, something amazing happened-- as he took a step forward, his body folded over and suddenly he was walking on his hands as well as his feet, and when he looked down, he saw in the dim light that they had transformed into paws just like Awen's. He had become a dog. Awen's head reappeared among the foliage and he yapped playfully, as if this was a "chase me" game, and then he disappeared again. Laughing, Mika made to follow but woke up instead."
--The Roar, Emma Clayton
You can feel it! You can see it! Can't you just imagine exactly what that's like? She uses familiar things, "moth wings", "a whole packet of mints", so that we can feel and see exactly what Mika sees. That is so excellent! This book got terrible reviews and I have no idea why. It got excellent reviews and is absolutely beautiful and a super fun and creative story. You all should definitely check it out!
Any favorite paragraphs? Feel free to comment!
Love ya, mean it!
--Lizzo
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